Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.     

全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)替代品对中华蜜蜂的毒性

选用中国蜂种中华蜜蜂工蜂作为受试生物,建立其环境危害评价毒性测试方法,用所建立的方法对全氟辛烷磺酸盐(PFOS)替代品进行了接触急性毒性及经口急性毒性风险评价,并比较了"小烧杯法"和"饲喂管法"两种经口毒性方法的优缺点及对毒性结果的影响。研究结果表明,"小烧杯法"实验中C4织物三防整理剂对中华蜜蜂的24h-LC50为1435mg·L~(-1),48h-LC_(50)为284.67mg·L~(-1);其余替代品在限度实验均未出现蜜蜂死亡,4种PFOS替代品对中华蜜蜂的接触毒性及经口毒性均为低毒,但"小烧杯法"测得的经口毒性结果比"饲喂管法"高。     

金属污染物对神经系统损害及毒性机制研究进展

神经系统与生物体其他系统联系密切,共同维持机体正常的结构和功能。环境中的金属污染物可通过多种途径进入生物体,干扰幼年或成年动物神经系统的发育和功能,其损害机制是目前研究的热点。本文系统地总结了汞、铅和铝等金属污染物对神经系统的损害作用,着重在细胞、分子和基因水平上阐述了金属对神经系统的毒性机制,在此基础上分析了当前研究的不足之处和发展趋势,并对今后的研究方向进行了展望。     

Community structure and biotic integrity of aquatic plants along the North Canal in Beijing北大核心CSCD

Aquatic plants along the North Canal in Beijing were studied to identify the community structure of aquatic plants and vegetation index of biotic integrity (VIBI), and to provide scientific basis for the management and protection of urban rivers. Aquatic plants from 49 sampling sites along the North Canal were investigated during June 2015. Based on the field data, distributing range analysis, discriminatory power analysis, and correlation analysis were used stepwise to select core metrics from candidate metrics to establish the VIBI assessment system. The VIBI value of each sampling site was calculated as the average of the scaled values of all core metrics. Thirty-six aquatic plant species, including 14 hygrophytes, 13 emergent species, 6 submergent species, 2 floating-leaved species, and 1 floating species were collected. Species diversity was low in the North Canal, and no aquatic plants were recorded in 28 sampling sites, of which 9 sampling sites were dried up. Five sites were in excellent condition (VIBI > 0.60), 5 were good (0.60 > VIBI > 0.38), 7 were fair (0.38 > VIBI > 0.23), and 4 were poor (VIBI < 0.23). Based on the distribution of VIBI, Shahe River and Wenyu River upstream, and Fenghe River located in suburbs had a higher VIBI. Downstream tributaries, such as Qinghe River, Bahe River, and Liangshui River, had a lower VIBI. Correlation analysis showed that habitat quality, habitat complexity, and vegetation diversity along riparian zones were the important factors affecting VIBI along the North Canal, Beijing. Aquatic plants along the North Canal showed low species diversity owing to human disturbance. VIBI along tributaries with limited disturbance from human activities was higher; however, VIBI along tributaries disturbed by frequent human activities was lower. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Effects of two different intercropping systems on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dissipation北大核心CSCD

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are typical organic contaminants in the environment. It is indicated that plants and soil microorganisms have a positive synergistic effect on the remediation of PCB-contaminated soil. To investigate the effect of intercropping on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal colonization and PCB remediation, a pot-cultivation experiment with two intercropping treatments, corn (Zea mays L.) / ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and corn/alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and a corn monoculture was conducted in a greenhouse. All treatments were inoculated with Funneliformis mosseae M47V. Plant biomass, root mycorrhizal colonization rate, concentration of PCBs and their homologs in soil, 16S rDNA gene abundance, and community composition measured by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP) were determined after harvesting the plants. Intercropping significantly increased the root mycorrhizal colonization rate and plant biomass of corn (P < 0.05), as well as the available N content of the soil. A significant difference of the bacterial community composition was found among different treatments (P < 0.05). Compared with corn monoculture, corn/alfalfa intercropping significantly increased soil bacteria abundance (P < 0.05). The dissipation rates of total PCBs, as well as that of penta-chloro biphenyls were significantly increased in the intercropping treatments, when compared to the corn monoculture treatment. Moreover, corn/ryegrass intercropping has a significantly positive effect on the dissipation of tri-chloro biphenyls. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis indicated that the PCBs homologues composition were significantly correlated with the relative abundance of 128 bp and 148 bp T-RFs. Corn intercropping with ryegrass or alfalfa has a positive effect on root mycorrhizal colonization rate and plant biomass of corn. Inoculation of AM fungi in intercropping treatments significantly improved the efficiency of PCB remediation by promoting bacterial abundance and shifting the bacterial community composition. In conclusion, intercropping combined with AM fungi have positive synergistic effects on the remediation of PCB-contaminated soils. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Assessment of heavy metal pollution and health risks in a main river in Huayuan County,Xiangxi, Hunan Province北大核心CSCD

To study heavy metal pollution and assess the health risk of river water in Huayuan County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province, 11 water samples were collected from the Huayuan River and Brother Rivers in August and December 2016. Heavy metal (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) concentrations were determined from the samples. The health risk assessment model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was applied to assess the health risk of heavy metals in the main surface waters of Huayuan County. The results indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, Fe, and Ni) of surface water in the research area were 2.57 × 10-3, 4.66 × 10-4, 1.65 × 10-3, 6.27 × 10-4, 0.19, and 8.50 × 10-4 mg/L, respectively. The health risk of surface waters with heavy metals was high. Therefore, the chemical carcinogenic substance (Cr) health risk index was five or six times higher than that of chemical non-carcinogens (Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni). The average health risk indices of non-carcinogenic substances were in the order Pb > Cu > Zn > Ni. The correlation and principal component analysis of surface water showed that the six heavy metal elements were composed of three main components in the main surface waters of the county. The first principal component was comprised of Fe and Ni (33.28%), which was mainly from internal pollution. The second component was comprised of Cu and Cr (26.98%), which was primarily due to industrial waste water, rainwater leaching mineral waste produced by heavy metal mining, and smelting enterprises. The third component, resulting from geochemical pollution, was Zn (17.10%). The health risk indices triggered by heavy metal in surface waters was high. Heavy metal pollutants in the research area need to be controlled in the order Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

百草枯急性暴露对肝细胞L-O2的毒理研究

百草枯(paraquat,PQ)是目前农业生产上使用较为广泛的除草剂,PQ毒性极大,能造成人和动物多器官损伤。因肝脏是主要的受损器官之一,故以肝细胞L-O2为研究对象,探讨PQ急性暴露对肝细胞产生的毒理影响。结果显示在40!640μmol·L~(-1)暴露浓度下作用24 h,PQ显著抑制肝细胞L-O2的增殖活性(P0.01),半抑制浓度(IC50)为263.2μmol·L~(-1)。将肝细胞L-O2暴露于不同浓度的PQ(60、120、180和250μmol·L~(-1)),作用24 h后,与对照组相比,PQ暴露组的活性氧(ROS)累积和细胞凋亡率都表现出明显的浓度依赖性升高(P0.01; P0.05),细胞周期阻滞在S期。Western blot结果显示,除60μmol·L~(-1)外的其他暴露组中活化的胱天蛋白酶9(caspase-9)表达显著上调,Bax和Bcl-2的比值显著增大,提示细胞凋亡机制可能与内源性线粒体通路的激活有关。此外,碳酸酐酶9(CA9) mRNA表达显著升高,提示PQ暴露下可能引起酸性代谢产物出现,对细胞产生酸毒害,但其内在的机制还需进一步研究。     

Acoustic detection technology for gas pipeline leakage

Gas leakage from pipeline leads to significant environmental damages and industrial hazards, so small leakage detection for gas pipeline is essential to avoid these serious leakages. However, because of the high frequency component of leakage signal attenuates quickly, traditional detection method which inspects pressure or vibration signal has problem to get effective information from leakage signal. So, a novel detection method based on acoustic wave is proposed. This paper, firstly, researches on the phonation principle of pipeline leakage and the characteristic of sound source, and simulates the leakage acoustic field on the basis of aero acoustics. Secondly, using Wavelet Packet Transform method and Fuzzy Support Vector Machine pattern classification, the laboratory testing for identifying acoustic signal of gas pipeline leakage is presented. Finally, the field application demonstrates that the detection system could identify small gas leakage effectively and avoids false-alarms which caused by running conditions with a good prospect.     

Impact of work boots and load carriage on the gait of oil rig workers

Effects of work boots and load carriage (6.4?kg and 12.8?kg) on gait pattern were investigated. The protective work boots were examined by comparison with running shoes through human performance tests with 15 male participants. The loads were carried symmetrically and asymmetrically on the shoulder and hand. Statistical data analysis showed a prolonged stance phase and decreased double support for work boots. A significantly increased ground reaction force was found in work boot conditions as the weight of loads increases. This study demonstrates that inflexible and heavy work boots restrict foot movement and require greater torque at the ankle to propel the body forward, which may increase physical strain and the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Development of improved fixation methods for work boots, increased use of flexible protective layers and further study of anthropometry of human foot morphology for improved safety and work efficiency of industry workers are suggested.