Search results for "010501 environmental sciences"
showing 10 items of 2754 documents
How different policy instruments affect green product innovation : A differentiated perspective
2018
Based on representative firm-level data for the three countries Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, we investigate the effects of energy-related regulations, taxes, voluntary agreements, and subsidies on the creation of green energy products, and analyze through which channels policy affects green product innovation and which factors mediate the observed effects. Policy may affect green product innovation by directly stimulating the supply of green products/services, or more indirectly by stimulating the demand for green products/services. Our data set allows us to distinguish between the two channels, which improves our understanding of the frequently observed positive net effect of policie…
Current Social and Rangeland Access Trends among Pastoralists in the Western Algerian Steppe
2021
International audience; In the western Algerian steppe, the public authorities have carried out actions aimed at rural development (agricultural development programs) and combating desertification (grazing reserves) to counter the significant and rapid loss of vegetation cover of pastures by overgrazing, and the consequent impacts on local livelihoods. In the Rogassa area, these actions have impacted land tenure and the ancestral and collective way of land use and access. These changes have caused transformations in lifestyle and pasture management. This research aims to characterize how such changes are affecting local pastoralists and what their perceptions are about them. A selective sam…
Straw uses trade-off only after soil organic carbon steady-state
2018
Soil organic matter (SOM) is the key for a healthy soil and a relevant property to achieve the sustainability on soil management. However, soils are still net exporters of organic matter. One example is the use of wheat straw residue for industrial and energy applications, which has gained attention in the last years. The offfarm use of this abundant and low cost resource should follow sustainability criteria to avoid soil degradation and SOM losses. Straw residue incorporation is recognized as a recommended management practice to control erosion and mitigate CO2 emissions by increasing SOM. The goal of this work was: i) to evaluate the steady-state carbon (C) level in relation to C input a…
Husk Energy Supply Systems for Sunflower Oil Mills
2020
Together with solar, wind, and hydro renewable energy sources (RES), biomass constitutes an integral part of the high-renewables electricity systems. Considerable feedstocks for electricity generation are process-based residues. Ukraine is the world leader in sunflower seed production, therefore, husk (a by-product of oil production) is a promising biofuel for combustion- based power plants. The plants consume primarily electricity and fossil fuels (natural gas or fuel oil) for steam production. Their usage affects the edible oil production cost and impacts on climate change. The above facts force us to look for alternatives. By-product (husk) utilization can reduce exhaustible energy consu…
Determination of Changes in the Quality of Surface Water in the River—Reservoir System
2021
Assessing the changing parameters of water quality at different points in the river–reservoir system can help prevent river pollution and implement remedial policies. It is also crucial in modeling water resources. Multivariate statistical analysis is useful for the analysis of changes in surface water quality. It helps to identify indicators that may be responsible for the eutrophication process of a reservoir. Additionally, the analysis of the water quality profile and the water quality index (WQI) is useful in assessing water pollution. These tools can support and verify the results of a multivariate statistical analysis. In this study, changes in water quality parameters of the Turawa r…
The Effect of Mechanocatalytic Pretreatment on the Structure and Depolymerization of Willow
2020
In this study, the effect of a mechanocatalytic pretreatment on the structure of willow and sugar release from pretreated willow was explored. In the mechanocatalytic approach, the pretreatment consists of solvent-free impregnation with sulfuric acid and a mechanical treatment with ball milling. Willow sawdust and pretreated samples were analyzed with field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The products in the sugar solution were determined as the total reducing sugars with the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid method and monosaccharides with capillary electrophoresis. According to the results, milling increased the sugar production, depending on the sulfuric acid load. T…
Combined effect of low-molecular-weight organic acids and creosote on phosphatase activities in sandy soil
2018
This paper assesses the impact of creosote and low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) on the activity of acid phosphomonoesterase, alkaline phosphomonoesterase, phosphotriesterase, and inorganic pyrophosphatase in soil. The experiment was carried out on loamy sand samples with organic carbon content of 8.71 g · kg -1 , with the following variable factors: dosages of creosote: 0, 0.5%, and 2.5%; type of LMWOAs: oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and citric acid in the amount of 50 mmol · kg -1 of soil; days of experiment: 1, 7, 14, 28, 56, 112. Obtained results showed that contamination with creosote caused decrease in the activity of soil phosphatases. The observed effect did not always incre…
Dead wood profile of a semi-natural boreal forest – implications for sampling
2019
Dead wood profile of a forest is a useful tool for describing forest characteristics and assessing forest disturbance history. Nevertheless, there are few studies on dead wood profiles, including both coarse and fine dead wood, and on the effect of sampling intensity on the dead wood estimates. In a semi-natural boreal forest, we measured every dead wood item over 2 cm in diameter from 80 study plots. From eight plots, we further recorded dead wood items below 2 cm in diameter. Based on these data we constructed the full dead wood profile, i.e. the overall number of dead wood items and their distribution among different tree species, volumes of different size and decay stage categories. We …
Psychrophiles: A source of cold-adapted enzymes for energy efficient biotechnological industrial processes
2021
Biocatalysts are the backbone of bioprocessing industries that are going through a phase of transition with reference to the requirement of extraordinary enzymes for various biochemical processes. This transition is well reported and documented by various researchers through elucidation of different features and applications of mesophilic and thermophilic enzymes. However, there is little information available about psychrophilic enzymes and their involvement in industrial processes. Therefore, understanding the features and functions of psychrophilic enzymes could suggest some of their novel applications in various industries such as food, agriculture, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and waste…
Multi-Energy School System for Seasonal Use in the Mediterranean Area
2020
School buildings represent an energy-consuming sector of real estate where different efficiency actions are necessary. The literature shows how the design of a multi-energy system offers numerous advantages, however, there are problems related to the integration of cogeneration units with renewable energy sources due to the low flexibility of the first one and the high degree of uncertainty of the latter. The authors provide an alternative solution through the analysis of a case study consisting of a multiple energy system in three Sicilian schools, focusing on the system&rsquo