Removal of heavy metals using waste eggshell

The removal capacity of toxic heavy metals by the reused eggshell was studied.As a pretreatment process for the preparation of reused material from waste eggshell,calcination was performed in the furnace at 800℃for 2 h after crushing the dried waste eggshell.Calcination behavior,qualitative and quantitative elemental information,mineral type and surface characteristics before and after calcination of eggshell were examined by thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA),X-ray fluorescence (XRF),X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM),respectively.After calcination,the major inorganic composition was identified as Ca(lime, 99.63%)and K,P and Sr were identified as minor components.When calcined eggshell was applied in the treatment of synthetic wastewater containing heavy metals,a complete removal of Cd as well as above 99% removal of Cr was observed after 10 min. Although the natural eggshell had some removal capacity of Cd and Cr,a complete removal was not accomplished even after 60 min due to quite slower removal rate.However,in contrast to Cd and Cr,an efficient removal of Pb was observed with the natural eggshell rather than the calcined eggshell.From the application of the calcined eggshell in the treatment of real electroplating wastewater, the calcined eggshell showed a promising removal capacity of heavy metal ions as well as had a good neutralization capacity in the treatment of strong acidic wastewater.     

Assessing Risk in Operational Decisions Using Great Lakes Probabilistic Water Level Forecasts

/ A method adapted from the National Weather Service's Extended Streamflow Prediction technique is applied retrospectively to three Great Lakes case studies to show how risk assessment using probabilistic monthly water level forecasts could have contributed to the decision-mak-ing process. The first case study examines the 1985 International Joint Commission (IJC) decision to store water in Lake Superior to reduce high levels on the downstream lakes. Probabilistic forecasts are generated for Lake Superior and Lakes Michigan-Huron and used with riparian inundation value functions to assess the relative impacts of the IJC's decision on riparian interests for both lakes. The second case study evaluates the risk of flooding at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the need to implement flood-control projects if Lake Michigan levels were to continue to rise above the October 1986 record. The third case study quantifies the risks of impaired municipal water works operation during the 1964-1965 period of extreme low water levels on Lakes Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario. Further refinements and other potential applications of the probabilistic forecast technique are discussed.KEY WORDS: Great Lakes; Water levels; Forecasting; Risk; Decision making     

轨道交通列车内空气质量研究现状与展望

城市轨道交通因其运量大、效率高、能耗低等诸多优点,成为城市公共交通的主要方式,其中主要以地铁为主。虽然通勤者在地铁内停留时间短,但因列车及乘客的活动,其内自然通风不足,空气质量差,影响出行人员身体健康。研究表明：颗粒物（PM）、挥发性有机物（VOCs）和细菌是主要的空气污染物。其中,轨道交通颗粒物主要来源于列车与轨道之间的磨损,且颗粒物中金属元素含量丰富,遗传毒性较强。VOCs主要来源于地铁装饰物的挥发,细菌与真菌等主要受客流量、通风、温度等因素影响。此外,文章综合叙述了暴露于PM以外的各种空气污染物的健康风险。最后,指出进一步优化列车运行条件、开发先进的空气净化装置,是未来轨道列车空气质量研究与控制的方向。     

Design and use of group-specific primers and probes for real-time quantitative PCR

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has gained popularity as a technique to detect and quantify a specific group of target microorganisms from various environmental samples including soil, water, sediments, and sludge. Although qPCR is a very useful technique for nucleic acid quantification, accurately quantifying the target microbial group strongly depends on the quality of the primer and probe used. Many aspects of conducting qPCR assays have become increasingly routine and automated; however, one of the most important aspects, designing and selecting primer and probe sets, is often a somewhat arcane process. In many cases, failed or non-specific amplification can be attributed to improperly designed primer-probe sets. This paper is intended to provide guidelines and general principles for designing group-specific primers and probes for qPCR assays. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these guidelines by reviewing the use of qPCR to study anaerobic processes and biologic nutrient removal processes. qPCR assays using group-specific primers and probes designed with this method, have been used to successfully quantify 16S ribosomal Ribonucleic Acid (16S rRNA) gene copy numbers from target methanogenic and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in various laboratory- and full-scale biologic processes. Researchers with a good command of primer and probe design can use qPCR as a valuable tool to study biodiversity and to develop more efficient control strategies for biologic processes.     

Influence of Agricultural Antibiotics and 17β-Estradiol on the Microbial Community of Soil

Agricultural pharmaceuticals are a major environmental concern because of their hazardous effects on human and wildlife. This study analyzed phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids (PLFAs) and quinones to investigate the effects of a steroid (17β-estradiol) and agricultural antibiotics (chlortetracycline and tylosin) on soil microbes in the laboratory. Two different types of soil were used: Sequatchie loam (0.8% organic matter) and LaDelle silt loam (9.2% organic matter). The soils were spiked with 17β-estradiol and antibiotics, alone or in combination. In Sequatchie loam, 17β-estradiol significantly increased the microbial biomass, especially the biomarkers for beta proteobacteria (16:1ω7c, 18:1ω7c, Cy17:0, and UQ-8). The coexistence of antibiotics decreased the stimulatory effect of 17β-estradiol on the microbial community. In LaDelle silt loam, there were no significant differences in total microbial biomass and their microbial community structure among the treatments. Overall, 17β-estradiol changed the microbial community of soil and the presence of antibiotics nullified the effect of 17β-estradiol. However, the effects of 17β-estradiol and antibiotics on soil microbes were sensitive to the soil properties, as seen in the LaDelle silt loam.     

Impact and Dynamics of Disease in Species Threatened by the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Abstract:  Estimating disease-associated mortality and transmission processes is difficult in free-ranging wildlife but important for understanding disease impacts and dynamics and for informing management decisions. In a capture–mark–recapture study, we used a PCR-based diagnostic test in combination with multistate models to provide the first estimates of disease-associated mortality and detection, infection, and recovery rates for frogs endemically infected with the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which causes the pandemic amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. We found that endemic chytridiomycosis was associated with a substantial reduction (approximately 38%) in apparent monthly survival of the threatened rainforest treefrog Litoria pearsoniana despite a long period of coexistence (approximately 30 years); detection rate was not influenced by disease status; improved recovery and reduced infection rates correlated with decreased prevalence, which occurred when temperatures increased; and incorporating changes in individuals' infection status through time with multistate models increased effect size and support (98.6% vs. 71% of total support) for the presence of disease-associated mortality when compared with a Cormack–Jolly–Seber model in which infection status was restricted to the time of first capture. Our results indicate that amphibian populations can face significant ongoing pressure from chytridiomycosis long after epidemics associated with initial Bd invasions subside, an important consideration for the long-term conservation of many amphibian species worldwide. Our findings also improve confidence in estimates of disease prevalence in wild amphibians and provide a general framework for estimating parameters in epidemiological models for chytridiomycosis, an important step toward better understanding and management of this disease.     

Decomposition of aqueous chlorinated contaminants by UV irradiation with H2O2

In the present study, the decomposition rates of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water by the ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation alone and H₂O₂/UV were experimentally investigated. The detailed experimental studies have been conducted for examining treatment capacities of the two different ultraviolet light sources (low and medium pressure Hg arc) in H₂O₂/UV processes. The low or medium UV lamp alone resulted in a 60%–90% decomposition of 2,4-DCP while a slight addition of H₂O₂ resulted in a drastic enhancement of the 2,4-DCP decomposition rate. The decomposition rate of 2,4-DCP with the medium pressure UV lamp alone was about 3–6 times greater than the low pressure UV lamp alone. In the direct photolysis of aqueous CCl₄, the medium pressure UV lamp had advantage over the low pressure UV lamp because the molar extinction coefficient of CCl₄ at shorter wavelength (210–220 nm) is about 20 to 50 times higher than that at 254 nm. However, adding H₂O₂ to the medium pressure UV lamp system rendered a negative oxidation rate because H₂O₂ acted as a UV absorber being competitive with CCl₄ due to negligible reaction between CCl₄ and OH radicals. The results from the present study indicated significant influence of the photochemical properties of the target contaminants on the photochemical treatment characteristics for designing cost-effective UV-based degradation of toxic contaminants.     

三江平原保护区社区居民对湿地生态系统服务功能的贡献意愿

为了解社区对维持保护区湿地生态系统服务功能的贡献意愿,研究选取三江平原5个湿地自然保护区及其社区,依据条件价值评估法设计双边界二分式问卷,进行实地走访调查,从居民社会经济背景等方面探讨影响贡献意愿的因素、居民支付意愿（WTP）和劳动意愿（WTW）的差异。结果表明：1）居民对湿地生态系统服务的劳动意愿（73.57%）高于支付意愿（55.65%）,居民的抗议支付率随WTP和WTW投标值增加呈上升趋势,人均WTP为387.25±7.08元/a,WTW为31.40±0.39 h/月;2）月收入水平较高及对支付金钱有较高接受程度的受访居民,其WTP相对较高;加入环保类协会、对付出劳动的接受程度较高、受教育程度较高及男性的受访居民,则有较高的WTW;3）49.46%的居民愿意同时贡献金钱与劳动,远高于其他贡献意愿类型。建议在保护区的资源保护与管理实践中鼓励社区参与,充分发挥社区居民乐于提供志愿服务时间的贡献意愿。     

改性生物炭对水体中抗生素的去除研究进展

随着社会经济的不断发展,抗生素造成的水体环境污染问题已不容忽视.利用生物炭去除水体中的抗生素是解决这一问题的有效手段之一.然而,原始生物炭对水体中抗生素等有机污染物的去除存在一定局限性,因此对生物炭进行改性以提升其吸附能力尤为必要.生物炭的吸附性能受生物质类型、碳化条件和改性方法等因素影响较大,导致目前虽然开展了许多相关研究,但结论不一,尤其是在不同改性生物炭对不同抗生素吸附机理的解释方面还不是很清楚,因此有必要对现有研究进行系统地归纳和总结.本文首先对用于抗生素吸附的改性生物炭制备方法及理化性质表征方法进行了介绍,综述了改性生物炭对不同种类抗生素(磺胺类、喹诺酮类、四环素类、大环内酯类、氯霉素类)的吸附效果、吸附机理及其影响因素(如溶液pH值、热解温度、改性材料等),对比分析了生物炭改性前后吸附效果的差异,对目前改性生物炭用于去除水体中抗生素存在的问题进行了分析和总结,在此基础上,对今后该领域的研究和发展方向进行了展望,以期为将来开展相关的研究工作提供一定的参考.     

UASB反应器中厌氧氨氧化污泥的种群分析

利用变性梯度凝胶电泳、克隆和实时PCR等分子生物学技术对2个厌氧氨氧化反应器中的微生物进行了初步研究.变性梯度凝胶电泳结果表明,尽管2个反应器的接种污泥不同,但经过1年多的连续运行,二者的微生物种群结构基本相同;Planctomycete克隆结果表明,相似的15个序列(>99%)与已报道的3个属的厌氧氨氧化菌的序列均有较大距离(<92%),而与具有厌氧氨氧化功能的KSU-1序列有97%的相似,amoA基因克隆结果表明,反应器中的部分好氧氨氧化菌属于β-Proteobacteria中具有厌氧氨氧化活性的Nitrosomonas;实时PCR结果表明,厌氧氨氧化细菌占细菌总量的27%~29%,好氧氨氧化菌约为5%.