Nitrogen cycle of a typical Suaeda salsa marsh ecosystem in the Yellow River estuary

The nitrogen (N) biological cycle of the Suaeda salsa marsh ecosystem in the Yellow River estuary was studied during 2008 to 2009. Results showed that soil N had significant seasonal fluctuations and vertical distribution. The N/P ratio (15.73±1.77) of S. salsa was less than 16, indicating that plant growth was limited by both N and P. The N absorption coefficient of S. salsa was very low (0.007), while the N utilization and cycle coefficients were high (0.824 and 0.331, respectively). The N turnover among compartments of S. salsa marsh showed that N uptake from aboveground parts and roots were 2.539 and 0.622 g/m2, respectively. The N translocation from aboveground parts to roots and from roots to soil were 2.042 and 0.076 g/m2, respectively. The N translocation from aboveground living bodies to litter was 0.497 g/m2, the annual N return from litter to soil was far less than 0.368 g/m2, and the net N mineralization in topsoil during the growing season was 0.033 g/m2. N was an important limiting factor in S. salsa marsh, and the ecosystem was classified as unstable and vulnerable. S. salsa was seemingly well adapted to the low-nutrient status and vulnerable habitat, and the nutrient enrichment due to N import from the Yellow River estuary would be a potential threat to the S. salsa marsh. Excessive nutrient loading might favor invasive species and induce severe long-term degradation of the ecosystem if human intervention measures were not taken. The N quantitative relationships determined in our study might provide a scientific basis for the establishment of effective measures.     

Historical trends of heavy metal contamination and their sources in lacustrine sediment from Xijiu Lake, Taihu Lake Catchment, China

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Hg in Xijiu Lake sediment from the Taihu Lake catchment, China, were analyzed. Their contamination state was investigated based on the geoaccumulation index and enrichment factors. Statistical analysis was used to differentiate the anthropogenic versus natural sources of heavy metals (HMs), and the anthropogenic accumulation fluxes were calculated to quantify anthropogenic contribution to HMs. The results indicated that the lake sediment had been heavily contaminated by Cd, enrichment of Zn and Hg was at a relatively high level, while that of Cu and Pb was in the lower-to-moderate level and Cr was in the low enrichment level. Sources of Cr in the sediment were mainly from natural inputs, while other metals, especially Cd, were predominantly derived from anthropogenic sources. In the past century, anthropogenic accumulation fluxes of Pb, Zn and Hg increased by 0.1-47.3 mg/(cm².yr), 2.4-398.1 mg/(cm².yr), and 3.7-110.3 ng/(m².yr), respectively, accounting for most inputs of HMs entering the sediment. The contamination state of HMs varied with industrial development of the catchment, which demonstrated that contamination started in the early 20th century, reached the maximal level between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s, and decreased a little after the implementation of constraints on high contamination industries, although the contamination of some HMs, such as Cd, Zn and Hg, is still at high levels.     

Synthesis and scale inhibitor performance of polyaspartic acid

Polyaspartic acid (PASP) has been extensively studied in recent years as a green scale inhibitor. PASP was synthesized by thermal polycondensation of maleic anhydride and ammonium carbonate in this study. The optimal polycondensation reaction conditions were the raw material (maleic anhydride and ammonium carbonate) molar ratio of 1.0:1.2, the polymerization temperature of 180°C and reaction time of 2.0 hr. The results showed that PASP exhibits very good scale inhibiting performance. The inhibition rate was 95% for calcium carbonate and 90% for calcium sulfate by the application of 5 mg/L PASP.     

影响工业废水中BOD_5测定因素的分析与研究

采用稀释与接种法测定工业废水中的BOD5,并结合CODcr的测定结果,分析影响BOD5测定的因素如稀释倍数、接种液配比等条件进行试验后,得出了最佳试验条件,从而达到提高测定BOD5准确度的目的。     

三丁基锡生殖毒性的研究进展

有机锡化合物,特别是三丁基锡,广泛存在于环境中,对生物体以及生态环境存在着潜在的威胁。本文综述了三丁基锡对软体动物、鱼类和哺乳动物生殖机能的影响及其其可能的作用机制,指出了进一步的研究方向。     

应用加载磁絮凝技术处理垃圾渗滤液试验研究

垃圾渗滤液是一种成分复杂多变的高浓度难处理有机废水。本研究采用加载磁絮凝技术对垃圾渗滤液进行预处理,并讨论了适宜的磁载体、凝聚剂和絮凝剂的加入量。     

Catalytic bubble-free hydrogenation reduction of azo dye by porous membranes loaded with palladium nanoparticles

Catalytic bubble-free hydrogenation reduction of azo dye by porous membranes loaded with palladium （Pd） nanoparticles was studied for the first time. The effects of Pd loading, dye concentration and reuse repetitions of membranes were investigated. In reduction, the dye concentration decreased whereas the pH rose gradually. An optimal Pd loading was found. The catalytic membranes were able to be reused more than 3 times.     

Removal of phosphate from wastewater using alkaline residue

Alkaline residue(AR) was found to be an efficient adsorbent for phosphate removal from wastewater. The kinetic and equilibrium of phosphate removal were investigated to evaluate the performance of modified alkaline residue. After treatment by NaOH(AR-NaOH), removal performance was significantly improved, while removal performance was almost completely lost after treatment by HCl(AR-HCl). The kinetics of the removal process by all adsorbents was well characterized by the pseudo second-order model. The Langmuir model exhibited the best correlation for AR-HCl, while AR was effectively described by Freundlich model. Both models were well fitted to AR-NaOH. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated from Langmuir equation were in following manner: AR-NaOH AR AR-HCl. Phosphate removal by alkaline residue was pH dependent process. Mechanisms for phosphate removal mainly involved adsorption and precipitation, varied with equilibrium pH of solution. For AR-HCl, the acid equilibrium pH( 6.0) was unfavorable for the formation of Ca-P precipitate, with adsorption as the key mechanism for phosphate removal. In contrast, for AR and ARNaOH, precipitation was the dominant mechanism for phosphate removal, due to the incrase on pH( 8.0) after phosphate removal. The results of both XRD and SEM analysis confirmed CaHPO4·2H2O formation after phosphate removal by AR and AR-NaOH.     

Primary neuronal-astrocytic co-culture platform for neurotoxicity assessment of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate

Plastics such as polyvinyl chlorides （PVC） are widely used in many indoor constructed environments; however, their unbound chemicals, such as di-（2-ethylhexyl） phthalates （DEHP）, can leach into the surrounding environment. This study focused on DEHP＇s effect on the central nervous system by determining the precise DEHP content in mice brain tissue after exposure to the chemical, to evaluate the specific exposure range. Primary neuronal-astrocyte co-culture systems were used as in vitro models for chemical hazard identification of DEHP. Oxidative stress was hypothesized as a probable mechanism involved, and therefore the total reactive oxygen species （ROS） concentration was determined as a biomarker of oxidative stress. In addition, NeuriteTracer, a neurite tracing plugin with ImageJ, was used to develop an assay for neurotoxicity to provide quantitative measurements of neurological parameters, such as neuronal number, neuron count and neurite length, all of which could indicate neurotoxic effects. The results showed that with 1 nmol/L DEHP exposure, there was a significant increase in ROS concentrations, indicating that the neuronal-astrocyte cultures were injured due to exposure to DEHP. In response, astrocyte proliferation （gliosis） was initiated, serving as a mechanism to maintain a homeostatic environment for neurons and protect neurons from toxic chemicals. There is a need to assess the cumulative effects of DEHP in animals to evaluate the possible uotake and effects on the human neuronal system from exoosure to DEHP in the indoor environment.     

Dyes adsorption using a synthetic carboxymethyl cellulose-acrylic acid adsorbent

Removal of noxious dyes is gaining public and technological attention. Herein grafting polymerization was employed to produce a novel adsorbent using acrylic acid and carboxymethyl cellulose for dye removal. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy verified the adsorbent formed under optimized reaction conditions. The removal ratio of adsorbent to Methyl Orange, Disperse Blue 2BLN and malachite green chloride reached to 84.2%, 79.6% and 99.9%, respectively. The greater agreement between the calculated and experimental results suggested that pseudo second-order kinetic model better represents the kinetic adsorption data. Equilibrium adsorptions of dyes were better explained by the Temkin isotherm. The results implied that this new cellulose-based absorbent had the universaiity for removal of dyes through the chemical adsorption mechanism.