Binding characteristics of Cu2+ to natural humic acid fractions sequentially extracted from the lake sediments

Humic acids (HAs) determine the distribution, toxicity, bioavailability, and ultimate fate of heavy metals in the environment. In this work, ten HA fractions (F1–F10) were used as adsorbent, which were sequentially extracted from natural sediments of Lake Wuliangsuhai, to investigate the binding characteristics of Cu²⁺ to HA. On the basis of the characterization results, differences were found between the ten extracted HA fractions responding to their elemental compositions and acidic functional groups. The characterization results reveal that the responses of ten extracted HA fractions to their elemental compositions and acidic functional groups were different. The O/C and (O + N)/C ratio of F1–F8 approximately ranged from 0.66 to 0.53 and from 0.72 to 0.61, respectively; the measured results showed that the contents of phenolic groups and carboxyl groups decreased from 4.46 to 2.60 mmol/g and 1.60 to 0.58 mmol/g, respectively. The binding characteristics of Cu²⁺ to the ten HA fractions were well modeled by the bi-Langmuir model; the binding behavior of Cu²⁺ to all the ten HA fractions were strongly impacted by pH and ionic strength. The FTIR and SEM-EDX image of HA fractions (pre- and post-adsorption) revealed that carboxyl and phenolic groups were responsible for the Cu²⁺ sorption on the ten sequentially extracted HA fractions process, which is the same with the analysis of the ligand binding and bi-Langmuir models Accordingly, the adsorption capacity of the former HA fractions on Cu²⁺ were higher than the latter ones, which may be attributed to the difference of carboxyl and phenolic group contents between the former and latter extracted HA fractions. Additionally, the functional groups with N and S should not be neglected. This work is hopeful to understand the environmental effect of humic substances, environmental geochemical behavior, and bioavailability of heavy metals in lakes.

     

A simple and promising route for biodiesel production from low-quality lipids

High production cost is the key issue of biodiesel industry nowadays. To decrease the cost, using low-quality lipids feedstock is the most effective way. For low-quality lipids with high content of free fatty acids, a simple and promising route is proposed to produce biodiesel. Instead of the typical two-step procedure, the esterification and transesterification processes are performed continuously by simultaneously eliminating the formed water in the reaction system with CaO powder. Investigations were carried out on the synthesis of fatty acid methyl ester and fatty acid ethyl ester. The results showed that the esterification rate reached to 99.6% for fatty acid methyl ester and 99.4% for fatty acid ethyl ester within 3–4 h, and the transesterification rate reached to 89.1 and 86.2%, respectively. Over 93 w% of feedstock oil could be transformed to biodiesel. Besides, hydrophobic CaCO₃ nanorods were also synthesized as value-added by-product. Based on the new route, the production process of biodiesel could be simplified and the production cost could be reduced.     

Crowding in platform staircases of a subway station in China during rush hours

Crowding during the morning peak hours at a platform staircase in a subway station in China was studied in this paper. Passenger flow was surveyed with normal evacuation time recorded. The evacuation process was simulated with the software buildingEXODUS. Predicted results on the total evacuation time and maximum flow capacity of the selected staircase were compared with the field observations. Two parameters, the width of staircase utilized per person and the maximum upstairs walking speed used in the software were identified to be noticeably different from the field studies. Predictions agreed better with the observations after tuning these two parameters. It is concluded that the evacuation simulation software can be applied for safety design with appropriate tuning on the key parameters through field tests.     

两种空气自动监测系统测定SO2比较

通过对两套空气自动监测系统采样方式、分析过程和监测结果的比较,可明显看出两套系统在运行过程中的优缺点,并对其产生偏差的原因进行了分析.     

Simultaneous measurements of arsenic and sulfide using diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT)

Diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) is a dynamically passive sampling technique which has been applied increasingly to the environmental monitoring field. In the preliminary period, the DGT with zirconium hydroxide-silver iodide as the binding phase (ZrO-AgI DGT) has been developed for the determination of sulfide (S(II)). On this basis, this paper developed its determination method for inorganic arsenite (As(III)) to further realize the simultaneous and high-resolution measurements of labile inorganic As and S(II) in sediments. ZrO-AgI binding gel had a strong ability in adsorbing and fixing As(III), showing a linear increase in the initial 12.5 min. After saturation of S(II) on ZrO-AgI binding gel, the adsorption rate and adsorption capacity of As(III) reduced by 8 and 14%, respectively. A stable elution rate (89.1 ± 2.2%) was obtained by extraction of As(III) on the binding gel using a mixture solution of 1.0 M NaOH and 1.0 M H₂O₂ (1:1). The DGT capacity of As(III) determined by the ZrO-AgI DGT was 23.6 μg cm^?2. DGT uptakes of As(III) were independent of pH (4.0–9.0) and ionic strength (0.01–100 mM), and they did not interfere with each other during the uptake process. Simultaneous measurements of labile As and S(II) in four sediment cores of Taihu Lake (China) with ZrO-AgI DGT showed that they had similarly vertical distributions in the top 16-mm layer in one core and in the whole profile up to the 35 mm depth in two cores. It likely reflected a simultaneous release of As and S(II) in sediments by synchronous reduction of As-hosted oxidized iron and sulfate, respectively. The simultaneous decreases of labile As and S(II) from their co-precipitation (e.g., As₂S₃) were not obvious in deeper sediment layer through the measurement with ZrO-AgI DGT.     

Measuring the impact of the pet trade on Indonesian birds

The trade in wild animals involves one‐third of the world's bird species and thousands of other vertebrate species. Although a few species are imperiled as a result of the wildlife trade, the lack of field studies makes it difficult to gauge how serious a threat it is to biodiversity. We used data on changes in bird abundances across space and time and information from trapper interviews to evaluate the effects of trapping wild birds for the pet trade in Sumatra, Indonesia. To analyze changes in bird abundance over time, we used data gathered over 14 years of repeated bird surveys in a 900‐ha forest in southern Sumatra. In northern Sumatra, we surveyed birds along a gradient of trapping accessibility, from the edge of roads to 5 km into the forest interior. We interviewed 49 bird trappers in northern Sumatra to learn which species they targeted and how far they went into the forest to trap. We used prices from Sumatran bird markets as a proxy for demand and, therefore, trapping pressure. Market price was a significant predictor of species declines over time in southern Sumatra (e.g., given a market price increase of approximately $50, the log change in abundance per year decreased by 0.06 on average). This result indicates a link between the market‐based pet trade and community‐wide species declines. In northern Sumatra, price and change in abundance were not related to remoteness (distance from the nearest road). However, based on our field surveys, high‐value species were rare or absent across this region. The median maximum distance trappers went into the forest each day was 5.0 km. This suggests that trapping has depleted bird populations across our remoteness gradient. We found that less than half of Sumatra's remaining forests are >5 km from a major road. Our results suggest that trapping for the pet trade threatens birds in Sumatra. Given the popularity of pet birds across Southeast Asia, additional studies are urgently needed to determine the extent and magnitude of the threat posed by the pet trade.     

水处理中膜分离技术种类及特性研究

随着时代进步,科技发展,中国的环境问题尤其是水污染日益严重,而饮用水质量紧密关系着人们的健康,所以保证饮用水的水质安全,是给水厂重要的使命与责任.膜分离技术由于兼有分离、浓缩、纯化和精制的功能,又有高效、节能、环保、分子级过滤及过滤过程简单、易于控制等特征具有自身独特的优势.给水厂的常规处理工艺已然不能满足水质的要求,深度处理虽能大大提高水质,但是国内逐渐发展起来的超滤技术在去除水中致病微生物方面效果显著.简要介绍膜分离技术的种类及在给水处理中的应用.     

秦皇岛“国际旅游名城”建设中高素质涉外旅游人才的培养策略

建设"国际旅游名城"不可或缺的人力资源之一是高素质的涉外旅游人才。从秦皇岛"旅游立市"及创建"国际旅游名城"的大背景出发,分析秦皇岛面临的国际旅游发展机遇,阐述涉外旅游人才的种类和含义,并针对所需人才特点提出了培养思路和策略。     

上海港区船舶防污漆中Irgarol 1051的环境风险评价

Irgarol 1051是一种常用于船舶防污漆的杀生活性物质。为了评价船舶防污漆杀生活性物质Irgarol 1051的海洋环境风险,根据ISO 13073-1的评价原则和程序,对其进行环境危害评价、环境暴露评价和风险表征。通过对公共数据库的文献检索获取数据,从理化性质、环境行为、生态毒性3个方面评价Irgarol 1051的环境危害。采用评估因子法计算Irgarol 1051的预测无效应浓度(PNEC)。采用质量守恒法计算Irgarol 1051在海水中的释放率,通过MAMPEC v3.0模型推导上海洋山深水港的集装箱船区、码头、航道等暴露场景的预测环境浓度(PEC)。经过比较上述暴露场景的风险商值(PEC/PNEC)发现,港口的海水相风险商值大于1,Irgarol 1051的环境风险需要关注。