The SEAP in the city of Girona,a crossroads between boldness and pragmatism

The Covenant of Mayors has secured the commitments of over 5400 European Cities (as of December 2013) to achieving the European Union 20-20-20 climate change mitigation targets by 2020 through action at the local level. Due to the youth of the initiative, few experiences have been reported in the academic literature. We study the development of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) in the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain) to analyse the opportunities and challenges this process may present in a small- to medium-sized, compact Mediterranean city. This knowledge can provide information to local authorities in similar municipalities, technical teams and decision-makers at the European level interested in enhancing the performance of such plans in the future. In this article, we explain how the SEAP was developed in Girona, the main results and proposed actions, and discuss the main setbacks. We conclude that an overarching European oversight organism is advisable to coordinate and aid local efforts.     

Range contraction and loss of genetic variation of the Pyrenean endemic newt <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calotriton asper</Emphasis> due to climate change

Many studies have identified climate warming to be among the most important threats to biodiversity. Climate change is expected to have stronger effects on species with low genetic diversity, ectothermic physiology, small ranges, low effective populations sizes, specific habitat requirements and limited dispersal capabilities. Despite an ever-increasing number of studies reporting climate change-induced range shifts, few of these have incorporated species’ specific dispersal constraints into their models. Moreover, the impacts of climate change on genetic variation within populations and species have rarely been assessed, while this is a promising direction for future research. Here we explore the effects of climate change on the potential distribution and genetic variation of the endemic Pyrenean newt Calotriton asper over the period 2020–2080. We use species distribution modelling in combination with high-resolution gridded climate data while subsequently applying four different dispersal scenarios. We furthermore use published data on genetic variation of both mtDNA and AFLP loci to test whether populations with high genetic diversity (nucleotide diversity and expected heterozygosity) or evolutionary history (unique haplotypes and K clusters) have an increased extinction risk from climate change. The present study indicates that climate change drastically reduces the potential distribution range of C. asper and reveals dispersal possibilities to be minimal under the most realistic dispersal scenarios. Despite the major loss in suitable climate, the models highlight relatively large stable areas throughout the species core distribution area indicating persistence of populations over time. The results, however, show a major loss of genetic diversity and evolutionary history. This highlights the importance of accounting for intraspecific genetic variation in climate change impact studies. Likewise, the integration of species’ specific dispersal constraints into projections of species distribution models is an important step to fully explore the effects of climate change on species potential distributions.     

Synthetic SO2 Sorbents for Fluidized-Bed Coal Combustors

The information presented in this paper is directed to engineers who are involved with environmental emissions from coal conversion plants. Synthetic sorbents were investigated as an alternative to natural sorbents (limestone) for the removal of SO₂ from the combustion gas in a fluidized-bed coal combustor. The sulfation rate of a synthetic sorbent, CaO in α-AI₂O₃, was determined as a function of gas composition, temperature, and calcium concentration in the sorbent. The reaction was found to be diffusion-controlled above 850°C and kinetically controlled at lower temperatures. The physical characteristics of the support material have a major effect oh the sulfation kinetics. Porosity measurements indicated that supports containing large pores (>0.2 µm) produced sorbents having high sulfation rates and that pores with diameters less than 0.2 µm did not contribute significantly to the capture of SO₂. The sorbents SrO in α-AI₂O₃ and BaO in α-AI₂O₃ had lower SO₂ capture rates than did CaO in α-AI₂O₃. The alkali metal oxide sorbents K₂O and Na₂O in α-AI₂O₃ captured SO₂ much faster than did the alkaline earth metal oxides.     

Incineration Techniques for Control of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions Part I. Fundamentals and Process Design Considerations

A review of incineration techniques for control of volatile organic compound emissions is presented in two consecutive issues of JAPC A. Part I presents an overview of the process including fundamentals and design considerations. Both thermal and catalytic incincerators are considered. Part II will present capital and annual operating cost estimates for both thermal and catalytic incinerator systems based on information received from a number of equipment manufacturers.     

Comparison of Real-Time Instruments Used To Monitor Airborne Particulate Matter

ABSTRACT

Measurements collected using five real-time continuous airborne particle monitors were compared to measurements made using reference filter-based samplers at Bakers-field, CA, between December 2, 1998, and January 31, 1999. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the suitability of each instrument for use in a real-time continuous monitoring network designed to measure the mass of airborne particles with an aerodynamic diam less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) under wintertime conditions in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Measurements of airborne particulate mass made with a beta attenuation monitor (BAM), an integrating nephelometer, and a continuous aerosol mass monitor (CAMM) were found to correlate well with reference measurements made with a filter-based sampler. A Dusttrak aerosol sampler overestimated airborne particle concentrations by a factor of ~3 throughout the study. Measurements of airborne particulate matter made with a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) were found to be lower than the reference filter-based measurements by an amount approximately equal to the concentration of NH₄NO₃ observed to be present in the airborne particles. The performance of the Dusttrak sampler and the integrating nephelometer was affected by the size distribution of airborne particulate matter. The performance of the BAM, the integrating nephelometer, the CAMM, the Dusttrak sampler, and the TEOM was not strongly affected by temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, or wind direction within the range of conditions encountered in the current study. Based on instrument performance, the BAM, the integrating nephelometer, and the CAMM appear to be suitable candidates for deployment in a real-time continuous PM_2.5 monitoring network in central California for the range of winter conditions and aerosol composition encountered during the study.     

Ecosystem responses to reduced and oxidised nitrogen inputs in European terrestrial habitats

While it is well established that ecosystems display strong responses to elevated nitrogen deposition, the importance of the ratio between the dominant forms of deposited nitrogen (NH_x and NO_y) in determining ecosystem response is poorly understood. As large changes in the ratio of oxidised and reduced nitrogen inputs are occurring, this oversight requires attention. One reason for this knowledge gap is that plants experience a different NH_x:NO_y ratio in soil to that seen in atmospheric deposits because atmospheric inputs are modified by soil transformations, mediated by soil pH. Consequently species of neutral and alkaline habitats are less likely to encounter high NH₄⁺ concentrations than species from acid soils. We suggest that the response of vascular plant species to changing ratios of NH_x:NO_y deposits will be driven primarily by a combination of soil pH and nitrification rates. Testing this hypothesis requires a combination of experimental and survey work in a range of systems.     

Effect of soil ageing on in vivo arsenic bioavailability in two dissimilar soils

Arsenic (As) bioavailability in spiked soils aged for up to 12 months was assessed using in vitro and in vivo methodologies. Ageing (natural attenuation) of spiked soils resulted in a decline in in vivo As bioavailability (swine assay) of over 75% in soil A (Red Ferrosol) but had no significant effect on in vivo As bioavailability even after 12 months of ageing in soil B (Brown Chromosol). Sequential fractionation, however, indicated that there was repartitioning of As within the soil fractions extracted during the time course investigated. In soil A, the As fraction associated with the more weakly bound soil fractions decreased while the residual fraction increased from 12% to 35%. In contrast, little repartitioning of As was observed in soil B indicating that natural attenuation may be only applicable for As in soils containing specific mineralogical properties.     

Levels of dioxins in soil and corn tissues after 30 years of biosolids application

Detectable levels of dioxins have been reported in biosolids, but very little information is available on the effect of long-term application of biosolids on dioxins accumulation in soil and uptake by plants. We analyzed dioxins in soil and corn tissue samples from field plots after 30 continuous applications of biosolids at 0 (Control), 16.8, and 67.2 Mg biosolids ha(-1) yr(-1) resulting in 0, 504, and 2016 Mg ha(-1) cumulative loadings of biosolids, respectively. The levels of dioxins in soil were only 79.9, 115.5, and 247.5 ng toxic equivalents (TEQs) kg(-1) in the 0, 504, and 2016 Mg biosolids ha(-1) plots, respectively. Dioxins were not detected in the corn grain, and only trace levels (6.8-7.5 ng TEQs kg(-1)) were found in the corn stover; however, these values were not statistically different between control and biosolids-amended soils. These observations suggest that although long-term application of biosolids may increase the levels of dioxins in soil, it does not affect dioxins uptake by corn.     

Nitrogen Flow Analysis in Huizhou, South China

Eutrophication due to uncontrolled discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus has become a serious pollution problem in many Chinese rivers. This article analyzes the nitrogen flow in Huizhou City in the East River watershed in south China. The material accounting method was applied to investigate the nitrogen flows related to human activities, which consist of the natural and anthropogenic systems. In Huizhou City, the nonpoint source pollution was quantified by the export coefficient method and the domestic discharge was estimated as the product of per capita nitrogen contribution and population. This research was conducted based on statistical information and field data from 1998 in the Huizhou City. The results indicated that the major nitrogen flows in this area were river loads, fertilizer and feedstuff imports, atmospheric deposition, animal manure volatilization, and processes related to burning and other emissions. In 1998, about 40% of the nitrogen was retained in the system and could result in potential environmental problems. Nitrogen export was mainly by rivers, which account for about 57% of the total nitrogen exported. Comparisons made between the East River and the Danube and Yangtze Rivers show that the unit area nitrogen export was of the same magnitude and the per capita nitrogen export was comparable.