Highly Efficient,Ultra‐Low Energy Consumption Process for Phenol Wastewater Treatment with Ultra‐Low Carbon Emission

Phenol is one of the main pollutants in phenol wastewater and has been proved non‐biodegradable. In this study, based on strongly ring‐opening capability of boron doped diamond film electrode, a highly efficient and energy‐saving method with ultra‐low carbon emission is established through a combination of electrochemical oxidation and biological degradation. On one hand, electrochemical oxidation as pretreatment can solve the critical problem that phenol wastewater is a biological recalcitrant. On the other hand, the relatively low current efficiency during the late stage of electrochemical oxidation can be solved by follow‐up biological treatment, thus reduce the energy consumption and the cost significantly. More importantly, the carboxylic acids (oxidized from phenol) can be fully used as carbon source (no additional carbon source is added) for microbial growth instead of being oxidized to carbon dioxide and water through selecting optimizing sequencing batch reactor access time, so the carbon emission is greatly reduced. The results showed that it can save about 76.5% energy consumption and about 51.2% chemical oxygen demand can be used to maintain microorganism self‐reproduction. This is significant that this combined technology not only runs highly effectively at low cost, but also reduces the emission of greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, thus environment friendly with wide application prospects.     

Air pollutants contribution and control strategies of energy-use related sources in Beijing

Based on the statistical analysis of emission inventory and ISCST3 model simulation, the emission and ambient concentration contributions of energy-use related sources to the major pollutants of SO2, NOx and PM10 in urban areas of Beijing were analyzed. The SO2 emission contributions of coal burning in power plants, industrial and heating sectors were 49%, 26% and 24% respectively. The vehicle exhaust contributed 74% of the NOx concentration. As to PM10, the industrial sector was the largest emission (28%) and concentration (21%) contributor despite of the fugitive sources. The source emission contributions of VOC and NH3, which greatly influence the generation of secondary pollutants, were discussed as well. This paper also analyzed the control strategies of energy consumption and vehicle sources, based on which the control scenario in 2008 was established and the change of emission and concentration contribution were estimated. The results show that the cleaner energy use, industrial structure improvement, transportation mode modification and single vehicle emission control will greatly improve air quality. The industrial sector will change to the largest contributor of SO2 and as to NOx, vehicle emission control is still important.     

Thermal DNAPL Source Zone Treatment Impact on a CVOC Plume

The tetrachloroethene (PCE) source zone at a site in Endicott, New York had caused a dissolved PCE plume. This plume was commingled with a petroleum hydrocarbon plume from an upgradient source of fuel oil. The plume required a system for hydraulic containment, using extraction wells located about 360 m downgradient of the source. The source area was remediated using in situ thermal desorption (ISTD). Approximately 1406 kilograms (kg) of PCE was removed in addition to 4082 kg of commingled petroleum‐related compounds. The ISTD treatment reduced the PCE mass discharge into the plume from an estimated 57 kg/year to 0.07 kg/year, essentially removing the source term. In the 5 years following the completion of the thermal treatment in early 2010, the PCE plume has collapsed, and the concentration of degradation products in the PCE‐series plume area has declined by two to three orders of magnitude. Anaerobic dechlorination is the suspected dominant mechanism, assisted by the presence of a fuel oil smear zone and a petroleum hydrocarbon plume from a separate source area upgradient of the PCE source. Based on the post‐thermal treatment groundwater monitoring data, the hydraulic containment system was reduced in 2014 and discontinued in early 2015.     

Arsenic and trace metal contents in sediment profiles from the Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

Admiralty Bay (Antarctica) hosts three scientific stations (Ferraz, Arctowski and Macchu Picchu), which require the use of fossil fuel as an energy source. Fossil fuels are also considered the main source of pollution in the area, representing important inputs of major pollutants (organic compounds) and trace metals and metalloids of environmental interest. Accordingly, this work presents the results of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in sediment profiles from Admiralty Bay. The sediment results from Ferraz station were slightly higher than the other sampling sites. The highest contents were observed for Cu and Zn (from 44 to 89 mg kg⁻¹). Otherwise, by using enrichment factors and geochronology analysis, the most relevant enrichment was observed for As in the samples collected close to the Ferraz station, indicating that increasing As content may be associated with the activities associated with this site.     

Cracking conditions of crude oil under different geological environments

There are mainly 3 kinds of existing states of oil generating from source rocks, that is, dispersive liquid hydrocarbon inside of source rock, dispersive liquid hydrocarbon outside of source rock and concentrated liquid hydrocarbon outside of source rock. Because of the differences in thermal history and medium conditions around, and the interaction of organic and inorganic matter, the liquid hydrocarbon with 3 kinds of existing state has different cracking conditions. The gas generation dynamics experiments of crude oil matching different mediums indicate that the distribution of activation energy of methane changes a lot according to medium difference. The carbonate has a main influence on oil cracking conditions and can largely reduce its activation energy, which reflects the lower cracking temperature of crude oil. The mudstone takes a second place and the sandstone is the smallest. The catalytic cracking function to the oil of the carbonate, of the mudstone and of the sandstone changes weaken in turn. The corresponding R _o values of main gas generation period in different mediums are as follows: 1.5%–3.8% with pure crude oil, 1.2%–3.2% with dispersive crude oil in carbonate, 1.3%～3.4% with dispersive crude oil in mudstone and 1.4%–3.6% with dispersive crude oil in sandstone. The influence of pressure to crude oil cracking is relatively complicated. In the low heating speed condition, pressure restrains the oil cracking and gas generation, but in the high heating speed condition, pressure has an indistinctive influence to the oil cracking and gas generation. Pressure also makes a different effort in different evolvement stage. Taking the middle and lower Cambrian source rocks in the Tarim Basin as an example, primary oil generating quantity is 2232.24×10⁸t, residual oil and oil cracking gas quantity is 806.21×10⁸t and 106.95×10¹²m³ respectively.     

Natural gas hydrates: Energy for the future

The recent increased interest in gas hydrates has partly been the result of their potential as an energy source and for energy storage. Natural gas hydrates are found world-wide and contain vast stores of methane fuel. The estimates for the amount of methane are comparable to or even greater than conventional natural gas sources and therefore represent an extensive source of untapped energy. In addition, natural gas hydrates contain high concentrations of methane gas. This property can be exploited for natural gas transportation and storage in the form of hydrates as they can easily be stabilized at moderate pressures (10–25 bars) and temperatures (5–15°C).     

Is there a concrete relationship between energy consumption, economic development and environmental load in developing economies? A case study in Shandong Province, China

Shandong Province is currently experiencing fast urbanization and economic booming. However, low energy efficiency, energy shortage and other energy related issues are becoming the limiting factors for further economic development. Based on the analysis of Resource and Environmental Performance Index (REPI) of the past decade, the energy saving index shows that the energy saving level in Shandong fell behind the national average level in China. The sulfur dioxide saving index, however, shows that sulfur dioxide reduction in Shandong was significant. The energy demands of Shandong in 2010, 2015 and 2020 have been forecasted with the environmental load model. In a projected ideal scenario, the energy consumption does not increase with economic development. On the contrary, Shandong can achieve rapid economic development with less energy consumption and affordable environmental load if the industrial structure is being further optimized, technological upgrading efforts are strengthened, strict pollutant control measures are implemented, and reasonable plans for energy development are established.     

Structural upgrading strategy for electric power networks under seismic action

This paper presents a procedure to identify an optimal retrofitting strategy for electric power networks (EPN) subjected to seismic events. The optimization consists of the minimization, under economic constraints, of the probability of power cut‐off at the nodes where electric energy is most needed in the post‐earthquake situation; these nodes are referred to as critical nodes. The EPN model used herein has been presented earlier and is briefly reviewed in the text. The method to individuate the critical nodes, based upon the value of an index proposed in this study, is presented first; then the optimization procedure to select which elements of the EPN to upgrade is examined based upon a standard reliability study. Its effectiveness is tested against routinely used upgrading schemes for an existing EPN (the one of Sicily in Italy). It is shown that the optimization procedure is effective and leads to a significant saving of economic resources. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring Fog Water Harvesting Potential and Quality in the Asir Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

During the last decade, the exploitation of the existing water resources in the Asir region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has considerably increased due to both the decrease in annual precipitation and the added population pressures from the growing tourist industry. To face the conventional water shortage, attention has been mainly focused on desalination of water. To save the region from severe water shortage, additional new water sources that are low-cost and renewable must be identified. There exists an alternative source of water such as fog water harvesting. Fog forms in the Asir Region more frequently between December and February compared to the other months of the year. This paper presents the study of the climatic conditions in the Asir region of the Kingdom to identify the most suitable location for fog water collection as well as design and testing of two large fog collectors (LFCs) of size 40?m² along with standard fog collectors (SFCs) of 1?m² in that region. During the period from 27 December 2009 to 9 March 2010, a total of 3,128.4 and 2,562.4 L of fog water were collected by the LFC at two sites in the Al-Sooda area of the Asir region, near Abha. Experimental results indicate that fog water collection can be combined with rain water harvesting systems to increase water yield during the rainy season. The quality of the collected fog water was analyzed and compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards and found to be potable. An economic analysis was carried out for the proposed method of obtaining fresh water from the fog. The study suggests a clear tendency that in terms of both quality and magnitude of yield, fog is a viable source of water and can be successfully used to supplement water supplies in the Asir region of the Kingdom.     

区域环境冲突与排污权交易模型探讨

废水排污权交易地区交叉补贴的设想是通过建立上下游地区之间的排污权交易模型,将下游地区的排污权交易所得向上游地区转移,解决上游地区对下游地区的二次污染问题,从而减少流域污染.本文在污染权交易基本思路和研究进展的基础上,在并不考虑交易成本的假设下,建立了流域污染总量分配模型和存在收入差别的地区间污染源排污权分配模型,以此来确定污染的总量分配及价格,计算污染权的地区分配及其收益.太湖流域由于经济最为发达,环境问题十分突出,是目前我国最适宜率先实施污染权交易试点的地区,因此假定以江苏省无锡和常州两个相邻城市进行污染权交易作为试点,运用上述模式,以分别计算基准价格、排污权交易量和交易效用,研究结果显示出交易具有明显的经济和环境效应.     

A Dynamic Model to Simulate Spills of Fuel and Diesel Oil in the Terrestrial Environment during Extreme Fluvial Floods

Extreme fluvial floods may cause severe contamination with fuel oil and diesel, originating from gasoline pipes and tanks in private households and industrial areas, respectively. Geo‐referenced oil spills in the region of Bitterfeld (Germany) after extreme flood events, such as in August 2002, were simulated using the two‐dimensional (2D) Finite Element model system Telemac2D, which is subdivided into a hydrodynamic (Telemac‐2D) and a transport module (Subief2D). Fuel oil settled via adhesion showed a thickness of less than 1.0 mm. Fuel oil concentrations on the flood wave amounted up to 80 g m^–3 in the vicinity of the point sources. At a distance of several hundred meters downstream of the point sources, the fuel oil concentrations were calculated to be zero. Settled areas were only partially contaminated with fuel oil. While one village experienced severe oil contamination, the town of Bitterfeld was almost unaffected by oil spills. It was demonstrated that the 2D transport model applied is capable of simulating fuel oil spills during extreme high waters in the terrestrial environment. Such simulations of fuel oil spills will feed into a GIS‐based decision support system of flood protection.     

Generation of Power by Microbial Fuel Cell with Ferricyanide in Biodegradation of Benzene

The power generation potential of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) during the process of benzene biodegradation with potassium ferricyanide (0–200 mM) as the terminal electron acceptor was evaluated. Experimental results demonstrate that benzene was used as the sole carbon source in generating electricity by a mixed culture. The power density increased from 0.0276 to 2.1 mW m^?2 as the concentration of potassium ferricyanide in the cathode chamber was increased from 0 to 200 mM. With a benzene concentration of 10.87 mg L^?1 and a potassium ferricyanide concentration of between 0 and 150 mM, complete degradation of benzene was achieved in 22–24.5 h. However, when the concentration of potassium ferricyanide was raised to 200 mM, the time required for complete benzene degradation was prolonged to 35 h. The results of this investigation can be used as a basis for future assessments of the power generation capacity of MFCs that are used to treat benzene‐contaminated wastewater.     

Estimation of Explosion Energy Yield at Chernobyl NPP Accident

The value of the ¹³³Xe/^133mXe isometric activity ratio for the stationary regime of reactor work is about 35, and that for an instant fission (explosion) is about 11, which allowed estimation of the nuclear component of the instant (explosion) energy release during the NPP accident. Atmospheric xenon samples were taken at the trajectory of accident product transfers (in the Cherepovetz area); these samples were measured by a gamma spectrometer, and the ¹³³Xe/^133mXe ratio was determined as an average value of 22.4. For estimations a mathematic model was elaborated considering both the value of instant released energy and the schedule of reactor power change before the accident, as well as different fractionation conditions on the isobaric chain. Comparison of estimated results with the experimental data showed the value of the instant specific energy release in the Chernobyl NPP accident to be 2·10⁵–2·10⁶ J/Wt or 6·10¹⁴–6·10¹⁵ J (100–1,000 kt). This result is matched up to a total reactor power of 3,200 MWt. However this estimate is not comparable with the actual explosion scale estimated as 10t TNT. This suggests a local character of the instant nuclear energy release and makes it possible to estimate the mass of fuel involved in this explosion process to be from 0.01 to 0.1% of total quantity.     

Spills of fuel oil #6 and Orimulsion can have indistinguishable effects on the benthic meiofauna

Fuel oil #6 is used for the production of electrical power in the United States. Orimulsion is being considered as an alternative fuel, but its value and risk compared to fuel oil #6 need to be assessed. Our study examined the relative impact of accidental spills of the two hydrocarbons on the meiofaunal community. To do so, we maintained microcosms of the shallow, sandy, subtidal environment for three months. Treatment microcosms received a single application of hydrocarbon-coated sand. As indicators of effect, we used copepod and nematode abundance and copepod species diversity, sex ratio, fecundity, age structure, and neutral-lipid content. A comparison of the hydrocarbon treatments showed no significant differences. The tests had adequate power to detect ecologically significant changes. Our results indicate that a spill of Orimulsion would have approximately the same impact as a spill of fuel oil #6 on the meiofauna.     

Time structure of the X-ray emission of thermal solar flares

Based on observations of electromagnetic radiation, a concept of thermal solar flares has been proposed. The absence of hard X-ray emission implies no accelerated electrons. This fact is the basis of the proposed concept of thermal flares. Since the acceleration rate should not exceed the electron energy loss rate, plasma density in the acceleration range must be at least 10¹¹ cm^?3. The temperature of plasma emitting in the soft X-ray range is of the order of 10⁷ K. In the simplified problem of heated plasma hydrodynamics, we calculated the temperature profiles and their changes over time and by coordinate. The emission measure values determined from observations of the soft X-ray emission of flares is of the order of 10⁴⁵ cm^?3. The geometry of the source is an axial symmetric straight cylinder with a section of 10¹⁶ cm² and an axial coordinate determined by the depth of plasma heating. Time profiles of soft X-ray emission were calculated for different sources of plasma heating, which were simulated using the Gaussian distribution law with respect to the coordinate and time. We have considered two modes of plasma heating: single (in time) and multipulse modes with different pulse intervals. The dynamics of plasma heating and cooling was shown to control the experimentally observed time profiles of soft X-ray emission. A comparison of numerical results with observational data allows us to confirm the implications of the proposed concept of thermal flares and, in addition, to perform diagnostics of plasma parameters in the emission source.     

Soil erosion and conservation on land cultivated and drained for afforestation

Erosion of soil from pre-afforestation plough furrows has been measured on four soil types in Scotland for 12 to 18 month periods between 1987 and 1990. Rainfall-run-off was also measured at one site. Run-off is directly proportional to furrow length and rainfall intensity, and for a wide range of intensities (typically > 6 mm hr^?1) small amount of soil is flushed out of the furrows. However, for furrow spacings of 3.8 m, a critical downslope run-off increment associated with significant soil loss is of the order of 25 cm³ s^?1 m^?1, which is in accord with a storm of five years return period and a maximum intensity of 25 mm hr^?1. The total run-off volume for any hydrograph is commensurate with the total rainfall in the rainstorm — typically 40–80% by the hydrograph peak and approaching 100% by the end of the hydrograph; i.e. long term storage is negligible. A positive relationship was recorded between furrow length, slope angle and sediment yield, with deposition predominating in furrows less than 30 m in length on slopes less than a few degrees. Soil loss is proportional to the excess streampower expended by the run-off with an exponent in the range 1–1.5. For the soils examined, significant differences in soil loss when comparing sites for low power expenditure become undifferentiated at high power expenditures. For the rainfall regimes monitored, maximum soil losses were in the region of 40 kg per meter run-length of furrow, when soil peds were ripped from the bed. Laboratory data concerning the critical erosion threshold power and shear stress to erode soil peds are in general accord with the threshold furrow run-lengths defined using the field data for a five year storm and the soil losses observed.     

A Review of Research and Development of Wind Energy in Turkey

During the end of the 20^th and the beginning of the 21^st centuries, interest has risen in new and renewable energy sources, and especially wind energy for electricity generation. In a short time, wind energy has been welcomed by society, industry and politicians as a clean, practical, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to existing fossil fuels. As a result of extensive studies on this topic, wind energy has recently been applied in various industries, and has started to compete with other energy resources. Wind energy applications and turbine installations at different scales have increased since the beginning of this millennium. Technically installed wind turbines capacity factors have high values in most areas of Turkey. It is seen that, in general, the modeling of wind speed and its parameters have been studied and researched rather than wind power technological development in Turkey. Wind investors had doubts about uncertainties in the renewable energy policies. After May 2007, an energy efficiency law was accepted and 10 years of electricity generation by renewable sources is considered as guaranteed by the Turkish government. The installed wind power has reached 131.35 MW in Turkey and it is expected that this value will be increased to 808.81 MW by the end of 2008. The dependence of strong technological and economical development on Turkey's energy needs have increased and new national or international sources have to be taken into account for the energy sector of the country. It is clear that this source gap could be filled by using the high potential of wind power, which is estimated at 58 GW. It is expected that installed wind power to supply up to 5% of electricity consumption by 2015 and for the end of 2008 this ratio will increase to 2% (it is currently ca. 1.0%). However, unexpected and unpredicted wind power applications have occurred on November 1^st, 2007 in Turkey. It has been announced that 78,000.00 MW wind power investments have been applied by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). This is a new era for the Turkish energy sector and there is no model for this new situation. Therefore, in this paper, wind energy in Turkey is reviewed and opened up for further discussion.     

SHAPED CHARGE—A POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE SURFACE SEISMIC SOURCE *

The directional effect of shaped charge is a well-known feature used for a long time in military weapons, oil well guns, and steel industry. This charge was successfully applied as a seismic energy source by Petrobrás during the past three years under different surface and geological conditions. Preliminary amplitude measurements taken with fixed gain shallow refraction instruments showed a consistent difference between conventional and shaped charges. Lately, a similar difference has been noted in deep reflection energy recorded with digital binary gain instruments as well as in deep oil well velocity surveys. Direct comparisons along more than 50 km of multiple coverage field reflection shooting are in agreement with these results and have proved the practical advantage of this source as compared to conventional dynamite. This source has been used since 1971 in routine seismic operation in the Amazon jungle with 300 gram unit charges distributed in small and large shot arrays increasing substantially the coverage and halving the cost at a higher record quality. A large amount of production seismic field work has been carried out in several other areas attesting the successful application of the shaped charges.     

High-Frequency Radio Emission from Meteors

A model of the processes that explain the intrinsic radio emission from meteors is proposed. A method for solving a self-similar problem of a strong explosion is used to determine certain parameters of the plasma wake dynamics at the initial expansion stages. Calculations show that this plasma expansion stage is responsible for the incoherent and unpolarized radiation from the meteor in the upper layers of the atmosphere. A theoretical estimate of the spectral density of the radio emission flux is obtained within this model, and it coincides with the experimental values. The radiation maximum is in the high-frequency range and strongly depends on the altitude and parameters of the meteor. For example, for the characteristic properties of the atmosphere at an altitude of about 90 km for a meteor with a mass of ~5 × 10^–2 kg, the spectral flux is ~2000 W/m² Hz at ~100 km from the source and the maximum is at ~40–60 MHz. According to the experiment, the radio emission spectrum drops sharply at higher frequencies.     

云南星云湖水质变化及其人文因素驱动力分析

星云湖目前存在水污染加重、富营养化进程加快、水体功能受损等问题.以星云湖为研究对象,根据星云湖2005-2015年的水质数据、社会经济统计数据和遥感影像图,运用目视解译、叠加分析、污染足迹模型及主成分分析法,分析了星云湖流域近10年以来水质变化趋势、入湖河流污染物污染足迹及其人文因素驱动力.结果表明:(1)水质数据趋势表明,从月变化看,3月份水质最好,9月份水质最差;从年变化看,2005-2015年间,2008年水质状况最好,2014年的水质状况最差,从2008-2014年水质持续变差,到2015年好转.(2)2015年有机物、氮和磷的污染足迹分别为583.26、705.88和494.11 km~2.污染足迹前4位的入湖河流依次为:大街河东西大河东河渔村河东西大河西河,占星云湖流域总污染足迹的66.21%.污染程度大的大街河、东西大河和渔村河周边土地利用类型为水田、旱地和村庄.(3)星云湖水质影响因素第1主成分(总人口、播种面积、农村人口、化肥使用量、农膜使用量、大牲畜存栏量)与农村生活和农业面源污染有关;第2主成分(人均GDP、第一产业产值、第二产业产值、第三产业产值)与社会经济发展有关.因此,星云湖流域水质变化的人文因素驱动力为农村生活和农业面源污染类和社会经济发展类,其中第1主成分的贡献率是84.389%,农村生活和农业面源污染是水质变化的主要驱动力.