What role does agricultural mechanization play in energy conservation and emission reduction?

In recent years, under the encouragement and pull of the national agricultural machinery purchase subsidy policy, farmers' enthusiasm for purchasing machinery for farming has been further mobilized. Various agricultural machinery has sprung up like mushrooms after a rain and entered thousands of rural households. The modern agricultural production method of "using iron oxen to plow the fields, planting rice without bending down, cutting crops in bags, digging ditches without shovels, and pumping water to fight drought only using oil and electricity" has emerged. Agricultural machinery for farming improves the agricultural production environment, reduces farmers' labor intensity, increases productivity and land output, and achieves the goals of increasing agricultural efficiency, increasing grain production, and increasing farmers' income. While we see the achievements, we should also see that during the development and use of agricultural mechanization, energy consumption of agricultural machinery increases, and environmental pollution also occurs. In particular, the educational level of farmers' machine operators varies. Some farmers just lost their "three handles" (plow handle, hoe handle, and sickle handle) yesterday and became agricultural machine operators as soon as they bought a machine today. They lack the technical knowledge of agricultural machinery and cannot Understand the importance of energy conservation and emission reduction through agricultural mechanization. During operation, energy consumption is high, oil is wasted, and water sources, land and crops are polluted. At the same time, exhaust emissions from agricultural machinery also pollute the air. Energy waste, waste gas emissions, environmental pollution, and ultimately physical harm to people are not conducive to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society. Therefore, the government and relevant departments should pay attention to it, and from now on we must do a good job in energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental pollution reduction through agricultural mechanization. Don't wait until the energy consumption of agricultural machinery is high, the waste of oil is serious, and the environmental pollution is worsening, which is endangering people's health and life safety before taking measures to make up for it. The cost and price paid at this time may be even greater.

1. Several manifestations of high agricultural machinery oil consumption and serious waste

Agricultural machinery oils, here mainly refers to diesel, gasoline, engine oil, hydraulic oil, gear oil, butter, etc.

(1) Waste of diesel oil

1. Overflow. Some agricultural machinery operators add oil at will when refueling. I think it is better to add more than less, causing the oil in the engine tank to overflow after it is full. Some spilled 0.2-0.5 kilograms at a time. If all agricultural machinery operators were like this, how much diesel would be wasted!

2. Leakage. A survey in rural areas found that about 20% of agricultural machinery such as diesel engines, tillers, tractors, and harvesters leaked oil. Some oil tank switches are leaking oil; some oil pipes are aging, oil pipe joints and gaskets are leaking oil; some oil pipes are broken and leaking oil. Some agricultural machinery operators believe that a few drops of oil leakage does not matter much; some also believe that oil leakage is their own business anyway and has nothing to do with others. They ignore that if they keep leaking for many years, it is a huge sum. According to tests, 9 drops of oil are leaked per minute, 24 hours a day and night, and 1.08 kilograms (12,000 drops equal to 1 kilogram) are leaked. One diesel engine, ten diesel engines, one hundred diesel engines... how much diesel oil is wasted in a year!

3. Wash. When maintaining agricultural machinery such as diesel engines, tillers, tractors, and harvesters, parts need to be cleaned. Each tractor uses approximately 15-25 kilograms of diesel fuel per year. If you use metal cleaner or washing powder for cleaning (but precision parts are still cleaned with diesel oil). Using "water" instead of oil can save a lot of diesel.

4. Without timely maintenance, the technical condition of agricultural machinery is poor and fuel consumption increases. According to the investigation, some agricultural machinery operators do not follow the instructions for use of the agricultural machinery and do not perform maintenance on the agricultural machinery in a timely manner. The technical condition of the agricultural machinery is poor, turning a "live machine" into a "dead machine" and a "good machine" into a "pathological machine", resulting in Fuel consumption increases. For example, if the air filter is not maintained in time and the air does not enter the cylinder smoothly, the fuel consumption rate of the diesel engine per horsepower hour will increase by about 1.7%.

5. The technical level of manual operation of agricultural machinery is low and the fuel consumption of agricultural machinery is high.

Some agricultural machinery operators are not proficient in agricultural machinery operation techniques and consume high fuel consumption during agricultural machinery operations. For example, if an agricultural operator does not use a low gear to start and accelerate when operating a tractor, he will consume about 15 ml more fuel each time he starts. A tractor needs to start multiple times a day, which consumes more oil in a day. Another example is that when an agricultural operator operates a harvester, he or she is not proficient in the operation method. There is a lot of empty travel, a lot of turns, and a lot of reversing. How much more diesel fuel will be consumed!

6. Agricultural machinery has been “in service” for an extended period.

According to the annual report statistics, the number of agricultural machinery is increasing year by year, but the number of agricultural machinery that has reached the end of life has not decreased and continues to be "in service" beyond the period. These agricultural machinery that has been "in service" beyond the period have poor technical conditions and high fuel consumption, and some fuel consumption exceeds 20 %. It is understood that 15%-25% of agricultural machinery is "in service" beyond the scheduled period. How much more fuel will be consumed?

(2) Waste of engine oil

Some agricultural machinery operators believe that adding more engine oil is safer. Therefore, the oil in the oil pan of the diesel engine is often added beyond the scale mark, so that the oil is sucked into the engine cylinder and burned in vain, and the phenomenon of "speeding" occurs. When changing the oil, some agricultural machinery operators Discard the old engine oil. The sediment could have been collected and used in the oil pan of a diesel engine air filter or used to lubricate harvester chains, sprockets, cutters, etc.

(3) Waste of grease (butter)

Some agricultural machinery operators believe that the more butter the better, causing the tractor hubs, front wheel horns, and steering knuckles to become lubricated. , on the cooling water pump and on the transmission mechanism of the harvester, butter overflowed. It is understood that every maintenance of each tractor and harvester wastes 0.1-0.2 kilograms. If every agricultural machinery operator is like this, how much butter will be wasted!

2. Pollution and hazards caused by agricultural oil and diesel engine exhaust emissions

(1) Pollution of water sources and land caused by "spills, leaks, washing and scattering" of agricultural oils

According to the investigation, during the use of agricultural machinery, the phenomenon of "spill, leakage, washing and scattering" of agricultural oil is very serious. It not only affects the normal operation of agricultural machinery and equipment, but also wastes petroleum resources and pollutes water sources and land. and even contaminate crops.

1. Diesel "spill and leakage" pollution

During the spring plowing production of agricultural machinery, we inspected the technical condition of a walking tractor operating in farmland and found that the engine had The phenomenon of diesel leakage has been tested and found to be 9 drops of diesel leakage per minute and 1.08 kilograms of diesel leakage every 24 hours day and night. Every drop of leaked diesel oil creates a spreading circle of oil stains on the water surface in Tianzhong, with a contaminated area of ??about 3 square centimeters. One kilogram of diesel pollutes an area of ??approximately 3.6 square meters.

About 20% of diesel engine oil leaks occur in rural areas. We can calculate how seriously diesel oil leaks in a county pollute water sources and land area, even in a province! The whole country!

2. Contamination of waste oil

Waste oil refers to waste diesel from cleaning spare parts, replacement of waste engine oil, waste hydraulic oil, etc. during maintenance of agricultural machinery. We found that a small amount of waste oil was collected for recycling, but most of it was "dumped, splashed, and scattered randomly." Some waste oil is washed away by rainwater into ditches, creeks, and rivers, polluting water sources; some waste oil is absorbed by the land. It is understood that during the maintenance of agricultural machinery, the diesel used for cleaning spare parts accounts for about 1.2% of the main fuel, and the waste engine oil accounts for about 0.3% of the main fuel. These waste oils "leak, run, and scatter", continuously polluting water sources and land, causing the water to deteriorate and the land to grow no crops. At the same time, it causes harm to people's health.

(2) The generation and harm of exhaust gas pollutants emitted by diesel engines

More than 95% of the supporting power for agricultural machinery is diesel engines. When the diesel engine is working, the exhaust gas formed after the combustible mixture (diesel and air) burns and performs work is discharged through the exhaust pipe. Its main components are carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), soot particulate matter (PM), etc.

Carbon dioxide has little direct harm to humans, but it will produce greenhouse effects in the atmospheric environment and gradually warm the earth.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood of humans and animals and harms people's health.

Hydrocarbons are highly toxic compounds composed of many compounds, which are harmful to people's health.

Nitrogen oxides form ozone when heated and exposed to sunlight. Ozone on the surface appears in the form of smog, which can cause respiratory diseases and inhibit the growth and reproduction of plants. The leading cause of cor pulmonale and environmental smog.

Soot particles contain many carcinogenic substances such as benzopyrene. The particle size distribution of the particles is between 0.01-1.0um. This particle size range is most likely to be inhaled by the human body and deposited in the lungs. , thus causing long-term damage to the human body and directly endangering human health and life.

3. Responsibility for energy conservation and emission reduction in agricultural mechanization and reduction of environmental pollution

In 2010, the State Council issued the "Notice on Further Improving Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction of Agricultural Mechanization" "This is a task assigned by the state to governments at all levels. Therefore, the government should assume the responsibility for energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental pollution reduction through agricultural mechanization. It is very difficult for the agricultural machinery department to do a good job and complete the work of energy conservation and emission reduction in agricultural mechanization by "working alone". To do a good job and complete the energy conservation and emission reduction work of agricultural mechanization, the government should take the lead, with the agricultural machinery department playing the leading role, relevant departments (science and technology, quality inspection, environmental protection, finance, water conservancy and other departments) cooperating and supporting, and agricultural machinery operators as the main body. At the same time, the government should put agricultural mechanization energy conservation and emission reduction on the agenda, so that there is a plan at the beginning of the year, work funds (mainly used for publicity, training, purchasing fuel consumption testing equipment, etc.), inspections in the middle of the year, and assessment and summary at the end of the year. .

Comrades with work experience all know that if there are thousands of difficulties, it will not be difficult if the government pays attention to them; if there are thousands of important things, it is most important for the government to pay attention to them. As long as the government assumes the responsibility for energy conservation and emission reduction through agricultural mechanization, the difficulties and problems encountered in energy conservation and emission reduction through agricultural mechanization will be easily solved.