Hexabromocyclododecanes in surface sediments and a sediment core from Rivers and Harbor in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin

In the present study, hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were investigated in the sediment from Haihe River (HR), Dagu Dainage Canal (DDC) and Tianjin Harbor (TH) at Bohai Bay using a total of 51 samples of surface sediments and a sediment core collected from May to September in 2010, and its diastereomer- and enantiomer-specific profiles were analyzed. The concentration of total HBCDs were generally high, with mean value and ranges of 31.0 and 1.35–634 ng g^?1 dw, respectively. The contamination followed the order of TH > DDC > HR. Higher levels (up to 634 ng g^?1 dw) occurred in the lower reach of HR and DDC located in an industrial area of Tianjin. This is the first time to report so high concentration of HBCDs in sediment in Southeast Asia. The γ-diastereomer dominated in most samples (44 out of 51), and this is in agreement with the diastereomer distribution pattern in industrial products, while α-HBCD was the dominant diastereomer in the other seven samples. However, only few samples exhibited γ-diastereomer ratio similar to that (75–89%) in technical products, indicating the inter-transformation and variable degradation of the different isomers. The high ratio of γ-diastereomer could be used as an indicator for fresh contamination input. Enantiomeric factors (EFs) of HBCD isomers in most of the samples were statistically different from technical products (p < 0.05), showing a trend of more easily enrichment of the (?)-HBCD-enantiomer compared to the (+)-HBCD-enantiomer. The δ- and ε-diastereomers were frequently detected but at low level. The HBCDs in the sediment core showed several peaks, and the greatest value occurred in 2005, when a plastic manufacture plant using HBCD was set up nearby.     

改性甘蔗渣对Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋的吸附机理

研究了均苯四甲酸二酐（PMDA）和乙二胺四乙酸二酐（EDTAD）改性甘蔗渣对重金属离子Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋的吸附性能,包括吸附动力学和吸附等温线。结果表明,改性后的甘蔗渣对重金属离子Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋的吸附容量有显著提高,对Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋吸附等温线均符合Langmuir方程,吸附为单分子层吸附。根据Langmuir方程,PMDA和EDTAD改性甘蔗渣对Cu^2＋的吸附量分别为60．21和33．45mg／g,对Zn^2＋的吸附量分别是70．53和36．53mg／g。两种改性甘蔗渣对两种金属离子的吸附在30min内均可完成,用准二级吸附动力学方程模拟动力学过程得到较好的线性相关性。以EDTA溶液为洗脱剂对吸附Cu^2＋和Zn^2＋的改性甘蔗渣进行洗脱再生,再生的吸附剂可反复使用。     

Hexabromocyclododecanes in limnic and marine organisms and terrestrial plants from Tianjin,China: Diastereomer- and enantiomer-specific profiles,biomagnification, and human exposure

To interpret the distribution of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in various organisms, we measured the concentrations and diastereomer and enantiomer profiles of HBCDs in 21 different species of limnic and marine cohorts from Tianjin, China. The concentration ranges of HBCDs in limnic and marine organisms were 64.3–1111 ng g⁻¹ lw and 85.5–989 ng g⁻¹ lw, respectively. Living habitat and feeding habits had important impacts on HBCD diastereomer distribution. Most of the species appeared to preferentially select (+)-α-, (−)-β- and (−)-γ-HBCD. There is a tendency that the total and α-HBCDs were magnified as trophic level increased with trophic magnification factors (TMFs) around 2. The concentrations of HBCDs in the limnic and marine fishes were highest in the liver, followed by the gill, skin, and muscle. In terrestrial plants, the highest concentrations of HBCDs were observed in the leaf, followed by the root and the rhizosphere soil. Plants showed enantioselectivity for HBCD enantiomers, which varied with plant species and organs (leaf vs. root) of the same plant. Higher estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of HBCDs were observed from fish than from wheat.     

A novel use of anaerobically digested liquid swine manure to potentially control soybean cyst nematode

Experiments were carried out in two steps to determine the effect of anaerobically digested swine manure on soybean cyst nematode (SCN) egg control. In the first step, liquid swine manure underwent anaerobic digestion to search for the best digestion time for both volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺) enrichment. The results showed that about 17 and 28 days of incubation were needed, respectively, to reach the maximal levels of VFA and NH₄ ⁺ in the manure. In the second step, raw, VFA-enriched, and NH₄ ⁺-enriched manure were applied separately, at four different rates (25, 50, 100, and 200 mL/pot), to soil pots inoculated with nematode eggs in a greenhouse environment. Soil samples were collected 35 and 61 days after inoculation to determine the effect of such treated manure on SCN egg productivity. The data indicated that the SCN egg counts were inversely related to the manure application rates in a linear manner with correlation coefficients of 0.998, 0.967, and 0.900 for raw, NH₄ ⁺-enriched, and VFA-enriched manure for the 35-day samples. While no such relationships were found for the 61-day samples, implying that none of the treatments were still effective 61 days after application. At the four application rates, the VFA-enriched manure performed best in reducing SCN egg counts (by 18.1, 19.5, 34.3, and 18.6%) as compared to the raw manure treatment. In contrast, the NH₄ ⁺-enriched manure achieved mostly negative reductions. To achieve the best control of SCN egg growth, the VFA-enriched manure should be used and applied to soybean fields every 35 days.     

Little Egrets (Egretta Garzetta) and Trace-Metal Contamination in Wetlands of China

The rapidly developing Asian countries may face threatening environmental contamination, that however remains largely unassessed. We studied persistent trace elements in three wetlands, Poyang Lake, relatively unpolluted, and Tai Lake, and Pearl River Delta, selected as hotspots of pollution in Central China. We adopted as indicator the Little Egret, a widespread colonial waterbird, and during 1999 and 2000 we collected and analysed the same samples as for a parallel study we conducted in Pakistan, e.g. eggs, body feathers of chicks, prey spontaneously regurgitated by the chicks, and sediments at the areas most used by foraging egrets. The levels of trace-metals at our three study areas were similar, or within the range, of those found in the few other studies for East Asia, with few exceptions. The concentrations of the various elements were below the threshold that may affect the survival or reproduction of the birds, and even the highest concentrations relative to background, i.e. Se in eggs, and Hg in feathers at Pearl Delta, do not pose toxic hazards. In sediments, the levels of trace elements were lower than the critical levels assumed for contaminated soil, except for alarming high levels of As at Poyang. These results do not confirm our expectation, that Poyang was relatively uncontaminated, while Tai and Pearl were polluted. Although trace metal concentration differed significantly among the three study areas, these differences were minor and were not consistent among elements and samples. The bioaccumulation ratios from sediments through prey, feather and egg, were consistent with our previous findings for Pakistan. Only Hg exhibited high bioaccumulation, while Se and Zn had low accumulation, and the other elements no accumulation. This reasserts that feathers of predators such as egrets, may be more sensitive indicators of environmental contamination for the elements subject to bioaccumulation, whereas the sediments or the organisms low in the food chain are better indicators for the other elements.     

Carbonaceous and nitrogenous disinfection byproduct precursor variation during the reversed anaerobic–anoxic–oxic process of a sewage treatment plant

Disinfection byproduct(DBP)precursors in wastewater during the reversed anaerobic–anoxic–oxic(A~2/O)process,as well as their molecular weight(MW)and polarity-based fractions,were characterized with UV scanning,fluorescence excitation emission matrix,Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Their DBP formation potentials(DBPFPs)after chlorination were further tested.Results indicated that the reversed A~2/O process could not only effectively remove the dissolved organic carbon(DOC)and dissolved total nitrogen in the wastewater,but also affect the MW distribution and hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties of dissolved organic matter(DOM).The accumulation of low MW and hydrophobic(HPO)DOM was possibly due to the formation of soluble microbial product-like(SMP-like)matters in the reversed A~2/O treatment,especially in the anoxic and aerobic processes.Moreover,DOM in the wastewater displayed a high carbonaceous disinfection byproduct formation potential(C-DBPFP)in the fractions of MW100 k Da and MW5 k Da,and revealed an increasing tendency of nitrogenous disinfection byproduct formation potential(N-DBPFP)with decrease of MW.For polarity-based fractions,the HPO fraction of wastewater showed significantly higher C-DBPFP and N-DBPFP than hydrophilic and transphilic fractions.Therefore,although the reversed A~2/O process could remove most DBP precursors by DOC reduction,it led to the enhancement of DBPFP with the formation and accumulation of low MW and HPO DOM.In addition,strong correlations between C-DBPFPs and SUVA,and between N-DBPFPs and DON/DOC,were observed in the wastewater,which might be helpful for DBPFP prediction in wastewater and reclaimed water chlorination.     

100年来东湖富营养化发生的沉积学记录

在210Pb计年的基础上,运用水生生物遗存、色素、有机碳同位素和磁化率分析了东湖钻孔沉积物中的生物与环境信息,重建了东湖100多年来湖泊营养与环境演化历史.研究发现东湖100多年来在人类活动不断增强的背景下,指示重金属污染的磁化率和指示湖泊富营养化的色素指标如蓝藻叶黄素(Myx)、颤藻黄素(Osc)快速上升,相应的水生生物如介形虫、腹足类、水生高等植物等表现明显的组合和变化阶段,同时有机碳同位素偏正与湖泊生产力升高和藻类繁盛有关.沉积记录表明东湖生态系统近代发生了深刻变化,湖泊营养演化自早至晚呈现四阶段性:贫营养阶段(1900-1966AD)色素水平低、拥有较丰富的水生高等植物和腹足类;中营养阶段(1966-1983AD)色素含量增高、水生高等植物和腹足类减少;富营养化阶段(1983-1989AD)色素含量快速增高、水生高等植物消失;超富营养化阶段(1989AD－至今)色素含量稳定居高、某些耐污染的介形类较繁盛.结果对于认识湖泊生态环境演化与人类活动的关系、以及如何治理湖泊环境具有现实的意义.     

电动单梁起重机吊具冲顶引发起升电机坠落事故分析

针对一起电动单梁起重机吊具冲顶并引发起升电机坠落的起重作业事故,分析了事故起重机电气控制系统和现场紧急处置中存在的问题,指出了导致事故发生的直接原因和主要原因;并从完善起重机电气控制系统本质安全性和加强起重机械使用安全管理的角度提出了相应建议和意见,对预防类似事故的发生具有借鉴作用.