Assessment using CFD of the wind direction on the air discharges caused by natural ventilation of a poultry house

Air inside poultry houses must be removed on a regular basis to prevent excess of heat, particles and noxious gases that can imperil animals. To cope with this issue, natural ventilation could be an effective method when assisted by accurate predictions. This study investigates air discharges caused by natural ventilation of a poultry house by means of a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. It solves the governing equations of momentum, heat and mass transport, radiative transfers and animal-generated heat. Wind directions of 0°, 36° and 56° (0° corresponds to a wind blowing perpendicular to the ridgeline) were investigated; the CFD model predictions achieved a RMSE of 1.2 °C and 0.6 g[H₂O] kg^?1 [dry air] for internal temperature and absolute humidity, respectively, when air blew with an angle of 36°. Air renewal rates (ARR) were 39.5 (±?1.9), 34.9 (±?2.2) and 33.6 (±?1.7) volumes of the building per hour, when air blew at 0°, 36° and 56°, respectively. Such ARR predictions served to know how the gases contained in air would likely spread downstream from the building in order to define regions of potentially high gas concentration that could endanger neighbouring habitable facilities.     

Bird on the wire: Landscape planning considering costs and benefits for bird populations coexisting with power lines

Power-line grids are increasingly expanding worldwide, as well as their negative impacts on avifauna, namely the direct mortality through collision and electrocution, the reduction of breeding performance, and the barrier effect. On the other hand, some bird species can apparently benefit from the presence of power lines, for example perching for hunting purposes or nesting on electricity towers. In this perspective essay, we reviewed the scientific literature on both costs and benefits for avifauna coexisting with power lines. Overall, we detected a generalized lack of studies focusing on these costs or benefits at a population level. We suggest that a switch in research approach to a larger spatio-temporal scale would greatly improve our knowledge about the actual effects of power lines on bird populations. This research approach would facilitate suitable landscape planning encompassing both mitigation of costs and promotion of benefits for bird populations coexisting with power lines. For example, the strategic route planning of electricity infrastructures would limit collision risk or barrier effects for threatened bird populations. Concurrently, this strategic route planning would promote the range expansion of threatened populations of other bird species, by providing nesting structures in treeless but potentially suitable landscapes. We suggest establishing a collaborative dialogue among the scientific community, governments, and electricity companies, with the aim to produce a win–win scenario in which both biodiversity conservation and infrastructure development are integrated in a common strategy.     

Contamination of soil and the medicinal plant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllanthus niruri</Emphasis> Linn. with cadmium in ceramic industrial areas

Phyllanthus niruri is a plant that is used to prevent calcium oxalate crystallisation and to block the stone formation in urolithiasis. Contaminants in the environment can be readily taken up by medicinal plants due to their ability to absorb chemicals into their tissues. If contaminated plants are ingested, they have the potential to negatively affect human and environmental health. The aim of this study was to assess contamination in the soil and the medicinal plant P. niruri by cadmium (Cd) in ceramic industrial areas of Monte Carmelo, Brazil. Soil samples and plant samples (divided in root, shoot and leaves) were collected from a contaminated monitoring site and from a rural area (which was used as a reference site for comparative purposes). The Cd concentrations of the samples were analysed with an atomic absorption spectrometer. P. niruri was found to be sensitive to soil contamination by Cd that was attributed to ceramic industrial emissions. The results revealed that Cd bioaccumulation in the roots and shoots of P. niruri was associated with a significant increase (p?<?0.05) in the concentration of active lignan compounds (phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin) in the leaves. The identification of high concentrations of Cd and active lignan compounds suggests a risk of contamination of the site and the risk of a high dose of Cd to people exposed at the site.     

Review: recent advances in biogas purifying technologies

Biomethane production through biogas upgrading is a promising renewable energy for some industries which could be part of the equilibrium needed with fossil fuels consumption to achieve a sustainable society. This paper presents a comprehensive list of biogas upgrading technologies focused on carbon dioxide removal as well as recent advances reported by researcher with wide expertise in this topic. Additionally, an extensive costs–performance comparison among the technologies studied is discussed. Among the different alternatives, chemical scrubbing stood out to achieve high biomethane purities while cryogenic technologies proved to be effective against methane losses. Regarding the different costs, water scrubbing and membrane separation seem to be the most affordable techniques.     

Environmental Impact Assessment of Polylactide(PLA)/Chicken Feathers Biocomposite Materials

The aim of this study is to analyse the environmental impacts (EIs) of the process of preparation of new biocomposite materials obtained from polylactide (PLA) and chicken feathers (CFs). Two CFs stabilization methods and different percentages of CFs have been studied. The EIs of these new composites were compared to the impact of virgin PLA. Cradle-to-gate life cycle inventories were assessed for 0–35% v/v of CFs in a CFs/PLA biocomposite. Two CFs stabilization processes, autoclave and surfactant, were tested and compared with the aim to prioritize one of them from the environmental point of view. A composite plate of 184?×?184?×?2.2 mm³ was defined as the functional unit. Autoclave stabilization process exhibited lower environmental impact compared with surfactant stabilization process mainly due to both the lower requirements of electricity and water and the reduced pollution loads of the generated wastewater. Thus, the autoclave process was selected as the standard method when comparing the EIs of the proposed CFs/PLA biocomposites. In this sense, the addition of CFs to PLA matrix proportionally reduces all the EIs compared to pure PLA due to the replacement of PLA with CFs. This behaviour can be explained because the PLA production accounts for the 99% of the impact of the biocomposite. Consequently, CFs conveniently stabilized might be an alternative raw material to prepare CFs/PLA biocomposites with less environmental impact compared to pure PLA.     

Pollutant versus non-pollutant generation technologies: a CML-analogous analysis

In this work, we apply the Modern Portfolio Theory and the Capital Assets Pricing Model financial tools to a portfolio of CO₂-emitting generation technologies under diverse scenarios. We will calculate the efficient—in the sense of having the minimum risk for a given level of emissions—portfolios frontier. The Capital Market Line (CML) is the place where all the possible combinations of a specific efficient portfolio and a pollution-free portfolio—made up with nuclear and renewable generation technologies—lie. In Finance, that specific efficient portfolio is called the market portfolio but we will see that in our case it lacks an evident meaning. Therefore, we will explain which should be the reference portfolio for power generation planning analysis. Anyway, the fact is that those combinations are less pollutant than the portfolios in the efficient frontier. Thus, a policy-maker can analyse which is their effect on emissions reduction. We will start analysing the efficient pollutant generation portfolios. Then, we will introduce the CML-analogous lines (CML-A) to allow the possibility of reducing emissions by combining an efficient portfolio with a non-pollutant portfolio—this non-pollutant portfolio is free of both emissions and risk. Results support the necessity of considering the carbon capture and storage technology to achieve a less risky generation mix, with less emissions and allowing a higher diversification due to the presence of cleaner fossil fuel technologies. All of that leads to better levels of energy security.     

Potential of Eucalyptus globulus for the phytoremediation of metals in a Moroccan iron mine soil—a case study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The contamination left by abandoned mines demands sustainable mitigation measures. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the phytoremediator...     

Foraminiferal biotopes and their distribution control in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal): a multiproxy approach

Ria de Aveiro, which is located in the centre of Portugal (40° 38′ N, 8° 45′ W), is a well-mixed and complex coastal lagoon that is separated from the sea by a sandy barrier and connects with the Atlantic through an artificial inlet. Tidal currents are the main factor controlling the lagoon’s hydrodynamics and, to a great extent, the sedimentary dynamic. The inner lagoonal zones receive input from several rivers and experience the pressure caused by the accumulation of organic matter and pollutants (namely, trace metals) from diverse anthropic activities. This paper is the first piece of work aiming to recognize, characterize and explain the main benthic foraminiferal biotopes in Ria de Aveiro. To provide a broad overview of this kind of setting, our results are compared to those of previous published studies conducted in similar transitional environments. The research is based on an investigation of 225 sites spread throughout this ecosystem. Utilizing a statistical approach, this study analyses the details of dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages composed of 260 taxa, the texture and composition (mineralogical and geochemical) of the sediment and physicochemical data. On the basis of the results of R-mode and Q-mode cluster analyses, several different biotopes can be defined as marsh biotope/near-marsh biotope; marginal urban/marginal urban mixing biotope; inner-outer lagoon biotope or enclosed lagoon; outer lagoon biotope, mixed sub-biotope; and outer lagoon, marine sub-biotope. These biotopes are related to foraminifera assemblages and substrate type and are influenced by local currents, water depth, chemical and physicochemical conditions, river or oceanic proximity, and anthropogenic impact, as evidenced by the mapping of the six factor loadings of the principal component analysis conducted herein. Based on a similar methodology of analysis as that applied in previous studies in the Lagoon of Venice, comparable biotypes were identified in Lagoon of Aveiro.     

Highly active photocatalytic coatings prepared by a low-temperature method

Photocatalytic properties of titanium (IV) oxide (TiO₂) in anatase form can be used for various purposes, including photocatalytic purification of water. For such an application, suspended or fixed photocatalytic reactors are used. Those with fixed phase seem to be preferred due to some advantages, one of which is the avoidance of photocatalyst filtration. To avoid leaching and exfoliation of the fixed phase, an immobilization procedure leading to a good adhesion of a catalyst to a substrate is crucial. Within this work, we present physical and photocatalytic characterization results of five commercially available TiO₂ photocatalysts (P25, P90, PC500, KRONOClean 7000, VPC-10) and one pigment (Hombitan LO-CR-S-M), which were successfully immobilized on glass slides by a “sol suspension” procedure. Different mechanical tests and characterization methods were used to evaluate the stability and morphology of the layers. Evaluation of photocatalytic activity was done by tests under UVA and UV–vis irradiation, using a method based on the detection of the fluorescent oxidation product of terephthalic acid (TPA), i.e., hydroxyterephthalic acid (HTPA). Aeroxide® P90 incorporated into the silica-titania binder was the most photocatalytically active layer and, unlike the others, showed significant increase of photocatalytic activity through the entire range of tested UVA irradiation intensities (2.3 mW/cm²–6.1 mW/cm²). The high mechanical stability of some photocatalytic layers allows using them in water photocatalytic purification reactions.     

Combination effects of anticholinesterasics in acetylcholinesterase of a fish species: effects of a metallic compound,an organophosphate pesticide,and a pharmaceutical drug

The simultaneous presence of distinct compounds in the aquatic environment can be causative of various toxicological interactions. This scenario challenges ecotoxicologists, since the assessment of toxicological effects caused by the simultaneous presence of multiple substances is by far more complicated. An illustrative example can be given by mentioning the anticholinesterasic compounds: by studying the level of cholinesterase impairment of an exposed organism, it is possible to ascertain the level of exposure to all anticholinesterasics (despite their chemical classes and natures) that the organism was subjected to. In this work, we describe the effects of three chemically different, albeit mechanistically, and toxicologically similar compounds (copper, chlorfenvinphos, and pyridostigmine) on cholinesterases of the fish Gambusia holbrooki. The results showed that the combinatorial effects may be of considerable extent, even for levels of exposure that are close to the ones already reported in the wild, for each isolated compound.