Material flow analysis of lubricating oil use in California

Petroleum lubricating oils, used throughout the economy, are distinct among petroleum products in their capacity to be recovered and recycled at the end of their useful life. Used lubricating oil is regulated at the state and federal level because of concerns about environmental impacts arising from improper disposal, although rates of recovery are not known. We present a material flow analysis of lubricants through California's economy in the years 2007–2012. We introduce a novel technique for computing aggregate waste generation from a collection of hazardous waste manifest records, and apply it in order to determine a recovery rate for used oil and to estimate the quantity of oil managed informally in the state. The records also offer a detailed view of the fate of used oils after they are recovered. We find that around 62% of lubricants are recoverable at end of life, of which 70–80% is being recovered. This rate shows a slight downward trend. If the trend is accurate, measures should be taken to improve the performance of the used oil management system. Policy opportunities exist to reduce the quantity of oil managed informally through improving access to responsible used oil management methods. These include increasing the collection of used oil from industrial sources as well as “do it yourself” oil changes, expanding in-state reprocessing capacity, and promoting increased out-of-state reprocessing of used oil. Our methods introduce new possibilities to make use of direct observation in material flow analysis, potentially improving data availability and quality and increasing the relevance of material flow methods in policy applications.     

煤矿火灾烟气流动传播过程仿真研究

煤矿发生火灾后会生成大量有毒气体并产生火风压,烟气在火灾动力的影响下出现状态紊乱,研究煤矿火灾烟气流动传播过程对控制火情有着重要意义。基于国内外研究现状,对燃烧及风流特点进行分析,建立了煤矿火灾烟气流动数学模型,并利用CFD软件进行仿真。研究表明:无通风工况下的烟气为对称流动;随着风速增加,出口处温度降低,烟气向风流入口处的流速减小。     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of dry-water containing phosphoric acid for new fire suppressant

To overcome the shortcomings of phosphorus-containing compounds (PCCs, not widely used) in fire suppression, the dry water powder containing phosphoric acid was analyzed for a new fire suppressant (SiO₂-P). First, the fine conditions (solid-to-liquid ratio, stirring time and stirring speed) were determined to prepare the new powder. The particle size distributions and XPS of SiO₂-P powder were analyzed. The TG tests were conducted to study the decomposition of powder, and there was a major decomposition peak. Second, the extinguishing time of SiO₂-P powder was tested, which showed that the SiO₂-P powder containing phosphorus species could significantly improve the fire suppression ability. In addition, the kinetic parameters of powder decomposition reaction were determined by genetic algorithm based on TG results. Last, based on the decomposition products and kinetic parameters, the burning velocity and mass fraction of free radicals of CH₄/air flame with SiO₂-P powder addition were studied theoretically. The results indicated that SiO₂-P powder had great ability of reducing the burning velocity and scavenging free radicals. Furthermore, the suppression effects were analyzed, which indicated that the cooperation of H₂O and P suppression effect dominated the suppression mechanism and resulted in the good suppression efficiency.     

How farmers develop local ecological knowledge for on-farm tree management: The perspectives of some farming communities of Ghana

Scientific insights into what it means to manage on-farm trees by local farmers, is an essential step towards documenting local ecological knowledge for sustainable landscape management. A study was therefore conducted in the Kumawu Forest District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess how farmers conceptualise on-farm tree management and develop local knowledge for it. Using a case study approach, data were collected through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 120 farmers drawn from 15 communities who were involved in the management of three cropping systems; cocoa, maize and cassava-cocoyam-plantain mix. It was observed that the farmers regard on-farm tree management as a continuous process which occurs in three phases of the farming cycle; land preparation, crop cultivation and fallow management. For each of the three phases, farmers are guided by specific principles that ensure enough light penetration in-between tree crowns in the land preparation phase, suitable spacing between trees and crops in the crop cultivation phase and adequate tree regeneration in the fallow phase. The decisions made during the selection of tree species, spacing of trees adjudged suitable for any particular cropping system and recruitment of saplings prior to the fallow phase of farming constitute tree management. Farmers develop tree management knowledge by studying the physical characteristics of species, matching them to ecological functions they could perform and how they are likely to respond to treatments meant to control or enhance their development. Species are then subjected to trial and recommended or otherwise.     

具有变频器的矿井低压漏电保护研究

为了解决移动变电站低压侧为变频器供电时漏电保护装置误动的问题，提出了基于傅式算法的附加直流原理漏电保护新方法。通过理论分析和MATLAB/Simulink仿真，研究了具有变频器的矿井低压供电系统附加直流原理漏电保护，提出由傅式算法分解出采样电压直流分量以反映电缆绝缘水平的保护方法；同时分析了其他因素对直流分量的影响。研究结果表明:变频器对传统附加直流保护整定值有较大影响，易造成漏电保护装置误动且无法实现电缆的在线绝缘监测；所提出的直流分量法能准确测量电缆对地绝缘电阻，且可消除电缆分布电容、变频器载波频率、变频器输出频率等其他因素的干扰；采用该漏电保护方法，可承受变频器投入时对采样电压造成的较大冲击，不必在启动期间解除漏电保护装置，能够消除在此期间存在的人身触电安全隐患。     

Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part I: Lessons learned and perspectives

The continuously increasing solid waste generation worldwide calls for management strategies that integrate concerns for environmental sustainability. By quantifying environmental impacts of systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool, which can contribute to answer that call. But how, where and to which extent has it been applied to solid waste management systems (SWMSs) until now, and which lessons can be learnt from the findings of these LCA applications? To address these questions, we performed a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of SWMS. We first analysed the geographic distribution and found that the published studies have primarily been concentrated in Europe with little application in developing countries. In terms of technological coverage, they have largely overlooked application of LCA to waste prevention activities and to relevant waste types apart from household waste, e.g. construction and demolition waste. Waste management practitioners are thus encouraged to abridge these gaps in future applications of LCA. In addition to this contextual analysis, we also evaluated the findings of selected studies of good quality and found that there is little agreement in the conclusions among them. The strong dependence of each SWMS on local conditions, such as waste composition or energy system, prevents a meaningful generalisation of the LCA results as we find it in the waste hierarchy. We therefore recommend stakeholders in solid waste management to regard LCA as a tool, which, by its ability of capturing the local specific conditions in the modelling of environmental impacts and benefits of a SWMS, allows identifying critical problems and proposing improvement options adapted to the local specificities.     

Implications of Macroalgal Isolation by Distance for Networks of Marine Protected Areas

The global extent of macroalgal forests is declining, greatly affecting marine biodiversity at broad scales through the effects macroalgae have on ecosystem processes, habitat provision, and food web support. Networks of marine protected areas comprise one potential tool that may safeguard gene flow among macroalgal populations in the face of increasing population fragmentation caused by pollution, habitat modification, climate change, algal harvesting, trophic cascades, and other anthropogenic stressors. Optimal design of protected area networks requires knowledge of effective dispersal distances for a range of macroalgae. We conducted a global meta‐analysis based on data in the published literature to determine the generality of relation between genetic differentiation and geographic distance among macroalgal populations. We also examined whether spatial genetic variation differed significantly with respect to higher taxon, life history, and habitat characteristics. We found clear evidence of population isolation by distance across a multitude of macroalgal species. Genetic and geographic distance were positively correlated across 49 studies; a modal distance of 50–100 km maintained F_ST < 0.2. This relation was consistent for all algal divisions, life cycles, habitats, and molecular marker classes investigated. Incorporating knowledge of the spatial scales of gene flow into the design of marine protected area networks will help moderate anthropogenic increases in population isolation and inbreeding and contribute to the resilience of macroalgal forests. Implicaciones del Aislamiento por Distancia de Macroalgas para Redes de Áreas Marinas Protegidas     

Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part II: Methodological guidance for a better practice

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used in waste management to identify strategies that prevent or minimise negative impacts on ecosystems, human health or natural resources. However, the quality of the provided support to decision- and policy-makers is strongly dependent on a proper conduct of the LCA. How has LCA been applied until now? Are there any inconsistencies in the past practice? To answer these questions, we draw on a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of solid waste management systems. We analyse the past practice against the ISO standard requirements and the ILCD Handbook guidelines for each major step within the goal definition, scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation phases of the methodology. Results show that malpractices exist in several aspects of the LCA with large differences across studies. Examples are a frequent neglect of the goal definition, a frequent lack of transparency and precision in the definition of the scope of the study, e.g. an unclear delimitation of the system boundaries, a truncated impact coverage, difficulties in capturing influential local specificities such as representative waste compositions into the inventory, and a frequent lack of essential sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Many of these aspects are important for the reliability of the results. For each of them, we therefore provide detailed recommendations to practitioners of waste management LCAs.     

北京电动出租车与燃油出租车生命周期环境影响比较研究

燃油机动车尾气排放是导致城市包括雾霾在内的大气环境问题的主要来源之一.以电动汽车替代传统燃油车是当前各国解决城市大气污染问题的重要举措.北京于2011年启动了电动出租车推广计划.为比较北京市迷迪电动汽车和现代燃油车生命周期的环境影响,运用生命周期评价方法,基于Ga Bi4.4软件,选用CML2001和EI99影响评价模型对两款车的生产、使用和报废回收全生命周期过程的环境影响进行了定量评价,并针对汽车报废里程和电力能源结构进行了敏感性分析.结果表明,从全生命周期视角,根据EI99评价模型,迷迪电动汽车环境影响总体上优于现代燃油车,尤其在削减化石能源消耗方面优势凸显,但在生态系统质量影响及人体健康影响方面却略有增大的趋势;利用CML2001模型对比分析得出迷迪电动汽车比燃油出租车在对非生物资源消耗、全球变暖以及臭氧层损耗等方面有明显改善;但在生产阶段尤其是动力系统生产方面在非生物资源消耗、酸化、富营养化、全球变暖、光化学臭氧合成、臭氧层损耗、生态毒性等生态环境影响却均有增大趋势.使用阶段电力生产是迷迪电动汽车非生物资源消耗、酸化、富营养化、全球变暖、光化学臭氧合成、生态毒性等环境影响的主要来源;而现代燃油出租车使用阶段的环境影响主要来源于尾气排放和汽油生产,其中尾气排放是造成现代燃油车在富营养化和全球变暖等方面影响潜值较大的主要原因;基于清单数据库,针对致霾因子影响分析得出,在2010年北京市电力能源驱动下,迷迪电动车明显增加了超细颗粒物(PM2.5)、氮氧化物(NOx)、硫氧化物(SOx)、挥发性有机物(volatile organic compouds,VOCs)等因子的全生命周期的排放,而同时降低了氨气(NH3)的排放量,使用阶段排放的差别是造成上述趋势的主要原因.对关键因素敏感性分析发现,随着报废里程以及清洁能源比例的增加,迷迪电动汽车相对现代燃油车的单位里程碳减排量呈现增加的趋势.清洁电力能源的使用可大幅降低迷迪电动汽车致霾污染物的排放量.根据分析结果,为北京市电动车的推广提出了对策建议.     

中国西南酸雨区降水化学特征研究进展

西南酸雨区为我国主要酸雨沉降区,且是全球三大喀斯特集中分布区之一.本文将该区9个地点的降雨资料进行了总结、整理和分析,数据包括pH值和主离子成分(Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-、Ca~(2+)、NH_4~+、Mg~(2+)、K~+、Na~+).该地区降雨中的主要阴离子为SO_4~(2-)和NO_3~-,主要阳离子为Ca~(2+)和NH_4~+.与我国其它地区相比,其酸性离子、碱性离子和总离子浓度均普遍高于东南地区、而低于我国北方地区.西南酸雨区主要以pH值为4.5~5.6的弱酸性降雨为主,占总降雨频次的58%左右.根据酸、碱性离子的相关性、中和因子等分析结果,该区雨水中的酸性物质可能受到了碱性离子的中和作用,其中起主要中和作用的离子为Ca~(2+)和NH_4~+.将该区雨水pH值和酸、碱性离子浓度与我国其它地区进行对比研究发现,西南酸雨区降雨受到的中和作用要强于东南地区,但弱于北方地区的降雨.通过对西南酸雨区降雨中主要离子来源的分析和估算,降雨中的酸性离子SO_4~(2-)和NO_3~-主要来自于人为污染;99.7%的Ca~(2+)和84.0%的Mg~(2+)为陆源贡献,这可能与西南地区碳酸盐岩广泛分布有关.