Optimization of photo-Fenton process parameters on carbofuran degradation using central composite design

Carbofuran, one of the most toxic and biorefractory carbamate compounds, is widely used in insecticides in Taiwan (9-18% of total insecticides production per year). In the present study, a central composite design experiment was used to study the effect of photo-Fenton treatment on carbofuran solution and to optimize the process variables such as carbofuran concentration (1-100 mg L(-1)), H(2)O(2) dosage rate (0.25-6 mg L(-1) min(-1)) and Fe(3+) dosage (1-50 mg L(-1)), which influenced the efficiency of carbofuran degradation and mineralization. The results indicated that all the variables investigated in this study had significant roles in the degradation and mineralization of carbofuran in solution. The carbofuran degradation and mineralization efficiencies were increased with increase in H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage, and with decrease in carbofuran concentration. Furthermore, optimum values of both H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage were found to shift to higher values as carbofuran concentration increased. Based on the model obtained in this study, optimum H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage were found to be 4 mg L(-1) min(-1) and 20 mg L(-1), respectively, for 51 mg L(-1) of carbofuran concentration. Under these conditions, carbofuran was completely removed within 30 min and coupled with 78% mineralization at the end of experiment.     

凹凸棒石粘土固定辣根过氧化物酶处理含酚废水

采用凹凸棒石粘土、可溶性淀粉和工业水玻璃作为制备凹凸棒石粘土基颗粒的材料,并将制备的凹凸棒石粘土基颗粒进行改性,得到了改性后的凹凸棒石基多孔材料,并将其作为固定辣根过氧化物酶的载体,再应用于含酚废水的处理研究,取得了良好的效果。实验结果表明,辣根过氧化物酶的最佳固定化条件为:单位酶活载体量1 mg、固定化时间1.5小时、固定pH值5。并且在固定化酶循环使用6次后,苯酚去除率仍能达到62.3%。     

微波诱导AC/Cu、AC/Fe催化非均相Fenton 反应催化降解垃圾渗滤液

采用活性炭载体负载Cu、Fe为催化剂,在微波诱导作用下,对垃圾渗滤液污染物进行降解。实验结果表明,活性炭负载金属前经适当浓度硝酸浸泡处理后,催化剂对COD去除率提高可超过15%,过高硝酸盐浓度对COD去除有不利影响;催化剂对COD去除率随Cu、Fe金属负载量增加呈先增加后降低的趋势,催化剂对Cu、Fe的最佳负载量分别为质量百分比2.11%和1.12%。对于AC-Cu体系,在初始pH=3,H2O2投加量为4.98×103mg/L,催化剂用量为5.0×103mg/L,420 W功率下微波辐射10 min时,垃圾渗滤液COD去除率可达到84.13%;对于AC-Fe体系,当H2O2投加量为0.33×103mg/L,催化剂AC-Fe用量为2.0×104mg/L,420 W功率下微波作用10 min时,垃圾渗滤液COD去除率为60.16%。分析2种催化剂对COD去除差异的原因,可能是催化剂AC-Cu表面单分子分布的阈值比AC-Fe高。降解液的pH值对AC-Cu体系、AC-Fe体系COD去除影响存在拐点,最高COD去除率点对应的降解液pH值为3。微波辐射功率较低时,体系COD去除率随辐射功率增加而增加;辐射功率较高时,高温下垃圾渗滤液中有机硫化物分解成小分子硫化物,对催化剂活性存在一定抑制作用。     

Variation in Vegetation Structure and Soil Properties, and the Relation Between Understory Plants and Environmental Variables Under Different Phyllostachys pubescens Forests in Southeastern China

Biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are key sustainable forestry objectives. Research on the effects of bamboo forest management on plant diversity and soil properties are therefore necessary in bamboo-growing regions, such as southeastern China’s Shunchang County, that have not been studied from this perspective. We analyzed the effects of different Phyllostachys pubescens proportions in managed forests on vegetation structure and soil properties using pure Cunninghamia lanceolata forests as a contrast, and analyzed the relation between understory plants and environmental variables (i.e., topography, stand and soil characteristics) by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The forest with 80% P. pubescens and 20% hardwoods (such as Phoebe bournei, Jatropha curcas, Schima superba) maintained the highest plant diversity and best soil properties, with significantly higher plant diversity than the C. lanceolata forest, and better soil physicochemical and biological properties. The distribution of understory plants is highly related to environmental factors. Silvicultural disturbance strongly influenced the ability of different bamboo forests to maintain biodiversity and soil quality under extensive management, and the forest responses to management were consistent with the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis (i.e., diversity and soil properties were best at intermediate disturbance levels). Our results suggest that biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are important management goals for sustainable bamboo management. To achieve those objectives, managers should balance the inputs and outputs of nutrients and protect understory plants by using appropriate fertilizer (e.g., organic fertilizer), adjusting stand structure, modifying utilization model and the harvest time, and controlling the intensity of culms and shoots harvests.     

Combining a finite mixture distribution model with indicator kriging to delineate and map the spatial patterns of soil heavy metal pollution in Chunghua County, central Taiwan

This study identifies the natural background, anthropogenic background and distribution of contamination caused by heavy metal pollutants in soil in Chunghua County of central Taiwan by using a finite mixture distribution model (FMDM). The probabilities of contaminated area distribution are mapped using single-variable indicator kriging and multiple-variable indicator kriging (MVIK) with the FMDM cut-off values and regulation thresholds for heavy metals. FMDM results indicate that Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn can be individually fitted by a mixture model representing the background and contamination distributions of the four metals in soil. The FMDM cut-off values for contamination caused by the metals are close to the regulation thresholds, except for the cut-off value of Zn. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve validates that indicator kriging and MVIK with FMDM cut-off values can reliably delineate heavy metals contamination, particularly for areas lacking background information and high heavy metal concentrations in soil.     

Adsorption of arsenic(V) by iron-oxide-coated diatomite (IOCD)

Purposes and aims  

Economically efficient methods for removing arsenic from the drinking water supply are urgently needed in many parts of the world. Iron oxides are known to have a strong affinity for arsenic in water. However, they are commonly present in the forms of fine powder or floc, which limits their utility in water treatment. In this study, a novel granular adsorbent, iron-oxide-coated diatomite (IOCD), was developed and examined for its adsorption of arsenic from water.     

Cross-reactivity of anti-Salmonella egg-yolk antibodies to Salmonella serovars

The cross-reactivity of egg yolk antibodies specific to antigens of Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium to killed bacterial cells of common Salmonella serovars were tested using an indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Egg yolk antibodies were produced against purified fimbriae, flagella and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of S. Enteritidis strain ATCC13076 and flagella, LPS and outer membrane proteins (OMP) of S. Typhimurium strain ATCC13311. For immunological specificity of egg yolk antibodies against killed bacterial cells, we found that the titers of the anti-S. Enteritidis egg yolk antibodies were higher than those of the anti-S. Typhimurium antibodies. In the evaluation of cross-reactivity of these egg yolk antibodies to various Salmonella serovars, we observed that the anti-S. Enteritidis antibodies exhibited more specific affinity than those of the anti-S. Typhimurium antibodies. All S. Enteritidis strains reacted specifically with the anti-S. Enteritidis fimbrial and flagellar egg yolk antibody whereas anti-S. Enteritidis LPS and anti-S. Typhimurium LPS, OMP and flagellar antibodies displayed non-specific reactivity to all Salmonella serovars used in this study. This finding suggests that it may be possible to design a anti-fimbrial egg yolk antibody of S. Enteritidis as a diagnostic tool and a cocktail of OMP and LPS antigens of S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium could be used for administering broad spectrum passive immunity to protect against the colonization of pathogenic Salmonella strains in food animals.     

Measurement of the surface charge of ultrafine particles from laser printers and analysis of their electrostatic force

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) released from laser printers are electrostatically charged during the working processes of the devices, and the electrostatic force can obviously influence the dynamics of the particles. Due to the measurement difficulty and scarcity of relevant research, this issue was not reported. This study tried to address this issue through experimental measurement of the surface charge of UFPs and numerical investigation on the influence of electrostatic force on the dynamics of UFPs. A test chamber was set up to collect the UFPs, and the Scanning Electron Microscope was used to observe the morphologies of the UFPs. Based on the particle diameter and surface zeta potential, the surface charge of UFPs was calculated. The measurement results gave that particle emitted from laser printers are negatively charged and the average surface charge of particle emissions for four laser printers is in a range of about ?4.16 × 10^?17 to ?6.07 × 10^?17 C (～?260 to ?379 e). This paper also discussed the influence of electrostatic force on the dynamics of UFPs. According to the numerical investigation, it was found that, in the absence of electric field, the electrostatic force has to be considered when the surface charge is larger than 1 × 10^?16 C and when the UFP is very close to the wall with a distance of less than 0.01 m. These findings will guide constructively in predicting the dispersion and deposition of particles emitted from laser printers.     

SO2 inhalation causes synaptic injury in rat hippocampus via its derivatives in vivo

SO₂ remains a common air pollutant, almost half of the world’s population uses coal and biomass fuels for domestic energy. Limited evidence suggests that exposure to SO₂ may be associated with neurotoxicity and increased risk of hospitalization and mortality of many brain disorders. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which SO₂ causes harmful insults on neurons remains elusive. To explore the molecular mechanism of SO₂-induced neurotoxic effects in hippocampal neurons, we evaluated the synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus after exposure to SO₂ at various concentrations (3.5 and 7 mg m⁻³, 6 h d⁻¹, for 90 d) in vivo, and in primary cultured hippocampal neurons (DIV7 and DIV14) after the treatment of SO₂ derivatives in vitro. The results showed that SYP, PSD-95, NR-2B, p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB were consistently inhibited by SO₂/SO₂ derivatives in more mature hippocampal neurons in vivo and in vitro, while the effects were opposite in young hippocampal neurons. Our results indicated that in young neurons, SO₂ exposure produced neuronal insult is similar to ischemic injury; while in more mature neurons, SO₂ exposure induced synaptic dysfunctions might participate in cognitive impairment. The results implied that SO₂ inhalation could cause different neuronal injury during brain development, and suggested that the molecular mechanisms might be involved in the changes of synaptic plasticity.