Eco-design in innovation driven companies: perception, predictions and the main drivers of integration. The Spanish example

This study attempts to contribute to the scarce knowledge on how eco-design, and to broad extent sustainability, is connected to innovation driven companies. In particular, this cross sectional research verifies i) perception and knowledge of eco-design of the professionals from innovation driven companies in Spain, ii) specific eco-design strategies towards sustainability that innovation driven companies are integrating in their strategic plans and their application in the supply chain and iii) the companies’ future predictions on innovation and eco-design linkage. The methodology of this paper is based on a survey, developed defining measurable proxies for both eco-design and innovation approaches and conducted on 10,000 multidisciplinary professionals from Spanish innovation driven companies. The study shows that sustainability is a cardinal driver for innovation and that responses have specificities regarding company size, activity or respondent position. Innovation and eco-design strategies for the future aim to use materials with a lower environmental impact and to develop new concepts.     

Does area deprivation modify the association between exposure to a nitrate and low-dose atrazine metabolite mixture in drinking water and small for gestational age? A historic cohort study

Birth weight may be influenced by environmental and socio-economic factors that could interact. The main objective of our research was to investigate whether area deprivation may modify the association between drinking water exposure to a mixture of atrazine metabolites and nitrates during the second trimester of pregnancy and prevalence of small for gestational age (SGA) neonates. We conducted a historic cohort study in Deux-Sèvres, France between 2005 and 2010, using birth records, population census and regularly performed drinking water withdrawals at community water systems. Exposure to an atrazine metabolite/nitrate mixture in drinking water was divided into six classes according to the presence or absence of atrazine metabolites and to the terciles of nitrate concentrations in each trimester of pregnancy. We used a logistic regression to model the association between SGA and mixture exposure at the second trimester while taking into account the area deprivation measured by the Townsend index as an effect modifier and controlling for the usual confounders. We included 10,784 woman–neonate couples. The risk of SGA when exposed to second tercile of nitrate without atrazine metabolites was significantly greater in women living in less deprived areas (OR?=?2.99; 95 % CI (1.14, 7.89)), whereas it was not significant in moderately and more deprived areas. One of the arguments used to explain this result is the presence of competing risk factors in poorer districts.     

Lethal and sublethal effects of naphthalene and 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene on the marine copepod <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paracartia grani</Emphasis>

Here we evaluate the effects of two quantitatively very important components of the water soluble fractions of fuel oils (naphthalene and 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene, hereafter NAPH and C2-NAPH, respectively) on the survival, feeding and egg production rates, and viability of eggs of the coastal copepod Paracartia (Acartia) grani. Acute toxicity responses resulted in lethal concentrations (LC50) of 2,535 and 161 μg l⁻¹ for NAPH and C2-NAPH, respectively, with no evidence of narcotic effects. Hydrocarbon-specific differences in the toxicity response indicate that sublethal effects (EC50) on feeding by C2-NAPH were likely driven by induced mortality, whereas NAPH has direct negative effects on feeding. Sublethal effects on egg production rates followed a similar detrimental pattern to the one exhibited by feeding rates, suggesting that the lower egg production rates were mediated by the decrease in feeding rates. At the exposure time tested (24 h), the 50% reduction effective concentrations (EC50) determined for sublethal effects were relatively high in comparison with hydrocarbons’ concentrations found under natural circumstances. Long exposure (4 days) of P. grani adults to the tested hydrocarbons at concentrations well below the recorded EC50, however, had no significant effects on feeding, egg production and hatching rates. The viability of the eggs was either not affected or only slightly influenced when healthy eggs were incubated under very high concentrations (up to 6,400 and 700 μg l⁻¹ NAPH and C2-NAPH, respectively). The significance of the effects of oil spills on marine zooplankton communities is discussed in light of the results presented in this study.     

Effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the cytochrome P450 content of the mollusc bivalveMytilus galloprovincialis

The cytochrome P₄₅₀, identified by the characteristic 450 nm spectral peak of its carbon monoxide complex, was detected in the hepatopancreatic microsomes ofMytilus galloprovincialis, collected from Ponteau (Bay of Fos, France) in 1982 and 1983. When mussels were exposed to a variety of petroleum hydrocarbons, the cytochrome P₄₅₀ content increased. It is shown that aromatic hydrocarbons are more effective than alkanes in inducing a high level of cytochrome P₄₅₀. The possible use of this haemoprotein in hydrocarbon pollutant detection is discussed.     

Efficient management capacity evaluation of tourism in protected areas

Despite the increasing number of protected areas around the world and their importance in the conservation of species and ecosystems, protected areas management capacity remains difficult to evaluate. A standard is needed to help policy makers compare the goals with the results obtained. This empirical research builds a tool to analyze the management efficiency and predicts the new touristic outcomes in case of a policy change. Using as example the state parks agencies in the USA, this paper develops a technological frontier using data envelopment analysis based on the Protected Areas Management Approach. After that, a prediction of the outcomes is analyzed with a budget change for any state park agency. Data suggest that many of them need to improve their performance to be more efficient. Another result obtained shows how budget changes will affect each agency's performance in different degrees and, therefore, budget reductions should be modeled separately.     

Biological sweetening of energy gases mimics in biotrickling filters

Removal of hydrogen sulfide from waste and energy-rich gases is required, not only because of environmental health and safety reasons, but also because of operational reasons if such gases have to be used for energy generation. A biotrickling filter for the removal of ultra-high concentrations of H2S from oxygen-poor gases is proposed and studied in this work. Two laboratory-scale biotrickling filters were used to study the startup period and to determine the long-term performance of the gas sweetening process. The inlet H2S concentration ranged from 900 to 12000ppmv and two different packing materials were investigated. There was no toxicity effect observed even at a the highest H2S concentration, and maximum elimination capacities of 280 and 250g H2Sm(-3)h(-1) were obtained at gas contact times of 167 and 180s, respectively. Elemental sulfur and sulfate were found to be the most abundant end-products of the biological oxidation of sulfide when operated under microaerophilic conditions. The biotrickling filter was able to quickly recover its nominal performance after different load increases and system shutdowns simulating field operation. The results reported here show that biotreatment can be an interesting alternative to conventional gas sweetening systems normally used for such applications.