Quantifying interactions between propranolol and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from different sources using fluorescence spectroscopy

Beta blockers are widely used pharmaceuticals that have been detected in the environment. Interactions between beta blockers and dissolved organic matter (DOM) may mutually alter their environmental behaviors. To assess this potential, propranolol (PRO) was used as a model beta blocker to quantify the complexation with DOM from different sources using the fluorescence quenching titration method. The sources of studied DOM samples were identified by excitation–emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) combined with fluorescence regional integration analysis. The results show that PRO intrinsic fluorescence was statically quenched by DOM addition. The resulting binding constants (log K _oc) ranged from 3.90 to 5.20, with the surface-water-filtered DOM samples claiming the lower log K _oc and HA having the highest log K _oc. Log K _oc is negatively correlated with the fluorescence index, biological index, and the percent fluorescence response (P _i,n) of protein-like region (P _I,n) and the P _i,n of microbial byproduct-like region (P _II,n) of DOM EEMs, while it is correlated positively with humification index and the P _i,n of UVC humic-like region (P _III,n). These results indicate that DOM samples from allochthonous materials rich in aromatic and humic-like components would strongly bind PRO in aquatic systems, and autochthonous DOM containing high protein-like components would bind PRO more weakly.     

玉米秸秆活性炭的制备及其吸附动力学研究

以玉米秸秆为原材料,采用ZnCl2活化法制备玉米秸秆活性炭,吸附次甲基蓝染料废水,进行动力学分析。本实验用Langmuir和Freundlich模型对吸附等温线进行拟合,结果表明,玉米秸秆活性炭对次甲基蓝的吸附与Langmuir方程拟合良好,R2=0.9857。采用Lagergren准一级速率模型、Lagergren准二级速率模型、Bangham动力学方程和Elovich动力学方程分别对秸秆活性炭吸附次甲基蓝溶液进行吸附动力学拟合,通过分析得出吸附过程与Lagergren准二级速率模型拟合最好,R2=0.9979。秸秆活性炭对次甲基蓝的最大吸附量达到909.09 mg/g,具有很高的吸附能力。     

2008年江苏持续性降雪中的水汽和动力抬升机制分析

2008年1月下旬江苏省出现了历史罕见的持续性暴雪过程,研究发现,降雪量的大小与低空急流的日变化相对应,暴雪过程中700 hPa西南急流对水汽的输送起着重要的作用,作为大尺度天气系统,700 hPa急流的加速发生在降雪量增大之前,其值阈大小与6 h降雪量之间没有对应关系,急流减弱在暴雪结束以后;降雪的发生和发展与南北风的增大和冷暖平流有关,低层偏北风作为冷垫对暖湿气流的抬升和水汽的凝结起到了一定的作用;江苏降雪过程中水汽主要来源于700～500 hPa,低层东风气流对黄海南部的水汽输送非常有限;强降雪的发生与700 hPa水汽通量散度相对应,水汽通量散度辐合增大,降雪量增大;在降雪过程中垂直运动对降雪量的大小有很好的指示意义。     

Estimation of the environmental risk posed by landfills using chemical, microbiological and ecotoxicological testing of leachates

The leachates from 22 municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites in Southern Poland were characterized by evaluation of chemical, microbiological and ecotoxicological parameters. Chemical analyses were mainly focused on the identification of the priority hazardous substances according to Directive on Priority Substances, 2008/105/EC (a daughter directive of the WFD) in leachates. As showed, only five substances (Cd, Hg, hexachlorobutadiene, pentachlorobenzene and PAHs) were detected in the leachates. The compounds tested were absent or present at very low concentrations. Among them, only PAHs were found in all samples in the range from 0.057 to 77.2 μg L⁻¹. The leachates were contaminated with bacteria, including aerobic, psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria, coliform and fecal coliforms, and spore-forming-bacteria, including Clostridium perfringens, and with filamentous fungi. From the analysis of specific microorganism groups (indicators of environmental pollution by pathogenic or opportunistic pathogenic organisms) it can be concluded that the landfill leachates showed sanitary and epidemiological hazard. In the ecotoxicological study, a battery of tests comprised of 5 bioassays, i.e. Microtox®, Spirotox, Rotoxkit F™, Thamnotoxkit F™ and Daphtoxkit F™ magna was applied. The leachate samples were classified as toxic in 13.6%, highly toxic in 54.6% and very highly toxic in 31.8%. The Spirotox test was the most sensitive bioassay used. The percentage of class weight score was very high - above 60%; these samples could definitely be considered seriously hazardous and acutely toxic to the fauna and microflora.No correlations were found between the toxicity values and chemical parameters. The toxicity of leachate samples cannot be explained by low levels of the priority pollutants. It seems that other kinds of xenobiotics present in the samples at subacute levels gave the high aggregate toxic effect.The chemical, ecotoxicological and microbiological parameters of the landfill leachates should be analyzed together to assess the environmental risk posed by landfill emissions.     

Sequestration of organochlorine pesticides in soils of distinct organic carbon content

In the present study, five soil samples with organic carbon contents ranging from 0.23% to 7.1% and aged with technical dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) for 15 months were incubated in a sealed chamber to investigate the dynamic changes of the OCP residues. The residues in the soils decreased over the incubation period and finally reached a plateau. Regression analysis showed that degradable fractions of OCPs were negatively correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC) except for α-HCH, while no correlation was found between degradation rate and SOC, which demonstrated that SOC content determines the OCP sequestration fraction in soil. Analysis of the ratio of DDT and its primary metabolites showed that, since it depends on differential sequestration among them, magnitude of (p,p′-DDE + p,p′-DDD)/p,p′-DDT is not a reliable criterion for the identification of new DDT sources.     

Quantifying air pollution attenuation within urban parks: an experimental approach in Shanghai, China

Parks with various types of vegetations played an important role in ameliorating air quality in urban areas. However, the attenuation effect of urban vegetation on levels of air pollution was rarely been experimentally estimated. This study, using seasonal monitoring data of total suspended particles (TSP), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) from six parks in Pudong District, Shanghai, China, demonstrated vegetations in parks can remove large amount of airborne pollutants. In addition, crown volume coverage (CVC) was introduced to characterize vegetation conditions in parks and a mixed-effects model indicated that CVC and the pollution diffusion distance were key predictors influencing pollutants removal rate. Therefore, it could be estimated by regression analysis that in summer, urban vegetations in Pudong District could contribute to 9.1% of TSP removal, 5.3% of SO(2) and 2.6% of NO(2). The results could be considered for a better park planning and improving air quality.     

Mercury distribution in seawater discharged from a coal-fired power plant equipped with a seawater flue gas desulfurization system

Background and purpose  

More and more coal-fired power plants equipped with seawater flue gas desulfurization systems have been built in coastal areas. They release large amount of mercury (Hg)-containing waste seawater into the adjacent seas. However, very limited impact studies have been carried out. Our research targeted the distribution of Hg in the seawater, sediment, biota, and atmosphere, and its environmental transportation.     

Distribution characteristics of organochlorine pesticides in surface and vertical sediments from the Zha Long Wetland, China

Introduction

The Zha Long Wetland, the first water bird conservation area in China, lies on the northern bank of the Song Nen Plain with an area of 2,100 km². In many areas of the Zha Long Wetland, water pollution has led to a decrease in the wetland??s ecological function, vegetation degradation, a decrease in the number of bird species, and the depletion of fish resources.

Materials and methods

The sediments used in this study were collected from the surface sediment of seven sites and from different depths in three types of marshes in the Zha Long Wetland in northeast China in late October 2006. The levels and distribution patterns of 17 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs; ??-HCH, ??-HCH, ??-HCH, ??-HCH, p,p??-DDE, p,p??-DDD, p,p??-DDT, endosulfan I, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulfate, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, and methoxychlor) in surface sediments as well as hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) in vertical sediments were investigated.

Results and discussion

The concentrations of HCHs, DDTs, endosulfans, heptachlors, aldrin, and methoxychlor in surface sediments ranged from 10.44 to 41.97 ng/g, nd (undetectable levels) to 211.88 ng/g, nd to 69.89 ng/g, nd to 28.10 ng/g, 9.81 to 623.83 ng/g, and from nd to 3.99 ng/g, respectively. The highest levels of OCPs were detected in Tangtugangzi at a total concentration of 727.72 ng/g, where the dominant compound was endrin at a concentration of 483.04 ng/g. In the vertical sediments, the HCHs and DDTs were in the ranges of nd?C136.00 and nd?C214.06 ng/g, respectively.

Conclusions

Different distributions of HCHs, DDTs, and other OCPs indicated that they originated from different contamination sources. Composition analyses in surface sediments indicated recent OCP usage or discharge at some sample sites in the Zha Long Wetland.     

嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌对镉的吸附

利用从重金属镉污染地分离并纯化得到的1株嗜麦芽窄食单胞菌(Stenotrophomonas maltophilia)作为吸附剂,考察了镉初始浓度、菌浓度、吸附时间、温度及pH对镉吸附效果的影响.结果表明,在镉初始质量浓度为1.0 mg/L、30℃、pH为6～7条件下,菌质量浓度为2.0 g/L时,吸附120 min对镉...