Contamination characteristics of trace metals in dust from different levels of roads of a heavily air-polluted city in north China

Concentrations of eight trace metals (TMs) in road dust (RD) (particles?<?25 μm) from urban areas of Xinxiang, China, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The geometric mean concentrations of Zn, Mn, Pb, As, Cu, Cr, Ni and Cd were 489, 350, 114, 101, 60.0, 39.7, 31.6, and 5.1 mg kg^?1, respectively. When compared with TM levels in background soil, the samples generally display elevated TM concentrations, except for Cr and Mn, and for Cd the enrichment value was 69.6. Spatial variations indicated TMs in RD from park path would have similar sources with main roads, collector streets and bypasses. Average daily exposure doses of the studied TMs were about three orders of magnitude higher for hand-to-mouth ingestion than dermal contact, and the exposure doses for children were 9.33 times higher than that for adults. The decreasing trend of calculated hazard indexes (HI) for the eight elements was As?>?Pb?>?Cr?>?Mn?>?Cd?>?Zn?>?Ni?>?Cu for both children and adults.     

An estimation on budget and control of phosphorus in the Changjiang River catchment

Based on field investigations in the Changjiang River mouth, rain sampling from the river's upper reaches to the mouth, historical data, and relevant literatures, the budget and major control factors of total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) in the river catchment were estimated and discussed from the catchment scale. It will supply a base for effective controlling P concentration in the Changjiang River and its mouth. Results show that the export fluxes of TP and DIP were mainly controlled by the river runoff. The TP and DIP in the Changjiang River came mainly from agricultural nonpoint source P losses from fertilizer and soil and point sources of industrial waste and residential sewage discharges. The export fluxes of TP and DIP in the river mouth were only 27.0% and 28.3% of the imports from the river catchment, respectively, suggesting that most of P were removed in transportation. A mass of freshwater marshes in the river catchment were the main areas to remove P. Significant increasing in utilization of fertilizer P and incessant increasing in water and soil loss areas were the primary reasons of agricultural nonpoint source P losses. How to decrease the agricultural nonpoint source P loss from the catchment scale is a key controlling P concentration in the Changjiang River and its mouth. The point source industrial waste P discharge has been primarily treated in the river catchment, but the residential sewage P discharge needs further control.     

Microwave-assisted continuous flow phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide composites and related visible light catalytic performance

The creation of an environmentally friendly synthesis method for silver nanomaterials (AgNPs) is an urgent concern for sustainable nanotechnology development. In the present study, a novel straightforward and green method for the preparation of silver nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide (AgNP/rGO) composites was successfully developed through the combination of phytosynthesis, continuous flow synthesis and microwave-assistance. Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.) extracts were used as both plant reducing and capping agents for fast online synthesis of AgNP/rGO composites. The experimental parameters were optimized and the morphologies of the prepared materials were investigated. The characterization results reveal that spherical AgNPs were quickly synthesized and uniformly dispersed on rGO sheets using the proposed online system. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed that phenols, flavonoids, and other substances in the plant extracts played a decisive role in the synthesis of AgNP/rGO composites. Using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) degradation of p-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a model, the catalytic activity of the prepared AgNP/rGO materials was evaluated. The complete degradation of 4-NP was achieved within 12 min through the use of AgNP/rGO materials, and the composite had a much better catalytic activity than the bare AgNPs and rGO had. Compared with the conventional chemical method, our online method is facile, fast, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly.     

Spatial distribution characteristics of soil organic carbon in subtropical forests of mountain Lushan,China

The study on the spatial distribution of forest soil organic carbon (SOC) is of great significance for accurate assessment of carbon storage in forest ecosystems. In the present study, by taking eight kinds of forest soils of Mountain Lushan in the subtropical area as the research object, we studied the spatial distribution characteristics of SOC in this mountainous area. The results showed that the SOC content and SOC density (SOCD) of main forest types in the Mountain Lushan were lower than the national and the world average. The soil layer of Lushan forest was thinner, and the SOC and active SOC (ASOC) contents of different forest types and SOCDs are the highest in the surface soil. SOCD of the topsoil accounts for 32.64–54.03% of the total SOCD in the whole soil profile. Surface litter is an important source of SOC, and the different vegetation types are the important reason for the different spatial distribution of SOC in this area. Soil SOC contents in the high-altitude forest (bamboo forest, deciduous broadleaf forest, Pinus taiwanensis forest, evergreen-deciduous forest, and coniferous-broadleaved mixed forest) were higher than those in the low-altitude forest (evergreen broadleaf forest, shrub, and Pinus massoniana forest). However, the difference in SOC content exhibited at the altitude gradient is significantly lower than that in SOC in the soil profile. This indicates that both soil depth and elevation are the important factors that affected SOC distribution. However, the influence of soil depth on spatial distribution of SOC may be more complex than that of altitude. Vegetation types and soil properties are the main reasons for the large differences of reduction rate in the contents of SOC and ASOC.     

Silver near municipal wastewater discharges into western Lake Ontario,Canada

Because of the widespread use of silver nanoparticles in commercial products, discharges of municipal wastewater may be a point source of silver in the aquatic environment. We monitored two sites in western Lake Ontario impacted by discharges from wastewater treatment plants serving the City of Toronto. Concentrations of silver were elevated in bottom sediments and suspended sediments collected at the two sites. We also deployed two types of passive samplers in the water column at the two sites, the newly developed Carbon Nanotube Integrative Samplers for monitoring “CNIS-labile” silver and Diffusive Gradient in Thin Film samplers for monitoring “DGT-labile” silver. Results from these passive samplers indicated that the concentrations of silver at the two sites were either below detection limits or were in the ng/L range. In laboratory experiments where the sediments were re-suspended in Milli-Q water, a small proportion of the silver (i.e., <?25%) was labile and partitioned as colloidal or dissolved silver into the liquid phase after agitation. Nanoparticles tentatively identified as silver nanoparticles were detected by single-particle ICP-MS in suspension after agitation of both suspended and bottom sediments. Therefore, there is a need to assess whether silver species, including silver nanoparticles are transported from wastewater treatment plants into sediments in the aquatic environment. This study is unique in focusing on the in situ distribution of silver in natural waters and in sediments that are potentially impacted by urban sources of nanoparticles.     

Pool of Dust Particles over the Asian Continent: Balloon-borne Optical Particle Counter and Ground-based Lidar Measurements at Dunhuang, China

Measurements of aerosols were made in 2001 and 2002 at Dunhuang (40 degrees 00'N, 94 degrees 30'E), China to understand the nature of atmospheric particles over the desert areas in the Asian continent. Balloon-borne measurements with an optical particle counter suggested that particle size and concentration had noticeable peaks in super micron size range not only in the boundary mixing layer but also in the free troposphere. Super-micron particle concentration largely decreased in the mid tropopause (from 5 to 10 km; above sea level, a.s.l.). Lidar measurements made during August 2002 at Dunhuang suggested the possibility that mixing of dust particles occurred from near the ground to about 6 km even under calm weather conditions, and a large depolarization ratio of particulate matter was found in the aerosol layer. The top of the aerosol layer was found at heights of nearly 6 km (a.s.l.). It is strongly suggested that nonspherical dust particles (Kosa particles) frequently diffused in the free atmosphere over the Taklamakan desert through small-scale turbulences and are possible sources of dust particles of weak Kosa events that have been identified in the free troposphere not only in spring but also in summer over Japanese archipelago. Electron microscopic experiments of the particles collected in the free troposphere confirmed that coarse and nonspherical particles observed by the mineral particle were major components of coarse mode (diameter larger than 1 microm) below about 5 km over Dunhuang, China.     

高温固硫反应中锶化合物的促进作用

本文论述了锶化合物在高温燃烧条件下固硫反应的促进作用，通过Ｘ－射线粉晶衍射及扫描电镜的研究，证明形成含硫酸钙的复合盐的生成是提高固硫率的关键，用该方法制成的工业型煤，在实际锅炉中试烧其固硫率可达７０％，是烟气排烟脱硫的有效方法之一，对净化大气，减少污染有现实意义。     

离子强度、pH对土壤胶体释放、分配沉积行为的影响

采用重力沉降法,根据司笃克斯(Stokes,1945)定律结合分速离心法提取两种粒径等级的自然土壤胶体样品.利用美国EPA批处理实验方法,进行一系列实验室静态吸附、解吸实验,并获取相应的动力学解离/沉积曲线以及热力学等温平衡解吸/吸附曲线.通过对土壤胶体释放/沉积速率、解离效率和解吸因数等行为因子的定量解析,描述自然土壤胶体的释放、稳定、沉积/分配动力学和热力学行为,考察土壤水溶液pH/离子强度、胶体粒径因素对土壤胶体释放、分配沉积行为的影响.实验结果表明,环境溶液pH的增大及离子强度的减小对土壤胶体的稳定和释放起促进作用,但对胶体向土壤颗粒中的沉积过程是不利的.pH和离子强度条件能够改变土壤胶体表面带电荷状态,改变土壤胶体与土壤介质表面吸附排斥作用力的大小,提高或降低土壤胶体与介质表面的碰撞接触效率,从而表现出土壤胶体在土壤介质中的沉积分配行为上的变化.粒径大小对土壤胶体的释放沉积行为影响明显.大粒径土壤胶体颗粒较小粒径颗粒更容易向土壤介质表面分配沉积.由此可知,土壤介质对土壤胶体持有和吸附的能力是与胶体颗粒粒径大小密切相关的,这主要是因为颗粒粒径大小能够有效的影响胶体颗粒与介质表面间的反应能量.土壤胶体沉积分配动力学曲线揭示,土壤胶体向土壤介质的分配过程是一个动态变化过程,土壤介质对土壤胶体的持留吸纳能力随时间而逐渐减弱.分配系数被证实是表征和分析土壤胶体沉积分配过程受环境物理化学因素影响的有效过程因子.     

不同后整理工艺方法对袋式除尘器滤料过滤性能的影响

选取6种不同后整理方法处理的涤纶针刺滤料,通过实验研究探索不同后整理方法对袋式除尘器滤料过滤性能的影响关系。结果表明:过滤效率方面,在1 m/min过滤风速下,6种滤料对粒径≥0.26 μm的颗粒物的分级过滤效率分别为轧光滤料≥47.74%、烧毛-轧光滤料≥54.82%、PTFE涂层滤料≥65.14%、PTFE浸渍≥61.86%、覆膜滤料≥97.54%、抗静电滤料≥49.09%,PTFE覆膜、涂层、浸渍后整理方法对滤料过滤效率的提高有显著作用;过滤阻力方面,PTFE覆膜、浸渍滤料的过滤阻力远大于其他4种滤料,PTFE覆膜、浸渍后整理方法可大幅增大滤料过滤阻力,而其他4种后整理方法对滤料过滤阻力的影响差距不大;过滤品质因数方面,品质因数Q值由大到小为:PTFE涂层滤料 > 抗静电滤料 > 烧毛-轧光滤料 > 轧光滤料 > 覆膜滤料 > PTFE浸渍滤料,综合滤料的过滤效率和阻力因素,涂层后整理方法可使滤料具有低阻高效的性能特征。     

Method for Rapidly Assessing the Overtopping Risk of Bridges Due to Flooding over a Large Geographic Region

Hydraulic events are a leading cause of bridge failures. While these hydraulic events are accounted for in bridge design, changing environmental and land use conditions require continual updating of this risk. For example, after a bridge has been constructed, streamflow can change in unanticipated ways as a result of land use changes, geomorphic changes, and climate change. The objective of this research was to create a screening method able to quickly and inexpensively estimate overtopping risk across a collection of bridges based on the current streamflow conditions. The method uses a geographic information system, nationally available and standardized datasets, and recent regression equations to quantify bridge vulnerability to overtopping for flooding with varying return periods. This screening method could also be used to assist decision makers in updating the Waterway Adequacy field in the National Bridge Inventory, which indicates the overtopping risk of bridges. The method was applied to a portion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, United States that includes 475 bridges. The results of the analysis, when combined with transportation data for bridges, aid decision makers to assign further resources to complete more detailed analyses of bridges identified as being at risk for overtopping.