A Web‐Based Decision Support System for Assessing Regional Water‐Quality Conditions and Management Actions1

Booth, Nathaniel L., Eric J. Everman, I‐Lin Kuo, Lori Sprague, and Lorraine Murphy, 2011. A Web‐Based Decision Support System for Assessing Regional Water‐Quality Conditions and Management Actions. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(5):1136‐1150. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00573.x Abstract: The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program has completed a number of water‐quality prediction models for nitrogen and phosphorus for the conterminous United States as well as for regional areas of the nation. In addition to estimating water‐quality conditions at unmonitored streams, the calibrated SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models can be used to produce estimates of yield, flow‐weighted concentration, or load of constituents in water under various land‐use condition, change, or resource management scenarios. A web‐based decision support infrastructure has been developed to provide access to SPARROW simulation results on stream water‐quality conditions and to offer sophisticated scenario testing capabilities for research and water‐quality planning via a graphical user interface with familiar controls. The SPARROW decision support system (DSS) is delivered through a web browser over an Internet connection, making it widely accessible to the public in a format that allows users to easily display water‐quality conditions and to describe, test, and share modeled scenarios of future conditions. SPARROW models currently supported by the DSS are based on the modified digital versions of the 1:500,000‐scale River Reach File (RF1) and 1:100,000‐scale National Hydrography Dataset (medium‐resolution, NHDPlus) stream networks.     

Biogas production from anaerobic digestion of food waste and relevant air quality implications

Biopower can diversify energy supply and improve energy resiliency. Increases in biopower production from sustainable biomass can provide many economic and environmental benefits. For example, increasing biogas production through anaerobic digestion of food waste would increase the use of renewable fuels throughout California and add to its renewables portfolio. Although a biopower project will produce renewable energy, the process of producing bioenergy should harmonize with the goal of protecting public health. Meeting air emission requirements is paramount to the successful implementation of any biopower project. A case study was conducted by collecting field data from a wastewater treatment plant that employs anaerobic codigestion of fats, oils, and grease (FOG), food waste, and wastewater sludge, and also uses an internal combustion (IC) engine to generate biopower using the biogas. This research project generated scientific information on (a) quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic codigestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, (b) levels of contaminants in raw biogas that may affect beneficial uses of the biogas, (c) removal of the contaminants by the biogas conditioning systems, (d) emissions of NO_x, SO₂, CO, CO₂, and methane, and (e) types and levels of air toxics present in the exhausts of the IC engine fueled by the biogas. The information is valuable to those who consider similar operations (i.e., co-digestion of food waste with municipal wastewater sludge and power generation using the produced biogas) and to support rulemaking decisions with regards to air quality issues for such applications.

Implications: Full-scale operation of anaerobic codigestion of food waste with municipal sludge is viable, but it is still new. There is a lack of readily available scientific information on the quality of raw biogas, as well as on potential emissions from power generation using this biogas. This research developed scientific information with regard to quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, as well as impacts on air quality from biopower generation using this biogas. The need and performance of conditioning/pretreatment systems for biopower generation were also assessed.     

中国环境保护投资进展与展望

环保投资是环保工程项目实施的重要保障，为打好污染防治攻坚战、推进美丽中国和生态文明建设提供了有力支撑。本文回顾了近40多年来中国环保投资政策演进历程，将其划分为企业主体阶段（1979—2003年）、政企并重阶段（2004—2012年）、多元投资阶段（2013年至今）。从规模加大、构成丰富、渠道拓展及强化效益四个方面，总结了环保投资主要进展与成效。基于高质量发展不足、回报机制不健全、投资绩效待提高三个角度，识别当前环保投资存在的关键瓶颈。从强化气候投融资、鼓励投资机制创新、加大财政支出力度、促进多元投资、提高投资效益等五个方面，对未来环保投资政策优化方向进行了展望。     

Study on safe air transporting velocity of nanograde aluminum,iron, and titanium

The process of delivering nanograde metal powders by a high-speed carrier gas is often subject to high explosion risks. This study adopted initial flow rates of 13.1, 8.5, 6.5, and 3.5 m/s for air transporting 30-nm titanium powder, 35-nm iron powder, and 35-nm aluminum powder to gauge the impact on a pipe bend in a 20-l-apparatus. The test results revealed that the 30-nm titanium powder caused an explosion at all initial flow rates; the 35-nm iron powder also caused an explosion, but dust explosion and sintering were eliminated when the flow rate was adjusted to less than 3.5 m/s; and the 35-nm aluminum powder exhibited no explosion or sintering at all flow rates. When pure nitrogen was used for transporting nanograde metal powders, no explosions occurred for all the three types of metal powders. The minimum ignition energy for these three types of nanograde metal powders was less than 1 mJ.     

2014年10月上旬北京市大气重污染分析

使用垂直观测、地面观测和PM2.5化学组分观测等手段,对2014年10月上旬北京市一次重污染过程进行分析.结果表明,本次大气重污染发生时北京市近地面后散射激光强度变强,气溶胶消光系数升高,说明污染物在近地面层积累.重污染期间气象要素特征为:风场弱,湿度大,地面受弱气压场控制.从PM2.5浓度变化趋势来看,这次重污染过程大体分为四个阶段:“两个台阶”型的浓度爬升阶段(P1和P2)、高浓度维持阶段(P3)和迅速清除阶段(P4).结合地面观测、遥感反演和PM2.5组分分析可发现,区域传输是导致本次重污染的诱因,其中秸秆焚烧是影响因素之一,随后区域传输和本地污染物排放共同维持并加重了重污染过程.大气氧化剂OX与PM2.5浓度、二次离子浓度均表现出显著正相关性,表明较强的大气氧化性能促进PM2.5浓度增长.     

故障树法和改进PSO-PNN网络的电梯故障诊断模型

针对电梯故障问题,提出一种将故障树分析法、改进的粒子群优化算法和概率神经网络相结合的方法用于电梯的故障诊断。以电梯的安全回路系统为例,用故障树法对回路进行分析,获得训练样本与故障类型;使用粒子群算法对概率神经网络的平滑因子进行优化,在优化过程中,针对粒子群算法存在易陷入局部最优的缺陷,提出对惯性权重的改进策略;采用相对误差对诊断效果做出评估,并与传统的概率神经网络和基本粒子群算法优化的概率神经网络在各种故障类型输出和最大相对误差等方面进行比较,结果表明:该模型能够有效诊断电梯故障。     

Ammonia removal from low-strength municipal wastewater by powdered resin combined with simultaneous recovery as struvite

• Powdered resin was employed for ammonia recovery from municipal wastewater. • Powdered resin achievedefficient ammonia removal under various working conditions. • Co-existing cations indicated competitive adsorption of ammonia. • Ammonia was recoveredby two-stage crystallization coupled with ion exchange. Low-strength municipal wastewater is considered to be a recoverable nutrient resource with economic and environmental benefits. Thus, various technologies for nutrient removal and recovery have been developed. In this paper, powdered ion exchange resin was employed for ammonia removal and recovery from imitated low-strength municipal wastewater. The effects of various working conditions (powdered resin dosage, initial concentration, and pH value) were studied in batch experiments to investigate the feasibility of the approach and to achieve performance optimization. The maximum adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model was 44.39 mg/g, which is comparable to traditional ion exchange resin. Further, the effects of co-existing cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺) were studied. Based on the above experiments, recovery of ammonia as struvite was successfully achieved by a proposed two-stage crystallization process coupled with a powdered resin ion exchange process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results revealed that struvite crystals were successfully gained in alkaline conditions (pH= 10). This research demonstrates that a powdered resin and two-stage crystallization process provide an innovative and promising means for highly efficient and easy recovery from low-strength municipal wastewater.     

Effect of SiO2 on immobilization of metals and encapsulation of a glass network in slag

The final disposal of ash from an incinerator is of special concern because of the possibility of its releasing toxic substances. Melting/vitrification has been regarded as a prospective technology of ash treatment. The object of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of silica (SiO2) addition on the immobilization of hazardous metals and the encapsulation of a glass network during the vitrification process. Four specimens with SiO2/fly ash mixing ratios of 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively, were tested. The mobility of metals in slag was then estimated by a sequential extraction procedure. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that SiO2 leads to the polymerization of silicates. The encapsulation of aluminum, calcium, and magnesium would not be observed unless adequate amount of SiO2 was added. It was also found that SiO2 addition enhances the formation of a compact and interconnected glass network structure and, thus, contributes to the chemical stability of metals in slag. After vitrification, the mobility of cadmium, copper, iron, chromium, nickel, lead, and zinc was significantly reduced. However, there is no significant correlation between the immobilization of these metals and the addition of SiO2.     

OPTIMUM USE OF PADDY FIELDS FOR FLOOD MITIGATION1

In Taiwan, the continuously increasing levels of rice imports are likely to result in surplus paddy fields. Hence, the surplus paddy fields may be developed into wetlands to increase ground water recharge, provide appropriate environments for wildlife, and most importantly, store flood water. This study developed a hydrological model incorporating the distributed rainfall‐runoff model based on the kinematics wave approach and the distributed tank model for simulation, respectively, in mountainous and flat areas. The hydrological model was found to simulate the rainfall‐runoff behavior well in the study area. Furthermore, a decision method based on the genetic algorithm concepts was proposed to give policy makers the optimal location and area size of paddy fields to construct wetlands for flood mitigation.