The correct individuation of the best final destination for MSW cannot ignore the option of thermal treatment, taking into account both the possibility of energy recovery and the capacity of the thermal process to des...The correct individuation of the best final destination for MSW cannot ignore the option of thermal treatment, taking into account both the possibility of energy recovery and the capacity of the thermal process to destroy an important part of the pollutants that are originally present in the waste itself. In order to realize this operation, it is possible to use conventional incineration systems, but also to consider new innovative processes and technologies; among them, production of RDF （refuse derived fuel） is quite often used in process plants, and gasification of waste seems to be a promising solution. The aim of the present paper is a critical analysis of the above-mentioned solutions, not only from the operational point of view but also on the basis of the status of the art of practical applications and in consideration of the most significant results for the Italian and European situation. For the application of these technologies a specific Italian case has been considered： it consists of the correct individuation of waste management modality for final destination of wastes produced in a city located in Piedmont （north of Italy）. The results of the analysis highlight the environmental and economic convenience, for the specific considered case, of the direct combustion in incineration plant of the all amount of the wastes produced. From the considered specific example some more general conclusions can be drawn.展开更多
After a decade of planning and trials,China officially launched a national carbon trading in July 2021.Using a standard economic model,this study shows that an unconstrained carbon trading market would face a dilemma ...After a decade of planning and trials,China officially launched a national carbon trading in July 2021.Using a standard economic model,this study shows that an unconstrained carbon trading market would face a dilemma between minimizing pollution control costs and maximizing social benefits.We further show that this would be a significant challenge in China.Our results show that areas with higher population densities also would have higher costs for carbon reduction,and hence the polluters in those areas would be net buyers in the national market.Moreover,our analysis indicates a significantly high correlation between carbon dioxide emissions and other local pollutants.Therefore,cross-regional transactions may result in more emission of other pollutants in areas with higher population density under the unconstrained national cap-and-trade system and cause larger losses in social benefits.We call for more studies to address the issue.展开更多
Lockdown measures are essential to containing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),but they will slow down economic growth by reducing industrial and commercial activities.However,the benefits of activity ...Lockdown measures are essential to containing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),but they will slow down economic growth by reducing industrial and commercial activities.However,the benefits of activity control from containing the pandemic have not been examined and assessed.Here we use daily carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emission reduction in China estimated from statistical data for energy consumption and satellite data for nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2))measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument(OMI)as an indicator for reduced activities consecutive to a lockdown.We perform a correlation analysis to show that a 1%day-1 decrease in the rate of COVID-19 cases is associated with a reduction in daily CO_(2) emissions of 0.22%±0.02%using statistical data for energy consumption relative to emissions without COVID-19,or 0.20%±0.02%using satellite data for atmospheric column NO_(2).We estimate that swift action in China is effective in limiting the number of COVID-19 cases<100,000 with a reduction in CO_(2) emissions of up to 23%by the end of February 2020,whereas a 1-week delay would have required greater containment and a doubling of the emission reduction to meet the same goal.By analyzing the costs of health care and fatalities,we find that the benefits on public health due to reduced activities in China are 10-fold larger than the loss of gross domestic product.Our findings suggest an unprecedentedly high cost of maintaining activities and CO_(2) emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic and stress substantial benefits of containment in public health by taking early actions to reduce activities during the outbreak of COVID-19.展开更多
In the metropolises,it is unlikely to use merely solar and wind energy to pursue zero carbon building design.However,it would become possible if biofuel-driven trigeneration systems(BDTS)are adopted.It is thus essenti...In the metropolises,it is unlikely to use merely solar and wind energy to pursue zero carbon building design.However,it would become possible if biofuel-driven trigeneration systems(BDTS)are adopted.It is thus essential to assess the application opportunity of BDTS in a holistic way.In this study,BDTS offered definite primary energy saving of up to 15%and carbon emissions reduction of at least 86%in different types of non-residential buildings as compared to the conventional systems.With 24/7 operation for the hotel and hospital buildings,the corresponding BDTS could even achieve zero carbon emissions.All the BDTS primed with compression-ignition internal combustion engine were not economically viable even in running cost due to the high local biodiesel price level.The BDTS primed with spark-ignition engine and fueled by biogas,however,would have economic merit when carbon price was considered for the conventional systems that fully utilize fossil fuels.Adoption of carbon tax and social cost could have the payback ceilings of 8 years and 2 years respectively for most of building types.Consequently,the results could reflect the application potential of BDTS for non-residential buildings,leading the pathway to carbon neutrality for sustainable sub-tropical cities.展开更多
文摘The correct individuation of the best final destination for MSW cannot ignore the option of thermal treatment, taking into account both the possibility of energy recovery and the capacity of the thermal process to destroy an important part of the pollutants that are originally present in the waste itself. In order to realize this operation, it is possible to use conventional incineration systems, but also to consider new innovative processes and technologies; among them, production of RDF （refuse derived fuel） is quite often used in process plants, and gasification of waste seems to be a promising solution. The aim of the present paper is a critical analysis of the above-mentioned solutions, not only from the operational point of view but also on the basis of the status of the art of practical applications and in consideration of the most significant results for the Italian and European situation. For the application of these technologies a specific Italian case has been considered： it consists of the correct individuation of waste management modality for final destination of wastes produced in a city located in Piedmont （north of Italy）. The results of the analysis highlight the environmental and economic convenience, for the specific considered case, of the direct combustion in incineration plant of the all amount of the wastes produced. From the considered specific example some more general conclusions can be drawn.
基金Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.7197412472192833)the Institute of Eco-Chongming are greatly appreciated.
文摘After a decade of planning and trials,China officially launched a national carbon trading in July 2021.Using a standard economic model,this study shows that an unconstrained carbon trading market would face a dilemma between minimizing pollution control costs and maximizing social benefits.We further show that this would be a significant challenge in China.Our results show that areas with higher population densities also would have higher costs for carbon reduction,and hence the polluters in those areas would be net buyers in the national market.Moreover,our analysis indicates a significantly high correlation between carbon dioxide emissions and other local pollutants.Therefore,cross-regional transactions may result in more emission of other pollutants in areas with higher population density under the unconstrained national cap-and-trade system and cause larger losses in social benefits.We call for more studies to address the issue.
基金the provision of funds fromthe National Natural Science Foundation of China(41877506)the Fudan’s Wangdao Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program(18107)+1 种基金the Chinese Thousand Youth Talents Programthe Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management.
文摘Lockdown measures are essential to containing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),but they will slow down economic growth by reducing industrial and commercial activities.However,the benefits of activity control from containing the pandemic have not been examined and assessed.Here we use daily carbon dioxide(CO_(2))emission reduction in China estimated from statistical data for energy consumption and satellite data for nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2))measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument(OMI)as an indicator for reduced activities consecutive to a lockdown.We perform a correlation analysis to show that a 1%day-1 decrease in the rate of COVID-19 cases is associated with a reduction in daily CO_(2) emissions of 0.22%±0.02%using statistical data for energy consumption relative to emissions without COVID-19,or 0.20%±0.02%using satellite data for atmospheric column NO_(2).We estimate that swift action in China is effective in limiting the number of COVID-19 cases<100,000 with a reduction in CO_(2) emissions of up to 23%by the end of February 2020,whereas a 1-week delay would have required greater containment and a doubling of the emission reduction to meet the same goal.By analyzing the costs of health care and fatalities,we find that the benefits on public health due to reduced activities in China are 10-fold larger than the loss of gross domestic product.Our findings suggest an unprecedentedly high cost of maintaining activities and CO_(2) emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic and stress substantial benefits of containment in public health by taking early actions to reduce activities during the outbreak of COVID-19.
基金The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from City University of Hong Kong(Strategic Research Grant,Project No.7005033).
文摘In the metropolises,it is unlikely to use merely solar and wind energy to pursue zero carbon building design.However,it would become possible if biofuel-driven trigeneration systems(BDTS)are adopted.It is thus essential to assess the application opportunity of BDTS in a holistic way.In this study,BDTS offered definite primary energy saving of up to 15%and carbon emissions reduction of at least 86%in different types of non-residential buildings as compared to the conventional systems.With 24/7 operation for the hotel and hospital buildings,the corresponding BDTS could even achieve zero carbon emissions.All the BDTS primed with compression-ignition internal combustion engine were not economically viable even in running cost due to the high local biodiesel price level.The BDTS primed with spark-ignition engine and fueled by biogas,however,would have economic merit when carbon price was considered for the conventional systems that fully utilize fossil fuels.Adoption of carbon tax and social cost could have the payback ceilings of 8 years and 2 years respectively for most of building types.Consequently,the results could reflect the application potential of BDTS for non-residential buildings,leading the pathway to carbon neutrality for sustainable sub-tropical cities.
