Search results for " ABA"
showing 10 items of 124 documents
Inter-basin water transfer conflicts. The case of the Tagus-Segura Aqueduct (Spain)
2020
Since its inauguration in 1979, the Tagus-Segura Aqueduct has become one of the hydraulic infrastructures that have given rise to the highest number of inter-regional conflicts in Spain during recent decades. The aim of this paper is to analyse the political, social, environmental and economic conflicts presented in the donor (Tagus) and recipient (Segura) basins of this infrastructure. To this end, through the holding of interviews with the main stakeholders and an analysis of the regulations, an assessment has been made of the results (for and against) of those who defend maintaining this infrastructure, owing to its far-reaching social and economic impact, and those who advocate its imme…
Marginal abatement cost of carbon dioxide emissions in the provision of urban drinking water
2021
Abstract Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a major challenge faced by cities seeking to improve their environmental sustainability. Doing so requires a good understanding of the costs associated with lowering emissions and factors that may influence this cost. This study estimated the marginal abatement cost of reducing both direct and indirect CO2 emissions in the provision of drinking water by several water companies in England and Wales. The results indicated that during the years 2013–2018, the average cost to the English and Welsh water industry to prevent 1 kg of CO2 emissions was 0.264₤ which was equivalent to 61% of the price of the delivered drinking water The results of the Mor…
Biological Nutrient Removal and Fouling Phenomena in a University of Cape Town Membrane Bioreactor Treating High Nitrogen Loads
2013
The behavior of a University of Cape Town (UCT) membrane bioreactor (MBR) system was investigated for use in biological nutrient removal from real wastewater. The pilot plant was in operation for a period of 165 days, during which an extensive data gathering campaign was conducted. The pilot plant was started up by inoculating it with activated sludge from a nearby wastewater treatment plant, and it was fed by real municipal wastewater characterized by high organic nitrogen concentrations attributable to discharges from industrial wastewater and sporadic landfill leachate. Carbon and biological nutrient removal processes, a sludge production process, and a membrane fouling mechanism were an…
Alfalfa crops amended with MSW compost can compensate the effect of salty water irrigation depending on the soil texture
2018
The availability of water resources of marginal quality such as drainage water or high-saltcontaining groundwater is turning into an important issue in Tunisia and other countrieswith scarce water resources. A pot experiment was carried out to evaluate plant produc-tion, nutrient content and heavy metal bioaccumulation in agricultural soils amended withMSW compost and irrigated with salty water, by using two different soil textures (clay andsandy). Salt water supply decreased plant dry yield in both soils. Salt stress had signifi-cantly reduction in plant biomass in sandy soil compared to those in clay soil (biomass ofdry weight is significantly higher in clay soil than those in sandy soil …
Temperature regulating floral bud differentiation in loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.). Hormonal and genetic aspects
2017
In loquat, apex of a current shoot changes from vegetative to reproductive stage during summer, i.e. under high temperature conditions. Indeed, just before floral bud differentiation, a decline in the growth rate due to high temperature takes place. The aim of this work is to study the role of this 'summer rest period' on the apex transition from vegetative to reproductive stage. For this purpose 1) sprouting of secondary shoots was promoted at different times, removing the main shoot, before, during and after floral bud differentiation occurred and 2) groups of trees were shifted to a greenhouse under average maximum temperature not exceeding 25 ° C during different periods from June to Oc…
A phytosociological analysis of the Brachypodium rupestre (Host) Roem. & Schult. communities of Sicily.
2018
A phytosociological study on the Brachypodium rupestre grasslands in Sicily is presented. These grasslands form discontinuous secondary stands dynamically linked to the deciduous oak woods, which are widespread within the upper-colline, submontane and lower montane belts (800-1400 m) of the Tyrrhenian side of the northern Sicily and in the Sicani mountains. In the study area B. rupestre grasslands were mainly found in colluvial plains or drainage lines where relatively deep and mesic soils occur. In this paper 42 phytosociological relevés were performed and statistically analysed. Two new associations were described and classified in the alliance Polygalo mediterraneae-Bromion erecti (Brome…
Towards a more sustainable food Supply chain: opening up invisible waste in food service
2016
Future challenges to the global food supply chain are complex. In order to embrace sustainability, companies should change their management practices towards more efficient resource use. Food waste being a misuse of resources, we identify its causes and possible ways of minimising it. To achieve this goal, we conducted explorative research with qualitative and quantitative data through in-depth semi-structured interviews and an open questionnaire with top Spanish food service companies. Results show that most businesses mainly tend to minimise food waste according to economic criteria, without taking into account the social, ethical or environmental factors. As a consequence, just “visible”…
On the numerical implementation of a 3D fractional viscoelastic constitutive model
2015
The aim of this paper is the implementation of a 3D fraction al viscoelastic constitutive law in a user material subroutine (UMAT) in the finite element software Abaqus. Essential to the implementation of the model is access to the strain history at each Gauss point of each element in a constructive manner. Details of the UMAT and comparison with some analytical results are presented in order to show that the fractional viscoelastic constitutive law has been successfully implemented.
Anodic abatement of organic pollutants in water in micro reactors
2010
The electrochemical oxidation of oxalic acid (OA) was performed in a micro flow cell equipped with a boron doped diamond (BDD) anode. This preliminary study demonstrates that a flow cell with a micrometric distance between the cathode and the anode can be used to perform the electrochemical treatment of waters contaminated by organic pollutants in the absence of added supporting electrolytes with high abatements. The effect of the distance between the cathode and the anode, the flow rate and the current density on the abatement of oxalic acid and on the current efficiency was in particular studied.
Changes in land use and physiological transitions of a Juniperus thurifera forest: from decline to recovery
2015
All Rights Reserved. Forest decline is frequently associated with infection; however, infections habitually affect trees that have been previously debilitated by environmental stress. Nevertheless, the causes and physiology of noninfectious forest decline are not well known. Some Juniperus thurifera L. forests presented severe (noninfectious) declines, with defoliations over 50%. The goal of this study was to determine the causes and characterize the physiology of this noninfectious decline, and we hypothesized that it could be related to environmental stress from increasing interspecific competition resulting from land abandonment. We randomly assigned60 trees to either a control group or …