Modeling of amphoteric heavy metals solubility in stabilized/solidified steel foundry dust

The influence of pH on the leaching of metals from waste materials can be described by geochemical and empirical models. These equations may be integrated into dynamic leaching models in order to describe the longterm behavior of waste-derived forms or they can be used to predict the concentration of metals in equilibrium leaching tests at a given pH. The aim of this work is to describe the equilibrium concentration of the main metals (Zn, Pb, and Cr) contained in untreated and stabilized/solidified (S/S) electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) using experimental data obtained from a pH-dependence leaching test (acid neutralization capacity, ANC). EAFD is a hazardous waste generated in steel factories. Steel foundry dust coming from an electric arc furnace was characterized by acid digestion, x-ray fluorescence (XRF), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The waste mainly contains Zn and Fe, which were identified in zincite and zinc ferrite phases. Pb and Cr were also detected at lower concentrations. Cement/EAFD formulations ranging from 7 to 20% dry wt of cement were prepared and the ANC leaching test was performed. The amphoteric behavior of Zn, Pb, and Cr was described by the geochemical model Visual MINTEQ and by an empirical model developed for these metals. Zinc and lead solubilities were well described by both models; however, Visual MINTEQ failed to describe the chromium behavior quantitatively

Modern conditions and recent environmental development of the Muskiz estuary: historical disturbance by the largest oil refinery of Spain

In 1970 the largest oil refinery in Spain was built on the Muskiz estuary and occupies most of its original surface. An integrated high-resolution microfaunal-geochemical study has revealed the evolution and environmental development of this estuary during the last 120 years, mainly by the identification and assessment of natural processes versus anthropogenic impacts. Benthic foraminifera, trace elements and PAHs data from surface sediment samples and sediment cores from the meagre remaining intertidal flat and marsh areas together with short-life radiometric isotope determinations provide a chronology for environmental changes in this estuary. Concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutant, both in modern and recent materials, are generally low and show no significative variations in space or time, except those associated to sedimentological changes in the core records. Natural processes in the middle estuary indicate the change from previous sandy, normal-salinity conditions to a muddy brackish environment around 1914. Anthropogenic impacts are not related to persistent historical pollution on this estuary but merely to the occupation of the estuary and the elimination of its different original ecosystems, so causing a general impoverishment of its environmental quality.En 1970 se construyó en la Ría de Muskiz la mayor refinería de petróleo de España ocupando la mayor parte de los dominios estuarinos originales. Este trabajo utiliza un enfoque integrado geoquímico-micropaleontológico de alta resolución con el fin de examinar la evolución estuarina y el desarrollo ambiental de esta zona costera durante los últimos 120 años, distinguiendo particularmente entre los procesos naturales e impactos antrópicos. Se analizaron foraminíferos bentónicos, elementos traza e hidrocarburo

An Assessment of Anthropogenic Impact in a Nature Reserve: the Santoña Marshes (Northern Spain)

The Santoña Marshes Nature Reserve is one of the most important ecosystems of the Spanish Cantabrian coast due to its ecological value as a wintering area for migratory birds. Since an increase in population and substantial changes in the use of land have been observed in this area during the last century, the aim of this work was to attempt to see if anthropogenic activities are recorded in the accumulating sediments. Two sediment cores (50 cm length) were collected for isotopic dating (210Pb and 137Cs) and geochemical study (heavy metals). The data indicate an increasing trend in sedimentation rates during the last century, probably related to the progressive loss of the estuarine domains and the changes in their original hydrodynamic conditions due to infilling and the construction of dykes. However, no significant anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals have been detected in recent times.La Reserva Natural de las Marismas de Santoña, situada en la costa cantábrica, posee un gran valor ecológico como lugar de invernada de aves migratorias. Dado el importante aumento de la presencia humana en la zona durante el último siglo, este trabajo tiene como objetivo estudiar si estas actividades antrópicas han dejado su huella en los sedimentos acumulados. Para ello se ha abordado la datación isotópica (137Cs y 210Pb) y el estudio geoquímico (metales pesados) de dos sondeos de 50 cm de longitud. Los resultados obtenidos señalan la existencia de un importante incremento en las tasas de sedimentación durante el ultimo siglo, posiblemente relacionado con la pérdida progresiva de la superficie y de las dinámicas estuarinas como consecuencia de los rellenos y de la construcción de diques. Sin embargo, no se han detectado niveles significativos de contaminación en metales pesados en los sedimentos más recientes

In silico evaluation of ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membrane cascades for continuous fractionation of protein hydrolysate from tuna processing byproduct

The present work proposes the design of cascades that integrate ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes to separate the different protein fractions from the protein hydrolysate obtained after hydrolysis of tuna byproducts. Experimental data (permeate flux and rejection of protein fractions under different applied pressures) previously obtained and published by this research group were fitted to empirical models, which were the basis for a process simulation model. High recovery rates (0.9) in the UF stages implied high process yields by reduced desired fraction losses, while similar recovery rates in the NF stages were required for high product purity. However, the applied pressures were not so influential over the performance of the system. Optimization problems were solved to identify the optimal design and operation conditions to maximize the product purity or the process yield. Maximal purity of the preferred 1-4 kDa fraction (49.3% from 19.0% in feed stream) obtained by the configuration with 3 UF stages and another 3 NF stages implied 2 and 5 bar pressures applied in the UF and NF stages, respectively, while 0.9 was the optimal recovery rate value for all the stages. These maximal purity conditions resulted in 62.6% process yield, defined as the percentage of the 1-4 kDa fraction in the feed stream recovered in the product stream. In addition, multiobjective optimization of the process was also carried out to obtain the Pareto graphs that represent the counterbalance between maximal yields and purities

Waste management under a life cycle approach as a tool for a circular economy in the canned anchovy industry

The anchovy canning industry has high importance in the Cantabria Region (North Spain) from economic, social and touristic points of view. The Cantabrian canned anchovy is world-renowned owing to its handmade and traditional manufacture. The canning process generates huge amounts of several food wastes, whose suitable management can contribute to benefits for both the environment and the economy, closing the loop of the product life cycle. Life cycle assessment methodology was used in this work to assess the environmental performance of two waste management alternatives: Head and spine valorisation to produce fishmeal and fish oil; and anchovy meat valorisation to produce anchovy paste. Fuel oil production has been a hotspot of the valorisation of heads and spines, so several improvements should be applied. With respect to anchovy meat valorisation, the production of polypropylene and glass for packaging was the least environmentally friendly aspect of the process. Furthermore, the environmental characterisation of anchovy waste valorisation was compared with incineration and landfilling alternatives. In both cases, the valorisation management options were the best owing to the avoided burdens associated with the processes. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the circular economy in the Cantabrian canned anchovy industry.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spanish Government through the project called GeSACConserva: Sustainable Management of the Cantabrian Anchovies [CTM2013-43539-R]

Connecting wastes to resources for clean technologies in the chlor-alkali industry: a life cycle approach

Our current economic model is experiencing increasing demand and increasing pressure on resource utilisation, as valuable materials are lost as waste. Moving towards a circular economy and supporting efficient resource utilisation is essential for protecting the environment. The chlor-alkali industry is one of the largest consumers of salt, and efforts have been made to reduce its electricity use. Furthermore, KCl mining wastes have received increasing attention because they can be transformed into value-added resources. This work studies the influence of using different salt sources on the environmental sustainability of the chlor-alkali industry to identify further improvement opportunities. Rock salt, solar salt, KCl waste salt, vacuum salt and solution-mined salt were studied. Membrane cells in both bipolar and monopolar configurations were studied and compared to the emergent oxygen-depolarised cathode (ODC) technology. Life cycle assessment was applied to estimate the cradle-to-gate environmental impacts. The natural resource (NR) requirements and the environmental burdens (EBs) to the air and water environments were assessed. The total NR and EB requirements were reduced by 20% when vacuum salt was replaced with KCl. Moreover, the environmental impacts estimated for the monopolar membrane using KCl were comparable to those generated for the bipolar membrane using VS. The difference between the monopolar and bipolar scenarios (17%) was slightly higher than that between the bipolar and ODC technologies (12%). This work demonstrates the importance of studying every life cycle stage in a chemical process and the environmental benefit of applying a circular economy, even in energy intensive industries such as the chlor-alkali industry.This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Project CTM2013-43539-R. The authors are grateful for this funding

Recent sediments dating using short-lived radionuclides

Se presentan las características principales del método de datación de sedimentos recientes mediante el radioisótopo natural ²¹⁰Pb y su validación utilizando radionucleidos artificiales tales como ¹³⁷Cs y ²³⁹,²⁴⁰Pu. Se hace una revisión de los principios generales de esta metodología, se aportan recomendaciones prácticas para la recogida de testigos sedimentarios en el campo y su posterior procesamiento en el laboratorio, se describen diferentes técnicas analíticas utilizadas en la determinación de sus concentraciones y se explican brevemente varios modelos para la interpretación de los perfiles obtenidos. Por último, se incluyen ejemplos prácticos de su aplicación en secuencias sedimentarias procedentes de distintos ambientes marinos (estuario, bahía y plataforma continental) en el norte de la Península Ibérica.The main characteristics of the dating method of recent sediments using the natural radioisotope ²¹⁰Pb and its validation with artificial radionuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs and ²³⁹,²⁴⁰Pu are presented. A review of the general principles of this methodology is made, practical recommendations for the collection of sedimentary cores in the field and their subsequent processing in the laboratory are provided, several analytical techniques used to measure their concentrations are described and several models for the interpretation of the profiles are briefly explained. Finally, practical examples of its application in sedimentary sequences from different marine environments (estuary, bay and continental shelf) in the northern Iberian Peninsula are also included.Agradecimientos: Este artículo se ha inspirado en el manual de referencia publicado por Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A., Díaz-Asencio, M., Ruiz-Fernández, A.C., eds. (2012). Radiocronología de sedimentos costeros utilizando 210Pb: Modelos, Validación y Aplicaciones. Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica, Viena, 105 pp., donde se profundizan diferentes aspectos tratados aquí. Trabajo financiado por los proyectos RTI2018-095678-B-C21, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE (MINECO) e IT976-16 (EJ/GV). Dos revisoras/es anónimas/os mejoraron el manuscrito original con sus comentarios y sugerencias. Contribución nº 56 de la Unidad de Investigación Geo-Q Zentroa (Laboratorio Joaquín Gómez de Llarena)

Recent sediments dating using short-lived radionuclides

[ES] Se presentan las características principales del método de datación de sedimentos recientes mediante el radioisótopo natural 210Pb y su validación utilizando radionucleidos artificiales tales como 137Cs y 239,240Pu. Se hace una revisión de los principios generales de esta metodología, se aportan recomendaciones prácticas para la recogida de testigos sedimentarios en el campo y su posterior procesamiento en el laboratorio, se describen diferentes técnicas analíticas utilizadas en la determinación de sus concentraciones y se explican brevemente varios modelos para la interpretación de los perfiles obtenidos. Por último, se incluyen ejemplos prácticos de su aplicación en secuencias sedimentarias procedentes de distintos ambientes marinos (estuario, bahía y plataforma continental) en el norte de la Península Ibérica.[EN] The main characteristics of the dating method of recent sediments using the natural radioisotope 210Pb and its validation with artificial radionuclides such as 137Cs and 239,240Pu are presented. A review of the general principles of this methodology is made, practical recommendations for the collection of sedimentary cores in the field and their subsequent processing in the laboratory are provided, several analytical techniques used to measure their concentrations are described and several models for the interpretation of the profiles are briefly explained. Finally, practical examples of its application in sedimentary sequences from different marine environments (estuary, bay and continental shelf) in the northern Iberian Peninsula are also included.Este artículo se ha inspirado en el manual de referencia publicado por Sanchez-Cabeza, J.A., Díaz-Asencio, M., Ruiz-Fernández, A.C., eds. (2012). Radiocronología de sedimentos costeros utilizando 210Pb: Modelos, Validación y Aplicaciones. Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica, Viena, 105 pp., donde se profundizan diferentes aspectos tratados aquí. Trabajo financiado por los proyectos RTI2018-095678-B-C21, MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE (MINECO) e IT976-16 (EJ/GV). Dos revisoras/es anónimas/os mejoraron el manuscrito original con sus comentarios y sugerencias. Contribución nº 56 de la Unidad de Investigación Geo-Q Zentroa (Laboratorio Joaquín Gómez de Llarena).Cearreta, A.; Gómez-Arozamena, J.; Irabien, M.; Ruiz-Fernández, A.; Sanchez-Cabeza, J.; Ortiz Moragón, J.; Sáez-Muñoz, M. (2022). Datación de sedimentos recientes utilizando radionucleidos de vida corta. Cuaternario y Geomorfología. 36(3-4):87-104. https://doi.org/10.17735/cyg.v36i3-4.9350487104363-

Energy-water-food nexus in the Spanish greenhouse tomato production

The nexus energy–water–food of the tomato greenhouse production in the Almeria region (Spain) has been studied following a Process Systems Analysis Method connecting the ecosystem services to the market demands with a holistic view based on Life Cycle Assessment. The management of the agri-food subsystem, the industrial subsystem and the urban subsystem plays an important role in the nexus of the E–W–F system, where transport and information technologies connect the three subsystems to the global markets. The local case study of the tomato production in Almeria (Spain) has been developed as an example of the food production under cropland restrictions, semiarid land. After study of the economic and social sustainability in time, the evolution of the ecosystem services supply is the main restriction of the system, where after the land use change in the region, water and energy supply play the mean role with a trade-off between the water quality degradation and the economic cost of the energy for water desalination. Water footprint, Carbon footprint and Chemicals footprint are useful indicators to the environmental sustainability assessment of local alternatives in the E–W–F system under study. As it is shown in the conclusions, the holistic view based on the process analysis method and the life cycle assessment methodology and indicators is an useful tool for decision support

Sustainable Development, Ecological Complexity, and Environmental Values

Sustainable Development, Ecological Complexity, and Environmental Values contributes to expanding the idea of sustainability by integrating different thematic issues related to sustainable development in its threefold consideration (economic, social, and environmental) with regard to the case of the Basque Country. On the global scale, changes have clearly accelerated; ecological and social sustainability are two facets of the same changing reality. First, social sustainability depends on ecological sustainability. If we continue degrading nature's capacity to produce the ecosystems' services (water filtration, climate stabilization, etc) and resources (food, materials), both individuals and nations will be affected by growing pressures and increasing conflicts, as well as by threats to public health and personal safety. Second, ecological sustainability depends on social sustainability, a socially unjust and unfair system wiht an ever-increasing population that is not able to have its needs met will necessarily lead to environmental collapse. In addition, human behavior and the social dynamic often lie at the heart of social and ecological problems. It must be, therefore, assumed that there will not be sustainable development if sustainable societies do not first exist. A sustainable society has the challenge of developing human capital. In this book, these global questions are treated as they relate to specific place and context, the Basque Country and its modern institutions.This book was published with generous financial support from the Basque Government.Introduction—Ignacio Ayestarán and Miren Onaindia ? 1. An Evaluation of Ecosystem Services as a Base for the Sustainable Management of a Region by Miren Onaindia and Gloria Rodríguez-Loinaz ? 2. An Evaluation of Millennium Ecosystems from the Basque Country by Igone Palacios, Izaskun Casada-Arzuaga, Iosu Madariaga, and Xabier Arana ? 3. Climate Change: Activities of the EOLO Group at the University of the Basque Country by Agustín Ezcurra, Jon Sáenz, and Gabriel Ibarra-Berastegi ? 4. The Environmental Value of the Karstic Landscape of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve: The Asnarre Promontory (Bizkaia) by Arantza Aranburu, Laura Damas-Mollá, Patxi García-Garmilla, Iñaki Yusta, M. Arriolabengoa, Peru Iridoy, and Eneko Iriarte ? 5. Recent Environmental Transformation of the Bilbao Estuary: Natural and Anthropogenic Processes by Alejandro Cearreta, Maria Jesús Irabien, and Eduardo Leorri ? 6. The Landscape of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country: The Evolution of Forest Systems by Lorena Peña and Ibone Amezaga ? 7. Critical Theories of Sustainable Development by Eguzki Urteaga ? 8. Bases for the Transition toward a Sustainable Economy by Roberto Bermejo, David Hoyos, and Eneko Garmendia ? 9. Environmental Values, the Epistemology of Complex Problems, and Postnormal Science in the Face of Global Change by Ignacio Ayestáran ? 10. Science, Gender, and Sustainable Development by Teresa Nuño Angós ? 11. Environmental Education as Training: A Case Study at the University of the Basque Country by Araitz Uskola Ibarluzea ? 12. Social Values and Sustainable Practices among Basque Inshore Fishermen by Pío Pérez Aldasoro ? 13. Sustainable Development and the Values of Well-Being and Globalization by Eduardo Rubio Ardanaz, Juan Antonio Rubio-Ardanaz, and Xiao Fang ? Index ? List of Contributor