Ozone artifacts and carbonyl measurements using Tenax GR, Tenax TA, Carbopack B, and Carbopack X adsorbents

Four popular thermally desorbable adsorbents used for air sampling (Tenax TA, Tenax GR, Carbopack B, and Carbopack X) are examined for the potential to form artifacts with ozone (O3) at environmental concentrations. The performance of these adsorbents for the ketone and aldehyde species identified as O3-adsorbent artifacts was also characterized, including recovery, linearity, and method detection limits (MDLs). Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 13 different artifacts were identified and confirmed for both Tenax TA and Tenax GR, 9 for Carbopack B, but none for Carbopack X. Several O3 artifacts not reported previously were identified, including: pentanal, 3-hexanone, 2-hexanone, hexanal, 3-heptanone, and heptanal with Tenax TA; pentanal, 3-hexanone, 2-hexanone, hexanal, and 3-heptanone on Tenax GR; and 1-octene and 1-nonene with Carbopack B. Levels of straight-chain aldehyde artifacts rapidly diminished after a few cycles of adsorbent conditioning/O3 exposure, and concentrations could be predicted using a first-order model. Phenyl-substituted carbonyl artifacts (benzaldehyde and acetophenone) persisted on Tenax TA and GR even after 10 O3 exposure-conditioning cycles. O3 breakthrough through the adsorbent bed was most rapid in adsorbents that yielded the highest levels of artifacts. Overall, artifact composition and concentration are shown to depend on O3 concentration and dose, conditioning method, and adsorbent type and age. Calibrations showed good linearity, and most compounds had reasonable recoveries, for example, 90 +/- 15% for Tenax TA, 97 +/- 23% for Tenax GR, 101 +/- 24% for Carbopack B, and 79 +/- 25% (91 +/- 9% for n-aldehydes) for Carbopack X. Benzeneacetaldehyde recovery was notably poorer (22-63% across the four adsorbents). MDLs for several compounds were relatively high, up to 5 ng. By accounting for both artifact formation and method performance, this work helps to identify which carbonyl compounds can be measured using thermally desorbable adsorbents and which may be prone to bias because of the formation of O3-adsorbent artifacts.     

Ameliorants to immobilize Cd in rice paddy soils contaminated by abandoned metal mines in Korea

The cadmium (Cd) content of rice grain grown in metal-contaminated paddy soils near abandoned metal mines in South Korea was found to exceed safety guidelines (0.2 mg Cd kg?1) set by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). However, current remediation technologies for heavy metal-contaminated soils have limited application with respect to rice paddy soils. Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effects of amending contaminated rice paddy soils with zerovalent iron (ZVI), lime, humus, compost, and combinations of these compounds to immobilize Cd and inhibit Cd translocation to rice grain. Sequential extraction analysis revealed that treatment with the ameliorants induced a 50-90% decrease in the bioavailable Cd fractions when compared to the untreated control soil. When compared to the control, Cd uptake by rice was decreased in response to treatment with ZVI + humus (69%), lime (65%), ZVI + compost (61%), compost (46%), ZVI (42%), and humus (14%). In addition, ameliorants did not influence rice yield when compared to that of the control. Overall, the results of this study indicated that remediation technologies using ameliorants effectively reduce Cd bioavailability and uptake in contaminated rice paddy soils.     

Cooperative prey capture by young subsocial spiders: II. Behavioral mechanism

Subsocial spiders demonstrate an intermediate stage in the evolution of permanent sociality. Cooperative hunting is an important attribute of their sociality, but has not been documented in subsocial arthropods. After cannibalizing their mother, young of the subsocial spider Amaurobius ferox (Araneae, Amaurobiidae) remain together for several instars and feed communally. We monitored the collective prey capture behavior of the spiderlings. All the clutches showed collective capturing sequence (latency–orientation–moving–touching–seizing–feeding) toward the prey that was 10 times more massive than each individual. The first three individuals that exhibited attacking behavior were responsible for 90% of the total number of attacks, while 68% of the individuals within the group never exhibited attacks during the first 10 min following the introduction of prey into the communal web. First arriving individuals at the prey most often seized the antennae and legs of the prey, which probably facilitate access to the prey for subsequent individuals. The spiderlings that arrived later occupied more likely the abdomen and thorax, which contain more nutrition than the extremities occupied earlier. The individual apportionment of collective hunting behavior suggests a coordinated teamwork among individuals.     

A numerical simulation model of cyclic hardening behavior of AC4C-T6 for LNG cargo pump using finite element analysis

This paper is concerned with the evaluation of cyclic hardening models within the stress–strain behavior of aluminum alloy AC4C-T6 that can be used to LNG cargo pump operating in cryogenic temperature. To insure the strength assessment of LNG cargo pump, material model of cyclic hardening and plasticity for aluminum alloy AC4C-T6 is investigated through FEA (Finite Element Analysis) with various hardening options including linear and non-linear hardening, isotropic and kinematic hardening, and combined hardening model. Monotonic tensile and cyclic tensile experiments for AC4C-T6 alloy were performed at room temperature and temperature of ?165 °C. Parameters of each hardening model are obtained from the experimental data; thus five hardening models are numerically simulated thereafter. Appropriate hardening models which describe the cyclic stress–strain relationship are investigated through the simulations of cyclic hardening behavior by FEA. In order to verify the predicted behavior of cyclic hardening obtained by FEA, the results of FEA and those measured by experiments are compared.     

Effect of a seasonal diffuse pollution migration on natural organic matter behavior in a stratified dam reservoir

This article aims to describe the influence of diffuse pollution on the temporal and spatial characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) in a stratified dam reservoir, the Daecheong Dam, on the basis of intensive observation results and the dynamic water quality simulation using CE-QUAL-W2. Turbidity is regarded as a comprehensive representation of allochothonous organic matter from diffuse sources in storm season because the turbidity concentration showed reasonable significance in a statistical correlation with the UV absorbance at 254 nm and total phosphorus. CE-QUAL-W2 simulation results showed good consistency with the observed data in terms of dissolved organic matter (DOM) including refractory dissolved organic carbon (RDOC) and labile DOC and also well explained the internal movement of constituents and stratification phenomenon in the reservoir. Instead turbidity and NOM were related well in the upper region of the reservoir according to flow distance, gradually as changing to dissolved form of organic matter, RDOM affected organic matter concentration of reservoir water quality compared to turbidity. To control the increase of soluble organic matters in the dam reservoir, appropriate dam water discharge gate operation provided effective measurement. Because of the gate operation let avoid the accumulation of organic matter within a dam reservoir by shorten of turbid regime retention time.     

Cell-recycle fed-batch production of a highly unsaturated polyhydroxyalkanoate from 1,3-butanediol byPseudomonas sp. A33

The recently isolatedPseudomonas sp. A33 was investigated for the production of a highly unsaturated polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) containing various alkyl and alkenyl pendent groups from 1,3-butanediol in a cell-recycle fed-batch production mode. The monomer composition and degree of unsaturation in PHA were dependent on the environmental conditions. The production temperature markedly influenced the content, composition, and degree of unsaturation of PHA. As the production temperature decreased from 30 to 10°C, the degree of unsaturation and content of PHA were increased, while the mole percentage of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) was decreased. These temperature effects on the composition of PHA imply that the production can be used as a control variable for the biosynthesis of a highly unsaturated PHA and for the specific regulation of the composition of PHA. The biosynthetic pathway for a highly unsaturated PHA which is based on de novo fatty acid biosynthetic pathway is proposed. For the enhanced production of this functional PHA, a high cell density was achieved by cell-recycle continuous culture at 30°C, and then a large amount of PHA was accumulated at 15°C by fed-batch addition of the feeding solution containing excess 1,3-butanediol. The structures of monomer constituents of polymer were confirmed by gas chromatography—mass spectrometric analysis of trimethylsiyl derivatives of 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids methyl esters.     

Application of biochar in advanced oxidation processes: supportive,adsorptive, and catalytic role

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially sulphate radical (SO4•−)–based AOPs (SR-AOPs), have been considered more...     

Food waste impact on municipal solid waste angle of internal friction

The impact of food waste content on the municipal solid waste (MSW) friction angle was studied. Using reconstituted fresh MSW specimens with different food waste content (0%, 40%, 58%, and 80%), 48 small-scale (100-mm-diameter) direct shear tests and 12 large-scale (430 mm × 430 mm) direct shear tests were performed. A stress-controlled large-scale direct shear test device allowing approximately 170-mm sample horizontal displacement was designed and used. At both testing scales, the mobilized internal friction angle of MSW decreased considerably as food waste content increased. As food waste content increased from 0% to 40% and from 40% to 80%, the mobilized internal friction angles (estimated using the mobilized peak (ultimate) shear strengths of the small-scale direct shear tests) decreased from 39° to 31° and from 31° to 7°, respectively, while those of large-scale tests decreased from 36° to 26° and from 26° to 15°, respectively. Most friction angle measurements produced in this study fell within the range of those previously reported for MSW.