Rainer Zah

Contribution of Li-Ion Batteries to the Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicles

Battery-powered electric cars (BEVs) play a key role in future mobility scenarios. However, little is known about the environmental impacts of the production, use and disposal of the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. This makes it difficult to compare the environmental impacts of BEVs with those of internal combustion engine cars (ICEVs). Consequently, a detailed lifecycle inventory of a Li-ion battery and a rough LCA of BEV based mobility were compiled. The study shows that the environmental burdens of mobility are dominated by the operation phase regardless of whether a gasoline-fueled ICEV or a European electricity fueled BEV is used. The share of the total environmental impact of E-mobility caused by the battery (measured in Ecoindicator 99 points) is 15%. The impact caused by the extraction of lithium for the components of the Li-ion battery is less than 2.3% (Ecoindicator 99 points). The major contributor to the environmental burden caused by the battery is the supply of copper and aluminum for the production of the anode and the cathode, plus the required cables or the battery management system. This study provides a sound basis for more detailed environmental assessments of battery based E-mobility.

FLOOD-PULSE AND RIVERSCAPE DYNAMICS IN A BRAIDED GLACIAL RIVER

River ecosystems are increasingly viewed as dynamic riverscapes; their extent, composition, and configuration vary in response to the pulsing of discharge. Although compositional and configurational shifts in riverscapes are thought to control ecosystem processes and biodiversity, attempts to quantify riverscape dynamics of braided rivers are scarce. We measured monthly changes in the length, spatial arrangement, and age distribution of clear (groundwater-fed) and turbid-water (glacial-fed) channels during two annual cycles in a braided glacial river. Biological data from concurrent studies were used to assess the effects of seasonal changes in the size and pattern of the riverscape on local zoobenthic density, standing crop of epilithic algae, and spatiotemporal distribution of the hyporheos. The hydrological processes involved in the expansion-contraction cycle of the riverscape resulted in a complex, albeit predictable, pattern of change in the proportion and spatial arrangement of clear and turbid channels. On average, 30% of the riverscape was renewed at monthly intervals. Surface hydrological connectivity and the length of turbid channels increased logarithmically with increasing discharge. The length of clear channels increased up to a threshold discharge of 1.5 m3/s, above which surface flooding resulted in the contraction and fragmentation of clear water bodies. Turbid channels exhibited a unimodal age distribution, whereas clear channels had two cohorts that appeared during the expansion and contraction phases. The renewal pattern and configuration of the riverscape changed little between years despite differences in discharge and the occurrence of several rainfall-induced spates. The density of benthic invertebrate communities in the main channel decreased with increasing size of aquatic habitats indicating that local zoobenthic density was affected by dilution-concentration effects. The disproportionate increase in the proportion of glacial-fed habitats during summer high flows limited the standing crop of epilithic algae in this braided river. The spatial arrangement of inhospitable glacial-fed habitats probably impeded the colonization of newly created suitable habitats by invertebrates with poor dispersal capacities. Quantification of riverscape dynamics is critical to understanding how changes in size, composition, and configuration of braided rivers affect biodiversity, bioproduction, and ecosystem processes.

Heat, Electricity, or Transportation? The Optimal Use of Residual and Waste Biomass in Europe from an Environmental Perspective

The optimal use of forest energy wood, industrial wood residues, waste wood, agricultural residues, animal manure, biowaste, and sewage sludge in 2010 and 2030 was assessed for Europe. An energy system model was developed comprising 13 principal fossil technologies for the production of heat, electricity, and transport and 173 bioenergy conversion routes. The net environmental benefits of substituting fossil energy with bioenergy were calculated for all approximately 1500 combinations based on life cycle assessment (LCA) results. An optimization model determines the best use of biomass for different environmental indicators within the quantified EU-27 context of biomass availability and fossil energy utilization. Key factors determining the optimal use of biomass are the conversion efficiencies of bioenergy technologies and the kind and quantity of fossil energy technologies that can be substituted. Provided that heat can be used efficiently, optimizations for different environmental indicators almost always indicate that woody biomass is best used for combined heat and power generation, if coal, oil, or fuel oil based technologies can be substituted. The benefits of its conversion to SNG or ethanol are significantly lower. For non-woody biomass electricity generation, transportation, and heating yield almost comparable benefits as long as high conversion efficiencies and optimal substitutions are assured. The shares of fossil heat, electricity, and transportation that could be replaced with bioenergy are also provided.

Rebound effects of progress in information technology

Information technology (IT) is continuously making astounding progress in technical efficiency. The time, space, material and energy needed to provide a unit of IT service have decreased by three orders of magnitude since the first personal computer (PC) was sold. However, it seems difficult for society to translate IT’s efficiency progress into progress in terms of individual, organizational or socio-economic goals. In particular it seems to be difficult for individuals to work more efficiently, for organizations to be more productive and for the socio-economic system to be more sustainable by using increasingly efficient IT. This article provides empirical evidence and potential explanations for this problem. Many counterproductive effects of IT can be explained economically by rebound effects. Beyond that, we conclude that the technological determinism adopted by decision-makers is the main obstacle in translating IT’s progress into non-technical goals.ZusammenfassungDie Informationstechnologie macht laufend erstaunliche Fortschritte hinsichtlich technischer Effizienz. Zeit-, Raum-, Material- und Energieaufwand pro Einheit von IT-Dienstleistungen haben sich seit dem Verkauf des ersten PC um drei Größenordnungen verringert. Es scheint jedoch schwierig zu sein, die Entwicklung der IT-Effizienz in Fortschritte hinsichtlich individueller, organisatorischer oder sozioökonomischer Ziele umzumünzen. Insbesondere scheint es dem Einzelnen schwer zu fallen, die zunehmend effiziente IT zu nutzen, um selbst effizienter zu arbeiten; Organisationen scheinen durch effizientere IT nicht produktiver zu werden und sozioökonomische Systeme dem Ziel der Nachhaltigkeit nicht näher zu kommen. Dieser Artikel stellt empirische Ergebnisse und mögliche Erklärungen für dieses Problem zusammen. Viele kontraproduktive Effekte der IT können durch Rebound-Effekte ökonomisch erklärt werden. Darüber hinaus kommen wir zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass es hauptsächlich der technologische Determinismus von Entscheidungsträgern ist, der bisher die Nutzung des informationstechnischen Fortschritts für nicht-technische Ziele behindert.

The physico-chemical habitat template for periphyton in alpine glacial streams under a changing climate

The physico-chemical habitat template of glacial streams in the Alps is characterized by distinct and predictable changes between harsh and relatively benign periods. Spring and autumn were thought to be windows of favorable environmental conditions conducive for periphyton development. Periphyton biomass (measured as chlorophyll a and ash-free dry mass) was quantified in five glacial and three non-glacial streams over an annual cycle. One glacial stream was an outlet stream of a proglacial lake. In all glacial streams, seasonal patterns in periphyton were characterized by low biomass during summer high flow when high turbidity and transport of coarse sediment prevailed. With the end of icemelt in autumn, environmental conditions became more favorable and periphyton biomass increased. Biomass peaked between late September and January. In spring, low flow, low turbidity, and a lack of coarse sediment transport were not paralleled by an increase in periphyton biomass. In the non-glacial streams, seasonal periphyton patterns were similar to those of glacial streams, but biomass was significantly higher. Glacier recession from climate change may shift water sources in glacier streams and attenuate the glacial flow pulse. These changes could alter predicted periods of optimal periphyton development. The window of opportunity for periphyton accrual will shift earlier and extend into autumn in channels that retain surface flows.

Linking socioeconomic classes and land cover data in Lima, Peru: Assessment through the application of remote sensing and GIS

Abstract The spatial differentiation of socioeconomic classes in a city can deliver insight into the nexus of urban development and the environment. The purpose of this paper is to identify poor and rich regions in large cities according to the predominant physical characteristics of the regions. Meaningful spatial information from urban systems can be derived using remote sensing and GIS tools, especially in large difficult-to-manage cities where the dynamics of development results in rapid changes to urban patterns. We use here very high resolution imagery data for the identification of homogeneous socioeconomic zones in a city. We formulate the categorization task as a GIS analysis of an image classified with conventional techniques. Experiments are conducted using a QuickBird image of a study area in Lima, Peru. We provide accuracy assessment of results compared to ground truth data. Results show an approximated allocation of socioeconomic zones within Lima. The methodology described could also be applied to other urban centers, particularly large cities of Latin America, which have characteristics similar to those of the study area.

Environmental Impacts of Jatropha curcas Biodiesel in India

In the context of energy security, rural development and climate change, India actively promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a biodiesel feedstock which has been identified as suitable for achieving the Indian target of 20% biofuel blending by 2017. In this paper, we present results concerning the range of environmental impacts of different Jatropha curcas cultivation systems. Moreover, nine agronomic trials in Andhra Pradesh are analysed, in which the yield was measured as a function of different inputs such as water, fertilizer, pesticides, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Further, the environmental impact of the whole Jatropha curcas biodiesel value chain is benchmarked with fossil diesel, following the ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment procedure. Overall, this study shows that the use of Jatropha curcas biodiesel generally reduces the global warming potential and the nonrenewable energy demand as compared to fossil diesel. On the other hand, the environmental impacts on acidification, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and water depletion all showed increases. Key for reducing the environmental impact of Jatropha curcas biodiesel is the resource efficiency during crop cultivation (especially mineral fertilizer application) and the optimal site selection of the Jatropha curcas plantations.

Integrating mitigation and adaptation into development: the case of Jatropha curcas in sub-Saharan Africa

BART MUYS , L INDSEY NORGROVE , TENA ALAMIREW , RHODA B IRECH , EL I SA CH IR IN IAN , YOSEPH DELELEGN , ALBRECHT EHRENSPERGER , CAROL A . ELL I SON , ADEM FETO , BERNHARD FREYER , JAN GEVAERT , S IMON GM € UNDER , RAYMOND E . E . JONGSCHAAP , MANFRED KAUFMANN , JOD IE KEANE , MARC KEN I S , BON I FACE K ITEME , JACKSON LANGAT , REG INALD LY IMO , V IOLET MORAA , JAC INTA MUCHUGU , AKL I LU NEGUSS I E , CAROL INE OUKO , MATHUR IN W . ROUAMBA , I R IA SOTO , MANFRED W € ORGETTER , RA INER ZAH and RIGOBERTO ZETINA

Long-term Dynamics of the Channel Network in a Glacial Floodplain, Val Roseg, Switzerland*

The fluvial system in the upper Val Roseg in the Swiss Alps is characterized by a complex glacial floodplain. To analyze the changes in floodplain morphology between 1947 and 1999, a period during which the two main glaciers lost 700 to 1600 m in length, ten sets of aerial images were rectified and channel network and active floodplain area were digitized into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Changes mainly included an increase in the active floodplain width in the upper part of the floodplain. In the 100- to 500-m wide floodplain, the average lateral shift of the main channel ranged from 2 to 10 m yr−1. While the channel network was continuously renewed at a turnover rate of 25% per year, the overall structure of the Roseg floodplain remained relatively constant, despite rapid glacial retreat that increased the availability of glacial sediments potentially susceptible to fluvial transport. The sinuosity index averaged 1.15 ± 0.01 and the braiding index 4.6 ± 1.2. Only the connectivity index showed high variation (6.6 ± 5.0), about 34% of which may be attributed to variation in discharge.

Deriving fine-scale socioeconomic information of urban areas using very high-resolution satellite imagery

This article presents a new approach to derive fine-scale socioeconomic information of urban areas using very high resolution satellite data. The rationale behind the method is to use high resolution satellite data, capable of resolving urban morphology details, to derive a classification of the image. Thus, it is assumed that there is a relationship between the socioeconomic profile and the urban morphology of an area in terms of availability of green areas, sport facilities, private swimming pools or pavement conditions. The method is tested using a case study of Lima, Peru. Using a sample of ground data, a neural network classifier was applied to a pre-classified image in which entropy had been used to mask extensive, non-built up areas that would otherwise have inserted spurious information into the classifier. The result shows a high correlation (0.70 R 2) when compared with validation data. The good performances also show that a physiographic satellite view of the city reflects the socioeconomic layout of their inhabitants, thus making remote sensing a complementary tool for social research and urban planning. While the parameterization of the problem may differ from one area to another, it is shown that an a priori choice of a few parameters may help to automatically characterize large areas in social terms, thus allowing social inequality and its evolution to be mapped in those areas with limited availability of data. In order to make the method widely applicable, the possibilities and limitations of applying the procedure to other large cities are discussed.