Fuel poverty and vulnerability in the EU low-carbon transition: the case of renewable electricity

The European Union (EU) and member states alike are following a tradition of addressing fuel poverty and vulnerability at the point of purchase by final consumers by seeking to influence the impact of income, energy price and the built environment on the ability of household consumers to access the energy that they need. By focusing on the conditions of energy transmission in the most rapidly growing renewable electricity sector in the UK – offshore wind – this paper aims to question whether the regulatory socio-technological framing of renewable electricity transmission is reproducing conditions for fuel poverty and vulnerability in the UK. By drawing a comparison with renewable electricity transmission in Bulgaria, this paper argues that the problem might be symptomatic of the EU as a whole. While not arguing against the proliferation of renewable electricity and its importance in meeting the 2020 targets, this paper calls for expanding the scope of fuel poverty alleviation policy throughout the whole renewable electricity supply chain, building on Helm's argument that energy companies at the middle of the supply chain are better suited to deliver fuel policy.     

论环境治道变革

环境政策型态是指环境政策采取的存在方式。根据我国环境政策的绩效表现和我国市场化改革的前景 ,我国环境政策应从“政府直控型环境政策”转向“社会制衡型环境政策” ,谓之“环境政策转型” ,主要途径是扩大社会环境权益 ,同时适当简化政府环境管理过程。为了进一步激励社会力量的环境保护行动 ,建议设立“环境权益保护日” ,并建立“全国环境保护协会”。     

多元资源型县域循环型系统构建——以辽宁省灯塔市为例

从经济发展背景与循环经济内涵入手,提出发展循环经济是多元资源型县域的现实选择。以辽宁省灯塔市为例,构建以循环型工业、循环型农业、循环型社会体系为主体的循环经济体系框架,并指出建立工业生态链、引入静脉产业和实现土地资源的有效循环利用是完善循环经济体系的必要内容。     

API standard 521 guidance on mixing of hot/cold liquids and prevention of superheat limit explosions

American Petroleum Institute (API) standards and recommended practices have identified inadvertent mixing of hot and cold liquids as a potential cause for equipment overpressure since 1955. The limited guidance has been informative but provides minimal if any details on conditions that could cause an overpressure and its potential severity. Therefore, the user must interpret how and when to prevent and/or mitigate the scenario. This guidance has changed little over the years. In June 2020, API published the 7th Edition of API Standard 521 which now provides specific guidance as to conditions whereby pressure relief devices can be considered for protection and conditions where prevention remains as the only recourse. This paper discusses the basis for the revised guidance in API Standard 521 and includes supplemental guidance.     

探索齐齐哈尔发展循环经济促进经济转型的思路

为改变传统的粗放型的生产方式,保护生态环境,现就齐齐哈尔发展循环经济促进经济转型的思路进行探索.     

Regulating non-precious transition metal nitrides bifunctional electrocatalysts through surface/interface nanoengineering for air-cathodes of Zn-air batteries

Zn-air batteries (ZABs), especially the secondary batteries, have engrossed a great interest because of its high specific energy, economical and high safety. However, due to the insufficient activity and stability of bifunctional electrocatalysts for air-cathode oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes, the practical application of rechargeable ZABs is seriously hindered. In the effort of developing high active, stable and cost-effective electrocatalysts, transition metal nitrides (TMNs) have been regarded as the candidates due to their high conductivity, strong corrosion-resistance, and bifunctional catalytic performance. In this paper, the research progress in TMNs-based material as ORR and OER electrocatalysts for ZABs is discussed with respect to their synthesis, chemical/physical characterization, and performance validation/optimization. The surface/interface nanoengineering strategies such as defect engineering, support binding, heteroatom introduction, crystal plane orientation, interface construction and small size effect, the physical and chemical properties of TMNs-based electrocatalysts are emphasized with respect to their structures/morphologies, composition, electrical conductivity, specific surface area, chemical stability and corrosion resistance. The challenges of TMNs-based materials as bifunctional air-cathode electrocatalysts in practical application are evaluated, and numerous research guidelines to solve these problems are put forward for facilitating further research and development.     

Spatially explicit models of land abandonment in the Amazon

Given growing concerns about biodiversity loss and carbon emissions stemming from tropical deforestation, it is important to identify the factors associated with land abandonment as they might indicate areas that were deforested but are unsuitable for long-term cultivation. This article utilizes a high-resolution, Landsat-based data-set called TerraClass to relate land abandonment to precipitation, slope, farmgate price of beef, market access, soil quality, and land tenure characteristics in the Brazilian Amazon. The spatially explicit statistical models reveal that rates of land abandonment increase with higher rainfall and slope values, even when controlling for distance to roads, farmgate prices, type of settlement, and soil quality. Moreover, land adjacent to a major road is more likely to be consistently cultivated, but land near large rivers and far from highways is more likely to be abandoned. Land ownership type also influences the likelihood of land abandonment as settlements based on communal property rights have higher rates of land abandonment than settlements with private lots. These results suggest that policies aimed at occupying tropical forests such as the Amazon must consider these biophysical and socioeconomic factors in order to foster human development aligned with sustainability principles.     

云南地区种子植物区系过渡性地理分布格局的群落尺度分析

探索植物区系过渡性的地理分布格局,对于理解植物区系的起源、迁移和分布具有重要意义。本研究利用620个植物群落样方,探讨了云南地区植物区系过渡性的地理分布格局及其生物地理意义。研究结果表明,随着纬度、海拔的升高,温带区系成分所占比重呈显著递增趋势,但在经度梯度上呈递减趋势;热带区系成分所占的比重在地理梯度上则表现为相反的变化趋势。地形格局较好地反映了区系成分的地理分布格局;热带区系成分所占比重与温带区系成分所占比重的比值从南到北呈递减趋势。区系过渡性的低值主要出现在滇西北地区和包括滇西南、滇东南与滇南在内的云南南部地区,而高值主要出现在云南中部地区和中海拔地区,这可能与区系迁移过程和海拔梯度有关。热带区系成分在云南地区基带植被中占主导地位;热带区系成分占优势地位的区域主要集中在低海拔地区,占云南土地面积的60％左右,而温带区系成分占优势地位的区域主要集中在高海拔的北部地区,占土地总面积的40％左右。本研究从基带植被的区系性质和温、热带植物区系成分占优势地位的土地面积的构成证实了云南地区可能是一个“热带山原”的假说。区系过渡性随着年平均温度的升高,呈先增强后减弱的单峰格局。当年均温在13．1℃左右时,出现区系平衡点。相对水平分布而言,云南地区植被的垂直分布可能更值得注意。     

过渡金属负载γ-Al2O3对HCN催化水解性能的影响

为高效催化水解净化废气中的HCN,采用等体积浸渍法改性γ-Al₂O₃制备HCN水解催化剂,考察不同金属组分及其负载量对HCN催化水解效率的影响. 结果表明:不同金属对HCN的催化水解活性依次为Cu>Cr>Fe>Zn>Ni>Co,Cu/γ-Al₂O₃系催化剂中Cu的最佳负载量为15.0%,添加1.0%的Ni有助于增加该催化剂对HCN的催化水解性能. 空速为18 000 h-1时,Cu/Ni/γ-Al₂O₃型催化剂在6 h内净化效率均能保持在91%以上,尾气中ρ(NH₃)为16.6 mg/m3. 采用X线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜与能量色谱(SEM/EDS)、N₂物理吸附(N₂-BET)对Cu/Ni/γ-Al₂O₃系催化剂表征可知,CuO是Cu/Ni/γ-Al₂O₃系催化剂的主要活性成分,与未改性γ-Al₂O₃相比,Cu、Ni改性后催化剂微孔和中孔(孔宽为1.7~15.0 nm)的孔体积有所降低,其中直径较小的中孔对HCN的催化水解起主导作用.      

露天转地下开采对复合边坡稳定性影响的评价

露天矿深部资源开采因受到剥采比等因素的制约需要转为井工矿开采;从采掘空间位置分布关系来看,边坡体位于地下采动影响域内,由此造成了两种采动效应的相互作用,并构成复合叠加效应,使得边坡稳定性受到严重影响,一旦产生滑坡将严重影响周边环境的安全或诱发次生灾害。以某矿的开采工程实践为背景,针对地下开采作用下山体与露天边坡的稳定性进行了研究,系统分析了露天坡和山峰外侧边坡的稳定性,并对滑坡可能产生的后果及其次生灾害进行了分析,从而为矿山安全生产和防控提供了决策依据