Does Sustainable Management of Biodegradable Sludge Exist at All? A BACOM Project Case

Due to the modern lifestyle and the formation of large amounts of biodegradable sludge, its processing is becoming a demanding technological and logistical project. Stabilization with pozzolanic ash and its reuse in construction industry represents one of the possible sustainable solutions. Mixing biodegradable sludge with pozzolanic ash triggers a set of physiochemical reactions such as converting heavy metals into insoluble hydroxides, forming heat due to hydration of metal oxides, and forming of a set of pozzolanic structures due to high pH and heat. Studies showed that the produced material is biologically and chemically inert and safe for use under controlled conditions. Comparison of different most widely used technologies, using life cycle analysis, indicated advantages of using material conversion of biodegradable sludge into materials rather than using it for energetic purposes. Based on the calculation of their negative influence on the environment and human health, the analyzed technologies can be categorized from those with less impact to those with higher impact: stabilization with ash < pyrolysis < anaerobic digestion < composting < landfilling. The life cycle assessment (LCA) showed that the decentralized technologies enabling material use of biodegradable sludge are more sustainable than centralized installations for composting biodegradable sludge in large quantities

Educational Partnerships as a Way Towards Quality Education for Sustainable Development and a Way Towards Sustainable Society: The Case of Slovenia

Education partnerships are essential in endeavor for quality education for sustainable development. The understanding of the sustainable development is very complex and has to be interdisciplinary and take into consideration different sustainable dimensions and correlations between those areas. The holistic approach is a method for understanding the sustainable development in such way that it would enable preservation of environment and at the same time assure economic and social development. It becomes more and more important that youth could acquire competences for the sustainable way of life during their schooling so that they would know how to make proper decisions regarding the choice of energy resources, the use of natural resources and sustainable planning.The main objectives of this paper are (1) to identify which institutions should be actively involved in partnerships, (2) to investigate inclusion of sustainable development into school curricula and to determine which competences should be developed, and (3) to disclose opportunities to improve teacher performance and to achieve learning objectives from the field of the sustainable development. The article is based on review of literature and researchers about educational partnerships for ensuring education for sustainable development in Slovenia as well as on examination of previous research findings about inclusion of sustainable development in school curriculum. Analysis of inclusion of sustainable development in teaching and learning process is based on questionnaires for pupils, parents and teachers. The preliminary research has been carried out in autumn 2008, but it has limitation because of a small sample which has been taken into research. The article presents some proposals how teachers could improve their performances by including activities in teaching and learning processes which could have an impact on pupils perception how necessary is preservation of natural heritage as well as could have an impact on their behavior towards sustainability.The presentation of research findings points out that the current understanding of the sustainable development in schools in Slovenia has its own limitations which should be taken into consideration in further planning and implementation of activities in education to achieve the national agenda of the sustainable development of Slovenia.Key words: Education; Sustainable development; Partnerships; Competences; Teacher performance; Learning objectivesRésumé Les partenariats éducatifs sont essentiels dans l'effort d'éducation de qualité pour le développement durable. La compréhension du développement durable est très complexe et doit être interdisciplinaire et prendre en considération les différentes dimensions durables et les corrélations entre ces domaines. L'approche holistique est une méthode pour comprendre le développement durable de telle façon que cela permettrait à la préservation de l'environnement et dans le même temps assurer le développement économique et social. Il devient de plus en plus important que les jeunes puissent acquérir les compétences pour le mode de vie durable au cours de leur scolarité afin qu'ils sachent comment prendre des décisions appropriées concernant le choix des ressources énergétiques, l'utilisation des ressources naturelles et la planification durable.Les principaux objectifs de cette étude sont (1) pour déterminer quelles institutions devraient être activement impliqués dans des partenariats, (2) pour enquêter sur l'inclusion du développement durable dans les programmes scolaires et de déterminer quelles compétences doivent être développées, et (3) de divulguer les possibilités de améliorer les performances des enseignants et d'atteindre les objectifs d'apprentissage du domaine du développement durable. L'article est basé sur l'examen de la littérature et des chercheurs sur les partenariats éducatifs pour assurer l'éducation pour le développement durable en Slovénie ainsi que sur l'examen des résultats de recherches antérieures sur l'inclusion du développement durable à l'école curriculum. Analyse de l'intégration du développement durable dans l'enseignement et le processus d'apprentissage est basé sur des questionnaires aux élèves, parents et enseignants. La recherche préliminaire a été réalisée à l'automne 2008, mais il a limitation, car d'un petit échantillon qui a été pris en recherche. L'article présente quelques propositions façon dont les enseignants pourraient améliorer leurs performances, en incluant les activités dans l'enseignement et les processus d'apprentissage qui pourrait avoir un impact sur la perception des élèves combien nécessaire est la préservation du patrimoine naturel ainsi que pourrait avoir un impact sur leur comportement envers la durabilité.La présentation des résultats de recherche souligne que la compréhension actuelle du développement durable dans les écoles en Slovénie a ses propres limites qui devraient être pris en considération dans la planification et l'exécution des activités dans l'éducation pour atteindre les priorités nationales du développement durable de la Slovénie.Mots clés: Education; Développement durable; Les partenariats; Compétences; La performance des enseignants; Les objectifs d'apprentissag

Developing fiber and mineral based composite materials from paper manufacturing by-products

Developing valuable materials from the by-products of paper industry can help to address some environmental and economic issues associated with traditional synthetic composites. Particularly, the management of paper mill sludge (PMS) waste remains an economic and environmental challenge for the pulp and paper industry. 11 million tons of PMS is generated annually in Europe from the wastewater treatment (WWT) process of paper mills. PMS is mostly used in low value applications. However, PMS contains fibers and minerals with physio-chemical properties that exhibit a high potential to substitute some conventional materials in other industries. The research presented in this paper aims to explore new directions for further investigation on PMS material applications by reviewing the literature on PMS materials and subsequently characterizing sludge from 6 different mills. The study shows the technical feasibility, opportunities and technological readiness of fiber and mineral based composites obtained from PMS, such as; cementitious products, polymer reinforcement and fiberboards

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Four Medicinal Mediterranean Plants: Investigation of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity

With everyday advances in the field of pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants have high priority regarding the introduction of novel synthetic compounds by the usage of environmentally friendly extraction technologies. Herein, a supercritical CO2 extraction method was implemented in the analysis of four plants (chamomile, St. John’s wort, yarrow, and curry plant) after which the non-targeted analysis of the chemical composition, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity was evaluated. The extraction yield was the highest for the chamomile (5%), while moderate yields were obtained for the other three plants. The chemical composition analyzed by gas chromatographyhigh-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) and liquid chromatography- high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) demonstrated extraction of diverse compounds including terpenes and terpenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids and coumarins, functionalized phytosterols, and polyphenols. Voltammetry of microfilm immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode using square-wave voltammetry (SWV) was applied in the analysis of extracts. It was found that antioxidant activity obtained by SWV correlates well to 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhidrazine (DPPH) radical assay (R2 = 0.818) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay (R2 = 0.640), but not to the total phenolic content (R2 = 0.092). Effective results were obtained in terms of activity showing the potential usage of supercritical CO2 extraction to acquire bioactive compounds of interest

Kraft lignin: a novel alternative to oil spill cleanup recycling industrial waste

Oil spills occur frequently due to negligence or through acts of vandalism or war. Marine oil spills damage marine, coastal, and ter¬restrial habitats, as well as impact coastal economies. In order to palliate such issues, researchers are working to develop cost ef¬fective and environmentally safe methods of adsorbing oil from oil spills. In this paper, a complex chemical compound found in the secondary cell walls of plants and ex¬tracted as a waste product of the pulping process known as kraft lignin was tested as an adsorbing material for oil spills. Lignin is light, and its high surface energy and wet¬tability allow it to interact with charged oil droplets. It was found that lignin can absorb 80% of the carbon introduced into water by oil spills within 12 hours of treatment. This study demonstrates a novel method for resolving oil spills using kraft lignin. After it is saturated with oil, lignin can be inciner¬ated, and its high calorific value can be used to produce energy from what would other¬wise be a waste product.Les fuites de pétrole sont produites fréquemment à cause de la négligence, des actes de vandalisme ou de la guerre. Les fuites de pétrole en mer en¬dommagent les écosystèmes maritimes, côtières et terrestres, et affectent les économies côtières. Pour atténuer de tels problèmes, les chercheurs tentent de développer des méthodes rentables et écologiques pour absorber le pétrole des fuites. Dans ce rapport, un composé chimique compli¬qué trouvé dans la paroi cellulaire secondaire des plantes et extrait comme produit résiduaire du processus de réduction en pâte, connu sous le nom de lignine ‘kraft’, a été testé comme matériel absorbant pour les fuites de pétrole. Les pro¬priétés de la lignine, y compris sa légèreté, son énergie de surface élevée et sa mouillabilité, la permettent d’interagir avec les gouttes de pétrole chargées. La lignine est capable d’absorber 80% du charbon introduit dans l’eau par les fuites de pétrole en 12 heures de traitement ou moins. Cette étude démontre une solution originalepour l’absorption du pétrole des fuites pétro-lières. Après avoir été saturée avec le pétrole, la lignine peut être incinérée, et sa valeur calori-fique élevée permet la production d’énergie à partir de ce qui aurait été autrement gaspillé

Analysis of factors contributing to slovenian primary schools\u27 selection of amusement parks as final trips\u27 destination

Čeprav doživlja turizem velik razvoj in je ponudbe vedno več, pa v Slovenji nekaterih vrst ponudbe, kot so zabaviščni parki, še nimamo – morda malo tudi zato, ker. se precej blizu Slovenije nahajata kar dva, in sicer Gardaland in Mirabilandia. Z raziskovanjem smo želeli izvedeti, na podlagi česa slovenske osnovne šole za končne izlete izberejo enega ali drugega. V teoretičnem delu so razloženi različni pojmi v povezavi s prostočasnimi dejavnostmi. Tako smo pojasnili prostočasni in izobraževalni turizem ter predstavili nekaj glavnih značilnosti marketinga na splošno in marketinga v turizmu. Pred intervjuji smo predstavili obravnavana parka, Gardaland in Mirabilandio, ter ju primerjali. Za lažjo predstavo, koliko bi nas stal tak izlet, če bi tja šli sami ali s turistično agencijo, smo naredili izračun. Intervjuvali smo dvanajst slovenskih osnovnih šol, pri čemer so bile zastopane vse statistične regije. Zaradi epidemije koronavirusa Covid-19 izletov ni več, prej pa je tretjina šol vozila učence v Gardaland, ostali nikamor. V Mirabilandio niso šli nikoli na nobeni šoli, večina je sploh ne pozna. Ker je pomenil tak izlet veliko odgovornosti s strani šole že pred izrednimi razmerami, se je večina odločila, da otrok ne bodo več peljale v tujino. Kontaktirali smo tudi oba parka, da bi izvedeli, ali že, oziroma ali bi bila pripravljena, slovenskim osnovnim šolam ponuditi poseben paket, ki bi vključeval cenejšo vstopnino in prevoz. Odgovora nismo dobili.Even though tourism is developing and there is more and more to offer, there are still no amusement parks in Slovenia. Fortunately, there are two quite close to us, Gardaland and Mirabilandia. We wanted to find out which factors contribute to Slovenian primary schools choosing one or the other for final trips. The theoretical part explains various concepts related to leisure activities. We explained leisure and educational tourism. We also presented some of the main characteristics of marketing in general and marketing in tourism. Before the interviews, we presented Gardaland and Mirabilandia, and compared them. To imagine the cost of going on a trip like this ourselves and with a travel agency, we made a calculation. We interviewed twelve schools from each statistical region. Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic, there are no more trips. Before that, only a third of schools took students to Gardaland, the rest did not take them anywhere. None of the interview schools ever went to Mirabilandia, most of them never even heard of it. On a trip like that, schools had to carry a lot of responsibility even before the outbreak. Most of them decided they will not organise trips abroad in the future. We also contacted both Parks to find out if they already have or would be willing to offer Slovenian primary schools a special package that would include cheaper admission and transportation. We did not receive an answer

Teacher teaming as a process of a changing network:cross-case analysis of Finnish and Slovenian schools

Abstract This study addresses the need for an in-depth understanding of how the process of teacher teaming evolves over time. It combines the concept of viewing teams as dynamic hubs of participants and the social network approach with processual research. Teacher teaming is considered a process of emerging, developing, and dissolving teacher teams, with a focus on the alteration of relationships between teachers affecting informal teacher networks within a school. The research is at the intersection of processual research, social networks, and professional learning communities. It focuses on team fluidity and the process following a process-relational view of emerging reality, and moves away from the mainstream approaches in team research that study change in the work of teacher teams or that address the implementation of teams. The aim of this study is to increase both empirical and theoretical understanding of the process of teachers teaming in two schools and the connections between different events, and to compare the evolving change patterns across cases. The data in the study comprises interviews with the principals and teachers from one Finnish school and one Slovenian school, over the course of school years, as well as principals’ and assistant principals’ observation notes, the researcher’s field notes, and school documentation. In contrast to the prevailing view of teacher teaming as pre-planned managerial actions designed to change the school structure, and the work within teams that consequently brings about change in the teaching and learning process, this study adds to our understanding of teacher teaming as a continuous, unpredictable process that unfolds through the combining of multiple events. The empirical analysis identified five main characteristics of the teacher teaming process, considering their evolution through events and their connection with spatial and temporal settings: the dynamic nature of influencing factors, the multi-event nature of the teacher teaming process, dynamism in critical events, the variety of characteristics of change, and the continuous process of change. This study contributes to the studies on teacher teams and management in schools, and enables the building of professional learning communities through networking by following a process-relational view of becoming and by considering past and future events.Tiivistelmä Tämä tutkimus koskee tarvetta saada perusteellinen käsitys siitä, miten opettajien ryhmäytyminen kehittyy ajan myötä. Siinä yhdistetään näkökulmat ryhmistä osallistujien dynaamisina keskuksina ja sosiaalisen verkoston lähestymistapa prosessuaaliseen tutkimukseen. Opettajien ryhmäytymistä pidetään opettajaryhmien muodostumisen, kehittämisen ja hajottamisen prosessina, jossa keskitytään opettajien välisten suhteiden muuttamiseen, jotka vaikuttavat koulun epävirallisiin opettajaverkostoihin. Tutkimus on prosessuaalinen tutkimus, sosiaalisten verkostojen ja ammatillisten oppimisyhteisöjen risteyksessä. Se keskittyy ryhmätyön sujuvuuteen ja prosessiin, joka seuraa prosessuaalis-relationaalisesta näkemyksestä esiin nousevasta todellisuudesta, ja siirtyy pois ryhmätyön tutkimuksen valtavirtaisista lähestymistavoista, jotka tutkivat muutosta opettajaryhmien työssä tai käsittelevät ryhmätyön implementointia. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on lisätä sekä empiiristä että teoreettista ymmärrystä kahden koulun opettajien ryhmäytymisprosessista ja eri tapahtumien välisistä yhteyksistä ja verrata muuttuvia muutosmalleja tapauskohtaisesti. Tutkimuksen aineisto sisältää yhden suomalaisen koulun ja yhden slovenialaisen koulun rehtorien ja opettajien haastattelut kouluvuosien aikana sekä rehtorin ja pääavustajan havainnot, tutkijan kenttähavainnot ja koulun dokumentaation. Vastoin vallitsevaa näkemystä opettajien ryhmäytymistä ennalta suunniteltuna johtamistoimintana, jonka tarkoituksena on muuttaa koulurakennetta ja ryhmätyöskentelyä, mikä tuo mukanaan muutoksen opetus- ja oppimisprosessissa, tämä tutkimus lisää ymmärrystämme opettajien ryhmätyöskentelystä jatkuvana ja arvaamattomana prosessina, joka etenee useiden tapahtumien yhdistelmänä. Empiirinen analyysi tunnisti opettajien ryhmäytymisprosessista viisi pääominaisuutta, ottaen huomioon heidän evoluutionsa tapahtumien kautta sekä yhteyden alueellisiin ja ajallisiin tilanteisiin: vaikuttavien tekijöiden dynaaminen luonne, opettajien ryhmäytymisen luonne monien tapahtumien prosessina, kriittisten tapahtumien dynaamisuus, muutoksen moninaisuus sekä jatkuva muutosprosessi. Tämä tutkimus myötävaikuttaa opettajaryhmien ja johtamisen tutkimuksiin kouluissa ja mahdollistaa ammatillisten oppimisyhteisöjen rakentamisen verkostoitumalla seuraamalla prosessuaalis-relationaalisesta näkemystä tulemisesta ja ottamalla huomioon menneet ja tulevat tapahtumat. lyönnit ja välimerkit