Technical, economic and environmental assessement of bioethanol biorefinery from waste biomass

This study presents a sequential three-steps methodology for the technical, economic and environmental assessment (TEEA) of bioethanol production from waste biomass. In EU the most abundant waste biomasses produced in 2018 could be ascribed to three main categories: lignocellulosic (329.41 Mt), starch (160 Mt) and sugar-based (58.56 Mt). The technical assessment compiled an inventory of the waste biomasses and subsequently designed their biological conversion into ethanol through integrated biorefinery processes by means of material flow analysis (MFA); the economic assessment was aimed at the definition of the cut-off size of the biorefinery plant necessary to achieve profitability; the environmental assessment was based on Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and energy balance (i.e. energy input consumption). For each of the three waste biomass categories, at least one that was significant as available amount and representative in terms of physico-chemical characteristics, was evaluated: sugarcane for sugar-based, potatoes for starch-based and rice straw, cattle manure and organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) for lignocellulosic biomasses. The technical assessment of the biorefinery routes lead to the following yields (kg of bioethanol per kg of biomass): 0.16, 0.17, 0.22, 0.19 and 0.14 respectively. The economic profitability was reached by all biorefineries and Net Present Value (M€) were: 0.85 for sugarcane, 0.11 for potatoes, 0.09 for rice straw, 0.11 for cattle manure and 0.39 for OFMSW. From the environmental perspective, cattle manure reached the highest reduction of climate change and acidification impacts compared to other biomasses, while sugarcane achieved the lowest energy input consumption (around 64%)

Differences in genetic structuring of populations of the Argentine hemorrhagic fever reservoir, the rodent Calomys musculinus, from endemic and non endemic zones

Chiappero, M.B., Piacenza, M.F., Gardenal, C.N., Calderón, G., Provensal, C., Polop, J.J

Nuevos indicadores para evaluar la calidad en procesos de identificación de parámetros de sistemas dinámicos

Fil: Giró, Juan F. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Fil: Giró, Juan F. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería en Sistemas de Información; Argentina.Fil: Chiappero, Guillermo D. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Fil: Giudici, Alejandro J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Este artículo es la continuación de un trabajo anterior en el que se proponen y evalúan indicadores destinados a verificar la calidad de los resultados en los procesos de identificación de parámetros de sistemas dinámicos. Aquí se presentan y analizan dos nuevos indicadores, que no utilizan valores de referencia, y su desempeño es confrontado con indicadores clásicos y otros que fueron propuestos con anterioridad. Para facilitar la comparación se utiliza el mismo caso de estudio del trabajo anterior, en el que se asume que la matriz de masas del sistema es conocida, y que también lo es el valor de la carga impulsiva aplicada. Finalmente se aprovechan los nuevos indicadores y el caso de estudio para sacar algunas conclusiones referidas a problemas habituales de los procesos de identificación.http://asamaci.org.ar/eventos/v-maci-2015-1-1Fil: Giró, Juan F. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Fil: Giró, Juan F. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería en Sistemas de Información; Argentina.Fil: Chiappero, Guillermo D. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Fil: Giudici, Alejandro J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Estructuras; Argentina.Mecánica Aplicad

Relationship between distance run per week, omega-3 index, and arachidonic acid (AA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio: An Observational Retrospective Study in Non-elite Runners

Background: Tissue availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) depends on several factors, including dietary intake, physical exercise, genetic variation, and metabolic turnover. However, there is limited evidence whether running training activity per se may influence indices associated with PUFA metabolism such as Omega-3 (ω-3) index and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4ω-6)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5ω-3) ratio. Objective: To examine the association between kilometers (Km) run per week and changes in ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, cohort study of 257 non-elite runners (mean age: 40.85 ± 12.17 years) who consumed no fatty acid supplements and provided a blood sample for analysis. The whole blood samples were collected by finger sticks, stored on absorbent filter paper, and then PUFA were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio measured. Results: In a multivariate linear regression model, a gradual decrease of the ω-3 index was observed with higher weekly running distance (β = −0.033; 95% CI −0.039 to −0.026; R2 = 0.447; p < 0.0001). We also found a progressive increase of the AA/EPA ratio in subjects who ran greater weekly distances (β = 0.092; 95% CI 0.038 to 0.146; R2 = 0.320; p = 0.001). No other significant associations were observed with other variables, including years of running training and weekly training frequency (hours/week). Finally, as expected, a significant inverse correlation between ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio (β = −2.614; 95% CI −3.407 to −1.821; R2 = 0.336; p < 0.0001) was detected. Conclusions: These findings suggest that distance running training and its weekly volume may negatively contribute to changes of the ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Further studies with greater sample size will be required to replicate and extend these data

Evolution of magnetic response as a function of annealing temperature in Fe-based alloys

The magnetic response, coercive force and magnetic induction, in Fe-10at.% Si, Fe-6at.% Al-9at.% Si and Fe-4at.% Al-8at.% Ge alloys as a function of the annealing temperature was determined and correlated to the microstructural state. The microstructural characterization was made through differential thermal analysis, mechanical spectroscopy and neutron thermodiffraction studies. It has been determined that the increase in the order degree and the decrease in the mobility of structural defects lead to a deterioration of the magnetic quality of the alloys above detailed.Fil: Gargicevich, Damian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica; ArgentinaFil: Bonifacich, Federico Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Lambri, Osvaldo Agustin F.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Chiappero, Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Cano, José Ángel. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Zelada, Griselda Irene. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Pérez-Landazábal, José Ingnacio. Universidad de Navarra; EspañaFil: Recarte, V.. Universidad de Navarra; EspañaFil: Galván Josa, Víctor Martín. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Cs.exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura. Escuela de Ingeniería Eléctrica. Laboratorio de Extension E Investigación En Materiales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Marìa Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Cuello, Gabriel Julio. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Laue-Langevin; Franci

Genetic structure of sigmodontine rodents (Cricetidae) along an altitudinal gradient of the Atlantic Rain Forest in southern Brazil

The population genetic structure of two sympatric species of sigmodontine rodents (Oligoryzomys nigripes and Euryoryzomys russatus) was examined for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence haplotypes of the control region. Samples were taken from three localities in the Atlantic Rain Forest in southern Brazil, along an altitudinal gradient with different types of habitat. In both species there was no genetic structure throughout their distribution, although levels of genetic variability and gene flow were high

Effect of Cu and Sn promotion on the catalytic deoxygenation of model and algal lipids to fuel-like hydrocarbons over supported Ni catalysts

The ability of Cu and Sn to promote the performance of a 20% Ni/Al2O3 catalyst in the deoxygenation of lipids to fuel-like hydrocarbons was investigated using model triglyceride and fatty acid feeds, as well as algal lipids. In the semi-batch deoxygenation of tristearin at 260 °C a pronounced promotional effect was observed, a 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 catalyst affording both higher conversion (97%) and selectivity to C10-C17 alkanes (99%) in comparison with unpromoted 20% Ni/Al2O3 (27% conversion and 87% selectivity to C10-C17). In the same reaction at 350 °C, a 20% Ni-1% Sn/Al2O3 catalyst afforded the best results, giving yields of C10-C17 and C17 of 97% and 55%, respectively, which contrasts with the corresponding values of 87 and 21% obtained over 20% Ni/Al2O3. Equally encouraging results were obtained in the semi-batch deoxygenation of stearic acid at 300 °C, in which the 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 catalyst afforded the highest yields of C10-C17 and C17. Experiments were also conducted at 260 °C in a fixed bed reactor using triolein − a model unsaturated triglyceride − as the feed. While both 20% Ni/Al2O3 and 20% Ni-5% Cu/Al2O3 achieved quantitative yields of diesel-like hydrocarbons at all reaction times sampled, the Cu-promoted catalyst exhibited higher selectivity to longer chain hydrocarbons, a phenomenon which was also observed in experiments involving algal lipids as the feed. Characterization of fresh and spent catalysts indicates that Cu enhances the reducibility of Ni and suppresses both cracking reactions and coke-induced deactivation

Plant trait and vegetation data along a 1314 m elevation gradient with fire history in Puna grasslands, Per\ufa

\ua9 2024. The Author(s). Alpine grassland vegetation supports globally important biodiversity and ecosystems that are increasingly threatened by climate warming and other environmental changes. Trait-based approaches can support understanding of vegetation responses to global change drivers and consequences for ecosystem functioning. In six sites along a 1314 m elevational gradient in Puna grasslands in the Peruvian Andes, we collected datasets on vascular plant composition, plant functional traits, biomass, ecosystem fluxes, and climate data over three years. The data were collected in the wet and dry season and from plots with different fire histories. We selected traits associated with plant resource use, growth, and life history strategies (leaf area, leaf dry/wet mass, leaf thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf C, N, P content, C and N isotopes). The trait dataset contains 3,665 plant records from 145 taxa, 54,036 trait measurements (increasing the trait data coverage of the regional flora by 420%) covering 14 traits and 121 plant taxa (ca. 40% of which have no previous publicly available trait data) across 33 families

Choosing Dimensions: The Capability Approach and Multidimensional Poverty

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