Agricultural anaerobic digestion power plants in Ireland and Germany: policy and practice.

The process of anaerobic digestion (AD) is valued as a carbon-neutral energy source, while simultaneously treating organic waste, making it safer for disposal or use as a fertilizer on agricultural land. The AD process in many European nations, such as Germany, has grown from use of small, localized digesters to the operation of large-scale treatment facilities, which contribute significantly to national renewable energy quotas. However, these large AD plants are costly to run and demand intensive farming of energy crops for feedstock. Current policy in Germany has transitioned to support funding for smaller digesters, while also limiting the use of energy crops. AD within Ireland, as a new technology, is affected by ambiguous governmental policies concerning waste and energy. A clear governmental strategy supporting on-site AD processing of agricultural waste will significantly reduce Ireland's carbon footprint, improve the safety and bioavailability of agricultural waste, and provide an indigenous renewable energy source. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

100 years of microbial electricity production: three concepts for the future.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have been explored according to three main concepts: to produce energy from organic substrates, to generate products and to provide specific environmental services. In this work, by using an engineering approach, biological conversion rates are calculated for BES resp. anaerobic digestion. These rates are compared with currents produced by chemical batteries and chemical fuel cells in order to position BES in the 'energy'-market. To evaluate the potential of generating various products, the biochemistry behind the biological conversion rates is examined in relation to terminal electron transfer molecules. By comparing kinetics rather than thermodynamics, more insight is gained in the biological bottlenecks that hamper a BES. The short-term future for BES research and its possible application is situated in smart niches in sustainable environmental development, i.e. in processes where no large currents or investment cost intensive reactors are needed to obtain the desired results. Some specific examples are identified.

Indice de masa corporal. Adecuación energética e ingreso monetario familiar en estudiantes de enfermería de Quito

Se realiza un estudio transversal en 48 estudiantes femeninas de enfermería en las que se evalúa el índice de masa corpoal, la recomendación y adecuación energética individual según las normas FAO/OMS/UNU, y el ingreso familiar monetario. el promedio de índice de masa corporal es de 23.18, el 5.1 por ciento presenta déficit energético crónico y 23.1 por ciento obesidad de primer grado. El promedio de adecuación energética es 102,75 por ciento. El 35 por ciento de las alumnas se encuentra en el intervalo normal, el 37.5 por ciento por encima de la norma y el 27,5 por ciento por debajo de la norma de la adecuación energética. El 90.2 por ciento de las familias de las estudiantes no tienen acceso a la canasta familiar básica y el 46.3 por ciento no acceden a la canasta familiar de pobreza, establecidas por el Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos del Ecuador (INEC)...