Mechanical and Barrier Properties of Biodegradable Films Made from Chitosan and Poly (Lactic Acid) Blends

Biodegradable film blends of chitosan with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were prepared by solution mixing and film casting. The main goal of these blends is to improve the water vapor barrier of chitosan by blending it with a hydrophobic biodegradable polymer from renewable resources. Mechanical properties of obtained films were assessed by tensile test. Thermal properties, water barrier properties, and water sensitivity were studied by differential scanning calorimeter analysis, water vapor permeability measurements, and surface-angle contact tests, respectively. The incorporation of PLA to chitosan improved the water barrier properties and decreased the water sensitivity of chitosan film. However, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of chitosan decreased with the addition of PLA. Mechanical and thermal properties revealed that chitosan and PLA blends are incompatible, consistent with the results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis that showed the absence of specific interaction between chitosan and PLA.     

Green roof stormwater retention: effects of roof surface, slope, and media depth

Urban areas generate considerably more stormwater runoff than natural areas of the same size due to a greater percentage of impervious surfaces that impede water infiltration. Roof surfaces account for a large portion of this impervious cover. Establishing vegetation on rooftops, known as green roofs, is one method of recovering lost green space that can aid in mitigating stormwater runoff. Two studies were performed using several roof platforms to quantify the effects of various treatments on stormwater retention. The first study used three different roof surface treatments to quantify differences in stormwater retention of a standard commercial roof with gravel ballast, an extensive green roof system without vegetation, and a typical extensive green roof with vegetation. Overall, mean percent rainfall retention ranged from 48.7% (gravel) to 82.8% (vegetated). The second study tested the influence of roof slope (2 and 6.5%) and green roof media depth (2.5, 4.0, and 6.0 cm) on stormwater retention. For all combined rain events, platforms at 2% slope with a 4-cm media depth had the greatest mean retention, 87%, although the difference from the other treatments was minimal. The combination of reduced slope and deeper media clearly reduced the total quantity of runoff. For both studies, vegetated green roof systems not only reduced the amount of stormwater runoff, they also extended its duration over a period of time beyond the actual rain event.     

Cadmium contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees and its potential health risk in Guangzhou, China

This study examines cadmium (Cd) contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees in Guangzhou, China, and assesses its potential health risk. Soils and tissues samples of three species of fruit trees were collected from three orchards. The average soil Cd concentration was 1.27, 1.84 and 0.68 mg/kg in orchards I, II, and III, respectively. The carambola (Averrhoa carambola) accumulated exceptionally high concentrations of Cd (7.57, 10.84, 9.01 and 2.15 mg/kg dw in root, twig, leaf and fruit, respectively), being 6.0-24 times and 4.0-10 times the corresponding tissue Cd in the longan (Dimocarpus longan) and wampee (Clausena lansium), respectively. Furthermore, all Cd concentrations (0.04-0.25 mg Cd/kg fw) of the fruits exceeded the tolerance limit of cadmium in foods of PR China (0.03 mg/kg fw). Our results indicate that the carambola tree has high Cd accumulation capacity and might be a Cd accumulator; and its fruit, among the three species of fruits studied, also poses the highest potential health risk to local residents.     

Influence of clay minerals on the reduction of Cr6+ by citric acid

The influence of clay minerals on the reduction of Cr6+ by citric acid was investigated at pH values 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 at 25 degrees C. The results indicate that montmorillonite and illite greatly accelerate the reduction reactions at pH 4.0 and 4.5, but their effects are dramatically reduced at pH 5.0. The role of clay minerals in accelerating the reactions is in the order: illite>montmorillonite>kaolinite, which has a positive correlation with the amount of Mn2+ adsorbed on the surfaces of these minerals. With light, Fe(3+) also significantly increases reaction rates. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) greatly suppresses the acceleration of the reduction reactions by these minerals, indicating that EDTA competes with citric acid for Mn2+. Thus, the formation of complexes between Mn(2+) and citric acid could be a prerequisite for the acceleration of the reductions of Cr6+ by clay minerals. In addition, there is no relationship between the specific surface area of clay minerals and the reduction rate of Cr6+ by citric acid.     

Environmental risk mapping of accidental pollution and its zonal prevention in a city

Accidental releases of pollution can have severe environmental, societal, economic, and institutional consequences. This paper considers the use of risk mapping of accidental pollution events, and zonal prevention measures for alleviating the impact on large urban areas. An Environmental Pollution Accident Risk Mapping (EPARM) model is constructed according to a mapping index system supported by quantitative sub-models dedicated to evaluating the risk arising from different sources of potential accidental pollution. The EPARM approach consists of identifying suitable indexes, assessment of environmental risk at regional and national scales based on information on previous pollution accidents and the prevailing environmental and social conditions, and use of GIS to map the overall risk. A case study of pollution accidents in Minghang District, Shanghai, China is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model. The paper also proposes a systemic framework for accidental environmental pollution risk prevention, and detailed countermeasures for specific risk zones.     

紫外光催化预处理对生物滤塔二甲苯去除率的影响研究

为评价紫外光催化作为生物滤塔预处理的可行性,系统考察了生物滤塔中二甲苯气体的去除性能及其影响因素.所考察的影响因素包括进口二甲苯浓度和空塔停留时间,实验同时考察了挂膜过程中生物膜的表面形态变化过程.结果表明:顺利挂膜完成后的生物膜中占优势菌种的是长杆菌,有少量的短杆菌;紫外预处理可以有效提高生物滤塔系统处理二甲苯的效率;二甲苯去除率受到其进口浓度和空塔停留时间影响,当进口质量浓度为500 mg/m3,空塔停留时间为70 s时,二甲苯去除率可以达到95.7％.     

盐雾试验方墨探讨

分析了不同盐雾试验方法标准对盐溶液配制、试样的处理和检测、试验参数、试验过程控制等方面的不同要求,探讨了盐雾试验的操作技术,提出了必须严格控制盐雾试验过程的建议和不能用不同标准进行的盐雾试验结果进行比较的观点.     

危化品事故情景推演网络构建及关键节点分析*

为有效应对危化品事故发生与演变时存在的动态性及不确定性问题,基于事故演变过程中的关键情景状态及对应孕灾环境、应急活动和处置目标等要素,引入动态贝叶斯网络方法,构建危化品事故情景推演网络,并结合复杂网络知识,对孕灾环境和应急活动2类事故影响因素节点进行敏感性和重要度分析。结果表明:情景推演网络计算的情景节点概率符合事故发生的实际情况,能够对危化品事故在不同孕灾环境和应急救援下的演变路径进行推演,并且分析得到燃烧物、消防力量、火场环境和建筑密度等关键影响因素节点,研究结果可为事故处理提供应急辅助决策支持。     

挥发性有机污染物排放控制标准体系的建立与完善

以大气灰霾为代表的区域复合污染问题,导致挥发性有机物(VOCs)成为重点控制的污染物之一.通过对国家和地方挥发性有机污染物排放标准现状分析,依据排放特征以及我国挥发性有机物排放清单,建立和完善挥发性有机物排放控制标准体系.     

2种水生植物根际溶液磷素时空变异及有机酸分泌

利用根际土壤溶液的原位抽提和微量样品分析技术,比较了喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)和香蒲(Typhalatifolia)2种水生植物根际土壤溶液磷素含量的时空变异和根系分泌有机酸种类及数量的差异,从植物吸收磷素、根系分泌有机酸和根际土壤pH值变化等角度探讨了植物磷素高效净化的根际调控机制.结果表明,2种水生植物的根际溶液磷素含量均明显低于非根际溶液;喜旱莲子草的根际溶液磷酸根离子质量浓度(2.53 mg.L-1)显著低于香蒲的根际溶液(5.43mg.L-1)(p<0.05),且喜旱莲子草根系对土壤溶液磷酸根的影响范围大于香蒲.与香蒲相比,喜旱莲子草分泌了较多的苹果酸(浓度27.33μmol.L-1),在活化土壤磷素、促进根系对磷素的吸收方面起了更大的作用.喜旱莲子草吸收磷素的根际效应强于香蒲.