The prospect of alien life in exotic forms on other worlds

The nature of life on Earth provides a singular example of carbon-based, water-borne, photosynthesis-driven biology. Within our understanding of chemistry and the physical laws governing the universe, however, lies the possibility that alien life could be based on different chemistries, solvents, and energy sources from the one example provided by Terran biology. In this paper, we review some of these possibilities. Silanes may be used as functional analogs to carbon molecules in environments very different from Earth; solvents other than water may be compatible for life-supporting processes, especially in cold environments, and a variety of energy sources may be utilized, some of which have no Terran analog. We provide a detailed discussion of two possible habitats for alien life which are generally not considered as such: the lower cloud level of the Venusian atmosphere and Titan’s surface environment.     

Transformation of Organic Matter of the Larch Forest Soils in the Northern Taiga of Nizhne-Tungusskoe Plateau, Central Siberia

The evaluation of biospheric role of the boreal forests in the accumulation of carbon is connected with the evaluation of organic matter (OM) pool in soils. The research sites were larch forests, they are situated on Nizhne-Tungusskoe Plateau. Larch forests of feather-moss and lichen types (110 and 380 years old) were formed on 'ochric podbur' soils. Litter stocks are 3.5–4.5 kg m^{− 2} with thickness 10–25 cm. Cryomezomorphic northern taiga soils contains 38–73 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}. Pool of fast mineralized OM has average value 38.1 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}, including 20.5 and 6.4 t (Carbon) ha^{− 1} of labile compounds on surface and in the soil, and 11.2 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} of mobile OM. Microbial mass reaches 1.78–3.47 t (carbon) ha^{− 1}, its proportion is 3.6–4.9% of the total OM carbon. Zoomass of feather-moss larch forest is 0.20–0.61 * 10^{− 2}, in lichen larch forest −0.01–0.07 * 10^{− 2} t (carbon) ha^{− 1}. A pool of resistant to biological decomposition and bonded to mineral soil matrix OM is 17.7 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} and it varies from 18.6 to 29.0 in feather-moss larch forest, and from 6.4 to 17.0 t (carbon) ha^{− 1} in lichen larch forest. Two-years field experiment has been performed to determine transformation rates of various plant litter fractions and to clarify the role of soil biota in these processes. The results showed participation of all biota groups in the decomposition of plant residues caused weight loss of larch-needles and root mortmass. Isolation of organic matter from all-size invertebrate groups leads to some decrease of decomposition activity.     

Ethanol mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone biochar: Experimental investigation, modeling, and optimization using hybrid artificial neural network-genetic algorithm approach

Organic matters (OMs) and their oxidization products often influence the fate and transport of heavy metals in the subsurface aqueous systems through interaction with the mineral surfaces. This study investigates the ethanol (EtOH)-mediated As(III) adsorption onto Zn-loaded pinecone (PC) biochar through batch experiments conducted under Box–Behnken design. The effect of EtOH on As(III) adsorption mechanism was quantitatively elucidated by fitting the experimental data using artificial neural network and quadratic modeling approaches. The quadratic model could describe the limiting nature of EtOH and pH on As(III) adsorption, whereas neural network revealed the stronger influence of EtOH (64.5%) followed by pH (20.75%) and As(III) concentration (14.75%) on the adsorption phenomena. Besides, the interaction among process variables indicated that EtOH enhances As(III) adsorption over a pH range of 2 to 7, possibly due to facilitation of ligand–metal(Zn) binding complexation mechanism. Eventually, hybrid response surface model–genetic algorithm (RSM–GA) approach predicted a better optimal solution than RSM, i.e., the adsorptive removal of As(III) (10.47 μg/g) is facilitated at 30.22 mg C/L of EtOH with initial As(III) concentration of 196.77 μg/L at pH 5.8. The implication of this investigation might help in understanding the application of biochar for removal of various As(III) species in the presence of OM.     

镧-铅复合污染下AM真菌对玉米生长和镧、铅吸收的影响

采用温室盆栽试验的方法,模拟不同程度的镧-铅复合污染土壤(50、200、800 mg·kg~(-1)),研究接种丛枝菌根(arbuscular mycorrhizal,AM)、真菌Claroideoglomus etunicatum(CE)和Rhizophagus intraradices(RI)对玉米(Zea mays L.)菌根侵染率、生物量、矿质营养元素吸收、C∶N∶P生态化学计量比、稀土镧(La)和重金属铅(Pb)吸收、转运的影响,旨在为稀土-重金属复合污染土壤的治理和修复提供科学依据.结果表明,AM真菌CE和RI均与玉米建立了共生关系,平均菌根侵染率为26.7%~95.8%;随着La-Pb复合污染含量的增加,玉米植株菌根侵染率、地上部和根部生物量以及N、P、K、Ca、Mg这5种矿质营养元素含量显著降低,而玉米植株C∶P和N∶P以及地上部和根部La、Pb含量显著增加.接种2种AM真菌使玉米植株生物量显著提高了17.8%~158.9%,地上部和根部P含量显著提高了24.5%~153.8%,降低了C∶P和N∶P,符合生长速率假设.在3种程度La-Pb复合污染含量土壤上,AM真菌使玉米植株根部Pb含量显著增加了51.3%~67.7%,地上部Pb含量显著降低了16.0%~67.7%,Pb从玉米根部向地上部的转运率降低了31.5%~54.7%;同时,接种AM真菌显著增加了轻度LaPb复合污染土壤上玉米植株的La含量,在中度La-Pb复合污染土壤上却显著减少了玉米地上部的La含量,增加了玉米根部的La含量,抑制了La从根部向地上部的转运,重度La-Pb复合污染土壤上均没有显著影响.试验结果初步证明,AM真菌具有促进稀土-重金属复合污染土壤植物修复的潜力,对于稀土-重金属复合污染土壤生态系统的植被恢复具有潜在应用价值.     

酸碱-微波耦合预处理对污泥胞外聚合物溶裂与产甲烷行为的影响

对酸碱-微波耦合预处理后不同EPS组分在污泥厌氧消化行为中扮演的角色进行研究,通过产甲烷潜能实验评价其甲烷转化性能。结果表明:酸碱-微波耦合预处理通过溶出胞内有机物和改变EPS的分布来影响污泥产甲烷行为。甲烷累积产量最优预处理条件为pH=10,微波500 W,预处理时间120 s。此时,预处理后溶解型胞外聚合物（S-EPS）中的溶解性化学需氧量（SCOD）浓度达到11460 mg/L,是对照组浓度的184.5%,累积甲烷产量为89.08 mL/g,较对照组增加59.9%。碱处理（pH=10和12）时,S-EPS对累积甲烷产量的贡献率分别达到了16.6%和30.4%,远高于松散结合型胞外聚合物（LB-EPS）与紧密结合型胞外聚合物（TB-EPS）。在48 d的厌氧消化过程中,S-EPS对产甲烷的贡献率在1~4 d内快速升高,随后缓慢持续下降。因此,酸碱-微波耦合预处理通过强化污泥S-EPS中的多糖、蛋白质等有机质的溶出,促进污泥甲烷化。     

不同pH下低浓度芘对微囊藻生长和产毒的影响

该文选取铜绿微囊藻为研究对象,设置3个pH值梯度(5.0,7.0,9.0),通过添加芘(0.001 5 mg/L)探讨低浓度多环芳烃胁迫下铜绿微囊藻的生长与微囊藻毒素产生情况。结果显示:在实验设定pH值条件下,低浓度芘胁迫下的铜绿微囊藻的生长受到明显促进,毒素产生情况则在不同pH值下作用效果不同:低浓度芘胁迫下的处理组细胞密度均高于对照组,且pH=9.0时,铜绿微囊藻的比生长率最高,其世代时间也最短。低浓度芘胁迫下的处理组叶绿素a含量低于对照组,且pH=9.0和pH=7.0时,叶绿素a的增加明显大于pH=5.0时。低浓度芘在p H=7.0条件下对细胞内、外藻毒素产量表现为抑制作用,在pH=9.0条件下对细胞内、外藻毒素产量表现为促进作用。结果表明:当水中存在低浓度多环芳烃时,铜绿微囊藻的生长及藻毒素产量均会受到pH值的不同影响。因此,在评估富营养化水体中促进藻毒素产生的化学物质的风险时,pH介质条件是不应忽略的因素。     

场地大气沉降与潜在径流污染风险模拟与评价

场地污染风险的空间分布是场地污染治理与修复的关键因素。该研究以首钢北京石景山厂为例,基于GIS对场地大气沉降污染风险和潜在径流污染风险进行模拟与评价:首先通过空间化污染系数和风玫瑰图获取大气沉降污染风险空间分布,计算水流动力指数,获取潜在径流污染风险空间分布;其次结合104个不同深度的土壤样点数据,利用T检验和Kruskal-Wallis H检验评价污染风险模拟结果;最后基于自然断点法对污染风险模拟结果分区,并以土壤样点污染超标率来评价分区合理性。结果表明:大气沉降污染风险模拟值仅在0～1 m、1～3.5 m深度土壤样点的污染超标与否上存在显著性差异,而潜在径流污染风险模拟值仅在3.5～5 m深度土壤样点的污染超标与否上存在显著性差异;0～1 m、1～3.5 m深度样点的污染超标率随大气沉降污染风险等级升高而增大,3.5～5 m深度土壤样点所在风险区等级越高,其污染超标率越高,场地风险模拟结果与分区评价结果趋势一致。该方法污染风险模拟评价结果可为场地管理与修复治理提供参考。     

Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极-空气阴极电催化降解染料废水

为解决电化学法处理高盐染料废水存在的能耗大、成本高等问题,分别采用溶胶-凝胶法和辊压法制备Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极和空气阴极,构建了Ti/SnO_2-Sb阳极-空气阴极双极体系(TSSA-ADC)。甲基橙(MO)作为高盐染料废水的典型污染物,考察了电流强度、MO浓度、电解液浓度和初始p H对TSSA-ADC体系和TSSA单阳极体系降解MO的影响。结果表明:与TSSA单阳极体系相比,TSSA-ADC体系具有更好的抗有机负荷冲击、抗盐分冲击、抗酸碱波动能力,能够维护酸碱平衡防止硬度离子结垢。最佳反应条件为电流强度为0.030 A,电解液浓度为3%,MO浓度为100 mg/L,初始pH=6。以MO去除率达到98%为基准,TSSA-ADC体系比TSSA体系可节能74.26%。     

港口罢工对周边空气质量的影响

港口污染物的排放浓度极大地影响着周边的空气质量,以2013年3月28日香港国际集装箱码头发生的罢工事件为契机来探究港口运作短暂的瘫痪对周边空气质量的影响。首先,进行污染物之间的相关性分析确定影响本次罢工事件的污染物主要为NO_2、NO_x、SO_2以及O_3。其次,基于罢工前、罢工期间以及罢工后污染物排放的浓度变化,进行横向对比发现罢工期间的污染物确实有一定程度的减少。再次,利用纵向对比排除四季带来的影响探究不同年份同一阶段污染物浓度的变化情况评估罢工期间的空气质量。最后,以NO_2为例建立预测模型对罢工期间的NO_2浓度进行预测,根据实际值与预测值之间的差异来说明罢工影响了NO_2的预测趋势。这项研究主要强调港口空气质量对整个环境的影响,在一定程度上说明政府实施政策的有效性,为政府提供了决策支持,同时也要注重污染物之间的相互转化作用对环境的影响。