Does the financing of extended producer responsibility influence economic growth?

The question of how the financing of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) affects the overall performance of the economy is important as products covered by EPR comprise an increasing part of the economy. In this paper, an Overlapping Generations (OLG) model with endogenous growth is applied to the case and a comparison between two financing schemes, an insurance solution and a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solution, is made with respect to the effect on the level of production, the growth rate, the impact of a productivity shock and the risk exposure. It is found that in the case of a funded solution, both the level of production and the growth rate in production is higher than in the PAYG case, and the short-run effect of productivity shock is bigger. The policy indication is clear: EPR should be attached to a financing scheme if welfare is to be maximised.     

Development of vermicast from sludge and powdered oyster shell

Soil acidification is one of the rising land degradation issues facing world agriculture. The risk of acidification is currently being assessed as part of agriculture productivity and sustainable theme. This study was conducted to produce a new vermicomposting cast as a recycling resource derived from municipal sewage sludge and waste oyster shell. The earthworm, Eisenia Andrei, was fed under different conditions. The most suitable mixture was 77:23 w/w% of sewage sludge and waste oyster shell. Powdered oyster shell (POS) sludge blend provided a stable pH, due to its buffering capacity during vermiculture because of the Ca²⁺ and OH^? release effect. The vermicast products fulfilled the cast standards of Korea Ministry of Environment for all the parameters such as moisture content, pH, salinity, organic carbon, TKN, Phosphate, and heavy metals. Slowly released organic matter when added to soil improves the capacity of the soil to hold nutrients for plants, improve soil aeration for roots, and improves soil drainage. This product will be an addition to already-commercialized sludge vermicast as a higher value product.     

Impact of wildflower strips on biological control of cabbage lepidopterans

In a 2-year experiment we investigated whether wildflower strips can be used to enhance the control of cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae L., and cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae L. At two sites, including six organically cultivated fields, M. brassicae egg parasitism and predation rates were determined along with an assessment of larval parasitism rates in M. brassicae and P. rapae using a DNA-based approach. Within each field, plots with and without wildflower strips were sampled and a grid design of 3 m × 3 m was used to analyze the spatial pattern of parasitism. The provision of wildflower strips provided an idiosyncratic effect on the control of lepidopterans: parasitism rates in M. brassicae eggs and larvae were not affected, whereas parasitism rates of larval P. rapae were significantly enhanced by the wildflower strips at one of the two sites. Moreover, at one site predation rates on M. brassicae eggs were significantly enhanced in the wildflower strip plots. Geostatistical analysis showed no distinct spatial patterns in parasitism rates. These results demonstrate that the provision of wildflower strips does not necessarily enhance biological control of lepidopteran cabbage pests and suggest that site-specific environmental factors strongly affect the impact of wildflower strips.     

干法腈纶生产废水脱氨氮研究

采用本实验室富集驯化的高效硝化细菌对生化处理后的干法腈纶生产废水进行了脱NH3-N研究,在连续运行装置中考察了DO和MLSS的变化特征,并研究了废水NH3-N负荷和COD负荷对脱NH3-N效果的影响.实验结果表明:该菌能适应干法腈纶生产废水中的难生物降解物质并有效去除废水中的NH3-N,启动期DO呈现高-低-高的变化,运行期污泥增长速率呈现S型变化;进水NH3-N负荷达到0.405 kg/(m3·d)时仍能维持出水P(NH3-N)在5 mg/L以下,进水COD负荷由0.126 kg/(m3·d)提高到0.975 kg/(m3·d)的过程中,NH3-N去除率始终高于96%.     

活性碳纤维吸附处理对硝基苯酚生产废水

采用活性碳纤维(ACF)吸附处理对硝基苯酚(PNP)生产废水,考察了动态吸附和脱附过程.实验结果表明,在298 K、pH 4时,最佳进水流量为0.25 L/h,ACF的有效吸附量为439.3 mg/g,PNP去除率大于99.95%,TOC去除率大于99.5%,脱附率大于99.5%,ACF的吸附--脱附性能稳定.ACF吸附和电解相结合的工艺能有效去除废水中的有害物质,回收利用PNP和氯化钠,实现了PNP的清洁生产.