Design of Mass Exchange Network and Effluent Distribution System for effective water management

The environmental impact of industrial wastewater and higher cost of fresh water are the serious challenges faced by the process industries. It has led to the development of many new techniques to minimize fresh water consumption. Of the many approaches, which have been developed, the Water Source Diagram (WSD) is a flexible and dynamic alternative for the generation of different scenarios for the management of water networks with reduction in total consumption. In the present study WSD concept was coupled with water mains concept to mains simplify the piping network and reduce the cost. A new procedure was developed for integrating the effluent treatment processes to evolve Effluent Treatment Network. Example from literature having multi contaminants was considered. This simple procedure involving hand calculations will be a useful tool for process engineers to design water and effluent treatment networks. Also the WSD and ETN were combined to form an evolutionary WAMEN (Water Allocation and Mass Exchange Network) and the proposed WAMEN aims for minimum fresh water consumption.     

Evaluation of the International Vehicle Emission （IVE） model with on-road remote sensing measurements

Intemational Vehicle Emissions （IVE） model funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency （USEPA） is designed to estimate emissions from motor vehicles in developing countries. In this study, the IVE model was evaluated by utilizing a dataset available from the remote sensing measurements on a large number of vehicles at five different sites in Hangzhou, China, in 2004 and 2005. Average fuel-based emission factors derived from the remote sensing measurements were compared with corresponding emission factors derived from IVE calculations for urban, hot stabilized condition. The results show a good agreement between the two methods for gasoline passenger cars＇ HC emission for all 1VE subsectors and technology classes. In the case of CO emissions, the modeled results were reasonably good, although systematically underestimate the emissions by almost 12%-50% for different technology classes. However, the model totally overestimated NOx emissions. The IVE NOx emission factors were 1.5-3.5 times of the remote sensing measured ones. The IVE model was also evaluated for light duty gasoline truck, heavy duty gasoline vehicles and motor cycles. A notable result was observed that the decrease in emissions from technology class State II to State I were overestimated by the IVE model compared to remote sensing measurements for all the three pollutants. Finally, in order to improve emission estimation, the adjusted base emission factors from local studies are strongly recommended to be used in the IVE model.     

1951-2010年珠江流域洪水极值序列平稳性特征研究

水文序列的平稳性假设是传统水文统计学方法在水文序列分析研究中的基本假设,随着气候变化与人类活动对地表水文过程的影响,这种假设往往存在问题,使水文分析得出误导性结论。以珠江流域28个测站1951—2010年年最大洪峰流量序列为例,用Pettitt方法结合Loess参考函数检验序列中均值和方差变异,用Mann-Kendall(MK)和Spearman法检测时间趋势性,用广义可加模型(GAMLSS)和长期持续效应等具体分析序列的平稳性。研究结果表明:1均值/方差变异主要集中在西江和东江流域,变异时间分别集中在1990年左右和1968—1987年间;2变异点的存在与否对序列趋势检验结果有重要影响,在考虑变异点前提下,珠江流域年最大洪峰流量序列基本无显著趋势性;3在GAMLSS模型中,对于不具有和具有突变点序列,Gamma分布均为选择次数最多的最优极值分布,不具有突变点序列分布参数θ1或θ2非平稳模型与平稳模型差距较小,具有突变点序列则相反;4统计上检测出具有突变点或者显著时间趋势性的测站,同样检测出高Hurst系数,反之亦然。Hurst系数估计因样本容量较小具有较大不确定性。东江流域受流域内水利工程的剧烈影响,尽管检测出高Hurst系数,但仍认定为非平稳序列;西江干流主要受支流汇流和气候变化影响,高Hurst系数表明其水文过程可能是长期稳定过程中局部波动的结果。     

施工过程安全数字孪生模型的构建和应用*

为解决施工过程安全信息的虚实交互难题,降低施工过程安全风险,提出施工过程安全数字孪生模型。建立施工过程安全语义本体,分析施工过程安全关键知识要素;定义施工过程安全数字孪生五维模型,明确模型的构成和功能,基于物联网和有限状态机构建施工过程安全监控方法,并以塔吊顶升活动安全监控为例进行应用。研究结果表明:该模型能够实现塔吊顶升施工过程安全的数字化表达、参数化监测和自动化控制。     

Environmental protection, the economy, and jobs: national and regional analyses

The relationship between environmental protection (EP), the economy, and jobs has been an issue of harsh contention for decades. Does EP harm the economy and destroy jobs or facilitate economic growth and create jobs? We address this issue by summarizing the results of the Jobs and the Environment Initiative, research funded by nonprofit foundations to quantify the relationship between EP, the economy, and jobs. We estimate the size of the US environmental industry and the numbers of environment-related jobs at the national level and in the states of Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This is the first time that such comprehensive, detailed estimates have been developed.     

Defending dissensus: participatory governance and the politics of water measurement in Montana’s Yellowstone River Basin

The role of a particular aspect of collaboration, dissensus, in stimulating critical reconsideration of ‘prior appropriation’, a historically hegemonic condition related to water rights in the western United States, is examined via a collaborative planning effort in Montana. Consensual support for a water-use measuring proposal was undermined by strong libertarian resistance to governmental regulation, and an unwavering embrace of the status quo. However, based on insights from scholars engaged in the ‘post-political’ dimensions of contemporary forms of rule – dissensus – understood as the manifestation of consensus-forestalling disagreement articulated between oppositional voices – is revealed as a condition to be actively nurtured, rather than purged. This case reveals how dissensus can open discursive spaces for hegemony-disrupting modes of inquiry, alternative perspectives, and innovative possibilities, even among sanctioned participant voices operating within otherwise established, depoliticized governing arenas. The study thus deepens our understanding of the complex political dynamics of participatory water planning.     

Lake variability: key factors controlling mercury concentrations in New York State fish

A 4year study surveyed 131 lakes across New York State beginning in 2003 to improve our understanding of mercury and gather information from previously untested waters. Our study focused on largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and yellow perch, common piscivorous fish shown to accumulate high mercury concentrations and species important to local fisheries. Fish from Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve lakes generally had higher mercury concentrations than those from lakes in other areas of the state. Variability between nearby individual lakes was observed, and could be due to differences in water chemistry, lake productivity or the abundance of wetlands in the watershed. We found the following factors impact mercury bioaccumulation: fish length, lake pH, specific conductivity, chlorophyll a, mercury concentration in the water, presence of an outlet dam and amount of contiguous wetlands.     

The impact of state level behavioral regulations on traffic fatality rates

Introduction

A state by year panel is analyzed to simultaneously explore the statistical correlation between state level traffic fatality rates and state level behavioral regulations regarding teen licensing, seat belt use, and driving under the influence (DUI) in a model that also controls for other correlates.

Method

By including measures of all three of these policies, the estimated policy effects should not be overstated due to underspecification bias. The panel includes the 48 contiguous U.S. states for the time period from 1999 through 2003. State fatality rates are measured as fatalities per million miles traveled. Measures of state policies regarding traffic safety related behavior are based on information gathered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Estimates are calculated via a time fixed effects model that uses the double-log form to allow for interaction effects between the independent variables.

Results

Least squares estimates indicate that, on average, more restrictive graduated teen licensing and DUI policies significantly reduce traffic fatality rates, while stricter seat belt enforcement policies have a statistically insignificant negative impact on fatality rates.