A global assessment of chromium pollution using sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) as an indicator species

Chromium (Cr) is a well-known human carcinogen and a potential reproductive toxicant, but its contribution to ocean pollution is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to provide a global baseline for Cr as a marine pollutant using the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) as an indicator species. Biopsies were collected from free-ranging whales around the globe during the voyage of the research vessel The Odyssey. Total Cr levels were measured in 361 sperm whales collected from 16 regions around the globe detectable levels ranged from 0.9 to 122.6 μg Cr g tissue⁻¹ with a global mean of 8.8 ± 0.9 μg g⁻¹. Two whales had undetectable levels. The highest levels were found in sperm whales sampled in the waters near the Islands of Kiribati in the Pacific (mean = 44.3 ± 14.4) and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean (mean = 19.5 ± 5.4 μg g⁻¹). The lowest mean levels were found in whales near the Canary Islands (mean = 3.7 ± 0.8 μg g⁻¹) and off of the coast of Sri Lanka (mean = 3.3 ± 0.4 μg g⁻¹). The global mean Cr level in whale skin was 28-times higher than mean Cr skin levels in humans without occupational exposure. The whale levels were more similar to levels only observed previously in human lung tissue from workers who died of Cr-induced lung cancer. We conclude that Cr pollution in the marine environment is significant and that further study is urgently needed.     

活性炭在膜生物反应器中的应用研究进展

活性炭是一种非常优良的吸附剂,具有物理吸附和化学吸附的双重特性。本文介绍了近年来向膜生物反应器中投加活性炭的应用研究进展,表明投加活性炭可以提高膜生物反应器的处理效果,同时对改善膜污染有很好的效果。     

活性碳纤维吸附处理对硝基苯酚生产废水

采用活性碳纤维(ACF)吸附处理对硝基苯酚(PNP)生产废水,考察了动态吸附和脱附过程.实验结果表明,在298 K、pH 4时,最佳进水流量为0.25 L/h,ACF的有效吸附量为439.3 mg/g,PNP去除率大于99.95%,TOC去除率大于99.5%,脱附率大于99.5%,ACF的吸附--脱附性能稳定.ACF吸附和电解相结合的工艺能有效去除废水中的有害物质,回收利用PNP和氯化钠,实现了PNP的清洁生产.     

膜蒸馏技术在石化废水处理领域的应用进展

综述了一种新型分离技术——膜蒸馏技术在石化废水处理领域的应用现状,重点介绍了在高盐度废水处理和挥发性有机物废水处理两个方面的进展;指出膜蒸馏应用过程中存在的主要问题是膜污染;预测了膜蒸馏及其集成技术在废水处理领域的发展前景。     

小车式开关柜内接头过热故障与预防

近年来,小车式开关柜得到广泛的应用。本文通过对小车式开关柜的运行现状与接头过热故障的分析,指出了造成此类故障的主要原因,并对预防此类故障的方法进行了研究、分析,最后指出了可行、实用的监视方法。该方法在电网中的推广应用具有一定的意义。     

重大事故移动监测和指挥平台AKY-MCP的设计与实现

介绍了重大事故移动监测和指挥平台AKY-MCP的设计与实现。该平台能够快速、及时、准确地被部署,并收集应急指挥需要的各种现场信息,满足应急指挥人员进行沟通、指挥、调度对现场数据采集、处理和传输的需要,为应急指挥提供现场信息检测和辅助决策平台。该系统已经得到成功的应用,并取得了良好的效果。重大事故移动监测和指挥平台AKY-MCP,能更有效的监测事故现场情况,快速进行处置,降低生命财产的损失。重大事故移动监测和指挥平台AKY-MCP,能够在事故现场进行快速部署,对应急指挥进行辅助决策,并把现场视频图像信息、有毒有害气体浓度信息、GPS信息、现场地形位置信息和现场风速风向等信息实时发送到远端的指挥中心,为领导和专家提供现场资料,有利于及时决策、控制事故后果蔓延,维护社会稳定和人民财产安全。     

Effects of environmental illiteracy and environmental awareness among middle school students on environmental behavior

This study proposes and employs a structural model to examine the effects of environmental literacy, environmental awareness, environmental attitudes, and environmental behavior among middle school students in Eski?ehir on their purchase of environmentally friendly products. In the proposed structural model, environmental illiteracy and environmental awareness were the exogenous latent variables, while pro-environmental attitude, pro-environmental behavior, and the purchase of environmentally friendly products were the endogenous latent variables. The latent variable of environmental illiteracy did not have a statistically significant effect on environmental attitudes and purchase of environmentally friendly products, whereas environmental awareness had a positive effect on pro-environmental attitudes and the purchase of environmentally friendly products. These findings indicate that students with environmental awareness also develop positive attitudes toward the environment, and the presence of a positive attitude toward the environment leads them to display pro-environmental behaviors and adopt a positive attitude toward environmentally friendly products.     

Investigating soils retention ratios and modelling geochemical factors affecting heavy metals retention in soils in a tropical urban watershed

This study aimed at investigating the retention of Pb and Cd in soils and the geochemical factors influencing the adsorption of these pollutants. Soil samples were air-dried and ground to pass through a 2-mm sieve, and different soil extracts were prepared for chemical analysis (organic matter, cation exchange capacity and pH). Total Pb and Cd were extracted with diacid using digestion method and determined by atomic adsorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after filtration. Results revealed that the heavy metals retention ratio (RR) of the Rhodic ferralsol, Xanthic ferralsol and Mollic gleysol (2) were very high for Cd (>80 %) and was relatively low (generally < 60 %) for Pb. In contrast, RRs for the Plinthic gleysol and the Mollic gleysol (1) were relatively low (<60 %), regardless of the heavy metal concerned. Multiple regression equations indicated for Pb and Cd concentrations different linear relationships over simple linear regression, when pH, organic matter, clay percentage and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were used as independent variables. Results indicate that organic matter exerts major influences on the retention of Pb and Cd in soils, while CEC, clay content and pH have a minor influence in this process in the Ntem watershed. From these observations, the application of soil organic matter could be a solution in protecting shallow aquifers from heavy metal pollution and thus insuring that they are not a hazard to public health.     

2014, The “year without a summer” in Italy: news media coverage and implications for the climate change debate

In 2014, there was virtually no summer in northern and central-southern Italy. Storm after storm battered the peninsula, triggering floods and landslides from Veneto to Puglia. We studied the coverage of “the year without a summer” in Italy by analyzing the content of 171 news articles from two influential online newspapers. Our software-based analysis enabled us to observe that the two newspapers hardly ever mentioned climate change in their coverage of the weather anomaly that affected Italy in the summer of 2014. This type of coverage is in line with climate science, according to which there is no evidence of a climate change-related influence on summer precipitation patterns in Southern Europe—whereas such influence has been documented for northern Europe. We compared our results with a recent paper, which documented that the same online dailies chose to represent the particularly hot summer of 2012 in Italy as a direct consequence of climate change. We corroborated this comparison also on the basis of a preliminary analysis we performed on the media coverage of the exceptionally hot and arid summer of 2015 in Italy.     

The impacts of the waterfront development in Iskandar Malaysia

The increasing number of waterfront projects shows that the concept of waterfront development has contributed to the advancement of the Malaysian construction industry. This study seeks to assess the impacts of the implementation of waterfront development in Iskandar Malaysia eliciting the perceived relative importance of these impacts. A comprehensive literature review has been conducted to collate the potential impacts of the waterfront development. A total of 363 sets of questionnaires were distributed to the contractors and developers registered under G7 category of the Construction Industry Development Board in Malaysia. Results show that the most significant influence of the waterfront development is related to economic benefits, while environmental impacts are not considered as a priority for this category of stakeholders. In addition, this study also indicates that the implementation of the waterfront projects has generated numerous job opportunities within the developed region. Moreover, exchanging knowledge in the planning and managing of the waterfront development is imperative to the development of the waterfront projects. Nevertheless, the shortcomings of these developments, such as the negative environmental impact on natural beaches and the coastline (i.e. pollution) as well as human-related issues (i.e. excessive human settlement), should not be taken lightly. This research confirms that the reclamation of land for waterfront development is closely correlated with the destruction of these natural structures.