Isotopic evidence of natural uranium and spent fuel uranium releases into the environment

Uranium and plutonium isotopes were measured in soils, sediments and waters in an area subject to the past and present discharges from the uranium conversion plant of Malvési (France). The isotopes (236)U and (239)Pu are well known activation products of uranium and they prove to be powerful tracers of spent fuel releases in soils and sediments. On the other hand (234)U and (238)U activities measured in waters can be used to distinguish between releases and background uranium sources. Such findings contribute to improve the monitoring of the actinides releases by nuclear fuel facilities (mining sites, conversion, enrichment and fuel plants, reprocessing plants).     

Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in aqueous systems through the association of zero-valent-copper-mediated reduction and UVC/H2O2: effect of water matrix and toxicity assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The presence of toxic chlorinated compounds in drinking water, generated during the disinfection step in water treatment plants, is of great concern...     

Application of WRF-Chem to simulate air quality over Northern Vietnam

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry) model is implemented and validated against ground-based observations for meteorological...     

外源硫酸盐介入下沉积物磷释放、解磷微生物及磷酸酶活性的变化

人类生产活动导致湖泊水体硫酸盐浓度日益增加,硫酸盐与沉积物中磷之间的关系引起关注.该研究以武汉东湖水和沉积物为研究对象进行实验室模拟,研究为期近一年且温度变化的条件下外源硫酸盐对沉积物释磷及微生物的作用.结果表明,硫酸盐输入使沉积物pH和氧化还原电位(E h)总体呈降低趋势.外源硫酸盐促进了沉积物磷的释放,输入硫酸盐(S500)与对照(CK)之间的上覆水存在显著差异(p0.01),S500的上覆水中总磷浓度最高值达0.33 mg·L-1,为对照的2倍.湖泊沉积物中有机磷解磷菌的数量高于无机磷解磷菌,上层沉积物解磷菌的数量和沉积物总磷的含量之间呈负相关.S500的沉积物中磷酸二酯酶活性高于磷酸单酯酶活性,且不同分层沉积物磷酸单酯酶活性和磷酸二酯酶活性之间的正相关性达到显著水平.温度升高,磷酸酶的活性逐渐增强,促使沉积物内源磷释放量增加.     

滇池柱状沉积物磷形态垂向变化及对释放的贡献

选取了滇池外海北部、中部和南部柱状沉积物样品,结合上覆水磷和柱状沉积物有机质数据,研究了有机质(OM)及粒径组成对沉积物释放的影响,并探讨了不同形态磷对沉积物释放的影响及贡献.结果表明:1沉积物间隙水ρ(DTP)和ρ(SRP)均与OM、沉积物黏土(4.00μm)和粉砂粒(4.00~63.00μm)含量呈显著负相关,但与砂砾(63.00μm)含量呈显著正相关,表明沉积物有机质含量的增加显著降低了其间隙水中磷的质量浓度,且黏土和粉砂粒含量的增加也会降低间隙水磷的质量浓度,抑制了沉积物磷的释放.2滇池沉积物潜在可移动磷(BD-P和NaOH-nrp)与黏粒和粉砂砾均呈显著正相关,与砂砾呈显著负相关,表明黏粒和粉砂砾可能对沉积物磷的移动能力提升,砂砾可能对沉积物磷的滞留能力提升.3在较短时间尺度内,外海北部沉积物磷以释放为主,中部和南部以滞留为主;在较长时间尺度内,外海北部和中部沉积物磷以释放为主,南部的以滞留为主.控制滇池沉积物磷释放需要考虑不同磷形态特征及有机质和粒径的影响,采取相应措施以主要控制滇池北部沉积物磷的释放.     

河西走廊中段荒漠绿洲土壤生态化学计量特征

为探究荒漠绿洲土壤C、 N、 P和K的含量变化及生态化学计量特征,阐明其对环境因子的生态学响应,选择河西走廊中段张掖临泽荒漠绿洲10块样地,采集表层土壤样品,测定土壤C、 N、 P和K含量,揭示不同生境中土壤养分含量变化和化学计量比的分布特征以及与其他环境因子间的相关关系.结果表明：(1)土壤C在各样点分布不均匀且具有明显的异质性(R=0.761,P=0.06).其中,ω(C)在绿洲平均值最高,为12.85 g·kg^-1,过渡带次之,为8.65 g·kg^-1,荒漠最低,为4.1 g·kg^-1;(2)土壤K含量除在盐碱地含量较低外,在荒漠、过渡带和绿洲之间均无显著变化且含量较高;(3)土壤C∶N平均值为12.92,C∶P平均值为11.69,N∶P平均值为0.9,均低于全球土壤平均水平(13.33、 72.0、 5.9)和中国土壤平均水平(12、 52.7、 3.9);(4)土壤含水量为影响荒漠绿洲土壤C、 N、 P、 K和生态化学计量特征的最大影响因子,贡献率为86.9%,其次为土壤酸碱度和土壤孔隙度,贡献率分别为9.2%...     

基于信息熵的武汉市城市生态系统演化分析研究

基于信息熵的分析方法,在前人的研究基础上,以武汉市2000~2010年城市生态系统发展为例,通过计算城市生态系统输入-输出熵流、代谢熵产生和系统总熵变,分析系统演化发展规律及原因;分别采用综合发展度和协调发展度评估城市的可持续发展水平,并将其进行指数化表征。分析结果表明：近11 a内系统熵流和总熵总体是呈现振荡式下降趋势,而熵产生先升后降,武汉市总体不断向着健康、有序方向发展,但有序度不稳定;近年来协调发展度和综合发展度二者保持同时增长,说明武汉市城市生态系统不断向着可持续方向发展,但武汉市目前仍处于初级协调发展水平     

Evaluation of the Effect of Chemical or Enzymatic Synthesis Methods on Biodegradability of Polyesters

This work compares the biodegradability of polyesters produced by an esterification reaction between glycerol and oleic di-acid (D 18:1) issued from green chemical pathways, via either classical thermo-chemical methods, or an enzymatic method using the immobilized lipase of Candida antartica B (Novozym 435). An elastomeric polymer synthesized by enzymatic catalysis is more biodegradable than an elastomeric thermo-chemical polyester synthesized by a standard chemical procedure. This difference lies in percentage of the dendritic motifs, in values of the degree of substitution, and certainly in cross-links inducing an hyper-branched structure less accessible to the lipolytic enzymes in a waste treatment plant. However, when the elastomeric polymer synthesized by enzymatic catalysis is processed at high temperature as required for certain industrial applications, it presents an identical rate of biodegradation than the chemical polyester. The advantages of the thermo-chemical methods are greater speed and lower cost. Enzymatic synthesis appears be suited to producing polyesters, devoid of metallic catalysts, which must be used without processing at high temperature to keep a high biodegradability.     

Itaconic Acid Grafted Starch Hydrogels as Metal Remover: Capacity,Selectivity and Adsorption Kinetics

Hydrogels were synthesized by free radical graft copolymerization of itaconic acid (IA) onto corn starch (S-g-IA). For this purpose, potassium permanganate (KMnO₄)-sodium bisulfite (NaHSO₃) was used as redox initiation system. The formation of grafted starches was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide angle X-ray scattering, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of monomer concentration, neutralization, addition of crosslinking agent, N,N-bismetilenacrilamide (MBAm), and initiator concentration on grafting efficiency and adsorption capacity of the starch hydrogels was investigated. It was demonstrated that the introduction of carboxyl and carbonyl groups promoted starch hydration and swelling. Grafting degree increased with the decrease of monomer concentration, increase of initiator concentration, grade of neutralization and the addition of MBAm without neutralization. Remarkably the resulting materials exhibited water absorption capacities between 258 and 1878% and the ability to adsorb metal ions. It was experimentally confirmed the metal uptake, obtaining the higher adsorption capacity (q _e  = 35 mg/g) for the product prepared with the pre-oxidation and lower initiator concentration. The removal capacity order was Pb²⁺>Ni²⁺>Zn²⁺>Cd²⁺. Moreover, the experimental kinetic and the equilibrium adsorption data for Ni²⁺ and Pb²⁺ were best fitted to the pseudo-second order and Freundlich isotherm models, respectively. This work describes for the first time the preparation of metal removal hydrogels based on starch and itaconic acid using the pair redox system KMnO₄/NaHSO₃, which avoids the starch hydrolysis and allows itaconic acid grafting incorporation without the requirement of more reactive comonomers.     

Benefits and risks associated with consumption of Great Lakes fish containing omega-3 fatty acids and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

正Introduction Assessment of environmental health effects arising from exposure to multiple substances is often very challenging.This is particularly true when humans are exposed to a mixture that contains both beneficial and harmful substances.A good example relates to the risk and benefits of fish consumption.