Comparing the Environmental Sustainability of Vertical and Conventional Wheat Farming Using Life Cycle Assessment

Main purposes and research question: Wheat is the second largest grain crop by tonnage in the world and the largest in Denmark. Given the observed, adverse impacts on wheat yields of climate change and the importance of wheat in the human diet, the purpose of this study was to use life cycle assessment to compare conventional wheat farming with indoor vertical farming using hydroponics. Methods: Life Cycle Assessment was used to assess the base case systems up to the “farm gate” for 1 tonne of wheat grain. The processes contributing most of the impacts were identified, and scenarios were assessed to determine how much the impacts could be reduced. Results: The conventional system outperformed the base case vertical system in every impact category, due to the electricity consumption in the lighting system. The scenarios included increasing the efficiency of the LED lighting and using 100% wind energy, but the conventional system still outperformed the vertical system by significant margins in all impact categories. This was due to the low photosynthetic conversion efficiency and the high energy density of wheat. Conclusions: Until significant improvements are made to lighting efficiency, the photosynthesis conversion efficiency of wheat, new wheat variants designed for vertical gardens and the sustainability of electricity supply, conventional wheat production will be environmentally preferable and vertical gardens would be advised to focus on food products with low energy densities.

Supplementary Foliar Applications and Their Effect on the Agronomic Behavior of Strawberry in a Vertical System

Aims: The objective was to evaluate the agronomic behavior of the strawberry crop under supplementary foliar applications in a vertical system. Study Design: The experimental design used in each test was the completely randomized experimental model with six treatments and four repetitions each. The treatments were Control, Estimulante plus®, AeroBiot®, BasfoliarAktiv®, Basfoliar PS® and HPLS. Place and Duration of Study: The research was carried out under a greenhouse in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. From October 20, 2019 to February 20, 2020. Methodology: The San Andreas strawberry variety was used, the vertical system consisted of 4” PVC tubes, 1.2 m long, with 5 cm diameter perforations, a mixture of peat moss and perlite was used as substrate in a ratio 70:30 %. The foliar applications were carried out every week, stimulant plus®, AeroBiot®, Basfoliar Activ® and HPLS were at a rate of 2 ml L-1, Basfoliar PS® was at a rate of 2 g L-1, the control was only distilled water. Results: The foliar application of AeroBiot® statistically improved the average weight of the fruit and exceeded the control by 16.7 %, the length of the fruit was statistically similar between the applications of BasfoliarActiv®, AeroBiot®, Basfoliar PS® and HPLS, the rest of the variables showed a similar statistical behavior. Conclusion: The agronomic performance of strawberry cultivation in a vertical system was similar between supplementary foliar applications of products containing macro and microelements, amino acids and protein hydrolysates, while worm leachates such as AeroBiot® improve the average weight of the fruit.

Survey and Comparison of Optimization-Based Aggregation Methods for the Determination of the Flexibility Potentials at Vertical System Interconnections

The aggregation of operational active and reactive power flexibilities as the feasible operation region (FOR) is a main component of a hierarchical multi-voltage-level grid control as well as the cooperation of transmission and distribution system operators at vertical system interconnections. This article presents a new optimization-based aggregation approach, based on a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) and compares it to non-linear and linear programming. The approach is to combine the advantages of stochastic and optimization-based methods to achieve an appropriate aggregation of flexibilities while obtaining additional meta information during the iterative solution process. The general principles for sampling an FOR are introduced in a survey of aggregation methods from the literature and the adaptation of the classic optimal power flow problem. The investigations are based on simulations of the Cigré medium voltage test system and are divided into three parts. The improvement of the classic PSO algorithm regarding the determination of the FOR are presented. The most suitable of four sampling strategies from the literature is identified and selected for the comparison of the optimization methods. The analysis of the results reveals a better performance of the modified PSO in sampling the FOR compared to the other optimization methods.

What did the Administrative Reform of 1999 Change? On the periodization of social assistance system development 1990–2020

The aim of this paper is to propose a periodization of the Polish welfare assistance system in the Third Polish Republic. Focusing on the organizational structure, the development of the welfare assistance system in the last thirty years has been described. Based on this, two stages of social assistance development are described. Stage 1 (1990–1999), was characterized by the organization of welfare assistance system in the form of a poorly developed vertical system. Stage 2 (1999–2020), is characterized by the organization of the welfare assistance system in the form of an extensive horizontal system.

Effectiveness of vertical system planted with Renealmia Alpinia used in sub-humid climate to treat urban wastewater: a case study in the pilot site Bouregreg-ONEE RABAT

Wastewater treatment is a global environmental issue. In Morocco, 45% of wastewater is treated before its discharge. Their impact on the environment is further aggravated by the degradation or absence of the sewerage liquid system. The constructed wetlands are alternative systems for the treatment of wastewater. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate period adaptation (60 days) of a substitute plant Renealmia alpinia, and its potential for treating wastewater generated by the campus of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) of Rabat. A pilot experimental setup (tank) was constructed. The pumping rate was adjusted to 0.7 m3 / h while the density of R. alpinia planting on the surface of the filter massif was 6 plants/m2. At the end of monitoring, planting density was superior of 30, and R.alpinia plants have completed this phase clearly without any disease symptoms present. The treated water obtained from outlet and wastewater were analysed for various water quality parameters such as Biological oxygen demand (BOD), Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and Suspended solids (SS). The vertical system is able to remove 49 % of BOD, 80 % of COD, 88 % of SS. The results obtained are within the permissible limits for domestic rejects according to National legislation of Morocco. Overall results demonstrated that the selected plant posses a high potential for treating wastewater, it could represent a sustainable and inexpensive biotechnological strategy for untreated wastewater.