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We report a novel polyester material generated from readily available biobased 1,18-octadecanedicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol possesses a polyethylene-like solid-state structure and also tensile properties similar to high density polyethylene (HDPE). Despite its crystallinity, high melting point (Tm=96 °C) and hydrophobic nature, polyester-2,18 is subject to rapid and complete hydrolytic degradation in in vitro assays with isolated naturally occurring enzymes. Under industrial composting conditions (ISO standard 14855-1) the material is biodegraded with mineralization above 95 % within two months. Reference studies with polyester-18,18 (Tm=99 °C) reveal a strong impact of the nature of the diol repeating unit on degradation rates, possibly related to the density of ester groups in the amorphous phase. Depolymerization by methanolysis indicates suitability for closed-loop recycling. published

Free-floating bikesharing (FFBS) is a fairly new mobility service. It spread rapidly throughout Europe’s major urban areas in 2017; a development accompanied by a variety of problems that soon culminated in a retreat of providers from most cities. The main characteristic of FFBS is the absence of fixed docking stations; instead, users can borrow and leave the bikes wherever they want as long as they adhere to traffic rules and the operators’ regulations. Its market entry has caused controversial public debates, although – or even because – little is known about this new mobility service, its users, their motivators as well as usage patterns. One of the FFBS pioneer cities in Europe was Vienna with two FFBS operators providing their services from summer 2017 onwards. Although both withdrew from the city within a year, it was possible to collect and analyse user data in order to gain an understanding of the factors supporting FFBS usage. For this purpose, the research uses a series of discrete choice models explaining why some people (i) share bikes (including FFBS and the established Viennese station-based scheme), (ii) try out the new FFBS scheme and (iii) remain with the new FFBS scheme or quit the membership. Reasons for users to try FFBS are very similar to those of station-based bikesharing as reported in literature. Subjective factors including attitudes and degree of satisfaction with system features are gaining in importance within the series of models. They are particularly decisive for remaining with the FFBS scheme.

Both, the capability of a transport system to grant access to a destination and a traveller’s ability to utilize its opportunities can be distinguished in objective and subjective factors. The paper analyses the potential for objective accessibility factors to explain mobility behaviour. In more detail, the paper (i) quantifies the explanatory power of objective factors of the transport system (supply-side) for mode choice decisions and (ii) analyses if these supply-side factors, as well as objective factors of the traveller (demand-side), affects the level of multimodality among Austrian employees. Following this approach, the paper estimates mode choice models that only consist of trip features and accessibility factors. The final model reaches a high explanatory power and includes the individual transport mode availability, travel time, travel cost, public transport service quality and the car parking situation. The model allows simulation, which estimates the modal shift with respect to adapta...

An evidence-based policy debate about future fuel demand requires reliable estimates for fuel price elasticities. Such predictions are often based on revealed preference (RP) data. However, this procedure will only yield reliable results in the absence of severe structural discontinuities. In order to overcome this potential limitation we used a situational stated preference (SP) survey to estimate the response to hypothetical fuel price changes beyond the scope of previous observations. We elicit fuel price elasticities for price increases up to four Euros per liter and find that the situational approach predicts the actual responses to previously observed fuel price changes very well. We conclude that applying a situational approach is particularly useful, if behavioral predictions for unprecedented (non-monetary) policy interventions or supply side shocks are of interest that go beyond the reach of standard RP approaches.

Electric vehicles play a key role in strategic development plans of urban regions in Europe because they are seen as a promising technology to promote environmental quality, livability, and sustainability. Studies on electric mobility mostly concentrate on battery electric cars and disregard hybrid technologies which could address the weakness of range limitations. Therefore, this paper studies the impact of extended range electric vehicle (EREV) solutions on travel behavior, energy demand, environment, and overall sustainable development in the greater Stuttgart region in Germany. An integrated large-scale simulation approach merging different models is applied for future scenarios in 2025. The results show that with EREVs (1) most travel patterns can be fulfilled, (2) the impact on electricity generation is marginal, and (3) there is a high potential to reduce local emissions in areas with high traffic density. Overall, electric mobility is evaluated as one component toward sustainable development in the study area. This study demonstrates the complexity of the topic and highlights the importance of addressing this issue with a multidisciplinary approach

Conventional cars allow their users to decide about a journey's modalities largely independent. Electric vehicles (EVs) also must ensure this to be a real substitute from the user's point of view. This study focuses on range as a crucial technical feature of EVs. Many of the existing studies underestimate range requirements, as they are based on (i) one-day analyses and on (ii) mean values of daily trip distances. These data are not appropriate to answer questions on user needs; longitudinal mobility data are more suitable. This study analyses both, existing mobility data and new recorded global positioning system (GPS) data with regard to range requirements. Particularly, it was analysed whether or not identified daily driving cycles can be fulfilled with EVs assuming different charging opportunities. The analysis shows that GPS-recorded driving cycles of 80% of small-scale vehicles, 67% of midsized vehicles and 40% of sport utility vehicles can be realised with EVs.

Past experiences show that data of the official Austrian freight transport statistics are often underestimated. Therefore, a methodology was developed, merging existing independent road freight transport data to a consistent and valid road freight matrix. The methodology comprises four steps, using data of the Austrian and European freight transport statistics, data of roadside interviews of truck drivers, and data of counting stations and toll gantries. The methodology was applied to data from the year 2009. Results show the reliability and plausibility of the methodology, indicated by a high correlation with high quality roadside traffic counts.

Zur Abschatzung zukunftiger Marktchancen von Elektroautos kommen oft nicht geeignete Methoden zur Anwendung. Abschatzungen des Marktpotenzials sollten auf der masgeblichen Tagesfahrtweite aus Langzeiterhebungen (nicht auf Durchschnittswerten von Stichtagserhebungen) basieren. Der Elektroauto-Kauf lasst sich nur durch sorgfaltig konzipierte hypothetische Befragungen zuverlassig prognostizieren.

The Emission Trading Scheme for green house gases is a key tool of European climate protection. Including the road transport sector might be a promising strategy to limit its CO2 emissions. This could be realized within a common market (trans-sectoral trading permitted) or separated markets (trans-sectoral trading not permitted). Starting from different assumptions on emission reduction objectives, the impact of both options is analyzed using a quantitative model. Although an emission trading scheme is ecologically effective regardless of the trading model, it turns out that CO2 emissions and emission allowance prices differ strongly between both design options due to sector specific price elasticities of allowance demand. (authors' abstract)

Die Bezeichnung "motorisierter Individualverkehr" betont die unabhangige, "individuelle" Komponente Pkw-gestutzter Mobilitat. Der Pkw ermoglicht Mobilitat weitgehend unberuhrt von auseren Einflussen. Wettbewerbsfahige Elektrofahrzeuge mussen dies ebenfalls gewahrleisten. Daneben mussen sie in anderen kaufrelevanten Anspruchen potenzieller NutzerInnen wie Anschaffungs- und Betriebskosten, dem Komfort der Nutzung oder dem Fahrzeugimage konventionellen Pkw ebenburtig sein.

The coating and granulation of solid particles in a fluidized bed is a process which converts pumpable and atomizable liquids (solutions, slurries, melts) into granular solids in one step by means of drying. The solution to be processed is sprayed onto a fluidized bed. Particle growth can take place either via surface layering or agglomeration. In the case of surface layering the atomized droplets deposit a thin layer of liquid onto the seed particles. The solvent is then evaporated by the hot fluidizing, leaving behind the dissolved material on the surface. Although fluidized bed spray granulation and film coating have been applied in industry for several years, there is still a lack of understanding of the physical fundamentals and the mechanisms by which spherical granules are formed. Hence a new method was developed which allows the direct observation of the subsequent particle-forming mechanisms such as droplet deposition, spreading, wetting and drying. The authors present a laboratory scale apparatus in which a single freely suspended particle can be coated under well defined and constant coating and drying conditions. With this device, particle-growth-rate and the development of particle morphology were measured and investigated under various experimental conditions.

The coating and granulation of solid particles in a fluidized bed is a process which converts pumpable and atomizable liquids (solutions, slurries, melts) into granular solids in one step through drying. Although this process has been applied in industry for several years, there is still a lack of understanding the physical fundamentals and the mechanisms by which spherical granules are formed. Hence a new method was developed which allows the direct observation of the subsequent particle-forming mechanisms such as droplet deposition, spreading, wetting and drying. The authors will present a laboratory scale apparatus in which a single freely suspended particle can be coated under well defined and constant coating and drying conditions. With this device, particle-growth-rate and the development of particle morphology were measured and investigated under various experimental conditions.

Even where the level of public transport (PT) services is of sufficient quality, mobility behaviour is often characterized by intensive car use. The most frequently stated subjective reasons not to use PT can be summarized in two main aspects: a paucity of information concerning PT services, and subjective constraints to its use. Various soft transport policy measures of which dialogue marketing might be the most popular one address these problems. Although the general concept of dialogue marketing is sound and thoroughly tested, need for additional research exists in different terms. Among others, shortcomings of dialogue marketing campaigns (DMC) are: (i) they are always focused on one topic like mobility behaviour or waste prevention; (ii) most application areas have a high population density and thus a good PT accessibility, and (iii) impact stability over time is rarely analyzed. A DMC considering these aspects was conducted within a research project. It can be shown, that (i) an interdisciplinary marketing campaign covering energy use and mobility behaviour achieves sufficient results; (ii) the marketing approach works better in areas with a good PT accessibility, and that (iii) behavioural changes can be identified one year after the dialog marketing campaign was conducted.

A laboratory-scale apparatus has been developed to investigate the thermal and mechanical dewatering of paper in the press nip of a high speed paper machine. The apparatus is basically a hammer-and-anvil-type dynamic press simulator modified to also simulate hot nip conditions. Using this device, dewatering experiments have performed on household paper tissue over a wide range of press conditions. The influence of different underlays, maximum pressure and temperature on mechanical dewatering by compression, capillary transfer between porous compressible materials, thermal drying and rewetting of the sheet are discussed.

Das Bundnis von Thron und Altar ist keine christliche Erfindung. In allen Kulturen bis weit in die Neuzeit bildet es eher die Regel als die Ausnahme in der religionsrechtlichen Ordnung des Gemeinwesens. Im Siegeszug des Christentums zerbrach zwar die alte romische Einheit von Staat und Religion, aber gerade dieser Siegeszug fuhrte alsbald in eine neue Epoche der Staatsreligion. Die anderthalb Jahrtausende wahrende Geschichte einer engen Verbindung von Staat und Kirche ist jedoch uberaus vielgestaltig und wird durch das gangige Schlagwort vom „Konstantinischen Zeitalter“, das jedenfalls hierzulande erst im 20. Jahrhundert sein Ende gefunden haben soll, eher verzeichnet. Religion war Teil der offentlichen Ordnung, Religionskonflikte gefahrdeten den sozialen Frieden. Religiose Einheit galt darum lange als Garant stabiler politischer Herrschaft ebenso wie staatsburgerlicher Loyalitat. Andererseits belastete die sakrale Wurde des Herrscheramts seinen Trager auch mit der Verantwortung fur das Seelenheil der Untertanen. Im Abendland erhoben deshalb Kaiser und Papst den Anspruch, die Christenheit zu regieren. Die daraus folgende Rivalitat verscharfte sich mit dem machtvollen Aufstieg des Papsttums, bis sie am Ende des sog. Investiturstreits im 12. Jahrhundert in einen halbwegs tragfahigen Kompromiss mundete. Bleibendes Erbe dieses Ringens war in West- und Mitteleuropa die prinzipielle Scheidung von weltlicher und geistlicher Gewalt, zwar noch im Einzelnen vielfach vermischt und nicht mit heutigen Masstaben zu messen, aber doch im Grundsatz unbestritten und seither pragender Bestandteil unserer politischen wie religiosen Kultur.