PCDD/Fs in the soils in the province of Trento: 10 years of monitoring

Nuclear bud (NB) formation was investigated in blood erythrocytes of 1892 flounder Platichthys flesus, herring Clupea harengus, and eelpout Zoarces viviparus specimens that were collected at 82 sites representing different regions of the Baltic Sea in 2009–2011. This is the first attempt to evaluate the baseline levels of NB and rank the genotoxicity risk for native fish species. NB levels were compared to the previously published micronuclei (MN) data from the same individual fish specimens in order to compare the two methods of genotoxicity assessment and investigate the relationship between MN as the cytogenetic measure of genotoxicity and the DNA damage reflecting NB. In 2009–2011, elevated NB levels in 89.4 % of flounder sampling groups indicated high and extremely high genotoxicity risk levels. Herring and eelpout sampling groups showed elevated levels of NB, 74.6 and 45.7 %, respectively. In general, herring and eelpout NB measure was more sensitive as the genotoxicity biomarker than MN.     

溶解性有机碳对微库仑法测定水中可吸附有机卤素的影响

微库仑法测水样中可吸附有机卤素(AOX)受多种因素影响,其中溶解性有机碳(DOC)的影响非常显著。DOC对微库仑法2种前处理方法(双柱法和振荡法)的影响差异很大。双柱法受DOC影响较小,当DOC浓度小于1 000 mg/L时,AOX加标回收率范围为94.0%~104%。振荡法受DOC影响较明显,随着DOC浓度的升高,AOX回收率持续下降,当DOC浓度达到1 000 mg/L时,AOX加标回收率下降至72.1%,但DOC浓度小于100 mg/L时,AOX加标回收满足方法要求。进一步研究发现,DOC对振荡法的影响主要由于竞争吸附降低了活性炭对AOX的吸附容量,而非吸附速率,虽然增大活性炭用量可在一定程度上减小DOC对AOX测定的影响,但对样品进行稀释是减少DOC影响的最简单高效的办法。同时,DOC对不同类型的有机卤代物影响不同,有机溴受DOC影响程度小于有机氯。     

气相色谱法测定工业废气中的异丙醇

用活性炭吸附管采集吸附工业废气中的异丙醇,经二硫化碳解析后由自动进样器送入气相色谱仪中分离并由FID检测器检测。2 mL二硫化碳解吸溶剂中异丙醇的绝对量为1.57~6.28 mg时,测定结果的相对标准偏差为2.4%~7.6%(n=5);当样品采集量为10 L时,方法检出限为0.3 mg/m³。所用活性炭采样管对异丙醇的吸附效果良好,100 mg活性炭对异丙醇的穿透容量大于15 mg;二硫化碳溶剂对吸附在活性炭中的异丙醇解吸效果较好,异丙醇加标量为3.92~15.70 mg时,解吸效率为93.9%~100.5%。     

活性炭负载催化剂去除燃煤烟气中单质汞的研究

以贵州凯里褐煤进行燃烧实验,研究采用CoCl2(负载量20%)改性的活性炭去除烟气中的单质汞。颗粒态汞占烟气总汞的87%,而单质汞占气态汞的80.4%。改性活性炭吸附了气态汞中97%的单质汞,而吸收液只吸收了3%的单质汞。可见改性活性炭也能有效地吸附煤燃烧实验中的烟气汞。实验结果表明,煤中汞的释放率为59.5%,1kg的改性活性炭可以吸附208t煤所产生的烟气中的气态单质汞。     

Preconcentration of Zn2+ and Cu2+ ions from food and vegetable samples using modified activated carbon

In this work, two N/S-containing chelating agents 2-(4-methoxybenzylideneamino)thiophenol (2-4-MBAT) and 2-(4-chlorobenzylideneamino) benzenethiol (2-4-CBABT) were synthesized as new sorbents and were used for preconcentration of Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) ions in food and vegetable samples. In the proposed procedure, the trace amount of Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) ions from 250?mL of sample solution at pH?=?5.0 was preconcentrated by 1?g of activated carbon (AC) loaded with 15?mg of 2-4-MBAT and 2-4-CBABT separately. The breakthrough volumes (maximum sample volume that their metal ions quantitatively can be enriched) for solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedure based on the AC modified with 2-4-MBAT and 2-4-CBABT were 800 and 750?mL, respectively. The sorbed Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) ions were efficiently eluted by 8?mL of 4?mol?L(-1) HNO(3) and preconcentration factor of 112.5 and 93.7 and experimental enhancement factor of 30 and 35 ions were obtained for Zn(2+) and Cu(2+), respectively. The application of this enrichment procedure allowed the extraction of trace metal ions with recoveries exceeding of 90%.     

A Model for Simulating the Soil Organic Carbon Pool of Steppe Ecosystems

In this research, the improved Terrestrial Ecosystem Regional (TECO-R) model was adapted to steppe ecosystems and then utilized to simulate the soil organic carbon pool in the period from 1989 to 2011 (excluding 1994, 2002, 2009, and 2010) for a typical steppe in Xilingol League of Inner Mongolia in China. The improved TECO-R model is an ecological model in combination of remote sensing data, which allows the spatial scale for the analysis of soil organic carbon which is not limited to vegetation or soil type. The spatial and temporal resolution advantages of remote sensing image can be well utilized in this model. The results indicate that in addition to an accurate simulation of the soil carbon pool of a steppe ecosystem, the vegetation aboveground carbon pool, grazing intensity of herbivores, mowing coefficient, litter carbon pool, root carbon pools of different vegetation layers, root-shoot ratio, actual residence time of different carbon pools, and allocation coefficients of different carbon pools in corresponding years are also available from the TECO-R model. Some of the above data are difficult to obtain through macro-observation but can be simulated with the TECO-R model by combining the model with input data; this is very important for a correct understanding of the feedback relationships between the steppe ecosystem’s carbon cycle and climate change (e.g., global warming) and human activities such as grazing.     

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene detection using recombinant antibodies

The ability to detect low levels of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in aqueous samples is important due to the toxicity of both TNT and its breakdown products. We have been characterizing recombinant anti-TNT antibodies isolated from the Griffin library of phage displayed scFvs by selection for binders to the TNT-surrogate 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TNB) coupled to the protein bovine serum albumin. Two candidate antibody fragments, TNB1 and TNB2, were isolated and evaluated by ELISA for their ability to bind to TNB coupled to the protein ovalbumin. Competition ELISA was then used to demonstrate antibody fragment binding to TNT in solution and to examine cross-reactivity towards several TNT-related compounds and other explosives. Both recombinant antibody fragments were incorporated into a continuous flow assay for the detection of TNT. TNB2, the best single chain antibody, showed a limit of detection of 1 ng ml(-1), comparable to a commercially available anti-TNT antibody in the same assay format.     

TNT removal from culture media by three commonly available wild plants growing in the Caribbean

Plants growing in the Caribbean, Rubia tinctorum, Lippia dulcis and Spermacoce remota, were used in vitro to remove TNT from culture media. Plants were found to be resistant to high TNT levels. S. remota was able to remove TNT in less than 48 h. Part of the TNT was physically removed from the culture media by evaporation.     

Assessing the risk to firefighters from chemical vapors and gases during vehicle fire suppression

Despite the frequent occurrence of vehicle fires, very few studies investigating firefighters' potential inhalation exposures during vehicle fire suppression have been conducted. In this paper, we present an assessment of firefighters' health risk from vehicle fire suppression that accounts for the mixture of gases and vapors likely to be found in these fires. Summa canisters were used to collect emissions from the engine and cabin fires of a single vehicle and were analyzed for 75 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Firefighters' breathing zone concentrations (BZCs) of aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, isocyanates, and carbon monoxide were measured during the suppression of three vehicle fires. The Summa canister and BZC data were used to develop a simple model for predicting BZCs for the compounds that were not measured in the firefighters' breathing zones. Hazard quotients (HQs) were calculated by dividing the predicted and measured BZCs by the most conservative short-term exposure limits (STELs) or ceiling limits. Hazard indices (HIs) were determined by adding HQs for compounds grouped by the target organ for acute health effects. Any HIs above unity represented unacceptable risks. According to this mixture analysis, the estimated 95(th) percentile of the exposure distribution for the study population represents ≥ 9.2 times the acceptable level of risk to the respiratory tract and eyes. Furthermore, chemicals known or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens contributed to > 45% of these HIs. While STELs are not usually based on carcinogenicity, maintaining exposures below STELs may protect individuals from the biological stress that could result from short-term exposures to carcinogens over time. Although vehicle fires are suppressed quickly (<10 min), this assessment suggests that firefighters have the potential to be overexposed to acute toxins during vehicle fire suppression and should therefore wear self-contained breathing apparatus at all times during vehicle fire response.     

微库仑法测定新疆棉浆粕企业废水中可吸附有机卤素AOX

建立微库仑滴定法测定水质中可吸附有机卤素AOX的方法,考察3种活性炭柱对于空白的影响。实验结果表明,AOX的检出限为2.19μg/L,相对标准偏差为2.80%,纯水中高、中、低加标回收率在92.5%~107%,新疆棉浆粕企业废水中加标回收率为96.0%~101%。实验室空白也只有新购开封的耶拿原装活性炭小柱能满足标准要求的空白值(<30μg/L)。     

Modeling 4-Chlorophenol Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Granular Activated Carbon

Since phenols and phenolic compounds in many industrial wastewaters are toxic organic contaminants for humans and aquatic life, to remove these compounds via the most efficient way is very important for environmental remediation treatment. In this context, almost all of the isotherm models (Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Redlich–Peterson, Sips, and Khan) for adsorption in the literature were applied to explain the adsorption mechanism of 4-chlorophenol on activated carbon in this study. Also theoretical modeling data were obtained using model equations; interpolation and analysis of variance were made to compare data by using statistics software. In addition, the thermodynamic and kinetic studies for adsorption mechanism were included in the article. The adsorption of 4-chlorophenol on activated carbon fits well to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model than the pseudo-second-order, intraparticular diffusion and Bangham models. It is also indicated that 4-chlorophenol adsorption by granular activated carbon would be attributed to a type of transition between physical and chemical adsorption rather than a pure physical or chemical adsorption process. As a result, an environmental remediation problem and the adsorption mechanism on activated carbon that can be regarded as a solution to this problem are described and explained using the mathematical models and calculations in this study.     

Preferential adsorption of fluorescing fulvic and humic acid components on activated carbon using flow field-flow fractionation analysis

Activated carbon treatment of drinking water is used to remove natural organic matter (NOM) precursors that lead to the formation of disinfection byproducts. The innate hydrophobic nature and macromolecular size of NOM render it amenable to sorption by activated carbon. Batch equilibrium and minicolumn breakthrough adsorption studies were performed using granular activated carbon to treat NOM-contaminated water. Ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectroscopy and flow field-flow fractionation analysis using tandem diode-array and fluorescence detectors were used to monitor the activated carbon sorption of NOM. Using these techniques, it was possible to study activated carbon adsorption properties of UV absorbing, fluorescing and nonfluorescing, polyelectrolytic macromolecules fractionated from the total macromolecular and nonmacromolecular composition of NOM. Adsorption isotherms were constructed at pH 6 and pH 9. Data were described by the traditional and modified Freundlich models. Activated carbon capacity and adsorbability were compared among fractionated molecular subsets of fulvic and humic acids. Preferential adsorption (or adsorptive fractionation) of polyelectrolytic, fluorescing fulvic and humic macromolecules on activated carbon was observed. The significance of observing preferential adsorption on activated carbon of fluorescing macromolecular components relative to nonfluorescing components is that this phenomenon changes the composition of dissolved organic matter remaining in equilibrium in the aqueous phase relative to the composition that existed in the aqueous phase prior to adsorption. Likewise, it changes the composition of dissolved organic matter remaining in equilibrium in the aqueous phase relative to the adsorbed phase. This research increases our understanding of NOM interactions with activated carbon which may lead to improved methods of potable water production.     

Removal of phenols and other pollutants from different landfill leachates using powdered activated carbon supplemented SBR technology

In this research, two types of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with 8 h of cycle times, namely non-powdered activated carbon (NPAC-SBR) and powdered activated carbon (PAC-SBR), were used for the treatment of raw leachates at Kulim and Pulau Burung landfill sites. To test the performance of SBRs, phenols, total iron, zinc, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, color, suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, and total dissolved salts removal efficiencies and sludge volume index (SVI) were studied at both sites. The rates of phenols removal, for instance in NPAC-SBRs and PAC-SBRs at Kulim, were 25% and 55%, respectively, whereas those at Pulau Buring were 94.81% and 97.75%, respectively. PAC as adsorbent in PAC-SBRs enhanced the removal efficiencies of the aforementioned pollutants from leachates at both sites. In addition, PAC as adsorbent decreased the SVI values at Kulim (59.7 mL/g) and Pulau Burung (91.4 mL/g) leachates and improved the nitrification and denitrification processes.     

Development of low-cost ammonia gas sensors and data analysis algorithms to implement a monitoring grid of urban environmental pollutants

The present study is focused on the implementation of a novel, low cost, urban grid of nanostructured chemresistor gas sensors for ammonia concentration ([NH(3)]) monitoring, with NH(3) being one of the main precursors of secondary fine particulate. Low-cost chemresistor gas sensors based on carbon nanotubes have been developed, their response to [NH(3)] in the 0.17-5.0 ppm range has been tested, and the devices have been properly calibrated under different relative humidity conditions in the 33-63% range. In order to improve the chemresistor selectivity towards [NH(3)], an Expert System, based on fuzzy logic and genetic algorithms, has been developed to extract the atmospheric [NH(3)] (with a sensitivity of a few ppb) from the output signal of a model chemresistor gas sensor exposed to an NO(2), NO(X) and O(3) gas mixture. The concentration of these pollutants that are known to be the most significant interfering compounds during ammonia detection with carbon nanotube gas sensors has been tracked by the ARPA monitoring network in the city of Milan and the historical dataset collected over one year has been used to train the Expert System.     

Coelomocyte biomarkers in the earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)

Contamination by 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a global environmental problem at sites of former explosive production, handling, or storage, and could have deleterious consequences for human and ecological health. We investigated its sublethal effects to Eisenia fetida, using two nonspecific biomarkers. In coelomocytes of earthworms exposed 24, 48, or 72 h, we evaluated DNA damage (comet assay) and neutral red retention time (NRRT), using the filter paper contact test. Both percentage of damage (D%) and calculated damage index showed significant DNA damage at almost all concentrations, at all time points assayed. Along exposure time, two different patterns were observed. At the lower TNT concentrations (0.25?C0.5 ??g/cm²) an increased DNA migration at 48 h, with a decrease close to initial levels after 72 h exposure, was observed. This decrease could be attributed to activation of the DNA repair system. At higher concentrations (1.0?C2.0 ??g/cm²), the high DNA damage observed remained constant during the 72 h exposure, suggesting that the rate of DNA repair was not enough to compensate such damage. Analysis of NRRT results showed a significant interaction between time and treatment. After 48 h, a significant decrease was observed at 4.0 ??g/cm². After 72 h, NRRT presented a concentration-dependent decrease, significantly different with respect to control at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 ??g/cm². The two assayed methods, performed on the same sample, showed clear responses to sublethal TNT exposure in E. fetida, providing sensitive unspecific biomarkers of cell injury and DNA damage.     

Estimating the mitigation potential of the Chinese service sector using embodied carbon emissions accounting

It is universally recognized that direct carbon emissions based on energy consumption and industrial production lead to carbon leakage and inequality. This paper employs input–output analysis (IOA) and the hypothetical extraction method (HEM) to establish an embodied carbon analysis framework to resolve the above externalities. As a typical downstream consumption industry, the service sector has had very little work examining its embodied carbon transfer structure and related climate policies. In this paper, carbon flows of China's service sector between 1997 and 2015 are mapped and a scenario analysis is conducted that accounts for the service sector development plan and carbon emissions reduction targets. The results demonstrate that 13–19% of carbon flows in the Chinese economy are caused by the service sector's demand of other sectors. Controlling the industry scale and carbon intensity of its upstream industries effectively mitigates the dramatic growth of embodied carbon emissions in the service sector. The embodied carbon emissions accounting framework might provide new insights for the definition of emissions reduction responsibility on both a regional and sectoral scale. The further exploration of the service industry from this novel perspective will be helpful in realizing China's overall carbon emissions reduction goals.     

Almond shell activated carbon: adsorbent and catalytic support in the phenol degradation

In this work, two technologies are studied for the removal of phenol from aqueous solution: dynamic adsorption onto activated carbon and photocatalysis. Almond shell activated carbon (ASAC) was used as adsorbent and catalytic support in the phenol degradation process. The prepared catalyst by deposition of anatase TiO₂ on the surface of activated carbon was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, sorption of nitrogen, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and pH_ZPC point of zero charge. In the continuous adsorption experiments, the effects of flow rate, bed height, and solution temperature on the breakthrough curves have been studied. The breakthrough curves were favorably described by the Yoon–Nelson model. The photocatalytic degradation of phenol has been investigated at room temperature using TiO₂-coated activated carbon as photocatalyst (TiO₂/ASAC). The degradation reaction was optimized with respect to the phenol concentration and catalyst amount. The kinetics of disappearance of the organic pollutant followed an apparent first-order rate. The findings demonstrated the applicability of ASAC for the adsorptive and catalytic treatment of phenol.     

气相色谱法测定环境空气中2-甲基吡啶的方法

研究建立了活性炭管吸附,甲醇解吸,气相色谱法测定环境空气中2-甲基吡啶的方法。该法的检出限为1.8×10~(-3)mg/m~3,线性相关系数r为0.999 6,精密度RSD为1.3%~2.9%,回收率为82%~84%。该方法简单,干扰较少,结果准确、可靠,重现性好,适用于环境空气中2-甲基吡啶的测定。     

利用活性污泥制造活性炭的研究

论述了利用在活性污泥法处理废水过程中产生的好氧污泥和厌氧污泥制造活性炭的过程,选择出最佳的制作条件,并进一步测试了产品的性能。实验结果表明,利用剩余活性污泥制造活发现灰这一方法是可行的,并且在最佳条件下制成的活性炭的吸附性能比较令人满意。