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Urban environments provide opportunities for greater resource efficiency and the fostering of urban ecosystems. Brownfield areas are a typical example of underused land resources. Brownfield redevelopment projects that include green infrastructure allow for further ecosystems to be accommodated in urban environments. Green infrastructure also deliver important urban ecosystem services (UES) to local residents, which can greatly contribute to improving quality of life in cities. In this case study, we quantify and assess the economic value of five UES for a brownfield redevelopment project in Antwerp, Belgium. The assessment is carried out using the “Nature Value Explorer” modelling tool. The case includes three types of green infrastructure (green corridor,infiltration gullies and green roofs) primarily intended to connect nature reserves on the urban periphery and to avoid surface runoff. The green infrastructure also provides air filtration, climate regulation, carbon sequestration and recreation ecosystem services. The value of recreation far exceeds other values, including the value of avoided runoff. The case study raises crucial questions as to whether existing UES valuation approaches adequately account for the range of UES provided and whether such approaches can be improved to achieve more accurate and reliable value estimates in future analyses.

Sustainable agriculture leads today to important questions about the diversification of agricultural production and sources of income for farmers, the use of rural and arable land for food and non-food crops, the contribution of agriculture to climate change fighting and the supply of renewable energy. Bioenergy from agriculture is at the heart of these concerns, integrating sustainable development key components: environment and climate change, energy economics and energy supply, agriculture, rural and social development. The lack of primary and reliable data on bioenergy externalities from agriculture and the lack of decision-making tools are important non-technological barriers to the development of bioenergy from agriculture on a large scale, and, consequently, to the achievement of the national and regional objectives of sustainable development with respect to greenhouse gas mitigation, secure and diversified energy supply, rural development and employment and the future of agriculture. Furthermore, the recent worldwide controversies about transport biofuels, food shortages and increasing prices have demonstrated the urgent need for sustainability criteria applied to biofuels and bioenergy. Within this current sustainable development framework, a project entitled TEXBIAG integrating experts from 4 research institutions is financed by the Belgian Science Policy. The final objective of this project is to lead to an actual and significant contribution of bioenergy from agriculture to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, to a secure and diversified energy supply and to farmers' incomes and rural development. To reach this final objective, the project develops three specific tools: (1) a database of primary quantitative data related to environmental and socio-economic impacts of bioenergy from agriculture integrating biomass logistics; (2) a mathematical model monetizing bioenergy externalities from agriculture; and (3) a prediction tool assessing the impacts of political decisions made in the framework ofthe development of bioenergy from agriculture on different economic sectors (energy, agriculture, industry, and environment). An integrated interface tool will be programmed where access to and update of the three tools will be prepared. The project methodology will be conducted for a given number of scenarios with sensitivity analysis wherever possible. The three main target groups that will benefit from the project are: the government officials and policy makers in the field of agriculture, energy and environment in Belgium and its two main regions, the small, medium and large energy companies and the agricultural sector

Abstract Thermochemical energy storage (TCS) based on gas-solid reactions constitutes a promising concept to exploit reaction enthalpies for thermal energy storage. This concept facilitates the development of efficient storage solutions with higher energy densities compared to widely investigated sensible and latent thermal energy storage systems. Multivalent metal oxides are capable of undergoing a reversible redox reaction at high temperatures, which is why those storage materials are considered particularly suitable for the operating temperature range of concentrated solar power plants with central receiver systems to increase the total plant efficiency and ensure dispatchability of electricity. In the scope of this work a granular manganese-iron oxide with a Fe/Mn molar ratio of 1:3 has been selected as a potentially suitable storage material, which is non-toxic, abundant and economical. For this reason a preparation route from technical grade raw materials has been chosen. The reversible redox reaction is investigated with respect to the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics by means of simultaneous thermal analysis in dynamic and isothermal series of measurements. Those revealed that the observed presence of a strong divergence of the reactive temperature range from the actual thermodynamic equilibrium can mainly be attributed to kinetic limitations. Expressions for the effective reaction rates are deduced from experimental data for the reduction and oxidation step, describing the dependence of the reaction rate on temperature and oxygen partial pressure, respectively. The expressions are valid for the temperature ranges in proximity to the equilibrium, which are relevant for the targeted operating conditions of the storage reactor in air. The storage material provides good cycling stability in terms of reversibility and widely maintained reactivity throughout 100 redox cycles in air. Future work comprises material modifications, which are expected to further enhance the mechanical stability of the particles. Overall, the manganese-iron oxide of the chosen composition exhibits a redox reactivity practical for regenerator-type storage systems combining a high temperature TCS zone and a lower temperature non-reactive zone merely used for sensible thermal energy storage.

Weather and climate extremes such its droughts and floods have far reaching impacts in Kenya. They have had implications on a variety of sectors including, agriculture, water resources, health, energy and disaster management among others. Lake Victoria and its catchment support millions of people and any impact onl its ability to support the livelihood of the communities in this region is of major concern. Thus, the main objective of this study was to assess the potential future climatic changes in the Nzoia catchment in the Lake Victoria basin and how they might affect streamflow The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to investigate the impact of climatic change on streamflow of the study area. The model was set up using readily available spatial and temporal data and calibrated against measured daily streamflow. Climate change. scenarios were obtained from general circulation models Results obtained showed increased amounts of annual rainfall for all the scenarios but with variations on a monthly basis. All - but 1 - global circulation models (GCMS) showed consistency in the monthly rainfall amounts. The analysis revealed important rainfall-runoff linear relationships for certain months that could be extrapolated to estimate amounts of streamflow under various scenarios of change in rainfall. Streamflow response was not sensitive to changes in temperature. If all other variables e.g. land cover, population growth etc, were held constant. a significant increase in streamflow may be expected in the coming decades as a consequence of increased rainfall amounts.

Abstract Co-utilization of fossil fuels and biomass is a successful way to make efficient use of biomass for power production. When replacing only a limited amount of fossil fuel by biomass, measurements of net output power and input fuel rates will however not suffice to accurately determine the marginal efficiency of the newly introduced alternative fuel. The present paper therefore proposes a technique to determine the marginal biomass efficiency with more accuracy. The process simulation model for co-utilization of natural gas and a small perturbing fraction of biomass in an existing combined cycle plant (500 MW th Drogenbos, Belgium) is taken as case study. In this particular plant, biomass is introduced into the cycle as fuel for a primary steam reforming process of the input natural gas. This paper proposes a perturbation analysis that has been developed to allow for an accurate assessment of the marginal efficiency of biomass by using only accurately measurable variables. To achieve this, effects of co-utilization were studied in each component of the gas turbine down to its steam bottom cycle to identify the components most affected by the limited perturbing amount of biomass. The procedure is validated through process simulation, where accurate marginal efficiencies can be compared with the efficiency obtained from the perturbation analysis. A full off-design simulation is required to achieve this result. Through the use of process simulation, the accuracy of the mathematical model could be verified for each formula and each assumption. Compared to process simulation data, the model was found to accurately predict marginal efficiencies of the introduced biomass for biomass shares as low as 0.1%.

In this article, a framework is suggested to deal with the analysis of global environmental risk governance. Climate Change is taken as a particular form of contemporary environmental risk, and mobilised to refine and characterize some salient aspects of new governance challenges. A governance framework is elaborated along three basic features: (1) a close relationship with science, (2) an in-built reflexivity, and (3) forms of governmentality. The UNFCCC-centered system is then assessed according to this three-tier framework. While the two-first requisites are largely met, the analysis of governmentality points to some institutional weak spots.

A. Context Biofuels are today one of the only direct substitutes for oil in road transport, available on a significant scale. They can be used today, in existing vehicle engines, unmodified for low blends, or with cheap modifications to accept high blends. Biofuels are expected to represent a substantial part of the 10% target for renewable energy in transport by 2020, set by the European Commission in its Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC. With biofuels reaching a visible scale at the European level, discussions have emerged about the sustainability of biofuels compared to fossil fuels. It is clear that policy should make sure that the use of biofuels in the transport sector should happen in a sustainable way that balances the main transport related challenges of greenhouse gas reduction, reducing oil dependency and improving air quality. Specifically for the Belgian situation, BIOSES is a research project assisting the Belgian government in setting a roadmap for biofuels and analysing the potential impact that biofuel introduction may have on greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and air quality. B. Objectives The project develops different scenarios for the introduction of biofuels, based on the technological evolution in vehicle models, the likely biofuel blends on the European markets, and the possible interest of certain end user groups. Based on up-to-date data (complemented with own measurements) of energy use, emissions and cost projections, the practical feasibility and the ecological and economic impact (on micro and macro level) of the introduction of biofuels in Belgium are analysed. Results are used to create a roadmap for the introduction of biofuels in Belgium. C. Conclusions The main biofuel options for Belgium on the short term are biodiesel (methyl ester) from vegetable oil, to be blended with diesel fuel (up to B7), potentially supplemented with hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) in the future, and bio-ethanol from sugar or starch crops, to be blended with gasoline fuel (up to E10). Next to general blending, also options of high blends or pure biofuels could be envisaged (such as E85, ED95, B30, B100, PPO, bio-methane).

Adoption of the electric car to mitigate air pollution and climate change: myth or reality? This study aims to bring out the energy and climate mitigation impacts of mass introduction of electric cars in city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A working scenario of 10 percent penetration of electric cars replacing gasoline-powered vehicles by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030 was set. The impact on the energy mix and CO2 emissions was based on indicators available for the city of Sao Paulo. Preliminary results indicate significant energy and environmental benefits to the city. We identified a potential reduction of up to 2030 will be about 11 MtCO2 representing more than 10 percent compared with the total emissions from the fleet of gasoline-powered cars.