Experimental research on emission and removal of dioxins in flue gas from a co-combustion of MSW and coal incinerator

This paper describes the experimental study of dioxins removal from flue gas from a co-combustion municipal solid waste and coal incinerator by means of a fluidized absorption tower and a fabric filter. A test rig has been set up. The flow rate of flue gas of the test rig is 150-2000 m3/h. The system was composed of a humidification and cooling system, an absorption tower, a demister, a slurry make-up tank, a desilter, a fabric filter and a measurement system. The total height of the absorption tower was 6.5m, and the diameter of the reactor pool was 1.2 m. When the absorbent was 1% limestone slurry, the recirculation ratio was 3, the jet rate was 5-15 m/s and the submerged depth of the bubbling pipe under the slurry was 0.14 m, the removal efficiency for dioxins was 99.35%. The concentration of dioxins in the treated flue gas was 0.1573 x 10(-13)kg/Nm3 and the concentration of oxygen was 11%. This concentration is comparable to the emission standards of other developed countries.     

Association of exposure to multiple metals with papillary thyroid cancer risk in China

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has inflicted huge threats to the health of mankind. Metal pollution could be a potential risk factor of PTC occurrence, but existing relevant epidemiological researches are limited. The current case-control study was designed to evaluate the relationships between exposure to multiple metals and the risk of PTC. A total of 262 histologically confirmed PTC cases were recruited. Age- and gender-matched controls were enrolled at the same time. Urine samples were used as biomarkers to reflect the levels of environmental exposure to 13 metals. Conditional logistic regression models were adopted to assess the potential association. Single-metal and multi-metal models were separately conducted to evaluate the impacts of single and co-exposure to 13 metals. The increased concentration of urinary Cd, Cu, Fe, and Pb quartiles was found significant correlated with PTC risk. We also found the decreased trends of urinary Se, Zn, and Mn quartiles with the ORs for PTC. These dose-response associations between Pb and PTC were observed in the single-metal model and remained significant in the multi-metal model (OR_25-50th=1.39, OR_50-75th=3.32, OR_>75th=7.62, p for trend <0.001). Our study suggested that PTC was positively associated with urinary levels of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and inversely associated with Se, Zn, and Mn. Targeted public health policies should be made to improve the environment and the recognition of potential risk factors. These findings need additional studies to confirm in other population.

     

盾构隧道施工对邻近建筑物差异沉降与扭曲变形影响分析∗

针对盾构隧道施工侧穿既有建筑物问题,结合南京地铁一号线北延段工程,以盾构隧道侧穿某浅基础建筑物为研究对象,通过对建筑物沉降实测数据进行分析,并利用Plaxis 3D 软件建立数值模型,研究了隧道距建筑物不同水平距离和盾构以不同角度穿越对建筑物差异沉降与扭曲变形特征的影响。结果表明：随着盾构开挖面逐渐接近建筑物,建筑物差异沉降及扭曲变形逐渐增大;差异沉降量在盾构机通过时达到最大值,之后趋于稳定,而扭曲变形峰值出现在盾构开挖面到达建筑物中点截面位置时,随后逐渐减小;当建筑物中心至隧道轴线的水平距离与隧道外径之比L/D=0.5~2 时,建筑物差异沉降量较大,在L/D=1.5 时达到峰值;当盾构穿越夹角从θ=0°增大至θ=90°时,建筑物最大差异沉降量不断增加,而最终扭曲变形值则先增大后减小,在θ=45°时扭曲变形达到峰值。研究结果可为盾构隧道侧穿浅基础建筑物时相关类似工程提供参考。     

Effects of sediment burial disturbance on macro and microelement dynamics in decomposing litter of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phragmites australis</Emphasis> in the coastal marsh of the Yellow River estuary,China

From April 2008 to November 2009, a field decomposition experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of sediment burial on macro (C, N) and microelement (Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Mn) variations in decomposing litter of Phragmites australis in the coastal marsh of the Yellow River estuary. Three one-off sediment burial treatments [no sediment burial (0 mm year^?1, S₀), current sediment burial (100 mm year^?1, S₁₀), and strong sediment burial (200 mm year^?1, S₂₀)] were laid in different decomposition sites. Results showed that sediment burials showed significant influence on the decomposition rate of P. australis, in the order of S₁₀ (0.001990 day^?1)?≈?S₂₀ (0.001710 day^?1)?>?S₀ (0.000768 day^?1) (p?<?0.05). The macro and microelement in decomposing litters of the three burial depths exhibited different temporal variations except for Cu, Zn, and Ni. No significant differences in C, N, Pb, Cr, Zn, and Mn concentrations were observed among the three burial treatments except for Cu and Ni (p?>?0.05). With increasing burial depth, N, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Mn concentrations generally increased, while C, Pb, and Zn concentrations varied insignificantly. Sediment burial was favorable for C and N release from P. australis, and, with increasing burial depth, the C release from litter significantly increased, and the N in litter shifted from accumulation to release. With a few exceptions, Pb, Cr, Zn, and Mn stocks in P. australis in the three treatments evidenced the export of metals from litter to environment, and, with increasing burial depth, the export amounts increased greatly. Stocks of Cu and Ni in P. australis in the S₁₀ and S₂₀ treatments were generally positive, evidencing incorporation of the two metals in most sampling times. Except for Ni, the variations of C, N, Pb, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Mn stocks in P. australis in the S₁₀ and S₂₀ treatments were approximated, indicating that the strong burial episodes (S₂₀) occurred in P. australis marsh in the future would have little influence on the stocks of these elements. With increasing burial depths, the P. australis was particularly efficient in binding Cu and Ni and releasing C, N, Pb, Cr, Zn, and Mn, implying that the potential eco-toxic risk of Pb, Cr, Zn, and Mn exposure might be very serious. This study emphasized the effects of different burials on nutrient and metal cycling and mass balance in the P. australis marsh of the Yellow River estuary.     

Improved traceability of Shiga-toxin-producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> using CRISPRs for detection and typing

Among strains of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), seven serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157) are frequently associated with severe clinical illness in humans. The development of methods for their reliable detection from complex samples such as food has been challenging thus far, and is currently based on the PCR detection of the major virulence genes stx1, stx2, and eae, and O-serogroup-specific genes. However, this approach lacks resolution. Moreover, new STEC serotypes are continuously emerging worldwide. For example, in May 2011, strains belonging to the hitherto rarely detected STEC serotype O104:H4 were identified as causative agents of one of the world’s largest outbreak of disease with a high incidence of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome in the infected patients. Discriminant typing of pathogens is crucial for epidemiological surveillance and investigations of outbreaks, and especially for tracking and tracing in case of accidental and deliberate contamination of food and water samples. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) are composed of short, highly conserved DNA repeats separated by unique sequences of similar length. This distinctive sequence signature of CRISPRs can be used for strain typing in several bacterial species including STEC. This review discusses how CRISPRs have recently been used for STEC identification and typing.     

Depth-dependence and monthly variability of charophyte biomass production: consequences for the precipitation of calcium carbonate in a shallow <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chara</Emphasis>-lake

The month-to-month variability of biomass and CaCO₃ precipitation by dense charophyte beds was studied in a shallow Chara-lake at two depths, 1 and 3 m. Charophyte dry weights (d.w.), the percentage contribution of calcium carbonate to the dry weight and the precipitation of CaCO₃ per 1 m² were analysed from May to October 2011. Physical-chemical parameters of water were also measured for the same sample locations. The mean dry weight and calcium carbonate precipitation were significantly higher at 1 m than at 3 m. The highest measured charophyte dry weight (exceeding 2000 g m^?2) was noted at 1 m depth in September, and the highest CaCO₃ content in the d.w. (exceeding 80 % of d.w.) was observed at 3 m depth in August. The highest CaCO₃ precipitation per 1 m² exceeded 1695 g at 1 m depth in August. Significant differences in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were found between 1 and 3 m depths; there were no significant differences between depths for other water properties. At both sampling depths, there were distinct correlations between the d.w., CaCO₃ content and precipitation and water properties. In addition to PAR, the water temperature and magnesium and calcium ion concentrations were among the most significant determinants of CaCO₃ content and d.w. The results show that light availability seems to be the major factor in determining charophyte biomass in a typical, undisturbed Chara-lake. The study results are discussed in light of the role of charophyte vegetation in whole ecosystem functioning, with a particular focus on sedimentary processes and the biogeochemical cycle within the littoral zone.     

Increasing CACNA1C expression in placenta containing high Cd level: an implication of Cd toxicity

Cadmium (Cd) has known to produce many adverse effects on organs including placenta. Many essential transporters are involved in Cd transport pathways such as DMT-1, ZIP as well as L-VDCC. Fourteen pregnant women participated and were divided into two groups: high and low Cd-exposed (H-Cd, L-Cd) groups on the basis of their residential areas, Cd concentrations in the blood (B-Cd), urine (U-Cd), and placenta (P-Cd). The results showed that the B-Cd and U-Cd were significantly increased in H-Cd group (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the P-Cd in H-Cd group was elevated (p < 0.05) and positively related to their B-Cd and U-Cd values (p < 0.05). However, the mean cord blood Cd (C-Cd) concentration in H-Cd group was not significantly increased about 2.5-fold when comparing to L-Cd group. To determine the Cd accumulation in placental tissues, metallothionein-1A (MT-1A) and metallothionein-2A (MT-2A) expressions were used as biomarkers. The results revealed that mean MT-1A and MT-2A mRNAs and MT-1/2 proteins were up-regulated in H-Cd group (p < 0.05). In addition, the Ca channel alpha 1C (CACNA1C) mRNA and protein expressions were noticeably elevated in H-Cd group (p < 0.05). From these findings, we suggested that CACNA1C might be implicated in Cd transport in human placenta.     

Energy policy evaluation in practice: the case of production subsidies and DEN-B in the Netherlands

This paper describes how energy policy can be evaluated in practice. The goal is to make policy makers aware of how an evaluation can be based on scientific principles and to help economists appreciate how an evaluation can be performed if strong empirical evidence is lacking. We have built a basic evaluation framework and have applied this to a selection of Dutch energy policy instruments, namely production subsidies and their complementary non-financial instrument, DEN-B. Our evaluation criterion was effectiveness, defined as the extent to which policy instruments contribute to achieving policy goals. The evaluation was based on existing ex post evaluations complemented by interviews and other available data. We conclude that production subsidies and DEN-B were (partly) effective. Furthermore, the Dutch government increased effectiveness by reconsidering the design of production subsidies. We also formulate lessons for future policy evaluations and energy markets policies.     

A review of vulnerability indicators for deltaic social–ecological systems

The sustainability of deltas worldwide is under threat due to the consequences of global environmental change (including climate change) and human interventions in deltaic landscapes. Understanding these systems is becoming increasingly important to assess threats to and opportunities for long-term sustainable development. Here, we propose a simplified, yet inclusive social–ecological system (SES)-centered risk and vulnerability framework and a list of indicators proven to be useful in past delta assessments. In total, 236 indicators were identified through a structured review of peer-reviewed literature performed for three globally relevant deltas—the Mekong, the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and the Amazon. These are meant to serve as a preliminary “library” of potential indicators to be used for future vulnerability assessments. Based on the reviewed studies, we identified disparities in the availability of indicators to populate some of the vulnerability domains of the proposed framework, as comprehensive social–ecological assessments were seldom implemented in the past. Even in assessments explicitly aiming to capture both the social and the ecological system, there were many more indicators for social susceptibility and coping/adaptive capacities as compared to those relevant for characterizing ecosystem susceptibility or robustness. Moreover, there is a lack of multi-hazard approaches accounting for the specific vulnerability profile of sub-delta areas. We advocate for more comprehensive, truly social–ecological assessments which respond to multi-hazard settings and recognize within-delta differences in vulnerability and risk. Such assessments could make use of the proposed framework and list of indicators as a starting point and amend it with new indicators that would allow capturing the complexity as well as the multi-hazard exposure in a typical delta SES.