Real-world in-use activity, fuel use, and emissions for nonroad construction vehicles: a case study for excavators

A study design was developed and demonstrated for deployment of a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) for excavators. Excavators are among the most commonly used vehicles in construction activities. The PEMS measured nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, and opacity-based particulate matter. Data collection, screening, processing, and analysis protocols were developed to assure data quality and to quantify variability in vehicle fuel consumption and emissions rates. The development of data collection procedures was based on securing the PEMS while avoiding disruption to normal vehicle operations. As a result of quality assurance, approximately 90% of the attempted measurements resulted in valid data. On the basis of field data collected for three excavators, an average of 50% of the total nitric oxide emissions was associated with 29% of the time of operation, during which the average engine speed and manifold absolute pressure were significantly higher than corresponding averages for all data. Mass per time emission rates during non-idle modes (i.e., moving and using bucket) were on average 7 times greater than for the idle mode. Differences in normalized average rates were influenced more by intercycle differences than intervehicle differences. This study demonstrates the importance of accounting for intercycle variability in real-world in-use emissions to develop more accurate emission inventories. The data collection and analysis methodology demonstrated here is recommended for application to more vehicles to better characterize real-world vehicle activity, fuel use, and emissions for nonroad construction equipment.     

Degradation of hop bitter acids by fungi

Nine fungal strains related to: Trametes versicolor, Nigrospora oryzae, Inonotus radiatus, Crumenulopsis sororia, Coryneum betulinum, Cryptosporiopsis radicicola, Fusarium equiseti, Rhodotorula glutinis and Candida parapsilosis were tested for their ability to degrade humulones and lupulones. The best results were obtained for T. versicolor culture, in which humulones and lupulones were fully degraded after 4days of incubation in the dark or after 36h in the light. The experiments were performed on a commercial hop extract and on sterilized spent hops.     

Combustion characteristics of simulated gas fuel in a 30 kg/h scale pyrolysis-melting incinerator

Combustion characteristics of gas fuel in a pyrolysis-melting incinerator having a 30kg/h capacity were investigated. Pyrolyzed gas from waste was simulated by propane that was injected in the combustion chamber, and burnt through multi-staged combustion by distributing the combustion air to primary, secondary, and tertiary air nozzles. Temperatures and the concentrations of gas components in the combustion chamber were measured. Combustion performance was evaluated with respect to the temperature distribution and combustion gas concentrations of O(2), CO and NO(x). Using secondary air and/or tertiary air, the combustion performance was improved, and, in particular, NO(x) concentration decreased significantly following the tertiary air injection.     

Assessment of the potential of ecolabels to promote agrobiodiversity

We conducted a study to assess to what extent current ecolabels contain standards that stimulate conservation and sustainable use of on-farm biodiversity of agricultural landscapes (agrobiodiversity). First, we developed an agrobiodiversity management yardstick to assess and compare the labeling schemes of ecolabels for arable farming. Key characteristics of the yardstick are the five levels linking the abstract notion of agrobiodiversity management to concrete measures on a farm and its foundation upon expert judgment regarding the effect of farming practices on agrobiodiversity. Several environmental themes, among them agrobiodiversity management, are regulated through the standards of labeling schemes of ecolabels. With the aid of this yardstick, the labeling schemes were scrutinized and the number, average efficacy, and compulsory nature of relevant standards was determined for 10 categories of farm management. The results show that all examined ecolabels contain at least some standards that stimulate conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, but there are large differences between the labels. We consider the results of the five ecolabels to be insufficient to warrant their usefulness as a governance strategy that the Dutch government could refer to and depend on as part of a national agrobiodiversity policy to stimulate agrobiodiversity.     

The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of Nature?

We explore the development of the Anthropocene, the current epoch in which humans and our societies have become a global geophysical force. The Anthropocene began around 1800 with the onset of industrialization, the central feature of which was the enormous expansion in the use of fossil fuels. We use atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration as a single, simple indicator to track the progression of the Anthropocene. From a preindustrial value of 270-275 ppm, atmospheric carbon dioxide had risen to about 310 ppm by 1950. Since then the human enterprise has experienced a remarkable explosion, the Great Acceleration, with significant consequences for Earth System functioning. Atmospheric CO2 concentration has risen from 310 to 380 ppm since 1950, with about half of the total rise since the preindustrial era occurring in just the last 30 years. The Great Acceleration is reaching criticality. Whatever unfolds, the next few decades will surely be a tipping point in the evolution of the Anthropocene.     

Coupled human and natural systems

Humans have continuously interacted with natural systems, resulting in the formation and development of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). Recent studies reveal the complexity of organizational, spatial, and temporal couplings of CHANS. These couplings have evolved from direct to more indirect interactions, from adjacent to more distant linkages, from local to global scales, and from simple to complex patterns and processes. Untangling complexities, such as reciprocal effects and emergent properties, can lead to novel scientific discoveries and is essential to developing effective policies for ecological and socioeconomic sustainability. Opportunities for truly integrating various disciplines are emerging to address fundamental questions about CHANS and meet society's unprecedented challenges.     

Characterization of semi-volatile organic compounds emitted during heating of nitrogen-containing plastics at low temperature

Because of recent volume increases, appropriate management of plastic recycling, which generates various organic compounds, is required to ensure the chemical safety of the processes. The processing temperature and resin type are the important factors determining both the efficiency of the processes and the emission of chemicals. Therefore, we studied the thermal degradation of various plastics at various temperatures from 70 to 300 °C under oxygen-present conditions to identify the semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) emitted and to understand their thermal behaviors. The plastics examined were nitrogen-containing resins, such as polyamide 6, polyurethane, melamine formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. Major commodity plastics were also investigated for comparison. In total, more than 500 SVOCs were detected as emissions from plastics. While various nitrogen-containing SVOCs were detected from nitrogen-containing resins, the major commodity plastics released only these, which possibly were included as additives. These results indicate that the nitrogen atoms in the SVOCs emitted originated from the resins and additives, and not from ambient air at low temperature. As a result of the detection of raw materials, degradation chemicals and by-products of the polymers in the emissions, we found that the variation in chemical species is dependent on the resins. Additives were also emitted from all the resins, meaning that these chemicals were also released to the environment at the temperature examined. In most cases, the numbers and concentrations of SVOCs increased with increasing heating temperature. The variation of thermal behaviors of SVOCs was related to the origins and chemical species of SVOCs.     

Effect of limited aeration on the anaerobic treatment of evaporator condensate from a sulfite pulp mill

Serious inhibition was found in the regular up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in treating the evaporator condensate from a sulfite pulp mill, which contained high strength sulfur compounds. After applying the direct limited aeration in the UASB, the inhibition was alleviated gradually and the activity of the microorganisms was recovered. The COD removal rate increased from 40% to 80% at the organic loading rate of 8kgCODm(-3)d(-1) and a hydraulic retention time of 12h. Limited aeration caused no oxygen inhibition to the anaerobic microorganisms but instigated sulfide oxidization and H(2)S removal, which was beneficial to the methanogens. The experiment confirmed the feasibility of applying limited aeration in the anaerobic reactor to alleviate the sulfide inhibition. It also proved that the anaerobic system was actually aerotolerant. SEM observation showed that the predominant microorganisms partly changed from rod-shaped methanogens to cocci after the UASB reactor was aerated.     

The opposing effects of bacterial activity and gas production on anaerobic TCE degradation in soil columns

This laboratory study explores the effect of growth substrate concentration on the anaerobic degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) in sand packed columns. In all columns the growth substrate rapidly degraded to gas, that formed a separate phase. Biomass accumulated in the 0–4.8 cm section of the columns in proportion to the influent growth substrate concentration and biomass concentrations in the remaining sections of all columns were similar to the column receiving the lowest substrate concentration. Increases in growth substrate concentration up to 3030 mg-COD l⁻¹ promoted TCE degradation, but a further increase to 14 300 mg-COD l⁻¹ reduced the amount of TCE completely dechlorinated but did not affect the production of chlorinated TCE intermediates. The mathematical model developed here satisfactorily described the enhancement in TCE dehalogenation for substrate concentration up to 3030 mg-COD l⁻¹; reproducing TCE dehalogenation for 14 300 mg-COD l⁻¹ required that the moisture content used in simulation be lowered to 0.1. The study shows that volatilization of TCE can be significant and volatilization losses should be taken into account when anaerobic activity in in-situ bioremediation applications is stimulated via addition of growth substrates. An implication of the modeling simulations is that maintaining a lower, but uniform, substrate concentration over the contaminated region may lead to faster contaminant degradation.