Does underweight amplify the relationship between short-term particulate matter exposure and blood pressure in children and adolescents: a large cross-sectional study in a metropolis of China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Overweight/obesity modified the effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure on blood pressure (BP). This study aims to assess whether...     

Soil biological characteristic,nutrient contents and stoichiometry as affected by different types of remediation in a smelter-impacted soil

ABSTRACT

In order to evaluate the ecological risk reductions of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) and the change of nutrient contents and stoichiometry in a smelter-impacted farmland in Guixi, Jiangxi Province, China, with ～ 800?mg Cu kg^?1 soil and 0.8?mg Cd kg^?1 soil, an three years in situ experiment was conducted. The field trial consisted of 4 ×?5?m plots in a completely randomised block design. Hydroxyapatite was added at 10?g kg^?1 soil and Sedum plumbizincicola, Elsholtzia splendens, and Pennisetum sp. were planted. Post-treatment soil and plant samples were collected annually and analysed for Cu and Cd bioaccessibility, soil carbon: nitrogen: phosphorus (C:N:P), and the stoichiometries of soil β-glucosidase (BG), N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG), and acid phosphatase (AP) activity levels. The results indicated that the hydroxyapatite treatments significantly reduced Cu and Cd bioaccessibility as well as the ratio of C:P and N:P. Moreover, BG, NAG, and AP activity levels all increased relative to those in untreated soil. Plants may also influence soil BG, NAG, and AP activity. This study demonstrated that in situ Cu and Cd stabilisation by hydroxyapatite and phytoextraction is ecologically safe and can alter soil mineral nutrient ecological stoichiometry and enzyme activity.     

Laccase production by Phomopsis liquidambari B3 cultured with food waste and wheat straw as the main nitrogen and carbon sources

Food waste is the most difficult waste to manage because of the high treatment costs and the risk of environmental contamination. Wheat straw burning has become an increasingly discussed topic in recent years because of the air pollution it causes. However, food waste and wheat straw contain high amounts of nutrient elements; efficient utilization of these wastes can improve the environment by lessening airborne pollutant emission and the amount of waste that must be landfilled. It is well known that use of low-cost and abundant waste materials in microbial fermentations can reduce product costs. We aimed to use these resources while improving laccase production by the endophytic fungus Phomopsis liquidambari B3. We cultured P. liquidambari B3 in medium containing food waste and wheat straw as the main nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively. We optimized the fermentation conditions by response surface methodology (RSM), using a Box–Behnken design for RSM I and a central composite design for RSM II. Optimization resulted in an 11.07-fold (1.98-fold RSM I; 5.59-fold RSM II) increase in laccase yield compared with that before optimization. The model was validated by mathematical evaluations and by comparisons between predicted and experimental values. Under optimized conditions, 53.76% of lignin in wheat straw was degraded. By optimizing fermentation conditions and using multiple bioresources, laccase production by this fungus was increased. These results provide the foundation for future research and for scaled-up laccase production.

Implications:Food waste and wheat straw are waste products, but they could be bioresources if they were managed properly. In this work, we innovatively used a mixture of food waste and wheat straw as a substrate for the novel strain Phomopsis liquidambari B3 to produce laccase. This process, which provided the foundation for the subsequent research and for scaled-up laccase production, offers solutions for both rural and urban pollution problems: that is, it reduces the amount of waste material that needs to be disposed of by burning or dumping, and it also produces a valuable product.     

Identifying influencing factors on paved roads silt loading

The factors that influence the increase or decrease of silt loadings on paved roadways have not been fully quantitatively investigated. They were identified in this study based on the quarterly silt loading sampling data collected from 20 sites by the Clark County Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management in Southern Nevada for the period from 2000 to 2003. The silt loading and associated data collected over these years at one sampling site may inherently possess site-specific characteristics that can be better incorporated by using panel data models. The factors that are identified as significant are the presence of curbs and gutters, shoulder type, pavement conditions, and the presence of construction activities in the vicinity of roadways. The presence of curbs and gutters, stabilized shoulders, and good pavement conditions would result in decreased silt loadings. Conversely, the presence of construction activities within the immediate vicinity of sampled areas would result in increases of silt loadings on the roadway surfaces. Based on the analysis of the results, it was recommended that constructing curbs, gutters and stabilized shoulders, preventing or reducing construction track-out from construction activity, and improving pavement conditions be the preferred control measures to reduce silt loading on paved roadways.     

利用悬浮填料附着生物膜同步去除碳氮磷

采用移动床生物膜反应器（MBBR）处理配制模拟废水,实验结果表明,水力停留时间为6h、悬浮填料填充率为40％时,在不同C／N／P比率条件下,MBBR对COD、NH4＋-N和TN去除性能好且稳定,平均去除率分别达到90％、94．8％和62．39％以上,而TP的去除率受C／N／P值影响较大,当C／N／P的比值为100／10／1．8时,平均去除率达到58．03％。一定的溶解氧（DO）质量浓度能保证反应器中COD、NH4-N高效稳定的去除,同时是TN和TP同时去除的重要影响因素,在MBBR中最佳DO值约为3mg／L。由于附着在悬浮填料生物膜内部存在厌氧、缺氧微环境条件,在反应器中存在少量的反硝化聚磷菌。     

Quality Assured Measurements of Animal Building Emissions: Gas Concentrations

Abstract

Comprehensive field studies were initiated in 2002 to measure emissions of ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), particulate matter <10 µm in diameter, and total suspended particulate from swine and poultry production buildings in the United States.

This paper focuses on the quasicontinuous gas concentration measurement at multiple locations among paired barns in seven states. Documented principles, used in air pollution monitoring at industrial sources, were applied in developing quality assurance (QA) project plans for these studies. Air was sampled from multiple locations with each gas analyzed with one high quality commercial gas analyzer that was located in an environmentally controlled on-farm instrument shelter. A nominal 4 L/min gas sampling system was designed and constructed with Teflon wetted surfaces, bypass pumping, and sample line flow and pressure sensors. Three-way solenoids were used to automatically switch between multiple gas sampling lines with ≥10 min sampling intervals. Inside and outside gas sampling probes were between 10 and 115 m away from the analyzers. Analyzers used chemiluminescence, fluorescence, photoacoustic infrared, and photoionization detectors for NH₃, H₂S, CO₂, CH₄, and NMHC, respectively. Data were collected using personal computer-based data acquisition hardware and software. This paper discusses the methodology of gas concentration measurements and the unique challenges that livestock barns pose for achieving desired accuracy and precision, data representativeness, comparability and completeness, and instrument calibration and maintenance.     

The short-term effect of cadmium on low molecular weight organic acid and amino acid exudation from mangrove (Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong) roots

The aim of this study was to evaluate short-term concentration and time effects of cadmium on Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong root exudation, thereby evaluating and predicting the ecophysiological effects of mangrove to heavy metals at the root level. Mature K. obovata propagules were cultivated in a sandy medium for 3 months, and then six concentrations of Cd (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg L^?1) were applied. After exposure time of 24 h and 7 days, respectively, the root exudates of K. obovata were collected and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) and amino acids of which were analyzed. In addition, we measured glutathione, soluble protein content, and Cd concentration in the plant. We found 10 and 15 types of LMWOAs and amino acids in root exudates of K. obovata with total concentrations ranging from 29.54 to 43.08 mg g^?1 dry weight (DW) roots and from 737.35 to 1,452.46 ng g^?1 DW roots, respectively. Both of them varied in quality and quantity under different Cd treatment strengths and exposure times. Oxalic, acetic, l-malic, tartaric acid, tyrosine, methionine, cysteine, isoleucine, and arginine were dominant. Both LMWOAs and amino acids excreted from K. obovata roots play a key role in Cd toxicity resistance. The responsiveness of amino acids was less than that of LMWOAs. We suggest that the ecological effect of root-excreted free amino acids in the rhizosphere is mainly based on the role of nutrients, supplemented with detoxification to heavy metals.     

模拟成藏填埋垃圾有机质稳定化与产气的阶段性

通过人工构建模拟生物气藏的大型模拟生物反应器,研究模拟成藏填埋城市生活垃圾有机质厌氧降解及生物气化规律及其机理。结果表明,自然温度条件下,模拟填埋垃圾有机质降解和生物气化具有明显阶段性,与pH、ORP、温度等指标的阶段性变化存在相关性。产气阶段最佳条件包括:最适温度范围为31.0～36.0℃;最适pH范围为5.47～6.75,pH中性条件下产甲烷速率最高;ORP最适范围为-428～-541 mV,产甲烷高峰期ORP值为-519 mV,低于前人关于甲烷菌最适ORP的界定范围。每千克挥发性固体总生物气和甲烷产量分别为128.5 L和77.7 L,生物气和甲烷最大产气量分别为118.0 L/d和82.0 L/d,甲烷最大浓度为70.4%,产气高峰期与甲烷浓度高峰期同时出现。模拟成藏填埋垃圾有机质的稳定化过程具有明显的可诱导特征,关键因子的优化对有机质的降解及生物气化产生明显促进作用。     

乙醇溶析结晶法从白炭黑废母液中回收硫酸钠

以乙醇为溶析剂,通过过滤—中和—蒸馏浓缩—溶析结晶等工序,从白炭黑废母液中回收硫酸钠。考察了硫酸钠回收效果的影响因素,并进行了热能消耗和处理成本的分析。实验结果表明：乙醇的加入量对硫酸钠溶解度和蒸馏浓缩过程有着显著影响;在蒸馏醇水比（乙醇与中性废母液的体积比）为0.27,浓缩废母液中硫酸钠质量浓度为69.27 g/L,溶析醇水比（乙醇与浓缩废母液的体积比）为1的最佳工艺条件下,白炭黑废母液中硫酸钠的一次回收率可达69.94%,硫酸钠产品的纯度达到97.3%。     

Comparison of the complex terrain algorithms incorporated into two commonly used local-scale air pollution dispersion models (ADMS and AERMOD) using a hybrid model

ADMS and AERMOD are the two most widely used dispersion models for regulatory purposes. It is, therefore, important to understand the differences in the predictions of the models and the causes of these differences. The treatment by the models of flat terrain has been discussed previously; in this paper the focus is on their treatment of complex terrain. The paper includes a discussion of the impacts of complex terrain on airflow and dispersion and how these are treated in ADMS and AERMOD, followed by calculations for two distinct cases: (i) sources above a deep valley within a relatively flat plateau area (Clifty Creek power station, USA); (ii) sources in a valley in hilly terrain where the terrain rises well above the stack tops (Ribblesdale cement works, England). In both cases the model predictions are markedly different. At Clifty Creek, ADMS suggests that the terrain markedly increases maximum surface concentrations, whereas the AERMOD complex terrain module has little impact. At Ribblesdale, AERMOD predicts very large increases (a factor of 18) in the maximum hourly average surface concentrations due to plume impaction onto the neighboring hill; although plume impaction is predicted by ADMS, the increases in concentration are much less marked as the airflow model in ADMS predicts some lateral deviation of the streamlines around the hill.