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Environmental Implications (environmental + implication)
Selected AbstractsThe Economic and Environmental Implications of Centralized Stock KeepingJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2002H. Scott Matthews Summary Recent changes to the management of inventory and warehousing methods have created significant changes in business processes. These changes have produced economic savings to firms from reduced handling of supplies. The system-wide impacts of this shift in methods on overall cost and the environment are still unclear, however. Reductions in inventories can provide significant environmental savings. In this article, we analyze the changes in inventory control methods and assess the environmental and cost tradeoffs between increased trucking and more efficient centralized warehouses. We consider the case of consolidating the spare-parts inventory at U.S. Department of Defense warehouses and discuss similarities to other existing businesses. The case suggests large economic and environmental benefits due to reductions in warehousing expenses, despite higher transportation costs. [source] Regional sustainable development in France: assessing the environmental implicationsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2005F. Bertrand Abstract This article considers the environmental dimension of regional sustainable development in France. The first part evaluates the position of the environment in regional sustainable development policies using two levels of analysis. First, it examines the stated objectives for regional sustainable development that relate to a balanced integration of the environmental dimension in relation to the economic and social dimensions. Second, it demonstrates how efforts to implement regional sustainable development (RSD) invariably lead to domination by environmental factors, as a consequence of well established environmental policies. Thereafter, a critical analysis of this outcome is presented, illustrating how the disparity between what is said and done has produced an ambiguous notion of sustainable development (SD), and how different actors have adopted strongly opposing views. This confusion has created resistance by environmental actors, who perceive sustainable development as potentially diluting environmental demands. The article concludes by discussing the possible future role of the environment within regional sustainable development. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Agricultural land use and Skylark Alauda arvensis: a case study linking a habitat association model to spatially explicit change scenariosIBIS, Issue 1 2010NIGEL D. BOATMAN The development of forward scenarios is a useful method of envisaging the environmental implications of potential changes in land use, as a tool for policy development. In this paper, a spatially explicit case study is used to provide insight into the environmental impacts of Common Agricultural Policy reform on Skylark Alauda arvensis, a species which is widespread on arable farmland, breeds in crops and has declined in recent decades. A generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate Skylark breeding population densities in different crops, using survey data collected from farms in the east of England, supplemented by the literature. Model outputs were then used to predict Skylark densities in an East Anglian Joint Character Area dominated by arable cropping. Predicted densities were mapped at field level using GIS, based on actual cropping derived from Integrated Administration and Control System data collected for the administration of subsidy payments. Three future scenarios were then created, based on expert opinion of potential changes in cropping over the next 5 years, and potential changes in Skylark density mapped on the basis of the predicted changes in cropping patterns. Overall, Skylark densities were predicted to decrease on average by 11,14% under ,market-led' (increasing wheat and oilseed rape, reduced set-aside) and ,energy crop' (5% area under short rotation coppice) scenarios, but remained virtually unchanged under an ,environment-led' (diverse cropping) scenario. The ,market-led' scenario is closest to short-term agricultural trajectories, but wider cultivation of biomass energy crops as modelled under the ,energy crop' scenario could occur in the medium term if energy policies are favourable. Appropriate mitigation strategies therefore need to be implemented if a continued decline in the Skylark population on lowland arable farmland is to be averted. The results provide a readily accessible visualization of the potential impacts of land-use change for policy-makers; similar techniques could be applied to visualize effects of changes arising through other drivers, including climate change. [source] Nanotechnologies: Tools for sustainability in a new wave of water treatment processesINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006Jean-Yves Bottero Abstract In the environmental technology industry alone, nanomaterials will enable new means of reducing the production of industrial wastes, using resources more sparingly, remediating industrial contamination, providing potable water, and improving the efficiency of energy production. This paper discusses three new kinds of nanotechnology materials that should be developed in the future: Membranes, oxidants, and adsorbents. Nanoscale control of membrane architecture may yield membranes of greater selectivity and lower cost in both water treatment and water fabrication. Fullerene-based oxidant nanomaterials such as C60 have a high electron affinity and reactivity, and are capable of producing reactive oxygen species such as singlet oxygen and superoxides. Fullerenes might be used in engineered systems to photocatalytically oxidize organic contaminants, or inhibit or inactivate microbes. The ability to tailor surfaces can help to increase adsorbing capacities or recognize specific contaminants. The potential environmental risks are that nanomaterials could interact with biota and that their toxicity adversely may affect ecosystems. As nanochemistry emerges as an important force behind new environmental technologies, we are also presented with the responsibility of considering the environmental implications of an emerging technology at its inception and taking every precaution to ensure that these technologies develop as tools of sustainability rather than becoming future liabilities. [source] Evaluation of the environmental implications to include structural changes in a wastewater treatment plantJOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, Issue 11 2002Núria Vidal Abstract The environmental implications of including structural changes in a wastewater treatment plant to decrease effluent concentrations of nitrogen were evaluated in this study. Environmental effects from these structural changes were assessed by using the Life Cycle Assessment theoretical framework. The wastewater treatment plant selected as a reference scenario had an activated sludge configuration. The Ludzack,Ettinger and Oxidation Ditch configurations were selected as modifications of the reference scenario. Results from this study show that the inclusion of nitrogen removal mechanisms in the configuration of the plant reduces the effect of the plant on the eutrophication, but simultaneously increases the effect on the consumption of abiotic resources, global warming, acidification and human toxicity. These general trends, however, vary depending on the configuration selected to remove nitrogen. Taking all the impacts together, the Oxidation Ditch configuration would cause less environmental impact than the Ludzack,Ettinger configuration, given the characteristics of the selected scenarios. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry [source] PROPOSED NEW COLOR RETENTION METHOD FOR TILAPIA FILLETS (O. NILOTICUS, × O. AUREUS,) BY EUTHANATIZING WITH REDUCED CARBON MONOXIDEJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 5 2008LAIHAO LI ABSTRACT The conditions of color retention for tilapia fillets (O. niloticus, × O. aureus,) treated by euthanatizing with reduced carbon monoxide (CO) were investigated. Live tilapias were first exposed to water saturated with CO. After a certain amount of CO-saturated water had been pumped through the gills, the tilapias were timely picked out and killed following the industry guidelines. The color value of fillets was measured by colorimeter to evaluate the color retention. The results showed that (1) temperature did not have a significant effect on the color of the fillets; (2) the optimal conditions were a ratio of 3:1, v/w between water and fish, a CO flow rate of 80 mL/min and 10 min CO injection followed by 5 min air exposure. Under these conditions, a higher a*value (redness 19.44) and a better sensory evaluation value (4.8) were obtained; and (3) the proposed method shortened processing time by 30,35 min, reduced the frequency of sterilization to only once, significantly lowered microbial counts from 82.33 × 102 to 56.33 × 102 and reduced the CO requirement 25-fold, which has significant occupation, health, safety, and environmental implications. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Color retention for tilapias is conventionally accomplished by treating fillets with CO. Recently, euthanatizing tilapias with CO has been assumed to be an effective way to shorten processing time and to lessen product handling process. Many factories have been searching for a way to solve the problem of color retention for tilapias or other red muscle treatment, but there has been a lack of information on how euthanasia affects fish quality, especially red muscle color. The objective of this experiment was to explore the application of the new method. [source] The Construction of Normal ExpectationsJOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Consumption Drivers for the Danish Bathroom Boom Summary The gradual upward changes of standards in normal everyday life have significant environmental implications, and it is therefore important to study how these changes come about. The intention of the article is to analyze the social construction of normal expectations through a case study. The case concerns the present boom in bathroom renovations in Denmark, which offers an excellent opportunity to study the interplay between a wide variety of consumption drivers and social changes pointing toward long-term changes of normal expectations regarding bathroom standards. The study is problem-oriented and transdisciplinary and draws on a wide range of sociological, anthropological, and economic theories. The empirical basis comprises a combination of statistics, a review of magazine and media coverage, visits to exhibitions, and qualitative interviews. A variety of consumption drivers are identified. Among the drivers are the increasing importance of the home as a core identity project and a symbol of the unity of the family, the opportunities for creative work, the convenience of more grooming capacity during the busy family's rush hours, the perceived need for retreat and indulgence in a hectic everyday life, and the increased focus on body care and fitness. The contours of the emerging normal expectations are outlined and discussed in an environmental perspective. [source] Stratigraphic and environmental implications of a large ice-wedge cast at Tjæreborg, DenmarkPERMAFROST AND PERIGLACIAL PROCESSES, Issue 1 2004Else Kolstrup Abstract Exceptionally large ice-wedge casts and composite-wedge casts occur together with involutions (cryoturbations) in a gravel pit near Tjæreborg, western Jutland. The filling reveals distinctly different, vertically-orientated sedimentary units, suggesting discrete events. Variations in wedge structure and infill between the different exposures suggest differences with alternating pools and drier conditions over the former wedges. In an attempt to date and correlate crack development a perusal of local glacial history is given and optically-stimulated-luminescence (OSL) dates are presented. A review of Saalian and early Weichselian wedge casts and deep involutions in other areas in northwest Europe is provided for correlation. It is suggested that the cracking in Tjæreborg took place during the Saale or/and early Weichselian. The existence of such old wedges shows that the present land surface has probably existed since the Saalian, leaving the ground available for cracking and infilling during succeeding periods of permafrost. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Agronomic and environmental implications of enhanced s -triazine degradationPEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 5 2010L Jason Krutz Abstract Novel catabolic pathways enabling rapid detoxification of s -triazine herbicides have been elucidated and detected at a growing number of locations. The genes responsible for s -triazine mineralization, i.e. atzABCDEF and trzNDF, occur in at least four bacterial phyla and are implicated in the development of enhanced degradation in agricultural soils from all continents except Antarctica. Enhanced degradation occurs in at least nine crops and six crop rotation systems that rely on s -triazine herbicides for weed control, and, with the exception of acidic soil conditions and s -triazine application frequency, adaptation of the microbial population is independent of soil physiochemical properties and cultural management practices. From an agronomic perspective, residual weed control could be reduced tenfold in s -triazine-adapted relative to non-adapted soils. From an environmental standpoint, the off-site loss of total s -triazine residues could be overestimated 13-fold in adapted soils if altered persistence estimates and metabolic pathways are not reflected in fate and transport models. Empirical models requiring soil pH and s -triazine use history as input parameters predict atrazine persistence more accurately than historical estimates, thereby allowing practitioners to adjust weed control strategies and model input values when warranted. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] High-temperature mass spectrometric study of the vaporization processes of V2O3 and vanadium-containing slagsRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 16 2010H. Wang A Knudsen effusion mass spectrometric method was used to study the vaporization processes and thermodynamic properties of pure V2O3 and 14 samples of vanadium-containing slags in the CaO-MgO-Al2O3 -SiO2 system in the temperature range 1875,2625,K. The system was calibrated using gold in the liquid state as the standard. Vaporization was carried out from double tungsten effusion cells. First it was shown that, in vapor over V2O3 and the vanadium-containing slags in the temperature range 1875,2100,K, the following vapor species were present: VO2, VO, O, WO3 and WO2, with the latter two species being formed as a result of interaction with the tungsten crucibles. The temperature dependencies of the partial pressures of these vapor species were obtained over V2O3 and the slags. The ion current comparison method was used for the determination of the V2O3 activities in slags as a function of temperature with solid V2O3 as a reference state. The V2O3 activity coefficients in the slags under investigation indicated positive deviations from ideality at 1900,K and a tendency to ideal behavior at 2100,K. It was shown that the V2O3 activity as a function of the slag basicity decreased at 1900,K and 2000,K and was practically constant in the slag melts at 2100,K. The results are expected to be valuable in the optimization of slag composition in high-alloy steelmaking processes as well as for their environmental implications. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] DO OLIGOPOLISTS POLLUTE LESS?THE JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2007EVIDENCE FROM A RESTRUCTURED ELECTRICITY MARKET Electricity restructuring has created the opportunity for producers to exercise market power. Oligopolists increase price by distorting output decisions, causing cross-firm production inefficiencies. This study estimates the environmental implications of production inefficiencies attributed to market power in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland electricity market. Air pollution fell substantially during 1999, the year in which both electricity restructuring and new environmental regulation took effect. I find that strategic firms reduced their emissions by approximately 20% relative to other firms and their own historic emissions. Next, I compare observed behavior with estimates of production, and therefore emissions, in a competitive market. According to a model of competitive behavior, changing costs explain approximately two-thirds of the observed pollution reductions. The remaining third can be attributed to firms exercising market power. [source] Environmental Costing in Capital Investment Decisions: Electricity Distributors and the Choice of Power PolesAUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING REVIEW, Issue 1 2008Craig Deegan Australian electricity distribution businesses use a vast number of poles in their networks. In making their purchase decisions, they can choose between types of pole. It might come from an old-growth forest or a plantation, or be made from cement, steel or fibreglass. This paper discusses how Australian electricity distribution businesses currently account (or fail to account) for the social and environmental implications of the production and use of power poles. The discussion highlights the many factors to be considered in a life-cycle costing exercise. The paper provides suggestions for future practice which have implications not only for electricity distribution businesses, but for industry generally. [source] | ||||||||||||||||