Transport of copper as affected by titania nanoparticles in soil columns

The effects of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the transport of Cu through four different soil columns were studied. For two soils (HB and DX), TiO₂ nanoparticles acted as a Cu carrier and facilitated the transport of Cu. For a third soil (BJ) TiO₂ nanoparticles also facilitated Cu transport but to a much lesser degree, but for a fourth soil (HLJ) TiO₂ nanoparticles retarded the transport of Cu. Linear correlation analysis indicated that soil properties rather than sorption capacities for Cu primary governed whether TiO₂ nanoparticles-facilitated Cu transport. The TiO₂-associated Cu of outflow in the Cu-contaminated soil columns was significantly positively correlated with soil pH and negatively correlated with CEC and DOC. During passage through the soil columns 46.6-99.9% of Cu initially adsorbed onto TiO₂ could be “stripped” from nanoparticles depending on soil, where Cu desorption from TiO₂ nanoparticles increased with decreasing flow velocity and soil pH.     

微絮凝-直接过滤工艺用于东江流域典型印染废水回用的实验研究

以东莞地区某典型印染企业尾水为研究对象,针对东江流域饮用水源河流水质污染现状及纳污河流水质改善目标要求与企业对尾水回用的实际需求,进行了印染废水深度处理回用工艺的适用性研究.通过混凝烧杯实验,选用工业PACl、FeSO4、HPAC 3种药剂,对微絮凝-直接过滤集成工艺用于印染废水尾水深度处理后水质回用的可行性,进行了实...     

两点进水条件下多种A2/O工艺的运行效果

在两点进水的条件下采用A2/O工艺处理化工园区废水厌氧水解出水,分析配水比对A2/O工艺处理效果的影响,以及在最优配水条件下,各类A2/O工艺处理废水的实际效果.结果表明,在厌氧段-缺氧段的配水比为30%～70%时,A2/O工艺的处理效果最好.在两点进水条件下的各类A2/O工艺中,倒置A2/O和改良A2/O比常规A2/...     

A Two-Stage Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for MPPT of Partially Shaded PV Arrays

The power-voltage (P-V) characteristic curves of a PV array are nonlinear and have multiple peaks under partially shaded conditions (PSCs). This paper proposes a novel maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method for a PV system with reduced steady-state oscillation based on a two-stage particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The grouping method of the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) is incorporated in the basic PSO algorithm (PSO-SFLA), ensuring fast and accurate searching of the global extremum. An adaptive speed factor is also introduced into the improved PSO to further enhance its convergence speed. Test results show that the proposed method converges in less than half the time taken by the conventional PSO method, and the power is improved by 33% under the worst PSCs, which confirms the superiority of the proposed method over the standard PSO algorithm in terms of tracking speed and steady-state oscillations under different PSCs.     

Hydrothermal liquefaction phase behavior of microalgae & model compounds in fused silica capillary reactor

A fused silica capillary reactor combined with a heating/cooling stage, a microscope and a digital camera were used to investigate phase behavior during the hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae (Dunaliella tertiolecta) and model compounds, including soya protein and glycine, starch, glucose and xylose, stearic acid and palmitic acid. Bubbles were generated at 246°C and disappeared at 360°C upon heating when Dunaliella tertiolecta used as feedstocks. Moreover, liquid products were generated at 300°C upon heating and oily liquid products began to separate out at 250°C upon cooling. The phase behavior of soya protein was similar to that of the Dunaliella tertiolecta. Meanwhile, there only observed the bubbles generation during hydrothermal liquefaction of glycine. Heating the starch, glucose and xylose above 350°C generated black solids from carbonization. Stearic acid and palmitic acid only had the process of melting, dissolution, dispersion and precipitation.     

Arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and human urine in Ha Nam province,the Northern Vietnam: contamination characteristics and risk assessment

The contamination characteristics of arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and the potential risks of arsenic from the groundwater were investigated. Elevated contamination of arsenic, barium and manganese was observed in tube-well water of two villages (Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang) in Ha Nam province in the Northern Vietnam. Concentrations of As in the groundwater ranged from 12.8 to 884 µg/L with mean values in Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were 614.7 and 160.1 µg/L, respectively. About 83 % of these samples contained As concentrations exceeding WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L. The mean values of Mn and Ba in groundwater from Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were 300 and 657 μg/L and 650 and 468 μg/L, respectively. The mean value of Ba concentration in groundwater in both Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang was about 22 % of the samples exceeded the WHO guideline (700 µg/L). Arsenic concentrations in human urine of residents from Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were the range from 8.6 to 458 µg/L. The mean values of Mn and Ba in human urine of local people from Chuyen Ngoai were 46.9 and 62.8 μg/L, respectively, while those in people from Chau Giang were 25.9 and 45.9 μg/L, respectively. The average daily dose from ingesting arsenic for consuming both untreated and treated groundwater is from 0.02 to 11.5 and 0.003 to 1.6 μg/kg day, respectively. Approximately, 57 % of the families using treated groundwater and 64 % of the families using untreated groundwater could be affected by elevated arsenic exposure.     

Advantages and risks of using steel slag in preparing composts from raw organic waste

It had been reported that iron and manganese oxides in steel slag enhanced the production of humic acid (HA) from low-molecular-weight compounds, such as phenolic acids, amino acids, and saccharides. In the present study, this function of steel slag was applied to the composting of raw organic wastes (ROWs). The degree of humification of HAs is an important factor in evaluating compost quality. Thus, HAs were extracted from the prepared composts and the humification parameters were determined, in terms of elemental compositions, acidic functional group contents, molecular weights, spectroscopic parameters from UV–vis absorption and ¹³C NMR spectra. The timing for adding steel slag affected the degree of humification of HAs in the composts. The weight average molecular weight of a HA when slag was added initially (29 kDa) was significantly higher than when slag was added after elevating the temperature of the compost pile (17–18 kDa). These results show that ROWs are decomposed to low-molecular-weight compounds after the pile temperature is elevated and the presence of slag enhances the polycondensation of these compounds to produce HAs with a higher degree of humification. Because the slag used in the present study contained several-tens ng g^?1 to several μg g^?1 of toxic elements (B, Cu, Cr, and Zn), leaching tests for these elements from the prepared composts were carried out. Levels for leaching boron from composts prepared by adding slag (0.2–0.4 mg L^?1) were obviously higher than the corresponding levels without slag (0.05 mg L^?1).     

Cancer risk from gaseous carbonyl compounds in indoor environment generated from household coal combustion in Xuanwei,China

Airborne carbonyls were characterized from emitted indoor coal combustion. Samples were collected in Xuanwei (Yunnan Province), a region in China with a high rate of lung cancer. Eleven of 19 types of samples (58%) demonstrated formaldehyde concentrations higher than the World Health Organization exposure limit (a 30-min average of 100 μg m^?3). Different positive significant correlations between glyoxal/methylglyoxal and formaldehyde/acetaldehyde concentrations were observed, suggesting possible different characteristics in emissions between two pairs of carbonyl compounds. A sample in the highest inhalation risk shows 29.2 times higher risk than the lowest sample, suggesting different coal sampling locations could contribute to the variation of inhalation risk. Inhabitants in Xuanwei also tend to spend more time cooking and more days per year indoors than the national average. The calculated cancer risk ranged from 2.2–63 × 10^?5, which shows 13 types of samples at high-risk level. Cumulative effect in combination with different carbonyls could have contributed to the additive actual inhalation cancer risk. There is a need to explicitly address the health effects of environmentally relevant doses, considering life-long exposure in indoor dwellings.     

Hexabromocyclododecanes in soils and plants from a plastic waste treatment area in North China: occurrence,diastereomer- and enantiomer-specific profiles,and metabolization

Plastic waste is a source of organic contaminants such as hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). HBCDs have been found to cause developmental and reproductive toxicity; it is important to investigate the occurrence and metabolization of HBCDs in the soil environments with plastic waste contamination. This work analyzed HBCDs and their metabolites in soil and plant samples collected from Xinle and Dingzhou—the major plastic waste recycling centers in North China. Results showed that total HBCD concentrations in soils followed the order: plastic waste treatment site (11.0–624 ng/g) > roadside (2.96–85.4 ng/g) ≥ farmland (8.69–55.5 ng/g). HBCDs were detected in all the plant samples with total concentrations ranging from 3.47 to 23.4 ng/g. γ-HBCD was the dominant congener in soils, while α-HBCD was preferentially accumulated in plants. Compositions of HBCD isomers in soils and plants were significantly different (P < 0.05) among sampling sites and among plant species. HBCDs in farmland soil and all plant samples exhibited high enantio-selectivity based on the enantiomeric fractions (EFs). Furthermore, metabolites of pentabromocyclododecenes (PBCDEs) were frequently identified in soils, and mono-OH-HBCDs were the most common ones in plants. This study for the first time provides evidences of HBCD contamination in the soil-plant system caused by plastic waste, their stereo-selectivity, and metabolization behavior, improving our understanding of the environmental behavior and fate of HBCDs.     

应用表面活性剂-生物柴油微乳液去除污染土壤中多环芳烃

针对修复焦化厂高浓度多环芳烃污染土壤高成本的现实,采用以非食用性植物油、生物柴油、表面活性剂及其乳化合成的微乳液为淋洗剂,比较不同淋洗剂的淋洗效果。结果表明乳化合成的微乳液对焦化厂土壤中多环芳烃的总去除率高于单独使用表面活性剂为淋洗剂对土壤中多环芳烃的总去除率,说明生物柴油及植物油与表面活性剂乳化形成的微乳液对原污染土壤中的多环芳烃具有显著的增溶作用。1%TW-80和2.5%TW-80对土壤中多环芳烃总去除率分别为11%和14%;以2.5%TW-80为原料乳化合成的微乳液的淋洗去除率较以1%TW-80为原料乳化合成的微乳液高,总去除率分别为15%～30%和11%～18%;以生物柴油为原料乳化合成的微乳液的淋洗去除率较以植物油为原料乳化合成的微乳液高,分别为17%～30%和15%～23%,且对多环芳烃的去除率与其辛醇水分配系数(logKow)呈线性相关关系。