Less bad is not good enough: approaching zero emissions techniques and systems

Radical changes towards sustainable products and a clean and safe system of production have yet to be developed and implemented in all sectors of industry. Technology holds the key to addressing many environmental problems and achieving sustainable patterns of economic growth. In many cases, companies already have the appropriate technological solution. However, the technology may not be in widespread use because of market and systemic failures and cultural barriers. Examples of market failures are the lack of information about cleaner technologies. Examples of systemic failures are weaknesses in linkages among firms, universities, research and development (R&D) institutions, and others involved in developing, supplying and applying technology. Cultural barriers are caused by the differences in the way companies communicate and do business. This makes “zero emissions” a much needed approach. The Journal of Cleaner Production has devoted this special issue to “Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems – ZETS” in the production and the urgent issues surrounding, “How to make sustainable companies become reality”. To document the state of the art in this field and to report progress are main goals of this issue. The objective of the planners of this special issue is to present perspectives, case studies and pedagogic initiatives from, academic, governmental, business, technical and financial sectors, as well as from NGOs from around the world.It is, however, evident that the term “zero emissions” still has different meanings and refers to different strategies and technologies. “Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems” are really a “SYSTEMS” aspect and not a sectoral approach. It develops more and more like a discussion about a mosaic. Some speak of the image they expect to be seen at the end, others speak of the tesserae they have to shape or the cement that fills the gaps between.     

Environmental technologies – from misleading interpretations to an operational categorisation & definition

Environmental technology (ET) has become a catchphrase during the past decades. Nevertheless an operational definition is not yet plain, allowing manufacturers and engineers to add to their technologies the supplement “environmental” whenever they feel it is appropriate – even for marketing purposes only. Key institutes for the transfer of ET in Germany and Japan for example base their attempts on misleading interpretations about ET. But an analysis of existing literature allows the separation of ET into four categories, including Zero Impacts or Zero Emissions Technologies – the paradigm for ET. This moves towards a first attempt of an operational definition of ET.     

中国能源消费排放的CO2测算

基于“能源-经济-环境”的MARKAL-MACRO模型和数理人口学中的Keyfitz模型,测算未来中国能源消费需求;考虑能源效率、能源结构的变化以及气候变化问题的约束,设定了能源消费的3种情景,并分别测算了CO2排放量.结果表明,在基准情景下,中国的CO2排放在2042年达到峰值,为118.47亿t;在能源结构优化情景下,CO2排放在2036年达到峰值,为107.53亿t;在气候变化约束情景下,CO2排放在2031年达到峰值,为94.72亿t,相对于基准情景,排放峰值降低了23.75亿t,且峰值时间提前11a.随着城市化与工业化的推进,电力、水泥、钢铁行业的碳排放将先上升后下降;由于机动车保有量的增加,交通运输业的碳排放将持续上升.     

Spatially resolved monitoring for volatile organic compounds using remote sector sampling

Sector sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is conducted within an integrated sampling scheme and relies on a wind direction sensor. The wind sensor directs whole air, sampled at a constant rate, into either an “IN” sector canister or an “OUT” sector canister; when the wind comes from the suspected emissions area, sample is routed into the IN sector canister; otherwise, sample is collected in the OUT sector canister. This method is analogous to “upwind/downwind” sampling but does not require two distinct sites or manual sampler control. For this set of experiments, the IN and OUT sectors were 90 and 270°, respectively, and the IN sector was centered on the VOC source. Two sampling sites were used. The first was about 2 miles north-northeast of a group of industrial facilities, and the second was located about 1 mile south-southeast of the same sources. Sites were operated concurrently with one sampler each; a third sampler was rotated between the sites to obtain duplicate samples. The air samples were analysed by gas chromatography for VOCs. The resultant data comparisons between IN and OUT duplicate samples show good correlation with expected VOC emissions, which were determined by grab samples within the target area. A t-test method for interpreting the sometimes subtle differences between IN and OUT sample data is presented.     

“碳达峰和碳中和”的科学内涵及我国的政策措施

中国提出的"碳达峰和碳中和"目标是基于统筹国际国内两个大局的战略考量,基于科学论证的国家战略需求提出的,实现这一目标挑战和机遇并存。我国的承诺为全球高质量绿色复苏注入了强心剂和新活力,但实现该目标比发达国家面临更大挑战。它将倒逼我国社会经济结构进行重大调整,对科技创新提出了新要求,会给经济高质量发展、建设美丽中国带来机遇。建议切实贯彻我国"十四五"规划纲要提出的"碳强度控制为主,碳排放总量控制为辅的双控目标",充分考虑将碳排放总量控制目标考核和现有污染减排考核体系相结合,增强"十四五"的行动力。尽快制定碳中和目标下的科技创新规划和实施方案。统筹考虑短期经济复苏、中期结构调整、长期低碳转型,布局低碳/脱碳技术,提升未来绿色产业竞争力。     

Developing collaborative and sustainable organisations

One of the defining characteristics of humankind is that we are, by nature, a social species. This makes the individualistic behaviours that increasingly characterise our society and culture both “unnatural” and it tends to create imbalances and conflicts between individuals, groups and organisations.This paper presents two approaches to build stronger and more Sustainability oriented organisations through collaboration. The first one is the Japanese concept of Kyosei, or “spirit of cooperation”, which invokes collaboration among labour, companies, customers, governments, and others.Kyosei is complemented with a Multi-dimensional Sustainability Influence Change (MuSIC) memework as a means of understanding and promoting integrated progress towards Sustainability. The MuSIC memework explores the complexity and interconnectedness of the three types of attitudes: (1) informational, (2) emotional, and (3) behavioural, within three organisational levels: (a) individuals, (b) groups, and (c) the organisation.     

Complementarity,biodiversity viability analysis,and policy-based algorithms for conservation

Biodiversity conservation “area-selection” strategies include not only trade-offs among society’s needs in land-use allocation, but also allocation of economic instruments such as incentives, levies, and biodiversity credits. For these applications, the key property of an area is its “complementarity”—the context-dependent, marginal gain in biodiversity provided by the area. Given that there has been little implementation of whole-sets of areas generated by the popular computer-based selection methods, we suggest that analogous “policy-based algorithms” would be a more effective real-world application of complementarity. Areas would be “selected” for conservation over time as a consequence of policies in which dynamic complementarity values influence application of economic instruments. These integrated biodiversity/economic strategies can use an extended form of complementarity reflecting marginal changes in regional probability of persistence of biodiversity. While probabilistic measures of biodiversity viability have been explored in area-selection for some time, it remains difficult to make viability statements about “all of biodiversity.” New approaches that use biodiversity surrogate information for “biodiversity viability analysis” (BVA) can take advantage of a general quantitative biodiversity framework in which pattern-based relationships among areas allow predictions at the species level. A standard assumption of “unimodal” species responses to environmental gradients yields an expected distribution of species in an ordination pattern, and allows sampling of inferred species. Based on environmental correlates, inferred species can be mapped in geographic space, forming distribution fragments. This information, when linked to species persistence models, may allow ongoing calculation of areas’ complementarity values. An example illustrates application of these ordination models to museum collection data for lizards from New South Wales (NSW), Australia.     

基于重金属类有毒空气污染物重点行业分析的优先控制政策研究

我国5种重金属类有毒空气污染物（Pb,Hg,Cd,Cr,As及其化合物）排放量大,不仅严重破坏生态环境,也极大威胁人体健康,亟待完善污染防治政策。本文分析了排放这5种重金属类有毒空气污染物的重点行业,然后基于行业分析结果,提出我国重金属类有毒空气污染物的优先控制政策,为相关管理部门决策提供参考。具体建议如下：第一,优先控制5种重金属类有毒空气污染物;第二,制定重金属类有毒空气污染物排放标准;第三,放源分类管理;第四,多污染物协同控制;第五,提升监管能力;第六,加强宣传教育,鼓励公众监督。     

Implementing REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation): evidence on governance,evaluation and impacts from the REDD-ALERT project

The REDD-ALERT (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation from Alternative Land Uses in the Rainforests of the Tropics) project started in 2009 and finished in 2012, and had the aim of evaluating mechanisms that translate international-level agreements into instruments that would help change the behaviour of land users while minimising adverse repercussions on their livelihoods. Findings showed that some developing tropical countries have recently been through a forest transition, thus shifting from declining to expanding forests at a national scale. However, in most of these (e.g. Vietnam), a significant part of the recent increase in national forest cover is associated with an increase in importation of food and timber products from abroad, representing leakage of carbon stocks across international borders. Avoiding deforestation and restoring forests will require a mixture of regulatory approaches, emerging market-based instruments, suasive options, and hybrid management measures. Policy analysis and modelling work showed the high degree of complexity at local levels and highlighted the need to take this heterogeneity into account—it is unlikely that there will be a one size fits all approach to make Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) work. Significant progress was made in the quantification of carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes following land-use change in the tropics, contributing to narrower confidence intervals on peat-based emissions and their reporting standards. There are indications that there is only a short and relatively small window of opportunity of making REDD+ work—these included the fact that forest-related emissions as a fraction of total global GHG emissions have been decreasing over time due to the increase in fossil fuel emissions, and that the cost efficiency of REDD+ may be much less than originally thought due to the need to factor in safeguard costs, transaction costs and monitoring costs. Nevertheless, REDD+ has raised global awareness of the world’s forests and the factors affecting them, and future developments should contribute to the emergence of new landscape-based approaches to protecting a wider range of ecosystem services.     

Evaluation of the implementation of best available techniques in IPPC context: an environmental performance indicators approach

In this paper an integrated methodological approach is presented for the evaluation of the implementation of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) in facilities operated under Integrated Prevention Pollution and Control (IPPC) Directive, based on the development and application of a set of sub-indices. An aggregated form of sub-indices that could be used as a composite IPPC facility index is proposed. A sector specific index can be derived from facilities composite indices.This approach uses environmental performance data from European Polluting Emissions Register (EPER) reports, environmental permits and BAT Reference Documents, and gives a coherent and interesting picture of the degree of BAT implementation and an indication of IPPC obligations fulfilment.A specific application is demonstrated concerning the paper manufacturing sector in Greece. It is concluded for this sector that there is a measurable discrepancy from the BAT fulfilment obligations and that the most problematic sub-indices are the “Releases to Water” and “Releases to Air”.     

Costs and carbon emissions for geopolymer pastes in comparison to ordinary portland cement

Geopolymer concrete is seen as a potential alternative to standard concrete, and an opportunity to convert a variety of waste streams into useful by-products. One key driver in geopolymer development is the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production of concrete products. This paper presents an examination of the lifecycle cost and carbon impacts of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and geopolymers in an Australian context, with an identification of some key challenges for geopolymer development. The results of the examination show that there is wide variation in the calculated financial and environmental “cost” of geopolymers, which can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the source location, the energy source and the mode of transport. Some case study geopolymer concrete mixes based on typical Australian feedstocks indicate potential for a 44–64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while the financial costs are 7% lower to 39% higher compared with OPC.     

Comparison of “CO2 efficiency” between company and industry

The concept of eco-efficiency, product or service value per environmental influence, was applied to define “total CO₂ efficiency”, “direct CO₂ efficiency” and “indirect CO₂ efficiency” using Input–Output (I–O) table analysis for the evaluation of companies and industries. The result shows that the analysis of the efficiency was useful to characterize industries according to CO₂ efficiency. The comparison of company-based CO₂ efficiency against I–O-based CO₂ efficiency was possible for beer companies and petroleum companies because they almost completely belong to a single type of industry sectors. However, generally such comparison was difficult for the companies that belong to many industry sectors. Therefore, we proposed the new method “integrated CO₂ efficiency index for company evaluation (ICEICE)” which makes it possible to compare the environmental performances of all the companies regardless of the number of industry sectors they belong to.     

Methane,nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions during storage and after application of dairy cattle slurry and influence of slurry treatment

Slurries are a significant source of CH₄, NH₃ and N₂O emissions to the atmosphere. The research project aimed at quantifying CH₄, NH₃ and N₂O emissions from liquid manure stores and after manure application under field conditions. The influence of the manure treatment options “no treatment”, “slurry separation”, “anaerobic digestion”, “slurry aeration” and “straw cover” on the emission level was investigated. Approximately 10 m³ of differently treated slurry were stored in pilot scale slurry tanks. Emissions were followed for c. 80 days. After the storage period, slurries were applied to permanent grassland. Greenhouse gas emissions from slurry were mainly caused by methane emissions during storage and by nitrous oxide emissions after field application of manures. Mitigation of GHG emissions can be achieved by a reduction in slurry dry matter and easily degradable organic matter content. Ammonia emissions mainly occurred after field application. Untreated slurry emitted 226.8 g NH₃ m⁻³ and 92.4 kg CO₂ eq. m⁻³ (storage and field application). Slurry separation (liquid fraction and composting of the solid fraction) resulted in NH₃ losses of 402.9 g m⁻³ and GHG losses of 58.5 kg CO₂ eq. m⁻³. Anaerobic digestion was a very effective means to reduce GHG emissions. 37.9 kg CO₂ eq. m⁻³ were lost. NH₃ emissions were similar to those from untreated slurry. Covering the slurry store with a layer of chopped straw instead of a wooden cover increased NH₃ emissions to 320.4 g m⁻³ and GHG emissions to 119.7 kg CO₂ eq. m⁻³. Slurry aeration nearly doubled NH₃ emissions compared to untreated slurry. GHG emissions were reduced to 53.3 kg CO₂ eq. m⁻³.     

Achieving sustainable development: a review of the environmental balancing act in two key clean water act regulatory programs

The goal of achieving “sustainable development” has been embraced by a wide range of stakeholders interested in protecting both the environment and the economy in the United States and globally. The Clean Water Act (“CWA” or the “Act”) includes important regulatory provisions that contemplate the application of sustainable development principles. Yet implementing those programs often raises substantial debate about what sustainable development means, what course of action it requires, and the availability and adequacy of tools to measure or predict whether a given level of use or development is sustainable. Failure to confront those questions can lead to imprudent or wasteful decisions. This paper first will briefly describe the ongoing evolution of sustainable development concepts in the United States, with particular focus on the recommendations of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. Then, it will examine the applicability of those concepts to two important Clean Water Act regulatory programs — the 4316(b) regulatory program for cooling water intake structures and the state water quality standards program — both of which are now under evaluation.     

Sedimentary record of environmental pollution in the Western Baltic Sea

The chronological development of environmental pollution in the Western Baltic Sea for the past hundred years was investigated in dated sediment cores. An artificial radionuclide (¹³⁷Cs), nutrients, heavy metals, chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCB, DDT, Lindane) and plasticizers (phthalate esters) show characteristic distribution patterns within the various cores. They can be related to the production and use of specific chemicals and goods, to emissions associated with the increased combustion of coal parallel to industrialization and —in the case of ¹³⁷Cs — to emissions associated with atomic weapons tests in the high atmosphere. Characteristic trends in the general development of pollution may be superimposed by specific emissions from local sources.     

Fitting together the building blocks for sustainability: a revised model for integrating ecological,social, and financial factors into business decision-making

Companies committed to integrating sustainability concerns into product decisions are confronted with the daunting task of assessing hundreds, or thousands, of materials and goods. Further complicating efforts have been the rapid growth of environmental and social assessment principles, strategies, actions, and tools. The lack of clarity on how existing approaches are complementary or distinct has resulted in ambiguities about pathways forward for companies. This current state of the field highlights the need to draw out interconnections between the wide range of current work on integrating environmental and social issues into material, product, and other business decisions.This article—developed through collaboration among several environmental, social, and sustainability-oriented researchers and practitioners—addresses this need through building upon pre-existing work [J. Cleaner Prod. 10(3) (2002) 197; J. Cleaner Prod. 8(3) (2000) 243]. It proposes adaptations on a framework for organizing the assessment field, including development of exemplary sustainable product characteristics and their inclusion in a “strategic sustainable development” decision-making model and process [J. Cleaner Prod. 10(3) (2002) 197]. The article also argues for an expansion of analytical approaches within this previously developed framework in order to highlight social aspects of sustainability and landscape-level issues. Finally, the article puts these elements together to describe a pathway forward for companies. In the conclusion, areas for future research are highlighted.     

The role of consumption and consumers in zero emission strategies

This article contributes to the theoretical and empirical discussions on how it could be possible to transform technical eco-efficiency into reduced environmental impact of consumption. The rebound effect is an important concept in this context. The relevance of consumer behaviour is addressed within three important sectors for the Zero Emissions Techniques and Systems: shopping of paper products, energy use in household and waste management. It is not only important how much the consumers buy, but also what kinds of products they buy and how they use and dispose of them. However, the responsibility for a sustainable development should not entirely be put on the shoulders of the individual consumer.     

Policy options in a worst case climate change world

Climatic changes more rapid and extreme than assessed by the IPCC cannot be excluded, because of the possibility of positive earth system feedbacks and thresholds. Do today’s policy makers have to take these into account, and if so, are the options different from those considered today? The paper briefly summarizes the types of extreme climatic changes noted in the literature and then evaluates the options to address them in a what-if manner. Different from other studies, which usually look at only one type of measure, we consider a broader portfolio of options: drastic emissions reduction programmes, drawing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere (“carbon dioxide removal”), “emergency cooling” through influencing the radiative balance of the atmosphere (“solar radiation management”), and finally adaptation beyond the options considered seriously today. Politics will have to decide on the choice or mix of “emergency” measures, but research can ensure that such decisions are based on the best scientific information. If through concerted international efforts to mitigate greenhouse emissions low stabilization levels could be reached, such decisions may never have to be made. However, research in support of some form of a “plan B” is now warranted, focusing on those options that have the most positive ratio between potential effectiveness and feasibility on the one hand, and environmental and political risks on the other hand. Such plan should not be limited to one set of options such as geo-engineering and should explicitly take into account not only the relationships between the options but also the wide variety in characteristics of the individual options in terms of effectiveness, feasibility, environmental risks, and political implications.     

Creating and managing a virtual inter-organizational learning network for greener production: a conceptual model and case study

The utility of applying a virtual learning network model for illustrating successful triple bottom line transitions—one that integrates the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of cleaner production—is illustrated by a successful approach to promote “green chemistry” in the North Carolina textile wet-processing industry. This case is unique in demonstrating the quality of this process to develop cleaner production methods; it shows how reducing aquatic toxicity and harmful environmental effects in a “real world” situation depends on successful efforts to build, manage, and maintain an inter-organizational network of multiple stakeholders. This network included industries in the textile production chain, their local and provincial communities, regulators and policy makers. The utilization of cases such as this in the business school pedagogy expands understanding of the role of sustainable practices in enterprise management. The value of this specific case in promoting the understanding of such networks was demonstrated in a recent MBA experience when students trained in these areas linked diverse stakeholders and applied the triple bottom line perspective in traditional business simulation exercises in an MBA capstone course. Such cases can also effectively prepare students for actual challenges facing managers in the rapidly changing business environment.     

基于物料衡算法的复杂化工过程产排污量核算软件的开发及应用

物料衡算法是污染源普查技术规定的污染物排放量核算的一种重要方法,但对于复杂的化工过程,物料衡算法的难度和计算工作量均很大,难以为基层环境监察人员掌握和运用,同时运用物料衡算进行污染物排放量核算的可靠性,也很难保证。结合排污量核定实践,综合进行物料衡算的技巧和一般方法,科学地模化物质转化转移过程,以此为基础,应用Visual Basic高级计算机语言编制了针对复杂化工过程的物料衡算计算软件,并以沈阳某制药有限公司的脑复康生产过程为原型,利用实测资料对计算模型进行了验证,应用该软件计算某制药厂VC生产线等4条生产线的产排污量核算。该软件应用简便,可以方便快捷地进行复杂化工过程的物料衡算,并可以分析生产过程中的主要产污环节,为提高清洁生产水平提供科学依据。