CEN Standards Research Articles

Subpar reporting of pre-analytical variables in RNA-focused blood plasma studies.

Extracellular RNA (cell-free RNA; exRNA) from blood-derived liquid biopsies is an appealing, minimally invasive source of disease biomarkers. As pre-analytical variables strongly influence exRNA measurements, their reporting is essential for meaningful interpretation and replication of results. The aim of this review was to chart to what extent pre-analytical variables are documented, to pinpoint shortcomings and to improve future reporting. In total, 200 blood plasma exRNA studies published in 2018 or 2023 were reviewed for annotation of 22 variables associated with blood collection, plasma preparation, and RNA purification. Our results show that pre-analytical variables are poorly documented, with only three out of 22 variables described in over half of the publications. The percentage of variables reported ranged from 4.6% to 54.6% (mean 24.84%) in 2023 and from 4.6% to 57.1% (mean 28.60%) in 2018. Recommendations and guidelines (i.e., BRISQ, ASCO-CAP, BloodPAC, PPMPT, and CEN standards) have currently not resulted in improved reporting. In conclusion, our results highlight the lack of reporting pre-analytical variables in exRNA studies and advocate for a consistent use of available standards, endorsed by funders and journals.

Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment of Train Cabins and Passenger Waiting Areas: A Case Study of Nigeria

The adequacy of the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in mass transit microenvironments is crucial to the well-being of exposed commuters. By 2050, many developing tropical countries will host even more megacities, which will feature an increase in people mobility and higher occupancy density. The paucity of IEQ studies, the technology gap, and inadequate policy measures to assure safer and sustainable mobility in many developing tropics have reinforced the current study objective. Also, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the IEQ links and risks to health in transport, which, given the climate peculiarities, transport reforms, and huge commuter traffic in Nigeria, inform the study motivation. The indoor air quality (CO2, PM, VOCs, NO2), thermal, acoustic, and visual environments were objectively assessed in train passenger cabins and waiting areas, during 15 trips in the dry and rainy seasons in Nigeria. The results were analyzed by following the IEQ requirements defined in the ISO, CEN, ASHRAE, and SAE standards. The results indicate gaps in the IAQ (inadequate ventilation in 9 trains), defective thermal comfort (9 trains), exceedance in the PM limit (PM10: 47.9–115 μg/m3, PM2.5: 22.5–51.3 μg/m3), noise (Leq range: 64–85 dBA), and low illuminance levels (10 trains), hence the need for IEQ, interventions, stakeholder awareness, and broader IEQ studies on transport cabins in these regions.

Estimation Inventories of Persistent Organic Pollutants from Rice Straw Combustion as an Agricultural Waste

Rice cultivation stands as the primary agricultural activity in Asia, generating a substantial amount of agricultural waste. Unfortunately, this waste is often disposed of through burning, contributing to severe environmental, health and climate issues. This study presents the characterization of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs. The emissions were quantified using a fixed-grid-system biomass plant and measuring the macro-pollutants online and sampling the organic micro-pollutants and metals in isokinetic mode, followed by ISO and CEN standards methods. Additionally, the role of agrochemicals was monitored in terms of metal catalysis resulting in POP emissions. This study provides the comprehensive characterization of the most relevant groups of pollutants (metals, PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PAHs) resulting from agricultural waste combustion. Prominent catalytic metals quantified were Cu (22–48 µg/Nm3) and Fe (78–113 µg/Nm3). Rice straw samples from AJK exhibited higher values of organochlorine micro-pollutants compared to those from Punjab and Sindh, i.e., ∑PCDD/F (2594 > 1493 > 856 pg/Nm3) and ∑PCB (41 > 38 > 30 pg/Nm3), respectively, whereas the organic micro-pollutants ∑c-PAH, indicators of incomplete combustion (PICs), were recorded high in the samples from Sindh followed by Punjab and AJK. The average EF is 100 pg/kg, 2.2 pg/kg and 1053.6 µg/kg for ∑PCDD/F, ∑PCB and ∑c-PAH. This study supports the idea that the phenomena leading to the formation of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds are influenced not only by poor combustion but also by the presence of metal catalysts in the burned fuel.

Importance of Digitalization and Standardization for Bridge and Tunnel Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance

AbstractThe Horizon 2020 IM‐SAFE project aims to provide input for a mandate for further CEN standardization towards the use of inspection, monitoring and testing for the safety assessment of bridges and tunnels and the implementation of predictive maintenance strategies. Although the focus of this project is on the engineering domain, the use of digitalization is a necessity for the effective and efficient implementation of the proposed work‐ and dataflows. This paper shows what topics related to digitalization are of particular interest, explains the state‐of‐the‐art in those areas and discusses the need and readiness for further ICT standardization. In particular, it focuses on the importance of data interoperability and emphasizes the challenge to consolidate, reuse and harmonize existing standards from BIM, GIS and IoT, rather than developing new standards.

Experimental investigation on a jet impingement scrubber to clean producer gas from biomass gasifier

ABSTRACT One of the greatest issues facing the globe today is the production of hazardous waste products and producer gas (PG) from biomass gasification. PG must be cleaned of tar and other solid pollutants because it is frequently utilized to produce energy in the thermal and power sectors. PG from biomass is a great source for renewable energy, but it contains tar and particulate matter (T&P). Hence, treatment method of T&P is very important. Downdraft biomass gasifier is a thermo-chemical conversion method which minimizes the quantity of T&P to tolerable limit. The present work aims to achieve an effective gas cleaning using jet impingement scrubber to clean PG from biomass gasifier before entering it to an engine or burner applications. The development of jet impingement scrubber is to produce fine mist to capture very fine T&P in PG cleaning. The downdraft biomass gasifier was used to gasify the silver oak wood pieces of 2 to 6 kg/h. A maximum pressure drop of water level was observed 62 mm for jet impingement scrubber correspondingly the cleaned PG flow rate was 0.00338 m3/s. Particle removal efficiency of the jet impingement scrubber her been determined to be 75%. The concentration of T&P sampling apparatus was constructed as per European CEN standard. Tars absorbed on the particles are extracted using isopropanol by gravimetric analysis (g/m3) in PG. The particulate matter present in PG was collected by thimble filter. The concentration of T&P content obtained at jet impingement scrubber exit is 1.2 g/m3 and 0.85 g/m3. After cleaning the PG with jet impingement scrubber, the PG was burnt in a burner. The temperature of the cleaned PG increased by removing moisture to 240–310°C as it burned with a nice blue flame.

Biomass Combustion: Evaluation of POPs Emissions (VOC, PAH, PCB, PCDD/F) from Three Different Biomass Prunings (Olive, Citrus and Grapevine)

Agricultural activities lead to the production of large quantities of pruning and residual biomass, the correct disposal of which is a topic of great interest. Unfortunately, although it is an environmentally unacceptable practice, disposal often takes place with uncontrolled combustion in field (open burning). Disposal using biomass boilers produces energy from controlled combustion and the use of abatement systems reduces emissions that are inevitably generated in the combustion processes of solid fuel (CO, CO2, NOx, SO2, PM, etc.). Among the pollutants produced in combustion processes, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are one of the most relevant groups of chemicals that must be monitored for their effect on human health and the environment. This paper reports the data obtained for the emissive characterization of POPs of three different wood biomass prunings (Olive, Citrus and Grapevine) focusing on VOCs, PAHs, PCBs, PCDD/Fs. Emissions samplings were performed at the stack during combustion in a 30 kWth boiler equipped with a multicyclone filter bag for PM abatement in an isokinetic mode in accordance with the CEN and ISO standards methods. Through this work, a complete emission profile of VOCs, PAHs, PCBs, and PCDD/Fs of three different biomass types is provided for the first time, showing that the use of biomass boilers produces quantities of pollutants below the regulatory limits and still lower than those produced by open burning phenomena. Citrus has shown, regarding the other two essences, elevated concentrations in terms of Σ PAH = 174.247 ng/m3, while Olive gave higher results in terms of PCBs and PCDD/Fs (respectively, 39.769 and 3390.63 TEQ pg/Nm3). This is probably due to the high concentration of iron in this biomass (711.44 mg/kg), which during combustion is a catalyst (together with copper) of PCDD/Fs.

Less is more – Basic quantitative indices for fish can be achieved with reduced gillnet sampling

Obtaining a representative sample is fundamental to the assessment of fish communities. In this study we used data from 99 different surveys of 29 artificial lakes in the Czech Republic to evaluate the precision of fish community indicator estimates based on reduced gillnet scenarios derived from triplet gillnets installed in each particular locality, depth strata and habitat. Forty-four indicators (based particularly on numbers and biomass per unit of effort – NPUE and BPUE, respectively) were compared between the full sampling design (three gillnets at every sampling location) and six reduced scenarios which were combinations removing one or two gillnets from the triplets. The whole community comparison found the accuracy (R2) between the full sampling design and reduced scenarios usually to be above 0.9. Strong accuracy was also found for species richness and mean fish weight. In individual species comparisons, accuracy above 0.75 was found for common species in a given habitat, whereas accuracy for less common species sometimes dropped below 0.5. Setting one gillnet in an appropriate depth strata and lake locality appears to be sufficient for unbiased overall NPUE, BPUE, and species composition estimates, and at the same time, reduces sampling effort and minimizes unwanted fish mortality. Capturing less common species in a given habitat is more or less accidental and additional sampling effort increased the probability of catching these species. On the other hand, methods targeting rare species of interest may be considered instead of increasing gillnet effort above the CEN standard.

Novel DNA-based test for the identification of benthic diatoms of European freshwater waterbodies (WAT-DIMON)

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic organisms, which have been exploited over the years for effective freshwater bioassessment. Therefore, they are excellent bioindicators, routinely used in national environmental monitoring programs all over Europe within the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 /EC (Foster et al., 2000) and CEN standards (CEN, 2018). Over the years, new technologies have been introduced to this field to maximise and improve the time and cost required for freshwater bioassessment. The application of DNA metabarcoding for the characterisation of benthic diatom communities for WFD was recently introduced (Vasselon et al. 2017, Kelly et al. 2018). Through this technique, the identification of the species present in one environmental sample, is established using genetic variability and is characterised by a short DNA fragment called a barcode (Vasselon et al., 2019). The Wat-Dimon Eurostars project aim at creating a novel genomic test for the identification of European benthic diatoms. This new DNA-based test could be routinely implemented in national environmental monitoring programs all over Europe within the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 /EC and CEN standards. In the near future, metabarcoding can complement and/or replace the traditional ecological assessments based on the morpho-taxonomy methodology approach needing taxonomic expertise and been subjected to scientific bias. Additionally, the project aims at developing a complementary bioinformatics tool for the biotechnological interpretation of the results. Such product will allow the prompt response to the environmental needs, the early assessment of environmental quality and early treatment response. The study will be developed and validated along a longitudinal gradient in the south part of Europe (Portugal, Spain, Cyprus), including four different biogeographical regions (Macaronesia, Atlantic, Alpine and Mediterranean). The method will cover all steps, from sampling and DNA extraction of diatom assemblages and amplification of DNA barcodes using universal primers for diatoms. The amplified products will be sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Then, existing bioinformatic pipelines will be adjusted to quality-filter the high number of sequences from the samples and identify them by comparison with reference databases (Diat.Barcode, BOLD, GenBank). Enhancing these databases with diatom species prevalent in the different biogeographical regions assayed will be essential as existing databases are biased to more northerly regions and do not take into consideration harsh, extreme climatic conditions which are prominent in the Mediterranean and Macaronesia regions (Fig. 1). The project focuses on the rbcL gene and will used 18S gene only as an alternative or complementary tool if any problematic taxa appear. CEN, 2018. CEN/TR 17245: Water quality – Technical report for the routine sampling of benthic diatoms from rivers and lakes adapted for metabarcoding analyses. CEN/TC 230/WG 23 – Aquat. Macrophytes Algae 1–8. https://doi.org/CEN/TR 17245:2018 Foster, D., Wood, A., Griffiths, M., 2000. THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE (2000/60/EC) – AN INTRODUCTION Dave Foster – Policy Advisor (Europe), Aram Wood EP Scientist (Water), Dr Martin Griffiths – Head of Water Quality, Environment Agency, Head Office, Rio House, Waterside Drive, Aztec West, Almon 7–9. Kelly et al. (2018). A DNA based diatom metabarcoding approach for Water Framework Directive classification of rivers. Environment Agency. Vasselon et al. (2017). Assessing ecological status with diatoms DNA metabarcoding: Scaling-up on a WFD monitoring network (Mayotte island, France). Ecological Indicators. 82:1-12 Vasselon, V., Rimet, F., Domaizon, I., Monnier, O., Reyjol, Y., Bouchez, A., 2019. Assessing pollution of aquatic environments with diatoms’ DNA metabarcoding: Experience and developments from France Water Framework Directive networks. Metabarcoding and Metagenomics 3, 101–115. https://doi.org/10.3897/mbmg.3.39646

End-of-life modelling of buildings to support more informed decisions towards achieving circular economy targets

PurposeLife cycle assessment (LCA) is an internationally accepted method to assess the environmental impacts of buildings. A major methodological challenge remains the modelling of the end-of-life stage of buildings and allocation of benefits and burdens between systems. Various approaches are hence applied in practice to date. This paper compares the two methods widely renowned in Europe—the EC product environmental footprint (PEF) method and the CEN standards: EN 15804+A1 and EN15978—and offers insights about their fitness for achieving circularity goals.MethodsThe EC PEF method and the CEN EN 15804/EN 15978 standards were methodologically analysed with a focus on the end-of-life modelling and allocation approach and were applied to a building case study. The EN 15804+A1 standard explains the guidelines but does not offer a modelling formula. Accordingly, this paper proposes a formula for the CEN standards using identical parameters as in the end-of-life circular footprint formula (CFF) of the EC PEF Guidance v6.3 to increase consistency among LCA studies. The calculation formulas were then applied to a newly constructed office building. A comparative analysis of both the implementation and results are described, and recommendations are formulated.ResultsIn the absence of databases compatible with the two LCA methods and comprising all building products, the Ecoinvent datasets had to be remodelled to enable a comparative modular assessment. This proved to be a laborious process. The EC PEF method and CEN standards showed similar impacts and hotspots for the case study building. The module D in the CEN standards includes a significant share of positive impacts, but due to collective accounting, it does not clearly communicate these benefits. The summation of burdens and benefits in the EC PEF method reduces its transparency, while the allocation and quality factors enable this method to better capture the market realities and drive circular economy goals.ConclusionsThe construction sector and the LCI database developers are encouraged to create the missing LCA databases compatible with the modular and end-of-life allocation modelling requirements of both methods. More prescriptive and meticulous guidelines, with further harmonization between the EC PEF method and the CEN standards and their end-of-life allocation formula, would largely increase comparability and reliability of LCA studies and communications. To improve transparency, it is recommended to report the module D impacts per life cycle stage as per the CEN standards and the burdens and benefits separately for each life cycle stage as per the EC PEF method.

Inter- and intra-rater reliability of the OCRA checklist method in video-recorded manual work tasks

Observation-based risk assessments are often used for evaluation of biomechanical workload and the condition of the workplace ergonomics. However, the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the methods used for the assessments are insufficiently studied. The OCRA checklist method, included as a reference method in the ISO and CEN standards regarding upper limb repetitive risk assessment, was in this study investigated regarding its reliability. Eleven ergonomists were educated within the method. Each ergonomist risk-assessed ten video-recorded manual work tasks, on two occasions. The average inter-rater agreement of the five overall risk levels was 39% and the linearly weighted kappa was 0.43, the intra-rater dittos were 45% and 0.52. Both indicating a moderate reliability, but lower than what could be expected. The levels might be sufficient for coarse surveys. However, for risk assessments before and after an intervention, complementing technical methods should be considered.

The effect of aggregate type and gradation on fragmentation resistance performance: Testing and evaluation based on different standard test methods

Abstract Aggregates used in construction works must be sufficiently durable in that long-lasting performance. Aggregates are exposed to external loads and harsh environmental conditions in all processes from manufacturing to use in the field. These cause fragmentation, abrasion, polishing of aggregates. Aggregates in different origin show distinct characteristics based on their chemical formation and the physical features at that moment such as shape and size. To make the properties of aggregates clear, series of test are implemented. Fragmentation resistance (FR) test using Los-Angeles apparatus is one of test in the series used to identify the strength of aggregate. This test can be performed based on different standard test methods such as the standard by American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM and European Committee for Standardization, CEN, which are focused on in the current study. However, these two standards differ from each other in a few aspects such as aggregate size and mass of aggregate and charges. Based on these fundamental differences, a question has arisen about the effect of the aggregate size on the FR based on different origin. Respectively, this study was established on this case by using related ASTM and CEN standard. To achieve the answer, different sources of aggregates including metallurgical slags were supplied and a series of tests were performed on them to identify their physical, mechanical and chemical properties. Thereinafter, FR tests were performed in five different grain size distributions ranging from 2.36 to 37.50 mm according to ASTM C131 and CEN 1097-2. The results showed that aggregates in different origin, as expected, exhibited different FR values. However, there exist significant differences between FR values of aggregates tested in different grain size although the materials are the same. Considering the grain size of aggregate being used in the related works, testing and evaluation of FR performance of aggregate will be more accurate and robust. Therefore, the authors recommended that following ASTM standard for testing FR due to the optional grading will give more precise vision about aggregate’s performance.

PREREQUISITES AND TRENDS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY DEVELOPMENT AT ENTERPRISES

Introduction. Energy efficiency is an important component of the Europe 2020 strategy and a consequence of one of the goals for the efficient use of natural resources. Energy efficiency is an interdisciplinary concept. It combines technology and innovation, agriculture, environmental protection, economics and legislation. It affects technological and economic changes, behaviour changes, and reflects energy consumption trends. Methods. The method of comparison is used in the work – to detect differences between objects of energy service; generalization – to define the general concept and understanding of the principles of functioning of subjects of the energy service market, abstraction – to identify patterns of development of markets in Europe and Ukraine. Results. The basic prerequisites for the development of the energy service market have been formed, and barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency measures at enterprises have been identified. An algorithm of the decision-making process is proposed, which should be based on determining the places of energy losses, the modernization of which would bring a measurable benefit. The considered measures of improvement of energy efficiency will allow to achieve the maximum economic and ecological effect of functioning of the economic complex of the state. Discussion. At the beginning of 2008, a large part of the draft CEN standards have been transmitted to the national standardization institutes of the EU Member States for final approval, and the draft standards, which were approved by the national standardization institutes, were adopted as European standards, which Ukraine is also aiming for, different levels of readiness, this process needs further research. Keywords: European standards, energy efficiency, energy service market, subjects of energy service market.

Parametric life cycle assessment of a reusable brick veneer

A possible design strategy to improve the sustainability of building products is facilitating their future reuse. This strategy inspires some manufacturers to design innovative products, such as reusable façade products. Although these products might have a higher environmental impact for production, their reusability could lead to an environmental saving from a life cycle perspective. A possible method to evaluate their environmental performance is life cycle assessment (LCA). Nevertheless, LCA studies of reusable products are still rare. Furthermore, although the general LCA frameworks is fixed by ISO and CEN standards, some methodological choices must still be made by LCA practitioners. This paper first presents a method (as four methodological choices) for a parametric life cycle assessment of reusable building elements. Then, this method is applied to a comparative LCA of reusable and brick-and-mortar veneers. With proposed method, the reusable brick veneer is environmentally advantageous if it is reused at least once and if it is properly recycled at its end-of-life. The parametric method also indicates the relative influence of various parameters such as reuse rate, number of interventions, transport distances and waste treatment. The manufacturers can use this LCA study as a retrospective assessment to validate the relevance of design choices, but also as target-driven product management support to know hot-spots in the product’ life cycle management. This study will hopefully inspire other designers and manufacturers and accelerate the transition towards a sustainable built environment.

Aerodynamic forces on railway acoustic barriers

Aerodynamic measurements were conducted to assess the magnitude of pressures measured on a range of acoustic barriers during normal working traffic. A week of measurements were made at a number of tests sites, capturing data for a range of train types. The different test sites allowed for a novel assessment of the influence of barrier distance from centre of track and any influence from other trackside infrastructure. Results exhibited a characteristic pressure development measured on the acoustic barrier, as observed in previous studies, with similar magnitudes recorded for all high speed passenger trains. Pressure magnitudes were largest around the train nose and tail regions. A twelve car train had an additional large peak due to the coupling of two six car sets. As barrier distance from centre of track was increased the magnitude of pressures measured was shown to decrease. Fitting a curve of best fit to the results indicated that the same curve form could be used for both the positive and negative nose pressures. Differences in peak pressure magnitudes were observed for results measured underneath the footbridge suggesting a potential influence of the footbridge on the aerodynamic flow development. CEN standards were shown to offer a good estimation to the pressure coefficient measured on the barrier at most positions analysed. Analysis of peak pressure magnitudes in relation to the number of train passes across the barrier life span, calculated through a rainflow analysis, suggested that small pressure fluctuations were the dominant feature across all measurements. Larger fluctuations depended on train type and as such load calculations should account for the different types of traffic observed on the railway.

Twelve Years of Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings in Sweden

Abstract The Swedish National Research programme for Energy Efficiency in historic buildings was initiated in 2006 by the Swedish Energy Agency. This article gives an overview of the programme: objectives, projects and the general results of the programme. The research programme aims to develop knowledge, methods and technical solutions that contribute to energy efficiency in historically valuable buildings without destroying or damaging the historical value of the buildings, including decoration, furnishings, interiors or equipment. The programme is not limited to listed and monumental buildings but covers a wider range of historic buildings that account for a large part of the energy use in the building sector. For one and two-family houses, around 25 % of the energy use is associated with buildings built before 1945. The same number for multifamily houses is around 15 %. The programme is currently in its third consecutive four-year-stage. Previous four-year-stages were completed in 2010 and 2014. Over time, the scope of the programme and the projects have developed from mainly dealing with indoor climate control in monumental buildings towards addressing more general issues in the much larger stock of non-listed buildings. Technical research, based on quantitative analysis, dominate throughout all three stages, however most projects have had interdisciplinary components. The results from the programme have been presented in 31 journal papers, 67 conference papers, five books and five PhD theses. The projects have also contributed to CEN standards and resulted in a number of Bachelors and Master’s theses. An equally important long-term effect of the programme is that the number of Swedish researchers in the field have increased from practically none in 2007 to 18 senior researchers and twelve PhD students from ten universities in 2014. The research programme on Energy Efficiency in historic buildings is unique in an international context. Hopefully it can serve as an example for other countries on how to address an important interdisciplinary research challenge.

Including 38 kHz in the standardization protocol for hydroacoustic fish surveys in temperate lakes

AbstractHydroacoustics has become a requisite method to assess fish populations and allows to describe the relationships of fish with other elements of the aquatic ecosystem. This nonintrusive method is currently an integral part of the sampling procedures recommended for fish stock assessment by the Water Framework Directive and has been standardized by the European Committee for Standardization [CEN (2014) CSN EN 15910 ‐ Water quality ‐ Guidance on the estimation of fish abundance with mobile hydroacoustic methods, Category: 7577 Water quality. Biological.]. In Europe, hydroacoustic surveys are performed in freshwater using different frequencies. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate if survey results can be compared. This study aimed to carry out in situ comparisons at the 38 kHz frequency (noted f) with two other commonly used frequencies, 70 and 200 kHz. The 38 kHz frequency has seldom been compared with other frequencies in freshwater although it is widely used worldwide, especially in the Great Lakes of North America and in Sweden. In 2016, hydroacoustic data were acquired in Lakes Annecy and Bourget using methods validated in previous studies that compared the frequencies 70, 120 and 200 kHz. This study showed similar density and biomass estimations as a function of frequency, density(f) and biomass(f), between the frequencies studied for low to moderate fish densities. For higher fish densities, the results were more variable and need to be verified. Fish density(f) and biomass(f) estimations sometimes exhibit differences between frequencies, which is not fully in agreement with theoretical calculations. The aim of this study was to evaluate frequency comparisons in practise. However, if the differences on acoustic metrics, density(f) or biomass(f) between frequencies were occasionally statistically significant, the differences were small enough to be considered negligible for fish population management. These analyses led to better knowledge of the responses from fish in temperate lakes for the studied frequencies. Our findings should be considered when revising the CEN standard.

The new EN ISO 52000 family of standards to assess the energy performance of buildings put in practice

The set of Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) standards, developed under a mandate from the European Commission to support the EPBD, has been published in summer 2017. This set of standards enables to assess the overall energy performance of a building. A number of key EPB standards are available at global level (the EN ISO 52000 family of standards), while others are for the moment only available at European level (CEN standards). The revised European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), published in June 2018, obliges the EU Member States to describe their national calculation methodology following the ‘national annexes’ of the so called ‘overarching’ EPB standards. This will force the Member States to explain where and why they deviate from these standards and will lead to an increased recognition and promotion of the set of EPB standards across Europe and beyond. This paper provides background information and tips on how to put the EN ISO 52000 family of standards into practice.

Finnish design ventilation rates for residential buildings

Implementation of EU directives has forced EU member countries to revise the building regulations related energy efficiency. The 2017 revision of the building codes is due to the requirement set in the EPBD 2010 for all new buildings to be nearly zero buildings by 2020. The Finnish Ministry of the Environment (in charge of building regulations) invited FINVAC Federation of Finnish HVAC Associations to revise the guidelines values of ventilation rates as part of the nearly zero energy building regulations. At the same time, the Finnish Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate updated its voluntary Classification of Indoor Environment. Several methods were used in the study to collect information and develop the new guideline values. European studies, such as HEALTHVENT, and relevant CEN standards were taken into consideration in drafting the design ventilation rates. Existing legislation on housing conditions gave the minimum levels and, finally, the recommended values were defined using expert interviews, workshops and public review process. Earlier studies had indicated that earlier design ventilation rates were too high for small apartments. Ventilation rates were considered too low for homes of elderly people and residential kitchen hoods, and some larger apartments. Furthermore, the balance of outdoor and exhaust air flows needed revision due to the improved tightness of the building envelope. Energy efficiency and avoidance of draught and noise were also taken into account. This paper presents the numeric values of the ventilation rates in the new building regulations and the design guidelines supporting them.

An Efficacy Evaluation of Water Mist Protection Against Solid Combustible Fires in Open Environment

CEN and NFPA standards have accepted water mist for protecting solid combustible fires more challenging than light hazard fires in open environment, but with little data in the public domain to support such applications. Therefore, a series of exploratory experiments was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of fire suppression in open environment by water mist sprays for a rack storage of corrugated cardboard cartons on wood pallets (Fire A), and for a palletized storage of cartoned plastics stacked on wood pallets (Fire B). Both are in the accepted hazard categories by both standards. Representative water mist sprays were employed to provide water application densities of 4.1 mm/min and 6.1 mm/min for Fire A, and 8.1 mm/min for Fire B. These sprays had downward thrust forces ranging from 18 N to 73 N per spray, and volume median droplet diameters from 75 µm to 345 µm. A standard ½-in. pendent sprinkler was also employed to provide the suppression performance references for these two fire hazards. In each experiment, four open sprinklers or nozzles were centered 1.7 m above the fuel array with nozzle spacing ranging from 2.6 × 2.6 m to 3 × 3 m. All experiments were conducted under a 20-MW calorimeter with no ceiling presence. Water discharge in each experiment was started at a designated fire convective heat release rate of 1000 kW. The experiments indicated that, for the same application density, not all water mist sprays having different characteristics would lead to a comparable fire suppression result. Therefore, each water mist system should be tested individually for the same intended protection. Furthermore, the results showed that when water mist protection was effective, it required application densities comparable to those of sprinkler protection to provide comparable fire suppression results in open environment under the present experimental conditions.

The influence of the structural features of lignin-based polyurethane coatings on ammonium sulfate release: kinetics and thermodynamics of the process

The influence of the properties of lignin-based polyurethane (PU) coatings on the release behavior of ammonium sulfate was assessed through complete physicochemical, structural, and morphological characterization. The influence of the release medium was evaluated as well. The higher the amount of lignin in the coatings was, the lower the pore diameter and swelling degree and the higher crosslinking were. The hydrophobicity of coatings was not significantly changed by increasing the lignin content. However, the opposite behavior was observed for their biodegradability. The results of the nutrient release experiments showed that the two formulations of lignin-based PUs had very similar behavior in terms of release rates of NH4+ and SO42− in both release media, despite their different properties. However, there was a difference between their release rate constants obtained by using three different kinetic models. In addition, both PU coatings released a higher amount of SO42− than NH4+ in both media. The thermodynamic data suggest that dissolution and release processes for SO42− are more spontaneous than that for NH4+. Nevertheless, both coatings behaved in accordance with CEN standards for CRF systems, representing a potential technique for agricultural applications.