Environmental analysis of mining operations: Dynamic tools for impact assessment

Keeping a high mineral production rate while protecting the environment requires a mining framework where several perspectives are considered and weighed up. The concept of sustainability provides just such a framework. Social and financial needs determine mineral production rates, resulting in a global demand for minerals. To ensure effective environmental protection, different tools and techniques have been developed. One of the most widespread is the so-called Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This technique is extremely useful but there are also drawbacks. For instance, subjectivity in initial value choices makes model comparison difficult. To overcome some of these problems, this paper sets out a methodology to establish an environmental analysis, focusing on the evolution of environmental impacts over time. This analysis provides a dynamic tool which could be included as part of any EIA-based techniques. The proposed methodology is general enough to apply to different mine project designs since the model includes a typical mining operation layout together with adaptive parameters.     

赤道异常特征对桂林地区L波段电离层闪烁逐日变化的影响

为了研究桂林地区L波段电离层闪烁逐日变化的原因,利用桂林地区(地理坐标:25.29°N,110.33°E;地磁坐标:15.04°N,181.98°E)的L波段电离层闪烁监测仪GSV4004的观测数据和国际GNSS服务中心(IGS)提供的全球VTEC数据,在磁平静条件下研究东经110°地区的赤道异常特征对桂林地区L波段电离层闪烁逐日变化的影响。结果表明,与非闪烁日相比,东经110°地区的赤道异常特征在闪烁日内有明显区别。闪烁日日落后的赤道异常复苏现象更为明显,主要表现为:赤道异常峰区的VTEC数值更大,峰区与谷区的VTEC比值更大,峰区与谷区之间的VTEC梯度更大,日落后的赤道异常复苏现象持续时间更长,且日落后复苏的赤道异常结构的北峰所处的纬度更高。     

An interoperable solution for Cloud manufacturing

Cloud manufacturing is a new concept extending and adopting the concept of Cloud computing for manufacturing. The aim is to transform manufacturing businesses to a new paradigm in that manufacturing capabilities and resources are componentized, integrated and optimized globally. This study presents an interoperable manufacturing perspective based on Cloud manufacturing. A literature search has been undertaken regarding Cloud architecture and technologies that can assist Cloud manufacturing. Manufacturing resources and capabilities are discussed in terms of Cloud service. A service-oriented, interoperable Cloud manufacturing system is proposed. Service methodologies are developed to support two types of Cloud users, i.e., customer user and enterprise user, along with standardized data models describing Cloud service and relevant features. Two case studies are undertaken to evaluate the proposed system. Cloud technology brings into manufacturing industry with a number of benefits such as openness, cost-efficiency, resource sharing and production scalability.     

Quality of the guidelines for preparation and review of environmental impact assessment reports in Pakistan

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an important tool for making informed decisions about development projects to avoid or mitigate potential adverse impacts on the environment. Guidelines are prepared all over the world to facilitate consultants and stakeholders to meet the objectives of EIA and to prepare quality EIA reports. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency prepared environmental impact assessment guidelines for this purpose in 1997. However, the major issue is that, even after two decades, the guidelines have not been reviewed. This paper presents the outcome of research conducted on the contents and quality of the guidelines for the preparation of EIA reports. The methodology encompasses an extensive review of the literature as well as available guidelines and interviews with the selected consultants, using semi-structured interview schedules. Although the quality of current guidelines overall is found to be good, the likelihood they are followed is connected with them being updated regularly, taking on board opinion of EIA consultants and other stakeholders.     

BEPAS—a life cycle building environmental performance assessment model

This paper presents a building environmental performance analysis system—BEPAS, which was developed based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) framework. In BEPAS, environmental impacts were investigated in three main aspects of a building that were closely related to environmental performance—building facilities, building materials and location. In addition, a set of environmental databases were developed, covering the environmental performance profiles of these environmental aspects. The BEPAS can be used to assess the environmental performance of a new or existing building. This paper also discusses a case project in order to illustrate the assessment procedures and test the effectiveness of the system in application.     

Environmentally-Sensitive Water Resources Planning

In this paper, the traditional problem of matching supplies to competing demands, referred to as water resources planning (WRP), is re-visited. With the pressure of continuing growth in the world's population, efficient development and management of available water resources are of greater importance than ever before. It is equally important in today's world that the environmental implications of any activity should be minimised. The aim of this research is to develop a methodology for including environmental considerations in the WRP process. This is achieved by weighting the costs of the various water resource options (both constructional and operating) to reflect their environmental impacts, prior to their inclusion in an economic planning model. The effect of such a weighting procedure is to encourage the selection of environmentally-friendly schemes at the expense of environmentally-damaging ones. The objective function of the combined methodology is to minimise the total environmentally-adjusted costs, discounted to a base year. A comprehensive planning tool named ENRES has been developed to carry out this task. The model allows the environmental impact assessment of all development options, either source components or transfer structures, to be undertaken prior to running the allocation procedure which is carried out by means of an optimisation technique. With the help of all the facilities provided, the model can be used in a planning exercise both with and without environmental considerations. In this way, it is possible to quantify the cost of environmental impacts in the planning process.     

气井钻井环评工程分析

分析气田钻井特点和环境保护的特殊性、污染防治难点和易出现的问题,强调开展钻井环评的重要性和作用,指出做好钻井工程分析是开展环评工作的基础和前提。提出钻井环评工程分析应着重关注井场外环境敏感目标、目标层及以上地层地质条件、天然气组分和预计产气量、钻进和动力方式、主要设备类型、钻井液成份、主要环保措施可行性、污染物产生量及去向、环境风险等,并介绍钻井环评工程分析的主要步骤和方法,要防止为通过环评审查而忽略存在的问题。     

用个人计算机串行通讯端口的控制端接收串行信号

不同于PC机串行通讯端口RS-232-C的常规标准, 利用异步串行通讯端口的控制端(DSR)直接接收串行数字信号.用此方法成功地实现个人计算机直接接收无线寻呼中文信息.这种方法简单、可靠,可用于研制无线寻呼信号实时监测系统,还可用于接收并研究未知格式的串行数字信息.     

利用规划环评 作好城市规划

通过分析城市规划环评现状存在问题,分析了规划环评介入城市规划的原则,思考并探讨了利用规划环评这一有力工具丰富城市规划方法,提高城市规划的科学性,更有利于环境的可持续发展.     

Landscape Degradation Modelling: An Environmental Impact Assessment for Rural Landscape Prioritisation

Landscape Degradation Assessment (LDA) of rural areas can play a crucial role in landscape planning. Japan lacks quantitative and cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) methodologies, especially in the area of LDA. Although a decision support system is in place for very large projects (Class-1) in Japan, EIAs for much smaller projects are non-existent, which often results in ambiguity with regard to environmental problems. To improve the transparency of the decision-making process for rural landscape planning, increase the scale of the assessment of project size to a more strategic local level, and enhance effective communication with decision-makers, a new EIA procedure is proposed with the development of a Landscape Degradation Model (LDM) for rural areas in Japan. The procedure is based on the equation, L_D=Σ kI/V, where L_D represents the degradation coefficient of the landscape compartments, Σ kI represents the cumulative impact of human activities, and V quantifies the vulnerability of a habitat. The value of L_D provides a means for supporting decisions aimed at the quantitative prioritisation of working units and developing respective conservation plans. This methodology is a holistic approach to rural landscape reclamation decision support systems where these LDM findings are geared toward sustainability appraisal and where integrated assessment of the economics of a proposal is recommended.