Renewable energy sources: conflicts and opportunities in a changing landscape

Regional Environmental Change - Replacement of conventional energy sources with renewables such as solar panels and wind turbines requires adequate land. Impact assessments should be conducted to...     

Atrazine contamination in agricultural soils from the Yangtze River Delta of China and associated health risks

Atrazine is one of the most widely applied and persistent herbicides in the world. In view of limited information on the regional contamination of atrazine in soils in China, this study investigated the spatial distribution and environmental impacts of atrazine in agricultural soils collected from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) as an illustrative analysis of rapidly developing regions in the country. The results showed that the concentrations of atrazine in the YRD agricultural soils ranged from <1.0 to 113 ng/g dry weight, with a mean of 5.7 ng/g, and a detection rate of 57.7 % in soils. Pesticide factory might be a major source for the elevated levels of atrazine in Zhejiang Province. The contamination of atrazine was closely associated with land use types. The concentrations and detection rates of atrazine were higher in corn fields and mulberry fields than in rice paddy fields. There was no significant difference in compositions of soil microbial phospholipids fatty acids among the areas with different atrazine levels. Positive relationship (R = 0.417, p < 0.05, n = 30) was observed between atrazine and total microbial biomass. However, other factors, such as soil type and land management practice, might have stronger influences on soil microbial communities. Human health risks via exposure to atrazine in soils were estimated according to the methods recommended by the US EPA. Atrazine by itself in all the soil samples imposed very low carcinogenic risks (<10^?6) and minimal non-cancer risks (hazard index <1) to adults and children.     

Evaluation of existing equations for temporal scour depth around circular bridge piers

Scour is defined as the processes of removal of sediment particles from water stream bed by the erosive action of activated water, and also carries sediment away from the hydraulic structures. Scour is the main cause of pier failure. Numerous equations are available for estimating temporal and equilibrium scour depth. The present study describes the phenomenon of temporal scour depth variation at bridge piers and deals with the methods for its estimation. The accuracy of six temporal scour depth equations are also checked in this study. After graphical and statistical analysis, it was found that the relationship proposed by Oliveto and Hager (J Hydraul Eng (ASCE) 128(9):811–520, 2002) predicts temporal scour depth better than other equations. Three equations of equilibrium time of scour are also used for computing equilibrium time. Equilibrium time equation proposed by Choi and Choi (Water Environ J 30(1–2):14–21, 2016) gives better agreements with observed values.     

Pesticide residue removal in classic domestic processing of tomato and its effects on product quality

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of several household practices (washing with water or acidic, alkaline, and oxidizing solutions, and peeling) in minimizing pesticide residue contamination of tomatoes, as well as the impact on the quality of the treated fruit. Tests were performed using two systemic fungicides (azoxystrobin and difenoconazole) and one contact fungicide (chlorothalonil). Solid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (SLE/LTP) and liquid-liquid extraction with low temperature partition (LLE/LTP) were used to prepare the samples for pesticides determination by gas chromatography. Washing the tomatoes with water removed approximately 44% of chlorothalonil, 26% of difenoconazole, and 17% of azoxystrobin. Sodium bicarbonate (5%) and acetic acid (5%) solutions were more efficient, removing between 32 and 83% of the residues, while peeling removed from 68 to 88% of the pesticides. The washing solutions altered some fruit quality parameters, including acidity and chroma, and also caused weight loss. Acetic acid (0.15 and 5%) and hypochlorite (1%) solutions had the greatest effect on these parameters.     

Dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene using lead–iron bimetallic particles

Synthesized lead–iron (Pb/Fe) bimetallic particles were applied to dechlorinate hexachlorobenzene (HCB) under various conditions (e.g. bimetal amount, initial pH value, reaction temperature, and reaction duration). The results showed that adding Pb onto Fe benefited the dechlorination of HCB and the bimetal with 1.4% Pb content performed best. The degradation rate decreased regularly as the initial pH value of the aqueous increased from 1.9 to 11.1 except for pH 7.0 where the fastest dechlorination rate emerged. The dechlorination could be enhanced by increasing the amount of Pb/Fe or the reaction temperature. The dechlorination ratio of HCB within 15 min increased from 24.3% to 81.3% when Pb/Fe amount increased from 0.1 g to 0.8 g. The dechlorination followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the dechlorination rate constants were 0.0027, 0.0064, 0.0157, and 0.0321 min^?1 at 25, 50, 70, and 85 °C, respectively, and the activation energy (E_a) of the dechlorination by Pb/Fe was 37.86 kJ mol^?1.     

The effects of residual tetracycline on soil enzymatic activities and plant growth

A pot trial was carried out to investigate the adverse effects of tetracycline (TC) on soil microbial communities, microbial activities, and the growth of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L). The results showed that the presence of TC significantly disturbed the structure of microbial communities and inhibited soil microbial activities in terms of urease, acid phosphatase and dehydrogenase (p < 0.05). Plant biomass was adversely influenced by TC, especially the roots with a reduction of 40% when compared with the control. Furthermore, TC decreased the assimilation of phosphorus by the plant although the concentration of phosphorus was increased by 20% due to decreased plant biomass. TC seemed to increase the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (by 20%) in soil. The findings implied that the agricultural use of animal manure or fishpond sediment containing considerable amounts of antibiotics may give rise to ecological risks.     

Gas-phase and semivolatile organic emissions from a modern nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment

ABSTRACT

U.S. Tier 4 Final and Euro Stage IV and V regulations for nonroad compression-ignition engines have led to the development of exhaust aftertreatment technologies optimized for nonroad engines and duty cycles. In this study, several aftertreatment configurations consisting of state-of-the-art diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel particulate filters (DPFs), copper (Cu) zeolite– and vanadium-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts, and ammonia oxidation (AMOX) catalysts are evaluated using both nonroad transient (NRTC) and steady (8-mode NRSC) cycles in order to understand both component- and system-level effects of diesel aftertreatment on gas-phase, semivolatile, and particle-phase and particle-bound unregulated organic emissions. Organic emissions reported in this work include total hydrocarbon (THC), n-alkanes, branched alkanes, saturated cycloalkanes, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, hopanes, steranes, and soluble organic fraction (SOF). Brake-specific emissions are reported for four configurations, including engine-out, DOC+CuZ-SCR+AMOX, V-SCR+AMOX, and DOC+DPF+CuZ-SCR+AMOX, and conversion of engine-out emissions is reported for the three aftertreatment configurations. Mechanisms responsible for the reduction of organic species are discussed in detail. This summary of emissions from a current nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment can be used to more accurately model the impact of anthropogenic emissions on the atmosphere with tools such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES2014a) model.

Implications: Anthropogenic emissions are a source of significant human health and environmental risk. This study, focused on the treatment of exhaust emissions from a modern nonroad diesel engine with a variety of aftertreatment configurations, examines the impact that human industrial activity can have on air pollution. In particular, we focus on the remediation of gas-phase and semivolatile organic emissions by emission reduction technologies. This detailed summary of emissions from a current nonroad diesel engine equipped with advanced aftertreatment can be used to more accurately model the impact of anthropogenic emissions on the atmosphere with tools such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s MOVES2014a model.     

北运河表层沉积物对重金属Cu、Pb、Zn的吸附

首先分析了北运河6个采样点表层沉积物中重金属含量及相关基本特征。通过实验室模拟实验,利用分配系数Kd评价沉积物对重金属Cu、Pb、Zn的吸附特性,进一步考察了水体pH变化和有机质对重金属在北运河沉积物上吸附的影响。结果表明,沉积物中重金属的含量顺序为Zn>Cu>Pb,去除有机质后,沉积物对重金属的吸附能力显著降低,但各采样点中的重金属含量,沉积物对重金属吸附能力,以及沉积物中的有机质含量并没有明显相关性,这可能是因为不同采样点中有机质种类与结构不同导致的。总之,北运河沉积物对Pb有很强的吸附能力,其次是Cu和Zn,而且,Cu、Zn、Pb的吸附量随着pH的升高逐渐增大,水体pH值对于Zn的吸附影响更大。     

蚯蚓生态滤池中蚯蚓与植物对污水净化的作用评估

构建具有不同蚯蚓和植物配置的4个单级蚯蚓生态滤池,依次编号为A(无蚯蚓无植物)、B(有蚯蚓无植物)、C(有蚯蚓栽种芦苇)和D(有蚯蚓栽种水生鸢尾)。通过比较4个滤池在6个月实验期间对化学需氧量(COD)和总氮(TN)的去除效率,系统分析蚯蚓和植物对滤池去除污染物的影响。实验分2个阶段进行:5月上旬至9月上旬,滤池进水碳氮比恒定为6;9月中旬至11月中旬,滤池每周进水碳氮比交替为3、6、9。研究结果表明,蚯蚓对滤池去除COD有一定的促进作用,且作用强度显著受到进水碳氮比的影响。植物的存在与种类对滤池去除COD效率没有显著影响。蚯蚓和植物对滤池的TN去除效率都没有显著影响。滤池进水的碳氮比是显著影响滤池去除TN效率的主要因素。     

Biodegradability of Epoxidized Soybean Oil Based Thermosets in Compost Soil Environment

In this study, bio-thermoset from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) was prepared in the presence of methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride curing agent and 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole catalyst. The crosslink densities of the synthesized ESO are ranged from 0.109 × 10^?3 to 0.308 × 10^?3 mol/cm³. The ESO bio-thermosets were exposed to the soil-burial test for 8 months. Weight change and morphology of the degraded ESO specimens were assessed. It was found that the weight loss of ESO was governed by the materials compositions, crosslink density and the soil-burial exposure time. The 3 mm thickness ESO bio-thermosets with crosslink density of 0.109 × 10^?3 mol/cm³ had fully biodegraded after soil-burial for 6 months. In addition, 16S rDNA sequencing was carried out to identify the soil microorganisms. It was suggested that Comamonas sp., Bacillus sp., Streptomyces sp. and Acinetobacter sp. are the possible soil microbes that degrade the ESO bio-thermosets in the compost soil environment.