Ozone facilitated degradation of caffeine using Ce-TiO2 catalyst

The ozone initiated oxidation of 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine (caffeine), commonly found in wastewaters as model compound is reported using cerium (Ce)/titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as catalyst. The effect of pH and loading of ceria on titania were investigated. Effect of reaction conditions on degradation of caffeine based on their pseudo first-order rate constants were compared. The combination of catalyst Ce-TiO₂ and ozone aeration significantly enhanced the degradation of caffeine compared to uncatalysed ozonation. The oxidation of caffeine ensued via the free radical mechanism, through enhanced ozone decomposition into OH radicals. Ce/TiO₂(0.5?wt%) showed good activity in degradation of caffeine at pH 6, in both natural stream and river water samples showing about 60% total organic carbon removal in 2?h ozonation period. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy, degradation products were analysed. A reaction intermediate and one final product were positively identified. Nano-catalysts with different loadings of Ce on TiO₂ synthesized by sol-gel route were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, BET and powder X-ray diffraction spectrum techniques. The results showed that the material retained a highly ordered mesoporous structure and possessed large surface area.     

Effects of T-2 toxin on histopathology,fatty acid and water distribution of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) muscle

T-2 toxin (T-2), one of the naturally occurring mycotoxins, often accumulates in aquatic animals from contaminated feed. Shrimp (n?=?30 per group) were fed with different concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.5, 4.5 and 13.5?mg kg^?1) of T-2 for 20?days. Changes in histopathology, fatty acid and water distribution of shrimp muscle were analyzed. Histopathology of shrimp muscle showed dose-dependent marked degenerative and necrotic changes on exposure to dietary T-2. The T-2 significantly (P?<?0.05) affected the muscle fatty acid composition. ∑SFA, ∑MUFA and ∑PUFA initially decreased and then increased slowly in the high-dosed groups. C16:0, C18:1n-9 and C18:2n-6 were the main saturated fatty acid (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), respectively. Also, T-2 significantly affected water distribution in shrimp muscle. High doses of T-2 reduced free water content, resulting in a reduction in the water holding capacity and hence changes to the shrimp muscle quality. Collectively, these results illustrated that T-2 significantly affects the fatty acid and water distribution, and also muscle histopathology, all of which would result in a reduction in the quality and nutritional value of shrimp.     

Understanding implications of consumer behavior for wildlife farming and sustainable wildlife trade

Unsustainable wildlife trade affects biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent upon those resources. Wildlife farming has been proposed to promote sustainable trade, but characterizing markets and understanding consumer behavior remain neglected but essential steps in the design and evaluation of such operations. We used sea turtle trade in the Cayman Islands, where turtles have been farm raised for human consumption for almost 50 years, as a case study to explore consumer preferences toward wild‐sourced (illegal) and farmed (legal) products and potential conservation implications. Combining methods innovatively (including indirect questioning and choice experiments), we conducted a nationwide trade assessment through in‐person interviews from September to December 2014. Households were randomly selected using disproportionate stratified sampling, and responses were weighted based on district population size. We approached 597 individuals, of which 37 (6.2%) refused to participate. Although 30% of households had consumed turtle in the previous 12 months, the purchase and consumption of wild products was rare (e.g., 64–742 resident households consumed wild turtle meat [i.e., 0.3–3.5% of households] but represented a large threat to wild turtles in the area due to their reduced populations). Differences among groups of consumers were marked, as identified through choice experiments, and price and source of product played important roles in their decisions. Despite the long‐term practice of farming turtles, 13.5% of consumers showed a strong preference for wild products, which demonstrates the limitations of wildlife farming as a single tool for sustainable wildlife trade. By using a combination of indirect questioning, choice experiments, and sales data to investigate demand for wildlife products, we obtained insights about consumer behavior that can be used to develop conservation‐demand‐focused initiatives. Lack of data from long‐term social–ecological assessments hinders the evaluation of and learning from wildlife farming. This information is key to understanding under which conditions different interventions (e.g., bans, wildlife farming, social marketing) are likely to succeed.     

聚苯乙烯/CdS/TiO_2双壳层核壳纳米颗粒可见光催化降解甲基橙

采用溶胶-凝胶法,在聚苯乙烯(PS)/CdS核壳纳米颗粒表面包覆致密TiO_2层,制备出具有双壳层结构的PS/CdS/TiO_2纳米复合颗粒,考察了制备条件对材料结构的影响,并利用甲基橙溶液对其光催化性能进行了评价。SEM、TEM、XRD和FTIR分析结果表明,制得的微球单分散性良好,壳层包覆完整,厚度均匀。PS/CdS/TiO_2制备的适宜反应时间为12~18 h,适宜反应pH为7~9。PS/CdS/TiO_2较PS/CdS具有更为优异的可见光催化性能。     

固定化斜生栅藻净化畜禽废水中氨氮和磷的影响因素

为探讨Cu2+、p H和流速对固定化斜生栅藻去除畜禽废水中NH+4-N、TP效果的影响,在实验室条件下模拟实际污水处理过程,并采用正交实验方案对结果进行分析。结果表明低质量浓度Cu2+(0~0.05 mg/L)改善藻的净化效果,高质量浓度Cu2+(0.50~5.00 mg/L)抑制藻的净化效果;在p H较高的条件下(p H=9),固定化斜生栅藻的净化效果明显提高;流速对结果没有明显影响。通过正交实验,得出固定化斜生栅藻去除畜禽废水中NH+4-N、TP的优化条件如下:Cu2+质量浓度为0.05 mg/L,p H为9,流速为0.3 m/s。此时NH+4-N去除率为96.11%,TP去除率为97.53%。     

气质联用法测固定污染源中三氟甲烷、四氟甲烷、六氟乙烷和六氟化硫

建立了固定污染源排气中三氟甲烷、四氟甲烷、六氟乙烷和六氟化硫的采样和气质联用分析方法,检出限分别为0.06、0.15、0.21、0.71 mg/m3,精密度在3.2%以下,相关系数大于0.999 6,并对浙江省内2家典型企业排放的温室气体进行了监测,实际样品监测结果表明,该方法能够满足废气中4种温室气体的监测要求。     

水稻土对Cu~(2+)吸附反应动力学及离子强度和磷酸根的影响

研究了水稻土对Cu2+的吸附反应动力学,并考察了p H和磷酸根2个因素对Cu2+吸附的影响。结果表明:水稻土对Cu2+的吸附反应速率可明显分为快、慢2个阶段,快速阶段主要是Cu2+结合在高亲和力位点,而慢速阶段则是结合在低亲和力位点。提高溶液p H可促进水稻土对Cu2+的吸附,降低溶液p H则将抑制Cu2+的吸附,这主要是因为p H可通过改变水稻土表面电荷的性质以及溶液Cu2+的形态来影响吸附反应。提高离子强度,将降低低p H条件下Cu2+的吸附量,而对高p H条件下Cu2+的吸附量影响较小,这表明水稻土对Cu2+存在很大比例的专性吸附。溶液中磷酸根的存在,可促进水稻土对Cu2+的吸附。本文所得到的研究结果对认识Cu2+在水稻土中的土壤环境行为及其污染控制有一定的理论意义。     

600 MW机组低压转子叶片裂纹分析

针对某台600 MW亚临界参数汽轮机低压转子的末三级叶片(2Cr12NiMo1W1V钢)出汽侧裂纹进行了宏观形貌观察、化学成分分析、金相组织分析、室温冲击韧性试验、硬度试验，并对断口进行了扫描电镜及能谱分析。结果表明：此次开裂的低压转子叶片，是由于其化学成分Mo元素含量低于标准要求，导致材料的KISCC降低，以及硬度偏低造成裂纹扩展所需的外界启动应力降低，进而在运行过程中拉应力和湿蒸汽的氧化腐蚀共同作用下，发生了应力腐蚀开裂。     

g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6复合光催化剂的制备及其光催化活性

通过水热合成法和液相沉积法制备g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6复合光催化剂,并采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、氮气吸脱附、紫外-可见漫反射等技术对其进行表征。研究了可见光下g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6催化降解罗丹明B(Rh B)的影响因素,并对其光催化反应机理进行初步探讨。实验结果表明:g-C_3N_4掺杂量为60%(w)时g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6的光催化活性最高;在60%g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6的投加量为1.00 g/L、初始Rh B质量浓度为2.50 mg/L、可见光照射150 min的条件下,Rh B的降解率达到97.90%;在g-C_3N_4/C@Bi_2MoO_6光催化降解体系中,h~+和·O_2~-是主要活性物种。     

MoS_2/Bi_2S_3异质结光催化剂的制备及其光催化性能

以五水硝酸铋为铋源、钼酸钠为钼源、硫脲为硫源,采用简单的一步水热法合成了MoS_2/Bi_2S_3异质结光催化剂,采用XRD,SEM,TEM,BET,UV-Vis DRS技术对其进行了表征。表征结果显示,MoS_2纳米片在Bi_2S_3微棒表面生长,增加了比表面积和活性位点,并形成异质结构,促进了光生载流子的迁移,抑制了电子-空穴对的再复合。实验结果表明:钼酸钠与五水硝酸铋的质量比为1∶2时制备的复合光催化剂性能最好,反应180min时对亚甲基蓝的去除率可达96.4%,明显高于MoS_2和Bi_2S_3,且具有较高的稳定性;该催化剂对罗丹明B、甲基橙和4-硝基苯酚的去除率分别为97.1%、93.1%和90.5%,表明其对污染物具有普适性。