The Effects of Biogeotextiles on the Stabilization of Roadside Slopes in Lithuania.

Soil erosion, Water erosion, Soil conservation, Geotextiles, Geotextile mats, Roadside slopes, Vegetation cover, Biogeotextiles , Palm mat geotextiles - Borassus aethiopum - Mauritia flexuosa - Buriti mats - BORASSUS Project - LithuaniaBiogeotextiles constructed from the leaves of Borassus aethiopum and Mauritia flexuosa are investigated at the Kaltinėnai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture, which is participating in the EU-funded BORASSUS Project. Biogeotextiles are potentially excellent biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials useful for soil conservation. Field studies on a steep (21–25°) roadside slope in Lithuania suggest biogeotextile mats are an effective and sustainable soil conservation technique. Biogeotextiles have a potential as a biotechnical soil conservation method for slope stabilization and protection from water erosion on steep industrial slopes and may be integrated with the use of perennial grasses to optimize protection from water erosion. The investigations demonstrated that a cover of Borassus and Buriti mats improved the germination and growth of sown perennial grasses. The biomass of perennial grasses increased by 52.0–63.4% under cover of Borassus mats and by 18.6–28.2% under cover of Buriti mats. Over 2 years, the biogeotextiles (Borassus and Buruti, respectively) decreased soil losses from bare fallow soil by 90.8% and 81.5% and from plots covered by perennial grasses by 87.9% and 79.0%, respectively

Evidence for improved urban flood resilience by sustainable drainage retrofit

The rapid growth of cities under modern development pressure has resulted in surface water flooding becoming an increasing hazard and future climate change uncertainties may exacerbate this threat still further: retrofitting sustainable drainage systems to attenuate stormwater runoff has been advocated as part of an integrated solution required to address this problem. Many of these adaptations not only enhance a community’s resilience to flooding, but may also offer additional benefits in terms of improved environmental amenity and quality of life. The evidence base for sustainable drainage is critically evaluated in respect of the implications for urban planning, as applied to existing housing stocks and business properties in urban areas worldwide. It is concluded that this approach can make a substantial contribution towards urban resilience as part of an integrated approach to managing extreme storms. This will be of interest to urban planners and designers considering the implementation of integrated flood risk management

Strain evolution of brick masonry under cyclic compressive loading

Long-term fatigue tests in compression were performed on low-strength brick masonry prisms under laboratory conditions at different maximum stress levels. The maximum and minimum total longitudinal deformations with the loading cycles were recorded. The experimental results revealed that fatigue life is divided into three distinct stages. The recordings were further analysed to develop an analytical expression for the prediction of the development of strain during the fatigue life of masonry. A set of three mathematical equations were proposed to predict the three characteristic stages of fatigue. The developed expressions, related the normalised total longitudinal strain with the normalised maximum applied stress. The proposed model provides good agreement with the mean available data at any maximum stress level and could be used to to evaluate the remaining service life, plan maintenance works minimising life-cycle costs and prevent premature failures Continuity of the curves at the intersection points in terms of slope and numerical values ensures accuracy of the method and results to a differentiable function

Challenges of urban housing quality and its associations with neighbourhood environments: Insights and exepriences of Ibadan City, Nigeria

A survey of housing quality and neighbourhood environments of Ibadan City, Nigeria was conducted to evaluate the housing infrastructure and to identify those areas where there is a likelihood of future incidences of disease and epidemics. Based on existing demographic and land use characteristics, the city can be divided into high, medium and low-density zones. Penalty scoring, rather than positive scoring, was used to assess the conditions and quality of houses and the neighbourhood environment in each of the zones.Houses in the high-density area have the worst property and environmental characteristics followed by houses in the medium-density area. Based on housing condition alone, approximately half of all the dwellings surveyed (n = 172) in the three zones are categorised as either substandard or unfit for human habitation. Based on neighbourhood environment, none of the high and medium-density housing areas and only one of the low density areas attained the good-scoring grade. This is attributed in part to many residents being polygamists which means the houses are overcrowded with perhaps up to eight persons per room and to tenant abuse by internal conversion to increase the occupancy rate. More than half of the houses surveyed have at least or more major defect.Recommendations include government directed infrastructure improvements; a regeneration-drive by private investors with possible displacement of residents fromthe high-density zone to new towns; a vigorous programme of housing and health education; enhanced collaboration between stakeholders to develop enforceable standards for existing housing stock and future builds

Insights from the analysis of sustainability reporting across UK real estate companies

Organisational sustainability reporting can act as a mechanism for the United Nations to track the progress of the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) and concomitantly provide clarity of business activities and performance to a range of stakeholders. This study aims to assess the reporting of sustainability-related matters, and notably the incorporation and prioritisation of the SDGs, across the real estate market of the UK by interrogating both sustainability and annual reports. Content analysis was utilised to consider the qualitative aspects of the text itself, subsequently a scoring process was employed to uncover a quantitative view. Results demonstrate that, although there is acknowledgement of the sustainability agenda among these companies, there is a focal cluster of SDGs that explicitly apply to the property sector (namely SDGs 11,12,13) and a least-important group of goals (namely SDGs 1,2,6,9,10,14,15,16), which do not relate-well with real estate activities. Based upon the calculated average quality scoring (2.19 out of 5), findings reveal firms generally convey their sustainability activities in a qualitative manner with minimal incorporation of quantitative key performance indicators. Moreover, SDG 13 achieves one of the highest scores (2.99) and this suggests the greatest focus of company intentions are directed towards climate action. However, it is important to also note that very few companies discuss specific SDG targets in their reports. Based on this evidence, it is proposed that if the companies employed goal-specific targets it would allow for a greater overview of sector performance on the goals, year-on-year, and also counterbalance concerns that firms are green-washing (or rainbow-washing) their communications and the emergence of a disconnect between proclaimed intentions and genuine measurable actions

Agro-environmental lessons from the ‘sustainable highland agriculture in South-East Asia’ (SHASEA) project

To promote sustainable agro-environmental development in the highlands of South-East Asia, an international multidisciplinary research team examined the effectiveness of selected agronomic and soil conservation treatments (both modified and novel cropping practises) using farmer-managed runoff plots. The study sites were located in the highlands of Yunnan Province (Wang Jia Catchment), China and Mae Honson Province (Pang Mapa District), Northern Thailand. Project lessons relating to co-operation, research partnerships, time horizons, multidisciplinarity, income generation, information dissemination and education are discussed. Article in English. Žemės ūkio ir aplinkosauginė patirtis vykdant projektą „Tvarusis žemės ūkis Pietryčių Azijos aukštumose“ Santrauka. Tvariajai žemės ūkio plėtrai skatinti Pietryčių Azijos aukštumose tarptautinių tarpdisciplininių mokslinių tyrimų grupė ištyrė pasirinktų argonominių bei dirvos apsaugos būdų efektyvumą (taikyta ir modifikuotieji, ir nauji žemdirbystės būdai) dirbamuose ūkininkų laukuose. Tyrimo vietos pasirinktos Junanio provincijoje (Wang Jia baseine) Kinijoje ir Mae Honson provincijoje (Pang Mapa srityje) Šiaurės Tailando aukštumose. Straipsnyje aptariama projekto pamokos, susijusios su bendradarbiavimo plėtojimu, mokslinių tyrimų partneryste, investavimu, tarpdisciplininių metodų taikymu, pajamų augimu, informacijos sklaida ir švietimo klausimais. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Kinija, šiaurės – pietų bendradarbiavimas, dirvožemio apsauga, INCOPLAST, pietų – pietų bendra darbiavimas, šiaudų mulčas, tvarioji plėtra, Tailandas, “laiko horizontas”. Сельскохозяйственный и природоохранный опыт, полученный при осуществлении проекта «Рациональное сельское хозяйство на возвышенностях юго-восточной Азии» Резюме. С целью содействовать рациональному развитию сельского хозяйства на возвышенностях юго-восточной части Азии группа ученых, занимающаяся междисциплинарными научными исследованиями, исследовала эффективность некоторых агрономических и почвоохранных мер с применением как модифицированных, так и новых способов земледелия на обрабатываемых сельскохозяйственных полях. Для исследований были выбраны места в провинциях Юнань (в бассейне Wang Jia) в Китае и Мае Гонсон (Pang Mapa) на возвышенностях Северного Таиланда. Проанализирован опыт, полученный при осуществлении проекта и касающийся развития сотрудничества, партнерства в сфере научных исследований, инвестирования, применения междисциплинарных методов, роста доходов, распространения информации и вопросов просвещения. Ключевые слова: Китай, сотрудничество между севером и югом, почвоохранные меры, INCOPLAST, сотрудничество между югом и югом, соломенная мульча, рациональное развитие, Таиланд, «горизонты времени»

Comparison of three tree‐ring sampling methods for trace metal analysis

Tree‐ring growth analysis can provide information about tree development for forest inventory, environmental assessment, atmospheric and soil monitoring. Metal concentrations in wood increment correlate with metal concentrations in the environment and can indicate local environmental contamination sources. One of the most important steps of tree analysis is tree‐ring sampling. To determine trace metal (TM) concentrations precisely in a separate ring, the possibility of random errors during wood sampling must be eliminated. This guides to choose a precise tree‐ring sampling method. This paper examines three tree‐ring sampling tools (common chisels, arched chisels and a plane) and compares TM concentrations (Mn, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Pb,) in wood samples collected by each of the methods employed. Average values of metals in tree rings sampled with common chisels, arched chisels and plane were 17.0±0.16 mg/kg for Mn, 4.7±0.21 mg/kg for Zn, 0.49±0.20 mg/kg for Pb, 0.29±0.02 mg/kg for Cu, 0.21±0.02 mg/kg for Ni and 0.12±0.01 mg/kg for Cr and were in the range of typical concentrations in investigated region as well as for Pinus sylvestris L. The average values were calculated for the three methods used. Statistical analysis (Anderson–Darlin test, Kruskal–Wallis tests, median and percentage coefficient of variation) revealed no significant differences between metal concentrations determined in tree rings which were sampled using common chisels, arched chisels and planing. Various techniques – common chisels, arched chisels and plane – can be successfully used for tree‐ring sampling, however, an increment borer provides possibility of sampling a non‐felled tree. Santrauka Medienos metiniu rieviu analize suteikia informacijos apie medžio vystymasi, svarbios inventorizuojant miškus, vertinant aplinkos poveiki, atliekant aplinkos oro ir dirvožemio monitoringa. Sunkiuju metalu koncentracijos metinese rievese susijusios su metalu koncentracijomis aplinkoje ir gali nusakyti vietines aplinkos taršos lygi. Vienas iš svarbiu medienos analizes etapu yra metiniu rieviu eminiu emimas. Siekiant tiksliai nustatyti sunkiuju metalu koncentracija metineje rieveje svarbu išvengti atsitiktiniu paklaidu. Šiame darbe aptariami trys metiniu rieviu eminiu emimo metodai (iprastiniai kaltai, lenktieji kaltai ir obliavimas) ir lyginamos pagrindiniu sunkiuju metalu (Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, Pb) koncentracijos eminiuose, paimtuose kiekvienu iš minetuju metodu. Vidutines sunkiuju metalu koncentracijos, nustatytos šiais metodais, sieke 17,0±0,16 mg/kg Mn, 4,7±0,21 mg/kg Zn, 0,49±0,20 mg/kg Pb, 0,29±0,02 mg/kg Cu, 0,21±0,02 mg/kg Ni ir 0,12±0,01 mg/kg Cr ir buvo panašios i koncentracijas, aptiktas Pinus sylvestris L. medienoje nagrinejamoje teritorijoje. Apskaičiuotos vidutines vertes. Atlikus statistine analize (Anderson ir Darlin testas, Kruskal ir Wallis testas, variacijos koeficientas) tebuvo tik nereikšmingas sunkiuju metalu koncentraciju metinese rievese skirtumas, eminius emus aptartais metodais. Ivairūs metodai – iprastiniai kaltai, lenktieji kaltai ir obliavimas – gali būti sekmingai taikomi metiniu rieviu eminiams imti, tačiau “amžiaus” gražtu eminius galima imti nenukertant medžio. Резюме Анализ годичных колец древесины предоставляет информацию о развитии дерева, что важно для инвентaризации леса, оценки воздействия на окружающую среду и мониторинга воздуха и почвы. Концентрации тяжелых металлов в годичных кольцах древесины зависят от их концентрации в окружающей среде и могут свидетельствовать об уровне загрязнения местности. Одним из важных этапов анализа древесины является взятие проб годичных колец. Для точного определения концентрации тяжелых металлов в годичных кольцах древесины важно избежать случайных погрешностей. В статье анализируются три метода взятия проб годичных колец древесины (дробление обычным долотом, круглым долотом и строгание) и сравниваются концентрации основных тяжелых металлов (Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, Cr, Pb) в пробах, взятых каждым из названных методов. Средние концентрации тяжелых металлов при их измерении указанными методами достигали 1,695±0,161 мг/кг для Mn, 0,471±0,206 мг/кг для Zn, 0,487±0,202 мг/кг для Pb, 0,290±0,021 мг/кг для Cu, 0,210±0,023 мг/кг для Ni и 0,117±0,010 мг/кг для Cr. Эти концентрации тяжелых металлов аналогичны концентрациям в древесине сосны (Pinus sylvestris L) на данной исследуемой территории. При помощи статистического анализа [тест Андерсона–Дарлина (Anderson–Darlin), тест Крускаля–Валиса (Kruskal–Wallis), коэффициент вариации] выявлена лишь незначительная разница между концентрациями тяжелых металлов в годичных кольцах древесины, взятых уже названными методами. Методы дробления обычным долотом, круглым долотом и строгания могут успешно применяться для взятия проб годичных колец древесины, однако сверло „века“ предоставляет возможность взятия пробы без спиливания дерева. First Publish Online: 10 Feb 2011 Reikšminiai žodžiai: „amžiaus“ grąžtas, kaltas, medienos ėminiai, metinė rievė, obliavimas, sunkieji metalai. Ключевые слова: сверло „века“, долото, пробы древесины, годичные кольца, строгание, тяжелыe металлы

Reducing floodwater ingress rates through an exterior masonry wall of a domestic building

AbstractPurpose Experimental field test apparatus has been used to determine the inter-variability and intra-variability floodwater ingress rates of the masonry wall of a domestic building, before and after preparation with an improved surface treatment procedure.Design/methodology/approach Replicated and repeated simulations of floodwater conditions (600 mm head) outside a building were created, before and after the masonry wall was treated with a combination of mortar admixture and surface impregnation.Findings Untreated and treated floodwater ingress rates were 4.99 litres/hour (234.99 litres/hour/m2) and 1.74 litres/hour (81.90 litres/hour/m2), respectively, and display high intra-variability before treatment. These preliminary results indicate water penetration through masonry is linked to the initial rate of absorption of brick units and perceivably the workmanship of the bricklayer.Originality/value Reductions in floodwater penetration from outside a building, by the impregnation and admixture treatments of masonry walls, can be achieved to manageable levels. However, the target for rates of water ingress through permeable masonry o

Application of mineral magnetic measurements as a pollution proxy for urban road deposited sediment

Road Deposited Sediment (RDS) is an important pathway of pollution material in the urban environment. Traditional particulate matter (PM) monitoring methods are typically expensive and time consuming. To date, urban sediment studies have not fully explored the application of mineral magnetic technologies as an alternative to characterise RDS or, perhaps more importantly, their use as particle size proxy. Therefore, this study addresses these issues by determining the extent of any linkages between magnetic properties and the physio-chemical concentrations of RDS. Investigations have focussed on a spatial temporal study (2008-10) of RDS from the City of Wolverhampton (n = 546) and a similar ‘snap-shot’ study of eight selected town and cities across the UK (n = 306), plus a comparison investigation linked to regional monitoring of air sampling units (ASU) (n = 208). A suite of analytical approaches, namely mineral magnetism, laser diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Loss on Ignition (LOI), were employed to characterize sample properties. Data interrogation identified mainly weak correlations exist between most mineral magnetic parameters and particle size classes (i.e. sand, silt and clay) and respiratory health-related size classes (i.e. PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0). The few strongest correlations (p 0.05) correlations exist between mineral magnetic parameters and particle size. However, for some locations (most notably, London and Scunthorpe), results exhibit signatures perceived to be associated with environmental factors. Detailed multivariate Factor Analysis plots and Geographical Information System (GIS) images have been used to explore these findings further. These illustrate RDS properties of road types (arterial and residential) display significantly different characteristics, with raised mineral magnetic concentrations for arterial roads, compared to lesser concentrations for residential roads, which corresponds to traffic flow data. This is supported by SEM analyses that reveal elevated concentrations of iron oxide spheres in samples collected from arterial roads, which are indicative of inputs from anthropogenic combustion sources. Contextualising these findings within the framework of existing knowledge, a conceptual approach has been presented that explores factors (i.e. sampling area, topography, land use, sediment source and potential mixing), which influence the reliability of using mineral magnetic techniques a particle size proxy. This demonstrates that any increase in the complexity of these factors (sampling area dynamics) can be used to predict the likelihood of being able to employ mineral magnetic measurements as a proxy. To surmise the work overall, despite mineral magnetic technologies offering an inexpensive and rapid means of analysing RDS, its use as a proxy measure for particulate matter appears to be limited by a series of site-related factors but the technique seems to offer valuable insights for pollution source studies.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Towards a consensus of expert opinions on implementing ISO 14001 in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors of the UK

As society places greater emphasis on sustainability and environmental management, particularly within the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors, it is vital to understand the effectiveness of the tools available to deliver change in these areas. The AEC sectors contribute to a significant impact on the environment, both in terms of materials used and waste produced. They are also seen as being environmentally negative. Therefore, the use of ISO 14001 is of increasing importance in terms of demonstrating a commitment to working towards being more sustainable within their operations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to reveal the opinions of an expert panel of environmental management professionals working within the AEC sectors on the benefits and barriers of implementing ISO 14001. A Delphi study was conducted, which consisted of two rounds (Round 1 involved n = 15 participants; Round 2 involved n = 9 participants). The participants were asked to independently rank 145 statements (comprising: n = 86 benefits; n = 59 barriers), across n = 17 categories, which were derived from ISO 14001 and AEC literature. After two survey rounds and weighted average analysis, the results reveal the highest ranked benefits are: (i) improved relationships with stakeholders, (ii) tender requirement, (iii) community participation, (iv) industry standards, (v) efficient operations, (vi) employee environmental awareness, (vii) cost savings through energy efficiency, and (viii) improved environmental performance; whilst the highest ranked barriers are: (i) open to public scrutiny, (ii) costs involved, (iii) top management commitment towards implementation, (iv) lack of link to EIA, (v) public not interested, (vi) lack of support to assist staff, and (vii) legal compliance. However, unlike previous Delphi studies that have sought to gather consensus, most participants in this study were unwilling to shift their opinions towards a shared middle-ground. Therefore, whilst the survey results enlighten our appreciations of ISO 14001 implementation within the AEC sectors, they also indicate significant differences in opinion by different environmental management professionals