Biotrickling filtration of airborne styrene: A comparison of filtration media

This study compares the performances of fern and plastic chips as packing media for the biofiltration of a styrene-laden waste gas stream emitted in a plant for the manufacture of plastic door plates. Fern chips (with a specific surface area of 1090 m² m^?3) and plastic chips (with a specific surface area of 610 m² m^?3) were packed into a pilot-scale biotrickling filter with a total medium volume of 50 L for the performance test. Field waste gas with styrene concentrations in the range of 161–2390 mg Am^?3 at 28–30 °C) was introduced to the bed and a fixed empty-bed retention time (EBRT) of 21 sec, a volumetric gas flow rate of 8.57 m³ hr^?1, and superficial gas velocity of 53.6 m hr^?1 were maintained throughout the experimental period. Nutrients containing metal salts, nitrogen, phosphorus, and milk were supplemented to the filters for maintaining the microbial activities. Results reveal that the biotrickling filter developed in this study had the highest styrene monomer (SM) elimination capacities (170 g m^?3 hr^?1 for fern-chip packing and 300 g m^?3 hr^?1 for plastic-chip packing) among those cited in the literature. The plastic medium is a favorable substitute for endangered fern chips. The thermal-setting nature of plastic chips limits their recycle and reuse as raw materials, and the study provides an opportunity for the utilization of the materials.

Implications: Biotreatment of contaminants in air streams offers an inexpensive and efficient alternative to conventional technologies. Biofiltration has a great potential for the degradation of gas-borne styrene and total hydrocarbon (THC) removal efficiency of around 80%. The objective of this research was to compare the performances of fern chips and a kind of plastic chips as packing media for biofiltration of the styrene-laden waste gas stream emitted from cutting operations of stripes of premixed unsaturated polyester (UP) and styrene paste before hot-pressing operations for making plastic door plates. From a practical point of view, the plastic medium can be a good substitute medium for fern chips, which has been declared as a protected plant. This study provides an experimentally verified model for the design and operation of such biotreatment systems.     

Prenatal diagnosis of a fetus harboring an intermediate load of the A3243G mtDNA mutation in a maternal carrier diagnosed with MELAS syndrome

We prenatally diagnosed MELAS syndrome in a fetus whose mother and older brother had the MELAS-specific A3243G mutation. The mutant mtDNA level of the amniotic fluid cells was not significantly different from that of the postnatal peripheral blood and hair follicle samples. The obstetrical course was uncomplicated except for transient exacerbation of the mother's diabetes, which required insulin control. At term, the infant was macrosomic, and the delivery was complicated by shoulder dystocia. MELAS syndrome in itself does not influence either the prenatal course of the mother or the fetal outcome. In contrast to the fulminating clinical course of this mother's first child, MELAS symptoms did not develop in her second child until age four, despite similar high tissue levels of mutant mtDNA. The phenotypic diversity in two offspring with similar higher levels of mutant mtDNA suggests that prenatal genetic diagnosis of cultured amniotic cells may yield results that are poor prognosticators of fetal outcome. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

季节性干旱下喀斯特次生林不同树种水分利用效率变化

植物叶片水分利用效率(WUE)对环境变化的响应特征和机制是理解生态系统碳循环和水循环及其耦合关系的基础。为探讨季节性干旱下喀斯特次生林中不同植物的WUE变化,以普定次生林通量观测站内的喀斯特次生林为例,在连续干旱背景下分别对8种常见植物的叶片WUE进行了测定分析。结果表明:(1)研究区常见植物的叶片WUE日间主要在0.65～7.73μmol/mmol之间变化。8种植物的叶片WUE均以上午9点最大,厚果崖豆藤(Millettia pachycarpa)、朴树(Celtis sinensis)和马桑(Coriaria nepalensis)的WUE均在下午3点就降到最低,而铁线莲(Clematis florida)、木通(Akebia quinata)、石岩枫(Mallotus repandus)、梓树(Catalpa ovata)和构树(Broussonetia papyrifera)的WUE则在下午5点才降到最低。厚果崖豆藤、铁线莲、石岩枫、朴树、构树的WUE日间变化均较显著。(2)研究区植物叶片的WUE以藤本植物最高。上午9点、11点和下午3点,植物叶片WUE的种间差异均不显著,而在下午1点、5点,植物叶片WUE在种间均存在显著差异。(3)石岩枫和木通的叶片WUE与环境光照强度均呈显著正相关关系。朴树和铁线莲的叶片WUE与环境相对湿度均呈极显著正相关关系。厚果崖豆藤的叶片WUE与环境空气温度间也呈现出极显著的正相关关系。朴树、构树、马桑、石岩枫、铁线莲、厚果崖豆藤的叶片WUE与净光合速率均显著正相关,木通的叶片WUE与蒸腾速率显著负相关。研究区8种植物叶片WUE与叶面水汽压亏缺间的相关性均不显著。(4)植物种和外部环境对研究区植物叶片的WUE均有显著影响,木通、厚果崖豆藤、铁线莲在遭遇连续干旱后叶片WUE均较高,对生境恶劣的喀斯特环境具有较强的适应能力。     

Decolorization of methyl orange in wastewater with in situ electrogenerated oh free radicals

A treatability study was conducted to determine the potential of white rot fungi to remediate soil from a Superfund site that had been contaminated with DDT. A tiered approach was utilized, starting with simple laboratory studies to screen the potential of white rot fungal strains to degrade DDT and culminating with a soil pan study that simulated land farming. Results from early tiers of the study indicated that Phanerochaete sordida had the best potential for remediating the soil. In the soil pan study, the fungus ultimately grew very well after second inoculation. However, the good growth did not translate to higher DDT removal compared to removal in pans that were not inoculated. ¹⁴[DDT] fate studies indicated the small amount of removal that did occur for both fungal inoculated and non‐inoculated conditions could be partially attributed to incorporation into humic material. Addition of a surfactant to the soil enhanced the removal of DDT in both inoculated and non‐inoculated soil. Consequently, under simulated land fanning conditions, this strain of fungus was not successful in remediating this soil.     

Neighborhood effects in bird distributions,Navarre, Spain

This study examines the role of neighborhood effects in the spatial distributions of selected bird species in Navarre, Spain. We employed a geographic information system (GIS) to organize the data on bird distributions and relevant environmental variables and to analyze their spatial patterns. Three bird species were selected for analysis: the European honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), and the European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Selected environmental variables of the study area were digitized to create a comprehensive data base and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the significance of each variable in the spatial distribution. The spatial patterns of bird distributions were used to extract topological relationships and to identify neighborhood effects. Although all the selected species illustrate a pattern of positive spatial autocorrelation in their distributions, the significance of neighborhood effects varies from species to species. Among the selected species, neighborhood effects are most evident in the distribution of the European pied flycatcher and are significant for the Eurasian hobby. The distribution of the European honey-buzzard is not much affected by neighborhood effects. The results suggest that examination of neighborhood effects is a prerequisite for modeling bird distributions.     

In utero sonographic diagnosis of a communicating enteric duplication cyst in a giant omphalocele

Enteric duplications are rare lesions, and relatively few cases have been diagnosed prenatally. We present, to our knowledge, the first case of an associated communicating ileal duplication cyst in a huge omphalocele diagnosed prenatally. The prenatal ultrasound findings revealed four features of the cystic lesion including peristaltic movements of the cystic wall, communication between the cyst and normal bowel lumen, intra-cystic echogenic contents, and echogenic mesenteric tissue (fat) close to the cyst. These distinct characteristics helped us to make a firm in utero diagnosis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

山梨醇型凝油剂的制备与性能

介绍了山梨醇型凝油剂的制备方法，以及其胶凝轻质渍及类油物质的性质。结果表明，此类凝油剂对汽油，柴油，机油以及基苯及苯系有机溶剂等的去除率达９０％以上。经生物毒性试验表明，不会对水中鱼类产生毒性效应，凝油后油凝体硬度可达３．９×１０＾４－９．８×１０＾４Ｐａ。可用于各种轻质油及类油物质泄漏等突发性事故的应急处理。     

Photoassisted Fenton degradation of phthalocyanine dyes from wastewater of printing industry using Fe(Ⅱ)/γ-Al2O3 catalyst in up-flow fluidized-bed

Fe(II)/γ-Al2O3 powders synthesized using the dipping method were produced from a mixed aqueous solution containing aluminium oxide(γ-Al2O3) and iron(II)-precursor(FeSO4), and used for photoFenton degradation of phthalocyanine dyes(PCS) under ultraviolet(UV) irradiation in an up-flow fluidized bed. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, ESCA, BET, EDS and SEM. The results showed that Fe2+ion was compounded on the γ-Al2O3 carrier. The effects of different reaction parameters such as catalyst activity, dosage and solution pH on the decolorization of PCS were assessed. Results indicated that maximum decolorization(more than 95%) of PCS occurred with20 wt% Fe(II)/γ-Al2O3 catalyst(dosage of 60 g/L) using a combination of UV irradiation and heterogeneous Fenton system. The degradation efficiency of PCSincreases as pH decreases, exhibiting a maximum efficiency at pH 3.5. The recycled catalyst was capable of repeating three runs without a significant decrease in treatment efficiency, and this demonstrated the stability and reusability of catalyst.     

平衡汽球探测研究山区流场特征和大气扩散参数

本文介绍了用平衡汽球探测法在山区工业基地研究大气边界层流场特征和大气扩散规律的结果.分析发现明显的山谷风环流、河谷渠道效应以及漫烟现象和局地工业热源影响等流场特征,实测得到三维大气扩散参数.文章还讨论了用有限数列的滑动平均计算大气扩散参数遇到的问题.用数学模拟方法分析了滑动平均时间间隔与采样时间的关系.