Environmental demand effects on the energy generation of Karkheh reservoir: Base and climate change conditions

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Reservoir is a hydraulic structure that regulates river water to supply different sectors’ demands such as municipal, agricultural, and...     

Effects of coal spoil amendment on heavy metal accumulation and physiological aspects of ryegrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lolium perenne</Emphasis> L.) growing in copper mine tailings

Copper mine tailings pose many threats to the surrounding environment and human health, and thus, their remediation is fundamental. Coal spoil is the waste by-product of coal mining and characterized by low levels of metals, high content of organic matter, and many essential microelements. This study was designed to evaluate the role of coal spoil on heavy uptake and physiological responses of Lolium perenne L. grown in copper mine tailings amended with coal spoil at rates of 0, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 20%. The results showed that applying coal spoil to copper mine tailings decreased the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn contents in tailings and reduced those metal contents in both roots and shoots of the plant. However, application of coal spoil increased the DTPA-extractable Cr concentration in tailings and also increased Cr uptake and accumulation by Lolium perenne L. The statistical analysis of physiological parameters indicated that chlorophyll and carotenoid increased at the lower amendments of coal spoil followed by a decrease compared to their respective controls. Protein content was enhanced at all the coal spoil amendments. When treated with coal spoil, the activities of superoxide dismutases (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) responded differently. CAT activity was inhibited, but POD activity was increased with increasing amendment ratio of coal spoil. SOD activity increased up to 1% coal spoil followed by a decrease. Overall, the addition of coal spoil decreased the oxidative stress in Lolium perenne L., reflected by the reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in the plant. It is concluded that coal spoil has the potential to stabilize most metals studied in copper mine tailings and ameliorate the harmful effects in Lolium perenne L. through changing the physiological attributes of the plant grown in copper mine tailings.     

Mitigating Impact of Devils Lake Flooding on the Sheyenne River Sulfate Concentration

Devils Lake is a terminal lake located in northeast North Dakota. Because of its glacial origin and accumulated salts from evaporation, the lake has a high concentration of sulfate compared to the surrounding water bodies. From 1993 to 2011, Devils Lake water levels rose by ~10 m, which flooded surrounding communities and increased the chance of an overspill to the Sheyenne River. To control the flooding, the State of North Dakota constructed two outlets to pump the lake water to the river. However, the pumped water has raised concerns about of water quality degradation and potential flooding risk of the Sheyenne River. To investigate these perceived impacts, a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was developed for the Sheyenne River and it was linked to a coupled SWAT and CE‐QUAL‐W2 model that was developed for Devils Lake in a previous study. While the current outlet schedule has attempted to maintain the total river discharge within the confines of a two‐year flood (36 m³/s), our simulation from 2012 to 2018 revealed that the diversion increased the Sheyenne River sulfate concentration from an average of 125 to >750 mg/L. Furthermore, a conceptual optimization model was developed with a goal of better preserving the water quality of the Sheyenne River while effectively mitigating the flooding of Devils Lake. The optimal solution provides a “win–win” outlet management that maintains the efficiency of the outlets while reducing the Sheyenne River sulfate concentration to ≤600 mg/L.     

PW_(12)/g-C_3N_4光催化降解甲基橙

采用浸渍法制备了磷钨酸(PW12)/g-C3N4复合光催化剂,并将其用于溶液中甲基橙的光催化降解,运用IR技术对使用前后的光催化剂进行了表征。表征结果显示,PW12和g-C3N4的结构未在浸渍负载中发生改变,且PW12和g-C3N4结合牢固。实验结果表明:最佳的PW12负载量(光催化剂中PW12的质量分数)为50%;光催化降解甲基橙的优化反应条件为初始甲基橙质量浓度5 mg/L、光催化剂加入量0.6 g/L、初始溶液p H=7;在优化条件下,分别采用紫外光、模拟太阳光、可见光照射120 min后,甲基橙的降解率分别为96.59%,82.23%,42.78%;该光催化剂固载良好,使用中不易发生溶脱,稳定性好,可重复使用。     

Magnetotactic bacteria: Characteristics and environmental applications

• Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize magnetic nanoparticle within magnetosomes. • The morphologic and phylogenetic diversity of MTB were summarized. • Isolation and mass cultivation of MTB deserve extensive research for applications. • MTB can remove heavy metals, radionuclides, and organic pollutants from wastewater. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a group of Gram-negative prokaryotes that respond to the geomagnetic field. This unique property is attributed to the intracellular magnetosomes, which contains membrane-bound nanocrystals of magnetic iron minerals. This review summarizes the most recent advances in MTB, magnetosomes, and their potential applications especially the environmental pollutant control or remediation. The morphologic and phylogenetic diversity of MTB were first introduced, followed by a critical review of isolation and cultivation methods. Past research has devoted to optimize the factors, such as oxygen, carbon source, nitrogen source, nutrient broth, iron source, and mineral elements for the growth of MTB. Besides the applications of MTB in modern biological and medical fields, little attention was made on the environmental applications of MTB for wastewater treatment, which has been summarized in this review. For example, applications of MTB as adsorbents have resulted in a novel magnetic separation technology for removal of heavy metals or organic pollutants in wastewater. In addition, we summarized the current advance on pathogen removal and detection of endocrine disruptor which can inspire new insights toward sustainable engineering and practices. Finally, the new perspectives and possible directions for future studies are recommended, such as isolation of MTB, genetic modification of MTB for mass production and new environmental applications. The ultimate objective of this review is to promote the applications of MTB and magnetosomes in the environmental fields.     

Environmental concerns and switching toward electric vehicles: geographic and institutional perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Smog pollution deteriorates environmental quality and has severe health risks. This affects the daily lives of people in China, particularly in urban...     

区块链技术在环保领域的应用

近年来,区块链技术快速发展,被广泛应用于多个领域,发挥了不错的成效,比如推动公共服务质量的提升。环保领域中,区块链技术的应用处于探索阶段,还面临着诸多挑战和困难需要加以克服。环保领域对区块链技术的需求很大,若能够切实发挥技术的优势,可有效推动环保事业的发展。现结合具体研究,作如下论述。     

KOH活化花生壳生物质炭对亚甲基蓝吸附性能研究

以花生壳生物质炭(P-BC)为原料,KOH为活化剂,采用化学活化法制得活化生物质炭(K-BC),通过考察对亚甲基蓝的吸附性能,研究了花生壳生物质炭的最佳活化条件,并利用N2吸附-脱附实验、SEM等对最佳活化条件下的生物质炭进行表征。结果表明,K-BC活化的最佳条件为碱炭比为1.5∶1,活化温度为800℃,活化时间为90 min,此时K-BC的比表面积达到597.93 m2/g,总孔容达到0.76 cm3/g。并考察了亚甲基蓝初始浓度、pH等对K-BC吸附亚甲基蓝的影响,随着初始浓度的增加,吸附平衡时间显著延长,亚甲基蓝去除率显著降低;当pH=6时,K-BC对亚甲基蓝的吸附量最大;K-BC对亚甲基蓝的吸附动力学曲线符合伪二阶动力学模型,吸附平衡时K-BC对亚甲基蓝的吸附能力为80~149.95 mg/g。     

复合型CoO/TiO2光催化剂降解亚甲基蓝动力学研究

以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体，采用溶胶凝胶法，制备了CoO掺杂的TiO2光催化剂。利用X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）、透射电镜（TEM）、紫外可见漫反射（UV-vis DRS）对催化剂进行了分析、表征。以中压汞灯为光源，研究了亚甲基蓝（MB）在CoO/TiO₂微粒水悬浮液中的降解动力学。结果表明：所制备的催化剂活性组分主要是锐钛矿型的二氧化钛和CoO固溶体，粒径为25～30 nm，分布均匀。亚甲基蓝的光催化降解动力学满足一级动力学，在一定的浓度范围内，反应速率常数随初始浓度增大而减少，适当的掺钴量可以有效地提高TiO₂光催化活性，其最佳掺杂量重量百分比为0.25%。     

低剂量臭氧的直接通加对活性污泥的活性、微生物种群及污泥减量化的影响

研究构建了2个容积为1.1 L的好氧活性污泥反应器（即1号和2号反应器）1,号反应器每天直接通加低剂量臭氧（投加量为0.01 g O3/g TSS）,不加臭氧的2号反应器作为对照平行运行,均采用每天换一次人工污水的充/排式操作。运行71 d的结果表明2,个反应器对人工污水COD的处理效果基本相同。反应器运行40 d后1,号反应器的污泥浓度比2号反应器的污泥浓度低1 400～1 700 mg/L并可稳定在8 200 mg/L,污泥减量化效果明显。低剂量臭氧的直接通加明显降低了胞内ATP浓度,并影响了微生物的抗氧化活性,2号反应器的平均超氧化物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶酶活比1号反应器分别高了24.3%和9.5%。PCR-DGGE对两反应器微生物种群的分析结果表明：Uncultured gammaproteobacteria bacteri-um、Nannocystis exedens和Uncultured actinobacterium为1号反应器的主要种群;而2号反应器的主要种群为Uncultured bacte-rium和Uncultured gammaproteobacteria bacterium。