From COVID-19 to Green Recovery with natural capital accounting

The COVID-19 pandemic and related social and economic emergencies induced massive public spending and increased global debt. Economic recovery is now an opportunity to rebuild natural capital alongside financial, physical, social and human capital, for long-term societal benefit. Yet, current decision-making is dominated by economic imperatives and information systems that do not consider society’s dependence on natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. New international standards for natural capital accounting (NCA) are now available to integrate environmental information into government decision-making. By revealing the effects of policies that influence natural capital, NCA supports identification, implementation and monitoring of Green Recovery pathways, including where environment and economy are most positively interlinked.     

一组表达安全创新的新概念及其关联问题

为提升安全创新能力和水平及公正评价安全成果,本文从表达安全创新的新概念创设开始,以科学学思想为指导,以元概念演绎法和双向思维法,创设了正负"元事物""元创事物""颠覆性元创事物"等系列新概念,将表达安全创新的"负元事物""负元创事物"和"负颠覆性元创事物"等概念与商业和科技等颠覆性创新对等起来,并推论出正负两类"颠覆性元创事物"所涉及的重要科学问题。之后,通过正负两类"颠覆性元创事物"的比较,并以近期发生的新冠肺炎为典型案例,得到一些发展和鉴别"负颠覆性元创事物"的方法与途径。研究结果对安全科技创新发展和评价等具有重要的理论意义。     

突发公共卫生事件下公交暴露风险辨识方法:以深圳应对新型冠状病毒肺炎为例

为定量评估突发公共卫生事件下的公交暴露风险,基于公交线网、交通分析区及新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)疫情信息等多源数据,考虑公交站点、交通分析区及疫情场所3种研究尺度,集成公交网络结构拓扑模型、公交网络中心性模型及核密度分析等空间分析方法,提出公交暴露风险的多尺度辨识方法,并以深圳市为例进行验证。结果表明:公交站点暴露风险在空间上呈现多中心—圈层结构,较高及高暴露风险站点多为交通枢纽、商场等,占比达26.40%;较高及高暴露风险交通分析区主要分布在工业、商业聚集区及居民点密集区,占比达32.84%;较高及高暴露风险疫情场所主要集中在城市核心区域,占比为28.92%。     

Determination of toxic metals in discarded Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)

This study focused on the determination of the toxic metal content of Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) present in various Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The main objective was the identification and quantification of toxic metals detected in LCD panels. An experimental procedure which involved dismantling, shredding, pulverization, digestion and chemical analysis was followed for the sorting, separation and analysis of LCD monitors from various electronic devices that are currently on the market. Nine selected devices were examined, originated from four different types of e-waste (WEEE); TVs, computers, mobile phones and tablets. Eleven metals were measured in all examined samples. In addition, concentration values of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were compared with the respective limits set by the RoHS 2002/95/EC Directive that was recently renewed by the 2012/19/EU recast. The comparison revealed that the examined toxic metals on LCD panels did not exceed the limits set by the European Union (EU). Furthermore, when results were compared to the TTLC regulatory limits it was revealed that in three samples As concentrations were higher than the limit. Finally, when the TCLP test was implemented the aforementioned samples did not exhibit proportionally elevated values in their leachates.     

Control of exhaled SARS-CoV-2-laden aerosols in the interpersonal breathing microenvironment in a ventilated room with limited space air stability

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the importance of understanding and controlling the spread of the coronavirus between persons. We experimentally and numerically investigated an advanced engineering and environmental method on controlling the transmission of airborne SARS-CoV-2-laden aerosols in the breathing microenvironment between two persons during interactive breathing process by combining the limited space air stability and a ventilation method. Experiments were carried out in a full-scale ventilated room with different limited space air stability conditions, i.e., stable condition, neutral condition and unstable condition. Two real humans were involved to conducted normal breathing process in the room and the exhaled carbon dioxide was used as the surrogate of infectious airborne SARS-CoV-2-laden aerosols from respiratory activities. A correspondent numerical model was established to visualize the temperature field and contaminated field in the test room. Results show that the performance of a ventilation system on removing infectious airborne SARS-CoV-2-laden aerosols from the interpersonal breathing microenvironment is dependent on the limited space air stability conditions. Appropriate ventilation method should be implemented based on an evaluation of the air condition. It is recommended that total volume ventilation methods are suitable for unstable and neutral conditions and local ventilation methods are preferable for stable conditions. This study provides an insight into the transmission of airborne SARS-CoV-2-laden aerosols between persons in ventilated rooms with different limited space air stability conditions. Useful guidance has been provided to cope with COVID-19 in limited spaces.     

新冠疫情期间四川盆地空气质量及影响因素分析

基于污染源排放调查、空气质量和组分站观测数据,利用WRF/SMOKE/CMAQ模式系统,分析2020年新冠疫情期间污染源和气象条件变化对空气质量的影响.结果表明:①2020年新冠疫情期间,四川盆地除ρ(03)同比上升外,ρ(S02)、ρ(N02)、ρ(CO)、ρ(PM2.5)和ρ(PM10)均同比下降,下降幅度为8％～41％.②疫情期间成都市PM2.5组分与2019年同期相比,ρ(Cl-)、ρ(K+)、ρ(Si)、ρ(Al)、ρ(Ca)和ρ(EC)的占比均同比下降,说明疫情期间施工工地、机动车、工业燃煤和生物质燃烧排放减少是ρ(PM2.5)下降的主要原因.③疫情期间,工业源S02、NOx、PM10、PM25和 VOCs排放量分别同比下降32％、31％、40％、39％和41％;成都市机动车车流量仅为正常时段的40.3％,车速提升19.7％,NOx、VOCs和CO日排放量降幅分别为44.7％、49.6％和38.0％,污染物的非等比例下降使得机动车排放贡献的大气氧化性进一步增强.④2020年疫情期间四川盆地气象条件同比不利,使得ρ(PM2.5)、ρ(NO2)、ρ(SO2)、ρ(O3)和ρ(PM10)分别上升2％、4％、23％、6％和8％,扣除气象条件变化影响后,ρ(PM2.5)、ρ(NO2)、ρ(SO2)和ρ(PM10)分别下降21％、45％、31％和30％,ρ(03)上升12％.     

污染减排及新冠肺炎对广州空气质量影响分析

自2017年《广州市空气质量达标规划》实施以来,广州空气质量大幅改善并于2020年首次实现全面达标,评估《规划》中本地污染减排措施实施成效可为后续大气污染防治提供参考.本研究基于各种减排情景的排放核算结果,综合运用空气质量模型模拟和数据融合技术,量化评估了本地污染减排措施、新冠疫情防控工作、周边排放控制及气象条件变化4种影响因素对2017—2020年广州市空气质量改善的贡献.评估结果显示,本地污染减排措施是2017—2020年SO₂、NO₂、PM₁₀及PM_2.5浓度下降的主导因素,其浓度削减贡献分别为53.58%、31.60%、34.24%及30.82%;疫情防控工作的浓度削减贡献在初期较大,但在后期随着复工复产而减弱;周边减排空气质量改善效果弱于本地污染减排;气象条件变化对各污染物浓度下降均存在正贡献,且对O3浓度削减的贡献(81.96%)尤为显著.     

深圳市2022年春季新冠疫情管控期间空气质量分析

短期减排是我国城市应对大气污染事件的重要应急管控手段,但短期减排的效益尚未得到完善分析.2022年3月14～20日,广东省深圳市为抑制新冠疫情传播实施了全市管控,为评估短期减排对华南城市春季空气质量的影响提供独特机会.结合深圳市高精度环境空气质量监测与气象观测等多源数据,分析了深圳市管控期间前后的空气质量变化.此次管控前和管控期中均有部分日期天气形势静稳,局地污染水平主要反映本地排放,有利于分析本地减排的影响.观测与WRF-GC区域化学模拟都表明,与珠三角周边城市相比,深圳市管控期间由于市内交通源排放显著减少,深圳市二氧化氮(NO₂)浓度降低(-26±9.5)%,可吸入颗粒物(PM₁₀)浓度降低(-28±6.4)%,细颗粒物(PM_2.5)浓度降低(-20±8.2)%,但臭氧(O₃)浓度无显著变化[(-1.0±6.5)%].TROPOMI卫星观测的甲醛和二氧化氮柱浓度数据对比表明,2022年春季珠三角臭氧光化学主要受挥发性有机物(VOCs)浓度控制,对氮氧化物浓度降低不敏感,反而可能因氮氧化物对臭氧滴...     

Number of COVID-19 cases required in a population to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater in the province of Alberta, Canada: Sensitivity assessment

With a unique and large size of testing results of 1,842 samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for 14 months through from low to high prevalence of COVID-19, the sensitivity of RT-qPCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater that correspond to the communities was computed by using Probit analysis. This study determined the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population required to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater at defined probabilities and provided an evidence-based framework of wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance (WBE). Input data were positive and negative test results of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater samples and the corresponding new COVID-19 case rates per 100,000 population served by each WWTP. The analyses determined that RT-qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection threshold at 50%, 80% and 99% probability required a median of 8 (range: 4-19), 18 (9-43), and 38 (17-97) of new COVID-19 cases /100,000, respectively. Namely, the positive detection rate at 50%, 80% and 99% probability were 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.04% averagely for new cases in the population. This study improves understanding of the performance of WBE SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection using the large datasets and prolonged study period. Estimated COVID-19 burden at a community level that would result in a positive detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is critical to support WBE application as a supplementary warning/monitoring system for COVID-19 prevention and control.