Science and the Consequences of Mistruct: Lessons from Recent GM Controversies

In 2001, it was announced thattransgenic DNA had introgressed intotraditional strains of maize in Mexico. Acontroversy erupted and raged throughout 2001and 2002. This episode represents an acutebreakdown in scientific discourse. Given thestakes in the genetically modified organismdebate, a breakdown in scientific discourse isalarming. The following inquiry looks into thecauses of this breakdown. Ultimately, it willbe argued that the underlying problem is thecurrent institutional structure of science,particularly in the United States. If thediagnosis is correct, then the proper course oftreatment is to pursue a program ofinstitutional reconstruction.     

Air Pollution Effects on Forest Trees in Balikesir,Turkey

Air pollution has become an actual problem in Balikesir because of rapid urbanisation and increasing of the polluting sources. Air pollutionproblems occur under the unfavorable meteorological conditions which increase in frequency of occurrence in winter due to use of low quality lignite coals for heating. The `Protection of Air Quality' in Turkey dated 1986 is based on the human health criteria. But the critical limit values are lethal for the forest trees as far as SO₂ is concerned. The field observations showed that leaves of the trees have yellow spots indicating acid burns in Balikesir. This study aims at determining the relationships between the SO₂ concentrationsin the air under selected climatic conditions, and the effects of air pollution on forest trees in Balikesir. Samples of leaves were collected from the City Parks in Balikesir, Deirmenboaz forested area located 10 km far fromBalikesiron the Balikesir-Bursa highway, and from the forestation areas near the Balikesir-Edremit highway. Sulfur contents of the leaves were very high especially in the city (2650–5300 g m^-3).Samples from other areas had values lower than this range but above the usual values (850–3612 g m^-3). The diameter increments of the trees were found to be lower and these results clearly showed the adverse impacts. Negative correlations were found between these sulfur concentrations and the daily mean temperatures and wind speeds. Positive correlation was seen between these concentrations and pressures, humidities. Emission sources must be controlled in order to safeguard the forests which protects the soil, facilitate water production, assimilate carbon dioxide in air and produce oxygen. It must be considered that the problems are not only regional but have a global identity.     

Sulfur Metabolism in Polluted Sphagnum Peat Bogs: A Combined 34S–35S–210Pb Study

The size and isotopic behavior of sulfur pools in²¹⁰Pb-dated peat cores were investigated to obtain aninsight into retention mechanisms of pollutant S in twomountain-top peatlands of the Northern Czech Republic, CentralEurope. The bogs were situated 40 km apart in an area whichbetween the years 1985 and 1995 received as much as 130 kg Sha^-1 yr^-1 from the atmosphere. Vertical peataccretion was faster at Pod Jelení horou (JH) than atVelký moál (VM). Organic carbon-bonded S was themost abundant sulfur pool, constituting 77 and 65 wt. % at JHand VM, respectively. At JH both the S concentration maximumand the highest annual S deposition rate were displaceddownward by more than 20 years (from 1987 to the 1960s)indicating that the buried S is vertically mobile. At VM the Sconcentration was the highest in the topmost 2-cm section eventhough atmospheric S deposition peaked in 1987. Differentmechanisms of S isotope redistribution prevailed in thetopmost peat layers at JH, where a negative ³⁴Sshift occurred, and at VM, where a positive ³⁴Sshift occurred. Bacterial sulfate reduction was responsiblefor the negative ³⁴S shift at JH. One possibleexplanation of the positive ³⁴S shift at VM isrelease of ³²S-enriched products of mineralization duringpeat diagenesis. There was a strong positive correlationbetween the abundance of total and pyrite S along the profiles.The presence of pyrite S at VM (526 ± 60 ppm) suggestedthat even at VM bacterial sulfate reduction occurred. Ananaerobic incubation of JH peat indicated sulfate reductionrate of 600 nmol g^-1 day^-1. The turnover times forinorganic S pools were shorter than for the organic S pools.Cumulative S contents in the Czech peat bogs were found to besignificantly lower than in similar sites in the NortheasternU.S., even though the atmospheric S inputs were more thanthree times higher at the Czech sites. Possible causes of suchdiscrepancy are discussed.     

用改性活性碳纤维去除CO2原料气中的H2S

采用固定床动态吸附实验，用改性活性碳纤维（ACF）吸附去除CO2原料气中的H2S。通过改变改性剂种类、反应温度和原料气中CO2浓度，找出用改性ACF去除CO2原料气中H2S的规律。实验结果表明：常温下，可用NaON改性的ACF来消除CO2的酸性对去除H2S的不利影响；随着反应温度的升高，CO2与ACF形成的C（O＊）中间产物增多，CO2的存在有利于改性ACF去除H2S；而当反应温度过高时，CO2与ACF形成的C（O＊）中间产物发生分解，导致ACF碳化，不利于H2S的吸附去除。     

改性木屑吸附剂对印染废水的脱色性能研究

本文介绍了以廉价易得的杨树木屑为原料，经环氧氯丙烷交联，制备的一种新的生物吸附剂，研究各种反应因素（氢氧化钠浓度、环氧氯丙烷用量、反应温度、木屑粒径等）对反应过程和吸附剂性能的影响，检验了其对品红及孔雀石绿在不同条件下的吸附性能，并探讨了它的吸附动力学曲线和再生性能。     

生石灰孔结构对高温脱硫性能的影响

喷钙脱硫工艺的炉内脱硫率 ,不仅受工艺参数的影响 ,还与石灰石分解生成的新生CaO或直接喷入的CaO的表面结构有关。本研究用同一石灰石经不同方法 (煅烧、过烧、煅烧 -水合 -脱水等 )制备了四种具有不同比表面积和孔结构的生石灰。高温脱硫研究表明 :这四种不同孔结构的生石灰 ,具有不同的脱硫率。通过对高温脱硫前后吸着剂宏观结构变化的对比 ,发现半径小于 30 的孔易被反应产物堵塞 ,因而脱硫能力有限 ,而半径大于 5 0 的孔对脱硫更有效。本研究将为提高炉内喷钙的脱硫率、研制和开发高效脱硫剂提供新的途径。     

改性活性炭纤维吸附炸药废水中TNT实验研究

本文研究了改性活性炭纤维对炸药废水中TNT的吸附行为。研究表明:1 mol/L HNO3改性的活性炭纤维吸附效果最好,其对炸药废水中TNT的最佳吸附条件为:吸附剂用量为0.6 g/25 m L,吸附平衡时间为60 min,升温有利于吸附进行。Langmuir和Freundlich吸附等温线均能较好地描述活性炭纤维对TNT的吸附,吸附动力学分析表明,吸附过程遵循准二级动力学规律。     

储罐硫腐蚀产物标志性气体的监测

含硫油品储罐内的腐蚀产物与油品中的活性硫反应生成硫化物,而此类硫腐蚀产物氧化自燃是导致储油罐发生火灾、爆炸事故的重要原因.通过试验考察了氧气体积比对硫腐蚀产物氧化自燃过程的影响,探索了铁锈模拟物在氧化过程中SO2气体的释放规律.结果表明:氧气浓度越高,硫腐蚀产物的自燃危险性越大;随着O2浓度增加,氧化反应中SO2的浓度越大,SO2气体析出速度越快,当氧化反应的温度为40℃时,SO2气体浓度达到最大.     

活化改性半焦用于烟气脱硫催化剂制备工艺优化

为研究不同制备工艺条件下的烟气脱硫催化剂吸附去除烟气中硫化物的性能,采用硝酸活化的半焦脱硫剂,通过穿透时间和硫容评价所制备催化剂的脱硫性能.采用固定床反应器考察了催化剂表面基团酸碱性、催化剂成型的制备顺序、黏结剂和催化剂尺寸及负载金属氧化物等制备工艺条件对催化剂脱硫性能的影响.结果表明:原料半焦表面呈碱性,半焦经硝酸氧化改性后,表面呈酸性,高温煅烧可以使半焦表面酸性官能团分解成碱性官能团,催化剂表面净碱量越大,脱硫性能越好;采取先将半焦成型再进行高温煅烧、水气活化的工艺,脱硫活性更高;最适合的黏结剂为煤焦油;最佳的催化剂粒径为3mm;烟气中通入O2能显著提高半焦吸附催化剂的脱硫性能,O2体积分数以5％为宜,烟气中适量H2O是脱硫必不可少的条件,水汽体积分数以8％最佳;在催化剂制备过程中添加质量分数为1％的V2O5,可以明显改善催化剂的脱硫性能.     

石墨烯材料去除重金属及放射性核素的研究

石墨烯及其改性材料具有比表面积大、吸附能力强、抗辐射性能好、耐高温、耐酸碱等优点,近年来在去除重金属和放射性核素领域得到了广泛关注.本文简要介绍了石墨烯的合成及改性方法,综述了石墨烯材料去除水中重金属离子和放射性核素的研究进展,包括吸附容量、影响因素、吸附动力学、吸附热力学模型和吸附机理,分析了该研究领域目前存在的问题,探讨了今后的研究方向.