Degradation of monofluorophenols in water irradiated with gaseous plasma

Decomposition of aqueous monofluorophenols (MFPs) was investigated by contact glow discharge electrolysis (CGDE). During CGDE, both MFPs and the corresponding total organic carbon (TOC) in water were consumed smoothly, suggesting that carbon atoms of benzene nucleus could be eventually mineralized to inorganic carbon (IC). And all the fluorine atoms in the MFPs were equally converted to fluoride ions. Based on the primary intermediates from each starting materials, it showed that aromatic hydroxylation preferentially occurred at the para- or ortho- position to the phenolic OH group of each MFPs. The disappearance of both MFPs and TOC followed the first-order rate law. The apparent rate constants for the decay of MFPs were independent from the pK_a values of MFPs.     

Differences in rheological and fractal properties of conditioned and raw sewage sludge

Rheological tests for raw and conditioned activated sludge(AS) or anaerobic digested sludge(ADS) show that power-law relationships can be used to describe the evolution of several rheological parameters,i.e.,limiting viscosity(η∞),yield stress(τy),cohesion energy of the sludge network(Ec),and storage modulus(G’),with total suspended solid(TSS) content in raw and conditioned sludge.A gel-like structure that behaves similar to weak-link flocs/aggregates was observed in AS and ADS.As derived from the double-logarithmic plots of G’-TSS content,the mass fractal dimensions of the raw and conditioned AS or ADS flocs/aggregates were 2.70 and 2.53 or 2.85 and 2.79,respectively.The rheological tests also indicate that both polymer conditioning and increased TSS content led to improved elastic behavior,cohesion energy,and yield stress of the sludge network,as well as expanded the corresponding linear viscoelastic range.The porosity of AS or ADS flocs/aggregates will be improved by polymer conditioning.     

基于韦伯-费希纳定律的空气质量普适韦伯指数公式

在适当设定各项空气污染物浓度"参照值"cj0的基础上,用相应于"参照值"cj0的污染物的"规范值"xj作为基于韦伯-费希纳(W-F)定律空气质量指数公式中的污染刺激量。由于各污染物同级标准的浓度"规范值"xjl差异不大,从而可以认为各污染物的韦伯指数公式等效于一个具有共同适用的韦伯常数α的W-F指数公式,并采用粒子群(PSO)算法优化得出α,得到对7项空气污染物皆适用的空气质量普适韦伯指数公式。该公式应用于多个实例分析,并与多种其它评价方法的评价结果比较表明,空气质量普适韦伯指数公式具有简单、实用和直观的特点。     

Environmental Damage,Abandoned Treaties,and Fossil-Fuel Dependence: The Coming Costs of Oil-and-Gas Exploration in the “1002 Area” of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Contrary to claims from American politicians, lobbyists, and oil and gas executives, allowing energy development in the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will harm the environment, compromise international law, erode the social significance of wilderness protection, and ultimately fail to␣increase the energy security of the United States. After exploring a brief history of the ANWR controversy, this piece argues that the operation of oil and gas refineries in ANWR will release discharged solids, drilling waste, and dirty diesel fuel into the ecosystem’s food-chain, as they have from oil operations in Prudhoe Bay. Less obvious but equally important, oil and gas exploration in ANWR will violate a number of international treaties on biodiversity protection. In the end, development in ANWR will threaten the concept of wilderness protection, and will do little to end US dependence on foreign sources of energy. About the Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He works as a research analyst for the Consortium on Energy Restructuring and is a Senior Research Fellow for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research. He also just completed a Graduate Fellowship in Energy Policy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Efficient and Practical Approaches to Ground‐Water Right Transfers Under the Prior Appropriation Doctrine and the Snake River Example1

Abstract: Water right transfers are one of the basic means of implementing changes in water use in the highly appropriated water resource systems of the western United States. Many of these systems are governed by the Prior Appropriation Doctrine, which was not originally intended for application to ground‐water pumping and the conjunctive management of ground water and surface water, and thus creates an administrative challenge. That challenge results from the fact that ground‐water pumping can affect all interconnected surface‐water bodies and the effects may be immeasurably small relative to surface water discharge and greatly attenuated in time. Although we may have the ability to calculate the effects of ground‐water pumping and transfers of pumping location on surface‐water bodies, mitigating for all the impacts of each individual transfer is sufficiently inefficient that it impedes the transfer process, frustrates water users, and consequently inhibits economic development. A more holistic approach to ground‐water right transfers, such as a ground‐water accounting or banking scheme, may adequately control transfer third‐party effects while reducing mitigation requirements on individual transfers. Acceptance of an accounting scheme can accelerate the transfer process, and possibly reduce the administrative burden.     

基层环境执法中环境行政强制问题的探讨

环境行政强制包括环境行政强制措施和环境行政强制执行.在基层环境执法实践中,环境行政强制措施尤其是环境行政强制执行存在许多困惑和问题,拓展环境行政强制措施,给予环保部门一定的行政强制执行权是提高基层环境执法效率和遏制环境污染的有效途径.     

综合资源立法是资源可持续利用的法律保证

资源的有效保护和永续利用在我国可持续发展战略中占有十分重要的地位。本文分析了我国资源法制建设中存在的问题，阐述了综合资源立法在资源法制建设体系中的意义。     

我国强制性清洁生产审核法律政策形成过程的研究与分析

在资源短缺和环境容量不足的双重约束下。清洁生产成为我国工业可持续发展的必然选择，而清洁生产制度的制定和完善一是促进我国清洁生产向纵深发展的关键。本文回顾了我国清洁生产领域相关政策法规的制定和实施情况，对存在的问题进行了总结分析。并对2005年12月13日国家环保总局出台的《重点企业清洁生产审核程序的规定》做了重点说明,提出了目前面临的主要任务。     

乡村人居环境系统韧性的演变规律及其提升路径——以国家城乡融合发展试验区重庆西部片区为例

以国家城乡融合发展试验区——重庆西部片区为研究区,以2009年、2014年、2019年为研究时点,以2009—2019年为研究时段,按照思想缘起、理论基础、实证演绎、提升路径的研究思路,建立乡村人居环境系统韧性测度的指标体系,分析其演变规律。研究结果表明：2009—2019年,重庆西部片区的乡村人居环境系统韧性水平不断上升,呈现出“南高北低”的空间格局。各子系统韧性在时间上呈现出不同程度的增长趋势,在空间上差异明显：自然系统韧性与人类系统韧性分别呈现出“由南向北递减”和“东西部向中部递减”的空间格局;居住系统韧性与支撑系统韧性则分别呈现出由“低值点缀分布”逐渐过渡到较为均衡和“普遍均衡、高低值点缀”的空间格局;社会系统韧性表现为“西部增强、东部减弱”的空间格局特征。借助障碍度模型对重庆西部片区乡村人居环境系统韧性提升的障碍因子及不同区县面临的主导障碍进行诊断,根据结果将重庆西部片区划分为单一主导障碍型、双重障碍型与三层障碍型三种类型,据此设计乡村人居环境系统韧性提升的差异化路径,以期打破重庆西部片区乡村人居环境系统韧性提升的多重制约。     

公众参与环境保护制度属性及制度模块构建

民主政治是公众参与制度的出发点和归宿,通过公众的有效参与,环境执法权得到监督;有序是公众参与制度的自然属性,有序才能使参与变得顺畅;利益均衡是公众参与制度的价值准则,环境矛盾最终体现为环境利益和经济利益之争,解决环境纠纷的最佳手段是寻找利益均衡点;政府居于环境执法的主导地位,同时发挥指导、引导、疏导公众和企业的作用;多重沟通平台是公众参与制度的效率保证,政府、企业、公众在执法前后的多重沟通,才能达到参与的最终目标。与公众参与环境执法制度属性相对应的是制度模块建设,如监督制度、程序制度、纠纷调处制度、润性执法制度以及沟通制度等。这些制度既能准确反映公众参与环境执法制度属性,又能完成制度赋予的使命。