Central and individual air-conditioning systems — A comparison of environmental impacts and resource consumption in a life cycle perspective

This paper compares individual (split) and central systems of air-conditioning in a life cycle perspective, taking into account the environmental impacts and resource consumption during resource extraction, material production, production of the air-conditioning units, their use, disposal and recycling. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used in conducting this comparison.

Central systems have a longer lifetime than individual systems, lower electricity consumption and maintenance requirements during the use phase, and a higher recycling potential during the disposal phase. However, to transfer cool air, central systems use a large quantity of water pipes or air ducts, the production of which contributes significantly to resource use. The LCA study reveals that, on the whole, the central systems generally use less resources than split systems and result in lower environmental impacts.

The paper suggests a need for producers of air-conditioners to consider a change from being suppliers of air-conditioning hardware to being suppliers of cool air in order to overcome the initial cost constraints of central systems and realize their environmental and economic improvement potential to the benefit of the environment, and the industry as well as customers.     

Energy vs the environment

Optimal development programs that explicitly account for the environment impacts of extracting energy resources are analyzed. Possibilities of storing the resources above ground once it has been extracted are examined When environmental disruption results from resource extraction, as in the case of strip mining or drilling for oil, then the socially optimal rates of resource consumption and extraction depend on the type and severity of the environmental impact and on the prospects of storing the resource above ground.     

废旧轮胎回收利用行业循环经济评价指标体系

废旧轮胎是具有高再生价值的产品类废弃物,具备环境污染潜在性和资源性的双重性质。充分回收利用废旧轮胎既能缓解橡胶资源紧缺,又能解决废旧轮胎的环境污染问题。在调研的基础上,分析了我国废旧轮胎回收利用体系;初步构建了废旧轮胎回收利用行业循环经济评价指标体系,阐明了评价指标的含义,确定了评价的方法,并针对行业统计工作提出建议。     

Control theory applied to natural and environmental resources an exposition

Four control theory models of natural and environmental resource use, drawn from the existing literature, are developed in a manner to emphasize their technical and decentralized interpretive similarity. Renewable, nonrenewable, and amenity resource use are treated as closely related problems of optimal (biological, earth material, ecological, or environmental) capital allocation over time. Thus nonrenewable resources, and the problem of exhaustion, are just limiting (zero growth) cases of renewable resources, and the problem of species extinction. Just as exhaustion can be optimal, extinction can be optimal. Waste recycling is treated as part of the problem of optimal regeneration of “sclean” environmental capital; wilderness use as a problem of managing the regeneration of ecological capital.     

Proposed Definition of Environmental Damage Illustrated by the Cases of Genetically Modified Crops and Invasive Species

Abstract: The introduction of non‐native plant species and the release of genetically modified (GM) crops can induce environmental changes at gene to ecosystem levels. Regulatory frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity or the EU Deliberate Release Directive aim to prevent environmental damage but do not define the term. Although ecologists and conservationists often refer to environmental effects of GM crops or invasive species as damage, most authors do not disclose their normative assumptions or explain why some environmental impacts are regarded as detrimental and others are not. Thus far, a concise definition of environmental damage is missing and is necessary for a transparent assessment of environmental effects or risks. Therefore, we suggest defining environmental damage as a significant adverse effect on a biotic or abiotic conservation resource (i.e., a biotic or abiotic natural resource that is protected by conservational or environmental legislation) that has an impact on the value of the conservation resource, the conservation resource as an ecosystem component, or the sustainable use of the conservation resource. This definition relies on three normative assumptions: only concrete effects on a conservation resource can be damages; only adverse effects that lead to a decrease in the value of the conservation resource can be damages; and only significant adverse effects constitute damage to a conservation resource. Applying this definition within the framework of environmental risk assessment requires further normative determinations, for example, selection of a threshold to distinguish between adverse and significant adverse effects and approaches for assessing the environmental value of conservation resources. Such determinations, however, are not part of the definition of environmental damage. Rather they are part of the definition's operationalization through assessment procedures, which must be grounded in a comprehensible definition of environmental damage.     

End-of-life batteries management and material flow analysis in South Korea

Analysis of collection and recycling system of end-of-life batteries was examined. Relatively limited fractions of portable batteries were collected by EPR system. More effective and diverse collection pathways should be developed. Consumers increasingly have worn-out batteries as electrical and electronic equipment with new technical developments are introduced into the market and quickly replace older models. As a result, large amounts of end-of-life (EOL) or waste batteries are generated. Such batteries may contain a variety of materials that includes valuable resources as well as toxic elements. Thus, the proper recycling and management of batteries is very important from the perspective of resource conservation and environmental effect. The collection and recycling of EOL batteries is relatively low in South Korea compared to other countries, although an extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy was adopted for battery recycling in 2003. In this study, the management and material flow of EOL batteries is presented to determine potential problems and quantitative flow, based on literature review, site visits to battery recycling facilities, and interviews with experts in the Korea Battery Recycling Association (KBRA), manufacturers, and regulators in government. The results show that approximately 558 tons of manganese-alkaline batteries, the largest fraction among recycling target items, was disposed in landfills or incinerators in 2015, while approximately 2,000 tons of batteries were recovered at a recycling facility by simple sorting and crushing processes. By raising environmental awareness, more diverse and effective collection systems could be established for consumers to easily dispose of EOL batteries in many places. Producers, retailers and distributors in South Korea should also play an important role in the collection of EOL batteries from consumers. Lithium-ion batteries from many electronic devices must be included in the EPR system for resource recovery.     

Region-gridding recycling of bulk organic waste: Emerging views based on coordinated urban and rural development

Bulk organic waste (BOW) has a large output in China. The improper disposal of BOW will not only bring serious environmental pollution, but also cause waste of biomass resources. The viewpoint proposes a region-gridding recycling management system of BOW that highlights the coordinated development of environmental, agricultural and energy elements in urban and rural areas. The viewpoint aims to drive the upstream and downstream industrial chains of BOW treatments, avoid the repeated construction of resource facilities, guide the upgrading of resource-based technologies, promote the professionalization of farmers, and thus built the high-quality modern agricultural recycling industrial park based on system management.     

The optimal use of non-renewable resources: The theory of extraction

The traditional theory of exhaustion is revised to allow for long run capital mobility. This model is extended to include the impact of cumulative environmental damages on the optimal path of resource use. Models and optimal markets are then analyzed for cases where minerals are available over a continuum of quality and where recycling ameliorates inevitable exhaustion of non-renewable resources. Finally, the impact of technological change on long run trends in mineral prices is examined.     

Review of fly ash inertisation treatments and recycling

Fly ash (FA) is a by-product of power, and incineration plants operated either on coal and biomass, or on municipal solid waste. FA can be divided into coal fly ash, obtained from power plant burning coal, flue gas desulphurisation FA, that is, the by-product generated by the air pollution control equipment in coal-fired power plants to reduce the release of SO₂, biomass FA produced in the plants for thermal conversion of biomass and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) FA, that is, the finest residue obtained from the scrubber system in a MSWI plant. Because of the large amount produced in the world, fly ash is now considered the world’s fifth largest material resource. The composition of FA is very variable, depending on its origins; then, also pollutants can be very different. In this frame, it is fundamental to exploit the chemical or physical potentials of FA constituents, thus rendering them second-life functionality. This review paper is addressed to FA typology, composition, treatment, recycling, functional reuse and metal and organic pollutants abatement. Because of the general growing of environmental awareness and increasing energy and material demand, it is expected that increasing recycling rates will reduce the pressure on demand for primary raw materials, help to reuse valuable materials which would otherwise be wasted and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from extraction and processing.     

多溴联苯醚暴露的神经行为效应及其毒理机制

溴代阻燃剂多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)是一类在各类环境介质、生物体和人体中均能检出的普遍存在的环境污染物。我国的主要污染源之一集中于东南部地区的电子废弃物回收场地。由于PBDEs具有结构稳定性、亲脂性和生物累积性,电子废弃物拆解回收活动对当地生态系统和居民健康存在着巨大的潜在风险。PBDEs的发育神经毒性受到研究者的极大关注,但其神经行为毒性效应和机制仍需深入研究。行为学效应既是内在神经毒性机制的外在反映,也是推测环境污染物在高级别生物学水平(如种群、群落)影响的最有力试验手段。近年来,基于视频追踪系统技术的商业行为学分析设备迅速发展,使行为学效应测试在环境毒理学领域具备极大的潜力。本文结合近年来国内外环境毒理学研究进展,回顾了PBDEs的神经行为毒性效应,包括运动行为、掠食行为和认知行为,并分析了其可能的毒理机制,最后总结了当前研究存在的问题和未来研究需要关注的重点方向。     

现代农业快速发展背景下的农业生产废弃物管理对策探析——政府与农户的动态博弈

随着农业集约化、规模化发展,农业生产废弃物的管理问题凸显。循环农业、低碳农业的发展,在一定程度上激励了农户对农业生产废弃物资源化管理,取得了一定的成绩,但是也存在一定的问题,严重制约了农业生产废弃物资源化管理。文章通过构建政府与农户的动态博弈模型,分析补贴政策对农户提高农业生产废弃物资源化管理效率的作用,并基于政府与农户的动态博弈分析提出了促进农业生产废弃物管理效率提升及其可持续发展的建议,即：（1）根据不同的资源化管理方式的差异制定并实施差别补贴政策;（2）实行区域差别补贴标准;（3）延长补贴期限,实行分年度对农户进行不同数量的补贴;（4）培养农户管理意识,加强农户技能培训。     

中国电子废物处理处置典型地区污染调查及环境、生态和健康风险研究进展

电子废物含有大量的金属、塑料和阻燃剂等物质,如果处理不当,电子废物将向环境排放种类繁多的有毒有害物质,从而产生严重的环境污染问题。近年来,国内外学者对电子废物处理所致的生态环境问题给予了相当的关注,已经开展了不少相关研究,这些研究主要集中在我国的几个电子废物处理处置典型地区。本文对近5年来的相关研究成果进行了系统综述,内容涉及电子废物处理处置过程中产生的主要环境污染物,电子废物处理处置活动所致的土壤、水体和大气的重金属和持久性有机污染物污染以及电子废物处理处置活动对动植物和人体的污染风险等,并提出将来关于电子废物研究中需要关注的问题。     

An environmental tax-shift with indirect desirable effects

Imposing environmental taxation on external costs of energy will not only affect the environmental impact of the energy sector itself, but it will tend to decrease environmental damage from other sectors of the economy as well. We have assessed the effects of a shift of taxation from taxing labour to taxation of external costs caused in the energy sector. Several examples give results compatible with the hypothesis that the changing price relation between labour and energy resulting from such a tax shift will make re-use, repairs and recycling increasingly competitive and thus tend to decrease mining as well as waste production. Likewise, less energy-intensive commodities and services in general would become increasingly competitive, and would tend to decrease the environmental load further. These environmentally desirable effects are beyond the taxed external effects of the energy sector itself and occur as an indirect effect of the increased relative price of energy.     

屋面雨水回收用于冷却补水设计实例

以广州某商业中心为例,介绍了屋面雨水回收用于空调冷却塔补水的设计。根据广州地区雨水资源丰富、水质良好及工程项目的特点,确定了雨水回收范围、回收用途,并进行了月均水量平衡计算。经济效益分析表明,该系统每年可节约市政供水34000m3,经济效益和环境效益显著。     

遵循科学发展,构建和谐社会

以科学发展观为指导,天津市近年来环保工作取得了显著成绩,其主要做法有:加强执政能力建设;大力发展循环经济;创建环保模范城市。今后要进一步加大环保工作力度,为构建和谐社会做出贡献     

水体环境中天然有机质腐殖酸研究进展

腐殖酸作为一种资源广泛存在于自然界中,它是影响环境生态平衡的重要因素,也是潜在的、可大力开发和综合利用的有机资源。腐殖酸类物质具有多种活性官能团,具有酸性、亲水性、界面活性、阳离子交换能力、络合作用及吸附分散能力。腐殖酸概念、理论出现了重大突破,已从传统腐殖酸重点或仅研究腐殖酸自身发生中的物质流动、能量转化规律,同时着眼研究腐殖酸与土壤、水体和生物多界面的环境过程和机理。文章主要以水环境为例,天然有机质研究历史、化学结构,对环境污染物效应和去除技术等几个方面的研究进展进行了简要的总结;对现代腐殖酸的研究趋势进行了展望。     

城市生态工业系统模拟、优化调控方法研究

工业化是城市实现现代化与可持续发展的必经阶段,但面临着严重的资源与环境问题。生态工业是实现生产发展、资源利用和环境保护良性循环的有效模式。文章在依据工业生态学原理对长春经济技术开发区玉米、汽车零部件产业链进行规划基础上,采用系统动力学vensim模型进行模拟与优化调控。最后结合灰色系统方法完成系统多种替代方案的多级评价,促进以工业代谢过程为核心的资源高效利用和环境影响最小化。结果表明,所建立的长春经济技术开发区生态工业系统动力学仿真模型可对其结构、功能进行分析,确定不同子系统间的动态作用关系,并得到不同规划方案时变条件下的发展结果。结合灰色聚类评估能够定量地反映系统在不同发展战略下的行为,并确定最优方案,具有较强可操作性。长春经济技术开发区生态环境现状较好,但随着经济发展和人口聚集,环境压力将加大,就此问题提出相应环境影响减缓和保护措施。     

北京市地表水污染原因分析与防治对策

分析了北京市地表水污染的主要原因,提出了解决措施,对合理利用紧缺的水资源问题,有一定的指导意义。北京地区严重缺水,且地表水污染严重。主要原因有以下4方面:水资源量逐年减少,生活污染源影响严重,城市中心区污水截流河道地表雨水径流污染逐年凸显,农业面源污染增加。提出如下控制措施:保证地表水生态流量,建设双水源(清水和再生水)供水系统;科学核算地表水环境容量,把污染物排放总量控制与改善水环境质量紧密结合起来,是改善地表水环境质量的重要措施;加强城市地表径流污染研究与控制,尤其是初期雨水污染控制;引入循环经济,建设生态农业,改善养殖方式,控制农村面源污染。     

Integrated modelling of foraging behaviour, energy budget and memory properties

A predator's foraging performance is related to its ability to acquire sufficient information on environmental profitability. This process can be affected by the patchy distribution and clustering of food resources and by the food intake process dynamics.We simulated body mass growth and behaviour in a forager acting in a patchy environment with patchy distribution of both prey abundance and body mass by an individual-based model. In our model, food intake was a discrete and stochastic process and leaving decision was based on the estimate of net energy gain and searching time during their foraging activities. The study aimed to investigate the effects of learning processes and food resource exploitation on body mass and survival of foragers under different scenarios of intra-patch resource distribution.The simulation output showed that different sources of resource variability between patches affected foraging efficiency differently. When prey abundance varied across patches, the predator stayed longer in poorest patches to obtain the information needed and its performance was affected by the cost of sampling and the resulting assessment of the environment proved unreliable. On the other hand, when prey body mass, but not abundance, varied among the patches the predator was quickly able to assess local profitability. Both body mass and survival of the predator were greatly affected by learning processes and patterns of food resource distribution.     

淮河流域水污染防治与生态经济思考

淮河流域水环境严重污染的形成,既有历史社会经济发展中忽视环境保护、欠帐过多的问题,也有水资源条件差、环境容量较小的问题。淮河流域水环境污染多种多样,既有工业点源,又有农业和农村面源,还有人口迅速膨胀及城镇迅速发展所带来的污染。淮河流域水环境污染是生态经济问题。因此,解决淮河流域水环境污染问题,仅仅做到治理工业污染源、建立城市污水处理厂,是远远不够的。要从根本上解决淮河流域水环境问题,则应当在１９９５ 年淮河流域对工业污染源和城市生活污水治理进行规划的基础上,就人口、资源、环境、社会、经济进行综合考虑,从生态经济角度进一步做好全面的水环境规划。在规划中尤其要突出可持续发展,并在实施可持续发展中解决污染问题,要在工业、农业中普遍实行清洁生产,要注意节约水资源和合理利用水资源,注意控制人口增长并提高人口素质,在农村城镇化水平迅速提高的同时做好城镇生活污水利用和处理。