Photodegradation of Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Trimer Acid under UV Irradiation

As a novel alternative to traditional perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), hexafluoroproplyene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) has been detected worldwide in surface water. Moreover, recent researches have demonstrated that HFPO-TA has stronger bioaccumulation potential and higher hepatotoxicity than PFOA. To treat these contaminants e.g. PFOA and PFOS, some photochemical techniques by adding exogenous substances had been reported. However, there is still no report for the behavior of HFPO-TA itself under direct UV irradiation. The current study investigated the photo-transformation of HFPO-TA under UV irradiation in aqueous solution. After 72 hr photoreaction, 75% degradation ratio and 25% defluorination ratio were achieved under ambient condition. Reducing active species, i.e., hydrated electrons and active hydrogen atoms, generated from water splitting played dominant roles in degradation of HFPO-TA, which was confirmed by different effects of reaction atmospheres and quenching experiments. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on the products identification and theoretical calculations. In general, HFPO-TA would be transformed into shorter-chain PFASs, including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFA) and trifluoroacetate (TFA). This research provides basic information for HFPO-TA photodegradation process and is essential to develop novel remediation techniques for HFPO-TA and other alternatives with similar structures.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in benthos of the northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf

Eighteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in benthos collected onboard the ‘Snow Dragon’ in the Northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf during the 6^th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 2014). Σ₁₈PAHs for all biota samples ranged from 34.2 to 128.1 ng/g dry weight (dw), with the highest concentration observed in fish muscle (Boreogadus saida) samples close to St. Lawrence Island. The PAH composition pattern was dominated by the presence of lighter 3 ring (57%) and 2 ring (28%) PAHs, indicating oil-related or petrogenic sources as important origins of PAH contamination. Concentrations of alkyl-PAHs (1-methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene) were lower than their parent PAH (naphthalene) in all biological tissue, and their percentage also decreased significantly (p<0.05) compared with those in the corresponding sediment. There were no significant relationships between PAH concentrations and trophic levels, which is possibly due to the combined results of the complex benthic foodweb in the subarctic/Arctic shelf region, as well as a low assimilation/effective metabolism for PAHs. According to toxic potency evaluation results from TCDD toxic equivalents (TEQs) and BaP-equivalent (BaPE) values, whelk (Neptunea heros) and starfish (Ctenodiscus crispatus) are two macroinvertebrate species showing relatively higher dioxin-like toxicity and carcinogenic risk.     

Particulate matter exchange between atmosphere and roads surfaces in urban areas

The deposition and the re-suspension of particulate matter (PM) in urban areas are the key processes that contribute not only to stormwater pollution, but also to air pollution. However, investigation of the deposition and the re-suspension of PM is challenging because of the difficulties in distinguishing between the resuspended and the deposited PM. This study created two Bayesian Networks (BN) models to explore the deposition and the re-suspension of PM as well as the important influential factors. The outcomes of BN modelling revealed that deposition and re-suspension of PM10 occurred under both, high-traffic and low-traffic conditions, and the re-suspension of PM2.5 occurred under low-traffic conditions. The deposition of PM10 under low-volume traffic condition is 1.6 times higher than under high-volume traffic condition, which is attributed to the decrease in PM10 caused by relatively higher turbulence under high-volume traffic conditions. PM10 is more easily resuspended from road surfaces compared to PM2.5 as the particles which larger than the thickness of the laminar airflow over the road surface are more easily removed from road surfaces. The increase in wind speed contributes to the increase in PM build-up by transporting particulates from roadside areas to the road surfaces and the airborne PM2.5 and PM10 increases with the increase in relative humidity. The study outcomes provide a step improvement in the understanding of the transfer processes of PM2.5 and PM10 between atmosphere and urban road surfaces, which in turn will contribute to the effective design of mitigation measures for urban stormwater and air pollution.     

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

The degradation of plastic debris may result in the generation of nanoplastics (NPs). Their high specific surface area for the sorption of organic pollutions and toxic heavy metals and possible transfer between organisms at different nutrient levels make the study of NPs an urgent priority. However, there is very limited understanding on the occurrence, distribution, abundant, and fate of NPs in the environment, partially due to the lack of suitable techniques for the separation and identification of NPs from complex environmental matrices. In this review, we first overviewed the state-of-the-art methods for the extraction, separation, identification and quantification of NPs in the environment. Some of them have been successfully applied for the field determination of NPs, while some are borrowed from the detection of microplastics or engineered nanomaterials. Then the possible fate and transport of NPs in the environment are thoroughly described. Although great efforts have been made during the recent years, large knowledge gaps still exist, such as the relatively high detection limit of existing method failing to detect ultralow masses of NPs in the environment, and spherical polystyrene NP models failing to represent the various compositions of NPs with different irregular shapes, which needs further investigation.     

Reviews of emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in Asia

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the atmosphere play important roles in the formation of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in global scale and also in regional scale under some condition due to their large amount and relatively higher reactivity. In places with high plant cover in the tropics and in China where air pollution is serious, the effect of BVOCs on ozone and secondary organic aerosols is strong. The present research aims to provide a comprehensive review about the emission rate, emission inventory, research methods, the influencing factors of BVOCs emissions, as well as their impacts on atmospheric environment quality and human health in recent years in Asia based on the summary and analysis of literatures. It is suggested to use field direct measurement method to obtain the emission rate and model method to calculate the emission amount. Several recommendations are given for future investigation and policy development on BVOCs emission.     

福建省2005-2017年大气边界层SO2的时空变化特征

为研究近年来福建省SO₂污染的时空动态特征,利用臭氧观测仪（ozone monitoring instrument,OMI）卫星遥感反演的PBL（planetary boundary layer,大气边界层）SO₂柱含量数据,分析了2005-2017年福建省PBL SO₂柱含量的时空间分布特征.结果表明:①在长时间尺度上,PBL SO₂柱含量的变化趋势可分为2个时段,其中,2005-2011年PBL SO₂柱含量呈逐渐上升趋势,6 a增加了约0.027 DU,增长率约为6.12%;2011-2017年PBL SO₂柱含量呈下降趋势,7 a减少了约0.018 DU,下降率约为3.89%.②PBL SO₂柱含量呈明显的周期性变化特征,最小值和最大值分别出现在6月和12月,多年平均值分别约为0.383和0.555 DU.③PBL SO₂柱含量的3个高值区分别出现在沿海的福州市,厦门市、漳州市东部和泉州市西部,三明市和南平市部分地区,这3个高值区多年平均PBL SO₂柱含量分别约为0.505、0.495和0.485 DU.从城市尺度上来看,PBL SO₂柱含量最大值出现在厦门市,其多年平均值为（0.486±0.015）DU;其次为福州市,PBL SO₂柱含量多年平均值为（0.465±0.026）DU;最低值出现在漳州市,PBL SO₂柱含量多年平均值为（0.429±0.020）DU.④福建省PBL SO₂柱含量变化趋势在空间分布上存在明显的差异,不同时期、不同区域变化趋势不一致.2005-2011年PBL SO₂柱含量的变化范围为-0.13~0.18 DU,变化率范围为-25%~50%,PBL SO₂柱含量出现增长的区域主要是在高值区,如龙岩市西部、厦门市北部以及三明市东部等区域;2011-2017年PBL SO₂柱含量的变化范围为-0.13~0.15 DU,变化率范围为-29%~34%.2011-2017年福州市和厦门市PBL SO₂柱含量下降最为明显,减少了约0.10 DU,下降率约为25%.研究显示,卫星遥感估算的PBL SO₂柱含量具有一定的可靠性,可以用于区域SO₂污染的研究.      

一株高效嗜碱反硝化菌的分离鉴定及其脱氮特性研究

为了应对日趋严苛的废水TN排放标准要求,试验采用溴百里酚蓝（BTB）培养基,从某煤化工废水处理厂反硝化缺氧池活性污泥中,经多次分离、纯化获得了一株高效兼性厌氧反硝化菌株HK13.通过形态观察及16S rRNA基因序列分析,菌株HK13被鉴定为施氏假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas stutzeri）.在此基础上,利用含硝酸盐模拟废水,探讨了碳源类型、C/N（碳氮比）、初始pH、溶解氧（以不同摇床转速表征不同浓度的溶解氧）和培养温度对菌株HK13反硝化脱氮能力的影响,确定了该菌株的最优生长条件和最大脱氮效率.结果表明:①菌株HK13最适反硝化脱氮条件为以柠檬酸钠碳源,C/N 8,培养温度35℃,初始pH 8~10,摇床转速100 r/min.②初始ρ（NO₃--N）为106.67 mg/L下,反应12 h后菌株HK13对TN的去除率可达92.62%;反应9~12 h时,该菌株的脱氮速率最高,可达20.03 mg/（L·h）,其16 h的脱氮率在98%以上,且无亚硝酸盐积累.③菌株HK13适宜生长的温度和pH范围广泛,分别为20~40℃和7~10.研究显示,菌株HK13具有快速高效的脱氮能力及嗜碱特性,拓宽了生物脱氮工艺对环境条件的适用范围,在废水脱氮领域具有广泛的应用前景.      

北京市典型汽修企业VOCs排放特征与臭氧影响分析

对北京地区27家汽修企业进行调研,选取2家典型汽修企业进行气袋采样-GC-MS-FID采集及分析,定量分析其VOCs的排放特征,并计算其臭氧生成潜势（OFP）。结果表明:使用不同漆料的汽修企业排放特征不同,水性漆企业非甲烷总烃的排放浓度为0.62~36.49 mg/m3,油性漆企业的排放浓度为0~100.39 mg/m3;水性漆排放的VOCs以烷烃为主,占比高达57.16%,丙烷（39.65%）和甲苯（11.41%）是首要污染物;卤代烃（55.51%）是油性漆企业的主要VOCs排放物种,主要组分为1,2-二氯丙烷和1,2-二氯乙烷;水性漆企业的OFP值为144.78 mg/m3,油性漆企业的OFP值为664.43 mg/m3,大气反应活性最大的物种多为芳香烃,芳香烃对OFP的贡献率分别为52.18%和88.44%。     

江西定南县离子型稀土尾矿周边水体氮污染状况与分布特征

为探究"稀土王国"江西省赣南地区离子型稀土矿对周边水体环境的影响,以离子型稀土矿分布密集区定南县濂江月子河流域和龙迳河龙头流域为研究对象,综合分析研究区特征污染物ρ（NH₄+-N）空间分布特征,采用相关性分析和主成分分析揭示其主要污染来源及影响因素.结果表明:①离子型稀土矿停产整顿半年后,濂江月子河流域和龙迳河龙头流域ρ（NH₄+-N）超过1.00和2.00 mg/L的采样点分别达72%和68%;pH范围为2.95~7.66,平均值分别为6.23和5.53,水体总体上偏酸性;ρ（TN）、ρ（NH₄+-N）、EC与ρ（NO₃--N）变异系数较大,均介于0.80~1.50之间.②相关性分析结果显示,ρ（NH₄+-N）与ρ（TN）、EC均呈极显著正相关（P < 0.01）;ρ（NH₄+-N）与pH呈显著负相关（P < 0.05）.③流经稀土尾矿区的水体中ρ（NH₄+-N）随距离增加呈现明显的空间梯度分布特征,即距稀土矿区边界200 m处水体中ρ（NH₄+-N）最高（12.20~200.00 mg/L）,其次为1.15 km内（3.69~11.80 mg/L）及3.5 km以上水体（0.80~1.51 mg/L）,矿区周边未受到采矿活动影响的水体中ρ（NH₄+-N）最低（0.03~0.15 mg/L）.④PCA结果表明,2条河流的主要环境影响因子为ρ（TN）、ρ（NH₄+-N）、pH和EC,主要受到周边稀土矿山尾矿的强烈影响.研究显示,离子型稀土矿原位浸矿开采停产半年后,重点小流域水体中ρ（NH₄+-N）高概率超标的现状仍然存在,受稀土开采活动影响较大.建议进一步开展重点小流域NH₄+-N剩余"库容"精算和矿山周边地表水定期监测.      

基于能值理论的农田—畜禽生产系统可持续动态

为了解我国东南丘陵山区农业生产动态及其可持续性,以福建典型山区德化县为例,构建废弃物能值比例、环境污染能值负产出等指标,运用能值理论定量分析德化县2007—2016年农田—畜禽生产系统投入产出、环境负荷及可持续性的变化。结果表明：德化县农田—畜禽生产系统能值投入以购买能值为主,占能值总投入的68%~79%,水资源能值约占21%~31%;畜禽子系统能值产出占72%以上;能值密度在2.68×10¹²~3.33×10¹² sej·m^-2之间波动上升,净能值产出率下降40%,环境负荷明显加重,2015年以来有所减轻;可持续发展指数在2007—2010年短暂上升后快速下降,由1.14降至0.42。从构建的指标来看,系统废弃物能值比例有所下降,环境污染能值产出减少约22%,综合经济效益和废弃物利用情况,近年来可持续发展状况逐渐好转。德化县目前正处于农田—畜禽系统产出结构调整期,应增加系统内部反馈能值用量,控制化肥、饲料投入,提高废弃物利用率,以实现可持续发展。