Recovery of zinc and lead from fly ash from ash-melting and gasification-melting processes of MSW--comparison and applicability of chemical leaching methods

Fly ash generated from MSW ash-melting and gasification-melting plants, known as Melting Furnace Fly Ash (MFA), contains considerable amounts of heavy metals such as Pb and Zn. These metals can be recovered using a smelting furnace after "pre-treatment" for removal of unnecessary elements such as Cl, Sn and Si. Chemical methods have been studied for pretreatment in the past. However, they have been discussed only with regard to treatment cost and the concentration of Pb and Zn recovered, but neither applicability to various types of MFA nor the environmental impact have been considered. In this study, acid, alkaline and ammonia/chloride leaching methods were compared from the standpoints of: (1) applicability to MFA, (2) concentration of Pb and Zn recovered, (3) treatment cost, and (4) environmental impact. Twenty-three samples of MFAs were collected and classified into 4 types based on element contents. A Pb and Zn recovery experiment was conducted for the representative MFA of those types. The results showed: (1) MFA from gasification-melting plants cannot be treated by chemical methods; (2) the other MFA can be treated to an acceptable quality by existing smelting furnaces; (3) only MFA from electric resistance ash-melting plants can be treated easily by the water washing method; and (4) alkaline and ammonia/chloride leaching methods were more effective than acid leaching.     

Degradation of PVC Containing Mixtures in the Presence of HCl Fixators

Degradation of a model polymer mixture (PVC/PS/PE) and a waste polymer mixture in the presence of HCl fixators (Red Mud, precipitated CaCO₃ and dolamite) was studied using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and a cycled-spheres-reactor. The experiments in cycled-spheres reactor model were performed by stepwise pyrolysis. Liquid products and HCl from each step were collected separately. For the model polymer mixture, the precipitated CaCO₃ showed the best effect on the fixation of evolved HCl and the reduction of chlorine content in the liquid products whereas RM yielded the best result for the waste polymer mixture. In addition, using HCl fixator also affected the degradation of both types of polymer mixture, leading to the formation of more gaseous and less residue.     

Influence of sugarcane bagasse-derived biochar application on nitrate leaching in calcaric dark red soil

Application of biochar has been suggested to improve water- and fertilizer-retaining capacity of agricultural soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bagasse charcoal (sugarcane [ L.] bagasse-derived biochar) on nitrate (NO) leaching from Shimajiri Maji soil, which has low water- and fertilizer-retaining capacity. The nitrate adsorption properties of bagasse charcoal formed at five pyrolysis temperatures (400-800° C) were investigated to select the most suitable bagasse charcoal for NO adsorption. Nitrate was able to adsorb onto the bagasse charcoal formed at pyrolysis temperatures of 700 to 800° C. Nitrate adsorption by bagasse charcoal (formed at 800° C) that passed through a 2-mm sieve was in a state of nonequilibrium even at 20 h after the addition of 20 mg N L KNO solution. Measurements suggested that the saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of bagasse charcoal (800° C)-amended soils are affected by changes in soil tortuosity and porosity and the presence of meso- and micropores in the bagasse charcoal, which did not contribute to soil water transfer. In NO leaching studies using bagasse charcoal (800° C)-amended soils with different charcoal contents (0-10% [w/w]), the maximum concentration of NO in effluents from bagasse charcoal-amended soil columns was approximately 5% less than that from a nonamended soil column because of NO adsorption by bagasse charcoal (800° C). We conclude that application of bagasse charcoal (800°C) to the soil will increase the residence time of NO in the root zone of crops and provide greater opportunity for crops to absorb NO.     

Characteristics of urban ozone level in Hong Kong

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European scale application of atmospheric reactive nitrogen measurements in a low-cost approach to infer dry deposition fluxes

A European scale network was established in 2006 as part of the NitroEurope Integrated Project to infer reactive nitrogen (Nr) dry deposition fluxes, based on low-cost sampling of gaseous and aerosol species and inferential modelling. The network provides monthly measurements of NH₃, NH₄⁺, HNO₃ and NO₃⁻, as well as SO₂, SO₄²⁻, HCl, Cl⁻ and base cations at 58 sites. Measurements are made with an established low-cost denuder methodology (DELTA) as a basis to: (1) examine temporal trends and spatial patterns across Europe, (2) improve and calibrate inferential modelling techniques to estimate exchange of Nr species, (3) provide best estimates of atmospheric dry N deposition, and (4) permit an analysis of net GHG exchange in relation to atmospheric and agricultural N inputs at the European scale. Responsibility for measurements is shared among seven European laboratories. An inter-comparison of the DELTA implementation by 6 laboratories at 4 test sites (Montelibretti, Italy; Braunschweig, Germany; Paterna, Spain and Auchencorth, UK) from July to October 2006 provided training for the laboratories and showed that good agreement was achieved in different climatic conditions (87% of laboratory site-means within 20% of the inter-laboratory median). Results obtained from the first year of measurements show substantial spatial variability in atmospheric Nr concentrations, illustrating the major local (NH₃) and regional (HNO₃, NO₃⁻, and NH₄⁺) differences in Nr concentrations. These results provide the basis to develop future estimates of site-based Nr dry deposition fluxes across Europe, and highlight the role of NH₃, largely of agricultural origin, which was the largest single constituent and will dominate dry Nr fluxes at most sites.     

Identifying water resources management strategies in adaptation to climate change under uncertainty

In this study, an integrated simulation-based allocation modeling system (ISAMS) is developed for identifying water resources management strategies in response to climate change. The ISAMS incorporates global climate models (GCMs), a semi-distributed land use-based runoff process (SLURP) model, and a multistage interval-stochastic programming (MISP) approach within a general framework. The ISAMS can not only handle uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and interval values but also reveal climate change impacts on water resources allocation under different projections of GCMs. The ISAMS is then applied to the Kaidu-kongque watershed with cold arid characteristics in the Tarim River Basin (the largest inland watershed basin in China) for demonstrating its efficiency. Results reveal that different climate change models corresponding to various projections (e.g., precipitation and temperature) would lead to changed water resources allocation patterns. Variations in water availability and demand due to uncertainties could result in different water allocation targets and shortages. A variety of decision alternatives about water allocations adaptive to climate change are generated under combinations of different global climate models and ecological water release plans. These findings indicate that understanding the uncertainties in water resources system, building adaptive methods for generating sustainable water allocation patterns, and taking actions for mitigating water shortage problems are key adaptation strategies responding to climate change.     

Dietary exposure to di-isobutyl phthalate increases urinary 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine level and affects reproductive function in adult male mice

Phthalates are a large family of ubiquitous environmental pollutants suspected of being endocrine disruptors. Epidemiological studies have associated phthalate metabolites with decreased reproductive parameters and linked phthalate exposure with the level of urinary 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine(5mdC, a product of methylated DNA). In this study, adult male mice were exposed to 450 mg di-isobutyl phthalate(DiBP)/(kg·day) via dietary exposure for 28 days. Mono-isobutyl phthalate(Mi BP, the urinary metabolite) and reproductive function parameters were determined. The levels of 5mdC and 5-hydroxymethyl-2′-deoxycytidine(5hmdC) were measured in urine to evaluate if their contents were also altered by DiBP exposure in this animal model. Results showed that DiBP exposure led to a significant increase in the urinary 5mdC level and significant decreases in sperm concentration and motility in the epididymis, accompanied with reduced testosterone levels and downregulation of the P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme(P450scc) gene in the mice testes. Our findings indicated that exposure to DiBP increased the urinary 5mdC levels,which supported our recent epidemiological study about the associations of urinary 5mdC with phthalate exposure in the male human population. In addition, DiBP exposure impaired male reproductive function, possibly by disturbing testosterone levels; P450scc might be a major steroidogenic enzyme targeted by DiBP or other phthalates.     

中国暖季近地面臭氧浓度空间格局演变及主要气象驱动因素

中国的近地面臭氧（O₃）浓度在2015~2018年间持续升高,已成为仅次于颗粒物的重要大气污染物.基于中国337个城市2015~2018年暖季（4~9月）的实时O₃浓度数据和气象数据,利用趋势分析、空间自相关、热点分析和多尺度地理加权回归（MGWR）,研究了2015~2018年中国暖季地表O₃浓度的空间演变格局,探讨了气象因素对其驱动的空间差异性.结果表明：①中国暖季O₃浓度整体呈显著升高趋势（P<0.05）,平均升高速率为0.28 μg·（m³·a）^-1,其中超过55%的城市O₃浓度每年升高0.50 μg·m^-3;②O₃浓度存在明显的区域差异,高值区（平均浓度>60 μg·m^-3）分布在华东、华北、华中和西北部分地区;低值区（平均浓度<20 μg·m^-3）分布在华南和西南地区;③O₃浓度变化趋势在空间上存在位于华东、华北、西北以及华中地区的热点区域和位于西南、华南（广西）以及东北地区的冷点区域;④气温是中国暖季O₃变化的主要气象驱动因素,其对华北、西北和东北地区O₃浓度的影响显著高于其他地区;除广西、云南和江西部分地区外,O₃浓度与气温呈显著正相关;O₃浓度在华南、华东和华中大部分地区与风速呈显著负相关,O₃浓度在华北和东北部分地区与风速呈显著正相关;除辽宁、山东、河北、甘肃、广东及西南部分地区外,O₃浓度与云层覆盖度呈显著负相关;除西北和西南部分地区外,O₃浓度与降水呈显著负相关.     

沂北水稻主产区田间土—水磷素流失潜能

选取嘉善、余姚、德清、余杭4个具有代表性浙北水稻主产区，研究了水田土－水磷素流失潜能及环境意义。4稻区高水平磷肥投入促进了土壤高磷化，土壤Olsen-P积累的同时,相应地提高了土壤生物性有效磷、水浸提磷，并提高了土壤磷素的流失潜能。稻区土壤在富磷化过程中，存在着土壤磷素的农学意义向环境意义方向演变的趋势。在非植稻期，稻区农田水体，包括沟渠水、田表水、排渠水、暗管排水等总磷（TP）平均超过了易诱发水体富营养化临界值，其中溶解磷（DRP）占总磷40％；主要是源于绿肥田表水及部分排渠中的溶解磷对稻区外水体构成了直接危害。在非植稻期，因稻区间农耕措施的差异导致了土壤富磷水平与对应田表水磷素水平不具相关性；在植稻期，施磷措施促进水田土壤富磷，相应地提高了田表水磷素水平。     

新化矿区煤矸石中微量元素赋存形态及浸出特征

利用BCR连续提取法和浸泡实验,对贵州省新化煤矿区不同风化程度的煤矸石中微量元素As、Cd、V、Zn、Co、Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb的赋存形态及浸出浓度进行研究。赋存形态研究结果表明:在煤矸石中As和Cd元素主要以酸溶态、可还原态和可氧化态形式赋存,而其他微量元素V、Zn、Co、Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb主要以残渣态形式赋存;除了V元素的赋存形态含量百分比不受煤矸石风化程度影响外,其它微量元素的赋存形态的含量百分比均会受到煤矸石风化程度的影响。煤矸石的浸出实验表明:浸泡时间是影响煤矸石中微量元素释放的一个重要因素;在浸泡过程中,大部分微量元素在浸泡前期的浸出浓度受煤矸石风化程度的影响,Zn和Cu元素则是在整个浸泡过程的浸出浓度均受到煤矸石风化程度的影响;不同粒径大小的煤矸石在浸泡过程中,除微量元素As和Co的浸出浓度不受煤矸石粒径大小的影响,其他微量元素在浸泡前期和中期的浸出浓度均与煤矸石的粒径大小呈反比。