A guide for compiling inventories in hybrid life-cycle assessments: some Australian results

Hybrid life-cycle assessment employing input–output analysis has advantages over conventional methods. In the inventory phase of a hybrid assessment, the data collection and the boundary selection can be tailored by using structural path analysis. This technique was applied to recent Australian data in order to determine environmentally important input paths in terms of energy consumption, land disturbance, water use, and emissions of greenhouse gases, NO_x, and SO₂, for all Australian industry sectors. Due to the complexity of inter-industrial transactions, up to third-order paths can be top-ranking. The identification of such paths is considerably more labour-intensive in conventional life-cycle assessments.     

Dealing with double-counting in tiered hybrid life-cycle inventories: a few comments – response

This paper is a response to a comment made by Lenzen [1] regarding a paper by Strømman et al. [2]. In this article I comment upon the proposals made by Lenzen. Through this, insights into challenges associated with path based methods in LCA are provided. In particular the application of these to correct for double counting in tiered hybrid LCA. A brief revisit of the rationale for the original work is provided. Key aspects of the methodology are discussed with outset in the comments in [1]. Finally, an assessment of the various approaches, including an option for further improvement is provided.     

多种政策对经济-环境系统的综合作用分析

提出了一套分析多种政策手段对社会经济系统物质流和价值流变化的综合作用的理论概念,弥补了现有不足.在理论概念的基础上,构建了由7个子模块组成的具体模型框架,以反映多种政策手段共同实施对物质流和价值流变化的综合作用.以我国为案例,利用提出的模型框架评估了我国7类典型环境经济政策对我国经济增长和物质流变化的综合和单独作用,证明了综合分析的必要性.     

农业生态工程中的价值流分析

阐述了价值流研究分析对建议农业生态工程的意义,及对提高生产力的作用,并通过胜利油田生态农场１９９０年价值流的分析,比较了生态农场价值产投比,产值优势度,货币效益,阐述了管理对价值流的控制作用。     

Agricultural intensification within agroforestry: The case of coffee and wood products

Compared to the environmental and conservation value as refuges for biodiversity, less is known about the social and economic value of shaded coffee systems. The agroforestry system can serve as a source of non-coffee products for diverse purposes. This study focuses on the role of shade trees in smallholder coffee farms, examining the wood products derived from the shaded coffee system. Data presented from surveys with 185 growers in Peru and 153 growers in Guatemala show that the consumption and sale of all non-coffee products account for a fifth to a third of the total value realized from the agroforestry system. Fuelwood and construction materials account for much of this value. Differences seen between countries can be traced to agricultural intensification – the degree to which the coffee agroforestry system is “technified” (i.e., managed with a reduced shade tree cover and diversity, high-yielding cultivars, agrochemical inputs, etc.) – as well as the relative demand for wood resources and farmers’ access to natural forest systems.     

应用呼吸-滴定测量监测硝化动态过程

将pH值在线监测与药品自动投加系统与已开发的混合呼吸测量仪集成,组成自动呼吸-滴定测量仪,同时测定废水生物处理过程氧气利用速率(OUR)和质子变化速率(HVR).对活性污泥硝化过程定时测定NH4+-N浓度,比较其与基于HVR或OUR预测的NH4+-N浓度间的一致程度,评估自动滴定测量装置测试硝化过程动态的性能.结果表明,在初始NH4+-N浓度分别为20,25mg/L的间歇试验中,实测值数组与基于OUR的预测值数组间的相关系数分别为0.9967和0.9972,与基于HVR的预测值数组间的相关系数分别为0.9991和0.9992,表明OUR和HVR均能及时准确地反映硝化过程的动态特性.     

Modelling the N cascade in regional watersheds: The case study of the Seine, Somme and Scheldt rivers

The watersheds of the Seine, Somme and Scheldt rivers (France, Belgium, the Netherlands), flowing into the continental coastal zone of the English Channel and Southern North Sea, are among the regions of the world with the highest anthropogenic inputs of reactive nitrogen through fertilizer use, legume fixation and deposition of atmospheric nitrogen. They also represent examples of widely open systems, either exporting a large fraction of their N inputs under the form of agricultural products (case of the Seine basin) or importing high amounts of nitrogen as feed for livestock nutrition (case of the Scheldt basin), and delivering up to 2000 kg N km⁻² yr⁻¹ at river outlet into the sea. Taking these three watersheds as a case study, we review the different approaches developed so far for describing and predicting the fate of reactive nitrogen inputs to regional systems and its cascade from soils to sea. These approaches range from simple lumped input–output budget, to detailed process-based, spatially distributed models of nutrient transfers. The merits and the limits of these approaches are discussed. Their combination allows to establish a reasonably consistent budget for the three basins, emphasizing the various ‘retention’ terms linked to both landscape and in-stream processes, including storage in long residence time compartments (soil organic matter, vadose zone, aquifers, etc.), denitrification (in soil, riparian zones or river benthos) or sediment burial. Root-zone and riparian denitrification processes appear as major terms of landscape retention in all three investigated watersheds. Retention of nitrogen associated with collection and treatment of urban wastewater is also a major term in the two most populated watersheds.     

Exploring diversity in soil fertility management of smallholder farms in western Kenya: I. Heterogeneity at region and farm scale

The processes of nutrient depletion and soil degradation that limit productivity of smallholder African farms are spatially heterogeneous. Causes of variability in soil fertility management at different scales of analysis are both biophysical and socio-economic. Such heterogeneity is categorised in this study, which quantifies its impact on nutrient flows and soil fertility status at region and farm scales, as a first step in identifying spatial and temporal niches for targeting of soil fertility management strategies and technologies. Transects for soil profile observation, participatory rural appraisal techniques and classical soil sampling and chemical analysis were sampled across 60 farms in three sub-locations (Emuhaia, Shinyalu, Aludeka), which together represent much of the variability found in the highlands of western Kenya. Five representative farm types were identified using socio-economic information and considering production activities, household objectives and the main constraints faced by farmers. Soil fertility management and nutrient resource flows were studied for each farm type and related to differences in soil fertility status at farm scale. Farm types 1 and 2 were the wealthiest; the former relied on off-farm income and farmed small pieces of land (0.6–1.1 ha) while the latter farmed relatively large land areas (1.6–3.8 ha) mainly with cash crops. The poorest farm type 5 also farmed small pieces of land (0.4–1.0 ha) but relied on low wages derived from working for wealthier farmers. Both farm types 1 and 5 relied on off-farm earnings and sold the least amounts of farm produce to the market, though the magnitude of their cash, labour and nutrient flows was contrasting. Farms of types 3 and 4 were intermediate in size and wealth, and represented different crop production strategies for self-consumption and the market. Average grain yields fluctuated around 1 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ for all farm types and sub-locations. Grain production by farms of types 4 and 5 was much below annual family requirements, estimated at 170 kg person⁻¹ year⁻¹. Household wealth and production orientation affected the pattern of resource flow at farm scale. In the land-constrained farms of type 1, mineral fertilisers were often used more intensively (ca. 50 kg ha⁻¹), though with varying application rates (14–92 kg ha⁻¹). The use of animal manure in such small farms (e.g. 2.2 t year⁻¹) represented intensities of use of up to 8 t ha⁻¹, and a net accumulation of C and macronutrients brought into the farm by livestock. In farms of type 5, intensities of use of mineral and organic fertilisers ranged between 0–12 kg ha⁻¹ and 0–0.5 t ha⁻¹, respectively. A consistent trend of decreasing input use from farm types 1–5 was generally observed, but nutrient resources and land management practices (e.g. fallow) differed enormously between sub-locations. Inputs of nutrients were almost nil in Aludeka farms. Both inherent soil properties and management explained the variability found in soil fertility status. Texture explained the variation observed in soil C and related total N between sub-locations, whereas P availability varied mainly between farm types as affected by input use.     

Issues in developing a capacity for integrated analysis of mitigation and adaptation

As policymakers and stakeholders increasingly consider relative merits and complementarities of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, it is important to improve analytical capacities to support this process. Because a single analytical approach is unlikely to fit all needs, this paper explores potentials for an integrated analytical framework that incorporates both top–down and bottom–up approaches.     

基于生态网络效用的昭通市“三生空间”碳代谢分析

解析“三生空间”碳代谢有助于实现区域“三生空间”要素整合和结构优化,是寻求城市绿色低碳发展的有效途径之一。以昭通市为例,通过计算垂直方向上碳通量,构建水平方向的碳流模型,系统分析了2010—2018年“三生空间”碳代谢的时空分布,利用生态网络分析方法评价了“三生空间”演化对城市碳代谢的综合影响。结果显示:（1）2010—2018年间昭通市垂直方向上净碳通量和水平方向上净碳流均为负值,“三生空间”演化对昭通市碳代谢平衡产生了消极作用,造成碳排放量的增加。（2）“三生空间”用地在碳代谢系统中的生态关系以限制掠夺关系为主,生态空间被生活空间和生产空间挤占,影响了昭通市的碳代谢平衡。（3）整体生态效用函数J的值为0.85,小于1,说明“三生空间”演化对区域整体碳代谢平衡的综合作用是消极的,这与净碳流显示的结果相同。研究结果可为昭通市国土空间利用优化与低碳发展提供理论依据,这种研究方法可为国土空间优化与“三生空间”优化提供前期支持。     

Ant–plant–herbivore interactions in the neotropical cerrado savanna

The Brazilian cerrado savanna covers nearly 2 million km² and has a high incidence on foliage of various liquid food sources such as extrafloral nectar and insect exudates. These liquid rewards generate intense ant activity on cerrado foliage, making ant–plant–herbivore interactions especially prevalent in this biome. We present data on the distribution and abundance of extrafloral nectaries in the woody flora of cerrado communities and in the flora of other habitats worldwide, and stress the relevance of liquid food sources (including hemipteran honeydew) for the ant fauna. Consumption by ants of plant and insect exudates significantly affects the activity of the associated herbivores of cerrado plant species, with varying impacts on the reproductive output of the plants. Experiments with an ant–plant–butterfly system unequivocally demonstrate that the behavior of both immature and adult lepidopterans is closely related to the use of a risky host plant, where intensive visitation by ants can have a severe impact on caterpillar survival. We discuss recent evidence suggesting that the occurrence of liquid rewards on leaves plays a key role in mediating the foraging ecology of foliage-dwelling ants, and that facultative ant–plant mutualisms are important in structuring the community of canopy arthropods. Ant-mediated effects on cerrado herbivore communities can be revealed by experiments performed on wide spatial scales, including many environmental factors such as soil fertility and vegetation structure. We also present some research questions that could be rewarding to investigate in this major neotropical savanna.     

Neural-fuzzy control system application for monitoring process response and control of anaerobic hybrid reactor in wastewater treatment and biogas production

Based on the developed neural-fuzzy control system for anaerobic hybrid reactor (AHR) in wastewater treatment and biogas production, the neural network with backpropagation algorithm for prediction of the variables pH, alkalinity (Alk) and total volatile acids (TVA) at present day time t was used as input data for the fuzzy logic to calculate the influent feed flow rate that was applied to control and monitor the process response at di erent operations in the initial, overload influent feeding and the recovery phases. In all three phases, this neural-fuzzy control system showed great potential to control AHR in high stability and performance and quick response. Although in the overloading operation phase II with two fold calculating influent flow rate together with a two fold organic loading rate (OLR), this control system had rapid response and was sensitive to the intended overload. When the influent feeding rate was followed by the calculation of control system in the initial operation phase I and the recovery operation phase III, it was found that the neural-fuzzy control system application was capable of controlling the AHR in a good manner with the pH close to 7, TVA/Alk < 0.4 and COD removal > 80% with biogas and methane yields at 0.45 and 0.30 m3/kg COD removed.     

基于标杆管理的中国城市水效评估研究

基于标杆管理的思想,在城市分类的基础上,根据统计分布规律引入"上临界"和"下临界"概念,建立城市水效标杆。应用水效标杆对城市水效评估的结果表明,2007~2013年间,万元GDP水耗、人均综合水耗、万元工业总产值水耗和人均生活水耗4项城市水效指标的标杆上临界值、下临界值均呈下降趋势,其中万元GDP水耗上临界值、下临界值年均下降率分别为11.65%和13.08%,万元工业总产值水耗的上临界值、下临界值年均下降率分别为17.61%和18.53%,年均下降率都超过10%,表明我国城市水效总体不断提升。建议进一步完善城市水资源管理信息公开,建立基于标杆管理的城市水效评估机制。     

A case study on raw material blending for the recycling of ferrous wastes in a blast furnace

The utilisation of ferrous wastes in a blast furnace is a well established recycling process to cope with the enormous amounts of ferrous residues in the iron and steel industry. The further input flows of this process, that is especially coke and fluxes, as well as its output flows, that is pig iron and by-products, are highly dependent on the blending of the ferrous wastes while they differ highly in the revenues gained for the treatment and their chemical composition. So far, no planning approach exists for the blending of the residues on the operational planning level that models the dependency of the costs and revenues on the raw material blend and the thermodynamic reactions in the recycling processes adequately. Therefore we present an approach for this operational production planning problem focusing on an integration of such a sufficiently detailed modelling of the underlying metallurgical processes into the planning model. The basis of our approach is a thermodynamic simulation of the processes. From this simulation we derive linear input-output functions for the relevant material and energy flows by using multiple linear regression. These input–output functions form the core of our blending model developed for the planning task. The model is implemented as an integrated decision support system. Exemplary application results are given. These results validate the approach and show that ecological the economic optimisation leads also to results which are advantageous in terms of resource efficiency and emission reduction. Though developed for a specific recycling process, the methodology can be transferred to other metallurgical (recycling) processes, as well as other parts of the process industries, and is therefore of high relevance.     

Monitoring and economic factors affecting the economic viability of afforestation for carbon sequestration projects

The Kyoto Protocol is the first step towards achieving the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and aims among others to promote ‘the protection and enhancement of carbon sinks and reservoirs’. To encourage afforestation for carbon sequestration a project must be economically viable. This study uses a model to analyse the impact on project viability of a range of carbon monitoring options, international carbon credit value and discount rate, applied to a Pinus radiata afforestation project in New Zealand. Monitoring carbon in conjunction with conventional forest inventory shows the highest return. Long-term average carbon accounting has lower accounting costs, compared to annual and 5 yearly accounting, as monitoring is only required every 5–10 years until the long-term average is attained. In this study we conclude that monitoring soil carbon stocks is not economically feasible using any of the accounting methods, when carbon is valued at US$ 10/t. This conclusion may be relevant to forest carbon sequestration projects elsewhere in the world and suggests care is needed in selecting the appropriate carbon monitoring options to avoid the risk that costs could be higher than any monetary benefits from terrestrial carbon sequestration. This would remove any commercial incentive to afforest for carbon sequestration reasons and severely limit the use of forest sinks as part of any package of measures addressing the ultimate objective of the UNFCCC.     

Carbon flow analysis of China's agro-ecosystem from 1980 to 2013: A perspective from substance flow analysis

Research on carbon cycling has attracted attention from both scientists and policy-makers. Based on material flow analysis, this study systematically budgets the carbon inputs, outputs and balance from 1980 to 2013 for China''s agro-ecosystem and its sub-systems, including agricultural land use, livestock breeding and rural life. The results show that from 1980 to 2013, both the carbon input and output were growing gradually, with the carbon input doubling from 1.6 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.4 Pg C/year in 2013, while carbon output grew from 2.2 Pg C/year in 1980 to 3.8 Pg C/year in 2013. From 1980 to 2013, the crop production system in China has remained a carbon source, and the agricultural land uses were also almost all carbon sources instead of carbon sinks. As soil carbon stock plays a very important role in deciding the function of China''s agro-ecosystem as a carbon sink or source, practices that can promote carbon storage and sequestration will be an essential component of low carbon agriculture development in China.     

黄河三角洲自然保护区湿地生态服务功能价值评估

黄河三角洲自然保护区是世界上暖温带保存最完整、最年轻的湿地生态系统之一,具有多种重要的生态服务功能。通过山东省第二次湿地资源调查（2011-2013年）及其它统计数据,结合保护区湿地生态系统的特征、结构及过程,构建了生态系统服务功能价值评估体系,应用生态经济学的理论和研究方法,对保护区湿地生态系统的供给、调节、支持和文化四大类功能进行了全面评估。结果表明:保护区湿地生态系统提供的生态系统服务总价值为123.113×108元,单位面积服务价值为5.93万元/hm2,其中调节服务功能价值最大,为85.773×108元,占总价值的69.78%;其次供给服务功能价值为19.018×108元,占15.45%;文化服务功能和支持服务功能价值分别为11.992×108元和6.330×108元,占9.74%和5.14%。具体提供的15项服务功能价值大小依次为消浪护岸>调蓄洪水>食物>科教>固碳>生物多样性维持>气候调节>供水>保持土壤>大气组分调节>水质净化>原材料>旅游>航运>促淤造陆。货币价值的直观性突显了保护区湿地对当地经济及生态环境的重要性,可提高人们对保护区湿地生态系统的正确认识,为湿地生态系统的保护和管理提供科学的理论依据。     

采用新催化剂消除氧硫化碳合成中的环境污染

氧硫化碳(COS)是合成硫代氨基甲酸酯类农药及医药的重要中间体。关于它的合成,国内外已有不少报道。一般都是在催化剂的催化下,由一氧化碳和硫进行气相反     

深圳市综合水质指数研究及其在水资源资产评估上的应用

自然资源资产评估技术是开展自然资源资产负债表实践和实行环境责任离任审计的重要技术支撑。水资源作为一项重要自然资源,如何有效评估水资源资产是不可回避的问题。论文以深圳市为研究区域,一是采用综合污染指数法和主成分分析法,以总氮、氨氮、总磷、化学需氧量、生化需氧量、固体悬浮物为指标参数构建了深圳市综合水质指数以评价水资源综合水质。二是以该综合水质评估模型为基础,通过采用治污成本法分析综合水质与治污成本间的关系,从而构建深圳市景观水和饮用水资源的价值量评估模型。论文还以深圳市大鹏新区为试点开展了水资源价值量评估,评估结果显示,2015年大鹏新区景观水和饮用水资源的价值量分别为3.60亿、0.35亿元。