The effectiveness and heterogeneity of carbon emissions trading scheme in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Some developed economies have run emission trading scheme (ETS) to mitigate carbon emissions. However, we know little about the effectiveness and...     

Evaluation of retrofit crankcase ventilation controls and diesel oxidation catalysts for reducing air pollution in school buses

This study evaluates the effect of retrofit closed crankcase ventilation filters (CCFs) and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) on the in-cabin air quality in transit-style diesel school buses. In-cabin pollution levels were measured on three buses from the Pueblo, CO District 70 fleet. Monitoring was conducted while buses were driven along their regular routes, with each bus tested three times before and three times after installation of control devices. Ultrafine number concentrations in the school bus cabins were 33–41% lower, on average, after the control devices were installed. Mean mass concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) were 56% lower, organic carbon (OC) 41% lower, elemental carbon (EC) 85% lower, and formaldehyde 32% lower after control devices were installed. While carbon monoxide concentrations were low in all tests, mean concentrations were higher after control devices were installed than in pre-retrofit tests. Reductions in number, OC, and formaldehyde concentrations were statistically significant, but reductions in PM2.5 mass were not. Even with control devices installed, during some runs PM2.5 and OC concentrations in the bus cabins were elevated compared to ambient concentrations observed in the area. OC concentrations inside the bus cabins ranged from 22 to 58 μg m^?3 before and 13 to 33 μg m^?3 after control devices were installed. OC concentrations were correlated with particle-bound organic tracers for lubricating oil emissions (hopanes) and diesel fuel and tailpipe emissions (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and aliphatic hydrocarbons). Mean concentrations of hopanes, PAH, and aliphatic hydrocarbons were lower by 37, 50, and 43%, respectively, after the control devices were installed, suggesting that both CCFs and DOCs were effective at reducing in-cabin OC concentrations.     

Fuel consumption, emissions estimation, and emissions cost estimates using global positioning data

The methodology laid out in this paper shows that typical operational data from vehicle fleets monitored by a global positioning system (GPS) can be used to estimate heavy-duty diesel vehicle (HDDV) emissions, thereby enabling waste managers and governing bodies to internalize the responsibility for socioenvironmental costs traditionally absorbed by external parties. Although municipal solid waste (MSW) collection vehicles are the subjects of this particular study, the methodology presented here can be applied to any fleet of vehicles monitored by GPS. This study indicates that MSW collection trucks may be considerably less fuel efficient in the field than published values for HDDV fuel efficiency suggest. The average fuel efficiency of one MSW collection truck was estimated as 0.90 +/- 0.44 km/L (2.12 +/- 1.03 mi/gal). This same truck would generate approximately 42 metric tons of CO2 equivalents/yr, which is comparable to the greenhouse gas emissions of a large sport utility vehicle driving six times the distance, in town, for a year. In terms of the impacts such emissions have, projections for the monetary cost of emissions are available but highly variable. They suggest that the external monetary costs of emissions range between 6 and 39% of the annual fuel costs for the studied MSW collection truck. The results of this study indicate a need for further research into valuation of the hidden, external costs of emissions, borne by local and global socioecological communities. The possible implications of this result include poorly advised fleet procurement decisions and underestimation of MSW collection fleet emissions.     

混凝土生态膜法污水处理工艺生物相及其水处理实验研究

研究了混凝土生态膜污水处理工艺的循环挂膜过程.综合考察了混凝土膜片表面生物膜的生长变化情况、细菌数量及其微型动物的组成演化.生物膜成熟以后,投加实际生活污水连续运行:COD的平均去除率为76.0%;BOD5平均去除率为94.9%,出水均小于8.00 mg/L;NH3-N的去处理效果明显,第5周达到54.1%,出水可达到广东省一级排放标准中的相关规定.     

A portable fiber-optic chemical device for the quantitative determination of carbon monoxide from automobile exhaust emissions

A colorimetric method for the quantitative determination of CO by diffuse reflectance is described. This method is based on the reduction by CO of Mo (VI) from the indicator reagent molybdosilicic acid (H8Si[Mo2O7]6). The reduction yielded a change of color from clear yellow to dark green on white disk filter chart paper wetted with reagent indicator solution. The gaseous mixture containing CO was forced to pass through this chart paper, initiating the reaction. The intensity of the color produced, measured by diffuse reflectance, was proportional to the CO concentration present in exhaust gases in the range from 0.02 to 12% volume/volume (v/v). A 650-nm light-emitting diode was used as a light source. A two-fiber-optic system carried the light from the source to the detection system, which was composed of a photodiode, an amplification circuit, and a digital display. The method was applied with success in field measurements for automobiles in the Otto cycle. In a previous paper, this method was used for the quantitative determination of exhaust emissions from diesel-fueled vehicles.     

推进污水处理厂减污降碳协同增效的措施和建议

污水处理厂对保护水环境、维护生态平衡、促进国民经济和城乡建设的发展、推进生态文明进步作出了巨大贡献。随着工业生产的发展以及水处理要求的变化,污水处理工艺技术发生了深刻变革,污水处理厂的运行管理目标已发生根本变化,已从减少污染物转向水的再利用、资源回收和低碳运行管理。污水处理过程涉及处理工艺、设备选型、运行管理控制等多方面,应多措并举协调推进污水厂高效稳定运行,并将污水处理融入到现代城市水循环体系中,释放以污水厂为核心的水系统新动能,引领多层面、多领域开展减污降碳协同增效工作,助力污水处理可持续发展。     

BAT and BEP as instruments for reducing emissions of unintentionally produced POPs and development of guidelines under the stockholm convention

The 6th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC 6), under the Stockholm Convention on POPs, gave an expert group the mandate to develop guidelines for the application and implementation of best available techniques (BAT) and best environmental practices (BEP) for the prevention and reduction of unintentionally produced and emitted POPs, including polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/-furans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). Measures to reduce or eliminate the release of these POPs to the environment can be found in Article 5 of the Convention. BAT and BEP are already being applied as emission reduction instruments in a number of industrialised countries and are elements of other major international treaties, e.g. the UN ECE Protocol on POPs and the Marine Convention's OSPAR and HELCOM, and of the EU Directive for Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC Directive). Existing concepts are presented and compared with the requirements of the Stockholm Convention. Consequences, perspectives and questions for the future intersessional work of the above-mentioned Expert Group are discussed.     

A review of the cost and effectiveness of solutions to address plastic pollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Plastic usage increases year by year, and the growing trend is projected to continue. However as of 2017, only 9% of the 9 billion tons of plastic...     

The challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution through energy sources: evidence from a panel of developed countries

The objective of the study is to investigate the long-run relationship between climatic factors (i.e., greenhouse gas emissions, agricultural methane emissions, and industrial nitrous oxide emission), air pollution (i.e., carbon dioxide emissions), and energy sources (i.e., nuclear energy; oil, gas, and coal energy; and fossil fuel energy) in the panel of 35 developed countries (including EU-15, new EU member states, G-7, and other countries) over a period of 1975–2012. In order to achieve this objective, the present study uses sophisticated panel econometric techniques including panel cointegration, panel fully modified OLS (FMOLS), and dynamic OLS (DOLS). The results show that there is a long-run relationship between the variables. Nuclear energy reduces greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; however, the other emissions, i.e., agricultural methane emissions and industrial nitrous oxide, are still to increase during the study period. Electricity production from oil, gas, and coal sources increases the greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; however, the intensity to increase emissions is far less than the intensity to increase emissions through fossil fuel. Policies that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases can simultaneously alter emissions of conventional pollutants that have deleterious effects on human health and the environment.     

输煤皮带负压吸尘设备及系统的改进研究

分析了输煤皮带负压吸尘设备及系统目前存在的主要问题 ,详细介绍了对该系统的改进措施和实际情况。     

A new systematic technique for retrofit of water network

This paper presents a new systematic technique for the retrofit of existing water network based on pinch analysis. This technique, which was applied on a paper mill, consists of three main steps: Network Diagnosis, Network Retrofit and Network Evolution. Network diagnosis step provides a good understanding of the existing water network through the use of a new tool called the Concentration Block Diagram (CBD). Next, modifications based on a set of pinch rules were performed on the existing water network to achieve the preliminary retrofit design. Finally, the preliminary retrofit design will go through an evolution to generate the final retrofit scheme. A paper making process case study was utilised to demonstrate the applicability of this new methodology. The results show that 55.5% of fresh water consumption and 65.7% of wastewater generation have been reduced, respectively, for the paper mill case study.     

The role of mechanical and biological treatment in reducing methane emissions from landfill disposal of municipal solid waste in the United Kingdom

In Europe, the European Union Landfill Directive aims to reduce the negative environmental impacts of landfilling. This is mainly to be achieved by reducing the quantity of organic matter deposited, through measures such as the separate collection and recycling of the organic waste stream or pretreatment of residual wastes before landfilling. Other than incineration or other thermal processes, mechanical biological treatment is playing an increasingly important role. This study was conducted to seek the benefits of municipal solid waste (MSW) pretreatment, as well as the differences in methane production from the landfilling of untreated and mechanically/biologically treated (MBT) MSW using GasSim simulation. Results demonstrated that methane production rates vary significantly among waste fractions. Those that contribute most to methane generation (organic material and potentially reusable or recyclable material) could be targeted and treated before landfilling. The statistic relationship from the first phase of the study indicated that to match the increasingly stringent landfill waste organic content allowance, local councils should prioritize the reduction/sorting of certain targeted fractions, such as paper, card, green waste, and other putrescibles from MSW. Moreover, mechanical treatment alone produces organic-rich waste called mechanically sorted organic residues (MSORs), which can be viewed as an organic content concentration process. Mechanically and biologically pretreated waste, on the other hand, differs significantly from untreated MSW and MSORs. This work demonstrated that if efficient mechanical-biological treatment is used, considerable reductions in biological activity, landfill gas production, and energy content/total organic carbon could be achieved. Using GasSim, reductions in methane production of >74% have been simulated if a 90% organic content reduction can be achieved during biological treatment on MSORs. A 50-60% organic content reduction by following biological treatment can turn MSOR properties only into normal MSW equivalent though considerably less volume.     

Assessment of control strategies for reducing volatile organic compound emissions from the polyvinyl chloride wallpaper production industry in Taiwan

This study attempts to assess the effectiveness of control strategies for reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emission from the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wallpaper production industry. In Taiwan, methyl ethyl ketone, TOL, and cyclohexanone have comprised the major content of solvents, accounting for approximately 113,000 t/yr to avoid excessive viscosity of plasticizer dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and to increase facility in working. Emissions of these VOCs from solvents have caused serious odor and worse air quality problems. In this study, 80 stacks in five factories were tested to evaluate emission characteristics at each VOC source. After examining the VOC concentrations in the flue gases and contents, the VOC emission rate before treatment and from fugitive sources was 93,000 and 800 t/yr, respectively. In this study, the semiwet electrostatic precipitator is recommended for use as cost-effective control equipment.     

Integrated management of ash from industrial and domestic combustion: a new sustainable approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy conversion

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work supports, for the first time, the integrated management of waste materials arising from industrial processes (fly ash from municipal solid...     

汽油车冷起动排气后处理技术

为满足即将实施密耦催化剂的国家第3阶段排放标准,汽油车排气冷起动问题显得尤为重要。采用如低起燃温度催化剂、密耦催化剂、HC捕集器、二次空气注入和电加热催化剂等在内的排气后处理技术,可以有效地减少污染物尤其是HC的排放。多种处理技术的结合和系统优化能够满足更加严格的排放标准。