Search results for: green fodder

Authors: Alina M. Udall, Judith de Groot, Simon de Jong, Avi Shankar

Abstract:

There are many ways in which environmentally significant behavior can be explained. Dominant psychological theories, namely, the theory of planned behavior, the norm-activation theory, its extension, the value-belief-norm theory, and the theory of habit do not explain large parts of environmentally significant behaviors. A new and rapidly growing approach is to focus on how consumer’s identities predict environmentally significant behavior. Identity may be relevant because consumers have many identities that are assumed to guide their behavior. Therefore, we assume that many identities will guide environmentally significant behavior. Many identities can be relevant for environmentally significant behavior. In reviewing the literature, over 200 identities have been studied making it difficult to establish the key identities for explaining environmentally significant behavior. Therefore, this paper first aims to establish the key identities previously used for explaining environmentally significant behavior. Second, the aim is to test which key identities explain environmentally significant behavior. To address the aims, an online survey study (n = 578) is conducted. First, the exploratory factor analysis reveals 15 identity factors. The identity factors are namely, environmentally concerned identity, anti-environmental self-identity, environmental place identity, connectedness with nature identity, green space visitor identity, active ethical identity, carbon off-setter identity, thoughtful self-identity, close community identity, anti-carbon off-setter identity, environmental group member identity, national identity, identification with developed countries, cyclist identity, and thoughtful organisation identity. Furthermore, to help researchers understand and operationalize the identities, the article provides theoretical definitions for each of the identities, in line with identity theory, social identity theory, and place identity theory. Second, the hierarchical regression shows only 10 factors significantly uniquely explain the variance in environmentally significant behavior. In order of predictive power the identities are namely, environmentally concerned identity, anti-environmental self-identity, thoughtful self-identity, environmental group member identity, anti-carbon off-setter identity, carbon off-setter identity, connectedness with nature identity, national identity, and green space visitor identity. The identities explain over 60% of the variance in environmentally significant behavior, a large effect size. Based on this finding, the article reveals a new, theoretical framework showing the key identities explaining environmentally significant behavior, to help improve and align the field.

Keywords: environmentally significant behavior, factor analysis, place identity, social identity

Procedia PDF Downloads 431

Authors: Erico R. Carmona, Lucas Hernandez-Saravia, Aliro Villacorta, Felipe Carevic

Abstract:

Tailings and electronic waste (e-waste) are an important source of global contamination. Chile is one of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries that least recycled this kind of industrial waste, reaching only 3% of the total. Tailings and e-waste recycling offers a valuable tool to minimize the increasing accumulation of waste, supplement the scarcity of some raw materials and to obtain economic benefits through the commercialization of these. It should be noted that this type of industrial waste is an important source of valuable metals, such as copper, which allow generating new business and added value through its transformation into new materials with advanced physical and biological properties. In this sense, the development of nanotechnology has led to the creation of nanomaterials with multiple applications given their unique physicochemical properties. Among others, copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) have gained great interest due to their optical, catalytic, conductive properties, and particularly because of their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. There are different synthesis methods of copper nanoparticles; however, green synthesis is one of the most promising methodologies, since it is simple, low-cost, ecological, and generates stable nanoparticles, which makes it a promising methodology for scaling up. Currently, there are few initiatives that involve the development of methods for the recovery and transformation of copper from waste to produce nanoparticles with new properties and better technological benefits. Thus, the objective of this work is to show preliminary data about the develop a sustainable transformation process of tailings and e-waste that allows obtaining a copper-based nanotechnological product with potential antimicrobial applications. For this, samples of tailings and e-waste collected from Tarapacá and Antofagasta region of northern Chile were used to recover copper through efficient, ecological, and low-cost alkaline hydrometallurgical treatments, which to allow obtaining copper with a high degree of purity. On the other hand, the transformation process from recycled copper to a nanomaterial was carried out through a green synthesis approach by using vegetal organic residue extracts that allows obtaining CuNPs following methodologies previously reported by authors. Initial physical characterization with UV-Vis, FTIR, AFM, and TEM methodologies will be reported for CuNPs synthesized.

Keywords: nanomaterials, industrial waste, chile, recycling

Procedia PDF Downloads 80

Authors: Misbah Shaheen, Anam Qureshi

Abstract:

In this work we will discuss the challenges faced by tourism industry in Pakistan. Tourism plays vital role in the socio-economic growth of a country. The countries of world, with less tourism opportunities are lagging behind from other nations of the world. Pakistan is one of those countries which rich in historical places, natural beauty, and uniqueness in handmade items and also of green forests. Present study will discuss the challenges being faced by tourism industry with special focus on hotel industry and law and order situation.

Keywords: Pakistan, tourism, handmade items, hotel industry

Procedia PDF Downloads 374

Authors: Chuang-Hung Lin, Cheng-Yuan Hsu, Jia-Yan Lin

Abstract:

It is an indispensible strategy to adopt greenery approach on architectural bases so as to improve ecological habitats, decrease heat-island effect, purify air quality, and relieve surface runoff as well as noise pollution, all of which are done in an attempt to achieve sustainable environment. How we can do with plant design to attain the best visual quality and ideal carbon dioxide fixation depends on whether or not we can appropriately make use of greenery according to the nature of architectural bases. To achieve the goal, it is a need that architects and landscape architects should be provided with sufficient local references. Current greenery studies focus mainly on the heat-island effect of urban with large scale. Most of the architects still rely on people with years of expertise regarding the adoption and disposition of plantation in connection with microclimate scale. Therefore, environmental design, which integrates science and aesthetics, requires fundamental research on landscape environment technology divided from building environment technology. By doing so, we can create mutual benefits between green building and the environment. This issue is extremely important for the greening design of the bases of green buildings in cities and various open spaces. The purpose of this study is to establish plant selection and allocation strategies under different building sunshade levels. Initially, with the shading of sunshine on the greening bases as the starting point, the effects of the shades produced by different building types on the greening strategies were analyzed. Then, by measuring the PAR( photosynthetic active radiation), the relative DLI( daily light integral) was calculated, while the DLI Map was established in order to evaluate the effects of the building shading on the established environmental greening, thereby serving as a reference for plant selection and allocation. The discussion results were to be applied in the evaluation of environment greening of greening buildings and establish the “right plant, right place” design strategy of multi-level ecological greening for application in urban design and landscape design development, as well as the greening criteria to feedback to the eco-city greening buildings.

Keywords: daily light integral, plant design, urban open space

Procedia PDF Downloads 496

Authors: Emma O’ Keeffe, Helen Hughes, Peter McLoughlin, Shiau Pin Tan, Nick McCarthy

Abstract:

Biosecurity is emerging as one of the most important issues facing the agricultural and forestry community. This is as a result of increased invasion from new pests and diseases with the main protocol for dealing with these species being the use of synthetic pesticides. However, these chemicals have been shown to exhibit negative effects on the environment. Seaweeds represent a vast untapped resource of bio-molecules with a broad range of biological activities including pesticidal. This project investigated both the antifungal and antibacterial activity of seaweed species against two problematic root rot fungi, Armillaria mellea and Heterobasidion annosum and ten quarantine bacterial plant pathogens including Xanthomonas arboricola, Xanthomonas fragariae, and Erwinia amylovora. Four seaweed species were harvested from the South-East coast of Ireland including brown, red and green varieties. The powdered seaweeds were extracted using four different solvents by liquid extraction. The poisoned food technique was employed to establish the antifungal efficacy, and the standard disc diffusion assay was used to assess the antibacterial properties of the seaweed extracts. It was found that extracts of the green seaweed exhibited antifungal activity against H. annosum, with approximately 50% inhibition compared to the negative control. The protectant activities of the active extracts were evaluated on disks of Picea sitchensis, a plant species sensitive to infection from H. annosum and compared to the standard chemical control product urea. The crude extracts exhibited very similar activity to the 10% and 20% w/v concentrations of urea, demonstrating the ability of seaweed extracts to compete with commercially available products. Antibacterial activity was exhibited by a number of seaweed extracts with the red seaweed illustrating the strongest activity, with a zone of inhibition of 15.83 ± 0.41 mm exhibited against X. arboricola whilst the positive control (10 μg/disk of chloramphenicol) had a zone of 26.5 ± 0.71 mm. These results highlight the potential application of seaweed extracts in the forestry and agricultural industries for use as biopesticides. Further work is now required to identify the bioactive molecules that are responsible for this antifungal and antibacterial activity in the seaweed extracts, including toxicity studies to ensure the extracts are non-toxic to plants and humans.

Keywords: antibacterial, antifungal, biopesticides, seaweeds

Procedia PDF Downloads 149

Authors: Pedro Esteban

Abstract:

Most installations nowadays are exposed to many power quality problems, and they also face numerous challenges to comply with grid code and energy efficiency requirements. The reason behind this is that they are not designed to support nonlinear, non-balanced, and variable loads and generators that make up a large percentage of modern electric power systems. These problems and challenges become especially critical when designing green buildings and smart cities. These problems and challenges are caused by equipment that can be typically found in these installations like variable speed drives (VSD), transformers, lighting, battery chargers, double-conversion UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems, highly dynamic loads, single-phase loads, fossil fuel generators and renewable generation sources, to name a few. Moreover, events like capacitor switching (from existing capacitor banks or passive harmonic filters), auto-reclose operations of transmission and distribution lines, or the starting of large motors also contribute to these problems and challenges. Active power filters (APF) are one of the fastest-growing power electronics technologies for solving power quality problems and meeting grid code and energy efficiency requirements for a wide range of segments and applications. They are a high performance, flexible, compact, modular, and cost-effective type of power electronics solutions that provide an instantaneous and effective response in low or high voltage electric power systems. They enable longer equipment lifetime, higher process reliability, improved power system capacity and stability, and reduced energy losses, complying with most demanding power quality and energy efficiency standards and grid codes. There can be found several types of active power filters, including active harmonic filters (AHF), static var generators (SVG), active load balancers (ALB), hybrid var compensators (HVC), and low harmonic drives (LHD) nowadays. All these devices can be used in applications in Smart Cities bringing several technical and economic benefits.

Keywords: power quality improvement, energy efficiency, grid code compliance, green buildings, smart cities

Procedia PDF Downloads 100

Authors: A. Atli, K. Candelier, J. Alteyrac

Abstract:

Environmental and sustainability concerns push the industries to manufacture alternative materials having less environmental impact. The Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) produced by blending the biopolymers and natural fillers permit not only to tailor the desired properties of materials but also are the solution to meet the environmental and sustainability requirements. This work presents the elaboration and characterization of the fully green WPCs prepared by blending a biopolymer, BIOPLAST® GS 2189 and spruce sawdust used as filler with different amounts. Since both components are bio-based, the resulting material is entirely environmentally friendly. The mechanical, thermal, structural properties of these WPCs were characterized by different analytical methods like tensile, flexural and impact tests, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Their water absorption properties and resistance to the termite and fungal attacks were determined in relation with different wood filler content. The tensile and flexural moduli of WPCs increased with increasing amount of wood fillers into the biopolymer, but WPCs became more brittle compared to the neat polymer. Incorporation of spruce sawdust modified the thermal properties of polymer: The degradation, cold crystallization, and melting temperatures shifted to higher temperatures when spruce sawdust was added into polymer. The termite, fungal and water absorption resistance of WPCs decreased with increasing wood amount in WPCs, but remained in durability class 1 (durable) concerning fungal resistance and quoted 1 (attempted attack) in visual rating regarding to the termites resistance except that the WPC with the highest wood content (30 wt%) rated 2 (slight attack) indicating a long term durability. All the results showed the possibility to elaborate the easy injectable composite materials with adjustable properties by incorporation of BIOPLAST® GS 2189 and spruce sawdust. Therefore, lightweight WPCs allow both to recycle wood industry byproducts and to produce a full ecologic material.

Keywords: biodegradability, color measurements, durability, mechanical properties, melt flow index, MFI, structural properties, thermal properties, wood-plastic composites, WPCs

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Erica Cochran Hameen, Bobuchi Ken-Opurum, Mounica Guturu

Abstract:

The United Stated (U.S.) populous spends the majority of their time indoors in spaces where building codes and voluntary sustainability standards provide clear Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) metrics. The existing sustainable building standards and codes are aimed towards improving IEQ, health of occupants, and reducing the negative impacts of buildings on the environment. While they address the post-occupancy stage of buildings, there are fewer standards on the pre-occupancy stage thereby placing a large labor population in environments much less regulated. Construction personnel are often exposed to a variety of uncomfortable and unhealthy elements while on construction sites, primarily thermal, visual, acoustic, and air quality related. Construction site power generators, equipment, and machinery generate on average 9 decibels (dBA) above the U.S. OSHA regulations, creating uncomfortable noise levels. Research has shown that frequent exposure to high noise levels leads to chronic physiological issues and increases noise induced stress, yet beyond OSHA no other metric focuses directly on the impacts of noise on contractors’ well-being. Research has also associated natural light with higher productivity and attention span, and lower cases of fatigue in construction workers. However, daylight is not always available as construction workers often perform tasks in cramped spaces, dark areas, or at nighttime. In these instances, the use of artificial light is necessary, yet lighting standards for use during lengthy tasks and arduous activities is not specified. Additionally, ambient air, contaminants, and material off-gassing expelled at construction sites are one of the causes of serious health effects in construction workers. Coupled with extreme hot and cold temperatures for different climate zones, health and productivity can be seriously compromised. This research evaluates the impact of existing green building metrics on construction and risk management, by analyzing two codes and nine standards including LEED, WELL, and BREAM. These metrics were chosen based on the relevance to the U.S. construction industry. This research determined that less than 20% of the sustainability context within the standards and codes (texts) are related to the pre-occupancy building sector. The research also investigated the impact of construction personnel’s health and well-being on construction management through two surveys of project managers and on-site contractors’ perception of their work environment on productivity. To fully understand the risks of limited Environmental and Health Quality metrics for contractors (EHQ) this research evaluated the connection between EHQ factors such as inefficient lighting, on construction workers and investigated the correlation between various site coping strategies for comfort and productivity. Outcomes from this research are three-pronged. The first includes fostering a discussion about the existing conditions of EQH elements, i.e. thermal, lighting, ergonomic, acoustic, and air quality on the construction labor force. The second identifies gaps in sustainability standards and codes during the pre-occupancy stage of building construction from ground-breaking to substantial completion. The third identifies opportunities for improvements and mitigation strategies to improve EQH such as increased monitoring of effects on productivity and health of contractors and increased inclusion of the pre-occupancy stage in green building standards.

Keywords: construction contractors, health and well-being, environmental quality, risk management

Procedia PDF Downloads 118

Authors: Mohammad R. Jalali, Mohammad M. Jalali

Abstract:

The earliest theories of sloshing waves and solitary waves based on potential theory idealisations and irrotational flow have been extended to be applicable to more realistic domains. To this end, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods are widely used. Three-dimensional CFD methods such as Navier-Stokes solvers with volume of fluid treatment of the free surface and Navier-Stokes solvers with mappings of the free surface inherently impose high computational expense; therefore, considerable effort has gone into developing depth-averaged approaches. Examples of such approaches include Green–Naghdi (GN) equations. In Cartesian system, GN velocity profile depends on horizontal directions, x-direction and y-direction. The effect of vertical direction (z-direction) is also taken into consideration by applying weighting function in approximation. GN theory considers the effect of vertical acceleration and the consequent non-hydrostatic pressure. Moreover, in GN theory, the flow is rotational. The present study illustrates the application of GN equations to propagation of sloshing waves and solitary waves. For this purpose, GN equations solver is verified for the benchmark tests of Gaussian hump sloshing and solitary wave propagation in shallow basins. Analysis of the free surface sloshing of even harmonic components of an initial Gaussian hump demonstrates that the GN model gives predictions in satisfactory agreement with the linear analytical solutions. Discrepancies between the GN predictions and the linear analytical solutions arise from the effect of wave nonlinearities arising from the wave amplitude itself and wave-wave interactions. Numerically predicted solitary wave propagation indicates that the GN model produces simulations in good agreement with the analytical solution of the linearised wave theory. Comparison between the GN model numerical prediction and the result from perturbation analysis confirms that nonlinear interaction between solitary wave and a solid wall is satisfactorilly modelled. Moreover, solitary wave propagation at an angle to the x-axis and the interaction of solitary waves with each other are conducted to validate the developed model.

Keywords: Green–Naghdi equations, nonlinearity, numerical prediction, sloshing waves, solitary waves

Procedia PDF Downloads 268

Authors: Kuang Sheng Liu, Yu Lin Shih*, Chun Ta Tzeng, Cheng Chen Chen

Abstract:

Buildings in the 21st century are facing issues such as an extreme climate and low-carbon/energy-saving requirements. Many countries in the world are of the opinion that a building during its medium- and long-term life cycle is an energy-consuming entity. As for the use of architectural resources, including the United Nations-implemented "Global Green Policy" and "Sustainable building and construction initiative", all are working towards "zero-energy building" and "zero-carbon building" policies. Because of this, countries are cooperating with industry development using policies such as "mandatory design criteria", "green procurement policy" and "incentive grants and rebates programme". The results of this study can provide a reference for sustainable building renovation design criteria. Aimed at townhouses in Kaohsiung City, this study uses different levels of solar blocking depth to carry out evaluation of design and energy-saving renovation of the outer shell of existing buildings by using data collection and the selection of representative cases. Using building resources from a building information model (BIM), simulation and efficiency evaluation are carried out and proven with simulation estimation. This leads into the ECO-efficiency model (EEM) for the life cycle cost efficiency (LCCE) evalution. The buildings selected by this research sit in a north-south direction set with different solar blocking depths. The indoor air-conditioning consumption rates are compared. The current balcony depth of 1 metre as the simulated EUI value acts as a reference value of 100%. The solar blocking of the balcony is increased to 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 metres for a total of 5 different solar-blocking balcony depths, for comparison of the air-conditioning improvement efficacy. This research uses different solar-blocking balcony depths to carry out air-conditioning efficiency analysis. 1.5m saves 3.08%, 2m saves 6.74%, 2.5m saves 9.80% and 3m saves 12.72% from the air-conditioning EUI value. This shows that solar-blocking balconies have an efficiency-increasing potential for indoor air-conditioning.

Keywords: building information model, eco-efficiency model, energy-saving in the external shell, solar blocking depth.

Procedia PDF Downloads 390

Authors: E. Hovad, J. H. Walther, P. Larsen, J. Thorborg, J. H. Hattel

Abstract:

In sand casting of metal parts for the automotive industry such as brake disks and engine blocks, the molten metal is poured into a sand mold to get its final shape. The DISAMATIC molding process is a way to construct these sand molds for casting of steel parts and in the present work numerical simulations of this process are presented. During the process green sand is blown into a chamber and subsequently squeezed to finally obtain the sand mould. The sand flow is modelled with the Discrete Element method (DEM) and obtaining the correct material parameters for the simulation is the main goal. Different tests will be used to find or calibrate the DEM parameters needed; Poisson ratio, Young modulus, rolling friction coefficient, sliding friction coefficient and coefficient of restitution (COR). The Young modulus and Poisson ratio are found from compression tests of the bulk material and subsequently used in the DEM model according to the Hertz-Mindlin model. The main focus will be on calibrating the rolling resistance and sliding friction in the DEM model with respect to the behavior of “real” sand piles. More specifically, the surface profile of the “real” sand pile will be compared to the sand pile predicted with the DEM for different values of the rolling and sliding friction coefficients. When the DEM parameters are found for the particle-particle (sand-sand) interaction, the particle-wall interaction parameter values are also found. Here the sliding coefficient will be found from experiments and the rolling resistance is investigated by comparing with observations of how the green sand interacts with the chamber wall during experiments and the DEM simulations will be calibrated accordingly. The coefficient of restitution will be tested with different values in the DEM simulations and compared to video footages of the DISAMATIC process. Energy dissipation will be investigated in these simulations for different particle sizes and coefficient of restitution, where scaling laws will be considered to relate the energy dissipation for these parameters. Finally, the found parameter values are used in the overall discrete element model and compared to the video footage of the DISAMATIC process.

Keywords: discrete element method, physical properties of materials, calibration, granular flow

Procedia PDF Downloads 467

Authors: Aparajita Santra

Abstract:

In the context of the government's vision of turning Delhi into a green, privatized and slum free city, giving it a world-class image at par with the global cities of the world, this paper investigates into the various processes and politics of things that went behind defining spaces in the city and attributing an aesthetic image to it. The paper will explore two cases that were forged primarily through the forces of one particular type of power relation. One would be to look at the modernist movement adopted by the Nehruvian government post-independence and the next case will look at special periods like Emergency and Commonwealth games. The study of these cases will help understand the ambivalence embedded in the different rationales of the Government and different powerful agencies adopted in order to build world-classness. Through the study, it will be easier to discern how city spaces were reconfigured in the name of 'good governance'. In this process, it also became important to analyze the double nature of law, both as a protector of people’s rights and as a threat to people. What was interesting to note through the study was that in the process of nation building and creating an image for the city, the government’s policies and programs were mostly aimed at the richer sections of the society and the poorer sections and people from lower income groups kept getting marginalized, subdued, and pushed further away (These marginalized people were pushed away even geographically!). The reconfiguration of city space and attributing an aesthetic character to it, led to an alteration not only in the way in which citizens perceived and engaged with these spaces, but also brought about changes in the way they envisioned their place in the city. Ironically, it was found that every attempt to build any kind of facility for the city’s elite in turn led to an inevitable removal of the marginalized sections of the society as a necessary step to achieve a clean, green and world-class city. The paper questions the claim made by the government for creating a just, equitable city and granting rights to all. An argument is put forth that in the politics of redistribution of space, the city that has been designed is meant for the aspirational middle-class and elite only, who are ideally primed to live in world-class cities. Thus, the aim is to study city spaces, urban form, the associated politics and power plays involved within and understand whether segmented cities are being built in the name of creating sensible, inclusive cities.

Keywords: aesthetics, ambivalence, governmentality, power, World-class

Procedia PDF Downloads 98

Authors: Hala Obeid

Abstract:

Among the cities that have been touched by hard events and have been experiencing this polemic of existence, one can quote Beirut. A city that defies and confronts itself for its own existence. Beirut materialized all the social complexity; it has also preserved the memory of a society that has been able to build and reflect a certain unique identity. In spite of its glory, Lebanon’s civil war has marked a turning point in Beirut’s history. It has caused many deaths and opposed religious communities. Once this civil war has ended, the reconstruction of the city center, however, saw the spatial exclusion of manual labor, small local commerce, and middle-class residences. The urban functions that characterized the pre-war center were removed, and the city’s spontaneous evolutions were replaced by a historical urban planning, which neglected the city’s memory and identity. The social and spatial fragmentation that has erupted since the war has led to a breakdown of spatial and social boundaries within the city. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of fragmentation and boundaries on the city of Beirut in spatial, social, religious and ethnic terms. The method used in this research is what we call the mixed method which is a combination between the quantitative method and the qualitative one. These two approaches, in this case, do not oppose but complement each other in order to study the city of Beirut physically and socially. The main purpose of the qualitative approach is to describe and analyze the social phenomenon of the fragmentation of the city; this method can be summarized by the field observation and study. While the quantitative approach is based on filling out questionnaires that leads to statistics analyzes. Together, these two approaches will mark the course of the research. As a result, Beirut is not only a divided city but is fragmented spatially into many fragments and socially into many groups. This fragmentation is creating immaterial boundaries between fragments and therefore between groups. These urban and social boundaries are specifically religious and ethnic limits. As a conclusion, one of the most important and discussed boundary in Beirut is a spatial and religious boundary called ‘the green line’ or the demarcation line, a true caesura within the city. It marks the opposition of two urban groups and the aggravated fragmentation between them. This line divided Beirut into two compartments: East Beirut (for Christians) and West Beirut (for Muslims). This green line has become an urban void that holds the past in suspension. Finally, to think of Beirut as an urban unit becomes an insoluble problem.

Keywords: Beirut, boundaries, fragmentation, identity

Procedia PDF Downloads 150

Authors: Uma Shanker, Vidhisha Jassal

Abstract:

A novel green route was used to synthesize few metal hexacyanoferrates (FeHCF, NiHCF, CoHCF and CuHCF) nanoparticles using Sapindus mukorossias a natural surfactant and water as a solvent. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermo gravimetric techniques. Trasmission electron microscopic images showed that synthesized MHCF nanoparticles exhibited cubic and spherical shapes with exceptionally small sizes ranging from 3nm - 186 nm.

Keywords: metal hexacyanoferrates, natural surfactant, Sapindus mukorossias, nanoparticles

Procedia PDF Downloads 506

Authors: Nancy Mackin

Abstract:

Historically, architects from Aalto to Gaudi to Wright have looked to the architectural knowledge of long-resident peoples for forms and structural principles specifically adapted to the regional climate, geology, materials availability, and culture. In this research, structures traditionally built by Inuit peoples in a remote region of the Canadian high Arctic provides a folio of architectural ideas that are increasingly relevant during these times of escalating carbon emissions and climate change. ‘Green architecture from the Thawing Arctic’ researches, draws, models, and reconstructs traditional buildings of Inuit (Eskimo) peoples in three remote, often inaccessible Arctic communities. Structures verified in pre-contact oral history and early written history are first recorded in architectural drawings, then modeled and, with the participation of Inuit young people, local scientists, and Elders, reconstructed as emergency shelters. Three full-sized building types are constructed: a driftwood and turf-clad A-frame (spring/summer); a stone/bone/turf house with inwardly spiraling walls and a fan-shaped floor plan (autumn); and a parabolic/catenary arch-shaped dome from willow, turf, and skins (autumn/winter). Each reconstruction is filmed and featured in a short video. Communities found that the reconstructed buildings and the method of involving young people and Elders in the reconstructions have on-going usefulness, as follows: 1) The reconstructions provide emergency shelters, particularly needed as climate change worsens storms, floods, and freeze-thaw cycles and scientists and food harvesters who must work out of the land become stranded more frequently; 2) People from the communities re-learned from their Elders how to use materials from close at hand to construct impromptu shelters; 3) Forms from tradition, such as windbreaks at entrances and using levels to trap warmth within winter buildings, can be adapted and used in modern community buildings and housing; and 4) The project initiates much-needed educational and employment opportunities in the applied sciences (engineering and architecture), construction, and climate change monitoring, all offered in a culturally-responsive way. Elders, architects, scientists, and young people added innovations to the traditions as they worked, thereby suggesting new sustainable, culturally-meaningful building forms and materials combinations that can be used for modern buildings. Adding to the growing interest in bio-mimicry, participants looked at properties of Arctic and subarctic materials such as moss (insulation), shrub bark (waterproofing), and willow withes (parabolic and catenary arched forms). ‘Green Architecture from the Thawing Arctic’ demonstrates the effective, useful architectural oeuvre of a resilient northern people. The research parallels efforts elsewhere in the world to revitalize long-resident peoples’ architectural knowledge, in the interests of designing sustainable buildings that reflect culture, heritage, and identity.

Keywords: architectural culture and identity, climate change, forms from nature, Inuit architecture, locally sourced biodegradable materials, traditional architectural knowledge, traditional Inuit knowledge

Procedia PDF Downloads 506

Authors: Zahra Jandaghian, Mehdi Ghobadi, Michal Bartko, Alex Hayes, Marianne Armstrong, Alexandra Thompson, Michael Lacasse

Abstract:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report stated the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the adverse impacts of climatic changes. The United Nations has forecasted that nearly 70 percent of people will live in urban areas by 2050 resulting in a doubling of the global building stock. Given that buildings are currently recognised as emitting 40 percent of global carbon emissions, there is thus an urgent incentive to decarbonize existing buildings and to build net-zero carbon buildings. To attain net zero carbon emissions in communities in the future requires action in two directions: I) reduction of emissions; and II) removal of on-going emissions from the atmosphere once de-carbonization measures have been implemented. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have a significant role to play in achieving net zero carbon communities, spanning both emission reductions and removal of on-going emissions. NBS for the decarbonisation of buildings can be achieved by using green roofs and green walls – increasing vertical and horizontal vegetation on the building envelopes – and using nature-based materials that either emit less heat to the atmosphere thus decreasing photochemical reaction rates, or store substantial amount of carbon during the whole building service life within their structure. The NBS approach can also mitigate urban flooding and overheating, improve urban climate and air quality, and provide better living conditions for the urban population. For existing buildings, de-carbonization mostly requires retrofitting existing envelopes efficiently to use NBS techniques whereas for future construction, de-carbonization involves designing new buildings with low carbon materials as well as having the integrity and system capacity to effectively employ NBS. This paper presents the opportunities and challenges in respect to the de-carbonization of buildings using NBS for both building retrofits and new construction. This review documents the effectiveness of NBS to de-carbonize Canadian buildings, identifies the missing links to implement these techniques in cold climatic conditions, and determine a road map and immediate approaches to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change such as urban heat islanding. Recommendations are drafted for possible inclusion in the Canadian building and energy codes.

Keywords: decarbonization, nature-based solutions, GHG emissions, greenery enhancement, buildings

Procedia PDF Downloads 78

Authors: Tatipamula Samiksha Goud, .A.Naveena, M.sresta

Abstract:

Traffic congestion is a major issue in many cities throughout the world, particularly in urban areas, and it is past time to switch from a fixed timer mode to an automated system. The current traffic signalling system is a fixed-time system that is inefficient if one lane is more functional than the others. A structure for an intelligent traffic control system is being designed to address this issue. When traffic density is higher on one side of a junction, the signal's green time is extended in comparison to the regular time. This study suggests a technique in which the signal's time duration is assigned based on the amount of traffic present at the time. Infrared sensors can be used to do this.

Keywords: infrared sensors, micro-controllers, LEDs, oscillators

Procedia PDF Downloads 123

Authors: Pierre-Louis Lucas, Corinne Loutelier-Bourhis, Narimane Mati-Baouche, Philippe Chan Tchi-Song, Patrice Lerouge, Elodie Mathieu-Rivet, Muriel Bardor

Abstract:

N-glycosylation is a post-translational modification taking place in the Endoplasmic Reticulum and the Golgi apparatus where defined glycan features are added on protein in a very specific sequence Asn-X-Thr/Ser/Cys were X can be any amino acid except proline. Because it is well-established that those N-glycans play a critical role in protein biological activity, protein half-life and that a different N-glycan structure may induce an immune response, they are very important in Biopharmaceuticals which are mainly glycoproteins bearing N-glycans. From now, most of the biopharmaceuticals are produced by mammalian cells like Chinese Hamster Ovary cells (CHO) for their N-glycosylation similar to the human, but due to the high production costs, several other species are investigated as the possible alternative system. In this purpose, the green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was investigated as the potential production system for Biopharmaceuticals. This choice was influenced by the facts that C. reinhardtii is a well-study microalgae which is growing fast with a lot of molecular biology tools available. This organism is also producing N-glycan on its endogenous proteins. However, the analysis of the N-glycan structure of this microalgae has revealed some differences as compared to the human. Rather than in Human where the glycans are processed by key enzymes called N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and II (GnTI and GnTII) adding GlcNAc residue to form a GlcNAc₂Man₃GlcNAc₂ core N-glycan, C. reinhardtii lacks those two enzymes and possess a GnTI independent glycosylation pathway. Moreover, some enzymes like xylosyltransferases and methyltransferases not present in human are supposed to act on the glycans of C. reinhardtii. Furthermore, the recent structural study by mass spectrometry shows that the N-glycosylation precursor supposed to be conserved in almost all eukaryotic cells results in a linear Man₅GlcNAc₂ rather than a branched one in C. reinhardtii. In this work, we will discuss the new released MS information upon C. reinhardtii N-glycan structure and their impact on our attempt to modify the glycan in a Human manner. Two strategies will be discussed. The first one consisted in the study of Xylosyltransferase insertional mutants from the CLIP library in order to remove xyloses from the N-glycans. The second will go further in the humanization by transforming the microalgae with the exogenous gene from Toxoplasma gondii having an activity similar to GnTI and GnTII with the aim to synthesize GlcNAc₂Man₃GlcNAc₂ in C. reinhardtii.

Keywords: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, N-glycosylation, glycosyltransferase, mass spectrometry, humanization

Procedia PDF Downloads 153

Authors: Saeed Rezaeian, M. Rezaee Boroon

Abstract:

Nitrogen accumulates in soils during the process of fertilizer addition to promote the plant growth. When the organic matter decomposes, the form of available nitrogen produced is in the form of nitrate, which is highly mobile. The most significant health effect of nitrate ingestion is methemoglobinemia in infants under six months of age (blue baby syndrome). The mobile nutrients, like nitrate nitrogen, are not stored in the soil as the available forms for the long periods and in large amounts. It depends on the needs for the crops such as vegetables. On the other hand, the vegetables will compete actively for nitrate nitrogen as a mobile nutrient and water. The mobile nutrients must be shared. The fewer the plants, the larger this share is for each plant. Also, this nitrate nitrogen is poisonous for the people who use these vegetables. Nitrate is converted to nitrite by the existing bacteria in the stomach and the Gastro-Intestinal (GI) tract. When nitrite is entered into the blood cells, it converts the hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which causes the anoxemia and cyanosis. The increasing use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, especially the fertilizers with nitrates compounds, which have been common for the increased production of agricultural crops, has caused the nitrate pollution in the (soil, water, and environment). They have caused a lot of damage to humans and animals. In this research, the nitrate accumulation in different kind of vegetables such as; green pepper, tomatoes, egg plants, watermelon, cucumber, and red pepper were observed in the suburbs of Mashhad, Neisabour, and Sabzevar cities. In some of these cities, the information forms of agronomical practices collected were such as; different vegetable crops fertilizer recommendations, varieties, pesticides, irrigation schedules, etc., which were filled out by some of our colleagues in the research areas mentioned above. Analysis of the samples was sent to the soil and water laboratory in our department in Mashhad. The final results from the chemical analysis of samples showed that the mean levels of nitrates from the samples of the fruit crops in the mentioned cities above were all lower than the critical levels. These fruit crop samples were in the order of: 35.91, 8.47, 24.81, 6.03, 46.43, 2.06 mg/kg dry matter, for the following crops such as; tomato, cucumber, eggplant, watermelon, green pepper, and red pepper. Even though, this study was conducted with limited samples and by considering the mean levels, the use of these crops from the nutritional point of view will not cause the poisoning of humans.

Keywords: environmental pollution, human health, nitrate accumulations, nitrate fertilizers

Procedia PDF Downloads 232

Authors: Sontana Mimapan, Phattarawadee Wattanasuntorn, Phanom Saijit

Abstract:

Aflatoxin contamination in maize, one of several agriculture crops grown for livestock feeding, is still a problem throughout the world mainly under hot and humid weather conditions like Thailand. In this study Aspergillus flavus (A. Flavus), the key fungus for aflatoxin production especially aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), isolated from naturally infected maize were identified and characterized according to colony morphology and PCR using ITS, Beta-tubulin and calmodulin genes. The strains were analysed for the presence of four aflatoxigenic biosynthesis genes in relation to their capability to produce AFB1, Ver1, Omt1, Nor1, and aflR. Aflatoxin production was then confirmed using immunoaffinity column technique. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was applied as an innovative technique for rapid detection of target nucleic acid. The reaction condition was optimized at 65C for 60 min. and calcein flurescent reagent was added before amplification. The LAMP results showed clear differences between positive and negative reactions in end point analysis under daylight and UV light by the naked eye. In daylight, the samples with AFB1 producing A. Flavus genes developed a yellow to green color, but those without the genes retained the orange color. When excited with UV light, the positive samples become visible by bright green fluorescence. LAMP reactions were positive after addition of purified target DNA until dilutions of 10⁻⁶. The reaction products were then confirmed and visualized with 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. In this regards, 50 maize samples were collected from dairy farms and tested for the presence of four aflatoxigenic biosynthesis genes using LAMP technique. The results were positive in 18 samples (36%) but negative in 32 samples (64%). All of the samples were rechecked by PCR and the results were the same as LAMP, indicating 100% specificity. Additionally, when compared with the immunoaffinity column-based aflatoxin analysis, there was a significant correlation between LAMP results and aflatoxin analysis (r= 0.83, P < 0.05) which suggested that positive maize samples were likely to be a high- risk feed. In conclusion, the LAMP developed in this study can provide a simple and rapid approach for detecting AFB1 producing A. Flavus genes from maize and appeared to be a promising tool for the prediction of potential aflatoxigenic risk in livestock feedings.

Keywords: Aflatoxin B1, Aspergillus flavus genes, maize, loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Procedia PDF Downloads 221

Authors: Marcel Ciesla, Victoria Oberascher, Sven Eder, Stefan Kirchweger, Wolfgang E. Baaske, Gerald Ostermayer

Abstract:

The omnipresent trend towards sustainable mobility is a major challenge, especially for commuters in rural areas. The use of micro public transport systems is expected to significantly reduce pollutant emissions, as several commuters travel the first mile together with a single pick-up bus instead of their own car. In this paper, different aspects of such a micro public transport system are analyzed. The main findings of the investigations should be how the travel times of commuters change and how many CO₂ emissions can be saved if some of the commuters use public transport instead of their own vehicle.

Keywords: micro public transport, green transportation, sustainable mobility, low-emission commuting

Procedia PDF Downloads 448

Authors: Benedicte Madon, Marion Pillet, Justine Castrec, Quentin Fonatine, Pierre Lejeune, Michel Marengo, Helene Thomas

Abstract:

Biodiversity in port ecosystems faces many anthropic pressures from port activities. The maritime industry and port areas have been under scrutiny regarding their environmental impacts. In the port value chain, port managers need to implement actions to fulfil environmental certifications and European Directive requirements. This paper seeks to highlight the lessons learned and opportunities through the QUAMPO project to move towards port biodiversity restoration in Corsica using innovative biomonitoring in the goal of obtaining green certification.

Keywords: biomonitoring, port, water quality, invertebrate, corsica, biomarker, trace elements, HAP, PCB, certification

Procedia PDF Downloads 103

Authors: Justus Enninga

Abstract:

Enthusiasts and skeptics about economic growth have not much in common in their preference for institutional arrangements that solve ecological conflicts. This paper argues that agreement between both opposing schools can be found in the Bloomington Schools’ concept of polycentricity. Growth-enthusiasts who will be referred to as Simons after the economist Julian Simon and growth-skeptics named Ehrlichs after the ecologist Paul R. Ehrlich both profit from a governance structure where many officials and decision structures are assigned limited and relatively autonomous prerogatives to determine, enforce and alter legal relationships. The paper advances this argument in four steps. First, it will provide clarification of what Simons and Ehrlichs mean when they talk about growth and what the arguments for and against growth-enhancing or degrowth policies are for them and for the other site. Secondly, the paper advances the concept of polycentricity as first introduced by Michael Polanyi and later refined to the study of governance by the Bloomington School of institutional analysis around the Nobel Prize laureate Elinor Ostrom. The Bloomington School defines polycentricity as a non-hierarchical, institutional, and cultural framework that makes possible the coexistence of multiple centers of decision making with different objectives and values, that sets the stage for an evolutionary competition between the complementary ideas and methods of those different decision centers. In the third and fourth parts, it is shown how the concept of polycentricity is of crucial importance for growth-enthusiasts and growth-skeptics alike. The shorter third part demonstrates the literature on growth-enhancing policies and argues that large parts of the literature already accept that polycentric forms of governance like markets, the rule of law and federalism are an important part of economic growth. Part four delves into the more nuanced question of how a stagnant steady-state economy or even an economy that de-grows will still find polycentric governance desirable. While the majority of degrowth proposals follow a top-down approach by requiring direct governmental control, a contrasting bottom-up approach is advanced. A decentralized, polycentric approach is desirable because it allows for the utilization of tacit information dispersed in society and an institutionalized discovery process for new solutions to the problem of ecological collective action – no matter whether you belong to the Simons or Ehrlichs in a green political economy.

Keywords: degrowth, green political theory, polycentricity, institutional robustness

Procedia PDF Downloads 165

Authors: Kriti Jain, Sucha Singh Gill

Abstract:

Subsidies have been a major part of agricultural policies around the world, and more extensively since the green revolution in developing countries, for the sake of attaining higher agricultural productivity and achieving food security. But entrenched subsidies lead to distorted incentives and promote inefficiencies in the agricultural sector, threatening the viability of these very subsidies and sustainability of the agricultural production systems, posing a threat to the livelihood of farmers and laborers dependent on it. This paper analyzes the economic and ecological sustainability implications of prolonged input and output subsidies in agriculture by studying the case of Indian Punjab, an agriculturally developed state responsible for ensuring food security in the country when it was facing a major food crisis. The paper focuses specifically on the environmentally unsustainable cropping pattern changes as a result of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and assured procurement and on the resource use efficiency and cost implications of power subsidy for irrigation in Punjab. The study is based on an analysis of both secondary and primary data sources. Using secondary data, a time series analysis was done to capture the changes in Punjab’s cropping pattern, water table depth, fertilizer consumption, and electrification of agriculture. This has been done to examine the role of price and output support adopted to encourage the adoption of green revolution technology in changing the cropping structure of the state, resulting in increased input use intensities (especially groundwater and fertilizers), which harms the ecological balance and decreases factor productivity. Evaluation of electrification of Punjab agriculture helped evaluate the trend in electricity productivity of agriculture and how free power imposed further pressure on the extant agricultural ecosystem. Using data collected from a primary survey of 320 farmers in Punjab, the extent of wasteful application of groundwater irrigation, water productivity of output, electricity usage, and cost of irrigation driven electricity subsidy to the exchequer were estimated for the dominant cropping pattern amongst farmers. The main findings of the study revealed how because of a subsidy has driven agricultural framework, Punjab has lost area under agro climatically suitable and staple crops and moved towards a paddy-wheat cropping system, that is gnawing away the state’s natural resources like water table has been declining at a significant rate of 25 cms per year since 1975-76, and excessive and imbalanced fertilizer usage has led to declining soil fertility in the state. With electricity-driven tubewells as the major source of irrigation within a regime of free electricity and water-intensive crop cultivation, there is both wasteful application of irrigation water and electricity in the cultivation of paddy crops, burning an unproductive hole in the exchequer’s pocket. There is limited access to both agricultural extension services and water-conserving technology, along with policy imbalance, keeping farmers in an intensive and unsustainable production system. Punjab agriculture is witnessing diminishing returns to factor, which under the business-as-usual scenario, will soon enter the phase of negative returns to factor.

Keywords: cropping pattern, electrification, subsidy, sustainability

Procedia PDF Downloads 168

Authors: Abdullah Al Mohiuddin

Abstract:

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world, and ranks low on almost all measures of economic development, thus leaving the population extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and climate events. 20% of GDP come from agriculture but more than 60% of the population relies on agriculture as their main source of income making the entire economy vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. High population density exacerbates the exposure to and effect of climate events, and increases the levels of vulnerability, as does the poor institutional development of the country. The most vulnerable sectors to climate change impacts in Bangladesh are agriculture, coastal zones, water resources, forestry, fishery, health, biomass, and energy. High temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity and fairly marked seasonal variations characterize the climate in Bangladesh: Mild winter, hot humid summer and humid, warm rainy monsoon. Much of the country is flooded during the summer monsoon. The Department of Environment (DOE) under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) is the focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and coordinates climate related activities in the country. Recently, a Climate Change Cell (CCC) has been established to address several issues including adaptation to climate change. The climate change focus started with The National Environmental Management Action Plan (NEMAP) which was prepared in 1995 in order to initiate the process to address environmental and climate change issues as long-term environmental problems for Bangladesh. Bangladesh was one of the first countries to finalise a NAPA (Preparation of a National Adaptation Plan of Action) which addresses climate change issues. The NAPA was completed in 2005, and is the first official initiative for mainstreaming adaptation to national policies and actions to cope with climate change and vulnerability. The NAPA suggests a number of adaptation strategies, for example: - Providing drinking water to coastal communities to fight the enhanced salinity caused by sea level rise, - Integrating climate change in planning and design of infrastructure, - Including climate change issues in education, - Supporting adaptation of agricultural systems to new weather extremes, - Mainstreaming CCA into policies and programmes in different sectors, e.g. disaster management, water and health, - Dissemination of CCA information and awareness raising on enhanced climate disasters, especially in vulnerable communities. Bangladesh has geared up its environment conservation steps to save the world’s poorest countries from the adverse effects of global warming. Now it is turning towards green economy policies to save the degrading ecosystem. Bangladesh is a developing country and always fights against Natural Disaster. At the same time we also fight for establishing ecological environment through promoting Green Economy/Energy by Youth Networking. ANTAR is coordinating a big Youth Network in the southern part of Bangladesh where 30 Youth group involved. It can be explained as the economic development based on sustainable development which generates growth and improvement in human’s lives while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Green economy in Bangladesh promotes three bottom lines – sustaining economic, environment and social well-being.

Keywords: resilience, networking, mobilizing, resource

Procedia PDF Downloads 293

Authors: Andreia Garrido, Artur Conde, Ana Cunha, Ric De Vos

Abstract:

Climate changes predictions point to increases in abiotic stress for crop plants in Portugal, like pronounced temperature variation and decreased precipitation, which will have negative impact on grapevine physiology and consequently, on grape berry and wine quality. Short-term mitigation strategies have, therefore, been implemented to alleviate the impacts caused by adverse climatic periods. These strategies include foliar application of kaolin, an inert mineral, which has radiation reflection proprieties that decreases stress from excessive heat/radiation absorbed by its leaves, as well as smart irrigation strategies to avoid water stress. However, little is known about the influence of these mitigation measures on grape berries, neither on the photosynthetic activity nor on the photosynthesis-related metabolic profiles of its various tissues. Moreover, the role of fruit photosynthesis on berry quality is poorly understood. The main objective of our work was to assess the effects of kaolin and irrigation treatments on the photosynthetic activity of grape berry tissues (exocarp and seeds) and on their global metabolic profile, also investigating their possible relationship. We therefore collected berries of field-grown plants of the white grape variety Alvarinho from two distinct microclimates, i.e. from clusters exposed to high light (HL, 150 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹) and low light (LL, 50 µmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹), from both kaolin and non-kaolin (control) treated plants at three fruit developmental stages (green, véraison and mature). Plant irrigation was applied after harvesting the green berries, which also enabled comparison of véraison and mature berries from irrigated and non-irrigated growth conditions. Photosynthesis was assessed by pulse amplitude modulated chlorophyll fluorescence imaging analysis, and the metabolite profile of both tissues was assessed by complementary metabolomics approaches. Foliar kaolin application resulted in, for instance, an increased photosynthetic activity of the exocarp of LL-grown berries at green developmental stage, as compared to the control non-kaolin treatment, with a concomitant increase in the levels of several lipid-soluble isoprenoids (chlorophylls, carotenoids, and tocopherols). The exocarp of mature berries grown at HL microclimate on kaolin-sprayed non-irrigated plants had higher total sugar levels content than all other treatments, suggesting that foliar application of this mineral results in an increased accumulation of photoassimilates in mature berries. Unbiased liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based profiling of semi-polar compounds followed by ASCA (ANOVA simultaneous component analysis) and ANOVA statistical analysis indicated that kaolin had no or inconsistent effect on the flavonoid and phenylpropanoid composition in both seed and exocarp at any developmental stage; in contrast, both microclimate and irrigation influenced the level of several of these compounds depending on berry ripening stage. Overall, our study provides more insight into the effects of mitigation strategies on berry tissue photosynthesis and phytochemistry, under contrasting conditions of cluster light microclimate. We hope that this may contribute to develop sustainable management in vineyards and to maintain grape berries and wines with high quality even at increasing abiotic stress challenges.

Keywords: climate change, grape berry tissues, metabolomics, mitigation strategies

Procedia PDF Downloads 95

Authors: Rose Vanessa Bandeira Reidel, Bernardo Melai, Pier Luigi Cioni, Luisa Pistelli

Abstract:

Ziziphus jujuba Miller is a common species of the Ziziphus genus (Rhamnaceae family) native to the tropics and subtropics known for its edible fruits, fresh consumed or used in healthy food, as flavoring and sweetener. Many phytochemicals and biological activities are described for this species. In this work, the aroma profiles emitted in vivo by whole fresh organs (leaf, bud flower, flower, green and red fruits) were analyzed separately by mean of solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The emitted volatiles from different plant parts were analysed using Supelco SPME device coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, 100µm). Fresh plant material was introduced separately into a glass conical flask and allowed to equilibrate for 20 min. After the equilibration time, the fibre was exposed to the headspace for 15 min at room temperature, the fibre was re-inserted into the needle and transferred to the injector of the CG and CG-MS system, where the fibre was desorbed. All the data were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis, evidencing many differences amongst the selected plant parts and their developmental stages. A total of 144 compounds were identified corresponding to 94.6-99.4% of the whole aroma profile of jujube samples. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were the main chemical class of compounds in leaves also present in similar percentage in flowers and bud flowers where (E, E)-α-farnesene was the main constituent in all cited plant parts. This behavior can be due to a protection mechanism against pathogens and herbivores as well as resistance to abiotic factors. The aroma of green fruits was characterized by high amount of perillene while the red fruits release a volatile blend mainly constituted by different monoterpenes. The terpenoid emission of flesh fruits has important function in the interaction with animals including attraction of seed dispersers and it is related to a good quality of fruits. This study provides for the first time the chemical composition of the volatile emission from different Ziziphus jujuba organs. The SPME analyses of the collected samples showed different patterns of emission and can contribute to understand their ecological interactions and fruit production management.

Keywords: Rhamnaceae, aroma profile, jujube organs, HS-SPME, GC-MS

Procedia PDF Downloads 234

Authors: Nwachukwu Ihiejeto Celestine

Abstract:

Rural poverty in Nigeria has been the bake of the society. It has been a canker worm which has eaten deep into the fabric of Nigerian society. Different models and principles have been applied to eradicate it, such as operation feed the nation, green revolution, NAPEP etc. Little or nothing has been done in the area of entrepreneurship education to tame this monster. It is based on this that the author wants to x-ray the role entrepreneurship education which studies “the process of identifying, bringing a vision to life” could play in the eradication of rural poverty in Nigeria. This will go along in providing appropriate principles for poverty alleviation and eradication in Nigeria. Some selected states in the eastern Geo-political region could be x-rayed in this circumstance. It is hoped that policy makers etc will find the work cogent in formulating and implementing policy decisions.

Keywords: poverty, entrepreneurship, education, Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 453

Authors: O. E. Akinyemi, P. O. Alege, O. O. Ajayi, L. A. Amaghionyediwe, A. A. Ogundipe

Abstract:

Nigeria as an oil-producing developing country in Africa is one of the many countries that had been subsidizing consumption of fossil fuel. Despite the numerous advantage of this policy ranging from increased energy access, fostering economic and industrial development, protecting the poor households from oil price shocks, political considerations, among others; they have been found to impose economic cost, wasteful, inefficient, create price distortions discourage investment in the energy sector and contribute to environmental pollution. These negative consequences coupled with the fact that the policy had not been very successful at achieving some of its stated objectives, led to a number of organisations and countries such as the Group of 7 (G7), World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Energy Agency (IEA), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others call for global effort towards reforming fossil fuel subsidies. This call became necessary in view of seeking ways to harmonise certain existing policies which may by design hamper current effort at tackling environmental concerns such as climate change. This is in addition to driving a green growth strategy and low carbon development in achieving sustainable development. The energy sector is identified to play a vital role. This study thus investigates the prospects of using fuel subsidy reform as a viable tool in driving an economy that de-emphasizes carbon growth in Nigeria. The method used is the Johansen and Engle-Granger two-step Co-integration procedure in order to investigate the existence or otherwise of a long-run equilibrium relationship for the period 1971 to 2011. Its theoretical framework is rooted in the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) hypothesis. In developing three case scenarios (case of subsidy payment, no subsidy payment and effective subsidy), findings from the study supported evidence of a long run sustainable equilibrium model. Also, estimation results reflected that the first and the second scenario do not significantly influence the indicator of environmental quality. The implication of this is that in reforming fuel subsidy to drive environmental quality for an economy like Nigeria, strong and effective regulatory framework (measure that was interacted with fuel subsidy to yield effective subsidy) is essential.

Keywords: environmental quality, fuel subsidy, green growth, low carbon growth strategy

Procedia PDF Downloads 306

Authors: Kali Prasad Sarma, Sanghita Dutta

Abstract:

Deepor Beel (DB), the lone Ramsar site and an important wetland of the Brahmaputra valley in the state of Assam. The local people from fourteen peripheral villages traditionally utilize the wetland for harvesting vegetables, flowers, aquatic seeds, medicinal plants, fish, molluscs, fodder for domestic cattle etc. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the concentration and distribution of trace metals in water-sediment system of the beel in order to protect its ecological environment. DB lies between26°05′26′′N to 26°09′26′′N latitudes and 90°36′39′′E to 91°41′25′′E longitudes. Water samples from the surface layer of water up to 40cm deep and sediment samples from the top 5cm layer of surface sediments were collected. The trace metals in waters and sediments were analysed using ICP-OES. The organic Carbon was analysed using the TOC analyser. The different mineral present in the sediments were confirmed by X-ray diffraction method (XRD). SEM images were recorded for the samples using SEM, attached with energy dispersive X-ray unit, with an accelerating voltage of 20 kv. All the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS20.0 for windows. In the present research, distribution, source apportionment, temporal and spatial variability, extent of pollution and the ecological risk of eight toxic trace metals in sediments and water of DB were investigated. The average concentrations of chromium(Cr) (both the seasons), copper(Cu) and lead(Pb) (pre-monsoon) and zinc(Zn) and cadmium(Cd) (post-monsoon) in sediments were higher than the consensus based threshold concentration(TEC). The persistent exposure of toxic trace metals in sediments pose a potential threat, especially to sediment dwelling organisms. The degree of pollution in DB sediments for Pb, Cobalt (Co) Zn, Cd, Cr, Cu and arsenic (As) was assessed using Enrichment Factor (EF), Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and Pollution Load Index (PLI). The results indicated that contamination of surface sediments in DB is dominated by Pb and Cd and to a lesser extent by Co, Fe, Cu, Cr, As and Zn. A significant positive correlation among the pairs of element Co/Fe, Zn/As in water, and Cr/Zn, Fe/As in sediments indicates similar source of origin of these metals. The effects of interaction among trace metals between water and sediments shows significant variations (F =94.02, P < 0.001), suggesting maximum mobility of trace metals in DB sediments and water. The source apportionment of the heavy metals was carried out using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). SEM-EDS detects the presence of Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, As and Fe in the sediment sample. The average concentration of Cd, Zn, Pb and As in the bed sediments of DB are found to be higher than the crustal abundance. The EF values indicate that Cd and Pb are significantly enriched. From source apportionment studies of the eight metals using PCA revealed that Cd was anthropogenic in origin; Pb, As, Cr, and Zn had mixed sources; whereas Co, Cu and Fe were natural in origin.

Keywords: Deepor Beel, enrichment factor, principal component analysis, trace metals

Procedia PDF Downloads 274