Comparative assessments of VOC emission rates and associated health risks from wastewater treatment processes

With the growing concern regarding emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the relationship between the VOC emission rates and the associated public health risks has been rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the VOC emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks by inhalation intake, using a municipal WWTP in China as an example, with respect to the effects of treatment technologies, VOC species, and seasonal variation. Given the treatment technology considered, the emission rates of VOCs in this study were estimated by means of mass balance or calculated on the molecular level. From the viewpoints of both emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks, sedimentation was the treatment technology with the highest health risks to the workers. Slightly lower VOC emission rates and health risks than those for sedimentation were observed in anaerobic treatment. Although the aeration significantly enhanced the VOC emission rates in the aerobic treatment process, the associated health risks were limited due to the low VOC concentrations in the gas phase, which were likely attributed to the strong mixing and dilution with fresh air by aeration. Amongst the VOCs investigated, benzene was the VOC with both a relatively high emission rate and health risk, while trichloroethylene possessed a high emission rate but the lowest health risk. Without strong interfacial aeration and turbulence between the water and atmosphere, the effects of treatment technology and seasonal variation on the health risks might be connected to the VOC emission rates, while the effect of VOC species depended considerably on the respective cancer slope factors and reference concentrations; the employment of aeration provided a different conclusion in which the emission rates were enhanced without a significant increase in the related cancer risks. These findings can provide insight into future health risk management and reduction strategies for workers in WWTPs.     

计算毒理学在内分泌干扰物筛选上的应用和展望

内分泌干扰物通过干扰内分泌系统导致多种疾病,如生殖疾病、肥胖症甚至癌症。然而,面对环境中大量潜在的内分泌干扰物,传统的体外、体内评估方法由于成本高、耗时长等问题,难以实现内分泌干扰物的高通量筛查。计算毒理学逐渐发展成为被美国环保局(Environmental Protection Agency,EPA)、经济合作与发展组织(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,OECD)等机构所推荐的内分泌干扰物筛选与预测方法。本文综述了计算毒理学在内分泌干扰物筛选上的进展,主要包括分子对接和分子动力学模拟的应用,并对有害结局路径(adverse outcome pathway,AOP)的方法进行介绍和展望。     

Land use change and landslide characteristics analysis for community-based disaster mitigation

On August 8, 2009, Typhoon Morakot brought heavy rain to Taiwan, causing numerous landslides and debris flows in the Taihe village area of Meishan Township, Chiayi County, in south-central Taiwan. In the Taihe land is primary used for agriculture and land use management may be a factor in the area’s landslides. This study explores Typhoon Morakot-induced landslides and land use changes between 1999 and 2009 using GIS with the aid of field investigation. Spot 5 satellite images with a resolution of 2.5 m are used for landslide interpretation and manually digitalized in GIS. A statistical analysis for landslide frequency–area distribution was used to identify the landslide characteristics associated with different types of land use. There were 243 landslides with a total area of 2.75 km² in the study area. The area is located in intrinsically fragile combinations of sandstone and shale. Typhoon Morakot-induced landslides show a power–law distribution in the study area. Landslides were mainly located in steep slope areas containing natural forest and in areas planted with bamboo, tea, and betel nut. Land covered with natural forest shows the highest landslide ratio, followed by bamboo, betel nut, and tea. Landslides thus show a higher ratio in areas planted with shallow root vegetation such as bamboo, betel nut, and tea. Furthermore, the degree of basin development is proportional to the landslide ratio. The results show that a change in vegetation cover results in a modified landslide area and frequency and changed land use areas have higher landslide ratios than non-changed. Land use management and community-based disaster prevention are needed in mountainous areas of Taiwan for hazard mitigation.     

镍基催化剂对污泥微波热解制生物气效能的影响

为实现污水污泥减量化、无害化及资源化的目标,在微波热解污水污泥基础上,进行了镍基催化剂对制取生物气效能影响的研究。采用元素分析对污泥元素进行检测,气/质联用分析(GC-MS)和气相色谱(GC)对热解生物气的组成和含量进行测定。实验结果表明,镍基催化剂的添加对微波热解污水污泥制取生物气有较大促进作用。5%添加量与800℃热解终温条件下具有最佳催化效果:生物气中H2、CO产量最大,H2产量由29 g/kg增加到35.8 g/kg,提升23.4%,CO产量由302.7 g/kg增加到383.3 g/kg,提升26.6%;同时催化剂还能提高热能利用效率,降低热解终温,即5%添加量在700℃热解终温时可达到空白800℃时的产气效果;镍基催化剂主要在500~600℃时发挥催化作用,加快了H2和CO的释放。微波热解污泥制取的生物气具有产量大、富含H2与CO等优点,可推动污水污泥的资源化进程。     

固定化生物活性炭纤维处理洗浴废水的研究

采用混凝-砂滤-固定化生物活性炭纤维的组合处理工艺来处理洗浴废水.利用聚合氯化铝和聚丙烯酰胺为混凝剂对废水进行混凝处理,之后将废水通入砂滤柱,废水在曝气池进行曝气后进入固定化生物活性炭纤维(IBACF)单元.IBACF固定化完成后,连续运行30 d,去除率稳定之后,处理后的浊度、LAS、S0D_(Mn)平均值分别为2.2NTU、0.12 mg·L~(-1)、2.33 mg·L~(-1),平均去除率分别为95.2%、94.7%、84.8%.经处理后的洗浴废水各项指标均可以达到生活饮用水卫生标准或城市供水水质标准,可以直接回用于洗浴用水和其他生活杂用水.     

石油污染土壤原位生物修复的强化实验研究

为研究添加营养物质和高效降解石油微生物对油污土壤生物修复的作用,通过分层土柱的方法,连续监测了不同条件下不同土层的含水率、石油烃含量、细菌数量及脱氢酶活性。结果表明:添加营养物质同时接种高效微生物可使降解效果明显改善,降解率比在自然条件下提高近50%,而单纯添加营养物质不接种高效微生物可使降解率比在自然条件下提高约25%。降解初期,上层土壤降解效果较好,而到中后期,中下层降解效果好于上层。微生物数量和脱氢酶活性与石油降解率之间存在良好的相关性,脱氢酶活性比微生物数量更能反映修复过程中微生物的存活状态。添加营养物质和高效降解石油微生物对油污土壤原位生物修复具有强化作用。     

Understanding world metals prices—Returns,volatility and diversification

In recent times, the prices of internationally traded metals have reached record highs and there is considerable uncertainty regarding their future. This phenomenon is partially driven by strong demand from a small number of emerging economies, such as China and India. This paper uses a long time-series (1900–2007) on 21 metals prices to investigate their properties, and presents unique features of their volatility, including a decomposition into within- and between-group components. If most volatility is commodity-specific rather than “global”, then metals-exporting dependent economies can smooth income via diversification.     

Concentration Effects on Competitive Sorption of Trichloroethylene and Tetrachloroethylene to the Roots of Typha latifolia: Implications for Phytomonitoring

Uptake of organic contaminants by plant roots consists of two consecutive steps: sorption to plant roots and entrance into root xylem tissues through epidermal and endodermic membranes. Most research pertaining to phytoremediation assumed that sorption to plant roots is linear and non-competitive. A growing body of evidence, however, is suggesting that sorption to plant roots is nonlinear and competitive. The objective of this study was to examine the concentration effects of chemical constituents on the competitive sorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) to the roots of Typha latifolia. Competitive sorption was clearly demonstrated by the reduced sorption of TCE and PCE in bi-solute systems than in single-solute systems. Concentration is an important factor affecting the extent of competition. In bi-solute systems, the PCE/TCE ratio on root surface approximately reflected the contaminant footprints in solution. The result was attributed to limited high energetically favorable sorption sites on the root surface and similar sorption mechanisms of TCE and PCE. The results hold significant importance for the application of phytomonitoring of organic contaminant mixtures.     

SDG-based HAZOP analysis of operating mistakes for PVC process

As modern chemical plants are becoming more complex and bigger in scale, the associated chance of things going wrong is also increasing rapidly. Due to the flammable, explosive, toxic and corrosive nature of chemical process, any single accident may trigger a major catastrophe that brings tremendous environmental, social and economical loss. In order to prevent any accident from happening, hazard and operability (HAZOP) analysis has been brought in to monitor chemical process and provide early warning for signs of accident. However, most existing HAZOP is carried out manually, and there are always obstacles in terms of cost overrun and incompleteness of the analysis. To address the difficulties in current HAZOP method, this paper proposes a signed digraph (SDG)-based HAZOP analysis method. It is used to identify the most likely operating mistakes that may cause certain process variable deviating from its normal value, which is the main source of safety concern. A case study on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of SDG-based HAZOP analysis method in providing complete analysis result.