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.     

基于污染防治技术模拟的造纸行业环境管理方法研究

为评估工业水污染物减排潜力、探究污染防治技术模拟在污染物总量控制、污染物排放限值等环境管理中的应用,按照"原料-工艺-技术-产品"的耦合关系建立了"工业污染物减排潜力分析及环境管理"模型,集成自下而上建模和情景分析等方法在我国造纸行业进行案例研究.结果表明,在政策组合情景下,废水、COD、氨氮在2015年的减排潜力分别为7×108t、39×104t、0.3×104t,2020年分别为13.8×108t、56×104t和0.5×104t;2010~2020年期间加强末端治理仍然是主要减排途径,但2015~2020年间行业结构调整的作用将逐渐提升,并使行业产污水平在2015年和2020年基本达到国内或国际先进水平,废水和氨氮指标在2015年和2020年基本满足排放标准,但COD难以达标.     

应用模糊数学法综合评价营口石门水库水质级别

应用模糊数学法综合了5项主要污染指标评价了2008-2012年营口石门水库的水质级别,改变了仅凭单因子评价水质级别的方法,评价更合理,更符合实际情况。     

基于ANN的土壤重金属分布和污染评价研究

农田土壤重金属污染与备受关注的农产品安全问题有密切联系,因此对其进行研究意义重大。以江苏省南通市为研究区,利用采样点实测数据,借助神经网络模型(ANN)并结合3S技术对问题进行研究,从而对土壤重金属的空间动态分布进行描述,并对各个空间位点重金属的污染状况进行评价。结果表明,神经网络模型能够智能地学习各个样点的空间位置与该点各重金属含量之间的映射关系和预先设计好的分类评价模式,并能够稳健地对各个空间插值点处的重金属含量和各个位点的重金属污染状况进行预测和评价。结论显示,南通市大部分农田土壤重金属污染较轻,但也存在局部地区的严重污染。结论与实际情况相符,表明神经网络模型可以为农田土壤重金属的研究提供一个新的思路和方法。     

模糊聚类分析在中国火灾危害分类中的应用

火灾现象具有随机性、模糊性,是个复杂的模糊系统行为。运用模糊聚类分析方法,借助于M ATLAB计算软件,对中国火灾的危害程度进行了分类。根据2000年中国火灾统计资料,把31个省市分为重灾区、较重灾区、一般灾区、轻灾区等4类,与传统的概率统计方法相比,本方法更符合客观实际。城市火灾分类是动态的,重灾区吸取教训,增强消防意识,增大消防投入,可减少火灾隐患;而轻灾区如不注意防范,也会增加火灾隐患。因此不论轻重灾区,均应时时增强防范意识,把火灾危害降至最低。     

Risk assessment of sour gas inter-phase onshore pipeline using ANN and fuzzy inference system – Case study: The south pars gas field

Nowadays, pipelines have been extensively used for transporting oil and gas for long distances. Therefore, their risk assessment could help to identify the associated hazards and take necessary actions to eliminate or reduce the risk. In the present research, an artificial neural network (ANN) and a fuzzy inference system (FIS) were used to prepare a new model for pipeline risk assessment with higher accuracy. To reach this objective, the Muhlbauer method, as a common method for oil and gas pipeline risk assessment, was used for determining important and influential factors in the pipeline performance. Mamdani fuzzy model was developed in Matlab software by considering expert knowledge. The outcomes of this model were used to develop an ANN. To verify the developed model, the inter-phase shore pipe of phase 9–10 refinery in the South Pars Gas field was considered as a case study. The results showed that the proposed model gives a higher level of accuracy, precision, and reliability in terms of pipe risk assessment.     

An Experimental Methodology for Monitoring Contaminant Transport Through Geotechnical Centrifuge Models

In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight an experimental methodology for monitoring contaminant transport through locally available silty soil and commercially available clay in geotechnical centrifuge models, for different compaction states. Use of multiple depth sensors to determine depth distribution of sodium chloride in the soil column has been detailed. The obtained results have been compared with argentometric method. To validate the centrifuge modelling, modelling of models has been used. The test setup developed can simulate contaminant transport mechanisms through the soil mass, which is approximately 10 m deep, over a period of 600 days. R _e and P _e are found to be N times higher in the centrifuge models. These numbers are found to be several orders less than unity. This indicates that laminar flow prevails and the dominating Cl⁻ transport mechanism in centrifuge is diffusion. The study also highlights the fact that the geotechnical centrifuge modelling can be used as a viable alternative to field scale experimentation.     

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.     

大连城市环境评价与城市发展定量研究

通过对大连城市环境系统的考察,设立了完整的评价指标体系,运用模糊优选理论建立模糊评价模型,对大连城市环境进行了定量研究,并结合经济和城市化情况进行了分析。研究结果表明:城市环境质量总体上是在逐年提高的,但从2002年以来发展较为平缓。经济和城市化情况有较大发展,但仍有不足之处。     

煤与瓦斯突出影响因素评价分析的模糊层次分析方法

在综合分析煤与瓦斯突出的影响因素的基础上,采用模糊层次分析法（FAHP）建立了煤与瓦斯突出模糊层次分析模型并进行了实例分析,确定了煤与瓦斯突出各影响因素的权重系数。评价结果表明：地应力、地质构造、瓦斯压力等是影响煤与瓦斯突出的主要因素。为制定相应的煤与瓦斯突出防治措施,提供了科学的理论依据和切合实际情况的评价方法。