The Impact of First-Generation Biofuels on the Depletion of the Global Phosphorus Reserve

The large majority of biofuels to date is "first-generation" biofuel made from agricultural commodities. All first-generation biofuel production systems require phosphorus (P) fertilization. P is an essential plant nutrient, yet global reserves are finite. We argue that committing scarce P to biofuel production involves a trade-off between climate change mitigation and future food production. We examine biofuel production from seven types of feedstock, and find that biofuels at present consume around 2% of the global inorganic P fertilizer production. For all examined biofuels, with the possible exception of sugarcane, the contribution to P depletion exceeds the contribution to mitigating climate change. The relative benefits of biofuels can be increased through enhanced recycling of P, but high increases in P efficiency are required to balance climate change mitigation and P depletion impacts. We conclude that, with the current production systems, the production of first-generation biofuels compromises food production in the future.     

浙江省农业清洁生产技术体系构建的探讨

通过对农业清洁生产的内涵特征以及农业清洁生产对技术需求的全面分析,阐明了农业清洁生产技术体系的构建思路,提出了以标准化生产技术、农产品质量安全监测技术、农业投入品替代及农业资源高效利用技术、产地环境修复和地力恢复技术、农业废弃物资源化及其清洁化生产链接技术、农业信息技术等为主要内容的农业清洁生产技术体系框架.通过稻田清洁生产实施案例,验证了农业清洁生产技术在实际中的成功应用.     

日用陶瓷实施清洁生产技术的评价

清洁生产是一个系统工程 ,是对生产全过程以及产品的整个生命周期采取污染预防的综合措施。采用LCA的方法对日用陶瓷生产过程进行全面分析与评价 ,并提出了实施清洁生产的途径。     

治理粘胶纤维生产废气的研究进展

粘胶纤维生产的废气含有二硫化碳和硫化氢 ,均为对人体有害、污染环境的气体。本文介绍了目前治理粘胶纤维生产废气的工艺方法。     

污泥与餐厨垃圾联合厌氧发酵产氢余物产甲烷条件优化研究

研究了21、37和47 d产甲烷物料代替新鲜污泥接种于污泥与餐厨垃圾联合厌氧发酵产氢余物的厌氧发酵产甲烷情况,发现接种47 d产甲烷物料的消化系统在最佳接种量50%条件下的产甲烷效能显著优于接种新鲜污泥的消化系统,不仅提高了产甲烷率,还大大缩短了消化时间。并且3种消化系统产甲烷率和比产甲烷率均为47 d37 d21 d,分别为3.78、3.88、6.15 mL/g和0.172、0.277、0.559 mL/(g·d),完成产甲烷过程的消化时间为47 d37 d21 d。在一定的消化时间范围内,产甲烷菌被驯化时间越长,接种于产氢余物中的产甲烷效能越好。     

Magnitude of anthropogenic phosphorus storage in the agricultural production and the waste management systems at the regional and country scales

Based on a systematic review of 17 recent substance flow analyses of phosphorus (P) at the regional and country scales, this study presents an assessment of the magnitude of anthropogenic P storage in the agricultural production and the waste management systems to identify the potential for minimizing unnecessary P storage to reduce the input of P as mineral fertilizer and the loss of P. The assessment indicates that in case of all (6) P flow analyses at the regional scale, the combined mass of annual P storage in the agricultural production and the waste management systems is greater than 50 % of the mass of annual P inflow as mineral fertilizer in the agricultural production system, while this is close to or more than 100 % in case of half of these analyses. At the country scale, in case of the majority (7 out of 11) of analyses, the combined mass of annual P storage in the agricultural production and the waste management systems has been found to be roughly equivalent or greater than 100 % of the mass of annual P inflow as mineral fertilizer in the agricultural production system, while it ranged from 30 to 60 % in the remaining analyses. A simple scenario analysis has revealed that the annual storage of P in this manner over 100 years could result in the accumulation of a massive amount of P in the agricultural production and the waste management systems at both the regional and country scales. This study suggests that sustainable P management initiatives at the regional and country scales should put more emphasis on minimizing unwanted P storage in the agricultural production and the waste management systems.     

Development of an environmentally benign process for the production of fatty acid methyl esters

The production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) is an important intermediate step in oleochemistry. The oleochemical production route starts with the renewable raw materials fat and oil and ends at fatty alcohols and different special products. Fatty acid methyl esters can be formed at mild reaction temperatures by transesterification of natural triglycerides (fats and oils). This contribution will show the development of a continuous process which is considering the main principles of production integrated environmental protection. The main advantages of this process are low energy consumption and minimal waste production. The process alternatives are shown and a scope on future problems which have to be solved to reach a real additional improvement of the fatty acid methyl esters production is given.     

Using the water footprint concept for water use efficiency labelling of consumer products: the Greek experience

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Freshwater is crucial for food supply, as irrigation water and as production or incorporated water in industrial production of consumer goods (e.g....     

Effect of the alkyl chain length on the anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity of quaternary ammonium based surfactants

The anaerobic biodegradability and toxicity to methanogenic gas production of different alkyl chain length homologs of quaternary ammonium based surfactants were examinated. Two series of these cationic surfactants were selected: alkyl trimethyl ammonium and alkyl benzyl dimethyl ammonium compounds. A simple anaerobic gas production test containing municipal digester solids as a source of anaerobic bacteria was used. Under the applied methanogenic conditions, the cationic surfactants tested showed a very poor primary biodegradation and no evidence of any extent of ultimate biodegradation was observed. The toxicity of quaternary ammonium based surfactants to methanogenic gas production decreased with increasing the alkyl chain length.     

酒精企业清洁生产的系统仿真及政策调控

酒精企业的清洁生产涉及到工艺流程的改进、循环冷却水、糟泥等的资源化利用等各方面,是一个复杂的反馈系统.采用系统动力学模型,运用DYNAMO语言,以某酒精制造企业的清洁生产为例进行仿真模拟,通过调控煤炭价格、水资源费、排污费以及沼气、糟泥等的不同利用方式等参数提出优选方案,分析提高该厂在推进清洁生产的不同方案下的经济效益,为该企业实施清洁生产方案的优化提供决策依据,为政府进行政策制定提供相关建议.     

Aerobic ethanol production by leaves: Evidence for air pollution stress in trees of the Ohio River Valley, USA

We measured the frequency with which leaves of trees in the Ohio River Valley produced ethanol aerobically, to determine if aerobic ethanol production might provide a viable field assay for air pollution stress. Leaves were collected from trees during the summers of 1985 and 1986 and ethanol production was determined using headspace GC. Frequency of ethanol production was compared with environmental factors, including air pollution concentrations. We found frequent foliar ethanol production and elevated alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the leaves of several species of trees in the Ohio River Valley, USA. The ethanol concentrations measured were often equivalent to those produced by anaerobic leaves. Ethanol production was associated with hot, hazy weather and elevated NO(2) concentrations. Ethanol production was more frequent in urban and industrialized areas. Ethanol production was not associated with natural stresses such as flooding and herbivory. We propose that aerobic ethanol production is the result of cell acidification due to the accumulation of acidic gases in the cytoplasm. The use of ethanol production as a diagnostic tool for detecting stress imposed by acidic gases is discussed.     

畜禽养殖业清洁生产的必要性及实施对策研究--以浙江省为例

集约化畜禽养殖业的发展在提高人民生活水平的同时也给环境带来了巨大的压力。清洁生产是基于污染预防的一种环境保护的战略措施,它体现了废弃物的减量化、资源化、无害化原则。实施畜禽养殖业清洁生产是保证畜禽养殖业健康可持续发展的根本途径。分析了畜禽养殖业实施清洁生产的必要性．并根据当前畜禽养殖业清洁生产进展中存在的问题,提出了相应的对策。     

"三生空间"视角下乌鲁木齐市土地利用功能转型及其生态服务价值研究

为探寻快速城镇化地区资源优化配置方式,实现区域内“三生空间”可持续发展,以乌鲁木齐市2004—2018年间3期的Landsat遥感影像为数据源,并建立以“三生空间”为主导的土地利用类型分类体系,采用ArcGIS分析15年间乌鲁木齐市土地利用功能转型特征及生态服务价值时空演变规律。结果表明:(1)15年间乌鲁木齐市的生活生产空间呈现持续扩张的趋势,生产生态空间和生态生产空间都出现先上升后下降的趋势,生态空间持续下降,生活生产空间的大幅增长来自其对生态空间以及生产生态空间的占用;(2)2004—2018年间乌鲁木齐市生态服务价值下降了13.87%,生态空间的生态服务价值下降总量最大;(3)未来应重点保护和规划生态空间内的林地、草地以及湿地等,高效集约利用生活、生产功能用地。     

Short-term Model of the Production of Construction Aggregates in Taiwan Based on Artificial Neural Networks

BACKGROUND: Taiwan's geography and limited stock of sandstone have caused sandstone resources to gradually decline to the point of exhaustion after long-term excavation. Moreover, the Taiwanese government has continuously increased the amount of land area near rivers that cannot be excavated to facilitate riverbed remediation and promote conservation of water resources. Accordingly, predicting and managing the annual production of construction aggregates in future construction projects, and dealing appropriately with some thorny problems, for instance, demand that excess supply, excessive excavation, unregulated excavation, and the consequent environmental damage, will significantly affect the efficient use of natural resources in a manner that accords with the national policy of Sustainable Development (SD). METHODS:. This study establishes an empirical model for forecasting the annual production of future construction aggregates using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), based on 15 relevant socio-economic indicators, such as indicator of annual consumption of cement. A sensitivity analysis is then performed on these indicators. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This work applies ANN to estimate the annual production of construction aggregates; the estimates, the verification of the model and the sensitivity analysis are all acceptable. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis results indicate that the annual consumption of cement is the indicator that most strongly influences the production of construction aggregates, as well as whether construction waste can be recycled and steel structures can be used in buildings, helping to reduce the future production of construction aggregates in Taiwan. CONCLUSIONS: The elaborate prediction methodology presented in this study avoids some of the weaknesses or limitations of conventional linear statistics, linear programming or system dynamics. Additionally, the results not only provide a short-term prediction of the production of construction aggregates in Taiwan, but also provide a viable and flexible means of verifying quality certification of the production data of construction aggregates in the future by incorporating those relevant socio-economic indicators. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: The continuity and quality of the database of relevant indicators used in this study should be closely scrutinized in order to ensure the SD means of exploiting resources.     

一次性环保餐具发展现状和实现大规模生产的措施

阐述了可降解一次性餐具的发展状况和它们对环境保护所起的作用，叙述了秸杆、甘蔗渣和淀粉一次性餐具的生产现状；分析了生产成本和生产效率；指出了这类餐具至今不能大规模生产的主要原因，重点介绍了一种新研制的高效自动化生产设备，使秸杆、甘蔗渣和淀粉餐具的生产成本大幅度降低，生产效率可以提高几十倍。     

A field study of the generation of nitrate in a hill cap cloud

A field experiment to investigate the formation of nitrate as an airstream passes through a hill cap cloud has been performed at the UMIST field station on Great Dun Fell. It has been shown that the aerosol nitrate concentration increased by about 0.5 microg m(-3) as the airstream passed through the cloud during the night. At sunrise the nitrate production disappeared. It is suggested that the most likely mechanism for this nitrate production was due to the solution of N2O5 and NO3 formed from the reaction of NO2 with O3. These higher oxides build up overnight in the absence of short wave radiation to photolyse them. Other possible mechanisms of nitrate production are also discussed.     

Variations in the emissions of volatile organic compounds from the toner for a specific photocopier

A laboratory thermal desorption apparatus was used to measure emissions from a number of nominally identical photocopier toners--manufactured to meet the specifications of one specific model copier--when these toners were heated to fuser temperature (180-200 degrees C). The objective was to assess how potential volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the toner for a given copier can vary, depending upon the production run and the supplier. Tests were performed on a series of toner (and associated raw polymer feedstock) samples obtained directly from a toner manufacturer, representing two production runs using a nonvented extrusion process, and on toner cartridges purchased from two local retailers, representing three different production lots (histories unknown). The results showed that the retailer toners consistently had up to 350% higher emissions of some major compounds (expressed as microgram of compound emitted/g of toner), and up to 100% lower emissions of others, relative to the manufacturer toners (p < or = 0.01). The manufacturer toners from one production run had emissions of certain compounds, and of total VOCs, that were modestly higher (13-18%) than those from the other run (p < or = 0.01). The emission differences between the retailer and manufacturer toners are probably due to differences in the manufacturing processes and/or feedstocks used to produce the toners from these different sources.     

Marine ecosystem appropriation in the Indo-Pacific: a case study of the live reef fish food trade

Our ecological footprint analyses of coral reef fish fisheries and, in particular, the live reef fish food trade (FT), indicate many countries' current consumption exceeds estimated sustainable per capita global, regional and local coral reef production levels. Hong Kong appropriates 25% of SE Asia's annual reef fish production of 135 260-286 560 tonnes (t) through its FT demand, exceeding regional biocapacity by 8.3 times; reef fish fisheries demand out-paces sustainable production in the Indo-Pacific and SE Asia by 2.5 and 6 times. In contrast, most Pacific islands live within their own reef fisheries means with local demand at < 20% of total capacity in Oceania. The FT annually requisitions up to 40% of SE Asia's estimated reef fish and virtually all of its estimated grouper yields. Our results underscore the unsustainable nature of the FT and the urgent need for regional management and conservation of coral reef fisheries in the Indo-Pacific.     

Towards a sustainable food production: modelling the impacts of climate change on maize and soybean production in Ghana

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Ghanaian economy relies heavily on maize and soybean production. The entire maize and soybean production system is low-tech, making it extremely...     

Variations in the Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from the Toner for a Specific Photocopier

ABSTRACT

A laboratory thermal desorption apparatus was used to measure emissions from a number of nominally identical photocopier toners—manufactured to meet the specifications of one specific model copier—when these toners were heated to fuser temperature (180-200 °C). The objective was to assess how potential volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the toner for a given copier can vary, depending upon the production run and the supplier. Tests were performed on a series of toner (and associated raw polymer feedstock) samples obtained directly from a toner manufacturer, representing two production runs using a nonvented extrusion process, and on toner cartridges purchased from two local retailers, representing three different production lots (histories unknown). The results showed that the retailer toners consistently had up to 350% higher emissions of some major compounds (expressed as |ig of compound emit-ted/g of toner), and up to 100% lower emissions of others, relative to the manufacturer toners (p ≤ 0.01). The manufacturer toners from one production run had emissions of certain compounds, and of total VOCs, that were modestly higher (13-18%) than those from the other run (p ≤ 0.01). The emission differences between the retailer and manufacturer toners are probably due to differences