Biofuels from micro-organisms: Thermodynamic analysis of sustainability

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

The Arrow of the Law in Modern Administrative States: Using Complexity Theory to Reveal the Diminishing Returns and Increasing Risks the Burgeoning of Law Poses to Society

This article is the third in my series of articles exploring the application of complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory to legal systems. Building on the model outlined in the first two installments (in the Duke and Vanderbilt law reviews), this work examines the arrow or direction of the legal system in the context of the administrative state. Drawing from diverse work such as Burke\u27s study of history\u27s nonlinearity and Tainter\u27s classic study of the collapse of complex civilizations, we argue that the administrative state is becoming too resource intensive and burdened by a proliferation of rules

Sustainable production, allocation and consumption: creating steady-state economic structures in industrial ecology

Industrial Ecology is an application of environmental management transcending the boundary of the individual firm. By comparing industrial systems to natural ecosystems, Industrial Ecology aims to emulate the sustainable state of the latter. Although research is flourishing, there are only very limited examples of Industrial Ecology in practice. Its proposed end state of a sustainable economic system is encapsulated in Thomas Graedel's "type III" system, where all ecosystem components live on their exchange products, and the whole system runs exclusively on solar radiation as its source of energy.This doctoral thesis is conceived from the recognition that the idea of Industrial Ecology at present is in conflict with the applications of it, and the field thus needs to be grounded in a solid body of theory. Therefore, this thesis examines for the first time the soundness of ideas and current practice of Industrial Ecology in the context of the fields of science concerned:Ecological economics has the purpose of understanding the relationship between ecological and economic systems. It is the recognition of the biophysical limits to economic activity that is applied to Industrial Ecology in this thesis. The aim of embedding the economic system into the natural system that ecological economics and Industrial Ecology have in common is examined in the light of research in theoretical ecology, understanding the dynamics of ecosystem development. The consequences for industrial ecological systems lie in the insight that food chains are merely the expression of underlying energetic relationships, and it is the latter that drive an ecosystem in its development towards a mature and stable state.stable state. As Industrial Ecology's method is to compare economic systems to natural systems, the soundness of this method needs to be ascertained. The translation of ideas from one area to another constitutes a use of metaphor, and it is in the valid transfer of ideas that Industrial Ecology has its merit. Consequently, a chapter of the thesis investigates the transfer of ideas in the context of Industrial Ecology. In a final analytical chapter, the idea of Industrial Ecology is compared to the realities of the current system of international business enterprise. By examining this system and the role of competition within it, both in its ecological and economic consequences, the conclusion is arrived at that Industrial Ecology constitutes a step away from an individualistic perspective in business management, and is therefore not directly and widely applicable in the current system.Building on these insights, the final chapter proposes a reconceptualisation and reembedding of Industrial Ecology. This is thought to be achieved by incorporating the cyclical ecosystem perspective into industrial ecological development. Further, it is shown that this development can be encouraged by government initiatives such as the implementation of an ecological tax reform

Multidisciplinary approach for the sustainable utilization of medium-low temperature geothermal resources

A growing interest in the applications of the medium-low temperature geothermal resources can be observed, but often a reference frame in this field does not exist. Different backgrounds are involved in the design and optimization of geothermal projects: Earth Sciences, Engineering, Economics, Environmental Impact. In the practice one aspect often tends to take priority on the others. In this work firstly the elements for a methodological interdisciplinary framework for geothermal projects analysis are given. A clear frame of the state of the art and possible technical-scientific developments are illustrated. The necessity of an "integrated" interdisciplinary approach is underlined, with reference to several case studies. The geothermal potential evaluation tasks and methods are illustrated, and some outlines for an assessment oriented to the resource utilization are described. The sustainability of geothermal projects is analysed under different perspectives and criteria. The main technological issues of geothermal binary cycle power plants are discussed (mainly for small power size), together with technological solutions. The concept of upper limit to the extraction rate is introduced, with reference to an equilibrium point between power production and resource depletion. Direct heat uses are also briefly described and the common issues related to environmental impact and resource durability are then discussed, with a particular focus on the scaling phenomena and the reinjection strategy. An innovative solution for geothermal power production (SBES) is described: the application of the heat pipe principle, in the CLTPT concept, for power production purposes is proposed. The numerical simulation of geothermal reservoirs is an important instrument for the synthesis between the different backgrounds involved in the geothermal energy study. General aspects and its potentialities (historical data matching and forecast of future utilization scenarios) are illustrated. Several numerical models from scientific literature are reviewed (about 21 geothermal fields and related 24 numerical models). The reservoir models of Momotombo (Nicaragua) and Sabalan (Iran) have been realised from literature data and widely discussed. One original model, Monterotondo Marittimo - Torrente Milia (Italy) has been realised in a very multidisciplinary framework and it is also presented. Different utilization scenarios for the case studies are analysed and their sustainability level is discussed. A purely economic approach is considered to be counter-productive for geothermal utilizations, so the thermoeconomic analysis is here applied to geothermal power plants. Momotombo case study and other small size power plants are analysed in order to estimate their thermoeconomic sustainability (exergy balances and cost items are evaluated). The current Italian geothermal energy market situation is briefly described, in relation to the ORC technology diffusion. The small size plants technological and environmental issues treated in this work are then linked to the current way of diffusion in the Italian market. The outlines coming from the global work of analysis are organised in order to give the main features of the proposed methodological approach. The multidisciplinary perspective is reviewed and extended in order to optimize the sustainability of the projects (environmental impact reduction, resource durability)

Rapid evolution of aerosol particles and their optical properties downwind of wildfires in the western US

During the first phase of the Biomass Burn Operational Project (BBOP) field campaign, conducted in the Pacific Northwest, the DOE G-1 aircraft was used to follow the time evolution of wildfire smoke from near the point of emission to locations 2-3.5 h downwind. In nine flights we made repeated transects of wildfire plumes at varying downwind distances and could thereby follow the plume\u27s time evolution. On average there was little change in dilution-normalized aerosol mass concentration as a function of downwind distance. This consistency hides a dynamic system in which primary aerosol particles are evaporating and secondary ones condensing. Organic aerosol is oxidized as a result. On all transects more than 90 % of aerosol is organic. In freshly emitted smoke aerosol, NH+4 is approximately equivalent to NO3. After 2 h of daytime aging, NH+4 increased and is approximately equivalent to the sum of Cl, SO24, and NO3. Particle size increased with downwind distance, causing particles to be more efficient scatters. Averaged over nine flights, mass scattering efficiency (MSE) increased in ∼ 2 h by 56 % and doubled in one flight. Mechanisms for redistributing mass from small to large particles are discussed. Coagulation is effective at moving aerosol from the Aitken to accumulation modes but yields only a minor increase in MSE. As absorption remained nearly constant with age, the time evolution of single scatter albedo was controlled by age-dependent scattering. Near-fire aerosol had a single scatter albedo (SSA) of 0.8-0.9. After 1 to 2 h of aging SSAs were typically 0.9 and greater. Assuming global-average surface and atmospheric conditions, the observed age dependence in SSA would change the direct radiative effect of a wildfire plume from near zero near the fire to a cooling effect downwind

A methodological approach on the procedural effectiveness of EIA: the case of Sardinia

Abstract The evaluation of environmental effects of the projects is nowadays an essential element to consent to their realization. For this reason, since 1985, the authorization procedure for Environmental Impact Assessment has been activated in Europe. The main aim of the article is to explore the case study of Sardinia, illustrating a methodology that allows the collection and analysis of information related to regional EIA procedures in Italy. The need to collect useful data to build a state of art of EIA arises from the absence of general statistics and official data collections. Through this research, the article provides an overview of Sardinia practice on EIA to date. Moreover, starting from an overview on the effectiveness of the EIA, the article, debating the case study, introduces some evaluations about local and general problems of the process linked to this topic

Dissipative, Entropy-Production Systems across Condensed Matter and Interdisciplinary Classical VS. Quantum Physics

The thematic range of this book is wide and can loosely be described as polydispersive. Figuratively, it resembles a polynuclear path of yielding (poly)crystals. Such path can be taken when looking at it from the first side. However, a closer inspection of the book’s contents gives rise to a much more monodispersive/single-crystal and compacted (than crudely expected) picture of the book’s contents presented to a potential reader. Namely, all contributions collected can be united under the common denominator of maximum-entropy and entropy production principles experienced by both classical and quantum systems in (non)equilibrium conditions. The proposed order of presenting the material commences with properly subordinated classical systems (seven contributions) and ends up with three remaining quantum systems, presented by the chapters’ authors. The overarching editorial makes the presentation of the wide-range material self-contained and compact, irrespective of whether comprehending it from classical or quantum physical viewpoints

The Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, volume 1

These papers comprise a peer-review selection of presentations by authors from NASA, LPI industry, and academia at the Second Conference (April 1988) on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, sponsored by the NASA Office of Exploration and the Lunar Planetary Institute. These papers go into more technical depth than did those published from the first NASA-sponsored symposium on the topic, held in 1984. Session topics covered by this volume include (1) design and operation of transportation systems to, in orbit around, and on the Moon, (2) lunar base site selection, (3) design, architecture, construction, and operation of lunar bases and human habitats, and (4) lunar-based scientific research and experimentation in astronomy, exobiology, and lunar geology