Food justice youth development: using Photovoice to study urban school food systems*

How do youth learn through participation in efforts to study and change the school food system? Through our participatory youth action research (YPAR) project, we move beyond the “youth as consumer” frame to a food justice youth development (FJYD) approach. We track how a group of youth learned about food and the public policy process through their efforts to transform their own school food systems by conducting a participatory evaluation of farm-to-school efforts in collaboration with university and community partners. We used the Photovoice research method, placing cameras in the hands of young people so that they themselves could document and discuss their concerns and perspectives. The research was designed to gain insight about youths’ knowledge of food, health, and community food systems. Drawing upon the youth group’s insights, we build a framework for building critical consciousness through FJYD.     

Co-pyrolysis of swine manure with agricultural plastic waste: Laboratory-scale study

Manure-derived biochar is the solid product resulting from pyrolysis of animal manures. It has considerable potential both to improve soil quality with high levels of nutrients and to reduce contaminants in water and soil. However, the combustible gas produced from manure pyrolysis generally does not provide enough energy to sustain the pyrolysis process. Supplementing this process may be achieved with spent agricultural plastic films; these feedstocks have large amounts of available energy. Plastic films are often used in soil fumigation. They are usually disposed in landfills, which is wasteful, expensive, and environmentally unsustainable. The objective of this work was to investigate both the energetics of co-pyrolyzing swine solids with spent plastic mulch films (SPM) and the characteristics of its gas, liquid, and solid byproducts. The heating value of the product gas from co-pyrolysis was found to be much higher than that of natural gas; furthermore, the gas had no detectable toxic fumigants. Energetically, sustaining pyrolysis of the swine solids through the energy of the product gas could be achieved by co-pyrolyzing dewatered swine solids (25% m/m) with just 10% SPM. If more than 10% SPM is used, the co-pyrolysis would generate surplus energy which could be used for power generation. Biochars produced from co-pyrolyzing SPM and swine solid were similar to swine solid alone based on the surface area and the ¹H NMR spectra. The results of this study demonstrated the potential of using pyrolysis technology to manage two prominent agricultural waste streams (SPM and swine solids) while producing value-added biochar and a power source that could be used for local farm operations.     

Population viability and harvest sustainability for Madagascar lemurs

Subsistence hunting presents a conservation challenge by which biodiversity preservation must be balanced with safeguarding of human livelihoods. Globally, subsistence hunting threatens primate populations, including Madagascar's endemic lemurs. We used population viability analysis to assess the sustainability of lemur hunting in Makira Natural Park, Madagascar. We identified trends in seasonal hunting of 11 Makira lemur species from household interview data, estimated local lemur densities in populations adjacent to focal villages via transect surveys, and quantified extinction vulnerability for these populations based on species-specific demographic parameters and empirically derived hunting rates. We compared stage-based Lefkovitch with periodic Leslie matrices to evaluate the impact of regional dispersal on persistence trajectories and explored the consequences of perturbations to the timing of peak hunting relative to the lemur birth pulse, under assumptions of density-dependent reproductive compensation. Lemur hunting peaked during the fruit-abundant wet season (March–June). Estimated local lemur densities were roughly inverse to body size across our study area. Life-history modeling indicated that hunting most severely threatened the species with the largest bodies (i.e., Hapalemur occidentalis, Avahi laniger, Daubentonia madagascariensis, and Indri indi), characterized by late-age reproductive onsets and long interbirth intervals. In model simulations, lemur dispersal within a regional metapopulation buffered extinction threats when a majority of local sites supported growth rates above the replacement level but drove regional extirpations when most local sites were overharvested. Hunt simulations were most detrimental when timed to overlap lemur births (a reality for D. madagascariensis and I. indri). In sum, Makira lemurs were overharvested. Regional extirpations, which may contribute to broad-scale extinctions, will be likely if current hunting rates persist. Cessation of anthropogenic lemur harvest is a conservation priority, and development programs are needed to help communities switch from wildlife consumption to domestic protein alternatives.     

Pyrolysis of waste animal fats in a fixed-bed reactor: Production and characterization of bio-oil and bio-char

Several animal (lamb, poultry and swine) fatty wastes were pyrolyzed under nitrogen, in a laboratory scale fixed-bed reactor and the main products (liquid bio-oil, solid bio-char and syngas) were obtained. The purpose of this study is to produce and characterize bio-oil and bio-char obtained from pyrolysis of animal fatty wastes. The maximum production of bio-oil was achieved at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C and a heating rate of 5 °C/min. The chemical (GC–MS analyses) and spectroscopic analyses (FTIR analyses) of bio-oil showed that it is a complex mixture consisting of different classes of organic compounds, i.e., hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes, cyclic compounds…etc.), carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, esters,…etc. According to fuel properties, produced bio-oils showed good properties, suitable for its use as an engine fuel or as a potential source for synthetic fuels and chemical feedstock. Obtained bio-chars had low carbon content and high ash content which make them unattractive for as renewable source energy.     

Comparative analysis of anaerobically digested wastes flow properties

The flow curve of anaerobically digested wastes from different origins was determined through rheological measurements. Regardless of their origin, samples can be divided into two families: simple non-Newtonian liquids well modelled by basic power law below 10%DC and viscoelastic liquids with a yield stress, well modelled by a Herschel–Bulkley model above. In all the cases, the rheological behaviour is driven by both the organic content and the volatile fraction (organic content/solid content), indicating that anaerobic digestion tends to smooth the rheological characteristics of organic wastes, whichever their origins.     

Inorganic elemental concentrations in birch bolete mushroom (Leccinum scabrum) and top soil: contamination profiles,bioconcentation and annual variations

Abstract

Analysis of inorganic and organic contaminants in foodstuffs aids in understanding the human exposure to these compounds via consumption. In this study, an edible mushroom species (Leccinum scabrum) and top soil samples were analysed for essential and toxic substances including phosphorus and inorganic elements over a period of three fruiting seasons. Analysis of silver (Ag), aluminium (Al), barium (Ba), calcium (Ca), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), sodium (Na), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr) and zinc (Zn) in mushrooms and topsoil were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) with ultrasonic cross flow nebulizer. Total mercury was determined by cold-vapour atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AAS). The results exhibited wide variation in concentrations of metals between soil and mushroom (cap and stipes) during three fruiting seasons. Positive bioconcentration factors (BFCs) indicate on bioaccumulation of several metals including, Cd, Cu, Hg, K, Mg, Na, P, Rb and Zn in caps and stipes of fruitbodies of this mushroom, while other metals such as Al, Ba, Ca, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Sr were not exhibiting significant positive BFCs. Over a period studied, the caps were characterised by different (p?<?0.05) concentrations of Al, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb and Sr. Contamination profiles, temporal fluctuations, BCFs should be taken into consideration when assessing the nutritional value of this mushroom.     

我国工业危险废物的来源、处理及监管对策与建议

通过大量环境统计数据的分析,对我国工业危险废物的产生、综合利用、处置和贮存,从行业来源、区域分布进行了分析和总结。结合我国工业危险废物企业自建设施和政府集中处理设施处理情况,对我国工业危险废物的处理和环保监管对策提出了若干建议。     

蚯蚓-微生物协同作用过程中的微生物特性

在环境污染治理领域,被誉为"生态型工程师"的蚯蚓在污水/污泥资源化处理与处置,以及土壤的生态修复中备受关注。蚯蚓通过掘洞、摄食、分泌黏液和排泄蚓粪等方式调控系统中微生物的数量、活性及群落结构,与微生物协同互作强化了生物系统中物质转化与能量流动关系。蚯蚓-微生物协同共生的相互依存关系是此类技术展现低耗高效和生态友好特点的关键。通过综述经人工强化的蚯蚓-微生物互作生态系统中,蚯蚓对微生物的量、活性、群落结构以及食物网的影响,探讨了该生态系统中物质转化和能量流动的特点,并展望了蚯蚓-微生物互作技术研究及应用的发展方向。     

利用餐厨垃圾湿热处理脱出液制备液态菌肥研究

以餐厨垃圾湿热处理脱出液为发酵培养基,选用圆褐固氮菌(Azotobacter chroococcum)作为实验菌种制作固氮液态菌肥。测定了圆褐固氮菌的主要生理特性,将其接种于餐厨湿热处理脱出液中进行培养,确定最佳发酵时间,并分别测定发酵的最佳初始p H值、接种量、培养温度、摇床转速、装液量、脱出液与水的混合比例。结果表明:圆褐固氮菌在餐厨湿热处理脱出液中最佳发酵时间为36 h,发酵最佳初始p H值、接种量、培养温度、摇床转速、装液量、脱出液与水的混合比例依次为7.5、1%、30℃、150 r/min、50 m L(250 m L锥形瓶)、1∶1。圆褐固氮菌在餐厨垃圾湿热处理脱出液中进行培养后,可达到液态菌肥的活菌数标准。     

餐厨垃圾厌氧消化运行试验研究

采用猪粪厌氧消化的消化污泥为接种物,在中温(37℃)条件下,以连续进料的方式对餐厨垃圾的湿式厌氧消化进行了启动以及运行试验,监测整个实验过程中产气量、pH、VFA、碱度等能够反映厌氧消化的系统指标。结果表明:本实验中系统最佳有机负荷为2.8 kg/(m~3·d)(以VS计),超过此负荷后,依靠系统自身恢复和人工调节,pH很难恢复正常运行状态。正常运行过程中,pH稳定在7.5~8.0,VFA稳定在2 000 mg/L左右,碱度在6 000~9 000 mg/L,氨氮在1 500~2 000 mg/L,底物含水率为96%~98%。系统超负荷运行后,产气量和pH下降,VFA浓度上升,碱度、氨氮、含水率基本保持稳定。