Potential of fly ash for neutralisation of acid mine drainage

Lignite (PK), bituminous (FI) and biomass (SE) fly ashes (FAs) were mineralogically and geochemically characterised, and their element leachability was studied with batch leaching tests. The potential for acid neutralisation (ANP) was quantified by their buffering capacity, reflecting their potential for neutralisation of acid mine drainage. Quartz was the common mineral in FAs detected by XRD with iron oxide, anhydrite, and magnesioferrite in PK, mullite and lime in FI, and calcite and anorthite in SE. All the FAs had high contents of major elements such as Fe, Si, Al and Ca. The Ca content in SE was six and eight times higher compared to PK and FI, respectively. Sulphur content in PK and SE was one magnitude higher than FI. Iron concentrations were higher in PK. The trace element concentrations varied between the FAs. SE had the highest ANP (corresponding to 275 kg CaCO₃?tonne^?1) which was 15 and 10 times higher than PK and FI, respectively. The concentrations of Ca²⁺, SO₄ ^2?, Na⁺ and Cl^? in the leachates were much higher compared to other elements from all FA samples. Iron, Cu and Hg were not detected in any of the FA leachates because of their mild to strong alkaline nature with pH ranging from 9 to 13. Potassium leached in much higher quantity from SE than from the other ashes. Arsenic, Mn and Ni leached from PK only, while Co and Pb from SE only. The concentrations of Zn were higher in the leachates from SE. The FAs used in this study have strong potential for the neutralisation of AMD due to their alkaline nature. However, on the other hand, FAs must be further investigated, with scaled-up experiments before full-scale application, because they might leach pronounced concentrations of elements of concern with decreasing pH while neutralising AMD.     

Combination of biochar amendment and phytoremediation for hydrocarbon removal in petroleum-contaminated soil

Remediation of soils contaminated with petroleum is a challenging task. Four different bioremediation strategies, including natural attenuation, biochar amendment, phytoremediation with ryegrass, and a combination of biochar and ryegrass, were investigated with greenhouse pot experiments over a 90-day period. The results showed that planting ryegrass in soil can significantly improve the removal rate of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) and the number of microorganisms. Within TPHs, the removal rate of total n-alkanes (45.83 %) was higher than that of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (30.34 %). The amendment of biochar did not result in significant improvement of TPH removal. In contrast, it showed a clear negative impact on the growth of ryegrass and the removal of TPHs by ryegrass. The removal rate of TPHs was significantly lower after the amendment of biochar. The results indicated that planting ryegrass is an effective remediation strategy, while the amendment of biochar may not be suitable for the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.     

Air toxics in Canada measured by the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program and their relation to ambient air quality guidelines

This study reports ambient concentrations of 63 air toxics that were measured in Canada by the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program over the period 2009–2013. Measured concentrations are compared with ambient air quality guidelines from Canadian jurisdictions, and compounds that exceeded guidelines are identified and discussed. Although this study does not assess risk or cumulative effects, air toxics that approached guidelines are also identified so that their potential contribution to ambient air toxics pollution can be considered. Eleven air toxics exceeded at least one guideline, and an additional 16 approached guidelines during the study period. Four compounds were measured using methods whose detection limits exceeded a guideline value, three of which could not be compared with guidelines, since they were not detected in any samples. The assessment of several metal(loid) concentrations is tentative, since they were measured only in fine particulate matter (PM) but compared with guidelines based on coarse or total PM. Improvements to sampling and analysis techniques for the latter compounds as well as for those whose methods are subject to known uncertainties would improve confidence in reported concentrations and their relation to applicable guidelines. Analysis of sampling strategies for all compounds found to exceed or approach guidelines would contribute to ensuring that their spatiotemporal coverage is adequate. Examination of the air toxics not measured by NAPS but having guidelines in Canadian jurisdictions or being included in other programs such as the U.S. National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) would contribute to ensuring that the full suite of pollutants relevant to ambient air quality in Canada is subject to adequate study. The results of this study can be applied to evaluating the effectiveness of toxic substances management in Canada.

Implications: Recent measurements of 63 air toxics in Canada by the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program showed that 11 compounds exceeded daily or annual ambient air quality guidelines and that an additional 16 compounds approached such guidelines within an order of magnitude. The results of this study can be applied to evaluating the effectiveness of toxic substances management in Canada and to identifying compounds that merit further investigation.     

基于多元统计分析的渭河西咸段水质评价

基于2012年旱季和雨季的水质监测数据,采用主成分分析(PCA)和绝对主成分多元线性回归分析(APCS-MLR)方法对渭河西咸段水体的污染特征进行了综合评价。结果表明,2012年渭河西咸段水体主要以有机污染和富营养化污染为主,同时存在一定的As污染。总体上,研究水体旱季比雨季污染严重,旱季和雨季提取的主成分及大部分断面综合排名不同,说明降雨对水质产生一定的影响。渭河西咸段水体在皂河入渭之前的上游污染相对较轻,污染贡献以干流排污为主;对应的下游水质较差,皂河是其最大的污染源。     

臭氧活性炭-后置砂滤工艺对水中农药的控制效能

选择我国饮用水水质标准中有相关规定,以及部分用量较大或虽被禁用但仍有残留的农药共25种,对黄浦江水源水以及采用臭氧活性炭-后置砂滤工艺的某水厂工艺段出水中的浓度分布进行了调查,评估了砂滤后置工艺条件下相应农药的实际处理效果。结果表明:原水中有包括莠去津、乐果、六氯苯、敌敌畏、乙草胺、丁草胺、仲丁威和p,p'-DDT的8种农药检出,且总浓度较高达到760 ng/L,其中莠去津和乙草胺含量较高,最高浓度分别达到531 ng/L和277 ng/L;从季节性分布来看,春季总农药浓度最高达760 ng/L,秋季最低为175 ng/L。从工艺去除效果来看,臭氧活性炭砂滤后置工艺对农药的总体去除率为62%~78%,与冬春季相比,夏秋季节的农药的去除率提高约10%左右,这可能与高温期微生物活性较高有关。值得关注的是,砂滤后置工艺与同期常规臭氧活性炭工艺相比农药的总去除率要低10%左右,应结合总体出水水质情况对其进一步评估。     

2种动物对复合垂直流人工湿地基质中磷形态的影响

分别向复合垂直流人工湿地下行流池和上行流池中加入蚯蚓和泥鳅,研究动物加入后人工湿地基质中磷形态及去除效率的变化。结果表明,加入蚯蚓后,下行流池基质中铁铝磷(Fe/Al-P)、钙磷(Ca-P)、有机磷和总磷的含量显著增加(p<0.05);加入泥鳅后,上行流池基质中Fe/Al-P含量无显著性变化,钙磷、有机磷、总磷含量增加。人工湿地加入蚯蚓后,基质中Ca-P占总磷的百分比下降,Fe/Al-P和有机磷占总磷的百分比增加;加入泥鳅后,基质中Ca-P占总磷的百分比也下降,而有机磷占总磷的百分比升高,该结果表明,蚯蚓和泥鳅促进了基质中Ca-P向有机磷的转化。加入蚯蚓的人工湿地对磷的去除率高于未加蚯蚓的人工湿地,其原因之一可能与加入蚯蚓后人工湿地基质总磷含量增加有关。     

应用地累积指数评价鞍山市夏季PM2.5中元素的污染

2014年夏季在鞍山市的6个站点进行了PM2.5的样品采集,对其载带的15种元素进行了检测。通过地累积指数、相关分析和聚类分析等方法分析了鞍山市夏季PM2.5中15种元素的污染来源。结果表明:Ca、Zn、Pb、Ni和Cd这5种元素的质量分数在各站点之间存在较大的差异;地累积指数结果显示,Cd为极强污染程度,可能的来源是钢铁冶炼和刹车及轮胎磨损,Pb和Zn污染程度在强污染以上,Pb可能的主要人为来源是钢铁冶炼和窖炉煤的燃烧,Zn可能主要来自钢铁冶炼和机动车,Cu、Ni、Cr和Ca中到强污染以下;聚类分析将中度污染及以上元素分为Zn-Cd-Pb,Ni-Cu-Cr和Ca 3类,分别指示钢铁冶炼、机动车尾气及刹车、轮胎磨损,建筑尘;相关性分析显示,Cr与Ni、Cu可能来自同一污染源,Zn、Cd和Pb可能来自同一种源。     

Fenton-like/TiO2催化介质阻挡放电体系对活性艳蓝的降解

为了提高等离子放电对染料的降解效率,研究了Fenton-like/TiO2耦合催化介质阻挡放电体系对活性艳蓝(X-BR)的脱色效果及降解机理。结果表明,投加Fe2+ 或Fe3+与TiO2组成的耦合催化体系可以显著提高X-BR的脱色率。反应10 min后,紫外可见扫描光谱和阴离子(Cl-、NO3-、SO42-)产量分析表明,介质阻挡放电体系可以有效破环蒽醌发色基团,耦合催化体系不仅强化了蒽醌结构的破坏,同时更加有效地破坏了苯环和萘环结构从而提高了TOC降解率。最后,比较研究了投加Mn2+ 和Cu2+对X-BR的脱色效果,在投加浓度均为0.5 mmol/L条件下,两者对X-BR的脱色起到抑制作用,因此,两者不适合作为耦合催化介质阻挡放电体系的添加离子。     

电絮凝-超滤除氟工艺参数优化研究

电絮凝-超滤(electrocoagulation-ultrafiltration,EC-UF)工艺在饮用水除氟方面具有良好的应用前景。研究了EC-UF除氟效果和膜污染过程,考察了电流密度、水力停留时间、初始pH、初始氟浓度对除氟效果和膜污染的影响。结果表明,在连续流下EC-UF工艺除氟效果良好,在电流密度30 A/m2、水力停留时间20 min、初始pH在6.0~7.0的最佳工艺条件下,氟的去除率达到80%以上。膜污染主要是由电解过程产生的铝絮凝剂与氟离子形成的颗粒物质导致。上述结果为EC-UF除氟工艺改进提供了参考和依据。     

酸碱改性对活性焦烧结烟气脱硫性能的影响

选取一定目数范围的活性焦,用3种酸(HCl、H2SO4和HNO3)、3种碱(KOH、NaOH和NH3·H2O)和酸碱两步(HNO3和KOH)对其进行改性处理,对比这几种方法改性的活性焦对烧结烟气的脱硫性能,实验结果表明,20~40目范围的活性焦脱硫性能最好;HCl改性活性焦的脱硫性能基本无变化,HNO3改性后有促进作用但作用不大,H2SO4改性反而降低了活性焦的脱硫活性;KOH和NaOH溶液改性活性焦对其脱硫性能有很大的提升作用,其中KOH改性效果更好,NH3·H2O改性基本无影响;先KOH后HNO3两步改性的活性焦效果最佳,并且能维持一定时间100%的脱硫效率。