Effects of Smoke Emissions from a Charcoal Kiln on the Functioning of Forest Soil Systems: A Microcosm Study

Long-term charcoal production in small private charcoal kilns (CK) in Eastern Bieszczady Mts. (SE Poland) can cause local smoke contamination of the ambient forest environment. Responses of model soil systems, contaminated or not contaminated by CK smoke, to contrasting combinations of hydrothermic regimes were compared in laboratory microcosms (respiration of soil community, decomposition rate of soil organic matter and cotton stripes, herb seeds germination were studied). The majority of the obtained data show a markedly higher level of soil biological activity in the CK versus the control series. In some cases CK and control soil systems show different patterns of reactions to the tested combinations of microclimate regime. These phenomena should at least partly be attributed to the effects of CK pollution.     

Heavy metals in brick kiln located area using atomic absorption spectrophotometer: a case study from the city of Peshawar, Pakistan

Environmental pollution is one of the burning issues of the world. In developed countries, there are lot of awareness about the environment and the impact of various industries on their life and surroundings. A little has been done in this direction in developing countries. In Pakistan, a big problem is the rapid conglomeration of the brick kilns in the outskirts of nearly all the urban centers to cope with the rapid construction work in big cities. A huge amount of low-grade coal or rubber tires is used as fuel in a very non-scientific manner. The purpose of the present study was to look into the impact of the brick kilns on the different aspects of environmental pollution caused by these kilns. Concentration of metals Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Mn were measured on 36 soil samples collected from the area and the same number of plant samples in order to establish the distribution of heavy metals in the area and to determine the effect of this distribution on the surrounding atmosphere and the possible effects on human life.     

Assessment of air pollution from small scale industry

Air pollution due to small scale industries have been found tocause serious occupational health hazards and adverse effects on vegetation and heritage. The study for air pollution impactassessment for brick kiln industries was undertaken. The stackmonitoring exercise was carried out to estimate the pollution level of SPM, SO₂, and NO_x. The ambient air quality was also measured in the vicinity of brick kilns to assess the impact of stack emission on ground level concentration. Characterisation of SPM for toxic metals were studied. Modelling exercise was carried to predict the impact of emission of brick kiln on surrounding environment. To minimise the emission level and ground level concentration, airpollution mitigation measures are suggested.     

TSP, PM depositions, and trace elements in the vicinity of a cement plant and their source apportionments using chemical mass balance model in Izmir, Turkey

Total suspended particles mass concentrations (TSP) and bulk depositions of particulate matter (PM depositions) were measured around a cement plant located in the multi-impacted area to assess the affect of the plant on the ambient air in the vicinity in Izmir, Turkey. TSP samples were collected five times a month whereas PM depositions were sampled monthly at four sites between August 2003 and January 2004. The concentrations of Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn in TSP and PM depositions (except Cu) were reported. Chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor model with local source profiles was run in order to calculate the source contributions of the PM sources to the concentrations of TSP, PM depositions, and trace elements. Traffic was found to be the major contributor to TSP whereas PM depositions dominantly result from area sources including several stone quarries, concrete plants, lime kilns, and asphalt plants in the region. CMB model results indicate that the cement plant is a significant contributor to TSP, PM depositions, and trace elements, particularly Cd.     

超声波技术在焦化废水处理中的应用研究

以某焦化厂的焦化废水为研究对象,通过试验分析了超声功率、初始浓度、溶液pH、反应时间、空化气体及反应器中的静水压力等因素对超声降解焦化废水的影响,采用正交试验的方法确定了最佳的工艺条件.在最佳工艺条件下,对焦化废水中PAHs的脱除效果进行了分析.     

Integrated assessment of brick kiln emission impacts on air quality

This paper presents monitoring results of daily brick kiln stack emission and the derived emission factors. Emission of individual air pollutant varied significantly during a firing batch (7 days) and between kilns. Average emission factors per 1,000 bricks were 6.35–12.3 kg of CO, 0.52–5.9 kg of SO₂ and 0.64–1.4 kg of particulate matter (PM). PM emission size distribution in the stack plume was determined using a modified cascade impactor. Obtained emission factors and PM size distribution data were used in simulation study using the Industrial Source Complex Short-Term (ISCST3) dispersion model. The model performance was successfully evaluated for the local conditions using the simultaneous ambient monitoring data in 2006 and 2007. SO₂ was the most critical pollutant, exceeding the hourly National Ambient Air Quality Standards over 63 km² out of the 100-km² modelled domain in the base case. Impacts of different emission scenarios on the ambient air quality (SO₂, PM, CO, PM dry deposition flux) were assessed.     

Pathways and Kinetics on Photocatalytic Destruction of Aqueous Phenol

In this study, the TiO₂ photocatalytic decomposition process of aqueous phenol was investigated. The intermediate products generated in the elementary reaction steps in the mineralization process were experimentally identified as hydroquinone, catechol and hydroxyhydroquinone. The concentration variations of these intermediate products with time passage were traced by high performance liquid chromatograph. The pathways of the decomposition process were given. Based on Langmuir isothermal theory and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism, the multi-compounds competition kinetic model was established. In this model, the observed time-dependent concentrations of phenol and the intermediate products were simulated.     

Chemical constraints on new man-made lakes

The formation of reservoirs often affects water quality strongly, with the changes in the physicochemical properties being ascribed to decomposition of remaining organic matter arising from leaching and (biological and chemical) breakdown processes. In this study, experiments under laboratory conditions were performed to show that the nature of the course particulate organic matter (CPOM; i.e., leaves, branches, barks, and litter) determines the decomposition kinetics in new reservoirs. Effects on the water quality can be of short-, mid-, and long-term duration for all types of CPOM, as indicated in the mathematical modeling of the decomposition kinetics. Leaves and litter displayed the shortest half-life times (51 and 40 days, respectively) and the highest potential of leaching/oxidation of labile compounds (19 and 21 %, respectively). On the other hand, decomposition of branches and barks generated the lowest oxygen consumption (74 and 44 mg oxygen/g dry mass (DM), respectively). During formation of the reservoir, the incorporation and decomposition of organic matter prevailed over material exportation. Therefore, in addition to a decrease in oxygen availability the concentration of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nutrients increased. After the filling stage, there was significant loss of organic matter via oxidation, sedimentation, biological assimilation, and export, thus causing the BOD concentration and the fertility of the water to decrease.     

Diagenesis of settling seston: identity and transformations of organic phosphorus

Solution (31)phosphorus NMR spectroscopy and sequential fractionation were used to follow diagenetic changes in phosphorus forms during decomposition of settling seston in Lake Nordborg, a shallow eutrophic lake in Denmark. In a decomposition experiment, seston released >60% of their total phosphorus during ~50 days incubation, although seston collected during summer contained more phosphorus and released it over a longer period compared to seston collected during spring. Seston decomposition increased concentrations of potentially bioavailable polyphosphate and phosphodiesters, but also promoted the formation of refractory phosphorus forms that might be buried permanently in the sediment. Combining these results with in situ measurements of phosphorus concentrations in lake water and sediment traps revealed that the release from settling seston plays only a minor role in the accumulation of phosphorus in the hypolimnion of Lake Nordborg.     

底质样品微波消解总磷测定研究

使用硫酸_高氯酸在微波消解系统消解 ,以钼锑抗比色法测定底质中的总磷 ,通过实验确定最佳消解及分析条件。结果表明 ,该方法快速简便并有较高准确度、精密度和较低的检测限 ,值得推广和应用。     

PM sources in a highly industrialised area in the process of implementing PM abatement technology. Quantification and evolution

Principal component analysis (PCA) coupled with a multilinear regression analysis (MLRA) was applied to PM(10) speciation data series (2002-2005) from four sampling sites in a highly industrialised area (ceramic production) in the process of implementing emission abatement technology. Five common factors with similar chemical profiles were identified at all the sites: mineral, regional background (influenced by the industrial estate located on the coast: an oil refinery and a power plant), sea spray, industrial 1 (manufacture and use of glaze components, including frit fusion) and road traffic. The contribution of the regional background differs slightly from site to site. The mineral factor, attributed to the sum of several sources (mainly the ceramic industry, but also with minor contributions from soil resuspension and African dust outbreaks) contributes between 9 and 11 microg m(-3) at all the sites. Source industrial 1 entails an increase in PM(10) levels between 4 and 5 microg m(-3) at the urban sites and 2 microg m(-3) at the suburban background site. However, after 2004, this source contributed less than 2 microg m(-3) at most sites, whereas the remaining sources did not show an upward or downward trend along the study period. This gradual decrease in the contribution of source industrial 1 coincides with the implementation of PM abatement technology in the frit fusion kilns of the area. This relationship enables us to assess the efficiency of the implementation of environmental technologies in terms of their impact on air quality.     

Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potential: An Assessment of Models and Methods for the Power Sector

The success of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions requires that there are scientifically sound and usable measurement methods for the emission baseline. Three different methods are investigated in the context of China’s electrical sector: simulation with dispatch analysis, decomposition analysis, and operating and build margin analysis. It is found that dispatch analysis is the best method available as it is able to consider important regional and temporal dimensions, while decomposition analysis can help quantify the potential effects of different energy and environment policy choices.     

Continuous monitoring of NO in flue gas based on wavelet decomposition

In this paper, a new algorithm for nitric oxide (NO) measurement based on multi-scale wavelet decomposition is proposed. The algorithm uses one-dimensional discrete multi-scale wavelet decomposition to analyze the transmission spectrum of flue gas. Through the different scales of decomposition, the relation between the absorption characteristics of NO gas and the reconstruction of wavelet coefficients is found. The DB9 wavelet can obtain the most obvious absorption characteristics of the NO gas. After calibration, the algorithm is used to measure the concentration of the mixture of NO and SO(2). The results show that the algorithm is efficient towards SO(2) absorption interference with a full-scale error less than ± 0.4% in laboratory conditions. The algorithm was then applied to field measurements with an overall standard deviation of 8.37 mg m(-3), which is better than 18.92 mg m(-3) determined by the least squares method. Under the interference of desulfurization, the full-scale measurement errors are less than ± 2%. In addition, the algorithm avoids using the reference spectrum, thereby reducing the aging of the light source effectively. It has strong anti-interference capability, good durability, and practicality in the continuous monitoring of NO.     

利用DMA-80自动测汞仪直接测定海水中痕量汞

采用DMA-80自动测汞仪直接测定海水中的痕量汞,详细介绍了干燥时间、分解温度、释放温度等分析条件的优化选择。试验结果,方法在0.4～400ng范围内线性良好,检出限为2×10-5mg/L,方法操作简单,灵敏度高,结果准确。     

铅锌矿区土壤微生物区系及酶活性调查

通过对四川省汉源县富泉乡万顺铅锌矿区土壤微生物区系及微生物活性的调查,结果表明,铅锌矿区土壤几种重金属含量明显高于临近非矿区土壤。该矿区土壤微生物区系组成和微生物活性显著不同于临近非矿区土壤,随着重金属含量的增加,土壤微生物数量、微生物多样性指数、微生物生物量碳以及纤维素分解强度均显著降低,但土壤基础呼吸却明显升高;土壤脲酶、碱性磷酸酶、多酚氧化酶对铅锌矿较为敏感,而蔗糖酶和过氧化氢酶受到的抑制作用不明显。     

Micro-treatment options for components of organic fraction of MSW in residential areas

There is a growing interest in management of MSW through micro-treatment of organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW) in many cities of India. The OFMSW fraction is high (>80%) in many pockets within South Indian cities like Bangalore, Chikkamagalur, etc. and is largely represented by vegetable, fruit, packing and garden wastes. Among these, the last three have shown problems for easy decomposition. Fruit wastes are characterized by a large pectin supported fraction that decomposes quickly to organic acids (becomes pulpy) that eventually slow down anaerobic and aerobic decomposition processes. Paper fraction (newsprint and photocopying paper) as well as paddy straw (packing), bagasse (from cane juice stalls) and tree leaf litter (typical garden waste and street sweepings) are found in reasonably large proportions in MSW. These decompose slowly due to poor nutrients or physical state. We have examined the suitability of these substrates for micro-composting in plastic bins by tracking decomposition pattern and physical changes. It was found that fruit wastes decompose rapidly to produce organic acids and large leachate fraction such that it may need to be mixed with leachate absorbing materials (dry wastes) for good composting. Leaf litter, paddy straw and bagasse decompose to the tune of 90, 68 and 60% VS and are suitable for composting micro-treatment. Paper fractions even when augmented with 10% leaf compost failed to show appreciable decomposition in 50 days. All these feedstocks were found to have good biological methane potential (BMP) and showed promise for conversion to biogas under a mixed feed operation. Suitability of this approach was verified by operating a plug-flow type anaerobic digester where only leaf litter gathered nearby (as street sweepings) was used as feedstock. Here only a third of the BMP was realized at this scale (0.18 m³ biogas/kg VS 0.55 m³/kg in BMP). We conclude that anaerobic digestion in plug-flow like digesters appear a more suitable micro-treatment option (2–10 kg VS/day) because in addition to compost it also produces biogas for domestic use nearby.     

Water quality time series for Big Melen stream (Turkey): its decomposition analysis and comparison to upstream

Big Melen stream is one of the major water resources providing 268 km³ year^???1 of drinking and municipal water for Istanbul. Monthly time series data between 1991 and 2004 for 25 chemical, biological, and physical water properties of Big Melen stream were separated into linear trend, seasonality, and error components using additive decomposition models. Water quality index (WQI) derived from 17 water quality variables were used to compare Aksu upstream and Big Melen downstream water quality. Twenty-six additive decomposition models of water quality time series data including WQI had R ² values ranging from 88% for log(water temperature) (P?≤?0.001) to 3% for log(total dissolved solids) (P?≤?0.026). Linear trend models revealed that total hardness, calcium concentration, and log(nitrite concentration) had the highest rate of increase over time. Tukey’s multiple comparison pointed to significant decreases in 17 water quality variables including WQI of Big Melen downstream relative to those of Aksu upstream (P?≤?0.001). Monitoring changes in water quality on the basis of watersheds through WQI and decomposition analysis of time series data paves the way for an adaptive management process of water resources that can be tailored in response to effectiveness and dynamics of management practices.     

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in Vertisol as mediated by type and placement method of residue

Selection of appropriate residue application method is essential for better use of biomass for soil and environmental health improvement. A laboratory incubation experiment was conducted for 75 days to investigate C and N mineralization of residues of soybean (Glycine max L.), chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), maize (Zea mays L.), and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) placed on the soil surface and incorporated into the soil. The residue of soybean and chickpea had a greater decomposition rate than that of maize and wheat, despite of their placements. Higher rate of decomposition of the residue of soybean and chickpea was recorded when it was kept on the soil surface while soil incorporation of residue of wheat and maize resulted in faster decomposition. Therefore, these findings could be used as guidelines for management of crop residue application in farmland to improve soil and environmental quality.     

热分解齐化原子吸收光度法测定废水中的总汞

建立用热分解齐化原子吸收光度法测定废水中总汞的方法。将样品加热至650℃,使所有汞转化成蒸气,利用催化管将蒸气中的二价汞转化成零价汞,再利用金管捕集零价汞,加热金管释放零价汞并使其进入分析单元,在253.7 nm处以冷原子光谱法测定汞含量。方法检出限(t S)为0.045μg/L,测定下限为0.180μg/L。相对标准偏差RSD为2.3%~4.6%,加标回收率P为86.2%~94.8%。用热分解齐化原子吸收光度法直接测定废水中总汞,操作简单,污染小,毒性低,可替代《水质总汞的测定冷原子吸收分光光度法》(HJ 597-2011)。     

分流进样-GC-NCI-MS测定土壤样品中高溴代联苯醚

采用分流进样模式,以GC-NCI-MS法测定土壤样品中7种高溴代联苯醚,对比了分流、不分流2种进样模式下的灵敏度、峰形、回收率、检出限。结果表明,在分流进样模式下,高溴代联苯醚在进样口的热分解率大大降低,色谱峰形尖锐无拖尾,测定结果线性范围宽,7种高溴代联苯醚的基质加标回收率为83.25%~94.71%,RSD为2.91%~7.37%,检出限为0.26~2.71 ng/g,与不分流进样模式相比,该方法灵敏度、检出限更高,适用于环境样品中高溴代联苯醚的检测分析。