A process systems approach to life cycle inventories for minerals: South African and Australian case studies

In this paper, we present a process synthesis approach to the development of Life Cycle Inventories (LCIs) for production of minerals from primary ore bodies, based on a heuristics-driven flowsheeting methodology. Technologies are specified to a level of detail consistent with information availability and mass balance closure. This approach enables the creation of flowsheets for all minerals processing activities using a “cradle-to-gate” system boundary, from which it is possible to generate LCIs using accepted practices for the mapping of resource flows and emissions onto a profile of environmental burdens. In this work, LCIs are presented only for the foreground system (i.e. the flows from background systems, such as electricity generation, are documented but their environmental burden profile is not included in the LCIs reported). This method allows for the detailing of these inventories on a commodity, sector, or geographic (regional) basis. The approach has been demonstrated for all sub-sectors of the Australian and the South African minerals processing industries. A case study of the gold sub-sector in each region is presented in some detail, in order to highlight the key features of the approach and the usefulness of the LCI profiles generated. The potential for this approach to support comparative technology assessment and sub-sectoral performance is demonstrated for the copper sub-sector. Some indication of the value of the approach to assist in company benchmarking is presented. The performance of all key sectors, namely coal, gold, non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals, uranium, platinum group metals and mineral sands, though not detailed here, is available on our on-line data-base.¹. This information is used to develop an aggregated picture of minerals LCIs for the minerals processing activity in Australian and South Africa.     

Patterns in natural resource policy: The US experience

Institutional arrangements (formal governmental policies) are the key to many resource problems. However, few efforts have been made to explain changes in natural resource policy over time. This paper traces the changing pattern in US resource policy during the 20th century. Trends in natural resource institutions since 1900 are divided into three distinct periods. Each period is characterized in terms of the criteria used to evaluate policy, the management tools used to implement policy, the role of government in resource policy, and distributional issues of the day. The paper ends with speculation about the source of fundamental changes in resource policy and the role of economists in the policy-making process.     

钒胁迫对水稻幼苗生理生化和富集特性的影响

水稻（Oryza.sativa L.）是我国最重要的粮食作物之一,水稻产量占粮食总产量的一半以上,一旦水稻受到重金属污染,将会影响水稻植株的正常生长和生理特性。目前关于钒胁迫对水稻植株生理特性指标的影响方面报道较少。通过水培实验,研究了不同钒（V）质量浓度（0、4、8、12、16、20 mg·L-1）对水稻幼苗（Oryza.sativa L）生理生化和富集特性的影响。结果表明：随着V胁迫浓度的增加,叶绿素含量、可溶性蛋白含量、过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性、过氧化物酶（POD）活性、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）等均呈现先上升、后下降的变化趋势。当ρ（V）≤12 mg·L-1,与对照相比较,叶绿素含量、可溶性蛋白含量和酶活性增大了135.3%、104.2%、77.8%（CAT）、84.5%（POD）和273.2%（SOD）;当ρ（V）〉12 mg·L-1,则分别降低37.2%、39.4%、41.1%、24.1%和24.5%。随着 V 胁迫浓度的增加,丙二醛（MDA）含量和细胞膜透性逐渐增大,与对照相比,分别增加了38.5%~289.3%、21.2%~303.2%,根系活力下降了10.9%~82.2%。可见,低ρ（V）（≤12 mg·L-1）对水稻幼苗的生长有一定的刺激作用,水稻幼苗自身保护酶表现出较强的自我调节能力;高ρ（V）（〉12 mg·L-1）明显抑制叶绿素和蛋白合成、抗氧化酶活性和根系活力,伤害了细胞质膜系统,影响水稻幼苗的生长发育。不同V浓度胁迫下,水稻幼苗累积的V含量为：根〉茎叶。随着V胁迫浓度增加,水稻幼苗各器官V含量增大,其中根部增幅远大于茎叶,当ρ（V）从5 mg·L-1增加到40 mg·L-1,与对照相比较,根部增加了0.98~25.3倍,茎叶部增加了0.26~4.74倍。生物富集系数（BF）先增加后降低,最大值为2.8408;迁移系数（TF）下降,最低值为0.1170,说明水稻对V有较强的富集能力,但迁移能力较低,积累的V主要富集在根部,可减轻V对地上部植物的危害。     

响应曲面法优化絮凝处理木薯淀粉废水

采用中心复合实验设计和响应面分析法研究复合絮凝剂聚合氯化铝锌(PAZC)和聚合氯化铝(PAC)混凝处理木薯淀粉废水,进行设计和分析,以溶液pH值和絮凝剂用量为考察因素,分别以COD、浊度去除率为考察指标,选用最佳优化数学模型描述考察指标和考察因素之间的数学关系,并以设定PAZC和PAC对COD去除率(65%),浊度去除率(90%)和SS去除率(90%)的目标值,通过等高线叠加图预测最优实验条件,得到PAZC投量为6.5 mg/L,pH为7.7时,COD去除率和浊度去除率分别达到最大为76.6%和99.9%;PAC投量为19.2 mg/L,pH为7.8时,COD去除率和浊度去除率最大值分别为64.4%和97.1%。经对最优条件进行验证,预测值与验证实验平均值接近。     

有色金属矿山恢复开采项目环评应关注的几个问题

根据有色金属矿山恢复开采项目环境影响评价工作中的不足,提出应关注的几个重要问题,主要涉及产业政策及规划相符性、矿山历史遗留问题、公众参与等。     

外源物质对李氏禾超富集铬的作用

通过水培实验发现,施加EDTA、CTAB、SA对铬超富集植物李氏禾地上部分和地下部分的铬含量及生理特性产生不同的的影响。EDTA使叶绿素含量上升,SOD/POD、SOD/CAT的活性比降低,抗氧化酶系统的平衡略有恢复,MDA含量降低,同时促进Cr6+从根部向地上部分运输及积累,根系铬含量降低,总体铬含量仍有较大地提高;CTAB使叶绿素降低,酶活性比值升高,抗氧化酶系统失衡加剧,MDA含量增加,并有效促进根部对Cr的吸收和积累,总体铬含量有大幅度提高;水杨酸可使叶绿素含量、酶活性比值有所恢复,减少MDA的积累,对Cr6+的吸收和运输无显著影响。研究结果既可以为提高超富集植物的修复效率提供科学依据,同时也为研究超富集植物富集重金属铬的生理机制提供良好的线索,在理论和技术上均具有重要价值。     

Impacts of land use change on ecosystem service value in Lijiang River Basin,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - It is of great significance for the coordinated development of the environment and the economy to study the impact of the human driving factors of...     

Supply chain carbon emission reductions and coordination when consumers have a strong preference for low-carbon products

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Owing to the rising concerns about environmental degradation worldwide, firms in several developed and developing countries are pursuing carbon...     

Atmospheric carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide on an urban/rural transect—II. Measurements along the transect

Carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide were measured on a transect between urban Nottingham and a rural area 15 km to the south-west. A method was developed for taking almost simultaneous measurements at nine points along the transect. 125 sets of measurements were made between December 1984 and July 1985. During the winter months small trends of increasing CO₂ and SO₂ towards the city were observed both at night and during the day. In the summer, this trend was reversed at night for CO₂ which was increasingly controlled by the diurnal photosynthesis/respiration cycle.     

钢渣吸附-微波降解法处理碱性品红废水

研究了钢渣对碱性品红染料的吸附性能、影响因素以及微波对吸附在钢渣-焦炭上的染料的降解作用。实验表明,在中性条件下,钢渣对碱性品红具有优良的吸附性能,饱和吸附量可达到42．4mg／g。以钢渣处理质量浓度为100mg/L的碱性品红溶液,当固液质量比为1：50、振荡吸附1h后,染料溶液脱色率达97％。实验还表明,焦炭可吸收微波产生高温,用钢渣-焦炭混合物（质量比1：1）吸附染料后,以微波辐照可使物料达到665℃的高温,吸附的染料降解。吸附剂再生后重复使用4次,脱色率都达到95％以上。