A comparison of the toxicity of landfill leachate exposure at the seed soaking and germination stages on Zea mays L. (maize)

To compare the toxicity of landfill leachate exposure at the early stages of seed soaking and germination on maize, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the physiological aspects of growth, yield and potential clastogenicity of root-tip cells. The maizes were treated with leachate at levels of 2%, 10%, 20%, 30% or 50% (V/V). First, the change of physiological indexes, including chlorophyll (Chl), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, combined with yield all showed that soaking with leachate, but not germination, generated a greater ecological risk on maize. After a soaking treatment of maize with 50% leachate, the Chl, MDA and ROS levels during a vigorous growth period were 47.3%, 149.8% and 309.7%, respectively, of the control, whereas the yield decreased to 68.6% of the control. In addition, our results demonstrated that the leachate at lower levels could promote growth. This is mainly embodied in that the yield of maize treated with 10% leachate at the soaking stage increased to 116.0% of the control. Moreover, the cytological analysis experiment also demonstrated that the ecological risk of leachate still exists in both cases. Furthermore, the gray relational analysis showed that the ear row number and tassel branch number were the major factors affecting the yield of maize treated with 50% leachate at the stages of soaking and germination, respectively. In general, these results are helpful in understanding the phytotoxicity of leachate, which provides additional reference data for risk assessment and management of leachate.     

Analysing factors affecting developers’ behaviour towards the adoption of prefabricated buildings in China

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Prefabricated buildings (PBs) help alleviate housing pressure, reduce building energy consumption and solve environmental problems. However, the...     

Spectroscopic and molecular characterization of humic substances (HS) from soils and sediments in a watershed: comparative study of HS chemical fractions and the origins

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Optical properties and molecular composition of humic substances (HS) can provide valuable information on the sources and the history of the...     

Nitrogen oxides emissions from the MILD combustion with the conditions of recirculation gas

The nitrogen oxides (NO_x) reduction technology by combustion modification which has economic benefits as a method of controlling NO_x emitted in the combustion process, has recently been receiving a lot of attention. Especially, the moderate or intense low oxygen dilution (MILD) combustion which applied high temperature flue gas recirculation has been confirmed for its effectiveness with regard to solid fuel as well. MILD combustion is affected by the flue gas recirculation ratio and the composition of recirculation gas, so its NO_x reduction efficiency is determined by them. In order to investigate the influence of factors which determine the reduction efficiency of NO_x in MILD coal combustion, this study changed the flow rate and concentration of nitrogen (N₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and steam (H₂O) which simulate the recirculation gas during the MILD coal combustion using our lab-scale drop tube furnace and performed the combustion experiment. As a result, its influence by the composition of recirculation gas was insignificant and it was shown that flue gas recirculation ratio influences the change of NO_x concentration greatly. Implications: We investigated the influence of factors determining the nitrogen oxides (NO_x) reduction efficiency in MILD coal combustion, which applied high-temperature flue gas recirculation. Using a lab-scale drop tube furnace and simulated recirculation gas, we conducted combustion testing changing the recirculation gas conditions. We found that the flue gas recirculation ratio influences the reduction of NO_x emissions the most.     

Fluoride-immobilized co-processing and resource utilization of aluminum-electrolyzed spent cathode carbon in brick-fired kiln

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Spent cathode carbon (SCC) is hazardous waste from the electrolytic aluminum industry due to its high levels of soluble fluoride, while brick-fired...     

Oxidative damage induced in hearts, kidneys and spleens of mice by landfill leachate

The effects of the Xingou landfill leachate on levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and the activities of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD), Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se-dependent GPx) and catalase (CAT) were investigated in hearts, kidneys and spleens of Kunming albino mice of both sexes. Exposure to leachate caused significant increases of TBARS levels in the organs tested from mice of both sexes. For hearts, Cu, Zn-SOD, Se-dependent GPx and CAT activities were significantly increased at high concentrations for male mice, but the activities of these antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased at low concentration and decreased at high concentrations for female mice. For kidneys, Cu, Zn-SOD and Se-dependent GPx activities were significantly increased at high concentrations for male mice, but the activities were significantly increased at low concentrations and the ratio of increase was reduced with the increasing of concentration for female mice; CAT activities remained unchanged for male mice and were significantly increased at all concentrations tested for female mice. For spleens, Cu, Zn-SOD and Se-dependent GPx activities were significantly increased at high concentrations for male mice, but the activities were significantly increased at low concentrations and decreased at high concentrations for female mice; CAT activities remained unchanged for male mice and were significantly increased at high concentrations for female mice. The results suggest that leachate exposure can cause oxidative damage on hearts, kidneys and spleens of mice, and there were sex difference and organ difference in the response of antioxidant status.     

Hybrid energy harvesting systems for self-powered sustainable water purification by harnessing ambient energy

● Energy harvesters harness multiple energies for self-powered water purification. ● Hybrid energy harvesters enable continuous output under fluctuating conditions. ● Mechanical, thermal, and solar energies enable synergic harvesting. ● Perspectives of hybrid energy harvester-driven water treatment are proposed. The development of self-powered water purification technologies for decentralized applications is crucial for ensuring the provision of drinking water in resource-limited regions. The elimination of the dependence on external energy inputs and the attainment of self-powered status significantly expands the applicability of the treatment system in real-world scenarios. Hybrid energy harvesters, which convert multiple ambient energies simultaneously, show the potential to drive self-powered water purification facilities under fluctuating actual conditions. Here, we propose recent advancements in hybrid energy systems that simultaneously harvest various ambient energies (e.g., photo irradiation, flow kinetic, thermal, and vibration) to drive water purification processes. The mechanisms of various energy harvesters and point-of-use water purification treatments are first outlined. Then we summarize the hybrid energy harvesters that can drive water purification treatment. These hybrid energy harvesters are based on the mechanisms of mechanical and photovoltaic, mechanical and thermal, and thermal and photovoltaic effects. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the potential for advancing beyond the current state-of-the-art of hybrid energy harvester-driven water treatment processes. Future endeavors should focus on improving catalyst efficiency and developing sustainable hybrid energy harvesters to drive self-powered treatments under unstable conditions (e.g., fluctuating temperatures and humidity).     

Synergistic effects of particulate matter (PM10) and SO2 on human non-small cell lung cancer A549 via ROS-mediated NF-κB activation

Since a real atmospheric scenario usually represents a system involving multiple pollutants, air pollution studies typically focused on describing adverse effects associated with exposure to individual pollutants cannot reflect actual health risk. Particulate matter(PM10) and sulfur dioxide(SO2) are two major pollutants derived from coal combustion processes and co-existing in coal-smoke air pollution, but their potentially synergistic toxicity remains elusive thus far. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic responses of PM10 and SO2, singly and in binary mixtures, using human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells, followed by clarifying the possible mechanisms for their interaction. The results indicated that the concomitant treatment of PM10 and SO2 at low concentrations led to synergistic injury in terms of cell survival and apoptosis occurrence, while PM10 and SO2 alone at the same concentrations did not cause damage to the cells. Also, radical oxygen species(ROS) production followed by nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) activation was involved in the above synergistic cytotoxicity, which was confirmed by the repression of the actions by an ROS inhibitor(NAC). This implies that assessment of health risk should consider the interactions between ambient PM and gaseous copollutants.     

Factors controlling groundwater quality in the Yeonjegu District of Busan City,Korea, using the hydrogeochemical processes and fuzzy GIS

The hydrogeochemical processes and fuzzy GIS techniques were used to evaluate the groundwater quality in the Yeonjegu district of Busan Metropolitan City, Korea. The highest concentrations of major ions were mainly related to the local geology. The seawater intrusion into the river water and municipal contaminants were secondary contamination sources of groundwater in the study area. Factor analysis represented the contamination sources of the mineral dissolution of the host rocks and domestic influences. The Gibbs plot exhibited that the major ions were derived from the rock weathering condition. Piper’s trilinear diagram showed that the groundwater quality was classified into five types of CaHCO₃, NaHCO₃, NaCl, CaCl₂, and CaSO₄ types in that order. The ionic relationship and the saturation mineral index of the ions indicated that the evaporation, dissolution, and precipitation processes controlled the groundwater chemistry. The fuzzy GIS map showed that highly contaminated groundwater occurred in the northeastern and the central parts and that the groundwater of medium quality appeared in most parts of the study area. It suggested that the groundwater quality of the study area was influenced by local geology, seawater intrusion, and municipal contaminants. This research clearly demonstrated that the geochemical analyses and fuzzy GIS method were very useful to identify the contaminant sources and the location of good groundwater quality.

     

稻草还田对土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响

为了探讨稻草还田的微生物学过程与效应,借助平板涂抹法和BIOLOG检测法,比较研究了免耕条件下3种不同稻草还田量(33%、67%和100%,以稻草不还田土壤为对照)对晚稻田土壤微生物群落功能多样性的影响.结果表明:①土壤细菌数量差异显著,以67%稻草还田处理为最高,稻草不还田处理最低,稻草还田提高了土壤细菌数量;②碳源平均颜色变化率(AWCD法)在培养早期各处理间的差异不大,但随着培养时间的延长,67%和100%稻草还田处理土壤微生物的AWCD值显著大于对照和33%稻草还田处理组;③土壤微生物代谢多样性指数(丰富度和多样性)在3种稻草还田量处理土壤中也表现出明显差异,67%和100%稻草还田处理的土壤中微生物功能多样性显著大于33%稻草还田处理和对照;④67%和100%稻草还田处理显著改善了土壤微生物的功能多样性.以67%稻草还田处理改善土壤微生物群落结构和功能的效果最为显著.