Soot reduction by addition of dimethyl carbonate in normal and inverse ethylene diffusion flames: Nanostructural evidence

Oxygenated fuel represents an attractive alternative as an additive for reducing soot emissions.Dimethyl carbonate(DMC) is an oxygenated compound which is a good option to reduce soot,but the detailed characteristics of soot produced from combustion of hydrocarbon fuels blended with DMC are still lacking. The present research studied the nanostructure and reactivity of soot particles in ethylene/DMC normal and inverse diffusion flames. High resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)were used to analyze the nanostructure and reactivity of soot. It was found that DMC addition was effective in decreasing the average weights of soot formed in flames. The results of HRTEM images showed that soot particles obtained with DMC addition showed liquid-like material and tight bonding, and exhibited more highly disorganized layers, which give it higher reactivity than soot obtained without DMC addition. Furthermore, HRTEM was used to analyze soot fringe characteristics consisting of fringe tortuosity, fringe length, and fringe separation. XRD was used to crosscheck the results for fringe separation, and was consistent with HRTEM results. In addition, the mass loss curve of TGA experiments showed that DMC addition could enhance the reactivity of soot particles.     

施肥对向日葵吸收积累Cd的影响

利用盆栽试验研究了不同施肥处理下(CK、N、NP、NPK) 3种向日葵品种(食用葵、观赏葵、油葵)对北方污染农田土壤镉(Cd)吸收和转运的影响.结果表明,施肥可显著提高观赏葵、油葵生物量及地上部Cd富集量,施NPK肥处理对植物促进效果最为显著.施NPK肥食用葵、观赏葵、油葵地上部Cd富集量分别可达6. 89、8. 92、6. 97 mg·kg~(-1),施肥处理显著提高了向日葵对Cd的富集能力,食用葵、观赏葵、油葵的富集系数(BCF)分别为2. 63(对照)～3. 10(NPK)、2. 80(对照)～4. 02(NPK)、2. 11(对照)～3. 14(NPK).对向日葵叶片亚细胞结构中Cd分布研究发现,将吸收的Cd富集在金属富集颗粒和细胞碎屑中是向日葵耐受Cd胁迫的主要解毒机制.综上所述,向日葵可作为Cd污染土壤的植物修复材料,合理施用NPK肥可明显提高植物对土壤Cd的修复效率.     

不同沉水植物净水能力与植株体细菌群落组成相关性

选取苦草(Vallisneria natans)、密刺苦草(Vallisneria denseserrulata)、黑藻(Hydrilla verticillata)、伊乐藻(Elodea canadensis)、金鱼藻(Ceratophyllum demersum)、竹叶眼子菜(Potamogeton malaianus)、篦齿眼子菜(Potamogeton pectinatus)和微齿眼子菜(Potamogeton maackianus)这8种亚热带地区常见的沉水植物为研究对象,在室内静水条件下对其氮、磷吸收和水质净化能力进行对比试验,并结合16S rRNA基因测序对沉水植物关联细菌群落组成进行测定,研究沉水植物对水体的净化能力与植株体菌群之间的相关性.结果表明,8种沉水植物对水体中的氮磷的去除主要通过植物增效作用,植物吸收富集作用去除率较低.其中密刺苦草对水体中TN、TP的去除率最高,达到了91. 58%和96. 81%.伊乐藻、金鱼藻对水中氮磷自身吸收能力高于其他组,密刺苦草和苦草的植物增效的净化能力最强.经分析,8种沉水植物对水体中氮磷的净化能力较强可能是因为植物关联的细菌大多具有降解作用.根瘤菌目(Rhizobiales)、伯克霍尔德氏菌目(Burkholderiales)、黄杆菌目(Flavobacteriales)、产碱杆菌科(Alcaligenaceae)、贪铜菌属(Cupriavidus)和芽孢杆菌属(Bacillales)的细菌可能是引起密刺苦草增效的净化能力较强的优势菌群,异常球菌纲(Deinococci)、丛毛单胞菌科(Comamonadaceae)、腐螺旋菌科(Saprospiraceae)和生丝微菌属(Hyphomicrobium)的细菌可能是引起苦草增效的净化能力较强的优势菌群.     

Activity maintenance of the excised branches and a case study of NO2 exchange between the atmosphere and P. nigra branches

The efficient maintenance of the activity of excised branches is the powerful guarantee to accurately determine gas exchange flux between the detached branches of tall trees and the atmosphere. In this study, the net photosynthetic rate(NPR) of the excised branches and branches in situ were measured simultaneously by using two photosynthetic instruments to characterize the activity of the excised branches of Phyllostachys nigra. The ratio of normalized NPR of excised branches to NPR in situ was used to assess the photosynthetic activity of detached branches. Based on photosynthetic activity, an optimal hydroponics protocol for maintaining activity of excised P. nigra branches was presented:1/8 times the concentration of Gamborg B5 vitamin mixture with p H = 6. Under the best cultivation protocol, photosynthetic activity of excised P. nigra branches could be maintained more than 90% within 6 hr in the light intensity range of 200–2000 μmol/(m2·sec) and temperature range of 13.4–28.7°C. The nitrogen dioxide(NO2) flux differences between in situ and in vitro branches and the atmosphere were compared using double dynamic chambers.Based on the maintenance method of excised branches, the NO2 exchange flux between the excised P. nigra branches and the atmosphere(from-1.01 to-2.72 nmol/(m2·sec) was basically consistent with between the branches in situ and the atmosphere(from-1.12 to-3.16 nmol/(m2 sec)) within 6 hr. Therefore, this study provided a feasible protocol for in vitro measurement of gas exchange between tall trees and the atmosphere for a period of time.     

Morphology, composition, and sources of individual aerosol particles at a regional background site of the YRD, China

Aerosol samples were collected at Lin'an, a background site of Yangtze River Delta(YRD).Morphology, size, composition, and mixing state of individual aerosol particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), and the soluble ions of PM_(1.0) were studied by aerosol mass spectrometer(AMS). The daily average AMS mass concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium were about 5.8, 8.6, and 5.6 μg/m~3, respectively. Individual aerosol particles were classified into seven types: S-rich, K-rich, organic matter(OM), soot, fly ash, metal, and mineral. S-rich particles were dominant in all size bins, and 51%(by number) of S-rich particles were internally mixed with other particles. The fraction of organic coating particles was 13.7% in morning, 25.2% in afternoon, and 11% in evening, suggesting that the strong photochemical process during afternoon produced more secondary organic aerosols(SOA) on the surface of inorganic particles. Fly ash and metal particles were abundant during the day, suggesting the influence of emissions from coal-fired power plants and steel plants. The results indicate that the intense industrial emissions in the YRD significantly transported to the background areas. PM_(2.5) concentration may be lower in background air than in urban air but complex mixing state of aerosol particles indicates that the long-range transported particles substantially influenced the background air quality.     

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin promotes migration ability of primary cultured rat astrocytes via aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Emerging evidence showed that 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) could induce expression of certain reactivation-associated genes in astrocytes, however, the consequent cellular effects and molecular mechanisms are still unclear. During the process of astrocyte reactivation, migration is a critical cellular event. In the present study, we employed wound-healing assay and Transwell® motility assay to explore the effects of TCDD on cell migration in primary cultured rat cortical astrocytes. We found that upon TCDD treatments at relative low concentrations (10^? 10 and/or 10^? 9?mol/L), the ability of primary astrocytes to migrate horizontally and vertically was promoted. In line with this cellular effect, the mRNA expression of two pro-migratory genes, including cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) was induced by TCDD treatment. Dioxin exerts its toxic effects mainly through aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. So the role of AhR pathway in the pro-migratory effects of TCDD was examined using an AhR antagonist, CH223191. We found that application of CH223191 significantly reversed the pro-migratory effects of TCDD. Interestingly, the basal ability of horizontal migration as well as basal levels of CDC42 and MMP2 expression were dramatically reduced suggesting a possible physiological role of AhR in maintaining the endogenous migration ability of the primary astrocytes. These findings support the notion that dioxin promotes astrocyte reactivation at molecular and cellular levels.     

The thermal transformation mechanism of chlorinated paraffins: An experimental and density functional theory study

The increasing production and usage of chlorinated paraffins(CPs) correspondently increase the amount of CPs that experience thermal processes. Our previous study revealed that a significant amount of medium-chain chlorinated paraffins(MCCPs), short-chain chlorinated paraffins(SCCPs) as well as aromatic and chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(Cl-PAHs) were formed synergistically during the thermal decomposition of CP-52(a class of CP products).However, the transformation mechanisms of CP-52 to these compounds are still not very clear.This article presents a mechanistic analysis on the decomposition of CP-52 experimentally and theoretically. It was found that CP-52 initially undergoes dehydrochlorination and carbon chain cleavage and it transformed into chlorinated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. Cyclization and aromatization were the most accessible pathways at low temperatures(200–400°C), both of which produce mostly aromatic hydrocarbons. As the temperature exceeds 400°C, the hydrocarbons could decompose into small molecules, and the subsequent radical-induced reactions become the predominant pathways, leading to the formation of Cl-PAHs. The decomposition of CP-52 was investigated by using density functional theory and calculations demonstrating the feasibility and rationality of PCB and PCN formation from chlorobenzene. The results improve the understanding of the transformation processes from CP-52 to SCCPs and Cl-PAHs as well as provide data for reducing their emissions during thermal-related processes.     

Effect of preparation methods on the performance of CuFe-SSZ-13 catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3

CuFe-SSZ-13 catalyst showed excellent performance in the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) for diesel engine exhaust purification. To investigate the effect of preparation methods on NH₃-SCR performance, Fe was loaded into one-pot synthesized Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts through solid-state ion-exchange (SSIE), homogeneous deposition precipitation (HDP) and liquid ion-exchange (IE), respectively. Three CuFe-SSZ-13 catalysts showed similar SO₂ resistance, which was better than that of Cu-SSZ-13. The improvement was attributed to the protection of Fe species. Hydrothermal stability of three CuFe-SSZ-13 catalysts was significantly different, which was attributed to the state of active species caused by different preparation methods. Compared with the other two catalysts, more active species existed inside the zeolite pores of CuFe-SSZ-13_SSIE. During hydrothermal aging, the aggregation of these active species in the pores caused the collapse of catalyst structure, ultimately leading to the deactivation of CuFe-SSZ-13_SSIE. In contrast, Fe species was dispersed better on the surface over CuFe-SSZ-13_IE, enhancing the hydrothermal stability of catalysts. Consequently, Fe loading effectively improved the resistance of SO₂ and H₂O over Cu-SSZ-13. For CuFe-SSZ-13, large amounts of active species located inside the zeolite pores are not beneficial for the hydrothermal stability.     

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from different soil fractions by persulfate oxidation

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from different soil fractions of contaminated soil was investigated by using activated persulfate oxidation remediation in our research. The results showed that the light fraction, which accounted for only 10% of the soil, contained 30% of the PAHs at a concentration of 4352?mg/kg. The heavy fraction contained more high-molecular-weight PAHs, and the total PAH concentration was 625?mg/kg. After being oxidized, the removal rate of PAHs was 39% in the light fraction and nearly 90% in the heavy fraction. Among the different fractions of the heavy fraction, humic acid contained the highest concentration of PAHs, and consequently, the highest removal efficiency of PAHs was also in humic acid. Compared with the light fraction, the heavy fraction has more aromatic compounds and those compounds were broken down during the oxidation process, which may be the removal mechanism involved in the oxidation of high-ring PAHs. Similarly, the enhancement of C = C bonds after oxidation can also explain the poor removal of high-ring PAHs in the light fraction. These results imply that different fractions of soil vary in composition and structure, leading to differences in the distribution and oxidation efficiencies of PAHs.     

泰安市冬季一次严重空气污染过程分析

为揭示泰安市空气污染形成原因,选取泰安市2016年12月一次严重空气污染过程,利用泰安市2016年12月地面和探空资料及NCEP/NCAR（美国国家环境预报中心/美国国家大气研究中心）提供的FNL资料,对泰安市严重污染期间大气环流形势、边界层条件、污染源及传输路径进行分析.结果表明:在泰安市霾污染期间,500 hPa大气环流形势呈"两槽一脊"的特征,850 hPa泰安市处于南支槽前,受西南暖湿气流影响,为ρ（PM_2.5）的升高提供了有利条件;泰安市近地面处于高压控制下的弱风区（平均风速约为1.2 m/s）且边界层有逆温层存在,阻碍了PM_2.5的垂直输送,造成近地面ρ（PM_2.5）急剧升高.此外,泰安市及周边地区污染严重,聚类分析结果表明此次过程本地输送占比约为34%,其余均为外来传输,即污染物主要通过外来源传输,本地污染源贡献比率较小.污染物的高、低空传输路径不一致,低空污染物主要从安徽省水平输送至泰安市,高空污染物则先由河北省、河南省向南传输至安徽省、湖北省等地,再随南风气流向北输送至泰安市.研究显示,外来污染源传输作用配合本地静稳天气形势是造成此次泰安市空气污染的主要原因.