Implementing industrial ecology and design for environment practices: Lawrence livermore national laboratory

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), one of the nation's three national security laboratories, is initiating a major research effort in industrial ecology with the goal of increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of the U.S. and global economies. Closer to home, ongoing efforts to reduce LLNL's environmental impact on the surrounding community provide an example of how the environmental efficiency of a major research facility can be systematically improved. In the late 1980s, LLNL initiated its waste minimization and pollution prevention program, changing its focus from end-of-pipe waste management to a proactive and preventive strategy—total quality environmental management (TQEM). LLNL's success in integrating pollution prevention with R&D and operational activities is well illustrated by the waste reduction and energy and water conservation accomplishments described in this article. LLNL represents a model of how industrial ecology, design for environment, and pollution prevention can be incorporated into a comprehensive R&D and operational program. This article describes LLNL's developing industrial ecology program, gives some specific technical accomplishments that have application to many industrial facilities, and presents a case study of TQEM at LLNL's remote experimental test facility, Site 300. The integration of TQEM philosophy with LLNL's scientific capabilities holds much promise for new ideas and creative solutions to national and international industrial ecology concerns.     

Industrial ecology—an organizing framework for environmental management

Industrial ecology is a systemic organizing framework for the many facets of environmental management. It views the industrial world as a natural system, embedded in local ecosystems and the global biosphere. It provides a fundamental understanding of the value of modeling the industrial system on ecosystems to achieve sustainable environmental performance. In this article, the author shows how it offers powerful tools of analysis that complement and enhance those offered by such approaches as Total Quality Environmental Management or pollution prevention.     

Environmental business management practices for a new age

At the end of the 20th century, business finds itself in a period of transformation and a new emphasis on environmentally responsible practices. Leading-edge companies are now integrating environmental concerns into everyday business activities. Competitive issues, which led to the formation of just-in-time production processes, are now forcing companies to better understand their effects on the environment. Business leaders must now look at environmental issues as opportunities, not burdens. With innovative use of “industrial ecology,” companies can set the stage for long-term growth into the next century. “Business men go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themselves to change.” Henry Ford.     

构建有色金属矿山二级生态工业研究

为了解决有色金属矿山所面临的环境污染和资源短缺的问题,提出了绿色矿山的发展模式,构建有色金属矿山二级生态工业体系是实现绿色矿山的重要途径。有色金属矿山二级生态工业体系依据工业生态学原理,以实现工业资源的有限输入和工业废物的有限输出为目的,具体通过矿山清洁生产、预防废物产生、废物循环利用及最小量废物必要处置等途径实现。     

Combination of multispectral remote sensing, variable rate technology and environmental modeling for citrus pest management

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of south Texas is an agriculturally rich area supporting intensive production of vegetables, fruits, grain sorghum, and cotton. Modern agricultural practices involve the combined use of irrigation with the application of large amounts of agrochemicals to maximize crop yields. Intensive agricultural activities in past decades might have caused potential contamination of soil, surface water, and groundwater due to leaching of pesticides in the vadose zone. In an effort to promote precision farming in citrus production, this paper aims at developing an airborne multispectral technique for identifying tree health problems in a citrus grove that can be combined with variable rate technology (VRT) for required pesticide application and environmental modeling for assessment of pollution prevention. An unsupervised linear unmixing method was applied to classify the image for the grove and quantify the symptom severity for appropriate infection control. The PRZM-3 model was used to estimate environmental impacts that contribute to nonpoint source pollution with and without the use of multispectral remote sensing and VRT. Research findings using site-specific environmental assessment clearly indicate that combination of remote sensing and VRT may result in benefit to the environment by reducing the nonpoint source pollution by 92.15%. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of precision farming for citrus production in the nexus of industrial ecology and agricultural sustainability.     

2020年第一季度枣庄市PM2.5源解析的分析研究

为了评估分析枣庄市不同来源污染物排放强度削减与大气环境质量变化之间的关系,使用统计方法和正定矩阵因子分解法对枣庄市2020年第一季度大气污染变化特征和污染来源进行了解析,探究了枣庄市大气固体悬浮微粒浓度变化影响机制.结果表明:2020年第一季度PM2.5、PM10、N02、S02浓度较2019年同期显著下降,但枣庄市采...     

Integrating industrial ecology principles into a set of environmental sustainability indicators for technology assessment

This paper focuses on the environmental component of sustainability of technology, taking into account the role of industrial ecology. Assessment of environmental sustainability of technology traditionally focuses on immediate impact of technology on the environment through quantifying resource extraction and generated emissions. However, technology does not only exchange materials with the environment but also with the industrial society as a whole, the so-called industrial metabolism. A higher compatibility of a specific technology with the industrial system, as studied in industrial ecology, can result in lower resource extraction and reduced waste emission, indirectly contributing to a better environmental sustainability.Starting from the considerations above and based on the second law of thermodynamics, the paper presents a set of five environmental sustainability indicators for the assessment of products and production pathways, integrating industrial ecology principles. The indicators, all scaled between 0 and 1, take into account: (1) renewability of resources; (2) toxicity of emissions; (3) input of used materials; (4) recoverability of products at the end of their use; (5) process efficiency.The applicability of the elaborated set of indicators is illustrated for different production pathways of alcohols (petrochemical and oleochemical based), polyethylene end-of-life options and electricity production from non-renewable (natural gas and fossil oil) and renewable resources (hydropower, photovoltaic conversion of solar irradiation).     

Compliance,commitment, and competition: Improving environmental performance

A series of terms has been used to describe corporate environmental activities: waste management/waste minimization, pollution prevention, environmental excellence. Each has a different definition and comprises different activities, yet they represent a continuum of environmental response and improvement. This article considers the characteristics of each activity and the necessary balance among internal and external concerns that corporations seek as they progress toward environmental excellence in a competitive business climate.     

Beyond pollution prevention: A vision for an integrated environmental business management strategy

In this article the authors assert that successful long-term pollution prevention will require changes in the culture and business practices of an organization such that the term “pollution prevention” eventually becomes obsolete. They envision firms evolving to a point where actions that today are referred to as pollution prevention will simply be part of standard business practices and thoroughly embedded in the firms' culture. Although pollution prevention projects and programs need to be highly visible at the outset to communicate throughout the organization and to demonstrate the benefits that can be gained, companies should adopt a long-term strategy aimed at making fundamental changes in the way they do business, rather than relying solely on piecemeal projects and special plans or programs. Such evolution of the firm will maximize the chances of meeting the dual challenges of business competitiveness and environmental stewardship. This article presents a vision for integrating environmental performance with business objectives and suggests practical steps to begin moving toward that vision.     

Comparative analysis of air pollution emissions by electric utilities: Public policy implications

One of the objectives of US environmental regulations was to reduce industrial air pollution emissions, especially from the electric utility industry, the major industrial air polluter. In this study, a comparative analysis of air pollution emissions from fossil-fuel-burning electric utility plants is conducted. The analysis focuses on a 12-yr period from 1975 to 1987 for three air pollutants: particulates, surfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. The results indicate that particulate emissions have been significantly reduced but that sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are still major problems for a number of plants. Furthermore, the disparity in the performance by plants indicates that by using current technology, the industry as a whole could greatly reduce these emissions. These results have policy implication for future environmental legislation.     

典型石油型城市大气环境质量影响因素的多元统计模型研究——以大庆市为例

为了揭示石油资源型城市大气环境质量变化的影响因素,本文以大庆市为例,以SPSS17.0为分析工具,对影响大气环境质量的工业排放、经济发展、能源消耗、污染防治和气象等众多因素进行主成分分析、相关分析和回归分析,结果证明:大庆市大气环境质量的影响因素主要包括3个因子:污染排放和工业生产影响因子、对大气环境质量有利的(在特定时期内)GDP增长及气象影响因子和对大气环境质量改善有益的环境生产影响因子;并通过回归分析建立了大气环境质量影响因素的回归方程模型,经显著性检验,建立的回归方程具有一定程度的适用性和可信性。本文的研究对促进大庆市大气环境改善和大气环境相关研究具有一定参考价值,对其他城市大气环境的相关研究有一定的促进作用。     

工业生态园综合评价模型的建立

工业发展带来的环境问题日益严重,为实现人类社会与经济的可持续发展,工业生态学孕育而生,工业生态学的重要实践是建设生态工业园区。本文运用层次分析法建立了生态工业园区的评价指标体系和评价模型,编写求解模型的程序,并应用该模型对成都市高新工业区进行了综合能力评价,对高新区持续发展为生态工业园区提出了建议。     

浙江省环境污染与经济发展关系的实证研究

本文在环境库兹涅茨曲线假设基础上,采用1991—2014年浙江省环境和经济数据,运用回归模型对其环境污染与经济发展的关系进行实证检验。结果表明:浙江工业废水、工业废气、工业SO2排放量和工业固体废弃物产生量均符合EKC假设,其中工业SO2和工业废水人均排放量与人均GDP呈倒U形关系,拐点分别出现在2005年与2010年;工业废气排放量和工业固体废弃物产生量尚处于倒U形左侧上升阶段,其中工业固体废弃物人均产生量已接近拐点。而生活污水排放量与EKC假设并不相符,人均生活污水排放量与人均GDP呈单调递增的线形关系。对EKC驱动因子的分析表明,加强政府环境治理,以不断完善的环境法规推动产业结构升级调整,以持续的技术进步与创新促进关键行业节能减排,有利于克服规模效应,推动浙江环境污染与经济发展的关系早日实现解耦。     

钢铁企业无组织排放特征污染物的监测分析

东部老工业区是济南市大气污染重点防控区域。工业区大型企业的无组织排放废气对区域及周边大气环境质量产生的影响,一直没有引起人们的足够重视,因对其排放量大小和污染物种类不清楚,难以进行监管。本文以济南东部老工业区一家大型钢铁企业为例,选取五项有代表性的特征污染物(苯、甲苯、二甲苯、非甲烷总烃和氨)进行布点监测,在不同气象条件下,分析特征污染物的浓度变化,了解钢铁企业无组织排放特征。经对监测数据的分析得出:与上风向相比,下风向各污染物监测的小时浓度和日均浓度均有不同程度的增加,表明该厂区污染源对周边环境空气质量有一定影响。最后,提出防范或改进措施,如应加严相应的无组织排放标准,增加大气在线监测点位及监测项目,建议企业加强对生产工艺环节无组织排放废气的收集和处理。     

我国南海海域渔业环境保护法律问题与对策

我国南海渔业活动及其以外的人类活动产生的环境问题,严重污染了南海海域的水质,威胁着南海渔业资源的可持续发展。我国南海海域渔业环境保护法律体系已形成,提供了较为合理的制度安排。但仍存在一些法律问题,其中以环境影响评价制度、海洋环境监测制度和海水养殖污染防治制度等方面的问题较为突出。因此本文提出以下法律对策:明确渔业部门在环境影响评价制度中的法律地位,加强渔业海域环境监测的协调机制和完善海水养殖污染防治制度,以期依靠法治的力量保护南海渔业资源的可持续发展。     

论二十一世纪环境文明

人类社会进入21世纪，工业文明带来严重的环境污染已成为全球性问题。人们在建设物质文明和精神文明的同时，呼唤有一个优美的生存环境。可持续发展战略已忧为社会经济发展的主旋律。环境文明成为人们生活新的追求和社会经济发展新的目标。环保产业的充分发展，环境污染得到有效控制，社会各行各业和所有产品都达到环保标准，生态协调平衡，这就铸成21世纪环境文明。     

Computer-aided tools for pollution prevention: solvent-based processes

This paper provides an analysis of pollution prevention, treatment and cure with respect to solvent-based processes. It is postulated that, in new processes, considering environmental constraints in the early stages of process design can prevent pollution due to inefficient recovery of solvents or inefficient separation by solvents. Pollution in existing processes can also be prevented through early treatment that includes assessment of causes and effects of future changes in process conditions and/or environmental regulations. Pollution cure is more difficult, since the process is already violating some environmental constraints and any solution also needs to satisfy social and economic constraints. A technique for pollution prevention, treatment and cure that is based on the use of computer-aided tools is presented. Application of the technique is illustrated through a case study that highlights the important steps of the solution approach and serves as a proof of concept.     

赤水河流域仁怀市生态保护态度与行为研究

通过调查问卷的形式探索了仁怀市赤水河两岸的村民在生态保护中的态度与行为。结果表明:沿赤水河两岸居住的部分村民的环保意识相对较低,居民的环保意识与所受教育程度有关,且居民了解环保知识的渠道单一,需要加强多渠道宣传;居民的日常生活和农耕对赤水河的污染较小,周围酒厂及小工厂的污染"贡献"较大。当地环保部门应该加强宣传,提高两岸居民的环保知识水平,减少生活污染,严格控制企业污染排放,减少工业污染,从而维护赤水河流域生态安全。     

秦皇岛市大气污染成因与防治对策初探

秦皇岛大气环境污染主要源于工业废气、港口煤尘、机动车尾气、施工及道路扬尘、锅炉烟尘和餐饮油烟等,是典型的复合型污染。针对秦皇岛大气污染现状,提出了改变以GDP为评价标准的经济增长模式,调整现有的产业结构,淘汰落后产能;调整能源结构,提高能源有效利用率;强化降尘控烟和脱硫脱硝;加强对交通、道路、施工等扬尘的综合管理;科学绿化;加强环保宣传和执法力度,提高公众环境意识等综合措施。     

PROMOTING GROUND WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION IN SMALL BUSINESSES1

ABSTRACT: Although they have not been the focus of major regulations, small businesses can contribute pollutants to ground water through routine practices. Because strict regulation of millions of micro firms is not likely, water resource professionals face a challenge of how to reach small business operators with effective pollution prevention messages. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence a small business operator to adopt measures that reduce potential ground water pollution. We looked at how information delivery, internal business characteristics, and external relationships are associated with voluntary preventive measures. Mail surveys from small businesses in New Jersey municipalities and interviews with business owners provided data about business characteristics and current pollution prevention activities. Findings suggested that businesses doing the most to prevent ground water pollution were generally more connected to external organizations and had more financial and technical resources. The study also discovered that small business owners fear government involvement in their affairs. The study concludes with recommendations to encourage more voluntary adoption of prevention measures by businesses. These center on separating assistance programs from enforcement and involving industry peer groups in an effort to make information available in a non-threatening manner.