Risk assessment for human consumption of perfluorinated compound-contaminated freshwater and marine fish from Hong Kong and Xiamen

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are man-made fluoro-surfactants that are identified as global pollutants and can pose health risks to humans and wildlife. Two aspects of risk assessment were conducted in this study, including exposure and response. Exposure was estimated by using the concentrations of PFCs in fish and applying standard exposure factors. Among different PFCs, PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUdA and PFTrDA were detected. Total concentrations of PFC in fish ranged from 0.27-8.4 ng g⁻¹ to 0.37-8.7 ng g⁻¹ respectively in Hong Kong and Xiamen. The calculated hazard ratio (HR) of PFOS for all fish was less than 1.0. However, the HR for mandarin fish in Hong Kong and bighead carp, grass carp and tilapia in Xiamen, had HR values of approximately 0.5, indicating that frequent consumption of these 4 more contaminated fish species might pose an unacceptable risk to human health. Our data support the notion that the released/disposed chemical pollutants into water systems make fish a source of environmental toxicants to humans. The risks and potential effects of PFCs to health of coastal population in the Pearl River Delta are of concern.     

固定化解脂耶氏酵母（Yarrowia lipolytica）处理油脂废水的性能研究

以海藻酸钠为固定化载体材料,以氯化钙作为交联剂,将高效降解油脂菌--解脂耶氏酵母(Yarrowia tipolyt-ica)包埋制备成固定化微生物小球,用以处理油脂废水,考察了最佳处理条件.结果表明,解脂耶氏酵母经固定化包埋后处理色拉油废水的最适条件为:温度25～35℃、pH 4～8、摇床转速100～200 r/min,处理初始油浓度在2 000 mg/L,包埋菌浓度6.65×106个/mL,包埋量为4 mL/150 L.与悬浮状态相比,固定化微生物温度适应范围增大、热适应性增强、pH值往酸性方向偏移.将固定化解脂耶氏酵母投入YPD液体培养基内驯化30 h再处理色拉油废水,结果显示:驯化后的固定化微生物在同样条件下对色拉油的降解率达到82%,比未驯化状态高20%,且驯化后的机械强度、稳定性和重复使用性都有明显改善.     

An integrative framework for sustainable supply chain management practices in the oil and gas industry

This paper proposes a framework for understanding the contextual factors of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in the O&G industry. It is based on a literature review of studies related to SSCM of O&G topics. The review reveals that there is a lack of SSCM research specific to the industry. Present studies focus on individual stages of its supply chain and do not consider all dimensions of sustainable development, namely economic, environmental and social factors. In addition, existing frameworks lack important contextual aspects of the industry's business and organizational environment. To address these gaps, our research develops an overarching framework operationalizing the internal and external contextual factors of the O&G industry environment that can influence the outcome of its SSCM practices. The proposed framework is useful as a tool in the formulation and implementation of SSCM strategy that enables alignment of a company's internal capabilities with its external environment.     

粉煤灰砖块对磷酸盐的吸附特性

以建筑废料粉煤灰砖块为吸附剂材料,通过静态吸附实验研究其对磷酸盐的吸附特征,以及磷酸盐初始浓度、吸附剂投加量、pH等因素对吸附反应的影响。Langmuir、Freundlich和Temkin等温模型的分析发现,Langmuir等温式方程最适合描述吸附过程,对磷酸盐的理论饱和吸附容量为44.62 mg/g。利用伪一级动力学模型、伪二级动力学模型和颗粒内扩散模型考察了吸附过程特征,其中伪二级动力学模型为最适于描述粉煤灰砖块对磷酸盐的吸附过程的动力学模型。通过颗粒内扩散模型、Bangham方程及Boyd模型对吸附动力学机理进行的探讨表明,颗粒内扩散速率不是粉煤灰砖块吸附磷酸盐反应的惟一速率控制步,膜扩散速率和颗粒内扩散速率共同影响着吸附反应速率。磷酸盐浓度较低时主要是膜扩散限制吸附反应速率,而磷酸盐浓度较高时则颗粒内扩散成为速率控制步。研究证明,粉煤灰砖块粉末作为湿地基质具有对磷酸盐很强的吸附能力,在减少了固体废弃物的数量的同时又可以实现水污染控制的目的。     

Effect of heat treatment on sorption of polar and nonpolar compounds to montmorillonites and soils

Batch sorption isotherms of 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, and tetracycline to organic-free montmorillonites and soils receiving heat treatment (375°C for 24 h) were compared with those to unheated sorbents. Sorption of the nonpolar 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene to soil was lowered after the removal of humus by heating, consistent with the mechanism of hydrophobic partition into organic matter. For 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, the enhanced sorption to heated soils was attributed to specific interactions with exchangeable cations facilitated by heating-induced irreversible partial dehydration of the clay interlayer. For tetracycline, an additional mechanism for sorption enhancement could be due to increased exposure of strong complexation sites on clay minerals after removal of the humic coating. These hypotheses were supported by the sorption data to heated and unheated Na-, K-, and Cs-saturated montmorillonites. The combustion method is commonly adopted to measure the content of black carbon in soils and sediments. However, findings from the present study indicate that combustion may greatly modify the structural properties of clay minerals, leading to misinterpreted sorption contributions of different soil components to sorption of polar or ionic compounds.     

Mercury in dental amalgam: Are our health care workers at risk?

Dental amalgam in fillings exposes workers to mercury. The exposure to mercury was investigated among 1871 dental health care workers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of mercury exposure among dental compared to nondental health care workers and to determine other risk factors for mercury exposure. Respondents answered questionnaires to obtain demographic, personal, professional, and workplace information and were examined for their own amalgam fillings. Chronic mercury exposure was assessed through urinary mercury levels. In total, 1409 dental and 462 nondental health care workers participated in the study. Median urine mercury levels for dental and nondental health care workers were 2.75 μg/L (interquartile range [IQR] = 3.0175) and 2.66 μg/L (IQR = 3.04) respectively. For mercury exposure, there were no significant risk factor found among the workers involved within the dental care. The Mann–Whitney test showed that urine mercury levels were significantly different between respondents who eat seafood more than 5 times per week compared to those who eat it less frequently or not at all (p = 0.003). The urinary mercury levels indicated significant difference between dental workers in their practice using squeeze cloths (Mann–Whitney test, p = 0.03). Multiple logistic regression showed that only the usage of cosmetic products that might contain mercury was found to be significantly associated with the urinary mercury levels (odds ratio [OR] = 15.237; CI: 3.612–64.276). Therefore, mean urinary mercury levels of health care workers were low. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.

Implications: Exposure to the high levels of mercury from dental amalgam can lead to serious health effects among the dental health care workers. Nationwide chronic mercury exposure among dental personnel was assessed through urinary mercury levels. Findings suggest low urinary mercury levels of these health care workers. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, the usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.     

Performance of oil palm kernel shell gasification using a medium-scale downdraft gasifier

This article focused on the performance of oil palm kernel shell (PKS) gasification using a medium-scale downdraft gasifier with a feedstock capacity of 500 kg at a temperature range of 399–700°C and at a feed rate of 177 kg/h. This article is important for evaluating the reliability of PKS gasification for commercial power generation activities from biomass. The process performance was evaluated based on the syngas calorific value (CV), syngas flow rate, and its cold gas efficiency (CGE). The syngas flow rates and CVs were measured using a gas flow meter and a gas analyzer in real time. The data obtained were then analyzed to evaluate the performance of the process. The results showed that the CGE of the process was moderately high (51%) at 681°C, with a high syngas CV (4.45–4.89 MJ/Nm³) which was ideal for gas engine applications. The PKS gasification performance increased when the reactor temperature increased. Projections were made for the CGE and the syngas CV for the PKS gasification with increased reactor temperatures and it was found that these values could be increased up to 80% and 5.2 MJ/Nm^3, respectively at a reactor temperature of 900°C. In addition, the estimated power that could be generated was about 600 kW_e at a maximum operation of 500 kg/h of feed rate. Based on the analysis, a medium-scale PKS gasification is observed to be a promising process for power generation from biomass due to the favorable performance of the process.     

Phytoremediation potential of Pteris vittata L. under the combined contamination of As and Pb: beneficial interaction between As and Pb

The frequent co-existence of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) necessitates the investigation of clean-up technologies for multi-metal(loid)s. Field survey and hydroponic experiments were conducted to elucidate the co-accumulation of As and Pb in Pteris vittata L. The P. vittata population isolated from a Pb–Zn mine in Yunnan province, China is a potential extractor of As and Pb co-contamination. Hydroponic experiment found that the highest frond As and Pb concentrations in mining population of P. vittata reached 12.2 and 0.99 g kg^?1, respectively. The interaction between As and Pb in P. vittata was further more disclosed. Pb (2 mg L^?1) improved the frond As concentration by 60 to 150 % in mining populations of P. vittata. Micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that under the combined exposure of As and Pb, the As content in the rhizoid epidermis increased by about 10-fold, and the As(V) percentage increased in each rhizoid tissue, as compared with that under As exposure alone. The co-absorption of As and Pb on the epidermis and the enhanced transportation of As(V) from epidermis into the rhizoid were suggested to contribute to the increased As accumulation.     

纳滤处理炼化污水反渗透浓水

分别采用4种纳滤膜处理某炼化公司的反渗透浓水。在初始COD为57.8 mg/L、TOC为23.94 mg/L、ρ(Ca2+)为289.0 mg/L、ρ(Mg2+)为54.6 mg/L、ρ(SO42-)为327.7 mg/L、ρ(Cl-)为1 106.8 mg/L的条件下,经纳滤处理后COD去除率达60%以上,污水COD降至30 mg/L以下,TOC去除率为31.9%~85.5%,阳离子的去除率为33.9%~97.0%,SO42-的去除率为63.3%~97.6%,Cl-的去除率较低。膜A的膜孔分布密集,具有很高的通量,对有机物和无机盐的截留效果较差;膜B和膜C对有机物和二价离子的截留效果较好;膜D的膜孔分布稀松,膜通量最低,对有机物和无机盐的截留能力均较强,但随出水体积的增加,对无机盐的截留能力下降较为明显。4种纳滤膜的性能各异,可满足不同企业的需求,具有良好的应用前景。     

磁性膨润土的制备及类Fenton氧化法处理焦化废水

以Al-Fe柱撑膨润土为原料,通过原位氧化沉淀法负载纳米Fe₃O₄颗粒,制备磁性膨润土。采用XRD,SEM,EDS技术对磁性膨润土进行了表征,并将其作为类Fenton反应催化剂对焦化厂二沉池出水（COD为267.6 mg/L、色度为428度）进行了深度处理,探讨了各反应条件对处理效果的影响。实验结果表明：Fe₃O₄颗粒较为均匀地分布在膨润土表面,负载牢固;在H₂O₂加入量70 mmol/L、磁性膨润土加入量0.8 g/L、反应温度30 ℃、初始废水pH 5.0的条件下反应30 h,废水COD和色度的去除率分别达到78.5%和93.4%,COD和色度分别降至57.5 mg/L和28度,满足GB/T 19923—2005《城市污水再生利用 工业用水水质》的要求;磁性膨润土使用4次后,对废水的处理效果仍很稳定。