Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in soil and dust from plastic production and surrounding areas in eastern of China

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a class of organic pollutants. They are used as flame retardants that caused worldwide environmental concern. This study investigated the occurrence of PBDEs in soils and dusts from three plastic manufacture plants and surrounding areas in Eastern China. A total of 13 PBDE congeners were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (electron impact ionization). The total concentrations of PBDEs range from 2.21 to 558, 19.7–4916, and 8.70–18,451 ng/g dry weight in the soils of three sampling areas, with mean of 1004 ng/g d w; in dusts, the concentrations range from 7240 to 10,469, 684–4482, and 193–3989 ng/g d w, with an overall mean of 3619 ng/g d w. The most abundant congener is the BDE-209, followed by BDE-153 and BDE-85. This indicates that the brominated flame retardant added in the plastic manufacture is mainly the commodity decabromodiphenyl ether. In comparison with other polluted areas around the world, the PBDE concentrations in the soils of the plastic manufacture plants are similar to those in soils of waste plastic disposal areas and PBDEs production sites, but orders of magnitude higher than those in agricultural soils, mountain soils and rural soils. Daily exposure was estimated using the average concentrations of the pollution sites. The hazard quotient shows that the PBDEs pose considerable human health risks, especially to children, to which attention should be paid.

     

High cadmium adsorption on nanoscale zero-valent iron coated Eichhornia crassipes biochar

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Overgrowth of Eichhornia crassipes, or water hyacinth, in local waters is a major concern, which has caused severe ecological disasters. Moreover, once the E....     

Isolation and characterization of hydrophilic dissolved organic matter in waters by ion exchange solid phase extraction followed by high resolution mass spectrometry

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex substance occurring in marine and freshwater environments. DOM has many functions that modify physical, chemical and...     

华南退化草坡自然恢复中物种多度分布的动态与模拟

华南地区退化草坡自然恢复过程中物种多度格局的动态及其模拟,尚缺乏较为系统的研究.文章探讨是否不同演替阶段群落适合不同的种多度模型,是否存在一个最佳模型以揭示演替过程中群落结构的某些内在数量特征;还要推导多个模型的尺度转换形式.为此,在地处南亚热带的鹤山退化草坡选取处于不同演替阶段的2个典型群落样地,分木本层和草本层调查每个维管植物种的多度;且选择7个具有不同函数形式和广泛代表性的种多度模型,均在倍程(即log2)尺度下拟合数据,运用卡方检验和调整决定系数评估各个模型的适合性.结果表明:(1)7个模型的适合性顺序为:对数柯西＞对数双曲正割＞对数正态＞对数级数＞生态位优先占领＞断棒＞重叠生态位,其中对数柯西适合全部数据,重叠生态位则全部不适合;(2)各模型适合与否和演替阶段无关;(3)左截断对数柯西模型预测的种多度分布显示,随着群落演替,上层(木本层)罕见种比例减少、常见种比例增多,下层(草本层)则相反,这与实际相符.对数柯西分布具有普适性,能最好地反映退化草坡自然恢复中种多度分布的格局与动态.     

Catalytic dechlorination kinetics of p-dichlorobenzene over Pd/Fe catalysts

p-Dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) was dechlorinated using Pd/Fe bimetallic catalytic reductants synthesized by chemical deposition. Batch experiments demonstrated that the Pd/Fe bimetallic particles could effectively dechlorinate p-DCB, p-DCB and its intermediate chlorobenzene were removed completely at a Pd loading of 0.02% (weight ratio of Pd to Fe) and Pd/Fe power to solution ratio about 4g 75 ml-1 in 90 min. Dechlorination was affected by various factors such as the reaction temperature, pH, Pd loading percentage over Fe and the introduction of Pd/Fe catalysts et al. Chlorobenzene represents partially stable dechlorinated intermediates in the generation of benzene and part of p-DCB was dechlorinated to benzene indirectly on the surface of Pd/Fe. The dechlorination of p-DCB took place on the surface of the Pd/Fe bimetallic particles in a pseudo-first-order reaction, the activation energy of the dechlorination reaction was determined to be 80.0 kJ mol-1 at the temperature range of 287-313 K.     

Impact of meteorology and energy structure on solvent extractable organic compounds of PM2.5 in Beijing, China

Twenty-eight PM2.5 samples collected in Summer (July 2002) and Winter (November 2002) at two sites in Beijing, China were analyzed using GC/MS to investigate the impact of meteorology and coal burning on the solvent extractable organic compounds (SEOC). The characteristics and abundance of the n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), n-fatty acids and n-alkanols were determined. Source identification was made using organic species as molecular markers. Semi-volatile compounds of alkanes and PAHs had much higher concentrations in winter than summer because of the large difference in the temperature between the seasons. Plant wax emission was a major contributor to n-alkanes in summer, but fossil fuel residue was a major source (>80%) in winter. The seasonal differences in the distribution of pentacyclic triterpanes clearly shows the impact of coal burning for space heating in winter. The yield of PAHs in winter (148 ng m(-3) at the urban site and 277 ng m(-3) at the suburban site) was six to eight times higher than that in summer and was found to be mainly from coal burning. Higher pollutant concentrations were measured at the suburban site than the urban site in winter due to the rapid expansion of the city limit and the relocation of factories from urban to suburban areas over the last two decades.     

Overestimated role of sulfate in haze formation over Chinese megacities due to improper simulation of heterogeneous reactions

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Heterogeneous reactions involving aerosol water, i.e., haze chemistry, are responsible for high aerosol concentrations observed during severe haze events in...     

Adsorption of herring sperm DNA onto pine sawdust biochar: Thermodynamics and site energy distribution

● Adsorption of environmental deoxyribonucleic acid on biochar was studied. ● π−π interaction and electrostatic repulsion worked in the adsorption. ● Thermodynamics indicated the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. Environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA), which includes antibiotic resistance genes, is ubiquitous in the environment. The interactions between eDNA and biochar, a promising material widely used in soil amendment and water treatment, greatly affect the environmental behavior of eDNA. Hitherto few experimental evidences are available yet, especially on the information of thermodynamics and energy distribution to explains the interactions between biochar and eDNA. This study investigated the adsorption of herring sperm DNA (hsDNA) on pine sawdust biochar, with a specific emphasis on the adsorption thermodynamics and site energy distribution. The adsorption of hsDNA on biochar was enhanced by an increase in the pyrolysis and adsorption temperatures. The higher surface area, stronger π−π interaction, and weaker electrostatic repulsion between hsDNA and biochars prepared at high pyrolysis temperatures facilitated the adsorption of hsDNA. The thermodynamics indicated that the adsorption of hsDNA on biochar was spontaneous and endothermic. Therefore, higher temperature was beneficial for the adsorption of hsDNA on biochar; this was well explained by the increase in E^* and F(E^*) with the adsorption temperature. These results are useful for evaluating the migration and transformation of eDNA in the presence of biochar.     

Exploring uncertainty of the change from ICD-9 to ICD-10 on acute mortality effects of air pollution

The change in ICD coding from ICD-9 to ICD-10 may produce inconsistencies and discontinuities in cause-specific mortality, thus impacting on effects estimates of air pollution on mortality. The current study was conducted in Wuhan, China. We examined the concordant rates and Kappa statistics using the mortality data from the year 2002 coded with both ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes and compared the estimated effects of air pollution using the Generalized Additive Model in R. We found high concordant rates (>99.3%) and Kappa statistics close to 1.0 (>0.98). Little difference was identified in the estimated effects of air pollution on daily cardiovascular, stroke, cardiac, cardiopulmonary, and respiratory mortality. This study provides evidence that, based on the wide definitions of cause-specific morality typically used in the studies of time-series air pollution mortality, the change in the ICD coding does not significantly affect the estimated effects of air pollution.