Search results for "moisture content"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
Convergence in critical fuel moisture and fire weather thresholds associated with fire activity in the pyroregions of Mediterranean Europe
2021
Wildfires are becoming an increasing threat to many communities worldwide. There has been substantial progress towards understanding the proximal causes of increased fire activity in recent years at regional and national scales. However, subcontinental scale examinations of the commonalities and differences in the drivers of fire activity across different regions are rare in the Mediterranean zone of the European Union (EUMed). Here, we first develop a new classification of EUMed pyroregions, based on grouping different ecoregions with similar seasonal patterns of burned area. We then examine the thresholds associated with fire activity in response to different drivers related to fuel moist…
Evaluation of equilibrium moisture content in ligno-cellulosic residues of olive culture
2014
The use of ligno-cellulosic residuals from agriculture as means for renewable energy production is well known; nonetheless significant problems still exist on development of bioenergy value chains. Moisture content and hygroscopicity are among these problems. Higher moisture content of the biomass means lower calorific value and higher perishability, hence storage difficulties. For this reason it is important to evaluate how the moisture content of the material varies while it is stored and how the calorific value of the feedstock is affected by it. The purpose of this study is to determine the variation of moisture content and its influence on lower calorific value (LCV) of four types of s…
Effect of various moisture content on the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of giant reed Arundo donax L.
2015
The giant reed Arundo donax L. is an aggressive grass widely diffused throughout warm temperate regions. Thanks to its remarkable features as fast-growing, eco friendly and high specific properties (i.e. high strength/weight and modulus/weight ratios), it is widely used in ancient and traditional buildings, especially in the realization of supports for roof cladding and paneling of walls. A better understanding and a consequent standardization of its properties could make it more suitable for general application in the sustainable building industry. Mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the giant reed were studied as a function of the moisture content. To this scope, various sets of ree…
Moisture absorption, thermal conductivity and noise mitigation of clay based plasters: The influence of mineralogical and textural characteristics
2016
Abstract Three pre-mixed clay based plasters successfully employed in green building practices in several European countries (Spain, France, Germany, and United Kingdom), mainly used for interior wall coating and finishing, were tested in this paper. Their compositional and textural characteristics as well as plastic behaviour were investigated through a multi-analytical approach in a previous paper. A natural earth (Terra Rossa red soil sampled in north-western Sicily), theoretically appropriate for the production of earthen plaster, was also subjected to the same analytical routine and compared with the three commercially available products. Humidity control capacity by the determination …
Bio-agronomic behaviour and an initial study of the energy properties of Carthamus tinctorius L. and Brassica carinata A. Braun crop residues
2009
In recent years, the agro-energy sector has become of considerable importance, both as a vehicle towards realising the objectives established by the Kyoto protocol and as a means of meeting the ever increasing demand for energy. Biofuels represent one of the most promising forms of renewable energy due to their wide range of applications, although limited by the fact that they do not compete on a cost level with fossil fuels. This study takes a look at the bio-agronomic response and the physical and energetic properties of crop residues of a selection of Carthamus tinctorius L. and Brassica carinata A. Braun accessions in order to evaluate integrating oilseed production with lignocellulosic…
Effect of moisture on elastic and viscoelastic properties of epoxy and epoxy-based carbon fibre reinforced plastic filled with multiwall carbon nanot…
2016
Abstract In this study, we investigated the peculiarities of moisture absorption and moisture-induced effects on the elastic and viscoelastic flexural properties of epoxy resin and carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) filled with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Short-term cyclic creep-recovery tests of moistened epoxy and CFRP filled with MWCNTs revealed improvements in creep resistance for both materials. The addition of MWCNTs to the epoxy resin suppressed the moisture absorption by the material, causing a reduction in the diffusion coefficient by 31% and equilibrium moisture content by 15%. The addition of MWCNTs reduced the flexural strength of moistened epoxy and CFRP samples by…
SENTINEL-1 for wheat mapping and soil moisture retrieval
2015
The main objective of this study is to assess the use of Sentinel-1 (S-1) data for surface soil moisture (SSM) retrieval and wheat mapping (WM) at high spatial resolution (e.g. 100–500m), which constitute valuable information for improving crop yield forecast at large scale. A knowledge based classification method and a SSM retrieval algorithm, developed in view of the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 mission, have been applied to a time series of S-1A data collected from October 2014 to April 2015 over a well-documented agricultural site in southern Italy. In particular, observations of SSM content recorded by a network of ground stations deployed in an experimental farm have been used to …
Sampling procedure in a willow plantation for estimation of moisture content
2015
Abstract Heating value and fuel quality of wood is closely connected to moisture content. In this work the variation of moisture content (MC) of short rotation coppice (SRC) willow shoots is described for five clones during one harvesting season. Subsequently an appropriate sampling procedure minimising labour costs and sampling uncertainty is proposed, where the MC of a single stem section with the length of 10–50 cm corresponds to the mean shoot moisture content (MSMC) with a bias of maximum 11 g kg −1 . This bias can be reduced by selecting the stem section according to the particular clone. The average difference in MSMC between the largest and smallest shoot in a stump was 31 g kg −1 .…
Eradication of Plasmodiophora brassicae during composting of wastes
2006
Survival of infectious inoculum of the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae was assessed following bench-scale flask composting experiments and large-scale composting procedures. Clubroot-affected material was provided by artificial inoculation of Chinese cabbage or naturally infected Brussels sprout and cabbage roots. Both sets of diseased material were used in flask experiments, and the latter in large-scale windrow and aerated tunnel experiments. Municipal green wastes, onion waste and spent mushroom compost were evaluated in flask experiments with varying temperature, aeration and moisture conditions. Green wastes were used in larger-scale composts. Within the limits of a Chinese …
An Original Approach to Active Climate Control Based on Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) as Set Point in a Middle-Age Building in Palermo, Italy
2019
In the frame of a more sustainable approach to climate control, a long term strategy has been developed and is under advanced phase of implementation by technical staff of the University of Palermo in an important building, Palazzo Steri, owned by the University. The monumental room under climate control, the Sala dei Baroni (also known as Sala Magna), has a precious wooden ceiling where the previously loadbearing elements are covered with wooden painted panels. Many of them, painted in the fourteenth c, underwent important restorations in the past due to climate related damage (cracks, warpings, paint layer delamination) and biological infestations. The room is currently undergoing an impo…