PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER IN THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ADRIATIC

The particulate organic matter distribution and its elemental composition in the northern and central Adriatic Sea during different seasonal periods are shown, highlighting the principal processes and factors influencing their distribution and characteristics.

In the low salinity waters the concentrations of particulate carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were higher and more variable than in the dense waters, mainly due to dilution effects which induce an abundant phytoplankton growth.

Generally in summer the particulate organic matter distribution followed the trophic gradient while in winter resuspension events often became more important. Differences between summer and winter were more evident in the diluted waters and were mainly due to the seasonal heat exchanges and to the fresh water inputs.

Marked differences in C/P ratios were observed in the POM: high ratios in the northern diluted waters and low in the more saline waters and in the central Adriatic.     

Designing individualisation of eco information: a conceptual framework and design toolkit

Eco-labelling is the practice of eco information provision that most directly addresses consumer behaviour. Nowadays, consumers are facing difficulties in perceiving and understanding existing eco labels. In previous work, we proposed the conceptual framework of eco information individualisation which tailors eco labels according to the specific needs of individual users using contextual technologies. This paper extends the conceptual framework by introducing a more structured way of considering the personal data and product data requirements, and reports the development of a design toolkit that aims to support designers in the designing of individualised eco information. A design workshop was carried out to introduce the concept to designers, and evaluate the usability and usefulness of the toolkit. Positive responses were received. The design outputs generated from the workshop were considered largely feasible and have the potential to be developed into digital prototypes. These indicate that it is possible for designers to learn to design eco information individualisation in a short time. This paper is a step towards a greater understanding of designing individualised eco information.     

Natural and synthetic endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in water, sediment and biota of a coastal lagoon

We report a survey on the occurrence and distribution of natural (17beta-estradiol, E2; estrone, E1) and synthetic (nonylphenol, NP; nonylphenol monoethoxylate carboxylate, NP1EC; bisphenol-A, BPA; benzophenone, BP; mestranol, MES; 17alpha-ethinylestradiol, EE2; diethylstilbestrol, DES) endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in water, sediment and biota (Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis) in the Venice lagoon, a highly urbanized coastal water ecosystem that receives both industrial and municipal wastewater effluents. The survey was preceded by the development of tailor made extraction and clean-up procedures for the simultaneous HPLC-ESI-MS determination of all examined EDCs in sediment and biota samples. Satisfactory extraction performances and method detection limits (MDLs) were obtained for almost all EDCs. Most of the selected compounds were found in water and sediment (concentration range: 2.8-211 ng/L, and 3.1-289 microg/kg, d.w., respectively), while only 17alpha-ethinylestradiol and nonylphenol were recorded in biota samples (conc. range: 7.2-240 ng/g, d.w.). 17beta-estradiol and ethinylestradiol contributed mostly to the water estradiol equivalent concentration (EEQ) (1.1-191 ng/L, average: 25 ng/L), while synthetic EDCs (17alpha-ethinylestradiol, diethylstilbestrol) were mainly responsible of the sediment EEQ (1.1-191 microg/kg, average: 71 microg/kg, d.w.). Whenever diethylstilbestrol was not recorded in the sediment, water EEQs were similar to sediment EEQs. A remarkable increase of nonylphenol was observed in sediments over the last decade.     

Differences in δ13C and δ15N values between feathers and blood of seabird chicks: implications for non-invasive isotopic investigations

Blood and feathers are the most targeted tissues for isotopic investigations in avian ecology, primarily because they can be easily and non-destructively sampled on live individuals. Comparing blood and feather isotopic ratios can provide valuable information on dietary shifts, trophic specialization and migration patterns, but it requires a good knowledge of the isotopic differences between the two tissues. Here, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of whole blood (in blood cells of a few species) and simultaneously grown body feathers were measured in seabird chicks to quantify the tissue-related isotopic differences. Seabirds include 27 populations of 22 wild species that were sampled in 2000–2008, and a review of the literature added 8 groups (including adult birds) to the analysis. The use of a large data set that overall encompasses wide δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N ranges allowed us to depict for the first time accurate relationships between blood and feather isotopic ratios across avian taxa. Blood was impoverished in ¹³C and generally in ¹⁵N compared with feathers. Both mean δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of feathers and blood were highly positively and linearly related [feather δ¹³C = 0.972 (±0.020) blood δ¹³C + 0.962 (±0.414), and feather δ¹⁵N = 1.014 (±0.056) blood + 0.447 (±0.665), respectively; both P < 0.0001]. The regressions should be applied to mathematically correct feather or whole blood δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values when comparing isotopic ratios within and between ecological studies on birds.     

Home composting as an alternative treatment option for organic household waste in Denmark: An environmental assessment using life cycle assessment-modelling

An environmental assessment of the management of organic household waste (OHW) was performed from a life cycle perspective by means of the waste-life cycle assessment (LCA) model EASEWASTE. The focus was on home composting of OHW in Denmark and six different home composting units (with different input and different mixing frequencies) were modelled. In addition, incineration and landfilling was modelled as alternatives to home composting. The most important processes contributing to the environmental impact of home composting were identified as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (load) and the avoided emissions in relation to the substitution of fertiliser and peat when compost was used in hobby gardening (saving). The replacement of fertiliser and peat was also identified as one of the most sensible parameters, which could potentially have a significant environmental benefit. Many of the impact categories (especially human toxicity via water (HTw) and soil (HTs)) were affected by the heavy metal contents of the incoming OHW. The concentrations of heavy metals in the compost were below the threshold values for compost used on land and were thus not considered to constitute a problem. The GHG emissions were, on the other hand, dependent on the management of the composting units. The frequently mixed composting units had the highest GHG emissions. The environmental profiles of the home composting scenarios were in the order of −2 to 16 milli person equivalents (mPE) Mg⁻¹ wet waste (ww) for the non-toxic categories and −0.9 to 28 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the toxic categories. Home composting performed better than or as good as incineration and landfilling in several of the potential impact categories. One exception was the global warming (GW) category, in which incineration performed better due to the substitution of heat and electricity based on fossil fuels.     

Experimental and life cycle assessment analysis of gas emission from mechanically–biologically pretreated waste in a landfill with energy recovery

The global gaseous emissions produced by landfilling the Mechanically Sorted Organic Fraction (MSOF) with different weeks of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) was evaluated for an existing waste management system. One MBT facility and a landfill with internal combustion engines fuelled by the landfill gas for electrical energy production operate in the waste management system considered. An experimental apparatus was used to simulate 0, 4, 8 and 16 weeks of aerobic stabilization and the consequent biogas potential (Nl/kg) of a large sample of MSOF withdrawn from the full-scale MBT. Stabilization achieved by the waste was evaluated by dynamic oxygen uptake and fermentation tests. Good correlation coefficients (R²), ranging from 0.7668 to 0.9772, were found between oxygen uptake, fermentation and anaerobic test values. On the basis of the results of several anaerobic tests, the methane production rate k (year^?1) was evaluated. k ranged from 0.436 to 0.308 year^?1 and the bio-methane potential from 37 to 12 N m³/tonne, respectively, for the MSOF with 0 and 16 weeks of treatment. Energy recovery from landfill gas ranged from about 11 to 90 kW h per tonne of disposed MSOF depending on the different scenario investigated. Life cycle analysis showed that the scenario with 0 weeks of pre-treatment has the highest weighted global impact even if opposite results were obtained with respect to the single impact criteria. MSOF pre-treatment periods longer than 4 weeks showed rather negligible variation in the global impact of system emissions.     

Pyrolysis and gasification of meat-and-bone-meal: Energy balance and GHG accounting

Meat-and-bone-meal (MBM) produced from animal waste has become an increasingly important residual fraction needing management. As biodegradable waste is routed away from landfills, thermo-chemical treatments of MBM are considered promising solution for the future. Pyrolysis and gasification of MBM were assessed based on data from three experimental lab and pilot-scale plants. Energy balances were established for the three technologies, providing different outcomes for energy recovery: bio-oil was the main product for the pyrolysis system, while syngas and a solid fraction of biochar were the main products in the gasification system. These products can be used – eventually after upgrading – for energy production, thereby offsetting energy production elsewhere in the system. Greenhouse gases (GHG) accounting of the technologies showed that all three options provided overall GHG savings in the order of 600–1000 kg CO₂-eq. per Mg of MBM treated, mainly as a consequence of avoided fossil fuel consumption in the energy sector. Local conditions influencing the environmental performance of the three systems were identified, together with critical factors to be considered during decision-making regarding MBM management.     

Major PM10 source location by a spatial multivariate receptor model

We present a multivariate receptor model for identifying the spatial location of major PM₁₀ pollution sources through the concentrations at multiple monitoring stations. We build on a mixed multiplicative log-normal factor model adjusting the source contributions for meteorological covariates and for temporal correlation and considering source profiles as compositional Gaussian random fields, to account for the variability induced by the spatial distribution of the monitoring sites. Taking a Bayesian approach to estimation, the proposed hierarchical model is implemented and used to analyze average daily PM₁₀ concentration measurements from 13 monitoring sites in Taranto, Italy, for the period April–December 2005. Three major sources of pollution are identified and characterized in terms of their spatial and temporal behavior and in relation to meteorological data.