State Environmental Protection Administration Research Articles

The effect of environmental centralisation on productivity: Evidence from an administrative reform in China

AbstractThis paper adopts a novel institutional perspective—environmental centralisation—to examine its impact on firm productivity in developing countries. In 2008, China's State Environmental Protection Administration was upgraded to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). This administrative reform strengthened the central government's ability to protect the environment, enabling it to address more environmental affairs and concentrate on environmental rights. Based on the quasi‐natural experiment of the establishment of the MEP, this study takes a new perspective on the impact of environmental centralisation on productivity. The difference‐in‐difference‐in‐difference approach is used for the first time to estimate the impact of environmental centralisation on productivity. We find that environmental centralisation caused by the establishment of the MEP significantly increased the productivity of heavily polluting companies, and a series of robustness tests confirm that the results are credible. We identify three possible mechanisms, namely, facilitating innovation, curbing rent‐seeking behaviour and inhibiting over‐investments. The policy implication of this study is that the effectiveness of environmental policy depends not only on the policy itself but also on the allocation of environmental rights among different levels of government.

Human Health and Ecological Risks Associated with Total and Bioaccessible Concentrations of Cadmium and Lead in Urban Park Soils.

This study investigated the total and bioaccessible concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in urban soils and their associated human health and ecological risk. Total and bioaccessible metal concentrations were found within the safe limits except for Cd, surpassing the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) China limit in 9.5% of parks. Bioaccessible concentrations were higher in the gastric (G) phase than the intestinal (I) phase, while Cd showed more bioaccessibility compared to Pb. Bioaccessible concentrations reduced Hazard Quotient (HQing) values by 2-22 times and 0-2 times for children and adults, respectively, while hazard index (HI) declined by 1.7 times, and the mean total bioaccessible risk of Pb decreased by 20.8 times. Further, the study revealed a low level of contamination factor (CF < 1) and a low degree of contamination (CD < 6), and Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI) values for all the cities were less than 150, indicating low ecological risk.

Bioaccumulation and Health Risk Assessment of Metals in Small-Sized Fish (Rhodeus sinensis, Ctenogobius giurinus) and Mussel (Cristaria plicata) from a River Reservoir, Southwest China.

In order to assess the bioaccumulation and health risk of metals in a river reservoir, concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) in the water, sediments, two small-sized fish, and a freshwater mussel from the Zhoubai reservoir were examined. The results indicated that all of these metals conform with class one of environmental quality standards for surface water (State Environmental Protection Administration of China, GB 3838-2002). There were no significant differences for total metal concentrations in sediment between the three sampling sites (p > 0.05), but the bioavailable concentrations in S3 were the lowest. The Cd was dominated with exchangeable fraction and showed considerable risk. All metal concentrations except for Pb in Rhodeus sinensis were significantly higher than those in Ctenogobius giurinus (p < 0.05). The metal concentrations in Cristaria plicata showed a similar pattern of bioavailable metals in sediment, indicating that the metal concentrations in aquatic organisms were determined by the bioavailable forms of metals. Negative correlations were observed between the size of fish and concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and As. However, significant positive correlations were found between the size of mussel and concentrations of Cd (p < 0.01), As (p < 0.05), and Hg (p < 0.01). Zn had the highest BCF values in fish and mussel. The aquatic organisms showed lower ability of metal bioaccumulation from the sediment. Low values of target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) indicated that these metals do not pose a health risk to public through fish and mussel consumption in this study area.

Development of an index based on fish, macroinvertebrates, phytoplankton, and physicochemical properties to assess urban aquatic ecosystems in Jinan, China

AbstractBecause of the rapid growth in urbanization over recent decades, urban aquatic ecosystems have been subjected to unprecedented threats and challenges. In this study, we visited 48 sites, of which 14 were reservoir sites, in water bodies in Jinan, China, on six occasions in May, August, and October of 2014 and 2015. We sampled fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton assemblages and physicochemical factors at each site. We used the richness and diversity of fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton to evaluate the condition of the aquatic ecosystems of the river sites. We also evaluated the water quality of the reservoir sites using the physicochemical factors of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China. We classified the results into five levels—excellent, good, moderate, poor, and bad—with the comprehensive evaluation index (CEI). More than 40% of the sampling sites were in either poor or bad condition. Nearly half of the excellent or good sites were in the south of Jinan. The CEI was significantly different between the reference and impaired sites; it was significantly and positively correlated with the qualitative habitat evaluation index and was significantly and negatively correlated with conductivity, total alkalinity, and ammonia nitrogen.

Assessment of the effects of municipal landfills on the metal pollution in the surrounding soils: A case study in Iraq

The present investigation has been devoted to assessing the environmental impacts of a local landfill, in the north of Hilla city, Iraq, on the surrounding soils in terms of heavy metal pollution. The concentrations of heavy metals, namely chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) were measured during, November 2019, at three investigation sites that located at distances of 10 (site 1), 20 (site 2) and 30 m (site 3) from the edge of the mentioned landfill. Soil samples were collected from these sites at a constant depth of 20 cm. The collected samples were air-dried, manually crushed, and sieved through a 2 mm mesh before subjecting them to a chemical digesting process. The concentrations of the targeted metals were measured using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and compared to the standards of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). The obtained results showed that the highest concentrations of the targeted metals were in site 1, while the lowest concentrations were detected at site 3. Generally, it was found that the concentrations of the studied metals followed the order: Cr>Pb>Ni>Cu. Additionally, it was noticed that all the measured concentrations were within the limitations of the SEPA.

Heavy Metals Content of Common Tubers from Selected Farm Locations in Enugu North District, South East, Nigeria

The concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, As, Cr, Mn, Cu, and Zn) in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), yam (Dioscorea ssp), and cassava (Manihot esculenta) in four farm locations in some local government areas of Enugu North District was determined. Samples were prepared following standard procedure and digested with a 5:1:1 mixture of trioxonitrate (V) acid, tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid, and perchloric acid as previously reported. Metal concentration was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer 1100B model). The range of heavy metals concentration recorded for sweet potato in the four farm locations were 60.26±2.30-312.66±31.24 mg/kg, 20.06±1.27-40.55±4.08 mg/kg, 12.60±2.00-32.06±3.20 mg/kg, 8.20±3.00-15.00±1.07 mg/kg, 0.05±0.07-0.80±1.27 mg/kg, 0.07±0.42-0.18±0.42 mg/kg, 0.01±0.20-0.09±0.03 mg/kg and 0.02±0.07-0.03±0.08 mg/kg respectively for Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, As and Cd while the range in yam was 18.46±2.05-380.20±10.97 mg/kg, 44.20±4.99-66.30±3.87 mg/kg, 17.80±2.18-56.08±6.73 mg/kg, 12.00±2.00-42.30±0.06 mg/kg, 0.01±0.32-0.42±0.27 mg/kg, 0.02±0.07-0.20±0.12 mg/kg, 0.04±2.03-0.10±0.00 mg/kg and 0.01±0.07-0.08±0.47 mg/kg for Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, As and Cd respectively. In cassava, the concentration range was 74.20±10.97-312.20±31.20 mg/kg, 14.20±1.29-38.22±6.07 mg/kg, 10.88±3.03-32.00±0.70 mg/kg, 3.20±0.20-11.20±1.09 mg/kg, 0.01±0.20-0.18±1.27 mg/kg, 0.02±0.03-0.12±0.07 mg/kg, 0.01±0.03-0.10±0.07 mg/kg and 0.03±0.00-0.05±0.42 mg/kg for Mn, Ni, Zn,Cu, Cr, Pb, Cd and As respectively. While Cd was not detected in farm location B and D in all the tuber samples, arsenic was detected in all the samples except in cassava cultivated in farm location B. All the heavy metals analyzed were each below the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible concentration except chromium which was slightly higher than the recommended limit of 0.05 mg/kg. Apart from 0.80±1.27 mg/kg Cr recorded for sweet potato cultivated in location C, the concentration of chromium in all the tubers were below the China’s State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) permissible limit of 0.5 mg/kg. Hence, risk assessment of Cr intake was recommended to ascertain the level of human exposure to Cr through the consumption of these tubers in the study area

STATE-MOVEMENT ALLIANCES: STATE ELITES AS POLITICAL MEDIATORS IN CHINA’S ANTI-DAM MOVEMENT*

This article describes a state-movement alliance of environmental ministry officials, scientists, the media, and environmental NGOs formed to mobilize against the controversial Nu River hydropower dam project in Yunnan, a Southwest province in China. The study presents the first case of a state-led environmental alliance in China. Elites in the State Environmental Protection Administration identified common ground with an anti-dam movement and served as key mediators. They allied with movement actors to create popular support for their own policy goal (the enforcement of an environmental impact assessment), which, in turn, increased the influence of movement actors on policy outcomes (in this case, halting the dam project). The preexisting personal ties among state elites and movement actors in this authoritarian context may have lowered perceptions of collaboration risks and thereby reduced uncertainty in the political mediation processes.

Contamination of soil with potentially toxic metals and their bioaccumulation in wheat and associated health risk.

The present study was conducted to investigate the concentrations of potential toxic metals (PTMs) in agricultural soil (n = 25) and their bioaccumulation in wheat crop (n = 25) collected from alongside the Kurram River, Pakistan. The highest concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soil samples were 0.16, 19.5, 14.7, 46.5, 13.5, 14.5, 14.0, and 19.7mgkg-1, respectively. In the edible tissues of cultivated wheat crop, the highest concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 0.15, 10.00, 8.75, 22.25, 11.00, 11.25, 10.50, and 7.50mgkg-1, respectively. The selected PTM concentrations in soil samples were observed within their respective permissible limits set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) China, while in wheat crops, the Cr and Pb concentrations were above the permissible limits of both FAO and SEPA China. The results showed that the orders of PTMs were Fe > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb > Mn in soil and Fe > Ni > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Zn in wheat. The highest PTM concentrations were reported in the sample collected near dumping sites. The results of different soil pollution indices including geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), and enrichment factor (EF) indicated that the soil of the study area was moderately to severely contaminated. The ADI values of wheat crops were less than 1, while the HQ varied among different PTMs with the highest value of 2.118 for Pb, and the lowest for Zn (0.007). The results indicated that anthropogenic intervention has made a substantial contribution to soil contamination with PTMs and subsequent uptake by wheat, which may exert potential human health risk.

A recyclable fluorescent probe for picric acid detection in water samples based on inner filter effect

1-Aminopyrene@ZIF-8 composite was synthesized as the fluorescent probe for picric acid (PA) based on inner filter effect. The probe displayed selective response toward PA within 10s, and a linear range was obtained from 1 to 150μM with detection limit of 0.3μM, which is much lower than the permissible level of PA in drinking water reservoir (0.5mgL-1/2.2μM) set by China's State Environmental Protection Administration (GB3838-2002). Most importantly, the probe possessed excellent recyclability and could be recycled for at least six times. It was further applied to the detection of PA in water samples, and satisfactory recoveries were obtained in the range of 96.0-104.0%.

A system dynamics model of China's electric power structure adjustment with constraints of PM10 emission reduction.

Recently, Chinese state environmental protection administration has brought out several PM10 reduction policies to control the coal consumption strictly and promote the adjustment of power structure. Under this new policy environment, a suitable analysis method is required to simulate the upcoming major shift of China's electric power structure. Firstly, a complete system dynamics model is built to simulate China's evolution path of power structure with constraints of PM10 reduction considering both technical and economical factors. Secondly, scenario analyses are conducted under different clean-power capacity growth rates to seek applicable policy guidance for PM10 reduction. The results suggest the following conclusions. (1) The proportion of thermal power installed capacity will decrease to 67% in 2018 with a dropping speed, and there will be an accelerated decline in 2023-2032. (2) The system dynamics model can effectively simulate the implementation of the policy, for example, the proportion of coal consumption in the forecast model is 63.3% (the accuracy rate is 95.2%), below policy target 65% in 2017. (3) China should promote clean power generation such as nuclear power to meet PM10 reduction target.

Next-generation sequencing showing potential leachate influence on bacterial communities around a landfill in China.

The impact of contaminated leachate on groundwater from landfills is well known, but the specific effects on bacterial consortia are less well-studied. Bacterial communities in a landfill and an urban site located in Suzhou, China, were studied using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. A total of 153 944 good-quality reads were produced and sequences assigned to 6388 operational taxonomic units. Bacterial consortia consisted of up to 16 phyla, including Proteobacteria (31.9%-94.9% at landfill, 25.1%-43.3% at urban sites), Actinobacteria (0%-28.7% at landfill, 9.9%-34.3% at urban sites), Bacteroidetes (1.4%-25.6% at landfill, 5.6%-7.8% at urban sites), Chloroflexi (0.4%-26.5% at urban sites only), and unclassified bacteria. Pseudomonas was the dominant (67%-93%) genus in landfill leachate. Arsenic concentrations in landfill raw leachate (RL) (1.11 × 103 μg/L) and fresh leachate (FL2) (1.78 × 103 μg/L) and mercury concentrations in RL (10.9 μg/L) and FL2 (7.37 μg/L) exceeded Chinese State Environmental Protection Administration standards for leachate in landfills. The Shannon diversity index and Chao1 richness estimate showed RL and FL2 lacked richness and diversity when compared with other samples. This is consistent with stresses imposed by elevated arsenic and mercury and has implications for ecological site remediation by bioremediation or natural attenuation.

Lead and cadmium contamination and exposure risk assessment via consumption of vegetables grown in agricultural soils of five-selected regions of Pakistan

Rapid urbanization and industrialization result in serious contamination of soil with toxic metals such as lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), which can lead to deleterious health impacts in the exposed population. This study aimed to investigate Pb and Cd contamination in agricultural soils and vegetables in five different agricultural sites in Pakistan. The metal transfer from soil-to-plant, average daily intake of metals, and health risk index (HRI) were also characterized. The Pb concentrations for all soils were below the maximum allowable limits (MAL 350 mg kg−1) set by State Environmental Protection Administration of China (SEPA), for soils in China, while Cd concentrations in the soils were exceeded the MAL (61.7–73.7% and 4.39–34.3%) set by SEPA (0.6 mg kg−), and European Union, (1.5 mg kg−1) respectively. The mean Pb concentration in edible parts of vegetables ranged from 1.8 to 11 mg kg−1. The Pb concentrations for leafy vegetables were higher than the fruiting and pulpy vegetables. The Pb concentrations exceeded the MAL (0.3 mg kg−1) for leafy vegetables and the 0.1 mg kg−1 MAL for fruity and rooty/tuber vegetables set by FAO/WHO-CODEX. Likewise, all vegetables except Pisum sativum (0.12 mg kg−1) contained Cd concentrations that exceeded the MAL set by SEPA. The HRI values for Pb and Cd were <1 for both adults and children for most of the vegetable species except Luffa acutangula, Solanum lycopersicum, Benincasa hispada, Momordi charantia, Aesculantus malvaceae, Cucumis sativus, Praecitrullus fistulosus, Brassica oleracea, and Colocasia esculanta for children. Based on these results, consumption of these Pb and Cd contaminated vegetables poses a potential health risk to the local consumers.

Evaluation of water quality in surface water and shallow groundwater: a case study of a rare earth mining area in southern Jiangxi Province, China.

This study was conducted to evaluate the quality of surface water and shallow groundwater near a rare earth mining area in southern Jiangxi Province, China. Water samples from paddy fields, ponds, streams, wells, and springs were collected and analyzed. The results showed that water bodies were characterized by low pH and high concentrations of total nitrogen (total N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4 (+)-N), manganese (Mn), and rare earth elements (REEs), which was likely due to residual chemicals in the soil after mining activity. A comparison with the surface water standard (State Environmental Protection Administration & General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China GB3838, 2002) and drinking water sanitary standard (Ministry of Health & National Standardization Management Committee of China GB5749, 2006) of China revealed that 88 % of pond and stream water samples investigated were unsuitable for agricultural use and aquaculture water supply, and 50 % of well and spring water samples were unsuitable for drinking water. Moreover, significant cerium (Ce) negative and heavy REEs enrichment was observed after the data were normalized to the Post-Archean Australian Shales (PAAS). Principal component analysis indicated that the mining activity had a more significant impact on local water quality than terrace field farming and poultry breeding activities. Moreover, greater risk of water pollution and adverse effects on local residents' health was observed with closer proximity to mining sites. Overall, these findings indicate that effective measures to prevent contamination of surrounding water bodies from the effects of mining activity are needed.

Application of Nylon6/Polypyrrole core–shell nanofibres mat as solid-phase extraction adsorbent for the determination of atrazine in environmental water samples

A novel solid-phase extraction (SPE) system, based on a new sorbent of Nylon6/Polypyrrole (PA6/PPy) core–shell nanofibres mat and a new packing format of SPE disks, is presented in this paper. A series of related parameters that may affect the efficiency, such as the kind of eluent and its volume, the amount of nanofibres mat, ionic strength, pH of the sample, flow rate of the sample and volume of the sample, have been investigated systematically. Under the optimised conditions, the target analyte in 10 mL water samples can be completely extracted by a 3.0 mg PA6/PPy nanofibres mat and easily eluted by 400 µL acetonitrile. Around 20 µL elution was injected directly to HPLC-UV for determination, without further concentration. Besides, the nanofibres mat could be repeatedly used up to six cycles. Satisfactory linearity was achieved in the range of 0.1–40.0 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9999. The limit of detection (LOD) (3 S/N) was 0.03 ng/mL, which could meet the determination requirements of atrazine as per the European Union legislation, US. Safe Drinking Water Act and the State Environmental Protection Administration of China. The simple, effective and economic method was proposed for the determination of atrazine in environmental water at trace level. The recoveries ranged from 94.73 to 114.92%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.5–4.2%, and were obtained from tap water and lake water samples with atrazine at 2.0 ng/mL, suggesting the actual feasibility of the proposed method in environmental water samples.

Contamination of soil, medicinal, and fodder plants with lead and cadmium present in mine-affected areas, Northern Pakistan.

This study aimed to investigate the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) concentrations in the soil and plants (medicinal and fodder) grown in chromite mining-affected areas, Northern Pakistan. Soil and plant samples were collected and analyzed for Pb and Cd concentrations using atomic absorption spectrometer. Soil pollution load indices (PLIs) were greater than 2 for both Cd and Pb, indicating high level of contamination in the study area. Furthermore, Cd concentrations in the soil surrounding the mining sites exceeded the maximum allowable limit (MAL) (0.6 mg kg(-1)), while the concentrations of Pb were lower than the MAL (350 mg kg(-1)) set by State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) for agriculture soil. The concentrations of Cd and Pb were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the soil of the mining-contaminated sites as compared to the reference site, which can be attributed to the dispersion of toxic heavy metals, present in the bed rocks and waste of the mines. The concentrations of Pb and Cd in majority of medicinal and fodder plant species grown in surrounding areas of mines were higher than their MALs set by World Health Organization/Food Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) for herbal (10 and 0.3 mg kg(-1), respectively) and edible (0.3 and 0.2 mg kg(-1), respectively) plants. The high concentrations of Cd and Pb may cause contamination of the food chain and health risk.

Soil heavy metal pollution and risk assessment in Shenyang industrial district, Northeast China.

To investigate the soil heavy metal pollution characteristics and ecological risk factors, 42 samples and six typical soil profiles were collected from the Shenyang industrial district in northeast China and were analyzed for contents of titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As). Through statistical analysis, it was found that the mean concentrations were higher than their background values (Ti = 4.77>3.8g/kg, Cu = 33.75>22.6 mg/kg, Pb = 45.95>26 mg/kg, Zn = 81.54>74.2 mg/kg, Co = 12.91>12.7 mg/kg, Ni = 32.26>26.9 mg/kg, Cr = 83.36>61 mg/kg and As = 13.69>11.2 mg/kg) but did not exceed their corresponding pollution limits for the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils (State Environmental Protection Administration of China, 1995). There were contamination hotspots that may be caused by human activities such as smelting plants and sewage irrigation. The Enrichment Factor and Ecological Risk Index were used to identify the anthropogenic contamination and ecological risks of heavy metals. Soil in the study area could be considered lightly or partially polluted by heavy metals. According to clustering analysis, distinct groups of heavy metals were discriminated between natural or anthropogenic sources.

Regional policies and eco-industrial development: the voluntary environmental certification scheme of the eco-industrial parks in Tuscany (Italy)

Industrial ecology is presented in the literature as both a policy tool and an academic theory. This paper discusses a voluntary certification scheme adopted by the regional government of Tuscany (Italy) as a policy tool to disseminate the concepts of industrial ecology. The approval of a regional regulation represents the first adoption in European environmental and industrial policies of a voluntary tool aimed at stimulating the creation and dissemination of eco-industrial parks. This new certification method is analysed by focusing on the prevention of pollution. The criteria required to obtain the qualification, and the roles and responsibilities of all the actors involved are outlined. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the certification scheme are highlighted and the Italian standard compared with the national standard issued in China by the State Environmental Protection Administration. The findings contribute to the discussion of policy measures aimed at disseminating the concepts of Industrial Ecology including a tool based on voluntary co-operation and third-party certifications.

Lead, Cadmium and Nickel Accumulation in Some Common Spices Grown in Industrial Areas of Bangladesh

Chemical analysis was conducted to determine the contents of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) of three common spices viz, onion (Allium cepa), garlic (A. sativum) and chilli (Capsicum annuum) and their rhizospheric soils grown in polluted and non-polluted areas of Gazipur city in Bangladesh. Plant and rhizospheric soil samples were collected from: (i) directly polluted (Kaliakoir, Konabari, Gazipur), (ii) indirectly polluted (Donker bill, East Kaliakoir, Konabari, Gazipur), and iii) non-polluted (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur) areas. Regardless of the locations, there were significant differences (P?0.01) in Pb, Cd, and Ni concentrations in all spices and soils. The concentrations of Pb, Cd and Ni were in the order of Ni&gt;Pb&gt;Cd in the spices and degrees of pollution in soils were in the order of directly polluted&gt;indirectly polluted&gt;non-polluted area. The Pb, Cd and Ni contents were found higher in garlic followed by chilli and onion in three areas. Most of the metals were accumulated in bulb/fruit, moderate in root and the smallest in the leaf. Compared to the non-polluted area, the higher amount of Pb, Cd and Ni were detected in both soils and spices samples collected around industrial areas of Gazipur city. Alarmingly, all the spices contained Pb, Cd, and Ni were higher than the tolerance limits proposed by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) and State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). Therefore, it is strongly recommended not to grow spice crops in polluted areas. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v12i1.19867The Agriculturists 2014; 12(1) 122-130

A novel mitovirus from Buergenerula spartinae infecting the invasive species Spartina alterniflora.

Dear Editor,Spartina alterniflora,a coastal saltmarsh plant,has been classified as one of sixteen invasive alien species by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China.Nearly forty years of propagation and intru-sion of this plant has resulted in some harmful effects on the economic development of coastal areas,due to its proliferation.Because S.alterniflora is an example of a prolific invasive plant species in coastal beach areas,its

Ecological network analysis of an industrial symbiosis system: A case study of the Shandong Lubei eco-industrial park

China's Shandong Lubei eco-industrial park was approved for construction in 2003, just after the first national eco-industrial demonstration parks were confirmed by China's State Environmental Protection Administration in 2002. It has therefore been recognized around the world as a successful example of an industrial symbiosis system. The park's success results from the harmonious and coordinated relationships among its members. Analyzing the ecological characteristics of these relationships and identifying the resulting advantages provide a basis for improving the park's efficiency and examining other parks. In this paper, we analyzed the flows of sulfur in the Lubei park (as an example of typical flows) using ecological network analysis to describe this industrial symbiosis system. The integrated analysis of the utility resulting from direct and indirect exchanges of byproducts and wastes can reflect the ecological relationships among members within the system. Based on these ecological relationships, members can be divided into producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers; the integral flow weight for each level of the hierarchy can then be compared to reveal the system's overall ecological structure. By examining the exchanges of resources within the system, we can describe the ecological connotations of the symbiosis and how these ecological relationships influence the overall development and resource flows within the system.