Effects of Compounded Curing Agents on Properties and Performance of Urea Formaldehyde Resin

The effects of three compounded curing agents on the properties and performance of the urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin were investigated in this study. The compounded curing agents were prepared by mixing ammonium chloride with hexamethylenetetramine, citric acid, and oxalic acid respectively at a ratio of 1:1, named N-H, N–CA, and N–OA, respectively. The curing process, crystallinity, and physical properties were measured, and the three-ply plywood was fabricated to measure its prepress strength, wet shear strength, and formaldehyde emission. Results showed that the compounded curing agents N–CA and N–OA enhanced the initial viscosity, crosslinking density and thermal stability of UF resin. Additionally, the prepress strength of the plywood bonded by UF resin with N–CA and N–OA increased by 82 and 111% respectively compared to the UF resin with NH₄Cl, and the wet shear strength increased by 14 and 16%, the formaldehyde emission decreased by 19 and 42% respectively. However, owing to the short pot-life of these curing agent limited their storage time, the curing agents N–CA and N–OA should be applied to fabricate plywood in winter for obtaining a better bond strength and a lower formaldehyde emission. While the UF resin with N–HT showed a suitable pot-life, so it could be applied to fabricate plywood in summer for long time storage and avoiding procuring problem.     

Lobar holoprosencephaly: prenatal MR diagnosis with postnatal MR correlation

Holoprosencephaly is a congenital anomaly characterized by lack of cleavage of the prosencephalon. Although, relatively rare, it is the most common anomaly that involves both the brain and the face. Prenatal diagnosis of this anomaly using ultrasonography, particularly of the less severe forms, is difficult. Magnetic resonance imaging has recently become an important complement to US in prenatal diagnosis of CNS anomalies. We herein report a patient in whom, at 23 weeks of gestation, US suggested agenesis of the corpus callosum and in whom, at 24 weeks of gestation, MRI correctly diagnosed lobar holoprosencephaly, which was confirmed by a postnatal MRI at 3 weeks of age. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of water-emulsified fuel on a diesel engine generator’s thermal efficiency and exhaust

Water-emulsified diesel has proven itself as a technically sufficient improvement fuel to improve diesel engine fuel combustion emissions and engine performance. However, it has seldom been used in light-duty diesel engines. Therefore, this paper focuses on an investigation into the thermal efficiency and pollution emission analysis of a light-duty diesel engine generator fueled with different water content emulsified diesel fuels (WD, including WD-0, WD-5, WD-10, and WD-15). In this study, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide were analyzed by a vehicle emission gas analyzer, and the particle size and number concentration were measured by an electrical low-pressure impactor. In addition, engine loading and fuel consumption were also measured to calculate the thermal efficiency. Measurement results suggested that water-emulsified diesel was useful to improve the thermal efficiency and the exhaust emission of a diesel engine. Obviously, the thermal efficiency was increased about 1.2 to 19.9%. In addition, water-emulsified diesel leads to a significant reduction of nitric oxide emission (less by about 18.3 to 45.4%). However, the particle number concentration emission might be increased if the loading of the generator becomes lower than or equal to 1800 W. In addition, exhaust particle size distributions were shifted toward larger particles at high loading. The consequence of this research proposed that the water-emulsified diesel was useful to improve the engine performance and some of exhaust emissions, especially the NO emission reduction.

Implications:The accumulated test results provide a good basis to resolve the corresponding pollutants emitted from a light-duty diesel engine generator. By measuring and analyzing transforms of exhaust pollutant from this engine generator, the effects of water-emulsified diesel fuel and loading on emission characteristics might be more clear. Understanding reduction of pollutant emissions during the use of water-emulsified diesel helps improve the effectiveness of the testing program. The analyzed consequences provide useful information to the government for setting policies to curb pollutant emissions from a light-duty diesel engine generator more effectively.     

表面活性剂增效电动技术修复多环芳烃污染土壤

研究了电动修复过程中修复时间和表面活性剂Triton X-100、鼠李糖脂对多环芳烃芘污染土壤的修复效果的影响。结果表明,在电动修复过程中,随着修复时间的增加,芘的去除率相应提高。通过向电解液中添加表面活性剂Triton X-100,芘的去除率从11.64%提高到了23.42%,当在电解液中添加浓度为40倍CMC的鼠李糖脂后去除率升高至36.29%,阳极附近土壤甚至达到了92.49%,这表明Triton X-100和鼠李糖脂均能促进土壤中芘的溶解和迁移,鼠李糖脂的促进作用高于Triton X-100。     

Comparison of using polyurethane foam passive samplers and tree bark samples from Western China to determine atmospheric organochlorine pesticide

Polyurethane foam(PUF)passive samplers were deployed and tree bark samples were collected at 15 sites across western China in 2013,and the organochlorine pesticide(OCP)concentrations in the samples were determined.Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its degradation products(collectively called DDTs),hexachlorocyclohexanes(HCHs),and hexachlorobenzene(HCB)were the dominant OCPs in the PUF samples and tree bark samples.The mean DDTs,HCHs and HCB concentrations were 33,22 and 18 ng/sample in the PUF samples,and 428,74,and 43 ng/(g lipid weight(lw))in the tree bark,respectively.The OCP concentrations in the air,calculated using PUF–air and tree-bark–air partitioning models,were of the same order of magnitude.Both sample types showed that relatively fresh inputs of DDT and HCHs to the environment have occurred in western China.Meanwhile,PUF passive samplers were compared with the use of tree bark samples as passive samplers.The OCP compositions in the PUF and tree bark samples were different.Only the relatively stable OCPs(such as HCB,β-HCH and p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloro-ethylene(DDE))were consistent in the PUF and tree bark samples.     

Removal of 2-chlorophenol from water using rice-straw derived ash

Removal of 2-chlorophenol from water using rice-straw derived ash (RSDA) was evaluated in this study to compare with commercial activated carbon. RSDA was obtained by burning rice-straw at 400 °C and 700 °C for 1 h. This ash can provide a better adsorbent for 2-chlorophenol. The adsorption capacities of RSDA at 400 °C and 700 °C are 37 and 52 mg g?1 at pH 4, respectively, and decrease to 9.0 and 40 mg g?1 at pH 10. Adsorption of either neutral or anionic 2-cholorphenol by the RSDA are shown as L-shaped nonlinear isotherms, suggesting surface adsorption rather than partitioning is occurring. At higher-burning temperatures, the surface area, porosity, point of zero charge and aromaticity of the resultant RSDA increase, but the oxygen content and surface acidity decrease. The combined effects result in a higher 2-chlorophenol adsorption of RSDA at 700 °C, which shows a slight pH effect on the adsorption of 2-chlorophenol, due to the lower content of oxygen-containing functional groups. Oxygen-containing functional groups contribute to surface acidity and H-bonding sites for adsorbed water, which compromises the interaction between 2-chlorophenol and the adsorbents. Thus, it suggests that rice-straw derived carbon (RSDC) can be used as an effective low-cost substitute material for activated carbon for removal of chlorophenols from wastewater.     

Bioreduction of nitrate in groundwater using a pilot-scale hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor

A long-term pilot-scale H₂-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was tested for removal of nitrate from actual groundwater. A key feature of this second-generation pilot MBfR is that it employed lower cost polyester hollow fibers and still achieved high loading rate. The steady-state maximum nitrate surface loading at which the effluent nitrate and nitrite concentrations were below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) was at least 5.9 g·N·(m²·d)^?1, which corresponds to a maximum volumetric loading of at least 7.7 kg·N·(m³·d) ^?1. The steady-state maximum nitrate surface area loading was higher than the highest nitrate surface loading reported in the first-generation MBfRs using composite fibers (2.6 g·N·(m²·d)^?1). This work also evaluated the H₂-utilization efficiency in MBfR. The measured H₂ supply rate was only slightly higher than the stoichiometric H₂-utilization rate. Thus, H₂ utilization was controlled by diffusion and was close to 100% efficiency, as long as biofilm accumulated on the polyester-fiber surface and the fibers had no leaks.     

Physicochemical properties of chars at different treatment temperatures

In this study, the physicochemical properties of the char of Indonesian SM coal following heat treatment at various temperatures were evaluated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and morphological and specific surface area analysis. Based on these analyses, heat treatment of coal was determined to be the most effective in increasing the coal rank. In the XPS analysis, the C-O and C-O-C groups and quaternary-N species were found to be of a lower grade coal when the pretreatment temperature decreased, meanwhile the C-C group and pyridinic species increased. In the FT-IR analysis, the collapse of the C-O and C-O-C group was observed due to the collapse of the ether group. In SEM and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, a decrease in the ether group was shown to be accompanied with the formation of micropores.     

生态文明制度体系研究——以江苏省为例

生态文明制度体系是由制度构成的一个相互配合、有机联系的整体。本文基于文献统计分析与实地调研咨询,从广义和狭义层面,分别对生态文明制度进行梳理。根据国家生态文明建设需求与省级层面实际情况,本文将广义的生态文明制度体系分为源头保护制度体系、损害赔偿与激励体系、追责考评制度体系和污染治理制度体系四大板块,并针对国家与省级重点生态文明制度,构建生态资源保护制度链与污染防治制度链。同时,对制度地位、制度衔接、相互关系及其优化选择进行分析,以提高环境管理效能,推进生态文明研究纵深发展。