U and Th in some brown coals of Serbia and Montenegro and their environmental impact

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: The objective of this paper is to determine and compare the concentrations of U and Th in soft to hard brown (lignite to sub-bituminous) coals of Serbia and Montenegro. It also presents comparison of the obtained data on U and Th concentrations with the published data on coals located in some other countries of the world. Almost the whole coal production of Serbia and Montenegro is used as feed coals for combustion in thermal power plants. METHODS: Channel samples from open pit and underground mines and core samples were collected for hard and soft brown coals. For the analysis the samples were decomposed using microwave technique. Obtained solutions containing U and Th were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) using NIST standards. RESULTS: Concentration of U from the investigated basins and the corresponding mine fields ranges within 0.60-70.10 mg/kg, 0.65-3.20 mg/kg, 0.95-6.59 mg/kg, 1.20-6.05 mg/kg, 0.80-6.66 mg/kg, 0.18-89.90 mg/kg, 0.19-4.14 mg/kg, and 0.28-3.52 mg/kg for the Kostolac, Kolubara, Krepoljin, Sjenica, Soko Banja, Bogovina East field, Senje-Resavica and Pljevlja basins, respectively. Concentration of Th ranges within 0.20-2.60 mg/kg, 0.84-6.57 mg/kg, 1.48-6.48 mg/kg, 0.12-2.71 mg/kg, 0.13-4.95 mg/kg, 0.14-3.48 mg/kg, 0.29-3.56 mg/kg, and 0.17-1.89 mg/kg for the Kostolac, Kolubara, Krepoljin, Sjenica, Soko Banja, Bogovina East field, Senje-Resavica and Pljevlja basins, respectively. DISCUSSION: Brown coal from Senje-Resavica, Kolubara, Kostolac and Pljevlja is characterized by low U concentration. Coals form the Krepoljin, Soko Banja and Sjenica basins have slightly higher U concentrations than the mentioned group. The highest concentration of U is characteristic for the coal from the Bogovina East field. Concentration of Th in coals from Serbia and Montenegro has proved to be low. Out of all investigated coal basins, only the coal from the Krepoljin and Kolubara basins has high concentration of Th. The hydrothermally altered rocks of the Timok dacite-andesite complex, representing the basement of the Bogovina basin, could be a potential source of U, especially at the bottom part of the Lower seam of the Bogovina East field. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that brown coals in Serbia and Montenegro (soft to hard brown coals or lignite to sub-bituminous) contain low levels of U (5.30 mg/kg, average value and 2.10 mg/kg geometric mean value) and Th (1.80 mg/kg, average value and 1.12 mg/kg geometric mean value). There are some obvious differences in concentration of U and Th in coals from different basins in Serbia and Montenegro. The approximate value for U and Th release mainly from power plants was 644.33 t and 983.46 t, respectively within the period 1965-2000 for the studied mines in Serbia, and 23.76 t and 15.05 t for the Potrlica mine (Montenegro) within the period 1965-1997. RECOMMENDATIONS: The coals in Serbia and Montenegro show no identifiable unfavourable impact on the surrounding environment, due to low natural radioactive concentration of U and Th, but further investigations concerning human health should be performed. PERSPECTIVES: Preliminary research revealed that in some Serbian coals (and, particularly, parts of the coal seam) U and Th content are rather high. Such coals should be carefully studied, as well as U and Th concentrations in ash, fly ash, waste disposals, nearby soil and ground water. Further studies should include determination of the radioactivity of all these products, and estimation of possible health impact.     

Pitfalls in molecular diagnosis in a family with severe factor VII (FVII) deficiency—misdiagnosis by direct sequence analysis using a PCR product

Molecular diagnostic tests are becoming a routine analysis in many laboratories. These modern analyses are widely used in clinical medicine, forensic, genetic and prenatal diagnosis and also in preimplantation genetic diagnosis. The accuracy of analysis is highly dependent on the success achieved in minimising genotyping errors. The pitfalls in molecular diagnostic tests can be due to a simple technique such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) used universally. This technique is routinely used for its apparent accuracy, but it is also a well-known source of errors. We report an error introduced during PCR reaction that leads to a wrong sequence result and consequently to a ‘false’ molecular result in a next prenatal diagnosis in a family with severe factor VII (FVII) deficiency. This error was verified using an unsuitable primer design in a rich repetitive sequence of the FVII gene that leads to a false annealing and then to a wrong molecular diagnosis. It is essential to link closely molecular data with clinical and phenotype analysis in order to avoid false-negative or false-positive results, which is of great importance to diagnosis and molecular prevention. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

重量法测定含动、植物油和矿物油废水应注意的问题

废水监测中，用重量法测定污（废）水中的动、植物油和矿物油是常用方法之一。为了保证测试结果的准确性，减少误差，提高分析测试质量，作者以多年的实践经验结合塔里木油田采油厂生产污水和餐饮行业生活废水的测定，对测定两种不同含油类废水应注意的问题进行探讨。供同行在实际工作中参考。     

爆炸事故过程分析中不确定性问题处理方法

针对事故过程分析中的不确定性问题,指出了不确定问题在危险分析中的重要性及处理该问题的复杂性和难点,列出了几种基于非线性数学方法处理不确定问题的基本方法,如微分法、MonteCarlo模拟、Fourier方法、响应表面法等,并对之进行了比较.建议在处理事故过程的不确定性时采用Monte Carlo模拟.     

青岛工业与资源灰色关联分析

本文应用灰色关联分析方法研究了青岛地区主导工业对资源的依赖状态及不同工业行业之产出对各类资源投入的反应程度,以灰关联树反映工业经济与资源复合系统之整体及不同层次子系统的耦合关系,定量揭示工业经济效益主导变量与各类资源变量的动态联系,从资源高效利用的角度探讨了青岛工业产业结构调整和优化的方向及区域经济与环境效益相协调的可能途径。     

构建人类命运共同体、应对气候变化与生态文明建设

全球气候变化给人类社会文明带来严峻挑战,需要人类社会采取共同措施和行动积极应对。应对全球气候变化是当今世界最能体现人类共同命运的领域,深度参与并积极推动全球气候治理体系改革和建设是中国推动构建人类命运共同体的重要实践,也是生态文明理论和实践的重要方面。应对气候变化是我国生态文明建设的重要内容和内在要求;以共同价值理念构建人类命运共同体,凝聚各国力量携手合作应对全球气候变化,是全球生态文明建设和构建人类命运共同体的具体实践,也为应对全球气候变化提供了良好载体和国际平台。文章通过分析可知,应对气候变化、生态文明建设与构建人类命运共同体三者之间,呈现出相互促进、和谐共生的"三位一体"特征;人与自然共生的生命共同体是前提条件,人类的任何实践活动都要以自然生态系统为基础和前提;人类命运共同体在整合各国力量方面,为生态文明建设提供了社会基础;生态文明包容各国文明,凝聚价值共识,成为生命共同体和人类命运共同体的价值导向。中国倡导人类命运共同体理念,是全球生态文明和人类命运共同体的积极倡导者、推动者和践行者,既为应对全球气候变化提供了价值基础,也提供了强有力的实践支撑;应对气候变化是全球生态文明建设和人类命运共同体构建的生动实践。因此,加强生态文明建设和构建人类命运共同体,为全球应对气候变化提供了理论基础和国际平台,也将为全球可持续发展贡献中国智慧和中国案例。     

亚热带稻田土壤碳氮磷生态化学计量学特征

为了解稻田土壤中是否存在稳定的土壤有机碳(C)、氮(N)和磷(P)比值,基于亚热带区110个水稻土剖面和587个发生层的土壤调查数据库,在区域尺度上分析了典型水稻土C∶N∶P比值的生态化学计量学特征,并应用相关分析和冗余分析,研究水稻土C∶N∶P比值与土壤-环境因子(地形和母质、土壤发生层、土壤类型和土壤理化性质)的关系.结果显示,亚热带区稻田土壤C∶N、C∶P和N∶P的剖面加权平均值分别为12. 6、49和3. 9,C∶N∶P为38∶3. 2∶1.不同母质起源、不同土壤亚类和不同发生层的水稻土C∶N变异相对较小;但C∶P和N∶P的变异很大,两者均值也远低于全球(186和13. 1)和中国土壤(136和9. 3)的C∶P和N∶P的平均水平.尽管稻田土壤剖面的C∶N∶P相对不稳定,但由于稻田表土生物与环境相互作用强烈,表土C∶N相对稳定(14. 2).这反映长期水耕熟化作用下,稻田表土中C和N仍存在紧密的耦合作用.然而,在稻田土壤剖面上,C∶P和N∶P并不稳定,SOC与全P含量、全N与全P含量也无显著相关性,表明环境变化可能导致土壤C∶N∶P解耦.地形、土壤质地、氧化铁和容重是调控稻田土壤剖面C∶N∶P的关键土壤环境因子.     

北京市农业机械排放因子与排放清单

利用车载排放测试技术对典型的联合收割机、拖拉机、农用运输车和农田建设机械实际工况下的尾气进行测试,建立了实际工况下农业机械的排放因子和2017年北京市农用机械排放清单.结果表明,不同的工作状态对农业机械尾气排放有较大的影响,怠速和行走时CO、NO_x、HC和PM排放趋于平稳;而切地和翻地模式下的波动较为明显.根据各类机械的分类和排放标准对排放因子进行细化,建立了较为完整的实际工况下的排放因子.根据农业机械排放因子和燃油消耗量计算出2017年北京市CO、NO_x、HC和PM的排放量分别是2 566.60、 1 239.29、 563.08和538.32 t.拖拉机、运输机械和联合收割机的污染物总量占CO、NO_x、HC和PM这4种污染物总量的98%、 95%、 95%和98%.因此,农用拖拉机、运输机械和联合收割机在农业机械污染减排中应作为重点控制对象.