Effects of calcium hydroxide and calcium chloride addition to bentonite in iron ore pelletization.

Pyrite ash is created as waste from the roasting of pyrite ores during the production of sulphuric acid. These processes generate great amounts of pyrite ash waste that is generally land filled. This creates serious environmental pollution due to the release of acids and toxic substances. Pyrite ash waste can be utilized in the iron production industry as a blast furnace feed to process this waste and prevent environmental pollution. The essential parameters affecting the pelletization process of pyrite ash were studied using bentonite as a binder. Experiments were then carried out using bentonite and a mixture of bentonite with calcium hydroxide and calcium chloride in order to make the bentonite more effective. The metallurgical properties of pyrite ash, bentonite, calcium hydroxide, calcium chloride, a mixture of these and sintered pellets were studied using X-ray analysis. The crushing strength tests were carried out to investigate the strength of pyrite ash waste pellets. The results of these analyses showed that pyrite ash can be agglomerated to pellets and used in the iron production industry as a blast furnace feed. The crushing strength of the pellets containing calcium hydroxide and calcium chloride in addition to bentonite was better than the strength of pellets prepared using only bentonite binder.     

Optimal range of plug-in electric vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai

Both China’s national subsidy policies for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) purchasers and passenger cars corporate average fuel consumption and new vehicle credit regulation (dual-credit policy) favor long-range 300+ km battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 80+ km plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, these electric vehicles tend to have lower energy efficiency and higher purchase and operation costs. Vehicle with larger batteries can also be less equitable because the subsidies are often provided to more expensive vehicles and wealthier owners. This study takes advantage of a novel dataset of daily driving data from 39,854 conventional gasoline vehicles in Beijing and 4999 PHEVs in Shanghai to determine the optimal range of BEVs and PHEVs within their respective cities. We simulate a model to explore ranges with which PEVs emit less GHGs than that of a baseline hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicle while ensuring that all daily travel demands are met. Our findings indicate that in both cities, the optimal ranges to balance cost and travel demand for BEVs are 350 km or less and for PHEVs are 60 km or less in Beijing and 80 km or less in Shanghai. We also find that to minimize carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the ranges are even lower 10 km in Beijing and 30 km in Shanghai. Our study suggests that instead of encouraging long-range PEVs, governments should subsidize PEV models with shorter ranges. Parallel efforts should also be made to both increase renewable energy over fossil fuels and expand charging facilities. Although individual mobility demand varies, the government could reduce occasional long-distance driving by subsidizing alternative transportation choices. Providing week-long driving trials to consumers before their purchases may help decrease the demand of very long range PEVs by alleviating the range anxiety through a learning process.

     

纳米涂层/铝合金在不同pH值的海水溶液中的腐蚀行为研究

目的评价纳米涂层/铝合金在不同pH值海水溶液中的腐蚀行为。方法通过测试纳米涂层/铝合金试样在不同pH值海水溶液中的EIS值,分析试样阻抗谱图及Bode谱图的演化规律,建立不同EIS图谱的不同电极阻抗模型,并采用ZView软件解析涂层体系不同时期的电化学阻抗谱,获得涂层电阻的变化趋势,及不同pH值海水浸泡的纳米涂层体系腐蚀失效速度。结果随着浸泡时间的增加及pH值的降低,纳米涂层/铝合金体系腐蚀损伤失效速率在浸泡前期整体趋势增大,但中后期由于腐蚀产物逐渐堵塞了涂层的微孔,腐蚀介质向铝合金表面渗透的速率逐渐减小。结论 pH为2.0海水浸泡下的3涂层失效最快,其次是pH为4.0海水浸泡下的2涂层,最后为p H为6.0海水浸泡下的1涂层,该涂层体系应采用等效电路模型C进行拟合。     

利用Rb/Sr值、有机碳氮同位素及14C重建贵州喀斯特地区古环境变化

本文利用碳酸盐岩风化剖面土壤中Rb/Sr值、有机碳氮的稳定同位素值(δ~(13)C_(org)和δ~(15)N_(org))并结合~(14)C定年结果,讨论了贵州黔西南喀斯特地区晚更新世以来的植被和气候变化情况。结果表明:(1)晚更新世以来,研究区气候在千年尺度上经历了多个冷热、干湿循环过程,植被以C4植物为主;(2)研究区在14 750 a BP时期可能发生过较为极端的气候事件;(3)Rb/Sr值和δ~(13)C_(org)值可以用来指示古环境变化情况,高Rb/Sr值和高δ~(13)C_(org)值指示湿热气候,低Rb/Sr值和低δ~(13)C_(org)值指示干冷气候。     

黔西南喀斯特地区红色风化壳的物源及元素迁移特征

南方喀斯特地区广泛分布着大量的红色风化壳,其成因及形成机制目前还存在争议。本文以贵州黔西南布依族苗族自治州泥凼石林的两处红色风化壳剖面(ND和YK)为研究对象,来探讨风化剖面上覆红土的物源问题,并计算其主、微量元素及稀土元素的迁移规律,认为本研究两处风化壳上覆红土为下伏基岩原位风化形成的,而且两剖面土壤均继承各自基岩的地球化学特征,并由于pH、风化强度等因素的影响表现出了元素迁移特征上的差异性。     

Working backwards to move forwards: Graph-based connectivity metrics for reserve network selection

In this paper we apply graph theory in a reserve selection exercise to explore the tradeoffs between maintaining connectivity and minimizing the total area of a protected area network. Rather than focus on a single organism, we used a multi-species approach and looked at the tradeoff curves for organisms with varying dispersal abilities. We first generated the tradeoff curves using a graph-based metric to determine the importance of individual patches for maintaining connectivity. We then performed an analogous set of analyses using patch size as a surrogate measure of importance.     

A modular approach to Integrated Assessment modeling

In this paper, we present a new approach to model coupling that probably forms the methodological basis of a new generation of Integrated Assessment models. This approach respects the knowledge and expertise that is embodied in existing models and encourages their gradual evolution. Modularity is the guiding principle. Our approach is distinguished by the way modules are coupled which is based on an interplay of a job control module, a numerical coupling module, and a couple of stand-alone functional modules. The numerical coupling module - the core component - serves to treat the feedbacks between the functional modules. A first implemented example that couples an economic and a climate module by means of a two-phase meta-optimization is presented here. The algorithm and mathematical structure behind are discussed as well as important features such as convergence behavior and reliability.     

Optimizing the removal of small fish passage barriers

Removing small artificial barriers that hinder upstream migrations of fish is a major problem in riparian habitat restoration. Because of budgetary limitations, it is necessary to prioritize barrier removal and repair decisions. These have usually been based on scoring and ranking procedures, which, although simple to use, can be very inefficient in terms of increasing the amount of accessible instream habitat. We develop a novel decision-making approach, based on integer programming techniques, which optimizes repair and removal decisions. Results show based on real datasets of barrier culverts located in Washington State that scoring and ranking is over 25% below the optimum on average and a full 100% below in the worst case, producing no net habitat gain whatsoever. This is compared to a dynamic programming method that was able to find optimal solutions in less than a second, even for problems with up to several hundred variables, and a heuristic method, which found solutions with less than a 1% average optimality gap in even less time.