Deichmann (Germany)

This paper examines two new methods to generate gridded agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and compares the results with a traditional method. In the case of Brazil, these two new methods of spatial disaggregation and cross-entropy outperform the prediction of agricultural GDP from the traditional method that distributes agricultural GDP using rural population. The paper finds that the best prediction method is spatial disaggregation using a regression approach for all the key crops and contributors to agricultural GDP. However, the issue of degrees of freedom is an important limiting factor, as the approach requires sufficient subnational data. The cross-entropy method with readily available spatially distributed crop, livestock, forest, and fish allocation far outperforms the traditional method, at least in the case of Brazil, and can operate with national- and/or subnational-level data.

Services of general interest is a concept used extensively within the EU policy making but lacking a precise definition in scientific terms. Based on the operational definition proposed by Data restrictions and services not covered by NACE classes make it necessary to find representative indicators in addition to an overarching and consistent indicator concept. Indicator meaning, regional deviations, and statistical implausibility are further constraints on the appropriateness of SGI indicators. The paper concludes with proposals for further research and data requests.

A novel glass melting furnace has been designed to meet pollutant emission limits without add-on controls and without sacrificing melting or energy performance. This paper reviews the design concept which combines recuperative air and fuel preheat, cullet preheat, batch preheat, and deep refining. Operating results for the first eighteen months of operation, including emission and fuel performance data, are presented. In summary, the LoNOx™ furnace has demonstrated that the melting process can be modified to emit very low NOx levels, while achieving outstanding melting and energy performance. We believe additional experience will prove the concept to be an economically and environmentally attractive alternative for glass manufacture. The culletpreheater developed as a part of the LoNOx™ system has advantages applicable to other glass melting systems.