Is Agriculture in Need of Ethics?

The minister of Agriculture, Nature Management andFisheries of the Netherlands reflects on the question``Is agriculture in need of ethics?'' Changingnorms and values in society, the influence of newtechnologies (such as biotechnology) and theinternational trade liberalisation (WTO) providearguments for a positive answer on this question.     

环保产业的战略价值与调控激励机制探讨

环保产业对人类社会的持续协调发展具有巨大的价值贡献 ,是战略性产业。人们应借鉴国际经验并结合国情 ,建立我国环保产业有效的调控激励机制 :从加强环保产业的驱动因素入手 ,制定有效的产业扶植政策 ,加强技术创新 ,构筑环保产业大市场格局 ,促进环保产业向深层次快速发展。 更多还原      

皂素工业废水CODCr排放限值的研究

皂素工业是近几年来迅速发展的一个重要生物医药化工行业,我国皂素主产区位于南水北调中线工程水源汉江上游,其排放的大量高浓度含酸有机废水给水源保护带来严重威胁,急需制定我国的皂素工业水污染物排放标准.采用三段式两相厌氧为核心的二级生化组合工艺技术从实验室试验、现场工业性试验和示范工程三方面对皂素工业废水COD_Cr排放限值进行了研究,皂素废水二级生化处理出水中残留COD_Cr总量(以质量浓度计)约为400～500 mg/L,其中溶解性微生物代谢产物(SMP)质量浓度约为240～280 mg/L.综合考虑技术可达性和经济可行性,将现有企业COD_Cr排放限值规定为400 mg/L;为引导企业对废液综合利用,推进皂素行业清洁生产,规定新建企业和现有企业的第二时段的限值为300 mg/L.提出了丹江库区相应的COD_Cr总量指标及皂素规模限额.执行该标准后,全国每年可削减COD_Cr 71　400 t,其中南水北调中线工程水源汉江上游至少可削减60　690 t,可以满足中线调水水源区的环境保护要求.      

Wastewater management in small- and medium-size enterprises: case studies

Wastewater management in small and medium-sized enterprises representing the chemical and food industries was investigated. The results showed that wastewater discharged from an ink-production factory was highly contaminated with organic pollutants. Anaerobic biological treatment followed by chemical coagulation using ferric chloride aided with lime proved to be very effective and produced an effluent that complied with national regulatory standard for wastewater discharge into public sewage network. Also, management of wastewater from a confectionery factory representing the food sector was carried out. Aerobic biological treatment using plastic-packed trickling filter proved to be an effective treatment method. However, application of in-plant control measures alleviated the requirement for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant. The applied pollution prevention and cleaner production measures involved good housekeeping, recovery of spent chocolate, modification of floor cleaning and installation of suction devices for the removal of sugar and starch powders. All improvement measures were documented by cost/benefit analysis.     

Exploratory Analysis of the Winter Chemistry of Five Lakes on the North Slope of Alaska1

Abstract: Lakes are important water resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Freshwater is required for oilfield production as well as exploration, which occurs largely on ice roads and pads. Since most North Slope lakes are shallow, the quantity and quality of the water under ice at the end of winter are important environmental management issues. Currently, water‐use permits are a function of the presence of overwintering fish populations, and their sensitivity to low oxygen concentrations. Sampling of five North Slope lakes during the winter of 2004‐2005 shed some light on the winter chemistry of four lakes that were used as water supplies and one undisturbed lake. Field analysis was conducted for oxygen, conductivity, pH, and temperature throughout the lake depth, as well as ice thickness and water depth. Water samples were retrieved from the lakes and analyzed for Na, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, dissolved‐organic carbon, and alkalinity in the laboratory. Lake properties, rather than pumping, were the best predictors of oxygen depletion, with the highest dissolved‐oxygen levels maintained in the lake with the lowest concentration of constituents. Volume weighted mean dissolved‐oxygen concentrations ranged from 4 to 94% of saturation in March. Dissolved oxygen and specific conductance data suggested that the lakes began to refresh in May.     

Impacts on industry of Europe's emerging chemicals policy REACh

For Europe, a new regime in chemicals regulation is about to start. After the proposal of the European Commission concerning the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACh) passed its readings in the European Parliament and some differences with the European Council of Ministers were resolved, the regulation will come into force in June 2007. This paper is focused on the question how serious the cost burdens for industry induced by REACh will be, and whether the New European Member States (NMS) which joined the European Union in May 2004 will be able to cope with the regulation. This evaluation has been done by assessing the legislative, administrative and economic framework in New Member States and by analysing real business cases in companies. The empirical showcase business impact studies are at the same time of interest for companies of EU-15 states, other European countries who may implement the regulation, and even for exporters of raw materials and chemicals outside Europe, who will also have to comply with REACh if they market in the European Community. The results give no indications that REACh adoption will bring significant drawbacks to companies in the NMS. The emerging regulation will bring challenges for individual companies, especially for small and medium-sized ones, but for the European chemical industry as a whole, there is no question that it will be able to cope with REACh burdens without losing its global competitiveness.     

反渗透工艺处理回用循环水排污水技术工业应用

采用反渗透工艺处理火电厂循环冷却水排污水,作为循环水补充水和锅炉补给水,具有显著的经济效益和环境效益。     

黄土高原沙棘灌丛资源保护和发展问题

沙棘适合于在干旱瘠溥的黄土高原地区生长，在黄土高原生态恢复、环境治理和经济发展中成效显著，近年来沙棘灌丛资源发展迅速。但由于在沙棘灌丛资源保护和发展中还存在不少问题，使黄土高原区域整体效益并不理想。文章研究了黄土高原地区沙棘灌丛资源的类型，共有6个群系；分析了黄土高原沙棘灌丛资源的现状和效益，其在工矿废弃地治理、砒砂岩区治理、沙化土地治理、水土保持等方面作用明显，对当地畜牧业、食品工业、医药业起到促进作用；探讨了存在的主要问题，一是资源发展问题，二是保护问题，三是管理问题，四是科学技术问题；最后从多个方面提出了黄土高原沙棘灌丛资源保护与发展的对策，     

Energy,food, and land — The ecological traps of humankind

Humans’ superiority over all other organisms on earth rests on five main foundations: command of fire requiring fuel; controlled production of food and other biotic substances; utilization of metals and other non-living materials for construction and appliances; technically determined, urban-oriented living standard; economically and culturally regulated societal organization. The young discipline of ecology has revealed that the progress of civilization and technology attained, and being further pursued by humankind, and generally taken for granted and permanent, is leading into ecological traps. This metaphor circumscribes ecological situations where finite resources are being exhausted or rendered non-utilizable without a realistic prospect of restitution. Energy, food and land are the principal, closely interrelated traps; but the absolutely decisive resource in question is land whose increasing scarcity is totally underrated. Land is needed for fulfilling growing food demands, for producing renewable energy in the post-fossil and post-nuclear era, for maintaining other ecosystem services, for urban-industrial uses, transport, material extraction, refuse deposition, but also for leisure, recreation, and nature conservation. All these needs compete for land, food and non-food biomass production moreover for good soils that are scarcer than ever. We are preoccupied with fighting climate change and loss of biodiversity; but these are minor problems we could adapt to, albeit painfully, and their solution will fail if we are caught in the interrelated traps of energy, food, and land scarcity. Land and soils, finite and irreproducible resources, are the key issues we have to devote our work to, based on careful ecological information, planning and design for proper uses and purposes. The article concludes with a short reflection on economy and competition as general driving forces, and on the role and reputation of today’s ecology. Updated version of the keynote lecture presented at the EcoSummit 2007 in Beijing, China, May 24. The article is gratefully dedicated to the memory of my late colleague and friend Frank B. Golley.     

我国现代煤化工项目废水处理的误区和建议

介绍了我国现代煤化工项目的废水来源及特性,归纳了废水的处理技术路线,从废水"零排放"、废水处理技术与管理、蒸发塘的污染转移、废水处理与固体废物处理及废气处理的关系、污染物源头控制等方面阐述了我国当前煤化工废水处理存在的误区和建议。