Assessment of trace metal distribution and contamination in surface soils of Hong Kong

An intensive investigation was conducted to study the distribution of trace metals in surface soils of Hong Kong and to assess the soil environmental quality. From results of cluster analysis, and comparisons among soil types and areas, it is clearly shown that increases in trace metal concentrations in the soils were generally extensive and obvious in urban and orchard soils, less so in vegetable soils, whilst rural and forest soils were subjected to the least impact of anthropogenic sources of trace metals. However, some of the forest soils also contained elevated levels of As, Cu, and Pb. Urban soils in Hong Kong were heavily polluted by Pb from gasoline combustion. Agricultural soils, both orchard and vegetable soils, usually accumulated As, Cd, Cu, and Zn originating from applications of pesticides, animal manures, and fertilizers. In general, trace metal pollution in soils of the industrial areas and Pb pollution in the soils of the commercial and residential areas were obvious.     

Effect of cadmium on nodulation and N2-fixation of soybean in contaminated soils

The effects of cadmium stress on nodulation, N2-fixation capabilities of the root nodule, the change in ultrastructure of the root nodule, soybean growth, and the distribution of cadmium in plants were studied. The results obtained show that the nodulation of soybean roots was greatly inhibited by the addition of Cd, especially at the addition level of 10 and 20 mg kg(-1) soil. The inhibition of plant growth, especially the root growth, increased as the cadmium concentration increased, with deleterious effects observed for the roots. The weight ratio of soybean root/leaf decreased as the Cd concentration increased, which might explain the reason for nodulation decreases. The results also indicate that N2-fixation of root nodule was stimulated to some extent at the low levels of Cd addition, but decreased sharply with further increase of the Cd concentration. High Cd levels were also associated with changes in the ultrastructure of root nodule, in which the effective N2-fixing area was reduced and the N2-fixing cells in the area also reduced. In addition, the results also reveal that the content of Cd in different parts of the plants was as follows: roots > stems > seeds, indicating that the accumulation of Cd by roots is much larger than that by any other part of the soybean plant, and might cause deleterious effects to root systems.     

Lead,zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance in populations of Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon

Both Fankou and Lechang lead/zinc (Pb/Zn) mine tailings located at Guangdong Province contained high levels of total and DTPA-extractable Pb, Zn and Cu. Paspalum distichum and Cynodon dactylon were dominant species colonized naturally on the tailings. Lead, zinc and copper accumulation and tolerance of different populations of the two grasses growing on the tailings were investigated. Tillers of these populations including those from an uncontaminated area were subjected to the following concentrations: 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg l(-1) Pb, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 30 mg (l-1) Zn, or 0.25, 0.50, 1 and 2 mg l(-1) Cu for 14 days, respectively, then tolerance index (TI) and EC50 (the concentrations of metals in solutions which reduce 50% of normal root growth) were calculated. The results indicated that both Lechang and Fankou populations of the two grasses showed a greater tolerance to the three metals than those growing on the uncontaminated area, which suggested that co-tolerant ecotypes have evolved in the two grasses. P. distichum collected from Fankou tailings had the highest tolerance to Cu while Lechang population the highest tolerance to Pb and Zn among the tested populations, and tolerance levels in P. distichum were related to metal concentrations in the plants. P. distichum had a better growth performance than C. dactylon when both of them were grown on the tailings sites. Tolerant populations of these species would serve as potential candidates for re-vegetation of wastelands contaminated with Pb, Zn and Cu.     

广州大学城大气PM2.5量浓度与影响因素

选择广州大学城代表性学生宿舍、教室、食堂等多个室内采样点及几个室外采样点,准确测定各采样点大气中PM25的质量浓度,分析各室内和室外采样点大气中PM25污染程度及分布特征;根据同步记录的气象数据,分析评价气象因子对大气PM25质量浓度的影响.     

静电空气灭菌净化机研究及其应用

通过分析负离子型、过滤型、静电型和静电与过滤复合型这四种常见类型的空气净化机存在的问题,并通过对横向电极极配的除尘效果的研究,提出采用横向电极极配的静电空气净化机,并在应用中增加了荷电电极,测试结果显示该机型可以净化空气中的一氧化碳、二氧化碳、烟雾、细菌和释放适量负离子,特别是对空气中的细菌具有高达90%的灭菌能力,该机型是全静电型,使用中无需更换任何过滤元件,可成为高效、节能、实用的新型静电空气净化机。     

汶川地震的异常及地震预测问题

汶川MS8.0级地震造成了巨大的灾害.我国对这个巨震未能作出预测,于是国内外各界对地震预测问题议论纷纷.笔者经过地震现场的调查与深入思考,认为汶川地震前是有异常的,之所以未能作出预测,根本上是因为地震预测的科学难关尚未突破,但还有与我国目前地震监测与预测工作上存在多方面的不足与问题有关;同时还认为,汶川地震的预测失败并不意味着地震不能预测,因为我国有规模宏大的地震监测台网,积累了大量的震例,取得了一定成功预测的经验,因此对未来的某些地震仍可作出成功预测并取得显著的减灾实效.     

Variations between rice cultivars in iron and manganese plaque on roots and the relation with plant cadmium uptake

To understand certain mechanisms causing variations between rice cultivars with regard to cadmium uptake and tolerance, pot soil experiments were conducted with two rice cultivars of di erent genotypes under di erent soil Cd levels. The relationships between plant Cd uptake and iron/manganese (Fe/Mn) plaque formation on roots were investigated. The results showed that rice cultivars di ered markedly in Cd uptake and tolerance. Under soil Cd treatments, Cd concentrations and accumulations in the cultivar Shanyou 63 (the genotype indica) were significantly higher than those in the cultivar Wuyunjing 7 (the genotype japonica) (P < 0.01, or P < 0.05), and Shanyou 63 was more sensitive to Cd toxicity than Wuyunjing 7. The di erences between the rice cultivars were the largest at relatively low soil Cd level (i.e., 10 mg/kg). Fe concentrations in dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate root extracts of Shanyou 63 were generally lower than that of Wuyunjing 7, and the di erence was the most significant under the treatment of 10 mg Cd/kg soil. The results indicated that the formation of iron plaque on rice roots could act as a barrier to soil Cd toxicity, and may be a “bu er” or a “reservoir” which could reduce Cd uptake into rice roots. And the plaque may contribute, to some extent, to the genotypic di erences of rice cultivars in Cd uptake and tolerance.     

Initiating automotive component reuse in Malaysia

As the production of local vehicles increases, the impact of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) wastes to the environment will also increase. ELVs recovery including reuse, remanufacture, and recycle apparently become a strategy in solving this environmental problem. This study identifies the existing conditions of automotive reuse in Malaysia by conducting some interviews in selected local automotive and automotive component manufacturers. Results from the interviews indicated that reuse of automotive components in newly manufactured vehicles has never been practiced by the selected companies. However, there is interest among respondents in developing automotive components for after-market reuse. Some strategies were proposed in this study to initiate automotive components reuse in the local automotive manufacturers including the establishment of the end-of-life directive, enhance research and development on design for reuse and increase reusability and economic benefits of reuse.     

化学吸收法回收工业废气中CO的研究

通过实验优选出一种ＣｕＣｌ－ＭｇＣｌ２水溶系统高选择性ＣＯ吸收剂,确定了吸收剂对ＣＯ的最大吸收量与温度的关系,探讨了气体组成变化对ＣＯ回收率的影响,由实验数据求出吸收过程中ＣＯ的回收率为９３％。采用气相色谱分析法测出产物ＣＯ的纯度为９８％,给出吸收液的解吸温度范围为１２０－１４０℃。初步探讨了ＣｕＣｌ－ＭｇＣｌ２水溶系吸收剂对ＣＯ的吸收反应机理,为转炉烟气等工业废气中ＣＯ的分离回收提供了新途径。     

丙烯腈、醋酸乙烯酯罐区火险分析及对策

对丙烯腈、醋酸乙酯罐系统危险性及罐区泄漏潜在危险性进行了系统分析。并对丙烯腈、醋酸乙烯酯罐区的防火防爆提出了相应的对策,对泡沫消防设备及可燃气体检测器灭火系统的可行性和实用性进行了重点介绍和探讨。