The effects of the Fukushima disaster on nuclear energy debates and policies: a two-step comparative examination

Under what conditions do critical events trigger large-scale public discussion and mobilisation, and can these lead to policy change? In a comparative study of nuclear energy policy after the Japanese Fukushima disaster in March 2011, a theory-development approach is adopted, mobilising data collected from national news agencies’ newswires, public surveys, legislation and parliamentary databases, and newspaper editorials in 12 established democracies between March 2011 and March 2013. The analysis suggests two main hypotheses that can guide future research: critical events are more likely to trigger policy change when intense (contentious) mobilisation from policy challengers aligns with the views of the general public, and is backed by major political allies; and critical events are more likely to trigger intense (contentious) mobilisation when policy challengers articulate their opposition around pre-existing policy debates on the issue and resort to pre-existing organisational and mobilisation resources.     

Energy efficacy used to score organic refuse pretreatment processes for hydrogen anaerobic production

The production of hydrogen through Anaerobic Digestion (AD) has been investigated to verify the efficacy of several pretreatment processes. Three types of waste with different carbon structures have been tested to obtain an extensive representation of the behavior of the materials present in Organic Waste (OW). The following types of waste were selected: Sweet Product Residue (SPR), i.e., confectionary residue removed from the market after the expiration date, Organic Waste Market (OWM) refuse from a local fruit and vegetable market, and Coffee Seed Skin (CSS) waste from a coffee production plant. Several pretreatment processes have been applied, including physical, chemical, thermal, and ultrasonic processes and a combination of these processes. Two methods have been used for the SPR to remove the packaging, manual (SPR) and mechanical (SPRex). A pilot plant that is able to extrude the refuse to 200 atm was utilized. Two parameters have been used to score the different pretreatment processes: efficiency (ξ), which takes into account the amount of energy produced in the form of hydrogen compared with the available energy embedded in the refuse, and efficacy (η), which compares the efficiency obtained using the pretreated refuse with that obtained using the untreated refuse. The best result obtained for the SPR was the basic pretreatment, with η = 6.4, whereas the thermal basic pretreatment gave the highest value, η = 17.0 for SPRex. The best result for the OWM was obtained through a combination of basic/thermal pretreatments with η = 9.9; lastly, the CSS residue with ultrasonic pretreatment produced the highest quantity of hydrogen, η = 5.2.     

Soil quality and vulnerability in a Mediterranean natural ecosystem of Central Italy

Wet and dry atmospheric depositions and soil chemical and microbiological properties were determined in a Mediterranean natural ecosystem of Central Italy near Rome (Castelporziano Estate). The monitoring of depositions permitted us to quantify the exceedances of S and N compounds (expressed as eqH(+)ha(-1)year(-1)) over the critical loads of acidity. Critical loads, i.e. the quantity of a substance which a part of the environment can tolerate without adverse effects occurring, were determined adopting the level 0 methodology following the UN/ECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. Deposition data were available for the period 1992-1997, and acidity exceedances were referred to the main vegetation types present in the area. Results showed that most part of the Estate has a medium degree of vulnerability to acidification, and the corresponding risk of acidification deriving from the exceedances of atmospheric deposition was rather low. The study of soil chemical and microbiological properties included mainly total soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass-C, biomass-C/SOC, soil respiration, and metabolic quotient (qCO2). Soil organic C metabolism has been discussed on the basis of the results from eight sampling sites.     

Influence of oceanic factors on long-distance movements of loggerhead sea turtles displaced in the southwest Indian Ocean

The routes of five satellite-tracked loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), subjected to an experimental translocation away from their usual migratory routes, have been analysed in relation to the concurrent oceanographic conditions. Remote sensing data on sea surface temperature and height anomalies, as well as trajectories of surface drifters were used, to get simultaneous information on the currents encountered by the turtles during their long-range oceanic movements. Turtles mostly turned out to move in the same direction as the main currents, and their routes were often influenced by circulation features they encountered. A comparison between turtle ground speeds with that of drifters shows that in several instances, the turtles did not drift passively with the currents but contributed actively to the overall movement. Two turtles embarked on an oceanic crossing, probably induced by seasonal changes in surface temperatures, a crossing that was largely determined by the main currents existing in the area.     

PCDD/Fs atmospheric deposition fluxes and soil contamination close to a municipal solid waste incinerator

Bulk depositions and surface soil were collected in a suburban area, near the Adriatic Sea, in order to assess the contribution of a municipal solid waste incinerator to the area’s total contamination with polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs and PCDFs). Samples were collected at two sites, situated in the area most affected by plant emissions (according to the results of the Calpuff air dispersion model), and at an external site, considered as a reference. Results show that the studied area is subject to low contamination, as far as these compounds are concerned. Deposition fluxes range from 14.3 pg m⁻² d⁻¹ to 89.9 pg m⁻² d⁻¹ (0.75 pg-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹ to 3.73 pg-TEQ m⁻² d⁻¹) and no significant flow differences are observed among the three monitored sites. Total soil concentration amounts to 93.8 ng kg⁻¹ d.w. and 1.35 ng-TEQ kg⁻¹ d.w, on average, and confirms a strong homogeneity in the studied area. Furthermore, from 2006 to 2009, no PCDD/Fs enrichment in the soil was noticed. Comparing the relative congener distributions in environmental samples with those found in stack emissions from the incineration plant, significant differences are observed in the PCDD:PCDF ratio and in the contribution of the most chlorinated congeners. From this study we can conclude that the incineration plant is not the main source of PCDD/Fs in the studied area, which is apparently characterized by a homogeneous and widespread contamination situation, typical of an urban area.     

Chemical characterisation of spent rechargeable batteries

A chemical characterisation of used batteries can give useful information to implement suitable recycling techniques and to estimate the flux of the different materials recovered. This work is aimed to provide quantitative data about the composition of mixed batteries (in particular, Ni–Cd, Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries) collected in a Northern Italian town in order to evaluate the feasibility of recovery processes applied to the selected material. The higher concentration of metals in the <3 mm fraction suggested that significant quantities of valuable elements could be recovered: in particular, for a kg of the <3 mm fraction deriving from disassembled batteries, about 390 g Ni and 330 g Cd can be recovered from Ni–Cd, 630 g Ni, 80 g Co from Ni-MH and 250 g Co, 110 g Ni, 120 g Cu from Li-ion ones. Leaching tests applied to the same fractions, to assess possible contaminant releases, resulted in low metal content in aqueous solutions (except for Al and Fe, the concentrations of all metals remained below 1 mg/kg). Even so, great care is required in all handling activities due to the high pH values of leachate solutions.     

Phylogeography and evolution of the triplefin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tripterygion delaisi</Emphasis> (Pisces,Blennioidei)

The genus Tripterygion (Risso 1826) is restricted to the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and comprises only three species. T. melanuros and T. tripteronotus are essentially endemic to the Mediterranean, while Tripterygion delaisi occurs in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. Two subspecies of T. delaisi have been described (T. d. xanthosoma in the Mediterranean and T. d. delaisi in the Atlantic). Several scenarios have been proposed for the evolution of T. delaisi subspecies, but so far its subspeciation process is not clear. In this study we present a population survey of T. delaisi including specimens from the two recognized subspecies. We combined a phylogeographic approach with estimates of the direction of migration (between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean) and of the coalescence time of the two subspecies, using polymorphic mitochondrial and nuclear genes. The results of this study clearly support the existence of two Tripterygion delaisi clades, one in the eastern Atlantic islands and another in the Atlantic coasts of Europe and in the Mediterranean. Historical migration between the islands and Western Europe plus Mediterranean was restricted, and showed a westbound trend, with a higher number of migrants going from the Western Europe plus Mediterranean into the islands. We estimated the time of coalescence of both groups of T. delaisi to be more recent than the onset of Pleistocene glaciations (1.7 Mya). Our results are consistent with previous hypothesis that consider successive dispersal events of a Tripterygion ancestor from the western African coast colonizing the Atlantic islands and the Mediterranean, promoting the evolutionary divergence between these areas.     

Historical biogeography and speciation in the Creole wrasses (Labridae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clepticus</Emphasis>)

We tested whether vicariance or dispersal was the likely source of speciation in the genus Clepticus by evaluating the evolutionary timing of the effect of the mid-Atlantic barrier, which separates C. brasiliensis and C. africanus, and the Amazon barrier, which separates C. parrae and C brasiliensis. Genetic data from three mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene were used. Mitochondrial genes separated Clepticus into three well supported clades corresponding to the three recognized allopatric morpho-species. All analyses provided consistent support for an initial separation (~9.68 to 1.86 mya; 4.84% sequence divergence) of the Caribbean and South Atlantic lineages, followed by a much more recent divergence (~ 0.60 to 0.12 mya; 0.3% sequence divergence) of the Brazilian and African sister morpho-species. Both these phylogenetic events occurred well after the formation of the two barriers that currently separate those three allopatric populations. The planktonic larval duration of these species (35–49 days) and coastal pelagic habits may have facilitated dispersal by this genus across those dispersal barriers after they formed.     

Fourteenth National Congress of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Chemistry Division, “Chemistry in a Sustainable Society,” held in Rimini (Italy) in June 2013

This report briefly presents the aims and the fields of interest of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Division (Italian Chemical Society) and the issues addressed during its national congress, held in Rimini in June 2013. The broad range of topics raised by different speakers, the variety of affiliations and institutions participating at the conference, the scientific organisations and private companies co-sponsoring the different sessions give a clear picture of the interdisciplinarity which is a hallmark of this division.