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We studied ptyctimous moss mites, which are characteristic of forest habitats, in Norwegian broadleaf forests considered as biodiversity hotspot areas in Fennoscandia. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of different factors (regional locality, annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, forest type, forest wetness and microhabitat) on the ptyctimous mites and on discovering their richness in broadleaf forests. Samples were collected from nine broadleaf forests in Western, Southern and Eastern Norway, in different climatic conditions, six forest types, three forest wetness states and eight microhabitats. Overall, 3341 ptyctimous mites were collected and their abundance differed significantly among the regions, forest types and microhabitats. Forest type turned out to be the most important factor, responsible for 24.5% of the total variation in the abundance of the ptyctimous mites. Other important factors were forest wetness and microhabitat. In total, 27 species, i.e., 87% of all ptyctimous mites known from before in Norway were found and the species richness was highest in the east and lowest in the west of the country. Atropacarus (Atropacarus) striculus was most common and most abundant; it made nearly 30% of all ptyctimous mites collected. On the other hand, a quarter of the species were represented by less than 10 specimens; most of these were new records for Norway. Among ten species discovered as new to Norway, four were also new to Fennoscandia. These findings confirm the unique character and high biological diversity of Norwegian broadleaf forests.

Aprotic lithium–oxygen (Li–O₂) batteries are a prominent example of ultrahigh energy density batteries. Although Li–O₂ batteries hold a great potential for large-scale electrochemical energy storage and electric vehicles, their implementation is lagging due to the complex reactions occurring at the cathode. Great effort has been applied to find practical cathodes through the incorporation of different materials acting as catalysts. Here we tap into the quantification of the environmental footprint of seven high-performance Li–O₂ batteries. The batteries were standardized to feed a 60 kWh electric vehicle. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to determine and compare how different batteries and respective components contribute to environmental footprints, categorized in 18 groups. To get a bigger picture, results are compared with the environmental burdens of a reference lithium ion battery, reference sodium ion battery, and the average value of lithium–sulfur batteries. Overall, Li–O₂ batteries present lower environmental burdens in 9 impact categories, with similar impacts in 5 categories in comparison with lithium–sulfur and lithium ion batteries. With an average value of 55.76 kg·CO₂ equiv in Global Warming Potential for the whole Li–O₂ battery, the cathode is the major contributor, with a relative weight of 44.5%. These results provide a road map to enable the practical design of sustainable aprotic Li–O₂ batteries within a circular economy perspective.

The objective of performing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tomography (TEMT) on poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/clay samples is to characterize their 3D microstructure by obtaining the dispersion distribution and orientation of the dimensions of the clays. This information cannot be elucidated from a qualitative TEM analysis or from conventional characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction. The nanocomposites are obtained by mixing PLA with Cloisite 20A and 30B at different extrusion shear rates which have been analyzed in 3D. Quantitative TEMT is performed to all the nanocomposites and the resulting 3D quantitative characterization (geometry of clay particles misalignment degree and distribution) is used for a more realistic comprehension of the mechanical behavior of the nanocomposites.

Arachnid orders, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, and Sarcoptiformes, commonly known as ‘mites’, are abundant in mires, both as adults and as juveniles. However, due to the challenges of identification, the juvenile forms are often excluded from analyses. This is the first study in mires that included all three mite orders identified to the species level, including juvenile instars. We aimed to compare how diversity and the response to ecological variables differed if only the adults (ad) vs. the total number of specimens (ad+juv) are considered. Samples of 20 Sphagnum species (five subgenera) were collected and mites were extracted using Berlese funnels. Overall, nearly 60,000 mites were analyzed; of these Mesostigmata made up 1.87% of the total, Trombidiformes −0.27%, and Sarcoptiformes −97.86%. The study revealed 154 species (33 Mesostigmata, 24 Trombidiformes, and 97 Sarcoptiformes), the highest diversity of mites ever reported from mires. The inclusion of juveniles increased observed species richness by 6%, with 10 species (one Mesostigmata, six Trombidiformes, and three Sarcoptiformes) represented only by juvenile forms. Seventeen species are new to Norway (four Mesostigmata, one Sarcoptiformes, and 12 Trombidiformes, including five undescribed species of Stigmaeidae and Cunaxidae). Four of these were represented in the samples only by juveniles. Including the juveniles explained a greater amount of the variability of Trombidiformes (explanatory variables account for 23.60% for ad, and 73.74% for ad+juv) and Mesostigmata (29.23% − ad, 52.91% − ad+juv), but had less of an impact for Sarcoptiformes (38.48% − ad, 39.26% − ad+juv). Locality, Sphagnum subgenus and species, wetness, and trophic state significantly affected the mite communities and should be taken into consideration when studying mires. Since juvenile stages contribute significantly to mite diversity in mires, they should also be included in mite studies in other habitats. The study was partly supported by the grant to the University Museum of Bergen from the Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative ‘Mites of Atlantic Raised Bogs’ (Grant No. 6-20, 70,184,243) and by the program of the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education ‘Regional Initiative of Excellence’ in 2019–2022 (grant no. 008/RID/2018/19).

Vegetation is widely used in the assessment of the quality of peatlands, while the invertebrate fauna of peatlands is relatively poorly studied. We compared the bioindicator values of vegetation with two arthropod groups widespread in peatlands, saprophagous Oribatida (Acariformes) and predatory Mesostigmata (Parasitiformes) mites. Samples were collected from ecotones at the edges of peatland ponds in Poland, including four in near-natural condition (i.e., peatlands unaffected by human activity) and three in previously disturbed but now recovering peatlands. A set of abiotic parameters was measured at each site: pond area, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, and water parameters (pH, conductivity, colour, total nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and organic carbon). Overall, 63,635 specimens of Oribatida and 448 of Mesostigmata were recovered in the sampling. Species richness of Oribatida (56 species) was higher than that of flora (46) and Mesostigmata (15). Vegetation was significantly associated with annual precipitation in the years 1998–2007 which accounted for 29.1 % of the variation in vegetation communities. Oribatida variability was significantly associated with the content of organic carbon in water accounting for 32.4 % of variation. In contrast, variation in the Mesostigmata was not significantly associated with any of the abiotic parameters. Vegetation at ponds in previously disturbed and now recovering peatlands had higher bush cover than at near-natural ponds and the pond in the cutaway peat had lowest moss cover and the highest number of associate species (i.e., species with wide tolerance not characteristic of the certain community). Mite communities did not differ consistently between near-natural and recovering peatlands. Sphagnum divinum Flatberg et Hassel was recorded from Poland for the first time. publishedVersion

The sodium–vanadium fluorophosphate family has been actively investigated recently, but few examples tackle chemical doping or the substitution of vanadium. This work presents a series of iron-dope...

A study of oribatid mites was carried out in six mires located in western, oceanic parts of Norway. Twenty Sphagnum species of five subgenera were collected from microhabitats representing trophic state and wetness gradients. In total, over 60,000 mites were extracted, including 58,000 Oribatida, representing 95 species (i.e. 30% of total species diversity of Oribatida in Norway). This is the highest number ever reported from mires, including 18 species new to Norway. The average density of the Oribatida was 54,126 ind./m2, but it differed among Sphagnum subgenera, being four times lower in the subgenus Rigida than in the other subgenera. Juveniles contributed nearly 40% of oribatids, in some species highly dominating in the age structure (up to 80% in Nothrus spp.), and two oribatid species were represented only by juveniles, so their inclusion is important in ecological studies. In some species the proportion of juveniles varied between the studied microhabitats. Localities, Sphagnum subgenera, and wetness gradient affected significantly the oribatid communities, so these factors should be taken into consideration in studies of the Oribatida in mires.

[EN]With the emergence of portable electronics and electric vehicle adoption, the last decade has witnessed an increasing fabrication of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The future development of LIBs is threatened by the limited reserves of virgin materials, while the inadequate management of spent batteries endangers environmental and human health. According to the Circular Economy principles aiming at reintroducing end-of-life materials back into the economic cycle, further attention should be directed to the development and implementation of battery recycling processes. To enable sustainable paths for graphite recovery, the environmental footprint of state-of-the-art graphite recycling through life cycle assessment is analyzed quantifying the contribution of nine recycling methods combining pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical approaches to indicators such as global warming, ozone layer depletion potential, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, or acidification. Laboratory-scale recycling is scaled up into pilot-scale processes able to treat 100 kg of spent graphite. With values ranging from 0.53 to 9.76 kg.CO2 equiv. per 1 kg of graphite, energy consumption and waste acid generation are the main environmental drivers. A sensitivity analysis demonstrates a 20-73% impact reduction by limiting to one-fourth the amount of H2SO4. Combined processes involving hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy give environmentally preferable results. The electrochemical performance of regenerated graphite is also compared with virgin battery-grade graphite. This work provides cues boosting the environmentally sustainable recycl The authors are grateful for Open Access funding provided by the University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU).

Since 2002, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has supported several teaching experiences related to the so-called Life Cycle Thinking or Ecodesign in collaboration with local Institutions. The kick off was the Ecodesign Learning Center aiming to promote environmental education at the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao. In this framework, the last effort has been the implementation of a Master’s Degree entitled Circular Economy: Business Application. This course has been successfully implemented in the 2019–2020 academic year and has been specifically designed to provide training in circular economy for people with backgrounds as varied as product manufacturing engineering, environmental engineering or economics. These studies are aimed to become a European reference in its goal of promoting circular economy, life cycle thinking, ecodesign and sustainable development. This paper analyzes the learning issues and characteristics of this Master's degree placing a special emphasis on its novel competencies and learning outcomes for our society. It can be concluded that the Master's degree is a pioneering teaching experience, being the forefront of Circular Economy Education in Southwestern Europe.

This work presents a series of electrode materials constituted by a sodium vanadium fluorophosphate as the electroactive phase and an in situ generated carbon derived from waste biomasses as carbon source. The waste biomasses consist of grounded vine-shoots, eucalyptus wood, and sucrose as control sample. The materials were obtained by hydrothermal carbonization during the hydrothermal synthesis followed by a flash thermal treatment (FTT). This way, carbonaceous matter decomposes into hydrochar while the electroactive phase is formed under autogenous pressure at 170 or 200 °C. The electrochemical tests were performed by adjusting the electrode composition to a total carbon amount of 20 wt %, so that the suitability of the in situ carbon as conductive additive was evaluated. Electrochemical performance was significantly improved after an FTT treatment. Among the biomass-based materials, samples that had the highest amount of the in situ generated carbon, resulting from eucalyptus biomass, showed the best e...

In carbon black reinforced rubbers, the shape of the carbon black aggregates has a very significant influence on the final properties of the material. Accurately classifying these particles by shape has proven to be difficult, but the results of the classification would allow to model the final mechanical properties of the material. In this work, 21 features are measured from 7714 isolated filler images obtained from TEM images and used for the classification. Support vector machines and artificial neural network techniques are used to classify the aggregates using a methodology to tune the algorithm parameters to improve the performance of the models. Also, genetic algorithms are applied to make a feature selection in order to get most robust and accurate models. It is demonstrated that the combination of genetic algorithms with support vector machines and artificial neural network improves the classification results and minimizes the complexity of the resulting model.

Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is one the most promising bio-based and biodegradable polymer. However, its properties limit the range of applications it reaches. The neat PLA can be modified with additives that will alter its final properties. In this work the mechanical properties of PLA and PLA/clay (Cloisite 20A and Cloisite 30B) nanocomposites are studied, as a function of the composition of the nanocomposites and a wide range of processing conditions. The novelty of this work is the development of a methodology using TEM-AIA techniques to statistically representatively quantify the microstructure. The length and the thickness of the clay particles, their distribution and the misalignment are quantified and introduced into micromechanical models in order predict the elastic modulus of the nanocomposites. The study proves that by including the effective clay particle and the misalignment degree (parameters calculated from the TEM-AIA analysis) into the models the predictions improve.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) was used to examine the genetic variability among Metarhizium anisopliae isolates tested to the cossid moth, Coryphodema tristis. All the isolates tightly clustered into one or the other of two groups that diverged at 12%. Results suggested that certain genotypes of the fungus, that grouped together, were able to infect moth larvae while others did not. A fragment of 760 bp, which presents high homology with a host-adaptation related protein coding gene, distinguished between aggressive and non-aggressive isolates. Neither mycelial growth nor sporulation rate or presence of known virulence genes was correlated with mortality values. Some isolates, including the most aggressive isolate ARSEF2518, were compatible with deltamethrin. Deltamethrin treatment killed all the larvae after seven days whereas fungal and mixed treatments respectively reached the same mortality after 28 and 21 days.

A method is proposed and verified for selecting the optimum segmentation of a TEM reconstruction among the results of several segmentation algorithms. The selection criterion is the accuracy of the segmentation. To do this selection, a parameter for the comparison of the accuracies of the different segmentations has been defined. It consists of the mutual information value between the acquired TEM images of the sample and the Radon projections of the segmented volumes. In this work, it has been proved that this new mutual information parameter and the Jaccard coefficient between the segmented volume and the ideal one are correlated. In addition, the results of the new parameter are compared to the results obtained from another validated method to select the optimum segmentation.

An advanced cathode composite Na2.5Fe1.75(SO4)3/Ketjen/rGO for sodium ion batteries has been prepared, joining together the excellent electrochemical properties of the three components: off stoichiometric iron sulfate alluaudite, Ketjen Black carbon and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). This electrode material has been exhaustively characterized by XRD, thermogravimetric analysis, Raman spectroscopy and SEM and TEM microscopy. The study has demonstrated that a high quality electrode material has been designed containing a porous sulfate core properly coated by interweaved rGO fibers and Ketjen Black nanoparticles. The electrochemical study has revealed an excellent performance providing specific capacities close to the theoretical one at 1C. Additionally, this composite has shown a very good rate capability and a great cycling stability for at least 200 cycles maintaining a coulombic efficiency of 96%. The post mortem analysis, which includes EPR and XPS measurements, has demonstrated that the carbonaceous coating on the composite generates a stable and protective SEI layer over the active material guaranteeing a successful performance during a long cycle life.

Application of Li-ion batteries for transportation not only requires long cycling life but also the preservation of the electrochemical performance during the resting period. For certain car usage this resting time could be predominant compared with the cycling activity and is referred to as calendar aging. To understand the aging mechanisms during calendar aging, an extensive post-mortem study was conducted on commercial 16 Ah NMC/graphite pouch cells stored at 5, 25, 45, and 60 °C. The post-mortem analyses were performed in parallel within three separate laboratories across Europe. They included visual inspection and structural and microstructural analysis along with a combination of analytical techniques to determine accurately the composition of positive (NMC) and negative (graphite) electrodes and the electrolyte. A direct correlation was established between the calendar-aging temperature and the degradation of the cells. The measurements revealed a severe deterioration phenomenon for the electrodes ...