Papers by Keyword: Environmental Burden

Abstract: This paper evaluated the environmental burden and capacity of Dongying City by emergy and ecological footprint to provide basis for optimizing land development. The result shows that from 2000 to 2010, the land area needed to support human society expanded rapidly from 310000 ha to 735000 ha, while the environmental capacity increased from 1144900 ha to 1226100 ha, which would be caught up by environmental burden in near future according to the current trend. Pollutants assimilation is the main environmental burden and local nonrenewable resources accounting for more than 65.0 percent of the total human emergy consumption. Cultivated land and construction land are the major sources of environmental capacity. Hence the farmland and virgin land should be developed for multifunction and construction land used in a low carbon and intensivism way to promote environmental sustainability.

Abstract: Based on the statistics data from 1995 to 2010 in Shanxi industry, this article selects four indexes which include the energy and water consumption, waste gas, SO2, mist and dust, waste water, COD, per 104 RMB Yuan, and establishes environment learning curves of energy consumption and air pollution, water consumption and pollution in Shanxi province. According to these models, the potentials of resources saving and pollution reducing in different periods are calculated and analyzed, represented by the decrease of each index when the per capita GDP increase 1000 yuan. The result shows that: (1) With the growth of GDP per capital, each index falls by power exponential model which follows "environmental learning curve", illustrating that the burden of resource and environment was steady declining. (2) The potentials of saving energy resources and reducing pollution in Shanxi province gradually descents from 1995 to 2010, illustrating that the reduction in marginal cost by the development of technology is becoming smaller and smaller, and the enhancement of resource using efficiency and pollution reducing efficiency is not unlimited.

Abstract: Longevity, reuse and recycle can be effective in reducing environmental burden in the life cycle of building steel structures. Longevity is the most crucial element in reducing the environmental burden of building steel structures. Nevertheless, there are always a number of buildings that need to be demolished for physical, architectural, economic, and social reasons. When such building steel structures have been demolished in the past, their structural members have been scrapped for recycling. Steel, by nature, is the only type of structural member that can be fabricated. Even without special joints that facilitate demolition work, steel members can be reused after minor fabrication procedures such as cutting, drilling, and welding. In this paper we discuss structural performance of reusable members and practical examples using reusable members.

Abstract: Since the relationship between supply and demand of natural resources is on edge in the long run, the traditional extensive growth mode of economic development needs changing. Cement is widely used in construction. Producing cement needs large amount of natural resources and releases high waste emissions. By using Material Flow Analysis, the inputs and outputs of each part of manufacturing are analyzed scientifically and the inputs, outputs and efficiency indicators are accounted. The main hidden flows come from energy consumption, and the main harmful waste is CO₂ which comes from fuel combustion and CaCO₃ decomposition. Improving resource consumption efficiency and reducing CO₂ emission are the key ways to alleviate pressures on the environment.

Abstract: Based on the statistics data from 1990 to 2008 in Anhui province, this article selects four indexes which include energy consumption, SO₂ discharge, water consumption and COD discharge per ten thousand yuan GDP, and establishes environment learning curves of energy consumption and air pollution, water consumption and pollution in Anhui province. According to these models, the potentials of resources saving and pollution reducing in different periods are calculated and analyzed, represented by the decrease of each index when the per capita GDP increase 1000 yuan. The result shows that: (1) With the growth of GDP per capital, each index falls by power exponential model which follows "environmental learning curve", illustrating that the burden of resource and environment was steady declining. (2) The potentials of saving energy resources and reducing pollution in Anhui province gradually descents from 1990 to 2008, illustrating that the reduction in marginal cost by the development of technology is becoming smaller and smaller, and the enhancement of resource using efficiency and pollution reducing efficiency is not unlimited.