Variability of catechin and 4-hydroxyacetophenone distribution in Norway spruce needles in relation to their position, age, and growing conditions

The amount of catechin and 4-hydroxyacetophenone in the methanolic extract of the Norway spruce needles at the locality Bíly Kríz (Moravian-Silesian Beskydy Mts.) was found in the range 2.8-12.1 mg g(-1) (dry weight) and 0.2-17.7 mg g(-1) (dry weight), respectively. Total amount of catechin (sum of the last three needle year-classes) is statistically higher (p<0.01) in the sparse areas compared to the dense ones and similar trends were recorded for catechin content in current and one-year-old needles. These results may support an idea about primary control of phenolic production by the incident solar radiation, which depends on the social position of the tree and canopy closure degree.     

Prediction of ozone concentration in ambient air using multivariate methods

Multivariate statistical methods including pattern recognition (Principal Component Analysis--PCA) and modeling (Multiple Linear Regression--MLR, Partial Least Squares--PLS, as well as Principal Component Regression--PCR) methods were carried out to evaluate the state of ambient air in Miskolc (second largest city in Hungary). Samples were taken from near the ground at a place with an extremely heavy traffic. Although PCA is not able to determine the significance of variables, it can uncover their similarities and classify the cases. PCA revealed that it is worth to separate day and night data because different factors influence the ozone concentrations during all day. Ozone concentration was modeled by MLR and PCR with the same efficiency if the conditions of meteorological parameters were not changed (i.e. morning and afternoon). Without night data, PCR and PLS suggest that the main process is not a photochemical but a chemical one.     

Sorption of lead in soil as a function of pH: a study case in México

Reactions of lead sorption onto soil are largely affected by properties and composition of soil and its solution. In this study, the lead sorption onto regosol eutric soil from Francisco I. Madero, Zacatecas, Mexico is evaluated at different pH values. Soil samples were suspended in lead solutions of 10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 mg/l (as Pb(NO3)2). The pH was adjusted at 2, 3, 4, and 5.5 with nitric acid for each of the lead solution concentrations. In all the cases the ionic strength was I=0.09 M with calcium nitrate. The solid-liquid-ratios were fixed in 1:100 and 1:200 g/ml. The results show that lead sorption increases when pH increases. Experimental isotherms were adjusted by both Langmuir and Freundlich models. The Langmuir affinity parameter, K, indicates that the lead sorption capacity of Francisco I. Madero soils is largely perceptible to pH changes.     

微波加热对活性炭表面基团及其对SO2吸附性能的影响

采用了微波加热技术,通过在不同微波功率和辐射时间条件下对不同粒径活性炭进行改性,研究了改性前后活性炭的表面化学基团、元素组成的变化,以及对SO2吸附性能的影响.结果表明,经过微波改性后活性炭的SO2吸附性能大为提高,微波功率是影响改性活性炭脱硫性能的主要因素.活性炭经微波热处理后,酸性基团发生分解,表面含氧量减少,碱性特征增强,是吸附性能增加的主要原因之一.     

络合吸收结合生物转化去除氮氧化物技术

介绍了络合吸收结合生物转化处理NOx 技术的基本原理和目前的研究进展情况 ,并分析了该技术处理氮氧化物存在的问题和未来发展方向     

Virus retention and transport through Al-oxide coated sand columns: effects of ionic strength and composition

Knowledge of the factors that influence the fate and transport of viruses in porous media is very important for accurately determining groundwater vulnerability and for developing protective regulations. In this study, six saturated sand column experiments were performed to examine the effects of a positively charged Al-oxide, which was coated on sand particles, on the retention and transport of viruses (phiX174 and MS-2) in background solutions of different ionic strength and composition. We found that the Al-oxide coating on sand significantly removed viruses during their transport in a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution. Mass balance calculations showed that 34% of the input MS-2 was inactivated/irreversibly sorbed on the surface of Al-oxide coated sand whereas 100% of phiX174 was recovered. Results from this study also indicated that higher ionic strength facilitated the transport of both phiX174 and MS-2 through the Al-oxide coated sand. This was attributed to the effect of ion shielding, which at higher ionic strength decreased the electrostatic attraction between the viral particles and the sand surface and consequently decreased virus sorption. Strong effect of the ionic strength indicates that an outer-sphere complexation mechanism was responsible for the virus sorption on the Al-oxide coated sand. Ion composition of the background solutions was also found to be a significant factor in influencing virus retention and transport. Virus transport was enhanced in the presence of phosphate (HPO(4)(2-)) as compared to bicarbonate (HCO(3)(-)), and the effect of HPO(4)(2-) was more significant on MS-2 than on phiX174. The presence of bivalent cations (Ca(2+) and Mg(2+)) increased virus transport because the cations partially screened the negative charges on the viruses therefore decreased the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged sand surface and the negatively charged viruses. Mass recovery data indicated that bivalent cations gave rise to a certain degree of inactivation/irreversibly sorption of phiX174 on the surface of Al-oxide coated sand. On the contrary, the bivalent cations appeared to have protected MS-2 from inactivation/irreversibly sorption. This study provides some insights into the mechanisms responsible for virus retention and transport in porous media.     

The dissipation,distribution and fate of a branched 14C-nonylphenol isomer in lake water/sediment systems

A single tertiary isomer which is believed to be one of the major branched isomers of the isomeric nonylphenol was synthesized for use in investigations on its metabolism and estrogenicity in aquatic organisms. The physico-chemical properties of the isomer were determined to enable the prediction of its behaviour in aquatic environments. From laboratory investigations on its dissipation and distribution in lake water, which are reported in this paper, it was found that it had a half-life of dissipation of 38.1 days and 20.1 days in an open lake water and in an open lake water/ sediment system, respectively, and to be rapidly partitioned in to sediment giving a high concentration factor of 1.76 after 28 days with an initial dose concentration of 2.52 ppm. The main dissipation route was found to occur through volatilization and co-distillation. The isomer was, however, found to be resistant to biodegradation in both the lake water and sediment, showing only a slight 9% loss (after 56 days) and 4.2% loss (after 28 days), of the 14C-residues in lake water and lake water/sediment systems, respectively, by microbial activity. Transformation to other more polar metabolites possibly by hydroxylation was also found to be minimal in both lake water and sediment samples after 14 days by HPLC analysis. After 7 days, only 2.25 and 7.4% transformation to a more polar metabolite was detected in lake water and sediment samples, respectively.     

Heavy and toxic metals in staple foodstuffs and agriproduct from contaminated soils

This article presents basic data on the content of Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, and Pb in staple foodstuffs and agriproduct grown in Russia (Astrakhan region and the town of Belovo) and Egypt (Helwan region). The dependence of the concentration of metals in agriproducts on the content and chemical form of existence in irrigation water and soils is indicated.     

Trimethylbenzoic acids as metabolite signatures in the biogeochemical evolution of an aquifer contaminated with jet fuel hydrocarbons

Evolution of trimethylbenzoic acids in the KC-135 aquifer at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB), Oscoda, MI was examined to determine the functionality of trimethylbenzoic acids as key metabolite signatures in the biogeochemical evolution of an aquifer contaminated with JP-4 fuel hydrocarbons. Changes in the composition of trimethylbenzoic acids and the distribution and concentration profiles exhibited by 2,4,6- and 2,3,5-trimethylbenzoic acids temporally and between multilevel wells reflect processes indicative of an actively evolving contaminant plume. The concentration levels of trimethylbenzoic acids were 3-10 orders higher than their tetramethylbenzene precursors, a condition attributed to slow metabolite turnover under sulfidogenic conditions. The observed degradation of tetramethylbenzenes into trimethylbenzoic acids obviates the use of these alkylbenzenes as non-labile tracers for other degradable aromatic hydrocarbons, but provides rare field evidence on the range of high molecular weight alkylbenzenes and isomeric assemblages amenable to anaerobic degradation in situ. The coupling of actual tetramethylbenzene loss with trimethylbenzoic acid production and the general decline in the concentrations of these compounds demonstrate the role of microbially mediated processes in the natural attenuation of hydrocarbons and may be a key indicator in the overall rate of hydrocarbon degradation and the biogeochemical evolution of the KC-135 aquifer.     

铬渣的固化/稳定化研究

探讨了用水泥粘结剂对铬渣进行稳定化的方法。结果表明，把高炉矿渣和粉煤灰加入水泥基材中对铬渣进行固化，固化体抗压强度达到30MPa以上，浸出毒性大大降低，浸了同液中六价铬浓度在容许范围内，建议可以综合利用。