Network research by data graph management for capacity development and knowledge building in sustainable sanitation

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) provide clear targets by 2015 and it turns out that sanitation is by far the largest of all the MDG targets affecting about 40% of the global population. The objective of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) is to show how Sustainable Sanitation projects should be planned with participation of stakeholders through capacity development activities. Developing the capacity of societies to collaboratively learn through change and uncertainty is fundamental for sustainability science. The aim of this contribution it is to analyze the role of graph database management (GDM) for improve capacity development and knowledge building in the Sustainable Sanitation framework. We provide a theoretical model with four features of network research: link analysis, social network, pattern recognition and keyword search that we illustrate with some examples. Network research allows us to observe how the information in Sustainable Sanitation is scattered properly through the structure and also to detect the emergencies, objections and other characteristics of the networkPeer Reviewe

Alternative sewage treatment using thermal output from solar power

La situación del Campus de la UIB, aislado de la ciudad, ligado al tema de la escasez del agua ha permitido el desarrollo de un sistema de depuración in situ de las aguas residuales producidas en las propias instalaciones universitarias. El proceso se desarrolla íntegramente con sistemas de depuración natural en un diseño que combina 3 tecnologías existentes: el lagunaje, los humedales construidos y los filtros verdes arbolados. La innovación se produce en un sistema de regulación térmica del lagunaje para evitar la inversión térmica, que provoca situaciones puntuales de malos olores. Se trata de aprovechar el calor residual de una instalación de climatización solar en un edificio cercano a la laguna, de tal manera que la laguna ejerza de refrigerador del sistema y a la vez aproveche el calor para potenciar la estratificación térmica.The location of the Balearic Islandsʼ University Campus, isolated from the city of Palma, has made possible the construction of an on-site wastewater treatment plant to remedy the scarcity of water. The plant runs with natural wastewater systems mixing three well known technologies: waste stabilization ponds, constructed wetlands and tree filters. The innovation in this field is done by a thermal regulation to avoid the destratification events that causes bad odours in the main pond. It involves taking advantage of the residual heat of solar air-conditioning facilities installed in a nearby building. The residual heat is used to increase the stratification on the pond to avoid the thermal destratification