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Optimal power in wind farms turns to be a modern problem for investors and decision makers; onshore wind farms are subject to performance and economic and environmental constraints. The aim of this work is to define the best installed capacity (best topology) with maximum performance and profits and consider environmental impacts as well. In this article, we continue the work recently done on wind farm topology-finding algorithm. The proposed resolution technique is based on finding the best topology of the system that maximizes the wind farm performance (availability) under the constraints of costs and capital investments. Global warming potential of wind farm is calculated and taken into account in the results. A case study is done using data and constraints similar to those collected from wind farm constructors, managers, and maintainers. Multi-state systems (MSS), universal generating function (UGF), wind, and load charge functions are applied. An economic study was conducted to assess the wind farm investment. Net present value (NPV) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) were calculated for best topologies found.

In chlordecone (CLD)-contaminated soils of the French West Indies, if microbial remediation or a physicochemical remediation process, e.g., in situ chemical reduction, is implemented, concentrations of degradation byproducts, such as hydrochlordecones, are expected to increase in the ecosystems. To study their impact in mixtures with CLD, bioassays were carried out. They consisted in evaluating the regenerative capacity of hydra polyps, from a clone whose phylogenetic analysis confirmed that it belonged to the species Hydra vulgaris Pallas, 1766. Hydra gastric sections were exposed to CLD alone or CLD plus dechlorinated byproducts (CLD-BP) for 96 h to assess regeneration. Based on chromatographic analysis, the CLD-BP mix was composed of the 5-monohydrochlordecone isomer (CAS nomenclature), four dihydrochlordecone isomers, and one trihydrochlordecone isomer representing 50%, 47%, and 3% of the total chromatographic area, respectively. A total of 18 mixtures of CLD and CLD-BP were tested. Six environmental concentrations of CLD (2.10 −4 μM to 4.10 −2 μM) and a similar range of CLD-BP were used. Results from exposures to CLD alone showed the following: (i) a significant decrease in the regenerative capacity of hydra, except at the lowest concentration (2.10 −4 μM); (ii) a concentration-independent deleterious effect. The regeneration scores obtained after the exposure to the addition of CLD-BP were not significantly different from those obtained after exposure to CLD alone. Using an experimental design, a modeling of the regeneration scores of hydra exposed to mixtures is proposed. Interpreted carefully, since they are limited to only one type of bioassay, the present results suggest that the situation in the aquatic environments should not become worse in terms of toxicity, if soil remediation programs resulting in the formation of hydrochlordecones are put in place.

Terephthalate (TA) is one of the top 50 chemicals produced worldwide. Its production results in a TA-containing wastewater that is treated by anaerobic processes through a poorly understood methanogenic syntrophy. Using metagenomics, we characterized the methanogenic consortium inside a hyper-mesophilic (that is, between mesophilic and thermophilic), TA-degrading bioreactor. We identified genes belonging to dominant Pelotomaculum species presumably involved in TA degradation through decarboxylation, dearomatization, and modified β-oxidation to H 2 /CO 2 and acetate. These intermediates are converted to CH 4 /CO 2 by three novel hyper-mesophilic methanogens. Additional secondary syntrophic interactions were predicted in Thermotogae , Syntrophus and candidate phyla OP5 and WWE1 populations. The OP5 encodes genes capable of anaerobic autotrophic butyrate production and Thermotogae , Syntrophus and WWE1 have the genetic potential to oxidize butyrate to CO 2 /H 2 and acetate. These observations suggest that the TA-degrading consortium consists of additional syntrophic interactions beyond the standard H 2 -producing syntroph–methanogen partnership that may serve to improve community stability.

Chlordecone (CLD) was an organochlorine insecticide whose previous use resulted in an extensive pollution of the environment with severe health effects and social consequences. A closely related compound, 5b-hydrochlordecone (5b-hydroCLD), has been searched for and often detected in environmental matrices from the geographical area where CLD was applied. The current consensus considered that its presence was not the result of a biotic or abiotic dechlorination of CLD in these matrices but rather the consequence of its presence as impurity (synthesis by-product) in the CLD released into the environment. The aim of the present study was to determine if and to what extent degradation of CLD into 5b-hydroCLD occurred in the field. To test this hypothesis, the ratios of 5b-hydroCLD and CLD concentrations in a dataset of 810 soils collected between 2006 and 2012 in Martinique were compared to the ratios measured in 3 samples of the CLD dust commercial formulations applied in the banana fields of French West Indies (FWI) and 1 sample of the technical-grade CLD corresponding to the active ingredient used in such formulations. Soil data were processed with a hierarchical Bayesian model to account for random measurement errors and data censoring. Any pathway of CLD transformation into 5b-hydroCLD occurring over the long term in FWI soils would indeed change the ratio of 5b-hydroCLD/CLD compared to what it was in the initially applied formulations. Results showed a significant increase of the 5b-hydroCLD/CLD ratio in the soils—25 times greater in soil than in commercial formulations—which suggested that natural CLD transformation into 5b-hydroCLD over the long term occurred in these soils. Results from this study may impact future decisions for the remediation of the polluted areas.

This the Editorial of the special issue of the journal \"Environmental Science and Pollution Research\" dedicated to the annual congress of the French Group on Pesticide (GFP with its initials in French) that was held in Martinique in May 2014.

This is the editorial of the special issue of the journal \"Environmental Science & Pollution Research\" dedicated to the 4th edition of the International Symposium on Environmental Biotechnology and Engineering that was held in Mexico City in 2014. After recording the reasons behind the creation of this series of symposium and a brief history of the 3 previous editions, the editorial presents a list of the articles published in the special issue.

During the last 20 years, as a result of its low cost, anaerobic digestion has turned into a popular wastewater treatment technology. Today, with at least 1330 reactors constructed in the world, it is considered to have reached technological maturity. Until recently however, it was used quite exclusively for the treatment of food industry effluents. It is only during the last 10 years that anaerobic digestion has started to be applied massively to the treatment of sewage and effluents from other industrial activities. During the 1970s and 1980s, the chemical and petrochemical industries were almost refractory to the introduction of anaerobic digestion. The situation has reversed since 1990 and at least 80 full-scale anaerobic plants are nowadays treating this type of waste. Nevertheless, a great amount of promotion is still required before anaerobic digestion can be considered as an accepted technology by this industry. The paper presents the actual situation of anaerobic treatment at full-scale inthis industrial sector as well as recent developments at lab-scale and discusses some important concepts to consider before the implementation of an anaerobic treatment. In particular a table is presented with the main characteristics of 65 of the 80 full-scale plants identified to date. The probable reasons for the slow initial development of anaerobic treatment are also discussed and it is shown that anaerobic digestion has been the solution to treatment problems for which aerobic systems were inefficient.

La tolerancia al oxígeno de una biomasa anaerobia suspendida en presencia o ausencia de un sustrato primario (sacarosa) se evaluó en términos de la recuperación de la actividad metanogénica aceticlástica específica (AME) de la biomasa anaerobia y un índice de inhibición 50% (II50) asociado a la AME. Incubada en presencia de sacarosa, la biomasa anaerobia suspendida mostró resistencia a la exposición al oxígeno; la recuperación de la AME fue >45% para [O2] iniciales <20% en el espacio gaseoso, y de 10 a 12% para [O2] iniciales >20% en el espacio gaseoso. Cuando fue incubada sin fuente de carbono, la biomasa suspendida fue mucho más inhibida después de la exposición al oxígeno para [O2] iniciales >20%. El efecto inhibitorio fue descrito por un II50 elevado (28,6) en contraste con un bajo II50 (5,9) cuando se incubó en presencia de sacarosa. La tolerancia de la biomasa suspendida en este trabajo parece ser del mismo orden de la biomasa anaerobia inmovilizada (gránulos anaerobios) en condiciones de incubación en presencia de sustrato: los II50 fueron 5,9 para lodos anaerobios suspendidos (sacarosa) y 5,3 y 2,4 para lodos granulares incubados con acetato y etanol, respectivamente. La respiración aerobia heterótrofa de los lodos anaerobios floculentos incubados con sacarosa fue cerca de 4 veces mayor que la respiración basal, y la inhibición de la AME descrita por el II50 parece seguir una relación inversa con la respiración aerobia heterótrofa. La relación inversa entre II50 y respiración aerobia heterótrofa se ajustó para datos de lodos granulares en la literatura y lodos floculentos de este trabajo, y sigue un modelo semi-empírico general, con un coeficiente de correlación de 0,82. Esta relación parece reforzar que uno de los mecanismos principales de protección de los consorcios anaerobios contra la inhibición por oxígeno es la respiración aerobia heterótrofa.

In chlordecone (CLD) contaminated soils of the French West Indies, if microbial remediation or a physicochemical remediation process, e.g., in situ chemical reduction, is implemented, concentrations of degradation byproducts, such as hydrochlordecones, are expected to increase in the ecosystems. To study their impact in mixtures with CLD, bioassays were carried out. They consisted in evaluating the regenerative capacity of hydra polyps, from a clone whose phylogenetic analysis confirmed that it belonged to the species Hydra vulgaris Pallas, 1766. Hydra gastric sections were exposed to CLD alone or CLD plus dechlorinated byproducts (CLD-BPs) for 96 h to assess regeneration. Based on chromatographic analysis, the CLD-BPs mix was composed of the 5-monohydrochlordecone isomer (CAS nomenclature), four dihydrochlordecone isomers and one trihydrochlordecone isomer representing 50%, 47% and 3% of the total chromatographic area, respectively. A total of 18 mixtures of CLD and CLD-BPs were tested. Six environmental concentrations of CLD (2.10-4 µM to 4.10-2 µM) and a similar range of CLD-BPs were used. Results from exposures to CLD alone showed: (i) a significant decrease in the regenerative capacity of hydra, except at the lowest concentration (2.10-4 µM), (ii) a concentration-independent deleterious effect. The regeneration scores obtained after the exposure to the addition of CLD-BPs were not significantly different from those obtained after exposure to CLD alone. Using an experimental design, a modeling of the regeneration scores of hydra exposed to mixtures is proposed. Interpreted carefully, since they are limited to only one type of bioassay, the present results suggest that the situation in the aquatic environments should not become worse in terms of toxicity, if soil remediation programs resulting in the formation of hydrochlordecones are put in place.