Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses in the European Context. Evaluation of relevant measures to support low-carbon mobility in the public transport sector

Goal and Background. Transport represents 27% of Europe's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. With the global shift towards a low-carbon economy, the EU set forth a lowemission mobility strategy with the aim of reducing the overall emissions in the transport sector. The High V.LO.-City project is part of this overarching strategy and addresses the integration of hydrogen fuel cell (H2FC) buses in the public transport. Methods. In this thesis, the environmental assessment of one H2FC bus and the related refuelling station is carried out using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, taking into account the following phases: (1) bus production, (2) hydrogen production pathways (water electrolysis, chlor-alkali electrolysis, and steam methane reforming), (3) hydrogen consumption during bus operation, and (4) the vehicles' end of life. The potential impacts are evaluated for magnitude and signi cance in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) phase, using Environmental Footprint (EF) method which is part of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method, established by the European Union (EU) in 2013. The calculated fuel economy is around 10.54 KgH2/100Km and the energy demand of a refuelling infrastructure may vary between 6 and 9 KWh/KgH2. Results. The results show that H2FC buses have the potential to reduce emissions during the use phase if renewables resources are used. The expected Global Warming Potential (GWP) bene t is about 85% in comparison to a diesel bus. Additionally, the emissions of the selected patterns of hydrogen production depend on how electricity is produced and on the chemical-based or fossil-based feedstocks used to drive the production process. Conclusions and Outlook. The improvement of the environmental pro le of hydrogen production requires to promote clean electricity sources to supply a low-carbon hydrogen and to sharpen policy focus with regard to life cycle management, and to counter potential setbacks, in particular those related to problem-shifting and to grid improvement

Emerging Informatics

The book on emerging informatics brings together the new concepts and applications that will help define and outline problem solving methods and features in designing business and human systems. It covers international aspects of information systems design in which many relevant technologies are introduced for the welfare of human and business systems. This initiative can be viewed as an emergent area of informatics that helps better conceptualise and design new world-class solutions. The book provides four flexible sections that accommodate total of fourteen chapters. The section specifies learning contexts in emerging fields. Each chapter presents a clear basis through the problem conception and its applicable technological solutions. I hope this will help further exploration of knowledge in the informatics discipline

A Program for the Conservation, Interpretation, and Reuse of Downdraft Kilns at the Western Clay Manufacturing Company of Helena, Montana

This is the second thesis generated by a collaborative effort between the Montana Preservation Alliance, the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, and the University of Pennsylvania\u27s Master\u27s Program in Historic Preservation to research, document, and conserve architectural components of the former Western Clay Manufacturing Company of Helena, Montana. This project\u27s focus is the complex of five downdraft brick kilns and sheds (built between 1905 and 1922), which drove production at Western Clay until at least 1957 and now constitutes an iconic backdrop for the Archie Bray Foundation, one of the country\u27s foremost centers for contemporary ceramic art. The goal of the project was to provide the Bray with a series of recommendations for how the kilns might be stabilized, interpreted to the public, and put to new use. Three chapters—a contextual history of brick kilns; a diagnostic, materials-based analysis of the Western Clay prototypes; and a discussion of industrial heritage conservation and relevant, clay-related case studies—culminate in the delivery of the said recommendations as a final, concluding chapter—the conservation program. Oral histories, publications in industrial archaeology, and period trade literature pertaining to brick-firing form the bulk of the thesis’ resource base. A symptomatic conditions survey of a kiln exterior and a series of laboratory tests run on kiln brick and soil samples inform the materials-based portions of the study. Ultimately, the stabilization and limited reuse of the kilns as exhibition and performance spaces are encouraged, as is the formation of partnerships with organizations striving, like the Bray, to institute craft- and art-making at sites traditionally employed in the manufacture of goods using similar media

Application of analytical chemistry to waste minimisation in the powder coating industry.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.A local company instituted a new chemical procedure in their spray phosphating system used in the pretreatment of large components for industrial racking systems. An inorganic conversion coating is deposited on the workpiece surface during phosphating and this prepares the surface to receive an organic top-coat. The organic coating is applied to the workpiece surface in the form of a powder and cured to form a continuous film about 80 u.m thick. The solution chemistry of the phosphating system was monitored by sampling and chemical analysis and taking direct reading instrumental measurements on the process and rinse solutions. The process was also evaluated using the results of a waste minimisation audit. This involved gathering data on composition, flow rates and costs of inputs and outputs of the process. Two types of information were collected and used during the audit, namely chemical monitoring (concentration levels of Na, Fe, Zn, Mo, Mn and Cr and measurements of conductivity, TDS, SS and pH) and water usage data on the Phosphating Line and existing data (raw materials, workpieces and utility inputs as well as domestic waste, factory waste and scrap metal outputs). The data were analysed using four established waste minimisation techniques. The Scoping Audit and the Water Economy Assessment results were determined using empirically derived models. The Mass Balance and the True Cost of Waste findings were obtained through more detailed calculations using the results of the chemical analysis. The results of the audit showed that the most important area for waste minimsation in the Phosphating Line was the (dragged-out phosphating chemicals present in) wastewater stream. According to the scoping audit, water usage had the third highest waste minimisation potential behind powder and steel consumption for the entire powder coating process. While the scoping audit and the specific water intake value showed that water consumption for the process was not excessive, it did not indicate that the pollution level in the rinse waters was high. Further, drag-out calculations showed that drag-out volumes were typical of those found in the metal finishing industry. However the presence of high levels of metal species in the rinse waters was highlighted through the chemical monitoring of the Phosphating Line. The True Cost of Waste Analysis estimated potential financial savings for the effluent stream at about R8000 for a period of 105 days. However this does not take into consideration the cost of the liability associated with this stream when exceeding effluent discharge limits (given in the Trade Effluent Bylaws) or of the chemical treatment necessary to render this stream suitable for discharge to sewer. Intervention using only "low-cost-no-cost" waste minimisation measures was recommended as a first step before contemplating further areas for technical or economic feasibility studies. However, a further study involving monitoring the sludge was recommended in order to establish the potential financial savings offered by this waste stream

An investigation into tacit knowledge management at the supervisory level.

An investigation into tacit knowledge management at the supervisory level Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how supervisors managed tacit knowledge. Aims: The aims were to understand what tacit knowledge looked like on the shop floor, to understand "experience‟ in terms of tacit knowledge, and to describe the methods and techniques that supervisors used to manage this elusive resource as they went about the task of achieving organisational goals. Method: Qualitative data was collected using a novel iterative participant observation method, where the researcher-as-instrument was embedded as a novice (but privileged) employee for extended periods in four different case study sites. Over the course of the study, the researcher took on the role of laboratory technician, electrical engineer, manufacturing process worker, and aircraft maintenance engineer. A grounded theory approach was taken to the analysis of the various field notes, photographs, video, audio, and found objects. The methodology was augmented with specialist qualitative research software to manage the data. Results: It was found that supervisors' tacit knowledge management activities can be classified according to formal and informal behaviours that correspond with Nonaka and Takeuchi's SECI knowledge life cycle. It was also found that a worker's task related tacit knowledge has seven aspects in five levels of competency, and their experience can be described in terms of 10 categories of tacit knowledge working capital. Insights attributed to the novel method of data collection produced an unexpected finding – the Home Guard model, which describes how the value of an individual's knowledge sharing activities is related to their power distance and self-confidence. Conclusions: The findings provide empirical support for existing knowledge management theory, identify specific supervisory behaviours that support tacit knowledge management on the shop floor, and extend the knowledge management discourse with new theories about knowledge sharing behaviours that have direct application to the supervisory role

Metagenomic analyses of marine new production under elevated CO2 conditions

A mesocosm experiment was carried out in a Norwegian fjord near Bergen in May 2006, with the main objective being the study of the effects of increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 (and associated effects such as increased acidification) on blooms of natural marine coastal plankton. Three mesocosms were bubbled with CO2(g) to achieve a high (~700ppm) CO2 concentration (pH ~7.8) to simulate predicted future conditions as a result of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Another three mesocosms were treated as controls and bubbled with ambient air to represent a near pre-industrial scenario (atmospheric CO2 concentration ~300ppm, surface seawater pH ~8.15). Blooms in the mesocosms were stimulated by the addition of nutrients at a near-Redfield ratio ([N:P] ≈ [16:1]), and scientific measurements and analyses were carried out over the course of the blooms for approximately one month. Of particular interest in this study were the autotrophic plankton. The diversity and activities of these microorganisms under the two treatments was therefore investigated. By designing and using new degenerate primers specifically targeting ‘Green-type’ (Form IA and IB), ‘Red-type’ (Form IC and ID) and Form II RuBisCO, analysis of primary producers was carried out using PCR and either gDNA or cDNA (mRNA) templates from key time points spanning the complete duration of the blooms throughout the mesocosm experiment. Over 1250 novel RuBisCO large subunit sequences have been fully annotated and deposited in the NCBI GenBank® database. These sequences revealed distinct changes in the diversity of primary producers both over the courses of the blooms and between treatments. Particularly striking was the effect of acidification on the community structure of the eukaryotic picoplankton, Prasinophytes. A clade of prasinophytes closely related to Micromonas pusilla showed a distinct preference for the high CO2 conditions; a laboratory-based experiment confirmed the high tolerance of Micromonas pusilla to lower pH. Conversely, a clade related to Bathycoccus prasinos was almost entirely excluded from the high CO2 treatments. Clades of form II RuBisCO-containing dinoflagellates were also abundant throughout the experiment in both treatments. The high similarity of some of these clades to the toxin-producing species Heterocapsa triquetra and Gonyaulax polyedra, and apparent high tolerance of some clades to high CO2 conditions, is perhaps cause for concern in a high CO2 world and demands further research. In parallel with the RubisCO work, new primers were designed that target the gene encoding the Fe protein of nitrogenase (NifH). 82 Bergen genomic nifH sequences have been annotated and submitted to GenBank®. These sequences include those from organisms related to Alpha, Beta, and Gammaproteobacteria, and Cluster II and Cluster III sequences that align most closely with anaerobic Bacteria, Gram positive, and/or sulphur-reducing Bacteria. The biggest surprise, however, was the apparent abundance and significance of a Rhodobacter sphaeroides-like microorganism throughout the duration of the experiment in both treatments. Whilst this clade was unsurprisingly absent in the RuBisCO cDNA libraries, all but two of 128 nifH cDNA clones analysed were identical to the gene from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This shows that this clade was potentially fixing N2 throughout the entire experiment, even in the presence of combined N added to both sets of mesocosms at the start of the experiment. A group of Rhodobacter sphaeroides-like microorganisms present at Bergen may therefore have been an unexpected source of new N during the experiment and contributed to the maintenance of the mesocosm communities as nutrients became depleted. One organism dominated the autotrophic communities after the blooms in both treatments. Synechococcus spp. Form IA rbcL clones most closely related to the coastal strain Synechococcus sp. strain CC9902 were recovered throughout the experiment but were particularly numerous toward the end of the experiment and dominated the “Green-type” libraries at this time. Initially, rbcL clones from these cyanobacteria were mostly derived from the ambient CO2 mesocosms but were equally distributed between treatments by the end of the experiment. This suggests that cyanobacteria related to strain CC9902 may be less tolerant of elevated CO2 (which was greatest at the beginning rather than the end of the experiment). However, despite the mesocosms being Pi-limited at the end of the experiment, several Synechococcus species (including those related to strain CC9902 and another coastal strain, CC9311) thrived. Following on from this observation, Pi uptake and assimilation mechanisms in a Synechococcus species were investigated in the laboratory. This led to the sequencing and characterisation of a pstS gene from the marine cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. WH 8103. Unlike conventional pstS, it was discovered that the pstS II gene in this organism is constitutively expressed and unresponsive to or only weakly regulated by Pi supply. The use of PstS/pstS as a marker for P-limitation in natural samples, therefore, should be interpreted with caution

Renewable Energy

This book discusses renewable energy resources and systems as well as energy efficiency. It contains twenty-three chapters over six sections that address a multitude of renewable energy types, including solar and photovoltaic, biomass, hydroelectric, and geothermal. The information presented herein is a scientific contribution to energy and environmental regulations, quality and efficiency of energy services, energy supply security, energy market-based approaches, government interventions, and the spread of technological innovation

Best available techniques (BAT) reference document on surface treatment using organic solvents including preservation of wood and wood products with chemicals: Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control)

The Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document (BREF) on Surface Treatment using Organic Solvents including Preservation of Wood and Wood Products with Chemicals is part of a series of documents presenting the results of an exchange of information between EU Member States, the industries concerned, non-governmental organisations promoting environmental protection, and the Commission, to draw up, review and – where necessary – update BAT reference documents as required by Article 13(1) of Directive 2010/75/EU on Industrial Emissions (the Directive). This document is published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 13(6) of the Directive. The BREF on Surface Treatment Using Organic Solvents including Preservation of Wood and Wood Products with Chemicals covers the surface treatment of substances, objects or products using organic solvents as well as the preservation of wood and wood products using chemicals as specified in Sections 6.7 and 6.10 of Annex I to Directive 2010/75/EU respectively. Important issues for the implementation of Directive 2010/75/EU in the surface treatment using organic solvents (STS) and the wood preservation with chemicals (WPC) sectors are emissions to air and water as well as energy and water consumption. Chapter 1 provides general information on the STS sector and on the main environmental issues associated with their use. Chapters 2 to 14 give the applied processes, current emission and consumption levels, techniques to consider in the determination of BAT for the STS sectors that are covered by these chapters. Chapter 15 provides general information, applied processes, current emission and consumption levels, techniques to consider in the determination of BAT for the wood preservation sector. Chapter 16 provides thumbnail descriptions of additional STS sectors, for which a data collection via questionnaires has not been carried out. General techniques to consider in the determination of BAT (i.e. those techniques to consider that are widely applied in the STS sector) are reported in Chapter 17. Chapter 18 presents the BAT conclusions as defined in Article 3(12) of the Directive, both general and sector-specific. Chapter 19 provides the emerging techniques for the STS and WPC sectors. Concluding remarks and recommendations for future work are presented in Chapter 20.JRC.B.5-Circular Economy and Industrial Leadershi