Sustainability, substance flow management and time. Part I Temporal analysis of substance flows

Flows of chemical substances need to be managed in a sustainable way. Sustainable development as a whole and the sustainable management of substance flows in particular are both time issues. These include the importance of the dynamics of substance flows and the way these interconnect with the use of resources, the avoidance of environmental pollution, and their effects on health and food production. Another prerequisite for the proper management of substance flows is justice within and between generations. This requires a systematic approach and a systematic analysis of the issues as well as of the actions to be taken. One tool for such a systematic approach is temporal analysis. It brings the temporal aspects of the substances themselves and of their intended use, as well as factors affecting the stakeholders, such as decision makers, producers and consumers, into focus. In the past, timing factors were rarely taken into account. Knowledge of the temporal dynamics of substance flows and their resultant outcomes, as well as of their interaction with ecological, economic and social systems, is a basic requirement for successful substance flow management. The need to include temporal aspects into substance flow management and how to do so is outlined here. Included are not only politicians but also practitioners and scientists who must explicitly take into account adequate time scales, points in time, breaks and other forms of time in planning and acting.     

Towards a governance of sustainable consumption transitions: how institutional factors influence emerging local food systems in Belgium

System innovations and transitions in the realm of sustainable consumption policies will seldom emerge automatically from the present socio-political and socio-technical contexts. This paper explores a set of perspectives related to the governance of transitions and develops their application to the relatively unexplored governance of sustainable consumption transitions. Empirical material stems from an extensive case study which analyses a food consumption niche in the form of collectively organised local food systems (LFS) in Belgium. More specifically, we analyse and discuss the institutional contexts and socio-political configurations within which the investigated system innovation cases are embedded. The results explore the role of governmental interplay in fostering innovative consumption practices for a transition towards a more sustainable, autonomous, citizen-based, LFS.     

Conceptualizing the human use of wild edible herbs for conservation in South African communal areas

The importance of wild edible herbaceous species to resource poor households in most rural economies within savannas has been little studied. This is because most of the herbs grow in impoverished species communities and lands, often referred to as 'marginal lands'. The aim of this paper is to conceptualize how the economics of wild edible herbs to households can be used to add value to total livelihoods and conservation within traditional communal areas of South Africa. Analysis of the economics of the consumption of wild edible herbs in Thorndale (Bushbuckridge district) of the Limpopo province is presented. The majority of households consumed wild edible herbs, averaging 15.4 kg dried weight per household per year and valued at $167 per household. The herbs were mostly harvested from uncultivated areas of farms, and rangelands. There was little correlation between household characteristics and the dependence on wild herbs for food. The local people noted a decline in the availability of the species, although not much is known about attempts to cultivate them. The only reasons attributed to the decline were nutrient poor soils and insufficient rains. With this background, developing a local strategy to sustain the species through cultivation by households was found to be feasible. A multiple-use system for the herbs, their improvement and value addition towards commercialization and increased household usage may result in wider acceptance and subsequent cultivation. Species diversity will be enhanced whilst conserving the land on which they grow. This multiple use system may include species roles in soil and water conservation.     

通风速率对厌氧残余物沼渣堆肥的影响

以牛粪发酵残余物沼渣为原料,设置不同的通风速率进行堆肥,堆体的通风速率分别是0.2,0.5,0.8L/（min·kg OM）,分析堆肥20d过程中物理、化学和腐熟变化的特征,探讨不同通风速率对堆肥特性的影响.结果表明,通风速率为0.2,0.5L/（min·kg OM）的堆体维持高温阶段的时间为5d,而通风速率为0.8L/（min·kg OM）堆体维持高温阶段时间为4d;各堆体OM分解率分别是28.2%,32.9%,30.5%;通风速率对终产品pH值、电导率（EC）影响不大,pH值均能满足堆肥最优pH值,EC均未超过4mS/cm;通风速率为0.2L/（min·kg OM）的堆体终产品的NH₄⁺-N含量超过400mg/kg,各堆体终产品NO₃^--N的含量分别是2545,3146,2735mg/kg;各堆体终产品C/N分别是16.5,14.1,15.6;各堆体终产品GI值分别是92.2%,96.6%,82.7%.通风速率为0.5L/（min·kg OM）堆体E465/E665（E₄/E₆）最小,其腐殖化程度最高.综合分析,0.5L/（min·kg OM）是沼渣堆肥最为合适的通风速率.     

黑钨渣的酸分解与萃取工艺优化研究

采用X—射线荧光和粉末衍射分析了钨渣的元素组成及赋存方式,采用酸分解—萃取工艺富集了钨,研究了最佳的酸分解—萃取工艺条件。     

Optimization of the recovery of plastics for recycling by density media separation cyclones

Material recovery processes are presented as the optimum option for recycling plastic wastes as a means of recovering hydrocarbon resources. There exist a large variety of automated material recovery processes for recycling of such wastes but each with significant limitations. Of these, the separation based on differences in densities is advocated as the optimum process either for producing recycled products or preparing wastes for subsequent recovery processing.Density separation processes based on cyclone type density media separation (DMS) is presented as an important, potential method for increasing plastics recycling process capacities. It is demonstrated to have the capacity to separate a significantly larger range of particle sizes than those presently processed industrially. The mathematical relationship for the prediction of quality of typical LARCODEMS type density media separations by particle size and density as expressed by the Ecart Probable is presented.A proposed device configuration is presented for density media separation to optimize the recovery and purity of both density fractions produced. It is also suggested that to be economically viable, a large scale of operation is required for industrial plastics recycling operations recovering and producing a number of different plastics with a purity to be used as a substitute for virgin material.     

Sugarcane vinasse: Environmental implications of its use

The inadequate and indiscriminate disposal of sugarcane vinasse in soils and water bodies has received much attention since decades ago, due to environmental problems associated to this practice. Vinasse is the final by-product of the biomass distillation, mainly for the production of ethanol, from sugar crops (beet and sugarcane), starch crops (corn, wheat, rice, and cassava), or cellulosic material (harvesting crop residues, sugarcane bagasse, and wood). Because of the large quantities of vinasse produced, alternative treatments and uses have been developed, such as recycling of vinasse in fermentation, fertirrigation, concentration by evaporation, and yeast and energy production. This review was aimed at examining the available data on the subject as a contribution to update the information on sugarcane vinasse, from its characteristics and chemical composition to alternatives uses in Brazil: fertirrigation, concentration by evaporation, energy production; the effects on soil physical, chemical and biological properties; its influence on seed germination, its use as biostimulant and environmental contaminant. The low pH, electric conductivity, and chemical elements present in sugarcane vinasse may cause changes in the chemical and physical–chemical properties of soils, rivers, and lakes with frequent discharges over a long period of time, and also have adverse effects on agricultural soils and biota in general. Thus, new studies and green methods need to be developed aiming at sugarcane vinasse recycling and disposal.     

Prelaying maternal condition modifies the association between egg mass and T cell-mediated immunity in kestrels

Theoretical models of parental care predict differential allocation in relation to the expected fitness of the offspring. As birds must allocate all the resources required for embryonic development in self-contained packages, maternal egg allocation takes a central role in avian life histories. It is predicted that mothers can influence offspring performance by varying the size or composition of their eggs. In this context, T cell-mediated immune response has been revealed as a valuable tool to evaluate fledgling fitness. However, little is known about its relationships to egg mass. I describe a negative association between egg mass and cellular immune response in Eurasian kestrel nestlings (Falco tinnunculus) throughout 3 years. To explore how environmental conditions could mediate this relationship, I experimentally supplied food to females before egg formation in the third study year. I found that this relationship turned to positive in food-supplied females without any effect on egg size. This result shows that environmental conditions before egg formation mediate the relationship between egg mass and future immune response of the nestlings. I suggest that females may be constrained in improving the future immune response of their offspring due to resource allocation trade-offs determined by their pre-laying condition.     

改性糠醛渣吸附脱硫废水中钙离子

石灰石-石膏法烟气脱硫技术中石灰石利用率低导致钙流失严重,为实现脱硫废水中Ca2+的资源化利用,进行糠醛渣改性和Ca2+的吸附特性研究。实验结果表明,利用H3PO4改性后的糠醛渣对脱硫废水中Ca2+具有较高的吸附率;在振荡的前30 min吸附率上升极快,至90 min时基本达到平衡吸附量;对Ca2+浓度对吸附率影响研究结果表明,平衡吸附量与平衡浓度关系符合Langmuir等温吸附方程;在初始Ca2+浓度为300 mg/L的溶液中加入3 g吸附剂,温度30℃条件下振荡90 min,平衡吸附量为8.41 mg/g。     

藻渣添加对玉米秸秆厌氧发酵特征的影响

厌氧发酵是农业废弃物资源化的有效途径之一.将农业废弃物同其他富含氮元素的有机废物混合发酵能够有效地提高产气效率.以玉米秸秆为例,尝试利用藻渣作为添加剂,提高农业废弃物厌氧发酵的性能.实验主要研究了混合发酵比例对沼气产量、甲烷产量、沼渣沼液特征的影响.当玉米秸秆、藻渣和接种污泥的挥发性固体质量分数为10:2:2时,沼气产率最高可达421.0 mL/g,甲烷产率为218.7 mL/g.沼渣组分分析表明,纤维素和半纤维素降解效率分别为83.7%和68.4%,和对照相比纤维素的降解效率显著提高.结果表明,藻渣的添加能够有效地促进玉米秸秆厌氧发酵产甲烷过程.