Degradation of Polycaprolactone Modified with TPS or CaCO3 in Biotic/Abiotic Seawater

This paper is an investigation of the polymer degradation process in two types of seawater (with and without microorganisms) sourced from the Baltic Sea. The chosen polymeric materials were polycaprolactone modified with either thermoplastic starch (PCL/TPS?>?85%) or calcium carbonate (60% PCL/40% CaCO₃) compared directly against unmodified polycaprolactone. All samples were incubated for 28?weeks in seawater with and without microorganisms under laboratory conditions and analysed before and after the degradation process. Weight loss analysis, microscopic observations of polymer surfaces and tensile strength tests were used to determine the progress of polymer degradation. The experimental results obtained indicated, that in each of the experiments, degradation of tested polymeric samples occured. The process was more effective in seawater with microorganisms compared against systems without added microorganisms. The experiment in seawater demonstrated that modification of PCL with calcium carbonate did not encourage the degradation process; and in some circumstances inhibited it.     

PET from Used Beverage Bottles: A Material for Preparation of Biologically Degradable Copolyesters

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) from used colorless beverage bottles was solvolyzed by ethane-1,2-diol. Hydroxyl end-groups present in the mixture of polyols formed were used to initiate the polymerization of ??-caprolactone (CLO) at 190?°C. Polycondensation (190?°C) of the reaction mixture containing an equilibrium amount of lactone corresponding to the reaction temperature yield an aliphatic?Caromatic copolyester. A variety of copolyesters containing 20?C60?mol. % CLO structural units was prepared. The microstructure of their macromolecules was analyzed using ¹H?NMR spectroscopy. Copolyesters were characterized by thermal analysis and tensile tests and their biodegradation potential was checked by the composting test.     

Synthesis of Polylactide-b-Poly (Dimethyl Siloxane) Block Copolymers and Their Blends with Pure Polylactide

The synthesis of polylactide (PLA)-b-poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) linear block copolymers and their use in blends with pure-PLA are described. PLA-b-PDMS linear block copolymers were obtained by the transesterification reaction in chloroform solution between poly(dimethyl siloxane) bis (2-aminopropyl ether) (molecular weight 2,000?Da) with PLA in the presence of stannous octoate. Molecular weights (Mw) of the block copolymers were varied from 53,800 to 63,600?Da while that of pristine PLA was 73,600?Da. The copolymers obtained were purified by fractional precipitation and then characterized by ¹H NMR, FTIR, GPC, viscometry and DSC techniques. Blends of pure PLA with PLA-b-PDMS block copolymers displayed improved elastic properties (elongation up to 140%) compared to pure PLA (elongation ~9%). Thermal, mechanical and morphological characterization of the blends were also conducted.     

超细水雾抑制煤燃烧的模拟实验研究

为了研究超细水雾对煤燃烧的抑制效果,基于小尺寸空间抑制燃烧实验平台,研究了超细水雾对煤燃烧的抑制效果,计算在超细水雾作用下实验空间内部氧气、二氧化碳、一氧化碳体积分数的变化情况以及燃烧空间内不同部位的温度变化情况,并且与煤自由燃烧的情况做对比。研究表明超细水雾对煤燃烧的火灾发展过程有很好的抑制作用。研究结论对超细水雾应用于熄灭矿井煤炭火灾具有一定的指导意义     

辛置煤矿水力压裂卸压增透影响半径数值模拟研究

随着开采深度的增加,辛置煤矿瓦斯涌出量显著增大。为了提高瓦斯抽采效率,拟采用水力压裂卸压增透技术。理论分析了水力压裂对煤层的卸压增透作用,基于此利用RFPA模拟软件对辛置煤矿2-559回采工作面水力压裂卸压增透进行了数值模拟。研究表明,水力压裂主要在以下3个方面对煤体起到增透作用:使煤体卸压、提高煤层透气性;湿润煤体,增加塑性;改善瓦斯抽放环境。辛置煤矿2-559回采工作面水力压裂所需压力约为15MPa,压裂半径为5-6m,以此可以初步确定现场施工过程中水力压裂钻孔间距以不大于10m为宜。     

Biodegradability of organic substances by ATP test

The aerobic biodegradability of organic substances in water is characterized by determination of energy change ‐ ATP content in microbial cells during biodegradation. A satisfactory result is obtained under the following conditions: the initial concentration of tested substance is 100mg/l (as DOC), the amount of the inoculum in the biological medium is 500mg/l (as MLSS), and the duration of test time is 14 days. The evaluating system (peak time, peak height and IA index) is proposed to assess the biodegradability of 46 organic compounds and 7 wastewaters.     

Gridded usage inventories of chlordane in China

Chlordane (1,2,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro-3a,4,7, 7a-tetra-hydro-4,7-methanoindane) is one of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) which has been listed as one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to be reduced and finally eliminated in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, because of its great persistence, toxicity, bio-accumulation and long-range transport potential. It is critical to create a national chlordane usage inventories for China to compile chlordane emission inventories, which is helpful for carrying out risk assessments and other researches related to chlordane in China. The annual data of chlordane usage was calculated and modified in accordance with the reported annual production of chlordane which was caculated on the basis of the termite distribution, the data of chlordane usage rate and the annual new construction area (NCA).With the help of Geographic Information System, the usage data of this NCA were allocated to a grid system then, with a 1/4° longitude by 1/6° latitude resolution and a size for each grid cell of approximately 25 km by 25 km. Between 1988 and 2008, the total usage of chlordane in China was 2745 t, accounting for approximately 80% of the production in the same period. Zhejiang Province was the largest consumer of chlordane in China, whose usage adds up to 980 t, greatly exceeding other provinces/regions, followed by Jiangsu Province (534 t) and Sichuan Province (428 t). The region with the least usage of chlordane was Beijing. Provinces of Guizhou, Henan and Hebei did not use any chlordane, even though termites had occurred in these provinces. Gridded usage inventories showed that the intensive use of chlordane was concentrated in the southeast part of China, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta in particular. The satisfaction of the inventories was supported by the consistence between the estimated data of annual usage and the reported annual production of chlordane, and by the consistence between distribution pattern of chlordane’s usage and ambient air concentration.     

Substance flow analysis for an urban drainage system of a representative hypothetical city in China

This paper discusses the use of substance flow analysis (SFA) as a tool to support quantified research on urban drainage systems. Based on the principle of mass balance, a static substance flow model is established to describe and examine the routes and intensities of water, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) for a representative hypothetical city (RH city) in China, which is a devised and scaled city using statistical characteristics of urban circumstances at the national level. It is estimated that the annual flux of water, COD, TN and TP through the urban drainage system in 2010 was 55.1 million m³, 16037.3 t, 1649.5 t and 209.7 t, respectively. The effluent of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was identified as the most important pathway for pollutant emissions, which contributed approximately 60% of COD, 65% of TN and 50% of TP to receiving water. During the wastewater treatment process, 1.0 million m3, 7042.5 t, 584.2 t and 161.4 t of the four studied substances had been transmitted into sludge, meanwhile 3813.0 t of COD and 394.0 t of TN were converted and emitted to the atmosphere. Compared with the representative hypothetical city of 2000, urban population and the area of urban built districts had expanded by approximately 90% and 80% respectively during the decade, resulting in a more than threefold increase in the input of substances into the urban drainage system. Thanks to the development of urban drainage systems, the total loads of the city were maintained at a similar level.     

One-pot preparation of graphene oxide magnetic nanocomposites for the removal of tetrabromobisphenol A

A simple solvothermal method was used to prepare monodisperse magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles attached onto graphene oxide (GO) sheets as adsorbents to remove tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) from an aqueous solution. These Fe₃O₄/GO (MGO) nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The adsorption capacity at different initial pH, contact duration, and temperature were evaluated. The kinetics of adsorption was found to fit the pseudo-second-order model perfectly. The adsorption isotherm well fitted the Langmuir model, and the theoretical maximum of adsorption capacity calculated by the Langmuir model was 27.26 mg?g^-1. The adsorption thermodynamics of TBBPA on the MGO nanocomposites was determined at 303 K, 313 K, and 323 K, respectively. The results indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. The MGO nanocomposites were conveniently separated from the media by an external magnetic field within several seconds, and then regenerated in 0.2 M NaOH solution. Thus, the MGO nanocomposites are a promising candidate for TBBPA removal from wastewater.     

Degradation of bisphenol A by microorganisms immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres

In this study, microorganisms （named B111） were immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres prepared by the inverse suspension crosslinked method. The biodegradation of bisphenol A （BPA） and 4-hydro- xybenzaldehyde, a degradation product of BPA, by free and immobilized B lll was investigated. The BPA degradation studies were carried out at initial BPA concentrations ranging from 25 to 150 mg·L^-1. The affinity constant Ks and maximum degradation rate Rmax were 98.3 mg·L^-1 and 19.7mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for free B111, as well as 87.2mg·L^-1 and 21.1mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for immobilized B 111, respectively. 16S rDNA gene sequence analyses confirmed that the dominant genera were Pseudomonas and Brevundimonas for BPA biodegradation in microorganisms B 111.