Photocatalytic degradation of azo dyes by nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanocatalysts

This study examined the photocatalytic degradation of three azo dyes, acid orange 7 (AO7), procion red MX-5B (MX-5B) and reactive black 5 (RB5) using a new type of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanocrystals. These newly developed doped titania nanocatalysts demonstrated high reactivity under visible light (lambda>390 nm), allowing more efficient usage of solar light. The doped titania were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Experiments were conducted to compare the photocatalytic activities of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanocatalysts and commercially available Degussa P25 powder using both UV illumination and solar light. It is shown that nitrogen-doped TiO2 after calcination had the highest photocatalytic activity among all three catalysts tested, with 95% of AO7 decolorized in 1 h under UV illumination. The doped TiO2 also exhibited substantial photocatalytic activity under direct sunlight irradiation, with 70% of the dye color removed in 1h and complete decolorization within 3 h. Degussa P25 did not cause detectable dye decolorization under identical experimental conditions using solar light. The decrease of total organic carbon (TOC) and evolution of inorganic sulfate (SO4(2-)) ions in dye solutions were measured to monitor the dye mineralization process.     

Modeling mercury fluxes and concentrations in a Georgia watershed receiving atmospheric deposition load from direct and indirect sources

This paper presents a modeling analysis of airborne mercury (Hg) deposited on the Ochlockonee River watershed located in Georgia. Atmospheric deposition monitoring and source attribution data were used along with simulation models to calculate Hg buildup in the subwatershed soils, its subsequent runoff loading and delivery through the tributaries, and its ultimate fate in the mainstem river. The terrestrial model calculated annual watershed yields for total Hg ranging from 0.7 to 1.1 microg/m2. Results suggest that approximately two-thirds of the atmospherically deposited Hg to the watershed is returned to the atmosphere, 10% is delivered to the river, and the rest is retained in the watershed. A check of the aquatic model results against survey data showed a reasonable agreement. Comparing observed and simulated total and methylmercury concentrations gave root mean square error values of 0.26 and 0.10 ng/L, respectively, in the water column, and 5.9 and 1 ng/g, respectively, in the upper sediment layer. Sensitivity analysis results imply that mercury in the Ochlockonee River is dominated by watershed runoff inputs and not by direct atmospheric deposition, and that methylmercury concentrations in the river are determined mainly by net methylation rates in the watershed, presumably in wetted soils and in the wetlands feeding the river.     

Influence of hydrogeochemical processes on zero-valent iron reactive barrier performance: a field investigation

Geochemical and mineralogical changes were evaluated at a field Fe0-PRB at the Oak Ridge Y-12 site concerning operation performance during the treatment of U in high NO3- groundwater. In the 5-yr study period, the Fe0 remained reactive as shown in pore water monitoring data, where increases in pH and the removal of certain ionic species persisted. However, coring revealed varying degrees of cementation. After 3.8-yr treatment, porosity reduction of up to 41.7% was obtained from mineralogical analysis on core samples collected at the upgradient gravel-Fe0 interface. Elsewhere, Fe0 filings were loose with some cementation. Fe0 corrosion and pore volume reduction at this site are more severe due to the presence of NO3- at a high level. Tracer tests indicate that hydraulic performance deteriorated: the flow distribution was heterogeneous and under the influence of interfacial cementation a large portion of water was diverted around the Fe0 and transported outside the PRB. Based on the equilibrium reductions of NO3- and SO4(2-) by Fe0 and mineral precipitation, geochemical modeling predicted a maximum of 49% porosity loss for 5 yr of operation. Additionally, modeling showed a spatial distribution of mineral precipitate volumes, with the maximum advancing from the interface toward downgradient with time. This study suggests that water quality monitoring, coupled with hydraulic monitoring and geochemical modeling, can provide a low-cost method for assessing PRB performance.     

Properties of pyrolytic chars and activated carbons derived from pilot-scale pyrolysis of used tires

Used tires were pyrolyzed in a pilot-scale quasi-inert rotary kiln. Influences of variables, such as time, temperature, and agent flow, on the activation of obtained char were subsequently investigated in a laboratory-scale fixed bed. Mesoporous pores are found to be dominant in the pore structures of raw char. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surfaces of activated chars increased linearly with carbon burnoff. The carbon burnoff of tire char achieved by carbon dioxide (CO2) under otherwise identical conditions was on average 75% of that achieved by steam, but their BET surfaces are almost the same. The proper activation greatly improved the aqueous adsorption of raw char, especially for small molecular adsorbates, for example, phenol from 6 to 51 mg/g. With increasing burnoff, phenol adsorption exhibited a first-stage linear increase followed by a rapid drop after 30% burnoff. Similarly, iodine adsorption first increased linearly, but it held as the burnoff exceeded 40%, which implied that the reduction of iodine adsorption due to decreasing micropores was partially made up by increasing mesopores. Both raw chars and activated chars showed appreciable adsorption capacity of methylene-blue comparable with that of commercial carbons. Thus, tire-derived activated carbons can be used as an excellent mesoporous adsorbent for larger molecular species.     

微波法处理含铬废渣的可行性分析

微波辐照解毒铬渣是一项新技术,为考察该技术应用的可行性,本文对铬渣解毒前后性状的变化进行了讨论。结果表明,该技术能较完全地使高价铬转化为低价铬,解毒渣中铬主要以三价形态存在,铬渣毒性得到消除;解毒渣浸出液中Cr6+浓度远低于国家危险废物鉴别标准,解毒渣已不属于危险固体废弃物,其在环境条件下可安全存放。说明该技术具有应用前景。     

新生态二氧化锰对水中三价砷去除作用的研究

研究了新生态MnO2对水中As(Ⅲ)的去除效果。结果表明:新生态MnO2对As(Ⅲ)去除率高,作用速度快,作用过程符合二级动力学方程;pH=6.5时吸附等温线符合Langmuir和Frundlich方程;pH<7时,As(Ⅲ)的去除率均达80%以上,受pH和初始浓度影响较小,且与H3AsO3的pKa无关的非特性吸附;阴离子与As(Ⅲ)有吸附竞争作用,阳离子的加入可使As(Ⅲ)的去除率接近100%。     

Organochlorinated contaminants in decapod crustaceans from the coasts of Brittany and Normandy (France)

The contamination and distribution of organochlorinated compounds were considered in three crustacean species (edible crab, Cancer pagurus; spider crab, Maja brachydactyla; velvet swimming crab, Necora puber) from five sites along the coasts of Brittany and Normandy (Western and North-Western France). PCBs (16 single congeners), pp'-DDE and HCB were measured in hepatopancreas, gonads and muscle: in all, 175 samples were analysed. The spider crab was the only species found in the five sampling sites, thus enabling comparison between areas. Specimens from Antifer were much more contaminated (summation operator 16 PCBs in hepatopancreas=2000-4000 ng g(-1) dry weight) than those from other sites (50-1000 ng g(-1) d.w.). Among all the three species, the spider crab appeared more contaminated by PCBs than the edible crab, by a factor 2-3, probably in relation with specific differences in their life cycle. There was no difference due to the gender of the species. Within the different analysed tissues, contamination levels increased from muscle to gonads and hepatopancreas in relation with the fat content. A very similar PCB composition was observed in all samples, PCB fingerprints being characterised by the relative importance of the more persistent PCB congeners: CB153, 138, 180, 187, and 118. Finally, these results were compared to recent food regulations first of maximum marker PCB intake and secondly of maximum dioxin-like PCB intake. By considering the muscle, all samples were far below the regulatory limits; for hepatopancreas and gonads, however, some samples were unfit for human consumption.     

生化防护材料的探讨

本文详述了生化防护材料的种类、性能特点,与防护服配件的协调、使用耐久性能以及成本等问题,得出了生化防护材料选用及设计的一般性结论。     

Occupational risks and the value and modelling of a measurement of severity

In studies of occupational risks, severity, which is a component of the estimation of every risk, appears as a multifaceted entity assessable according to numerous criteria. A method of measuring the degree of severity of the consequences of potentially dangerous events would be of undeniable value to organisations seeking to improve their understanding of the complexity of such events. The need to control severity is highlighted by scientifically acquired improvements in the understanding of occupational risks, by certain new regulatory obligations in Europe, and by some requirements in the financial management of organisations. We put forward a statistical way of integrating several constituent elements of severity and hence of determining a relevant, synthetic, one-dimensional index. This is achieved by means of principal component analysis (PCA), which is used here to calculate a resultant severity, as in some physical measurements. We also investigate how severity may be statistically modelled, with the aim of contributing to the quantitative assessment of occupational risks. The choice of parametric models is detailed and illustrated by the search for a suitable model for workplace accidents in an organisational setting. The practical value of modelling severity is two-fold. First, one is able to study the distribution of the numerical values of severity over a continuum (a theoretically infinite numerical set) rather than through a limited number of arbitrarily defined categories. Second, with a generally applicable parametric model, one can estimate the law of probability of a measurement of severity in a particular situation, notably recent or new. Lastly, the statistical concept of risk curve is defined and discussed. The goal is to incorporate the severity component into the risk assessment in the form of a probability law, thus circumventing the difficulties associated with an analysis of scenarios.     

神农架大九湖亚高山泥炭湿地甲烷通量变化特征及其与产甲烷菌群落组成的关系

2018年12月～2019年11月,采用涡度相关法和高通量测序技术,以湖北省神农架大九湖亚高山泥炭湿地为研究对象,对甲烷(CH4)通量以及产甲烷菌群落组成进行相关研究.结果 及分析表明:大九湖泥炭湿地研究期间表现为CH4的源,CH4总排放量为9333.26 mg· m-2,CH4日平均排放通量为18.50 nmol·m-2·s-1,冬、春、夏、秋四季的CH4平均排放通量分别为6.46、4.62、36.81、25.92 nmol·m-2·s-1,存在明显的季节变化;研究区产甲烷菌优势菌群为Methanoregula(66.73％)和Methanocella(21.99％);对样本中产甲烷菌的Shannon指数进行双因素方差分析发现,同一季节不同深度的样本中产甲烷菌多样性存在显著差异,随着深度的增加,产甲烷菌的多样性指数呈下降趋势;同一深度不同季节的样本中产甲烷菌多样性存在显著差异;夏季产甲烷菌群落组成与CH4排放通量为强正相关关系,春季产甲烷菌群落组成与CH4排放通量为强负相关关系,Methanothermus与CH4排放通量为显著正相关关系,Methanolinea与CH4排放通量为显著负相关关系.