Effects of earthworm cast and powdered activated carbon on methane removal capacity of landfill cover soils

Landfill gases could be vented through a layer of landfill cover soil that could serve as a biofilter to oxidize methane to carbon dioxide and water. Properly managed landfill cover soil layers may reduce atmospheric CH4 emissions from landfills. In the present study, the effects of earthworm cast and powdered activated carbon (PAC) on the CH4 removal capacity of the landfill cover soil was investigated. For this purpose, column and batch tests were conducted using three different materials: typical landfill cover soil, landfill cover soil amended with earthworm cast, and landfill cover soil amended with PAC. The maximum CH4 removal rate of the columns filled with landfill cover soil amended with earthworm cast was 14.6mol m(-2)d(-1), whereas that of the columns filled with typical landfill cover soil was 7.4mol m(-2)d(-1). This result shows that amendment with earthworm cast could stimulate the CH4-oxidizing capacity of landfill cover soil. The CH4 removal rate of the columns filled with landfill cover soil amended with PAC also showed the same removal rate, but the vertical profile of gas concentrations in the columns and the methanotrophic population measured in the microbial assay suggested that the decrease of CH4 concentration in the columns is mainly due to sorption. Based on the results from this study, amendment of landfill cover soil with earthworm cast and PAC could improve its CH4 removal capacity and thus achieve a major reduction in atmospheric CH4 emission as compared with the same landfill cover soil without any amendment.     

Spore release by the green alga Ulva: a quantitative assay to evaluate aquatic toxicants

A toxicity test using spore release of the aquatic green alga, Ulva, was developed and evaluated by assessing the toxicity of different organic and inorganic chemicals and elutriates of sewage or waste sludge. The toxic ranking of four metals was: Cu (EC50 of 0.040mgL(-1))>Cd (0.095mgL(-1))>Pb (0.489mgL(-1))>Zn (0.572mgL(-1)). The EC50 for TBTO ranged from 24 to 63microgL(-1). The most toxic VOC was formalin (EC50 of 0.788microlL(-1)) and the least toxic was acetone. Spore release was significantly inhibited in all elutriates; the greatest and least toxic effects were for industrial sewage (3.29%) and filtration bed (10.08%), respectively. The bioassay is simple, inexpensive and sensitive. The cosmopolitan distribution of Ulva means that the test would have a potential application worldwide.     

Mercury oxidation promoted by a selective catalytic reduction catalyst under simulated Powder River Basin coal combustion conditions

A bench-scale reactor consisting of a natural gas burner and an electrically heated reactor housing a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst was constructed for studying elemental mercury (Hg(o)) oxidation under SCR conditions. A low sulfur Powder River Basin (PRB) subbituminous coal combustion fly ash was injected into the entrained-flow reactor along with sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and trace Hg(o). Concentrations of Hg(o) and total mercury (Hg) upstream and downstream of the SCR catalyst were measured using a Hg monitor. The effects of HCl concentration, SCR operating temperature, catalyst space velocity, and feed rate of PRB fly ash on Hg(o) oxidation were evaluated. It was observed that HCl provides the source of chlorine for Hg(o) oxidation under simulated PRB coal-fired SCR conditions. The decrease in Hg mass balance closure across the catalyst with decreasing HCl concentration suggests that transient Hg capture on the SCR catalyst occurred during the short test exposure periods and that the outlet speciation observed may not be representative of steady-state operation at longer exposure times. Increasing the space velocity and operating temperature of the SCR led to less Hg(o) oxidized. Introduction of PRB coal fly ash resulted in slightly decreased outlet oxidized mercury (Hg2+) as a percentage of total inlet Hg and correspondingly resulted in an incremental increase in Hg capture. The injection of ammonia (NH3) for NOx reduction by SCR was found to have a strong effect to decrease Hg oxidation. The observations suggest that Hg(o) oxidation may occur near the exit region of commercial SCR reactors. Passage of flue gas through SCR systems without NH3 injection, such as during the low-ozone season, may also impact Hg speciation and capture in the flue gas.     

畜禽源氨气排放因子估算方法研究

畜禽养殖过程中产生的氨气(NH_3)在人为源NH_3排放中所占的比重较大,对二次气溶胶的形成起重要作用.由于我国畜禽饲养品种多样,各地气候条件和饲养规模存在较大差异,且影响NH_3排放的因素复杂多变,因此,获得准确的畜禽NH_3排放因子较为困难.本文以山西省太原市及其周边地区典型猪场、鸡场、牛场、羊场为实验场所,以杜洛克猪与长白猪的杂交猪、海兰褐蛋鸡、白羽肉鸡、杜泊羊与晋中绵羊的杂交羊、中国黑白花奶牛、金色阿奎丹与西门塔尔杂交肉牛为研究对象,通过3种方法估算它们的NH_3排放因子.结果表明:基于日粮成分和氮代谢沉积率的粗蛋白估算法过程简单、计算便捷、适合所有种类的畜禽,但未考虑NH_3挥发过程中的吸收转化及施肥利用,因而误差较大;基于排泄物含氮率和NH_3挥发率的物质流法涉及粪肥管理的不同阶段,全面考虑了NH_3产生、损失的全过程,与实际情况接近,但参数较多、周期较长、计算过程复杂;基于畜禽舍内NH_3浓度的直接测量法数据来源可靠、参数少,但只能用于相对封闭的环境,不适合牛场和羊场等敞开或半敞开的圈舍,且该方法没有考虑粪尿离开畜禽舍以后的储藏、还田过程,计算结果偏小.通过3种方法的互相印证和比对,猪、奶牛、肉牛、羊、蛋鸡、肉鸡6种实验动物的NH_3排放因子分别为6.90、36.53、22.99、3.94、0.54、0.46 kg·头(只)~(-1)·a~(-1).本研究可以为我国畜禽源NH_3排放因子的本地化测定提供一定的参考,并为准确估算畜禽NH_3排放量、做好农业源NH_3排放清单编制和污染防治工作提供参考.     

Fenton氧化处理爆炸物污染土壤的实验研究

采用摇瓶和玻璃柱试验考察了Fenton氧化处理爆炸物污染土壤中2,4-DNT、2,6-DNT以及COD等的去除效果及其最佳参数.当3%H2O2投加量达到26.46mmol、FeSO4和H2O2的物质的量之比约为1∶73.56时,2,4-DNT和2,6-DNT均可被完全氧化,COD去除率可达到87%.对于2,4-DNT和2,6-DNT,反应时间只需要2h,但要同时去除其它芳香族硝基化合物,则反应时间需要超过8h.土壤直接Fenton氧化的效果并不理想,而对洗出液进行Fenton氧化可以取得很好的效果.通过反应动力学分析和丙酮抑制试验得出,2,4-DNT比2,6-DNT容易氧化.GC-MS分析结果表明,不仅土壤中的2,4-DNT、2,6-DNT可被氧化,其它的硝基芳香族有机化合物也可被氧化去除.     

Evaluation of physical sampling efficiency for cyclone-based personal bioaerosol samplers in moving air environments

The need to determine occupational exposure to bioaerosols has notably increased in the past decade, especially for microbiology-related workplaces and laboratories. Recently, two new cyclone-based personal bioaerosol samplers were developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA and the Research Center for Toxicology and Hygienic Regulation of Biopreparations (RCT & HRB) in Russia to monitor bioaerosol exposure in the workplace. Here, a series of wind tunnel experiments were carried out to evaluate the physical sampling performance of these two samplers in moving air conditions, which could provide information for personal biological monitoring in a moving air environment. The experiments were conducted in a small wind tunnel facility using three wind speeds (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 m s(-1)) and three sampling orientations (0°, 90°, and 180°) with respect to the wind direction. Monodispersed particles ranging from 0.5 to 10 μm were employed as the test aerosols. The evaluation of the physical sampling performance was focused on the aspiration efficiency and capture efficiency of the two samplers. The test results showed that the orientation-averaged aspiration efficiencies of the two samplers closely agreed with the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) inhalable convention within the particle sizes used in the evaluation tests, and the effect of the wind speed on the aspiration efficiency was found negligible. The capture efficiencies of these two samplers ranged from 70% to 80%. These data offer important information on the insight into the physical sampling characteristics of the two test samplers.     

Seasonal evaluation of bioaerosols from indoor air of residential apartments within the metropolitan area in South Korea

The aims of the present study were to determine the levels of bioaerosols including airborne culturable bacteria (total suspended bacteria, Gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and Gram-negative bacteria), fungi, endotoxin, and viruses (influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus types A/B, parainfluenza virus types 1/2/3, metapnemovirus, and adenovirus) and their seasonal variations in indoor air of residential apartments. Of the total suspended bacteria cultured in an indoor environment, Staphylococcus was dominant and occupied 49.0 to 61.3 % of indoor air. Among Staphylococcus, S. aureus were detected in 100 % of households' indoor air ranging from 4 to 140 CFU/m³, and 66 % of households were positive for MRSA ranging from 2 to 80 CFU/m³. Staphylococcus and S. aureus concentrations correlated with indoor temperature (adjusted β: 0.4440 and 0.403, p?<?0.0001). Among respiratory viruses, adenovirus was detected in 14 (14 %) samples and influenza A virus was detected in 3 (3 %) samples regarding the indoor air of apartments. Adenovirus concentrations were generally higher in winter (mean concentration was 2,106 copies/m³) than in spring (mean concentration was 173 copies/m³), with concentrations ranging between 12 and 560 copies/m³. Also, a strong negative correlation between adenovirus concentrations and relative humidity in indoor air was observed (r?=??0.808, p?<?0.01). Furthermore, temperature also negatively correlated with adenovirus concentrations (r?=??0.559, p?<?0.05).     

Factors dominating stratification cycle and seasonal water quality variation in a Korean estuarine reservoir

A comprehensive monitoring program was conducted during 2005-2007 to investigate seasonal variations of hydrologic stability and water quality in the Yeongsan Reservoir (YSR), located at the downstream end of the Yeongsan River, Korea. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify factors dominating the seasonal water quality variation from a large suite of measured data--11 physico-chemical parameters from 48 sampling sites. The results showed that three principal components explained approximately 62% of spatio-seasonal water quality variation, which are related to stratifications, pollutant loadings and resultant eutrophication, and the advective mixing process during the episodic rainfall-runoff events. A comparison was then made between YSR and an upstream freshwater reservoir (Damyang Reservoir, DYR) in the same river basin during an autumn season. It was found that the saline stratification and pollutant input from the upstream contributed to greater concentrations of nutrients and organic matter in YSR compared to DYR. In YSR, saline stratification in combination with thermal stratification was a dominant cause of the longer period (for two consecutive seasons) of hypoxic conditions at the reservoir bottom. The results presented here will help better understand the season- and geography-dependent characteristics of reservoir water quality in Asian Monsoon climate regions such as Korea.     

Assessment of natural and calcined starfish for the amelioration of acidic soil

Quality improvement of acidic soil (with an initial pH of approximately 4.5) with respect to soil pH, exchangeable cations, organic matter content, and maize growth was attempted using natural (NSF) and calcined starfish (CSF). Acidic soil was amended with NSF and CSF in the range of 1 to 10 wt.% to improve soil pH, organic matter content, and exchangeable cations. Following the treatment, the soil pH was monitored for periods up to 3 months. The exchangeable cations were measured after 1 month of curing. After a curing period of 1 month, the maize growth experiment was performed with selected treated samples to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. The results show that 1 wt.% of NSF and CSF (700 and 900 °C) were required to increase the soil pH to a value higher than 7. In the case of CSF (900 °C), 1 wt.% was sufficient to increase the soil pH value to 9 due to the strong alkalinity in the treatment. No significant changes in soil pHs were observed after 7 days of curing and up to 3 months of curing. Upon treatment, the cation exchange capacity values significantly increased as compared to the untreated samples. The organic content of the samples increased upon NSF treatment, but it remains virtually unchanged upon CSF treatment. Maize growth was greater in the treated samples rather than the untreated samples, except for the samples treated with 1 and 3 wt.% CSF (900 °C), where maize growth was limited due to strong alkalinity. This indicates that the amelioration of acidic soil using natural and calcined starfish is beneficial for plant growth as long as the application rate does not produce alkaline conditions outside the optimal pH range for maize growth.     

Selective Leaching of Valuable Metals from Waste Printed Circuit Boards

Abstract

This study was carried out to recover valuable metals from the printed circuit boards (PCBs) of waste computers. PCB samples were crushed to smaller than 1 mm by a shredder and initially separated into 30% conducting and 70% nonconducting materials by an electrostatic separator. The conducting materials, which contained the valuable metals, were then used as the feed material for magnetic separation, where it was found that 42% of the conducting materials were magnetic and 58% were nonmagnetic. Leaching of the nonmagnetic component using 2 M H₂SO₄ and 0.2 M H₂O₂ at 85 °C for 12 hr resulted in greater than 95% extraction of Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, and Al. Au and Ag were extracted at 40 °C with a leaching solution of 0.2 M (NH₄)₂S₂O₃, 0.02 M CuSO₄, and 0.4 M NH₄OH, which resulted in recovery of more than 95% of the Au within 48 hr and 100% of the Ag within 24 hr. The residues were next reacted with a 2 M NaCl solution to leach out Pb, which took place within 2 hr at room temperature.