Evaluation of the Biodegradability of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Starch Blends: A Methodological Comparison of Environmentally Friendly Materials

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and starch are both biodegradable polymers. These two polymers can be prepared as biodegradable plastics that are emerging as one of the environmental friendly materials available now. In this study, after reacting with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP), modified corn starch was blended with PVA in different ratios by a barbender. Test samples were prepared for mechanical and thermal properties measurements. The surface roughness and morphology of fractured surface of the samples were observed by an atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurements. Aqueous degradation by enzyme, water absorption and biodegradability behavior were evaluated for the degradability. The biodegradability of these materials was followed by bio-reactivity kinetics models. Results showed that the addition of modified starch could enhance its water uptake. With an addition of 20 wt% of modified starch, the blend had a maximum weight loss during enzymatic degradation. It was found that the degradability was enhanced with the addition of the starch. Analyzing the results of the biodegradability based on the kinetic models, the growth rate of the microorganism was found to be increasing with the increase of the content of starch in the PVA/starch blends in the first order reaction fashion. In our biodegradability analysis, i.e., based on the China national standards (CNS) 14432 regulations, we estimated the decomposition behavior based on the mentioned first order reaction. We found that the PVA/starch blends would take 32.47, 16.20 and 12.47 years to degrade by 70% as their starch content 0, 20 and 40 wt%, respectively.     

基于ENVISAT-ASAR数据的洪涝水体空间分布信息提取

分析了表面粗糙度、几何角度和极化方式对水体等地物在雷达图像上成像特点的影响因素以及纹理特征对水体提取的作用,分别对基于单波段数据的域值法、基于双极化数据的最大似然分类法和基于双极化数据和纹理信息的最大似然分类法从ENVISAT-ASAR数据提取洪涝水体信息的方法进行了分析与探讨.试验结果表明:域值法提取水体,存在很多诸如山体阴影等易与水体混淆的误提取问题;利用双极化数据并加入纹理信息参与水体信息提取,在一定程度上可以改善这种误提取现象,提高水体提取精度.纹理的选择方法要与当地的水体与山体阴影走向、形态等结合,这个试验过程是费时的.     

利用遥感手段监测草场退化

利用遥感手段监测草场地上生物量的变化,对防止草场退化,保护生态环境具有重要的意义.利用TM数据建立了青海省达日县1986年和2000年的土地利用现状图形库和属性库,统计出了该县的各种土地覆盖类型面积值.研究结果表明,14年来,达日县草地面积减少了830 hm<'2>,草场退化形势严峻.研究同时表明,利用遥感数据监测草原具有其它手段不可比拟的优势.     

Relationship between air pollution and daily mortality in a subtropical city: Taipei, Taiwan

Air pollution has been associated with daily mortality in numerous studies over the past decade. However most of these studies were conducted in the United States and Europe with relatively few done in Asia. In the current study, the association between ambient air pollution and daily mortality in Taipei, Taiwan's largest city which has a subtropical climate was undertaken, for the period 1994-1998 using a case-crossover analysis. This design is an alternative to Poisson time series regression for studying the short-term adverse health effects of air pollution. The air pollutants examined included particulate matter (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), ozone (O(3)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), and carbon monoxide (CO). The largest observed effect, which was without statistical significance, was seen for NO(2) and CO levels on deaths due to respiratory diseases (ORs=1.013 and 1.014, respectively). The well established link between air pollution levels and daily mortality may not be as strong in cities in subtropical areas, although other factors such as differences in pollutant mix or the underlying health of the population may explain the lack of a strong association in this study. Further studies of this type in cities with varying climates and cultures are needed.     

Pre-dispersal seed predation: the role of fruit abortion and selective oviposition

Oviposition sites of phytophagous insects should correlate with plant traits that maximize survival of the progeny. Plants, on the other hand, should benefit from traits and developmental patterns that complicate oviposition decisions. In the antagonistic interaction between plant and pre-dispersal seed predator the time lag between egg laying and seed development may allow for abortion of fruits in plants, potentially reducing fitness loss through predation. We studied the perennial herb Lathvrus vernus and the beetle pre-dispersal seed predator Bruchus atomarius in Sweden to determine the fitness consequences of nonrandom fruit abortion in the plant and oviposition patterns of the beetle. The beetle had a sophisticated ability to locate fruits with high probability of retention, partly by fruit position and phenology but also by some additional unidentified cue. Mortality of eggs was density dependent, but still the egg-laying pattern was clumped. We found no defensive strategy in the plant; instead the predictable fruit abortion pattern was associated with decreased plant fitness. We discuss how interactions may pose simultaneous selection pressures on plant and insect traits and how life history traits and other selective forces may shape the adaptive outcome of the interaction in plant and insect, respectively.     

Integrated models to support multiobjective ecological restoration decisions

Many objectives motivate ecological restoration, including improving vegetation condition, increasing the range and abundance of threatened species, and improving species richness and diversity. Although models have been used to examine the outcomes of ecological restoration, few researchers have attempted to develop models to account for multiple, potentially competing objectives. We developed a combined state‐and‐transition, species‐distribution model to predict the effects of restoration actions on vegetation condition and extent, bird diversity, and the distribution of several bird species in southeastern Australian woodlands. The actions reflected several management objectives. We then validated the models against an independent data set and investigated how the best management decision might change when objectives were valued differently. We also used model results to identify effective restoration options for vegetation and bird species under a constrained budget. In the examples we evaluated, no one action (improving vegetation condition and extent, increasing bird diversity, or increasing the probability of occurrence for threatened species) provided the best outcome across all objectives. In agricultural lands, the optimal management actions for promoting the occurrence of the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), an iconic threatened species, resulted in little improvement in the extent of the vegetation and a high probability of decreased vegetation condition. This result highlights that the best management action in any situation depends on how much the different objectives are valued. In our example scenario, no management or weed control were most likely to be the best management options to satisfy multiple restoration objectives. Our approach to exploring trade‐offs in management outcomes through integrated modeling and structured decision‐support approaches has wide application for situations in which trade‐offs exist between competing conservation objectives.     

Biotrickling filtration of airborne styrene: A comparison of filtration media

This study compares the performances of fern and plastic chips as packing media for the biofiltration of a styrene-laden waste gas stream emitted in a plant for the manufacture of plastic door plates. Fern chips (with a specific surface area of 1090 m² m^?3) and plastic chips (with a specific surface area of 610 m² m^?3) were packed into a pilot-scale biotrickling filter with a total medium volume of 50 L for the performance test. Field waste gas with styrene concentrations in the range of 161–2390 mg Am^?3 at 28–30 °C) was introduced to the bed and a fixed empty-bed retention time (EBRT) of 21 sec, a volumetric gas flow rate of 8.57 m³ hr^?1, and superficial gas velocity of 53.6 m hr^?1 were maintained throughout the experimental period. Nutrients containing metal salts, nitrogen, phosphorus, and milk were supplemented to the filters for maintaining the microbial activities. Results reveal that the biotrickling filter developed in this study had the highest styrene monomer (SM) elimination capacities (170 g m^?3 hr^?1 for fern-chip packing and 300 g m^?3 hr^?1 for plastic-chip packing) among those cited in the literature. The plastic medium is a favorable substitute for endangered fern chips. The thermal-setting nature of plastic chips limits their recycle and reuse as raw materials, and the study provides an opportunity for the utilization of the materials.

Implications: Biotreatment of contaminants in air streams offers an inexpensive and efficient alternative to conventional technologies. Biofiltration has a great potential for the degradation of gas-borne styrene and total hydrocarbon (THC) removal efficiency of around 80%. The objective of this research was to compare the performances of fern chips and a kind of plastic chips as packing media for biofiltration of the styrene-laden waste gas stream emitted from cutting operations of stripes of premixed unsaturated polyester (UP) and styrene paste before hot-pressing operations for making plastic door plates. From a practical point of view, the plastic medium can be a good substitute medium for fern chips, which has been declared as a protected plant. This study provides an experimentally verified model for the design and operation of such biotreatment systems.     

太湖竺山湾沉积物碳氮磷分布特征与污染评价

为了揭示太湖竺山湾沉积物中碳、氮和磷的分布特征,本研究在太湖竺山湾设置3个断面(湖湾内,A断面;湖湾中部,B断面;开敞湖区,C断面) 10个采样点,采集沉积物柱状样,每2 cm间隔分层测定沉积物中总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)和总有机碳(TOC)含量,以揭示其水平分布和垂向分布特征.结果表明,在空间上竺山湾表层沉积物呈现开敞湖区向湖湾富集的特征,湖湾内部碳、氮和磷含量显著高于开敞湖区(P 0. 01),其中湖湾内(A断面)表层沉积物TN、TP和TOC含量分别为1. 53、1. 55和11. 31 mg·g~(-1),而靠近开敞湖区(C断面)表层沉积物TN、TP和TOC含量仅为0. 75、0. 57和6. 70 mg·g~(-1).垂向分布特征表现为表层富集,3个断面TN、TP和TOC含量随着底泥深度的增加均呈现出下降趋势,表层沉积物TN、TP和TOC含量分别是底层的2～3、2～5和2～3倍.整体而言,竺山湾沉积物TP含量均值为0. 93 mg·g~(-1),属于重度污染,而TN平均含量为1. 11 mg·g~(-1),属于轻度污染;有机氮指数和综合污染指数显示,竺山湾北部地区污染水平为重度污染区,有机污染相对较强,TP的污染指数(STP)处于1. 03～3. 87之间,属于重度污染.     

重力沉淀对猪场污水的分离效果及其对沼气发酵的影响

采用重力沉淀法对猪场污水进行浓稀分离,并对分离得到的稀污水和浓污水进行沼气发酵实验,以考察沉淀分离对猪场污水沼气发酵的影响.结果表明,分离得到的稀污水体积占原污水的71.5%,相对于原污水,体积减少了28.5%,而COD、BOD5、SS、TN、TP浓度却分别减少了59.3%、64.4%、85.8%、36.7%和70.9%.分离得到浓污水体积占原污水体积的28.5%,却回收了70%以上COD与BOD5、95%以上的SS、65%的TN和85%的TP.绝大部分产沼气的底物都被分离到浓污水中,浓污水沼气产量占总产气量的85.5%.沉淀分离可以提高沼气发酵效率,在相同的发酵温度、COD负荷下,浓污水平均池容产气率为1.68L·L-1·d-1,比原污水和稀污水分别高25.3%、145%.通过重力沉淀,可以获得更好的升温效果,提高沼气发酵效率,沼渣沼液利用及污水达标处理也更加容易.