Synergistic effect of Pt nanoparticles and micro-mesoporous ZSM-5 in VOCs low-temperature removal

Micro-mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites were obtained by the post-treatment of tetrahydroxy ammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) solution with different concentration. The hierarchical pore structure formed during the desilication process facilitates the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles and Pt/ZSM-5 catalysts exhibit rather high catalytic activity for the deep oxidation of various VOCs at low temperature. The catalyst treated with TPAOH of 0.1 mol/L (Pt/ZSM-5(0.1)) shows the lowest degradation temperature (T_90%) of 128 and 142°C, respectively for benzene and n-hexane. Compared with the untreated Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst, the abundant mesopores, small Pt particle size and finely dispersed Pt contribute to the superior catalytic activity and stability of the Pt/ZSM-5 catalysts for VOCs removal. More importantly, the existence of H₂O in the feed gases hardly affected the activity of Pt/ZSM-5(0.1) catalyst at the low reaction temperature of 128°C, which is very important for VOCs low-temperature removal in the future practical applications.     

Mechanisms of Pb(II) coprecipitation with natrojarosite and its behavior during acid dissolution

Lead (Pb) coprecipitation with jarosite is common in natural and engineered environments, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) sites and hydrometallurgical industry. Despite the high relevance for environmental impact, few studies have examined the exact interaction of Pb with jarosite and the dissolution behavior of each phase. In the present work, we demonstrate that Pb mainly interacts with jarosite in four modes, namely incorporation, occlusion, physically mixing, and chemically mixing. For comparison, the four modes of Pb-bearing natrojarosite were synthesized and characterized separately. Batch dissolution experiments were undertaken on these synthetic Pb-bearing natrojarosites under pH 2 to simulate the AMD environments. The introduction of Pb decreases the final Fe releasing efficiency of jarosite-type compounds from 18.18% to 3.45%-5.01%, showing a remarkable inhibition of their dissolution. For Pb releasing behavior, PbSO₄ dissolves in preference to Pb-substituted natrojarosite, i.e., (Na, Pb)-jarosite, which primarily results in the sharp increase of Pb releasing concentration (> 40 mg/L). PbSO₄ occlusion by jarosite-type compounds can significantly reduce the release of Pb. The results of this study could provide useful information regarding Fe and Pb cycling in acidic natural and engineered environments.     

Seasonal to sub-seasonal variations of the Asian Tropopause Aerosols Layer affected by the deep convection, surface pollutants and precipitation

The Asian Tropopause Aerosols Layer (ATAL) refers to an accumulation of aerosols in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during boreal summer over Asia, which has a fundamental impact on the monsoon system and climate change. In this study, we primarily analyze the seasonal to sub-seasonal variations of the ATAL and the factors potentially influencing those variations based on MERRA2 reanalysis. The ability of the reanalysis to reproduce the ATAL is well validated by CALIPSO observations from May to October 2016. The results reveal that the ATAL has a synchronous spatiotemporal pattern with the development and movement of the Asian Summer Monsoon. Significant enhancement of ATAL intensity is found during the prevailing monsoon period of July–August, with two maxima centered over South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. Owing to the fluctuations of deep convection, the ATAL shows an episodic variation on a timescale of 7–12 days. Attribution analysis indicates that deep convection dominates the variability of the ATAL with a contribution of 62.7%, followed by a contribution of 36.6% from surface pollutants. The impact of precipitation is limited. The ATAL further shows a clear diurnal variation: the peak of ATAL intensity occurs from 17:30 to 23:30 local time (LT), when the deep convection becomes strongest; the minimum ATAL intensity occurs around 8:30 LT owing to the weakened deep convection and photochemical reactions in clouds. The aerosol components of the ATAL show different spatiotemporal patterns and imply that black carbon and organic carbon come mainly from India, whereas sulfate comes mainly from China during the prevailing monsoon period.     

Enrichment of thermophilic and mesophilic microbial consortia for efficient degradation of corn stalk

Six different environmental samples were applied to enrich microbial consortia for efficient degradation of corn stalk,under the thermophilic and mesophilic conditions.The consortium obtained from anaerobic digested sludge under thermophilic condition(TC-Y)had the highest lignocellulose-degrading activity.The CO_2yield was 246.73 m L/g VS in23 days,meanwhile,the maximum CO_2production rate was 15.48 mL/(CO_2·d),which was28.75%and 52.27%higher than that under mesophilic condition,respectively.The peak value of cellulase activity reached 0.105 U/mL,which was at least 34.61%higher than the other groups.In addition,49.5%of corn stalk was degraded in 20 days,moreover,the degradation ratio of cellulose,hemicellulose and lignin can reach 52.76%,62.45%and42.23%,respectively.Microbial consortium structure analysis indicated that the TC-Y contained the phylum of Gemmatimonadetes,Acidobacteria,Chloroflexi,Planctomycetes,Firmicutes,and Proteobacteria.Furthermore,the Pseudoxanthomonas belonging to GammaProteobacteria might be the key bacterial group for the lignocellulose degradation.These results indicated the capability of degrading un-pretreated corn stalk and the potential for further investigation and application of TC-Y.     

Thiocyanate-induced labilization of schwertmannite: Impacts and mechanisms

Schwertmannite is an amorphous iron(III)-oxyhydroxysulfate that forms in acid mine drainage(AMD) environments. The characteristic of high heavy metal adsorption capability makes schwertmannite a potentially useful, environmentally friendly material in wastewater treatment. Unstable schwertmannite is prone to recrystallization.Understanding the mechanisms that induce schwertmannite labilization and affect its capacity to remove heavy metals are of great environmental and geochemical significance.Thiocyanate(SCNˉ) is a hazardous pseudohalide that is also normally found in AMD.However, little is known about the impact of Fe(III)-binding ligand SCNˉ on schwertmannite stability and its subsequent capacity to bind trace elements. Here, we investigated the adsorption of SCNˉ on schwertmannite and subsequent mineral transformation to characterize this little-known process. The appearance of Fe2+indicated that the interactions between schwertmannite and SCNˉ may involve complexation and reduction reactions. Results showed that the majority of the adsorbed-SCNˉ was immobilized on schwertmannite during the 60-days transformation. The transformation rates of schwertmannite increased with increasing concentrations of SCNˉ. Goethite was detected as the dominant transformation product with or without SCNˉ. The mechanisms of SCNˉ-promoted dissolution of schwertmannite can be described as follows:(1) formation of Fe(III)–NCS complexes on the schwertmannite surface and in solution, a process which increases the reactivity of solid phase Fe(III);(2) the extraction of Fe(III) from schwertmannite by SCNˉ and subsequent schwertmannite dissolution; and(3) the formation of secondary minerals from extracted Fe(III). These findings may improve AMD treatment strategies and provide insight into the use and potential reuse of schwertmannite as a trace element sorbent.     

Brominated dioxins and furans in a cement kiln co-processing municipal solid waste

A field study and theoretical calculations were performed to clarify the levels, profiles, and distributions of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans(PBDD/Fs) in a cement kiln co-processing solid waste, with a focus on the PBDF formation mechanism.The raw materials contributed greatly to input of PBDD/Fs into the cement kiln. The PBDD/F concentrations in the raw materials were much higher than those in particle samples from different process stages in the cement kiln. The PBDD/F concentrations in the clinkers were1.40% of the concentrations in the raw materials, which indicated that the high destruction efficiencies for PBDD/Fs by cement kiln. PBDD/F distribution patterns in particle samples collected from different process stages indicated the cement kiln backend was a major site for PBDD/F formation. PBDFs with high levels of halogenation, such as heptabrominated furans(Hp BDF), were the dominant contributors to the total PBDD/F concentrations and accounted for 42%–73% of the total PBDD/F concentrations in the particle samples. Our results showed that co-processing of municipal solid waste in a cement kiln may influence the congener profile of PBDD/Fs, especially for the higher halogenated PBDD fraction. In addition, there were significant correlations between the decabromodiphenyl ether and heptabrominated furan concentrations, which is an indicator of transformation from polybrominated diphenyl ethers to PBDD/Fs. Theoretical calculations were performed and demonstrated that elimination of HBr and Br_2 from polybrominated diphenyl ethers were the dominant formation pathways for PBDD/Fs. These pathways differed from that for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans(PCDD/Fs).     

Characteristics of biomass ashes from different materials and their ameliorative effects on acid soils

The chemical characteristics, element contents, mineral compositions, and the ameliorative effects on acid soils of five biomass ashes from different materials were analyzed. The chemical properties of the ashes varied depending on the source biomass material. An increase in the concrete shuttering contents in the biomass materials led to higher alkalinity, and higher Ca and Mg levels in biomass ashes, which made them particularly good at ameliorating effects on soil acidity. However, heavy metal contents, such as Cr, Cu, and Zn in the ashes, were relatively high. The incorporation of all ashes increased soil pH, exchangeable base cations, and available phosphorus, but decreased soil exchangeable acidity. The application of the ashes from biomass materials with a high concrete shuttering content increased the soil available heavy metal contents. Therefore, the biomass ashes from wood and crop residues with low concrete contents were the better acid soil amendments.     

一带一路背景下西部生态与绿色发展的改革与创新研究

西部地区资源开发、环境导向、经济发展等因素的制约下,西部地区的生态发展以及改革方案受到了严重的冲击,文中提出一带一路背景下西部生态与绿色发展的改革与创新方案.通过一带一路指示精神融合西部地区的特有生态水平,进行了综合分析,并根据实际的发展要求进行深入指导.对一带一路背景下西部生态与绿色发展的改革进行了详细的解读,把西部生态环境与绿色生态发展之间的矛盾进行分析,通过一带一路的思想和方针解决了现有改革中的矛盾.结合一带一路的实质路线对西部生态与绿色发展的创新进行了深入的探讨,基于"一带一路"战略带来各种促进的政策,确定了西部地区生态与绿色发展创新方向.     

柳江流域饮用水源地重金属污染与健康风险评价

为说明柳江流域饮用水源地的重金属元素含量特征及饮用水水质对人体健康的潜在危害,于2016年1~12月对柳江干流及主要支流的水体进行常规水质指标和Cd、As、Cr、Hg、Zn、Cu、Pb、Fe、Mn等金属元素进行分析检测,并采用美国EPA推荐使用的健康风险评价模型对饮用水源地的健康风险进行评价.结果表明,Cd、As、Cr、Zn、Cu、Pb、Fe、Mn含量未超过我国地表水环境质量标准（GB 3838-2002）的限值,Hg含量存在超标.对重金属含量进行Pearson相关性分析,其中Cd、Pb、As与Fe可能具有相似的来源,Cu、Cr、Hg、Zn之间污染具有多源性,9种重金属含量与pH值间均不存在显著相关性.柳江流域饮用水源地致癌重金属元素健康风险成人和儿童分别为4.52E-04 a^-1和5.91E-04 a^-1,非致癌健康风险成人和儿童分别为8.96E-09 a^-1和1.14E-08 a^-1.致癌重金属Cr、As、Cd通过饮水途径所造成的人均年健康风险分别表现为Cr > As > Cd,风险值范围为3.58E-06~1.21E-04 a^-1,Cr和As的风险值大于ICRP所推荐的风险水平5.0×10^-5 a^-1.该研究区内重金属元素非致癌健康风险值范围为3.53E-12~2.87E-09 a^-1,均在EPA推荐的可接受水平内,初步认为不会对人体健康产生明显危害.流域主要健康风险来源于致癌物.Cr和As是柳江流域水环境产生健康风险的主要污染物,应当优先列为柳江流域水环境风险管理的主要对象.     

西藏拉萨河流域河水主要离子化学特征及来源

为掌握拉萨河流域水化学的时空变化特征、来源以及主要控制因子,于2014年8月~2015年7月在拉萨河拉萨水文站断面定点采集水样,并对其主要的化学离子进行分析.结果表明:HCO_3~-是主要的阴离子,占离子总量的68.73%,SO_4~(2-)含量其次,Ca~(2+)是主要的阳离子,占离子总量的67.75%,其次为Mg~(2+),拉萨河流域四季的pH值介于8.31~8.90,平均值为8.59,整体偏碱性,其中夏季的pH平均值最高,主要是因为水生植物光合作用以及浮游植物生长的影响.EC值介于155.0~257.0μS·cm-1之间,平均值为210.5μS·cm-1,TDS均值为181.35 mg·L-1,高于世界河流平均值.这是因为高原构造抬升活动频繁,造成岩石机械风化加强,从而加速岩石溶解.拉萨河流域的主要离子浓度大小表现为冬季春季秋季夏季的变化规律.离子来源分析表明,HCO_3~-、Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)主要来源于碳酸盐岩的风化,Cl-、SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-离子主要来源于大气和岩石风化.此外,由于降雨和冰川融水的稀释作用,河流中的主要离子浓度与河流径流量呈现负相关的关系.