scholarly journals Preparation and Characterization of a Selective Polymer-Based Solar Absorber for Building Integration

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7861
Author(s):  
Miroslav Čekon ◽  
Karel Struhala ◽  
Daniel Kopkáně
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Solar Absorption ◽  
Solar Absorber ◽  
Thermal Emissivity ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
New Applications

Recent technological advances in solar absorber production may have created opportunities for new applications of these materials in buildings. A low-emissivity enhanced polymer-based absorber foil was developed and prototyped to demonstrate feasibility of the concept. This paper describes key development factors leading to a particular composition of the prototype and its testing, specifically spectroscopy measurements (both for shortwave and longwave regions) and environmental impact assessment of its production. It also provides comparison of the tested parameters with commercially available absorbers. The results show that the developed absorber has relatively good thermal emissivity (approx. 0.3), high solar absorption (0.95) and selectivity (3.2), and significantly lower (up to 98%) environmental impacts compared to the commercially available metal-based solar selective absorbers.

scholarly journals Beyond Public Particpation: The disjuncture between South Africa's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Law and Sustainable Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
T Murombo
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Legal Provisions

One of the key strategies for achieving sustainable development is the use of the process of evaluating the potential environmental impacts of development activities. The procedure of environmental impact assessment (EIA) implements the principle of integration which lies at the core of the concept of sustainable development by providing a process through which potential social, economic and environmental impacts of activities are scrutinised and planned for. Sustainable development may not be achieved without sustained and legally mandated efforts to ensure that development planning is participatory. The processes of public participation play a crucial role in ensuring the integration of the socio-economic impacts of a project into the environmental decision-making processes. Public participation is not the only process, nor does the process always ensure the achievement of sustainable development. Nevertheless, decisions that engage the public have the propensity to lead to sustainable development. The public participation provisions in South Africa’s EIA regulations promulgated under the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 show a disjuncture between the idea of public participation and the notion of sustainable development. The provisions do not create a framework for informed participation and leave a wide discretion to environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs) regarding the form which participation should assume. In order for environmental law, specifically EIA laws, to be effective as tools to promote sustainable development the laws must, among other things, provide for effective public participation. The judiciary must also aid in the process by giving content to the legal provisions on public participation in the EIA process.

scholarly journals Environmental impact assessment of proposed NH-6 of Chhattisgarh

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Vikram Singh Rajput ◽  
Santosh Kumar Sar ◽  
Shweta Singh ◽  
Vijita Diwan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Environment Protection ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Toll Road ◽  
National Highway ◽  
Road Project

NH 6 is the national highway which connects Mumbai to Kolkata. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for the proposed NH 6 Toll Road project has been undertaken in accordance with the EIA Regulations. Proposed project road connecting the villages and towns by providing better quality and safe roads to the users in a sustainable and environment friendly manner. Government of India (GoI) through Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) enforces Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 for environmental protection because of intervention of new projects or activities, or on expansion and modernization of existing projects or activity based on their environmental impacts.

scholarly journals ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT UNDER AN ECOSYSTEM APPROACH: THE SÃO SEBASTIÃO HARBOR EXPANSION PROJECT

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER TURRA ◽  
ANTONIA CECÍLIA ZACAGNINI AMARAL ◽  
AUREA MARIA CIOTTI ◽  
CARMEN L.D.B. ROSSI WONGTSCHOWSKI ◽  
YARA SCHAEFFER-NOVELLI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Great Magnitude ◽  
Direct And Indirect Impacts ◽  
Indirect Impacts

Abstract The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) aims to analyze the environmental viability of projects, but exhibits problems that compromise its quality, such as the fragmented, technocratic and positivist vision. The prediction of environmental impacts can be improved using the ecosystem approach, considering the processes and the ecosystem services affected. The present work applied this approach in the expansion project of the Port of São Sebastião (São Paulo, Brazil), in which the EIA was judicially questioned, based on documental analysis and discussion by specialists. Unlike foreseen in the EIA, the analysis of oceanographic processes showed direct and indirect impacts on ecosystem services and benefits, irreversible and/or of great magnitude. The analysis also allowed an improvement to the comprehension not only on the effects on the environmental components and processes (hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics and biodiversity), but also on human well-being, evidencing the benefits of applying the ecosystem approach in the EIA.

HOW CLEARLY IS CAUSALITY COMMUNICATED IN EIA?

2012 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 1250020 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANASTASSIOS PERDICOÚLIS ◽  
JOHN GLASSON
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Fundamental Notion ◽  
Study Material ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Environmental Impact Statements ◽  
The Uk

Causality, or the relation of cause and effect, is a fundamental notion in impact assessment, indicating how impacts arise from development actions. In the context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), recent research in the UK has indicated that impact statements typically do not contain graphic expressions of causality. This article explores the extent to which causality about environmental impacts is described in the text of the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS). The analysis methodology employs two techniques, semantics analysis and transcription of the text into causal digraphs, while the case study material is sampled from ten recent UK and US impact statements. The research indicates in many cases that the communication of causality has faults such as uncertainty or absence of important information, and we highlight the implications for the practice of EIA.

scholarly journals Environmental impact assessment of a METRO infrastructure facility construction by modelling water and soil pollution

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 640-652
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Solid Wastes ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Infrastructure Projects

<p>The construction of large infrastructure projects such as highways, railroads, landfills, airports, harbours offers great social-economic opportunities for the development of a region; it is also mainly responsible for the deterioration of natural environment in the greater areas where these projects are located. The goal of environmental impact assessment (EIA) that is carried out before the construction of such a project is to propose measures and actions that will limit negative environmental impacts during its construction and operation phases. The common perception is that large scale infrastructure projects can only damage natural environment even though very strict environmental requirements are imposed by the Authorities. This was not the case in Eleonas Attikis region in Greece where METRO facilities were built. During the construction phase, hazardous solid wastes were found buried in the urban area where METRO facilities (station, tunnel and depot) were located, raising serious environmental issues in natural and human environment in the region.</p> <div> <p>The protection and restoration of environment in an uncontrolled waste dumpsite require accurate estimation of subsurface pollution extent and intensity. The scope of the present analysis is to map the contamination in the aquifer of Eleona Attikis where METRO facilities (station, tunnel and depot) were built. Numerical modelling approaches were used to estimate environmental impacts of this project to soil and water resources in the greater region. The results have shown that the removal of buried solid wastes to construct METRO station and depot was crucial in order to eliminate negative impacts in soil and subsurface water resources. An impact assessment of hazardous solid wastes buried for many years in the aquifer was also performed. The findings of this analysis proved that the implementation of a large infrastructure project such as the one in Eleona Attikis Greece was environmentally beneficial for the region.</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Environmental Impact Assessment: Can Procedural Innovation Improve Environmental Outcomes?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard N. L. Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Lending ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Lending Institutions

Environmental impact assessment originated in U.S. environmental policy as an “action-forcing mechanism” to compel integration of environmental policy goals into government agencies’ missions and actions. It subsequently was adopted by more than 100 other countries, as well as international lending institutions and many businesses, and inspired additional types of impact assessments. At its best, it has greatly expanded the documentation of environmental impacts, required consideration of less damaging alternatives, increased opportunities for review by independent experts and the public, caused modification or cancellation of some proposals, and increased environmental awareness as well as expert capacity for identifying environmental impacts. However, it has often been applied only to localized projects, rather than to broader and more consequential policies and programs, and sometimes without consideration of alternatives. In many cases it has been used simply as a paperwork requirement rather than a decision document. And it has often been criticized, sometimes unfairly, for causing delays and paperwork burdens. Overall, it has proven to be an important conceptual innovation in increasing both awareness of environmental impacts and the transparency of government (and in some cases, business) actions causing them. To fully achieve its intended purpose it requires commitment to that goal by those using it.

scholarly journals Environmental Impacts of Mining of Mineral Resources

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimír Lapčík ◽  
Andrea Kaločajová ◽  
Petr Novák
Keyword(s):  
Mineral Resource ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
State Enterprise ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
A Company

The article focuses on mining of non-energy mineral resources with minimum environmental impacts. It issues from research results of a project Competence Centre for Effective and Ecological Mining of Mineral Resources implemented at the Faculty of Mining and Geology at V&Scaron;B-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Geological Survey, a company Watrad ltd., a state enterprise Diamo, a company RPS Ostrava plc and a company Sedleck&yacute; kaolin plc. The paper starts with a partial analysis of the existing legal norms related to mining and processing of mineral resources. Next, it analyses mineral resource mining options free of negative environmental impacts. The fundamental tool to assess potential environmental impacts of mining is the implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for a given mineral resource. In the Czech Republic environmental impact assessment is carried out by course of Act 100/2001 Coll. Its important amendment is Act 39/2015 Coll. claiming, inter alia, that the environmental impact assessment is rigidly connected with other permits and procedures, such as the zoning process and building construction permits. The article describes the environmental impacts of mining of non-energy mineral resources, including the following factors: appropriation of land, impacts on surface water, ground water and soil, noise, influence on the landscape character, and air pollution. The paper also includes a case study summarizing information on the environmental factors that may play a role in potential underground mining of graphite in the deposit Česk&yacute; Krumlov - Městsk&yacute; Vrch and the deposit Lazec - Křenov.

The significance of Environmental Agencies in the Environmental Impact Assessment process

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Monitoring ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Political Development ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Entire Society ◽  
Environmental Agencies

Currently, every country is striving to realize development for its people. Thus, to achieve this the construction of various projects are necessary for the realization of socioeconomic and political development of any country. However, the development of the projects is associated with various environmental challenges that may affect the entire society and the environment. Thus, to cater that there is the need for conducting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that is a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project before decision-making. To achieve the EIA process, there are Environmental Agencies (EAs) that are designed for dealing with all environment-related issues in the relevant country. Thus, this paper aims at providing the key significances provided by the EAs in the EIA process. The following significances are discussed in this paper: formulation of policies, laws and regulations related to EIA; authorization and certification of the experts or firms of expert for EIA process; registration and screening of the projects for EIA; reviewing Environmental Impacts Statements or reports; preparation of the EIA certificates for approval or disapproval of the projects; conducting environmental monitoring and auditing; and monitoring of the implementation of the decommissioning.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a mitigation proposal on the final disposal of lead-based batteries and its environmental impact

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. e8720
Author(s):  
Sylvia M. Villarreal-Archila ◽  
Cristiam Serrano-Figueroa ◽  
Daniela K. Quiroga-Rojas
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Final Disposal ◽  
Acid Recovery ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Legal Sanctions ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Ideal

Based on the design of a proposal to mitigate the environmental impact generated by lead-based batteries for automobiles, an environmental impact assessment was carried out using the Vicente Conesa method, where it was discovered that the most negative impacts on the environment are those produced by the treatment of the electrolyte and the lead and acid recovery. Subsequently, a comparison was made between the current process and the ideal one, obtaining a model developed in the FlexSim software. After executing the relevant simulations for the study, it was evident that performing the proposed model represents an increase in the duration of the final disposal stage of the batteries, the previous as a result of the implementation of stages associated with the treatment of recycled batteries remnants, such as plastic, acid, and lead. However, standardizing the proposed model would suppose significant mitigation in the different environmental impacts generated by said process, managing to avoid legal sanctions by environmental authorities.

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