Relationships among multiple trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia ecosystems on Hainan Island, South China

Forty-six trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia plant–soil systems at nine sampling sites on Hainan Island were analyzed using ICP-MS. The relationships among the trace elements of the same group or the same periodicity of the Periodic Table in the plants and soils were complex and no consistent patterns were found. More combinations of elements occurred with high positive correlation coefficients within the same periodicity than within the same group of the Periodic Table, and there were more high positive correlations in soils than in plants. However, there were many element combinations in Block d (transition elements) with high positive correlation coefficients in plants. Markedly high positive correlation coefficients between individual rare earth elements and Y and among Zr, Nb, Cd existed in both plants and soils. The dendrograms obtained by cluster analysis show that rare earth elements had very similar occurrence and distribution in both soils and plants. Thus, they behaved as a coherent group of elements both geochemically and biogeochemically. The transition elements were more coherent in plants than in soils.     

电解浮选用于活性污泥固液分离的研究

在装有Ti/RuO₂-IrO₂-TiO₂阳极、Ti阴极的电解浮选槽中进行了活性污泥固液分离的研究.考察了影响电解浮选性能的操作参数,这些参数包括水力停留时间、电流密度、进水SS浓度和进水pH值.研究表明,电解浮选是高效的固液分离单元,水力停留时间和电流密度是主要的影响因素.SS的去除率随着水力停留时间和电流密度的增加而增大;污泥负荷增加,SS的去除率下降;pH值影响电解产生微气泡的尺寸和污泥性质,但对SS的去除影响不大,实际应用中可以不调节pH值.进水SS约1 000mg/L时,当水力停留时间为20min,接触室电流密度为5 mA/cm²,分离区电流密度为2.5 mA/cm²,SS的去除率可达97%以上,此时的能耗为0.4～0.5(kW.h)/m³废水.电解浮选产生的浮渣含水率为95.9%,低于溶气气浮和二沉池的污泥含水率,对污泥减量化及其最终处置有较大的意义.     

Decomposition of silicate minerals by Bacillus mucilaginosus in liquid culture

The extraction of K⁺ and SiO₂ from silicate minerals by Bacillus mucilaginosus in liquid culture was studied in incubation experiments. B. mucilaginosus was found to dissolve soil minerals and mica and simultaneously release K⁺ and SiO₂ from the crystal lattices. In contrast, the bacterium did not dissolve feldspar. B. mucilaginosus also produced organic acids and polysaccharides during growth. The polysaccharides strongly adsorbed the organic acids and attached to the surface of the mineral, resulting in an area of high concentration of organic acids near the mineral. The polysaccharides also adsorbed SiO₂ and this affected the equilibrium between the mineral and fluid phases and led to the reaction toward SiO₂ and K⁺ solubilization. These two processes led to the decomposition of silicate minerals by the bacterium.     

Recognizing local people's priorities for tropical forest biodiversity

Tropical forest people often suffer from the same processes that threaten biodiversity. An improved knowledge of what is important to local people could improve decision making. This article examines the usefulness of explicitly asking what is important to local people. Our examples draw on biodiversity surveys in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). With local communities we characterized locally valued habitats, species, and sites, and their significance. This process clarified various priorities and threats, suggested refinements and limits to management options, and indicated issues requiring specific actions, further investigation, or both. It also shows how biological evaluations are more efficient with local guidance, and reveals potential for collaborations between local communities and those concerned with conservation. Such evaluations are a first step in facilitating the incorporation of local concerns into higher-level decision making. Conservationists who engage with local views can benefit from an expanded constituency, and from new opportunities for pursuing effective conservation.     

HCHs and DDTs in sediment-dwelling animals from the Yangtze Estuary, China

HCHs and DDTs in sediment-dwelling animals including mollusks and crabs from the Yangtze Estuary were determined by GC-ECD. Levels of t-HCH were in the range of 1.2-5.5 ng g(-1) and averaged 3.5 ng g(-1) in mollusks, while t-DDT concentrations ranged from 26.0 to 68.8 ng g(-1), with a mean of 34.5 ng g(-1). In crabs t-HCH concentrations varied from 2.0 to 25.7 ng g(-1) and averaged 13.8 ng g(-1), whereas the concentrations of t-DDT were in the range of 1.5-24.8 ng g(-1) with a mean value of 5.9 ng g(-1). The HCHs and DDTs levels depend on geographical position and sources, showing the high levels at fresh water area in the estuary, such as XP, CM and LHK sites, and lower at brackish water area, such as FX site, and little difference between species. Results also indicate there was no significant relationship between t-HCH (t-DDT) concentrations and lipid contents both in mollusks and crabs because of non-equilibrium state under a specific estuarine dynamics; smaller individuals accumulated more HCHs and DDTs than larger individuals of mollusks at LHK site, showing different uptake rate for these pesticides; moreover, HCHs and DDTs levels were lower in female crab bodies than male crab bodies suggesting that the release of spawning. BSAFs (Biota- Sediment Accumulation Factors) from sediment-dwelling animals for HCHs and DDTs show a significant "one high with two low" and "one low with two high" effect in the Yangtze Estuary.     

Chemical characterization of fine particles from on-road vehicles in the Wutong tunnel in Shenzhen, China

Vehicle populations in China have been increasing sharply since 1990s. Vehicle emissions including various gaseous pollutants and particulate matter cause deterioration of air quality. However, measurements of particulate mater from on-road vehicles in China are scarcely reported, and thus the chemical compositions of particles emitted from vehicles in China are unknown. In this research, tunnel experiments were performed to measure PM2.5 in the Wutong tunnel, Shenzhen, China. Detailed PM2.5 chemical compositions, with organic compounds determined by GC/MS, in the tunnel were presented. Elemental carbon and organic matter composed 63% and 34% of the total PM2.5 mass in the Wutong tunnel, respectively. Alkanes, PAHs, hopanes, fatty acids, and dicarboxylic acids were the major identified organic compounds, and their source profiles in the PM2.5 in the Wutong tunnel were characterized. The comparisons of our measurements with those in the literature were also made to demonstrate the characteristics of the vehicle source profiles in the Wutong tunnel. The experimental results in this paper can improve understanding of particulate matter emitted from vehicles in China.     

Formation and instability of aerobic granules under high organic loading conditions

The cultivation and instability of aerobic granular sludge in a sequencing batch reactor under high loading conditions were investigated. Compact bacteria-dominated aerobic granules with a mean diameter of 1 mm were formed at a chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate of 6.0 kg m(-3) d(-1) within 30 d. However, the compact bacteria-dominated aerobic granules were not stable and transited to large-sized filamentous ones gradually. With the formation of bacteria-dominated granules, the hydrophobicity and specific gravity of the sludge increased. When the granules were transited to filamentous ones, the hydrophobicity and specific gravity decreased. Both granules had a high COD removal efficiency, excellent settling ability and showed a clear, regular round-shaped outline. After the filamentous granules reached a diameter of 16 mm, due to the mass transfer limitation and the possible presence of anaerobes in the inner part of the granules, they began to disintegrate and be washed out of the reactor, follow by failure of the reactor.     

Study of transportation and distribution of PCBs using an ecologically simulated growth chamber

This study was designed to investigate the transportation, distribution, and bioaccumulation of PCBs in various environmental media and compartments using an ecologically simulated growth chamber. Spatial and temporal trends of PCBs in the growth chamber were discussed. The release of PCB congeners in soil was affected by the amount of rainfall with the transporting direction moving away from PCBs contaminated point. Two pathways of PCBs accumulation in plants were the uptake of roots and the deposition on shoots/leaves. There were 29 PCB congeners been found in the lalang grass. Higher concentrations of lower chlorinated PCBs were identified than higher chlorinated PCBs because of relatively higher vapor pressure for lower chlorinated congeners. After 10months of monitoring, PCBs were detected in water samples which were contributed by the release of PCBs from leached soil. Analysis of sediment showed that the percentages of low- and mid-chlorinated biphenyls were decreased 1% and 13%, respectively compared to the increase (14%) of high-chlorinated biphenyls. The increase of high-chlorinated PCBs was possibly caused by their low hydrophilicity which had resulted higher adsorption rate in sediment. All of five species of fish had been found significant amount of PCBs accumulation ( summation operatorPCBs: 21.7-102.1 microg/g-lipid). The concentrations of PCBs in fish were varied significantly among species. The range of bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) among different species of fish could be as much as 5 times depending on the consumption habits of fish. The mass balance of PCBs distribution in the growth chamber was also discussed.     

Al13形态在混凝中的作用机制

从铝的水解形态转化角度考察了铝盐在高碱度和高有机物浓度水体中的混凝行为.结果表明,铝盐的混凝效能是与混凝过程中的Al₁₃含量成正比.高投药量时氯化铝(AlCl₃)既可以有效调节水体pH值又能在混凝过程中原位水解产生较多的Al₁₃形态,因而混凝效能要高于聚合氯化铝(PACl).在铝盐混凝中,调节pH值到6～7之间可以控制铝形态分布从而达到提高混凝效能和减少残留铝的目的.在调节pH值强化混凝的方法中使用传统铝盐的效果要好于无机高分子絮凝剂.