负载金属活性碳纤维对NO催化分解性能的研究

碳纤维用于环境保护,污染治理是个重要课题,采用浸渍法研制系列钯负载活性碳纤维,研究了它们对NO的歧化分解性能,并与其它载体催化剂进行比较,实验结果表明负载钯活性碳纤维在300℃以上能催化NO的歧化分解。负载钯活性炭和负载钯炭黑分解NO的能力明显比前者弱,石墨和分子筛载体负载钯催化剂在400℃仍没有催化分解NO的作用。催化反应温度升高,NO流量降低,钯负载量增加有利于NO分解率提高,采用钯－铜混合物负载活性碳纤维可以减少钯的使用量。     

高分子重金属絮凝剂的性能及作用机理研究

以含Ni^2 废水作为处理对象,主要研究了几个影响高分子重金属絮凝剂去除废水中Ni^2 的因素,从而进一步了解高分子重金属絮凝剂的结构和性能．实验结果表明：(1)某些离子存在时,pH值对Ni^2 的最高去除率影响不大;(2)水中某些二价阳离子的存在不仅不会消耗高分子重金属絮凝剂的用量,而且会促进Ni^2 絮凝沉淀,Ni^2 的去除率均在95％以上;(3)水中Fe^3 会与Ni^2 竞争高分子重金属絮凝剂分子中二硫代羧基上的配位基,若高分子重金属絮凝剂投加量不足,Fe^3 的存在将影响螯合体MHMF-Ni^2 的生成;(4)Ni^2 和致浊物质会互相促进彼此的去除,浊度的去除率在97％以上．(5)高分子重金属絮凝剂对重金属离子具有选择性,可将部分重金属离子从其它离子中分离开、回收再利用．     

臭氧对有机物混凝的影响

采用PDA(Photometric Disperse Analysis)和有机物表观分子量分级、有机物化学极性分级技术从絮体形成过程、絮体表现、有机物分子水平变化等方面研究了臭氧预氧化对混凝过程的影响;并对比了不同混凝剂在预臭氧条件下的混凝过程和效率.结果表明:臭氧预氧化对混凝过程有复杂的影响,其剂量和水体有机物特征决定了其对混凝的整体影响效果.有机物分级显示,臭氧化对有机物结构有重要影响,导致有机物极性、亲水性组分含量大幅提高(36.7%),小分子量组分(<10×10³)大幅增高(100%左右);但总的DOC去除率不高(3.28%).对PACl而言,在中、低剂量(O₃/TOC<0.7)下,臭氧对絮体形成过程影响较小,但对絮体沉降性和浊度去除已经有阻碍作用.在中、高剂量下(O₃/TOC>0.7),对絮体形成有显著滞后,浊度、有机物去除效率下降.AlCl₃对臭氧化作用反应敏感,臭氧化在试验剂量条件下,对絮体形成和浊度、有机物去除都有明显的阻碍作用.     

铜锌同位素方法在环境地球化学研究中的应用

近年来,随着多接收电感耦合等离子体质谱(MC-ICP-MS)逐渐应用,过渡族金属(Cu,Zn和Fe等)同位素测试方法逐渐成熟,测定精度可达0.04‰,使得铜锌铁等同位素地球化学研究成为近年来国际地学研究领域的热点。本文对铜锌同位素的测试方法、分馏机理及其在环境地球化学研究领域的应用进行了较系统综述。     

Accumulation and biological cycling of heavy metal in four salt marsh species, from Tagus estuary (Portugal)

Pools of Zn, Cu, Cd and Co in leaf, stem and root tissues of Sarcocornia fruticosa, Sarcocornia perennis, Halimione portulacoides and Spartina maritima were analyzed on a bimonthly basis, in a Tagus estuary salt marsh. All the major concentrations were found in the root tissues, being the concentrations in the aboveground organs neglectable for sediment budget proposes, as seen by the low root-aboveground translocation. Metal annual accumulation, root turnovers and cycling coefficients were also assessed. S. maritima showed the higher root turnovers and cycling coefficients for most of the analyzed metals, making this a phytostabilizer specie. By contrast the low root turnover, cycling coefficient and low root necromass generation makes S. perennis the most suitable specie for phytoremediation processes. Although the high amounts of metal return to the sediments, due to root senescence, salt marshes can still be considered sinks of heavy metals, cycling heavy metals mostly between sediment and root.     

Ecotoxicity of nanoparticles of CuO and ZnO in natural water

The acute toxicity of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles in artificial freshwater (AFW) and in natural waters to crustaceans Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus and protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila was compared. The L(E)C₅₀ values of nanoCuO for both crustaceans in natural water ranged from 90 to 224 mg Cu/l and were about 10-fold lower than L(E)C₅₀ values of bulk CuO. In all test media, the L(E)C₅₀ values for both bulk and nanoZnO (1.1-16 mg Zn/l) were considerably lower than those of nanoCuO. The natural waters remarkably (up to 140-fold) decreased the toxicity of nanoCuO (but not that of nanoZnO) to crustaceans depending mainly on the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The toxicity of both nanoCuO and nanoZnO was mostly due to the solubilised ions as determined by specific metal-sensing bacteria.     

Increased Bioavailability of Mercury in the Lagoons of Lomé, Togo: The Possible Role of Dredging

Surface sediments of the lagoons of Lomé, Togo, were analyzed for mercury, methylmercury, and trace elements. Concentrations were greater than typical for natural lagoon sediments, and with greater variability within the Eastern lagoon compared to the Western one. The Eastern lagoon is larger and has been dredged in the past, while the Western lagoon, which also receives major waste inputs, has not been dredged and shows less tidal flushing. Accordingly, one naturally believes that the Eastern lagoon is cleaner and probably safe to use due to its natural resources, including fishes to eat. Unexpectedly, we describe here that mercury methylation was greater in the Eastern lagoon, indicating increased bioavailability of mercury, as probably facilitated by past dredging that decreased solid-phase retention of inorganic mercury. Urbanization has historically been more developed in the southern part of the lagoons, which is still reflected in contamination levels of sediment despite dredging, probably because sources of contamination are still more important there today. Such urban contamination emphasizes the need to regulate waste discharges and possible airborne contamination in growing cities of developing countries, and implements environmental and public health monitoring, especially in relation to misbelieves systematically associated with the cleansing effect of dredging activity.     

Responses of a soil bacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6 to commercial metal oxide nanoparticles compared with responses to metal ions

The toxicity of commercially-available CuO and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to pathogenic bacteria was compared for a beneficial rhizosphere isolate, Pseudomonas chlororaphis O6. The NPs aggregated, released ions to different extents under the conditions used for bacterial exposure, and associated with bacterial cell surface. Bacterial surface charge was neutralized by NPs, dependent on pH. The CuO NPs were more toxic than the ZnO NPs. The negative surface charge on colloids of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) was reduced by Cu ions but not by CuO NPs; the EPS protected cells from CuO NPs-toxicity. CuO NPs-toxicity was eliminated by a Cu ion chelator, suggesting that ion release was involved. Neither NPs released alkaline phosphatase from the cells’ periplasm, indicating minimal outer membrane damage. Accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species was correlated with CuO NPs lethality. Environmental deposition of NPs could create niches for ion release, with impacts on susceptible soil microbes.     

Molecular characterization of conjugative plasmids in pesticide tolerant and multi-resistant bacterial isolates from contaminated alluvial soil

A total of 35 bacteria from contaminated soil (cultivated fields) near pesticide industry from Chinhat, Lucknow, (India) were isolated and tested for their tolerance/resistance to pesticides, heavy metals and antibiotics. Bacterial isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. Gas Chromatography analysis of the soil samples revealed the presence of lindane at a concentration of 547 ng g⁻¹ and α-endosulfan and β-endosulfan of 422 ng g⁻¹ and 421 ng g⁻¹ respectively. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry analysis of the test sample was done and Cr, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cu and Cd were detected at concentrations of 36.2, 42.5, 43.2, 241, 13.3 and 11.20 mg kg⁻¹ respectively. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of all the isolates were determined for pesticides and heavy metals. All the multi-resistant/tolerant bacterial isolates were also tested for the presence of incompatibility (Inc) group IncP, IncN, IncW, IncQ plasmids and for rolling circle plasmids of the pMV158-family by PCR. Total community DNA was extracted from pesticide contaminated soil. PCR amplification of the bacterial isolates and soil DNA revealed the presence of IncP-specific sequences (trfA2 and oriT) which was confirmed by dot blot hybridization with RP4-derived DIG-labelled probes. Plasmids belonging to IncN, IncW and IncQ group were neither detected in the bacterial isolates nor in total soil DNA. The presence of conjugative or mobilizable IncP plasmids in the isolates indicate that these bacteria have gene transfer capacity with implications for dissemination of heavy metal and antibiotic resistance genes. We propose that IncP plasmids are mainly responsible for the spread of multi-resistant bacteria in the contaminated soils.