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Article Reference The dilemma of valuing geodiversity: geoconservation versus geotourism
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference The environmental impacts of the lignin-first biorefineries: A consequential life cycle assessment approach
The emerging reductive catalytic fractionation biorefinery which is currently under development aims to convert woody biomass efficiently into high-value products. Despite its potential, the environmental consequences of its implementation are not well known. Therefore, a forward-looking consequential life cycle assessment examines greenhouse gas emissions associated with its products (pulp, phenolic monomers, and oligomers) compared to alternative market options. Findings indicate that current greenhouse gas emissions exceed those of the existing alternatives, with by-products and the gaseous waste stream as major contributors. Process adaption to (i) produce higher-valued products (bleached pulps, phenols, and propylene) and (ii) incinerate gaseous waste stream for energy are proposed, potentially reducing emissions by up to 50 %, outperforming alternative options. Compared to land-based transportation, waterways can increase feedstock availability by up to 1000 km without an increase in emissions. In conclusion, the consequential approach provides valuable insights for enhancing and optimizing the environmental performance of the process.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Spatio-temporal feedstock availability and techno-economic constraints in the design and optimization of supply chains: The case of domestic woody biomass for biorefining
A future bio-based economy envisions the transformation of the petrochemical industry into using biomass such as wood (waste) as a major resource. The early-stage evaluation of a biorefinery project requires the optimization of the lay-out of the supply chain considering the spatio-temporal variability of the availability of feedstock and the techno-economical characteristics of the biorefinery process. Therefore, the presented methodology was developed combining three models: (1) a forest management and planning tool providing a detailed prediction on the wood resource availability as well as the harvested feedstock quantity and cost with respect to location and time, (2) a techno-economic assessment model of the biorefinery process (e.g., species-specific conditions, capacity, CAPEX, OPEX), and (3) a strategic supply chain optimization model combining the insights of (1) and (2) into a spatio-temporal explicit supply chain analysis. The developed methodology has been evaluated through a case-study on the emerging reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) biorefining in the Flanders region (EU) and shows that the most economically interesting configuration is one large biorefinery with a yearly wood chip intake of 150 kton. The biorefinery location reflects the available feedstock distribution in Flanders and is suggested to be situated best in the most forested region. The proposed methodology proved to be dynamic and robust: (1) input data and technical calculations can easily be adapted or updated; (2) the methodology can be applied to a broad range of applications beyond the scope of the biorefinery, to different feedstock choices; (3) the impact of the biorefinery location on e.g. energy balance, CO2 emissions, and financial balance can be assessed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Integrated assessment of deep geothermal heating investments in Northern Belgium through techno-economic, life cycle, global sensitivity and real options analysis
The decarbonization of the heating sector is crucial for the green transition of the energy mix. This study investigates threefold the economic and environmental performance of deep geothermal heating investments in Northern Belgium First, techno-economic and life cycle assessment (LCA) are performed, followed by a global sensitivity analysis focusing on the geological uncertainty. Lastly, real options analysis (ROA) is employed to investigate the economic and environmental value of the investors’ flexibility. A novel ROA method is proposed that considers the LCA results to calculate development decisions that minimize the expected environmental impact of the investment. The results show that the economic and environmental performance of the investment vary with the energy prices and the electricity mix. The performance of the investment is driven by the plant’s pumping requirements, which are induced by the relatively low rock permeability at the targeted location. Also, the results’ variability mainly originates by uncertainty regarding the permeability value. Nevertheless, the investors’ flexibility adds large economic and environmental value to the investment. However, the development strategies that optimize the economic or the environmental performance of the plant present some trade-offs. This study demonstrates that the economic and environmental performance of deep geothermal heating investments in Northern Belgium can be improved by focusing on the factors that simultaneously drive the costs, environmental impacts, and their variability. It also shows that utilizing the investors’ flexibility to optimize the investment’s economic and environmental performance can add significant value to the investment.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference The Urban Geo-climate Footprint approach: Enhancing urban resilience through improved geological conceptualisation
Urban resilience is critical to allow cities to withstand the challenges of the 21st Century. One factor that is often overlooked in such assessments is the role of the subsurface. A novel methodology called the Urban Geo-climate Footprint (UGF) has been developed to classify cities quickly and comprehensively from geological and climatic perspectives. The method operates on the fundamental assumption that cities with similar geologicalgeographical settings will face similar challenges, due to both common geological issues and associated climate impacts. The UGF approach has been applied to 41 European cities in collaboration with 17 Geological Surveys of Europe, the results of the UGF analysis are presented along with a regional classification of the geological resilience indicators. The UGF tool provides a semi-quantitative representation of the pressures driven by geological and climatic complexity for the cities presented, providing for a first time such classification of the urban environment. The advantage of this methodology lies in increasing awareness among non-experts and decision-makers of the interplay between geological settings, climate change pressures, and anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, it facilitates the exchange best practices among city planners to increase resilience, supporting knowledge based decision making to promote actions and policies, that enhance geoscience-informed climate justice.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Palaeogenomics of Upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic European hunter-gatherers
Modern humans have populated Europe for more than 45,000 years1,2. Our knowledge of the genetic relatedness and structure of ancient hunter-gatherers is however limited, owing to the scarceness and poor molecular preservation of human remains from that period3. Here we analyse 356 ancient hunter-gatherer genomes, including new genomic data for 116 individuals from 14 countries in western and central Eurasia, spanning between 35,000 and 5,000 years ago. We identify a genetic ancestry profile in individuals associated with Upper Palaeolithic Gravettian assemblages from western Europe that is distinct from contemporaneous groups related to this archaeological culture in central and southern Europe4, but resembles that of preceding individuals associated with the Aurignacian culture. This ancestry profile survived during the Last Glacial Maximum (25,000 to 19,000 years ago) in human populations from southwestern Europe associated with the Solutrean culture, and with the following Magdalenian culture that re-expanded northeastward after the Last Glacial Maximum. Conversely, we reveal a genetic turnover in southern Europe suggesting a local replacement of human groups around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum, accompanied by a north-to-south dispersal of populations associated with the Epigravettian culture. From at least 14,000 years ago, an ancestry related to this culture spread from the south across the rest of Europe, largely replacing the Magdalenian-associated gene pool. After a period of limited admixture that spanned the beginning of the Mesolithic, we find genetic interactions between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers, who were also characterized by marked differences in phenotypically relevant variants.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference The richness and diversity of Lepidoptera species in different habitats of the National Park Theniet El Had (Algeria)
Located in Library / RBINS collections by external author(s)
Article Reference Living species of the genera Chicomurex Arakawa, 1964 and Naquetia Jousseaume, 1880 (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in the Indo-West Pacific
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Inproceedings Reference A tool for feeding and mating: the Swiss Army stylet of Gyratrix hermaphroditus (Rhabdocoela, Platyhelminthes)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference Stable isotopes unveil one millennium of domestic cat paleoecology in Europe
The domestic cat is the world's most popular pet and one of the most detrimental predators in terrestrial ecosystems. Effective protection of wildlife biodiversity demands detailed tracking of cat trophic ecology, and stable isotopes serve as a powerful proxy in dietary studies. However, a variable diet can make an isotopic pattern unreadable in opportunistic predators. To evaluate the usefulness of the isotopic method in cat ecology, we measured C and N isotope ratios in hundreds of archaeological cat bones. We determined trends in cat trophic paleoecology in northern Europe by exploiting population-scale patterns in animals from diverse locations. Our dataset shows a high variability of isotopic signals related to the socio-economic and/or geomorphological context. This points toward regularities in isotopic patterns across past cat populations. We provide a generalized guide to interpret the isotopic ecology of cats, emphasizing that regional isotopic baselines have a major impact on the isotopic signal.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022