Current developments in soil ecotoxicology and the need for strengthening soil ecotoxicology in Europe: results of a stakeholder workshop

Background

Soil is one of our most important resources and fulfills many ecological functions such as storage and filtration of water and nutrients, transformation of chemical compounds and nutrients, biomass production, and carbon storage. Such soil functions support ecosystem services provided by soils, which need to be protected to protect soil fertility. However, European soils often contain elevated concentrations of contaminants, putting biodiversity of soil organisms as well as the ecological functions and services at risk. To promote soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland, the Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology together with the Federal Office for Environment and the Federal Office for Agriculture organized a stakeholder workshop on 7 June 2018 with participants from research, governmental bodies, and associations. One goal of this workshop was to inform participants about currently available risk assessment approaches for soil, the soil risk assessment for plant protection products in Europe, available bioassays and bioindicators, and results of research projects on soil contaminants in Switzerland. Another goal was to discuss the needs for research in soil ecotoxicology in Switzerland and to identify next steps, potential projects, and future collaborations.

Results

The main needs identified during the workshop were the establishment of (bio)indicators to measure soil fertility, functional parameters to determine soil functions, and the preservation of soil biodiversity. Another priority listed was the formation of a working group, which addresses the issue of the development of environmental quality standards for soil. The need for experimental field sites for implementing and testing new approaches or tools for assessing soil quality was also discussed.

Conclusion

The next steps planned are two workshops with national and international experts in soil ecotoxicology to develop a soil monitoring concept for Switzerland and to find suitable bioindicators to evaluate soil fertility. Additionally, a literature review will be performed summarizing the current ecotoxicological state of the art with regard to the development of bioindicators in relation to the monitoring of plant protection products in Swiss soil, to evaluate their effects on soil fertility. Furthermore, all attendees agreed on the need for annual meetings or workshops where experts can present scientific results, participants can exchange information, and future projects and collaborations can be developed.

     

Digital disparities and vulnerability: mobile phone use,information behaviour,and disaster preparedness in Southeast Asia

This paper proposes an ecological view to investigate how disparities in mobile technology use reflect vulnerabilities in communities vis‐à‐vis disaster preparedness. Data (n=1,603) were collected through a multi‐country survey conducted equally in rural and urban areas of Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam, where mobile technology has become a dominant and ubiquitous communication and information medium. The findings show that smartphone users' routinised use of mobile technology and their risk perception are significantly associated with disaster preparedness behaviour indirectly through disaster‐related information sharing. In addition to disaster‐specific social support, smartphone users' disaster‐related information repertoires are another strong influencing factor. In contrast, non‐smartphone users are likely to rely solely on receipt of disaster‐specific social support as the motivator of disaster preparedness. The results also reveal demographic and rural–urban differences in disaster information behaviour and preparedness. Given the increasing shift from basic mobile phone models to smartphones, the theoretical and policy‐oriented implications of digital disparities and vulnerability are discussed.     

混凝土构件空洞模拟检测试验与ARMA功率谱分析

及时发现空洞隐患、确定空洞大小,准确评估不良病害的危害程度对指导施工和提高混凝土结构质量具有重要意义。为实现空洞尺寸的量化,对试验模型中的模拟空洞进行地质雷达检测,应用基于SVD-TLS方法的ARMA功率谱分析对原始数据进行处理。结果表明:地质雷达探测区域覆盖的空洞范围越大,空洞信号越明显。基于SVD-TLS方法的ARMA功率谱分析具有较高的分辨率,可以识别异常反射信息,判断空洞在测线方向的范围;功率谱参数期望值有一定的分布范围,当参数期望值在-0.160以下时,可以基本确定为空洞区域。最后结合工程实例,对地质雷达数据进行功率谱分析,取得了良好的效果。该分析方法为研究混凝土构件内部空洞的检测提供了新途径,一定程度上实现了空洞尺寸的量化。     

HepG2细胞对垃圾渗滤液经SND/UF/RO处理前后的毒性评估

垃圾渗滤液含有高浓度难降解毒性污染物及致癌、致诱变和致畸物质,其较为成熟的处理工艺主要有硝化反硝化（SND）、超滤（UF）和反渗透（RO）等.目前,关于SND/UF/RO技术对渗滤液处理前后的毒性降低情况尤其与细胞凋亡相关的研究较缺乏,故本文选用HepG2细胞为评价对象,研究经SND/UF/RO处理前后垃圾渗滤液的细胞毒性、遗传毒性.细胞毒性结果表明,经SND/UF/RO处理后,暴露在浓度为30%渗滤液中HepG2细胞活力从38.3%上升至88.4%;同时,凋亡试验和细胞周期分析表明,经SND/UF/RO处理后的出水清液无法诱导细胞发生凋亡,但可将细胞阻滞在G2期诱导细胞内染色体畸变.这是由于出水清液对HepG2细胞有明显的氧化损伤,但渗滤液原液可诱导细胞凋亡且阻滞细胞停留在S期而影响其增殖.微核试验数据显示,出水清液的遗传毒性是阴性对照组的2倍,彗星实验佐证了出水清液对细胞内DNA有微弱损伤.实验表明,SND/UF/RO工艺可将垃圾渗滤液原液的毒性减少约95%,出水清液仍具有微弱的细胞毒性和遗传毒性.因此,需对经SND/UF/RO处理后的排放液毒性高度重视.     

北运河上游昌平区化肥面源污染年际间差异分析

以2014年、2017年260份调查问卷和582个土壤样品及年度农用化肥总量为依据,梳理了昌平区年际间施肥量、土壤养分、氮磷环境风险和污染源变化,以期为北运河上游化肥面源污染防控提供理论依据.结果表明,相比于2014年,2017年粮食、果类蔬菜、叶类蔬菜和草莓的化肥平均用量分别减少了26.3%、25.5%、20.4%和15.0%,蔬菜和草莓的有机肥平均用量分别减少了42.6%和6.67%.粮田和菜地氮盈余均为无风险,2017年氮素地下淋溶和地表径流损失相比于2014年分别减少了27.8%和56.0%.粮田不存在磷环境风险,菜地磷环境风险等级从2014年的高风险降至2017年的中风险.与2014年相比,2017年污染物流失量降低了47.8%.区域地表水环境均以总氮污染为主,其次是总磷和氨氮.本研究提出在夏玉米上推广环境友好型肥料和免耕措施;对果类蔬菜采取养分总量控制与分期调控的施肥策略;引导叶菜生产采用滴灌或微喷;开展草莓与多种作物间套作,加大土壤盈余氮、磷的吸收;探索建立推动土肥社会化服务的应用.     

负载型三维粒子电极降解甲基橙模拟废水研究

采用负载型活性炭为填充电极的三维电极法处理甲基橙模拟废水,研究了不同粒子电极的处理效果,考察了影响模拟废水中色度与COD去除率的因素,探讨了甲基橙降解的反应动力学,并运用紫外-可见吸收光谱初步研究了甲基橙的降解机理.结果表明,负载锰的氧化物的粒子电极处理效果最好,降解3h后,色度与COD去除率分别达95%与80%;通过单因素实验确定的最佳实验条件:槽电压12V,初始pH值为3,辅助电解质浓度0.05mol/L.反应动力学分析显示,甲基橙降解反应表现为一级反应动力学.紫外-可见吸收光谱分析结果表明,以负载型活性炭为粒子电极的三维电极法对模拟废水中的色度与COD具有很好的降解效果.     

Pb污染对白菜的生态毒理效应研究（Ecotoxicological Effects of Pb on Brassice rapa）

采用水培方法研究了白菜种子和幼苗对Pb的富集能力与耐受性.实验设6个处理浓度,分别为0.2mg·L-1、0.4mg·L-1、0.8mg·L-1、1.6mg·L-1、3.2mg·L-1及对照,共培养7d,然后测定种子萌发抑制率、茎生长抑制率、根的耐性指数、叶绿素与类胡萝卜素含量与铅的富集量.研究表明白菜幼苗对高浓度的Pb具有富集能力,根是主要的富集器官,根的最高富集量为75.46mg·L-1.Pb抑制白菜幼苗的营养生长,抑制白菜根的伸长.0.2mg·L-1处理浓度下,Pb促进白菜茎的生长,高浓度的Pb抑制白菜茎的生长.Pb抑制白菜体内叶绿素a、叶绿素b和类胡萝卜素的含量.铅影响白菜幼苗的正常生长,白菜对铅具有一定耐受性.     

季磷盐改性蒙脱土去除球形棕囊藻的实验研究

用L9(34)正交实验对季磷盐改性蒙脱土制备的工艺进行了优化,在60℃、搅拌时间6h、pH7、季磷盐与蒙脱土的阳离子交换容量比为1.5:1.0的条件下,制备得到的季磷盐改性蒙脱土,并考察了其对球形棕囊藻去除效果和影响因素.结果表明,作用48 h后, 20.0mg/L的改性蒙脱土除藻率可以达到93.2%以上.通过FT-IR、XRD和SEM等方法表征发现,季磷盐插入蒙脱土的层间,能够有效降低黏土颗粒与藻细胞间的静电斥力,使其吸附藻细胞性能提高.对比除藻实验结果显示,季磷盐改性蒙脱土除藻效果明显优于未改性蒙脱土、季磷盐改性高岭土和季铵盐改性蒙脱土.     

一株海洋细菌对中肋骨条藻的溶解效应及其溶藻特性

从山东胶州湾分离得到1株海洋溶藻菌,暂将其命名为JZ-1.根据生理生化及16S rDNA 序列分析鉴定,菌株JZ-1属于交替单胞菌属(Alteromonas).研究表明,菌株JZ-1对中肋骨条藻具有很好的溶解效果,它能够破坏藻细胞膜内物质的结构和细胞膜的完整性,使细胞膜内物质流出导致藻细胞死亡.溶藻现象发生在细菌培养液的上清液和0.2μm的过滤液中,而不是在细菌菌体中,这表明菌株JZ-1通过分泌代谢物对中肋骨条藻产生溶解作用,且当菌株JZ-1由对数生长期向稳定期过渡时,其代谢物的溶藻率达到最大.代谢物分子量<5kD,具有热稳定性、耐酸性,但不耐碱.     

基于UD-PLS对牛粪堆制Cu和Zn钝化预测模型的研究

选取钝化材料木醋液和影响堆肥质量的关键因素:含水量和C/N,每个因素安排6个水平,利用均匀设计进行多因素多水平试验,对试验结果进行偏最小二乘回归分析,建立对重金属的钝化预测模型.结果表明:木醋液添加比例为0.50%、含水量为40%和C/N为40时,Cu和Zn的钝化效果均达到最大值,分别为13.5%和30.2%;其中重金属Cu的钝化预测模型为 ,其中交叉有效性为 ,模型达到精度要求;重金属Zn的钝化预测模型为 ,其中交叉有效性为 ,模型达到精度要求.针对多因素多水平的复杂堆肥系统中,将均匀设计与偏最小二乘法有机耦合,有效地解决了试验次数多、因素间多重相关性的问题,从而使模型精度和实用性都得到提高.