Total versus urban: Well-to-wheels assessment of criteria pollutant emissions from various vehicle/fuel systems

The potential impact on the environment of alternative vehicle/fuel systems needs to be evaluated, especially with respect to human health effects resulting from air pollution. We used the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model to examine the well-to-wheels (WTW) emissions of five criteria pollutants (VOCs, NO_x, PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and CO) for nine vehicle/fuel systems: (1) conventional gasoline vehicles; (2) conventional diesel vehicles; (3) ethanol (E85) flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) fueled with corn-based ethanol; (4) E85 FFVs fueled with switchgrass-based ethanol; (5) gasoline hybrid vehicles (HEVs); (6) diesel HEVs; (7) electric vehicles (EVs) charged using the average U.S. generation mix; (8) EVs charged using the California generation mix; and (9) hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Pollutant emissions were separated into total and urban emissions to differentiate the locations of emissions, and emissions were presented by sources. The results show that WTW emissions of the vehicle/fuel systems differ significantly, in terms of not only the amounts but also with respect to locations and sources, both of which are important in evaluating alternative vehicle/fuel systems. E85 FFVs increase total emissions but reduce urban emissions by up to 30% because the majority of emissions are released from farming equipment, fertilizer manufacture, and ethanol plants, all of which are located in rural areas. HEVs reduce both total and urban emissions because of the improved fuel economy and lower emissions. While EVs significantly reduce total emissions of VOCs and CO by more than 90%, they increase total emissions of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 by 35–325%. However, EVs can reduce urban PM emissions by more than 40%. FCVs reduce VOCs, CO, and NO_x emissions, but they increase both total and urban PM emissions because of the high process emissions that occur during hydrogen production. This study emphasizes the importance of specifying a thorough life-cycle emissions inventory that can account for both the locations and sources of the emissions to assist in achieving a fair comparison of alternative vehicle/fuel options in terms of their environmental impacts.     

Effects of lead and cadmium exposure from electronic waste on child physical growth

Many studies indicate that lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure may alter bone development through both direct and indirect mechanisms, increasing the risk of osteoporosis later in life. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Pb and Cd exposure, physical growth, and bone and calcium metabolism in children of an electronic waste (e-waste) processing area. We recruited 246 children (3–8 years) in a kindergarten located in Guiyu, China. Blood lead levels (BLLs) and blood cadmium levels (BCLs) of recruited children were measured as biomarkers for exposure. Serum calcium, osteocalcin, bone alkaline phosphatase, and urinary deoxypyridinoline were used as biomarkers for bone and calcium metabolism. Physical indexes such as height, weight, and head and chest circumference were also measured. The mean values of BLLs and BCLs obtained were 7.30 μg/dL and 0.69 μg/L, respectively. The average of BCLs increased with age. In multiple linear regression analysis, BLLs were negatively correlated with both height and weight, and positively correlated with bone resorption biomarkers. Neither bone nor calcium metabolic biomarkers showed significant correlation with cadmium. Childhood lead exposure affected both physical development and increased bone resorption of children in Guiyu. Primitive e-waste recycling may threaten the health of children with elevated BLL which may eventually cause adult osteoporosis.     

石油炼化企业烟气脱硫技术研究进展

石油炼化企业由于烟气特点、排放特征和减排设施的差别,导致了各炼化企业所采用的烟气脱硫技术的差别较大,尚无成熟、有效、经济的烟气脱硫技术,各炼化企业需要采用的二氧化硫减排技术差别也较大,选用适合炼化企业烟气脱硫的可行工艺技术具有重要现实意义。综合分析了目前国内外已工业化应用的主要烟气脱硫工艺、原理、技术的优缺点以及石油炼化企业烟气脱硫技术的发展趋势,为石油炼化企业烟气脱硫技术研究提供了借鉴和参考依据,并对石油炼化企业未来烟气脱硫技术的研究和选用提出了建议。     

添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟齐对堆肥的影响

通过在高温好氧堆肥中分别添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂，研究接种3％o的VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂促进堆肥的作用效果。结果表明，接种VT菌剂的处理与空白和接种有机物料腐熟剂的处理相比，堆肥初期升温更快；高温期更长；堆肥结束时，C／N降低的多，NO3-N增加的多，NH4-N挥发的少，接种VT菌剂和VT有机物料腐熟剂都可促进有机质的充分降解，缩短堆肥时间，加快堆肥腐熟，提高堆肥肥力。     

混合胺MEA＋DETA吸收CO2的影响因素

以MEA为主体，DETA为添加剂，考察1h内，在温度298～338K，压力300～700kPa，混合胺溶液初始浓度（质量分数）4％～20％范围内，MEA＋DETA不同配比的混合吸收剂吸收CO2的特性。获得MEA＋DETA混合胺吸收CO2的最佳吸收条件为：308K、500kPa、总胺质量浓度为20％，MEA与DETA的配比为8：2。     

低C/N比水产养殖废水生物脱氮实验研究

随着短程硝化-反硝化理论研究的发展,在低C/N比条件下,实现污水的生物脱氮处理已成为可能。为此,设计了水产养殖用水的三级生物膜短程硝化-反硝化处理工艺,并对该工艺在去除模拟水产养殖废水主要污染物的作用进行了初步研究。研究结果表明,在进水pH值7.5~8.5,温度为28~32℃,溶解氧为0.5~1 mg/L,游离氨浓度为5~10 mg/L的条件下,模拟废水的COD、NH4+-N和TN的平均去除率分别达到94.4%、91.6%和70.1%;并且低C/N比对出水氨氮NH4+-N的去除率影响不大,NO2--N的平均浓度控制在5.2 mg/L以下,低于鱼类的耐受浓度。表明该短程硝化-反硝化工艺设计,可用于低C/N比水产养殖废水主要污染物的生物处理,尤其是可消除NO2--N对水产养殖的潜在威胁,基本达到养鱼回用标准。     

ALAD genotypes and blood lead levels of neonates and children from e-waste exposure in Guiyu,China

Extensive e-waste recycling activity in Guiyu, China, has been conducted using primitive techniques for the last 20 years, resulting in serious heavy metal environmental contamination. A polymorphic variant of the δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) gene has been found to influence lead uptake and, thus, may influence an individual’s susceptibility to lead toxicity. We therefore explored whether the ALAD gene polymorphism affects blood lead levels of newborns and children in Guiyu. A total of 273 newborns and 504 children, and a combination of 2004/2005 and 2006 independent recruitments were used for this study. Umbilical cord blood from newborns (Guiyu/exposed group 189 vs. Chaonan/reference group 84) and venous blood from children (exposed group, 319 vs. Chendian/reference group 185) were collected. Blood lead levels (BLLs) were measured via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) for all samples, while ALAD genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP for 273 neonate cord blood and 246 children’s blood. The median BBLs of neonates in exposed group vs. the reference group were 10.50 (2.36–40.78) vs. 7.79 (0.8–19.51) for 2004/2005 and 9.41 (9.28–47.60) vs. 5.49 (0.35–18.68) for 2006, while child mean BLLs were 15.31?±?5.79 vs. 9.94?±?4.05 for 2004/2005 and 13.17?±?5.98 vs. 10.04?±?4.85 for 2006. The genotype frequencies in newborns were 98.90 % for the ALAD-1/ALAD-1 homozygote and 1.10 % for the ALAD-1/ALAD-2 heterozygotes, while the values were 95.93 and 4.07 %, respectively, in children. The allele frequencies of the ALAD-1 and ALAD-2 were 99.45 and 0.55 % for newborns, but 97.97 and 2.03 % for children, respectively. No significant differences in blood lead levels were found between ALAD-1/ALAD-1 and ALAD-1/ALAD-2 either in newborns or in children. The frequency distribution of the ALAD-2 allele in newborns from the exposed group was lower than that of the reference group. There were no significant differences, between the two different ALAD genotypes in the lead load of newborns and children. The frequency distribution of ALAD gene does not influence the blood lead levels of newborns and children in this case, which means that the higher lead burden in the exposed children was possibly influenced by e-waste recycling, but not ALAD genotypes.     

Lipid peroxidation of kidney of the turtle Mauremys reevesii caused by cadmium

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This research was designed to investigate lipid peroxidation of the kidney of turtle (Mauremys reevesii) caused by cadmium. Turtles were injected...     

黄河兰州段悬移质泥沙对氨氮的吸附特性

实验研究了黄河兰州段不同粒径的悬浮泥沙对氨氮的吸附行为,拟阐释黄河兰州段水质自净的机制。通过分析探讨了含沙量、氨氮初始浓度、泥沙粒径和化学成分对氨氮吸附过程的影响。结果表明,准二级动力学方程和Langmuir模型能够较好地描述黄河兰州段不同粒径泥沙的吸附动力学和等温吸附过程(R20.9);含沙量对泥沙吸附氨氮作用具有显著影响,且氨氮吸附量和平衡时间与含沙量呈明显负相关性;氨氮初始浓度与氨氮吸附量及平衡时间呈正相关性;同时,泥沙颗粒越细,吸附氨氮的能力越强,吸附容量越大,反应的自发程度越高。此外,泥沙有机质、Fe2O3、Al2O3和MgO的含量随粒径减小而增大,它们对单位质量泥沙最大吸附量(Sm)具有正效应。泥沙的吸附在黄河兰州段水质自净过程中起着一定的促进作用。     

Heavy metal exposure has adverse effects on the growth and development of preschool children

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), and manganese (Mn) in the PM2.5 and...