‘Emulsion locks’ for the containment of hydrocarbons during surfactant flushing

Reversible double water in oil in water (W/O/W) emulsions were developed to contain subsurface hydrocarbon spills during their remediation using surfactant flushing. Double emulsions were prepared by emulsifying CaCl₂ solutions in canola oil, and subsequently by emulsifying the W/O emulsions in aqueous sodium alginate solutions. The formation of double emulsions was confirmed with confocal and optical microscopy. The double emulsions reversed and gelled when mixed with the surfactants sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cocamidopropyl betaine (CPB). Gels can act as ‘emulsion locks’ to prevent spreading of the hydrocarbon plume from the areas treated with surfactant flushing, as shown in sand column tests. Shear rheology was used to quantify the viscoelastic moduli increase (gelation) upon mixing the double emulsion with SDS and CPB. SDS was more effective than CPB in gelling the double emulsions. CPB and SDS could adsorb at the interface between water and model hydrocarbons (toluene and motor oil), lowering the interfacial tension and rigidifying the interface (as shown with a Langmuir trough). Bottle tests and optical microscopy showed that SDS and CPB produced W/O and O/W emulsions, with either toluene or motor oil and water. The emulsification of motor oil and toluene in water with SDS and CPB facilitated their flow through sand columns and their recovery. Toluene recovery from sand columns was quantitated using Gas-Chromatography Mass-Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The data show that SDS and CPB can be used both for surfactant flushing and to trigger the gelation of ‘emulsion locks’. Ethanol also gelled the emulsions at 100 mL/L.     

Carbon emissions from land-use change: an analysis of causal factors in Chiapas, Mexico

This study examines the correlation between deforestation, carbon dioxide emissions and potential causal factors of land-use change within an area of 2.7 million ha in Chiapas, southern Mexico between 1975 and 1996. Digitized land-use maps and interpreted satellite images were used to quantify land-use changes. Geo-referenced databases of population and digitized maps of roads and topography were used to determine which factors could be used to explain observed changes in land-use. The study analyzed the relationship between carbon emissions during this period and two types of possible causal factors: “predisposing” factors that determine the susceptibility of a particular area of forest to change (slope, distance to agriculture and roads, land tenure) and “driving” factors representing the pressures for change (population density, poverty). The correlated factors were combined in risk matrices, which show the proportion of vulnerable carbon stocks lost in areas with defined social, economic and environmental characteristics. Such matrices could be used to predict future deforestation rates and provide a verifiable evidence-base for defining baseline carbon emissions for forest conservation projects. Based on the results of the analysis, two matrices were constructed, using population density as the single most important driving factor and distance from roads and distance from agriculture as the two alternatives for the predisposing factors of deforestation.     

Development and environmental improvements of plastics for hydrophilic catheters in medical care: an environmental evaluation

Single-use medical devices have been under close scrutiny for several years, especially the choice of plastic materials. Many different requirements such as medical safety, treatment functionality and efficiency, environmental performance, etc. have to be fulfilled. Today, the most commonly used materials for hydrophilic urinary catheters are polyvinylchloride (PVC) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). In this research study, these two materials' environmental performance was evaluated. In light of the knowledge gained in that study a new plastic material for use in urinary catheters was developed. The aim of the development of this new material was to design a high performance material with superior environmental performance. The newly developed plastic material is a polyolefin-based elastomer. The ecological environmental performance of the new material was evaluated and compared to the existing plastic materials. The study focused exclusively on the choice of plastic materials and their ecological environmental performance.The analysis has been performed using a system perspective and a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The functional unit has been set to the treatment of one patient during one year. The results from the LCA models have been presented both in terms of direct inventory data, such as energy use and formed emissions, and in terms of the results from four different impact assessment methods. Analysis of the results based on direct inventory data, i.e. common inventory results such as energy resource uses and emissions of CO₂, NO_x and SO₂ show an overall better environmental performance for the new polyolefin-based elastomer compared to the existing PVC and TPU plastic materials. The normalization and weighting steps in the analyzes have indicated the importance of energy resource uses and global warming as indicator for the environmental performance even if other impact categories also can play a role. In the environmental impact assessment, the polyolefin-based elastomer showed a clearly better environmental performance than the TPU material. Compared to PVC plastic material the new polyolefin-based elastomer showed an almost equivalent environmental performance. This can be mainly explained by the different materials' energy use. The new material has thus also shown to be an environmentally good alternative to PVC if a PVC-free material is requested. Basing the plastic formula, on simple bulk plastics with low energy use in the production of single-use medical devices, has been shown to be a successful method of producing high quality products with superior environmental performance.     

Can integrated control strategies for multiple emissions enhance cost-efficiency in environmental policy?: Evidence from Sweden

The aim of this paper is to clarify the magnitude of the sub-optimization cost associated with separate control strategies for compliance with the Swedish environmental quality objectives. The marginal reduction costs are estimated using a separate and an integrated version of a deterministic linear programming model. To investigate whether the accuracy of the data is decisive for the result of this study, an extensive sensitivity analysis that deals with both the disparity in discount rates in data and the different types of measures, is carried out in four steps. It can be concluded that the results are robust for possible and probable faults in data. The main findings are that there are no substantial sub-optimization costs for separate control strategies for CO₂, NO_X and SO₂, but an integrated action strategy could imply enhanced cost-efficiency in reductions of VOC and particles.     

Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in European conventional and organic dairy farming

Dairy farming is the largest agricultural source of the greenhouse gases methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in Europe. A whole-farm modeling approach was used to investigate promising mitigation measures. The effects of potential mitigation measures were modeled to obtain estimates of net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from representative dairy model farms in five European regions. The potential to reduce farm GHG emissions was calculated per kg milk to compare organic and conventional production systems and to investigate region and system specific differences. An optimized lifetime efficiency of dairy cows reduced GHG emissions by up to 13% compared to baseline model farms. The evaluation of frequent removal of manure from animal housing into outside covered storage reduced farm GHG emissions by up to 7.1%. Scraping of fouled surfaces per se was not an effective option since the reduction in GHG emissions from animal housing was more than out-weighed by increased emissions from the storage and after field application. Manure application by trail hose and injection, respectively, was found to reduce farm GHG emissions on average by 0.7 and 3.2% compared to broadcasting. The calculated model scenarios for anaerobic digestion demonstrated that biogas production could be a very efficient and cost-effective option to reduce GHG emissions. The efficiency of this mitigation measure depends on the amount and quality of organic matter used for co-digestion, and how much of the thermal energy produced is exploited. A reduction of GHG emissions by up to 96% was observed when all thermal energy produced was used to substitute fossil fuels. Potential measures and strategies were scaled up to the level of European regions to estimate their overall mitigation potential. The mitigation potential of different strategies based on a combination of measures ranged from −25 up to −105% compared to baseline model farms. A full implementation of the most effective strategy could result in a total GHG emission reduction of about 50 Mt of carbon dioxide (CO₂) equivalents per year for conventional dairy farms of EU(15) comparable to the defined model farms.     

The effect of ISO 14001 certification on toxic emissions: an analysis of industrial facilities in the north of Spain

During recent decades, the impact of industrial organisations on the environment has become clearly evident. It has also become more difficult to hide and more expensive. Globally, this has caused many enterprises to put all their efforts into seeking management instruments that allow them to reduce their negative impact on the environment as well as improving their economic efficiency. This environmental interest is either voluntary or forced by customers or by legal pressure. Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) are among the many tools that have appeared to fulfil that goal and that have drawn international researchers’ attention. The most popular system and the one most often used is the ISO 14001 standard.This paper examines empirically the influence that this certification exerts on the company’s pollutant emission policy. The analysis was carried out in four regions of Spain: Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and Castilla-León and includes 126 industrial organisations. The goal of this paper is to investigate the behaviour of the companies according to their emissions policies once they have achieved the ISO 14001 certification. In the paper the Toxics Release Index of 56 certified companies is compared with the Index of 70 non-certified companies. Through a statistical analysis based on the Student’s t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test, it was concluded that ISO 14001 does not represent an environmental proactivity signal clearly enough to result in a reduction of the company’s environmental polluting index.     

人为排放及气象因素对空气质量影响的定量分析——以疫情期间邢台市为例

选择河北省邢台市作为研究对象,将2020疫情作为一个极限管控措施下的极限减排实验情景,把2021疫情作为未来常态化疫情防控实验分析情景.与疫情前期对比,两次疫情期间臭氧浓度均有提升且2021疫情时期颗粒物浓度同样有提高,2020疫情时期其他污染物浓度均有不同程度的改善,而与2019历史同期相比,两次疫情期间臭氧浓度同样有升高现象,除此以外,2021疫情时期污染物改善较好.利用长短期记忆网络（LSTM）算法和空气质量预报模式系统（WRF-CMAQ）量化了两次疫情时期气象因素对于污染物浓度变化的影响,根据空气质量模拟法反推了不同污染物受人为影响的浓度变化.实验结果表明,LSTM算法在两次疫情期间的模拟均显示人为影响对污染物产生了负影响（降低了污染物浓度）且在总变化影响中占比较高,而CMAQ模式模拟结果中的气象因素影响占比远高于LSTM算法.CMAQ模式在两次疫情模拟中表现出了不同的结果,在2020疫情中人为影响占据了主导,而在2021疫情中,相比较2020疫情时期,除NO₂外,人类活动对其他污染物的影响均为正值（促进了污染物浓度升高）.     

Aggregation and analysis of volatile organic compound emissions for regional modeling

A general two-step procedure for aggregating the hundreds of reported volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into a much smaller set of lumped classes appropriate for regional airshed modeling is described. In the first step, the compounds are condensed into a manageable number of emission categories which could be adapted to a variety of molecularly-based lumped chemical mechanisms. In the second step, the emissions are further aggregated into a smaller set of VOC classes which directly correspond to those in a particular model's mechanism. The application of this procedure is illustrated by aggregating the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) anthropogenic VOC emissions inventory the U.S. first into the 32-class system, and then into the groups of model species used in the latest version of the Regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM2.0). The importance of different VOC categories and source types on regional pollution production is explored by comparing the contributions of each of the emissions groupings, RADM model species, and major emissions sources, to total moles carbon VOC reacted in model simulations. For this particular anthropogenic inventory and chemical mechanism, it is found that over 50% of the moles carbon reacted is associated with mobile sources. Such analysis can help indicate which uncertainties in anthropogenic emissions inventories may have the greatest impact on results of regional simulations.     

Acid deposition models for detecting the effect of changes in emissions: an exploratory investigation utilizing meteorological variables

Two models are presented that incorporate meteorological variables to improve the assessment of the effects of emissions reductions on the concentration of sulfate in precipitation. We obtain results using these models from 12 sites in the NADP/NTN network for the 10-year period 1979–1988. In both models, we estimate the emissions effect and discuss appropriate measurements of error. Although we use historical data to evaluate the models, this methodology is developed to improve the assessment of anticipated future emission reductions under the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. The emphaseis of this research is not on the actual estimates of the effect of emission changes. Rather, we show that the incorporation of meteorological variables offers some hope for improving the assessment of the effects of emission reductions. We provide a preliminary evaluation of the improvement in the methodology utilizing meteorological variables at 12 NADP/NTN sites in the eastern U.S.A.     

硅胶腕带被动采集多环芳烃的可行性分析

多环芳烃（polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,PAHs）对人体危害巨大,目前关于人体暴露于大气环境PAHs研究主要以主动采样方式开展。硅胶腕带作为一种新的大气被动采样装置,具有体积小、价格低、耐磨耐热、无毒无味等优点,适合人体环境暴露监测。国际上研究刚起步,尚未建立完善的腕带被动采样与主动采样技术之间的定量关系。本研究于2019年秋冬季和2021年冬季在西安市城区,同时开展硅胶腕带被动采样与大气主动采样对低分子量（MW＜203 g·mol^?1）PAHs的对比实验,力求建立两者的联系。2019年和2021年西安冬季大气中低分子量PAHs浓度分别为(52.81±14.76) ng·m^?3和(134.59±39.48) ng·m^?3,与前人研究相当。相对应的腕带浓度为(183.07±40.43) ng·d^?1和(524.99±150.32) ng·d^?1。Pearson相关分析发现：萘、苊烯、1-甲基萘、2-甲基萘、荧蒽以及总PAHs的主、被动采样之间显著相关（P＜0.05）,相关系数均大于0.4,证明硅胶腕带被动采样方法适用于低分子量PAHs的人体暴露监测。     

Reducing emissions from land use in Indonesia: motivation,policy instruments and expected funding streams

Land-based emissions of carbon dioxide derive from the interface of forest and agriculture. Emission estimates require harmonization across forest and non-forest data sources. Furthermore, emission reduction requires understanding of the linked causes and policy levers between agriculture and forestry. The institutional forestry traditions dominated the emergence of the discourse on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) while more holistic perspectives on land-based emissions, including agriculture, found a home in international recognition for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs). We tested the hypothesis that, at least for Indonesia, the NAMA framework provides opportunities to resolve issues that REDD+ alone cannot address. We reviewed progress on five major challenges identified in 2007 by the Indonesian Forest Climate Alliance: 1) scope and ‘forest’ definition; 2) ownership and tenurial rights; 3) multiplicity and interconnectedness of drivers; 4) peatland issues across forest and non-forest land categories; and 5) fairness and efficiency of benefit-distribution mechanisms across conservation, degradation and restoration phases of tree-cover transition. Results indicate that the two policy instruments developed in parallel with competition rather than synergy. Three of the REDD+ challenges can be resolved by treating REDD+ as a subset of the NAMA and national emission reduction plans for Indonesia. We conclude that two issues, rights and benefit distribution, remain a major challenge, and require progress on a motivational pyramid of policy and polycentric governance. National interest in retaining global palm oil exports gained priority over expectations of REDD forest rents. Genuine concerns over climate change motivate a small but influential part of the ongoing debate.     

大气非甲烷烃在线测量系统的研发与应用

为满足大气非甲烷烃(NMHCs)时空分布监测需求,开发出一套可用于移动观测的小型在线测量系统.环境空气经Teflon膜去除颗粒物后,以100 m L·min-1流速采样进入多床吸附剂捕集阱,样品气中的NMHCs在-10℃的温度下被捕集,之后,捕集阱经高纯氮气反吹后迅速升温至300℃,载气(高纯氮气)以1.6 m L·min-1将解吸出的样品送入GC-FID进行检测.通过系列条件实验,确定了吸附剂的最佳组合和仪器运行的最优参数,在此条件下,本系统最低检出限为0.01 nmol·mol-1(顺-2-丁烯),标准工作曲线R2为0.9991~0.9998,10次重复实验RSD3%.本系统与现有商业化设备TH-300B的测量结果具有较好的一致性,在实际外场应用中,运行稳定性高、能准确追踪12种典型NMHCs的大气浓度变化,可为定量分析大气二次污染形成机制提供关键前体物信息.     

中国铝生命周期能耗与碳排放的情景分析及减排对策

铝工业是高能耗高排放工业,探索铝工业的节能减排路径有助于我国实现《巴黎协定》中的温室气体减排承诺.采用物质流分析和生命周期评价方法,基于存量水平、技术水平和能源结构设置了15种情景,研究了我国铝工业1990～2100年的能耗和碳排放量,探索不同路径下的节能减排潜力.我国铝在用存量将在2040～2050年达到峰值(4.6...     

Fairness aspects of linking the European emissions trading scheme under a long-term stabilization scenario for CO2 concentration

Climate equity is a crucial but difficult element in negotiations on a post-2012 climate regime. With respect to the trading of greenhouse gas emissions the equity aspect is considered in the Kyoto Protocol which demands that emissions trading should be supplemental to domestic abatement efforts. The question arises whether a linking of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to non-EU emission trading schemes or the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) could have an impact on principles of climate justice and thus potentially affect ongoing negotiations. In this study, we present the results of a three step analysis: In a first step, it estimates mid-term greenhouse gas emission entitlements for Annex B and Non-Annex B countries for the year 2020 which keep within reach a stabilization of the CO₂ concentration at 450 ppmv in the long-term. In the second step, the resulting emission entitlements are used as an input to an economic partial-equilibrium model in order to assess the shift of abatement efforts under different scenarios of linking the EU ETS. In a third step, we analyze the outcome of the economic model with respect to the future trend of European per capita emissions under the current EU ETS relative to different scenarios of linking the EU ETS. The model results indicate that European per capita emissions have to be reduced to a considerably smaller extent if a linking of the EU ETS is accompanied by an optimal design of the National Allocation Plans and if low-cost CO₂ permits became available via the CDM to a large extent.

Measurements of the optical properties of the smoke emissions from plastics,hydrocarbons, and other urban fuels for nuclear winter studies

We have measured the optical and microphysical properties of smoke from burning plastic materials and other components of the urban fuel mix, including hydrocarbons, rubber, and wood, to provide information on the source term for possible aerosol clouds injected into the atmosphere following large scale urban fires. Our measurements included measurements of emission factors; in situ optical measurements of aerosol absorption, scattering, and attenuation; and collection of particles using both filters and cascade impactors for size and mass concentration determinations.These measurements were made under a variety of conditions to investigate the range of variation of these optical parameters and to relate observed differences in smoke properties to differences in fuel composition and fire conditions.The plastic data show average B_e values near 10 m² g⁻¹ at 488 nm and 8 m² g⁻¹ at 633 nm. Values of B_e measured during smoldering combustion are significantly less than in flaming combustion. Flaming combustion B_e values for the rubber appear to be somewhat higher, particularly for the tire rubber; petroleum product fuel values are comparable to the plastic fuel values; and oak smoke emissions values are slightly lower than the plastic values. Measured 633 nm B_a values were approximately 6 m² g⁻¹ for the petroleum products, 7 m² g⁻¹ for the rubber, 6 m² g⁻¹ for the wood, and 6 m² g⁻¹ for the plastic.     

Effects of the reduction of pollution emissions on the economic performance of firms: an empirical analysis focusing on demand and productivity

This paper analyzes whether the reduction of pollution emissions improves a firm’s economic performance through the increase in sales to environmentally conscious customers and the cost reductions associated with the improvement in productivity. Because the selection of the control (end-of-pipe) or prevention (cleaner production) approach differently influences the effect through the improvement in productivity, this is also considered. Using panel data for Japanese manufacturing firms over the period 2002–2008, the findings indicate that firms that have reduced their pollution emissions can increase their economic performance through the increase in demand for their products and an improvement in productivity. However, the latter is conditional, and so the prevention approach is preferred.     

Life cycle emissions of greenhouse gases associated with burning animal wastes in countries of the European Union

Burning animal wastes for the production of electricity is stimulated in the European Union because of the ‘climate neutrality’ of its life cycle. In doing so fossil fuel inputs in animal husbandry and the N₂O and CH₄ emissions associated with animal husbandry are neglected. Here types of relatively fossil fuel efficient animal husbandry in the European Union are analysed without neglecting such inputs and emissions. The burning of pig derived animal meal, a single-output process, was found to be associated with an emission of greenhouse gases equivalent to 33 × 10²–44 × 10² g CO₂/kilowatt-hour (kWh). In most cases, however, animal wastes can be viewed as outputs from a multi-output production process. If system expansion is not possible, one may allocate multi-output process emissions on the basis of financial value or on a physical basis. Allocating on the basis of energy content of outputs of animal husbandry the burning of manure from poultry, dairy cows and pigs was estimated to generate between 6.3 × 10² and 19.5 × 10² g CO₂ equivalent per kWh. When allocating on the basis of financial value, burning manure in the Netherlands corresponds with net-sequestration, as the monetary value of manure is negative. For chicken manure a net sequestration was found of 2.5 × 10²–3.9 × 10² g CO₂ equivalent/kWh. Thus life cycle emissions of burning animal waste are extremely sensitive to the allocation principle favoured. One may extend the life cycle for instance by including indirect effects such as the substitution of carbon that is lost to agriculture due to burning animal wastes. Such an extension may well lead to a changed emission in terms of CO₂ equivalent emitted per kWh.