Particle size distribution and removal in the chemical-biological flocculation process

The particle characterization from the influent and effluent of a chemical-biological flocculation (CBF) process was studied with a laser diffraction device. Water samples from a chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) process and a primary sediment tank process were also analyzed for comparison. The results showed that CBF process was not only effective for both the big size particles and small size particles removal, but also the best particle removal process in the three processes. The results also indicated that CBF process was superior to CEPT process in the heavy metals removal. The high and non-selective removal for heavy metals might be closely related to its strong ability to eliminate small particles. Samples from different locations in CBF reactors showed that small particles were easier to aggregate into big ones and those disrupted flocs could properly flocculate again along CBF reactor because of the biological flocculation.     

利用再生骨料配制透水性混凝土

采用正交设计方法设计试验,从而配置再生骨料透水性混凝土。以再生骨料透水性混凝土的抗压强度、透水系数、孔隙率为主要考核指标,分别研究了水灰比、骨灰比、砂率、再生骨料粒径等因素及其不同的水平对再生骨料透水性混凝土各性能指标的影响。并对各考核指标的主要影响因素进一步细分,结果表明,再生骨料透水性混凝土的透水系数和孔隙率的主要影响因素是水灰比;抗压强度的主要影响因素是骨灰比。水灰比的变化与透水系数和孔隙率之间呈现相同的规律,都出现先上升后下降的趋势;骨灰比的变化与抗压强度之间呈现线性下降的趋势。当水灰比介于0.37～0.43之间,骨灰比介于4.0～4.5之间时,混凝土拌和物和易性较好,混凝土的强度较高,透水性较好。     

Workforce engagement: What it is,what drives it,and why it matters for organizational performance

Based on a review of the history of the employee engagement construct and its measurement, we define workforce engagement as the aggregate of the work engagement experiences of individual employees in an organization. In contrast to most research on employee engagement, we study companies rather than individuals and the companies represent a diverse set of industries. We hypothesize and demonstrate on a sample of (up to) 102 publicly traded companies that workforce engagement significantly predicts organizational financial (adjusting for industry: Return on Assets, Net Margin but not Tobin's q) and customer metrics (the American Customer Satisfaction Index and the Harris Reputation Quotient) 1 and 2 years after the workforce engagement data were collected. In addition, using a split‐sample approach to avoid method bias, we hypothesize and show that (a) company organizational practices (the strongest correlate), supervisory support, and work attributes are significant correlates of workforce engagement and (b) that workforce engagement mediates the relationship between these correlates of engagement and the organizational performance metrics. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Use of recycled natural fibres in industrial products: A comparative LCA case study on acoustic components in the Brazilian automotive sector

This paper summarizes the results and the lessons learnt from an LCA case study comparing acoustic automotive components. Three alternative acoustic components produced by the Brazilian automotive sector are considered: dual-layer polyurethane (DL-PU) panel, recycled textile absorption-barrier-absorption (ABA-cotton) panel and recycled textile DL (DL-cotton) panel. DL-PU is a “status-quo” alternative, composed mainly of synthetic plastics and the two other alternatives are mainly made of recycled cotton fibres. Using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, the three following phases of the panels’ life cycle are examined: production, use and end-of-life. For the latter, two end-of-life scenarios are analysed: landfill and incineration with energy recovery. For the LCA model, some Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) datasets have been adapted from the data available in the EcoInvent database in order to adjust to the Brazilian context. LCA results show that, within the entire life cycle, the DL-cotton option, which combines two layers of recycled fibres of different densities, is overall the best alternative from an environmental perspective. This result is therefore independent from the end-of-life scenario. This is mainly due to the lower weight of this component, which is extremely important for the transportation aspects, but also due to its lower consumption of fossil resources, to the energy saving during its production and to the avoidance of textile disposal that would happen otherwise. The obtained results confirm the available literature dealing with the use of renewable fibres in industrial products. The particular behaviour of recycled fibres compared to virgin ones (in terms of shared contribution of agricultural production and of avoidance of landfilling) is highlighted in this paper, thanks to the application of the “50/50” allocation rule. LCA results are discussed in terms of their potential use in an R&D context. Further research needs are also derived from the case study, including the potential benefits of developing multi-objective optimization methods that include environmental impact to be used in the design of such a component.     

典型铅锌矿区耕地土壤团聚体重金属含量与农作物含量相关性及其风险评价

土壤团聚体重金属对生态环境产生的危害不容忽视.为考察农作物与土壤团聚体重金属之间的相关性及可能产生的风险,以贵州都匀马坡铅锌矿段菜园河铅锌矿区农作物为例,研究土壤团聚体重金属的分布状况和农作物对土壤团聚体重金属的富集特征.采用Pearson相关性分析农作物与耕地土壤不同粒径团聚体重金属之间的关系,同时分别采用生态危害指数(RI)法和危险商值(HQ)法研究不同粒径土壤团聚体重金属污染物的生态风险和农作物重金属对人群的健康风险.结果表明:①土壤团聚体Cd含量随粒径减小而逐渐增加,而Pb和Zn含量在不同粒径团聚体中表现为:0.25～0.5 mm＞0.053～0.25 mm＞0.5～1 mm＞2 mm＞0.053 mm;②叶菜类、果菜类和籽粒类农作物对土壤重金属的富集能力大小均为:Cd＞Zn＞Pb;③Pearson相关性分析表明籽粒类可富集各粒径团聚体中的Pb并转移到籽实中,籽粒类中的Zn主要来源于粒径＞1 mm的团聚体,而且各种农作物同时富集土壤团聚体多种重金属可产生拮抗作用;④土壤团聚体粒径越小总潜在生态风险越大,相同粒径土壤团聚体重金属生态风险的大小顺序为:Cd＞Pb＞Zn,而且研究区中叶菜类和果菜类农作物中Pb对儿童健康风险极高.     

长期撂荒恢复土壤团聚体组成与有机碳分布关系

为探究撂荒地恢复过程土壤团聚体组成结构及其对土壤碳库累积的影响,本研究选取陕北黄土丘陵区恢复10、 17、 27和42 a撂荒草地为研究对象,以坡耕地FL作为对照,分析不同年限撂荒草地以及耕地土壤(0～20 cm)与(20～40 cm)土层团聚体粒径分布、土壤全土有机碳储量以及团聚体有机碳储量动态特征,从而探究撂荒地土壤团聚体与有机碳之间的相互关联性.结果表明:①耕地恢复为撂荒草地后,土壤大团聚体(2 mm)和中团聚体(2～0.25 mm)数量、平均重量直径(mean weight diameter, MWD)和几何平均直径(geometric mean diameter,GMD)随着撂荒年限显著上升,而土壤微团聚体(0.25～0.053 mm)数量显著下降(P0.05).土壤大团聚体数量、平均重量直径和几何平均直径在层次之间差异显著,表现为0～20 cm显著高于20～40 cm.②经过长期撂荒恢复后,土壤总有机碳储量、大团聚体有机碳储量以及中团聚体有机碳储量显著上升(P0.05),分别上升了1.92、 10.2和3.61倍,而微团聚体有机碳储量显著下降.撂荒恢复促使土壤碳氮化学计量比升高,但在42 a时出现了显著下降趋势.③土壤团聚体对于总有机碳储量的贡献率有80%来自大团聚体,且大团聚体数量随着恢复年限显著增加是大团聚体贡献率高的主要原因.总体而言,撂荒恢复过程中,微团聚体数量持续下降,而大团聚体数量显著增加并促进了土壤有机碳的累积.     

土地利用变化对西南喀斯特土壤团聚体组成、稳定性以及C、N、P化学计量特征的影响

土壤团聚体稳定性和养分化学计量特征对土地利用变化的响应研究,以及对当前脆弱生态环境保护与修复具有重要意义.为探明西南喀斯特山地土地利用方式变化对土壤团聚体组成、稳定性与C、 N、 P养分化学计量特征的影响规律,选取了西南喀斯特典型区域为研究区,针对7种主要土地利用方式建立了系列样地,开展了土壤团聚体组成与稳定性、团聚体C、 N、 P含量与计量比特征研究.结果表明,土地利用变化显著影响了土壤团聚体稳定性.玉米地和撂荒地的土壤团聚体稳定性相对较高,草地和裸地的团聚体稳定性相对较低,土壤团聚体稳定性总体随土层增加呈现降低趋势.不同土地利用方式土壤团聚体C、 N和P含量存在显著差异.疏林地和撂荒地土壤团聚体C和N含量较高,草地土壤团聚体C和N含量较低,裸地和撂荒地土壤团聚体P含量相对较高.土地利用变化对土壤团聚体C、 N和P计量比也存在明显影响.乔木林地、疏林地和撂荒地土壤团聚体C∶N相对较高,草地土壤团聚体C∶N最低;乔木林地和疏林地土壤团聚体C∶P较高,明显高于其他土地利用方式;乔木林地、疏林地和灌木林地土壤团聚体N∶P较高,明显高于裸地和撂荒地.喀斯特土壤团聚体组成和稳定性与土壤C、 N...     

The leaching of additive-derived flame retardants (FRs) from plastics in avian digestive fluids: The significant risk of highly lipophilic FRs

The exposure to plastic debris and associated pollutants for wildlife is of urgent concern,but little attention has been paid on the transfer of plastic additives from plastic debris to organisms. In the present study, the leaching of incorporated flame retardants(FRs),including polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs), alternative brominated FRs(AFRs), and phosphate flame retardants(PFRs), from different sizes of recycled acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene(ABS) polymer were investigated in avian digestive fluids. The impact of co-ingested sediment on the leaching of additive-derived FRs in digestive fluids was also explored. In the recycled ABS, BDE 209(715 μg/g) and 1, 2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane(BTBPE,1766 μg/g) had the highest concentrations among all target FRs. The leaching proportions of FRs were higher in finer sizes of ABS. The leaching proportions of FRs from recycled ABS increased with elevated logK OWof FRs. In the tests with coexisted ABS and sediment, hexato deca-BDEs, BTBPE, and decabromodiphenyl ethane(DBDPE) migrated from ABS to sediment, which resulted in the less bioaccessible fractions of these FRs in gut fluids. More lipophilic chemicals tended to be adsorbed by sediment from ABS. The results suggest the migration of additive-derived FRs from plastics to other indigestible materials in digestive fluids. The findings in this study provide insights into the transfer of additive-derived FRs from plastics to birds, and indicate the significant contribution of FR-incorporated plastics to bioaccumulation of highly lipophilic FRs.     

砂石加工废水处理工艺研究

通过对砂石加工废水水质特性的研究可知,该类废水悬浮物浓度高、沉降性能好、且随时间推移,沉降泥渣的比阻呈增大趋势,泥渣的脱水越来越困难。在研究的基础上提出了处理该类废水的新工艺,并在中试规模将其与现行处理工艺进行了比较。结果表明,新工艺运行稳定、处理成本较低,为0.53元/吨水、泥渣脱水历时短、排泥管不易堵塞,较好地解决了废水中悬浮物沉降后泥渣的处理与排放之间的矛盾,SS去除率为99.8%,处理效果较好,可广泛应用于工程设计。     

Influence of the pesticides glyphosate,chlorpyrifos and atrazine on growth parameters of nonochratoxigenic Aspergillus section Nigri strains isolated from agricultural soils

This investigation was undertake to determine the effect of glyphosate, chlorpyrifos and atrazine on the lag phase and growth rate of nonochratoxigenic A. niger aggregate strains growing on soil extract medium at ?0.70, ?2.78 and ?7.06 MPa. Under certain conditions, the glyphosate concentrations used significantly increased micelial growth as compared to control. An increase of about 30% was observed for strain AN 251 using 5 and 20 mg L^?1 of glyphosate at ?2.78 MPa. The strains behaved differently in the presence of the insecticide chlorpyrifos. A significant decrease in growth rate, compared to control, was observed for all strains except AN 251 at ?2.78 MPa with 5 mg L^?1. This strain showed a significant increase in growth rate. With regard to atrazine, significant differences were observed only under some conditions compared to control. An increase in growth rate was observed for strain AN 251 at ?2.78 MPa with 5 and 10 mg L^?1 of atrazine. By comparison, a reduction of 25% in growth rate was observed at ?7.06 MPa and higher atrazine concentrations. This study shows that glyphosate, chlorpyrifos and atrazine affect the growth parameters of nonochratoxigenic A. niger aggregate strains under in vitro conditions.