Xueliang Yuan

Research on the impact assessment of urbanization on air environment with urban environmental entropy model: a case study

A new concept of urban environmental entropy was introduced to investigate the effect of urbanization on air environment considering the fact that rapid development of urbanization may have negative influence on the whole air environment system. The urban environmental entropies which were built based on the generalized thermodynamic entropy and the generalized statistic entropy, respectively. These two entropy models have been used to analyze the relationship between the development of urbanization and air environment. The negative entropy flow mechanism was proposed to reveal the advantages and approaches of regional cities in improving air environment system. A case study on 17 cities in Shandong Province of China showed that the values of urban environmental entropy were negative in most cities from 2001 to 2008, which implies that there is a positive correlation between the development of urbanization and air environment and that is a negative entropy development level in Shandong Province of China. In 2008, the urbanization of Qingdao city and Jinan city improved their air environments. Moreover, restraints for both cities in air environment improvement were recognized according to the analysis of negative entropy flow mechanism.

Economic Development, Energy Consumption, and Air Pollution: A Critical Assessment in China

ABSTRACT Low energy efficiency, energy shortage, and energy-related environmental issues are becoming critical constraints for the sustainable development of China. This research aims for investigating the impacts of economic development on energy consumption and emissions of air pollutants in China with a comparison between Chinas developed regions and underdeveloped regions. The Resource and Environmental Performance Index (REPI) model is employed to analyze the performance of energy consumption, industrial waste gas, sulphur dioxide, soot, and industrial dust of selected provinces over the past 13 years. As a ratio of energy consumption or emissions of pollutants of a province and the whole country, the REPI value presents the cost of energy and environment and is not consistent with the change of absolute quantities of energy consumption or emissions of pollutants in a province. The REPI value calculated from 2000 through 2012 indicates that economic development has a certain level of impact on energy consumption and air environment but not necessarily to be negative. Economic development can improve the performance on energy consumption and air pollutants reduction as long as reasonable energy and industrial structure, improved energy efficiency, and strict environmental policies are put in place.

Research on interactive coupling mechanism and regularity between urbanization and atmospheric environment: a case study in Shandong Province, China

In the logarithmic curves of the per capita GDP and the urbanization, with the traditional environmental Kuznets equation, this paper presented a coupling equation showing the relationship between urbanization and the atmospheric environment. Based on the “double exponential” coupling curve, the principles of flattening, advancing and fast-falling that new coupling curve should be followed were discussed. According to the two indicators of environmental assessment, namely the treatment cost and the deterioration degree of the environment, a new dual four times matrix model with the corresponding countermeasures and environment policy were introduced. Taking Shandong Province as an example, the coupling relationship between urbanization and atmospheric environment was investigated. The coupling curve showed that it was in running-in stage, and atmospheric quality tended to be improved. SO2 curve fluctuated more significantly compared with soot and industrial dust curves. The matrix model shows that the combination of flattening principle and advancing principle is preferable for SO2 emissions, but the fast-falling principle is recommended for soot and industrial dust emissions.

Eco-industry and sustainability for the coal industry – a case study from YZCMG, China

With the rapid growth of its economy in the past two decades, China is facing a serious energy shortage. Energy consumption of China is currently based on coal, but intensive exploitation of coal resources is accompanied by serious threats to the environment. In order to balance economic development, environmental protection, and natural resource conservation, there is an opportunity for development of eco-industry in the coal industry. This paper examines a case study of Yanzou Coal Mining Group (YZCMG), which can be viewed as a typical mining enterprise in China. The aim is to identify the benefits of developing an eco-industry in the coal industry. The significant reduction of environmental pollutants, economic benefits from recycling and reuse of wastes, and increased energy efficiency, together with reduced consumption of natural resources (mainly coal and water), reveal that development of an eco-industry within YZCMG is a promising option. This is also an opportunity for the coal industry to contribute to more sustainable development.

Stability of ecological industry chain: an entropy model approach

A novel methodology is proposed in this study to examine the stability of ecological industry chain network based on entropy theory. This methodology is developed according to the associated dissipative structure characteristics, i.e., complexity, openness, and nonlinear. As defined in the methodology, network organization is the object while the main focus is the identification of core enterprises and core industry chains. It is proposed that the chain network should be established around the core enterprise while supplementation to the core industry chain helps to improve system stability, which is verified quantitatively. Relational entropy model can be used to identify core enterprise and core eco-industry chain. It could determine the core of the network organization and core eco-industry chain through the link form and direction of node enterprises. Similarly, the conductive mechanism of different node enterprises can be examined quantitatively despite the absence of key data. Structural entropy model can be employed to solve the problem of order degree for network organization. Results showed that the stability of the entire system could be enhanced by the supplemented chain around the core enterprise in eco-industry chain network organization. As a result, the sustainability of the entire system could be further improved.

Conflicts between state planning, market development and environmental sustainability: A case study of the electric power industry in Shandong Province

The Electric power industry in Shandong Province faces the dual challenge of economic growth and environmental protection. Analysis of the Electric Power Development Plan of Shandong Province indicates that Shandong Provinces current power generation capacity can satisfy demand until 2013. After that, electric power shortages will appear and the gap between supply and demand will reach 149.25 billion kWh by 2020. Projected new coal-fired power stations will consume 103.28 million tonnes of coal and 474.07 million m3 of water resources producing significant extra emissions of SO2, soot, CO2, NOx, waste water, coal ash and slag. These emissions will exceed established environmental capacity and enhance the greenhouse gas contribution by around 50%. Water shortage and depleting coal reserves will restrict electric power development in Shandong Province. Increasing levels of pollutants, especially SO2 and soot, released by the coal-fired power industry, will bring serious pressures to Shandong Provinces human population and urban and natural environments. These predictions suggest that a radically new approach to meeting the demands of economic growth is required if Shandong is to improve its air quality and meet international targets for greenhouse gas emissions.

Research on Energy Demand Forecast with LEAP Model Based on Scenario Analysis - A Case Study of Shandong Province

Economy has kept in fast increasing in the past decade in Shandong Province. The boosted economy is companied with the rocked up of energy consumption. Energy shortage is becoming the significant limiting factor for further economic development of Shandong. Combined with the trend of economic development, current situation of energy consumption, progress in industrial restructuring and other related factors, the energy demand of 2010, 2015 and 2020 is forecasted with LEAP model. The result shows that the increasing rate of energy consumption and energy utilization intensity is very high. Economic development will still dependent on the increase of energy consumption heavily in the future. In order to realize sustainable development, Shandong has to achieve a better technological progress, optimized industrial structure and improved energy efficiency.

Can Industrial Restructuring Lead to a Sustainable Future? A Critical Environmental Risk Assessment of Industrial Policy in Shandong Province, China

ABSTRACT Shandong Province is attempting to realize a sustainable development path by industrial restructuring. This article attempts to forecast the outcomes of this policy, looking ahead to 2010 and 2020 by quantifying its resource demand and environmental effects. Prediction and analysis indicate that the industrial restructuring policy of Shandong Province is likely to prove beneficial to the environment, reducing energy and water consumption from the 2004 baseline. However, the analysis also indicates that the high anticipated economic growth rates will override any resource saving and pollutants reduction achieved. Natural resource supplies are insufficient to meet demand, and environmental quality is likely to deteriorate, rendering economic growth targets unachievable. However, if Shandong puts in place policies designed to achieve average energy and water consumption efficiency, SO2 emission efficiency and wastewater treatment efficiency of OECD countries in 2004, then energy consumption, SO2 emissions, wastewater, and Chemical Oxygen Demand discharges in 2020 will reduce in real terms with only water demand showing a slight increase over the 2004 baseline. The assessment suggests that further measures such as developing new and alternative energy sources, raising the utilization efficiency of energy and water resources, and improving pollution treatment are required if Shandong Province is to realize a balanced and sustainable development for its society, economy, and environment.

Investigating vulnerability of ecological industrial symbiosis network based on automatic control theory

System fluctuations of eco-industrial symbiosis network (EISN) organization due to disturbance are very similar to the controller adjustment in the automatic control theory. Thus, a methodology is proposed in this study to assess the vulnerability of EISN based on the automatic control theory. The results show that the regulator plays a key role to enhance the resilience of the network system to vulnerability. Therefore, it is imperative to strengthen the real-time regulation and control of EISN so that the system stability is improved. In order to further explore the impact of various regulations on the system vulnerability, the influence of system stability is simulated by means of proportional, differential, and integral control. A case study with Guigang eco-industrial park (EIP) was undertaken to test this model. The results showed that when the system was disturbed at different positions, the key nodes which had great influence on system vulnerability could be selected according to the magnitude of simulation curve. By changing the ratio coefficient of proportional, differential, and integral units to adjust the ecological chain network, the system’s resilience to vulnerability can be enhanced. Firstly, if basic conditions of EISN organization remain unchanged, the integral control of the policy support and infrastructure sharing should be strengthened. Secondly, the differential regulation should be improved continuously for the technological innovation capability of key node enterprises. Finally, the key chain filling projects should be introduced for proportional control so that the chain network design can be optimized from the source.

Robustness of eco-industrial symbiosis network: a case study of China

As a complex network, eco-industrial symbiosis network is featured with complexity, openness, and non-linearity. A methodology is proposed to analyze and optimize the eco-industrial symbiosis network from the perspective of complex network theory. Structural robustness index and performance robustness index are established as the analysis model. Consequently, a robust method is developed to optimize the eco-industrial symbiosis network system based on the percolation theory. A conceptual framework is put forward to improve the robustness of eco-industrial symbiosis network system by introducing the “spare core” enterprise which is validated by quantitative analysis. The empirical results show that the robustness of eco-industrial symbiosis network varies under both random failure and intentional disturbance scenarios. However, eco-industrial symbiosis network system has strong self-regulation capability as long as the core enterprise is still in operation. It is recommended that supplementary chain could be added to those enterprises with lower network node connectivity to form “spare core” enterprise. This can not only effectively reduce the dependence of other enterprises on core enterprises, but also further improve the robustness of eco-industrial symbiosis network. This methodology is practically validated by a case analysis of eco-industrial park in China. The findings provide useful inputs to the design and operation of eco-industrial parks.