Review of PSR framework and development of a DPSIR model to assess greenhouse effect in Taiwan

In dealing with the complex issues of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and climate change mitigation, many interrelated factors such as cost, level of technology development, supply and demand of energy, structure of industry, and expenditures on research and development exist. Using indicators to monitor environmental impacts and evaluate the efficacies of policies and regulations has been practiced for a long time, and it can serve as a useful tool for decision making and for comparison between different countries. Although numerous indicators have been developed for relevant subjects, integrated approaches that consider individual changes, dynamic interaction, and multi-dimensions of indicators are scarce. This paper aimed to develop a Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to assess the problems. This DPSIR model is mainly related to energy consumption, environmental impacts, and policy responses. The objectives of the paper were: (1) conduct a literature review on the indicators that have been used in GHG-related studies; (2) develop a DPSIR model that incorporates GHG-related indicators and evaluate their relationships using a cause?Ceffect chain of GHG emission; and (3) develop a calculative method that can be used to explain the dynamic correlation among the interdependent indicators. Taiwan is a significant source of global GHG emissions. A case study, using the developed framework and Taiwan??s actual data of the past two decades, was conducted. The results indicate that regulatory strategies for pollution control are inadequate in terms of ensuring environmental quality, and the nature does not have the capability to revert the impacts from the existing level of pollution.     

Using Landsat 8 imagery for remote monitoring of total phosphorus as a water quality parameter of irrigation ponds in Taiwan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Monitoring water body quality parameters with high spatial and temporal resolutions is crucial because mitigation of pollution is usually costlier...     

Environmental and economic aspects of water kiosks: Case study of a medium-sized Italian town

The consumption of bottled water in Italy began in the 1970s. Since then, this usage has grown considerably, also as a result of changes in habits. The environmental impact as a result of the water production chain is very significant; it would be considered, for example, the use of plastic bottles, the consumption of oil in the production of the bottles, the emission of air from the vehicles that transport the bottles, non-recycled plastic packaging, etc.In this study, considering the comparison between two situations, use of bottled water and use of water kiosk (WK), an environmental and economic impact evaluation has been done. The study considered the production of a WK in a town with 9000 inhabitants, which supplies controlled, still and sparkling water, with an organoleptic quality higher than tap water coming from the aqueduct. In particular, taking into consideration the environmental aspects, specific attention was paid both to CO₂ emissions and PET bottle waste reduction. The economic impact evaluation was carried out from the consumer’s point of view. In order to provide a supply service that was economically sustainable, a calculation was done with the aim of determining a specific fee for the supplied water. Moreover, a comparison has been made between quality parameters achieved with the analysis of water from aqueducts with the limits established in the Italian legislation and the parameters of several Italian water brands.The study has the aim at considering the opportunity to follow a different people’s habits, closer to the concept of sustainability, reducing the environmental charge related to the realization, transport and consumption of plastic water bottles without significant reduction of the quality of the service and with convenient and interesting economic implications. In fact the results of the study show that the alternative of WKs is more efficient in economic and environmental terms respect to the use of bottled water.     

Artificial aggregate made from waste stone sludge and waste silt

In this research, waste stone sludge obtained from slab stone processing and waste silt from aggregate washing plants were recycled to manufacture artificial aggregate. Fine-powdered stone sludge was mixed with waste silt of larger particle size; vibratory compaction was applied for good water permeability, resulting in a smaller amount of solidifying agent being used. For the densified packing used in this study, the mix proportion of waste stone sludge to waste silt was 35:50, which produced artificial aggregate of more compact structure with water absorption rate below 0.1%. In addition, applying vibratory compaction of 33.3 Hz to the artificial aggregate and curing for 28 days doubled the compressive strength to above 29.4 MPa. Hence, recycling of waste stone sludge and waste silt for the production of artificial aggregate not only offers a feasible substitute for sand and stone, but also an ecological alternative to waste management of sludge and silt.     

Fines migration from soil daily covers in Hong Kong landfills

Laboratory tests using 240 mm diameter columns were conducted to study fines migration in conditions that simulate daily soil covers in Hong Kong municipal solid waste landfills. Five factors suspected to affect fines migration were examined: moisture content at soil compaction, overburden pressure, pumping rate, cover thickness, and soil-waste interface condition. The results show that moisture content at compaction, cover thickness, and soil-waste interface are the most influential parameters on fines migration in completely decomposed granite daily covers. The measured equivalent sizes of migratory fines from the soil covers were in the range of 4–140 μm. The majority of migratory fines migrated during first permeations, representing 64–86% of the total by mass. Larger particles tended to migrate from the soil mass during the saturation process. In a typical run, about 0.0018% of the total cover soil (by dry weight) was washed out during a typical 1 h rainfall event. The results of the laboratory studies point to important engineering implications on the operation of local MSW landfills regarding the use of sandy daily covers.     

Trace element biomonitoring using mosses in urban areas affected by mud volcanoes around Mt. Etna. The case of the Salinelle, Italy

Trace element impact was assessed using mosses in a densely inhabited area affected by mud volcanoes. Such volcanoes, locally called Salinelle, are phenomena that occur around Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) and are interpreted as the surface outflow of a hydrothermal system located below Mt. Etna, releasing sedimentary fluids (hydrocarbons and NaCl brines) along with magmatic gases (mainly CO(2) and He). To date, scarce data are available about the presence of trace elements, and no biomonitoring campaigns are reported about the cumulative effects of such emissions. In this study, concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn were detected in the moss Bryum argenteum, in soil and water. Results showed that the trace element contribution of the Salinelle to the general pollution was significant for Al, Mn, Ni, and Zn. The comparison of trace concentrations in mosses from Salinelle and Etna showed that the mud volcanoes release a greater amount of Al and Mn, whereas similar values of Ni were found. Natural emissions of trace elements could be hazardous in human settlements, in particular, the Salinelle seem to play an important role in environmental pollution.     

城市灾时大范围人员应急疏散探讨

人类面临着许多自然的和人为的灾害,比如最近发生的印度洋大海啸和2001年的美国"9·11"恐怖袭击事件等.当这类重大灾害性事件发生时,在短时间内安全地大范围疏散转移高密集人群,实施科学的应急救灾策略,是减轻灾害后果严重性的重要措施之一.探讨了如何建立一个综合性的疏散规划模型,为人员应急疏散管理提供决策支持.     

Statistical method for the determination of the ignition energy of dust cloud-experimental validation

Powdery materials such as metallic or polymer powders play a considerable role in many industrial processes. Their use requires the introduction of preventive safeguard to control the plants safety. The mitigation of an explosion hazard, according to the ATEX 137 Directive (1999/92/EU), requires, among other things, the assessment of the dust ignition sensitivity. PRISME laboratory (University of Orléans) has developed an experimental set-up and methodology, using the Langlie test, for the quick determination of the explosion sensitivity of dusts. This method requires only 20 shots and ignition sensitivity is evaluated through the E₅₀ (energy with an ignition probability of 0.5). A Hartmann tube, with a volume of 1.3 l, was designed and built. Many results on the energy ignition thresholds of partially oxidised aluminium were obtained using this experimental device (Baudry, 2007) and compared to literature. E₅₀ evolution is the same as MIE but their respective values are different and MIE is lower than E₅₀ however the link between E₅₀ and MIE has not been elucidated.In this paper, the Langlie method is explained in detail for the determination of the parameters (mean value E₅₀ and standard deviation σ) of the associated statistic law. The ignition probability versus applied energy is firstly measured for Lycopodium in order to validate the method. A comparison between the normal and the lognormal law was achieved and the best fit was obtained with the lognormal law.In a second part, the Langlie test was performed on different dusts such as aluminium, cornstarch, lycopodium, coal, and PA12 in order to determine E₅₀ and σ for each dust. The energies E₀₅ and E₁₀ corresponding respectively to an ignition probability of 0.05 and 0.1 are determined with the lognormal law and compared to MIE find in literature. E₀₅ and E₁₀ values of ignition energy were found to be very close and were in good agreement with MIE in the literature.     

高层建筑火灾风险评估中一种具有置信度和方差的权系数

对评估中的权系数引入置信度和方差两个概念 ,为权系数提供更多的信息 ,便于决策者采用 ;针对作者在香港所作的高层建筑火灾风险因子评估系数 ,得到 16个风险因子的带置信度和方差的权系数 ,为火灾风险评估提供重要依据