Surface functional characteristics (C, O, S) of waste tire-derived carbon black before and after steam activation

The effects of steam activation on the surface functional characteristics of waste tire-derived carbon black were investigated. Two carbon-based materials, powdered carbon black (PCB) and PCB-derived powdered activated carbon (PCB-PAC), were selected for this study. A stainless steel tubular oven was used to activate the PCB at an activation temperature of 900 degrees C and 1 atm using steam as an activating reagent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was adopted to measure the surface composition and chemical structure of carbon surface. Various elemental spectra (C, O, and S) of each carbon sample were further deconvoluted by peak synthesis. Results showed that the surfaces of PCB and PCB-PAC consisted mainly of C-C and C-O. The PCB-PAC surface had a higher percentage of oxygenated functional groups (C=O and O-C=O) than PCB. The O1s spectra show that the oxygen detected on the PCB surface was mainly bonded to carbon (C-O), whereas the oxygen on the PCB-PAC surface could be bonded to hydrogen (O-H) and carbon (C-O). Sulfur on the surface of PCB consisted of 58.9 wt% zinc sulfide (ZnS) and 41.1 wt% S=C=S, whereas that on the surfaces of PCB-PAC consisted mainly of S=C=S. Furthermore, the increase of oxygen content from 9.6% (PCB) to 11.9% (PCB-PAC) resulted in the increase of the pH values of PCB-PAC after steam activation.     

Anaerobic degradation of nonylphenol in soil

This study investigated the effects of various factors on the anaerobic degradation of nonylphenol (NP) in soil. The results show that the optimal pH for NP degradation was 7.0 and that the degradation rate was enhanced when the temperature was increased. The addition of compost enhanced NP degradation. The individual addition of the electron donors lactate, acetate, and pyruvate inhibited NP degradation. The high-to-low order of NP degradation rates under three anaerobic conditions was sulfate-reducing conditions > methanogenic conditions > nitrate-reducing conditions. The results show that sulfate-reducing bacteria, methanogen, and eubacteria are involved in the anaerobic degradation of NP, with sulfate-reducing bacteria being a major component of the soil. Of the anaerobic strains isolated from the soil samples, strain AT3 expressed the best ability to biodegrade NP.     

Aerobic degradation of bisphenol A by Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain B-16 isolated from compost leachate of municipal solid waste

A novel bacterium designated strain B-16 was isolated from the compost leachate of the municipal solid waste (MSW) in a laboratory reactor. This strain was identified as a gram-negative bacterium, Achromobacter xylosoxidans that could grow on bisphenol A (BPA, a representative endocrine disruptor) as a sole carbon source under aerobic condition. BPA-degrading characteristics of strain B-16 were investigated in liquid cultures. The results show that BPA degradation was influenced by several factors (e.g. inoculum size, substrate concentration, temperature and pH, etc). The half-lives, optimum temperature and pH were found to be 0.58-3.1d, 35 degrees C and 7.0, respectively. BPA-degrading activity and cell growth were inhibited at high substrate concentration. Metabolic intermediates detected during the degradation process were identified as p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and p-hydroquinone, respectively. Metabolic pathway of BPA degradation was proposed in this study.     

Catalytic hydrogenation of polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide over supported palladium

A series of supported palladium catalysts were evaluated for their ability to mediate the complete hydrogenation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) or phenanthrene (Phe) in hexane was merged with a hydrogen-carbon dioxide [5% (w/w) H(2)/CO(2)] stream and transferred to a flow through mini-reactor (capacity ca. 1 g) that was maintained at 90 degrees C under a back-pressure of 20.68 MPa. Effluent from the reactor trapped in hexane was monitored/quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Catalyst formulations supported on iron powder, high density polyethylene (HDPE) or gamma-alumina were prepared and compared in terms of hydrogenation activity as measured by the quantity of substrate per unit time that could be perhydrogenated to toxicologically innocuous products. Both of the Pd preparations supported on gamma-alumina were more efficient than a commercial Pd(0) (5% w/w) on gamma-Al(2)O(3) formulation or preparations supported on HDPE or the iron powder. Bimetallic mixtures with Pd increased the hydrogenation activity when co-deposited with Cu or Ni but not with Ag or Co. However, increases in hydrogenation activity by increasing the loading of Pd (or bimetallic mixture) on this surface were limited. Despite using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) to swell the surfaces of the polymer, the deposition of nanoparticles within the polyethylene formulation was appreciably less active than either the oxidic or the Fe(0) formulations.     

Photoelectrocatalytic degradation of pentachlorophenol in aqueous solution using a TiO2 nanotube film electrode

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube film electrodes are fabricated by the anodic oxidation method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that these tubes were well aligned and organized into high-density uniform arrays. XRD analysis showed the TiO2 nanotubes to be in the anatase crystal form. The TiO2 nanotube film electrode exhibited increased photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) capability compared to a traditional TiO2 film electrode fabricated using the anodizing method for pentachlorophenol (PCP) degradation in aqueous solution. The bias potential, pH value, and electrolyte concentration were shown to be important factors influencing the degradation of PCP by the PEC method using the TiO2 nanotube film electrode as the working electrode.     

Distribution of elements in needles of Pinus massoniana (Lamb.) was uneven and affected by needle age

Macronutrients (P, S, K, Na, Mg, Ca), heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cd,) and Al concentrations as well as values of Ca/Al in the tip, middle and base sections, and sheaths of current year and previous year needles of Pinus massoniana from Xiqiao Mountain were analyzed and the distribution patterns of those elements were compared. The results indicated that many elements were unevenly distributed among the different components of needles. Possible deficiency of P, K, Ca, Mn and Al toxicity occurred in needles under air pollution. Heavy metals may threaten the health of Masson pine. Needle sheaths were good places to look for particulate pollutants, in this case including Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Cd and Al.     

Heavy metals in bark of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus massoniana</Emphasis> (Lamb.) as an indicator of atmospheric deposition near a smeltery at Qujiang,China

Goal, Scope and Background Rapid urbanization and the expansion of industrial activities in the past several decades have led to large increases in emissions of pollutants in the Pearl River Delta of south China. Recent reports have suggested that industrial emission is a major factor contributing to the damages in current natural ecosystem in the Delta area. Tree barks have been used successfully to monitor the levels of atmospheric metal deposition in many areas, but rarely in China. This study aimed at determining whether atmospheric heavy metal deposition from a Pb-Zn smeltery at Qujiang, Guangdong province, could be accurately reflected both in the inner bark and the outer bark of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.). The impact of the emission from smeltery on the soils beneath the trees and the relationships of the concentrations between the soils and the barks were also analyzed. Methods Barks around the bole of Pinus massoniana from a pine forest near a Pb-Zn smeltery at Qujiang and a reference forest at Dinghushan natural reserve were sampled with a stainless knife at an average height of 1.5 m above the ground. Mosses and lichens on the surface barks were cleaned prior to sampling. The samples were carefully divided into the inner bark (living part) and the outer bark (dead part) in the laboratory, and dried and ground, respectively. After being dry-ashed, the powder of the barks was dissolved in HNO₃. The solutions were analyzed for iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) by inductively coupled plasmas emission spectrometry (ICP, PS-1000AT, USA) and Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS, ZEENIT 60, Germany). Surface soils (0–10 cm) beneath the sample trees were also collected and analyzed for the selected metals. Results and Discussion Concentrations of the selected metals in soils at Qujiang were far above their environmental background values in the area, except for Fe and Mn, whilst at Dinghushan, they were far below their background values, except for Cd and Co. Levels of the metals, in particular Pb and Zn, in the soils beneath the sample trees at Qujiang were higher than those at Dinghushan with statistical significance. The result suggested that the pine forest soils at Qujiang had a great input of heavy metals from wet and dry atmospheric deposition, with the Pb-Zn smeltery most probably being the source. Levels of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni and Pb at Qujiang, both in the inner and the outer bark, were statistically higher than those at Dinghushan. Higher concentrations of Pb, Fe, Zn and Cu may come from the stem-flow of elements leached from the canopy, soil splash on the 1.5 m height and sorption of metals in the mosses and lichens growing on the bark, which were direct or indirect results from the atmospheric deposition. Levels of heavy metals in the outer barks were associated well with the metal concentrations in the soil, reflecting the close relationships between the metal atmospheric deposition and their accumulation in the outer bark of Masson pine. The significant (p<0.01) correlations of Fe-Cu, Fe-Cr, Fe-Pb, Fe-Ni, Pb-Ni, and Pb-Zn in the outer barks at Qujiang again suggested a common source for the metals. The correlation only occurred between Pb and Ni, Cd and Co in the outer barks at Dinghushan, which suggested that those metals must possibly have other uncommon sources. Conclusions Atmospheric deposition of the selected metals was great at Qujiang, based on the levels in the bark of Pinus massoniana and on the concentrations in the soils beneath the trees compared with that at Dinghushan. Bark of Pinus massoniana, especially the outer bark, was an indicator of metal loading at least at the time of sampling. Recommendations and Perspectives The results from this study and the techniques employed constituted a new contribution to the development of biogeochemical methods for environmental monitoring particularly in areas with high frequency of pollution in China. The method would be of value for follow up studies aimed at the assessment of industrial pollution in other areas similar with the Pearl River Delta.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Environmental Impact Assessment of Industrial Structure Change in a Rural Region of China

As the embodiment of human activities, the change of regional industrial structure is an essential driving factor of global environmental change. Consequently, the research on the change of regional industrial structure and associated effects on the environment is one of the key issues of researches on sustainable development, human–environment relationship, and regional response to global environment change. However, compared to the flourish of researches on environmental impact assessment of industrial departments, few studies have been conducted to assess the environmental impact of regional industrial structure. In this study, based on a synthetic analysis of environmental disturbances of different industrial departments, the environmental impact coefficient of industrial department associated with the index of environmental impact of industrial structure was constructed, so as to make a quantitative assessment of environmental impact of the change of regional industrial structure. And the results of the case study in Lijiang City, a rural region of China, have showed that there are two obvious changes of industrial structure in the study area from 1992 to 2003, associated with a continuous decreasing of the index of environmental impact of industrial structure, which indicated a positive environmental effects of the change of regional industrial structure.     

苯酚、苯胺及其衍生物对斜生栅列藻的急性毒性及QSAR研究

本文应用ＯＥＣＤ标准方法测定了１８种酚类胺类化合物对斜生栅列藻的４８ｈ－ＥＣ６０值,选择参数ＥＬＵＭＯ和ｌｇＫｏｗ进行了ＱＳＡＲ分析,得到下列回归方程：－１ｇＥＣ５０＝２．５４１－０．６４９ＥＬＵＭＯ＋０．２９９ＬｇＫｏｗ,ｎ＝１８,ｒ＝０．９０３,ＳＥ＝０．３１４应用所得方程计算了化合物的毒性,探讨了毒机理。     

湖库泥沙资源化多目标优化配置研究综述

合理利用泥沙的资源特性,实现泥沙资源优化配置是湖库生态环境治理迫切需要解决的关键问题之一。该文旨在对泥沙资源化及多目标优化配置方法的研究进行综述,总结泥沙资源化的研究现状和分析其发展趋势。首先对泥沙资源优化配置框架的相关研究进行了综述,主要集中于泥沙资源优化配置、泥沙资源化的途径、泥沙管理生态化及优化配置方法等方面,然后分析了目前对于泥沙资源优化配置的理论认识、模型构建及应用、方案评价及决策存在的主要问题,最后探讨了泥沙资源优化配置相关研究未来发展方向。