Dissolution of minerals and hydrometallurgical processes

Physical, chemical, electrochemical, and electrolytic processes involved in the dissolution of minerals in aqueous solutions are identified and characterized. Their importance to hydrometallurgy is outlined.     

非常规突发灾害事故的演化机理与演变路径分析

为完善非常规突发灾害事故的演化机理及演变路径,提高应急指挥决策的准确性,本文在定义非常规突发灾害事故和介绍突变理论原理的基础上,通过轨迹交叉理论对非常规突发灾害事故的致因进行分析,建立了非常规突发灾害事故的尖点突变模型,并描述了此类灾害事故的五种具体演化模式;同时,基于灾害事故、承灾体、致灾体、应急救援活动四个要素,分析了非常规突发灾害事故几个关键情景的可能演变路径,旨在为针对非常规突发灾害事故的可能演变路径而进行应对提供决策依据。     

工业生态学的演化与原理

在总结当前工业生态学（IE）主要研究成果的基础上，分析了IE的演化进程，阐述了IE的原理，并展望了研究方向。指出：IE是一门以提高工业过程中原料使用效率、降低废物排放弃为目的，研究工业系统及其与环境之间相互关系的应用生态学；其化过程经历了孕育、萌芽的提出第三个阶段；其主要研究对象是工业生态系统，而工业生态系统的主体是工业生产部门；工业生态系统的功能主要表现在工业生产过程中的物流、能流和信息流三个方面。     

安全文化的形成与发展

从实践论和科技进步的视角,研究了安全文化的发展;探讨了安全文化与安全科学、工业发展的关系;阐述了安全文化的新理念.     

灰霾天气的形成与演化

由于经济规模迅速扩大和城市化进程加快,大气气溶胶污染日趋严重,由气溶胶造成的能见度恶化事件越来越多,这些人类活动排放的污染物,包括直接排放的气溶胶和气态污染物通过化学转化与光化学转化形成的细粒子二次气溶胶,可形成灰霾(特指人类活动源排放的大气污染物诱发的低能见度事件),致使能见度下降。我国东部地区灰霾天气迅速增加,灰霾天气的本质是细粒子气溶胶污染,与光化学烟雾相关联,形成灰霾天气的气溶胶组成非常复杂。近年来由于灰霾天气日趋严重引发的环境效应问题和气溶胶辐射强迫引发的气候效应问题,广泛地引起科学界、政府部门和社会公众的关注,而成为热门话题。文章讨论了目前对灰霾天气的认识,灰霾的定义与判别标准,灰霾天气与光化学烟雾、气象条件的关系,也涉及灰霾天气对人体健康的影响。展望了灰霾研究的前景与主要研究方向和内容。     

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

The degradation of plastic debris may result in the generation of nanoplastics(NPs). Their high specific surface area for the sorption of organic pollutions and toxic heavy metals and possible transfer between organisms at different nutrient levels make the study of NPs an urgent priority. However, there is very limited understanding on the occurrence, distribution, abundant, and fate of NPs in the environment, partially due to the lack of suitable techniques for the separation and identificatio...     

可持续发展理论与沿革

文章阐述了“可持续发展的概念及其理论与实践发展的６个阶段，中国在可持续发展中必须关注的几个要点，即层次性，理论基础，集约型增长与系统方法论。     

雅鲁藏布江径流变化趋势及原因分析

论文利用1956-2000 年近45a 的天然径流逐月资料, 1956-2004 年近50a 的气温、降水逐 月资料, 分析了20 世纪下半叶雅鲁藏布江流域径流变化特征及其与气候变化的关系。研究表明: 雅 鲁藏布江流域径流的年际变化较稳定, 年内分配极不平衡, 月最大径流量占全年百分比达30.1%, 而月最小径流量只占全年的2.1%, 枯水季节径流量和洪水季节径流量相差较悬殊; 雅鲁藏布江流 域普遍存在升温的变化趋势, 同时流域内降水增加趋势较明显, 变化周期与径流变化周期较一致。 从雅鲁藏布江流域天然径流代际变化的初步分析来看, 流域来水的增加, 主要受制于降水和气温的 变化, 也受到流域地表状况变化的影响, 同时也可能是河流丰枯长周期变化的表现。这种周期变化 还需相关资料的验证和分析。     

Multi-objective modeling and optimization for cleaner production processes

The paper presents a methodology for multi-objective modeling and optimization with environmental impacts and economics aspects simultaneously in the context of cleaner production. A generalized multi-objective process model is proposed based on a holistic concept of macro-structure. A hybrid multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed to solve this multi-objective optimization problem. The Elitist Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm is used to obtain the Pareto-optimal set. The best compromised solution is determined by using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution. A simple reaction system is presented as a case study to illustrate the proposed methodology.     

Soil erosion in Denmark: processes and politics

Denmark has been dealing seriously with wind erosion problems for the past 125 years whereas water erosion did not come into focus until serious euthrophication appeared in the coastal waters in 1986. This paper describes the problems and processes of soil erosion in Denmark and how these are inter-linked with the political system through subsidies, production systems, etc. The dominant soil erosion processes in Denmark are wind, sheet, rill, tillage and bank erosion. Whereas wind erosion is predominant on sandy soils with low soil fertility, sheet, rill and tillage erosion are mainly on till from the last glaciation and is largely caused by snowmelt events and prolonged rain on saturated and/or partly frozen soil. Danish laws and subsidies have played a major role in managing soil erosion. This has for instance been manifested by the extensive planting of windbreaks and the establishment of buffer zones along water courses. On the other hand, the focus on reducing nitrate leaching has led to increased sheet and rill erosion resulting from a larger number of fields with winter crops. When it comes to reducing phosphorous transport to the aquatic environment, soil erosion has been recognized as an important process but a thorough understanding of the mechanisms are lacking. Finally, the case study of the Water Environmental Protection Plan I shows that both the media and NGOs can play an important role in pushing environmental problems associated with soil erosion onto the political agenda and with the NGOs having a great say in the actual shaping of the laws.     

Separating method and dynamic processes of Nano-Al13

In order to investigate the characteristics of pure Nano-Al₁₃, Nano-Al₁₃ was separated and purified from a series of poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) solutions which had the same Al₁₃ percentage but different total Al concentrations, by using column chromatography, ethanol-acetone resolving and SO²⁻ ₄/Ba²⁺ displacement. The Al₁₃ species yield was characterized by Al-ferron timed complexation spectrophotometry and ²⁷Al-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). The coagulation efficiency of Nano-Al₁₃, PAC and AlCl₃ in synthetic water was also investigated by Jar tests. The dynamic process and aggregation state of kaolin suspensions coagulating with Nano-Al₁₃, PAC and AlCl₃ were similarly investigated using a photometric dispersion analyzer 2000 (PDA2000). The experimental results indicated that the ethanol-acetone resolving method was simple and could separate the PAC solution at different concentrations, while column chromatography could separate PAC solutions at low concentrations. The SO₄ ²⁻/Ba²⁺ displacement method could separate PAC solutions at high concentrations. However, extra inorganic cation and anion could be added in the solution during separation. The coagulation efficiency and dynamic experimental results showed that Nano-Al₁₃ with high positive-charged species was effective in removing turbidity and color. The dynamic process results showed that Nano-Al₁₃ also had the best recovery capability after shearing compared with PAC and AlCl₃ because the Nano-Al₁₃ conformation is more effective in charge neutralization. Translated from Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae, 2005, 25(6): 767–772 [译自: 环境科学学报]     

Scientific collectives in region-building processes

During the last 30 years, growing demand for science-based policy making has contributed to the mobilization of scientific cooperation alongside transnational political arrangements for addressing environmental issues. Following the contemporary trend toward regionalizing environmental policy and practice, many of these scientific joint efforts have focused on a regional scale. This article examines regional scientific cooperation in the context of the institutionalization of mountain regions in Europe. Such cooperation can be observed from the Pyrenees to Central Asia, albeit with a degree of variation that largely remains unexplored in scientific research. Sometimes scientific cooperation served to lay the groundwork of a mountain policy initiative, other times it appeared in its wake; some examples appear as loose networks of individual scientists, others are set up as formalized monitoring and observation centers; finally, some scientific joint efforts are formally linked to, or incorporated in a mountain policy initiative, while others are largely independent. The article proposes a new typology for understanding the interactions between regional scientific mobilization and regional policy making and provides up-to-date portraits of six main cases.     

Evolution of halictine castes

Social halictine bees have female castes that range from species with no size differences to those with a discrete bimodality. Female caste differences are inversely correlated with the number of males produced in the first brood. It is proposed that the sexual dimorphism of solitary forms is being usurped by the female caste system of species in the process of turning social. Thus, caste differences and summer male suppression are greatest in the social species originating from solitary precursors with distinct sexual dimorphism, and are least in species evolving from solitary ancestors with a continuous sexual polymorphism.     

Evolution of mycorrhiza systems

 Most terrestrial plants live in mutualistic symbiosis with root-infecting mycorrhizal fungi. Fossil records and molecular clock dating suggest that all extant land plants have arisen from an ancestral arbuscular mycorrhizal condition. Arbuscular mycorrhizas evolved concurrently with the first colonisation of land by plants some 450–500 million years ago and persist in most extant plant taxa. Ectomycorrhizas (about 200 million years ago) and ericoid mycorrhizas (about 100 million years ago) evolved subsequently as the organic matter content of some ancient soils increased and sclerophyllous vegetation arose as a response to nutrient-poor soils respectively. Mycorrhizal associations appear to be the result of relatively diffuse coevolutionary processes. While early events in the evolution of mycorrhizal symbioses may have involved reciprocal genetic changes in ancestral plants and free-living fungi, available evidence points largely to ongoing parallel evolution of the partners in response to environmental change.     

Evolution and function of auditory systems in insects

While the sensing of substrate vibrations is common among arthropods, the reception of sound pressure waves is an adaptation restricted to insects, which has arisen independently several times in different orders. Wherever studied, tympanal organs were shown to derive from chordotonal precursors, which were modified such that mechanosensitive scolopidia became attached to thin cuticular membranes backed by air-filled tracheal cavities (except in lacewings). The behavioural context in which hearing has evolved has strongly determined the design and properties of the auditory system. Hearing organs which have evolved in the context of predator avoidance are highly sensitive, preferentially in a broad range of ultrasound frequencies, which release rapid escape manoeuvres. Hearing in the context of communication does not only require recognition and discrimination of highly specific song patterns but also their localisation. Typically, the spectrum of the conspecific signals matches the best sensitivity of the receiver. Directionality is achieved by means of sophisticated peripheral structures and is further enhanced by neuronal processing. Side-specific gain control typically allows the insect to encode the loudest signal on each side. The filtered information is transmitted to the brain, where the final steps of pattern recognition and localisation occur. The outputs of such filter networks, modulated or gated by further processes (subsumed by the term motivation), trigger command neurones for specific behaviours. Altogether, the many improvements opportunistically evolved at any stage of acoustic information-processing ultimately allow insects to come up with astonishing acoustic performances similar to those achieved by vertebrates.