Photocatalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds using fluorescent visible light

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a highly attractive alternative technology for purification and deodorization of indoor air. The main objectives of this study were to demonstrate that a common fluorescent visible light (FVL) lamp can be used to effectively remove by PCO low concentrations of VOCs from slightly contaminated air and to provide some fundamental and technical details on the process. The target VOC was n-butanol, which is a standard reference odorant. Its PCO was studied under a long residence time in a 3.7-L cylindrical reactor with commercial titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the reference photocatalyst and using mostly FVL for illumination. For comparison only, a UV (black) light lamp was used. The gas-phase products were detected and quantified online by gas chromatography (GC). The effects of reactor residence time, of inlet concentration, and of the relative light intensity on the efficiency of the process were also evaluated. At a high n-butanol concentration (0.1 vol %), butanal and propanal were identified as the intermediate products of the process; ethanal appeared when the initial concentration was < or = 850 ppm(v). This indicates that PCO leading to CO2 and H2O is relatively slow and proceeds in a stepwise manner. Although the efficiency of the process with an FVL lamp was significantly lower than when using a UV black light, complete PCO of low concentrations was achieved for 100 ppm(v). In a search for a material with photoactivation extended to higher wavelengths or increased photoactivity, several samples of transition metal- or silver ion-doped (2 atomic %) TiO2 as well as SrTi(1-x-)Fe(x)O3 (x = 0.1 and 0.15) perovskites were included in the study. None of these materials was more active than pure TiO2. The results of this study open new horizons in the area of in door air quality (IAQ) control.     

An integrated assessment of estrogenic contamination and biological effects in the aquatic environment of The Netherlands

An extensive study was carried out in the Netherlands on the occurrence of a number of estrogenic compounds in surface water, sediment, biota, wastewater, rainwater and on the associated effects in fish. Compounds investigated included natural and synthetic hormones, phthalates, alkylphenol(ethoxylate)s and bisphenol-A. The results showed that almost all selected (xeno-)estrogens were present at low concentrations in the aquatic environment. Locally, they were found at higher levels. Hormones and nonylphenol(ethoxylate)s were present in concentrations that are reportedly high enough to cause estrogenic effects in fish. Field surveys did not disclose significant estrogenic effects in male flounder (Platichthys flesus) in the open sea and in Dutch estuaries. Minor to moderate estrogenic effects were observed in bream (Abramis brama) in major inland surface waters such as lowland rivers and a harbor area. The prevalence of feminizing effects in male fish is largest in small regional surface waters that are strongly influenced by sources of potential hormone-disrupting compounds. High concentrations of plasma vitellogenin and an increased prevalence of ovotestes occurred in wild male bream in a small river receiving a considerable load of effluent from a large sewage treatment plant. After employing in vitro and in vivo bioassays, both in situ and in the laboratory, we conclude that in this case hormones (especially 17 alpha-ethynylestradiol) and possibly also nonylphenol(ethoxylate)s are primarily responsible for these effects.     

Pilot-plant study of wastewater sludge decontamination using a ferrous sulfate bioleaching process.

The objective of this research was to investigate the performance of the ferrous sulfate bioleaching (FSBL) process in a pilot plant for decontamination and stabilization of wastewater sludge. Batch and continuous experiments, conducted with two 4-m3 bioreactors using indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria (20% v/v of inoculum) with addition of 4.0 g ferrous sulfate heptahydrate per liter of sludge initially acidified to pH 4.0, were sufficient for effective heavy metal (cadmium, copper, manganese, zinc, and lead) removal yields. The average metal removal yields during the FSBL process were as follows: cadmium (69 to 75%), copper (68 to 70%), manganese (72 to 73%), zinc (65 to 66%), and lead (16%). The FSBL process was also found to be effective in removing both fecal and total coliforms (abatement > 5 to 6 log units). The nutrients content (nitrogen, phosphorus, and magnesium) were also preserved in decontaminated sludge.     

Combustion characteristics of spent catalyst and paper sludge in an internally circulating fluidized-bed combustor

Combustion of spent vacuum residue hydrodesulfurization catalyst and incineration of paper sludge were carried out in thermo-gravimetric analyzer and an internally circulating fluidized-bed (ICFB) reactor. From the thermo-gravimetric analyzer-differential thermo-gravimetric curves, the pre-exponential factors and activation energies are determined at the divided temperature regions, and the thermo-gravimetric analysis patterns can be predicted by the kinetic equations. The effects of bed temperature, gas velocity in the draft tube and annulus, solid circulation rate, and waste feed rate on combustion efficiency of the wastes have been determined in an ICFB from the experiments and the model studies. The ICFB combustor exhibits uniform temperature distribution along the bed height with high combustion efficiency (>90%). The combustion efficiency increases with increasing reaction temperature, gas velocity in the annulus region, and solid circulation rate and decreases with increasing waste feed rate and gas velocity in the draft tube. The simulated data from the kinetic equation and the hydrodynamic models predict the experimental data reasonably well.     

利用多模式最优集成方法预报上海PM2.5

采用多模式最优集成方法(OCF),对PANDA项目中国和欧洲7个空气质量模式的PM_(2.5)预报结果进行集成释用.2016年6月—2017年5月对上海逐日预报试验结果表明:和最优单模式预报结果相比,OCF预报的PM_(2.5)日均质量浓度的均方根误差降低1.9μg·m-3,相关系数提高0.04,日均质量浓度的精度评分TI提高了2.4,污染TS评分提高了0.28,污染空报率降低了20%,显著提高了PM_(2.5)污染等级预报、趋势预报和精度预报的技巧.对长三角合肥、南京、苏州、杭州、宁波5个城市的预报试验也得到类似的结果,为城市空气质量预报提供了新的方法和思路.但OCF对客观预报的改进幅度在夏季不如冬季显著,在降雨日相对较低.     

Temperament in bullheads: do laboratory and field explorative behaviour variables correlate?

The relevance of temperament traits for life history strategy or productivity is increasingly acknowledged. Temperament traits are often either observed in captivity or in the wild, but studies combining both observations are very rare. We examine whether exploratory behaviour in the bullhead (Cottus perifretum), assayed under laboratory conditions, predicts this behaviour under field conditions. Forty-three PIT-tagged individuals were first assayed for exploration of a novel environment in the aquarium and then released into an unfamiliar stream stretch, where they were later relocated using a mobile antenna. Explorative behaviour assayed in the laboratory was significantly positively related to the exploration in the field, thus predicting distance moved in the field release. Both in the laboratory and in the field, explorative behaviour was not related to individual body length. When bullheads that did not leave the refuge in the aquarium (laboratory assay) and, therefore, did not explore the new environment were excluded from the analysis, the correlation between laboratory and field explorative behaviour variables became weaker. However, overall, our results illustrate that exploration rate of bullheads in isolated single-individual experiments can be used to predict this behaviour in the natural ecosystem.     

Fungal Degradation of Poly(l-lactide) in Soil and in Compost

The biodegradability of polymers by microorganisms is generally studied in a real environment that contains a natural mixture of fungi and bacteria. The present research mainly focused on the purely fungal degradation of poly(l-lactide), PLLA, to enclose the part of fungi in a real process of biodegradation and to understand the kinetics of biodegradation. Respirometric tests were realized in soil at 30?°C, and in compost at 30?and 58?°C. Results indicated that temperature is the predominant parameter governing the fungal degradation of PLLA. Moreover, in real compost, the biodegradation kinetics of the PLLA revealed a synergy between bacteria and fungi. The curves of PLLA and cellulose biodegradation were modeled by Hill sigmo?d. Fungal degradation was completed by investigating the physical and the chemical properties of the polymer during the process of degradation using several analytical methods such as matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of fly spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. These experiments led to a better understanding of the various stages of fungal degradation of PLLA: hydrolysis as well as mineralization. Furthermore, metabolizing products (by-products) of PLLA was investigated also.     

Sympatry and allopatry in the deeply divergent mitochondrial DNA clades of the estuarine pulmonate gastropod genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phallomedusa</Emphasis> (Mollusca,Gastropoda)

DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were collected from estuarine snails in the genus Phallomedusa to examine the effects of estuarine isolation on population structure and gene flow. Three clades were recovered, one corresponding to Phallomedusa austrina and two others with the morphology of Phallomedusa solida. The haplotype diversity in all three clades indicated recent population expansion. Phallomedusa austrina was restricted to the west of a previous land bridge in the Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania, and P. solida to its east and to northern Tasmania. Phylogeographic analysis of P. austrina and P. solida shows strong geographic separation of species, but no local genetic structure indicative of regional or estuarine isolation. The clades of P. solida exhibit substantial genetic divergence and were sympatric across their entire distribution in eastern Tasmania and mainland Australia. Such a situation, which has not previously been observed in phylogeographic studies of southeast Australia, suggests that P. solida has had a complex refugial history during periods of environmental challenge.     

The impact of natural and anthropogenic hydrocarbons on the tropospheric budget of carbon monoxide

A method to quantify the relative contributions of surface sources and photochemical production of atmospheric carbon monoxide has been implemented in a three-dimensional chemical-transport model. The impact of biogenic and anthropogenic hydrocarbons has been calculated. The oxidation of isoprene contributes to about 10% of the global tropospheric burden of carbon monoxide, with a maximum contribution over southern America and Africa. Oxidation of methane and terpenes contribute to 28 and 2%, respectively, of the tropospheric burden of CO. The oxidation of the other hydrocarbons, which include ethane, propane, ethylene, propylene and the surrogate hydrocarbon representing other hydrocarbons results in 12% of the CO tropospheric burden, among which 69% results from the oxidation of hydrocarbons of biologic origin. The overall global CO yield from the oxidation of isoprene is estimated to be 23% on a carbon basis. Comparisons between model results and the few available observations of isoprene, terpenes and their oxidation products show that there is no evidence that the current global isoprene emissions proposed in the IGAC/GEIA emissions data base are substantially overestimated, as suggested by previous studies.