Issue 4

Several adsorbents have been tried out by researchers to remove different pollutants from wastewater. However, the adverse effect of these biosorbents on the treated water and the possibility of leaching new pollutants to the treated water have not been investigated.  A batch technique was employed to study this phenomenon. Three agricultural wastes namely sawdust, dates stones and palm fibers were investigated. The possible leaching of total dissolved solids (TDS) and organic compounds in the form of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from these substances to water were investigated. The effect of water pH and particle size of these biosorbents on the extent of the leaching process was studied. The results indicate high release of both TDS and COD for the three biosorbents. A COD value as high as 230 mg l^-1 was obtained, while the highest TDS leached was 29 mg l^-1. DS was found to have the highest leaching ability, followed by SD and PF. The highest leaching was obtained at high pH and small particle size of the adsorbent.

The natural regeneration of Scots pine stands at the Sarakatsana location in the Pieria Mountains improved considerably after the removal of the dense ground vegetation followed mechanical soil scarification. The experimental design consisted of replications on scarified and non-scarified soil. The results four years after the experiment was set up showed that regeneration reached 59 seedlings m-2 in scarified and 7 seedlings m-2 in non-scarified soil. Soil scarification seems to have had a positive effect on the emergence and survival of naturally regenerated Scots pine. The negligible number of dead seedlings in the first two measurements could be due to the favourable site and/or good climatic conditions. Although the mother stand appears to be in a critical condition due to age and increased necrosis as a result of fungal attacks, there is still considerable potential for regeneration in terms of fructification and seed production. The study findings indicate that there can be new growth of Scots pine forest with the shelterwood method of natural regeneration in combination with soil scarification.

This paper analyzes the potential contribution of electric vehicles in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction over the next decade following a simulation procedure.  Emissions were assessed through a stepwise methodological approach at the transportation link level in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Firstly, different EV market penetration scenarios were introduced and compared to the base case scenario. Following these, the spatial distribution patterns of EVs were predicted using vehicle registration data for the Hamilton CMA as well as socioeconomic data obtained from census records. Properly modified matrices were used as input into our traffic simulation model in order to assign traffic on the network and estimate volumes for each of the links. To this end MOBILE 6.2C[1] was customized so as to compute the emission factors. The hourly emissions of each link were mapped in a GIS environment. We conclude that different utilization patterns result to varying spatial distributions of traffic related emissions in the links and even a modest adoption of EV technology may lead to their significant reduction.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the morphodynamic regime of the coastal area of Xylokastro (north coast of Peloponnese), in order to identify and evaluate the processes controlling its formation and evolution. Within this concept, a number of factors have been considered and evaluated; near-shore morphometry and granulometry along shore-normal profiles, the direction and potential volumes of long- and cross-shore sediment transport the decadal and future trends of coastline displacement, the available information for terrestrial sediment influx and the geological processes operating in the broader coastal region of Xylokastro (i.e. subaqueous slides) as well as human interference. On the basis of these results, the formation and evolution of this coastal stretch seems to be governed primarily by the neotectonic activity and relative change of sea level rise, and secondarily by the wave-induced near-shore sediment transport; the role of the latter could be enhanced substantially by human intervention (i.e. construction of marina, seafront walls). Moreover, the expected eustatic increase in sea level by the year 2100, could cause a coastline retreat up to 9 m (SLR=0.38 m) or >19 m (SLR≥1 m).