17 research outputs found
The upgrading of fire safety in historic buildings
There is a seemingly continual erosion of our cultural heritage due to fires in historic buildings. Some of these fires result in partial loss of the asset, some result in total loss â in all cases irreplaceable historic fabric is destroyed. Accurate recording for fires in historic buildings is problematic, but such data as has been collated indicates that the level of loss is high. One of the key factors in achieving robust fire safety in historic buildings is the upgrading of physical fire protection measures. It has been suggested that we should assume a fire event is probable, and together with a context in which outside help might be some time in arriving, such measures are considered crucial in containing the fire and raising the alarm as quickly as possible. This article considers passive and active fire protection measures, using case study material to provide illustrative examples. Where it might be expected that conservation requirements, aiming to avoid negative impact to character and significance, might hinder disruptive physical interventions to improve fire protection, in fact a great deal can be achieved. Such a pragmatic approach is arguably necessary for the safety and preservation of built heritage, when the alternative might otherwise be yet another burnt-out shell
Composition, potential emissions and agricultural value of pig slurry from Spanish commercial farms
[EN] Pig slurry is a valuable fertilizer for crop
production but at the same time its management may
pose environmental risks. Slurry samples were collected
from 77 commercial farms of four animal categories
(gestating and lactating sows, nursery piglets and
growing pigs) and analyzed for macronutrients,
micronutrients, heavy metals and volatile fatty acids.
Emissions of ammonia (NH3) and biochemical methane
potential (BMP) were quantified. Slurry electrical
conductivity, pH, dry matter content and ash content
were also determined. Data analysis included an
analysis of correlations among variables, the development
of predictionmodels for gaseousemissions and the
analysis of nutritional content of slurries for crop
production. Descriptive information is provided in this
work and shows a wide range of variability in all studied
variables. Animal category affected some physicochemical
parameters, probably as a consequence of
different slurry management and use of cleaning water.
Slurries from gestating sows and growing pigs tended to
be more concentrated in nutrients, whereas the slurry
from lactating sows and nursery piglets tended to be
more diluted. Relevant relationships were found among
slurry characteristics expressed in fresh basis and gas
emissions. Predictivemodels using on-farmmeasurable
parameterswere obtained forNH3 (R2 = 0.51) andCH4
(R2 = 0.76), which suggests that BMP may be estimated
in commercial farms from easily determined
slurry characteristics. Finally, slurry nutrient composition
was highly variable. Therefore, complete analyses
of slurries should be performed for an effective and
environmental friendly land application.This project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2011-30023) and the Valencian Government (ACOMP/2013/118). We thank the BABEL Project, Building Academic Bonds between Europe and Latin America. Erasmus Mundus Programme Action 2 for PhD fellowships. The translation of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain.Antezana-Julian, WO.; Blas, CD.; GarcĂa-Rebollar, P.; RodrĂguez, C.; Beccaccia, A.; Ferrer Riera, P.; Cerisuelo, A.... (2016). Composition, potential emissions and agricultural value of pig slurry from Spanish commercial farms. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. 104(2):159-173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-016-9764-3S1591731042Aarnink AJA, Verstegen MWA (2007) Nutrition, key factor to reduce environmental load from pig production. 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Environmental burdens of producing bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes in England and Wales using simulation and system modelling
Background, aims and scope Food production is essential to life. Modern farming
uses considerable resources to produce arable crops. Analysing the environmental
burdens of alternative crop production methods is a vital tool for policymakers.
The paper describes the production burdens (calculated by life cycle analysis)
of three key arable crops: bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes as grown in
England and Wales using organic and non-organic (contemporary conventional)
systems. Resource use (e.g. abiotic and energy) and burdens from emissions are
included (e.g. global warming potential on a 100-year basis, global warming
potential (GWP), and eutrophication and acidification potentials). Methods Crop
production was analysed, using systems models, so that the effects of factors
like changing N fertiliser application rates or irrigation could be examined.
Emissions of nitrate were derived from a simulation model in which soil organic
N was driven to steady state so that all long-term effects were properly
accounted for. Yield response curves to N were similarly derived from long-term
experiments. Crop nutrient inputs and plant protection applications were derived
from national survey data and the literature. All major inputs were accounted
for including fertiliser extraction, manufacture and delivery; pesticide
manufacture; field fuel use; machinery and building manufacture; crop drying,
cooling and storage. The current balance of production systems were found from
survey data. The weighted mean national production was calculated froma
combination of three rainfall levels and soil textures. The system boundary is
the farm gate.
The functional unit is 1 t marketable fresh weight of each product. Results and
discussion The primary energy needs for the producing the three main crops were
2.4, 4.9 and 1.4 GJ/t for bread wheat, oilseed rape and potatoes, respectively.
When expressed in terms of dry matter, protein or energy, wheat incurred smaller
burdens than oilseed rape, which incurred lower burdens than potatoes. The crops
do, of course, all play different roles. Organically produced bread wheat needed
about 80% of the energy of non-organic, while organic potatoes needed 13% more
energy than nonorganically produced ones. While pesticide use was always lower
in organic production, other burdens were generally inconsistently higher or
lower. Land occupation was always higher for organic production. Lower
fertiliser use (and hence energy use) in organic systems is offset by more
energy for fieldwork and lower yields. Main crop potato energy needs are
dominated by cold storage. Reducing the N application rate for bread wheat
production reduces energy use and GWP. The optimum for energy is with N at about
70% of the current level. It seems to be lower for GWP, but the sub-models used
are beyond their range of reliability. The results are generally of the same
order as those from other European studies. Conclusions Arable crop production
depends heavily on fossil fuel in current major production systems. The
emissions causing GWP are very dependent on nitrous oxide, more so than fuel
consumption. That, together with emissions of ammonia and nitrate, means that
agriculture has a C-N footprint rather than the C footprint that typifies most
industrial life. Recommendations and perspectives With the large influence of
nitrous oxide on GWP, evaluation of nitrous oxide emissions by another method,
e.g. crop-soil simulation modelling instead of the more rigid IPCC method would
improve the robustness of the analysis. The transition betweenfarming systems
was not included in this study, but there could be short to medium term benefits
of converting from nonorganic to organic methods that should be evaluated.
System modelling allows alternative production methods to be readily explored
and this greatly enhances LCA methodology