Well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from battery electric vehicles in China

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Electric vehicles (EVs) play a crucial role in addressing climate change and urban air quality concerns. China has emerged as the global...     

Optimal range of plug-in electric vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai

Both China’s national subsidy policies for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) purchasers and passenger cars corporate average fuel consumption and new vehicle credit regulation (dual-credit policy) favor long-range 300+ km battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 80+ km plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, these electric vehicles tend to have lower energy efficiency and higher purchase and operation costs. Vehicle with larger batteries can also be less equitable because the subsidies are often provided to more expensive vehicles and wealthier owners. This study takes advantage of a novel dataset of daily driving data from 39,854 conventional gasoline vehicles in Beijing and 4999 PHEVs in Shanghai to determine the optimal range of BEVs and PHEVs within their respective cities. We simulate a model to explore ranges with which PEVs emit less GHGs than that of a baseline hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicle while ensuring that all daily travel demands are met. Our findings indicate that in both cities, the optimal ranges to balance cost and travel demand for BEVs are 350 km or less and for PHEVs are 60 km or less in Beijing and 80 km or less in Shanghai. We also find that to minimize carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the ranges are even lower 10 km in Beijing and 30 km in Shanghai. Our study suggests that instead of encouraging long-range PEVs, governments should subsidize PEV models with shorter ranges. Parallel efforts should also be made to both increase renewable energy over fossil fuels and expand charging facilities. Although individual mobility demand varies, the government could reduce occasional long-distance driving by subsidizing alternative transportation choices. Providing week-long driving trials to consumers before their purchases may help decrease the demand of very long range PEVs by alleviating the range anxiety through a learning process.

     

黄河流域生态环境保护投资分析及优化建议

以黄河流域生态环保投资为研究对象,统计并分析近年来全社会和中央财政投入情况,从时间、空间和领域3个维度分析变化趋势,发现存在投资总量不足、效益跨区域外部性、地方投入渠道受制约等问题。从政府、企业、社会和金融机构4个主体层次分别提出相应的对策建议,以期为保障黄河流域生态环保资金投入提供支撑。     

石英灯辐射加热条件下低密度碳/酚醛复合材料高温响应及分析

目的研究低密度碳/酚醛复合材料在不同地面加热实验测试响应的差异性,指导材料在实际应用环境下的高温响应分析。方法对低密度碳/酚醛复合材料开展了热流为400 kW/m~2的单侧石英灯辐射加热实验,利用热电偶测温系统测量试件在加热过程中不同位置的温度时间历程,并对试件的烧蚀形貌和微观结构进行观测。同时与热流为464k W/m~2的氧乙炔加热陶瓷板辐射加热实验结果进行对比分析,并且采用有限元方法对材料的传热传质多场耦合计算进行分析。结果对于石英灯辐射加热,在测量点升温到接近200℃时,温度响应拐点都依次出现。由于加热的辐射热源不同,在不同的辐射波段下,多孔材料吸收和发射的热量不同,短时间内氧乙炔加热陶瓷板辐射加热使材料内部升温速率比石英灯辐射加热实验的要快,但长时间加热时现象刚好相反。结论进行传热传质多场耦合计算材料高温响应时,合理确定材料宏观性能随温度的变化至关重要。     

专家笔谈：资源环境热点问题

重大的资源开发利用工程建设设想或实施往往容易引起社会各界的广泛关注。如何正确认识和科学评价各种资源环境热点问题是大家讨论的重点。文章认为任何重大资源开发工程必须遵循自然规律、生态规律、资源规律和经济规律,必须结合国家战略需求和地缘政治关系,开展前期深入的系统性综合调查,进行生态安全与资源工程安全评价和交叉学科论证,并对其科学价值、社会价值和经济价值等做出正确的判断。建议：未来的资源环境工程建设要谨防“大跃进”,要科学认识自然资源系统规律,守护好美丽的地球家园;要切实履行资源科学家的社会责任,提倡基于科学研究和科学态度的学术争鸣,科学问题最好还是由科学家去讨论;一些争议大的科研课题慎用公益性研发经费来支持。     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯降解过程的单体同位素分析

研究对比了邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）在不同降解过程（水解、UV/H₂O₂光解、直接光解、过硫酸钾光氧化）中的碳、氢同位素组成变化、分馏特征及二维同位素（Δδ²H-Δδ¹³C）的相关性.水解反应中DBP分子产生了显著的碳同位素分馏,未发现氢同位素分馏,而且碳同位素富集因子ε_C为（-2.7±0.4）‰,表明DBP水解时发生C-O键断裂,氢原子不参与反应.而UV/H₂O₂光解和直接光解反应（pH值分别为2、7和10）中,DBP分子呈现了相似的二维同位素相关性Λ值[（9±2）~（11±2）],推测经历了相同的反应过程.过硫酸钾光氧化降解时,明显偏大的Λ值（31±3）说明反应可能发生C-H键断裂.结果表明：二维单体同位素分析（2D-CSIA）技术可以有效区分DBP的水解、光解、光氧化3种不同类型的降解过程,有助于分析其降解路径.     

The effects of autophagy on vascular endothelial cells induced by airborne PM2.5

The purpose of this study was to examine the direct toxicity of PM2.5 collected from Beijing on human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC). A Cell Counting Kit 8(CCK8) assay demonstrated that PM2.5 exposure decreased the proliferation of HUVECs in a dosedependent manner. We also found that PM2.5 exposure induced autophagy in HUVECs, as evidenced by:(1) an increased number of double-membrane vesicles;(2) enhanced conversion and punctuation of the microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3); and(3) decreased levels of the selective autophagy substrate p62 in a time-dependent manner.Furthermore, promoting autophagy in PM2.5-exposed HUVECs with rapamycin increased the cell survival rate, whereas inhibiting autophagy via 3-methyladenine significantly decreased cell survival. These results demonstrate that PM2.5 exposure can induce cytotoxicity and autophagy in HUVECs and that autophagy play a protective role against PM2.5-induced cytotoxicity. The findings of the present study imply a direct toxic effect of PM2.5 on HUVECs and provide novel insight into the mechanism of cardiovascular diseases caused by PM2.5 exposure.     

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticle aggregation on marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana

TiO_2 nanoparticles(NPs) could adversely impact aquatic ecosystems. However, the aggregation of these NPs could attenuate this effect. In this work, the biological effects of TiO_2 NPs on a marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana were investigated. The aggregation kinetics of TiO_2 NPs under different conditions was also investigated to determine and understand these effects. Results showed that, though TiO_2 NPs had no obvious impact on the size and reproducibility of algal cells under testing conditions, they caused a negative effect on algal chlorophyll, which led to a reduction in photosynthesis. Furthermore, fast aggregation of TiO_2 NPs occurred under all conditions, especially at the pH close to the p Hzpc. Increasing ionic strength and NP concentration also enhanced the aggregation rate.The aggregation and the following sedimentation of TiO_2 NPs reduced their adverse effects on I. galbana.     

Mercury flows in large-scale gold production and implications for Hg pollution control

Large-scale gold production(LSGP) is one of the five convention-related atmospheric mercury(Hg) emission sources in the Minamata Convention on Mercury. However, field experiments on Hg flows of the whole process of LSGP are limited. To identify the atmospheric Hg emission points and understand Hg emission characteristics of LSGP, Hg flows in two gold smelters were studied. Overall atmospheric Hg emissions accounted for 10%–17% of total Hg outputs and the Hg emission factors for all processes were 7.6–9.6 kg/ton. There were three dominant atmospheric Hg emission points in the studied gold smelters, including the exhaust gas of the roasting process, exhaust gas from the environmental fog collection stack and exhaust gas from the converter of the refining process. Atmospheric Hg emissions from the roasting process only accounted for 16%–29% of total emissions and the rest were emitted from the refining process. The overall Hg speciation profile(gaseous elemental Hg/gaseous oxidized Hg/particulate-bound Hg) for LSGP was 34.1/57.1/8.8. The dominant Hg output byproducts included waste acid, sulfuric acid and cyanide leaching residue. Total Hg outputs from these three byproducts were 80% in smelter A and 84% in smelter B. Our study indicated that previous atmospheric Hg emissions from large-scale gold production might have been overestimated.Hg emission control in LSGP is not especially urgent in China compared to other significant emission sources(e.g., cement plants). Instead, LSGP is a potential Hg release source due to the high Hg output proportions to acid and sludge.