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Dialysis and column chromatography for biomass pyrolysis liquids separation
In: Waste management: international journal of integrated waste management, science and technology, Volume 168, p. 311-320
ISSN: 1879-2456
Combining innovative mulches and soil conditioners in mountain afforestation with ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in the Pyrenees (NE Spain)
Aim of study: To assess the effectiveness for improving early seedling performance of the individual and combined application of (i) various doses of an innovative soil conditioner including polyacrylamide-free super-absorbent polymers, fertilizers, root precursors and humic acids; and (ii) innovative mulches based on renewable-biodegradable or recycled raw materials. The assessment was carried out in comparison with reference (commercial) soil conditioners and mulches. Area of study: Upper montane afforestation site located at 1,430 m altitude in the southern Pyrenees (NE Spain). Material and methods: We studied the effect of 15 treatments (various combinations of soil conditioners and mulches) on mountain ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), testing survival, diameter and height growth and water and nutrient status during two growing seasons (2014-2015). We also assessed mulch durability during 2014-2016. Main results: The innovative soil conditioner improved diameter and height seedling growth (92% and 72% respectively) and water and nutrient status. The 40 g/seedling dosage was more cost-effective than the 20 and 80 g/seedling doses. The new formulation performed better in general than the commercial formulation. Mulches led to slight gains compared to control seedlings, and there were no major differences between the mulch models. The combined application of soil conditioners and mulches was not of particular interest. Research highlights: Soil conditioners consisting of synergic mixtures of water super-absorbent polymers, fertilizers, root growth precursors and humic acids can improve early seedling performance in coarse-textured, stony soils in montane conditions. Small mulches may be only of limited interest as long as weed competitiveness is poor. ; The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA (Research Executive Agency), FP7/2007 2013, under grant agreement n° 606554 – Sustaffor project: Bridging effectiveness and sustainability in afforestation / reforestation in a climate change context: new technologies for improving soil features and plant performance. AA was supported by the Spanish Government through the 'Juan de la C ierva' fellowship program (IJC I-2016- 30049).
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Innovative soil conditioners and groundcovers for forest restoration in semiarid conditions in northeast Spain
Restoring degraded ecosystems is a global challenge. Wherever applicable, forest restoration is one of the most effective tools for reversing degradation processes and enhancing multiple ecosystem services. In Mediterranean semiarid conditions the main limiting factor for tree establishment is the low and irregular precipitation regime, which has a particularly harmful effect in areas where the soil has a poor water retention capacity. We tested, alone and combined, two types of cost-effective and locally applied plantation techniques that aim to promote early seedling establishment: i) various mulches including biodegradable and reusable prototypes and commercial models; ii) two soil conditioners with water-superabsorbing polymers in their formulation, one of which includes a new polyacrylamide-free polymer, which was tested at various doses. In a three-year study we examined their effects on Pinus halepensis performance (survival, shoot and root growth and tree water status) and on soil moisture on a north-facing and a south-facing slope in Mequinenza, NE Spain. The use of mulches led to slight increases in seedling growth and soil moisture compared to untreated seedlings, without great differences between the models tested. Therefore the new prototypes can be considered as suitable alternatives to commercially available ones. On the other hand, the new soil conditioner led to much clearer positive effects. Compared to untreated seedlings, the new soil conditioner improved seedling survival, root and shoot growth and water status, as well as soil moisture. The benefits of the new soil conditioner were highest when applied at doses of 40 or 80 g per seedling. We found that this new formulation achieved similar performance as the commercially available one. Combining mulches and soil conditioners resulted in additive outcomes, rather than in synergistic ones. We conclude that in conditions limited by low precipitation and coarse textured soils the use of small mulches does not seem a priority technique, in contrast with the application of soil conditioners, which seems an effective option for enhancing early seedling performance. ; This research has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA-Research Executive Agency (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement n° 606554 – SUSTAFFOR project. We are grateful to the Department of Agriculture, Rangeland and Environment of Aragon Government (in particular to Sara Marqués and Javier Blasco) for providing the land for the trials and essential logistic support. We are also grateful to S Martínez, S Navarro, M Enríquez, A Cunill, E García, A Bothy, P Lumbreras, M Iacono, M Sala and T Gómez for support during data gathering and to A Borque, S Busquet, I Krahl, G Martí and A Sala for their support during the field trial establishment. Special thanks to the companies providing the materials for the tests: TerraCottem Internacional SL and Terrezu SL (Spain), DTC, La Zeloise NV and Ecorub BVBA (Belgium). We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable contributions.
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Modelling the Ecological Vulnerability to Forest Fires in Mediterranean Ecosystems Using Geographic Information Technologies
In: Environmental management: an international journal for decision makers, scientists, and environmental auditors, Volume 50, Issue 6, p. 1012-1026
ISSN: 1432-1009
Lifestyle of sponge symbiont phages by host prediction and correlative microscopy
53 pages, 10 figures, 20 tables ; This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability ; This research was funded by the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC). With the funding support of the 'Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence' accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI) ; Peer reviewed
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Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management
This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is Land 2021, 10, 144 3 of 53 more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management
This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability. ; This research was funded by the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC).
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