Heavy metals associated with reduced sulfur in sediments from different deposition environments in the Pearl River estuary, China

Distribution of acid volatile sulfur (AVS) and the simultaneously extracted metals (SEM: Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni) in sediment profiles has been studied at five sites in Pearl River estuary, China. Of the five sampling locations, Nos.1 and 2 are in the middle shoal, Nos.3 and 4 in the west shoal and No. 5 locates to the south of the estuary. The AVS content in the sediments of the middle shoal varies in a small range (0.25–4.06 μmol g⁻¹), while that of west shoal increases with depth from 0 to ultimately 26.09 μmol g⁻¹. The SEM concentration in the sediment profiles at location Nos. 1, 2 and 5 is generally in the range of 0.95±0.2 μmol g⁻¹ with a slight upward increase, while that in the sediment of west shallows are much higher (1.43–2.42 μmol g⁻¹) with a significant upward increase, especially in the upper layer of ca. 15 cm. The observed upward increase of SEM content at all the sites implies that heavy metal contamination of sediment in the Pearl River estuary is increasing. Calculations of the excess heavy metal content which is defined by SEM-AVS molar difference suggests that the upper sediment in the Pearl River estuary, especially on the west shallows, could be a source of heavy metal contaminants and may cause toxicity to the benthos. The site-specific distribution patterns in the AVS and SEM profiles were interpreted according to the hydrogeochemistry of deposition environments.     

Risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in shrimp farming in Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong

An ecological survey was carried out to determine the sediment concentrations of nutrients and heavy metals and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in fish and shrimp including tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus×O. nilotica), grey mullet (Mugil cephalus), gei wai shrimp (Metapenaeus ensis) and caridean shrimp (Macrobrachium nipponensis) in the traditional tidal shrimp ponds (gei wais) of Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong. The sediments collected from the landward sites contained higher nutrient contents, as well as zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd) than those collected from the seaward sites, but vice versa for lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). However, the concentrations of all metals were exceptionally high in the two sites located outside the reserve, suggesting that waters from Deep Bay might be the possible source of metal contamination affecting the reserve. All metals studied seemed to accumulate in the viscera of fish. Body size was the determining factor for the accumulation of heavy metals in caridean shrimp and gei wai shrimp but not fish. Concentrations of the metals studied in tissues of grey mullet and gei wai shrimp were found to be safe for human consumption. Concentrations of Cr in tilapia whole body (0.68–1.10 mg kg⁻¹ wet weight) were close to or over the guideline value of 1 mg kg⁻¹ set by the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations of Hong Kong. Tilapia flesh and small caridean shrimp collected from gei wais were contaminated by Cr and Pb but still fit for human consumption. Caution is required if large caridean shrimp is to be consumed in large amounts continuously because the concentration of Pb exceeded the maximum permitted concentration (6 mg kg⁻¹). The rather high Cr concentrations in tilapia whole body should not be overlooked as the fish will serve as a food source for migratory birds visiting the site.     

Role of surface functionality in the adsorption of anionic dyes on modified polymeric sorbents

While synthetic polymeric sorbents effectively treat dye wastewaters by adsorption, the underlying mechanisms remain to be understood. This work determined the adsorption of an anionic dye by three polymers differing significantly in surface functionality. Surface functional groups of polymers were indicated in FTIR spectra and quantified by the Boehm titration. In reference to the commercial sorbent XAD-4 with a low degree of functionality, the laboratory synthesized NG-8 had primarily acidic functional groups, whereas its aminated product MN-8 had mainly basic amino groups. Electrophoresis determined the points of zero charge of 4.18, 3.23, and 4.51 for XAD-4, NG-8, and MN-8, respectively. The adsorption of Reactive Black 5 dye (RB5) by all the sorbents on a unit surface area basis increased with decreasing pH. At the same low pH (4.40), the adsorption by NG-8 was similar to that by XAD-4, indicating little influence of protonated (neutral) surface functional groups. In contrast, the adsorption by NG-8 at pH 6.05 was 75% lower than that by XAD-4, resulting apparently from the strong electrostatic repulsion between RB5 and deprotonated (negative) groups. Amination substantially enhanced RB5 adsorption by eliminating acidic groups and creating a positive charge on the surface of MN-8. The adsorptive enhancement was also achieved in the presence of CaCl2, due presumably to the neutralization of negative surface charge by Ca2+ and the RB5-Ca2+ pairing. These results manifest the important role of surface functionality in the adsorption of dyes by synthetic polymers.     

Influences of macroalga-derived dissolved organic carbon on the aquatic toxicity of copper and cadmium

In this study, the effect of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) derived from macroalga (Sargassum) on the acute toxicity of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) to a freshwater cladoceran (Daphnia magna) was investigated. Potassium-loaded macroalga was incubated with ultrapure water to extract macroalgal DOC, which was then spiked with the constituents of the Elendt M7 hard water media. The 48 h median lethal concentration of Cu increased linearly with DOC levels but that of Cd was relatively independent of DOC levels (0-44 mg l(-1)). The independence of Cd toxicity on DOC level might be due to the competitive effect of high calcium concentrations in the media with Cd for the binding sites of DOC. The decreased Cu toxicity was a result of reduced Cu uptake as evidenced in a separate accumulation test. Also, the capability of the macroalgal DOC on reducing Cu toxicity was found to be comparable to DOC tested in other studies. Therefore, the present study suggested that the biosorption treatment process using macroalgae should consider the effect of DOC release from the biomass as a step of modifying the metal toxicity as well as influencing metal biosorption capacity.     

二氯异氰脲酸钠和三氯异氰脲酸对棕囊藻细胞去除的研究

研究了二氯异氰脲酸钠和三氯异氰脲酸对球形棕囊藻的灭杀和控制作用,及其投药时间对除藻效果的影响,并比较2种药剂的除藻效果,初步探讨了除藻机理.结果表明,这2种除藻剂可以缓释次氯酸,提高其稳定性,有较长的药效期.当有效氯浓度达到4.5mg/L时,2种药剂均能有效地控制和灭杀球形棕囊藻,具有高效、低毒的优点.有效氯浓度为5.0mg/L,藻细胞去除率在24h可达到90%以上.在等于和大于5.0mg/L有效氯浓度时,三氯异氰脲酸的除藻效果优于二氯异氰脲酸钠,通过对2种药剂除藻率的t检验进一步证实了这一结论.     

矿山企业清洁生产审核实践及研究

结合清洁生产审核的政策和工作原理,将北京某铁矿公司的生产指标与国家采选行业清洁生产标准进行对比,确定审核目标,通过加权法从技术、环境、经济方面分析比较得出审核方案和审核结论. 对该企业实施清洁生产审核工作所取得的经验和存在问题进行总结和分析,不仅为矿山企业今后的清洁生产审核积累了丰富的实践经验,而且对我国当前正在开展的循环经济试点工作起到了很好的借鉴和推动作用.     

《中国地震年鉴》20年

自1982年以来,《中国地震年鉴》已连续出版22卷,全面记载了我国防震减灾事业从建国到21世纪初的发展进程,真实反映了地球物理、地震地质、地震预报等研究领域的成果和经验,它以地震系统年度重要资料的真实性、准确性和权威性,为管理部门、管理人员提供了可靠的参考和决策依据,为科研人员、专家学者提供信息和数据,为续修地震志书积累资料。同时,也成为社会各界和国内外有关研究机构了解中国地震工作的重要窗口。     

浅析建立排污权有偿交易制度

随着工业化、城市化的快速推进,环境容量资源有限和社会经济持续较快发展的矛盾将长期存在。在充分运用必要的行政和法律手段的同时,应注重运用经济手段———排污权有偿使用和交易进行环境保护,使外部环境内部化,树立"容量有限、资源有价、使用有偿"的环境资源价值理念,推动企业自主创新和技术进步,降低企业内部治理成本,调动污染减排积极性,促进环境管理方式从粗放型向精细化转变,全面提升环境管理水平。     

液化侧扩流场地桩基动力反应振动台试验数值模拟

针对已完成的振动台试验,采用OpenSees数值模拟计算平台,建立液化侧扩流场地群桩振动台试验数值模型。该模型中,采用线弹性梁柱单元模拟桩和挡墙,采用刚性连接单元和零长度单元模拟桩-土界面。自由水体通过施加节点孔压和节点力模拟。引入多屈服面塑性本构模拟饱和砂层,采用两相完全耦合的u—p形式模拟土体位移和孔压。通过对比振动台试验结果表明,建立的有限元数值模型能够可靠地再现砂层和桩基的动力响应,进而验证数值模型的可靠性。同时,针对两个代表性时刻,分析了桩-土体系的侧向变形响应。所采用的分析方法和相关结论也为同类桩-土体系数值模拟提供一般性分析方法和思路。