Search results for "environmental engineering"
showing 10 items of 2674 documents
Nonchemical weeding of medicinal and aromatic plants
2013
International audience; Medicinal and aromatic plants are major crops of domestic and industrial interest. Medicinal and aromatic plants are increasingly organically grown to enhance profitability. However, the presence of weeds may lead to a decrease in both yield and quality. Therefore, nonchemical methods of weed control are needed. In this study, mechanical weeding, flaming, stale seedbed, and biodegradable mulch were tested from 2003/2004 to 2006/2007 on coriander, fennel, and psyllium. Biomass and seed yield were measured. The biomass of weeds remaining at harvest was also measured. Results show a high sensitivity of coriander, fennel, and psyllium crops to the presence of weeds. Stal…
Towards sustainable and multifunctional agriculture in farmland landscapes: Lessons from the integrative approach of a French LTSER platform
2018
International audience; Agriculture is currently facing unprecedented challenges: ensuring food, fiber and energy production in the face of global change, maintaining the economic performance of farmers and preserving natural resources such as biodiversity and associated key ecosystem services for sustainable agriculture. Addressing these challenges requires innovative landscape scale farming systems that account for changing economic and environmental targets. These novel agricultural systems need to be recognized, accepted and promoted by all stakeholders, including local residents, and supported by public policies. Agroecosystems should be considered as socio-ecological systems and alter…
From Norway Spruce Bark to Carbon Foams : Characterization, and Applications
2020
Fresh bark from spruce Picea abies was milled and extracted with hot water. The extracts were purified in a number of steps in order to get tannin-extracts pure enough to prepare tannin-based carbon foams. The chemical composition of the extracts were analyzed. The foams were maturated and thermally treated to obtain desired properties, such as specific surface area, porosity, and compressive strength. It was possible to produce carbon foams even if they contained carbohydrate impurities. Differences in the properties of the carbon foams such as compressive strength, specific surface areas, and pore size distributions might be related to the compositions of the extracts. The foams were fina…
Modelling landscape constraints on farmland bird species range shifts under climate change
2018
Several studies estimating the effects of global environmental change on biodiversity are focused on climate change. Yet, non-climatic factors such as changes in land cover can also be of paramount importance. This may be particularly important for habitat specialists associated with human-dominated landscapes, where land cover and climate changes may be largely decoupled. Here, we tested this idea by modelling the influence of climate, landscape composition and pattern, on the predicted future (2021–2050) distributions of 21 farmland bird species in the Iberian Peninsula, using boosted regression trees and 10-km resolution presence/absence data. We also evaluated whether habitat specialist…
Marine alien species in Italy: A contribution to the implementation of descriptor D2 of the marine strategy framework directive
2019
A re-examination of marine alien species or Non Indigenous Species (NIS) reported in Italian Seas, until December 2018, is provided, focusing on establishment success, year of first record, origin, potential invasiveness, and likely pathways, in particular. Furthermore, their distribution is assessed according to the marine subregions outlined by the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Adriatic Sea (ADRIA), Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Sea (CMED), and Western Mediterranean Sea (WMED). In Italy, 265 NIS have been detected with the highest number of species being recorded in the CMED (154 species) and the WMED (151 species) subregions, followed by the ADRIA (143) …
Comparative assessment of a foam-based method for ISCO of coal tar contaminated unsaturated soils
2019
Abstract In situ delivery of liquid reagents in vadose zone is limited by gravity and soil anisotropy. A new foam-based delivery method of persulfate (PS) solutions in unsaturated soils was previously shown to overcome these limitations. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the efficiency of this method regarding contaminant removal. Hence, the comparative oxidation of 200 mg.kg−1 coal tar artificially contaminated soils with thermally activated PS was carried out after PS-delivery using foam, surfactant solution and pure water. The foam-based method was compared in unfavorable conditions to the reference methods. Especially, in the latter, soil and oxidant solutions were thoroughly mix…
Applying Biomimicry to Cities: The Forest as Model for Urban Planning and Design
2021
International audience; The idea of applying biomimicry to cities is attracting increasing attention as a way of achieving sustainability. Undoubtedly the most frequently evoked natural model in this context is the forest, though it has not yet been investigated with any great scientific rigour. To overcome this lacuna, we provide: first, a justification of the model of the forest via what we call the arguments from “fittingness”, “scale”, and “complexity”; second, an exploration of various key innovations made possible by this model in the fields of urban planning, urban water systems, urban energy and transport systems, and urban food and nutrient systems.
Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Agricultural Residue Feedstock for Bioenergy
2021
The depletion of fossil fuels and climate change concerns are drivers for the development and expansion of bioenergy. Promoting biomass is vital to move civilization toward a low-carbon economy. To meet European Union targets, it is required to increase the use of agricultural residues (including straw) for power generation. Using agricultural residues without accounting for their energy consumed and carbon dioxide emissions distorts the energy and environmental balance, and their analysis is the purpose of this study. In this paper, a life cycle analysis method is applied. The allocation of carbon dioxide emissions and energy inputs in the crop production by allocating between a product (g…
Solar and Heat Pump Systems for Domestic Hot Water Production on a Small Island: The Case Study of Lampedusa
2020
The achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, related to energy and resource use, is a critical issue for small and insulated communities. In many minor islands, solar energy is not correctly exploited, and electrical heaters are connected to weak grids with very a high share of generation by fossil fuels. As a consequence, there is the necessity to assess the potential and the suitability of diffusion of alternative systems to avoid dependency on the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and economic performances of some alternative systems exploiting renewable energy for domestic hot water production. Four different syste…
Sea water desalination and energy consumption: A case study of wave energy converters (WEC) to desalination applications in sicily
2016
Recent studies about interactions among energy and water are considered as a new field of research. As almost all energy generation processes require significant amounts of water, and water requires energy for treatment and transport, so these two resources are inextricably linked. The main aim of this work is a presentation of the use of renewable energy for desalination plants in Sicily: in particular exploitation of wave energy into electrical energy necessary for water treatment. Desalination is the most energy intensive water treatment technology but it could be solution for many problems in water supply for areas with chronic debt of water. The aim of this work is a description of a s…