Characterization of on-road vehicle emission factors and microenvironmental air quality in Beijing,China

In this paper, we report the results and analysis of a recent field campaign in August 2007 investigating the impacts of emissions from transportation on air quality and community concentrations in Beijing, China. We conducted measurements in three different environments, on-road, roadside and ambient. The carbon monoxide, black carbon and ultrafine particle number emission factors for on-road light-duty vehicles are derived to be 95 g kg^?1-fuel, 0.3 g kg^?1-fuel and 1.8 × 10¹⁵ particles kg^?1-fuel, respectively. The emission factors for on-road heavy-duty vehicles are 50 g kg^?1-fuel, 1.3 g kg^?1-fuel and 1.1 × 10¹⁶ particles kg^?1-fuel, respectively. The carbon monoxide emission factors from this study agree with those derived from remote sensing and on-board vehicle emission testing systems in China. The on-road black carbon and particle number emission factors for Chinese vehicles are reported for the first time in the literature. Strong traffic impacts can be observed from the concentrations measured in these different environments. Most clear is a reflection of diesel truck traffic activity in black carbon concentrations. The comparison of the particle size distributions measured at the three environments suggests that the traffic is a major source of ultrafine particles. A four-day traffic control experiment conducted by the Beijing Government as a pilot to test the effectiveness of proposed controls was found to be effective in reducing extreme concentrations that occurred at both on-road and ambient environments.     

Simulation of global warming potential (GWP) from rice fields in the Tai-Lake region,China by coupling 1:50,000 soil database with DNDC model

Quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wetland ecosystems is a relatively new issue in global climate change studies. China has approximately 22% of the world's rice paddies and 38% of the world's rice production, which are crucial to accurately estimate the global warming potential (GWP) at regional scale. This paper reports an application of a biogeochemical model (DeNitrification and DeComposition or DNDC) for quantifying GWP from rice fields in the Tai-Lake region of China. For this application, DNDC is linked to a 1:50,000 soil database, which was derived from 1107 paddy soil profiles compiled during the Second National Soil Survey of China in the 1980–1990s. The simulated results show that the 2.34 Mha of paddy soil cultivated in rice–wheat rotation in the Tai-Lake region emitted about ?1.48 Tg C, 0.84 Tg N and 5.67 Tg C as CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄ respectively, with a cumulative GWP of 565 Tg CO₂ equivalent from 1982 to 2000. As for soil subgroups, the highest GWP (26,900 kg CO₂ equivalent ha^?1 yr^?1) was linked to gleyed paddy soils accounting for about 4.4% of the total area of paddy soils. The lowest GWP (5370 kg CO₂ equivalent ha^?1 yr^?1) was associated with submergenic paddy soils accounting for about 0.32% of the total area of paddy soils. The most common soil in the area was hydromorphic paddy soils, which accounted for about 53% of the total area of paddy soils with a GWP of 12,300 kg CO₂ equivalent ha^?1 yr^?1. On a regional basis, the annual averaged GWP in the polder, Tai-Lake plain, and alluvial plain soil regions was distinctly higher than that in the low mountainous and Hilly soil regions. As for administrative areas, the average annual GWP of counties in Shanghai city was high. Conversely, the average annual GWP of counties in Jiangsu province was low. The high variability in soil properties throughout the Tai-Lake region is important and affects the net greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the use of detailed soil data sets with high-resolution digital soil maps is essential to improve the accuracy of GWP estimates with process-based models at regional and national scales.     

The role of sorption and bacteria in mercury partitioning and bioavailability in artificial sediments

This study compared the relative importance of three types of sorption (organic matter-particle, mercury-organic matter and mercury-particle) in controlling the overall mercury partitioning and bioavailability in sediments. We found that all three types of sorption were important for both inorganic mercury (Hg) and methylated mercury (MeHg). Mercury-particle sorption was more important than mercury-fulvic acid (FA) sorption in increasing the mercury concentrations with increasing aging. Bioavailability (quantified by gut juice extraction from sipunculans) was mainly controlled by mercury-particle sorption, while FA-particle and mercury-FA sorption were not as important, especially for MeHg. Bacterial activity also increased the partitioning of Hg or MeHg in the sediments and was further facilitated by the presence of organic matter. The bioavailability of Hg or MeHg from sediments was only slightly influenced by bacterial activity. This study highlights the importance of sorption from various sources (especially mercury-particle sorption) as well as bacteria in controlling the partitioning and bioavailability of Hg or MeHg in sediments.     

Part V—sorption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

Background, aim, and scope  Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) including antibiotics, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and veterinary pharmaceuticals are emerging pollutants, and their environmental risk was not emphasized until a decade ago. These compounds have been reported to cause adverse impacts on wildlife and human. However, compared to the studies on hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) whose sorption characteristics is reviewed in Part IV of this review series, information on PPCPs is very limited. Thus, a summary of recent research progress on PPCP sorption in soils or sediments is necessary to clarify research requirements and directions. Main features  We reviewed the research progress on PPCP sorption in soils or sediments highlighting PPCP sorption different from that of HOCs. Special function of humic substances (HSs) on PPCP behavior is summarized according to several features of PPCP–soil or sediment interaction. In addition, we discussed the behavior of xenobiotic chemicals in a three-phase system (dissolved organic matter (DOM)–mineral–water). The complexity of three-phase systems was also discussed. Results  Nonideal sorption of PPCPs in soils or sediments is generally reported, and PPCP sorption behavior is relatively a more complicated process compared to HOC sorption, such as the contribution of inorganic fractions, fast degradation and metabolite sorption, and species-specific sorption mechanism. Thus, mechanistic studies are urgently needed for a better understanding of their environmental risk and for pollution control. Discussion  Recent research progress on nonideal sorption has not been incorporated into fate modeling of xenobiotic chemicals. A major reason is the complexity of the three-phase system. First of all, lack of knowledge in describing DOM fractionation after adsorption by mineral particles is one of the major restrictions for an accurate prediction of xenobiotic chemical behavior in the presence of DOM. Secondly, no explicit mathematical relationship between HS chemical–physical properties, and their sorption characteristics has been proposed. Last but not least, nonlinear interactions could exponentially increase the complexity and uncertainties of environmental fate models for xenobiotics. Discussion on proper simplification of fate modeling in the framework of nonlinear interactions is still unavailable. Conclusions  Although the methodologies and concepts for studying HOC environmental fate could be adopted for PPCP study, their differences should be highly understood. Prediction of PPCP environmental behavior needs to combine contributions from various fractions of soils or sediments and the sorption of their metabolites and different species. Recommendations and perspectives  More detailed studies on PPCP sorption in separated soil or sediment fractions are needed in order to propose a model predicting PPCP sorption in soils or sediments based on soil or sediment properties. The information on sorption of PPCP metabolites and species and the competition between them is still not enough to be incorporated into any predictive models.     

Incorporating layer- and local-scale heterogeneities in numerical simulation of unsaturated flow and tracer transport

This study characterizes layer- and local-scale heterogeneities in hydraulic parameters (i.e., matrix permeability and porosity) and investigates the relative effect of layer- and local-scale heterogeneities on the uncertainty assessment of unsaturated flow and tracer transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, USA. The layer-scale heterogeneity is specific to hydrogeologic layers with layerwise properties, while the local-scale heterogeneity refers to the spatial variation of hydraulic properties within a layer. A Monte Carlo method is used to estimate mean, variance, and 5th, and 95th percentiles for the quantities of interest (e.g., matrix saturation and normalized cumulative mass arrival). Model simulations of unsaturated flow are evaluated by comparing the simulated and observed matrix saturations. Local-scale heterogeneity is examined by comparing the results of this study with those of the previous study that only considers layer-scale heterogeneity. We find that local-scale heterogeneity significantly increases predictive uncertainty in the percolation fluxes and tracer plumes, whereas the mean predictions are only slightly affected by the local-scale heterogeneity. The mean travel time of the conservative and reactive tracers to the water table in the early stage increases significantly due to the local-scale heterogeneity, while the influence of local-scale heterogeneity on travel time gradually decreases over time. Layer-scale heterogeneity is more important than local-scale heterogeneity for simulating overall tracer travel time, suggesting that it would be more cost-effective to reduce the layer-scale parameter uncertainty in order to reduce predictive uncertainty in tracer transport.     

反渗透处理稀土氨氮废水试验研究

根据稀土冶炼厂排放的碳铵沉淀洗涤废水的水质情况,采用NH4Cl和 NaCl模拟废水进行了反渗透可行性对比实验。模拟实验发现,在相同条件下反渗透对NaCl 较NH₄Cl 有着更高的去除率,而NH₄Cl 相对NaCl则有着更高的产水速率。实际废水试验结果表明,在恒定操作压力范围内回收率为65%的条件下,NH₄Cl浓度为2.85 g/L的碳铵沉淀洗涤废水经反渗透处理其NH₄Cl去除率为77.3%,可作为氨氮废水的预处理。对该废水处理成本进行了分析,得出其约为2.7元/m³,比相近浓度氨氮废水的氨吹脱处理成本节省约26%。     

含中间层的DSA电极电催化氧化硝基苯废水的研究

为了提高难降解有机废水的可生化性,以及更高效地去除废水中的特征污染物,同时避免二次污染,利用自制的含锡锑中间层的钌钯氧化物涂层电极对有机废水中的硝基苯进行处理,并利用SEM、XRD等方法对电极中间层、表层进行微观表征。微观测试表明,基体、中间层、表层之间结合力较强,有利于增强电极寿命;水处理实验表明,电催化氧化反应体系适合高浓度有机废水的处理,由于该反应体系需要外加电解质加强传质,这在实际运用中为废水中盐度的处理提供了一种新的途径,当电流密度为20 mA/cm²、电解质浓度为10 g/L、pH=5、极板间距=2 cm时,电催化氧化体系对硝基苯具有较高的去除效率。     

太阳光Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液中有机污染物

研究利用太阳光Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液。根据太阳光辐射强度随时间的变化规律,选择重庆7、8月份的晴天,在中午12：00到下午14：00时进行试验,研究太阳光辐射时间、pH值、Fenton试剂用量对垃圾渗滤液COD去除率的影响。研究结果表明：太阳光Fenton法对垃圾渗滤液的COD有较好的去除效果,COD去除率达86.2%。太阳光Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液的优化条件是：日光辐射时间为120 min,pH值为2.5,Fe²⁺浓度为5 mmol/L,H₂O₂浓度为570 mmol/L。同时,论文还对太阳光Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液的动力学进行分析。研究结果显示：太阳光Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液,其表观动力学方程为-dC/dt=2.6×10^-8×P^1.92×F^1.79×E^1.67。     

TR-01稠油乳化降粘剂研究

针对河南油田井楼区块稠油,自制TR-01乳化降粘剂,通过实验研究了其降粘性能、稳定性,确定了降粘剂TR-01最佳浓度为0.3%、最佳油水比为70∶30。实验结果表明:TR-01乳化降粘剂对井楼区块油井的普遍适用性较强,具有较好的乳化降粘作用(降粘率达到99%以上),地层水对其降粘效果影响不大。其中的纳米成分能增加对污水中悬浮物的吸附能力和絮凝能力,对油田污水处理起到积极作用。     

城市家用天然气安全管理的研究

通过对100家广州市天然气家庭用户使用情况进行调查,主要针对天然气使用、燃气设施保护和安全意识等诸多问题,运用事故致因理论,分析其成因规律,提出从事故发生的根本原因入手,运用"预防为主、善后为辅"的积极、主动的方法,把事故消除在起始或孕育阶段。调查结果显示:造成城市燃气应用系统事故的原因主要包括:用户燃具不正确的选择、燃气设备安装不当、燃气安全知识水平不高、安全意识不强、燃具产品和服务质量良莠不齐等。并以事故预防控制理论为指导,提出广州市天然气应用预防与安全管理应采取的技术、教育、强化等3方面对策。