A Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (CED), life cycle based,for industrial waste management decision making

Life cycle thinking is a good approach to be used for environmental decision-support, although the complexity of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies sometimes prevents their wide use. The purpose of this paper is to show how LCA methodology can be simplified to be more useful for certain applications.In order to improve waste management in Catalonia (Spain), a Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (LCA-based) has been used to obtain four mathematical models to help the government in the decision of preventing or allowing a specific waste from going out of the borders. The conceptual equations and all the subsequent developments and assumptions made to obtain the simplified models are presented.One of the four models is discussed in detail, presenting the final simplified equation to be subsequently used by the government in decision making.The resulting model has been found to be scientifically robust, simple to implement and, above all, fulfilling its purpose: the limitation of waste transport out of Catalonia unless the waste recovery operations are significantly better and justify this transport.     

环境健康价值评估中的年龄效应研究

在环境健康价值评估研究中,统计寿命价值和年龄之间的关系是理论和实证研究焦点之一,也是重要的学术问题。长久以来,环境政策效益评估中是否应该赋予老年人较低的统计寿命价值一直存在广泛争议,且尚未得到一致性结论。通过设计选择实验,对北京市空气质量改善的健康效益进行了抽样调查,并采用MNL模型对北京市约500个居民的调查数据进行回归分析,估算了不同年龄人群对健康风险减少的支付意愿,针对中国人群中统计寿命价值和年龄之间的关系进行实证探讨。结果表明:一方面,在总体样本中设置年龄虚拟变量,回归结果表明年龄变量系数的符号均显著为负,即年龄因素对减少空气污染带来的死亡风险降低的支付意愿具有显著的影响,年龄越大支付意愿相对越小;另一方面,不同年龄人群分组样本结果显示,统计寿命价值与年龄之间呈现"倒U型"关系,统计寿命价值在中国存在"老年折扣"现象。研究结果可为我国环境政策的健康效益分析中如何考虑年龄的影响提供重要依据。     

Challenges to liberalism: The case of Australian energy policy

This paper considers liberal and nationalist economic policy approaches to the ownership and development of Australian energy resources (oil, gas, coal and uranium). In the two decades prior to 1983, Australia pursued economic policies in relation to its energy resources which could broadly be described as ‘nationalist’. Governments of the day intervened in development decisions in an effort to enhance the ‘national interest’. From 1983, along with the deregulation of the Australian economy as a whole, policy relating to energy resources was liberalised. Development of energy reserves henceforth occurred according to the dictates of the market. This paper argues that recent Australian energy policy initiatives reflect an increase in nationalist influences and a retreat from the liberalisation agenda that dominated energy policy making in the 1980s and 1990s. Three examples are discussed where policy has been influenced by a nationalist framework: (1) the domestic gas reservation policy in Western Australia; (2) Australian government efforts to promote a ‘value adding’ nuclear processing industry and (3) Australian Labor Party policy giving preferential financial incentives for gas to liquids projects. The re-emergence of nationalism in Australia is occurring either because policy makers now favour it as a path to energy security or in some cases because they believe that appeals to nationalism will generate political support.     

南水北调中线水源地不同植被类型坡地土壤水分特征研究

为了解不同植被类型土壤水资源的变化规律，选择南水北调中线水源区宁陕县寨沟区域典型植被针阔混交林、针叶林、板栗林、灌木林、荒坡草地和坡耕地为研究对象，通过样地调查与实验分析的方法对其土壤水分物理特征及有机质含量进行测定研究。结果表明，各种有林地的土壤容重、孔隙度和有机质等理化特征均优于荒坡和坡耕地；针阔混交林土壤含水量最高，蓄水能力明显好于其它植被类型；在垂直剖面上，各种植被类型坡地土壤含水量和饱和蓄水量随土壤深度的增加基本呈递减趋势，但有林地下降幅度较大，表层含水量明显高于荒坡与坡耕地表层。由此可见，在涵养水源方面，针阔混交林最好，针叶林、板栗林与灌木林次之，荒坡与坡耕地较差。     

Filterability of oil sands tailings

In Canadian oil sands mining operations, bitumen is extracted from oil sands using the hot water extraction process, which produces tremendous amounts of tailings. Currently, these tailings are disposed of in large ponds, in which coarse particles settle out relatively quickly and fine particles remain suspended in water and settle very slowly. After years of settling, the fine particles form a stable suspension in water known as mature fine tailings (MFTs). Long-term storage of the MFT is costly and poses a major environmental liability.Oil sands companies are now actively investigating different approaches to replace or reduce the use of oil sands tailings ponds. Filtration of the tailings to produce “dry tailings” for stacking is now being investigated as an alternative by a number of companies. Fast water drainage is a critical step for the filtration process. In this paper, we use simple laboratory-scale filtration tests to evaluate the filterability of the oil sands tailings and to generate a parameter that can be used in filtration scale-up. It was found that the filterability of the original coarse oil sands tailings was relatively low. However, after the fines are flocculated with the coarse particles to form uniform flocs the filterability was improved by several orders of magnitude. The results demonstrate that filtration of the flocculated coarse tailings to produce the “dry” stackable tailings may be viable.     

Can we gain precision by sampling with probabilities proportional to size in surveying recent landscape changes in the Netherlands?

Seventy-two squares of 100 ha were selected by stratified random sampling with probabilities proportional to size (pps) to survey landscape changes in the period 1996–2003. The area of the plots times the urbanization pressure was used as a size measure. The central question of this study is whether the sampling with probabilities proportional to size leads to gain in precision compared to equal probability sampling. On average 1.03 isolated buildings per 100 ha have been built, while 0.90 buildings per 100 ha have been removed, leading to a net change of 0.13 building per 100 ha. The area with unspoiled natural relief has been reduced by 2.3 ha per 100 ha, and the length of linear relicts by 137 m per 100 ha. On average 74 m of linear green elements have been planted per 100 ha, while 106 m have been removed, leading to a net change of −31 m per 100 ha. For the state variables ‘unspoiled natural relief', ‘ linear relicts', ‘removed linear green elements', and ‘new – removed linear green elements' there is a gain in precision due to the pps-sampling. For the remaining state variables there is no gain or even a loss of precision (`new buildings', ‘removed buildings', ‘new – removed buildings', ‘new linear green elements'). Therefore, if many state variables must be monitored or when interest is not only in the change but also in the current totals, we recommend to keep things simple, and to select plots with equal probability.     

藻类水华对太湖梅梁湾不同粒径有机组分结构的影响

运用过滤和切向流超滤系统,分离得到2009年8月至2010年8月每月的太湖梅梁湾不同粒径水体有机物,测定了水体中颗粒态有机碳,高分子量和低分子量可溶解性有机碳的含量,并同步分析了叶绿素浓度,水体中各种有机物的碳氮比值和中性单糖含量.对不同形态有机碳浓度的比较发现颗粒态有机碳是太湖碳存在的主要形式.统计分析结果表明叶绿素浓度与颗粒态有机碳之间具有显著的相关性,说明浮游植物是颗粒态有机物的主要来源.此外高分子量可溶性有机物的碳氮比值和中性单糖含量均相对较高,这表明该有机碳的生物可利用性比其它形态的水体有机碳高.     

三峡库区典型退耕还林模式土壤养分流失控制

选择三峡库区典型退耕还林模式,包括园地(茶园)及林地(板栗)与原有坡耕地对照,观测并分析其土壤养分(氮磷)输出途径及数量情况,以评估实施退耕还林工程对流域土壤养分输出的影响.结果表明:1退耕后土壤养分氮磷年流失量(包括随泥沙和地表径流流失的量)减少;总氮(TN)年输出量从大到小依次为坡耕地(2 444.27 g·hm-2)茶园地(998.70g·hm-2)板栗林地(532.61 g·hm-2);总磷(TP)为坡耕地(1 690.48 g·hm-2)茶园地(488.06 g·hm-2)板栗林地(129.00 g·hm-2);与坡耕地比较,退耕还林模式(园地、林地)总氮、总磷年输出载荷分别减少了68.68%和81.75%.2茶园地、板栗林地与坡耕地相比,土壤养分速效态氮流失量明显减少,硝态氮(NO-3-N)输出总量依次为坡耕地(113.79g·hm-2)茶园地(73.75 g·hm-2)板栗林地(56.06 g·hm-2);铵态氮(NH+4-N)养分输出次序为茶园最大(69.34 g·hm-2),坡耕地次之(52.45 g·hm-2),板栗林地最小(47.23 g·hm-2).3硝态氮、铵态氮主要通过地表径流输出,所占总量比例分别为91.4%和92.2%;总氮和总磷主要通过泥沙输出,所占总量比例分别为86.6%和98.4%.通过退耕还林等措施,该地区地表径流以及土壤侵蚀输出明显减少,土壤养分流失得到有效控制.     

基于好氧甲烷氧化菌的反硝化效能及微生物群落研究

采用气体循环序批式生物膜反应器（gcSBBR）,构建反硝化型甲烷好氧氧化（AME-D）系统.考察了进水氮负荷的影响,发现氮负荷为0.075kg/（m³·d）时,硝酸盐氮去除率达到98.93%,其反硝化速率为74.25mg/（L·d）,系统的甲烷日平均消耗量为35.91%（初期为50%）;扫描电子显微镜（SEM）分析结果显示,系统中的微生物主要以短杆菌（12~18 μm）为主,并存在少量的丝状菌（长150~200μm）;16S rRNA高通量测序结果显示,该系统中的甲烷氧化菌为Methylocaldum、Methylomonas、Methylococcus和Methylococcaceae_unclassified,反硝化菌为Denitratisoma、Hydrogenophaga、Azoarcus、Thiobacillus和Rhodobacter,其中主要的功能微生物为Methylocaldum、Denitratisoma和Hydrogenophaga,系统对氮的去除是由好氧甲烷氧化菌与反硝化菌协同实现.此外,系统中存在大量以甲醇和甲基胺类物质为生长基质的Methylophilaceae_uncultured（30.4%）.