Efficacy and reliability of upgraded industrial treatment plant at Porto Marghera, near Venice, Italy, in removing nutrients and dangerous micropollutants from petrochemical wastewaters

Chemical and petrochemical wastewaters contain a host of contaminants that require different treatment strategies. Regulation of macropollutants and micropollutants in the final discharge from industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have become increasingly stringent in recent decades, requiring many WWTPs to be upgraded. This article presents an analysis of a WWTP treating petrochemicals in Porto Marghera, Italy, that recently was upgraded following legislative changes. Because of strict legal limits for macropollutants and micropollutants and a lack of space necessary for a full-scale WWTP overhaul, the existing activated sludge tank was converted into a membrane biological reactor. The paper presents experimental data collected during a five-month investigation showing the removal rates achieved by the upgraded plant for macropollutants (particularly nitrogen compounds) and micropollutants (heavy metals and organic and inorganic toxic compounds).     

Evaluating carbon emissions of China’s waste management strategies for building refurbishment projects: contributing to a circular economy

This study evaluates carbon emissions of construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by building refurbishment, using a life cycle assessment approach through a case study project in China. Three waste management scenarios were developed for a building refurbishment project in the city of Suzhou. Scenario 1 is under the business-as-usual C&D waste management practice in China; scenario 2 is based on the open-ended 3R strategy, which focuses on the downstream impact of waste; and scenario 3 considers both the upstream and downstream impact of waste. The results reveal that the composition of the waste generated from building refurbishment projects is different from construction and demolition projects. In the life cycle of C&D waste management of building refurbishment projects, the refurbishment material stage generates the highest carbon emissions compared to the dismantlement, refurbishment construction, and refurbishment material end of life stages. Scenario 1 produces higher carbon emissions than scenario 2, but the difference is not significant in the whole life cycle of the building refurbishment project, whereas carbon emissions for scenario 3 are significantly less than both scenario 1 and scenario 2. The study finds the reason for this difference is that scenario 1 and scenario 2 are based on a linear economy that relies on unsustainable demand for raw materials, whereas scenario 3 is based on a circular economy that uses upcycled materials to substitute for raw materials and considers waste management from a cradle to cradle perspective. This study fills a research gap by evaluating carbon emissions of different waste management strategies for building refurbishment projects, which are expected to be an increasing portion of overall construction activity in China for the foreseeable future.

     

Embryo/larval toxicity and transcriptional effects in zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to endocrine active riverbed sediments

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sediment toxicity plays a fundamental role in the health of inland fish communities; however, the assessment of the hazard potential of contaminated...     

Validation and global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method for fenamidone analysis in grapes and wines

Fenamidone is an imidazolinone fungicide recently introduced in viticulture practices. This work reports the validation and assessment of global uncertainty of a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometry method to analyze fenamidone in grapes and wines. This method consists in a simple and fast liquid-liquid extraction step followed by chromatographic determination. Limits of detection for fenamidone in grapes and wines were, respectively, 0.05 mg/kg and 0.06 mg/L, precision was below 9.4% and average recovery was 89 ± 5%. In the concentration range from 0.05 to 1.00 mg/kg (or mg/L) of fenamidone, global uncertainty calculated following the EURACHEM/CITAC rules, and also by the Horwitz function, was below 25%. The EURACHEM/CITAC global uncertainty budget used gave lower estimates than those obtained from the Horwitz function.     

A European supergrid for renewable energy: local impacts and far-reaching challenges

This article assesses the impact of extensive deployment of indigenous and external renewable energy sources on a local electricity system (Sardinia Island) and discusses the main challenges faced by the European power grids in integrating high shares of renewable-based generation technologies. It presents the 2030 scenarios for the Sardinian power system and the results of steady-state analyses in extreme (renewable) generation and consumption conditions. These results are eventually combined with the assessment of key technology development trends to explain how this can affect the development of a European supergrid. In general, the article stresses that rendering the bulk-power system capable of accommodating high renewable energy penetration not only requires reinforcing the electricity highways but also demands carefully planning the architecture of and the interface with regional power systems.     

Mapping species distributions in one dimension by non-homogeneous hidden Markov models: the case of freshwater pearl mussels in the River Dee

The investigation of species distributions in rivers involves data which are inherently sequential and unlikely to be fully independent. To take these characteristics into account, we develop a Bayesian hierarchical model for mapping the distribution of freshwater pearl mussels in the River Dee (Scotland). At the top of the hierarchy the likelihood is used to describe the sequence of sites in which mussels were observed or not. Given that false observations can occur, and that “not observed” means both that the species was not present and that it was not observed, a Markov prior is introduced at the second level of the hierarchy to represent the sequence of sites in which mussels are estimated to occur. The Markov prior allows modelling the spatial dependency between neighbouring sites. A third level in the hierarchy is given by the representation of the transition probabilities of the Markov chain in terms of site-specific explanatory variables, through a logistic regression. The selection of the explanatory variables which influence the Markov process is performed by means of a simulation-based procedure, in the complex case of association between covariates. Four features were found to be associated with reduced chance of finding a local mussel population: tributaries, bridges, dredging, and waste water treatment works. These results complement the results of a previous study, providing new evidence for the causes of the deterioration of a highly threatened species.     

L'Aquila's reconstruction challenges: has Italy learned from its previous earthquake disasters?

Italy is an earthquake‐prone country and its disaster emergency response experiences over the past few decades have varied greatly, with some being much more successful than others. Overall, however, its reconstruction efforts have been criticised for being ad hoc, delayed, ineffective, and untargeted. In addition, while the emergency relief response to the L'Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009—the primary case study in this evaluation—seems to have been successful, the reconstruction initiative got off to a very problematic start. To explore the root causes of this phenomenon, the paper argues that, owing to the way in which Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has politicised the process, the L'Aquila reconstruction endeavour is likely to suffer problems with local ownership, national/regional/municipal coordination, and corruption. It concludes with a set of recommendations aimed at addressing the pitfalls that may confront the L'Aquila reconstruction process over the next few years.     

Multi-model approach and evaluation of the uncertainty of model results. Rationale and applications to predict the behaviour of contaminants in the abiotic components of the fresh water environment

This work aims at discussing some concepts pertaining to the theory and practice of environmental modelling in view of the results of several model validation exercises performed by the group “Model validation for radionuclide transport in the system watershed-river and in estuaries” of project EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) supported by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). The analyses here performed concern models applied to real scenarios of environmental contamination. In particular, the reasons for the uncertainty of the models and the EBUA (empirically based uncertainty analysis) methodology are discussed. The foundations of multi-model approach in environmental modelling are presented and motivated. An application of EBUA to the results of a multi-model exercise concerning three models aimed at predicting the wash-off of radionuclide deposits from the Pripyat floodplain (Ukraine) was described. Multi-model approach is, definitely, a tool for uncertainty analysis. EBUA offers the opportunity of an evaluation of the uncertainty levels of predictions in multi-model applications.