Influence of tidal regime on the distribution of trace metals in a contaminated tidal freshwater marsh soil colonized with common reed (Phragmites australis)

A historical input of trace metals into tidal marshes fringing the river Scheldt may be a cause for concern. Nevertheless, the specific physicochemical form, rather than the total concentration, determines the ecotoxicological risk of metals in the soil. In this study the effect of tidal regime on the distribution of trace metals in different compartments of the soil was investigated. As, Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in sediment, pore water and in roots were determined along a depth profile. Total sediment metal concentrations were similar at different sites, reflecting pollution history. Pore water metal concentrations were generally higher under less flooded conditions (mean is (2.32 ± 0.08) × 10⁻³ mg Cd L⁻¹ and (1.53 ± 0.03) × 10⁻³ mg Cd L⁻¹). Metal concentrations associated with roots (mean is 202.47 ± 2.83 mg Cd kg⁻¹ and 69.39 ± 0.99 mg Cd kg⁻¹) were up to 10 times higher than sediment (mean is 20.48 ± 0.19 mg Cd kg⁻¹ and 20.42 ± 0.21 mg Cd kg⁻¹) metal concentrations and higher under dryer conditions. Despite high metal concentrations associated with roots, the major part of the metals in the marsh soil is still associated with the sediment as the overall biomass of roots is small compared to the sediment.     

Types of Ectomycorrhiza as Pollution Stress Indicators: Case Studies in Slovenia

Mycorrhiza is the main spatial and temporal linkage between different constituents in a forest ecosystem. The functional compatibility and stress tolerance of ectomycorrhizal types is species specific, and therefore the information on the ectomycorrhizal community structure can add to the understanding of processes in forest ecosystems and can also be applied as tools for bioindication of pollution stress in forest soils. We have studied the effects of pollution (N and S) on trees and forest soils by: (1) quantification of ECM types diversity as in situ indicators in forest stands, (2) determination and quantification of pollution-sensitive or -insensitive ECM types as passive monitors, (3) root growth and development of ECM on nonmycorrhizal spruce seedlings, planted at the studied sites (active monitors), and (4) ECM infection (a bioassay based on mycorrhizal inoculum potential) of seedlings in an experimental set-up as ex situ testers. ECM species richness for Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) showed higher values in unpolluted sites than in polluted ones, while the differences were not significant for European beech trees (Fagus sylvatica). As pollution-sensitive or -insensitive ECM species in spruce forests, we suggest Hydnum rufescens (sensitive) and Paxillus involutus (unsensitive). Mycorrhizal potential in Norway spruce seedlings as a bioassay for soil N and S pollution was effective, and is suggested as an additional, standardized and widely comparable system in bioindication of soil pollution.     

Impact of Bioaugmentation with a Consortium of Bacteria on the Remediation of Wastewater-Containing Hydrocarbons (5 pp)

Goals, Scope and Background It has been observed that hydrocarbon treated wastewaters still contain high COD and a number of intermediates. This suggests that the required catabolic gene pool for further degradation might be absent in the system or, that its titer value is not significant enough. By providing the desired catabolic potential, the overall efficiency of the treatment system can be improved. This study aims to demonstrate this concept by bioaugmentation of a lab-scale reactor treating refinery wastewater with a consortium having the capacity to complement the alkB genotype to the available microbial population. Methods Two reactors were set up using activated biomass collected from a refinery treatment plant and operated at a continuous mode for a period of 8 weeks. The feed to both reactors was kept constant. Crude oil was spiked regularly. One reactor was bioaugmented with a consortium previously described for crude oil spill remediation. The efficiency of the bioaugmented reactor was demonstrated by reduced COD. The changes in the microbial population over a period of time were analyzed by RAPD. Catabolic activity of the biomass in both reactors was monitored by PCR. The presence of the catabolic loci was confirmed by Southern Hybridization. Results and Discussion 52.2% removal of COD was observed in the bioaugmented reactor while only 15.1% reduction of COD was observed in the reactor without bioaugmentation. The change in microbial population can be seen from the 4th week, which also corresponds to improved catabolic activity. The presence of the bedA locus was seen in all samples, which indicates the presence of aromatic degraders, but the appearance of the alkB locus, from the 6th week onwards, which was observed only in the samples from the bioaugmented reactor. The results suggest that the gene pool of the bioaugmented reactor has catabolic loci that can degrade accumulated intermediates, thus improving the efficiency of the system. Conclusions In this study, improvement of efficiency of bioremediation was demonstrated by addition of catabolic loci that are responsible for degradation. Bioaugmentation was carried out in biomass that was collected from an ETP (effluent treatment plant) treating hydrocarbon containing wastewater to study the strategies for improvement of the treatment system. Biostimulation, only marginally improved the efficiency, when compared to bioaugmentation. The improved efficiency was demonstrated by COD removal. The presence of the alkB locus suggests the importance of a catabolic gene pool that acts on accumulated intermediates. It is well documented that straight chain aliphatics and intermediates of aromatic compounds after ring cleavage, accumulate in refinery wastewater systems, thereby hindering further degradation of the wastewater. Supplementation of a catabolic gene pool that treats the lower pathway compounds and alkanes will improve the overall efficiency. In this study, results suggest that the alkB locus can also be used to monitor the degradative mode of the activated biomass. Recommendations and Perspective . Pollution from petroleum and petroleum products around the globe are known to have grave consequences on the environment. Bioremediation, using activated sludge, is one option for the treatment of such wastes. Effluent treatment plants are usually unable to completely degrade the wastewater being treated in the biological unit (the aerator chambers). The efficiency of degradation can be improved by biostimulation and bioaugmentation. This study demonstrates the improved efficiency of a treatment system for wastewater containing hydrocarbons by bioaugmentation of a consortium that supports degradation. Further experiments on a pilot scale are recommended to assess the use of bioaugmentation on a large scale. The use of molecular tools, like DNA probes for alkB, to monitor the system also needs to be explored.     

煤炭资源耗减价值及其“利益共享、风险共担”补偿机制研究

煤炭行业清费建税,资源税从价计征引起了社会各界对资源税费制度改革的热议,而资源耗减价值是资源税费制度改革的重要依据之一。将资源回采率纳入使用者成本模型,科学计量了我国2000-2011年间煤炭资源的耗减价值。分析表明:2000-2011年间,4%折现率下煤炭资源耗减价值增加了22倍之多,而资源税费却仅仅增长了7倍,煤炭资源耗减价值与资源税费实际征收额之间存在有巨大缺口得不到补偿;国家资源所有者权益的实现度与煤炭经济形势呈逆向分布,煤炭工业利润率的上升并没有带来国家资源所有者权益的增加,导致这种错位的原因与我国不合理的资源税收机制有很大关系;资源税税率的理论区间为1.11%-8.85%,与国家规定的2%-10%高度重合,从而说明国家决策的合理性。为使资源所有者权益的实现度与煤炭工业经济形势相"挂钩",以资源税收入等于资源耗减价值为切入点,对资源所有者权益的实现度进行数理分析,求得了资源税税率与当期资源价格的关系,发现固定税率的资源税难以适应市场波动,于是提出"资源税+利润税"的组合税收工具,确定了利润税的起征点,计算得出了资源税和利润税的税率组合。该组合税制在一定程度上能够平抑经济周期对煤炭工业造成的影响,同时又维护国家资源所有者权益,从而实现国家与煤炭工业"利益共享、风险共担"。     

城市生活垃圾处理方式生命周期评价的比较研究

生命周期评价理论与方法作为一种量化环境影响的工具,在诸多领域中得到了广泛的应用。在垃圾处理领域,生命周期评价最早在20世纪90年代得到应用。生命周期评价与城市生活垃圾处理的有效结合,将促进城市生活垃圾的减量化、资源化、无害化目标的实现。总结了生命周期评价理论与方法在城市生活垃圾处理中的应用现状。对国内不同城市生活垃圾处理方式环境影响因子进行比较分析,诸如全球变暖潜力、酸化潜力和富营养化潜力等因子。针对其目标范围定义、数据收集、评价方法的选择、结果解释及工艺改进等方面指出了目前研究的局限性和不足。并对未来城市生活垃圾处理生命周期评价的发展方向进行展望。     

阳离子聚丙烯酸酯对污泥脱水性能的影响

以比阻(SRF)、过滤时间(TTF)和泥饼含水率作为评价污泥脱水性能的指标,考察2种阳离子聚丙烯酸酯CPAL-1和CPAL-2对污泥脱水性能的影响,并与阳离子絮凝剂三氯化铁(FeCl3)、聚合氯化铝(PAC)、阳离子聚丙烯酰胺(CPAM)和阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)的作用效果进行比较.还测定了Zeta电位(ZP)和滤液中胞外聚合物(EPS)含量的变化来探讨CPAL的作用机理.实验结果表明,经CPAL-1调理的污泥脱水效果优于CPAM、PAC和FeCl3,明显优于CPAL-2和CTAB.当CPAL-1的投加剂量为0.200 g/g干基时,SRF、TTF和泥饼含水率降至最低,依次为5.37 ×1011m/kg、70 s和75.73％.CPAL主要通过电中和、吸附架桥作用和溶出EPS等来改善污泥的沉降脱水性能.     

聚硅酸钛制备及其助凝特性

采用在活化硅酸制备过程中加入适量Ti Cl4的方法,试制了一种新型无机高分子助凝剂—聚硅酸钛。研究了不同[Si]/[Ti]条件下制备的聚硅酸钛在固定p H值的水中分散物的粒径和Zeta电位随着活化时间的变化趋势,并与活化硅酸作比较。结果表明,在Si/Ti=20,活化48 h的条件下能制备出较为稳定的聚硅酸钛。与活化硅酸相比,聚硅酸钛在水中的分散物具有较大的粒径和更高的Zeta电位。通过对比制备的活化硅酸和聚硅酸钛的红外图谱发现,聚硅酸钛中有TiO-Si键,证明钛离子参与了聚合反应,新生成的化学键提高了它的聚合度和稳定性。采用硫酸铝为混凝剂,聚硅酸钛为助凝剂进行混凝除浊实验。测定了絮凝体的Zeta电位和混凝沉淀后的上清液浊度,研究了硫酸铝投加量和混凝p H对聚硅酸钛助凝效果的影响。结果表明,投加适量的聚硅酸钛助凝剂,明显提高了混凝除浊效果且拓宽了有效混凝p H值的范围。     

Mitochondrial toxicity and in vitro biological effects of ambient PM2.5 from an urban site in China

Abstract

The roles of PM_2.5-induced mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress on mast cell degranulation were examined in vitro. Mast cells were treated with suspensions of PM_2.5 in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium at concentrations from 25 to 200?mg/L in the absence or presence of 10?mmol/L N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Biological effects and mitochondrial function were assessed by determining cell viability, β-hexosaminidase release, interleukin-4 secretion, reactive oxygen species generation, adenosine triphosphate production, potential alteration of mitochondrial membrane, and activities of mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes I and III. Exposure of mast cells to PM_2.5 induced reduction of adenosine triphosphate production, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, and inhibition of the activity of complex III. Co-treatment of mast cells exposed to PM_2.5 with N-acetyl-L-cysteine attenuated cytotoxicity and the production of reactive oxygen species, and decreased the release of β-hexosaminidase and interleukin-4. Evidently, PM_2.5-induced oxidative stress plays an essential role in mitochondrial toxicity and mast cell activation.     

新疆CDM项目的开发状况与前景分析

随着世界经济的进一步发展,能源的需求量持续增加,CO2的排放量还将持续增长.温室气体排放带来的气候变暖问题会进一步加剧。清洁发展机制(CDM)是在《京都议定书》框架下,发达国家与发展中国家就碳减排进行合作的重要机制.发展中国家通过CDM可以获得实现节能减排的资金援助和先进技术,促进国家的经济发展和环境的可持续发展。就新疆CDM项目的发展状况、国际碳市场的前景,以及新疆CDM项目开发存在的问题和解决方法方面进行了探讨。     

直播稻田渗漏水磷素动态变化及渗漏流失潜力研究

通过田间实验,对太湖流域丹阳地区直播水稻田不同施磷水平下渗漏水磷素动态变化特征及流失潜力进行了研究。结果表明,施磷能明显提高地下60cm以上深度土层渗漏水磷的含量。各土层渗漏液总磷浓度随土层深度的增加呈下降趋势。随着施磷量的增加,稻田渗漏水磷素含量也会随之增加。土壤磷素发生渗漏流失的土壤表层Olsen-P含量的"突变点"change-Point为25.17 mg/kg。当土壤中的Olsen-P浓度小于25.17mg/kg时,20～40cm土层渗漏水中TP浓度基本上不随土壤Olsen-P浓度的变化而变化,但当土壤中Olsen-P大于25.17mg/kg时,20～40cm土层渗漏水中TP浓度会大量增加,且土壤中的Olsen-P每增加10 mg/kg,渗漏水TP将增加0.21 mg/L。稻田当季累计土壤磷素渗漏流失负荷为1.02 kg/ha,占当季施磷量的2.80%。