城市污泥堆肥中水溶性有机物的理化特性变化

通过透析和XAD-8树脂等方法研究了城市污泥堆肥过程中水溶性有机物(DOM)的理化特性变化.结果表明,随着堆肥的进行,堆肥DOM的浓度和pH值分别降低了58.4%和9.5%;DOM中小分子组分和亲水性组分分别减少了13.1%和9.2%,而大分子组分与疏水性组分有所增加,疏水性组分/亲水性组分由0.89增至1.29;DOM中C、H、N、S含量和C/H、C/N、C/S、C/(N+S)均呈降低趋势.这些变化趋势与堆肥过程中有机物的变化规律一致,因此,堆肥DOM的理化特性能用以表征堆肥的腐熟度.     

Influence of coagulation mechanisms and floc formation on filterability

Minimizing particles in water is a key goal for improving drinking water quality and safety.The media filtration process,as the last step of the solid–liquid separation process,is largely influenced by the characteristics of flocs,which are formed and controlled within the coagulation process.In a laboratory-based study,the impacts of the physical characteristics of flocs formed using aluminum sulfate on the filtration treatment of two comparative water samples were investigated using a photometric dispersion analyzer and a filterability apparatus.In general,the optimum dosage for maximizing filterability was higher than that for minimizing turbidity under neutral p H conditions.For a monomeric aluminum-based coagulant,the charge neutralization mechanism produced better floc characteristics,including floc growth speed and size,than the sweep flocculation mechanism.In addition,the charge neutralization mechanism showed better performance compared to sweep flocculation in terms of DOC removal and floc filterability improvement for both waters,and showed superiority in turbidity removal only when the raw water had high turbidity.For the different mechanisms,the ways that floc characteristics impacted on floc filterability also differed.The low variation in floc size distribution obtained under the charge neutralization mechanism resulted in the flocs being amenable to removal by filtration processes.For the sweep flocculation mechanism,increasing the floc size improved the settling ability of flocs,resulting in higher filter efficiency.     

Response of “Alamo” switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass to nitrogen fertilization in West Tennessee,USA

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial, warm-season grass that has been identified as a potential biofuel feedstock over a large part of North America. We examined above- and belowground responses to nitrogen fertilization in “Alamo” switchgrass grown in West Tennessee, USA. The fertilizer study included a spring and fall sampling of 5-year old switchgrass grown under annual applications of 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha^?1 (as ammonium nitrate). Fertilization changed switchgrass biomass allocation as indicated by root:shoot ratios. End-of-growing season root:shoot ratios (mean ± SE) declined significantly (P ≤ 0.05) at the highest fertilizer nitrogen treatment (2.16 ± 0.08, 2.02 ± 0.18, and 0.88 ± 0.14, respectively, at 0, 67, and 202 kg N ha^?1). Fertilization also significantly increased above- and belowground nitrogen concentrations and decreased plant C:N ratios. Data are presented for coarse live roots, fine live roots, coarse dead roots, fine dead roots, and rhizomes. At the end of the growing season, there was more carbon and nitrogen stored in belowground biomass than aboveground biomass. Fertilization impacted switchgrass tissue chemistry and biomass allocation in ways that potentially impact soil carbon cycle processes and soil carbon storage.     

Green renewal: incorporating environmental factors in equipment replacement decisions under technological change

Equipment replacement is a fact of life in every industrial setting, and this paper seeks to answer the question: How can firms and policy makers effectively balance environmental and economic concerns with respect to replacement decisions? A replacement model which includes both economic and environmental factors is presented. One must decide whether to keep the existing technology, upgrade to a newer technology which produces a smaller environmental burden, or wait for an even newer, cleaner technology which may be introduced soon. More than 25 000 test problems are solved, examining different objectives and covering a wide range of applications. Including environmental costs does not lead to a consistent increase in the adoption of cleaner technologies; however, including incentives to adopt newer technologies does. When one accounts for the environmental impact of producing new equipment and disposing of old equipment, earlier adoption of new technologies actually increases the total environmental burden in some cases.     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital cystic adenomatoid lung malformation: A report of seven cases

Six cases of macrocystic and one case of microcystic congenital adenomatoid lung malformation were diagnosed by ultrasound between 20 and 31 weeks of gestation. Combined polyhydramnios and fetal hydrops was present in three cases, polyhydramnios alone in one case, and isolated fetal hydrops also in one case. In the remaining two cases, both polyhydramnios and fetal hydrops were absent. Fetal outcome was poor, i.e., two terminations of pregnancy, three early neonatal deaths, and two survivors.