Mercury levels in human population from a mining district in Western Colombia

A biomonitoring study was carried out to examine the adverse impacts of total mercury in the blood(HgB), urine(Hg U) and human scalp hair(HgH) on the residents of a mining district in Colombia. Representative biological samples(scalp hair, urine and blood) were collected from volunteered participants(n = 63) to estimate the exposure levels of THg using a Direct mercury analyzer. The geometric mean of THg concentrations in the hair,urine and blood of males were 15.98 μg/g, 23.89 μg/L and 11.29 μg/L respectively, whereas the females presented values of 8.55 μg/g, 5.37 μg/L and 8.80 μg/L. Chronic urinary Hg(HgU)levels observed in male workers(32.53 μg/L) are attributed to their long termed exposures to inorganic and metallic mercury from gold panning activities. On an average, the levels of THg are increasing from blood(10.05 μg/L) to hair(12.27 μg/g) to urine(14.63 μg/L).Significant positive correlation was found between hair and blood urinary levels in both male and female individuals. Thus the present biomonitoring investigation to evaluate the Hg levels and associated health issues would positively form a framework for further developmental plans and policies in building an ecofriendly ecosystem.     

Seasonal variation and chemical composition of particulate matter: A study by XPS, ICP-AES and sequential microanalysis using Raman with SEM/EDS

During the winter period (January–March 2016), the total suspended particles (TSP) and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) were characterized by the application of various analytical techniques in four zones of the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey in Mexico. To evaluate the seasonal variation of some elements in the particulate matter, the results of this study were compared with those obtained during the summer season (July–September 2015). The speciation of the C_1s signal by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the contribution of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons as the main components in both seasons. Conversely, carboxylic groups associated with biogenic emissions were detected only in winter. The percentages of SO₄^2 ? ions were lower in winter, possibly caused by the decrease in the solar radiation, and relative humidity recorded. The results of the ICP analysis revealed that Fe, Zn and Cu were the most abundant metals in both TSP and PM_2.5 in the two seasons. There were significant seasonal variations for concentrations of As, Ni and Zn in the urban area and for Fe, As, Cd, Ni and Zn in the industrial zone. This was attributed to the greater burning of fuels as well as to an increase in vehicular traffic, the effect of thermal inversion and changes in some meteorological parameters. The results of the sequential microanalysis by Raman spectroscopy and SEM/EDS allowed observation of deposits of carbonaceous material on the particles and to perform the speciation of particles rich in Fe and Pb, which helped infer their possible emission sources.     

墨西哥湾西北部石油钻探对钻台附近沉积物中和生物体内微量金属元素含量的影响

一口典型海上石油钻井排入海中的钻井泥浆为500—1000t(干重,岩屑除外)。本项研究对墨西哥湾钻探位置周围表层沉积物、大型表栖生物群和钴井泥浆中某些微量元素(Ba、Cd、Cr、Cu、Fe、Pb、Ni和V)在钻探作业前、中和后均作了测定。生物体内Fe含量和沉积物中Ba、Cr含量的明显增高是由于钻井排放所致。深入研究了区内的虾类。钻探作业最后几天采集的虾类,其腹部肌肉的Fe含量比钻进前后采集的虾类的腹部肌肉高一倍。由钻井泥浆中可溶性有机螯合剂引起的海水中Fe溶解度(生物可吸收性)的提高,是上述Fe含量观测值增高的最合适的解释。在各采样环内的沉积物中都观测到Ba含量有明显增加,但只是在钻探位置的几百米范围内才大量增加(达7.5倍)。对钻探位置1000m范围内沉积物中的总排放Ba(过剩Ba)进行了质量平衡测定。在钻探结束时,只有占所用Ba总量9.3%的Ba以及估计还有由Ba示踪的其他类似泥浆组分在1000m范围内保存下来。在2.6mo以后只有6.6%保存下来。在海上高海流研究位置(水深24m)发生的沉积物明显再悬浮和迁移是造成排放Ba在沉积物中停滞时间短和快速丢失的主要原因。在1000m采样范围内的沉积物中,Cr的平均含量增加最高(26%)。     

Mobility and sulfidization of heavy metals in sediments of a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Taihu, China

The technique of DGT (diffusive gradients in thin films) using three diffusive gel thicknesses was applied to estimate the mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in sediments and porewater of Lake Taihu, China. The DGT results showed significantly positive correlations between Co, Pb, Cd and Mn, and Ni and Fe concentrations in porewater. Cu and Zn showed a significantly negative correlation with Mn, due to Cu combination with carbonates and Zn derived from agricultural pollution, respectively. The rank order of average concentrations of Co, Ni and Cd at each station was DGT_1.92 > DGT_0.78 > DGT_0.39, suggesting stronger resupply from sediments to porewater when using thicker diffusive gels. Comparing centrifugation and DGT measurements, Co, Ni and Cd are highly labile; Mn and Fe are moderately labile; and Cu, Zn and Pb are slightly labile. The variations of AVS concentrations in sediment cores indicate that metal sulfides in deeper layers are easily diffused into surface sediments.     

联邦德国的公害问题及对策

1.防治公害技术的水平防治公害和技术之间,可以说有不可分割的关系。这不仅是因为部分公害问题是由于生产技术发展而造成的,更重要的是环境状况的目标、手段、方法亦与技术发展有关。采取什么样的对策才能使环境破坏、环境污染减少到最小限度,不致使将来产生大的危害,仍是当前必须优先考虑的社会问题。具体说来,这也意味着向技术提出挑战。科技工作者勇敢地迎接了这种挑战。本文将对当前在防治公害、保护环境方面已达到的经济、技术水平作一简要介绍。这种水平自然以介绍国际水平为宜。当前,不同的国家防治公害的重点会有所不同,但基本看来,可用如下两种方法改善环境状况。     

污泥制砖

废水处理厂的污泥带来诸多处置难题。通常,脱水污泥用土地回收或填埋法处置。然而,对于高度都市化的城市来说,因土地有限,采用填埋法处置污泥可能是不合适的焚烧或许是一种较好的处置方法,经焚烧处理后会产生相当多的污泥烟灰,这些烟灰必须用其它方法来处置。本文介绍了用干污泥和污泥烟灰作为制砖材料的研究结果。制砖时,能与粘土相混合的干污泥和污泥烟灰的最大百分数分别为40％和50％,砖的抗压强度从不含污泥时的87.2N/mm~2减少到含干污泥40％时的37.9N/mm~2和含污泥烟灰50％的69.4N/mm~2     

用改进型CAJRIX离子交换技术去除水中镉、铜离子的研究

本文报道用离子交换技术去除镉、铜的新工艺,在传统的CARIX工艺中碳酸钙是便宜的再生添加剂,但再生效率较低,使用较困难.本文报道用镁型化合物作为再生添加剂加入饱和的二氧化碳溶液中,将弱酸性阳离子交换树脂转变为镁型。在不同条件下选用Mg(OH)_2、碱式碳酸镁、白云石等作添加剂。实验结果表明,出水中镉、铜含量可达到废水排放允许标准。     

硅质沉积岩的La-Ce和Sm-Nd分馏系列——沉积过程中海洋环境的标志

为了说明硅质沉积岩(燧石)中稀土元素(REE)源的特征及其沉积环境的性质,测定了有关的La-Ce同位素和Sm-Nd同位素数据。所研究的燧石为西澳大利亚皮尔巴拉断块中乔治克里克群的晚太古宙燧石、日本中部的三叠纪燧石和太平洋中部以及加勒比海白垩纪和早第三纪深海燧石。采自乔治克里克群的太古宙燧石,显示出在其沉积年代里具有球粒陨石的Ce和Nd同位素比值,这表明其源区有一个随时间积分的球粒陨石REE模式。采自日本的三叠纪燧石,具有表明直接来源于陆源的初始Ce和Nd同位素比值。另一方面,对REE模式中出现负异常的白垩纪和早第三纪的深海燧石来说,其初始Ce和Nd同位素比值揭示出有两个不同的来源:Ce来自轻稀土元素(LREE)长期亏损的大洋火山岩,而Nd来自LREE富集的大陆岩石。据认为,从深海燧石中所观测到的相反的性质是其沉积环境远离大陆的反映。这些结果证实,La-Ce同位素体系在确定海洋沉积物(如燧石)中所观测到的异常性质和成因方面非常有用。     

Petroleum waste biodegradation with porous biomass support system (PBSS) on rotating biological contactor

A laboratory scale study was conducted to assess the feasibility of the new coupling of rotating biological contactor (RBC) plus porous biomass support system (PBSS) using polyurethane foam as porous support media to biodegrade petroleum refinery wastewater. Polyurethane foam was attached on disks of two four-stage laboratory scale cascade connected RBC units.The two RBC units were operated simultaneously at different but constant, flowrates giving hydraulic loading rates of 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 m3/m2/d in two runs keeping the same rotational speed 10 r/min throughout. Organic loading was a less controllable factor in this study.For all of the hydraulic loadings, it was found that the removal efficiency of total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and oil were above 80 percent. Ammonia nitrogen and phenol removal were above 90 and 80 percent respectively. The maximum biomass concentration within polyurethane foam was about 30 g/m2 in the first stage for 0.03 m3/m2/d hydraulic loading.The results show that t     

Atmospheric pollution in Beijing, China, as recorded in sediments of the Kunming Lake

The fluxes of heavy metals and magnetite, a fly-ash component, from coal burning, to sediments of the Kunming Lake in Beijing have increased measurably over the last fifty years. Ages were introduced to the sediment strata through Pb-210 geochronologies. Even with a doubling of coal usage by the year 2000, the anthropogenic metal fluxes will still be less than those recorded in metropolitan Tokyo and U.S. lakes.