Aristolochic acid content of South-East Asian troidine swallowtails (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and of Aristolochia plant species (Aristolochiaceae)

Summary. Analysis of South-East Asian troidine swallowtails revealed high variability in the content of aristolochic acids among individuals. The presence or absence of these compounds depends on the Aristolochia species available as food plant for the larvae. Only one plant species (Aristolochia philippinensis) contained a high concentration of aristolochic acids, while other species from various localities contained none or only marginal amounts. Whether aristolochic acids have a distinct function in chemical defense of these swallowtails is still an open question. Received 11 December 2000; accepted 4 August 2001.     

饮用水中卤乙酸和三卤甲烷的形成及影响因素研究

以浙江省钱塘江流域的七种水源水为代表，分析了前体物、pH值、投氯量、氯化时间和温度等因素对氯化消毒副产物(DBPs)中三种卤乙酸(HAAs)和三种三卤甲烷(THMs)的影响，研究表明，总有机碳(TOC)和UV-254与HAAs前体物呈正相关，而与THMs前体物的相关性较差；在pH5-10的范围内，pH值对HAAs的形成影响较小，pH值愈高HAAs总量愈小，而对THMs的形成影响较大，THMs总量随pH值的增高而增大；HAAs和THMs的形成量与投氯量、氯化时间均呈正相关；在正常气温条件下，随温度的增加而增加。     

Effect of low-molecular weight organic acids on phosphorus release and phytoavailabilty of phosphorus in phosphate rocks added to soils

Phosphorus (P) is critically needed to improve soil fertility in many parts of the world. The use of water-soluble P fertilizers, e.g., single super-phosphate and triple super-phosphate in developing countries to improve crop production has been limited primarily by their high cost. The presence of indigenous phosphate deposits in some countries provides an incentive for direct application or local chemical treatment at low cost to improve the solubility of low reactive phosphate rocks (PRs). The use of naturally occurring low-molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) that are produced in soil as microbial metabolites or plant exudates from dead or living cells represents a new perspective in PR research. The LMWOAs contain various functional groups that may play a significant role in PR dissolution. Little information is available, however, about the potential of LMWOAs in releasing P from PRs. This study reports P release from 12 PRs, four each of low, medium, and high reactivity, obtained from various deposits (Kodjari, Tahoua, North Carolina, Gafsa, Khouribga, Tilemsi Valley, Central Florida, Sechura, Minjingu, North Florida, Hahotoe, and Parc W) using nine LMWOAs containing mono-, di-, and tri-carboxylic groups and a mineral acid (H₂SO₄). Laboratory studies showed that the organic acids are effective in releasing P from low and medium reactive PRs, but very ineffective in releasing P from high reactive PRs. The average amounts of P released by all the organic acids from the three types of PRs were 65.5 mmol kg⁻¹ PR from the low reactive PRs, 55.1 mmol kg⁻¹ from the medium, and 11.1 mmol kg⁻¹ from the high; those released from across all the PRs were 21.9 by the mono-carboxylic acid group, 54.2 by the di-carboxylic acid group, and 57.0 mmol P kg⁻¹ by the tri-carboxylic acid group. The P released was negatively correlated with the equilibrium pH, but positively correlated with Ca released from the PRs. Laboratory incubation studies on the release of P from PRs added to soils with or without organic acids and incubated at 25 °C for 15, 30, and 45 days showed that the percentage of plant-available P released varied considerably from 0.95 in the Kodjari PR to 40.1% in the North Carolina PR and was related to PR reactivity. A greenhouse study with corn (Zea mays L.) grown for 60 days on soils treated with PRs or with PRs mixed with organic acids showed that corn response to addition of oxalic or citric acid varied with P rates and PR sources, suggesting that organic acids have potential as amendments for increasing plant-available P in PR-treated soils.     

Haloacetic acids in the aquatic environment. Part II: ecological risk assessment

Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are environmental contaminants found in aquatic ecosystems throughout the world as a result of both anthropogenic and natural production. The ecological risk posed by these compounds to organisms in freshwater environments, with a specific focus on aquatic macrophytes, was characterized. The plants evaluated were Lemna gibba, Myriophyllum spicatum and M. sibiricum and the HAAs screened were monochloroacetic acid (MCA), dichloroacetic acid (DCA), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and chlorodifluoroacetic acid (CDFA). Laboratory toxicity data formed the basis of the risk assessment, but field studies were also utilized. The estimated risk was calculated using hazard quotients (HQ), as well as effect measure distributions (EMD) in a modified probabilistic ecological risk assessment. EMDs were used to estimate HAA thresholds of toxicity for use in HQ assessments. This threshold was found to be a more sensitive measure of low toxicity than the no observed effect concentrations (NOEC) or the effective concentration (EC10). Using both deterministic and probabilistic methods, it was found that HAAs do not pose a significant risk to freshwater macrophytes at current environmental concentrations in Canada, Europe or Africa for both single compound and mixture exposures. Still, HAAs are generally found as mixtures and their potential interactions are not fully understood, rendering this phase of the assessment uncertain and justifying further effects characterization. TCA in some environments poses a slight risk to phytoplankton and future concentrations of TFA and CDFA are likely to increase due to their recalcitrant nature, warranting continued environmental surveillance of HAAs.     

Application of nanoparticle tracking analysis for characterising the fate of engineered nanoparticles in sediment-water systems

Novel applications of nanotechnology may lead to the release of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), which result in concerns over their potential environmental hazardous impact. It is essential for the research workers to be able to quantitatively characterise ENPs in the environment and subsequently to assist the risk assessment of the ENPs. This study hence explored the application of nanoparticle tracking system (NTA) to quantitatively describe the behaviour of the ENPs in natural sediment-water systems. The NTA allows the measurement of both particle number concentration (PNC) and particle size distribution (PSD) of the ENPs. The developed NTA method was applied to a range of gold and magnetite ENPs with a selection of surface properties. The results showed that the positively-charged ENPs interacted more strongly with the sediment than neutral and negatively-charged ENPs. It was also found that the citrate coated Au ENPs had a higher distribution percentage (53%) than 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid coated Au ENPs (20%) and citrate coated magnetite ENPs (21%). The principles of the electrostatic interactions between hard (and soft) acids and bases (HSAB) are used to explain such behaviours; the hard base coating (i.e. citrate ions) will interact more strongly with hard acid (i.e. magnetite) than soft acid (i.e. gold). The results indicate that NTA is a complementary method to existing approaches to characterise the fate and behaviour of ENPs in natural sediment.     

腐殖质胶结团聚体对苯酚的富集特征

为探讨不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚富集能力的影响,应用国际腐殖酸协会（IHSS）推荐方法提取腐殖质,以Ca2+、Al3+、Fe3+为桥键离子,制备了高岭石、蒙脱石不同腐殖质组分团聚体,采用平衡吸附法研究了不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的富集特征.结果表明:高岭石不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的饱和吸附量（Q_m）大小依次为FA（富里酸）团聚体[（254.11±5.35）mg/kg] > HA（胡敏酸）团聚体[（186.14±1.61）mg/kg] > HM（胡敏素）团聚体[（120.61±1.67）mg/kg];蒙脱石不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的饱和吸附量大小依次为FA团聚体[（418.72±19.14）mg/kg）] > HA团聚体[（290.00±13.06）mg/kg）] > HM团聚体[（160.46±4.92）mg/kg）];高岭石不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的富集系数（ER）大小依次为FA团聚体（2.03±0.07）> HA团聚体（1.91±0.04）> HM团聚体（1.85±0.04）;蒙脱石不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的富集系数大小依次为FA团聚体（2.50±0.10）> HA团聚体（2.45±0.11）> HM团聚体（1.36±0.04）.研究显示,FA团聚体对苯酚的饱和吸附量和富集系数较大,对苯酚的吸附（富集）作用较强,HM团聚体对苯酚的饱和吸附量和富集系数较小,对苯酚的吸附（富集）作用较弱.不同腐殖质组分团聚体对苯酚的富集能力大小表现为FA团聚体> HA团聚体> HM团聚体.因此,FA团聚体可作为控制受苯酚污染场地土壤的首选修复剂.      

低分子量有机酸对岩源磷释放的实验研究

低分子量有机酸是微生物和植物根系分泌物中重要的组成部分.采用浸泡实验比较了4种常见低分子量有机酸(草酸、酒石酸、柠檬酸、苹果酸)对巢湖北岸东部富磷地层中岩源磷的释放量,并对浸提后的部分残渣进行磷的赋存形态分析.结果表明,当有机酸浓度小于5mmol·L-1时,柠檬酸的释磷量最大;大于5mmol·L-1时,草酸和酒石酸的释磷量最大,此时释磷量与有机酸的浓度具有一定的线性关系,其增加趋势远大于浓度小于5mmol·L-1时的增加趋势,而其中草酸和酒石酸又远大于柠檬酸和苹果酸.在有机酸溶液终止pH≥4时,有机酸溶液终止pH与释磷量有较好的线性关系.在50mmol·L-1相同浓度时,草酸对各赋存形态磷转化作用均最大,酒石酸次之.而4种酸对有机磷释放率最大,均高达97%以上,对闭蓄态磷的释放率最小.     

2种水生植物根际溶液磷素时空变异及有机酸分泌

利用根际土壤溶液的原位抽提和微量样品分析技术,比较了喜旱莲子草(Alternanthera philoxeroides)和香蒲(Typhalatifolia)2种水生植物根际土壤溶液磷素含量的时空变异和根系分泌有机酸种类及数量的差异,从植物吸收磷素、根系分泌有机酸和根际土壤pH值变化等角度探讨了植物磷素高效净化的根际调控机制.结果表明,2种水生植物的根际溶液磷素含量均明显低于非根际溶液;喜旱莲子草的根际溶液磷酸根离子质量浓度(2.53 mg.L-1)显著低于香蒲的根际溶液(5.43mg.L-1)(p<0.05),且喜旱莲子草根系对土壤溶液磷酸根的影响范围大于香蒲.与香蒲相比,喜旱莲子草分泌了较多的苹果酸(浓度27.33μmol.L-1),在活化土壤磷素、促进根系对磷素的吸收方面起了更大的作用.喜旱莲子草吸收磷素的根际效应强于香蒲.     

贵州安顺雨季降水中低分子有机酸研究

为了解贵州安顺地区大气降水中低分子有机酸的化学组成特征, 2007年6～10月共采集降水40次,对降水样品进行了pH值、电导率、水溶性无机阴离子和低分子有机酸的测定.结果表明,安顺地区的大气降水的pH值在3.57～7.09之间,平均值为4.57.最主要的有机酸组成为乙酸、甲酸和草酸,它们的雨量平均浓度依次为6.75、 4.61和2.05 μmol·L^-1.有机酸在6月和7月的浓度明显高于其他月份,表明有机酸可能来源于植物生长释放或者其前驱物的光化学氧化.有机酸对降水自由酸的贡献率平均为32.2%,明显高于贵阳市.同时,甲酸与乙酸和草酸存在显著相关关系（p=0.01）,相关系数分别为0.663和0.503,表明甲酸与乙酸具有相似的来源或者不同来源的相似源强,而草酸的前驱物可能与甲酸具有相似的排放特征.观测期间,安顺地区有机酸的湿沉降通量为2.10 mmol/m²,主要集中在降雨频率和雨量相对较高的夏季,此时有机酸的浓度和有机酸对大气降水自由酸的贡献都较大,因此控制安顺地区夏季有机酸的排放对于此地区的酸雨防治工作显得尤为重要.     

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs) can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS(6.8 times higher than the blank test) and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.