On equilibration of pore water in column leaching tests

Column leaching tests are closer to natural conditions than batch shaking tests and in the last years have become more popular for assessing the release potential of pollutants from a variety of solids such as contaminated soils, waste, recycling and construction materials. Uncertainties still exist regarding equilibration of the percolating water with the solids, that might potentially lead to underestimation of contaminant concentrations in the effluent. The intention of this paper is to show that equilibration of pore water in a finite bath is fundamentally different from release of a certain fraction of the pollutant from a sample and that equilibrium is reached much faster at low liquid-to-solid ratios typical for column experiments (<0.25) than in batch tests with much higher liquid-to-solid ratios (e.g. 2–10). Two mass transfer mechanisms are elucidated: First-order type release (film diffusion) and intraparticle diffusion. For the latter, mass transfer slows down with time and sooner or later non-equilibrium conditions are observed at the column outlet after percolation has been started. Time scales of equilibrium leaching can be estimated based on a comparison of column length with the length of the mass transfer zone, which is equivalent to a Damköhler number approach. Mass transfer and diffusion coefficients used in this study apply to mass transfer mechanisms limited by diffusion in water, which is typical for release of organic compounds but also for dissolution of soluble minerals such as calcite, gypsum or similar. As a conclusion based on these theoretical considerations column tests (a) equilibrate much faster than batch leaching tests and (b) the equilibrium concentrations are maintained in the column effluent even for slow intraparticle diffusion limited desorption for extended periods of time (>days). Since for equilibration the specific surface area is crucial, the harmonic mean of the grain size is relevant (small grain sizes result in high concentrations even after short pre-equilibration of a column). The absolute time scales calculated with linear sorption and aqueous diffusion aim at organic compounds and are not valid for sparingly soluble mineral phases (e.g. metal oxides and silicates). However, the general findings on how different liquid-to-solid ratios and specific surface area influence equilibration time scales also apply to other mass transfer mechanisms.     

Production, consumption, and general equilibrium with physical constraints

This paper analyzes the consequences of integrating the conservation laws of mass and energy into the microeconomic models of production, consumption, and general equilibrium. We show that abstract models and especially general equilibrium theory are consistent with these physical constraints, but most applied and environmental economic models are not. We analyze the consequences of physical conservation laws for substitution possibilities and show that these constraints limit the number of independent substitution processes but not the value of the substitution elasticities. Finally, we propose a method for integrating physical constraints into static microeconomic models with a minimum of changes.     

煤渣吸附脱除含硫气体的实验研究

煤渣是煤炭燃烧后的残余物 ,由于其含有多种活性组分 ,且结构松散 ,比表面积大 ,是一种具有发展潜力的廉价吸附剂。本文利用重量法测量了在不同温度及压力情况下 ,煤渣对纯 SO2 气体和加入空气后对含硫气体的吸附能力 ;并利用 Freundlich经验式对实验数据进行了回归分析 ,得到了不同温度及压力情况下煤渣对含硫气体吸附能力的预测公式。本文同时还测量了煤渣的动态吸附性能 ,并利用实验数据求出了吸附总传质系数 ,为煤渣吸附脱硫的工业应用提供了实验数据和理论依据。     

火焰原子吸收分光光度法检测矿区环境的常见重金属

在红河州某矿区周围的土壤、池塘、鱼塘采集若干土壤、水样品.用氢氟酸-高氯酸-浓硝酸消化土壤样品,用硝酸处理水样品.实验中,原子吸收分光光度法的平均相关系数≧0.99906;测定元素的相对标准差从0.27%～1.67%,其平均相对标准偏差为1.005%;样品的回收率在102,8%～111.5%之间,表明该法可用于环境中的土壤样品和水样品中重金属元素的准确测定.在仪器的最佳工作状态,使用FAAS法检测矿区环境中的铅(Pb)、铜(Cu)、铬(Cr)、汞(Hg)的含量;依此来发现矿区周围环境的重金属分布规律和周围环境的安全性.     

Quantification of groundwater contamination in an urban area using integral pumping tests

In this paper, the integral groundwater investigation method is used for the quantification of PCE and TCE mass flow rates at an industrialized urban area in Linz, Austria. In this approach, pumping wells positioned along control planes perpendicular to the groundwater flow direction are operated for a time period on the order of days and sampled for contaminants. The concentration time series of the contaminants measured during operation of the pumping wells are then used to determine contaminant mass flow rates, mean concentrations and the plume shapes and positions at the control planes. The three control planes used in Linz were positioned downstream of a number of potential source zones, which are distributed over the field site. By use of the integral investigation method, it was possible to identify active contaminant sources, quantify the individual source strength in terms of mass flow rates at the control planes and estimate the contaminant plume position relative to the control planes. The source zones emitting the highest PCE and TCE mass flow rates could be determined, representing the areas where additional investigation and remediation activities will be needed. Additionally, large parts of the area investigated could be excluded from further investigation and remediation activities.     

Transient analysis of volatile organic compound concentrations for estimating emission rates

While emission rates of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been obtained for building materials, furnishings and processes in chambers, field measurements are more difficult. Procedures to estimate emission rates using transient analysis of VOC concentrations are described and applied in a two-story classroom/office building. The analysis employs semi-real-time VOC concentrations determined with a portable GC/FID and simultaneous air change rate measurements using tracer gas decay. The results of the analysis yield consistent values of emission rates for building materials ranging from 0.20 to 0.40 mg m⁻² h⁻¹ when normalized by floor area. Occupancy-related emissions were more difficult to estimate and covered a wider range from roughly 0.1 to 1.5 mg m⁻² h⁻¹. The test data were also analyzed in an attempt to determine sink parameters, but these efforts were not particularly successful. Furthermore, in these tests, the inclusion of sink effects did not significantly impact the estimated emission rates. While this paper offers a transient analysis approach that may lead to improved field estimates of VOC emission rates, it is not presented as a definitive methodology. Nevertheless, transient analysis has potential for use in other buildings, but simultaneous air change rate measurements are critical in its application in estimating VOC emission rates in the field.     

Comparison of light absorption and oxidative potential of biodiesel/diesel and chemicals/diesel blends soot particles

Soot particles,mainly coming from fuel combustion,affect climate forcing through absorbing light and also result in adverse human health outcomes.Though biodiesel or additives blending with diesel was considered environmentally friendly,the understanding on absorbing and oxidative capacity of soot emitted from them are still unclear.The watersoluble organic carbon(WSOC) content,surface chemical structure,light absorption and oxidative potential(OP~(DTT)) of soot from biodiesel/diesel and chemicals/diesel blends were investigated utilizing total organic carbon analyzer,X-ray photoelectron spectrometer,ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry and dithiothreitol(DTT) assay.The differences and correlations between soot properties were statistically analyzed.Chemicals/diesel blends soot owned significantly higher WSOC content,ratio of mass absorbing efficiency(MAE) in250 and 365 nm(E_2/E_3),OP~(DTT),and higher surface carbonyl content.Coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot contained evidently higher aromatic carbon–oxygen single bond(Ar_C–O)content,and higher MAE365.The individual comparison of biodiesel/diesel blends showed20% coconut biodiesel blend owned the lowest WSOC,E_2/E_3 and OP~(DTT),while highest Ar_C–O and MAE365,representing strongest absorbing properties.Association analysis showed OP~(DTT)was significantly positively correlated with WSOC.Further,the evident negative correlation between MAE365 and OP~(DTT) was observed.Our results showed coconut biodiesel/diesel blends soot induced lower levels of oxidative potential,whereas absorption of light was higher,which have far reaching consequences on climate forcing.Therefore,it is important to evaluate the balance point between light-absorbing properties and oxidative potential,under the wide use of biodiesel.     

Mass spectral chemical fingerprints reveal the molecular dependence of exhaust particulate matters on engine speeds

Particulate matters(PMs) emitted by automobile exhaust contribute to a significant fraction of the global PMs. Extractive atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry(EAPCI-MS) was developed to explore the molecular dependence of PMs collected from exhaust gases produced at different vehicle engine speeds. The mass spectral fingerprints of the organic compounds embedded in differentially sized PMs(e.g., 0.22–0.45, 0.45–1.00, 1.00–2.00, 2.00–3.00, 3.00–5.00, and 5.00–10.00 μm) generated at different engine speeds(e.g., 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, and 3000 r/min) were chemically profiled in the mass range of mass to charge ratio(m/z) 50–800. Organic compounds,including alcohols, aldehydes, and esters, were detected in all the PMs tested, with varied concentration levels for each individual PM sample. At relatively low engine speeds(≤ 1500 r/min), the total amount of organic species embedded in PMs of 0.22–1.00 μm was greater than in PMs of other sizes, while more organic species were found in PMs of5.00–10.00 μm at high engine speeds(≥ 3000 r/min), indicating that the organic compounds distributed in different sizes of PMs strongly correlated with the engine speed. The experimental data showed that the EAPCI-MS technique enables molecular characterization of PMs in exhaust, revealing the chemical dependence of PMs on the engine speeds(i.e., the combustion conditions) of automobiles.     

Reaction of ortho-methoxybenzoic acid with the water disinfecting agents ozone, chlorine and sodium hypochlorite

Ozone, chlorine and sodium hypochlorite are commonly used as disinfecting agents for drinking water production. The reaction pathways of ozonation and chlorination of o-methoxybenzoic acid in aqueous solution were studied using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results show that less than 1% of o-methoxybenzoic acid remains in reaction. The final major products using ozone oxidation are oxalic and glyoxalic acids. Phenols appear only at insufficient ozone levels. Sodium hypochlorite leads to higher levels of primary products. Molecular chlorine leads to the formation of higher amounts of polychlorinated derivatives. Model experiments allow to propose schemes of o-methoxybenzoic acid transformation under the conditions simulating water treatment processes.     

Strong effects of various incidence and observation angles on spectrometric assessment of plumage colouration in birds

The assessment of plumage colouration has become a common procedure in many ornithological studies, especially after the discovery of differences between avian and human visual systems, namely the avian ability to perceive ultraviolet wavelengths. There are many techniques available for plumage colour assessment. Nevertheless, unidirectional reflectance spectrometry seems actually to be the method of choice and is used in most studies. The active avian visual communication skills, the physical characteristics of the plumage surface and the birds’ body shape prompted us to study plumage colouration with different angles of incidence and observation by bidirectional reflectance spectrometry. In this study, we explore the effect of different angles of incidence and observation, on a single plane of incidence, on the reflectance spectrometric assessment of five differently coloured body regions of the blue fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona aestiva). Measurements were made using a AVS-USB2000 spectrometer with a DH-2000 light source and two different reflection probes (bifurcated fibre optic probe and a specially designed fibre holder). The results of this study illustrate clear angle dependence of colour parameters in differently coloured non-iridescent plumage regions of the blue fronted Amazon parrot. Our results may have direct implications on the observed transmitted information of display and its associated predation risk (trade-off) in birds, but also in other animals. Moreover, the results show that unidirectional reflectance spectrometry alone may be a rather limited procedure to quantify and compare true colour of a complex surface such as birds’ plumage. Therefore, slight but behavioural important characteristics of plumage pattern may remain undiscovered with this method.