Air quality assessment by contingent valuation in Ji'nan, China

Along with urbanization and environmental deterioration within China, many residents' desire for improved air quality has increased. To address this topic, this study focuses on the relationship between poor air quality and residents' willingness to pay for improved air quality in the city of Ji'nan. As a means of quantifying an individual's willingness to pay (WTP) for improved air quality, a contingent valuation method (CVM) was employed. A sample of 1500 residents was chosen, based on the stratified sampling method. The respondents' WTP was then elicited through a series of face-to-face interviews, conducted using a range of hypothetical, open-ended scenario questions. The results showed that 59.7% of respondents were able to express a positive WTP, and that the average WTP was 100 Chinese Yuan (CNY) per person, per year. In order to establish the relationship between endogenous variables and WTP, both a Probit model on the probability of a positive WTP, and a stepwise regression model were constructed. Most parameters in the econometric analysis demonstrated the expected results. It was found that annual household income, expenditure on the treatment of respiratory diseases and workers in the family significantly influenced WTP. The rates of positive WTP and the monetary amount were also larger for men than for women. Unlike developed countries, most respondents regard air quality improvement as a government responsibility in that more than 40% of respondents had no incentive to bear the costs of attempting to achieve better air quality, indicating a relatively low environmental consciousness.     

Willingness to pay for waste management improvement in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

We employed the contingent valuation method to estimate the willingness to pay of the respondents to improve the waste collection system in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Our objective was to estimate how WTP differs between respondents who received or did not receive door to door waste collection. The methodology consisted of asking people directly about their willingness to pay an additional waste collection service charge to cover the costs of a new waste management project. The mean value of WTP for areas that received waste collection service areas was higher than for residents of areas that did not but the difference was not statistically significant. The aggregate value of WTP of the respondents in Dhaka city was 7.6 million Taka (USD0.1 million).     

危险废物处置中心物化处理浅析

介绍了一套危险废物处置中心物化处理系统的工艺原理、工艺流程（废酸碱及重金属废液处理、废乳化液处理）,与国内类似企业物化工艺进行对比,分析了系统的优缺点。结合国内危险废物处置现状和运行管理经验,进行了优化完善,进一步提高系统的经济性和稳定可靠性,为同类企业提供参考和借鉴。     

钛白废液的治理、回收及综合利用研究

钛白废液直接排放会严重危害附近居民的生活及工农业的生产和发展，造成资源的严重浪费，应针对钛白废液的不同特性进行分类处理。总结了近年来国内外钛白液的各种治理、回收及综合利用等方法。     

Exploring Values,Context and Perceptions in Contingent Valuation Studies: The CV Market Stall Technique and Willingness to Pay for Wildlife Conservation

Public preferences for conservation and environmental management may be identified in willingness to pay (WTP) studies. Normally part of a contingent valuation exercise, WTP studies elicit monetary estimates of non-market economic goods. This paper describes a new approach to WTP, the CV Market Stall, a technique that adds a discursive, qualitative dimension to contingent valuation. It is suggested that the CV Market Stall technique is a good method for exploring attitudes and responses to environmental project proposals. The flexible format, with an emphasis upon information provision, discussion and learning would also allow contingent valuation to be extended to much more complex and uncertain environmental issues.     

On the value of large predators in Sweden: a regional stratified contingent valuation analysis

This paper contributes with an applied policy analysis of the predator preservation policy in Sweden. We estimate the overall mean willingness to pay (WTP) for preserving the four large predators in the Swedish fauna by applying the contingent valuation method. Using survey data from 2004 we find that 50 percent of the Swedish population is willing to contribute financially toward implementation of the predator policy package, and that the estimated overall mean WTP is approximately SEK 290. Further, we test for spatial differences in attitudes and WTP and find that respondents in Stockholm have the highest overall mean WTP, while respondents living in wolf-territories have the lowest. Our mean WTP measure is flawed with upward bias, since we cannot estimate the willingness to accept for those with clearly negative preferences regarding the predator policy package (e.g. hunters). In this paper, we set their WTP equal to zero. Thus, we cannot rule out the possibility that the mean willingness to pay is, in fact, negative, i.e. the social-value of implementing the predator policy is negative. Finally, the estimates of the overall WTP are sensitive to response-uncertainty. When the respondents indicate uncertainty about their valuation, they tend to state higher values.     

A comparison of alternative contingent valuation elicitation treatments for the evaluation of complex environmental policy

Attempts to evaluate the economic benefits associated with complex environmental policies, using the contingent valuation (CV) method, have been dogged by controversy. In particular, debate has centred on the influence of embedding and related effects on the validity of CV willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates. This paper discusses these effects in the context of identifying the most appropriate WTP elicitation treatment to evaluate the willingness to pay for the various elements of a multi-dimensional environmental policy. The findings of an empirical experiment demonstrate that a top-down allocation treatment, which uses independent sub-samples for individual policy components, provides the most reliable treatment to value all aspects of a multi-dimensional policy, whilst also overcoming embedding bias problems.     

Assessing Public Preferences for Forest Biomass Based Energy in the Southern United States

This article investigated public preferences for forest biomass based liquid biofuels, particularly ethanol blends of 10% (E10) and 85% (E85). We conducted a choice experiment study in three southern states in the United States: Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia. Reducing atmospheric CO₂, decreasing risk of wildfires and pest outbreaks, and enhancing biodiversity were presented to respondents as attributes of using biofuels. Results indicated that individuals had a positive extra willingness to pay (WTP) for both ethanol blends. The extra WTP was greater for higher blends that offered larger environment benefits. The WTPs for E10 were $0.56 gallon^?1, $0.58 gallon^?1, and $0.48 gallon^?1, and for E85 they were $0.82 gallon^?1, $1.17 gallon^?1, and $1.06 gallon^?1 in Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia, respectively. Although differences in WTP for E10 were statistically insignificant among the three states, significant differences were found in the WTP for E85 between AR and FL and between AR and VA. Preferences for the environmental attributes appeared to be heterogeneous, as respondents’ were willing to pay a premium for E10 in all three states to facilitate the reduction of CO₂ and the improvement of biodiversity but were not willing to pay more for E85 in order to enhance biodiversity.     

降低聚丙烯酰胺尾气氨含量的可行性研究

在聚丙烯酰胺生产过程中,利用硫酸吸收含氨的工艺尾气所产生的废液不具有利用价值。改进后的治理措施为:水解工艺尾气从塔底部经过循环被吸收液吸收,吸收液直接与含氨气体逆向接触,含氨污染物进入液相,被吸收液吸收、中和并从气体中除去,然后进入塔上部除雾段,除去气体中携带的雾沫,以确保气体净化效率。经除氨处理后的气体被加工成成品。该工艺可以减小处理气体量,并降低了处理难度。     

硫磺回收装置脱硫废液处理的试验研究

采用将脱硫废液与炼油废水按比例混合之后对其进行处理的方法,通过批式试验,考查混合废液的BOD5/COD指标及其COD、NH3-N、S2-的去除率。筛选合适的混合液配比,分别对500︰1和800︰1的混合废液进行了模型试验,分析了COD去除效果。结果表明:800︰1的混合废液在10d之后,出水COD为134mg/L,达到了《污水综合排放标准》(GB8978—1996)二级标准要求。最终确定炼油废水与脱硫废液混合的合适比例应不低于800︰1。     

ARE RURAL RESIDENTS WILLING TO PAY ENOUGH TO IMPROVE DRINKING WATER QUALITY?1

ABSTRACT: The concentrations of iron and sulfate in community water supplies are a concern for a number of areas in southwestern Minnesota. This study used the contingent valuation method to determine how much consumers would be willing to pay to improve their drinking water quality. On average, individuals were willing to pay US$5.25 per month (in 1995 U.S. dollars) to reduce the level of iron and US$4.33 per month to reduce the level of sulfate in their water to the USEPA's secondary standards for drinking water quality. Respondents with negative perceptions of their drinking water quality were willing to pay more to improve water quality. The aggregate annual willingness to pay (WTP) for all consumers in community water systems in southwestern Minnesota that were out of compliance with water quality standards were estimated to be US$2.4 million and US$2.0 million (in 1995 dollars) for reducing the levels of iron and sulfate, respectively. Yet the total WTP of consumers who use small community water systems may not be enough to pay the full cost of providing improved water in those systems. Economies of scale in water treatment and difficulties in financing improvements mean that technical innovation, government assistance, or institutional changes may be needed to improve water quality in these areas.     

Information and Willingness to Pay in a Contingent Valuation Study: The Value of S. Erasmo in the Lagoon of Venice

This paper reports on a contingent valuation (CV) study eliciting willingness to pay (WTP) for a public program for the preservation of lagoon, beach and infrastructure in the island of S. Erasmo in the Lagoon of Venice, Italy. We use split samples to investigate the effect of providing a summary of reasons for voting in favor and against the program before the referendum valuation question. Reminding respondents of the reasons for voting for or against the program increases WTP among less highly educated respondents, and decreases WTP among more highly educated respondents.     

固液分离法处理废钻井液的实验研究

废钻井液对环境的污染是一个难以解决的问题。针对塔里木油田的地质情况,使用固液分离法对部分废钻井液样品进行了实验研究工作。固液分离法采用两次处理工艺流程。即先经一级初步絮凝处理和强化离心分离,使大部分固相去除,然后对脱出的废液进行第二级絮凝处理后即可达到排放要求。实验结果表明：固液分离法能够将废钻井液分离成固-液两相,其液相能够达到排放要求,固相残渣对环境污染程度大幅度降低甚至无污染;若将此处理法同其它方法相结合,如坑内密封法、固化法等相结合会得到更满意的环保效果。     

Household Demand for Waste Recycling Services

Municipalities everywhere are coping with increasing amounts of solid waste and need urgently to formulate efficient and sustainable solutions to the problem. This study examines the use of economic incentives in municipal waste management. Specifically, we address the issue of recycling, if and when this waste management option is—on social welfare grounds—a preferred solution.A number of studies have recently assessed the monetary value of the externalities of alternative solid waste management options. In the present context, these subsidies could be interpreted as the implicit value of the benefits from reducing environmental externalities associated with landfilling as perceived by local government authorities. We surmise that the difference between mean households willingness to pay (WTP) for recycling services, via the purchase of a subsidized waste disposal facility, and the above (proxy) value of externalities reflects the difference between private and public perception regarding the negative externality associated with landfilling. We believe that this information is useful in determining the level of subsidization needed (if at all) to sustain any recycling program.The study is unique in the sense that its conclusions are based on revealed household behavior when faced with increased disposal costs, as well as information on WTP responses in hypothetical but related (and, therefore, familiar) scenarios. The article also explores the influence of the subsidization schemes on recycling rates. It was found that with low levels of effort needed to participate in a curbside recycling program, households participation rates are mainly influenced by economic variables and age, and households are willing to pay a higher price for the recycling scheme. When the required effort level is relatively high, however, households would pay a lower price, and the rate is influenced mainly by their environmental commitment and by economic considerations. We found that in both cases a subsidy would be required in order to achieve an efficient level of recycling. The median price that households are willing to pay for recycling devices is found to be about NIS 370 (New Israeli Shekel, approximately $90).     

环境监测实验室的废液处理

环境监测实验室的废液一直没有进行规范化管理，随着环境监测标准化站的建设和实验室认可工作的开展，环境监测实验室的废液污染应引起重视。文章简要阐述了环境监测实验室废液的来源及废液的收集原则，详细介绍了环境监测实验室常用有机溶剂的回收技术，提出了含不同污染物的实验室废液的处理方法。     

An assessment of household willingness to pay for curbside recycling: a comparison of payment card and referendum approaches

Curbside recycling is a tool that communities use to reduce the need for landfill space. This study provides contingent valuation estimates of household willingness to pay (WTP) to continue a curbside recycling program in the face of budget cuts. Comparisons of two forms of the contingent valuation method (CVM) are provided: a single bounded referendum and a payment card. Neither approach emerges as unambiguously superior. Response rates were virtually identical. Both approaches show that support for curbside recycling is highly sensitive to price. Regression results from the payment card provided a more thorough identification of socio-demographic variables associated with WTP than the referendum, but the explanatory power of the two regressions did not differ significantly. The referendum estimates of mean WTP exceed those from the payment card, although the disparities are less than those typically reported in the CVM literature. Local policy makers cited the CVM results as influencing their decisions regarding funding options for the future of the program, and seemed to appreciate the fact that the two approaches provided a fairly narrow range of estimates of WTP. In an era when more of the burden of financing of environmental programs is being shifted to the local level, use of CVM to estimate the WTP of consumers for highly disaggregated goods and services designed to achieve environmental improvement will likely become more relevant to local decision makers who are interested in understanding their constituents' views.     

Hypothetical and Real Economic Commitments,and Social Status,in Valuing a Species Protection Programme

There has been a long-running debate on the reliability and validity of the contingent valuation method, connected with the hypotheticality of the situation when respondents are asked to state their willingness to pay (WTP) for species protection (the so-called 'hypothetical bias'). Additionally, a number of recent arguments regarding donations to good causes and the benefits of achieving social status have questioned the motives of respondents who have stated their WTP. An experiment at the University of Klagenfurt tested for hypothetical bias by asking participants to state their hypothetical and real WTP for a species protection programme in the Hohe Tauern national park. Hypothetical and real WTP differed significantly. Additionally, it emerged that the pure ecological motive for stating a WTP might be concealed by arguments about donating in order to achieve social status and contributing to a good cause.     

Revealing Preferences for Reductions of Public Risks: An Application of the CV Approach

In this paper the contingent valuation method (CVM) is applied to public risk reduction. Theory suggests that the size of the stated willingness to pay (WTP) for risk reduction depends on private activities aimed at reducing the risk level for the individual. The empirical results suggest that considering private averting activities increases the explanatory power of the estimated WTP function significantly. Thus, WTP passes the scope test which proposes that larger reductions from a larger baseline risk should be valued higher than lower risk reductions from a lower baseline risk. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the follow-up response format induces anchoring effects.     

实验室常见废液处理方法介绍

讨论实验室废液的来源和对环境的危害性，并着重对实验室废液的分类、处理方法及注意事项进行探讨。