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Climate change and global environmental challenges pose an existential threat to the world, including Europe. Dealing with the current climate and environmental challenges requires an urgent and ambitious response. The global challenges are also an opportunity for companies, especially those engaged in environmental protection, to innovate, as they both increase their competitiveness and export potential. The relevance of the research problem is additionally supported by the fact that the European Union is committ...

The paper presents the results of the water quality of the St. George branch, one of three Danube River distributaries, using the combined physical and chemical analyses from June 2017. Three cutoff meander reaches (the Mahmudia, Upper Dunavat and Lower Dunavat meanders) were selected to assess the water ecological state. The cut-offs of the meanders by navigational canals since 1984-1988 caused significant changes in the distribution of the water discharge. Water samples were acquired throughout several cross-sec...

The primary purpose of environmental policy is a framework, guidance for decisionmaking and actions that lead to a better quality of the environment as a whole and its components. It is also adopted to use the principles of sustainable development, to increase economic efficiency and important social social programs and activities. The aim of this article is to provide basic research information on the causes of the emergence and development of environmental policy in the current period of circular economy. The is...

As the population of metropolitan areas grows, so does the need for private and public outdoor space. In turn, in some EEA (European Economic Area) countries, urban populations are declining, reducing outdoor requirements, and increasing the potential for biodiversity or land degradation. The understanding of private property and its value is constantly evolving and improving. Private property and public outdoor space can mean both concepts or be considered separately. The aim of research on the economic value of ...

Public gardens and park zones are an important and widely visited component of urban spaces worldwide, however they can be polluted and even dangerous for humans and animals visiting them. The simplest way to screen the level of pollution of those green zones is to assess their ecological toxicity. In the present study, to assess the ecotoxicity of soil and ground samples obtained in 15 parks and public gardens in the city of Kazan (Russia) with 1 Mio citizens were investigated. Two elutriate assays with Ceriodaph...

The standard procedure for fluid preservation of insects consists of two steps. First, the specimen is killed and prepared in a fixative fluid and then transferred to a storage fluid. Recommendations for using specific chemicals or mixtures differ depending on the size and anatomy of the animal and vary among the authors. However, controlled comparative studies are often missing. The ideal method should preserve the specimen-s morphology as well as its genetic information. We have investigated the effect of 12 com...

Risk communication facilitates the understanding of risks by the local communities and results in a higher acceptance degree of the people regarding the management of risks. Constant communication between all stakeholders on topics like community sustainable development (including environmental risk management) leads to a better local governance and a higher public engagement in the problems of the community, leading to improved behavior patterns. Moreover, broader and more effective community engagement is greatl...

The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is widely spread throughout Europe, however, their numbers are declining in some countries, with parasites bearing some responsibility for this population decrease, due to their role as favouring factors. The aim of this study was to determine the gastrointestinal parasitic populations of hares (Lepus europaeus) from Romania. The study took place during the hunting seasons (November-February) of the years 2020-2022. Gastrointestinal tracts from 72 hares were subjected to a macro...

Renewable Energy Communities (REC) are slowly becoming an important driver for promoting the energy transition in Europe. This paper addresses in particular the Italian current regulation on ECs, and analyses how they can implement the application of constitutional principles to the energy sector. In order to answer this question, at present, when we look into the different studies that have addressed the issue, it is pertinent to consider the fact that they have focused on constitutional values of landscape, envi...

Environmental expenditures include all environmental protection expenditures to prevent, reduce and control environmental aspects, impacts and hazards, in addition to the costs of disposal, treatment, hygiene and cleaning. Environmental protection expenditures are defined as investments of enterprises allocated to reduce direct environmental pollution. In this scientific paper we will address the topic of environmental costs of enterprises in the mining sector in Kosovo. All enterprises of the mining industry in K...

The scope of environmental accounting includes waste and its neutralization. The activity is classified as a social minimum for the life of the population. The challenge is the growth of waste - household and non-household. Therefore, sustainable development, specifically - waste reduction and recovery, is identified as a center of state and municipal policy. These problems will be soEuroed by making sustainable management decisions. The solution to the problems is through the implementation of public-private part...

Climate and weather play significant role in the urban areas function. They impact on the social and economy life, on the environment and infrastructure, on the biodiversity. That`s why the occurrence of extreme or untypical events is a challenge. Droughts are part of these processes. They are prolonged events that can lead to serious harmful impacts. For this purpose of importance is the becoming of reliable knowledge about such behaviour that can serve as a base for the selection of appropriate prevention and mi...

The paper presents an exergy analysis of a heat pump with a steam injection. Different refrigerants as R290, R152A and R1234yf are considered. Constructive schemes such as two-stage heat pumps or cascade couplings are known and used to reduce the temperature at the compressor discharge level, but the presence of two or more compressors increases the cost of the initial investment of the equipment. This paper presents the design of a steam injection heat pump that has the advantage of a simple construction and can ...

Due to the rising demand of energy, in the last years is a growing interest to develop new equipment-s and to improve the existing, to produce as much as possible energy from renewable sources. Therefore, in this article are studied the effects of two shrouds geometries over the patterns of flow and over the velocity-s distributions. This study was performed experimentally in the laboratory using an experimental stand a with closed-circuit trough water was recirculated and a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) system...

The data from three solar thermal collector systems installed in dormitories of the University of Latvia in Riga are analysed in detail to obtain parameters that characterise the operation of such systems in real operation conditions in Riga, Latvia. All the systems were installed in 2019-2020 and the data for one full year is available for the study. The area and the power output for the observed solar thermal collectors are similar-63 m2 with 51 kW for each. The differences exist only in the orientation of the c...

Three photovoltaic (PV) systems with the identical solar panels, the same charge controllers, and similar loads, but with different used battery types: AGM deep-cycle, LiFePO4 and lead-carbon were installed in Riga, Latvia for a long-term monitoring and analysis of the operation efficiency and potential energy losses in batteries under real operation conditions. Results of one full year of monitoring are analysed in this paper resulting quantitative indicators during different seasons. During the wintertime with l...

The global development of society requires constant updating of the objectives that education pursues and how they are achieved. Science education is an area undergoing advanced transformation, both at the level of objectives and methodologies, with a strong social, economic, and knowledge impact. Research-based education is a well-established term, especially in the higher education system. More studies and key policy documents argue that education must be based on cutting-edge research. Essential in this equatio...

The Eastern pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens (L.) Mill.) is considered as an endangered species in all European countries where it is found, including Latvia. An important factor for the survival of P. patens - a species with low competitiveness is not only the conditions suitable for germination and further growth, but also the indicators of seed viability. This is particularly important as there is no persistent soil seed bank for this species. Only limited data is available on the factors affecting seed viabilit...

According to ANSYS - developer of the Multiphysics platform for computer simulations - the FSI (Fluid-Structure Interaction) model can be used in all cases where a fluid encounters a solid structure, for example, wind gusts rotating a turbine, air washing the surface of a moving car etc. This method finds applications especially in the aeronautical and automotive industries, but also in medical research, such computer simulations track the influences of blood pressure and blood flow velocity in the veins. This pap...

Geopark is a region that has a complex special protected status, on the territory of which the geological history of the Earth, the formation of local landscapes, expressive geological formations, and layers of fossil fauna are clearly revealed. A geopark is not only a geological heritage, but also habitats for biological species, interconnected ecosystems, it is a cultural and historical heritage. Geopark is a favorable environment for the development of ecotourism and related business. UNESCO Global Geoparks are...

Romula, the most important urban settlement of Dacia Inferior (Dacia Malvensis) province of the Roman empire during the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., was located in the present-day Resca village-Dobrosloveni commune, Olt County, Romania. Most of the Roman town remains are underneath Resca village premises, the areas suitable for archaeological or geophysical research being limited. This paper presents an integrated geophysical study carried out in the Central Fort zone of the archaeological site in September 2020, w...

Climate change and environmental degradation pose an existential threat to the EU and the world. The aim of the Green Agreement for Europe is to make Europe climate neutral by 2050, to support the economy through green technologies, to create a sustainable industry and transport and to reduce pollution. Turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities will make the transformation fair and inclusive. The European Commission is helping EU Member States to design and implement reforms that support ecol...

Waste management is a public service, the provision of which is the responsibility of local authorities. The area of waste management is currently very strongly regulated in the national and European and at the same time monitored by the civil public with a strong context in public election processes. Expenditures on waste management make up a relatively substantial part of municipal expenditures not only in the Czech Republic but also in developed countries, which is why a number of economists are paying attentio...

Higher education institutions play a central role in shaping labor skills and green culture essential in the future low-carbon economy. This paper examines the impact of green education policies in the higher education sector on the business cycle and compares them to standard incentives to encourage green production at the firm level. For our purpose, we set up a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model extended to account for the endogenous selection of green and traditional human capital and heterogeneous h...

The study presents a developed instrumental and methodological complex designed to monitor changes in the state and development of dangerous processes in a natural and technogenic system, including the structural integrity of building structures and geodynamic processes in the soil rocks of their placement sites, including the activation of previously passive faults. The complex includes three orthogonal molecular-electronic linear displacement sensors and three orthogonal torsional vibration sensors which can sel...

The electrification process of the materials and technical equipment-s, especially the external parts of them, frequently occur during their use, being sometimes an intrinsic process, such as for example flowing of a flammable liquid through a pipe. The electrification process of materials and technical equipment-s is responsible for generating, through specific mechanisms, significant quantities of electrostatic charges. The presence of electrostatic charges on materials and technical equipment-s, used in areas w...

The Research Institute for Brown Coal j. s. c. (VUHU) has been involved in the research project of the EU Research Fund of Coal and Steel - The impact of extreme weather events on mining operations for four years. The project is focused on assessing the impact of climate change on mining activities in major European coal basins. Other participants are scientific teams from Poland, Great Britain, Spain, Germany and Greece. This is the last year of the project solving, so this paper summarizes the results of the sol...

Awareness of the importance of sustainable agriculture has increased in recent decades. One of the reasons for this is the widespread use of synthetic pesticides and their possible secondary negative effects on valuable carnivores and biodiversity. Therefore, the need for biological and environmentally friendly alternatives to pest control has become relevant. This relevance is also reinforced by the European Union's Green Deal agenda and its underlying strategy - Farm to Fork, which aim to mitigate climate change...

The first oil discovery from Romanian Black Sea area was in 1987, relatively late compared with the first successful Romanian onshore well, more than 100 years earlier. Starting from that moment and continuing till recent years, several discoveries were done; some are already put into production and some others are still in the exploration phase. In order to extract as much oil as possible and also to define new hydrocarbon reservoirs, it is mandatory to have a proper understanding of the petroleum systems from th...

As the world adopts the technological era, the adverse effects of climate change have been experienced by the increasing population, which has led to a rise in energy demand. Heavy industries depend on dirty fossil fuels that release GHG emissions into the atmosphere. This paper aims to review the integration of a nuclear-renewable hybrid energy system (NRHES) to produce green hydrogen in decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries in the ASEAN region. In this study, the two main hydrogen production methods were identi...

The use of natural gas as a home heating source has, unfortunately, generated a number of gas explosion events, most of which have as their main cause the accidental leakage of combustible gas. The dynamic effects generated by the explosion pressures differ from case to case, depending on the concentrations of combustible gas accumulated in the chambers from the time of the occurrence of the gas leak to the occurrence of the source of initiation. Often, these dynamic effects involve concentrations close to the sto...

Ductile iron is currently one of the most popular construction materials. Its mechanical properties are close to those of steel. The basic material in the production of ductile iron is gray iron, which can be produced in a cupola or in an electric induction or electric arc furnace. After tapping the gray cast iron from the furnace, the gray cast iron is processing into ductile iron. This process is called modification. Magnesium and its alloys and cerium are most often used as modifiers. In addition to the modific...

Food waste is a growing global concern, with the attention of major global organizations focusing on monitoring and finding solutions to optimize it. According to the latest data published by the National Institute of Public Health on this topic (2019), in Romania, food waste is estimated at 6,000 tons per day 49% from households, 37% from the food industry, 7% from retail, 5 % of public catering and 2% of the agricultural sector. In this context, it was proposed to implement a system based on reducing waste and w...

The process of anaerobic fermentation of organic waste makes it possible to produce not only methane, but also hydrogen, which, when mixed, form a high-energy mixture - biohythane. The efficiency of biohythane production in a two-stage anaerobic fermentation process depends on many factors, including organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT). It is known that the addition of an immobilizing support materials to anaerobic bioreactors improves the stability of their operation and increases the bi...

Using remote sensing functional aspects of the landscape such as energy exchange between vegetation and the atmosphere, surface reflectance or vegetation heat flux can be monitored and evaluated in detail. Multispectral imagery is used to obtain information on the condition of the vegetation and plant growth, as it allows us to obtain information on possible nutrient deficiencies, pest damage or other manifestations of abiotic stress on the plants. Each surface reflects and emits radiation at different wavelengths...

A study was made of the influence of ZSM-5 zeolite on the composition and properties of the products of fast pyrolysis of flax shives in the temperature range of 350-750 -C. Zeolite ZSM-5 increased the heat of combustion of gaseous products, as well as the content of methane, ethylene, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, which is probably associated with the processes of cracking of volatile products passing through a layer of a catalyst heated to high temperatures. The synthesis and study of zeolite catalysts ZSM-5 con...

The main idea of the article is to assess the landscape potential for the use of renewable energy systems based on systematic and landscape-ecological approaches. In general, these approaches consist of the analysis of the features of landscape components and their impact on the redistribution of energy flows in the landscape, which in turn form the potential of renewable energy resources of each specific landscape contour. A systematic approach is to consider the holistic properties of a particular landscape in t...

The concept of Best Available Techniques (BAT) is the basis for granting Integrated Environmental Permits (IEP) to industrial installations. In Russia, BAT is used along with Best Environmental Practices (BEP) concept to promote resource efficiency solutions and to motivate managers to collaborate with local stakeholders in the field of environmentally sound activities. One of the sectors modernised in accordance with the principles of BAT is municipal wastewater treatment (MWWT). In 2020, the Russian Reference Do...

Recently, the study of new methods of extraction from vegetable raw materials, such as ultrasonic extraction, microwave extraction and extracritical fluid extraction, has become widespread. The results of the study of ultrasonic extraction in the literature showed that this process provides higher selectivity, has a shorter duration, reduces energy consumption and harmful emissions into the environment. And it is also made in the equipment which design is much simpler than the equipment for pressing. In addition, ...

The waste management sector as one of the most significant economic sectors requires effective management not only in Latvia but in the European Union as whole. According to the recent (2020) available Eurostat data, 505 kg of municipal waste per capita were generated in the EU of which 48% were recycled and 22% were landfilled. Latvia ranges in the 11th position among the EU Member States with 478 kg of generated waste per capita. Romania (287 kg), Poland (346 kg) and Hungary (364 kg) are countries having generat...

Modern way of life using means of producing energy through renewables and forming a part of energy communities and citizen energy communities represent innovative resources. National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), redefines an update of the objectives of both the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plane (INECP) and the long-term strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to reflect the changes that have occurred in the meantime in Europe. In detail, this article aims to ponder on the path ta...

A small quantity of flammable gas mixed with dust can cause a large explosion with severe consequences. In this study, hybrid mixtures explosion tests were performed in a constant volume 0.02 m3 spherical vessel. Five pressure-time curves were recorded. The effects of initial temperature on burning velocity were investigated for Lycopodium Clavatum-methane-air hybrid mixtures. The most important results from evaluated experiments are the values of burning rates to understand better the fundamental flame methane-ai...

When considering environmental priorities in the Moscow region, it was pointed out that not only human economic activity damages the environment, but also resources a significant part is destroyed by fires and other emergencies, which number has been increasing in recent years. Land resources are among the main exhaustible resources without which human existence is impossible. State activity, first and foremost, must be aimed at the land resources effective management and protection against the human economic acti...

The aim of the article was to assess the importance of Natura 2000 sites in halting land take, given that the European Commission has set itself the target of reducing land take in the EU to zero by 2050. In the surveyed area, land take is primarily a consequence of the economic activities carried out and of their pace and intensity; the density of housing also puts pressure on the phenomenon through the permanent expansion of the built-up area of the settlements (the brown belt), especially in the economically ef...

The impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on the increase in the average temperature on the planet and the risk of initiating irreversible processes are recognized by most of the scientific community as real threats to humanity. Many countries have a legal and institutional framework for a consistent industrial policy taking into account the climate and environmental components, including carbon accounting. Russia is a country with high intensity of production-based CO2 emissions. In is well-known that ...

Species of macrofungi were collected from extremely polluted sampling spots in the vicinity of abandoned antimony mines in Slovakia. Concentrations of potentially toxic elements in plants and fungi were determined by ICP-MS and in soils and sediments by both ICP-MS and ICP-ES. Of the edible species the highest values of arsenic and cadmium were recorded in Agaricus arvensis, lead in Imleria badia and representatives of the genera Boletus, Leccinum and Suillus accumulated high levels of mercury. Suillus species als...

The presented paper represents a comprehensive analysis of hydrous ferric oxides (HFOs) precipitated from Fe rich drainage waters contaminated by arsenic and antimony. Ochre samples from three abandoned Sb deposits were collected in three different seasons and were characterized from the mineralogical, geochemical, and microbiological point of view. They were formed mainly by poorly crystallized 2-line ferrihydrite, with the content of arsenic in samples ranging from 0.7 wt.% to 13 wt.% and content of antimony ran...

The production of oil and gas includes drilling a number of wells for exploration or production activities. During drilling operations, large volumes of drilling fluids are used to facilitate the process. In Libya, after completion of drilling operations drill cuttings and waste drilling fluids are typically discharged close to the oil fields without treatment. This can result in negative ecological impacts on the surrounding environment e.g. through infiltration of toxic constituents into soils and underground wa...

The aim of this study is to determine the prospects of the region for the identification of new objects. For this purpose, it was necessary to solve the tasks of analyzing and summarizing all available geological data on the Torgai trough and based on this, to make forecast maps and determine the prospects for identifying deposits. Analysis of extensive factual data and outcomes of the sedimentary cover minerals was followed by interpretation of sections at the basic outcrops and wells. All this work resulted in c...

For many years, oil derivatives, natural coal, and natural gas were used and still are, as primary energy supply due to their calorific potential, and their great availability on the planet. However, the utilization of these feedstocks causes greenhouse effects and helped in global warming, creating a general concern about this issue, and leading to the creation of urgent measures to overcome these problems. Hence, guidelines and public policies were granted to guarantee the reduction of emissions and increase the...