Life cycle assessment analysis of active and passive acid mine drainage treatment technologies

Acid mine drainage (AMD), resulting from open-cast coal mining, is currently one of the largest environmental challenges facing the mining industry. In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the construction, operation and maintenance of different AMD treatment options typically employed. LCA is a well-reported tool but is not documented for AMD treatment systems despite their ubiquitous implementation worldwide. This study conducted detailed LCA analysis for various passive and active AMD treatment approaches implemented or considered at a major coal mine in New Zealand using a comparative functional unit of kg acidity removed per day for each treatment option. Eight treatment scenarios were assessed including active limestone and hydrated lime treatments, and compared to passive treatments using limestone and waste materials such as mussel shells. Both midpoint and endpoint LCA impact categories were assessed. Generally, the active treatment scenarios demonstrated greater LCA impacts compared to an equivalent level of treatment for the passive treatment approaches. Lime slaking had the greatest LCA impacts, while passive treatment approaches incurred consistently less impacts except for one passive treatment with a purchased energy scenario. A 50% reduction in transportation distances resulted in the lowest LCA impacts for all scenarios. This study highlights the importance of evaluating the environmental and social impacts of AMD treatment for the mining industry.     

Transitions of municipal solid waste management. Part II: Hybrid life cycle assessment of Swiss glass-packaging disposal

In policy support of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, life cycle assessment (LCA) can serve to compare the environmental or economic impacts of two or more options for waste processing. The scope of waste management LCAs generally focuses less attention on future developments, e.g., where will recycling take place, and more on the environmental performance of prototypes, e.g., the incineration of all waste compared to recycling. To provide more robust support for Swiss waste glass-packaging disposal, scenarios of Swiss waste glass-packaging are assessed from a life cycle perspective. The scenarios consist in schemes for the disposal of the total amount of Swiss waste glass-packaging, i.e., different combinations of recycling and downcycling in Switzerland or abroad developed in Part I, Meylan et al. (2013). In this article (Part II), the disposal schemes are assessed with respect to eco-efficiency, an indicator that combines total environmental impacts and gross value added in Switzerland. Results show that no policy alternative guarantees environmental impact reductions and gross value added gains under all developments of exogenous constraints. Downcycling to foam glass in Switzerland is not only an environmentally sound disposal option, but it also buffers gross value added losses in case domestic recycling (and thus glass-packaging production in Switzerland) ceases in the future. The substitution of products based on raw materials other than Swiss cullet is the main responsible for change in environmental and economic impacts. Hence, an eco-efficiency maximizing policy should consider the products of disposal schemes. The combination of scenario analysis and eco-efficiency assessment as presented in this paper can be applied to other contexts (i.e., countries, waste fractions).     

A Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (CED), life cycle based,for industrial waste management decision making

Life cycle thinking is a good approach to be used for environmental decision-support, although the complexity of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies sometimes prevents their wide use. The purpose of this paper is to show how LCA methodology can be simplified to be more useful for certain applications.In order to improve waste management in Catalonia (Spain), a Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (LCA-based) has been used to obtain four mathematical models to help the government in the decision of preventing or allowing a specific waste from going out of the borders. The conceptual equations and all the subsequent developments and assumptions made to obtain the simplified models are presented.One of the four models is discussed in detail, presenting the final simplified equation to be subsequently used by the government in decision making.The resulting model has been found to be scientifically robust, simple to implement and, above all, fulfilling its purpose: the limitation of waste transport out of Catalonia unless the waste recovery operations are significantly better and justify this transport.     

武宁县森林扰动及驱动因子分析

森林扰动是影响陆地生态系统的重要因子,也是影响全球碳循环的重要因素.以江西省武宁县为例,利用1986-2011年14景Landsat TM/ETM+遥感影像,通过扰动指数(disturbance index,DI)时间序列轨迹分析提取森林扰动信息,并引入经验正交函数(empirical orthogonal function,EOF)分解方法定量分析了森林扰动的时空变化规律,利用GIS深入分析了自然和社会驱动因子影响.结果表明,武宁县森林扰动在1986-1998年较强,扰动面积以1992年为最大,以地区性扰动为主;2000年以后则趋于平缓,扰动以砍伐和森林火灾为主;在空间上,扰动主要发生在近道路、低海拔、低坡度和近水地区,并受地形和交通的制约,城镇化逐渐成为该地区森林扰动的一个不可忽略的驱动因子.     

Domestic or imported? An assessment of carbon footprints and sustainability of seafood consumed in Australia

The distance between where food is produced and consumed is increasing, and is often taken as evidence of an unsustainable global food system. Seafood is a highly traded commodity yet seafood sustainability assessments do not typically consider the impacts of the movement of products beyond the fishery or farm. Here we use life cycle assessment to examine the carbon footprint of the production and distribution of select seafood products that are consumed in Australia and determine differences in the sustainability of imports and their domestically produced counterparts. We found that the distance food is transported is not the main determinant of food sustainability. Despite the increased distance between production and consumption, carbon footprints of meals from imported seafood are similar to meals consisting of domestically produced seafood, and sometimes lower, depending on the seafood consumed. In combining LCA with existing seafood sustainability criteria the trade-offs between sustainability targets become more apparent. Carbon ‘footprinting’ is one metric that can be incorporated in assessments of sustainability, thereby demonstrating a broader perspective of the environmental cost of food production and consumption.     

Sewage sludge disintegration by high-pressure homogenization: A sludge disintegration model

High-pressure homogenization (HPH) technology was applied as a pretreatment to disintegrate sewage sludge. The effects of homogenization pressure, homogenization cycle number, and total solid content on sludge disintegration were investigated. The sludge disintegration degree (DDCOD), protein concentration, and polysaccharide concentration increased with the increase of homogenization pressure and homogenization cycle number, and decreased with the increase of sludge total solid (TS) content. The maximum DDCOD of 43.94% was achieved at 80 MPa with four homogenization cycles for a 9.58 g/L TS sludge sample. A HPH sludge disintegration model of DD_COD= kN^aP^b was established by multivariable linear regression to quantify the effects of homogenization parameters. The homogenization cycle exponent a and homogenization pressure exponent b were 0.4763 and 0.7324 respectively, showing that the effect of homogenization pressure (P) was more significant than that of homogenization cycle number (N). The value of the rate constant k decreased with the increase of sludge total solid content. The specific energy consumption increased with the increment of sludge disintegration efficiency. Lower specific energy consumption was required for higher total solid content sludge.     

长江三角洲城市群工业污染时空演化及其驱动因素

基于2003~2015年长江三角洲（以下简称长三角）城市群26个城市工业废水和工业SO₂排放数据,采用标准差椭圆、地理集中指数、工业环境绩效指数、空间形态差异指数等方法从宏观和微观视角对长三角城市群工业污染时空演化进行分析,同时采用对数平均迪氏分解（LMDI）模型对其工业污染排放主要驱动因素进行分解.研究发现：2003~2015年工业废水和工业SO₂排放量分别下降了16.97%和28.79%,但占全国比重仍然较高,尤其是工业废水对生态环境胁迫较大.2种工业污染空间形态均呈现出北（偏西）-南（偏东）的空间分布形态,而2种工业污染重心移动轨迹并不一致,工业废水重心总体上朝向东（偏南）方向迁移了12.85km,而工业SO₂重心总体上朝向西（偏北）方向迁移了26.89km.此外,2种工业污染主要集中分布于长江沿岸城市且污染集中度指数由高到低大致呈半圈层状向周围递减.工业发展与工业污染空间形态演变具有一致性,工业废水重心和工业SO₂重心与工业发展重心距离均在逐渐缩小,而2种工业污染-环境绩效空间分布格局并不完全一致.驱动因素方面,环境规制引起的技术改善效应是工业污染排放量减少的主要原因,而由环境规制引起的产业结构效应对工业污染排放量的影响则取决于区域发展政策,经济发展效应是工业污染排放量增加的主要原因,人口规模效应对工业污染排放量的影响较小.     

1980—2015年京津冀地区雁鸭类潜在栖息地连接度变化及驱动因素

近几十年来,京津冀地区湿地面积萎缩,生态功能下降,严重影响了湿地水鸟的栖息地质量及栖息地间的连接,对水鸟类的迁徙、繁殖产生较大干扰,为了从整体上定量分析近几十年来湿地栖息地质量及连接度的变化,采用MaxEnt模型（maximum entropy model,最大熵模型）,基于京津冀地区雁鸭类的出现点和环境因子反演其潜在栖息地,并根据图论法原理,利用ECA指数（equivalent connected area,等效连接指数）,度量1980-2015年潜在栖息地连接度的变化.结果表明:①1980-2015年京津冀雁鸭类潜在栖息地面积总体呈下降趋势,由1980年的6 898 km2减至2015年的3 764 km2,减少了45.0%,其中,低适宜区面积降幅最为明显,为50.5%;2009-2015年高适宜区有增加趋势.②1980-2015年雁鸭类潜在栖息地连接度呈持续下降趋势,2000年以后的连接度下降速率大于2000年以前;潜在栖息地连接结构的空间分布有向环渤海地区转移的趋势,连接结构变化最为明显的区域为京津冀中部平原地区.研究显示,区域气候趋暖变干、水资源的供需失衡、水利工程设施建设以及人口增加与经济发展带来的土地利用变化是潜在栖息地面积与连接度下降的主要影响因子,而近些年保护区的建立及生态补水措施等生态保护政策对高适宜区的退化有一定缓解作用.      

植物及土壤碳同位素组成对环境变化响应研究进展

植物和土壤的δ13C（碳同位素组成）能可靠记录环境信息,综合反映植物的生理生态特征以及碳循环过程中的生物化学过程,为人们理解生态系统碳循环提供有用信息.因此,研究植物和土壤的δ13C与环境因子的关系可以揭示生态系统碳循环的格局及其控制因子,进而有效预测全球变化及其对生态系统的影响.对植物和土壤的δ13C以及二者的差值（Δδ13C）与气候因子（如温度、降水量、大气压强等）、土壤因子（如C/N、土壤质地、土壤pH等）的关系进行了综述.现有研究表明:C₃植物的δ13C与降水量、大气压强均呈负相关,与温度的关系非常复杂,而针对C₄植物和在群落水平上开展的研究还较少;土壤δ13C与降水量、土壤C/N、土壤w（粉粒）及w（黏粒）均呈负相关,与温度、土壤pH、土壤w（砂粒）均呈正相关,然而环境因素间的耦合作用使得情况复杂化,多种环境因素的匹配关系究竟如何影响土壤δ13C的机制问题仍有待深入研究;Δδ13C能够更加全面准确地反映土壤碳循环信息,但对其与环境因子关系的研究较少,并且影响Δδ13C的驱动因子及机制也不明确.因此,在土壤-植物体系内,同时在物种和群落水平上,进行植物和土壤δ13C特别是Δδ13C与环境因子关系的研究,能够更加准确地预测和揭示环境变化对生态系统碳循环的影响,这也将是今后该领域的研究重点.      

基于恢复能力与影响周期的围海养殖工程生态损害特征及补偿标准——以象山县水湖涂名优水产养殖区为例

以宁波市象山县水湖涂名优水产围海养殖工程为研究对象,通过构建生态服务价值损害评估指标体系,分析了围海养殖区的生态损害特征,并基于海域自我恢复能力,研究了围海养殖工程的生态补偿标准和资源恢复周期。结果显示：（1）名优水产围海养殖工程造成的生态损害总价值为318.90万元/a,单位面积损害价值为3.20万元/hm²·a。生态损害主要以生态服务型为主,占总量比例为53.54%。（2）生物资源型损害类别中,潮间带生物损害价值最大,为59.71万元,其次为紫菜养殖和鱼卵、仔鱼,二者损害价值量相当,占总量比例均为13.55%,底栖生物和游泳生物价值损失则均较小。（3）生态服务型损害类别中,一级类别主要以调节服务价值为主,占总量比例为32.56%。二级损害类别中,废弃物处理损害价值最大,为71.77万元,休闲娱乐损害价值也较大,占总量比例为12.80%,其他类型则价值损失较小。（4）名优水产围海养殖工程基于海域自我恢复能力的生态补偿标准为280.90万元/a,单位面积补偿价值为2.82万元/hm²·a,对比生态损害价值确定的补偿标准,总量减少11.92%。项目施工结束后,近岸滩涂恢复速度为4.6320 hm²/a,约13年后新围大堤附近滩涂将恢复到围海前的基线水平。