Analysis of herbicide residues by gas chromatography

The extraction and clean‐up, and gas Chromatographic conditions for the detection and determination of herbicides, their metabolites and related compounds are reviewed. The literature material is examined critically in the text and presented in tabular form for quick reference. The section dealing with extraction/clean‐up techniques is sub‐divided with respect to water, soil, plant material, animal, fish and micro‐organisms. Under eight herbicide group headings the important gas Chromatographic parameters such as stationary phase, support phase, column temperature and mode of detection are tabulated. Also tabulated are the application of various detectors to herbicide analyses and limits of detection where information was available. Most commonly used liquid and support phases are listed and their frequency of use given. Different aspects of derivative formation used for the positive identification and quantitation of herbicides are discussed with emphasis on esterification, alkylation and silylation. Other important conversion techniques are outlined, particularly those associated with enhancement of sensitivity e.g. bromination, iodination, dinitrophenylation etc. Efforts that have been made towards general and automated analytical methods are discussed.     

Interparticle diffusion and thermodynamic modeling studies for the removal of heavy metals using mixed adsorbents in industrial effluents

Pollution of water, air, and soil by industrial effluents is a major problem nowadays. A variety of contaminants are too responsible for changing the physicochemical properties of the receiving body. There are practical treatment solutions available to clean up contaminants from various resources. The term “adsorption” refers to one of them. The purpose of the research work is to remove heavy metals from industrial effluent. Mixed adsorbents prepared from activated charcoal and bone charcoals were used to remove the copper and cadmium ions. The experiment carried out in a batch operation and modeling of these data for intraparticle diffusion and thermodynamic calculations were reported in this research work. At optimum operating condition pH 6; metal ion concentration 50 mg/L; dose 5 g/L; agitation 180 rpm and temperature 40°C maximum 99.41% copper ions and 88.12% cadmium ion removal was achieved. Cadmium ions were well fitted in the thermodynamic model compared to copper ions, as demonstrated by the higher correlation coefficient R² (0.9824) value. Intra particle diffusion demonstrated that film diffusion was a rate-limiting step at the start of the reaction, while microporous intraparticle diffusion was the rate-determining phase later on. A Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron micrography analysis confirmed the suitability of mixed adsorbents for the removal of cadmium and copper metal ions.     

Effect of ignition delay on explosion parameters of corn dust/air in confined chamber

This paper presents the explosion parameters of corn dust/air mixtures in confined chamber. The measurements were conducted in a setup which comprises a 5 L explosion chamber, a dust dispersion sub-system, and a transient pressure measurement sub-system. The influences of the ignition delay on the pressure and the rate of pressure rise for the dust/air explosion have been discussed based on the experimental data. It is found that at the lower concentrations, the explosion pressure and the rate of pressure rise of corn dust/air mixtures decrease as the ignition delay increases from 60 ms; But at the higher concentrations, the explosion pressure and the rate of pressure rise increase slightly as the ignition delay increases from 60 ms to 80 ms, and decrease beyond 80 ms. The maximum explosion pressure of corn dust/air mixtures reaches its highest value equal to 0.79 MPa at the concentration of 1000 gm⁻³.     

干旱区云凝结核分布及其影响因子的观测研究

利用DMT CCN仪对宁夏盐池、银川地区地面及高空的云凝结核(CCN)进行实时连续观测.大量资料分析结果表明, CCN日变化明显,受人为因素影响,清晨和傍晚出现高值.夜晚温度与CCN浓度呈正相关,白天相反;强降水对CCN具有一定冲刷作用;沙尘气溶胶没有有效增加盐池地区的CCN浓度.与华北地区比较,银川、盐池地区CCN浓度偏低.此外,研究表明,过饱和度越高,活化CCN浓度越大.根据N=CSK拟合活化谱,银川属于典型大陆性核谱.由于云内清除作用,高空CCN浓度下降明显,但逆温层的存在使得该区CCN浓度累积增加.     

袋式除尘器喷吹管设计参数对喷吹气量影响的计算分析

针对袋式除尘器的脉冲喷吹气流量不均匀性问题,利用CFD数值模拟建立含有结构参数、运行参数的脉冲袋式除尘器的喷吹气流分布模型,通过正交试验法研究了喷吹压力P、喷口个数N、喷口口径D、喷嘴管长H、脉冲时间T和喷口间距L对脉冲喷吹气流量不均匀性σ的影响程度,并拟合得到了各参数与σ的关系式。在设计压力条件下修正喷口管径,获得较好的气流量分布;对修正后的均匀喷吹管,得到在不同喷吹压力下其气流量不均匀性的变化情况。     

深圳市夏季臭氧污染研究

以2009年8月为例分析了深圳市夏季臭氧污染情况及污染气象特征,基于二维空气质量模式对臭氧污染控制进行数值模拟. 结果表明:深圳市８月各监测点均存在臭氧超标现象,污染形势严峻;副热带高压控制和热带气旋外围下沉气流是造成夏季出现高浓度臭氧的主要天气过程,此时大气边界层混合层高度在500～800 m,且近地面风速约在5 ms以内,不利于污染物扩散;臭氧的生成受前体物挥发性有机物(VOC)和氮氧化物(NO_x)排放的共同影响,其中VOC排放的影响较大,深圳市臭氧控制应以降低VOC排放量为重点,模拟得出对VOC和NO_x按25∶1～40∶1的比例协同减排可有效降低臭氧污染.      

北京夏季典型臭氧污染分布特征及影响因子

为研究北京地区O₃分布特征及其影响因子,利用AML-3车载式大气环境污染激光雷达系统(下称AML-3)对北京地区2011年5月7日—6月9日的φ(O₃)进行观测. 通过AML-3自带的污染物地面观测系统和差分吸收激光雷达,分析近地面、高空φ(O₃)时空分布特征,并将φ(O₃)与温度、风速及风向3个气象要素进行相关分析. 结果表明:近地面φ(O₃)日变化明显,06:00左右为低谷,下午14:00左右达到峰值. 高空φ(O₃)的空间分布很不均匀,上层气流易使O₃富集层向下输送造成污染,同时稳定边界层对大气扩散的不利影响也是形成O₃污染的重要原因. φ(O₃)的日变化趋势与温度的日变化趋势呈显著正相关,R(相关系数)为0.74;上下层湍流交换使风速与近地面φ(O₃)呈正相关,而水平扩散使二者呈负相关;通过分析风向的分布规律发现,东北风易造成北京地区O₃污染.      

Contamination levels and state assessment in the lakes of the Oliveri-Tindari Lagoon (North-Eastern Sicily,Italy)

The Oliveri-Tindari Lagoon, located in North-Eastern Sicily (Italy) and composed of six lakes, is subject to continuous environmental changes. An integrated study focusing on sediment features and levels of contamination was carried out for three of the six lakes, which are of ancient origin: Verde, Mergolo della Tonnara and Marinello. A high primary production (26.89 μg l^?1) was detected at Lake Verde; texture classification showed a typical grain size in the sediments of all lakes; the study of macronutrients highlighted 17.08 of total carbon in sediments from Lake Mergolo della Tonnara; toxic elements were detected at higher concentrations in the sediments of Lake Marinello in comparison to the others, while arsenic was found in high concentrations in all the samples tested, especially in Lake Verde, with a mean value of 17.25 mg kg^?1 dry weight (d.w.). All the organic contaminants, except 4, 4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, were below the detection limits in the sediments. Minimal microbiological contamination was found in both water and sediment samples. In the latter, we isolated several bacterial strains thriving in the presence of arsenic, which play a role in the biogeochemical cycle of arsenic. These preliminary results, obtained for the first time using a multidisciplinary approach, provide general information about the Oliveri-Tindari Lagoon area.     

Protective effects of curcumin on antioxidant status,body weight gain,and reproductive parameters in male rats exposed to subchronic 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin (CUR) on antioxidant status, body weight (BW) gains, and some reproductive parameters in male rats exposed to subchronic doses of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Thirty-two rats were divided into four groups. The first group was kept as control. The second group (TCDD group) was given TCDD at a dose of 50 ng·kg^?1 BW per day; the third group (CUR group) was treated with CUR at a dose of 80 mg·kg^?1 BW per day. The fourth group (TCDD + CUR group) was given TCDD and CUR at the same doses simultaneously. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly increased in the TCDD group. In addition, TCDD exposure decreased liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activities of kidney and brain, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities of liver, kidney, and brain, and glutathione levels of liver, kidney, and heart. However, CUR treatment with TCDD exposure decreased MDA levels in all tissues and increased SOD activities of liver, kidney, and brain, CAT activity of heart, and GSH-Px activities of heart and brain. TCDD caused a decrease in BW gain, and CUR partially eliminated this effect of TCDD. In addition, while reproductive organ weights, sperm concentration, and sperm motility tended to decrease with TCDD exposure, these effects tended to be close to normal levels by CUR treatment. In conclusion, CUR was seen to be effective in the treatment and prevention of toxicity induced by subchronic TCDD exposure.     

Effect of dietary Jatropha curcas seed meal on rabbits infested by adult ticks of Hyalomma marginatum marginatum

The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the oral administration of Jatropha curcas seed meal (JCSM) on serum biochemical parameters and histopathology of skin, liver, and kidney of rabbits experimentally infested by Hyalomma marginatum marginatum. Thirty healthy mixed-breed rabbits were randomly divided into five equal groups. The first group was kept as a control and fed soya bean meal. The remaining groups were fed diets containing 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, or 10% JCSM. At the sixth week, each group was divided into two subgroups. Ticks were introduced to all members of one subgroup, the other subgroup being kept as control. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for biochemical parameters before (zero time) and after the treatment, on the 6th and 8th weeks. Histopathological studies were conducted 8 weeks after the treatment. The results revealed that JCSM could be used in the treatment of ectoparasites at levels of less than 10% in the diet without any serious effects on liver and kidney functions.