A study of assessment indicators for environmental sustainable development of science parks in Taiwan

This study adopted the ecological footprint calculation structure to calculate the ecological footprints of the three major science parks in Taiwan from 2008 to 2010. The result shows that the ecological footprints of the Hsinchu Science Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park, and the Southern Taiwan Science Park were about 3.964, 2.970, and 4.165 ha per capita. The ecological footprint (EF) of the Central Taiwan Science Park was the lowest, meaning that the influence of the daily operations in the Central Taiwan Science Park on the environment was rather low. Secondly, the population density was relatively high, and the EF was not the highest of the Hsinchu Science Park, meaning that, while consuming ecological resources, the environmental management done was effective. In addition, the population density in Southern Taiwan Science Park is 82.8 units, lower than that of Hsinchu Science Park, but its ecological footprint per capita is 0.201 units, higher than Hsinchu, implying its indicator management has space for improvement. According to the analysis result above, in the science parks, the percentages of high-energy-consuming industries were rather high. It was necessary to encourage development of green industries with low energy consumption and low pollution through industry transformation.     

Establishment and applied research on environmental sustainability assessment indicators in Taiwan

The study utilizes the method of Material Flow, Ecological Footprint Model and other related indicators to establish the Indicator System of Sustainable Development. Principal Component Analysis is used to abstract the representative factors in order to estimate the indicators of ecological sustainable development during 1998~2005 in Taiwan, as well as to make policy recommendations. The research indicates following results: (1) The Direct Material Input (DMI) of Taiwan shows constant instability and depends on heavy import activity. The annual increase of considerable greenhouse gas emission leads to a comparative growth of the Domestic Process Output (DOP). The both material consumption and inventory formation of the economy are unsteady. In addition, the Physical Trade Balance (PTB) indicates that supply exceeds demand, as well as the occasional shortage of building materials. (2) The 2005 per capita Ecological Demand footprint in Taiwan is 6.5392 hm(2), making the Ecological Deficit per capita 4.8569 hm(2). The figures reflect that productivity and life intensity of residents have exceeded the carrying capacity of Taiwan's ecological economic system. (3) The overall Synthetic Trend Indicators of Sustainable Development in Taiwan are decreasing. Therefore, if proper measures are not adopted in time, the current weak sustainability will lead into the vicious circle which departs from sustainable development.     

Determination and Impact of Volatile Organics Emitted during Rush Hours in the Ambient Air around Gasoline Stations

Abstract

This study analyzes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air around gasoline stations during rush hours and assesses their impact on human health. Results from this study clearly indicate that methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), toluene, and isobutane are the major VOCs emitted from gasoline stations. Moreover, the concentrations of MTBE and toluene in the ambient air near gasoline stations are remarkably higher than those sampled on surrounding roads, revealing that these compounds are mainly released from gasoline stations. The concentration of VOCs near the gasoline stations without vapor recovery systems are ～7.3 times higher than those around the gasoline stations having the recovery systems. An impact on individual health and air quality because of gasoline station emissions was done using Integrated Risk Information System and Industrial Source Complex Short Term model.     

Lake eutrophication management modeling using dynamic programming

Lake eutrophication problems have received considerable attention in Taiwan, especially because they relate to the quality of drinking water. In this study, steady-state river water quality and lake eutrophication models are solved using dynamic programming algorithms to find the nutrient removal rates for eutrophication control during dry season. The kinetic cycle of chlorophyll-a, phosphorus and nitrogen for a complete-mixed lake is considered in the optimization framework. The Newton-iterative technique is adopted to solve the nonlinear equations for the steady-state lake eutrophication model. The optimization framework is applied to Cheng-Ching Lake in southern Taiwan. Several nutrient loading scenarios for eutrophication control are studied. Optimization results for nutrient removal rates and corresponding wastewater treatment capacities of each reach of the Kao-Ping River define the least cost approach to lake eutrophication control. A natural purification method, structural free water surface wetland, is also suggested to save more investment and improve river water quality at the same time.     

Evaluation of Locations for Small Wind Turbines in Costal Urban Areas Based on a Wind Energy Potential Map

The purpose of the study was to evaluate potential locations for the installation of small wind turbines in urban areas. Four study sites in An-Ping, Tainan were chosen for measurement in this empirical study. The measurement data were used to verify the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. The weather information was gathered in order to understand the overall wind environment in the studied area. CFD software was used to simulate the wind environment in the study area from 16 directions. The distribution of wind environment was first presented, and then the distribution of exceedance probability in each grid, which was based on an exceedance probability assessment, was obtained. In addition to the installation heights of the turbines, the influence of surrounding buildings was taken into consideration. Finally, a wind energy potential map indicating the potential regions and non-potential regions for installing small wind turbines was illustrated by the ArcGIS system. A wind energy potential map, superimposed with locations of buildings of different floor heights, was used to evaluate the possible sites for the installment of small wind turbines at heights of 10, 20, and 30 m. The results proved that installing micro wind turbines in open spaces and on the roofs of three-, four-, and five-story buildings at a height of 20 m is relatively beneficial for coastal urban areas.     

Exposure of arc-furnace-plant workers to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs)

This study aimed to evaluate serum polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) levels in electric-arc-furnace workers according to their corresponding occupational exposure. In addition, the ambient PCDD/Fs of the work environment were measured to provide additional support for the exposure and accumulation inside the electric arc furnace. The ambient PCDD/F concentrations inside the electric arc furnace were 1.557-1.917 pg-TEQ/Nm(3), 5-24 folds higher than those outside (0.080-0.385 pg-TEQ/N m(3)). In addition, higher average serum levels were measured in the workers with high occupational dioxin exposure (24.0 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid) than in those with lower occupational dioxin exposure (13.8 pg WHO-TEQ/g lipid). Higher PCDFs/PCDDs ratios were found in serum samples from high-exposure groups than in low-exposure groups. The higher ratio of PCDFs/PCDDs was also found in ambient samples consistent with other metallurgical processes reported previously. Our results suggest that PCDD/Fs exposure exits in the smelting process of electric arc furnace, and the occupational hygiene should be taken more seriously concern in that workplace.     

Relationship between carbonaceous materials and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the sediments of the Danshui River and adjacent coastal areas, Taiwan

Persistent organic pollutants, POPs (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls) can seriously and deleteriously affect environmental quality and human health. These organic pollutants are exhibiting high affinities to solid phases and thus, quickly end up in sediments. To better understand the role of carbonaceous materials in the transport and distributions of POPs in terrestrial and near-shore environments, concentrations of PCBs and carbonaceous materials (including total organic carbon, black carbon and total carbohydrates), were determined in surface sediments of the Danshui River and nearby coastal areas, Taiwan. Total concentrations of PCBs in the sediments ranged from non-detectable to 83.9 ngg(-1), dry weight, with the maximum value detected near the discharge point of the marine outfall from the Pali Sewage Treatment Plant. These results suggest that the sewage treatment plant has discharged PCBs in the past and the concentrations are still high due to their persistence; alternatively, PCBs are still being discharged in the estuarine and near-shore environment of the Danshui River. Organic carbon and black carbon concentrations correlated well with those of total PCBs in the sediments, suggesting that both organic carbon and black carbon significantly affect the distribution of trace organic pollutants through either post-depositional adsorption, or by co-transport of similar source materials. The field results demonstrate that black carbon and plays an important role in the general distribution of PCBs, while concentrations of some specific PCBs are affected by both black carbon and organic carbon concentrations.     

Effect of humic substance on thermal treatment of chromium(VI)-containing latosol soil

Latosol soils contaminated with chromium(VI) [Cr(VI)], which is hazardous, can be recycled as raw materials for porcelain and construction sectors if a proper thermal stabilization process is implemented. This study investigates how thermal treatment affects Cr behavior during the sintering of latosol and deorganic latosol samples; both samples are artificially contaminated with CrO3. Approaches including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, N2-based Brunauer Emmett Teller surface analyzer, thermogravimetric analyzer/differential scanning calorimeter, and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure promulgated by Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration are used in this study. After drying the Cr(VI)-contaminated latosol (i.e., containing 37,120 mg of Cr/kg sample) at 105 degrees C, approximately 80% of the doped CrO3 is chemically reduced to Cr(OH)3 by a humic substance naturally existing in the soil. In contrast, in the organics-free CrO3-contaminated latosol dried at 105 degrees C, only 9% of the doped CrO3 is reduced to Cr(OH)3. Heating the samples at 500 and 1100 degrees C transforms hazardous Cr(VI) into Cr(III) that is negligibly toxic; Cr2O3, which is insoluble, is detected as the most abundant Cr species. Moreover, formation of Cr2SiOs, which is suggested to relate to low Cr leaching, is only detected in the sample heated at 1100 degrees C. Surface morphology, surface area, and thermogravimetric analyzer/differential scanning calorimeter results demonstrate that thermal treatment at 1100 degrees C can incur considerable soil sintering/ melting if the humic substance in the soil has been heated off previously. Finally, Cr concentrations in the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure leachates collected from the samples thermally treated at 1100 degrees C for 4 hr are < or =0.21 mg of Cr L(-1) that are much less than the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration regulatory limit (<5 mg of Cr L(-1)); consequently, these two samples are nonhazardous, and they have the potential for resource recycling. Conversely, Cr concentrations in the leachates from all 500 degrees C and 105 degrees C samples are in the 25.6-1279 mg L(-1) range.     

Isolated right diaphragmatic eventration mimicking congenital heart disease in utero

Diaphragmatic eventration is the upward displacement of the abdominal viscera secondary to a thin or paralytic diaphragm. Its clinical presentations and radiographic pictures are similar to those of diaphragmatic hernia. Prenatal diagnosis of diaphragmatic eventration is extremely rare. A pregnant woman was referred to us because of abnormal cardiac findings noted at 20 weeks of gestation. A diagnosis of partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection was made on the basis of our findings of right atrial enlargement with an abnormal vascular channel drainage to it. The infant was born via cesarean section at 40 weeks and developed complications of cyanosis immediately after birth. Postnatal imaging studies and surgical findings disclosed right side diaphragmatic eventration with liver and associated vasculature upward displacement into the right pleural cavity. The cardiac structure was otherwise normal. We conclude that when an abnormal vessel tracing and unexplainable cardiac chamber asymmetry is encountered, diaphragmatic eventration should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses. Correct recognition and transferral to the hospital for neonatal assistance may lead to timely and appropriate management of these fetuses. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.