Developing sustainable products and services

In light of increasing pressures to adopt a more sustainable approach to product design and manufacture, the requirement to develop sustainable products is one of the key challenges facing industry in the 21st century. Hence, the concept of developing sustainable products as well as services is evolving as a key element of Cleaner Production. Sustainable product development initiatives (mainly through eco-design) have been evolving for some time to support companies develop more sustainable products. Ireland has been running the highly successful Environmentally Superior Products (ESP) initiative that supports industrial companies to incorporate a more sustainable approach to the development of products and/or services. The lessons learned from the ESP and other global Sustainable Product and Service Developments in industry and research, are being used to develop a method for effective sustainable product and/or service development (SPSD) in industry. The method is designed to provide pragmatic guidance to business and industry for developing sustainable products and services as well as incorporating this approach within existing corporate strategy, cleaner production and product development systems. This method is being developed by the authors at the Environmental Policy and Management Group (EPMG), Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Imperial College London, UK in conjunction with industry and practitioners. The method provides a framework for implementing SPSD throughout the entire lifecycle of a product and/or service. It can be used to identify, assess and implement the options for optimum sustainability in the design and development of a product and/or service. This paper describes the key features of this method.     

改良剂对根际土壤-水稻系统中镉运移的影响

稻田镉(Cd)污染治理是我国目前农田重金属污染治理的重点和难点.铁的氧化还原过程对Cd在土壤-水稻系统中的运移发挥着极其重要的作用.从铁循环调控入手,研发阻控稻米Cd累积的钝化技术及产品,势必能为农田重金属污染治理提供新的解决途径.本研究以自主研发的改良剂为对象,通过野外田间试验,研究改良剂对Cd从根际土壤向根表铁膜迁移及在水稻不同组织器官间转运的影响,探索铁循环影响Cd在根际土壤-水稻系统中运移的机制.结果表明,改良剂施用促进了根际土壤中铁硫化物的形成,其与Cd共沉淀显著减少了分蘖期、拔节期和灌浆期根际土壤中乙酸铵浸提态Cd(NH4AcCd)的含量;成熟期排水烤田致使铁硫化物被氧化,其对Cd的释放显著增大了根际土壤中NH4Ac-Cd的含量;铁硫化物形成减弱了Fe(Ⅱ)从根际土壤向根表的迁移能力,铁膜中铁(DCB-Fe)的含量随之减小,铁膜对Cd的吸附能力减弱导致分蘖期和灌浆期铁膜中Cd(DCB-Cd)的含量显著减小;改良剂施用有效减弱了根系对Cd的转运能力,增大了拔节期、灌浆期和成熟期Cd在根系的分布比例,而减少了拔节期、灌浆期和成熟期Cd在茎叶、以及成熟期Cd在糙米中的分布比例.本研究成果将为后期改良剂的研发及应用提供理论依据,对解决稻田Cd污染治理难题具有重要意义.     

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.      

钢筋混凝土结构盐冻破坏分析及寿命预测

为评估北方季冻区除冰盐对钢筋混凝土结构耐久性的影响,开展了混凝土试件的盐冻试验,根据试验测得的混凝土相对动弹性模量与质量损失率,分析了钢筋混凝土结构在冻融环境下的损伤情况,得到了盐冻环境下钢筋混凝土盐冻损伤度随冻融循环周期变化的关系式。同时将钢筋混凝土盐冻损伤度引入到氯离子扩散模型(DuraCete模型)中,修正了公式中氯离子扩散系数,使得该公式更适用于冻融环境,最终得到了钢筋混凝土结构的寿命预测公式。修正后的钢筋混凝土结构的寿命预测公式既考虑了冻融和氯离子侵蚀双重作用,又不需要对氯离子扩散系数进行经验取值,使得本预测模型更方便、实用。     

中国铝生命周期能耗与碳排放的情景分析及减排对策

铝工业是高能耗高排放工业,探索铝工业的节能减排路径有助于我国实现《巴黎协定》中的温室气体减排承诺.采用物质流分析和生命周期评价方法,基于存量水平、技术水平和能源结构设置了15种情景,研究了我国铝工业1990～2100年的能耗和碳排放量,探索不同路径下的节能减排潜力.我国铝在用存量将在2040～2050年达到峰值(4.6...     

温带亚高山针叶林土壤碳循环微生物群落的时空动态

选取参与碳固定的二磷酸羧化/加氧酶基因（cbbM）、有机碳降解的淀粉酶基因（amylase）和纤维素酶基因（cellulase）作为分子标记,用实时定量PCR方法对温带亚高山华北落叶松（Larix gmelinii var.principis-rupprechtii）林、白杄（Picea meyeri）林、青杄（P.wilsonii）林和油松（Pinus tabulaeformis）林土壤碳循环功能微生物类群丰度的时空动态开展研究.结果显示,总碳（TC）、总氮（TN）、总硫（TS）、有机质（OM）和有机碳（TOC）、pH值、铵态氮（NH₄⁺-N）、硝态氮（NO₃^--N）、过氧化氢酶、蔗糖酶和脲酶活性在4种森林土壤中都有不同程度的差异,且有显著的季节变化特征.高海拔华北落叶松林土壤TC、TN、TS、C/N、OM和TOC含量最高,而pH值最低.土壤TC、TN、亚硝态氮（NO₂^--N）含量、蔗糖酶和脲酶活性,与碳循环微生物类群的丰度呈极显著相关.土壤NO₃^--N含量与有机碳分解和固碳微生物类群的相对丰度显著相关;土壤C/N、NO₂^--N、pH值、OM、TOC、过氧化氢酶及脲酶活性,与降解易分解碳（labile C）和难分解碳（recalcitrant C）的微生物类群的相对丰度呈极显著相关.植被类型和季节变化共同影响土壤碳循环微生物类群的丰度,而季节变化是主导因素.植被和土壤环境因子通过调控微生物群落碳代谢功能类群的结构,影响森林土壤碳源-汇的平衡.     

Alteration of dominant cyanobacteria in different bloom periods caused by abiotic factors and species interactions

Freshwater cyanobacterial blooms have drawn public attention because they threaten the safety of water resources and human health worldwide. Heavy cyanobacterial blooms outbreak in Lake Taihu in summer annually and vanish in other months. To find out the factors impacting the cyanobacterial blooms, the present study measured the physicochemical parameters of water and investigated the composition of microbial community using the 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer amplicon sequencing in the months with or without bloom. The most interesting finding is that two major cyanobacteria, Planktothrix and Microcystis, dramatically alternated during a cyanobacterial bloom in 2016, which is less mentioned in previous studies. When the temperature of the water began increasing in July, Planktothrix appeared first and showed as a superior competitor for M. aeruginosa in NO₃^?-rich conditions. Microcystis became the dominant genus when the water temperature increased further in August. Laboratory experiments confirmed the influence of temperature and the total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) form on the growth of Planktothrix and Microcystis in a co-culture system. Besides, species interactions between cyanobacteria and non-cyanobacterial microorganisms, especially the prokaryotes, also played a key role in the alteration of Planktothrix and Microcystis. The present study exhibited the alteration of two dominant cyanobacteria in the different bloom periods caused by the temperature, TDN forms as well as the species interactions. These results helped the better understanding of cyanobacterial blooms and the factors which contribute to them.     

Controlling cyanobacterial blooms by managing nutrient ratio and limitation in a large hypereutrophic lake: Lake Taihu, China

Excessive nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loading of aquatic ecosystems is a leading cause of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms worldwide, and reducing nutrient levels in water has been a primary management objective. To provide a rational protection strategy and predict future trends of eutrophication in eutrophic lakes, we need to understand the relationships between nutrient ratios and nutrient limitations. We conducted a set of outdoor bioassays at the shore of Lake Taihu. It showed that N only additions induced phytoplankton growth but adding only P did not. Combined N plus P additions promoted higher phytoplankton biomass than N only additions, which suggested that both N and P were deficient for maximum phytoplankton growth in this lake (TN:TP = 18.9). When nutrients are present at less than 7.75-13.95 mg/L TN and 0.41-0.74 mg/L TP, the deficiency of either N or P or both limits the growth of phytoplankton. N limitation then takes place when the TN:TP ratio is less than 21.5-24.7 (TDN:TDP was 34.2-44.3), and P limitation occurs above this. Therefore, according to this ratio, controlling N when N limitation exists and controlling P when P deficiency is present will prevent algal blooms effectively in the short term. But for the long term, a persistent dual nutrient (N and P) management strategy is necessary.     

Toluene decomposition performance and NOx by-product formation during a DBD-catalyst process

Characteristics of toluene decomposition and formation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) by-products were investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with/without catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Four kinds of metal oxides, i.e., manganese oxide (MnOx), iron oxide (FeOx), cobalt oxide (CoOx) and copper oxide (CuO), supported on Al₂O₃/nickel foam, were used as catalysts. It was found that introducing catalysts could improve toluene removal efficiency, promote decomposition of by-product ozone and enhance CO₂ selectivity. In addition, NOx was suppressed with the decrease of specific energy density (SED) and the increase of humidity, gas flow rate and toluene concentration, or catalyst introduction. Among the four kinds of catalysts, the CuO catalyst showed the best performance in NOx suppression. The MnOx catalyst exhibited the lowest concentration of O₃ and highest CO₂ selectivity but the highest concentration of NOx. A possible pathway for NOx production in DBD was discussed. The contributions of oxygen active species and hydroxyl radicals are dominant in NOx suppression.     

不同工况下轻型车油耗试验驾驶方式评价

在一台性能稳定的汽油车上由同一驾驶人员按平顺、粗暴和正常3种驾驶方式分别进行NEDC （新欧洲行驶工况）、FTP75（美国认证工况）以及WLTC （世界统一轻型车测试循环）工况油耗试验,采用能量变化率（ER）、距离变化率（DR）、能量经济性变化率（EER）、绝对速度改变率（ASCR）、速度平方根误差（RMSSE）以及惯性做功改变率（IWR）6个指标作为驾驶质量评价指标,通过分析计算每次试验各项评价指标及其与燃料消耗量变化的相关性,确定了油耗试验驾驶方式的合理性边界条件.结果表明,对于WLTC和FTP75工况,平顺驾驶和粗暴驾驶均会导致评价指标变大或者变小,驾驶方式与评价指标呈规律性变化;对于NEDC工况,不同的驾驶方式对NEDC工况油耗影响较小.油耗试验的边界条件,WLTC工况的EER为（0.25±0.47）%、ASCR为（1.20±0.97）%、RMSSE为（0.85+0.15）km/h、IWR为（2.15±1.27）%时,可认为油耗试验的驾驶方式较为合理;FTP75工况的EER为（-0.09±0.69）%、ASCR为（-0.59±0.42）%、RMSSE为（0.88+0.34）km/h以及IWR为（-0.69±1.66）%时,油耗试验的驾驶方式较为合理.