Development of vermicast from sludge and powdered oyster shell

Soil acidification is one of the rising land degradation issues facing world agriculture. The risk of acidification is currently being assessed as part of agriculture productivity and sustainable theme. This study was conducted to produce a new vermicomposting cast as a recycling resource derived from municipal sewage sludge and waste oyster shell. The earthworm, Eisenia Andrei, was fed under different conditions. The most suitable mixture was 77:23 w/w% of sewage sludge and waste oyster shell. Powdered oyster shell (POS) sludge blend provided a stable pH, due to its buffering capacity during vermiculture because of the Ca²⁺ and OH^? release effect. The vermicast products fulfilled the cast standards of Korea Ministry of Environment for all the parameters such as moisture content, pH, salinity, organic carbon, TKN, Phosphate, and heavy metals. Slowly released organic matter when added to soil improves the capacity of the soil to hold nutrients for plants, improve soil aeration for roots, and improves soil drainage. This product will be an addition to already-commercialized sludge vermicast as a higher value product.     

贵州省红枫湖饮用水源地微囊藻毒素含量与水体中氮、磷含量等的相关性

2008年6~9月对贵州省红枫湖饮用水源地A、B、C采样点及取水口采样,研究了水体中微囊藻毒素即总藻毒素(total microcystin RR和total microcystin LR,TMC-RR、TMC-LR),胞外藻毒素(extracellular microcystin RR和extracellular microcystin LR,EMC-RR、EMC-LR)和胞内藻毒素(intracellular microcystin RR和intracellular microcystin LR,IMC-RR、IMC-LR)含量及相关的TN、TP、NH4-N、NO2-N、COD、Ch1a、pH等理化指标的变化情况,讨论了理化指标与藻毒素含量之间的相互关系。结果表明藻毒素在时间及空间上分布不均,无明显规律性。藻类高发期间藻毒素以胞内毒素为主要存在形式,去除藻毒素保障饮用水安全最重要的是去除饮用水源水中的藻类。相关性分析表明藻毒素含量与pH、NO2-N、Ch1a具有统计学意义上的相关性,综合回归分析的结果,pH是影响藻毒素的重要因子,因此贵州省喀斯特弱碱性特殊水环境与藻毒素产生的环境条件值得各方面高度关注。     

青藏高原典型高寒草甸区土壤有机碳氮的变异特性

本研究应用地统计学的基本原理与方法(半方差分析)对青藏高原典型高寒草甸区0～10 cm土壤有机碳和全氮空间变异性进行了分析.结果表明,0～10 cm的土壤有机碳和全氮的平均含量分别为11.45 g·kg^-1和1.02 g·kg^-1,平均变异系数分别为0.23和0.21,反映出该植被区土壤肥力较为贫瘠.土壤有机碳和全氮随机因素的变异占总空间异质性变异的比率分别为44.7%和49.9%,变异尺度分别为210.9 m和200.1 m,随机因素的影响主要发生在采样尺度＜10 m的范围之内.在该研究区域上土壤有机碳和全氮均表现出空间自相关因素大于随机因素的变异格局;在空间结构的变异上,由土壤内在属性如土壤矿物质、地形等空间自相关因素和人为因素如放牧及工程施工等对土壤表层的践踏引起的随机因素共同起作用,影响程度呈中等水平.     

Stoffflussanalyse von quartären Ammoniumverbindungen für die Schweiz

Background, aim, and scope Compared to other micropollutants such as pesticides or pharmaceuticals, less attention has been paid to biocides so far. A prioritisation of the biocides currently used in Switzerland in terms of pollution of waters revealed that quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), the isothiazolinones chloromethylisothiazolinone and benzisothiazolinone as well as Irgarol exhibit the highest risk potential. The QAC benzalkoniumchloride (BAC) and didecyldimethylammoniumchloride (DDAC-C10) are used in considerable amounts and have a high biological activity. Materials and methods The emissions of selected QAC in waters and soil and the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were estimated by means of a substance flow analysis (SFA). The study was based on data from the Swiss products register, on literature, contacts to producers and users as well as on own assumptions. Results and discussion The consumption of BAC (four homologues) and DDAC-C10 in biocidal applications in Switzerland amounts to 90 and 30 tons annually. The most important applications are disinfectants for public health areas, food and feed areas as well as wood preservatives. The total emissions to the environment of all five substances account for approximately 11?t/a. The PECs in surface waters and sediments vary from values slightly lower than the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) to roughly three orders of magnitude below the PNEC. However, concentrations above the PNEC are possible at certain locations, particularly downstream of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) effluents and sewer overflows. Effects on aquatic organisms can therefore not be excluded. Three BAC homologues could not be assessed, as there were no PNEC values available. Conclusions The contribution of emissions from WWTP (punctual emissions) to the environment is only about one tenth and relatively low compared to diffuse emissions. This means that measures for the emission reduction focussing only on end-of-pipe solutions in WWTP will not reduce the emissions significantly. Moreover, for the evaluation of measures, attention has to be paid to the fact that biocides such as the selected QAC are often also applied in non-biocidal applications (e.?g. three times higher volumes in the case of BAC). Recommendations and perspectives SFA serves as a useful tool for early recognition of environmental problems caused by chemicals. This allows recommending appropriate risk reduction measures in the production, the use and the end-of-life phase. It is advisable to use the SFA already in the development stage of chemicals and later on as a quality control tool. The relevant sources of chemicals and sinks in the environment can thus be determined in complex systems, even in absence of extensive measurements or product registers with consumption figures by means of estimations and scenarios.     

聚磷激酶基因在假单胞菌中的整合和表达

为了构建高效除磷的微生物,将来源于大肠杆菌的聚磷激酶基因(ppk)插入广宿主载体pBBR1MCS-2多克隆位点区,得到质粒pBBR1MCS-2-ppk.以该质粒为模板,通过PCR扩增出携带有载体启动子和终止子序列的ppk基因,插入自杀型质粒pUTmini-Tn5中得到重组质粒pUTmini-Tn5-ppk.pUTmini-Tn5-ppk经三亲接合作用进入Pseudomonas putidaKT2440,同时mini-Tn5通过转座作用将ppk整合到宿主菌株的染色体DNA中,获得基因工程菌Pseudomonas putidaKT2440-PPK,用于表达ppk.RT-PCR结果显示,ppk基因在KT2440-PPK中得到较高量的表达,而在原始菌株KT2440中表达微弱.人工模拟污水实验结果表明,接种1 h时KT2440-PPK中聚磷含量达到最大,为3.05 mg/g,约是对照菌株KT2440的15倍.测定模拟污水中磷酸盐的含量表明,KT2440-PPK可以去除该模拟污水中90%以上的磷酸盐.     

Bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs andwhole body tissues of freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala individuallyand in binary solutions with nickel

Contamination of aquatic ecosystems with heavy metals has been receiving increased worldwide attention due to their harmful e ectson human health and other organisms in the environment. Most of the studies dealing with toxic e ects of metals deal with singlemetal species, while the aquatic organisms are typically exposed to mixtures of metals. Hence, in order to provide data supportingthe usefulness of freshwater fish as indicators of heavy metal pollution, it has been proposed in the present study to investigate thebioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs of freshwater fingerlings Cirrhinus mrigala, individually and inbinary solutions with nickel. The results show that the kidney is a target organ for chromium accumulation, which implies that it is alsothe “critical” organ for toxic symptoms. The results further show that accumulation of nickel in all the tissues of C. mrigala is higherthan that of chromium. In addition, the metal accumulations of the binary mixtures of chromium and nickel are substantially higherthan those of the individual metals, indicating synergistic interactions between the two metals. Theoretically the simplest explanationfor an additive joint action of toxicants in a mixture is that they act in a qualitatively similar way. The observed data suggest that C.mrigala could be suitable monitoring organisms to study the bioavailability of water-bound metals in freshwater habitats.     

Predicting black smoke levels from deposit gauge and SO2 data to estimate long-term exposure in the United Kingdom, 1956–1961

BackgroundIn the UK air quality has been monitored systematically since 1914, providing valuable data for studies of the long-term trends in air pollution and potentially for studies of health effects of air pollutants. There are, however, challenges in interpreting these data due to changes over time in the number and location of monitored sites, and in monitoring techniques. Particulate matter was measured as deposited matter (DM) using deposit gauge monitors until the 1950s when black smoke (BS) filters were introduced. Estimating long-term exposure to particulates using data from both deposit gauge and BS monitors requires an understanding of the relationships between DM, SO₂ and BS.AimsTo explore whether DM and/or SO₂, along with seasonal and location specific variables can be used to predict BS levels.MethodsAir quality data were abstracted from hard copies of the monthly Atmospheric Pollution Bulletins for the period April 1956–March 1961 for any sites with co-located DM, SO₂ and BS data for three or more consecutive years. The relationships between DM, SO₂, and BS were assessed using mixed models.ResultsThere were 34 eligible sites giving 1521 triplets of data. There was a consistent correlation between SO₂ and BS at all sites, but the association between DM and BS was less clear and varied by location. Mixed modelling allowing for repeat measurements at each site revealed that SO₂, year, rainfall and season of measurement explained 72% of the variability in BS levels.ConclusionsSO₂ can be used as a surrogate measure for BS in all monitoring locations. This surrogate can be improved upon by consideration of site specific characteristics, seasonal effects, rainfall and year of measurement. These findings will help in estimating historic, long-term exposure to particulates where BS or other measures are not available.     

A new approach to in-situ determination of roadside particle emission factors of individual vehicles under conventional driving conditions

A method for continuous on-road measurements of particle number emissions for both diesel- and petrol-fuelled vehicles is presented. The setup allows the determination of particle number emission factors on an individual vehicle basis by the simultaneous measurement of CO₂ and particle concentrations. As an alternative to previous measurements on the kerbside, the sample is taken directly in the street, with the advantage of sampling in-situ within the exhaust plumes of passing vehicles, allowing the separation of the individual high-concentration plumes. The method was tested in two experiments that were conducted in the Gothenburg area. In the first study, which was performed at an urban roadside, we were able to determine particle emission factors from individual vehicles in a common car fleet passing the measurement site. The obtained emission factors were of the same order of magnitude (between 1.4 × 10¹² and 1.8 × 10¹⁴ particles km^?1) as values published in the recent literature for light duty vehicles. An additional on-road experiment was conducted at a rural road with four light duty reference vehicles (three of them petrol-powered and one diesel-powered) at driving speeds of 50 and 70 km h^?1, realised with different engine speeds. The results of the traffic emission studies show that the method is applicable provided that instruments with an adequate dynamic range are used and that the traffic is not too dense. In addition, the variability in particle emissions for a specified driving condition was estimated.     

Temporal processes that contribute to nonlinearity in vegetation responses to ozone exposure and dose

Ozone interacts with plant tissue through distinct temporal processes. Sequentially, plants are exposed to ambient O₃ that (1) moves through the leaf boundary layer, (2) is taken up into plant tissue primarily through stomata, and (3) undergoes chemical interaction within plant tissue, first by initiating alterations and then as part of plant detoxification and repair. In this paper, we discuss the linkage of the temporal variability of apoplastic ascorbate with the diurnal variability of defense mechanisms in plants and compare this variability with daily maximum O₃ concentration and diurnal uptake and entry of O₃ into the plant through stomata. We describe the quantitative evidence on temporal variability in concentration and uptake and find that the time incidence for maximum defense does not necessarily match diurnal patterns for maximum O₃ concentration or maximum uptake. We suggest that the observed out-of-phase association of the diurnal patterns for the above three processes produces a nonlinear relationship that results in a greater response from the higher hourly average O₃ concentrations than from the lower or mid-level values. The fact that these out-of-phase processes affect the relationship between O₃ exposure/dose and vegetation effects ultimately impact the ability of flux-based indices to predict vegetation effects accurately for purposes of standard setting and critical levels. Based on the quantitative aspect of temporal variability identified in this paper, we suggest that the inclusion of a diurnal pattern for detoxification in effective flux-based models would improve the predictive characteristics of the models. While much of the current information has been obtained using high O₃ exposures, future research results derived from laboratory biochemical experiments that use short but elevated O₃ exposures should be combined with experimental results that use ambient-type exposures over longer periods of time. It is anticipated that improved understanding will come from future research focused on diurnal variability in plant defense mechanisms and their relationship to the diurnal variability in ambient O₃ concentration and stomatal conductance. This should result in more reliable O₃ exposure standards and critical levels.     

Rainfall trends in twentieth century over Kerala,India

Attempts were made to study temporal variation in monthly, seasonal and annual rainfall over Kerala, India, during the period from 1871 to 2005. Longterm changes in rainfall determined by Man-Kendall rank statistics and linear trend. The analysis revealed significant decrease in southwest monsoon rainfall while increase in post-monsoon season over the State of Kerala which is popularly known as the “Gateway of summer monsoon”. Rainfall during winter and summer seasons showed insignificant increasing trend. Rainfall during June and July showed significant decreasing trend while increasing trend in January, February and April. Hydel power generation and water availability during summer months are the concern in the State due to rainfall decline in June and July, which are the rainiest months. At the same time, majority of plantation crops are likely to benefit due to increase in rainfall during the post-monsoon season if they are stable and prolonged.