Chloropicrin emissions after shank injection: two-dimensional analytical and numerical model simulations of different source methods and field measurements

Understanding the control mechanisms of fumigant movement in soil is a fundamental step for developing management strategies to reduce atmospheric emissions. Most soil fumigants including chloropicrin (CP) are applied by shank injection, and the application process often leaves vertical soil fractures that would potentially cause preferential fumigant movement and increased emissions. This potential transport pathway was evaluated by comparing cumulative emissions and soil air concentrations of CP from direct field measurements with those predicted using analytical and numerical models after assuming either point or rectangle sources for the injected CP. Results clearly showed that shank-injected CP, when treated as vertical rectangle sources, produced cumulative emission losses similar to the field measurements. Treating the shanked CP as point sources caused approximately 50% underprediction than the field measurements. The study also demonstrated that fumigant cumulative emissions can be predicted, with reasonable accuracy, using either analytical or numerical simulations.     

测定地表水中溶解氧的微型化学实验研究

利用微型滴定法测定地表水中溶解氧的含量,并对微型实验和常量实验的平行测定结果进行了比较。微型滴定的测定结果准确可靠,微型实验具有现象明显、节省试剂、分析速度快等特点,能降低实验成本,提高学生的创新能力,完全符合绿色化学的理念,值得推广。     

Rapid degradation of carbon tetrachloride by commercial micro-scale zinc powder assisted by citric acid

We developed an effective method for degradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) in contaminated water. Zinc metal as a reducing agent for CT in aqueous solutions has been previously studied in some detail, but the rapid corrosion of zinc surface usually reduces its efficiency in removing CT. We assumed that citric acid could enhance the degradation of CT by zinc powder due to the elimination of a passivation layer of Zn(II) (hydr)oxides on the surface of zinc powder through chelating of organic ligands with Zn(II) produced from the reaction and keeping the exposure of active sites to targets. Here the influence of citric acid on the decomposing of CT by commercial micro-scale zinc powder was investigated in a pH range of 3.5–7.5 at 25°C in batch experiments. Reaction mixtures were analysed by gas chromatography/headspace analysis, and Cl⁻ concentration was determined by turbidimetry. The results demonstrate that the degradation of CT by zinc metal alone is very weak, but the addition of citric acid can assist zinc powder to decompose CT more completely and rapidly at all pHs. Degradation of CT took place mainly in the first 10 min of reaction, coupled with 75–95% of CT removal. Maximum dechlorination percentage (82.4%) of CT was obtained at pH 5.5. In that case, chloroform and dichloromethane, as main intermediates, were found at low levels during the whole reaction, suggesting that CT may be sequentially and multiply degraded so quickly that methane is yielded before the intermediates can be desorbed and released to aqueous solution. When compared with the current methods of nano-scale zinc and bimetallic systems, the application of commercial micro-scale zinc particles assisted by organic ligands is of environmental significance since it allows decontamination of aqueous chlorinated organic compounds at low cost and with high efficiency.     

Test of Firefighter’s Turnout Gear in Hot and Humid Air Exposure

Five students of a rescue training school cycled at 50 W for 20 min at 20 °C before walking at 5 km/hr up to 30 min in a climatic chamber at 55 °C and 30% relative humidity. 4 different types of clothing ensembles differing in terms of thickness and thermal insulation value were tested on separate days. All subjects completed 28–30 min in light clothing, but quit after 20–27 min in 3 firefighter ensembles due to a rectal temperature of 39 °C or subjective fatigue. No difference in the evolution of mean skin or rectal temperature was seen for the 3 turnout ensembles. Sweat production amounted to about 1000 g in the turnout gears of which less than 20% evaporated. It was concluded that the small differences between the turnout gears in terms of design, thickness and insulation value had no effect on the resulting heat physiological strain for the given experimental conditions.     

Woody Vegetation Composition and Structure in Peri-urban Chongming Island, China

Chongming, the world’s largest alluvial island, is located within the municipality of Shanghai, China. Recent projects have now linked peri-urban Chongming to Shanghai’s urban core and as a result will soon undergo substantial changes from urbanization. We quantitatively analyzed the structure and composition of woody vegetation across subtropical, peri-urban Chongming as a basis for sustainable management of these rapidly urbanizing subtropical ecosystems elsewhere. We used 178 permanent, random plots to statistically and spatially analyze woody plant composition and tree structure across the 1,041 km² of Chongming. A total of 2,251 woody plants were measured comprising 42 species in 37 genera. We statistically and geospatially analyzed field data according to land uses and modeled air pollution removal by trees. Average tree diameter at breast height, total height, and crown widths on transportation land uses were greater than other land uses. These same values were lowest on forest land use and greater tree cover was associated with areas of increased anthropogenic activity. Less than 20 % of the woody vegetation was exotic and a species richness index was significantly different between land uses due to legacy effects. Composition of agriculture and forest land uses were similar to residential and transportation. Tree cover across Chongming was also estimated to annually remove 1,400 tons of air pollutants. We propose that this integrated and quantitative method can be used in other subtropical, peri-urban areas in developing countries to establish baseline trends for future sustainability objectives and to monitor the effects of urbanization and climate change.     

应用遥感、GIS对稻田生态系统健康程度的监测评价研究——以长江下游平原为例

稻田生态系统是在一定时间和地区内由作物、动物、微生物和环境因素共同构成的农业生产体系,具有时空动态性,受人工调控性和环境影响很大.由于稻谷是我国最主要的粮食作物,因此稻田生态系统健康程度直接关系着稻谷产出水平和国家粮食安全.开展我国稻田生态系统健康程度的动态监测,具有十分重要的现实意义.该研究利用遥感、GIS技术快速获取和分析区域尺度范围内的地表时空信息数据的优势,建立一套能够客观全面地监测评价稻田生态系统运行状态的指标体系和评价方法.该方法主要是根据稻田生态系统的构成要素,分别建立作物长势指数(CGI)、稻田环境指数(EI)、病虫害指数(PIDI)三个指数表征这些要素.最后,确定各个指数的权重,建立生态系统健康程度综合指数(EHDCI),客观、全面地反映稻田生态系统的健康状况.这里,作物长势指数指示作物长势,通过EVI归一化计算得到.稻田环境指数分为温度指数(TI)和降水指数(PI)分别指代水、热条件对生态系统的胁迫.病虫害指数主要通过官方农业网站发布的病虫害信息确定得到.本文以长江下游平原稻田为例,对孕穗期、抽穗期、黄熟期等水稻生长     

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in a municipal wastewater treatment plant: mass balance and removal processes

Occurrence and removal efficiencies of fifteen pharmaceuticals were investigated in a conventional municipal wastewater treatment plant in Michigan. Concentrations of these pharmaceuticals were determined in both wastewater and sludge phases by a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Detailed mass balance analysis was conducted during the whole treatment process to evaluate the contributing processes for pharmaceutical removal. Among the pharmaceuticals studied, demeclocycline, sulfamerazine, erythromycin and tylosin were not detected in the wastewater treatment plant influent. Other target pharmaceuticals detected in wastewater were also found in the corresponding sludge phase. The removal efficiencies of chlortetracycline, tetracycline, sulfamerazine, acetaminophen and caffeine were >99%, while doxycycline, oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine and lincomycin exhibited relatively lower removal efficiencies (e.g., <50%). For sulfamethoxazole, the removal efficiency was approximately 90%. Carbamazepine manifested a net increase of mass, i.e. 41% more than the input from the influent. Based on the mass balance analysis, biotransformation is believed to be the predominant process responsible for the removal of pharmaceuticals (22% to 99%), whereas contribution of sorption to sludge was relatively insignificant (7%) for the investigated pharmaceuticals.     

Preparation of spherical iron nanoclusters in ethanol-water solution for nitrate removal

In this study, a higher surface area spherical nanoscale zero valent iron (HNZVI) cluster (80 nm, 54.25 m(2)g(-1)) was synthesized in ethanol-water mixed solvent in the presence of dispersion agent of polyglycol (PEG). At the same time, a lower surface area nanoscale zero valent iron (LNZVI) particle (80 nm, 8.08 m(2)g(-1)) was also prepared with only de-ioned water as reaction media. Their structures, compositions and physical properties were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometer (ICP-AES), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analyzer and the results obtained for these two kinds of nanoscale iron were compared with each other and also with those reported in the literatures. The HNZVI clusters seemed to be accumulated by smaller iron particles (<10 nm). At the same time, whiskers were formed in the final produce. Reactivity of the HNZVI was affirmed via denitrification of nitrate. The factors controlling the reduction of nitrate, such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), iron content as well as the initial nitrate concentration were also discussed. Finally, kinetic analysis revealed that chemical reduction of nitrate by HNZVI could not be described by the first- or pseudo-first-order kinetic model.     

螺旋式热源PCC能量桩桩身变形数值模拟研究

采用多场耦合软件,建立了螺旋式热源PCC能量桩数值分析模型,分析了温度、荷载、热源匝数、桩长、混凝土密度及混凝土弹性模量等因素对能量桩桩身应变分布的影响。研究结果表明:在无热源情况下,PCC能量桩桩身应变随着桩顶荷载的增大而增大,沿着桩身自上而下逐渐减小;热源的存在会导致桩身应变由正变负,说明了温度因素的主导性;桩身应变会随热源温度的升高而减小,在同一热源温度下相同位置处桩身应变均随着桩顶荷载的增加而增加;设定在热源温度50.5 ℃和桩端顶面40 kN荷载条件下,热源匝数数量的减少会导致桩身应变的增大;桩身应变随着桩长的不断减小而减小;混凝土密度的减小使得桩身应变不断减小;混凝土弹性模量减小导致桩身应变的增大。