Progress on including CCS projects in the CDM: Insights on increased awareness,market potential and baseline methodologies

The inclusion of CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) in the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is still subject to controversy and discussion. A myriad of barriers prevents CCS in the CDM. Apart from political barriers, economic, social and procedural barriers play a role. This paper discusses relevant new results on the human capacity, procedural feasibility and economic potential of CCS in the CDM. The conclusions of a capacity building effort in Africa show that awareness and knowledge are low but that capacity building efforts are well received. A reality check on methodologies for hypothetical CCS projects shows that most of the issues can be resolved, and the CDM institutional arrangements can accommodate CCS. A bottom-up estimate of the potential of natural gas processing CCS in the CDM, based on a previously proprietary database from the oil and gas industry, suggests that there is an annual potential of about 174 MtCO₂ in 2020 in that sector. Most of that potential can be realized at CER prices between $20 and $30/tCO₂ but there is no sign of flooding the CDM market with cheap credits from CCS projects. Despite these results and more open information, the CCS and CDM debate, progress in the negotiations on CCS in the CDM is slow and there is no clear view on a solution.     

More European heritage awards

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More European heritage awards     

Integration of traditional and innovative characterization techniques for flux-based assessment of Dense Non-aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) sites

Key attributes of the source zone and the expanding dissolved plume at a trichloroethene (TCE) site in Australia were evaluated using trends in groundwater monitoring data along with data from on-line volatile organic compound (VOC) samplers and passive flux meters (PFMs) deployed in selected wells. These data indicate that: (1) residual TCE source mass in the saturated zone, estimated using two innovative techniques, is small ( 10 kg), which is also reflected in small source mass discharge ( 3 g/day); (2) the plume is disconnecting, based on TCE concentration contours and TCE fluxes in wells along a longitudinal transect; (3) there is minimal biodegradation, based on TCE mass discharge of  6 g/day at a plume control plane  175 m from source, which is also consistent with aerobic geochemical conditions observed in the plume; and (4) residual TCE in the vadose zone provides episodic inputs of TCE mass to the plume during infiltration/recharge events. TCE flux data also suggest that the small residual TCE source mass is present in the low-permeability zones, thus making source treatment difficult. Our analysis, based on a synthesis of the archived data and new data, suggests that source treatment is unwarranted, and that containment of the large TCE plume ( 1.2 km long,  0.3 km wide; 17 m deep;  2000–2500 kg TCE mass) or institutional controls, along with a long-term flux monitoring program, might be necessary. The flux-based site management approach outlined in this paper provides a novel way of looking beyond the complexities of groundwater contamination in heterogeneous domains, to make intelligent and informed site decisions based on strategic measurement of the appropriate metrics.     

Zinc distribution in soils amended with different kinds of sewage sludge

Sewage sludge (SS) can be applied to cropland to supply and recycle nutrients and organic carbon. Potentially toxic elements in the sludge, however, are of environmental concern. This study evaluates the changes in chemical speciation of Zn in three representative pristine soils of the Pampas Region, Argentina, measured with sequential extraction over a one-year period. Pure SS or SS containing 30% (DM) of its own incineration ash (AS) was applied to the soils at an application rate of 150Mgha(-1). Zn was sequentially fractionated into exchangeable, organically bound, inorganic and residual fractions. The application of the SS and AS amendments significantly increased Zn concentration in all soil fractions at each sampling date. At day 1, Zn was mainly found in the residual fraction. A year after the application of the amendments, redistribution towards the inorganic fraction was observed (41-76% of total Zn content). Zn found in exchangeable and inorganic fractions depended on soil pH rather than on the type of soil used. A negative and significant correlation was found between exchangeable Zn concentrations and soil pH (r=0.94), and a positive and significant correlation between inorganic Zn concentrations and soil pH (r=0.92). For each amended soil and sampling date, no significant differences were observed between SS or AS treatments for the exchangeable fraction. Moreover, the use of AS did not cause significant differences in Zn concentration in the other soil fractions compared to SS. Based on these results, land spreading of AS may be similar to SS diaposal in terms of Zn mobility.     

On the thermally induced isomerisation of hexabromocyclododecane stereoisomers

The interconversion of the stereoisomers contained in technical 1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane, a major brominated flame retardant increasingly found in the environment and in biota, was investigated at elevated temperatures. The application of pure enantiomers of the three constituents alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD enabled the unambiguous elucidation of the individual isomerisation reactions as well as the quantification of all respective rate constants. At 160 degrees C the rate constants range over two orders of magnitude from 1.50x10(-3) to 1.88x10(-5)mol(%)s(-1). A preliminary mechanistic explanation for the differences of the rate constants which govern the composition of HBCD diastereomers at equilibrium is given.     

离心模型试验技术在环境岩土工程中的应用现状与展望

首先简单介绍了离心模型试验技术的发展状况,然后探讨了其在环境岩土工程中的应用,研究了模型和原型的相似规律,提出了环境岩土工程离心模型试验的发展方向.