Differences of the oxidation process and secondary organic aerosol formation at low and high precursor concentrations

Current atmospheric quality models usually underestimate the level of ambient secondary organic aerosol(SOA), one of the possible reasons is that the precursors at different concentrations may undergo different oxidation processes and further affect SOA formation. Therefore, there is a need to perform more chamber studies to disclose the influence. In this work, SOA formation over a wide range of initial precursor concentrations(tens of ppb to hundreds of ppb levels) was investigated in a 30 m3 indoor smog chamber,and mainly through the analysis of multiple generations of VOCs detected from HR-To FPTRMS to expound the difference in the oxidation process between low and high precursor concentrations. Compared to high initial concentrations, gas-phase intermediates formed at low concentrations had a higher intensity by about one order of magnitude, and the lowvolatility compounds also had a higher formation potential due to the competition between semi-volatile intermediates and precursors with oxidants. In addition, the formed SOA was more oxidized with higher f44 value(0.14 ± 0.02) and more relevant to real atmosphere than that formed at high concentrations. This work should help to deeply understand SOA formation and improve the performance of air quality models for SOA simulation.     

Copper biosorption on immobilized seaweed biomass： Column breakthrough characteristics

The biosorption of copper by the brown seaweed Sargassum baccularia,immobilized onto polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)gel beads, was investigated with fixed-bed experiments.Laboratory-scale column tests were performed to determine breakthrough curves with varying flow rates and feed concentrations.A theoretical fixed-bed model,known as the Bohart-Adams equation,was evaluated in simulating the experimental breakthrough curves.The Bohart-Adams model qualitatively predicted the breakthrough trends.PVA- immobilized seaweed biomass beads were amenable to efficient regeneration with aqueous solution containing the chelating agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA).The biosorbent retained most of its original uptake capacity over three cycles of use.The excellent reusability of the biosorbent could lead to the development of a viable metal remediation technology.     

Determining the equilibrium partitioning coefficients of volatile organic compounds at an air-water interface

The single equilibration technique (SET) was adopted to determine the partitioning coefficients (pc) at an air-water interface for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including ethanol, iso-propanol (IPA), iso-butanol (IBA), methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and toluene, all extensively used in industrial processes. Standard SET procedures were established. The liquid concentrations (CL) of tested VOCs ranged from 10 to 125 mg l(-1) for alcohols and MEK, and from 0.5 to 20 mg l(-1) for toluene. The temperatures (Tw) of aqueous VOC solutions were maintained at 27, 32, 38 and 42 degrees C to determine the gaseous concentrations at equilibrium (Cg*) and pc of VOCs, using the formula pc=(Cg*/CL). Results reveal that the pc values of all tested components increase slowly with Tw given a constant CL, and that the pc of alcohols and MEK fall as CL increases at a constant Tw. In contrast, the pc of toluene is not significantly impacted by a variation in CL at a constant Tw. However, the effect of CL concentration has seldom been discussed. The heats of liquid and gaseous phase transfer (DeltaHtr) of VOC, and the highly linear regression (with squared correlation coefficients, R2, from 0.901 to 0.999) between lnCg* and Tw(-1) are also evaluated. The experimental results and the VOC mass transfer characteristics are helpful for evaluating the emission of VOC from the water surface of wastewater treatment facilities.     

Enhanced adsorption of arsenate on titanium dioxide using Ca and Mg ions

In this study, we report the effects of pH and divalent cations on the adsorption of arsenate (As(V)) by titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles. The extent of As(V) adsorption on TiO₂ decreased with increasing pH due to the decrease of positively charged binding sites on the TiO₂ surface. The Langmuir maximum uptake capacity at pH 4 is about three times higher than that at pH 7. Here we show that the relatively low As(V) uptake at circumneutral pH could be substantially enhanced by the addition of common divalent cations such as magnesium and calcium. At a concentration of approximately 7 mM, magnesium and calcium increased the extent of As(V) adsorption from 2.1 to 6.5 and 7.7 mg As(V)/g TiO₂, respectively.     

Effects of cement on redistribution of trace metals and dissolution of organics in sewage sludge and its inorganic waste-amended products

The suitability of using cement-stabilized sludge products as artificial soils in earth works was evaluated. The sludge products investigated were cemented sludge, cement-treated clay-amended sludge (SS+MC), and cement-treated copper slag-amended sludge (SS+CS). The leachability of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr) were assessed using the sequential extraction technique, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), NEN 7341 availability test, and column leaching test. The results indicated that Zn leachability was reduced in all the cement-stabilized sludge products. In contrast, Cu was transferred from the organic fraction to the readily leachable phases in the cement-stabilized sludge products and therefore exhibited increased leachability. The increased Cu leachability could be attributed to dissolution of humic substances in the sludge as a result of elevated pH. Good correlation between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and heavy metal leaching from the cement-stabilized sludge products was observed in the column leaching experiment. Even with a cement percentage as small as 12.5%, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) was formed in the SS+MC and SS+CS products. Inclusion of the marine clay in the SS+MC products could reduce the leaching potentials of Zn, and this was the great advantage of the marine clay over the copper slag for sludge amendment.     

The kinetics of catalytic incineration of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide over an MnO/Fe2O3 catalyst

The catalytic incineration of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide [(CH3)2S and (CH3)2S2] over an MnO/Fe2O3 catalyst was carried out in a bench-scale catalytic incinerator. Three kinetic models (i.e., the power-rate law, the Mars and Van Krevelen model, and the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model) were used to analyze the results. A differential reactor design was used for best fit of kinetic models in this study. The results show that the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model may be feasible to describe the catalytic incineration of (CH3)2S and (CH3)2S2. This suggests that the chemical adsorption of O2 molecules is important in this incineration.     

土壤中重金属累积预测模型研究进展

健康的土壤是维持人体健康以及国家粮食安全的重要保障.中国部分地区土壤重金属污染较为严重,因此采用合理的预测模型对土壤中的重金属污染状况进行分析和预测,对于土壤的健康管理具有重要意义.聚焦土壤中重金属累积预测模型研究现状,简要分析土壤中重金属的累积行为,阐述不同重金属累积预测模型原理以及实际应用,总结影响预测模型准确度的...     

电子束辐照分解甲苯的初步实验研究

进行了电子束辐照分解甲苯的静态实验研究,实验结果表明,电子束辐照能够有效地分解甲苯,在850keV、11kGy电子束的辐照下,初始质量浓度为1 000~3 000m g/m3的甲苯去除率可以达到77%以上,且甲苯去除率随吸收剂量的增加而提高。甲苯辐照分解的主要产物是苯甲醛和甲酸,此外还有少量苯、苯酚等。进一步验证了.OH在甲苯分解中的重要作用。     

New Non-food-Based Composites of Acorn Nutlet and Polycaprolactone: Preparation and Characterization Evaluation

Two dissimilar renewable resource-based thermoplastic acorn nutlet (TPAN) materials were prepared via twin-screw extrusion with the aid of glycerol or monoethanolamine as plasticizers, and then two TPAN/polycaprolactone (PCL) composites with different plasticized systems were prepared. Mechanical test showed that glycerol-based composites had excellent tensile properties, and at a PCL content of 50 wt%, their tensile strength and elongation at break reached 14.4 MPa and 1,361 %, respectively. The micro-morphologic investigation of liquid-nitrogen brittle fracture surface indicated certain interface adhesion between glycerol-based thermoplastic acorn nutlet (GTPAN) and PCL. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis , differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that the weight ratios of TPAN in composites significantly affected the crystallinity, glass transition temperature (T_g), melting temperature (T_m) and thermal stability of composites. Soil burial degradation analysis displayed that all composites had excellent biodegradability. These results demonstrated that GTPAN/PCL composites had superior mechanical and biodegradable properties, enough to partially replace the conventional thermoplastic plastics.     

低温等离子体处理废液技术

低温等离子体技术包括热等离子体技术和冷等离子体技术。该技术处理废液具有范围广，快速，高交，无二次污染等优点，尤其对难降解有毒废液的处理，其先进性和优越性更为突出，被认为是21世纪环境污染物处理领域中最有发展前途的新技术之一。综述了低温等离子体处理废液技术的研究和应用进展，重点分析了冷等离子体技术处理难降解有机废液的作用机理，探讨了两种技术现存的主要问题，并指出了今后需要研究的方向。