Predicting regional space–time variation of PM2.5 with land-use regression model and MODIS data

Purpose  

Existing land-use regression (LUR) models use land use/cover, population, and traffic information to predict long-term intra-urban variation of air pollution. These models are limited to explaining spatial variation of air pollutants, and few of them are capable of addressing temporal variability. This article proposes a space–time LUR model at a regional scale by incorporating aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).     

Removal of nitric oxide in a biotrickling filter under thermophilic condition using Chelatococcus daeguensis

The development of a thermophilic biotrickling filter (BTF) system to inoculate a newly isolated strain of Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 for the effective treatment of nitric oxide (NO) is described. A bench-scale BTF was run under high concentrations of NO and 8% O2 in thermophilic aerobic environment. A novel aerobic denitrifier Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 was isolated from the biofilm of an on-site biotrickling filter and it showed a denitrifying capability of 96.1% nitrate removal rate in a 24 h period in aerobic environment at 50 degrees C, with no nitrite accumulation. The inlet NO concentration fluctuated between approximately 133.9 and 669.6 mg m-3 and kept on a steady NOx removal rate above 80% in an oxygen stream of 8%. The BTF system was able to consistently remove 80-93.7% NO when the inlet NO was 535.7 mg m-3 in an oxygen stream of 2-20%. The biological removal efficiency of NO at 50 degrees C is higher than that at 25 degrees C, suggesting that the aerobic denitrifier TAD1 display well denitrification performance under thermophilic condition. Starvation for 2, 4 and 8 days resulted in the re-acclimation times of Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 ranging between 4 and 16 hours. A longer recovery time than that for weekend shutdown will be required when a longer starvation occurs. The results presented here demonstrate the feasibility of biotrickling filter for the thermophilic removal of NOx from gas streams. Implications: A novel denitrifier Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 was isolated from an on-site biotrickling filter in aerobic environment at 50 degrees C. To date, C. daeguensis has not been previously reported to be an aerobic denitrifier. In this study, a thermophilic biotrickling filter system inoculated with Chelatococcus daeguensis TADI for treatment of nitric oxide is developed. In coal-fired power plants, influent flue gas stream for nitrogen oxides (NOx) removal typically exhibit temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees C. Traditionally, cooling gases to below 40 degrees C prior to biological treatment is inevitable, which is costly. Therefore, the application ofthermophilic microorganisms for the removal of nitric oxide (NO) at this temperature range would offer great savings and would greatly extend the applicability ofbiofilters and biotrickling filters. Until now there has not been any study published about thermophilic biological treatment of NO under aerobic condition.     

生物法降解养殖场臭气中H2S的反应器启动

畜禽养殖场臭气成分复杂,完全去除较为困难。生物法是目前应用较广泛的脱臭方法,其中能否将生物膜附着在填料上是影响生物法去除恶臭气体效率的重要因素。本实验采用定时定量投加Na2S的方式驯化活性污泥,并选用MLSS浓度和SO42-浓度增量变化2个指标作为污泥驯化成熟的指标,比传统的以MLSS作为污泥驯化成熟的指标更准确。采用循环污泥的挂膜方式,运行2 d后,通入新鲜的空气和H2S气体,2周后反应器启动成功。     

藏族地区农户的社会资本特征分析——以甘南藏族自治州为例

社会资本是继"人力资本"后另一个解释经济、社会发展差异的重要工具。为了深入解析社会资本对少数民族地区经济和社会发展的作用,需要研究不同民族地区的社会资本及其影响因素。本文以甘南藏族自治州为例,基于入户调查资料,运用因子分析法,测算了该区农户的社会资本存量,分析了农户的社会资本特征,并解析了影响农户社会资本的因素。结果表明:①甘南藏族自治州的社会资本总量为3.42;②甘南藏族自治州州农户社会资本得分最高的是信任维度,最低的是社团参与维度;③影响信任维度的主要因素有区内农户的财富差异、区内农户的异质性和户主受教育程度;影响社团参与维度的因素主要有户主受教育程度;④在影响社会资本的因素里,宗教信仰对社会凝聚力维度、政治赋权维度和网络维度有重要影响。     

Biota–sediment accumulation factor (BSAF), bioaccumulation factor (BAF), and contaminant levels in prey fish to indicate the extent of PAHs and OCPs contamination in eggs of waterbirds

Samples of pond sediment, fish, and shrimp were collected from the Ramsar site at Mai Po marshes, Hong Kong (south China), and samples of pond sediment, fish, and shrimp, as well as eggs of water birds (Chinese Pond Herons (Ardeola bacchus) and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta)), were collected from two smaller wetland sites at Jiangsu Province (mid-China), between 2004 and 2007. Accumulation levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the biota were used to calculate biota–sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) and bioaccumulation factor (BAF). For fish and shrimp, BSAFs of OCPs (3.8–56) were greater than those of PAHs (0.12–6.3). BSAFs and BAFs of 11–79 and 4–34, respectively, were registered for OCPs in eggs of the birds and were greater than those for PAHs (0.11–1.5 and 0.02–1.3, respectively). Assuming that fish were the main prey of the birds, greater bioaccumulation of OCPs was detected for both bird species (BAFs?=?4.5–34), while accumulation of PAHs was only detected in Little Egret (BAF?=?1.3). A significant linear relationship (p?<?0.01) was observed between concentrations of OCPs in bird eggs and in the prey fish. The present study provides a new possibility of using OCP levels detected in prey fish to predict the extent of OCPs contamination in eggs of waterbirds including the endangered species, as a noninvasive method.     

Removal of nitric oxide in a biotrickling filter under thermophilic condition using Chelatococcus daeguensis

The development of a thermophilic biotrickling ?lter (BTF) system to inoculate a newly isolated strain of Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 for the effective treatment of nitric oxide (NO) is described. A bench-scale BTF was run under high concentrations of NO and 8% O₂ in thermophilic aerobic environment. A novel aerobic denitrifier Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 was isolated from the biofilm of an on-site biotrickling filter and it showed a denitrifying capability of 96.1% nitrate removal rate in a 24 h period in aerobic environment at 50 °C, with no nitrite accumulation. The inlet NO concentration fluctuated between approximately 133.9 and 669.6 mg m-3 and kept on a steady NOx removal rate above 80% in an oxygen stream of 8%. The BTF system was able to consistently remove 80–93.7% NO when the inlet NO was 535.7 mg m-3 in an oxygen stream of 2–20%. The biological removal efficiency of NO at 50 °C is higher than that at 25 °C, suggesting that the aerobic denitri?er TAD1 display well denitrification performance under thermophilic condition. Starvation for 2, 4 and 8 days resulted in the re-acclimation times of Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 ranging between 4 and 16 hours. A longer recovery time than that for weekend shutdown will be required when a longer starvation occurs. The results presented here demonstrate the feasibility of biotrickling ?lter for the thermophilic removal of NOx from gas streams.

Implications A novel denitrifier Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 was isolated from an on-site biotrickling filter in aerobic environment at 50 °C. To date, C. daeguensis has not been previously reported to be an aerobic denitrifier. In this study, a thermophilic biotrickling ?lter system inoculated with Chelatococcus daeguensis TAD1 for treatment of nitric oxide is developed. In coal-fired power plants, influent flue gas stream for nitrogen oxides (NO_x) removal typically exhibit temperatures between 50 and 60 °C. Traditionally, cooling gases to below 40 °C prior to biological treatment is inevitable, which is costly. Therefore, the application of thermophilic microorganisms for the removal of nitric oxide (NO) at this temperature range would offer great savings and would greatly extend the applicability of biofilters and biotrickling filters. Until now there has not been any study published about thermophilic biological treatment of NO under aerobic condition.     

Mitigation of nutrient losses via surface runoff from rice cropping systems with alternate wetting and drying irrigation and site-specific nutrient management practices

Resource-conserving irrigation and fertilizer management practices have been developed for rice systems which may help address water quality concerns by reducing N and P losses via surface runoff. Field experiments under three treatments, i.e., farmers’ conventional practice (FCP), alternate wetting and drying (AWD), and AWD integrated with site-specific nutrient management (AWD + SSNM) were carried out during two rice seasons at two sites in the southwest Yangtze River delta region. Across site years, results indicated that under AWD irrigation (i.e., AWD and AWD + SSNM), water inputs were reduced by 13.4?~?27.5 % and surface runoff was reduced by 30.2?~?36.7 % compared to FCP. When AWD was implemented alone, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced by 23.3?~?30.4 % and 26.9?~?31.7 %, respectively, compared to FCP. However, nutrient concentrations of surface runoff did not decrease under AWD alone. Under AWD + SSNM, total N and P loss masses via surface runoff were reduced to a greater extent than AWD alone (39.4?~?47.6 % and 46.1?~?48.3 % compared to FCP, respectively), while fertilizer inputs and N surpluses significantly decreased and rice grain yields increased relative to FCP. Therefore, by more closely matching nutrient supply with crop demand and reducing both surface runoff and nutrient concentrations of surface runoff, our results demonstrate that integration of AWD and SSNM practices can mitigate N and P losses via surface runoff from rice fields while maintaining high yields.     

The scale-free network behavior of ambient volatile organic compounds

A scale-free network model with surface and vertical field measurements was used to identify the connectivity distribution of the scale-free network behavior of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results show that the carbon number (C _n ) with the total amount of C _n compounds (P(C _n )) possesses an explicit relationship with the scale-free network behavior. The proportionate coefficient (α) and exponent ( γ) of the scale-free network model with spatial and temporal variations are estimated and discussed. The analytical results demonstrate that although photochemical reactions cause the VOCs fraction variation, they do not alter the fraction of C _n compounds observably. Therefore, the values of α and of γ did not vary with time, but with local regional characteristics. The results indicate that the influence of local VOCs emissions occurs at a height of 100 m, but becomes insufficient at a height of 300 m. Air mass mixing increases with greater height; thus, the influence of regional characteristics at a height of 700 m is low. Finally, a successful empirical model was established to evaluate the distribution of surface VOCs in various regions.     

Correlation analysis of major control factors for the formation and stabilization of aerobic granule

In recent years, aerobic granular sludge technology has demonstrated significant advantages in areas such as the sludge–water separation, residual sludge minimization, simultaneous biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal, and toxic organic compounds degradation in biological wastewater treatment. However, the critical control factors and their relation during sludge granulation have not been revealed indeed, and the stability of aerobic granular sludge is still not good. The Gray’s correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship of aerobic granular characteristics and control factors in the study. Results showed that the organic loading rate, hydraulic shear stress, and sludge settling time were the major factors affecting the aerobic sludge granulation, and the associated regulating strategy was important for the stabilization of granular sludge system. Based on above results, the mechanism of aerobic sludge granulation was proposed, and it was expected to favor the application of aerobic granular sludge technology.