API src

Found 231 results.

Related terms

Element cycles in mountain regions under various land use

Das Projekt "Element cycles in mountain regions under various land use" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bayreuth, Fachgruppe Geowissenschaften, Bayreuther Zentrum für Ökologie und Umweltforschung (BayCEER), Lehrstuhl für Agrarökosystemforschung durchgeführt. Research question: What is the role of agricultural land use in changes of nutrient cycles and losses dependingon surface slope and climate? Approach: Annual balance of main nutrients for 3-4 main agricultural farms based on fertilizer input, partitioning of nutrients in above and below ground plant parts, output with harvest, losses with DOM and erosion (in collaboration with other TP). The balances will be done depending on agricultural practices in Eger and Haean Catchment and will be compared with adjacent grassland and forest. Obtained element cycles will be upscaled from farm area to the level of both catchments basins depending on specific land use, surface slope and climate. Research question: Can we reconstruct previous erosion and nutrient losses and separate them under forest and under agricultural use? Approach: Undisturbed sediment cores (7 for Eger and 7 for Haean) will be taken from the lakes and soils of landscapes subordinated to agricultural fields. Three radiocarbon data of wood particles at increasing depth for each sediment core will be used as references. The age of the bottom sediment layer should be less than 1000 years. The total content of C, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Si will be analyzed in individual laminae or sediment layers. Conclusions will be drawn based on the thickness of the laminae, their elements content and the ratio between nutrients and Si. The conclusions will be proven by 13C (vegetation change) and 15N (N input by fertilizers) of individual laminae. Research question: What are the best management practices for sloping uplands? Approach: Measured element cycles and losses under various agriculture practice will be analysed and practices with the least nutrient losses and erosion will be selected. The best management practices for landscapes with different slopes will be elaborated.

Effect of weed management strategies on the risk of enteric pathogen transfer into the food chain and lettuce yield and quality

Das Projekt "Effect of weed management strategies on the risk of enteric pathogen transfer into the food chain and lettuce yield and quality" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bonn, Institut für Organischen Landbau durchgeführt. The risk of pathogen transfer from soil to plant, here: lactuca sativa var. capitata, under organic farming conditions is to be investigated within the scope of the QLIF project. When brute fertilisers are applied during production, a health risk by consuming raw eadibles, as e.g. lettuce, is often discussed because of the demanding high standard of sanitation. The type of fertiliser might promote transfer of Enterobacteriaceae, and among these possibly human pathogens. Splash-effects during rainfall and irrigation as well as transfer of soil particles during mechanical weed control. Risks of the pathogen transfer into lettuce will be examined by use of different fertilisation and weed control management strategies, the latter being compared regarding their effectiveness in reducing pathogen transfer. Different field trials with organic fertilisation will be performed in 2006 and 2007. The contents of Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli are used as sanitation indicators for the assessment of the effectivity of weed control strategies. Therefore, the contents will be measured in soil as well as in plants. Furthermore, the quality of lettuce will be acquired by analyses of nutrient composition and morphological measurements.

Grey water treatment in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor

Das Projekt "Grey water treatment in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Institut für Abwasserwirtschaft und Gewässerschutz B-2 durchgeführt. In ecological sanitation, the wastewater is considered not only as a pollutant, but also as a resource for fertiliser, water and energy and for closing water and nutrients cycles (Otterpohl et. al., 1999; Otterpohl et. al., 2003; Elmitwalli et al. 2005). The ecological sanitation based on separation between grey and black water (and even between faeces and urine), is considered a visible future solution for wastewater collection and treatment. Grey water, which symbolises the wastewater generated in the household excluding toilet wastewater (black water), represents the major volume of the domestic wastewater (60- 75 percent) with low content of nutrients and pathogens (Otterpohl et. al., 1999; Jefferson et al., 1999; Eriksson et al., 2002). Most of grey-water treatment plants include one or two-step septic-tank for pre-treatment (Otterpohl et al., 2003). The grey-water treatment needs both physical and biological processes for removal of particles, dissolved organic-matters and pathogens (Jefferson et al., 1999). Recently, many researchers have studied the grey-water treatment either by application of high-rate aerobic systems, like rotating biological contactor (Nolde, 1999), fluidised bed (Nolde, 1999), aerobic filter (Jefferson et al., 2000), membrane bioreactor (Jefferson et al., 2000), or by application of low-rate systems, like slow sand filter (Jefferson et al., 1999), vertical flow wetlands (Otterpohl et. al., 2003). Although high-rate anaerobic systems, which are low-cost systems, have both physical and biological removal, no research has been done until now on grey water in these systems. The grey water contains a significant amount (41 percent) of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the domestic wastewater (Otterpohl et al., 2003) and this amount can be removed by the highrate anaerobic systems. Although high-rate anaerobic systems have been successfully operated in tropical regions for domestic wastewater treatment, the process up till now is not applied in lowtemperature regions. The COD removal is limited for domestic wastewater treatment in high-rate anaerobic systems at low temperatures and, therefore, a long HRT is needed for providing sufficient hydrolysis of particulate organic (Zeeman and Lettinga, 1999; Elmitwalli et al. 2002). The grey water has a relatively higher temperature (18-38 degree C), as compared to the domestic wastewater (Eriksson et al. 2002), because the grey water originates from hot water sources, like shower (29 degree C), kitchen (27-38 degree C) and laundry (28-32 degree C). Therefore, high-rate anaerobic systems might run efficiently for on-site grey water treatment, even in low-temperature regions. The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor is the most applied system for anaerobic domestic waster treatment. Accordingly, the aim of this research is to study the feasibility of application of UASB reactor for the treatment of grey water at low and controlled (30 degree C) temperatures.

Impact of transgenic crops on fertility of soils with different management history

Das Projekt "Impact of transgenic crops on fertility of soils with different management history" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Deutschland e.V. durchgeführt. What impact does transgenic maize have on soil fertility? Among the factors that determine soil fertility is the diversity of the bacteria living in it. This is in turn affected by the form of agriculture practiced on the land. What role do transgenic plants play in this interaction? Background Soil fertility is the product of the interactions between the parental geological material from which the soil originated, the climate and colonization by soil organisms. Soil organisms and their diversity play a major role in soil fertility, and these factors can be affected by the way the soil is managed. The type of farming, i.e. how fertilizers and pesticides are used, has a major impact on the fertility of the soil. It is known that the complex interaction of bacterial diversity and other soil properties regulates the efficacy of plant resistance. But little is known about how transgenic plants affect soil fertility. Objectives The project will investigate selected soil processes as indicators for how transgenic maize may possibly alter soil fertility. The intention is in particular to establish whether the soil is better able to cope with such effects if it contains a great diversity of soil bacteria. Methods Transgenic maize will be planted in climate chambers containing soils managed in different ways. The soil needed for these trials originates from open field trials that have been used for decades to compare various forms of organic and conventional farming. These soils differ, for example, in the way they have been treated with pesticides and fertilizers and thus also with respect to their diversity of bacteria. The trial with transgenic maize will measure various parameters: the number of soil bacteria and the diversity of their species, the quantity of a small number of selected nutrients and the decomposition of harvest residues. It will be possible to conclude from this work how transgenic plants affect soil fertility. Significance The project will create an important basis for developing risk assessments that incorporate the effects of transgenic plants on soil fertility.

Palaeo-Evo-Devo of Malacostraca - a key to the evolutionary history of 'higher' crustaceans

Das Projekt "Palaeo-Evo-Devo of Malacostraca - a key to the evolutionary history of 'higher' crustaceans" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Greifswald, Zoologisches Institut und Museum, Abteilung Cytologie und Evolutionsbiologie durchgeführt. In my project I aim at a better understanding of the evolution of malacostracan crustaceans, which includes very different groups such as mantis shrimps, krill and lobsters. Previous studies on Malacostraca, on extant as well as on fossil representatives, focussed on adult morphology.In contrast to such approaches, I will apply a Palaeo-Evo-Devo approach to shed new light on the evolution of Malacostraca. Palaeo-Evo-Devo uses data of different developmental stages of fossil malacostracan crustaceans, such as larval and juvenile stages. With this approach I aim at bridging morphological gaps between the different diverse lineages of modern malacostracans by providing new insights into the character evolution in these lineages.An extensive number of larval and juvenile malacostracans is present in the fossil record, but which have only scarcely been studied. The backbone of this project will be on malacostracans from the Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones (ca. 150 million years old), which are especially well preserved and exhibit minute details. During previous studies, I developed new documentation methods for tiny fossils from these deposits, e.g., fluorescence composite microscopy, and also discovered the first fossil mantis shrimp larvae. For malcostracan groups that do not occur in Solnhofen, I will investigate fossils from other lagerstätten, e.g., Mazon Creek and Bear Gulch (USA), or Montceaules- Mines and La-Voulte-sur-Rhône (France). The main groups in focus are mantis shrimps and certain other shrimps (e.g., mysids, caridoids), as well as the bottom-living ten-footed crustaceans (reptantians). Examples for studied structures are leg details, including the feeding apparatus, but also eyes. The results will contribute to the reconstruction of 3D computer models.The data collected in this project will be used for evaluating the relationships within Malacostraca, but mainly for providing plausible evolutionary scenarios, how the modern malacostracan diversity evolved. With the Palaeo-Evo-Devo approach, I am also able to detect shifts in developmental timing, called heterochrony, which is interpreted as one of the major driving forces of evolution. Finally, the reconstructed evolutionary patterns can be compared between the different lineages for convergencies. These comparisons might help to explain the convergent adaptation to similar ecological niches in different malacostracan groups, e.g., life in the deep sea, life on the sea bottom, evolution of metamorphosis or of predatory larvae.As the project requires the investigation of a large number of specimens in different groups, I will assign distinct sub-projects to three doctoral researchers. The results of this project will not only be published in peer-reviewed journals, but will also be presented to the non-scientific public, e.g., during fossil fairs or museum exhibitions with 3D models engraved in glass blocks.

Aufkommen und Verwertung von Verpackungsabfällen in Deutschland im Jahr 2019

Das Projekt "Aufkommen und Verwertung von Verpackungsabfällen in Deutschland im Jahr 2019" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von GVM Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung mbH durchgeführt. Nach der EU-Richtlinie 94/62/EG über Verpackungen und Verpackungsabfälle vom 20.12.1994 in Verbindung mit der Richtlinie 2018/852 vom 30. Mai 2018 sind die EU-Mitgliedstaaten verpflichtet, jährlich über Verbrauch und Verwertung von Verpackungen zu berichten. Der Bericht hat auf der Grundlage der Entscheidung der Kommission vom 22.03.2005 zur Festlegung der Tabellenformate (2005/270/EG), zuletzt geändert durch den Durchführungsbeschluss (EU) 2019/665 vom 17. April 2019, zu erfolgen. Die Studie bestimmt die in Deutschland in Verkehr gebrachte Menge an Verpackungen (Verpackungsverbrauch) für die Materialgruppen Glas, Kunststoff, Papier / Karton, Aluminium, Eisenmetalle, Holz und Sonstige. Zur Verbrauchsberechnung wurden neben der in Deutschland eingesetzten Menge von Verpackungen auch die gefüllten Exporte und die gefüllten Importe ermittelt. Zur Bestimmung der Verwertungsmengen und Verwertungswege wurden die vorliegenden Daten von Verbänden, der Entsorgungswirtschaft und der Umweltstatistik systematisch zusammengetragen und dokumentiert. Der Verpackungsverbrauch zur Entsorgung stieg 2019 im Vergleich zum Vorjahr um 0,2 % bzw. um 47 kt auf 18,91 Mio. Tonnen an. Insgesamt 18,33 Mio. Tonnen Verpackungsabfälle wurden 2019 verwertet, 13,53 Mio. Tonnen stofflich und 4,8 Mio. Tonnen energetisch. Darüber hinaus dokumentiert der Bericht auch die Verbrauchs- und Recyclingmengen nach der Berechnungsmethode des Durchführungsbeschlusses (EU) 2019/665, die für die Meldung an die Europäische Kommission maßgebend sind. Der Verpackungsverbrauch ändert sich im Gesamtergebnis nicht. Die Recyclingmenge reduziert sich im Vergleich zur bisherigen Berechnungsmethode um 1,4 Mio. Tonnen auf 12,1 Mio. Tonnen. Die Menge der energetisch verwerteten Verpackungen erhöht sich um 1,2 Mio. Tonnen auf 6 Mio. Tonnen.

Improvement of oil palm wood by bio resin application

Das Projekt "Improvement of oil palm wood by bio resin application" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Dresden, Fachrichtung Forstwissenschaften, Institut für Forstnutzung und Forsttechnik, Professur für Forstnutzung durchgeführt. Reinforcement of oil palm wood by using Bioresin to improve its physical, mechanical and machinery properties. Concerning the utilization of oil palm wood, which is available in large number throughout the year, especially when the mature plants has reached its economic life span (approx. 25 years). Normally, this mature plant should be replanting. According to the projection of oil palm plantation development in Indonesia, there are more than 16 million cubic meter of this bulky material starting 2010. This large amount of biomass, if no real effort, will become a serious problem. Unfortunately, the current replanting method (push-felled) sounds risky and in several companies follow by burning method, which is really not solve problem, but creating the other serious problem, such as air pollution. The oil palm wood characteristics as a monocotyledons species is naturally quite different compare to the common wood (dicotyledonous). Originally the oil palm tree has various densities along the trunk and its density decreased linearly with trunk height and towards the centre of the trunk. Green oil palm trunk is also very susceptible to fungal and insect attack due to the high sugar and starch content. Hence, the utilization of this material is not fully utilized yet and still poses a serious environmental problem. Yet, compared to the various intensive researches and the economically important of the oil palm, processing technology and diversification of palm oil based products mainly from CPO and PKO, the oil palm solid waste, particularly the oil palm wood, has received relatively little research attention. This might be due to lack or insufficient the scientific information and Know-How of this material and might be also due to the difficulties of using with the OPT. Although several investigations have already conducted in the field of OPT, but a sufficient knowledge shall be achieved in order to design and establish the new tailor-made wood products based on oil palm wood. Hence, this study was directed to focus the characteristics of OPT including anatomical, physical, mechanical and machinery properties, and in order to use the OPT for structural purposes, the wood properties of OPT were improved and reinforced with Bioresin through the development of wood modification techniques.

Water use characteristics of bamboo (South China)

Das Projekt "Water use characteristics of bamboo (South China)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Göttingen, Burckhardt-Institut, Abteilung Waldbau und Waldökologie der Tropen durchgeführt. Bamboos (Poaceae) are widespread in tropical and subtropical forests. Particularly in Asia, bamboos are cultivated by smallholders and increasingly in large plantations. In contrast to trees, reliable assessments of water use characteristics for bamboo are very scarce. Recently we tested a set of methods for assessing bamboo water use and obtained first results. Objectives of the proposed project are (1) to further test and develop the methods, (2) to compare the water use of different bamboo species, (3) to analyze the water use to bamboo size relationship across species, and (4) to assess effects of bamboo culm density on the stand-level transpiration. The study shall be conducted in South China where bamboos are very abundant. It is planned to work in a common garden (method testing), a botanical garden (species comparison, water use to size relationship), and on-farm (effects of culm density). Method testing will include a variety of approaches (thermal dissipation probes, stem heat balance, deuterium tracing and gravimetry), whereas subsequent steps will be based on thermal methods. The results may contribute to an improved understanding of bamboo water use characteristics and a more appropriate management of bamboo with respect to water resources.

Transports and variability-driving mechanisms in Flemish Pass at the western boundary of the subpolar North Atlantic (FLEPVAR)

Das Projekt "Transports and variability-driving mechanisms in Flemish Pass at the western boundary of the subpolar North Atlantic (FLEPVAR)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Hamburg, Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Institut für Meereskunde durchgeführt. Labrador Sea Water (LSW) formed in the Labrador Sea constitutes the lightest contribution to North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), a conglomerate of water masses that form the cold return flow of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Climate variability can be modulated by changes in the MOC strength; such changes are thought to be linked to variations in LSW formation. The Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is the main southward pathway for newly formed LSW. Topographic obstacles at the southern exit of the Labrador Sea split the DWBC into an upper branch carrying LSW through Flemish Pass (1200m sill depth) and a branch carrying all NADW components along the continental slope around Flemish Cap. Up to now, transports through Flemish Pass and their contribution to the MOC are still uncertain, the importance of the pass for the export of LSW and its associated variability are yet unknown. In this project the transports through Flemish Pass will be quantified, and mechanisms driving and governing the variability of the flow will be investigated. The project focuses on the following questions: What is the magnitude of transports for waters passing through Flemish Pass and their associated variability? Which processes drive the variability? What is the relevance of the deep water export through Flemish Pass for the MOC, especially when compared to the DWBC export? Are both deep water export pathways (through Flemish Pass or around Flemish Cap) coupled? What processes govern the inflow of deep water into Flemish Pass? To answers these questions, ship-based measurements and time series from moored instruments in the Flemish Pass will be analyzed in conjunction with output from two state-of-the-art Ocean models run at high-resolution.

Biopores in the subsoil: Formation, nutrient turnover and effects on crops with distinct rooting systems (BioFoNT)

Das Projekt "Biopores in the subsoil: Formation, nutrient turnover and effects on crops with distinct rooting systems (BioFoNT)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Bonn, Institut für Organischen Landbau durchgeführt. Perennial fodder cropping potentially increases subsoil biopore density by formation of extensive root systems and temporary soil rest. We will quantify root length density, earthworm abundance and biopore size classes after Medicago sativa, Cichorium intybus and Festuca arundinacea grown for 1, 2 and 3 years respectively in the applied research unit's Central Field Trial (CeFiT) which is established and maintained by our working group. Shoot parameters including transpiration, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence will frequently be recorded. Precrop effects on oilseed rape and cereals will be quantified with regard to crop yield, nutrient transfer and H2-release. The soil associated with biopores (i.e. the driloshpere) is generally rich in nutrients as compared to the bulk soil and is therefore supposed to be a potential hot spot for nutrient acquisition. However, contact areas between roots and the pore wall have been reported to be low. It is still unclear to which extent the nutrients present in the drilosphere are used and which potential relevance subsoil biopores may have for the nutrient supply of crops. We will use a flexible videoscope to determine the root-soil contact in biopores. Nitrogen input into the drilosphere by earthworms and potential re-uptake of nitrogen from the drilosphere by subsequent crops with different rooting systems (oilseed rape vs. cereals) will be quantified using 15N as a tracer.

1 2 3 4 522 23 24