Life cycle assessment based environmental impact estimation model for pre-stressed concrete beam bridge in the early design phase

The late rise in global concern for environmental issues such as global warming and air pollution is accentuating the need for environmental assessments in the construction industry. Promptly evaluating the environmental loads of the various design alternatives during the early stages of a construction project and adopting the most environmentally sustainable candidate is therefore of large importance. Yet, research on the early evaluation of a construction project's environmental load in order to aid the decision making process is hitherto lacking. In light of this dilemma, this study proposes a model for estimating the environmental load by employing only the most basic information accessible during the early design phases of a project for the pre-stressed concrete (PSC) beam bridge, the most common bridge structure. Firstly, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on the data from 99 bridges by integrating the bills of quantities (BOQ) with a life cycle inventory (LCI) database. The processed data was then utilized to construct a case based reasoning (CBR) model for estimating the environmental load. The accuracy of the estimation model was then validated using five test cases; the model's mean absolute error rates (MAER) for the total environmental load was calculated as 7.09%. Such test results were shown to be superior compared to those obtained from a multiple-regression based model and a slab area base-unit analysis model. Henceforth application of this model during the early stages of a project is expected to highly complement environmentally friendly designs and construction by facilitating the swift evaluation of the environmental load from multiple standpoints.     

An Linear Programming Model for Batch Optimization in the Ecological Zinc Production

This paper presents a mathematical model for solving the blending composition problem used in the zinc smelting process. The model proposes an objective function maximizing profit in terms of the total income from the sale of zinc on the market and the cost of producing zinc. In addition to the constraints contained in the basic mathematical model, the constraints, which are in accordance with the specific production process of zinc and environmental requirements, are developed. This paper proposes a model that can align three contradictory demands (technological, economic, and environmental) present in zinc production. The results, obtained by numerical experiments, confirm the assumption that it is possible to assemble such an optimal batch that will “reconcile” all contradictory demands. This model can be applied to other similar processes of production with minor changes.     

四川省毛河流域污染综合治理方案探讨

分析了四川省毛河流域各类污染源分布状况及水质现状,采用一维稳态单组分水质模型、多宾斯-坎普稳态模型,引入水文数据、水质监测数据、环境统计数据、社会统计公报数据,以Excel作为数据平台,对毛河水环境进行了动态模拟,反演出主要污染物降解系数。总结了毛河水环境目前存在的问题,并模拟计算了2种污染综合治理方案实施后对毛河水质的影响,确定了毛河流域水污染综合治理的重点以及制约因子。     

Developing an automated BIM-based life cycle assessment approach for modularly designed high-rise buildings

Modular construction has attracted increasing attention due to its energy and environmental benefits. Digital technologies such as building information modelling (BIM) have also been explored to generate and manage data through the lifecycle of buildings. Although research has been performed in the area of integrating BIM and modular construction, BIM-based automated lifecycle assessment (LCA) of prefabricated buildings remains unexplored. This study therefore aims to develop a BIM-based LCA method for prefabricated buildings incorporating different assessment levels with unique system boundaries and functional units. The developed approach can support automated assessments through all lifecycle phases of a prefabricated building. It is achieved through an automated process of creating parameters to merge LCA data into the building model, systematic zoning, model setup and impact estimation. This approach is applied to evaluate the energy and environmental performances of a case building in Hong Kong. The case study validated the efficiency of the developed BIM-based LCA method in providing a systematic and detailed assessment of modularly designed buildings. This study extends the knowledge in automated BIM-based LCA by addressing specific characteristics of prefabrication and promotes the incorporation of comprehensive and detailed LCA data into BIM models for improved design robustness and holistic performances of buildings. This validated approach will enhance the willingness of designers to apply LCA during the design stages for minimizing the energy and environmental impacts of both new and renovated buildings with prefabrication.     

湖泊微生物群落构建机制及研究展望

湖泊微生物生态过程研究是深入了解湖泊生态系统结构与功能的关键。论述了湖泊微生物多样性时空分布规律及群落构建机制研究进展,总结了微生物群落构建机制的分析方法,介绍了微生物生态网络构建原理及应用。群落构建机制分析方法分为统计分析法、模型推断法和生态网络分析法。统计分析法包括群落结构差异分析、群落结构-环境因子关联分析和方差分解分析等,此类方法能够初步识别驱动群落组成与结构时空差异的影响因子,判别空间因素与已知环境变量对群落构建过程的相对贡献;模型推断法包括中性群落模型方法和零模型方法等,能够进一步实现对群落构建生态过程的区分,量化和比较随机性因素及确定性因素的相对重要性;生态网络分析法可用于揭示物种共现模式,探究作为确定性因素的生物相互作用,也可用于物种-环境响应关系的研究,探究环境选择过程对群落结构的影响。     

滇池水环境质量综合评价方法

研究了2000—2017年滇池水环境质量时空变化和生态环境时空演替规律,结合滇池目前水环境质量监测工作要求,利用以往研究成果筛选出的36个评价指标,采用层次分析法,构建滇池水生态健康评价方法模型,得出滇池水生态健康评价标准,输入滇池湖体2011—2017年4个监测点位相关指标监测数据进行方法验证。验证结果表明,建立的评价方法能较为全面、准确、宏观地反映滇池水环境质量状况,与现有综合评价方法相比,能综合反映现有评价方法结果,且具有宏观、全面等优点,能很好地响应生物多样性变化,服务滇池的治理工作。     

天津滨海新区大气预警模型体系的构建

通过对多污染物种、多空间尺度范围、多时间尺度时效的动力-化学耦合模式预报预警系统的合理构建,通过科学的后期数据处理模块,实现对大气环境质量的预警预报,以期为天津滨海新区环境管理与监督提供科学的依据。     

An LCA-based environmental impact assessment model for regulatory planning

Assessing the environmental impact (EI) of regulatory planning (a lower tier in the Chinese urban planning system) has significant implications for improving the environmental performance of the future built environment. Current environmental impact assessments generally focus on microscale and macroscale, while mesoscale studies at region level are lacking. To fill this gap, this paper proposes an LCA-based environmental impact assessment model for regulatory planning, which focuses on embodied EI of urban construction and operational EI associated with the operation of the built environment. To ensure the regulatory plans both meet the environmental limits and fit well with environmental policy requirements, this paper also presents a new impact analysis method by integrating environmental carrying capacity analysis and distance to target method. The Statutory Plan of Shenzhen Futian Free Trade Zone 03-T2 is used as a case study to test and demonstrate the applying process and functions of the proposed method. Results indicate that the proposed model can effectively quantify the future environmental impact associated with a regional development plan, and can potentially be used as a tool for urban administrators to make decisions on regulatory planning revision and provide references for environmental management.     

Environmental assessment of water,chemicals and effluents in leather post-tanning process: A review

The leather industry has significant consumption of water and chemicals and generates liquid effluents with a high pollution load. This study aims to contribute to the advance of liquid effluents, water, and chemicals management in tanneries since the assessment of these environmental issues for each step of the post-tanning process remains unknown. Forty-three post-tanning formulations were obtained from scientific papers, catalogs from chemical manufacturers and tanneries, and their data were analyzed. Results showed an average chemical consumption of 360.2 kg per ton of shaved leather. Retanning and fatliquoring steps are the largest chemical consumers. The average water demand of this process is 8.6 cubic meters per ton of shaved leather, with washing responsible for the highest consumption. The raw wastewater is poorly biodegradable, with high conductivity and elevated concentration of salts. The results obtained in this study contribute to reduce the environmental impacts of leather post-tanning, guiding future studies aiming to optimize this process.     

Air Quality Monitoring and Management in Lisbon

The environmental decision-making process is related with the interpretation of data both in spatial and temporal dimensions. This paper presents a methodology that integrates the time-space framework of air quality data to infer the temporal pattern and spatial variability that could be interpreted for environmental decision purposes. Variograms that accommodate time and space lags were used for the analysis and proved to be effective. Its environmental meaning, in particular its relationship with traffic patterns is discussed. Data from air quality monitoring stations located in the central part of Lisbon were used in this study. It describes a strategy to identify the type of vehicles responsible for certain pollutant levels, particularly for nitrogen oxides, and discusses the application of new air quality European legislation to the city of Lisbon, Portugal.     

城市区域水污染物排放核查方法与案例研究

城市水污染物排放信息是城市水环境保护决策和管理的依据,但城市水污染控制的外部性使城市水污染物排放信息产生失真风险,需要对城市区域水污染物排放信息核查。通过高质量数据对低质量数据的核查,用基于监测的水污染物入河量数据核查基于环境统计申报与排污系数的水污染物入河量数据,完善了城市区域水污染物排放核查方法。案例分析结果显示,环境统计COD入河排放量明显偏小。建议水污染物排放统计以入河量为核心,建立入河排污口监测体系,编制核查技术规范,实施区域污染物排放核查。     

滇池水环境质量综合评价指标优选

在研究2000—2014年滇池流域水污染排放的时空变化、水环境质量时空变化和生态环境时空演替基础上,结合滇池目前水环境质量监测工作要求,采用模型计算、指标特性分析、专家调查等方法,筛选出36个评价指标,分别表征滇池水环境质量的物理、化学、生物、营养、重金属、有机污染等特性,将滇池湖体4个监测点位优选出的评价指标监测数据输入水生态健康评价系统。结果表明,优选指标和评价体系能全面、准确、宏观地反映滇池水环境质量状况。将滇池评价指标由现有的94个压缩至36个,极大节省人力、物力,且更符合滇池水环境特点。     

Ground temperature estimations for Bolu,Turkey

The approximation of the soil temperature profile may be considered for many energy, environmental, and agriculture applications. In this study, temperature approximation model of ground in Bolu is developed. Unsteady state one-dimensional semi-infinite solid model is used to calculate temperature variation in ground. The results of the temperature equation which are obtained by using analytical method are compared with experimental data obtained from The Turkish State Meteorological Service. Developed model to predict soil temperature variation for Bolu has been solved by using MATLAB computer program. Satisfactory agreement is observed between them.     

Assessing the impact of environmental regulation and environmental co-governance on pollution transfer: Micro-evidence from China

Pollution transfer is widespread in various countries. If differences in environmental regulation intensity exist across different regions in a country, pollution transfer may occur. Based on data from Chinese enterprises, this study constructs a comprehensive index of environmental regulation and the degree of environmental co-governance at the enterprise level and uses a panel probit model, the two-stage least squares method, and an interaction regression model to assess the effect of environmental regulation and environmental co-governance on pollution transfer. The probability of enterprise migration increases as environmental regulation intensity increases, confirming the pollution transfer effect of environmental regulation. The analysis of the influencing mechanism shows that environmental regulation can reduce the probability of pollution transfer through the “innovation compensation effect” and improve the probability of enterprise migration through the “compliance cost effect”. In addition, under the condition of established environmental regulation, environmental co-governance can reduce the probability of enterprise migration, inhibit the transfer of pollution to nearby areas, and improve the efficiency of environmental governance. This study is conducive to assessing the policy effectiveness of environmental regulation and provides a reference for other countries regarding pollution transfer.     

WARM: a European model for energy and environmental analysis

This paper describes the structure of a newly developed econometric, imperfectly competitive, general equilibrium model for the medium term study of energy and environmental problems. The geographical coverage of the model regards twelve European countries as well as the European Union as a whole. Compared to existing quantitative E3 (economy-energy-environment) models, the WARM model is characterized by a few novel and relevant features Firstly, in contrast to multicountry interlinked models, it copes with the international dimension by integrating differences from a common European denominator within a unified and homogeneously designed framework. A panel data estimation approach is used to achieve this objective. Secondly, in contrast to the traditional market-based philosophy of many econometric models, it adopts a perspective focused upon economic agents' decisions. Thirdly, in contrast with the practice of modelling technical progress as an exogenous and deterministic phenomenon, it incorporates an explicit attempt of modelling the sources and effects of endogenous technical change. A Kalman filter latent variable approach is the methodology from which statistical information on the dynamics of technical progress can be obtained. Finally, all markets in the model are imperfectly competitive, including the labour market where the wage bargaining process is explicitly modelled and estimated. This last feature is especially important in view of the European unemployment problem.     

水源地水污染风险等级判别方法及应用

以广西柳州市柳南水厂水源地为研究对象,建立了水源地风险等级判别模型,模型主要考虑企业风险等级,以及风险影响后水源地水质超标倍数、水质超标持续时间、污染团到达时间等因子,模型参数根据调查及分析得到。通过风险判别模型,计算得到柳南水厂取水口的风险等级,为该区域进行环境风险管理提供了技术支撑。     

Emissions from gas processing platforms to the atmosphere-case studies versus benchmarks

This study compares oil and gas industry benchmark non-methane volatile organic compounds emission data with predicted and reported emissions from a number of recent case studies. Specifically, we contrast predicted emissions from the Tamar and Leviathan processing platforms in the Eastern Mediterranean with actual emissions where available, and with a compilation of industry benchmarks. This work reveals a series of flaws in the adopted EIA practices in the case studies discussed, starting from the emissions model that grossly underestimates intermittent NMVOC and benzene emissions relative to available data from other sites, and the unrealistic assumption of a constant and uniform emission profile in contrast to real world emission scenarios that are characterized by discrete large emission events. Furthermore, the dispersion model used in the EIAs as part of the request for a business (emissions) permit has a number of significant failings, including the use of an unsuitable model, use of over-simplistic meteorological inputs, and lack of consideration of critical dispersion phenomena. This study highlights the need to rethink the currently used environmental impact assessment and atmospheric permit request methodologies in the oil and gas industry, which rely on unrealistic uniform emission models.     

环境监测点位“组合校验码”编码模型及编码管理系统设计

分析了环境监测点位编码管理中存在的问题,提出科学合理的编码应该是具有科学性、唯一性、稳定性、简明性、规范性、可扩展性等特点。设计了一种简单"组合校验码"模型来适应不同环境要素类型的环境监测工作需要。同时,设计了一套覆盖各层级环境监测机构,各种环境要素类型,适应市场化监测服务,满足不同点位管控类别的编码管理系统来支撑"组合校验码"模型的使用,通过该系统可以有效解决环境监测数据集成程度低、共享困难等问题。     

高速公路交通噪声预测模型探讨

针对我国当前广泛使用的2种高速公路噪声预测模型《06规范》预测模型与《09导则》预测模型在预测时比较研究,重点利用环境现状监测数据分别对2种模型验证与对比分析.结果表明,2种模型预测值与实测值相差3dB ～5dB,车流量＞ 300辆/h,《09导则》更接近实测值;在夜间车流量＜300辆/h,《06规范》更接近实测值,2种模型结合采用《06规范》计算的车速,距离衰减考虑车流量的大小,在此基础上应用《09导则》,预测结果与实测值更为接近.     

Decision support system for monitoring environmental-human interactions

The specific aim of this study is to investigate popular attitudes toward trees. The paper is involved the understanding of biophilia tendencies with respect to people's views in an urban area. Biophilia is considered as the idea insisting on the dependency of human identity on his relationship with nature. The biophilia fundamental tendencies were explored to establish a biological framework for valuing and affiliating the natural world. Accordingly, the nine tendencies i.e. utilitarian, naturalistic, ecologistic-scientific, aesthetic, symbolic, humanistic, moralistic, dominionistic, and negativistic were investigate to find out how people relate to the nature especially trees. The investigation was based on a quantitative interview which was applied to the public population in the Liverpool urban parks. Data collected from the designed questionnaire was followed by analysis of the data to identify people's attitudes towards trees. The results indicated how important the physical appeal and beauty of trees was for the people and also showed the people's emotional attachments to trees. Furthermore, a decision support model was proposed to evaluate human instincts and preferences in relation to their surrounding areas using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). The proposed model composed the environmental factors and the biophilia tendencies as the criteria of evaluating environmental-human interactions. A case study was then conducted in Liverpool parks to examine theses interactions. The data gathered was used as the input to the AHP model for the attribute analysis. The AHP model would enable environment managers to compose the relevant information via a link between human feelings about urban trees, and environmental factors for monitoring purposes and performance analysis.