Variations of metal distribution in sewage sludge composting

In the study, the variations of heavy metal distributions (of Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn) during the sewage sludge composting process were investigated by sequential extraction procedures. The total content of Cu and Zn in the composted mixture increased after the composting process. Mn and Zn were mainly found in mobile fractions (exchangeable fraction (F1), carbonate fraction (F2), and Fe/Mn oxide fraction (F3)). Cu and Pb were strongly associated with the stable fractions (organic matter/sulfides fraction (F4) and residual fraction (F5)). These five metal fractions were used to calculate the metal mobility (bioavailability) in the sewage sludge and composted mixture. The mobility (bioavailability) of Mn, Pb, and Zn (but not Cu) increased during the composting process. The metal mobility in the composted mixture ranked in the following order: Mn>Zn>Pb>Cu.     

游憩践踏对芜湖赭山城市公园影响研究

城市生态型公园是户外游憩活动影响最集中的一个区域,特别是践踏的影响表现最为明显。对芜湖市赭山生态型城市公园的19条游憩路径进行了调查,路径总长度达3123m。分析了户外游憩活动践踏造成的影响,得出了不同的旅游路径对践踏所引起的路面变宽、植物根系暴露、多路径和路面损伤是不同的,土质路面游道受到践踏影响的程度最大,石板路面游道次之,水泥路面相对最小。城市生态型公园的道路系统建设应该适应游客的游憩需求,减少践踏对公园生态环境的影响,最大化地满足城市居民的需要。     

生态文明与农业发展

农业作为国民经济的基础,是生态文明的重要内容,其文明程度直接体现生态文明程度.生态文明建设给农业经营提出了更高的要求,也为农业生产的发展指明了方向.充分认识生态文明建设与农业生产的关系,加强农业相关人员的生态文明教育和农业环保法制建设,实施更加科学、文明的农业经营方式将对促进农业的可持续发展和生态文明建设发挥积极的作用.     

固相微萃取(SPME)技术在水质监测中的应用

固相微萃取技术(SPME)作为一种样品前处理技术,具有方便、快捷、不使用有机溶剂、灵敏度高、价格低廉等优点,已被广泛地应用于环境样品的分析.本文综合评述了采用SPME法预处理环境水体中的有机物、无机离子等污染物的监测情况,并对SPME法在环境水质监测中的应用以及对国外的研究进展进行了展望.     

Effects of landfill leachate effluent and bisphenol A on glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes in the gills and digestive glands of the freshwater snail Bellamya purificata

Environmental contaminants with estrogenic activity have recently attracted attention due to their potential detrimental effects on the reproduction of human and wildlife. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of endogenous glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes as biomarkers of exposure to landfill leachate effluent and bisphenol A (BPA) in the freshwater snail, Bellamya purificata. Following exposure to 1%, 5% and 10% landfill leachate effluent and 1, 10, 50 and 100mugl(-1) BPA for 0, 2, 7 and 15d, activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (SeGPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) and levels of total glutathione were measured in the gills and digestive glands of the snails. GST and total glutathione were the most sensitive parameters in both exposure scenarios. GST activities increased by about 80%, while total glutathione decreased to 70% and 80% in the gills and digestive glands, respectively. In contrast, SeGPx and GR activities remained at the same levels in all the treatment groups compared with those of controls. The results indicated that among glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes, GST activity and total glutathione level, which showed dose-dependent dynamics, could be used as biomarkers of aquatic ecosystems contaminated with landfill leachate.     

Applications of open-path Fourier transform infrared for identification of volatile organic compound pollution sources and characterization of source emission behaviors

An open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (OP-FTIR) system was set up for 3-day continuous line-averaged volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring in a paint manufacturing plant. Seven VOCs (toluene, m-xylene, p-xylene, styrene, methanol, acetone, and 2-butanone) were identified in the ambient environment. Daytime-only batch operation mode was well explained by the time-series concentration plots. Major sources of methanol, m-xylene, acetone, and 2-butanone were identified in the southeast direction where paint solvent manufacturing processes are located. However, an attempt to uncover sources of styrene was not successful because the method detection limit (MDL) of the OP-FTIR system was not sensitive enough to produce conclusive data. In the second scenario, the OP-FTIR system was set up in an industrial complex to distinguish the origins of several VOCs. Eight major VOCs were identified in the ambient environment. The pollutant detected wind-rose percentage plots that clearly showed that ethylene, propylene, 2-butanone, and toluene mainly originated from the tank storage area, whereas the source of n-butane was mainly from the butadiene manufacturing processes of the refinery plant, and ammonia was identified as an accompanying reduction product in the gasoline desulfuration process. Advantages of OP-FTIR include its ability to simultaneously and continuously analyze many compounds, and its long path length monitoring has also shown advantages in obtaining more comprehensive data than the traditional multiple, single-point monitoring methods.     

Characteristics of Carbonaceous Aerosol at Taichung Harbor, Taiwan during Summer and Autumn Period of 2005

In recent years, suspended particle pollution has become a serious problem in Taiwan. The carbonaceous materials EC and OC are play important roles in various atmospheric processes. The primary OC/EC ratio approach is applied to assess the contribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) to the PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ mass at the Taichung harbor sampling site. The results indicated that the average EC and OC concentration were 1.06 and 6.50 μg m⁻³, respectively, in fine particulate. And the average EC and OC concentration were 4.04 and 40.32 μg m⁻³, respectively, in coarse particulate at Taichung Harbor sampling site. In addition, and the average EC/OC rations was 8.72 in fine particle, respectively, at Taichung Harbor, Taiwan during summer and autumn period of 2005. The fine particle exhibited high particulate concentrations in October, and lower concentration particulate occurred in August. And in this study OC and EC concentrations in this study are compared with those in other cities. The results of EC and OC concentration in this study are also compare with those other cities.     

Phosphorus Load Reduction Goals for Feitsui Reservoir Watershed, Taiwan

The present paper describes an effort for developing the total maximum daily load (TMDL) for phosphorus and a load reduction strategy for the Feitsui Reservoir in Northern Taiwan. BASINS model was employed to estimate watershed pollutant loads from nonpoint sources (NPS) in the Feitsui Reservoir watershed. The BASINS model was calibrated using field data collected during a 2-year sampling period and then used to compute watershed pollutant loadings into the Feitsui Reservoir. The simulated results indicate that the average annual total phosphorus (TP) loading into the reservoir is 18,910 kg/year, which consists of non-point source loading of 16,003 kg/year, and point source loading of 2,907 kg/year. The Vollenweider mass balance model was used next to determine the degree of eutrophication under current pollutant loading and the load reduction needed to keep the reservoir from being eutrophic. It was estimated that Feitsui Reservoir can becoming of the oligotrophic state if the average annual TP loading is reduced by 37% or more. The results provide the basis on which an integrated control action plan for both point and nonpoint sources of pollution in the watershed can be developed.     

Life cycle assessment of fuel selection for power generation in Taiwan

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to performance data from 1997-2002 to evaluate the environmental impacts of the energy input, airborne emission, waterborne emission, and solid waste inventories for Taiwan's electric power plants. Eco-indicator 95 was used to compare the differences among the generation processes and fuel purification. To better understand the environmental trends related to Taiwan's electric power industry, three fuel scenarios were selected for LCA system analysis. Results indicate that there are differences in characteristic environmental impact among the 13 power plants. Scenario simulation provided a basis for minimizing environmental impacts from fuel selection targets. Fuel selection priority should be a gas-fired combined cycle substituted for a coal-fired steam turbine to be more environmentally friendly, particularly in the areas of the greenhouse effect, acidification, winter smog, and solid waste. Furthermore, based purely on economic and environmental criteria, it is recommended that the gas-fired combined cycle be substituted for the oil-fired steam turbine.     

Short-term effects of gaseous pollutants on cause-specific mortality in Wuhan, China

In Asia, limited studies have been published on the association between daily mortality and gaseous pollutants of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Our previous studies in Wuhan, China, demonstrated long-term air pollution effects. However, no study has been conducted to determine mortality effects of air pollution in this region. This study was to determine the acute mortality effects of the gaseous pollutants in Wuhan, a city with 7.5 million permanent residents during the period from 2000 to 2004. There are approximately 4.5 million residents in Wuhan who live in the city's core area of 201 km2, where air pollution levels are highest, and pollution ranges are wider than the majority of the cities in the published literature. We used the generalized additive model to analyze pollution, mortality, and covariate data. We found consistent NO2 effects on mortality with the strongest effects on the same day. Every 10-microg/m3 increase in NO2 daily concentration on the same day was associated with an increase in nonaccidental (1.43%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87-1.99%), cardiovascular (1.65%; 95% CI: 0.87-2.45%), stroke (1.49%; 95% CI: 0.56-2.43%), cardiac (1.77%; 95% CI: 0.44-3.12%), respiratory (2.23%; 95% CI: 0.52-3.96%), and cardiopulmonary mortality (1.60%; 95% CI: 0.85-2.35%). These effects were stronger among the elderly than among the young. Formal examination of exposure-response curves suggests no-threshold linear relationships between daily mortality and NO2, where the NO2 concentrations ranged from 19.2 to 127.4 microg/m3. SO2 and O3 were not associated with daily mortality. The exposure-response relationships demonstrated heterogeneity, with some curves showing nonlinear relationships for SO2 and O3. We conclude that there is consistent evidence of acute effects of NO2 on mortality and suggest that a no-threshold linear relationship exists between NO2 and mortality.