Global Sustainability Challenges

Monitoring of air quality and meteorological parameters on the construction site

2024-01-19T09:18:25+00:00

The construction industry is one of the main producers of dust, greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Effective
operation and management of construction site operations can significantly reduce the project’s carbon footprint and other
environmental impacts. Through the cooperation of scientific and research institution and construction company, real-time
monitoring of air quality at the construction site was implemented using IoT technologies. An IoT-based system framework that
integrates a distributed sensor network to collect real-time data and demonstrate air quality at a construction site was implemented.
Different types of sensors were used to collect data related to NO2 and PM2.5, PM10 particles, as well as meteorological
parameters – wind speed and direction, humidity, pressure and temperature. The results of real-time measurements provide a
picture of the state of air pollution at the construction site and the connection with construction activities that can be managed in
order to reduce the concentration of polluting gases and suspended particles. Through on-site monitoring of construction site in Belgrade City, this study found that the dust level of construction activities is relatively high. Comparing the wind direction and PM concentrations, it can be concluded that the construction activity had a significant impact on the air quality around the construction surrounding areas. Regarding the main factors affecting the building construction dust emission, the correlations show that building construction dust emission was not significantly correlated with meteorological factors.

Green roofs as a possible solution to air pollution in Belgrade

2024-01-18T21:22:56+00:00

In recent decades, due to increasingly climate change, urbanization and industrialization, urban ecology stands out as a special area of ecology and is gaining more and more importance. Cities are specific ecosystems that have a huge role on global climate change and the state of the environment. In facing the challenges of sustainable urbanization encouraged by the current European agenda for research and innovation, in recent decades one of the key roles belongs to green roofs. Although the problem of air pollution in Belgrade is one of the dominant ecological threats it faces, no solutions have been offered for years. Given that the last decade has been characterized by the intensive construction of new buildings, as well as the need to reconstruct existing roofs, this paper highlights the benefit of green roofs as an ideal solution for sustainable urbanization. The similarity of the climatic conditions of the city of Basel, which is the leader in the world in terms of the area of green roofs per inhabitant, and Belgrade, which is at the back in the field of sustainable urban design, was also determined, which is a significant prerequisite for taking over the experiences in the formation of green roofs from Basel to the Belgrade area.

Electrochemical energy storage in sustainable modern society

2024-01-20T18:10:48+00:00

This paper shows the momentum of the development in the use of alternative energy, as well as the needs of modern users for storage of excess energy, mobility, etc. and in connection with that, the modern development and use of electrochemical energy sources, especially in the light of ecological needs.

Premature deaths due to exposure to PM2.5 in Belgrade before and at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

2024-01-19T09:01:21+00:00

Prolonged breathing in unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) often leads to respiratory and
cardiovascular diseases and increases mortality. A statistical analysis of PM2.5 concentrations per hour was performed from April
28 to May 28, from 2018 to 2020, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first few months after. Quantification of
the health effects of exposure to air pollution was done through calculations of attributed deaths in 2018 and 2019 using the
AirK + impact assessment for PM2.5 in Old and New Belgrade. It was found that the in 2020 the maximum concentrations of
PM2.5 concentrations decreased compared to 2019, most likely as a result of quarantine measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Estimated number of attributed cases in 2019, compared to 2018, a larger decrease was recorded in the Old Town than in New Belgrade. The increase in the number of attributed cases is a consequence of the faster development of New Belgrade in relation to Old Belgrade, as well as the increasing intensity of traffic in that part of the city. A progressive reduction in PM2.5
concentrations would bring major health benefits from improved air quality in Belgrade.

A XANES study of the antibacterial activity of silver ions against Acinetobacter baumannii

2024-01-18T15:18:00+00:00

One of the most challenging antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacilli to manage and cure is pathogenic Acinetobacter baumannii. Numerous bacterial species, including the tough A. baumannii, are strongly inhibited by silver ions. However, there is currently a scarcity of information regarding the mechanism of silver ions' bactericidal effect. The objective of this research was to use X-ray near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to investigate the antibacterial activity of silver ions against A. baumannii. The local environment around silver ions and their bonding to specific spots in the biomass can be studied using this non-destructive technique. The obtained results demonstrated that the biomass sample of A. baumannii treated with silver included formation of silver bonding to -SH, -NH, and -OH groups, with Ag-N and Ag-O being the most dominant binding types. The presence of uniformly distributed silver at the bacterial cells as revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) suggests that the majority of the silver ions bond to the outer cell membrane of A. baumannii. Accordingly, the antibacterial mechanism most likely involves silver ions connecting to locations in A. baumannii's outer cell membrane as well as to the amino acids.