1,720,965 research outputs found
Municipal solid waste management in Italian and Romanian tourist areas
No full textTourism is a great source of employment and income in the economies of
many regions, but also a source of environmental impacts. The main consequences
are the increase of generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and the effects in
their management. The tourist presence affects the territory in terms of amount
produced of MSW, but also of quality of Selective Collection (SC). In this paper
three case studies are analysed in order to see the possible criticality in waste
management about these areas and also taking into account strategies of energy
recovery from Residual Municipal Solid Waste (RMSW). The case studies concern a
tourist area in the North of Italy and one in the South of Italy, while another one in a
Romanian region. In the summer season (June-August) the increase in waste
production is clearly visible according to the Italian data. The opposite behaviour is
observed for percentage of SC. The tourists’ behaviour influences negatively the
SC's efficiency, above all in the South Italy case
Management of waste electric and electronic equipments in two EU countires: a comparison
No full textThe paper presents some data regarding waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) management in one of the founding countries of the EU, Italy, and in a recent entry into the EU, Romania. The aim of this research was to analyze some problems that countries entering the EU will have to solve with respect to WEEE management. The experiences of Italy and Romania could provide an interesting reference point. The strengths and weaknesses that the two EU countries have encountered can be
used in order to give a more rational plan for other countries. In Italy the increase of WEEE collection was achieved in parallel with the increase of the efficiency of selective Municipal Solid Waste
collection. In Romania, pilot experiences were useful to increase the awareness of the population. The different interests of the two populations towards recyclable waste led to a different scenario: in
Romania all types of WEEE have been collected since the entrance into the EU; in Italy the "interest" in recycling is typically related to large household appliances, with a secondary role of lighting equipment
Poultry manure gasification and its energy yield
No full textThe disposal of poultry manure is one of the main problems of the poultry sector. The results of some tests developed in a gasification pilot plant are presented in this paper. The aim was to preliminarily analyze the energy generation from poultry manure treated by gasification. The level of energy yields and the quantification of the produced syngas are also reported. The good results suggests an possible application at full scale
Noise and air pollution from urban traffic
No full textTogether with the atmospheric emission of pollutants, noise can affect the health of the population. In particular, urban traffic is important when considering population health, because of its proximity to the receptors. In comparison with other pollutants, the control of environmental noise has been hampered by insufficient knowledge of its effects on people and of dose-response relationships, as well as by a lack of defined criteria. Due to the high levels of external noise and interior noise, the difficulties are in communication and a series of nonspecific symptoms: irritability, headache, palpitations, sleep disorders, stress. Concerning air pollution, the health of the population is directly influenced by primary emissions or atmospheric transformation from motor vehicles. Few studies have characterized the spatial correlation between both factors, air pollutants and noise, thus this paper, based on urban noise measurements, presents preliminary data on noise levels in a European capital and a discussion where interactions with air quality are dealt with. Data demonstrates that the urban structure of the analysed city cannot guarantee an adequate protection of the population against noise, because of the interactions between neighbouring areas
Modelling for use of water in agricolture
No full textThe present paper examines and evaluates the results of a survey carried out to define the criteria for restoring the surface water of the karstic stream “Gravina” (Southern-Italy). The stream runs through a watershed including several agricultural areas. The stream shows an environmental heterogeneity which is of great value to the conservation of biodiversity. The analysis supports a more general water pollution control strategy aimed at safeguarding natural water quality in the urbanized watershed with the aim, also, to reuse partially the water in agriculture. The methodology was based on the surface water sampling, quality parameter analysis and simulation by modelling. The variation and compatibility of wastewater discharge and water stream quality were verified by using a model available in literature in function of biodegradable pollutant load and dissolved oxygen. Several scenarios based on the fixed yield of treatment plants were examined
Maintenance strategies and local impact of MSW incinerators
No full textThe present paper gives a contribution to the understanding of the effects of variations in maintenance scheduling on the environmental impact of municipal solid waste incinerators. The proposed approach allows a vision of their impact
beyond the conventional balances. The characteristics of a selected case study were put forward and discussed. A plant proposed for a region in the North East of Italy was chosen for the scheduling effects analysis because of the long period
of non-operation of each waste treatment line: 3 months per year as requested from the local environmental protection agency. The following effects were discussed on a yearly basis: maintenance stop fractionation, maintenance stop
lasting, maintenance stop seasonal scheduling; the last aspect was discussed also at device level. The extreme scenario of seasonal stop gave the opportunity of
assessing the highest reduction of yearly average impact from the stack, varying the season of maintenance: a reduction up to 23% could be obtained for the pollutants concentration contribution at ground level in the area of highest impact, comparing the worst case with the best case by a diffusive model. In the case of more common periods of stops for maintenance the reduction would be lower. The role of district heating must be taken into account too
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Removal of Benzene from oil refinery wastewater treatment plant exchausted gases with a multi-stage biofiltration pilot plant
No full textBenzene removal from exhausted gases is a tricky issue and is usually carried out by the means of chemical processes. Such systems require reactants, produce waste and are energy demanding. Biological systems can be a cost-effective solution. The paper presents the results obtained in a multi-stage biological system for benzene and other aromatics removal from exhausted gases of a wastewater treatment plant working with oil refinery pavement wastewaters. The system, based on a bioscrubber, two biotrickling filters and one biofilter, obtained removal efficiencies always over the 70%, also giving good results with fluctuating inlet concentrations
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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