Evaluation of urban sprawl and urban landscape pattern in a rapidly developing region

Urban sprawl is a worldwide phenomenon happening particularly in rapidly developing regions. A study on the spatiotemporal characteristics of urban sprawl and urban pattern is useful for the sustainable management of land management and urban land planning. The present research explores the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban sprawl in the context of a rapid urbanization process in a booming economic region of southern China from 1979 to 2005. Three urban sprawl types are distinguished by analyzing overlaid urban area maps of two adjacent study years which originated from the interpretation of remote sensed images and vector land use maps. Landscape metrics are used to analyze the spatiotemporal pattern of urban sprawl for each study period. Study results show that urban areas have expanded dramatically, and the spatiotemporal landscape pattern configured by the three sprawl types changed obviously. The different sprawl type patterns in five study periods have transformed significantly, with their proportions altered both in terms of quantity and of location. The present research proves that urban sprawl quantification and pattern analysis can provide a clear perspective of the urbanization process during a long time period. Particularly, the present study on urban sprawl and sprawl patterns can be used by land use and urban planners.     

Relationships of relative humidity with PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> and PM<Subscript>10</Subscript> in the Yangtze River Delta,China

Severe particulate matter (PM, including PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) pollution frequently impacts many cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in China, which has aroused growing concern. In this study, we examined the associations between relative humidity (RH) and PM pollution using the equal step-size statistical method. Our results revealed that RH had an inverted U-shaped relationship with PM_2.5 concentrations (peaking at RH = 45–70%), and an inverted V-shaped relationship (peaking at RH = 40 ± 5%) with PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂. The trends of polluted-day number significantly changed at RH = 70%. The very-dry (RH < 45%), dry (RH = 45–60%) and low-humidity (RH = 60–70%) conditions positively affected PM_2.5 and exerted an accumulation effect, while the mid-humidity (RH = 70–80%), high-humidity (RH = 80–90%), and extreme-humidity (RH = 90–100%) conditions played a significant role in reducing particle concentrations. For PM₁₀, the accumulation and reduction effects of RH were split at RH = 45%. Moreover, an upward slope in the PM_2.5/PM₁₀ ratio indicated that the accumulation effects from increasing RH were more intense on PM_2.5 than on PM₁₀, while the opposite was noticed for the reduction effects. Secondary transformations from SO₂ and NO₂ to sulfate and nitrate were mainly responsible for PM_2.5 pollution, and thus, controlling these precursors is effective in mitigating the PM pollution in the YRD, especially during winter. The conclusions in this study will be helpful for regional air-quality management.     

Accumulation and tolerance characteristics of cadmium in Chlorophytum comosum: a popular ornamental plant and potential Cd hyperaccumulator

The effects on the growth, physiological indexes and the cadmium (Cd) accumulation in Chlorophytum comosum under Cd stress were examined by pot-planting. The results showed that the tolerance index (TI) of C. comosum were all above 100 in soil Cd concentration of 100 mg kg − 1. The O2·-_{2^{\bullet}}^{-} production rate and electrical conductivity of C. comosum were significantly positively correlated to Cd adding-concentration while the MDA content increased and had significant differences with the control. The activities of SOD, CAT, and POD all rose significantly in lower Cd concentration and the Cd threshold of them were around 10, 50 and 20 mg kg − 1, respectively. The Cd in C. comosum root and aboveground part reached 1,522 and 865·5 mg kg − 1, respectively, in Cd concentration of soil up to 200 mg kg − 1. For the advantages of high tolerance, high accumulation, and high ornamental value, C. comosum may have tremendous application value in the treatment of Cd-contaminated soils.     

A novel pretreatment approach for fast determination of organochlorine pesticides in biotic samples

Recent studies have focused on enantiomeric behaviors of chiral organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in biotic matrix because they provide insights into the biotransformation processes of chiral OCPs. In the present paper, a double in-line column chromatographic method was developed to effectively remove the lipid impurity in different biotic samples for clean-up of OCPs. After an initial Soxhlet extraction of OCPs from the biotic samples by a mixture of acetone and dichloromethane (DCM), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was directly added to the extract, and low boiling point solvents (acetone and DCM) were then evaporated. OCPs remained in DMSO were eluted via column 1 filled with silicon gel, and subsequently passed through column 2 packed with 15% deactivated florisil. This novel method was characterized by significant time and solvent savings. The recovery rates of alpha-HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane), beta-HCH, gamma-HCH and delta-HCH were 78.5+/-3.1%, 72.4+/-7.7%, 72+/-4.0% and 70.0+/-8.7%, respectively, and 92.5+/-3.8%, 79.7+/-6.7% and 83.4+/-6.5% for 1,1-dichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4- chlorophenyl) ethylene (o,p'-DDE), 1,1-dichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-chloro phenyl)ethane (o,p'-DDD) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (o,p'-DDT), separately. In addition, the separation efficiencies of the target compounds by both achiral and chiral gas chromatographic columns were satisfactory using the established method. Therefore, the double in-line column chromatography was a useful alternative method for pretreatment of OCPs in different biotic samples.     

两室堆肥生物反应装置研究

以堆肥过程中物料平衡、热量平衡以及垃圾生物发酵特性为依据,设计了二室堆肥生物反应装置,并通过堆肥试验实际检验反应装置设计的合理性.装置主要结构包括:二室堆肥发酵仓、保温层、通风供氧系统、空气加热系统以及二次污染控制系统.装置的主要特点为:两发酵仓能够独立完成堆肥发酵,也可以实现堆肥一次、二次发酵串联工艺组合;通过二次污染控制系统,可以很好地减少堆肥过程中产生的废水臭气排放;采用空气加热系统,可以快速均匀地加热堆体,以满足不同堆肥工艺的需要.装置在试验研究以及小规模垃圾堆肥处理领域有一定的应用价值.     

催化湿式氧化法处理高浓度唑螨酯生产废水的研究

对唑螨酯生产过程中产生的高浓度实际废水采用催化湿式氧化技术在鼓泡式固定床反应器连续反应装置上进行处理。实验表明,制备的复合负载型催化剂CuO-MnO₂-Cr₂O₃/ZrO₂-CeO₂在处理该废水时具有较好的催化活性。通过对反应温度、反应压力、反应空速、气液比和进水pH等工艺条件的考察,得出最佳的工艺条件为：反应温度=220℃,反应压力=5.8 MPa,空速＝1.8 h^-1,V（气）∶V（水）＝260∶1,进水pH＝9,在此条件下COD去除率达到95.2％。     

Impact factors of the degradation of bisphenol A by nitrocellulose membrane under illumination

Nitrocellulose membrane (NCM) can produce hydroxyl radicals under illumination, which promotes the oxidative degradation of organic pollutants. In this paper, NCM was used to oxidize bisphenol A (BPA) under simulated sunlight. The effects of pH, temperature, light intensity, anion and cation on the degradation of BPA were analyzed. The photodegradation process of BPA was discussed. The optimal photolysis rate was 0.031 min^?1 when the temperature was 30°C, the light intensity was 2.67 × 10⁴ Lux, and the pH value was 9.0. The alkaline environment, temperature and light intensity can promote the photodegradation of BPA. Except for nitrate ions, anions and cations can inhibit the photodegradation of BPA. Compared with cations, anions have a greater inhibitory effect on BPA degradation. The degradation products of BPA by NCM were analyzed by gas chromatographic/mass. This study may provide useful information for the BPA degradation by NCM in complex water samples.     

秦皇岛市大气污染的灰色关联分析

利用灰色关联分析方法对秦皇岛市大气环境质量的影响因素进行筛选,得出各项因素的主次关系。研究表明,煤炭使用量、港口吞吐量和机动车保有量的增加是影响秦皇岛市大气环境质量的重要因素。基于此,提出政府应大力发展清洁能源、加强港口煤尘治理和机动车污染防治等建议。     

活性污泥法动力学模型应用中的参数校核

对国际水协的活性污泥法动力学模型在应用中遇到的参数校核问题进行研究 ,总结了目前常用的三种方法 :专家法、灵敏度分析法和过程工程 (ProcessEngineering)法。分析了每种方法的原理、优点和不足之处 ,列举了实际应用的例子。