Industrial wastewater pre-treatment for heavy metal reduction by employing a sorbent-assisted ultrafiltration system

This work examined the adoption of a sorbent-assisted ultrafiltration (UF) system for the reduction of Pb(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) from industrial wastewater. In such a system metals were removed via several processes which included precipitation through the formation of hydroxides, formation of precipitates/complexes among the metal ions and the wastewater compounds, adsorption of metals onto minerals (bentonite, zeolite, vermiculite) and retention of insoluble metal species by the UF membranes. At pH = 6 the metal removal sequence obtained by the UF system was Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Ni(II) in mg g⁻¹ with significant amount of lead and copper being removed due to chemical precipitation and formation of precipitates/complexes with wastewater compounds. At this pH, zinc and nickel adsorption onto minerals was significant, particularly when bentonite and vermiculite were employed as adsorbents. Metal adsorption onto zeolite and bentonite followed the sequence Zn(II) > Ni(II) > Cu(II) > Pb(II), while for vermiculite the sequence was Ni(II) > Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Pb(II) in mg g⁻¹. The low amount of Pb(II) and Cu(II) adsorbed by minerals was attributed to the low available lead and copper concentration. At pH = 9 the adoption of UF could effectively reduce heavy metals to very low levels. The same was observed at pH = 8, provided that minerals were added. The prevailing metal removal process was the formation of precipitates/complexes with wastewater compounds.     

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles in treatment of acid mine water from in situ uranium leaching

Acid mine water from in situ chemical leaching of uranium (Straz pod Ralskem, Czech Republic) was treated in laboratory scale experiments by zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI). For the first time, nZVI were applied for the treatment of the real acid water system containing the miscellaneous mixture of pollutants, where the various removal mechanisms occur simultaneously. Toxicity of the treated saline acid water is caused by major contaminants represented by aluminum and sulphates in a high concentration, as well as by microcontaminants like As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, U, V, and Zn. Laboratory batch experiments proved a significant decrease in concentrations of all the monitored pollutants due to an increase in pH and a decrease in oxidation-reduction potential related to an application of nZVI. The assumed mechanisms of contaminants removal include precipitation of cations in a lower oxidation state, precipitation caused by a simple pH increase and co-precipitation with the formed iron oxyhydroxides. The possibility to control the reaction kinetics through the nature of the surface stabilizing shell (polymer vs. FeO nanolayer) is discussed as an important practical aspect.     

中国水权配置效率分析

基于整个社会的视角,对水权交易效率进行公理化分析,为水权交易的深入研究奠定基础.首先,提出分析的假设条件,定义水权配置效率,该效率满足完备性、传递性公理.其次,定义水权边际价值、总价值,提出水权边际价值递减规律.再次,给出水权配置的帕累托最优定义,提出帕累托最优时水权配置状态的定理,并论证水权的帕累托配置是稳定的水权配置状态.根据极限理论,给出水权配置序列收敛于帕累托最优配置的定义,论证了在现实水权信息不对称的情况下,只有通过水权交易重新配置水权才能逼近水权配置的最优状态--帕累托配置,而依靠行政配置无法实现.最后,采用本文理论分析我国水权交易现状,指出由于我国目前水权交易成本过高,水权配置向帕累托逼近的速度慢,水权配置无法达到帕累托最优.随着我国水权交易制度的日趋完善,水权配置将达到帕累托最优,从而实现水资源的充分利用.     

中国省际能源效率差异及其影响因素分析

我国省际能源效率存在较大的差异.要进一步促进能源综合利用,需要在区域层面对能源效率差异形成的因素作更加全面深入的研究,以寻求更加合理有效的促进宏观能源效率改进的理论与方法.本文基于2007年的截面数据,运用能很好地消除各因素间多重共线性的偏最小二乘回归建模,选取了14个变量来代表经济发展水平、产业结构、工业结构、能源消费结构、对外开放程度、投资水平、政府影响力、制度因素、能源价格和地理因素这10个因素,分析了各因素对能源效率地区差异的影响方向和影响程度.研究结果表明,各地区固定资产投资中外商投资比重、工业增加值中高耗能产业比重以及煤炭消费比重的差异是造成能源效率地区差异显著的主要原因.这说明投资水平、工业结构和能源消费结构是造成能源效率地区差异显著的主要因素.要在短期内缩小地区间的能源效率差距,必须严格限制某些地区高耗能行业的过快发展,加强高耗能行业的结构调整,加快淘汰落后产能,大力提升煤炭的使用效率.     

中国区域能源效率发展演变趋势的R/S分形分析

改革开放以来中国能源效率不断地提高,但是在某些年份存在波动现象.采用非线性分形理论及分形分析R/S方法,科学定量地描述了中国以及各个地区能源效率的演变趋势.首先采用分形理论对1978-2008年的中国能源效率时间序列数据进行研究,结果显示,中国能源效率发展演变存在Hurst现象,具有明显的分形特征.并依照“五年计划”来划分时间序列样本为研究区间,结合“五年计划”详尽地解释说明了中国能源效率变动的原因.然后将数据扩大为样本期为1995-2008年29地区的面板数据,采用面板变系数模型进一步对各个地区的能源效率进行分析,发现除海南外其他地区的能源效率演变过程中具有明显的持续性规律,各个地区能源效率将继续保持增长.西部6个地区以及东北三省的能源效率演变趋势高于全国水平,说明“西部大开发”战略和“振兴东北”战略都已经显效.     

生产部门提高能源效率的宏观能耗回弹分析

提高能源效率已成为我国节能减排政策的重点,但是由于经济系统内在的调整机制作用,在宏观层面所能实现的节能效果可能不及微观技术层面能源效率提高的程度,甚至还会诱发更多的能源消耗,该现象被称为“宏观能耗回弹”效应.本文通过构建一个中国环境资源CGE模型,测算生产部门提高能源效率的宏观能耗回弹效应.结果显示,能源效率提高5％后,短期回弹效应为52.38％,节能效果仅达到技术层面预期的一半左右;长期回弹效应达178.61％,在高耗能部门竞争力提高、耗能产品出口扩张和经济增长的推动下,节能效果不但被完全抵消,总能耗还进一步增加.因此,生产部门提高能源效率在短期内确实能够降低我国能源消耗,但是由于回弹效应的存在,长期来看,在技术层面“产量相同投入更少”的努力反映到宏观经济层面则转变成“生产更多投入更多”,并且加剧了我国经济高耗能的偏好,提高能源效率所引发的产出增长和结构调整对能耗增加的刺激作用可能最终会抵消或者超过提高能源效率的节能效果.     

规模效率和技术进步对CO2排放影响的实证

本文利用DEA的方法从全要素生产率中分解出规模效率、技术进步和纯技术效率三个指标,然后基于1998-2008年的省际面板数据分析了不同地区的工业规模效率及技术进步对CO2排放影响的程度及差异化的原因.研究结果显示:从总体来看,技术进步对单位GDP的CO2排放有抑制作用,而规模效率则与CO2排放呈正向关系,但各个地区的情况不同,东中部地区的技术进步对单位GDP的CO2排放起到了抑制作用,东北地区和西部地区的技术进步则对单位GDP的CO2排放起到了促进作用;东中部地区的规模效率对单位GDP CO2排放的影响程度要远小于东部地区和西部地区;产生这些差异的原因可能是与我国区域间技术进步与规模效率所属的种类不同有关,东部地区的技术进步可能属于节能型技术进步,而西部地区则属于耗能型的技术进步;东北地区和西部地区规模效率的提升可能更多地依靠能源消耗,中东部地区则有所改善.     

XAFS study of starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles and surface speciation of arsenate

It has been shown that starch can effectively stabilize nanoscale magnetite particles, and starch-stabilized magnetite nanoparticles (SMNP) are promising for in situ remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils. However, a molecular level understanding has been lacking. Here, we carried out XAFS studies to bridge this knowledge gap. Fe K-edge XAFS spectra indicated that the Fe-O and Fe-Fe coordination numbers of SMNP were lower than those for bare magnetite particles, and these coordination numbers decreased with increasing starch concentration. The decrease in the average coordination number at elevated stabilizer concentration was attributed to the increase in the surface-to-volume ratio. Arsenic K-edge XAFS spectra indicated that adsorbed arsenate on SMNP consisted primarily of binuclear bidentate (BB) complexes and monodentate mononuclear (MM) complexes. More BB complexes (energetically more favorable) were observed at higher starch concentrations, indicating that SMNP not only offered greater adsorption surface area, but also stronger adsorption affinity toward arsenate.     

Distribution of Se and its species in Myriophyllum spicatum and Ceratophyllum demersum growing in water containing Se (VI)

The uptake of Se (VI) by two aquatic plants, Myriophyllum spicatum L. and Ceratophyllum demersum L., and its effects on their physiological characteristics have been studied. Plants were cultivated outdoors under semi-controlled conditions and in two concentrations of Na selenate solution (20 μg Se L⁻¹ and 10 mg Se L⁻¹). The higher dose of Se reduced the photochemical efficiency of PSII in both species, while the lower dose had no effect on PSII. Addition of Se had no effect on the amounts of chlorophyll a and b. The concentration of Se in plants grown in 10 mg Se L⁻¹, averaged 212 ± 12 μg Se g⁻¹ DM in M. spicatum (grown from 8-13 d), and 492 ± 85 μg Se g⁻¹ DM in C. demersum (grown for 31 d). Both species could take up a large amount of Se. The amount of soluble Se compounds in enzyme extracts ranged from 16% to 26% in control, and in high Se solution from 48% to 36% in M. spicatum and C. demersum, respectively. Se-species were determined using HPLC-ICP-MS. The main soluble species in both plants was selenate (∼37%), while SeMet and SeMeSeCys were detected at trace levels.     

Farm, land, and soil nitrogen budgets for agriculture in Europe calculated with CAPRI

We calculated farm, land, and soil N-budgets for countries in Europe and the EU27 as a whole using the agro-economic model CAPRI. For EU27, N-surplus is 55 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in a soil budget and 65 kg N₂O–N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and 67 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in land and farm budgets, respectively. NUE is 31% for the farm budget, 60% for the land budget and 63% for the soil budget. NS values are mainly related to the excretion (farm budget) and application (soil and land budget) of manure per hectare of total agricultural land. On the other hand, NUE is best explained by the specialization of the agricultural system toward animal production (farm NUE) or the share of imported feedstuff (soil NUE). Total N input, intensive farming, and the specialization to animal production are found to be the main drivers for a high NS and low NUE.