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The implementation of agroecology principles within organic farming research is a crux to redesign sustainable agri-food systems. To govern this transition, the local research demand should be addressed by direct engagement of all stakeholders in the research process. The first step is the involvement of farmers and technicians, with the aim of restoring their decision-making role, switching governance to local scale. The co-design/co-management of Long-Term Experiments (LTEs) can be crucial to govern the above-described transition through networking and participatory activities. In this study, we report the experience of co-designing a new LTE in Southern Italy by local actors and scientists. Through a participatory action research methodology, an LTE was considered as a biophysical component of an agroecological living lab, a public–private environment aimed to design a local food system. The setup of parallel field trials in satellite farms stands for the other biophysical component, whereas the stakeholder platform represents the social one. Through definition of common objectives, a step-by-step process is presented, which highlights the interest of local organic actors to share ideas and perspectives for the territory, pointing out the inclusion of end-users (the consumers) in the process to complete the transition to sustainable food systems.

ispartof: ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING vol:9 issue:29 pages:9604-9624 status: published

A membrane assisted process for green hydrogen production from a bioethanol derived feedstock is here developed and evaluated, starting from the conventional Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) process. Such a process is suitable for centralized hydrogen production, and is here analyzed for a large-scale H2 production unit with the capacity of 40.000 Nm3/h. The basic Steam Ethanol Reforming (SER) process scheme is modified in a membrane assisted process by integrating the Pd-membrane separation steps in the most suitable reaction steps. The membrane assisted process, configured in three alternative architectures (Open architecture, Membrane Reactor and Hybrid architecture) was evaluated in terms of efficiencies and hydrogen yields, obtaining a clear indication of improved process performance. The alternative membrane assisted process architectures are compared to the basic SER process and to the benchmark SMR process fed by natural gas, for an overall comparative assessment of the efficiency and specific CO2 emissions and for an economic analysis based on the operating expenditures.

This paper deals with the analytical modelling of an U-Oscillating Water Column (U-OWC). It is shown that this device can be adequately described by a nonlinear equation of motion including hydrodynamic memory effects. The excitation of the system, the added mass and the retardation function are derived by approximating the solution of a pertinent initial boundary value problem via eigen-function expansions of the (linear) velocity potential. Next, the performance of the system is investigated in random waves by relying on Monte Carlo simulations. The excitation of the system is synthesized from a given power spectral density. Then, the nonlinear equation of motion is numerically integrated. Pertinent statistical measures are estimated for assessing the efficiency of the U-OWC in exploiting sea wave energy. In this regard, the parameters show that the device can absorb most part of the incident wave energy. Further, the device can work in safe conditions even in quite rough sea states.

The paper proposes a critical assessment of municipal solid waste gasification today, starting from basic aspects of the process (process types and steps, operating and performance parameters) and arriving to a comparative analysis of the reactors (fixed bed, fluidized bed, entrained bed, vertical shaft, moving grate furnace, rotary kiln, plasma reactor) as well as of the possible plant configurations (heat gasifier and power gasifier) and the environmental performances of the main commercially available gasifiers for municipal solid wastes. The analysis indicates that gasification is a technically viable option for the solid waste conversion, including residual waste from separate collection of municipal solid waste. It is able to meet existing emission limits and can have a remarkable effect on reduction of landfill disposal option.

Abstract The upward energy demand, along with the depletion of conventional energy sources, demands improved utilization of renewable energy resources. Among all renewable energy resources, solar energy is the most appropriate alternative to conventional energy sources owing to its inexhaustibility and green property. Solar collectors are devices that convert solar radiation into heat or energy. However, the efficiency of the solar collector is still not adequate. The competent step to enhance the efficiency of the solar collector is to use nanofluids. This study is carried out different phases viz. characterization and stabilization while both qualitative and quantitative methods used to evaluate the stability of nanofluids thermophysical properties of Al2O3 and CNC nanofluids such as thermal conductivity measured at four different temperature using KD2 Pro, viscosity and specific heat determined at similar temperature range by viscometer and differential scanning calorimetry respectively. The experiment is executed with a fixed flow rate and in steady-state conditions under extensive solar radiation. The experimental study has revealed that up to 2.48% and 8.46% efficiency of solar collector enhanced by using 0.5% Al2O3 and 0.5% CNC nanofluids respectively. Moreover, nanofluids show good to moderate stability performance. Besides, the thermal conductivity of nanofluids increased while viscosity is in a decreasing trend with increasing temperature. Nanofluids could enhance the efficiency of a flat-plate solar collector.

Abstract Specification by central government of the heating levels which are to be maintained in British school buildings has recently been altered. This paper is concerned with examining the nature of changes that have been made by comparing present requirements with their counterparts during the preceding one hundred years. Attention is focused on the apparently contradictory implications of these changes for those charged with responsibility for maintaining heating levels in school buildings while, at the same time, conserving fuel. It is suggested that the new statutory requirements present those who are responsible with a duty which may, in practical terms, prove difficult or costly to discharge. Although discussion is specifically restricted to British school buildings, issues are raised which are pertinent to attempts to integrate regulation of heating with control of fuel consumption in other types of non-domestic buildings both in Britain and abroad.

AbstractSmart Grids are electrical grids that require a decentralised way of controlling electric power conditioning and thereby control the production and distribution of energy. Yet, the integration of Distributed Renewable Energy Sources (DRESs) in the Smart Grid introduces new challenges with regards to electrical grid balancing and storing of electrical energy, as well as additional monetary costs. Furthermore, the future smart grid also has to take over the provision of Ancillary Services (ASs). In this paper, a distributed ICT infrastructure to solve such challenges, specifically related to ASs in future Smart Grids, is described. The proposed infrastructure is developed on the basis of the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) framework, which is defined by the European Commission in Smart Grid Mandate M/490. A testbed that provides a flexible, secure, and low-cost version of this architecture, illustrating the separation of systems and responsibilities, and supporting both emulated DRESs and real hardware has been developed. The resulting system supports the integration of a variety of DRESs with a secure two-way communication channel between the monitoring and controlling components. It assists in the analysis of various inter-operabilities and in the verification of eventual system designs. To validate the system design, the mapping of the proposed architecture to the testbed is presented. Further work will help improve the architecture in two directions; first, by investigating specific-purpose use cases, instantiated using this more generic framework; and second, by investigating the effects a realistic number and variety of connected devices within different grid configurations has on the testbed infrastructure.