Brazil's Electric Power Choices and Their Corresponding Carbon Emissions Implications

This study analyzes the options for meeting power demand in the Brazilianpower sector through the year 2015. Three policy cases are constructedto test economic and environmental policy measures against a baseline:advanced technologies scenario, environmental control scenario and carbon(C) elimination scenario. Least-cost modeling simulated these scenarios throughchanges in emissions fees and caps, costs for advanced technologies,demand side efficiency, and clean energy supplies. Results show that, in theabsence of alternative policies, new additions to Brazil's electric powersector will shift rapidly from hydroelectricity to combined-cycle natural gasplants. When the cost of environmental impacts are incorporated in theprice of power, the least-cost mix of electric power generation technologycould change in other ways. In all scenarios, energy efficiency andcogeneration play an important role in the least-cost power solution. Savingelectricity through increased efficiency offsets the needs for new supply andhas enormous potential in Brazil's industrial sector. Efficiency also reducesthe environmental burden associated with electricity production andtransmission, without compromising the quality of the services demandedby end users. Interesting enough, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions will remainrelatively low under almost every conceivable scenario.     

Trace metal emissions from co-combustion of refuse derived and packaging derived fuels in a circulating fluidized bed boiler

Energy recovery from refuse derived fuels (RDF) and packaging derived fuels (PDF) is one option in integrated waste management. Nine RDF and PDF co-combustion tests with peat and coal in a circulating fluidized bed boiler were carried out in this work. Heavy metal emissions in flue gas and fly ash were measured. Multivariate data analyses were used to find out the most important parameters affecting metal emissions in the flue gas.

The results showed that total heavy metal emissions were low. Although RDF and PDF had more heavy metals than peat and coal, the multivariate data analysis showed that an increase of the RDF or PDF share in the fuel mixture up to 20% did not correlate directly with the metal emissions in the flue gas. Distribution of Cd, Cu, Zn and Sn between flue gas and fly ash correlated with each other. Injection of limestone to bind sulphur and chlorine did not have a significant effect on heavy metal emissions in the flue gas. Heavy metals concentrated on the fly ash, but all fly ashes passed the EPA-TCLP tests.     

Traffic congestion and ozone precursor emissions in Bilbao (Spain)

GOAL. SCOPE. BACKGROUND: In urban environments, the measured levels of ozone are the result of the interaction between emissions of precursors (mainly VOCs and NOx) and meteorological effects. In this work, time series of daily values of ozone, measured at three locations in Bilbao (Spain), have been built. Then, after removing meteorological effects from them, ozone and traffic data have been analyzed jointly. The goal was to identify traffic situations and link them to ozone levels in the area of Bilbao. METHODS: To remove meteorological effects from the selected ozone time series, the technique developed by Rao and Zurbenko was used. This is a widely used technique and, after its application, the fraction obtained from a given ozone time series represents an ozone forming capability attributable to emissions of precursors. This fraction is devoid of any meteorological influence and includes only the apportion of periodicities above 1.7 years. In the case of Bilbao, the ozone fractions obtained at three locations have been compared on that time scale with traffic data from the area. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: For the 1993-1996 period, a regression analysis of the ozone and traffic fractions due to periodicities above 1.7 years (long-term fractions), shows that traffic is the main explanatory factor for ozone with R2 ranging from 0.916 to 0.996 at the three locations studied. Analysis of these longterm fractions has made it possible to identify two traffic regimes for the whole area, associated to different profiles of ozone forming capability. The first one favors low ozone forming capability, and is associated with a situation of fluent traffic. The second one shows high ozone forming capability and represents congestion. Joint analysis of raw data of ozone and traffic do not show any clear pattern due to the strong masking effects that seasonal-meteorological effects (mainly radiation) have on the measured ozone signal. If only immission data of ozone are available, as in this case, a comparison between ozone and traffic can only be made on the long-term time scale, since that is the only fraction embedded in the ozone time series that can exclusively be attributed to emissions of precursors. This fact stresses the need to study the different fractions embedded in the time series of ozone measured levels separately. CONCLUSION: Though the coefficients obtained in the regression are only valid for the 1993-1996 period, these traffic regimes represent long-term targets (congestion or fluent traffic) that can inspire policies for a joint management of the traffic and pollution by ozone in the area of Bilbao beyond that period. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: The results of this work show the need of a joint management of ozone and traffic in Bilbao. Since an accurate knowledge of traffic was not available, the use of emission factors to relate traffic and actual ozone levels has not been possible. For this reason, this study has focused on the long-term fractions of traffic and ozone. In the future, if a more accurate knowledge of traffic is available, it will be possible to find relationships between traffic and ozone on all time scales.     

Emissions from RDF/coal blended fuel combustion

The significant volume and weight reduction along with the energy potential of MSW, in the form of refuse derived fuel (RDF), has made its incineration an attractive alternative. However, the gaseous emissions such as, CO₂, CO, NO_x and SO₂, which are the byproduct of the combustion process pose serious environmental problems. These problems are compounded by the presence of certain highly regulated hazardous wastes such as, dioxins and furans in the exhaust stream. In the present investigation, different compositions of RDF/Coal blends were examined and the gaseous emissions from the combustion of the briquetted fuel were measured. Also, a direct comparison of emissions from RDF/coal blend incineration with coal combustion is presented in this paper. The potential for recovery of ferrous and non- ferrous metals provides an additional economic motivation for the use of RDF/Coal blended briquettes.     

Twenty-five years of biomonitoring lead in the Frankfurt/Main area

The present study is an example of the historical monitoring of heavy metals. The specific question it aims to explore is: to what extent has the lead content of selected organisms used for biomonitoring in Frankfurt/Main—one of the cities in Germany most heavily affected by automobile traffic—changed as a result of legislation on leaded gasoline?

Data on the lead content of the moss speciesBryum argenteum Hedw. from the years 1974, 1975 and 1978 and data on the lead content of the outer bark of the ash speciesFraxinus excelsior L. from 1973 served as the basis for the repeated measurements. Remeasurement was successful in 76.5% (i.e. 124 trees at 26 growth sites). The study produced the following results:

• ? As was expected, the lead content of the short-term accumulatorBryum argenteum Hedw. was distinctly lowered with a decreasing particulate lead concentration. However, the reduction factor varied greatly between the different growth sites.
• ? On the other hand, the lead content measured in the outer bark layers ofFraxinus excelsior L. has risen markedly during the past two decades. Whereas in 1973 nearly all trees examined displayed very low concentrations of lead (< 38 ppm), only 9.5% were still in this category in 1997 and nearly 30% exhibited high or even unacceptable lead concentrations (< 150 ppm → > 225 ppm). Various factors have to be taken into account to explain this increase. First of all, bark is a long-term accumulator for heavy metals like lead and its enrichment capacity could have increased as the surface becomes rougher over time. Furthermore, lead is most probably leached out of the bark to a lesser degree now than in the 1970s, owing to the reduced concentration of sulphuric acid in the rain. The dramatic growth of automobile traffic in the Frankfurt/Main area during the period covered by the study undoubtedly plays an important role as well.

     

Modeling mobile source emissions during traffic jams in a micro urban environment

Urbanization typically involves a continuous increase in motor vehicle use, resulting in congestion known as traffic jams. Idling emissions due to traffic jams combine with the complex terrain created by buildings to concentrate atmospheric pollutants in localized areas. This research simulates emissions concentrations and distributions for a congested street in Minsk, Belarus. Ground-level (up to 50-meters above the street's surface) pollutant concentrations were calculated using STAR (version 3.10) with emission factors obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wind speed and direction, and building location and size. Relative emissions concentrations and distributions were simulated at 1-meter and 10-meters above street level. The findings demonstrate the importance of wind speed and direction, and building size and location on emissions concentrations and distributions, with the leeward sides of buildings retaining up to 99 percent of the emitted pollutants within 1-meter of street level, and up to 77 percent 10-meters above the street.     

合肥市典型交通干道大气苯系物的特征分析

为研究合肥市交通干道大气苯系物污染状况,采用自主研制的差分吸收光谱(DOAS)系统,于2016年3月期间对合肥市交通主干道大气苯系物(苯、甲苯、间二甲苯和邻二甲苯)以及常规污染物NO_2、SO_2等进行了连续观测.观测结果显示,观测期间苯、甲苯、间二甲苯和邻二甲苯的平均浓度分别为:21.7、63.6、33.9和98.7μg·m~(-3).与国内外其它城市比较显示,合肥市交通干道大气苯和甲苯的污染处于中等水平,二甲苯的污染较为严重.结合观测期的间风速风向、T/B特征比值以及与CO等污染物的相关性,对上述苯系物来源进行了分析,结果显示观测期间T/B值为0.8~4.5,苯、甲苯与CO的相关性系数R分别为0.55和0.34.表明机动车尾气排放是观测区域苯和甲苯的主要排放源之一,同时也受到周边工业园区排放的影响,二甲苯的主要排放源为观测地点北偏东方向的涂料行业工业园区.苯和甲苯的夜间高浓度峰值分析结果表明,夜间的高浓度苯和甲苯可能主要来源于观测地点周边工业园区的排放.观测区域苯系物的臭氧生成潜势(OFP)表现为邻二甲苯间二甲苯甲苯苯,其中二甲苯的OFP占总OFP的85%,表明周边工业园区的排放对该地区臭氧生成的贡献较大.     

成都市典型溶剂源使用行业VOCs排放成分特征

对成都市5类典型溶剂使用行业挥发性有机物(VOCs)进行采样监测,测定了其主要组成成分,得出了各行业的VOCs本地化排放系数.结果表明:芳香烃和含氧VOCs是主要成分,不同行业的特征VOCs组分各有不同;大气化学反应活性较大的物种大部分为芳香烃,其中对/间二甲苯的臭氧生成潜势(OFP)值约为141.88 mg·m~(-3),甲苯的OFP值约为90.90 mg·m~(-3),二者占总OFP的53%;家具制造行业的VOCs排放系数为0.61 kg·件~(-1),汽车喷涂行业VOCs排放系数为3.1 kg·辆~(-1),制鞋行业VOCs排放系数为4.04 g·双~(-1),印刷行业VOCs排放系数为34.7g·kg~(-1)油墨,人造板生产行业VOCs排放系数为3.67 g·m~(-3)人造板.     

后京都议定书时代的二氧化碳排放格局与中国面临的发展挑战

阐述了近期世界主要国家的温室气体排放状况,以及2012年<京都议定书>第一承诺期到期后,全球二氧化碳可能的排放格局.分析了气候变化对中国发展带来的挑战.指出气候变化是人类共同面临的挑战,世界各国都在采取各种措施努力减少额外的二氧化碳排放量;作为发展中的温室气体排放大国,中国面临巨大的减排压力,为此,中国必须尽快做出调整,向低碳经济转型.     

中国能源消费碳排放影响因素分析

利用改进的主成分回归分析技术考察1990年以来中国人口和经济因素对化石能源消费碳排放的影响作用。研究发现：以人口总量、人口城市化和居民收入水平为代表的人口因素和以经济规模、产业结构、能耗结构及碳排放强度为代表的经济因素对碳排放均具有显著的正向影响;其中,经济规模和人口总量是能源消费碳排放的关键决定因子。研究结果为国家制订合理的节能减排政策、协调人地关系提供了参考依据。