Read the full story in Nature.
University policies often present barriers to bringing assistance dogs into the lab or on campus.
Day: April 8, 2021
Last dam standing: Traverse City fish restoration project on the ropes
Read the full story at Bridge Michigan.
It was supposed to be a milestone in the decades-long journey to restore the Boardman River, a celebrated trout stream that flows through Traverse City before emptying into Grand Traverse Bay.
In January, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that construction crews were days from breaking ground on the plan’s final phase: replacing an old mill dam with a structure, dubbed FishPass, that would double as a research hub with the potential to revolutionize fish recovery efforts around the globe.
FishPass would be a testing ground for technology that’s designed to allow some fish species to pass upstream beyond the dam, while locking less desirable fish downstream. If successful, it could be a possible solution to the devastating impact of dams, which can decimate fish populations by blocking their access to rivers and streams. Proponents envision the project assisting fish recovery efforts globally, from Michigan waterways to the Mekong River in Vietnam…
But days before construction was to begin, a judge temporarily halted the project in response to a lawsuit brought by local residents opposed to it. The residents say the suit allows them to raise concerns that they were unable to voice as the project was being planned. FishPass supporters, though, condemn the suit as “not-in-my-backyard” obstructionism that will raise costs and delay environmental research.
Towards the Anchovy Biorefinery: Biogas Production from Anchovy Processing Waste after Fish Oil Extraction with Biobased Limonene
Paone E, Fazzino F, Pizzone DM, Scurria A, Pagliaro M, Ciriminna R, Calabrò PS. (2021). “Towards the Anchovy Biorefinery: Biogas Production from Anchovy Processing Waste after Fish Oil Extraction with Biobased Limonene.” Sustainability. 13(5), 2428. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052428
Abstract: Anchovies are among the largest fish catch worldwide. The anchovy fillet industry generates a huge amount of biowaste (e.g., fish heads, bones, tails) that can be used for the extraction of several potentially valuable bioproducts including omega-3 lipids. Following the extraction of valued fish oil rich in omega-3, vitamin D3 and zeaxanthin from anchovy fillet leftovers using biobased limonene in a fully circular process, the solid residue (anchovy sludge) was used as starting substrate for the production of biogas by anaerobic digestion. In spite of the unbalanced carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio, typical of marine biowaste, the anchovy sludge showed a good methane yield (about 280 mLCH4·gVS−1), proving to be an ideal substrate for co-digestion along with other carbon rich wastes and residues. Furthermore, the presence of residual limonene, used as a renewable, not-toxic and edible extraction solvent, does not affect the microbial methanogenesis. The results reported in this study demonstrate that anchovy leftovers after the fish oil extraction process can be efficiently used as a starting co-substrate for the production of biogas in a modern biorefinery
Mapping project illuminates links between poor environment, historical racism
Read the full story at Coast Reporter.
A new tool that measures the environmental quality of any urban street in Canada — and maps it out in colour — illustrates vividly the many neighbourhoods in the country that have poor environment scores, neighbourhoods that are often home to racialized communities.
Don’t Diss Degrowth, It May Be the Key to Decarbonization
Read the full story at Treehugger.
It is fashionable to dismiss degrowth in North America, but a lot of people are taking it seriously.
LIFT America Act’s infrastructure proposals list landfill gas among renewable energy sources
Read the full story at Waste Dive.
The federal Leading Infrastructure For Tomorrow’s America (LIFT America) Act, introduced March 11, calls for a wide array of infrastructure improvement proposals, including renewable energy projects that could indirectly help boost the biogas sector, according to industry experts.
The bill names landfill gas, biomass and municipal solid waste under the definition of “renewable energy resources,” meaning technologies such as combustion and anaerobic digestion would be included as renewables in the clean energy portion of the bill, according to the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA).
The bill joins several other recent or soon to be reintroduced federal bills with landfill gas implications, including the GREEN Act, Clean Energy for America Act and the CLEAN Future Act.
Mussel Sensors Pave the Way for New Environmental Monitoring Tools
Read the full story from North Carolina State University.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have designed and demonstrated a new system that allows them to remotely monitor the behavior of freshwater mussels. The system could be used to alert researchers to the presence of toxic substances in aquatic ecosystems.
This startup aims to take the trash out of takeout
Read the full story at CNN Business.
Like many New Yorkers, Adam Farbiarz eats a lot of takeout.
But every time he finished a meal, he noticed he was left with a lot of garbage.
In fact, New York residents used more than 23 billion disposable food service items in 2016, according to a report from the Overbrook Foundation, a human rights and environmental advocacy group.
To help solve the problem, Farbiarz founded DeliverZero, a zero-waste delivery company that aims to tackle the city’s growing mountain of takeout trash.
A Circular Economy for Solar Photovoltaic System Materials: Drivers, Barriers, Enablers, and U.S. Policy Considerations
In this report we analyze drivers, barriers, and enablers to a circular economy for PV system
materials in the United States. We also analyze federal, state, and local requirements that apply
to the reuse, recycling, and disposal of PV modules and BOS equipment, as well as the legal
liability associated with non-compliance. We then discuss state policies and initiatives in the
United States that expressly address reuse, recycling, and disposal of PV system equipment. We
conclude by providing case studies of U.S. business models for the repair, reuse, recycling of PV
modules and BOS equipment.
Interactive map breaks down Texas renewable energy development by congressional district
Read the full story at Solar Power World.
Wind power, solar power and energy storage projects are providing new economic opportunities for rural Texas counties, bringing needed diversification, economic development, job creation and multi-generational revenue through a growing property tax base and payments to landowners.
That’s the key takeaway of CleanPowerPays.org, a new interactive website launched this week by the Advanced Power Alliance (APA) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
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