Toxicity of the xenoestrogen nonylphenol and its biodegradation by the alga Cyclotella caspia

Alkylphenols (APs), the breakdown products of alkylphenol polyethoxylates that are widely used as surfactants, have been proven to exert estrogenic effects. With industrial development, higher concentrations of APs are discharged into aquatic environments. Nonylphenol (NP), the most noxious AP, is included in the blacklist of several countries. The toxicity of NP to the alga Cyclotella caspia and the biodegradation of NP by C. caspia were studied in the laboratory. The median effective concentration at 96 hr (96 hr EC50 ) of NP for C. caspia was found to be 0.18 mg/L. Five toxicity and three degradation indices were selected for toxicity and biodegradation experiments, respectively, in five or three concentrations of NP set by the 96 hr EC50 of NP. The algal growth rate and chlorophyll a contents decreased as NP concentration increased. The main manifestations of morphological deformity of the cells included volume expansion and the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions (lipid droplets). The abnormality rate of the cells increased with NP concentration and time, and was 100% at 0.22 and 0.26 mg/L of NP after 192 hr of culture. Superoxide dismutase activity initially increased and then declined at a higher NP toxicity of greater than 0.18 mg/L. After 192 hr of culture, the biodegradation rates of NP by C. caspia with initial concentrations of 0.14, 0.18, and 0.22 mg/L were 37.7%, 31.7%, and 6.5%, respectively. The kinetic equation of C. caspia biodegradation on NP was correlated with algal growth rate and initial NP concentration.     

基于因子分析的秦唐沧经济与环境协调发展研究

根据指标构建的科学性、系统性等原则,构建了城市群经济与环境协调发展指标体系,利用因子分析法测算出经济与环境综合发展水平,在此基础上,建立了经济与环境协调发展评价模型,并以秦唐沧城市群为例进行了实证分析。结果表明：2002年-2011年间秦皇岛经济与环境协调发展度高于唐山和沧州,协调发展类型由初步协调向良好协调转变;唐山经济与环境协调发展度呈波浪式上升,由中度失调向中等协调转变;沧州经济与环境协调发展度处于末位,由中度失调向中等协调转变。     

海尔青岛本部2007年-2010年主要家电产量与C02排放量关联度分析

以海尔《环境报告书》和《年度报告》为主要数据来源,调查了海尔青岛本部2007年一2010年主要家电产量和CO2排放量,用灰色关联模型对电冰箱、洗衣机和空调器产量与C02排放量进行了关联度分析。结果显示,这三种家电产量与CO2排放量的关联度分别是0．44、0．65和0．60,显示洗衣机产量是影响CO2排放量的最主要因素,其后依次是空调器和电冰箱。结果可为家电生产商优化产品生产策略、控制CO2排放提供辅助。讨论了方法的局限和进一步的研究方向。     

Evaluating cost and benefit of air pollution control policies in China: A systematic review

China has put great efforts into air pollution control over the past years and recently committed to its most ambitious climate target. Cost and benefit analysis has been widely used to evaluate the control policies in terms of past performance, future reduction potential,and direct and indirect impacts. To understand the cost and benefit analysis for air pollution control in China, we conducted a bibliometric review of more than 100 studies published over the past two decades, including the cur...     

Adsorption and desorption of Cu on paddy soil aggregates pretreated with different levels of phosphate

Interactions between anions and cations are important for understanding the behaviors of chemical pollutants and their potential risks in the environment. Here we prepared soil aggregates of a yellow paddy soil from the Taihu Lake region, and investigated the effects of phosphate (P) pretreatment on adsorption-desorption of Cu²⁺ of soil aggregates, free iron oxyhydrates-removed soil aggregates, goethite, and kaolinite with batch adsorption method. The results showed that Cu²⁺ adsorption was reduced on the aggregates pretreated with low concentrations of P, and promoted with high concentrations of P, showing a V-shaped change. Compared with the untreated aggregates, the adsorption capacity of Cu²⁺ was reduced when P application rates were lower than 260, 220, 130 and 110 mg/kg for coarse, clay, silt and fine sand fractions, respectively. On the contrary, the adsorption capacity of Cu²⁺ was higher on P-pretreated soil aggregates than on the control ones when P application rates were greater than those values. However, the desorption of Cu²⁺ was enhanced at low levels of P, but suppressed at high levels of P, displaying an inverted V-shaped change over P adsorption. The Cu²⁺ adsorption by the aggregate particles with and without P pretreatments was well described by the Freundlich equation. Similar results were obtained on P-pretreated goethite. However, such P effects on Cu²⁺ adsorption-desorption were not observed on kaolinite and free iron oxyhydrates-removed soil aggregates. The present results indicate that goethite is one of the main soil substances responsible for the P-induced promotion and inhibition of Cu²⁺ adsorption.     

Tuning the primary selective nanochannels of MOF thin-film nanocomposite nanofiltration membranes for efficient removal of hydrophobic endocrine disrupting compounds

• PA layer properties tune the primary nanochannels in MIL-101(Cr) TFN NF membranes. • The dense PA layer induced transition of primary nanochannels of TFN NF membranes. • Nanochannels around MOF contributed to the improved flux with a loose PA structure. • Nanochannels in MOFs dominated the separation performance with a dense PA structure. Metal organic framework (MOF) incorporated thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes have the potential to enhance the removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). In MOF-TFN membranes, water transport nanochannels include (i) pores of polyamide layer, (ii) pores in MOFs and (iii) channels around MOFs (polyamide-MOF interface). However, information on how to tune the nanochannels to enhance EDCs rejection is scarce, impeding the refinement of TFN membranes toward efficient removal of EDCs. In this study, by changing the polyamide properties, the water transport nanochannels could be confined primarily in pores of MOFs when the polyamide layer became dense. Interestingly, the improved rejection of EDCs was dependent on the water transport channels of the TFN membrane. At low monomer concentration (i.e., loose polyamide structure), the hydrophilic nanochannels of MIL-101(Cr) in the polyamide layer could not dominate the membrane separation performance, and hence the extent of improvement in EDCs rejection was relatively low. In contrast, at high monomer concentration (i.e., dense polyamide structure), the hydrophilic nanochannels of MIL-101(Cr) were responsible for the selective removal of hydrophobic EDCs, demonstrating that the manipulation of water transport nanochannels in the TFN membrane could successfully overcome the permeability and EDCs rejection trade-off. Our results highlight the potential of tuning primary selective nanochannels of MOF-TFN membranes for the efficient removal of EDCs.     

The adsorption affinity of N-doped biochar plays a crucial role in peroxydisulfate activation and bisphenol A oxidative degradation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Metal-free biochar to activate persulfate and degrade organic contaminants has attracted great attention in advanced oxidation processes, while the...     

The effects of different electrode materials on seed germination of Solanum nigrum L. and its Cd accumulation in soil

The effects of different electrode on Solanum nigrum L.seed germination were determined.The result showe d that germination percentage(GP) of seeds in treatment T2(titanium electrode) was 26.6% higher than in control(CK,without electric field).High potassium and calcium concentrations were beneficial for seed enzymatic activity in treatment T2,which could partly explain the increase in GP.Cd accumulation(μg/pot) in S.nigrum treated with any electric field was significantly higher(p<0.05) than...     

高处坠落事故的原因及对策

当前,举国上下都在为构建和谐社会而不懈努力,特别是北京市提出了“人文北京、科技北京、绿色北京”的举措,城市建设得到了快速发展。与此同时,高、大、深、新的建筑工程愈来愈多,施工难度日益增大,生产安全事故的发生也呈上升的趋势，特别是高处坠落事故愈来愈严重。