Health impacts of air pollution in China

•Impacts of air pollution on various body systems health in China were highlighted. •China’s actions to control air pollution and their effects were briefly introduced. •Challenges and perspectives of the health effects of air pollution are provided. The health effects of air pollution have attracted considerable attention in China. In this review, the status of air pollution in China is briefly presented. The impacts of air pollution on the health of the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the urinary system, pregnancy and life expectancy are highlighted. Additionally, China’s actions to control air pollution and their effects are briefly introduced. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of the health effects of air pollution are provided. We believe that this review will provide a promising perspective on the health impacts of air pollution in China, and further elicit more attention from governments and researchers worldwide.     

高氯酸铁可见分光光度法测定水中叠氮化物研究

基于Fe~(3+)显色技术,建立了测定地表水、地下水、生活污水和工业废水中叠氮化物的高氯酸铁分光光度法。研究结果表明:N_3~-与Fe~(3+)反应生成的棕红色络合物的特征吸收峰为454 nm;氨基磺酸铵可有效掩蔽NO_2~-的干扰,蒸馏能消除色度、CN~-、SCN~-硫化物等对测定的影响;当取样体积为150 mL、蒸馏定容体积为100 mL、使用10 mm比色皿时,方法检出限为0.08 mg/L(以N_3~-计),测定下限为0.32 mg/L;平均回收率为88.0%~104%,相对标准偏差(n=6)为0.3%～5.6%。对实际工业废水样品进行了测定,结果为1.37 mg/L。该方法准确度高、精密度好、操作简单,能够满足水污染物排放标准中叠氮化物的测定要求。     

Toward sustainable use of natural resources: Nexus between resource rents,affluence, energy intensity and carbon emissions in developing and transition economies

Sustainable use of natural resources would entail ensuring that derived economic benefits today do not undermine the welfare of generations to come. On this basis, this study examines the nexus between natural resource rents and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions disaggregated into production and consumption-based (i.e., trade-adjusted) CO₂ emissions for a selected panel of 45 developing and transition economies over the period 1995–2017. The empirical model also incorporates the impacts of population, affluence, and energy intensity. The results show that affluence increases production-based CO₂ emissions by 1.407%, with the EKC's predicted inverted U-shaped curve only explaining consumption-based CO₂ emissions. Economic reliance on natural resource rents and energy intensification contribute 0.022% and 0.766%, respectively, to CO₂ emissions embedded in territorial production inventories and 0.035% and 0.583%, respectively, to CO₂ emissions embedded in consumption inventories. The bootstrap non-causality test shows that historical data on each variable has significant predictive power for future CO₂ emissions from both sources. The historical information about natural resource rents has significant predictive power over the future levels of affluence and energy intensity. Clearly, the results show that the environmental impact of natural resource rents is stronger when CO₂ emissions are adjusted for trade and varies among the countries, with Bangladesh, Guinea, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe among the most affected countries. Overall, this study provides motivation for policies to keep the use of natural resources within sustainable limits.     

How does eliminating mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining lead to achieving sustainable development goals?

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is the principal anthropogenic activity that globally contributes to overloading our environment with mercury. Although the Minamata Convention, led by the United Nations, is a crucial instrument to eliminate its use progressively, novel approaches to accelerate this difficult transition are welcome. This article proposes a framework for policy-making or improvement, fostering the enforcement of mercury elimination through the lens of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on the excluded artisanal and small-scale gold miners and their dependents. We move forward with a literature review of the Artisanal and Small Mining topic, taking each SDG as a unit of analysis. Understanding the problem as a puzzle of four sets of pieces, namely: (1) social, (2) environmental, (3) economic, and (4) institutional, the paper offers potential opportunities for the decision-makers and practitioners to accelerate the substitution of this heavy metal and develop sustainable futures for the ASGM communities. We conclude by proposing a pragmatic framework that synthesizes the means, actions, and ends to accelerate a sustainable transition.     

Spatial analysis of resources and environmental carrying capacity in Iran

Urbanization and mass movement of the population from rural areas and small cities to megacities have led to environmental, economic, and social problems in Iran. In dealing with these challenges, assessing resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is considered an effective method to leverage space and capital to achieve sustainable development. This study aimed to rank the provincial RECC in Iran. Toward this purpose, environmental indices were generated from remotely sensed and statistical census data. Then, the provinces were scored in terms of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacities, and RECC using the mean variance analysis method. Results demonstrated that in most areas, there is no relationship between economic and infrastructural capacities and development. Statistically, a correlation coefficient of −0.53 between economic and environmental carrying capacities indicated excessive use of environmental capacities. Moreover, the spatial distribution pattern of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacity was entirely heterogeneous between the provinces; there was a northeast–southwest pattern in terms of infrastructural capacity and an economic pattern from north to south. The distribution pattern of RECC is most consistent with the environmental capacity, pointing at the high weight of the indicators of the RECC model. In conclusion, this research offers a new vision for policymakers and provides a theoretical and applicable framework for implementing sustainable strategies in land-use planning. It is recommended that the RECC concept and tools can be used not only for planning but also for measuring the efficiency of spatial development programs and establishing land balances in the region.     

Influence of pore structure on biologically activated carbon performance and biofilm microbial characteristics

• Pore structure affects biologically activated carbon performance. • Pore structure determines organic matter (OM) removal mechanism. • Microbial community structure is related to pore structure and OM removal. Optimizing the characteristics of granular activated carbon (GAC) can improve the performance of biologically activated carbon (BAC) filters, and iodine value has always been the principal index for GAC selection. However, in this study, among three types of GAC treating the same humic acid-contaminated water, one had an iodine value 35% lower than the other two, but the dissolved organic carbon removal efficiency of its BAC was less than 5% away from the others. Iodine value was found to influence the removal of different organic fractions instead of the total removal efficiency. Based on the removal and biological characteristics, two possible mechanisms of organic matter removal during steady-state were suggested. For GAC with poor micropore volume and iodine value, high molecular weight substances (3500–9000 Da) were removed mainly through degradation by microorganisms, and the biodegraded organics (soluble microbial by-products,<3500 Da) were released because of the low adsorption capacity of activated carbon. For GAC with higher micropore volume and iodine value, organics with low molecular weight (<3500 Da) were more easily removed, first being adsorbed by micropores and then biodegraded by the biofilm. The biomass was determined by the pore volume with pore diameters greater than 100 μm, but did not correspond to the removal efficiency. Nevertheless, the microbial community structure was coordinate with both the pore structure and the organic removal characteristics. The findings provide a theoretical basis for selecting GAC for the BAC process based on its pore structure.     

液液萃取-气相色谱/串联质谱法测定水中五氯酚及其钠盐

采用液液萃取处理水样,用气相色谱-串联质谱法测定样品中五氯酚及其钠盐,通过优化测定条件,使方法在1.00μg/L~500μg/L范围内线性良好。检出限和定量限分别为1.00μg/L和5.00μg/L,空白水样五氯酚钠3个质量浓度水平的加标回收率为89.8%~98.4%,5次平行试验测定结果的RSD为5.5%~10.7%。     

沈阳地区臭氧污染日时空变化特征及天气分型研究

利用2013—2019年沈阳地区11个国控监测站近地层臭氧(O_3)浓度监测数据和地面气象观测资料,分析了沈阳地区O_3污染日的O_3浓度时空分布规律,并对造成O_3污染日的天气系统进行了主观分型。结果表明:自2013年以来,以O_3为首要污染物的天数逐年增加,2017年达到研究期内的最高值,但2018—2019年略有下降。O_3浓度的日变化趋势呈现明显的单峰形,O_3-1 h在10:00—20:00明显高于其他时间段,最大浓度值出现在15:00,而在01:00—07:00则相对较低。从季节变化上看,沈阳地区O_3污染主要发生在6—7月,两个月的O_3污染日之和占全年O_3总污染日的比例高达51%。从O_3浓度空间分布上看,沈阳地区三环外监测站测得的O_3浓度明显高于三环内监测站,高浓度区域主要集中在东部和东北部,城市中心存在明显的低浓度区,南部和北部差别不大,但也明显高于城市中心。造成沈阳地区O_3污染的主要天气类型有4种:暖脊型、均压场型、高空槽型和副热带高压型。其中:暖脊型出现的频次最高,占总样本的49.1%;副热带高压型出现的次数最少,占总样本的7.7%。     

基于环境监测实验室的高校实验室安全准入制度信息系统功能优化研究

梳理了高校实验室环境-安全-健康准入制度包含的管理内容,从人员管理、设备管理、试剂管理、实验环境管理角度进行了分析。根据现有实验室安全信息化系统运行情况,探讨了将实验室安全信息化系统与实验室信息化系统、设备管理信息化系统进行数据融合和功能优化的要点,重点分析了设备采购及管理系统、实验室安全教育与考试系统、实验室安全检查系统、试剂管理平台、实验室门禁管理系统在功能上的内在关联,从而通过试剂管理平台、实验室门禁控制系统、设备采购系统实现实验室环境-安全-健康准入制度的强制执行。研究发现,高校与环境监测实验室、院系实验室安全管理部门联合促进实验室安全信息化系统、实验室信息化系统、设备管理信息化系统的数据共享与功能升级,可以丰富实验室安全准入制度的内涵和管理手段,加强实验室安全准入制度的强制执行力,提高实验室安全管理效率。     

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of walnut shell for alkylphenols production with nitrogen-doped activated carbon catalyst

• N-doped activated carbon was prepared for catalytic pyrolysis of walnut shell. • Alkylphenols were selectively produced from catalytic pyrolysis process. • The alkylphenols yield increased by 8.5 times under the optimal conditions. • Formation mechanism of alkylphenols was proposed. Alkylphenols are a group of valuable phenolic compounds that can be derived from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, three activated carbons (ACs) were prepared for catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of walnut shell to produce alkylphenols, including nitrogen-doped walnut shell-derived activated carbon (N/WSAC), nitrogen-doped rice husk-derived activated carbon (N/RHAC) and walnut shell-derived activated carbon (WSAC). Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) experiments were carried out to reveal the influences of AC type, pyrolytic temperature, and AC-to-walnut shell (AC-to-WS) ratio on the product distributions. Results showed that with nitrogen doping, the N/WSAC possessed stronger capability than WSAC toward the alkylphenols production, and moreover, the N/WSAC also exhibited better effects than N/RHAC to prepare alkylphenols. Under the catalysis of N/WSAC, yields of alkylphenols were significantly increased, especially phenol, cresol and 4-ethylphenol. As the increase of pyrolytic temperature, the alkylphenols yield first increased and then decreased, while high selectivity could be obtained at low pyrolytic temperatures. Such a trend was also observed as the AC-to-WS ratio continuously increased. The alkylphenols production achieved a maximal yield of 44.19 mg/g with the corresponding selectivity of 34.7% at the pyrolytic temperature of 400°C and AC-to-WS ratio of 3, compared with those of only 4.67 mg/g and 6.1% without catalyst. In addition, the possible formation mechanism of alkylphenols was also proposed with the catalysis of N/WSAC.