Ex situ bioremediation of a soil contaminated by mazut (heavy residual fuel oil)--a field experiment

Mazut (heavy residual fuel oil)-polluted soil was exposed to bioremediation in an ex situ field-scale (600 m(3)) study. Re-inoculation was performed periodically with biomasses of microbial consortia isolated from the mazut-contaminated soil. Biostimulation was conducted by adding nutritional elements (N, P and K). The biopile (depth 0.4m) was comprised of mechanically mixed polluted soil with softwood sawdust and crude river sand. Aeration was improved by systematic mixing. The biopile was protected from direct external influences by a polyethylene cover. Part (10 m(3)) of the material prepared for bioremediation was set aside uninoculated, and maintained as an untreated control pile (CP). Biostimulation and re-inoculation with zymogenous microorganisms increased the number of hydrocarbon degraders after 50 d by more than 20 times in the treated soil. During the 5 months, the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content of the contaminated soil was reduced to 6% of the initial value, from 5.2 to 0.3 g kg(-1) dry matter, while TPH reduced to only 90% of the initial value in the CP. After 150 d there were 96%, 97% and 83% reductions for the aliphatic, aromatic, and nitrogen-sulphur-oxygen and asphaltene fractions, respectively. The isoprenoids, pristane and phytane, were more than 55% biodegraded, which indicated that they are not suitable biomarkers for following bioremediation. According to the available data, this is the first field-scale study of the bioremediation of mazut and mazut sediment-polluted soil, and the efficiency achieved was far above that described in the literature to date for heavy fuel oil.     

Carbon exchange between ecosystems and atmosphere in the Czech Republic is affected by climate factors

By comparing five ecosystem types in the Czech Republic over several years, we recorded the highest carbon sequestration potential in an evergreen Norway spruce forest (100%) and an agroecosystem (65%), followed by European beech forest (25%) and a wetland ecosystem (20%). Because of a massive ecosystem respiration, the final carbon gain of the grassland was negative. Climate was shown to be an important factor of carbon uptake by ecosystems: by varying the growing season length (a 22-d longer season in 2005 than in 2007 increased carbon sink by 13%) or by the effect of short- term synoptic situations (e.g. summer hot and dry days reduced net carbon storage by 58% relative to hot and wet days). Carbon uptake is strongly affected by the ontogeny and a production strategy which is demonstrated by the comparison of seasonal course of carbon uptake between coniferous (Norway spruce) and deciduous (European beech) stands.     

On airborne nano/micro-sized wear particles released from low-metallic automotive brakes

The paper addresses the wear particles released from commercially available “low-metallic” automotive brake pads subjected to brake dynamometer tests. Particle size distribution was measured in situ and the generated particles were collected. The collected fractions and the original bulk material were analyzed using several chemical and microscopic techniques. The experiments demonstrated that airborne wear particles with sizes between 10 nm and 20 μm were released into the air. The numbers of nanoparticles (<100 nm) were by three orders of magnitude larger when compared to the microparticles. A significant release of nanoparticles was measured when the average temperature of the rotor reached 300 °C, the combustion initiation temperature of organics present in brakes. In contrast to particle size distribution data, the microscopic analysis revealed the presence of nanoparticles, mostly in the form of agglomerates, in all captured fractions. The majority of elements present in the bulk material were also detected in the ultra-fine fraction of the wear particles.     

Spatiotemporal dynamics of spring and stream water chemistry in a high-mountain area

The present study deals with the application of the self-organizing map (SOM) technique in the exploration of spatiotemporal dynamics of spring and stream water samples collected in the Chocho?owski Stream Basin located in the Tatra Mountains (Poland). The SOM-based classification helped to uncover relationships between physical and chemical parameters of water samples and factors determining the quality of water in the studied high-mountain area. In the upper part of the Chocho?owski Stream Basin, located on the top of the crystalline core of the Tatras, concentrations of the majority of ionic substances were the lowest due to limited leaching. Significantly higher concentration of ionic substances was detected in spring and stream samples draining sedimentary rocks. The influence of karst-type springs on the quality of stream water was also demonstrated.     

2种处理方法水解剩余污泥蛋白质的研究

运用了木瓜蛋白酶、超声波和蛋白酶联合使用的2种处理方法水解剩余污泥蛋白,以水解液中蛋白质提取率为指标,分析了2种水解处理方法对剩余污泥处理效果的影响。蛋白酶水解提取法的最佳条件是：反应体系木瓜蛋白酶的浓度为6％,固液比为1：4,水解温度为55℃,水解时间为5．5h;蛋白质的提取率为51．71％。超声波和蛋白酶联合的最佳条件是：P=30W,T=45min,蛋白质的提取率为66．60％。结果表明,超声波和蛋白酶联合使用的水解方法优于蛋白酶水解。     

泥石流V型排导槽防淤设计方法及其应用研究

排导槽是泥石流治理常用的工程措施,泥石流若在槽内淤积,将极大影响排导槽防治效果。目前国内现行规范中没有关于排导槽淤积情况计算的相关条款,导致排导槽被泥石流淤埋的工程事故时有发生。鉴于此,分析了排导槽淤堵的常见原因,对现有的一些排导槽淤积验算公式进行了分析和整理,提出了一套基于槽宽验算、槽内泥深及流速验算等公式的排导槽防淤设计验算方法。该方法在雅(安)泸(沽)高速公路沿线某泥石流沟V型排导槽淤埋事故的处理中进行了应用,重建的排导槽经受了2011年6月17日特大暴雨形成的泥石流的考验,说明该方法实施效果良好,可供相关研究与设计参考。     

基于问卷调查的四川民众地震灾害响应能力分区评价

基于前期对四川省德阳市民众地震灾害认知与响应特点与规律的问卷调查数据及分析结果,构建了以性别、年龄和受教育程度为核心评价参数的县市社会民众地震灾害响应能力的综合评价模型;然后将该评价模型应用于四川省,实现了对四川省社会民众地震灾害响应能力大小的分县市计算与评价。结果表明,四川省东部县市民众的地震灾害响应能力普遍比西部县市民众大,省会成都市周围的区、县(市)居民的地震灾害响应能力普遍较强,西部三个自治州民众的响应能力普遍较差,其中,成都市青羊区民众的响应能力最强,凉山彝族自治州金阳县民众的能力最弱,全省呈现出以成都市各区县(市)为中心向周围地区递减的总体趋势。     

纳米TiO2/活性炭复合光催化剂的制备及其对甲醛气体降解

研究了纳米TiO2/活性炭复合光催化剂对空气中典型污染气体甲醛的光催化降解特性。采用扫描电镜（SEM）表征复合催化剂的表面特征。结果显示,经改性后的纳米TiO2在复合催化剂表面分布均匀,呈球状。对甲醛气体的降解实验显示TiO2负载量为1%时对甲醛的去除效果最好,6 h去除率为61.7%。结果显示复合催化剂把甲醛气体分解成CO2,可以直接排空,无二次污染。     

The toxicity of phthalocyanines to the aquatic plant Lemna minor (duckweed) - testing of 31 compounds

Phthalocyanines are prospective chemicals that have applications in industry, medicine and biology due especially to their architectural flexibility and production of reactive oxygen species. Although they are used in so many areas of human activities nowadays, there is still little knowledge of their ecotoxicity. Here we present the first observation of their toxic effects on representatives of the aquatic plants Lemna minor. The tested phthalocyanines possess a wide spectrum of phytotoxicity ranging from seldom (>50 mg L⁻¹) to highly toxic 0.11 mg L⁻¹. Moreover, the potential of phthalocyanines to be used as selective cyanocides or herbicides is discussed as well.