The trade-off between economic performance and environmental quality: does financial inclusion matter for emerging Asian economies?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examines the role of financial inclusion on the environment-economic performance in the top five Asian emerging economies. The data used...     

Visible-light-responsive photocatalytic inactivation of ofloxacin-resistant bacteria by rGO modified g-C3N4

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The visible light responsive graphitic nitride (g-C3N4) mediated photocatalysis has drawn extensive attention in water treatment field....     

An effective approach to improve ethanol productivity by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of rice straw

Fuel ethanol was produced using rice straw with the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) method. The influence of cellulose liquefaction pretreatment and Fe²⁺ quantity on ethanol productivity was investigated in detail. At the same time, the optimized conditions including fermentation temperature, Fe²⁺ amount, yeast inoculation quantity, and the inoculated cellulose enzyme dosage in the SSF process were systematically investigated by analyzing fuel ethanol yield. The result indicated that fuel ethanol yield was 0.319 g per gram rice straw by SSF approach when appropriate amount of Fe²⁺ was added into the reaction system. The optimal technology parameters were: fermenting temperature of 36°C, Fe²⁺ amount of 4 mg · g^?1, inoculating proportion of 20%, cellulose enzyme of 20 IU · g^?1, and Pachysolen tannophilu/saecharomyces cerevisiae of 1:2 ratio. The ethanol yield under the best conditions was larger than that of the control group. We hope that this research can facilitate to achieve large-scale comprehensive utilization for rice straw.     

无人机在重大自然灾害中的应用与探讨

重大自然灾害往往会造成重灾区信息通讯中断和道路交通破坏,灾情传递受阻将导致抢险救灾盲目部署,继而造成更大的损失和次生灾害。因此,获取灾情成为重大自然灾害抢险救灾的首要问题。无人驾驶飞机(简称无人机)是一种新工具,能够越过山川河流阻隔,通过摄影、摄像或其他遥感手段获取灾情。通过在北川县曲山镇等地震灾区进行无人机获取灾害信息实验,在2010年玉树地震抢险救灾工作中实现了高原灾区无人机首次航拍,获取的高清图片为划分灾区范围提供了重要依据。鉴于上述实践和探索,介绍了无人机性能和影响无人机摄影的诸多因素,如天气条件、无人机航带航迹和高度、航片重叠率、图片拼接及校正等,对相机与地面影像分辨率的关系进行了介绍,还通过航拍图片和地面图片比对,总结出建筑物倒塌破坏识别的基本要则。     

瓦斯爆炸在角联通风管网中的传播特性研究*

为研究真实通风工况下瓦斯爆炸冲击波在复杂管网内的超压演化规律及高温传播规律,采用数值模拟方法,研究角联通风管网模型中各个监测点在不同通风条件下对瓦斯爆炸冲击波超压及高温的影响规律,研究结果表明:瓦斯爆炸冲击波在角联管网传播过程中产生3个局部高压区域,高温气体主要在左、右通路内传播,斜角联分支内只受到微弱影响;管网入口风流的存在,使得爆炸初期冲击波超压经相同距离传播用时更短,峰值更大,破坏力更强;风流的存在使得管网内高温气体传播状态发生改变,斜角联分支与左通路尾部热量发生积聚,温度峰值更大。     

Effect of pH on the sonochemical degradation of organic pollutants

An increasing number of organic compounds are manufactured, consumed, and discarded every year. Incomplete destruction of these compounds in wastewater treatment plants leads to pollution of natural waters, posing great health and ecological concerns. Ultrasound, as an emerging advanced oxidation technology, can quickly and effectively degrade organic pollutants in waters. To improve removal efficiency of organic pollutants in an ultrasonic system, operational parameters, especially pH, have been frequently evaluated and optimized. This review show that pH-induced changes in volatility, hydrophobicity and Coulombic force between the target compound and cavitation bubbles leads to higher degradation at acidic pH for most compounds. In addition, pH also changes free radical formation and reactivity in water during sonication, thereby altering degradation kinetics of target compounds. However, the influence of pH is not always consistent for various organic pollutants covering a broad range of physicochemical properties and reactivities. A systematic investigation on the pH effect is necessary to elucidate how pH alters cavitation bubble dynamics and collapse, radical yield and reactivity, distribution of target compounds in the vicinity of cavitation bubbles, water matrices transformation, and ultimately the degradation kinetics of organic pollutants. This first systematic review provides valuable insight into the pH effects on organic pollutant sonolysis, helps to improve our mechanistic understanding of the sonochemical system, and sheds light on future application of ultrasound in water engineering.     

微囊藻毒素的环境暴露、毒性和毒性作用机制研究进展

微囊藻毒素(MCs)是富营养化淡水水体中蓝藻的爆发性繁殖产生的最常见的藻毒素,因其分布广、结构稳定、毒性大引起了科学界的广泛关注。本文系统梳理了微囊藻毒素在我国水体中的污染现状和典型毒性效应及毒性作用机制。另外,针对目前藻毒素研究的不足提出了建议,可为有效降低环境中微囊藻毒素的潜在安全风险及深入研究其生态毒性效应提供支持。     

拟柱孢藻毒素生态毒性的研究进展和展望

随着全球变暖的加剧,拉氏拟柱胞藻（Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii）表现出从热带和亚热带地区向温带地区迁移和扩张的趋势。拟柱孢藻过度繁殖引发的主要生态环境问题是其有毒次级代谢产物—拟柱孢藻毒素（Cylindrospermopsin,CYN）的大量产生。这种蓝藻毒素水溶性很高,可长时间停留在水体中,对动植物和人类健康造成威胁。近年来,国际上对CYN的研究越来越多,研究范围也日趋广泛,而国内的相关研究却很少。本文根据现有的研究结果,介绍了CYN的分子结构和理化特性;总结了CYN可能对水生生物、土壤作物和人类健康造成的影响和危害,并对相应的致毒机理进行了归纳总结;最后对未来的研究内容和方向进行了展望。     

Assessment of pollution of potentially harmful elements in soils surrounding a municipal solid waste incinerator,China

We assessed the contamination levels of Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, As and Hg and the risks posed by these potentially harmful elements in top-soils around a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI).We collected 20 soil samples, with an average pH of 8.1, and another fly ash sample emitted from the MSWI to investigate the concentrations of these elements in soils. We determined the concentrations of these elements by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), except for Hg, which we measured by AF-610B atomic fluorescence spectrometer (AFS). We assessed the risks of these elements through the use of geoaccumulation index (I _geo), potential ecological risk index (RI), hazard quotient (HQ _i ) and cancer risk (Risk _i ). The results showed that concentrations of potentially harmful elements in soil were influenced by the wind direction, and the concentrations of most elements were higher in the area northwest of the MSWI, compared with the area southeast of the incinerator, with the exception of As; these results were in accordance with those results acquired from our contour maps. According to the I _geo values, some soil samples were clearly polluted by Hg emissions. However, the health risk assessment indicated that the concentrations of Hg and other elements in soil did not pose non-carcinogenic risks to the local populations. This was also the case for the carcinogenic risks posed by As, Cr, and Ni. The carcinogenic risk posed by As was higher, in the range 6.49 × 10^–6–9.58 × 10^–6, but this was still considered to be an acceptable level of risk.

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Cation exchange resin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for removal of phosphorus in rainwater runoff

Self-made cation exchange resin supported nanoscale zero-valent iron （R-nZVI） was used to remove phosphorus in rainwater runoff. 80% of phosphorus in rainwater runoff from grassland was removed with an initial concentration of 0.72 mg. L-1 phosphorus when the dosage of R-nZVl is 8 g per liter rainwater, while only 26% of phosphorus was removed when using cation exchange resin without supported nanoscale zero-valent iron under the same condition. The adsorption capacity of R-nZVI increased up to 185 times of that of the cation exchange resin at a saturated equilibrium phosphorous concentration of 0.42 mg. L-1. Various techniques were implemented to characterize the R-nZVI and explore the mechanism of its removal of phosphate. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） indicated that new crystal had been formed on the surface of R-nZVI. The result from inductive coupled plasma （ICP） indicated that 2.1% of nZVI was loaded on the support material. The specific surface area was increased after the load of nanoscale zero-valent iron （nZVI）, according to the measurement of BET-N2 method. The result of specific surface area analysis also proved that phosphorus was removed mainly through chemical adsorption process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis showed that the new product obtained from chemical reaction between phosphate and iron was ferrous phosphate.