Zoekresultaten

New Quickscan method for prevention of groundwater pollution through stormwater infiltration, XRF as new quick scan method to map heavy metals in Dutch sustainable urban drainage systems

The second life of a stadium seat

Confronted by more and more global sustainabilityrelated challenges, society is increasingly aiming for a circular economy. Wouldn’t it be ideal if we could contribute to an economic model with closed loops, where products and materials that are at the end of their functional life are reused in new products and systems? As the Netherlands aims to have a fully circular economy (i.e., zero net waste) by 2050, circularity is also a critical theme for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. ‘Circular City’ is one of the main urban challenges of the Urban Technology research programme of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Its chair of Circular Design & Business and its research group on Digital Production collaborate with companies, lecturers and students on a range of applied research projects in order to advance the knowledge around circular design and business model strategies making use of digital production to encourage the local reuse of discarded urban materials. Amsterdam ArenA, home base of the Ajax football team and a major concert and events venue, is replacing all stadium seats in the run-up to the European Football Championship in 2020 (UEFA Euro 2020), and wishes to do so in a socially responsible manner. With that purpose, Amsterdam ArenA engaged the expertise of the Urban Technology research programme at the AUAS to study the viability reusing the old seats in a circular manner. The research started from the assumption that these discarded seats not only form a large and relatively homogeneous waste stream, but also have an emotional value that can potentially raise their economic value, beyond that of the material alone. For the AUAS this was an important case study, because the Amsterdam ArenA aspires to be a stage for sustainable innovations, reduce its environmental impact and stimulate the local economy. This project could serve as an example for other stadiums and public buildings with substantial waste streams on how to handle discarded products, and rethink how they can prevent waste in the future. With this mission, the AUAS lined up a team of experts on circular design, digital production, business modelling and impact studies to carry out a comprehensive multi-disciplinary study.

Verkennend onderzoek ontwikkeling bodemkwaliteit wadi’s

Hoe is het gesteld met de bodemkwaliteit van wadi’s? Met de nieuwe meettechniek XRF is een oriënterend onderzoek gedaan bij dertig wadi’s in Nederland. 

Nieuwe meetmethode brengt kwaliteit bodem wadi’s in kaart

Omdat de oudste wadi in Nederland nu twintig jaar is, is oriënterend onderzoekgedaan naar de bodemkwaliteit van dertig wadi’s. Het onderzoek is uitgevoerd metde meettechniek XRF (X-ray Fluoresence). De XRF meet diverse elementen (waaronder zware metalen) door röntgenstralen uit te zenden.

Portable XRF Quick-Scan Mapping for Potential Toxic Elements Pollutants in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems:

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) such as swales are designed to collect, store and infiltrate a large amount of surface runoff water during heavy rainfall. Stormwater is known to transport pollutants, such as particle-bound Potential Toxic Elements (PTE), which are known to often accumulate in the topsoil. A portable XRF instrument (pXRF) is used to provide in situ spatial characterization of soil pollutants, specifically lead (Pb), zink (Zn) and copper (Cu). The method uses pXRF measurements of PTE along profiles with set intervals (1 m) to cover the swale with cross-sections, across the inlet, the deepest point and the outlet. Soil samples are collected, and the In-Situ measurements are verified by the results from laboratory analyses. Stormwater is here shown to be the transporting media for the pollutants, so it is of importance to investigate areas most prone to flooding and infiltration. This quick scan method is time and cost-efficient, easy to execute and the results are comparable to any known (inter)national threshold criteria for polluted soils. The results are of great importance for all stakeholders in cities that are involved in climate adaptation and implementing green infrastructure in urban areas. However, too little is still known about the long-term functioning of the soil-based SuDS facilities.

XRF quick-scan mapping for heavy metal pollutants in SuDS: a methodological approach

Sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) such as swales are designed to collect, store and infiltrate a large amount of surface runoff water during heavy rainfall. Stormwater is known to transport pollutants, such as particle-bound heavy metals, which are known to often accumulate in the topsoil. In this study, a portable XRF instrument is used to provide in situ spatial characterization of soil pollutants. The method uses portable XRF measurements of heavy metals along profiles with set intervals (1 meter) to cover the swale with cross-sections, across the inlet, the deepest point and the outlet. Soil samples are collected, and the In-Situ measurements are verified by the results from laboratory analyses. Stormwater is here shown to be the transporting media for the pollutants, so it is of importance to investigate areas most prone to flooding and infiltration. This quick scan method is time and cost-efficient, easy to execute and the results are comparable to any known (inter)national threshold criteria for polluted soils. The results are of great importance for all stakeholders in cities that are involved in climate adaptation and implementing green infrastructure in urban areas. However, too little is still known about the long-term functioning of the soil-based SuDS facilities.