Characteristics of ambient volatile organic compounds during spring O3 pollution episode in Chengdu, China

Surface ozone (O₃) has become a critical pollutant impeding air quality improvement in many Chinese megacities. Chengdu is a megacity located in Sichuan Basin in southwest China, where O₃ pollution occurs frequently in both spring and summer. In order to understand the elevated O₃ during spring in Chengdu, we conducted sampling campaign at three sites during O₃ pollution episodes in April. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) compositions at each site were similar, and oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) concentrations accounted for the highest proportion (35%-45%), followed by alkanes, alkens (including acetylene), halohydrocarbons, and aromatics. The sensitivity of O₃ to its precursors was analyzed using an observation based box model. The relative incremental reactivity of OVOCs was larger than other precursors, suggesting that they also played the dominant role in O₃ formation. Furthermore, the positive matrix factorization model was used to identify the dominant emission sources and to evaluate their contribution to VOCs in the city. The main sources of VOCs in spring were from combustion (27.75%), industrial manufacturing (24.17%), vehicle exhaust (20.35%), and solvent utilization (18.35%). Discussions on VOCs and NO_x reduction schemes suggested that Chengdu was typical in the VOC-limited regime, and VOC emission reduction would help to prevent and control O₃. The analysis of emission reduction scenarios based on VOCs sources showed that the emission reduction ratio of VOCs to NO₂ needs to reach more than 3 in order to achieve O₃ prevention. Emission reduction from vehicular exhaust source and solvent utilization source may be more effective.     

Carbon and polymer-based magnetic nanocomposites for oil-spill remediation—a comprehensive review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Oil spills are a major contributor to water contamination, which sets off a significant impact on the environment, biodiversity, and economy....     

The impact of Bt maize expressing the Cry1Ac protein on non-target arthropods

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - From 2014 to 2016, individuals of the principal non-target arthropod (NTA) species in a field of Bt maize expressing the Cry1Ac protein (Bt38) were...     

Investigating adsorption performance of heavy metals onto humic acid from sludge using Fourier-transform infrared combined with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Efforts to improve sludge resource utilization have become increasingly important. In this study, humic acid (HA) was extracted from sludge samples...     

Reduced graphene oxide modified Z-scheme AgI/Bi2MoO6 heterojunctions with boosted photocatalytic activity for water treatment originated from the efficient charge pairs partition and migration

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In order to enhance degradation of harmful organic pollutants like Rhodamine B (RhB) dye under visible-light irradiation (λ >420 nm), a...     

Research on distribution performance of desert sand for heat storage in downcomer

In this research, desert sand is used as the sensible heat storage medium, which exchanges heat with air in the downcomer to realize heat storage and heat release. The desert sand distribution uniformity has a significant impact on the heat exchange performance and efficiency between desert sand and air for the process of convection in the downcomer. Given the superiority of sensible heat storage in convective heat transfer between desert sand and air, distributors with cylinder or conical bore solid particles and homogeneity performance testing device are designed and manufactured on the basis of convection system equipped with solid particle–air downcomer. Then, the convection experiment between solid sand and air is researched. The greater the desert sand flow rate and higher the volume density, the larger the variance of regional mass flow rate and the worse the homogeneity performance. For the cylinder bore distributor, the smaller the sand particle size is, the greater affected the sand groups can be. The sand homogeneity performance is preferable with the two particle size ranges: 0.18-0.25 mm and 0.15-0.18 mm. The total sand flow rate decreases, but the uniformity improves with the increase of the air flow velocity, and the best distribution performance is achieved at an air velocity of 0.6 m/s. However, the distribution performance declines with the air flow velocity persistently increasing because the sand groups are pushed to one pipe side close to the wall. The sand groups deflect seriously with the air flow velocity increasing.     

Enhanced styrene recovery from waste polystyrene pyrolysis using response surface methodology coupled with Box–Behnken design

A work applied response surface methodology coupled with Box–Behnken design (RSM-BBD) has been developed to enhance styrene recovery from waste polystyrene (WPS) through pyrolysis. The relationship between styrene yield and three selected operating parameters (i.e., temperature, heating rate, and carrier gas flow rate) was investigated. A second order polynomial equation was successfully built to describe the process and predict styrene yield under the study conditions. The factors identified as statistically significant to styrene production were: temperature, with a quadratic effect; heating rate, with a linear effect; carrier gas flow rate, with a quadratic effect; interaction between temperature and carrier gas flow rate; and interaction between heating rate and carrier gas flow rate. The optimum conditions for the current system were determined to be at a temperature range of 470–505 °C, a heating rate of 40 °C/min, and a carrier gas flow rate range of 115–140 mL/min. Under such conditions, 64.52% WPS was recovered as styrene, which was 12% more than the highest reported yield for reactors of similar size. It is concluded that RSM-BBD is an effective approach for yield optimization of styrene recovery from WPS pyrolysis.     

Magnetic nanocomposites for sustainable water purification—a comprehensive review

Numerous contaminants in huge amounts are discharged to the environment from various anthropogenic activities. Waterbodies are one of the major receivers of these contaminants. The contaminated water can pose serious threats to humans and animals, by distrubing the ecosystem. In treating the contaminated water, adsorption processes have attained significant maturity due to lower cost, easy operation and environmental friendliness. The adsorption process uses various adsorbent materials and some of emerging adsorbent materials include carbon- and polymer-based magnetic nanocomposites. These hybrid magnetic nanocomposites have attained extensive applications in water treatment technologies due to their magnetic properties as well as combination of unique characteristics of organic and inorganic elements. Carbon- and polymer-related magnetic nanocomposites are more adapted materials for the removal of various kinds of contaminants from waterbodies. These nanocomposites can be produced via different approaches such as filling, pulse-laser irradiation, ball milling, and electro-spinning. This comprehensive review is compiled by reviewing published work of last the latest recent 3 years. The review article extensively focuses on different approaches for producing various carbon- and polymer-based magnetic nanocomposites, their merits and demerits and applications for sustainable water purification. More specifically, use of carbon- and polymer-based magnetic nanocomposites for removal of heavy metal ions and dyes is discussed in detail, critically analyzed and compared with other technologies. In addition, commercial viability in terms of regeneration of adsorbents is also reviewed. Furthermore, the future challenges and prospects in employing magnetic nanocomposites for contaminant removal from various water sources are presented.

     

蔬菜水果中的新烟碱类农药残留量与人群摄食暴露健康风险评价

新烟碱类农药是目前被广泛用于农业中的一类作用独特、高效广谱的内吸性杀虫剂,它们在蔬菜水果中的残留对人体健康构成威胁。本研究目的是查明北京市场上蔬菜水果中不同新烟碱类农药的残留量,并对人群摄食暴露健康风险进行评估。从北京市场上采集49种蔬菜和24种水果,采用Qu ECh ERS–高效液相色谱串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)法测定蔬菜水果中9种新烟碱类农药的含量。利用测得数据和中国居民膳食结构调查资料,采用蒙特卡罗模拟方法计算了不同年龄段人群的日均经口摄入暴露量的概率分布,并采用商值法计算了新烟碱类农药的非致癌风险。结果显示新烟碱类农药普遍存在于北京市场上的蔬菜水果中。49种蔬菜样品中检出7种新烟碱类农药,其中吡虫啉、啶虫脒和噻虫嗪检出率均达100%,噻虫胺、烯啶虫胺、噻虫啉和呋虫胺的检出率分别为47%、14%、10%和4%。24种水果样品中检出5种新烟碱类农药,其中吡虫啉和啶虫脒的检出率均达100%,噻虫嗪、噻虫胺和噻虫啉的检出率分别为54%、13%和4%。不同新烟碱类农药在蔬菜水果中的含量范围为0.01 ng·g~(-1)~126 ng·g~(-1),均未超过我国食品安全国家标准或美国联邦管理条例中的限量值。小部分(约3%)人群因摄食蔬菜水果暴露于新烟碱类农药的非致癌风险商值大于0.1。新烟碱类农药在蔬菜水果中普遍存在,对人体健康有潜在的风险。     

吡虫啉对蜜蜂幼虫的室内毒性研究

吡虫啉是目前使用最广泛的新烟碱类农药,其不合理使用破坏蜜蜂的嗅觉记忆能力,影响采集行为,导致多种亚致死效应。利用室内人工饲养蜜蜂幼虫技术,选取意大利蜜蜂幼虫为研究对象,经3 d适应性饲养后,连续3 d喂食含不同浓度的吡虫啉日粮,测定蜜蜂幼虫的存活率、化蛹率和羽化率,评估吡虫啉对蜜蜂幼虫生长发育影响。结果表明,吡虫啉处理剂量为15ng·幼虫~(-1)时,并不影响蜜蜂幼虫存活率、化蛹率和羽化率;当处理剂量达到150 ng·幼虫~(-1)时,蜜蜂幼虫羽化率下降,但不影响蜜蜂幼虫的存活率和化蛹率;幼虫7 d半数致死剂量为2 300 ng·幼虫~(-1)。高剂量吡虫啉对蜜蜂幼虫存活率、化蛹率和羽化率均存在影响,处理剂量越高,存活率、化蛹率和羽化率越低,呈高度负相关(r=-0.99,-0.94,-0.89),同时蜜蜂幼虫的羽化时间延长。研究可为吡虫啉的合理使用提供科学参考。