Processes for sustainable development using high-intensity electric fields

Intense electric fields up to 10⁷ V/m generate very interesting and useful applications for the environment. Several processes using high electrical voltage for environment preservation were developed in the laboratory. The purpose of this study was to review these applications, highlighting their economic and environmental benefits: (1) electrostatic separators of particles used in industrial wastes recycling; (a) role-type electrostatic separator for granular mixtures of plastic–metal particles; (b) free-fall and rotating belt triboelectric separators for mixtures of plastic–plastic particles; (c) plate-type electrostatic separator for mixtures of metal–metal particles, (2) electrostatic precipitators for gas cleaning and (3) ozone generators for air and water treatment.     

土地集约利用空间分异研究中指标标准化方法研究

土地集约利用空间分异研究中指标标准化通常采用极差标准化等方法,这类方法默认各区域集约临界值相同,从而使得评价中区位好的区域土地集约水平高于区位差的区域。基于级差地租Ⅰ和级差地租Ⅱ理论提出新的指标标准化方法,指出传统指标标准化方法的问题,并以重庆市耕地集约利用空间分异为例进行实证比较。研究充分考虑了不同区域因禀赋差异造成的单项指标理想值(临界值)的差异,弥补了传统指标标准化方法的不足,有助于完善土地集约利用空间分异的研究。研究表明:土地利用集约度是一个相对概念,其参照物为区域土地集约临界点,理论基础是级差地租Ⅱ;区位不同导致区域间土地利用强度存在差异,它是级差地租Ⅰ的一类现象,这类差异可称为"禀赋差异";每个区位点适度指标标准化值Y与该区位指标现状值x₁₁和集约临界点x₁有关,与其他区位指标现状值无关;传统标准化方法将指标现状值或现状平均值设为集约临界值,没有考虑不同区位集约临界点差异,因而空间分异结果更符合土地收益空间分异规律;重庆市耕地集约利用度空间分异研究表明该方法在空间分异、集约度绝对值和区县集约度比较等方面优于传统方法,更符合不同区县耕地利用实际。     

Toxicity of tire debris leachates

Data on the indicators of environmental impact of tire debris, originated from the tire abrasion on roads, are extremely scarce, while it is well known that tires may produce deleterious effects. Tire debris contains significant quantities of zinc (Zn) which may be released by tire rubber. We have used tire particles (TD) produced in laboratory from new rubber. Two sets of experiments were set up to obtain eluates. One set used 50 and 100 g/L TD to produce eluates at pH 3-7. The Zn quantity was measured with a Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry. The eluates at 1%,10%,50%,100% concentrations in culture media were tested on Raphidocelis subcapitata, Daphnia magna and Xenopus laevis embryos (FETAX test). The other set of experiments was performed putting 250 mg/L TD in a column with glass beads to control particle dispersion during the elution process. We demonstrate that factors such as pH, size and particles aggregation deeply influence the elution process, that the amount of Zn leached from particles is related to their aggregation rather than their quantity. These results, even though do not reflect the real environmental toxicity of the leachates, can be successfully used for comparative purposes allowing an initial assessment of the potential effect of tire derived particles.     

Deposition of contaminant aerosol on human skin

Over recent years, it has been established that deposition of various types of pollutant aerosols (e.g., radioactive) on human skin can have serious deleterious effects on health. However, only few investigations in the past have been devoted to measurement of deposition velocities on skin of particles of the potentially problematic sizes. An experimental programme has shown the deposition velocities on skin of particles in the ca. 0.5-5 microm AMAD range to be high and generally associated with great variations. A series of investigations have been made to identify some of the factors that lead to this variation. Part of the variation was found to be caused by differences between individuals, whereas another part was found to be related to environmental factors. The identification of major influences on skin contaminant deposition is important in estimating health effects as well as in identifying means for their reduction.     

环境保护行政程序证据规则研究

环境保护行政程序是环境保护行政机关作出环境保护行政行为的程序。证据规则是环境保护行政程序制度的重要内容。我国环境保护行政程序证据规则缺乏,应当对环境保护行政程序证据规则进行研究,并促进环境保护行政程序证据规则的完善。证据排除规则是证据规则的重要内容,它排除部分具有证明价值的证据的证明效力。环境保护行政程序不应建立严格证据排除规则,但要排除以侵犯行政相对人权利或违背程序正义方式取得的非法证据的效力。环境保护行政程序的证明对象为实体性事实和程序性事实,证明责任主要由环境保护行政机关承担,行政相对人承担部分证明责任。环境保护行政程序中,行政相对人有提供证据的权利和责任。环境保护机关依职权调查案件事实和收集证据,应遵守进入检查规则、当事人参与规则和法定人员收集证据规则。环境保护行政程序应尽量实行言词审理,采用职能分离规则和案卷排他性原则。     

Dynamics of growth and seed production in the Siberian stone pine: The level and pattern of variation in characters

A statistical analysis of interannual variation in a set of vegetative and generative characters over 13 years has been performed to characterize the growth and seed production dynamics of the Siberian stone pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) in the southeast of the forest zone in western Siberia. The results have shown that the range of fluctuations in most of vegetative characters is ordinary and their distribution is close to normal. The range of fluctuations in many generative characters is enormous (from 0 to +∞), and the distribution of their values is usually skewed, with low values being recorded several times more frequently than high values. Most variable are the proportion of abortive cones and other characters that are determined mainly in the spring of the pollination year. These characters account for a very high level of variation in the total seed production.     

Approaches for describing and communicating overall uncertainty in toxicity characterizations: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as a case study

Single point estimates of human health hazard/toxicity values such as a reference dose (RfD) are generally used in chemical hazard and risk assessment programs for assessing potential risks associated with site- or use-specific exposures. The resulting point estimates are often used by risk managers for regulatory decision-making, including standard setting, determination of emission controls, and mitigation of exposures to chemical substances. Risk managers, as well as stakeholders (interested and affected parties), often have limited information regarding assumptions and uncertainty factors in numerical estimates of both hazards and risks. Further, the use of different approaches for addressing uncertainty, which vary in transparency, can lead to a lack of confidence in the scientific underpinning of regulatory decision-making. The overarching goal of this paper, which was developed from an invited participant workshop, is to offer five approaches for presenting toxicity values in a transparent manner in order to improve the understanding, consideration, and informed use of uncertainty by risk assessors, risk managers, and stakeholders. The five approaches for improving the presentation and communication of uncertainty are described using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) as a case study. These approaches will ensure transparency in the documentation, development, and use of toxicity values at EPA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and other similar assessment programs in the public and private sector. Further empirical testing will help to inform the approaches that will work best for specific audiences and situations.     

Filtration efficiencies in electrostatically augmented granular beds

Fine particle filtration efficiencies of electrically enhanced granular beds are computed and compared with available experimental data. Collection efficiencies of a single bed sphere in a gaseous flow are first calculated by numerically solving the equations of particle motion. The collection mechanisms incorporated here are inertial impaction, interception, and charged fine particle-imposed electric field interaction. The approach is based upon a “unit cell” model which enables one to include the effects of surrounding bed particles on the collection process. Stokes' flow and potential flow are used to model the gas flow around the bed particle. Total efficiency is computed by integrating the single-sphere collection efficiency over the bed volume. These calculated total bed efficiencies compare satisfactorily with data obtained from an existing granular bed facility over a range of parameter values. Both theory and experimental data show that the electrical force significantly enhances particulate collection in granular beds.     

Seasonal variation of 210Pb activity concentration in outdoor air of Milan (Italy)

Weekly measurements of 210Pb activity concentration on aerosol particles were performed at ground level in outdoor air in Milan (Italy) during the years 2000-2001. The experimental method was based on the delayed alpha spectrometry of in-grown 210Po activity detected on airborne particles collected on a filter support. On the same filter the 214Pb activity concentration was also measured during the sampling. 210Pb weekly concentration values showed a great variability and the average monthly values exhibited a seasonal pattern characterised by maxima in winter and minima in spring-summer. The same seasonal trend was also observed in 214Pb concentration values. 210Pb average yearly values were 0.70 and 0.82 mBq/m3 in 2000 and 2001, respectively, in good agreement with literature data registered at continental sites of similar latitude and longitude. The activity ratio 210Pb/214Pb was used to evaluate the residence time of fine aerosols in the urban air of Milan, which was 1-2 days.     

Tackling environmental issues in industrial ceramic sintering of sewage sludge: odors and gas emissions

The inertization of sewage sludge in ceramic matrices to be used in structural or red ceramic material for buildings has proved to be a good case of reuse of waste material. However, its practical application has not yet been fully implemented in real-case scenarios, and environmental concern seems to be the main hurdle to overcome for its definitive massive approval by the building industry. In this contribution, air emissions related to the sintering of ceramic bricks made of mixtures of clay with some percentage of sewage sludge have been analyzed (in terms of gases, suspended particles and odors). Tests conducted during this work have shown higher VOC emissions in samples with some percentage of sludge in their composition (still under the regulated emission limit values), and some of them (mercaptans) are associated with odor nuisances. Besides, limit emissions values were exceeded by three inorganic pollutants (suspended particles, NO_x and HCl). Measurements in an industrial scenario test showed a high variability in air pollution emissions, suggesting the need of in situ testing for definitive implementation. With the experience collected in this and several previous works in the area of emissions related to the production of added sewage sludge ceramic, some guidelines and recommendations are given to minimize the environmental impact of ceramic production plants implementing this particular waste revalorization process. Guidelines cover different aspects: workplace implementation of gas cleaning equipment; geographical context and local wind pattern analysis; monitoring of emission and immission levels; and information policy through social control participation procedures for reporting of nuisance episodes.     

基于正态云模型和熵权的人口发展现代化程度综合评价

为有效地监测和评估人口发展现代化程度,实现人口、经济、环境协调发展,探索和构建了人口发展程度综合评价模型。针对人口发展过程中存在的模糊性和随机性问题,建立了基于正态云模型和熵权的综合评判模型。借鉴已有理论的基础上,综合考虑人口总量、人口结构等5个方面因素构建人口综合发展现代化程度指标体系,采用熵权法确定各个指标权重,借助于正态云模型定量描述单指标条件下待评价我国人口发展的等级。云模型是表示某个定性概念与定量表示之间不确定性转换的模型,它将概念的模糊性和随机性结合在一起,对解决不确定性问题具有很强的鲁棒性。采用云模型理论实现评语与评估指标值之间的不确定映射,保留了评估过程中的随机性和模糊性。最后,以2000-2009年我国10年人口发展相关指标的时间序列数据,以及2009年全国和四个直辖市的人口综合发展截面数据为例,对人口发展现代化程度进行实证检验,结果表明,该模型比传统的模糊综合法能得到更加合理的评估结果。     

Consumer willingness to pay for plastic bags levy and willingness to accept eco-friendly alternatives in Botswana

Plastic bags, though commonly used for packaging of goods, are highly durable and non-biodegradable. Plastic bag litter serves as a negative environmental externality detrimental to animal health and natural beauty of the environment. In an effort to curtail the excessive use of plastic bags in Botswana, the government introduced a plastic levy targeted at consumers at retail points. This study uses primary data collected from 367 respondents randomly selected from six geospatially and purposively selected shopping malls to determine the consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for continued plastic bag usage and their willingness to accept (WTA) to shift to eco-friendly alternatives. The results of the study revealed that open dumping and burning of plastic litter are more common in Maun than in Gaborone. It also showed that there is a significant relationship between the level of education and WTP. Further, there is a significant variation in income and education in respect to environmental awareness. The government should improve its efforts of sensitizing the public about the improper disposal of plastic bags.     

上海崇明岛近三年PM_(2.5)浓度变化特征与气象条件的关系

利用2011年1月~2014年2月上海崇明岛地区颗粒物(PM_(2.5)、PM_(10))的连续监测资料,研究了PM_(2.5)总体分布、季节变化、日变化及浓度频率分布规律,初步分析了逆温、相对湿度、风向风速等气象要素对颗粒物浓度的影响。结果表明:2011~2013年该地区PM_(2.5)平均值分别为24.7,33.6和28.3μg/m~3,均低于PM2.5的年平均浓度限值35μg/m~3,细粒子污染程度较轻。PM_(2.5)浓度日变化幅度不大,呈微弱的单峰型分布,9∶00左右达到一天中的最大值,15∶00左右达到最小值。PM_(2.5)浓度的季节分布特征明显,呈现出冬季春季秋季夏季,一般情况下5月份PM_(2.5)月均浓度值最高,8月份浓度最低。PM_(2.5)日平均浓度有57.9%达到国家空气质量一级标准,有93.4%达到国家空气质量二级标准,超标率为6.6%。对PM_(2.5)与各气象要素进行分析后发现:PM_(2.5)质量浓度在逆温层结稳定、风速小、高湿以及近地面盛行西北到西风这样的静稳天气条件配合高空西北方向上的外来污染物输送,容易造成高浓度的PM_(2.5)污染。     

Accumulation of radionuclides from radioactive substrata by some micromycetes

Overgrowing (interaction) and dissolution of intact and milled hot particles by various micromycetes were studied under laboratory conditions. Hot particles used for the investigation originated from the Chernobyl accident release and atomic bomb testing sites. The micromycetes investigated were mitosporic fungi mainly isolated from the Chernobyl site and vicinity. Most of the fungal species and strains showed a tendency to grow towards the hot particle, overgrow it and dissolve it after prolonged contact. The accumulation (absorption and adsorption) of radionuclides from intact hot particles was generally more intensive for (152)Eu than for (137)Cs by a factor of about 2.6-134, while in experiments with milled samples the (152)Eu and (137)Cs accumulation was similar, except for some fungal species, which showed higher (152)Eu than (137)Cs sorption. It could be shown that the main factors influencing Cs and Eu accumulation in fungi are: fungal species and strains and the size and composition of the hot particle.     

Absorbed dose delivered by alpha particles calculated in cylindrical geometry

The present work aims to develop a semi-analytical method to calculate the absorbed dose delivered by alpha particles in a cylindrical geometry. This method will be employed to reproduce the dose conversion coefficients or absorbed fraction of alpha particles in sensitive cells of the tracheobronchial tree obtained by NRC and ICRP, respectively. The difference caused by using water stopping power and tissue stopping power will also be investigated. Linear stopping powers for alpha particles in tissue and air were calculated, and the dependences of stopping powers on the traveled distance were established. A geometry model is set up for our calculations, and two different cases have been considered, namely the near-wall and far-wall cases. The total energy imparted to a unit-diameter sphere around a point is shown to be obtainable from a triple integral, which can be solved numerically. The absorbed dose is found to be independent of the diameter of the sphere being considered and additional assumptions about its diameter were not needed. The results obtained are in good agreement with those obtained previously by NRC and ICRP66. Using the semi-analytical method developed in the present work, the dose conversion coefficients or absorbed fraction previously obtained by NRC and ICRP, respectively, have been satisfactorily reproduced. Using the tissue stopping power instead of the water stopping power can slightly lower the values for dose conversion coefficients in the bronchial region.     

Radon level in dwellings and its correlation with uranium and radium content in some areas of Himachal Pradesh,India

LR- 115 plastic track detectors have been used to measure indoor radon level in some dwellings of Una district, Himachal Pradesh, India. The annual average radon concentration in dwellings in most of the villages falls in the range of the action level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The radon values in some of the dwellings exceed the action level and may be unsafe from the health hazard point of view. The indoor radon values are in general higher in winter than in summer. Uranium, radium and radon exhalation studies have also been carried out in soil samples collected from these areas. A good correlation is obtained between uranium concentration in the soil and indoor radon in dwellings. The soil radon exhalation rate also correlates with the uranium concentration in soil.     

上海城郊大棚蔬菜地土壤总硝化与反硝化作用研究

通过BaPS技术对上海城郊大棚蔬菜地土壤总硝化和反硝化作用速率进行了测定，利用因子分析对影响土壤硝化和反硝化的主要因素进行了分析，结果表明：各大棚蔬菜地土壤总硝化、反硝化速率差异性显著（〖WTBX〗p〖WTBZ〗<001），其中土壤总硝化速率为17758～45726 Nug/kg·h，土壤反硝化速率为23151～415 Nug/kg·h，土壤总硝化作用速率与与土壤容重呈显著性负相关（〖WTBX〗p〖WTBZ〗<005），与硝态氮含量呈极显著性正相关（〖WTBX〗p〖WTBZ〗<001），土壤反硝化作用与土壤含水量呈显著性正相关（〖WTBX〗p〖WTBZ〗<005），与土壤有机质、硝态氮呈极显著性正相关（〖WTBX〗p〖WTBZ〗<001）。土壤含水量、土壤有机质含量、土壤硝态氮含量、土壤容重是影响土壤总硝化和反硝化作用的主要因素，四项指标能概括所测定全部指标包含信息的80%以上；土壤硝化作用和反硝化作用对土壤N2O排放的贡献率分别为475%、525%，土壤硝化和反硝化作用均对大棚蔬菜地土壤氮损失产生影响     

中国各省区生态环境质量评价与排序

本文建立了区域生态环境质量综合评价的指标体系,并应用这一指标体系,通过层次分析和综合评价方法对我国各省区的生态环境质量做了定量评价与分析,为生态环境管理和宏观决策提供依据。     

Using radiotracer techniques for coastal hydrodynamic model evaluation

A three-dimensional (3D) water circulation and contaminant transport model of Manila Bay has been developed with the aim of better understanding the formation and movement of harmful algal blooms. Radiotracer techniques were used to evaluate the model by recording the dispersion of a tracer at depths of 2 and 15 m near the injection point. The selected tracer was 99mTc eluted from a molybdenum/technetium medical generator. The rationale for the choice of the tracer and the location of the injection is discussed. At 2 m the transport was dominated by the prevailing winds, and at 15 m by tidally induced currents. The development of the hydrodynamic model and its experimental evaluation were iterative processes. The experimental study confirmed the need for full 3D modelling of Manila Bay; quantified the impact of the prevailing wind field on contaminant dispersion near the injection point; and allowed the calculation of transverse dispersivity to guide the selection of parameter values used in the overall model.