Reconstructing forest-cover change in the Swiss Alps between 1880 and 2010 using ensemble modelling

Regional Environmental Change - Understanding drivers of forest-cover change is essential for a broad range of ecosystem properties. In this work, we assessed changes in forest cover using...     

Renewable energy sources: conflicts and opportunities in a changing landscape

Regional Environmental Change - Replacement of conventional energy sources with renewables such as solar panels and wind turbines requires adequate land. Impact assessments should be conducted to...     

Environmentally conscious manufacturing: A technology for the nineties

Editor's note: Companies embracing TQEM must evaluate and change their manufacturing processes to stay globally competitive in the nineties. This article shows how an environmentally conscious manufacturing program incorporating new approaches to waste reduction will help companies achieve their corporatewide TQEM and strategic goals.     

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are an alarming example of this conservation bias and here we point out six conceptual areas that need immediate and long-term attention: knowledge, threats, socioeconomics, conservation, governance and education. The proposed roadmap aims to advance research, policy and education by identifying the most pressing priorities for the short- and long-term conservation of freshwater mussels across Europe.     

Current developments in soil ecotoxicology and the need for strengthening soil ecotoxicology in Europe: results of a stakeholder workshop

Background

Soil is one of our most important resources and fulfills many ecological functions such as storage and filtration of water and nutrients, transformation of chemical compounds and nutrients, biomass production, and carbon storage. Such soil functions support ecosystem services provided by soils, which need to be protected to protect soil fertility. However, European soils often contain elevated concentrations of contaminants, putting biodiversity of soil organisms as well as the ecological functions and services at risk. To promote soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland, the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology together with the Federal Office for Environment and the Federal Office for Agriculture organized a stakeholder workshop on 7 June 2018 with participants from research, governmental bodies, and associations. One goal of this workshop was to inform participants about currently available risk assessment approaches for soil, the soil risk assessment for plant protection products in Europe, available bioassays and bioindicators, and results of research projects on soil contaminants in Switzerland. Another goal was to discuss the needs for research in soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland and to identify next steps, potential projects, and future collaborations.

Results

The main needs identified during the workshop were the establishment of (bio)indicators to measure soil fertility, functional parameters to determine soil functions, and the preservation of soil biodiversity. Another priority listed was the formation of a working group, which addresses the issue of the development of environmental quality standards for soil. The need for experimental field sites for implementing and testing new approaches or tools for assessing soil quality was also discussed.

Conclusion

The next steps planned are two workshops with national and international experts in soil ecotoxicology to develop a soil monitoring concept for Switzerland and to find suitable bioindicators to evaluate soil fertility. Additionally, a literature review will be performed summarizing the current ecotoxicological state of the art with regard to the development of bioindicators in relation to the monitoring of plant protection products in Swiss soil, to evaluate their effects on soil fertility. Furthermore, all attendees agreed on the need for annual meetings or workshops where experts can present scientific results, participants can exchange information, and future projects and collaborations can be developed.

     

Costs and carbon emissions for geopolymer pastes in comparison to ordinary portland cement

Geopolymer concrete is seen as a potential alternative to standard concrete, and an opportunity to convert a variety of waste streams into useful by-products. One key driver in geopolymer development is the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production of concrete products. This paper presents an examination of the lifecycle cost and carbon impacts of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and geopolymers in an Australian context, with an identification of some key challenges for geopolymer development. The results of the examination show that there is wide variation in the calculated financial and environmental “cost” of geopolymers, which can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the source location, the energy source and the mode of transport. Some case study geopolymer concrete mixes based on typical Australian feedstocks indicate potential for a 44–64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while the financial costs are 7% lower to 39% higher compared with OPC.     

Sorption of selenium anionic species on apatites and iron oxides from aqueous solutions

The sorption of selenite and selenate ions from aqueous solutions was investigated on hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite, goethite and hematite, in order to simulate the behavior of radioactive selenium in natural or artificial sorbing media. Correlation studies with acido-basic properties and solubility of the solids were also performed. The sorption is pH dependant, but these solids are very efficient for retaining selenite at pH values generally encountered in natural waters, with however higher K(d) values for oxides than apatites. Selenate ions are much less sorbed than selenite. Several methods such as electron microscopy and spectroscopic techniques were used to identify the sorption mechanisms. In the case of hydroxyapatite, sorption proceeds by substitution of phosphate groups in the lattice of the apatite crystal in the superficial layers of the solid. In the case of goethite and hematite, sorption can be interpreted and modeled by a surface complexation process, but there is a discrepancy between sorption site densities for selenite and for protons.