Assessment of tap water quality and corrosion scales from the selected distribution systems in northern Pakistan

Corrosion deposits formed within drinking water distribution systems deteriorate drinking water quality and resultantly cause public health consequences. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the concurrent conditions of corrosion scales and the drinking water quality in selected water supply schemes (WSS) in districts Chitral, Peshawar, and Abbottabad, northern Pakistan. Characterization analyses of the corrosion by-products revealed the presence of α-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, Fe₃O₄, and SiO₂ as major constituents with different proportions. The constituents of all the representative XRD peaks of Peshawar WSS were found insignificant as compared to other WSS, and the reason could be the variation of source water quality. Well-crystallized particles in SEM images indicated the formation of dense oxide layer on corrosion by-products. A wider asymmetric vibration peak of SiO₂ appeared only in Chitral and Abbottabad WSS, which demonstrated higher siltation in the water source. One-way ANOVA analysis showed significant variations in pH, turbidity, TDS, K, Mg, PO₄, Cl, and SO₄ values, which revealed that these parameters differently contributed to the source water quality. Findings from this study suggested the implementation of proper corrosion prevention measures and the establishment of international collaboration for best corrosion practices, expertise, and developing standards.     

Effect of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, and As) on the ultrastructure of Sargassum pallidum in Daya Bay, China

Concentrations of Cu, Pb, and As were determined in seawater, surface sediment, Sargassum pallidum collected from the Daya Bay, China. The influence of metal contamination on the marine alga was investigated at chemical and ultrastructural level. Mean concentrations of Cu (19.44 mg kg^?1) and Pb (33.99 mg kg^?1) were found to be high in sediment, whereas concentration of As (122.29 mg kg^?1) in S. pallidum was higher than that in water and sediment. The ultrastructure of S. pallidum cells was anomalous and aberrant. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopic analysis revealed that the nanometal particles in the form of comparatively high-electron density substance diffused in the cell structures constituted by Cu, Pb, As, etc. There is a remarkable similarity or correspondence in the anomalous elements between the geochemistry and the botanic cell, and the heavy metals have potential hazardous effect on the ocean ecology system in Daya Bay.     

Fraction characteristics of rare earth elements in the surface sediment of Bohai Bay, North China

Surface sediment samples were collected at 27 stations of Bohai Bay, North China. Sequential extractions were carried out in this study. REE were leached out from four labile fractions: Exchangeable (L1), bound to carbonates (L2), bound to Fe–Mn oxides (L3), bound to organic matter (L4), and the remainder was residual (R5). The total contents of REE fluctuate slightly in Bohai Bay, and are mainly concentrated in the middle region, showing relatively higher levels in the north than that in the south of Bohai Bay. Percentages of L1, L2, L3, L4, and R5 for REE suggest that the residual fraction accounts for the major component of REE, whereas Fe–Mn oxides also play important roles in combining labile REE. As the REE complex is not stabilized, the competition of complex could induce dissociation of the complex and redistribution of the REE in various environments. According to REE patterns and Y/Ho ratios of samples, REE are not anthropogenic or oceanic sources but riverine input, whereas suitable environment varieties can slightly affect the patterns and fractionations of REE. As powerful tracers for the variable of environment, higher anomaly of Eu and Ce in southern regions indicates a greater reduction in the condition of surface sediment in the south than that in the north of Bohai Bay.     

Research on the alternatives in a strategic environmental assessment based on the extension theory

The main purpose of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is to facilitate the early consideration of potential environmental impacts in decision-making processes. SEA alternative identification is a core issue within the SEA framework. However, the current methods of SEA alternative formulation and selection are constrained by the limited setting range and lack of scientific evaluation. Thus, the current paper attempts to provide a new methodology based on the extension theory to identify a range of alternatives and screen the best one. Extension planning is applied to formulate a set of alternatives that satisfy the reasonable interests of the stakeholders. Extension priority evaluation is used to assess and optimize the alternatives and present a scientific methodology for the SEA alternative study. Thereafter, the urban traffic plan of Dalian City is used as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of the new method. The traffic planning scheme and the environmental protection scheme are organically combined based on the extension theory, and the reliability and practicality of this approach are examined.     

成都府南河叶绿素a和氮、磷的分布特征与富营养化研究

通过对成都市府南河上中下游共21个断面叶绿素a和总溶解态氮(TDN)、总溶解态磷(TDP)含量的测定,绘制时空分布图,并应用SPSS 13.0统计软件分析了3个指标之间的相关性,初步评价了府南河的富营养化状况。结果表明,府南河叶绿素a含量不高,磷污染较为严重;相关性分析显示叶绿素a和TDP含量呈显著正相关关系,氮是河水富营养化的主要限制因子;按照叶绿素a的含量判定府南河基本属于贫营养化型,但按照氮、磷含量评价已达到富营养化水平。这对评价城市河流的富营养化状态及生态环境整治和恢复有着积极意义。     

攀西区域涉重金属典型企业周边环境特征及潜在生态风险

通过对攀西区域安宁河流域的7个断面底泥以及该区域17家典型涉重金属工业周边土壤进行环境质量状况调查和生态风险评价,结果显示,底泥中6种重金属砷、铬、铅、镉、汞和钒含量在凉山州境内特别是冕宁县断面含量最高,污染最重,攀枝花境内米易县部分含量较低;底泥中铅、镉和砷等出现了中重度污染,且钒和铬含量、砷和镉含量之间分别呈极显著和显著相关,同源性特征明显,土壤中镉超标范围最广,超标程度最重且呈面状重度风险,钒和汞超标范围较大,汞出现较重风险,其余为低度风险。     

高效液相色谱-电喷雾离子源-串联三重四极杆质谱法分析地表水中高氯酸盐

建立了高效液相色谱-电喷雾离子源-串联三重四极杆质谱(HPLC-ESI-MS/MS)测定地表水中高氯酸盐的方法。以Dionex IonPac AG20阴离子交换柱为分析柱,弱碱性的0.056%氨水/5 mmol/L乙酸氨为流动相,1.0 mL/min的流速,电喷雾负离子模式电离,MS/MS串联质谱为检测器,多反应监测(MRM)模式检测高氯酸盐。方法检出限达0.043μg/L,线性范围为0.2~50μg/L,线性相关系数为0.999 4,含量分别约为2、6、30μg/L的实际样品进样10次得到的相对标准偏差分别为2.47%、4.55%、0.49%,样品加标回收率在80%~109%,将该法与US EPA method314.0进行比对,结果基本吻合。     

京津冀典型城市采暖季颗粒物浓度与元素分布特征

选择京津冀地区3个典型城市和从南至北的4个国家大气背景站作为研究对象,收集采暖季空气颗粒物PM2.5、PM10样品,微波消解-ICP-MS法分析了样品中的68种元素。结果表明,北京、天津、石家庄PM2.5和PM10日均质量浓度均高于国家二级标准限值和背景点,一元线性回归分析结果表明,PM10与PM2.5质量浓度呈线性相关,Na、Mg、Al、S、K、Ca、Fe质量浓度为0.1~10μg/m3,Si、P、Ti、Mn、Ni、Cu、Zn、Ba、Pb质量浓度为10~100 ng/m3,其他元素质量浓度为0.01~10 ng/m3或未检出。在元素构成上,S、Na、Al、K、Fe、Mg、Ca、P、Si等是主要元素,元素含量均大于1%。其他微量元素每种元素含量为0.1%~1%。14种重点防控重金属在PM2.5中的吸附显著高于PM10,主要来源于燃煤、燃油、工业排放、机动车尾气等。