Constructed Wetland Systems as a Methodology for the Treatment of Wastewater in Bucaramanga Industrial Park

Effluent discharges from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activities constitute major sources of pollution on land and water bodies. During the 1990s, large-scale application of Constructed Wetlands (CWs) as a remediation option drew much attention globally from the public and green groups alike. The most common application of CWs is for flow management in river system and little is documented on using CWs for treating polluted river water. This article goes beyond constructed wetlands as a stand-alone methodology to propose an integrated remediation system incorporating constructed wetlands in Bucaramanga Industrial Park S.A., Santander (Colombia), which will form part of an innovation park. In addition to pollution abatement, the project is projected to provide other environmental benefits to the entire Oro River Sub-basin. Other benefits of the project include mitigation of environmental impacts, improvement in water quality, landscape amenity, as well as tourism and recreational benefits.

Perception-Based Analysis (PBA) of Climate Change Impacts on the Forest and Agricultural Ecosystem of Shropshire, United Kingdom

Agriculture and forestry are vital sectors providing services, food and other environmental benefits that could be most affected by the impact of climate change (CC). This study analysed the impact of CC on forestry and agriculture in a typical UK rural environment. The study interrogates this complex question using the Perception Based Analysis (PBA) methodological approach. Data analysis utilized chi square test and one-way analysis of variance (Anova) in comparing the impact of climate change and human factors on forest and agricultural ecosystems, (significance level α = 5%), calculated ρ = 0.36 > 0.05. This non-significant ρ value suggests that the null hypothesis Ho “climate change is responsible for the changes in forest and agricultural ecosystem in the case study area” could be true.

Sediment Speciation from Dekin Groundwater at District of Dangbo (South Benin)

The objective of this research is to determine the physicochemical elements contained in the groundwater and in the deposits originating from these waters of the Arrondissement of Dêkin, Commune of Dangbo in the South of Benin. Physical parameters were measured from the multi-parameter and the chemical parameters by reagent assays. The precipitate from the groundwater was studied by speciation. The different assays were carried out using the Hach Lange DR2800 Spectrophotometer. The data processing was done with different software including ArcGis 10.1, Diagram.Ink of Roland SIMLER and PHREEQC 2.17.4137. Strong mineralization of the deposit from the drilling water was indicated in these three elements: Copper (220.1 mg/kg), iron (2528 mg/kg) and zinc (239.5 mg/kg) whose contents are higher than the French guideline values for heavy metal content in sediments in mg/kg. The calculation of the Saturation Indices of the drilling water shows saturation with respect to Goethite and Hematite. All these results have led us to conclude that the high content of Metallic Trace Element (MTE) in the deposit and especially of the iron in the drilling water originates from the dissolution-precipitation of the aquifer rock.

Effects of Recycled Tires Rubber Aggregates on the Characteristics of Cement Concrete

This experimental work investigates the impact of substituting part of the conventional aggregates with rubber aggregates on certain characteristics of the cement concretes. This incorporation of rubber aggregates resulting from cutting worn tires in practical sizes decreases the mechanical resistances of the concretes while improving slightly the fluidity of the tested mixtures. The effect of these aggregates on the shrinkage of the concretes at an early age is appreciable and even very interesting for the concretes used, for example, in road construction. This technique of cutting worn tires without any further treatment makes it accessible to everyone which helps not only in saving the environment by getting rid of this cumbersome waste but also in saving traditional aggregates.

Ten years of spasers and plasmonic nanolasers

Ten years ago,three teams experimentally demonstrated the first spasers,or plasmonic nanolasers,after the spaser concept was first proposed theoretically in 2003.An overview of the significant progress achieved over the last 10 years is presented here,together with the original context of and motivations for this research.After a general introduction,we first summarize the fundamental properties of spasers and discuss the major motivations that led to the first demonstrations of spasers and nanolasers.This is followed by an overview of crucial technological progress,including lasing threshold reduction,dynamic modulation,room-temperature operation,electrical injection,the control and improvement of spasers,the array operation of spasers,and selected applications of single-particle spasers.Research prospects are presented in relation to several directions of development,including further miniaturization,the relationship with Bose-Einstein condensation,novel spaser-based interconnects,and other features of spasers and plasmonic lasers that have yet to be realized or challenges that are still to be overcome.

Tourism Waste Management in the European Union: Lessons Learned from Four Popular EU Tourist Destinations

From a sustainability perspective, achieving greater efficiencies in environmental waste management is at the heart of current academic discussion on climate change science. Over the last few decades the tourism industry has developed exponentially and is now considered one of the most dynamic economic activities worldwide. Solid waste is a commonly identified and ever increasing aspect of tourism;the improper management of which can lead to substantial and irreversible direct and indirect environmental, economic and social impacts. However, the management of solid waste in tourism dominated island communities is particularly problematic due to climatic conditions, topography, financial restraints, planning issues, changing consumption patterns, transient population, and seasonal variations in solid waste quantity and composition. In addition, there is often a lack of momentum to implement new initiatives and programs as stakeholders involved in the design, construction and operation of tourist resorts have conflicts of interest. Using information gathered from key informant interviews, participation observations and literature reviews, this article appraises current waste management practices in four European tourist destinations, namely: Mallorca, Tenerife, Kefalonia and Rhodes. Findings indicate that, although there are signs of compliance with global best practice, a variety of locally-based measures need to be implemented to enhance sustainability.

二维材料最新研究进展

Research on two-dimensional(2D) materials has been explosively increasing in last seventeen years in varying subjects including condensed matter physics, electronic engineering, materials science, and chemistry since the mechanical exfoliation of graphene in 2004. Starting from graphene, 2D materials now have become a big family with numerous members and diverse categories. The unique structural features and physicochemical properties of 2D materials make them one class of the most appealing candidates for a wide range of potential applications. In particular, we have seen some major breakthroughs made in the field of 2D materials in last five years not only in developing novel synthetic methods and exploring new structures/properties but also in identifying innovative applications and pushing forward commercialisation. In this review, we provide a critical summary on the recent progress made in the field of 2D materials with a particular focus on last five years. After a brief backgroundintroduction, we first discuss the major synthetic methods for 2D materials, including the mechanical exfoliation, liquid exfoliation, vapor phase deposition, and wet-chemical synthesis as well as phase engineering of 2D materials belonging to the field of phase engineering of nanomaterials(PEN). We then introduce the superconducting/optical/magnetic properties and chirality of 2D materials along with newly emerging magic angle 2D superlattices. Following that, the promising applications of 2D materials in electronics, optoelectronics, catalysis, energy storage, solar cells, biomedicine, sensors, environments, etc. are described sequentially. Thereafter, we present the theoretic calculations and simulations of 2D materials. Finally, after concluding the current progress, we provide some personal discussions on the existing challenges and future outlooks in this rapidly developing field.

Tropical Cyclones in Nicaragua:Historical Impact and Contemporary Exposure to Disaster Risk

In tropical regions such as Nicaragua, the population's vulnerability to hazards has escalated in recent decades. This increase in vulnerability has led to a surge in disasters, particularly those triggered by intense hurricanes. The implications at the national level are still poorly understood. The aim of this article has, therefore, been two-fold. First, to present a historical review of the direct effects of tropical cyclones on society in Nicaragua from 1852 to 2020. Second, to analyze the statistical probabilities of future hurricane-spawned high winds over Nicaragua. Data on cyclones hitting Nicaragua's coasts were collected, including direct effects, wind speed, pressure, category, direction, and time of landfall. A database was created to classify intensity based on wind speed and frequency. Between 1852 and 2020, Nicaragua experienced 58 tropical cyclones with varying degrees of intensity between September and November. The trajectories of six past hurricanes were considered here regarding the areas that might have been under potential threat. Three zones of influence were delimited along each trajectory according to three wind intensities and the trajectory of these hurricanes. The consequent exposure of each Nicaraguan department and autonomous region was established. The findings are essential to delimitating priority areas for attention regarding the likely impact of tropical cyclones, mainly category 4 and 5 hurricanes. Public officials and the general public can use these data to identify the pressing need for enhanced strategies to mitigate disaster risk and avoid potential disasters.

Non-Hermitian topological coupler for elastic waves

Non-Hermitian topological systems,by combining the advantages of topological robustness and sensitivity induced by nonHermiticity,have recently emerged and attracted much research interest.Here,we propose a device based on the topological coupler in elastic waves with non-Hermiticity,which contains two topological domain walls and four ports.In this device,topological robustness routes the transmission of waves,while non-Hermiticity controls the gain or loss of waves as they propagate.These mechanisms result in continuous and quantitative control of the energy distribution ratio of each port.A nonHermitian Hamiltonian is introduced to reveal the coupling mechanism of the topological coupler,and a scattering matrix is proposed to predict the energy distribution ratio of each port.The proposed topological coupler,which provides a new paradigm for the non-Hermitian topological systems,can be employed as a sensitive beam splitter or a coupler switch.Moreover,the topological coupler has potential applications in information processing and logic operation in elastic circuits or networks,and the paradigm also applies to other classical systems.