Search results for " waste management"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
Species- and site-specific efficacy of commercial biocides and application solvents against lichens
2017
Abstract Control of lichens on stone cultural heritage is mostly achieved by a combination of mechanical removal with biocide applications. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence on the efficacy of different biocides on different species, and on the consistency of biocide effects on heritage sites in different environmental conditions. This results in some uncertainty when conservation interventions to control lichens are routinely defined on the basis of restoration tradition or empirical evaluation, without experimental measures of how lichens respond. In this work, we quantitatively evaluated (a) the efficacy of five commercially-available biocides, applied using a brush or with…
Bacterial community structure along the subtidal sandy sediment belt of a high Arctic fjord (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard Islands)
2018
Open fjords are subject to contrasting environmental conditions, owing to meltwater glacial inputs, terrestrial runoff, and marine water mass exchanges, which are exacerbated by anthropogenic and climate perturbations. Following a slope-dependent water circulation, the subtidal sandy sediment belt regulates the convergent transport of nutrients downward the fjord depths, and the effective entrapment of suspended particles and microorganisms. In this study, we aimed at testing how glacial and seawater inputs may influence the bacterial community structure of subtidal sand deposits in the Kongsfjorden. Through total and viable cell counting and an amplicon sequencing approach, we found releva…
Sustainable Urban Requalification: Circularity of Processes for a New Metabolism
2014
Through this paper we present the first results of a research combining the management problem of Municipal Solid Waste to the requalification of built environment. The goal of this research is to mitigate the vulnerability of territory and urban heritage and to transform a problem into opportunities. Above all, we have paid attention to several exemplifying cases of Italian territory: suburbs of large towns, historical centres, small centres (and, in particular, those with a strong historical connotation). Their features are, at the same time, restrictions and challenges for designing new compatible systems that can contribute to the requalification of urban landscape recovering spaces wit…
A comparative life-cycle assessment of asphalt mixtures for railway sub-ballast containing alternative materials
2018
Abstract Bituminous sub-ballast in railway track-bed can mitigate the variation of the moisture content in the subgrade and reduce vertical stiffness variations of the track leading to a more durable infrastructure. Nevertheless, durability is only one of the aspects that affects the sustainability of an infrastructure. Other relevant aspects are related to the environmental and economic issues. This research work joins the worldwide effort towards a paradigm shift in civil engineering devoted to assess the sustainability of infrastructures at the design stage. With this in mind, in this study different alternative bituminous sub-ballast mixtures containing recycled materials, namely crumb …
Combination of ozonation and photocatalysis for purification of aqueous effluents containing formic acid as probe pollutant and bromide ion
2014
The treatment by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) of waters contaminated by organic pollutants and containing also innocuous bromide ions may generate bromate ions as a co-product. In the present work heterogeneous photocatalysis and ozonation have individually been applied and in combination (integrated process) to degrade the organic compounds in water containing also bromide anions. The results show that: i) the sole photocatalysis does not produce bromate ions and in the case of its presence, it is able to reduce bromate to innocuous bromide ions; ii) the integration of photocatalysis and ozonation synergistically enhances the oxidation capabilities; and iii) in the integrated proces…
URBAN RESILIENCE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT: PROPOSALS OF NEW INFRASTRUCTURES FOR URBAN AREAS AND BUILDINGS
2015
La produzione ingente di rifiuti, quale conseguenza di costumi di vita volti allo spreco, rende vulnerabili i sistemi urbani che possono essere sottoposti, in casi emergenziali, a pressioni eccezionali e incontrollate con situazioni prossime al collasso. Un’opportuna e corretta gestione integrata dei rifiuti contribuisce alla resilienza dei sistemi urbani. Perciò si rendono necessarie la pianificazione e la progettazione di nuovi servizi e l’individuazione/integrazione di spazi e dotazioni tecnologiche per incentivare la popolazione a effettuare la raccolta differenziata in modo corretto e costante. Si presentano gli esiti di uno studio svolto in un piccolo centro siciliano. Partendo dalle …
Alternatives to the traditional waste management: Food recovery for human non-profit organizations
2015
Food supply chains are affected by losses of products which become poorly attractive for the consumers as they get close to their expiration date, therefore remaining unsold on the shelves. Such situation is ethically depreciable considering that many undernourished people rely on non-profit organizations for their survival. Despite of this situation, food recovery through the supply chain is still scarcely practiced, and the potential benefits achievable are frequently ignored. The paper presents a mathematical model for the coordination of the supply chain operating a food recovery policy. The model determines the optimal time for withdrawing the products from the shelves and the quantity…
Trust, mistrust and distrust as blind spots of Social Licence to Operate: illustration via three forerunner countries in nuclear waste management
2021
The notion of social licence to operate (SLO) has become a widely applied concept for companies in mining and resource extraction industries to manage their social and community relations, in the face of local criticism and opposition. SLO literature and practice have highlighted earning the trust of the local community as a key requirement for an SLO. This article addresses three weaknesses in how the current SLO literature addresses trust. The arguments are illustrated via examples from nuclear waste management in Finland, France and Sweden–three forerunners in implementing high-level nuclear waste repository projects. Nuclear waste management constitutes a relevant case for analysis, as …
Building capabilities among e-scrappers in informal electronic waste management: the case of the Nigerian e-scrappers
2016
This study examines the capabilities of e-scrappers developed through the constant interaction with electronic waste (e-waste). Video-based interviews were conducted with 29 male e-scrappers in Edo and Lagos States, Nigeria. Data analysis reveals that over time, e-scrappers in Nigeria are driven by aspirations not only of financial security but also of societal acceptance and recognition. Progressively, they have developed capabilities such as effective extraction methods based on individual abilities, market demand and the presence of an active social network, which have had a significant impact on the choices of the developed capabilities.
Life cycle assessment of low temperature asphalt mixtures for road pavement surfaces: A comparative analysis
2018
The increasing fuel consumption demand, the accelerated pressure imposed by the depletion of 5 scarce raw materials and the urgent environmental protection requirements are forcing the change of 6 pavement industry and academia community’s research endeavors towards the development of low 7 emissions road paving technologies able to significantly reduce mixing and compaction temperature as 8 well as the consumption of virgin raw materials. One set of relatively recent technologies in the field of 9 pavement materials that aims at addressing those concerns are the warm mix asphalt (WMA). In fact, 10 they have the potential to allow the reduction of energy consumption and airborne emissions d…