1,721,018 research outputs found
GIS based-model to locate and quantify agricultural wastes for sustainable building components: Plastic films and sheep wool fibers
No full textNowadays, the interest for environmental sustainability, energy, and efficiency constructions, generally known as Green Buildings, it is strongly increasing. Procedures adopted for Green Buildings are often based on both the reduction of environmental impact of buildings and the improvement of human and animal wellness. This study stems from the need to reuse agricultural wastes (AW) for producing sustainable materials to be used for the construction or renovation of rural buildings. Since a sustainable reuse of AW depends on their availability and geographical location, a methodology was put forward to locate and quantify the wastes considered in this research study i.e., plastic films used for protected crops and sheep wool. By using a Geographical Information System (GIS), land use analysis was carried out in an area with the highest concentration of protected crops in Italy (Ragusa province). A suitable index for computing Agricultural Plastic Wastes (APW) was chosen from literature. Furthermore, by using data supplied by National Zootechnical Registry, a dedicated GIS model was developed to localize and quantify sheep and breeder's sheep in Sicily. This first part of the research provides basic information useful for planning tailored collection centers as near as possible to those areas where these wastes are highly produced by minimizing the environmental impact due their localizatio
Natural fibers reinforcement for earthen building components: Mechanical performances of a low quality sheep wool (“Valle del Belice” sheep)
No full textThe paper proposes the use of Sheep wool fibers (SWF) deriving from the fleece of domestic sheep (“Valle del Belice” from Sicily) as reinforcement for rammed earth building components. Addition of natural fibers to the mix design of earth-based building materials allows to improve their tensile strength, ductility, impact resistance, toughness, and to reduce drying shrinkage. To this aim, an experimental campaign on more than 180 fibers has been carried out, determining the main mechanical properties of interest for their use as reinforcement. Since wool is highly hydrophilic, three different conditioning programs (wet, dry and an intermediate condition) were compared, in order to get useful information about the preservation of the mechanical properties in wet environments like those present in lime mixes. The dependency of the properties from the fibers’ diameter was investigated, and the results were statistically analyzed using a modified Weibull distribution as function of the fiber diameters, finding a strong correlation with the mechanical properties. The use of natural fibers as reinforcement could enhance the environmental sustainability of the building components, especially when natural fibers are obtained from agricultural wastes deriving from sheep of low-quality wool not used in the textile industry and that must be disposed of in landfills
From Field to Building: Harnessing Bio-Based Building Materials for a Circular Bioeconomy
Full text linkThe transition from a linear to circular economy is driving a growing emphasis on utilizing bio-based materials for bioenergy and construction purposes. This literature review seeks to offer a thorough bibliometric and critical analysis of bio-based building materials, particularly those that incorporate agricultural residues. A selection of pertinent articles was analyzed using text-mining techniques, revealing a substantial increase in research output on this topic, from 74 publications in 2000 to 1238 in 2023. Key areas such as sustainability, sources of bio-based materials, building applications, design and analysis, material properties, and processes have been extensively examined. The cluster "Sustainability" was the most frequently discussed topic, comprising 28.85% of the content, closely followed by "Building Materials and Techniques" at 28.07%. Given the critical role of life cycle assessment (LCA) in sustainability, an additional analysis was conducted focusing on existing research addressing this subject. The findings of this study are aimed at advancing the incorporation of waste-derived bio-based materials into a circular economy framework, thereby supporting the broader objectives of sustainability and resource efficiency
Covering plastic films in greenhouses system: A GIS-based model to improve post use suistainable management
Full text linkYearly, in Europe, more than 1 million tonnes of plastic materials are used in agricultural activities. Among the
possible applications, plastic films for protected cultivation practices are highly used worldwide because of the
significant advantage deriving from the shortening of the growing period. However, in the absence of a correct
policy disposal of plastic films, environmental degradation could take place with serious ecological and economic
consequences.
In this study, a geographical information system (GIS) - based model to locate and quantify the yearly amount
of agricultural plastic waste (APW) coming from crop-shelter coverage used in greenhouses system was put
forward and was applied in a study area located in southern Italy, highly characterised by protected cultivation
practices.
Firstly, the areas with the highest density of crop shelters were mapped, then a suitable index to determine
APW amount was computed and applied to obtain heat maps related to covering plastic films. Finally, sensitivity
analyses were carried out by varying thickness, lifetime, and density of the covering films of the greenhouses,
located in the considered samples. The index ranged between 976 kg ha� 1yr� 1and, 2484 kg ha� 1yr� 1.
The results showed that the density of greenhouses and tunnels-greenhouses is still elevated nearby the
coastline, highlighting that the guidelines of the territorial plan of the Province of Ragusa concerning the
displacement of protected crops from the coast to the internal rural areas were disregarded. Moreover, the GIS-
based model results could provide basic information for the analysis of the environmental impact due to
transportation of APW. Therefore, these results could offer a suitable tool to improve the correct disposal
management of covering plastic films and the related recycle policy
Sustainable Reuse of Traditional Rural Buildings: Review, Conceptual Framework, and Future Research Directions
No full textOrganized Framework of Main Possible Applications of Sheep Wool Fibers in Building Components
Full text linkGreasy sheep wool is currently considered a special waste for its high bacterial load, with expensive disposal costs for sheep breeders. For this reason, wool is often burned or buried, with serious consequences for the environment. On the other hand, sheep wool is well regarded as one of the most performative insulating natural fibers due to its thermo-hygrometric and acoustic properties. In the building sector, sheep wool meets the requirements of green building components because it is an eco-friendly material, there is a surplus of it, it is annually renewable, and totally recyclable. If used instead of common insulation materials (e.g., fiberglass, rock wool, polyurethane foam, polystyrene), sheep wool offers significant benefits for sustainability such as a reduction in the production costs for new insulating materials and in environmental pollution. Mechanical and physical properties of sheep wool investigated in previous studies were assessed and discussed with the aim of providing an organized framework of possible applications of wool fibers in building components. This paper highlights in detail aspects that have not yet been investigated enough to detect new potential uses of sheep wool fibers in rural buildings and the reuse of traditional ones
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
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
- …
