Search results for "Environmental Technology"
showing 10 items of 81 documents
Modelling anaerobic biomass growth kinetics with a substrate threshold concentration.
2004
Abstract Many bacteria have been observed to stop growing below a certain substrate threshold concentration. In this study, a modification of the Monod kinetics expression has been proposed to take into account this substrate threshold concentration observed in bacterial growth. Besides the threshold concentration no additional parameters have been added to the kinetic expression and so, only the substrate threshold concentration and the half-saturation constant have to be estimated for model calibration purposes. Furthermore, for parameter estimation purposes, practical identifiability of this new function has been studied and the results have been satisfactory. The new model has been appl…
Multi-rogue waves solutions to the focusing NLS equation and the KP-I equation
2011
Abstract. We construct a multi-parametric family of quasi-rational solutions to the focusing NLS equation, presenting a profile of multiple rogue waves. These solutions have also been used by us to construct a large family of smooth, real localized rational solutions of the KP-I equation quite different from the multi-lumps solutions first constructed in Bordag et al. (1977). The physical relevance of both equations is very large. From the point of view of geosciences,the focusing NLS equation is relevant to the description of surface waves in deep water, and the KP-I equation occurs in the description of capillary gravitational waves on a liquid surface, but also when one considers magneto…
Application of time domain induced polarization to the mapping of lithotypes in a landfill site
2012
A direct current (DC) resistivity and time domain induced polarization (TDIP) survey was undertaken at a decommissioned landfill site situated in Hørløkke, Denmark, for the purpose of mapping the waste deposits and to discriminate important geological units that control the hydrology of the surrounding area. It is known that both waste deposits and clay have clear signatures in TDIP data, making it possible to enhance the resolution of geological structures compared to DC surveys alone. <br><br> Four DC/TDIP profiles were carried out crossing the landfill, and another seven profiles in the surroundings provide a sufficiently dense coverage of the entire area. The whole dataset w…
Estimation of actual evapotranspiration of Mediterranean perennial crops by means of remote-sensing based surface energy balance models
2009
Abstract. Actual evapotranspiration from typical Mediterranean crops has been assessed in a Sicilian study area by using surface energy balance (SEB) and soil-water balance models. Both modelling approaches use remotely sensed data to estimate evapotranspiration fluxes in a spatially distributed way. The first approach exploits visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and thermal (TIR) observations to solve the surface energy balance equation whereas the soil-water balance model uses only VIS-NIR data to detect the spatial variability of crop parameters. Considering that the study area is characterized by typical spatially sparse Mediterranean vegetation, i.e. olive, citrus and vineyards, alterna…
Thermal remote sensing from Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner data in the framework of the SPARC and SEN2FLEX projects: an overview
2009
Abstract. The AHS (Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner) instrument has 80 spectral bands covering the visible and near infrared (VNIR), short wave infrared (SWIR), mid infrared (MIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral range. The instrument is operated by Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA), and it has been involved in several field campaigns since 2004. This paper presents an overview of the work performed with the AHS thermal imagery provided in the framework of the SPARC and SEN2FLEX campaigns, carried out respectively in 2004 and 2005 over an agricultural area in Spain. The data collected in both campaigns allowed for the first time the development and testing of algorithms for …
Challenges in preparing for Environmental Technology Verification in a demonstration project: A case study of three innovative water treatment techno…
2022
The European Union's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) program aims to foster innovative environmental technologies to reach the market and reassure potential users. This paper presents an investigation of using ETV for three technologies, being developed within the EU Zero Brine research and innovation project. The technologies were designed to recover high quality water, salts and minerals from brine solutions. The technologies in focus are the forward feed MED evaporator, the Multi Feed - Plug Flow Reactor Crystalliser and Eutectic Freeze Crystallization. The study sought to understand the challenges of the ETV process, the readiness and eligibility of technologies, and possibl…
A paradigm of extreme rainfall pluvial floods in complex urban areas: the flood event of 15 July 2020 in Palermo (Italy)
2021
Abstract. In the last few years, some regions of the Mediterranean area have witnessed a progressive increase in extreme events, such as urban and flash floods, as a response to the increasingly frequent and severe extreme rainfall events, which are often exacerbated by the ever-growing urbanization. In such a context, the urban drainage systems may not be sufficient to convey the rainwater, thus increasing the risk deriving from the occurrence of such events. This study focuses on a particularly intense urban flood that occurred in Palermo (Italy) on 15 July 2020; it represents a typical pluvial flood due to extreme rainfall on a complex urban area that many cities have experienced in rece…
Physically based modeling of rainfall-triggered landslides: a case study in the Luquillo forest, Puerto Rico
2013
This paper presents the development of a rainfall-triggered landslide module within an existing physically based spatially distributed ecohydrologic model. The model, tRIBS-VEGGIE (Triangulated Irregular Networks-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator and Vegetation Generator for Interactive Evolution), is capable of a sophisticated description of many hydrological processes; in particular, the soil moisture dynamics are resolved at a temporal and spatial resolution required to examine the triggering mechanisms of rainfall-induced landslides. The validity of the tRIBS-VEGGIE model to a tropical environment is shown with an evaluation of its performance against direct observations made w…
“Unauthorized building” as a factor of crisi. Analysis, strategies and plans for sustainable development - L’edificato abusivo come fattore di recess…
2011
Abstract. Come invertire la rotta della svendita indiscriminata del territorio? Quale sviluppo promuovere in accordo con le esigenze ambientali ed economiche? Con l’obiettivo di porre le basi di un effettivo superamento delle criticità determinate da abuso o uso improprio del costruito, l’Università di Palermo ha promosso: il Progetto APRAE (Analisi, Prevenzione e Recupero dell’Abusivismo Edilizio), il Progetto HERA (Habitat Edilizia Recupero Ambiente) e il Progetto Egeo_Med sorto dalla virtuosa collaborazione con il Ministero della Cultura Ellenico (Grecia). Le ricerche hanno ap- profondito da una parte la struttura fenomenologica dell’abusivismo e gli squilibri apportati al «sistema abita…
Factors selection in landslide susceptibility modelling on large scale following the gis matrix method: application to the river Beiro basin (Spain)
2012
A procedure to select the controlling factors connected to the slope instability has been defined. It allowed us to assess the landslide susceptibility in the Rio Beiro basin (about 10 km2) over the northeastern area of the city of Granada (Spain). Field and remote (Google EarthTM) recognition techniques allowed us to generate a landslide inventory consisting in 127 phenomena. To discriminate between stable and unstable conditions, a diagnostic area had been chosen as the one limited to the crown and the toe of the scarp of the landslide. 15 controlling or determining factors have been defined considering topographic, geologic, geomorphologic and pedologic available data. Univariate tests, …