Achieving sustainable lifestyles? Socio-cultural dispositions,collective action and material culture as problems and possibilities

This article focuses on the everyday life of ordinary households, their behaviour and responsibility with regard to environmental and sustainability issues. Previous research has shown that there is a gap between what households perceive as ideologically correct behaviour and what they actually do. It is argued here that socio-cultural dispositions, material culture and collective action need to be included in future strategies for creating more sustainable lifestyles. The investigation is based on a study of families participating in a year-long project in which the families learned to live in a more environmentally friendly way. In the study of the families, material culture interacted with routines, family relations and citizenship in a reproducing manner. The lifestyle changes were gender-biased, with the women as driving forces but also bearing most of the extra workload. From early life experiences, garbage sorting stood out as an especially powerful tool for a change towards more sustainable lifestyles.     

Improving the thermal performance of single-glazed windows using translucent granular aerogel

Cost-effective materials, products and installation methods are required to improve the energy efficiency of the UK's existing building stock. The aim of this paper is to assess the potential for high-performance translucent granular aerogel insulation to be retrofitted over single glazing to reduce heat loss without blocking out all of the useful natural light. In situ testing of a 10-mm-thick prototype panel, consisting of a clear twin-wall polycarbonate sheet filled with granular aerogel, was carried out and validated with steady-state calculations. Results demonstrate that an 80% reduction in heat loss can be achieved without detrimental reductions in light transmission. Payback calculations accounting for the inevitable thermal bridging from openable solutions such as roller shutters or pop-in secondary glazing suggest that a return on investment between 3.5 and 9.5 years is possible if products are consistently used over the heating season. Granular aerogel is a promising material for improving the thermal performance of existing windows. Future research will seek to map out different ways in which the material can be applied to the existing UK housing stock, identifying which systems offer the greatest potential for widespread CO₂ savings over their life cycle.     

南京市化学原料及化学制品制造业能源消耗预测

化学原料及化学制品制造业作为南京市高能耗、高污染产业,对其能源消耗总量及能源消耗结构进行预测,对节能减排具有重要意义。以2002—2012年能源消耗量弱化之后的数据为原始数据,运用灰色GM(1,1)模型对2013—2020年南京市化学原料及化学制品制造业能源消耗总量以及主要能耗进行了预测。由于部分原始数据序列光滑性较差,所建预测模型的精度较低,使用平均弱化缓冲算子对其进行处理。结果表明,处理之后建模精度提高,预测的结果更加准确。     

同位素稀释高分辨气相色谱-高分辨质谱法测定氯化石蜡工业品中二噁英

氯化石蜡（CPs）作为一种用途广泛、产量大的有机氯化学工业品,具有组成多样、基质复杂等特点,对其中产生的二噁英（PCDD/Fs）检测是当前工作面临的难题。建立了同位素稀释高分辨气相色谱-高分辨质谱法检测CPs工业品中PCDD/Fs的分析方法。对样品净化过程进行了优化,通过提取溶剂筛选,去除固体CPs中部分基质,建立的双活性炭柱法可高效去除CPs基质。方法采用¹³ C₁₂标记的PCDD/Fs内标物进行定性和定量分析。17种PCDD/Fs同系物的检出限为0.1～3 pg/g,回收率为31.7%～100%。该方法可对高纯度工业品中痕量持久性有机污染物进行高效的定性和定量分析,能够满足国家标准方法对PCDD/Fs检测的要求。     

Use of recycled products in UK construction industry: An empirical investigation into critical impediments and strategies for improvement

Construction industry consumes about half of all material resources taken from nature, and generates a large portion of waste to landfill. A way of tackling negative environmental impacts impending from continuous material extraction and waste generation is the use of recycled materials for construction projects. However, the use of recycled materials is yet to become a commonplace in construction industry. This study evaluates the factors hampering the use of recycled products in UK construction industry as well as strategies that could be adopted to enhance its use in the industry. In order to identify the impediments and critical strategies, a two-fold methodical approach was used. An unstructured interview preceded a quantitative questionnaire survey which was used to elicit broader industry practitioners’ opinion.The study shows that designers rarely specify recycled products. This is due to lack of adequate information about quality and market availability of the products, negative perception from clients, and unexpectedly high cost of the products, despite its perceived low quality. The study suggests that a number of strategies could be adopted to promote the use of the products. These include allocation of points to the use of recycled products in sustainable design appraisal tools, governments legislative measures, improved collaboration between designers, contractors and materials suppliers, contractors involvement at earlier stage of design, improved education of the professionals about the products, and the use of tax break to influence the cost of the products. The findings of this study would therefore help policy makers, manufacturers and construction professionals to identify the factors hampering the use of recycled products for construction projects as well as the strategies that could be adopted in order to create market for the products.     

Recycling of electronic displays: Analysis of pre-processing and potential ecodesign improvements

This article analyses the current and future end-of-life management of electronic displays (flat screen televisions and monitors), and identifies and discusses possible ecodesign recommendations to improve it. Based on an investigation of the treatment of displays in two typical European recycling plants, key aspects and criticalities of the recycling methods (sorting, dismantling and pre-processing) are identified. Disaggregated data concerning on-site measurements of the time needed to manually dismantle different displays are presented. The article also discusses the potential evolution of end-of-life scenarios for electronic displays and suggests possible recommendations for recyclers, producers and policy-makers to promote resource efficiency in the recycling of such waste products. Data on time for dismantling the displays can be used to build measurers for voluntary and mandatory policies, to stimulate design innovations for products improvement, and to assess possible alternative treatments of the waste during the pre-processing at the recycling plants. Some quantitative product measures (based on the time thresholds for dismantling some key components) are also discussed, including an assessment of their economic viability. These measures can potentially be enforced through mandatory and voluntary European product policies, and could also be extended to other product groups.     

超声萃取GC/MS法测定电子电气产品中12种邻苯二甲酸酯的含量

建立了超声萃取GC/MS法测定电子电气产品中12种邻苯二甲酸酯类增塑剂的方法。结果表明:该方法简单快速,灵敏度高,相对标准偏差小于10%,加标回收率为86%~109%;样品处理过程中采用化学毒性小的乙酸乙酯作为萃取溶剂,绿色环保。经过对多批次的各种电子电气产品中12种邻苯二甲酸酯分析测定,均得到满意结果。     

Sheep's wool insulation: A sustainable alternative use for a renewable resource?

Material selection in manufacturing may be characterized as a series of trade-offs between characteristics, properties, environmental impacts, sustainability, availability, and economics. Societal concerns about the environmental impacts of construction practices and materials have been expressed through an increase in the demand, production and use of “green” building products. This, combined with a desire to integrate more bioproducts and natural and renewable resources into the construction industry, has extended to the production and promotion of insulation made from sheep's wool.Although substantial literature exists on the insulation properties and other benefits of wool, less is known about the economics and manufacturing processes of sheep's wool insulation at varying scales of production. This paper contributes to this field of enquiry through presentation of the preliminary results of a wool insulation manufacturing pilot project, in which the scale and economics of the production of sheep's wool insulation were considered. Processing techniques, the impact of sheep breed, yield, energy use, and manufacturing costs were also examined. The results of the pilot project indicate that, while sheep's wool insulation produced at a smaller, or artisanal scale shows some potential, scale of operation and volume of production need to be carefully considered in order to ensure long-term sustainability of the operation. Using the least expensive sheep's wool available for the manufacture of wool batt insulation (and thereby reducing production costs) did not, in this pilot study, have a negative impact on productivity or product performance. Diversion of this waste stream of currently less marketable, and consequently less valuable wool, into the production of a green building material may offer small but significant benefit to sheep producers and the broader agricultural community, as well as consumers.     

pH值对SBR生物反应器出水溶解态有机质含量与构成的影响

为探讨污水二级生化出水中有机物(EfOM)的构成特点和变化规律,采用配置生活污水,对不同pH值运行条件下, SBR生物反应器出水中的溶解态有机质(DOM)含量和构成进行了比较研究.结果表明,运行期间pH值的调节对SBR反应器出水DOM含量与构成的影响均较大.初始pH为6.5的SBR反应器, pH值降低为6.0后,出水DOC由原来的4.0mg·L-1不断升高,进一步提高pH值,能够起到一定的缓解作用;初始pH为8.0的SBR反应器,出水DOC从4.0mg·L-1快速降低并保持在2mg·L-1左右, pH值降低为6.5后, DOC变化不大.单宁酸和蛋白质、碳水化合物、DNA等微生物代谢产物(SMPs)是出水DOM的主要组成部分, pH值对SMPs生成的影响是一个长期的过程,运行过程中降低pH值,造成出水SMPs含量不断升高. pH值对整个循环过程中溶解态有机物降解情况的影响,在厌氧阶段发挥了主要作用,较高pH值有利于厌氧阶段有机物的降解,而好氧阶段的有机物降解受pH值影响不大.     

中国畜产品的虚拟水含量

阐述了畜产品虚拟水含量概念及我国开展畜产品虚拟水贸易研究的意义,归纳了畜产品虚拟水及贸易的计算方法.在此基础上对中国畜产品虚拟水含量分省市进行了分析和研究,计算出中国各省市畜产品虚拟水含量历年的变化情况及各类畜产品现状分布情况,并与各地的水资源总量进行对比分析.结果表明:①近年来,我国畜产品虚拟水含量呈现快速增长趋势,尤以禽蛋和猪肉为甚;②畜产品虚拟水总量分布不均,畜产品虚拟水总量较大的省市分布在山东、河北、河南和东北3省等,而我国的南部、甘肃和宁夏等畜产品虚拟水总量相对较小;③北京、天津、河北、内蒙古、辽宁、吉林、山东、河南和宁夏等省市和自治区畜牧业的快速发展会给当地日益紧缺的水资源带来更大的压力.