Poster session | International audience

Poster session | International audience

L'article présente l'application de l'Analyse du Cycle de Vie (ACV) à un système d'assainissement complet, incluant le réseau d'égout. Il présente d'abord les hypothèses retenues pour l'ACV concernant les deux systèmes de traitement des eaux usées ayant tous les deux la même charge nominale quotidienne de la DBO 5 et associés au même réseau d'égouts. Ces systèmes correspondent respectivement à (i) un "filtre planté de roseaux à lit vertical (VFCW)" pour lequelle un inventaire détaillé des flux émis et des ressources consommées a été élaboré et (ii) une STEP à « boues activées » boues » issue de la base de données d'ACV Ecoinvent LCI. Les résultats d'ACV soulignent l'importance de l'eutrophisation qui peut facilement s'expliquer par la suppression incomplète de l'azote total et du phosphore total dans un VFCW. De façon plus surprenante, l'impact du réseau semble considérable. Enfin, l'article analyse l'applicabilité et les limites de l'ACV pour les systèmes de traitement des eaux usées. / The article presents the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to a complete sanitation system including the sewer network. It first describes the LCA hypothesis which concerns two types of waste water-treatment plant with the same daily nominal load in BOD5 and associated to the same sewer network derived from the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database Ecoinvent. The two wastewater treatment systems compared are (i) a Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands (VFCW) for which a detailed inventory was elaborated and (ii) an activated sludge stemming from the LCI database Ecoinvent. LCA scores of VFCW highlight the importance of eutrophication which can be easily explained by the incomplete removal of total N and total P in a VFCW. In a more surprising way, the impact of the network seems considerable. Finally, the article analyses the applicability and limitations of LCA for wastewater treatment with regard to water quality and the needed improvements of water status in LCA.

The MAPPE GIS based multimedia model is used to produce a quantitative description of the behaviour of γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) in Europe, with emphasis on continental surface waters. The model is found to reasonably reproduce γ-HCH distributions and variations along the years in atmosphere and soil; for continental surface waters, concentrations were reasonably well predicted for year 1995, when lindane was still used in agriculture, while for 2005, assuming severe restrictions in use, yields to substantial underestimation. Much better results were yielded when same mode of release as in 1995 was considered, supporting the conjecture that for γ-HCH, emission data rather that model structure and parameterization can be responsible for wrong estimation of concentrations. Future research should be directed to improve the quality of emission data. Joint interpretation of monitoring and modelling results, highlights that lindane emissions in Europe, despite the marked decreasing trend, persist beyond the provisions of existing legislation. An spatially-explicit multimedia modelling strategy was applied to describe the historical distribution of γ-HCH in European soils and surface waters.

International audience | We assessed the temporal variability of nutrients, phytoplankton and bacterioplankton at two sites of different trophic status in New Caledonia's South-West lagoon, a tropical coastal ecosystem. During stable meteorological conditions, Chl.a, bacterial production and nutrient concentrations experience weak but consistent daily variation. Short-term (1–2 week interval) fluctuations of planktonic variables are in the same range as annual variations at both sites. A part of these short term variations is linked to local meteorological events (wind in the main channel, precipitation at the coastal station). Although annual variations are weak compared to short term variations, phytoplankton and bacterioplankton production show consistent temporal patterns, with maxima in December–January and April–May and minima in August. Annual bacterial production represents 21% and 34% of particulate primary production at the oligotrophic and mesotrophic sites, respectively. Mineral nutrient availability indicates that nitrogen is probably the primary limiting factor of phytoplankton throughout the year.

This study examines the common ground between current scientific knowledge and stakeholders’ perception of ecosystem services in mixed forests versus monocultures. An enquiry was performed within the frame of the project FORBIO aiming at the ‘Assessment of the effects of tree species BIOdiversity on FORest ecosystem functioning’ (http://forbio.biodiversity.be). The objective of this enquiry was to confront the perception of the influence of mixed species stands on ecosystem services in Belgium with actual scientific knowledge. The target groups were forest managers, users and scientists. As a general frame for the questionnaire, the ‘Millenium Ecosystem Assessment’, assessing the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being, was selected. Respondents were asked to express their degree of agreement with statements related to the provisioning (production/quality, financial return), supporting (biodiversity, nutrient cycling, resistance), regulating (climate, air, soil, water) and cultural (aesthetics, recreation) ecosystem services, comparing mixed species to pure stands. Other questions addressed management objectives and the general profile of participants. The web-based questionnaires (SurveyMonkey) were established in Flemish and in French and invitations to respond were distributed by e-mail among key contact persons of forestry/nature associations, forest managers and scientists. After one month, a total of 142 and 228 responses were collected for the questionnaire in Flemish and in French, respectively. In this paper, we summarize main results by analyzing the profile of respondents and describing their perception of forest ecosystem services. Through the confrontation of this perception with the current scientific knowledge and through the identification of established scientific facts unknown to the general public, we identify gaps in scientific knowledge and ways of improving communication between scientists and managers. | FORBIO: Assessment of the effects of tree species BIOdiversity on FORest ecosystem functioning’

[Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-EPURE | International audience | French vertical flow constructed wetlands treating raw wastewater have been developed successfully over the last 30 years. During the last years, SINT and Epur Nature developed the approach further by introducing a deep single-stage vertical flow bed that comprises both stages into one in the aim to reduce the footprint. This process, patented by Epur Nature as Bi-filtre®, consists in two vertical stages piled-up. While classical systems in France are designed with 2m².PE-1 (1.2m² and 0.8m² on the first and second stage respectively), the Bi-filtre® has a larger total filtration area with 2.5 m²/PE (1.5m² and 1 m² on the first upper and second lower stage respectively) but a foot print reduced to 1.5 m².PE-1. To favour aeration of the system, an intermediate natural aeration system is introduced at the interface between the first and second stage. The paper will present a study on a fullscale plant (Saint Michel l'Observatoire, 175 PE, France) running at full load in which different materials (sand, pozzolana of different particle size) were tested at the second stage. The aim was to identify the best materials to use to guarantee performance and avoid clogging on this unplanted and buried stage. The study consisted in measuring hydraulic conditions (inlet/outlet flows, infiltration rates, tracer experiments) correlated with 24h composite samples assessments. The results shows that such systems, if well designed, can guarantee an outlet quality of 35 mg.L-1 in SS, 125 mg.L-1 in COD, 25 mg.L-1 in BOD and 20 mg/L in KN with a total foot print of 1.5 m².PE-1. The paper will present the design recommendations and the limits of the systems taking into account a larger experience gathered on different existing plants (e.g. Chorges Bifilter®, 2 150 P.E, France).