On-going nitrification in chloraminated drinking water distribution system (DWDS) is conditioned by hydraulics and disinfection strategies

Within the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) using chloramine as disinfectant, nitrification caused by nitrifying bacteria is increasingly becoming a concern as it poses a great challenge for maintaining water quality. To investigate efficient control strategies, operational conditions including hydraulic regimes and disinfectant scenarios were controlled within a flow cell experimental facility. Two test phases were conducted to investigate the effects on the extent of nitrification of three flow rates (Q = 2, 6, and 10 L/min) and four disinfection scenarios (total Cl₂=1 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=3:1; total Cl₂=1 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=5:1; total Cl₂=5 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=3:1; and total Cl₂=5 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=5:1). Physico-chemical parameters and nitrification indicators were monitored during the tests. The characteristics of biofilm extracellular polymetric substance (EPS) were evaluated after the experiment. The main results from the study indicate that nitrification is affected by hydraulic conditions and the process tends to be severe when the fluid flow transforms from laminar to turbulent (2300<Re<4000). Increasing disinfectant concentration and optimizing Cl₂/NH₃-N mass ratio were found to inhibit nitrification to some extend when the system was running at turbulent condition (Q = 10 L/min, Re = 5535). EPS extracted from biofilm that was established at the flow rate of 6 L/min had greater carbohydrate/protein ratio. Furthermore, several nitrification indicators were evaluated for their prediction efficiency and the results suggest that the change of nitrite, together with total organic carbon (TOC) and turbidity can indicate nitrification potential efficiently.     

Coupling mechanism of activated carbon mixed with dust for flue gas desulfurization and denitrification

To clarify the effect of coking dust, sintering dust and fly ash on the activity of activated carbon for various industrial flue gas desulfurization and denitrification, the coupling mechanism of the mixed activated carbon and dust was investigated to provide theoretical reference for the stable operation. The results show that coking dust had 34% desulfurization efficiency and 10% denitrification efficiency; correspondingly, sintering dust and fly ash had no obvious desulfurization and denitrification activities. For the mixture of activated carbon and dust, the coking dust reduced the desulfurization and denitrification efficiencies by blocking the pores of activated carbon, and its inhibiting effect on activated carbon was larger than its own desulfurization and denitrification activity. The sintering dust also reduced the desulfurization efficiency on the activated carbon while enhancing the denitrification efficiency. Fly ash blocked the pores of activated carbon and reduced its reaction activity. The reaction activity of coking dust mainly came from the surface functional groups, similar to that of activated carbon. The reaction activity of sintering dust mainly came from the oxidative property of Fe₂O₃, which oxidized NO to NO₂ and promoted the fast selectively catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO to form N₂. Sintering dust was activated by the joint action of activated carbon, and both had a coupling function. Sintering dust enhanced the adsorption and oxidation of NO, and activated carbon further promoted the reduction of NO_x by NH₃; thus, the denitrification efficiency increased by 5%-7% on the activated carbon.     

Photodegradation of Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Trimer Acid under UV Irradiation

As a novel alternative to traditional perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), hexafluoroproplyene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) has been detected worldwide in surface water. Moreover, recent researches have demonstrated that HFPO-TA has stronger bioaccumulation potential and higher hepatotoxicity than PFOA. To treat these contaminants e.g. PFOA and PFOS, some photochemical techniques by adding exogenous substances had been reported. However, there is still no report for the behavior of HFPO-TA itself under direct UV irradiation. The current study investigated the photo-transformation of HFPO-TA under UV irradiation in aqueous solution. After 72 hr photoreaction, 75% degradation ratio and 25% defluorination ratio were achieved under ambient condition. Reducing active species, i.e., hydrated electrons and active hydrogen atoms, generated from water splitting played dominant roles in degradation of HFPO-TA, which was confirmed by different effects of reaction atmospheres and quenching experiments. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on the products identification and theoretical calculations. In general, HFPO-TA would be transformed into shorter-chain PFASs, including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFA) and trifluoroacetate (TFA). This research provides basic information for HFPO-TA photodegradation process and is essential to develop novel remediation techniques for HFPO-TA and other alternatives with similar structures.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in benthos of the northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf

Eighteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in benthos collected onboard the ‘Snow Dragon’ in the Northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf during the 6^th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 2014). Σ₁₈PAHs for all biota samples ranged from 34.2 to 128.1 ng/g dry weight (dw), with the highest concentration observed in fish muscle (Boreogadus saida) samples close to St. Lawrence Island. The PAH composition pattern was dominated by the presence of lighter 3 ring (57%) and 2 ring (28%) PAHs, indicating oil-related or petrogenic sources as important origins of PAH contamination. Concentrations of alkyl-PAHs (1-methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene) were lower than their parent PAH (naphthalene) in all biological tissue, and their percentage also decreased significantly (p<0.05) compared with those in the corresponding sediment. There were no significant relationships between PAH concentrations and trophic levels, which is possibly due to the combined results of the complex benthic foodweb in the subarctic/Arctic shelf region, as well as a low assimilation/effective metabolism for PAHs. According to toxic potency evaluation results from TCDD toxic equivalents (TEQs) and BaP-equivalent (BaPE) values, whelk (Neptunea heros) and starfish (Ctenodiscus crispatus) are two macroinvertebrate species showing relatively higher dioxin-like toxicity and carcinogenic risk.     

Particulate matter exchange between atmosphere and roads surfaces in urban areas

The deposition and the re-suspension of particulate matter (PM) in urban areas are the key processes that contribute not only to stormwater pollution, but also to air pollution. However, investigation of the deposition and the re-suspension of PM is challenging because of the difficulties in distinguishing between the resuspended and the deposited PM. This study created two Bayesian Networks (BN) models to explore the deposition and the re-suspension of PM as well as the important influential factors. The outcomes of BN modelling revealed that deposition and re-suspension of PM10 occurred under both, high-traffic and low-traffic conditions, and the re-suspension of PM2.5 occurred under low-traffic conditions. The deposition of PM10 under low-volume traffic condition is 1.6 times higher than under high-volume traffic condition, which is attributed to the decrease in PM10 caused by relatively higher turbulence under high-volume traffic conditions. PM10 is more easily resuspended from road surfaces compared to PM2.5 as the particles which larger than the thickness of the laminar airflow over the road surface are more easily removed from road surfaces. The increase in wind speed contributes to the increase in PM build-up by transporting particulates from roadside areas to the road surfaces and the airborne PM2.5 and PM10 increases with the increase in relative humidity. The study outcomes provide a step improvement in the understanding of the transfer processes of PM2.5 and PM10 between atmosphere and urban road surfaces, which in turn will contribute to the effective design of mitigation measures for urban stormwater and air pollution.     

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

The degradation of plastic debris may result in the generation of nanoplastics (NPs). Their high specific surface area for the sorption of organic pollutions and toxic heavy metals and possible transfer between organisms at different nutrient levels make the study of NPs an urgent priority. However, there is very limited understanding on the occurrence, distribution, abundant, and fate of NPs in the environment, partially due to the lack of suitable techniques for the separation and identification of NPs from complex environmental matrices. In this review, we first overviewed the state-of-the-art methods for the extraction, separation, identification and quantification of NPs in the environment. Some of them have been successfully applied for the field determination of NPs, while some are borrowed from the detection of microplastics or engineered nanomaterials. Then the possible fate and transport of NPs in the environment are thoroughly described. Although great efforts have been made during the recent years, large knowledge gaps still exist, such as the relatively high detection limit of existing method failing to detect ultralow masses of NPs in the environment, and spherical polystyrene NP models failing to represent the various compositions of NPs with different irregular shapes, which needs further investigation.     

达里诺尔湖水体DOM荧光特征及其来源解析

达里诺尔湖（简称“达里湖”）是内蒙古自治区高原地区重要的生态屏障,探究达里湖水质状况及污染来源,对加强流域水环境治理、改善水环境质量具有十分重要的意义.于2018年9月及2019年6月对湖水进行采样,并通过三维荧光光谱结合PARAFAC（平行因子分析）模型,探究达里湖水体DOM（溶解性有机质）来源及其与水质的关系.结果表明:①达里湖水体中pH较高,ρ（DOC）（DOC为溶解性有机碳）、ρ（NH₄+-N）、ρ（TP）相对较高,均超过GB 3838—2002《地表水环境质量标准》Ⅴ类水质标准限值.②水体中DOM含4种荧光组分.夏季水体DOM主要分布于河流入湖口附近,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分（紫外区类富里酸和可见区类富里酸）占总组分的62.93%,类蛋白类荧光组分（类色氨酸和类酪氨酸）占总组分的36.07%;秋季水体DOM主要分布于东南侧,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分占总组分的40.52%,类蛋白类荧光组分占总组分的59.48%.③达里湖采样点荧光参数表明,达里湖DOM自生源特征较强,腐殖化程度较低.类腐殖质荧光组分与ρ（DOC）、ρ（Chla）均呈正相关,类色氨酸荧光组分与pH呈正相关,类络氨酸与ρ（DTN）、ρ（NH4+-N）、ρ（DTP）均呈正相关.研究显示,达里湖DOM具有陆源与生物源双重特性,DOM的形成与微生物、细菌、浮游生物的生命活动密切相关.      

北京市典型汽修企业VOCs排放特征与臭氧影响分析

对北京地区27家汽修企业进行调研,选取2家典型汽修企业进行气袋采样-GC-MS-FID采集及分析,定量分析其VOCs的排放特征,并计算其臭氧生成潜势（OFP）。结果表明:使用不同漆料的汽修企业排放特征不同,水性漆企业非甲烷总烃的排放浓度为0.62~36.49 mg/m3,油性漆企业的排放浓度为0~100.39 mg/m3;水性漆排放的VOCs以烷烃为主,占比高达57.16%,丙烷（39.65%）和甲苯（11.41%）是首要污染物;卤代烃（55.51%）是油性漆企业的主要VOCs排放物种,主要组分为1,2-二氯丙烷和1,2-二氯乙烷;水性漆企业的OFP值为144.78 mg/m3,油性漆企业的OFP值为664.43 mg/m3,大气反应活性最大的物种多为芳香烃,芳香烃对OFP的贡献率分别为52.18%和88.44%。     

洞庭湖区南汉垸水体浮游植物群落结构特征及其影响因素

环境要素的变化对浮游植物的群落结构和功能具有重要影响.为揭示洞庭湖南汉垸湖区浮游植物群落结构特征及其影响因素,分别于2017年11月（关泵封水期）和2018年6月（开泵放水期）在洞庭湖区典型堤垸——南汉垸进行了采样调查,并对调查区域内的浮游植物及主要水环境因子进行了系统监测和分析.结果表明:①调查期间共检出浮游植物8门62属,主要隶属于绿藻门（Chlorophyta）、硅藻门（Bacillariophyta）和蓝藻门（Cyanophyta）,浮游植物分布表现出较为显著的时间差异性,11月浮游植物的丰度为8.34×106~3.02×108 L-1,6月为1.13×106~2.04×107 L-1.②Shannon-Wiener多样性指数（H'）介于1.10~3.24之间,Margalef丰富度指数（d）介于1.42~6.40之间,Pielou均匀度指数（J）介于0.48~0.87之间,多样性评价表明,南汉垸整体上介于轻污染与β-中污染之间,局部采样点为α-中污染.③PCA（主成分分析）结果表明,ρ（TN）、ρ（TP）和ρ（NH₄+-N）为南汉垸水体的主要污染因子.④RDA（冗余分析）结果表明,南汉垸浮游植物群落结构分布与pH、ρ（NH₄+-N）及ρ（TN）呈正相关,与WT（水温）呈负相关.研究显示,南汉垸水体介于轻污染与β-中污染之间,营养状态及浮游植物群落结构在时间上差异较大.      

国土空间规划新时代旅游规划的定位与转型

我国已经迈入以国土空间规划引领“多规合一”的空间治理新时代,对各专项规划的管控约束性更严、技术性和衔接性要求更高。为此,本文重新审视了旅游规划的性质和地位,并基于产业专项性和空间融合性特征,将旅游规划分为战略规划、协调规划、发展规划和开发规划。以旅游发展规划为示例,提出了六大转型:规划理念从无限思维向边界思维、融合理念和空间思维转变,编制思路从甲方意志向市场导向转变,规划内容从大而全向专而精转变,技术路线从概念逻辑向空间逻辑转变,规划方式从封闭向开放转变,规划技术从缺乏技术到技术融合转变以期推动旅游规划衔接和融入新时代国土空间规划体系,进一步引领中国旅游产业的转型升级和高质量发展。