Topic outline
- General
- MAYA's Newsletter 5
MAYA's Newsletter 5
FIRST CONFERENCE OF MAYA MASTERS
The first Maya Masters conference will take place on December 7th, 2019 at the Polyvalent hall of the Faculté des Sciences de Tunis El Manar. The event is an occasion to deabate on“Scientific cooperation in the Mediterranean region: capacity building, multidisciplina-ry approach and multi-agency partnership”.
WELCOME DAY: MAYA: MASTERS STARTED
MAYA Masters lessons began on 14th October 2019.
SPECIAL MOBILITY STRAND AT UNISS
From 17th to 21st of June 2019, teachers from MAYA partners universities in Tunisia have been involved in the Special Mobility Strand activities at the University of Sassari. Day one lecturers joined the celebration of the World day to combact the desertification organized by the Desertifica-tion research centre of the University of Sassari. Researchers from Europe and Tunisia debated about their experience in mitigation strategies for promoting sustainable and integrated approches to deal with water scarcity and land degradation.
Day two, Tunisian teachers visited the pilot sites IDENT in Macomer of the project TreeDIvNet project. Tree development, the role of functional diversity, and BEF relationships over stress gradients were the main focus debated on the field. Meanwhile, during the field visits to the project iGral in Sant’Antonio and Life-regenerate in Santu Lussurgiu the debate was focused on the Innovative beef cattle Grazing systems for the restoration of abandoned lands in the Alpine and Mediterranean mountains.
Lecturers from Tunisia visited the research site of the IGral project. The general objective of the project is iGRAL - INNOVATIVE BEEF CATTLE GRA-ZING SYSTEMS FOR THE RESTORATION OF ABANDONED LANDS IN THE ALPINE AND MEDITERRANEAN MOUNTAINS is to develop innovative beef cattle pastoral systems based on rustic breeds (Highland and Sarda) breeding, which are suitable for grazing in the current Alpine and Mediterranean contexts, characterized by high levels of grazing areas abandonment and degradation. In different areas of Piedmont and Sardinia, sustainable and low-cost pastoral practices will be tested, using attractive points, such as salt and water points, to improve the spatial distribution of grazing cattle and the consumption of low-quality forage. During the project, the impacts of management on vegetation, bioindicator as insects, and quality of the obtained grass-fed meat will be evaluated.
The educational visit continued in the afternoon at the pilot site of LIFE-Regenerate project at Elighes Uttiosos Farm in S.Lussurgiu. LIFE Re-generate. Revitalizing multifunctional Mediterranean agrosilvopastoral systems using dynamic and profitable operational practices (http://regenerate.eu/en/) Teachers debated about some alternative for farms of the Mediterranean silvopastoral systems to become self-sufficient and profitable based on resource efficiency principles.
On day 3 Tunisian teachers together with UNISS teachers visited the 3A Cooperative in Arborea. The 3A Cooperative was founded in the mid-50s by the union of members holding farms located throughout Sardinia (today 226). It is the main dairy production centre in the island and collects about 90% of the cow's milk produced in Sardinia.
With the milk, which comes from specialized and selected farms with about 50,000 Friesian and Brown.
Swiss cattle breeders, excellent products are produced daily distributed and sold in Sardinia and in the rest of Italy in ever-increasing quantities in the GDO. With the milk, which comes from specialized and selected farms with about 50,000 Friesian and Brown Swiss cattle breeders, excellent products are produced daily distributed and sold in Sardinia and in the rest of Italy.
Teachers visited the farm of Mr. Zirone and analysed a new robotic milking and a fully automated cattle-feeding system. They compared the traditional with the new systems and got data on the increased production.
The training continued with the visit at the Cooperativa Produttori Arborea and Pilot Site of the Project RE-LIVE WASTE where livestock waste is transformed into organic high-value commercial fertilizers, contributing to smart and sustainable growth and to the creation of new business and market opportunities. Another important site visited was the pumping plants of the Consorzio di Bonifica di Oristano. The activity of the Consortium is regulated by the Statute and consists mainly in the design, construction, management and maintenance of public reclamation and irrigation works in a territory of 85,000 hectares in the province of Oristano.
On day 4 an educational visit to the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment (ARPAS) was organized. Researchers of the Agency introduced the fundamentals of the Agrometeorology. Information on weather conditions is essential for the modern farmer and agronomist. Details of more localised conditions are of vital importance to farmers to ensure their crops are protected and flourish
This informations are elaborated and available from the Regional meteorological offices. Local weather conditions can vary greatly from the national picture due to the aspect, altitude, and microclimate of a particular area. In the afternoon, several projects have been presented by Project Managers and Researchers working at the University of Sassari. Models, processes, principles and strategies were lively debated. What this research revealed was that environmental problems in the Mediterranean regions could be addressed with shared strategies by enhancing capacity building and learning processes.
The 21st of June, the last day of the SMS, Tunisian teachers visited the “Hygiene Institute of Sassari University”. Water Hygiene Testing, sample collec-tions, tracking software, laboratory procedures for water quality and analysis for characterization of water and parameters were showed to tunisian teachers. In the afternoon, PhDs from the University of Sas-sari presented their researches. They received feedback and question from the SMS participants. Additionally, speeches about their ongoing scientific research were made by teachers from University of Carthage and University of Sfax.
SPECIAL MOBILITY STRAND: UNIVERSiTY OF GIRONA
From the 15th to 19th of July 2019, the University of Girona organized a training opportunity for 13 lecturers from the University of Tunis El Manar, University of Carthage and the University of Sfax.
On 15th of July 2019 in the frame of MAYA project, Joana Heura presented “Campus Aigua” to Tunisian lecturers. Campus AIgua (UdG) is a relational platform, whose main objective is to facilitate the relationship between companies and institution in the water sector.
The following Research Groups of the University of Girona, provided a 5 days intensive training with frontal lectures and field visits: Institute of Acquatic Ecology, Irrigation Engineering and Management, Geology and Environmental Cartography. During the SMS, Tunisian participants and Spanish researchers exchanged experience about the effect of reclaimed effluents on drip irrigation systems, automation of canals, subsurface drip irrigation techniques. They debated, identified and defined possible opportunities of scientific collaboration among the different research groups
UdG MAYA partner organized a visit to the aerobic rice field, characterized by their irrigation system buried below the surface, and to the hydraulic tests for wastewater reuse under drip irrigation using different filtration systems at the Celrà wastewater plant
The Irrigation Engineering and Management Research Group from the University of Girona is enhancing micro irrigation system, considered the best irrigation technique for using wastewater, by preventing with “sand filtration systems” the high risk of emitter clogging.
To prevent emitter clogging, sand filters offer a more suitable form of protection.
In the experimental irrigation system, three different sand filters were used: the first ona was the experimental sand filter built with an underain design; the second one was the sand filter model FA-F2-188; the third one was a sand filter model FA1M. The sand used as a media bed was silica sand CA-07MS, from Sibelco Minerales SA, Bilbao, Spain.
A multicellular centrifugal pump (model CR-15-4) pumped the reclaimed ef-fluent from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Celrà, which treats urban and industrial effluents using an activated sludge process, to the filters. After being filtered the reclaimed effluent was conveyed to a drip irrigation subunit. Since the filtrated flow was higher than the needed for irrigation subunit, a proportional electroHydraulic actuator SDK32 operated a three-way valve (VXG41): the excess of flow was brought to a storage tank of 3000 l Aquablock. All the devices were connected to a supervisory control data acquisition (SCADA) system, which allowed filter scheduling and filter performance data recording in real-time.
Media High, filtration velocity and the underdrain design affected removal efficiency, filtered volume and electrical energy consumption of sand filters for micro-irrigation system using reclaimed effluents in field conditions. At a filtration velocity of 30 (instead of 60 m h−1), considering the characteristics of the reclaimed effluents, higher turbidity removal, higher mass retention, longer filtration cycles and a higher ratio of filtered volume per electrical energy unit were achieved.
According to the “Irrigation Engineering and Management Research Group” further research is needed for confirming the results with other effluents, media heights, filtration velocities and underdrain desi-gns.
SPECIAL MOBILTY STRAND AT AUTH
From 23th to 27th of September 2019, MAYA Greek partner of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki organized the Special Mobility Strand for Tunisian lecturers. On day one the training has seen the participation of two Professors from the Institute of Soil Science– Chinese Academy of Science. On day two, teachers attended training on innovative technologies for irrigation water management and precision agriculture for the water resource. AUTH researchers presented also their case studies. Innovative technologies for irrigation water management, precision agriculture applications for water resources management, water pricing and use of remote sensing in water resources management, applications of Remote sensing in Precision Agriculture for water resources management were part of the subjects explored during the intensive training for the SMS experienced by Tunisian teachers.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK, 4-8 November 2019 Amsterdam, Netherlands, https://www.internationalwaterweek.com/
This conference gives continuity to the implementation of integrated solutions by cities, industries, utilities and financers. The AIWW sets the scene for new technologies, partnerships, research and innovations to create the conditions for global cooperation and active progress. Join a dynamic week of collaboration and action in the city of Amsterdam.
The main themes and topics of the AIWW are:
- Energy transition and resource recovery: Financial models for circular solutions; Thermal and kinetic energy and aquatic biomass solutions; Creating value out of wastewater; Renewing infrastructure for a circular approach.
- Integrating water and resource management: Financing models for Integrating Water and Resource Management; Resource recovery and local markets; Pollution pressure and smart water allocation; River basin approach and nature-based solutions.
- ICT & Data: artificial intelligence and smart robotica: Data management and co-creation; Smart opera-tions and asset management; Artificial intelligence: new services & efficiency;Cybersecurity: how to keep our infrastructure secure?
- Blue-Green solutions for (urban) resilience: Financing models for blue-green solutions; Inclusive city master plan; Building more resilient communities, Resilient critical infrastructure.
7TH MAGHREB CONFERENCE ON DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 22-25 December 2019, Sol Azul Hotel, Hammamet, Tunisia.
http://www.utm.rnu.tn/visirech/Fr/utm/fst/dte/actualite/D229/
This seventh Maghreb Conference on Desalination and Water treatment "CMTDE 2019" is an excellent forum for scientists, professionals and technicians, in particular, the North African country. It will be dedicated to freshwater for the Maghreb where the situation is much more serious with the rapid increase in population and much lower rainfall.
Abstract Submission: 31 July 2019; 2 weeks after Abstract Submission, Full Paper Submission.
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON THE USE OF NON CONVENTIONAL WATERS FOR ACHIEVING FOOD SECURITY:
14 November 2019, Casa de América, Madrid, Spain.
Co-organized by the “Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations” and the Government of Spain Freshwater, it aims to achieve specifically the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 6 and to find innovative solutions such as the use of nonconventional water re-sources including reclaimed wastewater, desalination, fog harvesting, and their associated technologies.
AFRICA WATER SECURITY CONGRESS:
27-30 April 2020, Nairobi, Kenya.
Theme: “Accelerating Source Water Protection for Africa’s water security”.
IWRA WORLD WATER COUNCIL:
11-15 May 2020, Daegu, Korea.
Organized by the “International Water Resources Association-IWRA”, the objective of the World Water Congress is to provide a meeting place to share experiences, promote discussion, and to present new knowledge, research results and the new developments in the field of water sciences around the world.
ARTICLES AND STUDIES IN RELATED FIELDS
1. Mas-Pla J., Menció A. (2019). Groundwater nitrate pollution and climate change: Learnings from a water balance based analysis of several aquifers in a western Mediterranean region (Catalonia). Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26:2184–2202. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1859-8. 2. Gros, M., Mas-Pla, J., Boy-Roura, M., Geli, I., Domingo, F. (2019). Veterinary pharmaceuticals and antibiotics in manure and their fate in amended agricultural soils: Findings from an experimental field site (Baix Empordà, NE Catalonia) Science of the Total Environment, 654: 1337–1349. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.061 3. Musacchio A., Re V., Mas-Pla J., Sacchi E. (2019). EU Nitrates Directive, from theory to practice: environmental effectiveness and influence of regional governance on its performance. Ambio, DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01197-8. 4. Kiecak A., Sassine L., Boy-Roura M., Elsner M., Mas-Pla J., Le Gal La Salle C., Stumpp C. (2019). Sorption properties and behaviour at the laboratory scale of selected pharmaceuticals using batch experiments. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2019.103500. 5. Menció, A., Mas-Pla, J (2019). Assessing the influence of environmental factors on groundwater antibiòtic occurrence by means of variation partitioning. Water, 11, 1495; DOI: 10.3390/w11071495.
FOLLOW THE MAYA PROJECT:
- WEB SITE: HTTPS://WWW.MAYA-PROJECT.EU/
- FACEBOOK : HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MAYA-PROJECT-ERASMUS-2104448749649473/
- TWITTER : HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/ERASMUSMAYA