Uranium speciation in coal bottom ash investigated via X-ray absorption fine structure and X-ray photoelectron spectra

Similar to chromium contamination, the environmental contamination caused by uranium in radioactive coal bottom ash (CBA) is primarily dependent on the chemical speciation of uranium. However, the relationship between uranium speciation and environmental contamination has not been adequately studied. To determine the relationship between uranium speciation and environmental contamination, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) analyses were performed to determine the uranium speciation in CBA exposed to different chemical environments and simulated natural environments. The leachability of the different forms of uranium in the CBA was studied via a simulated acid rain leaching experiment, and the results showed that 57.0% of the total uranium was leached out as U(VI). The results of a linear combination fit (LCF) of the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectrum revealed that in the raw CBA, the uranium mainly occurred as U3O8 (71.8%). However, in the iron-rich particles, the uranium mainly occurred as UO2 (91.9%) after magnetic separation. Magnetite is a ubiquitous ferrous-bearing oxide, and it was effective for the sorption of U(IV). The result of FeSO4 leaching experiment indicated that 96.57% of total uranium was reduced from U(VI) to U(IV) when infiltrated with the FeSO4 solution for 6 months. This result clearly demonstrated the changes in chemical valence of uranium in the coal ash and provided a conceptual principle for preventing uranium migration from ash to the surrounding soil and plants.     

生物矿化在重金属污染治理领域的研究进展

生物矿化通过生物代谢影响金属及类金属物质的形态分布,进而改变金属及类金属物质的生物有效性及毒性,在环境污染治理领域成为研究热点.文献计量学结果显示,2007—2017年生物矿化研究以微生物为主要对象,在纳米颗粒物和矿区修复等方面形成热点,并在环境学、生物学、化学和工程学等领域形成交叉学科.结合典型矿化菌与重金属间的矿化关联规律和微界面反应对微生物矿化中重金属的钝化机制进行归纳:①依据矿化菌与矿化产物的关联性对矿化菌进行分类,从碳酸盐、铁锰氧化物、硫化物和磷酸盐4类矿化产物角度汇总了碳酸盐矿化菌、铁锰氧化菌、硫酸盐还原菌及磷酸盐溶解菌的代表微生物;②矿化菌通过诱导矿化的方式固定重金属离子,其中碳酸盐矿化菌、硫酸盐还原菌及磷酸盐溶解菌可以直接促进金属矿物的形成,铁锰氧化菌生成的矿物间接吸附金属离子;③微生物矿化是由外及内的过程,细胞壁及胞外多聚物具有丰富基团,在矿化初期提供吸附和成核位点,原生质体也可以提供矿化场所,在矿化中后期继续固定游离离子.但是,由于微生物复杂的细胞结构及独特的生理习性,矿化过程的微界面反应机制研究尚显不足,需要利用生物学、矿物学、环境科学等领域的先进技术进一步的探索;同时也应开展宏观生态水平的生物矿化研究,并结合实际问题完善生物矿化在环境污染治理中的理论,为重金属污染地区的治理提供新的思路和技术.      

Monitoring of 943 organic micropollutants in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants with secondary and advanced treatment processes

To perform a systematic survey on the occurrence and removal of micropollutants during municipal wastewater treatment, 943 semi-volatile organic chemicals in 32 wastewater samples including influents of secondary treatments, secondary effluents and final effluents(effluents of advanced treatments), which were collected from seven full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants(MWTPs) in China, were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) coupled with an automated identification and quantification system with a database(AIQS-DB). In total, 196 and 145 chemicals were detected in secondary and final effluents, respectively. The majority of the total concentrations(average removal efficiency, 87.0%±5.9%) of the micropollutants were removed during secondary treatments. However, advanced treatments achieved different micropollutant removal extents from secondary effluents depending on the different treatment processes employed. Highly variable removal efficiencies of total concentrations(32.7%–99.3%) were observed among the different advanced processes. Among them,ozonation-based processes could remove 70.0%–80.9% of the total concentrations of studied micropollutants. The potentially harmful micropollutants, based on their detection frequency and concentration in secondary and final effluents, were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)(2-methylnaphthalene, fluoranthene, pyrene, naphthalene and phenanthrene), phosphorus flame retardants(tributyl phosphate(TBP), tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate(TCEP) and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate(TDCP)), phthalates(bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate(DEHP)), benzothiazoles(benzothiazole,2-(methylthio)-benzothiazol, and 2(3H)-benzothiazolone) and phenol. This study indicated that the presence of considerable amounts of micropollutants in secondary effluent creates the need for suitable advanced treatment before their reuse.     

Awareness,riding behaviors,and legislative attitudes toward electric bikes among two types of road users: An investigation in Tianjin,a municipality in China

Objective: This study aimed to understand the awareness, riding behaviors, and legislative attitudes of electric bike (e-bike) users and non-e-bike road users toward e-bikes in Tianjin, a municipality in China.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation included 2 components. The field survey was conducted in 9 districts (4 urban and 5 rural) from 2015 to 2017. Adult participants were interviewed using a street intercept method. The online survey was conducted using the WeChat social platform. A series of questions related to awareness and practice of e-bike safety-related issues was asked.

Results: A total of 16,859 interviews were completed, including 1,653 (794 e-bike users and 859 other road users) in-person interviews by field survey and 15,206 (4,426 e-bike users and 10,780 other road users) by online survey. Except for ignoring a red light when making a left turn (P?=?.000) and waiting across the white line at a red light (P?=?.000), which e-bike users were lower than other road users, there were no significant differences between e-bike users and other road users in regards to the correct awareness rate of riding in the opposite direction, riding in a motor vehicle lane, running red lights, jaywalking, speeding, carrying adult passengers, and riding on the expressway (P?>?.05). In addition, 74.2% of e-bike users considered helmet use necessary (P?=?.000) and 54.7% thought that installing a windshield is wrong (P?=?.000), which was higher than other road users (49.1 and 48.4%, respectively). Other road users had greater awareness than e-bike users regarding whether turning left at a red light is wrong (91.7 vs. 85.1%), waiting across the white line when the light is red is wrong (86.6 vs. 75.9%), lighs should be turned on at night (94.8 vs. 90.3%). Correct practices were far behind awareness in all kinds of violation behaviors (P?=?.000) among e-bike users in the field survey. The rate of public support for legislation including those who very much support and support legislation was 93.34% in the field survey and 87.68% in the online survey.

Conclusions: E-bike users had lower correct awareness rate than other road users regarding e-bike violation behaviors but were more concerned about safety protection than other road users. E-bike users’ correct practices were far behind their awareness for all kinds of violation behaviors. Public education on the traffic law needs to be strengthened among e-bike users. The public strongly supported special regulations for e-bike use, such as helmet use.     

基于因子分析的嫩江重要省界缓冲区水质评价研究

嫩江流域省界缓冲区水质监测与评价,是针对2010年和2015年引起嫩江省界缓冲区水环境质量主要污染物的变化分析,判断主要超标指标为有机生化指标。为进一步明确嫩江缓冲区水质影响关键因子,采用因子分析评价嫩江重要省界缓冲区水质状况。依据因子的荷载矩阵,2010年和2015年的主导因子均累计解释了原始向量80%以上的信息,反映了这两年水环境和污染因子之间的关系。嫩江流域省界缓冲区流域水质状况分析,为今后对嫩江流域水功能区目标管理提供理论支持。     

Temporal and spatial changes of microbial community in an industrial effluent receiving area in Hangzhou Bay

Anthropogenic activities usually contaminate water environments, and have led to the eutrophication of many estuaries and shifts in microbial communities. In this study, the temporal and spatial changes of the microbial community in an industrial effluent receiving area in Hangzhou Bay were investigated by 454 pyrosequencing. The bacterial community showed higher richness and biodiversity than the archaeal community in all sediments. Proteobacteria dominated in the bacterial communities of all the samples; Marine_Group_Ⅰ and Methanomicrobia were the two dominant archaeal classes in the effluent receiving area. PCoA and AMOVA revealed strong seasonal but minor spatial changes in both bacterial and archaeal communities in the sediments. The seasonal changes of the bacterial community were less significant than those of the archaeal community, which mainly consisted of fluctuations in abundance of a large proportion of longstanding species rather than the appearance and disappearance of major archaeal species. Temperature was found to positively correlate with the dominant bacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and negatively correlate with the dominant archaea,Marine_Group_Ⅰ; and might be the primary driving force for the seasonal variation of the microbial community.     

壳聚糖的絮凝性能及其在废水脱色处理中的应用

介绍了壳聚糖的理化性质及其作为絮凝剂的优点,探讨了壳聚糖的絮凝机理,分析了壳聚糖絮凝效果的影响因素(包括废水p H、絮凝温度、搅拌转速及时间、壳聚糖投加量、壳聚糖脱乙酰度及相对分子质量、废水浊度),总结了壳聚糖改性和复合后在废水脱色处理中的应用。指出:未来还需更深入地研究絮凝机理,同时也需进一步研究影响絮凝效果的因素;新型壳聚糖絮凝剂将向更高效、成本更低且环境友好的方向发展。     

医疗废物高温蒸汽处理工艺的二次污染控制——以孝感市医疗废物处置中心为例

以孝感市医疗废物处置中心为例,介绍了高温蒸汽处理过程的二次污染控制工艺。结果表明:采用生物脱臭处理工艺,废气中的恶臭污染物可以达到《恶臭污染排放控制标准》(GB 14554—1993)相应排放速率限值要求;采用生化和物化相结合的废水处理工艺,出水水质可以满足《污水综合排放标准》(GB 8978—1996)的二级排放标准要求。     

Short-term effects of air pollution on daily hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases in western China

Controlling the confounding factors on cardiovascular diseases, such as long-time trend, calendar effect, and meteorological factors, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used to investigate the short-term effects of air pollutants (PM₁₀, SO₂, and NO₂) on daily cardiovascular admissions from March 1st to May 31st during 2007 to 2011 in Lanzhou, a heavily polluted city in western China. The influences of air pollutants were examined with different lag structures, and the potential effect modification by dust storm in spring was also investigated. Significant associations were found between air pollutants and hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases both on dust event days and non-dust event days in spring. Air pollutants had lag effects on different age and gender groups. Relative risks (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with a 10 μg/m³ increase were 1.14 (1.04~1.26) on lag1 for PM₁₀, 1.31 (1.21~1.51) on lag01 for SO₂, and 1.96 (1.49~2.57) on lag02 for NO₂ on dust days. Stronger effects of air pollutants were observed for females and the elderly (≥60 years). Our analysis concluded that the effects of air pollutants on cardiovascular admissions on dust days were significantly stronger than non-dust days. The current study strengthens the evidence of effects of air pollution on health and dust-exacerbated cardiovascular admissions in Lanzhou.     

关注法律责任《防震减灾法》解读

2．危害地震观测环境。地震前兆信息是弱信号信息，必须采用精密仪器设备来捕获地球物理场、地壳形变场、地应力场、地球化学场等的变化信息；同时．记录地震波的仪器也要求有足够的精确度，以便识别并分离出来自地球深部的更多信息，这就要求地震监测仪器本身具有很高的抗十扰能力，更重要的是在地震监测设施周围一定范围内不得有影响其工作效能的干扰源存在．