Degradation of polyacrylamide (PAM) and methane production by mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion: Effect of temperature and concentration

• PAM degradation in thermophilic AD in comparison with mesophilic AD. • PAM degradation and its impact on thermophilic and mesophilic AD. • Enhanced methane yield in presence of PAM during thermophilic and mesophilic AD. • PAM degradation and microbial community analysis in thermophilic and mesophilic AD. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is generally employed in wastewater treatment processes such as sludge dewatering and therefore exists in the sludge. Furthermore, it degrades slowly and can deteriorate methane yield during anaerobic digestion (AD). The impact or fate of PAM in AD under thermophilic conditions is still unclear. This study mainly focuses on PAM degradation and enhanced methane production from PAM-added sludge during 15 days of thermophilic (55°C) AD compared to mesophilic (35°C) AD. Sludge and PAM dose from 10 to 50 g/kg TSS were used. The results showed that PAM degraded by 76% to 78% with acrylamide (AM) content of 0.2 to 3.3 mg/L in thermophilic AD. However, it degraded only 27% to 30% with AM content of 0.5 to 7.2 mg/L in mesophilic AD. The methane yield was almost 230 to 238.4 mL/g VSS on the 8th day in thermophilic AD but was 115.2 to 128.6 mL/g VSS in mesophilic AD. Mechanism investigation revealed that thermophilic AD with continuous stirring not only enhanced PAM degradation but also boosted the organics release from the sludge with added PAM and gave higher methane yield than mesophilic AD.     

An efficient technology to treat heavy metal--lead--contaminated soil by microwave radiation

Microwave (MW) technology can be used to vitrify contaminated soil wastes and immobilize heavy metal ions in soils. More than 93% of the Pb(II)-contaminated soil was vitrified to a glass/ceramic formation after 30 min of MW radiation. In a 6-year study, the Pb(II) concentration of the vitrified soil in the leaching test was less than 1.0 mg/l, which is substantially below the USEPA regulatory limit of 5.0 mg/l.     

以膨润土为辅助添加剂固化/稳定化污泥的试验研究

针对传统以水泥固化污泥,带来的水泥用量大与固化体的浸出液pH过高等问题,提出了以膨润土为添加剂辅助水泥固化/稳定化污泥的思路.通过开展无侧限抗压强度试验、毒性浸出试验,测量掺入膨润土后污泥固化体的强度、重金属浸出率、浸出液COD及pH值,研究该固化/稳定化方法的效果.结果表明,膨润土的掺入极大地提高了固化体的抗压强度,将掺入量为0.4(相对污泥的质量比)的水泥一半用膨润土替代时,固化体的强度提高了6左右.体积安定性也能够满足要求.随膨润土掺入量增加,固化体中锌、铅的浸出率与浸出液的pH值呈现不断减小的趋势,锌与铅的浸出率分别由6.9%下降至0.25%,9.6%下降至5%,pH值由12.3下降至12.1.在强碱条件下及烘干或风干条件下,铜会随着有机物的分解而析出,从而增加铜的浸出率,而膨润土的加入能弥补水泥造成的强碱环境及风干或烘干过程对固化污泥中铜的稳定产生的不利影响.     

Survivor needs or logistical convenience? Factors shaping decisions to deliver relief to earthquake‐affected communities,Pakistan 2005–06

In Bureaucratizing the Good Samaritan , Waters (2001) argues that bureaucratic rationality distracts humanitarian agencies from the needs of the people they are supposed to assist, in favour of other values that their institutional frameworks dictate. We test his claim by investigating the response to the Pakistan 2005 earthquake. One of us (Dittemore) worked with the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre in the theatre, managing a relief cargo shipment database. The response, known as 'Operation Winter Race', was hampered by extreme logistical challenges, but ultimately succeeded in averting a second disaster resulting from cold and starvation. We use statistical models to probe whether survivor needs significantly guided decisions to deliver relief to affected communities. Needs assessments remained incomplete and incoherent. We measure needs through proxy indicators and integrate them, on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, with logistics and relief delivery data. We find that, despite strong logistics effects, needs orientations were significant. However, the strength of decision factors varies between commodity types (food versus clothing and shelter versus reconstruction materials) as well as over the different phases of the response. This study confirms Thomas's observation that logistics databases are rich 'repositories of data that can be analyzed to provide post-event learning' (Thomas, 2003, p. 4). This article is an invitation for others to engage in creative humanitarian data management.     

长广七矿通风阻力测定及分析

矿井通风阻力测定是矿井安全管理工作的重要内容之一。本文介绍了气压计基点法的测定原理及测定步骤,并将该方法应用于长广七矿通风系统阻力的测定中,通过对测定数据的整理分析,揭示了该矿通风阻力分布和风量分配的基本情况,并针对存在的问题提出了相应的技术对策,为该矿井实现通风管理的科学化和制订合理的技术改造方案提供基本依据。     

人工园林大面积种植区土地利用/覆被变化对生态系统服务价值影响

近10a来由于经济利益的驱动,橡胶、茶园、咖啡和桉树等人工园林在云南省西南部西盟县大规模种植,使土地利用结构和布局发生了较大变化,影响了种植区的生态系统服务价值。以西盟县为研究对象,基于2000年、2005年和2010年的遥感影像解译的土地利用/覆被数据,参照"中国生态系统单位面积生态服务价值当量",修订了西盟县生态系统单位面积服务价值,结合敏感度分析,探讨了土地利用/覆被变化及其对生态系统服务价值的影响。结果表明:(1)2000~2010年西盟县的耕地、园地、水域和乡镇用地面积增加,林地和草地面积减少,西南部的土地利用/覆盖类型相互转化主要表现在林地和耕地转化为园地,而东北部表现在林地转化为耕地;(2)从时间上看,生态系统服务价值呈减少趋势,10 a间净减少106.29×106元,林地的生态系统服务价值始终最高;(3)研究期内,只有食物生产服务有价值量的增加,其余生态系统服务的价值量均为不同程度的减少;(4)从空间上看,西盟县生态系统服务价值东北部和东南部高,西部、中部和东部低。力所乡生态系统服务价值有小幅度增加,其余乡镇均呈减少趋势。西盟县以经济利益为目的的发展模式给生态系统服务和可持续发展带来巨大压力,在一定程度上使区域整体生态效应下降。因此,西盟县的发展应该在保证生态系统稳定的前提下,适当发展园地,同时优化土地利用结构,在生态效益和经济利益之间,找到双赢的平衡点。     

新中国60年来农业多功能性演变的研究

农业多功能性是近年来国际可持续发展研究与政府闻谈判磋商的热点问题.科学地认识农业多功能性及其演变趋势,对于新时期中国可持续发展战略的制定与实施具有重要意义.鉴于此,该文通过对相关文献和调研资料的整理,从农业的产品生产功能、经济社会功能、生态环境功能、文化休闲功能4个方面.对建国60年来农业多功能性演变的基本趋势进行了初步研究.结果表明,农业产品生产功能在波折中不断提高,而地域之间呈此消彼长现象,总的趋势是农产品生产由南方向北方、由东部向西部转移;农业的经济功能已经大大弱化,但就业和社会保障功能依然极为重要;农业对生态环境的影响,总体来看负面效应要大于正面效应;农业文化传承功能呈全面衰落趋势,但旅游功能则在近年来大为增强.依据这一研究结果,该文进一步探讨了增强我国农业多功能性的政策措施.     

一种新的汛期降水集中期划分方法

汛期降水集中期是近期气象学者提出的表征汛期气候的一种新的特征量,它在气候研究中体现了较好的灵活性、客观性,通过对其分析,可为汛期气候的诊断和预测提供依据。但现在普遍使用的降水集中期在计算方法和时间长度上存在缺陷,特别是运用到时间跨度较长时段的气候分析时,特征量表征作用就有所缺失,而且计算方法较为复杂。为更好地使用降水集中期这一特征量,提出了以15天作为时长,用滑动统计来划定汛期降水集中期的新方法,并运用统计方法、天气气候学方法进行了论证,同时在长江下游主雨季降水集中期分析和金华地区汛期分析两个实例中进行了应用检验。结果表明,汛期降水集中期新方法划定的特征量与汛期降水总量存在时间上的相对独立性和总趋势上的显著相关性,且在汛期气候极端灾害事件上有较强的描述能力。因此认为,15天滑动统计新方法划定的汛期降水集中期使用便捷,天气气候意义明确,在实际应用中更为客观有效。     

重金属元素在冻土与融土中迁移的对比试验

随着寒区经济的发展,冻土地区的矿山开采活动不断加剧,随之产生的重金属污染问题也越来越严重.冻土地区生态环境脆弱,一旦受到破坏就很难恢复.针对此问题,室内模拟了尾矿矿渣在冻土与融土中的填埋及其对填埋场周边土体的影响,通过检测填埋场各处土壤的温度、含水量以及重金属元素的含量,发现温度和水分对重金属元素的迁移影响很大.土壤温度越低,重金属元素的迁移越慢;在温度梯度的作用下,重金属元素均随着水分从土体的暖端向冷端迁徙并聚集于冻结锋面.重金属元素在冻土中的迁移比融土中慢,表明冻土环境不利于重金属元素的迁移.在土壤质地、温度和含水量等相同的情况下,Zn的迁移性较强,Pb和Cu的迁移性相对较弱.     

Predicting land cover using GIS, Bayesian and evolutionary algorithm methods

Modelling land cover change from existing land cover maps is a vital requirement for anyone wishing to understand how the landscape may change in the future. In order to test any land cover change model, existing data must be used. However, often it is not known which data should be applied to the problem, or whether relationships exist within and between complex datasets. Here we have developed and tested a model that applied evolutionary processes to Bayesian networks. The model was developed and tested on a dataset containing land cover information and environmental data, in order to show that decisions about which datasets should be used could be made automatically. Bayesian networks are amenable to evolutionary methods as they can be easily described using a binary string to which crossover and mutation operations can be applied. The method, developed to allow comparison with standard Bayesian network development software, was proved capable of carrying out a rapid and effective search of the space of possible networks in order to find an optimal or near-optimal solution for the selection of datasets that have causal links with one another. Comparison of land cover mapping in the North-East of Scotland was made with a commercial Bayesian software package, with the evolutionary method being shown to provide greater flexibility in its ability to adapt to incorporate/utilise available evidence/knowledge and develop effective and accurate network structures, at the cost of requiring additional computer programming skills. The dataset used to develop the models included GIS-based data taken from the Land Cover for Scotland 1988 (LCS88), Land Capability for Forestry (LCF), Land Capability for Agriculture (LCA), the soil map of Scotland and additional climatic variables.