Ecocycles (E-Journal - European Ecocycles Society)
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The contamination of bottom sediments in the Southern Baltic with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Full text linkThe study involved a comparative analysis of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) concentrations in the bottom sediments of the southern part of the Baltic Sea. It was determined that the contamination of sediments with PAHs is considerable (>500 ng/g), with the predominance of pyrogenic PAHs. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons become deposited mainly in anaerobic or extremely anaerobic areas, with a large proportion of the <0.063 mm fraction and a sizeable content of organic matter. In the studied regions, the contamination of sediments was the consequence of anthropogenic activity
On ecocycles and circular economy
Full text linkThis Note briefly discusses the importance of natural and technological zero-waste processes and the links connecting ecocycles and the new concept of circular economy
Nutrient supply of plants in aquaponic systems
Full text linkIn this preliminary article we present data on plant nutrient concentrations in aquaponic systems, and compare them to nutrient concentrations in “standard” hydroponic solutions. Our data shows that the nutrient concentrations supplied by the fish in aquaponic system are significantly lower for most nutrients, compared to hydroponic systems. Nevertheless, plants do thrive in solutions that have lower nutrient levels than “standard” hydroponic solutions. This is especially true for green leafy vegetables that rarely need additional nutritional supplementation. It is concluded that in the highly complex system of aquaponics, special care has to be taken, via continuous monitoring of the chemical composition of the circulating water, to provide adequate concentrations and ratios of nutrients, and special attention has to be paid to the potentially toxic component, ammonium. If certain plants require nutrient supplementation, we consider that one based on organic substances would be most beneficial. However, protocols for the application of such nutrient amendments still need to be developed
Cultural aspects of sustainability challenges of island-like territories: case study of Macau, China
Full text linkSustainability challenges and reactions are not new in the history of human communities but there is a substantial difference between the earlier periods and the present situation: in the earlier periods of human history sustainability depended on the geographic situation and natural resources, today the economic performance and competitiveness are determinative instead of the earlier factors. Economic, social and environmental situations that seem unsustainable could be manageable well if a given land or territory finds that market niche where it could operate successfully, could generate new diversification paths and could create products and services that are interesting and marketable for the outside world. This article is focusing on the sustainability challenges of Macau, China. The case study shows how this special, island-like territory tries to find balance between the economic, social and environmental processes, the management of the present cultural supply and the way that Macau creates new cultural products and services that could be competitive factors in the next years
On the sustainability of aquaponics
Full text linkAquaponics is an evolving closed-system food production technology that integrates recirculating aquaculture with hydroponics. In this paper we give a brief literature overview of the sustainability aspects of aquaponics by discussing its social, environmental, and economic impacts in different potential settings. The technology might be applied to commercial or community based urban food production, industrial scale production in rural areas, small scale farming in developing countries or as systems for education and decoration inside buildings. We conclude that due to the different potential applications and settings for installing the technology, sustainability impacts need to be considered separately and that due the complexity within markets, value chains, communities, urban and rural infrastructure and policy settings, further research and data acquisition is needed to be able to assess all sustainability aspects
On glyphosate
Full text linkThis Editorial briefly discusses the current issues surrounding glyphosate - the most controversial pesticide active ingredient of our time. The paper pays special attention to the effects of glyphosate on plant-pathogen interactions
Chemical plant protection. Past. Present. Future?
Full text linkAfter the discovery (1938) and huge commercial and popular success of the insecticide DDT (Figure 1, Nobel Prize for its discoverer Paul Müller in 1948) a number of chemical companies started to develop new pesticide active ingredients. The demand for such chemicals was high: they were inexpensive and highly efficient replacements for earlier labor-intensive crop protection practices. As a result, the number of newly developed pesticides increased continuously and their use spread out to almost all areas of human activities from household crop production to households, forestry, food storage, etc
Corporate social responsibility in hotel industry - environmental implications
Full text linkThe first objective of this article is to describe the fundamental aspects of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The second goal is to present the activities, or the so-called good practices that hotels may take up and which are in tandem with the idea of CSR. The good practices will be described on the example of Polish hotel group and two hotels active on the Polish market, especially in Krakow. The article outlines possible benefits resulting from the implementation of CSR principles into the hotel strategy
Big Data and its impact on agriculture
Full text linkThis Viewpoint article will discuss the roles the Big Data phenomenon may play in key issues related to agriculture, food production, and environment. The author contributed to Oracle’s strategic White Paper document on the applicability of Big Data in agriculture [1] and in this paper he summarizes some of its key elements
Enhanced biohydrogen production from oat straw co-digested with cow dung / sewage sludge by combined aerobic digestion and anaerobic fermentation
Full text linkHydrogen was produced from oat straw by combined aerobic and anaerobic fermentation with fungi and cow dung. With aerobic pre-digestion, the maximum hydrogen production rate reached 133 ml/g volatile suspended solids per hour. The maximum hydrogen yield was 71.5 ml/g straw in 6 days by biological process. The lignocellulosic conversion of oak-straw waste was 39%, with the complex component converting 68% of the hemi-cellulose and 61% of the cellulose, but only 34% of lignin conversion. Aerobic pre-digestion by Trichoderma viride and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was significantly effective for lignin degradation. Combining aerobic digestion and anaerobic fermentation is a promising low-cost efficient and environmentally friendly method, not only for hydrogen production, but also for converting straw biomass