Impacts environnementaux des unités de biométhanisation

Report (2012)

The report presents a study conducted in the frame of a European Interreg project. The role of the research group was to investigate the possible environmental impacts of on-farm biogas production from ... [more ▼]

The report presents a study conducted in the frame of a European Interreg project. The role of the research group was to investigate the possible environmental impacts of on-farm biogas production from anaerobic reactors. The odour impact was chiefly analysed with the aim of assessing the odour generated by farms equipped for biogas production compared to classical farms. Also, the odour levels in the head space of various materials, either prior or after methanation were compared, using different methods. [less ▲]

Impacts of (NH4)2SO4 deposition on Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) fine roots

Conference (1998, September)

The increased inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition in the last decades has become a major concern for the health of forests. In forest ecosystem, where N might no longer be limiting to primary production ... [more ▼]

The increased inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition in the last decades has become a major concern for the health of forests. In forest ecosystem, where N might no longer be limiting to primary production, the excess N is thought to be related to forest decline and a concept of ‘N saturation ‘ has been developed. In particular, N, in the form of NH4, in excess to plant and microbial demands could lead to soil acidification if nitrified in the soil and leached, causing loss of base cations or mobilisation of phytotoxic aluminium. As part of the CORE project (CEC), investigating nutrient dynamics in European coniferous forest soils, we studied the effects of continuously increased (NH4)2SO4 deposition and soil characteristics on Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) fine root biomass, vitality and chemistry with an ingrowth core technique. The same experiment was performed in a Norway spruce stand on clay soil (Grizedale, UK) and a Scots pine stand on sandy soil (Wekerom, NL), using soil from each of the two sites. Root-free ingrowth cores reproduced organic and mineral soil horizons to 15 cm depth. They were covered to exclude native throughfall and watered every 2 weeks with throughfall or throughfall with (NH4)2SO4 added to increase deposition by 75 kg ha-1 a-1 NH4+-N. The ingrowth cores were sampled after 19 months, divided into layers, roots washed and analysed for biomass, necromass, root length, root tip number (RTN), root tip vitality and fine root chemistry. A previous field experiment had shown high soil solution Al concentrations at both sites, and an increase in NO3- and Al concentrations in response to increased (NH4)2SO4 deposition at the Grizedale site. The effects of high (NH4)2SO4 deposition depended on tree species, soil type and soil horizon. For Norway spruce, (NH4)2SO4 deposition did not result in any significant changes in root growth or vitality when growing into the native clay soil. However, when growing into the sandy soil, RTN and the proportion of dead roots were increased by N deposition. Norway spruce fine root N content was also increased in the organic horizon of both soil types. For Scots pine, (NH4)2SO4 treatment caused increased fine root Al content and a decreased Mg/Al ratio in the mineral layer of the sandy soil, with opposite effects in the clay soil. This (NH4)2SO4 treatment effect in the sandy soil for Scots pine was the only indication of a potential adverse effect of (NH4)2SO4 deposition on fine roots. Further results demonstrated the dominant importance of inherent soil characteristics and the stratification into soil horizons on fine root growth and chemical composition. For example, a negative correlation between root biomass and fine root Al content was established for Norway spruce. [less ▲]

Impacts of a unicellular mechanism on network behaviors

Conference (2013, March 26)

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder af- fecting the basal ganglia (BG), a set of small subcortical nervous system nuclei. The hallmark of the disease is a dopaminergic denervation of ... [more ▼]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder af- fecting the basal ganglia (BG), a set of small subcortical nervous system nuclei. The hallmark of the disease is a dopaminergic denervation of the striatum—the input stage of the BG—altering information patterns along movement- related ganglia-mediated pathways in the brain. Severe mo- tor symptoms result from the pathological state: tremor at rest, bradykinesia—the slowness and impaired scaling of voluntary movement—and akinesia—the poverty of volun- tary movements. It is still unclear how dopamine depletion causes those motor symptoms. Experimental studies have shown that abnormally synchronized oscillatory activities— rhythmic bursting activity at the unicellular level and beta frequency band (from 8 to 30Hz) oscillations at the network level—emerge in PD at multiple levels of the BG-cortical loops and correlate with motor symptoms. The mechanisms underlying these pathological beta oscillations remain elu- sive. We propose that a cellular mechanism generates burst- ing activities and beta band oscillations at the network level. [less ▲]

Impacts of alien invasive plants on soil nutrients are correlated with initial site conditions in NW Europe

in Oecologia (2008), 157(1), 131-140

Alien invasive plants are capable of modifying ecosystem function. However, it is difficult to make generalisations because impacts often appear to be species- and site-specific. In this study, we ... [more ▼]

Alien invasive plants are capable of modifying ecosystem function. However, it is difficult to make generalisations because impacts often appear to be species- and site-specific. In this study, we examined the impacts of seven highly invasive plant species in NW Europe (Fallopia japonica, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Impatiens glandulifera, Prunus serotina, Rosa rugosa, Senecio inaequidens, Solidago gigantea) on nutrient pools in the topsoil and the standing biomass. We tested if the impacts follow predictable patterns, across species and sites or, alternatively, if they are entirely idiosyncratic. To that end, we compared invaded and adjacent uninvaded plots in a total of 36 sites with widely divergent soil chemistry and vegetation composition. For all species, invaded plots had increased aboveground biomass and nutrient stocks in standing biomass compared to uninvaded vegetation. This suggests that enhanced nutrient uptake may be a key trait of highly invasive plant species. The magnitude and direction of the impact on topsoil chemical properties were strongly site-specific. A striking finding is that the direction of change in soil properties followed a predictable pattern. Thus, strong positive impacts (higher topsoil nutrient concentrations in invaded plots compared to uninvaded ones) were most often found in sites with initially low nutrient concentrations in the topsoil, while negative impacts were generally found under the opposite conditions. This pattern was significant for potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and nitrogen. The particular site-specific pattern in the impacts that we observed provides the first evidence that alien invasive species may contribute to a homogenisation of soil conditions in invaded landscapes. [less ▲]

Impacts of elevated CO2 on net nitrification and on the community structure of ammonia oxidising bacteria

in Biodiversity: state, stakes and future; 7,8 & 9 April 2004, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Symposium, Programme, Abstracts, Participants (2004)

Impacts of grinding media alloys composition on the flotation of mixed oxides-sulphides copper ores.

Conference (2011)

While the influence of the grinding media alloy composition on the flotation performances of sulphide ores has been widely studied, its role in the flotation of mixed (oxide and sulphide) ores is poorly ... [more ▼]

While the influence of the grinding media alloy composition on the flotation performances of sulphide ores has been widely studied, its role in the flotation of mixed (oxide and sulphide) ores is poorly documented. For some deposits, the mixed ores zone is well developed and can be of great importance for the economics of a mining project. These ore types often present technical challenges for their beneficiation such as sulphides tarnishment, slimes generation, presence of hydrophobic gangue or presence of acid consuming gangue. This study highlights the importance of matching the right grinding media alloy to the mineralogy of the ore, particularly its degree of weathering and to the subsequent flotation scheme. Shifting the grinding media towards less electrochemically active alloys significantly enhanced the grade-recovery curves and the flotation kinetics of the sulphides fraction, particularly when high degrees of sulphides oxidation were induced within the orebody or during stockpiling. For ores with high acid consuming gangue and medium acid soluble copper content that require a preconcentration of the oxide fraction by flotation through activation by sulphidisation, the higher sulphides flotation rates achieved with the use of high chromium alloys limited the amount of sulphides entering the sulphidisation stages and led to a better selectivity between acid insoluble and acid soluble copper allowing better downstream extractive metallurgy performances. [less ▲]

Impacts of ice sheet mask and resolution on estimating the surface mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet

Poster (2008, April 15)

The impacts of the spatial resolution and a Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) mask on modelling the Surface Mass Balance (SMB) are studied with the regional climate model MAR coupled with a complex energy ... [more ▼]

The impacts of the spatial resolution and a Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) mask on modelling the Surface Mass Balance (SMB) are studied with the regional climate model MAR coupled with a complex energy balance/snowpack model. On the one hand, too coarse resolution prevents the model from resolving adequately the steep ice sheet margin and the ablation zone, not wider than 100 km in Greenland, where substantial seasonal melting occurs. The resolution affects also the precipitation modelling. On the other hand, a too large ice sheet mask (i.e. with low-altitude ice pixels in the model, where there is no ice in reality) leads to an overestimation of the run-off. In addition, due to the albedo feedback, biases in the ice sheet mask have also consequences on the surface energy balance. [less ▲]

Impacts of land surface properties and atmospheric CO2 on the Last Glacial Maximum climate: a factor separation analysis

in Climate of the Past (2009), 5(2), 183-202

Many sensitivity studies have been carried out, using climate models of different degrees of complexity to test the climate response to Last Glacial Maximum boundary conditions. Here, instead of adding ... [more ▼]

Many sensitivity studies have been carried out, using climate models of different degrees of complexity to test the climate response to Last Glacial Maximum boundary conditions. Here, instead of adding the forcings successively as in most previous studies, we applied the separation method of U. Stein et P. Alpert 1993, in order to determine rigorously the different contributions of the boundary condition modifications, and isolate the pure contributions from the interactions among the forcings. We carried out a series of sensitivity experiments with the model of intermediate complexity Planet Simulator, investigating the contributions of the ice sheet expansion and elevation, the lowering of the atmospheric CO2 and of the vegetation cover change on the LGM climate. The separation of the ice cover and orographic contributions shows that the ice albedo effect is the main contributor to the cooling of the Northern Hemisphere, whereas orography has only a local cooling impact over the ice sheets. The expansion of ice cover in the Northern Hemisphere causes a disruption of the tropical precipitation, and a southward shift of the ITCZ. The orographic forcing mainly contributes to the disruption of the atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to a redistribution of the precipitation, but weakly impacts the tropics. The isolated vegetation contribution also induces strong cooling over the continents of the Northern Hemisphere that further affects the tropical precipitation and reinforce the southward shift of the ITCZ, when combined with the ice forcing. The combinations of the forcings generate many non-linear interactions that reinforce or weaken the pure contributions, depending on the climatic mechanism involved, but they are generally weaker than the pure contributions. Finally, the comparison between the LGM simulated climate and climatic reconstructions over Eurasia suggests that our results reproduce well the south-west to north-east temperature gradients over Eurasia. [less ▲]

Impacts of mesozooplankton stoichiometry on recycling and sedimentation in stratified lakes: concepts and methodological developments

Poster (1999, September 14)

Impacts of plant invasions on ecosystem processes in Belgium

Poster (2005)