An adaptable integrated modelling platform to support rapidly evolving agricultural and environmental policy

The utility of integrated models for informing policy has been criticised due to limited stakeholder engagement, model opaqueness, inadequate transparency in assumptions, lack of model flexibility and lack of communication of uncertainty that, together, lead to a lack of trust in model outputs. We address these criticisms by presenting the ERAMMP Integrated Modelling Platform (IMP), developed to support the design of new “business-critical” policies focused on agriculture, land-use and natural resource management. We demonstrate how the long-term (>5 years), iterative, two-way and continuously evolving participatory process led to the co-creation of the IMP with government, building trust and understanding in a complex integrated model. This is supported by a customisable modelling framework that is sufficiently flexible to adapt to changing policy needs in near real-time. We discuss how these attributes have facilitated cultural change within the Welsh Government where the IMP is being actively used to explore, test and iterate policy ideas prior to final policy design and implementation

The potential for agroforestry to reduce net GHG emissions in Scotland through the Woodland Carbon Code

Meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions targets outlined in Scotland’s Climate Change Plan[1] (CCPu) will require significant change for all sectors, including land use. Woodland creation and tree planting targets are embedded in the CCPu to contribute to GHG reduction targets. Agroforestry is defined as the combination of trees and agriculture on the same plot of land, with tree density varying dependent on agricultural land type, tree species and objective. There has been growing interest in agroforestry systems as an opportunity to integrate land management objectives and contribute to meeting tree planting targets and generate GHG reductions and removals. However, currently only 3.3% of the utilised agricultural area in the UK is managed as agroforestry (den Herder et al., 2015). Carbon schemes, such as the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) could offer a potential route to provide financial support for agroforestry and incentivise its creation. This report examines existing evidence to assess the GHG potential of different forms of agroforestry suitable in Scotland, building on the recent Perks et al. (2018) and examines the potential economic viability of adopting such agroforestry practices

Exploring the social and cultural values of trees and woodlands in England : A new composite measure

Existing research on the social and cultural (S&C) values of treescapes tends to be limited in scope, for example to recreation, aesthetic or health values, and much is primarily qualitative, which provides rich detail but does not lend itself easily to incorporation into decision-making. Having a way to quantify the range of S&C values associated with treescapes is important if decision-makers are to effectively take these into account. This issue is particularly important currently with ambitious plans to increase tree cover alongside growing threats to treescapes from climate change and tree pests and diseases. This paper outlines the development of a new composite measure to quantify the S&C values associated with treescapes. The development of the measure resulted in a set of 19 statements across six categories of S&C value. We present results from using the measure in a survey with a representative sample of 5000 people across England together with the results of a factor analysis, which suggests a way to simplify the measure into five statements. We examine the measure through the lens of relational values and suggest that a majority of the values in our measure are relational. Policy implications. The composite measure can be used by decision-makers looking to develop their evidence base regarding the value of treescapes in their area, or for exploring the impact of tree pests and diseases. It has already been used by more than one local authority in England. While data collection was limited to England, we suggest that the measure is applicable across a wider range of countries

Influence of Thermal Activation of Titania on Photoreactivity of Pt/TiO2 in Hydrogen Production

A series of Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts was prepared by impregnation of fresh and thermal-activated titania (commercial Evonik Aeroxide P25 TiO2) with an aqueous solution of H2PtCl6 followed by reduction in an aqueous solution of NaBH4. The thermal activation was performed by annealing in air. The photocatalytic activity of the Pt/TiO2 catalysts was measured for the hydrogen production from a mixture of glycerol under UV radiation. It was found that the activation at 300–600 °C provides an increase in the photoreactivity of resulting Pt/TiO2 photocatalysts in the production of hydrogen while its structural and textural properties do not change. This effect is due to formation of cationic vacancies that limits fast electron–hole recombination

CuFeAl Nanocomposite Catalysts for Coal Combustion in Fluidized Bed

A method of oil-drop granulation was suggested for the preparation of spherical CuFeAl nanocomposite catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by a set of physicochemical methods (X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction by H2, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, crushing strength) and tested in the oxidation of CO and burning of brown coal in a fluidized bed. It was found that the catalysts have high mechanical strength (16.2 MPa), and their catalytic properties in the oxidation of CO are comparable to the characteristics of industrial Cr-containing catalysts. It was shown that the addition of pseudoboehmite at the stage of drop formation contributes to the production of uniform spherical high-strength granules and facilitates the stabilization of the phase state of the active component. The use of CuFeAl nanocomposite catalysts for the burning of brown coal provides a low emission of CO (600 ppm) and NOx (220 ppm) and a high degree of coal burnout (95%), which are close to those of the industrial Cr-containing catalysts (emission of CO is 700 ppm, NOx—230 ppm, and degree of coal burnout is 95%)

Ni–Cu High-Loaded Sol–Gel Catalysts for Dehydrogenation of Liquid Organic Hydrides: Insights into Structural Features and Relationship with Catalytic Activity

The heightened interest in liquid organic hydrogen carriers encourages the development of catalysts suitable for multicycle use. To ensure high catalytic activity and selectivity, the structure–reactivity relationship must be extensively investigated. In this study, high-loaded Ni–Cu catalysts were considered for the dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane. The highest conversion of 85% and toluene selectivity of 70% were achieved at 325 °C in a fixed-bed reactor using a catalyst with a Cu/Ni atomic ratio of 0.23. To shed light on the relationship between the structural features and catalytic performance, the catalysts were thoroughly studied using a wide range of advanced physicochemical tools. The activity and selectivity of the proposed catalysts are related to the uniformity of Cu distribution and its interaction with Ni via the formation of metallic solid solutions. The method of introduction of copper in the catalyst plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of the interaction between the two metals

Highly Active CuFeAl-containing Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol

CuFe-containing catalysts with different copper oxide content were prepared by fusion of metal salts. The obtained catalyst showed high activity in the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol (FA) in the batch reactor in the presence of isopropanol as a solvent at a temperature of 100 °C and a hydrogen pressure of 6.0 MPa. The yield of FA and furfural conversion are 97% and 98%, respectively. In the solvent-free reaction in the flow-type reactor; the most active catalyst Cu20Fe66Al14 leads to the 96% formation of FA with 100% conversion of furfural at liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) = 1 h−1; 160 °C and a hydrogen pressure of 5.0 MPa during 30 h. According to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method, the active component of the spent and fresh Cu20Fe66Al14 catalyst is the same and is represented by metallic copper and Fe3O4-type spinel. Using different methods, the formation of active sites was investigated

In Situ Study of Reduction of Mnx_xCo3–x_{3–x}O4_4 Mixed Oxides: The Role of Manganese Content

A series of Mn–Co mixed oxides with a gradual variation of the Mn/Co molar ratio were prepared by coprecipitation of cobalt and manganese nitrates. The structure, chemistry, and reducibility of the oxides were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). It was found that at concentrations of Mn below 37 atom %, a solid solution with a cubic spinel structure is formed. At concentrations above 63 atom %, a solid solution is formed on the basis of a tetragonal spinel, while at concentrations in a range of 37–63 atom %, a two-phase system, which contains tetragonal and cubic oxides, is formed. To elucidate the reduction route of mixed oxides, two approaches were used. The first was based on a gradual change in the chemical composition of Mn–Co oxides, illustrating slow changes in the TPR profiles. The second approach consisted in a combination of in situ XRD and pseudo-in situ XPS techniques, which made it possible to directly determine the structure and chemistry of the oxides under reductive conditions. It was shown that the reduction of Mn–Co mixed oxides proceeds via two stages. During the first stage, (Mn, Co)$_3$O$_4$ is reduced to (Mn, Co)O. During the second stage, the solid solution (Mn, Co)O is transformed into metallic cobalt and MnO. The introduction of manganese cations into the structure of cobalt oxide leads to a decrease in the rate of both reduction stages. However, the influence of additional cations on the second reduction stage is more noticeable. This is due to crystallographic peculiarities of the compounds: the conversion from the initial oxide (Mn, Co)$_3$O$_4$ into the intermediate oxide (Mn, Co)O requires only a small displacement of cations, whereas the formation of metallic cobalt from (Mn, Co)O requires a rearrangement of the entire structure

Effect of Temperature on the Hydrotreatment of Sewage Sludge-Derived Pyrolysis Oil and Behavior of Ni-Based Catalyst

The high-energy potential of wastewater sewage sludge (SS) produced in large amounts around the world makes it an attractive feedstock for fuels and energy sectors. Thermochemical valorization relying on pyrolysis of SS followed by hydrotreatment of pyrolysis oil (Py-SS) might even allow the integration of SS into existing oil refineries. In the present study, catalytic hydrotreatment of Py-SS was performed over a NiCuMo-P-SiO2 catalyst in a batch reactor at temperatures in the range of 200–390 °C. Due to sulfur presence in the feed, the increasing reaction temperature induced in situ transformation of metallic Ni into Ni3S2 in the catalyst. In contrast, the Ni3P active phase possessed remarkable stability even at the harshest reaction conditions. The oxygen content in the reaction products was decreased by 59%, while up to 52% of N and 89% of S were removed at 390 °C. The content of free fatty acids was greatly reduced by their conversion to n-alkanes, while the larger amount of volatile aromatics was generated from high molecular mass compounds. The quality of oil-derived products greatly changed at elevated temperatures, providing strong evidence of effective upgrading via decarboxy(ny)lation, hydrogenation, and hydrocracking transformations