The hillslope length impact on SWAT streamflow prediction in large basins

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of hillslope length on Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) streamflow predictions in large basins using three methods for hillslope length calculation (the SWAT method, L1; a 3D analysis method, L2; a constant value, L3) combined with two DEMs (pixel size of 25 and 100 m), for a total of six DEML configurations that were tested in the Upper Danube (132000 km(2)). The delineation of subbasins and HRUs were kept unchanged in all configurations, thus isolating the DEM impact on streamflow from that of subbasins delineation. The configurations were independently calibrated in 98 gauged stations located in headwater subbasins (period 1995 similar to 2006), and validated in 150 gauged stations (period 1995 similar to 2009). The analysis of streamflow prediction was extended to its components (surface runoff, lateral flow and baseflow) using performance criteria and residual analysis, and the comparison of different components of water yield was pursued. Calibration and validation showed that all configurations simulated monthly streamflow acceptably (PBIAS < 25% for more than 70% of 150 gauged stations). DEM pixel size had negligible effect of streamflow and its components. The default hillslope length (L1) resulted in large overestimations of lateral flow. L2 resulted in the best performance as well as L3 method. Given that L2 method takes into account the topographic convergence of flow, the configuration of DEM100 and L2 is recommended for SWAT application in large basins in order to obtain reliable streamflow predictions

The sustainability of desalination as a remedy to the water crisis in the agriculture sector: An analysis from the climate-water-energy-food nexus perspective

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordData Availability: No data was used for the research described in the article.Over the years, desalination has become integral to water resources management, primarily in coastal semi-arid to arid regions. While desalinated seawater has mainly been supplied to municipal and high-revenue industries, the agriculture sector faces increasing irrigation demands, making it a potential user. This review assesses the sustainability of using desalinated seawater for irrigation, shedding light on its limitations and potential. Using desalinated water for irrigation presents challenges, including its high energy consumption, potential contribution to climate change, and agronomy-related concerns. However, evidence suggests that these challenges can be addressed effectively through tailor-fitted strategies. That said, conventional binary decision-making paradigms that label practices as good or bad and focus on a singular, isolated aspect are insufficient for evaluating the sustainability of desalination due to the complex and interconnected nature of the issues involved. To overcome this, the climate-water-energy-food (CWEF) nexus concept is proposed as a comprehensive framework for sustainability assessment. Adopting the CWEF nexus approach allows for a better understanding of the potential challenges associated with using desalinated water for irrigation, encompassing social, economic and environmental concerns. To ensure effective management of these challenges, it is crucial to tailor desalination projects to specific regional conditions and employ either prophylactic or corrective strategies. By embracing the CWEF nexus approach, informed decisions can be made regarding the future utilization of desalinated water for irrigation, contributing to broader sustainability goals

Discourse over the sustainability of irrigation with desalinated water in light of the water-energy-food nexus

This is the final version. Available from EWRA via the link in this recordDesalinated seawater has gained increasing popularity as an option for water-stressed regions worldwide to meet a general increase in water demand across most sectors. Considering current water and food crises that are exacerbating in many regions, desalination has gained traction as a suitable solution to alleviate these problems as a potentially limitless alternative water source. The agricultural industry is the largest global water consumer and the sector that is most likely to benefit from this technology to meet the increasing demand for irrigation. Despite the technology’s considerable potential, there are numerous issues related the technology’s sustainability that may prevent it from becoming a widely used solution for irrigation purposes. However, being affected by numerous interconnected factors, water resources problems are nuanced and multi-disciplinary. To account for these intricacies in the evaluation of the sustainability of this option for irrigation, the concept of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Security Nexus can be used. This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of the sustainability of the use of desalinated water for irrigation considering the WEF Security Nexus

IU Libraries Discovery Layer Task Force Summary Report and Recommendation

The IU Libraries OLE Discovery Layer Task Force reviewed the candidate applications (Blacklight and VuFind) for a new public interface for IUCAT, in terms of how each best supports discovery for the IU Libraries. The Task Force created a rubric of core functionality required by all campuses in a catalog user interface, organized into several broad areas. Criteria have been designated as required, highly desirable, or desirable, and each product has been reviewed and rated according to the rubric (attached as an appendix). This report was prepared for the IU Council of Head Librarians

A review of limitations and potentials of desalination as a sustainable source of water

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer via the DOI in this recordData availability: All used data have been presented in the paper.For centuries, desalination, in one way or another, has helped alleviate water scarcity. Over time, desalination has gone through an evolutionary process influenced largely by available contemporary technology. This improvement, for the most part, was reflected in the energy efficiency and, in turn, in terms of the cost-effectiveness of this practice. Thanks to such advancements, by the 1960s, the desalination industry experienced notable exponential growth, becoming a formidable option to supplement conventional water resources with a reliable non-conventional resource. That said, often, there are pressing associated issues, most notably environmental, socioeconomic, health, and relatively recently, agronomic concerns. Such reservations raise the question of whether desalination is indeed a sustainable solution to current water supply problems. This is exceptionally important to understand in light of the looming water and food crises. This paper, thus, tends to review these potential issues from the sustainability perspective. It is concluded that the aforementioned issues are indeed major concerns, but they can be mitigated by actions that consider the local context. These may be either prophylactic, proactive measures that require careful planning to tailor the situation to best fit a given region or reactive measures such as incorporating pre- (e.g., removing particles, debris, microorganisms, suspended solids, and silt from the intake water prior to the desalination process) and post-treatments (e.g., reintroducing calcium and magnesium ions to water to enhance its quality for irrigation purposes) to target specific shortcomings of desalination

Deacidification of Soybean Oil Combining Solvent Extraction and Membrane Technology

The aim of this work was to study the removal of free fatty acids (FFAs) from soybean oil, combining solvent extraction (liquid-liquid) for the separation of FFAs from the oil and membrane technology to recover the solvent through nanofiltration (NF). Degummed soybean oil containing 1.05 ± 0.10% w/w FFAs was deacidified by extraction with ethanol. Results obtained in the experiences of FFAs extraction from oil show that the optimal operating conditions are the following: 1.8 : 1 w : w ethanol/oil ratio, 30 minutes extraction time and high speed of agitation and 30 minutes repose time after extraction at ambient temperature. As a result of these operations two phases are obtained: deacidified oil phase and ethanol phase (containing the FFAs). The oil from the first extraction is subjected to a second extraction under the same conditions, reducing the FFA concentration in oil to 0.09%. Solvent recovery from the ethanol phase is performed using nanofiltration technology with a commercially available polymeric NF membrane (NF-99-HF, Alfa Laval). From the analysis of the results we can conclude that the optimal operating conditions are pressure of 20 bar and temperature of 35°C, allowing better separation performance: permeate flux of 28.3 L/m2·h and FFA retention of 70%

A study on reversibility of BEVA®371 in the lining of paintings

The adhesive properties of BEVA®371 used in the lining of paintings and the reversibility and invasiveness of the operation as a function of the different application conditions has been investigated in this work. Peel and lap shear mechanical tests on specific samples were then done in order to study the adhesion effectiveness. After the tests, cross-sections of samples were observed under optical microscope to examine the adhesive distribution; moreover, the samples were examined with SEM analysis to evaluate the adhesive invasiveness. Also, a series of removal tests of lining fabrics from an original painting were done in order to establish the method allowing the highest degree of reversibility. The influence of artificial ageing was evaluated on a series of samples subjected to thermal-hygrometric stress for some months. Changes in the elastic and adhesive properties were observed, but all together the study indicates that from the mechanical point of view BEVA®371 is a quite stable material for lining operations made with properly controlled application methods