A set of constitutive relationships accounting for residual NAPL in the unsaturated zone

Although laboratory experiments show that non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) is retained in the unsaturated zone, no existing multiphase flow model has been developed to account for residual NAPL after NAPL drainage in the unsaturated zone. We developed a static constitutive set of saturation-capillary pressure relationships for water, NAPL and air that accounts for both this residual NAPL and entrapped NAPL. The set of constitutive relationships is formulated similarly to the set of scaled relationships that is frequently applied in continuum models. The new set consists of three fluid-phase systems: a three-phase system and a two-phase system, that both comply with the original constitutive model, and a newly introduced residual NAPL system. The new system can be added relatively easily to the original two- and three-phase systems. Entrapment is included in the model. The constitutive relationships of the non-drainable residual NAPL system are based on qualitative fluid behavior derived from a pore scale model. The pore scale model reveals that the amount of residual NAPL depends on the spreading coefficient and the water saturation. Furthermore, residual NAPL is history-dependent. At the continuum scale, a critical NAPL pressure head defines the transition from free, mobile NAPL to residual NAPL. Although the Pc-S relationships for water and total liquid are not independent in case of residual NAPL, two two-phase Pc-S relations can represent a three-phase residual system of Pc-S relations. A newly introduced parameter, referred to as the residual oil pressure head, reflects the mutual dependency of water and oil. Example calculations show consistent behavior of the constitutive model. Entrapment and retention in the unsaturated zone cooperate to retain NAPL. Moreover, the results of our constitutive model are in agreement with experimental observations.     

Regression comparisons of Tetrahymena pyriformis and Poecilia reticulata toxicity

The toxicity data of chemicals common to both the Poecilia reticulata mortality assay and the Tetrahymena pyriformis growth impairment assay were evaluated. Two chemicals were not toxic at saturation in the T. pyriformis assay. In addition, due to abiotic transformation, a third chemical was removed from further consideration. Each chemical was a priori assigned a mode of toxic action: neutral non-covalent, polar non-covalent, or electrophilic covalent toxicity. To further investigate comparisons between endpoints, polar and electrophilic chemicals were separated into class-based groups. The polar non-covalent chemicals were separated into phenols and anilines, while the electrophilic chemicals were separated into those reacting via Schiff-base formation (i.e., aldehydes) and those reacting via bimolecular substitution to a nucleophile (i.e., selected nitroaromatics). A comparison of toxic potency as a collective set was statistically described by the relationship; log(LC50(-1)) = 1.05(log(IGC50(-1))) + 0.56, n = 124; r2 = 0.85; s = 0.42; F = 682; Pr > F = 0.0001. The relationship between endpoints was inversely proportional to reactivity associated with the mode of action. While the comparative toxicity for neutral narcotics exhibited an excellent fit (r2 = 0.94), the fits for polar narcotics and electrophiles were poorer, r2 = 0.69 and 0.62, respectively. Investigations into class-based groupings indicated fit of toxic potency data for aldehydes (r2 = 0.85) and phenols (r2 = 0.81) were quite good. However, fits for anilines (r2 = 0.43) and nitroaromatics (r2 = 0.68) revealed that toxicity was not as well related between endpoints for these chemicals.     

Estrogenicity and acute toxicity of selected anilines using a recombinant yeast assay

Suspected estrogen modulators include industrial organic chemicals (i.e., xenoestrogens), and have been shown to consist of alkylphenols, bisphenols, biphenylols, and some hydroxy-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The most prominent structural feature identified to be important for estrogenic activity is a polar group capable of donating hydrogen bonds (i.e., hydroxyl) on an aromatic system. The present study was undertaken to explore the estrogenic activity and acute toxicity of chemicals containing a weaker hydrogen bond donor group on aromatic systems, i.e., the amino substituent. There is a great deal of chemical similarity between aromatic amines (anilines) and aromatic alcohols (phenols). The chemicals chosen for the current study contained an amino-substituted benzene ring with hydrophobic constituents varying in size and shape. Thus, 37 substituted aromatic amines were assayed for estrogenic activity EC50 and acute toxicity LC50 using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae recombinant yeast assay. While the EC50 of 17-beta-estradiol occurs at the 10(-10) range, the aniline with the greatest activity had an EC50 of 10(-6) M. Thus, anilines, in general, are capable only of very weak estrogenic activity in this assay. A comparison of estrogenic potency between the present group of anilines and a set of previously tested analogous phenols indicated that anilines are consistently less estrogenic than phenols. A comparison of hazard indices (EC50/LC50) of these chemicals revealed that, for the vast majority of anilines, the EC50 and LC50 were in the same order of magnitude. More specifically, estrogenic activity of para-substituted alkylanilines increases with alkyl group size up to 5 carbons in length, after which the acute toxicity of the larger alkyl-substituents precluded the ability of the compound to induce the estrogenic response.     

Metal partitioning in products of incineration of municipal solid waste

Metals contained in the waste transfer to the waste incineration products, including flue gas, fly ash, and bottom ash, as different oxide, nitride, carbides, and other phases. Most of the metal-based phases formed in incineration are toxic and their emissions need to be strictly controlled. Therefore, behavior of metal species during incineration must be well understood. Such understanding is possible based on the experimental identification of the metal phases formed in the waste combustion and determination of their concentration in various incineration products. To avoid well-known experimental difficulties of the industrial waste incinerators associated with the poor fuel/conditions reproducibility and limited instrumentation, a 140,000 Btu/h pilot-scale, laboratory burner was constructed, characterized and operated at NJIT. A synthetic fuel representative of the municipal solid waste in the US was formulated and produced in 600-Lb batches. The solid fuel contained Fe and SiO2 as main constituents, and was doped with trace amounts of Al, Ni, Cr, Hg and PbO. Several experiments have been conducted on combustion of the synthetic fuel in the pilot-scale incinerator with varying fuel-air equivalence ratio. Both gaseous and condensed combustion products were sampled and analyzed. Atomic absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze total metal contents and metal containing phases in the incineration products. Thermodynamic equilibrium computations were performed to obtain the adiabatic flame temperature and identify the phases of the metal-containing products formed at the equilibrium conditions. The results of the equilibrium computations performed at the varied fuel/air ratios were compared with the observed experimental results.     

Airborne pollutants along a roadside: assessment using snow analyses and moss bags

Vertical snow sampling and moss bag transplants were used to estimate the local inorganic and organic pollutant load deposited from traffic along a major highway in Finland. The pH and concentrations of Cl(-), NO(3)(-), SO(4)(2-), Ca(2+), Na(+) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined from snow samples collected in winter at different sites along the highway. In summer, moss bags containing 20 g of fresh red-stemmed feather moss (Pleurozium schreberi) were transplanted at the same sites. The moss bag transplants remained exposed to roadside traffic for a period of one month following which the samples were collected and the PAH profiles and concentrations were analysed. The deposition of inorganic and organic pollutants from road traffic was observed up to 60 m from the road. The prevailing winds had a significant effect on the dispersion of pollutants. Snow appears to be a good collector of inorganic pollutants from the atmosphere and can be used to monitor local airborne pollution from road traffic. Snow packs can also be used as passive collectors of organic pollutant loads from road traffic on a local scale. To monitor organic PAH deposition from the road traffic, moss bags appeared to be better indicators compared to snow sampling. The efficiency of moss bags in accumulating PAH compounds indicate that vegetation may be an important sink for traffic pollution.     

Effects of ozone and soil water deficit on roots and shoots of field-grown soybeans

Water-stressed and well-watered soybean (Glycine max cvs. Williams and Corsoy) plants were exposed to increasing seasonal doses of ozone (O(3)) using open-top field chambers and ambient air plots. Chamber O(3) treatments included charcoal filtered (CF) air, non-filtered (NF) air, NF + 0.03, NF + 0.06 and NF + 0.09 microl litre(-1) O(3). Soil water potentials measured at 25 and 45 cm averaged -0.40 MPa and -0.05 MPa, respectively, for the plots in the water-stressed and well-watered series. Total root length/core, root length densities, and biomasses (dry weights) were determined. With Williams, a very popular cultivar in recent years, total root length for all O(3) treatments averaged 58% more under water-stress conditions than in well-watered plots, but the range was from 136% to 11% more for NF air and NF + 0.09 microl litre(-1) O(3), respectively. Increasing the O(3) exposure dose did not affect root lengths or weights in the well-watered series. With Corsoy, water stress did not significantly increase root development. In both soil moisture regimes, with both cultivars, there was a linear decrease in seed yield and top dry weight as the O(3) exposure dose increased.     

Congener-specific accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in ovarian follicular wall follows repeated exposure to PCB 126 and PCB 153. Comparison of tissue levels of PCB and biological changes

OBJECTIVE: Small (SF), medium (MF) and large (LF) preovulatory porcine follicles were isolated and incubated in an Erlenmeyer flask containing 5 ml of medium with addition of PCB 126 or PCB 153 to test differences in their accumulation in the follicular wall. METHODS; The follicles were incubated in M199 medium at 37 degrees C with constant shaking at 70 rpm, for 6 days. The media were changed every day and repeated dose 25 pg/ml of PCB 126 or 25 ng/ml of PCB 153 was added each day till 6 days of culture. Media were collected every day and frozen for steroid analysis by RIA. 24 h after the last treatment follicles were frozen for further polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) content analysis. PCB concentrations in the follicular wall were analysed by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: 3.3%; 3.6% and 5.6% of total PCB 126 dose, and 71%; 71.4% and 30.4% of total PCB 153 dose accumulated in SF, MF and LF follicles, respectively. The accumulative effect of PCB was manifested by the disruption of estradiol (E2) secretion. In SF antiestrogenic action of PCB 126 was observed during the whole time of exposure while PCB 153 decreased E2 till 4 days of culture and then estrogenic action was observed. In MF, both these congeners decreased E2 till 5 days of exposure and then estrogenic actions were noted with the highest magnification in the case of PCB 126. In LF both PCB studied increased E2 till 3 days of exposure with the highest magnification of PCB 126, then antiestrogenic action was noted. Testosterone secretion was generally affected in a pattern oposite to that of E2 suggesting action on P450arom activity. CONCLUSION: The results of these studies demonstrated that disruption of aromatization process in the follicles following repeated exposure to both congeners is not directly correlated with the bioaccumulation or amount of PCB within the follicular wall.     

不同钙源及Ca~(2+)浓度对MICP的影响

从经尿素驯化的活性污泥中筛选出3株产脲酶菌,经16S r RNA基因序列分析分别为芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus sp.)、蜡样芽孢杆菌(Bacillus cereus)、微球菌属(Micrococcus),其中1株产脲酶活性较高的菌株UPB1具有明显诱导碳酸钙沉积的能力。探究了UPB1菌诱导氯化钙、醋酸钙、乳酸钙、葡萄糖酸钙4种不同钙源生成CaCO_3的晶型特征及Ca~(2+)浓度对UPB1菌诱导碳酸钙沉积效率的影响。结果表明:CaCl_2作为UPB1菌的钙源效果最好,生成热力学最稳定的菱面体型CaCO_3;基于最佳钙源,在金相显微镜下观察UPB1菌诱导CaCO_3沉积的动态过程,显示出在MICP过程中,UPB1菌诱导生成的CaCO_3晶体首先为细小颗粒状,然后逐渐汇集成薄片状,进而形成菱面体型,在整个过程中UPB1菌为CaCO_3晶体提供了有效的成核位点;在不同Ca~(2+)浓度下,UPB1菌诱导碳酸钙沉积效率各异,当CaCl_2浓度为0.25 mol/L时,UPB1菌诱导碳酸钙沉积效率最高,此时,CaCO_3晶体的生成量为0.684 1 g,电导率增加率达82.7%,Ca~(2+)转化率为90.85%。     

两株重金属抗性细菌对铅镉吸附特性的比较研究

针对目前重金属水污染现状,为探究微生物法修复重金属水污染机制,本试验以抗重金属革兰氏阴性菌Rhizobium sp.W33与革兰氏阳性菌Bacillus sp.H3为供试菌株,对不同重金属(Pb、Cd)浓度及pH条件下的菌株生长状况进行测定;比较不同状态细胞(Growing、Grown、Dead)的吸附能力;利用FTIR初步分析吸附相关官能团.结果表明:两株菌对Pb抗性较强,对Cd抗性相对较弱,最适生长pH均在6~7范围内;不同状态细胞的吸附能力大小为:GrownDeadGrowing;随着重金属浓度的升高,Rhizobium sp.W33与Bacillus sp.H3的吸附容量逐渐增大,且对铅镉的吸附主要以胞外吸附为主,对铅有一定的胞内积累能力;FTIR分析显示菌株吸附过程中主要是—OH、—NH、—CO、—CH2官能团在生物吸附过程中发挥作用.Rhizobium sp.W33与Bacillus sp.H3表面官能团特性及整体吸附能力存在明显差异.     

污泥干化使重金属形态变向稳定的原因分析

在模拟条件下对不同类型污泥进行连续干化,研究了不同干化温度下污泥重金属存在形态的分布特征.同时,通过测定污泥含水率、密度、温度和电导率等物性参数,分析了污泥干化过程重金属形态向稳定态转变的原因.结果表明,污泥中重金属存在形态的分布特征因污泥类型及来源不同而具有明显的差异;污泥干化过程可以使酸溶态、可还原态和可氧化态重金属向残渣态重金属转变;干化过程中污泥物性的改变和部分有机质和硫化物的分解是引起污泥重金属存在形态发生变化的主要原因.研究结果对于深入了解污泥中重金属的环境地球化学行为具有重要的理论意义,同时还可为污泥无害化、减量化和资源化的最终处理提供科学依据.