Traditional agriculture in transition: examining the impacts of agricultural modernization on smallholder farming in Ghana under the new Green Revolution

Following the renewed effort at achieving a new green revolution for Africa, emphasis has been placed on modernizing smallholder agriculture through the deployment of improved inputs especially mechanized technologies. In Ghana, the government has in the last decade emphasized the provision of subsidized mechanized ploughing services to farmers alongside a rapidly growing private sector tractor service market. While mechanized technology adoption rates have increased rapidly, the deployment of these technologies has been without critical analysis of the impacts on production patterns and local agrarian systems. This paper examines the distributional impacts of agriculture mechanization on cropping patterns and farm sizes of smallholder farmers in northern Ghana using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques, and semi-structured interviews with smallholder farmers (n=60). Specifically, comparative analysis of the field sizes and cropping patterns of participant farmers prior to and after the adoption of mechanized technologies was conducted. In-depth interviews were used to contextualize the experiences of smallholder farmers toward understanding how mechanization may be impacting traditional agriculture. Our findings reveal a mechanization paradox in which farm sizes are expanding, while cropping patterns are shifting away from traditional staple crops (pearl millet and sorghum bicolor) to market-oriented crops (maize, rice and groundnuts). This transition we argue, has adverse implications on the cultural dimension of food security, the organization of social life, and climate change adaptation. We recommend a retooling of the current agricultural policy focus to ensure context sensitivity for a more robust battle against food insecurity.     

Modeling of a sequencing batch reactor treating municipal wastewater using multi-layer perceptron and radial basis function artificial neural networks

A sequencing batch reactor was modeled using multi-layer perceptron and radial basis function artificial neural networks (MLPANN and RBFANN). Then, the effects of influent concentration (IC), filling time (FT), reaction time (RT), aeration intensity (AI), SRT and MLVSS concentration were examined on the effluent concentrations of TSS, TP, COD and NH₄⁺-N. The results showed that the optimal removal efficiencies would be obtained at FT of 1 h, RT of 6 h, aeration intensity of 0.88 m³/min and SRT of 30 days. In addition, COD and TSS removal efficiencies decreased and TP and NH₄⁺-N removal efficiencies did not change significantly with increases of influent concentration. The TSS, TP, COD and NH₄⁺-N removal efficiencies were 86%, 79%, 94% and 93%, respectively. The training procedures of all contaminants were highly collaborated for both RBFANN and MLPANN models. The results of training and testing data sets showed an almost perfect match between the experimental and the simulated effluent of TSS, TP, COD and NH₄⁺-N. The results indicated that with low experimental values of input data to train ANNs the MLPANN models compared to RBFANN models are more precise due to their higher coefficient of determination (R²) and lower root mean squared errors (RMSE) values.     

山梨酸废水在ABR中的基质降解行为

稳态条件下,采用厌氧折流板反应器(anaerobic baffled reactor,ABR)处理山梨酸废水并进行基质降解动力学研究.实验表明,在污泥负荷为0.54～1.63 kg COD/(kg VSS·d)的范围内,COD去除率随着负荷的增加从85%降到55%.各隔室出水COD沿程递减,前3个隔室承担了去除COD的重要作用,但随着污泥负荷的增加,后部承担的COD去除率比例增大.基于各串联隔室完全混合的假定,推导ABR中山梨酸废水的基质降解动力学方程,并通过实验确定相关动力学参数及相应的动力学方程.实测值与预测值基本吻合.     

生物絮凝剂MBFGA1预处理乳制品加工废水

用生物絮凝剂MBFGA1预处理乳制品加工废水（简称废水）。实验结果表明，废水处理的水力条件为：以150r／min的转速搅拌30S，再以30r／min的转速搅拌20min；MBFGA1的最佳加入量为15mg／L；废水pH为4．0时，MBFGA1对废水的絮凝处理效果最好；废水温度对浊度、COD去除率有一定的影响，在20～45℃时，废水浊度的去除率始终保持在85％以上；30℃时，COD去除率达到最大值65．0％。     

Toxicological Assessment of Wastewater and Runoff from the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

废水产氢产酸/同型产乙酸耦合产酸条件优化

为了更好地发挥产氢产酸/同型产乙酸耦合系统在废水厌氧发酵生产乙酸方面的优势,有必要寻找一种简单有效的方法以获得该系统产酸的优化条件.利用经过加热处理并活化的厌氧污泥作种泥,以模拟废水中的葡萄糖为底物,针对发酵时间、底物浓度、种泥浓度、初始pH进行4因素10水平均匀设计实验,得到了乙酸生产指标与产酸条件之间关系的回归方程;也得到了以高乙酸产量为主要目标导向同时兼顾高乙酸产率和高乙酸生产强度目标的优化条件;优化条件实验乙酸浓度比均匀设计中最高乙酸浓度提高20%左右.研究表明,将均匀设计应用于废水产氢产酸/同型产乙酸耦合产酸条件优化,可以避免盲目性,迅速获得满意结果.     

湖州市埭溪镇污水处理厂的工程设计

湖州市埭溪镇污水处理厂的设计规模，近期为2万m^2／d，远期为3万m^2／d，其污水处理工艺采用改良式A^2／O工艺，污泥处理工艺采用带式浓缩脱水一体机。文中着重介绍了工程设计参数、处理工艺流程及其设计特点。     

Fate of cancerostatic platinum compounds in biological wastewater treatment of hospital effluents

The present work focuses on the fate of two cancerostatic platinum compounds (CPC), cisplatin and carboplatin, as well as of two inorganic platinum compounds, [PtCl₄]²⁻ and [PtCl₆]²⁻ in biological wastewater treatment. Laboratory experiments modelling adsorption of these compounds onto activated sludge showed promising specific adsorption coefficients K_D and K_OC and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. However, the adsorption properties of the investigated substances were differing significantly. Adsorption decreased following the order cisplatin > [PtCl₆]²⁻ > [PtCl₄]²⁻ > carboplatin. Log K_D-values were ranging from 2.5 to 4.3 , log K_OC from 3.0 to 4.7.

A pilot membrane bioreactor system (MBR) was installed in a hospital in Vienna and fed with wastewater from the oncologic in-patient treatment ward to investigate CPC-adsorption in a sewage treatment plant. During three monitoring periods Pt-concentrations were measured in the influent (3–250 μg l⁻¹ Pt) and the effluent (2–150 μg l⁻¹ Pt) of the treatment plant using ICP-MS. The monitoring periods (duration 30 d) revealed elimination efficiencies between 51% and 63% based on averaged weekly input–output budgets. The derived log K_D-values and log K_OC-values ranged from 2.4 to 4.8 and from 2.8 to 5.3, respectively. Species analysis using HPLC-ICP-MS proofed that mainly carboplatin was present as intact drug in the influent and – due to low log K_D – in the effluent of the MBR.     

生态土壤渗滤系统启动周期研究

利用室内模拟试验装置,考察了4种生态土壤渗滤系统在0.1 m3/(m2·d)的水力负荷条件下对生活污水中TP、COD和NH3-N的去除效果及启动周期; 同时对整个系统及同类生态工艺启动周期的判断方法做了探讨.研究结果表明,生态土壤渗滤系统对TP、COD和NH3-N的启动周期分别为15～27 d、24～40 d和24～26 d; 土壤渗滤系统对TP的启动周期最短,对COD的启动周期最长; 处理系统启动周期的判断原则是综合考察系统对主要污染物各自的启动周期,以最长的作为系统启动周期.4组试验中,1#和2#系统的启动周期为40 d; 3#和4#的为24 d.     

用海泡石处理采油废水

用海泡石吸附法处理采油废水，考察了处理时间、海泡石加入量和采油废水pH对采油废水COD去除率的影响，并通过正交实验优化了采油废水处理工艺条件。通过正交实验得到的采油废水处理最佳工艺条件为：处理时间6h，粒径为150μm的海泡石加入量200g／L，采油废水pH9。在该条件下处理采油废水，COD去除率达到91％，处理后出水的COD为34．71mg／L，小于GB8978-1996（（污水综合排放标准》中的一级标准（60mg／L）。