Essential and toxic elements in infant foods from Spain, UK, China and USA

Spanish gluten-free rice, cereals with gluten, and pureed baby foods were analysed for essential macro-elements (Ca and Na), essential trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Se, Cr, Co and Ni) and non-essential trace elements (As, Pb, Cd and Hg) using ICP-MS and AAS. Baby cereals were an excellent source of most of the essential elements (Ca, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn). Sodium content was high in pureed foods to improve their flavour; fish products were also rich in Se. USA pure baby rice samples had the highest contents of all studied essential elements, showing a different nutrient pattern compared to those of other countries. Mineral fortification was not always properly stated in the labelling of infant foods. Complementary infant foods may also contain significant amounts of contaminants. The contents of Hg and Cd were low enough to guarantee the safety of these infant foods. However, it will be necessary to identify the source and reduce the levels of Pb, Cr and As in Spanish foods. Pure baby rice samples contained too much: Pb in Spain; As in UK; As, Cr and Ni in USA; and Cr and Cd in China.     

Fraction characteristics of rare earth elements in the surface sediment of Bohai Bay, North China

Surface sediment samples were collected at 27 stations of Bohai Bay, North China. Sequential extractions were carried out in this study. REE were leached out from four labile fractions: Exchangeable (L1), bound to carbonates (L2), bound to Fe–Mn oxides (L3), bound to organic matter (L4), and the remainder was residual (R5). The total contents of REE fluctuate slightly in Bohai Bay, and are mainly concentrated in the middle region, showing relatively higher levels in the north than that in the south of Bohai Bay. Percentages of L1, L2, L3, L4, and R5 for REE suggest that the residual fraction accounts for the major component of REE, whereas Fe–Mn oxides also play important roles in combining labile REE. As the REE complex is not stabilized, the competition of complex could induce dissociation of the complex and redistribution of the REE in various environments. According to REE patterns and Y/Ho ratios of samples, REE are not anthropogenic or oceanic sources but riverine input, whereas suitable environment varieties can slightly affect the patterns and fractionations of REE. As powerful tracers for the variable of environment, higher anomaly of Eu and Ce in southern regions indicates a greater reduction in the condition of surface sediment in the south than that in the north of Bohai Bay.     

废旧冰箱拆解聚氨酯泡沫塑料制备PU/PP复合材料

利用废旧冰箱拆解的聚氨酯泡沫塑料(PU)和聚丙烯(PP)、聚丙烯接枝马来酸酐(PP-g-MAH)为原料,采用物理化学回收技术制备PU/PP复合材料。用正交实验法分析PU填充量、PU粒径和PP-g-MAH 3个因素对PU/PP复合材料力学性能影响的显著性。结果表明,PU填充量对PU/PP复合材料拉伸性能有显著影响,对冲击性能和弯曲性能没有显著影响;在本文的实验范围内,PU粒径对PU/PP复合材料的力学性能影响不大;而PP-g-MAH投加量对PU/PP复合材料具有一定的影响。确定的优化工艺配方为:PU 40%;PU粒径选择2.00 mm;PP-g-MAH投加量10%。采用优化工艺制备的PU/PP复合材料的密度为1 042.88 kg/m3;冲击强度为2.9 kJ/m2;拉伸强度为10.30 MPa;拉伸模量为1 100 MPa;弯曲强度为18.5 MPa;弯曲模量为733 MPa。     

超声破解污泥上清液对A~2O工艺脱氮除磷和微生物群落结构的影响

为了提高传统污水处理工艺的脱氮除磷效率、实现污泥资源化,本实验通过超声破解污泥获取碳源,采用耗氧呼吸速率分析上清液作为碳源的可行性,并将上清液回用于生活污水,考察其对A2O工艺长期运行的脱氮除磷效果和微生物群落结构的影响。结果表明,上清液中可降解有机物达到76.2%,具有作为内碳源的潜能;上清液和生活污水按1∶15投入A2O反应器后,氮、磷的去除率分别从63.2%和53.4%提高到了82.1%和94.7%;上清液明显改变了微生物群落结构,使除磷菌Actinobacteia和反硝化聚磷菌Sphingobacterium富集。     

Influence of soil and hydrocarbon properties on the solvent extraction of high-concentration weathered petroleum from contaminated soils

Petroleum ether was used to extract petroleum hydrocarbons from soils collected from six oil fields with different history of exploratory and contamination. It was capable of fast removing 76–94 % of the total petroleum hydrocarbons including 25 alkanes (C₁₁–C₃₅) and 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soils at room temperature. The partial least squares analysis indicated that the solvent extraction efficiencies were positively correlated with soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity, moisture, pH, and sand content of soils, while negative effects were observed in the properties reflecting the molecular size (e.g., molecular weight and number of carbon atoms) and hydrophobicity (e.g., water solubility, octanol–water partition coefficient, soil organic carbon partition coefficient) of hydrocarbons. The high concentration of weathered crude oil at the order of 10⁵ mg kg^?1 in this study was demonstrated adverse for solvent extraction by providing an obvious nonaqueous phase liquid phase for hydrocarbon sinking and increasing the sequestration of soluble hydrocarbons in the insoluble oil fractions during weathering. A full picture of the mass distribution and transport mechanism of petroleum contaminants in soils will ultimately require a variety of studies to gain insights into the dynamic interactions between environmental indicator hydrocarbons and their host oil matrix.     

优势菌种对餐厨垃圾高温好氧消化的促进

为研究优势菌种对餐厨垃圾高温好氧消化(TAD)的促进作用,本研究通过淀粉水解、油脂降解及明胶液化等生化实验,从餐厨垃圾中筛选出若干对其主要成分具有显著降解效果的优势菌种。通过对样品水溶性TOC(TOCw)、水溶性凯氏氮(KNw)、水溶性C/N(KNw)、pH以及含水率等指标的分析,考察优势菌种对餐厨TAD的促进作用。研究表明,优势菌种制剂最优添加量为1%。在此剂量下,好氧消化60 h,TOCw由8.53%降低为2.49%,C/Nw由18.71降低至6.14,以上指标说明加入优势菌种可加速TAD反应。添加量1%样本的水溶性凯氏氮和pH在反应48 h后开始回升,而未添加生物制剂的样本相关参数回升时间需96 h以上,由此推断优势菌种对TAD的促进机制是加快了蛋白质等大分子有机物的降解速度。     

The adsorption process during inorganic phosphorus removal by cultured periphyton

To explain the detailed process involved in phosphorus removal by periphyton, the periphyton dominated by photoautotrophic microorganisms was employed in this study to remove inorganic phosphorus (P _i ) from wastewater, and the removal kinetics and isotherms were then evaluated for the P _i removal process. Results showed that the periphyton was capable of effectively removing P _i that could completely remove the P _i in 24 h at an initial P _i concentration of 13 mg P L^?1. Furthermore, the P _i removal process by the periphyton was dominated by adsorption at initial stage (~24 h), which involved physical mechanistic process. However, this P _i adsorption process was significantly influenced by environmental conditions. This work provides an insight into the understanding of phosphorus adsorption by periphyton or similar microbial aggregates.