ENERGY AUDIT – METHOD FOR ENERGY CONSERVATION IN HOTELS

In the very near future, energy efficient hotels will cease to be the exception but will be the rule. Energy conservation and the intelligent utilization of renewable energy sources are prerequisite for sustainable development of tourism. Due to global warming and increased standards in hotel industry, there is an increasing demand for energy for cooling in general, although this is especially reflected in hotel industry peaking in summer period. Furthermore, energy demand for hot water and food and beverages preparation in a hotel increases proportionally with the number of tourists. All these energy issues are overburdening the ever competing hotel industry. Hotels, in order to optimize their energy costs and implementation of renewable energy sources utilization, have to perform energy audit - an analysis of thermal performance and energy systems of building with the purpose to determent its energy efficiency or non-efficiency. This paper combines energy audit methodology with properties of energy consumption in hotel industry with an aim to provide guidelines for modern hotel energy management

TOURISM AS A PATHWAY FOR RES UTILISATION

Tourism, due its property of being an “invisible export” sector, has a strong multiplier effect over the economy. Tourists boost demand for numerous goods and services, one of them being energy. Unfortunately, energy sources are scarce for most of the countries in the region. Thus, one could think of another solution to the excess demand for energy than import. Namely, for more than a decade, renewable energy sources are in the central focus of the EU energy policy with an aim to ensure security, price stability, availably and affordability of energy to its citizens together with reduction of GHG emissions and making the EU economy more competitive. Combining tourism with renewable energy sources utilisation helps reducing the spill over effect from energy import. In this paper, the cross-section analysis based on environmental determination of tourism and renewable energy sources potentials is performed in order to indicate a pathway for implementation of renewable energy sources utilisation in the tourism and hotel industry

To be or not to be a biobased commodity : assessing requirements and candidates for lignocellulosic based commodities

Lignocellulosic biomass is an underutilised renewable resource. Using this biomass for biobased applications is hampered by a lack of possibilities to efficiently link the biomass to markets which include both energy applications such as heat and electricity production, conversion to transport fuels and chemicals and materials. Siting conversion facilities near abundant biomass has the benefit of availability of low cost biomass, but the locations generally lack security of supply, availability of qualified personnel, and do not benefit from existing infrastructure and possibilities to add value to residues. Furthermore, the scale of conversion systems is limited by local cost of biomass supply. The development of real lignocellulosic commodities can connect biomass to markets and lower the opportunity costs of the commodities. The characteristics of real commodities are defined as follows: a commodity has to be easy to store, have a high (energy) density and be nutrient depleted. The commodity has to be uniform enough to be fungible. This will allow standardization of transport, contracting, insurance, conversion systems and development of functioning markets which includes high tradability and availability of financial instruments. Finally sustainability also has to be standardized. Several candidates as real commodities exist including wood pellets and pyrolysis oil. It is argued that only a few biomass commodities have to be defined that cover all lignocellulosic biomass types (wood, grass, straw, bagasse, processing residues, etc.) and also all applications such as heat, electricity, fuels, chemicals and materials. The standards have to be as wide as possible and avoid frivolous or unnecessary demands. To achieve this all stakeholders in the production chain (biomass producers, machine builders, regulators, insurers, bankers, transport, final users) have to be involved. This will require international collaboration else the potential lignocellulosic biomass will not materialize. The development of real lignocellulosic commodities can connect biomass to markets and lower the cost of biomass supply by lowering transaction costs. Commodities can contribute to efficient and circular use of biomass by giving biomass that would not have an efficient use (stranded biomass) a market

Inhibitory effects of medical plants on the Candida albicans and bacterial growth in the oral cavity

In this mini-review, the authors discuss the effects of ethanol extracts, essential oils and cytotoxicity of some medicinal plants and their compounds used in ethno-medicine in different geographic regions worldwide, including Serbia, on the growth, mul­tiplication and pathogenicity of Candida albicans and bacteria that play the main role in the balance of the oral ecosystem. Various medicinal plants, such as Rosmarinus officinalis (Fam. Lamiaceae), Artemisia dracunculus, Artemisia absinthium (Fam. Asteraceae), exist in different geographic regions and continents, as well as in the Balkan region, and among them there are some indigenous species like Hypericum perforatum L. (Fam. Hypericaceae), Urtica dioica L. (U. dioica) (Fam. Urticaceae), Achillea millefolium L. (Fam. Asteraceae), Matricaria chamomilla L. (Fam. Asteraceae), Sambucus nigra L. (Fam. Caprifoliaceae), and Thymus serpyllum L. (Fam. Lamiaceae) with impressive antimicrobial activity against microorganisms originating from the oral cavity

The Contributions of Biomass Supply for Bioenergy in the Post-COVID-19 Recovery

This research investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030). A SWOT analysis on BSChs was used for generating a questionnaire for foresight by a two-round Delphi study. To interpret the results properly, a short survey and literature review is executed to record BSChs behavior during the pandemic. In total, 23 (55% response rate) and 28 (46% response rate) biomass experts from three continents participated in the Delphi and the short survey, respectively. The strongest impact from investment in BSChs would be on economic growth, followed by a contribution to the resilient and cleaner energy systems and job creation. The effects would be more visible in the long- than in the short-term period. Investments with the most impact on recovery are those that improve biomass material efficiency and circularity. Refurbishment of current policies to enhance the supply of biomass as a renewable resource to the future economy is a must

Industrial End-Users' Preferred Characteristics for Wood Biomass Feedstocks

The use of sustainably sourced biomass is an important tool for mitigating the effects of climate change; but biomass is far from being a homogeneous resource. The aim of this study was to examine the decision-making process of industrial end-users considering biomass procurement. An online, two-part survey generated responses from 27 experienced professionals, representing a portfolio of facilities varying in size, technology, and biomass types, across Australia, Canada, Finland, and Sweden. A PAPRIKA conjoint analysis approach was used to analyze the data so that the attributes that influenced procurement decisions could be weighted and ranked. The results provided an insight into end-users' views on factors including facility location, size, and biomass storage, handling, and procurement for different wood-based industrial services. The most important decision-making attribute appeared to be the type of biomass assortment, at individual, national, and aggregated levels. Of seven sub-categories of biomass assortments, sawdust (35%) was the most preferred type followed by stem wood chips (20%) and energy wood (15%). We concluded that, from the end-user's perspective, a pre-defined biomass assortment is the most important factor when deciding on feedstock procurement at a bioenergy facility. These results help us better understand end-users' perceptions of biomass properties in relation to their conversion processes and supply preferences and can inform product development and the securement of new niches in alternative business environments by existing and future biohubs

Biogas Training and Mobilization Campaigns in Eastern Europe

In order to support the biogas market in Southern and Eastern Europe the BiG>East project “Promoting Biogas in Eastern Europe – Mobilization of Decision Makers and Training for Farmers” was supported by the European Commission under the Intelligent Energy for Europe Programme. The general objective of BiG>East was to promote the production and use of biogas as a secure and sustainable energy source in six target countries of Eastern and Southern Europe: Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, and Greece (BiG>East target countries). The BiG>East project aimed to build capacities and transfer knowledge from project partners of Western Europe with extensive, long-term expertise to farmers, biogas plant operators, and decision makers in Southern and Eastern Europe. This was achieved by the organisation of 13 mobilisation campaigns for decision makers, 19 training courses for farmers and several study tours. Show cases were elaborated to support the mobilisation campaigns, and training material (biogas handbooks) was prepared for the training courses. The present paper shows the experiences and lessons learnt during the implementation of the 30 month BiG>East project