Nitrogen critical loads using biodiversity-related critical limits

Critical loads are widely used in the effects-based assessment of emission reduction policies. While the impacts of acidification have diminished, there is increasing concern regarding the effects of nitrogen deposition on terrestrial ecosystems. In this context much attention has been focussed on empirical critical loads as well as simulations with linked geochemistry-vegetation models. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to adapt the widely used simple mass balance approach. This approach has the well-established benefit of easy regional applicability, while incorporating specified critical chemical criteria to protect specified receptors. As plant occurrence/biodiversity is related to both the nutrient and acidity status of an ecosystem, a single abiotic factor (chemical criterion) is not sufficient. Rather than an upper limit for deposition (i.e., critical load), linked nutrient nitrogen and acidity chemical criteria for plant occurrence result in an ‘optimal’ nitrogen and sulphur deposition envelope.     

Microbial growth with vapor-phase substrate

Limited information exists on influences of the diffusive transport of volatile organic contaminants (VOC) on bacterial activity in the unsaturated zone of the terrestrial subsurface. Diffusion of VOC in the vapor-phase is much more efficient than in water and results in effective VOC transport and high bioavailability despite restricted mobility of bacteria in the vadose zone. Since many bacteria tend to accumulate at solid-water, solid-air and air-water interfaces, such phase boundaries are of a special interest for VOC-biodegradation. In an attempt to evaluate microbial activity toward air-borne substrates, this study investigated the spatio-temporal interplay between growth of Pseudomonas putida (NAH7) on vapor-phase naphthalene (NAPH) and its repercussion on vapor-phase NAPH concentrations. Our data demonstrate that growth rates of strain PpG7 were inversely correlated to the distance from the source of vapor-phase NAPH. Despite the high gas phase diffusivity of NAPH, microbial growth was absent at distances above 5 cm from the source when sufficient biomass was located in between. This indicates a high efficiency of suspended bacteria to acquire vapor-phase compounds and influence headspace concentration gradients at the centimeter-scale. It further suggests a crucial role of microorganisms as biofilters for gas-phase VOC emanating from contaminated groundwater or soil.     

万头猪场沼气发电工程热平衡影响因素研究

在分析万头猪场沼气发电工程热平衡及其影响因素基础上,详细阐述了系统热量收支衡算方法。通过算例表明,对于万头猪场的沼气发电工程而言,物料提温占厌氧发酵系统总热量需求的80％～88％,是厌氧消化系统热量需求的主要因素,其次是消化器的热损,占10％～17％,在发电余热回收量不低于沼气总能量40％的情况下,高寒地区的进料浓度应不低于6％,干猪粪进料量应不低于1000kg／d。     

Use of tracer tests to investigate changes in flow and transport properties due to bioclogging of porous media

Tracer tests were conducted in three laboratory columns to study changes in the hydraulic properties of a porous medium due to bioclogging. About 30 breakthrough curves (BTCs) for each column were obtained. The BTCs were analyzed using analytical equilibrium and dual-porosity models, and estimates of the hydrodynamic dispersion and mass transfer coefficients were obtained by curve fitting. The change in transport properties developed in three stages: an initial phase (I) with no significant changes in transport properties, phase II with growth of biomass near the inlet of the columns causing changes in dispersivity, and phase III with added growth of micro-colonies deeper in the columns causing mass transfer of solutes from the water phase to the biophase. Tracer transport changed from being uniform to more non-uniform with increase in mass transfer of the tracer between the mobile phase and the immobile biomass. An increase in the bulk dispersivity value of up to one order of magnitude was observed. Numerical simulations suggest that local dispersivity values may be as much as 40 times higher in the more severe clogged areas inside the column. The bulk hydraulic conductivities of the columns decreased by up to three orders of magnitude. The hydraulic conductivity and dispersivity parameters were almost recovered after disinfection of the columns. Different models relating the changes of the hydraulic conductivity to the changes in the mobile porosity due to bioclogging were reviewed, and the micro-colony relation of Thullner et al. [Thullner, M., Zeyer, J., Kinzelbach, W., 2002. Influence of microbial growth on hydraulic properties of pore networks, Transport in Porous Media, 49, 99-122.] was found to best describe the relation between the bulk hydraulic parameters.     

Multiphase flow and transport caused by spontaneous gas phase growth in the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid

Disconnected bubbles or ganglia of trapped gas may occur below the top of the capillary fringe through a number of mechanisms. In the presence of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), the disconnected gas phase experiences mass transfer of dissolved gases, including volatile components from the DNAPL. The properties of the gas phase interface can also change. This work shows for the first time that when seed gas bubbles exist spontaneous gas phase growth can be expected to occur and can significantly affect water-gas-DNAPL distributions, fluid flow, and mass transfer. Source zone behaviour was observed in three different experiments performed in a 2-dimensional flow cell. In each case, a DNAPL pool was created in a zone of larger glass beads over smaller glass beads, which served as a capillary barrier. In one experiment effluent water samples were analyzed to determine the vertical concentration profile of the plume above the pool. The experiments effectively demonstrated a) a cycle of spontaneous gas phase expansion and vertical advective mobilization of gas bubbles and ganglia above the DNAPL source zone, b) DNAPL redistribution caused by gas phase growth and mobilization, and c) that these processes can significantly affect mass transport from a NAPL source zone.     

土地资源可持续利用的生态经济系统分析

论述了土地生态经济系统的特点和实现土地可持续利用的生态经济条件。土地生态经济系统是土地生态系统与土地经济系统耦合而成的复合系统 ,土地可持续利用与生态经济平衡存在着内在联系 ,生态经济平衡是实现土地可持续利用的前提条件 ;土地可持续利用目标是在土地开发利用过程中 ,实现生态、经济和社会三效益的协调统一 ;遵循生态经济规律是实现土地资源可持续利用的必要条件     

中国区域土壤表观氮磷平衡清单及政策建议

利用OECD表观氮平衡模型框架,建立了中国表观氮磷平衡核算的框架、方法和数据库.模型结果表明,2003年中国土壤表观氮磷盈余总量分别为640×10⁴　t和98×10⁴　t,氮磷盈余强度分别为16.56 kg/hm²和2.53 kg/hm².由于中国氮磷平衡区域分布严重不平衡,面临着氮磷盈余管理和氮磷缺损管理的双重压力.化肥和畜禽粪便是中国土壤氮磷投入最主要的来源,因此是中国氮磷盈余管理最佳切入点.由于各地氮磷投入结构各异,在氮磷盈余严重的中东部地区,不宜采用“一刀切”的政策,而应针对不同地区氮磷输入的特点进行氮磷盈余管理.     

腾发覆盖垃圾填埋场覆盖层机理试验研究及结构分析

研究了腾发覆盖垃圾场覆盖层水平衡机理并探讨了植物、土质和厚度调节对控制覆盖层水均衡的作用.6组腾发覆盖试验结果表明,腾发作用在覆盖层水量平均过程中起关键作用,覆盖层土壤水分耗散与叶面积指数表现出非线性增长关系;植物生长条件下覆盖层土壤水分总耗散量可以达到无植物覆盖情况下的3.3～4.5倍,60 cm覆盖厚度、植物生长条件下能够提供97.2 mm的土壤水库容积,而无植物生长情况下有效库容仅为62.8 mm; 降雨入渗在覆盖层中表现出非均匀运动特性,流动区域随深度的增加而呈指数递减的趋势,20、40和60 mm降雨条件下最大入渗深度与平均入渗深度的比值分别为3.65、1.77和1.40,表明土壤水库容量不仅取决于覆盖层土壤质地,厚度和初始含水率,并且与降雨量有关,非均匀入渗是植物生长条件下渗沥产生的主要原因.Hydrus-2D模拟覆盖层水均衡要素动态结果显示,相比粘土,选用砂壤性土壤能够更为有效利用腾发作用的调节和控制覆盖层水分,达到控制渗沥的目的.     

The dissolution of benzene, toluene, m-xylene and naphthalene from a residually trapped non-aqueous phase liquid under mass transfer limited conditions

The results of dissolution experiments for benzene, toluene, m-xylene and naphthalene (BTXN) from a relatively insoluble oil phase (tridecane), residually trapped in a non-sorbing porous medium, are described. This mixture was chosen to simulate dissolution of soluble aromatic compounds from a petroleum hydrocarbon mixture, e.g., crude oil, for which a large fraction of the mixture is relatively insoluble. The experiments were carried out at a small source length to interstitial velocity ratio, L/v, so that dissolution would be mass transfer limited (MTL). When fitted to data for toluene, a multiregion mass transfer model was found to predict the experimental data satisfactorily for the other components without adjustment of the mass transfer rate parameters. These results indicate that the dissolution process can be generalized for various hydrophobic organic compounds present in a multicomponent non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) when mass transfer limitations are present. This also suggests that dissolution data obtained for one compound can be useful for predicting the dissolution histories for other compounds from petroleum hydrocarbon mixtures.     

Investigating the Uncertainties in the Simple Mass Balance Equation for Acidity Critical Loads for Terrestrial Ecosystems in the United Kingdom

The Simple Mass Balance (SMB)equation has been developed and used as one ofthe principal methods for calculating criticalloads of acidity for forest ecosystems. Criticalloads have formed the basis for informing policyrelated to the control and abatement of emissionsof acidifying pollutants. The SMB equationrelies on a variety of assumptions and dataderived from a variety of sources. Each of thesecomponent constituents has a potential source oferror depending on the method(s) used for theirderivation and the value(s) assigned. The resultis the possibility of generating a range ofcritical load values for a single ecosystem. This paper summarises the SMB equation, examinesthe uncertainties in deriving input values andreviews other works on the key assumptions.