Source identification, contamination status and health risk assessment of heavy metals from road dusts in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In this study, concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were determined in road dusts collected from different locations in Dhaka to assess source, contamination status and health risk. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to determine Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb and their mean concentrations were 162.27 ± 29.46, 721.18 ± 180.14, 35.65 ± 12.55, 104.56 ± 128.33, 515.32 ± 321.90, BDL, and 342.82 ± 591.20 mg/kg, respectively. Among the heavy metals, highest concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb were found at urban sites-7 (municipal waste dumping) and 8 (medical waste incineration). Highest concentration of Cr followed by Cu and Zn was found at site-5 (Tejgaon, urban). Principal component analysis revealed that anthropogenic activities are the potential sources for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb while earth crust for Mn. Pollution index and pollution load index results suggested that all the sites were contaminated and/or degraded by Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb except sites-9 (urban), 10 (sub-urban), 11 (rural) while sites-7 and 8 (urban) were extremely degraded. For noncarcinogenic health risk, hazard quotient values for dermal were higher compared to that of inhalation/ingestion. Though hazard index values were less than 1 at all the sites, these were at least one order of magnitude higher for children group than that of adult group, thus the children group may face more noncarcinogenic health risk at sites-7 and 8. Values of incremental lifetime cancer risk were from 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻¹¹ showed no carcinogenic health risk by road dusts contaminated with the heavy metals.     

An integrative analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression in the brains of Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice after real-world PM2.5 exposure

Fine particulatematter (PM2.5) is associated with increased risks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD),yet the toxicologicalmechanisms of PM2.5 promoting AD remain unclear. In this study,wildtype and APP/PS1 transgenic mice (AD mice) were exposed to either filtered air (FA) or PM2.5 for eight weeks with a real-world exposure system in Taiyuan, China (mean PM2.5 concentration in the cage was 61 μg/m3). We found that PM2.5 exposure could remarkably aggravate AD mice’s ethological and brain ultrastructural damage, along with the elevation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), Aβ-42 and AChE levels and the decline of ChAT levels in the brains. Based on high-throughput sequencing results, some differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and DE miRNAs in the brains of AD mice after PM2.5 exposure were screened.Using RT-qPCR, seven DEmiRNAs (mmu-miR-193b-5p, 122b-5p, 466h-3p, 10b-5p, 1895, 384–5p, and 6412) and six genes (Pcdhgb8, Unc13b, Robo3, Prph, Pter, and Tbata) were evidenced the and verified. Two miRNA-target gene pairs (miR-125b-Pcdhgb8 pair and miR-466h-3p-IL-17Rα/TGF-βR2/Aβ-42/AChE pairs) were demonstrated that they were more related to PM2.5-induced brain injury. Results of Gene Ontology (GO) pathways and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways predicted that synaptic and postsynaptic regulation, axon guidance, Wnt, MAPK, and mTOR pathways might be the possible regulatory mechanisms associated with pathological response. These revealed that PM2.5- elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and PM2.5-altered neurotransmitter levels in AD mice could be the important causes of brain damage and proposed the promising miRNA andmRNA biomarkers and potentialmiRNA-mRNA interaction networks of PM2.5-promoted AD.     

Recovery of Cu and Fe from Printed Circuit Board waste sludge by ultrasound: Evaluation of industrial application

The paper presents a novel cleaner process for metal recovery from the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) waste sludge by assistance of ultrasound. The process can effectively recover heavy metals at low cost with high separation and recovery efficiency, produce high quality products and also achieve zero waste discharge with operation at industrial scale. With the PCB waste sludge containing (wet content) 3.14–4.85% copper and 3.71–4.23% iron, copper recovery efficiency of 95.2–97.5% and iron recovery efficiency of 97.1–98.5% were achieved, while the purity of copper sulfate produced by the process was 98.0% and the produced ferric chloride had a satisfied quality for using as a coagulant material for the plant on-site wastewater treatment. The process had been successfully scaled up to the industrial scaled applications in a heavy metal recovery plant in city of Huizhou, China for more than two years. The novel cleaner heavy metal recovery process has a great prospect on the applications of resources recovery and environmental protection practices.     

开发和建设西南能源基地是解决我国能源短缺的重要途径

西南地区是我国第二大能源基地，水能蕴藏可开发年发电量１．０３万亿ｋｗ·ｈ，占全国的５４％，煤炭保有储量７７０亿ｔ左右，占全国的１０％。和以山西为中心的能源基地一起，形成了“北煤南运”和“西电东送”两个格局。但是西南能源基地的水能资源开发程度很低，按发电量计算，仅占水电可开发总量的１．３％。目前能源短缺已成为我国工业发展中的突出问题。因此，合理布局、综合开发和建设西南能源基地，是解决我国能源短缺的重要途径。     

清江流域自然旅游资源调查与评价方法

根据清江流域自然旅游资源的特色，首先提出了一套对其进行详细系统的调查方法：（１）利用遥感数字图象处理技术及航、卫片解译结果，圈出潜在景区及潜在景点；（２）详细调查、收集及整理清江流域各市、镇已有资料，填写旅游资源调查登记卡片；（３）在（１），（２）基础上，对主要潜在景区及景点进行野外现场调研。然后，以调查结果为前提，提出了采用综合评分法，模糊数学评价方法，信息量评价方法，神经网络评价方法及地理信息     

中国石灰生产和能源消耗分析

基于全国涉及石灰生产的企业全口径统计数据,分析中国2007年石灰生产的基本特征,探讨了石灰产量统计的不确定性和来源。2007年,中国石灰生产的企业共6 154家,涉及9 327座石灰窑。总产能为2.27亿t,共生产石灰1.06亿t,企业平均产量为4 000 t/a,企业生产每吨石灰平均能耗水平为163 kg标准煤。中国约有两千八百多万吨的石灰生产很难通过正规渠道统计上来,也意味着这些产量很可能是基于非常简易和高能耗的石灰土窑生产的。     

纳米铁酸镍的制备及可见光催化性能研究

利用水热法制备了纳米铁酸镍,表征了其微观结构和光谱性能,并以罗丹明B溶液作为目标污染物,研究了铁酸镍催化剂的可见光催化性能。结果表明:所制备铁酸镍的微观形貌为由直径200-300 nm左右的类似球形小颗粒组成的大颗粒,平均粒径为95.60 nm,在紫外-可见光谱区均有较强的光吸收。光催化过程中催化剂的适宜用量为0.05 g,少量H2O2的加入有助于提高罗丹明B溶液的降解率。催化剂用量为0.05 g,加入0.4 mL 30%的H2O2,降解50 mL 20 mg/L罗丹明B溶液,模拟太阳光照射240 min后降解率能够达到99.2%。在实际太阳光照射下,240 min后罗丹明B溶液的降解率可以达到85.2%。     

南京市一次霾污染过程中水溶性离子分布特征

使用MARGA离子在线分析仪ADI 2080对2017年12月27日~2018年1月5日南京市PM_2.5化学组分进行连续采样分析,结合气象要素和大气环境监测数据,探讨了霾污染过程中水溶性离子的时间分布特征及其来源特征.结果表明：霾日中南京水溶性离子浓度为121.41μg/m³,是洁净日的3.2倍.霾污染过程中水溶性离子平均浓度大小顺序为NO₃^- > SO₄^2- > NH₄⁺ > Cl^- > K⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺,SNA离子占总水溶性离子浓度的91.97%.霾日中水溶性离子日变化均为三峰型,洁净日中Cl^-、SO₄^2-和NH₄⁺的日变化为单峰型,Ca²⁺为双峰型,K⁺、Mg²⁺为三峰型.随着空气污染状况的加重,总水溶性离子在PM_2.5中的占比不断减少,空气质量为优时占比95.93%,严重污染时为63.25%.霾日中随着污染加重,NH₄⁺占总离子的比例稳定在23%左右,SO₄^2-占比缓慢减小,NO₃^-占比不断增大.NOR、SOR的日变化在霾日呈双峰型分布,洁净日则较为平稳.观测期间的水溶性离子主要来源有二次转化、煤烟尘、扬尘以及生物质燃烧.     

湖北省湖泊水环境化学特征及其与人类活动的关系

通过对湖北省近３０个湖泊水环境化学的分析，探讨了湖北省湖泊水质状况和湖水的化学稳定性，指出远离工业区和居民生活区的湖泊水质一般较好，城区或城效型湖泊在不同程度上受到了工业废水和生活污水的影响。控制，消除湖泊污染是今后经济、社会和环境建设不可忽视的重要工作。