开发油气资源对新疆经济的带动作用

在实施西部大开发战略中,新疆丰富的油气资源日益显示具有广阔的开发前景,但这种资源优势究竟有多大,它对新疆经济快速发展的带动作用是否持久等都是值得思考的问题.从资源的自然禀赋和制度经济学角度出发,分析了当前形势下开发油气资源对新疆经济的影响,并提出了相应的对策.     

首都经济圈水资源循环经济模式的探讨

以资源环境经济学、循环经济学作为理论基础,采用实证与规范经济分析法,从理论和实践两个层面系统研究首都经济圈水资源环境,提出水资源循环经济发展模式,用以解决首都经济圈水资源与经济发展的矛盾.重点分析了该区水资源问题及其对国民经济的影响,阐述了以经济手段为主的具体对策,旨在从根本上解决水资源问题,促进区域和谐发展.     

OPTIMAL PROFITS UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS: IMPLICATIONS OF NUTRIENT AND SEDIMENT STANDARDS1

To reduce nonpoint source pollution from nutrient, chemical, and sediment runoff, a number of environmental policy standards have been proposed. Such standards could be used to reduce nonpoint source pollution from nutrient, chemical, and sediment runoff to impaired water bodies. State governments can use voluntary approaches to meet nonpoint source pollution reduction goals. However, the practices that lower net returns will not be voluntarily adopted by farmers. Crop rotations and tillage practices may help producers to comply with the environmental standards while minimizing losses in farm profits. This study compares runoff from crop rotation practices and conventional continuous row cropping systems in Mississippi. The results are compared for different tillage systems in order to examine robustness of results. Nutrient runoff and sediment runoff are simulated using the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC). Sensitivity analysis of the sediment and nitrate reductions at 15 percent, 25 percent, and 35 percent are conducted. Under these scenarios, net returns are optimized under environmental constraints, and the marginal cost of sediment reduction ranges from US$1.61 to US$9.63 per ton depending on soil conditions, while the corresponding nitrate and phosphorus reductions costs range from US$1.21 to US$7.08 per kg and from US$0.09 to US$31.91, respectively. The empirical results from this study indicate that a nitrate reduction policy is relatively less costly than a sediment reduction policy. The results also demonstrate the importance of geophysical conditions and policy costs, which vary across regions.     

鲁北化工集团工业生态园发展循环经济概述

大力发展循环经济,建设工业生态园区是我国经济和社会真正走上可持续发展道路的战略选择,本文结合鲁北化工集团创建工业生态园的实践,较全面的概述了企业发展循环经济的模式及其重大意义.     

Scrap tires to crumb rubber: feasibility analysis for processing facilities

Crumb rubber can be produced from scrap tires in a wide range of particle sizes and quality levels. Ideally, the revenue stream includes tipping fees paid to receive the raw materials; sales of variously-sized crumb products to different end-user markets; and potential sales of scrap metal and fiber contained within the tires. General demand has been increasing, and submarkets for crumb products are growing in size and variety. However, the optimistic expectations of potential investors and government agencies contrast sharply with the experiences of many current and former producers. Production planning and operation is complex, real-dollar crumb prices have fallen, and many producers recount difficulties finding stable markets and competing against newer, state-subsidized competitors. This paper examines the engineering economics of crumb rubber facilities. Following a literature review and interviews with producers, a financial model of a nominal processing operation was created to aid the analysis of different market, crumb size, and production scenarios. The profitability of a crumb facility appears to be particularly sensitive to crumb rubber prices, operating costs, and raw material availability. Better analysis of market and production impacts on financial viability for proposed processing facilities would aid overall market efficiency.     

ECONOMIC DECISION MAKING IN THE USE OF MEMBRANE DESALINATION FOR BRACKISH SUPPLIES1

ABSTRACT: An analysis is undertaken to determine the conditions under which membrane desalination becomes an economically preferable alternative for treating brackish water supplies. While membrane desalination is more expensive than conventional treatment, it affords benefits beyond those of conventional processes by reducing salinity related damages. An important and largely unexplored issue regards how the added cost of desalination compares to its benefits in terms of damages avoided. A comparative analysis is undertaken over a range of scenarios with the objective of identifying the treatment technology the leads to the lowest “total economic cost,” a term described by the sum of costs related to supply, treatment, and salinity related damages. Using data from a representative region, desalination yields the lowest total economic cost for source waters that exceed “threshold” salinity concentrations below 1,000 mg/l total dissolved solids (TDS). In instances where standard conventional processes require upgrades to maintain compliance with pending regulations (e.g., disinfection byproducts), the cost gap between membrane and conventional processes is reduced and the threshold concentration lowered. Given the inherent uncertainty in both treatment cost and damage estimates, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine which factors have the greatest impact on the treatment decision. Results suggest that considering salinity related damages when selecting a treatment technology makes membrane desalination of brackish waters economically attractive under a wider range of circumstances.     

DEMAND SIGNALS FOR URBAN DRAINAGE AND FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS1

ABSTRACT: Planning for urban drainage and flood control requires the use of a rational procedure for setting priorities and allocating funds. An innovative procedure developed by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District is described. It consists of the use of bond election voting results as a surrogate for demand signals representing the public preference for project approval. A regression equation has been developed to relate project characteristics to the likelihood of approval. The procedure is implemented through a “funnel-screen” review procedure which results in a list of reviewed and approved projects.     

MULTISOURCE/MULTIQUALITY AGRICULTURAL WATER USE DECISIONMAKING1

ABSTRACT: The importation of water into an existing irrigated agricultural area raises many questions about farm profitability and suggests many adjustment alternatives open to farmers. In particular, how will farmers respond to a new additional water source of differing cost, availability, and quality? Mathematical programming models of representative irrigated farms in Pinal County, Arizona, were developed to project agricultural adjustments to new water from the Central Arizona Project now under construction. The techniques developed have broad application to similar water resource projects involving the conjunctive use of multiple water sources of differing qualities. Regional agricultural activities are described by defining and modeling multiple representative farms which account for economies due to size and different water sources of differing price and quality. Various management schemes can be evaluated by properly selected representative farm models.     

AN APPLICATION RUNOFF MODEL STRATEGY FOR UNGAGED WATERSHEDS1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models for predicting watershed surface flow responses are available, most of which are elaborate nonlinear numerical surface and channel flow models linked with infiltration models. Such models may be used to make predictions for ungaged areas, assuming an acceptable fitting of the model to the topography and roughness of the real system. For some application purposes, these models are impractical because of their complexity and expensive computer solutions. A procedure is developed that uses a complex model of an ungaged area to derive a simpler parametric nonlinear system model for repetitious simulation with input sequences. The predicted flow outputs are obtained with the simpler model at significant savings of money and time. The procedures for constructing a complex kinematic model of a 40 acre (161,880 m²) reference watershed and deriving the simpler system model are outlined. The results of predictions from both models are compared with a selected set of measured events, all having essentially the same initial conditions. Peak discharges ranged from 3 to 118 ft³/sec (0.085 to 3.34 m³/sec), which includes the largest event of record. The inherent limitations of lumped systems models are demonstrated, including the bias caused by their inability to model infiltration losses after rainfall ceases. Computer costs and times for the models were compared. The derived simple model has a cost advantage when repeated use of a model is required. Such an applications hydrologic model has an engineering tradeoff of reduced accuracy, and lumping bias, but is more economical for certain design purposes.     

PLANNITG INDIANA'S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FROM A COMPETITIVE PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: Indiana has embarked on a program to assess the condition of its infrastructure and to plan for its future. The perspective of this planning differs from the traditional “master plan” approach — instead, the focus is on competitiveness for economic development. The initial work on the water and sewerage competitiveness of the infrastructure includes: (1) a comparative analysis of the water resources and infrastructure of Indiana and its industrial midwestern neighbors; (2) a technology scan to identify possible technological opportunities that may be important for Indiana; and (3) a set of recommendations for future planning. This work is preliminary in nature but should serve as a starting point for continued strategic planning over the next decade for positioning of Indiana's water and sewerage infrastructure as a key element in the economic growth equation.