Fast and efficient aqueous arsenic removal by functionalized MIL-100(Fe)/rGO/δ-MnO2 ternary composites: Adsorption performance and mechanism

Because of its significant toxicological effects on the environment and human health,arsenic(As) is a major global issue.In this study,an Fe-based metal-organic framework(MOF)(Materials of Institut Lavoisier:MIL-100(Fe)) which was impregnated with reduced graphene oxide(rGO) by using a simple hydrothermal method and coated with birnessitetype manganese oxide(δ-MnO_2) using the one-pot reaction process(MIL-100(Fe)/rGO/δ-MnO_2 nanocomposites) was synthesized and applied successfully in As removal.The removal efficiency was rapid,the equilibrium was achieved in 40 min and 120 min for As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ),respectively,at a level of 5 mg/L.The maximum adsorption capacities of As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ) at pH 2 were 192.67 mg/g and 162.07 mg/g,respectively.The adsorbent revealed high stability in pH range 2-9 and saturated adsorbent can be fully regenerated at least five runs.The adsorption process can be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir monolayer adsorption.The adsorption mechanisms consisted of electrostatic interaction,oxidation and inner sphere surface complexation.     

Effects of calcination temperature on physicochemical property and activity of CuSO4/TiO2 ammonia-selective catalytic reduction catalysts

CuSO_4/TiO_2 catalysts with high catalytic activity and excellent resistant to SO_2 and H_2 O,were thought to be promising catalysts used in Selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides by NH_3.The performance of catalysts is largely affected by calcination temperature.Here,effects of calcination temperature on physicochemical property and catalytic activity of CuSO_4/TiO_2 catalysts were investigated in depth.Catalyst samples calcined at different temperatures were prepared first and then physicochemical properties of the catalyst were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption,X-ray diffraction,thermogravimetric analysis,Raman spectra,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,temperature-pro grammed desorption of NH_3,temperature-programmed reduction of H_2 and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy.Results revealed that high calcination temperature had three main effects on the catalyst.First,sintering and anatase transform into rutile with increase of calcination temperature,causing a decrement of specific surface area.Second,decomposition of CuSO_4 under higher calcination temperature,resulting in disappears of Br(?)nsted acid sites(S-OH),which had an adverse effect on surface acidity.Third,CuO from the decomposition of CuSO_4 changed surface reducibility of the catalyst and favored the process of NH_3 oxidation to nitrogen oxides(NO_x).Thus,catalytic activity of the catalyst calcined under high temperatures(≥600℃) decreased largely.     

Will polycentric cities cause more CO2 emissions? A case study of 232 Chinese cities

From 2000 to 2010 China experienced rapid economic development and urbanization. Many cities in economically developed areas have developed from a single-center status to polycentricity. In this study, we used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) to identify the population centers, which identified 232 cities in China as having urban centers. COMP was used to represent urban agglomeration, and POLYD (representing how far is the city's sub-centers to the main center), POLYC (representing the number of a city's centers), and POLYP (representing the population distributed between the main center and the sub-centers) were used to indicate urban polycentricity. Night light data were used to determine the CO₂ emissions from various cities in China. A mixed model was used to study the impact of urban aggregation and polycentric data on the CO₂ emission efficiency in 2000 and 2010. The study found that cities with higher compactness were distributed in coastal areas, and the cities with higher multicentricity were distributed in the Yangtze River Delta and Shandong Province. The more compact the city was, the less conducive it was to improving CO₂ emission efficiency. Polycentric development of the city was conducive to improving the CO₂ emission efficiency, but the number of urban centers had no significant relationship with the CO₂ emission efficiency. Our research showed that the compactness and multicentricity of the city had an impact on the CO₂ emission efficiency and provided some planning suggestions for the low carbon development of the city.     

Ozone pollution characteristics and sensitivity analysis using an observation-based model in Nanjing, Yangtze River Delta Region of China

Ground-level ozone (O₃) has become a critical pollutant impeding air quality improvement in Yangtze River Delta region of China. In this study, we present O₃ pollution characteristics based on one-year online measurements during 2016 at an urban site in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Then, the sensitivity of O₃ to its precursors during 2 O₃ pollution episodes in August was analyzed using a box model based on observation (OBM). The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) of hydrocarbons was larger than other precursors, suggesting that hydrocarbons played the dominant role in O₃ formation. The RIR values for NO_X ranged from –0.41%/% to 0.19%/%. The O₃ sensitivity was also analyzed based on relationship of simulated O₃ production rates with reductions of VOC and NO_X derived from scenario analyses. Simulation results illustrate that O₃ formation was between VOCs-limited and transition regime. Xylenes and light alkenes were found to be key species in O₃ formation according to RIR values, and their sources were determined using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. Paints and solvent use was the largest contributor to xylenes (54%), while petrochemical industry was the most important source to propene (82%). Discussions on VOCs and NO_X reduction schemes suggest that the 5% O₃ control goal can be achieved by reducing VOCs by 20%. To obtain 10% O₃ control goal, VOCs need to be reduced by 30% with VOCs/NO_X larger than 3:1.     

Investigation to meet China II emission legislation for marine diesel engine with diesel methanol compound combustion technology

In order to reduce the pollutant emission and alleviate the pressure of petroleum resources shortage and greenhouse gas emission at the same time, the use of clean and renewable alternative fuel for marine engines is a promising option. In this study, a marine diesel engine, which was modified to run in diesel methanol compound combustion (DMCC) mode, was investigated. After the diesel injection parameters were calibrated, and combined with a sample after-treatment device DOC (diesel oxidation catalyst), the engine could meet the requirements of China II legislation. The overall MSP (methanol substitute percent) reached 54.1%. The value of each pollutant emission was much lower than that in China II emission legislation, and there was almost no methanol and formaldehyde emissions. When methanol was injected into the inlet manifold, the intake air temperature decreased a lot, as well as the exhaust gas temperature, which were beneficial to increase engine thermal efficiency and improve engine room environment. Compared with the engine running in pure diesel mode, when the engine ran in diesel/methanol dual fuel mode, the combustion phase was advanced, and the combustion duration became shorter. Therefore, the engine thermal efficiency increased, and fuel consumption decreased significantly.     

Photodegradation of Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Trimer Acid under UV Irradiation

As a novel alternative to traditional perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), hexafluoroproplyene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) has been detected worldwide in surface water. Moreover, recent researches have demonstrated that HFPO-TA has stronger bioaccumulation potential and higher hepatotoxicity than PFOA. To treat these contaminants e.g. PFOA and PFOS, some photochemical techniques by adding exogenous substances had been reported. However, there is still no report for the behavior of HFPO-TA itself under direct UV irradiation. The current study investigated the photo-transformation of HFPO-TA under UV irradiation in aqueous solution. After 72 hr photoreaction, 75% degradation ratio and 25% defluorination ratio were achieved under ambient condition. Reducing active species, i.e., hydrated electrons and active hydrogen atoms, generated from water splitting played dominant roles in degradation of HFPO-TA, which was confirmed by different effects of reaction atmospheres and quenching experiments. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on the products identification and theoretical calculations. In general, HFPO-TA would be transformed into shorter-chain PFASs, including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFA) and trifluoroacetate (TFA). This research provides basic information for HFPO-TA photodegradation process and is essential to develop novel remediation techniques for HFPO-TA and other alternatives with similar structures.     

Concentrations and chemical compositions of PM10 during hazy and non-hazy days in Beijing

In order to study the concentrations of major components,characteristics and comparison in hazy and non-hazy days of PM_(10) in Beijing,aerosol samples were collected at urban site in Beijing from December 29,2014 to January 22,2015.Heavy metals like Zn,Pb,Mn,Cu,As,V,Cr and Cd were deeply studied considering their toxic effects on human being;nine water-soluble inorganic ions(SO_4~(2-),NO_3~-,NH_4~+,Na~+,K~+,Cl~-,Ca~(2+) and Mg~(2+)) and carbon fractions(OC and EC) were also analyzed.The concentrations of heavy metals were 1.03–1.98 times higher in hazy days than those in non-hazy days,mainly due to biomass burning and coal burning.The trends in total heavy metals concentrations were basically consistent with the trends in PM concentrations except for two obvious periods(12.29–12.30;1.14–1.15);but when air masses accumulated locally or around Beijing,trends in PM concentrations and heavy metals were opposite.The proportion for NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-) indicated that mobile sources such as automobiles were important reasons for haze in Beijing.Correlation between OC and EC during non-hazy days was strong(R~2= 0.95) but it was low(R~2= 0.67) during hazy days,and large variations for OC/EC values occurred in hazy days.The calculated mass concentration of SOC is 2.58 μg/m~3,which only accounted for 10.1% of the OC concentration.When air masses from the far north-west,they decreased PM concentration in Beijing and they were relatively clean;however,those from the near east,south-east and south of the mainland increased PM concentration and they were dirty.     

北京市气温与黑碳和PM2.5对疾病死亡影响的交互效应

通过收集北京市2010~2016年逐日呼吸和心脑血管疾病死亡数据、污染物（BC、PM_2.5、SO₂、O₃和NO₂）日均浓度资料以及同期的气象资料,采用广义相加模型（GAMs）中的主效应模型、非参数二元响应模型和温度分层模型探讨了北京市气温、PM_2.5和BC单效应,以及气温与PM_2.5和BC交互作用分别对呼吸和心脑血管疾病死亡人数的影响.单效应分析结果表明,气温与两种疾病死亡人数的累计暴露-反应关系均呈“J”型分布特征,最适温度为24℃;累计滞后一天情况下PM_2.5和BC的健康效应均最显著,此时PM_2.5和BC浓度每升高四分位间距（IQR）,呼吸系统疾病死亡人数超额增加百分比（ER）分别为2.21%和1.80%,心脑血管疾病死亡人数ER分别为2.02%和1.48%.交互作用的研究结果表明,高温与高浓度的PM_2.5（或BC）对疾病死亡的影响存在协同效应,且高温条件下BC对疾病死亡影响的健康风险大于PM_2.5,当气温大于24℃时,BC和PM_2.5浓度每升高IQR对应的呼吸系统疾病死亡人数ER分别为6.22%和6.17%,心脑血管疾病死亡人数ER分别为5.01%和3.97%.虽然BC只占PM_2.5的一部分,但BC对人群健康的影响不容忽视,应该引起足够的重视.     

贵州农村污水典型抗生素污染水平及生态风险

抗生素残留物是一种新兴的微污染物,广泛存在于各种环境介质及生物样品中,长期暴露在抗生素环境会对人体健康、生态环境产生一定的潜在威胁。由于农村污水排放量逐渐增大、农村地区对抗生素的不合理使用以及受经济、地理地形的限制大部分农村地区都缺乏完整的污水收集管网和污水治理设施,进而导致抗生素通过多种途径进入农村环境,可能会对农村生态环境产生一定的环境风险。为了解贵州农村污水中抗生素的污染水平及处理后污水对环境的影响,作者采用固相萃取—液相色谱—串联质谱(SPE-LC-MS)联用技术,选取贵州省3处典型农村地区,对农村污水治理设施进出水中典型抗生素(包括6种磺胺类、3种四环素类、1种喹诺酮类抗生素)的浓度水平进行分析。结果表明,3处农村污水治理设施进水和出水中均检出不同程度的抗生素,浓度范围分别在ND～417.57 ng/L和ND～253.68 ng/L,其中土霉素浓度最高,进出水的浓度分别为417.57、253.68 ng/L;其次是氧氟沙星,在进出水中的最高浓度分别为278.75、183.73 ng/L。3处农村污水治理设施对抗生素的去除率在-58.32%～45.52%,对目标抗生素的去除率较低。与国内外其他地区农村污水相比,所选地区的进出水中抗生素的浓度较高。通过生态风险评估发现,经处理后的污水中均含有一种RQ≥1的抗生素物质,并且发现氧氟沙星为处理后污水中的高风险污染物,污水的排放会对环境造成一定的生态风险。