Cadmium (Cd) distribution and contamination in Chinese paddy soils on national scale

Rice is a staple food by an increasing number of people in China. As more issues have arisen in China due to rice contaminated by cadmium (Cd), Cd contamination in arable soils has become a severe problem. In China, many studies have examined Cd contamination in arable soils on a national scale, but little studies have focused on the distribution of Cd in paddy fields. This study explored the spatial pattern of Cd in paddy soils in China, made a preliminary evaluation of the potential risk, and identified the most critically contaminated regions based on the domestic rough rice trade flow. The results showed that Cd concentrations in paddy soils in China ranged from 0.01 to 5.50 mg/kg, with a median value of 0.23 mg/kg. On average, the highest Cd concentrations were in Hunan (0.73 mg/kg), Guangxi (0.70 mg/kg), and Sichuan (0.46 mg/kg) provinces. Cd concentrations in paddy soils in central and western regions were higher than those in eastern regions, especially the southeastern coastal regions. Of the administrative regions, Cd standard exceedance rate was 33.2 %, and the heavy pollution rate was 8.6 %. Regarding to Cd of paddy soil, soil environmental quality was better in Northeast China Plain than in Yangtze River Basin and southeastern coastal region. Mining activities were the main anthropogenic pollution source of Cd in Chinese paddy soil. Based on rice trade, more of the Chinese population would be exposed to Cd through intake of rice produced in Hunan province. Certain regions that output rice, especially Hunan province, should be given priority in the management and control of Cd contamination in paddy soil.     

Research and application of method of oxygen isotope of inorganic phosphate in Beijing agricultural soils

Phosphorus (P) in agricultural ecosystems is an essential and limited element for plants and microorganisms. However, environmental problems caused by P accumulation as well as by P loss have become more and more serious. Oxygen isotopes of phosphate can trace the sources, migration, and transformation of P in agricultural soils. In order to use the isotopes of phosphate oxygen, appropriate extraction and purification methods for inorganic phosphate from soils are necessary. Here, we combined two different methods to analyze the oxygen isotopic composition of inorganic phosphate (δ¹⁸O_P) from chemical fertilizers and different fractions (Milli-Q water, 0.5 mol L^?1 NaHCO₃ (pH = 8.5), 0.1 mol L^?1 NaOH and 1 mol L^?1 HCl) of agricultural soils from the Beijing area. The δ¹⁸O_P results of the water extracts and NaHCO₃ extracts in most samples were close to the calculated equilibrium value. These phenomena can be explained by rapid P cycling in soils and the influence of chemical fertilizers. The δ¹⁸O_P value of the water extracts and NaHCO₃ extracts in some soil samples below the equilibrium value may be caused by the hydrolysis of organic P fractions mediated by extracellular enzymes. The δ¹⁸O_P values of the NaOH extracts were above the calculated equilibrium value reflecting the balance state between microbial uptake of phosphate and the release of intracellular phosphate back to the soil. The HCl extracts with the lowest δ¹⁸O_P values and highest phosphate concentrations indicated that the HCl fraction was affected by microbial activity. Hence, these δ¹⁸O_p values likely reflected the oxygen isotopic values of the parent materials. The results suggested that phosphate oxygen isotope analyses could be an effective tool in order to trace phosphate sources, transformation processes, and its utilization by microorganisms in agricultural soils.     

裹包青贮提高玉米秸秆厌氧消化效率的实验研究

秸秆是重要的沼气工程原料,秸秆预处理对其后续厌氧消化效率影响巨大。采用田间裹包青贮方法,设计3因素正交实验,考察了秸秆含水率、压缩比和添加剂对玉米秸秆发酵时间和厌氧消化产沼气的影响。结果表明:秸秆经过裹包青贮,发酵总时间(total fermentation time,TFT)减少1~2 d,累积产气量达到总产气量的90%所用时间(TFT90%)减少了40%~50%,消化效率明显提高;秸秆含水率对产气效果有明显影响,随着含水率增加,单位总固体(total solid,TS)累计产气量(cumulative biogas yields per TS,CBYT)和沼气日产率(biogas yields rate average day,BYR)由高到低排序为:35%~40%,40%~45%,30%~35%;秸秆压缩比对产气效果有明显影响,随着压缩比的增加,其对CBY和BYR的效应由高到低排序为:185、143与138 kg/m3;添加剂类型对产气效果亦有明显影响,在不同添加剂处理下,其对CBYT和BYR的效应由高到低排序为:尿素处理>甲酸处理>无添加剂处理;正交实验极差分析表明,对CBYT和BYR的影响排序为:含水率﹥压缩比﹥添加剂,其田间裹包青贮进行厌氧发酵的优化组合为:青贮秸秆含水率为35%~40%,压缩比为185 kg/m3,添加剂为营养型,青贮20 d,CBYT和BYR达到最大,分别为646.57 mL/g和173.25 mL/(d·g)。     

Fenton-like/TiO2催化介质阻挡放电体系对活性艳蓝的降解

为了提高等离子放电对染料的降解效率,研究了Fenton-like/TiO2耦合催化介质阻挡放电体系对活性艳蓝(X-BR)的脱色效果及降解机理。结果表明,投加Fe2+ 或Fe3+与TiO2组成的耦合催化体系可以显著提高X-BR的脱色率。反应10 min后,紫外可见扫描光谱和阴离子(Cl-、NO3-、SO42-)产量分析表明,介质阻挡放电体系可以有效破环蒽醌发色基团,耦合催化体系不仅强化了蒽醌结构的破坏,同时更加有效地破坏了苯环和萘环结构从而提高了TOC降解率。最后,比较研究了投加Mn2+ 和Cu2+对X-BR的脱色效果,在投加浓度均为0.5 mmol/L条件下,两者对X-BR的脱色起到抑制作用,因此,两者不适合作为耦合催化介质阻挡放电体系的添加离子。     

曝气条件对浸没式膜生物反应器内流场的影响

为深入研究流场动力学特性对浸没式膜生物反应器系统内膜面污染的控制,应用fluent软件对浸没式膜生物反应器内气液两相流动进行了三维数值模拟研究。采用标准k-ε湍流模型和欧拉多相流模型,考察了改变曝气条件对膜面气液速度场及气含率分布的影响。模拟结果表明,在相同曝气强度下,1 mm曝气孔径下膜面气液两相的速度增加较孔径2 mm、3 mm的快;曝气孔径为1 mm时,膜面的液相速度随着曝气强度的增加逐渐增大;曝气孔径为1 mm时,曝气量为5.5 m3/h所形成的漩涡区较大,膜面气含率值较高且分布较均匀,气液两相接触面积较大,膜面冲刷效果较好;模拟观察到反应器底部靠近壁面局部气含率较低,不利于活性污泥中微生物的生长,需要进一步优化曝气和反应器结构。     

响应面法分析Fenton氧化处理采油废水的过程

采用Fenton氧化对采油废水进行研究,选取双氧水与二价铁离子的摩尔比、初始pH值和反应时间为自变量,以废水的COD去除率为响应值,通过Box-Behnken设计方法进行实验设计,进行了3因素3水平共15个实验点的实验。使用响应面分析法对实验结果进行模拟及分析,建立了响应值与3个自变量的二次多项式方程模型。Fenton氧化的优化工艺条件:n(H2O2):n(Fe2+)=0.8,pH=3.0以及反应时间60 min。在该优化条件下,废水的COD去除率可达72.8%,经实验验证,实际值与模型预测值拟合性好,偏差仅为0.5%。实验结果证实了该模型分析采油废水处理运行参数的准确性。优化工艺后的处理水质COD值完全满足油田废水达标排放的要求。通过总离子色谱图和质谱检索分析原油中的成分变化情况,证实Fenton方法对原油组分的降解效果。     

Uncovering the evolution of tin use in the United States and its implications

• US tin use decreases as the GDP value added by manufacturing sector increases. • Global and China’s tin use increases as the GDP added by manufacturing increases. • A sigmoid curve can fit the US tin use data well. • US tin use patterns is not due to the finite tin reserves or resources. • Policies, substitutions, etc. play key roles in the changing tin use patterns. Tin is of key importance to daily life and national security; it is considered an essential industrial metal. The United States (US) is the world’s largest economy and consumer of natural resources. Therefore, the analysis of historical tin use in the US is helpful for understanding future tin use trends in the world as a whole and in developing countries. Time series analysis, regression analysis with GDP or GDP/capita, and historical data fitted with logistic and Gompertz models are employed in this study. Historical tin use in the US shows three stages—increase-constant-decrease, as GDP per capita has increased. Tin use in the US is negatively correlated with the GDP value added by the manufacturing sector, while the use of tin worldwide and in China continues to increase along with the GDP value added by the manufacturing sector. Although a sigmoid curve can fit the US tin use data well, that use is not directly related to the limited tin reserves or resources. Rather, policies, economic restructuring, substitutions, new end-use markets, etc. have played key roles in the changing tin use patterns. This work contributes to understanding future tin use at both the global and national levels: tin use will continue to increase with GDP at the global level, but use patterns of tin at the national level can be changed through human intervention.     

Removal of methylene blue by coupling black carbon adsorption with TiO2 photodegradation

In this study, the removal of methylene blue (MB) by the coupling of black carbon (BC) and TiO₂ was investigated. The effects of different parameters such as catalyst dose, sorbent, initial concentrations of dye, pH of the solutions, recycles on discoloration, and chemical oxidation demand (COD) reduction of MB were monitored to optimize the reaction conditions. The discoloration and COD conversation rate of MB obtained by the coupling process were 100% after 90?min irradiation. The synergistic effect of MB-adsorption on BC followed by degradation through TiO₂ photocatalysis was proved by FT–IR spectrophotometer. The BC as by-product of natural materials is a promising adsorbent for waste water treatment.     

Determination and QSPR analysis of log Kow and log Koc for fluorine containing benzene derivatives

Octanol‐water partition coefficients (Kow) and soil organic carbon sorption coefficients (Koc) were determined for 14 fluorinated benzene derivatives. Quantitative structure‐property relationships were developed using molecular connectivity indices and quantum chemical parameters to analyze the most significant factors influencing these physico‐chemical properties of the compounds. The substitution by F in benzene derivatives has greater influence on Koc than on Kow.