Modeling the spill in the Songhua River after the explosion in the petrochemical plant in Jilin

An explosion in a petrochemical plant in Jilin in the northeast of China on 13 November 2005 was responsible for the discharge of large quantities of benzene and nitrobenzene into Songhua River. This endangered the water supply of Harbin city and influenced the daily life for millions of people. The dispersion-advection equation was solved analytically and numerically and used to simulate the concentration of benzene and nitrobenzene in the Songhua River after the accident. Both solutions gave practically identical results. The main elimination process for both compounds was volatilization. The model results are quite close to the results obtained by measurements at monitoring stations. Arrival time of the pollutant wave, peak concentrations and end of the pollutant wave at Harbin and along the river were predicted successfully. The peak concentrations of nitrobenzene at Harbin were more than 30 times above the permissible limits for drinking water.     

焦化废水中细菌质粒的研究

细菌质粒中常带有一些可编码降解特殊有毒物质酶的基因,为了研究质粒对有毒物质CN^-的降解的意义,主要调查了焦化废水中好氧异养菌的质粒分布特点。从山西省焦化企业公司生化站、太原煤气公司焦化厂生化站中筛选出53株细菌,利用琼脂糖凝胶电泳法,采用GDS-8000型凝胶电泳分析仪进行拍照,同时测定各菌株降氰、降酚能力,CN^-采用异烟酸-毗唑啉酮法,酚采用4-氨基安替比林法测定。结果表明,质粒的存在与降氰力有一定的关系,但对降酚力的影响差异不显著。同时,通过对其中11^*号菌株进行了质粒转化和消除实验,证明质粒稳定,不可用十二烷基磺酸钠(SDS)消除掉,用E．cbli DHI作受体菌,用11^#菌株作供体菌。作转化实验,但由于种种原因,没有筛洗到转化子。     

Managing the relationship with the environment

This article describes the results of a survey carried out by the author's company on behalf of Rank Xerox. The objective was to assess attitudes towards environmental issues in both the public and private sector. Although there were some differences over priorities, both sectors agreed that development of environmental policies was essential to their future.     

水处理中含铁废料综合利用的研究进展

回顾了２０余年来我国在水处理中综合利用含铁废料的研究进展，分别评述了副产品硫酸亚铁制备絮凝剂ＰＦＳ的各种方法，废铁屑运用于内电解法水处理和其他含铁泥渣，废酸在水处理中的研究和应用现状，指出含铁废料综合利用中有待于进一步研究的若干问题。     

底泥修复中温度对微生物活性和污染物释放的影响

通过分析底泥中微生物的酶活性以及污染物的释放规律,探讨了温度对河道底泥生物修复的影响.结果表明,底泥中微生物的脱氢酶、脲酶和磷酸酶的活性随着温度的升高而显著增大,但温度对纤维素酶的活性影响较小.4 ℃和10 ℃时底泥中污染物的释放量和微生物的酶活性均较低,水质较稳定;20～37 ℃时底泥中污染物的释放量明显增加,微生物的新陈代谢能力有较大提高,水体的自净能力较强.在各种因素的综合作用下,20～30 ℃是进行底泥生物修复的适宜环境温度.此外,当pH为9.0以及添加葡萄糖时,底泥中微生物均表现出较高的脱氢酶活性.     

Attempts to probe the ozone layer and the ultraviolet-B levels of the past

To get a proper perspective on the current status of atmospheric ozone, which protects the biosphere from ultraviolet-B (UV-B; 280-315 nm) radiation, it would be of value to know how ozone and UV-B radiation have varied in the past. The record of worldwide ozone monitoring goes back only a few decades, and the record of reliable UV-B measurements is even shorter. Here we review indirect methods to assess their status further back in time. These include variations in the Sun's emission and how these affect the atmosphere, changes in the Earth's orbit, geologic imprints of atmospheric ozone, effects of catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions, biological proxies of UV-B radiation, the spectral signature of terrestrial ozone in old recordings of star spectra, and the modeling of UV-B irradiance from ozone data and meteorological recordings. Although reliable reconstructions do not yet extend far into the past, there is some hope for future progress.     

Effect of the pesticide lindane on the biomass of the microalgae Nannochloris oculata

This study assesses the growth of the microalgae Nannochloris oculata in the presence of lindane and the ability of N. oculata to remove lindane from media. Algal biomass increased with 0.1 and 0.5 mg L^?1 of lindane, and lindane concentrations in the media decreased. N. oculata removed 73% and 68.2% of lindane in the 0.1 and 0.5 mg L^?1 media concentrations, respectively. Algal biomass decreased to the level of the control at lindane concentrations greater than 2.5 mg L^?1, probably due to toxicity. N. oculata removed lindane from the media at concentrations lower than 1.0 mg L^?1. Thus, N. oculata may be useful for lindane bioremediation in contaminated aquatic systems.     

Isolation of the stable fraction (the core) of the humic acid

Humic acid consists of a recalcitrant (unhydrolysed fraction) (the core) and labile (hydrolysable fraction) fraction. Core-humic acid (core-HA) isolation was performed by treating source material with apolar and polar solvents (organic solvents+acid hydrolysis) before alkaline extraction. Leonardite, soil Ah horizont and dry blood were chosen for this study because of their different origin and degree of humification. Chemical analysis (elemental analysis, total acidity, E(4):E(6)), spectroscopic analysis (DRIFT and (1)H NMR), and complete mass balance were used to investigate the effect of purifying humic acids. The results obtained showed that purification produced a slight modification of Leonardite humic acids as was expected for these highly humified organic matrices. On the other hand, about 500 g kg(-1) of soil humic acids were lost by purification. The fractions lost mainly consisted of carbohydrates. Dry blood showed the presence of humic acids that contrasted with its origin, thus indicating the limitations of the common analytical methods used for HA extraction. Nevertheless, in practice, purification caused the complete disappearance (914 g kg(-1) of HA was lost) of these HAs. The results obtained in this work suggest that the HA fraction isolated (named core-HA) effectively represents the HA structure proposed by the existing literature, since the purification proposed was able to eliminate the adsorbed organic molecules (interference materials) coating the HA structure.     

The Governance of the Mitigation of the Baltic Sea Eutrophication: Exploring the Challenges of the Formal Governing System

This article focuses on the governing system of the mitigation of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Policies and measures of the Baltic Sea coastal countries, the macro--regional (HELCOM) level, and the level of the European Union are described and governance challenges explicated. We found that the main challenges at different governance levels include: differences between coastal countries in terms of environmental conditions including environmental awareness, overlaps of policies between different levels, the lack of adequate spatial and temporal specification of policies, and the lack of policy integration. To help to meet these challenges, we suggest closer involvement of stakeholders and the public, the improvement of the interplay of institutions, and the introduction of a “primus motor” for the governance of the mitigation of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.     

An assessment of the aggregate impacts of the proposed reduction in the motor fuels tax in the United States

The analysis in this paper examines the impact of reducing the excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel on the United States economy. The analytical approach used consists of a computable general equilibrium model composed of fourteen producing sectors, fourteen consuming sectors, six household categories classified by income and the government. The effects of a 4.3 cents per gallon reduction in the excise tax on gasoline and diesel fuel on prices and quantities are examined. The results suggest, for example, that a decrease in the tax would result in higher output by the producing sectors (by about $2.86 billion), and expansion in the consumption of goods and services (by about $3.48 billion), and an increase in welfare (by about $3.59 billion). The government would realise a decrease in revenue of about $2.37 billion. When subjected to a sensitivity analysis, the results are reasonably robust with regard to the assumption of the values of the substitution elasticities.     

On the limits of the air pollution predictability: the case of the surface ozone at Athens, Greece

Purpose  

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of increased urbanization in the Athens city, Greece on the intrinsic features of the temporal fluctuations of the surface ozone concentration (SOC).     

Industrial plastic on the southern beaches of the Arabian Gulf and the western beaches of the Gulf of Oman

The increasing production and use of plastic in the Arabian Gulf combined with shipping and waste disposal practices, have increased the concentration of plastic particles on the sea's surface and beaches. The objective of this investigation was to provide an assessment of the abundance, distribution, potential sources and significance of industrial plastic on the western beaches of the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Gulf and on the eastern beaches on the Gulf of Oman. The abundance of stranded plastic pellets was highly uneven. By early 1992 alarming levels of fresh plastic pellets were noticed on the Arabian Gulf beaches of the UAE. Large numbers of 25 kg sacks of white plastic spherules manufactured by (SABIC) in Jubail, Saudi Arabia were washed ashore. When compared to the west coast on the Arabian Gulf, the east coast on the Gulf of Oman exhibited much lower levels of plastic pellets. When compared to other parts of the world, the beaches of the UAE on the Arabian Gulf are considered to be heavily polluted with industrial plastic.     

Quality of the surface water of a basin affected by the expansion of the agricultural frontier over the native forest in the Argentine Espinal region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Land use changes have led to the degradation of multiple ecosystem services and affected the quality of aquatic ecosystems. The aims of this study...     

The influence of the season and the biotic factors on the cytosolic metal concentrations in the gills of the European chub (Leuciscus cephalus L.)

The influence of the season and the biotic factors (age and gill mass) on metal and protein levels in the gill cytosol of the young chubs (2 and 3 years old) was studied in Sava River in autumn 2005 and spring 2006. The obtained results are the first reported cytosolic concentrations of five metals and proteins for the chub gills. The average levels in autumn and spring, respectively, for total cytosolic proteins were 11.2 and 19.9 mg ml(-1), for Zn 6.3 and 10.3 microg ml(-1), for Fe 3.9 and 9.6 microg ml(-1), for Cu 68.4 and 79.0 ng ml(-1), for Mn 55.0 and 63.5 ng ml(-1), and for Cd 2.9 and 3.6 ng ml(-1). The influence of the gill mass on both the protein and the metal levels was observed, but it was seasonally dependent. In autumn, positive correlations were obtained between the gill mass and four parameters (total proteins, Mn, Zn and Fe), and negative with Cu. Contrary, in spring, even negative correlations of total proteins and some metals with the gill mass were observed. The proposed explanation for the different dependence of metal levels on the gill mass in autumn and spring was the seasonal difference in feeding intensity and metabolic rate, with presumably faster metabolism and water filtration through gills in spring. This hypothesis was further supported by the statistically significantly higher concentrations of the total proteins, Zn and Fe, as well as the Fulton condition indices in the spring period.     

Modelling the behaviour of PAHs during atmospheric transport from the UK to the Arctic

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PAHs are subject to long-range atmospheric transport, which can result in the contamination of remote areas such as the Arctic. A simple model was developed to describe the removal processes of four PAHs; fluorene (FLU), phenanthrene (PHEN), fluoranthene (FLA) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) transported over a 5 day period from a source area over the UK to the Russian Arctic. The purpose of this model was to study processes affecting the PAHs within the atmosphere, rather than their interaction with the earth's surface. The components to the model included gas/particle partitioning, reaction with OH radicals and dry and wet deposition (both rain and snow). Atmospheric/meteorological parameters for the geographical region of interest were generated from three-dimensional atmospheric models. Air concentrations were prescribed in the source area with no additional PAH inputs along the transect, both winter and summer scenarios were modelled. Reaction with OH was a major removal mechanism for gas-phase FLU, PHEN and FLA, most notably in the temperate atmosphere. Wet deposition in the form of snow accounted for the majority of PAH loss in the winter, although the gas and particle scavenging ratios used in this model ranged over several orders of magnitude. Using a 5 day transport scenario in a `1-hop’ event, the model predicted that a primary emission of FLA and B[a]P to the atmosphere of the southern UK, would not reach the Russian Arctic at a distance of ∼3500 km, assuming a constant windspeed of 10 m s⁻¹. However, both FLU and PHEN with calculated half-lives of >60 h during the winter could be transported to this area under this scenario.     

Characterization and application of the enzyme peroxidase to the degradation of the mycotoxin DON

Deoxynivalenol (DON), one of the main mycotoxins found in food matrices, has high level of toxicity. This study aimed to characterize the peroxidase enzyme extracted from rice bran to be applied to the biodegradation of DON in order to evaluate the potential peroxidase (PO) from rice bran (RB) has to degrade DON in optimal conditions. Purification and recovery factors of PO extracted from RB and purified by three-phase partitioning were 5.7% and 50%, respectively. PO had the highest level of activity in the phosphate buffer 5 mM pH 5.5 in both crude and purified forms, whose reaction temperatures were 25°C and 10°C. At the end of production, purification and characterization steps, specific activities of the bran were 115.79 U mg^?1 and 4363 U g^?1. Reduction in the mycotoxin DON in optimal conditions determined for PO from RB was 20.3%, a promising result when the aim is to adequate mycotoxicological levels to foods.     

论强化政府环境责任

中国环境法律施行效果不理想的重要原因是政府环境责任的缺失,应当将<中华人民共和国环境保护法>(以下简称<环境保护法>)的修改和这一现状的改变结合起来,在<环境保护法>中强化政府环境责任.界定了政府环境责任的涵义,分析了加强政府环境责任的必要性,并介绍了美国、日本和俄罗斯联邦的环境基本法有关政府环境责任的规定,提出了修改<环境保护法>的立法建议.从国情出发,<环境保护法>应当规定积极和消极两个层面的政府环境责任.重点构建了积极层面的政府环境责任体系:提供环境公共产品(服务),在各项决策过程中执行环境影响评价,公开环境信息.     

Determining the role of humic substances in the fate of pesticides in the environment

Abstract

The data presented in this paper emphasize that the behavior and fate of pesticides in the environment is influenced by humic substances. Various methods most frequently used for the characterization of humic substances are discussed. Both humic acid and fulvic acid can solubilize in water certain organic compounds and are important carriers of some pesticides in soil. Humic substances have the potential for promoting the nonbiological degradation of many pesticides. Several methods of bleaching humus color from drinking water, including chlorination, ozonation, and UV‐radiation, are described. Finally, the photochemical stability to UV‐radiation of certain pesticides in aqueous fulvic acid solution is discussed.