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AbstractBACKGROUND: Inappropriate utilisation of biosolids may adversely impact agrosystem productivity. Here, we address the response of wheat (Triticum durum) to different doses (0, 40, 100, 200 and 300 t ha−1) of either municipal solid waste (MSW) compost or sewage sludge in a greenhouse pot experiment. Plant growth, heavy metal uptake, and antioxidant activity were considered.RESULTS: Biomass production of treated plants was significantly enhanced at 40 t ha−1 and 100 t ha−1 of MSW compost (+48% and +78% relative to the control, respectively). At the same doses of sewage sludge, the increase was only 18%. Higher doses of both biosolids restricted significantly the plant growth, in concomitance with the significant accumulation of heavy metals (Ni2+, Pb2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+), especially in leaves. Leaf activities of antioxidant enzymes (ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) were unchanged at 40 t ha−1 MSW compost or sewage sludge, but were significantly stimulated at higher doses (200–300 t ha−1), together with higher leaf concentration of reduced glutathione.CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that a MSW supply at moderate doses (100 t ha−1) could be highly beneficial for wheat productivity. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

Abstract Provided that LED street lighting is guided by quality principles, outdoor illumination using light-emitting diodes will have a significant global impact helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, save relevant amounts of electricity and enhance the quality of life in cities as well as in remote areas. This study summarizes recent findings providing guidelines for further progress in this crucially important technology on the common pathway to sustainable development.

A catchment and its relative coastal zone are both influenced by climate change, particularly by specific factors as precipitation, temperature and wind. In the Mediterranean predicted changes are expected to be superimposed over long-term alterations caused by both natural and anthropogenic pressures (IPCC, 2001). Therefore, climate modification will have an impact on the Po catchment and the Northern Adriatic Coastal system, affecting water resources, ecosystems, agriculture and food security, human settlements, financial services and human health. Climate pressure has the potential to exacerbate already existing problems (i.e. eutrophication, heavy metal pollution, subsidence). The connections between Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM), already studied and analysed in the EUROCAT project, have been re-analysed and the tools (models) used for the Po catchment study have been modified in relation to the climate change. In particular, this research activity aims to estimate the nutrient flux changes (using the MONERIS model) in the Po basin under possible climate change impacts. These preliminary studies have been done in order to understand and quantify direct and indirect relationships between climate change and estimated nutrient fluxes taking into consideration the specific pathways of the MONERIS model

Nowadays, following the increased interest and need for the issue of sustainability, tourist destinations are called upon to promote sustainable tourism development through the implementation of investments and initiatives. Despite the investments by the destinations, how are these perceived by tourists and residents? Based on this, this paper aims to assess the perception of sustainable investments in a coastal area located in Tuscany, through the administration of a questionnaire among 750 people, including both tourists and house owners. The study adopted statistical logit and probit models to detect the perception of sustainable initiatives in relation to beach satisfaction. Moreover, this research developed a model for understanding if there are substantial differences in perception between Italian and foreign beach users and at the same time between residents/house owners and tourists. The findings reveal that those who perceive investments in sustainability are more than satisfied with beach and facilities. The model shows that foreigners and residents/house owners perceive sustainable investments implemented in the destination more than tourists and Italian respondents. This research can provide support to local operators and policymakers in defining the destination image in relation to sustainability.

Geostatistical techniques were applied and a series of spatial indicators were calculated (occupation, aggregation, location, dispersion, spatial autocorrelation and overlap) to characterize the spatial distributions of European anchovy and sardine during summer. Two ecosystems were compared for this purpose, both located in the Mediterranean Sea: the Strait of Sicily (upwelling area) and the North Aegean Sea (continental shelf area, influenced by freshwater). Although the biomass of anchovy and sardine presented high interannual variability in both areas, the location of the centres of gravity and the main spatial patches of their populations were very similar between years. The size of the patches representing the dominant part of the abundance (80%) was mostly ecosystem- and species-specific. Occupation (area of presence) appears to be shaped by the extent of suitable habitats in each ecosystem whereas aggregation patterns (how the populations are distributed within the area of presence) were species-specific and related to levels of population biomass. In the upwelling area, both species showed consistently higher occupation values compared to the continental shelf area. Certain characteristics of the spatial distribution of sardine (e.g. spreading area, overlapping with anchovy) differed substantially between the two ecosystems. Principal component analysis of geostatistical and spatial indicators revealed that biomass was significantly related to a suite of, rather than single, spatial indicators. At the spatial scale of our study, strong correlations emerged between biomass and the first principal component axis with highly positive loadings for occupation, aggregation and patchiness, independently of species and ecosystem. Overlapping between anchovy and sardine increased with the increase of sardine biomass but decreased with the increase of anchovy. This contrasting pattern was attributed to the location of the respective major patches combined with the specific occupation patterns of the two species. The potential use of spatial indices as auxiliary stock monitoring indicators is discussed.

This work numerically analyzes an innovative process layout considering a torrefaction processes followed by chemical looping combustion of biomass waste, solar hydrogen, and carbon methanation. System performances were evaluated by considering several agro-industrial residues (i.e., sugar beet pulp from sugar production, grape marc from winemaking and olive pits from olive oil production) as fuels, CuO supported on zirconia as oxygen carrier, and Ni supported on alumina as methanation catalyst. The torrefaction pre-treatment was proposed for upgrading the properties, namely heating values, moisture content as well as hydrophobicity, and storability, of the selected biomasses. To this aim, experimental runs were performed at 300 °C and 30 min in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen. The study was complemented with an extensive investigation on fuel properties (i.e., ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, calorific values determination) of both the untreated and the torrefied samples, which provides useful input data for modelling their conversion processes. By considering that only electric energy from renewable sources is used, the capability of the proposed process to be used as an energy storage system was eventually assessed.

Rapid population growth invokes the need for a vast amount of water conservation. Many centralized water treatment systems will reach their limits and face difficulties to provide clean industrial water to rural areas. The infrastructure for water distribution is dilapidated in many regions and only little of the wastewater is currently being recycled. One solution could be the expansion of decentralized membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems in peri-urban areas. MBR achieves excellent water qualities, whereas the comparatively high energy consumption is the main drawback. Therefore, MBR plants need to be optimized in their specific energy consumption to obtain a high degree of self-sufficiency for decentralized locations. There is a dire need for innovative controlling strategies and efficient coupling with energy supply systems through novel applications. This chapter will highlight the basic approaches to reduce the MBR's overall energy consumption and ways to establish sustainable, autonomous operations without sacrificing the process quality.