The impact of household food consumption on resource and energy management

How can private households contribute to a more resource-efficient food production system? The importance of meat consumption has previously been highlighted. Various life-cycle analysis studies suggest which products are favourable from an ecological point of view. This study uses a material flux analysis to assess material and energy fluxes of the entire system of food production and consumption. It compares different steps in production and consumption as well as different product categories. The results reveal that agricultural production and private households account for most of the system's energy requirements. The outcomes of two possible initiatives taken by private households are analysed by scenario calculation. It compares optimisation of technical devices in private households with purchase decisions that favour organically produced food products. The results reveal an astonishing optimisation potential of cooling devices in private households. However, it also shows the importance of specific parameters, such as the energy-mix coefficient.     

半城市化地区生活垃圾产生及其影响因素分析

以典型半城市化地区--厦门市集美区为研究区域,调查了城市化梯度下的居住区特点和生活垃圾的产量;从半城市化地区的社会经济发展和环境意识实际状况出发,寻找微观尺度上影响生活垃圾产量的因素.半城市化地区生活垃圾产量较低但增长迅速,研究该地区生活垃圾产生及其影响因素的耦合关系,针对生活垃圾生产的源头,提出半城市化地区生活垃圾管...     

我国农村化粪池污染物去除效果及影响因素分析

探究农村化粪池污染物去除效果及主要影响因素对于理解我国农村化粪池粪污处理现状十分必要.本研究基于山西、陕西、浙江、湖南、广东和重庆6个选点区域57家农户化粪池的监测结果,分析了农村化粪池处理污染物的现状和主要影响因素.结果表明,区域化粪池对化学需氧量(COD)、5日生化需氧量(BOD5)、氨氮(NH3-N)、总氮(TN...     

天津市煤炭消费的行业结构和影响因素分析

分析了天津市煤炭消费的行业结构和影响因素,旨在为天津市削减煤炭消费总量提供参考依据。由于煤炭大部分用于生产二次能源,计算了天津市生产各行业消费的二次能源所需的煤炭量,将其与各行业的煤炭终端消费量综合考虑。结果显示,天津市煤炭消费的行业集中度较高,工业占大部分比例,其中又以钢铁、化工行业最突出,同时生活消费和第三产业的煤炭消费量也不容忽视。与全市煤炭消费总量灰色关联度最高的指标为城市建设用地数量和人均生活能源消费量。     

Another outlook to sector-level energy consumption in Pakistan from dominant energy sources and correlation with economic growth

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study seeks to investigate the sector-level energy consumption of oil and natural gas and to explore the linkage between economic growth,...     

排水管道内湍动能分布特性及影响因素

污水中的污染物在管道输送过程中由于管道壁生物膜的微生物作用而发生降解,生化反应过程取决于物质从水相到生物膜之间的传质过程,传质过程受管道中流态特别是湍流作用的影响较大。采用PIV技术和FLUENT软件模拟下水道流态,重点研究充满度为0.1、0.2、0.3、0.4、0.5和坡度为0.003、0.005、0.008、0.01、0.03时水相中湍动能和湍动耗散率的沿程变化。结果表明,在充满度一定时管壁处的湍动能及湍动耗散率最大,且其随着坡度的增大而逐渐增大;坡度一定时,充满度越大管壁处湍动能及湍动耗散率越大。     

成都市区、城郊和农村生活垃圾重金属污染特性及来源

以快速发展的城郊地区为切入点,研究了成都市区、城郊和农村三区冬夏两季生活垃圾的物理组成、重金属污染特性和来源。研究发现,成都地区生活垃圾重金属浓度普遍高于当地土壤背景值,且呈现出夏季高于冬季的趋势。无论冬夏,三区垃圾中最主要的污染重金属均为Se(0.3~1.1 mg/kg)、Cd(0.3~0.9 mg/kg)和Cu(24.9~152.6 mg/kg),而其他重金属污染物如Pb、Hg和Cr在三区垃圾中的污染强弱顺序差异较大。通过Pearson相关性分析以及测定垃圾主成分中重金属浓度来研究重金属污染物的来源,结果显示:三区生活垃圾中Cd主要源于餐厨、尘土和塑料,Se可能源于废弃的电子产品,Cu和Zn源于尘土和包装纸;市区垃圾中的Pb主要源于尘土、塑料和包装纸;城郊垃圾中Cr、Se的主要源于尘土,而Hg主要来源于餐厨和尘土。     

Levels and sources of brominated flame retardants in human hair from urban, e-waste, and rural areas in South China

Human hair and indoor dust from urban, e-waste, and rural areas in south China were collected and analyzed for brominated flame retardants (BFRs). BFRs concentrations in hair from occupational e-waste recycling workers were higher than those from non-occupational exposed residents in other sampling areas. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) are two major BFRs in hair samples. The PBDE congener profiles in hair from the e-waste area are different from those from urban and rural areas with relatively higher contribution of lower brominated congeners. DBDPE, instead of BDE209, has become the major BFR in non-e-waste recycling areas. Significant correlations were found between hair level and dust level for DBDPE and BTBPE but not for PBDEs. The different PBDE congener profiles between dust and hair may suggest that exogenous exposure to the PBDE adsorbed on dust is not a major source of hair PBDEs.     

Seasonal variation and factors influencing perchlorate in water,snow, soil and corns in Northeastern China

Seasonal variation and influencing factors of perchlorate in snow, surface soil, rain, surface water, groundwater and corn were studied. Seven hundreds and seventy samples were collected in different periods in Harbin and its vicinity, China. Perchlorate concentrations were analyzed by ion chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry. Results indicate that fireworks and firecrackers display from the Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival (February 2, 2011–February 17, 2011) can result in the occurrence of perchlorate in surface soil and snow. Perchlorate distribution is affected by wind direction in winter. Melting snow which contained perchlorate can dissolve perchlorate in surface soil, and then perchlorate can percolate into groundwater so that perchlorate concentrations in groundwater increased in spring. Perchlorate concentrations in groundwater and surface water decrease after rainy season in summer. Groundwater samples collected in the floodplain areas of the Songhua River and the Ashi River contained higher perchlorate concentrations than that far away with the rivers. The corns have the ability to accumulate perchlorate.     

三峡库区农村生活垃圾处理支付意愿及影响因素分析

农村生活垃圾的集中化、科学化处理对改善农村居民生活环境和农业生产环境具有重要意义。而农户对农村生活垃圾处理的支付意愿对农村生活环境的改善具有关键性作用。采用条件价值评估法(CVM)分析了三峡库区农户对处理生活垃圾的支付意愿及其影响因素。结果表明:(1)农户对农村生活垃圾处理的平均支付意愿为48元/a;(2)户主年龄、文化程度以及对环境是否关心对当地农户处理生活垃圾的支付意愿有极显著影响。户主年龄和文化程度对生活垃圾处理的支付意愿的影响为正,说明农户年龄越大、文化程度越高,对生活垃圾处理的支付意愿就越强烈。农户对环境的关心程度为正,表示农户越关心环境,对生活垃圾处理的支付意愿就越强烈。最后,提出相关建议:制定政策时要充分考虑农户的个体特征和自身利益;加强教育,提高农户的文化水平;加强环境保护宣传,提高农户的环境认知和环保意识。     

Assessing urban atmospheric environmental efficiency and factors influencing it in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With rapid urbanization and industrialization in developing countries, cities have become the major sources of air pollution. Studying urban...     

Engelbart SST工艺农村生活污水一体化治理设备的应用效果及运行能耗

针对农村生活污水水质水量波动性大的特点,应用基于Engelbart SST工艺的一体化处理设备对农村生活污水进行了处理,并考察了该设备在水质波动情况下的处理效果与运行能耗。结果表明,在DO为0.3~0.5 mg·L⁻¹、回流比为1 000%~2 000%、HRT为12~15 h、MLSS为5 600~8 800 mg·L⁻¹的工艺条件下,配合化学除磷,设备COD、NH₃-N、TN、TP平均去除率分别可达到95.3%、94.9%、78.9%、92.2%。该设备表现出了良好的抗波动能力,在COD、NH₃-N、TN处理负荷较设计值波动幅度分别为−39.7%~171.0%、−34.8%~96.9%、−45.0%~61.1%的条件下,出水COD≤50 mg·L⁻¹、NH₃-N浓度≤5.0 mg·L⁻¹、TN浓度≤15 mg·L⁻¹。该设备利用曝气自动控制系统在经济DO条件下运行,吨水能耗为0.24~0.33 kWh。本研究结果可为农村污水处理的技术选择和运行提供参考。     

Distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from urban to rural soils: a case study in Dalian, China

To estimate the distribution and sources of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in metropolitan and adjacent areas, soil samples were collected from urban, suburban and rural locations of Dalian, China, and concentrations of 14 PAHs were determined. The spatial PAH profiles were site-specific and determined by the sources close to the sampling sites. PAH concentrations decreased significantly along the urban-suburban-rural transect. The gradient implied that the fractionation effect influenced PAH distribution. Bivariate plots of selected diagnostic ratios showed general trends of co-variation and allowed to distinguish samples taken from different areas. An improved method, factor analysis (FA) with nonnegative constrains, was used to determine the primary sources and contributions of PAHs in soils. The FA model showed traffic average (74%) and coal related residential emission (26%) were two primary sources to Dalian soils. In addition, the FA model provided reasonable explanations for PAH contributions in soils from different sites. The results suggest that FA with nonnegative constraints is a promising tool for source apportionment of PAHs in soils.     

Carbon dioxide emissions,output, and energy consumption categories in Algeria

This study examines the relation between CO₂ emissions, income, non-renewable, and renewable energy consumption in Algeria during the period extending from 1980 to 2011. Our work gives particular attention to the validity of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) with break point method outcome demonstrates the positive effect of non-renewable type of energy on CO₂ emissions consumption. On the contrary, the results reveal an insignificant effect of renewable energy on environment improvement. Moreover, the results accept the existence of EKC hypothesis but the highest gross domestic product value in logarithm scale of our data is inferior to the estimated turning point. Consequently, policy-makers in Algeria should expand the ratio of renewable energy and should decrease the quota of non-renewable energy consumption.     

Dynamism of household carbon emissions (HCEs) from rural and urban regions of northern and southern China

China contributes 23 % of global carbon emissions, of which 26 % originate from the household sector. Due to vast variations in both climatic conditions and the affordability and accessibility of fuels, household carbon emissions (HCEs) differ significantly across China. This study compares HCEs (per person) from urban and rural regions in northern China with their counterparts in southern China. Annual macroeconomic data for the study period 2005 to 2012 were obtained from Chinese government sources, whereas the direct HCEs for different types of fossil fuels were obtained using the IPCC reference approach, and indirect HCEs were calculated by input-output analysis. Results suggest that HCEs from urban areas are higher than those from rural areas. Regardless of the regions, there is a similarity in per person HCEs in urban areas, but the rural areas of northern China had significantly higher HCEs than those from southern China. The reasons for the similarity between urban areas and differences between rural areas and the percentage share of direct and indirect HCEs from different sources are discussed. Similarly, the reasons and solutions to why decarbonising policies are working in urban areas but not in rural areas are discussed.

     

Description and application of the EAP computer program for calculating life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of household consumption items

Focusing on reduction in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, a life-cycle-based analysis tool has been developed. The energy analysis program (EAP) is a computer program for determining energy use and greenhouse gas emissions related to household consumption items, using a hybrid calculation method. EAP consists of a number of fill-in screens corresponding to steps in the hybrid method, which in their turn correspond to different stages in life-cycles of consumer goods. The database incorporated in EAP comprises data about energy use and emissions of the main greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄and N₂O) concerning materials, economic sectors, means of transport, etc. The use of the program in several projects showed the applicability and usefulness of EAP in research and policy. In this article, EAP is applied to food: French beans as a metaphor for fruit and vegetables.     

Temporal variations of benthic diatom community and its main influencing factors in a subtropical river, China

Benthic diatoms are the main component in many aquatic ecosystems such as streams, creeks and rivers, and they function as important primary producers and chemical modulators for other organisms in the ecosystems. In this study, the composition of benthic diatoms was investigated and further explored the primary physicals and chemicals affecting their temporal variations in the upper Han River, China. There were seasonal variations in physical and chemical variables in waters over the sampling period of 2007–2010. Water temperature (t), chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), silica and fluoride were much higher in the high flow season (i.e., July or August) than these in the base flow season. Three species Achnanthidium minutissimum (composed of 10.7 % of the total diatom abundance), Achnanthidium pyrenaicum (11.9 %), and Achnanthidium subatomus (12.7 %) accounting for more than 5 % of the total diatom abundance were persistently dominant in all seasons, while the other two prostrate and motile species including Eolimna minima and Nitzschia dissipata also dominant in the base flow season. The species richness always peaked in autumn with significant difference with summer (p?<?0.01), and density of benthic diatom varied and peaked in April. Analyses indicated that the temporal variation in benthic diatom communities was strongly related to t, nitrogen, organic pollutants (indicated by COD and DOC), and hydrological regime. The research will expand the understanding of water chemistry monitoring, and improve watershed- scale management and conservation efforts in the upper Han River, China.     

The global contribution of energy consumption by product exports from China

This paper presents a model to analyze the mechanism of the global contribution of energy usage by product exports. The theoretical analysis is based on the perspective that contribution estimates should be in relatively smaller sectors in which the production characteristics could be considered, such as the productivity distribution for each sector. Then, we constructed a method to measure the global contribution of energy usage. The simple method to estimate the global contribution is the percentage of goods export volume compared to the GDP as a multiple of total energy consumption, but this method underestimates the global contribution because it ignores the structure of energy consumption and product export in China. According to our measurement method and based on the theoretical analysis, we calculated the global contribution of energy consumption only by industrial manufactured product exports in a smaller sector per industry or manufacturing sector. The results indicated that approximately 42% of the total energy usage in the whole economy for China in 2013 was contributed to foreign regions. Along with the primary products and service export in China, the global contribution of energy consumption for China in 2013 by export was larger than 42% of the total energy usage.     

中国西部地区环境投资效率及其影响因素研究

采用数据包络分析(DEA)—Tobit两阶段模型法,对西部地区的环境投资效率及其影响因素进行实证分析。结果表明,在DEA核算期(2003—2010年)内,西部地区的环境投资效率与中国平均水平相近,且均远高于东部地区;2003—2010年,西部地区全部处于纯技术有效和规模有效的省份只有广西和贵州,而其他省区均不同程度地存在纯技术无效或规模无效现象,这些省区不仅存在环保投资资金管理和经营水平上的非有效性,而且其环境治理投入规模也存在非合理性;对环境投资效率的影响因素进行Tobit回归分析后发现,经济规模和产业结构对环境投资效率有正向促进作用,对外贸易程度、政府规制和公民环保意识与环境投资效率则存在负相关关系。     

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in sediments of the Daliao River Estuary, China: levels, distribution and their influencing factors

The concentrations, compositional profiles, possible sources of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediments of the Daliao River Estuary as well as the factors influencing the distribution of PBDEs were investigated. The total concentrations of PBDEs ranged from 0.13 to 1.98 ng g⁻¹ d.w. BDE209 was the dominating congener in all sediment samples, indicating the pollution of PBDEs in the Daliao River Estuary mainly came from the use of deca-BDE commercial mixtures. The intrusion of sea waters promoted the deposition of the colloid-associated PBDEs in the estuary. There were significantly negative correlations between PBDE concentration in sediment with pH value and salinity in the bottom water. The higher river flow in the flood season (summer) obviously accelerated the transport of PBDEs, and thereby increased the risk of PBDE contamination to the deep ocean. Moreover, a positive correlation between TOC and PBDE distributions was observed, suggesting that TOC regulated the distributions of PBDEs in sediments of Daliao River Estuary.