Discovering meaningful information from large amounts of environment and health data to reduce uncertainties in formulating environmental policies

This study uses knowledge discovery concepts to analyze large amounts of data step by step for the purpose of assisting in the formulation of environmental policy. We performed data cleansing and extracting from existing nation-wide databases, and used regression and classification techniques to analyze the data. The current water hardness in Kaohsiung, Taiwan contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but exacerbates the development of renal stones (RS). However, to focus on water hardness alone to control RS would not be cost effective at all, because the existing database parameters do not adequately allow for a clear understanding of RS. Analysis of huge amounts of data can most often turn up the most reliable and convincing results and the use of existing databases can be cost-effective.     

Controls on Nutrients Across a Prairie Stream Watershed: Land Use and Riparian Cover Effects

Nutrient inputs generally are increased by human-induced land use changes and can lead to eutrophication and impairment of surface waters. Understanding the scale at which land use influences nutrient loading is necessary for the development of management practices and policies that improve water quality. The authors assessed the relationships between land use and stream nutrients in a prairie watershed dominated by intermittent stream flow in the first-order higher elevation reaches. Total nitrogen, nitrate, and phosphorus concentrations were greater in tributaries occupying the lower portions of the watershed, closely mirroring the increased density of row crop agriculture from headwaters to lower-elevation alluvial areas. Land cover classified at three spatial scales in each sub-basin above sampling sites (riparian in the entire catchment, catchment land cover, and riparian across the 2 km upstream) was highly correlated with variation in both total nitrogen (r² = 53%, 52%, and 49%, respectively) and nitrate (r² = 69%, 65%, and 56%, respectively) concentrations among sites. However, phosphorus concentrations were not significantly associated with riparian or catchment land cover classes at any spatial scale. Separating land use from riparian cover in the entire watershed was difficult, but riparian cover was most closely correlated with in-stream nutrient concentrations. By controlling for land cover, a significant correlation of riparian cover for the 2 km above the sampling site with in-stream nutrient concentrations could be established. Surprisingly, land use in the entire watershed, including small intermittent streams, had a large influence on average downstream water quality although the headwater streams were not flowing for a substantial portion of the year. This suggests that nutrient criteria may not be met only by managing permanently flowing streams.     

The effects of leachate recirculation with supplemental water addition on methane production and waste decomposition in a simulated tropical landfill

In order to increase methane production efficiency, leachate recirculation is applied in landfills to increase moisture content and circulate organic matter back into the landfill cell. In the case of tropical landfills, where high temperature and evaporation occurs, leachate recirculation may not be enough to maintain the moisture content, therefore supplemental water addition into the cell is an option that could help stabilize moisture levels as well as stimulate biological activity. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of leachate recirculation and supplemental water addition on municipal solid waste decomposition and methane production in three anaerobic digestion reactors. Anaerobic digestion with leachate recirculation and supplemental water addition showed the highest performance in terms of cumulative methane production and the stabilization period time required. It produced an accumulated methane production of 54.87 l/kg dry weight of MSW at an average rate of 0.58 l/kg dry weight/d and reached the stabilization phase on day 180. The leachate recirculation reactor provided 17.04 l/kg dry weight at a rate of 0.14l/kg dry weight/d and reached the stabilization phase on day 290. The control reactor provided 9.02 l/kg dry weight at a rate of 0.10 l/kg dry weight/d, and reached the stabilization phase on day 270. Increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) after the waste had reached the stabilization phase made it possible to increase the methane content of the gas, the methane production rate, and the COD removal. Comparison of the reactors' efficiencies at maximum OLR (5 kgCOD/m(3)/d) in terms of the methane production rate showed that the reactor using leachate recirculation with supplemental water addition still gave the highest performance (1.56 l/kg dry weight/d), whereas the leachate recirculation reactor and the control reactor provided 0.69 l/kg dry weight/d and 0.43 l/kg dry weight/d, respectively. However, when considering methane composition (average 63.09%) and COD removal (average 90.60%), slight differences were found among these three reactors.     

TUGAI: An Integrated Simulation Tool for Ecological Assessment of Alternative Water Management Strategies in a Degraded River Delta

The development of ecologically sound water allocation strategies that account for the needs of riverine ecosystems is a pressing issue, especially in semiarid river basins. In the Aral Sea Basin, a search for strategies to mitigate ecological and socioeconomic deterioration has been in process since the early 1990s. The Geographic Information System–based simulation tool TUGAI has been developed to support the policy determination process by providing a simple, problem-oriented method to assess ecological effects of alternative water management strategies for the Amudarya River. It combines a multiobjective water allocation model with simple, spatially explicit statistical and rule-based models of landscape dynamics. Changes in environmental conditions are evaluated by a fuzzy habitat suitability index for Populus euphratica, which is the dominant species of the characteristic riverine Tugai forests. Water management scenarios can be developed by altering spatiotemporal water distribution in the delta area or the amount of water inflow into the delta. Outcomes of scenario analysis are qualitative comparisons of the ecological effects of different options for a time period of up to 28 years. The given approach utilizes different types of knowledge, from quantitative hydrological data to qualitative local expert knowledge. The main purpose of the tool is to integrate the knowledge in a comprehensive way to make it available for discussions on alternative policies in moderated workshops with stakeholders. In this article, the modules of the tool, their integration, and three hypothetical scenarios are presented. Based on the experience gained when developing the TUGAI tool, we propose that the general framework can be transferred to other areas where tradeoffs in water allocation between the environment and other water users are of major concern. The potential for a simulation tool to structure and inform a complex resource management situation by involving local experts and stakeholders in the development of possible future scenarios will become increasingly valuable for transparent and participatory resource management.     

城市景观水污染现状及处理技术

城市景观水体由于水质恶化而渐渐影响附近居民的正常生活,要从根本上保证水质需采取一定的水源保护和水处理措施。在景观水处理中,适用于景观水处理的工艺有很多,但工程实施中需要对其进行选择、优化、组合。随着社会不断发展和人们生活质量要求不断提高,景观水处理也必将成为继生活用水处理、工业用水处理后的又一给水处理新领域。     

Managing disposal of water produced with petroleum in Kuwait

Disposal of water produced with petroleum has been of great interest in Kuwait for the last 20 years. The current problem arose when the Burgan oil field, which is the second largest field in the world, experienced successive increases in the water content of the produced oil. This study introduces a decision-making analysis of the considered alternatives for the disposal of the produced water. Four alternative solutions exist for the industry as practical solutions for the disposal of water produced in Kuwait. The first method utilizes a large number of pits to discharge water. The second alternative depends on discharging water into sealed pits. The third approach to dispose water is by injecting the water underground. The last method is similar to the previous one, but takes into consideration the recovery of reservoir pressure to maintain the rate of oil production. A questionnaire was distributed to 48 experts at the top management level of the petroleum companies and the governmental authority. The data collected considered cost, efficiency, and environmental parameters. Based on the data, a statistical analysis was conducted using the factor analysis method to reduce the number of investigated variables. The analysis concluded that the optimal solution is to use the effluent injection method to discharge water produced with oil in Burgan and similar fields in Kuwait.     

碳责任账户的目标原则、分配逻辑与框架构建：账户建立

随着全球环境问题日趋严重,企业和消费者日益认识到减缓气候变化的紧迫性。作为经济活动的主要参与者,减少温室气体排放已经成为任何单个企业及其供应链的巨大挑战。供应链的所有参与者都需要为气候减缓做出努力。现有的碳排放责任核算大多从企业的生产方面入手。最终消费者作为供应链的重要参与者,是所有生产者的最终服务对象,同样具有不可忽视的碳减排作用以及应承担的碳减排责任。本文提出以产品为导向,考虑产品生产过程中的直接碳排放和间接碳排放,建立产品碳排放基准值,对基于供应链的所有参与主体进行责任分配,进而建立基于供应链的碳责任账户。本文构建的责任体系框架具有更广泛、更有前景的应用潜力。     

松花江野生鱼类重金属残留分析与评价

以松花江流域的野生鱼类为研究对象,在松花江流域选取松林、大顶子山、佳木斯3个具有代表性的点位,在2014—2016年的每年5月底6月初采集鲤鱼和鲫鱼样品,3年内共制备45个鲤鱼单样,44个鲤鱼混样,30个鲫鱼混样,共计119个。采用电感耦合等离子体-质谱法对鱼类肌肉组织中残留的As、Cd、Cr、Pb、Hg 5种重金属进行检测。检测结果显示,As、Cd、Cr、Pb、Hg 5种重金属全部检出,检测结果全部达标,达标率为100%。根据检测结果采用单因子指数法和金属污染指数法等评价了松花江流域鱼体重金属残留状况及食用安全性,评价结果为松花江流域鱼类重金属残留量相对较少,鱼体健康,食用安全。     

瑞典的水环境保护经验及对我国的启示

介绍了瑞典的水环境保护法规政策、水环境保护机构、污水处理体系及其在水环境保护方面的特色做法。结合目前我国水环境管理所处的阶段,从顶层设计、宣传教育、项目管理、污染防治等方面,总结了瑞典经验对我国水环境保护工作的启示。     

水处理中微生物絮凝剂产生菌的选育及应用

综述了微生物絮凝剂产生菌筛选和培育方面的研究进展,介绍了微生物絮凝剂在给水和饮用水、乳化液的油水分离、污水处理等领域的应用,以及廉价培养基的探索实践。提出针对影响微生物絮凝剂产生菌生长代谢的环境条件开展深入研究,同时寻找或设计廉价培养基,降低生产成本,推动其工业化应用。