An experimental study on fermentative H2 production from food waste as affected by pH

Batch dark fermentation experiments were performed on food waste and mixtures of food waste and wastewater activated sludge to evaluate the influence of pH on biological H₂ production and compare the process performance with and without inoculum addition. The effect of a preliminary thermal shock treatment of the inoculum was also investigated as a means to harvest the hydrogenogenic biomass. The best performance in terms of both H₂ generation potential and process kinetics was observed at pH = 6.5 under all experimental conditions (no inoculum, and untreated or thermally treated inoculum added). H₂ production from food waste was found to be feasible even without inoculum addition, although thermal pre-treatment of the inoculum notably increased the maximum production and reduced the lag phase duration. The analysis of the fermentation products indicated that the biological hydrogen production could be mainly ascribed to a mixed acetate/butyrate-type fermentation. However, the presence of additional metabolites in the digestate, including propionate and ethanol, also indicated that other metabolic pathways were active during the process, reducing substrate conversion into hydrogen. The plateau in H₂ generation was found to mirror the condition at which soluble carbohydrates were depleted. Beyond this condition, homoacetogenesis probably started to play a role in the degradation process.     

Toward equality of biodiversity knowledge through technology transfer

To help stem the continuing decline of biodiversity, effective transfer of technology from resource‐rich to biodiversity‐rich countries is required. Biodiversity technology as defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a complex term, encompassing a wide variety of activities and interest groups. As yet, there is no robust framework by which to monitor the extent to which technology transfer might benefit biodiversity. We devised a definition of biodiversity technology and a framework for the monitoring of technology transfer between CBD signatories. Biodiversity technology within the scope of the CBD encompasses hard and soft technologies that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, or make use of genetic resources, and that relate to all aspects of the CBD, with a particular focus on technology transfer from resource‐rich to biodiversity‐rich countries. Our proposed framework introduces technology transfer as a response indicator: technology transfer is increased to stem pressures on biodiversity. We suggest an initial approach of tracking technology flow between countries; charting this flow is likely to be a one‐to‐many relationship (i.e., the flow of a specific technology from one country to multiple countries). Future developments should then focus on integrating biodiversity technology transfer into the current pressure‐state‐response indicator framework favored by the CBD (i.e., measuring the influence of technology transfer on changes in state and pressure variables). Structured national reporting is important to obtaining metrics relevant to technology and knowledge transfer. Interim measures, that can be used to assess biodiversity technology or knowledge status while more in‐depth indicators are being developed, include the number of species inventories, threatened species lists, or national red lists; databases on publications and project funding may provide measures of international cooperation. Such a pragmatic approach, followed by rigorous testing of specific technology transfer metrics submitted by CBD signatories in a standardized manner may in turn improve the focus of future targets on technology transfer for biodiversity conservation.     

Synergies and trade‐offs in achieving global biodiversity targets

After their failure to achieve a significant reduction in the global rate of biodiversity loss by 2010, world governments adopted 20 new ambitious Aichi biodiversity targets to be met by 2020. Efforts to achieve one particular target can contribute to achieving others, but different targets may sometimes require conflicting solutions. Consequently, lack of strategic thinking might result, once again, in a failure to achieve global commitments to biodiversity conservation. We illustrate this dilemma by focusing on Aichi Target 11. This target requires an expansion of terrestrial protected area coverage, which could also contribute to reducing the loss of natural habitats (Target 5), reducing human‐induced species decline and extinction (Target 12), and maintaining global carbon stocks (Target 15). We considered the potential impact of expanding protected areas to mitigate global deforestation and the consequences for the distribution of suitable habitat for >10,000 species of forest vertebrates (amphibians, birds, and mammals). We first identified places where deforestation might have the highest impact on remaining forests and then identified places where deforestation might have the highest impact on forest vertebrates (considering aggregate suitable habitat for species). Expanding protected areas toward locations with the highest deforestation rates (Target 5) or the highest potential loss of aggregate species’ suitable habitat (Target 12) resulted in partially different protected area network configurations (overlapping with each other by about 73%). Moreover, the latter approach contributed to safeguarding about 30% more global carbon stocks than the former. Further investigation of synergies and trade‐offs between targets would shed light on these and other complex interactions, such as the interaction between reducing overexploitation of natural resources (Targets 6, 7), controlling invasive alien species (Target 9), and preventing extinctions of native species (Target 12). Synergies between targets must be identified and secured soon and trade‐offs must be minimized before the options for co‐benefits are reduced by human pressures.     

美国排污权交易制度的最新实践与启示——基于美国清洁空气跨州法则（CAIR）的实践

美国排污权交易制度的实践是成功的,也为多个国家和地区所借鉴。本文通过清洁空气跨州法则（CAIR）的实施成效及环境效益两个方面论述美国排污权交易制度的最新实践,并结合实施情况在政策持续性、数据质量保证、信息公开、政策准备研究等方面提出几点启示,以供我国各区域开展排污权交易政策借鉴和参考。     

环境内分泌干扰物的评价方法及其生物检测技术

由于化学分析设备与技术的不断提高,大量的有机化学物质不断地从环境介质和食品中被检出。尽管这些物质的浓度很低,但是毒理学的研究表明,一些环境内分泌干扰物质(Environmental Endocrine Disruptors,EDCs)在很低浓度就能导致生物健康负效应。如何在种类众多的环境化学物质,以及在成分复杂的环境提取物中识别具有低剂量效应的有害物质并加以管理十分重要。本文以EDCs为对象,结合近几年来的文献,综述了其可能造成的危害,重点分析了EDCs的作用机制、筛选评估方法及生物检测技术,旨在为今后环境有害物质的筛选与风险识别研究提供借鉴。     

Enhancing the efficiency of nitrogen removing bacterial population to a wide range of C:N ratio (1.5:1 to 14:1) for simultaneous C & N removal

• Simultaneous C & N removal in Methammox occurs at wide C:N ratio. • Biological Nitrogen Removal at wide C:N ratio of 1.5:1 to 14:1 is not reported. • Ammonia removal shifted from mixotrophy to heterotrophy at high C:N ratio. • Acetogenic population compensated for ammonia oxidizers at high C:N ratio. • Methanogens increase the plasticity of nitrogen removers at high C:N ratio. High C:N ratio in the wastewater limits biological nitrogen removal (BNR), especially in anammox based technologies. The present study attempts to improve the COD tolerance of the BNR process by associating methanogens with nitrogen removing bacterial (NRB) populations. The new microbial system coined as ‘Methammox’, was investigated for simultaneous removal of COD (C) and ammonia (N) at C:N ratio 1.5:1 to 14:1. The ammonia removal rate (11.5 mg N/g VSS/d) and the COD removal rates (70.6 mg O/g VSS/d) of Methammox was close to that of the NRB (11.1 mg N/g VSS/d) and the methanogenic populations (77.9 mg O/g VSS/d), respectively. The activities established that these two populations existed simultaneously and independently in ‘Methammox’. Further studies in biofilm reactor fetched a balanced COD and ammonia removal (55%–60%) at a low C:N ratio (≤2:1) and high C:N ratio (≥9:1). The population abundance of methanogens was reasonably constant, but the nitrogen removal shifted from mixotrophy to heterotrophy as the C:N ratio shifted from low (C:N≤2:1) to high (C:N≥9:1). The reduced autotrophic NRB (ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and Anammox) population at a high C:N ratio was compensated by the fermentative group that could carry out denitrification heterotrophically. The functional plasticity of the Methammox system to adjust to a broad C:N ratio opens new frontiers in biological nitrogen removal of high COD containing wastewaters.     

气候变化对长江三角洲海岸带的可能影响

本文利用长江三角洲海岸带的历史资料，讨论了长江三角洲海岸带的历史演变，并对未来海岸的变化作了估计。着重讨论了未来气候变化对长江三角渡海堤、江口通航、江口淡水资源的影响，指出未来全球气候变暖、长江流域降水增加都可能增加对长江三角洲海岸带的影响。最后提出了适应气候变化和减轻影响的措施。     

Classification of coastal waters according to the new Italian water legislation and comparison with the European Water Directive

New legislation for the protection of inland surface waters, transitional waters, coastal waters and ground waters has recently been established in Italy. This law presents a new integrated approach, where all water bodies are considered as complex ecosystems to be studied in each of their components. The new concept of environmental quality of the water body, based on the ecological and chemical status, is also introduced. At the same time (i.e. the end of 2000), the European Community approved the European Water Framework Directive based on the same basic environmental concepts and criteria of the new Italian law. This paper analyses the important points and innovations required by the new Italian legislation for monitoring and classification of marine coastal waters. Details of definitions, parameters, analysis and monitoring programs are discussed. A comparison with the European Water Framework Directive is eventually given, underlining the specific characteristics of the Mediterranean sea, which have to be taken into consideration when applying the European Directive to this particular ecoregion.     

污水生物脱氮过程中N_2O的释放途径和影响因素

为了更好地理解和掌握污水处理过程中N 2O的释放规律,结合近年来已经发表的研究结果,就传统的污水生物脱氮过程(全程硝化反硝化过程)和新型污水生物脱氮过程(同步硝化反硝化、短程硝化反硝化和厌氧氨氧化)中N2O的释放途径以及影响因素进行了综述。通过综述发现,硝化和反硝化过程均有可能导致N2O的释放,且硝化过程更易产生N2O;与传统的脱氮过程相比,同步硝化反硝化等新型脱氮过程产生N2O的概率更大;影响N2O释放的因素主要有DO浓度、NO-2浓度、进水氨氮负荷、SRT和COD/N等运行工况和细菌种类及其活性。最后,展望了该领域的研究方向。