Davide Franco

The impact of agroforestry networks on scenic beauty estimation The role of a landscape ecological network on a socio-cultural process

The reintroduction of agroforestry networks (via a GIS-supported design procedure) is one of a number of strategies that some authorities of the lagoon of Venice drainage basin (in Italy) are planning to use in order to control lagoon pollution and to achieve landscape amelioration. While attention is paid to the conservation implications and environmental effects of an ecological network, socio-cultural impacts are not generally given the same consideration. The aims of this paper were (1) to assess the impacts of agroforestry network planning outputs on the perception of landscape in terms of scenic beauty (SB) estimation, (2) to analyze the influence of socio-economic variables on the agroforestry role in SB, (3) to analyze the relationships between SB and landscape variables as measured on the local and landscape scales, and (4) to assess the strength of an expert ratingSB empirical procedure utilized in the GIS system. The outcomes of the GIS planning procedure application were found to have a positive impact on the perceptive evaluation of landscape, but landscape sites preference did not appear to be significantly different between socio-economic groups: in all cases, sites with an optimized agroforestry network were preferred to the same sites without. A strong explanatory relationship was found to exist between citizens’ scenic beauty estimation (SBE) and the landscape metrics. The representative empirical procedure gave sound qualitative results for this kind of landscape, but can be efficiently substituted by the regression model tested at the “local” scale. At the “landscape” scale it appears that (1) the explanatory power of the landscape pattern metrics selected for the GIS procedure is high, even for the mean “social” SBE, (2) the main explanatory power among network metrics is expressed by connectivity and circuitry, and (3) it is reasonable to expect that the impact of an agroforestry network on citizens’ SBE could be predicted with the empirical models that were tested.

Climatologia de frentes frias no litoral de Santa Catarina

Secretaria de Estado do Desenvolvimento Rural e da Agricultura Centro Integrado de Meteorologia e Recursos Hidricos de Santa Catarina

The role of agroforestry networks in landscape socioeconomic processes: the potential and limits of the contingent valuation method

Abstract Agroforestry networks can be a means to achieve landscape amelioration. Some authorities of the Lagoon of Venice drainage basin (Italy) are planning, amongst other actions to control pollution in the Lagoon, to reintroduce agroforestry by means of a GIS-supported design procedure. The goals of this paper were to assess (i) the contingent valuation (CV) (willingness to pay and willingness to accept) of agroforestry networks and its relationship with socioeconomic and agroforestry role variables, (ii) the coherence between agro-economic policies and farmers expectations, (iii) the relationship between the value of agroforestry as a “shared good” and water quality (non-point source pollution). Respondents associate a positive value/preference to the agroforestry network implementation, although this value is strongly affected firstly by their identity with the landscape and secondly by their income. The motivations of farmers’ evaluation are precise and the agroforestry network is considered not only as an “ethical object” but also as a concrete element of their own cultural and economic world. In this case the contingent value (in particular, in terms of acceptance) increases with the farmer’s economic capacity, and the farmer’s valuation is not linked only to the “good” but also to the “service” offered for implementing it. The expectations of farmers regarding an agroforestry plantation were lower than European Union incentives at the time of survey, and a lack of results in this field is probably linked to poor information and to bureaucratic difficulties. Even if there is general knowledge on water quality, there is little awareness on the non-point source pollution control effect of agroforestry buffer plantations, either in the common people or in those who are environmentally trained (e.g. planning university students). In every case the agroforestry “shared good” evaluation is high enough to permit efficient and supported intervention policies. These results confirm that landscape choices strongly involve issues of identity, perceived rights and evaluation capacity that cannot be simply resolved in terms of preference cost benefit analyses, but a clever use of the CV allows an identification of these same limitations and a partial estimation of them.

A review of odour impact criteria in selected countries around the world

Exposure to environmental odour can result in annoyance, health effects and depreciation of property values. Therefore, many jurisdictions classify odour as an atmospheric pollutant and regulate emissions and/or impacts from odour generating activities at a national, state or municipal level. In this work, a critical review of odour regulations in selected jurisdictions of 28 countries is presented. Individual approaches were identified as: comparing ambient air odour concentration and individual chemicals statistics against impact criteria (maximum impact standard); using fixed and variable separation distances (separation distance standard); maximum emission rate for mixtures of odorants and individual chemical species (maximum emission standard); number of complaints received or annoyance level determined via community surveys (maximum annoyance standard); and requiring use of best available technologies (BAT) to minimize odour emissions (technology standard). The comparison of model-predicted odour concentration statistics against odour impact criteria (OIC) is identified as one of the most common tools used by regulators to evaluate the risk of odour impacts in planning stage assessments and is also used to inform assessment of odour impacts of existing facilities. Special emphasis is given to summarizing OIC (concentration percentile and threshold) and the manner in which they are applied. The way short term odour peak to model time-step mean (peak-to-mean) effects is also captured. Furthermore, the fundamentals of odorant properties, dimensions of nuisance odour, odour sampling and analysis methods and dispersion modelling guidance are provided. Common elements of mature and effective odour regulation frameworks are identified and an integrated multi-tool strategy is recommended.

Photocatalytic oxidation of H2S in the gas phase over TiO2-coated glass fiber filter

ABSTRACT To promote the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the gas phase, TiO2-coated glass fiber filters were packed in an annular photoreactor. Glass fibers coated with TiO2 thin films were characterized structurally and morphologically by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Flow rate and H2S inlet concentration were evaluated to determine the performance of the reactor. Removal efficiencies up to 99% were achieved for flow rate of 25 L h−1 (residence time of 121 s) and H2S inlet concentration from 12 to 14 ppmv. The long-term experiment presented H2S removal of 89% for 16 h. After 28 h of continuous use, H2S degradation was observed at 64%, which suggests that the photocatalyst was losing activity due to deactivation. Moreover, the kinetics of the PCO of H2S according to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) approach along with the mass balance of a plug-flow reactor was modeled. The reaction constant (k) was calculated at approximately 10.5 μmol m−3 s−1 and the adsorption constant (K) of approximately 5263 m−3 mol with linearity (R2) of 0.98.

Investigation of rainwater contamination sources in the southern part of Brazil

Rainwater quality is influenced by air pollutants and can affect sensitive ecosystems. This study was conducted to identify the sources of rainwater contamination in a receptor investigated in the southern part of Brazil. A total of 22 rainwater samples were collected at Florianópolis, Brazil. The sampling station is influenced by continental emissions (soil resuspension, traffic emissions and combustion) and marine aerosols. Over the sampling period, the average pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of the precipitation was found to be 4.97±0.41 and 14.68 μS cm−1±13.47, respectively. In addition to pH and EC, ions and trace metals in the collected rainwater were quantified. The results were investigated by a combination of techniques including principal component analysis (PCA), a back trajectory model and other statistical and graphical interpretation methodologies. A PCA showed that Cl−, Na+, Mg2+ and part of the K+ and content were mainly contributed by marine aerosols, whereas the contribution from continental sources (combustion, traffic emissions and other urban activities) was dominant in the content of NO 3− and part of the and Mn content. Soil resuspension was responsible for the concentrations of most of the trace metals (apart from Mn) and Ca2+ in the rainwater. An inverse correlation among the elemental concentrations, amount of rainfall and wind speed was observed. The northern transport pathway was identified as being associated with high concentrations of NO 3− and slightly decreased pH values. However, the low standard deviation observed for the pH values during the sampling campaign also showed a small variation in the data, suggesting that the acidity is most probably being constantly sourced from a natural origin, such as organic acids.

Space time evolution of the trophic state of a subtropical lagoon: Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis Island of Santa Catarina, Brazil

High levels of eutrophication in coastal lagoons due to human activity have been documented worldwide. Among the main impacts observed are anoxia, hypoxia, toxic algal blooms, fish kills, loss of biodiversity and loss of bathing. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution of the trophic state of Lagoa da Conceicao, a subtropical lagoon located in an urbanized watershed on the island of Santa Catarina - Brazil. Spatio temporal patterns of stratification and eutrophication were investigated to understand the main biochemical changes over time. The water quality data were obtained from field campaigns supplemented with literature of the last 15 years. The vertical structure of the water column and the trophic state were evaluated by the stratification index and the TRIX index, respectively. Analyses of variance were performed in order to identify possible temporal variations in vertical stratification and trophic level. Eutrophication effects on biogeochemical cycles were verified through a multi-dimensional cluster analysis (MDS) and correlations between variables related to physical, chemical and biological processes were verified by principal component analysis (PCA). The results showed that the water column is homogeneous in all regions except in the central region of the lagoon, and the highest ammonia concentrations and lowest dissolved oxygen concentrations with periods of anoxia are observed in bottom waters. The study looked at the high trophic level of the lagoon and its inability to process the biogeochemical changes imposed by urban development.

Experimental and Numerical Studies of the Wave Energy Hyberbaric Device for Electricity Production

Small scale experiments and numerical simulations have been performed to evaluate a new concept of converter to produce electricity from wave energy. The models, tested in scale 1:10, have been submitted to different regular waves, with height and period representatives of the Brazilian coast, to evaluate the power generation and efficiency. The tests were carried out in a wave basin able to simulate in scale the wave conditions. Software especially written for the simulation of the converter behavior under regular waves has been initially correlated with the experimental results and, later on, it will be employed in parametric studies to estimate the best parameters of the system, in particular the prescribed pressure to be set for the best performance in terms of electricity production.Copyright

Avaliação do tratamento biológico de lixiviado de aterro sanitário em escala real na Região Sul do Brasil

This study evaluated the performance of the biological treatment of leachate from a landfill full scale formed by two anaerobic lagoons operated in series an activated sludge system and a facultative pond system. The objective of the study was evaluate the efficiency proof this biological system through monitoring of physical-chemical variables and toxicity tests since there are few scientific papers considering full scale and this configuration for treatment of leachate. The sampling and laboratory analysis were performed fortnightly for characterization of different leachate along of the treatment. The removal efficiency of organic matter was 80 and 60% for dissolved organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand, respectively. The system also reached efficiencies of 83 and 73% for removal of ammoniacal nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively. It was observed an average decreasing of 44% of toxicity of the treated leachate, but it presented toxic characteristics to the organism Daphnia magna. The configuration of the biological system proved to be advantageous for the removal of organic matter, but the results indicate the need for further treatment.

Investigation of PM10 sources in Santa Catarina, Brazil through graphical interpretation analysis combined with receptor modelling.

Epidemiological studies have documented that elevated airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations, especially those with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10), are associated with adverse health effects. Two receptor models, UNMIX and positive matrix factorization (PMF), were used to identify and quantify the sources of PM10 concentrations in Tubarão and Capivari de Baixo, Santa Catarina, Brazil. This region is known for its high pollution levels due to intense industrial activity and exploitation of natural resources. PM10 samples were collected using high volume samplers at two sites in the region and statistical exploratory analysis techniques were applied to identify and assess PM10 sources. The two primary PM10 sources were identified as soil re-suspension/road dust emissions and coal burning emissions, contributing 65–75% and 15–25% of the PM10, respectively. The study confirmed the significance of the influence of local PM10 emissions (power plants, soil re-suspension and road dust emissions) on regional air quality, although no violations of the Brazilian PM10 standards (limit of 150 μg/m3) were observed, with a mean concentration of 27.6 μg/m3 measured in this study. This study demonstrated the usefulness of statistical exploratory analysis techniques in assessing the validity of modelling results and contributing to the interpretation of ambient air quality data.