Effects of adding biochar on tetracycline removal during anaerobic composting of swine manure

Residual antibiotics in manure pose a potential threat to public and ecological health when the manure is released to the environment via land application of manure as fertiliser. Anaerobic composting has the potential to decrease antibiotic concentrations prior to land application. We therefore investigated the degradation of the antibiotics tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC) during anaerobic composting under different conditions. All composting treatment conditions were able to effect significant decreases in the antibiotic concentrations, though without biochar antibiotic residues remained. TC and OTC were removed more efficiently when the compost was treated at 55°C than treatments at 35°C or 25°C. Adding biochar significantly and rapidly decreased the antibiotic concentrations in the compost samples. After 15 days of treatment with biochar at 55°C, 100% of TC and OTC had been removed from the manure. The marked ability of biochar to remove the antibiotics was primarily attributed to adsorption of TC and OTC by the biochar. However, the addition of biochar may also have altered the microbial community structures within the compost and accelerated microbial degradation of the antibiotics.     

IMPROVING URBAN WATERWAYS IN EMERGING COUNTRIES: AN ACTION PLAN FOR MADRAS1

ABSTRACT: Typically, infrastructure agencies build massive water projects to serve expanding populations in emerging country cities, but collect and treat only a fraction of the resulting wastewater. This effluent often overwhelms existing sewerage systems and fouls waterways. Cleaning urban waterways requires large investments over long terms and the political will to make and sustain them. This challenge - difficult in advanced countries - becomes daunting with the scarce resources and weak institutions typical of emerging countries. This paper presents a framework to structure such a strategy, and applies it to Madras, India. It consists of three parts: (1) setting a vision through a participatory process; (2) macro investments mainly in wastewater treatment that use least-cost methods; and (3) micro investments in small projects that involve local people and galvanize public support. The macro investment, $350 million for Madras, appears very large, but averages out to $66 per capita, far below the $1,000-$2,000 typical of advanced country cities. Micro projects to be undertaken by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) included an independent wastewater monitoring program, sanitary upgrading of slums along waterways banks, a cattle waste demonstration project, and an industrial pollution survey. Together, a macro/micro strategy promises the funding and political will to achieve a balanced vision of waterways quality.     

Insight of chemical environmental risk and its management from the vinyl chloride accident

The combustion of vinyl chloride (VC) after the train derailment accident in Ohio, USA in February, 2023 has caused widespread concern around the world. This paper tried to analyze several issues concerning the accident, including the appropriateness of the VC combustion in the emergency response in this accident, the meanings of so-called “controlled combustion”, the potential environmental risks caused by VC and combustion by-products, and follow-up work. In our view, this accident had surely caused environmental and health risks to some extent. Hence, a comprehensive environmental risk assessment is necessary, and then the site with risk should be comprehensively remediated, hazardous waste should be harmlessly treated as soon as possible. Finally, this accident suggests that further efforts should be taken to bridge the gap between chemical safety management and their environmental risk management.     

Quantification,characteristics, and distribution of microplastics released from waste burning furnaces and their associated health impacts

Although investigation of microplastics (MPs) present in air environment has been intensively carried out, quantification, characteristics, and distribution of MPs released from the waste burning furnace (WBF) has been missing in literature. The aim of this study was to characterize the presence of MPs released from WBFs and analyze their associated health impacts. The examined locations were at two WBFs (nominated as TPS1 and TPS2) in Sidoarjo, Indonesia. MPs were collected using a 9 cm diameter glass beaker for a period of 8 h at two different sampling points, which are 3 and 15 m from each WBF. Several characteristics of MPs in terms of the number of particles, size, shape, color, and polymer type were comprehensively characterized. This study found that the obtained MPs were of fiber type and in the range of 46–77 and 41–59 particles at TPS1 and TPS2, respectively. In general, the polymer types of MPs were, respectively, cellophane and polytetrafluoroethylene at TPS1 and TPS2. Moreover, it was estimated that about 1.9–2.3 MPs can enter the human body via inhalation. This study offers a pilot examination of MPs released from WBF and findings from this study are crucial to provide new knowledge as a basis to carefully regulate the use of WBF particularly that are located closely to local community.     

土壤有机污染的原位修复技术

介绍了土壤气相抽提、生物通风和空气喷射等3种土壤原位修复技术的概念,简述了它们修复受污染土壤的适用范围和修复机理,并对影响3种修复方法的各种因素进行了详细论述.展望了土壤气相抽提、生物通风和空气喷射技术在我国的应用前景.     

Suggested Guidelines for Use of Avian Species as Biomonitors

An animal’s suitability as a biomonitor of environmental change can be determined by biological, reproductive and ecological characteristics determined at the class, order and species level. The animal’s habitat where the research is to be performed and the form, function and structure of the environmental change being studied within that habitat also determines suitability. Non-threatened populations of large, non-migratory, long-lived, seasonally-breeding tertiary avian predators, whose dietary preferences are narrow and known, can be useful as monitors of environmental chemical contaminants. If chemicals are being monitored, a quantifiable endpoint effect must be demonstrated in the species, or a similar species under experimental laboratory conditions. Logistical and economic issues as well as public and regulatory authority acceptance should also be considered when assessing the suitability of a species as a biomonitor.     

浓度变化时复合衬层中有机污染物的一维扩散分析

在考虑填埋场有机污染物浓度随时间变化的基础上,对有机污染物在复合衬层中的一维扩散问题进行了解析求解.计算模型考虑了2种常见的下边界条件,即零浓度下边界及零通量下边界.计算模型亦考虑了污染物在各介质中的背景浓度.利用该解析解得到的结果和已有的试验结果较为接近.对于美国规范规定的标准复合衬层,当污染物在膜中的扩散系数达到1.0×10-13m2·s-1且膜的分配系数达到50时,基本上可以忽略土工膜作为有机污染物扩散屏障的作用;对于同样的复合衬层,若膜的扩散系数达到1.0×10-12m2·s-1,则膜分配系数只需达到5即可忽略土工膜作为有机污染物扩散屏障的作用.对于标准复合衬层及GM GCL复合衬层,膜分配系数的变化对有机污染物通量击穿曲线的影响较大,而膜扩散系数对其的影响则相对较小.     

Differences in sensitivity to the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis among amphibian populations

Contributing to the worldwide biodiversity crisis are emerging infectious diseases, which can lead to extirpations and extinctions of hosts. For example, the infectious fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is associated with worldwide amphibian population declines and extinctions. Sensitivity to Bd varies with species, season, and life stage. However, there is little information on whether sensitivity to Bd differs among populations, which is essential for understanding Bd‐infection dynamics and for formulating conservation strategies. We experimentally investigated intraspecific differences in host sensitivity to Bd across 10 populations of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) raised from eggs to metamorphosis. We exposed the post‐metamorphic wood frogs to Bd and monitored survival for 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions. Populations differed in overall survival and mortality rate. Infection load also differed among populations but was not correlated with population differences in risk of mortality. Such population‐level variation in sensitivity to Bd may result in reservoir populations that may be a source for the transmission of Bd to other sensitive populations or species. Alternatively, remnant populations that are less sensitive to Bd could serve as sources for recolonization after epidemic events.     

Effects of white‐nose syndrome on regional population patterns of 3 hibernating bat species

Hibernating bats have undergone severe recent declines across the eastern United States, but the cause of these regional‐scale declines has not been systematically evaluated. We assessed the influence of white‐nose syndrome (an emerging bat disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, formerly Geomyces destructans) on large‐scale, long‐term population patterns in the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), the northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). We modeled population trajectories for each species on the basis of an extensive data set of winter hibernacula counts of more than 1 million individual bats from a 4‐state region over 13 years and with data on locations of hibernacula and first detections of white‐nose syndrome at each hibernaculum. We used generalized additive mixed models to determine population change relative to expectations, that is, how population trajectories differed with a colony's infection status, how trajectories differed with distance from the point of introduction of white‐nose syndrome, and whether declines were concordant with first local observation of the disease. Population trajectories in all species met at least one of the 3 expectations, but none met all 3. Our results suggest, therefore, that white‐nose syndrome has affected regional populations differently than was previously understood and has not been the sole cause of declines. Specifically, our results suggest that in some areas and species, threats other than white‐nose syndrome are also contributing to population declines, declines linked to white‐nose syndrome have spread across large geographic areas with unexpected speed, and the disease or other threats led to declines in bat populations for years prior to disease detection. Effective conservation will require further research to mitigate impacts of white‐nose syndrome, renewed attention to other threats to bats, and improved surveillance efforts to ensure early detection of white‐nose syndrome.     

黄河水体颗粒物对石油类污染物生物降解过程的影响研究

采用模拟实验的方法，研究黄河水体颗粒物对石油类污染物生物降解速率的影响及影响机制．结果表明．水体颗粒物的存在显著影响石油类污染物的生物降解过程，且在降解的不同阶段表现出不同的影响效果；其影响机制主要包括：颗粒物的存在影响体系中石油降解菌的生长，且固液两相中石油降解菌的生长规律不同，颗粒物影响石油类污染物在固液两相的分配，两相中石油类污染物的降解动力学不同，液相的降解符合一级动力学规律，而固相的降解符合3/4级反应动力学规律．