Fate estimation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils in a rapid urbanization region, Shenzhen of China

Our previous study indicated that the current level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Shenzhen soil is in the low-end of world soil PAH pollution. In this study, the fate of PAHs in the soil of Shenzhen was investigated. The mass inventories of Σ(27)PAHs and Σ(15)PAHs (defined as the sum of the 27 or 15 PAH compounds sought) in topsoil of Shenzhen were ～204 and ～152 metric tons, respectively. Fate estimation of Σ(15)PAHs shows that air-soil gaseous exchange is the primary environmental process with ～10,076 kg/year diffusing from soil to air. Rain washing (～1131 kg/year from air to soil) is the most important input pathway followed by wet (～17 kg/year) and dry deposition (～8 kg/year) to soils in Shenzhen. The transport of Σ(15)PAHs by soil erosion is a crucial loss process for soil PAHs in Shenzhen (1918 kg/year for water runoff and 657 kg/year for solid runoff from soil). Moreover, degradation is not ignorable at present (95 kg/year). Comparison of inventory and residue (defined as Σ(15)PAHs left in topsoils after all environmental loss processes) suggested that input and loss of high molecular weight PAHs for Shenzhen's soil reached apparent equilibrium. Soil PAH pollution in Shenzhen will stay in a quasi-steady state for a long period and the natural environmental processes can not significantly reduce the pollution.     

Progress in quantitative research on the relationship between atmospheric oxidation and air quality

Atmospheric oxidizing capacity (AOC) is an essential driving force of troposphere chemistry and self-cleaning, but the definition of AOC and its quantitative representation remain uncertain. Driven by national demand for air pollution control in recent years, Chinese scholars have carried out studies on theories of atmospheric chemistry and have made considerable progress in AOC research. This paper will give a brief review of these developments. First, AOC indexes were established that represent apparent atmospheric oxidizing ability (AOIe) and potential atmospheric oxidizing ability (AOIp) based on aspects of macrothermodynamics and microdynamics, respectively. A closed study refined the quantitative contributions of heterogeneous chemistry to AOC in Beijing, and these AOC methods were further applied in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and key areas across the country. In addition, the detection of ground or vertical profiles for atmospheric OH·, HO₂·, NO₃· radicals and reservoir molecules can now be obtained with domestic instruments in diverse environments. Moreover, laboratory smoke chamber simulations revealed heterogeneous processes involving reactions of O₃ and NO₂, which are typical oxidants in the surface/interface atmosphere, and the evolutionary and budgetary implications of atmospheric oxidants reacting under multispecies, multiphase and multi-interface conditions were obtained. Finally, based on the GRAPES-CUACE adjoint model improved by Chinese scholars, simulations of key substances affecting atmospheric oxidation and secondary organic and inorganic aerosol formation have been optimized. Normalized numerical simulations of AOIe and AOIp were performed, and regional coordination of AOC was adjusted. An optimized plan for controlling O₃ and PM_2.5 was analyzed by scenario simulation.     

A review of gas-phase chemical mechanisms commonly used in atmospheric chemistry modelling

The atmospheric chemical mechanism is an essential component of airshed models used for investigating the chemical behaviors and impacts of species. Since the first tropospheric chemical mechanism was proposed in the 1960s, various mechanisms including Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM), Carbon Bond Mechanism (CBM), Statewide Air Pollution Research Center (SAPRC) and Regional Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism (RACM) have been developed for different research purposes. This work summarizes the development and applications of these mechanisms, introduces their compositions and lumping methods, and compares the ways the mechanisms treat radicals with box model simulations. CBM can reproduce urban pollution events with relatively low cost compared to SAPRC and RACM, whereas the chemical behaviors of radicals and the photochemical production of ozone are described in detail in RACM. The photolysis rates of some oxygenated compounds are low in SAPRC07, which may result in underestimation of radical levels. As an explicit chemical mechanism, MCM describes the chemical processes of primary pollutants and their oxidation products in detail. MCM can be used to investigate certain chemical processes; however, due to its large size, it is rarely used in regional model simulations. A box model case study showed that the chemical behavior of OH and HO₂ radicals and the production of ozone were well described by all mechanisms. CBM and SAPRC underestimated the radical levels for different chemical treatments, leading to low ozone production values in both cases. MCM and RACM are widely used in box model studies, while CBM and SAPRC are often selected in regional simulations.     

初冬一次冷锋输送过程对中国东部霾天气的影响

利用常规地面气象资料、NCEP/NCAR再分析资料以及全国PM_2.5浓度数据,并结合后向轨迹、空气污染输送指数和传输通量分析,针对2019年12月10~11日一次冷锋输送造成我国中东部地区出现的大范围霾天气过程进行了分析.结果表明：（1）霾期间高空500hPa以经向环流为主,伴随着高空低压槽引导地面冷锋向东南方向移动,污染物浓度大值区也依次由华北地区移至黄淮、江淮地区.（2）冷锋过境前,华北至长江三角洲区域PM_2.5浓度均有明显增涨;北京以偏南方向的污染物输入为主,济南以西北和偏东方向输入为主,南京则主要是偏北和偏西方向的输入.（3）冷锋过境时,冷空气迅速将北京站的污染物清除;而济南站则受高压底部偏东风回流的影响,PM_2.5浓度维持在50μg/m³左右;冷锋推进至南京站时西北风已较小,对污染物的清除作用不明显.以江苏省为例,整个过程中,江苏本地污染物贡献占25.8%,江苏以外的污染物贡献占74.2%,以输送为主.（4）冷锋过境后,3站的边界层结构也略有不同,北京站的逆温层迅速被打破;济南站由于受海上暖湿平流影响,近地面由等温层变成逆温层;而南京站的近地面则由逆温层变为等温层.本研究揭示了在冷锋南下过程中,上游污染物对下游地区的影响,以及南北方站点表现出不同的污染物变化和清除特征.     

Preparation and characterization of boron-doped corn straw biochar: Fe (Ⅱ) removal equilibrium and kinetics

Nowadays, iron ions as a ubiquitous heavy metal pollutant are gradually concerned and the convenient and quick removal of excessive iron ions in groundwater has become a major challenge for the safety of drinking water. In this study, boron-doped biochar (B-BC) was successfully prepared at various preparation conditions with the addition of boric acid. The as-prepared material has a more developed pore structure and a larger specific surface area (up to 897.97 m²/g). A series of characterization results shows that boric acid effectively activates biochar, and boron atoms are successfully doped on biochar. Compared with the ratio of raw materials, the pyrolysis temperature has a greater influence on the amount of boron doping. Based on Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of 800B-BC_1:2 at 25 °C, 40 °C, 55 °C are 50.02 mg/g, 95.09 mg/g, 132.78 mg/g, respectively. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can better describe the adsorption process, the adsorption process is mainly chemical adsorption. Chemical complexation, ions exchange, and co-precipitation may be the main mechanisms for Fe²⁺ removal.     

Acid Orange 7 degradation using methane as the sole carbon source and electron donor

• AO7 degradation was coupled with anaerobic methane oxidation. • Higher concentration of AO7 inhibited the degradation. • The maximum removal rate of AO7 reached 280 mg/(L·d) in HfMBR. • ANME-2d dominated the microbial community in both batch reactor and HfMBR. • ANME-2d alone or synergistic with the partner bacteria played a significant role. Azo dyes are widely applied in the textile industry but are not entirely consumed during the dyeing process and can thus be discharged to the environment in wastewater. However, azo dyes can be degraded using various electron donors, and in this paper, Acid Orange 7 (AO7) degradation performance is investigated using methane (CH₄) as the sole electron donor. Methane has multiple sources and is readily available and inexpensive. Experiments using ¹³C-labeled isotopes showed that AO7 degradation was coupled with anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and, subsequently, affected by the initial concentrations of AO7. Higher concentrations of AO7 could inhibit the activity of microorganisms, which was confirmed by the long-term performance of AO7 degradation, with maximum removal rates of 8.94 mg/(L·d) in a batch reactor and 280 mg/(L·d) in a hollow fiber membrane bioreactor (HfMBR). High-throughput sequencing using 16S rRNA genes showed that Candidatus Methanoperedens, affiliated to ANME-2d, dominated the microbial community in the batch reactor and HfMBR. Additionally, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria bacteria (Phenylobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Geothermobacter) improved after AO7 degradation. This outcome suggested that ANME-2d alone, or acting synergistically with partner bacteria, played a key role in the process of AO7 degradation coupled with AOM.     

湖泊富营养化模型的研究进展

湖泊的富营养化是全球普遍关注的环境问题之一.湖泊的富营养化模型是防治、修复和治理湖泊富营养化的重要决策工具.按研究的侧重点不同,将湖泊富营养化模型分为简单回归模型、水质模型、生态模型和生态-水动力水质模型,并分别回顾了四类模型的研究进展.最后指出湖泊富营养化模型的发展趋势,强调不确定理论、3S技术、耦合模型是今后湖泊富营养化模型研究的重点,应在此基础上建立通用的模拟、预测、评价和优化模型,为湖泊富营养化管理提供科学依据.     

Development of Hybrid Film Based on Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Gum Arabic Incorporated Citric Acid and Polyphenols from Cinnamomum camphora Seeds for Active Food Packaging

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this study, carboxymethyl chitosan with gum Arabic (CG) based novel functional films containing Cinnamomum camphora seeds extract (CCSE) at varying...     

How does anti-corruption affect enterprise green innovation in China’s energy-intensive industries?

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Rampant corruption exists in China’s energy-intensive industries. However, we know little about the nexus of corruption and enterprise green innovation...     

Quantity and activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria and their contribution to ammonia oxidation in farmland soil of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau北大核心CSCD

Ammonia oxidation, the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification, is mainly performed by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). However, the activities of AOA and AOB in soil and their relative contribution to ammonia oxidation are unclear, and whether there is a significant correlation between the quantity of AOA and AOB and the ammonia oxidation rate is also controversial. In this study, quantitative PCR combined with acetylene (C2H2) and 1-octyne inhibition methods were used to determine the quantity and activity of AOA and AOB in wheat, highland barley, and oilseed rape soils in Nyingchi, Lhatse, Sangzhuzi, and Sangri counties on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The results showed that the quantity of AOB ((2.34 ± 0.84) ×105 - (2.65 ± 1.07) ×106 copies g-1 dry soil) was significantly higher than that of AOA ((0.20 ± 0.10) ×104 - (4.02 ± 0.39) ×104 copies g-1 dry soil) in all the soil samples. Soil pH was the key factor affecting the quantity of AOB, and the total phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen in soil were the key factors affecting the quantity of AOA. The rates of ammonia oxidation in the farmland soils of Lhatse (2.42 ± 0.73 mg kg-1 d-1) and Sangzhuzi (3.24 ± 1.15 mg kg-1 d-1) were significantly higher than those in the soils of Nyingchi (1.17 ± 0.43 mg kg-1 d-1) and Sangri counties (0.88 ± 0.57 mg kg-1 d-1). The rates of ammonia oxidation in the farmland soils of Lhatse and Sangzhuzi were dominated by AOB, while those in the farmland soils of Nyingchi and Sangri counties were dominated by AOA. For crops, the ammonia oxidation rates of wheat and oilseed rape soils in all four regions were significantly higher than those of highland barley soil, whereas the activity of AOA and AOB was not influenced by crops. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus was the key factor influencing AOA activity, whereas soil pH and total carbon were the main factors influencing AOB activity. Additionally, the quantities of AOA and AOB were not significantly correlated with the total ammonia oxidation rates and AOA and AOB activity. Overall, our study suggests that both AOA and AOB play important roles in ammonia oxidation in farmland soils of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Moreover, it is unreliable to predict the activity of AOA and AOB and their relative contribution to ammonia oxidation directly based on their number of amoA genes, and the activity of AOA and AOB should be directly and accurately measured. These results are important for understanding ammonia nitrogen removal processes, slowing nitrate loss, and reducing the emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide in the farmland ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.