Experimental investigation of the e ect of flow turbulence and sediment transport patterns on the adsorption of cadmium ions onto sediment particles

The mechanism of flow turbulence,sediment supply conditions,and sediment transport patterns that affect the adsorption of cadmiumions onto sediment particles in natural waters are experimentally simulated and studied both in batch reactors and in a turbulencesimulation tank.By changing the agitation conditions,the sediment transport in batch reactors can be categorized into bottom sediment-dominated sediment and suspended sediment-dominated sediment.It is found that the adsorption rate of bottom sediment is much lessthan that of suspended sediment,but the sediment transport pattern does not affect the final(equilibrium)concentration of dissolvedcadmium.This result indicates that the parameters of an adsorption isotherm are the same regardless of the sediment transport pattern.Inthe turbulence simulation tank,the turbulence is generated by harmonic grid-stirred motions,and the turbulence intensity is quantifiedin terms of eddy diffusivity,which is equal to 9.84F(F is the harmonic vibration frequency)and is comparable to natural surfacewater conditions.When the turbulence intensity of flow is low and sediment particles stay as bottom sediment,the adsorption rateis significantly low,and the adsorption quantity compared with that of suspended sediment is negligible in the 6 h duration of theexperiment.This result greatly favors the simplification of the numerical modeling of heavy metal pollutant transformation in naturalrivers.When the turbulence intensity is high but bottom sediment persists,the rate and extent of descent of the dissolved cadmiumconcentration in the tank noticeably increase,and the time that is required to reach adsorption equilibrium also increases considerablydue to the continuous exchange that occurs between the suspended sediment and the bottom sediment.A comparison of the results ofthe experiments in the batch reactor and those in the turbulence simulation tank reveals that the adsorption ability of the sediment,andin particular the adsorption rate,is greatly over-estimated in the batch reactor.     

Sustainability issues in sheet metal forming processes: an overview

Environmental sustainability in manufacturing is nowadays an urgent and remarkable issue and the main concerns are related to more efficient use of materials and energy.In sheet metal forming processes there is still a lack of knowledge in this field mainly due to the need of a proper modelling of sustainability issues and factors to be taken into account. The aim of this paper is mainly to underline the state of the art from a forming point of view about the sustainability contributions offered in any phase of a product life cycle. Actually, a lack in terms of comprehensive contributions is present in the technical literature, thus, the authors try to give a sort of holistic vision aimed to provide basic guidelines in order to help in identifying the possible solutions with regard to all the phases of a forming product life cycle. The main attention was paid to sheet metal forming technologies. The paper gives an overview of the main topics concerning sheet metal forming problems related to energy and resource efficiency with the aim to stress the principal contributions which may derive from such processes to environmental performances of manufacturing.     

2-萘酚生产废水综合治理与资源化利用工程实例

针对2-萘酚生产废水p H值低、色泽深,亚硫酸盐和萘磺酸盐高、COD浓度高的特点,采用酸化脱硫-两级络合萃取-氧化絮凝工艺处理,介绍了专利工艺的流程设计,给出了主要工艺设计参数及投资运行成本。工程运行结果表明,该工艺设计合理、技术成熟、处理效果稳定,2-萘酚生产废水经处理后达到GB 8978—1996《污水综合排放标准》一级排放标准要求;回收的萘磺酸钠固体可返回2-萘酚生产系统套用;反萃取黑液经蒸发浓缩,合成的减水剂产品各项指标达到或超过GB 8076—2008《混凝土外加剂》高效减水剂指标要求。     

Modification of the biochemical pathways of plants induced by ozone: what are the varied routes to change?

When plants are observed under a low dose of ozone, some physiological and metabolic shifts occur. Barring extreme injury such as tissue damage or stomata closure, most of these disruptive changes are likely to have been initiated at the level of gene expression. The belief is oxidative products formed in ozone exposed leaves, e.g. hydrogen peroxide, are responsible for much of the biochemical adjustments. The first line of defense is a range of antioxidants, such as ascorbate and glutathione, but if this defense is overwhelmed, subsequent actions occur, similar to systemic acquired resistance or general wounding. Yet there are seemingly unrelated metabolic responses which are also triggered, such as early senescence. We discuss here the current understanding of gene control and signal transduction/control in order to increase our comprehension of how ozone alters the basic metabolism of plants and how plants counteract or cope with ozone.     

Critical environmental indicators: performance indices and assessment models for sustainable rural development planning

Sustainable development planning must be based on environmental and biophysical baseline indices that effectively define comparative development potential and environmental constraints. As such, indices must define the comparative advantage of the natural resource base and measure the fundamental capacity to sustain production rates of natural resource goods and services used to create societal well being. Complex biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics affect the identification and selection of sustainable development strategies. When derived from effective baseline indicators, indices may be used to define the spatial and temporal distribution of economically viable production opportunities and may be expressed in derived indices that realistically describe basic production opportunities and guide the selection of feasible, long-term development strategies. Specifically, representative indices are critical in the identification of development goals and realistic objectives and can be used to evaluate, select and implement sustainable development strategies and plans. It is stressed that the relevancy and effectiveness of public policies depend on the identification of representative evaluation models and baseline indices to define development strategies that are both environmentally sustainable and economically viable. In this context, the role of baseline indicators that define natural resource production capacities is discussed. This includes potential resource uses, derived benefits and their economic and environmental impacts. Key thematic indicators are suggested that may be especially useful in identifying development alternatives and impacts. This suggested that clearly defined environmental pollution limits or impact standards be used to define public risk tolerance limits and carrying capacity constraints. It is argued that these measures may be more effective in directing policy choices than economic valuation of non market goods and services that represent environmental externalities associated with resource exploitation options and economic development strategies. To this end, examples of thematic indicators and derived indices are introduced that may prove effective in resource assessment, economic evaluation and strategic development planning.     

Clam shell catalyst for continuous production of biodiesel

Continuous flow transesterification of waste frying oil (WFO) with methanol for the biodiesel production was tested in a laboratory scale jacketed reactive distillation (RD) unit packed with clam shell based CaO as solid catalyst. The physiochemical properties of the clam shell catalysts were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Atomic X-ray Spectrometry (EDAX). The effects of the reactant flow rate, methanol-to-oil ratio, and catalyst bed height were studied to obtain the maximum methyl ester conversion. Reboiler temperature of 65°C was maintained throughout the process for product purification and the system reached the steady state at 7 hr. The experimental results revealed that the jacketed RD system packed with clam shell based CaO showed high catalytic activity for continuous production of biodiesel and a maximum methyl ester conversion of 94.41% was obtained at a reactant flow rate of 0.2 mL/min, methanol/oil ratio of 6:1, and catalyst bed height of 180 mm.     

Ecosystem services in coupled social–ecological systems: Closing the cycle of service provision and societal feedback

Both the ‘cascade model’ of ecosystem service provision and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response framework individually contribute to the understanding of human–nature interactions in social–ecological systems (SES). Yet, as several points of criticism show, they are limited analytical tools when it comes to reproducing complex cause–effect relationships in such systems. However, in this paper, we point out that by merging the two models, they can mutually enhance their comprehensiveness and overcome their individual conceptual deficits. Therefore we closed a cycle of ecosystem service provision and societal feedback by rethinking and reassembling the core elements of both models. That way, we established a causal sequence apt to describe the causes of change to SES, their effects and their consequences. Finally, to illustrate its functioning we exemplified and discussed our approach based on a case study conducted in the Alpujarra de la Sierra in southern Spain.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0651-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Harmony Hurts: Participation and Silent Conflict at an Indonesian Fish Pond

Participatory environmental and resource management is premised on open communication to reach consensus. However, deliberate and open communication cannot adequately address silent conflict. This begs two questions. First, how is the existence of covert communication and silent conflict to be recognized and addressed? Second, how are the wider social relations and traditions that encompass communication and conflict to be described and explained? These questions revolve around communicative power. Communication of environmental knowledge is deeply embedded in social power structures, with direct implications for participatory resource planning and implementation. Ethnographic research conducted at a failed community-managed fish farming project in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia shows that a culture of harmony and respect for authority can silence environmental conflict in the hierarchical “community.” Three propositions are offered. First, communication amnesia and exclusion jeopardize participation. Second, cultures of harmony and silent conflict shape planning processes and outcomes. Third, the weak use manipulation and communication strategy to acquire a “voice” while preserving harmony. These propositions address five unresolved issues in participatory resource management: analysis of groups, contextuality, social relationships, nonparticipants, and informal communication. Power, tradition, and social networks affect the valuing of knowledge relative to the power of different individuals and institutions to communicate priorities, values, and needs. These factors are critical to the inclusion of both participants and nonparticipants.     

维修时间不确定性下配电网灾后维修队安排的鲁棒恢复研究*

为最小化灾后配电网损失量,准确描述完整维修队工作时间（分为路途时间与具体维修时间）,依据台风路径对维修队所需路途时间进行分类,并利用期望概率描述具体维修时间的不确定性。建立2阶段分布式鲁棒优化模型,采用CCG算法分析国内某地区配电网算例发现:考虑维修时间不确定性可以有效减少配电网损失量。