Search results for " GAS"
showing 10 items of 4643 documents
Nitrous oxide effluxes from plants as a potentially important source to the atmosphere
2018
The global budget for nitrous oxide (N2 O), an important greenhouse gas and probably dominant ozone-depleting substance emitted in the 21st century, is far from being fully understood. Cycling of N2 O in terrestrial ecosystems has traditionally exclusively focused on gas exchange between the soil surface (nitrification-denitrification processes) and the atmosphere. Terrestrial vegetation has not been considered in the global budget so far, even though plants are known to release N2 O. Here, we report the N2 O emission rates of 32 plant species from 22 different families measured under controlled laboratory conditions. Furthermore, the first isotopocule values (δ15 N, δ18 O and δ15 Nsp ) of …
Innovative, ecofriendly biosorbent-biodegrading biofilms for bioremediation of oil- contaminated water.
2019
Immobilization of microorganisms capable of degrading specific contaminants significantly promotes bioremediation processes. In this study, innovative and ecofriendly biosorbent-biodegrading biofilms have been developed in order to remediate oil-contaminated water. This was achieved by immobilizing hydrocarbon-degrading gammaproteobacteria and actinobacteria on biodegradable oil-adsorbing carriers, based on polylactic acid and polycaprolactone electrospun membranes. High capacities for adhesion and proliferation of bacterial cells were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The bioremediation efficiency of the systems, tested on crude oil and quantified by gas chromatography, showed that…
Molecular parameters involved in bee-plant relationships: a biological and chemical approach
1987
Abstract Honeybee-plant relationships are based on a conditioning process in which olfactory (plant aroma) and gustatory cues (mainly nectars) are closely linked, leading to a selective foraging behaviour. Among crops dependent upon entomophilous cross-pollination, the sunflower has recently undergone extensive expansion due to hybrid variety selection. Sunflower hybrid seed production is strictly dependent upon pollinating insects, mainly the honeybees, but foragers may have preferences among the parental lines, leading to a lack of pollen carriage and consequently to a decrease of hybrid seed yield. In order to define the role of plant chemicals (aromas, nectars) involved in the pollinati…
Influence of the Storage of Cistus ladanifer L. Bales from Mechanised Harvesting on the Essential Oil Yield and Qualitative Composition
2021
Cistus ladanifer is a Mediterranean native plant from which valuable products, such as essential oil, are obtained. Manual harvesting of the plants in wild shrublands is usual during short periods of time. Their mechanised harvesting could increase the volume of harvested plants and prevent fires, further storage of the plants collected being necessary. The objective of this work is to study the influence of the storage period of mechanically harvested bales on the essential oil yield and qualitative composition. The harvesting trials were carried out with an adapted commercial harvester baler and the storage of the bales was performed indoors during 1–7 days, 15–30 days and 100–120 days. A…
Towards food, feed and energy crops mitigating climate change
2011
Agriculture is an important source of anthropogenic emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG), methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and crops can affect the microbial processes controlling these emissions in many ways. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of plant–microbe interactions in relation to the CH 4 and N 2 O budgets and show how this is promoting new generations of crop cultivars that have the potential to mitigate GHG emissions for future agricultural use. The possibility of breeding low GHG-emitting cultivars is a paradigm shift towards sustainable agriculture that balances climate change and food and bioenergy security.
A new methodology for organic soils in national greenhouse gas inventories: Data synthesis, derivation and application
2020
Abstract Drained organic soils are large sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG) in many European and Asian countries. Therefore, these soils urgently need to be considered and adequately accounted for when attempting to decrease emissions from the Agriculture and Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors. Here, we describe the methodology, data and results of the German approach for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of anthropogenic GHG emissions from drained organic soils and outline ways forward towards tracking drainage and rewetting. The methodology was developed for and is currently applied in the German GHG inventory under the United Nations Framewor…
Collating science-based evidence to inform public opinion on the environmental effects of marine drilling platforms in the Mediterranean Sea.
2017
Abstract The use of rigorous methodologies to assess environmental, social and health impacts of specific interventions is crucial to disentangle the various components of environmental questions and to inform public opinion. The power of systematic maps relies on the capacity to summarise and organise the areas or relationships most studied, and to highlight key gaps in the evidence base. The recent Italian technical referendum (2016) – a public consultation inviting people to express their opinion by voting to change the rules on the length of licence duration and the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas platform drilling licences – inspired the creation of a systematic map of evidence…
Aeration control in membrane bioreactor for sustainable environmental footprint
2020
In this study different scenarios were scrutinized to minimize the energy consumption of a membrane bioreactor system for wastewater treatment. Open-loop and closed-loop scenarios were investigated by two-step cascade control strategies based on dissolved oxygen, ammonia and nitrite concentrations. An integrated MBR model which includes also the greenhouse gas formation/emission processes was applied. A substantial energy consumption reduction was obtained for the closed-loop scenarios (32% for Scenario 1 and 82% for Scenario 2). The air flow control based on both ammonia and nitrite concentrations within the aerobic reactor (Scenario 2) provided excellent results in terms of reduction of o…
A plant-wide modelling comparison between membrane bioreactors and conventional activated sludge
2020
Abstract A comprehensive plant-wide mathematical modelling comparison between conventional activated sludge (CAS) and Membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems is presented. The main aim of this study is to highlight the key features of CAS and MBR in order to provide a guide for an effective plant operation. A scenario analysis was performed to investigate the influence on direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and operating costs of (i) the composition of inflow wastewater (scenario 1), (ii) operating conditions (scenario 2) and (iii) oxygen transfer efficiency (scenario 3). Scenarios show higher indirect GHG emissions for MBR than CAS, which result is related to the higher energy con…
MAB2.0 project: Integrating algae production into wastewater treatment
2018
Abstract Different species of microalgae are highly efficient in removing nutrients from wastewater streams and are able to grow using flue gas as a CO2 source. These features indicate that application of microalgae has a promising outlook in wastewater treatment. However, practical aspects and process of integration of algae cultivation into an existing wastewater treatment line have not been investigated. The Climate-KIC co-funded Microalgae Biorefinery 2.0 project developed and demonstrated this integration process through a case study. The purpose of this paper is to introduce this process by phases and protocols, as well as report on the challenges and bottlenecks identified in the cas…