中药渣微生物强化预处理效果及产气潜力

以天冬、防己和生地混合中药渣为发酵原料,分别采用固态(TS含量20%)和湿式(TS含量5%)2种发酵工艺,对经过微生物强化预处理的实验组药渣及未经过处理的对照组药渣进行沼气发酵,在35℃条件下,研究其产气潜力。在同为固态发酵工艺时,实验组药渣,产气量为1 900 mL,对照组药渣仅产气350 mL,固态发酵中实验组及对照组产气时间主要集中在前2天;而同为湿式发酵工艺时,实验组在整个实验周期产气共持续27 d,产气量为12 810 mL,对照组持续产气12 d,产气量为3 610 mL。实验结果表明,通过微生物的强化预处理均能大幅提高混合中药渣的产气率,混合中药渣经过预处理后采用湿式发酵工艺具有较好的产气潜力,其TS产气率为:0.346 m3/kg,而对照组TS产气率只有0.097 m3/kg,而固体发酵工艺并不适用于该混合中药渣的沼气发酵。     

蓝藻与污泥混合厌氧发酵产沼气的初步研究

为了实现太湖蓝藻打捞后的快速处置，对厌氧颗粒污泥、消化污泥、剩余污泥与蓝藻混合厌氧发酵产沼气进行了研究。结果表明，蓝藻与污泥混合可以有效促进沼气发酵。在蓝藻与厌氧颗粒污泥物料比为6∶1时，产气效果最佳，沼气产率为73 mL/g VS，平均甲烷含量为69%，最大产气速率为138 mL/d，累计产甲烷量为50 mL CH₄/g干物质，分别是蓝藻与消化污泥、剩余污泥混合发酵时的1.5倍和2.3倍。厌氧颗粒污泥、消化污泥、剩余污泥与蓝藻混合，其VS降解率为11.40%～13.73 %，COD减少了27.97%～46.38%。厌氧发酵对蓝藻藻毒素的含量有较大影响，分别从356、366和244 μg/L降低到检测限5 μg/L 以下。     

藻渣添加对玉米秸秆厌氧发酵特征的影响

厌氧发酵是农业废弃物资源化的有效途径之一.将农业废弃物同其他富含氮元素的有机废物混合发酵能够有效地提高产气效率.以玉米秸秆为例,尝试利用藻渣作为添加剂,提高农业废弃物厌氧发酵的性能.实验主要研究了混合发酵比例对沼气产量、甲烷产量、沼渣沼液特征的影响.当玉米秸秆、藻渣和接种污泥的挥发性固体质量分数为10∶ 2∶2时,沼气产率最高可达421.0 mL/g,甲烷产率为218.7 mL/g.沼渣组分分析表明,纤维素和半纤维素降解效率分别为83.7％和68.4％,和对照相比纤维素的降解效率显著提高.结果表明,藻渣的添加能够有效地促进玉米秸秆厌氧发酵产甲烷过程.     

高温干发酵对互花米草产气和结构的影响

互花米草的疯长已带来严重的环境问题,厌氧发酵提供了一种资源化的解决途径.通过渗滤床高温、干式发酵互花米草,考察其产气特性;并通过元素分析、X-ray和FT-IR分析,考察干发酵及预处理对互花米草物化性质的影响.结果表明:60 d高温干发酵互花米草,累计产气量为280.9 mL/g VS(0℃);总TS与VS去除率分别为...     

水稻与棉花秸秆不同预处理厌氧发酵产沼气

以猪粪为接种物,以棉花秸秆和水稻秸秆为发酵原料,分别对秸秆进行稀碱法预处理和稀碱法与超声波联合预处理,在发酵温度为(37±1)℃的条件下进行厌氧发酵产沼气的研究。结果表明,以联合预处理的秸秆为发酵原料,厌氧发酵的各项指标均比以稀碱预处理秸秆发酵的效果好,其中累积产气量和沼气中甲烷含量分别提高35.23%和2.4%,发酵后TS、VS含量相对减少2.6%～10.94%,发酵液代谢产物中的有机酸丙酮酸、乙酸和柠檬酸含量相对减少23.9%～25.9%、20.24%～24.53%和41.08%～45.91%。     

微波预处理对秸秆厌氧消化影响的研究

以秸秆为研究对象，比较不同的微波强度预处理作用下对秸秆厌氧消化产气特性的影响，研究日产气量、pH值、甲烷气体浓度及生物降解率4个参数的变化趋势，结果表明:微波预处理对秸秆厌氧消化有明显效果，平均日产气量由未被预处理的6.21 mL/g VS上升到 8.16 mL/g VS，上升了31.33%，达到最大日产气量时间由原来的第12 d，提前至第2～第7 d不等，最大日产气量由原来的23.43 mL/g VS上升到43.49 mL/g VS；在360～900 W范围内，微波强度越大，反应的pH值下降越快，秸秆厌氧消化最大日产气量越提前；经过微波预处理的甲烷浓度平均浓度由原来的50%提高至62%左右，其生物能范围也由未处理前的17.58 MJ/m³提高至23.46 MJ/m³，物降解率由未预处理的44.12%，提高至71.55%。     

猪粪与玉米秸秆混合中温发酵产气效果

以猪粪及碱液预处理后的玉米秸秆为原料,在恒温35℃和料液总固体质量分数为5%的条件下,以实验室内培养的不产气厌氧活性污泥为接种物,研究猪粪与玉米秸秆不同配比(干物质比分别为1∶3、1∶2、1∶1、2∶1、3∶1和0∶1(单一猪粪))混合发酵对产气效果的影响。研究结果表明,在35℃条件下,猪粪与玉米秸秆以2∶1配比的累积产气量最大,为15 157 mL;其次是1∶1样品,累积产气量为15 088 mL。但甲烷产量最高为1∶1样品,56 d共产甲烷9 137 mL,甲烷气占总产气量的60.6%。通过对发酵过程中pH及COD的测定,证明经碱液预处理后的玉米秸秆能与猪粪混合稳定发酵,发酵前后厌氧消化液中COD的降解率可达50%以上。进一步研究分析得出,将玉米秸秆和猪粪按一定比例混合发酵不仅可以缩短发酵周期、提高产气速率,而且可以大幅提升原料的产气潜力。     

芦苇秸秆厌氧发酵影响因素正交实验及产气潜力研究

以芦苇秸秆为发酵原料,采用正交实验法,在湿式和干式批次发酵条件下,考察了预处理方式、发酵浓度和接种量对芦苇厌氧发酵沼气产量的影响。结果表明,以Na OH预处理、接种量30%、TS浓度12%的处理发酵情况最好,在第3天即出现产气高峰,最高日产气量达2.1 L,总产气量达42.8 L。芦苇的总TS和总VS产气率分别达285.7 L·kg-1TS、402.8 L·kg-1VS,具有较高的产气潜力。根据正交实验方差分析结果,芦苇厌氧发酵的影响因素的影响程度是预处理方式发酵浓度接种量,确定芦苇厌氧发酵的最佳工艺条件为:Na OH预处理、接种量100%、发酵浓度TS 12%。     

NaOH预处理对杂交狼尾草厌氧发酵产沼气的影响

研究了Na OH预处理对杂交狼尾草厌氧消化制沼气的影响。采用质量分数分别为0%、2%、4%、6%和8%的Na OH溶液对杂交狼尾草进行碱预处理,在中温(35℃)、TS质量分数6%、接种率20%及初始p H为7.0条件下,进行厌氧发酵实验。对比了处理前后原料木质纤维素含量,探讨了不同浓度预处理对发酵过程沼气产量、甲烷浓度、p H以及产气速率的影响。结果表明,Na OH预处理有助于提高杂交狼尾草厌氧发酵的产气量和产气速率,其中4%Na OH预处理为较优条件。经4%Na OH溶液常温浸润24 h后,杂交狼尾草木质素降解率最大,比未处理实验组提高了31.2%;厌氧发酵总产气量比未处理实验组提高了31.6%。     

蒸汽爆破对脱水污泥溶解性和厌氧消化性能的影响

利用蒸汽爆破装置对脱水污泥进行了预处理,研究蒸汽爆破对污泥溶解性和厌氧消化性能的影响。结果表明,经汽爆处理后污泥的絮体结构遭到部分破坏,1 MPa条件下的汽爆污泥液相中可溶性糖、挥发性脂肪酸和DNA的浓度较原污泥分别提高了806.38%、577.36%和300%,BOD5/TCOD上升了35.58%;厌氧消化过程中累积产气量和甲烷平均含量分别为320 m L和42.32%,比未处理污泥提高了611.11%和726.56%;VFAs和氨氮平均浓度分别达到107.0 mg/L和1 758.7 mg/L。同时,压强升高可进一步改善污泥溶解性和厌氧消化性能。     

Radionuclides and trace elements in fish collected upstream and downstream of Los Alamos national laboratory and the doses to humans from the consumption of muscle and bone

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine radionuclide and trace element concentrations in bottom‐feeding fish (catfish, carp, and suckers) collected from the confluences of some of the major canyons that cross Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) lands with the Rio Grande (RG) and the potential radiological doses from the ingestion of these fish. Samples of muscle and bone (and viscera in some cases) were analyzed for ³H, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, ^totU, ²³⁸Pu, ^239,240Pu, and ²⁴¹Am and Ag, As, Ba, Be, Cr, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, and Tl. Most radionuclides, with the exception of ⁹⁰Sr, in the muscle plus bone portions of fish collected from LANL canyons/RG were not significantly (p<0.05) higher from fish collected upstream (San Ildefonso/background) of LANL. Strontium‐90 in fish muscle plus bone tissue significantly (p<0.05) increases in concentration starting from Los Alamos Canyon, the most upstream confluence (fish contained 3.4E‐02 pCi g^‐1 [126E‐02 Bq kg^‐1]), to Frijoles Canyon, the most downstream confluence (fish contained 14E‐02 pCi g^‐1 [518E‐02 Bq kg^‐1]). The differences in ⁹⁰Sr concentrations in fish collected downstream and upstream (background) of LANL, however, were very small. Based on the average concentrations (±2SD) of radionuclides in fish tissue from the four LANL confluences, the committed effective dose equivalent from the ingestion of 46 lb (21 kg) (maximum ingestion rate per person per year) of fish muscle plus bone, after the subtraction of background, was 0.1 ± 0.1 mrem y^‐1 (1.0 ± 1.0 μSv y^‐1), and was far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (all pathway) permissible dose limit of 100 mrem y^‐1 (1000 μSv y^‐1). Of the trace elements that were found above the limits of detection (Ba, Cu, and Hg) in fish muscle collected from the confluences of canyons that cross LANL and the RG, none were in significantly higher (p<0.05) concentrations than in muscle of fish collected from background locations.     

Patterns of volatile metabolites and nonvolatile trichothecenes produced by isolates of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stachybotrys,Fusarium, Trichoderma,Trichothecium</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Memnoniella</Emphasis>

We reported previously that trichodiene, a volatile trichothecene derivative, was produced by a Stachybotrys isolate, also known to produce highly cytotoxic, non-volatile, macrocyclic trichothecenes (satrotoxins). We investigated the relationship between the production of trichodiene and various non-volatile trichothecenes for several molds. Volatile metabolites were concentrated by adsorption on Tenax TA and analyzed by GC/MS, while non-volatile metabolites were separated by HPLC, derivatized and analyzed by GC/MS. Stachybotrys chartarum isolates producing macrocyclic trichothecenes secreted significantly larger amounts of trichodiene and other sesquiterpenes than isolates which only produced simple trichothecenes. The amounts of secreted trichodiene were relatively small in all cases. With the exception of Memnoniella, which excreted small amounts of sesquiterpenes, the other isolates produced varying amounts of sesquiterpenes, including trichodiene, as well as simple tricothecenes, no detectable trichodiene, but large amounts of griseofulvin derivatives. In Stachybotrys there is apparently a correlation between trichodiene and macrocyclic trichothecene production. In the remaining isolates, there was no simple relationship between trichodiene and non-volatile trichothecene synthesis. Trichodiene is produced in larger amounts by Stachybotrys isolates, which also produce satratoxins, but it will be difficult to utilize this metabolite to detect toxic isolates in buildings due to the relatively small amounts excreted.     

Radionuclides in deer and elk from Los Alamos national laboratory and the doses to humans from the ingestion of muscle and bone

Abstract

This paper summarizes radionuclide concentrations (³H, ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁸Pu, ^239,240Pu, ²⁴¹Am, and ^totU) in muscle and bone tissue of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) collected from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, New Mexico, lands from 1991 through 1998. Also, the committed effective dose equivalent (CEDE) and the risk of excess cancer fatalities (RECF) to people who ingest muscle and bone from deer and elk collected from LANL lands were estimated. Most radionuclide concentrations in muscle and bone from individual deer (n = 11) and elk (n = 22) collected from LANL lands were either at less than detectable quantities (where the analytical result was smaller than two counting uncertainties) and/or within upper (95%) level background (BG) concentrations. As a group, most radionuclides in muscle and bone of deer and elk from LANL lands were not significantly higher (p<0.10) than in similar tissues from deer (n = 3) and elk (n = 7) collected from BG locations. Also, elk that had been radio collared and tracked for two years and spent an average time of 50% on LANL lands were not significantly different in most radionuclides from road kill elk that have been collected as part of the environmental surveillance program. Overall, the upper (95%) level net CEDEs (the CEDE plus two sigma for each radioisotope minus background) at the most conservative ingestion rate (50 lbs of muscle and 13 lbs of bone) were as follows: deer muscle = 0.22 mrem y^‐1 (2.2 μSv y^‐1), deer bone = 3.8 mrem y^‐1 (38 μSv y^‐1), elk muscle = 0.12 mrem y^‐1 (1.2 μSv y^‐1), and elk bone = 1.7 mrem y^‐1 (17 μSv y^‐1). All CEDEs were far below the International Commission on Radiological Protection guideline of 100 mrem y^‐1 (1000 μSv y^‐1), and the highest muscle plus bone net CEDE corresponded to a RECF of 2E‐06, which is far below the Environmental Protection Agency upper level guideline of 1E‐04.     

Leaching of seven pesticides currently used in cotton crop in Mato Grosso State—Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate the leaching of pesticides and the applicability of the Attenuation Factor (AF) Model to predict their leaching. The leaching of carbofuran, carbendazim, diuron, metolachlor, α and β endosulfan and chlorpyrifos was studied in an Oxisol using a field experiment lysimeter located in Dom Aquino – Mato Grosso. The samples of percolated water were collected by rain event and analyzed. Chemical and physical soil attributes were determined before pesticide application to the plots. The results showed that carbofuran was the pesticide that presented a higher leaching rate in the studied soil, so was the one representing the highest contamination potential. From the total carbofuran applied in the soil surface, around 6 % leached below 50 cm. The other pesticides showed lower mobility in the studied soil. The calculated values to AF were 7.06E-12 (carbendazim), 5.08E-03 (carbofuran), 3.12E-17 (diuron), 6.66E-345 (α-endosulfan), 1.47E-162 (β-endosulfan), 1.50E-06 (metolachlor), 3.51E-155 (chlorpyrifos). AF Model was useful to classify the pesticides' potential for contamination; however, that model underestimated pesticide leaching.     

Endosulfan in China 2—emissions and residues

Background, aim, and scope  Endosulfan is one of the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and also a candidate to be included in a group of new persistent organic pollutants (UNEP 2007). The first national endosulfan usage inventories in China with 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution has been reported in an accompanying paper. In the second part of the paper, we compiled the gridded historical emissions and soil residues of endosulfan in China from the usage inventories. Based on the residue/emission data, gridded concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese soil and air have been calculated. These inventories will provide valuable data for the further study of endosulfan. Methods  Emission and residue of endosulfan were calculated from endosulfan usage by using a simplified gridded pesticide emission and residue model—SGPERM, which is an integrated modeling system combining mathematical model, database management system, and geographic information system. By using the emission and residue inventories, annual air and soil concentrations of endosulfan in each cell were determined. Results and discussion  Historical gridded emission and residue inventories of α- and β-endosulfan in agricultural soil in China with 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution have been created. Total emissions were around 10,800 t, with α-endosulfan at 7,400 t and β-endosulfan at 3,400 t from 1994 to 2004. The highest residues were 140 t for α-endosulfan and 390 t for β-endosulfan, and the lowest residues were 0.7 t for α-endosulfan and 170 t for β-endosulfan in 2004 in Chinese agricultural soil where endosulfan was applied. Based on the emission and residue inventories, concentrations of α- and β-endosulfan in Chinese air and agricultural surface soil were also calculated for each grid cell. We have estimated annual averaged air concentrations and the annual minimum and maximum soil concentrations across China. The real concentrations will be different from season to season. Although our model does not consider the transport of the insecticide in the atmosphere, which could be very important in some areas during some special time, the estimated concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese air and soil derived from the endosulfan emission and residue inventories are in general consistent with the published monitoring data. Conclusions  To our knowledge, this work is the first inventory of this kind for endosulfan published on a national scale. Concentrations of the chemical in Chinese air and agricultural surface soil were calculated for each grid cell. Results show that the estimated concentrations of endosulfan in Chinese air and soil agree reasonably well with the monitoring data in general. Recommendations and perspectives  The gridded endosulfan emission/residue inventories and also the air and soil concentration inventories created in this study will be updated upon availability of new information, including usage and monitoring data. The establishment of these inventories for the OCP is important for both scientific communities and policy makers.     

Impact of spiked concentrations of Cd,Pb, As and Zn in growth medium on elemental uptake of Nasturtium officinale (Watercress)

This study is aimed at investigating the impact of water quality on the uptake and distribution of three non-essential and toxic elements, namely, As, Cd and Pb in the watercress plant to assess for metal toxicity. The plant was hydroponically cultivated under greenhouse conditions, with the growth medium being spiked with varying concentrations of As, Cd and Pb. Plants that were harvested weekly for elemental analysis showed physiological and morphological symptoms of toxicity on exposure to high concentrations of Cd and Pb. Plants exposed to high concentrations of As did not survive and the threshold for As uptake in watercress was established at 5 ppm. Translocation factors were low in all cases as the toxic elements accumulated more in the roots of the plant than the edible leaves. The impact of Zn on the uptake of toxic elements was also evaluated and Zn was found to have an antagonistic effect on uptake of both Cd and Pb with no notable effect on uptake of As. The findings indicate that phytotoxicity or death of the watercress plant would prevent it from being a route of human exposure to high concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in the environment.     

Butyltin compounds in sediment and fish from the Polish Coast of the Baltic Sea

Concentrations of mono- (MBT), di- (DBT), and tri-(TBT) butyltin compounds were measured in eggs, liver, and muscle of nine species of fish from four regions of the Baltic Sea - the Firth of Vistula, the Gulf of Gdańsk, Puck Bay, and the mouth of the Vistula River. The overall concentration ranges among all the fish sampled from the four sites were: < 7 to 79 ng/g for MBT, 6 to 1100 ng/g for DBT, 7 to 3600 ng/g for TBT, and 16 to 4800 ng/g for total BTs, on a wet wt basis. The highest concentration of total BTs was found in herring liver from the Firth of Vistula (4800 ng/g, wet wt) and in roach muscle from Puck Bay (3300 ng/g, wet wt), while the least concentration was found in burbot eggs and liver from the Vistula River (39 and 32 ng/g, wet wt, respectively). TBT was the major form of BTs present in most samples analyzed. Sediment samples collected from shipyards in the Gulf of Gdańsk contained butyltin concentrations ranging from 1.2 to 46 μg/g (dry wt) for MBT, 2.0 to 42 μg/g for DBT, and 2.6 to 40 μg/g for TBT. As with the fish, the majority of the BTs in sediment were present as TBT, which suggested recent exposure of the aquatic environment of the region to TBT.     

A History of Dry Cleaners and Sources of Solvent Releases from Dry Cleaning Equipment

Approximately 25, 000-35, 000 dry cleaning facilities currently operate in the U.S. The release of perchloroethylene and other solvents from these establishments represents a major source of soil and groundwater contamination. The manner in which dry cleaning solvents escape from dry cleaning plants is, for all practical purposes, identical for chlorinated and petroleum hydrocarbon solvents and is related to one of the following events: the catastrophic failure of a component of the dry cleaning system, the improper installation, operation or maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment or a combination of all of these causes. Acceptable customs, codes and regulations can also dictate what is authorized for operation of a dry cleaning facility in a particular community, geographic area during a particular time frame. Environmental litigation dealing with the origin of a solvent release from dry cleaners tends to focus on the design and manufacture of dry cleaning industry machines such as washers, washer extractors, tumblers, solvent filters, water separators, stills and spotting boards. A thorough analysis of the daily operations of dry cleaners often reveals that poor maintenance, failure to follow the manufacturer's instructions and the actions of the operator are the most likely causes of soil and groundwater pollution. In order to forensically evaluate the most probable origins of a solvent release and to examine issues regarding liability, a thorough understanding of the history of dry cleaning and a detailed analysis of the operation and maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment are necessary. The discovery of solvent plumes in the vicinity of dry cleaning plants may suggest that the solvent source is the dry cleaning plant; however, the presence of these plumes does not necessarily indicate that the dry cleaning equipment was defectively designed or manufactured. A thorough review of the type of equipment used over the life of the dry cleaning plant and verifiable solvent mileage records frequently indicates that operators of the plant have disposed of solvent and contaminated solids into the municipal sewer or on ground surfaces.     

Malathion-induced sublethal toxicity on the hematology of cricket frog (Fejervarya limnocharis)

The effect of malathion [diethyl(dimethoxythiophosphorylthio)succinate] at sublethal concentration (0.006 ppm) on hematological parameters of the cricket frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) was studied for 24 hrs to 240 hrs of exposure and remarkable hematological alterations were observed. The study on hematological parameters revealed a highly significant decrease (P < 0.01) in the total erythrocytes count in malathion-exposed animals from 24 hours to 96 hrs of exposure as compared to control. Significant decreases (P < 0.01) of hemoglobin and packed cell volume were also observed from 48 hrs to 240 hrs. A significant increase (P < 0.01) in leucocytes count was noted throughout the exposure period. Elevated numbers of lymphocytes and eosinophils as found in the present study revealed lymphocytosis as well as eosinophilia, suggesting that this was a result of direct stimulation of the immunological defense due to the presence of a toxic substance or may be associated with tissue damage. The cytomorphological and cytopathological study of erythrocytes and leucocytes in malathion-exposed frogs at 0.006 ppm concentration revealed various cytotoxic effects at different exposure times. It was noted that the size and the shape of the erythrocytes were subjected to variation in different blood disorders.