A Rapid Method for Assessing the Environmental Performance of Commercial Farms in the Pampas of Argentina

The generation of reliable updated information is critical to support the harmonization of socio-economic and environmental issues in a context of sustainable development. The agro-environmental assessment and management of agricultural systems often relies on indicators that are necessary to make sound decisions. This work aims to provide an approach to (a) assess the environmental performance of commercial farms in the Pampas of Argentina, and (b) propose a methodological framework to calculate environmental indicators that can rapidly be applied to practical farming. 120 commercial farms scattered across the Pampas were analyzed in this study during 2002 and 2003. Eleven basic indicators were identified and calculation methods described. Such indicators were fossil energy (FE) use, FE use efficiency, nitrogen (N) balance, phosphorus (P) balance, N contamination risk, P contamination risk, pesticide contamination risk, soil erosion risk, habitat intervention, changes in soil carbon stock, and balance of greenhouse gases. A model named Agro-Eco-Index was developed on a Microsoft-Excel support to incorporate on-farm collected data and facilitate the calculation of indicators by users. Different procedures were applied to validate the model and present the results to the users. Regression models (based on linear and non-linear models) were used to validate the comparative performance of the study farms across the Pampas. An environmental dashboard was provided to represent in a graphical way the behavior of farms. The method provides a tool to discriminate environmentally friendly farms from those that do not pay enough attention to environmental issues. Our procedure might be useful for implementing an ecological certification system to reward a good environmental behavior in society (e.g., through tax benefits) and generate a commercial advantage (e.g., through the allocation of green labels) for committed farmers.     

Community-Based Environmental Management in Atlantic Canada: The Impacts and Spheres of Influence of the Atlantic Coastal Action Program

The Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) is a unique, community-based program initiated by Environment Canada in 1991 to help Atlantic Canadians restore and sustain watersheds and adjacent coastal areas. ACAP is the eastem-most Environment Canada Ecosystem Initiative. The ACAP family is currently made up of 14 ecosystem-based organizations in the four Atlantic provinces. Each one of these non-profit organizations operates independently, but is formally linked under the umbrella of ACAP to represent a force stronger than the individual parts. In Environment Canada's experience, the program consistently demonstrates the value of a community-based approach and produces results on an ecosystem basis. This paper will examine some of the impacts of ACAP in terms of economics, credible community science, and environmental results which most often align with Environment Canada's objectives. It will explore the influences of the community-based approach to environmental management on multiple scales (local, regional, etc.). Through examples, the paper will demonstrate the effectiveness of ACAP in influencing some of the policies, programs and attitudes of various levels of government and industry in the region, as well as describe how the community-based model has been exported internationally. The paper will conclude with a discussion on a planned path forward for ACAP.     

环境对冲压发动机烟火点火器性能影响研究

为促进某型冲压发动机烟火点火器生产工艺的定型,在海南进行了高温、高湿热带海洋气候自然环境对点火器长期贮存性能影响的研究。点火器采取无包装的暴露试验和密封包装贮存试验2种方法,分别在户外暴露场、棚库和库房等3种环境条件下进行试验。通过试验得到环境温度变化对密封包装储存的点火器的绝缘电阻值、电阻性能均无明显影响,点火性能良好,玻璃钢、涂层等贮存性能良好,点火器的环境适应性良好等结论。     

ABR反应器的碱度变化及调控研究

研究了折流厌氧反应器(ABR)运行中碱度的变化情况及其与ABR各格室中VFA、pH和COD变化之间的关系.结果表明,碱度沿程变化与反应器的VFA浓度变化密切相关,碱度和pH值的最低点出现在VFA浓度最高点.碱度条件是通过pH值影响系统的运行.ABR沿程碱度和pH值变化都存在一个先降低后上升的过程.碱度控制一般以保证ABR沿程最低pH值不低于6.0为准,6.5以上为佳.进水碱度的下限与反应器的进水浓度密切相关.在低负荷COD条件下[3.7 kg/(m³·d)],保持ABR运行良好的最低碱度为800 mg/L.     

生活垃圾焚烧飞灰在饰面砖中资源化应用技术

分析了飞灰的性质,利用飞灰、红泥及缸砂研制饰面砖,研究了飞灰对饰面砖性能及微观结构的影响,并对其安全性进行了评价。结果表明:飞灰主要化学成分是CaO、SiO2、Al2O3,构成SiO2-Al22O3-金属氧化物体系,可用作饰面砖的原材料;当飞灰掺加量为20%时,饰面砖表现出良好的性能:抗压强度19·2MPa,吸水率7·2%,表观质量达到一等品要求;与飞灰相比,饰面砖中重金属浸出能力大大降低:As、Pb、Ni、Cr、Cu、Hg、Cd水平振荡浸出毒性未检测出,Zn的水平振荡浸出值下降到飞灰中的0·014倍,Hg、Cd有效浸出毒性未检测出,As、Pb、Ni、Cr、Cu、Zn的有效浸出毒性分别下降到飞灰中的0·056、0·001、0·067、0·058、0·056、0·029倍。     

Towards a Paradigmatic Shift in Sustainability Studies: A Systematic Review of Peer Reviewed Literature and Future Agenda Setting to Consider Environmental (Un)sustainability of Digital Communication

The materiality of digital communication inflicts substantial environmental damage: the extraction of resources needed to produce digital devices; the toxicity of e-waste; and the rapidly increasing energy demands required to sustain data generated by digital communication. This damage, however, is paradoxically under-theorized in scholarship on environmental sustainability. Despite the existing critique of the “techno-fix” approach in sustainability studies, digitization – and digital communication in particular – continue to be celebrated as the tool for environmental sustainability; an approach we coin “digital solutionism.” The article presents the first systematic review of the literature to map the implicit assumptions about the relationships between digital communications and environmental sustainability, in order to examine how digital solutionism manifests, and why it persists. We propose a concept matrix that identifies the key blind spots with regards to environmental damages of the digital, and call for a paradigmatic shift in environmental sustainability studies. An agenda for future research is put forward that advocates for the following: (1) a systematic account of material damages of devices, platforms and data systems adopted into sustainability research and practice, resulting in changes in both research framing and methodological foundations; (2) a reconceptualization and denaturalization of the digital itself as a promising solution; (3) a theoretical dialogue between sustainability studies and environmental communication. (4) an expansion of environmental communication as a field, from focusing on the communication aspect of environmental change to include the environmental footprint of communication itself.     

新型汽车空调制冷剂CMR-O2与R12、R134a性能比较

介绍一种新型制冷剂CMR-02。为分析其应用于汽车空调的可行性,比较了CMR-02与R134a和R12三种制冷剂在热工性能、环境性能、安全性与共沸性等方面的优劣,并比较了CMR-02和R134a的压缩机性能,发现CMR-02的单位质量制冷量增加显著(68.10%),单位容积制冷量增加14.38%,符合环保要求,且成本低廉,可以作为R12的一种较好的过渡性替代物。     

固相萃取-UPLC-MS/MS法测定环境水体中多种抗生素

采用固相萃取-超高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定环境水样中25种磺胺类和喹诺酮类抗生素,通过优化试验条件,使方法在2.00μg/L～200μg/L范围内线性良好,方法检出限为1.01ng/L～2.85ng/L,7次测定结果的RSD为2.3%～8.0%。将该方法用于自来水和地表水测定,结果均为未检出,高、低质量浓度水平的加标回收率为61.2%～102%。     

HPLC-三重四级杆质谱法测定医疗废水中抗生素残留

采用固相萃取/高效液相色谱-三重四级杆质谱法同时测定医疗废水中的20种超痕量抗生素残留,通过优化试验条件,使方法在100μg/L～100μg/L范围内线性良好,方法检出限为024ng/L～122ng/L。空白水样和实际水样3个质量浓度水平的加标回收率分别为80.2%～108%和75.8%～114%,6次测定结果的RSD分别为2.4%～8.4%和1.7%～8.1%。将该方法用于测定重庆市2家三甲医院医疗废水中的超痕量抗生素残留,结果有11种抗生素检出,其余均为未检出。     

Sludge concentration dynamic distribution and its impact on the performance of UNITANK

UNITANK is a biological wastewater treatment process that combines the advantages of traditional activated sludge process and sequencing batch reactor, which is divided into Tank A, B and C. In this study, the sludge distribution and its impact on performance of UNITANK were carried out in Liede Wastewater Plant （WWTP） of Guangzhou, China. Results showed that there was a strong affiliation between Tank A and B of the system in sludge concentration distribution. The initial sludge concentration in Tank A could present the sludge distribution of the whole system. The sludge distribution was mainly influenced by hydraulic condition. Unsteady sludge distribution had an impact on variations of substrates in reactors, especially in decisive reactor, and this could lead to failure of system. Settler could partially remove substrates such as COD and NO3-N, but there was adventure of sludge deterioration. The rational initial sludge concentration in Tank A should be 4000-6000 mg/L MLSS.