Cadmium contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees and its potential health risk in Guangzhou, China

This study examines cadmium (Cd) contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees in Guangzhou, China, and assesses its potential health risk. Soils and tissues samples of three species of fruit trees were collected from three orchards. The average soil Cd concentration was 1.27, 1.84 and 0.68 mg/kg in orchards I, II, and III, respectively. The carambola (Averrhoa carambola) accumulated exceptionally high concentrations of Cd (7.57, 10.84, 9.01 and 2.15 mg/kg dw in root, twig, leaf and fruit, respectively), being 6.0-24 times and 4.0-10 times the corresponding tissue Cd in the longan (Dimocarpus longan) and wampee (Clausena lansium), respectively. Furthermore, all Cd concentrations (0.04-0.25 mg Cd/kg fw) of the fruits exceeded the tolerance limit of cadmium in foods of PR China (0.03 mg/kg fw). Our results indicate that the carambola tree has high Cd accumulation capacity and might be a Cd accumulator; and its fruit, among the three species of fruits studied, also poses the highest potential health risk to local residents.     

电-生物耦合技术对偶氮染料的去除研究

酸性大红GR是一种较难生物降解的偶氮染料,采用一种电场和生物耦合的新型技术处理酸性大红GR模拟废水,并与单纯电化学法和好氧生物法进行试验对照。结果表明：反应6 h后,电化学法、好氧生物法、电-生物耦合技术对酸性大红GR的去除率分别达到15.7%、25.8%和71.2%,电-生物耦合技术能明显提高酸性大红GR的去除效果,起到强化生物处理的作用。在15 mA微电流条件下电-生物技术能克服50 mg/L酸性大红GR对好氧生物处理的抑制作用,为高浓度难降解染料废水的生物强化处理提供了可能。     

炭纤维载体固定床厌氧发酵启动运行效果实验

以开发高效率、抗冲击性能强的高浓度有机废水沼气发酵技术为目的,用传统的 UASB反应器作为对照,研究了以炭纤维为生物膜载体的固定床厌氧反应器的启动运行效果。反应器进口废水 COD 为 5 000 mg/L, 水力停留时间 (HRT) 由213 h 逐步缩短为35 h,进水有机容积负荷(OLR)由0.56 kg COD/ (m³·d)提到3.45 kg COD/(m³·d)。结果表明,固定床反应器厌氧发酵的效率比对照高,出水 pH 值也比对照稳定;运行到第 50 d 时,固定床厌氧反应器和对照的 COD去除率分别由第 7 d 的36.56%和33.58%上升到87.9%和62.6%;固定床厌氧反应器的容积比产气率最高为1.16 m³/(m³·d),累计产气量为415.59 L,而对照的容积比产气率最高值仅为0.31 m³ /(m³·d),累计产气量为 71.66 L,前者最高容积比产气率和累计产气量分别是后者的3.74倍和5.78倍。固定床厌氧反应器的启动速度、COD 去除率和产甲烷效率显著地高于对照反应器。     

蜡状芽孢杆菌WXZ-8的异养硝化/好氧反硝化性能研究

通过聚合酶链式反应(PCR)扩增、16S rDNA测序并结合同源性分析,鉴别出菌株WXZ-8为蜡状芽孢杆菌(Bacillus ce-reus).对菌株WXZ-8进行异养硝化/好氧反硝化性能测定,并通过正交实验进行培养条件的优选,选取的因素为COD/N、温度、转速和pH.结果表明,对菌株WXZ-8影响最大的因素是转速,其次为COD/N;在最优条件(即温度=30℃、COD/N=25、pH=9.0、转速=180 r/min)下,菌株WXZ-8的氨氮去除率最高达到96.06%.在最优条件下,提高初始氨氮质量浓度为211.52、429.16、897.29mg/L时.菌株WXZ-8在前48 h的氨氮去除速度均达到最大,分别为119.04、94.76,142.21 mg/(L·d),其氨氮去除率最高分别为94.41%、73.43%、51.08%.菌株WXZ-8具有良好的异养硝化/好氧反硝化性能.     

二段生物接触氧化工艺在中水回用中的特性研究

以规模小区生活污水为水源,对采用聚丙烯网状填料和强化炉渣组合填料的二段生物接触氧化工艺（以下简称二段法）进行了试验研究,试验针对本工艺的各项技术指标、影响因素以及各相关参数进行了较系统的试验测试。结果表明,反应器在第一接触氧池HRT为20 min、气水比为6∶1和第二接触氧池HRT为25 min、气水比为5∶1条件下,接触氧化池达到最佳降碳条件;反应器在第一接触沉池上升流速5.5 m/h和第二接触沉池上升流速4.5 m/h条件下,接触沉淀池达到最佳处理条件。     

土壤渗滤对有机微污染物去除性能研究

采用土壤柱试验研究了土壤渗滤对再生水中有机微污染物的去除性能。结果表明,土壤柱对再生水中的DOC、UV₂₅₄、总氮和总磷有较好的去除效果,并具有较高的抗冲击负荷的能力;土壤表层10 cm厚度对DOC的去除起主要作用;UV₂₅₄和AOX在土壤表层10 cm厚度降解效果不明显,随着深度增加去除率逐渐升高;液相色谱有机碳探测(LC-OCD)检测结果表明,土壤柱对溶解性有机物质的去除主要体现在对多糖物质的降解上,其次是有机酸类,对腐殖质也有一定的去除作用。     

Uptake of weakly hydrophobic nitroaromatics from water by semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) and by goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) filled with triolein, and goldfish (Carassius auratus) were simultaneously exposed to nine weakly hydrophobic nitroaromatics in a laboratory continuous-flow experiment. The results showed that the device concentrated the compounds in most cases to a larger extent than fish and that the overall uptake rate constants (Kmu) and average pollutant sampling rates (R(S)) were similar. We conclude that the SPMDs may be used to determine the levels of weakly hydrophobic nitroaromatics in water. It is obvious, however, that more researches at laboratory in order to establish kinetic database for a wide spectrum of compounds varying in lipophilicity and other properties are needed to elucidate various theoretical and practical aspects of the use of membranes in the environmental research and for related practical applications.     

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic study on pyrolysis of representative medical waste composition

To obtain detailed information on the pyrolysis characteristics, a thermogravimetric study on the pyrolysis of 14 typical medical waste compositions was carried out in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) equipment using dynamic techniques in a stream of N(2). An index representing pyrolysis reactivity of waste was presented. Kinetic parameters were obtained by Coats-Redfern method and used to model the TG curve. The results showed that: (a) Plastic, protein, cellulosic material, synthetic fibre, and rubber entered pyrolysis process in succession. (b) There was one decomposition stage in the pyrolysis of one-off medical glove, operating glove, cellulosic waste, absorbable catgut suture and adhesive plaster, while other components had two obvious weight loss stages. (c) The obtained apparent activation energy for second stage pyrolysis was comparably higher than that for first stage. (d) Each stage was controlled by only one kinetic mechanism, in which kinetic parameters were constant. (e) The degradation kinetics of medical waste may be affected by special physical and chemical treatment in the product manufacturing process. (f) Among 13 waste samples, the pyrolysis index of cellulosic matter was the highest, which indicated cellulosic matter had strong pyrolysis reactivity. (g) With increasing heating rate, TG curve and DTG peak shifted to high temperatures and main reaction interval of the sample became longer.     

Training Captive-Bred or Translocated Animals to Avoid Predators

Abstract: Animal reintroductions and translocations are potentially important interventions to save species from extinction, but most are unsuccessful. Mortality due to predation is a principal cause of failure. Animals that have been isolated from predators, either throughout their lifetime or over evolutionary time, may no longer express appropriate antipredator behavior. For this reason, conservation biologists are beginning to include antipredator training in pre-release preparation procedures. We describe the evolutionary and ontogenetic circumstances under which antipredator behavior may degenerate or be lost, and we use principles from learning theory to predict which elements can be enhanced or recovered by training. The empirical literature demonstrates that training can improve antipredator skills, but the effectiveness of such interventions is influenced by a number of constraints. We predict that it will be easier to teach animals to cope with predators if they have experienced ontogenetic isolation than if they have undergone evolutionary isolation. Similarly, animals should learn more easily if they have been evolutionarily isolated from some rather than all predators. Training to a novel predator may be more successful if a species has effective responses to similar predators. In contrast, it may be difficult to teach proper avoidance behavior, or to introduce specialized predator-specific responses, if appropriate motor patterns are not already present. We conclude that pre-release training has the potential to enhance the expression of preexisting antipredator behavior. Potential training techniques involve classical conditioning procedures in which animals learn that model predators are predictors of aversive events. However, wildlife managers should be aware that problems, such as the emergence of inappropriate responses, may arise during such training.