Carbon accumulation through ecosystem recovery

A market has emerged for carbon sequestered through reforestation. The opportunity to restore ecosystems through this market rather than establish plantations is demonstrated by an Australian case study. In the state of Queensland there are vast areas that have been cleared relatively recently and could be restored to ecosystems with high resilience and important biodiversity values with appropriate management. In order to foster opportunities for carbon accumulation through ecosystem recovery spatially explicit information on sequestration rates, management recommendations, and clear definitions of ancillary biodiversity benefits need to be defined.     

Carbon dioxide capture using polyethylenimine-loaded mesoporous carbons

A high efficiency sorbent for CO2 capture was developed by loading polyethylenimine (PEI) on mesoporous carbons which possessed well-developed mesoporous structures and large pore volume. The physicochemical properties of the sorbent were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TG) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques followed by testing for CO2 capture. Factors that affected the sorption capacity of the sorbent were studied. The sorbent exhibited extraordinary capture capacity with CO2 concentration ranging from 5% to 80%. The optimal PEI loading was determined to be 65 wt.% with a CO2 sorption capacity of 4.82 mmol-CO2 /g-sorbent in 15% CO2 /N2 at 75°C, owing to low mass-transfer resistance and a high utilization ratio of the amine compound (63%). Moisture had a promoting effect on the sorption separation of CO2 . In addition, the developed sorbent could be regenerated easily at 100°C, and it exhibited excellent regenerability and stability. These results indicate that this PEI-loaded mesoporous carbon sorbent should have a good potential for CO2 capture in the future.     

Carbon dioxide emissions from spring ploughing of grassland in Ireland

Grassland re-seeding or land-use change requires ploughing, which may enhance carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from soil. This study observed the short to intermediate-term (37 days) effects of ploughing on CO₂ emissions from poorly drained grassland using automated soil respiration chambers. Immediately after ploughing, a brief peak in CO₂ emissions from soil occurred with a maximum observed flux of 6.91 g CO₂ m⁻² h⁻¹. Contradictory to other reported results, ecosystem respiration after ploughing was lower on the ploughed than on the grass site. After including estimates of photosynthesis in the analysis, ploughing led to significantly higher net CO₂ emissions than from grassland. The main mechanism of C loss during ploughing was most likely due to a reduction in gross primary production rather than enhanced soil respiration.     

Carbon dioxide release due to change in land usein China mainland

ＣａｒｂｏｎｄｉｏｘｉｄｅｒｅｌｅａｓｅｄｕｅｔｏｃｈａｎｇｅｉｎｌａｎｄｕｓｅｉｎＣｈｉｎａｍａｉｎｌａｎｄＷａｎｇＸｉａｏｋｅ；ＺｈｕａｎｇＹａｈｕｉ；ＦｅｎｇＺｏｎｇｗｅｉ（ＲｅｓｅａｒｃｈＣｅｎｔｅｒｆｏｒＥｃｏ－ＥｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌＳ...     

闽江河口潮汐沼泽湿地CO_2排放通量特征

以闽江河口区面积最大的鳝鱼滩湿地分布的3种植物沼泽湿地：土著种咸草（Cyperus malaccensis Lam.var.brevifolius Bocklr.）沼泽湿地、芦苇（Phragmites australis）沼泽湿地及外来入侵种互花米草（Spartina alterniflora Loisel.）沼泽湿地...     

Carbon dioxide adsorption behaviors of aluminum-pillared montmorillonite-supported alkaline earth metals

The Al-pillared montmorillonite-supported alkaline earth metal 5M/Al-PILC(PILC = pillared clay, M = Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) and x Mg/Al-PILC( x = 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt.%) samples were prepared using an impregnation method. Physical properties of the materials were determined by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD) and N₂ adsorption-desorption, and their CO₂ adsorption behaviors were investigated using the thermogravimetric analyzer(TG), CO₂ temperatureprogrammed desorption(CO...     

纳米二氧化钛与磷互作对莱茵衣藻砷累积与生物转化的影响

纳米材料因其较大的比表面积以及较强的反应活性,对砷（As）的环境行为具有一定的调控作用,而这可能对微藻As吸收代谢产生潜在的影响。以模式生物莱茵衣藻（Chlamydomonas reinhardtii）为研究对象,探究不同磷酸盐（PO₄ ³⁻）浓度下,纳米二氧化钛（nano-TiO₂）对莱茵衣藻中As(Ⅴ)累积和生物转化的影响。结果表明：暴露初期（第1天）nano-TiO₂作为载体显著促进了0.013、0.100和0.500 mmol/L PO₄ ³⁻处理组藻细胞对As的累积,但随着暴露时间的延长,nano-TiO₂的载体效应呈下降趋势;暴露结束后（第8天）,nano-TiO₂添加组中,进入藻细胞的As(Ⅴ)除了还原成As(Ⅲ)及甲基化成二甲基砷外,还能进一步转化为一种可能为砷糖的未知化合物,且随着PO₄ ³⁻浓度的降低,藻细胞内这种砷糖所占比例逐渐增加,这可能会抑制As(Ⅲ)的外排;暴露结束后（第8天）,培养基中主要检测到的As形态为As(Ⅴ)和As(Ⅲ),1.0和0.5 mmol/L处理组还有少量二甲基砷。nano-TiO₂的添加降低了培养基中As(Ⅲ)的浓度,尤其是0.5和1.0 mmol/L PO₄ ³⁻处理组。研究结果表明,纳米材料与PO₄ ³⁻的互作可显著改变微藻As的累积与代谢过程。

     

上海市火电行业NOx排污费征收标准及情景分析

基于火电行业典型样本的脱硝成本,以调整排污征收标准使得企业得到相对收入,即未脱硝排污费大于脱硝后总支出为判别标准,得出NOx排污征收标准最低值应为1.2元/0.95kg,最终需达到4.0元/0.95kg以上,当征收标准为1.2~10.0元/0.95kg时脱硝总支出占单位电量收入为0.5%~5.0%.根据情景分析,“十二五”征收标准为1.2元/0.95kg时5a总排污费达3.4~4.4亿元,如作为推动企业脱硝建设补贴资金来源,则可补贴额度为23~30元/kW,占实际建设支出的23.1%~30.6%,单位电量总支出占单位电量收入比例为1.5%~1.6%.“十三五”NOx排污征收标准调整为2.4元/0.95kg时5a总排污费为2.9~4.4亿元,可作为NOx超量削减奖励资金,发挥经济杠杆作用,挖掘脱硝设施减排潜力.     

Carbon dioxide fixation by Chlorella sp. USTB-01 with a fermentor-helical combined photobioreactor

A promising microalgal strain isolated from fresh water, which can grow both autotrophically on inorganic carbon under lighting and heterotrophically on organic carbon without lighting, was identified as Chlorella sp. USTB-01 with the phylogenetic analysis based on 18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene sequences. In the heterotrophic batch culture, more than 20.0 g·L⁻¹ of cell dry weight concentration (DWC) of Chlorella sp. USTB-01 was obtained at day 5, and which was used directly to seed the autotrophic culture. A novel fermentor-helical combined photobioreactor was established and used to cultivate Chlorella sp. USTB-01 for the fixation of carbon dioxide (CO₂). It showed that the autotrophic growth of Chlorella sp. USTB-01 in the combined photobioreactor was more effective than that in the fermentor alone and the maximum DWC of 2.5 g·L⁻¹ was obtained at day 6. The highest CO₂ fixation of 95% appeared on day 1 in the exponential growth phases of Chlorella sp. USTB-01 and 49.8% protein was found in the harvested microalgal cells.     

Nickel accumulation and its effect on biomass, protein content and antioxidative enzymes in roots and leaves of watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.)

In order to understand its response towards nickel stress,watercress(Nasturtium officinale R.Br.) was exposed to nickel(1-25 mg/L) for 1,3,5 and 7 days.The accumulation and translocation of nickel were determined and the influence of nickel on biomass,protein content and enzymatic antioxidants was examined for both roots and leaves.It was determined that N.officinale could accumulate appreciable amounts of Ni in both roots and leaves.Nickel accumulated particularly in the roots of plants.Biomass increased at low nickel concentrations but certain measurable change was not found at high concentrations.Under stress conditions the antioxidant enzymes were up-regulated compared to control.An increase in protein content and enzyme activities was observed at moderate exposure conditions followed by a decline at both roots and leaves.The maximum enzyme activities were observed at different exposure conditions.Our results showed that N.officinale had the capacity to overcome nickel-induced stress especially at moderate nickel exposure.Therefore,N.officinale may be used as a phytoremediator in moderately polluted aquatic ecosystems.     

Background complexity affects colour preference in bumblebees

Flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination are typically red. This correlation is usually explained by the assertion that nectar- or pollen-stealing bees are “blind” to red flowers. However, laboratory studies have shown that bees are capable of locating artificial red flowers and often show no innate preference for blue over red. We hypothesised that these findings might be artefacts of the simplified laboratory environment. Using bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) that had been trained to visit red and blue artificial flowers, we tested whether colour preference was influenced by complexity of the background on which they were foraging. Many bees were indifferent to flower colour when tested using a uniform green background like those commonly used in laboratory studies, but all bees showed strong colour preferences (usually for blue) when flowers were presented against a photograph of real foliage. Overall, preference for blue flowers was significantly greater on the more realistic, complex background. These results support the notion that the red of “hummingbird syndrome” flowers can function to reduce bee visits despite the ability of bees to detect red and highlight the need to consider context when drawing inferences about pollinator preferences from laboratory data. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Sulfur dioxide oxidation in laboratory clouds

SO₂ oxidation in the presence of NH₃ was studied in a mixing-type continuous-flow cloud chamber. NaCl and soot particles (∼5–15 μ m⁻³) were used as cloud condensation nuclei. Cloud liquid water content was varied between 0.2 and 3 g m⁻³. SO₂ and NH₃ concentrations were 0.6 and 1.1 ppm, respectively. The contact time between the SO₂ and the cloud drops was varied from 8 s to 3 min. Up to 80% of the input SO₂ can be oxidized within short contact times in the presence of NH₃ and when the water is in the condensed cloud-drop phase. Negligible sulfate formation was observed in the absence of the liquid phase regardless of the presence or absence of NH₃. No significant dependence of the oxidation on the cloud condensation nuclei type nor the contact time was found. This in-cloud SO₂ oxidation is much faster than predicted by S(IV) oxidation by molecular oxygen measured in bulk solutions.     

脉冲放电粒子荷电机理的研究

脉冲电晕放电在脉冲期间产生大量的高能电子，形成粒子在电场中的电子荷电．依据粒子附近的电子密度Ｂｏｌｔｚｍａｎ分布和电子在粒子表面传输的速率方程，在电子的动能大于或等于粒子表面势垒能的边界条件基础上得到粒子在脉冲电晕场中粒子荷电的速率方程，并利用龙格库塔法求解荷电速率方程得到粒子在脉冲放电条件下的荷电量．计算结果表明脉冲放电下的粒子荷电量平均是直流电晕放电的离子荷电量的１８倍，最大荷电量是０５—１５μｍ范围内的粒子，荷电量是直流电晕的２６倍．这一结果不仅与Ｄａｖｉｄ的粒子自由电子荷电理论结果相似，而且与微细粒子电子荷电量测试结果基本一致．     

Nickel accumulation and its effect on biomass, protein content and antioxidative enzymes in roots and leaves of watercress （Nasturtium officinale R. Br.）

In order to understand its response towards nickel stress, watercress (Nasturtium o cinale R. Br.) was exposed to nickel (1–25 mg/L) for 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. The accumulation and translocation of nickel were determined and the influence of nickel on biomass, protein content and enzymatic antioxidants was examined for both roots and leaves. It was determined that N. o cinale could accumulate appreciable amounts of Ni in both roots and leaves. Nickel accumulated particularly in the roots of plants. Biomass increased at low nickel concentrations but certain measurable change was not found at high concentrations. Under stress conditions the antioxidant enzymes were up-regulated compared to control. An increase in protein content and enzyme activities was observed at moderate exposure conditions followed by a decline at both roots and leaves. The maximum enzyme activities were observed at di erent exposure conditions. Our results showed that N. o cinale had the capacity to overcome nickel-induced stress especially at moderate nickel exposure. Therefore, N. o cinale may be used as a phytoremediator in moderately polluted aquatic ecosystems.