Quantifying the relative irreplaceability of important bird and biodiversity areas

World governments have committed to increase the global protected areas coverage by 2020, but the effectiveness of this commitment for protecting biodiversity depends on where new protected areas are located. Threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches have been independently used to identify important sites for biodiversity. We brought together these approaches by performing a complementarity‐based analysis of irreplaceability in important bird and biodiversity areas (IBAs), which are sites identified using a threshold‐based approach. We determined whether irreplaceability values are higher inside than outside IBAs and whether any observed difference depends on known characteristics of the IBAs. We focused on 3 regions with comprehensive IBA inventories and bird distribution atlases: Australia, southern Africa, and Europe. Irreplaceability values were significantly higher inside than outside IBAs, although differences were much smaller in Europe than elsewhere. Higher irreplaceability values in IBAs were associated with the presence and number of restricted‐range species; number of criteria under which the site was identified; and mean geographic range size of the species for which the site was identified (trigger species). In addition, IBAs were characterized by higher irreplaceability values when using proportional species representation targets, rather than fixed targets. There were broadly comparable results when measuring irreplaceability for trigger species and when considering all bird species, which indicates a good surrogacy effect of the former. Recently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has convened a consultation to consolidate global standards for the identification of key biodiversity areas (KBAs), building from existing approaches such as IBAs. Our results informed this consultation, and in particular a proposed irreplaceability criterion that will allow the new KBA standard to draw on the strengths of both threshold‐ and complementarity‐based approaches.     

纺织业发展循环经济的特点和主要领域

纺织业是我国最具国际竞争力的产业,也是一个资源依赖型和环境敏感型产业.论述了纺织业发展循环经济的必要性和显著特点,以及纺织业围绕资源能源、生产、产品和废弃物4大关键因素所形成的4大主要领域的具体内容和应对措施.     

Batch and column tests of metal mobilization in soil impacted by landfill leachate

The percolation of landfill leachate, even in the absence of a high concentration of specific pollutant, may induce a strong modification of soil chemical and physical characteristics, due to the alteration of the natural equilibrium between the aqueous phase and the soil matrix. As a result, a huge amount of cations can be solubilized, thus inducing groundwater pollution.In this work batch and column experiments of metal mobilization from a soil sampled down gradient of a municipal waste landfill in Northern Italy are presented. The experiments were initially performed in batch scale on soil slurries at different pH and Eh. Distilled water was used first and then a groundwater sampled down-gradient in the same site. Subsequently, to better simulate the aquifer conditions, 50 d column tests were performed on 15 kg of saturated soil. The concentrations of Fe, Mn, and Ni were evaluated when these selected environmental parameters were altered. Results indicated a greater release when acidic conditions were achieved, a positive effect in this case of the addition of an oxidant and a great Mn mobilization when negative redox potentials were established.     

Selenite resistant rhizobacteria stimulate SeO3 2– phytoextraction by Brassica juncea in bioaugmented water-filtering artificial beds

Background, aim, and scope  

Selenium is a trace metalloid of global environmental concern. The boundary among its essentiality, deficiency, and toxicity is narrow and mainly depends on the chemical forms and concentrations in which this element occurs. Different plant species—including Brassica juncea—have been shown to play a significant role in Se removal from soil as well as water bodies. Furthermore, the interactions between such plants, showing natural capabilities of metal uptake and their rhizospheric microbial communities, might be exploited to increase both Se scavenging and vegetable biomass production in order to improve the whole phytoextraction efficiency. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the capability of selenite removal of B. juncea grown in hydroponic conditions on artificially spiked effluents. To optimize phytoextraction efficiency, interactions between B. juncea and rhizobacteria were designedly elicited.     

Experimental and life cycle assessment analysis of gas emission from mechanically–biologically pretreated waste in a landfill with energy recovery

The global gaseous emissions produced by landfilling the Mechanically Sorted Organic Fraction (MSOF) with different weeks of Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) was evaluated for an existing waste management system. One MBT facility and a landfill with internal combustion engines fuelled by the landfill gas for electrical energy production operate in the waste management system considered. An experimental apparatus was used to simulate 0, 4, 8 and 16 weeks of aerobic stabilization and the consequent biogas potential (Nl/kg) of a large sample of MSOF withdrawn from the full-scale MBT. Stabilization achieved by the waste was evaluated by dynamic oxygen uptake and fermentation tests. Good correlation coefficients (R²), ranging from 0.7668 to 0.9772, were found between oxygen uptake, fermentation and anaerobic test values. On the basis of the results of several anaerobic tests, the methane production rate k (year^?1) was evaluated. k ranged from 0.436 to 0.308 year^?1 and the bio-methane potential from 37 to 12 N m³/tonne, respectively, for the MSOF with 0 and 16 weeks of treatment. Energy recovery from landfill gas ranged from about 11 to 90 kW h per tonne of disposed MSOF depending on the different scenario investigated. Life cycle analysis showed that the scenario with 0 weeks of pre-treatment has the highest weighted global impact even if opposite results were obtained with respect to the single impact criteria. MSOF pre-treatment periods longer than 4 weeks showed rather negligible variation in the global impact of system emissions.     

Element partitioning in combustion- and gasification-based waste-to-energy units

A critical comparison between combustion- and gasification-based waste-to-energy systems needs a deep knowledge of the mass flows of materials and elements inside and throughout the units. The study collected and processed data from several moving grate conventional incinerators and high-temperature shaft gasifiers with direct melting, which are in operation worldwide. A material and substance flow analysis was then developed to systematically assess the flows and stocks of materials and elements within each waste-to-energy unit, by connecting the sources, pathways, and intermediate and final sinks of each species. The patterns of key elements, such as carbon, chloride and heavy metals, in the different solid and gaseous output streams of the two compared processes have been then defined. The combination of partitioning coefficients with the mass balances on atomic species and results of mineralogical characterization from recent literatures was used to estimate a composition of bottom ashes and slags from the two types of waste-to-energy technologies. The results also allow to quantify some of the performance parameters of the units and, in particular, the potential reduction of the amount of solid residues to be sent to final disposal.     

Concentrations of PAHs,and nitro- and methyl- derivatives associated with a size-segregated urban aerosol

Size-segregated atmospheric particles were collected in Rome, Italy, using a low-pressure impactor.Twelve sampling campaigns were conducted under different meteorological conditions over a whole year covering 155 not consecutive days. The samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitro- and methyl- derivatives known for their toxicity. An assessment of the carcinogenic potency of the particles known to penetrate into lungs, liver, heart and nervous system was performed.The distribution of the classes of compounds was unimodal and centrated at 0.4 μm size fraction for PAHs and bimodal and centrated at 0.1 and 0.4 μm for methyl- and nitro- derivatives. The 18% of toxic organic compounds we analyzed was distributed into the ultrafine fraction (PM_0.1) and 76% in the fine fraction; but substituted PAH distribution in the ultrafine particles shifted toward higher values during warm periods. In July, the 50% of the total nitro-PAHs was found in PM_0.1 and an average of 42% of the total methyl-PAHs was found in the same fraction in summer and intermediate seasons.An evaluation of the potential toxicity of the measured compounds was tentatively assessed based on Potency Equivalency Factors (PEF).     

附生假单胞菌信号分子对铜绿微囊藻磷代谢的影响

通过在不同的磷浓度和细胞浓度的铜绿微囊藻培养液中添加附生假单胞菌信号分子,研究了附生假单胞菌信号分子对铜绿微囊藻生长及磷代谢的影响．结果表明,与对照相比,附生假单胞菌信号分子能抑制高浓度铜绿微囊藻的生长,促使低浓度铜绿微囊藻衰亡,并可以促进在衰亡期藻细胞内磷的积累．附生假单胞菌的信号分子可以在附生假单胞菌-铜绿微囊藻种间起作用,影响铜绿微囊藻的生长和磷代谢。     

CuO和Cu(Ⅱ)催化臭氧氧化的研究

以乙二酸为实验对象,研究了CuO/Al_2O_3和Cu(II)对臭氧的催化作用实验结果表明,在低pH条件下,CuO/Al2O3有较强的催化臭氧氧化能力,可以将乙二酸的去除率提高约15%而在中性条件下,20g·l-1CuO/Al2O3的催化效果有限磷酸盐缓冲液可以强烈抑制臭氧氧化乙二酸以及CuO/Al2O3的催化作用与CuO/Al2O3相比,Cu(II)离子有更强的催化臭氧氧化乙二酸的能力