Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part I: Lessons learned and perspectives

The continuously increasing solid waste generation worldwide calls for management strategies that integrate concerns for environmental sustainability. By quantifying environmental impacts of systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool, which can contribute to answer that call. But how, where and to which extent has it been applied to solid waste management systems (SWMSs) until now, and which lessons can be learnt from the findings of these LCA applications? To address these questions, we performed a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of SWMS. We first analysed the geographic distribution and found that the published studies have primarily been concentrated in Europe with little application in developing countries. In terms of technological coverage, they have largely overlooked application of LCA to waste prevention activities and to relevant waste types apart from household waste, e.g. construction and demolition waste. Waste management practitioners are thus encouraged to abridge these gaps in future applications of LCA. In addition to this contextual analysis, we also evaluated the findings of selected studies of good quality and found that there is little agreement in the conclusions among them. The strong dependence of each SWMS on local conditions, such as waste composition or energy system, prevents a meaningful generalisation of the LCA results as we find it in the waste hierarchy. We therefore recommend stakeholders in solid waste management to regard LCA as a tool, which, by its ability of capturing the local specific conditions in the modelling of environmental impacts and benefits of a SWMS, allows identifying critical problems and proposing improvement options adapted to the local specificities.     

Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part II: Methodological guidance for a better practice

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is increasingly used in waste management to identify strategies that prevent or minimise negative impacts on ecosystems, human health or natural resources. However, the quality of the provided support to decision- and policy-makers is strongly dependent on a proper conduct of the LCA. How has LCA been applied until now? Are there any inconsistencies in the past practice? To answer these questions, we draw on a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of solid waste management systems. We analyse the past practice against the ISO standard requirements and the ILCD Handbook guidelines for each major step within the goal definition, scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation phases of the methodology. Results show that malpractices exist in several aspects of the LCA with large differences across studies. Examples are a frequent neglect of the goal definition, a frequent lack of transparency and precision in the definition of the scope of the study, e.g. an unclear delimitation of the system boundaries, a truncated impact coverage, difficulties in capturing influential local specificities such as representative waste compositions into the inventory, and a frequent lack of essential sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. Many of these aspects are important for the reliability of the results. For each of them, we therefore provide detailed recommendations to practitioners of waste management LCAs.     

喀斯特常绿与落叶阔叶混交林过去50年来的碳循环模拟

通过对Forest-DNDC模型的植被和土壤参数本地化校准,以气象插值数据为输入,模拟了贵州省普定县高原型喀斯特次生常绿与落叶阔叶混交林1965~2014年的土壤、植被和生态系统碳循环特征。结果表明,与冷模拟和实测值相比,参数本地化校准后的模型能更准确地模拟春、秋、冬3个季节的土壤呼吸动态,而模拟的夏季土壤呼吸偏小;但统计检验指出,参数修订后的Forest-DNDC模型能够较好地模拟喀斯特森林土壤呼吸,降低了模拟误差,可用于喀斯特常绿与落叶阔叶混交林碳动态的模拟。进一步分析发现,1965~2014年喀斯特森林的碳通量除模拟早期的前3~4年急剧增加之外,随后总初级生产力(GPP)保持相对稳定,植物呼吸(Rplant)和生态系统呼吸(R_(ecosystem))随着森林发育而增加,土壤呼吸(R_(soil))减少,植被净初级生产力(NPP)呈迅速减小趋势;净生态系统碳交换量(NEE)亦较迅速下降,在2013年达到最低值-0.17 t C/ha,喀斯特森林由碳汇变为弱碳源。相关分析表明,年均温度和年降水对喀斯特常绿与落叶阔叶混交林的GPP和R_(soil)没有显著影响,但却显著影响NPP、R_(plant)、R_(ecosystem)和NEE。     

基于生命周期评价的城市固体废弃物处理模式研究进展

通过回顾2003-2010年国内外不同城市固体废弃物管理体系生命周期评价结果,列举比较了不同固体废弃物处理模式下的全球变暖潜力、酸化潜力和净能源效用等影响评价因子的大小,得出城市固体废弃物处理模式环境影响等级:填埋的环境影响潜值最大,焚烧的环境影响潜值小于填埋,而结合堆肥后环境影响潜值降低;此外,将固体废弃物资源化引入到处理模式后,特别是垃圾源头分类回收后,环境影响潜值大大降低。结合我国城市固体废弃物处理现状,提出单一的处理模式应转变为综合处理模式,多种生活垃圾处理方式适当的有机结合,因地制宜地开展固体废弃物资源化管理,以及餐厨垃圾源头分类收集处理等建议,为政府能有效利用城市固体废弃物处理设施的能力提供参考。     

铅酸蓄电池生命周期评价

铅酸蓄电池是世界上产量最大、用途最广的一种二次电池。铅酸蓄电池生命周期过程中每一个环节都有可能对环境带来不利影响,评估从生产到废弃处理关键过程中对环境的影响,可以为制定有效的管理政策提供科研支撑。目前,尚缺乏针对我国特色的铅酸蓄电池行业全生命周期评价的研究,造成此行业的污染防治无据可依。因此,本研究针对铅酸蓄电池的生命周期进行评价,通过设定研究目的与范围、收集数据与分析清单、获得影响评价和解释结果,研究了铅酸蓄电池对环境的影响,结果表明铅酸蓄电池在生产环节的板栅浇铸过程和废弃处理环节的脱硫过程应属于管理中着重控制的部分。     

ESS试验温度循环次数确定方法研究

介绍了环境应力筛选温度循环试验数学模型,通过雷达单元实际筛选数据统计建模计算,在相同的温度范围、温变速率条件下,进行筛选度和循环次数的理论与实际数据对比分析,得出了确定雷达组成电子单元温度循环试验循环次数的方法和修正系数。     

不同前茬冬小麦土壤呼吸特征及影响因子分析

以不同蔬菜前茬处理的冬小麦田为对象,研究土壤呼吸变化特征、各影响因子对土壤呼吸的响应的通径分析以及计算全生长季农田碳汇强度.结果表明：①温度对土壤呼吸速率的响应随深度增加具有滞后性;土壤呼吸与土壤水分呈显著二次相关.②有效磷、速效钾、土壤脲酶、土壤温度、土壤水分对土壤呼吸变化的贡献较大,为主要影响因子.5种主要因子中土...     

海洋中丙烯酸的研究进展

丙烯酸是海洋中的短链脂肪酸,是海洋中主要含硫化合物DMSP(dimethylsulfoniopropionate,β-二甲基巯基丙酸内盐)裂解的产物之一。本文综述了海洋中丙烯酸的来源、性质、在海洋中的作用以及海水中丙烯酸的测定方法。通过观测海水中丙烯酸的含量、分布及生物地球化学循环过程,有助于了解丙烯酸对海洋生态系统碳循环和硫循环的贡献。并对海洋中丙烯酸的进一步研究提出了展望。     

基于生命周期的产品碳足迹评价与核算分析

近年来,越来越多的企业对其产品进行碳足迹评价,评价方法主要采用产品碳足迹评价标准提供的碳计量方程,如GHG Protocol、ISO14064、PAS 2050、TS Q 0010等。在介绍相关评价标准的基础上,分析了产品碳足迹的评价步骤,最后利用河北盛华化工有限公司生产的PVC产品为例,给出了基于生命周期的B2B模式的产品碳足迹评价的案例。为企业及相关机构开展碳足迹评价提供借鉴作用。     

Sustainability issues in sheet metal forming processes: an overview

Environmental sustainability in manufacturing is nowadays an urgent and remarkable issue and the main concerns are related to more efficient use of materials and energy.In sheet metal forming processes there is still a lack of knowledge in this field mainly due to the need of a proper modelling of sustainability issues and factors to be taken into account. The aim of this paper is mainly to underline the state of the art from a forming point of view about the sustainability contributions offered in any phase of a product life cycle. Actually, a lack in terms of comprehensive contributions is present in the technical literature, thus, the authors try to give a sort of holistic vision aimed to provide basic guidelines in order to help in identifying the possible solutions with regard to all the phases of a forming product life cycle. The main attention was paid to sheet metal forming technologies. The paper gives an overview of the main topics concerning sheet metal forming problems related to energy and resource efficiency with the aim to stress the principal contributions which may derive from such processes to environmental performances of manufacturing.