Contamination assessment of arsenic and heavy metals in a typical abandoned estuary wetland—a case study of the Yellow River Delta Natural Reserve

Coastal and estuarine areas are often polluted by heavy metals that result from industrial production and agricultural activities. In this study, we investigated the concentration trait and vertical pattern of trace elements, such as As, Cd, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cr, and the relationship between those trace elements and the soil properties in coastal wetlands using 28 profiles that were surveyed across the Diaokouhe Nature Reserve (DKHNR). The goal of this study is to investigate profile distribution characteristics of heavy metals in different wetland types and their variations with the soil depth to assess heavy metal pollution using pollution indices and to identify the pollution sources using multivariate analysis and sediment quality guidelines. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and pollution level indices were applied to evaluate the contamination conditions due to wetland degradation. The findings indicated that the concentration of trace elements decreased with the soil depth, while Cd increases with soil depth. The As concentrations in reed swamps and Suaeda heteroptera surface layers were slightly higher than those in other land use types. All six heavy metals, i.e., Ni, Cu, As, Zn, Cr, and Pb, were strongly associated with PC1 (positive loading) and could reflect the contribution of natural geological sources of metals into the coastal sediments. PC2 is highly associated with Cd and could represent anthropogenic sources of metal pollution. Most of the heavy metals exhibited significant positive correlations with total concentrations; however, no significant correlations were observed between them and the soil salt and soil organic carbon. Soil organic carbon exhibited a positive linear relationship with Cu, Pb, and Zn in the first soil layer (0–20 cm); As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the second layer (20–40 cm); and As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the third layer (40–60 cm). Soil organic carbon exhibited only a negative correlation with Cd (P?I _geo values), which averaged less than 0 in the three soil layers, this finding indicates that the soils have remained unpolluted by these heavy metals. The mean concentrations of these trace elements were lower than Class I criteria. The degradation wetland restoration suggestions have also been provided in such a way as to restore the reserved flow path of the Yellow River. The results that are associated with trace element contamination would be helpful in providing scientific directions to restore wetlands across the world.     

Effects of pig manure containing copper and zinc on microbial community assessed via phospholipids in soils

Pig manure (PM) is widely used as an organic fertilizer to increase yields of crops. Excessive application of compost containing relatively great concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) can change soil quality. To clarify the effects of different rates of application and to determine the optimal rate of fertilization, PM containing 1,115 mg Cu kg^?1, dry mass (dm) and 1,497 mg Zn kg^?1, dm was applied to alkaline soil at rates of 0, 11, 22, 44, 88, and 222 g PM kg^?1, dm. Phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were used to assess soil microbial community composition. Application of PM resulted in greater concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), NH₄ ⁺-N, NO₃ ^?-N, total carbon (TC), soil organic matter (SOM) but lesser pH values. Soils with application rates of 88–222 g PM kg^?1, dm had concentrations of total and EDTA-extractable Cu and Zn significantly greater than those in soil without PM, and concentrations of T-Cu and T-Zn in these amended soils exceeded maximum limits set by standards in china. Except in the soil with a rate of 11 g PM kg^?1, dm, total bacterial and fungal PLFAs were directly proportional to rate of application of PM. Biomasses of bacteria and fungi were significantly greater in soils with application rates of 44–222 g PM kg^?1, dm than in the soil without PM. SOM, TC and EDTA-Zn had the most direct influence on soil microbial communities. To improve fertility of soils and maintain quality of soil, rate of application should be 22–44 g PM kg^?1 dm, soil containing Cu and Zn.     

Impact of carbon source on nitrous oxide emission from anoxic/oxic biological nitrogen removal process and identification of its emission sources

Wastewater treatment is an important source of nitrous oxide (N₂O), which is a strong greenhouse gas and dominate ozone-depleting substance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of carbon source on N₂O emission from anoxic/oxic biological nitrogen removal process. The mechanisms of N₂O emission were also studied. Long-term experiments were operated to evaluate the effect of three different carbon sources (i.e., glucose, sodium acetate, and soluble starch) on N₂O emission characteristics. And batch experiments, in the presence or absence of specific inhibitors, were carried out to identify the sources of N₂O emission. The ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and denitrifiers community compositions under different circumstances were also analyzed based on which the underlying mechanisms of N₂O emission were elucidated. The conversion ratios of N₂O in reactors with glucose, sodium acetate, and soluble starch were 5.3 %, 8.8 %, and 2.8 %, respectively. The primary process responsible for N₂O emission was nitrifier denitrification by Nitrosomonas-like AOB, while denitrification by heterotrophic denitrifiers acted as the sink. Reactor with sodium acetate showed the highest N₂O emission, together with the highest nitrogen and phosphate removal ratios. Carbon source has a significant impact on N₂O emission quantity and relatively minor effect on its production mechanism.     

A comparative study on milk packaging using life cycle assessment: from PA-PE-Al laminate and polyethylene in China

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach was used to compare the environmental impacts in the life cycle of two milk packaging systems, PA-PE-Al laminate—a laminated foil made from paper, polyethylene and aluminum foil—and polyethylene. The data for the mass, energy fluxes and environmental emissions were obtained from published literature and from site investigations, for the two systems being analyzed for environmental impacts. The application of LCA using Eco-Indicator 99 has made the comparison of the environmental impacts of the two milk packages possible. The results of this LCA study are discussed and the results reveal that the composite packaging has a slightly higher environmental impact than the plastic one. In addition, the environmental impact of raw material extraction is the highest in all of the life cycle stages except for disposal. The environmental impact of composite packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels, land use and respiratory inorganics categories, while the plastic packaging mainly comes from the fossil fuels category. However, the composite packaging has a greater environmental impact because it has not been well recycled and reused. This environmental impact could be decreased by developing the technology to separate out polyethylene and aluminum from the packaging.     

Nitrogen impacts on atrazine-degrading Arthrobacter strain and bacterial community structure in soil microcosms

The objective of this study was to investigate the impacts of exogenous nitrogen on a microbial community inoculated with the atrazine-degrading Arthrobacter sp. in soil amended with a high concentration of atrazine. Inoculated and uninoculated microcosms for biodegradation tests were constructed. Atrazine degradation capacity of the strain DAT1 and the strain's atrazine-metabolic potential and survival were assessed. The relative abundance of the strain DAT1 and the bacterial community structure in soils were characterized using quantitative PCR in combination with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Atrazine degradation by the strain DAT1 and the strain's atrazine-metabolic potential and survival were not affected by addition of a medium level of nitrate, but these processes were inhibited by addition of a high level of nitrate. Microbial community structure changed in both inoculated and uninoculated microcosms, dependent on the level of added nitrate. Bioaugmentation with the strain DAT1 could be a very efficient biotechnology for bioremediation of soils with high concentrations of atrazine.     

江西山地森林资源的保护与合理开发

江西省是我国南方山地森林资源丰富的省份之一。本文详细分析了江西山地森林资源的现状和存在的问题,并就山地森林的保护和合理开发利用提出了6项综合治理措施。     

DEBRIS FLOW IN WEST DEVELOPMENT

ＴｈｅｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｒｅｇｉｏｎｓｏｆＣｈｉｎａ (ｏｒＷｅｓｔＣｈｉｎａ)ｉｎｃｌｕｄｅ 1 2 ｐｒｏｖｉｎｃｅｓ/ａｕｔｏｎｏｍｏｕｓｒｅ ｇｉｏｎｓ/ｍｕｎｉｃｉｐａｌｉｔｉｅｓ:Ｑｉｎｇｈａｉ,Ｇａｎｓｕ ,Ｓｈａａｎｘｉ,Ｓｉｃｈｕａｎ ,Ｙｕｎｎａｎ ,Ｇｕｉｚｈｏｕ ,Ｘｉｎｊｉａｎｇ ,Ｔｉ ｂｅｔ ,Ｎｉｎｇｘｉａ ,Ｇｕａｎｇｘｉ,ＩｎｎｅｒＭｏｎｇｏｌｉａａｎｄＣｈｏｎｇｑｉｎｇ .ＳｉｎｃｅｔｈｅＰｌｅｉｓｔｏｃｅｎｅｏｆｔｈｅＱｕａｔｅｒ ｎａｒｙＰｅｒｉｏｄ ,ｔｈｅｍｏｕｎｔａｉｎｓｉｎｔｈｅｗｅ…     

高层建筑火灾人员疏散和人员伤亡的模拟

基于建筑火灾全风网网络模型的基础上 ,结合紧急疏散模型 ,模拟火灾时期疏散时间和建筑物内人员滞留的情况 ,同时也可以模拟可能出现的伤亡情况 ,有助于高层建筑的疏散系统设计 ,为火灾的再现提供了一个有效的分析工具 ,也为高层建筑火灾的风险评价提供了理论数据     

降低企业库存风险问题研究

大多数企业都面临着库存风险问题 ,库存过多 ,造成积压 ,不仅占用大量资金和场地 ,加重企业的利息负担 ,而且长期存放会使物品陈旧过时 ,失去原有的价值和使用价值。如何降低库存风险 ,使库存经常处于合理水平 ,是每个企业都十分关心的问题。笔者分析了库存管理中存在的问题 ,提出需求预测和安全库存的确定 ,是降低库存风险的两个重要前提 ,同时讨论了安全库存的计算方法 ,以及降低库存风险的主要措施