Determination of selected fate and aquatic toxicity characteristics of acrylic acid and a series of acrylic esters

Acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and butyl acrylate are commercially important and widely used materials. This paper reports the results of a series of fate and aquatic toxicity studies. The mobility in soil of acrylic acid and its esters ranged from 'medium' to 'very high'. Calculated bioconcentration factors ranged from 1 to 37, suggesting a low bioconcentration potential. Acrylic acid and methyl acrylate showed limited biodegradability in the five day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) test, while ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate were degraded easily (77% and 56%, respectively). Using the OECD method 301D 28-d closed bottle test, degradability for acrylic acid was 81% at 28 days, while the acrylic esters ranged from 57% to 60%. Acrylic acid degraded rapidly to carbon dioxide in soil (t1/2 < 1 day). Toxicity tests were conducted using freshwater and marine fish, invertebrates, and algae. Acrylic acid effect concentrations for fish and invertebrates ranged from 27 to 236 mg/l. Effect concentrations (LC50 or EC50) for fish and invertebrates using methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and butyl acrylate ranged from 1.1 to 8.2 mg/l. The chronic MATC for acrylic acid with Daphnia magna was 27 mg/l based on length and young produced per adult reproduction day and for ethyl acrylate was 0.29 mg/l based on both the reproductive and growth endpoints. Overall these studies show that acrylic acid and the acrylic esters studied can rapidly biodegrade, have a low potential for persistence or bioaccumulation in the environment, and have low to moderate toxicity.     

Effect of formaldehyde on biofilm activity and morphology in an ultracompact biofilm reactor for carbonaceous wastewater treatment.

The effects of formaldehyde on biofilm morphology and biomass activity were investigated in an ultracompact biofilm reactor (UCBR) for carbonaceous wastewater treatment. The wastewater contained a fixed amount of glucose (with a chemical oxygen demand concentration of 600 mg/L) and an increasing concentration of formaldehyde (ranging from 21.4 to 271.1 mg/L). An influent formaldehyde concentration higher than 75 mg/L could facilitate filamentous growth (on biofilm) control and lead to a higher biofilm density, which is desirable as it enhanced the UCBR performance stability. However, at an influent formaldehyde concentration higher than 214.4 mg/L, biomass production was inhibited and deteriorations of biofilm morphology and biomass activity were observed. This study showed that it was desirable to maintain an influent formaldehyde concentration lower than 202.2 mg/L, as this concentration could achieve a good biofilm morphology while not inhibiting its microbial activity.     

上海市大气沉降物中多环芳烃赋存特征及其来源

以上海市大气沉降为研究对象,采集了上海市8月、9月、10月3个月的大气沉降物,分析了上海市大气沉降物中16种PAHs的质量浓度、空间分布特征和组成结构,计算了上海市8个采样点∑15PAHs大气沉降物通量.同时,采用正定矩阵因子分解(PMF)模型对大气沉降中的PAHs进行源解析,模型对PAHs的来源有较为细致的判读,结果表明:大气沉降物中∑16PAHs的浓度范围0.458~21.013μg/L,其中,溶解相中∑16PAHs的浓度范围为0.174~0.625μg/L,颗粒相中∑16PAHs的浓度范围为0.275 20.455μg/L.上海市∑15PAHs大气沉降通量在0.24~14.74μg/(m2×d)之间,沉降通量均值为2.77μg/(m2×d).根据PMF模型解析,机动车尾气排放为大气沉降物中PAHs的主要污染物,源贡献率为40.23%,其次,居民烹调、煤炭燃烧、石油挥发泄露和炼焦排放依次占23.73%、14.75%、14.35%和6.92%.     

多种政策对经济-环境系统的综合作用分析

提出了一套分析多种政策手段对社会经济系统物质流和价值流变化的综合作用的理论概念,弥补了现有不足.在理论概念的基础上,构建了由7个子模块组成的具体模型框架,以反映多种政策手段共同实施对物质流和价值流变化的综合作用.以我国为案例,利用提出的模型框架评估了我国7类典型环境经济政策对我国经济增长和物质流变化的综合和单独作用,证明了综合分析的必要性.     

Tears,fears and cheers: responses to the post‐disaster school relocation policy in China

This paper reports on the results of a qualitative study on the responses of Chinese school children in one junior middle school and their parents to China's post‐disaster school relocation policy. The sample comprised 22 pairs of parent–child dyads and two pupils whose parents could not be contacted. The study results were reported using Chambers and Wedel's (2009) conceptual framework, which delineates the fundamental elements of a policy. Content analysis was used to generate themes related to policy elements, such as goals, benefits and services. Both repetitive themes and idiosyncratic perspectives were reported so as to present a diversity of views. Despite adjustment difficulties and administrative problems reported by the study participants, the policy attention given to the rapid restoration of formal schooling for children was generally appreciated. The move back to the new school was greeted with cheer.     

Effects of dissolved organic matter on the desorption of Cd in freeze–thaw treated Cd-contaminated soils

Lab-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the desorption of Cd in freeze–thaw treated Cd-contaminated soils. The results indicated that DOM significantly facilitated the desorption of Cd from freeze–thaw treated soils when comparing with that of non-frozen soils. Effects of DOM on the Cd desorption were highly dependent on the soil type and contamination concentration. The maximum desorption ratios of Cd by DOM generated from straw and sludge were 15.6% and 13.65%, respectively, in brown soils, and the maximum desorption ratios reached 14.7% and 9.3%, respectively, when using black soils through the same treatment. The higher the Cd contamination concentration in soils, the higher the ratio of Cd desorption by DOM. This was because of the integrated effects of the soil properties changed by the freeze–thaw treatment and the species transformation of Cd. The characteristics of DOM, such as its concentration and properties, had shown obvious impacts on the Cd desorption by DOM. The desorption was promoted with the increased DOM concentration and the hydrophilic fraction, and lowered pH and the low-molecular-weight of DOM.     

Production of N2O in two biologic nitrogen removal processes: a comparison between conventional and short-cut nitrogen removal processes

The N2O production in two nitrogen removal processes treating domestic wastewater was investigated in laboratory-scale aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactors （SBRs）. Results showed that N2O emission happened in the aerobic phase rather than in the anoxic phase. During the aerobic phase, the nitrogen conversion to N2O gas was 27.7% and 36.8% of NH＋-N loss for conventional biologic N-removal process and short-cut biologic N-removal process. The dissolved N2O was reduced to N2 in the anoxic denitrification phase. The N2O production rate increased with the increasing of nitrite concentration and ceased when NH＋-N oxidation was terminated. Higher nitrite accumulation resulted in higher NEO emission in the short-cut nitrogen removal process. Pulse-wise addition of 20 mg NO2 -N. L- 1 gave rise to 3-fold of N2O emission in the conventional N-removal process, while little change happened with 20 mg NOS-N L-1 was added to SBR1.     

Key parametric analysis on designing an effective forced mitigation system for LNG spill emergency

Concerns over public safety and security of a potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) spill have promoted the need for continued improvement of safety measures for LNG facilities. The mitigation techniques have been recognized as one of the areas that require further investigation to determine the public safety impact of an LNG spill. Forced mitigation of LNG vapors using a water curtain system has been proven to be effective in reducing the vapor concentration by enhancing the dispersion. Currently, no engineering criteria for designing an effective water curtain system are available, mainly due to a lack of understanding of the complex droplet–vapor interaction. This work applies computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to evaluate various key design parameters involved in the LNG forced mitigation using an upwards-oriented full-cone water spray. An LNG forced dispersion model based on a Eulerian–Lagrangian approach was applied to solve the physical interactions of the droplet–vapor system by taking into account the various effects of the droplets (discrete phase) on the air–vapor mixture (continuous phase). The effects of different droplet sizes, droplet temperatures, air entrainment rates, and installation configurations of water spray applications on LNG vapor behavior are investigated. Finally, the potential of applying CFD modeling in providing guidance for setting up the design criteria for an effective forced mitigation system as an integrated safety element for LNG facilities is discussed.     

Spatially Characterizing Visitor Use and Its Association with Informal Trails in Yosemite Valley Meadows

Ecological impacts associated with nature-based recreation and tourism can compromise park and protected area goals if left unrestricted. Protected area agencies are increasingly incorporating indicator-based management frameworks into their management plans to address visitor impacts. Development of indicators requires empirical evaluation of indicator measures and examining their ecological and social relevance. This study addresses the development of the informal trail indicator in Yosemite National Park by spatially characterizing visitor use in open landscapes and integrating use patterns with informal trail condition data to examine their spatial association. Informal trail and visitor use data were collected concurrently during July and August of 2011 in three, high-use meadows of Yosemite Valley. Visitor use was clustered at statistically significant levels in all three study meadows. Spatial data integration found no statistically significant differences between use patterns and trail condition class. However, statistically significant differences were found between the distance visitors were observed from informal trails and visitor activity type with active activities occurring closer to trail corridors. Gender was also found to be significant with male visitors observed further from trail corridors. Results highlight the utility of integrated spatial analysis in supporting indicator-based monitoring and informing management of open landscapes. Additional variables for future analysis and methodological improvements are discussed.