فهرست مطالب nargess kargari

Energy, especially electricity, is one of the most important infrastructures of modern life. Electricity generation is a necessary and inevitable activity. However, it is associated with environmental impacts. Among different types of power plants, thermal power plants have significant environmental impacts due to the use of fossil fuels.

Among thermal power plants, combined cycle power plants, which are the dominant method of generating electricity in Iran, have lesser environmental impact. So far, different methods have been used to study and evaluate the environmental impact of combined-cycle power plants. However, the life cycle assessment (LCA) method is an appropriate, complete, and new way to quantify the impacts. This method can quantify and assess the impacts in different categories, including health impacts (impacts on human health). This method is based on the ISO 14040 standard. According to the object (health impacts), three methods have been selected to characterize and assess the impacts, including Impact 2002, EPS, EDIP, and for this purpose, SimaPro software has been applied.

Among the characterization methods, only the EDIP method has a normalization coefficient and provides the possibility of comparing the classes of effects. Based on the EDIP method, the normalized quantity of air pollution toxicity, water pollution toxicity, and soil pollution toxicity are equal to 3-E8/3, 3-E8-27, and 6-E9-24, respectively.

Based on the results obtained for the combined cycle power plant studied in this search (Shahid Rajaei power plant), the most health impacts are caused by air pollutants, after that, soil pollutants, which are mainly due to the entry of treated effluent of the power plant, have the largest share in health impacts, and finally water pollutants are the next priority in creating health impacts. The identified health impacts of the Shahid Rajaei combined cycle power plant include respiratory problems, lost years of life, malnutrition and reduced work capacity, exacerbation of angina pectoris, and exacerbation of asthma.

Life cycle assessment is a suitable tool to examine and measure of the environmental aspects of the production of a product from the beginning to its formation. In this study, the environmental impacts of the production process of 1 ton of formalin in an industrial unit producing formalin with the approach of life cycle assessment and the requirements of the international standard ISO14040:2006, the use of SimaPro9 software and three evaluation methods Eco-indicator 99, IMPACT 2002+ and EDIP 2003 were investigated in the period of 2019-2020. The results of modeling with the Eco-indicator 99 method showed that the environmental impact of using methanol is 86% of the total environmental impact of the formalin production process. 80% of this impact comes from the consumption of fossil fuels in the production of methanol. The results obtained from the modeling of the formalin production process by applying the characteristic coefficients of the EDIP 2003 method indicate that the destruction of the ozone layer is the most important effect of the formalin production process and methanol has an 82% effect on the environmental effects of the formalin production process. Among them, more than 28% of the harmful effect of methanol consumption is on the destruction of the ozone layer. The results of modeling with the IMPACT 2002+ method show that 83% of the environmental impacts of the life cycle of formalin production are caused by the consumption of methanol, and the consumption of non-renewable energy sources has an impact of 60% on this value.

Safety training programs play an important role in the success of organizations and reducing occupational injuries. The effectiveness of such programs not only provides employees with new opportunities to improve their safety skills, but also can be leading to greater productivity and improvement of safety culture. Therefore, this study was conducted to prioritize the factors affecting the effectiveness of safety training for employees of Fardis Fire Protection Organization using multi-criteria decision-making model.

 In the current study, the criteria (including the quality and quantity of education and development policies and measures) and sub-criteria were identified from the similar studies and their screened using the Delphi technique. Then the criteria and sub-criteria of each criterion were subjected to pair wise comparisons and weighting. The internal relationships between the criteria were determined using DEMATEL technique; also, the final prioritization and weighting of the results were done using ANP and DEMATEL via the Super Decisions software. In so doing, 10 experts of Fardis Fire Protection Organization were selected in a non-probabilistic way to respond.

Based on the results obtained, "quality of education" criterion with a final weight of 0.515 had the first priority among the other criteria. Also, the "development policies and measures" criterion had the most effectiveness. Besides, "quantity of education" criterion had the highest level of influence and interaction. Meanwhile, "continuous presence of selected learners and teachers in the courses" sub-criterion with a final weight of 0.104 had the first priority among the others.

In conclusion, it can be argued that don't continuously and adequately paid attention to the employee's training could be leading to reduced effectiveness of safety training. Therefore, in order to maintain the effectiveness of the training programs, it is recommended to design the safety training courses in line with the organization policies.

This study aimed to evaluate the occupational exposure of workers at a combined-cycle power plant located in the southwestern region of Iran. The assessment focuses on the inhalation exposure route to workplace emissions. The primary locations for potential pollutant emissions were identified in close proximity to the areas where chemicals were introduced and utilized within the production process. Sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, oil mist, toluene, hydrogen sulfide, hydrazine, and tetrachloromethane were measured and analyzed using the NIOSH standard. Dose-response assessment was estimated using inhalation unit risk (IUR) for cancer risks and reference concentration (RFC) and reference exposure levels (REL) for non-cancer risks. Risk assessment was performed based on the Environmental Health Hazard Assessment guideline. The results showed that ammonia and toluene had the highest and lowest concentration of pollutants emitted in workplace, respectively. The inhalation of ammonia and sulfuric acid and their daily absorption were at high risk level (HQ > 1). Other noncancerous compounds had HQ < 1. While the hazard index (HI) for total non-cancer risks was 5.34E + 01 (HI > 1), it was likely to have non-cancerous risks. For carcinogenic risks, they were calculated to be 9.58E-03 and 5.47E-04 for hydrazine and tetrachloromethane, respectively. The total carcinogenic risk of the emissions was calculated at 1.01E-02, which was in the significant range (more than 10-4) (i.e. in the range of hazardous cancer effects). This study confirmed the presence of non-carcinogenic risks, while the quantity of cancer risks fell within the Significant range, indicating a potential for carcinogenic risks.

Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is regarded as a guidance document to attain and measure compliance with the mitigation requirements and environmental protection of projects, which are normally requirements for project approvals. The study mainly aims to present an Environmental Management Plan for dams whose construction was suspended by opposing stakeholders for the harmful impacts on the environment in forested areas. As a case study, the Hyrcanian forests (Caspian forests) are located in western Asia and were inscribed on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2019. The construction of the hydropower Shafarood dam began in these forests in 1990. Because of budget deficits and the suspensions incurred by opposing activists in 2013, dam construction has only advanced by 23% ever since. To meet that aim, the research data was collected through analysis of documents, letters, articles, field visits to the construction site, and interviews. The semi-structured interviewing method was employed in holding interviews with governmental and environmental NGOs, local people, specialists, and academics because of their good cooperation. The results indicate that the most negative effects in the construction phase have been produced by deforestation and degradation of vegetation, source of material supply, settlement and livelihood of migrants impacted by dam impoundment, water, air and sound quality. Ultimately, an Environmental Management Plan was proposed for this dam and those under construction or suspended in forested areas to minimize the negative environmental effects of the Hydropower Shafarood dam, which technically concentrates on mitigating measures.

Wheat and maize are important and strategic crops in Iran. These crops are widely grown in the Dez catchment area. Therefore, due to climate change, recent droughts, water bankruptcy in the country, low water consumption efficiency in agriculture, and the excessive consumption of input which pose a serious threat to agriculture and food security, it is necessary to achieve a correct understanding of the sustainable production of crops in the region. Improper use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fossil fuels, machinery causes irreversible damage to the environment. To reduce these adverse environmental effects of methods the idea of sustainable agriculture and the transformation of agriculture from high-input to low-input consumption is very important. The footprint index determines the amount of pressure on nature caused by man or other man-made systems. The carbon uptake criterion is used as a basis for assessing the ecological footprint. Ecological footprint estimates the amount of productive land needed to compensate for the environmental impacts of a particular activity by calculating resource consumption and carbon dioxide production. According to studies, each hectare of land can absorb 1.8 tons of carbon. The carbon uptake criterion is used as a basis for assessing the ecological footprint.

The method of the present study has a practical approach because it is in line with achieving sustainable agricultural development. This research was carried out in the cropping year of 2019-2020 at the Dez catchment. To determine the environmental sustainability of agriculture we used the modified ecological footprint method presented by Kissinger and Gottlieb (2012) and Guzman et al (2013). In this study, the ecological footprint was determined based on a place-oriented approach by obtaining energy consumption of the inputs, and the amount of crop and land energy. All the variables were collected in the form of a questionnaire and through interviews with 400 farmers of wheat and maize in the study area. Equivalent factors were also selected from similar studies. Independent samples t-test was performed between the two crops to determine whether there are differences in evaluation of EF.

The results of evaluating the ecological footprint method of wheat and maize cultivation in the study area at the level of one hectare were 3.50 and 4.66 global hectares, respectively. The results of the ecological footprint assessment for wheat and maize showed that both cropping systems are in an unsustainable state in terms of the environment. These systems produce 1.7 tons and 2.86 tons of excess carbon to produce wheat and maize, respectively which are more than the ecological capacity of one hectare to absorb environmental pollution. For both wheat and maize crops, nitrate fertilizer with 40.85% and 49.36%, diesel fuel with 18.57% and 17.60%, and water consumption with 14.57% and 16.31%, respectively, had the greatest impact on environmental instability in the study area. Mean comparison of the ecological footprint between the two crops showed that there was no significant difference between wheat and maize. The high ecological footprint of traditional agriculture was consistent with previous studies (Naderi Mahdei et al, 2015; Kissinger and Gottlieb, 2012; Bevec et al, 2011). Also, the important role of nitrate fertilizer and fossil fuels in increasing environmental hazards and ecological unsustainability was consistent with Fallahpour et al, (2012). It should be noted that No study was found to contradict the findings of the current study.

Both wheat and maize cropping systems were not environmentally sustainable and the total consumption inputs for both crops; chemical fertilizers, especially nitrate fertilizer and then diesel fuel have had the greatest impact on environmental instability in the study area. As a final result, the ecosystem of irrigated wheat production is more desirable than grain maize in terms of environmental sustainability, therefore, the production of both crops, especially maize, must be done with the highest accuracy and consider environmental considerations in the region.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a comprehensive method used to evaluate the environmental effects throughout the entire lifespan (from creation to disposal) of a product or process. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the environmental impact associated with generating 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity in a combined-cycle power plant located in the southwest region of Iran. An LCA following ISO 14044 standards was conducted via the ReCiPe method evaluating 10 impact categories at the midpoint level, and covering the entire life cycle. This method was selected for its comprehensive modeling of potential impacts from numerous chemicals and its practicality at both midpoint and endpoint levels. The study found that resource availability (RA) has the highest impact at 53% in endpoint categories, mainly due to natural land transformation (NLT) and fuel depletion (FD). Human health (HH) contributes 43%, while ecosystem diversity (ED) has a minor 4% role. In midpoint categories, over 99% of global warming potential (GWP) and climate change (CC) are from CO2 emissions due to fossil fuel combustion. Midpoint analysis identified NLT, FD, CC, freshwater ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, human toxicity, photochemical oxidant formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, and water depletion as the most impacted categories by the power plant. However, at the endpoint level, RA, HH, and ED were the primary concerns. Fossil fuel use significantly shaped the environmental impact throughout the power plant’s life cycle.

Cereal production systems in Iran are often associated with high costs and low productivity, improper use of inputs causes irreversible damage to the environment. Efficient farm management is one of the most important issues in achieving sustainable performance. This study aimed to determine and compare the ecological sustainability of two production ecosystems of irrigated wheat and grain maize using emergy analysis.

This research was carried out in the cropping year of 2019-2020 in Dez catchment. Interviews were conducted with 400 farmers of wheat and maize based on a questionnaire to collect data on production processes in farms. In this study, the emergy analysis method was selected to measure the sustainability of the desired agricultural products. Finally, the sustainability of the systems was evaluated using the value of emergy indicators.

The total emergy inputs for the irrigated wheat and maize production ecosystems were 1.60347E+16 and 2.54883E+16 sej ha-1 per year, respectively. The results indicated the production of both crops is in an environmentally unsustainable condition, and of all consumption inputs; chemical fertilizers, especially nitrate and phosphate, and then diesel have the most impact on environmental unsustainability in the study area.

As a final result, the ecosystem of irrigated wheat production is more desirable than grain maize in terms of yield, renewability, and environmental sustainability, and wheat production in the region is the superior system for achieving sustainability compared to maize production.

Formalin and Hexamine are an important chemicals used widely in industry and the issue of their pollution is often taken into account. The aim of this study, the environmental effects of formalin and hexamine production process in Gameron Petro Industry complex have been investigated using life cycle assessment method.

This study have been investigated according to ISO 14040, using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method and SimaPro software 9 and methods of evaluation of Eco-indicator99, IMPACT2002+ and EDIP2003. The functional unit studied is 1 ton of product (800 kg hexamine plus 200 kg formalin) in this complex.

The study of the obtained results shows that ammonia is the most influential input material in creating the consequences of climate change, radiation and toxicity. In respiratory inorganics, the contribution of ammonia and methanol is the same. In other outcomes, methanol is the dominant input. By examining the effect classes, it is determined that the effect of methanol and ammonia on human health is approximately equal. Ammonia has effect on ecosystem toxicity and methanol, among all inputs, in creating the category of resource consumption effect. The total values of the effect classes are 0.001636 DALY, 2038.305 PDF.m². year, 2091.536 Kg CO2 equivalents and 61.87139MJ surplus.

Examination of the results shows that in the life cycle of formalin production, and hexamine, methanol is the dominant input in creating environmental impacts. After that, ammonia, diesel and electricity are the effective inputs in the production life cycle of these products.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of identifying, predicting and mitigating the negative impacts of development projects on physico-Chemical, biological, socio-economic and cultural environments. The main purpose of EIA process is to inform decision makers of the likely impacts of a proposal before a decision is made. EIA provides an opportunity to identify key issues and stakeholders early in the life of a proposal so that potentially adverse impacts can be addressed before final approval decisions are made. There are different methods for implementing an EIA project. The best method is one, which can quantify the impacts and assess the impacts rapidly. This paper attempts to investigate and compare capabilities of the EIA prevalent methods including questionnaire, matrix, system analysis, maps overlay, networks and ELECTRE-TRI multi-criteria decision method. This paper indicates that ELECTRE_TRI is an appropriate method for EIA projects. However, the final judgment of the selection of EIA method depends on the EIA experts opinions.

There are no power generation systems without environmental impacts. Environmental impacts are in all stages of power generation process including resource extraction, facilities production, material transportation, power use and waste disposal. Some of the environmental impacts are air pollution (pollutant emissions like PM-10, SO2, NOx, CO, toxic pollutants such as Hg and etc.), greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use, impact on ecosystems (fauna and flora) and impact on human health. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology could characterize environmental impacts in all stages of life cycle of power generation. Different power generation systems could be comprised by LCA too. Considering the importance of GHG emission and climate change, this paper attempts to comprise GHG emissions in life cycle of different kinds of power plants (including fossil fuels power plants, nuclear power plants, photovoltaic power plants, wind power plants, hydropower and biomass power plants).

Externalities and damages from externalities are unavoidable in economic processes. One of the important externalities is environmental pollution. Therefore, in order to control pollution, society must suffer social costs.Social cost in energy sector is created because of greenhouse gases (CO2, SO2 and Nox). In this paper, methods for social cost estimation and experiences of other countries in this field have been studied.Trend of social cost of energy sector in Iran shows 139% of growth rate. So, native coefficients for social cost estimatation are very important. Also, it is necessary to mention that damage cost of energy sector in Iran hace been 52050 billion Rials, which 12.9% of it belongs to power sector.