A novel approach to preparing ultra-lightweight ceramsite with a large amount of fly ash

•Ultra-lightweight ceramsite is prepared with 80% fly ash. •SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and flux contents significantly influence the performance of ceramsite. •The expansion of ceramsite is caused by the formation of a dense glaze and gas. •The bulk density of ultra-lightweight ceramsite is only 340 kg/m³. The disposal of fly ash has become a serious problem in China due to its rapid increase in volume in recent years. The most common method of fly ash disposal is solidification-stabilization-landfill, and the most common reuse is low-value-added building materials. A novel processing method for preparing ultra-lightweight ceramsite with fly ash was developed. The results show that the optimal parameters for preparation of ultra-lightweight ceramsite are as follows: mass ratio of fly ash:kaolin:diatomite= 80:15:5, preheating temperature of 800°C, preheating time of 5 min, sintering temperature of 1220°C, and sintering time of 10 min. The expansion agent is perlite, at 10 wt.% addition. Finally, a ceramsite with bulk density of 340 kg/m³, particle density of 0.68 g/cm³, and cylinder compressive strength of 1.02 MPa was obtained. Because of its low density and high porosity, ultra-lightweight ceramsite has excellent thermal insulation performance, and its strength is generally low, so it is usually used in the production of thermal insulation concrete and its products. The formation of a liquid-phase component on the surface, and generation of a gas phase inside ceramsite during the sintering process, make it possible to control the production of the suitable liquid phase and gas in this system, resulting in an optimization of the expansion behavior and microstructure of ceramsite. These characteristics show the feasibility of industrial applications of fly ash for the production of ultra-lightweight ceramsite, which could not only produce economic benefits, but also conserve land resources and protect the environment.     

复杂污染源下采煤沉陷区土壤重金属分布及行为特征

采用数理统计学、克里金插值等方法研究安徽淮北采煤沉陷区土壤中Cu、Zn、Cd、Cr、Ni、Pb、As和Hg等元素空间分布及其行为特征.结果表明:土壤中Zn平均值是农用地土壤污染风险筛选值的1.1倍,其他元素未超过筛选值.Cu富集在工业园区南部,Zn、As富集在两河交汇处、工业园区南部,Cd、Pb和Hg富集在沉陷区西部,Cr、Ni富集在沉陷区东部、西部;土壤剖面上Cu最大值出现在80 cm处,Ni最大值在40 cm处,其他元素最大值均在20 cm处.土壤中元素迁移程度为Cu最高,Zn、Cr、Hg和As最低;土壤中Cd活化率较高,达到27.1％,易被植物吸收富集.     

Cadmium and lead in bovine milk in the mining area of the Caudal River (Spain)

The levels of cadmium and lead in 36 raw bovine milk samples were analysed. These samples come from seven farms with a semi-extensive grazing system and were collected between the autumn of 2007 and the winter of 2008. All the farms were located in Asturias (Spain), a zone of great industrial and mining activity in the proximities of the Caudal River. The samples were collected in sterile precleaned polypropylene tubes and frozen until the analysis. After a lyophilization process, the samples were treated with nitric acid and microwave treatment. Cadmium and lead determinations were carried out using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with sensibility under 0.2 ppb for liquid matrix. The lead content was found to vary from 0.71 to 16.06 μg/kg wet weight (w.w.), and the cadmium was lower than 2 μg/kg w.w. The levels of lead in milk are higher in those farms near zones of storage of mining waste depots, thermal power and areas with high levels of traffic. All the values found are in concordance with research carried out at non-polluted areas, and those for the lead are well below the European Union limitations.     

Indoor airborne fungal pollution in newborn units in Turkey

Pathogenic and/or opportunistic fungal species are major causes of nosocomial infections, especially in controlled environments where immunocompromised patients are hospitalized. Indoor fungal contamination in hospital air is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. Regular determination of fungal spore counts in controlled hospital environments may help reduce the risk of fungal infections. Because infants have inchoate immune systems, they are given immunocompromised patient status. The aim of the present study was to evaluate culturable airborne fungi in the air of hospital newborn units in the Thrace, Marmara, Aegean, and Central Anatolia regions of Turkey. A total of 108 air samples were collected seasonally from newborn units in July 2012, October 2012, January 2013, and April 2013 by using an air sampler and dichloran 18% glycerol agar (DG18) as isolation media. We obtained 2593 fungal colonies comprising 370 fungal isolates representing 109 species of 28 genera, which were identified through multi-loci gene sequencing. Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Talaromyces, and Alternaria were the most abundant genera identified (35.14, 25.40, 17.57, 2.70, and 6.22% of the total, respectively).     

糠醛渣纤维素酶解研究

以糠醛渣为原料进行纤维素酶解研究,考察了预处理方式、酶用量、底物浓度和酶解时间对糠醛渣酶解的影响,并将其与稀酸预处理的玉米芯进行对比.结果表明,未经处理的糠醛渣由于酸性较强并含有糠醛等抑制性的物质,不能直接用于酶解,水洗和Ca(OH)₂脱毒法都可以显著提高糠醛渣的酶解效果;水洗糠醛渣的酶解最佳条件为：1∶9（g∶mL）的底物浓度、20 FPU/g（酶活/底物）,酶解时间为48 h,在此条件下,还原糖浓度为35 g/L,糠醛渣的转化率为30%,糠醛渣中纤维素的转化率为61%.     

Modelling tritrophic interactions mediated by induced defence volatiles

Many plant species defend themselves against herbivorous insects indirectly by producing and releasing induced volatiles to attract natural enemies of the herbivores. In this paper, we consider the recruitment of natural enemies attracted by plant-induced volatiles and introduce the An–Liu–Johnson–Lovett model into the Lotka–Volterra model in an attempt to add this missing vital link in tritrophic interaction. Increase in attraction strength of plant-induced volatiles to the natural enemy leads to high fluctuation amplitude of plant biomass and herbivore population. When the attack strength of natural enemies reaches a certain level, fluctuation amplitude of plant biomass and herbivore population will decrease and plant biomass will approach to its environmental carrying capacity. The simulation demonstrates that plant volatile compounds induced by insects have led to the introduction of a third tritrophic level, e.g., natural enemies, into the plant–herbivore system, resulting in the coexistence of plants, insects, and natural enemies during the evolution process.     

Occurrence of arsenic in brown rice and its relationship to soil properties from Hainan Island, China

The acquaintance of arsenic concentrations in rice grain is vital in risk assessment. In this study, we determined the concentration of arsenic in 282 brown rice grains sampled from Hainan Island, China, and discussed its possible relationships to the considered soil properties. Arsenic concentrations in the rice grain from Hainan Island varied from 5 to 309 μg/kg, with a mean (92 μg/kg) lower than most published data from other countries/regions and the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for As_i in rice. The result of correlation analysis between grain and soil properties showed that grain As concentrations correlated significantly to soil arsenic speciation, organic matter and soil P contents and could be best predicted by humic acid bound and Fe-Mn oxides bound As fractions. Grain arsenic rises steeply at soil As concentrations lower than 3.6 mg/kg and gently at higher concentrations.     

Analysis of organic nitrogen removal in municipal wastewater by reverse osmosis

The results of a pilot study that was conducted to determine the total nitrogen removal by the reverse osmosis process are presented. The organic nitrogen removal rates are compared with removals observed from three full-scale reverse osmosis facilities and four pilot studies. The results of this analysis suggest that organic nitrogen removal is variable and that reverse osmosis may not consistently produce total nitrogen levels less than 1.0 mg/L without additional treatment. Three hypotheses to explain the variability in organic nitrogen removal in the different data sets are presented.