Antibiotics are a factor in developing antibiotic resistance in the environment. Outbreaks due to pathogens and resistant bacteria are an emerging issue in this decade. Resistance of Escherichia coli to two groups of antibiotics has been revised recently by the World Health Organization (WHO). These data showed that bacteria have already developed resistance to third and fourth group of antibiotics. The WHO report on surveillance and antibiotics consumption evaluation showed that antibiotic consumption varies in EU countries. Outbreaks have increased in parallel to these data depending on country, season, sex, and age group. This chapter revises the routes of spreading and surveillance of E. coli. There is a particular focus on water sources including hospitals, urban wastewater treatment plants (UWTPs), diffuse sources, and water reuse. Extensively revised data are given on the control techniques by biological and advanced processes. The emerging issue of gene transfer control in parallel to the control of bacteria is expressed. A detailed literature survey of emerging technologies of photocatalysis and nanoparticles is given.
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Urban green and shading are adaptation measures that reduce urban heat. This is evident from meteorological measurements and investigations with surveys and has been described in many papers (e.g. Klemm et al., 2015). The cooling effect of these adaptation measures is reflected by lower air temperatures and an improved thermal comfort. Shading and urban green are also experienced as cooler than impervious urban spaces without vegetation or shading. However, the cooling effect of water bodies in cities, such as rivers, lakes, ponds, canals,fountains, is not clear yet (Steeneveld et al., 2014). Several studies show that the cooling effect of water bodies in cities is small, or can even be a source of heat during nighttime. The effect depends on the characteristics of the water body and the meteorological conditions. Nevertheless, water is often mentioned as an adaptation measure to reduce urban heat.To support urban professionals in designing cooler urban environments by using water bodies, we investigated in more detail how different water types in msterdam contribute to cooling the environment. During five summer days, we measured the cooling effect of five different water bodies: a pond, a fountain, a canal, and two rivers. We used measurements from mobile weather stations (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, global radiation and globe temperature) and collected almost 1000 surveys near the water bodies and a reference location. From these data, we could determine the effect of the water bodies on air temperature, thermal comfort and thermal sensation. The research question that we tried to answer with this study is: What is the cooling effect of different water types in the city of Amsterdam during hot days? The study has been carried out within the framework of a Dutch research project ‘Urban climate resilience – Turning climate adaptation into practice’ and supports urban professionals to decide on the right adaptation measures to reduce urban heat.
This paper presents five design prototypes for cool urban water environments developed in the 'Really cooling water bodies in cities' (REALCOOL) project. The REALCOOL prototypes address an urgent need: urban water bodies, such as ponds or canals, are often assumed to cool down their surroundings during days with heat stress, whereas recent research shows that this is not always the case and that urban water bodies may actually have warming effects too. There are, however, indications that shading, vaporising water, and proper ventilation can keep water bodies and their surroundings cooler. Yet, it is necessary to explore how these strategies can be optimally combined and how the resulting design guidelines can be communicated to design professionals. The REALCOOL prototypes communicate the spatial layout and biometeorological effects of such combinations and assist design decisions dealing with urban water environments. The micrometeorological simulations with Envimet showed that the prototypes led to local reductions on daytime PET from 1 °C to 7 °C, upon introducing shade. Water mist and fountains were also cooling solutions. The important role of ventilation was confirmed. The paper discusses and concludes about the use of the prototypes as tools for urban design practice.
Zand en andere grove grondstoffen worden steeds schaarser door intensief gebruik in infrastructuur en industrie, terwijl miljarden kubieke meters slib wereldwijd worden uitgebaggerd om vaargeulen en havens operationeel te houden. Vanwege dit groeiende tekort aan traditionele grondstoffen is er behoefte aan het ontwikkelen van nieuwe methodieken voor hergebruik van slib en lokaal sediment, onder andere voor dijkversterking en ophoging van landbouwgronden. Echter wordt gebaggerd slib volgens de regelgeving nog als een van de grootste potentiële afvalstromen gezien. Ook is slib complexer in het gebruik omdat het bestaat uit een heterogeen mengsel van onder meer water, zand, organisch materiaal, fijnstof en gas. Vanwege schaarste in bouwmaterialen lopen er steeds meer initiatieven voor het nuttig hergebruiken van gebaggerd slib, maar de optimale laagdikte en aanlegtechnieken moeten nog worden onderzocht. Met dit project zoeken lectoraat Sustainable River Management samen met Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein en de praktijkpartners Klaei B.V., Waterschap Noorderzijlvest en EcoShape naar de best practices voor het produceren van waardevol klei uit havenslib. Via laboratoriumexperimenten en veldproeven binnen grootschalige pilots worden mechanische eigenschappen van havenslib uit de Lauwersoog haven in beeld gebracht. Er wordt gezocht naar de optimale dikte van havenslib om bruikbare klei te produceren. Daarbij wordt onderzocht of de mechanische eigenschappen van de geproduceerde klei afhankelijk zijn van de laagdikte van de initiële laag of havenslib. De resultaten verbinden de laagdikte in rijpingscompartimenten met materiaaleigenschappen en monitoren de initiële verouderingsprocessen na de aanleg van de klei in een proefdijk. Het eindresultaat biedt inzicht in de best practices voor toepassing van havenslib en de daarbij horende materiaaleigenschappen. Dit project draagt daarmee direct bij aan de ontwikkeling van een nieuw, duurzaam materiaal voor gebruik in dijkversterkingen en landbouw en een circulaire economie in Nederland in 2050.
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a delicacy fish and an integral part of the Dutch culinary history. However, the stock of adult eel has decreased significantly due to a precipitous recruitment of glass eel fall. This relates to multiple factors including obstacles in migration pathways, loss of habitat and chemical pollution. Consequently, Anguilla anguilla has become a critically endangered species and is protected under European legislation. One possible solution, explored on laboratory scale, is the captive reproduction of eels and growth of glass eel in aquaculture. A big challenge of this technique is the limiting aspect of possible nutrients for the eels in the larval stage, as the diet must be delivered in micrometric capsules (< 20 µm) with a high protein content. Such diets are not yet available on the market. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) is a novel option to prepare a micro-diet suitable for eel larvae. EHDA is especially interesting for its narrow size distribution capabilities and for applications which require submicrometric sizes. This project aims to evaluate the use of EHDA to produce high protein content micrometric size capsules for feeding larval eels. If successful, this would assist in the captivity production of glass eel and to make the eel culture independent of wild catches, restoring the culinary market. The project will be conducted in two phases. Firstly, tests will be conducted to evaluate the necessary conditions of the capsules using EHDA. Subsequently, the obtained capsules will be tested as feed for eel larvae. The main objective is to favour the development of a more sustainable eel culture, regarding the possibilities of investigating the current fish in natura option and exchanging it for a captivity one.
The ENCHANT project aims to clarify the differences between circular Calcium Carbonate (CCC) and grounded Calcium Carbonate (GCC), in order to expand the applications of the circular alternative CCC in the paint and coating industry. CCC is produced by pyrolysis from paper waste in an innovative process developed by the company Alucha Works B.V., and it can be applied again as filler or binder in consumer products (e.g. plastics, rubbers, paints and coatings) in a cost-effective manner. Products containing CCC have a higher content of circular resources, which minimizes their carbon footprint, and reduces the exploitation of primary resources. Performances of CCC in oil-based paints, however, is not optimal, due to a larger oil adsorption as compared to GCC. A physical and chemical characterization of CCC and GCC samples, including competitive oil-water adsorption measurements, would help Alucha to formulate a solution to match the properties of CCC and GCC, either adjusting the recycling process or applying a surface modification treatment to CCC. This would enable Alucha to expand the market for CCC, making oil-based formulation products more circular.
