Environmental cost of using poor decision metrics to prioritize environmental projects

Conservation decision makers commonly use project‐scoring metrics that are inconsistent with theory on optimal ranking of projects. As a result, there may often be a loss of environmental benefits. We estimated the magnitudes of these losses for various metrics that deviate from theory in ways that are common in practice. These metrics included cases where relevant variables were omitted from the benefits metric, project costs were omitted, and benefits were calculated using a faulty functional form. We estimated distributions of parameters from 129 environmental projects from Australia, New Zealand, and Italy for which detailed analyses had been completed previously. The cost of using poor prioritization metrics (in terms of lost environmental values) was often high—up to 80% in the scenarios we examined. The cost in percentage terms was greater when the budget was smaller. The most costly errors were omitting information about environmental values (up to 31% loss of environmental values), omitting project costs (up to 35% loss), omitting the effectiveness of management actions (up to 9% loss), and using a weighted‐additive decision metric for variables that should be multiplied (up to 23% loss). The latter 3 are errors that occur commonly in real‐world decision metrics, in combination often reducing potential benefits from conservation investments by 30–50%. Uncertainty about parameter values also reduced the benefits from investments in conservation projects but often not by as much as faulty prioritization metrics.     

Computing sustainable manufacturing index with fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

The growing industrial interest in adopting sustainability programmes has ushered in studies regarding sustainability indicators which have continually flourished in current literature. However, limited attention is given to the development of priority ranking, which is an important input for any adopting firm. This paper presents a hybrid multi-criteria approach in determining priority areas in sustainable manufacturing (SM). Using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process to address uncertainty in hierarchical decision-making, this paper determines SM priority strategies and eventually identifies even lower level strategies. The computed sustainable manufacturing index is presented at both the organizational and operational levels for a real case study of an industrial plastic manufacturing firm. This work provides a detailed and transparent hierarchical decision-making approach based on SM framework, the use of which could be valuable to practicing managers across industries in their pursuit of greater sustainability.     

Credibility and advocacy in conservation science

Conservation policy sits at the nexus of natural science and politics. On the one hand, conservation scientists strive to maintain scientific credibility by emphasizing that their research findings are the result of disinterested observations of reality. On the other hand, conservation scientists are committed to conservation even if they do not advocate a particular policy. The professional conservation literature offers guidance on negotiating the relationship between scientific objectivity and political advocacy without damaging conservation science's credibility. The value of this guidance, however, may be restricted by limited recognition of credibility's multidimensionality and emergent nature: it emerges through perceptions of expertise, goodwill, and trustworthiness. We used content analysis of the literature to determine how credibility is framed in conservation science as it relates to apparent contradictions between science and advocacy. Credibility typically was framed as a static entity lacking dimensionality. Authors identified expertise or trustworthiness as important, but rarely mentioned goodwill. They usually did not identify expertise, goodwill, or trustworthiness as dimensions of credibility or recognize interactions among these 3 dimensions of credibility. This oversimplification may limit the ability of conservation scientists to contribute to biodiversity conservation. Accounting for the emergent quality and multidimensionality of credibility should enable conservation scientists to advance biodiversity conservation more effectively.     

Applying network theory to prioritize multispecies habitat networks that are robust to climate and land‐use change

Designing connected landscapes is among the most widespread strategies for achieving biodiversity conservation targets. The challenge lies in simultaneously satisfying the connectivity needs of multiple species at multiple spatial scales under uncertain climate and land‐use change. To evaluate the contribution of remnant habitat fragments to the connectivity of regional habitat networks, we developed a method to integrate uncertainty in climate and land‐use change projections with the latest developments in network‐connectivity research and spatial, multipurpose conservation prioritization. We used land‐use change simulations to explore robustness of species’ habitat networks to alternative development scenarios. We applied our method to 14 vertebrate focal species of periurban Montreal, Canada. Accounting for connectivity in spatial prioritization strongly modified conservation priorities and the modified priorities were robust to uncertain climate change. Setting conservation priorities based on habitat quality and connectivity maintained a large proportion of the region's connectivity, despite anticipated habitat loss due to climate and land‐use change. The application of connectivity criteria alongside habitat‐quality criteria for protected‐area design was efficient with respect to the amount of area that needs protection and did not necessarily amplify trade‐offs among conservation criteria. Our approach and results are being applied in and around Montreal and are well suited to the design of ecological networks and green infrastructure for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in other regions, in particular regions around large cities, where connectivity is critically low.     

正常污泥和膨胀污泥中EPS膜污染特性及其与膜表面作用能分析

胞外聚合物(Extracellular polymeric substance,EPS)是导致膜污染的重要物质,且不同形态污泥的EPS具有不同的性质,研究正常污泥和膨胀污泥的EPS膜污染特性具有重要意义.因此,实验考察了正常污泥和膨胀污泥的膜污染速率.结果表明,膨胀污泥膜污染速率远高于正常污泥,膨胀污泥EPS(Bulking sludge-EPS,BS-EPS)浓度((172.9±10.4) mg·g-1)明显高于正常污泥EPS(Normal sludge-EPS,NS-EPS)浓度((95.9±6 6) mg·g-1),且膨胀污泥的蛋白质/多糖(Protein/Carbohydrate,P/C)值(2.26)高于正常污泥的P/C值(1 97)此外,通过序批式吸附实验研究了正常污泥和膨胀污泥的EPS膜污染差异,并基于Derjaguine-Landaue-Verweye-Overbeek (XDLVO)理论计算了EPS与PVDF膜表面之间的作用能结果表明,EPS-膜系统的总界面能为负值,即EPS-膜系统之间会发生自吸附行为,而膜与BS-EPS的总界面能(-63.943mJ.m2)较膜与NS-EPS(-56.366 mJ·m2)具有较高的能量,因此,BS-EPS与膜的吸附力较强;NS-EPS和BS-EPS主要能量壁垒分别为8.89 kT和7.51 kT,表明NS-EPS与膜之间的排斥力更强,因而BS-EPS更容易造成膜污染     

活性污泥TB-EPS的絮凝特性研究:絮体的成长、破碎与再凝聚

为了解活性污泥中紧密结合胞外聚合物(tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances,TB-EPS)的絮凝特性,采用激光粒度仪在线监测技术考察了TB-EPS与高岭土生成絮体的过程以及絮体的破碎与再凝聚规律.结果表明,TB-EPS的主要组分为蛋白质和多糖聚合物,增加TB-EPS的投加量,絮体的粒径相应增大,悬浊液的剩余浊度降低.随着絮体破碎-再凝聚次数的增加,絮体的破碎因子升高而恢复因子降低,表明TB-EPS形成的絮体的强度逐渐降低,同时再凝聚的能力也逐渐降低.TB-EPS吸附高岭土的主要作用力为氢键作用,但在絮体形成过程中多糖聚合物之间的纠缠作用和蛋白质成分之间的疏水作用也可能发挥一定的作用.絮体的破碎是侵蚀和破裂同时作用的结果.     

复合生物絮凝剂CBF-1的絮凝作用机理研究

采取PAC+絮凝剂的复配方式开展高岭土悬浊液烧杯实验,考察了复合生物絮凝剂CBF-1、CBF-1溶解物及微生物絮凝剂MBF8的絮凝特性,并借助iPDA仪分析和扫描电镜、光学显微镜观察等手段,比较分析了絮凝过程及絮体特性的差异.结果表明,各复配絮凝的浊度去除效果排序为CBF-1＞ CBF-1溶解物＞MBF8,CBF-1投加量1 mg·L-1时,浊度去除率可达到97.5％;絮体强度排序为CBF-1＞ CBF-1溶解物＞MBF8,絮体恢复因子排序为MBF8＞CBF-1溶解物＞CBF-1,絮体大小排序为CBF-1＞ CBF-1溶解物＞MBF8.单独投加PAC或投加PAC+MBF8的情况下,形成的絮体形态相对规整、密实;投加PAC+ CBF-1溶解物或投加PAC+ CBF-1形成的絮体则相对无序、疏松,CBF-1作用下絮体大、沉降快.CBF-1中高电荷MBF8组分及大分子羧甲基纤维素、羧甲基多聚糖等组分具有强的电荷中和与桥联协同增效作用;CBF-1还含有纤维素、木质素等大分子量且带多种官能团的不溶性组分,在桥联和吸附过程中也起着重要作用.     

改性壳聚糖CAD与微生物絮凝剂MBF8复配絮凝研究

采用水溶液自由基聚合反应,将丙烯酰胺(AM)、二甲基二烯丙基氯化铵(DMDAAC)接枝到壳聚糖分子上制成了阳离子改性壳聚糖(CAD).经FT-IR、XRD、zeta(ξ)电位、凝胶色谱等分析确定,CAD为淡黄色透明液体,pH值为3.7,相对分子质量为2.88×10⁶,阳离子度为16.7,等电点(0.1%溶液)约为pH值10.5,有效成分2.6%,主要特征官能团有羟基、氨基、季铵基和酰胺基, 呈不规则晶体结构.将CAD与相对分子质量3.67×10⁵的多糖类电负性微生物絮凝剂MBF8复配,对浊度12~460 NTU、离子强度3.0 mmol·L^-1的高岭土悬浊液进行烧杯实验.结果表明,MBF8与CAD的最佳使用方式为先投加MBF8后投加CAD,复配比5:3时效果最好,适用的pH范围为6.0~10.0.采用PAC(3.0 mg·L^-1)+MBF8+CAD(1.0 mg·L^-1)复配絮凝,pH=8.0下,对浊度为110 NTU的高岭土悬浊液,浊度去除率>97%,残余铝<0.08 mg·L^-1,絮体大、沉降快,絮凝效果优于PAC+分子量800万、1200万的阴离子PAM及分子量1500万的阳离子PAM.     

Iron and lead ion adsorption by microbial flocculants in synthetic wastewater and their related carbonate formation

Although microbial treatments of heavy metal ions in wastewater have been studied, the removal of these metals through incorporation into carbonate minerals has rarely been reported. To investigate the removal of Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋, two representative metals in wastewater, through the precipitation of carbonate minerals by a microbial flocculant （MBF） produced by Bacillus mucilaginosus. MBF was added to synthetic wastewater containing different Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋ concentrations, and the extent of flocculation was analyzed. CO2 was bubbled into the mixture of MBF and Fe^3＋/Pb^2＋ to initiate the reaction. The solid substrates were analyzed via X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the removal efficiency decreased and the MBF adsorption capacity for metals increased with increasing heavy metal concentration. In the system containing MBF, metals （Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋）, and CO2, the concentrated metals adsorbed onto the MBF combined with the dissolved CO2, resulting in oversaturation of metal carbonate minerals to form iron carbonate and lead carbonates. These results may be used in designing a method in which microbes can be utilized to combine CO2 with wastewater heavy metals to form carbonates, with the aim of mitigating environmental problems.     

在用车I／M制度的脆性及脆性源研究

I／M制度作为一个系统存在着脆性源,如果该制度在运行过程中控制不好脆性源,则其有效实施将受到影响。利用系统脆性理论对该制度进行分析研究找出L／M制度系统的脆性源以及解决措施是其分析研究的目的。在系统子因子中从业人员素质、仪器设备是最大的脆性源,但是其均被维修企业和检测企业所包含。综合分析研究结果显示,由于其在维修企业的脆性度比在检测企业的脆性度大,所以维修企业是该制度最重要的脆性源。用系统脆性理论分析方法分析I／M制度的脆性是一种科学、有效和实用的方法,具有较好的应用前景,为保障更好的运行I／M制度以有效的控制在用车的排放提供了理论依据。