Responses of alkaline phosphatase activity to wind-driven waves in a large, shallow lake: Implications for phosphorus availability and algal blooms

Phosphorus is a vital nutrient for algal growth, thus, a better understanding of phosphorus availability is essential to mitigate harmful algal blooms in lakes. Wind waves are a ubiquitous characteristic of lake ecosystems. However, its effects on the cycling of organic phosphorus and its usage by phytoplankton remain poorly elucidated in shallow eutrophic lakes. A mesocosm experiment was carried out to investigate the responses of alkaline phosphatase activity fractions to wind waves in large, shallow, eutrophic Lake Taihu. Results showed that wind-driven waves induced the release of alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus from the sediment, and dramatically enhanced phytoplanktonic alkaline phosphatase activity. However, compared to the calm conditions, bacterial and dissolved alkaline phosphatase activity decreased in wind-wave conditions. Consistently, the gene copies of Microcystis phoX increased but bacterial phoX decreased under wind-wave conditions. The ecological effects of these waves on phosphorus and phytoplankton likely accelerated the biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus and promoted phytoplankton production in Lake Taihu. This study provides an improved current understanding of phosphorus availability and the phosphorus strategies of plankton in shallow, eutrophic lakes.     

A meta-analysis of heavy metals pollution in farmland and urban soils in China over the past 20 years

A total of 713 research papers about field monitor experiments of heavy metals in farmland and urban soils in China, published from 2000 to 2019, were obtained. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the level of China's heavy metal pollution in soils, mainly focusing on eight heavy metals. It was found that the average concentrations of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As) in China were 0.19, 30.74, 85.86, 25.81, 0.074, 67.37, 27.77 and 8.89 mg/kg, respectively. Compared with the background value (0.097 mg/kg), the Cd content showed a twofold (0.19 mg/kg) rise in farmland soils and a threefold (0.29 mg/kg) rise in urban soils. The decreasing order of the mean I_geo was Cd (1.77) > Pb (0.62) > Zn (0.60) > Cu (0.58) > Hg (0.57) > Cr (0.54) > Ni (0.47) > As (0.28). Nearly 33.54% and 44.65% of sites in farmland and urban soils were polluted with Cd. The average concentrations of eight heavy metals were not sensitive change in recent two decades in farmland and urban soils. The average P_n values for urban (2.52) and farmland (2.15) soils showed that heavy metal pollution in urban soils was more serious than that in farmland, and the middle Yangtze River regions, where industrial activity dominates, were the most polluted. The meta-analysis comprehensively evaluated the current pollution situation of soil heavy metal, and provided important basis for soil management and environment prevention in China.     

Assessment and prediction of the effect of ageing on the adsorption of nonylphenol in black carbon-sediment systems

Black carbon (BC) is a promising sediment amendment, as proven by its considerable adsorption capacity for hydrophobic organic pollutants and accessibility, but its reliability when used for the removal of pollutants in natural sediments still needs to be evaluated. For example, the ageing process, resulting in changing of surface physicochemical properties of BC, will decrease the adsorption capacity and performance of BC when applied to sediment pollution control. In this study, how the ageing process and BC proportion affect the adsorption capacity of BC-sediment systems was modelled and quantitatively investigated to predict their adsorption capacity under different ageing times and BC additions. The results showed that the ageing process decreased the adsorption capacity of both BC-sediment systems, due to the blockage of the non-linear adsorption sites of BC. The adsorption capacity of rice straw black carbon (RC)-sediment systems was higher than that of fly ash black carbon (FC)-sediment systems, indicating that RC is more efficient than FC for nonylphenol (NP) pollution control in sediment. The newly established model for the prediction of adsorption capacity fits the experimental data appropriately and yields acceptable predictions, especially when based on parameters from the Freundlich model. However, to fully reflect the influence of the ageing process on BC-sediment systems and make more precise predictions, it is recommended that future work considering more factors and conditions, such as modelling of the correlation between the adsorption capacity and the pore volume or specific surface area of BC, be applied to build an accurate and sound model.     

超低排放下燃煤电厂氨排放特征

燃煤电厂采用SCR(选择性催化还原)脱硝过程消耗大量的氨,同时存在氨逃逸和氨排放问题.为了掌握超低排放燃煤机组的氨排放程度、脱硝氨逃逸情况以及各环保设施对氨的协同脱除能力,为燃煤电厂氨减排政策制定和氨减排技术研发提供支持.在京津冀大气污染传输通道城市中选取11个城市中的14台机组,采用例如DL/T 260—2012《燃煤电厂烟含脱硝装置性能验收试验规范》的标准方法用稀硫酸吸收烟气中的氨再结合分光光度测试方法,对环保设施多个位置的烟气中氨进行浓度测试.结果表明:①氨排放浓度介于0.05~3.27 mg/m3之间,平均约0.95 mg/m3,通过烟气排入大气中氨的浓度不高;②测试的14台机组中有7台机组(约50%)脱硝氨逃逸值高于设计值(2.28 mg/m3),说明脱硝氨逃逸超过设计值呈普遍现象,个别电厂脱硝氨逃逸严重,氨逃逸亟待解决;③环保设施对逃逸氨具有较好的协同脱除能力,平均脱除率约为64.86%.建议对于SCR脱硝氨逃逸严重的机组,对SCR出口烟道截面氮氧化物(NO_x)实施网格式测试,在此基础上实施精细化精准喷氨、优化流场、提高SCR脱硝运行水平(或采用专业化运维),从源头上减少氨耗量,降低系统能耗和氨排放.      

京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市空气质量特征及其影响因素

京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市为京津冀大气污染传输通道城市,也是我国空气污染最严重的区域之一.针对京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市,利用中国环境监测总站公布的PM_2.5、PM₁₀、SO₂、NO₂、O₃和CO数据,对2013—2019年京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市大气污染特征进行分析,并探讨影响其空气质量变化的因素.研究表明:①2013—2019年京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市空气质量总体向好,2019年ρ（PM_2.5）、ρ（PM₁₀）、ρ（SO₂）、ρ（CO）和ρ（NO₂）比2013年分别下降了50%、41%、79%、49%和20%,ρ（O₃-8 h-90per）（臭氧日最大8 h平均值第90百分位数）比2013年升高了21%.②2013—2019年京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市重污染天数持续减少,2019年比2013年下降67%,严重污染天数下降尤为明显,降幅达90%.优良天数比例虽然增加,但2016年以后基本稳定在50%左右,没有持续增加的趋势.③ρ（PM₁₀）、ρ（SO₂）、ρ（NO₂）和ρ（CO）的最大值均出现在1月,ρ（O₃-8 h）（臭氧日最大8 h平均值）的最大值出现在6月.ρ（PM_2.5）越高,PM_2.5/PM₁₀和SO₂/NO₂越大,表明二次污染源和燃煤源的贡献越大.④就空间分布而言,ρ（PM_2.5）和ρ（PM₁₀）高值区主要集中在区域中南部太行山脉山前的平原地区,低值区主要集中在区域北部.⑤地理位置、气象条件、产业结构、能耗消耗以及减排政策是影响2013—2019年京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市空气质量变化的重要因素.研究显示,随着大气污染防治减排措施实施的力度逐渐加大,政策影响已成为京津冀及周边地区“2+26”城市空气质量持续改善的最重要手段.      

Impact of meteorological condition changes on air quality and particulate chemical composition during the COVID-19 lockdown

Stringent quarantine measures during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown period (January 23, 2020 to March 15, 2020) have resulted in a distinct decrease in anthropogenic source emissions in North China Plain compared to the paralleled period of 2019. Particularly, 22.7% decrease in NO₂ and 3.0% increase of O₃ was observed in Tianjin, nonlinear relationship between O₃ generation and NO₂ implied that synergetic control of NO_x and VOCs is needed. Deteriorating meteorological condition during the COVID-19 lockdown obscured the actual PM_2.5 reduction. Fireworks transport in 2020 Spring Festival (SF) triggered regional haze pollution. PM_2.5 during the COVID-19 lockdown only reduced by 5.6% in Tianjin. Here we used the dispersion coefficient to normalize the measured PM_2.5 (DN-PM_2.5), aiming to eliminate the adverse meteorological impact and roughly estimate the actual PM_2.5 reduction, which reduced by 17.7% during the COVID-19 lockdown. In terms of PM_2.5 chemical composition, significant NO₃^? increase was observed during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, as a tracer of atmospheric oxidation capacity, odd oxygen (O_x = NO₂ + O₃) was observed to reduce during the COVID-19 lockdown, whereas relative humidity (RH), specific humidity and aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) were observed with noticeable enhancement. Nitrogen oxidation rate (NOR) was observed to increase at higher specific humidity and ALWC, especially in the haze episode occurred during 2020SF, high air humidity and obvious nitrate generation was observed. Anomalously enhanced air humidity may response for the nitrate increase during the COVID-19 lockdown period.     

Fine particle-bound PAHs derivatives at mountain background site (Mount Tai) of the North China: Concentration, source diagnosis and health risk assessment

Ten nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nPAHs) and 4 oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (oPAHs) in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) samples from Mount Tai were analyzed during summer (June to August), 2015. During the observation campaign, the mean concentration of total nPAHs and oPAHs was 31.62 pg/m³ and 0.15 ng/m³, respectively. Two of the monitored compounds, namely 9-nitro-anthracene (9N-ANT) (6.86 pg/m³) and 9-fluorenone (9FO) (0.05 ng/m³) were the predominant compounds of nPAHs and oPAHs, respectively. The potential source and long-range transportation of nPAHs and oPAHs were investigated by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) method and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) methods. The results revealed that biomass/coal burning, gasoline vehicle emission, diesel vehicle emission and secondary formation were the dominant sources of nPAHs and oPAHs, which were mainly from Henan province and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Bohai sea. The incremental life cancer risk (ILCR) values were calculated to evaluate the exposure risk of nPAHs and oPAHs for three group people (infant, children and adult), and the values of ILCR were 7.02 × 10^?10, 3.49 × 10^?9 and 1.41 × 10^?8 for infant, children and adults, respectively. All these values were lower than the standard of EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) (<10^?6), indicating acceptable health risk of nPAHs and oPAHs.     

A metal-OH group modification strategy to prepare highly-hydrophobic MIL-53-Al for efficient acetone capture under humid conditions

A series of highly-hydrophobic MIL-53-Al (MIL = Materials of Institut Lavoisier) frameworks synthesized via decoration of the Al-OH groups by alkyl phosphonic acid were developed as adsorbents for removing acetone from humid gas streams. The newly prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), N₂ adsorption-desorption and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their adsorption behaviors toward acetone vapor under dry and wet conditions were studied subsequently. Results showed that alkyl phosphonic acid was successfully grafted into MIL-53-Al skeleton through coordinating interaction with Al³⁺ generating [email protected]_x (x = 12, 14, 18). The [email protected]_x exhibited similar crystal structure and thermal stability to parent MIL-53-Al. Furthermore, the modified materials showed significantly enhanced hydrophobicity. The water vapor uptake of [email protected]₁₄ decreased by 72.55% at 75% relative humidity (RH). Dynamic adsorption experiments demonstrated that water vapor had almost no effect on the acetone adsorption performance of [email protected]₁₄. Under the condition of 90% RH, the acetone adsorption capacity of [email protected]₁₄ was 102.98% higher than that of MIL-53-Al. Notably, [email protected]₁₄ presented excellent adsorption reversibility and regeneration performance in 10 adsorption-desorption cycles. Taken together, the strategy of metal-OH group modification is an attractive way to improve the acetone adsorption performance over metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) under humid conditions. Besides, [email protected]₁₄ would be deemed as a promising candidate for capturing acetone in high moisture environment.     

Marine aquaculture regulates dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes in a typical semi-enclosed bay of southeastern China

Marine aquaculture in semi-enclosed bays can significantly influence nutrient cycling in coastal ecosystems. However, the impact of marine aquaculture on the dynamics of dissimilatory nitrate reduction processes (DNRPs) and the fate of reactive nitrogen remain poorly understood. In this study, the rates of DNRPs and the abundances of related functional genes were investigated in aquaculture and non-aquaculture areas. The results showed that marine aquaculture significantly increased the denitrification (DNF) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) rates and decreased the rate of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANA), as compared with non-aquaculture sites. DNF was the dominant pathway contributing to the total nitrate reduction, and its contribution to the total nitrate reduction significantly increased from 66.72% at non-aquaculture sites to 78.50% at aquaculture sites. Marine aquaculture can significantly affect the physicochemical characteristics of sediment and the abundances of related functional genes, leading to variations in the nitrate reduction rates. Although nitrate removal rates increased in the marine aquaculture area, ammonification rates and the nitrogen retention index in the aquaculture areas were 2.19 and 1.24 times, respectively, higher than those at non-aquaculture sites. Net reactive nitrogen retention exceeded nitrogen removal in the aquaculture area, and the retained reactive nitrogen could diffuse with the tidal current to the entire bay, thereby aggravating N pollution in the entire study area. These results show that marine aquaculture is the dominant source of nitrogen pollution in semi-enclosed bays. This study can provide insights into nitrogen pollution control in semi-enclosed bays with well-developed marine aquaculture.     

直接法测定大气中的非甲烷烃

介绍了在２个监测点，用直接法测定大气中的非甲烷烃。测定方法的检出限可达０．００６５ｍｇ／ｍ＾３，在线性范围０－１０ｍｇ／ｍ＾３时，线性相关系数为０．９９９５，相对标准焦虑差为２．８％。结果表明，由于大气逆温层、工业排放源、汽车排气对非甲烷烃的浓度变化产生影响，其日变化曲线呈双峰形。