A Survey of Nitrogen Dioxide Levels Measured Inside Mobile Homes

As part of the California Mobile Home Study, over 250 mobile homes from throughout the state were monitored for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations. Week-long average measurements were taken with Palmes tubes in the kitchen and bedroom of each mobile home during the summer of 1984 and the winter of 1985. The study was conducted entirely by mail with the participants providing all the necessary information. Mobile homes using gas for cooking had significantly higher indoor NO₂ levels than those using electricity. Mobile homes located in the Los Angeles basin had significantly higher indoor NO₂ concentrations than did mobile homes in the rest of the state. Gas cooking, the inverse of the house volume and geographic location (as a surrogate of outdoor NO₂) were the most important variables identified by multiple linear regression.     

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment plants in China

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) along with methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) have been frequently identified as natural compounds in marine environment and also assumed as metabolites of PBDEs. In the present study, nine OH-PBDE, nine MeO-PBDE and 10 PBDE congeners were studied in the sewage sludge collected from 36 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in 27 cities of China. The results suggest that OH-PBDEs and PBDEs are ubiquitous in sewage sludge in China, however, methoxylated PBDEs were not detectable. Composition profiles of detected OH-PBDE congeners were different depending on the sampling location. ΣOH-PBDEs in WWTPs sludge ranged from 0.04 to 2.24 ng g^?1 dry weight (mean: 0.35 ng g^?1 dry weight). The total amount of the two most prominent congeners (6-OH-BDE-47 + 2′-OH-BDE-68) accounted for about 53.3–100% of the sum of all six identified congeners. A significant linear relationship was found between 6-OH-BDE-47 and 2′-OH-BDE-68. A distinct geographical distribution of ΣOH-PBDEs was observed with greater concentrations of OH-PBDEs at coastal areas than inland regions in China.     

Dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene using lead–iron bimetallic particles

Synthesized lead–iron (Pb/Fe) bimetallic particles were applied to dechlorinate hexachlorobenzene (HCB) under various conditions (e.g. bimetal amount, initial pH value, reaction temperature, and reaction duration). The results showed that adding Pb onto Fe benefited the dechlorination of HCB and the bimetal with 1.4% Pb content performed best. The degradation rate decreased regularly as the initial pH value of the aqueous increased from 1.9 to 11.1 except for pH 7.0 where the fastest dechlorination rate emerged. The dechlorination could be enhanced by increasing the amount of Pb/Fe or the reaction temperature. The dechlorination ratio of HCB within 15 min increased from 24.3% to 81.3% when Pb/Fe amount increased from 0.1 g to 0.8 g. The dechlorination followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the dechlorination rate constants were 0.0027, 0.0064, 0.0157, and 0.0321 min^?1 at 25, 50, 70, and 85 °C, respectively, and the activation energy (E_a) of the dechlorination by Pb/Fe was 37.86 kJ mol^?1.     

Partitioning and bioaccumulation of metals from oil sands process affected water in indigenous Parachlorella kessleri

This paper studies the partitioning and bioaccumulation of ten target metals (⁵³Cr, Mn, Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶⁵Cu, ⁶⁶Zn, As, ⁸⁸Sr, ⁹⁵Mo and Ba) from oil sands tailings pond water (TPW) by indigenous Parachlorella kessleri. To determine the role of extracellular and intracellular bioaccumulation in metal removal by P. kessleri, TPW samples taken from two oil sands operators (Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Albian Sands Energy Inc.) were enriched with nutrient supplements.Results indicate that intracellular bioaccumulation played the main role in metal removal from TPW; whereas extracellular bioaccumulation was only observed to some extent for Mn, Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶⁵Cu, ⁸⁸Sr, ⁹⁵Mo and Ba. The FTIR scan and titration of functional groups on the cell surface indicated low metal binding capacity by indigenous P. kessleri. However, it is believed that the dissolved cations and organic ligand content in TPW (such as naphthenic acids) may interfere with metal binding on the cell surface and lower extracellular bioaccumulation. In addition, the total bioaccumulation and bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied during the cultivation period in different growth regimes.     

Interactive effects of natural and human disturbances on vegetation dynamics across landscapes.

Accurate measures of human effects on landscape processes require consideration of both the direct impacts from human activities and the indirect consequences of the interactions between humans and the landscape. This is particularly evident in systems experiencing regular natural disturbances such as in the mountainous areas of southwestern China, where the remaining population of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is supported. Here the spatiotemporal patterns of human impacts, forests, and bamboo episodic die-offs combine to determine the distribution of panda habitat. To study the complex interactions of humans and landscapes, we developed an integrated spatiotemporally explicit model of household activities, natural vegetation dynamics, and their impacts on panda habitat. Using this model we examined the direct consequences of local fuelwood collection and household creation on areas of critical giant panda habitat and the indirect impacts when coupled with vegetation dynamics. Through simulations, we found that over the next 30 years household impacts would result in the loss of up to 30% of the habitat relied on by pandas during past bamboo die-offs. The accumulation and spatial distribution of household impacts would also have a considerable indirect influence on the spatial distribution of understory bamboo. While human impacts influence both bamboo die-off and regeneration, over 19% of pre-existing low-elevation bamboo habitat may be lost following an episodic die-off depending on the severity of the impacts and timing of the die-offs. Our study showed not only the importance of the spatial distribution of direct household impacts on habitat, but also the far-reaching effects of the indirect interactions between humans and the landscapes they are modifying.     

Relationships among multiple trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia ecosystems on Hainan Island, South China

Forty-six trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia plant–soil systems at nine sampling sites on Hainan Island were analyzed using ICP-MS. The relationships among the trace elements of the same group or the same periodicity of the Periodic Table in the plants and soils were complex and no consistent patterns were found. More combinations of elements occurred with high positive correlation coefficients within the same periodicity than within the same group of the Periodic Table, and there were more high positive correlations in soils than in plants. However, there were many element combinations in Block d (transition elements) with high positive correlation coefficients in plants. Markedly high positive correlation coefficients between individual rare earth elements and Y and among Zr, Nb, Cd existed in both plants and soils. The dendrograms obtained by cluster analysis show that rare earth elements had very similar occurrence and distribution in both soils and plants. Thus, they behaved as a coherent group of elements both geochemically and biogeochemically. The transition elements were more coherent in plants than in soils.     

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.     

磷石膏水热法合成硫酸钙晶须

以磷石膏为原料,二水合硫酸钙、硫酸镁、甘油为添加剂,采用水热法合成硫酸钙晶须,考察了料浆含量、反应温度、反应时间、体系pH等因素对晶须的直径和长径比的影响;并采用SEM技术观察硫酸钙晶须的形貌。实验结果表明,当磷石膏含量2.5%（w）、反应温度130 ℃、反应时间4 h、体系pH 4时,制备得到的硫酸钙晶须长径比为56.24,平均直径为0.17 μm。SEM表征结果显示,硫酸钙晶须形貌规整、分散均匀、直径较小,达百纳米级。     

臭氧氧化—包埋菌流化床生物处理组合工艺深度处理煤气化废水

采用臭氧氧化—包埋菌流化床生物处理组合工艺对煤气化废水进行深度处理。实验结果表明：当臭氧的质量浓度20 mg/L、臭氧进气流量1.5 L/min、臭氧通气时间30 min、包埋菌流化床水力停留时间24 h时,臭氧氧化工序的COD去除率达到30.0%~40.0%,总酚去除率达到100.0%;包埋菌流化床工序的COD去除率达到60.0%以上,氨氮的去除率大于95.0%;经组合工艺处理后,出水COD<60 mg/L,ρ（氨氮）<1.0 mg/L,ρ（总酚）未检出,色度小于50倍,达到GB8978—1996《污水综合排放标准》中的一级排放标准。