The aim of this article is to apply advanced predictive modeling techniques to understand the degradation process of microplastics in aquatic environments. Utilizing a Fractional Factorial Central Composite Experimental Plan, this study seeks to develop precise predictive statistical models that enable forecasting the quantity of pollutants generated during the degradation of microplastics under various environmental conditions. This tool was applied to model changes in DOC (dissolved organic carbon) and DEHP (bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) values during the degradation of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. The methods were developed using data derived from laboratory tests conducted using the GC-MS technique. The obtained approximating functions, considering factors such as degradation time, water temperature, and particle size, significantly reduced the analysis time. A two-stage verification of the approximating functions was conducted, considering the accuracy of the function form, its adequacy, the statistical significance of input variables, and their correlation with DOC and DEHP. The employed a Fractional Factorial Central Composite Experimental Plan allowed for the simultaneous reduction in the number of experiments and prediction of the influence of variables on the output values. Precise predictive models support understanding of the microplastic degradation process, facilitating the development of effective strategies for managing this pollution.
Windthrows in the forestry fund, which have become more frequent due to the increase in extreme weather events, have had, and continue to have, mostly negative economic and ecological effects, making them a pressing issue in forestry research. The main objectives of this study are to evaluate the effects of windthrows on some microbiological properties of forest soils and to monitor the evolution of the degraded tree regeneration, four years after the event, for three tree species: Norway spruce (Picea abies L.), sessile oak (Quercus petraea), and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The experimental plot used is arranged in dispersed blocks and subdivided plots, with three repetitions, and is bifactorial, with factor A representing the tree species and factor B the windthrows. There are two possibilities: affected by windthrows (AW) and unaffected by windthrows (WW). For each tree species, dehydrogenase activity (DA) and the number of fungi (NF) in the organic horizon at the soil surface were studied. Correlations were highlighted between the differences in AW and WW of Current Dehydrogenase Activity (CDA), Potential Dehydrogenase Activity (PDA), and NF with the number of naturally regenerated seedlings (NRS) and the type of soil. Stimulating NRS in AW forests and increasing the volume of terrestrial organic carbon (TOC) biomass is directly dependent on soil fertility, primarily determined by Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), which accumulates in the soil as a result of organic matter, deposited on the surface. Sustainable forest management of AW plots should stimulate the accumulation of SOC, including the partial or total preservation of dead trees, provided that the attack of specific diseases and pests is avoided.
1 January 2023 in Environmental Engineering and Management Journal
Drenvsubir application is develop in Borland Delphi Pascal v7.0 programming system and is created for calculating sizes specific to drainage system such as: determination of the distance between drains with the verification of functioning at subirrigation. DrenVSubIR calculation program consist of three modules, the first of calculation of the distance between drains wires in permanent regime, the second for verifying conventional drainage reversibility in controlled drainage and subirrigation and the third for technical and economic calculation of a hectare of drainage field. The module for sizing distance between drains in permanent regime used Ernst relation, completed by David I. (1982), which submits adding in the composition of loss of hydraulic load due to the resistance at the water entering drain-filter complex, value calculated with the help of some coefficients experimentally determined. Verification reversibility module of the drainage projected in the subirrigation of the DrenVSubIR program uses David Equation, after calculating the distance between L drain and the values determined at the projection of distance between drains. The technical-economic calculation module uses all of the initially introduced dates giving the cost for a hectare of field.