Will polycentric cities cause more CO2 emissions? A case study of 232 Chinese cities

From 2000 to 2010 China experienced rapid economic development and urbanization. Many cities in economically developed areas have developed from a single-center status to polycentricity. In this study, we used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) to identify the population centers, which identified 232 cities in China as having urban centers. COMP was used to represent urban agglomeration, and POLYD (representing how far is the city's sub-centers to the main center), POLYC (representing the number of a city's centers), and POLYP (representing the population distributed between the main center and the sub-centers) were used to indicate urban polycentricity. Night light data were used to determine the CO₂ emissions from various cities in China. A mixed model was used to study the impact of urban aggregation and polycentric data on the CO₂ emission efficiency in 2000 and 2010. The study found that cities with higher compactness were distributed in coastal areas, and the cities with higher multicentricity were distributed in the Yangtze River Delta and Shandong Province. The more compact the city was, the less conducive it was to improving CO₂ emission efficiency. Polycentric development of the city was conducive to improving the CO₂ emission efficiency, but the number of urban centers had no significant relationship with the CO₂ emission efficiency. Our research showed that the compactness and multicentricity of the city had an impact on the CO₂ emission efficiency and provided some planning suggestions for the low carbon development of the city.     

Responses of nitrification performance, triclosan resistome and diversity of microbes to continuous triclosan stress in activated sludge system

Triclosan(TCS) is commonly found in wastewater treatment plants,which often affects biological treatment processes.The responses of nitrification,antibiotic resistome and microbial community under different TCS concentrations in activated sludge system were evaluated in this study.The experiment was conducted in a sequencing batch reactor(SBR)for 240 days.Quantitative PCR results demonstrated that the abundance of ammonium oxidizing bacteria could be temporarily inhibited by 1 mg/L TCS and then gradually recovered.And the abundances of nitrite oxidizing bacteria(NOB) under 2.5 and 4 mg/L TCS were three orders of magnitude lower than that of seed sludge,which accounted for partial nitrification.When the addition of TCS was stopped,the abundance of NOB increased.The mass balance experiments of TCS demonstrated that the primary removal pathway of TCS changed from adsorption to biodegradation as TCS was continuously added into the SBR system.Moreover,TCS increased the abundance of mexB,indicating the efflux pump might be the main TCS-resistance mechanism.As a response to TCS,bacteria could secrete more protein(PN) than polysaccharide.Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix revealed that tryptophan PN-like substances might be the main component in PN to resist TCS.High-throughput sequencing found that the relative abundances of Paracoccus,Pseudoxanthomonas and Thauera increased,which could secrete extracellular polymeric substances(EPS).And Sphingopyxis might be the main TCS-degrading bacteria.Overall,TCS could cause partial nitrification and increase the relative abundances of EPS-secreting bacteria and TCS-degrading bacteria.     

Ozone pollution characteristics and sensitivity analysis using an observation-based model in Nanjing, Yangtze River Delta Region of China

Ground-level ozone (O₃) has become a critical pollutant impeding air quality improvement in Yangtze River Delta region of China. In this study, we present O₃ pollution characteristics based on one-year online measurements during 2016 at an urban site in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Then, the sensitivity of O₃ to its precursors during 2 O₃ pollution episodes in August was analyzed using a box model based on observation (OBM). The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) of hydrocarbons was larger than other precursors, suggesting that hydrocarbons played the dominant role in O₃ formation. The RIR values for NO_X ranged from –0.41%/% to 0.19%/%. The O₃ sensitivity was also analyzed based on relationship of simulated O₃ production rates with reductions of VOC and NO_X derived from scenario analyses. Simulation results illustrate that O₃ formation was between VOCs-limited and transition regime. Xylenes and light alkenes were found to be key species in O₃ formation according to RIR values, and their sources were determined using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. Paints and solvent use was the largest contributor to xylenes (54%), while petrochemical industry was the most important source to propene (82%). Discussions on VOCs and NO_X reduction schemes suggest that the 5% O₃ control goal can be achieved by reducing VOCs by 20%. To obtain 10% O₃ control goal, VOCs need to be reduced by 30% with VOCs/NO_X larger than 3:1.     

Chemical characteristics of road dust PM2.5 fraction in oasis cities at the margin of Tarim Basin

In order to understand the compositions characteristics of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) fraction in road dust (RD_2.5) of oasis cities on the edge of Tarim Basin, 30 road dust (RD) samples were collected in Kashi, Cele, and Yutian in the spring, 2018, and RD_2.5 was collected using the resuspension approach. Eight water-soluble ions, 39 trace elements and 8 fractions of carbon-containing species in PM_2.5 were analyzed. Ca²⁺ and Ca were the most abundant ions and elements in RD_2.5 (7.1% and 9.5%). Cl^- in RD_2.5 was affected not only by attributed to saline-alkali soils in oasis cities of the Tarim Basin and dust from Taklimakan Desert but also by human activities. Moreover, the organic carbon/elemental carbon (OC/EC) ratio indicated that carbon components in RD_2.5 in Cele town mainly come from fossil fuel combustion, while those in Yutian and Kashi mainly come from biomass combustion. It is noteworthy that high Ca in RD_2.5 was seriously affected by anthropogenic emissions, and high Na and K contents in RD_2.5 could be derived from soil and desert dust. It was estimated that Cd, Tl, Sn and Cr were emitted from anthropogenic emissions using the enrichment factor. The coefficients of divergence (COD) result indicated that the influence of local emission on road dust emission is greater than that of long-distance transmission. This study is the first time to comprehensively analyze the chemical characteristics of road dust in oasis cities, and the results provides the sources of road dust at the margin of Tarim Basin.     

Investigation to meet China II emission legislation for marine diesel engine with diesel methanol compound combustion technology

In order to reduce the pollutant emission and alleviate the pressure of petroleum resources shortage and greenhouse gas emission at the same time, the use of clean and renewable alternative fuel for marine engines is a promising option. In this study, a marine diesel engine, which was modified to run in diesel methanol compound combustion (DMCC) mode, was investigated. After the diesel injection parameters were calibrated, and combined with a sample after-treatment device DOC (diesel oxidation catalyst), the engine could meet the requirements of China II legislation. The overall MSP (methanol substitute percent) reached 54.1%. The value of each pollutant emission was much lower than that in China II emission legislation, and there was almost no methanol and formaldehyde emissions. When methanol was injected into the inlet manifold, the intake air temperature decreased a lot, as well as the exhaust gas temperature, which were beneficial to increase engine thermal efficiency and improve engine room environment. Compared with the engine running in pure diesel mode, when the engine ran in diesel/methanol dual fuel mode, the combustion phase was advanced, and the combustion duration became shorter. Therefore, the engine thermal efficiency increased, and fuel consumption decreased significantly.     

Metabolomic modulations in a freshwater microbial community exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin

An effective broad-spectrum fungicide, azoxystrobin (AZ), has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting the growth of aquatic microorganisms. In the present study, the eukaryotic alga Monoraphidium sp. and the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. were exposed to AZ for 7 days. Our results showed that 0.2–0.5 mg/L concentrations of AZ slightly inhibited the growth of Monoraphidium sp. but stimulated Pseudanabaena sp. growth. Meanwhile, AZ treatment effectively increased the secretion of total organic carbon (TOC) in the culture media of the two species, and this phenomenon was also found in a freshwater microcosm experiment (containing the natural microbial community). We attempted to assess the effect of AZ on the function of aquatic microbial communities through metabolomic analysis and further explore the potential risks of this compound. The metabonomic profiles of the microcosm indicated that the most varied metabolites after AZ treatment were related to the citrate cycle (TCA), fatty acid biosynthesis and purine metabolism. We thereby inferred that the microbial community increased extracellular secretions by adjusting metabolic pathways, which might be a stress response to reduce AZ toxicity. Our results provide an important theoretical basis for further study of fungicide stress responses in aquatic microcosm microbial communities, as well as a good start for further explorations of AZ detoxification mechanisms, which will be valuable for the evaluation of AZ environmental risk.     

厦门市冬季PM2.5污染情境识别及其与气象条件的关系

为研究厦门市冬季不同PM_2.5污染情境与气象条件和气团轨迹路径特征的关系,结合PM_2.5观测数据,使用AGAGE（Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment）统计方法识别2014—2018年冬季厦门市PM_2.5观测值、基线值和污染值情境,通过气象数据统计和气团后向轨迹聚类对不同PM_2.5污染情境下气象条件和气团轨迹路径特征进行探究.结果表明:①厦门市冬季不同PM_2.5污染情境下,ρ（PM_2.5）及PM_2.5污染值情境时长占比均呈波动中下降的趋势,具体表现为冬季PM_2.5观测值、污染值和基线值情境下,ρ（PM_2.5）平均值分别从2014年的42.2、90.7、16.4 μg/m3降至2018年的26.3、56.9、8.8 μg/m3,冬季PM_2.5污染值情境时长占比从2014年的10.2%降至2018年的3.0%.②冬季PM_2.5污染值情境下气象要素呈低风速、低气压、高温度、高相对湿度的特征.③冬季到达厦门市的气团轨迹路径中,局地路径由于大气条件稳定易累积形成PM_2.5污染;偏北路径和西北路径易从临近省份携带污染物输入导致PM_2.5污染,属于重要的外源污染输入路径;沿海路径和偏西路径均属于清洁路径,但沿海路径易在福建省北部与偏北路径重合形成污染输入,加强了偏北路径的污染物输送能力.研究显示,近年来厦门市冬季PM_2.5污染有明显减弱趋势,但不利的气象条件和外来污染输入仍会造成PM_2.5污染的发生.      

2-丁烯醛生产废水的臭氧脱毒预处理

CMW（crotonaldehyde manufacturing wastewater,2-丁烯醛生产废水）污染物浓度高、毒性强、直接采用生物法处理难度大.为了降低CMW的生物处理毒性,采用臭氧氧化法对CMW进行脱毒预处理,并通过考察不同臭氧氧化条件对废水COD_Cr、TOC（总有机碳）、UV_{254 nm}去除率及SMA（specific methanogenic activity,比产甲烷活性）抑制率的影响,获得了优化的臭氧氧化条件,进一步分析了废水脱毒机理.结果表明:①优化的臭氧氧化条件为接触反应时间180 min、初始pH 3.0、反应温度35℃、气相臭氧浓度30.3 mg/L,进气流量500 mL/min;并且在该条件下,CMW中COD_Cr、TOC和UV_{254 nm}的去除率分别为19.9%、9.9%和70.6%,主要特征有机污染物[包括2-丁烯醛、（E,E）-2,4-己二烯醛、3-（2-甲基-2-丙烯）-5-戊内酯、1,5-二甲基-1-烯-4-羰基-环氧己烷、山梨酸乙酯等]的去除率在74.4%以上.②厌氧产甲烷毒性试验结果显示,CMW的SMA抑制率由臭氧氧化前的82.0%降至臭氧氧化后的47.2%.③反应动力学研究显示,CMW中COD_Cr、TOC及UV_{254 nm}的去除过程均符合一级反应动力学方程,R2分别为0.82、0.97、0.94.研究显示,臭氧氧化预处理可以较好地去除CMW中的特征有机污染物,降低废水的厌氧生物处理毒性,是一种可行的脱毒预处理方法.      

A novel state-of-charge-based method for plug-in hybrid vehicle electric distance analysis validated with actual driving data

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Promoting Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) is viewed as a promising strategy to mitigate the energy consumption and greenhouse gas...     

Well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from battery electric vehicles in China

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Electric vehicles (EVs) play a crucial role in addressing climate change and urban air quality concerns. China has emerged as the global...