Comparison of sequential with intimate coupling of photolysis and biodegradation for benzotriazole

Benzotriazole (BTA) is an emerging contaminant that also is a recalcitrant compound. Sequential and intimate coupling of UV-photolysis with biodegradation were investigated for their impacts on BTA removal and mineralization in aerobic batch experiments. Special attention was given to the role of its main photolytic products, which were aminophenol (AP), formic acid (FA), maleic acid (MA), and phenazine (PHZ). Experiments with sequential coupling showed that BTA biodegradation was accelerated by photolytic pretreatment up to 9 min, but BTA biodegradation was slowed with longer photolysis. FA and MA accelerated BTA biodegradation by being labile electron-donor substrates, but AP and PHZ slowed the rate because of inhibition due to their competition for intracellular electron donor. Because more AP and PHZ accumulated with increasing photolysis time, their inhibitory effects began to dominate with longer photolysis time. Intimately coupling photolysis with biodegradation relieved the inhibition effect, because AP and PHZ were quickly biodegraded and did not accumulate, which accentuated the beneficial effect of FA and MA.

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Evaluation of the thermal/optical reflectance method for quantification of elemental carbon in sediments

The IMPROVE thermal/optical reflectance (TOR) method, commonly used for EC quantification in atmospheric aerosols, is applied to soils and sediments and compared with a thermochemical method commonly applied to these non-atmospheric samples. TOR determines elemental carbon (EC) by an optical method, but it also yields thermally defined EC fractions in a 2% O2/98% He oxidizing atmosphere at 550 degrees C (EC1), 700 degrees C (EC2), and 800 degrees C (EC3). Replicate TOR TC, OC, and EC values exhibited precisions of approximately +/-10% as determined from multiple analyses of the same samples. EC abundances relative to total mass concentrations were within the ranges reported by other methods for diesel exhaust soot, n-hexane soot, wood and rice chars, and coals, as well as for environmental matrices. A direct comparison with the chemothermal (CTO) method of Gustafson et al. for ten soil and sediment samples demonstrated that almost all of the OC and EC1 are eliminated, as is part of the EC2. The CTO soot carbon is bounded by the EC3 and EC2+EC3 fractions of the IMPROVE TOR analysis. It might be possible to adjust these fractions to obtain better agreement between atmospheric aerosol and soil/sediment analysis methods. Given its linking the EC measurement in the atmosphere to sediments, the TOR method will not only provide useful information on the explanation and comparison between different environmental matrices, but also can be used to derive information on global cycling of EC.     

Copper uptake by four Elsholtzia ecotypes supplied with varying levels of copper in solution culture

The effects of copper (Cu) on the yield and Cu uptake of three ecotypes of Elsholtzia splendens and one of Elsholtzia argyi were studied using solution culture. Three Cu concentrations were compared: 0.31 (control), 50 and 100 micromol L(-1). Although E. argyi took up more Cu in the aboveground parts, typical visual symptoms of Cu toxicity appeared when the plants grew in 50 and 100 micromol Cu L(-1). In contrast, plants from all three populations of E. splendens showed high Cu tolerance and substantial shoot Cu accumulation of 58-144 mg kg(-1). Shoot Cu concentrations were about 16-27 times higher than root Cu concentrations. Root-to-shoot ratio of the E. argyi ecotype was halved when Cu was supplied at a level of 100 mg L(-1) compared to the control (0.31 mg L(-1)) but the ratio increased by 6-47% in the three E. splendens ecotypes. The increase in root-to-shoot ratio in E. splendens may be a mechanism by which the plants can tolerate high Cu concentrations. There were few differences in morphology among the three E. splendens ecotypes in response to added Cu. The results are discussed in relation to the possible use of E. splendens as a pioneer species in the phytostabilization of Cu-contaminated soils.     

Mobilization of heavy metals from contaminated paddy soil by EDDS,EDTA, and elemental sulfur

For enhanced phytoextraction, mobilization of heavy metals (HMs) from the soil solid phase to soil pore water is an important process. A pot incubation experiment mimicking field conditions was conducted to investigate the performance of three soil additives in mobilizing HMs from contaminated paddy soil (Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosol): the [S, S]-isomer of ethylenediamine disuccinate (EDDS) with application rates of 2.3, 4.3, and 11.8 mmol kg⁻¹ of soil, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA; 1.4, 3.8, and 7.5 mmol kg⁻¹), and elemental sulfur (100, 200, and 400 mmol kg⁻¹). Temporal changes in soil pore water HM and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and pH were monitored for a period of 119 days. EDDS was the most effective additive in mobilizing soil Cu. However, EDDS was only effective during the first 24 to 52 days, and was readily biodegraded with a half-life of 4.1 to 8.7 days. The effectiveness of EDDS decreased at the highest application rate, most probably as a result of depletion of the readily desorbable Cu pool in soil. EDTA increased the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in the soil pore water, and remained effective during the whole incubation period due to its persistence. The highest rate of sulfur application led to a decrease in pH to around 4. This increased the pore water HM concentrations, especially those of Zn and Cd. Concentrations of HMs in the soil pore water can be regulated to a large extent by choosing the proper application rate of EDDS, EDTA, or sulfur. Hence, a preliminary work such as our pot experiment in combination with further plant experiments (not included in this study) will provide a good tool to evaluate the applicability of different soil additives for enhanced phytoextraction of a specific soil.     

从一起典型的环保投诉案件看环境管理

从一起典型的环保投诉案例说起,运用全过程分析方法对建设项目的前期审批、环境监理、试生产、“三同时”验收,以及日常环境监督、检查等方面进行分析和讨论,剖析该案件在环境管理和监督中存在的问题,提出该投诉案件的处理建议,为今后环境管理部门在处理环保投诉案件和防止此类事情的进一步发生提供参考和借鉴。     

In situ construction of Z-scheme FeS2/Fe2O3 photocatalyst via structural transformation of pyrite for photocatalytic degradation of carbamazepine and the synergistic reduction of Cr(VI)

Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide semiconductor mineral with excellent optical properties. However, few reports have investigated its photocatalytic activity because of the low photogenerated carrier separation efficiency. In this work, a Z-scheme FeS₂/Fe₂O₃ composite photocatalyst was fabricated in situ via structural transformation of pyrite through heat treatment. A remarkably enhanced photocatalytic performance was observed over the FeS₂/Fe₂O₃ composite photocatalyst. Compared with the pristine pyrite, the degradation efficiency of carbamazepine (CBZ) reached 65% at the added hexavalent chromium (Cr(Ⅵ)) concentration of 20 mg/L and the Cr(Ⅵ) was nearly completely reduced in the mixed system using FeS₂/Fe₂O₃ within 30 min under simulated solar light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the efficient separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers in the FeS₂/Fe₂O₃ composite photocatalyst. This facilitated the generation of ?OH, hole (h⁺) and ?O₂^? species, which participated in the photocatalytic reaction with CBZ. Based on the measurement of the active species and electric properties, a Z-scheme electron transfer pathway was proposed for the FeS₂/Fe₂O₃ composite photocatalyst. This work broadens the application potential of pyrite in environmental remediation.     

我国典型秸秆露天燃烧黑碳的高时间分辨率排放特征及其排放清单

农作物秸秆燃烧是大气中黑碳(black carbon,BC)气溶胶的主要来源之一。目前农作物秸秆燃烧排放黑碳的研究主要集中在通过离线样品分析获得的BC排放特征,缺少实时在线排放特征的研究。本研究收集了我国具有代表性的4种农作物秸秆(小麦秸秆、水稻秸秆、玉米秸秆和大豆秸秆),通过在实验室燃烧平台模拟农作物秸秆露天燃烧的过程,利用黑碳仪获得农作物秸秆燃烧过程中BC的实时浓度排放变化;利用质量重建,获得BC在线排放因子。结果表明:农作物秸秆在明燃过程中BC的排放因子较为稳定。通过平均排放因子的计算,获得小麦秸秆、水稻秸秆、玉米秸秆和大豆秸秆的BC排放因子分别为(0.32±0.05) g?kg~(-1)、(0.31±0.13) g?kg~(-1)、(0.31±0.09) g?kg~(-1)和(0.44±0.01) g?kg~(-1)。在排放因子的基础上,结合我国农作物秸秆露天燃烧量,最终建立了2015年我国省级(不含港澳台地区)典型农作物秸秆燃烧的BC排放清单。     

Occurrence and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in the sediments of the East China Sea bays

The coastal area of the East China Sea has experienced rapid urbanization and industrialization in China since 1980 s, resulting in severe pollution of its environments.Antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) are regarded as a kind of emerging pollutant with potential high risk. The sediment samples were collected from Hangzhou Bay(HB),Xiangshan Bay(XB), and Taizhou Bay(TB) to investigate the spatial occurrence and distribution of 27 ARGs and class I integron–integrase gene(intI1) in the coastal area of the East China Sea. The PCR results showed the frequent presence of 11 ARGs and intI1 in the sediments of the three bays. The qPCR results further showed that sulfonamide resistance was the most prevalent ARG type and antibiotic target replacement and protection were the most important resistance mechanisms in the sediments. Regarding the subtype of ARGs, sulI, tetW, and dfrA13 were the most abundant ARGs, in which sulI was higher in TB(based on both the absolute and relative abundances) and dfrA13 was higher in HB(based on the relative abundances). The network analysis revealed that intI1 had significant correlations with tetC, sulI, sulII, and blaPSE-1. Oil was the key connected factor, which had positive connections with sulI, sulII, and blaPSE-1. In addition, the joint effect of heavy metals and nutrients organic pollutants might be crucial for the fate of ARGs in the coastal sediments.     

基于BP神经网络的矿井火灾安全评价方法

在对国内煤矿调研的基础上,建立了包括内因火灾、外因火灾、管理和救灾3个子系统的评价指标体系;通过模糊层次法,求解了各指标权重;结 合目前比较成熟的BP神经网络方法,研究了一种新的矿井火灾安全评价方法,并编制了界面友好的软件,在矿井实际应用中取得较为满意的评价结果.     

降低天然气压缩机组单位能耗的研究

文章以探索提某站4台伴生气天然气压缩机组运行时效作为研究目的,针对压缩机组运行过程中出现的机组排量低、运行参数偏离设计值等问题开展研究,采取调整余隙和增大动力缸上止点时燃烧室容积等措施,实现机组提高处理量、降低单位能耗的目的,在为企业节省生产运行成本的同时,实现节能减排。