In this research, absorbents for CO2 capture were prepared by blending 30 wt% potassium carbonate, 3 wt% of a rate promoter, and 1 wt% of a corrosion inhibitor. Pipecolic acid, sarcosine, and diethanolamine were chosen as rate promoter candidates. Based on a rate promoter screening test for CO2 loading capacity and absorption rate, pipecolic acid and sarcosine were selected to be used as rate promoters. 1,2,3-benzotriazole and ammonium thiocyanate were chosen as corrosion inhibitors, and they were mixed with a 30 wt% potassium carbonate-based absorbent mixture containing one of the rate promoters. The absorption rates for four absorbent solutions (30 wt% potassium carbonate?+?3 wt% pipecolic acid?+?1 wt% 1,2,3-benzotriazole, 30 wt% potassium carbonate?+?3 wt% pipecolic acid?+?1 wt% ammonium thiocyanate, 30 wt% potassium carbonate?+?3 wt% sarcosine?+?1 wt% 1,2,3-benzotriazole, and 30 wt% potassium carbonate?+?3 wt% sarcosine?+?1 wt% ammonium thiocyanate) were measured, tabulated, and graphically displayed. These types of absorbents can be used for capturing CO2 under high temperature and pressure conditions, such as those found in coal-fired power plants. 相似文献
Soybean polyols prepared by ring opening reactions of epoxidized soybean oil with hydrogen active compounds (water, alcohols,
organic or inorganic acids, thiols, hydrogen etc.) have a low reactivity in the reaction with isocyanates because the hydroxyl
groups are secondary. This paper presents a simple and convenient method to increase the reactivity of soybean polyols with
secondary hydroxyl groups by ethoxylation reactions with the preservation of triglyceride ester bonds. The method uses mild
reaction conditions: low alkoxylation temperature of 35–45 °C, low pressure of 0.1–0.2 MPa (15–30 p.s.i.) and a superacid
as catalyst (HBF4). The new soybean polyols have a higher reactivity toward isocyanates in polyurethane formation due to the high percentage
of primary hydroxyl groups. The primary hydroxyl content was determined by the second order kinetics of polyol reaction with
phenyl isocyanate. 相似文献
The use of organic municipal wastes as soil amendments is an increasing practice that can divert significant amounts of waste from landfill, and provides a potential source of nutrients and organic matter to ameliorate degraded soils. Due to the high heterogeneity of organic municipal waste streams, it is difficult to rapidly and cost-effectively establish their suitability as soil amendments using a single method. Thermal analysis has been proposed as an evolving technique to assess the stability and composition of the organic matter present in these wastes. In this study, three different organic municipal waste streams (i.e., a municipal waste compost (MC), a composted sewage sludge (CS) and a thermally dried sewage sludge (TS)) were characterized using conventional and thermal methods. The conventional methods used to test organic matter stability included laboratory incubation with measurement of respired C, and spectroscopic methods to characterize chemical composition. Carbon mineralization was measured during a 90-day incubation, and samples before and after incubation were analyzed by chemical (elemental analysis) and spectroscopic (infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance) methods. Results were compared with those obtained by thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Total amounts of CO2 respired indicated that the organic matter in the TS was the least stable, while that in the CS was the most stable. This was confirmed by changes detected with the spectroscopic methods in the composition of the organic wastes due to C mineralization. Differences were especially pronounced for TS, which showed a remarkable loss of aliphatic and proteinaceous compounds during the incubation process. TG, and especially DSC analysis, clearly reflected these differences between the three organic wastes before and after the incubation. Furthermore, the calculated energy density, which represents the energy available per unit of organic matter, showed a strong correlation with cumulative respiration. Results obtained support the hypothesis of a potential link between the thermal and biological stability of the studied organic materials, and consequently the ability of thermal analysis to characterize the maturity of municipal organic wastes and composts. 相似文献
Climate changes in the Mediterranean region, related to a significant increase in temperature and changes in precipitation
patterns, can potentially affect local economies. Agriculture and tourism are undoubtedly the most important economic sources
for Greece and these may be more strongly affected by changing future climate conditions. Climate change and their various
negative impacts on human life are also detected in their environment; hence this study deals with implications, caused by
changing climate, in urban and forest areas. Potential changes for the mid-twenty-first century (2021–2050) are analysed using
a high-resolution regional climate model. This paper presents relevant climatic indices, indicative for potential implications
which may jeopardise vital economic/environmental sectors of the country. The results provide insights into particular regions
of the Greek territory that may undergo substantial impacts due to climate change. It is concluded that the duration of dry
days is expected to increase in most of the studied agricultural regions. Winter precipitation generally decreases, whereas
an increase in autumn precipitation is projected in most areas. Changing climate conditions associated with increased minimum
temperatures (approximately 1.3°C) and decreased winter precipitation by 15% on average suggest that the risk for forest fires
is intensified in the future. In urban areas, unpleasantly high temperatures during day and night will increase the feeling
of discomfort in the citizens, while flash floods events are expected to occur more frequently. Another impact of climate
change in urban regions is the increasing energy demand for cooling in summer. Finally, it was found that continental tourist
areas of the Greek mainland will more often face heatwave episodes. In coastal regions, increased temperatures especially
at night in combination with high levels of relative humidity can lead to conditions that are nothing less than uncomfortable
for foreigners and the local population. In general, projected changes associated with temperature have a higher degree of
confidence than those associated with precipitation. 相似文献
Managing Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a severe and growing urban challenge, particularly in post-conflict countries. Though Kosovo has significantly rebuilt and developed after the Liberation War, these initiatives have accompanied suboptimal waste management. This research evaluates CDW management in Kosovo by assessing current practices and operations vis-a-vis the legal framework and EU requirements. It identifies instruments and policies capable of ameliorating gaps and proposes a more sustainable and circular CDW management system for Kosovo. Information was primarily collected during on-site visits to Pristina and the surroundings by a cohort of Urban Management Students from the Technische Universität Berlin, students from Kosovo, and the local office of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ. The analysis identified gaps in Kosovo's CDW management and its observance and enforcement of existing CDW legislation, including an ambiguous licensing system impeding sustainable demolition, storage, and transport; the absence of approved CDW storage options leading to uncontrolled disposal; and an underdeveloped market for recycling and reuse, deterring stakeholders from further pursuit of circular practices. These gaps were compounded by poor recordkeeping, obscuring precise information on CDW streams. Possible instruments and incentives to support Kosovo's transition to a more sustainable CDW management system were then identified.
Tailpipe emissions in the road transportation system are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gases. One of the possible approaches is to influence drivers’ routing decisions such that the emissions and fuel consumption is minimized. In order to evaluate such condition, we develop environmental traffic assignment (E-TA) models based on user equilibrium (UE) and system optimal (SO) behavioral principles. Extending the traditional travel time-based UE and SO principles to E-TA is not straightforward because, unlike travel time, the rate of emissions increases with the increase in vehicle speed beyond a certain point. The results of various TA models show a network-wide traffic control strategy in which vehicles are routed according to SO-based E-TA, can reduce system-wide emissions. However, a system in which drivers make routing decisions to minimize their own emissions (E-UE system) results in a paradoxical situation of increased individual as well as system-wide emissions. 相似文献
A new methodology for crop-growth stage-specific assessment of agricultural drought risk under a variable sowing window is proposed for the soybean crop. It encompasses three drought indices, which include Crop-Specific Drought Index (CSDI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). The unique features of crop-growth stage-specific nature and spatial and multi-scalar coverage provide a comprehensive assessment of agricultural drought risk. This study was conducted in 10 major soybean-growing districts of Madhya Pradesh state of India. These areas contribute about 60% of the total soybean production for the country. The phenophase most vulnerable to agricultural drought was identified (germination and flowering in our case) for each district across four sowing windows. The agricultural drought risk was quantified at various severity levels (moderate, severe, and very severe) for each growth stage and sowing window. Validation of the proposed new methodology also yielded results with a high correlation coefficient between percent probability of agricultural drought risk and yield risk (r?=?0.92). Assessment by proximity matrix yielded a similar statistic. Expectations for the proposed methodology are better mitigation-oriented management and improved crop contingency plans for planners and decision makers. 相似文献
Contrary to claims from American politicians, lobbyists, and oil and gas executives, allowing energy development in the Alaskan
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) will harm the environment, compromise international law, erode the social significance
of wilderness protection, and ultimately fail to␣increase the energy security of the United States. After exploring a brief
history of the ANWR controversy, this piece argues that the operation of oil and gas refineries in ANWR will release discharged
solids, drilling waste, and dirty diesel fuel into the ecosystem’s food-chain, as they have from oil operations in Prudhoe
Bay. Less obvious but equally important, oil and gas exploration in ANWR will violate a number of international treaties on
biodiversity protection. In the end, development in ANWR will threaten the concept of wilderness protection, and will do little
to end US dependence on foreign sources of energy.
About the Author: Benjamin K. Sovacool is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute & State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He works as a research analyst for the Consortium on Energy Restructuring
and is a Senior Research Fellow for the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research. He also just completed a Graduate Fellowship
in Energy Policy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue. 相似文献
This paper recommends a revision of watershed development policy in India in relation to the planning of development interventions
involving agricultural intensification and rainwater harvesting following biophysical and societal impact studies carried
out on two watershed development projects in Karnataka. A need for changes in policy has arisen in response to progressive
catchments closure at the basin level and declining volumes of water flowing into village level reservoirs (known locally
as tanks). Flow reductions have occurred largely as a result of increased agricultural intensification over the past 10–15 years.
Field levelling, field bund construction, soil water conservation measures, farm ponds, the increase in areas under horticulture
and forestry and the increased abstraction and use of groundwater for irrigation are all contributing factors to reduced flows.
Planning methodologies and approaches, which may have been appropriate 20 years ago for planning water harvesting within watershed
development projects, are no longer appropriate today. New planning approaches are required which (1) take account of these
changed flow conditions and (2) are also able to take account of externalities, which occur when actions of some affect the
livelihoods of others who have no control or influence over such activities and which (3) contribute to the maintenance of
agreed minimum downstream flows for environmental and other purposes.