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- ItemUnderstanding Business Environments and Success Factors for Emerging Bioeconomy Enterprises through a Comprehensive Analytical Framework(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Adamseged, Muluken Elias; Grundmann, PhilippThe development toward the bioeconomy requires, among others, generating and institutionalizing knowledge that contributes to technical and nontechnical inventions and innovations. Efforts to support innovation are often linked with the development of business models that facilitate the development in bioeconomy. However, the interdependences between the business models and their business environments are not sufficiently well understood in a way where misalignments that can obstruct the development can be dealt with adequately. Given this lacuna, this research aims to contribute to the development of a comprehensive analytical framework for better understanding the conditions of business environment as well as empirically apply the framework in an empirical study on cases of bioeconomy enterprises in Europe. In this paper, a comprehensive business environment framework is developed and applied for analyzing over 80 cases, thereby allowing for critical action arenas and crucial success factors to be identified. The findings are derived from a systematic application of the framework to relevant action arenas for business development: institutional development, technology and knowledge, consumers’ agency, market structure, funding, resource and infrastructure, and training and education. The results show that businesses in the bioeconomy, unlike other businesses, have to deal with more and very specific constraining legislative issues, infant and non-adapted technology and knowledge, as well as unclear values and perceptions of consumers. Due to this, businesses have to develop new forms of cooperation with different stakeholders. Successful businesses are characterized by the fact that they develop specific strategies, steering structures, and processes with a particular focus on learning and innovation to overcome misalignments between the business environment and their business models. Focusing efforts on learning and innovation in institutional development, technology and knowledge, consumers’ agency, and funding are especially promising as these turned out to be particularly critical and in particular need of institutional alignment for reducing different kinds of transaction costs in the development of bioeconomy.
- ItemImproving the Accuracy of Hydrodynamic Simulations in Data Scarce Environments Using Bayesian Model Averaging: A Case Study of the Inner Niger Delta, Mali, West Africa(Basel : MDPI, 2019) Haque, Md Mominul; Seidou, Ousmane; Mohammadian, Abdolmajid; Djibo, Abdouramane Gado; Liersch, Stefan; Fournet, Samuel; Karam, Sara; Perera, Edangodage Duminda Pradeep; Kleynhans, MartinIn this paper, the study area was the Inner Niger Delta (IND) in Mali, West Africa. The IND is threatened by climate change, increasing irrigation, and dam operations. 2D hydrodynamic modelling was used to simulate water levels, discharge, and inundation extent in the IND. Three different digital elevation models (DEM) (SRTM, MERIT, and a DEM derived from satellite images were used as a source of elevation data. Six different models were created, with different sources of elevation data and different downstream boundary conditions. Given that the performance of the models varies according to the location in the IND, the variable under consideration and the performance criteria, Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) was used to assess the relative performance of each of the six models. The BMA weights, along with deterministic performance measures, such as the Nash Sutcliffe coefficient (NS) and the Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), provide quantitative evidence as to which model is the best when simulating a particular hydraulic variable at a particular location. After the models were combined with BMA, both discharge and water levels could be simulated with reasonable precision (NS > 0.8). The results of this work can contribute to the more efficient management of water resources in the IND.
- ItemSynergistic use of peat and charred material in growing media–an option to reduce the pressure on peatlands?(Vilnius : Technika, 2017) Kern, Jürgen; Tammeorg, Priit; Shanskiy, Merrit; Sakrabani, Ruben; Knicker, Heike; Kammann, Claudia; Tuhkanen, Eeva-Maria; Smidt, Geerd; Prasad, Munoo; Tiilikkala, Kari; Sohi, Saran; Gascó, Gabriel; Steiner, Christoph; Glaser, BrunoPeat is used as a high quality substrate for growing media in horticulture. However, unsustainable peat extraction damages peatland ecosystems, which disappeared to a large extent in Central and South Europe. Furthermore, disturbed peatlands are becoming a source of greenhouse gases due to drainage and excavation. This study is the result of a workshop within the EU COST Action TD1107 (Biochar as option for sustainable resource management), held in Tartu (Estonia) in 2015. The view of stakeholders were consulted on new biochar-based growing media and to what extent peat may be replaced in growing media by new compounds like carbonaceous materials from thermochemical conversion. First positive results from laboratory and greenhouse experiments have been reported with biochar content in growing media ranging up to 50%. Various companies have already started to use biochar as an additive in their growing media formulations. Biochar might play a more important role in replacing peat in growing media, when biochar is available, meets the quality requirements, and their use is economically feasible. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by VGTU Press and Informa UK Limited, [trading as Taylor & Francis Group].
- ItemFrom Upstream to Purification : Production of Lactic Acid from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste([Dordrecht] : Springer Netherlands, 2020) López‑Gómez, José Pablo; Unger, Peter; Schneider, Roland; Venus, JoachimThe implementation of an efficient and sustainable management of the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) is a topic of intensive discussion in EU countries. Recently, the OFMSW has been investigated as a potential substrate for the production of lactic acid (LA) through fermentation. Nevertheless, none of the reports available in the literature covers all the stages of the conversion process. The present research article is a comprehensive study which includes the upstream, fermentation and downstream for the conversion of OFMSW into LA. Several batches of OFMSW were analysed for the evaluation of sugars released and LA content before the fermentation. Fermentations were performed to study the effect of hydrolysate quality on the LA production using Bacillus coagulans A166. Purification of LA, based on electrodialysis, was carried out after pilot scale fermentation of OFMSW hydrolysates. Results showed that variations in the concentrations of sugars and LA are observed from batch to batch of OFMSW. More specifically, LA can reach high concentrations even before the substrates are hydrolysed, limiting the potential applications of the final product due to low enantiomeric purities. In general, fermentations of the hydrolysate were efficient, with conversion yields of 0.65 g g−1 without the addition of extra nutrients. Downstream is still a challenging stage of the process. A LA recovery of 55% was obtained, with the most significant losses observed during the micro- and nanofiltrations. Overall, a conversion of 10% from OFMSW substrate (dry basis) to LA was achieved.
- ItemRepresentativeness of European biochar research: part II–pot and laboratory studies(Vilnius : Technika, 2017) Sakrabani, Ruben; Kern, Jürgen; Mankasingh, Utra; Zavalloni, Costanza; Zanchettin, Giulia; Bastos, Ana Catarina; Tammeorg, Priit; Jeffery, Simon; Glaser, Bruno; Verheijen, Frank G. A.Biochar research is extensive and there are many pot and laboratory studies carried out in Europe to investigate the mechanistic understanding that govern its impact on soil processes. A survey was conducted in order to find out how representative these studies under controlled experimental conditions are of actual environmental conditions in Europe and biomass availability and conversion technologies. The survey consisted of various key questions related to types of soil and biochar used, experimental conditions and effects of biochar additions on soil chemical, biological and physical properties. This representativeness study showed that soil texture and soil organic carbon contents used by researchers are well reflected in the current biochar research in Europe (through comparison with published literature), but less so for soil pH and soil type. This study provides scope for future work to complement existing research findings, avoiding unnecessary repetitions and highlighting existing research gaps. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by VGTU Press and Informa UK Limited, [trading as Taylor & Francis Group].
- ItemThermal annealing to influence the vapor sensing behavior of co-continuous poly(lactic acid)/polystyrene/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites(Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier Science, 2020) Li, Yilong; Pionteck, Jürgen; Pötschke, Petra; Voit, BrigitteWith the main purpose of being used as vapor leakage detector, the volatile organic compound (VOC) vapor sensing properties of conductive polymer blend composites were studied. Poly(lactic acid)/polystyrene/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PLA/PS/MWCNT) based conductive polymer composites (CPCs) in which the polymer components exhibit different interactions with the vapors, were prepared by melt mixing. CPCs with a blend composition of 50/50 wt% resulted in the finest co-continuous structure and selective MWCNT localization in PLA. Therefore, these composites were selected for sensor tests. Thermal annealing was applied aiming to maintain the blend structure but improving the sensing reversibility of CPC sensors towards high vapor concentrations. Different sensing protocols were applied using acetone (good solvent for PS and PLA) and cyclohexane (good solvent for PS but poor solvent for PLA) vapors. Increasing acetone vapor concentration resulted in increased relative resistance change (Rrel) of CPCs. Saturated cyclohexane vapor resulted in lower response than nearly saturated acetone vapor. The thermal annealing at 150 °C did not change the blend morphology but increased the PLA crystallinity, making the CPC sensors more resistant to vapor stimulation, resulting in lower Rrel but better reversibility after vapor exposure.
- ItemModelling Climate Change’s Impact on the Hydrology of Natura 2000 Wetland Habitats in the Vistula and Odra River Basins in Poland(Basel : MDPI, 2019) O’Keeffe, Joanna; Marcinkowski, Paweł; Utratna, Marta; Piniewski, Mikołaj; Kardel, Ignacy; Kundzewicz, Zbigniew; Okruszko, TomaszClimate change is expected to affect the water cycle through changes in precipitation, river streamflow, and soil moisture dynamics, and therefore, present a threat to groundwater and surface water-fed wetland habitats and their biodiversity. This article examines the past trends and future impacts of climate change on riparian, water-dependent habitats within the special areas of conservation (SAC) of the Natura 2000 network located within Odra and Vistula River basins in Poland. Hydrological modelling using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was driven by a set of nine EURO-CORDEX regional climate models under two greenhouse gas concentration trajectories. Changes in the duration of flooding and inundation events were used to assess climate change’s impact on surface water-fed wetland habitats. The groundwater-fed wetlands were evaluated on the basis of changes in soil water content. Information about the current conservation status, threats, and pressures that affect the habitats suggest that the wetlands might dry out. Increased precipitation projected for the future causing increased water supply to both surface water and groundwater-fed wetlands would lead to beneficial outcomes for habitats with good, average, or reduced conservation status. However, habitats with an excellent conservation status that are already in optimum condition could be negatively affected by climate change as increased soil water or duration of overbank flow would exceed their tolerance.
- ItemEffect of 1-Methyl Cyclopropane and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Storage of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) : Theory and Experiments(Basel : MDPI, 2020) Kanwal, Rabia; Ashraf, Hadeed; Sultan, Muhammad; Babu, Irrum; Yasmin, Zarina; Nadeem, Muhammad; Asghar, Muhammad; Shamshiri, Redmond R.; Ibrahim, Sobhy M.; Ahmad, Nisar; Imran, Muhammad A.; Zhou, Yuguang; Ahmad, RiazOkra possesses a short shelf-life which limits its marketability, thereby, the present study investigates the individual and combined effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the postharvest storage life of okra. The treated/ untreated okra samples were stored at ambient (i.e., 27 °C) and low (i.e., 7 °C) temperatures for eight and 20 days, respectively. Results revealed that the 1-MCP and/or MAP treatment successfully inhibited fruit softening, reduction in mucilage viscosity, and color degradation (hue angle, ∆E, and BI) in the product resulting in a longer period of shelf-life. However, MAP with or without 1-MCP was more effective to reduce weight loss in okra stored at both ambient and cold storage conditions. Additionally, ascorbic acid and total antioxidants were also retained in 1-MCP with MAP during cold storage. The 1-MCP in combination with MAP effectively suppressed respiration rate and ethylene production for four days and eight days at 27 °C and 7 °C temperature conditions, respectively. According to the results, relatively less chilling injury stress also resulted when 1-MCP combined with MAP. The combined treatment of okra pods with 1-MCP and MAP maintained the visual quality of the product in terms of overall acceptability for four days at 20 °C and 20 days at 7 °C.
- ItemChip-based duplex real-time PCR for water quality monitoring concerning Legionella pneumophila and Legionella spp.(Oxford [u.a.] : Wiley-Blackwell, 2020) Reuter, Cornelia; Hentschel, Stefanie; Breitenstein, Antje; Heinrich, Eileen; Aehlig, Oliver; Henkel, Thomas; Csáki, Andrea; Fritzsche, WolfgangBased on biomolecular methods, rapid and selective identification of human pathogenic water organisms becomes an important issue. Legionella spp., are pathogenic water bacteria with worldwide significance. Prevalent detection methods for these microorganisms are time and/or cost intensive. We describe a detection setup and relating DNA assay. A miniaturized real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) for direct on-line discrimination of Legionella pneumophila and Legionella spp. was established and integrated into a real-time PCR-chip-system. The PCR-chip device combines a temperature controlling unit and a fluorescence intensity measurement. It was designed to achieve rapid amplification, using an approach of real-time fluorescence read out with the intercalating dye EvaGreen® and melting curve analysis, without requiring multiple probes. The presented results exhibit reproducibility and good sensitivity, showing that the setup is suitable for robust, rapid and cost-efficient detection and monitoring of a variety of Legionella spp.in urban water samples.
- ItemEditorial: special issue on biochar as an option for sustainable resource management (EU COST Action TD1107 final publication)(Vilnius : Technika, 2017) Glaser, Bruno; Baltrėnas, Pranas; Kammann, Claudia; Kern, Jürgen; Baltrėnaitė, EditaThe articles appearing in this special issue on Biochar as an Option for Sustainable Resource Management are mainly the extended versions of the contributions presented in Biochar COST Action meetings, especially at the International Biochar conference held September 2015 at Geisenheim University (Germany), which was the final conference of the COST Action TD1107. © 2017 Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) Press.