Degradation of PVC Containing Mixtures in the Presence of HCl Fixators

Degradation of a model polymer mixture (PVC/PS/PE) and a waste polymer mixture in the presence of HCl fixators (Red Mud, precipitated CaCO₃ and dolamite) was studied using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and a cycled-spheres-reactor. The experiments in cycled-spheres reactor model were performed by stepwise pyrolysis. Liquid products and HCl from each step were collected separately. For the model polymer mixture, the precipitated CaCO₃ showed the best effect on the fixation of evolved HCl and the reduction of chlorine content in the liquid products whereas RM yielded the best result for the waste polymer mixture. In addition, using HCl fixator also affected the degradation of both types of polymer mixture, leading to the formation of more gaseous and less residue.     

微孔曝气与覆盖对城市重污染河道底泥磷形态分布及释放过程的影响

采用自行研发的泥-水界面微孔曝气系统,开展了底泥表面曝气和覆盖对城市重污染河道底泥磷释放及形态分布规律的影响研究.结果表明,微孔曝气能够有效提高上覆水的溶解氧(DO)和沉积物的氧化还原电位(Eh),能够将泥-水界面Eh维持在-100 m V左右,DO提高到6 mg·L-1以上.与对照比较,原位覆盖处理的上覆水DO和Eh有一定提高,但仍明显低于微孔曝气处理.与对照相比较,微孔曝气处理均有效降低上覆水中总磷(TP)和溶解性正磷酸盐(PO3-4)的含量.试验结束时,微孔曝气(A)和微孔曝气+原位覆盖处理(A+C)上覆水中TP含量由初始的0.201 mg·L-1分别降至0.062 mg·L-1和0.050 mg·L-1;上覆水中PO3-4含量由0.086 mg·L-1和0.078 mg·L-1分别降至0.026 mg·L-1和0.023 mg·L-1.与对照相比,微孔曝气处理明显降低了底泥间隙水中TP的浓度,在整个培养期间,其TP含量平均下降38.8%(A)和47.9%(A+C).底泥原位覆盖处理对抑制泥-水界面磷释放能力要弱于微孔曝气处理,而且在试验后期(50 d),上覆水中TP和PO3-4的含量均有所反弹.不管有无覆盖,泥-水界面微孔曝气处理均显著改变了表层底泥磷形态分布特征,显著降低了底泥中铁铝结合态磷(Fe/Al-P)组分比例,而钙结合态磷(Ca-P)含量比例却出现明显增加.单一的表面覆盖处理对底泥磷形态分布特征没有显著影响(P0.05).研究表明,与单一的处理效果相比较,泥-水界面纳米微孔曝气处理,并结合底泥原位覆盖,更有利于抑制城市重污染河道泥-水界面中磷的释放风险.     

Degradation of azo dyes in water by Electro-Fenton process

The degradation of the azo dyes azobenzene, p-methyl red and methyl orange in aqueous solution at room temperature has been studied by an advanced electrochemical oxidation process (AEOPs) under potential-controlled electrolysis conditions, using a Pt anode and a carbon felt cathode. The electrochemical production of Fenton's reagent (H₂O₂, Fe²⁺) allows a controlled in situ generation of hydroxyl radicals (^·OH) by simultaneous reduction of dioxygen and ferrous ions on the carbon felt electrode. In turn, hydroxyl radicals react with azo dyes, thus leading to their mineralization into CO₂ and H₂O. The chemical composition of the azo dyes and their degradation products during electrolysis were monitored by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The following degradation products were identified: hydroquinone, 1,4-benzoquinone, pyrocatechol, 4-nitrocatechol, 1,3,5-trihydroxynitrobenzene and p-nitrophenol. Degradation of the initial azo dyes was assessed by the measurement of the chemical oxygen demand (COD). Kinetic analysis of these data showed a pseudo-first order degradation reaction for all azo dyes. A pathway of degradation of azo dyes is proposed. Specifically, the degradation of dyes and intermediates proceeds by oxidation of azo bonds and aromatic ring by hydroxyl radicals. The results display the efficiency of the Electro-Fenton process to degrade organic matter. Electronic Publication     

Impacts of atmospheric pollution on the plant communities of British acid grasslands

Air pollutants are recognised as important agents of ecosystem change but few studies consider the effects of multiple pollutants and their interactions. Here we use ordination, constrained cluster analysis and indicator value analyses to identify potential environmental controls on species composition, ecological groupings and indicator species in a gradient study of UK acid grasslands. The community composition of these grasslands is related to climate, grazing, ozone exposure and nitrogen deposition, with evidence for an interaction between the ecological impacts of base cation and nitrogen deposition. Ozone is a key agent in species compositional change but is not associated with a reduction in species richness or diversity indices, showing the subtly different drivers on these two aspects of ecosystem degradation. Our results demonstrate the effects of multiple interacting pollutants, which may collectively have a greater impact than any individual agent.     

The Influence of Mycorrhiza on Uranium and Phosphorus Uptake by Barley Plants from a Field-contaminated Soil (7 pp)

Background Recent studies indicated that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play important roles in plant accumulation of uranium (U) from contaminated environments, but the impacts of fertilization practices on functioning of the symbiotic associations, which are crucial factors influencing plant nutrition and growth responses to mycorrhiza, have rarely been considered. Materials and Methods In a greenhouse experiment, a bald root barley mutant (brb) together with the wild type (wt) were used to test the role of root hairs and AMF in uranium (U) uptake by host plants from a U contaminated soil. Nil, 20 and 60 mg KH2PO4-P kg–1 soil were included to investigate the influences of phosphorus (P) fertilization on plant growth and accumulation of U. Results Dry matter yield of barley plants increased with increasing P additions and wt produced significantly higher dry weight than brb. Mycorrhiza markedly improved dry matter yield of both genotypes grown at nil P, whereas only brb responded positively to mycorrhiza at 20 mg P kg-1. At the highest P level, mycorrhiza resulted in growth depressions in both genotypes, except for the roots of wt. In general, plant P concentrations increased markedly with increasing P additions and in response to mycorrhiza. Mycorrhiza and P additions had no significant effects on shoot U concentrations. However, root U concentrations in both genotypes were significantly increased by mycorrhiza. On the other hand, shoot U contents increased with increasing P levels, while 20 mg P kg-1 stimulated, but 60 mg P kg-1 marginally affected the U accumulation in roots. Root length specific U uptake was moderately enhanced both by root hairs and strongly enhanced by mycorrhiza. Moreover, non-inoculated plants generally had higher shoot-root ratios of U content than the corresponding inoculated controls. Conclusion Our study shows that AMF and root hairs improves not only P acquisition but also the root uptake of U, and mycorrhiza generally decreases U translocation from plant root to shoot. Hence, mycorrhiza is of potential use in the phytostabilization of U contaminated environments. Perspectives The complex impacts of P on U accumulation by barley plants suggested that U behavior in mycorrhizosphere and translocation along the soil-fungi-plant continuum as affected by fertilization practices deserve extensive studies for optimizing the function of mycorrhizal associations for phytoremediation purposes.     

Cyanide Removal by Chinese Vegetation. Quantification of the Michaelis-Menten Kinetics (6 pp)

Background Little is known about metabolism rates of environmental chemicals by vegetation. A good model compound to study the variation of rates among plant species is cyanide. Vascular plants possess an enzyme system that detoxifies cyanide by converting it to the amino acid asparagine. Knowledge of the kinetic parameters, the half-saturation constant (Km) and the maximum metabolic capacity (vmax), is very useful for enzyme characterization and biochemical purposes. The goal of this study is to find the enzyme kinetics (KM and vmax) during cyanide metabolism in the presence of Chinese vegetation, to provide quantitative data for engineered phytoremediation, and to investigate the variation of metabolic rates of plants. Methods Detached leaves (1.0 g fresh weight) from 12 species out of 9 families were kept in glass vessels with 100 mL of aqueous solution spiked with potassium cyanide at 23°C for 28 h. Four different treatment concentrations of cyanide were used, ranging from 0.44 to 7.69 mg CN/L. The disappearance of cyanide from the aqueous solution was analyzed spectrophotometrically. Realistic values of the half-saturation constant (KM) and the maximum metabolic capacity (vmax) were estimated by a computer program using non-linear regression treatments. As a comparison, Lineweaver-Burk plots were also used to estimate the kinetic parameters. Results and Discussion The values obtained for KM and vmax varied with plant species. Using non-linear regression treatments, values of vmax and KM were found in a range between 6.68 and 21.91 mg CN/kg/h and 0.90 to 3.15 mg CN/L, respectively. The highest vmax was by Chinese elder (Sambucus chinensis), followed by upright hedge-parsley (Torilis japonica). The lowest vmax was demonstrated by the hybrid willow (Salix matssudana x alba). However, the highest KM was found in the water lily (Nymphea teragona), followed by the poplar (Populus deltoides Marsh). The lowest KM was demonstrated by corn (Zea mays L.). The values of vmax were normally distributed with a mean of 13 mg CN/kg/h. Conclusions Significant removal of cyanide from aqueous solution was observed in the presence of plant materials without phytotoxicity, even at high doses of cyanide. This gives rise to the conclusion that the Chinese plant species used in this study are all able to efficiently metabolize cyanide, although with different maximum metabolic capacities. A second conclusion is that the variation of metabolism rates between species is small. All these plants had a similar KM, indicating the same enzyme is active in all plants. Recommendations and Outlook Detoxification of cyanide with trees seems to be a feasible option for cleaning soils and water contaminated with cyanide. For phytoremediation projects, screening appropriate plant species adapted to local conditions should be seriously considered. More chemicals should be investigated to find common principles of the metabolism of environmental chemicals by plants.     

Atmospheric BTEX concentrations in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery of the Baltic region

Among chemical industries, petroleum refineries have been identified as large emitters of a wide variety of pollutants. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) form an important group of aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because of their role in the troposphere chemistry and the risk posed to human health. A very large crude oil refinery of the Baltic States (200,000 bbl/day) is situated in the northern, rural part of Lithuania, 10 km from the town of Ma?eikiai (Lithuania). The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine of atmospheric levels of BTEX in the region rural and urban parts at the vicinity of the crude oil refinery; and (2) to investigate the effect of meteorological parameters (wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pressure, humidity) on the concentrations measured. The averaged concentration of benzene varied from 2.12 ppbv in the rural areas to 2.75 ppbv in the urban areas where the traffic was determined to be a dominant source of BTEX emissions. Our study showed that concentration of benzene, as strictly regulated air pollutant by EU Directive 2008/50/EC, did not exceed the limit of 5 ppbv in the region in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery during the investigated period. No significant change in air quality in the vicinity of the oil refinery was discovered, however, an impact of the industry on the background air quality was detected. The T/B ratio (0.50-0.81) that was much lower than 2.0, identified other sources of pollution than traffic.     

Engaging stakeholders in research to address water–energy–food (WEF) nexus challenges

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus has become a popular, and potentially powerful, frame through which to analyse interactions and interdependencies between these three systems. Though the case for transdisciplinary research in this space has been made, the extent of stakeholder engagement in research remains limited with stakeholders most commonly incorporated in research as end-users. Yet, stakeholders interact with nexus issues in a variety of ways, consequently there is much that collaboration might offer to develop nexus research and enhance its application. This paper outlines four aspects of nexus research and considers the value and potential challenges for transdisciplinary research in each. We focus on assessing and visualising nexus systems; understanding governance and capacity building; the importance of scale; and the implications of future change. The paper then proceeds to describe a novel mixed-method study that deeply integrates stakeholder knowledge with insights from multiple disciplines. We argue that mixed-method research designs—in this case orientated around a number of cases studies—are best suited to understanding and addressing real-world nexus challenges, with their inevitable complex, non-linear system characteristics. Moreover, integrating multiple forms of knowledge in the manner described in this paper enables research to assess the potential for, and processes of, scaling-up innovations in the nexus space, to contribute insights to policy and decision making.     

Deposits on single use containers--a social cost-benefit analysis of the Danish deposit system for single use drink containers.

This study compares the social costs and environmental benefits of collecting single use drink containers through the Danish deposit system with the social costs and benefits of treating the containers as part of the municipal waste-disposal system. It focuses on single use polyethylene terphthalate and glass bottles, and steel and aluminium cans. The social costs of handling these containers in the deposit system includes the costs of collection, sorting, and transportation, adjusted against the profit from selling the collected material for recycling. The social cost of incinerating these containers as municipal waste consists of the expenses for the collection, incineration of the containers and disposal of ashes. If there is any income from energy generation accompanying incineration, this is adjusted against costs. The main environmental effects related to both strategies are quantified, valuated and included in the assessment. The results of the analysis show that there are significant social costs compared to the benefits connected with the new deposit system. This is true for all four types of single use drink containers examined. All in all, Denmark bears a net social cost of 6.7 to 8.1 million Euros per year compared to a baseline of incineration with energy recovery.     

The effect of advanced oxidation processes on leachate biodegradation in recycling lysimeters.

Landfill processes were simulated in laboratory-scale bioreactors--lysimeters. The changes in leachate characteristics as well as the influence of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) on the processes taking place in the sanitary landfill were investigated. Lysimeters were filled with material simulating municipal waste in the city of Lodz, Poland. Compost in the amount of 30% w/w and the methanogens inoculum were added in order to enhance development of a methanogenic phase. The leachate produced in lysimeters was recirculated. In order to investigate the influence of AOPs implementation on processes taking place in landfills two runs in lysimeters were performed, each lasting about 250 days. The leachate composition and biogas composition and production changes showed trends that confirmed that the bench-scale lysimeters appeared suitable to simulate processes taking place in the landfill. The application of AOPs to the leachate recirculated into the lysimeters did not bring about unequivocally positive effects. The ozonation of the leachate, implemented at the beginning of the methanogenic phase, caused slight acceleration (about 2 weeks) of the biodegradation, whereas employment of H2O2/UV led to the inhibition of anaerobic processes.