Search results for "Environmental engineering"
showing 10 items of 2674 documents
Water quality sensor placement: a multi-objective and multi-criteria approach
2021
[EN] To satisfy their main goal, namely providing quality water to consumers, water distribution networks (WDNs) need to be suitably monitored. Only well designed and reliable monitoring data enables WDN managers to make sound decisions on their systems. In this belief, water utilities worldwide have invested in monitoring and data acquisition systems. However, good monitoring needs optimal sensor placement and presents a multi-objective problem where cost and quality are conflicting objectives (among others). In this paper, we address the solution to this multi-objective problem by integrating quality simulations using EPANET-MSX, with two optimization techniques. First, multi-objective op…
Technical and economical feasibility of biomass use for power generation in Sicily
2012
Biomass can provide a reliable support for production ofbiofuels while contributing to sustainable management of natural resources. Many countries, including Italy, have introduced important incentive schemes to support the use of biomass for electricity, heat and transportation. This has raised considerable interest towards the use of biomass for energy generation purposes. Nonetheless, the design and installation ofbiomass-fuelled power plants present several critical issues, such as choice and availability of biomass, choice of technology, power plant localization and logistics. The case study tackled in this paper evaluates the economies originated by a 1MW el Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC…
The experimental study of the hybrid fixation in ACL reconstruction
2012
Abstract The article is approaching an interesting topic regarding ACL reconstruction using the hamstring tendons (semitendinosus and gracilis) as the graft. The initial graft fixation after ACL reconstruction is mechanical and it must assure the stability of the system until the biologic integration takes place. No fixation system is as strong as the native ACL insertion. Therefore, hibrid fixation like an improvement of simple fixation is a field worth studying. The fixation shown in this article is the Hybrid fixation consisting of direct fixation with interference screw and an extra cortical fixation over a cortical screw.
Experimental investigation and modeling of diffusion dialysis for HCl recovery from waste pickling solution
2019
Abstract Hydrochloric acid recovery from pickling solutions was studied by employing a batch diffusion dialysis (DD) laboratory test-rig equipped with Fumasep membranes. The effect of main operating parameters such as HCl concentration (0.1–3 M) and the presence of Fe2+ (up to 150 g/l) was investigated to simulate the system operation with real industrial streams. The variation of HCl, Fe2+ and water flux was identified. When only HCl is present, a recovery efficiency of 100% was reached. In the presence of FeCl2, higher acid recovery efficiencies, up to 150%, were observed due to the so-called “salt effect”, which promotes the passage of acid even against its concentration gradient. A 7% l…
Ecosystem services mapping and assessment for policy- and decision-making : Lessons learned from a comparative analysis of European case studies
2020
This paper analyses and compares a set of case studies on ecosystem services (ES) mapping and assessment with the purpose of formulating lessons learned and recommendations. Fourteen case studies were selected during the EU Horizon 2020 “Coordination and Support Action” ESMERALDA to represent different policy- and decision-making processes throughout the European Union, across a wide range of themes, biomes and scales. The analysis is based on a framework that addresses the key steps of an ES mapping and assessment process, namely policy questions, stakeholder identification and involvement, application of mapping and assessment methods, dissemination and communication and implementation. T…
Predicting the landslides triggered by the 2009 96E/Ida tropical storms in the Ilopango caldera area (El Salvador, CA): optimizing MARS-based model b…
2019
The main topic of this research was to evaluate the effect in the performance of stochastic landslide susceptibility models, produced by differences between the triggering events of the calibration and validation datasets. In the Caldera Ilopango area (El Salvador), MARS (multivariate adaptive regression splines)-based susceptibility modeling was applied using a set of physical–environmental predictors and two remotely recognized landslide inventories: one dated at 2003 (1503 landslides), which was the result of a normal rainfall season, and one which was produced by the combined effect of the Ida hurricane and the 96E tropical depression in 2009 (2237 landslides). Both the event inventorie…
Experimental and CFD evaluation of ozone efficacy against coronavirus and enteric virus contamination on public transport surfaces
2021
The limited information about the routes of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within the ongoing pandemic scenario mobilized the administration, industry and academy to develop sanitation and disinfection systems for public and private spaces. Ozone has been proposed as an effective disinfection method against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, including viruses with similar morphology to SARS-CoV-2. Due to this efficacy, numerous gaseous and aqueous phase ozone applications have emerged potentially to inhibit virus persistence in aerosols, surfaces, and water. In this work, a numerical model, a RANS CFD model for ozone dispersion inside tram and underground coach has been developed includin…
Changes in Cardiac Proteome and Metabolome Following Exposure to the Pahs Retene and Fluoranthene and Their Mixture in Developing Rainbow Trout Alevi…
2022
Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is known to affect developing organisms. Utilization of different omics-based technologies and approaches could therefore provide a base for the discovery of novel mechanisms of PAH induced development of toxicity. To this aim, we investigated how exposure towards two PAHs with different toxicity mechanisms: retene (an aryl hydrocarbon receptor 2 (Ahr2) agonist), and fluoranthene (a weak Ahr2 agonist and cytochrome P450 inhibitor (Cyp1a)), either alone or as a mixture, affected the cardiac proteome and metabolome in newly hatched rainbow trout alevins (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In total, we identified 65 and 82 differently expressed proteins (…
Evapotranspiration simulations in ISIMIP2a-Evaluation of spatio-temporal characteristics with a comprehensive ensemble of independent datasets
2018
Actual land evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of the global hydrological cycle and anessential variable determining the evolution of hydrological extreme events under different climate change scenarios. However, recently available ET products show persistent uncertainties thatare impeding a precise attribution of human-induced climate change. Here, we aim at comparing arange of independent global monthly land ET estimates with historical model simulations from theglobal water, agriculture, and biomes sectors participating in the second phase of the Inter-SectoralImpact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP2a). Among the independent estimates, we use theEartH2Observe Tier-1 dataset …
Solar-assisted heat pumps systems for domestic hot water production in small energy communities
2021
Abstract The paper investigates the energy performances of several configurations of solar-assisted heat pumps equipped with photovoltaic (PV) and photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels as well as solar thermal collectors for domestic hot water production. The systems are sized to serve small aggregates of users assumed as micro energy communities in low housing density context in the South of Italy. Electricity storages are also considered to smooth the interaction with the electric grid. Several indices are defined and calculated to guide toward a correct sizing, to check users’ satisfaction and to assess primary energy savings. The results show how the energy consumption from the analysed sys…