Blending Linz–Donawitz and Blast Furnace slags with the Kambara reactor byproduct to improve their reuse in roadworks

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The use of industrial byproducts as replacement of natural aggregates has been extensively investigated to design eco-friendly roads. One of the...     

On technical change in the elasticities of resource inputs

This article analyses growth of an economy where the substitutability between non-renewable and renewable resource inputs changes over time. We allow for exogenous technical change in the elasticity of substitution (EoS) between these two types of resources as well as for biased factor-augmenting technical change. Our main results are: (1) sustained technical change in the EoS is enough to overcome resource constraints; (2) productivity-enhancing technical change is most beneficial when directed to the resource which is currently most important for production; (3) the speed of productivity-enhancing technical change is crucial for its usefulness to overcome resource constraints; (4) sustainability depends critically on the type of technical change.     

Job requirements for control room jobs in nuclear power plants

Together with other variables, human factors play a central role in the safety of highly complex technical systems such as nuclear power plants. However, despite the unquestionable importance of human factors, little information is available about relevant ability requirements for control room jobs in nuclear power plants. The purpose of this study was to close this gap, to provide specific information about ability requirements for such jobs, and to evaluate how several hypothesized factors (ability domain, type of job, and operating condition) contribute to ability requirements. We found that high levels of cognitive as well as social/interpersonal abilities are needed for control room jobs, and that ability requirements increase with the hierarchical job level for these two domains but decrease for psychomotor/physical abilities and for sensory/perceptual abilities. Furthermore, specifically concerning jobs with a leadership function, we found some differences between incidents and normal operations regarding requirements for social/interpersonal abilities, indicating that the former require a different leadership style than the latter.     

Comparison of two reactor concepts for anoxygenic H2 production by Rhodobacter capsulatus

In the contribution at hand two main concepts of photobioreactors are considered: the flat-panel reactor and the tubular reactor. Both reactors are investigated under outdoor conditions in Germany in the summer time for their applicability for H₂ production by means of purple non-sulphur bacteria Rhodobacter capsulatus. The experiments are performed as fed batch. The performance of a photobioreactor is evaluated in terms of H₂ productivity per IRS (illuminated reactor surface). It is demonstrated that both reactors could be operated stable for several weeks with comparable H₂ productivities. The mean hydrogen productivity for the panel and the tubular reactor is 3690 ml H₂/(m_IRS² d) and 3350 ml H₂/(m_IRS² d) respectively. While approximately 8 m² of the illuminated reactor surface of the panel reactor can be installed on 1 m² of ground space, the relation of the illuminated reactor surface to the ground area for the tubular reactor is approximately 1–1.     

Assessing coastal management case studies around Europe using an indicator based tool

Over 350 European Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) ‘best practice’ case studies are documented in the OURCOAST online public database, to ensure that lessons learned from experiences and practices are shared and improve coastal management practices. However, concrete criteria for ‘best practice’ are missing and a critical evaluation of the success of these case studies did not take place. We present an indicator-based tool and methodology that allows assessing the progress towards sustainability of ICZM measures. An indicator-based tool was applied to 18 thematically different coastal case studies using two different methods: a fast screening and an analysis in-depth assessment. Both methods used help to identify strengths and weaknesses of ICZM and their contribution to sustainable development. However, indicator scores were highly affected by evaluators’ background and perception. The tool is user-friendly and easy to apply, it indicates what progress has made towards sustainability and to which extent targets have been met.     

Maize,switchgrass, and ponderosa pine biochar added to soil increased herbicide sorption and decreased herbicide efficacy

Biochar, a by-product of pyrolysis made from a wide array of plant biomass when producing biofuels, is a proposed soil amendment to improve soil health. This study measured herbicide sorption and efficacy when soils were treated with low (1% w/w) or high (10% w/w) amounts of biochar manufactured from different feedstocks [maize (Zea mays) stover, switchgrass (Panicum vigatum), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)], and treated with different post-processing techniques. Twenty-four hour batch equilibration measured sorption of ¹⁴C-labelled atrazine or 2,4-D to two soil types with and without biochar amendments. Herbicide efficacy was measured with and without biochar using speed of seed germination tests of sensitive species. Biochar amended soils sorbed more herbicide than untreated soils, with major differences due to biochar application rate but minor differences due to biochar type or post-process handling technique. Biochar presence increased the speed of seed germination compared with herbicide alone addition. These data indicate that biochar addition to soil can increase herbicide sorption and reduce efficacy. Evaluation for site-specific biochar applications may be warranted to obtain maximal benefits without compromising other agronomic practices.     

Current EU-27 technical potential of organic waste streams for biogas and energy production

Anaerobic digestion of organic waste generated by households, businesses, agriculture, and industry is an important approach as method of waste treatment – especially with regard to its potential as an alternative energy source and its cost-effectiveness. Separate collection of biowaste from households or vegetal waste from public green spaces is already established in some EU-27 countries. The material recovery in composting plants is common for biowaste and vegetal waste. Brewery waste fractions generated by beer production are often used for animal feeding after a suitable preparation. Waste streams from paper industry generated by pulp and paper production such as black liquor or paper sludge are often highly contaminated with toxic substances. Recovery of chemicals and the use in thermal processes like incineration, pyrolysis, and gasification are typical utilization paths. The current utilization of organic waste from households and institutions (without agricultural waste) was investigated for EU-27 countries with Germany as an in-depth example. Besides of biowaste little is known about the suitability of waste streams from brewery and paper industry for anaerobic digestion. Therefore, an evaluation of the most important biogas process parameters for different substrates was carried out, in order to calculate the biogas utilization potential of these waste quantities. Furthermore, a calculation of biogas energy potentials was carried out for defined waste fractions which are most suitable for anaerobic digestion. Up to 1% of the primary energy demand can be covered by the calculated total biogas energy potential. By using a “best-practice-scenario” for separately collected biowaste, the coverage of primary energy demand may be increased above 2% for several countries. By using sector-specific waste streams, for example the German paper industry could cover up to 4.7% and the German brewery industry up to 71.2% of its total energy demand.