Anaerobic co-digestion of kitchen waste and fruit/vegetable waste: Lab-scale and pilot-scale studies

The anaerobic digestion performances of kitchen waste (KW) and fruit/vegetable waste (FVW) were investigated for establishing engineering digestion system. The study was conducted from lab-scale to pilot-scale, including batch, single-phase and two-phase experiments. The lab-scale experimental results showed that the ratio of FVW to KW at 5:8 presented higher methane productivity (0.725 L CH₄/g VS), and thereby was recommended. Two-phase digestion appeared to have higher treatment capacity and better buffer ability for high organic loading rate (OLR) (up to 5.0 g (VS) L^?1 d^?1), compared with the low OLR of 3.5 g (VS) L^?1 d^?1 for single-phase system. For two-phase digestion, the pilot-scale system showed similar performances to those of lab-scale one, except slightly lower maximum OLR of 4.5 g (VS) L^?1 d^?1 was allowed. The pilot-scale system proved to be profitable with a net profit of 10.173 $/ton as higher OLR (?3.0 g (VS) L^?1 d^?1) was used.     

Representation of critical natural capital in China

Traditional means of assessing representativeness of conservation value in protected areas depend on measures of structural biodiversity. The effectiveness of priority conservation areas at representing critical natural capital (CNC) (i.e., an essential and renewable subset of natural capital) remains largely unknown. We analyzed the representativeness of CNC‐conservation priority areas in national nature reserves (i.e., nature reserves under jurisdiction of the central government with large spatial distribution across the provinces) in China with a new biophysical‐based composite indicator approach. With this approach, we integrated the net primary production of vegetation, topography, soil, and climate variables to map and rank terrestrial ecosystems capacities to generate CNC. National nature reserves accounted for 6.7% of CNC‐conservation priority areas across China. Considerable gaps (35.2%) existed between overall (or potential) CNC representativeness nationally and CNC representation in national reserves, and there was significant spatial heterogeneity of representativeness in CNC‐conservation priority areas at the regional and provincial levels. For example, the best and worst representations were, respectively, 13.0% and 1.6% regionally and 28.9% and 0.0% provincially. Policy in China is transitioning toward the goal of an ecologically sustainable civilization. We identified CNC‐conservation priority areas and conservation gaps and thus contribute to the policy goals of optimization of the national nature reserve network and the demarcation of areas critical to improving the representativeness and conservation of highly functioning areas of natural capital. Moreover, our method for assessing representation of CNC can be easily adapted to other large‐scale networks of conservation areas because few data are needed, and our model is relatively simple.     

The Grain of Spatially Referenced Economic Cost and Biodiversity Benefit Data and the Effectiveness of a Cost Targeting Strategy

Facing tight resource constraints, conservation organizations must allocate funds available for habitat protection as effectively as possible. Often, they combine spatially referenced economic and biodiversity data to prioritize land for protection. We tested how sensitive these prioritizations could be to differences in the spatial grain of these data by demonstrating how the conclusion of a classic debate in conservation planning between cost and benefit targeting was altered based on the available information. As a case study, we determined parcel‐level acquisition costs and biodiversity benefits of land transactions recently undertaken by a nonprofit conservation organization that seeks to protect forests in the eastern United States. Then, we used hypothetical conservation plans to simulate the types of ex ante priorities that an organization could use to prioritize areas for protection. We found the apparent effectiveness of cost and benefit targeting depended on the spatial grain of the data used when prioritizing parcels based on local species richness. However, when accounting for complementarity, benefit targeting consistently was more efficient than a cost targeting strategy regardless of the spatial grain of the data involved. More pertinently for other studies, we found that combining data collected over different spatial grains inflated the apparent effectiveness of a cost targeting strategy and led to overestimation of the efficiency gain offered by adopting a more integrative return‐on‐investment approach.     

顾及尺度效应的多源遥感数据“源”“汇”景观的大气霾效应

以武汉市为例,利用多源遥感数据研究城市"源""汇"景观格局与大气霾污染的相关关系.首先,基于武汉市Landsat8数据的地表覆盖分类结果,计算不同尺度下地表覆盖的整体异质性景观指数,选择异质性最大的尺度作为"源""汇"景观分析的最优尺度;在此基础上,用MODIS数据的气溶胶光学厚度(AOD)产品作为大气霾污染程度的度量,基于自相关性较小的"类别层"景观指数,使用地理加权回归分析模型对"源""汇"景观与AOD进行局部回归分析,并在工业区、商业区和居民区3种功能区内分析建筑物对大气霾污染影响的差异.结果表明:6 km是本文分析的最优尺度;大气霾污染的"源"景观为建筑物,"汇"景观为灌木和林地;减小"源"景观面积所占比例、增大其破碎化程度、"源""汇"穿插均匀分布,可以有效减小气溶胶光学厚度,降低大气霾污染;对于武汉市来说,其大气霾污染的主要来源为中心城区的商业区和居民区,即来自于市民生活.针对中心城区要发挥其经济、交通等功能,已有的建设用地不宜大面积改动这一现状,可以采取小幅度优化措施,而对于非建成区可采取建前合理规划"源""汇"景观空间分布的措施.     

紫色土小流域不同土地利用类型的土壤氮素时空分异特征

以紫色土区12.10 km²的万安小流域为研究区域,于2011年4月(旱季)和8月(雨季)小麦和玉米收获期共采集552个表层土壤(0~15 cm)样品,利用传统统计学和地统计学相结合的方法对流域土壤全氮和硝态氮的时空变异特征进行研究.结果表明,不同土地利用类型土壤全氮含量差异显著,并呈以下顺序:水旱轮作田>林地>旱地;同一土地利用类型旱季、雨季土壤全氮含量不存在显著差异.其中,4月和8月林地、旱地、水旱轮作田土壤全氮含量分别为1.16、0.90、1.21 g·kg^-1和1.13、0.94、1.29 g·kg^-1.但旱季和雨季土壤硝态氮含量差异显著,其中,4月和8月林地、旱地、水旱轮作田硝态氮含量分别为12.08、24.22、31.22 mg·kg^-1和3.98、11.18、2.27 mg·kg^-1,表现出土壤硝态氮旱季累积、雨季流失的特点;受到内部因素和外部因素共同作用,旱地、水旱轮作田土壤全氮空间分布具有中等空间相关性,而林地土壤全氮的强烈空间相关性主要受到内部因素的影响.本研究分析了紫色土区不同土地利用类型条件下的流域土壤氮素的时空变异特征,将会为流域土地资源管理和环境修复提供较好的科学依据.     

土地利用结构与空间格局对鄱阳湖流域中小河流水质的影响

为揭示土地利用结构与空间格局对中小河流水质的影响机制,于2022年1月与2022年7月在鄱阳湖流域3条中小河流的25个采样点收集水样.采用Bioenv分析、Mantel检验与方差分解量化不同空间尺度的土地利用结构与空间格局对水质的影响,使用广义加性模型拟合水质与土地利用结构与空间格局的关系,广义线性模型构建分段回归模型,并基于逐步递归法计算阈值.结果表明：①土地利用结构与空间格局对河流水质的平均解释率在丰水期（59.72%）大于枯水期（48.95%）;子流域与河岸100 m是土地利用结构与空间格局影响中小河流水质的关键尺度,平均解释率分别为54.70%和64.88%;土地利用结构与空间格局的共同解释部分是驱动河流水质变化的重要因素,占总解释率的66.90%.②土地利用结构对中小河流水质的影响具有显著的阈值效应,当子流域尺度下建设用地占比低于2%、耕地占比低于8%和林地占比高于82%,河岸缓冲区尺度下建设用地占比低于12%、耕地占比低于41%和林地占比高于49%时,均能明显改善水质.③空间格局对中小河流水质的影响也具有阈值效应但弱于土地利用结构,当子流域尺度下斑块形状值大于28.77和斑块多样性大于0.69,河岸缓冲区尺度下斑块形状值大于2.99和斑块多样性大于1.02时,均能改善水质.以上结果表明,加强对子流域与河岸100 m尺度的土地利用的管理,合理规划土地利用结构与空间格局能够有效地防止水质恶化.     

农业经营规模化发展对环境效率的影响——基于地块层面的实证分析

为探析农业规模化经营与农业环境可持续性之间的关系,对农业经营规模对农业环境效率的影响进行理论分析,并在此基础上构建了物料平衡原则下农业环境效率测算模型和农业环境效率影响模型.基于2004~2016年浙江省农户水稻种植地块层面的面板数据,实证检验了土地面积、劳动投入、资本投入和农业产出等农业经营规模指标对农业环境效率的影响.结果显示,农业规模化发展将因投入和产出的扩张以多种方式影响其环境效率,其中土地面积规模与农业环境效率之间呈倒U型关系,劳动投入和资本投入对农业生产环境效率均有负向的影响,而农业产出规模的增加将促进农业环境效率的提升.     

行政等级与城市规模对生态福利绩效的影响研究

基于广义数据包络分析法（DEA）和随机抽样Bootstrap法,使用2015—2018年全国288个地级及以上城市的面板数据,研究行政等级、城市规模对生态福利绩效的影响,分析城市规模在行政等级影响生态福利绩效中的路径作用。结果表明：我国288个地级及以上城市的生态福利绩效水平整体均值不高,但随时间推移呈上升趋势且近年来增速逐渐加快;行政等级和城市规模均对生态福利绩效起显著正向影响,技术进步显著提升城市的生态福利绩效,外资依存度显著降低城市的生态福利绩效;城市规模是城市行政等级影响生态福利绩效的重要路径,行政等级越高,城市规模越大,生态福利绩效水平越高。基于以上结论,为协调经济、环境、社会实现可持续发展提出政策建议。     

Economies of scale for future lithium-ion battery recycling infrastructure

While lithium-ion battery (LIB) technology has improved substantially to achieve better performance in a wide variety of applications, this technological progress has led to a diverse mix of batteries in use that ultimately require waste management. Development of a robust end-of-life battery infrastructure requires a better understanding of how to maximize the economic opportunity of battery recycling while mitigating the uncertainties associated with a highly variable waste stream. This paper develops and applies an optimization model to analyze the profitability of recycling facilities given current estimates of LIB technologies, commodity market prices of materials expected to be recovered, and material composition for three common battery types (differentiated on the basis of cathode chemistry). Sensitivity analysis shows that the profitability is highly dependent on the expected mix of cathode chemistries in the waste stream and the resultant variability in material mass and value. The potential values of waste streams comprised of different cathode chemistry types show a variability ranging from $860 per ton¹ for LiMn₂O₄ cathode batteries to $8900 per ton for LiCoO₂ cathode batteries. In addition, these initial results and a policy case study can also help to promote end-of-life management and relative policymaking for spent LIBs.     

不同取样尺度和数量下针阔混交林土壤呼吸的空间异质性

区域土壤呼吸通量估算大多用样地尺度的测定结果进行外推,因此对样地尺度土壤呼吸(Rs)及其影响因子的空间关系和取样尺度、取样数量对测定结果的准确性进行评价非常重要.以山西省庞泉沟自然保护区针阔混交林作为研究样地,运用传统统计分析与地统计分析相结合的方法,分析了4、2、1 m取样尺度下土壤水分(Ws)、土壤温度(T10)、凋落物量(Lw)、凋落物含水量(Lm)、土壤全碳(C)、全氮(N)和全碳/全氮(C/N)对土壤呼吸速率(Rs)空间变异的影响.结果表明3个取样间隔下,Rs的均值没有显著差异,但其变异程度随着取样尺度的增大而增加,变异系数在16%~22%之间.在4 m取样间隔下,Rs与Ws、Lw、C、C/N呈极显著正相关(P0.01),与N呈显著正相关(P0.05);在2 m取样间隔下,Rs与T10呈极显著负相关(P0.01),与其他因子相关不显著;在1 m取样间隔下,Rs与其他影响因子的相关性都不显著.随着取样尺度的减小,Rs的空间自相关性逐渐减弱,由高度自相关变为弱相关,表明随着采样距离的减小,结构因素对Rs的作用减弱,随机因素的作用逐渐增大.同一置信水平下相同取样数量随着取样尺度的减小,估计误差降低.95%置信水平下,2 m和1 m取样尺度时9个样本产生的Rs误差在±12%左右,而4 m尺度的误差为±16%;90%置信水平下,2 m和1 m取样尺度时9个样本产生的误差在±10%以内,4 m尺度则为±13%.研究结果可以为样地尺度进行Rs季节测定样点的科学布设提供依据.