Towards a sustainable energy future—exploring current barriers and potential solutions in Thailand

Renewable energy is considered an indispensable basis of sustainable energy systems as electricity generation from renewable sources results in low emissions of greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuel based electricity and contributes to sustainable development. However, effective strategies and conducive institutional settings are needed for advancement of such clean electricity systems. Although Thailand, as a nation, has a huge potential for renewable energy utilization, its total amount of electricity generation from renewables is relatively small and could be enlarged substantially. Lack of policy mechanisms, institutional development and financing exist as major barriers for Thailand in this regard. Investigation of the nation’s current energy strategy implementation shows that relevant energy and development policies are at different stages of implementation and institutional settings are continuously evolving. This paper argues that further significant efforts could be made towards advancement of renewable electricity and thus achievement of energy sustainability in Thailand. Resource planning, effective policy and institutions, focussed planning for energy sustainability and implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol could facilitate further advancement of renewables for the nation.     

电泳油漆废水凝聚处理研究

以高浓度电泳漆废水用酸性凝聚和碱性凝聚进行处理研究，应用结果表明，在控制ＰＨ＝２．５～３条件下进行酸性凝聚，ＣＯＤ去除率可达９１％～９３％酸性凝聚后出水，与低浓度废水混合，再用ＰＦＳ为凝聚剂，控制ＰＨ＝７～９，进行凝聚气浮处理，可使排放水质中ＣＯＤ，ＰＨ，ＳＳ和色度稳定达标。     

人工湿地处理污水的研究

简要介绍了人工湿地的发展历史、原理及优点；并对沙井镇人工湿地进行探讨和检测，其ＣＯＤｃｒ去除率可达８３％，总氮去除率达４５％，出水水质达国家排放标准。     

反应器引压端法兰焊接阀门断裂原因分析

通过对Z41H-160型阀体端法兰断裂件的宏观检查、化学成分分析、金相分析、断口形貌观察、EDS能谱分析和维氏硬度测试等研究,表明阀体热处理不当致使硬度超高,阀门结构不合理导致硫化物应力腐蚀是阀体断裂的主要原因。     

Methane fluxes from tundra soils and snowpack in the maritime Antarctic

Methane fluxes were measured from three exposed tundra sites and four snowpack sites on the Fildes Peninsula in the maritime Antarctic in the summertime of 2002. The average fluxes at two normal tundra sites were −15.3 μg m⁻² h⁻¹ and −14.3 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. The fluxes from tundra site with fresh penguin dropping addition showed positive values with the average of 36.1 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, suggesting that the deposition of fresh droppings greatly enhanced CH₄ emissions from the poor Antarctic tundra during penguin breeding periods. The summertime variation in CH₄ flux was correlated with surface ground temperature and the precipitation. The correlation between the flux and PT₀, which is the product of the precipitation and surface ground temperature, was quite strong. The diurnal cycle of CH₄ flux from the tundra soils was not obtained due to local fluky weather conditions. The fluxes through four snowpack sites were also obtained by the vertical CH₄ concentration gradient and their average fluxes were −46.5 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, −28.2 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, −46.4 μg m⁻² h⁻¹ and −17.9 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively, indicating that tundra soils under snowpack also consume atmospheric CH₄ in the maritime Antarctic; therefore these fluxes could constitute an important part of the annual CH₄ budget for Antarctic tundra ecosystem.     

Preparation of hydrophobic hierarchical pore carbon–silica composite and its adsorption performance toward volatile organic compounds

Carbon–silica materials with hierarchical pores consisting of micropores and mesopores were prepared by introducing nanocarbon microspheres derived from biomass sugar into silica gel channels in a hydrothermal environment.The physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized by nitrogen physical adsorption(BET),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and thermogravimetric(TG),and the adsorption properties of various organic waste gases were investigated.The results showed that microporous...     

基于蒙特卡洛模拟的城市道路网络地震易损性分析∗

城市道路网络是重要的生命线工程系统,其抗震性能直接影响城市震时人员逃生和震后救灾是否能够迅速开展。现阶段,地震工程学界已发展了完善的单一路段地震易损性分析方法,但对道路网络整体性态水平划分、破坏指标选取和地震易损性评价等问题尚无明确结果。基于此,利用二维平面网络统计特征量作为破坏评价指标,提出了一类城市道路网络地震易损性的评价方法,并利用蒙特卡洛模拟方法计算了实际城市路网的地震易损性矩阵。首先,给出了城市道路网络地震破坏模拟步骤,包括路网建模、空间变化地震动模拟和基于路段易损性函数的路网地震破坏模拟;然后,利用分支数量和最大分支直径作为指标,对城市道路网络性态水平进行了划分,给出了基于蒙特卡洛方法的路网地震易损性分析框架;最后,以河北省秦皇岛市为例,计算了城市道路网络的地震易损性矩阵。本文发展的城市路网地震易损性分析方法可为城市道路系统整体抗震安全性评价及优化设计提供参考。     

Fossil insect evidence for the end of the Western Settlement in Norse Greenland

The fate of Norse farming settlements in southwest Greenland has often been seen as one of the great mysteries of North Atlantic colonization and expansion. Preservation of organic remains in the permafrost of the area of the Western Settlement, inland from the modern capital Nuuk, allowed very detailed study of the phases of occupation. Samples were taken from house floors and middens during the process of archaeological excavations and from insect remains were abstracted and identified in the laboratory. In this study, we present a new paleoecological approach principally examining the fossil fly faunas from house floors. The results of our study provide contrasting detailed pictures of the demise of two neighboring farms, Gården under Sandet and Nipaatsoq, one where abandonment appears as part of a normal process of site selection and desertion, and the other where the end was more traumatic. The level of detail, which was obtained by analysis of the dipterous (true fly) remains, exceeds all previous work and provides insights otherwise unobtainable.     

DNA Heat Treatment for Improving qPCR Analysis of Human Adenovirus in Wastewater

PCR inhibitory substances in complex sample matrices can cause false negatives or under-estimation of target concentration. This study assessed DNA heat treatment for reducing inhibition during qPCR analysis of human adenovirus (HAdV) in wastewater samples. Inhibition was reduced by heat treating DNA, where mean HAdV concentration was increased by 0.71 log₁₀ GC/L (and up to 3.04 log₁₀ GC/L in one case), and replicate variability and false negatives were reduced. DNA heat treatment should be further investigated for improving reliability of HAdV concentration estimates in water, which can support more accurate assessment of health risks associated with viral pathogen exposure.