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Aufsatz
Sustainability assessment of activated carbon from residual biomass used for micropollutant removal at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant
(2020-05-29)
Activated carbon (AC), used for removal of organic micropollutants in European wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), is usually produced from non-renewable resources that need to be transported over long distances. Utilising local residual biomass as a raw material may be advantageous in terms of sustainability. This study investigated the environmental and energy balances of using biowaste and biomass from landscape management for micropollutant removal at a commercial scale WWTP. Both residual biomasses were processed ...
Aufsatz
Material Flow Cost Accounting in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review
(2020-07-04)
This study aims to provide a better understanding of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) application in developing countries, which are characterized by rapid structure transformation leading to serious environmental problems. By systematically reviewing the existing literature, our analysis of 28 studies from nine developing countries (China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam) shows that MFCA research has primarily focused on Asian developing countries. ...
Aufsatz
A modification of a traditional Ethiopian maize store for solar powered ambient drying to reduce post-harvest losses
(2020-07-14)
A gombisa is a traditional Ethiopian structure widely used for maize storage over several months. It lacks adequate ventilation for timely moisture removal, which promotes mold development and aflatoxin production. In this study, a traditional gombisa was compared to one modified by installing a solar powered fan to provide forced ambient air ventilation during daytime. Approximately 900 kg of moist ear maize were loaded into each structure and samples from selected locations were weighed periodically to monitor ...
Aufsatz
Mismatch of Glucose Allocation between Different Life Functions in the Transition Period of Dairy Cows
(2020-06-13)
Simple Summary
The reasons for the development of diseases in the transition period of dairy cows are manifold and highly farm- and cow-specific. Nevertheless, links exist between the degree of negative energy balance (NEB) and disease susceptibility, which suggest a mutual adverse relationship between immune and productive functions. Glucose is the most essential fuel and precursor for both immune cells and mammary epithelial cells (MEC). While the delivery of glucose by the intermediary metabolism is not always ...
Aufsatz
The Potential Influence of Organic Food Consumption and Intention-Behavior Gap on Consumers’ Subjective Wellbeing
(2020-05-18)
This paper applied a self-administered survey to investigate the impact of organic food behavior and the intention-behavior gap in organic food consumption (OIBG) on consumers’ subjective wellbeing including physical, emotional, social and intellectual dimensions. The survey was carried out with 385 consumers. Furthermore, the study conducted a food test to explore the different impacts of organic and conventional food samples on the mental and physical conditions of consumers’ wellbeing applying a psychological ...
Aufsatz
Using CFD Modelling to Relate Pig Lying Locations to Environmental Variability in Finishing Pens
(2020-03-03)
The purpose of this research was to determine which environmental factors within the pen space differ between the locations where pigs choose to lie and areas they avoid. Data on external weather engconditions and the construction parameters for an existing commercial finishing pig building were input into a Dynamic Thermal (DT) model generating heat flow and surface temperature patterns in the structure and these were then input into a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to generate data on the theoretical ...
Aufsatz
Carbon dioxide and gaseous nitrogen emissions from biochar‐amended soils under wastewater irrigated urban vegetable production of Burkina Faso and Ghana
(2020-06-30)
To quantify carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses in soils of West African urban and peri‐urban agriculture (UPA) we measured fluxes of CO₂‐C, N₂O‐N, and NH₃‐N from irrigated fields in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Tamale, Ghana, under different fertilization and (waste‐)water regimes. Compared with the unamended control, application of fertilizers increased average cumulative CO₂‐C emissions during eight cropping cycles in Ouagadougou by 103% and during seven cropping cycles in Tamale by 42%. Calculated total emissions ...
Aufsatz
Bacterivorous Nematodes Correlate with Soil Fertility and Improved Crop Production in an Organic Minimum Tillage System
(2020-08-19)
Reduced nutrient mineralization rates under minimum tillage are usually compensated by mineral fertilizer application. These, however, cannot be applied in organic farming systems. We hypothesized that an organic minimum tillage system based on frequent cover cropping and application of dead mulch would improve soil fertility and compensate for the potential negative effects of minimum tillage. Two long-term field experiments were set up in 2010 and 2011 to compare plowing versus minimum tillage including the application ...
Aufsatz
The potential of UAV-borne spectral and textural information for predicting aboveground biomass and N fixation in legume-grass mixtures
(2020-06-25)
Organic farmers, who rely on legumes as an external nitrogen (N) source, need a fast and easy on-the-go measurement technique to determine harvestable biomass and the amount of fixed N (NFix) for numerous farm management decisions. Especially clover- and lucerne-grass mixtures play an important role in the organic crop rotation under temperate European climate conditions. Multispectral sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are new promising tools for a non-destructive assessment of crop and grassland ...
Aufsatz
Food System Outcomes: An Overview and the Contribution to Food Systems Transformation
(2020-09-24)
The interest in food system discourse has been increasing over time, however, the understanding of what makes a food system is still subject to variations depending on the research focus. While the earlier discourse was mainly value chain centered, the recent years have witnessed a shift in focus toward a more holistic view embracing the complex character of food systems. An indispensable component of the food systems approach are the food system outcomes that represent the results, or consequences, of the food system ...