Honeybees (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis>) as a biological barrier for contamination of honey by environmental toxic metals

The aim of the study was to investigate the transfer of toxic metals from honeybee workers (Apis mellifera L.) to bee honey in relation to the ecological state of the environment. The materials of the study consisted of samples of honeybee bodies and varietal honeys taken from the same apiary located in three areas: R1—urbanized (16), R2—ecologically clean (16) and R3—industrialized (15) of south-eastern Poland. The contents of 14 elements in all tested samples, including toxic metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, Al, Ni, Tl) as well as bioelements (K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se), were analysed by the ICP-OES method with prior microwave mineralization. The concentrations of the majority of the studied elements, excluding aluminum and lead, were significantly higher in bee bodies than in honey samples (P?<?0.05). The pollution of bee bodies by toxic metals was dependent on the environmental cleanliness, and the most pollution was observed in the industrialized area. The bee body was the most effective barrier for Cd and Tl transfer to the honey, while the level of Ni was similar in both tested materials. The Al concentration was significantly higher in honey than bee bodies (14.81?±?24.69 and 6.51?±?5.83 mg kg^?1, respectively), which suggests the possibility of secondary contamination of honey. The greatest sensitivity to heavy metal pollution was observed in honeydew honey compared to nectar honeys (P?<?0.05). It was proved for the first time that bees work as biofilters for toxic metals and prevent honey contamination.     

Prediction of the adsorption capability onto activated carbon of a large data set of chemicals by local lazy regression method

Accurate quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) models based on a large data set containing a total of 3483 organic compounds were developed to predict chemicals’ adsorption capability onto activated carbon in gas phrase. Both global multiple linear regression (MLR) method and local lazy regression (LLR) method were used to develop QSPR models. The results proved that LLR has prediction accuracy 10% higher than that of MLR model. By applying LLR method we can predict the test set (787 compounds) with Q²_ext of 0.900 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.129. The accurate model based on this large data set could be useful to predict adsorption property of new compounds since such model covers a highly diverse structural space.     

Using Si depletion in aerosol to identify the sources of crustal dust in two Chinese megacities

Depletion of Si in transported dust has been recognized for many years. It can be used to distinguish between transported and local dust in cities, although it rarely has been. Here we use the variations of the Si/Al ratio in 15 months of continuous PM_2.5 samples at Beijing (northern China) and Chongqing (southwestern China) to reveal the seasonal patterns of their dust sources. For both cities, peaks of concentration for Si and Al in PM_2.5 corresponded with minima of Si/Al, and could often be linked to pulsed air flow from deserts to the northwest. With significant depletion (up to 80%) and homogeneous distribution at urban and rural sites, Si/Al showed a clear seasonal evolution, which decreased from spring to summer, increased from fall to winter, and collapsed during Chinese Spring Festival, indicating the dominance of transported dust, local fugitive dust and firework influence, respectively. The low ratios implied that desert dust is a common source during spring at Chongqing, whereas its presence during cold season at Beijing was also more frequent than expected. Failing to recognize the depletion of Si may lead to an overestimate of desert dust by 15%–65% when using the average abundance of Al in crust (6%–8%), as in previous studies. The difference in Si/Al ratio between local and transported dust implies that >60% of the dust at Beijing came from outside the city during the springs of 2004–2006. This result can help resolve the contradictory findings on this topic that have been presented earlier.     

Degradation kinetics of anthracene by ozone on mineral oxides

To further understand the role of substrates on the heterogeneous reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, the reactions of ozone with anthracene adsorbed on different mineral oxides (SiO₂, α-Al₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃) and on Teflon disc were investigated in dark at 20 °C. No reaction between ozone and anthracene on Teflon disc was observed when the ozone concentration was ～1.18 × 10¹⁴ molecules cm^?3. The reactions on mineral oxides exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetics for anthracene loss, and the pseudo-first-order rate constant (k_1,obs) displayed a Langmuir–Hinshelwood dependence on the gas-phase ozone concentration. The adsorption equilibrium constants for ozone (K_O3) on SiO₂-1, SiO₂-2, α-Al₂O₃ and α-Fe₂O₃ were (0.81 ± 0.26) × 10^?15 cm³, (2.83 ± 1.17) × 10^?15 cm³, (2.48 ± 0.77) × 10^?15 cm³ and (1.66 ± 0.45) × 10^?15 cm³, respectively; and the maximum pseudo-first-order rate constant (k_1,max) on these oxides were (0.385 ± 0.058) s^?1, (0.101 ± 0.0138) s^?1, (0.0676 ± 0.0086) s^?1 and (0.0457 ± 0.004) s^?1, respectively. Anthraquinone was identified as the main surface product of anthracene reacted with ozone. Comparison with previous research and the results obtained in this study suggest that the reactivity of anthracene with ozone and the lifetimes of anthracene adsorbed on mineral dust in the atmosphere are determined by the nature of the substrate.     

O3/BAF工艺系统中有机物生物降解数学模型

研究臭氧预氧化/曝气生物滤池（O₃/BAF）联合工艺深度处理实际城市污水二级出水过程中,后续BAF系统中有机物的生物降解数学模型。以有机底物浓度、填料层高度两个基本变量为控制条件,研究BAF的总体运行常数和填料特性常数,得出BAF有机物生物降解动力学方程为S_e/S₀=exp(－Kh/qSⁿ₀)。出水与进水COD浓度比值（S_e/S₀）的对数与反应器填料高度（h）之间可表达成一次函数关系。在不同的进水浓度（S₀）下,根据ln（S_e/S₀）~h和关系式m=K/qSⁿ₀,得到方程ln(q_m)=－nln(S₀)+lnK。BAF总体运行常数K和填料特性常数n分别为1.708和0.5063。该模型对BAF工艺有如下指导意义：可以根据设计流量、进水有机物浓度和出水浓度,初步确定BAF的尺寸（如横截面积、高度等）。     

pH对煤泥水絮凝沉降的影响

选择聚合氯化铝(PAC)/阴离子型聚丙烯酰胺(PHP)、氯化钙(CaCl2)/非离子型聚丙烯酰胺(NPAM)组合与NPAM、PHP、两性离子型聚丙烯酰胺(ZPAM)作为絮凝剂,在对道清选煤厂水采筛下原生煤泥和浮选尾矿的煤泥水进行组合药剂絮凝实验的基础上,考察了pH对煤泥水絮凝沉降的影响。实验结果表明,在不同的pH下,煤泥水的絮凝效果不同:在酸性条件下,宜单独使用有机高分子絮凝剂;在中性至碱性条件下,无机凝聚剂和有机絮凝剂联合使用效果较好。     

氧化镁烟气脱硫反应特性研究

利用实验室规模的鼓泡式反应装置,对比了碳酸钙、氧化镁和氧化镁/硫酸镁脱硫剂的反应活性,证实脱硫液中高浓度硫酸镁的存在是保证镁法脱硫效率高于钙法的重要因素,并考察了硫酸镁浓度、脱硫剂(氧化镁)浓度、烟气量、SO2浓度和吸收液温度等因素对脱硫效率的影响。结果表明,脱硫反应可以根据pH分为2个不同阶段;反应过程中脱硫效率随着硫酸镁浓度的增加而显著升高;烟气量增加将会导致脱硫效率有所下降;入口SO2浓度升高,脱硫效率下降;氧化镁浓度、温度对脱硫效率影响不显著。结合实验现象进行推断,氧化镁脱硫的反应过程受SO2在气液两相界面的传质扩散和其水解产物在液相的扩散控制。     

非水相硝基苯在含水层中的迁移释放规律

通过室内模拟实验,探讨了在非水相硝基苯污染含水层的条件下,其在含水层中的迁移及释放规律。迁移规律表明,非水相硝基苯并非在含水层中直接进行垂向迁移,而是一方面在自身重力作用下向含水层下部迁移,另一方面在地下水流的作用下随地下水同向运移,整体表现为随地下水流的侧向运移,并最终迁移至含水层底部。释放规律表明,非水相硝基苯在含水层迁移的过程中会向地下水大量释放,释放出的硝基苯在水流的作用下随地下水同向运移,污染源及迁移至含水层底部的非水相硝基苯均存在再次释放。     

高锰酸盐复合药剂强化混凝改善再生水景观湖水质研究

实验通过投加助凝剂以强化混凝沉淀过程,从而达到去除再生水景观水中的藻类。以PAC为混凝剂,高锰酸盐复合药剂(PPC)为预氧化助凝剂,通过烧杯实验确定PPC、PAC同时投加,最佳投量分别为1 mg/L、60 mg/L。生产性实验中,机械加速澄清池强化混凝对TP、叶绿素、藻密度的去除率分别为54%、32.3%和35.4%,湖水中TP、TN逐渐降低分别由4.9 mg/L、23 mg/L降至0.72 mg/L、10.3 mg/L。PPC提高了混凝沉淀对藻类的去除效果,改善了再生水景观湖水质,降低水中氮磷营养盐的含量。     

利用城市污泥堆肥及建筑弃土种植麦冬研究

将污泥堆肥产品分别与建筑弃土按0%、10%、20%、30%、40%和50%(湿重)的比例配制营养土,以麦冬为例进行180 d的栽培实验,分析了营养土对麦冬生长特性、植物体内及栽培土壤中营养学指标和重金属含量的变化规律,并通过模糊综合评价方法选择营养土较佳配制方案。实验结果表明:堆肥比例在50%时麦冬生物量增加率、新生芽数及地表部分比重为最大值,在30%时纺锤体肉质数减少率为最大值;随着营养土中堆肥比例增加,麦冬体内养分含量、重金属积累量随之增加,均在50%时达到最大值;栽培土壤养分越多损失量越多,各指残留率越低,同时全磷、全氮及K含量降低率较有效磷、碱解氮小得多,Cr降低率在5.20%～8.34%之间,Zn降低率在3.27%～17.35%之间;堆肥比例在40%以上的营养土对麦冬生长效果好,但较佳配制方案为堆肥产品占20%。