Catalytic Activity of Biomorphic α-MoO(3) in the Degradation of Methyl Violet Dye

A network of fibers comprising orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide (α-MoO(3)) crystals were synthesized using paper as template via a biomorphic approach. The template was completely removed by annealing the sample at 600°C for 5?min. Monoclinic MoO(3) was formed and consequently converted into orthorhombic α-MoO(3) after prolonged annealing. Three milligrams of the biomorphic α-MoO(3) could degrade up to 90% of a methyl violet aqueous solution with a concentration of 20?mg/L under normal visible light. The size of the α-MoO(3) grains and the porosity of the biomorphic sample affected catalytic performance.     

Gas permeability of biochar-amended clay: potential alternative landfill final cover material

Compacted biochar-amended clay (BAC) has been proposed as an alternative landfill final cover material in this study. Biochar has long been proposed to promote crop growth, mitigate odor emission, and promote methane oxidation in field soils. However, previous studies showed that soil-gas permeability was increased upon biochar application, which will promote landfill gas emission. The objective of the present study is to investigate the possibility of using compacted BAC as an alternative material in landfill final cover by evaluating its gas permeability. BAC samples were prepared by mixing 425-μm-sieved peanut shell biochar with kaolin clay in different ratios (0, 5, 10, and 15 %, w/w) and compacting at different degrees of compactions (DOC) (80, 85, and 90 %) with an optimum water content of 35 %. The gas permeability of the BACs was measured by flexible wall gas permeameter and the microstructure of the BACs was analyzed by SEM with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results show that the effects of biochar content on BAC gas permeability is highly dependent on the DOC. At high DOC (90 %), the gas permeability of BAC decreases with increasing biochar content due to the combined effect of the clay aggregation and the inhibition of biochar in the gas flow. However, at low DOC (80 %), biochar incorporation has no effects on gas permeability because it no longer acts as a filling material to the retard gas flow. The results from the present study imply that compacted BAC can be used as an alternative final cover material with decreased gas permeability when compared with clay.     

Long work hours: a social identity perspective on meta‐analysis data

The current study utilizes social identity theory to investigate employees' work hours. Specifically, we use meta‐analysis to examine the relationships between hours worked and indicators of organizational identity (e.g., organizational support and tenure), occupational identity (e.g., human capital investments and work centrality), and family identity (e.g., family responsibilities and family satisfaction). The meta‐analysis also allowed us to explore other important correlates of hours worked (e.g., situational demands, job performance, mental health, and physical health), moderating variables (e.g., age, gender, and job complexity), and curvilinear relationships of work hours to social identity indicators. Overall, we found that occupational factors and situational demands had the strongest relationships with hours worked, hours worked were negatively associated with measures of employee well‐being, gender had several significant moderating effects, and there were curvilinear relationships between hours worked and well‐being and work–family conflict variables. The article concludes with directions for future theoretical and empirical research. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of mean cell residence time on the performance and microbial diversity of pre-denitrification submerged membrane bioreactors

The effect of mean cell residence time (MCRT) (5, 8.3, 16.7, and 33.3d) on domestic wastewater treatment performance had been investigated using four bench-scale pre-denitrification submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) operated in parallel. The 33.3-d MCRT MBR had the lowest microbial activities in terms of specific oxygen uptake rate, specific denitrification rate and observed sludge yield. Excellent COD removal efficiency (more than 95%) and nitrification (more than 97%) were observed in all the four MBRs investigated. Even though high nitrification can be achieved in all the MBRs, total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was found to be affected by MCRT with a maximum of 77% at 33.3-d MCRT. Better TN removal efficiency achieved in the 33.3-d MCRT MBR was due to the combined effect of high mixed liquor concentration and lower dissolved oxygen concentration in the recycled mixed liquor. A comparison of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) fingerprints based on 16S rRNA and nirS gene revealed that the microbial communities of 5- and 8.3-d MCRT are grouped under the same branch while 16.7- and 33.3-d MCRT are grouped in another branch. T-RFLP based on amoA gene shows that members from the Nitrosomonas genus were more dominant under shorter MCRT operating environment. Clustering analysis did not show any correlation with the organic and nitrogen removal performance obtained in this study.     

卟啉作为人体早期砷暴露生物标志的研究

采用氢化物发生原子吸收分析了贵州省燃煤污染型砷中毒区和非砷中毒区（对照）居民尿样中砷浓度,采用高效液相色谱法分析了卟啉浓度,考察了燃煤污染造成的人体砷暴露与尿液中卟啉排泄改变的关系,寻求慢性砷中毒早期健康效应的生物标志物.结果显示,与对照组相比,砷暴露组尿卟啉Ⅲ（uroporphyrin-Ⅲ）和粪卟啉Ⅲ（coproporphyrin-Ⅲ）显著增高（P＜0.01,P＜0.01）,粪卟啉Ⅰ（coproporphyrin-Ⅰ）比对照组增高,但不显著;不同性别组间比较,对照组和暴露组的中龄（20～40岁）群体尿液中,尿卟啉Ⅲ的浓度在男性和女性群体之间呈显著性的差异（P<0.01）,其它年龄组中,这一指标在不同性别群体之间未见显著性差异;不同年龄分层比较,低龄组（＜20岁）尿卟啉Ⅲ和粪卟啉Ⅲ比对照显著增高（P＜0.01,P＜0.01）,中龄组（20～40岁）和高龄组（＞40岁）粪卟啉Ⅲ比对照显著增高（P＜0.05,P＜0.05）;此外,砷暴露组尿液中砷与总粪卟啉和总卟啉呈正相关（r=0.623,r=0.549）.结果表明,人体砷暴露会导致尿液中卟啉排泄的改变,提示卟啉有可能作为慢性砷中毒早期健康效应的生物标志.     

Evaluation of in situ catalysed hydrogen peroxide propagation (CHP) for phenanthrene and fluoranthene removals from soil and its associated impacts on soil functionality

Extensive contamination of soils by highly recalcitrant contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is an environmental problem arising from rapid industrialisation. This work focusses on the remediation of soil contaminated with 3- and 4-aromatic ring PAHs (phenanthrene (PHE) and fluoranthene (FLUT)) through catalysed hydrogen peroxide propagation (CHP). In the present work, the operating parameters of the CHP treatment in packed soil column was optimised with central composite design (H₂O₂/soil 0.081, Fe³⁺/soil 0.024, sodium pyrophosphate (SP)/soil 0.024, pH of SP solution 7.73). The effect of contaminant aging on PAH removals was also investigated. Remarkable oxidative PAH removals were observed for the short aging and extended aging period (up to 86.73 and 70.61 % for PHE and FLUT, respectively). The impacts of CHP on soil biological, chemical and physical properties were studied for both spiked and aged soils. Overall, the soil functionality analyses after the proposed operating condition demonstrated that the values for soil respiration, electrical conductivity, pH and iron precipitation fell within acceptable limits, indicating the compatibility of the CHP process with land restoration.     

进水与曝气方式对SBR中活性污泥产率和性能的影响

在实验室SBR几种运行方式研究的基础上，分析了不同进水与曝气方式对SBR中活性污泥产率和性能的影响原因。结果表明：（1）在反应阶段分级曝气方式下，SBR反应器的污泥产率明显低；而短时进水方式下，反应器的污泥性能最佳。（2）克服了SBR反应初期的高需氧率，能大大加速此后的生化反应。     

Specific resistance to filtration of biomass from membrane bioreactor reactor and activated sludge: effects of exocellular polymeric substances and dispersed microorganisms.

This study investigates the effect of dispersed microorganisms and exocellular polymeric substances on biomass dewaterability. Specific resistance to filtration (SRF) was measured for biomass from a membrane bioreactor and a completely mixed activated sludge system. Both laboratory-scale reactors were fed with synthetic wastewater and operated at a high food-to-microorganism ratio (F/M) (1 to 11 kilograms chemical oxygen demand per kilogram mixed liquor volatile suspended solids per day [kgCOD/(kg MLVSS.d)]) and short solids retention times (0.25 to 5 d). The SRF values were affected by strong interactions of three parameters: (1) the mixed liquor suspended solids concentration, (2) the amount of dispersed microorganisms, and (3) the exocellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentration. At F/M smaller than 2 kg COD/(kg MLSS.d) and mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration higher than 2000 mg/L, increasing amount of dispersed microorganisms in the biomass yielded higher SRF values. However, at high F/M (> 5 kg COD/kg MLSS.d) and low MLSS concentrations (< 600 mg/L), lower EPS concentrations resulted in slightly smaller SRF values, even though the amount of dispersed microorganisms in the biomass was much higher. Thus, at low MLSS concentrations, EPS concentrations rather than the amount of dispersed microorganisms tend to control SRF.     

Strategic environmental assessment in Hong Kong

This review examines the development and application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process in the planning framework of Hong Kong. Two strategic planning case studies are evaluated within the context of SEA, namely the Territorial Development Strategy Review (TDS Review) and the Third Comprehensive Transport Study (CTS-3). Rapid population growth and urbanisation in Hong Kong, coupled with a historic lack of planning controls and inherent conflicts between government departments have been major obstacles to achieving sustainable development in the territory. Despite these challenges, Hong Kong was one of the first Asian countries to apply SEA to major development plans, where the implementation of the 'SUSDEV 21' study on sustainable development has demonstrated the government's commitment towards integrated environmental protection. The application of SEA has provided decision-makers with key information on potential environment impacts arising from proposed developments, resulting in greater accountability and transparency in the decision-making process. SEA in Hong Kong has also prompted an increased level of environmental awareness and co-operation between government departments and agencies responsible for the management of Hong Kong's natural and urban environments. However, the application of SEA in Hong Kong continues to have notable limitations. SEA needs to evolve beyond its current sectoral application to examine ways in which development decisions can not only pre-empt and prevent environmental damage, but also positively enhance and restore existing natural resources. Current land use plans and transportation strategies still largely determine the pattern of development in the near future without adequate longer-term environmental cost-benefit analysis. Sustainable development includes environmental, social and economic considerations, and these inter-related elements need be suitably balanced. SEA is not a means to obstruct development in Hong Kong, but should be recognised for its inherent socio-economic and ecological value, and fully integrated with the decision-making process. Whilst it is admirable that Hong Kong has taken positive steps in this direction, it is now an opportune moment for the government to have the foresight and tenacity to create a sustainable development framework for Hong Kong into the future.