This study presents an overview of the current activities and results undertaken within the CEEX SIWMANET project dealing with an assessment of the actual challenges for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation in Romania,seen especially in relation with the R&D system and the need to develop especially the cooperation, training and participatory processes that are required for actual implementation in which the universities may play an important role in terms of catalyst ...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25150

Include urmatoarele articole:� Synthesis of Ferrierite/ZSM-35 type zeolite with ethylenediamine as template� Recovery of p-hydroxybenzoic acid from wastewaters by reactive extraction 1. Extraction mechanism and influencing factors� Relationships between metals extent and cytological characteristics at Prunus persica L. pollen� Smoke Emissions From Diesel Vehicles: A Case Study� Carbon dioxide generation - implications for romanian pulp and paper industry � Enhanced decolorization of ...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25208

AbstractBased on the simulation equations, which were developed earlier (Rao, 1999 and Rao et al., 2007) relating the oxygen transfer coefficient k (= KLa20 (?ľ/g2)1/3) with theoretical power per unit volume of water X (= N3D2/g4/3?ľ1/3) and k with actual powerconsumed by the surface aerators per unit volume PV (= P/(V??(g?ľ)1/3), methodology has been demonstrated to the save the energy consumption, defined by ?? (=PV /k), where KLa20 is the overall oxygen transfer coefficient at 20oC, ?ľ is kin...
Autori: Achanta Ramakrishna Rao, Bimlesh Kumar, Neelam Verma
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25243

AbstractThe critical analysis of the transfer processes intensification techniques is carried out by identification of the methods that can be applied, regardless of the process nature. The main priority is the development of a consistent methodology that will represent the basis of specific practical methods development by establishing a theoretical frame for studying the heat transfer processes. The main purpose is to reduce the stationary time of the charge in the installation, accomplishing ...
Autori: Adrian Dima, Alina Adriana Minea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25253

AbstractAt global level, the microbiological quality of water is a matter of concern, since diarrhoea represents the second cause of mortality. In addition, nitrates represent a significant problem and their high concentration - above the accepted limits - in drinking water is frequently encountered in Romania. Water samples have been analyzed in accordance with the methodology recommended by The Public Health Institute Bucharest. 78.15% of the water samples evaluated during the interval 2004-20...
Autori: Claudia Sarmasan, Lucia Daina, Sonia Draghici
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25325

AbstractThe technological process of basic chemical organic compounds synthesis is included among the economic activities that can affect the environment quality. The environmental impact of chemical organic synthesis is evaluated using the alternative method of global pollution index that considers the concentric circles graphical methodology proposing a scale of the arithmetic mean values for the evaluation scores of each environmental components (e.g. water resources, gaseous emission, soil a...
Autori: Carmen Zaharia, Ilie Murăraşu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25352

â€? Bioremediation of contaminated air using a bioscrubberâ€? Quality risk evaluation of the groundwater resources on the moldavian areaâ€? Electrochemical characterization of some dental materials in accelerated environmental testingâ€? Preliminary study of simple and Fenton oxidation with hydrogen peroxide applied on final effluents from a zootechnical farmâ€? The environmental impact assessment caused by the dykes failureâ€? Revaluation of beer industry byproducts – medical implicationsâ€? ...
Autori: http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25372

Abstract The efficiency of Cd (II) removal from aqueous solutions was investigated using Sphagnum moss peat as sorbent. A 23 orthogonal central composite design was successfully employed for experimental design and analysis of results. The combined effect of the initial solution pH, peat dosage and initial Cd (II) concentration was studied and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimum values of these variables were found to be pH = 4.72, 14.7 g peat /L and 13.64 mg Cd /L, ...
Autori: Catalin Balan, Corneliu Cojocaru, Petru Bulai, Doina Bilba, Matei Macoveanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25399

Abstract Green buildings are considered a quick and effective approach to protect the environment by slowing down the consumption rate of primary energy resources and by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In Europe, appraisals of properties should take into consideration this new feature of buildings by implementing data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) into real estate assessment. With this respect, a methodology is proposed and analyzed to be considered in the sales comparison rea...
Autori: Daniela Popescu, Emilia Cerna Mladin, Rodica Boazu, Sven Bienert
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25406

Abstract A set of experimental data resulted from environmental monitoring and its informational content has to be revealed and checked for its statistical character. As a result in this paper the aim was to verify if the environmental monitoring data obtained for a specific air pollutant monitored during three years presents statistical properties. Based on the results obtained by applying statistical requirements such as fixed location, fixed variation, randomness and fixed distribution, a ...
Autori: Irina Meghea, Mihaela Mihai, Ioana Lacatusu, Tiberiu Apostol
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25410

Abstract Increasing the solar energy conversion into electrical or thermal energy represents an European and national priority, because it offers clean alternatives to the use of fossil fuels, in no pollutant systems, based on photovoltaic modules and solar collectors. The global solar radiation is the most important factor affecting the amount of energy produced by a PV module. In direct connection with the change in the solar energy conversion, the TR - Loss Coefficient (Tr??bungsfaktor) is...
Autori: , Dorin Valentin Diaconescu, Maria Valentina Dinicu (Popa), Bogdan Gabriel Burduhos
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25465

Abstract The paper briefly presents the principle, methodology basics and the research opportunities offered by a modified L-joint test for a complex in-field evaluation of wood behaviour in outdoor above ground exposure, corresponding to the biological use class 3. A comprehensive and detailed examination of the tested samples, looking not only to the biological degradation of wood but also to wood cracking and coating performance (cracking, flaking, exfoliation, adherence), was performed an...
Autori: Maria Cristina Timar, Emanuela Beldean, Mihaela Porojan, Lidia Gurau
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25494

Abstract The paper presents the experimental results, obtained using a pilot installation and hot-water boilers for reducing the pollutants emissions in combustion of heavy liquid fuels by using of additives for catalyzing of burning processes. The experiments were made using additives based on iron and cerium carboxylates. Experimental results, which are presented both in variant of heavy liquid fuels burning with additives and without additives, highlight the reducing of pollutants emissio...
Autori: Aurel Gaba, Stefania Iordache, Mircea Vladescu, Dan Ungureanu, Petrica Vizureanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25509

Abstract There are different parameters, which may affect packaging and its sustainability. Up to date, several methodologies and tools have been developed not only to quantify but also to assess the environmental impacts from packaging. Different criteria and indicators have been used depending on the objectives, scope and nature of the evaluation. One of the software tools developed is that one that assesses the packaging sustainability according to the Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) ...
Autori: Jose Jorge Espi Gallart, Jose Luis Vivancos Bono, Mercedes Hortal Ramos, Susana Aucejo Romero
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25515

Abstract Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Analysis (SLCA) are available methodologies for the economic and social assessment of a product or process along its life cycle. Different approaches regarding LCC and SLCA have recently emerged and several hypotheses are currently on testing and discussing. This paper shows existing LCC and a SLCA approaches as well as the methodology applied in the particular case of a paper recycling process. This study gathers part of the Europ...
Autori: Beatriz Ferreira Pozo, Antonio Dobon Lopez, Carlos Lopez Lopez, Maria Calero Pastor
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25529

Abstract Transferability process identifies the transportation projects which could be implemented successfully in different cities in order to encourage the good practices. This paper proposes a method to evaluate the environmental efficiency of a project by using a hybrid approach based on utility theory and data mining techniques. Transferability principle is applied to show the environmental efficiency of an access controlled area in the hyper centre of two different cities. COPERT III te...
Autori: Catalin Popescu, Luminita Ion, Tatiana Cucu, Jean-Marie Boussier, Augustin Mitu, Daniela Uta
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25560

Abstract The practical capacity of an ion exchange or chelating resin depends on various process variables, such as initial solution pH, initial metal ion concentration, metal/resin ratio, contact time and temperature. This work presents the optimization of process variables to maximize the copper loading capacity of chelating resin Purolite S930. To study the combined effect of the initial solution pH, initial Cu (II) concentration and resin dosage were used a 23 orthogonal central composi...
Autori: Petru Bulai, Catalin Balan, Corneliu Cojocaru, Matei Macoveanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25563

Abstract Geographical Information Systems (GIS) can be used in biological conservation as decision support systems, integrating the spatially referenced CORINE land cover and using data to assess whether natural protected areas cover particular types of ecosystems and/or biogeographical diversity. This study analyzes whether the Natura 2000 sites, which are Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation declared in Romania cover the diversity of wetlands and coastal areas habitat...
Autori: Alexandru-Ionut Petrisor
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25605

Abstract A method based on measuring substrate depletion rate was developed to evaluate the denitrifying activity of activated sludge in suspension and in biofilm form in anoxic serum flasks. The adapted activated sludge inoculum was grown as biofilm in an anoxic rotating biological contactor (RBC). Acetate was used as external carbon source to obtain a carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) of 2. The results showed that the specific activity of cells in biofilm form was higher than in planktonic for...
Autori: Elba Vivanco, Juan Carlos Ruiz, Paola Poirrier, Rolando Chamy, Yves Lesty
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25617

Abstract A method based on measuring substrate depletion rate was developed to evaluate the denitrifying activity of activated sludge in suspension and in biofilm form in anoxic serum flasks. The adapted activated sludge inoculum was grown as biofilm in an anoxic rotating biological contactor (RBC). Acetate was used as external carbon source to obtain a carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) of 2. The results showed that the specific activity of cells in biofilm form was higher than in planktonic for...
Autori: Manuel Mota, Pilar Teixeira, Rosario Oliveira, Susana Cortez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25639

? GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SYMMETRICAL CARBONATE FT-IR STUDY ? SINTERED BASALT AS A PROMISING SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ? DESIGN OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ? ANALYSIS METHODS FOR PYRAZINE-2,3-DICARBOXYLIC ACID SYNTHESIZED USING ELECTROCHEMICALLY REGENERATED KMnO4 ? RESEARCH ON NaCl SALINE AEROSOLS II. NEW ARTIFICIAL HALOCHAMBER CHARACTERISTICS ? DETERMINATION OF AEROSOLS POLLUTANTS ON MEMBRANES. 1. MEMBRANES PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATIO...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25660

? ADSORPTION OF DYE FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION USING SILVER WOOD SAWDUST CARBON ? TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF THE HEAVY METALS LOADED WASTEWATERS RESULTED FROM CHROMIUM ELECTROPLATING PROCESS ? WATER QUALITY CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PRUT RIVER ? ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS - BETWEEN REALITY AND HOPE ? INTERACTIONS AMONG CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND SOILS IN RADUCANENI ? IASI AREA ? DISTRIBUTION OF MIXING INTENSITY OF OXYGEN-VECTOR DISPERSIONS IN AERATED...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25669

Biosorption of lead (II) onto the biosorbent, represented by untreated S. cerevisiae and NaOH-treated S. cerevisiae was examined and the effects of contact time were investigated. The lead (II) biosorption was fast and equilibrium was attained within 90 mins. The maximum removal ratios of lead (II) for untreated S. cerevisiae and NaOH-treated S. cerevisiae after 3 h were 48.6% and 92.5%, respectively, with initial lead (II) concentration of 40 mg/L and optimum pH of 5.0. Data obtained from batch...
Autori: Ying Zhang, Yingjie Dai, Baiyin Liu, Fang Ma, Ru Zheng, Limin Donghttp://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25670

Carbon issue is becoming more important all over the world. Plate glass is a typical kind of building materials and the life cycle carbon emission of plate glass is a big contributor, resulting from the energy consumption in the stages of its life cycle which includes four aspects: raw materials acquirement, materials transportation, production and embodied consumption of energy carriers. Based on the relevant data calculation from China’s condition, the life cycle carbon emission of plate gla...
Autori: Meng Liu, Wenlong Li, Qunying Cheng, Yueer He, Xinyun Caohttp://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25672

Abstract:A specific topical issue both for small hydropower plants and wind turbines refers to the discrepancy between the relatively lowspeed of the water turbine/wind rotor and relatively high speed of the electric generator: the turbine/rotor has higher performancesat lower speeds, while the generator performances are increasing with the speed. Usually, this problem can be solved connecting aproper speed increaser between the turbine (increaser input) and generator (increaser output). Besides...
Autori: Codruta Jaliu, Oliver Climescu, Radu Saulescu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25732

Abstract:The state support programs on retrofitting buildings built with prefabricated technology has a decade-long history in Hungary.The launch of the Green Investment Scheme (GIS) in 2009 has introduced a new path: the performance-oriented approach. Thenew model is designed for implementing more complex renovations on a deeper level. The system is in accordance with theEPBD (EPBD, 2002) and exact savings must be quantified for all projects. The present paper outlines the past and the present ...
Autori: Attila Talamon, Tamás Csoknyai
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25765

Abstract:Based on the fuzzy logic principle, a modified Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) is proposed to assess water quality status ofWeihe River (Baoji, China). The potential application of the FSE has been tested in a case study. Twelve sampling locations ofWeihe River and its tributaries in Baoji area were selected and seven water quality parameters of BOD5, COD, fluoride, ammonia,total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and permanganate index, were monitored from 2008 to 2009. The findings...
Autori: Chundi Xu, Jun Zhang, Qi Zhou, Yani Geng, Yaqian Zhao
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25780

Measuring progress of the tourism destinations in the area of sustainability has now become one of the major challenges facing policymakers action. Sustainability is a dynamic concept. In fact, in reality, it really can be measured is not �sustainability�, but �progress towards sustainability�, bearing in mind that this is not an ideal target linked to a fixed state of harmony, but a continuous process of adjustment and reorientation of tourism development to achieve the balance between ...
Autori: Juan-Ignacio Pulido-Fernández, Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, Yaiza López-Sánchez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25821

Given the scenario of conflicting evidence found in previous literature with respect to the best Theory to explain the relationship between Environmental Disclosure and Environmental Performance, in this study we have tested Legitimacy Theory by using a time series structure for DJS Europe Index and controlling for the kind of industry. We have used Panel Data Methodology to eliminate the individual heterogeneity and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) to control for problems of endogeneity by u...
Autori: Esteban Pérez-Calderón, Patricia Milanés-Montero
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25825

Measurements of radium concentrations in water are important from the health protection point of view, so simple and reliable analytical methods must be available. In this paper we have determined the radium activity concentration in 24 spring waters which are used as potable water reservoirs. For this purpose we used radon emanation technique and also alpha spectrometry method. This work gives details of sample processing, Lucas cell and the methodology used in the emanation method. In the meas...
Autori: Alida Timar Gabor, Constantin Cosma, Oana Alexandra Rusu, Robert Csaba Begy, Simina Dreve
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25878

The approached subject presents some features of a methodology for original research, considering the environmental performance as a component of the organizations management performance quantification, by considering the environmental management approach as an integrated environmental informational and decisional concept. The current trend in the assessment of performance management is the integration of the environmental management in the organizations management in a conscious and regulated w...
Autori: Mihaela Luminita Lupu, Nicolae Trofin, Orest Trofin
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25897

Five new aryloxyalkylcarboxylic acid derivatives (diazoaminoderivatives) are studied for their thermal behavior by applying a coupled TG-FTIR technique over the (30-400 oC) range in correlation with the environmental impact of gaseous species resulting by thermal degradation. These compounds are of a particular practical significance since they show a high biological potential as agrochemicals, such as pesticides (herbicides, acaricides, fungicides, growing stimulators etc.). This is why the pap...
Autori: Anca Mihaela Mocanu, Carmen Zaharia, Constantin Iordache, Constantin Luca, Lucia Odochian
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25899

AbstractA comprehensive evaluation methodology for water environmental carrying capacity (WECC) has been proposed. It is based ona new definition of WECC and reasonable evaluation models compared with vector norm method for water resources supply,environmental assimilative capacity, and society supporting capacity. Evaluation index of WECC is determined for Xi’an city,depending on characteristics of the water environment in Xi’an and selection principles of WECC evaluation index. Three-layerstru...
Autori: Jun Zhang, Qi Zhou, Ya-qian Zhao, Yani Geng
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25960

AbstractPolyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a typical refractory organic pollutant with low biodegradability and high molecular weight. Thispaper presents data on the radiolysis of PVA in aqueous solutions by using ionizing radiation. Response surface methodologywith Box-Benhken design of experiment was applied to analyze the interactions among initial concentration of PVA, absorbeddose, and initial pH of aqueous solutions on PVA removal efficiency. 9.4-89.4% PVA was removed based on differentcombination...
Autori: Jianlong Wang, Jinping Tian, Lujun Chen, Shijun He, Weihua Sun
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25967

AbstractDuring the last decade, European methodologies on electromagnetic field measurement and human exposure assessment havebeen extensively developed and improved. At present, there is a large number of complex technical standards dedicated to variousexposure situations. The implementation of the new methodology in the national practice might be difficult, expensive and timeconsuming. Taking into account the methodological change, we analyzed some practical difficulties that might occur and w...
Autori: Cristian Goiceanu, Eugenia Dănulescu, Răzvan Dănulescu, Raluca Dănulescu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25999

AbstractThe paper describes the synthesis of nanocrystalline zinc ferrite starting from 1,4-butanediol and a mixture of zinc and ironnitrates. During the heating of the obtained solution, a redox reaction takes place with emission of brown nitrogen oxides andformation of a solid powder. This powder was characterized by thermal analysis and FT-IR spectrometry, techniques thatconfirmed the formation of a mixture of zinc and iron carboxylates. This mixture was further used as precursor for zinc fer...
Autori: Cornelia Muntean, Marcela Stoia, Paul Barvinschi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26029

AbstractMaking tourism more sustainable, means not only to control and manage the negative environmental impacts of this sector.Tourism is unique in the sense that it can provide both economic and social benefits for local communities and it can alsostrengthen the awareness and support for environmental conservation. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework formore sustainable tourism development policies, but also a set of instruments to implement these policies. We used in this stud...
Autori: Carmen Teodosiu, Elena Elisabeta Pomeanu, Eric Boutin, Simona-Andreea Ene Popa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26031

AbstractWater and its sustainable use is closely connected to developments in other fields, such as industry, agriculture and services,energy, nature conservation and health. The pressures imposed by the higher water demands, quality of discharges and climatechange raise new water challenges which can be overcome only by coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders throughcooperation and participatory processes.This study presents how public participation – within the context of integrated water...
Autori: Carmen Teodosiu, George Bârjoveanu, Joanne Vinke-de Kruijf
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26039

AbstractThere are many treatment methods used to remove color from textile wastewater, and Fenton oxidation, a well known AdvancedOxidation Process is one of the most efficient. Apart of Fe(II), other metal ions have been used as catalysts in Fenton’s Reagent,and Cu(II) proved to be a good alternative.In this study the effect of the concentration of dye, catalyst and hydrogen peroxide were studied and optimized for thediscoloration process of Reactive Black 5 using a Fenton-like process, H2O2/Cu...
Autori: Andrei-Petru Bertea, Armand-Florin Bertea, Romen Butnaru
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26042

AbstractBasic principles for assessing phytotoxicity are the same whether the test compound is a heavy metal, herbicide, fungicide,insecticide or other toxic compounds. The difference lies not in the method of evaluation, but in the experimental program andworking methodology.In this paper the phytotoxic effects of heavy metals, Cr (VI) and Cd (II) on plants germination and growth were studied. Stocksolutions of the two heavy metals were prepared at a concentration of 1000 mg/L, in distilled wat...
Autori: Dana Luminiţa Sobariu, , Maria Gavrilescu, Mariana Diaconu, Vasile Lucian Pavel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26062

AbstractConstruction and demolition waste (C&DW) are the result of inefficient and unsustainable use of natural resources and energy inproduction processes and other human activities, leading to economic losses. In this paper, the Ecological Footprint (EF), as a newindicator and methodology in environmental sustainability assessment was used to calculate where and how the humans induceimpacts on the environment, in particular due to the generation of C&DW. Ecological footprint makes a re...
Autori: Alessandra Bonoli, Cristina Ghinea, Isabela Maria Simion, Maria Gavrilescu, Nicolae Taranu, Sebastian George Maxineasa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26070

AbstractThe evaluation of the environmental impact of transport infrastructure entails a complex characterization of factors, attitudes andconsequences. In the frame of an ecologically friendly approach, sustainable alternatives and solutions for road asphaltpavements production and exploitation must be identified. A comparative evaluation of the environmental impact for recycledand traditional road pavements asphalt mixtures, expressed as the amount of equivalent carbon dioxide, per ton of mixt...
Autori: Alina Mihaela Nicuţă
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26096

Abstract According to the Water Frameword Directive the classification of water bodies environmental quality and the achievement of “good status” by 2015 are requested for all the European aquatic environment, including transitional waters such as coastal lagoons. Although progresses have been done and many results have been achieved, several aspects of the WFD implementation can be further improved and current limitations are more evident for some categories of water bodies such a...
Autori: Andrea Critto
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26103

Abstract Recently, a new failure probability index was introduced that characterizes the operation of highly sensitive chemical reactors (i.e. when highly exothermic / hazardous reactions are conducted). Based on this, the current paper exemplifies the application of the risk analysis methodology proposed to generate the Pareto optimal operating solutions accounting for reactor productivity maximization (product yield) and probabilistic risk minimization. The multi-objective optimi...
Autori: Anca Dan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26108

Abstract The environmental impact assessment has gained a very important role in the decision making regarding different projects, investments, actions and proposals. The environmental impact assessment is a systematic process which deals with the consequences of the future developments in advance. The methodology of the assessment includes several techniques. The quantitative methods focus on the evaluation of the impacts by assigning importance values to the environmental paramet...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26117

Abstract This paper presents a proposal for measurements and interpretation of gaseous emissions from the municipal landfills, especially for non-compliant sites. Based on the measurements made on the Pata Rat landfill, Cluj-Napoca, a methodology for interpreting the results is presented, in order to assess current energy potential of the deposit. Measurements are the main basis for determining the energy potential of the deposit. By applying the methodology for determining the ene...
Autori: Michaela Bianca Vac Soporan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26128

Abstract Avocado post-harvest losses and cultivar-oriented trade are relevant issues in Cameroon that affect producers and retailers incomes. Identifying specific chemical characteristics of avocado oils would give an added value to underutilized species. Five avocado varieties, Booth 7, Booth 8, Collinson, Hickson and Lula, were subjected to aqueous extraction and the Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transformed Infrared spectrometry coupled with chemometrics (ATR-FTIR) profil...
Autori: Brice Ulrich Saha Foudjo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26143

Abstract The reason for carrying out this research is related to the significant risk of heavy metals present in wastewater on the environment and human health. The removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions was performed in a batch system, using peat (from Poiana Stampei, Romania) as adsorbent. The efficiency of the process was predicted with high accuracy (correlation with experimental data more than 0.99) based on a feed-forward neural network with two hidden layers. The...
Autori: Gabriel Dan Suditu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26150

AbstractNowadays, companies at the electrical industry have to meet numerous environmental requirements which involve a largeincrement in their costs. However, it is considered that these investments made by organizations may affect positively to theirreputation and therefore to their profits.So the aim of this paper is to analyze the influence that some Environmental variables related to the emission and resourcereductions have on the Financial Performance of the electrical firms through a data...
Autori: Bernabé Escobar-Pérez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26195

AbstractThe current literature on SMEs presents a range of factors that influence their decisions regarding the adoption of environmentalmanagement practices. In particular, some common factors are the pressure from stakeholders, the awareness of environmentalissues, the level of local authorities’ support, the benefits arising from the adoption of such practices and the role ofenvironmental regulations. This paper examines some of these factors through a case study research methodology on two G...
Autori: Ioannis E. Nikolaou
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26213

AbstractThe recrudescence and diversification of natural and anthropic hazards over the past decades are mainly attributed to an increasein the vulnerability of human communities. Understanding this vulnerability, as central predictive variable within the riskequation, proves to be a highly useful tool in land planning, namely in the development of various strategies. The current paperaims at proposing and integrating certain indicators into the methodology used in the evaluation of exposure to ...
Autori: Adrian Grozavu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26218

AbstractKohonen Self-organizing map (KSOM) modeling have been applied increasingly for analysis, estimation and prediction ofseveral water quality processes, which are embedded with high complexity, dynamism and non-linearity. KSOM or unsupervisedneural networks were applied to microbial data (Escherichia coli, faecal streptococci, and total coliforms) from the effluent of atwo year data set (2008-2010) on two permeable (pervious) pavement systems used to treat storm water runoff contaminated wi...
Autori: Kiran Tota-Maharaj
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26226

AbstractIn this work, a four factor three-level Box–Behnken factorial design based on response surface methodology (RSM) wasemployed to optimize the removal of phosphate from synthetic wastewater (mineral salts medium-MSM) by the bacterialconsortium (Bacillus sp. RS-1, Pseudomonas sp. YLW-7, Enterobacter sp. KLW-2). A mathematical model was then developedto show the effect of each medium composition and their interactions on phosphate removal. The effect of the lactoseconcentration (X1), pH (X2)...
Autori: Krishnaswamy Usharani
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26235

AbstractIn this research, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to model the effect of main operational variables includinginitial pH, initial phosphate concentration, current density and reaction time on phosphate removal by electrocoagulation. It wasfound that the decrease of initial pH and initial phosphate concentration, and the increase of current density and reaction time are beneficial for improving phosphate removal efficiency. According to the ANOVA (analysis of variance) resul...
Autori: Mohsen Behbahani
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26237

AbstractFor the purpose of coping with oil spills successfully, it is important to establish effective response and preparedness plans. Inprevious study, we proposed the use of Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) technology to develop environmental emergency responseand preparedness plans. In this paper, we present how to develop a CBR-Oil Spill Response and Preparedness System (CBROSRPS). In particular, the Frame method is employed to do case representation, the modified Heterogeneous Euclidean-Overlap ...
Autori: Zhenliang Liao
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26247

AbstractThe purpose of the undertaken research work is to degrade the biopolymeric pigments present in the distillery spentwash. This isdone by direct electro-oxidation using iridium oxide coated titanium mesh as catalytic anode. The effects of current intensity,dilution, pH and time of electro-oxidation were studied. The combined effects were analyzed using Box-Behnken design foroptimization and statistical analysis. The rate constant for first order electrochemical kinetics relating the rate c...
Autori: R. Krishna Prasad
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26253

AbstractEnergy efficiency in buildings is a key issue in achieving sustainable development. Many decision support methodologies andtools have been developed, mainly based on energy consumption measurements or simulations and rules designed by experts toconstruct Building Energy Management Systems. An extension of this information from raw consumptions to energy efficiency isrequired. In addition, a visual depiction of this information with temporal and spatial resolution, applied to the differen...
Autori: Mark Richard Wilby
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26259

AbstractThe objectives of this study were to investigate of cadmium and chromium adsorption from aqueous solutions by using orange (Citrus sinensis var Tampson) and sour orange (Citrus aurantium) mesocarp. The chemometric approach was applied for the optimization of removal percent of Cd2+ and Cr6+. To optimize Cd2+ and Cr6+ removal percent, the effect of four experimental parameters on removal percent was investigated by means of multivariate analysis. The considered factors were Cd2+ and Cr6+ ...
Autori: Maryam Bagheri Ardebilian, Mohammad Ali Zazouli, Pouneh Ebrahimi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26287

AbstractThis investigation compared the performance of Fenton and photo-Fenton oxidation processes in the treatment of sulfidic spentcaustic wastewater. Response surface methodology, particularly central composite design was used to investigate the effect ofFe/H2O2 and H2O2/COD in assessing treatment process efficiency. Empirical models were developed to describe the relationshipbetween the factors and responses. The models were validated through analysis of variance and were further used in pro...
Autori: Azmi Aris, Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan, Sharifah Hanis Yasmin Sayid Abdullah, Siti Fadilah Md Noor, Zainura Zainon Noor
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26307

AbstractResearch concerning the efficient use of energy (EUE) and use of renewable energy sources (RES) is growing in the scientificliterature. However, there is a general lack of research concerning management perceptions of companies’ EUE, especiallycompared to research on households. This study examines management perceptions of companies as energy consumers inSlovenia. Data were collected using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology. The major finding is thatawareness of t...
Autori: Aleksandra Pisnik Korda, Borut Milfelner, Damijan Mumel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26318

AbstractThis research introduces a new Robust Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Set Linear Programming (R-IT2FSLP) model to manage irrigationwater resources. This method improves upon previous interval fuzzy bound models by allowing uncertainties presented asmultiple fuzzy boundaries. It creates additional degrees of freedom and enable direct modeling of uncertainties within anoptimization framework. It more explicitly reflects the system’s uncertainties under the fuzzy membership function. The more ofR-IT2...
Autori: Guohe Huang, Lei Jin
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26324

AbstractLead (II) can bind with papain at its active site, destroying the enzymatic activity. Papain a sulfhydryl protease has beenimmobilized in calcium alginate bead for the purpose of removal of lead (II) from industrial waste water. Effect of lead (II) onthe enzyme activity of immobilized papain, has been observed. A detailed kinetic study has been carried out and the data arefitted to different kinetic models. EDS (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry) and desorption study suggest that meta...
Autori: Aparupa Bhattacharyya, Parameswar De, Soumasree Chatterjee, Srabanti Basu, Susmita Dutta
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26338

AbstractAs a typical environment-economy linking system, recycling and its efficiency measurement with a triple-bottom-line (TBL)thinking, increasingly play an important role in the development of real economies and environmental protection. Since theclassic black-box-based data envelopment analysis DEA model may over-estimate the operation performance of a decisionmaking unit (DMU), this paper describes a novel network based on DEA model to narrow the gap between the DEA theory andpractical nee...
Autori: Huaqing Wu, Qiong Xia, Weidong Zhu, Yixian Liu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26362

AbstractThe optimizing transformation of our country’s energy structure relies on the improvement of production efficiencies of domesticEnergy Companies. The efficiency improvement, in turn, is theoretically based on a set of scientific evaluation approaches. DataEnvelopment Analysis, a nonparametric method to evaluate the relative effectiveness of decision-making units, has a strongdiscriminating power to exclude invalid factors. However, DEA is sensitive to the number of evaluated decision-mak...
Autori: Lei Li, Mingyue Li
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26367

AbstractWoodland covers about one third of Italy. No longer just a source of products for fuels and buildings, forests also have aprotective function against natural disasters like landslides and they also serve as recreational areas for people.Our primary goal was to define an overall method for assessing the possible uses of woodland areas to help those preparing forestplanning instruments for evaluating the productive, protective and recreational functions of the woodlands. We quantified, usi...
Autori: Alessandro Toccolini, Giulio Senes, Natalia Fumagalli, Paolo Ferrario
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26382

AbstractThe study aimed the diversification of fodder yeast assortments with viable economic effects while reducing the environmentpollution by capitalization of wastewaters with high monosaccharides content from pulp and paper industry and residual wheyfrom milk industry. Using the Response Surface Methodology the fabrication recipe has been optimized according to anexperimental program based on a mathematical model with biomass, protein and residual sugar as response functions. Theculture medi...
Autori: Livia Manea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26429

AbstractThis research aims to investigate the level of cluster approach adoption to support the environmental management of small andmedium enterprises and reduce their environmental impact. The research identifies the main phases of cluster approachmethodology and assesses the level of its adoption in 28 international case studies included in 5 different categories of cluster.Our study carried out a comparative analysis between the experiences of each cluster category and the level of implement...
Autori: Sara Tessitore
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26452

AbstractThe main purpose of the present work was to evaluate the potential of plum (P. domestica L.) tree bark (PDB) to remove Cr(VI)and total chromium from aqueous solutions in batch systems. Experimental data showed that the Cr(VI) and total chromiumremoval capacity was dependent on operating variables such as PDB particle size, PDB pretreatment, solution pH, initial Cr(VI)concentration, and contact time. The mechanism of Cr(VI) removal by PDB implies two simultaneous processes: 1) the reducti...
Autori: Perla Vianey Lopez-Nuńez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26464

AbstractCarbon monoxide (CO) is a gas obtained both from natural sources (bush fires, volcanic emissions and electric discharges) andby anthropogenic processes (incomplete combustion of fossil fuels). Together with particulate matter, nitrogen oxides andhydrocarbons, it is part of the air pollutants associated with the transport sector, which have a negative impact on human health,animals and vegetation. In this paper the authors propose a methodology for assessing CO emissions from road traffic...
Autori: Gabriela Mitran
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26466

AbstractThis study, analyzes the benthic macroinvertebrates community structure and composition in order to assess the ecological statusas required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Macroinvertebrates are the appropriate indicators to describe habitatheterogenity and the water bodies ecological status by turning the allochtone material into biomass, which is then transferred tothe upper trophic levels. Moreover, the macroinvertebrates have the capacity to integrate in their structure the e...
Autori: Catalina Stoica
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26502

AbstractThe environmental impact assessment has gained a very important role in decision making processes regarding different projects,investments, actions and proposals. The environmental impact assessment is a systematic process which deals with theconsequences of the future developments in advance. The methodology of the assessment includes several techniques. Thequantitative methods focus on the evaluation of the impacts by assigning importance values to the environmental parameters andquali...
Autori: Anett Utasi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26508

AbstractThe sustainable refurbishment of the existing building stock is a key issue in achieving the ambitious long-term energy andenvironmental goals of the European Union. Europe has a vast building stock built with prefabricated reinforced concrete largepanelconstruction technology after World War II to decrease the general housing shortage, mostly in the Eastern-Europeancountries and East Germany.This study focuses on the environmental evaluation of the retrofitting of the existing precast l...
Autori: Sára Hrabovszky-Horváth
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26538

AbstractLand decay processes caused by erosion are very serious by their long term impact on the quality of soils, surface waters,environment and living standards. This article presents the results of a spatial erosion modelling. A new methodology is herebyproposed to estimate the soil losses caused by water erosion. The method is based on using GIS techniques, and its noveltyconsists in applying the mathematic calculation model on the pixel/ cell level, by using the “overlay” technique, which g...
Autori: Gabriela Biali
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26559

AbstractEnvironmental and territorial compatibility of industrial activities can be evaluated by considering several criteria, usuallyformalized in the contest of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); the pipelines sector, however, is not as wellstandardized as others. In this paper, a new methodology to evaluate territorial compatibility of proposed pipelines is presented.This approach can be useful to assess proper development compatibility of oil and gas pipeline networks, and it could ...
Autori: Vincenzo Torretta
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26561

AbstractThe objective was to study the degradation of azo dye C.I. Acid Orange 7 (AO7) and intermediates for its synthesis sulphanilicacid (SA) and 2-naphthol (2-N) by Fenton process. Full factorial design and response surface methodology were applied to modelthe system behavior influenced by studied process parameters ([Fe2+] and [H2O2]).Optimal process conditions were determined on the basis of mineralization efficiency. The effectiveness evaluation of appliedtreatment process was conducted on...
Autori: Sanja Papić
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26569

AbstractThe hotel industry constitutes a major sector of the wider tourism industry and, in common with other industries, hospitalityoperations inevitably entail environmental impacts. Requirements for corporate financial reporting are commonplace, but publicdisclosure of the environmental effects of organizations’ economic actions - referred to as environmental reporting – whilegenerally only a voluntary commitment offers a potentially valuable contribution towards assessing the industry’s glob...
Autori: Patricia Milanés-Montero
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26572

AbstractEnd-of-life tires are waste materials that pollute landscapes when they are disposed of in tire dumps. However, its life cycle is notfinished when they are scrapped. The rubber of end-of-life tires could be used for new purposes as construction material in roadrehabilitation. A gap-graded mix characterization was carried out in this work by means of laboratory and field performancetests. The mixture has a high content of crumb rubber (CR) by weight of bitumen. Crumb Rubber was added to t...
Autori: Victor F. Vázquez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26577

Abstract The aim of this paper is the adaptation of an Ecodesign methodology for product publishing SMEs that have implemented Lean Management. To obtain verification of this methodology, an eco-redesign case study of a product has been carried out from a furniture publishing SME which applies lean management to its entire production chain. Some proposed improvements resulting from this case study were: Design for dismantling, Multifunction, Dematerialisation, Increasing the material of rene...
Autori: Sara González-García
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26592

Abstract High resolution gas chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry systems are often used for the analyses of dioxins at low concentrations in environmental sample matrices such as soil, vegetation, sediment, air and food. Since the construction and operation costs of these systems are so expensive, the most of the laboratories in the developing countries haven’t the systems with high resolution mass spectrometry. Thus, cheaper systems with similar sensitivity s...
Autori: Mahmut Kemal Korucu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26601

Abstract The present study deals with the removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solution by polypyrrole (PPy). Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for the design and analysis of experiments in the optimization of pH, temperature, initial concentration, contact time and adsorbent dose during the removal of the Cr (VI). The optimum adsorbent dose, temperature, initial concentration of Cr (VI), pH and contact time were found to be 0.8 g, 46.5 oC, 187.5 mg/L, 5.3 and 15.4 min respectively. ...
Autori: Ehsan Hasani
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26614

OPTIMIZATION OF REDUCTION OF COPPER USING Stenotrophomonas maltophilia PD2 BIOMASS AND ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK MODELING ...
Autori: Arpita Ghosh
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26616

Abstract Malathion is a toxic, wide-spectrum organophosphorus pesticide. The removal of this pesticide from water is one of the major environmental concerns. In this study, the biodegradation of malathion using batch activated sludge was studied. The effect of initial malathion concentration (5 to 140 mg/L) on the degradation process was investigated. The biokinetic parameters (rs max, Ks and Ki) were estimated. Identification of dominant bacterial flora was also achieved. In addition, two k...
Autori: Djaber Tazdaďt
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26625

Abstract During the creation of a product, the majority of the enterprises still apply a linear approach. This approach has been imposed by the organization way of the company and by the informational flow between the different departments. In the present time different models of integrated engineering oppose to the sequential organization. These models permit the simultaneity of the activities deploying or at least their partial overlap. The activities overlap can be imagined eliminating fi...
Autori: Petrică Corăbieru
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26633

Abstract The interest in waterborne paints amelioration increased lately due to the toxicological effect of certain ingredients on human health, the restrictive environmental legislation and the depletion and escalation in price of raw materials. Research efforts in formulating waterborne paints are directed to insure low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission while maintaining and even improving their properties. This paper presents a waterborne paint formulation process. The required ...
Autori: Andrei Ionut Simion
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26639

Abstract 18F-FDG is a glucose analog in which the hydroxyl group on the second carbon is substituted with 18F, being used as an indicator of glucose uptake and cell viability. The aim of this work was to synthesize the 18F-FDG and to validate the methodology for the assessment of its both radiochemical and chemical purities, according to the European Pharmacopoeia. The proposed methodology encompasses three chromatographic methods: radio-HPLC, radio-TLC and HS/GC. Radiochemical impurities ...
Autori: Mirela Mihon
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26640

Abstract Molinate (S-ethyl-azepane-1-carbothioate) is a thiocarbamate herbicide used in rice cultivation for the control of grass weeds. Environmental contamination with molinate is of major concern due to the adverse effects described both for humans and animals. Molinate hydrolase, a novel amidohydrolase previously characterized, is responsible for the initial breakdown of molinate, cleaving the thioester bond of molinate, releasing ethanethiol and azepane-1-carboxylate (ACA). Biotechnolo...
Autori: Ana M. Paiva
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26642

Abstract The development strategy of the European Union until the year 2020, Europe 2020, militates for an intelligent economy, sustainable and favorable to inclusion. Following these principles, each Member State establishes its targets and action plans at a national level. On the other hand, the rural zones benefit from diverse forms of renewable energy which can assure their development and energetic autonomy, bringing important advantages to the rural community: the diminishing of energy...
Autori: Liliana Topliceanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26644

Abstract The present research reports the synthesis of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide / mesoporous carbon composites, prepared by radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide inside mesoporous carbon pores functionalized with carboxylic groups. The deposition of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide on mesoporous carbon was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy, TEM, N2-sorption measurements. The mesoporous carbon material was found to adsorb vitamin B2 from aqueous solution at room temperature. The obtained ...
Autori: Maria Ignat
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26679

Abstract β-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae was strongly immobilized on magnetic particles functionalized with amino groups. By simple incubation without any activating agents, electrostatic interactions between amino groups and enzymes allowed obtaining a strong linkage. The immobilization efficiency was studied with the quantification of amino groups of the particles and of immobilized β-galactosidase. Kinetic parameters, especially the maximal velocity Vmax and the affinity...
Autori: Kalim Belhacene
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26682

Abstract The removal efficiency of algal biomass Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for Pb and Cu metal ions was evaluated in single and binary metal systems. Biosorption experiments were performed in solutions containing 0.2 g L-1 of algal biomass at 30oC and pH 6. Initial metal ion concentrations ranged from 10-7 M to 10-6 M. Thermal analysis of the biosorbent indicated that algal cells are composed of groups containing C, H, N, and S. The presence of ionisable functional groups responsible for bio...
Autori: Roula Flouty
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26709

Abstract This study was carried out to investigate the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) onto pumice powder, as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of dyes. The experiments were designed based on a central composite design (CCD) and the process was analyzed and modeled using response surface methodology (RSM). In order to study the adsorption process, three important factors viz. pumice dosage (20- 50 mg/50mL), MB concentration (20-40 mg/l) and contact times (5- 35 min) were chosen as varia...
Autori: Kiomars Sharafi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26729

Abstract Response surface methodology and central composite experimental design were used to model and optimize the operational parameters of the excess sludge protein extraction yield by ultrasonic wave-assisted extraction. The three variables involved in this research were the ultrasonic extraction time, pH, and temperature. In the range studied, statistical analysis of the results showed that selected variables had a significant effect on protein extraction yield. The optimized extraction...
Autori: Yulin Xiang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26736

Abstract MFe2O4 nanopowders (M = Ni, Co, Cu) were prepared using the precursor technique, starting from the corresponding metal nitrates and poly(vinyl alcohol)-PVA. During the heating of metal nitrates- PVA solution, a redox reaction takes place around 150°C, leading to the formation of M(II) and Fe(III) carboxylates. These compounds were used as precursors for the ferrites nanopowders. The desired ferrites were obtained by thermal decomposition of the carboxylates; the obtained...
Autori: Marcela Stoia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26745

Abstract Along with nowadays growth of urban areas and population, it is more and more important to have better water resources management, especially regarding drinking water supply. Maintaining a good state of a water distribution network poses challenges that are addressed by research community. Two of the main challenges in management of water distribution systems are the reduction of energy consumption due to the high pumping requirements in some systems and/or reduction of water losses...
Autori: Mario Castro Gama
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26747

Abstract Deformation, damage and permanent loss of heritage assets due to various physical and environmental factors has always been a major problem. As the availability of funds for conservation and restoration is limited, the digital documentation of heritage objects and monitoring of environment-induced deformations are increasingly important for cultural heritage preservation. Our study elucidates developments in the digital image capturing and processing for recording architectural heri...
Autori: Jūratė Sužiedelytė-Visockienė
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26759

Abstract The municipal waste landfills are known as important anthropogenic sources of methane and carbon dioxide being the most important greenhouse gases. The present study estimates the methane and carbon dioxide emission from the municipal open dump landfill of Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Two different methods were used: the first method was based on in situ measurements, using the closed chamber technique and the second one was based on the 2006 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Chan...
Autori: Gabriela-Emilia Popiţa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26761

Abstract The research is focused on the relationship between aviation systems and extreme terrorist events, the impacts of such events, and the solutions to manage the associated risks on medium and long term. The development of predictive models for extremeasymmetric events in aviation (EAEA) still represents an emerging direction of interdisciplinary research because not all mechanisms and interactions are understood. The testing of models is difficult due to lack of data and interpretatio...
Autori: Catalin Cioaca
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26762

Abstract Every day, millions of people are exposed to noise at work and to all the associated risks. It is a clear fact that the noise is an important problem in the industrial areas and moreover it becomes a significant issue in a wide range of other non-industrial environments as well. The current trend in the construction of gearboxes, regarding the speed increasing, favors the increase of the dynamic loads, which are accompanying the operation of equipments. The dynamic contact phenomen...
Autori: Zoltan Iosif Korka
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26765

Abstract This paper reports the activity, promoted by the Italian agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development (ENEA), in the framework of the project for the development and implementation of the first Italian Platform for Industrial Symbiosis implemented in Sicily (2011-2015). The goals of the project were: to provide a methodology and an instrument for industrial symbiosis implementation at regional scale, to implement a IS Platform as a support to SMEs to ind...
Autori: Laura Cutaia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26774

Abstract As the percentage of segregated waste, taken as individual indicator, is insufficient to measure the virtuosity of a Municipality waste management, a multicriteria indicator has been developed to broaden the horizon of the analysis of waste management performance. The aim of this study is to experiment a new and easy–to-use methodology for the evaluation of Municipalities virtuosity in waste management, built from Public Administrators to verify the responsiveness between thei...
Autori: Alessandra Bonoli
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26786

Abstract One of the imperative concerns in river water quality management is to develop pollution control strategies, which are satisfactory for all pollution load dischargers. The game theory can be applied for modeling the natural process of decision making among dischargers under the condition of having just one water quality checkpoint in a river reach, which receives pollution loads of several dischargers who would be penalized for any water quality violation from the standards. In this...
Autori: Armaghan Abed-Elmdoust
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26834

Abstract Solar energy is one of the most important renewable resources due to its unique set of advantages. In urban configurations, wide open spaces used for parking areas close to malls, stadiums and industrial areas become justified challenges in revaluating them by placing solar panels on their wide roofs. The paper is a first attempt that reflects the scientific interest in the particularities of wind action upon the solar panels sustained by structural framed elements and which cover ...
Autori: Elena Axinte
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26849

Abstract This work presents the optimization of process variables to maximize the percent of Fe (II) removal, R (%), by chelating resin Purolite S930 from 34% CaCl2 solutions. To study the combined effect of the initial solution pH, initial Fe (II) concentration and resin dosage was used a 23 orthogonal central composite design and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for analysis of experimental data. To optimize the regression equation was used The Gradient method. The study discovered that ...
Autori: Camelia Popa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26856

Abstract This study concentrates on the reactive biosorption of dyes such as Reactive Red 3:1 (RR3:1), Reactive Orange 13 (RO13), Reactive Blue 13 (RB13), Reactive Blue 72 (RB72). The modified fungal biosorbent, Paecilomyces sp., had a higher dye biosorption yield in our study. 100% of biosorption yield observed on RR3:1 and RB13 and 94.09% of color removal of RO13 with the chemically modified biosorbent were great. Also, such modified biosorbent exhibited remarkable performance in simulate...
Autori: Ahmet Çabuk
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26860

Abstract This study investigated the use of tea waste to decolorize refractory dyestuff from textile wastewater. The influence of the solution pH and the contacting time were examined for various adsorbents, namely green tea-leaf powder (GTP), black tea-leaf powder (BTP), and powdered activated carbon (PAC). Results from batch experiments revealed that the reduction in true color (ADMI) increases with decreasing pH. The ADMI reduced from 1106 to 150 with 0.8 g/L of GTP at pH 2. The results a...
Autori: Chih-Huang Weng
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26863

Abstract Waste management in Romania, in particular in Cluj-Napoca city, needs major improvements. By analyzing the results and implementation of waste composition studies which have been performed in different countries, it can be easily noticed that they can play a very important role in the planning stage of waste management, but also in the monitoring and evaluation of the process. Moreover, waste composition studies are an integrated part of waste management planning in developed countr...
Autori: Ioana Nicoleta Pop
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26888

Abstract High population density and intense traffic resulted in various forms of pollution in cities. Air pollution ranks at the top of this list. This paper investigates changes in air pollutant parameters in Banja Luka, B&H, using data from air-quality measurement stations. The applied methodology is based on 24-hour measurements of air pollution, and connection between monitoring stations and automatic traffic control system centre. Based on the results of such measuring, a signaling...
Autori: Srecko Stankovic
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26902

Conductive-diamond electrochemical oxidation processes are promising technologies for treating biorefractory industrial wastes with organic loads below 20000 mg L-1. In this work, electrochemical oxidation of a real industrial pharmaceutical wastewater with conductive-diamond anodes has been studied. The electrolyses were carried out in discontinuous operation mode under galvanostatic conditions, using a bench-scale plant equipped with a single compartment electrochemical flow cell. For optim...
Autori: Joaquín Ramón Domínguez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26927

The biosorption of a basic dye, safranin from aqueous solutions by marine fungus Aspergillus wentii, which was chemicallymodified by esterification of the carboxylic acids (CB), or methylation of amine (NB), or raw biomass (RB) was investigated. The equilibrium was established after 40 min and the experimental kinetic data obtained for various forms of A.wentii were applied to the pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Bingham and Weber-Morris kinetic models. The pseudo-second order model ...
Autori: Yasmin Khambhaty
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26930

The influence of key process parameters of homogenous catalytic ozonation using ferrous or manganese catalysts on the mineralization rate of salicylic acid (SA), model pharmaceutical pollutant, in water was investigated. In order to assess the combined influence and interactions of studied process parameters as well, the empirical/statistical approach applying Box- Behnken experimental design (BBD) combined with response surface methodology (RSM) was applied. Three numerical and one categori...
Autori: Kresimir Koricic
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26939

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) method was applied based on a five-level and four-variable central composite design. The optimization of the C.I. Direct Red 81 (DR81) removal by the combination of electrocoagulation (EC) and UV processes was also performed. The effect of initial pH, reaction time, current density and initial dye concentration on the dye removal was investigated to obtain the optimal experimental conditions. The optimal conditions with the dye removal of 95% ...
Autori: Elmira Pajootan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26942

Nautical tourism is a phenomenon that in the last three decades has recorded one of the highest development rates known in the European and Croatian economies. Economic forecasters for tourism development agree that nautical tourism is in its early stages of development and that increasing results are to be expected. From a scientific perspective, however, nautical tourism development is still not sufficiently represented in the science of tourism. In Croatia, nautical tourism is seen as a ne...
Autori: Mirjana Kovačić
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26962

Biomass is a very important source for the production of biofuels. During the hydrolysis step of the process for obtaining biofuels the rate of decomposition of biomass is strictly related to its organic matter content and the operating mode of the facilities. This paper highlights the effect of different pretreatments on the composition of biomass at the molecular level using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For this experiment, a mixture...
Autori: Andreea Cocarcea Rusei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26986

Treatment of domestic wastewater using constructed wetland system vegetated with Phragmites australis was studied at lab scale. Response surface methodology (RSM) a mathematical model was employed for analyzing the effect of independent factors (inlet flow rate, outlet flow rate, retention time) on wastewater parameters e.g. electrical conductivity, BOD5, COD, nitrates, phosphates, total solids, suspended solids, heavy metals in order to maximally treat wastewater. All independent variables w...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26999

Within the framework of the Water Safety Plan (WSP), it is necessary to assess and to manage risks in the catchment area, considered the first protection barrier of water supply systems. The Cauca River is one of the major water resources of Colombia and the principal source of drinking water supply for the city of Cali (approx. 2,300,000 people). Taking into account, usually in developing countries, available information and specialized technical resources are limited, in this study were eva...
Autori: Andrea Pérez-Vidal
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27010

Accidents in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plants are a critical issue for the safety of people, of operators and the environment, as well as for the security of the plants. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the possibility to use a free license code to simulate radiological diffusion after an accident in these particular plants, in order to obtain a model which allows identifying escape routes for the people potentially involved in the fallout. The authors performed a benchmark an...
Autori: Mariachiara Carestia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27015

The aim of this study was the diversification of fodder yeast assortments with viable economic effects while reducing the pollution to the environment by capitalisation of wastewaters with high monosaccharides content from pulp and paper industry. As inoculum, in the bioreactor, a mixture of two species of yeasts Candida utilis and Candida arboreea (1:1 ratio) was used at 38°C, pH 5.5 and an air flow of 0.02 L/h was insured. Wastewaters from technological process of pulping of softwood wi...
Autori: Andrei I. Simion
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27028

The generation of energy via fossil fuel burning results in carbon emissions. These emissions contribute to the climate change of our world, particularly in terms of global warming. On the contrary, energy has become blood of life for the existence and functioning of our built environments. In order to control carbon emissions, the UK has taken lead among many countries around the globe and especially in Europe by passing a bill for the Climate Change Act 2008 which legally binds the UK to at...
Autori: Talib E. Butt
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27045

In this paper, the steps used in the process of building 3D model creation, using images acquired with the UMK 10/1318 metric terrestrial photogrammetric camera and digital images acquired with the Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450D digital non-metric camera, are presented in detail. For the calibration process of both cameras, the Heikkila and Silven algorithm and a 3D calibration object were used. In order to save time, both on the field and back to the office, instead of taking and processing UMK im...
Autori: Ersilia Oniga
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27056

Deforestation has been recognized as an important environmental threat in the hilly area of Eastern Romania during the last two centuries. Nowadays, these former forested lands are extremely degraded through soil erosion and gullying due to improper human impact. Under such background, the paper aims at reconstituting the natural forest cover of the late 18th century, prior the aggressive deforesting actions. The methodology is based on two key elements: old maps and soil typology, both integ...
Autori: Iulian Cătălin Stângă
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27062

Quantification of geomorphological changes and rates of landscape evolution is a matter of primary importance, as much in natural hazards studies as in calibration of landscape evolution models. In this paper it is investigated the influence of dams to morphological processes on a corrected torrential valley situated in mountainous area of Romania. Several approaches were applied for evaluating the stream bed dynamics by using terrestrial measurements and GIS techniques. The methodology is b...
Autori: Mihai-Daniel Niţă
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27064

This study analyzed the determinants of eco-innovation in a sample of companies drawn from several sectors of economic activity in Spain and studied similarities and differences in their activity. The analysis used information obtained from the Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) database created by the Spanish Institute of Statistics. The methodology used showed that although all the variables used in the model were significant for all sectors of activity, their effects were specific to e...
Autori: Alejandro García-Pozo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27072

Three different winter wheat production systems for three European countries (United Kingdom, France and Italy), all with different climatic conditions, soil management and input levels (e.g. tillage, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides) were analysed from an environmental perspective. The intended applications were the analysis and comparison from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective and the identification of the key parameters which have the greatest influence on final results. The ...
Autori: Daniele Cambria
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27102

The roots of this study are generated by the problems of plastic waste accumulations: insufficiency of storage spaces, storage costs and outgoings of plastic waste recycling, recovery, decomposition or reprocessing. The paper develops and details a modular prototype, for multifunctional territorial use, offering non-polluting and aesthetic possibility of plastic waste storage. The progress in the related fighting pollution areas have been approached, such as waste management through ecologica...
Autori: Doina Mira Dascălu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27112

In Palestine, the energy situation is unique compared to other Middle Eastern Countries, as there are technical and political challenges for transporting, storing, importing and exporting energy. Actually, energy import from Israel meets the major share of Palestinian energy needs. Palestinian reliance on Israel concerning its energy supply is an issue due to the political situation. Furthermore, from an environmental point of view, Israel predominantly relies on fossil fuels for its own elec...
Autori: Jacopo Bacenetti
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27120

The selection of proper compounds to include in perfumes’ formulation is of particular interest for the perfume industry. Essential oils and perfumes are subject to quality control as well as to chemical characterization; therefore, GC/MS-O methodology can be considered a useful tool for research purposes and/or for improving industrial manufacturing processes. In this study, GC/MS-O methodology was applied to a commercial brand perfume and a natural-derived one, both characterized by ...
Autori: Antonella Amenduni
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27125

The objective of this research was to study the degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) in soil using activated carbon fiber supported nanoscale zerovalent iron (ACF/nZVI) coupled with microwave (MW) irradiation. Compared to ACF/MW, nZVI/MW and MW alone, the ACF/nZVI/MW system had a higher degradation efficiency. A Box-Behnken experimental design was employed to analyse relative significance of independent variables A (irradiation time), B (MW power), and C (MW absorber dosage), and combined ef...
Autori: Wengui Liu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27154

As part of the 2012 Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS), topsoil samples were collected in Bulgaria and Romania using the same methodology as for other EU Member States in an equivalent survey carried out in 2009. In total, 664 Bulgarian and 1384 Romanian samples were collected which enabled a comparative assessment of topsoil properties under different land covers within, and between, these countries, as well as in a broader European context. The samples were analysed for basic soil p...
Autori: Gergely Tóth
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27205

In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate both the effects of biodiesel percentage in fuel mixture and engine operating parameters (engine load and engine speed) on emission characteristics (unburned hydrocarbons (HC), CO and NOx) of a diesel engine. The optimization of biodiesel percentage in fuel mixture and engine operating parameters also was performed using the desirability approach of the response surface methodology for lower emission characteristics. Th...
Autori: Alireza Shirneshan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27217

Stillage (distillery wastewater) is a major waste by-product from process of bioethanol production. It contains large amounts of organic matter and suspended solids, so it should not be disposed in the nature before previous treatment. This work studies the application of ceramic microfiltration membrane for stillage purification. Also, the influence of operating factors on permeate flux and removal efficiency was investigated using Response Surface Methodology. The factors considered for design...
Autori: Vesna Vasić
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27218

The application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) emerged as an interesting topic during the last decade. Many studies have been devoted to the complexity of phenomena imposed by AOPs, and a lot of effort was made to justify the application of AOPs. However, the reliability of AOPs has not been an issue of any extensive work. In this work, failure analysis and comparative reliability study were performed for the chosen AOP system, i.e. a laboratory scale photo- and sonoreactor, during the p...
Autori: Ivana Grčić
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27220

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology that can be used to evaluate the environmental performance of municipal solid waste management systems (MSWMS). Despite of Waste Directive provisions, this methodology is insufficiently applied as a decision-support method able to identify the best option for the waste management in Romania. In this paper we applied LCA methodology to study of the municipal waste management system of Cluj County, supported by GaBi software. The aim of this study is to...
Autori: Gabriela-Emilia Popiţa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27225

In this research, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize five operating variables including initial pH, current, reaction time, initial hexavalent chromium concentration and dosage of polyaluminum chloride as a coagulant for the removal of hexavalent chromium and its relative operating cost by electrocoagulation process. Central Composite Design (CCD) was applied for the optimization process. The results showed that increase of polyaluminum chloride dosage was beneficial for...
Autori: Sepideh Sadeghi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27230

In this study, an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor at the mesophilic temperature (38ºC) was successfully used for the treatment of petroleum refinery effluents. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for the design and analysis of experiments to predict the behavior of the initial COD and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the bioreactor. A statistical analysis indicated that the models adequately represented the experimental data. At the optimal conditions, the ...
Autori: Seyed Omid Rastegar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27233

Developing countries have seriously low adoption rates of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) and there is a need to understand why. This paper reviews 31 past studies focusing on the factors influencing the adoption of SAPs. Using a vote count methodology, SAPs adoption is revealed as a complex set of behaviors which depend on a range of socio-economic, agro-ecological, institutional, informational, psychological factors and perceived attributes. Identified within these six dimensions, ma...
Autori: Yeong Sheng Tey
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27253

Current research details methodological framework for the land planning of the recreational activities based on ecologic approach. Human impacts on landscapes caused by touristic activities should be in accordance with sustainability level, i.e. without changing natural landscape elements, their function and processes, as well as environmental quality. Region of Štiavnické Bane in Slovakia represents a case study area that is completely under nature and landscape conservation. The ...
Autori: Michal Klaučo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27264

Analyzing and reducing the possible effects of air pollution on human health became important issues for improving the quality of life in urban areas. Particulate matters (PM) are air pollutants with a potential important impact on human health of vulnerable people (e.g., children, elderly) and non-vulnerable people as well. The level of PM air pollution is mainly influenced by the PM concentration and parameters such as meteorological conditions and synergic effects of other air pollutants. The...
Autori: Mihaela Oprea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27286

The present paper focuses on the environmental pillar of a new and innovative framework for sustainability assessment of VET - Vocational Education and Training - providers. By employing case study methods on a research sample of 6 VET providers in the Mures County, Romania, we have determined the sustainable development challenges that VET providers face. The results are used to elaborate the core subjects of the framework in accordance with existing practices at VET providers. The framework is...
Autori: Liviu Moldovan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27294

A possible prediction methodology for the concentration of pollutants wave in aquatic environment using Rough Set Theory is presented. The issue is of increasingly importance especially for early pollution risk warning. The hydro-morphologic complex characteristics of surface water bodies should be taken into account when pollution dispersion models are designed. However, when more characteristics/multi-criteria are taken into account, including pollutants physical-chemical ones and their enviro...
Autori: Georgeta Mădălina Aramă
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27319

Pharmaceuticals contaminants in waters exhibit a significant threat on the human health and the ecosystem quality. This research demonstrates the utility of a silver-doped zeolite-modified carbon nanofiber-epoxy (AgZ-CNF) prepared by two-roll mill method in development of the fast methodology for the detection of fluoxetine (FXT) in the aqueous solution. The results showed the role of zeolite that improved the sensitivity and the limit of detection of FXT resulted to the possibility to propose a...
Autori: Magdalena Ardelean
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27328

Inventory and monitoring of total organic carbon stock (TOC) it’s an issue of actuality in the context of breaking into the atmosphere an alarming quantity of CO2 result of human activities. Management and sustainable management of forest and agricultural ecosystems can have a positive influence on maintaining optimal stock of carbon sequestered. A case study achieved in the Humor catchment reveals that changing the land’s utility means important modifications in the quantity of the ...
Autori: Eugen Rusu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27336

Environmental education is an important field of study at the university level and also in the framework of adult education. Awareness about the environmental issues at global level is becoming increasingly important for the new society, representing one of the most significant factors for ensuring sustainability. In this respect, a number of European programs are addressed to the people willing to develop projects on this topic, aiming to stimulate the mobility of the involved staff, in order t...
Autori: Madlena Nen
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27345

Ecological restoration and reuse of degraded lands must contribute to the region's sustainable development. Therefore, in order to determine the post degradation land destination, a number of opportunities and restrictions should be taken into account. For this reason, it is necessary to develop a methodology for establishing the optimal reuse alternative, which should be based on scientific principles, without neglecting economic issues and those related to population requirements. For thi...
Autori: Maria Lazăr
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27357

Explosion-proof equipment must be designed so that the ignition of the surrounding explosive atmosphere to be avoided. This is very important because an explosion can have particular implications over goods, life and not least over the environment. One of the ignition sources of an explosive atmosphere is represented by hot surfaces. Each equipment designed to operate in explosive atmospheres develops a maximum surface temperature. The specific standards used to assess explosion protection chara...
Autori: Lucian Moldovan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27358

This study was to optimize the fermentation process for protein enrichment of potato starch residue (PSR) by solid state fermentation with mixed strains. Three single-factor experiments were conducted to optimize the fermentation conditions, and a Plackett-Burman design followed by a central composite design of response surface methodology was investigated to optimize the medium constituents. The optimal fermentation conditions were fermentation temperature 28°C, fermentation period 72 h and...
Autori: Heng Lei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27380

A comparative study of humic substances (HS) extracted from raw sludge and its digested product was carried out in order to analyze HS evolution during sludge anaerobic digestion. HS content, elemental composition, functional groups, infrared spectra and ultraviolet absorbances were analyzed by means of chemical and spectrographic methods. The extracted HS were also fractionated by ultrafiltration in order to obtain their molecular weight (MW) distribution. The results showed that humic acids (...
Autori: Huan Li
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27390

A significant part of each risk informed land-use planning methodology, applied in the surroundings of Seveso installations, is the assessment of the vulnerability of all possible potential human and environmental targets. This paper focuses on the enhancement of the transparency of these methodologies, through the application of ELECTRE TRI, which is a well known and structured multi-criteria methodology. A broad set of multiple and conflicting criteria is considered, ranging from population...
Autori: Ioannis D. Mitsopoulos
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27428

A total of 152 different actinomycetes isolates were recovered from samples that were collected from different ecosystems of Algeria. The desert soil of Bousaada gives the greatest number of actinomycetes compared to others soils. The first screening indicates that 63.15 % of the isolates were able to produce carboxymethyl cellulase enzyme. Isolates were evaluated for their cellulase activity by growing in carboxymethyl cellulose broth. B-PNG23 isolate is one of the isolates displayed a high enz...
Autori: Azzeddine Bettache
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27451

The delignification of wood pulp using hydrogen peroxide and xylanase enzyme in an ultrasonicator was studied at different process conditions. The factors influencing the chemical delignification were studied simultaneously using the Box-Behnken design of experiments. The mathematical model for Kappa reduction as functions of consistency of the pulp, concentration of peroxide and the temperature of delignification was developed. The response optimization studies for minimizing the Kappa numb...
Autori: Palaniappan Ramesh
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27480

An experimental design methodology was applied to study the copper removal from aqueous solutions by immobilized nanoscale Lentinus edodes. The effect of the various variables (biomass loading, initial metal ions concentration, PH, contact time, agitation speed and temperature) were studied in the batch experiment. The results showed that pH, contact time and agitation speed were the most significant variables on biosorption of copper ions determined by Minimum Run Equireplicated Res V Design...
Autori: Rong Chen
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27487

A large number of microorganisms are capable of producing cellulases; however, fungi are considered among the most active enzymes producers. Different strains of white rot fungi (WRF) were reported to have a great potential for biotechnological applications and cellulase enzymes is much involved in this effect, especially for bioethanol production. Misiones is included in a forest region characterized by a vast biodiversity, and within this environment, a large number of microorganisms can be...
Autori: Ernesto M. Giorgio
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27489

The phenol degradation capacity of Serratia marcescens NSO9-1 isolated from olive mill wastewater was evaluated and optimized in this study. Plackett-Burman design coupled with Box-Behnken methodology was used to evaluate the effects of medium components and significant parameters on phenol degradation by this relevant strain. According to Plackett-Burman-based statistical screening, seven of the eleven components of the medium had a significant effect on the metabolism of phenol degradation. Th...
Autori: Nurdan Saraç
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27495

Increase in tourism demand in the coastal areas of Mazandaran Province, Iran, as one of the major tourist attractions near Tehran, has led to tourism development and consequently adverse environmental impacts. However, given the tourism potential within the region, tourism managers and planners seek to follow sustainable development principles. In this regard, determining sites capable of tourism development and finding an optimal site among the alternatives are two main challenges that they ...
Autori: Jafar Nouri
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27503

This paper highlights the utility of rice husk ash for the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions. Rice husk ash (RHA) is produced when rice husk is burnt for various purposes. Application of Treated Rice Husk Ash (TRHA) as an adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions has been investigated. For this purpose, RHA was thermally treated. RHA and treated RHA (TRHA) were characterized by XRD, SEM and FTIR to investigate the effect of treatment on the nature and surface char...
Autori: Varsha Srivastava
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27504

This paper investigates the macrophyte Azolla pinnata modified with sodium hydroxide, as a bioadsorbent for Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions in synthetic solutions. Biomaterial characterization was performed using Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM); Energy- Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX); Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques and through the blocking of carboxylic and sulfonic functional groups. Kinetics of the process has highlighted a quick and efficient adsorption, even in low ...
Autori: Arielle Barros
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27532

This paper describes the preparation and use of a low cost biosorbent made of castor leaves for the extraction of Cu(II) from an aqueous medium. The biosorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface area and pore diameter measurements. The results showed absorption bands of carboxylic and amide groups at 1738 and 1540 cm-1, respectively, and the measured surface area was 1.3728 ± 0.0160 m2 g-1, with predominance of microporous < 10.51 Å. ...
Autori: Milene S. Pereira
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27540

In this study major factors affecting the phenolation process of lignosulfonate (LS) waste liquor (recovered from pulp and paper industry) were optimized in order to improve LS substitution for replacing petroleum-based phenols during phenolic resin manufacturing. Four different parameters, namely phenol/lignosulfonate ratio, time, temperature and lignosulfonate waste liquor concentration, were varied in an experimental program having as response function the reaction yield. Response Surface Met...
Autori: Andrei Ionuţ Simion
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27551

The potential of Sphagnum moss peat to adsorb oxyanions (As(III), As(V), Sb(III), Sb(V) and Se(VI)) from aqueous solution was studied in batch mode. For arsenic (both species) and selenium, the results were negative: moss peat is not able to retain these oxyanion. For antimony, the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups from the Sphagnum moss peat surface seems to be responsible for Sb uptake. Kinetic studies were conducted for both Sb(III) and Sb(V) and a fast uptake process was observed, equilibrium bei...
Autori: Gabriela Ungureanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27565

In recent years the organizations’ has gone from resource-based economy to a knowledge based economy. Likewise the organizations’ success in this turbulent environment depends on its sustainable orientation which implies integration of various management practices. Such a management practices considered to be a driving force to sustainable development are environmental management system (EMS) and knowledge acquisition. In this context, it’s required to measure the organizationa...
Autori: Daniela Geanina Luca Cososchi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27567

This work focuses on the analysis of material composition of mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city of Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia, and in the village of Poproč, which is representative of the region. The paper describes the characteristics of the monitored localities, the methodology and the original evaluation procedure. The analysis of the mixed MSW composition in Poproč was performed in 2009-2010, and in Košice in 2011. In both cases, the analys...
Autori: Takáčová Zita
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27570

According to EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Lithuania obligates to ensure sustainable growth, gain and maintain good condition of marine environment until 2020. In accordance with the sustainability approach, every potential cost and energy cutting as well as social sustainability measure for wastewater treatment should be explored. Nonetheless, Lithuania wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the sustainability context have never been evaluated before. A comprehensive set of 30 sustainab...
Autori: László Gyenge
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27578

According to EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Lithuania has to ensure sustainable growth, gain and maintain good condition of marine environment until 2020. In accordance with the sustainability approach, every potential cost and energy cutting as well as social sustainability measure for wastewater treatment should be explored. Nonetheless, Lithuania wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in the sustainability context have never been evaluated before. A comprehensive set of 30 sustainable dev...
Autori: Jolanta Dvarionienė
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27583

This study dealt with investigation of arsenic removal from groundwater using electrocoagulation (EC) method in a batch mode by the Box-Behnken experimental design method. Effects of some cations like Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and operating time on the removal were explored by an air injected EC reactor. The combined effects of these variables were analyzed by the quadratic model for predicting the highest removal efficiency of arsenic from groundwater. The arsenic removal efficiency was found to be depen...
Autori: Mehmet Kobya
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27584

The selection of the favourite elementary watershed for a hill reservoir needs the association of all the essential criteria and all the interested decision makers. A geographical information system (GIS) is a strong tool for studying spatial data but it does not offer an appropriate decision making methodology. Due to their spatial aggregation functions, Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) methods can simplify decision making in situations where various solutions are available, and when several criter...
Autori: Mohamed Zaoui
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27594

The paper presents a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology to analyze environmental performance indicators of an organization designed according to Eco-Management and Audit Scheme III - Regulation (EMAS III). The newly proposed indicators are intended to achieve Best Environmental Management Practice (BEMP) to facilitate and harmonize the way the environmental performance is reported and analyzed periodically within the Environmental Management System (EMS) of the organization. Dur...
Autori: Georgeta Madalina Arama
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27598

This paper presents the research on the temporal variability of water quality parameters for the most important river system in Romania and Europe – Danube River. The data on the river water quality had been obtained during ten years. The investigation was systematic and complex. Using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and traditional statistical methods based on correlation matrix - Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Factor Analysis (FA), and ANOVA all the samples data sets were classified...
Autori: Paula Popa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27601

The paper presents a case study of a significant intervention conducted on a major Italian airport for improving the structural and functional properties of the runway safety STRIP in order to fulfill specific national and international standards. The STRIP had to accomplish strict requirements in terms of the maximum longitudinal and transversal terrain slope and minimum values of bearing capacity; in particular, soil bearing capacity was identified as the main lack and thus the most urgent ac...
Autori: Maurizio Crispino
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27603

The present work aimed to optimize a new economic medium for biopolymers production by Rhizobium leguminosarum. Biopolymers were poly-β-hydroxybutyrate and exopolysaccharide (EPS and PHB). They were extensively used in various industrial sectors. Statistical experimental designs and Response Surface Methodology were employed to optimize the medium components. A central composite design was applied to increase the production yield and predict the optimal values of the selected factors. An op...
Autori: Mohamed Sellami
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27609

β-glucosidases are very important in the improvement of cellulose degradation rates by diminishing the inhibition of end products. Although, cellulase cost has reduced significantly in last decade but still the high costs of biomass saccharification is one of the main challenges for the commercialization of ethanol from LC biomass. In this work, β-glucosidase immobilization in calcium alginate was optimized using response surface methodology. 89% immobilization efficiency was achieved ...
Autori: Ruchi Agrawal
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27614

While trying to reduce the air pollution caused by traditional traffic means like planes and conventional cars, new concepts of car sharing (either conventional or electric) emerged. Although many such concepts are daring and innovative, they're not implemented on a large enough scale; to help reducing air pollution, the acceptance (and hence implementation) of these concepts needs to systematically increase. This paper introduces a design methodology for such a concept - based on competitiv...
Autori: Laszlo Bartha
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27632

A new methodology is presented for relating the generation and/or the consumption of heat and electrical energy to the rate of CO2, NO2, and SO2 emissions to the environment. Two indices are provided for the precise determination of emissions of these gases to the atmosphere and are of help in the analysis and comparison of the quality and efficiency of energy options. The indices have no linear dependency on energy consumptions (unlike EIA and EPA methodologies) and can be applied to any indust...
Autori: Mohammad Hossein Ordouei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27640

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the environmental impact generated by municipal solid waste during its collection, transportation, treatment and processing in the south-west region of the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia, by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Three strategies for waste management were considered: the current baseline situation, wherein 100% solid waste was taken to the landfill; plus, an optimistic and a pessimistic scenario in which solid was...
Autori: Oscar Orlando Ortiz-Rodriguez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27665

In this study, we consider a potential Finnish solution to sustainable energy production to satisfy the European Union's forestrelated energy policies related to climate change. Conventional energy production includes a number of fossil fuel, peat, and renewable fuel procurement chains that supply a combined heat and power (CHP) plant during different periods of the year. In Finland, peat is commonly used as fuel by energy plants. However, it is not environmentally friendly because it is ...
Autori: Teijo Sakari Palander
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27672

Bottled water (commonly called mineral) makes an important source of minerals for humans. Its consumption has been systematically rising in the highly industrialized countries, even though not every water type has appropriate health properties. As a result, drinking bottled water ought to be supported with understanding its qualities and physicochemical content. The following article presents the results of the research into pH levels, electrical conductivity, selected inorganic anions (F-, Cl-...
Autori: Rajmund Michalski
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27693

The reuse of sewage sludge will be increasing in the future, with expansion of sewerage works and advanced sewage treatments. During anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants the humification of organic matter will have an important effect on the physico-chemical forms of heavy metals. The aim of our paper was to investigate mobility of zinc from dried anaerobic sludge (DANS) from municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) via single step (simultaneous) extraction pr...
Autori: Vladimír Frišták
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27695

Application of a biological treatment system using white rot fungi is an interesting alternative for treatment of water and wastewater contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A packed bed bioreactor using the white rot fungi, Phanerochaete chrysosporium (P. chrysosporium) was evaluated for degradation of pyrene and phenanthrene in polluted wastewater. White rot fungi have significant potential to metabolize organic pollutants such as PAHs...
Autori: Mahsa Baniasadi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27767

Changing wastes into raw materials is one of the most favored options for waste management, as it diverts wastes from landfill and saves resources. Fibers, either vegetable (cellulosic) or synthetic, may be added to cement pastes in order improve the properties of concrete or mortar by reinforcement. At the same time, if the source of fibers is wastes, then such processes make ways for recycling. In the work described here we studied the compatibility of residues from the nonwoven textile indust...
Autori: Hugo Monteiro
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27766

This study applied a novel receptor design to the development of an indoor air quality diagnosis (IAQD) system. Indoor air pollutants were converted into simple air quality and health damage indices to evaluate the health risks associated with renovated and unrenovated offices. The outcomes of the IAQD methodology presented R2 values of 0.705 and 0.700 for renovated and unrenovated offices, respectively. These values indicate moderate level of prediction accuracy. IAQD results related to typical...
Autori: Huang-Chin Wang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27735

In this study, the development of a suitable methodology for establishing and monitoring indicators of Ecosystem Health (EH) and its responses to wildfire using Earth Observation (EO) data synergistically with Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is investigated. The proposed methodology combined GIS and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data to assess ecosystem characteristics, including its vigor, organization and resilience, for a case study in Central Gr...
Autori: Aaron Evans
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27745

Until now, humanity has strived to makes efforts for warranting the economic development on a sustainable way for well-being improvement, simultaneously with resource preservation and environmental protection. The industrial production processes, which generate added value and ensure people welfare are in connection with the environment regarding resource consumption and waste generation. In order to work on a sustainable basis, industry should attain a balance between economy, ecology and comm...
Autori: Elena - Diana Comăniță
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27759

Indoor environment significantly affects occupants’ health and productivity. However, in smart buildings and cities, it can be improved thanks to the implementation of innovative ICT systems and services. Thermal comfort is one of the most complex aspects to be considered to enhance occupants’ well-being, because of the relevant role played by subjective parameters (physiological, psychological and cultural) in its evaluation. This challenge can be tackled by integrating wearable dev...
Autori: Andrea Calvaresi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27783

According to recent estimations, the total yearly amount of end-of-life tyres (ELTs) arising in Europe exceeds 3 million tons; more than 95% are managed through mechanical and thermal treatments because ELTs represent a useful resource both of materials and energy. For this purpose, the goal of the present work is the assessment of the environmental impacts of a novel pyrolysis process and the comparison with alternative ELTs valorisation or disposal scenarios. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodol...
Autori: Esmeralda Neri
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27798

Activated sludge (AS) is the mainly used biological process in water treatment; therefore, assessing the influence of various operating conditions on this process is relevant. This study aimed to evaluate at laboratory-scale the influence of the gas-to-liquid volume ratio (RG/L) and the stirring speed (SS) on the biodegradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) by activated sludge. For this purpose, a central composite design (CCD) was used in association with response surface methodology (RSM). Batch cult...
Autori: Samer Semrany
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27869

Advanced oxidation process is getting tremendous importance in the treatment techniques for the removal of nonbiodegradable organics from wastewater due to its ability to completely mineralize the pollutants. It uses different methods to produce hydroxyl radicals which are responsible for oxidation of pollutants. In this work, studies on Fenton, ultraviolet radiation (UV) and UVhydrogen peroxide processes for removing acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide from aqueous solution are carried ...
Autori: Puthenkattil Abdukunji Fasnabi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27895

In this work, we report a methodology to provide emission factors based on micro-reactor studies. We propose emission factors for ammonia (NH3, 158 mg/km), nitrous oxide (N2O, 322 mg/km) and molecular hydrogen (H2, 72 mg/km) for vehicles equipped with three-way catalytic converter (TWC). Our experimental conditions were similar to those prevailing on vehicles during catalyst light-off and transient urban driving cycle. NH3 and H2 emission factors reported in this work are quantitatively simil...
Autori: Gustavo Ariel Fuentes
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27899

In this study, Mg-doped ZnO nanoparticles with 2% Mg content were synthesized by sol-gel method. The structure and morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, BET and UV-Vis absorbance techniques. From TEM image, it was found out that the nanoparticles had uniform size and uniform distribution. BET analysis revealed that in comparison with pure ZnO, Mg 2%/ZnO nanoparticles had a higher specific surface area. Based on UV-Vis absorbance analysis, Mg 2%/ZnO nanoparticles shifted t...
Autori: Nahide Zarei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27909

The objective of this paper is to investigate eco-efficiency in a durable goods manufacturing system. It is intended to apply a method used in a company producing heating devices within the boiler sector. A hybrid methodology is used to assess the eco-efficiency of manufacturing processes, based on combining Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment, and Material Flow Cost Accounting. This provides an effective approach to evaluate environmental and economic performance in the context of ...
Autori: Aldona Kluczek
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27918

This paper applied an artificial intelligence methodology for streamflow prediction in a flash flood in Pinang catchment based on TOPMODEL input and output data sets. TOPMODEL is a semi-distributed rainfall runoff model widely used in numerous water resource applications. However, literature has indicated relative weakness in TOPMODEL performances in streamflow prediction. Thus, radial basis function neural network (RBF-NN) has been employed to improve the accuracy of streamflow prediction an...
Autori: Ali H. Ahmed Suliman
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27924

This study was planned to identify factors which affect workers health and their safe working in unregistered and partially registered small iron units preparing 90- 95 % iron furniture under sheds. Focused group discussions (FGD) were conducted among workers of iron furniture manufacturing units (IFMU) employing a cross sectional, descriptive, analytic and time limited study. Personal interviews methodology was adopted to assess workers for their exposure to occupational risks, protective eq...
Autori: Saima Aslam Bharwana
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27925

The paper presents a methodology for determining the conditions in which the liquid phase occurs in the transported natural gas. This methodology allows fast and accurate determination of the phase in which water can be found in natural gas transmission pipelines and also the possibility to highlight the points in the transmission system in which water is in liquid state. A complex function which can describe the phase behavior of water from natural gas has been defined by processing the phase e...
Autori: Sorin Neacşu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27970

This study evaluates the environmental impacts of four types of frozen food packages throughout their lifecycle and suggests strategies for reducing their related environmental impacts. The four most widely used frozen food packaging materials were chosen for this study: (1) pouches composed of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film; (2) pouches composed of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and LDPE film laminate; (3) cardboard boxes coated with LDPE; and (4) multipackage composed of cardboard boxe...
Autori: Daina Kliaugaite
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27979

The paper presents the development of a Flood Index (FI) based on the flood hydrograph characteristics, namely flood magnitude ratio, rising curve gradient and time to peak. These characteristic values are normalized to their respective values corresponding to a 100-year flood. The methodology developed to compute FI is applied to three case studies; Kentucky in USA, Oc-gok in the Republic of Korea and Haor in Bangladesh. The obtained results show advantages of the presented methodology over ...
Autori: Biswa Bhattacharya
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27992

The extent of the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) is not sufficient for the alternatives assessments performed in the industry in general and for the ecolabelling of the products/services. Given that the LCA is a widely-accepted methodology, the driving question behind this study was: “Is it possible to ecolabel each existing product/service in a case specific manner by using LCA results, so that the consumers would be able to know the extensive environmental impact of their ...
Autori: Semih Oguzcan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28016

The limited availability of fossil fuels, as well as the already proven effects of global warming, highlight the need for alternative, environmentally-friendly energy generation. Consideration of primary energy inputs from new and renewable energy resources and technologies represent a major scientific challenge, and a major innovation if realized. This will open up new opportunities for benefit and realized value, in the form of lower costs of energy supply, through the utilization of indige...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28027

The present study has established a methodology to determine the most environmentally sustainable area for the expansion of a city center using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. This technology permits the graphical information associated with a municipality to be manipulated, integrated, analyzed and represented in a simple way that is cost effective during the early decision making steps, which analyze the various options regarding the urbanistic planning prior to taking final...
Autori: Marco Criado
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28028

Assessment of eco-efficiency for environmental costs is specific in that majority of the costs provide social rather financial benefit, and only some of the costs could be viewed from both social and financial perspectives. The model for assessment of environmental costs of a filling-station and the methodology for its application developed, with the methodology verified by analysis of analytical data of an actual enterprise is presented in this research. Application of the model to filling-s...
Autori: Neringa Stončiuvienė
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28029

This paper presents an interdisciplinary methodology for handling the exposure of workers to lead and its compounds in a systematic way by connecting different disciplines, and thus enabling the comprehensive supervision of the workplace exposure. The exposure of workers to lead and its compounds was studied in the Republic of Slovenia. The research comprised 1079 employers being exposed to the lead concentrations between 0.01 and 0.9 mg/m3, which exceeded the limit value by 9 times. Workers ...
Autori: Lidija Korat
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28032

This study is a comparative assessment of domestic water quality collected from 35 sampling points in seven typical rural communities in Abia State, Southeast Nigeria. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, turbidity and bacteriological parameters such as plate count and total coliform were analysed in the laboratory using standard World Health Organization (WHO) methodology. Results indicate that there are significant variations (p<0.05) in the physicochemical parameters of the...
Autori: Oliver O. Odikamnoro
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28054

Proteins from Hermetia illucens (or Black Soldier Fly, BSF) have been employed in this study as possible source for bioplastic formulation. This type of bioplastic can replace the actual materials employed in agriculture, avoiding the critical issues concerning the soil pollution due to conventional plastic end-life. Different plasticizing agents (glycerol and polyethylene glycol) have been tested and the ability to generate a homogenous film, through wet casting, has been evaluated. Characteriz...
Autori: Silvia Barbi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28074

This manuscript presents the bicriteria optimization of a polygeneration system to be installed in a tertiary sector building, considering economic and environmental objective functions. Electricity, hot water, steam, and cooling demands were considered. The bicriteria problem considered the annual costs and the annual carbon footprint. Updated environmental information was obtained through the application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and implemented within a Mixed Integer Linear Pr...
Autori: Bruno Campos Teixeira de Carvalho
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28103

Wastewater generated from industrial activities has delivered elevated heavy metal concentrations into fresh and salted aqueous systems. Herein, the migrated trace metals were studied from their initial location through a coastal aquifer up to the seawater. The experiments were carried out at lab scale using a sandbox with glass beads and two attached chambers containing natural groundwater and seawater. The study focused on the transport behaviour of heavy metals such as copper, zinc and lead i...
Autori: Abdelkader Tawfeek Ahmed
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28111

The purpose of this paper was to sum up the most appropriate pretreatment methods for destabilizing the oil waste emulsions coming from metal surface processing operations. A three steps oil waste management pretreatment methodology was proposed considering the application of the waste hierarchy and end-of waste criteria in the spirit of circular economic concept. Our main objective was to valorize the high energy content of oil waste flows using low cost pretreatment methods. The obtained phase...
Autori: Lidia Kim
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28122

In this work, the removal of methyl orange (MO) and Cd2+ by simultaneous adsorption on adsorbent obtained from modified charcoal (BCBH) coated with TiO2 has been studied. The synthesized materials obtained from wood branches were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the roughness and SEM to determine the morphology of the surface. EDX spectroscopy indicates the presence of C, N, O, Na, K, P and Ti on the surface of the adsorbent materials. The micro-porosity and BET specific sur...
Autori: Nicoleta Popa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28157

Invasive plant species, like Indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa L.), Boxelder (Acer negundo L.), Japanese knotweed [Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decr] are altering the conservation status of terrestrial ecosystems along the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park in Romania. On a long run, and a large geographic scale, the invasive species have a high potential to generate a negative impact on the environment and the economy. Hence there is a stringent need of preventing, tracking down, and controlling i...
Autori: Oana BrĂŽnzan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28170

The objective of the present work was to introduce a novel adsorbent with high adsorption potential toward methylene blue by decorating montmorillonite clay (MMT clay) with Zn(OH)2–nanoparticles (Zn(OH)2–NPs). The adsorbent was characterized structurally by FE-SEM and FTIR techniques. Central composite design–response surface methodology was applied to optimize experimental variables including adsorbent dosage, pH, initial MB concentration, NaCl concentration, and sonication ti...
Autori: Adel Valipour
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28173

The efficiency of drainage installed in clay soils using ditch backfill of soil mixed with lime is presented in this paper. The drainage ditch backfill was mixed with lime where 0.6% of soil matter consists of active CaO. The paper proposes a methodology that determines an optimal amount of lime. The experimental site was set in Kalnujai, Raseiniai district, Lithuania. The measurement of filtration in drainage trench, the arable layer and the soil between drains was performed using a double r...
Autori: Mindaugas KlimaĹĄauskas
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28177

Globally the researchers are identifying the new ways for better urban sustainability. One major issue in the current world is the lack of fresh water availability in cities due to rapid increase in the population. To meet water requirement, scientist are exploring different ways to enhance the groundwater recharge capacity. One such solution is the use of building information modelling (BIM) technology to identify multiple structures that can be constructed to provide the potential recharge. T...
Autori: Ahsen Maqsoom
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28218

This paper develops investigations in the field of analytic hierarchy techniques that could be applied in public transportation systems. The study focuses particularly on the public transport bus services in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. The research aims to investigate the methodological feasibility of the analytic hierarchy process to analyze and measure the perceptions and needs of the Romanian public transportation users. Towards this objective, the study presents the current state of t...
Autori: Ruxandra Dinulescu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28220

Release of dyes without performing adequate treatment into the water can lead to environmental risk and serious health problems. The development of effective and economic adsorbent materials for the removal of dyes from industrial wastewaters has gained great consideration in recent years. In the present study, a novel bio-based nanocomposite has been developed for ultrasoundassisted adsorption of malachite green (MG) from aqueous solutions. The synthesized adsorbent consisting of both hydropho...
Autori: Mohsen Nekoeinia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28232

The paper brings a methodological contribution useful for supporting the development of predictive models of phenomena and human behaviours in the area of environmental protection with respect for history, geo-location, environment boundaries and considering further applications in defining corresponding stimulating policies by decision makers and management teams. It proposes a handy and easy-to-use technique of deriving spatial variables (e.g. aerial distances to a custom border and belonging...
Autori: Daniel Homocianu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28244

The solar energy received by the atmosphere of the Earth is universally distributed, which constitutes the atmospheric dynamics. The changes observed in the climate of the Earth are due to solar output variations. Some detailed reviews have accounted for the influence of solar activities on the climate using sunspot number derived from peak Sun hours, but has gaps in analyzing critical statistical background information, seasonal, latitudinal and solar activity year validation. A number of st...
Autori: Chukwuma Moses Anoruo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28260

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used in different types of products such as plastic, textiles and electronic circuits with the aim to increase fire resistance and to avoid or to delay the propagation of accidental combustion. However, high concentrations of bromine in waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) hinder the possibility of their use as secondary raw materials. Furthermore, the possibility that BFRs can be released during mechanical recycling processes, imposes the...
Autori: Giuseppe Bonifazi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28296

A culvert is a crosswise and fully enclosed drainage structure that runs under a road. The amount of water flowing is the main role in determining the dimension of the opening and then which type of culvert, the area that is discharged into it and how deep the culvert is being installed. Whereas the thickness of the culvert section is designed based on the loads applied to the culvert. Therefore, this research focuses on the impact of using haunches on the economy of the culvert design. The res...
Autori: Osama Salem Hussien
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28316

This article presents the existing problems of formation and further functioning agricultural land market with current trends in greening agricultural production and changes in the strategic reorientation of undertakings in agricultural markets. In this regard, there were suggested the best marketing strategies for businesses depending on their pricing strategy and evaluated problematic aspects of land reform in Ukraine. Attention is paid to the problems of further European integration of Ukrai...
Autori: Oksana Drebo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28327