Enhancing Diatom Growth by Using Zeolites to Change Seawater Composition (4 pp)

- Aims and Scope. The purpose of this study was to test whether two zeolites produced synthetically (products of zeolitic nature, PZN) could influence either the yield of a diatom culture or the chemical changes in the cultures. For this purpose, Phaeodactylum tricornutum was used as test organism in a culture medium of natural seawater enriched with N and P having negligible amounts of ammonia. Methods The PZN ZEBEN-06 and ZESTEC-56 were used in parallel experiments. The composition of trace metals and organic compounds with chelate activity in the culture media, were determined by anodic or cathodic stripping voltammetry. The impact of leaching silicon on the algal yield was evaluated by comparing the growth in the presence or absence of PZN, in seawater enriched or not-enriched with silicon. Results and Conclusions Both PZN significantly promoted the algal yield even in the absence of added silicon, a limiting nutrient for diatom growth. The PZN acted as a silicon buffer while providing a source of silicon required for growth. In addition, PZN released into the seawater small but significant amounts of the limiting micro-nutrient manganese (its concentration doubled during the experiments), while simultaneously removing relatively high quantities of zinc from the seawater. The presence of PZN inhibited the releasing of chelated compounds. These changes (sorption/desorption) caused by the PZN in the concentrations in the solutions used as culture media of P. tricornutum were probably responsible for the differences in both the diatom and exudation observed in the tested cultures.     

Construction and demolition waste management in Kosovo: a survey of challenges and opportunities on the road to circular economy

Managing Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a severe and growing urban challenge, particularly in post-conflict countries. Though Kosovo has significantly rebuilt and developed after the Liberation War, these initiatives have accompanied suboptimal waste management. This research evaluates CDW management in Kosovo by assessing current practices and operations vis-a-vis the legal framework and EU requirements. It identifies instruments and policies capable of ameliorating gaps and proposes a more sustainable and circular CDW management system for Kosovo. Information was primarily collected during on-site visits to Pristina and the surroundings by a cohort of Urban Management Students from the Technische Universität Berlin, students from Kosovo, and the local office of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ. The analysis identified gaps in Kosovo's CDW management and its observance and enforcement of existing CDW legislation, including an ambiguous licensing system impeding sustainable demolition, storage, and transport; the absence of approved CDW storage options leading to uncontrolled disposal; and an underdeveloped market for recycling and reuse, deterring stakeholders from further pursuit of circular practices. These gaps were compounded by poor recordkeeping, obscuring precise information on CDW streams. Possible instruments and incentives to support Kosovo's transition to a more sustainable CDW management system were then identified.

     

Sustainability of recycling plastic waste as fibers for concrete: a review

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Plastic waste management is of global concern while construction industry keeps searching for innovations to become more sustainable. In this...     

Identifying opportunities for expert-mediated triangulation in monitoring wildlife trade on social media

Wildlife trade has rapidly expanded on social media platforms in recent years, offering an easy means for traders to access international markets. Investigating this trade activity poses a complex challenge to researchers seeking to understand online trade and moderators seeking to disrupt illicit and harmful activity. Current survey methods frequently rely on text-based searches and focus on posts in which the advertisement is explicit. However, such approaches risk overlooking a growing volume of relevant content, particularly outside social media groups. We used posts from pages promoting West African birds for trade as a case study to explore the availability of information for making inferences about trade activity on social media, specifically information indicating that trade activity was occurring or that could be used to infer trade routes. We recorded 400 posts from 12 pages that we inferred either promoted or facilitated wildlife trade, of which 19.7% were explicit advertisements and 23.8% contained taxa-related terms. In the remaining 341 posts, profile information was the most common indicator of trade activity, but a variety of indicators (e.g., images of birds in trade and trade enquiries) were identified across imagery, text, and comments. We identified multiple types of geographical information that could help infer trade routes and thus the likely legality of trade, although most were relatively rare and sometimes contradictory. Our findings suggest that triangulating multiple types of information from within, across, and beyond posts is vital for effectively identifying and interpreting wildlife trade content on social media. Therefore, were commend that expert-mediated triangulation should be integrated in and used alongside automated detection systems and moderating practices of social media companies.