Obstacles for CCS deployment: an analysis of discrepancies of perceptions

The potential for CO₂ emission reductions through carbon capture and storage (CCS) is depending on investments that can bring the technology from the current R&D through to commercial applications. The intermediate step in this development is demonstration plants that can prove the technical, economic, social, and ecological feasibility of CCS technologies. Based on a CCS stakeholder questionnaire survey and a literature review, we critically analyse discrepancies regarding perceptions of deployment obstacles and experiences from early demonstration plants. The analysis identifies discrepancies between CCS policies versus important deployment considerations and CCS stakeholder policy demands. The discrepancy gap is emphasised by lessons from restructured, postponed, and cancelled CCS projects. To bridge this cognitive gap towards proving CCS through demonstration activities, the article highlights policy implications of establishing a broad understanding of deployment obstacles. Attention to these obstacles is important for policymakers and industry in channelling efforts to demonstrating CCS, hence validating the current focus on CCS as a key abatement potential. Under present conditions, the findings question the robustness of current CCS abatement potential estimates and deployment goals as established by policymakers and in scenarios.     

Environmental impact of ferrochrome slag in road construction

Vargon Alloys in Western Sweden is one of the largest producers of ferrochrome slag in Europe. Ferrochrome slag is a by-product from the production of ferrochrome, an essential component in stainless steel. Extensive tests have been carried out on the physical properties of the ferrochrome slag from Vargon Alloys and it was found to be highly suitable as road construction material. The composition and leaching tests of the ferrochrome slag show that the chromium content is high, 1-3%, although leaching under normal conditions is very low. With the exception of potassium (K), which had a potential leaching capacity (availability test) of around 16%, the leaching of chromium, nickel, zinc and other elements was just a few per cent. However, all these tests were conducted in the laboratory. What happens out in the field, under the influence of acid rain and biological activity, and how does this compare with the laboratory results? To answer this question an investigation was carried out to study the environmental impact of ferrochrome slag in roads that were built in 1994. The investigation includes soil sampling (total content and leachable amounts of metals) and groundwater analysis (filtered and non-filtered samples). In addition, a new method involving the bio-uptake of chromium and other metals by the roots of the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) was tested. The results show that there was a low migration of particles from the slag to the underlying soil and that the leaching into the groundwater was also low for all the elements analysed. However, there seemed to be a significant uptake of Cr by plants growing with their roots in the slag. An investigation of plant uptake was an important complement to laboratory leaching tests on alternative materials.     

Solid state speciation and potential bioavailability of depleted uranium particles from Kosovo and Kuwait

A combination of synchrotron radiation based X-ray microscopic techniques (μ-XRF, μ-XANES, μ-XRD) applied on single depleted uranium (DU) particles and semi-bulk leaching experiments has been employed to link the potential bioavailability of DU particles to site-specific particle characteristics. The oxidation states and crystallographic forms of U in DU particles have been determined for individual particles isolated from selected samples collected at different sites in Kosovo and Kuwait that were contaminated by DU ammunition during the 1999 Balkan conflict and the 1991 Gulf war. Furthermore, small soil or sand samples heavily contaminated with DU particles were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal fluid (0.16 M HCl) extractions. Characteristics of DU particles in Kosovo soils collected in 2000 and in Kuwait soils collected in 2002 varied significantly depending on the release scenario and to some extent on weathering conditions. Oxidized U (+6) was determined in large, fragile and bright yellow DU particles released during fire at a DU ammunition storage facility and crystalline phases such as schoepite (UO₃·2.25H₂O), dehydrated schoepite (UO₃·0.75H₂O) and metaschoepite (UO₃·2.0H₂O) were identified. As expected, these DU particles were rapidly dissolved in 0.16 M HCl (84 ± 3% extracted after 2 h) indicating a high degree of potential mobility and bioavailability. In contrast, the 2 h extraction of samples contaminated with DU particles originating either from corrosion of unspent DU penetrators or from impacted DU ammunition appeared to be much slower (20–30%) as uranium was less oxidized (+4 to +6). Crystalline phases such as UO₂, UC and metallic U or U–Ti alloy were determined in impacted DU particles from Kosovo and Kuwait, while the UO_2,34 phase, only determined in particles from Kosovo, could reflect a more corrosive environment. Although the results are based on a limited number of DU particles, they indicate that the structure and extractability of DU particles released from similar sources (metallic U penetrators) will depend on the release scenarios (fire, impact) and to some extent environmental conditions. However, most of the DU particles (73–96%) in all investigated samples were dissolved in 0.16 M HCl after one week indicating that a majority of the DU material is bioaccessible.     

Nitrous oxide emission from an agricultural field: Comparison between measurements by flux chamber and micrometerological techniques

The soil in a drained fjord area, reclaimed for arable farming, produced N₂O mainly at 75–105 cm depth, just above the ground water level. Surface emissions of N₂O were measured from discrete small areas by closed and open-flow chamber methods, using gas chromatographic analysis and over larger areas by integrative methods: flux gradient (analysis by FTIR), conditional sampling (analysis by TDLAS), and eddy covariance (analysis by TDLAS). The mean emission of N₂O as determined by chamber procedures during a 9-day campaign was 162–202 μg N₂ONm⁻²h⁻¹ from a wheat stubble and 328–467 μg N₂ONm⁻² h⁻¹ from a carrot field. The integrative approaches gave N₂O emissions of 149–495 μg N₂ONm⁻² h⁻¹, i.e. a range similar to those determined with the chamber methods. Wind direction affected the comparison of chamber and integrative methods because of patchiness of the N₂O emission over the area. When a uniform area with a single type of vegetation had a dominant effect on the N₂O gradient at the sampling mast, the temporal variation in N₂O emission determined by the flux gradient/FTIR method and chamber methods was very similar, with differences of only 18% or less in mean N₂O emission, well below the variation encountered with the chamber methods themselves. A detailed comparison of FTIR gradient and chamber data taking into account the precise emission footprint showed good agreement. It is concluded that there was no bias between the different approaches used to measure the N₂O emission and that the precision of the measurements was determined by the spatial variability of the N₂O emission at the site and the variability inherent in the individual techniques. These results confirm that measurements of N₂O emissions from different ecosystems obtained by the different methods can be meaningfully compared.     

Lysozyme and chitinase in blood and lymphomyeloid tissues of marine fish

The enzyme lysozyme (muramidase) has a degrading effect on chitin, but chitinase is more effective in this respect. Both enzymes occur in fish, but their distribution and function are poorly known. Activities of lysozyme and chitinase were measured in body fluids and tissues of marine fish. Lysozyme was estimated by a plate method, chitinase by a viscosimetric method with glycol chitin as substrate. pH optima and other characteristics were studied. Lysozyme was found in lymphomyeloid (haematopoietic) tissues of chondrichtyan fish (rays, shark, Chimaera monstrosa) and in the plasma and lymph of certain teleosts. Chitinase occurred in lymphomyeloid tissues (except thymus) of chondrichthyans and teleosts, and in the plasma and lymph of teleosts. The results indicate that these enzymes are normal components of fish blood. Probably they are produced by the granulocytes, white blood corpuscles rich in lysosomes. The enzymes might have defence functions in fish blood. Lysozyme is bacteriolytically active while chitinase possibly offers protection against chitincontaining parasites. Very high chitinase activity was found in the pancreas of C. monstrosa. The pancreatic enzyme probably has a digestive function.     

Improved understanding of key elements governing the toxicity of energy ash eluates

Ash from incinerated waste consists mainly of a complex mixture of metals and other inorganic elements and should be classified based on its inherent hazardous effects according to EUs Waste Framework Directive. In a previous study, we classified eight eluates from ash materials from Swedish incineration plants, both chemically and ecotoxicologically (using bacteria, algae, crustacean and fish). Based on measured concentrations in the eluates together with literature acute toxicity data on the crustacean Nitocra spinipes we identified six elements (i.e. Zn, Cu, Pb, Al, K and Ca) potentially responsible for the observed ecotoxicity. However, comparing the used test methods with N. spinipes, the acute test was relatively insensitive to the eluates, whereas the (sub)chronic test (i.e. a partial life cycle test, investigating larval development ratio) was very sensitive. The overall aim of this follow-up study was to verify if the pinpointed elements could be responsible for the observed (sub)chronic toxicity of the eluates. Individual effect levels (i.e. NOEC values) for these six elements were therefore generated using the (sub)chronic test. Our results show that for six of the eight eluates, the observed ecotoxicity can be explained by individual elements not classified as ecotoxic (Al, K and Ca) according to chemical legislation. These elements will not be considered using summation models on elements classified as ecotoxic in solid material for the classification of H-14, but will have significant implications using ecotoxicological test methods for this purpose.     

Adaptive capacity for climate change in Canadian rural communities

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that promoting the long-term sustainability of rural areas requires an assessment of their capacity to handle stress from a host of external and internal factors such as resource depletion, global trading agreements, service reductions and changing demographics, to name but some. The sustainability literature includes a number of approaches for conducting capacity evaluations but is sparse regarding effective methods and empirical examples. This article provides one approach for assessing community capacity and gives results from its application to a specific Canadian rural community. The authors use general capacity variables and indicators to focus on a particular stress, namely impacts from climate change, and on one type of capacity, namely the capacity to adapt (to such climatic change). A basic framework and profiling tool (‘amoeba’) for describing the resources underlying community adaptive capacity are offered. The researchers provide a set of indicators reflecting social, human, institutional, natural and economic resources and relate them to climate change adaptation at the community level. Although the indicators cannot be replicated exactly for other rural communities, the essentials of the framework and the profiling tool can. In fact it is hoped that the ideas and example found in this article will encourage researchers to enhance and improve on the methods and results for work on community capacity.     

Responses to accidents in different industrial sectors

Accidents produce external pressures on companies leading to new regulations and renegotiation of enforcement of regulations. Our perspective is institutional with a focus on the extended dialogue among regulators and the industry. The empirical focus is offshore oil and gas production, deep sea and coastal fisheries, and maritime transportation with a segment of older bulk carriers. The findings are that structural characteristics of both the industries and the regulatory regime determine the interactions between the regulated and the regulator. The paper illustrates that in industrial sectors where hazards and risks are visible and of public interest, it is easier to implement regulations through outside pressure from regulators and other stakeholders such as internationally organised unions.