Artificial neural network applied in forecasting the composition of municipal solid waste in Iasi, Romania

Neural network time series (NNTS) tool was used to predict municipal solid waste composition in Iasi, Romania. The nonlinear input output (NIO) time series model and nonlinear autoregressive model with external (exogenous) input (NARX) included in this tool were selected. The coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE) were chosen for evaluation. By applying NIO, the optimum model is 4-11-6 artificial neural network (ANN, R2 = 0.929) in the case of testing as for the validation, with all 0.849 and 0.885, respectively. Applying NARX, the suitable model became 4-13-6 ANN model, with R2 = 0.999 for training, 0.879 for testing, and 0.931, respectively 0.944 for validation and all. The resulted RMSE is zero for training and 0.0109 for validation in the case of this model which had 4 inputs, 13 neurons and 6 outputs. The four input variables were: number of residents, population aged 15–59 years, urban life expectancy, total municipal solid waste (ton/year). The suitable ANN model revealed the lowest root mean square error and the highest coefficient of determination. Results indicate that NNTS tool is a complex instrument, NARX is more accurate than NIO model, and can be used and applied easily

Costs analysis of municipal solid waste management scenarios: IASI – Romania case study

Effective management of solid waste has become environmentally and economically mandatory due to the increase of environmental problems. In this context, the evaluation of economic aspects is imperative since the implementation of a solid waste management system is connected with considerable investment and operating costs. The goal of this study is to assess and report the performance of various waste management scenarios in terms of costs and to determine the most suitable alternative. For this purpose, we analyzed a case study in a typical Romanian urban area, in terms of the economic impacts of four waste management scenarios. The economic evaluation was performed based on a cost structure, which we have elaborated to analyze the waste management scenarios from a cost perspective. The results indicated that the most suitable alternative for implementation from economic viewpoint in the studied area is scenario which included the following treatment/elimination methods: sorting, composting and landfilling

Environmental impact assessment of biodiesel production from soybean

In this study the environmental impacts of biodiesel production from soybean were determined by using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. In order to achieve this objective all four LCA stages (goal setting, life cycle inventory, impact assessment and interpretation) were followed. The system boundaries included: cultivation, transport, crushing and extraction, soy oil refining and biodiesel production. The functional unit considered in this study is 1000 kg of biodiesel. All the inputs and outputs for each process included in the biodiesel production system were collected, calculated and estimated in the inventory phase. Environmental impact assessment step was performed considering LCA methods such as: CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003 and ReCiPe. The impact categories selected for this evaluation were: global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), human toxicity potential (HTP), photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP), agricultural land occupation (ALO); climate change ecosystems (CCE); climate change human health (CCHh); fossil depletion (FD); particulate matter formation (PMF) etc. Results showed that negative values were obtained for GWP, EP, CCE, CCHh indicators which means positive impacts of biodiesel production on the environment while the others impact categories have positive low levels respectively negative environmental impacts. Overall the greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted from combustion of fuel used; the diesel used for soybean transportation also contributes to GHG emissions; the transesterification process significantly contributes to the emissions of these gases

ROMANIAN TRADITIONAL DISHES AND CERTIFIED FOOD PRODUCTS

The aim of this paper is to provide a description of Romanian gastronomy and to analyze the current situation of certified food products. Tastes, aromas, colors, combinations of Romanian ingredients and traditional technologies have led to the appearance of traditional products that have been passed down from generation to generation. Research focuses on linking existing natural resources to Romanian cuisine from each region of the country. Currently, at national level there are 725 certified traditional food products with unique characteristics, while at European level there are 11 products (meat, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables) with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation and one product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) (cheese), 41 wines with PDO, 13 wines with PGI and 9 spirits with Geographical Indication (GI). The largest number of traditional meat, dairy and bakery products were certified in the Center region of the country, while the largest number of beverages and traditional fruit and vegetable products were certified in the North-West region

Environmental evaluation of waste management scenarios – significance of the boundaries

Life cycle concept was applied to analyse and assess some municipal solid waste (MSW) management scenarios in terms of environmental impacts, particularised for Iasi city, Romania, where approximately 380 kg/cap/yr of waste are generated. Currently, the management processes include temporary storage, collection, transport and landfilling, but separate collection, sorting, recycling and composting of solid waste, which should be addressed according to the National Strategy and European policy for waste. Four different scenarios were elaborated as alternatives to the existing waste management system in Iasi, which include both previously applied and current waste management alternatives, as well as some advanced practices. The effectiveness of the scenarios was evaluated in terms of environmental impacts based on Life Cycle Analysis, supported by GaBi software. Some environmental impact categories (acidification, eutrophication, global warming, human toxicity, and photochemical ozone generation potentials, carcinogenic substances, heavy metals, winter smog, photochemical ozone formation) were estimated based on several impact assessment methods associated to GaBi software (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). The study emphasises the importance of system boundaries for the life cycle impact assessment process and consequently – for the optimal waste management alternative. Santrauka Analizuojant ir vertinant komunalinių atliekų tvarkymo scenarijus buvo pritaikyta būvio ciklo koncepcija atsižvelgiant į daromą poveikį aplinkai, remiantis Jasai miesto, Rumunijoje, atveju. Šiame mieste susidaro apytiksliai 380 kg/žmogui/ metus atliekų. Šiuo metu atliekų tvarkymo procesą sudaro laikinos laikymo vietos, surinkimas, transportavimas ir deponavimas sąvartyne, bet pagal Nacionalinę strategiją ir Europos atliekų politiką atliekos turi būti rūšiuojamos, perdirbamos ir kompostuojamos. Todėl buvo detaliau išanalizuoti keturi skirtingi scenarijai kaip alternatyvos esamai atliekų tvarkymo sistemai Jasai mieste, įtraukiant prieš tai taikytas ir šiuo metu taikomas atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvas, taip pat pažangesnes praktikas. Scenarijų efektyvumas buvo vertinamas analizuojant aplinkosaugos aspektus remiantis būvio ciklo analize ir taikant GaBi programinę įrangą. Kai kurios poveikio aplinkai kategorijos (rūgštinimas, eutrofikacija, globalus atšilimas, žmonių apsinuodijimas, fotocheminis ozono susidarymo potencialas, kancerogeninės medžiagos, sunkieji metalai, žiemos smogas, fotocheminis ozono formavimasis) buvo vertinamos remiantis keletu poveikio įvertinimo aspektų, esančių GaBi programoje (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Atlikta studija pabrėžia sistemos ribų svarbą, vykdant poveikio vertinimą, taikant būvio ciklo procesą ir parenkant optimalią atliekų tvarkymo alternatyvą. Резюме При анализе и оценке сценариев по обработке коммунальных отходов с учетом их влияния на окружающую средув городе Ясай в Румынии, где приблизительно скапливается 380 кг/чел./ год отходов, применялась концепцияцикла существования. В настоящее время в процесс по обработке отходов вовлекаются временные места хранения, сбор, транспортировка и депонирование отходов на свалке. Однако на основании Национальной стратегии иЕвропейской политики, касаюшейся отходов, они должны сортироваться, перерабатываться и компостироваться.В связи с этим детально проанализированы четыре разных сценария в качестве альтернатив существующей в городе Ясай системе обработки отходов с использованием применявшихся ранее и применяемых в настоящее времяальтернатив по обработке отходов, а также прогрессивных практик. Эффективность сценариев оценивалась наосновании анализа природоохранных аспектов касательно анализа цикла существования и с применением программного оборудования GaBi. Некоторые категории влияния на окружающую среду (окисление, эутрофикация,глобальное потепление, отравление людей, фотохимический потенциал образования озона, канцерогенные вещества, тяжелые металлы, зимний смог, фотохимическое формирование озона) оценивались на основании нескольких аспектов влияния, имеющихся в программе GaBi (CML 2001, CML 96, EDIP 2003, EI95). Проведенный анализподчеркивает важность границ системы при оценке влияния и применении процесса цикла существования, а также подборе оптимальных альтернатив обработки отходов. Reikšminiai žodžiai: aplinka, GaBi, būvio ciklo vertinimas, kietosios atliekos, atliekų tvarkymo technologijos Ключевые слова: окружающая среда, GaBi, оценка цикла существования, твердые отходы, технологии обработки отходо

Removal of Erythrosine B dye from water effluents using crop waste pumpkin seed hulls as adsorbent

Erythrosine B is widely used for coloring in various applications, especially in the food industry, despite its already proved toxicity and carcinogenicity. The agrowaste pumpkin seed hulls were applied as potential adsorbent for the removal of Erythrosine from aqueous solutions. Adsorption mechanism and kinetics were analyzed for design purposes. The seed hulls were characterized by specific techniques before and after dye retention. It was found that the attachment of Erythrosine B molecules on adsorbent surface may be attributed to the interactions between carboxyl and/or carbonyl groups of both dye and agrowaste wall components. A univariate approach followed by a factorial design was applied to study and analyze the experimental results as well as to estimate the combined effects of the process factors on the removal efficiency and dye uptake. Adsorption mechanism may be predominantly due to intraparticle diffusion, dependent on pore size. The four equilibrium models applied fitted the data well; the maximum adsorption capacity for Erythrosine was 16.4 mg/g. The results showed that adsorbent is effective for Erythrosine B removal for a large concentration range in aqueous solutions (5400 mg/L) in batch systems.This paper was elaborated with the support of a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0559, Contract 265/2011. The authors are very grateful to Dr Luciana Pereira from University of Minho, Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering-Centre of Biological Engineering, Braga, Portugal for her substantial contribution and support during experimental investigation and paper elaboration

Thermodynamic study of Cd (II) sorption on soil

Sorption is a major process responsible for the fate of heavy metals in soils, since the mobility of heavy metals is directly related to their partitioning between the soil solid phase and soil solution. Among the heavy metals cadmium is one of the most toxic with adverse health effects. The objective of this study is to analyze the sorption of Cd(II) from aqueous solution on soil from the industrial area of the city of Iasi (Romania) as a function of temperature at natural pH of the solution using a batch technique. A maximum uptake of about 9.7 mg of cadmium per g of soil and aprox. 95 % removal of metal was observed at 20 g/L soil amount, 200 mg/L cadmium solution and 41 °C, with an equilibrium time of 24 hours. Sorption isotherm of Cd(II) on soil were represented by Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models and the parameters indicated that the sorption of Cd(II) increased with increasing temperature of the system. Enthalpy (ΔH0 ), entropy (ΔS0 ) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG0 ) were calculated from the temperature dependent sorption data, and the results indicated that the sorption of Cd(II) on soil is a spontaneous, feasible and endothermic process

COMPETÊNCIAS CONVERSACIONAIS EM AMBIENTES DE REDAÇÕES JORNALÍSTICAS

A pesquisa investiga a importância das conversas e seu potencial de contribuição para as rotinas de produção da notícia em ambientes de redações jornalísticas. Tendo como base a Ontologia da Linguagem, inicialmente caracterizou-se como descritiva, aplicada e exploratória. Ao desenvolver o instrumento de análise, denominado Matriz de Sentidos, a pesquisa passou a ser considerada também metodológica, tendo como base a Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados (TFD). Uma das contribuições deste trabalho está em situar a importância das conversas, dando-lhes visibilidade formal, teórica, filosófica e metodológica no processo de produção das notícias. A Matriz de Sentidos contribuiu para a explicação de padrões de comportamentos e se apresenta como um instrumento que pode ser customizado e replicado para outros contextos em que as conversações possuam um papel relevante

Evaluarea ciclului de viaţă a compostării deşeurilor organice

Organic waste represents an issue that needs to be solved in order to achieve sustainable development. In Romania, organic waste (biodegradable) represents almost half from the household waste composition. The waste management in Romania is characterized by the continued growth of waste quantities and landfilling continues to be the main elimination method for solid waste. Composting and anaerobic digestion are two solutions for reducing of organic waste landfilled. In this paper life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to determine and evaluate the environmental impact of composting system. All LCA phases were performed: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation. Two LCA tools were used for the evaluation: GaBi software and Life Cycle Assessment - Integrated Waste Management Assessment Tool. The results reveal that the quantity of waste composted and the type of waste are influencing the environmental impacts values

ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FOOD WASTE: A CASE STUDY APPLE FRUITS

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the environmental impacts (EI) of the apple supply chain from the NE region, Romania and to calculate the EI from apple waste landfilling. The evaluation was performed by applying Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. In the first phase the apple supply chain was investigated and the environmental impacts were calculated and interpreted, while in the second phase the evaluation of apple waste landfilling was performed. The results showed that the apple production phase has the highest contribution to all the impact categories studied (acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), global warming potential (GWP), human toxicity potential (HTP) and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) etc.). Transportation and storage stages contribute mainly to POCP and GWP, while landfilling contributes especially to AP, GWP and POCP