Imperatives for attracting investment and technology in the Indian mining sector

In India, the mineral resource inventory and the production of a large number of important minerals have registered significant increases during the last few decades. Yet the country continues to be a net importer of many high value and scarce minerals and metals, like gold, diamond, and several base metals. Exploration and development of the resources of these minerals are technology- and capital-intensive. To bring technology and capital through foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Indian mineral sector, it is imperative to lay stress on: accurate resource estimation and categorization, as well as realistic projection of the true values; rationalization of legislative measures based on R&D studies and reorganization of the implementation machinery; conducive tax structure; notification of acts and rules applicable to offshore mineral resources; time-frames for granting licences and leases; encouragement to labor productivity by rationalizing labor laws; reforms in the monetary system to increase market competitiveness of Indian minerals; and judicial reforms. FDI in the Indian mineral sector is important to firm up the knowledge-base of mineral resources and their optimum exploitation.     

Reuse of wastewater for industrial needs: the Pontedera case

This paper presents result from an economic and technical point of view evaluation study, which has sought to establish the potential for replacing well-water that is currently used at the Piaggio industrial plant in Pontedera with recycled wastewater. The study is based upon a pilot wastewater treatment plant, which has been used to test wastewater treatment processes and to compare with achieved quality of recycled waters with that of water drawn on-site from physical/chemical pre-treatment and end with a reverse osmosis and air stripping stage. However, after the physical/chemical pre-treatment, the first option uses oxidation with ozone followed by activated carbon filtration, whereas the second method uses ultrafiltration. The first method is more effective at reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) whereas the second method is more effective in removing bacteria. Nonetheless, both methods deliver water for re-use of a quality comparable with or better than that of well-water. In principle, the reverse osmosis permeate from either process could be re-used in all production phases at the industrial plant. However, the method base upon oxidation with ozone followed by activated carbon filtration is preferred, because, the process is simpler and continuous. The economic analysis of this process gives an estimated cost of Euro 0.55 per m³ for treated water. This compares favorably with other treatment processes and with the cost of other forms of water supply, which are projected to increase in any case.     

我国矿井环境模拟和控制技术的研究进展

计算机技术的迅速发展,极大地推动了矿井动态通风系统定量分析的研究。本文介绍了我国近年来在矿井火灾时期井下状态模拟和最优控制方面应用新技术获得的进展,并对各种定性及定量分析方法进行比较和评价。文中对建立矿井火灾时期救灾决策系统的研究方向提出了建议,以便能尽快的为矿井灾变时期的救灾指挥决策的实际应用服务。     

论事故与系统危险性的关系

对安全评价中的一些基本概念和参数作了明确的论述,如危险、事故、系统危险性、事故链、固有危险和危险特性、发生事故的难易度与事故概率以及系统可靠度。对澄清当前尚有争论的概念有所帮助,有利于安全评价的顺利进行,也有利于安全科学学科建设。最后对系统危险性的发展趋势作了几点预测。     

将劳动安全卫生教育推向社会

从阐述我国劳动安全卫生教育面临的一个重要方面的问题入手,提出劳动安全卫生教育必须由企业推向社会。还探讨了劳动安全卫生教育推向社会的意义、作用以及具体方法。     

ECOLOGICAL MODELS AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES1

The recent world-wide trend towards centralization of all environmental management functions into one regulatory agency has illustrated the necessity for resources management agencies to adopt a total systems viewpoint. Environmental systems are typically complex and multi-dimensional in nature. Mathematical models for the management of air, water and land resources have found wide acceptance among planners and decision-makers. Ecological models of life processes have not reached the same state of development or acceptance. A general review of ecological systems theory and examples of the types of ecological models that have been developed to date arc presented in this paper. With this material as a background and given the vast literature on engineering and economic models, a conceptual framework for an approach to environmental studies and the analysis of polluted environmental systems is presented.     

SEASONAL OCCURRENCE OF ANNUAL FLOODS ON SMALL PENNSYLVANIA WATERSHEDS1

A study is presented of the months in which the instantaneous annual maximum discharges from 66 watersheds occurred. The 2,052 flood values were measured on areas ranging from 2.4 through 214 square miles. The longest record was 60 years; the three shortest were 20. Pictorial results show both the number of floods for each month and individual discharges relative to the mean flood. A parameter which is weighted in this manner accounts for both the incidence and the magnitude of floods. Peculiarities of flood-timing charts, based on this parameter, are discussed with respect to watershed size, soils, geology, and land use. After anomolous watersheds had been assigned to special categories, flood-timing charts from most records exhibit a regional dichotomy dividing eastern from western Pennsylvania.     

LINEAR PROGRAMMING APPLICATIONS IN WATER RESOURCES1

Applications of linear programming to water quality and water quantity problems are discussed, and a fairly comprehensive sample of recent literature in these areas is reviewed. Basic elements of linear programming are also discussed. Emphasis is placed on the elements of linear programming that make it a useful tool for analyzing water resource problems and the basic features of various water resource problems that render them amenable to meaningful analysis by linear programming.