Contamination of soils with organochlorine pesticides in urban parks in Beijing, China

Urban parks are an integral component of healthy urban living. Since they are frequently visited, an understanding of the environmental quality of these urban facilities is crucial. Here, a study was conducted on the contamination of soils in the parks of Beijing. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), which have the potential to cause endocrine disturbances, were considered study objectives. Hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were found at concentrations of 0.2490-197.0 ng g(-1) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) were found at concentrations of 5.942-1039 ng g(-1) in the soils investigated. The preliminary pollution assessment indicated that DDTs have caused high pollution levels in the soils of some parks. Analysis of the sources of contamination showed that HCHs in the soils were derived from an old mixed source of technical HCHs and lindane and that DDTs, which were suspected to have recent application to the soils at some sites, were derived mainly from a mixture of technical DDTs and dicofol containing DDT impurities. An independent sample t-test proved that pesticides containing DDTs had been used in large amounts in the soils of parks before 1983 (p<0.05) and that the levels of DDTs in the soils of parks administered by the Beijing municipal government were significantly higher than the levels in those administered by the district government (p<0.05). However, the main difference in this situation needs to be further studied. This study suggested that open spaces like urban parks were not as sound as was expected and that there was potential for exposure of visitors/workers in the parks to organochlorine pesticides.     

PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs in water samples from the Three Gorge Reservoir

The Three Gorge Reservoir (TGR) is the largest reservoir in China and its water quality is an important health concern, we have determined the concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs and PCBs in the water samples collected at three seasons: August 2004, January 2005 and August 2005. The results showed that the average WHO-TEQ of total dioxins-like compounds (PCDDs/PCDFs+PCBs) was 0.06558 pg l(-1), ranged from 0.0008 to 0.32439 pg l(-1), which are much lower than other reported water sources. The main dioxins (PCDDs/PCDFs) are hepta- and octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDDs) and chlorinated dibenzofurans (CDFs). Since the levels of dioxins may change after the last water-store stage, the present study provides important data to compare the water quality in the TGR in the future.     

Environmental impact of aquaculture and countermeasures to aquaculture pollution in China

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Aquaculture activities are well known to be the major contributor to the increasing level of organic waste and toxic compound in the aquaculture industry. Along with the development of intensive aquaculture in China, concerns are evoked about the possible effects of ever-increasing aquaculture waste both on productivity inside the aquaculture system and on the ambient aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, it is apparent that appropriate waste treatment processes are needed for sustaining aquaculture development. This review aims at identifying the current status of aquaculture and aquaculture waste production in China. MAIN FEATURES: China is the world's largest fishery nation in terms of total seafood production volume, a position it has maintained continuously since 1990. Freshwater aquaculture is a major part of the Chinese fishery industry. Marine aquaculture in China consists of both land-based and offshore aquaculture, with the latter mostly operated in shallow seas, mud flats and protected bays. The environmental impacts of aquaculture are also striking. RESULTS: Case studies on pollution hot spots caused by aquaculture have been introduced. The quality and quantity of waste from aquaculture depends mainly on culture system characteristics and the choice of species, but also on feed quality and management. Wastewater without treatment, if continuously discharged into the aquatic environment, could result in remarkable elevation of the total organic matter contents and cause considerable economy lost. Waste treatments can be mainly classified into three categories: physical, chemical and biological methods. DISCUSSION: The environmental impacts of different aquaculture species are not the same. New waste treatments are introduced as references for the potential development of the waste treatment system in China. The most appropriate waste treatment system for each site should be selected according to the sites' conditions and financial status as well as by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Strategies and perspectives for sustainable aquaculture development are proposed, with the emphasis on environmental protection. CONCLUSIONS: Negative effects of waste from aquaculture to aquatic environment are increasingly recognized, though they were just a small proportion to land-based pollutants. Properly planned use of aquaculture waste alleviates water pollution problems and not only conserves valuable water resources but also takes advantage of the nutrients contained in effluent. It is highly demanding to develop sustainable aquaculture which keeps stocking density and pollution loadings under environmental capacity. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: The traditional procedures for aquaculture waste treatment, mainly based on physical and chemical means, should be overcome by more site-specific approaches, taking into account the characteristics and resistibility of the aquatic environment. Further research needs to improve or optimize the current methods of wastewater treatment and reuse. Proposed new treatment technology should evaluate their feasibility at a larger scale for practical application.     

Evaluation of the thermal/optical reflectance method for quantification of elemental carbon in sediments

The IMPROVE thermal/optical reflectance (TOR) method, commonly used for EC quantification in atmospheric aerosols, is applied to soils and sediments and compared with a thermochemical method commonly applied to these non-atmospheric samples. TOR determines elemental carbon (EC) by an optical method, but it also yields thermally defined EC fractions in a 2% O2/98% He oxidizing atmosphere at 550 degrees C (EC1), 700 degrees C (EC2), and 800 degrees C (EC3). Replicate TOR TC, OC, and EC values exhibited precisions of approximately +/-10% as determined from multiple analyses of the same samples. EC abundances relative to total mass concentrations were within the ranges reported by other methods for diesel exhaust soot, n-hexane soot, wood and rice chars, and coals, as well as for environmental matrices. A direct comparison with the chemothermal (CTO) method of Gustafson et al. for ten soil and sediment samples demonstrated that almost all of the OC and EC1 are eliminated, as is part of the EC2. The CTO soot carbon is bounded by the EC3 and EC2+EC3 fractions of the IMPROVE TOR analysis. It might be possible to adjust these fractions to obtain better agreement between atmospheric aerosol and soil/sediment analysis methods. Given its linking the EC measurement in the atmosphere to sediments, the TOR method will not only provide useful information on the explanation and comparison between different environmental matrices, but also can be used to derive information on global cycling of EC.     

藜麦Hsf家族的进化与多胁迫条件下的转录应答

Hsf转录因子参与调控植物在生物和非生物胁迫下的防御应答机制.基于系统的生物信息学分析方法,对藜麦Hsf家族成员进行序列特征、进化和多种生物和非生物逆境胁迫下的基因表达水平分析.在藜麦基因组中共鉴定得到31个Hsf转录因子,主要分布在7号染色体.系统进化树将藜麦31个Hsf成员划分到A1-A9、B1-B5和C组中;但藜...     

气相色谱法测定水和土壤中苯醚甲环唑的残留量

研究并建立了气相色谱法测定水和土壤中苯醚甲环唑残留量的分析方法。实验结果表明：水中添加苯醚甲环唑的含量为0．005～0．500mg／kg时,平均回收率为97．9％～100．5％,相对标准偏差小于6．7％;土壤中添加苯醚甲环唑的含量为0．005～0．500mg／kg时,平均回收率为95．7％～109．5％,相对标准偏差小于7．5％。将该法用于水和土壤残留实验,土壤试样在拖药后10～88d进行采样分析,其残留消解动态回归方程为y=0．8803e^-0.0122x,相关系数为-0．915,消解半衰期为56．8d;水试样在施药后0～21d进行采样分析,其残留消解动态回归方程为y=0．2624e^-0.2539x,相关系数为-0．899,消解半衰期为2．7d。     

Bacillus natto TK-2产γ-絮凝活性的研究

对γ-聚谷氨酸的絮凝活性进行了研究,得出了其最佳絮凝条件为:γ-聚谷氨酸投加浓度为10mg/L;絮凝体系的pH为7.0;γ-聚谷氨酸在80℃以下都能保持很高的絮凝活性;添加不同种类的K+,Na+,Ca2+,Mg2+,Fe2+,Fe3+,Al3+能不同程度地提高γ-聚谷氨酸的絮凝活性,其中添加Ca2+的助凝效果最好,最终选择Ca2+为最佳的助凝离子并确定添加浓度为100mg/L。     

新型侧向流曝气生物滤池处理生活污水

采用以沸石为填料的新型侧向流曝气生物滤池处理生活污水,考察了水力负荷和气水比的影响.结果表明,LBAF在最佳工况气水比10∶1,A、B段曝气量比1∶1,水力负荷0.43 m3/m2·h下,COD、SS、氨氮、总氮和总磷的去除率分别为88.01%、95.18%、78.97%、52.58%和21.02%;COD去除率随COD容积负荷的增加缓慢下降.氨氮、总氮去除率随COD容积负荷的增大明显下降,氨氮去除率随氨氮容积负荷的增大而明显降低.滤池纳污能力强,不易堵塞,可适当延长反冲周期.     

水体沉积物中有效砷的测试新方法研究

一种氧化铁/醋酸纤维素复合膜(FeO/CAM)被用于太湖沉积物中砷的生物有效性评估.结果发现,在水介质中,FeO/CAM对沉积物中砷的富集量随土水比增加而呈乘幂函数减少,在土水质量比为0.025(即1:40)之后趋于某一平台值;在土水比为0.025并得到充分振荡的条件下,沉积物中释放的有效砷被FeO/CAM富集至膜中,并随时间增加而增加,至24 h后逐渐趋于平衡,这一过程恰当地模拟了生物对砷的吸收.因此,FeO/CAM可以用于有效砷的体外测试.利用FeO/CAM对12个总砷含量为6.4～34.6 mg·kg-1的太湖沉积物样品中的有效砷进行了测定.结果发现,FeO/CAM提取的有效砷含量与磷酸盐缓冲液提取的有效砷含量之间显著相关.太湖沉积物中的有效砷含量与总砷、总磷、有机质和吸附磷含量以及磷吸附饱和度显著相关,说明沉积物理化属性对有效砷含量有重要影响.FeO/CAM克服了化学试剂提取过程中引起的非有效态砷释放的根本缺陷,因此,FeO/CAM方法在沉积物有效砷含量的测定时比化学试剂提取法可能更准确.     

生物填料在重污染河道治理中的应用研究

将生物填料应用于城市重污染河道治理,研究了随时间的推移,填料垂直方向上生物膜的膜量、膜组成、膜活性变化规律以及生物填料对水质的改善效果.试验结果表明,该生物填料生物膜活性以比基质耗氧速率表示为0.153～0.174 mg/(g·h) .在挂膜进行到第40天、悬挂密度为24根/m2 时,对水质改善达到最佳效果,对TN、TP、COD、Chla、浊度的去除率分别为53%、35%、50%、5%、44%.