The epistemic authority of solution-oriented global environmental assessments

The effectiveness and influence of solutions oriented global environmental assessments (SOAs) rests on their legitimacy. Based on the GEA literature this piece reviews the legitimacy of GEAs and discusses its implications, and challenges and for the legitimacy of SOAs. This article is part of a special issue on solution-oriented GEAs.     

哈尔滨市中水回用问题浅析

哈尔滨市是一个严重缺水的城市,水资源短缺已成为制约哈尔滨市社会经济发展的主要因素。本文从哈尔滨市水资源短缺、经济发展和环境改善三个方面论述了哈尔滨中水回用的必要性,并对中水回用过程中存在的问题进行分析,提出了多种解决方案。     

污染源普查动态更新调查技术问题及解决对策分析

深刻剖析了2009年度污染源普查动态更新调查中有关技术层面的种种问题:技术路线不够完善,污染物核算方法不够灵活,产排污系数失真且使用随意,数据审核形同虚设等。针对上述问题,提出了以下对策:修正技术路线,调整污染物核算方法,动态更新产排污系数并约束使用,加强数据审核。技术问题的总结和解决为准确提供"十二五"减排基数和建立"十二五"环境统计技术体系奠定科学基础。     

城市河道水环境生态治理措施研究

近年来,城市化进程不断加剧,而生态环境也遭到了严重的破坏,特别是城市河道水环境的破坏,这也是当前急需解决的一项难题。在人们的日常生活和工作当中,水起着十分重要的作用,一旦城市河道出现问题,将会严重影响人们的正常生活,水资源的破坏是政府部门面临的主要困扰之一,也是阻碍城市经济发展的重要问题,为此,水利以及环保部门一定要采取措施进行解决,进而保证生态环境的发展。本文就城市河道水环境生态治理措施进行了深入分析和研究,以期为相关工作提供借鉴。     

Co-design of experimental nature-based solutions for decentralized dry-weather runoff treatment retrofitted in a densely urbanized area in Central America

The quality of water in many urban rivers in Latin America is increasingly degrading due to wastewater and runoff discharges from urban sprawl. Due to deficits in sanitary drainage systems, greywater is discharged to the stormwater drainage network generating a continuous dry-weather runoff that reaches rivers without treatment. One of the main challenges in the region is to achieve sustainable management of urban runoff for the recovery of rivers ecosystem integrity. However, retrofitting conventional centralized wastewater drainage networks into the existing urban grid represents important social, economic and technical challenges. This paper presents an alternative adaptive methodology for the design of Nature-based Solutions for decentralized urban runoff treatment. Through this study, technical solutions commonly used for stormwater management were adapted for dry-weather runoff treatment and co-designed for the particular conditions of a representative study area, considering space availability as the main constraining factor for retrofitting in urban areas. The application of a co-design process in a dense neighbourhood of the Great Metropolitan area of Costa Rica brought to light valuable insights about conditions that could be hindering the implementation of NBS infrastructures in Latin America.     

环境影响评价工作中的问题及解决途径

随着人们对环境问题的日益关注,环境影响评价工作(环评)的重要性日益凸显。当前,环评工作存在低效推进、从业人员素质偏低、公众片面参与等问题,这在一定程度上会影响环境保护效果。本文以现有问题为导向,提出相应的解决途径,旨在改善环境质量。     

温州市区交通噪声污染及控制对策

通过对温州市区5条主干道部分路段交通噪声的实地监测,在非交通高峰期,87.5%的测点监测值超过昼间70dB限值要求,其中31%的测点交通噪声属于重度污染.根据目前国内外噪声的各种控制方法,结合温州实际情况,提出了减轻噪声污染的一些措施和建议。     

环保设施社会化运营面临的问题及对策

从环保设施社会化运营的实际出发，认为环保设施社会运营风险难以确定，推广困难，自建与他建的区别对待，委托方与运营公司的利益冲突等是其在推广实施过程中遇到的主要问题和阻碍。文章分析了这些问题产生的原因，并提出了加强宣传推广、探索降低风险的措施，制度和健全相应的政策法规，尽快制定环保设施运营管理有关规范等相应的对策。     

Removal and recycling of copper from aqueous solutions using treated Indian barks

Removal of copper from aqueous solutions containing 100–1000 ppm, using different Indian bark species, was performed on laboratory scale. The percentage removal of metal ions depends on the solution pH, bark species and time. The efficiency of copper removal by the used raw barks increases with a rise of solution pH and reaches a maximum of about 65–78% around pH 4–5. However, the decontaminated aqueous solutions were colored due to the dissolution of soluble organic compounds contained in the raw bark. This increases the biological and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD) of the solutions as well as the total organic carbon content (TOC). For this reason, raw bark should be treated either by chemical or biological means. Such treatment will allow the extraction of the soluble organic compounds and increase the chelating capacity and efficiency of the treated bark. Depending on the pH value, the chelating efficiency of treated barks is about 1.2–2.2 times that of the raw ones. Moreover, the retention capacity of the Indian treated bark varies from about 42–51 mg/g of dry bark. It is equal to or higher than that of common European species. About 1.8 mols of H₃O⁺ are released, by the treated barks, for every mol of chelated copper ions. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations show uniform distribution of metal ions throughout the copper saturated bark. Infra red (IR) spectra suggest that the copper ions are chelated to hydroxyl and/or carboxyl functional groups of organic compounds contained in the treated bark. It seems that the interaction of the copper ions with the bark follows a cation exchange mechanism. This hypothesis is supported by elution experiments that allow recovery of about 99% of the contained copper. The retention capacity of the treated bark is almost constant after five cycles of chelation–elution, suggesting that the ‘life time cycle' is sufficiently long for continuous industrial application. The spent copper loaded barks can either be incinerated or pyrolysed. It generates solids containing either ≈80% of CuO or ≈14% of Cu°, respectively. Such materials can be used either in the secondary or primary copper production, thus offering a friendly environmental solution of effluents' treatment. The suggested process can be used as an alternative to the classical technologies for effluent decontamination. It is also efficient for polishing effluents treated by other methods.     

Solid Waste Management in Nigeria: Problems and Issues

/ This paper is a presentation of the problems of solid waste management in Nigeria and certain important issues that must be addressed in order to achieve success. At the core of the problems of solid waste management are the absence of adequate policies, enabling legislation, and an environmentally stimulated and enlightened public. Government policies on the environment are piecemeal where they exist and are poorly implemented. Public enlightenment programs lacked the needed coverage, intensity, and continuity to correct the apathetic public attitude towards the environment. Up to now the activities of the state environmental agencies have been hampered by poor funding, inadequate facilities and human resources, inappropriate technology, and an inequitable taxation system. Successful solid waste management in Nigeria will require a holistic program that will integrate all the technical, economic, social, cultural, and psychological factors that are often ignored in solid waste programs.KEY WORDS: Solid waste; Management; Problems; Solutions; Nigeria