An integrated methodology for environmental impacts and costs evaluation in industrial processes

The development of methods for process analysis has contributed to the improvement of production systems. In this context, many models and methodologies have been established in the literature in order to evaluate environmental performance of industrial processes, since it has become an important issue for society. However, few of them analyze environmental impacts and related costs simultaneously. So, this work presents an integrated methodology to perform this evaluation, based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Activity-Based Costing (ABC) principles. The proposed methodology was applied in a metallurgical industry in Brazil. As result, it allowed to identify the production process stages which have critical environmental impacts and greatest contribution to increase environmental costs of the company.     

典型冰川退缩区铅的来源、累积及历史沉降——以青藏高原海螺沟冰川退缩区为例

为探究青藏高原东部陆地生态系统中铅的来源、累积分配过程及百年来大气铅的沉降状况，以贡嘎山海螺沟冰川退缩区为对象，利用冰川退缩区样地年龄可确定的优势，对160年来完整的植被演替序列进行了系统研究.采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定了土壤和植物样品中的铅以及其他微量元素的含量，明确了铅在该地区生态系统中的含量和储量变化格局，并采用主成分分析（PCA）解析了土壤铅的潜在来源，评估了历史沉降铅的累积速率.结果表明，森林有机土壤是大气铅的重要汇集区域.大气沉降的铅主要累积于O层中，而C层土壤铅含量相对较低；植物地上部以树枝和树皮铅含量最高，树干铅含量最低.植被序列中不同树种的铅储量变化趋势和植被演替趋势成正相关.在植被生长期，铅储量因生物量增加而不断升高，而随着演替过程中植被的死亡而降低.整个演替系统铅的储量随冰川退缩时间显著增加，至1936年样地的云冷杉顶极群落达到最大值.PCA源解析表明有机土壤中57%左右的铅来自于人为来源铅的大气沉降过程，即外源污染的大气沉降是贡嘎山中铅的主要来源.进一步分析表明，中国西南地区和南亚地区（印度、孟加拉国等）是主要的污染潜在源区.在百年尺度上，大气来源沉降铅在冰川退缩区的平均累积速率为（8.87±3.55） mg/（m²·a）.此研究为探究铅在陆地生态系统中的来源、分配及累积，理解未来全球变化对铅的环境地球化学过程影响提供了经典范例与数据依据.     

Formation of Social Acceptability Judgments and Their Implications for Management of Rare and Little-Known Species

Abstract:  Effective policies for management of rare and little-known species (RLKS) must be not only scientifically valid and cost-effective but also consistent with prevailing social beliefs and values. Limited public awareness of RLKS, however, constrains efforts to frame such policies. Lacking public support, resistance to RLKS programs is likely, particularly when other uses and values are affected. The challenge lies in understanding how public judgments are formed, sustained, and altered. Although the lack of public support often is attributed to inadequate understanding of the scientific bases for policies, research indicates that judgments derive from a complex, albeit poorly understood, suite of factors, including context, trust, esthetics, and personal history. Steps that can enhance public understanding of RLKS management include (1) clarifying the rationale and impacts of policies on the species, (2) specifying the contextual setting, (3) outlining specific actions to be taken, and (4) identifying when and where policies will be employed. Failure to foster understanding and support will leave management dominated by conflict and continued species loss.     

Socio-environmental conflicts on hydropower: The São Luiz do Tapajós project in Brazil

Economic expansion and related resource and infrastructure needs provoke an increase of socio-environmental conflicts worldwide, and methodologies for their comprehensive analysis and understanding are necessary. The present paper suggests a methodology for the analysis of socio-environmental conflicts on hydropower, developed from a case study on the São Luiz do Tapajós project in Brazil. On the basis of qualitative semi-structured interviews, a stakeholder definition and conflict analysis were carried out. The analysis shows that at least five different sub-conflicts, each one with its own characteristics, can be distinguished, and that negotiation on many of these conflicts is difficult. Confrontation processes are therefore likely to occur. The current strategy of conflict treatment falls short of the situation; instead solutions must be sought looking at the underlying conflict causes. A restructuring of the energy policy and the approach to traditional populations is a necessary precondition if robust and comprehensive solutions on the current socio-environmental conflicts on hydropower in the Amazon were to be found.     

Ciprofloxacin degradation in photo-Fenton and photo-catalytic processes: Degradation mechanisms and iron chelation

Ciprofloxacin(CIP)is a broad spectrum synthetic antibiotic drug of fluoroquinolones class.CIP can act as a bidentate ligand forming iron complexes during its degradation in the photoFenton process(PFP).This work investigates on PFP for the degradation of CIP to understand the formation mechanism and stability of iron complexes under ultraviolet(UV)-light illumination.A comparison was made with the UV-photocatalysis(UV/TiO_2)process where CIP doesn't form a complex.In PFP,the optimal dose of Fe~(2+)and H_2O_2were found to be 1.25 and10 mmol/L with pH of 3.5.An optimal TiO_2dose of 1.25 g/L was determined in the UV/TiO_2process.Maximum CIP removal and mineralization efficiency of 93.1%and 47.3%were obtained in PFP against 69.7%and 27.6%in the UV/TiO_2process.The mass spectra could identify seventeen intermediate products including iron-CIP complexes in PFP,and only seven intermediate products were found in the UV/TiO_2process with a majority of common products in both the processes.The proposed mechanism supported by the mass spectra bridged the routes of CIP cleavage in the PFP and UV/TiO_2process,and the decomposition pathway of Fe~(3+)-CIP chelate complexes in PFP was also elucidated.Both in PFP and UV/TiO_2processes,the target site of HO~·radical attack was the secondary-N atom present in the piperazine ring of the CIP molecule.The death of Escherichia coli bacteria was 55.7%and 66.8%in comparison to the control media after 45 min of treatment in PFP and UV/TiO_2process,respectively.     

O3/UV反应体系的有机物消解动力学模型

为了提高O₃/UV（臭氧协同紫外）反应体系对有机物的消解效率,降低能源消耗,基于O₃分解的SHB机理和O₃、有机物在紫外辐射下的光解机理,并考虑该反应体系中存在的3种可能的有机物消解途径和反应器出口处O₃气体浓度变化,建立了O₃/UV反应体系的动力学模型.将该模型用于消解过程中有机物消解率变化规律的研究,进一步优化消解工艺参数.结果表明:使用苯酚和乙酸作为目标有机物,以该模型进行仿真,从理论上验证了O₃气体浓度与紫外辐射间存在协同作用和不同工艺参数下所建立模型的灵敏性;将该模型与其他模型、试验测量值进行对比,验证了其优越性和准确性;对比不同pH下的3种消解途径各自贡献率的仿真结果,发现O₃/UV反应体系的pH对其消解有机物效率具有重要影响.研究显示:在O₃/UV反应体系中,紫外辐射强度和投加的O₃气体浓度二者间具有协同作用,同时调节可获得更好的消解效果;在酸性条件下有机物消解以O₃直接氧化为主,碱性条件下则以自由基间接氧化为主.      

多点进水A/O组合工艺处理高速公路服务区污水

采用"多点进水A/O工艺+砂滤+活性炭过滤"联合工艺处理某高速公路新建服务区污水,处理能力500 m3/d,沉淀池出水水质达到《污水综合排放标准》(GB/T 8978-1996)中一级标准,最终出水水质达到《城市污水再生利用城市杂用水水质》(GB/T 18920-2002)的要求。实践证明,采用多点进水A/O组合工艺处理高速公路服务区污水是完全可行的,污水经处理后完全达标,可供类似工程借鉴和参考。     

Microwave and Fenton's reagent oxidation of wastewater

We compared two H₂O₂ oxidation methods for the treatment of industrial wastewater: oxidation using Fenton's reagent [H₂O₂/Fe(II)] and microwave irradiation. Both methods were applied to the treatment of synthetic phenol solutions (100 mg L⁻¹) and of an industrial effluent containing a mixture of ionic and non-ionic surfactants at high load (20 g L⁻¹ of COD). The effects of initial pH, initial H₂O₂ concentration, Fenton catalyst amount and irradiation time were assessed. According to the oxidation of phenol, it has been found that the oxidation by Fenton's reagent is dependent on the pH, contrary to the microwave system, which is not influenced by this parameter. For both systems, a limiting amount of oxidant has been found; above this point the oxidation of phenol is not improved by a further addition of peroxide. The oxidation of the industrial surfactant effluent has only been successful with the Fenton's reagent. In this case, large amounts of ferrous ions are necessary for the precipitation of the ionic surfactants of the effluent, followed by the oxidation of the non-ionic constituents of the solution. Electronic Publication     

高级氧化技术降解水体中抗生素的研究进展

抗生素是一类用于阻止和治疗微生物传染性疾病的人用和兽用药物,在人类和动物疾病治疗领域以及水产养殖业有着广泛的用途。近年来,抗生素作为一种新型污染物不断排入水体并且在水体中持续存在,对水生态环境以及人类健康造成了威胁。化学和生物等降解技术引起广泛关注,其中高级氧化技术(AOPs)由于其具有适用范围广、反应速率快、氧化能力强等特点,被成功应用到自然水体和污水中抗生素等多种有机污染物的降解。基于近年来的研究成果,综述了几种常见AOPs对抗生素的降解过程和机理,对比分析了对抗生素的降解效果,最后展望了AOPs应用于抗生素降解的研究方向和挑战。     

Modeling Biochemical Oxygen Demand Through the Middle and Lower Savannah River1

Abstract: In order to improve modeling accuracy and general understanding of lotic biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), this study characterized river metabolism with the current Georgia Environmental Protection Division method for the middle and lower Savannah River basin (MLSRB) and several alternative methods developed with 120‐day, long‐term biochemical oxygen demand (LTBOD) data from the MLSRB. The data were a subset of a larger two‐year LTBOD study to characterize and understand BOD in the MLSRB, located approximately between Augusta, Georgia, and Savannah, Georgia, along the border of Georgia and South Carolina. The LTBOD data included total oxygen loss and nitrogen speciation for separately quantifying nitrification. Results support the following insights and opportunities for modeling methods: (1) it is important to modeling accuracy that residuals be checked for even dispersion to avoid areas of over‐ and underprediction; (2) modeling with bounded, yet unfixed, rates is a sufficiently simple alternative to fixed‐rate modeling that can eliminate the need for manual adjustments and provide additional system understanding to inform regulation; (3) if fixed rates modeling is desired, model quality for this system might be improved through revising the current low rate (along with the associated f‐ratio updates) from 0.02/day rate to 0.006/day and potentially adding a new rate at 1.0/day in some cases; and (4) the current 57/43 ratio of slow/fast BOD is reasonable based on the 52/45/3 slow/fast/faster BOD proportions of this study.