Changes in labile soil organic matter fractions following land use change from monocropping to poplar-based agroforestry systems in a semiarid region of Northeast China

Labile fractions of soil organic matter (SOM) respond rapidly to land management practices and can be used as a sensitive indicator of changes in SOM. However, there is little information about the effect of agroforestry practices on labile SOM fractions in semiarid regions of China. In order to test the effects of land use change from monocropping to agroforestry systems on labile SOM fractions, we investigated soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N, particulate organic matter C (POMC) and N (POMN), as well as total organic C (TOC) and total N (TN) in the 0- to 15-cm and the 15- to 30-cm layers in 4-year-old poplar-based agroforestry systems and adjoining monocropping systems with two different soil textures (sandy loam and sandy clay loam) in a semiarid region of Northeast China. Our results showed that poplar-based agroforestry practices affected soil MBC, POMC, and POMN, albeit there was no significant difference in TOC and TN. Agroforestry practices increased MBC, POMC, and POMN in sandy clay loam soils. However, in sandy loam soils, agroforestry practices only increased MBC and even decreased POMC and POMN at the 0- to 15-cm layer. Our results suggest that labile SOM fractions respond sensitively to poplar-based agroforestry practices and can provide early information about the changes in SOM in semiarid regions of Northeast China and highlight that the effects of agroforestry practices on labile SOM fractions vary with soil texture.     

Assessment of sampling designs to measure riverine fluxes from the Pearl River Delta, China to the South China Sea

The Pearl River Delta (PRD), located in South China and adjacent to the South China Sea, is comprised of a complicated hydrological system; therefore, it was a great challenge to sample adequately to measure fluxes of organic and inorganic materials to the coastal ocean. In this study, several sampling designs, including five-point (the number of sampling points along the river cross-section and three samples collected at the upper, middle, and bottom parts at each vertical line), three-point (at the middle and two other profiles), one-point (at the middle profile), and single-point (upper, middle, or bottom sub-sampling point at the middle profile) methods, were assessed using total organic carbon (TOC) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) as the measurables. Statistical analysis showed that the three- and five-point designs were consistent with one another for TOC measurements (p > 0.05). The three- and one-point sampling methods also yielded similar TOC results (95% of the differences within 10%). Single-point sampling yielded considerably larger errors than the three- and one-point designs, relative to the results from the five-point design, but sampling at the middle sub-point from the middle profile of a river achieved a relatively smaller error than sampling at the upper or bottom sub-point. Comparison of the sampling frequencies of 12 times a year, four times a year, and twice a year indicated that the frequency of twice a year was sufficient to acquire representative TOC data, but larger sample size and higher sampling frequency were deemed necessary to characterize SPM.     

On the intensity and type transition of land use at the basin scale using RS/GIS: a case study of the Hanjiang River Basin

The purpose of this study is to investigate the land use intensity and land use change type at the basin scale in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River Basin (in Hubei Province, China) by combining the Landsat TM images in 1995 and 2000 with the land use database (in scale 1:10,000) and relative data. In this study, the basic data is acquired from the interpretation of remote sensing (RS) images. The intensity of land use and the rate of change in double-directions of land use dynamics are calculated with the support of software ARC/INFO. The intensity of land use is indicated by the intensity coefficient of land use, and the transition of land use types is quantified as the rate of change in double-direction of land use types and also expressed as the transition matrix of land use types. The results are expressed in space by Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Results of this study show that (1) the intensity of land use is high in the study region, the intensity coefficients of land use in 1995 and 2000 are 260.025 and 290.526, respectively, and the intensity of development and utilization of land is trend to increscent; and (2) the rate of land use change in double directions in the whole study region is 0.52 with great spatial variation and the differentiation of land use types. In the differentiation of land use types, the unutilized land (with the rate to 4.391) is developed fast, the grassland (with 2.836) and water area (with 1.664) are disturbed severely, and these changes will influence the eco-environment in the Hanjiang River Basin and all the Yangtze Basin. The rates of the farmland and the woodland are 0.424 and 0.344, respectively, meaning that the fundamentals of regional human-environmental system are relative stable. With this study, we can conclude that (1) the patterns of land use are increasingly changing in the study region, the environmental impacts are escalated on this stage, and the further outcomes are destined to change the stability of the regional human–environmental system; and (2) the most useful method to study the present land use and its change is through the use of the RS/GIS with the land use database (in scale 1:10,000).     

Labile pools of Pb in vegetable-growing soils investigated by an isotope dilution method and its influence on soil pH

Pollution of Pb in the surface of agricultural soils is of increasing concern due to its serious impact on the plant growth and the human health through the food chain. However, the mobility, activity and bioavailability of Pb rely mainly on its various chemical species in soils. In the present study, E and L values, the labile pools of isotopically exchangeable Pb, were estimated using the method of isotope dilution in three vegetable-growing soils. The experiments involved adding a stable enriched isotope ((206)Pb > 96%) to a soil suspension and to soils in which plants are subsequently grown, the labile pools of Pb were then estimated by measuring the isotopic composition of Pb in soil solutions and in the plant tissues, respectively. In addition, the correlation of E values and soil pH was investigated at the ranges of pH 4.5-7.0. The amount of labile Pb in soils was also estimated using different single chemical extractants and a modified BCR approach. The results showed that after spiking the enriched isotopes of (206)Pb (>96%) for 24 hours an equilibration of isotopic exchanges in soil suspensions was achieved, and the isotope ratios of (208)Pb/(206)Pb measured at that time was used for calculating the E(24 h) values. The labile pools of Pb by %E(24 h) values, ranging from 53.2% to 61.7% with an average 57%, were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the values estimated with L values, single chemical extractants and the Σ(BCR) values obtained with the BCR approach, respectively. A strong negative correlation (R(2) = 0.984) between E(24 h) values and soil pH was found in the tested soil sample. The results indicate that the %E(24 h) value can more rapidly and easily predict the labile pools of Pb in soils compared with L values, but it might be readily overestimated because of the artificial soil acidity derived from the spiked isotopic tracer and the excess of spiked enriched isotopes. The results also suggest that the amounts of Pb extracted with EDTA and the Σ(BCR) values extracted with the modified BCR approach are helpful to detect the labile pools of Pb in soils. In addition, the negative correlation between soil pH and the labile pools of Pb in soils may be useful for further remediation to reduce the bioavailability of Pb in contaminated soils.     

几种观叶植物对室内污染物的净化效果研究

为了寻求减少室内空气污染物的措施和技术,我们用吊兰、虎尾兰、君子兰和橡皮树做为试材,开展一系列有针对性的试验.结果表明,这4种室内观叶植物都能吸收室内有毒有害气体,但作用效果差异明显.虎尾兰效果最佳,7 d内室内甲醛总量的减少率比对照多64.6%,二甲苯总量的减少率比对照多61.4%,总挥发性有机物(TVOC)总量的减少率比对照多64.8%;而橡皮树的作用效果最差.     

电-Fenton法预处理青霉素废水的降解规律研究

研究电-Fenton法预处理青霉素钠(penicillin G sodium,PGN)模拟废水的降解规律,分析预处理过程中PGN浓度、COD、TOC的变化情况及BOD5/COD改善情况.当T=20℃、pH=3时,投加0.5g/L FeSO4、0.2 mL/L H2O2,于0.3 A电流下降解浓度为100 mg/L的PGN废水,120 min后PGN去除97.9%,COD去除76.7%,TOC去除59.8%,BOD5/COD由0升至0.4,有效提高了废水的可生化性.以红外光谱(infrared spectrogram,IR)和液相色谱-质谱联用(Liquid chromatogramMass chromatogram,LC-MS)检测青霉素钠的降解产物,说明青霉素钠抑菌的关键结构b-内酰胺环被破坏,抗菌性消失,有助于生物处理有效去除.     

Modelling tritrophic interactions mediated by induced defence volatiles

Many plant species defend themselves against herbivorous insects indirectly by producing and releasing induced volatiles to attract natural enemies of the herbivores. In this paper, we consider the recruitment of natural enemies attracted by plant-induced volatiles and introduce the An–Liu–Johnson–Lovett model into the Lotka–Volterra model in an attempt to add this missing vital link in tritrophic interaction. Increase in attraction strength of plant-induced volatiles to the natural enemy leads to high fluctuation amplitude of plant biomass and herbivore population. When the attack strength of natural enemies reaches a certain level, fluctuation amplitude of plant biomass and herbivore population will decrease and plant biomass will approach to its environmental carrying capacity. The simulation demonstrates that plant volatile compounds induced by insects have led to the introduction of a third tritrophic level, e.g., natural enemies, into the plant–herbivore system, resulting in the coexistence of plants, insects, and natural enemies during the evolution process.     

The effects of different methods of catalyst preparation on the hydro-electric plasma TiO2-catalyzed degradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol

Hydro-electric plasma technology in the presence of TiO₂ catalyst used to treat 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) simulated wastewater is reported. The catalytic activity of TiO₂ prepared by ammonia precipitation was greater than the activity of the TiO₂ prepared by NaOH precipitation. The presence of chloride ions during the preparation process of TiO₂ had a large negative effect on the catalytic activity. The catalytic activity of TiO₂ calcined at 673 K was significantly higher than the activity of the TiO₂ that was calcined at higher and lower temperatures. After being calcined at 673 K, TiO₂ was mainly in the anatase phase and degraded 81% of the 2,4-DNP after 10 min of treatment.     

优势菌处理印染废水的工艺及脱色机理研究

采用不完全厌氧－好氧工艺处理印染废水,工程运行前在水解池中投入了主要用于脱色的优势菌群,经３年多的运行,系统的脱色率均稳定在９０％以上。从池中取菌进行分离鉴定,并进行各单株菌脱色能力实验,对其中具有最佳脱色能力的菌株进行偶氮染料活性黑ＫＮＢ的脱色产物的化学分析,从而探讨水解池中染料的脱色机理。结果发现：分离到的１０株菌对试验染料有较好脱色效果,高效液相色谱检测发现产物只有苯胺类物质的存在。该菌的脱色作用主要是破坏了染料的发色基团——偶氮双键。     

Phosphorus recovery from fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater by wet air oxidation and phosphate crystallization

Fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater contains highly concentrated and refractory antibiotic organic phosphorus (OP) compounds. Wet air oxidation (WAO)-phosphate crystallization process was developed and applied to fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater pretreatment and phosphorus recovery. Firstly, WAO was used to transform concentrated and refractory OP substances into inorganic phosphate (IP). At 200 °C, 1.0 MPa and pH 11.2, 99% total OP (TOP) was transformed into IP and 58% COD was reduced. Subsequently, the WAO effluent was subjected to phosphate crystallization process for phosphorus recovery. At Ca/P molar ratio 2.0:1.0 or Mg/N/P molar ratio 1.1:1.0:1.0, 99.9% phosphate removal and recovery were obtained and the recovered products were proven to be hydroxyapatite and struvite, respectively. After WAO-phosphate crystallization, the BOD/COD ratio of the wastewater increased from 0 to more than 0.5, which was suitable for biological treatment. The WAO-phosphate crystallization process was proven to be an effective method for phosphorus recovery and for fosfomycin pharmaceutical wastewater pretreatment.