钙基膨润土辅助对堆肥及土壤Cu、Zn形态转化和白菜吸收的影响

通过好氧堆肥和盆栽试验,探究不同比例（0%、2.5%、5%、7.5%和10%）钙基膨润土（CB）辅助猪粪堆肥过程及盆栽土壤中Cu、Zn形态的变化,并分析CB对白菜生物量及吸收Cu、Zn的影响.结果表明,在所有处理的堆肥过程中,可交换态Cu、Zn的分布比例逐渐下降,而可氧化态和残渣态逐渐升高,与0% CB相比,2.5%~10% CB可使堆肥结束时生物可利用态（可交换态和可还原态）Cu、Zn的分布比例分别降低19.84%~48.90%和4.94%~16.39%,并以10% CB的效果最为显著.进而开展的盆栽试验显示,施用堆肥后,土壤有机质和EC显著升高,而pH有所下降;CB辅助堆肥能够促使土壤EC的降低及pH的升高,稳定土壤有机质.与纯土处理相比,施用堆肥可显著提升白菜的生物量,且10% CB处理中的生物量最大（6.51 g·盆^-1±0.34 g·盆^-1）.施用CB辅助堆肥后,种后土壤中生物可利用态Cu含量增加;但各处理中可交换态Zn含量分别降低38.91%、43.69%、46.02%、45.12%和54.65%.白菜在施用堆肥后Cu、Zn的吸收量显著降低,并且随着CB辅助比例的增加Zn的吸收量随之减少,而Cu的吸收量呈增加趋势.本研究表明,钙基膨润土能够降低堆肥过程中Cu、Zn活性,在堆肥施入土壤后仍对Zn有持续的固定作用,同时CB辅助堆肥可以提高白菜的生物量,减少重金属Zn在白菜中的累积,并以10% CB的效果最为显著.     

Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 4 Sequences Detected in Sewage from Treatment Plants of China

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in sewage samples in Shen Zhen, China. Sewage samples were collected from 152 sewage plants including livestock sewage, domestic sewage and treated sewage from May to July of 2015. Two of 152 samples were HEV positive (1.32%) from the livestock sewage plants. Partial ORF2 fragments of HEV were sequenced and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA5.1. Blast and phylogenetic analyses showed that both of these two sequences belonged to HEV Genotype 4. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the molecular characterization of HEV in wastewater in China and the first time to detect Genotype 4 in the sewage. Results from this study indicate that the possibilities of sporadic infections of HEV should be emphasized because virus still has the possibility to be circulating in the sewage in China.     

Experimental investigation of tribological characteristics and emissions with nonedible sunflower oil as a biolubricant

Plant (vegetable) oil has been evaluated as a substitute for mineral oil–based lubricants because of its natural and environmentally friendly characteristics. Availability of vegetable oil makes it a renewable source of bio-oils. Additionally, vegetable oil–based lubricants have shown potential for reducing hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions when utilized in internal combustion (IC) engines and industrial operations. In this study, sunflower oil was investigated to study its lubricant characteristics under different loads using the four-ball tribometer and the exhaust emissions were tested using a four-stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine. All experimental works conformed to American Society for Testing and Materials standard (ASTM D4172-B). Under low loads, sunflower oil showed adequate tribological characteristics (antifriction and antiwear) compared with petroleum oil samples. The results also demonstrated that the sunflower oil–based lubricant was more effective in reducing the emission levels of carbon monoxide (CO), CO₂, and hydrocarbons under different test conditions. Therefore, sunflower oil has the potential to be used as lubricant of mating components.

Implications: An experimental investigation of the characteristics of nonedible sunflower oil tribological behaviors and potential as a renewable source for biofluids alternative to the petroleum oils was carried out. The level of emissions of a four–stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine using sunflower oil as a biolubricant was evaluated.     

Bacteriological quality of spring water in Bahrain

Summary The bacteriological quality of untreated spring waters in Bahrain were evaluated. Samples were collected from 12 natural springs and analysed for total plate count, total coliform, total faecal coliform, total faecal streptococci and occurrence ofShigella andSalmonella. The total bacterial counts ranged from 2.4×10¹ to 1.6×10⁴ CFU mL^–1 with an average of 2.8×10³.The coliform organisms were present in all springs. Faecal coliforms were present in 11 out of 12 springs studied, and three springs were heavily contaminated. Based on criteria which used the ratio of faecal coliform to faecal streptococci, all springs studied may be contaminated with human wastes, except one spring which may be contaminated with animal wastes. NeitherSalmonella norShigella were detected in any of the spring waters. It is concluded that the spring waters studied are unsuitable for human consumption unless disinfected.Dr Abdulrahman O. Musaiger is the senior author, to whom correspondence should be addressed. He is Head of the Nutrition Unit at the Bahrain Public Health Directorate. Mr Zakaria A. Khunji is a qualified microbiologist and the nutritionist at the Unit. Mr Hussain A. Mohana is a graduate and technician in charge of the food and water microbiology section at the Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Bahrain.     

Pretreatment of cyanided tailings by catalytic ozonation with Mn2+/O3

The increasing amount of cyanided tailings produced as a by-product has gained significant attention in recent years because of the rapid development of the gold industry and extensive exploitation of gold mineral resources. The effective use of these secondary resources is becoming an important and urgent problem for all environmental protection staff. Manganese-catalyzed ozonation for the pre-oxidation of cyanided tailings was studied and the effects of Mn2+dosage, initial sulfuric acid concentration, ozone volume flow, temperature and agitation speed on pretreatment were examined. The optimum reaction conditions were observed to be: ore pulp density 2.5%, agitation speed 700 r/min,temperature 60°C, Mn2+dosage 40 g/L, ozone volume flow 80 L/hr, initial sulfuric acid concentration 1 mol/L, and reaction time 6 hr. Under these conditions, the leaching rate of Fe and weight loss could reach 94.85% and 48.89% respectively. The leaching process of cyanided tailings by Mn2+/O3 was analyzed, and it was found that the leaching of pyrite depends on synergetic oxidation by high-valent manganese and O3, in which the former played an important part.     

CO2 adsorption using TiO2 composite polymeric membranes: A kinetic study

CO₂ is the main greenhouse gas which causes global climatic changes on larger scale. Many techniques have been utilised to capture CO₂. Membrane gas separation is a fast growing CO₂ capture technique, particularly gas separation by composite membranes. The separation of CO₂ by a membrane is not just a process to physically sieve out of CO₂ through the controlled membrane pore size. It mainly depends upon diffusion and solubility of gases, particularly for composite dense membranes. The blended components in composite membranes have a high capability to adsorb CO₂. The adsorption kinetics of the gases may directly affect diffusion and solubility. In this study, we have investigated the adsorption behaviour of CO₂ in pure and composite membranes to explore the complete understanding of diffusion and solubility of CO₂ through membranes. Pure cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate-titania nanoparticle (CA-TiO₂) composite membranes were fabricated and characterised using SEM and FTIR analysis. The results indicated that the blended CA-TiO₂ membrane adsorbed more quantity of CO₂ gas as compared to pure CA membrane. The high CO₂ adsorption capacity may enhance the diffusion and solubility of CO₂ in the CA-TiO₂ composite membrane, which results in a better CO₂ separation. The experimental data was modelled by Pseudo first-order, pseudo second order and intra particle diffusion models. According to correlation factor R², the Pseudo second order model was fitted well with experimental data. The intra particle diffusion model revealed that adsorption in dense membranes was not solely consisting of intra particle diffusion.     

Succinate-bonded pullulan: An efficient and reusable super-sorbent for cadmium-uptake from spiked high-hardness groundwater

Chemically modified pullulan was evaluated for its sorption efficiency and selectivity to remove cadmium(Cd) from spiked high-hardness groundwater(GW). Pullulan esterified with succinic anhydride using dimethylaminopyridine showed a fairly high degree of substitution value as confirmed by1 H NMR spectroscopy. Pullulan succinate(Pull-Suc) was converted into the sodium salt(Pull-Suc-Na). The effect of contact time(5–200 min) and p H(2–8) on Cd-uptake by the sorbent(Pull-Suc-Na) was investigated. The sorbent showed more than 90% Cd-removal in first 15 min from distilled water(DW) and GW solution,respectively. Comparison of Pull-Suc-Na with other polysaccharidal sorbents suggested its high efficiency(DW 476.2 mg/g and GW 454.5 mg/g) and selectivity for the removal of Cd by an ion exchange mechanism, which is further supported by the negative Gibbs free energy values calculated from Langmuir isotherms. A Langmuir isotherm kinetic model provided the best fit for the sorption of Cd using Pull-Suc-Na. The sorbent showed a negligible decrease in Cd-uptake over three regeneration cycles. The thermal stability testing of the sorbents indicated that Pull-Suc-Na(sorbent) is more stable than Pull-Suc.     

Pretreatment of cyanided tailings by catalytic ozonation with Mn/O

The increasing amount of cyanided tailings produced as a by-product has gained significant attention in recent years because of the rapid development of the gold industry and extensive exploitation of gold mineral resources. The effective use of these secondary resources is becoming an important and urgent problem for all environmental protection staff. Manganese-catalyzed ozonation for the pre-oxidation of cyanided tailings was studied and the effects of Mn^2 + dosage, initial sulfuric acid concentration, ozone volume flow, temperature and agitation speed on pretreatment were examined. The optimum reaction conditions were observed to be: ore pulp density 2.5%, agitation speed 700 r/min, temperature 60°C, Mn^2 + dosage 40 g/L, ozone volume flow 80 L/hr, initial sulfuric acid concentration 1 mol/L, and reaction time 6 hr. Under these conditions, the leaching rate of Fe and weight loss could reach 94.85% and 48.89% respectively. The leaching process of cyanided tailings by Mn^2 +/O³ was analyzed, and it was found that the leaching of pyrite depends on synergetic oxidation by high-valent manganese and O³, in which the former played an important part.     

Pesticides exposure in Pakistan: a review

This is the first systematic review of studies done since 1960, and to give an integrated picture of pesticides exposure to humans, animals, plants, waters, soils/sediments, atmosphere etc. in Pakistan. Authors have extracted data from different departments, published literature in research journals and National reports. Although the wide-spread usage of pesticides in Pakistan has controlled the pests, but like other countries, it has started causing environmental problems in the area. In some areas of Punjab and Sindh groundwater has been found contaminated and is constantly being under the process of contamination due to pesticide use. There is considerable evidence that farmers have overused and misused pesticides especially in cotton-growing areas. It is evident from the biological monitoring studies that farmers are at higher risk for acute and chronic health effects associated with pesticides due to occupational exposure. Furthermore, the intensive use of pesticides (higher sprays more than the recommended dose) in cotton areas involves a special risk for the field workers, pickers, and of an unacceptable residue concentration in cottonseed oil and cakes. The authors have also discussed the merits and demerits of different studies. The review will set the future course of action of different studies on pesticide exposure in Pakistan. Data limitations are still the major obstacle towards establishing clear environmental trends in Pakistan. The authors suggest that a reliable monitoring, assessment and reporting procedures shall be implemented in accordance with appropriate environmental policies, laws and regulations in order to minimize the pesticides exposure.     

CDES: A pixel-based crowd density estimation system for Masjid al-Haram

CDES is an automatic crowd density estimation system that can be used to estimate crowd density from digital images taken at Masjid al-Haram. Developed using a combination of image processing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, CDES possesses the capability to count the number of people in moderately high crowds from a flexibly selected region of interest (ROI). Background removal and edge detection are first applied to the image for crowd feature extraction. Then, the extracted crowd foreground blob pixels are scaled accordingly to correct perspective distortion. Finally, the corrected pixel blobs act as input for the backpropagation (BP) neural network to estimate the number of people within the blob. Using the area of the selected ROI, the crowd density is calculated and classified into five ranges from very low to very high. The experimental results are presented.