Environmental assessment of packaging: Sense and sensibility

The functions of packaging are derived from product requirements, thus for insight into the environmental effects of packaging the actual combination of product and package has to be evaluated along the production and distribution system. This extension to all related environmental aspects adds realism to the environmental analysis and provides guidance for design while preventing a too detailed investigation of parts of the production system. This approach is contrary to current environmental studies where packaging is always treated as an independent object, neglecting the more important environmental effects of the product that are influenced by packaging. The general analysis and quantification stages for this approach are described, and the currently available methods for the assessment of environmental effects are reviewed. To limit the workload involved in an environmental assessment, a step-by-step analysis and the use of feedback is recommended. First the dominant environmental effects of a particular product and its production and distribution are estimated. Then, on the basis of these preliminary results, the appropriate system boundaries are chosen and the need for further or more detailed environmental analysis is determined. For typical food and drink applications, the effect of different system boundaries on the outcome of environmental assessments and the advantage of the step-by-step analysis of the food supply system is shown. It appears that, depending on the consumer group, different advice for reduction of environmental effects has to be given. Furthermore, because of interrelated environmental effects of the food supply system, the continuing quest for more detailed and accurate analysis of the package components is not necessary for improved management of the environmental effects of packaging.     

Characterization of air emissions and residual ash from open burning of electronic wastes during simulated rudimentary recycling operations

Air emissions and residual ash samples were collected and analyzed during experiments of open, uncontrolled combustion of electronic waste (e-waste), simulating practices associated with rudimentary e-waste recycling operations. Circuit boards and insulated wires were handled separately to simulate processes associated with metal recovery. The average emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) were 92 ng toxic equivalency (TEQ)/kg [n = 2, relative standard deviation (RSD) = 98%] and 11 900 ng TEQ/kg (n = 3, RSD = 50%) of the initial mass of the circuit boards and insulated wire, respectively. The value for the insulated wire is about 100 times higher than that for backyard barrel burning of domestic waste. The emission concentrations of polybrominated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/PBDFs) from the combustion of circuit boards were 100 times higher than for their polychlorinated counterparts. Particulate matter (PM) sampling of the fly ash emissions indicated PM emission factors of approximately 15 and 17 g/kg of the initial mass for the circuit boards and insulated wire, respectively. Fly ash samples from both types of e-waste contained considerable amounts of several metallic elements and halogens; lead concentrations were more than 200 times the United States regulatory limits for municipal waste combustors and 20 times those for secondary lead smelters. Leaching tests of the residual bottom ash showed that lead concentrations exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency landfill limits, designating this ash as a hazardous waste.     

基于系统科学的重要经济目标防护研究

透过国民经济、人防法规、防空战备等角度解释重要经济目标的概念,明确重要经济目标毁伤与防护是一系统现象、系统问题;在对毁伤的特征与影响、防护的特性与效能进行系统描述的基础上,按经济目标、空袭打击、防护对策3层面,构建了目标毁伤与防护的三维体系架构,提出了目标防护规律建模方法框架,确立了重要经济目标防护的系统科学观。其观点认为目标防护应立足保护系统功能,其实质是保护生产能力,旨在实现综合集成。     

The oxycoal process with cryogenic oxygen supply

Due to its large reserves, coal is expected to continue to play an important role in the future. However, specific and absolute CO₂ emissions are among the highest when burning coal for power generation. Therefore, the capture of CO₂ from power plants may contribute significantly in reducing global CO₂ emissions. This review deals with the oxyfuel process, where pure oxygen is used for burning coal, resulting in a flue gas with high CO₂ concentrations. After further conditioning, the highly concentrated CO₂ is compressed and transported in the liquid state to, for example, geological storages. The enormous oxygen demand is generated in an air-separation unit by a cryogenic process, which is the only available state-of-the-art technology. The generation of oxygen and the purification and liquefaction of the CO₂-enriched flue gas consumes significant auxiliary power. Therefore, the overall net efficiency is expected to be lowered by 8 to 12 percentage points, corresponding to a 21 to 36% increase in fuel consumption. Oxygen combustion is associated with higher temperatures compared with conventional air combustion. Both the fuel properties as well as limitations of steam and metal temperatures of the various heat exchanger sections of the steam generator require a moderation of the temperatures during combustion and in the subsequent heat-transfer sections. This is done by means of flue gas recirculation. The interdependencies among fuel properties, the amount and the temperature of the recycled flue gas, and the resulting oxygen concentration in the combustion atmosphere are investigated. Expected effects of the modified flue gas composition in comparison with the air-fired case are studied theoretically and experimentally. The different atmosphere resulting from oxygen-fired combustion gives rise to various questions related to firing, in particular, with regard to the combustion mechanism, pollutant reduction, the risk of corrosion, and the properties of the fly ash or the deposits that form. In particular, detailed nitrogen and sulphur chemistry was investigated by combustion tests in a laboratory-scale facility. Oxidant staging, in order to reduce NO formation, turned out to work with similar effectiveness as for conventional air combustion. With regard to sulphur, a considerable increase in the SO₂ concentration was found, as expected. However, the H₂S concentration in the combustion atmosphere increased as well. Further results were achieved with a pilot-scale test facility, where acid dew points were measured and deposition probes were exposed to the combustion environment. Besides CO₂ and water vapour, the flue gas contains impurities like sulphur species, nitrogen oxides, argon, nitrogen, and oxygen. The CO₂ liquefaction is strongly affected by these impurities in terms of the auxiliary power requirement and the CO₂ capture rate. Furthermore, the impurity of the liquefied CO₂ is affected as well. Since the requirements on the liquid CO₂ with regard to geological storage or enhanced oil recovery are currently undefined, the effects of possible flue gas treatment and the design of the liquefaction plant are studied over a wide range.     

The interaction between emissions trading and renewable electricity support schemes. An overview of the literature

The public promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources coexists in many countries with the recent implementation of emissions trading schemes. As shown by several papers, this coexistence may lead to significant interactions between both instruments, in the form of synergies and conflicts. This paper provides an overview and analysis of the literature on such coexistence and interactions. A major conclusion is that policy measures aiming at exploiting the synergies between both instruments should be implemented. The greatest synergy effects from the use of both instruments take place through appropriate coordination of their targets. Another key finding is that, although some stylised facts can be inferred from the studies, some results from those complex interactions are context-specific since they depend on the design of the instruments in particular countries. In spite of the significant policy implications of such interactions for the effective and cost-effective functioning of both instruments, this is a surprisingly under searched field. It is so concerning, both, theoretical and empirical analysis.

山东省二氧化硫排放总量的预测模型

介绍了灰色理论之GM(2,1)模型的建模思想,并成功地应用于山东省SO_2排放总量的预测,其结果与实际情况一致性很好,表明GM(2,1)模型预测区域SO_2排放总量是可行的。      

Incentives and prices in an emissions trading scheme with updating

Emissions trading schemes where allocations are based on updated baseline emissions give firms less incentive to reduce emissions for a given quota (or allowance) price. Nevertheless, according to Böhringer and Lange [On the design of optimal grandfathering schemes for emission allowances, Europ. Econ. Rev. 49 (2005) 2041–2055], such allocation schemes are cost-effective if the system is closed and allocation rules are identical across firms. In this paper, we show that the cost-effective solution may be infeasible if marginal abatement costs grow too fast. Moreover, if a price cap or banking/borrowing is introduced, the abatement profile is no longer the same as in the case with an auction (or lump-sum allocation). In addition, we show that with allocation based on updated emissions, the quota price will always exceed marginal abatement costs, possibly misguiding policy makers and investors about abatement costs. Numerical simulations indicate that the quota price most likely will be several times higher than marginal abatement costs, unless a significant share of allowances is auctioned.     

我国空气中挥发性有机物标准体系建设的对策和建议

介绍了挥发性有机物（VOCs）的界定与危害,以及美国、欧盟、日本 VOCs的排放标准、控制经验、效果、气体标准样品研究现状等。分析了我国 VOCs的污染、标准体系建设、标准样品等研究现状及存在的问题,提出我国应建立 VOCs筛选优控名单、制定并完善行业排放标准和监测方法体系,以及开展 VOCs气体标准样品研究等相关对策和建议。     

南京燃煤电厂烟气中汞的排放调查

对南京市8家国控污染源13台（套）燃煤锅炉进行监测,结果表明,燃煤电厂烟气中汞主要以气相部分汞形态存在,其排放值均达标,为0．16～15．9μg／m3,均远低于标准限值;煤质中汞含量与电厂烟气中汞浓度变化曲线的趋势是大致相似,相关系数为0．91;燃煤电厂机组容量、发电负荷越大,汞平均排放因子呈变小趋势;静电除尘器、湿法脱硫和选择性催化还原法的净化配置对汞的脱除效率最高,达到95．4％。     

基于MOVES的西安市出租车污染物排放分析

利用MOVES模型对2012年西安市出租车油改气后污染物排放因子进行模拟,得出污染物CO、NOx、PM2.5、PM10、HC的排放因子分别为3.488 1 g/km、0.370 0 g/km、0.004 7 g/km、0.005 1 g/km、0.095 2 g/km,计算得到5种污染物的年排放总量分别为4 830.76 t、512.42 t、6.51 t、7.06 t、131.85 t。将得到的数据与2010年相关数据比对,说明出租车油改气后污染物排放量在机动车总排放量中所占比例有所下降。