Antimony (Sb) – pollution and removal techniques – critical assessment of technologies

In view of increasing emissions of antimony (Sb) into the environment due to industrialization and consequent carcinogenicity, it is essential to remove this metal from the ecosystem. Antimony and arsenic (As) are analogs. Although numerous studies examined arsenic removal, few reports are available on Sb removal. In this review, various Sb removal techniques are described to understand how this process occurs and what research gaps are needed to improve efficiency. At present, surface adsorption technique is the most widely used for Sb removal. Biological treatment namely phytoremediation is also a promising method and more investigations are required in this regard. The selection of a suitable technique for a given area depends on the conditions including economic, environmental, and social conditions.     

室内空气和灰尘中全(多)氟烷基化合物的研究进展

全(多)氟烷基化合物(per(poly)fluoroalkyl substances,PFASs)在环境各个介质及人体样品中广泛被检出,近年,在室内空气和灰尘中也普遍发现PFASs.研究表明,室内空气中PFASs的含量普遍高于室外空气,室内空气和灰尘中的PFASs可能是室外空气的污染来源及人体暴露源,因此室内环境中PFASs成为环境领域的又一个研究热点.但目前为止,我国还没有开展室内空气中PFASs的相关研究,室内灰尘中PFASs的研究也相对较少.本文就室内空气和灰尘中PFASs的采样与分析方法、污染现状、来源分析及人体暴露等4个方面进行了综合阐述,以期为我国室内环境中PFASs的研究提供参考.     

Distribution patterns of lead in urban soil and dust in Shenyang city, Northeast China

We investigated the spatial distribution of Pb in soil and dust samples collected from 54 sites in Shenyang city, Liaoning province, Northeast China. Soil background Pb concentration was 22 mg kg⁻¹ and control values from non-industrial areas were 33 mg kg⁻¹ for soil and 38 mg kg⁻¹ for dust. Soil Pb concentrations varied widely, ranging from 26 to 2911 mg kg⁻¹, with a mean concentration of 200 mg kg⁻¹, 9 times the background value and 6 times the control value. There was great variation in soil Pb, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.06 and a standard deviation (SD) of 212 mg kg⁻¹. Dust Pb concentrations fluctuated from 20 to 2810 mg kg⁻¹, with a mean value of 220 mg kg⁻¹, almost 6 times the control value. No significant differences in distribution were observed between soil Pb and dust Pb. The highest Pb concentration was observed in Tiexi district in an industrial area. Soil Pb concentration decreased with depth and with distance from the pollution source. Lead concentrations initially changed little but then decreased with distance from the roadside, and were generally higher on the east side of roads than on the west. Lead contents in different categories of urban area differed substantially with dust and soil Pb concentrations decreasing in the sequence: industrial >business >mixed (residential, culture and education)> reference areas.     

北京城区大气颗粒物与地表土壤金属元素空间关联分析

为研究北京市区大气降尘金属来源及其与表层土壤的关系,在北京市区五环内的典型地段采集落尘与土壤样品。研究中使用电感耦合等离子体原子光谱仪(ICP-AES)测定了9种金属元素Cd、Cu、Zn、Fe、Pb、V、Ti、Mn、Al的质量分数。结果显示,降尘和土壤中Al、Fe两种元素所占比例最大,质量分数分别为16144.8、12881.9μg· g-1和21400.9、815712.2μg· g-1。其次降尘中Zn、Ti和土壤中Ti、Mn居第二位。随后基于灰度关联法对大气降尘与表层土壤的金属元素关系分析可知,大气降尘与表层土壤是高度关联的,关联值均介于0.92~0.95之间,二者间关联较为紧密。其中在空气降尘对表层土壤的影响研究中分析得出,空气降尘对表层土壤的影响与采样点的空间位置变化相关性不强,与风向、风速等自然环境因素的关联度较大。在表层土壤对空气降尘的影响研究中分析得出,表层土壤对空气降尘的影响度随采样点环境变化较大,尤其是北京南站。最后,通过对降尘金属元素进行因子分析得出,第一因子Z1同时与Pb、V、Ti、Mn、Al、Fe、Cu、Cd等元素有较大关系;第二个因子Z2与Cd、Cu等元素有较大的相关性;第三个因子Z3与Zn、Fe等元素有较大相关性,与其它7种元素的相关性不明显。前三因子 Z1、Z2、Z3方差累积贡献率可达97.2%,由此可知,降尘来源主要与风引起的地面扬尘,与塑料制品的焚烧,冶金、化工等工业影响及轮胎磨损有关。     

Mass conservation and atmospheric dynamics in the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS)

This paper examines the spatio-temporal patterns of atmospheric carbon dioxide transport predicted by the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). Forty-eight hour simulations over northern New England incorporating a simple representation of the diurnal summertime surface carbon dioxide forcing arising from biological activity indicate that, in its native formulation, RAMS exhibits a significant degree of mass non-conservation. Domain-wide rates of non-physical mass gain and mass loss are as large as three percent per day which translates into approximately eleven parts per million per day for carbon dioxide — enough to rapidly dilute the signature of carbon dioxide fluxes arising from biological activity. Analysis shows that this is due to the approximation used by RAMS to compute the Exner function. Substitution of the exact, physically complete equation improves mass conservation by two orders of magnitude. In addition to greatly improving mass conservation, use of the complete Exner function equation has a substantial impact on the spatial pattern of carbon dioxide predicted by the model, yielding predictions differing from a conventional RAMS simulation by as much as forty parts per million. Such differences have important implications both for comparisons of modeled atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to observations and for carbon dioxide inversion studies, which use estimates of atmospheric transport of carbon dioxide in conjunction with measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations to infer the spatio-temporal distribution of surface carbon dioxide fluxes. Furthermore, use of the complete Exner function equation affects the vertical velocity and water mixing ratio fields, causing significant changes in accumulated precipitation over the region.     

北京市密云县耕地畜禽粪便负荷估算及风险评价

以北京市密云水库水体环境保护为出发点,以土壤-植物营养学原理和科学施肥理论为指导,根据作物所需畜禽粪尿肥的最大量,估算密云县各乡镇耕地的畜禽粪便最大负荷量,并与当地畜禽粪便实际负荷量进行比较,对各乡镇畜禽养殖规模进行潜在环境风险评价。结果表明:该流域中古北口、石城和番字牌3个乡镇风险最大,北庄较大。     

Geographic patterns of non-carpeted floor dust loading in Syracuse, New York (USA) homes

Residential floor dust loading was measured on the smooth floor surface of 488 houses in Syracuse, New York, during the summers of 2003 and 2004. Using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wipe methods, pre-weighed Ghost Wipes, Lead Wipes, or Whatman Filters were employed to collect duplicate samples from (predominantly) kitchens. The collection efficiency of the various media was determined from multiple wipe tests and side-by-side comparisons. The results were normalized and aggregated at the census tract level to determine whether spatial patterns of dust loading could be observed. Loading was found to be log-normally distributed, with a geometric mean value of 0.311 g m⁻² (29 mg of dust per square foot of floor); 95% of the observations fell in the range of 0.042–2.330 g m⁻² (4–216 mg foot⁻²). The sampling for floor dust loading shows some bias for day of the week in which visits to the residential properties were made. After a first-order correction for this effect, results were aggregated by census tract and mapped in a geographic information system (GIS); strong spatial patterns can be identified in an inverse distance weighted mapping. The geographic patterns exhibit a strong correlation with socio-economic/demographic covariates extracted from the 2000 census summaries. Dust mass on the floors is positively correlated with renter-occupied properties and family size; it is negatively correlated with measures of household income.     

Pollution status,ecological risk assessment and source identification of heavy metals in road dust from an Industrial Estate in Trinidad,West Indies

Road dust in an industrial estate could potentially contain toxic heavy metals as a result of various anthropogenic sources. This study investigated sixteen samples from various locations throughout the Point Lisas Industrial Estate in Trinidad, West Indies. Samples were acid-digested and analysed by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, which revealed that concentrations for Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn ranged from 2.48–5.45?μg/g, 14.2–70.5?μg/g, 15.3–130?μg/g, 219–1330?μg/g, 20.0–62.1?μg/g, 43.5–113?μg/g and 105–1154?μg/g, respectively. Different methods (Geoaccumulation index, pollution index, integrated pollution index, enrichment factor and ecological risk assessment) of assessing heavy metal contamination in road dust indicated negligible to moderate degrees of pollution, in which the associated potential ecological risk was considered low. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (CA) grouped the heavy metals according to potential sources and indicated that the accumulation of heavy metals in the road dust of the Estate were influenced mainly by vehicular and industrial processes.     

江苏南通表土、地面灰重金属污染及潜在生态风险评价

选取南通市不同功能区表土、地面灰为对象,测试重金属元素Pb、Zn、Cu、Ni、Cr含量,并评价重金属污染水平和潜在生态风险程度.结果表明,表土、地面灰中Pb、Zn、Cu含量较高,污染较为严重,Ni、Cr含量较低,污染较轻.重金属污染顺序为工业区〉商业区〉交通区〉文教区〉住宅区.表土与地面灰重金属物质来源相似,一部分主要来自地壳物质,一部分受人为污染干扰.地面灰的重金属污染水平及潜在风险程度均高于表土,且崇川区工业区、商业区潜在生态风险程度较高,其余地区潜在生态风险程度较低.该项研究可为重金属污染防治提供科学参考.     

钢铁工业区周边农业土壤中多环芳烃(PAHs)残留及评价

对某大型矿业企业周边农业土壤中多环芳烃(PAHs)残留量进行了调查。结果表明,PAHs总残留量范围为312. 2~27 580. 9ng·g-1,且以4环以上多环芳烃组分为主。所有土样中均检出PAHs,单一污染物以芘、艹屈、荧蒽、苯并[a]芘、蒽、菲、苯并[a]蒽、苯并[k]荧蒽、茚并[1,2,3 cd]芘、苯并[g,h,i]苝为主。PAHs残留量与有机质含量相关性较好。不同样区土壤PAHs残留量受常年风向影响明显。以加拿大农业区域土壤PAHs的治理标准值为指标,用内梅罗综合指数法进行评价表明,研究区农业土壤达重污染水平的占37%,中度污染的占19%,轻污染的占25%,另有13%的采样点污染程度处于警戒限,仅有6%的采样点尚处于安全级。     

Hatching asynchrony reduces the duration, not the magnitude, of peak load in breeding green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus)

The peak load reduction hypothesis suggests that hatching asynchrony in altricial birds is adaptive because it reduces parental workload during the most energetically costly time in brood rearing. By staggering the ages of their offspring, parents may ensure that all nestlings do not reach maximum energy demand simultaneously. To test the hypothesis, we used the doubly labeled water technique to measure the energy expenditure of green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) that reared experimentally manipulated synchronous and asynchronous broods. Peak metabolic rates of the two experimental groups did not differ, but parents of asynchronous broods metabolized significantly less energy than did parents of synchronous broods throughout the first half of the brood-rearing period. Our results suggest that hatching asynchrony in parrotlets substantially shortens the temporal duration of high brood energy demand, but does not reduce the magnitude of peak energy demand. Received: 16 July 1998 / Accepted after revision: 13 December 1998     

GIS支持下的红壤丘陵区脆弱生态环境综合评价--以长沙市为例

遥感和地理信息系统技术的发展为研究区域生态环境变化提供了有效的手段。针对红壤丘陵区这一特定区域，在地理信息系统的支持下，建立了红壤丘陵区环境信息系统数据库；同时结合特尔斐法、层次分析法及环境质量综合指数法，对红壤丘陵区的典型区域——长沙市的生态环境质量进行综合评价。研究结果表明，由于人类活动的强烈影响，长沙市环境质量状况良好以上级别的区域面积仅有827．64km^2，占总面积的7．0％；而生态环境较差的区域其面积达到6187．14km^2，占总面积的52．4％，这说明长沙市总体生态环境质量有待进一步提高。     

Influence of the chemical and mineralogical composition on the acidity of an abandoned copper mine in the Bor river valley (eastern Serbia)

Since the end of operations in 1987, the flotation tailing pond in the area of the former Bor River valley has been left without any type of remediation, leading to a great environmental impact on the wider surrounding area. Because the relative abundance of minerals is critical in determining the quality of the water draining from such materials, research to define the influence of the chemical and mineralogical characteristics on the acidity of the Bor flotation tailing was performed. With this aim in mind, core sampling from eight, 20-m deep drilling holes was undertaken, followed by mineralogical analysis of the composites from each drilling hole and chemical analysis of the composites of the holes and samples taken every 5 m. In addition, the tailing acidity was measured on samples from all drilling holes taken every 1 m from the surface to the base of the tailing using distilled water and 1 M KCl. The average tailing acidity was very high, with a pH value between 2.2 and 4.0 along the depth of the holes, indicating that pyrite, as the dominant sulphide mineral, was oxidised even in the deepest layers of flotation tailing.     

大型钢铁厂及其周边土壤多环芳烃污染现状调查、评价与源解析

采用气相色谱-质谱联机方法(GC-MS)分析了东北某钢铁厂及周边居住区、风景区共11个采样点表层土壤样品16种多环芳烃(PAHs),结果表明,钢铁工业区16种PAHs(∑PAHs)浓度范围为3.39×103—1.54×105ng·g-1,平均浓度3.21×104ng·g-1;居住区∑PAHs浓度范围为587—6.70×103ng·g-1,平均浓度3.82×103ng·g-1;风景区千山∑PAHs浓度385 ng·g-1.∑PAHs和Bap浓度均呈工业区>居住区>风景区趋势.与国内外其他研究结果相比,该钢铁工业区及其周边居住区土壤PAHs污染相对较为严重,11个采样点中有9个采样点土壤∑PAHs为严重污染,4个采样点苯并(a)芘(Bap)浓度超过加拿大土壤质量基准.利用特征比值法(Diagnostic Rate)和主成分分析法(Principal component analysis,PCA)对钢铁工业区及其周边地区土壤进行了源解析,结果表明,钢铁工业区土壤中PAHs主要来源于焦炉、燃煤、柴油燃烧等污染源,周边地区土壤除受工业污染源排放影响外,机动车汽油、柴油污染排放也有重要影响.     

攀枝花市大气颗粒物中多环芳烃污染特征分析及来源识别

2007年2月在攀枝花市不同功能区采集了大气PM10样品42个和污染源样品32个,采用超声抽提GC/MS方法测定分析了16种多环芳烃(PAHs)的含量。结果显示攀枝花市PM10颗粒相PAHs单体浓度范围为0.34～416.45ng/m3,总量浓度范围为24.56～2569.66ng/m3;攀枝花市5个采样点中河门口片区PM10多环芳烃单体浓度范围为5.64～416.45ng/m3,污染最严重。源样品测定结果分别为扬尘78.74ug/g,煤烟尘6.12ug/g,钢铁工业尘30.54ug/g,焦化尘3187.42ug/g。应用比值法和化学质量平衡(CMB)模型对污染源进行识别,燃煤和炼焦是攀枝花市PAHs的主要来源,对攀枝花市大气可吸入颗粒物中多环芳烃污染的分担率分别为55.8%、19.9%。     

人工柳杉林碳蓄积量及土壤性质的动态变化

采用材积源生物量法和土壤剖面分析方法,研究了四川彭州栽植5、10、17、22、26a的人工柳杉林碳蓄积量及土壤性质的动态变化.结果表明,柳杉林分的碳蓄积量与林下土壤有机碳积累量随柳杉林龄的增长而增加,5、10、17、22、26a生人工柳杉林碳蓄积量分别是19.8、67.5、85.8、162、275t(C)hm-2,土壤有机碳含量在5、10、17、22、26年分别为14.7、18.4、25.3、37.1、41.4gkg-1,比农地分别增加了18.5%、48.4%、104%、199%、234%,土壤全N含量分别为1.22、1.31、1.64、2.03、2.12gkg-1,比农地分别增加了7.02%、14.91%、43.86%、78.07%、85.96%,土壤容重分别为1.48、1.42、1.36、1.31、1.28gcm-3,比农地分别降低了3.90%、7.79%、11.7%、14.9%、16.9%,土壤总孔隙度和毛管孔隙度也都显著增高,说明栽植柳杉后随着土壤有机质的增加,土壤肥力逐步提高,土壤孔隙状况也逐渐好转,从而增加了土壤保水抗旱能力.5、10、17、22、26a生的柳杉林地土壤蓄水量分别为341、391、412、462、493thm-2,比农地分别增加了14.8%、31.6%、38.7%、55.6%、66.0%.这些结果显示,人工柳杉林具有庞大的碳库,可缓解大气CO2上升,而且可促进土壤肥力,改善生态环境.     

罗红霉素对不同生长期小麦土壤氮形态和脲酶活性的影响

抗生素类药物作为添加剂被用于养殖业中,大部分以原形或其代谢产物形式进入土壤环境,对土壤环境造成生态危害。通过盆栽实验,研究了不同浓度罗红霉素(ROX)对小麦各生长期根际土壤微生物生物量氮、脲酶和无机氮的影响。结果表明,添加ROX后土壤微生物生物量氮在小麦苗期、拔节期和抽穗期受到显著抑制,而在灌浆期和收获期,土壤微生物生物量氮却显著增长;与对照相比,低浓度(0.2和0.5 mg·kg~(-1))和中浓度(1.0和2.0 mg·kg~(-1))ROX胁迫显著抑制小麦生长苗期、灌浆期和收获期的根际土壤脲酶活性,而在拔节期和抽穗期,却显著诱导脲酶活性;但高浓度(10.0 mg·kg~(-1))ROX胁迫却显著抑制小麦生长期内脲酶活性。低、中浓度ROX胁迫显著诱导小麦生长期中根际土壤中铵态氮浓度增长,而高浓度组ROX胁迫显著抑制土壤中铵态氮浓度。ROX胁迫抑制硝态氮,显示出ROX会影响土壤氮循环。     

Morphological and chemical characteristics of atmospheric particles in the Metropolitan Zone of Toluca Valley (Mexico)

Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy has been used for both morphological and elemental chemistry analyses of atmospheric particles. This technique allows the in situ observation of individual aerosol particles in the sample chamber. Aerotransported particles were analysed from seven monitoring stations located in the Metropolitan Zone of Toluca Valley (MZTV). Several different morphologies were identified: aggregates, porous spheres, rough and smooth compact material. The elemental composition included C, Na, Mg, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Mn, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Ce. These are semiquantitative analyses considering the bulk sample or individual particles. It was possible to correlate or confirm some chemical associations such as C–S, Ca–S–O and Si–Al–O, probably due to the presence of compounds derived from incomplete combustion, building tailing materials and aluminosilicates of cortical origin. Bioaerosols such as pollen, spores, brochosomes and diatoms were identified in the zone; all these types of particles have a natural origin too. Several types of suspended particles were identified in the MZTV, they were from different sources (natural and anthropogenic) to which the population can be potentially exposed, and may cause harm in the short- and long-term, according to their chemical element composition and size.     

Detection and quantitation of trace levels of low molecular weight halocarbons (LMHs) associated with commercial sodium humate

Examination of vapor above commercial sodium humate and above 10wt% aqueous humate solution by gas chromatography (GC) revealed the presence of chloroform and trichloroethylene. Further examination of the aqueous humate by the purge and trap procedure confirmed the association of chloroform and trichloroethylene with the humate. GC/mass spectrometry analyses of methylene chloride extract of the humate established the association of LMHs with the humate. Improved headspace capillary GC technique showed that the humate contained not only chloroform, trichloroethylene but several other LMHs in the range 190 to 4000ng·kg^‐1.