Arsenic,selenium, and chromium speciation in fly ash

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Arsenic (As), selenium (Se), and chromium (Cr) are harmful to humans at certain concentrations, and can possibly be eluted from coal ash (fly ash)...     

Microbial community structure and dynamics of starch-fed and glucose-fed chemostats during two years of continuous operation

The microbial community structures of two mesophilic anaerobic chemostats, one fed with glucose, the other with starch as sole carbon sources, were studied at various dilution rates (0.05–0.25 d^–1 for glucose and 0.025–0.1 d^–1 for starch) during two years continuous operation. In the glucose-fed chemostat, the aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta spp. and hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanoculleus spp. predominated at low dilution rates, whereas Methanosaeta spp. and the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium spp. predominated together when dilution rates were greater than 0.1 d^–1. Bacteria affiliated with the phyla Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, and Actinobacteria predominated at dilution rates of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 d^–1, respectively, while Firmicutes predominated at higher dilution rates (0.2 and 0.25 d^–1). In the starch-fed chemostat, the aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens coexisted at all dilution rates. Although bacteria belonging to only two phyla were mainly responsible for starch degradation (Spirochaetes at the dilution rate of 0.08 d^–1 and Firmicutes at other dilution rates), different bacterial genera were identified at different dilution rates. With the exception of Archaea in the glucose-fed chemostat, the band patterns revealed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the microbial communities in the two chemostats displayed marked changes during long-term operation at a constant dilution rate. The bacterial community changed with changes in the dilution rate, and was erratic during longterm operation in both glucose-fed and starch-fed chemostats.     

Treatment of bleaching wastewater from pulp paper plants in China using enzymes and coagulants

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Continuous treatment of azo acid dyes by photo-dependent denitrifying sludge

Simultaneous removals of dye and nitrate by photo-dependent denitrifying sludge(PDDS)have been demonstrated in a continuousflow bench-scale reactor.The best C/N for the degradation of azo dyes by PDDS was 1.5.The specific removal rate of azo dye AB92 decreased with a decrease in hydraulic retention time and increased with a decrease in solids retention time.The degradation rate of TOC decreased with a decrease in hydraulic retention time.AB92,which has nitro and hydroxyl substitutions in non-para positions,was uniquely degraded.During continuous flow treatment experiments using PDDS,complete degradation of azo dyes AB92 and AO20 at influent concentrations of 40mg/L and 30mg/L,respectively,was achieved with an HRT of 16.     

Atmospheric mineral particles collected at Qira in the Taklamakan Desert, China

Aerosol particles were collected in the situation of the widespread dust suspension on 21 February 1991 at Qira in the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, western China. The collected particles were examined by a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer in order to obtain the size and elemental composition of individual mineral particles.On the basis of EDX analyses for 386 particles, mineral particles were present in high number fractions (>99%) of particles in the radius range of 0.1–4 μm. Particles mainly composed of silicates comprised 76% of mineral particles. “Ca-rich” particles were detected in 7% of all the particles. Ca in the particles would be present not only as CaCO₃ but also as an internal mixture of CaCO₃ and CaSO₄. Particles containing halite (NaCl) were detected in number proportions of about 10% and were mainly present in the radius range of 0.5 μm. Some halite particles would be modified by chemical reactions with sulfuric acid.     

一体式A/O摇动床工艺处理石化废水

针对国内许多石油化工废水处理工艺中氨氮降解效果差的问题,采用新型Biofringe填料设计一体式A/O摇动床工艺,对反应器的操作参数和去除效果进行了试验.结果表明:水力停留时间对氨氮去除负荷的影响较大,在水力停留时间为20.8 h,回流比为3.5时,COD的去除率可以达到90%以上,NH3-N的去除率可以达到95%以上,TN的去除率可以达到70%以上.通过一年多的小试,反应器具有动力消耗低,抗冲击能力强,操作稳定等特点,为进一步在石油化工废水处理中的应用提供了实验依据.     

Variation of dust layer height in the northern Taklimakan Desert in April 2002

LIDAR observations were conducted in the northern Taklimakan Desert to investigate the vertical distribution of dust in April 2002. During the observation period, a dust outbreak occurred on 13 April, remaining over the desert for several days. Despite only slight variations being observed in dust layer height before the dust event, marked diurnal variation in dust layer height was observed after the dust event. In this study, we conducted two numerical simulations to investigate differences in the variation exhibited by the dust layer heights before and after the dust event, and assessed the influence of meteorological conditions on this variation. The simulated results show that the clearly diurnal variation in dust layer height is strongly influenced by local circulation which is affected by the characteristic topography and synoptic conditions of the Tarim Basin.     

An exploratory study on perceptions of seismic risk and mitigation in two districts of Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the world's cities most vulnerable to seismic events. According to seismologists, the probability of a severe earthquake in the next 30 years is approximately 40 per cent. Following an outline of the seismicity of this vital Turkish city and a summary of current seismic risks and mitigation studies, this paper presents the results of a survey conducted in two districts of Istanbul, Avcilar and Bakirkoy. The survey comprised some 60 questions on the seismic risk perceptions of individuals and requested basic personal data, such as on age, education level, employment type, financial income, and gender. Despite various differences among the survey population, such as academic background and level of financial income, responses were surprisingly similar, especially in terms of having no plan for a safer house. The data may help those planning mitigation programmes and public awareness campaigns on preparedness and particularly mitigation in highly vulnerable regions.     

《安全生产法》修订需要重点解决的若干问题研究

分析我国《安全生产法》的贯彻实施情况,总结《安全生产法》实施过程中面临的政府安全生产监管机构职责分工调整、各级安全生产监管部门职责不清和运行不畅、新型的责任保险出现、企业安全生产主体责任不能完全落实等新形势和挑战。为适应我国快速发展的社会环境,以职业安全与健康立法一体化、安全生产监督与管理权限划分、工伤保险与责任保险结合、强化企业安全生产主体责任等难点为重点,提出《安全生产法》相关条款的修订建议、理由和内容。研究结果对完善我国《安全生产法》,提升安全生产法制化水平具有参考意义。     

Aphid egg protection by ants: a novel aspect of the mutualism between the tree-feeding aphid Stomaphis hirukawai and its attendant ant Lasius productus

Aphids often form mutualistic associations with ants, in which the aphids provide the ants with honeydew and the ants defend the aphids from predators. In this paper, we report aphid egg protection by ants as a novel aspect of the deeply interdependent relationship between a tree-feeding aphid and its attendant ant. The ant Lasius productus harbours oviparous females, males, and eggs of the hinoki cypress-feeding aphid Stomaphis hirukawai in its nests in winter. We investigated the behaviour of ants kept with aphid eggs in petri dishes to examine whether the ants recognise the aphid eggs and tend them or only provide a refuge for the aphids. Workers carried almost all of the aphid eggs into the nest within 24 h. The ants indiscriminately tended aphid eggs collected from their own colonies and those from other ant colonies. The ants cleaned the eggs and piled them up in the nest, and egg tending by ants dramatically increased aphid egg survival rates. Starving the ants showed no significant effect on aphid egg survivorship. Without ants, aphid eggs were rapidly killed by fungi. These results suggested that grooming by the ants protected the aphid eggs, at least, against pathogenic fungi. This hygienic service afforded by the ants seems indispensable for egg survival of these aphids in an environment rich in potentially pathogenic microorganisms.Electronic supplementary material  Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.