Use of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for environmental quality assessment of peri-urban agriculture

Urban expansion into traditional agricultural lands has augmented the potential for heavy metal contamination of soils. This study examined the utility of field portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) spectrometry for evaluating the environmental quality of sugarcane fields near two industrial complexes in Louisiana, USA. Results indicated that PXRF provided quality results of heavy metal levels comparable to traditional laboratory analysis. When coupled with global positioning system technology, the use of PXRF allows for on-site interpolation of heavy metal levels in a matter of minutes. Field portable XRF was shown to be an effective tool for rapid assessment of heavy metals in soils of peri-urban agricultural areas.     

Efficient oxidation of bisphenol A with oxysulfur radicals generated by iron-catalyzed autoxidation of sulfite at circumneutral pH under UV irradiation

There is actually a need for efficient methods to clean waters and wastewaters from pollutants such as the bisphenol A endocrine disrupter. Advanced oxidation processes currently use persulfate or peroxymonosulfate to generate sulfate radicals. There are, however, few reports on the use of sulfite to generate sulfate radicals, instead of persulfate or peroxymonosulfate, except for dyes. Here we studied the degradation of the bisphenol A using iron(III) as catalyst and sulfite as precursor of oxysulfur radicals, at initial pH of 6, under UV irradiation at 395 nm. The occurrence of radicals was checked by quenching with tert-butyl alcohol and ethanol. Bisphenol A degradation products were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Results reveal that iron(III) or iron(II) have a similar oxidation efficiency. Quenching experiments show that the oxidation rate of bisphenol A is 47.7 % for SO ₄ ^·? , 37.3 % for SO ₅ ^·? and 15 % for HO^·. Bisphenol A degradation products include catechol and quinone derivatives. Overall, our findings show that the photo-iron(III)–sulfite system is efficient for the oxidation of bisphenol A at circumneutral pH.     

Development of source profiles and their application in source apportionment of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> in Xiamen,China

Ambient PM_2.5 samples were collected at four sites in Xiamen, including Gulangyu (GLY), Hongwen (HW), Huli (HL) and Jimei (JM) during January, April, July and October 2013. Local source samples were obtained from coal burning power plants, industries, motor vehicles, biomass burning, fugitive dust, and sea salt for the source apportionment studies. The highest value of PM_2.5 mass concentration and species related to human activities (SO₄ ^2–, NO₃ ^–, Pb, Ni, V, Cu, Cd, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC)) were found in the ambient samples from HL, and the highest and lowest loadings of PM_2.5 and its components occurred in winter and summer, respectively. The reconstructed mass balance indicated that ambient PM_2.5 consisted of 24% OM (organic matter), 23% sulfate, 14% nitrate, 9% ammonium, 9% geological material, 6% sea salt, 5% EC and 10% others. For the source profiles, the dominant components were OC for coal burning, motor vehicle, biomass burning and sea salt; SO₄ ^2– for industry; and crustal elements for fugitive dust. Source contributions were calculated using a chemical mass balance (CMB) model based on ambient PM_2.5 concentrations and the source profiles. GLY was characterized by high contributions from secondary sulfate and cooking, while HL and JM were most strongly affected by motor vehicle emissions, and biomass burning and fugitive dust, respectively. The CMB results indicated that PM_2.5 from Xiamen is composed of 27.4% secondary inorganic components, 20.8% motor vehicle emissions, 11.7% fugitive dust, 9.9% sea salt, 9.3% coal burning, 5.0% biomass burning, 3.1% industry and 6.8% others.

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Modeling change in forest biomass across the eastern US

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Predictions of above-ground biomass and the change in above-ground biomass require attachment of uncertainty due the range of reported predictions for...     

蛋白组学分析揭示出阿特拉津对非洲爪蟾的生殖毒性源于其诱导生殖细胞凋亡并干扰紧密连接蛋白和代谢相关信号通路

阿特拉津可对雄性脊椎动物生殖系统造成不良影响,但其中分子机制尚不明了。本文作者将非洲爪蟾(Xenopus laevis)暴露于100 ppb的阿特拉津120 d,利用同位素标记相对和绝对定量(iTRAQ)技术检测了非洲爪蟾睾丸和卵巢中蛋白图谱的变化,结果显示100 ppb阿特拉津可影响爪蟾发育,延迟和阻碍雄性细精管的形成。组学分析显示,睾丸中143种以及卵巢中121种蛋白均表达异常,这些蛋白与细胞凋亡、细胞间紧密连接以及代谢途径相关。
精选自Xiuping Chen, Jiamei Wang, Haojun Zhu, Jiatong Ding and Yufa Peng. Proteomics analysis of Xenopus laevis gonad tissue following chronic exposure to atrazine. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Volume 34, Issue 8, pages 1744–1750, August 2015. DOI: 10.1002/etc.2980
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.2980/full     

MBBR-SA工艺处理模拟大豆深加工废水厌氧出水及污泥减量化

针对大豆深加工高浓度有机废水厌氧出水的特点,采用移动床生物膜反应器-沉淀池-厌氧池(MBBR-SA)工艺进行处理,重点考察了其COD去除、脱氮以及污泥减量化的性能。处理前厌氧出水水质参数为COD 1 350～1 851 mg/L、TN 45～73 mg/L和TP 35～55 mg/L。结果表明,经过70 d的运行,在最佳水力停留时间(HRT)1.68 d与最佳回流比0.75条件下,出水平均COD、TN和NH4+-N浓度分别为91.5、12.4和11.4 mg/L,分别达到了《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》二级标准、二级标准和一级B标准,其平均去除率分别为96.0%、87.4%和88.3%;该工艺未排放剩余污泥,其表观污泥产率为0.13,比MBBR降低了43.5%,具有明显的污泥减量化特性。     

喀斯特地区丛枝菌根真菌多样性研究进展

丛枝菌根真菌（Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi,AM真菌）在喀斯特地区生态修复中具有潜在的可利用性,关于喀斯特地区AM真菌多样性以及生态功能的研究已成为近年来的热点问题。本文归纳了喀斯特地区分离出的AM真菌名录,旨在为喀斯特高效生态修复菌种筛选提供支撑材料。综述了喀斯特地区土壤石灰性、营养物质匮乏、空间异质性强,植被逆向演替、植物种类多样等特点对喀斯特地区AM真菌多样性的影响规律,总结了AM真菌对于喀斯特地区土壤结构、营养元素循环、植物抗旱性、植物个体养分吸收、植被演替方面的生理生态功能及作用机理,以期为喀斯特地区AM真菌适生性研究、AM真菌潜在生态功能有效利用、AM真菌-植物共生体系筛选与培育等环节做出指引,为菌根技术在喀斯特生态修复中的应用提供理论基础。未来的研究应进一步深入探究AM真菌多样性影响机制,探讨AM真菌与植物适生性之间的关系,以及加强AM真菌-植物共生体系筛选与培育。     

纳米二氧化钛(nTiO_2)与双酚A对斜生栅藻(Scenedes-mus obliquus)的联合毒性效应

纳米二氧化钛(n Ti O2)在被人们广泛使用的同时,其潜在的环境影响也受到越来越多的关注。为深入探讨n Ti O2与环境中现有污染物的相互作用及生物效应,以斜生栅藻(Scenedesmus obliquus)为受试生物,按照毒性单位法、相加指数法和混合毒性指数法,研究了n Ti O2与双酚A(BPA,一种常见的环境类雌激素)的联合毒性效应。结果显示,n Ti O2与BPA对S.obliquus生长的72 h半抑制浓度(EC50)分别为28.7 mg·L-1与1.81 mg·L-1。而n Ti O2与BPA共存时,在不同毒性比(4:1,3:1,2:1,1:1,1:2和1:3)下,其联合毒性作用(以BPA计)的72 h EC50值分别为2.198,1.58,1.153,0.428,0.306和0.189 mg·L-1。两者的联合毒性作用不仅仅是简单的相加,而是随着两者毒性比的变化,由拮抗作用转变为相加作用,继而转变为协同作用。这表明,n Ti O2进入环境后与现有污染物的毒性比(浓度比)可能是其联合毒性作用模式的一个重要影响因素。