SME application of LCA‐based carbon footprints

Following a brief introduction about the need for businesses to respond to climate change, this paper considers the development of the phrase ‘carbon footprint’. Widely used definitions are considered before the authors offer their own interpretation of how the term should be used. The paper focuses on the contribution small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) make to the economy and their level of influence in stimulating change within organisations. The experience of an outreach team from the Engineering Department of a UK university is used which draws on the experience of delivering regional economic growth projects funded principally through the European Regional Development Fund. Case studies are used including the development of bespoke carbon footprints for SMEs from an initiative delivered by the outreach team. Limitations of current carbon footprints are identified based on this higher education‐industry knowledge exchange mechanism around three main themes of scope, the assessment method and conversion factors. Evidence and discussions are presented that conclude with the presentation of some solutions based on the work undertaken with SMEs and a discussion on the merits of the two principally used methodologies: life‐cycle analysis and economic input–output assessment.     

Multiobjective optimisation method for life-cycle design of mechanical products

Manufacturing that minimises the exhaustion of natural resources, energy used and deleterious environmental impact is increasingly demanded by societies that seek to protect global environments as much as possible. To achieve this, life-cycle design (LCD) is an essential component of product design scenarios; however, LCD approaches have not been well integrated in optimal design methods that support quantitative decision-making. This study presents a method that yields quantitative solutions through optimisation analysis of a basic product design incorporating life-cycle considerations. We consider two types of optimisation approaches that have different aims, namely, (1) to reduce the use of raw materials and energy consumption and (2) to facilitate the reuse of the product or its parts when it reaches the end of its useful life. We also focus on how the optimisation results differ according to the approach used, from the viewpoint of the 3R concept (Reduce, Reuse and Recycling). Our method obtains optimum solutions by evaluating objectives fitted to each of these two optimisation approaches with respect to the product's life-cycle stages, which are manufacturing, use, maintenance, disposal, reuse and recycling. As an applied example, a simple linear robot model is presented, and Pareto optimum solutions are obtained for the multiobjective optimisation problem whose evaluated objectives are the operating accuracy of the robot and the different life-cycle costs for the two approaches. The characteristics of the evaluated objectives and design variables, as well as the effects of using material characteristics as design parameters, are also examined.     

Decision support for sustainable manufacturing using decision guidance query language

Sustainability has become a very significant research topic as it impacts many different manufacturing industries. Therefore, the technologies for monitoring, analysing, evaluating and optimising the sustainability performance of manufacturing processes and systems are very critical for decision makers on the shop floor. This paper introduces a decision guidance management system that provides actionable recommendations through quantitative analysis of the sustainability measures of manufacturing processes and systems based on life cycle assessment. The system determines decision preferences through dynamically collected data and decision makers' responses, taking into account the prevailing constraints. Optimal decisions can be derived using mathematical and constraint programming. By using decision guidance query language, this methodology allows users to make optimal decisions without an extensive mathematical or operations research background. Knowledge of relational databases is sufficient for a user to formulate the optimisation problem and obtain optimal solutions. The methodology is demonstrated with a machining operation case study, in which a list of sustainability metrics are identified and sustainability modelling methods are proposed. Important sustainable machining performance measures are optimised, resulting in actionable recommendations.     

北京及周边地区典型站点近地面O3的变化特征

利用2008年6月1日~2009年5月31日在北京城区中国气象局(CMA),及其西南方向固城站(GCH)和东北方向上甸子本底站(SDZ)的近地面O3等观测数据,分析了O3的变化特征及其与其他污染物和气象要素的关系.结果表明,上甸子本底站近地面O3的季节变化和日变化规律与固城和北京城区站存在一定的差异,而固城站和北京城区站的O3变化特征差异较小.相关性分析显示,O3与NO、NO2、NOx、RH多呈负相关,且相关性冬季好于夏季,此外,O3与气温和风速呈正相关,其中北京城区站冬季和夏季O3与风速的相关性差异最明显.O3浓度与地面风向有一定关系,当风向为偏南时,O3浓度较高,当风向为东北时,O3浓度偏低.     

吉林省玉米农田保护性耕作的环境影响评价

以吉林省玉米农田4种保护性耕作为例,应用生命周期评价方法(Life Cycle Assessment,LCA)系统综合地评价吉林省玉米农田不同保护性耕作模式对环境的潜在影响。结果表明,四种保护性耕作模式的能源消耗、温室气体排放、环境酸化和富营养化的潜在环境影响分别平均比传统耕作模式减少14.62%、82.82%、15.37%和15.28%,主要由氮肥的生产及施用引起;水体毒性、土壤毒性及人体毒性则分别比传统耕作高7.40%、6.42%和7.38%,主要由农药的施用引起。综合各种环境影响类型,尽管4种保护性耕作模式较传统耕作模式能显著减缓全球变暖,但对其他环境类型的改变不明显,其中水体毒性为该种植系统中最主要的环境影响类型,富营养化次之。     

Methanogenic activity of woody debris

The paper is devoted to the phenomenon of methanogenic activity of woody debris, i.e., methane production in the course of wood decomposition by fungi, which are not directly involved in methane synthesis but form an initial link in the trophic chain leading to methanogenic archaea. Expert evaluation of probable amounts of methane emission is made. The results show that woody debris is an important global source of this greenhouse gas.     

Spatial identification by satellite imagery of the crop–fallow rotation cycle in northern Laos

In the mountainous regions of northern Laos, shifting cultivation, or slash-and-burn agriculture, is widely practiced. However, the crop–fallow rotation cycle is becoming shorter owing to forest conservation policies and population pressure, causing loss of productivity that deleteriously affects farmers’ livelihoods in the region. To investigate regional land use conditions, we have developed a method of identifying the crop–fallow rotation cycle from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ (ETM+) data. We assessed the impact of the identified cycle on plant production measured by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The study site was an area in Luang Prabang Province. Using eight TM and ETM+ images acquired annually from 1995 to 2003, except for 1998, when cloud-free data were not collected, we classified land use in each year as crop or fallow by the presence of vegetation in the late dry season. Conformity with fallow age determined by field investigation was 69.1%. The cultivation frequency from 1995 to 2002 showed that 77,000 ha (17.3% of the study site) had not been used for cropping during the period, but 41,000 ha (9.2%) had been used every year. Of the study site, 129,000 ha (29.1%) was cultivated one or two times, 83,000 ha (18.7%) was three or four times, and 54,000 ha (12.2%) was five or six times. The NDVI of crops in November did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the assumption that a longer fallow period would result in better crop yields. Instead, the regeneration of fallow vegetation was evidenced by the higher NDVI values after longer fallow. More than 8 years would be needed to reach the same NDVI as forest. From the produced maps indicating fallow age and cultivation frequency, we found that areas with high potential for regeneration decreased as cultivation frequency increased. Areas near rivers were intensively used, and fallow length was accordingly short. Low-potential areas were found in the western basin of the Mekong River. This spatial information can be used to detect areas where biomass productivity is at high risk of deteriorating. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Sustainability of silicon feedstock for a low-carbon society

We need to ensure the sustainable management of advanced materials, such as purified silicon, that contribute to a low-carbon society. Because a drastic increase in the demand for photovoltaic (PV) systems is tightening the supply of silicon for PV cells, the sustainability of silicon feedstock needs to be explored. For this purpose, a material flow analysis of silicon in Japan from 1996 to 2006 is presented in this paper. Our analysis finds that rapid growth in demand for polycrystalline silicon (pc-silicon) and single crystalline silicon (sc-silicon) has changed the structure of the purified silicon supply. The strong demand for purified silicon for solar cells is responsible for this change. While off-grade silicon obtained as a by-product of electronic-grade silicon (EG-Si) covered the demand for solar sells before 2000, pc-silicon is currently produced independently for solar cells via an energy-intensive process. Analysis of the resource effective-use index (REI), which indicates how effectively purified silicon is used, shows progress in the effective use of pc- and sc-silicon. REI analysis indicates that the effective use of pc-silicon is reaching a maximum, while the effective use of sc-silicon is advancing, with a corresponding increase in price. To ensure a sustainable supply of silicon feedstock, this paper proposes four solutions: (1) production of solar-grade pc-silicon by a less costly and less energy-consuming method; (2) reduction in the amount of crystalline silicon per watt in solar cells; (3) acceleration of the development and deployment of other solar cell types; and (4) reuse and recycling of solar cells in the future.     

河流生态用水综合评价

为完善河流生态用水综合评价,从水循环中河流生态用水角度出发,以河流水量收支平衡规律为理论基础,考虑河流本底水质,采用本底水质、排放水质和河流控制目标污染物浓度表达河流生态新污径比,并推导出污水排放允许极限值,深入探讨了河流生态用水的质与量综合评价,改进了二元循环下河流生态用水的水量水质计算方法和河流生态用水的综合评价新标准,进一步完善了河流生态用水质与量综合评价模型。用此模型对黄河2002～2005年为例进行实力分析,结果表明：①在污水一级达标排放和不调水情况下,黄河生态用水水量比例在335%～545%,在Tennant等级中为较好状态,但水质不满足要求,bo>Blim;②在污水深度处理达到95 mg/L（COD）,不调水情况下,黄河生态用水质与量满足生态环境需水要求,综合评价合格;③在污水一级达标排放和南水北调调水40亿m3情况下,黄河生态用水水量比例有较大提高,综合评价合格。这说明,黄河生态用水问题不仅是水量短缺,而且水质问题更加严重。     

河流湿地氮循环修复过程中的新型功能微生物

自然生态系统中厌氧氨氧化菌和氨氧化古菌的发现,改变了人们对传统氮循环过程的认识.通过氨氧化古菌和厌氧氨氧化菌在缺氧/厌氧的条件下完成硝化反应和封闭的氮循环,对于河流氮循环生态修复意义显著.通过PCR聚合酶链反应结合水体沉积物理化指标,研究典型河流湿地中厌氧氨氧化菌和氨氧化古菌及其在循环中的作用.结果表明,在海河支流北运河湿地中存在厌氧氨氧化菌和氨氧化古菌,它们对于水体和底泥沉积物的氮转化有较重要作用.通过构建16S rRNA克隆文库生物多样性分析比较,发现湿地中厌氧氨氧化菌的生物多样性相对较低,96个克隆序列只分为3个OTUs;其与基因库(GenBank)中已探明的厌氧氨氧化菌CandidatusKuenenia stuttgartiensis和CandidatusBrocadia fulgida的相似度分别为98%和95%.通过建立氨氧化古菌克隆文库发现,96个克隆子共得到5个OTUs,其与GenBank中关系最近序列(土壤/沉积物中)的相似度均大于95%;对本实验样本和水相、土壤/沉积物相中不同氨氧化古菌进行进化谱系分析,发现北运河河流湿地的古菌amoA基因属于土壤/沉积物进化分支.