我国填埋场改造及发展方向的探讨

对我国部分生活垃圾填埋场和室内填埋设施的填埋气组分进行了现场测试和分析,结果表明,厌氧填埋场的CH₄含量高,半好氧填埋场CH₄含量很低。并针对我国填埋场的现状提出了如果打算利用填埋气进行发电,填埋构造可以作成厌氧填埋,否则,填埋场应以安全性为 主,应建造成半好氧结构。      

Research on leachate recirculation from different types of landfills

Landfills can produce a great amount of leachate containing highly concentrated organic matter. This is especially true for the initial leachate from landfilled municipal solid wastes (MSW) that generally has concentrations of COD(Cr) and BOD(5) up to 80,000 and 50,000mg/L, respectively. The leachate could be disposed by means of recirculating technique, which decomposes the organics through the action of proliferating microorganisms and thereby purifies the leachate, and simultaneously accelerates organic decomposition through water saturation control. Data from experimental results indicated that leachate recirculating could reduce the organic concentration considerably, with a maximum reduction rate of COD(Cr) over 95%; and, using a semi-aerobic process, NH(3)-N concentration of treated leachate could be under 10mg/L. In addition, the organic concentration in MSW decreased greatly.     

Assays of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in actually contaminated soils using transgenic tobacco plants carrying a recombinant mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated β-glucuronidase reporter gene expression system

The transgenic tobacco plant XD4V-26 carrying the recombinant mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor XD4V-mediated β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene expression system was used for assay of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds consisting of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) in actually contaminated soils. The transgenic tobacco plant XD4V-26 showed a significant dose-dependent induced GUS activity when cultured on MS medium containing PCB126 [toxic equivalency factor (TEF) = 0.1]. In contrast, PCB169 and PCB180, which have 0.03 of TEF and unassigned TEF values, respectively, did not significantly induce GUS activity under the same conditions as with PCB126. When the tobacco plants were cultivated for up to 5 weeks on actually contaminated soils with dioxins and dioxin-like compounds collected from the periphery of an incinerator used for disposal of life and industrial wastes, GUS activity in the leaves was dose-dependently increased. The plants clearly detected 360 pg-TEQ g(-1) of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in this assay. There was a positive correlation between GUS activity and TEQ value of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in the plants. This assay does not require any extraction and purification processes for the actually contaminated soil samples.     

Assays of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in actually contaminated soils using transgenic tobacco plants carrying a recombinant mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated β-glucuronidase reporter gene expression system

The transgenic tobacco plant XD4V-26 carrying the recombinant mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor XD4V-mediated β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene expression system was used for assay of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds consisting of polychlorinated dibenzeno-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (Co-PCBs) in actually contaminated soils. The transgenic tobacco plant XD4V-26 showed a significant dose-dependent induced GUS activity when cultured on MS medium containing PCB126 [toxic equivalency factor (TEF) = 0.1]. In contrast, PCB169 and PCB180, which have 0.03 of TEF and unassigned TEF values, respectively, did not significantly induce GUS activity under the same conditions as with PCB126. When the tobacco plants were cultivated for up to 5 weeks on actually contaminated soils with dioxins and dioxin-like compounds collected from the periphery of an incinerator used for disposal of residential and industrial wastes, GUS activity in the leaves was dose-dependently increased. The plants clearly detected 360 pg-TEQ g^?1 of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in this assay. There was a positive correlation between GUS activity and TEQ value of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in the plants. This assay does not require any extraction and purification processes for the actually contaminated soil samples.     

Fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in two contrastive fringing zones of coastal lagoon, Lake Nakaumi, Japan

We measured fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) simultaneously in two typical fringing zones, sandy shore and salt marsh, of coastal lagoon, Lake Nakaumi, Japan, in mid-summer 2003. Our aim was to quantify net the greenhouse gases (GHGs) fluxes and examine key factors, which control variation of the GHGs fluxes in the two sites. Net CO(2) and CH(4) fluxes were markedly different between the two sites; magnitudes and variations of the both fluxes in sandy shore were lower than those of salt marsh. Meanwhile, magnitude and variation of net N(2)O flux in the two sites were similar. In sandy shore, temporal and spatial variation of the three GHGs fluxes were highly controlled by water level fluctuation derived from astronomic tide. In salt marsh, spatial variation of the three GHGs fluxes were correlated with aboveground biomass, and temporal variation of CO(2) and CH(4) fluxes were correlated with soil temperature. The sum of global warming potential, which was roughly estimated using the observed GHGs fluxes, was ca. 174-fold higher in salt marsh than in sandy shore.     

Control of metal toxicity, effluent COD and regeneration of gel beads by immobilized sulfate-reducing bacteria

Over the last few decades, the use of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the treatment of heavy-metal containing wastewaters including acid mine drainage has become a topic of scientific and commercial interest. However, technical difficulties such as the sensitivity of SRB to toxic metals and high effluent COD limit the widespread use of SRB in high heavy-metal containing wastewater. The aim of this study was to clarify the reasons why the immobilized SRB sludge with inner cohesive carbon source (ISIS) process can endure high metal toxicity and decrease effluent COD. The ISIS process can physically set apart SRB and free the system of external influences such as the surrounding toxic metallic ions, as well as form inner carbon sources to avoid high effluent COD. Metal toxicity and bead durability are the two major factors which influence the regeneration and reuse of gel beads. Reuse of suspended SRB sludge and beads crosslinked with boric acid were unsuccessful due to metal toxicity and agglomeration of beads, respectively. However, beads crosslinked with ammonium sulfate prevented agglomeration of beads allowing successful bead regeneration and reuse. The result of four cyclic trials showed that over 99% of zinc was removed in each trial using these beads.     

Sensitive voltammetric and amperometric responses of respiratory toxins at hemin-adsorbed carbon-felt

A hemin [iron-Fe(III) protoporphyrin IX chloride] was adsorbed onto a carbon-felt (CF), which is a microelectrode ensemble of micro carbon fiber (ca. 7 μm diameter). The resulting hemin-adsorbed-CF (hemin-CF) showed a well-defined redox wave based on the hemin-Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox process with the formal potential of -0.225 V vs. Ag/AgCl in deoxygenated phosphate/citrate buffer solution (0.1 mol/L, pH 5.0). The apparent heterogenous electron transfer rate constant was estimated to be 8.6 sec^-1. In air-saturated electrolyte solution, the hemin-CF exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of dioxygen (O₂). This activity was reversibly inhibited by respiratory toxins such as cyanide and azide, which bind sixth coordination position of iron active center of hemin. The electrocatalytic O₂ reduction current at the hemin-CF was modulated by the toxins in a concentration-depending manner. Based on the relationship between the inhibition and the toxin concentration, apparent inhibition constants of cyanide and azide were evaluated to be 4.52 and 1.98 μmol/L, respectively. When the hemin-CF was used as a working electrode unit of the CF-based electrochemical flow-through detector with air-saturated carrier, the injection of the azide induced peak-shape current responses, which allowed rapid and continuous flow-amperometric determination of azide with high sensitivity.     

Nematomorph parasites drive energy flow through a riparian ecosystem

Parasites are ubiquitous in natural systems and ecosystem-level effects should be proportional to the amount of biomass or energy flow altered by the parasites. Here we quantified the extent to which a manipulative parasite altered the flow of energy through a forest-stream ecosystem. In a Japanese headwater stream, camel crickets and grasshoppers (Orthoptera) were 20 times more likely to enter a stream if infected by a nematomorph parasite (Gordionus spp.), corroborating evidence that nematomorphs manipulate their hosts to seek water where the parasites emerge as free-living adults. Endangered Japanese trout (Salvelinus leucomaenis japonicus) readily ate these infected orthopterans, which due to their abundance, accounted for 60% of the annual energy intake of the trout population. Trout grew fastest in the fall, when nematomorphs were driving energy-rich orthopterans into the stream. When infected orthopterans were available, trout did not eat benthic invertebrates in proportion to their abundance, leading to the potential for cascading, indirect effects through the forest-stream ecosystem. These results provide the first quantitative evidence that a manipulative parasite can dramatically alter the flow of energy through and across ecosystems.     

A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach to adaptation to regional climate change: a case study of Okutama-machi,Tokyo, Japan

Recently, local governments have an increasing need to take extensive and effective local measures to adapt to regional climate change, but have difficulty knowing how and when to adapt to such change. This study aims: 1) to characterize an efficient and cost-effective database management tool (DMT) for developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) based approach to using observed and projected data, for decision-making by non-expert government authorities, and 2) to document how DMT can be used to provide specialized yet understandable climate change information to assist local decision-makers in clarifying regional priorities within a wide array of adaptation options. The DMT combines climate change mapping, statistical GIS, and a vulnerability assessment. Okutama-machi, a 225.63 km² sparsely populated mountainous region (2012 population 5,856) northwest of Tokyo, Japan, was chosen for this pilot study. In this paper, the most recent regional climate projections (5 km resolution) are transcribed into an understandable form for use by non-expert citizens who use the GIS-based DMT. Results illustrate qualitative agreement in projection of summer daily mean temperatures; the mean temperature increase at Okutama-machi is the greatest of any area in Tokyo. In comparing near future and future conditions, August monthly mean temperature will increase more than 0.7–0.9 °C and 2.8–2.9 °C, and monthly precipitation by 50 % and 25–41 %, respectively. However, the root mean square (RMS) errors and bias of percentage change for monthly precipitation in summertime are 26.8 % and 4.3 %, respectively. These data provide an early warning and have implications for local climate policy response.     

Assays of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in actually contaminated soils using transgenic tobacco plants carrying a recombinant mouse aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated β-glucuronidase reporter gene expression system

This article has been retracted.