Water resources utilization and eco-environmental safety in Northwest China

Northwest China includes Xinjiang Ugyur Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Shaanxi Province, covering 308×10^4km^2. It is located in the warm-temperate zone and the climate is arid or semi-arid. Precipitation is very scarce but evaporation is extremely high. The climate is dry, the water resources are deficient, the ecoenvironment is fragile, and the distribution of water resources is uneven. In this region, precipitation is the only input, and evaporation is the only output in the inland rivers, and precipitation, surface water and groundwater change with each other for many times, which benefits the storage and utilization of water resources. The average precipitation in this region is 232 mm, the total precipitation amount is 7003×108m^3/a, the surface water resources are 1891×10^8m^3/a, the total natural groundwater resources are 1150×10^8m^3/a, the total available water resources are 438×10^8 m^3/a, and the total water resources are 1996×10^8m^3/a and per capita water resources are 2278 m^3/a. The water resources of the whole area are 5.94×10^4m^3/（a.km^2）, being only one-fifth of the mean value in China. Now, the available water resources are 876×10^8m^3/a, among which groundwater is proximate 130×10^8m^3/a.

Synthesis of Water Utilization System Using Concentration Interval Analysis Method （ Ⅰ ） Non-Mass-Transfer-Based Operation

A strategy for water and wastewater minimization is developed for continuous water utilization systems involving fixed flowrate(non-mass-transfer-based)operations,based on the fictitious operations that is introduced to represent the water losing and/or generating operations and a modified concentration interval analysis(MCIA) technique.This strategy is a simple,nongraphical,and noniterative procedure and is suitable for the quick yields of targets and the identification of pinch point location.Moreover,on the basis of the target method,a heuristic-based approach is also presented to generate water utilization networks,which could be demonstrated to be optimum ones. The proposed approaches are illustrated with example problems.

Conjunctive Utilization of Water Resources at the Yulin Coal-Mine Base in China

Shortages in water resources and the fragile ecosystem by coal-mine water affect the Yulin coal-mine base in northwest China, so taking coal-mine water into account is an important issue for the sustainable management of water resources. This paper aims to explore how the Yulin coal-mine base can improve its conjunctive utilization of water resources. Integrated utilization is proposed by establishing a multi-objective, multi-water-source, optimal-allocation model;setting up an integrated information platform;and giving very useful measures and policy suggestions to the local government. Finally, this research can also serve as an example of integrated water utilization for other energy bases.

Effect of Rural Sewage Irrigation Regime on Water-Nitrogen Utilization and Crop Growth of Paddy Rice in Southern China

Reclaimed water irrigation has become an effective mean to alleviate the contradiction between water availability and its consumption worldwide.In this study,three types of irrigation water sources(rural sewage’s primary treated water R1 and secondary treated water R2,and river water R3)meeting the requirements of water quality for farmland irrigation were selected,and three types of irrigation water levels(low water levelW1 of 0–80 mm,medium water level W2 of 0–100 mm,and high water level W3 of 0–150 mm)were adopted to carry out research on the influence mechanismS of different irrigation water sources and water levels on water and nitrogen use and crop growth in paddy field.The water quantity indicators(irrigation times and irrigation volume),soil ammonium nitrogen(NH4+-N)and nitrate nitrogen(NO3−-N),rice yield indicators(thousand-grain weight,the number of grains per spike,and the number of effective spikes),and quality indicators(the amount of protein,amylose,vitamin C,nitrate and nitrite content)of rice were measured.The results showed that,the average irrigation volume under W3 was 2.4 and 1.9 times of that under W1 and W2,respectively.Compared with R3,the peak consumption of rice was lagged behind under R1 and R2,and the nitrogen form in 0–40 cm soil layers under rural sewage irrigation was mainly NH4+-N.The changes of NO3−-N and NH4+-N in the 0–40 cm soil layer showed the trend of declining and then increasing.The water level control only had a significant effect on the change of NO3−-N in the 60–80 cm soil layer.Both irrigation water use efficiency and crop water use efficiency were gradually reduced with the increase of field water level control.The nitrogen utilization efficiency under rural sewage irrigation was significantly higher than that under R3.Compared with the R3,rural sewage irrigation could significantly increase the yield of rice,and as the field water level rose,the effect of yield promotion was more obvious.It was noteworthy that the grain of rice under R1 monitored the low nitrate and nitrite content,but no nitrate and nitrite was discovered under R2 and R3.Therefore,reasonable rural sewage irrigation(R2)and medium water level(W2)were beneficial to improve nitrogen utilization efficiency,crop yield and crop quality promotion.

Field Utilization of Dried Water Hyacinth for Phosphorous Recovery from Source-Separated Human Urine

This research demonstrated the feasibility of converting source-separated human urine into a solid fertilizer by means of continuous absorption and solar thermal evaporation using dried water hyacinth as adsorbent. In a preliminary experiment, the dried petioles of water hyacinth (DWH) absorbed urine in a mean rate of 18.78 ml·g-1 within 7 d, retrieving about 3.46% urine dissolved solids (UDS). In an advanced experiment, the DWH’s capacity of urine absorption declined from an initial 2.73 L·kg-1·d-1 to 0.68 L·kg-1·d-1, with a requirement of material change in about 25 effective days and an average ratio of 25 (L) to 1 (kg). Phosphorus (P2O5) concentration in the adsorbent increased from 0.46% (material baseline) to 3.14% (end product), suggesting a satisfactory recovery of the element. In field application, the urine was discharged, not in wet weather, onto the DWH via a tube connected to a waterless urinal. There are several ways to use the UDS-DWH as P(K)-rich fertilizer, e.g., making soluble fertilizer for foliage spraying to encourage prolific flowering and fruiting. Apparently, utilization of water hyacinth waste to recover dissolved plant nutrient elements from source-separated urine will benefit the environment in a wide range of perspectives. The herein innovative use of water hyacinth is also expected to be useful in the recycling of certain dissolved hazardous materials.

Legal Conditions for Water Utilities Eco-innovation as Energy Smart Water Utilities

Welfare and green growth rest heavily on an appropriate supply of safe water, the provision of adequate sewerage, and on energy services. These services are interdependent, as water is an integral part of electric-power generation; it is used directly in hydroelectric generation, and it is used extensively for cooling and emissions scrubbing in thermoelectric generation. Energy is also an integrated part of water services, as satisfying water needs for supply, purification, distribution, and treatment of wastewater requires energy sources. Water and energy utilities are however regulated without a specific focus on the interdependency of the two sectors and the possibilities to ensure sustainable use of the resources and reduction of greenhouse gasses by a better coordination. The article explains the possibilities of sustainable consumption and production of energy in the water utilities. It highlights EU legal framework that makes coordination at national level possible, and it gives examples and concludes--on the obstacles for the water utilities＇ future as energy-smart utilities that exist at the national level in Denmark.

Rain Water Utilizing System Combing Artificial Wetland and Urban Drainage System

The method of utilizing rain water has been well developed in foreign countries to realize the sustainable development of water recourse while the method is still at the initial level in China. When considering the increasing of water shortage and urban flood, the awareness of utilizing rain water, as an inevitable trend, has been applied to various engineering technologies. This article has analyzed the principle of conventional road drainage system and the application of artificial wetland technology, also proposed to combine the road drainage system and artificial wetland, as a complex drainage system, to utilize the urban rain water, decrease urban flood pressure, and improve urban micro environment. The calculation principle and method for the complex drainage system are included as well.

Effects of Nano-Carbon Water-Retaining Fertilizer on Yield and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Utilization Efficiency of Tuber Mustard

The effects of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer on yield,quality of tuber mustard,and fertilizer utilization efficiency were studied with the field experiments compared to the local tuber mustard fertilizer with equal amount of effective composition. The results showed that the yield of tuber mustard was 50 670-56 496 kg/ha in treatments of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer decreasing by 10%-40%,and compared with local tuber mustard fertilizer,the average yield was increased by 94. 8%. The yield increasing rate of tuber mustard was 93. 0%in treatment of nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer decreasing by 30%. The average fertilizer utilization efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus was 54% and 39. 7%,respectively,the average increment of fertilizer utilization efficiency was 36% and 37%,respectively compared with local tuber mustard fertilizer. Especially in treatment of reducing nano-carbon water-retaining fertilizer by 30%,the nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer utilization efficiency was increased by 64% and 56%,respectively. By comprehensive comparison,it was found that nano-carbon waterretaining fertilizer and the treatment of 30% reduction could significantly improve the yield of tuber mustard and fertilizer utilization efficiency,and have popularization and application value in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

Saving and Utilizing on Water Resources from Steel Making

In this essay, the author gives some presentation of the water saving practices in Baosteel for years. Relying on water saving research program and by means of water utilization analysis, water consumption distribution balance test water from every sequence of production activities, Baosteel promotes the waste saving projects including waster water comprehensive utilization and water loss reduction. At the same time, the water utilization technology analysis work and management work have considerably strengthened and operation of saving on fresh water sources and waster water utilization has been put into practice with the purpose to decrease water loss per ton of steel making, while the quality of water is placed under guarantee, a number of new records of water consumption ratio comes into being constantly.

二氧化碳-水-岩作用机理及微观模拟方法研究进展

系统综述CO_(2)-水-岩复杂作用机理、多孔介质反应输运(溶解、沉淀及沉淀运移)微观模拟、CO_(2)-水-岩系统微观模拟3个方面的研究进展,指出目前研究存在的主要问题并提出了关于未来研究方向的建议。CO_(2)注入储集层后,不仅存在常规渗流体系的流动和传质作用,还会产生溶解、沉淀及沉淀运移等特殊物理化学现象,其耦合作用导致多孔介质的孔渗参数变化规律复杂。孔隙尺度的微观渗流模拟,可以得到孔喉三维空间内的详细信息,且能显性观察到多孔介质流-固界面随反应的变化。目前研究主要在复杂作用机理解耦合、多矿物差异性反应表征、沉淀生成机理及表征(晶体成核和矿物脱落)、沉淀-流体相互作用模拟方法、多物理化学过程耦合渗流机制等方面存在局限。未来研究中,需要创新实验方法对“溶解—沉淀—沉淀运移”解耦合,提高矿物地球化学反应相关参数实验测试的准确度,在不同沉淀机理可靠表征的基础上,建立沉淀-流体相互作用模拟方法,并有机耦合各个物理化学过程,最终实现对CO_(2)-水-岩系统中“溶解—沉淀—沉淀运移”的耦合渗流模拟。

基于water-level调整的认知无线电传输速率计算算法

在瑞利衰落模型下,根据认知用户的效用函数,来解决认知无线电中的信道规划问题,进而得到认知用户的传输速率。当认知用户传输功率和比特误码率受限时,其最终效用仅与water-level有关,因此文中提出了一种基于water-level调整的功率分配及算法,实现了认知无线电中载波及功率的合理分配,并得到了认知用户的传输速率.理论与仿真分析表明:该算法具有较低的运算复杂度和接近于最优算法的认知用户效用;调整因子仅与算法的收敛速度有关,而与用户总效用及信道的分配结果无关.

水-土资源有效利用视角下我国粮食生产区域布局优化研究

多年来,我国粮食生产取得巨大成就,然而随着粮食生产格局的演变,我国水-土资源配置效率低下,威胁到长期粮食安全与生态安全。从我国资源条件来看,粮食生产面临着耕地数量不足、质量不高,水-土资源在“非农化”“非粮化”趋势中不断被挤占,水-土资源分布不均存在时空错配等资源刚性约束,而粮食生产布局演变又进一步激化了粮食生产水-土资源供给与需求之间的矛盾。为此,发挥资源利用的比较优势,合理布局粮食生产,提高水-土资源有效利用水平,是保障粮食生产可持续发展的关键。

Rainwater utilization and storm pollution control based on urban runoff characterization

The characteristics of urban runoffs and their impact on rainwater utilization and storm pollution control were investigated in three different functional areas of Zhengzhou City, China. The results showed that in the same rain event the pollutant loads （chemical oxygen demand （COD） and total suspended solids （TSS）） in the sampling areas were in the order of industrial area 〉 commercial area 〉 residential area, and within the same area the COD and TSS concentrations of road runoffs were higher than those of roof runoffs. The first flush effects in roof and road runoffs were observed, hence the initial rainwater should be treated separately to reduce rainwater utilization cost and control storm pollution. The initial roof rainfall of 2 mm in residential area, 5 mm in commercial area and 10 mm in industrial area, and the initial road rainfall of 4 mm in residential area and all the road rainfall in commercial and industrial areas should be collected and treated accordingly before direct discharge or utilization. Based on the strong correlation between COD and TSS （R2, 0.87-0.95） and the low biodegradation capacity （biochemical oxygen demand BOD5/COD 〈 0.3）, a sedimentation process and an effective filtration system composed of soil and slag were designed to treat the initial rainwater, which could remove over 90% of the pollutant loads. The above results may help to develop better rainwater utilization and pollution control strategies for cities with water shortages.

SUSTAINABLE EXPLOITATION AND UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES IN THE INLAND RIVERBASIN OF ARID NORTHWEST CHINA

Calculated in terms of surface runoff plus irrepeated groundwater, there is about 8. 67 ×1010m3 of total available water resources in the inland river basins of arid Northwest China. Water resources is the decisive factor for survival of oases and human being. But there have arisen several aspects of Serious eco-environment problems resulted from irrational exploitation and utilization. From now on, the development and utilization of water not only requires to promote regional economy, but also needs to protect and improve the environment based on their potential. Sustainable utilization needs to broaden new sources and saving water at first. Then three measures are recommended.

Surface runoff processes and sustainable utilization of water resources in Manas River Basin, Xinjiang, China

Water is the important resource to guarantee the existence and development of oases in arid areas. To improve the utilization efficiency of water resources in Manas River Basin, this paper investigated the trends and periods of runoff based on the runoff and climate data for the past 50 years. Subsequently, with the socioeconomic and water resources data, we studied a comprehensive evaluation on the water security in this area. The results indicated that the stream flows in the three hydrological stations of Hongshanzui, Kensiwat and Bajiahu have sig- nificantly increased and undergone abrupt changes, with periods of 18 and 20 years. According to assessment, water security in the Manas River Basin was at an unsafe level in 2008. In criterion layer, the ecological security index and the index of supply-demand situation are both at the relatively secure level; the quantity index and so- cioeconomic index of water resources are at the unsafe level and basic security level, respectively. Therefore, in order to achieve sustainable economic and social development within the Manas River Basin, it is vital to take a series of effective measures to improve the status of water security.

Mutual optimization of water utilization structure and industrial structure in arid inland river basins of Northwest China

Water is a key restricting factor of the economic development and eco-environmental protection in arid inland river basins of Northwest China. Although water supplies are short, the water utilization structure and the corresponding industrial structure are unbalanced. We constructed a System Dynamic Model for mutual optimization based on the mechanism of their interaction. This model is applied to the Heihe River Basin where the share of limited water resources among ecosystem, production and human living is optimized. Results show that, by mutual optimization, the water utilization structure and the industrial structures fit in with each other. And the relationships between the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River Basin can be harmonized. Mutual benefits of ecology, society and economy can be reached, and a sustainable ecology-production-living system can be obtained. This study gives a new insight and method for the sustainable utilization of water resources in arid inland river basins.

Interactions of water and nitrogen addition on soil microbial community composition and functional diversity depending on the inter-annual precipitation in a Chinese steppe

Water and nitrogen are primary limiting factors in semiarid grassland ecosystems. Our knowledge is still poor regarding the interactive effects of water and N addition on soil microbial communities, although this information is crucial to reveal the mechanisms of the terrestrial ecosystem response to global changes. We addressed this problem by conducting a field experiment with a 15% surplus of the average rainfall under three levels of N addition（50, 100, and 200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） in two consecutive years in Inner Mongolia, China. Microbial community composition and functional diversity were analyzed based on phospholipid fatty acids（PLFA） and BIOLOG techniques, respectively. The results showed that water addition did not affect the soil microbial community composition, but much more yearly precipitation generally decreased the PLFA concentration, which implied a fast response of soil microbes to changes of water condition. Soil fungi was depressed only by N addition at the high level（200 kg N ha–1 yr–1） and without hydrologic leaching, while Gram-negative bacteria was suppressed probably by plant competition at high level N addition but with hydrologic leaching. The study found unilateral positive/negative interactions between water and N addition in affecting soil microbial community, however, climate condition（precipitation） could be a significant factor in disturbing the interactions. This study highlighted that：（1） The sustained effect of pulsed water addition was minimal on the soil microbial community composition but significant on the microbial community functional diversity and（2） the complex interaction between water and N addition on soil microbial community related to the inter-annual variation of the climate and plant response.

Improving winter wheat grain yield and water-/nitrogen-use efficiency by optimizing the micro-sprinkling irrigation amount and nitrogen application rate

Available irrigation resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the North China Plain (NCP),and nitrogen-use efficiency of crop production is also relatively low.Thus,it is imperative to improve the water-use efficiency (WUE) and nitrogen fertilizer productivity on the NCP.Here,we conducted a two-year field experiment to explore the effects of different irrigation amounts (S60,60 mm;S90,90 mm;S120,120 mm;S150,150 mm) and nitrogen application rates (150,195 and 240 kg ha^(–1);denoted as N1,N2 and N3,respectively) under micro-sprinkling with water and nitrogen combined on the grain yield(GY),yield components,leaf area index (LAI),flag leaf chlorophyll content,dry matter accumulation (DM),WUE,and nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP).The results indicated that the GY and NPFP increased significantly with increasing irrigation amount,but there was no significant difference between S120 and S150;WUE significantly increased first but then decreased with increasing irrigation and S120 achieved the highest WUE.The increase in nitrogen was beneficial to improving the GY and WUE in S60 and S90,while the excessive nitrogen application (N3) significantly reduced the GY and WUE in S120 and S150 compared with those in the N2 treatment.The NPFP significantly decreased with increasing nitrogen rate under the same irrigation treatments.The synchronous increase in spike number (SN) and 1 000-grain weight (TWG)was the main reason for the large increase in GY by micro-sprinkling with increasing irrigation,and the differences in SN and TGW between S120 and S150 were small.Under S60 and S90,the TGW increased with increasing nitrogen application,which enhanced the GY,while N2 achieved the highest TWG in S120 and S150.At the filling stage,the LAI increased with increasing irrigation,and greater amounts of irrigation significantly increased the chlorophyll content in the flag leaf,which was instrumental in increasing DM after anthesis and increasing the TGW.Micro-sprinkling with increased amounts of irrigation or excessive nitrogen application decreased the WUE mainly due to the increase in total water consumption (ET)and the small increase or decrease in GY.Moreover,the increase in irrigation increased the total nitrogen accumulation or contents (TNC) of plants at maturity and reduced the residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil (SNC),which was conducive to the increase in NPFP,but there was no significant difference in TNC between S120 and S150.Under the same irrigation treatments,an increase in nitrogen application significantly increased the residual SNC and decreased the NPFP.Overall,micro-sprinkling with 120 mm of irrigation and a total nitrogen application of 195 kg ha^(–1) can lead to increases in GY,WUE and NPFP on the NCP.

CONSTRAINING FACTORS TO SUSTAINABLE UTILIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES AND THEIR COUNTERMEASURES IN CHINA

This paper discusses the constraining factors to sustainable utilization ofwater resources in China, and the countermeasures to realize sustainable water utilization. Theresult of comprehensive analysis shows that constraining factors to sustainable utilization of waterresources in China are complicated, including physical geographical factors and socio-economicfactors, such as uneven distribution of water resources at temporal and spatial scales,inappropriate institutional arrangement and non-water-saving and non-wter-conservation productionand life mode. The countermeasures against constraining factors to water resources sustainabledevelopment are put forward as follows: 1) using wetlands and forests, and through spatialconversion to realize temporally sustainable supply of water resources; 2) transferring waterbetween basins and areas and developing various water resources in water shortage area; 3)establishing water-saving society; 4) strengthening water pollution control and water resourcesprotection; and 5) establishing unified water resources management mechanism.

AHP Comprehensive Evaluation on Sustainable Utilization of Water Resources in Hengshui City, China

In order to investigate the sustainable utilization of water resources in Hengshui City, quantitative analysis and comprehensive evaluation on 15 indexes of Hengshui City, such as the perspectives of social and economic development condition, water resource condition, environment condition, development and utilization of water resources,were conducted by using the analytic hierarchy process(AHP) method from 2004 to 2008. Although the sustainable utilization has been growing from 2004 to 2008, the situation and environment of water resources were not optimistic because of the severe water shortage in Hengshui. In the future, improving the supply capacity is the key target for promoting sustainable utilization of water resources.