Solar energy harvesting in the epicuticle of the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)

The Oriental hornet worker correlates its digging activity with solar insolation. Solar radiation passes through the epicuticle, which exhibits a grating-like structure, and continues to pass through layers of the exo-endocuticle until it is absorbed by the pigment melanin in the brown-colored cuticle or xanthopterin in the yellow-colored cuticle. The correlation between digging activity and the ability of the cuticle to absorb part of the solar radiation implies that the Oriental hornet may harvest parts of the solar radiation. In this study, we explore this intriguing possibility by analyzing the biophysical properties of the cuticle. We use rigorous coupled wave analysis simulations to show that the cuticle surfaces are structured to reduced reflectance and act as diffraction gratings to trap light and increase the amount absorbed in the cuticle. A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was constructed in order to show the ability of xanthopterin to serve as a light-harvesting molecule.     

Environmental assessment of solar thermal collectors with integrated water storage

Solar thermal systems feed on a “clean” energy source. However, a complete analysis of the environmental performance of solar thermal collectors should take into account not only their operation phase, but also their whole life cycle. This paper reports the results of a life cycle assessment of a solar thermal collector with integrated water storage. The study, carried out by means of SimaPro 5.0 software, aims at drawing a thorough environmental profile of the collector, highlighting the most relevant contributions to the total impacts, measured by means of a set of aggregate environmental indicators. In order to evaluate the possible improvements of the system configuration, several sensitivity analyses were performed, for different phases of its life cycle. Thanks to this optimization, the reduction of the impacts could be up to 40%. Environmental pay back times were calculated as well. Their values range from 5 to 19 months, remarkably lower than the expected lifespan of the systems (15–20 years).     

Biogenic C-doped titania templated by cyanobacteria for visible-light photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B

Cyanobacteria, which occurred in eutrophic water harvest solar light to carry out photosynthesis with high efficiency. In this work, cyanobacteria （Microcystis sp.） were used as biotemplate to synthesize titania structure. The synthesized titania sample had similar morphology to that of the original template in spite of the fragile unicellular structures and extremely high water content of cyanobacterial cells. Incorporation of biogenic C, as well as the morphology inherited from biotemplate improved visible- light absorbance of the titania structure. The sample exhibited higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than commercial titania photocatalyst Degussa P25 for Rhodamine B （RhB） degradation. Compared with those C-doped titania photocatalysts prepared by other methods, cyanobacteria templated titania photocatalyst offer some potential for competitive advantages. The reported strategy opened up a new use for the cyanobacteria. It could also be used for titania in applications such as treatment of polluted water, dye-sensitized solar cells, or other regions.     

空间高轨高压太阳电池阵静电防护技术研究

目的提高太阳电池阵的可靠性。方法对空间用高轨高压太阳电池阵的静电防护技术进行试验研究,通过外加电弧的方式对太阳电池试验件进行一次放电模拟试验,通过电子注入模拟高轨等离子体环境,采用单一电子能量模拟多能谱能量的环境,对太阳电池阵二次放电进行摸底试验。结果一次放电对太阳电池试验件无影响,二次放电发生时,太阳电池串之间电压的阈值为80 V,二次放电会对太阳电池串输出功率造成一定影响。结论在太阳电池阵设计过程中,控制太阳电池串之间的并联间隙为1 mm,相邻太阳电池串之间电压差不大于80 V、在相邻太阳电池串之间涂敷硅橡胶等方法能有效控制太阳电池阵二次放电的发生,大大提高了太阳电池阵的可靠性。     

Cleaner nanotechnology and hazard reduction of manufactured nanoparticles

Though it has been claimed that nanotechnology has great potential for cleaner technology, caution is required as to application of nanoparticles (<100 nm). Studies relevant to human exposure have shown that nanoparticles can be hazardous. Manufactured nanoparticles may also have ecotoxicological effects after discharge into water.There is a case to limit human exposure to nanoparticles originating in production. As traditional ‘end-of-pipe’ technology has limited effectiveness in capturing nanoparticles, source reduction is important for the limitation of exposure during production. With regard to products, it seems important to distinguish between applications that are inherently dispersive and applications that are not inherently dispersive. In case of dispersive applications, alternatives and ‘built in’ hazard reduction merit consideration. Hazard reduction may be possible by e.g. limiting biopersistence, arranging for low toxicity of degradation products or surface modification. When nanoparticles are applied in a way that is not inherently dispersive, controlling the size of particles that originate due to cleaning, wear, tear and corrosion is important.     

光伏发电和燃煤发电的生命周期评价比较研究

文章运用生命周期评价（life cycle assessment,LCA）的分类、特征化、量化处理的方法,对多晶硅太阳能光伏发电和燃煤发电的全过程进行环境影响评价.通过收集两者的资源消耗量和污染物排放量,建立两者全生命周期资源消耗及污染物排放清单,得到相应的资源消耗系数和环境影响潜值.综合多晶硅太阳能光伏发电和燃煤发电全生命周期评价结果,从资源消耗和环境影响的角度来看,与传统燃煤发电相比,多晶硅太阳能光伏发电具有明显的优势.     

植物对纳米颗粒的吸收、转运及毒性效应

随着工程纳米颗粒的广泛使用,这些纳米材料不可避免地进入环境,对环境造成未知影响.植物是高等生物暴露于纳米颗粒的一条主要途径,工程纳米颗粒可能通过食物链使其在高营养水平生物中积累.植物与纳米颗粒间的相互作用应该受到关注和重视.已有的文献表明纳米颗粒能被植物选择性地吸收并引起植物毒性,但纳米颗粒进入植物体内的机制仍不明确.多数关于植物吸收纳米颗粒的研究是在理想条件如水培实验下开展,并且集中在植物的种子发芽或是幼苗生长阶段.描述纳米颗粒在植物体内的生物转化和在植物体内分配的报道较少,而且这方面的机制没有阐述清楚.目前有许多研究者关注纳米颗粒的植物毒性效应,但这方面的研究需要进一步深入.     

Environmental evaluation of new technology: printed electronics case study

The environmental evaluation of new technology faces many challenges, but at the same time it is an opportunity to take proactive measures to prevent possible negative effects on the environment. Examination of environmental issues using the life cycle approach should form an integrated part of comprehensive technology and product development. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental issues related to a rising technology, printed electronics. Printing is an additive process, having no need for extra material and corrosive chemicals. On the basis of an evaluation made for a prototype product, i.e. a wristband, it was observed that more information on the new materials and further optimization of the process are required before electronics printing can be claimed to be environmentally friendly.     

Manufacturing actor’s LCA

Modern industrial environmental management encompasses life-cycle thinking. This entails considering not only the emissions and resource use of the company’s production processes, but also the environmental consequences of all processes related to a product’s life cycle. However, no single actor can influence the whole life cycle of a product. To be effective, analysis methods intended to support improvement actions should therefore also consider the decision makers’ power to influence.Regarding the life cycle of a product, there are at least as many perspectives on life-cycle thinking as there are actors. This paper presents an approach with which manufacturing decision makers can sharpen the focus in life-cycle assessment (LCA) from a conventional ‘products or services’ emphasis to a company’s manufacturing processes. The method has been developed by combining knowledge gained from earlier LCA studies with new empirical findings from an LCA study of an SKF manufacturing line.We demonstrate how system boundaries and functional units in an LCA can be defined when adding the perspective of a manufacturing decision maker to the product life-cycle perspective. Such analysis helps manufacturing decision makers identify improvement potentials in their spheres of influence, by focusing on the environmental consequences of energy and material losses in manufacturing rather than merely accounting for the contributions of individual stages of the life cycle to the overall environmental impact. The method identifies and directly relates the environmental consequences of emissions or raw material inputs in the product life cycle to manufacturing processes. In doing so, the holistic systems perspective in LCA is somewhat diminished in favor of the relevance of results to manufacturing decision makers.     

Photo-induced electron transfer processes in thin-film solar cells

Power conversion efficiency of single heterojuntion and bulk heterojunction thin-film solar cells has been analyzed in terms of sequential processes of photo-induced electron transfer. Furthermore, a numerical model was developed to predict current-voltage characteristics of solar cells on the basis of photo-induced electron transfer processes. As an application of this modeling, the power conversion efficiency was analyzed for the donor/acceptor (CuPc/C60) heterojunction under various conditions. In this way, the maximum power conversion efficiency, under 1 sun AM 1.5 solar illumination, was estimated to be 6.1% for the optimum single heterojunction structure. As for the bulk heterojunction structure, a vertical lattice (alternating donor/acceptor lamellae perpendicular to a substrate) structure was proposed and the maximum power conversion efficiency was estimated to be 10.8%. It was concluded that the power conversion efficiency of the vertical lattice bulk heterojunction cell could be increased up to ca. 15% by the improvement of the hole mobility of the donor film.     

An environmental impact assessment of quantum dot photovoltaics (QDPV) from raw material acquisition through use

Some emerging technologies are expected to be pivotal for solving many of the environmental challenges faced today, especially those related to energy. However, many of these technologies may incur significant environmental impacts over their life cycle, while having environmental benefits during their use. This paper presents results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a proposed type of nanophotovoltaic, quantum dot photovoltaic (QDPV) module. The LCA is confined to the stages of raw materials acquisition, manufacturing, and use. The impacts of QDPV are compared with other types of PV modules and energy sources - both renewable and nonrenewable. To provide a comprehensive comparative assessment, QDPV modules were compared with mature as well as emerging PV types for which data are available. Comparative assessment with other types of energy sources includes coal, oil, lignite, natural gas, diesel, nuclear, wind, and hydropower.QDPV modules may have the potential to overcome two current barriers of solar technology: low efficiencies and high manufacturing costs. If higher efficiencies are realized, QDPV modules could pave the way to large scale implementation of solar energy, helping nations move toward greater energy independence. On the other hand, candidate materials as quantum dots for solar cell applications are mostly compound semiconductors such as cadmium selenide, cadmium telluride, and lead sulfide which may be toxic and for which renewable options are limited. Toxic effects of these materials may be exacerbated by their nanoscale features.The LCA was carried out using the software SimaPro, and the Ecoinvent Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database supplemented with available literature and patent information. Our results indicate that while QDPV modules have shorter Energy PayBack Time (EPBT), lower Global Warming Potential (GWP), SO_x and NO_x emissions than other types of PV modules, they have higher heavy metal emissions, underscoring the need for investigation of emerging technologies, especially nano-based ones, from a life cycle perspective. QDPV modules are better in all impact categories assessed than carbon-based energy sources but they have longer EPBT than wind and hydropower and higher GWP.     

设施番茄生产系统的环境影响生命周期评价

应用生命周期评价方法,以陕西省西安市郊区为例,对设施番茄生产系统进行了环境影响评价.结果表明,日光温室和塑料大棚生产1000kg番茄消耗的能源和水资源分别是1740.58 MJ、50.767 m3和1502.346 MJ、53.734 m3;全球变暖潜值(以CO2当量计)、环境酸化潜值(以SO2当量计)、富营养化潜值(以PO3-4当量计)、光化学烟雾潜值(以C2H2当量计)、土壤毒性(以1,4-DCB当量计)、水体毒性(以1,4-DCB当量计)和人类毒性潜值(以1,4-DCB计)分别为271.943 kg、2.151 kg、0.247 kg、0.157 kg、24.217 kg、19.545 kg、0.124 kg和239.163 kg、1.88 kg、0.305 kg、0.109 kg、31.686 kg、19.7 kg、0.304 kg.设施构筑物自身建设和维护带来的主要潜在环境影响是能源耗竭、全球变暖和环境酸化;番茄种植环节引起的主要潜在环境影响是水资源耗竭、富营养化、全球变暖、土壤毒性和水体毒性;农资生产环节的主要潜在环境影响是能源耗竭.设施番茄生产系统中对环境影响大的建材和农资是钢材、聚乙烯材料、氮肥、农药和含过量重金属的有机肥.设施番茄生产系统对环境的影响不容忽视,应展开以降低其环境影响为目标的设施结构与建材、温室内气候条件调控、合理施肥和施药的研究,并对采取的技术方法进行生命周期评价,以确保设施蔬菜的可持续发展.研究结果可为促进设施蔬菜生产系统的可持续发展提供科学依据.     

废旧晶硅太阳能电池的回收拆解及进展研究

日益壮大的光伏产业为人类的发展做出了突出的贡献,当前晶硅太阳能电池的研究热点是如何提高产能效率,但报废阶段的回收拆解工作也应当引起足够的重视.目前国内尚无专门的晶硅太阳能电池回收厂,直接丢弃退役的晶硅太阳能电池会引起资源的浪费.在此基础上介绍了晶硅太阳能电池在国内外的研究进展,阐明未来发展趋势.分析老化的原因,以及晶硅太阳能电池产业的回收利用现状,进一步阐述晶硅太阳能电池在拆解方面的研究进展.     

从LCA视角评估钢铁产品改进的环境效益

钢铁产品性能的提高往往会增加其制造环节的环境负荷,但是在很多领域的使用过程中,高性能钢材相对于普通钢材,更有利于环境。因此评估钢铁产品改进的环境效益需要一个系统化的科学方法———生命周期评价(LCA)。从钢铁产品全生命周期视角,讨论了钢铁产品性能提升与环境影响的关系,阐述了如何利用LCA方法评估钢铁产品全生命周期环境绩效,并列举了宝钢利用LCA方法评估钢铁产品性能改进环境效益的两个案例:某变压器采用性能更高的B30P110取向硅钢片取代原B30G130取向硅钢片,其生命周期碳减排15.1%;宝钢钢制二片罐用镀锡钢板从0.28mm经过6次减薄到0.225mm,使钢罐生命周期碳排放降低14.5%。     

装备研制（改造）中加强环境试验与可靠性试验

由于我国兵器研制（改造）项目要求系统整体水平提升度高、装备适用范围广、寿命周期长,故应加倍重视环境试验与可靠性试验,结合试验数据进行可靠性设计改进,从而切实提高装备质量。武器系统改造项目从样机阶段开始应紧密结合环境试验,在研制过程中采取各种试验,较好地完成“短平快”的装备研制改造任务。设计初期开展环境试验与可靠性试验是装备研制提高可靠性的一个重要趋势。     

中国环境影响评价制度存在问题及对策探讨

中国环境影响评价制度经过多年发展,已建立起较为完善的环境影响评价制度体系,但仍存在一些问题,主要表现在：公众参与制度可操作性不强,部门间缺乏有效的协调机制,可供选择方案缺失,违法成本过低,未批先建现象严重。在对这些主要问题展开分析的基础上,对完善环境影响评价制度的对策进行了探讨,提出了一系列完善措施,以便更好地处理经济发展与环境保护的关系,达到经济、社会和环境的全面协调可持续发展。     

An inventory analysis of oil shale energy produced on a small thermal power plant

Energy produced in Estonia from oil shale is studied using the inventory analysis of the product life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The life cycle is taken as an oil shale mine and thermal power plant with consumer supply systems, which are close to each other and are technologically interconnected.The effectiveness of energy production over the whole life cycle is calculated and the energy and the material balances are presented. Local environmental effects of the oil shale extraction and the energy production are briefly described.The first step in defining the oil shale energy as an important input parameter for the LCA studies of all other products of Estonia is made. The collected data can serve as a basis for the environmental improvement programs.     

The soul of the machine: continual improvement in ISO 14001

Continual improvement is a key component of ISO 14001, but in contrast to most other specifications in the standard, it is difficult to assess. Based on interviews with 19 certified companies in the chemical, food, and environmental services sectors, this article explores the dynamics of continual improvement. While most auditing practices focus on the operational level of improvement, the system level is more important in realizing continual improvement. Taking continual improvement as an explicit principle, defining long-term objectives, and widening the scope of environmental policy objectives can be used as indicators for system level improvement. Front-runners in continual improvement tend to use more management indicators and think more favourably on benchmarking. They are relatively stronger motivated by internal policy ambitions, and parent company aims than by pressures from outside. Further elaboration of performance frameworks for continual improvement is needed, taking into account the way performance indicators can stimulate internal motivational, and policy processes.     

利用藻类去除与回收工业废水中的金属

藻类对金属离子具有较强的富集能力，可作为生物吸附应用于工业污水中有毒、放射性金属的去除及稀有，贵重金属的回收，高效，经济、简便、选择性好，尤其适用于低浓度及一般方法不易去除的金属，是一种极有应用价值的传统方法的替代或辅助手段，藻类主要是通过生物吸附的途径去除及回收金属，多采用知细胞与固定化细胞两种富集体系。目前人类环境中金属污染仍相当严重，利用藻类富集这一生物工程技术处理含金属的工业污水，无论对于