生命周期评价方法研究综述——兼论混合生命周期评价的发展与应用

生命周期评价(Life cycle assessment, LCA)随着其评价对象不断复杂化、系统化,逐渐发展出包含基于清单分析的过程生命周期评价(Process-based LCA, PLCA)、投入产出的生命周期评价(Economic input-output LCA, EIO-LCA)和混合生命周期评价(Hybrid LCA, HLCA)三种方法。论文简述了各类LCA方法的发展过程和特征,并结合实例分析了各自的优势与不足。结果认为:自下而上的PLCA方法针对性较好,其评价结果较为详细,但由于主观边界设定,核算结果存在无法避免的截断误差;自上而下的EIO-LCA方法采用投入产出表进行评价,边界为整个国民经济系统,但存在部门聚合、数据滞后等问题;HLCA结合PLCA与EIO-LCA两种方法,既保持了结果的精准性,又消除了截断误差。研究最后总结并提出未来HLCA的发展方向,以期为LCA方法的进一步发展提供参考。     

污水特质(水征)评价及其在污水再生处理工艺研究中的应用

近年来,在污水高标准处理研究和工程实践中,发现和遇到越来越多的现有常规水质指标、工艺理论和技术知识等难以解释的新现象和难以解决的新问题.以逐步建立水质复杂体系研究理论和方法体系,构筑科学、有效的污水处理风险管理和安全保障管理系统为目标,介绍了污水的复杂体系特征,阐述了污水高标准处理中工艺设计、运行和诊断面临系统理论方法缺失的问题及其根源,提出了可有效支撑污水工艺研究的污水特质,即"水征（water feature）"的概念.通过分析污水中污染物的浓度水平、组分特征、安全性和稳定性及其时空变化,定义了水征"四维度"内涵,即污染物污染程度、组分特征、毒害效应和转化潜势等4个维度.研究和实践案例表明,水征能有效支撑水质安全评价、处理特性预测、处理工艺设计和工艺诊断优化等.在以水环境质量改善和环境风险控制为目标的污水高标准处理新阶段,基于水征研究,发展高效处理工艺、构筑科学有效的风险管理和安全保障体系尤为重要.今后需深入、持续开展污水处理中水征指标评价方法与理论体系、水征与污染物处理关键技术开发与工艺优化、水征与风险评价管理等方面的研究.      

Environmental impact of future milk supply chains in Sweden: a scenario study

The objective of this study was to analyse the environmental impact of future supply chains for dairy products. A scenario technique was chosen because scenarios can yield information about the environmental consequences of certain lines of action or developments in a system. To quantify the effects of future systems, a mathematical model of the milk supply chain was constructed and used to simulate possible scenarios. The model was based mainly on life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The results show that any consideration of the environmental effects of the milk supply chain must consider the entire chain. The amount of packaging materials used is an important factor, as is the transportation of the dairy products to households.     

Screening of climatic impacts on a country’s international supply chains: Japan as a case study

Industrial activities are linked through international supply chains, and the impacts that one country experiences can easily influence other countries. Climate change has made it essential for countries to review their supply chains and to prioritize introducing concrete adaptation actions. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate a method of screening imported products that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change by assessing all imported products in a consistent manner throughout the global supply chain to support a country’s adaptation strategy planning. The study focuses on the potential impacts on land use and human health of climate change effects such as floods and heat waves. Japan was selected for a detailed analysis of its imports. A life-cycle assessment technique was applied to evaluate imported products through their supply chains. In Japan’s case, land use results show that agricultural products imported from the United States of America (US) are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. In relation to imported meat products, feed production processes are most vulnerable. The human health results show in addition to agricultural imports, electronics and textile imports are also vulnerable. The study recommends that the relevant stakeholders impacted by these products scrutinize their supply chains. Especially, Japan is recommended to collaborate with the US, China, and Southeast Asian countries for increasing resilience to climate change. The results include uncertainties due to limitations of data availability and methodology; however, this method is also applicable to assessing the global trade activities of any country and to supporting global adaptation strategies.     

Making resources work more efficiently – the importance of supply chain partnerships

State and federal governments in Australia have implemented a range of assistance programs for manufacturing industries to become more resource efficient and reduce waste. While many of these programs focus on Cleaner Production at single sites, an increasing number of assistance programs are offered across supply chains. Sustainability Victoria, a Victorian government authority, supports projects that focus on resource efficiencies across supply chains in key industry sectors.In this study, tools were adapted and utilised to identify efficiency potentials and losses across supply chains in the timber furniture manufacturing and the food industry sector. In this respect, waste generation and value loss due to inefficient use of critical materials within the processes were estimated from purchase and waste handling data. Primary companies were chosen to undertake efficiency trials that could demonstrate value gain across the supply chain.This study describes the realisation of greater efficiencies in material usage when engaging proactively with supply chain partners immediately adjacent to the primary company. Demonstration trials confirmed that through a more integrated approach among supply chain partners the potential in using materials more efficiently and design processes can lead to enhanced productivity without compromising environmental burden. Hence, the study describes targeted resource efficiency, recycling and process optimisation opportunities as identified in the supply chain trials on timber furniture manufacturing and food industries.     

A recursive ecological indicator system for the supply chain of a company

This paper proposes the concept of cumulative eco-intensity with which environmental or sustainability indicators are related to the added value of economic activities. The intensities are passed on recursively from supplier to supplier and thus make it possible to include upstream and downstream effects along the supply and waste disposal chain. The process is applied to whole companies and (by contrast with LCA) not to individual products. At comparatively low expenditure for the individual companies, it allows vertical comparisons along the value-adding chain and horizontal comparisons among companies or production locations. This provides a decision-making aid for a company seeking to fulfil its ecological or sustainability responsibility in the entire production and supply chains.     

Incorporating sustainability into supply management in the automotive industry – the case of the Volkswagen AG

Companies are perceived as important actors in the drive for sustainability. Linked to this, and in response to increasing demands from various stakeholder groups, companies start to look at their supply chain to enhance their overall sustainability profile. Two major triggers can be identified: (1) focal companies are held responsible for environmental and social problems caused by their suppliers, which become more and more important as (2) an increasing share of value is created at the supplier level. In response to such demands, companies have to find ways to incorporate environmental and social aspects into their supply (chain) management. Therefore, environmental and social standards are integrated into supply management by amending the purchasing processes. This paper presents one approach to integrate social and environmental standards into supply policy and supply management at the Volkswagen AG, a focal company of the automobile industry. Therefore, required changes of the sourcing and supply structures were identified during an action research project, and possible options adaptable for company internal integration are shown.     

Environmentally conscious long-range planning and design of supply chain networks

In this paper, a mathematical programming-based methodology is presented for the explicit inclusion of life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria as part of the strategic investment decisions related to the design and planning of supply chain networks. By considering the multiple environmental concerns together with the traditional economic criteria, the planning task is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem. Over a long-range planning horizon, the methodology utilizes mixed integer modelling techniques to address strategic decisions involving the selection, allocation and capacity expansion of processing technologies and assignment of transportation links required to satisfy the demands at the markets. At the operational level, optimal production profiles and flows of material between various components within the supply chain are determined. As such, the formulation presented here combines the elements of the classical plant location and capacity expansion problems with the principles of LCA to develop a quantitative decision-support tool for environmentally conscious strategic investment planning.     

The energy consumption and environmental impacts of a color TV set in China

The present study analyses the different processes followed during color TV set production along with the energy consumption and the environment emissions in each stage. The purpose is to identify “hot-spots”, i.e. parts of the life cycle important to the total environmental impact. The analysis is performed using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, which is a method used to identify and quantify in the environmental performance of a process or a product from “cradle to grave”. LCA methodology provides a quantitative basis for assessing potential improvements in the environmental performance of a system throughout the life cycle. The system investigated includes the production of manufacturing materials, transport of manufacturing materials, color TV set manufacturing, transport of color TV sets, use of color TV sets, discarding color TV sets and partial plastic waste energy utilization. The environmental burdens that arise from color TV sets are mainly due to air emissions derived from fossil fuel utilization.     

Influences, practices and opportunities for environmental supply chain management in Nova Scotia SMEs

Executives are increasingly paying attention to the importance of supply chain management [Lambert DM, Cooper MC. Issues in supply chain management. Industrial Marketing Management 2000;29(1):65–83; Hagelaar GJLF, van der Vorst JGAJ. Environmental supply chain management: using life cycle assessment to structure supply chains. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 2002;4:399–412]. The management of the supply chain can be a central aspect of a company's competitive advantage [Preuss L. Rhetoric and reality of corporate greening: a view from the supply chain management function. Business Strategy and the Environment 2005;14:123–139]. SCM also offers considerable opportunities to reduce a company's environmental impact. The supply chains of three small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in the Burnside Industrial Park in Nova Scotia, Canada were investigated to explore the opportunities to improve environmental performance of SMEs linked in supply chains. This study confirmed that time and, to a lesser degree, financial resources to address solid waste and energy issues are the greatest limiting factors. Small suppliers, and even to a certain degree medium-sized enterprises, have difficulties in allocating resources to initiatives that are not viewed as directly related to their core function, namely manufacturing the product or providing the service. This study clearly demonstrated that opportunities exist to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste. Although, the benefits that would be gained from the implementation of any of the individual actions in the supply chains explored in this study are individually small, the cumulative benefits that could be achieved among supply chains and within industrial parks are substantial, given the number of small- and medium-sized enterprises.     

基于过程模拟的地下水污染风险评价方法研究

通过对简易垃圾填埋场污染地下水过程的系统分析,提出了以抽水井作为保护目标进行地下水污染风险评价的方法,确定了地下水污染风险评价因子,建立了基于过程模拟的污染物迁移转化数学模型.以特征污染物Cl-的污染范围和程度划分了风险等级.利用构建的地下水污染风险评价方法,以我国北方某简易垃圾填埋场作为案例进行了地下水污染风险评价.结果表明,污染源与污染物迁移转化的共同作用决定了地下水污染范围和风险等级.地下水污染风险评价方法的建立为开展简易垃圾填埋场地下水污染有效监管提供了一种方法.     

世界卫生组织(WHO)颁布环境健康基准的历程及对我国的借鉴

随着我国环境质量的不断改善,预防和控制由环境因素导致的健康风险正在成为环境管理制度的重要内容. 我国在环境基准理论和方法学领域取得了一些研究成果,而环境健康基准研究仍然存在不足,面临诸多挑战. 在回顾WHO启动环境健康基准项目背景,厘清起草、审阅和颁布环境健康基准的程序,系统总结244个环境健康基准核心内容的基础上,提出环境健康基准研究的几点建议:①运用组学和高时空人群精细化暴露评价等技术方法,开展环境致病因素和健康结局因果关系研究;②建立有效评价环境多因素暴露以及社会、经济发展状况相互作用产生健康风险的方法;③加强对影响我国居民健康,以及在环境介质中赋存量高的新型环境污染物健康基准研究;④推动建立符合我国环境质量管理需要的环境健康风险评价技术.      

A methodology for the life cycle and sustainability analysis of manufacturing processes

Life cycle assessment is emerging as a powerful tool in the evaluation of the environmental impact of manufacturing processes. This paper describes a general methodology for the life cycle analysis of manufacturing processes taking into account the flexibility and decision-making potential of knowledge base systems. Emphasis is placed on on-site waste minimisation and associated sustainability characteristics in relation to environmental impact assessment and process improvement. The ensuing software model is applied with some success to an initial study of pulp and paper manufacture.     

Detection of Human Enteric Viruses in Freshwater from European Countries

The transmission of water-borne pathogens typically occurs by a faecal–oral route, through inhalation of aerosols, or by direct or indirect contact with contaminated water. Previous molecular-based studies have identified viral particles of zoonotic and human nature in surface waters. Contaminated water can lead to human health issues, and the development of rapid methods for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms is a valuable tool for the prevention of their spread. The aims of this work were to determine the presence and identity of representative human pathogenic enteric viruses in water samples from six European countries by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) and to develop two quantitative PCR methods for Adenovirus 41 and Mammalian Orthoreoviruses. A 2-year survey showed that Norovirus, Mammalian Orthoreovirus and Adenoviruses were the most frequently identified enteric viruses in the sampled surface waters. Although it was not possible to establish viability and infectivity of the viruses considered, the detectable presence of pathogenic viruses may represent a potential risk for human health. The methodology developed may aid in rapid detection of these pathogens for monitoring quality of surface waters.     

A review of environmental characteristics and effects of low-molecular weight organic acids in the surface ecosystem

Low molecular weight organic acids （LMWOAs） are prevalent on the earth＇s surface. They are vital intermediate products during metabolic pathways of organic matter and participate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle during life activities. Photochemical reactions are pivotal for LMWOAs＇ origination and play a large role in determining their diversity and their ultimate fate. Within the long time that organic matter is preserved in sediments, it can be decomposed and converted to release organic and inorganic pollutants as well as C, N, and P nutrients, which are of potential ecological risk in causing secondary pollution to lake water. The sediment pool is a comprehensive and complex compartment closely associated with overlying water by various biochemical processes, during which LMWOAs play critical roles to transport and transform elements. This article elucidates geochemical behaviors of LMWOAs in the surface environment in details, taking natural water, soil, and aerosol as examples, focusing on reviewing research developments on sources and characteristics, migration and mineralization of LMWOAs and relevant environmental effects. Simultaneously, this review article depicts the categories and contents of LMWOAs or their contribution to DOC in environmental media, and evaluates their importance during organic matter early diagenesis. Through concluding and discussing the conversion mechanisms and influencing factors, the next research orientations on LMWOAs in lake ecosystems are determined, mainly concerning relationships with hydrochemical parameters and microorganisms, and interactions with pollutants. This will enrich the knowledge on organic matter degradation and related environmental effects, and help reconstruct a theoretical framework for organic compound succession and influencing factors, providing basic data for lake eutrophication and ecological risk assessment, conducive to better control over water pollution and proper management of water quality.     

短链氯化石蜡分析方法、环境行为与健康效应的研究进展

氯化石蜡(chlorinated paraffins, CPs)是我国目前广泛应用在工业生产中的阻燃剂和增塑剂,其中短链氯化石蜡(short chain chlorinated paraffins, SCCPs)作为新污染物,因具有持久性、高毒性、长距离迁移特性和生物蓄积性等持久性有机污染物(persistent organic pollutants, POPs)特性引起了国内外的关注,尤其是SCCPs的环境赋存对环境健康的危害亟需进一步研究. 国内对SCCPs的研究集中在分析方法与环境行为等方面,对SCCPs的环境健康效应研究较少. 本文总结了近年来SCCPs分析方法的研究进展,并对其环境健康效应进行了梳理. 结果表明,SCCPs已被证实具有潜在的毒性效应,并且随着时间的推移,SCCPs在环境介质中的暴露浓度越来越高,因此SCCPs的环境外暴露对人体健康的潜在威胁越来越大. 研究显示,我国尚未停止SCCPs的生产与使用,因此在我国“十四五”规划之际,应加快SCCPs分析方法的研究进程,利用高分辨质谱将SCCPs的分析方法规范与标准化,并且在研究SCCPs的环境行为、迁移转化机制与毒性效应的基础上,深入开展SCCPs人体暴露风险与健康效应评估的研究,建立有效的环境健康风险评价模型与机制.      

Linking supply chain strength to sustainable development: a country-level analysis

Several global corporations have been severely criticized by different lobbying groups for the impact of their operations on the natural environment and on the local communities. Because corporate operations cannot be studied in isolation but rather as a part of a large network often referred to as a supply chain, this paper investigates the potential link between supply chain characteristics and sustainable development at the country level. In particular, the linkage between supply chain strength, generally defined as the number and quality of the suppliers and customers in a country, and the three dimensions of sustainable development namely environmental performance, corporate environmental practices, and social sustainability is assessed. Using archival data from The Global Competitiveness Report (2004–2005) and the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index, a statistical assessment of the linkage was conducted. The results indicate that supply chain strength is positively linked to all three dimensions of sustainable development.     

Comparison between EMINENT and other energy technology assessment tools

Currently, issues related with climate change, security of energy supply, energy efficiency and sustainability are at the core of all energy policies and strategies. The current technologies are not able to face this challenge; therefore, the development of new and more sustainable energy technologies must be supported.As part of this, energy technology assessment tools can help decision-makers in the identification and evaluation of sustainable energy solutions, in order to integrate them in long term energy strategies.The EMINENT tool was developed to assess the performance and market potential of early stage technologies (EST) in a pre-defined energy chain, under national conditions, in terms of financial, energy and environmental criteria.This paper presents a comparative study between EMINENT and other tools for energy technology assessment. The tools analysed were CO2DB, MARKAL, IKARUS and E3Database.Although there are many different energy technology assessment tools, EMINENT seems to be the only one targeting EST.