Search results for "Environmental engineering"
showing 10 items of 2674 documents
Toxicity of 3,4-dichloroaniline to perch (Perca fluviatilis) in acute and early life stage exposures
1993
Abstract The toxitity of 3,4-dichloroaniline to perch was investigated in order to compare the sensitivity of crucial life stages with common test fish like zebrafish. Although in the acute toxicity test perch were more sensitive by a factor of five, larval sensitivity was in the same range in both species as well as in other egg-laying species. In spite of different water temperature and size, the zebrafish is a good model to predict early life stage toxicity of 3,4-DCA to the compared European freshwater species. Perch larvae are not suited for early life stage tests, as they are sensible towards experimental conditions and perform early cannibalism.
Vine leaf roughness estimation by image processing
2013
International audience; The application of plant protection product has an important role in agricultural production processes. With current pesticides management, a huge amount of them are applied to worldwide orchards. In precision spraying, spray application efficiency depends on the pesticide application method, the phytosanitary product as well as the leaf surface properties. For environmental and economic reasons, the global trend is to reduce the pesticide application rate of the few approved active substances. Under these constraints, one of the challenges is to improve the efficiency of pesticide application. Different parameters can influence pesticide application such as nozzle t…
Effects of agricultural drainage systems on sediment connectivity in a small Mediterranean lowland catchment
2018
Traditional drainage systems combining man-made channels and subsurface tile drains have been used since Roman times to control water excess in Mediterranean lowland regions, favouring adequate soil water regime for agriculture purposes. However, mechanization of agriculture, abandonment or land use changes lead to a progressive deterioration of these drains in the last decades. The effects of these structures on hydrological and sediment dynamics have been previously analyzed in a small Mediterranean lowland catchment (Can Revull, Mallorca, Spain, 1.4 km2) by establishing an integrated sediment budget with a multi-technique approach. Moreover, the recent advances in morphometric techniques…
Environmental assessment of a waste-to-energy practice: The pyrolysis of agro-industrial biomass residues
2021
Abstract The bio-wastes pyrolysis is a waste to energy strategy that converts bio-wastes into valuable products (bio-char, bio-oil) with wide use in the agri-food sector. However, limited efforts are paid to the investigation of its environmental sustainability: in this context, the study contributes the need towards the assessment of a wide range of environmental impacts for the pyrolysis process of different types of bio-wastes under different operating conditions. The study estimates the potential environmental impacts related to bio-char production from the pyrolysis of several different agro-industrial residues and different temperatures and identifies the process “hot spots”. The anal…
Modeling of an annular photocatalytic reactor for water purification: oxidation of pesticides.
2004
Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) over titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a “green” sustainable process for the treatment and purification of water and wastewater. However, the application of PCO for wastewater treatment on an industrial scale is currently hindered by a lack of simple mathematical models that can be readily applied to reactor design. Current models are either too simplistic or too rigorous to be useful in photocatalytic reactor design, scale-up, and optimization. In this paper a simple mathematical model is presented for slurry, annular, photocatalytic reactors that still retains the essential elements of a rigorous approach while providing simple solutions. The model extends the appl…
Remote Sensing Observations of Thunderstorm Features in Latvia
2017
AbstractThunderstorms are the most hazardous meteorological phenomena in Latvia in the summer season, and the assessment of their characteristics is essential for the development of an effective national climate and weather prediction service. However, the complex nature of convective processes sets specific limitations to their observation, analysis and forecasting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse thunderstorm features associated with severe thunderstorms observed in weather radar and satellite data in Latvia over the period 2006–2015. The obtained results confirm the applicability of the selected thunderstorm features for thunderstorm nowcasting and analysis in Latvia. The …
Comment on “Determining soil erodibility for the USLE-MM rainfall erosion model by P.I.A. Kinnell”
2018
Abstract The measurements units of the USLE-MM soil erodibility factor are dependent on the exponent of the erosivity term. This circumstance prevents to compare soil erodibility values of sites differing by the value of this exponent. To overcame this problem, Kinnell (2018) suggested to relate the soil erodibility factor of the USLE-MM with that of USLE-M by a linear relationship with the objective to obtain a soil erodibility factor independent of the power of the erosivity term. The USLE-MB, which is a recently proposed model, has also a soil erodibility factor having measurement units common to USLE modelling environment. Kinnell (2018) also showed that the relationship between the pow…
Economic performance of biogas plants using giant reed silage biomass feedstock
2015
Abstract With regard to energy crops for the production of raw materials to biomass for biogas plants, has developed a study to determine the optimal minimum size of a biogas plant powered by giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and utilizing livestock waste. In particular, all costs items relating to biomass supply, plant installation and transport costs were analyzed, by changing progressively two main variables: the electrical power capacity and the feedstock utilized (in the range from 100 to 999 kW) and the feedstock utilized, by substituting livestock waste with giant reed silage so as to determine the more economically advantageous option for the entrepreneur in proportion to power capacity …
Economic evaluation of biogas plant size utilizing giant reed
2015
Abstract Amongst energy crops for the production of biomass feedstock for biogas plants, giant reed (Arundo donax L) has been attracting attention in recent years in Italy. Undoubtedly, this is due to its potentially high yield in terms of biomass, low agronomic inputs, as well as for being eligible for European Union energy crop incentives. The aim of this study was to perform an analysis of plant costs considering three macro-categories (biomass, plant installation and transport). Also, we aimed to describe the economic performances of biogas plants, while progressively altering two key variables. Specifically, we considered electrical power capacity (in the 100–999 kW range) and several …
Predicting the bioaccumulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls in benthic animals in sediments
2016
There were two main objectives in this study. The first was to compare the accuracy of different prediction methods for the chemical concentrations of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the organism, based on the measured chemical concentrations existing in sediment dry matter or pore water. The predicted tissue concentrations were compared to the measured ones after 28-day laboratory test using oligochaeta worms (Lumbriculus variegatus). The second objective was to compare the bioaccumulation of PAHs and PCBs in the laboratory test with the in situ bioaccumulation of these compounds. Using the traditional organic carbon-water partitioning model, tissue…