Development of regenerative dye impregnated mesoporous silica materials for assessing exposure to ammonia

The mesostructured materials MCM-41 and SBA-15 were studied as possible supports of bromocresol green (BG) dye impregnation for the ammonia gas detection because of their large surface area, high regenerative property, and high thermal stability. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscope, and N2 adsorption analysis were used to characterize the prepared materials. These materials could sense ammonia via visible color change from yellowish-orange to blue color. The color change process of the nanostructured materials was fully reversible during 10 cyclic tests. The results indicated that the ammonia absorption responses of the two nanostructured materials were both very sensitive, and high linear correlation and high precision were achieved. As the gaseous ammonia concentrations were 50 and 5 ppmv, the response times for the SBA-15/BG were only 1 and 5 min, respectively. Moreover the BG dye-impregnated SBA-15 was less affected by the variation in the relative humidity. It also had faster response for the detection of NH3, as well as lower manufacturing price as compared to that of the dye-impregnated MCM-41. Such feature enables SBA-15/BG to be a very promising material for the detection of ammonia gas.     

C/N和pH值对高温好氧反硝化菌产N2O的影响研究

以50℃高温、好氧条件下能进行高效好氧反硝化的菌株TAD1为研究对象,在不同C/N和pH值培养条件下,对其24 h的反硝化效率和反硝化过程中N2O的逸出量进行了研究。结果显示,C/N和pH值对菌株TAD1的反硝化效率和N2O产生量有明显影响.菌株TAD1最适宜的C/N为9,pH值为7,此时反硝化效率达到99.12%,N2O产生量仅为3.35×10-2 mg/L,N2 O转化率为0.045%,反硝化产物以氮气为主。另外,菌株TAD1不适宜在酸性条件下生长,pH值为6时反硝化效率为83.18%,N2O产生量为13.88×10-2 mg/L,是pH值为7时的4.14倍,是pH值为8时的5.07倍。     

外循环式UASB反应器处理高浓度酒精废水

利用改进型上流式厌氧污泥床反应器在中温条件下处理高浓度酒精废水,研究反应器的启动影响因素及颗粒污泥形成过程,分析反应器运行特性。在容积负荷为10.39 kg COD/(m3.d),COD去除率达90.2%,VFA在300 mg/L以下,平均产气率为0.328 m3/kg COD,取得最佳的运行效果,为高浓度酒精废水的处理应用提供科学依据。     

Size mass distribution of water-soluble ionic species and gas conversion to sulfate and nitrate in particulate matter in southern Taiwan

A Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposition Impactor (MOUDI) and a Nano-MOUDI were employed to determine the size-segregated mass distributions of ambient particulate matter (PM) and water-soluble ionic species for particulate constituents. In addition, gas precursors, including HCl, HONO, HNO₃, SO₂, and NH₃ gases, were analyzed by an annular denuder system. PM size mass distribution, mass concentration, and ionic species concentration were measured during the day and at night during episode and non-episode periods in winter and summer. Average total suspended particle (TSP) concentrations during episode days in winter were as high as 153?±?33 μg/m³, and PM mass concentrations in summer were as low as one-third of that in winter. Generally, PM concentration at night was higher than that in the daytime in southern Taiwan during the sampling periods. In winter during the episode periods, the size-segregated mass distribution of PM mass concentration was mostly in the 0.32–3.2-μm range, and the PM concentration increased significantly in the range of 0.32–3.2 μm at night. Ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate were the dominant water-soluble ionic species in PM, contributing 34–48 % of TSP mass. High concentrations of ammonia (12.9–49 μg/m³) and SO₂ (2.6–27 μg/m³) were observed in the gas precursors. The conversion ratio was high in the PM size range of 0.18–3.2 μm both during the day and at night in winter, and the conversion ratio of episode days was 20 % higher than that of non-episode days. The conversion factor was high for both nitrogen and sulfur species at nighttime, especially on episode days.     

Performance measurement for incineration plants using multi-activity network data envelopment analysis: The case of Taiwan

This study proposes the use of multi-activity network data envelopment analysis to appraise how incineration plants in Taiwan perform. Sample data from 2006 is used to examine the trade-offs between efficiency enhancement and pollution abatement. The respective efficiencies of the waste treatment and electricity generation are also assessed in a unified framework. The empirical results indicate that it is more important to improve the efficiency of waste treatment activity than of electricity generation activity in order to enhance the overall performance of Taiwan's incinerators. Since ownership, location and length of operations do not in general affect their performance, any improvement has to come from the careful monitoring of each process of the waste treatment operations. Furthermore, given that the policy in Taiwan has moved away from incineration to recycling, the problem of an over-supply of incinerators may become apparent in the near future. Our results indicate that the availability of capacity size may be an important factor when policy-makers consider whether to close down some existing incinerators.     

青岛市餐厨垃圾现状调查及分析

通过问卷与实地跟踪形式调查青岛市4个主城区餐厨垃圾现状并提出关于餐厨垃圾管理和处置的建议,力求为该市餐厨垃圾的资源化利用提供参考.调查结果显示:餐厨垃圾产量为265.00 t/d,含水率为74.93％、含油率为6.06％、营养物为12.22％(质量分数);54.4％的调查餐饮单位将餐厨垃圾分为剩饭菜、废油和生活垃圾3类排放,需进一步加强餐厨垃圾分类放置的管理工作;所调查餐饮单位中有64.4％的剩饭菜、54.3％的废油由政府统一收运,统一收运率有待进一步提高;正规回收的餐厨垃圾为197.66 t/d,被用于堆肥或进行填埋处置.     

Water quality effects of clearcut harvesting and forest fertilization with best management practices

Nine small (2.5 ha) and four large (70-135 ha) watersheds were instrumented in 1999 to evaluate the effects of silvicultural practices with application of best management practices (BMPs) on stream water quality in East Texas, USA. Two management regimes were implemented in 2002: (i) conventional, with clearcutting, herbicide site preparation, and BMPs and (ii) intensive, which added subsoiling, aerial broadcast fertilization, and an additional herbicide application. Watershed effects were compared with results from a study on the same small watersheds in 1981, in which two combinations of harvesting and mechanical site preparation without BMPs or fertilization were evaluated. Clearcutting with conventional site preparation resulted in increased nitrogen losses on the small watersheds by about 1 additional kg ha(-1) each of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N) in 2003. First-year losses were not significantly increased on the large watershed with a conventional site preparation with BMPs. Fertilization resulted in increased runoff losses in 2003 on the intensive small watersheds by an additional 0.77, 2.33, and 0.36 kg ha(-1) for NO(3)-N, TKN, and total phosphorus, respectively. Total loss rates of ammonia nitrogen (NH(4)-N) and NO(3)-N were low overall and accounted for only approximately 7% of the applied N. Mean loss rates from treated watersheds were much lower than rainfall inputs of about 5 kg ha(-1) TKN and NO(3)-N in 2003. Aerial fertilization of the 5-yr-old stand on another large watershed did not increase nutrient losses. Intensive silvicultural practices with BMPs did not significantly impair surface water quality with N and P.     

Evaluation of the temporal variations of air quality in Taipei City, Taiwan, from 1994 to 2003

Data collected from the five air-quality monitoring stations established by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei City from 1994 to 2003 are analyzed to assess the temporal variations of air quality. Principal component analysis (PCA) is adopted to convert the original measuring pollutants into fewer independent components through linear combinations while still retaining the majority of the variance of the original data set. Two principal components (PCs) are retained together explaining 82.73% of the total variance. PC1, which represents primary pollutants such as CO, NO(x), and SO(2), shows an obvious decrease over the last 10 years. PC2, which represents secondary pollutants such as ozone, displays a yearly increase over the time period when a reduction of primary pollutants is obvious. In order to track down the control measures put forth by the authorities, 47 days of high PM(10) concentrations caused by transboundary transport have been eliminated in analyzing the long-term trend of PM(10) in Taipei City. The temporal variations over the past 10 years show that the moderate peak in O(3) demonstrates a significant upward trend even when the local primary pollutants have been well under control. Monthly variations of PC scores demonstrate that primary pollution is significant from January to April, while ozone increases from April to August. The results of the yearly variations of PC scores show that PM(10) has gradually shifted from a strong correlation with PC1 during the early years to become more related to PC2 in recent years. This implies that after a reduction of primary pollutants, the proportion of secondary aerosols in PM(10) may increase. Thus, reducing the precursor concentrations of secondary aerosols will be an effective way to lower PM(10) concentrations.     

Comparison of models of simazine transport and fate in the subsurface environment in a citrus farm

Contamination of groundwater by agrochemicals is now widely recognized as an extremely important environmental problem. Modern agricultural practices involve the combined use of irrigation with the application of large amounts of agrochemicals to maximize crop yield. Due to flood irrigation and natural runoff, agricultural activities might generate soil, surface water and groundwater contamination problems and leaching of pesticides. Modeling of the transport and fate of pesticides, such as simazine, may help understand the long-term potential risk to the subsurface environment. This paper illustrates a comparative study via the use of three different pesticide transport simulation models and the applicability of those models in determining the groundwater vulnerability to pesticides contamination in a citrus orchard located at the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). The three models used in the study are the pesticide root zone model-3 (PRZM-3), the pesticide analytical model (PESTAN) and integrated pesticide transport modeling (IPTM). The concentration values obtained from all three models are in agreement, and they show a decreasing trend from the surface through the vadose zone. The problem is how to use this information and, specifically, how to combine the testimony of a number of experts into a single useful judgment. With the aid of the fuzzy multiattribute decision making method, PRZM-3 is deemed as the most promising one for such precision farming applications.     

日本汽车行业加大环保研发投入的启示

通过对日本汽车行业在环保领域的资金投入状况分析,明确了其加大环保研发投入,实现企业利益与社会公益责任双赢的发展方向.并结合我国的实际情况,提出了针对我国汽车行业发展的建议.