Pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations

Human exposures to pesticides can occur in the workplace, in the household and through the ambient environment. While several articles have reviewed the impact of pesticide exposures on human respiratory health in occupational settings, to the best of our knowledge, this article is the first one to review published studies on the association between pesticide exposures and human respiratory health in the general populations. In this article, we critically reviewed evidences up to date studying the associations between non-occupational pesticide exposures and respiratory health in general populations. This article also highlighted questions arising from these studies, including our recent analyses using the data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), for future research. We found few studies have addressed the impact of environmental pesticide exposures on respiratory health, especially on lung function, in general populations. In the studies using the data from CHMS Cycle 1, exposures to OP insecticides, pyrethroid insecticides, and the organochlorine pesticide DDT were associated with impaired lung function in the Canadian general population, but no significant associations were observed for the herbicide 2,4-D. Future research should focus on the potential age-specific and pesticide-specific effect on respiratory health in the general population, and repeated longitudinal study design is critical for assessing the temporal variations in pesticide exposures. Research findings from current studies of non-occupational pesticide exposures and their health impact in general population will help to improve the role of regulatory policies in mitigating pesticide-related public health problems, and thereafter providing greater benefit to the general population.     

Numerical simulation of flow hydrodynamics of struvite pellets in a liquid–solid fluidized bed

Phosphorus recovery in the form of struvite has been aroused in recent decades for its dual advantages in eutrophication control and resource protection.The usage of the struvite products is normally determined by the size which is largely depended on the hydrodynamics.In this study,flow behavior of struvite pellets was simulated by means of Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid model combining with kinetic theory of granular flow in a liquid–solid fluidized bed reactor(FBR).A parametric study including the mesh size,time step,discretization strategy,turbulent model and drag model was first developed,followed by the evaluations of crucial operational conditions,particle characteristics and reactor shapes.The results showed that a cold model with the mesh resolution of 16 × 240,default time step of 0.001 sec and first order discretization scheme was accurate enough to describe the fluidization.The struvite holdup profile using Syamlal–O'Brien drag model was best fitted to the experimental data as compared with other drag models and the empirical Richardson–Zaki equation.Regarding the model evaluation,it showed that liquid velocity and particle size played important roles on both solid holdups and velocities.The reactor diameter only influenced the solid velocity while the static bed height almost took no effect.These results are direct and can be applied to guide the operation and process control of the struvite fluidization.Moreover,the model parameters can also be used as the basic settings in further crystallization simulations.     

Relationship between nutrients and plankton biomass in the turbidity maximum zone of the Pearl River Estuary

Nutrients, dissolved and particulate organic carbon and plankton (bacterio-, phyto- and zoo-) were compared in the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) and adjacent areas (non-TMZ) in the Pearl River estuary. Our results showed that high levels of suspended substances had marked effect on dynamics of nutrients and plankton in the TMZ. Based on the cluster analysis of total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations, all stations were divided into two groups, TMZ with average TSS of 171 mg/L and non-TMZ of 45 mg/L. Suspended substances adsorbed PO₄^3 − and dissolved organic carbon, resulting in higher particulate phosphorus and organic carbon (POC) and lower PO₄^3 − and DOC in the TMZ, compared to the non-TMZ. However, suspended substances had limited effect on nitrogenous nutrients. Phytoplankton growth was light-limited due to high concentrations of suspended substances in the TMZ and a peak of phytoplankton abundance appeared in the non-TMZ. In contrast, the highest bacterial abundance occurred in the TMZ, which was likely partly responsible for low DOC levels. Two peaks of zooplankton abundance observed in the TMZ and non-TMZ in the Pearl River estuary were primarily supported by bacteria and phytoplankton, respectively. Our finding implied that high levels of suspended solids in the TMZ affect the trophic balance.     

Drinking water treatment using a submerged internal-circulation membrane coagulation reactor coupled with permanganate oxidation

A submerged internal circulating membrane coagulation reactor(MCR) was used to treat surface water to produce drinking water. Polyaluminum chloride(PACl) was used as coagulant,and a hydrophilic polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) submerged hollow fiber microfiltration membrane was employed. The influences of trans-membrane pressure(TMP), zeta potential(ZP) of the suspended particles in raw water, and KMnO_4 dosing on water flux and the removal of turbidity and organic matter were systematically investigated. Continuous bench-scale experiments showed that the permeate quality of the MCR satisfied the requirement for a centralized water supply, according to the Standards for Drinking Water Quality of China(GB 5749-2006), as evaluated by turbidity(1 NTU) and total organic carbon(TOC)(5 mg/L)measurements. Besides water flux, the removal of turbidity, TOC and dissolved organic carbon(DOC) in the raw water also increased with increasing TMP in the range of 0.01–0.05 MPa. High ZP induced by PACl, such as 5–9 mV, led to an increase in the number of fine and total particles in the MCR, and consequently caused serious membrane fouling and high permeate turbidity.However, the removal of TOC and DOC increased with increasing ZP. A slightly positive ZP, such as 1–2 mV, corresponding to charge neutralization coagulation, was favorable for membrane fouling control. Moreover, dosing with KMnO_4 could further improve the removal of turbidity and DOC, thereby mitigating membrane fouling. The results are helpful for the application of the MCR in producing drinking water and also beneficial to the research and application of other coagulation and membrane separation hybrid processes.     

台州市工业危险固废产生及处置情况和对策研究

文章分析了2014年台州市工业危险固废产生情况,介绍了该市现有危险固废处理设施的区域分布情况,同时对主要行业危险固废处理能力进行调查和分析.文章指出现有工业危险固废存在回收体系不完善、处置能力不均衡、二次污染问题日益突出、环境监管能力薄弱等问题,并针对性地提出增强人们环保意识和观念、完善环境保护相关法律法规、加大基础环保设施的投入、进一步加强管理能力、探索和创新更好的处理方式、引进国内外先进的处理方法等解决措施,以期科学合理处置工业危险固废.     

中国居民家庭消费碳足迹近20年增长情况及未来趋势研究

近年来,伴随着社会经济的快速发展,我国已成为全球温室气体排放量最大的经济体,而居民消费活动造成的碳排放始终是可持续消费领域的研究热点.本研究综合采用基于投入产出的生命周期评价、结构分解分析、截面分析等方法,并借助EORA数据库,系统研究了近20年中国居民消费碳足迹的总量与组成、驱动因素贡献及未来增长趋势.结果表明,居民消费碳足迹的快速上升通道已经形成,且内在结构演化也呈现规律性,即间接排放和城镇居民排放已占主导地位并且该趋势仍在加强.驱动因素方面,人口增长、城市化进程、消费水平提高是推动碳足迹增长的主要正向力量,同时另外三因素(排放强度、消费结构及经济结构)则构成了延缓碳足迹过快增长的减排力量.截面分析结果显示,未来中国居民消费跨越世界平均水平时其碳排放总量将达到2010年基数的1.45倍,当接近于美国人均消费水平时将达到5.45倍.可以预期,未来我国居民消费碳足迹将会加速增长.     

一株碳酸盐矿化菌的分离鉴定及其对Cu的固定作用

有机肥的大量使用使得菜田土壤重金属含量呈快速的累积趋势,对蔬菜安全生产构成了严重的威胁.本文从长期施加鸡粪猪粪等农家肥的大棚蔬菜根际土壤中筛选出了一株能降解尿素释放碳酸根,进而通过生物矿化作用固结重金属的细菌,系统发育分析和生理生化特征表明该菌株为氧化木糖无色杆菌,将其命名为LAX2.菌株LAX2可在含尿素的培养基中快速生长,所产脲酶的活力可达140 U·m L~(-1),发酵液的pH可达9.06.菌株LAX2可耐受浓度高达115 mg·L~(-1)的铜离子.X-射线衍射分析(XRD)、傅里叶红外光谱分析(FTIR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和能谱(EDS)分析表明菌株LAX2可通过生物矿化作用形成微球形的Cu_2(OH)_2CO_3,其直径可达2μm.菌体细胞吸附、生物矿化和化学沉淀对溶液中Cu~(2+)的去除率分别为93%、85%和72%.菌株LAX2对土壤中有效态Cu的固定作用呈现适应-快速-慢速3个阶段,培养5、10和30 d后土壤有效态Cu的含量分别下降了52.3%、73.7%和87.4%.与菌体细胞吸附和化学沉淀相比,生物矿化作用固定的Cu对短期内的淹水和反复冻融具有很强的抗性作用.以上结果表明菌株LAX2可通过生物成矿作用形成性质较稳定的碳酸铜矿物,在土壤铜污染修复方面具有重要的应用价值.     

四川省人为源挥发性有机物组分清单及其臭氧生成潜势

基于调研文献测试数据,对不含含氧有机物（oxygenated volatile organic compounds,OVOCs）组分的源成分谱进行修订和重构,得到归一化的VOCs源成分谱,根据2015年四川省大气污染源排放清单建立了基于源成分谱的1 km×1 km VOCs组分排放清单,并估算其臭氧生成潜势以评估对臭氧生成的影响.所建立的VOCs源成分谱库包括45个源成分谱和519种组分,由于针对富含OVOCs的生物质燃烧和汽车排放等源类进行了修订和重构,因此所建立的源成分谱库对于VOCs组分清单构建和源解析具有更好地应用性.VOCs组分清单结果表明,四川省人为源VOCs总排放量为773.8 kt,其中烷烃、烯烃、炔烃、芳香烃、OVOCs、卤代烃和其它VOCs分别占VOCs总排放量的21.6%、10.0%、1.7%、28.0%、26.2%、4.2%和8.3%,总臭氧生成潜势（ozone formation potential,OFP）为2584.9 kt,上述各类VOCs分别占总OFP的6.9%、26.1%、0.5%、42.3%、23.2%、0.4%和0.5%.四川省各城市VOCs排放组分均以芳香烃、OVOCs和烷烃为主,但亦存在显著差异：成都、雅安、阿坝、甘孜和凉山机动车排放贡献较大,烷烃排放量占VOCs排放总量的比例较高;攀枝花为工艺过程源贡献较大的重工业城市,烷烃排放量占比较高;德阳、眉山、遂宁和资阳溶剂使用源排放较大,OVOCs排放量占比较高.四川省VOCs排放量和OFP较大的组分主要集中分布于人口和工业较为密集和发达的四川盆地区域以及凉山和攀枝花的部分地区,其中间-二甲苯和甲苯主要贡献源为溶剂使用源,导致其在城市建成区的分布更为集中,生物质燃烧对乙烯和甲醛排放有大量贡献,造成其在农业发达的川东和川南的耕地区域有大量分布.     

太湖流域河流沉积物重金属分布及污染评估

为阐明经济发达地区河流表层沉积物重金属的污染特征,本研究分析了太湖流域典型水系94个样点沉积物中8种重金属(Zn、Cr、Ni、Cu、Pb、As、Cd和Hg)含量,评估了重金属的生态风险以及辨析了污染来源.结果表明,太湖流域河流表层沉积物中Zn、Cr、Ni、Cu、Pb、As、Cd和Hg的平均含量分别为163. 62、102. 46、45. 50、44. 71、37. 00、13. 34、0. 479和0. 109 mg·kg~(-1),均高于其对应的背景值(Hg除外).地累积指数评价中,Pb、Ni、Zn、Cu和Cd整体上处于低污染状态;在污染负荷指数评价中,Pb、Ni、Zn和Cu整体上处于中度污染状态,Cd、Cr、As处于低污染状态;在潜在生态风险评价中,Cd和Hg处于中等潜在生态风险,其余重金属均处于低潜在生态风险.多元统计分析表明,Pb主要来自于生活污水、农业废水排放;除受自然因素影响外,Cr、Ni和Zn还受到电镀及合金制造行业的影响; Cu和As主要来自于农药、工业废水; Cd主要来自于冶炼工业; Hg主要来源于化石燃料和石油产品的燃烧.     

专家控制在静电除尘器电源控制系统中的应用

根据高压静电除尘系统的特点及专家的经验,建立了专家控制模型.设计并研制出以DSP为核心的电除尘电源控制器,采用CGS2.2编写控制软件,实现了电除尘电源控制的专家控制.现场应用表明,此方法对各种粉尘的波动具有较强的适应能力,能减少调节时间,较快地跟踪所设定的高压电场电压,并能根据粉尘浓度的变化改变高压电场的电压,在节能...