The relevance of James Lovelock’s research and philosophy to environmental science and academia

James E. Lovelock, famed for his Gaia hypothesis, which views the Earth as a living integrated and interconnected self-regulating system whose equilibrium comes about from complex energy-based interactions and feedback loops, ultimately sustaining life, passed away at the end of July, 2022 at the age of 103. Not only are the adaptive mechanisms of Gaia central to the conversation of environmental homeostasis, they lie at the heart of climate change and global warming. Lovelock is also remembered as the co-inventor of the electron capture detector that eventually allowed for the sensitive detection of chlorofluorocarbons and pesticides. Finally, Lovelock’s free-spirited nature and research independence allow academia to rethink current research’s modus operandi.     

入太湖河道大型底栖动物群落结构及水质生物学评价

于2020年9月在太滆运河、漕桥河、徐家大塘和竺山湾布设14个监测点位,调查入太湖河道底栖动物群落结构,并采用Goodnight修正指数（GBI）、生物学污染指数（BPI）和多样性指数（H）进行水质生物学评价。结果表明,研究区域共检出底栖动物6纲18种,霍甫水丝蚓（Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri）和中国长足摇蚊（Tanypus chinensis）为优势种,生物多样性由高到低为竺山湾（H=1.20）＞徐家大塘（H=1.09）＞太滆运河（H=0.67）＞漕桥河（H=0.33）。典范对应分析显示,总氮、正磷酸盐等因子与寡毛类生物量呈正相关,叶绿素a、IMn与摇蚊幼虫生物量呈正相关。生物学评价表明,太滆运河处于中重度污染状态,漕桥河、徐家大塘和竺山湾处于中度污染状态。     

Volatilization of heavy metals during incineration of municipal solid wastes

Incineration experiments with MSW, which had been impregnated with heavy metals, were presented to obtain information on the volatilization behavior of the elements cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) under different conditions. Experiments were carried out in a bubbling fluid bed system connected to a customized inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES) for analyzing metals in the flue gas. The results indicated that the combustion temperature, the gas atmosphere, and the chlorine content in the flue gas could affect the volatilization behavior of heavy metals. In the fluidized bed combustion, a large surface area was provided by the bed sand particles, and they may act as absorbents for the gaseous ash-forming compound. Comparer with the metals Cd and Pb, the vaporization of Zn was low. The formation of stable compounds such as ZnO.Al2O3 could greatly decrease the metals volatilization. The presence of chlorine would enhance the volatilization of heavy metals by increasing the formation of metal chlorides. However, when the oxygen content was high, the chlorinating reaction was kinetically hindered, which heavy metals release would be delayed.     

Cadmium uptake by different rice genotypes that produce white or dark grains

IntroductionCadmium(Cd)isanon essentialtracemetalthathasadverseeffectsonplants,animalsandhumans.EnvironmentalcontaminationwithCdduetoanthropogenicactivities,suchasmining,industry,agricultureandwastedisposalhasbeenincreasingsincethebeginningofthe 2 0thcentury (Alloway,1995) .ResearchoncontrollingCdpollutionassociatedwithassessingandmanagingacuteinjurytohumanhealththroughoccupationalexposureanddisposalofCdfromindustrialpointsourcestolocalpopulationsthroughseveralpathwayshasmadeconsiderableadva…     

Aerobic dechlorination of cis- and trans-dichloroethenes by some indigenous bacteria isolated from contaminated sites in Africa

IntroductionChlorinatedethenesareamongthemostcommoncontaminantsobservedingroundwatersystems (Bouwer,1994;McCarty,1994) .Thesecompoundsvaryinnumberofchlorinesubstituents,fromthemostchlorinated,terachloroethene (PCE ) ,tothemonochlorinatedvinylchloride (VC …     

Neutron activation analysis of ceramic tiles and its component and radon exhalation rate

IntroductionCeramic,consistofearthymaterialslikeclaykaolin ,limestoneandsandglass .Ceramicmaterialsarenonmetalic ,inorganiccompoundsprimaryoxides ,alsocarbides ,nitridesandsilicides .Twotypesofbondingmechanismsoccurinceramicmaterial ,ionicandcovalent.Theo…     

Biodegradation of mixture of VOC's in a biofilter

Volatile organic compounds(VOC‘s) in air have become major concern in recent years. Biodegradation of a mixture of ethanol and methanol vapor was evaluated in a laboratory biofilter with a bed of compost and polystyrene particles using an acclimated mixed culture. The continuous performance of the biofilter was studied with different proportion of ethanol and methanol at different initial concentration and flow rates. The result showed significant removal for both ethanol and methanol, which were composition dependent.The presence of either compound in the mixture inhibited the biodegradation of the other.     

Preparation and catalytic properties of ZrO2-Al2O3 composite oxide supported nickel catalysts for methane reforming with carbon dioxide

ZrO2-Al2O3 composite oxides and supported Ni catalysts were prepared, and characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The catalytic performance and carbon deposition was also investigated. This mesoporous composite oxide is shown to be a promising catalyst support. An increase in the catalytic activity and stability of methane and carbon dioxide reforming reaction was resulted from the zirconia addition, especially at 5wt% ZrO2 content. The Ni catalyst supported ZrO2-Al2O3 has a strong resistance to sintering and the carbon deposition in a relatively long-term reaction.     

三江平原淡水湿地生态系统景观格局特征研究——以洪河湿地自然保护区为例

对我国所剩为数不多的淡水湿地植物生态系统原生景观结构特征进行定量分析对于湿地保护与恢复具有重要意义。论文以多年期遥感影像提取洪河国家级湿地自然保护区植物分类信息,在GIS支持下,进行了群落、植被型和景观带3个尺度的景观格局分析。结果表明,草甸灌丛景观是研究区的基质性景观,草甸和沼泽湿地共同占据了研究区植被型的核心地位,小叶章-苔草群落则是植物优势群落。植物生态系统空间格局特征表现为:草甸灌丛分布在广阔的河间干湿交替地带,沼泽湿地主要成条带延伸于河道与洼地带,岛状林则出现在地势较高的岗地段,呈断块分布。研究区典型沼泽湿地面积7年间缩小约10%,周边人类活动造成水资源缺失是退化主要驱动因素,应尽早实行以流域为管理单元的自然资源管理体制。     

Hydrochar and synthetic natural gas co-production for a full circular economy implementation via hydrothermal carbonization and methanation:An economic approach

Herein we study the economic performance of hydrochar and synthetic natural gas coproduction from olive tree pruning. The process entails a combination of hydrothermal carbonization and methanation. In a previous work, we evidenced that standalone hydrochar production via HTC results unprofitable. Hence, we propose a step forward on the process design by implementing a methanation, adding value to the gas effluent in an attempt to boost the overall process techno-economic aspects. Three differen...