Prospects of Technological Improvement of Nuclear and Environmental Safety of World Energy

Today, the most urgent problem of the existing and future nuclear power industry is to ensure the nuclear and environmental safety of the operation of nuclear power reactor units (NPPs) and nuclear power plants (NPPs). It is solved thanks to the application of deeply echeloned protection and an anti-accident complex of methods and means for effective control of the operation of active reactor zones (AZR). However, the danger of existing NPPs in the world from time to time manifests itself in the form of severe post-project accidents and catastrophes with the release into the environment of a significant amount of radioactive materials dangerous for all living things. The results of the analysis show that the unconditional fulfillment of the main requirements of nuclear environmental safety and biocompatibility is possible only in the so-called wave nuclear reactor of the G-V generation, which, unlike reactors of the previous generations III, II+ and IV, does not require supercritical loading of the core with nuclear fuel. In the active zone of this reactor, nuclear-physical processes governed by physical law are implemented, which exclude the operator’s participation in regulating the reactivity of the reactor’s active zone, which makes it the reactor with the highest level of nuclear and environmental safety today, which is based on the principles of so-called internal safety, free from the human factor. The possibility of burning nuclear fuel based on U238 and Th232 in it expands the reserves of energetic nuclear fuel almost to inexhaustibility. The technology of nuclear reactors of the G5 generation through the secondary use of spent irradiated nuclear fuel (SNF) for the production of energy and energy raw materials with simultaneous burning of it to an environmentally safe state is able to quickly reduce the available stocks and further production of dangerous SNF, guarantee the nuclear and environmental safety of NPPs with reactors G5 and to technologically make nuclear post-project accidents and disasters impossible at the level of physical law with the complete elimination of the human factor.

Study on the Priority and Interaction of Food Security,Food Safety and Environmental Protection

Food security, food safety and environmental protection are major livelihood issues in front of the Chinese people. The priorities of the three are different, and there is mutually dependent and contradictory relationship among them. Facing the triple pressures of food security, food safety, and environmental protection, this paper analyzes the priority of the three from the historical development, then further analyzes the interaction between food security,food safety and environmental protection and finally puts forward the healthy development of food security, food safety and environmental protection, and the proper settlement of the three problems.

Ultrafiltration for environmental safety in shellfish production: A case of bloom emergence

The process of ultrafiltration(UF)of natural seawater often encounters the problems of variation in water quality and coastal blooms.To validate the feasibility of UF in shellfish farms,this study compared the hydraulic performance and pollutant removal efficiency of the UF process with those of the commonly used treatments that combine several filtration steps with ultraviolet(UV)disinfection.The comparison was conducted in the cases of natural seawater and a coastal bloom.Given that the UF process encountered the specific type of pollution,this study evaluated the filtration performance of the UF process and the retention of total suspended solids(TSS),bacteria,phytoplankton,and zooplankton.A real coastal bloom was considered in the case study of an experimental shellfish hatchery/nursery in France.The results show that both treatments were able to eliminate approximately 50%of TSS.However,in contrast with UV treatment combined with filtration,the UF process retained total amounts of phytoplankton,zooplankton,and bacteria in the bloom.Although the hydraulic performance of the UF process was impacted by the coastal bloom,the fouling was eliminated through chemical cleaning conducted at a frequency less than once per 12 h.Despite the severe pollution,this study confirmed the pollution resistance and treatment performance of the UF process,indicating that UF has the potential to enhance the biosecurity level.

A CombustionModel for Explosive Charge Affected by a Bottom Gap in the Launch Environment

Launch safety of explosive charges has become an urgent problem to be solved by all countries in the world aslaunch situation of ammunition becomes consistentlyworse.However, the existing numericalmodels have differentdefects. This paper formulates an efficient computational model of the combustion of an explosive charge affectedby a bottom gap in the launch environment in the context of the material point method. The current temperatureis computed accurately from the heat balance equation, and different physical states of the explosive charges areconsidered through various equations of state. Microcracks in the explosive charges are described with respectto the viscoelastic statistical crackmechanics (Visco–SCRAM) model. Themethod for calculating the temperatureat the bottomof the explosive charge with respect to the bottomgap is described. Based on this combustionmodel,the temperature history of a Composition B (COMB) explosive charge in the presence of a bottom gap is obtainedduring the launch process of a 155-mm artillery. The simulation results show that the bottom gap thickness shouldbe no greater than 0.039 cm to ensure the safety of the COM B explosive charge in the launch environment. Thisconclusion is consistent with previous results and verifies the correctness of the proposed model. Ultimately, thispaper derives amathematical expression for themaximumtemperature of the COMB explosive chargewith respectto the bottomgap thickness (over the range of 0.00–0.039 cm), and establishes a quantitative evaluationmethod forthe launch safety of explosive charges.The research results provide some guidance for the assessment and detectionof explosive charge safety in complex launch environments.

Research Progress of Agricultural Genetically Modified Crop Safety Evaluation

The commercial cultivation of genetically modified(GM)crops has eased the global food crisis and brought considerable economic and social benefits to countries.Because of the potential safety problems,it is necessary to make clear the molecular genetic characteristics,edible safety,planting,processing,and other aspects of the safety evaluation of GM crops.The safety problems existing in the cultivation of GM crops,safety evaluation and detection of GM crops were introduced in this paper,which provided the basis for safety evaluation and effective supervision of GM crops and their products.Commercial cultivation and reasonable supervision based on safety evaluation have far-reaching significance for ensuring consumer safety,enhancing the credibility of the national political system and enhancing citizens'confidence in the safety of GM crop products for consumption.

Formulation Method and Management Principle for the Safety Base-line of Atmospheric Environmental Quality

The formulation of the safety base-line for atmospheric environmental quality is not only basic needs of mankind maintaining the quality of survival environment but also concrete measures of red line system for national ecological protection. It is urgent to solve the problem in current environmental management how to draft the safety basa-line of atmospheric environmental quality. To solve this problem, the connotation of safety base-line for atmospheric environmental quality is defined firstly, and then the indexes for atmospheric importance, sensitivity and vulnerability are generalized. Moreover, formulation methods for red, yellow and green lines of the safety base-line for atmospheric environmental quality are put forward ,and corresponding division principle and management principle are put forward finally.

Countermeasures for Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to Cope with Climate Change and Ecological Environment Safety

The monitoring,prediction and assessment of status about climate changes and ecological environment at home and abroad were discussed in this study,and the scientific significance and countermeasures for Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to cope with these problems were also put forward.

Environmental risks for application of magnesium slag to soils in China

Magnesium slag(MS)is one of the main industrial solid wastes produced by the magnesium industry.Solving the problem of its disposal has attracted much attention with increasing amounts of solid wastes generated in the production of metallic magnesium.Because MS contains calcium(Ca),magnesium(Mg),and silicon(Si),some have tried to use MS as Si-Ca-Mg fertilizer or for soil amendment in agriculture.However,in the magnesium metallurgical process,some pollutant elements are introduced into MS,resulting in the enrichment of these pollutants in MS,such as arsenic(As),chromium(Cr),cadmium(Cd),mercury(Hg),copper(Cu),nickel(Ni),fluorine(F)and chlorine(CI).Research indicates that the enrichment of these pollutants can result in high levels,especially for Cd,Hg,Cu,Ni,F and CI(0-4,0-0.74,20-127,100-170,2277-14800 and 133-1000 mg kg1,respectively)in some MS in China.These levels are often far beyond the limits(S0.3,s0.5,≤50 and≤60 mg·kg-1 for Cd,Hg,Cu and Ni,respectively)of the Chinese Risk Screening Values for Soil Contamination of Agricultural Land based on the Soil Environmental Quality Risk Control Standard for Soil Contamination of Agricultural Land(GB 15618-2018)or the critical reference values(<800 and≤200 for F and CI,respectively).The elements Hg,Cu,Cr and F(detected in MS leachate at 0.00023--0.0052,0.043--3.89,0.026-0.171,and 1.43-8.52 mg·L-1,respectively)also exceed the limits(Class IV-V)of the Chinese Standard for Groundwater Quality(GB/T 14848-2017).Based on the above results,it is suggested that without any pretreatment for reducing harmful pollutants MS should not be allowed to be applied for soil remediation or conditioning directly into farmlands in order to ensure soil health,food safety and environmental quality.

Environmental risk for application of ammonia-soda white mud in soils in China

In recent years,some reports,mainly from Chinese research,show that there has been an increasing trend in the use of ammonia-soda residue(ASR)(or called ammonia-soda white mud) as a soil conditioner in farmlands.Up to now,the studies on ASR have focused on its utilization for acid soil amendment in agriculture,but few studies have assessed its environmental risk.ASR contains pollutant elements such as mercury(Hg),cadmium(Cd),copper(Cu) and fluorine(F) and the purpose of this study was to review research on the environmental impacts of ASR application in agriculture.Observations obtained from 23 research reports indicate that the concentrations of Hg,Cd,Cu,F and Cl(0-170,0.01-2.8,4.5-200,2000-24700 and 1 600-188 000 mg kg^-1,respectively) in ASR may exceed the limits(≤0.5,≤0.3 and ≤50 mg kg^-1 for Hg,Cd and Cu,respectively) of Chinese Risk Screening Values for Soil Contamination of Agricultural Land(GB 15618-2018 2018) or the refereed critical value(≤800 and ≤200 mg kg^-1 for F and Cl,respectively) based on Chinese research.The concentrations of the elements Hg,Cd,Cu,F and Cl in the leachate of ASR detected by the extraction tests also exceed the limits(Class IV-V) of the Chinese Standard for Groundwater Quality(GB/T 14848-2017 2017).Based on the above results,it is suggested that ASR without any pretreatment for reducing harmful pollutants should not be used for soil remediation or conditioning of farmlands,to ensure soil health,food safety and environmental quality.

Environmental correlates of sedentary behaviors and physical activity in Chinese preschool children:A cross-sectional study

Objective:This cross-sectional study examined environmental correlates of sedentary behavior(SB) and physical activity(PA) in preschool children in the urban area of Tianjin,China.Methods:Data were collected from the Physical Activity and Health in Tianjin Chinese Children study,involving healthy children 3-6 years old and their families.In all children(n=980),leisure-time SB(LTSB) and leisure-time PA(LTPA) were reported in min/day by parents.In a subgroup(n=134),overall sedentary time,light PA,and moderate-to-vigorous PA(MVP A) were objectively measured using ActiGraph accelerometry(>3 days,>10 h/day).Environmental correlates were collected using a questionnaire that included home and neighborhood characteristics(e.g.,traffic safety,presence of physical activity facilities) and children’s behaviors.Potential correlates were identified using linear regression analysis.Results:Multiple linear regression analysis showed that "having grandparents as primary caregivers"(βs and 95% confidence intervals(95%CIs)for overall sedentary time:29.7(2.1-57.2);LTSB(In):0.19(0.11-0.28)) and "having a television(for LTSB(In):0.13(0.00-0.25)) or computer(for LTSB(ln):0.13(0.03-0.23) in the child’ s bedroom" were both associated with higher SB.Furthermore, "having grandparents as primary caregivers" was associated with less MVPA(β(95%CI):-7.6(-14.1 to-1.2)),and "active commuting to school by walking" correlated with more MVPA(β(95%CI):9.8(2.2-17.4)).The path model showed that "more neighborhood PA facilities close to home" was indirectly related to higher LTPA(In),which was partly mediated by "outdoor play"(path coefficients(95%CI):0.005(0.002-0.008)) and "going to these facilities more often"(path coefficients(95%CI):0.013(0.008-0.01 8)).Traffic safety was not a correlate.Conclusion:Family structure and media exposure in the home maybe important factors in shaping preschoolers’ PA patterns.Built environmental correlates could indirectly influence preschoolers’ LTPA through parental help with engaging in active behaviors.

A Methodology to Develop the Integration of the Environmental Management System with Other Standardized Management Systems

Traditionally the global management system of an organization is frequently split into a number of individual management systems that are defined and implemented according to specific management systems standards (MSSs) as well as managed independently. The individual implementation of MSSs is an option that leads to several inefficiencies and sub-optimization of the global management system of an organization. As referred by ISO [1] the interested parties’ requirements increase. A more effective and efficient option for an organization is to integrate, into an integrated management system (IMS), the implementation and management of requirements of multiple MSSs. Certain difficulties are associated to the structuring process, implementation, verification, evaluation, improvement and progressive development of an IMS in the organizations. Several scholars have proposed various theoretical approaches regarding the integration of individual management systems (MSs) leading to the conclusion that there is not a common practice for all organizations as they encompass different characteristics. This paper aims to present and justify a designed methodology to be used by organizations to support the integration of various MSs. Among them are highlighted: the Environmental Management System (EMS) according ISO 14001 [2], the Quality Management System (QMS) according ISO 9001 [3], and the Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OH & SMS) according OHSAS 18001 [4]. The methodology was designed in the context of a Portuguese company, on sequence of an organizational diagnosis and a research that was performed through a questionnaire. The strategy and the research methods took into consideration the case study.

Research on GIS-Based Environmental Management Information System of Coastal Zone

Owing to the exploitation of ocean resources and the change of coastal industry base construction, plenty of pollutants discharged had lead to the serious environmental pollution of coastal zone and the destroy of local ecological balance that threaten the existent environmental safety of local inhabitants and marine biology of coastal zone.So,environmental safety problems of coastal zone are concerned by

Aptasensors in Health, Environment and Food Safety Monitoring

Biosensors have been developed using various types of sensing elements like biomacromolecules (viz. enzymes, antibodies, receptors, nucleic acids, etc.) organelles, tissues, intact cells of both microorganisms and higher organisms. A recent trend is the emergence of aptamers as sensing elements that has the potential to replace all the above ligands. This is possible due to the unique features of aptamers (sensitivity, specificity, reusability, stability, non-immunogenic- ity), which can be easily exploited in biosensor technology. Aptasensors are thus basically biosensors based on aptamers as ligand molecules. Here we review the various applications of aptasensors in health (specifically in diagnostics), food industry and environmental monitoring.

Study on City Environment,Safety and Health from the Viewpoint of Ecological Risks

Urban ecological risk analysis is a relatively new study field.Rapid industrial modernization and urbanization have significantly improved the living standards of the city.However,as environmental,safety and health issues are causing widespread concern,these problems have potential serious threat on ecosystems and human health.So how to solve many problems arising from city has become a key to sustainable development of human civilization.The present article analyzed the major problems that the city confronts and pointed out the main measures from the aspects of urban environment,safety and health.

Information Technology in Environmental Monitoring for Territorial System Ecological Assessment

The environmental monitoring dataset of Rivne region territory （Ukraine） was analyzed using remote sensing technology and statistical analysis. The article reveals approaches to anthropogenic impact specificity assessment based on methods of correlation analysis. The information technology to assess soil quality based on satellite images decoding was created.

Assessment of Safety Culture in Global Offshore Environments

This project aims at presenting detailed assessment of health and safety culture in global offshore environments. Such assessment will be then utilized for developing and recommending a model capable of integrating safety behaviour and culture in global offshore environments. The global offshore environment is a quite wider term and therefore underlying study has specified and narrowed it down to the oil and gas industry. In other words, the discussion of health and safety culture is done in light of oil and gas industry and its environment. The proposed model “incident-free and low-risk contracting model” aims at fostering health and safety culture in oil and gas environments. It is worth mentioning that implementation of model requires effective support and collaboration between trade unions, industry associations, employers, and government agencies. The objectives of the proposed model will be identified in terms of Fostering sound leadership, Gaining management commitment, Gaining support and involvement of workforce, Reducing risk instances, Accident reduction objective.

Green HACCP:Food Safety and Environment

Green HACCP(hazard analysis and critical control point)is a new control method developed by combining food safety controls and good practices for environmental protection,in order to have a safe production that respects the environment.Indeed,some of production practices,such as the use of large amount of water,cleaning/disinfection products and other practices used to have safe foodstuffs,could affect the environment and the profitability in several agri-food process.The goal of Green HACCP is to apply a sustainable rationalization of the good hygienic and environmental practices.

Environmental Monitoring of Ambient Outdoor, Indoor Air Quality Pollutants, PM 10 and PM 2.5 Conducted to Evaluate Its Impact Analysis and Quantification in Industrial Area of Dammam, KSA

The core objective of this study is to conduct precise and real-time monitoring of the industrial area Dammam located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) which consists of a number of various chemicals, minerals and petrochemicals along with administrative blocks. The objective of this study is to monitor possible outdoor and indoor air pollutant in the industry working environment. This study shall help us to enable decision to be made on appropriate control measures as may be required to protect the health of employee and occupant who may be exposed to air contamination at workplace. Air pollution monitoring in ambient air environment finding shall be compared with national ambient air quality environmental standard while parameters monitoring in indoor air environment is compared with international standards such as occupational health and safety administration (OSHA), National institute for occupational safety and health (NIOSH) and Australian national health and medical research council (NHMRC). This environment review study for ensuring industry regulatory compliance for the facility and general authority of meteorology and environmental protection (GAMEP) previously known as presidency of meteorology environment (PME). This study shall be comprehensive in nature and cover two major types of monitoring and assessment such as ambient air quality monitoring and indoor air quality monitoring.

Distributed virtual environment-based safety control for Internet tele-robots

The inherent complexity and uncertainty of multi-operator multi-robot （MOMR） tele-operation system make its safeguard an essential problem. Hazardous factors in the system are analyzed using fault tree analysis（FTA） technology, and three-layer interactive safety architecture with information flow is designed in modules to control the factors according to the holistic control mode. After that, distributed virtual environment （DVE） including the characteristics of virtual guide （VG） technology is discussed to help the operators achieve some tasks through the visibility of control commands, time-delay, movement collision and operators＇ intentions. Finally an experiment is implemented to test the efficiency of safety control architecture by using two robots to place some building blocks in the same workspace.

The Environmental Impact of Plastic Waste

The pollution caused by disposable plastic products is becoming moreand more serious, and “plastic limit” has become a global consensus. Thisarticle mainly discusses the pollution problem from the following aspects:Integrate all relevant important indicators to establish a multiple regressionmodel of the maximum amount of disposable plastic waste to estimatethe maximum amount of disposable waste in the future without causingfurther damage to the environment;Establish an environmental safety levelevaluation model and analyze the impact of plastic waste on environmentalsafety;Try to set the lowest level target that can be achieved by globalwaste at this stage, and conduct correlation analysis on the impact ofhumans, enterprises, and the environment;Select several countries basedon their comprehensive strengths, conduct a comparative analysis of theirplastic production, economic strength, and environment, and try to exploretheir responsibilities.