Johannes Tintner

• Priv.Doz. Dr.nat.tech.
• Senior Manager at EY denkstatt GmbH

Estimating the age of immature blow flies is of great importance for forensic entomology. However, no gold‐standard technique for an accurate determination of the intra‐puparial age has yet been established. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a method to (bio‐)chemically characterise material based on the absorbance of electromagneti...

The Werdervorstadt (Werder suburb) was located in front of an important Viennese city gate. Numerous trades that depended on the proximity of water are documented for the suburb. Above all, tanners can be proven in several documents and wills as owners and/or proprietors in the so-called Upper Werd. A late medieval waterfront revetment was document...

Climate and parent material type are important soil forming factors. On Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, the climate shows a pronounced altitudinal zonation from arid lowlands to humid highlands, and the volcanic parent materials, although chemically rather uniform (basaltic), show pronounced differences in porosity, including dense lava flows and ver...

Purpose Tackling the global carbon deficit through soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agricultural systems has been a focal point in recent years. However, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of actual on-farm SOC sequestration potentials in order to derive effective strategies. Methods Therefore, we chose 21 study sites in North-E...

Insects are a potential substitute for conventional meat and can be part of a sustainable human diet due to their valuable nutrients and relatively low environmental production impact. One species that is already produced for human consumption and livestock feed is the mealworm, i.e., larvae of Tenebrio molitor. Knowledge of the effects of temperat...

The Galápagos archipelago is a well‐suited model ecosystem for investigating soil evolution. Here, we study mineral transformations and pedogenesis of the volcanic soils of Galápagos in response to weathering duration (1,500–1,070,000 yr) and climate (humid vs. dry). Our results show that soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic C content, cation...

Pitch oil production from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) resinous wood is an intangible cultural heritage in the Central European region including the Czech Republic, Northern Austria and South Eastern Germany, and is related to traditions in Finland and Southern France. The heating of wood in small kilns also fueled by wood produces liquid for c...

Sexual dimorphism is a widespread phenomenon among mammals, including carnivorans. While sexual dimorphism in golden jackals ( Canis aureus ) has been analysed in the past, in the related and apparently convergent canid, the African wolf ( Canis lupaster ), it is poorly studied and showed to be relatively small. Previously, sexual size dimorphism (...

Application of low-cost carbon black from lignin highly depends on the materials properties, which might by determined by raw material and processing conditions. Four different technical lignins were subjected to thermostabilization followed by stepwise heat treatment up to a temperature of 2000 °C in order to obtain micro-sized carbon particles. T...

The dating of organic findings is a fundamental task for many scientific fields. Radiocarbon dating is currently the most commonly used method. For wood, dendrochronology is another state‐of‐the‐art method. Both methods suffer from systematic restrictions, leading to samples that have not yet been able to be dated. Molecular changes over time are r...

Hair is an important component in scat that is commonly used for prey analyses in carnivores. Chemically, hair predominately consists of keratin. The recalcitrant fiber protein is degraded in nature only by a few insects and soil microorganisms. Common proteases such as pepsin do not decompose keratin. Infrared spectroscopy was used to detect chemi...

Hair amendments were extracted from the lime plasters of historical buildings with an age ranging from recent times until the 12th century. Infrared spectroscopy has been used to assess chemical changes, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for changes of the physical structure. As a reference a sample set of 130 recent samples has been collected co...

Based on infrared spectral characteristics, six archeological sample sets of charcoals from German (5) and Brazilian (1) sites, covering the time span from the nineteenth century CE to 3950 BCE, were compared to a chronological (present to the fifteenth century BCE) series of Austrian charcoals. A typical chronological trend of several bands (stret...

Dating of wood is a major task in historical research, archaeology and paleoclimatology. Currently, the most important dating techniques are dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Our approach is based on molecular decay over time under specific preservation conditions. In the models presented here, construction wood, cold soft waterlogged wood a...

Charcoal production is a handicraft of oldest tradition. Various types have been developed. One of the most popular in Europe was the circular kiln with vertically piled logs. Besides traditional techniques new developments arose during the last decades like drum kilns in Namibia. Infrared spectroscopy was applied to assess pyrolysis temperatures u...

Dating of clay bricks (adobe) and plasters is a relevant topic not only for building historians in the Pannonian region. Especially in vernacular architecture in this region, clay with straw amendments is a dominant construction material. The paper presents the potential of the molecular decay of these amendments to establish prediction tools for a...

This study presents a new chronometric method for the dating of wood. The clock used is the chemical breakdown of specific parts, such as the acetyl groups of the hemicelluloses. The presented prediction models cover a maximum of 3000 years and include old living trees, construction wood and cold waterlogged wood. Any other preservation conditions...

Rectangular kilns are a traditional technique in charcoal production in the second half of Modern Period in Middle Europe. Only in Austria there is still an active tradition that is of broader interest in an archaeological context. One of these kilns in Rohr im Gebirge, Lower Austria, was equipped with thermocouples to record pyrolysis temperature...

Studies on the foraging ecology of wildlife species are of fundamental importance, as foraging decisions are closely linked to ecological key issues such as resource partitioning or population dynamics. Using Black grouse as a model system, we applied Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS) to address some key questions in foraging ecology:...

Der Artikel erläutert kurz aktuelle Arbeiten zur Nutzung der Infrarotspektroskopie in der Archäometrie. Die Beschreibung der molekularen Veränderungen über die Zeit ermöglichen bei Berücksichtigung der Rahmenbedingungen die Datierung von Holz und Stroh. Aber auch Lagerungsbedingungen oder bei Kohle die Pyrolysebedingungen können unter gewissen Vora...

The Galápagos archipelago has extensively been studied because of its geological and climatic setting and especially for its peculiar flora and fauna. However, there is still little information about its soils. The objective of this study was to investigate weathering and soil formation on Alcedo Volcano, which is the only volcano of Galápagos that...

The Galápagos Islands have faced a huge rise in the number of inhabitants and tourists over recent decades. As a consequence, natural forest vegetation has been converted to arable land to meet the increasing demand for agricultural produce. However, studies on soils and soil use change in the Galápagos Islands are scarce. In this study, we assesse...

Charcoals were produced from spruce and beech wood under laboratory conditions at different pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C to 1300 °C). Characterization of these charcoals was conducted using eight analytical methods. Each method describes specific changes in the temperature range till 1300 °C. Therefore the combination of these methods provides co...

Xylem resistance to embolism formation determines the species-specific drought tolerance and the survival prospects of plants under extreme climatic conditions. Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a cost-effective and rapid analytical tool with potential beyond its current use in plant physiology. We tested the use of FTIR spectroscop...

At present tapped wood of black pines (Pinus nigra var. austriaca) is mainly combusted. The priority of material use over thermal recycling has led to some considerations regarding the utilization of tapped wood. The high content of extractives suggests a higher natural durability, and therefore, the suitability for outdoor applications. Tapped and...

Taphonomy of subfossil bark was assessed in Hallstatt, Upper Austria. Samples from the Bronze Age were compared with recent corresponding material from the same site. Preservation of the prehistoric samples was caused by storage in a salt and clay mixture. FTIR spectroscopy was used to determine differences in material chemistry. Principal Componen...

Aging of newspaper under archive conditions was investigated. The experimental design included issues of all the decades since 1959 to 2015. Newsprint and white parts of colored pages were characterized. The yellowed border and the area in the middle of the pages were characterized using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Principal component analysis (PCA) rev...

Recent, historical, and prehistoric charcoals were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis to support interpretation of historical and archeological data. Chemical characteristics of aging play a dominant role in terms of the assignment of ancient charcoals. Different periods were differentiated according to the pro...

Biochar (BC) is increasingly used as soil amendment; however, its stability and alteration in the soil environment are still unclear. Here, we investigated BC decomposition and changes of BC characteristics during a long-term incubation experiment. ¹³C-depleted BCs were incubated for two years in an acidic Planosol and a calcareous Chernozem, respe...

The collapse of adobe bricks under compressive forces and exposure to water has a duration of several minutes, with only minor displacements before and after the collapse , whence a conceptual question arises: When does the collapse start and when does it end? The paper compares several mathematical models for the description of the fracture proces...

Aging of archeological wood in a salt environment was assessed in Hallstatt, Upper Austria, where Bronze Age wooden findings of the archeological salt mining site were compared with recent wood samples from the same site. Three species (Picea abies, Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica) were investigated. Recent samples covered all main geological units...

In order to find sufficient greening measures for MSWI slag deposits, germination and juvenile plant growth on fresh as well as artificially aged municipal solid waste incineration slag were investigated for seeds of three widely used commercial test species (Phleum pratense, Lepidium sativum, and Trifolium alexandrinum) and the widespread weed Ama...

In 2002, large riparian parts of the river Kamp in Lower Austria were affected by a flood which eradicated almost all vegetation at the riverside. From 2003 to 2012 the authors documented early stages of succession at five specific sites with characteristic vertical and horizontal distances to the river. Phytosociological relevés were performed. Ec...

Wood artefacts from prehistoric times have been preserved in a salt mine environment in Hallstatt, Austria, for more than 3000 years and thus present a unique archive of information on past mining industry. Certain findings are assumed to have been traded, so the finding spot is not equivalent to the growth region of the tree. Therefore, 87Sr/86Sr...

Risk assessment of two sections (I and II) of an old landfill (ALH) in Styria (Austria) in terms of reactivity of waste organic matter and the related potential of gaseous emissions was performed using conventional parameters and innovative tools to verify their effectiveness in practice. The ecological survey of the established vegetation at the l...

For waste management, methane emissions from landfills and their effect on climate change are of serious concern. Current models for biogas generation that focus on the economic use of the landfill gas are usually based on first order chemical reactions (exponential decay), underestimating the long-term emissions of landfills. The presented study c...

Conventional parameters (loss on ignition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, C/N-ratio, respiration activity (RA₄), compost status (= 'Rottegrad'), NH₄-N and NO₃-N) are not correlated to humification. At best, they provide information on the biological stability (status of degradation) of composts. Humic substances which are a source of stable...

Generally, great efforts are made in measuring features of landfill covers. However, conventional physical or chemical parameters reach their limits in indicating the small scale changes of the habitats. Bio-indication is a proven tool to assess habitat conditions. The advantages of vegetation monitoring are obvious: cheap, easy, and integrating ov...

The use of mechanically biologically treated (MBT) waste as cover material for landfills during the aftercare period has gained in importance since the previous decade. The question arises how such materials change their properties under open field conditions. For field experiments, two MBT plants in Austria with related landfills were selected. A...

Abandoned landfills and dumps, where untreated waste materials were deposited in the past, are a main anthropogenic source of relevant gaseous emissions. The determination of stability is a crucial target in the context of landfill risk assessment. FTIR spectroscopy and simultaneous thermal analysis in association with multivariate statistical meth...

The monitoring of abandoned landfills and dumps that still feature metabolic processes and remaining gaseous emissions is a prerequisite to decide on the maintenance and appropriate remediation measures. Despite the quantification of gaseous emissions and leachate compounds investigations of the solid waste are in the focus of interest as it repres...

Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become an important technology in waste management during the last decade. The paper compiles investigations of mechanical biological processes in Austrian MBT plants. Samples from all plants representing different stages of degradation were included in this study. The range o...

Methane emissions from active or closed landfills can be reduced by means of microbial methane oxidation enhanced by properly designed landfill covers and engineered biocovers. Composts produced using different waste materials have already been proven to support methane oxidation, and may represent a low-cost alternative to other suitable substrate...

Quantification of carbonate contents in fresh and weathered municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) bottom ash was performed using volumetric and gravimetric methods, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Results differ considerably depending on the method applied. Volumetric measurement and thermogravimetry (TG) ar...

Resource recovery and stabilization of waste organic matter before landfilling are crucial issues in waste management. These requirements are closely related to efficient separation of recyclables and well operated biological processes. Adequate analytical methods are a prerequisite to verify the realization of these purposes. A large data pool of...

The Austrian Landfill Ordinance provides limit values regarding the reactivity for the disposal of mechanically biologically treated (MBT) waste before landfilling. The potential reactivity determined by biological tests according to the Austrian Standards (OENORM S 2027 1-2) can be underestimated if the microbial community is affected by environme...

Humic acids are part of the stable organic matter fraction in soils and composts. Due to their favorable properties for soils and plants, and their role in carbon sequestration, they are considered a quality criterion of composts. Time-consuming chemical extraction of humic acids and the inherent source of errors require alternative approaches for...

Die Beurteilung und Rekultivierung von abgeschlossenen Deponieoberflächen stellte und stellt eine Herausforderung an PlanerInnen und BetreiberInnen dar. Durch die Änderungen bei der Vorbehandlung änderten sich auch die Standortsbedingungen auf den Deponien. Verfestigte Müllverbrennungsschlacke erweist sich hier als besonders schwierig. Vegetationsö...

The reproducibility of infrared spectra from different waste materials such as compost, mechanically-biologically treated (MBT) municipal solid waste, and landfill materials was investigated. Reproducibility tests focused mainly on infrared spectra and parameter prediction from the spectrum developed for composts and MBT-waste, as well as band heig...

Different milling procedures were applied in waste sample preparation in order to obtain satisfactory reproducibility of thermal investigations (thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)). Due to the complex mixture and the manifold texture involved, municipal solid waste is the most challenging material with regard to obtai...

Five profiles of a 15-year-old bank containing over three weeks composted municipal solid waste were characterized by means of different parameters habitually applied in waste management (loss on ignition, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, NH(4)-N, pH), and in addition by humic acid determination, FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis. Stabili...

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to describe compost organic matter quality with regard to input materials and humification. Several basic experiments using 10 selected compost samples were performed to find out how material composition and humification affect the heat flow of the sample and the shift of the second exothermic organi...

many modern waste management concepts. However, we still have to take care about our old landfills and we have to evaluate and monitor the environmental impact of our modern sites. No internationally accepted definition of a "sustainable landfill" has been identified to date. In this paper a sustainable landfill is understood as a landfill where th...

The accumulation of solid waste has caused remarkable problems for environment and public health, and authorities have to tackle the costly recycling, reduction, and management of solid waste. Nevertheless, the area occupied by landfills is steadily growing. It is an urgent need to avoid toxic impacts such as landfill gas or leachate arising from o...

Main goals of landfill re-cultivation are minimization of leachate and -in most cases -a simple optical greening effect. The composition and quality of the vegetation cover, however, is not included in the evaluation of the re-cultivation success. On the other hand, the necessity of different after-use concepts is arising. One of these concepts is...