Analysis of Key Features of Non-Linear Behaviour Using Recurrence Quantification. Case Study: Urban Airborne Pollution at Mexico City

The use of recurrence plots have been extensively used in various fields. In this work, recurrence plots investigate the changes in the non-linear behaviour of urban air pollution using large datasets of raw data (hourly). This analysis has not been used before to extract information from large datasets for this type of non-linear problem. Two different approaches have been used to tackle this problem. The first approach is to show results according to monitoring network. The second approach is to show the results by particle type. This analysis shows the feasibility of using recurrence analysis for pollution monitoring and control.     

Alternative management structures for municipal waste collection services: The influence of economic and political factors

Identifying and characterising the factors that determine why a local authority opts for a particular way of managing its waste collection service is an important issue, warranting research interest in the field of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. This paper presents empirical evidence spanning a broad time horizon (2002–2010) showing that economic and political factors impact in different ways on the provision of waste management services. We examine five alternatives in this area, including public and private service delivery formulas and, within each field, individual and joint options. Our findings highlight the importance of the service cost and that of the various indicators of fiscal stress as determinant factors of management decisions regarding the provision of MSW management services.     

Finished leather waste chromium acid extraction and anaerobic biodegradation of the products

Due to the amounts of chromium in the leachate resulting from leather leaching tests, chromium sulfate tanned leather wastes are very often considered hazardous wastes. To overcome this problem, one option could be recovering the chromium and, consequently, lowering its content in the leather scrap. With this objective, chromium leather scrap was leached with sulfuric acid solutions at low temperature also aiming at maximizing chromium removal with minimum attack of the leather matrix. The effects of leather scrap dimension, sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate concentration in the solutions, as well as extraction time and temperature on chromium recovery were studied, and, additionally, organic matrix degradation was evaluated. The best conditions found for chromium recovery were leather scrap conditioning using 25 mL of concentrated H₂SO₄/L solution at 293 or 313 K during 3 or 6 days. Under such conditions, 30–60 ± 5% of chromium was recovered and as low as 3–6 ± 1% of the leather total organic carbon (TOC) was dissolved. Using such treatment, the leather scrap area and volume are reduced and the residue is a more brittle material showing enhanced anaerobic biodegradability. Although good recovery results were achieved, due to the fact that the amount of chromium in eluate exceeded the threshold value this waste was still hazardous. Thus, it needs to be methodically washed in order to remove all the chromium de-linked from collagen.     

Do spotless starlings place feathers at their nests by ultraviolet color?

A considerable number of bird species carry feathers to their nests. Feathers’ presence in the nests has traditionally been explained by their insulating properties. Recently, however, it has been suggested that feathers carried to the nests by females of the spotted starling (Sturnus unicolor L.) could have an ornamental function based on their ultraviolet (300–400 nm) and human-visible longer wavelength (400–700 nm) coloration. In our population, 95.7% of feathers found inside next-boxes occupied by nesting starlings were rock dove fly feathers. Of these feathers, 82.7% were naturally positioned with their reverse side oriented toward the entrance hole and 42.4% of all found feathers were situated within the nest-cup. Here we experimentally assess the signaling function of ultraviolet coloration of feathers in nests of spotless starlings by providing nests with a number of pigeon flight feathers that were respectively treated on their obverse, reverse, both, or neither side with a UV blocker. Starlings placed 42.5% of the experimental feathers in the nest-cup irrespective of the UV block treatment. Orientation of feathers toward the entrance hole was not related with their ultraviolet radiation. However, feathers placed within the nest-cup were more likely found with their reverse side oriented toward the entrance hole confirming our correlative findings. These results suggest a minor role of ultraviolet coloration on feather location by spotless starlings.     

Biomass yield and carbon abatement potential of banana crops (Musa spp.) in Ecuador

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Banana is one of the most important agricultural products of Ecuador. It relies on intensive monoculture cropping systems with a large volume of...     

The Cramer’s rule for the parametrization of phenol and its hydroxylated byproducts: UV spectroscopy vs. high performance liquid chromatography

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A linear algebra theorem like Cramer’s rule was used for the analysis of a system of equations obtained from UV spectroscopy, and results were...     

不同运行模式下改良型CAST工艺处理生活污水的除磷性能

实验采用改良型CAST工艺,以生活污水为研究对象,考察了C/P、回流比及温度等不同运行模式对系统除磷性能的影响.结果表明,常温条件下进水C/P由50升至100,系统除磷率均值从15%迅速升至95.6%,除磷性能显著提高;继而降低C/P至75,除磷性能因进水碳源不足再度下降,除磷率均值为51.4%,且长期投加易降解碳源引发系统污泥膨胀并导致污泥大量流失.C/P较低情况下,回流比由25%降低至12.5%,除磷性能提高2.3倍,继续降低回流比至0,除磷性能反而下降;温度实验研究则表明,低温系统(14℃±1℃),除磷率稳定维持在90%以上,而高温短程硝化系统(27℃±1℃)除磷率仅为14.1%,可见低温更有利于系统磷的去除.吸磷小试发现,常温系统污泥以O_2、NO_3~-和NO_2~-为电子受体均能进行吸磷,而低温系统污泥能以O_2、NO_3~-为电子受体进行吸磷,高温系统污泥则仅能以O_2为电子受体进行少量吸磷.此外,实验还发现,系统短期闲置导致的污泥"饥饿"有利于系统除磷率的提高.     

长江口海域底栖生态环境质量评价——AMBI和M-AMBI法

AMBI(AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index)和M-AMBI(Multivariate-AMBI)指数可以有效地评价河口和近岸海域软底质海洋大型底栖动物群落对人为和自然扰动的响应.本研究根据2009年4月在长江口采集的大型底栖动物资料,首次在长江口海域同时运用栖息密度和生物量计算AMBI(BAMBI)和M-AMBI(M-BAMBI),对其进行底栖生态质量评价.结果表明,长江口底栖生态环境皆受到不同程度的干扰,其中受干扰最严重的区域集中在杭州湾、舟山及长江口门区附近海域,与该海域的陆源排污、富营养化以及大量的海岸工程建设等有密切的关系.单因素方差分析表明,运用栖息密度和生物量计算出的两个指数值,评价结果无明显的差异.与AMBI相比,M-AMBI与本研究生物群落结构参数以及环境因子的匹配度更高,能够更有效地评价长江口底栖生态环境质量.Pearson相关分析和一元线性回归分析表明,M-AMBI与底层水体的富营养化指数之间存在线性显著负相关关系,而与表层水体的呈非线性显著负相关;AMBI与富营养化指数之间却无显著相关关系,说明M-AMBI更适合指示长江口水域的富营养化压力.     

危险废物焚烧厂环境污染控制与风险管理水平评价指标体系研究与应用

采用德尔菲法、层次分析法和五分制综合评分法,构建了危险废物焚烧厂环境污染控制与风险管理水平评价指标体系。从选址、技术和管理的角度,制定了31个评价指标,并归纳为8个准则层指标群,通过计算权重和对评价指标的赋分,实现对危险废物焚烧厂环境污染控制与风险管理水平的量化评价。应用结果表明:华南某市两家危险废物焚烧厂的环境污染控制与风险管理水平分值分别为3.34和4.38,分别处于良好和先进的水平。