Session 40 - Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus

[CEST2019_00854] Enabling the Total Resource Utilization (TRU) Habitat
by Tsantrizos P., Curry N.

Terragon Environmental Technologies Inc. has developed a suite of user-friendly technologies to treat solid and liquid byproducts of human consumption now considered “waste” and convert them into “resources” that can be re-used in the same place in which they are generated (in situ). These technologies, namely MAGSTM (combustible-waste-to-thermal-energy) and WETTTM (wastewater treatment and re-use), when integrated together in the same location, can enable a “Total Resource Utilization (TRU) Habitat”. A technological overview of MAGS and WETT are presented in this paper as well as Terragon’s vision of the TRU Habitat.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 09:30 to 09:45
Oral presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00555] Evapotransiration of crops and mechanical soil composition in Rhodes island
by Symeonidou S., Vagiona D.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the green (from rainfall) and blue (from irrigation) evapotranspiration of the most widespread crops (olives, citrus, soft and hard wheat, watermelons/melons, barley, grapes, vegetables, winter/summer and spring potatoes, fodder crops, rest annual crops) in the geographical area of Rhodes island. While the soils of the island belong to the same category, according to the classification "USDA Texture Classification" and could be roughly considered as a homogeneous medium soil (loam) in CROPWAT software, a separation takes place in four categories, in order to investigate whether the evapotranspiration of crops varies, even in the same ground category, depending on the relation of the mechanical soil composition. Furthermore a comparison takes place with the medium soil default value of CROPWAT. The examination included the separation of irrigated and dry crops at the scale of municipal unit. Calculations were made on the basis of the irrigation schedule approach, which includes a dynamic water balance of the soil profile and monitors soil moisture content over time.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 09:15 to 09:30
Oral presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00495] Prediction of electricity prices
by Sedlacek P., Lancosova E.

The aim of this paper is analyzing time series that might have an impact on prices of energy commodities. Analysis and econometric modelling reveal which time series are corelated and how. This is input for further modelling of forecasting tool for electricity prices on Czech energy market trading commodity futures.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 10:03 to 10:06
Flash presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00472] Changing Cropping Patterns and Irrigation Practices: Implications for Promoting Sustainable Growth of Agriculture in West Bengal, India
by Pani A., Mishra P.

The relationships between availability of irrigation facilities and changes in cropping patterns, especially in an agrarian economy like India, require deeper investigation for rational use of water and promoting sustainable growth of agriculture sector. The existing studies generally focus on how access to irrigation can change cropping patterns. Accordingly, policy changes and institutional arrangements are suggested to provide the farmers greater access to irrigation facilities. While this is imperative to promote inclusive agricultural growth, ensuring its sustainability requires exploring how changes in cropping patterns subsequently affect extent and patterns of irrigation. In this perspective, the present paper attempts to understand how changes cropping patterns have affected irrigation requirements and its structures in the Indian state of West Bengal. While deeper investigation at micro level is necessary to draw more robust conclusions, initiatives should be taken towards guiding the farmers towards choice of appropriate cropping patterns for more judicious use of water. The local level institutions like water users’ association should play a crucial role in this regard.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 09:45 to 10:00
Oral presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00477] The Mitigation of Environmental Impacts of High Polluted Effluents from Tuna Canning Industry through Eco-efficiency Strategies
by Etxebarria S., Gutierrez M., Ramos S., Ciriza A., Sancho L., Zufia J.

Food industry use high volume of water and energy to carry out their processes. Specifically, the fish canning industry generates effluents with high organic and saline loads, which complicates their suitable treatment before discharging to water bodies. The LIFE VERTALIM project has demonstrated the efficiency of a holistic solution (including technical, legislative, social, and environmental aspects) for the controlled integration of food industry wastewater from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the urban sanitation system. The implementation of low-cost innovative solutions, through the clean and eco-efficient production and wastewater pretreatment for fish canneries, has led to on average a reduction of 30% of the wastewater discharges to the environment and a reduction of food losses of up to 0.1%. Moreover, there has been a reduction of between 40% and 90% related to high organic load. These results allow the canneries to dispose their pretreated effluents to the urban sanitation system, avoiding the high costs of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). During the project, a physical-chemical quality control has been achieved in the river waters as well as in the marine water surrounding the urban WWTP. In fact, a remarkable improvement of the river water quality has been measured.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 09:00 to 09:15
Oral presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00406] Water Availability: A factor of sustainability and adaptation of agriculture to climate change
by Charchousi D., Papadopoulou M.P.

Climate change is expected to negatively affect agriculture. The effects of climate change on agricultural production are widely studied and adaptation strategies have already been proposed and even applied and assessed in many cases. A key component on agriculture vulnerability to climate change is water availability. The aim of the present study is to enlist and review representative proposed water management schemes and adaptation strategies related to agricultural water proposed in literature. Changes in technologies used, infrastructure, irrigation and crop patterns have been considered as adaptation procedures in order to prevent or reduce climate change impacts to agriculture. The choice of the most preferable measures should not be limited to their performance against water shortage but also on the assessment of their economic and social impacts. The suitability of each adaptation method is also depended on the scale of intervation; farm, river basin or national level.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 10:06 to 10:09
Flash presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus
[CEST2019_00074] A system dynamics model to explore the water-land-energy-food-climate nexus in Latvia
by Masia S., Sušnik J., Indriksone D., Bremere I.2, Vamvakeridou-Lyroudia LS., Brouwer F.

Water, energy, food/land use and climate are connected a system defined by complexity. The characteristics of the nexus change depending on the scale, location, and the sectors of interest. System dynamics modelling (SDM) is an approach developed for studying complex systems, and has found widespread application in the environmental and natural sciences. Disparate sectors can easily be combined and interlinked in one coherent modelling environment. SIM4NEXUS (www.sim4nexus.eu) is developing serious games for 12 case studies. The SDM and baseline results are presented for the Latvia case study. The principle nexus sectors of interest are land use, energy, and water quality. Of particular interest is the drive towards a low carbon economy through the cultivation of energy crops. However this may hinder other targets such as increasing food security, and improving water quality and biodiversity. The SDM captures critical elements, dynamically linking the nexus sectors with a focus towards the biofuel and energy, and the concomitant impacts on the water, land and climate sectors. Policy options, developed with local stakeholder groups, are to be included to assess nexus-wide impacts of current, and potential future, policy directions within Latvia.

Session: 40, Room: D, at Sat, 09/07/2019 - 10:00 to 10:03
Flash presentation in Water, Energy and/or Food Nexus