Using a process-based model to understand dynamics of Chinese agricultural and water technology development from 8000 bc to 1911 ad

Advancements in technology are inextricably bound to our society and the natural environment. However, how the development process of a technology system interacts with both remains unclear. We propose a process model to understand the complex dynamics among technology, society, and the environment via seven interactive elements: technologies, actors, receiving bodies, natural contexts, social contexts, temporal–spatial contexts, and outcomes. The model was applied to agricultural and water technology development in China from 8000 bc to 1911 ad. Our findings show that these elements did not play equally important roles in different periods of the development in ancient China, with social contexts most dominating during the earlier periods and both social and environmental concerns arising towards the later periods. The proposed model, by identifying the elements in the technology development that should be strengthened, can act as an analysis device to assist in reconfiguring a more sustainable socio-technological system.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01424-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

华中地区某污水处理厂低碳运行措施及效果

以华中地区某污水处理厂 (设计规模：25×10⁴ m³·d⁻¹) 为例,分析城镇污水处理厂的节能降碳的有效措施。该厂在2021年底实施了系列节能高效运行和工艺优化创新措施,取得显著降碳效果。措施包括：采用节能高效设备、生化池按需曝气、光伏发电等节约电耗措施,以及强化生物除磷、优化化学除磷、多点配水节约碳源、智能加药等。对比分析该污水处理厂2022年的运行数据与2019—2021年的数据。年平均吨水电耗、吨水消耗碳源、吨水消耗除磷剂分别由0.192 kW·h·m⁻³、5.010 mg·L⁻¹ 、4.199 mg·L⁻¹降至0.161 kW·h·m⁻³、0 mg·L⁻¹、2.980 mg·L⁻¹。污水处理厂年消耗电费、药费等直接运行成本节约39.6%, 间接碳排放强度减少20.3%。相关举措可为类似污水处理厂的从运行管理角度实现减污降碳协同增效提供参考。     

基于藻细胞形态和光合特征的水源地藻类种群时空分布机制及预警防控

为明晰藻细胞最基本属性细胞形态在藻种时空分布与竞争演替中扮演的角色,选择来自蓝藻、绿藻等藻门的45个具有不同细胞形态特征的常见藻种,通过实验室分析藻细胞形态特征参数与光合特征间相关关系,并基于于桥水库藻类种群监测数据探究藻类形态时空分布的驱动因素。研究发现,反映藻细胞光合作用过程中捕光潜力的细胞投影面积 (CPA) 是影响藻种光合特性的关键形态学参数;通过构建CPA与光系统II中调节性能量耗散量子产量 (Y(NPQ))、光响应曲线初始斜率 (α) 、最大电子传递速率 (ETRmax) 等光合参数建的关系模型,发现CPA与Y(NPQ)呈现强正相关关系 (R² = 0.31±0.01,p < 0.001) ,Y(NPQ)是影响藻类种群时空分布的关键参数。于桥水库中藻类种群的综合Y(NPQ)具有显著季节性,由春季到夏季逐渐降低,夏季藻类综合Y(NPQ)最低 (0.057±0.075) ,秋冬季呈现增加趋势,冬季藻类综合Y(NPQ)最高 (0.072±0.062) 。此外,藻类种群综合Y(NPQ)随水深增加呈降低趋势,Y(NPQ)是影响藻类形态空间分布的重要因素。基于于桥水库数据制定了以水体Y(NPQ)为核心的有害藻类预警防控体系,以期为实现针对水源地不同形态有害藻类的预警提供参考。     

An intelligent emissions controller for fuel lean gas reburn in coal-fired power plants

The application of artificial intelligence techniques for performance optimization of the fuel lean gas reburn (FLGR) system is investigated. A multilayer, feedforward artificial neural network is applied to model static nonlinear relationships between the distribution of injected natural gas into the upper region of the furnace of a coal-fired boiler and the corresponding oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions exiting the furnace. Based on this model, optimal distributions of injected gas are determined such that the largest NOx reduction is achieved for each value of total injected gas. This optimization is accomplished through the development of a new optimization method based on neural networks. This new optimal control algorithm, which can be used as an alternative generic tool for solving multidimensional nonlinear constrained optimization problems, is described and its results are successfully validated against an off-the-shelf tool for solving mathematical programming problems. Encouraging results obtained using plant data from one of Commonwealth Edison's coal-fired electric power plants demonstrate the feasibility of the overall approach. Preliminary results show that the use of this intelligent controller will also enable the determination of the most cost-effective operating conditions of the FLGR system by considering, along with the optimal distribution of the injected gas, the cost differential between natural gas and coal and the open-market price of NOx emission credits. Further study, however, is necessary, including the construction of a more comprehensive database, needed to develop high-fidelity process models and to add carbon monoxide (CO) emissions to the model of the gas reburn system.     

MicroRNA: a novel implication for damage and protection against ionizing radiation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ionizing radiation (IR) is a form of high energy. It poses a serious threat to organisms, but radiotherapy is a key therapeutic strategy for various...     

Heterogeneous Fenton degradation of ofloxacin catalyzed by magnetic nanostructured MnFe2O4 with different morphologies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Magnetic nanostructured MnFe2O4 with different morphologies, synthesized via chemical co-precipitation and hydrothermal method, was assayed as...     

Migration and transformation of heavy metals in hyperaccumulators during the thermal treatment: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The pollution of heavy metals (HMs) in the soil has become one of the important factors affecting the national environment and human health....     

Insight into the dynamic microbial community and core bacteria in composting from different sources by advanced bioinformatics methods

Microbial communities are important for high composting efficiency and good quality composts. This study was conducted to compare the changes of physicochemical and bacterial characteristics in composting from different raw materials, including chicken manure (CM), duck manure (DM), sheep manure (SM), food waste (FW), and vegetable waste (VW). The role and interactions of core bacteria and their contribution to maturity in diverse composts were analyzed by advanced bioinformatics methods combined sequencing with co-occurrence network and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated that there were obviously different bacterial composition and diversity in composting from diverse sources. FW had a low pH and different physiochemical characteristics compared to other composts but they all achieved similar maturity products. Redundancy analysis suggested total organic carbon, phosphorus, and temperature governed the composition of microbial species but key factors were different in diverse composts. Network analysis showed completely different interactions of core bacterial community from diverse composts but Thermobifida was the ubiquitous core bacteria in composting bacterial network. Sphaerobacter and Lactobacillus as core genus were presented in the starting mesophilic and thermophilic phases of composting from manure (CM, DM, SM) and municipal solid waste (FW, VW), respectively. SEM indicated core bacteria had the positive, direct, and the biggest (>?80%) effects on composting maturity. Therefore, this study presents theoretical basis to identify and enhance the core bacteria for improving full-scale composting efficiency facing more and more organic wastes.

     

堆肥系统的通风设计

对堆肥系统的两种不同风机选型方法及计算结果进行了比较.根据计算结果,方法二所选风机的风量、风压和功率都大于方法一所选的风机.对于堆肥系统,目前常用的风机选型方法为方法二.污泥堆肥中试的结果初步表明:方法二所选风机的风量偏大,而方法一所选风机的风量比较适宜.     

Numerical modeling of changes in groundwater storage and nitrate load in the unconfined aquifer near a river receiving reclaimed water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Reclaimed water (RW) has been widely used as an alternative water resource to recharge rivers in mega-city Beijing. At the same time, the RW also...