Development of a method for bacteria and virus recovery from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters

The aim of the work presented here is to study the effectiveness of building air handling units (AHUs) in serving as high volume sampling devices for airborne bacteria and viruses. An HVAC test facility constructed according to ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999 was used for the controlled loading of HVAC filter media with aerosolized bacteria and virus. Nonpathogenic Bacillus subtilis var. niger was chosen as a surrogate for Bacillus anthracis. Three animal viruses; transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), avian pneumovirus (APV), and fowlpox virus were chosen as surrogates for three human viruses; SARS coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and smallpox virus; respectively. These bacteria and viruses were nebulized in separate tests and injected into the test duct of the test facility upstream of a MERV 14 filter. SKC Biosamplers upstream and downstream of the test filter served as reference samplers. The collection efficiency of the filter media was calculated to be 96.5 +/- 1.5% for B. subtilis, however no collection efficiency was measured for the viruses as no live virus was ever recovered from the downstream samplers. Filter samples were cut from the test filter and eluted by hand-shaking. An extraction efficiency of 105 +/- 19% was calculated for B. subtilis. The viruses were extracted at much lower efficiencies (0.7-20%). Our results indicate that the airborne concentration of spore-forming bacteria in building AHUs may be determined by analyzing the material collected on HVAC filter media, however culture-based analytical techniques are impractical for virus recovery. Molecular-based identification techniques such as PCR could be used.     

In silico prediction of Tetrahymena pyriformis toxicity for diverse industrial chemicals with substructure pattern recognition and machine learning methods

There is an increasing need for the rapid safety assessment of chemicals by both industries and regulatory agencies throughout the world. In silico techniques are practical alternatives in the environmental hazard assessment. It is especially true to address the persistence, bioaccumulative and toxicity potentials of organic chemicals. Tetrahymena pyriformis toxicity is often used as a toxic endpoint. In this study, 1571 diverse unique chemicals were collected from the literature and composed of the largest diverse data set for T. pyriformis toxicity. Classification predictive models of T. pyriformis toxicity were developed by substructure pattern recognition and different machine learning methods, including support vector machine (SVM), C4.5 decision tree, k-nearest neighbors and random forest. The results of a 5-fold cross-validation showed that the SVM method performed better than other algorithms. The overall predictive accuracies of the SVM classification model with radial basis functions kernel was 92.2% for the 5-fold cross-validation and 92.6% for the external validation set, respectively. Furthermore, several representative substructure patterns for characterizing T. pyriformis toxicity were also identified via the information gain analysis methods.     

Effects of Natural Disasters on Conservation Policies: The Case of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake,China

Conservation policies are increasing in response to human-induced ecosystem degradation, but little is known about their interplay with natural disasters. Through an analysis of satellite imagery and field data we evaluated the impacts of a devastating earthquake on forest recovery and avoided forest loss estimated to have been obtained by two of the largest conservation programs in the world. Results show that more than 10% of the forests in Wenchuan County, Sichuan province, China were immediately affected by the 2008 earthquake, offsetting some gains in forest cover observed since the enactment of the conservation programs. But without the enactment of these conservation programs, the combined effects of human disturbance and earthquake-induced landslides could have severely reduced the region’s forest cover. The continuation—and enhancement—of incentives for participation in conservation programs will be important for reducing the environmental impacts of the combined effects of human disturbance and natural hazards not only in the study area but also in many disaster-prone regions around the world.     

pH值对霞湾港沉积物重金属Zn、Cu释放的影响

以霞湾港(铜霞路段)的底泥沉积物为研究对象,采用重金属连续浸提法对重金属Zn、Cu在沉积物中的5种形态进行浸提,分析了其分布特征和在不同pH值与时间的条件下重金属的释放规律。研究结果表明,重金属Zn主要以铁锰氧化物结合态和碳酸盐结合态的形态存在,Cu主要以有机结合态和残渣态的形态存在,可交换离子态的重金属含量都很低。重金属Zn、Cu从沉积物中的释放,主要是在酸性条件下发生,在酸性区内释放量随pH的升高而迅速降低。释放能力和释放速率均为ZnCu,它们释放的过程基本相似,释放速率都比较小,向环境中的释放是个长期过程。     

乙二醇生产废水中特征污染物含量的测定

建立了气相色谱(氢火焰离子化检测器)检测乙二醇生产废水中乙二醇、二乙二醇、三乙二醇含量的新方法。该方法采用HP-FFAP型毛细管色谱柱,优化的色谱条件为:进样口温度230℃,初始柱温50℃,载气流量1.0mL/min,分流比1∶1。在质量浓度为1.0~150.0mg/L范围内,废水中各组分色谱峰面积与浓度呈良好的线性关系,相关系数均在0.9989~0.9996之间;相对标准偏差均小于2.0％;乙二醇、二乙二醇、三乙二醇的最低检出限分别为0.63,0.21,0.25mg/L,加标回收率为97.72％~103.52％。     

Removal of Pb and MDF from contaminated soils by EDTA- and SDS-enhanced washing

Heavy metal- and organic-contaminated sites are ubiquitous, but few studies have been conducted to address such an issue. EDTA- and SDS-enhanced washing was studied for remediation of Pb- and/or marine diesel fuel (MDF)-contaminated soils. The feasibility of recovery and reuse of EDTA and SDS, as well as the physicochemical interactions among the chemical agents, contaminants and soils were extensively investigated using batch experiments. The optimal washing sequence was then determined. The experimental results showed that EDTA could be recovered and reused for four cycles without significant loss of its chelating capacity, while the extraction capability of SDS was noticeably reduced after each reuse cycle. The free phase of marine diesel fuel (MDF) in soils physically isolated the sorbed Pb on soils and thus reducing its extraction by EDTA. The presence of SDS alone or together with low concentration of EDTA was found to enhance Pb removal probably via electrostatic interaction and dissolution of soil organic matter. However, it hindered Pb extraction by high concentration of EDTA, because of the potential formation of complexes between some strongly-bound Pb and SDS, that are more resistant to desorption. Therefore, EDTA washing followed by SDS achieved the highest Pb removal efficiency. On the other hand, MDF removal by SDS was significantly hindered by coexisting Pb in soils, probably because the formation of Pb-dodecyl sulfate (DS) complex would decrease the effective amount of SDS available for forming micelles in solution and enhance MDF sorption. EDTA alone or together with SDS could enhance MDF removal, but the residual MDF after EDTA-washing became more resistant to SDS removal. Consequently, SDS washing followed by EDTA is considered as the optimal washing sequence for MDF removal.     

批量平衡法研究芳香族酮类化合物在东北黑土中的吸附

本文用批量平衡法研究－系列芳香族酮类化合物在东北黑土中的吸附,采用Ｆｒｅ－ｎｕｎｄｌｉｃｈ吸附等温方程求得土壤吸附常数（ｋｆ）,研究表明：１２种芳香族酮类化合物的吸附等温线有线性和非线性两种形式,对化合物的土壤有机碳吸附常数（ｌｇＫｏｃ）进行定量结构－性质（ＱＳＰＲ）分析,发现芳香族酮类化合物的土壤有机碳吸附常数与正辛醇／水分配系数相关不显著,土壤有机碳吸附常数与分子极化率（ａ）有较好的相关性,这     

探讨汽车制造、锅炉排污许可申请的问题与对策

2019年全面启动了汽车制造行业、锅炉行业排污许可证的申请与核发,在申请过程中出现诸多问题,应完善污染物排放标准体系,做到环境影响评价、污染物排放标准与排污许可有效衔接。为此,在文中通过对相关文件的查阅与分析,对当前汽车制造行业、锅炉两个行业排污许可证申请与核发进行分析。在此基础上,提出了环评与排污许可衔接的建议。为环评与排污许可的衔接提供借鉴。     

基于结构方程的流域水环境承载力评价——以湟水流域小峡桥断面上游为例

针对流域水环境承载力评价中指标体系构建及权重确定缺乏客观依据的问题,以湟水流域小峡桥断面上游为例,通过兼顾压力与水环境承载力的控制断面水质影响路径分析,建立了面向水环境承载力评价的结构方程模型(Structural Equation Modeling, SEM);在此基础上,构建了湟水流域的水环境承载力综合评价体系,并获得各指标权重,进而利用向量模法对流域水环境承载状态进行了综合评价.结果表明:SEM模型能够定量反映土地利用/景观格局及污染物排放因素与水环境承载状态的相关关系;SEM模型的路径分析可为水环境承载力综合评价指标体系的建立提供科学依据;由SEM模型得到的路径影响相关系数,可为权重的确定提供新的科学方法;研究区16个控制子单元呈上、中、下游水环境承载状态逐渐变差的梯度特征;最后,针对湟水流域不同区域的社会、经济、环境和资源差异,从流域水环境承载力双向调控的角度,提出改善水环境承载状态的相关建议,进而为流域水系统持续协调发展提供精细化管理支撑.     

Trends in vehicular emissions in China's mega cities from 1995 to 2005

Multiyear inventories of vehicular emissions in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from 1995 through 2005 have been developed in this paper to study the vehicle emissions trends in China's mega cities during the past decade. The results show that the vehicular emissions of CO, HC, NO_x and PM₁₀ have begun to slow their growth rates and perhaps even to decline in recent years due to the implementation of measures to control vehicular emissions in these cities. However, vehicular CO₂ emissions have substantially increased and still continue to grow due to little fuel economy improvement. Passenger cars and large vehicles (including heavy duty trucks and buses) are the major sources of vehicular CO₂ and CO emissions while large vehicles were responsible for nearly 70% and 80% of the vehicular NO_x and PM₁₀ emissions in these mega cities. Motorcycles are also important contributors to vehicular emissions in Guangzhou and Shanghai.