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.     

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.     

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.     

“地震安全示范小区”的建设

地震是自然灾害之首,仅“5·12”汶川特大地震瞬间就夺去了近9万同胞的生命,伤亡总数近40万人,直接经济损失达1万多亿元人民币。     

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.     

Removal of insoluble chloride from bottom ash for recycling

In order to recycle bottom ash and use it as raw material for cement production, the removal of insoluble chloride was investigated by testing various washing techniques. The present work is also focused on investigating the properties of insoluble chlorides and determining the conditions for dissolving these compounds in order to reduce the chlorine content to the required level, i.e., less than 0.1 wt%. Within this framework, the effect of washing with water and CO2 bubbling was investigated, because the main insoluble chloride found in bottom ash, i.e., Friedel's salt, can be dissolved by CO2. Then, in order to better understand the removal of Cl, Friedel's salt was artificially synthesized by hydration and then the effect of CO2 bubbling was investigated. If all chlorides in the ash are converted into Friedel's salt by hydration, all chlorides can then be dissolved by CO2 bubbling. In addition, the effect of pH on removing the remaining insoluble chlorides was investigated by washing the ash with sulfuric acid solution. It was found that the most effective technique to reduce the Cl content to less than 1000 ppm was washing with sulfuric acid solution, while keeping the pH value at less than 4. By using this method, Friedel's salt and other insoluble chlorides were dissolved.     

Household solid waste characteristics and management in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Solid waste management (SWM) is a multidimensional challenge faced by urban authorities, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. We investigated per capita waste generation by residents, its composition, and the households' attitudes towards waste management at Rahman Nagar Residential Area, Chittagong, Bangladesh. The study involved a structured questionnaire and encompassed 75 households from five different socioeconomic groups (SEGs): low (LSEG), lower middle (LMSEG), middle (MSEG), upper middle (UMSEG) and high (HSEG). Wastes, collected from all of the groups of households, were segregated and weighed. Waste generation was 1.3kg/household/day and 0.25kg/person/day. Household solid waste (HSW) was comprised of nine categories of wastes with vegetable/food waste being the largest component (62%). Vegetable/food waste generation increased from the HSEG (47%) to the LSEG (88%). By weight, 66% of the waste was compostable in nature. The generation of HSW was positively correlated with family size (r(xy)=0.236, p<0.05), education level (r(xy)=0.244, p<0.05) and monthly income (r(xy)=0.671, p<0.01) of the households. Municipal authorities are usually the responsible agencies for solid waste collection and disposal, but the magnitude of the problem is well beyond the ability of any municipal government to tackle. Hence dwellers were found to take the service from the local waste management initiative. Of the respondents, an impressive 44% were willing to pay US$0.3 to US$0.4 per month to waste collectors and it is recommended that service charge be based on the volume of waste generated by households. Almost a quarter (22.7%) of the respondents preferred 12-1pm as the time period for their waste to be collected. This study adequately shows that household solid waste can be converted from burden to resource through segregation at the source, since people are aware of their role in this direction provided a mechanism to assist them in this pursuit exists and the burden is distributed according to the amount of waste generated.