Runoff and sediment losses from 27 upland catchments in Southeast Asia: Impact of rapid land use changes and conservation practices

Rapid changes in upland farming systems in Southeast Asia generated predominantly by increased population pressure and ‘market forces’ have resulted in widespread land degradation that has been well documented at the plot scale. Yet, the links between agricultural activities in the uplands and downstream off-site effects remain largely unknown because of the difficulties in transferring results from plots to a larger scale. Many authors have thus pointed out the need for long-term catchment studies. The objective of this paper is to summarize the results obtained by the Management of Soil Erosion Consortium (MSEC) over the last 5 years from 27 catchments in five countries (Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam). The purpose of the study was to assess the impacts of cultivation practices on annual runoff and erosion rates. Initial surveys in each catchment included topography, soils and land use. Monitoring included climatic, hydrologic and erosion (total sediment yield including bed load and suspended sediment load) data, land use and crop yields, and farmers’ income. In addition, new land management options were introduced through consultations with farmers and evaluated in terms of runoff and erosion. These included tree plantations, fruit trees, improved fallow with legumes, maize intercropped with legumes, planted fodder, native grass strips and agro-ecological practices (direct sowing and mulch-based conservation agriculture). Regressions analyses showed that runoff during the rainy season, and normalized runoff flow coefficient based on erosive rainfall during the rainy season (rainfall with intensity exceeding 25 mm h⁻¹) increase with the percentage of the catchment covered by maize. Both variables decrease with increasing soil depth, standard deviation of catchment slope (that reflects terrain roughness), and the percentages of the catchment covered by fallow (regular and improved), tree plantations and planted fodder. The best predictors of sediment yield were the surface percentages of maize, Job's tears, cassava and footpaths. The main conclusions generated from this study were: (i) soil erosion is predominantly influenced by land use rather than environmental characteristics not only at the plot scale but also at the catchment scale; (ii) slash-and-burn shifting cultivation with sufficiently long rotations (1 year of cultivation, 8 years of fallow) is too often unjustly blamed for degradation; (iii) in its place, continuous cropping of maize and cassava promotes high rates of soil erosion at the catchment scale; (iv) conservation technologies are efficient in reducing runoff and total sediment yield at the catchment scale; (v) the adoption of improved soil management technologies by upland farmers is not a function of the degree of intensification of their farming system and/or of their incomes. The results suggest that if expansion of maize and cassava into already degraded upland systems were to occur due to increased demand for biofuels, there is a risk of higher runoff and sediment generation. A failure to adopt appropriate land use management strategies will result in further rapid resource degradation with negative impacts to downstream communities.     

Responses of community to the possible use of recycled water for washing machines: A case study in Sydney, Australia

Recycled water is a valuable resource that has potential to free up potable water supplies and recharge systems while improving the environment. Recycled water for washing machine could be one of the options as new end use of recycled water to alleviate the demand on existing and limited water supplies. This paper summarizes the findings of a research survey in Sydney, Australia to explore the attitudes and opinions of community towards the use of recycled water for different purposes, especially for the washing machine. The survey showed that 97% of the respondents were aware of the persisting water shortage problem while more than 60% of the respondents supported the use of recycled water for washing clothes. This paper exposes the basic concern of participants for using recycled water in washing machine. Health issue was found as the most concerns of the community. The survey also presents the further conditions to be considered for using recycled water for washing machine according to the participants’ opinions. Correlation between knowledge and attitudes of respondents was also found in this survey.     

Co-metabolic and biochar-promoted biodegradation of mixed PAHs by highly efficient microbial consortium QY1

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), typical representatives of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have become ubiquitous in the environment. In this study, a novel microbial consortium QY1 that performed outstanding PAHs-degrading capacity has been enriched. The degradation characteristics of single and mixed PAHs treated with QY1 were studied, and the effect of biochar on biodegradation of mixed PAHs and the potential of biochar in PAHs-heavy metal combined pollution bioremediation were also investigated. Results showed that, in single substrate system, QY1 degraded 94.5% of 500 mg/L phenanthrene (PHE) and 17.8% of 10 mg/L pyrene (PYR) after 7 days, while in PHE-PYR mixture system, the biodegradation efficiencies of PHE (500 mg/L) and PYR (10 mg/L) reached 94.0% and 96.2%, respectively, since PHE served as co-metabolic substrate to have significantly improved PYR biodegradation. Notably, with the cooperation of biochar, the biodegradations of PHE and PYR were greatly accelerated. Further, biochar could reduce the adverse impact of heavy metals (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr₂O₇^2?) on PYR biodegradation remarkably. The sequencing analysis revealed that Methylobacterium, Burkholderia and Stenotrophomonas were the dominant genera of QY1 in almost all treatments, indicating that these genera might play key roles in PAHs biodegradation. Overall, this study provided new insights into the efficient bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated site.     

基于有限元法的双层底板立式储罐可靠性分析

针对双层底板结构储罐上层底板变形过大产生强度失效问题的隐患,通过对装满辛烷的储罐结构力学行为进行有限元分析,研究了不同底板支撑结构形式及不同格栅间距情况下,上层底板的挠度变形及储罐的应力分布情况.研究结果表明在双层底板立式储罐的设计过程中应注重罐壁底部位置加强措施.     

氢气泄漏后燃爆风险研究现状综述

综述了高压氢气泄漏后相关燃爆事故及行为研究现状,总结了泄漏自燃、喷射火、气云爆炸等典型燃爆行为的研究现状、方法及结论,探明了典型氢泄漏后燃爆事故的关键控制参数,提出了现有高压氢气泄漏后燃爆风险实验及数值模拟研究存在的不足,并结合实际氢能场景,从实验尺度、初始条件、边界条件等方面对未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

Assessment of total concentrations of heavy metals in industrial sludges from the North of Vietnam and their potential impact on the ecosystem

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Industrial sludges from wastewater treatment plants of industrial parks and a drinking water treatment plant in northern Vietnam were investigated in...     

The protective effect of green space on heat-related respiratory hospitalization among children under 5 years of age in Hanoi,Vietnam

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Combined effects of global warming and rapid urbanization replace green spaces with urban facilities. Children in urban areas are at a higher risk of...     

电除尘器气流分布试验研究和数值计算

结合660 WM机组电除尘器的设计要求,对电除尘器内气流流动进行了数值模拟与试验研究.计算中选择SIMPLE方法求解三维雷诺平均方程和κ-ε两方程湍流模型.研究结果表明,无论电除尘器两室流量分配还是第一电场进口断面气流分布,计算结果与试验吻合较好,数值计算结果可以指导电除尘器设计与模型试验研究.