Minimizing leakage from a smelter off-gas system by enhanced control

The off-gas handling system is a vital component of a smelter and it is essential that it operates in accordance with environmental regulations. A key feature of the off-gas management system is maintaining a slightly negative system pressure to prevent gas leakage, such as SO₂, out into the work and external environments. To enhance sustainable development, there is also growing interest in capturing and reusing the significant amount of heat and CO₂ contained within off-gas. The potential incorporation of heat and CO₂ recovery systems places importance on enhancing control to minimize the risk of both gas leakage and disturbance of the smelting process. With these requirements in mind, an easily implementable feedforward control enhancement to existing control schemes is proposed to help provide improved performance.     

ISO 14001 certification and financial performance: selection-effect versus treatment-effect

The paper explores the bi-directional relationship between ISO 14001 certification and financial performance with the aim of shedding light on whether better performance is due to the beneficial effects of ISO 14001 or due to selection-effects where better performance precedes accreditation. The study uses a five year longitudinal analysis to compare the financial performance of firms in Spain before and after certification. The results of a multivariate panel data analysis find that firms with better than average performance have a greater propensity to pursue accreditation but there is no evidence that improvements in performance follow certification. This suggests that the inference that environmental variables cause improved financial performance may be unwise in research studies that can only measure association.     

Carbon footprint of food - approaches from national input-output statistics and a LCA of a food portion

The aim of the study, on which this paper is based, was to provide guidance to consumers to make environmentally responsible choices in their food consumption, to assist food supply chain stakeholders to identify the key areas for environmental improvements, and to provide policy makers with a tool for monitoring the potential impacts on climate change resulting from developments within the food sector. At the macro level, the EIO-LCA model was developed specifically for the Finnish food chain; at the micro level, LCAs were performed on 30 lunch portions. The contribution of the Finnish food chain to climate change was 14%, which comprised 40% CO₂ emissions, 25% CH₄ emissions, and 34% N₂O emissions. The share of impacts from domestic agricultural processes was the highest, at 69%. The impact of a single lunch portion ranged between 0.65 and 3.80 kg of equivalent CO₂. According to the EIO-LCA model, the average impact was 7.7 kg CO₂ eq/person daily. The consumer phase accounted for between 8 and 47% of the climate change impacts for homemade portions. In ready-to-eat portions industry and retail phases were emphasized, representing 25-38% of climate change impacts. We present an approach to steer the Finnish food sector onto an environmentally sustainable path; practical tools for consumers and farmers will especially need to be developed further.     

Designing the sustainable product-service integration: a product-service blueprint approach

As a means for providing the sustainable production and consumption, the concept of product-service system (PSS) has received increasing attention. What is at the core in the PSS is the design, since it determines the distinctive characteristics and quality of PSS. Even though some tools have been suggested for PSS design, previous tools mainly focus on identifying the relationship between actors in a conceptual level. Despite the fact that it is significant and cannot be neglected, what is more important in a practical situation is to represent the detailed flow or relationship of PSS elements, with the consideration of products and services. In response, this paper proposes a ‘‘product-service blueprint’ which is a new and systematic way to elucidate the relationship between products and services, providing the implication of how PSS can provide the sustainable production and consumption. Employing the service blueprint as a starting point, new areas, lines, and symbols are introduced to represent the distinctive features of PSS. The proposed product-service blueprint represents the product use throughout the life cycle, service flow from the management to the customer, and the relationship between products and services. Taken together, the product-service blueprint will help both managers and researchers to promote the product-service integration under the concrete framework.     

1982-2006年新疆山地-绿洲-荒漠系统植被覆盖变化时空特征

植被覆盖变化在新疆山地-绿洲-荒漠系统(MODS)共存、平衡演变机制中扮演着重要角色。基于1982-2006年GIMMS/NDVI数据,提取新疆地区年最大植被覆盖指数(fvc),针对新疆MODS的基本格局,通过先地理分区再因海拔而异讨论,划分出山地、绿洲、荒漠子系统,对比分析不同分区不同子系统下fvc变化趋势、变率、变幅、变异性等时空动态特征。结果表明:新疆植被覆盖总体呈显著上升趋势,可分为1982-1995年的剧烈波动期和1996-2006年的相对平稳期,不同分区和子系统差异显著;在变幅和变异性上,东、南疆地区>北疆、伊犁地区,荒漠>山地>绿洲,植被覆盖度低的地区>植被覆盖度高的地区;显著改善的地区位于绿洲内部、绿洲的周边地区及部分山地,显著退化的地区大多位于东、南疆的荒漠区;不同植被覆盖度下植被覆盖变化具有不同特征,植被覆盖度低的地区,植被退化趋势明显,植被覆盖度高的地区,植被改善趋势明显。     

赤水河流域生物多样性保护现状和对策

基于对赤水河流域生物多样性的综合调研,分析了赤水河流域生物多样性的主要特征、流域生物多样性保护的现状、面临的机遇和潜在的压力,探讨了赤水河流域生物多样性保护的基本对策。提出赤水河流域生物多样性保护应在国家政策框架内,在流域综合管理理念指导下兼顾重点区域保护和生态廊道建设,探索流域尺度上生物多样性保护与流域社会经济协调有序发展的新型管理模式。     

国外水电环境认证制度对我国的借鉴意义

水电工程建设和运行对生态环境系统的影响是世界范围内十分关注的问题,中国水电事业的发展也开始进入生态制约阶段。建立水电工程的生态环境保护标准,推行生态环境认证制度,是降低水电工程不利生态影响的重要措施之一,国际上在这方面已经进行的实践对我国具有重要的借鉴意义。概要介绍了瑞士“绿色水电认证”和美国“低影响水电认证”的主要内容、技术标准和运行机制,并且对两者进行了比较和分析。在此基础上,分析了我国建立水电环境认证程序和推行水电生态环境保护标准的必要性及可行性,并且讨论了推行水电环境认证中可能存在的问题。     

促进江湖联系的闸口调度对策及影响区管理机制

我国传统的修堤建闸、抵御洪水的治河理念,阻断了江湖联系,造成湿地的生态萎缩。为改善湿地的生态环境,保护湿地的生物多样性,提出了新的多目标闸口调度机制,替代传统的、以防洪抗旱为目的的调度机制,力求促进江湖联系,增加湿地活力;为保障该机制的运行和实施,提出了闸口调度影响区的管理办法;并以涨渡湖为例进行了讨论。     

成都市城镇体系空间结构研究

成都市位于四川盆地的成都平原上,是我国为数不多的较典型的同心圆城市之一。目前,成都市的城市发展已经进入了工业化与城市化中期阶段。从空间结构理论入手,对成都市城镇体系的空间结构进行分析,结果显示：行政辖区内的14个郊县（区）呈现具有黄金分割特征的五边形结构,并可划分为5个五边形。它们分别是：龙泉驿-新都-郫县-温江-双流5个近郊县、区构成的卫星城镇环;大邑-崇州-邛崃-蒲江-新津5个郊县构成的远郊城镇环;以都江堰为共同顶点,由近郊卫星城镇与远郊县、区构成的2个五边形城镇环（郫县-新都-青白江-彭州-都江堰、郫县-温江-崇州-大邑-都江堰）,以及成都主城区东、南部尚待形成的五边形城镇体系结构。在理论上论证了成都市向东、向南发展的客观性、必然性。     

制度变迁框架下的耕地生态环境变化研究

从制度安排的角度考察耕地生态环境．通过设计关于农业发展和耕地生态环境的相关指标,从理论和实证角度分析我国建国以来历次制度变迁对农民行为和耕地生态环境的影响。认为土地制度和其他制度决定农民对“用地”和“养地”行为的选择。分析结果表明,不同的制度安排对我国耕地的数量和质量变化呈现出不同效应,地权的稳定性和其他制度会影响农民的用地行为．从而影响耕地生态环境。所以．保护耕地既要严格控制农用地转为建设用地的总量。又要设计适宜的农地产权制度和其他制度以促进农民主动养护耕地。