Abatement cost curves: a viable management tool for enabling the achievement of win-win waste reduction strategies?

Environmental regulation of industrial activity is generally believed to have a negative impact on the industry. Recent literature has suggested, however, that reducing industrial waste outputs can, in some circumstances, result in a 'win-win', or at least 'win-draw', scenario for industry and the environment. The viability of using the abatement cost curve method as a management tool to enable the achievement of a 'win-win' state is investigated here. Copper pollution in the Humber Estuary is used as a case-study, and the abatement cost curve methodology proves to be a valuable tool in identifying barriers to achieving the win-win state, and also in providing future direction for the waste management strategy. Abatement cost curves are concluded to be powerful management tools which greatly improve the transparency of waste reduction information.     

Incentive compatible environmental regulation.

Optimal environmental regulations are derived in the presence of asymmetric information about pollution abatement costs. It is recognized that compliance may have to be induced through appropriate monitoring and enforcement measures. The regulator commits to monitoring of compliance with the incentive compatible environmental regulations, and asymmetric information characterizes the interaction between the firm and regulator. The probabilities of monitoring abatement standards and corresponding subsidies are optimally chosen to ensure firm compliance. Enforcement considerations are shown to distort downward the pollution abatement requirements mandated for firms.     

The influence of metal source uncertainty on cost-effective allocation of mine water pollution abatement in catchments

In mine water pollution abatement, it is commonly assumed that known mine waste sites are the major pollution sources, thus neglecting the possibility of significant contribution from other old and diffuse sources within a catchment. We investigate the influence of different types of pollution source uncertainty on cost-effective allocation of abatement measures for mine water pollution. A catchment-scale cost-minimization model is developed and applied to the catchment of the river Dalälven, Sweden, in order to exemplify important effects of such source uncertainty. Results indicate that, if the pollution distribution between point and diffuse sources is partly unknown, downstream abatement measures, such as constructed wetlands, at given compliance boundaries are often cost-effective. If downstream abatement measures are not practically feasible, the pollution source distribution between point and diffuse mine water sources is critical for cost-effective solutions to abatement measure allocation in catchments. In contrast, cost-effective solutions are relatively insensitive to uncertainty in total pollutant discharge from mine water sources.     

New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Waterfront Justice Project

This paper reviews key challenges and opportunities addressed by the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance's (NYC-EJA) Waterfront Justice Project, a citywide campaign to promote climate resilience and sustainability in urban industrial waterfront communities of New York City. NYC-EJA is a non-profit membership-driven network linking grassroots organisations from low-income neighbourhoods and communities of colour in their struggle for environmental justice. The Waterfront Justice Project is documenting community vulnerability in the context of climate change impacts, sources of industrial pollution, and demographic and socio-economic trends. This campaign is enabling community-based organisations, environmental justice communities, city planners, local and state government agencies, local business-owners, and other stakeholders to work in partnership to achieve community resilience while advocating for local jobs and promoting best practices in pollution prevention. New York City's waterfront policies ease the siting and clustering of public infrastructure, water pollution control plants, waste transfer stations, energy facilities, and heavy manufacturing uses in six areas designated as Significant Maritime and Industrial Areas (SMIAs). The SMIAs are located in environmental justice communities, largely low-income communities and communities of colour, in the South Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. New York City's local waterfront land use and zoning policies create cumulative risk exposure not only to residents and workers in the host waterfront communities, but also, in the event of storm surge or sea-level rise, to neighbouring, upland communities.     

Control of environmental impact with modern chemical technology

Here are assembled representative excerpts from a new text in applied chemistry. They illustrate the well-referenced treatment of industrial processes that are here considered with their related emission control problems and solutions. A brief account of general aspects of the industry is followed by surveys of the significance and technical aspects of air and water pollution chemistry. Consideration is given to emission avoidance or containment, waste treatment, and waste disposal options as they relate to both of these environmental areas. Details of salt recovery and the products of brine electrolysis plus environmental aspects of these operations are treated as examples of some of the processes discussed. Also covered are fertilizer constituent preparation, formulation, and use with consideration of the large-scale effects of each of these activities. Detailed reference is made to the chemical technology and emission control aspects of the pulp and paper industry and refinery operations. Throughout, integral process changes and waste recycling practices are directly related to emission control aspects of each process in a way to be useful to the student and professional alike. These excerpts are extracted from one of the first, single volume accounts to take this unified approach to the subject.Extract from the bookModern Chemical Technology and Emission Control by M. B. Hocking, published by Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo (1985).     

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF SKUDAI RIVER1

ABSTRACT: Urban runoff as well as industrial and agricultural discharges have seriously affected the water quality of the Skudai River, Malaysia. A water quality model is developed for simulating BOD and oxygen relationship. The simulated values agree relatively well with survey data taken during low flow conditions. Survey and simulated values show that a pollution abatement program is needed to prevent further deterioration of the river from organic discharges. A systems approach, involving complete analysis of water quality models and environmental control procedures, considering various water use patterns, water quality criteria, and waste input, is essential for solution.     

Sustainable Water Quality Management Framework and a Strategy Planning System for a River Basin

In Taiwan, the authorities have spent years working on remedying polluted rivers. Generally, the remediation planning works are divided into two phases. During the first phase, the allowed pollution discharge quantity and abatement quantity of each drainage zone, including the assimilative capacity, are generated based on the total river basin. In the second phase, the abatement action plans for each pollution source in each drainage zone are respectively devised by the related organizations based on the strategies generated during the first phase. However, the effectiveness of linking the two phases is usually poor. Highly integrated performances are not always achieved because the separate two-phase method does not take system and management thinking into consideration in the planning stage. This study pioneers the use of the Managing for Results (MFR) method in planning strategies and action plans for river water quality management. A sustainable management framework is proposed based on the concept and method of MFR, Management Thinking, and System Analysis. The framework, consisting of planning, implementation, and controlling stages, systematically considers the relationships and interactions among four factors: environment, society, economy, and institution, based on the principles of sustainable development. Based on the framework, the Modified Bounded Implicit Enumeration algorithm, which is used as a solving method, is combined with Visual Basic software and MS Excel to develop a computer system for strategy planning. The Shetzu River, located in northern Taiwan, is applied as a case study. According to the theoretical, practical, and regulatory considerations, the result-oriented objectives are defined to first improve the pollution length of the Shetzu River in specific remediation periods to finally meet regulated water quality standards. The objectives are then addressed as some of the constraints for the strategy planning model. The model objective is to pursue the maximum assimilative capacity (environmental phase) subjected to the constraints of water quality standards (institutional phase), social equity (social phase), and proper available technology (economic phase). The pollution quantity abatement and allocation, which are named the top strategies, of each drainage zone for different scenarios can be obtained based on each water quality standard. The middle as well as lower strategies and action plans, which consist of pollution quantity abatement and allocation of each class (domestic, industrial, livestock, and non-point pollution sources) and their individual pollution sources in each drainage zone, are then generated based on the top strategies. The performance indicators and measure plans are proposed based on the action plans to promote the comprehensive effectiveness of river water quality management. The authorities have begun to develop a budget based on the strategies and action plans developed in this study. The analytical results indicate that the objectives, strategies, and action plans developed based on the sustainable management framework and strategy planning system can effectively help the related authorities to fulfill the tasks of water quality management for a river basin.     

Assessment OF SURFACE WATER QUALITY at Large Watershed Scale: Land‐Use,Anthropogenic, and Administrative Impacts

Understanding the impacts that influence water quality is critical to the development of best management practices at the large watershed scale. This study describes the spatiotemporal variation in surface water quality and identifies their main impact in the Haihe River basin, China. Multivariate statistical techniques are applied to analyze the similarities among the sampling sites and to identify the main pollution sources in surface water. Results show that: (1) the basin can be clustered into two regions, water quality being better in the mountainous vs. plain regions; (2) water quality improves due to implementation of a strict state policy on environmental pollution control, prodded by the hosting of the Olympic games in the cities of Beijing and Tianjin; and (3) agricultural and residential land uses as well as livestock‐breeding are the main sources affecting water quality in the mountainous regions, whereas rural waste discharge — including domestic waste sewage, human and animal feces, and solid waste — significantly influences water quality in the plain regions. The waste discharge of industrial factories may be a significant source of water pollution in the plain regions. Results indicate that the environmental management from pollution sinks and sources, long‐lasting legal framework, and adequate economic incentives should be improved to optimize the large‐scale watershed management under the background of the rapid development of countries like China.     

长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率的时空演变及其影响因素研究

本文选取1998—2015年30个省份数据,采用超效率SBM模型测算全国、长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率;采用门槛效应模型研判长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率的影响因素.研究发现:1998—2015年长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率大于全国工业废气污染治理效率;长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率与全国工业废气污染治理效率的演变轨迹相似;长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率空间格局从"两极分化型"向"过渡型"演变;长江经济带沿线11省份工业废气污染治理效率与重工业占比呈负相关;当人均GDP较小时,长江经济带工业废气污染治理效率与工业化率、地方法规颁布件数、环境污染与破坏总次数呈负相关,与群众因污染来信数呈正相关;当人均GDP跨过门槛阈值拐点后,相关关系反之.为进一步推动长江经济带高质量发展,应加强中央与地方政府合作共促工业污染防控治理,推动重化工业绿色发展,加强媒体对废气污染的长期有效监督,推动建立科学有效的"三方共治"体系.     

STATE POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAMS - A REVIEW1

ABSTRACT: This review of state pollution control programs suggests that states have brought imaginative thought to environmental programs. While manpower and funds have been concentrated in such traditional areas of concern as air and water quality enforcement, many states have attempted to defray the industrial costs of pollution control by increasing public waste treatment facilities, providing tax incentives for pollution control equipment and authorizing pollution control revenue bond financing.     

A DYNAMIC BACTERIAL MODEL FOR A RECREATIONAL LAKE1

ABSTRACT A dynamic mathematical model was constructed to examine bacterial contamination problems affecting Ford Lake, a small recreational lake in Southeast Michigan. The model was calibrated and verified using summer dry weather averaged data and data from three wet weather surveys. Model simulations demonstrated that the major bacterial contamination was attributable to storm related perturbations affecting two point sources: the Huron River and the Ypsilanti Sewage Treatment Plant. The nonpoint source contribution was relatively minor. The Model is currently being used by the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a management tool for assessing the effectiveness of planned pollution abatement strategies     

STRATEGIES TO CONTROL NONPOINT SOURCE WATER POLLUTION1

ABSTRACT: Strategies for controlling nonpoint sources of water pollution are discussed in terms of three representative states and eighteen regional agencies. The programs in Virginia, New York, and Wisconsin are seen to exhibit control options which range from voluntary action to strict regulation. Four conclusions are drawn from the analysis. First, nonpoint sources of pollution are a major component of the overall water pollution problem in the three states. Second, technical controls are generally available to solve the problems. Third, existing controls programs are not necessarily technologically sound or cost effective. Finally, existing control programs are capable of instituting solutions to the problems if and only if specified actions take place within the respective states and regions in the future. Critical research needs are identified which will assist states and regions in developing cost effective programs to control nonpoint source pollution.     

ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES IN MINE DRAINAGE REDUCTION A COST-EFFECTIVENESS APPROACH1

ABSTRACT Twenty-seven watersheds in the Susquehanna River Basin are severely degraded by acid mine drainage pollution. Approximately 620 miles of significant tributaries as well as 230 miles of principal rivers are either sterile or intermittently degraded by acid slugs. As a result of the acid discharges, many uses of the streams, such as water supply and recreation, are precluded. In the past, acid mine drainage abatement programs did not look beyond the immediate problem area. No considerations were given to the blending effect of natural alkalinity in other streams. Since the abatement of acid mine drainage pollution is extremely costly, a method of minimizing these costs was needed. The systematic, cost-effectiveness approach, discussed in this paper presents such a method. This system allows the water resources planners to control the allocation of funds for maximizing the abatement of acid mine drainage.     

A LONG‐TERM,WATERSHED‐SCALE,EVALUATION OF THE IMPACTS OF ANIMAL WASTE BMPs ON INDICATOR BACTERIA CONCENTRATIONS1

ABSTRACT: Driven by increasing concerns about bacterial pollution from agricultural sources, states such as Virginia have initiated cost sharing programs that encourage the use of animal waste best management practices (BMPs) to control this pollution. Although a few studies have shown that waste management BMPs are effective at the field scale, their effectiveness at the watershed scale and over the long term is unknown. The focus of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of BMPs in reducing bacterial pollution at the watershed scale and over the long term. To accomplish this goal, a 1,163 ha watershed located in the Piedmont region of Virginia was monitored over a ten‐year period. Fecal coliforms (FC) and fecal streptococci (FS) were measured as indicators of bacterial pollution. A pre‐BMP versus post‐BMP design was adopted. Major BMPs implemented were manure storage facilities, stream fencing, water troughs, and nutrient management. Seasonal Kendall trend analysis revealed a significant decreasing trend during the post‐BMP period for FC concentrations at the watershed outlet, but not at the subwatershed level. Implementation of BMPs also resulted in a significant reduction in the geometric mean of FS concentrations. FC concentrations in streamflow at the watershed outlet exceeded the Virginia primary standard 86 and 74 percent of the time during pre‐BMP and post‐BMP periods, respectively. Corresponding exceedances for the secondary standard were 50 and 41 percent. Violations decreased only slightly during the post‐BMP period. The findings of this study suggest that although BMP implementation can be expected to accomplish some improvement in water quality, BMP implementation alone may not ensure compliance with current water quality standards.     

Environment-friendly technology for recovering nonferrous metals from e-waste: Eddy current separation

The current generation pattern of e-waste consisted of dead electronic and electrical equipments poses one of the world's greatest pollution problem due to the lack of appropriate recovery technology. Crude recovery methods of resource materials (aluminum, zinc, copper, lead, gold) from e-waste caused serious pollution in China in the past years. Thus, environment-friendly technologies have been the pressing demand in e-waste recovering. Eddy current separation (ECS) was advised as the preferable technology for recovering nonferrous metals from e-waste. However, just a few reports focused on the application of ECS in e-waste recovering. This paper introduced the information about ECS including the models of eddy current force and movement behavior of nonferrous metallic particle in the separation process. Meanwhile, the developing process of eddy current separator was summarized. New industrial applications of ECS in e-waste (waste toner cartridges and refrigerator cabinets) recovering were also presented. Finally, for improving separation rate of ECS in industrial application of e-waste recovering, some suggestions were proposed related to crushing process, separator design, and separator operation. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of ECS technology as practical and available tool for recovering non-ferrous metals from e-waste which is now being ignored.     

Nitrogen in the Baltic Sea--policy implications of stock effects

We develop an optimal control model for cost-effective management of pollution, including two state variables, pollution stock and ecosystem quality. We apply it to Baltic Sea pollution by nitrogen leachates from agriculture. We present a sophisticated, non-linear model of leaching abatement costs, and a simple model of nitrogen stocks. We find that significant abatement is achievable at reasonable cost, despite the countervailing effects of existing agricultural policies such as price supports. Successful abatement should lead to lower nitrogen stocks in the sea in 5 years or less. However, the rate of ecosystem recovery is less certain. The results are highly dependent on the rate of self-cleaning of the Baltic Sea, and less so on the discount rate. Choice of target has a radical effect on the abatement path chosen. Cost-effectiveness demands such a choice, and should therefore be used with care when stock effects are present.     

WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS OF THE HALIFAX RIVER,FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: An application of the receiving water block of the EPA Storm Water management Model (SWMM) is presented to quantify water quality impacts and evaluated control alternatives for a 208 areawide waste water management plan in Volusia Country, Florida. The water quality impact analyses were conducted for dry-and wet-weather conditions to simulate dissolved oxygen (DO), chlorides, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in the Halifax Rivers, Florida, a 40-kilometer-long tidal estuary located on the Atlantic coast of Florida near Daytona Beach. Dry-weather analysis was performed using conventional 7-day, 10-year low flow conditions to determine a set of unit transfer coefficients which estimate the pollutant concentration transferred to any point in the estuary from a constant unit discharge of pollutants at the existing waste water treatment plant outfall locations. Wet-weather analysis was performed by continuous simulation of a typical three-month summer wet season in Florida. Three-month cumulative duration curves of DO, TN and TP concentrations were constructed to estimate the relative value of controlling urban runoff of waste water treatment plant effluent on the Halifax River. The three-month continuous simulation indicated that the greatest change in DO, TN, and TP duration curves is possible by abatement of waste water treatment plant pollution.     

Controlling industrial pollution in the developing world

Industrial pollution has become a serious problem in many developing countries during the past two decades. Support for regulation of industrial pollution has remained lukewarm from many policymakers, despite research suggesting large benefits from pollution reduction even in very poor countries. Since 1993, a World Bank research team on the environment has worked in collaboration with pollution control agencies to understand existing regulatory practices, industry's environmental performance, and pollution abatement costs in developing countries. The researchers'ongoing work has already produced a large number of publicly-available research papers and datasets, and is providing the Bank team with considerable expertise and insights into the design of effective pollution control policies.     

深圳市工业固体废物产生特征和管理对策建议

工业固体废物规范化管理是环境污染防治和实现经济绿色发展的重要组成部分。根据工业固体废物统计数据,全面分析了深圳市固体废物的产生特征,并以减量化、资源化和无害化为基本原则提出针对性管理策略和具体措施建议。     

固定源排污许可合规制度研究

固定源合规制度是确保固定源企业将排污许可证中载明的要求得以实施的具体措施和规定,也是将排污许可制度打造为固定源环境管理核心制度的重要环节。本文基于美国固定源合规监管经验和当前国内排污许可实施基础,构建了固定源排污许可合规管理制度。所构建的制度基于整体性治理理论,以固定源企业需提交的排污许可合规报告为主要合规监管环节,将政府部门对于固定源企业的合规监管分为以合规报告为主的书面核查和企业现场核查两个环节,并在整个合规监管过程中贯彻数据管理,设计了企业合规报告、政府核查报告、核查类型及任务、核查评估方法、合规信息公开及违规处罚方式等关键内容,以节省对于固定源企业污染排放合规监管过程的环境执法资源和提升监管效率。