Treatment of sugar industry wastewater using a combination of thermal and electrocoagulation processes

Sugar industries require a large amount of water for processing, and also generate large amounts of high-degree polluted wastewater. To maintain the water balance in the industry, it is imperative that effective treatment methods need to be devised to treat the wastewaters. The main aim of the present work is to treat the sugar industry wastewater by combined thermal and electro-oxidation methods with a metal and a catalyst based on ferrous material. Results showed a reduction of 75.6% of COD and 79.2% of colour content with thermal treatment, and 97.8% of COD and 99.7% of colour with combined thermal and electrocoagulation treatments under optimum conditions. These reduction levels are adequate for recycling limits.     

IPCC框架下木质林产品碳储核算研究进展:方法选择及关联利益

木质林产品的碳储功能可有效降低大气中二氧化碳的浓度,其碳储量核算已被纳入气候变化缔约国温室气体清单报告,各国基于CBDR原则对木质林产品的碳储计量及贸易流动核算方法学在国家层面的争议及协调,关系到未来在气候变化谈判中的减排责任分配及利益分享。本文首先概括了IPCC历次会议关联木质林产品碳储核算议题及谈判进程,纵向梳理了碳储计量问题的研究进展。其次,对比不同国家和地区关于核算方法的应用及争议,总结不同核算方法在各国间的适用情况及其关联利益。最后,从清单报告和国际贸易角度分析了生产法与储量变化法对林产品碳储计量的不同影响,归纳了不同角度下两种核算方法的适用属性。研究表明:1缔约国附件Ⅰ国家在第二协议期内报告本国木质林产品的碳储量及其变化,在假设本国木质林产品碳储贡献不为零时采用生产法核算碳储量,核算源于本国采伐木的产品碳收支已成为当前缔约国履行气候责任的基本要求;2从清单报告的角度,缔约国基于森林管理参考水平报告碳储量,生产法区别森林管理活动并核算源于可持续森林经营管理的木质林产品碳储量,符合报告的要求;3从国际贸易角度,对于中国等涉及林产品国际贸易的净进口国,储量变化法因考虑到进出口的碳计量,以储量变化法核算碳储量对中国等林产品贸易大国更具优势。     

A methodology for electricity monitoring and targeting (M&T) in an Irish precision engineering SME

Abstract

Energy management in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) remains undeveloped due to competing priorities and a lack of specialist knowledge. However considerable savings can be demonstrated where companies take the time to investigate their energy use. Savings of over 20% can be achieved through changes to operational and behavioural practice. Additional benefits, such as improved production tracking and improved maintenance, can been seen which add to the value in undertaking an energy monitoring and targeting (M&T) plan. The method described involves the application of a series of ‘virtuous’ cycles of engagement and energy savings that can be applied from the highest factory level right down to a specific machine. The analysis of overall energy use from utility bills and the visualisation of typical machine power profiles aid in understanding the drivers of energy consumption and in engaging management in energy efficiency. The monitoring of specific machines in production highlights the significant consumption of electricity during non-productive times. The development of energy performance indicators is described for product variations which can be useful in tendering for business and selecting optimum production pathways. The approach is illustrated with data from a case study of a precision engineering SME based in Limerick, Ireland.     

A method for supporting the design of efficient heating systems using EU product policy data

The design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems is still a challenging engineering task which requires experienced and informed decision-making. These systems have a great energy-saving potential at the system level rather than at the level of the individual products of which they are composed. European environmental product policies have been very useful in facilitating a homogeneous rating scheme which can be used to compare the energy performance of different products that provide the same service. This paper proposes a simplified design method which uses the performance of components that are regulated by European product policies to obtain the overall performance of heating systems in residential buildings. It is a flexible method and allows different product configurations to be assessed so as to optimise the system performance during the design phase. The method is tested on a real case study with domestic hot water and space heating systems. The case study shows the potential for improving the heating systems according to the performance levels of its products currently available in the market. Results of the domestic hot water system show that upgrading its storage tank to the maximum energy class (A⁺) could bring the highest energy savings ( 4162 kWh/y).     

Valuing environmental amenities through inverse optimization: Theory and case study

Amenity values of private forests are implicit but play a critical role in decision and policy making. This study presents an innovative valuation approach integrating techniques of operations research and economic theory of pricing environmental goods. A forest planning problem was inversed through altering its reward function of timber values so that the observed harvesting behavior became optimal. The discrepancy between the original and new rewards uncovered amenities values which were linked to forest attributes via hedonic models. This method was applied to a case study of the U.S. southern pine region. Depending on forest conditions, total economic values of amenities varied from zero to just under one thousand dollar per ha. At a discount rate of 3%, a typically managed forest generated on average $243 ha⁻¹ of amenities values per annum, more than twice of harvested timber values. Structural diversity and density of large pine trees were the key determinants to preserving forests for environmental amenities.     

Natural resource industry involvement in collaboration for water governance: influence on processes and outcomes in Canada

Natural resource industries are increasingly significant actors in environmental decision-making. Possessing vast institutional and technical capacity, firms have an important role to play in ‘new’ governance strategies such as collaboration. These strategies are often based upon assumptions of equitable influence. This paper investigates the nature of resource industry participation in collaborative water governance in Canada, and the potential consequences of that participation as investigated using power theory. The study used comparative cases to reveal that resource industries are able to shape collaboration, and the issues collaborated upon, at multiple analytical levels both internal and external to the collaborative process in ways not available to other actors. Analysis also revealed that resource industry participation in collaboration did not reflect a commitment to engage in shared learning and the reexamination of values and interests as presupposed by collaborative theory. Collaboration is thus challenged in producing equitable, representative outcomes when resource industries participate.     

我国环保产业关联效应的投入产出分析

本文通过对比2007年与2012年投入产出表中环保产业与国民经济42个产业部门间的关联程度及结构的变化,分析得出环保产业的发展现状及产业关联结构有所优化。"环保产业不环保"的现状已有一定的改善,而"环保产业不服务于环保"的现象仍有碍于环保产业投资效率的进一步提升,大部分环保投资仍在中间生产过程中被消耗,产业生产效率水平较低。因此,政府应通过扩大环保技术投资、强化环境规制等政策打好产业组合拳,促进社会资本投资在加强环保产业内部竞争方面的综合作用,从而提高环保产业自身的价值创造能力,促进环保投资效率的提高。     

石化企业储罐大呼吸损耗影响因素的分析

储罐是石化行业挥发性有机物(VOCs)无组织排放源的重要组成部分。采用美国环保署推荐的储罐VOCs排放量计算公式,以云南某炼化企业的典型热渣油立式固定顶罐以及北京某石化企业的汽油外浮顶罐和甲苯内浮顶罐为基准案例进行储罐大呼吸损耗量的计算,考察了其影响因素,总结出影响储罐大呼吸损耗的关键参数,并有针对性地提出降耗措施。结果表明:影响固定顶罐大呼吸损耗的关键参数为气相分子摩尔质量、日平均液体表面温度和年周转量;影响外浮顶罐大呼吸损耗的首要关键参数为罐壁黏附系数,其次为年周转量和有机液体的密度;影响内浮顶罐大呼吸损耗的首要关键参数为罐壁黏附系数,其次为年周转量和固定顶支撑柱数量。     

氟化工“三废”的资源化利用

结合我国氟化工行业发展现状,分析了含氟"三废"产生情况及处置方法的最新研究进展,并通过实际工程案例进行论述。氟化工生产过程污染物主要有含氟废气及副产氯化氢、含氟高沸物及含氟污泥等。通过将氯化氢用于工业清洗及制备氯化钙、氯化铝等化学品能够合理消耗副产盐酸。焚烧处理含氟有机废气产生的氟化氢气体经水洗后副产氢氟酸。含氟高沸物通过精馏分离出高沸物组分生产高附加值产品。含氟污泥可制成建筑材料,最优工业化利用途径仍在积极研究中。     

A review on the potential of citrus waste for D-Limonene,pectin, and bioethanol production

Citrus peel waste is a valuable lignocellulosic feedstock for bioethanol production due to its richness in fermentable sugars and low lignin content. Citrus peel contains two major value-added products: d-limonene and pectin. d-Limonene is widely used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, it acts as a microbial growth inhibitor for yeast during the fermentation process and hence it has to be removed prior to fermentation. Pectin is used as thickening agent, gelling agent, and stabilizer in the food industry. Since pectin increases the viscosity of the fermentation medium and makes fermentation troublesome, it has to be either extracted or degraded into galacturonic acid using pectinase enzyme. Thus, the removal and recovery of both D-limonene and pectin from citrus peel are essential for better fermentation. For bioethanol production, pretreatment plays a crucial role in the utilization of citrus peels since the reduction of d-limonene concentration to less than 0.05% is necessary. This review solely describes the potential of citrus waste for value added products such as d-limonene and pectin and the production of bioethanol from citrus peel waste is discussed in detail.