Learning through EC directive based SEA in spatial planning? Evidence from the Brunswick Region in Germany

This paper presents results of an international comparative research project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) on the ‘learning potential of appraisal (strategic environmental assessment — SEA) in spatial planning’. In this context, aspects of ‘single-loop’ and ‘double-loop’ learning, as well as of individual, organisational and social learning are discussed for emerging post-EC Directive German practice in the planning region (Zweckverband) of Brunswick (Braunschweig), focusing on four spatial plan SEAs from various administrative levels in the region. It is found that whilst SEA is able to lead to plan SEA specific knowledge acquisition, comprehension, application and analysis (‘single-loop learning’), it is currently resulting only occasionally in wider synthesis and evaluation (‘double-loop learning’). Furthermore, whilst there is evidence that individual and occasionally organisational learning may be enhanced through SEA, most notably in small municipalities, social learning appears to be happening only sporadically.     

Municipal solid waste management in Thailand and disposal emission inventory

The increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generation along with the high fraction of organic waste and a common disposal of open dumping is the current scenario in many areas in Thailand. As a response to this problem, the country’s Pollution Control Department (PCD) aims to reduce the MSW generation rate to less than 1 kg/capita/day, increase the collection efficiency, and improve the recovery of recyclables. For many years, more than 60% of the solid waste disposal system in Thailand has been carried out by open dumping. According to the survey conducted by this study, in 2004 there were 425 disposal sites (95 landfills; 330 open dumps) in Thailand and an estimated methane emission of 115.4 Gg/year was generated based on this practice. It has been estimated that the anticipated methane emission in Thailand will rise from 115.4 Gg/year to 118.5 Gg/year if the largest open dumpsites in provinces with no existing landfill are upgraded to sanitary landfill; and it will increase to 193.5 Gg/year if the existing sanitary landfill is upgraded to integrated waste management facilities. Moreover, Bangkok metropolitan have the highest methane emission (54.83 Gg/year) among all the regions in Thailand. The methane emission forecast of 339 Gg/year by 2020 (based on LandGEM methodology) provides a stimulus to create a comprehensive plan to capture and utilize methane as an energy source.     

Assessment of Pollution Near Landfill Site in Nagpur, India by Resistivity Imaging and GPR

Groundwater pollution in the vicinity of a landfill site in Nagpur, India is assessed with the help of resistivity imaging and GPR tools. The resistivity imaging survey indicates high conductive anomalies in the topsoil as well as the underlying fractured rocks. Significant reflections from the GPR records known as radargrams are extracted with the help of maximum peak module and Hilbert transform module in RADAN 6. These reflections can be attributed to presence of fractures, which are potential pathways for migration of the fluid. The geophysical findings are strengthened by the results of groundwater analysis from wells located close to the profile where resistivity and GPR survey have been carried out. The study has indicated the vulnerability of the unconfined aquifer underlying the predominantly clay layer.     

Development of a landfill model to prioritize design and operating objectives

The application of scientifically based decision making tools to help address solid waste management issues dates back to the early 1960s. Researchers continue to use operations research tools to help optimize landfill design and operating parameters. This paper discusses the application of another type of decision making tool, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), to address priority ranking for a number of landfill engineering design and operating objectives in developing and developed countries. In this application, the AHP is used to rank, and prioritize, economic, environmental, health and safety, legislative and public perception objectives for landfill design and operations specific to landfill distance from a community, and precipitation levels. Results from a global survey using the Delphi process are included, with a discussion on the survey’s impact on the objective rankings relative to community proximity and precipitation. The Delphi process worked extremely well, and was an excellent tool to use in this application. The initial results from the objective rankings show promise in the development of an integrated model for landfill design and operation.     

Environmental and economic assessment of combined biostabilization and landfill for municipal solid waste

Biostabilization can remove considerable amounts of moisture and degradable organic materials from municipal solid waste (MSW), and can therefore be an effective form of pretreatment prior to landfill. The environmental and economic impacts of two combined processes, active stage biostabilization + sanitary landfill (AL), and active and curing stage biostabilization + sanitary landfill (ACL), were compared with sanitary landfill (SL) for MSW with high moisture content. The results indicated that land requirement, leachate generation, and CH(4) emission in the ACL process decreased by 68.6%, 89.1%, and 87.6%, respectively, and the total cost was reduced by 24.1%, compared with SL. This implies that a combined biostabilization and landfill process can be an environmentally friendly and economically feasible alternative to landfill of raw MSW with high moisture content. Sensitivity analysis revealed that treatment capacity and construction costs of biostabilization and the oxidation factor of CH(4) significantly influenced the costs and benefits of the AL and ACL process at an extremely low land price. When the land price was greater than 100 USD m(-2), it became the dominating factor in determining the cost of treatment and disposal, and the total costs of ACL were reduced to less than 40% of those of SL.     

填埋场衬层渗漏的电学法检测研究进展

综述了几种常用的填埋场渗漏检测方法,指出电学法已成为填埋场不同运行阶段（施工期和运营期）渗漏检测的主流方法。分析了各阶段电学检测方法的适用条件和优缺点,在防渗膜铺设阶段,常利用双电极法或电极-偶极子法进行施工完整性检测;在填埋场运营期间,根据场地实际情况可以选择电极格栅法、基于物联网的监测预警云平台、阵列式偶极子法或高密度电法进行膜渗漏检测及长期监测。     

土壤微生物脱氮作用对垃圾渗滤液原位脱氮工艺的启示

详细地对土壤脱氮微生物生理生化反应机理、脱氮作用影响因素等方面进行了分析总结,提出了垃圾渗滤液原位脱氮工艺的几点设想.     

膜法处理垃圾渗滤液新技术实验研究

将改进间歇式活性污泥法与FIL-MAX膜组合处理工艺相结合,应用于沈阳某垃圾场垃圾渗滤液处理工程实例中。通过实验,分析了COD、NH3-N等指标的处理效率以及影响因素,最终得出改进间歇式活性污泥法与FIL-MAX组合工艺处理在一定程度上改善膜污染、膜堵塞等常见问题。     

不同垃圾填埋单元土壤--植物系统中汞的污染和迁移

对上海老港垃圾填埋场不同年份填埋单元的表层履土,以及典型植物中汞的分布进行了分析研究。结果发现,自1989-2001年共13a间不同时间的垃圾填埋单元表层土壤中,汞浓度与填埋时间有一定关系:从1989年到1993年,土壤汞浓度呈逐年递减趋势;从1998年到2001年又呈递增趋势;而中间几年出现汞浓度异常现象。土壤总汞、结合态汞和可挥发汞的浓度与土壤有机质含量有显著的相关性,相关系数分别为0.8147、0.8045和0.8213。另外,被调查植物体内汞的分布特点为:叶汞>根汞>茎汞。填埋时间较长的几个单元中,典型植物(加拿大黄花)的根汞与土壤可挥发汞有较好的相关性。     

Ecosystem services for water policy: Insights across Europe

In this research we explored how the concepts and approaches of ecosystem services are currently used in water management in Europe, in the application of River Basin Management Plans (RBMP) developed for the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Five case studies have been considered, located in the River Basin Districts of the Po river (Italy), Scotland (United Kingdom), Scheldt river (Belgium), Danube river (Romania), Sado and Mira rivers and Ribeiras do Algarve (Portugal). These cases represent different regional contexts of application of this EU water policy, with specific socio-economic drivers and environmental issues. Each case study has developed an operational framework to analyse ecosystem services in practice together with a group of local stakeholders. In each regional case, we examined how EU water policy and RBMPs are implemented, considered legal and planning instruments from the national to the local scale, and we analysed the use of ecosystem service terms and concepts in the relevant planning instruments. In parallel, we explored the view of local stakeholders and water managers on the topic, collecting their opinion on three major aspects: the usefulness of the concepts and approaches of ecosystem services for WFD river basin management plans, the risks and benefits of their use, and the knowledge needs to put the concepts into practice. The major drawback of the ecosystem service approach seems to be the challenge for practitioners of understanding new concepts and methodologies, while the major advantages are that it highlights all the hidden benefits of a water body in good health and promotes multi-functionality and sustainability in water management. The results of this study provide a picture across Europe of the current use of the concepts of ecosystem services in the RBMP and relevant insight on the opinion of local stakeholders and water managers.