Levels and source of organochlorine pesticides in surface waters of Qiantang River, China

Qiantang River is a typical river used for drinking water source, flowing through agricultural area in east China. Surface water samples at 45 sampling sites from the river were collected and analyzed for 13 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) during six surveys in 2 years of 2005–2006. Sediments, soils, farmland runoff water and dry/wet deposition of this region were also measured for their OCPs residue in order to know possible source of OCPs contamination. The total OCPs concentrations in surface water were 7.68–615.2 ng/l. β-HCH, δ-HCH, Aldrin, Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide are the major OCPs in water. The maximum levels of OCPs in water were found in July, while significantly lower OCP concentrations were measured in January. Significant linear correlation was found between the concentration of HCH and that of total 13 OCPs in water. The measured OCP concentrations in sediments, soils, farmland runoff water and dry/wet deposition are discussed in relation to concentrations and patterns found in the surface water. Comparison of OCP levels in sediments and soils led to conclusion that erosion of soil contribute significantly to the contamination of water. The OCPs dry and wet deposition to water body was estimated to 0.49 and 0.86 ton/year, respectively. The ratio of α/γ-HCH and (DDE+DDD)/∑DDT in environmental matrix indicated there probably existed new OCPs input of lindane and dicofol into the river.     

Levels, sources, and health risks of carbonyls in residential indoor air in Hangzhou, China

Concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, propionaldehyde, i-pentanal, and butyraldehyde in residential indoor air in Hangzhou were determined. The mean concentration of the total carbonyl compounds in summer was 222.6 μg/m³, higher than that in winter (68.5 μg/m³). The concentration of a specific carbonyl in indoor air was higher than the outdoor air measurement, indicating the release of carbonyls from the indoor sources. Formaldehyde and acetone were the most abundant carbonyls detected in summer and winter, respectively. Multiple regression analysis indicated that carbonyl concentrations in residential indoor air depended on the age of decoration and furniture, as well as their concentrations in outdoor air. In addition, a primary estimation showed that the health risks of carbonyls in summer were higher than those in winter.     

Effects of organic acids on copper and cadmium desorption from contaminated soils

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of organic acids on Cd and Cu desorption from natural contaminated soils (NCS) with permanent contamination by metal smelters and from artificial contaminated soils (ACS) derived from an artificial amendment of Cd to three representative zonal soils in Central China. Results showed that the desorption of Cd in either NCS or ACS, with the increment of tartrate or citrate concentration in desorption solution, can be characterized as a valley-like curve. The presence of tartrate or citrate at a low concentration (< or =0.5 mmol/l) inhibited Cd desorption from these two types of soils, whereas the presence of organic acids at high concentrations (> or =2 mmol/l for citrate and about > or =15 mmol/l for tartrate) apparently promoted Cd desorption. The desorption curve of Cu by tartrate solution with different tartrate concentrations can also be characterized as a valley-like curve, while the desorption of Cu in the presence of citrate was directly enhanced with the increment of citrate concentration. With the enhancement of initial pH value from 2 to 8 in the presence of citrate, Cu desorption ratio decreased at the first stage, then increased, and then decreased again. A valley and a peak sequentially appeared in the Cd or Cu desorption curve with initial pH value increment. Compared with citrate, the desorption ratio of Cd or Cu from NCS or ACS was directly decreased in the presence of tartrate, with the enhancement of the pH value from 2 to 8. Cd or Cu desorption was clearly enhanced when the electrolyte concentration of KNO3 or KCl increased in the presence of 2 mmol/l tartrate. Moreover, a higher desorption ratio of Cd or Cu was shown with KCl electrolyte than with KNO3 electrolyte with the same concentration. Based on these observations, we suggest that bioavailabilities of heavy metal can be promoted with selected suitable types and concentrations of organic acid amendment and reasonable field condition.     

PAHs pollution from traffic sources in air of Hangzhou, China: Trend and influencing factors

Introduction China is experiencing rapid economic and populationgrowth. The rapid growth and increasing fossil fuel energyconsumption have resulted in large amounts of pollutants suchas TSP, SO2, NOx and hydrocarbons to be emitted intoambient atmosphere. Nowadays, national routine monitor haspaid much attention to TSP, SO2 and NOx. Highconcentrations of SO2 and NOx can lead to an increase ofregional levels of acid deposition and tropospheric ozon, thu…     

Performance of the partition-limited model on predicting ryegrass uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Accurate modeling of the uptake and accumulation behavior of organic contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plants is essential to assess crop contamination and subsequent human exposure. In this study, the performance of a partition-limited model on predicting ryegrass uptake of PAHs (acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene) from water was evaluated and the major factors were examined. It was found that model predictions of PAH concentrations in roots and shoots of ryegrass were all within an order of magnitude of the observed values with the differences between estimated and measured concentrations less than 42.1% for roots and 78.4% for shoots. Since the model considered soil/water-plant pathway only, it was inevitable that simulated concentrations in shoots suffered a bigger error than those in roots due to the influence of foliar uptake, the other important pathway for PAHs. If the impact of foliar uptake was excluded, the accuracy of simulated shoot concentrations would be greatly enhanced, with the maximum prediction error reduced from 78.4% to 47.1% for pyrene. Other factors aside from foliar uptake were also examined, including aqueous PAH concentrations, uptake time, plant composition and chemical properties. These factors were found to influence the model performance generally through acting on the quasi-equilibrium factor (alpha(pt)). Results from this study substantiated the utility of this partition-limited model for vegetation-uptake assessment, and then provided some testimony valuable for the modification of a model with a better performance.     

室内空气中多环芳烃(PAHs)的源及贡献率

采用因子分析及多元线性回归对杭州市室内外空气中PAHs的来源及其贡献率进行研究,求得PAHs总量与公共因子间的特征方程.结果表明,影响室内外空气中PAHs浓度的主要因子依次为烹调、卫生球的挥发、吸烟及加热、汽车尾气.在吸烟者家庭中,室内吸烟是影响室内空气中PAHs浓度的最重要的影响因子,其对室内空气中苯并(a)芘BaP的贡献率为25.8%.     

Synergistic effect of Pt nanoparticles and micro-mesoporous ZSM-5 in VOCs low-temperature removal

Micro-mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites were obtained by the post-treatment of tetrahydroxy ammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) solution with different concentration. The hierarchical pore structure formed during the desilication process facilitates the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and Pt/ZSM-5 catalysts exhibit rather high catalytic activity for the deep oxidation of various VOCs at low temperature. The catalyst treated with TPAOH of 0.1 mol/L (Pt/ZSM-5(0.1)) shows the lowest degradation temperature (T_90%) of 128 and 142°C, respectively for benzene and n-hexane. Compared with the untreated Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst, the abundant mesopores, small Pt particle size and finely dispersed Pt contribute to the superior catalytic activity and stability of the Pt/ZSM-5 catalysts for VOCs removal. More importantly, the existence of H₂O in the feed gases hardly affected the activity of Pt/ZSM-5(0.1) catalyst at the low reaction temperature of 128°C, which is very important for VOCs low-temperature removal in the future practical applications.     

Regeneration of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol used for carbon dioxide absorption

To improve the efficiency of the carbon dioxide cycling process and to reduce the regeneration energy consumption, a sterically hindered amine of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propranol (AMP) was investigated to determine its regeneration behavior as a CO_2 absorbent. The CO_2 absorption and amine regeneration characteristics were experimentally examined under various operating conditions. The regeneration efficiency increased from 86.2% to 98.3% during the temperature range of 358 to 403 K. The most suitable regeneration temperature for AMP was 383 K, in this experiment condition, and the regeneration efficiency of absorption/regeneration runs descended from 98.3% to 94.0%. A number of heat-stable salts (HSS) could cause a reduction in CO_2 absorption capacity and regeneration efficiency. The results indicated that aqueous AMP was easier to regenerate with less loss of absorption capacity than other amines, such as, monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), diethylenetriamine (DETA), and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA).     

溴化十四烷基吡啶对黑麦草吸收土壤中菲的影响

研究了澳化十四烷基吡啶(Myrlstylpyridinium bromide,MPB)对黑麦草吸收土壤中菲的影响.结果表明.由于MPB能显著增强吸附固定土壤中的菲,限制其从土壤固相向土壤水相迁移,从而可降低土壤水相中菲浓度,导致黑麦草吸收积累菲的程度降低.在两种不同菲污染水平的土壤中,MPB添加浓度为0～600 mg·kg-1时,黑麦草根系和茎叶中菲含量均随MPB添加量的增加而降低.当MPB添加浓度为600 mg·kg-1时.黑麦草根系菲含量分别为0.12 mg·kg-1和0.35 mg·kg-1,分别比对照低了77.0%和53.3%;茎叶中菲含量为0.12 mg·kg-1和0.26 mg·kg-1,分别比对照低了64.7%和50.9%.     

台州污染区蔬菜中多氯联苯污染特征分析

多氯联苯（polychlorinated Biphenyls,简称PCBs）已成为全球性的重要污染物之一。实验确立了浸泡-超声提取、硫酸硅胶-去活化硅胶-硝酸银硅胶复合层析柱净化、毛细管柱气相色谱法测定植物样品中痕量多氯联苯的方法。对浙江台州地区典型污染点玉露洋村、横街、莄李王村三地的植物样品（卷心菜、南瓜）进行测定,结果显示台州典型污染区内卷心菜中PCBs的浓度范围在5.98~112.36 ng/g,南瓜叶中PCBs平均值达130.70 ng/g,茎中达59.12 ng/g,三地在总体上污染严重。PCBs同系物间的污染水平存在显著差异,二氯联苯残留量大,四氯、五氯、六氯联苯分布较广、残留较高,高氯联苯有少量存在。