Fuel poverty and vulnerability in the EU low-carbon transition: the case of renewable electricity

The European Union (EU) and member states alike are following a tradition of addressing fuel poverty and vulnerability at the point of purchase by final consumers by seeking to influence the impact of income, energy price and the built environment on the ability of household consumers to access the energy that they need. By focusing on the conditions of energy transmission in the most rapidly growing renewable electricity sector in the UK – offshore wind – this paper aims to question whether the regulatory socio-technological framing of renewable electricity transmission is reproducing conditions for fuel poverty and vulnerability in the UK. By drawing a comparison with renewable electricity transmission in Bulgaria, this paper argues that the problem might be symptomatic of the EU as a whole. While not arguing against the proliferation of renewable electricity and its importance in meeting the 2020 targets, this paper calls for expanding the scope of fuel poverty alleviation policy throughout the whole renewable electricity supply chain, building on Helm's argument that energy companies at the middle of the supply chain are better suited to deliver fuel policy.     

Energy futures and green chemistry: competing for carbon

Global energy demand is expected to increase from the current 400 ExaJ per year to as much as 700–1,000 ExaJ per year by the middle of this century. If fossil carbon resources continue to make up the bulk of the energy supply, not only will atmospheric carbon dioxide increase to levels not seen for the past 30–35 million years, but depleting fossil carbon resources will become increasingly less available for other purposes, particularly the production of chemicals on which society now depends. The chemical process industries are heavily dependent on the availability of low-price petroleum as a feedstock. Recent life-cycle analyses suggest that pursuing both strategies of renewable energy sources and renewable feedstocks (i.e. biomass) will be required to meet these competing demands. Reducing the global use of both energy and manufactured chemicals will be a challenge for sustainable development. Education of the next generation of chemists and chemical engineers will have to change significantly from its current emphasis on petrochemical-based manufacturing to include a much greater emphasis on renewable resources and bio-based processes.Brief accounts of this work were presented at the 7th International Symposium on Green Chemistry in China (Zhuhai, People’s Republic of China, May 2005) and at the Joint US–China Green Chemistry Workshop (Beijing, People’s Republic of China, May 2005; this workshop was supported by US National Science Foundation grant CHE-0522369).     

On developing cleaner organic unit processes

Organic waste products, potentially harmful to the human health and the environment, are primarily produced in the synthesis stage of manufacturing processes. Many such synthetic unit processes, such as halogenation, oxidation, alkylation, nitration, and sulfonation are common to a large number of organic chemical manufacture in several different industry sectors. The environmental impact of organic chemical syntheses can be significantly reduced by incorporating cleaner unit processes. A review of research and development activities shows that progress is already being made along these lines worldwide, and commercialization of cleaner organic technologies is also proceeding.     

电凝聚去除微污染源水中浊度的试验研究

用电凝聚对微污染水中浊度的去除效果进行试验，得到比较明显的处理效果；对电凝聚去除浊度的机理进行了探讨．在此基础上对实验数据进行了数学分析。     

Effect of Dye Additives on Photodimerization of Thymine Pendant Groups in Water-soluble Photoresist Polymers

The short wavelength UV-induced photocrosslinking of vinylbenzylthymine (VBT) based photoresist polymers was investigated in a polymer-dye water soluble system. The goal of the study was to determine whether the presence of UV-absorbing dye additives would prevent the photocrosslinking from occurring. It was found that the photoreactivity of the VBT polymer was not hindered significantly even when the amount of dye additive was comparable to the amount of thymine. Further, adding dyes to the photoresist allowed obtaining good quality images in one step. This study may provide a basis for testing VBT-containing polymers for use in controlled release applications.     

Experiences with greening suppliers. The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

This paper explains the strategy and procedures followed by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) to spread green purchasing practices throughout its administration and supply chain, highlighting the identified barriers against their implementation and monitoring, and showing the actions carried out to overcome them. The university's green supply chain management has been analysed in five selected case studies: office material, recycled toner cartridges, fair trade coffee, reusable glass bottles and catering services. These cover the wide range of purchasing patterns currently taking place at UAB taking into account both the acquisition model (directly or indirectly through contracted firms) and the supply chain management perspective (linear or loop). A comparison of the different cases is carried out and some general rules are created that should be investigated further.     

固定化泛菌对底泥中孔雀石绿的降解

用2%海藻酸钠对孔雀石绿高效降解菌Pantoea sp.EF192586菌株进行固定化包埋,研究固定菌对底泥中孔雀石绿的降解情况。研究结果表明:固定菌对底泥中不同浓度孔雀石绿均有降解,且0.45和0.95μg/g干重降解率更好,达80%。增加固定菌的投菌量可提高降解速率和降解率,但当投菌量增至1.5g后降解率不再增加。泥水系统中水量减少可以提高固定菌起始阶段的降解速率。当固定菌和光照联合作用时可以提高降解率。     

绿色消费行为理论探讨及国内现状分析

推进绿色消费是缓解环境压力的根本途径之一。从消费者心理与行为出发,研究我国居民绿色消费行为的特点和规律,对推进我国绿色消费具有积极作用。本文从消费者心理统计特征出发,探讨了绿色消费行为的影响因素和决策机制,在此基础上,分析了当前我国居民绿色消费行为的特征,并提出了相应建议。     

住宅小区绿色生态性评价研究

通过构建住宅小区绿色生态性评价指标体系,综合运用层次分析法和模糊数学理论等系统工程理论和方法,系统评价了住宅小区的绿色生态性,为其研究提供新的途径。     

Redesign of a component based on ecodesign practices: environmental impact and cost reduction achievements

This paper focuses on ecodesign and its application in the footwear industry aiming to identify how the ecodesign can be applied to the redesign of a shoe component in order to minimize the environmental impact and simultaneously reduce costs of production and assembling. The factors that influence the use of ecodesign, the benefits and the difficulties were also investigated. A longitudinal case study was developed in a company that produces shoe stiffeners. The process of ecodesign implementation and the practices of ecodesign considered during the product redesign were analyzed. A cost reduction of about 10% was observed (in relation to the use of natural fibers and polymers in its composition-31% of biomass and 69% of fossil material). Toxic materials were completely eliminated and a reduction of energy consumption was also noticed (during the injection process). The main contributions of this study are: ecodesign constructs to be further researched the conjoint analysis of technological ability and market potential in a redesign project, and the requirements to gain managerial support for a redesign project.