Perfluorochemicals in wastewater treatment plants and sediments in Hong Kong

The study reported in this paper examined the concentrations of nineteen perfluorochemicals (PFCs), including perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, carboxylates, and sulfonamides in samples collected from Hong Kong wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and sediments. The study was the first to use an external isolator column to assist in the quantification of PFCs in environmental samples without having to make internal modifications to a liquid chromatography system. Perfluorooctanesulfonate was found to be the dominant PFC pollutant in Hong Kong, and the WWTP sludge was the major sink of PFCs discharged from the urban areas. Compared to discharge influenced by industrial activities, much less perfluorooctanoate was found in waste streams. The significantly lower level of perfluorodecanesulfonate in WWTP sludge reflects the important influence of consumer products on PFC distribution. The dominance of even-chain length perfluoroalkyl carboxylates in all of the WWTP sludge samples investigated further suggests the strong aerobic degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols in WWTPs.     

Dioxins, PCBs, and HCB in soil and peat profiles from a pristine boreal catchment

The aim of this study was to explore how atmospherically derived soil pollution is affected by environmental processes at two typical boreal catchment landscape type settings: wetlands and forested areas. Measurements of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in forest soil and peat from an oligotrophic mire at various depths were performed at a remote boreal catchment in northern Sweden. HOCs in peat were evenly distributed throughout the body of the mire while levels of HOCs in the forest soil increased with increased amount of organic matter. Evaluation of HOC composition by principal component analysis (PCA) showed distinct differences between surface soils and deeper soil and peat samples. This was attributed to vertical transport, degradation and/or shifting sources over time. The calculated net vertical transport differed between surface layers (0.3%) and deeper soils (8.0%), suggesting that vertical transport conditions and processes differ in the deeper layers compared to the surface layers.     

Identification of microcystins from three collection strains of Microcystis aeruginosa

Microcystins (MCs) are toxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by various cyanobacteria genera, especially Microcystis. We identified 10 out of 12 MCs produced by three Microcystis aeruginosa strains from cyanobacteria collections, UTEX 2666, UTEX 2670 and UAM 1303, by using two analytical methods: Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) and HPLC Photodiode Array Detector coupled to a hybrid Quadrupole Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-QTOF/MS). MALDI-TOF/MS failed to detect non-polar MCs, such as MC-LY and MC-LW. HPLC-QTOF/MS permitted the accurate identification of most MCs present in methanolic extracts. Besides, three new MCs, namely: [D-Glu(OCH₃)⁶, D-Asp³] MC-LAba, MC-YL and MC-YM were detected by HPLC-QTOF/MS.     

Tissue S/N ratios and stable isotopes (δS and δN) of epilithic mosses (Haplocladium microphyllum) for showing air pollution in urban cities in Southern China

In urban cities in Southern China, the tissue S/N ratios of epilithic mosses (Haplocladium microphyllum), varied widely from 0.11 to 0.19, are strongly related to some atmospheric chemical parameters (e.g. rainwater SO₄²⁻/NH₄⁺ ratios, each people SO₂ emission). If tissue S/N ratios in the healthy moss species tend to maintain a constant ratio of 0.15 in unpolluted area, our study cities can be divided into two classes: class I (S/N > 0.15, S excess) and class II (S/N < 0.15, N excess), possibly indicative of stronger industrial activity and higher density of population, respectively. Mosses in all these cities obtained S and N from rainwater at a similar ratio. Sulphur and N isotope ratios in mosses are found significantly linearly correlated with local coal δ³⁴S and NH₄⁺-N wet deposition, respectively, indicating that local coal and animal NH₃ are the major atmospheric S and N sources.     

可见光响应型CuO/BiVO4的光催化活性研究

采用浸渍法制备了CuO/BiVO4光催化剂,通过X射线衍射(XRD)、热重/差示扫描量热(TG/DSC)和傅立叶红外光谱(FTIR)对其进行了表征,并在可见光照射下考察了其光催化氧化亚甲基蓝(MB)的动力学特性。结果表明,Cu的掺杂并未改变BiVO4的晶型结构;Cu(NO3)2/BiVO4在热处理(30～300℃)过程中,NO3-已经完全分解,Cu最终以CuO的形式存在于CuO/BiVO4光催化剂体系中;掺杂不同量Cu的CuO/BiVO4中的Cu2+/Bi+(摩尔比)实测值与理论值相近,该系列光催化剂的合成过程具有较高的可信度;在可见光照射下,CuO/BiVO4光催化降解MB反应符合表观一级反应动力学特征;当Cu2+/Bi+为0.050时,反应动力学速率常数(k)达到最高值(0.4334h-1),此时的k比单体BiVO4作用下的提高了1.04倍;由于异质结的存在,CuO/BiVO4与单体BiVO4相比,电子和空穴的利用率大大增加,使得CuO/BiVO4的光催化活性较单体BiVO4有了大幅度提高。     

Recovery of Sediment Characteristics in Moraine,Headwater Streams of Northern Minnesota After Forest Harvest1

Merten, Eric C., Nathaniel A. Hemstad, Randall K. Kolka, Raymond M. Newman, Elon S. Verry, and Bruce Vondracek, 2010. Recovery of Sediment Characteristics in Moraine, Headwater Streams of Northern Minnesota After Forest Harvest. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 733-743. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00445.x Abstract: We investigated the recovery of sediment characteristics in four moraine, headwater streams in north-central Minnesota after forest harvest. We examined changes in fine sediment levels from 1997 (preharvest) to 2007 (10 years postharvest) at study plots with upland clear felling and riparian thinning, using canopy cover, proportion of unstable banks, surficial fine substrates, residual pool depth, and streambed depth of refusal as response variables. Basin-scale year effects were significant (p < 0.001) for all responses when evaluated by repeated-measures ANOVAs. Throughout the study area, unstable banks increased for several years postharvest, coinciding with an increase in windthrow and fine sediment. Increased unstable banks may have been caused by forest harvest equipment, increased windthrow and exposure of rootwads, or increased discharge and bank scour. Fine sediment in the channels did not recover by summer 2007, even though canopy cover and unstable banks had returned to 1997 levels. After several storm events in fall 2007, 10 years after the initial sediment input, fine sediment was flushed from the channels and returned to 1997 levels. Although our study design did not discern the source of the initial sediment inputs (e.g., forest harvest, road crossings, other natural causes), we have shown that moraine, headwater streams can require an extended period (up to 10 years) and enabling event (e.g., high storm flows) to recover from large inputs of fine sediment.     

Hydrological Controls and Freshening in Meromictic Soap Lake,Washington, 1939-20021

Kallis, Jahn, Leo Bodensteiner, and Anthony Gabriel, 2010. Hydrological Controls and Freshening in Meromictic Soap Lake, Washington, 1939-2002. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(4): 744-756. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00446.x Abstract: The chemically stratified layer of naturally formed meromictic lakes exhibits unusual and often extreme physical and chemical conditions that have resulted in the evolution of uniquely adapted species. The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project appears to have had a marked effect on the hydrology of Soap Lake, a meromictic lake in the Grand Coulee of central Washington. The relation of hydrology to salinity was assessed by analyzing water budgets before and after the introduction of the irrigation project. Before irrigation, water gains were balanced by losses; after irrigation began groundwater gains approximately doubled. To manage lake levels and reduce groundwater influx, wells were installed to intercept groundwater. Although the hydrological cycle has been restored to pre-irrigation conditions, the meromictic character of the lake continues to change. Interception wells remove 10 to 16 Mm³ of groundwater annually, but influx continues based on change in the monimolimnion. From 1958 to 2003 the chemocline descended 1.1 m and the volume of the monimolimnion from 698,000 m³ to 114,000 m³. Annual loss of volume is occurring at a rate of 1.9% since 1958. Although groundwater interception wells are maintaining the volume of the entire lake, the recession of the chemocline indicates that conditions that have maintained meromixis at Soap Lake are currently not in equilibrium.     

Evaluation of the National Land Cover Database for Hydrologic Applications in Urban and Suburban Baltimore,Maryland1

Smith, Monica Lipscomb, Weiqi Zhou, Mary Cadenasso, Morgan Grove, and Lawrence E. Band, 2010. Evaluation of the National Land Cover Database for Hydrologic Applications in Urban and Suburban Baltimore, Maryland. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(2):429-442. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2009.00412.x Abstract: We compared the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 land cover, impervious, and canopy data products to land cover data derived from 0.6-m resolution three-band digital imagery and ancillary data. We conducted this comparison at the 1 km², 9 km², and gauged watershed scales within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study to determine the usefulness and limitations of the NLCD in heterogeneous urban to exurban environments for the determination of land-cover information for hydrological applications. Although the NLCD canopy and impervious data are significantly correlated with the high-resolution land-cover dataset, both layers exhibit bias at <10 and >70% cover. The ratio of total impervious area and connected impervious area differs along the range of percent imperviousness – at low percent imperviousness, the NLCD is a better predictor of pavement alone, whereas at higher percent imperviousness, buildings and pavement together more resemble NLCD impervious estimates. The land-cover composition and range for each NLCD urban land category (developed open space, low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity developed) is more variable in areas of low-intensity development. Fine-vegetation land-cover/lawn area is incorporated in a large number of land use categories with no ability to extract this land cover from the NLCD. These findings reveal that the NLCD may yield important biases in urban, suburban, and exurban hydrologic analyses where land cover is characterized by fine-scale spatial heterogeneity.     

Fe^3＋掺杂TiO2/凹凸棒复合材料的光催化性能

采用酸催化的溶胶-凝胶法制备了一系列Fe^3＋掺杂TiO2/凹凸棒（Fe^3＋-TiO2/ATP）复合光催化剂材料。在可见光条件下,以亚甲基蓝（MB）溶液的光催化降解反应,评价了样品的光催化性能,研究了TiO2负载量、Fe^3＋掺杂量和焙烧温度对复合材料光催化性能的影响。在单因素实验的基础上,采用正交实验设计（L25（53））优化了催化剂的制备条件。光催化实验结果表明,MB在复合材料上的光催化降解反应遵循Langmuir-Hinshelwood（L-H）动力学模型。正交实验结果表明,当TiO2负载量为15%、Fe^3＋掺杂量为0.5%和焙烧温度为550℃时,得到的复合材料对MB的光催化降解效率最佳,测得表观反应速率常数kapp为6.09×10^-3min^-1,反应4 h后MB的降解率（Dt）可达75.88%,相同实验条件下与P25（1.51×10^-3min^-1）相比较,反应速率提高了4.03倍,降解率提高了45.05%。另外,复合材料的沉降性能优于P25,易于分离,是一类有应用前景的复合光催化剂。敏世雄王芳魏立强王永生冯雷佟永纯韩玉琦     

湖北“两圈”区域发展可持续性评价与预测

利用可持续发展指数（SDI）对湖北“两圈”各市州发展现状进行了评价,而后利用9年的人均生物资源生态承载量年平均增长率、人口年平均增长率和足迹承载量比值年平均增长率及2006年相关数据对未来44年进行了预测。结果表明,截至2006年底,湖北省有一半以上国土面积的生物资源开采超过当地土地负荷,人均生物资源生态承载量持续下降,资源日益紧张,呈不可持续发展;武汉城市圈2006年生物资源生态足迹超出生物资源生态承载量的32%;鄂西生态文化旅游圈（简称：鄂西生态圈）除襄樊、荆州、荆门因人口多,生物资源生态足迹较大等原因导致SDI值较高外,其他市州的SDI值均较低;神农架的SDI最小;武汉城市圈人均生物资源生态承载量呈负增长,人口控制较好,足迹承载量比值增长较快;鄂西生态圈人均生物资源生态承载量呈负增长,增长速率大于武汉城市圈和湖北省,人口控制较差,足迹承载量比值增长较慢;按照现有发展模式,无论是武汉城市圈还是鄂西生态圈,无论其当前发展是可持续性还是不可持续的,未来他们都将进入不可持续的发展状态。因此,对“两圈”进行规划时要根据各自发展现状制定长期、科学的发展规划.