Sustainability and the measurement of future paths in genuine savings: case studies

This paper extrapolates future paths of genuine savings (GS) by using our integrated assessment model. The results with the base case (BC) indicate that both GS without population change (GS) and GS with population change (GSn) are almost positive in OECD countries in the twenty-first century (satisfying the necessary but insufficient condition for sustainability); those numbers are projected to be negative in 2100. Asia (ASIA), the Middle East and Africa (MEAF), the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (FSEE), and the world show upward trends for both values, showing negative signs in 2010 and positive signs after 2050 (in ASIA, MEAF, and the world) and in 2100 (in FSEE). The values in Latin America (LAMR) remain negative throughout. We examine additional following three cases: demand reduction (DR), carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction (CR), and population reduction (PR). The GSn results compared to the BC indicate that (1) GSn in DR is similar to that of BC, (2) GSn in PR is slightly higher than that of BC, and (3) GSn in CR is unexpectedly lower than that of BC. This GSn reduction in the CR case derives from the fact that the term for calculating resource depletion (especially resource rent, which equals the difference between price and cost) in GS and GSn increased, leading to a greater term being subtracted from gross savings. The resource price increases with the marginal price of natural gas, given the energy-source shift in reducing CO₂ emissions, from cheap coal to expensive natural gas.     

Spatial aggregation and the value of natural capital

Location matters for the value of capital assets. The value of changes in natural capital wealth can depend on whether natural capital asset prices are measured locally and then aggregated or whether average values are applied over aggregate representative areas. Spatial heterogeneity of resource characteristics and institutions impact approximations of the intertemporal welfare function and accounting price function because when spatial aggregation precedes valuation it implies greater arbitrage opportunities leading to more inelastic shadow (accounting) price functions than when valuation is done locally and then aggregated. Aggregation of observed values across varying resource and institutional characteristics can lead to omitted variables bias. We illustrate these results in the context of groundwater in the Kansas High Plains Aquifer and demonstrate that the accounting price function is less elastic when the accounting price is measured locally. Failure to measure locally and then aggregate could lead to undervaluing scarce resources and overvaluing plentiful ones, which biases wealth accounts in favor of passing the non-declining wealth sustainability test.     

福建省经济增长的资源环境代价评估

本文应用“含资源与环境项目的社会会计矩阵”（简写为SAMRE）分析1991－1999年福建省资源净产值、环境净产值和真实储蓄值。计算结果显示，福建省资源净产值与环境净产值各年损失幅度为11．17－62．05亿元，平均占全省GDP的2．1％。真实国民储蓄比传统国民核算体系的净储蓄减少1．48－69．4亿元，占净储蓄的1．11％－12．0％。分析表明自然资源损失与环境污染成为福建省经济总量增长的重大代价。其发展呈弱可持续性特征。此外，分析结果也显示，近年来资源与环境净产值损失占全省GDP的比重总体呈下降趋势，真实储蓄比重趋向上升。     

Minimization of water use and wastewater contaminant load

This communication describes a project concerning the minimization of water use and wastewater contaminant load in an industrial setting. The location was a plant manufacturing cast aluminum parts for the automotive industry. The water used for industrial purposes was some 16 000 m³/yr with COD values sometimes higher than 5000 mg O₂/l. After a preliminary assessment, a global reduction in industrial water consumption of 33%, by means of re-circulation of the aqueous solution used for de-molding was achieved, implying a 95% reduction in de-molding solution. To minimize water use even further, recommendations to the company included a revision of the refrigeration closed-circuit and a better control of water used for general services.     

Comparing indicators to rank strategies to save potable water in buildings

The main objective of this paper is to compare indicators based on energy consumption and financial savings to rank strategies to save potable water in buildings. The method is based on potable water savings, embodied energy, energy consumption for operation, and investment feasibility analysis; and it was applied to a school in the city of Florianópolis, southern Brazil. The strategies considered to save potable water were rainwater, greywater, water-efficient appliances, and their combinations. The embodied energy was estimated using indices of embodied energy per mass of material, and labour. The indicators used to rank the strategies were potential for potable water savings, index between potable water savings and embodied energy or total energy consumption, net present value, internal rate of return, discounted payback, and index between potable water savings and initial costs. All strategies and combinations were feasible, but the use of water-efficient appliances was the best. Amongst the indicators used to rank the strategies, five of them led to the same ranking. Such indicators can be applied to rank potable water saving strategies in other types of buildings and climates.     

TILE RATIONALE FOR OHIO'S DETERGENT PHOSPHORUS BAN1

ABSTRACT: Ohio signed into law a detergent phosphorus ban on March 26, 1988. This law limits the elemental phosphorus content of household laundry detergents to 0.5 percent in all 35 Lake Erie counties in Ohio by 1990. Ohio's detergent phosphorus ban will help non-compliant municipal wastewater treatment plants achieve compliance with the 1 mg/L effluent phosphorus standard. By limiting the phosphorus content of household laundry detergents, Ohio will also benefit from less phosphorus entering surface waters from combined sewer overflows, communities with treatment plant bypasses, and riparian homes with septic tanks. This is important because most of the phosphorus in laundry detergents is in the bioavailable form and Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline is particularly sensitive to Cladophora problems. When viewed in conjunction with reduced chemical costs for phosphorus removal and savings in sludge disposal costs, Ohio's detergent phosphorus ban is a pragmatic component of an international phosphorus management strategy to protect the Great Lakes.     

水泥工业节能减排措施及节能量分析

从国内水泥生产企业的现状出发,总结水泥工业行之有效的节能减排措施,分析其节能量,以期对水泥企业的节能降耗提供参考。     

袋式除尘技术的应用及发展

论述了袋式除尘技术在节能减排中的作用;介绍了我国袋式除尘技术目前的应用水平及存在的问题;提出了袋式除尘技术和产业的发展方向。     

Bioenergy production from diluted poultry manure and microbial consortium inside Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactor at sub-mesophilic conditions

In this study, anaerobic treatability of diluted chicken manure (with an influent feed ratio of 1 kg of fresh chicken manure to 6 L of tap water) was investigated in a lab-scale anaerobic sludge bed (ASB) reactor inoculated with granular seed sludge. The ASB reactor was operated at ambient temperature (17–25°C) in order to avoid the need of external heating up to higher operating temperatures (e.g., up to 35°C for mesophilic digestion). Since heat requirement for raising the temperature of incoming feed for digestion is eliminated, energy recovery from anaerobic treatment of chicken manure could be realized with less operating costs. Average biogas production rates were calculated ca. 210 and 242 L per kg of organic matter removed from the ASB reactor at average hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 13 and 8.6 days, respectively. Moreover, average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of ca. 89% was observed with suspended solids removal more than 97% from the effluent of the ASB reactor. Influent ammonia, on the other hand, did not indicate any free ammonia inhibition due to dilution of the raw manure while pH and alkalinity results showed stability during the study. Microbial quantification results indicated that as the number of bacterial community decreased, the amount of Archaea increased through the effective digestion volume of the ASB reactor. Moreover, the number of methanogens displayed an uptrend like archaeal community and a strong correlation (?0.645) was found between methanogenic community and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration especially acetate.     

江苏省能耗结构优化及其节能与减排效应分析

综合考虑江苏省经济增长、能源节约与C02、SO2减排的目标,运用改善的GADS优化算法对江苏省能耗结构进行优化,并对比江苏省低碳发展的情景,测算了江苏省能源消费结构优化的节能减排效应.研究结果表明:①能耗结构优化主要表现为高碳能源低度化,低碳能源离度化的演变过程.煤炭仍占主导地位,且呈倒"U",型的发展趋势,2020峰值1.822×108 tce,而天然气与低碳能源在总量与结构上均呈上升趋势;②能源结构优化具有正负双向效应,一方面节能减排效应显著,2020年将节能2.244×108tce,CO2:减排1.275×108t,但难以实现2020年减排目标,还需其它方面的努力.另一方面由干能源成本等因素造成GDP较之于低碳情景将减少2.096×1012元;③以"低"代"商"的能源优化策略是转移环境压力的主要途径,但其先决条件是煤炭资源的清洁高效利用与新能源核心技术的突破.未来江苏省能源消费结构的优化应以煤炭资源的清洁、高效利用为主,同时加快风能、太阳能、生物质能等新能源资源的产业化、规模化发展.