Evaluating the Effectiveness of Air Pollution Abatement Policy of Hong Kong

As only about 15% of the total time of people in Hong Kong was spent outdoors, it would be more valuable if the associated effectiveness and impact of the recently proposed abatement measures could be expressed in terms of the improvement in the total exposure levels. This paper uses an exposure assessment model developed from the local microenvironment concentration data together with our surveyed time activity patterns to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed air pollution abatement policy. Prior to the enforcement of abatement measures, about 2.5% of the young group and 1.2% of the adult group having their exposure levels exceeded that defined by the current 8-hour PM10 standard (180 μg/m3). With the enforcement of abatement measures, only 0.3% of the adult group would be restored to a safe level.

Industrialization, Environment and Health:the Impacts of Industrial SO_2 Emission on Public Health in China

In this paper, we construct a model in which the impact of pollution on health is exerted through both direct and indirect channels. The indirect channel is captured by a production func-tion in which the principal health-improving factor, income growth, can be realized only in the cost of pollution increase. This model is then tested by the aggregated chronicle disease data in over 78 Chinese counties. Our results show, after attaining the threshold of 8 μg/m2, continuous increase in industrial SO2 emission density will lead the ratio of population suffering chronicle diseases, among which respiratory diseases occupy a significant proportion, to rise. However, owing to technological progress in pollution control activities, the needed SO2 emission to produce one unit of GDP diminishes with time. Therefore, the negative effect from pollution augmentation on public health seems to be recompensed more and more by the positive effect of economic growth.

Effect of current emission abatement strategies on air quality improvement in China:A case study of Baotou,a typical industrial city in Inner Mongolia

The national Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan required significant decreases in PM_（2.5） levels over China.To explore more effective emission abatement strategies in industrial cities,a case study was conducted in Baotou to evaluate the current national control measures.The total emissions of SO_2,NO_X,PM_（2.5） and NMVOC（non-methane volatile organic compounds） in Baotou were 211.2 Gg,156.1 Gg,28.8 Gg,and 48.5 Gg,respectively in 2013,and they would experience a reduction of 30.4%,26.6%,15.1%,and 8.7%,respectively in 2017 and 39.0%,32.0%,24.4%,and 12.9%,respectively in2020.The SO_2,NO_Xand PM_（2.5） emissions from the industrial sector would experience a greater decrease,with reductions of 37%,32.7 and 24.3%,respectively.From 2013 to 2020,the concentrations of SO_2,NO_2,and PM_（2.5） are expected to decline by approximately 30%,10% and 14.5%,respectively.The reduction rate of SNA（sulfate,nitrate and ammonium）concentrations was significantly higher than that of PM_（2.5） in 2017,implying that the current key strategy toward controlling air pollutants from the industrial sector is more powerful for SNA.Although air pollution control measures implemented in the industrial sector could greatly reduce total emissions,constraining the emissions from lower sources such as residential coal combustion would be more effective in decreasing the concentration of PM_（2.5） from 2017 to 2020.These results suggest that even for a typical industrial city,the reduction of PM_（2.5） concentrations not only requires decreases in emissions from the industrial sector,but also from the low emission sources.The seasonal variation in sulfate concentration also showed that emission from coal-burning is the key factor to control during the heating season.

Past,present,and future of biochar

After entering the twenty-first century,biochar has become a focal point of multidisciplinary research because of its special characteristics,broad application,and promising development prospects.Basic and applied research on the application of biochar in the areas of agriculture,environment,and energy have increased dramatically in the face of food security,environmental pollution,and energy shortage.Although there are some disputes about biochar research,many studies have demonstrated the importance of biochar research from the perspective of scientific advancement and practical application.This paper briefly recalls the history of biochar application;introduces research progress on the basic characteristics of biochar and its associated production technologies;summarizes the research status and existing problems of biochar application in the areas of agriculture,environment,and energy;and analyzes the potential problems and development trends of biochar research in the future.

Incentive equilibrium strategies of transboundary industrial pollution control under emission permit trading

In this paper,we investigate the incentive equilibrium strategies of two neighboring regions facing transboundary industrial pollution under abatement investment and emission permits trading in a differential game setting.Our paper can be viewed as an extension of the work of Yeung[2007.Dynamically consistent cooperative solution in a differential game of transboundary industrial pollution.Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications,134,143-160]in the context of the transboundary industrial pollution.Compared with the work of Yeung[2007.Dynamically consistent cooperative solution in a differential game of transboundary industrial pollution.Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications,134,143-160],our research significant features(i)introduce the emission permits trading into the transboundary industrial pollution control;(ii)take into account the pollution abatement investment;(iii)examine the incentive equilibrium strategies of transboundary industrial pollution control;and(iv)design an allocation mechanism for regions’cooperative profits.Furthermore,we illustrate the results of the paper with a numerical example.The utility of this paper is how to make incentive equilibrium strategies in a situation where the neighboring regions facing transboundary industrial pollution under abatement investment and emission permits trading in a differential game setting.

Extraction of 17β-estradiol in water using non-imprinted polymer submicron particles in membrane filters

17β-Estradiol （E2） is an endocrine disrupting chemical of harm to both animals and human beings at a low concentration level （ng/L）. It cannot be completely removed by wastewater treatments, and is often detected in both environment and drinking waters. The purpose of this feasibility study, towards environmental engineering in the field of water analysis and treatment, was to remove E2 by extraction using non-imprinted polymer （NIP） submicron particles. Experimental results showed that 0.5 mg/L of E2 could be completely extracted by adding 10 mg of NIP particles directly into 10 mL of water. However, the extraction efficiency decreased to 64% for 100 mL of water. prefilling the NIP particles inside a membrane filter showed a potential for water treatment of a large volume, requiring no effort to distribute the particles uniformly in the water. High extraction efficiency （80 ± 10）% for E2 was achieved for 100 mL of water. A total mass of 0.29 mg E2 was extracted from 1000 mL of water containing 0.8 mg/L E2 （by using only 10 mg of NIP particles）. Both efficiency and mass capacity can be increased, by scaling up the amount of NIP particles, towards environmental engineering applications.