Application of interface material and effects of oxygen gradient on the performance of single-chamber sediment microbial fuel cells (SSMFCs)

Single-chamber sediment microbial fuel cells(SSMFCs) have received considerable attention nowadays because of their unique dual-functionality of power generation and enhancement of wastewater treatment performance. Thus, scaling up or upgrading SSMFCs for enhanced and efficient performance is a highly crucial task. Therefore, in order to achieve this goal, an innovative physical technique of using interface layers with four different pore sizes embedded in the middle of SSMFCs was utilized in this study.Experimental results showed that the performance of SSMFCs employing an interface layer was improved regardless of the pore size of the interface material, compared to those without such layers. The use of an interface layer resulted in a positive and significant effect on the performance of SSMFCs because of the effective prevention of oxygen diffusion from the cathode to the anode. Nevertheless, when a smaller pore size interface was utilized, better power performance and COD degradation were observed. A maximum power density of 0.032 mW/m~2 and COD degradation of 47.3% were obtained in the case of an interface pore size of 0.28 μm. The findings in this study are of significance to promote the future practical application of SSMFCs in wastewater treatment plants.     

南京近郊农田大气颗粒物及金属干沉降输入特征

大气颗粒物中重金属干沉降输入是农业区域重金属的重要来源之一,但当前对农业区大气重金属沉降的观测研究较少.通过对南京近郊典型稻麦轮作区定点连续1 a采样,分析了不同粒径大气颗粒物和其中10种金属元素的浓度,并利用大叶模型估算其干沉降通量.结果表明,颗粒物浓度和干沉降通量均呈现冬春高、夏秋低的变化趋势;冬春季颗粒物污染为粗粒子(2.1～9.0μm)和细粒子(<2.1μm)的双重作用,而夏秋季则主要为细粒子的作用;金属元素浓度在巨粒子(>9.0μm)中占比最低,在粗粒子和细粒子中相当,而Pb、 Mn、 As和Cd在细粒子中占比较高;10种金属元素的年均干沉降通量[mg·(m²·a)^-1]大小为：Ca(2 096.4)>Al(1 710.4)>Zn(855.0)>Fe(256.1)>Pb(40.35)>Cu(31.93)>V(26.21)>Mn(9.10)>As(2.48)>Cd(0.28).研究结果为更加全面地认识人类活动对农产品质量安全和土壤生态环境的影响提供参考依据.     

The Upper and Lower Ecological Limits of Specific Metabolic Power of Different Organisms

It has been demonstrated that bioenergetic properties of plants (independence of productivity from size, proportionality between radial growth of woody plants and plant mass, etc.) and animals are not related to the presumed universal linear relationship between metabolic power and body mass to the power of 3/4. This relationship is not true for plants and endothermic animals. The observed bioenergetic characteristics of these organisms are explained by simple biological and physical laws, including the existence of the lower and upper limits of the specific metabolic power of living matter.     

长江流域粮食资源及生产发展方向

论述长江流域发展粮食生产的重要性，分析粮食资源分布，生产状况，生产结构和地域差异，指出粮食合理布局的方向，提出以粮食集中产区为重点，建设长江流域粮食生产专业化地并以建设商品粮基地为建带突破口。     

Preliminary Studies on Converting Agricultural Waste into Biodegradable Plastics—Part IV: Polysaccharide Containing Natural Materials

Corn distillers’ dry grain, corncob powder, hardwood powder, and sugar beet pulp were separately anionized by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite in aqueous solution. Solid reaction products instantly precipitated upon admixing each of the above-oxidized materials with soy protein isolate. Infrared spectra and differential scanning calorimetry supported the hypothesis that soy protein isolate complexed with all of the above-oxidized polysaccharides. Reaction products with either oxidized corn distillers’ dry grain or oxidized sugar beet pulp provided hard, brittle pellets with tensile strengths as high as 9.5 MPa, suggesting that these materials could be viable as biodegradable plastics.     

大气臭氧浓度升高对丛枝菌根(AM)及其功能的影响

通过模拟大气O₃浓度(0.02μL·L^-1、0.1μL·L^-1和0.2μL·L^-1)升高,观察其对丛枝菌根(AM)及功能的影响.结果表明,大气O₃浓度升高对菌根侵染率影响较小,但对孢子和外生菌丝影响显著,高浓度O₃时的孢子数比自然O₃浓度时增加1倍,低、高浓度O₃分别使AM外生菌丝量比自然浓度时下降48.7%和85.6%.随着O相似文献   

The role of humic substances in chromium sorption onto natural organic matter (peat)

To elucidate mechanisms of Cr³⁺ sorption onto the unaltered solid natural organic matter, the comparative studies of this ion binding from a solution at pH 4.0 onto three selected particle size fractions: 2000–1000 μm, 630–200 μm and 63–20 μm of markedly different HS content and structure, separated by a wet sieving from an overall sample of peat (Brushwood Peat Humus) were carried out. Comparable patterns of COOH groups and CEC_t confirmed that for cation exchange capacity were responsible mainly cations connected with COO⁻ functional groups. It was though found that aliphatic acids in the solid state did not take part in Cr³⁺ binding, thus the finest studied fraction 63–20 μm of the highest contents of functional groups showed the lowest sorption capacity for Cr³⁺, while similar patterns of sorbed Cr³⁺, soluble HS content and base CEC₀ indicated that these parameters were directly interrelated. The base ion exchange processes determined by CEC₀ (with Ca²⁺ as a predominant exchangeable cation) appeared to be not the major mechanisms responsible for Cr³⁺ sorption. For this metal, strong binding to insoluble large molecular weight organic pool two- to threefold prevailed over the ion exchange processes. Very low acid desorption indicated generally low mobility of Cr³⁺-organic compounds.     

深圳大气有机硝酸酯粒径分布特征和来源研究

于2021年3月30日至2021年4月17日利用超高分辨率气溶胶飞行时间质谱(Long-ToF-AMS),对深圳城市大气中的颗粒态有机硝酸酯(pON)开展高精度分析.基于两种估算pON的方法,计算得出pON对有机气溶胶(OA)的贡献占比为5.08％～11.00％.pON的日变化特征显示,其高值主要出现在夜间时段(19:...     

Usage of polystyrene disposable food dishes in the lightweight concrete making

The increasing use and subsequent accumulation of polystyrene containers has triggered a substantial environmental problem. This study investigated using varied percentages of solid waste polystyrene disposable food dishes in the production of lightweight concrete samples with 350 kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m³) of cement and a density of 1,300 kg/m³. The polystyrene disposable dishes were ground into beads of 0–3 millimeters (mm) and 3–6 mm in size. First, the characteristics of Type II Portland cement, polystyrene, and aggregates were examined. The following characteristics of concrete using ASTM International and British Standards Institution standards were tested: slump, compressive strength, ability to resist chloride ion penetration, and resistance of concrete to rapid freezing and thawing cycles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analytical techniques were also used. The slump of samples varied between 40 and 70 mm and was not dependent on either the polystyrene percentage or the size of the polystyrene beads in the concrete samples (p‐value > .05). The compressive strength of the concrete samples after 90 days of curing, and using different percentages of polystyrene, varied between 96 and 113 kilograms per square centimeter (kg/cm²). The resistance of the samples to the freezing and thawing cycle and chloride ion penetration were affected unfavorably by the presence of the polystyrene. The SEM technique indicated that concrete samples containing 15% and 25% polystyrene had denser crystals and less void than concrete samples with 40% and 55% polystyrene.     

Evaluation of the spontaneous combustion characteristics of coal of different metamorphic degrees based on a temperature-programmed oil bath experimental system

Research on the micro- and macrocharacteristics of different metamorphic degrees of coal helps improve the control and protection techniques used during spontaneous combustion. Nine coals with different properties were thoroughly investigated in this study. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and a self-designed temperature-programmed oil bath experimental system were adopted to analyze the molecular structure and macrocharacteristic parameters of the spontaneous combustion of coal. Additionally, the influence of particle size on spontaneous combustion was considered. Various functional groups were employed as microcharacteristic parameters to capture the principal active groups in oxidation. The gas production rate, oxygen consumption rate, gas concentration, heat energy release rate, and characteristic temperatures were evaluated as macrocharacteristic parameters to investigate the changes in coal during oxidation. The results establish that the microcharacteristics of coal molecules determine the degree of spontaneous combustion based on intrinsic properties and that changes in the macrocharacteristics of the spontaneous combustion of coal reflect the microstructural changes. The contents of the hydroxyl groups, carbonyl groups, alkyl ether and aryl ether in the coal molecules gradually decrease with the metamorphic increase. Oxygen-containing functional groups have higher reactivities and easily react with oxygen, causing the macroparameters, such as the oxygen consumption rate, the gas generation rate and the heat energy release rate, to consistently decrease with the increase of the metamorphic degree. Small-particle-size coal molecules have more active aliphatic hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing functional groups and a larger specific surface area, increasing the chances of adsorbing the oxygen of active groups and promoting the reaction between coal and oxygen. The experimental results indicate that coal samples with higher metamorphic degrees or larger sizes exhibit lower tendencies toward spontaneous combustion. Evaluation of the spontaneous combustion of coal based on a temperature-programmed oil bath experimental system is of great practical importance for preventing the spontaneous combustion of coal during storage, processing and utilization and can serve as a convenient reference for production safety in mining applications.