An economic analysis of China’s domestic crude oil supply policies

ABSTRACT

China’s domestic oil production has lagged the growth in domestic oil consumption since the beginning of the 21st century, leading to a growing reliance on imports. In response, the Chinese government has introduced a number of policies, including import license constraints, to support domestic suppliers. In an effort to measure the economic impact of these policies we develop a short-run equilibrium model of China’s wholesale oil and gas market at the provincial scale. We construct counterfactual scenarios that suggest that relaxing policies that prioritize domestic production in 2016, when the average price of Chinese oil imports was US$42 per barrel (bbl), could have increased China’s import demand by 0.29 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d). This results in a substitution of 9% of China’s domestic production in 2016, and a reduction of US $2.8 billion in crude supply costs including transportation as the imported oil has more direct access to the country’s pipeline network, compared to the displaced domestic production. In addition, rising import prices since mid-2017 may provide a window of opportunity for Chinese policymakers to proceed with further deregulation of the domestic oil sector, as the short-term impact on domestic producers is reduced.     

Correction to: Evaluation of hydrochar efficiency for simultaneous removal of diclofenac and ibuprofen from aqueous system using surface response methodology

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The original publication of this paper contain typographical mistakes.     

Solid waste recycling in Rajshahi city of Bangladesh

Efficient recycling of solid wastes is now a global concern for a sustainable and environmentally sound management. In this study, traditional recycling pattern of solid waste was investigated in Rajshahi municipality which is the fourth largest city of Bangladesh. A questionnaire survey had been carried out in various recycle shops during April 2010 to January 2011. There were 140 recycle shops and most of them were located in the vicinity of Stadium market in Rajshahi. About 1906 people were found to be involved in recycling activities of the city. The major fraction of recycled wastes were sent to capital city Dhaka for further manufacture of different new products. Only a small amount of wastes, specially plastics, were processed in local recycle factories to produce small washing pots and bottle caps. Everyday, an estimated 28.13 tons of recycled solid wastes were handled in Rajshahi city area. This recycled portion accounted for 8.25% of the daily total generated wastes (341 ton d^?1), 54.6% of total recyclable wastes (51.49 ton d^?1) and 68.29% of readily recyclable wastes (41.19 ton d^?1). Major recycled materials were found to be iron, glass, plastic, and papers. Only five factories were involved in preliminary processing of recyclable wastes. Collecting and processing secondary materials, manufacturing recycled-content products, and then buying recycled products created a circle or loop that ensured the overall success of recycling and generated a host of financial, environmental, and social returns.     

Bioremediation of oily sludge-contaminated soil by stimulating indigenous microbes

In situ bioremediation of oily sludge-contaminated soil by biostimulation of indigenous microbes through adding manure was conducted at the Shengli oilfield in northern China. After bioremediation for 360 days, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content was reduced by 58.2% in the treated plots compared with only 15.6% in the control plot. Moreover, bioremediation significantly improved the physicochemical properties of the soil in the treated plot. Soil microbial counts and community-level physiological profiling were also examined. Manure addition increased TPH degraders and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degraders in the contaminated soil by one to two orders of magnitude. The activity and biodiversity of soil microbial communities also increased markedly in the treated plot compared with that of the control. Finally, biotoxicity was used to evaluate the soils and a sharp increase in the EC50 of the soil after bioremediation was observed, indicating that bioremediation had reduced the toxicity of the soil.     

Carrying capacity of an uninhabited island off the southwestern coast of Korea

An emergy evaluation was carried out to assess the carrying capacity of a small, uninhabited island (Woosedo) off the southwestern coast of Korea. The sea area within 1 km from the high tide level of the island was included in the evaluation. The total environmental emergy input to Woosedo was 1.66E19 sej/yr, with the most emergy contribution from the tidal energy. The land and marine ecosystems of Woosedo contributed 4.97 million Em$ (7600 Em$/ha/yr) to the Korean economy annually. If Woosedo was developed to the national average at the emergy investment ratio of 2.86, its carrying capacity was estimated at 1034 people at the current living standard of Korea. With this population, the island system would not be sustainable with a very low emergy sustainability index of 0.36. At the same living standard used in the developed scenario, the carrying capacity of the island would be 370 people for a sustainable development scenario and 270 people if the renewable emergy were the only source to support the population. The emergy contribution of the marine ecosystem of the island was the major source of support in determining the level of carrying capacity of the island.     

再生水灌溉对冬小麦生长和产量的影响

随着我国污水处理技术的发展,再生水生产能力得到了明显地提高,实现再生水农业安全利用,将开辟农业用水新途径。以冬小麦（Triticum aestivum）为对象,通过盆栽试验,研究了不同程度处理的再生水（二级再生水、三级再生水）对冬小麦生长和产量的影响。结果表明：再生水灌溉能显著提高冬小麦的株高、叶面积、叶绿素含量,但开花前对光合作用的改善不显著。再生水灌溉处理的冬小麦超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性整体提高,尤其是越冬阶段,叶片SOD活性较对照处理提高了15%,抽穗后作用减弱,各处理间的过氧化物酶（POD）活性差异不明显。以再生水灌溉的盆栽小麦产量和对照相比没有明显差异,再生水灌溉可以实现正常的产量水平。     

大鹏湾环境容量研究Ⅱ:环境容量规划

采用基于响应场的线性规划方法,考虑非点源与湾外污染物输入形成的本底值,结合深圳沿岸排污口的分布计算了大鹏湾的环境容量,并给出了总量分配方案.结果表明,大鹏湾物理自净能力差,但水体容量大,具有较大的稀释容量,加上污染物的生化降解,大鹏湾具有较大的环境容量.BOD5、总氮、总磷的最大允许排放总量分别为79.0,11.418,0.86t/d,BOD5、总氮、总磷的剩余环境容量分别为61.34,9.318,0.43t/d.     

基于发光细菌的细颗粒物(PM_(2.5))可溶性提取液综合生物效应测试方法及其应用

为科学评估PM_(2.5)对生物体综合生物效应,研究建立了利用费氏弧菌检测PM_(2.5)水溶性提取液的毒性测试方法,确立了PM_(2.5)样品提取液发光细菌毒性测试实验质量控制办法。对春节烟花爆竹燃放和沙尘污染过程的PM_(2.5)实样测试表明:烟花爆竹燃放期间的PM_(2.5)样品提取液发光抑制率值与微量金属元素等有毒有害组分浓度显著相关;沙尘污染期间的PM_(2.5)样本提取液中地壳元素浓度和发光抑制率值显著不相关。     

Lifestyle and polybrominated diphenyl ethers in human milk in the United States: A pilot study

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are a class of brominated flame retardants with some congeners having the ability to accumulate in body lipids. The incorporation of PBDE in consumer products found primarily in the indoor environment suggests that routes of exposure include inhalation of indoor air and contact with indoor dust. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that lifestyle factors, and in particular the proximity and use of products likely to contain PBDE in the indoor environment, are primarily responsible for levels of PBDE found in human milk. Human milk samples were taken from two populations of lactating women in the same geographic region of the United States: one “typical” of US suburban lifestyle, and the other practicing a traditional Amish lifestyle, which excludes many modern amenities containing PBDE, such as computers and televisions. For a subset of the cohort, persistent organic pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were also measured in human milk samples. Despite the small number of participants, there is evidence suggestive of Amish women having lower PBDE concentrations in their milk. In addition, the nonsignificant differences in levels of PCBs and pesticides between the two groups of women as compared to the significant differences in levels of PBDE suggest an important route of exposure for PBDE other than diet. Information prepared for study participants is provided to initiate a dialogue on how to best communicate biomonitoring findings to study participants and to the public in general.     

A study on vertical greening practice emphasizing ecological benefits in Xiamen City of China

Through the practice of vertical greening, which is an important method for modern city greening, a city’s natural geographic conditions and rich plant resources can be efficiently utilized. Using vertical greening to shape the characteristics of a city is a promising method for sustainable development. Integration of vertical greening with urban characteristics offers huge ecological and cultural benefits. Vertical greening was adopted in China much later than other developed cities in the world and is still in the exploratory stage in most of the cities. As one of the pioneer cities to carry out vertical greening in China, Xiamen has managed to project it as one of the city highlights. In this study, we analyzed the problems that Xiamen City faced during its development and the important role vertical greening has played in the urban landscape. In addition, humanistic and ecological benefits of vertical greening are illustrated through an experimental study.