Determination of 27 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in water: The benefit of isotope dilution

• Isotope dilution method was developed for the determination of 27 PPCPs in water. • The established method was successfully applied to different types of water samples. • The correction effect of corresponding 27 ILSs over 70 d was investigated. • Benefit of isotopic dilution method was illustrated for three examples. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a unique group of emerging and non-persistent contaminants. In this study, 27 PPCPs in various water samples were extracted by solid phase extraction (SPE), and determined by isotope dilution method using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem triple quadruple mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS). A total of 27 isotopically labeled standards (ILSs) were applied to correct the concentration of PPCPs in spiked ultrapure water, drinking water, river, effluent and influent sewage. The corrected recoveries were 73%–122% with the relative standard deviation (RSD)<16%, except for acetaminophen. The matrix effect for all kinds of water samples was<22% and the method quantitation limits (MQLs) were 0.45–8.6 ng/L. The developed method was successfully applied on environmental water samples. The SPE extracts of spiked ultrapure water, drinking water, river and wastewater effluent were stored for 70 days, and the ILSs-corrected recoveries of 27 PPCPs were obtained to evaluate the correction ability of ILSs in the presence of variety interferences. The recoveries of 27 PPCPs over 70 days were within the scope of 72%–140% with the recovery variation<37% in all cases. The isotope dilution method seems to be of benefit when the extract has to be stored for long time before the instrument analysis.     

Water saving effect on integrated water resource management

This study proposes an improved integrated water resource management (IWRM), in which water conservation was analyzed for the entire water use process. A multi-objective optimization method was applied to optimize the IWRM, which investigated the reduction of freshwater consumption and the total water supply cost. Customer's preference for saving water and an end use analysis (EUA) was applied in the water conservation analysis. Taking Tianjin as the study area, a reduction in customer's economic pressure (EP) was utilized to evaluate the degree of the customer's preference for saving water. The results revealed that agriculture had a greater preference for saving water than other sectors, where as the public had the weakest motivation for saving water. Improving the transportation method could contribute 62.1% of the total water savings in the agriculture sector. The optimization of the IWRM demonstrated that the local freshwater savings would be 21.5%, and the total cost for water supplies would decrease by 13%. However, a government subsidy of 87.5 million Yuan would be needed. Additionally, by analyzing the change in the amount of water savings affected by water price, the appropriate water price increase range was suggested to be 1.5–1.7 times the original price.     

CFD simulation of MSW combustion and SNCR in a commercial incinerator

A CFD scheme was presented for modeling municipal solid waste (MSW) combustion in a moving-grate incinerator, including the in-bed burning of solid wastes, the out-of-bed burnout of gaseous volatiles, and the selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) process between urea (CO(NH₂)₂) and NO_x. The in-bed calculations provided 2-D profiles of the gas–solid temperatures and the gas species concentrations along the bed length, which were then used as inlet conditions for the out-of-bed computations. The over-bed simulations provided the profiles of incident radiation heat flux on the top of bed. A 3-dimensional benchmark simulation was conducted with a 750 t/day commercial incinerator using the present coupling scheme incorporating with a reduced SNCR reduction mechanism. Numerical tests were performed to investigate the effects of operating parameters such as injection position, injection speed and the normalized stoichiometric ratio (NSR) on the SNCR performance. The simulation results showed that the distributions of gas velocity, temperature and NO_x concentration were highly non-uniform, which made the injection position one of the most sensitive operating parameters influencing the SNCR performance of moving grate incinerators. The simulation results also showed that multi-layer injections were needed to meet the EU2000 standard, and a NSR 1.5 was suggested as a compromise of a satisfactory NO_x reduction and reasonable NH₃ slip rates. This work provided useful guides to the design and operation of SNCR process in moving-grate incinerators.     

Mowers versus growers: Riparian buffer management in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains,USA

Despite long-standing knowledge of the benefits of riparian buffers for mitigating nonpoint source pollution, many streams are unprotected by buffers. Even landowners who understand ecological values of buffers mow riparian vegetation to the streambank. Do trends in rural riparian conditions reflect the development of riparian forest science? What motivates residential riparian management actions? Using high-resolution orthoimagery, we quantified riparian conditions and trends between 1998 and 2015 in the rural upper Little Tennessee River basin in Macon County, North Carolina and explored how landowners view riparian zone management and riparian restoration programs. Buffer composition in 2015 was as follows: no buffer (32.5%), narrow (19.3%), forested (26.7%), shrub (7.2%), and intermediate (7.0%). Relative to 1998, the greatest decrease occurred in the no buffer class (−17.7%, 46 km) and the largest increases occurred in the shrub (+72.5%, 20 km) and narrow (12.6%, 14 km) classes. Forested buffer marginally increased. Semi-structured interview data suggest that landowners prioritize recreational and scenic aspects of riparian buffers over ecological functions such as filtration and bank stabilization. Riparian restoration programs might be made more enticing to non-adopters if outreach language appealed to landowner priorities, design elements demonstrated intentional management, and program managers highlighted areas where ecological goals and landowner values align.     

Measurement of the pesticide methomyl by modified quartz crystal nanobalance with molecularly imprinted polymer

A simple and cost-effective analysis method based on quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) coated with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for measurement of methomyl was investigated. In the first part of this study, a sensitive, selective and reliable quartz crystal nanobalance (QCN) sensor was designed for the selective determination of methomyl in aqueous solutions. In the second part, in order to demonstrate the applicability and performance of the fabricated sensor in the real world situation, it was successfully applied for the determination of methomyl residual in photo catalytic degradation by ZnO powders in aqueous solutions. The fabricated sensor presents a high selectivity and sensitivity (4.56 Hz per mg L^?1) for methomyl and it can be used for determination of methomyl concentration ranged between 1 to 45 mg L^?1. Furthermore, good reproducibility, R.S.D. = 2.14% (n = 5) was observed. To investigate the performance of the sensor, the change in the insecticide concentration during the photocatalytic degradation of methomyl by ZnO was investigated by QCN and UV/Vis spectroscopy. Results obtained from QCN sensor and UV/Vis spectroscopy measurement are in good mutual agreement. So the fabricated sensor may provide an efficient, low cost, easy-to-use method for the in-field evaluation of specific targeted analytes in aqueous solutions which in turn may lead to improved food and water safety.     

Combined Effects of Levels of Protection and Environmental Variables at Different Spatial Resolutions on Fish Assemblages in a Marine Protected Area

Abstract: The links between species–environment relations and species’ responses to protection are unclear, but the objectives of marine protected areas (MPAs) are most likely to be achieved when those relations are known and inform MPA design. The components of a species’ habitat vary with the spatial resolution of the area considered. We characterized areas at two resolutions: 250 m² (transect) and approximately 30,000 m² (seascape). We considered three categories of environmental variables: substrate type, bottom complexity, and depth. We sought to determine at which resolution habitat characteristics were a better predictor of abundance and species composition of fishes and whether the relations with environmental variables at either resolution affected species’ responses to protection. Habitat features accounted for a larger proportion of spatial variation in species composition and abundances than differences in protection status. This spatial variation was explained best by habitat characteristics at the seascape level than at the transect level. Species’ responses to protected areas were specific to particular seascape characteristics, primarily depth, and bottom complexity. Our method may be useful for prioritizing marine areas for protection, designing MPAs, and monitoring their effectiveness. It identified areas that provided natural shelter, areas acting as buffer zones, and areas where fish species were most responsive to protection. The identification of such areas is necessary for cost‐effective establishment and monitoring of MPAs.     

中国城市热岛时空特征及其影响因子的分析

全球气候变暖背景下,城市热岛效应会加重城市地区的热胁迫,对人类健康和生存发展提出严峻挑战.近年来我国雾-霾污染情况严重,但雾-霾对城市热岛影响的认识仍较匮乏.本研究基于MODIS遥感卫星地表温度数据,明确了我国2003~2013年白天、夜间以及四季城市热岛的空间变化,并从生物物理学和生物化学角度定量分析其控制机制.结果表明,影响我国白天城市热岛强度的主要因素为人口、农田灌溉和植被活动.纬度、降水量、反照率以及气溶胶浓度是夜间城市热岛强度的主控因子.从对比城乡粗糙度、反照率等生物物理学属性的角度,揭示了乡村背景环境对城市热岛分析的重要影响.结果表明,雾-霾治理可以缓解我国夜间城市热岛现象和热胁迫,有利于缓解区域甚至全球气候变化.     

不同CDPF贵金属负载量对柴油公交车VOCs组分排放影响

基于重型底盘测功机,利用质子转移反应质谱(PTR-MS)研究了柴油公交车在中国典型城市公交车循环(CCBC)下,不同CDPF贵金属负载量对尾气中挥发性有机物(VOCs)组分排放特性的影响.结果表明,柴油公交车VOCs主要组分为含氧有机物(OVOCs)、芳香烃和烯烃等,且OVOCs占比达50%以上;在贵金属成分、配比相同时,VOCs减排率随CDPF贵金属负载量增加而增加:贵金属负载量为15 g·ft~(-3)(A型后处理装置)、25 g·ft~(-3)(B型)和35 g·ft~(-3)(C型)时,VOCs总量的减排率依次为36.2%、40.1%和41.4%.C型后处理装置对烷烃全循环减排率高达70.2%,且对OVOCs的催化有微弱优势;对于不饱和烃类,3种不同贵金属负载量的后处理装置均有一定催化效果,但无明显差异;A型对含氮有机物减排率可达50.5%,但减排率随贵金属负载量增加而降低.采用DOC+CDPF后能较好地降低公交车VOCs排放量进而降低臭氧生成潜势(OFP).同时考虑不同方案减排效果与成本因素,当加权系数分别为0.8和0.2时,B型为最优方案.     

容积负荷对ABR-MBR工艺反硝化除磷性能的影响

采用连续流ABR-MBR组合工艺处理生活污水,研究不同容积负荷(volume loading rate,VLR)对该工艺反硝化除磷性能的影响,获得最佳工艺参数.试验考察ABR进水容积负荷(以COD计,下同)分别为0.76、1.01、1.51和2.27 kg·(m~3·d)~(-1)时系统去碳脱氮除磷的性能,并在各ABR容积负荷条件下考察MBR容积负荷对MBR反应器硝化性能的影响.结果表明,在ABR进水容积负荷为1.51 kg·(m~3·d)~(-1)的条件下,系统A2隔室COD去除量最大,并在MBR容积负荷为0.462 kg·(m~3·d)~(-1)时,MBR反应器中实现了短程硝化,系统NH_4~+-N和TN去除率分别达到90%和72%以上,厌氧释磷量为7.41 mg·L~(-1),缺氧吸磷量达到15.42 mg·L~(-1),出水PO_4~(3-)-P浓度低于0.5 mg·L~(-1),这表明短程硝化更有利于强化ABR-MBR系统的反硝化除磷性能.     

应用相平衡分配法建立湘江衡阳段沉积物重金属质量基准

采集湘江衡阳段29个站点的表层沉积物样品,测定沉积物中4种重金属(Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd)含量及赋存形态、以及孔隙水中重金属含量,根据相平衡分配法的基本理论,考虑参与沉积物-水相平衡分配的重金属组成,实测法计算重金属的沉积物-水相平衡分配系数(Kp),分别引用美国EPA制定保护水生生物不受重金属慢性毒性影响的基本连续浓度(CCC)和我国地表水环境质量标准(GB 3838-2002)Ⅰ类水质标准,建立两种湘江衡阳段沉积物重金属质量基准(SQC)进行对比分析,其中基于美国CCC建立的湘江衡阳段沉积物重金属质量基准与国内外研究成果相比可比性较好,4种重金属(Cu、Pb、Zn和Cd)的SQC值分别为64.62、55.57、1 360.40和2.34μg.g-1,此SQC具有保护长期生活于沉积物中的底栖生物不受重金属慢性毒性影响的意义.通过单因子评价法将湘江衡阳段沉积物中重金属总量与沉积物质量基准值(SQC)进行比较,结果表明,湘江衡阳段沉积物中Cd和Pb含量水平对底栖生物具有较大的慢性毒性影响,Cd污染不容忽视.