Demystifying the challenges and barriers to manage,develop, and transfer clean and green technologies in Brazilian academic research groups: Some empirical evidence

This work presents empirical evidence of the main challenges in managing/leading academic research groups on clean and green technologies in Brazilian universities. We also present evidence about the main barriers to the effective creation of innovation and technology transfer of these clean and green technologies. Empirical evidence come from PhD researchers/academics who lead/manage official research groups on clean (environmental, green) technologies. Results show the following: (a) The main challenges of managing research groups are the lack of an innovative culture, the lack of partnership with an industrial sector, and the necessity of keeping laboratories updated; (b) the main barriers to innovation and technology transfer are difficulties in not having enough researchers and staff members, assessments of academic performance that do not consider innovation, and an uncertain national legislation on clean technology. Based on these and others’ findings, we suggest that policymakers working on clean and green technologies pay attention to act and develop initiatives focusing on the following: providing direct financial support for laboratory improvement, linking academics and practitioners from the industrial sector, and providing training and development programs on clean and green technologies’ legislation and financial issues, such as the payoff of clean and green technologies and opportunities from green investors.     

Removal of Cr(VI) from water by in natura and magnetic nanomodified hydroponic lettuce roots

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Biosorption is a viable and environmentally friendly process to remove pollutants and species of commercial interest. Biological materials are...     

Chemical composition determines the bioenergy potential of food waste from pre- and post-production

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The chemical characterization of the food waste allowed to discriminate between the pre-preparation and post-preparation residues from a...     

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.     

Bioaccumulation Dynamic by Crassostrea gigas Oysters of Viruses That Are Proposed as Surrogates for Enteric Virus Contamination in Environmental Samples

Food and Environmental Virology - Oysters are filter-feeders and retain sewage-derived pathogens in their organs or tissues. Since most enteric viruses involved in outbreaks cannot grow in cell...     

Microscale Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) for interstitial water of estuarine sediments affected by multiple sources of pollution

Estuaries in the world are affected by different contamination sources related to urbanisation and port/industrial activities. Identifying the substances responsible for the environmental toxicity in estuaries is challenging due to the multitude of stressors, both natural and anthropogenic. The Toxicity Identification and Evaluation (TIE) is a suitable way of determining causes of toxicity of sediments, but it poses difficulties since its application is labour intensive and time consuming. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnosis provided by a TIE based on microscale embryotoxicity tests with interstitial water (IW) to identify toxicants in estuarine sediments affected by multiple stressors. TIE showed toxicity due to different combinations of metals, apolar organic compounds, ammonia and sulphides, depending on the contamination source closest to the sampling station. The microscale TIE was able to discern different toxicants on sites subject to different contamination sources. There is good agreement between the results indicated in the TIE and the chemical analyses in whole sediment, although there are some disagreements, either due to the sensitivity of the test used, or due to the particularities of the use of interstitial water to assess the sediment toxicity. The improvement of TIE methods focused on identifying toxicants in multiple-stressed estuarine areas are crucial to discern contamination sources and subsidise management strategies.

     

Affordable CO2 negative emission through hydrogen from biomass,ocean liming,and CO2 storage

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - A new process to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, by combining commercial industrial technologies with ocean liming and CO2...     

Assessment of plastic lumber production in Brazil as a substitute for natural wood

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This review aimed to analyze plastic lumber manufacturing in Brazil, a country with a large amount of natural wood, and devise strategies to boost...     

Compensating for the costs of polygyny in hen harriers Circus cyaneus

In polygynous species, the adults are faced with a dilemma during chick rearing. Males must decide how to distribute food between their females and food allocation patterns are often highly unequal. In turn, the females that receive less food from males have to decide how much time to invest in additional hunting. If they spend more time hunting, then they leave their young exposed to weather and predators. However, if they stay at the nest, they increase the risk of their chicks starving. One way that birds may compensate for reduced provisioning is by increasing the size of prey caught. We tested this hypothesis by comparing prey deliveries to nests of hen harriers, Circus cyaneus, with females of different breeding status. As expected, male harriers delivered less food items to the nests of polygynous females, and especially their secondary, or β females. However, both sexes were able to compensate by delivering larger items and there was no difference in the overall mass of food delivered to nests. Moreover, females spent a similar amount of time at the nest, irrespective of status, and there were no overall differences in breeding success. Our results show that polygynous female harriers can compensate for the costs of polygyny, but we suggest that their ability to do so will vary according to the abundance of both large prey and predators.