Capacity of biochar application to maintain energy crop productivity: soil chemistry, sorghum growth, and runoff water quality effects

Pyrolysis of crop biomass generates a by-product, biochar, which can be recycled to sustain nutrient and organic C concentrations in biomass production fields. We evaluated effects of biochar rate and application method on soil properties, nutrient balance, biomass production, and water quality. Three replications of eight sorghum [ (L.) Moench] treatments were installed in box lysimeters under greenhouse conditions. Treatments comprised increasing rates (0, 1.5, and 3.0 Mg ha) of topdressed or incorporated biochar supplemented with N fertilizer or N, P, and K fertilizer. Simulated rain was applied at 21 and 34 d after planting, and mass runoff loss of N, P, and K was measured. A mass balance of total N, P, and K was performed after 45 d. Returning 3.0 Mg ha of biochar did not affect sorghum biomass, soil total, or Mehlich-3-extractable nutrients compared to control soil. Yet, biochar contributed to increased concentration of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and mass loss of total phosphorus (TP) in simulated runoff, especially if topdressed. It was estimated that up to 20% of TP in topdressed biochar was lost in surface runoff after two rain events. Poor recovery of nutrients during pyrolysis and excessive runoff loss of nutrients for topdressed biochar, especially K, resulted in negative nutrient balances. Efforts to conserve nutrients during pyrolysis and incorporation of biochar at rates derived from annual biomass yields will be necessary for biochar use in sustainable energy crop production.     

拟开发场地的土壤重金属污染调查与评价实践

土壤污染调查乃"土壤修复"的前期。在某市郊拟开发建设的场地,按8个点分三层采集了24个土壤样品,用原子吸收光谱法测定样品中汞、铅、镉、铜、锌、镍、铬等7种重金属元素的含量,汞呈现对数正态分布,其他元素为正态分布,各元素在土壤层水平分布状态和垂直分布水平的差异性不显著,锌含量水平现状值在《土壤环境质量标准》GB15618-1995二级标准的指标限值内,汞、铅、镉、铜、镍、铬含量水平现状值均在土壤环境质量一级标准的指标限值内,且各元素浓度水平现状值均与场地所在区域土壤背景值一致。由此,本调查的场地土壤环境现状没有受到铅、汞、镉、铜、锌、镍、铬金属元素污染。     

隔声窗隔声性能的现场监测方法及效果初探

采用隔声窗作为典型道路的交通噪声控制措施,探索隔声性能的现场监测方法。分别选取真空玻璃窗与中空玻璃窗进行监测,两种隔声窗对交通噪声1000 Hz 和2000 Hz 两个倍频带的隔声量最大,真空玻璃隔声窗对500 Hz 倍频带及以下的噪声比中空玻璃隔声窗更有效,如果采用两种隔声窗进行组合,在全频带的隔声量达到25 dB。     

Invasion of Pinus halepensis Mill. following a wildfire in an Argentine grassland nature reserve

The Ernesto Tornquist nature reserve is a relict of native Pampas vegetation in Argentina. Alien trees were introduced to the reserve in the 1950s, mainly to "improve" the natural landscape, resulting in the arrival of a totally new life form. In 1987, a fire affected an area planted with Pinus halepensis resulting in its massive expansion. In 1999, we removed trees from 17 circular plots of 10 m diameter placed systematically within the area that was colonized after the fire. Trunks were cut 20 cm from the ground and growth rings were counted. We studied the age structure of the population in order to reconstruct the colonizing events after the fire. We found that recruitment occurred throughout this period, except in the three years after the disturbance. We suggest that this delay in recruitment might be caused by low seedling survival under water stress conditions due to low rainfall, combined with scarce vegetation cover after fire. This could have been associated with an initial reduction in propagule pressure due to the scarcity of surviving trees in the vicinity and with the fact that fire occurred after the peak of seed release, during an extremely dry summer, probably killing a great number of seeds that were already in the soil. In the following years, recruitment was probably aided by pioneer trees and later by seeds shed from established pines. Alien trees had been allowed to reach maturity due to wildfire prevention and control in the years preceding the fire and the accumulated dry matter resulted in increased fire intensity that reduced the ability of grasses to re-sprout. As a consequence, the invasion window that allowed the expansion of pines remained open for at least 12 years.     

Detection of human-induced environmental disturbances in a show cave

Purpose  

We investigated the effects of human-induced disruption in a subterranean stable environment containing valuable Palaeolithic paintings and engravings (Ardales Cave, Southern Spain) using a double analytical approach.     

Evaluation of particulate matter abatement strategies for almond harvest

Almond harvest accounts for substantial PM10 (particulate matter [PM] < or =10 microm in nominal aerodynamic diameter) emissions in California each harvest season. This paper evaluates the effects of using reduced-pass sweepers and lower harvester separation fan speeds (930 rpm) on lowering PM emissions from almond harvesting operations. In-canopy measurements of PM concentrations were collected along with PM concentration measurements at the orchard boundary; these were used in conjunction with on-site meteorological data and inverse dispersion modeling to back-calculate emission rates from the measured concentrations. The harvester discharge plume was measured as a function of visible plume opacity during conditioning operations. Reduced-pass sweeping showed the potential for reducing PM emissions, but results were confounded because of differences in orchard maturity and irrigation methods. Fuel consumption and sweeping time per unit area were reduced when comparing a reduced-pass sweeper to a conventional sweeper. Reducing the separation fan speed from 1080 to 930 rpm led to reductions in PM emissions. In general, foreign matter levels within harvested product were nominally affected by separation fan speed in the south (less mature) orchard; however, in samples conditioned using the lower fan speed from the north (more mature) orchard, these levels were unacceptable.     

改性生物炭负载纳米零价铁去除水体中头孢噻肟

抗生素对环境的危害已经引起了人们的广泛重视.本实验以改性生物炭(MB)为载体制备了负载纳米零价铁的功能生物炭(Fe/MB).以头孢噻肟(CFX)为目标抗生素,研究了该材料对头孢噻肟的降解特性及影响因素,并探讨了去除机理.实验结果表明,50 min内头孢噻肟的去除率为92%(Fe/MB用量为0.4 g·L~(-1),溶液p H=5.0,头孢噻肟浓度为20 mg·L~(-1),振荡速率为200 r·min~(-1),柠檬酸浓度为1.47 mmol·L~(-1)).头孢噻肟的去除过程存在改性生物炭的吸附和纳米零价铁还原降解的协同作用,数据符合伪二级反应动力学方程(R20.99).采用紫外可见光谱结合质谱分析了降解产物的结构并提出头孢噻肟的降解途径.     

A new approach to predicting the maximum temperature in dry drilling based on a finite element model

A new analysis approach is developed to predict the temperature in dry drilling. The working rake angle and the working relief angle which the effect of feed is considered at an arbitrary point in the leading cutting edge of a twist drill are developed for the equivalent model. Then finite element models are developed to predict the drilling temperature based on the equivalent model. Commercial finite element codes Abaqus, Deform 2D and Third Wave Systems AdvantEdge have been used. In simulations, different chip separation models and material models are applied in the three codes. And the effect of the laws of drilling velocities and feed rates on the temperature are investigated by the finite element method. Predicted results of the maximum temperatures by three codes are compared with experiments, respectively. Results indicate that the drilling temperature results of simulations have good agreement to the experimental ones, and the errors are all less than 15%.     

浅析绿色建筑体系与低碳经济

通过查阅国内外相关资料,对绿色建筑体系从历史、定义及现状方面进行了简单论述,并结合日益受到重视的低碳经济,从经济与环保角度,对绿色建筑体系的标准、建材、设计等方面进行分析,阐明作为低碳经济发展重要组成部分的绿色建筑体系,将如何促进低碳经济的实现,使低碳经济这一概念更好地运用于现实,并对绿色建筑体系的发展进行了展望。