Search results for "Economy"

A Circular Economy Approach to Fish Oil Extraction

2019

Fish oil rich in polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids is extracted in high yield from anchovy filleting waste using d-limonene as green biosolvent in a simple solid-liquid extraction performed by mechanically stirring and maceration followed by limonene removal via evaporation under reduced pressure. As limonene is renewably obtained from waste orange peel, this method closes the materials cycle and establishes a circular economy process to obtain high quality fish oil from biowaste available worldwide in several million t/year amount. Significant economic, social and environmental benefits are anticipated.

Horizon Europe, the new programme for research & innovation: Which opportunities for GI research in the years to come?

2021

What Is Regional in Regional Clusters? The Case of the Globally Oriented Oil and Gas Cluster in Agder, Norway

2012

This paper focuses on the question to what extent knowledge sources in regional clusters stimulate the innovation activity of cluster firms. In doing so we contribute to the literature by combining two analytical approaches: by (1) distinguishing firms dominated by different innovation modes; and (2) differentiating between inter-organizational linkages and open knowledge environments as two distinct knowledge sources. Based on data from the Agder equipment supplier industry we demonstrate that mobility of labour, local buzz and inter-organizational linkages are key regional knowledge sources, but clearly more so for some types of firms than others.

Opportunity costs and efficiency of investments in mega sport events

2009

Economic analyses of mega sport events usually focus on the positive effects and legacies while ignoring opportunity costs and the efficiency of using scarce resources. Event opponents argue that decisions to invest public resources should also consider alternative uses of the money. This paper aims to clarify some of the issues surrounding the opportunity costs of mega sport events. By using the measure ‘efficiency’ (output/input) of alternative investments it will become clear that the decision to stage a mega sport event cannot be taken in isolation and that there are many factors that need to be considered. The argument put forward is based on a stakeholder’s perspective and a spatial d…

From Planning to Management of Cultural Heritage Sites: Controversies and Conflicts Between Unesco WHL Management Plans and Local Spatial Planning in…

2014

The paper investigates the relationship between the preservation of cultural heritage and planning in UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) sites, with special reference to the relation be- tween Management Plans and other (local and regional) planning instruments and policies able to influence the promotion of sustainable and responsible development. This will be explored through a case study related to South-Eastern Sicilian UNESCO sites (in particular Syracuse). The analysis of this case study will point out the challenge of integrating different management and planning regimes - which mainly refer to a performative model - in a (still) very conformative planning sys- tem. The paper will show…

Hybrid electric vehicle powertrain design: Construction of topologies and initial design schemes

2018

This paper introduces the generic representation and construction methods for the architectures of the four-wheel-drive hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) powertrain, which achieve the unified rules to represent and construct all types of HEV powertrains. To map the architecture into numerical variables and add it into optimization, the kinematic matrix of the HEV powertrain is extracted corresponding to the topological structure. Based on the torque distribution requirement of four-wheel-drive HEV, the initial design schemes (architecture and parameters) are created by charge-under-go feasibility inspection.

Mitigating forest biodiversity and ecosystem service losses in the era of bio-based economy

2018

Forests play a crucial role in the transition towards a bioeconomy by providing biomass to substitute for fossil-based materials and energy. However, a policy-policy conflict exists between the desire to increase the utilization of bio based renewable resources and the desire to protect and conserve biodiversity. Increasing forest harvest levels to meet the needs of the bioeconomy may conflict with biodiversity protection and ecosystem services provided by forests. Through an optimization framework, we examined trade-offs between increasing the extraction of timber resources, and the impacts on biodiversity and non-wood ecosystem services, and investigated possibilities to reconcile trade-o…

Economic and Technical Feasibility of Betanin and Pectin Extraction from Opuntia ficus-indica Peel via Microwave-Assisted Hydrodiffusion

2019

Investigating the feasibility of betanin and pectin extraction from Opuntia ficus-indica peel via microwave-assisted hydrodiffusion and gravity, this study identifies selected important economic and technical aspects associated with this innovative production route starting from prickly pear fruit discards. Which benefits would be derived from this process? Would production be limited to Opuntia-growing countries or, likewise to what happens with dried lemon peel chiefly imported from Argentina, would production take place abroad also? Can distributed manufacturing based on clean extraction technology compete with centralized production using conventional chemical processes?

Assessment of Agricultural Options Available for Saving Orange Cultivation in Ribera Baixa (Valencia, Spain)

2014

Orange cropping has been in practice in Ribera Baixa (Valencia, Spain) for several centuries. During the past decade, orange cropping has been under severe economic stress arising from increasing competition from less-costly foreign imports. Consequently, farm-gate prices are depressed, under the regime of fixed percentage distribution of retail pricing. Orange groves are being abandoned in many instances. A practicable and sustainable solution to this persistent economic problem would require a re-structuring of the marketing system to facilitate the sales of organic products and introduction of organic growing practices for oranges as well as secondary organic tree crops.

Dialogue in the Dark: Shedding Light on the Development of Social Enterprises in China

2015

International audience; The application of for-profit business practices to nonprofit organizations, social enterprises are a way for nonprofit organizations to find funding in a time of rising costs, falling donations, and increased competition from for-profit businesses in the social sector. Although well established in the mature economies of the West, these enterprises are a novelty in the emerging economies of Asia and in the transitional economies of the former communist world. The experiences of Dialogue in the Dark, a social enterprise concerned with the problems associated with blindness, highlight the unique challenges that social enterprises face in China and offer lessons for en…