Impact of cleaner production on business performance

Extensive research has examined the relationship between environmental management/performance and business performance but yielded no conclusive results. This paper makes two contributions to the literature. First, instead of focusing on one aspect, we try to compare using various types of cleaner production activities: low- and high-cost activities. Second, the study complements the existing literature which focuses on firms in developed countries with an analysis of firms in the Chinese manufacturing industry. In this paper, the relationship between cleaner production and business performance was analyzed using Structure Equation Model (SEM). We find an overall positive impact of cleaner production on firm's business performance. We also found that the cleaner production activities of low-cost scheme have a bigger contribution to financial performance compared to non-financial performance, while cleaner production activities of high-cost scheme have a greater contribution to non-financial performance, compared to financial performance. This study should be useful for firms that consider adopting cleaner production as well as stakeholders who aim to promote cleaner production.     

Organochlorine levels in viperine snake Natrix maura carcasses from the ebro delta (NE Spain): Sexual and size-related differences

Organochlorine compounds (PCBs, DDTs and HCB) in carcasses from a population of the Viperine Snake (Natrix maura) living in the Ebro Delta were analyzed. This is a wetland area on the Mediterranean coast where the natural ecosystem has been partially substituted by rice fields. High levels of pollutants (mainly DDTs and PCBs) have been detected in several species living in this area, due to the production of these compounds by a former industrial activity upstream as well as agricultural activity in the Delta. Organochlorines were analyzed in adult males and females, and in immature snakes. DDTs (mainly p,p′-DDE) were the most abundant pollutant present. The DDT/PCB ratio was higher than expected, which is consistent with the position of the Viperine Snake in the trophic web as well as the type of prey consumed. Immature snakes had more organochlorines than adults. However, the broad range of concentrations shown by immature snakes, suggested that part of the organochlorine load is transferred from gravid females to their eggs. In adults, organochlorine concentrations increased with carcass weight in both males and females. This increase was higher in males since females lost contaminants through fat investment during vitellogenesis. Seasonally, PCBs and DDTs levels increased in spring when snakes showed higher feeding activity, whereas higher levels of HCB were present at the end of summer, when the river input increased. Furthermore, HCB does not seem to biomagnify well across the trophic chain. Organochlorine concentrations in Viperine Snake carcasses were high since: 1) the dry tissue had less than 5% of fat, and 2) snakes were caught many years after the DDT ban, supporting the fact that cleaning of the ecosystem does not occur easily. These results indicate that snakes are adequate as indicators of the contamination in natural ecosystems but sex and body size of the samples should be taken into account for interpretation of results.     

Synthesis of novel hapten and production of generic monoclonal antibody for immunoassay of penicillins residues in milk

The objective of this study was to produce a generic monoclonal antibody for determination of penicillins residues in milk. The compound 6-aminopenicillanic acid was used as the template to synthesize two novel generic haptens that were used to produce the monoclonal antibodies. The obtained monoclonal antibodies simultaneously recognized 11 penicillin drugs (amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin G, penicillin V, sulbenicillin, carbencillin, methicillin, cloxacillin, dicloxacillin, oxacillin, and nafcillin). After evaluation of different reagent combinations, a heterologous indirect competitive enzyme immunoassay was developed to multi-determine the 11 drugs in milk. The crossreactivities to the 11 drugs were in a range of 16%–117% and the limits of detection were in a range of 0.7–9.3 ng/mL depending on the drug. The recoveries from the fortified blank milk were in a range of 77.6%–99.4% with coefficients of variation lower than 13.5%. This method could be used as a rapid screen tool for routine monitoring the residues of the 11 penicillin drugs in animal derived foods.     

高级催化氧化法降解有机工业废水的研究

用煤灰渣加入活性组分复合成催化剂,以H₂O₂作为氧化剂处理有机工业废水.结果表明,该方法对有机工业废水具有很高的处理效率.在ρ(H₂O₂)/ρ(COD_Cr)为0.6,pH为4,反应2 h条件下,COD_Cr去除率可达83%以上.该催化剂是以一定粒度的燃煤锅炉废渣为载体,加入FeSO₄, MnO₂, Al₂O₂和SiO₂多种活性组分复合而成.      

电厂煤燃烧后元素硒的分布及对环境的贡献

对电厂煤、除尘器飞灰、渣及不同粒径的烟道飞灰中痕量元素硒进行研究.化学分析表明,硒在渣和除尘器飞灰中亏损而在细飞灰中富集,尤其在>19.0μm的飞灰中明显富集,富集系数达到5.15,造成这种现象的原因一是挥发性元素的挥发-凝结作用,二是燃烧产物在燃烧气流中停留的时间,三与飞灰颗粒形态有关,>19.0μm的飞灰中多孔颗粒可能是造成其富集的原因.逐级化学提取实验表明,煤中硒主要具有机相关性(69.7%),这也是硒挥发性高的一个主要原因;物质平衡计算显示煤中16.5%的硒随气流直接排放入大气,细飞灰中的硒只占1.1%,且大部分在>19.0μm的飞灰中,影响范围小,渣中硒对周围环境的影响更小,飞灰中的硒具有一定的迁移性,也许可以用来改善缺硒土壤.     

A comparative study of anaerobically digested and undigested sewage sludges in preparation of activated carbons.

Disposal of sewage sludge is an increasingly expensive and environmentally sensitive problem throughout the world. Preparation of activated carbon from sewage sludge offers an attractive re-use alternative to the traditional disposal routes. The objective of this research work was to compare anaerobically digested sewage sludge (DS) and undigested sewage sludge (US) as source materials in the preparation of activated carbons. Prior to the preparation the properties of the two types of sewage sludges were determined and compared. Subsequently the sludge samples were activated with 5 M ZnCl2 solution and thereafter pyrolysed at heating temperature of 650 degrees C for 2 h with the heating rate of 15 degrees C/min under a nitrogen atmosphere. The produced activated carbons were characterised by surface area and porosity analysis, CHN elemental composition and ash contents determination, and aqueous phase phenol adsorption tests. The results indicate that in comparison with the DS, the US had a higher carbon content and lower ash content, and accordingly yielded a better activated carbon with a higher BET surface area, pore volume, carbon content and phenol adsorption capacity.     

Using PM10 geochemical maps for defining the origin of atmospheric pollution in Andalusia (Southern Spain)

In this work we present a detailed study of atmospheric PM₁₀ pollution in Andalusia (Southern Spain) based on geochemical maps. The study includes determination of PM₁₀ levels and bulk chemical composition with samples from 17 representative monitoring stations (rural, urban background, traffic hot spot, and urban zones with industrial influence) during 2007. The knowledge of background levels and concentrations of relevant chemical compounds and elements allows the quantification of the main sources of pollution in relevant cities and sites of ecological interest.In comparison to other stations in Spain and mainland Europe, PM₁₀ in Andalusia is characterized by high levels of crustal matter and secondary inorganic components (SIC). This has been attributed to the following causes: 1) High road traffic and industrial emissions, 2) High frequency of North African air mass outbreaks contributing between 3 and 4 μg m^?3 in western Andalusia and 4–7 μg m^?3 in eastern Andalusia, and 3) Climate factors such as low rainfall, dry soils favouring resuspension, and high photochemical activity.Atmospheric particulate matter in urban areas located in the vicinity of industrial estates is enriched in secondary inorganic compounds and metals. Three main hot spots have been identified according their high trace element concentrations: Huelva (As, Cu, Zn, Se, and Bi), Strait of Gibraltar (V, Ni, Cr, and Co) and Bailén (V and Ni). The transport of pollutants from cities and industrial estates to areas of ecological interest (e.g. Doñana National Park) has been found to cause the increase in background levels in a number of trace elements (e.g. As) in the air. An important outcome of this study is that geochemical maps of atmospheric matter are a powerful tool for illustrating spatial variation patterns of geochemical components and identifying specific pollution hot spots.     

Physiological effects of tetracycline antibiotic pollutants on non-target aquatic Microcystis aeruginosa

This study aimed to evaluate the aquatic toxicity of three typical tetracycline antibiotics, including tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline, on the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. The cell density, chlorophyll a content, protein content, and enzymatic antioxidant activities were determined. The results showed that the cell growth was significantly inhibited by the three compounds at a low concentration. The chlorophyll a and protein content decreased significantly after exposure to 0.05 mg L^?1 of each compound for 9 d. When exposed to 0.2–1 mg L^?1 of tetracycline, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased, but peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities decreased. In contrast, when exposed to oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline at different concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 1 mg L^?1 and from 0.01 to 0.05 mg L^?1, the SOD activity decreased, but the POD and CAT activities increased. These findings indicate that tetracycline antibiotics influence cell growth and protein synthesis, and they also induce oxidative stress in M. aeruginosa at environmentally similar concentrations. Thus, this study may provide further insights into the toxic effects of tetracycline antibiotics and the controlled use of antibiotics.     

A sensitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay amplified by biotin–streptavidin system for detecting non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug ketoprofen

A sensitive biotin–streptavidin‐amplified enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (BA‐ELISA) method was developed for detecting non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug ketoprofen. Compared with traditional ELISA method, the sensitivity of proposed immunoassay was enhanced by the biotin–streptavidin system. Under the optimal condition, the median inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) was 0.25 ng mL^?1, with minor cross‐reactivity to a number of structural analogs. This developed assay was successfully applied to detect the ketoprofen residues in different fish samples, and good recoveries (72.6–105.5%) were obtained. The results indicated that this immunoassay method could specifically detect trace ketoprofen residues and could be widely used for routine monitoring of food samples.