Contaminant mass flux and forensic assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Tools to inform remediation decision making at a contaminated site in Canada

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metal(loid) mass flux estimates and forensic assessment using PAH diagnostic ratios were used to inform remediation decision making at the Sydney Tar Ponds (STPs) and Coke Ovens cleanup project in eastern Canada. Environmental effects monitoring of surface marine sediments in Sydney Harbor indicated significantly higher PAH concentrations during the first year of remediation monitoring compared to baseline. This was equivalent to PAH loadings of ～2,000 kg over a 15‐month period. Increases in sediment PAH concentrations raised serious concerns for regulators, who requested cessation of remediation activities early in the $400 M (CAD) project. Historically, the STPs were reported as the primary source of PAH contamination in Sydney Harbor with estimated discharges of 300 to 800 kg/year between 1989 and 2001. Mass flux estimates of PAHs and metal(loid)s and PAH diagnostic ratios were used to evaluate if increases in PAH concentrations in marine sediments were the result of the STPs remediation activities. PAH mass flux estimates approximated that 17 to 97 kg/year were discharged from the STPs during three years of remediation and were corroborated by an independent PAH flux estimate of 119 kg in year 1. PAH fluxes to the Sydney Harbor were mostly surface water derived, with groundwater contributing negligible quantities (0.002–0.005 kg/year). Fluxes of metal(loid)s to harbor sediments were stable or declining across all years and were mirrored in sediment metal(loid) concentrations, which lacked temporal variation, unlike total PAH concentrations. Flux results were also corroborated using PAH diagnostic ratios, which found a common source of PAHs. Coal combustion was likely the principal source of PAHs and not migration from the STPs during remediation. Although short‐term residual sediment PAH increases during onset of remediation raised concerns for regulators, calls for premature cessation of remediation early in the project were unwarranted based on only one year of monitoring data. Mass flux estimates and forensic assessments using PAH diagnostic ratios proved useful tools to inform remediation decision making that helped environmental protection and reduced costs associated with lost cleanup time.     

羟基乙叉二膦酸镀铜废液的处理及Cu~(2+)的高附加值资源化回收

采用Na BH4还原法将羟基乙叉二膦酸(HEDP)镀铜废液中的Cu~(2+)制备成纳米铜粉,并采用聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)对还原反应后的废液进行絮凝处理。研究了n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)、还原反应温度、还原反应时间及PAM添加量对废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度的影响,并对回收的纳米铜粉进行了XRD和TEM表征。实验结果表明:当n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)=4∶6、还原反应温度为50℃、还原反应时间为2 h时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降低至1.1 mg/L,Cu~(2+)还原率达99.99%;可获得粒径为20~45 nm的近球型、高纯度、由多晶组成的纳米铜粉;当PAM添加量为10 mg/L时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降至0.35 mg/L以下,达到GB 21900—2008《电镀污染物排放标准》(小于0.5 mg/L)的要求。     

Characterization of aluminium-based water treatment residual for potential phosphorus removal in engineered wetlands

Aluminium-based water treatment residual (Al-WTR) is the most widely generated residual from water treatment facilities worldwide. It is regarded as a by-product of no reuse potential and landfilled. This study assessed Al-WTR as potential phosphate-removing substrate in engineered wetlands. Results indicate specific surface area ranged from 28.0 m² g⁻¹ to 41.4 m² g⁻¹. X-ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopes all indicate Al-WTR is mainly composed of amorphous aluminium which influences its phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity. The pH and electrical conductivity ranged from 5.9 to 6.0 and 0.104 dS m⁻¹ to 0.140 dS m⁻¹ respectively, showing that it should support plant growth. Batch tests showed adsorption maxima of 31.9 mg P g⁻¹ and significant P removal was achieved in column tests. Overall, results showed that Al-WTR can be used for P removal in engineered wetlands and it carries the benefits of reuse of a by-product that promotes sustainability.     

粗石英砂层厚度及倾角对核废物处置库顶盖毛细屏障效应的影响

毛细屏障作为核废物处置库顶盖的工程屏障之一,已经在国内外得到了广泛应用.采用箱体实验方法,研究了非饱和稳定流条件下粗石英砂层厚度和倾角对毛细屏障效应的影响.结果表明,随着粗石英砂层厚度的增大,水分的相对绕流量增大,毛细屏障效应增强;随着粗石英砂层倾角的增大,其表面积水减少,水的横向流动能力增强,毛细屏障效应增强.     

负载TiO2浮石对污水处理厂二沉池出水的矿化与灭菌研究

城市污水处理厂第二沉淀池出水的污染物浓度较低,经过矿化及灭菌等深度处理后可以回用,从而减轻对淡水资源的需求。本实验采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了负载TiO2的浮石光催化剂,对城市污水处理厂第二沉淀池出水进行了矿化及灭菌处理研究。采用低压汞灯对处理水样照射2h,有机物降解率可以达到50％,灭菌效率达到100％。处理后的水可以作为农作物灌溉、城市绿化和娱乐用水。负载在浮石表面的TiO2薄膜经过10次的光催化循环实验后,没有明显破损,可以再次循环使用。TiO2浮石具有质轻、机械性能好和价格低等优点,该方法处理废水的适用浓度低,可以广泛应用于微污染水和城市污水处理厂出水的深度处理。     

China's grazed temperate grasslands are a net source of atmospheric methane

A budget for the methane (CH₄) cycle in the Xilin River basin of Inner Mongolia is presented. The annual CH₄ budget in this region depends primarily on the sum of atmospheric CH₄ uptake by upland soils, emission from small wetlands, and emission from grazing ruminants (sheep, goats, and cattle). Flux rates for these processes were averaged over multiple years with differing summer rainfall. Although uplands constitute the vast majority of land area, they consume much less CH₄ per unit area than is emitted by wetlands and ruminants. Atmospheric CH₄ uptake by upland soils was ?3.3 and ?4.8 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1 in grazed and ungrazed areas, respectively. Average CH₄ emission was 791.0 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1 from wetlands and 8.6 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1 from ruminants. The basin area-weighted average of all three processes was 6.8 kg CH₄ ha^?1 y^?1, indicating that ruminant production has converted this basin to a net source of atmospheric CH₄. The total CH₄ emission from the Xilin River basin was 7.29 Gg CH₄ y^?1. The current grazing intensity is about eightfold higher than that which would result in a net zero CH₄ flux. Since grazing intensity has increased throughout western China, it is likely that ruminant production has converted China's grazed temperate grasslands to a net source of atmospheric CH₄ overall.     

烟草烟雾对室内空气颗粒物浓度的影响

采用电称冲击低压系统(ELPI)将无烟室和吸烟室内的空气颗粒物(0.03～10.00 μm)分成12级,对其粒子数和质量浓度进行测定.结果表明,吸烟室PM0.03～10.00的日平均粒子数和质量浓度分别是无烟室的1.50、1.13倍.烟草烟雾对室内颗粒物粒子数的影响集中在0.03～1.00 μm粒径段;对室内颗粒物质量浓度的影响表现为双模态结构,峰值分别在0.20～0.70、5.00～8.20 μm粒径段.烟草烟雾颗粒物的粒子数和质量浓度随烟雾消散时间的增加而减少,粒径越小,减小的越明显;烟草烟雾颗粒物在室内消散缓慢,会在长时间内造成影响,应引起足够关注.     

双水相气浮浮选光度法处理环境水样中痕量土霉素残留物

建立了一种新型分离方法--双水相气浮浮选光度法,使其处理环境水样中痕量土霉紊(OTC)残留物,研究了其工作原理,并用高效液相色谱法对该方法的可靠性进行了验证.利用自制的双水相气浮浮选装置,选择四氢呋喃作亲水有机溶剂、质量分数为10%的NaCl溶液作分相剂,NaOH溶液调节pH,将Cu2+与OTC形成的疏水配合物浮选至有机相,实现OTC与水样分离.浮选完毕后,经紫外-可见分光光度法分析,线性回归方程为A=1.532×105c+0.1230(其中:A为有机相的吸光度;c为水样的OTC摩尔浓度,mol/L),相关系数为0.9998,该方法的线性范围为4.8×10-7～7.3×10-5 mol/L,OTC加标回收率为99.5%～100.1%.     

Numerical simulation of an array of fences in Saemangeum reclaimed land

This paper discusses about the quantitative effect of windbreak fences on wind velocity in the reclaimed land at Saemangeum in South Korea. Windbreak fences were constructed in the reclaimed land to reduce the wind velocity to prevent the generation and diffusion of dust. However, up to this time, no in-depth studies were conducted to quantitatively measure the effect of the windbreak fences on wind velocity thus an optimum windbreak structure is not yet determined. Using CFD simulations, the effects of fence porosity, fence height, and the distance between the adjacent fences were investigated. A wind tunnel experiment was initially conducted and data gathered were used to develop the CFD models. From the experiments and CFD simulations, the overall percentage difference of the measured velocities was 7.20% which is generally acceptable to establishing the reliability of the CFD models. The reduction effect on wind velocity was measured in between the adjacent fences up to a height of 0.6 m from the ground surface. In terms of porosity ( = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6), 0.2 was found to be the optimum value. Conversely, the effect of fence height (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 m) showed no significant difference; therefore, 0.6 m height is recommended. In addition, the reduction effect of distance between the adjacent fences (2, 4 and 6 m) on wind velocity having a 0.2 porosity has decreased to about 75% regardless of the distance. In the case of the reclaimed land in Saemangeum, a decrease of 75% can prevent the generation and diffusion of dusts. However, the source of dusts is very large. Therefore, constructing an array of windbreak with 6 m distance between them is deemed necessary.     

Suppression of precipitation by dust particles originated in the Tibetan Plateau

Dust aerosols play an important role in modulating the hydrologic cycle. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is little polluted by human activities as an ideal site to study the effect of dust aerosol on precipitation. In this study, observational data of dust storms and precipitation in the TP and its vicinities as well as CALIPSO satellite data were used to analyze the distributions and vertical structure of dust storms on the plateau. The results showed that dust storms occur with high frequency and raise dust particles into the troposphere from ground level to a height of 5–9 km to modulate the hydrologic cycle in the TP. There are significant negative correlations between dust aerosol and precipitation in the dust source regions during the period of both 40 and 200 years. It is found that the role of precipitation in suppressing dust storms could be unimportant, while dust aerosol may play an important role in suppressing precipitation in the hinterland of the TP. Our study provides a potential approach to better understand the climate changes in the TP.