1. Towards a sustainable energy future : evaluating Arundo donax L. in continuous anaerobic digestion for biogas productionKarlo Špelić, Mario Panjicko, Gregor Drago Zupančič, Anamarija Lončar, Ivan Brandić, Ivana Tomić, Ana Matin, Tajana Krička, Vanja Jurišić, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Abstract
In response to the EU's REPowerEU initiative (COM (2022) 108) which encourages an increase in biogas production by 20% in member states by 2030 to boost energy independence, it has become essential to identify sustainable alternatives to traditional feedstocks for biogas production, especially in the EU Member states where there is still high dependence on corn silage as the main raw material in biogas plants. While corn silage, predominantly used in the European biogas plants today, serves primarily for the livestock sector, alternative sources need to be explored. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of Arundo donax, a perennial energy crop, as an alternative feedstock in a continuous anaerobic process. The biogas yield and its quality, characterized by CH4, CO2, H2S and O2 content, were determined during a continuous process with A. donax, compared with two mixed feedstocks of A. donax and corn silage over a 5‐month period in a continuous anaerobic digestion process. The results revealed that A. donax exhibits a biogas yield and methane content comparable to corn silage, indicating its potential as a viable and sustainable alternative feedstock for biogas production.
Keywords: Arundo donax L., biogas quality, continuous anaerobic digestion, corn silage, perennial energy crops, sustainable biogas production
Published in RUNG: 18.03.2025; Views: 380; Downloads: 1
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2. Emission of volatile organic compounds from residential biomass burning and their rapid chemical transformationsMaximillien Desservettaz, Michael Pikridas, Iasonas Stavroulas, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Eleni Liakakou, Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou, Jean Sciare, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Efstratios Bourtsoukidis, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: Biomass combustion releases a complex array of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that pose significant challenges to air quality and human health. Although biomass burning has been extensively studied at ecosystem levels, understanding the atmospheric transformation and impact on air quality of emissions in urban environments remains challenging due to complex sources and burning materials. In this study, we investigate the VOC emission rates and atmospheric chemical processing of predominantly wood burning emissions in a small urban centre in Greece. Ioannina is situated in a valley within the Dinaric Alps and experiences intense atmospheric pollution accumulation during winter due to its topography and high wood burning activity. During pollution event days, the ambient mixing ratios of key VOC species were found to be similar to those reported for major urban centres worldwide. Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) analysis revealed that biomass burning was the dominant emission source (>50 %), representing two thirds of OH reactivity, which indicates a highly reactive atmospheric mixture. Calculated OH reactivity ranges from 5 s−1 to an unprecedented 278 s−1, and averages at 93 ± 66 s−1 at 9 PM, indicating the presence of exceptionally reactive VOCs. The highly pronounced photochemical formation of organic acids coincided with the formation of ozone, highlighting the significance of secondary formation of pollutants in poorly ventilated urban areas. Our findings underscore the pressing need to transition from wood burning to environmentally friendly sources of energy in poorly ventilated urban areas, in order to improve air quality and safeguard public health.
Keywords: biomass burning, urban air quality, VOCs, emission factors, source apportionment
Published in RUNG: 13.05.2024; Views: 1567; Downloads: 5
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3. Field evaluation of low-cost PM sensors (Purple Air PA-II) under variable urban air quality conditions, in GreeceIasonas Stavroulas, Georgios Grivas, Panagiotis Michalopoulos, Eleni Liakakou, Aikaterini Bougiatioti, Panayiotis Kalkavouras, Kyriaki Maria Fameli, Nikolaos Hatzianastassiou, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Evangelos Gerasopoulos, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Recent advances in particle sensor technologies have led to an increased development and utilization of low-cost, compact, particulate matter (PM) monitors. These devices can be deployed in dense monitoring networks, enabling an improved characterization of the spatiotemporal variability in ambient levels and exposure. However, the reliability of their measurements is an important prerequisite, necessitating rigorous performance evaluation and calibration in comparison to reference-grade instrumentation. In this study, field evaluation of Purple Air PA-II devices (low-cost PM sensors) is performed in two urban environments and across three seasons in Greece, in comparison to different types of reference instruments. Measurements were conducted in Athens (the largest city in Greece with nearly four-million inhabitants) for five months spanning over the summer of 2019 and winter/spring of 2020 and in Ioannina, a medium-sized city in northwestern Greece (100,000 inhabitants) during winter/spring 2019–2020. The PM2.5 sensor output correlates strongly with reference measurements (R2 = 0.87 against a beta attenuation monitor and R2 = 0.98 against an optical reference-grade monitor). Deviations in the sensor-reference agreement are identified as mainly related to elevated coarse particle concentrations and high ambient relative humidity. Simple and multiple regression models are tested to compensate for these biases, drastically improving the sensor’s response. Large decreases in sensor error are observed after implementation of models, leading to mean absolute percentage errors of 0.18 and 0.12 for the Athens and Ioannina datasets, respectively. Overall, a quality-controlled and robustly evaluated low-cost network can be an integral component for air quality monitoring in a smart city. Case studies are presented along this line, where a network of PA-II devices is used to monitor the air quality deterioration during a peri-urban forest fire event affecting the area of Athens and during extreme wintertime smog events in Ioannina, related to wood burning for residential heating.
Keywords: particulate matter, PM2.5, air quality, low-cost sensors, optical particle counter
Published in RUNG: 10.05.2024; Views: 1343; Downloads: 9
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4. Foods2012 Keywords: food sciences and technology, food chemistry and physical properties, food engineering and production, food security and safety, food toxicology, sensory and food quality, food analysis, functional foods, food and health, food psychology, food and environment
Published in RUNG: 10.05.2024; Views: 1652; Downloads: 4
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8. Highly time-resolved apportionment of carbonaceous aerosols from wildfire using the TC-BC method : camp fire 2018 case studyMatic Ivančič, Martin Rigler, Bálint Alföldy, Gašper Lavrič, Irena Ježek, Asta Gregorič, 2023, original scientific article Keywords: black carbon, brown carbon, carbonaceous aerosol, wildfire, air quality, CASS
Published in RUNG: 06.06.2023; Views: 2541; Downloads: 16
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9. Protein quality control for improved data reproducibility and reliabilityKim Remans, Ario De Marco, Nick Berrow, Mario Lebendiker, Maria Garcia-Alai, Stefan Knauer, Andre Matagne, Anne Perret, Stephan Uebel, Bertrand Raynal, 2022, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: protein quality, evaluation assays, biophysical methods
Published in RUNG: 13.04.2023; Views: 2061; Downloads: 0
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10. Actual and perceived wood combustion pollution – The case of a rural mountainous areaKristina Glojek, Griša Močnik, Honey Dawn Alas, Andrea Cuesta-Mosquera, Luka Drinovec, Asta Gregorič, Kay Weinhold, Thomas Müller, Dejan Cigale, Martin Rigler, Dominik van Pinxteren, Maik Merkel, Matej Ogrin, Martina Ristorini, Hartmut Herrmann, Alfred Wiedensohler, 2022, published scientific conference contribution abstract Keywords: local air quality, aerosol measurements, perception, heating habits
Published in RUNG: 27.02.2023; Views: 3008; Downloads: 0
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