Experimental and theoretical investigations for mitigating NaAlH4 reactivity risks during postulated accident scenarios involving exposure to air or water

Experimental and theoretical studies were conducted to investigate the pyrophoricity and water-reactivity risks associated with employing sodium alanate (NaAlH₄) complex metal hydride in on-board vehicular hydrogen (H₂) storage systems. The ignition and explosivity of NaAlH₄ upon exposure to oxidizers in air or water were attributed to the spontaneous formation of stable hydroperoxyl intermediates on the NaAlH₄ surface and/or H₂ production, as well as the large driving force for NaAlH₄ conversion to favorable hydroxide products predicted by atomic and thermodynamic modeling. The major products from NaAlH₄ exposure to air: NaAl(OH)₄, gibbsite and bayerite Al(OH)₃, and Na₂CO₃ observed by XRD, were identified to be formed by surface-controlled reactions. The reactivity risks were significantly minimized, without compromising de-/re-hydrogenation cyclability, by compacting NaAlH₄ powder into wafers to reduce the available surface area. These core findings are of significance to risk mitigation and H₂ safety code and standard development for the safe use of NaAlH₄ for on-board H₂ storage in light-duty vehicles.     

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas sp. JM2 isolated from active sewage sludge of chemical plant

It is important to screen strains that can decompose polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) completely and rapidly with good adaptability for bioremediation in a local area. A bacterial strain JM2, which uses phenanthrene as its sole carbon source, was isolated from the active sewage sludge from a chemical plant in Jilin, China and identified as Pseudomonas based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Although the optimal growth conditions were determined to be pH 6.0 and 37℃, JM2 showed a broad pH and temperature profile. At pH 4.5 and 9.3, JM2 could degrade more than 40% of fluorene and phenanthrene (50 mg/L each) within 4 days. In addition, when the temperature was as low as 4℃, JM2 could degrade up to 24% fluorene and 12% phenanthrene. This showed the potential for JM2 to be applied in bioremediation over winter or in cold regions. Moreover, a nutrient augmentation study showed that adding formate into media could promote PAH degradation, while the supplement of salicylate had an inhibitive effect. Furthermore, in a metabolic pathway study, salicylate, phthalic acid, and 9-fluorenone were detected during the degradation of fluorene or phenanthrene. In conclusion, Pseudomonas sp. JM2 is a high performance strain in the degradation of fluorene and phenanthrene under extreme pH and temperature conditions. It might be useful in the bioremediation of PAHs.     

Decrease of NH4+-N by bacterioplankton accelerated the removal of cyanobacterial blooms in aerated aquatic ecosystem

We used aerated systems to assess the influence of the bacterioplankton community on cyanobacterial blooms in algae/post-bloom of Lake Taihu, China. Bacterioplankton community diversity was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis(PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting. Chemical analysis and nitrogen dynamic changes illustrated that NH4+-N was nitrified to NO2-N and NO3-N by bacterioplankton. Finally, NH4+-N was exhausted and NO3-N was denitrified to NO2-N, while the accumulation of NO2-N indicated that bacterioplankton with completely aerobic denitrification ability were lacking in the water samples collected from Lake Taihu. We suggested that adding completely aerobic denitrification bacteria(to denitrify NO2-N to N2)would improve the water quality. PCR-DGGE and sequencing results showed that more than 1/3 of the bacterial species were associated with the removal of nitrogen, and Acidovorax temperans was the dominant one. PCR-DGGE, variation of nitrogen, removal efciencies of chlorophyll-a and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the bacterioplankton significantly influenced the physiological and biochemical changes of cyanobacteria. Additionally, the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means revealed there was no obvious harm to the microecosystem from aeration. The present study demonstrated that bacterioplankton can play crucial roles in aerated ecosystems, which could control the impact of cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophicated fresh water systems.     

Amoxicillin effects on functional microbial community and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in amoxicillin manufacture wastewater treatment system

This study aimed to reveal how amoxicillin(AMX) affected the microbial community and the spread mechanism of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) in the AMX manufacture wastewater treatment system. For this purpose, a 1.47 L expanded granular sludge bed(EGSB) reactor was designed and run for 241 days treating artificial AMX manufacture wastewater. 454 pyrosequencing was applied to analyze functional microorganisms in the system. The antibiotic genes OXA_(-1), OXA_(-2), OXA_(-10), TEM_(-1), CTX-M_(-1), class I integrons(intI1) and 16 SrRNA genes were also examined in sludge samples. The results showed that the genera Ignavibacterium, Phocoenobacter,Spirochaeta, Aminobacterium and Cloacibacillus contributed to the degradation of different organic compounds(such as various sugars and amines). And the relative quantification of eachβ-lactam resistance gene in the study was changed with the increasing of AMX concentration.Furthermore the vertical gene transfer was the main driver for the spread of ARGs rather than horizontal transfer pathways in the system.     

Reducing mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining in Munhena,Mozambique

Artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) is responsible for over 90% of gold production in Mozambique. In 2005, a 15-day pilot training project was held in the village of Munhena, a gold mining community. This intervention aimed at raising awareness related to the environmental and health impacts of mercury amalgamation and introduced alternative practices to reduce mercury release and exposure. In 2007, a 9-day evaluation of the pilot campaign was accomplished and knowledge in regards to mining methods, and the ASM government–community operating relations in Munhena were updated. Miners in Munhena are organized in an association of over 3000 members, work on a 25 year Government granted 143 ha concession and generate a substantial income (producing over 5 kg of gold per month). There remain, however, serious barriers towards sustainable community development. ASM associated environmental and health costs are high, as mercury continues to be used and lost to the environment, and cyanide will be introduced soon. The Government of Mozambique has laid the foundation for supporting this sector; however, resources are limited, and thus restrict ability to fully address these issues. Importantly, malaria and HIV/AIDS are not diagnosed and/or treated effectively within the community, and basic necessities are absent. This paper concludes with recommendations focused on enhancing the ASM sector in Mozambique, and overcoming barriers to sustainability in the community of Munhena.     

Impact of wildflower strips on biological control of cabbage lepidopterans

In a 2-year experiment we investigated whether wildflower strips can be used to enhance the control of cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae L., and cabbage white butterfly, Pieris rapae L. At two sites, including six organically cultivated fields, M. brassicae egg parasitism and predation rates were determined along with an assessment of larval parasitism rates in M. brassicae and P. rapae using a DNA-based approach. Within each field, plots with and without wildflower strips were sampled and a grid design of 3 m × 3 m was used to analyze the spatial pattern of parasitism. The provision of wildflower strips provided an idiosyncratic effect on the control of lepidopterans: parasitism rates in M. brassicae eggs and larvae were not affected, whereas parasitism rates of larval P. rapae were significantly enhanced by the wildflower strips at one of the two sites. Moreover, at one site predation rates on M. brassicae eggs were significantly enhanced in the wildflower strip plots. Geostatistical analysis showed no distinct spatial patterns in parasitism rates. These results demonstrate that the provision of wildflower strips does not necessarily enhance biological control of lepidopteran cabbage pests and suggest that site-specific environmental factors strongly affect the impact of wildflower strips.     

Quantifying the effect of buffer zones,crop areas and spatial aggregation on the externalities of genetically modified crops at landscape level

The development of genetically modified (GM) crops has led the European Union (EU) to put forward the concept of ‘coexistence’ to give farmers the freedom to plant both conventional and GM varieties. Should a premium for non-GM varieties emerge in the market, ‘contamination’ by GM pollen would generate a negative externality to conventional growers. It is therefore important to assess the effect of different ‘policy variables’ on the magnitude of the externality to identify suitable policies to manage coexistence. In this paper, taking GM herbicide tolerant oilseed rape as a model crop, we start from the model developed in Ceddia et al. [Ceddia, M.G., Bartlett, M., Perrings, C., 2007. Landscape gene flow, coexistence and threshold effect: the case of genetically modified herbicide tolerant oilseed rape (Brassica napus). Ecol. Modell. 205, pp. 169–180] use a Monte Carlo experiment to generate data and then estimate the effect of the number of GM and conventional fields, width of buffer areas and the degree of spatial aggregation (i.e. the ‘policy variables’) on the magnitude of the externality at the landscape level. To represent realistic conditions in agricultural production, we assume that detection of GM material in conventional produce might occur at the field level (no grain mixing occurs) or at the silos level (where grain mixing from different fields in the landscape occurs). In the former case, the magnitude of the externality will depend on the number of conventional fields with average transgenic presence above a certain threshold. In the latter case, the magnitude of the externality will depend on whether the average transgenic presence across all conventional fields exceeds the threshold. In order to quantify the effect of the relevant ‘policy variables’, we compute the marginal effects and the elasticities. Our results show that when relying on marginal effects to assess the impact of the different ‘policy variables’, spatial aggregation is far more important when transgenic material is detected at field level, corroborating previous research. However, when elasticity is used, the effectiveness of spatial aggregation in reducing the externality is almost identical whether detection occurs at field level or at silos level. Our results show also that the area planted with GM is the most important ‘policy variable’ in affecting the externality to conventional growers and that buffer areas on conventional fields are more effective than those on GM fields. The implications of the results for the coexistence policies in the EU are discussed.     

Yield response of potato to spatially patterned nitrogen application

Although crop response to nitrogen fertilization has long been studied, classical experimental designs have led to inadequate accounting of spatial variability in field properties and yield response. Analytical methods to explicitly account for spatial variability now exist but the complementary modification of experimental design is still developing. There is a need to combine these analytical methods with non-traditional experimental design. A 2-year study was implemented to assess the response of potato (Solanum tuberosum cv. Kennebec) yield to nitrogen fertilizer rate. We used a transect-type plot design where four nitrogen treatments (0, 56, 112, and 280 kg N ha^?1) were applied systematically in a continuous sinusoidal pattern along longitudinal transects. Measured field properties included topography, soil texture, pre-application soil nitrate levels, and plant available soil water content. A random field linear model was used to simultaneously account for treatment effects and soil properties. The results showed that treatment effects were significantly different from each other; however, if spatially correlated errors were accounted for, these differences were smaller and significance levels lower. Nitrogen response functions varied widely throughout the field. Of the covariates, only clay content proved important in explaining spatial differences in response to N. The sinusoidal response pattern of N was similar over the 2 years but the amplitudes varied due to differences in weather. Interactions between uncharacteristically high rainfall and a sandy field soil may have minimized discernable effects of the other covariates. The results demonstrated how the statistical analysis of potato response to a patterned application of nitrogen fertilizer can take advantage of spatial correlations to understand the response of potato to nitrogen application over larger areas.     

MAP沉淀法目标产物最优形成条件及分析方法

为了确定鸟粪石(MAP：MgNH₄PO₄·6H₂O)形成的最优条件,引入化学剖析法,利用酸溶液将鸟粪石沉淀法中所得沉淀物溶解后进行相应的元素分析;提出一种根据沉淀物中的NH⁺₄-N含量间接计算确定鸟粪石含量(即纯度)的分析方法.根据这种计算分析方法,分别得出了不同pH条件下以自来水(主要为地下水)和超纯水作为溶剂所合成的鸟粪石纯度,并对pH和Ca²⁺在鸟粪石形成过程中的影响进行了评估.结果表明,该计算分析方法能够有效实现对MAP沉淀法目标产物的定量分析,弥补了国内外目前普遍依靠XRD技术定性判断所得沉淀物中鸟粪石是否存在的缺陷.以超纯水作为溶剂时,使鸟粪石纯度>90%的最佳pH范围在7.5～9.0,而以自来水为溶剂时,获得相同鸟粪石纯度最佳pH范围则是7.0～7.5.实际污水中常常含有相当数量的Ca²⁺,实施碱性条件(pH>8.0)的MAP沉淀势必大幅降低鸟粪石的纯度.因此,对实际污水回收磷而言,MAP沉淀法的最优pH条件应控制在中性范围(<8.0)以内.     

Future risk of flooding: an analysis of changes in potential loss of life in South Holland (The Netherlands)

Potential loss of life is considered an important indicator of flood risk. We examine the future development of potential loss of life due to flooding for a major flood prone area in The Netherlands. The analysis is based on projections and spatial distribution of population under a high economic growth scenario and a loss of life model. Results show that the projected population growth in flood prone areas is higher than average in the Netherlands between 2000 and 2040. Due to this effect the potential number of fatalities is projected to increase by 68% on average for 10 different flood scenarios, not including impacts from climate change and sea level rise. Just sea level rise of 0.30 m leads to an average 20% increase in the number of fatalities. The combined impact of sea level rise and population growth leads to an estimated doubling in the potential number of fatalities. Taking into account increasing probability of flooding due to sea level rise and extreme river discharges, the expected number of fatalities could quadruple by 2040. The presented results give a conservative and upper bound estimate of the increase of the risk level when no preventive measures are undertaken. It is found that the consideration of the exact spatial distribution of population growth is essential for arriving at reliable estimates of future risk of flooding.