Effects of aeration frequency on leachate quality and waste in simulated hybrid bioreactor landfills

Research has been conducted to investigate the effects of daily aeration frequency on leachate quality and waste settlement in simulated hybrid landfill bioreactors. Four laboratory-scale reactors were constructed and operated for about 10 months to simulate different bioreactor operations, including one anaerobic bioreactor and three hybrid bioreactors with different aeration frequencies (one, two, and four times per day). Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) reduced more than 96% of the initial concentrations in all aerated bioreactors. The differences of COD and BOD₅ reductions among tested aeration frequencies were relatively small. For ammonia nitrogen, the higher aeration frequency (two or four times per day) resulted in the quicker reduction. Overall, the concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) decreased over time except Cd and Pb. The reduction of redox-sensitive metal concentrations (Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu) was greater in aerated bioreactors than in anaerobic bioreactor. Settlement of municipal solid waste (MSW) was enhanced with higher frequency of aeration events (four times per day).

Implications: In recent years, hybird bioreactor landfill technology has gained a lot of attention. Appropriate aeration rate is crucial for hybrid bioreactor operation, but few studies have been done and different results were obtained. Research was conducted to investigate the effects of daily aeration frequency on leachate quality and waste settlement. Results indicated that aeration can effectively accelerate waste stabilization and remove organic carbon concentration and total nitrogen in the leachate.     

Decoupling of nonferrous metal consumption from economic growth in China

Nonferrous metal is an important basis material for the development of the national economy, and its consumption directly affects economic development. It has great significance in the effective utilization of nonferrous metals, development of an environment-friendly society, and investigation of the decoupling of nonferrous metal consumption and GDP growth. The decoupling indicators for nonferrous metal consumption and GDP growth (D _r) in China from 1995 to 2010 were calculated in this study, and the results were analyzed. A productive model based on BP neural network was established. Then, the decoupling indicators for nonferrous metal consumption and GDP growth in China for the period of 2011–2020 were predicted. For the period of 1995–2010, the annual average decoupling indicators were <1 for copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, and nickel, except for tin, which was 0.21. The analysis showed that the decoupling of nonferrous metal consumption and GDP growth is in a less optimistic situation to copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, and nickel in China from 1995 to 2010. The annual average decoupling indicator for tin was 0.21, which indicates relative decoupling. For the period of 2011–2020, the predicted decoupling indicators for copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, nickel, and tin were between 0 and 1. This finding indicates the implementation of relative decoupling. However, the total consumption of nonferrous metals did not decouple from GDP growth.     

Correlations between physicochemical properties of PAHs and their distribution in soil, moss and reindeer dung at Ny-Ålesund of the Arctic

Concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, moss and reindeer dung collected at Ny-Ålesund of the Arctic were measured to investigate their accumulation trends and distribution in the three compartments. Compared with the other regions, the proportions of 2 + 3 ring PAHs to the total PAHs were higher, whereas the proportions of 5 + 6 ring PAHs were lower in the three compartments at Ny-Ålesund. Significant log/log-linear relationship was observed between the sub-cooled liquid vapor pressure and the soil/moss quotient (Q_SM). The relation was similar to the relationship between the gas/particle partition coefficient (K_P) and of PAHs, implying Q_SM would be a “mirror image” of K_P. Excellent log/log-linear relationships were observed between Q_SM and K_OA as well as between the moss/dung quotient (Q_MD) and K_OW. The results presented here indicate the physicochemical properties are suitable for characterizing the distribution of PAHs in soil, moss and reindeer dung.     

区域大气环境中PM2．5／PM10空间分布研究

提出了一种利用移动监测技术研究区域大气环境中PM2.5／PM10空间分布的方法,并在2004年12月进行了宁波市全市域PM2.5／PM10空间分布的研究。数据显示：相同路径所代表的地区PM2.5和PM10具有很好的相关性,多数路径上PM2.5与PM10数据的相关系数平方在0．95以上,而不同路径上PM2.5与PM10的比值不同。文中给出了宁波市PM2.5／PM10污染的空间分布图,直观地显示出PM2.5／PM10污染的空间分布情况,突出了污染的重点点位和地区。     

A modeling assessment of association between East Asian summer monsoon and fate/outflow of α-HCH in Northeast Asia

Using a dynamic numerical atmospheric transport model for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), the relationship between the East Asian summer monsoon and the fate of α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), a banned OCP, in the atmosphere over Northeast Asia was investigated and assessed. The modeled temporal and spatial patterns and variability of α-HCH air concentrations during the summer months of 2005 revealed a strong link between this chemical in the atmosphere over Northeast Asia and the East Asian summer monsoon. At lower atmospheric levels, easterly and southeasterly winds blowing from relatively cold ocean surface convey α-HCH air concentration from southeast China to northeast China. A monsoon front extending from southeast China to Japan, characterized by a strong wind convergence, carried the air concentration to a high elevation of the atmosphere where it was delivered by southerly monsoon flow to northern China and North Pacific Ocean. This summer monsoon associated northward atmospheric transport caused a reversal of the soil/air exchange from outgassing to net deposition during spring–summer period. The modeled wet deposition fluxes of α-HCH agreed well with the changes in the typical summer monsoon rain bands, designated as Meiyu in China, Changma in Korea, and Baiu in Japan. The major wet deposition flux paralleled with the monsoon front as well as the monsoon rain bands. The temporal change in the fluxes exhibits abrupt northward advances, which is associated with a stepwise northward and northeastward advance of the East Asian summer monsoon. The modeled α-HCH outflow in the atmosphere from China occurs mostly in the summer months and through northeast China, featured strongly by the evolution of the summer month. This study suggests that the East Asian summer monsoon provides a major atmospheric pathway and summer outflows to α-HCH over East Asia.     

Characterising the landscape of state environmental review policies and procedures in the United States: a national assessment

Following the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, many states have adopted policies and procedures directing state agencies and local government units to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of development projects prior to their undertaking. In contrast to a rich literature on federal requirements, current understanding of state environmental review is narrowly focused and outdated. This paper seeks to provide information on the landscape of state environmental review policy frameworks. The paper identifies 37 states with formal environmental review requirements through a document review of state statutes, administrative rules and agency-prepared materials, and confirms this finding through a survey of state administrators. A two-tier classification is used to distinguish states based on the approach taken to address environmental review needs and the scope and depth of relevant policies and procedures implemented. This paper also provides a discussion of policy and programme attributes that may contribute to effective practice, and of the potential for adopting relevant legislation in states where environmental review is currently lacking.     

Endosulfan in China 1—gridded usage inventories

Background, aim, and scope  Endosulfan, an organochlorine pesticide (OCP), is genotoxic in mammalian cells and generally considered to be toxic and classified by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants and a nominator for inclusion in a future iteration of the persistent organic pollutants treaty. Endosulfan is a currently used pesticide and still being used worldwide. The general trend of total global endosulfan use has increased continuously since the first year when this pesticide was applied. It is critical to create national endosulfan usage/emission inventories for China to carry out source–receptor relation analysis, risk assessment, and other research related to endosulfan in this country. Chinese inventories have been published for some OCPs, such as technical HCH and lindane, DDT, and chlordane; for endosulfan, however, there has not been any usage inventory available on any scales (national or provincial), although endosulfan has been widely used since 1994 in this country. This is the first part of the work. The goal of this paper is to quantify the historical production and usage of endosulfan in China and to compile gridded historical usage inventories of endosulfan for this country. Based on these usage inventories, emission and residue inventories will be created, which is the goal of the second part of the work. Materials and methods  Due to the lack of national production and usage information of endosulfan in China, a method to estimate the use of endosulfan was developed. First, information of crops on which endosulfan is applied and average endosulfan use and annual application frequencies of endosulfan on these crops were collected. Secondly, usage of endosulfan on each crop was estimated using the national cropland area for each province from Chinese government reports. Finally, with the help of GIS (geographic information system), the usage data of this insecticide was allocated to a grid system, with a 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution, with a size for each grid cell of approximately 25 km by 25 km. Results and discussion  The use of endosulfan in agriculture in China started on cotton in 1994, and on wheat, tea, tobacco, apples, and other fruits in 1998. Endosulfan usage on cotton, wheat, tea, tobacco, and apples in China has been estimated to be approximately 25,700 t between 1994 and 2004. The province with the highest usage of endosulfan is Henan Province, with a total usage reaching 4,000 t, followed by the uses in Xinjiang Autonomous Region (3,200 t), Shandong Province (3,000 t), Hebei Province (2,100 t), and Anhui Province (1,900 t). Gridded usage inventories of endosulfan at a 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution have been created, which indicate that the intensive endosulfan use was in the south of Hebei Province, west of Shandong Province, east of Henan Province, north of Anhui Province, east of Jiangsu Province, and some areas in Yunnan Province and Xinjiang Autonomous Region. General agreement has been found between the usage data from our estimation and the small amount of usage data published in China. Conclusions  This is the first national gridded endosulfan usage inventory produced for China. The annual applications of endosulfan from 1994 to 2004 in China were estimated based on the total areas of major crops, on which endosulfan was applied, and spatial distribution of the application was generated at provincial and prefecture levels. With the help of GIS, endosulfan usage based on prefecture was transferred to a 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude gridding system. The satisfaction of the inventories was supported by the consistence between the estimation of the annual usage and the reported annual production of endosulfan. Recommendations and perspectives  This gridded endosulfan usage inventory created in this study will be improved upon availability of new information of endosulfan. The usage inventories can be used to create gridded emission and residue inventories for this insecticide. It is believed that this work will pave the way for further endosulfan studies in China and beyond.     

Analysis of the Energy Embodied in Foreign Goods Trade of China

In recent years, scientists have been increasingly interested in the energy embodied in traded goods among countries. In this article, the direct energy intensities in various economic sectors of China were calculated with the data of energy consumption and output value of each sector, and the input-output table was used to estimate the external energy consumption. The total energy intensity of all sectors was then obtained. From the data of international trade, the energy embodied in goods trade of China was estimated for the period of 1994-2001. During this period, the average energy intensity of imported goods was always higher than that of exported ones. As a country with a surplus in international goods trade, China actually imported net embodied energy in the past few years. The net embodied energy imported was at the same magnitude of the imported energy in the form of fossil fuels.     

CAST工艺处理低C/N生活污水的强化脱氮性能

研究了不同运行条件对CAST工艺处理低C/N实际生活污水脱氮性能的影响,并对pH值和ORP的变化规律进行了分析。结果表明,传统4 h运行模式下,提高原水C/N比,TN去除效果并无显著提高;对于低C/N生活污水,降低充水比有利于提高出水TN去除率,然而,充水比降至16%时,系统因低负荷运行发生污泥膨胀。在不投加外碳源的情况下,采用分段进水交替A/O运行模式可大幅改善系统脱氮性能,且TN去除率随着交替次数的增多而提高,交替4次平均去除率达87.23%。系统采用实时控制方式运行时,可根据有机物降解、氨氧化及反硝化时pH值和ORP曲线上是否出现拐点,来判断反应系统的曝气以及搅拌时间是否过长、适当或不足。     

化学溶胀法分离废弃线路板中金属与基板

废弃线路板的粉碎和所含金属组分的高效解离是后续分选回收的前提条件。本研究分别使用乙二胺等10种溶剂浸泡废弃线路板,比较对线路板中铜箔与基板间剥离强度的影响,从而筛选出4种有代表性的溶剂,即溶剂D、溶剂F、丙酮和水, 比较废弃线路板经化学溶胀后的单体解离度和获得一定粒径分布的颗粒所需的破碎时间。研究结果表明,化学溶胀后破碎能大幅提高金属的单体解离度,浸泡效果的优良排序为：溶剂D>溶剂F>丙酮>水;浸泡时间越长,浸泡温度越高,对剥离强度的降低越有利;使用溶剂D在150℃、3 h或140℃、5 h的工艺下浸泡废弃线路板,可以使铜箔与基板自动脱落。研究结果为后续的分选提供了便利的条件。