Application of treated wastewater and digested sewage sludge to obtain biodiesel from Helianthus annuus L. seeds oil

Waste from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for Helianthus annuus L. production may be a viable solution to obtain biodiesel. This study achieved two objectives: assess the agronomical viability of waste (wastewater and sludge) from the Alcázar de San Juan WWTP in central Spain for H. annuus L. production; use H. annuus L. seeds grown in this way to obtain biodiesel. Five study plots, each measuring 6 m × 6 m (36 m²), were set up on the agricultural land near the Alcázar de San Juan WWTP. Five fertilizer treatment types were considered: drinking water, as the control; treated wastewater; 10 t ha^?1 of air-dried sewage sludge; 20 t ha^?1 of air-dried sewage sludge; 0.6 t ha^?1 of commercial inorganic fertilizer. Soil, irrigation water, sewage sludge, crop development and fatty acid composition in achenes oil were monitored. The 20 t ha^–1 dose of sewage sludge proved effective to grow H. annuus L. with similar results to those grown with a commercial fertilizer. However, precautions should be taken when irrigating with wastewater because of high salinity and nutrient deficiency. Sunflower oil was composed mostly of linoleic and oleic acid. The remaining fatty acids were linolenic, estearic, nervonic, palmitoleic, and palmitic.     

污水处理厂剩余污泥对凤仙花和万寿菊生长的影响

采用盆栽方式,通过对花卉植物生长状况和各项生理指标的考察,研究了不同污泥施用比对凤仙花(Impatiens balsamina)和万寿菊(Tagetes erecta L.)生长的影响。结果表明,污泥施用比不高于5%(质量分数)时对两种花卉植物发芽有促进作用。在前期,对照组凤仙花和万寿菊生长较好,其株高、叶绿素和可溶性糖含量高于污泥施用组,丙二醛(MDA)含量低于污泥施用组。而在后期,污泥的施用对两种花卉生长促进作用明显,污泥施用组的两种花卉植物株高和各项生理指标优于对照组,尤其是开花状况显著好于对照组。凤仙花和万寿菊较优的污泥施用比分别为3%~5%和1%~5%。     

The effects of residual tetracycline on soil enzymatic activities and plant growth

A pot trial was carried out to investigate the adverse effects of tetracycline (TC) on soil microbial communities, microbial activities, and the growth of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L). The results showed that the presence of TC significantly disturbed the structure of microbial communities and inhibited soil microbial activities in terms of urease, acid phosphatase and dehydrogenase (p < 0.05). Plant biomass was adversely influenced by TC, especially the roots with a reduction of 40% when compared with the control. Furthermore, TC decreased the assimilation of phosphorus by the plant although the concentration of phosphorus was increased by 20% due to decreased plant biomass. TC seemed to increase the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (by 20%) in soil. The findings implied that the agricultural use of animal manure or fishpond sediment containing considerable amounts of antibiotics may give rise to ecological risks.     

Is corporate social responsibility possible in the mining sector? Evidence from Catalan companies

This paper examines the role and diffusion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) management, especially in relation with the adoption of other management systems, in small and medium sized companies in the surface mining industry in Catalonia (Spain). Specifically, it identifies the most salient CSR practices, procedures and metrics and the profiles of companies more prone to adopt them. To fulfill this aim, a survey has been conducted. Results show that mining companies are familiar with CSR practices, but there is not much formalization of procedures and measurement systems of CSR yet. Results show that the majority of socially responsible practices are related to environmental issues and therefore there is a relation between CSR and the application of environmental management systems. The analysis reveals that the management of CSR activities improves with the diffusion of knowledge on CSR practices. A second survey collected the opinion of professional associations in the sector. Respondents indicate that an improvement in CSR management will lead to a better global competitive position.     

Some observations on copper yields and ore grades

The paper examines trends in the average copper content of mined ores over the years. It has tended to decline over the long term, but by no means evenly. US averages are not typical of global averages, at least in the past four decades. Those have been both higher, and less volatile than in the US. One reason for falling averages is a change in the type of deposit mined, with a rise in the share of relatively low grade porphyry deposits. The different nature of their deposits is reflected in marked differences in grades between the different continents. African and Australian average grades are higher than the global average, and changes in the share of Central Africa in global output have affected the global average grade. Yields are have been consistently lower in North America than elsewhere, and Latin American average grades have trended downwards, reflecting both the ageing of mines and the rising share of production from porphyry deposits. Typically the yield of mines declines over time as mining proceeds. The average copper content of ore deposits is usually below the average yield of the ore accessed in the early years of production. The initial grades of new mines have not declined over the past forty years, and there has been no perceptible tendency for the average grade of porphyry deposits brought into production to decline over time. There is no apparent correlation between average grade and deposit size, but mine operators tend to exploit economies of scale to offset low grades. The relationship between the annual percentage yields (the head grade) and the reserve grades of deposits is not static. In recent years head grades have fallen closer to reserve grades. The relationship may be affected by movements in metal prices. Although the evidence about the influence of prices is not clear-cut, it does suggest that prices and cut-off grades may be inversely related. As many ores contain other valuable metals besides copper, copper yields will sometimes be subordinated to the extraction of these other metals. Copper equivalent grades have not moved in the same way as copper grades alone.     

Enclave development and ‘offshore corporate social responsibility’: Implications for oil-rich sub-Saharan Africa

This paper critically reflects on the challenges of engaging, proactively, in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in oil-rich sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the region's oil production takes place in enclave-type environments offshore and in countries ruled by autocratic governments which generally exert minimal pressure on companies to embrace CSR. With companies having little sense of who to target in their local economic development policies and programs, there is always a possibility of ‘offshore CSR’ – recognized here as potentially-effective ideas for improving social welfare that linger within the enclave and never fully materialize – surfacing. The aim is to conceptualize and broaden understanding of the challenge of developing CSR programs in these settings, where there are no clear linkages to communities or local economies more generally.     

Corporate Social Responsibility in the extractive industries: Experiences from developing countries

This paper introduces a special issue on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in the extractive industries: experiences from developing countries’. Drawing upon case study analysis from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, the papers in this issue broaden understanding of how multinational mining and oil and gas companies have embraced the CSR challenge and responded to criticisms of their performance in developing countries. This paper provides an introduction to the debate on CSR in the extractive industries in developing countries, reviewing the key issues examined on this subject to date.     

The evolution of the Canadian mining industry: The role of regulatory punctuation

In this study, we analyze the evolution of Canada's mining industry from 1929 to 2006, focussing on the determinants of the number of firms in the industry and why this number changed over that period. Most empirical studies of industry evolution have focused on manufacturing industries that share similar structural characteristics. Perhaps because of this, extant models of industry evolution tend to ignore industry-specific and national-specific factors that can cause atypical trajectories, that is, heterogeneous industry evolution. Initial inspection of the Canadian mining industry shows that it is atypical in that it exhibits “negative skew” over time in the number of firms rather than the typical “positive skew.” We review two dominant theoretical approaches to industry evolution: the density-dependence theory and variants of industrial organization economics. We also consider possible sources of industry evolution heterogeneity, focussing particularly on “regulatory punctuation”. Using Canadian mining data, we find that the traditional models do not fully explain the changes in population size in Canada's mining industry. As a result, we introduce a number of hybrid models. The results from these hybrid models suggest that Canadian-specific regulatory punctuations, particularly the introduction of significant new taxes, environmental legislation, and incentives have shaped the trajectory of mining firm participation.     

Genotypic Differences in Effects of Cadmium Exposure on Plant Growth and Contents of Cadmium and Elements in 14 Cultivars of Bai Cai

Abstract

Fourteen cultivars of bai cai (Brassica campestris L. ssp. chinensis var. communis) were grown in the nutrient solutions containing 0–0.5 μg mL^?1 of cadmium (Cd) to investigate genotypic differences in the effects of Cd exposure on the plant growth and uptake and distribution of Cd in bai cai plants. The Cd exposure significantly reduced the dry and fresh weights of roots and shoots, the dry weight ratio of shoot/root (S/R), total biomass, and chlorophyll content (SPAD value). Cd concentrations in bai cai ranged from 13.3 to 74.9 μg g^?1 DW in shoots and from 163.1 to 574.7 μg g^?1 DW in roots under Cd exposure, respectively. The considerable genotypic differences of Cd concentrations and accumulations in both shoots and roots were observed among 14 bai cai cultivars. Moreover, Cd mainly accumulated in the roots. Cd also caused the changes of uptake and distribution of nutrients in bai cai and under the influence of cadmium, the concentration of potassium (K) decreased in shoot and increased in root. However, the concentrations of magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), manganese (Mn), boron (B), and iron (Fe) increased in shoots and decreased in roots. In addition, Cd exposure resulted in an increase in calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in both shoots and roots but had no significant effects on the whole uptake of the examined mineral nutrients except for S.     

青萍(Lemna minor L.)对氮磷的吸收特征

以西部地区优势浮萍品种青萍为实验对象,研究了青萍对不同浓度硝态氮和磷酸盐的吸收特征。结果表明,硝态氮浓度在1～10 mg/L范围内,青萍对硝态氮有较好的吸收效果,M-M方程可以较好地描述硝态氮浓度与青萍对硝态氮的吸收速率之间的关系,通过M-M方程拟合得到青萍对硝态氮的最大吸收速率为0.1167 mg/(g FW.h),亲和力常数为6.9274。磷酸盐浓度在0.1～1.0 mg/L范围内,青萍对磷酸盐也有较好的吸收效果,二次多项式回归可以较好地描述青萍吸收速率与磷酸盐浓度的关系,回归方程得到青萍对磷酸盐的最大吸收速率为0.0193 mg/(g FW.h),对应磷酸盐浓度为0.6 mg/L。