Environmental Load Reduction Research Articles

Characteristics of the Evolution of Resource and Environmental Carrying Capacity in Shaanxi Province

This paper constructs a resource and environmental carrying capacity index system based on the DPSIR model, and adopts the entropy weight TOPSIS method to analyze the resource and environmental carrying capacity of Shaanxi Province in terms of time series and spatial distribution. The results show that from 2010 to 2020, the resource environmental carrying capacity of Shaanxi Province in general shows a fluctuating upward trend, and on the whole there is a small decrease in 2017 compared with 2016 and 2020 compared with 2019, and an increase in 2019 compared with 2018; in terms of the characterization value of the resource environmental carrying capacity of each city, Yan'an City is in the first place for a long period of time, and it is stable in the top three with Yulin and Xi'an; each The resource environmental carrying capacity of each city shows a gradual convergence state, indicating that the difference between their carrying capacity gradually decreases. Finally, this paper makes corresponding suggestions for the improvement of the resource and environmental carrying capacity of Shaanxi Province from five aspects: economic development, low-carbon development, resource and environmental load reduction, population growth, and environmental infrastructure construction.

An ecological population study of lampreys in the Lotka-Volterra tertiary trophic level based on sex differences

This study examines the adaptive changes in sex ratio on animal populations and its effects on ecosystem stability and interactions. The effects of sex ratio dynamics on the ecosystem were analyzed through mathematical modeling using lampreys as the study population. In this study, a two-stage tertiary trophic Lotka-Volterra mathematical model of ecological dynamics was developed, taking into account food preferences, ecological roles, and sex interactions of lampreys. The simulation results showed that a rapid adjustment in sex ratio led to a reduction in environmental loads, which triggered an early rebound increase in lampreys and predator populations. To assess the ability of lampreys populations to adjust sex ratios, this study used a combination of fuzzy integrated evaluation and hierarchical analysis methods. The results of the study revealed the importance of sex-adaptive traits for population development, including increased resource utilization efficiency and population fitness, as well as decreased reproductive success and reduced genetic diversity. Based on the RRT (resistance, resilience and temporal stability) method, this study constructed an ecosystem stability assessment model and investigated the effects of changes in the sex ratio of lampreys on ecosystem stability. The experimental results showed that ecosystem stability was highest when the sex ratio was 0.6 and lowest when the sex ratio was 0.2. Variation in sex ratio may affect the behavior and abundance of lampreys, thereby directly influencing their interactions with other species. Variability in sex ratio provides more resources for predators and parasites of lampreys, promotes their growth, and positively affects ecosystem balance. Simulation results showed that the model was highly stable under different interactions. In summary, this study reveals the important effects of sex ratio on ecosystem stability and interactions, and provides important insights into the understanding of adaptive evolutionary traits of species, ecosystem stability and ecological interactions.

Energy and Environmental Load Reduction, Optimization on Pile Foundation Design

Abstract Design methods must also be improved in order to reduce energy costs and environmental impact. When designing pile foundations, the costs and environmental impact of construction are far from being irrelevant. At present, the most widely accepted method for determining the load capacity is the pile load test, which is considered the most realistic result, and therefore great emphasis should be placed on ensuring that these are evaluated as effectively as possible. By replacing the pile load test, its environmental impact and cost could be avoided. The aim of our research is to estimate a mathematical function that, from the wide range of soil physical and/or mechanical parameters, gives a formula that can be used to plot the curve without the need to produce a pile load test. By showing the relationship between different soil parameters and load capacities. In order for this to be possible later with a new theory, we examined the feasibility of this by evaluating the results of several measurements. Climate change will also bring a transformation in the course of planning, because there may be changes in the load capacity on the soil and the use of materials. Soil composition and structure will also be affected by warming. The environmental impact of building materials and increased costs demands also bring about changes in the design of pile foundations.

Power-law productivity of highly biodiverse agroecosystems supports land recovery and climate resilience

Transformative change in primary food production is urgently needed in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss. Although there are a growing number of studies aimed at global policymaking, actual implementations require on-site analyses of social feasibility anchored by ecological rationale. This article reports the in-depth characterizations of low-input mixed polyculture of highly diverse crops managed on the self-organization of ecosystems, which performed better compared to conventional monoculture methods in Japan and Burkina Faso. Analyses on crop productivity and diversity showed that the primary production of ecosystems followed a power law, and through the underlying mechanisms excelled in (1) promoting diversity and total quantity of products along with the rapid increase of in-field biodiversity, especially useful for the recovery of local regime shift in a semi-arid environment; (2) a fundamental reduction of inputs and environmental load; and (3) ecosystem-based autonomous adaptation of the crop portfolio to climatic variability. The overall benefits imply substantial possibilities of a new typology of sustainable farming for smallholders sensitive to climate change, which could overcome the historical trade-off between productivity and biodiversity based on the human-guided augmentation of ecosystems.

The Development of Innovated Complex Process for Treatment of Old Flotation Tailings of Copper-Zinc Sulfide Ore.

The possibility of selective Cu and Zn leaching from the sample of old pyrite tailings, which is one of the most widespread types of solid waste forming during non-ferrous metal production, using sulfuric acid solutions and water was studied. It was shown that water leaching provided selective extraction of Cu and Zn and comparatively low iron ion extraction. At the same time, acid leaching provided the obtainment of pregnant solutions with high ferric ion concentration, which can be used for oxidative leaching of substandard copper concentrates. Water and acid leaching also provided increased Au recovery by cyanidation. The results suggest that acid leaching can be an effective approach for processing old flotation tailings, which allows the extraction of base metals from these wastes and treating flotation tailings for subsequent cyanidation. Effective flotation treatment methods should also provide environmental load reduction, which is caused by the long-term storage of metal-bearing wastes.

Ecological aspects of development of modular real estate construction industry in modern conditions

In the context of the rapid development of the construction industry and the growing attention to sustainability, modular construction is a promising method that deserves the attention of researchers. The aim of the study is to reveal the environmental aspects of modular construction, make a comparative analysis with traditional methods and highlight the prospects for the development of this technology. The article uses a comprehensive methodological approach, including the analysis of the life cycle of the building, comparative analysis of materials and methods of modular and traditional construction. The result of the study is that modular construction contributes to the reduction of the overall environmental load by reducing energy costs, emissions and efficient use of resources. Which leads to the following conclusion: modular construction represents a significant potential for sustainable development in the construction industry. The results of the study can serve as a basis for the development of strategies for the implementation of this technology taking into account environmental performance. The scientific novelty lies in exploring the environmental benefits of modular construction in more detail, providing relevant data and analysis, which makes the work an important contribution to the field of sustainable construction and stimulates further research in this area.

Turn-Down Capability of Ansaldo Energia's AE94.3A

Abstract At an ever-faster pace, market's requirements for operational flexibility and turn-down capabilities are fundamental for heavy-duty gas turbines. Gas turbine energy plants require the lowest minimum environmental load (MEL) for times when the power request is mainly covered by renewable sources and, however, need to promptly respond to green energy shortages. Ansaldo Energia has addressed such requirements overall its gas turbine portfolio, recently including GT26, as discussed in GT2021-59457. This paper addresses the MEL reduction for AE94.3A via a modular upgrade package intended for the 110+ units Service fleet. To accomplish that, several features were designed and tested including variable inlet guide vanes (VIGV) extra-closure, air bypass through compressor blow-off lines, and extended use of anti-ice air recirculation. None of these require major hardware changes but only upgrades within a normal service outage, together with minor control system adaptations. The wide-ranging technical challenges attached to the MEL reduction features are discussed. Validation on field via special instrumentation focused on compressor, secondary air system (SAS), and turbine for several engines is also presented. The achieved minimum environmental load reduction is shown and its potential discussed together with some features already in place, such as the use of CO catalyzer or the regulation of control valves put on external cooling lines. The readiness and performance level of this MEL upgrade package, already in operation on several power plants, is here demonstrated. This makes the AE94.3A gas turbine more flexible toward current and future market requirements.

Measures for environmental load reduction through improvements in water facilities at highway service areas

Measures for environmental load reduction through improvements in water facilities at highway service areas

Environmental Load Reduction Plan in Metal Surface Treatments Industry

Environmental Load Reduction Plan in Metal Surface Treatments Industry

Use of coal bottom ash for the production of sodium silicate solution in metakaolin-based geopolymers concerning environmental load reduction

This research proposes applying coal bottom ash (CBA) to metakaolin-based geopolymers. The conventional CBA mixing method in geopolymers degrades the compressive strength of the geopolymers mainly because of the low reactivity of CBA. To minimize the strength degradation and maximize the available CBA content in geopolymers, the CBA was treated with an alkaline solution and then mixed with metakaolin. A sodium hydroxide solution with 10 and 12 M concentrations, a water-to-solid ratio of 0.50, and curing at ambient temperature were used for all geopolymer composites. If replaced with CBA up to 15% of the total weight of the geopolymer, the proposed method can not only yield a higher compressive strength than the conventional mixing method by providing external silicon from the CBA, but it can also show compressive strength similar to a typical geopolymer without CBA. The properties observed by XRD, FT-IR, SEM/EDS, and MIP disclose the reasons for the proposed method accommodating a larger amount of CBA.

Resource determinants of economic development in Middle East countries and prospects for renewable energy

Introduction. Global transformations and regional characteristics of countries’ development bring the issue of resource provision for economic growth, social progress, and environmental efficiency to the fore. This article focuses on the energy resources supply issue in Middle Eastern countries and identifies the prospects for the region’s transition to renewable energy sources. Purpose. The aim of this article is to analyze the resource impact on the economic development of Middle Eastern countries and to identify prospects and opportunities for implementing renewable energy projects. Method (Methodology). The study applies various methods, including theoretical generalization, abstract-logical methods, analysis and synthesis, comparative analysis and generalization, and the graphical method. Results. This article reveals the main trends in the development of the global energy system. It substantiates the specificity of Middle East countries’ development and argues for the significant role of resources – oil and gas – in their economic development. It confirms significant asymmetries in their socio-economic development and identifies countries for which resources such as oil and gas are strategically important. The impact of changes in the world oil and gas markets’ situation on the economies of the Middle East countries is clarified. The importance of transitioning to renewable energy sources is confirmed, and the main opportunities are highlighted. The strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats, of the Middle East’s energy transition to renewable sources are analyzed. Opportunities identified include economic growth, creation of new jobs, export of technologies and innovations, sustainable energy supply, reduction of environmental load, improved access to energy in remote areas and for vulnerable populations, international partnership, and involvement in international organizations’ projects. Proposals are made for the Middle Eastern countries for their gradual transition to renewable sources and ensuring energy security.

An Analysis of the Environmental Load Reduction Effect Applying Life Cycle Assessment Methodology : Environmental Impact Comparison between General Wooden Deck and Coffee Waste Wooden Deck

An Analysis of the Environmental Load Reduction Effect Applying Life Cycle Assessment Methodology : Environmental Impact Comparison between General Wooden Deck and Coffee Waste Wooden Deck

Basic Technology and Recent Trends in Agricultural Formulation and Application Technology

Recent requirements of the pesticide industry have become much severer, and pesticides (formulated products) are required to satisfy higher safety to both human beings and the environment, higher biological efficacy, lower price, and labor-saving. This review explains the outline of basic pesticide formulation technology, followed by recent advances in developing new formulations and application technologies. Labor-saving formulations and application technologies, environmental load reduction technologies, and user-friendly formulations and application technologies are elucidated.

Rice Production Technology Improvements for Higher Productivity Along with the Sustainable Agriculture Process in the Mekong Delta

This study examines sustainable agricultural development in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam by focusing on technology improvement for minimizing the environmental load in rice production with sufficient yield and quality. Among rice-producing countries, Vietnam is the third-largest rice export country worldwide. High-yield rice production is still a critical issue in Vietnam. However, in recent years, quality improvement and low environmental load agriculture have been fundamental issues. In this research, we conducted rice cultivation experiments in 2014, 2015, and 2017 under different conditions of planting density, fertilizer volume, rice variety, use of fertilizer applicator mounted on a transplanter, and use of high-density seedling mat called “Mitsunae.” We conducted 7 seasons with 79 planting patterns in experiments to compare yield, quality, and fertilizer volume in rice production. As a result of productivity achievement, high-density transplanting does not always produce a high yield. Each performance depends on transplanting density, rice variety, fertilizer volume, or other factors. In general, transplanting machine with a planting width of 25cm achieved a significant yield with short growing duration rice varieties. Those varieties are popular in the Mekong Delta. We conducted experiments of “high-density seedling mat” called “Mitsunae”, a new nursery technology developed in Japan, to reduce the environmental load and operating costs in rice production. With the “Mitsunae” method, we can reduce the number of rice seedling trays up to three times that of conventional seedling mats. Then, we can minimize the nursery surface area, nursery materials, and total working time, including transplanting time. The “life cycle assessment (LCA)” method is practical for correctly quantifying environmental load reduction. We investigated environmental load reduction caused by “Mitsunae” rice nursery process using LCA method in this research. We could achieve about 20% – 30% reduction of the “greenhouse gas (GHG)” emission volume and economic benefits created by the “Mitsunae” nursery process.

Pollution and Carbon Reduction Effect of OFDI in China and Its Mechanism

Under the "Going out" strategy and the Belt and Road Initiatives, the trade in goods and services and flow of production factors between China and the rest of the world have become more frequent, and the total amount of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) is considerable and growing significantly. Therefore, along with the extensive economic growth and the substantial growth of foreign investment, the environmental impact of OFDI has become noteworthy. Here, through theoretical analysis and logical deduction, three possible pathways of the impact of OFDI in China on the environment were presented as hypotheses, which included the industrial structure, the technological innovation progress, and the economic-scale expansion. Using Chinese provincial data from 2004 to 2019, an environmental load index including main environmental pollutant emissions and carbon emissions was constructed. Taking this as the dependent variable, an intermediary effect method was constructed to analyze the home pollution and carbon reduction effect and the influence mechanism of OFDI in China. The results showed that ① OFDI in China reduced the environmental load, and each 1% increase in OFDI reduced the environmental load by 0.051%-0.076%. ② The OFDI in China reduced the environmental load by advancing the industrial structure and technological innovation progress, and a 1% increase in OFDI resulted in a 0.060% and 0.006% reduction in environmental load through their indirect effects, respectively, whereas OFDI increased the environmental load by 0.009% through the path of economic-scale expansion. The contributions of leading environmental load changes mediated by advancing industrial structure, technological innovation progress, and economic-scale expansion were 65.9%-84.5%, 6.6%-8.5%, and -12.7%- -9.9%, respectively, and the contribution of OFDI directly driving the environmental load to change was 19.7%-37.4%. Based on this, policy recommendations, including promoting Chinese enterprises and capital going abroad, encouraging relatively disadvantaged domestic industries to explore foreign markets, strengthening reverse technology spillover effects, and forming a sustainable low-carbon development mode, have been proposed.

Sensitivity analysis: A tool for tailoring environmentally friendly materials

In this article, we examine the use of sensitivity analysis for the optimization of selected physical properties in rubber compounds and determine objective criteria which allow for the reduction of environmental load during rubber compound production. The sensitivity analysis shows how significantly each input value affects the output value, and the response graphs express the effect of the selected parameter on the output value. The solutions described in the article are applicable to other production technologies. We present a sensitivity analysis based on the prediction of selected mechanical properties of rubber mixtures composed of Standard Malaysian Rubber (SMR). Two blends were pre- pared by mixing SMR and oleic acid and different concentrations of surfactant (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 20, 30 wt%). Tensile strength Rm and moduli M100, M200, M300 were measured and evaluated. The sensitivity analysis showed the significance of certain ingredients which affect the measured mechanical properties.

Reduction of Environmental Load and Development of High-Performance Concrete Materials

Reduction of Environmental Load and Development of High-Performance Concrete Materials

Life Cycle Assessment of the Separation and Recycling of Fluorinated Gases Using Ionic Liquids in a Circular Economy Framework.

The stricter regulation regarding the use of fluorinated gases (F-gases), as a consequence of their high Global Warming Potential (GWP), represents a challenge for the refrigeration industry. The design of alternatives requires the recycling of the low to moderate GWP compounds from current refrigerant blends. However, there is not a developed and standardized technology available to recover them, and once the life cycle of the refrigeration equipment has ended, most gases are incinerated. Fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs) can effectively perform as absorbents to the complex separation of F-gas mixtures. In this work, a methodology based on the COSMO-RS thermodynamic package integrated into an Aspen Plus process simulator was used to evaluate the performance of an FIL to recover difluoromethane (R-32) from the commercial blend R-407F. The environmental sustainability of the recovery process (circular economy scenario) was analyzed with a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, comparing the obtained results with the conventional R-32 production (benchmark scenario). The results reveal a 30% recovery of 98 wt % R-32 suitable for further reuse with environmental load reduction in the 86–99% range compared to the R-32 production. This study can guide the development of new F-gas recovery technologies to improve the environmental impacts of these compounds from a circular economy perspective.

4대 공작기계 재제조에 대한 LCA 분석을 통한 환경부하 및 온실가스 저감효과 분석

The industrial sector that can actively respond to the circular economy is remanufacturing. In the case of machine tools, the need for remanufacturing of machine tools is emphasized because it is expected that waste products will increase before the mechanical life expires due to the change in perception of low carbon energy reduction and the increase in demand for advanced high-precision machine tools due to the development of ultra-precision industry. This study calculated the environmental load and greenhouse gas reduction effects through LCA analysis of the remanufacturing of four major machine tools used throughout the industry, such as grinding machines, planar millers, presses, and lathes, using LCA. Due to the nature of the remanufacturing process, some consumables are replaced or put in to improve quality and function by using the core of the product (or part) after use. In the case of cores used in the remanufacturing process, environmental impacts have already occurred during manufacturing by new manufacturers. In remanufacturing, only the environmental impacts caused by the use of newly input auxiliary materials and energy, excluding cores, occur. As a result of the Midpoint LCA analysis, the amount of reduction in environmental impact for each product remanufactured were 4,439 kg CO2 eq. per machine based on the global warming impact category during characterization, the planar miller 90,080 kg CO2 eq., the press 636,390 kg CO2 eq., the lathe 24,638 kg CO2 eq., it was found that the reduction of environmental impact was the highest when one press was remanufactured.

Copper Recovery and Reduction of Environmental Loading from Mine Tailings by High-Pressure Leaching and SX-EW Process

The flotation tailings obtained from Bor Copper Mine contain pyrite (FeS2) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), these sulfide minerals are known to promote acid mine drainage (AMD) which poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. This study focuses on the treatment of mine tailings to convert the AMD supporting minerals to more stable forms, while simultaneously valorizing the mine tailings. A combination of hydrometallurgical processes of high-pressure oxidative leaching (HPOL), solvent extraction (SX), and electrowinning (EW) were utilized to recover copper from mine tailings which contain about 0.3% Cu content. The HPOL process yielded a high copper leaching rate of 94.4% when water was used as a leaching medium. The copper leaching kinetics were promoted by the generation of sulfuric acid due to pyrite oxidation. It was also confirmed that a low iron concentration (1.4 g/L) and a high copper concentration (44.8 g/L) obtained in the stripped solution resulted in an improved copper electrodeposition current efficiency during copper electrowinning. Moreover, pyrite, which is primarily in the mine tailings, was converted into hematite after HPOL. A stability evaluation of the solid residue confirmed almost no elution of metal ions, confirming the reduced environmental loading of mine tailings through re-processing.