In September 2016, the European Commission started an information exchange with member states, industry associations and NGOs on best available techniques for waste gas treatment in the chemical sector. Aim of the information exchange is the development of a Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document on Common Waste Gas Treatment in the Chemical Sector (WGC BREF ). With this research report, the German Environment Agency ( UBA ) contributes to the information exchange. The objective of the project was the compilation and assessment of air emission values from installations of the chemical industry sector in Germany, considering related waste gas treatment. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 16/2017.
Internationale UBA-Konferenz berät über nachhaltige Wohlstandsmodelle Konzepte für Grüne Zukunftsmärkte und eine ‘Green Economy‘ stehen im Mittelpunkt der internationalen UBA-Konferenz „Green Markets - World of Sustainable Products“ am 29. und 30.09.2011 in der Urania Berlin. ‘Green Economy‘ steht für ein energie- und ressourceneffizientes Wirtschaften. Damit soll weltweit eine nachhaltige Entwicklung initiiert werden, die Armut abbaut und ökologische Grenzen einhält. Einen wichtigen Schritt dazu bilden Investitionen in grüne Zukunftsmärkte. Die Tagung findet im Vorfeld der Rio+20-Konferenz im Juni 2012 statt, bei der die internationale Staatengemeinschaft über Wege zur ökologischen Modernisierung von Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft verhandelt. „Green Economy ist eine Schlüsselstrategie um Hunger und Armut in der Welt erfolgreich zu bekämpfen und die weltweite wirtschaftliche Entwicklung in den Grenzen der ökologischen Belastbarkeit unseres Planeten zu halten“, sagt UBA-Präsident Jochen Flasbarth. The pathway to a green economy provides industrial and developing countries with the prospect of ensuring prosperity without encroaching on the limits of the environment. In June 2012 – 20 years after the 1992 Rio Conference – the international community will gather at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). At this so-called ‘Rio +20’ Conference the parties to the conference will discuss how the global community can move towards becoming an environmentally friendly, resource-saving and energy-efficient ‘green economy.’ Flasbarth comments, “Environmental protection may not be regarded as a niche policy. Development towards a green economy not only affects green sectors, but the very core of the economy“. Investment in green future markets lays the groundwork for a green economy. The Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Environment Agency have identified six green lead markets for Germany: environmentally friendly energy production, energy efficiency, material and resource efficiency, sustainable mobility, sustainable water management, and waste and recycling management. On a global scale these markets alone hold enormous potential valued at up to 3.1 trillion euros by 2020. The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, published on 20 September 2011, details the key components for a transition to an energy and resource-efficient economy in Europe. European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potočnik comments, “In a cooperative effort of Member States and interest groups in industry and civil society, we must create the conditions in which our economy can undergo fundamental changes in the coming years. We must send the right market signals, abolish subsidies harmful to the environment, and promote sustainable production and consumption.” Resource efficiency must be borne in mind in all policy-making areas- from waste management, research and innovation, to energy and transport. If nothing else, a true green economy will help to reduce absolute poverty in developing countries. The UN Environment Programme-led Green Economy Initiative of 2008 launched has made several proposals to this end. UNECE General Secretary Ján Kubiš comments, “Investment in natural capital—water, soil, ecosystems- not only makes an important contribution to global climate protection and the preservation of biodiversity, it also represents an investment in the economic viability of billions of people“. Dessau-Roßlau, 29.09.2011
„Die vorgelegte Studie befasst sich mit Langzeituntersuchungen epibenthischer Tierarten an zwei Untersuchungsstationen im Jadebusen während eines Zeitraumes von 13 Jahren sowie mit einem Vergleich von Untersuchungen einer endobenthischen Gemeinschaft der Jahre 1952 und 1987 zur Feststellung möglicher Schäden durch Fischerei und Verklappungsaktivitäten sowie lokal eingeleiteter Schadstoffe.“ „The paper deals with long-term studies of macrobenthic species of Jade Bay (North Sea) during a period of 13 years. Comparative investigations of an endobenthic community, carried out in 1952 and1987, are used to state possible natural damages by local fisheries, dumping activities an locally introduced chemical waste.”
Das Projekt "Evaluation of the implementation of the European Union Forest Action Plan (FAP)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hamburg, Arbeitsbereich für Weltforstwirtschaft und Institut für Weltforstwirtschaft des Friedrich-Löffler-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Tiergesundheit durchgeführt. Building on the Council Resolution of 15 December 1998 on a forestry strategy for the European Union, the report on the implementation of the EU Forestry Strategy and consequent Council Conclusions, the EU Forest Action Plan was adopted on 15 June 2006. Drafting of the Action Plan involved consultations with the Member States and acceding countries (through the Standing Forestry Committee SFC), stakeholders (through the Advisory Group on Forestry and Cork AGFC and individual contributions), and cooperation among Commission services. The overall aim of the EU Forest Action Plan is to support and enhance sustainable forest management and multifunctional role of forests. It provides a framework for the implementation of forest-related actions at Community and Member States level, and serves as an instrument of co-ordination between different Community actions as well as between Community actions and forest policies of the Member States. The Action Plan has four objectives: - to improve the long-term competitiveness, to improve and protect the environment, to contribute to the quality of life, and to foster coordination and communication. These objectives are targeted with eighteen key actions in the EU Forest Action Plan, which the European Commission and the Member States are to implement. For implementation of the Action Plan a five-year work programme (2007-2011) has been established. It indicates fifty-five activities that will provide guidance to the Commission, Member States and stakeholders in implementation of the Action Plan, which started in 2007. The Forest Action Plan is to be evaluated at mid-term (2009) and after the five-year running period (2012). The purpose, aim and tasks of the evaluation of the EU Forest Action Plan will be to: ' analyse if the implementation is on track for meeting the objectives of the Action Plan, whether these objectives have been met so far, if the Action Plan has led to any side effects and whether the instruments used are relevant, effective and efficient. This analysis should also be carried out in the light of key developments for the forest sectors in the Member States, and at European and international levels.'
Das Projekt "New Aero Engine Core Concepts (NEWAC)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG durchgeführt. NEWAC will provide a step change for low emission engines by introducing new innovative core configurations to strongly reduce CO2 and NOx emissions. This breakthrough will be achieved by developing and validating new core configurations using heat management (intercooler, cooling air cooler, recuperator), improved combustion, active systems and improved core components. NEWAC will design and manufacture these innovative components and perform model, rig and core tests to validate the critical technologies. The NEWAC core configurations include an Inter-cooled Recuperative Aero engine (IRA) operating at low overall pressure ratio (OPR), an inter-cooled core configuration operating at high OPR, an active core and a flow controlled core operating at medium OPR. NEWAC will complement past and existing EC projects in the field, e.g. EEFAE in FP5 and VITAL in FP6. The main result will be fully validated new technologies enabling a 6Prozent reduction in CO2 emissions and a further 16Prozent reduction in NOx relative to ICAO-LTO cycle. Most importantly, the project will address the challenges involved in delivering these benefits simultaneously. NEWAC will deliver together with EEFAE (-11Prozent CO2, -60Prozent NOx), national programs and expected results of VITAL, the overall CO2 reduction of 20Prozent and the NOx reduction close to 80Prozent at a technology readiness level of 5, contributing to the attainment of the ACARE targets. NEWAC will achieve this technology breakthrough by integrating 41 actors from the European leading engine manufacturers, the engine-industry supply chain, key European research institutes and SMEs with specific expertise. The advance and benefits that NEWAC will bring to Europe in terms of more efficient and environmental-friendly air transport will be disseminated widely to all stakeholders. Furthermore a training programme will ensure the transfer of expertise and knowledge to the wider research community and especially to the new member states of the EU.
Das Projekt "Bewirtschaftung von Grasland in Europa als nachhaltige Ressource in einem sich aendernden Klima" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von GSF - Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit GmbH, Expositionskammern (EPOKA) durchgeführt. General Information: Grasslands are an important and widespread type of vegetation but they vary greatly in relation to composition, production and methods of utilisation in Europe. The grasslands range from intensively managed, single species, sown swards to semi-natural and natural communities. Permanent grasslands are the most widespread and are estimated to occupy more than 30 per cent of total land area in Ireland, Britain and France although in Nordic and Baltic countries and in some Mediterranean regions, where there are problems of persistence, annual grasses are more important. All grasslands, even the natural and semi-natural communities, are maintained in their present state by man's activities and those of his livestock. Their species compositions and their structure has been determined by a combination of climatic, edaphic and anthropogenic forces. The result of this is a series of different grassland communities, typically composed of a complex mixture of perennial grasses, nitrogen fixing legumes and non-fixing dicots of different growth forms (functional types). The aim of this project is to investigate the long-term responses of a representative selection of European semi-natural grassland ecosystems to elevated CO2 and climate change across a European transect which exploits the natural gradients in environmental variables. The study will centre on the mechanisms governing changes in the structure of the grassland communities, as well as on the consequences of these changes for essential ecosystem functions (carbon uptake and storage; water budget; nutrient fluxes), and for forage supply (herbivory) and soil processes (decomposition) that are affected by the quality (e.g. carbohydrate and protein contents) of these plant tissues. The objectives of this project are to test the following hypotheses: 1. That interactions between components of global change (CO2, temperature, rainfall, nitrogen deposition) and management practices (nitrogen fertilisation, cutting frequency, grazing) affect the growth, development and productivity of grassland ecosystems and carbon sequestration in the soil organic matter. 2. That global change affects the structure and botanical composition of grassland ecosystems, because the impacts will be different for each of the functional types. 3. That global change, through changes in tissue quality, will have an impact on the activity of grass herbivores (above-ground) and decomposers (below-ground). 4. That models can be used to simulate and predict the responses of grasslands to global change and furthermore they can be used on a European scale to ensure the development of sustainable management systems in a changing climate. 5. That management and environmental policy concerning grasslands can be directed towards land-use practices that could mitigate the effects of global change. Prime Contractor: University of dublin, Trinity College, School of Botany; Dublin/Ireland.
Das Projekt "Ein Vergleich zu den Strategien des Umgangs mit Naturkatastrophen in EU-Mitgliedsstaaten" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Trier, European Association for Environmental Management Education - Focal Point Trier -, Europäisches Diplom in Umweltwissenschaften durchgeführt. The aim of this project is to give suggestions to improve the management of disasters due to flood, analysing its management phases: preparedness, prevention, response and recovery, on the basis of the scientific methods and the available technological tools. At first the project gives a characterisation of a flood from a physical point of view. The flood event is considered as a complex phenomenon, the causes and effects of which are regulated by a set of relationships that involve both the natural and human environment. It illustrates methods available to manage natural disasters and proposes an alternative approach to the planning stage of the preparedness and prevention phases. It discusses the management of flood events occurred recently in the EU on the basis of methods currently available, lessons learnt from the above events and the methods proposed. Finally, some suggestions based on the experience gained are given to improve the effectiveness of the management of future disasters due to floods. This project is based on material from the pilot project being undertaken by the JRC Ispra to establish a Community Information and Consultation System on Natural Disasters to support authorities and experts involved in natural disasters, with the aim to facilitate the dissemination of information and the sharing of experiences through the Member States.
Das Projekt "Pilot dismantling of the KRB-A BWR. Dismantling of contaminated components of the reactor building and to activated internals of the reactor pressure vessel - Development and application of concrete sawing and melt encapsulation (Onion packa)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Kernkraftwerk RWE-Bayernwerk GmbH durchgeführt. Objective: The prototype Boiling Water Reactor Gundremmingen A (KRB-A BWR) of the Kernkraftwerk RWE-Bayernwerk GmbH (KRB) had a capacity of 250 MWe and was operated from 1966 to 1977. Dismantling work has been started for some time (especially the turbine hall has been dismantled), and complete removal of the power station is foreseen to be completed by 2000. The 2 foregoing EC programmes have been involved by 4 R and D contracts in the past dismantling work on KRB-A. KRB-A dismantling is a European undertaking according to the definition of the Euratom Treaty. Considering that the experience to be gained from the dismantling of the first representative nuclear installations in the Community should be made available to all Member States, the Commission selected KRB-A as a pilot dismantling project for the 1989-93 R and D programme on the decommissioning of nuclear installations. The Commission, through shared-cost participation in specific parts of the project, intends promoting the use of advanced techniques and the performance of collateral investigations, in order to enhance the generation of useful knowledge and experience to serve in subsequent decommissioning tasks. In particular, the generation of specific data on costs, working hours and job doses as well as on the amount of created secondary waste is considered as an important objective of this project. The assessment of techniques and procedures will be performed in collaboration with CEN/SCK Mol and VAK-GmbH, which are decommissioning the Pressurised Water Reactor BR-3 and the VAK BWR, respectively. The results and conclusions of the assessment work undertaken in contract FI2D0002 are taken into account for the implementation of work in this contract. As a BWR, KRB-A is representative for such reactors, existing elsewhere in the Community. The first phase of the contract involves the dismantling and segmenting of contaminated components of the reactor building in air (partly with subsequent decontamination), and of activated internals of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in remotely controlled underwater operation. Estimations of maximal values for specific contamination or activation are in the order of 10 superscript 4 and 10 superscript 6 Bq/square cm, respectively. The second phase contains the development of specific tools and the segmentation of further steel components and concrete structures as well as the development of procedures for the conditioning of molten steel (onion package) and of decontamination waste. General Information: WORK PROGRAMME. 1. Dismantling in air of contaminated and low-activated components of the reactor building, partly with subsequent decontaminating/melting. 1.1. Dismantling of a secondary steam generator with various tools (band saw, flame cutting). 1.2. Dismantling of a primary circulation pump by band saw. 1.3. Dismantling of a primary clean-up cooler with various tools (band saw, diamond-tipped wire saw). 1.4. Dismantling of a shutdown ...
Das Projekt "Barrier performance of cements and concretes in nuclear waste repositories" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Sicherheitsforschung und Reaktortechnik durchgeführt. General Information: Cement barriers have been demonstrated to provide physical and chemical containment of nuclear waste. The problem has been to verify the mechanistic basis of their performance now and in the future. The project aims at unifying practical and theoretical approaches to performance testing and prediction The fundamental science of immobilisation will be developed by enhancing computer-based models of chemical behaviour and linking chemical models with physical models of transport properties of permeable materials and of cracked barriers. Modest data base expansion will be undertaken. Test methods will be developed which realistically accelerate degradation of cements in a range of natural environments. These test methods will be applied to a range of inactive simulants as well as active wastes. Furthermore, they will be closely linked with field trials at Mol and with the computer-based simulations described above. The inactive components of radioactive waste streams may interfere with performance. Consequently, the impact of waste stream constituents such as flocs upon leach properties and performance will be determined. Inactive simulant and active cemented waste samples will be tested at Mol using oxidised and fresh (reduced) clay. These realistic tests will parallel accelerated laboratory leach and modelling predictions, the three sets of results from computer modelling, from accelerated tests and from actual exposure will be critically compared and evaluated. The range of temperatures will be 20-85 C and groundwater compositions range from pure to saline. The Mol pure water composition will provide an important benchmark. The methodology used throughout will be standard but state-of-the-art. The participants have all had extensive experience in the field and, in many instances, will have worked together in the course of previous EC programmes. The coordinator will work with partners to ensure the best possible sharing of experience to enhance the value of the project to the Community and its member states. Prime Contractor: University of Aberdeen, Department of Chemistry; Aberdeen; United Kingdom.
Das Projekt "Biomarkers in marine sponges: Molecular approaches to assess pollutional risk and ecosystem health in the ocean in order to support management for its sustainable use" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Mainz, Institut für Physiologische Chemie und Pathobiochemie durchgeführt. General Information/Objectives: General objectives of the research: - To establish reliable biomarkers which allow (I) an assessment of pollution risks and (II) the estimation of the health of animals in their marine milieu. - To prepare the scientific prerequisites for guidelines to be made public to guarantee a sustainable use of the sea. As such, the present project concentrates on the development of novel molecular biological techniques to monitor the environmental quality of the marine milieu. By this approach, the changes in different pollutant levels in the sea water will be assessed before they cause irreparable damage to the communities. Marker organisms: Sponges, ubiquitously occurring organisms, will be used for the first time to establish novel biomarkers to estimate different types of pollution in the sea. Biomarkers: The effect of environmental stress on sponges will be studied using two types of biomarkers: (I) biomarkers of exposure (here: heat shock protein HSP70 and DnaJ protein homolog), which are indicative for an exposure to an environmental stress but not for its possibly adverse, toxic effects on these organisms, and (II) biomarkers of effect (here: apoptosis-inducible MA-3 protei homolog), which are indicative both for exposure and occurrence of adverse (toxic) effects. Specific objectives of the proposed research are: - To determine the relationship between levels of pollutants, levels of stress and health state of benthic communities by screening for stress proteins in different sponges used as target organisms of the communities and searching for biological and cytological effects. The stress proteins (biomarkers of exposure heat shock protein-70 and Dnal protein homolog, and the marker for apoptosis, the MA-3 protein homolog (biomarker of effect), will be monitored. - To apply the multixenobiotic resistance mechanism in marine sponges for the evaluation of environmental pollution by toxic compounds. - To study the effects of the stress on the production of bioactive substances sponges. - To establish routine assay systems using molecular probes. EXPLOITATlON: Publication in refereed scientific journals and in patent applications. Presentation at scientific meetings. Industrial perspectives: Development of routine test systems (HSP70, DnaJhOm, MA 3hom, determination of multixenobiotic resistance pump). BENEFITS 11 S: This innovative, in vivo and in vitro approach allows - the determination of the effects of pollutants in aquatic environments, - the assessment of changes in pollutant levels in sea water7 by fast, low cost, efficient and standardized protocols, and - a prediction of the health of animal populations for coming socio-economic developments. EUROPEAN DIMENSION: This project can only be carried out at the Community level because the expertise as such is not available in a single EU country. The three applying groups complement each other; German partner: molecular biology, cell biology of sponges; ...