scholarly journals The Use of a New Passive Sampler for Ozone and Nitrogen Oxides Monitoring in Ecological Effects Research

2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 475-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco De Santis ◽  
Tuncay Dogeroglu ◽  
Sabrina Menichelli ◽  
Caterina Vazzana ◽  
Ivo Allegrini
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ecological Effects ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Diffusion Tubes ◽  
Diffusive Sampler ◽  
Nitrate And Nitrite

A simple, cost-effective diffusive sampler is described that is suitable for measuring parts per billion (ppb) levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides. The diffusive sampler makes use of nitrite for ozone determination whereas for nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide an active carbon tissue impregnated with sodium carbonate is used. Nitrate and nitrite, the formation of which is proportional to the pollutant concentration and sampling duration, are the two species analysed, respectively. Diffusion tubes have the advantage of being a low- cost, convenient way of mapping spatial distributions and investigating long-term trends of ozone and nitrogen oxides. The method is extremely useful for assessing long-term concentrations such as the annual mean for nitrogen oxides, as required by the Daughter Directive 1999/30/EC. Field tests to validate the method have been carried out at an urban background location with co-located passive samplers and continuous measurements of O3and NOx. An application in ecological effects monitoring for ozone is also presented.

scholarly journals Application of Microbial Bioenzymes in Soil Stabilization

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Eshetu Mekonnen ◽  
Ameha Kebede ◽  
Tekle Tafesse ◽  
Mesfin Tafesse
Keyword(s):  
Soil Stabilization ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Green Technology ◽  
Engineering Properties ◽  
Soil Stability ◽  
Stabilizing Agents ◽  
Dust Generation

Soil stabilization is a mechanical or chemical alteration of one or more soil properties to create an improved soil material possessing the desired engineering properties. The aim of this article was to review bioenzyme-based soil stabilization techniques with an emphasis on bioenzymes production, mechanism of soil stabilization and future challenges, and opportunities of the sector. Soils are stabilized to increase strength and durability or to prevent erosion and dust generation. Cost-effective soil stabilization technology has been a fundamental part of any construction and is very important for economic growth in any country. In some cases, construction has been challenged due to the high cost of soil stabilization processes. Besides, methods of stabilizations using common stabilizing agents are getting costly. Currently, there is a growing interest to identify new and green technology to improve construction techniques and to expand the road network. Therefore, the search for new materials and improved techniques to process the local materials has received an increased focus. For developing countries, bioenzymes are now creating an opportunity to improve soil stability with tremendous effectiveness in the overall process of soil stabilization. In the world, bioenzymes have been used in different projects for several years and are generally proprietary products, often of patented formulation that needs intensive field tests. Currently, the use and production of bioenzymes is becoming the most promising key for the advancement of a country by saving time, energy, and finance. It also reduces environmental pollution due to carbon emission by the conventional stabilizers. Thus, a better understanding of this emerging technology is of utmost importance to exploit any improvement it can offer to soil stability. With little research and practice, it is possible to produce soil stabilizing bioenzymes using local raw materials. Due to this, production of low cost, easily and widely applicable, and environmentally friendly enzymatic formulations from locally available raw materials should be the interest of research and academic institutes of any country.

Building Evaluation Capital in Government: A Queensland Departmental Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 39-49
Author(s):  
Sarah Goswami ◽  
Vicki Lane
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Evaluation Capacity Building ◽  
Statutory Body

Increasingly, government departments are being held accountable for investment in public services. In Queensland the Financial Accountability Act 2009 (Queensland Treasury, 2016) requires that accountable officers and statutory bodies ‘achieve reasonable value for money by ensuring the operations of the department or statutory body are carried out efficiently, effectively and economically’ (Section 61). Whilst there is a directive for agencies to evaluate and demonstrate value for money, it has in practice been difficult to embed long term, as many systems and decision makers have neglected the role of organisation-wide evaluation capital. This paper will outline the work being undertaken in the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) to implement an Impact and Investment Framework, which will support and embed evaluation in a multidisciplinary setting. A central tenant of this framework is ‘business empowerment and learning'—building the evaluation culture in the organisation by first establishing evaluation building blocks, through business empowerment, support and utility. The framework is comprised of five key elements and is built on the principles of evaluation and evaluation capacity building disciplines. It has been designed to be low-cost, effective and efficient, whilst enabling business improvement, meeting accountability needs and allowing the department to demonstrate the value of its work.

Research and Development of Universal Equipment for Geological Hazard Monitoring and Early Warning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Ma ◽  
Mingzhi Zhang ◽  
Gan Qi ◽  
Gloria Xing ◽  
Zack Huang
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Impact Factors ◽  
Geological Hazard ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Disaster Monitoring ◽  
Adaptation Scenarios ◽  
Monitoring And Early Warning

<p>Hilly and mountainous areas account for 65% of the total land area in China. There were 286,708 potential geological hazard sites registered at the end of 2018, among which 276,600 were small-and medium-sized. Small and medium geological hazards are a priority in geological disaster prevention. However, due to their large number and the high prices of professional monitoring equipment, it is difficult to find a cost-effective and accurate monitoring technology, method, or means for their long-term disaster monitoring. To this end, this paper aims to explore a reliable, cost-effective, precise, easily installable, low-power solution for small and medium geological hazard monitoring and early warning, centring on characteristic quantities such as deformation before collapse, landslides, and other disasters, and some key impact factors such as rainfall, moisture content, stress, and displacement velocity. Using universal  equipment based on microelectromechanical sensing technology and narrowband IoT technology, laboratory simulations and field tests were performed to research the equipment in terms of adaptation scenarios, effective monitoring ranges, installation methods and locations, and normalization of data reporting content, thus setting up a scientific method for small and medium geological hazard monitoring and early warning.</p>

Mitigation of emerging pollutants by plants

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Reinhold ◽  
N. Aryal
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Emerging Pollutants ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Minimal Risk ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Trace Concentrations

Low cost, sustainable technologies for addressing pollution of waters with trace concentrations of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are needed. Plant-based ecosystems for wastewater treatment are low-cost, effective technologies with the potential to address PPCPs. This abstract presents recent research examining the phytoremediation of PPCPs in both aquatic and terrestrial systems and discusses potential implications of phytoremediation of PPCPs. Research indicates that duckweed plants can stimulate microbial degradation of ibuprofen, sorb and uptake fluoxetine, and indirectly affect the fate of triclosan. Additionally, research indicates that food crops phytoaccumulate antimicrobials present in biosolids. The implications of these processes include mitigation of ecotoxicological risk from antimicrobial contamination of surface waters and soils with minimal risk to humans from consumption of phytoaccumulated antimicrobials. Additionally, plants may serve as a long-term reservoir for PPCPs in the environment.

scholarly journals MIRRA: A Modular and Cost-Effective Microclimate Monitoring System for Real-Time Remote Applications

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4615
Author(s):  
Olivier Pieters ◽  
Emiel Deprost ◽  
Jonas Van Der Donckt ◽  
Lore Brosens ◽  
Pieter Sanczuk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Real Time Data ◽  
Microclimate Monitoring ◽  
Weather Stations

Monitoring climate change, and its impacts on ecological, agricultural, and other societal systems, is often based on temperature data derived from official weather stations. Yet, these data do not capture most microclimates, influenced by soil, vegetation and topography, operating at spatial scales relevant to the majority of organisms on Earth. Detecting and attributing climate change impacts with confidence and certainty will only be possible by a better quantification of temperature changes in forests, croplands, mountains, shrublands, and other remote habitats. There is an urgent need for a novel, miniature and simple device filling the gap between low-cost devices with manual data download (no instantaneous data) and high-end, expensive weather stations with real-time data access. Here, we develop an integrative real-time monitoring system for microclimate measurements: MIRRA (Microclimate Instrument for Real-time Remote Applications) to tackle this problem. The goal of this platform is the design of a miniature and simple instrument for near instantaneous, long-term and remote measurements of microclimates. To that end, we optimised power consumption and transfer data using a cellular uplink. MIRRA is modular, enabling the use of different sensors (e.g., air and soil temperature, soil moisture and radiation) depending upon the application, and uses an innovative node system highly suitable for remote locations. Data from separate sensor modules are wirelessly sent to a gateway, thus avoiding the drawbacks of cables. With this sensor technology for the long-term, low-cost, real-time and remote sensing of microclimates, we lay the foundation and open a wide range of possibilities to map microclimates in different ecosystems, feeding a next generation of models. MIRRA is, however, not limited to microclimate monitoring thanks to its modular and wireless design. Within limits, it is suitable or any application requiring real-time data logging of power-efficient sensors over long periods of time. We compare the performance of this system to a reference system in real-world conditions in the field, indicating excellent correlation with data collected by established data loggers. This proof-of-concept forms an important foundation to creating the next version of MIRRA, fit for large scale deployment and possible commercialisation. In conclusion, we developed a novel wireless cost-effective sensor system for microclimates.

SEM Evaluation of Chemically Finished Nonwoven Fabrics from Recycled Fibers

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (S2) ◽  
pp. 770-771
Author(s):  
W. R. Goynes ◽  
E. E. Graves ◽  
W. Tao ◽  
G. F. D'Anna ◽  
M. P. Day ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Textile Industry ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Nonwoven Fabrics ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Emergency Housing ◽  
Recycled Fibers

The textile industry produces large quantities of waste and scrap materials. Most of this waste requires disposal. Both environmental and economic benefits could be derived by developing commercial products to use these materials. Environmentally acceptable textile products include those that utilize recycled materials, or materials that have not been chemically processed. Such products are often not economically profitable because of the added expense necessary for environmental protection. Development of such a cost-effective textile product requires use of low-cost materials, minimal cost production processes, and finishes that have already been developed and tested.The objective of this research was to develop a semi-disposable, economical, light-weight, comfortable thermal blanket that would be both flame-resistant and antibacterial through a limited number of laundry cycles. Targeted uses would be in medical and health care facilities, disaster relief centers, short term and emergency housing needs, recreational areas such as camping, and in military maneuvers where environmental conditions could be harmful to long-term products.

scholarly journals PtOEP–PDMS-Based Optical Oxygen Sensor

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5645
Author(s):  
Camila M. Penso ◽  
João L. Rocha ◽  
Marcos S. Martins ◽  
Paulo J. Sousa ◽  
Vânia C. Pinto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Sensor ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Luminescent Properties ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Pdms Film ◽  
Sensing Applications ◽  
Optical Oxygen Sensor

The advanced and widespread use of microfluidic devices, which are usually fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), requires the integration of many sensors, always compatible with microfluidic fabrication processes. Moreover, current limitations of the existing optical and electrochemical oxygen sensors regarding long-term stability due to sensor degradation, biofouling, fabrication processes and cost have led to the development of new approaches. Thus, this manuscript reports the development, fabrication and characterization of a low-cost and highly sensitive dissolved oxygen optical sensor based on a membrane of PDMS doped with platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) film, fabricated using standard microfluidic materials and processes. The excellent mechanical and chemical properties (high permeability to oxygen, anti-biofouling characteristics) of PDMS result in membranes with superior sensitivity compared with other matrix materials. The wide use of PtOEP in sensing applications, due to its advantage of being easily synthesized using microtechnologies, its strong phosphorescence at room temperature with a quantum yield close to 50%, its excellent Strokes Shift as well as its relatively long lifetime (75 µs), provide the suitable conditions for the development of a miniaturized luminescence optical oxygen sensor allowing long-term applications. The influence of the PDMS film thickness (0.1–2.5 mm) and the PtOEP concentration (363, 545, 727 ppm) in luminescent properties are presented. This enables to achieve low detection levels in a gas media range from 0.5% up to 20%, and in liquid media from 0.5 mg/L up to 3.3 mg/L at 1 atm, 25 °C. As a result, we propose a simple and cost-effective system based on a LED membrane photodiode system to detect low oxygen concentrations for in situ applications.

scholarly journals Separation and enrichment of sodium-motile bacteria using cost-effective microfluidics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyoti P Gurung ◽  
Moein Navvab Kashani ◽  
Sanaz Agarwal ◽  
Murat Gel ◽  
Matthew AB Baker
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Term Selection ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Fold Enrichment ◽  
Torque Generation ◽  
Motile Species ◽  
Motile Bacteria

AbstractMany motile bacteria are propelled by the rotation of flagellar filaments. This rotation is driven by a membrane protein known as the stator-complex, which drives the rotor of the bacterial flagellar motor. Torque generation is powered in most cases by proton transit through the stator complex, with the next most common ionic power source being sodium. Synthetic chimeric stators which combine sodium- and proton-powered stators have enabled the interrogation of sodium-stators in species that are typically proton-powered, such as the sodium powered PomA-PotB stator complex in E. coli. Much is known about the signalling cascades that respond to attractant and govern switching bias as an end-product of chemotaxis, however less is known about how energetics and chemotaxis interact to affect the colonisation of environmental niches where ion concentrations and compositions may vary. Here we designed a fluidics system at low cost for rapid prototyping to separate motile and non-motile populations of bacteria. We measure separation efficiencies at varying ionic concentrations and confirm using fluorescence that our device can deliver eight-fold enrichment of the motile proportion of a mixed population of motile and non-motile species. Furthermore, our results show that we can select bacteria from reservoirs where sodium is not initially present. Overall, this technique can be used to implement long-term selection from liquid culture for directed evolution approaches to investigate the adaptation of motility in bacterial ecosystems.

scholarly journals Developing a Low-Cost Passive Method for Long-Term Average Levels of Light-Absorbing Carbon Air Pollution in Polluted Indoor Environments

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 3417
Author(s):  
Lara P. Clark ◽  
V. Sreekanth ◽  
Bujin Bekbulat ◽  
Michael Baum ◽  
Songlin Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Gold Standard ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Passive Samplers ◽  
Solid Fuels ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Limits Of Detection ◽  
Passive Method

We propose a low-cost passive method for monitoring long-term average levels of light-absorbing carbon air pollution in polluted indoor environments. Building on prior work, the method here estimates the change in reflectance of a passively exposed surface through analysis of digital images. To determine reproducibility and limits of detection, we tested low-cost passive samplers with exposure to kerosene smoke in the laboratory and to environmental pollution in 20 indoor locations. Preliminary results suggest robust reproducibility (r = 0.99) and limits of detection appropriate for longer-term (~1–3 months) monitoring in households that use solid fuels. The results here suggest high precision; further testing involving “gold standard” measurements is needed to investigate accuracy.

scholarly journals Structural Performance of Arched Space Trusses Using Date Palm Midribs for Light and Cost-Effective Construction in Egypt

Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Eman A. Darwish ◽  
Yasser Mansour ◽  
Hamed Elmously ◽  
Amr Abdelrahman ◽  
Ayman Moustafa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Date Palm ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Continuous Process ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Element Model ◽  
Structural Behavior ◽  
Minimal Processing ◽  
Cost Efficient

Date palm midribs enjoy a long heritage among rural builders and craftsmen in Egypt for their abundance and low-cost. This familiarity encouraged previous studies to tackle the question of using date palm midribs in wide-span construction to provide simple, quick, cost efficient shaded structures. The design of tri-arched space truss was aimed to utilize date palm midribs in cost-efficient wide-span construction with minimal processing and maximum structural efficiency. However, the validated mechanical properties, the workability, the short-term and the long-term structural behaviors of the system are yet to be investigated. This paper investigates the structural behavior of a proposed tri-arched system using 1:3 scale specimens. The long-term environmental effects are also studied in one of the specimens. The specimens experienced high flexibility and gradual failure. A finite element model was created to predict the behavior of the specimens. The validated model was used to determine the structural behavior of the system with 12 m span. The system was found to be safe under the loads of wind and roofing. This paper is a part of a continuous process of validation that aims to utilize date palm midribs in contemporary wide-span construction to match the spirit of the youth in rural communities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document