Metagenomic analysis reveals the effects of cotton straw–derived biochar on soil nitrogen transformation in drip-irrigated cotton field

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Biochar has been widely accepted as a soil amendment to improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency, but the effect of biochar on N transformation metabolic...     

Growth of Zostera japonica in different sediment habitats of the Yellow River estuary in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The estuarine delta of the Yellow River is a region of strong land-ocean-human interactions that undergoes a unique evolutionary process. The delta is...     

Use of historical and contemporary distribution of mammals in China to inform conservation

A systematic understanding of dynamic animal extinction trajectories for different regions in a nation like China is critically important to developing practical conservation strategies. We explored historical and contemporary changes in terrestrial mammalian diversity to determine how diversity in each of the 5 regions in China has changed over time and to examine the conservation potential of these regions. We used records from databases on Pleistocene mammalian fossils and historical distribution records (1175–2020) for Primates (as a case study) to reconstruct evolutionary and historical distribution trajectories of the 11 orders of terrestrial mammals and to predict their prospective survival based on the national conservation strategy applied. The results indicated that since the Pleistocene, 4–5 mammalian orders have been lost in the northeast, 3 in central China, 2 along the coast, and 1 in the northwest. In the southwest, all 11 orders were maintained. Contemporarily, the coast and southwest had the highest and second-highest species densities. The southwest region and southeastern sections of the northwest region were the most historically and contemporarily diverse areas, which suggests that they should be the first priority for protected area (PA) designation. The central and coastal areas should be secondarily prioritized. In these 2 regions, conservation should focus on human coexistence with nature. Less attention should be paid to the PA in the northeast and western northwest because in these areas ecosystems are depauperate and the climate is harsh. Conservation in these areas should focus principally on avoiding further human encroachment on natural areas. Article impact statement: Historical and contemporary patterns of extinction can be a basis for mammalian conservation strategies.     

Sb release characteristics of the solid waste produced in antimony mining smelting process

Sb release characteristics of blast furnace slag, mining waste rock and tailing sand were investigated in static immersion and dynamic leaching test. These three kinds of waste samples were collected from the antimony mine in Lengshuijiang, China, produced in mining smelting process. Effects of solid/liquid ratio, sample size and pH of leaching solution on Sb release characteristics were inspected based on the analysis of scanning electron microscope, pH and EC of leachate. The optimal parameters for Sb leaching of each sample were analyzed. For blast furnace slag and mining waste rock, Sb release contents increased along with the decline of solid/liquid ratio. The maximum accumulative release contents were 42.13, 34.26 mg/kg at the solid/liquid ratio of 1:20. While Sb release content for tailing sand decreased first and then increased with the reduction of solid/liquid ratio. When the solid/liquid ratio was 1:5, the accumulative Sb release content reached the most (24.30 mg/kg). Sb release content of mining waste rock increased with the drop of leaching solution pH, with the highest accumulative release content of 26.01 mg/kg at pH 2.0. Sb release contents of blast furnace slag and tailing sand showed positive correlation with the variation of leaching solution pH. The maximum accumulative release contents of these two samples were 215.91 and 147.83 mg/kg, respectively, when leaching solution pH was 7.0. In summary, Sb release capacity of the three samples in descending order was tailing sand, blast furnace slag and mining waste rock. pH and EC of the leachate in dynamic test varied independently with the initial pH of leaching solution while showing close relationship with mineral hydrolysis in the waste.     

In situ electron-induced reduction of NOx via CNTs activated by DBD at low temperature

• An in situ electron-induced deNO_x process with CNT activated by DBD was achieved. • Carbon atoms on CNT surface were verified to be excited by plasma in DBD-CNT system. • Reactions between NO_x and excited C result in synergistic effect of DBD-CNT system. In this study, a new in situ electron-induced process is presented with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a reduction agent activated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) for nitrogen oxide (NO_x) abatement at low temperature (<407 K). Compared with a single DBD system and a DBD system with activated carbon (DBD-AC), a DBD system with carbon nanotubes (DBD-CNT) showed a significant promotion of NO_x removal efficiency and N₂ selectivity. Although the O₂ content was 10%, the NO_x conversion and N₂ selectivity in the DBD-CNT system still reached 64.9% and 81.9% at a specific input energy (SIE) of 1424 J/L, and these values decreased to 16.8%, 31.9% and 43.2%, 62.3% in the single DBD system and the DBD-AC system, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to investigate surface changes in the CNTs after activation by DBD to explore the NO_x reduction abatement mechanism of this new process. Furthermore, the outlet gas components were also observed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to help reveal the NO_x reduction mechanism. Experimental results verified that carbon atoms excited by DBD and the structure of CNTs contributed to the synergistic activity of the DBD-CNT system. The new deNO_x process was accomplished through in situ heterogenetic reduction reactions between the NO_x and carbon atoms activated by the plasma on the CNTs. In addition, further results indicated that the new deNO_x process exhibited acceptable SO₂ tolerance and water resistance.     

排污权交易之排放跟踪数据校核研究

本文以排污权交易的核心业务排放跟踪管理为出发点,选择电厂二氧化硫指标进行排放跟踪数据过程校核体系研究,探索进一步提高排污权交易体系中排放数据准确性的机制。     

中国环境风险现状及发展趋势分析

基于国内2000-2009年以来环境污染事故统计资料,深入分析了中国现阶段环境风险类型、事故高发区域、事故损失、环境风险事故诱因等特征,并对其环境风险演变趋势进行了判断。新时期中国经济增长方式处于转变阶段,以布局型环境隐患和结构型环境风险为首要威胁,风险类型更加复杂化,事故影响范围进一步扩大,由于居民消费转型与科技发展带来的新型环境风险更是不可预知,环境风险压力进一步增大。     

Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide during the transition from winter carbon source to spring carbon sink in a temperate urban lawn

The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback of urban lawn in warmed environment. Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide during the transition period from winter to spring was investigated in a temperate urban lawn in Beijing, China. The NEE (negative for uptake) under soil warming treatment (temperature was about 5℃ higher than the ambient treatment as a control) was -0.71 μmol/(m².sec), the ecosytem was a CO₂ sink under soil warming treatment, the lawn ecosystem under the control was a CO₂ source (0.13 μmol/(m².sec)), indicating that the lawn ecosystem would provide a negative feedback to global warming. There was no significant effect of soil warming on nocturnal NEE (i.e., ecosystem respiration), although the soil temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) of ecosystem respiration under soil warming treatment was 3.86, much lower than that in the control (7.03). The CO₂ uptake was significantly increased by soil warming treatment that was attributed to about 100% increase of α (apparent quantum yield) and A_max (maximum rate of photosynthesis). Our results indicated that the response of photosynthesis in urban lawn is much more sensitive to global warming than respiration in the transition period.     

Dry deposition velocity of total suspended particles and meteorological influence in four locations in Guangzhou, China

Dry deposition velocity of total suspended particles (TSP) is an effective parameter that describes the speed of atmospheric particulate matter deposit to the natural surface. It is also an important indicator to the capacity of atmosphere self-depuration. However, the spatial and temporal variations in dry deposition velocity of TSP at different urban landscapes and the relationship between dry deposition velocity and the meteorological parameters are subject to large uncertainties. We concurrently investigated this relationship at four different landscapes of Guangzhou, from October to December of 2009. The result of the average dry deposition velocity is (1.49 ± 0.77), (1.44 ± 0.77), (1.13 ± 0.53) and (1.82 ± 0.82) cm/sec for urban commercial landscape, urban forest landscape, urban residential landscape and country landscape, respectively. This spatial variation can be explained by the difference of both particle size composition of TSP and meteorological parameters of sampling sites. Dry deposition velocity of TSP has a positive correlation with wind speed, and a negative correlation with temperature and relative humidity. Wind speed is the strongest factor that affects the magnitude of TSP dry deposition velocity, and the temperature is another considerable strong meteorological factor.We also find out that the relative humidity brings less impact, especially during the dry season. It is thus implied that the current global warming and urban heat island effect may lead to correlative changes in TSP dry deposition velocity, especially in the urban areas.     

三岔河沿岸植物铅、镉富集特性的研究

以紫茎泽兰（EupatoriumadenophorumSpreng）、青蒿（HerbaArtemisiaeAnnuae）、三叶鬼针草（Bidenspilosa）、野牡丹（MelastomaAfffine D．Don）、光叶蕨（Knuiwatsukiacuspidata）为例,分别在河边、路边、山上和污水灌溉的旱地4个采样点采取5种植物的根部和茎叶,测量重金属元素Pb、Cd的含量、富集系数和转移系数并分析数据。结果表明,各种植物不同器官在不同环境中对重金属元素Pb、Cd的富集和转移水平各不相同,就平均水平来说三叶鬼针草对重金属Pb、Cd的富集系数较大,转移系数也高,但其对Pb的转移量明显高于Cd的转移量;紫茎泽兰对重金属元素Cd的富集和转移速度相对高于其它4种植物,说明紫茎泽兰对Cd的吸收和转移比较快,可作为受镉污染土壤进行改良的备选植物种。