Environmental performance assessments of different methods of coal preparation for use in small-capacity boilers: experiment and theory

The purpose of this article is to receive environmental assessments of combustion of different types of coal fuel depending on the preparation(unscreened,size-graded,briquetted and heat-treated)in automated boilers and boilers with manual load-ing.The assessments were made on the basis of data obtained from experimental methods of coal preparation and calculated methods of determining the amount of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions,as well as the mass of ash and slag waste.The main pollutants from coal combustion are calculated:particulate matter,benz(a)pyrene,nitrogen oxides,sulfur dioxide,carbon monoxide.Of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide is calculated.As a result of conducted research it is shown that the simplest preliminary preparation(size-graded)of coal significantly improves combustion efficiency and environmental performance:emissions are reduced by 13%for hard coal and up to 20%for brown coal.The introduction of automated boil-ers with heat-treated coal in small boiler facilities allows to reduce emissions and ash and slag waste by 2-3 times.The best environmental indicators correspond to heat-treated lignite,which is characterized by the absence of sulfur dioxide emissions.

Eco-city Planning and Practices from the Perspective of Environmental Performance Evaluation

By reviewing researches on environmental performance evaluation of current eco-city construction, this paper analyzed characteristics and deficiencies of the evaluation methods and index systems, and took Haizhu Eco-city for example to assess the environmental performance of eco-city construction from the perspectives of land, water environment, regional weather, and biodiversity. On this basis, a scientific, objective and feasible evaluation method and index system was basically formed so as to demonstrate the efficiency of eco-city construction, and to provide scientific support for the dynamic adjustment and optimization of eco-city construction.

Asymmetry in Value Relevance of Environmental Performance （EP） Information： Contingency Effects of Size and Industry

Contemporary research documents a positive but weak price premium from environmental performance （EP）. The specific circumstances of pricing EP of large and small companies and in polluting and clean industries have not, however, been investigated. This study predicts that financial markets price EP beyond financial fundamentals differently, depending on company size and the environmental risk of the industry and provides evidence relying on a set of the Sweden Stock Market 300 （SIX 300） companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange （OMX Stockholm）. Applying a value relevance model, the average results are in line with previous findings that EP adds value beyond the book value of equity and earnings. The asymmetry in EP is, however, driven by company size and the environmental risk of the industry. This study suggests that large companies in low-risk industries obtain strong price premiums from being environmental industry leaders. In contrast, small companies and also companies in high-risk industries do not necessarily accrue the same market benefits.

Eco-Efficiency： Environmental Performance vs Economic Performance

The second half of the 20th century was characterized by an increasing interest in the pace of economic growth and its impact on the environment. As a result, the concept of eco-efficiency as a philosophy of management has arisen, which combines the excellence of the environment and business. This paper uses the distribution-free approach to provide empirical evidence in relation to the eco-efficiency paradigm by studying the relation between environmental performance （measured by the level of emissions of air-contaminating substances） and economic performance （approximated by economic efficiency）, in 199 companies from mineral manufacturing industry in Spain between 2004 and 2007. The empirical analysis shows that the results are consistent with the paradigm of eco-efficiency and therefore it can be concluded that being responsible for the environment is positively related to economic efficiency.

The Fuzzy Evaluation of Environmental Performance in Green Supply Chain

Green supply chain is one of the trends of industry development. And performance measurement is the key to implementing the supply chain. So it is necessary to evaluate the environmental performance of supply chain .According to the connotation of green supply chain and the standards of environmental management, this paper designs green performance measurement systems which is composed of four main factors such as waste emissions and exposure hazard, resource utilization, product recovery, and environmental reputation. And the authors delve deeply these factors so that it forms a two-level measurement system. Then the effect on the traditional performance measurement of supply chain is studied after taking greening to the supply chain leveL At last the authors apply the method of multi-level fuzzy judgment to the environmental performance measurement system. An example is given to show the judgment process.

Empirical Research on the Relationship between Best Corporation Practices and Environmental Performance

Is the adoption of best practice in business associated with improved environmental performance？ And what methods can he used to assess and compare the environmental practices and performance of different companies？ In this paper, through case anatysis, the business environmental practices and performance of five companies in the manufacturing sector were examined and scored. Assessing these companies practices and performance according to “The best practice model” designed by Australian Manufacturing Council （AMC. 1994）. The finding shows that there is strong correlation between environmental practices and performance of companies （r=0.85, p〈0.05）, and indicates that corporate paying attention to environmental issue will improve its all performances in business.

Cross-organizational cooperation of social responsibility is the driving research on enterprise environmental performance innovation

In this paper, the associated environmental governance is regarded as environmental performance quality, explore the integration of social responsibility for environmental performance across the organization cooperation innovation driven strategy, and the water pollution control as an example to explore optimization of environmental performance across the organization cooperation mechanism path, resolve cross-organizational collaboration interests and corporate environmental performance as a result of environment deterioration.

A Simulation Model for Road and Maritime Environmental Performance Assessment

The White Paper published in 2011, Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area [1], urges on a 30% modal shift of road freight over 300 km to other modes (rail, maritime and inland waterways) by 2030, and more than 50% by 2050. However the environmentally friendly performance of maritime transport regarding air pollutant emissions in comparison with road transport is in doubt. This paper presents a three dimension simulation model, in which performed transport work, arisen emissions and produced impact are estimated and inter-related for the assessment of the environmental performance of both road and maritime transport. The simulation model will be a valuable decision making tool for policymakers as it enables the precise assessment of considered transport alternatives in the EU27 until 2020, and hence supports the design of future intervening actions.

PREDICTING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS BY USING LEAST-SQUARES FITTING METHOD AND ROBUST METHOD

Recently,an Environmental Management System(EMS)has been used to promote effective environmental protection.Environmental Performance Assessment(EPA)is a critical tool of the EMS in checking,reviewing,monitoring and evaluating environmental performance of organizations.To implement EPA,the relations between Environmental Operational Indicators(EOIs)used in EPA and Environmental Performance Indicators(EPIs)are required,which,however,are lacking in the construction industry.This paper attempts to develop a series of EOIs and EPIs of individual construction projects for EPA and to measure their relations by using least-squares fitting and robust fitting methods.The results show that the defined EOIs correlate strongly with EPIs.Therefore,EPA can be used to identify areas for continuous improvement,and also can provide an early indication of the environmental performance for an organization.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Onshore Wind Farms in the Region of Central Greece Using a Modified RIAM Method

Wind energy is one of the most basic forms of renewable energy,which shows an increasing rate of development worldwide and also at the European level.However,this rapid deployment of wind farms makes the need for an impact assessment of this type of projects on the natural and man-made environment imperative.The present paper aims to identify and assess the environmental impacts of wind farm projects in the Region of Central Greece.A modified Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix(RIAM)method is used for this purpose.The methodology includes the identification of the existing onshore wind farm projects in the study area,the appropriate modifications of the RIAM method to respond to the characteristics of the projects and the study area,the qualitative assessment of their potential impacts during construction and operational phases and the computation of the Environmental Performance Grade(EPG)of projects based on the pro-posed modified RIAM method.The results reveal that although there are some slight negative impacts on the natural environment of the study area,the examined wind farms contribute positively both to the atmosphere and to the socio-economic environment of the study.This study extends the potential for using RIAM as a tool in environmental impact assessment studies of renewable energy projects.

Influence of International Openness on Corporate Environmental Performance in China

This paper examines how international openness influences China＇s corporate environmental performance. A unique firm-level dataset is constructed by combining two databases： the Annual Industrial Survey and the China Green Watch Program Rating System. The empirical results obtained from a series of ordered probit models indicate that openness has a positive relation to corporate environmental performance in China. However, the two main market- opening strategies in China, exporting and attracting foreign investment, have different effects on environmental performance. The results reveal that foreign investment plays a substantial andpositive role that can support the environmental spillovers in China. However, the effect of exporting is insignificant. The environmental pressure from foreign customers to improve Chinese firms＇ environmental performance presents a challenge. Our study indicates that China could make environmental quality improvements through increased international openness, as is likely the case for other developing countries.

Measuring Environmental Performance of Provincial Thermal Power Plants in China:A Malmquist DEA Approach with Fixed-Sum Undesirable Outputs

With the development of China’s economy,environmental pollution has become cumulatively serious.The primary source of environmental pollution is thermal power generation,which has attracted the attention of governments and academia in recent years.To effectively reduce environmental pollution,research should study how to constrain the undesirable output of thermal power plants,that is,to limit the total undesirable output of the plants to a certain fixed sum.However,few studies have suggested that these undesirable outputs should be fixed-sum outputs.Moreover,no previous research publication about thermal power plants has analyzed their environmental performance changes.To address these gaps,a novel Malmquist-DEA approach is proposed for evaluate the environmental performance of thermal power plants in this paper.This approach generalizes the equilibrium efficient frontier DEA model with fixed-sum undesirable outputs and incorporates the model into the Malmquist productivity index(MPI).The authors apply this approach to the analysis of provincial thermal power plant environmental performance in China and analyze such plants’trends based on panel data from2011 to 2014.The empirical research shows that the environmental performance of regional thermal power plants was positively affected by efficiency change and negatively affected by technical change.Finally,the authors provide policy suggestions based on our findings.

BASF Issues First Report on Economic,Environmental,and Social Performance

Seven key indicators standardize and integrate transparency BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, will enhance its transparency in Greater China by reporting annually on seven key financial, social and environmental indicators: sales, number of employees,

Research and Application of Recycled Concrete Technology in Prefabricated Buildings

The utilization of waste concrete as a raw material for recycled concrete in the domain of prefabricated components is garnering greater interest.This paper delineates and examines the concept,categorization,methodologies of preparation,applicable sectors,and evaluative metrics of recycled concrete technology,highlighting its prospective benefits.Nonetheless,for the successful integration of recycled concrete technology into prefabricated component applications,it is imperative to systematically enhance its physical,mechanical,and attributes,as well as its environmental efficacy.Moreover,to foster the continued advancement of recycled concrete technology,innovative initiatives,standardization,educational programs,demonstration projects,and collaborative efforts are crucial to promote broader adoption and realize improved outcomes within the realm of prefabricated components.In conclusion,recycled concrete technology is poised to play a pivotal role in prefabricated construction,offering robust support for propelling the construction industry towards a sustainable future.

The Enigmatic Impact of Corporate Social Responsibilities on the Economic Performance of Brazilian Companies

The financial implication of the adoption of corporate social responsibility （CSR） practices is still an obscure field of study, because studies suggest controversial results. Thus, this research aimed to examine the relationship CSR and economic performance of the companies of corporate sustainability index （ISE） of mercantile and futures exchange of Silo Paulo stock exchange （BM＆FBOVESPA）. The amount of companies allowing online access to their responses of the ISE questionnaire determined the sample of this research. Thus, for the study period from 2011 to 2012, it has been possible to access the responses of 12 companies, composing the overall sample of this research. The results of the regression analysis allow to statistically assert that for the sample used, environmental performance （EP） contributes to improving economic performance, measured by all financial metrics used： return on equity （ROE）, return on assets （ROA）, and net profit （NP）. Statistically, it is only possible to say that social performance （SP） contributes to improving NP. In terms of market metrics, none of the null hypothesis was rejected, i.e., in any cases, it has been possible to affirm, on a statistical base, that SP and EP contribute to improving the market value （MV） and systematic risk. Thus, it is understood that the stakeholder theory has potential to explain the Brazilian situation regarding the aspects of CSR and financial ones under the accounting and the shareholder theory explains this relation, when viewed with the aid of market measurements.

Calculation of Water Pollution Control Performance Index:A Case Study of Beijing City

To explore water pollution control level in Beijing,performance evaluation index system of water pollution control in Beijing was constructed based on DPSR framework.Taking driving force,pressure,state and response as primary indexes,25 secondary indexes were established.The combined weighting of the index system was conducted by entropy weight method,coefficient of variation method and CRITIC method.The performance index of water pollution control in Beijing from 2010 to 2018 was calculated,and its dynamic change trend was analyzed.The results showed that the performance index of water pollution control in Beijing was low from 2010 to 2014,but increased year by year from 2015 to 2018,with a good trend.

The Impact of Lean Manufacturing Practices on Sustainability Performance:A Natural Resource-Based View

Drawing upon a Natural Resource-Based View(NRBV),this paper aims to propose a quantitative model that could be used to investigate whether Lean Manufacturing(LM)practices/tools can improve the three aspects of corporate sustainability performance(economic,environmental,and social).This paper is based on a theoretical study to develop a new model by reviewing the literature and proposing new ideas according to the Natural Resource-Based View(NRBV).Reviewing the literature showed that there is a significant association between LM practices/tools implementation and the improvement on three aspects of corporate sustainability performance(economic,environmental,and social).This paper provides insights to manufacturing managers about the ability of LM practices to reduce cost of operations and maximize the value provided to customers.Further,it highlighted the importance of LM practices implementation to manage organizations’activities responsibly in terms of their environmental,social,and economic effects.By proposing such a quantitative model according to a NRBV,this study contributes to a broader understanding of how LM practices affect three pillars of sustainability.

Empirical research on drive mechanism of firms' environmental management

Firms’transformation from passive envrionmental management to active environmental management is thekey to solving environmental problems. This paper empirically studies the impact of environmental management incen-tives on environmental management through model construction. Based on the data and reality of China, we can build aconcept model of environmental management driving mechanism, and put forward theoretical hypothesis that can betested: take the 13 environmental management behaviors (EMBs) as substitute of the comprehensiveness, introducecounting variables, and use NB model, Possion Model and Ordered Probit model the regression analysis. The theory andmethods brought forward in this paper will provide references for firms in China to further implement voluntaryenvironmental management, and offer advises and countermeasures for leaders to implement environmental manage-ment effectively.

Effects of biochar produced from distiller grains on agronomic performances of sorghum(Sorghum bicolor L.)and greenhouse gas emissions from soil

Aromatic liquor breweries produce massive distiller grains containing a high percentage of rice husks that necessitate harmless treatment and resource utilization.These husk-rich distiller grains can be pyrolyzed in the Ni-based catalyst system at a relatively low temperature(480?C)into combustible gas,which is used in liquor distillation,and biochar(BDG)with high mineral nutrients and good surface properties.A 3-year field experiment(2018-2020)was established to understand the effects of BDG on sorghum agronomic performances and greenhouse gas emissions from the soil.The results showed that BDG had higher mineral nutrient(N,P,K,and S)contents,larger cation exchange capacity,and better surface structure than those prepared using the traditional method at 400 and 600℃.Compared with sole chemical fertilizer(CF),the combination of CF and BDG(CF+BDG)increased sorghum nutrient(N,P,and K)uptake,yield,fertilizer use efficiency,and economic benefit.Cumulative CO_(2) emission from the soil changed little between with and without BDG,indicating the microbial stability of BDG.The effective adsorption of NH_(3) or NH_(4)+by BDG upon N application may reduce N loss through NH_(3) and N_(2)O emissions and increase the efficiency of fertilizer N use.Cumulative CH_(4) emission ranged from 32.45 to 44.86 g ha-1,which could be overlooked as a greenhouse gas in the sorghum field.Moreover,CF+BDG significantly decreased NH3 and N_(2)O emissions for the production of each unit of sorghum grains and the CO_(2) emission from the land for the production of a certain amount of sorghum grains.Therefore,CF+BDG exhibited better agronomic and environmental performances in sorghum cultivation.

The Relationship Between EPI and GDP Growth： An Examination on Developed and Emerging Countries

Environmental issues are one of the most important aspects of the long-term development of a country and have an important role in a nation＇s wealth. Different environmental performance indicators present different methodologies and aim to measure countries＇ environmental performances with different approaches. One of the environmental indices, Environmental Performance Index （EPI）, ranks countries＇ performance on high-priority environmental issues in two areas： protection of human health and protection of ecosystems. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the environmental aspect of sustainability with the EPI and analyze the relationships and differences of the chosen 14 （seven are developed and seven are emerging） countries＇ EPI scores and Gross Domestic Products （GDPs）.