Zinc and cadmium accumulation and tolerance in populations of Sedum alfredii

To investigate the variation of Zn and Cd accumulation and tolerance of Sedum alfredii (a newly reported Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator), field surveys and hydroponic experiments were conducted among three populations of this species: two originating from old Pb/Zn mines in Zhejiang (ZJ) and Hunan (HN) Provinces and one from a "clean" site in Guangdong (GD) Province, China. Under field conditions, up to 12,524 and 12,253 mg kg(-1) Zn, and 1400 and 97 mg kg(-1) Cd in shoots of ZJ and HN plants were recorded respectively. Under hydroponic conditions, ZJ and HN plants accumulated significantly higher Zn and Cd in their leaves and stems, and possessed significantly higher Zn and Cd tolerance than GD plants. Among the two contaminated populations, ZJ plants showed higher Cd tolerance and accumulation (in leaves) than HN plants. The present results indicate that significant differences in Zn and Cd accumulation and tolerance exist in populations of S. alfredii.     

Catalytic destruction of pentachlorobenzene in simulated flue gas by a V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst

Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) in simulated flue gas was destructed by a commercial V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂ catalyst in this study. The effects of reaction temperature, oxygen concentration, space velocity and some co-existing pollutants on PeCB conversion were investigated. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the oxidation of PeCB over the vanadium oxide on the catalysts was proposed. Results show that the increase of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and the decrease of operating temperature both resulted in the decrease of PeCB removal over the catalyst, while the effect of the oxygen content in the range of 5-20% (v/v) on PeCB conversion was negligible. PeCB decomposition could be obviously affected by the denitration reactions under the conditions because of the positive effect of NO but negative effect of NH₃. The introduction of SO₂ caused the catalyst poisoning, probably due to the sulfur-containing species formed and deposited on the catalyst surface. The PeCB molecules were first adsorbed on the catalyst surface, and then oxidized into the non-aromatic acyclic intermediates, low chlorinated aromatics and maleic anhydride.     

Emission characterization of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants from iron ore sintering process in China

Emission of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants (Unintentional POPs), including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), polychorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HxCBz) and pentachlorobenzene (PeCBz), were investigated in four typical iron ore sintering plants in China. The emission factors and annual mass releases of the Unintentional POPs were calculated. The results indicated that PCDFs contributed more than 60% to the overall toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) values, while the contribution of the dl-PCBs is relatively low, and only in the range of 8-9%. The dominant congeners of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs contributing most to the total TEQ were 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and PCB-126. With regard to the TEQ contributions, the most abundant homologues were PeCDFs and HxCDD/Fs, followed by PeCDDs and non-ortho dl-PCB, whereas HpCDD/Fs, OCDD/Fs and mono-ortho dl-PCBs almost made no contributions. Due to the massive use of recycled waste in the feeding materials, the average emission factor of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs of the four plants was 3.95 μg WHO-TEQ ton⁻¹. Based on the results, the annual release of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in 2007-2009 were estimated to be 2070 g, 2212 g, and 2307 g WHO-TEQ, respectively.     

折板絮凝池流场的粒子图像测速试验研究

利用粒子图像测速(PIV)技术对折板絮凝池模型中的复杂流场进行测量,分析了折板絮凝池的缩放单元和转折单元内部流场对絮凝效果的影响机制.絮凝试验表明,90°异波折板与90°同波波折板组合的浊度去除率最高,达到了97.7%,这对折板絮凝池的成本效益设计提供了理论依据.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface sediments from drinking water sources of Taihu Lake, China: sources, partitioning and toxicological risk

Sources, partitioning and toxicological risk of 15 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments from drinking water sources of Taihu Lake, with an area of 2428 km(2) located in the most developed and populated area of China, were studied, and the results were compared with those in other lakes of China and the USA. Concentrations of the 15 PAHs in sediments ranged from 436.6 to 1334.9 ng g(-1) (dw). Gasoline combustion, coal combustion, diesel combustion from shipping and spillage of petroleum were apportioned to be the main sources of PAHs in this area by principal component analysis, which contributed 35.19%, 26.43%, 25.41% and 12.97% to the PAH sources estimated by further multiple linear regression. Levels of PAHs in sediments were negatively correlated with contents of clay and fine silt (<16 μm), while positively with contents of medium silt, coarse silt and sand (>16 μm). Humin with size larger than 16 μm contained the largest part of the burden of PAHs in sediments, but the specific partitioning domain (bound humic acid, lipid or insoluble residue) depended on properties of organic matter reflected by optical absorbance at 465 and 665 nm. Total toxic benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (TEQ(carc)) of the carcinogenic PAHs in sediments varied from 31.8 to 209.3 ngTEQ(carc) g(-1). Benzo[a]pyrene and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene contributed 45.36 and 25.31% to total TEQ(carc), posing high toxicological risk to this area.     

复杂人——机系统中的人因失误

随着人——机系统变得越来越多，装置的可靠性越来越高，人因失误已成为重要的潜在事故源。本文描述了复杂人——机系统的特征，探讨了该系统中人因失误的定义、分类、数据采集和事故模型。这些研究有助于对人因失误的预测、预防和减少。     

Selective sorption of perfluorooctane sulfonate on molecularly imprinted polymer adsorbents

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), as a potential persistent organic pollutant, has been widely detected in water environments, and has become a great concern in recent years. PFOS is very stable and difficult to decompose using conventional techniques. Sorption may be an attractive method to remove it from water. In this study, the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) adsorbents were prepared through the polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine under different preparation conditions in order to remove perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from water. The MIP adsorbents using perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as the template had good imprinting effects and could selectively remove PFOS from aqueous solution. The sorption behaviors including sorption kinetics, isotherms, and effect of pH, salt, and competitive anions were investigated. Experimental results showed that the sorption of PFOS on the MIP adsorbents was very fast, pH-dependent, and highly selective. The achieved fast sorption equilibrium within 1 h was attributed to the surface sorption on the fine adsorbents. The sorption isotherms showed that the sorption selectivity of PFOS on the MIP adsorbents decreased at high PFOS concentrations, which may be due to the double-layer sorption and the formation of PFOS micelles on the sorbent surface. The sorption of PFOS on the MIP adsorbents was mainly dominated by the electrostatic interaction between the protonated vinylpyridine on the adsorbent surface and the anionic PFOS. The prepared MIP adsorbents can potentially be applied in water and wastewater treatment for selective removal of PFOS.     

Characteristics,decoupling effect,and driving factors of regional tourism’s carbon emissions in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - By revealing the temporal and spatial differentiation of China’s regional tourism carbon emissions and its decoupling relationship with tourism...