Nitrous oxide emissions from a maize field during two consecutive growing seasons in the North China Plain

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from a maize field in the North China Plain (Wangdu County, Hebei Province, China) were investigated using static chambers during two consecutive maize growing seasons in the 2008 and 2009. The N₂O pulse emissions occurred with duration of about 10 days after basal and additional fertilizer applications in the both years. The average N₂O fluxes from the CK (control plot, without crop, fertilization and irrigation), NP (chemical N fertilizer), SN (wheat straw returning plus chemical N fertilizer), OM- 1/2N (chicken manure plus half chemical N fertilizer) and OMN (chicken manure plus chemical N fertilizer) plots in 2008 were 8.51, 72.1, 76.6, 101, 107 ng N/(m²·sec), respectively, and in 2009 were 33.7, 30.0 and 35.0 ng N/(m²·sec) from CK, NP and SN plots, respectively. The emission factors of the applied fertilizer as N₂O-N (EFs) were 3.8% (2008) and 1.1% (2009) for the NP plot, 3.2% (2008) and 1.2% (2009) for the SN plot, and 2.8% and 2.2% in 2008 for the OM-1/2N and OMN plots, respectively. Hydromorphic properties of the investigated soil (with gley) are in favor of denitrification. The large differences of the soil temperature and water-filled pore space (WFPS) between the two maize seasons were suspected to be responsible for the significant yearly variations. Compared with the treatments of NP and SN, chicken manure coupled with compound fertilizer application significantly reduced fertilizer loss rate as N₂O-N.     

水稻秸秆生物碳对重金属Pb2+的吸附作用及影响因素

以农业废弃物水稻秸秆为原料,采用限氧裂解法制备了不同温度(350、500和700℃)下的秸秆生物碳(RC350、RC500和RC700),研究了生物碳对Pb2+的吸附性能、作用机制及影响因素,为准确预测生物碳还田固碳对土壤中重金属迁移行为的影响提供理论参考.结果表明,生物碳对Pb2+的吸附行为符合准一级动力学方程,Pb2+在RC350、RC500、RC700上的吸附速率分别为0.167h-1、0.154h-1、0.388h-1;其等温吸附曲线符合Langmuir方程,最大吸附量分别为65.3、85.7和76.3mg·g-1,是原秸秆生物质RC100的5～6倍、活性炭AC的2～3倍.生物碳单位面积上的有效吸附点位比AC高约10倍.经酸化去除表面矿物成分后,RC350和RC700对Pb2+的吸附能力急剧下降,其最大吸附量、吸附亲和力与AC相近;红外光谱分析表明,去灰分后生物碳上有机碳官能团并无明显减少,而无机矿物(如SiO2)含量显著降低.生物碳中的有机碳组分和无机矿物组分对其吸附Pb2+均有重要贡献,其中无机矿物组分的吸附量及亲和力均大于有机碳组分.     

Detection of Escherichia coli in a cattle manure composting process by selective cultivation and colony polymerase chain reaction

Livestock manure is suitable for use as a composting material. However, various intestinal microbes, such as Escherichia coli, are significant components of such manures. Thus, it is desirable that the level of intestinal microbes, and particularly opportunistic pathogens, in compost is inspected and counted regularly. The sensitivity and specificity of detection of E. coli in compost have been improved by selective cultivation followed by colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the ECO primer. Indeed, the sensitivity of this method is higher than that of DNA extraction from compost and PCR. In this study, changes in numbers of E. coli present in a field-scale composting process over time was assessed using selective cultivation and colony PCR. Numbers of ECO-positive colonies after 24 h decreased, with a concomitant rise in compost temperature. ECO-positive colonies were not detected from 33 to 48 h. However, ECO-positive colony numbers increased beginning on day 4 and continuing until day 42. Thus, it seems likely that the high temperatures reached during the composting process did not affect E. coli numbers in the final compost. Additionally, selective cultivation followed by colony PCR using specific primers is an appropriate method of determining levels of cultivable pathogens in composted materials.     

Atrazine leaching through surface and subsurface of a tropical Oxisol

The fate of ¹⁴C atrazine was investigated using microcosms and an undisturbed Red-Yellow Latossol (Oxisol) under simulated rainfall conditions of 200 mm water month^?1. Experiments were carried out using microcosm cores, the first with an uncovered surface soil; the second set with uncovered subsurface soil; the third with subsurface soil covered with 3 cm of cow manure and the last with subsurface soil covered with 5 cm of grass straw. Average values for the amount of atrazine leached after 60 days were as follows: surface soil 1.6%; subsurface 47.3%; subsurface plus manure 17.3% and subsurface plus straw 24.8%. In the surface soil, 53% of the ¹⁴C atrazine remained within the upper 1 cm, while in the subsurface microcosms the atrazine was more evenly distributed. The authors report that surface soil was retained atrazine and its metabolites for 60 days. The addition of a straw or manure covering to exposed subsoil helped to retard atrazine leaching.     

养猪业清洁生产途径与循环经济发展模式探讨

近年来,我国养猪业发展迅速,农村经济增长较快,农民收入和生活水平明显提高。同时,养猪业产生的猪粪便污染日趋严重,已严重影响当地居民生产生活和身体健康。为了彻底消除农村养猪场猪粪便污水和臭味污染,改善农村环境质量,促进农业经济发展,总结了长期从事清洁生产和循环经济发展研究的实践经验,提出了养猪业清洁生产途径和循环经济发展模式,意在从源头预防控制污染,大力推进养猪业清洁生产与农村经济可循环持续发展,并供关心我国养猪清洁生产与循环经济发展的同行借鉴参考。     

Quantification of ventilation on distribution of gaseous pollutants emitted from stored swine manure

Abstract

This paper describes the quantification of the effects of ventilation on distribution of gaseous pollutants as a result of mass transfer from stored manure to ventilation air in a swine confinement building. A multiple airflow regions model is developed and used to simulate the dynamics of gaseous pollutants in any airspace within a ventilated slotted‐inlet enclosure. The model predictions compared favorably with the measured results adapted from a literature research at ventilation rates between 443 and 932 m³/hr (deviations of 5.1 ‐ 14.68%) for carbon dioxide and ammonia concentrations. A comparison between predictions and measured carbon dioxide concentrations derived from an environmental chamber test found deviations ranged from 3.1 ‐ 5.6% at ventilation rates between 281 and 995 m³/hr. The results suggest that the model can be experimentally applied between ventilation rates of 443 and 995 m³/hr. The model also capable of predicting air exchange rate required to maintain acceptable levels of gaseous pollutants in swine confinement buildings based on gas emission rates.     

Effects of rapeseed residue on lead and cadmium availability and uptake by rice plants in heavy metal contaminated paddy soil

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) has been cultivated for biodiesel production worldwide. Winter rapeseed is commonly grown in the southern part of Korea under a rice-rapeseed double cropping system. In this study, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to assess the effects of rapeseed residue applied as a green manure alone or in combinations with mineral N fertilizer on Cd and Pb speciation in the contaminated paddy soil and their availability to rice plant (Oryza sativa L.). The changes in soil chemical and biological properties in response to the addition of rapeseed residue were also evaluated. Specifically, the following four treatments were evaluated: 100% mineral N fertilizer (N100) as a control, 70% mineral N fertilizer + rapeseed residue (N70 + R), 30% mineral N fertilizer + rapeseed residue (N30 + R) and rapeseed residue alone (R). The electrical conductivity and exchangeable cations of the rice paddy soil subjected to the R treatment or in combinations with mineral N fertilizer treatment, N70 + R and N30 + R, were higher than those in soils subjected to the N100 treatment. However, the soil pH value with the R treatment (pH 6.3) was lower than that with N100 treatment (pH 6.9). Use of rapeseed residue as a green manure led to an increase in soil organic matter (SOM) and enhanced the microbial populations in the soil. Sequential extraction also revealed that the addition of rapeseed residue decreased the easily accessible fraction of Cd by 5-14% and Pb by 30-39% through the transformation into less accessible fractions, thereby reducing metal availability to the rice plant. Overall, the incorporation of rapeseed residue into the metal contaminated rice paddy soils may sustain SOM, improve the soil chemical and biological properties, and decrease the heavy metal phytoavailability.     

Size distributions of manure particles released under simulated rainfall

Manure and animal waste deposited on cropland and grazing lands serve as a source of microorganisms, some of which may be pathogenic. These microorganisms are released along with particles of dissolved manure during rainfall events. Relatively little if anything is known about the amounts and sizes of manure particles released during rainfall, that subsequently may serve as carriers, abode, and nutritional source for microorganisms. The objective of this work was to obtain and present the first experimental data on sizes of bovine manure particles released to runoff during simulated rainfall and leached through soil during subsequent infiltration. Experiments were conducted using 200 cm long boxes containing turfgrass soil sod; the boxes were designed so that rates of manure dissolution and subsequent infiltration and runoff could be monitored independently. Dairy manure was applied on the upper portion of boxes. Simulated rainfall (ca. 32.4 mm h(-1)) was applied for 90 min on boxes with stands of either live or dead grass. Electrical conductivity, turbidity, and particle size distributions obtained from laser diffractometry were determined in manure runoff and soil leachate samples. Turbidity of leachates and manure runoff samples decreased exponentially. Turbidity of manure runoff samples was on average 20% less than turbidity of soil leachate samples. Turbidity of leachate samples from boxes with dead grass was on average 30% less than from boxes with live grass. Particle size distributions in manure runoff and leachate suspensions remained remarkably stable after 15 min of runoff initiation, although the turbidity continued to decrease. Particles had the median diameter of 3.8 microm, and 90% of particles were between 0.6 and 17.8 microm. The particle size distributions were not affected by the grass status. Because manure particles are known to affect transport and retention of microbial pathogens in soil, more information needs to be collected about the concurrent release of pathogens and manure particles during rainfall events.     

Atrazine is not readily mineralised in 24 temperate soils regardless of pre-exposure to triazine herbicides

Mineralisation of atrazine in soil has been shown to depend on previous exposure of the herbicide. In this study, 24 Danish soils were collected and screened for potential to mineralise atrazine. Six soils were chosen, because they had never been exposed to atrazine, whereas 18 soils were chosen because of their history of application of atrazine or the related compound terbuthylazine. None of the 24 soils revealed a mineralisation potential of more than 4% of the added atrazine within a 60 day timeframe. In an atrazine adapted French soil, we found 60% mineralisation of atrazine in 30 days. Cattle manure was applied in order to boost the microbial activity, and a 2-3% increase in the atrazine mineralisation was found in some of the temperate soils, while in the highly adapted French soil it caused a 5% reduction.     

Roles of pyrolysis on availability,species and distribution of Cu and Zn in the swine manure: Chemical extractions and high-energy synchrotron analyses

Animal manures generally contain high levels of heavy metals that may pose a significant threat to soil and groundwater qualities. Pyrolysis as means of reducing metal availability in such feed stocks is recently encouraged, but systematic studies are currently lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of pyrolysis temperature on the availability of Cu and Zn by chemical extraction, to determine the speciation of Cu and Zn by synchrotron-based X-ray spectroscopy, and finally to investigate the phase distribution of metal species in the carbonaceous materials by combining acid–base extractions and absorption spectroscopy data. The results showed that both Cu and Zn in the swine manure were mainly bound to organic functional groups. Cu (II) reduction and Cu (I)–S complexes were observed during the pyrolysis process. Zn species resembling ZnAc₂ was still dominant, being 60.8–69.2%, and ZnS increased by 6.6–21.8% in the carbonaceous materials. The distribution of Cu and Zn in the mineral, carbonized and non-carbonized organic phases varied greatly with the pyrolysis temperature. The higher the temperature, the more the metals existed in the mineral phase and carbonized organic phase. The decrease of EDTA extractable Cu and Zn with pyrolysis temperature was due to the increase of metals in the carbonized organic phase and mineral phase. It is suggested that pyrolysis at the relatively higher temperature is a better choice for metal-containing manure according to the metal speciation, solubility and availability.