Exploring the integration of the power to gas technologies and the sustainable transport

The de-carbonization of the transport sector is a particularly complex challenge as greenhouse gases are delocalized and diffused. Therefore, the problem has to be tackled from the source of the emissions, and efforts in the scientific and technological field must seek out new energy vectors of high density, neutral in CO2 and based on renewable energy that meet the sector demands and requisites. This could be the case of the synthetic natural gas which can be produced through the Power to Gas process (PtG). This process, originally developed by the German institutes ZSW and IWES, converts electricity into synthetic natural gas (SNG) via the methanation of CO2 together with H2 from water electrolysis. The energy content of the produced methane comes from the primary source for power generation (optimally renewable electricity) and it is possible to produce a CO2 neutral fuel by capturing the carbon emissions from an existing source. In addition, the PtG process can be seen as a new concept of renewable energy and CO2 hybrid storage. This paper identifies the possibilities that the Power to Gas technology offers for the production of sustainable methane and the existing potential for the symbiosis of industrial sectors through optimization of their waste streams of matter and energy. In particular power and transport sectors are considered and the outline of a small facility for the generation of synthetic natural gas from renewable electricity and its consumption in the vehicles of a road freight company is presented as a case study. Not only the technical feasibility but the economic viability of the process and the environmental improvements resulting from the use of a renewable fuel free of CO2 emissions in terms of carbon footprint are evaluated

Mitigating risk through R&D+Innovation: Chile’s national strategy for disaster resilience

With an annual average expense of more than 2,800 million USD, Chile leads the OECD countries with the largest percentage of the GDP spent in disaster losses per year (almost 1.2% GDP). This was the motivation of the Chilean President in 2015 to ask a group of experts to prepare a national Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D+i) strategy for disaster resilience. The strategy was developed by a group, called by the acronym CREDEN, and involved more than 80 experts representing different national stakeholders from the academia, public and private sectors, NGOs, and the armed forces. The work of CREDEN finished December 2016 and produced an R&D+i roadmap composed of five enabling conditions and 14 tasks. The implementation of this strategy demands a total investment of 914 million USD in 20 years, which is expected to have a benefit-cost ratio of 2.32, and annual savings of about $106 million USD. The first stage in this process is the design of a National Institute of R&D+i for Disaster Resilience (ITReND), which will oversee the implementation of the strategy. ITReND’s design was completed in 2017 and its implementation is expected to begin in 2018. This strategy can be considered as an example of how to position R&D+i in the basis of public policy for disaster resilience. Both, the contents of this strategy and its implementation process, have unique aspects and may help guide other disaster-prone countries in their pursuit of larger resilience to the increasing occurrence rate of extreme natural events

The effects of energy consumption of alumina production in the environmental impacts using life cycle assessment

Purpose Aluminium industry emits around 1–2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Up to one-third of those are linked to the thermal energy consumed during its initial process: the alumina refining (Bayer process). Previous studies consider the Bayer process a single stage despite its being made of several reaction stages. This work presents a disaggregated energy analysis of the Bayer process that facilitates to find relationships between the main variables in regular alumina production and the environmental impacts. Methods Two different thermodynamic simulations of the Bayer process were carried out using Aspen V11 software. The results of these simulations were validated with referenced data, and afterwards, they were used to perform a life cycle assessment. ISO 14040 and 14,044 standards were followed during the analysis. LCA was implemented on SimaPro 9.0, and ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method was used to calculate environmental impacts. The influence of bauxite mineral form, type of fuel (energy input), and the distance from the mine to the plant was analysed throughout the study. Results and discussion As expected, the type of fuel was revealed as the most crucial factor in the environmental impact of alumina production, with potential savings of up to 75.5% of CO2-equivalent emissions. Nonetheless, the tendency is diverse for other indicators, such as marine eutrophication or terrestrial acidification. On the other hand, while bauxite transportation always has the same impact on the different environmental indicators, bauxite mineral form affects differently depending on the fuel, causing variations in the CO2-eq emissions from 7.7 to 51.3%. Conclusions Results indicated that the electrification of heat-demanding processes and the use of renewable power is the most effective approach for reducing environmental impacts. This strategy, however, must be considered in combination with others, as interdependent effects exist on the type of mineral used. These results provide strong evidence of the potential for environmentally friendly strategies in the metal industry, including new processes, alternative fuels, or mineral switching to promote more sustainable aluminium production

Atmospheric dust captation by ornamental species

Se clasificaron 90 especies de árboles y arbustos de uso frecuente en Mendoza (Argentina) en base a su capacidad de filtrado del particulado atmosférico en suspensión. Se utilizó colectores de polvo atmosférico impregnados en vaselina líquida como superficie adherente. Se analizó por turbi-dimetría en un Hach 2100 P, con lectura en unidades nefelométricas de turbidez (NTU). Dichos colectores de polvo se colocaron en el interior y el exterior de la copa de cada ejemplar, con un mínimo de 15 repeticiones para cada posición. Por diferencia de promedios de lectura entre el exterior y el interior de la copa se obtuvo, en cada caso, un valor característico. Para lograr valores comparables entre ejemplares, con variaciones producidas por el follaje, debe referirse la mencionada diferencia del ancho de copa atravesado por el aire que transporta el contaminante y una lectura unitaria, mediante la relación: ILi =[(Loi -Lci) / (Efi * Loi)] * 100 m-1 donde: • ILi = índice de lectura interferométrica de la especie "i" • Loi= lectura interferométrica exterior (promedio de NTU externos) • Lci= lectura interferométrica interior de la copa (promedio de NTU internos) • Efi = espesor - expresado en m- de la copa en línea recta horizontal. El ILI, por caracterizar cada especie según su capacidad de captación de polvo atmosférico, permite el mejor uso de las mismas en proyectos de espacios verdes para protección ambiental.Based in the capacity to filtrate the atmospheric particulate it was established a classification of 90 vegetable species: shrubs and trees, frequently used in Mendoza (Argentina). The method used atmospheric dust collectors, impregnated in liquid vaseline as adherent surface, which are analyzed by a turbidimeter Hach 2100 P, with digital lectures in nefelometric turbidimeter units (NTU). In the samples these collectors were situated inside and outside of the canopy, at least in a number of 15 repetitions for each position. By difference of averages lectures among outside and inside, is reached the characteristicvalue for the specimen. This difference must be related to the canopy´s width crossed by the air current and to the unitary lecture, to obtain comparable values among different specimens, with variations produced by the characteristics of foliage. Itwas stablishedthe following relation: ILi = [ (Loi -Lci)/ (Efi * Loi )] * 100[m-1 where • ILi=interferometric lecture index of the specie "i" • Loi = outside interferometric lecture (average of externals NTU) • Lci= inside interferometric lecture (average of internals NTU) • Efi= width -expressed in m-of canopy crossed by air current, in horizontal straight line. The ILI index allow to characterize the vegetable species in order to their atmospheric dust captation capacity easing their utilization in green spaces projects and in environmental protection.Fil: Codina, Ramón A.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Fioretti, Sonia B.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Pérez, Paola V.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Ureta, Norberto M.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Llera, Joaquín. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Verd, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Carrieri, Sergio A.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasFil: Manzano, Enrique R.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agraria

Análisis cualitativo de la percepción del profesorado y de las familias sobre los conflictos y las conductas agresivas entre escolares

La conducta agresiva se define como aquella conducta que pretende causar daño físico y/o psicológico y en situaciones extremas, puede llegar a ser destructiva para la persona objeto de la agresión. El artículo muestra dos estudios realizados con profesores y padres de alumnos pertenecientes a los ciclos de educación primaria, educación secundaria y bachillerato. El primer estudio muestra la percepción del profesorado respecto de las conductas agresivas ejercidas en el centro escolar, el comportamiento de los alumnos ante ellas, las consecuencias que se derivan y las propuestas de mejora. El segundo, dirigido a las familias, indica en qué medida conocen las situaciones más o menos agresivas que ejercen o son ejercidas sobre sus hijos, las posibles causas de las agresiones y las alternativas de solución. Los resultados obtenidos indican que los profesores perciben que las agresiones acontecidas en el centro escolar son resultado de las características físicas y personales tanto del agresor como de la víctima, produciéndose, la mayoría de ellas, en situaciones de juego. Los padres, por el contrario, al menos, cuando su hijo desempeña el rol de víctima, desconocen la causa de la agresión, mientras que cuando actúa como agresor, consideran que es una respuesta a una situación violenta anterior. Sin embargo, padres y profesores manifiestan que el entrenamiento en habilidades prosociales y el incremento de la interacción entre familia y escuela son las claves para afrontar el problema

Cognitive stimulation as alternative treatment to improve psychological disorders in patients with mild cognitive impairment

(1) Background: Mild cognitive impairment is becoming one of the most common clinical manifestations affecting older people. For this reason, developing non-pharmacological strategies to help improve or maintain the physical condition of patients with mild dementia has become a priority. Therefore, the objective of this study is to provide evidence about the effects of a cognitive stimulation program on cognitive performance, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and aged > 70. (2) Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial. A total of 72 elderly people with MCI participated: 35 in the control group who did not receive any intervention and 36 in the experimental group who received a cognitive stimulation program for 12 weeks. Cognitive performance, depression, anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale, the Hamilton Rating Scale, and the SF-12, respectively. (3) Results: In the experimental group, significant results were obtained on cognitive performance, depression, anxiety and general health, emotional role, social functioning, vitality, mental health and mental component summary domains of the SF-12. (4) Conclusions: a cognitive stimulation program of 12 weeks improves cognitive performance, anxiety, depression, and HRQoL in people with MCI aged > 70

Reconnaissance observations by CIGIDEN after the 2015 Illapel, Chile earthquake and tsunami

This paper describes the reconnaissance work conducted by researchers from the National Research Center for Integrated Natural Disaster Management (CIGIDEN) between September 23rd and October 2nd in the area affected by the Mw 8.3 Illapel megathrust earthquake, which struck offshore the coast of the Coquimbo Region in central Chile on September 16th , 2015. A first team focused on the seismic performance and effects of the tsunami on public hospitals and on reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. A second team focused on the road network infrastructure. Field work included: (i) a survey on the physical and functional damages of the public hospitals in the Region; (ii) a visual inspection and preliminary damage assessment of 20 RC buildings in the largest cities of the region and an aftershock instrumentation of the Coquimbo hospital; and (iii) the inspection of bridges, pedestrian bridges, and rockfall along overstepped cut slopes of the road network. The overall limited impact of this megathrust earthquake may be explained in part by the long-term efforts made by the country to prepare for such events. Learnings from the 2010 Maule earthquake were evidenced in the successful evacuation along the coast of the country, and the overall good performance of engineered masonry structures, and of RC buildings designed after 2010

Ion distribution dynamics near the Earth's bow shock: first measurements with the 2D ion energy spectrometer CORALL on the INTERBALL/Tail-probe satellite

International audienceThe dynamics of the ion distribution function near the Earth's bow shock is studied on the basis of quasi-3D measurements of ion energy spectra in the range of 30?24200 eV/q with the Russian-Cuban CORALL instrument on the INTERBALL/Tail-probe satellite. The instrument was designed for observations of magnetospheric plasma and measures ions, in an angular range of 36°?144° from the Earth-Sun direction. Ion populations generated by the Earth bow shock are often observed upstream from the bow shock. In the solar-wind stream compressed and heated by the passing of very dense magnetic cloud (CME), two types of these ion populations were measured upstream and before the bow shock crossing on 25 August 1995 at 07:37 UT. Both populations were observed in the energy range above 2 keV. At ~06:20 UT, when the angle between the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field and normal to the bow shock VBn was ? 43° the instrument observed a narrow, fast (~800 km/s) field-aligned beam moving from the Earth. At ~07:30, when Bn ? 28°, the wide ion pitch-angle distribution was observed. A similar suprathermal ion population is observed in the magnetosheath simultaneously with the solar-wind ion population being heated and deflected from the Sun-Earth direction. The similarity of observations during the mentioned time-interval and under usual solar-wind conditions allows us to conclude that types of suprathermal ion populations upstream and downstream from the bow shock do not depend on the solar-wind disturbance generated by magnetic cloud