Investigation of low-molecular weight organic acids and their spatiotemporal variation characteristics in Hongfeng Lake, China

The identities and concentrations of low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) were determined by ion chromatography throughout a 20-m water column in Hongfeng Lake, China. The spatiotemporal variations of LMWOAs and their contributions to dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a research period of 24 hr were also investigated. The results demonstrated that five LMWOAs (lactic, acetic, pyruvic, sorbic, oxalic acid) were detected, and their total concentration and proportion in DOC were 6.55 μmol/L and 7.47%. Their average levels were 2.50, 0.65, 2.35, 0.96 and 0.09 μmol/L, respectively. LMWOAs were higher during daytime (10:00-18:00 on Jun 13, 2008) than nighttime (21:00-6:00 the next morning), in particular 4.99 μmol/L high in the epilimnion ( 1 m water depth), reflecting the fact that direct import from terrigenous sources and photochemical production from humic materials were dominant during LMWOAs’ origin and accumulation. The same factors caused LMWOAs to be 0.63 μmol/L in the epilimnion higher than in the hypolimnion. The rapid decrease of total organic acid (TOA) up until 18:00 mainly resulted from bio-uptake and mineralization in the hypolimnion (>1 m water depth). Pyruvic acid increased with time in the epilimnion and decreased in the hypolimnion, largely related to the two contrary processes of continuous degradation and synthesis of macromolecular organic matter during life materials’ cycle mediated by organisms. Simultaneously, plankton behavior and thermal stratification played a pivotal role in LMWOAs’ behavior in the water column, causing decreasing and increasing profiles. The distribution of LMWOAs represents an interesting resource for biogeochemical research of DOM in aquatic ecosystems.     

Adsorption of lead on multi-walled carbon nanotubes with different outer diameters and oxygen contents: Kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics

The effects of different outer diameters and surface oxygen contents on the adsorption of heavy metals onto six types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were investigated in an aqueous solution and lead was chosen as a model metal ion. The results indicated that the percentage removal and adsorption capacity of lead remarkably increased with decreasing outer diameter due to larger specific surface area (SSA). The SSA-normalized maximum adsorption capacity (qm /SSA) and SSA-normalized adsorption coefficient (Kd /SSA) were strongly positively correlated with surface oxygen content, implying that lead adsorption onto MWCNTs significantly increases with the rise of oxygen content and decreases with decreasing SSA. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated that adsorption of lead on MWCNTs was endothermic and spontaneous. When the oxygen content of MWCNTs increased from 2.0% to 5.9%, the standard free energy (△ G0 ) became more negative, which implied that the oxygenated functional groups increased the adsorption affinity of MWCNTs for lead. Through calculation of enthalpy (△ H0 ), G0 and free energy of adsorption (Ea ), lead adsorption onto MWCNTs was recognized as a chemisorption process. The chemical interaction between lead and the phenolic groups of MWCNTs could be one of the main adsorption mechanisms due to highly positive correlations between the phenolic groups and K d /SSA or q m /SSA.     

景观用再生水氮磷条件下两种典型水华藻类的生长及竞争规律

针对再生水景观水体的藻类控制,以BG11培养基为基础,设定不同氮磷浓度,对铜绿微囊藻和小球藻进行了纯培养和共培养实验。实验结果表明:初始总氮浓度为15 mg/L、总磷浓度为0.1 mg/L时两种藻就能出现明显的生长高峰;当总氮浓度为3⁴5 mg/L,氮磷比为3045 mg/L,氮磷比为30¹50的情况下,小球藻在与铜绿微囊藻的竞争中容易成为优势藻种。     

电除尘器中水雾雾化特性及对除尘性能的影响

湿式电除尘器将水雾除尘与电除尘技术相结合,可以有效地对细颗粒物进行收集,抑制了二次扬尘的发生。通过研究电除尘器喷淋系统的雾化特性,以及不同供水压力对水雾荷电的影响,并测得其分级效率。研究结果表明:在供水压力为0.4 MPa时,湿式电除尘器的除尘效率大于99.5%;在喷雾粒径为100μm时,对10μm以下的细颗粒物除尘效率大于92%。通过分析,为湿式除尘器喷淋系统设计提供了依据。     

Effect of ammonium on nitrous oxide emission during denitrification with different electron donors

Nitrous oxide(N2O) emission during denitrification is receiving intensive attention due to its high potential to cause greenhouse effects.In this study,denitrifiers were acclimated in sequencing batch reactors with methanol or acetate as the electron donor and nitrate as the electron acceptor.The effects of ammonium on N2O emission were examined in batch experiments with various electron donors.With the addition of ammonium,N2O emission increased under all the examined conditions compared to experiments without ammonium addition.With different electron donors,the highest ratio of N2O emission to the removed oxidized nitrogen was 0.70% for methanol,5.34% for acetate,and 34.79% for polyhydroxybutyrate.     

Determination of vanillin in vanilla perfumes and air by capillary electrophoresis

The present study investigated capillary electrophoretic detection of vanillin in vanilla perfume and air. An UV-absorbance detector was used in a home-made capillary electrophoretic instrument. A fused silica capillary (outer diameter: 364μm, inner diameter: 50 m) was used as a separation capillary, and a high electric voltage (20 kV) was applied across the two ends of the capillary. Total length of the capillary was 70 cm, and the effective length was 55 cm. Experimental results showed that the vanillin peak was detected at about 600, 450, and 500 seconds when pH of running buffers in CE were 7.2, 9.3, and 11.5, respectively. The peak area of vanillin was proportional to its concentration in the range of 0-10^-2 mol/L. The detection limit was about 10^-5 mol/L. Vanillin concentration in a 1% vanilla perfume sample was determined to be about 3×10^-4 mol/L, agreed well with that obtained by a HPLC method. Furthermore, determination of vanillin in air by combination of CE and active carbon adsorption method was investigated.     

Research on the evolvement of morphology of coking coal during the coking process

The evolvement of morphology and structure of the coal with different metamorphic degrees during coking process in the vertical furnace was investigated by infrared Image detector. Moreover, the temperature distribution in the radial direction and the crack formation were also studied in heating process. The results show that the amount of crack and the shrinkage level of char decrease with the coal rank rising. In addition, the initial temperature of crack formation for char increases with the coal rank rising.     

Effect of acid solutions on plants studied by the optical beam deflection method

The optical beam deflection method was applied to study the effects of acid solution on both a terrestial and aquatic plants Egeria and Cerastium, which are common aquatic plant and terrestial weed respectively. A probe beam from a He-Ne laser was passed through a vicinity of a leaf of the plants, which were put in culture dishes filled with acid solutions. Deflection signals of the probe beam were monitored and compared for acid solutions with different pH values. The results of Egria showed that the deflection signals changed dramatically when pH values of acid solutions were 2.0 and 3.0, while little at pH of 4.0 and 5.0. For Cerastium when pH were below 3.0, deflection signals changed greatly with time at the begining. After a certain period of time, deflection signals changed little with time. When pH value was above 4.0, deflection signals of Cerastium were still changing with time even after 20 hours. The results suggested that the damage threshold of pH was between 3.0 and 4.0 for both the land and aquatic plants.     

Simultaneous preconcentration of cadmium and lead in water samples with silica gel and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A new method that utilizes pretreated silica gel as an adsorbent has been developed for simultaneous preconcentration of trace Cd(II) and Pb(II) prior to the measurement by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The effects of pH, the shaking time, the elution condition and the coexisting ions on the separation/preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated. Under optimized conditions, the static adsorption capacity of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were 45.5 and 27.1mg/g, the relative standard deviations were 3.2% and 1.7% (for n = 11), and the limits of detection obtained were 4.25 and 0.60 ng/mL, respectively. The method was validated by analyzing the certified reference materials GBW 07304a (stream sediment) and successfully applied to the analysis of various treated wastewater samples with satisfactory results.     

Soil microbial community structure and function responses to successive planting of Eucalyptus

Many studies have shown soil degradation after the conversion of native forests to exotic Eucalyptus plantations. However, few studies have investigated the long-term impacts of short-rotation forestry practices on soil microorganisms. The impacts of Eucalyptus successive rotations on soil microbial communities were evaluated by comparing phospholipid fatty acid （PLFA） abundances, compositions, and enzyme activities of native Pinus massoniana plantations and adjacent 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Eucalyptus plantations. The conversion from P. massoniana to Eucalyptus plantations significantly decreased soil microbial community size and enzyme activities, and increased microbial physiological stress. However, the PLFA abundances formed ＂U＂ shaped quadratic functions with Eucalyptus plantation age. Alternatively, physiological stress biomarkers, the ratios of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid and Gram＋ to Gram- bacteria, formed ＂∩＂ shaped quadratic functions, and the ratio of cy17：0 to 16： 1ω7c decreased with plantation age. The activities of phenol oxidase, peroxidase, and acid phosphatase increased with Eucalyptus plantation age, while the cellobiobydrolase activity formed ＂U＂ shaped quadratic functions. Soil N：P, alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen, soil organic carbon, and understory cover largely explained the variation in PLFA profiles while soil N：P, alkaline hydrolytic nitrogen, and understory cover explained most of the variability in enzyme activity. In conclusion, soil microbial structure and function under Eucalyptus plantations were strongly impacted by plantation age. Most of the changes could be explained by altered soil resource availability and understory cover associated with successive planting of Eucalyptus. Our results highlight the importance of plantation age for assessing the impacts of plantation conversion as well as the importance of reducing disturbance for plantation management.