Conserving water by optimizing production schedules in the dyeing industry

Industrial dyeing processes generate a huge amount of wastewater, because the production lines have to be washed out each time when the dye changes. We propose an algorithm for the optimization of production schedule. It aims to reduce the production time and the amount of freshwater consumption by optimization the groups orders according to color. Furthermore, we develop software based on the genetic algorithm and implement it in a Chinese company. We optimize the schedules in three months of the case company and compare its output to actual data. The results show that compared to the original manual schedules, the optimized schedules cut production time by 10–15%, reduce freshwater consumption by 20–30%, and reduce wastewater generation by about 20%.     

明代关中渭河流域水涝灾害研究

通过对历史资料的搜集、整理和分析,对明代(1368～1644年)关中渭河流域水涝灾害的时空特征、等级序列及产生原因进行了分析研究.结果表明,该地区水涝灾害多发于夏秋季节,发生频率从早期到晚期呈明显增加趋势,且存在相对高发期;水涝灾害主要发生在关中渭河流域的中下游地区,且主要分布在渭河的干流或支流沿岸;该地区水涝灾害以中度水灾居多,约占56.14%,重度和轻度水灾次之,特大灾很少发生.较集中的大雨和暴雨是明代关中渭河流域水涝灾害发生的的主要因素,森林植被的破坏和河渠的淤浅使该地区水量承载能力减小,增大了成灾的可能性.     

黄姜皂素废酸液在均相离子膜中渗析规律的研究

为了研究皂素水解废液在离子交换膜中的渗析规律,实验考察了废液中电导率、含盐量、氢离子浓度、硫酸盐浓度、Ca离子浓度、Mg离子浓度和有机物浓度随渗析时间的关系。研究结果表明:渗析时间进行100 h后,处理效果达到稳定状态;废液与渗析液的电导率几乎相等;含盐量、H+浓度、SO2-4浓度的分离效率分别为71%、62%、78%;Ca去除效果优于Mg去除效果;大部分有机物无法通过离子交换膜。     

IKK inhibition prevents PM2.5-exacerbated cardiac injury in mice with type 2 diabetes

Epidemiological studies have found that individuals with diabetes mellitus(DM) display an increased susceptibility for adverse cardiovascular outcomes when exposed to air pollution.This study was conducted to explore the potential mechanism linking ambient fine particles(PM2.5) and heart injury in a Type 2 DM(T2DM) animal model. The KKay mouse, an animal model of T2DM, was exposed to concentrated ambient PM2.5 or filtered air for 8 weeks via a versatile aerosol exposure and concentrator system. Simultaneously, an inhibitor of IκB kinase-2(IKK-a)(IMD-0354), which is a blocker of nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)nuclear translocation, was administrated by intracerebroventricular injection(ICV) to regulate the NF-êB pathway. The results showed that ambient PM2.5 induced the increase of, NF-êB, cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and mitogen activated protein kinase(MAPK) expression in cardiac tissue, and that IMD-0354 could alleviate the inflammatory injury. The results suggested that the NF-êB pathway plays an important role in mediating the PM2.5-induced cardiovascular injury in the T2DM model. Inhibiting NFκB may be a therapeutic option in air-pollution-exacerbated cardiovascular injury in diabetes mellitus.     

Serious BTEX pollution in rural area of the North China Plain during winter season

Atmospheric BTEX compounds(benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) in a rural site of the North China Plain(NCP) were preliminarily investigated in winter, and the outdoor concentrations(25.8–236.0 μg/m3) were found to be much higher than those reported in urban regions. The pollution of BTEX inside a farmer's house was even more serious, with combined concentrations of 254.5–1552.9 μg/m3. Based on the ratio of benzene to toluene(1.17 ± 0.34) measured, the serious BTEX pollution in the rural site was mainly ascribed to domestic coal combustion for heating during the winter season. With the enhancement of farmers' incomes in recent years, coal consumption by farmers in the NCP is rapidly increasing to keep their houses warm, and hence the serious air pollution in rural areas of the NCP during winter, including BTEX, should be paid great attention.     

Synergistic effect of ozonation and ionizing radiation for PVA decomposition

Ozonation and ionizing radiation are both advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) without chemical addition and secondary pollution. Also, the two processes'' efficiency is determined by different pH conditions, which creates more possibilities for their combination. Importantly, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation could be suitable for treating wastewaters with extreme pH values, i.e., textile wastewater. To find synergistic effects, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation mineralization was investigated for degradation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at different pH levels. A synergistic effect was found at initial pH in the range 3.0–9.4. When the initial pH was 3.0, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation gave a PVA mineralization degree of 17%. This was 2.7 times the sum achieved by the two individual processes, and factors of 2.1 and 1.7 were achieved at initial pH of 7.0 and 9.4, respectively. The combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation was demonstrated to be a feasible strategy for treatment of PVA-containing wastewater.     

Analysis of trace dicyandiamide in stream water using solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography UV spectrometry

An improved method for trace level quantification of dicyandiamide in stream water has been developed. This method includes sample pretreatment using solid phase extraction. The extraction procedure (including loading, washing, and eluting) used a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and dicyandiamide was eluted with 20 mL of a methanol/acetonitrile mixture (V/V = 2:3), followed by pre-concentration using nitrogen evaporation and analysis with high performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet spectroscopy (HPLC–UV). Sample extraction was carried out using a Waters Sep-Pak AC-2 Cartridge (with activated carbon). Separation was achieved on a ZIC^®-Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (ZIC-HILIC) (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 3.5 μm) chromatography column and quantification was accomplished based on UV absorbance. A reliable linear relationship was obtained for the calibration curve using standard solutions (R² > 0.999). Recoveries for dicyandiamide ranged from 84.6% to 96.8%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) were below 6.1% with a detection limit of 5.0 ng/mL for stream water samples.     

Ozone concentrations, flux and potential effect on yield during wheat growth in the Northwest-Shandong Plain of China

Ozone (O₃) concentration and flux (F_o) were measured using the eddy covariance technique over a wheat field in the Northwest-Shandong Plain of China. The O₃-induced wheat yield loss was estimated by utilizing O₃ exposure-response models. The results showed that: (1) During the growing season (7 March to 7 June, 2012), the minimum (16.1 ppbV) and maximum (53.3 ppbV) mean O₃ concentrations occurred at approximately 6:30 and 16:00, respectively. The mean and maximum of all measured O₃ concentrations were 31.3 and 128.4 ppbV, respectively. The variation of O₃ concentration was mainly affected by solar radiation and temperature. (2) The mean diurnal variation of deposition velocity (V_d) can be divided into four phases, and the maximum occurred at noon (12:00). Averaged V_d during daytime (6:00–18:00) and nighttime (18:00–6:00) were 0.42 and 0.14 cm/sec, respectively. The maximum of measured V_d was about 1.5 cm/sec. The magnitude of V_d was influenced by the wheat growing stage, and its variation was significantly correlated with both global radiation and friction velocity. (3) The maximum mean F_o appeared at 14:00, and the maximum measured F_o was − 33.5 nmol/(m²·sec). Averaged F_o during daytime and nighttime were − 6.9 and − 1.5 nmol/(m²·sec), respectively. (4) Using O₃ exposure-response functions obtained from the USA, Europe, and China, the O₃-induced wheat yield reduction in the district was estimated as 12.9% on average (5.5%–23.3%). Large uncertainties were related to the statistical methods and environmental conditions involved in deriving the exposure-response functions.     

Responses of soil ammonia oxidizers to a short-term severe mercury stress

The responses of soil ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) to mercury(Hg) stress were investigated through a short-term incubation experiment.Treated with four different concentrations of Hg(CK,Hg25,Hg50,and Hg100,denoting 0,25,50,and 100 mg Hg/kg dry soil,respectively),samples were harvested after 3,7,and 28 day incubation.Results showed that the soil potential nitrification rate(PNR) was significantly inhibited by Hg stress during the incubation.However,lower abundances of AOA(the highest in CK: 9.20 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil) and AOB(the highest in CK: 2.68 × 10~7 copies/g dry soil; the lowest in Hg50:7.49 × 10~6 copies/g dry soil) were observed only at day 28 of incubation(P 0.05).Moreover,only the community structure of soil AOB obviously shifted under Hg stress as seen through DGGE profiles,which revealed that 2–3 distinct AOB bands emerged in the Hg treatments at day 28.In summary,soil PNR might be a very useful parameter to assess acute Hg stress on soil ecosystems,and the community structure of soil AOB might be a realistic biological indicator for the assessment of heavy metal stress on soil ecosystems in the future.