Gold Mining: Is It Worth Its Weight?

Gold (Au) accounts for only 0.004 g/ton of the earth's crust and is the most desired element. With an average annual world production of approximately 2,500 tons, the current methods of Au mining in developing countries cause major environmental issues. These issues vary from deforestation to cyanide and mercury (Hg) contamination. This article presents several cases of environmental catastrophes caused by Au mining in different regions of the world (Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South America). It discusses the currently available processes for the large-scale extraction of metallic Au grains and supports the need for an alternative sustainable process.     

Performance,combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder,four-stroke,direct injection diesel engine operated on a dual-fuel mode using Honge oil methyl ester and producer gas derived from biomass feedstock of different origin

Renewable and alternative fuels have numerous advantages compared with fossil fuels, as they are renewable and biodegradable, and provide food and energy security and foreign exchange savings besides addressing environmental concerns and socio-economic issues. In this context, present work was carried out to investigate the feasibility of alternative and renewable fuels derived from biomass feedstock of different origin for engine applications. The present study was also extended to study the effect of producer gas composition derived from different biomass feedstock on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection stationary diesel engine operated on a dual-fuel mode using Honge oil methyl ester (HOME) and producer gas induction. The performance of the engine was evaluated with a constant injection timing of 27° before top dead centre, an injection pressure of 205 bar for the diesel–producer gas combination and 230 bar for the HOME–producer gas combination and a compression ratio of 17.5. The results showed that the performance of the dual-fuel engine varies with the composition of the producer gas and depends on the type of biomass feedstock used in the gasifier. Experimental investigations on the dual-fuel engine showed that brake thermal efficiency values for the engine operated using HOME–producer gas derived from babul, neem and honge woods were found to be 17.2, 14.3 and 11.56% respectively, compared to 23.8% for diesel–producer gas operation at 80% load. However, the results showed better engine performance with lower exhaust emission levels for the operation of HOME–producer gas derived from the ordinary or babul wood compared with the operation of that derived from the neem and Honge woods. In view of this, present study reveals that use of alternative and renewable fuels for dual fuel engine can be considered as an immediate solution for the development of rural areas and emergency use in the event of severe diesel fuel shortage.     

高效脱硫菌的筛选及其性能研究

从高硫污染的活性污泥中富集培养,分离纯化得到一株可以降解噻吩的菌株s_4,并对该菌株的形态特征进行观察。应用Design—Expert8．0．5b软件进行响应面优化实验,研究了反应时间、噻吩浓度、微生物浓度3个因素的组合对菌株s_4脱硫效果的影响,并拟合得到多元二次回归方程,得出最佳实验条件。拟合结果表明,当反应时间27．46h,噻吩浓度为1．04％,微生物浓度4．04％时,预测噻吩降解率为14．8％,通过验证得最佳条件下的降解率为14．3％,与预测值相符。     

重庆主城区秋冬季逆温对空气质量影响的观测分析

2013年9—11月利用RPG-HATPRO地基多通道微波辐射计对重庆主城区大气进行连续探测,统计了大气逆温情况,并对典型重污染天气下大气逆温与空气质量状况进行综合分析。结果表明,逆温出现的频率为63.3%,基本为接地逆温类型,逆温层厚度为953 m,逆温强度为0.3℃/hm;逆温的存在为气溶胶的积聚和凝聚创造了有利条件。     

石英砂滤料表面润湿改性

采用硅烷偶联剂、钛酸酯偶联剂和铝酸酯偶联剂对石英砂进行表面改性,以制备亲油疏水性滤料。研究得出,钛酸酯偶联剂改性石英砂的最佳工艺条件为:偶联剂用量15%,反应温度90℃,搅拌时间15 min;硅烷偶联剂和铝酸酯偶联剂改性石英砂的最佳工艺条件均为:偶联剂用量15%,反应温度110℃,搅拌时间15 min。水对钛酸酯偶联剂改性石英砂滤料的润湿重量由改性前的1.5589 g降低到0.0282 g,水对硅烷偶联剂改性石英砂滤料的润湿重量降低到0.0607 g,水对铝酸酯改性石英砂滤料的润湿重量降低到0.2664 g。静态吸附实验表明,硅烷偶联剂、钛酸酯偶联剂和铝酸酯偶联剂改性石英砂滤料对油的吸附容量分别增加了33.67%、42.87%和22.30%。XPS和FT-IR分析表明,偶联剂均以化学键的方式包覆在石英砂滤料表面,结合稳定。     

低温硝基苯降解菌选育及在土壤修复中的应用

从硝基苯污染地下水中筛选出一株以硝基苯为唯一碳源和氮源的低温、高效降解菌,命名为XJ菌;初步鉴定XJ菌为革兰氏阴性微小短杆细菌、恶臭假单胞菌属,降解硝基苯遵循部分还原降解途径;在10℃下培养96 h,XJ菌对硝基苯的降解去除率达到91.1%,其中约有67.1%的硝基氮素转变成了氨氮。在10℃下利用XJ菌修复硝基苯污染土壤,修复时间为96 h时,硝基苯去除率达到85.7%,XJ菌密度及微生物脱氢酶活性保持较高的水平。本研究可为低温下硝基苯污染土壤的生物修复提供参考。     

干式厌氧消化过程挥发酸对硫酸盐还原菌的影响

在牛粪干式厌氧消化过程中,通过添加不同挥发酸(乙酸、丙酸、丁酸),考察消化稳定阶段,挥发性脂肪酸的分布特征,挥发性脂肪酸酸组成变化对硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)的影响,微生物种群组成和种群间关系。实验结果表明,挥发性脂肪酸对SRB还原速率的贡献依次为:丙酸丁酸乙酸。相比乙酸和丁酸,添加一定量的丙酸,更有利于激活SRB的活性,从而加强SRB与产甲烷菌(MB)的种间协同,保证厌氧系统的稳定运行。     

CVM研究中支付意愿问卷“内容依赖性”的实证研究——以上海城市内河生态恢复CVM评估为例

为检验意愿价值评估法(Contingent Valuation Method,CVM)中争论的焦点问题——支付意愿的问卷"内容依赖性",本文以上海城市内河生态修复为评估对象,构建CVM的假想市场,设计评估顺序、评估对象尺度、嵌套物品等四重方案,通过720份问卷平行调查对同一评估对象在不同问卷中获得的支付意愿,并进行估计值比较和t检验。研究结果显示:支付意愿的数值随评估尺度的增加并不显著增加;单独评估比作为嵌套物品评估具有更高的支付意愿值;在问卷中先被评估的物品居民给出的支付意愿较高;整体物品的支付意愿小于各部分的加总。研究结果验证了国外实证研究文献报道的"范围不敏感"、"嵌入效应"、"顺序效应"、"部分—整体效应"等现象的存在。对此现象的解释主要是收入效应和替代效应。因此,在将CVM研究结果应用于公共政策中应充分考虑上述因素引起的偏差。     

The living environment and children's fears following the Indonesian tsunami

The tsunami that struck South-east Asia on 26 December 2004 left more than 500,000 people in Aceh, Indonesia, homeless and displaced to temporary barracks and other communities. This study examines the associations between prolonged habitation in barracks and the nature of fears reported by school-age children and adolescents. In mid-2007, 30 months after the tsunami, the authors interviewed 155 child and parent dyads. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the fears reported by children and adolescents living in barracks with those reported by their peers who were living in villages. After adjusting for demographic factors and tsunami exposure, the data reveals that children and adolescents living in barracks were three times more likely than those living in villages to report tsunami-related fears. The study demonstrates that continued residence in barracks 30 months after the tsunami is associated with higher rates of reporting tsunami-related fears, suggesting that barracks habitation has had a significant impact on the psychological experience of children and adolescents since the tsunami.     

基于DFA法的江苏省极端降水时空分布特征研究

为进一步掌握江苏省极端降水的时空分布特征,基于该省1961-2010年均一性较好的逐日降水数据,利用去趋势波动分析法确定了全省13个站点的极端降水阈值,并通过Morlet小波及Mann-Kendall法分析了江苏省极端降水频数的振荡周期及其突变。结果表明,江苏省极端降水年频数和夏季极端降水均呈现8～10 a的变化周期,且1998年和2006年分别为其突变增加年,而秋季极端降水主要呈2～3 a与5～7 a的变化周期;极端降水与降水总量的空间分布具有较好的一致性,均呈南部大、北部小的特征。