Energy and resource basis of an Italian coastal resort region integrated using emergy synthesis

Sustainable development of coastal zones must balance economic development that encourages human visitation from a larger population with desires that differ from the local residents with the need to maintain opportunities for the local resident society and conserve ecological capital, which may serve as the basis for residents.We present a case study in which the sustainability level of a coastal zone (Riviera del Beigua), located along the Ligurian coast of north-western Italy, was assessed through the lens of systems ecology using emergy synthesis to integrate across economic, social and environmental sub-systems.Our purposes were (1) to quantify the environmental sustainability level of this coastal zone, (2) to evaluate the role of tourism in affecting the economy, society and environment, and (3) to compare emergy synthesis to Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle model (TALC). Results showed that 81% of the total emergy consumption in the coastal zone was derived from external sources, indicating that this tourist-heavy community was not sustainable. Tourism, as the dominant economic sub-system, consumed 42% of the total emergy budget, while local residents used the remaining 58%. The progressive stages of the TALC model were found to parallel the dynamic changes in the ratio of external emergy inputs to local emergy inputs, suggesting that emergy synthesis could be a useful tool for detecting a tourist region's TALC stage. Use of such a quantitative tool could expedite sustainability assessment to allow administrative managers to understand the complex relationship between a region's economy, environment and resident society so sound policies can be developed to improve overall sustainability.     

Factors influencing the food transition in riverine communities in the Brazilian Amazon

The objective of this study was to determine the main patterns and factors influencing food transition in riverine people in the Brazilian Amazon. Through interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire, we inferred their food habits and provide information about general demographic, socioeconomic, resource use and environmental context. Data from the questionnaires were categorized and analyzed using a logistic regression model to assess the relative influence of socioeconomic and environment factors on the local diet. Based on a logistic regression data analysis, it was found a greater consumption of processed food significantly associated with multiple factors such as market participation, sex (female and male), government aid to forest conservation and environment context (upland and wetland). Although the local diet is composed mainly of local resources such as fish and cassava flour, increasing incomes due to direct government subsidy programs and marketing of cassava flour have influenced these local practices and habits. Through the analysis of factors influencing food transition, it was possible to evaluate those having the greatest effect on this Amazon region and propose an alternative method to subsidy food policy grounded in local opinion surveys.     

Strategies for the enhancement of automobile shredder residues (ASRs) recycling: Results and cost assessment

With reference to the European regulation about the management of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs), Directive 2000/53/EC imposes the achievement of a recycling target of 85%, and 95% of total recovery by 2015. Over the last few years many efforts have been made to find solutions to properly manage the waste coming from ELVs with the aim of complying with the targets fixed by the Directive.This paper focuses on the economical evaluation of a treatment process, that includes physical (size and density), magnetic and electrical separations, performed on the light fraction of the automobile shredder residue (ASR) with the aim of reducing the amount of waste to dispose of in a landfill and enhancing the recovery of valuable fractions as stated by the EU Directive. The afore mentioned process is able to enhance the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals of an amount equal to about 1% b.w. (by weight) of the ELV weight, and to separate a high energetic-content product suitable for thermal valorization for an amount close to (but not higher than) 10% b.w. of the ELV weight.The results of the economical assessment led to annual operating costs of the treatment ranging from 300,000 €/y to 350,000 €/y. Since the considered plant treats about 13,500 metric tons of ASR per year, this would correspond to an operating cost of approximately 20–25 €/t. Taking into account the amount and the selling price of the scrap iron and of the non magnetic metal recovered by the process, thus leading to a gain of about 30 €/t per ton of light ASR treated, the cost of the recovery process is balanced by the profit from the selling of the recovered metals. On the other hand, the proposed treatment is able to achieve the fulfillment of the targets stated by Directive 2000/53/EC concerning thermal valorization and reduce the amount of waste generated from ELV shredding to landfill.     

Properties of Glauconite/Polyaniline Composite Prepared in Aqueous Solution of Citric Acid

Hybrid composite made of glauconite and polyaniline was prepared in aqueous solution of citric acid. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray analysis shows uniform aggregates made of glauconite microparticles and polyaniline matrix. The results of X-ray powder diffraction suggest that: (1) citric acid used for the polymerisation of aniline causes formation of emeraldine salt where macromolecular ordering in the amorphous polymer takes place; (2) no chemical interaction between glauconite and emeraldine takes place in the prepared composite. FT-IR spectra of the prepared polymer and composite show features indicating all the functional groups that are present in the diiminoquinone–diaminobenzene state of polyaniline. Thermal stability of the composite was higher than the prepared polymer suggesting the occurrence of an interphase interaction between glauconite and emeraldine. After pyrolysis in purified nitrogen the composite still remained glauconite, and ε-Fe3N together with amorphous and graphitic carbon were found as reaction products. The values of electrical conductivity and magnetization of the composite suggest that optimization of these values might be achieved based upon the relationship between glauconite and polyaniline.     

Fungal biodegradation of naphthalene: microcosms studies

The present work is aimed to ascertain naphthalene biodegradation capability of P. chrysosporium and T. harzianum in soil microcosms. Considering the high naphthalene volatility, a suitable soil microcosm was set-up and used. Several degradation tests were conducted with different C/N ratio media for the two fungi in order to enquire the best range of working conditions. The kinetic studies were conducted at a maximal naphthalene concentration of 600 mg kg(-1). During experimental time course naphthalene concentration, CO2 evolution as well as phytotoxicity tests were performed as monitoring parameters. The results shown in the current paper, put in evidence that T. harzianum, differently than in liquid culture, is not able to biodegrade naphthalene directly in soil microcosm, while P. chrysosporium in the same conditions biodegrades the PAH till about 600 mg kg(-1). As concern the founded kinetics for P. chrysosporium, a saturation shape in presence of N-limited medium (high C/N ratio) was evaluated while a growing form more than linear in no-N limited medium (normal C/N ratio) was determined.     

Learning in participatory environmental governance – its antecedents and effects. Findings from a case survey meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Theory on participatory and collaborative governance maintains that learning is essential to achieve good environmental outcomes. Empirical research has mostly produced individual case studies, and reliable evidence on both antecedents and environmental outcomes of learning remains sparse. Given conceptual ambiguities in the literature, we define governance-related learning in a threefold way: learning as deliberation; as knowledge- and capacity-building; and as informing environmental outputs. We develop nine propositions that explain learning through factors characterizing governance process and context, and three propositions explaining environmental outcomes of learning. We test these propositions drawing on the ‘SCAPE’ database of 307 published case studies of environmental decision-making, using multiple regression models. Results show that learning in all three modes is explained to some extent by a combination of process- and context-related factors. Most factors matter for learning, but with stark differences across the three modes of learning, thus demonstrating the relevance of this differentiated approach. Learning modes build on one another: Deliberation is seen to explain both capacity building and informed outputs, while informed outputs are also explained by capacity building. Contrary to our expectations, none of the learning variables was found to significantly affect environmental outcomes when considered alongside the process- and context-related variables.     

Monitoring concentrations of persistent organic pollutants in the general population: the international experience

Assessing the adverse effects on human health of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the impact of policies aiming to reduce human exposure to POPs warrants monitoring body concentrations of POPs in representative samples of subjects. While numerous ad hoc studies are being conducted to understand POPs effects, only a few countries are conducting nationwide surveillance programs of human concentrations of POPs, and even less countries do so in representative samples of the general population. We tried to identify all studies worldwide that analyzed the distribution of concentrations of POPs in a representative sample of the general population, and we synthesized the studies' main characteristics, as design, population, and chemicals analyzed. The most comprehensive studies are the National Reports on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (USA), the German Environmental Survey, and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. Population-wide studies exist as well in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Flanders (Belgium) and the Canary Islands (Spain). Most such studies are linked with health surveys, which is a highly-relevant additional strength. Only the German and Flemish studies analyzed POPs by educational level, while studies in the USA offer results by ethnic group. The full distribution of POPs concentrations is unknown in many countries. Knowledge gaps include also the interplay of age, gender, period and cohort effects on the prevalence of exposures observed by cross-sectional surveys. Local and global efforts to minimize POPs contamination, like the Stockholm convention, warrant nationwide monitoring of concentrations of POPs in representative samples of the general population. Results of this review show how such studies may be developed and used.     

Stress biomarkers and alkali-labile phosphate level in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected in the urban area of Venice (Venice Lagoon, Italy)

In this study, a spatial and temporal survey at three sites located in the "canals" of the Venice historic centre (Italy) and at a reference site was undertaken to evaluate stress effects on mussels sampled in the Venice urban area, where raw sewage is discharged without treatment directly into the water. A battery of biomarkers (metallothionein, micronuclei, condition index and survival in air) was used to evaluate the stress condition of the animals. At the same time the alkali-labile phosphate assay (ALP) was performed in mussel' hemolymph with the aim to find an estrogenic effect biomarker in this mussel species. Biomarker results showed an impairment of the general health condition in the mussels coming from the urban area, in agreement with the chemical analysis. Significantly higher level of the ALP was found in male mussels sampled in April in the urban area, in comparison with the ones from the reference site (P<0.001). Finally, the PCA proved an easy and useful tool to summarize the obtained results, also able to classify the data to indicate a pollution gradient in the Venice urban area.     

Bioluminescent yeast assays for detecting estrogenic and androgenic activity in different matrices

In this paper we describe the construction and use of a set of bioluminescent yeast strains for the detection of compounds that can affect androgen or estrogen receptor mediated hormonal signalling. The set includes Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing human androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) or estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta), along with firefly luciferase controlled by a respective hormone responsive promoter. A constitutively luminescent strain was included in the set for determining the cytotoxicity of the sample. Yeast cells were incubated with pure chemicals or complex samples for 2.5 h, after which the signal could be detected from the cell-sample mixture after simply adding the D-luciferin substrate. The assays could be completed in one day and they required no cell lysis or centrifugation steps, which makes them suitable for high-throughput analysis of samples. Due to a short incubation time the assays are directly applicable to different sample matrices, requiring no pretreatment of the samples. The assays were used to assess the hormonal activity in moisturizing lotions as an example of a complex sample matrix known to contain endocrine disrupting chemicals. Six out of eight tested moisturisers showed high estrogenic activity, whereas no androgenic activity was observed in the samples.     

Recording the occurrence of trophic level changes in the lagoon of Venice over the '90s

Four areas of the Venice lagoon, placed near the Malamocco mouth (Alberoni, st. A), in the Lido watershed (Sacca Sessola, st. B) and near the mainland under the influence of freshwater and urban (San Giuliano, st. C) or industrial (Fusina, st. D) effluents were monitored in two periods: 1989-92 and 1998-99 in order to quantify some environmental changes (macroalgal and phytoplankton biomass, nutrient concentrations, physico-chemical variables) occurred in both the water column and the surface sediment over the '90s. Stations B and C, two areas particularly affected by macroalgae exhibited a biomass of ca. 20 and 8 kg WW m(-2), respectively, during 1989-90. In 1998-99 maximum densities decreased to ca. 0.3 and 0.01 kg WW m(-2). During that period, phytoplankton also decreased significantly both in peaks (Chl a: from 58-86 to 4.0-3.5 microg dm(-3)) and mean values (Chl a: from 9.1-10.3 to 1.3-1.4 microg dm(-3)), especially at sts. C and D. As far as nutrient concentrations are concerned, a different trend was observed in the water column and in the surface sediment, mainly because of the reduction of the primary producers and the disappearance of anoxic crises. In 1998-99 reactive phosphorus (RP) in the water column was up to ca. 3 times as high as in 1989-92. Conversely, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) was not significantly changed. In 1998-99 the 5 cm sediment top layer at sts. B, C, displayed a significant total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) decrease (TN annual mean: from 1.29 and 2.79 mg DW g(-1) to 0.69 and 1.47 mg DW g(-1), respectively; TP: from 401 and 626 microg DW g(-1) to 360 and 455 microg DW g(-1)). A different result was found at st. A which in 1998-99 was colonised by the seagrass Zostera marina L. That station showed a TN sediment increase from 0.25 to 0.67 mg DW g(-1) and a TP decrease from 455 to 350 microg DW g(-1). Station D, which did not show any macrophyte biomass coverage either in 1992-93 or in 1998-99, exhibited negligible differences. Besides the monitoring of biomasses and nutrients, significant changes related to oxygen concentration, water transparency, pH and E(h) and sediment rates were also recorded.