Sustainability policies to reduce pollution in energy supply and waste sectors in the V4 countries

Sustainability is directly connected with less natural resources consumption and consequently, with less pollution. However, carbon dioxide emissions could be controlled through policies that are designed starting from empirical results. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of electricity prices for non-household consumers, innovation and economic development on pollution in energy supply and waster sectors in V4 countries (2010–2021). The analysis is based on fixed-effect panel threshold and dynamic GMM models and revealed a U pattern for energy supply sector and an inverted U for waste sector. Higher electricity prices for non-households and more renewables consumption in waste sector are necessary, while more patents in environment-related technologies have expected impact on pollution only at higher levels of GDP. These empirical findings are subject to policy proposals.     

废弃物屏障材料的改性研究

阐述了废弃物对环境的污染及国内外对于废弃物的处理方法，介绍了国内外在膨润土等改性屏障材料工程性质及吸附扩散性能等方面的研究现状，展望了屏障材料的改性研究前景。     

The effects of paints and moisture content on the indoor air emissions from pinewood (Pinus sylvestris) boards

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from building materials may significantly contribute to indoor air pollution, and VOCs have been associated with odor annoyance and adverse health effects. Wood materials together with coatings are commonly used indoors for furniture and large surfaces such as walls, floors, and ceilings. This leads to high surface-to-volume ratios, and therefore, these materials may participate remarkably to the VOC levels of indoor environment. We studied emissions of VOCs and carbonyl compounds from pinewood (Pinus sylvestris) boards of 10% and 16% moisture contents (MC) with three paints using small-scale test chambers (27 L). The emissions from uncoated pinewood and paints (on a glass substrate) were tested as references. The 28-day experiment showed that the VOC emissions from uncoated pinewood were lower from sample with 16% MC. Painted pinewood samples showed lower emissions compared to paints on glass substrate. Additionally, paints on 16% MC pinewood exhibited lower emissions than on drier 10% MC wood. The emissions from painted pinewood samples were dominated by paint-based compounds, but the share of wood-based compounds increased over time. However, we noticed differences between the paints, and wood-based emissions were clearly higher with the most permeable paint.     

Pollution from energy supply,conversion and use a review of the U.K. problem

Trends in U.K. consumption of coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear and hydroelectric energy are discussed, and forecasts of use to the year 2000 A.D. are given. More detailed forecasts of fuel use by different sectors to 1985 are presented. Wastes, the resulting pollution and their likely future trends from the following energy sources are reviewed: primary energy — oil treatment, natural gas transhipment, coal production and nuclear and hydroelectric power: secondary energy — electricity generation, coking and gas making: tertiary energy — use of fuels in transport and the domestic sector. Emission forecasts for several air pollutants from all energy sources to 1985 are presented, the pollution and damage arising being discussed. The need for further waste and pollutant monitoring is then debated, and the necessity of continuing to consider environmental protection in energy policy decisions, along with fuel conservation and relative price is stressed.     

Organic contaminants in the aquatic environment I. Sources and occurrence

Literature pertaining to the sources and occurrence of organic compounds in raw, potable and waste waters is reviewed. The introduction of organic micropollutants into the hydrological cycle is considered in terms of both point and non-point source discharges and the individual industrial and domestic sources of particular classes of organic chemicals are assessed. The occurrence in waters and waste waters of a wide variety of organic contaminants has been evaluated with regard to their concentrations in particular aqueous samples and frequency of occurrence. Although specific sources are known to be responsible for the addition of certain organic compounds to water and waste water, the occurrence of particular compounds cannot always be related to a particular source. In addition, it is evident that the reported occurrence of many organic contaminants has been limited by the capabilities of presently available analytical techniques.With the number of organic chemicals in use increasing, the potential for continued contamination of water resources exists. The implications for water quality and the possible effects generated by the introduction of organic compounds into the hydrological cycle on water re-use operations are discussed.     

FCKW als Tracer für die Ausbreitung von Altablagerungsemissionen im Grundwasser

Emissions from abandoned waste disposal sites into groundwater are difficult to trace further downstream because of their complexity. Typical tracers, for example, like chloride, boron and sulphate are likely to be influenced by several factors like saline waters, emissions from seepage pits and leaky sewers. These types of components are therefore not suitable to characterise groundwater contamination caused by abandoned waste disposal sites; they will thus not be further discussed in this paper. However, due to their special geochemical properties like negligible absorption and degradation rates, chlorinated fluorocarbons, especially difluoro-dichloromethane (F12), which are frequently emitted from abandoned waste disposal sites, are particularly suitable for the detection of maximum contaminant emissions to groundwater. These elements are crucial for the assessment of groundwater contamination and the employment of natural attenuation as a remediation measure.     

Sources of dissolved mine drainage and atmospheric transported lead: A comparative case study in Japan and Sweden

A comparative case study in Naganobori Japan and Falun Sweden of runoff water from copper mines shows that the water and its particulates, filtered with a cutoff of 0.45 μm, have different lead isotope ratios pointing to different origins for the lead. While the larger particles have a lead ratio indicative of the atmospheric anthropogenic pollution the soluble lead has that of the copper ores. The domestic atmospheric lead ratio in Japan is homogeneous and characteristic of emissions from the incineration of waste. Lead pollution transported from the Asian continent by westerly winds can be distinguished from the Japanese pollution by its more thorogenic lead ratios, in for example analyses of copper moss from Naganobori.     

《混凝土结构工程施工规范》GB50666—2011编制简介——环境保护

介绍了《混凝土结构工程施工规范》GB50666—2011中环境保护的编制背景和主要内容,包括施工环境保护计划,建筑垃圾处理的一般原则,防尘、降尘、控制扬尘,降噪,控制光污染,控制水污染,现场拌制混凝土时的环保措施,使用脱模剂时的环保措施,漏油的无害化处理,混凝土外加剂、养护剂的使用,对挥发性有害物质的防护,建筑垃圾的分类处理,并探讨了实施中应注意的几个问题。     

Organic contaminants in the aquatic environment II. Behaviour and fate in the hydrological cycle

The literature concerning the behaviour and fate of organic compounds in natural aquatic systems and in water and waste-water-treatment processes is reviewed. The factors governing the transport of organic compounds in water bodies are considered and the physical, chemical and biological processes which may bring about their transformation are also reviewed.The behaviour and removal of individual classes of organic micropollutants in conventional unit waste-water-treatment processes are assessed, together with an evaluation of the effectiveness of both tertiary and advanced waste-water-treatment procedures in the exclusion of organic contaminants from waste waters. Consideration is also given to the behaviour of organics in sewage-sludge treatment.The role of water-treatment processes in the removal of organic pollutants from raw and recycled waters and the production of potentially harmful organics during chlorination or other disinfection procedures is evaluated.The fate of organic micropollutants in the hydrological cycle and the effects of the disposal of sewage sludges contaminated with organic substances of concern are discussed.     

Rationale for a water pollution code part 1: the waste system and the natural system

A water pollution code must quantitatively express the amount and locations of allowable waste discharge. To do this each of the steps leading to the decision on allowable waste discharge must be defined and quantified. Six of the steps are defined in this report and techniques for quantitatively representing them are discussed. The movement of materials from man's environment back into the natural environment is described by five steps: waste generation, waste treatment, waste transport, waste interaction and waste decay. The sixth step discussed in this report represents the impact of the wastes on the natural system. Two further steps in deciding allowable waste discharges will be treated in Parts II and III of this paper which will appear in the next two issues of the Journal.     

Development of sustainable construction material using industrial and agricultural solid waste: A review of waste-create bricks

Accumulation of unmanaged industrial or agricultural solid waste especially in developing countries has resulted in an increased environmental concern. Recycling of such wastes as a sustainable construction material appears to be viable solution not only to pollution problem but also an economical option to design of green buildings. In view of utilization of industrial and agricultural waste material for developing sustainable construction material, the present paper reviews various waste materials in different compositions that were added to the raw material at different levels to develop waste-create bricks (WCB). Various physico-mechanical and thermal properties of the bricks incorporating different waste materials are reviewed and recommendations are suggested as the outcome of the study. The reviewed approach for the design and development of WCB using industrial solid waste is useful to provide a potential sustainable solution.     

Exergy analysis in the assessment of the sustainability of waste gas treatment systems.

This study focuses on the sustainability of different technological options for the treatment of waste gases from a waste water treatment plant loaded with volatile organic compounds. The options considered are biofiltration, active carbon adsorption and catalytic and thermal oxidation. The amount of resources and utilities to construct and operate each system have been investigated from the point of view of the Second Law of thermodynamics. The unit in which all resources are treated is Joules of exergy. It was concluded that biofiltration was the most exergetically efficient system. The cumulative exergy consumption of the resources and utilities for construction and operation have been quantified in exergy terms. Further on, the requirements for the abatement of emissions generated by operating the waste gas treatment systems and the amount of renewables have been taken into account in the assessment of the sustainability of the waste gas treatment technologies. Finally, a comparison between exergy analysis and life cycle analysis in assessing the sustainability of the waste gas treatment options, is presented.     

Sources and chemical reactivity of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in the atmosphere — A critical review

This paper reviews critically studies on the sources and chemical reactivity of Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in the atmosphere. In the case of the sources the PAH emission conditions and their effects on the PAH atmospheric pollution level, the source sample chemical compounds structure, some representative atmospheric concentrations and the source comparison problems of the automobile, industrial, working environment, domestic heating, refuse burning and tobacco-smoking emissions are reviewed.In the case of chemical reactivity: the reaction mechanism, the products and their human health effects and the reaction conditions of the PAH photooxidation, thermal decomposition, NO_x action, O₃ action, SO₂ action, one-electron oxidation and oxidants action are reviewed.     

Modelling the behaviour of mechanical biological treatment outputs in landfills using the GasSim model

The pretreatment of the biodegradable components of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been suggested as a method of reducing landfill gas emissions. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is the technology being developed to provide this reduction in biodegradability, either as an alternative to source segregated collection or for dealing with residual MSW which still contains high levels of biodegradable waste. The compost like outputs (CLOs) from MBT plants can be applied to land as a soil conditioner; treated to produce a solid recovered fuel (SRF) or landfilled. In this study the impact that landfilling of these CLOs will have on gaseous emissions is investigated. It is important that the gas production behaviour of landfilled waste is well understood, especially in European member states where the mitigation of gaseous emissions is a legal requirement. Results of an experiment carried out to characterise the biodegradable components of pretreated biowastes have been used with the GasSim model to predict the long term emissions behaviour of landfills accepting these wastes, in varying quantities. The landfill directive also enforces the mitigation of potential methane emissions from landfills, and the ability of landfill operators to capture gaseous emissions from low emitting landfills of the future is discussed, as well as new techniques that could be used for the mitigation of methane generation.     

A three-stage system to remove mercury and dioxins in flue gases

Mercury (Hg) from combustion of fossil fuels and waste is the dominant source of anthropogenic Hg emissions, globally amounting to more than 1500 t Hgyear(-1). These emissions must decrease substantially in order to counteract increasing environmental levels of Hg and reduce future toxic effects. Uppsala Energi AB, nowadays (May, 2002) Vattenfall V?rme Uppsala AB, an energy company in Uppsala, Sweden, has invested in equipments for air and water pollution control of their three waste fired steam boilers. The flue gases are cleaned in three stages in series to meet the strict Swedish regulation. Electrostatic precipitators remove most dust in the first stage, wet scrubbers remove most water-soluble gases, and in the last stage a Filsorption unit removes most remaining impurities in particulate as well as gaseous form. The Filsorption process includes additives injection, sorption, and chemical reaction in a reactor and filtration with a fabric filter. The aim with this article is to evaluate the efficiency of the system to recover Hg in flue gases from boilers in routine operation. Flue gases, ashes, and water were sampled yearly for 21 years and analysed for Hg, dioxin, and other potential contaminants received at waste incineration. The results clearly demonstrate the decreasing use of Hg in society the last two decades as influenced by governmental policy regarding Hg. The results also indicate that the equipment efficiently removed Hg and dioxins from the flue gases to a final concentration of approximately 3.5 microg Hgm(-3) n and 0.01 ng dioxinsm(-3) n, corresponding to more than 97 and 99.9% reduction of Hg and dioxins, respectively, by cleaning in three stages. The electrostatic precipitators and Filsorption stages alone, with the scrubber in bypass, removed 90% of Hg in flue gases. Using the scrubber is motivated to remove acid components and additional Hg, but call for water separated after the condensers to be neutralised and cleaned, so that less than 5 microg l(-1) Hg and 0.02 ngl(-1) dioxins remained, before the water was discharged to a recipient. In conclusion, cleaning flue gases in two or three stages reduced Hg emissions well below Swedish regulations. The strict measures to prevent pollution from waste incineration and simultaneously make use of the energy produced are a good example of a local solution for a global problem.     

Long-term behaviour and cross-correlation water quality analysis of the River Elbe, Germany

This study analyses weekly data samples from the river Elbe at Magdeburg between 1984 and 1996 to investigate the changes in metabolism and water quality in the river Elbe since the German reunification in 1990. Modelling water quality variables by autoregressive component models and ARIMA models reveals the improvement of water quality due to the reduction of waste water emissions since 1990. The models are used to determine the long-term and seasonal behaviour of important water quality variables. Organic and heavy metal pollution parameters showed a significant decrease since 1990, however, no significant change of chlorophyll-a as a measure for primary production could be found. A new procedure for testing the significance of a sample correlation coefficient is discussed, which is able to detect spurious sample correlation coefficients without making use of time-consuming prewhitening. The cross-correlation analysis is applied to hydrophysical, biological, and chemical water quality variables of the river Elbe since 1984. Special emphasis is laid on the detection of spurious sample correlation coefficients.     

Fire Emissions of Organics into the Atmosphere

The mass of dioxins, PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and VOC (volatile organic compounds) emitted from fires to the atmosphere in Sweden per year has been estimated. The estimate is based on the number of fires in buildings, vehicles, waste and forest fires in Sweden in 1999. It is estimated that the total emission of dioxins from fires is in the range 0.5–1.4 g TEQ. The total emissions of PAH and VOC are in the ranges 2–12 ton and 13–200 ton, respectively. The estimated emission of dioxins from fires approximately corresponds to the total emission from traffic or half the emissions from municipal waste combustion (Swedish data from 1993). The fire statistics show that the mass of material combusted in building fires during a year is approximately 7500 ton, while that from forest fires is 2600 ton. Additionally, 2000–3000 tons are combusted in vehicle fires, fires in containers, etc. In addition to the more common types of fires during a year, individual large incidents may contribute significantly to the total emission. Such incidents include fires in municipal landfills or specific waste storage facilities (such as those for used tyres). An assessment of the consequences of such incidents has been made. This assessment implies that a large contribution to the emission of dioxins could be expected from fires in landfills and from fires in waste plastics (PVC) and tyres. Fires in deposits of wood chips and tyres are also significant potential sources of PAH and VOC.     

建筑给排水专业节能措施及再生水资源的利用

结合国家节能减排目标和保护环境战略,从给排水专业角度阐述了具体的节能减排措施,包括采用管网叠压供水设备、太阳能,做好保温措施等,并对污废水及雨水的再生利用进行了探讨,以期指导实践,从而科学有效地节能减排。     

Impact of medical waste incineration in the atmospheric PCDD/F levels of Porto, Portugal

As a consequence of a monitoring program of a new municipal waste incinerator initiated in 1998, a large data-base of dioxin and furan concentrations in the atmosphere of the metropolitan area of Porto, in northern Portugal, has been collected. The existence of this data coincides with the shutdown in January 2001 of two medical waste incinerators that were under operation in the inner city of Porto. Dioxin emissions from these facilities were measured indicating emissions 100 to 1000 times larger than recent European Union directive limits. Data show that the shutdown of these two units had a clear effect on the improvement of air quality in the region that was observed either on the overall level of dioxins and furans or as in subtle alterations of the homolog pattern of these compounds in the atmosphere.     

建筑工程施工阶段环境影响因素及控制方法分析

以某工程的施工为例,在对该工程施工阶段环境污染问题状况分析的基础上,对环境污染问题的根源进行了探讨,针对空气、噪声、废水、固体废弃物等影响因素提出了环境污染问题的控制措施。