Removal of pesticides from water samples by adsorption with fatty acids supported on barium sulphate

Oleic or linoleic acid supported on barium sulphate was used to remove atrazine and terbuthylazine in the range of 0.1–2.0 μg/L using spiked water samples. The sorption of atrazine depends on the stirring time and the best value is 150 min. Terbuthylazine is removed well with a stirring time of 60 min and its adsorption is about 90%. Detection of the residual pesticide in treated waters, after solid phase extraction (SPE), was carried out by GC‐MS operating in selected ion monitoring (SIM) using a calibration curve by direct injection of standard solutions of herbicide.     

Comparative study of humic acids of the mound of a wood-feeding termite and of the litter directly below in the Amazon river delta

In order to determine the role of termites in the recycling of organic matter and in humification processes, organic matter from the mound of a wood-feeding termite (Nasutitermes sp.) and from the litter directly below has been studied in secondary forest on the campus of Belem University, in Brazil. The carbon content was slightly lower in the litter (just beneath the mound) than in the mound, but nitrogen was much more abundant in the mound. As a consequence, the C/N ratio of fragmented litter total organic matter is very high, which shows that the humification process is not complete. Therefore, plant debris seemed to be more degraded in the mound than in the litter, indicating a humification gradient from mound to litter. Humic acid extracted from the mound and from the litter was compared by using elemental, E4/E6 ratio, spectroscopic (FTIR) analyses, and Sephadex gel chromatography. First, humic acids were more abundant in the mound than in the litter, showing that humification processes were more advanced in the mound than in the litter. Gel-permeation chromatography showed that the humic acids of the mound contained more low-molecular-weight fractions than those of the litter. In addition, the results of infrared spectra, E4/E6 ratio and elemental composition can confirm the fulvic character of mound material and the humic character of litter material. Therefore, the plant debris seems to follow two different humification pathways in the two environments, as long as the mound is alive.     

δ13C and fatty acid composition of mesopelagic fishes in the South China Sea and their influence factors

Study of the ecology of mesopelagic fishes is central for assessing the active biological pump in the ocean, especially in the mesopelagic layers. The use of δ¹³C and fatty acid analysis can help to analysis the ecology of mesopelagic fishes. Here, we analysed the fatty acid composition of mesopelagic fishes from the continental northern slope of the South China Sea (NSSCS) and compared with nearshore SCS fishes and mesopelagic fishes collected from the Southern Ocean. The mesopelagic fishes had unusually high lipids, which resulted in Δδ¹³C values exceeding 1‰, more than the enrichment factor in the food web. The mesopelagic fishes had higher C18:1n-9/C18:1n-7 and C20:1n-9/ C18:1n-7 ratios compared with other fishes in the SCS, which confirmed that plankton were their main dietary source. The mesopelagic fishes from SCS and Southern Ocean had different ratios of C20:5n-3/C22:6n-3 (EPA/DHA), suggesting geographical locations and diet sources had obvious influence on their fatty acid composition. The SCS mesopelagic fishes had higher C20:4n-6/C22:6n-3 (ARA/DHA) and C20:4n-6/C20:5n-3 (ARA/EPA) ratios than mesopelagic fishes in the Southern Ocean, indicating the influence of physical factors on fatty acid composition. Thus, future studies of the fatty acids in mesopelagic fishes should consider both dietary sources and physical environments.     

Characterization of fulvic acids during olive mill waste composting (Elemental,Thermal and fluorescence analyses)

Elemental analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were applied to the study of fulvic acids isolated from different stages during olive mill waste composting. The fulvic extracted acids are characterized by a high nitrogen content and O/C ratio values that may result from the high degree of humification and the synthesis of more condensed humic complexes. This was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy in the synchronous-scan mode by the decrease of shoulder intensities at intermediate wavelengths indicating the increase of polycondensation and conjugation of unsaturated structures and the greater uniformity of fluorophores. Fluorescence spectra in the emission, excitation and synchronous modes became simpler with compost maturation. This was confirmed by DSC results which proved the high degree of polycondensation of aromatic nuclei of fulvic acid molecules during olive mill waste composting.     

Effects of organic acids on Cd adsorption and desorption by two anthropic soils

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of malic, tartaric, oxalic, and citric acid on the adsorption and desorption characteristics of Cd by two typical anthropic soils (lou soil and irrigation-silted soil) in North-west China. Cadmium adsorption and desorption were studied under a range of temperatures (25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C), organic acid concentrations (0.5–5.0 mmol·L^-1), and pH values (2–8). The results showed that the Cd adsorption capacity of the lou soil was significantly greater than that of the irrigation-silted soil. Generally, Cd adsorption increased as the temperature increased. In the presence of NaNO₃, the adsorption of Cd was endothermic with ΔH values of 31.365 kJ·mol^-1 for lou soil and 28.278?kJ·mol^-1 for irrigation-silted soil. The endothermic reaction indicated that H bonds were the main driving force for Cd adsorption in both soils. However, different concentrations of organic acids showed various influences on the two soils. In the presence of citric acid, chemical adsorption and van der Waals interactions were the main driving forces for Cd adsorption rather than H bonds. Although the types of organic acids and soil properties were different, the effects of the organic acids on the adsorption and desorption of Cd were similar in the two soils. The adsorption percentage of Cd generally decreased as organic acid concentrations increased. In contrast, the adsorption percentage increased as the pH of the initial solution increased. The exception was that adsorption percentage of Cd increased slightly as oxalic acid concentrations increased. In contrast, the desorption percentage of Cd increased with increasing concentrations of organic acids but decreased as the initial solution pH increased.     

镉对籽粒苋耐性生理及营养元素吸收积累的影响

初步阐明了镉对籽粒苋耐性生理及营养元素吸收积累的影响,为进一步揭示籽粒苋的镉耐性与镉富集机理奠定了基础。通过对生物量的监测,对叶绿素、蛋白质、游离氨基酸、大量元素及微量元素等的含量的测定,阐明镉胁迫对籽粒苋生长生理、抗胁迫耐性、营养元素吸收分配的影响。研究结果显示,镉胁迫对籽粒苋的生长抑制作用不明显,植株生物量随着镉浓度的提高而轻微降低。随着镉处理浓度的提高,叶绿素含量下降幅度显著;蛋白质和游离氨基酸含量变化幅度不明显;钾含量无大幅变化;镉、磷、钙、镁、锌、铁、锰、铜含量变化幅度较显著。镉、钾、磷、锰的迁移系数随着镉处理浓度的提高无显著变化;钙的迁移系数呈上升趋势;镁、锌、铁、铜的迁移系数均呈下降趋势。这些结果表明：镉胁迫降低籽粒苋叶绿素含量,抑制植株光合作用,继而抑制了植株的生长,但其程度不明显;镉胁迫条件启动活性氧防御机制;引起植株体内部分养分代谢紊乱。结论：低浓度镉处理条件下,籽粒苋受镉离子影响,抗氧化能力下降。在高浓度镉处理条件下,籽粒苋调节了营养元素的吸收和分配,启动了一系列活性氧防御机制,提高了抗胁迫能力。     

Characterization of soil low-molecular-weight organic acids in the Karst rocky desertification region of Guizhou Province, China

Soil low-molecular-weight (LMW) organic acids play important roles in the soil-forming process and the cycling of nutrients in Karst regions. In this study, we quantified the contents of LMW organic acids (including lactate, acetate, formate, malate, and oxalate) in soil solution over the Karst region of Guizhou Province, China using ion chromatography. The concentration of total LMW organic acids in topsoil solution ranged from 0.358 to 1.823 μmol·g^-1, with an average of 0.912 μmol·g^-1. The mean concentrations of lactate, acetate, formate, malate, and oxalate were 0.212±0.089, 0.302±0.228, 0.301±0.214, 0.014±0.018 and 0.086±0.118 μmol·g^-1, respectively. There were also significant difference in the contents of these acids among four phases of rocky desertification, and their concentrations decreased with the aggravation of rocky desertification. The concentrations of the LMW organic acids were significantly positive correlated each other. Significant positive correlations were also observed among individual LMW organic acids in soil solution, and between them and soil available P, available K, exchangeable Ca, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrations of LMW organic acids were significantly positively correlated with inorganic anions (chlorides, nitrates, and sulfates) in Karst topsoil solution. Therefore, the concentrations of soil LMW organic acids might be one of driving force in the Karst rock desertification process in Guizhou Province.     

pH和有机酸对氟溶出砖红壤中铝离子的影响

研究砖红壤对F-的吸附反应尤其是随后Al3+的释放过程,有助于增进对土壤酸化过程及其环境影响的理解. 在初步揭示出F-吸附反应以及Al3+释放反应的动力学特征基础上,重点考察了pH和有机酸对上述反应的影响. 结果表明:土壤对F-的吸附反应十分迅速,2 min内吸附量即可达到24 h内总吸附量95%,而土壤中不同含铝矿物的溶解度差异使Al3+的释放过程在前15 min十分迅速,释放量可达24 h内总释放量的80%,随后则逐渐减缓. 降低反应体系pH可促进Al3+释放,但会使F-吸附量减少,这是因为伴随Al3+的释放,部分F-又可以AlF络合物的形态重新进入溶液,尽管在低pH条件下,土壤表面以带正电荷为主而有利于F-吸附. 草酸和抗坏血酸对土壤吸附F-均有抑制作用,但对F-溶出土壤Al3+有促进作用. 此外,草酸对土壤铁氧化物的选择性溶解作用,可使更多F-吸附在土壤铝氧化物位点,并导致Al3+释放量增加.      

不同原料堆肥胡敏酸的荧光特性

从以植物、鸡粪、生活垃圾、污泥、牛粪和杂草为主要原料的6种堆肥产品和草炭中提取胡敏酸类物质,对他们的激发、发射、同步和三维荧光光谱进行了研究. 结果表明:各荧光谱图中,草炭胡敏酸特征荧光峰出现在最大波长处,植物、牛粪和生活垃圾堆肥胡敏酸次之,鸡粪和杂草堆肥胡敏酸紧接其后,污泥堆肥胡敏酸最低,并且含有较强的类蛋白荧光. 各类堆肥的类富里酸荧光峰强度与类胡敏酸荧光峰强度的比值从小到大及腐殖质化程度由高到低均依次为0.708(草炭堆肥),0.893(植物堆肥),0.932(牛粪堆肥),0.940(生活垃圾堆肥),1.155(杂草堆肥),1.206(鸡粪堆肥)和1.521(污泥堆肥). 相对于草炭胡敏酸,堆肥胡敏酸普遍分子结构简单、芳构化程度较低,且具有较强的土壤元素活化能力,并且植物、牛粪和生活垃圾堆肥的胡敏酸在增大土壤环境容量及降低污染土壤中重金属移动性方面效果最佳.      

Improved speciation of dissolved organic nitrogen in natural waters: amide hydrolysis with fluorescence derivatization

The objective of this study was to improve primary-amine nitrogen (1°-N) quantification in dissolved organic matter (DOM) originating from natural waters where inorganic forms of N, which may cause analytical interference, are commonly encountered. Efforts were targeted at elucidating organic-N structural criteria influencing the response of organic amines to known colorimetric and fluorescent reagents and exploring the use of divalent metal-assisted amide hydrolysis in combination with fluorescence analyse...