Distribution characteristics of fluoride and aluminum in soil profiles of an abandoned tea plantation and their uptake by six woody species

Distribution characteristics of fluoride (F) and aluminum (Al) in soil profiles of an abandoned tea plantation in Hong Kong and their uptake by six woody species namely Camellia sinensis, Melastoma affine, Sterculia lanceolata, Ardisia crenata, Acacia formosa and Machilus thunbergii were investigated. C. sinensis accumulated both F (656 mg/kg in the leaves) and Al (8910 mg/kg in the leaves). M. Affine only accumulated Al (9932 mg/kg in the leaves), while S. lanceolata, A. crenata, A. formosa and M. Thunbergii were Al (26-115 mg/kg in the leaves) and F (20-25 mg/kg in the leaves) excluders. Water-soluble F and Al contents accumulated in surface soils (especially 0-3 cm) and decreased with depth along soil profiles: A layers (2.0 +/- 0.6 and 31 +/- 5.8 mg/kg) > B layers (1.5 +/- 0.2 and 27 +/- 3.5 mg/kg) > C layers (1.3 +/- 0.2 and 20 +/- 2.7 mg/kg), respectively. The water-soluble, NH4Ac-extractable and HCl-extractable F in soil profiles were significantly correlated (P < .01). F concentrations in all soil layers (n = 51) of soil profiles (n = 17) were significantly correlated (P < .01) to Al concentrations in terms of water-soluble Al/F, HCl-extractable Al/F and NH4Ac-extractable Al/F, due to the formation of Al-F complexes in soil. F contents extracted with deionized water (pH = 6.68), 1 mol/l HCl and 1 mol/l NH4Ac in soil could be used to predict F concentrations in the leaves, stems and roots of the six plants.     

Acidification of lead/zinc mine tailings and its effect on heavy metal mobility

The acid-forming potential of lead/zinc (Pb/Zn) mine tailings at Lechang City of Guangdong Province was studied using both net acid generation (NAG) and acid-base accounting (ABA) methods. The pyritic and total sulfur contents of the tailings were 12.6% and 18.7%, respectively. The mean acid neutralization capacity (ANC) was 63.5 kg H2SO4/t while three oxidized tailings samples had an ANC less than zero. The NAG and net acid production potential (NAPP) values were 220 and 326 kg H2SO4/t, and both the NAG and NAPP results indicated that the tailings had a high acid-forming potential. NAG was more accurate than NAPP in predicting acid-forming potential of the tailings due to uncompleted oxidization of pyritic sulfur. Analysis of samples from two profile tests indicated that acidification mainly occurred at the surface (0-20 cm) and had little effects at deep layer of the tailings. Total concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd were increased greatly with depth at the acidified tailings profile, while heavy metal concentrations at different depths of nonacidified tailings profile were similar. The results indicated that depletion of heavy metals at the acidified surface was due to acidification. The diethylenetetramine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd concentrations of acidified tailings surface (0-20 cm) were significantly higher than those of nonacidified tailings, which further revealed that acidification enhanced the mobility of heavy metals in the tailings.     

Stability of the conjugated species of environmental phenols and parabens in human serum

In humans, the metabolism of environmental phenols may include the formation of conjugated species (e.g., glucuronides and sulfates), but the free species—not the conjugated forms—are considered biologically active. Therefore, information on the concentration of these free species in blood or urine could be helpful for risk assessment. Because conjugates could hydrolyze to their corresponding free forms during collection, handling, and storage of biological specimens, information on the temporal stability of the conjugates is of interest. Previously, we reported the temporal stability of urinary conjugates of several environmental phenols, but data on the stability of phenols' conjugated species in serum, albeit critical if concentrations of free and conjugated species are compared, are largely unknown. In the present study, we investigate the stability of the conjugates of four phenols—bisphenol A, benzophenone-3, triclosan, and 2,5-dichlorophenol—and two parabens—methyl paraben and propyl paraben—in 16 human serum samples for 30 days at above-freezing temperature storage conditions (4 °C, room temperature, and 37 °C). These conditions reflect the worst-case scenarios that could occur during the short-term storage of biological samples before their long-term storage at controlled subfreezing temperatures. We found that the percentage of the conjugated species of the four detected compounds (2,5-dichlorophenol, triclosan, and methyl and propyl parabens) in these serum specimens even when stored at 37 °C for at least 30 days did not vary significantly. These preliminary data suggest that the phenols' serum conjugates appear to be more stable than their corresponding urinary conjugates, some of which started to hydrolyze within 24 h under similar storage conditions. The reported stability of these conjugated species in human serum also suggests that the free species are unlikely to have resulted from the hydrolysis of their corresponding conjugates. This information could be important for interpreting the low concentrations of free phenol species detected in serum samples of nonoccupationally exposed populations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the stability of conjugated species in serum, and as such requires replication.     

Electronic waste management approaches: An overview

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest-growing pollution problems worldwide given the presence if a variety of toxic substances which can contaminate the environment and threaten human health, if disposal protocols are not meticulously managed. This paper presents an overview of toxic substances present in e-waste, their potential environmental and human health impacts together with management strategies currently being used in certain countries. Several tools including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Material Flow Analysis (MFA), Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have been developed to manage e-wastes especially in developed countries. The key to success in terms of e-waste management is to develop eco-design devices, properly collect e-waste, recover and recycle material by safe methods, dispose of e-waste by suitable techniques, forbid the transfer of used electronic devices to developing countries, and raise awareness of the impact of e-waste. No single tool is adequate but together they can complement each other to solve this issue. A national scheme such as EPR is a good policy in solving the growing e-waste problems.     

珠江河口区翡翠贻贝中有机氯农药和多氯联苯含量及分布

对分布于珠江河口区海域的翡翠贻贝有机氯农药和多氯联苯的含量进行测定 ,结果显示 :HCHs为ND— 1.1ng·g-1,DDTs为 9.5— 191ng·g-1,PCBs为 82 .8— 6 15 .1ng·g-1.尖沙嘴码头 (维多利亚港 )贻贝积累的PCBs浓度最高 ,珠江河口桂山岛和外伶仃岛的贻贝积累的DDTs和PCBs浓度较高 ,而荷包岛 (珠江河口西海区 )的贻贝则检出含量较高的HCHs和DDTs .贻贝选择性积累含 5— 6个氯原子数的PCB异构体 .各采样点贻贝积累的PCBs组成分析表明珠江河口区海域存在两个PCBs污染源     

阳离子改性粘土对活性染料的脱色作用

金属离子改性的凹凸棒石和膨润土对水中活性艳红染料Ｋ－２ＢＰ的吸附脱色作用符合Ｆｒｅｕｎｄｌｉｃｈ吸附等温式并呈现一级反应动力学的特征，吸附的最佳ＰＨ范围分别为〈５和〈６，其中以改性凹凸棒石的吸附性能较好，光照检验表明，改性膨润土还具有一定的光化学催化降解作用。     

综合地震台网络办公自动化系统

计算机与网络技术高速发展的今天，办公自动化（OA）系统现已在各行各业得到广泛应用。目前市场上的办公软件产品很多且功能强大，但由于各个行业本身的特殊性，这些系统很不适合应用于地震部门。本文研究了综合地震台如何搭建适合自己的经济、简单、实用的OA系统，为国内其他地震台实现OA作一些建设性的理论及技术参考。