Electric vehicles based on lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have seen rapid growth over the past decade as they are viewed as a cleaner alternative to conventional fossil-fuel burning vehicles, especially for local pollutant (nitrogen oxides [NOx], sulfur oxides [SOx], and particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 and 10 μm [PM2.5 and PM10]) and CO2 emissions. However, LIBs are known to have their own energy and environmental challenges. This study focuses on LIBs made of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), since they currently dominate the United States (US) and global automotive markets and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. The effects of globalized production of NMC, especially LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC111), are examined, considering the potential regional variability at several important stages of production. This study explores regional effects of alumina reduction and nickel refining, along with the production of NMC cathode, battery cells, and battery management systems. Of primary concern is how production of these battery materials and components in different parts of the world may impact the battery’s life cycle pollutant emissions and total energy and water consumption. Since energy sources for heat and electricity generation are subject to great regional variation, we anticipated significant variability in the energy and emissions associated with LIB production. We configured Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET®) model as the basis for this study with key input data from several world regions. In particular, the study examined LIB production in the US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Europe, with details of supply chains and the electrical grid in these regions. Results indicate that 27-kWh automotive NMC111 LIBs produced via a European-dominant supply chain generate 65 kg CO2e/kWh, while those produced via a Chinese-dominant supply chain generate 100 kg CO2e/kWh. Further, there are significant regional differences for local pollutants associated with LIB, especially SOx emissions related to nickel production. We find that no single regional supply chain outperforms all others in every evaluation metric, but the data indicate that supply chains powered by renewable electricity provide the greatest emission reduction potential.
The sensitivity of Chinese soybean cultivars to ambient ozone(O3) in the field is unknown,although soybean is a major staple food in China. Using ethylenediurea(EDU) as an O3 protectant, we tested the gas exchange, pigments, antioxidants and biomass of 19 cultivars exposed to 28 ppm·hr AOT40(accumulated O3 over an hourly concentration threshold of40 ppb) over the growing season at a field site in China. By comparing the average biomass with and without EDU, we estimated the cultivar-specific sensitivity to O3 and ranked the cultivars from very tolerant( 10% change) to highly sensitive( 45% change), which helps in choosing the best-suited cultivars for local cultivation. Higher lipid peroxidation and activity of the ascorbate peroxidase enzyme were major responses to O3 damage, which eventually translated into lower biomass production. The constitutional level of total ascorbate in the leaves was the most important parameter explaining O3 sensitivity among these cultivars. Surprisingly, the role of stomatal conductance was insignificant. These results will guide future breeding efforts towards more O3-tolerant cultivars in China, while strategies for implementing control measures of regional O3 pollution are being implemented. Overall, these results suggest that present ambient O3 pollution is a serious concern for soybean in China, which highlights the urgent need for policy-making actions to protect this critical staple food. 相似文献
PM_(2.5) aerosol samples were collected over 12 hr and 24 hr intervals in an inland background area, Gongga Mountain National Nature Reserve(hereafter shortened to Gongga), during the summer of 2011. Polar organic tracers, inorganic ions and meteorological data were measured. The purpose of this work was to investigate the variation patterns, formation and sources of the secondary organic aerosol tracers in the studied atmosphere. The average concentrations of isoprene oxidation products, α-pinene oxidation products, β-caryophyllinic acid, sugars, sugar alcohols and anhydrosugars were 88.6 ± 106.1, 3.6 ± 5.7,0.13 ± 0.30, 13.6 ± 13.1, 31.9 ± 31.4 and 14.8 ± 10.7 ng/m3 respectively in all aerosol samples.The aged α-pinene second organic aerosol(SOA) tracers(i.e., 3-hydroxyglutraric acid(3 HGA), 3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethylglutaric acid(HDMGA), 3-acetylpentandioic acid(APDA) and 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid(MBTCA)) correlated significantly with each other in the 24 hr PM2.5 aerosol samples, indicating that OH· is the major factor controlling the formation of these α-pinene SOA tracers. Using the positive matrix factorization(PMF) model and the tracer-based source apportionment method, we calculated that isoprene oxidation products, α-pinene oxidation products, sesquiterpene oxidation products, biomass burning, fungi spores and anthropogenic SOA accounted for 21.9% ± 5.5%, 8.4% ± 2.1%, 3.0% ± 0.7%, 5.2% ± 5.3%, 5.0% ± 6.2% and 31.4% ± 7.8% of organic carbon respectively during the sampling period. 相似文献
Anthropogenic activities usually contaminate water environments, and have led to the eutrophication of many estuaries and shifts in microbial communities. In this study, the temporal and spatial changes of the microbial community in an industrial effluent receiving area in Hangzhou Bay were investigated by 454 pyrosequencing. The bacterial community showed higher richness and biodiversity than the archaeal community in all sediments. Proteobacteria dominated in the bacterial communities of all the samples; Marine_Group_Ⅰ and Methanomicrobia were the two dominant archaeal classes in the effluent receiving area. PCoA and AMOVA revealed strong seasonal but minor spatial changes in both bacterial and archaeal communities in the sediments. The seasonal changes of the bacterial community were less significant than those of the archaeal community, which mainly consisted of fluctuations in abundance of a large proportion of longstanding species rather than the appearance and disappearance of major archaeal species. Temperature was found to positively correlate with the dominant bacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and negatively correlate with the dominant archaea,Marine_Group_Ⅰ; and might be the primary driving force for the seasonal variation of the microbial community. 相似文献
Regional Environmental Change - China has a history and reputation of substantial exploitation of wildlife, and the harvest and trade of wild birds are common throughout the country, both for... 相似文献
The genotypic compositions of two populations of the brooding coral, Pocillopora damicornis, were studied by exhaustive sampling of adult colonies on a fine scale in southern Taiwan. In addition, 100 larvae were randomly
selected among more than 1,000 brooded larvae collected from a single broodparent within each population. Using 7 polymorphic
microsatellite markers, both populations were found to be highly clonal, and 7 clonal lineages were characterized. One clonal
lineage (C1) dominated both study areas and comprises 54.9% of all colonies sampled, while any of the other 6 clonal lineages
represented no more than 5%. Among the 100 larvae randomly selected for genotyping from each broodparent, the extent of clonal
reproduction was high, and only 29 and 6 larvae, respectively, were found to be genotypically different from their broodparent.
Among the 35 genotypically distinct larvae, 33 were thought to be derived from sexual reproduction, and 2 were assumed to
be clonal propagules that had undergone somatic mutations. Two genotypically identical larvae were also found in one of the
2 sexually derived larva arrays, indicating the possible existence of polyembryony. The high proportions of clonality in both
adult colonies and brooded larvae suggest that asexually produced larvae might significantly contribute to the recruitment
of local populations. The dense clonal population of P. damicornis in the study area favors the quick recolonization view of clonal propagules after disturbances. 相似文献