Understanding the granulation process of activated sludge in a biological phosphorus removal sequencing batch reactor

The granulation of activated sludge was investigated using two parallel sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) operated in biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal conditions though the reactor configuration and operating parameters did not favor the granulation. Granules were not observed when the SBR was operated in biological nitrogen removal period for 30 d. However, aerobic granules were formed naturally without the increase of aeration intensity when enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) was achieved. It can be detected that plenty of positive charged particles were formed with the release of phosphorus during the anaerobic period of EBPR. The size of the particles was about 5-20 μm and their highest positive ζ potential was about 73 mV. These positive charged particles can stimulate the granulation. Based on the experimental results, a hypothesis was proposed to interpret the granulation process of activated sludge in the EBPR process in SBR. Dense and compact subgranules were formed stimulated by the positive charged particles. The subgranules grew gradually by collision, adhesion and attached growth of bacteria. Finally, the extrusion and shear of hydrodynamic shear force would help the maturation of granules. Aerobic granular SBR showed excellent biological phosphorus removal ability. The average phosphorus removal efficiency was over 95% and the phosphorus in the effluent was below 0.50 mg L⁻¹ during the operation.     

Temporal variations and source apportionment of volatile organic compounds at an urban site in Shijiazhuang, China

Shijiazhuang, the city with the worst air quality in China, is suffering from severe ozone pollution in summer. As the key precursors of ozone generation, it is necessary to control the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) pollution. To have a better understanding of the pollution status and source contribution, the concentrations of 117 ambient VOCs were analyzed from April to August 2018 in an urban site in Shijiazhuang. Results showed that the monthly average concentration of total VOCs was 66.27 ppbv, in which, the oxygenated VOCs (37.89%), alkanes (33.89%), and halogenated hydrocarbons (13.31%) were the main composite on. Eight major sources were identified using Positive Matrix Factorization modeling with an accurate VOCs emission inventory as inter-complementary methods revealed that the petrochemical industry (26.24%), other industrial sources (15.19%), and traffic source (12.24%) were the major sources for ambient VOCs in Shijiazhuang. The spatial distributions of major industrial activities emissions were identified by using geographic information statistics system, which illustrated the VOCs was mainly from the north and southeast of Shijiazhuang. The inverse trajectory analysis using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) and Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) clearly demonstrated the features of pollutant transport to Shijiazhuang. These findings can provide references for local governments regarding control strategies to reduce VOCs emissions.     

Source apportionment of PM2.5 light extinction in an urban atmosphere in China

Haze in China is primarily caused by high pollution of atmospheric fine particulates (PM_2.5). However, the detailed source structures of PM_2.5 light extinction have not been well established, especially for the roles of various organic aerosols, which makes haze management lack specified targets. This study obtained the mass concentrations of the chemical compositions and the light extinction coefficients of fine particles in the winter in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, using high time resolution aerosol observation instruments. We combined the positive matrix factor (PMF) analysis model of organic aerosols and the multiple linear regression method to establish a quantitative relationship model between the main chemical components, in particular the different sources of organic aerosols and the extinction coefficients of fine particles with a high goodness of fit (R² = 0.953). The results show that the contribution rates of ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate, biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA), secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and black carbon (BC) were 48.1%, 20.7%, 15.0%, 10.6%, and 5.6%, respectively. It can be seen that the contribution of the secondary aerosols is much higher than that of the primary aerosols (79.4% versus 20.6%) and are a major factor in the visibility decline. BBOA is found to have a high visibility destroying potential, with a high mass extinction coefficient, and was the largest contributor during some high pollution periods. A more detailed analysis indicates that the contribution of the enhanced absorption caused by BC mixing state was approximately 37.7% of the total particle absorption and should not be neglected.     

Impact significance determination—Pushing the boundaries

Impact significance determination practice tends to be highly variable. Too often insufficient consideration is given to good practice insights. Also, impact significance determinations are frequently narrowly defined addressing, for example, only individual, negative impacts, focusing on bio-physical impacts, and not seeking to integrate either the Precautionary Principle or sustainability.This article seeks to extend the boundaries of impact significance determination practice by providing an overview of good general impact significance practices, together with stakeholder roles and potential methods for addressing significance determination challenges. Relevant thresholds, criteria, contextual considerations and support methods are also highlighted. The analysis is then extended to address how impact significance determination practices change for positive as compared with negative impacts, for cumulative as compared with individual impacts, for socio-economic as compared with bio-physical impacts, when the Precautionary Principle is integrated into the process, and when sustainability contributions drive the EIA process and related impact significance determinations. These refinements can assist EIA practitioners in ensuring that the scope and nature of impact significance determinations reflect the broadened scope of emerging EIA requirements and practices. Suggestions are included for further refining and testing of the proposed changes to impact significance determination practice.     

三甲胺色谱分析方法的改进研究

用正压操作系统代替GB/T14676-93三甲胺色谱分析方法中负压系统解析三甲胺的方法。新正压操作系统设备简单、操作方便、可观性强,保证了标准分析方法的所有技术要求,不但可用于日常监测,由于样品处理速度快可满足三甲胺污染事故的应急监测。     

Physics of failure analysis of power section assembly for positive displacement motor

Power section assembly is the core part of positive displacement motor (PDM), and its mechanical behavior and service life determine the drilling efficiency and cycle. In this paper, fault tree of power section assembly was established, failure reasons were analyzed and improvement measures were put forward. Finite element models of conventional lining and uniform wall thickness lining of 5/6 PDM were established, and the mechanical behaviors were investigated. Working parameters such as drilling fluid pressure, rubber hardness, downhole temperature and pressure difference were discussed. The results show that wear and rust are the main failure modes of the rotor. Failure modes of rubber lining are wear, tear, rupture, peeling off, thermal failure and fatigue failure. Under the action of drilling fluid pressure, the maximum effective stress of rubber lining appears in the bottom of arc, and the minimum stress appears at the top of arc. But deformation distribution is opposite to the effective stress. Deformation of uniform wall thickness lining is more uniform. Effective stress of the lining increases with the increasing of drilling fluid pressure and rubber hardness, but it decreases with the downhole temperature increases. Deformation of the lining increases with the drilling fluid pressure increases, but it decreases with the increasing of rubber hardness and downhole temperature. Effective stress and deformation distribution of rubber lining are more uneven with the pressure difference increases. High stress area lies between the two smallest chambers.     

Parental perception of social risk and of positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children: The development of two instruments

An important factor that limits children's autonomy outdoors is parental perception of social danger and traffic danger. To obtain quantitative instruments for these dimensions, this work aimed to explore the validity and reliability of three scales. Two of them describe, respectively, problematic aspects of the area of residence linked to traffic and situations of social degradation that could constitute risk factors for the child's psychological and physical safety (Traffic Danger Perception Scale, Social Danger Perception Scale). The third scale investigates parental perception of the positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children's maturation and growth. Interviews were conducted with 377 mothers of children between 8 and 10 years of age residing in six different areas in Italy. The results indicated weak reliability of the Traffic Danger Perception Scale, which requires further investigation, and they confirmed the reliability and the construct validity of the Social Danger Perception Scale and the Perception of Positive Potentiality of Outdoor Autonomy for Children Scale. The perception of social danger was higher in mothers who live in larger urban contexts and who have more personal fear of crime and a lower sense of community. The positive perception of children's autonomy of movement was higher among mothers who live in greener areas, who have a greater sense of community and who have more neighbourhood relations.     

Spatial memory, habitat auto-facilitation and the emergence of fractal home range patterns

Animals interact with their habitat in a manner which involves both negative and positive feedback mechanisms. We apply a specific modeling approach, “multi-scaled random walk”, for the scenario where a spatially explicit positive feedback process emerges from a combination of a spatial memory-dependent tendency to return to familiar patches and a consequently objective or subjective improvement of the quality of these patches (habitat auto-facilitation). In addition to the potential for local resource improvement from physically altering a patch, primarily known from the ecology of grazing ungulates, auto-facilitation from site fidelity may also embed more subtle subjective, individual-specific advantages from patch familiarity. Under the condition of resource superabundance, fitness gain from intra-home range patch fidelity creates a self-reinforcing use of the preferred patches on expense of a broader foraging in a priori equally favorable patches. Through this process, our simulations show that a spatially fractal dispersion of accumulated locations of the individual will emerge under the given model assumptions. Based on a conjecture that intra-home range patch fidelity depends on spatial memory we apply the multi-scaled random walk model to construct a spatially explicit habitat suitability parameter H_ij, which quantifies the dispersion of the generally most constraining resource from the individual's perspective. An intra-home range set of observed H-scores, H_obs, can then be estimated from a simple 2-scale calculation that is derived from the local dispersion of fixes. We show how the spatially explicit habitat utilization index H_obs not necessarily correlates positively with the local density fluctuations of fixes. The H-index solves some well-known problems from using the pattern of local densities of telemetry fixes - the classic utilization distribution - as a proxy variable for relative intra-home range habitat quality and resource selection. A pilot study on a set of telemetry fixes collected from a herd of free-ranging domestic sheep with overlapping summer home ranges illustrates how the H-index may be estimated and interpreted as a first-level approach towards a more extensive analysis of intra-home range habitat resource availability and patch preferences. Spatial memory in combination with site fidelity requires a modeling framework that explicitly describes the property of positive feedback mechanism under auto-facilitation in a spatio-temporally explicit manner.     

平顶山市火葬场周边农田土壤重金属空间分布、富集与来源分析

火葬场在火化遗体时会向周边环境排放多种重金属,引起周边土壤重金属积累和污染.以河南省平顶山市火葬场为中心,布设西北(NW)、西南(SW)、东南(SE)和东北(NE)4条3 km长的采样断面.采集表层土壤 (0~20 cm)样品157份,测定其Hg、Cd、As、Pb、Cu、Zn、Cr和Ni含量,结合富集系数(EF)和正定矩阵因子分析(PMF)探讨火葬场周边农田土壤重金属富集特征及来源.结果表明:①除土壤As的平均含量低于河南省土壤背景值外,其余重金属均高于河南省和平顶山市土壤背景值,但总体上没有达到污染水平.在主导风向下风向的NW断面上,多数重金属平均含量高于其他断面.②土壤中8种重金属的平均EF均处于中等及以上富集水平,其中Cd处于强富集水平,Hg处于中富集至强富集水平,且具有NW>SW>NE>SE的趋势,表明土壤重金属存在不同程度的人为来源.③扣除非火葬场因素对土壤重金属空间分布的影响,Hg、Cd含量沿断面多呈单峰分布,Pb、Cu、Zn和As多呈双峰分布,Ni和Cr多呈递减分布,表明8种重金属不同程度地与火葬场烟尘排放有关.④火葬场周边农田土壤中的Hg是火葬源重金属,Cd、Zn、Cu和Pb是农业-火葬-交通混合源重金属,As、Ni和Cr是自然-火葬混合源重金属.     

大气中部分新污染物浓度特征、来源解析及健康风险评估

基于电迁移率颗粒物粒径数分布仪（SMPS）、气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）、X-荧光（XRF）方法,于2022—2023年在南京市开展了部分大气新污染物的在线监测,并利用美国国家环境保护局（US EPA）健康风险评价模型评估其健康风险,进一步结合正定矩阵因子分解（PMF）模型对污染物及其健康风险进行来源解析。结果表明,南京市大气中新污染物浓度与其他地区报道的可比,且在遭遇污染过程时显著升高,锰元素的升幅最大（116.3%）。各类新污染物的健康风险均在安全阈值之内。PMF共分解出大气新污染物的5类来源,其中,超细颗粒物（UFPs）主要来自交通源（49%）、光化学（23%）和工业源（28%）;重金属主要来自工业源（74%）,而挥发性有机物（VOCs）则由工业源（52%）、交通源（25%）和燃烧源（13%）贡献。南京市大气新污染物的非致癌风险由工业源主导,而致癌风险则分别来自交通源、轮船源和工业源。