Urbanization and its impact on groundwater: a remote sensing and GIS-based assessment approach

The perils of unplanned urbanization and increasing pressure of human activities on hydro-geomorphologic system often result in modification of the existing recharge mechanism, which leads to many environmental consequences. In the present research, an attempt has been made to investigate the applicability of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) in dealing with spatial and temporal variability of dynamic phenomena, like urbanization and its impact on groundwater. This paper covers primarily, quantitative and qualitative impacts of urban growth on the behavior of aquifer in Ajmer city (India). Urban growth of the Ajmer city in last 17 years has been estimated from the satellite images. Database related to urbanization and groundwater has been created in GIS. Groundwater recharge has been computed using a water balance approach known as Water Level Fluctuation Methodology. Recharge estimation methodology has been implemented in GIS to introduce the spatial variability of hydro-geological characteristics. Further, temporal and spatial variations in groundwater quality and quantity have been correlated with urban growth using overlay analysis in GIS. The study reveals a general decline in water table and quality with urbanization. Further, remote sensing and GIS technologies have been found useful in assessment of spatial and temporal phenomena of urbanization and its impact on groundwater system.     

安徽省旅游业循环经济发展模式分析

运用SWOT分析法对安徽省旅游业发展的优势、劣势、发展机会和竞争威胁进行了综合分析,以谋求旅游业循环经济发展作为立足点,结合旅游循环经济系统的特征与安徽省的实际情况构建其旅游业循环经济发展模式,以进一步开发安徽省旅游资源,发展安徽省旅游业循环经济.     

新型玻纤／P84复合针刺毡的开发及应用

阐述了玻纤／P84复合毡过滤材料的研制过程、技术方法、使用效果及其应用。玻纤／P84复合针刺毡既要满足高性能、低成本的生产要求,还要适应不断提高的环保要求及复杂工况的要求。     

Ru/γ-Al_2O_3和Ru/AC催化剂的制备及其对氨氧化反应的催化性能

分别以γ-Al_2O_3和活性炭(AC)为载体,采用浸渍法制备了Ru质量分数均为2.0%的Ru/γ-Al_2O_3和Ru/AC催化剂,并用X射线衍射仪和透射电子显微镜等方法对催化剂结构进行了表征.实验结果表明:Ru/AC中Ru沉积在AC表面,分散度较低;而Ru/γ-Al_2O_3中Ru进入到γ-Al_2O_3内部,形成了一种高度分散体系.Ru/γ-Al_2O_3对氨的催化活性高于Ru/AC,氨在Ru/γ-Al_2O_3和Ru/AC上的起活温度分别为200 ℃和266 ℃,T_(90)(氨去除率达90%时的反应温度)分别为267℃和320 ℃.随混合气体空速增大,Ru/γ-Al_2O_3催化剂的T_(90)逐渐升高,气体空速分别为3 600,4 800,5 400 h~(-1)时,T_(90)分别为235,266,303 ℃.随反应前混合气体中氨质量分数增加,氨的去除率降低.     

选择性催化还原烟气脱硝技术在玉环电厂4×1000MW机组上的应用

以华能玉环电厂4×1000MW机组增设烟气选择性催化还原法（SCR）脱硝装置的技术改造为例,简要介绍了玉环电厂原机组增加SCR脱硝系统的工艺构成和流程特点、设计参数、总体布置,并对该工程中相关设备的改造进行了描述,为我国大型燃煤机组的脱硝改造工程提供参考。     

应用AHP进行气体灭火系统的优选

在研究了CO2、FM-200(七氟丙烷)、烟烙尽(INERGEN)及气溶胶等气体灭火技术特点的基础上,通过对这4种灭火剂的灭火效率、安全性、环保性和经济性4项性能指标进行AHP综合分析,分析结果表明,气溶胶灭火系统是现阶段最具优势的哈龙替代物.     

How Plants Cope with Foreign Compounds. Translocation of xenobiotic glutathione conjugates in roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare) (9 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Numerous herbicides and xenobiotic organic pollutants are detoxified in plants to glutathione conjugates. Following this enzyme catalyzed reaction, xenobiotic GS-conjugates are thought to be compartmentalized in the vacuole of plant cells. In the present study, evidence is presented for long range transport of these conjugates in plants, rather than storage in the vacuole. To our knowledge this is the first report about the unidirectional long range transport of xenobiotic conjugates in plants and the exudation of a glutathione conjugate from the root tips. This could mean that plants possess an excretion system for unwanted compounds which give them similar advantages as animals. Materials and Methods: Barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Cherie) were grown in Petri dishes soaked with tap water in the greenhouse. - Fluorescence Microscopy. Monobromo- and Monochlorobimane, two model xenobiotics that are conjugated rapidly in plant cells with glutathione, hereby forming fluorescent metabolites, were used as markers for our experiments. Their transport in the root could be followed sensitively with very good temporal and spatial resolution. Roots of barley seedlings were cut under water and the end at which xenobiotics were applied was fixed in an aperture with a thin latex foil and transferred into a drop of water on a cover slide. The cover slide was fixed in a measuring chamber on the stage of an inverse fluorescence microscope (Zeiss Axiovert 100). - Spectrometric enzyme assay. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity was determined in the protein extracts following established methods. Aliquots of the enzyme extract were incubated with 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), or monochlorobimane. Controls lacking enzyme or GSH were measured. - Pitman chamber experiments. Ten days old barley plants or detached roots were inserted into special incubation chambers, either complete with tips or decapitated, as well as 10 days old barley plants without root tips. Compartment A was filled with a transport medium and GSH conjugate or L-cysteine conjugate. Compartments B and C contained sugar free media. Samples were taken from the root tip containing compartment C and the amount of conjugate transported was determined spectro-photometrically. Results: The transport in roots is unidirectional towards the root tips and leads to exsudation of the conjugates at rates between 20 and 200 nmol min-1. The microscopic studies have been complemented by transport studies in small root chambers and spectroscopic quantification of dinitrobenzene-conjugates. The latter experiments confirm the microscopic studies. Furthermore it was shown that glutathione conjugates are transported at higher rates than cysteine conjugates, despite of their higher molecular weights. This observation points to the existence of glutathione specific carriers and a specific role of glutathione in the root. Discussion: It can be assumed that long distance transport of glutathione conjugates within the plant proceeds like GSH or amino acid transport in both, phloem and xylem. The high velocity of this translocation of the GS-X is indicative of an active transport. For free glutathione, a rapid transport-system is essential because an accumulation of GSH in the root tip inhibits further uptake of sulfur. Taking into account that all described MRP transporters and also the GSH plasmalemma ATPases have side activities for glutathione derivatives and conjugates, co-transport of these xenobiotic metabolites seems credible. - On the other hand, when GS-B was applied to the root tips from the outside, no significant uptake was observed. Thus it can be concluded that only those conjugates can be transported in the xylem which are formed inside the root apex. Having left the root once, there seems to be no return into the root vessels, probably because of a lack of inward directed transporters. Conclusions: Plants seem to possess the capability to store glutathione conjugates in the vacuole, but under certain conditions, these metabolites might also undergo long range transport, predominantly into the plant root. The transport seems dependent on specific carriers and is unidirectional, this means that xenobiotic conjugates from the rhizosphere are not taken up again. The exudation of xenobiotic metabolites offers an opportunity to avoid the accumulation of such compounds in the plant. Recommendations and Perspectives: The role of glutathione and glutathione related metabolites in the rhizosphere has not been studied in any detail, and only scattered data are available on interactions between the plant root and rhizosphere bacteria that encounter such conjugates. The final fate of these compounds in the root zone has also not been addressed so far. It will be interesting to study effects of the exuded metabolites on the biology of rhizosphere bacteria and fungi.     

Combustion characteristics of Malaysian municipal solid waste and predictions of air flow in a rotary kiln incinerator

Malaysia is in dire need of alternatives to landfilling for solid waste management. Recently, landfills have faced the problems of overfilling, overflowing of leachates leading to pollution of water resources, and uncontrolled dust emissions adversely affecting the local environment. With the rising cost of urbanization coupled with the high rate of waste generation, one possible method of waste treatment that is receiving particular attention by the government is incineration. Incineration of solid waste is rather new in Malaysia, with limited usage in handling small sources of waste generation such as the municipal solid waste (MSW) of resort islands; however, its potential in ameliorating the problems associated with solid waste treatment may make it an attractive alternative to landfill. This article presents the results of test runs conducted to investigate the performance of a locally designed and manufactured rotary kiln incinerator (RKI). The test runs were conducted using MSW collected from the Shah Alam municipality. The combustion efficiency was analyzed by looking at the temperature profiles and chemical species concentrations. To complement the combustion characteristics measurements, predictions of the air flow in the incinerator during the process were also investigated. The overall performance of the RKI suggests that it is suitable for treating MSW.     

Lysimeter Experiments to Investigate the Fate of Chemicals in Soils – Comparison of Five Different Lysimeter Systems

Several lysimeter scenarios and approaches exist to study the fate of agro-chemicals or contaminants from deposition in soil columns. In many systems just transport and leaching of the parent compound is followed, in some systems the leaching and transport of the metabolites is investigated as well. In more sophisticated lysimeter systems the volatilization and also the mineralization of the applied chemicals can be additionally monitored. Depending on the lysimeter system used and on the fact whether the applied chemicals are ¹⁴C-labeled or not, different results and various interpretations of the results might be achieved. Different lysimeter systems are described in this paper and a real dataset of a specific lysimeter experiment was transferred and evaluated in a virtual approach in the different lysimeter systems in order to show the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems.