Use of multicriteria decision aid methods in the context of sustainable innovations: bibliometrics,applications and trends

Environment Systems and Decisions - Sustainable innovation has gained prominence in recent years, due to the demands imposed by global competition, social pressures and the needs of consumers and...     

Kinetics assessment and modeling of biogas production by anaerobic digestion of food wastes and acclimated sewage sludge

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this work, food wastes (FWs) and domestic sewage sludge (DSS) were used as raw materials for energy recovery by anaerobic digestion (AD). AD was...     

Comprehensive study on dioxin contents in binder and anti-caking agent feed additives

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were determined in some additives widely employed as binder and anti-caking agents in feedstuffs, such as kaolin, bentonite, zeolite, etc. with an special attention on sepiolite samples. Owing to their physico-chemical properties, the little information of these materials reported in the literature, the variability of PCDDs/PCDFs found in a preliminary evaluation and the absence of reference materials highlighted further research needed. Therefore, an extensive study on the analytical procedures based on the classical methods was performed with sepiolite samples. The study includes evaluation of reproducibility and repeatibility. To this end, a series of intra-day and nine inter-day analysis were made. The methodolgy was also assessed against the sample size and series of 12.5, 25, 37.5 and 50 g were analyzed. In all cases, the results confirmed good correlation with the parameters evaluated.     

黄河上游段吸收性气溶胶指数（AAI）时空演化特征及潜在源区分析

为揭示黄河流域上游段吸收性气溶胶指数(Absorbing Aerosol Index,AAI)的时空演化特征、主要影响因子及污染严重的包头市污染物潜在来源.本文利用OMI OMAERUV L2气溶胶数据集,研究了2005—2020年黄河流域上游段的AAI时空分布,利用熵权TOPSIS法分析主要影响因子,同时借助后向轨迹模型(HYSPLIT)对污染严重城市的污染物进行聚类分析,追踪其潜在来源.结果显示：(1)从时间上看,2005—2009年黄河流域上游段AAI呈下降趋势,2009年AAI降到最小值;2009—2016年AAI波动上升,2016年达到最大值,随后由于国家颁布了一系列保护环境的政策使AAI下降.从空间上看,AAI在黄河上游流域的北部即内蒙古的包头、鄂尔多斯偏高,而在流域的南部大概在四川省内较低.(2)小波分析发现,季节变化方面,黄河上游AAI正负位相交替出现,月均值季节变化明显,且呈现冬>春>秋>夏的特征.夏季雨水的冲刷和扩散条件使得AAI全境低值;冬季污染物排放增加,局部为高压控制区,污染物难以扩散,AAI大范围出现高值.(3)熵权TOPSIS法表明,黄河...     

Seabird mortality induced by land‐based artificial lights

Artificial lights at night cause high mortality of seabirds, one of the most endangered groups of birds globally. Fledglings of burrow‐nesting seabirds, and to a lesser extent adults, are attracted to and then grounded (i.e., forced to land) by lights when they fly at night. We reviewed the current state of knowledge of seabird attraction to light to identify information gaps and propose measures to address the problem. Although species in families such as Alcidae and Anatidae can be grounded by artificial light, the most affected seabirds are petrels and shearwaters (Procellariiformes). At least 56 species of Procellariiformes, more than one‐third of them (24) threatened, are subject to grounding by lights. Seabirds grounded by lights have been found worldwide, mainly on oceanic islands but also at some continental locations. Petrel breeding grounds confined to formerly uninhabited islands are particularly at risk from light pollution due to tourism and urban sprawl. Where it is impractical to ban external lights, rescue programs of grounded birds offer the most immediate and employed mitigation to reduce the rate of light‐induced mortality and save thousands of birds every year. These programs also provide useful information for seabird management. However, these data are typically fragmentary, biased, and uncertain and can lead to inaccurate impact estimates and poor understanding of the phenomenon of seabird attraction to lights. We believe the most urgently needed actions to mitigate and understand light‐induced mortality of seabirds are estimation of mortality and effects on populations; determination of threshold light levels and safe distances from light sources; documentation of the fate of rescued birds; improvement of rescue campaigns, particularly in terms of increasing recovery rates and level of care; and research on seabird‐friendly lights to reduce attraction.     

Migration of inorganic ions from the leachate of the Rio das Ostras landfill: A comparison of three different configurations of protective barriers

Batch tests and diffusion tests were performed to analyze the efficiency of a protective barrier in a landfill consisting of compacted soil with 10% bentonite compared to the results obtained for only compacted soil and for compacted soil covered with a 1-mm-thick HDPE geomembrane; the soil and leachate were collected from the Rio das Ostras Landfill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The diffusion tests were performed for periods of 3, 10 and 60 days. After the test period, the soil pore water was analyzed and the profiles for chloride, potassium and ammonium were determined along a 6-cm soil depth. The results of the batch tests performed to define sorption parameters were used to adjust the profiles obtained in the diffusion cell experiment by applying an ion transfer model between the interstitial solution and the soil particles. The MPHMTP model (Multi Phase Heat and Mass Transfer Program), which is based upon the solution of the transport equations of the ionic contaminants, was used to solve the inverse problem of simultaneously determining the effective diffusion coefficients. The results of the experimental tests and of the model simulation confirmed that the compacted soil with 10% bentonite was moderately efficient in the retention of chloride, potassium and ammonium ions compared to the configurations of compacted soil with a geomembrane and compacted soil alone, representing a solution that is technically feasible and requires potentially lower costs for implementation in landfills.     

Occurrence and analysis of selected pharmaceutical compounds in soil from Spanish agricultural fields

This work describes the analysis of 15 pharmaceutical compounds, belonging to different therapeutic classes (anti-inflammatory/analgesics, lipid regulators, antiepileptics, β-blockers and antidepressants) and with diverse physical–chemical properties, in Spanish soils with different farmland uses. The studied compounds were extracted from soil by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and determined, after derivatization, by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC–MS). The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.14 ng g^?1 (naproxen) to 0.65 ng g^?1 (amitriptyline). At least two compounds where detected in all samples, being ibuprofen, salicylic acid, and paracetamol, the most frequently detected compounds. The highest levels found in soil were 47 ng g^?1 for allopurinol and 37 ng g^?1 for salicylic acid. The influence of the type of crop and the sampling area on the levels of pharmaceuticals in soil, as well as their relationship with soil physical–chemical properties, was studied. The frequent and widespread detection of some of these compounds in agricultural soils show a diffuse contamination, although the low levels found do not pose a risk to the environment or the human health.     

Winter quiescence and spring awakening of the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica at its northernmost distribution limit

To test the hypothesis that oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from the northernmost part of the species range in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (48°N) open their valves at lower temperatures than those reported for more southern oysters, Hall element sensors were used to monitor their gaping behaviour. These observations were made in a flow-through system and the temperature, salinity and relative fluorescence of unfiltered seawater were monitored. Photoperiod was controlled (15?h dark:9?h light) and light levels were measured but not closely controlled. Gaping behaviour was followed from February to June 2010 (113?days) and from April to May 2011 (34?days) and was classified into three successive phases: quiescent, awakening and active. Although valves were either closed or slightly open during the quiescent phase (maximum gape angle?=?0.49°, SE?=?0.04), they abruptly opened to maximum angles of about 5.88° (SE?=?0.29) during the awakening phase. Moreover, there was noticeable synchrony amongst individuals, since approximately one-half of the monitored population awoke within a 6.6-h period in both study years. Correlative analyses identified temperature as a factor influencing valve movement, and oysters awakened when temperatures were 0.2–4.0?°C (mean?=?2.2, SE?=?0.2). Oysters exerted their maximal gape angle as soon as temperatures reached 2.8–6.6?°C (mean?=?4.8, SE?=?0.2). During the active phase, valves remained open 68.6?% (2010) and 79.7?% (2011) of the time. An unexpected result was the observation of a diurnal rhythm in valve openness whereby the openness was greatest near the end of the afternoon and least in the early morning.