Environmental implications of siting and systems options in the UK flue gas desulphurisation programme

Summary This paper reviews the status of the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) programme in the United Kingdom up to the end of 1989, with particular regard to siting and systems choices. Environmental issues associated with the on-going retrofit at Drax power station are analysed and extrapolated to a retrofit at Fiddler's Ferry power station. The emission reductions required of the UK by the European Community Large Combustion Plant Directive are assessed. The impact of privatisation of the electricity supply industry on the flue gas desulphurisation programme is discussed with particular reference to the new electricity generating companies for England and Wales.Ron' Reid is a recent Environmental Studies graduate of Manchester Polytechnic who completed his dissertation on the environmental impacts of FGD installation at Fiddler's Ferry power station. Dr Jim Longhurst is Director of the Acid Rain Information Centre at Manchester Polytechnic.The Acid Rain Information Centre is supported by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council on behalf of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities and the Department of the Environment.     

LCA study of photovoltaic systems based on different technologies

This work deals with the application of a Life Cycle Assessment approach for evaluating the environmental and energy impacts ascribed to the production of photovoltaic (PV) cells of first and second generations. PV technologies based on silicon and CuInSe₂ (CIS) thin films were taken into account herein. PV systems prepared with amorphous silicon (a-Si) showed a low environmental impact and short energy payback time when compared to those ones obtained using crystalline silicon (c-Si). PV technologies associated with mono-crystal (mono-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (multi-Si) showed large emissions of CO₂, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds, particulates, and SO₂ into air per square meter of PV panel processed. In addition, these technologies displayed a significant fossil fuel demand, biological oxygen demand, and global warming potential, which make them eco-unfriendly. Ribbon silicon (ribbon-Si) and CIS thin films showed intermediate impact scores, but further improvements in their production chain are needed before these devices are commercially used. The technologies examined herein were categorized in first- and second-generation technologies in order to compare their environmental impact and conversion efficiency. Much attention was also paid to the development of third-generation PV cells with improved conversion efficiencies and lower environmental impacts.     

The integrated programme for commodities: An assessment of negotiations on minerals and metals

No agreement has yet emerged from the negotiations on mineral commodities held under the Integrated Programme for Commodities (IPC), and there is little, if any, prospect for one in the near future. This article examines the reasons for this standstill and the underlying assumptions on which the IPC is based. The following points are raised: the premise that problems of individual commodities are mutually exclusive and can be dealt with in a single framework of measures is shown to be doubtful; the principle of a commodity-by-commodity approach can no longer remain unchallenged; and structural flaws in the negotiating machinery are manifest. However, results of negotiations have not been entirely negative: the need for two-tier preparatory negotiations has been accepted and a case for a permanent consultative body, perhaps covering several commodities, has been made out. Lack of substantive reciprocity, hence political discord, remains the stumbling-block.     

黄河以北地区输水干线底泥对调水水质的影响

通过对南水北调东线一期工程的黄河以北地区输水干线底泥污染现状的调查和污染物浸出性实验,分析了输水干线底泥可能对调水水质产生的潜在风险,并根据水质目标要求进行了风险预测分析,最后提出了相应的保障措施和建议。     

Investment in water infrastructure: Findings from an economic analysis of a national programme

Mixed findings emerge from this ex post Cost-Benefit Analysis of a major water investment programme in Ireland. Water supply and conservation investments, where most benefits were internal, generally proved worthwhile. Wastewater investments could not be analysed fully due to lack of environmental data. Here the authors estimated the level of ‘willingness-to-pay’ that would have been required to ‘justify’ the investments. In some cases the required level seemed implausibly high, raising questions as to prioritisation of projects. The authors recommend a more systematic approach to recording environmental benefits in future investment programmes, the next likely wave being in new EU member states seeking to meet environmental standards. The EU, as likely co-funder of these investments, should require systematic recording of environmental benefits.     

Functional classification of swine manure management systems based on effluent and gas emission characteristics

Gaseous emissions from swine (Sus scrofa) manure storage systems represent a concern to air quality due to the potential effects of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, methane, and volatile organic compounds on environmental quality and human health. The lack of knowledge concerning functional aspects of swine manure management systems has been a major obstacle in the development and optimization of emission abatement technologies for these point sources. In this study, a classification system based on gas emission characteristics and effluent concentrations of total phosphorus (P) and total sulfur (S) was devised and tested on 29 swine manure management systems in Iowa, Oklahoma, and North Carolina in an effort to elucidate functional characteristics of these systems. Four swine manure management system classes were identified that differed in effluent concentrations of P and S, methane (CH4) emission rate, odor intensity, and air concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Odor intensity and the concentration of VOCs in air emitted from swine manure management systems were strongly correlated (r2 = 0.88). The concentration of VOC in air samples was highest with outdoor swine manure management systems that received a high input of volatile solids (Type 2). These systems were also shown to have the highest odor intensity levels. The emission rate for VOCs and the odor intensity associated with swine manure management systems were inversely correlated with CH4 and ammonia (NH3) emission rates. The emission rates of CH4, NH3, and VOCs were found to be dependent upon manure loading rate and were indirectly influenced by animal numbers.     

高效油水分离器和过滤器处理油田污水的现场实验研究

为了开发高效、低耗的含油污水处理工艺技术和设备,在吉林油田新立采油厂,对石油大学（北京）研制开发的高效油水分离器和高效过滤器处理油田污水的技术性能进行了现场测试研究。油水分离器采用斜通道波纹板作内构件,过滤器用炉渣做滤料。现场实验表明：高效油水分离器和高效过滤器串联处理油田污水,不论污水含油量高低,其过滤器出口水中含油量不高于１０ｍｇ／Ｌ者达９４％：过滤器出口水中悬浮物不高于１０ｍｇ／Ｌ者占８６％。结果说明该套装置在油和悬浮物的脱除及操作方面性能优异。有推广应用前景。     

Whose landcare? Observations on the role of 'community' in the Australian landcare programme

Australia's 'Landcare' programme is a community-based, participatory programme established by government, to tackle the problem of land degradation. It has been hailed by some as the world's most imaginative sustainable development policy. In light of the agreements reached at the Rio Earth Summit, particularly Agenda 21, the experience of established programmes such as Landcare may be useful to those beginning to grapple with the call for greater community involvement. This paper explores briefly the presentation and enactment of ideas of 'community' and 'ownership' in the Landcare programme and finds that, contrary to the rhetoric, community 'ownership' of Landcare is, in practice, ambiguous.     

Diffusion of innovative agricultural production systems for sustainable development of small islands: A methodological approach based on the science of complexity

In order to develop small islands, not only must a vital agricultural system be maintained, but the range of opportunities for tourism must be increased with respect to both the seaside and the environmental features of the rural landscape. As an alternative to the traditional and economically declining ones, many innovative production processes can be identified, but their success depends on their interaction with the physical, biological, economic and social environment. In order to identify the main nodes and the most critical interactions, so as to increase the probability of success of a new productive process, a methodological approach based on the science of complexity is proposed for the cultivation of capers (Capparis spinosa L.) on the island of Pantelleria. The methodology encompasses the identification of actors and factors involved. the quantitative evaluation of their interactions with the different stages of the productive process, and a quasiquantitative evaluation of the probability that the particular action will be performed successfully. The study of “traditional,” “modernized,” and “modernized-sustainable” processes, shows that the modernized-sustainable process offers mutually reinforcing opportunities in terms of an integrated development of high-quality agricultural products and the enhancement of environmental features, in conjunction with high-efficiency production techniques, in conjunction with high-efficiency production techniques, in a way that suits the development of Pantelleria. There is a high probability of failure, however, as a result of the large number of critical factors. Nevertheless, the present study indicates which activities will enhance the probability of successful innovation in the production process.     

Procedural influences on scientific advisory work: the case of chemical hazard characterization

The quality of science for policy depends as much on the robustness of available scientific knowledge as it does on the procedural settings and working procedures in safety agencies. Using a report on Bisphenol A as a case study, and a set of original criteria, we provide an understanding of procedural influences on the results of scientific advisory committees and about literature reviews for chemical hazard characterization. Expert elicitation revealed that three aspects are critically important for the results of the advisory activity and for the selected case study: the method used to combine different studies, the interpretation of the review results in terms of level of evidence and conclusiveness, and the choice of uncertainty factors. Our results also show how procedural settings and working procedures can promote the invisible influence of values and policy on scientific advisory activities.     

油气矿基于EPTMC模型实现建设项目环保三同时精细化管理建议探讨

环保三同时管理贯穿于油气田建设项目论证前期、施工期、运行期等整个过程,克服建设项目时间紧、任务重,快建快投等困难,同时要做好项目全过程环境保护管理,尤为重要。本文结合环境保护相关法律法规和建设项目三同时管理相关要求,结合气矿实际情况,为实现建设项目环保三同时精细化管理,通过实践验证,总结提出EPTMC管理模型建议。     

油田钻井废水的治理研究

根据钻井废水的污染成分及国内外处理区域环境的敏感性采取三种方法对其进行治理，即：废水回灌、集中处理后回灌或回注、现场处理后回注。在冀东油田进行了三种处理方案的试验研究，取得了一定的效益，有望在石油行业推广应用。     

Optimization of thermal performance of the parabolic trough solar collector systems based on GA-BP neural network model

The aim of this paper is to optimize the thermal performance (system output energy, thermal efficiency, and heat loss of cavity absorber) of parabolic trough solar collector (PTC) systems in order to improve its thermal performance, based on the genetic algorithm-back propagation (GA-BP) neural network model. There are a number of undefined problems, fuzzy or incomplete information and a complex thermal performance of the PTC systems. Therefore, the thermal performance prediction of the PTC systems based on GA-BP neural network model was developed. Subsequently, the metrics performances have been adopted to comprehensively understand the algorithm and evaluate the prediction accuracy. Results revealed that the GA-BP neural network model can be successfully used to predict the complex nonlinear relationship between the input variables and thermal performance of the PTC systems. The cosine effect has a great influence on the thermal performance; thereby the geometrical structure of the PTC systems was optimized. It was found that the optimized geometrical structure was beneficial to improve the thermal performance of the PTC system. In conclusion, the GA-BP neural network model has higher prediction accuracy than the other algorithm and it can be feasible and reliable.     

油田废污泥治理研究

冀东油田废水池地处环境敏感区域，对其废污泥采用固化法进行处理。在大量实验的基础上优选出了三种固化剂体系并通过多次浸泡实验、淋洗实验和静态浸出实验对固化效果进行了分析。     

The role of economic invisibility in development: veiling women's work in rural Pakistan

The thesis in this article is that both women's work and its invisibility are essential to development, and at two levels: to the economy of rural households and to the wider development process. For rural households, the case of Pakistan suggests that the veils that conceal women's work shield a portion of household production from the risks and extractions inherent in their involvement with development. This shielded production depends on off-farm natural resources of which the use is also veiled. For States and other development interests, the author suggests that women's work constitutes a subsidy which is intentionally invisible. The subsidy of women's labour is linked to a forest-to-farm subsidy. Women's invisible work, in other words, is not invisible because it is not seen, but because the process of economic development—for both rural households and States and other development actors—requires that it be hidden.     

Manure and adoption of modern seeds in cereal‐based systems in West African drylands: linkages and (non)complementarities

Using a stepwise approach that combines several econometric methods, we assessed whether or not the adoption of modern seeds and the use of manure in cereal‐based systems are linked and, if so, what are the driving forces of the linkages between these two agricultural technologies under dry‐climate conditions in West Africa. We found complementary and substitutability linkages arising from jointness and endogeneity between the two technologies. Specifically, our findings reveal positive joint determination along with negative endogeneity between the two technologies indicating that, controlling for observable variables, both technologies are positively linked, but unobserved factors that affect one adoption decision are negatively correlated with the other. After controlling for jointness and endogeneity, we found significant complementarity linkages showing a significant positive effect of manure use on the adoption of modern seeds, which is also significantly and positively affected by the number of cash crops grown and remittances. The two technologies are reversely affected by schooling and the incidence of soil fertility problems within the farm, whereas the amount of healthy land has a positive effect on both. The study suggests that organic fertilizer can serve as an enabling factor for greater adoption of modern seeds, especially in less favourable climate areas, and strongly supports the argument behind the need to breed seeds suitable for the use of organic fertilizers. These findings provide avenues for re‐orientation of policies that promote the use of modern seeds in dryland areas in sub‐Saharan Africa, with a possibility of breeding and promoting them in packages with organic fertilizers to upscale their adoption.     

Impact of crude oil price volatility on economic activities: An empirical investigation in the Thai economy

This paper empirically examines the impact of oil price volatility on key macroeconomic indicators of Thailand. Following Andersen et al. [2004. Analytical evaluation of volatility forecasts. International Economic Review 45(4), 1079–1110], quarterly oil price volatility is measured by using the realized volatility (RV). The impact of the oil price volatility is investigated using the vector auto-regression (VAR) system. The Granger causality test, impulse response functions, and variance decomposition show that oil price volatility has significant impact on macroeconomic indicators, such as unemployment and investment, over the period from 1993Q1 to 2006Q4. Perron's [1997. Further evidence on breaking trend functions in macroeconomic variables. Journal of Econometrics 80(2), 355–385] test identifies structural breaks in all the concerned variables during the time of the Asian Financial Crisis (1997–1998). A VAR for the post-crisis period shows that the impact of oil price volatility is transmitted to budget deficit. The floating exchange rate regime introduced after the crisis may be the key contributor to this new channel of impact.     

Claiming a corner at work: Measuring employee territoriality in their workspaces

Territoriality is an emerging concept of importance in organizations. Unfortunately, there does not exist currently a valid measure of territoriality with which to conduct research on territoriality in organizations. I developed a theoretically driven four-factor measure of territoriality. Six hundred and sixty-three people working in office settings completed an online survey about their territorial behaviors. Using confirmatory factor analysis I found that the four-factor structure had acceptable fit. I also found preliminary evidence of construct validity. Collectively, the results support the validity of the measure, thus providing an instrument for studying territoriality in organizations. I then discuss specific implications of this measure for both research and practise.