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- Palynology of the Triassic : Jurassic of the Silves Group in Portugal, its implications on a changing worldPublication . Vilas Boas, Margarida; Fernandes, Paulo; Pereira, Zélia; Cirilli, SimonettaABSTRACT: The biostratigraphy of the Lusitanian and Algarve basins is based on macrofossils and microfossils (foraminifers, nannofossils, and ostracods). Compared to these works, palynological studies are rare in these basins. Palynomorphs are a powerful biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental tool, and their research could significantly contribute to the context of the two basins. In this project, the Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic of the Lusitanian and Algarve asins were studied. In the Lusitanian Basin, twelve sections were sampled, all in Coimbra and Miranda do Corvo: Lamas I, Lamas II, Castelo Viegas I, Castelo Viegas II, IdealMed, Alto de São João, Parque de Campismo, Sobral Cid, Carvalhais, Redonda, Lordemão and Eiras. A total of 122 samples were collected in these sections and studied in detail. In the Algarve Basin, fifteen sections were sampled throughout the entire basin: Vale de Fuzeiros, Bengado, International Racetrack of Algarve, Marco, Loulé Rock Salt Mine, Santa Rita, Amorosa, Amado’s Beach, Rocha da Pena, Bodega, Barragem do Funcho, Santa Catarina Fonte do Bispo, Fonte da Pedra, Diapiro de Albufeira and Ayamonte. Full amount of 254 samples were collected in these sections and studied in detail. Six boreholes were sampled: Golfinho-1, Santiago do Cacém-3, Santiago do Cacém-42, Santiago do Cacém-61, Campelos-1, and Lula-1, performing 122 samples collected from these boreholes and studied in detail. The data obtained in the Lusitanian Basin allowed improving the dating of the units of the Silves Group, from the oldest to the most recent: Conraria Formation, Penela Formation, Castelo Viegas Formation, and Pereiros Formation. The co-occurrence of typical Norian and Rhaetian palynomorphs, such as Classopollis meyerianus, Granuloperculatipollis rudis, Patinasporites densus, Vallasporites ignacii, Duplicisporites granulatus, Paracirculina quadruplicis, and Praecirculina granifer, allowed the Conraria Formation, at the base of the Silves Group, to be dated from the Norian to lower Rhaetian. Based on the palynological content, proposing the informal Classopollis meyerianus-Granuloperculatipollis rudis palynozone for the Conraria Formation was possible. Two informal palynozones are proposed for the Pereiros Formation:Ischyosporites variegatus-Kraeuselisporites reissingeri and Pinuspollenites minimus. The informal palynozone Ischyosporites-variegatus-Kraeuselisporites reissingeri is associated with the upper Rhaetian due to the presence of Classopollis meyerianus, Classopollis torosus together with index species of this age, such as Ischyosporites variegatus, Kraeuselisporites reissingeri, and Rhaetipollis germanicus. The informal palynozone Pinuspollenites minimus is defined based in the first occurrence of Pinuspollenites minimus and Perinopollenites elatoides, accompanied by the dominance of Classopollis meyerianus and Classopollis torosus, dating from the base of the Hettangian. Therefore, based on the palynological association obtained in these two informal palynozones, it is possible to date the Pereiros Formation as being upper Rhaetian to lower Hettangian and conclude that the Triassic-Jurassic transition occurs at the base of this formation within the informal Ischyosporites variegatus- Kraeuselisporites reissingeri palynozone. The absence of palynological data from the Penela and Castelo Viegas formations due to not favorable lithologies to palynological studies did not allow for a review and improvement in the precision of the age associated with these formations. However, considering their stratigraphic position, sandwiched between the Conraria Formation (Norian – early Rhaetian) and the Pereiros Formation (late Rhaetian – earliest Hettangian), these formations would date, indirectly, from the Rhaetian. In conclusion, the palynological associations obtained in the Lusitanian Basin made it possible to date the formations of the Silves Group from the Norian to the Hettangian. To identify the limit between the Triassic and Jurassic in the Lusitanian Basin, new samples were collected in the most basal part of the Pereiros Formation. The palynological content obtained, such as the spores Calamospora tener, Ischyosporites variegatus, Kraeuselisporites reissingeri, and Porcellispora longdonensis, and the pollen grains Alisporites sp., Perinopollenites elatoides, and Pinuspollenites minimus, allowed confirming the Hettangian age for the base of this formation. The presence of foraminiferal linings in the basal part of the Pereiros Formation documents, the first marine incursion event that occurred in the Lusitanian Basin. These data allow us to interpret this unit as deposited in an estuary environment and suggest a small marine transgression episode. The middle part of this formation is interpreted as a coastal plain environment dominated by fluvial sedimentation processes recording a small marine regression episode, and the top of Pereiros Formation as an evaporite tidal flat under hot, arid climatic conditions.In the Algarve Basin, the Silves Group comprehends the units, from the oldest to the most recent: São Bartolomeu de Messines Clays, Silves Sandstones, Silves Marl-Carbonate Evaporitic Complex, and Volcano-Sedimentary Series. For the first time, it is possible to associate an age interval with the Silves Group, ranging from the early Carnian to the early Hettangian, based on palynomorphs, including the Triassic-Jurassic transition, and to establish paleoenvironmental interpretations. The most basal part of the Silves Sandstones was sampled, and its palynological association, which comprised Aulisporites astigmosus, Enzonalasporites vigens, Vallasporites ignacii, and Samaropollenites minimus, allowed the base of this unit to be dated as early Carnian. These data will enable us to interpret that the beginning of sedimentation in the Algarve Basin occurred in the Late Triassic (early Carnian). The co-occurrence of taxa such as Aulisporites astigmosus, Enzonalasporites vigens, Samaropollenites speciosus and Tulesporites briscoensis (recorded for the first time in Iberia and Europe) indicates a mixture of microfloras with affinities from Central Europe and North America, in the Carnian, this data is consistent with the paleogeographic position of the Iberian Peninsula during the Late Triassic. The new palynological data from this investigation indicate that the top of the Silves Sandstones unit dates from the late Carnian, the base of the Silves Marl-Carbonate Evaporitic Complex unit dates from the late Carnian and the top of this last unit dates from the late Rhaetian to the early Hettangian. From a paleoenvironmental point of view, the presence and rapid increase of algal spores (Plaesiodictyon mosellanum ssp. variable, Plaesiodictyon mosellanum ssp. bullatum, Botryococcus spp., and Ovoidites sp.) at the base of the Silves Marl-Carbonate Evaporitic Complex unit indicates the transition from alluvial depositional systems (Silves Sandstones) initially, to lacustrine environments, which later changed to arid coastlines. The consistent increase in xerophytic elements (e.g., pollens grains Alisporites spp., Classopollis spp., Cerebropollenites spp., and Perinopollenites spp.) indicates a shift to more arid and hot conditions for the top of the Silves Group, being consistent with lithofacies deposited in sabkha environment (evaporites). For the first time, the Triassic-Jurassic transition is described based in palynomorph studies in the Algarve Basin at the top of the Silves Marl-Carbonate Evaporitic Complex in the Loulé Rock Salt Mine. The previous transition occurs in a mudstone layer, with ca. 1 m thick, interspersed with evaporites, and should correspond to a short period of interruption of the evaporite environment. With this work, we propose an age of the Silves Group in the Lusitanian Basin, from the Norian – early Hettangian, and in the Algarve Basin from the lower Carnian to the early Hettangian, with the identification, for the first time, of the Triassic-Jurassic transition in Portugal. The new lithostratigraphic schemes of the Silves Group for the Lusitanian and Algarve basins, together with the paleoenvironmental interpretations obtained with this investigation, are a significant contribution to the context of the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic in Portugal, especially for biostratigraphy.
- Improving wind power market value with various aspects of diversificationPublication . Vrana, Til Kristian; Svendsen, Harald G.; Korpås, Magnus; Couto, António; Estanqueiro, Ana; Flynn, Damian; Holttinen, Hannele; Härtel, Philipp; Koivisto, Matti; Lantz, Eric; Frew, BethanyABSTRACT: The wind generation share in many European bidding zones is now large enough to affect the market value of wind power, and wind energy is getting less-than-average market price in day-ahead markets. As alternatives to investing in dedicated energy storage, there are two main ways to mitigate the decreasing market value trend. The first is employing different diversification measures (geographical spread, alternative wind turbine technologies, integration with solar). The second is implementing demand flexibility measures. Examples of these measures from some European and USA studies are given in this article, which stems from the international collaboration under IEA Wind TCP Tasks 25 and 53.
- Lignin utilization for the removal of microplastic particles from waterPublication . Găgeanu, Iuliana; Carvalheiro, Florbela; Ekielski, Adam; Duarte, Luís C.ABSTRACT: The focus of the research was to evaluate the use of lignin from different sources as an agent for the removal of diverse types of microplastics when present in wastewater. Organosolv lignin was obtained from three different sources (Miscanthus sp., pine bark and solid anaerobic digestates from Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes) by an ethanol-based organosolv treatment carried out in a pressurized stirred-tank reactor. The lignins obtained were evaluated as an adsorbent for diverse types of microplastics: High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polystyrene (PS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), and Polypropylene (PP). All lignins used had the capacity to capture plastic particles from all plastic types, but a differential absorbance potential was found both for plastic types and lignin samples. EPS was the least adsorb type for all lignin sources, with the remaining plastics presenting equivalent results. Pine bark lignin was the best adsorbent among the tested feedstocks, always presenting the best performance for all plastic types. The direct utilization of organosolv hydrolysates, avoiding lignin recovery presented a similar behaviour. These results open the possibility to develop new natural, plant-based, adsorbents for microplastic removal from contaminated wastewater.
- Cartografia e Caracterização Geológica dos Recursos em Calcários Ornamentais do Maciço Calcário EstremenhoPublication . Carvalho, JorgeRESUMO: Desde há cerca de 40 anos, desenvolve-se uma intensa atividade extrativa de calcários para fins ornamentais no Maciço Calcário Estremenho, o qual se encontra parcialmente abrangido pelo Parque Natural das Serras de Aire e Candeeiros. Tendo em vista a conciliação dessa atividade com os pressupostos de conservação da natureza e a sua integração nos instrumentos de ordenamento do território municipais, foram desenvolvidos estudos geológicos de pormenor sobre os cinco principais núcleos de exploração abrangidos pela área desse parque natural, designadamente os núcleos das áreas de Cabeça Veada, Codaçal, Moleanos Pé da Pedreira e Portela das Salgueiras. O presente trabalho relata os resultados alcançadas por esses estudos geológicos que envolveram cartografia geológica a grande escala, levantamento de fraturação e sondagens. Os mesmos permitiram definir as áreas de aptidão para a produção de blocos para rocha ornamental em cada uma das áreas e estimar as seguintes Reservas Minerais Prováveis para cada uma das áreas: Cabeça Veada – 14,04 x 106 t, Codaçal – 33,54 x 106 t, Moleanos – 23,92 x 106 t, Pé da Pedreira – 63,44 x 106 t e Portela das Salgueiras – 17,16 x 106 t.
- Triggering Deep Renovation of Buildings in PortugalPublication . Aelenei, Daniel; Aelenei, Laura ElenaABSTRACT: EU and national buildings related regulations are moving towards policies that improve indoor thermal comfort, reduce energy consumption and its environmental impact by establishing very ambitious targets in the emissions reduction in the decades to come. In this context, improving energy efficiency through deep energy renovations is a key action line because of its potential to meet long-term climate and energy targets. However, deep renovations need to become more environmentally friendly, more reliable in terms of performance and more attractive to all concerned stakeholders, in addition of enabling the implementation of the Near Zero -Energy Building (nZEB) assumed by the Energy Performance of Building Directive in 2010. This paper highlights the key aspects related to the strategic pillars of deep renovation and explore ongoing related funding schemes to meet Portugal's carbon neutrality and related sustainability goals.
- Integration of CCHP microgrids in NZEB with critical loads under high PQR requirements, a position paperPublication . Savariego, Rafael; Moreno-Munoz, Antonio; Abascal-Castaneda, Isabel M.; González-Cuenca, M. Isabel; Silva, Carlos Santos; Tobajas-Blanco, Javier; López-Alcolea, Fco. Javier; Molina-Martínez, Emilio J.; Mannini, Romain; Grieu, Stéphane; Estanqueiro, Ana; Loureiro, DavidABSTRACT: In recent years, many projects have been developed to reduce the energy consumption of buildings, both from the point of view of energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energies. However, few projects are related to the problem of integrating DER in environments dominated by high-tech equipment, the so-called ”critical loads”: data centers, railroad stations, airports, and hospitals. The European Interreg Sudoe IMPROVEMENT project aim is to renovate existing public buildings where critical loads predominate, converting them into nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB), and for this purpose, it integrates combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) microgrid with renewable and other distributed energy resources (DER) like hybrid energy storage systems (ESS). With still one year to go before the end of the project, the consortium partners present in this position paper the latest progress of their respective work packages to date.
- Enhancing Market Readiness for nZEB ImplementationPublication . Aelenei, Laura Elena; Croitoru, C.; Korczak, K.; Petran, H.; O'Rourke-Potocki, H.; Tzanev, D.; Goncalves, Helder; Duarte, Ana Paula; Trindade, Paula; Loureiro, DavidABSTRACT: Despite transposing the 2010/31/EU Directive's requirements creates legal responsibilities at the national level, the nearly Zero energy building (nZEB) principle does not appear to be widely adopted just yet in many nations. Previous studies have shown that the most significant barriers include determining the cost-effective ideal integration of the technologies appropriate for nZEB and the skills constraints faced by the construction industry. In order to meet the challenge of an efficient nZEB implementation, existing certification courses and training programs are still insufficient and inadequate, and hiring experienced specialists for building retrofit and new construction is not common practice. The traditionally conservative real estate industry is nevertheless hesitant to adopt the new building standards and practices, notably in the residential sector, despite a significant movement towards nZEB and extensive energy renovation. In this specific situation, this paper provides a preliminary analysis of the European project nZEB Ready Enhancing Market Readiness for nZEB Implementation, which aims to address the issue of the effective implementation of the nZEB and make use of new possibilities to act at the market level in order to boost the market's readiness for a successful implementation of the nZEB and to encourage demand for energy-related skills among construction workers and specialists in the countries involved and beyond.
- Climate mitigation models need to become circular : let's start with the construction sectorPublication . Lima, Ana Teresa; Simoes, Sofia; Aloini, Davide; Zerbino, Pierluigi; Oikonomou, Theoni I.; Karytsas, Spyridon; Karytsas, Constantine; Calvo, Oscar Seco; Porcar, Beatriz; Herrera, I.; Slabik, Simon; Dürr, Hans H.; Genovese, Andrea; Bimpizas-Pinis, MeletiosABSTRACT: Circular Economy (CE) is presented today as the way forward to achieving a sustainable and carbon-neutral society. Yet, circularity assessment tools such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), and Supply and value-chain analysis are currently disconnected from the models used to advise bodies that steer sustainability-driven policies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Climate mitigation models (henceforth climate models) are used in policy discussions and international negotiations to track GHG emissions and identify pathways towards a low-carbon economy. One example is the JRC-EU-TIMES model developed by the International Energy Agency or the PRIMES model, which is the backbone of the energy and climate policy of the European Union (EU). These climate models are inherently suitable for representing only linear patterns of economic activity, where GHG emissions are modelled per economic sector (primary energy resource extraction, final energy generation, energy, and materials used in industry, buildings, etc.).
- Risk-Sharing Contracts and risk management of bilateral contracting in electricity marketsPublication . Algarvio, HugoABSTRACT: The liberalization of the electricity sector has conducted to the establishment of spot markets, derivative markets and private bilateral contracts to trade electricity, increasing the competition in the sector. Spot markets are composed of day-ahead, intraday and real-time markets, and their prices are highly volatile. Derivative markets are composed of physical and financial products to hedge against spot price volatility. Players can set the terms and conditions of private bilateral contracts but these have several risks that can be mitigated using a risk management process composed of three phases: risk assessment, characterization and hedging. This paper focuses on both risk attitude and risk-sharing, and how they can influence the negotiation of the price. It presents the standard and non-standard designs of a new type of contract, the Risk-Sharing Contract (RSC). Furthermore, it describes the trading process of these contracts and introduces a negotiation strategy for dealing with risk. It also presents case studies on bilateral contracting involving the negotiation of RSCs, where different demand and supply agents interact and trade according to the rules of an alternating offers protocol. Results from the case studies prove the benefit of RSCs to hedging against spot price volatility, benefiting risk-averse players by reducing the price risk and conducting mutually beneficial agreements. While the use of derivatives products can conduct losses/revenues between -15% and 3% concerning the spot market, by using non-standard RSCs those outputs vary between -1% and 3% with substantially less risk.
- Landslide monitoring techniques in the Geological Surveys of EuropePublication . Auflič, Mateja Jemec; Herrera, Gerardo; Mateos, Rosa María; Poyiadji, Eleftheria; Quental, Lídia; Severine, Bernardie; Peternel, Tina; Podolszki, Laszlo; Calcaterra, Stefano; Kociu, Arben; Warmuz, Bartłomiej; Jelének, Jan; Hadjicharalambous, Kleopas; Becher, Gustaf Peterson; Dashwood, Claire; Ondrus, Peter; Minkevičius, Vytautas; Todorović, Saša; Møller, Jens Jørgen; Marturia, JordiABSTRACT: Landslide monitoring is a mandatory step in landslide risk assessment. It requires collecting data on landslide conditions (e.g., areal extent, landslide kinematics, surface topography, hydrogeometeorological parameters, and failure surfaces) from different time periods and at different scales, from site-specific to local, regional, and national, to assess landslide activity. In this analysis, we collected information on landslide monitoring techniques from 17 members of the Earth Observation and Geohazards Expert Group (from EuroGeoSurveys) deployed between 2005 and 2021. We examined the types of the 75 recorded landslides, the landslide techniques, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, status of the technique (operational, non-operational), time of using (before the event, during the event, after the event), and the applicability of the technique in early warning systems. The research does not indicate the accuracy of each technique but, rather, the extent to which Geological Surveys conduct landslide monitoring and the predominant techniques used. Among the types of landslides, earth slides predominate and are mostly monitored by geological and engineering geological mapping. The results showed that Geological Surveys mostly utilized more traditional monitoring techniques since they have a broad mandate to collect geological data. In addition, this paper provides new insights into the role of the Geological Surveys on landslide monitoring in Europe and contributes to landslide risk reduction initiatives and commitments (e.g., the Kyoto Landslide Commitment 2020).