Accumulation and phytoavailability of benzo[a]pyrene in an acid sandy soil

Effects of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) growth, plant accumulation and dissipiation of B[a]P in a red sandy soil (Hapli-Udic Argosol) were studied in a pot experiment. The plants were grown for 61 days in soil spiked with B[a]P at 0, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg kg⁻¹. Control pots without plants were also set up. Soil extractable B[a]P, plant shoot and root biomass, and concentrations of B[a]P in plant shoots and roots were determined. Ryegrass biomass was increased by addition of B[a]P and root B[a]P concentrations were significantly correlated with B[a]P application rate, but no such correlation was found for shoot B[a]P concentrations. This indicates that B[a]P enhanced the growth of the ryegrass. The extractable B[a]P concentration in the planted soil was significantly lower than that in the unplanted control soil at the rate of 50 mg B[a]P kg⁻¹. This indicates that ryegrass may help to dissipate B[a]P in soil at concentrations over 50 mg kg⁻¹ soil although the mechanism for this is not understood.     

Elevated CO2 stimulates net accumulations of carbon and nitrogen in land ecosystems: a meta-analysis

The capability of terrestrial ecosystems to sequester carbon (C) plays a critical role in regulating future climatic change yet depends on nitrogen (N) availability. To predict long-term ecosystem C storage, it is essential to examine whether soil N becomes progressively limiting as C and N are sequestered in long-lived plant biomass and soil organic matter. A critical parameter to indicate the long-term progressive N limitation (PNL) is net change in ecosystem N content in association with C accumulation in plant and soil pools under elevated CO2. We compiled data from 104 published papers that study C and N dynamics at ambient and elevated CO2. The compiled database contains C contents, N contents, and C:N ratio in various plant and soil pools, and root:shoot ratio. Averaged C and N pool sizes in plant and soil all significantly increase at elevated CO2 in comparison to those at ambient CO2, ranging from a 5% increase in shoot N content to a 32% increase in root C content. The C and N contents in litter pools are consistently higher in elevated than ambient CO2 among all the surveyed studies whereas C and N contents in the other pools increase in some studies and decrease in other studies. The high variability in CO2-induced changes in C and N pool sizes results from diverse responses of various C and N processes to elevated CO2. Averaged C:N ratios are higher by 3% in litter and soil pools and 11% in root and shoot pools at elevated relative to ambient CO2. Elevated CO2 slightly increases root:shoot ratio. The net N accumulation in plant and soil pools at least helps prevent complete down-regulation of, and likely supports, long-term CO2 stimulation of C sequestration. The concomitant C and N accumulations in response to rising atmospheric CO2 may reflect intrinsic nature of ecosystem development as revealed before by studies of succession over hundreds to millions of years.     

Decomposition of silicate minerals by Bacillus mucilaginosus in liquid culture

The extraction of K⁺ and SiO₂ from silicate minerals by Bacillus mucilaginosus in liquid culture was studied in incubation experiments. B. mucilaginosus was found to dissolve soil minerals and mica and simultaneously release K⁺ and SiO₂ from the crystal lattices. In contrast, the bacterium did not dissolve feldspar. B. mucilaginosus also produced organic acids and polysaccharides during growth. The polysaccharides strongly adsorbed the organic acids and attached to the surface of the mineral, resulting in an area of high concentration of organic acids near the mineral. The polysaccharides also adsorbed SiO₂ and this affected the equilibrium between the mineral and fluid phases and led to the reaction toward SiO₂ and K⁺ solubilization. These two processes led to the decomposition of silicate minerals by the bacterium.     

利用城市污泥堆肥及建筑弃土种植麦冬研究

将污泥堆肥产品分别与建筑弃土按0%、10%、20%、30%、40%和50%(湿重)的比例配制营养土,以麦冬为例进行180 d的栽培实验,分析了营养土对麦冬生长特性、植物体内及栽培土壤中营养学指标和重金属含量的变化规律,并通过模糊综合评价方法选择营养土较佳配制方案。实验结果表明:堆肥比例在50%时麦冬生物量增加率、新生芽数及地表部分比重为最大值,在30%时纺锤体肉质数减少率为最大值;随着营养土中堆肥比例增加,麦冬体内养分含量、重金属积累量随之增加,均在50%时达到最大值;栽培土壤养分越多损失量越多,各指残留率越低,同时全磷、全氮及K含量降低率较有效磷、碱解氮小得多,Cr降低率在5.20%～8.34%之间,Zn降低率在3.27%～17.35%之间;堆肥比例在40%以上的营养土对麦冬生长效果好,但较佳配制方案为堆肥产品占20%。     

微生物燃料电池法测BOD影响因素研究

以双室无介体微生物燃料电池构建了BOD检测系统,研究了阴极流量、有机物浓度(BOD)及阳极流量的变化对系统响应信号(电池电压)的影响,并考察了系统响应信号与BOD浓度的对应关系。结果表明:阴极流量在1.5～5mL/min时,阴极流量变化对响应信号具有显著的影响,且响应信号随阴极流量增大而增大;当阴极流量由5 mL/min增加到10 mL/min时,阴极流量变化对响应信号影响不显著。BOD浓度在10～150 mg/L时,响应信号随底物浓度增加而升高,而BOD浓度大于150 mg/L时,BOD浓度变化对响应信号没有显著影响。当BOD浓度较高时,阳极流量变化对响应信号影响不大,但当BOD浓度较低时,阳极流量变化对响应信号有显著影响,且响应信号随阳极流量增大而增加。电池稳态电压与BOD浓度在10～150 mg/L范围内成指数衰减关系,而电池电压的初始变化速率与BOD浓度在50～200 mg/L范围有线性响应。     

Arsenic contamination and potential health risk implications at an abandoned tungsten mine, southern China

In an extensive environmental study, field samples, including soil, water, rice, vegetable, fish, human hair and urine, were collected at an abandoned tungsten mine in Shantou City, southern China. Results showed that arsenic (As) concentration in agricultural soils ranged from 3.5 to 935 mg kg⁻¹ with the mean value of 129 mg kg⁻¹. In addition, As concentration reached up to 325 μg L⁻¹ in the groundwater, and the maximum As concentration in local food were 1.09, 2.38 and 0.60 mg kg⁻¹ for brown rice, vegetable and fish samples, respectively, suggesting the local water resource and food have been severely contaminated with As. Health impact monitoring data revealed that As concentrations in hair and urine samples were up to 2.92 mg kg⁻¹ and 164 μg L⁻¹, respectively, indicating a potential health risk among the local residents. Effective measurements should be implemented to protect the local community from the As contamination in the environment.     

Occurrence and source analysis of typical veterinary antibiotics in manure, soil, vegetables and groundwater from organic vegetable bases, northern China

The residue of antibiotics is becoming an intractable environmental problem in many organic vegetable bases. However, their residual levels and distribution are still obscure. This work systematically analyzed the occurrence and migration of typical veterinary antibiotics in organic vegetable bases, northern China. The results showed that there was no obvious geographical difference in antibiotic distribution between soil and manure. A simple migration model can be easy and quick to predict the accumulation of antibiotics in soil. Antibiotics were mainly taken up through water transport and passive absorption in vegetables. The distribution of antibiotics in a plant was in the sequence leaf > stem > root, and performed biological accumulation. The residues of antibiotics in all samples in winter were significantly higher than those in summer. Overall, this work can lay the foundation for understanding ecological risk of antibiotics and their potential adverse effects on human health by food chain.     

Volatile organic compounds in the unsaturated zone from radioactive wastes

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often comingled with low-level radioactive wastes (LLRW), but little is known about subsurface VOC emanations from LLRW landfills. The current study systematically quantified VOCs associated with LLRW over an 11-yr period at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) in southwestern Nevada. Unsaturated-zone gas samples of VOCs were collected by adsorption on resin cartridges and analyzed by thermal desorption and GC/MS. Sixty of 87 VOC method analytes were detected in the 110-m-thick unsaturated zone surrounding a LLRW disposal facility. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were detected in 100% of samples collected. Chlorofluorocarbons are powerful greenhouse gases, deplete stratospheric ozone, and are likely released from LLRW facilities worldwide. Soil-gas samples collected from a depth of 24 m and a horizontal distance 100 m south of the nearest waste-disposal trench contained >60,000 ppbv total VOCs, including >37,000 ppbv CFCs. Extensive sampling in the shallow unsaturated zone (0-2 m deep) identified areas where total VOC concentrations exceeded 5000 ppbv at the 1.5-m depth. Volatile organic compound concentrations exceeded background levels up to 300 m from the facility. Maximum vertical diffusive fluxes of total VOCs were estimated to be 1 g m yr. Volatile organic compound distributions were similar but not identical to those previously determined for tritium and elemental mercury. To our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the unsaturated zone distribution of VOCs emanating from a LLRW landfill. Our results may help explain anomalous transport of radionuclides at the ADRS and elsewhere.     

保护臭氧层谈判中的美欧博弈

臭氧层损耗是重要的全球环境问题之一。最早认识到臭氧层危害的美国率先在国内立法控制相关物质,然而另一大经济体——欧共体,在这一方面却行动迟缓。在保护臭氧层的国际谈判中,美欧之间相互妥协,最终达成了对氟氯烃化合物(CFCs)进行限控的《蒙特利尔议定书》。美欧之间的分歧来自国内化工业巨头的影响,国际经济变动影响外交决策。国际环境问题背后隐藏的经济关系与大国的领导作用是影响国际环境合作的主要因素。     

微囊藻毒素-LR对鸡肝脏的氧化损伤影响

蓝藻虽然能产生有毒的生物毒素,但是也含有较高的蛋白质。为探索蓝藻饲料化利用的可能性,本文通过腹腔注射的方式研究了微囊藻毒素-LR(MC-LR)对崇仁麻鸡的半数致死剂量(LD_(50))及其对肝脏的氧化损伤。实验设计了4个剂量组(对照组、5、10和20μg·kg~(-1)MC-LR),并在1、3、12、24和48 h检测了谷胱甘肽(GSH)含量以及谷胱甘肽S-转移酶(GST)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性变化。结果表明,MC-LR对崇仁麻鸡的LD_(50)值为34.67μg·kg~(-1)体重(bw),95%的置信限为33.51～35.83μg·kg~(-1)bw。在MC-LR的作用下,鸡肝出现了氧化应激现象。3个染毒组鸡肝中GSH含量呈现先下降而后上升恢复至正常水平的趋势,GST酶活力表现为先上升而后下降至正常值的趋势,这说明GSH和GST共同参与了鸡肝中MC-LR的解毒;鸡肝中GPX酶活性在前3小时先保持不变(除了1 h的高剂量组),随即显著上升,这说明GPX和GSH共同参与了鸡肝中过量活性氧自由基(ROS)的清除,GPX可以作为监测MC-LR引起鸡毒性作用的生物标志物。CAT酶活力表现为先显著下降(P<0.05)而后快速上升至正常值的趋势,SOD酶在整个实验期间几乎保持稳定,这可能与SOD酶活性较高所致。