Screening analysis of volatile organic contaminants in commercial inorganic coagulants used for drinking water treatment

A method for quality screening is suggested to detect volatile impurities in inorganic coagulants that are used for drinking water treatment. Static headspace gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (HS–GCMS) is sensitive and selective to detect volatiles in low concentrations. This study has discovered that volatile organic impurities are detectable in ferric and aluminium-based coagulants which are used for drinking water treatment. For ferric chloride, 2-propanol was detected at a level of 17–24 μg ml⁻¹, acetone at 0.7–1.7 μg ml⁻¹, 1,1,1-trichloroacetone at 0.02–0.04 μg ml⁻¹, trichloromethane at 0.01–0.02 μg ml⁻¹ and toluene at 0.01–0.12 μg ml⁻¹. For ferric chloride sulfate, acetone was detected at a level of 0.12 μg ml⁻¹, 1,1,1-trichloroacetone at 0.06–0.08 μg ml⁻¹, trichloromethane at 0.13–0.23 μg ml⁻¹, bromodichloromethane at 0.04–0.06 μg ml⁻¹ and dibromochloromethane at 0.04–0.05 μg ml⁻¹. For aluminium hydroxide chloride, only trichloromethane was detectable, but below the method detection limits (MDL). Although the concentrations of these impurities in commercial coagulants are low, this observation is important and should have impact on water industries for them to pay attention to the chemicals they are using for drinking water production.     

Simulated reaction of formaldehyde and ambient atmospheric particulate matter using a chamber

The reaction of HCHO with Beijing winter's real ambient particulate matter(PM) inside a 3.3 m~3 Teflon Chamber was conducted in this study. NO_2, O_3 and H_2O gases were removed from the ambient aerosol before entering into the chamber. The decays of HCHO were monitored(acetylacetone spectrophotometry method) during the reactions at different PM number concentrations(N_a) and relative humidities(RHs), and the formed particulate formate was detected by IC and XPS techniques. The results showed that when RH was10%–15%, the decay rate of HCHO in the chamber was higher with the existence of PM from relatively clean days(with number concentration(N_a) 200,000 particle/L, 0.35–22.5 μm)compared to dirty days(N_a 200,000 particle/L, 0.35–22.5 μm). When RH increased to 30%–45%, PM can hardly have significant influences on the decay of HCHO. The formations of formate on the reacted PM were consistent with the HCHO decay rates at different ambient PM N_aand RH conditions. This is a first study related to the "real" ambient PM reacted with HCHO and suggested that in the clean and low RH days, PM could be an effective medium for the conversion of HCHO to formate.     

邻苯二酚环境标准和分析标准研究

苯胺泄漏对水体的污染应急测定项目应选择苯胺和邻苯二酚。邻苯二酚是苯胺降解的中间产物,邻苯二酚同样具有较大毒性。挥发酚的测定不能准确反应水中所含的邻苯二酚,水和废水监测分析方法（第四版）没有邻苯二酚的监测分析方法,已经不能满足苯胺泄漏对饮用水源地污染的应急监测需要。文章综述了邻苯二酚的主要测量方法。参照前苏联渔业水体中有害物质邻苯二酚的最高容许浓度标准,比较了近年来测定水中邻苯二酚不同方法的检出限,基于邻苯二酚的毒性考虑和具备霹F苯二酚的多种测量方法,建议建立邻苯二酚相应的环境标准和标准方法。     

挥发回转窑处置钢丝绳行业污泥的污染物排放研究

通过利用挥发回转窑处置钢丝绳行业污泥的工业化试验,测定了烟气排放参数及污染物排放指标,分析了污泥添加对挥发回转窑烟气排放的影响程度及各项污染物指标之间的相关性。结果表明,污泥添加量18%～22%,对挥发回转窑烟气排放无影响,烟尘、SO2、氮氧化物、Zn、Pb、HCl等各项污染物指标均符合国家控制标准;烟尘排放浓度与Pb、Zn排放浓度呈显著正相关;SO2排放浓度与烟气含氧量、空气过剩系数、排放浓度呈显著负相关。通过控制烟气中烟尘浓度可减少Zn、Pb的排放,在满足SO2排放浓度达标的同时,还应加强工艺供氧量的管理,控制的产生,减少烟气对生产设备的腐蚀。     

我国24个典型饮用水源地中14种酚类化合物浓度分布特征

研究了14种酚类化合物在我国五大流域(黄河、海河、辽河、长江、淮河)24个典型饮用水源地水源水中的浓度水平.结果显示:14种酚类化合物在我国饮用水源地中的浓度在nd～213 ng·L-1范围内,浓度均值在2.44～31.2 ng·L-1范围内,浓度中位数在nd～40.0 ng·L-1范围内.14种酚类化合物中,硝基苯酚类化合物浓度最高,浓度中位数为37.9 ng·L-1,浓度平均值为27.4 ng·L-1.其次为苯酚、五氯酚、二氯苯酚(2,4-二氯苯酚和2,6-二氯苯酚)和三氯苯酚(2,4,6-三氯苯酚和2,4,5-三氯苯酚);四氯苯酚(2,3,5,6-四氯苯酚、2,3,4,6-四氯苯酚、2,3,4,5-四氯苯酚)和烷基苯酚(邻甲基苯酚、间甲基苯酚和对甲基苯酚)浓度较低.通过商值法对14种酚类化合物进行生态风险评价后发现,14种酚类化合物的风险商均远小于1,表明其对我国饮用水源地的生态风险较低.对8种已报道健康参考剂量或致癌斜率因子的酚类化合物进行健康风险评价,结果显示,7种酚类化合物的最大非致癌风险在10-6到10-4范围内,2,4,6-三氯酚和五氯酚的致癌风险在10-6量级以下,表明其健康危害较弱.     

Visualization and localization of bromotoluene distribution in Hedera helix using NanoSIMS

Some plants are known as indoor air purifiers. A large number of studies report kinetic purification results for an extensive panel of plants, i.e. the pollutant concentration (volatile organic compounds, as known as VOC, most of the time) is continuously monitored by gas chromatography. However, only a few papers describe the mechanisms involved in such processes. This study deals with the use of secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging as an efficient tool to locate atmospheric pollutant as bromotoluene within the Hedera helix plant (leaf, roots) and the substrate on which it was previously grown. Hedera helix plants have been placed in a pollution chamber with control of the exposure parameters. Plant and soil samples excised were transferred into a fixative solution of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde for a few days, were dehydrated using ethanol and were embedded with resin. Cross sections were made from the pale brown solids obtained. Then, a device using a cathodic pulverization device capable of depositing a few nanometers of gold atoms over the sample was used to make the surface electronically conductive for the NanoSIMS. Hence, polluted and unpolluted samples of Hedera helix and substrates were obtained following a careful procedure that allowed for the discrimination between polluted and nonpolluted ones. Nanoscale spatial resolution was an invaluable tool (NanoSIMS) to achieve this, and proved that VOCs, such as bromotoluene, were actually trapped by plants such as Hedera helix.     

Volatile halogenated organics in swimming pools

This survey undertaken in Greece (Mytilene town) has shown that Volatile halogenated organics (VHO) are present in swimming pool water. Analysis was performed by purge‐and‐trap (PAT) gas chromatographic (GC) technique and samples from two public indoor swimming pools in Mytilene were analyzed for VHO. Water samples were collected every week for a period of three months, and have shown the occurrence of chloroform, dichlorobromomethane, chlorodi‐bromomethane, bromoform (all four are trihalomethanes [THMs]), as a result of the chlorination and the occurrence of tetrachloroethylene and 1,1,1,2‐tetrachloroethane is assigned to their introduction as impurities during the process treatment of water. The levels of concentrations ranged from 4.0 to 26.0 μg/1 for chloroform, from 0.26 to 7.0 μg/1 for dichlorobromomethane, from 0.5 to 3.0 μg/1 for chlorodibromomethane, from 0.07 to 0.9 μg/1 for bromoform, from no detectable levels to 0.07 μg/1 for tetrachloroethylene and from no detectable levels to 0.2 μg/1 for 1,1,1,2‐tetrachloroethane.     

Chicken manure enhanced yield and quality of field-grown kale and collard greens

Organic matter and nutrients in municipal sewage sludge (SS) and chicken manure (CM) could be recycled and used for land farming to enhance fertility and physical properties of soils. Three soil management practices were used at Kentucky State University Research Farm, Franklin County, to study the impact of soil amendments on kale (Brassica oleracea cv. Winterbar) and collard (Brassica oleracea cv. Top Bunch) yields and quality. The three soil management practices were: (i) SS mixed with native soil at 15 t acre^?1, (ii) CM mixed with native soil at 15 t acre^?1, and (iii) no-mulch (NM) native soil for comparison purposes. At harvest, collard and kale green plants were graded according to USDA standards. Plants grown in CM and SS amended soil produced the greatest number of U.S. No. 1 grade of collard and kale greens compared to NM native soil. Across all treatments, concentrations of ascorbic acid and phenols were generally greater in kale than in collards. Overall, CM and SS enhanced total phenols and ascorbic acid contents of kale and collard compared to NM native soil. We investigated the chemical and physical properties of each of the three soil treatments that might explain variability among treatments and the impact of soil amendments on yield, phenols, and ascorbic acid contents of kale and collard green grown under this practice.     

Characteristics of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in Forest Park in South China

The diurnal variation of atmospheric carbonyls and VOCs in a forest in south China were studied in summer 2004. Twenty kinds of carbonyls and eight kinds of VOCs were identified and quantified. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were the two most abundant carbonyls, while the most abundant VOCs were isoprene, followed by o-xylene. Most C₃-C₁₀ carbonyls had higher concentrations from 09:00 to 15:00, and their levels were lower during night-time and often reached the lowest in early morning. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, however, showed two high levels in their diurnal patterns partly due to their different sources and sinks. The VOCs had different diurnal patterns compared to most carbonyls. The highest concentrations were observed from 03:00 to 06:00 for 1-butene, from 06:00 to 12:00 for isoprene, and from 12:00 to 15:00 for α-pinene. The highest levels for aromatic hydrocarbons occurred during midnight and the lowest in late afternoon. According to the study, emissions from vegetation and photo-oxidation of gas-phase hydrocarbons were the main sources for some carbonyls and VOCs in this region. Other compounds, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and BTEX, showed anthropogenic sources.     

上海化学工业区污水处理厂废气中挥发性有机物主要成分的测定

建立了使用活性炭管采集臭气中的挥发性有机物,经二硫化碳解吸,用GC-MS仪Scan扫描方式确定挥发性有机物的组分后优化GC-MS条件定性定量分析上海化学工业区污水处理厂臭气中主要挥发性有机物的方法。结果表明,从臭气中检测出11种VOCs,线性相关系数R2均大于0.99,相对标准偏差为3.0%～4.7%,除了苯乙烯、α-甲基苯乙烯和4-甲基苯乙烯的解吸效率依次分别为72%、74%和66%,其他挥发性有机物的解吸效率均为91%～100%。本方法操作简便,能够有效分离和准确测定臭气中挥发性有机物,具有较低的检出限和较好的精确度,适合臭气中挥发性有机物的检测分析,可为臭气控制提供可靠的数据。