Adsorption of 17β-estradiol from aqueous solution by raw and direct/pre/post-KOH treated lotus seedpod biochar

Five biochars derived from lotus seedpod(LSP) were applied to examine and compare the adsorption capacity of 17β-estradiol(E2) from aqueous solution.The effect of KOH activation and the order of activation steps on material properties were discussed.The effect of contact time,initial concentration,p H,ionic strength and humic acid on E2 adsorption were investigated in a batch adsorption process.Experimental results demonstrated that the pseudo second-order model fitted the experimental data best and that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 20 hr.The efficiency of E2 removal increased with increasing E2 concentration and decreased with the increase of ionic strength.E2 adsorption on LSP-derived biochar(BCs) was influenced little by humic acid,and slightly affected by the solution p H when its value ranged from 4.0 to 9.0,but considerably affected at p H 10.0.Low environmental temperature is favorable for E2 adsorption.Chemisorption,π–π interactions,monolayer adsorption and electrostatic interaction are the possible adsorption mechanisms.Comparative studies indicated that KOH activation and the order of activation steps had significant impacts on the material.Post-treated biochar exhibited better adsorption capacity for E2 than direct treated,pretreated,and raw LSP biochar.Pyrolyzed biochar at higher temperature improved E2 removal.The excellent performance of BCs in removing E2 suggested that BCs have potential in E2 treatment and that the biochar directly treated by KOH would be a good choice for the treatment of E2 in aqueous solution,with its advantages of good efficiency and simple technology.     

Dynamic nano-Ag colloids cytotoxicity to and accumulation by Escherichia coli: Effects of Fe3+, ionic strength and humic acid

Released Ag ions or/and Ag particles are believed to contribute to the cytotoxicity of Ag nanomaterials, and thus, the cytotoxicity and mechanism of Ag nanomaterials should be dynamic in water due to unfixed Ag particle:Ag⁺ ratios. Our recent research found that the cytotoxicity of PVP-Ag nanoparticles is attributable to Ag particles alone in 3 hr bioassays, and shifts to both Ag particles and released Ag⁺ in 48 hr bioassays. Herein, as a continued study, the cytotoxicity and accumulation of 50 and 100 nm Ag colloids in Escherichia coli were determined dynamically. The cytotoxicity and mechanisms of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic throughout exposure and are derived from both Ag ions and particles. Ag accumulation by E. coli is derived mainly from extracellular Ag particles during the initial 12 hr of exposure, and thereafter mainly from intracellular Ag ions. Fe³⁺ accelerates the oxidative dissolution of nano-Ag colloids, which results in decreasing amounts of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Na⁺ stabilizes nano-Ag colloids, thereby decreasing the bioavailability of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Humic acid (HA) binds Ag⁺ to form Ag⁺-HA, decreasing ion-related toxicity and binding to the E. coli surface, decreasing particle-related toxicity. HA in complex conditions showed a stronger relative contribution to toxicity and accumulation than Na⁺ or Fe³⁺. The results highlighted the cytotoxicity and mechanism of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic and affected by environmental factors, and therefore exposure duration and water chemistry should be seriously considered in environmental and health risk assessments.     

Development of a static test apparatus for evaluating the performance of three PM2.5 separators commonly used in China

PM_(2.5) separator directly affects the accuracy of PM_(2.5) sampling.The specification testing and evaluation for PM_(2.5) separator is particularly important,especially under China's wide variation of terrain and climate.In this study,first a static test apparatus based on polydisperse aerosol was established and calibrated to evaluate the performance of the PM_(2.5) separators.A uniform mixing chamber was developed to make particles mix completely.The aerosol concentration relative standard deviations of three test points at the same horizontal chamber position were less than 0.57%,and the particle size distribution obeyed logarithmic normal distribution with an R~2 of 0.996.The flow rate deviation between the measurement and the set point flow rate agreed to within ± 1.0% in the range of -40 to 50℃.Secondly,the separation,flow and loading characteristics of three cyclone separators(VSCC-A,SCC-A and SCC112) were evaluated using this system.The results showed that the 50% cutoff sizes(D_(50)) of the three cyclones were 2.48,2.47 and 2.44 μm when worked at the manufacturer's recommended flow rates,respectively.The geometric standard deviation(GSD) of the capture efficiency of VSCCA was 1.23,showed a slightly sharper than SCC-A(GSD = 1.27),while the SCC112 did not meet the relevant indicator(GSD = 1.2 ± 0.1) with a GSD = 1.44.The flow rate and loading test had a great effect on D_(50),while the GSD remained almost the same as before.In addition,the maintenance frequency under different air pollution conditions of the cyclones was summarized according to the loading test.     

Chemical characteristics of road dust PM2.5 fraction in oasis cities at the margin of Tarim Basin

In order to understand the compositions characteristics of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) fraction in road dust (RD_2.5) of oasis cities on the edge of Tarim Basin, 30 road dust (RD) samples were collected in Kashi, Cele, and Yutian in the spring, 2018, and RD_2.5 was collected using the resuspension approach. Eight water-soluble ions, 39 trace elements and 8 fractions of carbon-containing species in PM_2.5 were analyzed. Ca²⁺ and Ca were the most abundant ions and elements in RD_2.5 (7.1% and 9.5%). Cl^- in RD_2.5 was affected not only by attributed to saline-alkali soils in oasis cities of the Tarim Basin and dust from Taklimakan Desert but also by human activities. Moreover, the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC) ratio indicated that carbon components in RD_2.5 in Cele town mainly come from fossil fuel combustion, while those in Yutian and Kashi mainly come from biomass combustion. It is noteworthy that high Ca in RD_2.5 was seriously affected by anthropogenic emissions, and high Na and K contents in RD_2.5 could be derived from soil and desert dust. It was estimated that Cd, Tl, Sn and Cr were emitted from anthropogenic emissions using the enrichment factor. The coefficients of divergence (COD) result indicated that the influence of local emission on road dust emission is greater than that of long-distance transmission. This study is the first time to comprehensively analyze the chemical characteristics of road dust in oasis cities, and the results provides the sources of road dust at the margin of Tarim Basin.     

Investigation to meet China II emission legislation for marine diesel engine with diesel methanol compound combustion technology

In order to reduce the pollutant emission and alleviate the pressure of petroleum resources shortage and greenhouse gas emission at the same time, the use of clean and renewable alternative fuel for marine engines is a promising option. In this study, a marine diesel engine, which was modified to run in diesel methanol compound combustion (DMCC) mode, was investigated. After the diesel injection parameters were calibrated, and combined with a sample after-treatment device DOC (diesel oxidation catalyst), the engine could meet the requirements of China II legislation. The overall MSP (methanol substitute percent) reached 54.1%. The value of each pollutant emission was much lower than that in China II emission legislation, and there was almost no methanol and formaldehyde emissions. When methanol was injected into the inlet manifold, the intake air temperature decreased a lot, as well as the exhaust gas temperature, which were beneficial to increase engine thermal efficiency and improve engine room environment. Compared with the engine running in pure diesel mode, when the engine ran in diesel/methanol dual fuel mode, the combustion phase was advanced, and the combustion duration became shorter. Therefore, the engine thermal efficiency increased, and fuel consumption decreased significantly.     

天津市河流生态完整性评价

对河流生态健康状况进行评价,可为河流治理和生态修复提供依据.基于2018年8—9月天津市河流现场调查获取的物理、化学和生物群落指标（浮游动物、浮游植物、底栖动物、鱼类、水生大型植物、陆生植物）数据,构建包含物理完整性、化学完整性和生物完整性在内的河流IEI（index of ecological integrity,生态完整性指数）评价体系,对天津市河流生态健康状况进行评价.根据生物栖息地评分和水质状况确定参照点位,采用标准化方法筛选候选指标,应用层次分析法计算三部分指标权重,最终得出天津市河流生态健康评价结果.结果表明:①IEI评价结果显示,天津市河流生态健康状况等级为“健康”的样点占18.8%,“较好”的样点占28.1%,“一般”的样点占40.6%,“较差”的样点占6.3%,“差”的样点占6.3%,天津市河流生态健康状况整体处于“一般”水平.②相关性分析表明,ρ（NH₄+-N）和ρ（COD_Mn）超标是造成天津市水质达不到功能区标准的主要原因,同时也是影响河流生态健康的主要因素.研究显示,IEI评价法能够较为敏感地响应研究区面临的环境压力,适用于评价研究区河流生态健康.      

小型燃煤机组烟气重金属排放特征研究

100 MW以下燃煤机组呈单台容量小、总台数大的特点,是燃煤重金属污染的主要排放源之一.选择7台12 MW燃煤机组,采用美国环境保护局Method 29法现场检测燃煤机组烟气重金属排放浓度,分析烟气中Hg、Pb、Cr、As的排放特征;采集机组产生的飞灰和底灰,分析除尘技术对重金属的富集特性.结果表明:100 MW以下燃煤机组烟气中重金属经脱硝除尘脱硫装置协同控制后,ρ（Hg）为0.20~0.44 μg/m3,烟气Hg以气态形式存在,其占比为100.0%;ρ（Pb）为0.5~2.6 μg/m3,烟气Pb主要以气态形式存在,其占比为38.7%~92.1%;ρ（As）为0.6~3.0 μg/m3,烟气As主要以气态形式存在,其占比为67.8%~100.0%;ρ（Cr）为3.6~23.9 μg/m3,烟气Cr主要以颗粒态形式存在,其占比为65.8%~99.2%.飞灰富集Hg、Pb、Cr、As的能力大于底灰.重金属主要富集于飞灰中的细颗粒物中,采取除尘技术可有效协同控制烟气中的Hg、Pb、Cr、As;飞灰中重金属元素Hg、Pb相对富集系数均与煤中硫含量呈负相关,半干法脱硫+袋式除尘技术对飞灰富集Hg有促进作用.小型燃煤机组烟气重金属Hg、Pb、Cr、As的排放因子分别为0.002 2~0.005 1、5~17、42~160、7~24 mg/t.研究显示,100 MW以下燃煤机组与100 MW及以上燃煤机组烟气重金属Hg、Pb、Cr、As排放特征不同,100 MW以下燃煤机组烟气Hg排放浓度较小,二者烟气Pb、Cr、As排放浓度相近,选用湿式电除尘技术可进一步降低烟气Hg、Pb、Cr、As的排放浓度.