Identification of cadmium-excluding welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) cultivars and their mechanisms of low cadmium accumulation

Purpose

Screening out cadmium (Cd) excluding cultivars of a crop in agricultural production is an effective way to prohibit Cd entering into food chain.

Methods

A judging criterion for Cd-excluding cultivars based on food safety was suggested and used in the identification of Cd-excluding welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) cultivars. A pot culture experiment was carried out to screen out Cd-excluding cultivars, of which the results were confirmed by plot experiments. The relevant factors of Cd accumulation in the pseudostem were analyzed and used in the correlation analysis aiming to study the low Cd accumulation mechanisms.

Results

The concentration of Cd in the pseudostem of welsh onions was 0.08?C0.20, 0.18?C0.41, and 0.26?C0.61?mg/kg fresh weight (FW) under three treatments (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0?mg/kg), respectively. The significant (p? ₃ ^? ?CN, and eight other elements in the tested welsh onion cultivars. Two cultivars were identified as Cd-excluding cultivars, mainly because the accumulation of Cd in their pseudostem was only 0.041?±?0.003 and 0.046?±?0.002?mg/kg FW, and 0.054?±?0.001 and 0.066?±?0.011?mg/kg FW, when growing in plots with Cd concentration of 0.49 and 0.99?mg/kg, respectively.

Conclusions

Ribentiegancongwang and Wuyeqi could be identified as Cd-excluding cultivars. Low bioaccumulation factor of the roots was the main mechanism of Cd-excluding welsh onion cultivars.     

Characterization of aluminium-based water treatment residual for potential phosphorus removal in engineered wetlands

Aluminium-based water treatment residual (Al-WTR) is the most widely generated residual from water treatment facilities worldwide. It is regarded as a by-product of no reuse potential and landfilled. This study assessed Al-WTR as potential phosphate-removing substrate in engineered wetlands. Results indicate specific surface area ranged from 28.0 m² g⁻¹ to 41.4 m² g⁻¹. X-ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopes all indicate Al-WTR is mainly composed of amorphous aluminium which influences its phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity. The pH and electrical conductivity ranged from 5.9 to 6.0 and 0.104 dS m⁻¹ to 0.140 dS m⁻¹ respectively, showing that it should support plant growth. Batch tests showed adsorption maxima of 31.9 mg P g⁻¹ and significant P removal was achieved in column tests. Overall, results showed that Al-WTR can be used for P removal in engineered wetlands and it carries the benefits of reuse of a by-product that promotes sustainability.     

Survey of heavy metal pollution and assessment of agricultural soil in Yangzhong district, Jiangsu Province, China

We investigated concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Ni, and Cr in samples of soil, cereal, and vegetables from Yangzhong district, China. Compared to subsoils, the sampled topsoils are enriched in Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, and As. High levels of Cd and Hg are observed in most agricultural soils. Concentrations of Cr and Ni show little spatial variation, and high Cu, Pb, and Zn contents correspond well to areas of urban development. High As contents are primarily recorded at the two ends of the sampled alluvion. The contents of Cd, Hg, and total organic carbon (TOC) increase gradually to maximum values in the upper parts of soil profiles, while Cr and Ni occur in low concentrations within sampled profiles. As, Pb, Cu, and Zn show patterns of slight enrichment within the surface layer. Compared to data obtained in 1990, Cd and Hg show increased concentrations in 2005; this is attributed to the long-term use of agrochemicals. Cr and Ni contents remained steady over this interval because they are derived from the weathering of parent material and subsequent pedogenesis. The measured As, Cu, Pb, and Zn contents show slight increases over time due to atmospheric deposition of material sourced from urban anthropogenic activity. Low concentrations of heavy metals are recorded in vegetables and cereals because the subalkaline environment of the soil limits their mobility. Although the heavy metal concentrations measured in this study do not pose a serious health risk, they do affect the quality of agricultural products.     

Source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface soil in Tianjin, China

Principal component analysis and multiple linear regression were applied to apportion sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface soils of Tianjin, China based on the measured PAH concentrations of 188 surface soil samples. Four principal components were identified representing coal combustion, petroleum, coke oven plus biomass burning, and chemical industry discharge, respectively. The contributions of major sources were quantified as 41% from coal, 20% from petroleum, and 39% from coking and biomass, which are compatible with PAH emissions estimated based on fuel consumption and emission factors. When the study area was divided into three zones with distinctive differences in soil PAH concentration and profile, different source features were unveiled. For the industrialized Tanggu-Hangu zone, the major contributors were cooking (43%), coal (37%) and vehicle exhaust (20%). In rural area, however, in addition to the three main sources, biomass burning was also important (13%). In urban-suburban zone, incineration accounted for one fourth of the total.     

Vertical profile of PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs, other PCBs, PAHs, chlorobenzenes, DDX, HCHs, organotin compounds and chlorinated ethers in dated sediment/soil cores from flood-plains of the river Elbe, Germany

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and other organic micropollutants were determined in dated sediment/soil cores collected from the flood-plain of the river Elbe near Pevestorf (PT), approximately 125 km upstream of Hamburg, and Heuckenlock (HL) in southeast of Hamburg. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs peaked sharply at PT in the 1950s and at HL at the end of the 1940s. Cluster analyses provide evidence that the region of Bitterfeld-Wolfen (about 350-400 km upstream of Hamburg) could be the source of the PCDD/F contamination existing in the cores PT and HL since the 1940s. Obviously it is caused by sediments of the river Elbe of a similar composition. Whereas the PCDD/Fs, HCHs (hexacyclohexane isomers), DDX (DDT, DDD, DDE), and tetrachlorinated ethers in PT and HL presumably originated predominantly from the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region, organotin compounds in HL and dichlorinated haloethers in HL during the 1940s and 1950s can probably largely be attributed to emissions from the Hamburg region. Although they are separated by a large distance, in both sediment cores PT and HL concentrations and composition patterns of most organic micropollutants analyzed widely match. Inductively it can be concluded that similar contaminations will be found in many of the river bank soils between the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region and Hamburg. Excavation of top soils may uncover highly contaminated materials. Since the dated sediment cores show the variation in contaminants in the Elbe sediments over a defined time period, it is possible to make an approximate assessment of the actual degree of contamination to be expected in areas where in previous decades contaminated dredged sediments from the Elbe and from the Port of Hamburg have been deposited on land and used for building plots or for agricultural purposes.     

Transport of Sr2+ and SrEDTA2- in partially-saturated and heterogeneous sediments

Strontium-90 has migrated deep into the unsaturated subsurface beneath leaking storage tanks in the Waste Management Areas (WMA) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Reservation. Faster than expected transport of contaminants in the vadose zone is typically attributed to either physical hydrologic processes such as development of preferential flow pathways, or to geochemical processes such as the formation of stable, anionic complexes with organic chelates, e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The goal of this paper is to determine whether hydrological processes in the Hanford sediments can influence the geochemistry of the system and hence control transport of Sr(2+) and SrEDTA(2-). The study used batch isotherms, saturated packed column experiments, and an unsaturated transport experiment in an undisturbed core. Isotherms and repacked column experiments suggested that the SrEDTA(2-) complex was unstable in the presence of Hanford sediments, resulting in dissociation and transport of Sr(2+) as a divalent cation. A decrease in sorption with increasing solid:solution ratio for Sr(2+) and SrEDTA(2-) suggested mineral dissolution resulted in competition for sorption sites and the formation of stable aqueous complexes. This was confirmed by detection of MgEDTA(2-), MnEDTA(2-), PbEDTA(2-), and unidentified Sr and Ca complexes. Displacement of Sr(2+) through a partially-saturated undisturbed core resulted in less retardation and more irreversible sorption than was observed in the saturated repacked columns, and model results suggested a significant reservoir (49%) of immobile water was present during transport through the heterogeneous layered sediments. The undisturbed core was subsequently disassembled along distinct bedding planes and subjected to sequential extractions. Strontium was unequally distributed between carbonates (49%), ion exchange sites (37%), and the oxide (14%) fraction. An inverse relationship between mass wetness and Sr suggested that sandy sediments of low water content constituted the immobile flow regime. Our results suggested that the sequestration of Sr(2+) in partially-saturated, heterogeneous sediments was most likely due to the formation of immobile water in drier regions having low hydraulic conductivities.     

Study of using microfiltration and reverse osmosis membrane technologies for reclaiming cooling water in the power industry.

A study of using dual membrane technologies, microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO), for reclaiming blowdown of the cooling tower was conducted at ZJK power plant, Hebei province, China. The study shows that the combined MF-RO system can effectively reduce water consumption in the power industry. The results indicate that MF process is capable of producing a filtrate suitable for RO treatment and achieving a silt density index (SDI) less than 2, turbidity of 0.2 NTU. The water quality of RO effluent is very good with an average conductivity of about 40 micros/cm and rejection of 98%. The product water is suitable for injection into the cooling tower to counteract with cooling water intrusion. After adopting this system, water-saving effectiveness as expressed in terms of cycles of concentration could be increased from 2.5-2.8 times to 5 times.     

超强静磁场对染料脱色菌Escheriehia coli的acpD基因的影响

将大肠杆菌E.coli ATCC8739置于12.0 T超强静磁场(ultra-strong static magnetic field,SMF)中进行处理,获得了磁场处理0.5、1、2、4和8 h的菌株E.coli-SMFn(n=0.5、1、2、4、8)。在37℃、pH 7、静置的条件下,菌株对偶氮染料AR14(I.C.Acid Red 14)的脱色结果指出,当反应进行到4、6和8 h时,E.coli-SMF8的脱色效率分别为18%、55%和96%,远高于E.coli ATCC8739的3%、19%和50%,表明SMF作用显著地增强了菌株的脱色效率。基因组DNA提取、PCR扩增、分子克隆以及基因测序的实验结果进一步表明,全部6例E.coli ATCC8739菌株的偶氮还原酶基因(acpD)序列均与GenBank中报道的完全一致;而E.coli-SMF8菌株的acpD-SMF8核酸序列中缺失了第99位的胞嘧啶。该缺失突变不仅使acpD-SMF8的核酸序列与acpD的存在显著不同,同时得到了具新活性中心的偶氮还原酶AzoR-SMF8。这个新的活性中心具有更强的黄素(FMN)结合能力,因此使该酶与偶氮染料的亲和力大大增加,促进了脱色效率的提高。     

MBR在橡胶废水处理中的应用

橡胶废水具有含盐量高、色度高、有机污染成分含量高且难于生化降解等特点。膜生物反应器(MBR)技术的核心是生化处理加微滤膜过滤,通过将MBR技术应用于橡胶废水处理的实践表明,该技术对COD、氨氮、磷酸盐的平均去除率都达到了85%以上,再辅之以药剂处理后,降低了色度和难降解有机物含量,出水水质完全符合排放标准的要求,是一种解决橡胶污水处理难题的有效途径。     

Fe2O3-Cr2O3/TiO2系列催化剂的结构和脱硝性能

研究以纳米TiO2为载体,浸渍负载过渡金属氧化物,以CO为还原剂的脱硝催化剂的脱硝性能。实验中以计算量的Ni(NO3)2和Fe(NO3)3混合溶液浸渍纳米TiO2粉末,室温下搅拌30 min至混合均匀,放入旋转蒸发器中,70℃下至水分蒸干为止;所得粉末在550℃下、空气气氛中焙烧4 h即得所需催化剂。用以上方法分别制备2%Fe2O3-10%Cr2O3/TiO2、4%Fe2O3-8%Cr2O3/TiO2、6%Fe2O3-6%Cr2O3/TiO2、8%Fe2O3-4%Cr2O3/TiO2与10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2等5种催化剂样品。实验结果表明,制备的催化剂具有较好的结构,分散较为均匀。对于CO+NO反应,Fe2O3-Cr2O3/TiO2系列催化剂具有较好的催化活性,NO的转化率都达到了100%。其中,10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2样品具有最好的低温活性,H2-TPR结果表明,这是由于10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2催化剂更易于被CO预还原。