Conserving water by optimizing production schedules in the dyeing industry

Industrial dyeing processes generate a huge amount of wastewater, because the production lines have to be washed out each time when the dye changes. We propose an algorithm for the optimization of production schedule. It aims to reduce the production time and the amount of freshwater consumption by optimization the groups orders according to color. Furthermore, we develop software based on the genetic algorithm and implement it in a Chinese company. We optimize the schedules in three months of the case company and compare its output to actual data. The results show that compared to the original manual schedules, the optimized schedules cut production time by 10–15%, reduce freshwater consumption by 20–30%, and reduce wastewater generation by about 20%.     

纳米TiO_2纤维的制备及其光催化降解甲醛研究

以胶原纤维为模板制备纳米TiO2纤维用于光助催化降解甲醛气体,用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和N2吸附-脱附技术对纳米TiO2纤维进行了表征。结果表明,纳米TiO2纤维的比表面积为11.33 m2/g,晶型为锐钛矿型。在相同催化反应条件下纳米TiO2纤维对甲醛气体的催化降解率与商品纳米TiO(2Degussa P25)催化剂相当。纳米TiO2纤维的用量、甲醛气体初始浓度是影响催化效果的两个因素。当甲醛气体初始浓度为0.270 mg/m3,相对湿度为38%,气体流速0.1 L/min,纳米TiO2纤维用量为1.0 g时,甲醛的降解率达到96%。因此,纳米TiO2纤维可用于室内甲醛气体的催化降解。     

氯化钙种子气溶胶对甲苯二次有机气溶胶与氨形成含氮有机物的影响

苯系物光氧化反应形成的二次有机气溶胶(SOA)是大气细粒子的重要组成部分.SOA羧酸和二元醛组分能与氨反应形成有机酸铵和咪唑类含氮有机物,它们能够吸收205 nm和270 nm的紫外辐射,是棕色碳的主要组分.氯化钙等无机种子气溶胶具有较大的比表面积,可为气相羰基化合物和氨提供凝结与反应载体,从而影响含氮有机物的形成.基于此,本文利用烟雾腔研究氯化钙种子气溶胶存在时甲苯SOA与氨的反应,采用紫外-可见分光光度计测量产物溶液在205 nm和270 nm处的吸光度,并定性研究不同浓度、湿度和酸度的氯化钙种子气溶胶对含氮有机物形成的影响.结果表明:氯化钙种子气溶胶能够促进甲苯SOA含氮有机物的形成;含氮有机物的生成浓度随着氯化钙种子气溶胶浓度和pH值的增加而逐渐增大.但当氯化钙种子气溶胶为碱性时,OH~-会与凝结的有机酸发生酸碱中和反应并抑制二元醛化合物水合形成四醇产物,从而不利于含氮有机物的生成;水分子的增加占据了氯化钙种子气溶胶表面的吸附活性位点,氨被吸附和凝结的量减少,从而导致含氮有机物的生成浓度随着相对湿度的增大而降低.本研究可为人为源SOA棕色碳的形成机制和化学组成研究提供实验依据.     

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin promotes migration ability of primary cultured rat astrocytes via aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Emerging evidence showed that 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) could induce expression of certain reactivation-associated genes in astrocytes, however, the consequent cellular effects and molecular mechanisms are still unclear. During the process of astrocyte reactivation, migration is a critical cellular event. In the present study, we employed wound-healing assay and Transwell® motility assay to explore the effects of TCDD on cell migration in primary cultured rat cortical astrocytes. We found that upon TCDD treatments at relative low concentrations (10^? 10 and/or 10^? 9?mol/L), the ability of primary astrocytes to migrate horizontally and vertically was promoted. In line with this cellular effect, the mRNA expression of two pro-migratory genes, including cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) was induced by TCDD treatment. Dioxin exerts its toxic effects mainly through aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. So the role of AhR pathway in the pro-migratory effects of TCDD was examined using an AhR antagonist, CH223191. We found that application of CH223191 significantly reversed the pro-migratory effects of TCDD. Interestingly, the basal ability of horizontal migration as well as basal levels of CDC42 and MMP2 expression were dramatically reduced suggesting a possible physiological role of AhR in maintaining the endogenous migration ability of the primary astrocytes. These findings support the notion that dioxin promotes astrocyte reactivation at molecular and cellular levels.     

Relationships among multiple trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia ecosystems on Hainan Island, South China

Forty-six trace elements in coastal Casuarina equisetifolia plant–soil systems at nine sampling sites on Hainan Island were analyzed using ICP-MS. The relationships among the trace elements of the same group or the same periodicity of the Periodic Table in the plants and soils were complex and no consistent patterns were found. More combinations of elements occurred with high positive correlation coefficients within the same periodicity than within the same group of the Periodic Table, and there were more high positive correlations in soils than in plants. However, there were many element combinations in Block d (transition elements) with high positive correlation coefficients in plants. Markedly high positive correlation coefficients between individual rare earth elements and Y and among Zr, Nb, Cd existed in both plants and soils. The dendrograms obtained by cluster analysis show that rare earth elements had very similar occurrence and distribution in both soils and plants. Thus, they behaved as a coherent group of elements both geochemically and biogeochemically. The transition elements were more coherent in plants than in soils.     

Organochlorine pesticides in soil profiles from Tianjin, China

Soil cores were collected from soils at five sites in Tianjin area for the determination of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs, including alpha-HCH, beta-HCH, gamma-HCH and delta-HCH), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDXs, including p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDD) and total organic carbon (TOC). The levels and vertical distributions of HCHs and DDXs are studied. Results show that the application of pesticides in the past years was the major contributor of HCHs and DDXs accumulation in the sampling areas. Significant positive correlations were seen between the residual and application amounts of HCHs and DDXs. Wastewater irrigation did not bring a significant contribution of HCHs or DDXs into the soils. HCHs and DDXs concentrations peak at the surface and decline in soil profile with depth, while fluctuations were observed in the plow layers of some cultivated soils caused by frequent cultivation activities and batch irrigation. Positive correlations were observed between the contents of TOC and HCHs and DDTs. Although the amounts of HCHs application in all sampling sites are larger than DDXs, at surface and near surface layers of most sampling sites, the concentrations of summation operatorHCHs are lower than summation operatorDDXs. The composition of DDXs in the applied pesticides and sampled soils indicates that there is no recent DDT input at the sample areas.     

Experimental research into effects of obstacle on methane-coal dust hybrid explosion

An experimental system including pressure transducer, data acquisition card, computer and electric spark ignition device was set up to research methane-coal dust hybrid explosions in closed tubes with different types of obstacles inside. Its dynamic response time was less than a millisecond and the test precision was 0.1%. The experimental results show that the obstacles had great effects on the explosion characteristics in the tube. Hollow obstacles linked with inner wall of the tube induced faster pressure rising than installed center blocked solid obstacles. Obstacles with more sharp corner induce more violent explosions. The most dangerous explosion occurred when spacing between obstacles almost equaled the inner diameter of the tube for the same size obstacle.