Abstract: This paper presents velocities of present-day tectonic movement and strain rate in the East Vietnam Sea (South China Sea) and surroundings determined from GPS campaigns between 2007 and 2010. We determine absolute velocities of GPS stations in the ITRF05 frame. The result indicates that GPS stations in the North of East Vietnam Sea move eastwards with the slip rate of 30 - 39 mm/yr, southwards at the velocities of 8 - 11 mm/yr. Song Tu Tay offshore moves eastwards at the rate of ~24 mm/yr and southwards at ~9 mm/yr. GPS stations in the South of East Vietnam Sea move to the east at the rate of ~22 mm/yr and to the south at the velocities of 7 - 11 mm/yr. The effect of relative movement shows that the Western Margin Fault Zone activates as left lateral fault zone at the slip rate less than 4 mm/year.In Western plateau, the first result from 2012 - 2013 GPS measurement shows that the velocities to the east vary from 21.5 mm/yr to 24.7 mm/year. The velocities to the south vary from 10.5 mm/yr to 14.6 mm/year. GPS solutions determined from our campaigns are combined with data from various authors and international projects to determine the strain rate in the East Vietnam Sea. Principal strain rate changes from 15 nanostrain/yr to 9 nanostrain/yr in the East Vietnam Sea. Principal strain rate and maximum shear strain rate along the Red River Fault Zone are in order of 10 nanostrain/year. East Vietnam Sea is considered to belong to the Sunda block.

Abstract: In this research, we planned and conducted estimations for developing a pilot-scale Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project for group plant activities in the Vietnam electricity/energy sector. The overall aim of this paper is to assess the power generation potential of rice husk power plants in the Mekong Delta. We intend to set up a rice husk energy balance flowchart for the whole Mekong River Delta in the year 2021 and suggest policies that can be used for the power generation of unused rice husk, to avoid having them pollute rivers and canals. We put forward a safe and environmentally friendly solution to thoroughly minimize the current serious pollution of rivers and canals in the Mekong River Delta caused by the increasing quantity of unused rice husk. The results of this paper are based on the estimation of electricity potential of a group of rice husk power development plants in the Mekong River Delta with a capacity of 11 MW per plant, including carbon dioxide emission reductions (CERs) and CER credits, along with estimations of their economic criteria (NPV, B/C, IRR), both W/CDM and W/O CDM.

Abstract: The grain-size analysis is carried out for 49 samples of Upper Miocene sediments taken from three boreholes in the Hanoi depression. The statistic parameters of the grain size distributions such as percentiles, median, graphic mean, sorting or inclusive graphic standard deviation, inclusive graphic skewness, and graphic kurtosis are used to decipher the depositional environments and transportation mechanisms of sediments. Bivariate plotting of these parameters, the discriminant functions with four basic parameters of graphics mean, sorting, inclusive graphic skewness and graphic kurtosis, and the CM pattern with the one percentile (C) and median (M) diameters are applied for this determination. The plots of graphics mean versus sorting suggest 14% of samples being the sand sheet, 46% related to rivers and 40% of the estuarine environment. The sorting - inclusive graphic skewness plot shows a river-related environment for all samples. Linear discriminant functions show the sandstone of upper Miocene in Hanoi depression are deltaic sediments formed in unstably transporting and depositional environment, impacted by turbidity current in the coastal river-mouth. The CM pattern shows sediment transportation for most of the samples in three modes: rolling, suspension and rolling, and uniform suspension. The environmental dynamics are relatively complex and change over time.

Abstract: Abstract: Late Miocene biostratigraphy of coaly sediments in the Southeastern Red River Delta are basically interpreted from the analyses of foraminifera, palynology with referencing analyses of petrographic thin section, grain-size and physicochemistry, from the samples of 3 boreholes. Late Miocene/Pliocene stratigraphical boundary is marked by the appearances of planktonic foraminifera as Neogloboquadrina acostaensis; Globigerinoides ruber, G. bulloides, G. conglobatus. Sedimentary environments were: tidal flats in the Earlier of Late Miocene; tidal flats and coastal marshes in the Middle of Late Miocene; tidal flats and coastal marshes intercalated with neritic shallow sea in the Later of Late Miocene. The Late Miocene paleoclimate in the study area was characterized by  hot subtropical regime in the earlier, changed into tropical intercalated with cooler period in the middle and ended with colder subtropical regime in  the later. Keywords: biostratigraphy, coaly sediments, Late Miocene, foraminifera, palynology, paleoclimate. References: [1] Vũ Xuân Doanh, Báo cáo Tổng kết địa chất và độ chứa than miền võng Hà Nội, Lưu trữ Trung tâm Thông tin Lưu trữ Địa chất, Hà Nội, 1986.[2] Vũ Nhật Thắng (chủ biên), Báo cáo đo vẽ bản đồ địa chất và tìm kiếm khoáng sản tỷ lệ 1/50.000 nhóm tờ Nam Định – Thái Bình, Lưu trữ Trung tâm Thông tin Lưu trữ Địa chất, Hà Nội, 1995.[3] Tập đoàn Công nghiệp Than – Khoáng sản Việt Nam, Tóm tắt báo cáo kết quả thi công đề án Thăm dò than khu Nam Thịnh, huyện Tiền Hải, tỉnh Thái Bình, Lưu Tập đoàn Công nghiệp Than – Khoáng sản Việt Nam, Hà Nội, 2016.[4] Trương Cam Bảo, Cổ sinh vật học, Nhà xuất bản Đại học và trung học chuyện nghiệp, Hà Nội, 1980.[5] Nguyễn Ngọc, Nguyễn Hữu Cử, Đỗ Bạt, Hóa thạch Trùng lỗ (foraminifera) Kainozoi thềm lục địa và các vùng lân cận ở Việt Nam, NXB Viện Khoa học và Công nghệ Việt Nam, Hà Nội, 2006.[6] M. E. Zubkovits, Phương pháp nghiên cứu cổ sinh địa tầng – cơ sở sinh địa tầng, Nhà xuất bản khoa họa và kỹ thuật, Hà Nội, 1978. (người dịch: Trịnh Dánh, Nguyễn Ngọc, Nguyễn Văn Trinh). [7] Đỗ Bạt (chủ biên), Định danh và liên kết địa tầng trầm tích Đệ Tam thềm lục địa Việt Nam, Báo cáo tổng kết nhiệm vụ nghiên cứu khoa học cấp ngành, Lưu Viện Dầu khí Việt Nam, Hà Nội. 2001.[8] Đỗ Bạt, Nguyễn Địch Dỹ, Phan Huy Quynh, Phạm Hồng Quế, Nguyễn Quý Hùng, Đỗ Việt Hiếu, Địa tầng các bể trầm tích Kainozoi Việt Nam, Địa chất và tài nguyên dầu khí Việt Nam, NXB Khoa học Kỹ thuật. Hà Nội, 2007.[9] Dương Xuân Hảo (Chủ biên), Hóa thạch đặc trưng ở miền Bắc Việt Nam, NXB Khoa học và Kỹ thuật, Hà Nội, 1980.[10] Mai Văn Lạc, Vũ Anh Thư, Đỗ Thị Bích Thược, Phân dị sinh thái và phân dị tiến hóa của Foraminifera Vịnh Bắc Bộ, Tạp chí các Khoa học về trái đất 31(2), 2009, 139-147.[11] Nguyễn Ngọc, Nguyễn Xuân Phong, Một số nét về hóa thạch Trùng lỗ kích thước lớn và ý nghĩa của việc nghiên cứu đối tượng này. Tạp chí Thăm dò – Khai thác Dầu khí, 5 (2016) 22-28.[12] J.A. Cushman, Foraminifera and their classification and economic use, Contribution from the Cushman Laboratory for Foraminiferal Research 4 (1928) 1-401.[13] J.A. Cushman, The Foraminifera of the tropical Pacific collections of the “Albatross”, 1899-1900. Pt.2-Lagenidae to Alveolinellidae. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., Washington, 161 (1933) [14] J.P. Debenay, A Guide to 1,000 Foraminifera from Southwestern Pacific New Caledonia. IRD Editions. Institut de recherche pourle développement. Paris: Marseille, Publications Scientifiques du Muséum, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, 2012, 1–378.[15] Trần Đình Nhân, Áp dụng phương pháp phân tích bào tử phấn hoa vào việc nghiên cứu địa chất ở nước ta”, Nội san Địa chất, 5 (1962) 22-23.[16] G. Erdtman, 1943, An Introduction to Pollen Analysis. Waltham, Mass. 1943, 1-239.[17] G. Erdtman, 1952, Pollen Morphology and Plant Taxonomy, Angiosperms (An Introduction to Palynology. 1), Stockholm, 1952, pp. 1-539.[18] Phạm Quang Trung (chủ biên), Các phức hệ bào tử phấn hoa trong trầm tích Paleogen bắc bể Sông Hồng và vùng ven rìa, mối quan hệ của chúng với môi trường trầm tích. Báo cáo nhiệm vụ cấp ngành dầu khí, Viện Dầu khí Việt Nam, 1998.[19] Đinh Văn Thuận, Các phức hệ bào tử phấn hoa trong trầm tích Đệ tứ đồng bằng Nam bộ, ý nghĩa địa tầng và cổ địa lý của chúng, Luận án Tiến sĩ Địa chất, Đại học Mỏ-Địa chất Hà Nội. Hà Nội, 2005.[20] V. Mosbrugger, T. Utescher, The coexistence approach-a method for quantitative reconstructions of Tertiary terrestrial paleoclimate data using plant fossils, Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 134 (1997) 61-86.[21] J.P. Suc, Origin and evolution of the Mediterranean vegetation and climate in the Europe. Macmillan Journal Ltd, 1984, pp. 429-435.[22] P.B. Tomlinson, The botany of mangroves. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1986, pp. 1-413.[23] A. M. Ellison, Mangrove restoration: Do we know enough?. Restoration ecology, 2000, pp. 142-155.[24] Gozalo Jiménez-Moreno, Martin Head, Mathias Harzhauser, Early and Middle Miocen dinoflagellate cyst stratigraphy of the Central Paratethys, Central Europe. The Micropaleotological Society, 2005, pp. 113-139.[25] Yong Quan, Shuai Wang, Ming Gu, Jun Kuang. Field measurement of wind speeds and wind-induced responses atop the Shanghai world financial center under normal climate conditions. Hindawi publishing corporation, 2013, pp.1-14.[26] W.H. Blow, Late middle Miocene to Recent planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy. In Bronnimann, P.Renz, H.H (eds), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Planktonic Microfossils, Geneva 1967 Vol. 1, 1969, pp.199-422.[27] Berggren, Van Couvering, Neogen chronostratigraphy, planktonic foraminiferal zonation and the radiometric time scale. W.H.O.I., part1. 1974. [28] T. 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Abstract: Crude oil and natural gas are two important feedstocks for petrochemical production worldwide. At present, the domestic production of petroleum and petrochemical products (e.g. from Dung Quat and Nghi Son refineries) is not enough to satisfy the domestic demand. It is forecasted that materials such as plastics (PE, PP, PVC, ABS, PS) and rubers (SBR, NBR) will still have to be imported to meet the development of some potentially sustainable areas such as electric and electronic appliances, automotive, medicals and pharmaceuticals. In this study, petrochemical production is evaluated on the following criteria: (i) Feedstock and product market; (ii) Historical and forecasted prices; (iii) Technology evaluation, and (iv) Trend and experience on crude oil to petrochemicals. Resulting from that, some potential scenarios are proposed for petrochemical productions in Vietnam in the short-/middle- and long-term based on the imported feedstock and domestic supply.

Abstract: A large amount of spent yeast as by-product is annually generated from brewing industry and it contains about 50-55% protein with good balance of amino acids. The hydrolysate produced from spent brewer’s yeast may be used in food application. The yield of proteolylic hydrolysis for spent brewer’s yeast and amino acid contents of hydrolysates depend on factors such as temperature, pH value, type of used enzyme and ratio enzyme/substrate, time. Besides, applied hydrolysing methods (batch-, or continuous method) has effected on degree of hydrolysis. With the purpose of how proteolytic hydrolysis having effects on the spent brewer’s yeast for food application in industrial scale, continuous overflow method was used in this study. Bitterness of hydrolysate and the yield of continuous overflow proteolytic hydrolysis process are the two interested factors for protein hydrolysis. In this report, it is dealt with determination for optimal conditions to obtain the highest yield of hydrolysis process and the lowest bitterness of hydrolysate. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine optimal condition for continuous overflow proteolytic hydrolysis of spent brewer’s yeast. The optimal conditions for obtaining high degree of hydrolysis and low bitterness are determined as followings: ratio of enzyme mixture (alcalase 7.5 U/g and flavourzyme 10 U/g), pH at 7.5, hydrolysis temperature at 51oC and hydrolysis time of 9 hours. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of hydrolysis was 59.62% ± 0.027 and the bitterness equivalently with concentration of quinine was 7.86 ± 0.033 μmol /ml.