垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属浸出的影响因素

考察不同浸出条件对垃圾焚烧发电厂烟气净化系统飞灰中重金属浸出特性的的影响.研究表明:飞灰浸出时,受飞灰自身性质的影响,翻转式摇床混合和水平振荡摇床混合对飞灰中重金属浸出量的影响不明显;混合8h可使浸出体系达到溶解平衡,16h静置过程对飞灰中重金属溶出的影响不明显;增加浸取剂离子强度对飞灰来说并不会增加重金属元素的溶出;加大液固比(L/S)对飞灰中Pb,Ni和Cd的浸出仅起稀释作用,而Cu,Zn,CT和Hg在L/S<10时浸出液的浓度变化不大,L/S>10时被稀释;在高H 浓度时飞灰中重金属的浸出率大大增加,浸取剂中H 对各元素浸出的影响程度为Pb≈Zn>Cu>Cd>Ni>Cr>As>Hg;在中低H 浓度时,醋酸浸出液中重金属的浓度高于硝酸浸出液,而在>0.2mol·1-1的酸浸取液中,硝酸浸出液中重金属(Hg除外)的浓度大于醋酸浸出液.     

生活垃圾焚烧飞灰及其稳定化产物的长期浸出行为

采用柱浸出实验方法,考察了飞灰、磷酸盐稳定和自然老化稳定后飞灰的长期浸出特性.结果表明:灰样浸出液的pH值从初始的较低值快速上升到较高值后趋于稳定,3种飞灰都有较强的酸中和能力;Ca的浸出浓度远高于Pb,Cd,Zn,Cr和Ni等重金属,在浸出初期甚至达到100g·1-1以上;重金属均呈现初期快速溶出的现象;对比稳定化处理前后飞灰的柱浸出实验结果,表明磷酸盐稳定及自然老化稳定后飞灰具有更好的长期稳定性;对比柱浸出实验和国标GB5086.1-199r7的浸出结果,表明后者可能低估了稳定后飞灰处置初期重金属的浸出风险     

城市生活垃圾焚烧发电飞灰中重金属的固定化研究

垃圾焚烧发电飞灰排放是重金属污染的一个重要来源之一。选用实验室合成的含硫有机稳定剂(DT)并优选无机固化剂(DF),组成有机-无机复合固定剂体系,进行飞灰中重金属的固定化实验,研究一种经济、有效的飞灰无害化处理方法,以满足生活垃圾填埋污染控制标准对飞灰填埋的处理要求。以广州市生活垃圾焚烧发电产生的飞灰为研究对象,分别考察了DT和DF单一添加处理以及混合联用处理对飞灰中重金属的固定化效果。浸出数据表明,随着DT和DF的投料量的增加,飞灰固化体的浸出浓度相应降低。当DT和DF投加量质量分数分别为1.0%和2.4%时,飞灰固化体的重金属浸出浓度均低于生活垃圾填埋浓度限值,说明DT和DF可以实现药剂配伍,提高飞灰中重金属固定化效果,同时减少有机药剂的使用量,从而降低处理成本。该研究同时做了药剂固定化试验和水泥固化试验,通过对比发现药剂固定化法具有增容少、养护时间短和稳定化效果好的优点。采用分级提取法对飞灰中重金属的形态进行了分析,结果表明经混合药剂处理后飞灰中的重金属的形态均呈现出由不稳定态向稳定态转化的趋势。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对固定化前后的飞灰进行了分析,结果表明经混合药剂处理后的飞灰颗粒变大,且颗粒表面变得致密,空隙减少,从而减少与浸提剂的接触面积,降低其浸出毒性。     

城市垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属的形态及酸浸出性研究

研究了城市垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属形态在不同粒径上的分布,以及HNO3对飞灰中重金属的浸出性.结果表明:飞灰中重金属主要以残渣态存在,可交换离子态含量很少;易挥发性的重金属在较大粒径上有较高分布,亲石性重金属Cr和Ni的分布与粒径的相关性不大,在各粒径上的分布较均匀;飞灰中以碳酸盐结合态存在的重金属对酸不稳定,易被HNO3浸出,而残渣态部分对酸较稳定,不易被HNO3浸出.     

基于矿物晶体结构的场地重金属污染土壤结构化固定处置

重金属污染企业搬迁遗留场地的重金属污染问题是当前城市土地安全开发需解决的迫切环境问题。以广州市某钢铁企业搬迁遗留场地重金属污染土壤处置为例，系统研究污染重金属晶体结构化固定过程机制。对遗留场地土壤通过采样调查发现，在场地某些区域的土壤中，重金属Ni和Cd的浓度超过GB 15618-1995《土壤环境质量标准》二级标准，二次开发存在一定的环境风险。通过研发以氧化铝为基质的黏土固定剂，以一定比例与污染土壤混合后压实成型，在1100℃的温度下煅烧，通过X-射线衍射研究发现，烧结体中重金属以尖晶石晶体结构成分的形式固定。进一步采用TCLP毒性浸出程序研究烧结体中重金属的浸出风险，结果发现，烧结体中滤出液中重金属浓度均远低于GB 3838-2002《地表水环境质量标准》三类水标准值，获得烧结体中重金属浸出风险低。实现了重金属污染土壤的无害化处置，对于目前重金属污染企业遗留场地土壤处置具有重要意义。     

铜镉渣中Cd的生物浸出技术

以课题组分离纯化后的Bacillus spp.菌属为原始菌种,经扩大培养后用于浸出铜镉渣中的有价金属Cd,通过摇瓶实验考察浸出时间、矿浆浓度、培养基pH值及浸出温度对Cd浸出率的影响,并初步探索Bacillusspp.菌属浸出铜镉渣中有价金属的浸出机制.研究结果表明,该Bacillus spp.菌属能够有效浸出铜镉渣中的Cd,浸出效果受浸出时间、矿浆浓度、培养基pH及浸出温度的影响.最佳浸出条件为,浸出时间为5 d、矿浆浓度为4%、培养基pH为3、浸出温度为30℃;在最优条件下Cd浸出率高达99%;在最优浸出条件下对铜镉渣Zn也具有良好的浸出效果,浸出率可达95%以上,但对Pb、Cu、As等金属的浸出效果不佳.     

燃煤电站CFB锅炉飞灰热处理中汞释放特性

为考察循环流化床锅炉飞灰的汞释放特性,本文以某循环流化床CFB锅炉燃煤发电机组飞灰为样品,通过热处理实验和程序升温热解实验考察温度和时间对飞灰样品汞释放特性的影响以及热处理前后飞灰中汞的种类及其释放规律,并结合一级动力学方程、Elovich动力学方程、Freundlich动力学方程和抛物线扩散动力学方程对该过程进行具体分析.热处理实验结果表明,飞灰汞释放速率与热处理的温度和时间密切相关.温度为200℃以下时飞灰中汞的释放率最大不超过0.2,当温度达到300℃以上时,飞灰中汞的释放率不低于0.935.程序升温热解实验表明,飞灰中汞化合物种类包括HgCl_2、Hg_2Cl_2、HgO、HgSO_4、HgS (黑)和HgS (红),其中HgS (黑)和HgS (红)是飞灰中汞的主要赋存形态.动力学方程拟合结果表明,Elovic动力学方程适用于描述飞灰汞释放过程,各实验条件下拟合值与实验值的相关系数R~2均大于0.95,这说明该过程受多个反应机制控制且反应中活化能变化较大.     

硫杆菌浸出废旧MH/Ni电池中重金属研究

生物淋滤法具有对环境友好、反应温和、运行成本低等优点,近年来主要用于回收难浸提矿石中有用金属及城市污泥有毒重金属脱除。应用氧化硫硫杆菌和氧化亚铁硫杆菌对废旧MH/Ni电池电极材料中重金属进行了生物淋滤处理可行性及工艺技术研究,考查了初始pH值、电极材料投加量、温度及底物单质硫添加量对金属Ni、Co浸出率的影响。试验结果表明:硫杆菌可以浸出电极材料中的重金属Ni和Co,初始pH值及温度对生物淋滤过程金属Ni、Co浸出率影响显著。在初始pH值1.0、电极材料质量分数为1.0%、温度30℃、底物单质硫质量浓度为4.0g·L-1条件下,经过20d生物淋滤,废旧MH/Ni电池中金属Ni和Co浸出率分别为95.7%和72.4%。     

重庆市垃圾焚烧飞灰粒径分布及重金属形态分析

采用筛分法研究了重庆市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰中的粒径分布,分析了各粒径颗粒中Pb、Cd、Zn、Cu、Mn、Ni和Cr等重金属的总量,并利用Tessier五步连续提取法对不同粒径飞灰中各重金属的化学形态进行了分析.结果表明,90%以上的飞灰粒径小于250 μm,其中粒径为149-250 μm的颗粒最多,约占总量的50%.除Ni之外,其它重金属的含量随粒径的减小呈先减小后增大的趋势.粒径小于250 μm颗粒中的重金属含量对飞灰中重金属含量的贡献率达到90%.飞灰中各重金属的形态分布随粒径变化规律不同,Zn、Cd、Pb、Cu的碳酸盐结合态含量略高,在重庆地区酸雨的淋溶下极易释放出来,对周围环境存在潜在威胁.     

不同粒径垃圾焚烧飞灰中重金属富集特性表征

针对杭州市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰按粒径级别进行其重金属特性表征,主要展开飞灰组成元素和矿物成分、重金属含量分布、以及重金属与飞灰颗粒的微观结合行为等研究.结果表明,＂SiO2-CaO-Al2O3-金属氧化物＂体系构成了重金属的富集载体;Zn、Pb、Cu、Mn、Ni、Cr、Sb等重金属在75—125μm飞灰颗粒中的占有率最高,达52%;Zn、Cu、Cr随着粒径减小其含量显著增加,其它重金属未见此趋势;通过SEM-EDX对飞灰颗粒表面和断面进行扫描电镜观察和面、线扫描元素能谱分析,在飞灰断面发现了更多类型、更密集的重金属分布.通过结合XRF、ICP-MS、SEM-EDX等仪器手段分析飞灰中重金属富集特性,深入探索重金属在飞灰颗粒中富集特征.     

Rapid,recurring, structured survey versus bioblitz for generating biodiversity data and analysis with a multispecies abundance model

A bioblitz inexpensively and quickly generates biodiversity data, but bioblitzes are often conducted with haphazard, unreplicated sampling. Results tend to be taxonomically, geographically, or temporally biased, lack metadata, and consist of lists of observed taxa that do not enable further analyses or correction for imperfect detection. A rapid, recurring, structured survey (RRSS) uses a structured sampling design and temporal and spatial replication to survey randomly selected sites on a conservation property. We participated in a loosely structured bioblitz and a subsequent RRSS at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville (St. Clair County), Alabama (USA) to compare observed richness derived from the 2 survey approaches. The RRSS data structure enabled us to fit models that accounted for imperfect detection to estimate abundances, occupancy probabilities, and habitat associations. The loosely structured bioblitz data could not be used in such models. We present a new integrated multispecies abundance model that we applied to avian RRSS data. Our model extension enables estimation for the community, employs data augmentation to estimate the number of undetected species, and incorporates covariates. The RRSS generated a more comprehensive and less biased list of observed taxonomic richness than the loosely structured bioblitz (e.g., 73 vs. 45 bird species and 104 vs. 63 insect families from the RRSS vs. loosely structured bioblitz, respectively). Models fit to the RRSS data identified seasonal patterns in avian community composition and allowed for estimation of habitat–occupancy relationships for insect taxa. The RRSS protocol has potential for broad transferability as a standardized, quick, and inexpensive way to inventory biodiversity and estimate ecological parameters while providing an outreach opportunity.     

Compliance with and ecosystem function of biodiversity offsets in North American and European freshwaters

Land-use change via human development is a major driver of biodiversity loss. To reduce these impacts, billions of dollars are spent on biodiversity offsets. However, studies evaluating offset project effectiveness that examine components such as the overall compliance and function of projects remain rare. We reviewed 577 offsetting projects in freshwater ecosystems that included the metrics project size, type of aquatic system (e.g., wetland and creek), offsetting measure (e.g., enhancement, restoration, and creation), and an assessment of the projects’ compliance and functional success. Project information was obtained from scientific and government databases and gray literature. Despite considerable investment in offsetting projects, crucial problems persisted. Although compliance and function were related to each other, a high level of compliance did not guarantee a high degree of function. However, large projects relative to area had better function than small projects. Function improved when projects targeted productivity or specific ecosystem features and when multiple complementary management targets were in place. Restorative measures were more likely to achieve targets than creating entirely new ecosystems. Altogether the relationships we found highlight specific ecological processes that may help improve offsetting outcomes.     

Representation of the world's biophysical conditions by the global protected area network

Protected areas (PAs) are often implemented without consideration of already existing PAs, which is likely to cause an overrepresentation of certain biophysical conditions. We assessed the representativeness of the current PA network with regard to the world's biophysical conditions to highlight which conditions are underprotected and where these conditions are located. We overlaid terrestrial and marine PAs with information on biophysical conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and elevation) and then quantified the percentage of area covered by the PA network. For 1 variable at a time in the terrestrial realm, high temperature, low precipitation, and medium and very high elevation were underrepresented. For the marine realm, low and medium sea surface temperature (SST), medium and high sea surface salinity (SSS), and the deep sea were underrepresented. Overall, protection was evenly distributed for elevation across the terrestrial realm and SST across the marine realm. For 2 variables at a time, cold and very dry terrestrial environments had mostly low protection, which was also the case for low SST and low and medium SSS across most depths for marine environments. Low protection occurred mostly in the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula for the terrestrial realm and along the Tropic of Capricorn and toward the poles for the marine realm. Although biodiversity measures are of prime importance for the design of PA networks, highlighting biophysical gaps in current PAs adds a frequently overlooked perspective. These gaps may weaken the potential of PAs to conserve biodiversity. Thus, our results may provide useful insights for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to establish a more comprehensive global PA network.     

Quantitative composition of the defensive secretion ofBledius species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae) is adapted to naturally occurring predators

Summary The adaptation of defensive secretions to their target organisms was examined for the abdominal gland secretions ofBledius furcatus, B. spectabilis andB. arenarius. Therefore the target organisms of the secretion of theseBledius species (i.e. their predators) had to be identified. At the collection sites examined these were the earwigLabidura riparia, the antCataglyphis bicolor, the flyLispe candicans, different carabids of the generaPogonus, Dichirotrichus, Dyschirius, Bembidion andCalathus and the wading birdsHaematopus ostralegus andCalidris alba. The secretion of the abdominal glands contains the toxin ptoluquinone dissolved in either-dodecalactone and 1-undecene (B. furcatus andB. spectabilis) or in octanoic acid and octyloctanoate (B. arenarius). The ratio of these solvents is species-specific. Application experiments using some of the natural insect predators (L. riparia, C. bicolor, Pogonus, Di. gustavii, Dyschirius) revealed that these solvent ratios provided a more effective deterrent than other possible ratios. Thus by combining the solvents in certain ratios, the capability of cuticular penetration and therefore the effectiveness of the defensive secretions are adapted to their natural targets.     

Democracy versus development: New urban debates

The politics of development includes subtexts of choice, as underpinned by community consensus (or lack of it), against the larger backdrop of a liberal democracy, with its intricate power structures that influence the choice of concepts and often lead to complicity rather than consent. A dilemma exists between the understanding of field-level practitioners and that of academics, whose understandings of progress differ. Progress can (and often does) imply long-term change across generations whereas development is often more a matter of crisis management and delivering tangible results to end-users. This makes it a bone of contention across political systems, irrespective of local or global dynamics. Development can emerge as a tool to be wielded for power and further political mileage at the expense of progress. Progress cannot be studied as a counterpoint to development as the sense of history is often missing in development interventions. Development tends to be piecemeal as its very logic often stems from the rationale of power. This is not to suggest, however, that development is only about politics; it is definitely more than the politics of everyday life and involves all of civil society that requires its critical and immediate attention. In this sense, it has become a priority for politicians with an underlying agenda designed to out-manouevre dissent and all statements of protest.     

A palaeo-hydrogeological model for arsenic contamination in southern and south-east Asia

An argument is presented in which areas of natural arsenic contamination of modern groundwaters throughout Asia have a common origin. Arsenic originally accumulated in oceanic ferro-manganoan sediments of the eastern Palaeo-Tethys. This was further concentrated through oceanic crustal extinction in what later became the south-east Chinese accreted mineralised terrain. Proto-Himalayan uplift of this area created the palaeo-drainage systems of the Ganges – Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red Rivers, with consequent headwater erosion of arsenic-rich sediments. Their downstream deposition as immature and easily redistributed Neogene sandstones, silts, and iron-rich clays has created secondary and tertiary reservoirs of adsorbed and authigenic arsenic, from which the current arsenic-rich groundwaters have evolved. Considering river basins within the above palaeo-hydrogeological framework provides a basis for assessing the risk of arsenic in groundwater basins of south and south-eastern Asia.     

A framework to measure the wildness of managed large vertebrate populations

As landscapes continue to fall under human influence through habitat loss and fragmentation, fencing is increasingly being used to mitigate anthropogenic threats and enhance the commercial value of wildlife. Subsequent intensification of management potentially erodes wildness by disembodying populations from landscape-level processes, thereby disconnecting species from natural selection. Tools are needed to measure the degree to which populations of large vertebrate species in formally protected and privately owned wildlife areas are self-sustaining and free to adapt. We devised a framework to measure such wildness based on 6 attributes relating to the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of vertebrates (space, disease and parasite resistance, exposure to predation, exposure to limitations and fluctuations of food and water supply, and reproduction). For each attribute, we set empirical, species-specific thresholds between 5 wildness states based on quantifiable management interventions. We analysed data from 205 private wildlife properties with management objectives spanning ecotourism to consumptive utilization to test the framework on 6 herbivore species representing a range of conservation statuses and commercial values. Wildness scores among species differed significantly, and the proportion of populations identified as wild ranged from 12% to 84%, which indicates the tool detected site-scale differences both among populations of different species and populations of the same species under different management regimes. By quantifying wildness, this framework provides practitioners with standardized measurement units that link biodiversity with the sustainable use of wildlife. Applications include informing species management plans at local scales; standardizing the inclusion of managed populations in red-list assessments; and providing a platform for certification and regulation of wildlife-based economies. Applying this framework may help embed wildness as a normative value in policy and mitigate the shifting baseline of what it means to truly conserve a species.     

Sexual Predators,Energy Development,and Conservation in Greater Yellowstone

Abstract: In the United States, as elsewhere, a growing debate pits national energy policy and homeland security against biological conservation. In rural communities the extraction of fossil fuels is often encouraged because of the employment opportunities it offers, although the concomitant itinerant workforce is often associated with increased wildlife poaching. We explored possible positive and negative factors associated with energy extraction in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), an area known for its national parks, intact biological diversity, and some of the New World's longest terrestrial migrations. Specifically, we asked whether counties with different economies—recreation (ski), agrarian (ranching or farming), and energy extractive (petroleum)—differed in healthcare (gauged by the abundance of hospital beds) and in the frequency of sexual predators. The absolute and relative frequency of registered sex offenders grew approximately two to three times faster in areas reliant on energy extraction. Healthcare among counties did not differ. The strong conflation of community dishevel, as reflected by in‐migrant sexual predators, and ecological decay in Greater Yellowstone is consistent with patterns seen in similar systems from Ecuador to northern Canada, where social and environmental disarray exist around energy boomtowns. In our case, that groups (albeit with different aims) mobilized campaigns to help maintain the quality of rural livelihoods by protecting open space is a positive sign that conservation can matter, especially in the face of rampant and poorly executed energy extraction projects. Our findings further suggest that the public and industry need stronger regulatory action to instill greater vigilance when and where social factors and land conversion impact biological systems.     

Comparison of the insecticidal effects of water extracted and intact aromatic plants onAcanthoscelides obtectus,a bruchid beetle pest of kidney beans

Summary Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) is one of the most damaging pests of kidney beans,Phaseolus vulgaris L. worldwide. However, aromatic plants from the families Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae can protect kidney beans by direct or delayed insecticidal effect, through increased adult mortality and inhibition of beetle reproduction (both oviposition and adult emergence). The efficiency of hydrodistillated and intact plants fromThymus vulgaris andT. serpyllum, Mentha piperata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Satureia hortensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Laurus nobilis, Origanum vulgare, andCymbopogon nardus was compared. For both extracts,Origanum vulgare had the best effect. The insecticidal effect was induced by more than the essential oils because no significant difference was noticed between distilled and intact plants extract. Inhibition of reproduction was particularly important. These results suggest that lipidic as well as non lipidic, allelochemicals, such as phenolics, or non-protein amino-acids, or flavonoids may be involved in the toxicity of aromatic plants to this beetle.     

Cost‐effective conservation of an endangered frog under uncertainty

How should managers choose among conservation options when resources are scarce and there is uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of actions? Well‐developed tools exist for prioritizing areas for one‐time and binary actions (e.g., protect vs. not protect), but methods for prioritizing incremental or ongoing actions (such as habitat creation and maintenance) remain uncommon. We devised an approach that combines metapopulation viability and cost‐effectiveness analyses to select among alternative conservation actions while accounting for uncertainty. In our study, cost‐effectiveness is the ratio between the benefit of an action and its economic cost, where benefit is the change in metapopulation viability. We applied the approach to the case of the endangered growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), which is threatened by urban development. We extended a Bayesian model to predict metapopulation viability under 9 urbanization and management scenarios and incorporated the full probability distribution of possible outcomes for each scenario into the cost‐effectiveness analysis. This allowed us to discern between cost‐effective alternatives that were robust to uncertainty and those with a relatively high risk of failure. We found a relatively high risk of extinction following urbanization if the only action was reservation of core habitat; habitat creation actions performed better than enhancement actions; and cost‐effectiveness ranking changed depending on the consideration of uncertainty. Our results suggest that creation and maintenance of wetlands dedicated to L. raniformis is the only cost‐effective action likely to result in a sufficiently low risk of extinction. To our knowledge we are the first study to use Bayesian metapopulation viability analysis to explicitly incorporate parametric and demographic uncertainty into a cost‐effective evaluation of conservation actions. The approach offers guidance to decision makers aiming to achieve cost‐effective conservation under uncertainty.