The Impending Peak and Decline of Petroleum Production: an Underestimated Challenge for Conservation of Ecological Integrity

Abstract: In the last few decades petroleum has been consumed at a much faster pace than new reserves have been discovered. The point at which global oil extraction will attain a peak (“peak oil”) and begin a period of unavoidable decline is approaching. This eventuality will drive fundamental changes in the quantity and nature of energy flows through the human economic system, which probably will be accompanied by economic turmoil, political conflicts, and a high level of social tension. Besides being a geological and economic issue, peak oil is also a fundamental concern as it pertains to ecological systems and conservation because economics is a subsystem of the global ecosystem and changes in human energy‐related behaviors can lead to a broad range of effects on natural ecosystems, ranging from overuse to abandonment. As it becomes more difficult to meet energy demands, environmental considerations may be easily superseded. Given the vital importance of ecosystems and ecosystem services in a postpetroleum era, it is crucially important to wisely manage our ecosystems during the transition period to an economy based on little or no use of fossil fuels. Good policies can be formulated through awareness and understanding gained from scenario‐based assessments. Presently, most widely used global scenarios of environmental change do not incorporate resource limitation, including those of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Considering the potential magnitude of the effects of peak oil on society and nature, the development of resource‐constrained scenarios should be addressed immediately. Ecologists and conservation biologists are in an important position to analyze the situation and provide guidance, yet the topic is noticeably absent from ecological discussions. We urge politicians, corporate chief executives, thought leaders, and citizens to consider this problem seriously because it is likely to develop into one of the key environmental issues of the 21st century.     

Printed in great Britain Cr(VI) and other metallic mutagens in fly ash and welding fumes†

Particulate samples taken from both the indoor (working) and outdoor (community) environments contain a wide range of metallic trace elements most of which are mutagenic in at least one of the short term tests for genotoxicity currently in use. Because of the demonstrated presence of a short lived biologically active species (Cr(VI)), and the uncertainty with which the results of the screening of metallic compounds in short term tests can be interpreted in terms of human risk, great care must be taken to assure the appropriate collection, storage, and chemical and biological assay of such material. The sensitivity of the results for fly ash and welding fumes to variations in these protocols is demonstrated and discussed.     

衡水电厂3B给水泵汽轮机转速摆动原因分析

给水泵小汽轮机的转速摆动是给水系统中常见的问题,引起的原因有测量不准、PID参数整定不当、伺服系统故障等多个方面。介绍了衡水电厂3B给水泵汽轮小机转速摆动故障的分析解决过程,分析了EH油质对电液伺服系统的重要性,提出了相关检修维护注意事项。     

Effect of calcination temperature on the application of sodium zirconate solid base catalyst for biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas oil

Influence of catalyst calcination temperature on the catalyst characteristics and catalytic transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil for biodiesel production was studied by using sodium zirconate (Na₂ZrO₃) solid base catalyst. Na₂ZrO₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation method followed by calcination at temperatures of 700, 800, and 900°C. The prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Important parameters influencing the catalytic activity and fatty acid methyl ester yield were investigated. It was found that the increase in calcination temperature showed marked increase in activity due to the increased porosity and presence of tetragonal zirconia. Investigation of the reusability of the catalysts showed that the catalytic activity was retained even after five cycles of reaction.     

Polymer and invert emulsifying oil effects upon droplet size spectra of sprays

Abstract

A series of wind tunnel atomization studies were carried out to investigate the effects of polymer and invert suspension oil “drift control adjuvants” upon the droplet size distribution spectra produced by nozzles typically used in aerial and ground based spraying of pesticides. A D8–46 disc and core was used as a typical aerial application nozzle, and an 8003 fan nozzle was used for the ground based sprayers simulation. The droplet size spectra were evaluated in a wind tunnel using a Malvern 2600 laser particle size analyzer immediately upon mixing and at 15 minutes after re‐circulation through a pumping system. The addition of the polymer‐based adjuvants significantly increased the droplet size spectra parameters of the spray cloud, but all the polymer products showed signs of breakdown of their molecular arrangements in the liquid medium, as a result of agitation. The invert suspension oil adjuvant did not change the droplet size spectra markedly, nor did it show signs of breakdown of the internal liquid structure after re‐circulation.     

围油栏在急流溢油应用中存在的问题与应对措施研究

分析了围油栏在急流溢油应用中存在的四种典型问题:溢油逃溢、溢油泄漏、溢油飞溅、围油栏不稳定性,研究讨论了四种相应的围油栏的应对措施,包括围油栏与水流成一定角度布放、围油栏以一定速度相对水流运动、采用急流分流器系统、实行多级重叠布放围油栏、优选围油栏以及围油栏顶部底部设置绳索,为急流条件下溢油污染的防治提供参考与借鉴。     

不同影响因素下石油污染土电阻率特征研究

通过室内配制标准样品的方式,利用Miller Soil Box法研究了土壤类型及组成、石油种类、含水饱和度、含油饱和度和孔隙率对石油污染土电阻率的影响,并利用灰色关联度法确定了电性变化主控因素,探讨了石油污染土电阻率公式.结果显示,不同土壤类型及组成的石油污染土电阻率大小存在差异,但影响因素主次顺序均为含水饱和度、含油饱和度、孔隙率;不同石油种类污染土电阻率差异较小;电阻率受土壤初始含水率影响较大,不同初始含水率状态下电阻率变化规律不同.通过引入含油饱和度改进Archie型公式,重新拟合石油污染土电阻率和污染物含量数据后发现,计算值和实测值的变化趋势更接近.     

基于综合生物标志物响应指数评价0~#柴油和平湖原油胁迫下的缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)毒性效应

选择0#柴油和平湖原油乳化液对缢蛏(Sinonovacula constricta)进行氧化胁迫实验,选取典型的抗氧化酶-超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、谷光甘肽硫转移酶(GST)及过氧化物酶(POD)用于衡量油类污染物对生物体造成的氧化压力大小.此外,结合综合生物标志物响应(Integrated Biomarker Responses,IBR)指标,对2种石油污染物对缢蛏的毒性响应进行定量化评价.结果表明,不同浓度的0#柴油和平湖原油对缢蛏消化腺中的4种酶表现出不同程度的诱导效应,各试验组在暴露前期均表现出诱导或抑制,但对4种酶的影响存在时间顺序性,SOD、CAT和GST的酶活性表现为升高-降低的过程,POD表现为降低-升高的过程,活性达到峰值的时间SOD和CAT要早于GST和POD.结合计算出的IBR数值来看,高浓度0#柴油能够引起最为显著的生物效应变化,显示该石油污染物高毒性的特征,0#柴油生物毒性大于平湖原油生物毒性.     

An experimental and modeling study of continuous liquid fuel spill fires on water

The spread of burning fuel spilled from oil product containers during offshore storage and transportation may cause large damage and trigger further accidents. Some analytical models already exist to predict the spread and burning behavior of liquid fuel spill fires, however, few experimental studies have been conducted to verify the model results. In this paper, continuous n-heptane spill fire experiments were conducted in a rectangular trench covered with water. The burning area, fuel spread rate, and thermal flux with different discharge flow rates and ignition delay times were investigated by both experimental and modeling means. The spill fire burning area, with 5 typical phases during burning, has a quasi-steady value which is directly proportional to the discharge rate but irrelevant to the ignition delay times. The steady burning rate, as the ratio of discharge rate over burning area, was estimated. A spread model was modified to simulate the spread of continuous liquid fuel spill fires in a one-dimensional channel, based on the balance between gravity and viscous forces. A cuboid solid flame model was used to compute the thermal flux from spill fires. The burning fuel spread and the heat flux calculated by the models agree with the experimental results.     

Evaluation of beech for production of bio-char,bio-oil and gaseous materials

Evaluation of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) was investigated with aspect of thermo-chemical conversion to obtain bio-char, bio-oil and gaseous. When the pyrolysis temperature increased, the bio-char yield decreased. A high temperature and smaller particles increase the heating rate resulting in a decreased bio-char yield. The bio-char obtained are carbon rich, with high heating value and relatively pollution-free potential solid biofuel. The liquefaction yield sharply increased with increasing the temperature near critical temperature and after that. In the pyrolysis, increases of liquid yields are considerably sharply for all of the samples with increasing of pyrolysis temperature from 690 K to 720 K. The beechnut oil was converted to biodiesel in supercritical methanol without using the catalyst. Experiments have been carried out in an autoclave at 493, 523 and 593 K, and with molar ratios of 1:6–1:40 of the oil to methanol. The yield of alkyl ester increased with increasing the molar ratio of oil to alcohol.