Role of EU and non-EU universities in achieving environmental sustainability

At present, the principles of sustainable development are being implemented in almost all economy sectors whereas one of the key drivers of the transition to a new concept is higher education system also. The inclusion of special academic disciplines on sustainable development, the implementation of environmental protection measures, financial support for research in the field of environmental sciences, campuses landscape – all these stimulates the process of transition to a concept of sustainable development. In addition, higher education makes it possible to form an ecological worldview among the younger generation that is an effective tool in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). University graduates who understand the need to achieve the SDGs and provide environmental protection, lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle and pass on the knowledge they have gained to their children or other family members. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the involved activity of universities in the field of sustainable development and the implementation of large-scale government programs to achieve environmental sustainability. The study will examine the experience of Eu and non-EU universities and state environmental protection programs. The results obtained allow us to conclude about the correlation between educational activities in the higher education system and achievements at the state level of environmental sustainability

The Effects of Pandemic Restrictions on Public Health—Improvements in Urban Air Quality

The present study aims to provide evidence on the effects of pandemic curtailment measures on public health, targeting the changes in breathable air quality, within urban areas. The analyzed period covers the full impact of lockdowns in Europe in 2020. We used everyday data for each analyzed pollutant, NO2, SO2, CO, PM2.5 and PM10, from urban monitoring stations that provided real-time concentrations (provided by Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, Environmental Protection Agency repository and European Environment Agency map services) and satellite data (provided by NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2). In the present study, the urban air quality was computed using a composite index that was further analyzed in comparison with pandemic restrictions. Descriptive statistics, charts and maps were used to visualize the data that covered the analyzed countries. Our results show that air pollution was reduced by 12% after lockdowns in European urban areas, with a 0.76 correlation between air pollution and pandemic restrictions. All air pollutants registered significant drops

The Safety of Slaughterhouse Workers during the Pandemic Crisis

The working conditions in a slaughterhouse are difficult because of the low temperatures, high humidity, and little natural light. Therefore, in these facilities, there is a high demand in the maintenance of strict hygiene rules. Lately, the new SARS-CoV-2 pandemic situation has brought new challenges in the meat industry, as this sector has to maintain its operability to supply the meat and meat products demanded by the consumers. In this challenging period, the safety of the workers is as important as keeping the high demands for the safety of the meat and meat products along with consumer confidence. This paper aims to give an overview of the risks associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission between the workers in slaughterhouses and to evaluate the stability and infectivity in the working environment of these facilities. Considering the persistence of this virus on different surfaces and the environmental conditions affecting its stability (temperature, relative humidity, and natural light), in the study we proposed several short-, medium-, and long-term preventive measures for minimizing the potential threats of the actual pandemic

Role of EU and non-EU universities in achieving environmental sustainability

At present, the principles of sustainable development are being implemented in almost all economy sectors whereas one of the key drivers of the transition to a new concept is higher education system also. The inclusion of special academic disciplines on sustainable development, the implementation of environmental protection measures, financial support for research in the field of environmental sciences, campuses landscape – all these stimulates the process of transition to a concept of sustainable development. In addition, higher education makes it possible to form an ecological worldview among the younger generation that is an effective tool in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). University graduates who understand the need to achieve the SDGs and provide environmental protection, lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle and pass on the knowledge they have gained to their children or other family members. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the involved activity of universities in the field of sustainable development and the implementation of large-scale government programs to achieve environmental sustainability. The study will examine the experience of Eu and non-EU universities and state environmental protection programs. The results obtained allow us to conclude about the correlation between educational activities in the higher education system and achievements at the state level of environmental sustainability

Chlorate Electrochemical Removal from Aqueous Media Basedon a Possible Autocatalytic Mechanism

International audienceThe electrochemical chlorate reduction at the Pt electrode in 0.5 M H2SO 4 deaerated solutions has beenstudied using potentiostatic steady-state voltammetry. The kinetics parameters (Tafel slope, charge transfercoefficient, current density, and reaction order) were evaluated in function of chlorate concentration (1x10-4 – 0.2 M KClO). The process of chlorate reduction is a complex one that implies two charge transfer 3controlled steps with formation of free radicals and an extent potential region controlled by the concentrationpolarization. The current density dependence of chlorate concentration tends to an exponential growth atconcentration ≥ 0.1 M KClO3 and becomes exponential in the conditions of the Cl−3/Cl− catalyst systempresence. In the second charge transfer, a surface reaction between free radical ·Cl- 2and platinum electrodewith formation of complex anions PtCL 42- and PtCL 62- is responsible for the rapid increase of the reactionrate

Energy from municipal solid waste: some considerations on emissions and health impact

This paper presents an overview of some criticalities of pollutants resulted from the solutions adopted for obtaining energy from residual municipal solid waste (RMSW) and from organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). The first part of this paper deals with the evolution of the interest towards health impact and pollution resulted from the treatment for these two waste streams: RMSW and OFMSW. The second part concerns the relevance of the pollutants in terms of health impact in the strategies adopted to manage those streams of waste, taking into account the evolution of the sector, including the biomethane option for OFMSW and the Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) option for RMSW. The PCDD/F issue seems to be under control. Heavy metals and NOx remain pollutants to manage carefully in design and operation of plants

Renewable energy in the Alps: A case study

The present paper concerns the role of the hydropower sector in an Italian area characterized by a multi-year tradition of water exploitation for energy purposes. The presence of Alps still makes it available a significant potential of energy from the rivers, as demonstrated by the local balances of energy sources. Other sectors evolving quickly thanks to the recent developed strategies (in particular the biomass one) are growing their relative importance but cannot reach the local contribution of the hydropower sector. Considerations on the role of plant upgrades, new authorizations and climate changes can be found in this paper