Seasonal and spatial occurrence and distribution of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in rural and urban areas of the North Chinese Plain

Passive air sampling (PAS) was employed to study the occurrence of gaseous and particle-bound PAHs in the North Chinese Plain. The averaged concentrations of gaseous and particle-bound PAHs were 485 ± 209 ng/m³ and 267 ± 161 ng/m³, respectively. The PAHs concentrations at urban sites were generally higher than those at rural ones with ratios <1.5 in spring, summer and fall, but differences between them were not significant for the wintertime and annually averaged concentrations. This urban-rural distribution pattern was related to the PAHs emission sources. PAHs spatial variation can be partially (49%) explained by emission with a simple linear regression method. Both the gaseous and particle-bound PAHs were highest in winter and lowest in summer, with winter/summer ratios of 1.8 and 8, respectively. Emission strength was the most important factor for the seasonality.     

Diffusion pollution from livestock and poultry rearing in the Yangtze Delta,China

BACKGROUND: The Yangtze Delta is one of the most developed regions in China and includes Shanghai, eight cities in Jiangsu province and eight cities in Zhejiang province. Meat consumption in this region has increased with economic growth, and most of the consumed meat is produced locally. The water quality of surface waters has deteriorated in recent years. An example was the huge blue-green algae bloom in Tai Lake in late May 2007, which affected millions of people's daily drinking water. However, animal husbandry is considered to be one of the main pollution sources. METHODS: Pollutants (NH3-N, total phosphorus (TP), and total nitrogen (TN)) excreted by livestock and poultry, and the resultant COD (chemical oxygen demand) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), were estimated using two different methods based on different data sets. RESULTS: The number of livestock and poultry has remained stable in the Yangtze Delta over the four years from 1999 to 2002, with the average number of pigs, cattle, sheep and poultry being 21.1 M, 0.4 M, 7.7 M and 597.6 M, respectively. Pollutants in livestock and poultry excreta estimated by Method I were: 0.12 Mt NH3-N, 0.11 Mt TP and 0.29 Mt TN, resulting in COD and BOD of 1.34 Mt and 1.30 Mt, respectively, while the estimations based on Method II were: 0.18 Mt NH3-N, 0.15 Mt TP and 0.40 Mt TN, resulting in COD and BOD of 1.95 Mt and 1.80 Mt, respectively. DISCUSSION: Pollutants excreted annually by livestock and poultry in the Yangtze Delta are estimated to be: 0.17 Mt NH3-N, 0.16 Mt TP and 0.42 Mt TN, giving rise to a COD of 1.86 Mt and a BOD of 1.72 Mt. Approximately 25% of this pollution was estimated to enter water bodies, which means that the annual pollutant load is 43,700 t NH3-N, 39,400 tTP, 104,600t TN with a COD of 465,000 tand a BOD of 430,100 t. Pollutants from animal husbandry were similar in magnitude to those from industrial wastewater. Pigs produced the most pollution, followed by poultry, cattle and sheep. The pollution load from animal husbandry in the Yangtze Delta is about twice the average level of the whole of China. CONCLUSIONS: Domestic wastewater was the main pollution source in the Yangtze Delta, followed by pollution from raising livestock and poultry and from industrial wastewater. The pollution load in Shanghai and Jiaxing were the greatest, followed by 7 cities of Jiangsu province (except Suzhou) and other cities of Zhejiang province and Suzhou. Pigs and poultry produced about 90% of the total pollutants from animal husbandry. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: The local governments, especially in Shanghai and Jiaxing, should focus their attention on the pollution produced by livestock and poulrry. Controlling pollution from pigs and poultry will have the greatest impact in this region. Control of pollution will be facilitated by the development of large-scale livestock and poultry farming units and a shift away from small scale husbandry.     

Levels of perfluorochemicals in water samples from Catalonia,Spain: is drinking water a significant contribution to human exposure?

Background, aim, and scope  In recent years, due to a high persistence, biomagnification in food webs, presence in remote regions, and potential toxicity, perfluorochemicals (PFCs) have generated a considerable interest. The present study was aimed to determine the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and other PFCs in drinking water (tap and bottled) and river water samples from Tarragona Province (Catalonia, Spain). Materials and methods  Municipal drinking (tap) water samples were collected from the four most populated towns in the Tarragona Province, whereas samples of bottled waters were purchased from supermarkets. River water samples were collected from the Ebro (two samples), Cortiella, and Francolí Rivers. After pretreatment, PFC analyses were performed by HPLC-MS. Quantification was done using the internal standard method, with recoveries between 68% and 118%. Results  In tap water, PFOS and PFOA levels ranged between 0.39 and 0.87 ng/L (0.78 and 1.74 pmol/L) and between 0.32 and 6.28 ng/L (0.77 and 15.2 pmol/L), respectively. PFHpA, PFHxS, and PFNA were also other detected PFCs. PFC levels were notably lower in bottled water, where PFOS could not be detected in any sample. Moreover, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFOA, PFNA, PFOS, PFOSA, and PFDA could be detected in the river water samples. PFOS and PFOA concentrations were between <0.24 and 5.88 ng/L (<0.48 and 11.8 pmol/L) and between <0.22 and 24.9 ng/L (<0.53 and 60.1 pmol/L), respectively. Discussion  Assuming a human water consumption of 2 L per day, the daily intake of PFOS and PFOA by the population of the area under evaluation was calculated (0.78–1.74 and 12.6 ng, respectively). It was found that drinking water might be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants. Conclusions  The contribution of drinking water (tap and bottled) to the human daily intake of various PFCs has been compared for the first time with data from dietary intake of these PFCs. It was noted that in certain cases, drinking water can be a source of exposure to PFCs as important as the dietary intake of these pollutants although the current concentrations were similar or lower than those reported in the literature for surface water samples from a number of regions and countries. Recommendations and perspectives  Further studies should be carried out in order to increase the knowledge of the role of drinking water in human exposure to PFCs.     

Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of an industrial area near Bucharest

BACKGROUND, AIMS AND SCOPE: Chromium enters into the aquatic environment as a result of effluent discharge from steel works, electroplating, leather tanning industries and chemical industries. As the Cr(VI) is very harmful to living organisms, it should be quickly removed from the environment when it happens to be contaminated. Therefore, the aim of this laboratory research was to develop a rapid, simple and adaptable solvent extraction system to quantitatively remove Cr(VI) from polluted waters. METHODS: Aqueous salt-solutions containing Cr(VI) as CrO4(2-) at ppm level (4-6 ppm) were prepared. Equal volumes (5 ml) of aqueous and organic (2-PrOH) phases were mixed in a 10 ml centrifuge tube for 15 min, centrifuged and separated. Concentrations of Cr(VI), in both the aqueous and organic phases, were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The effects of salt and acid concentrations, and phase-contact time on the extraction of Cr(VI) were investigated. In addition, the extraction of Cr(VI) was assessed in the presence of tetramethylammonium chloride (TMAC) in 2-PrOH phase. Effects of some other metals, (Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II)), on the extraction of Cr(VI) were also investigated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The Cr(VI) at ppm level was extracted quantitatively by salting-out the homogeneous system of water and 2-propanol(2-PrOH) using chloride salts, namely CaCl2 or NaCl, under acidic chloride media. The extracted chemical species of Cr(VI) was confirmed to be the CrO3Cl-. The ion-pair complex extracted into the organic phase was rationalized as the solvated ion-pair complex of [2-PrOH2+, CrO3Cl-]. The complex was no longer stable. It implied the reaction between extracted species. Studies revealed that salts and acid directly participated in the formation of the above complex. Use of extracting agents (TMAC) didn't show any significant effect on the extraction of Cr(VI) under high salting-out conditions. There is no significant interference effect on the extraction of Cr(VI) by the presence of other metals. The Cr(VI) in the organic phase was back-extracted using an aqueous ammonia solution (1.6 mol dm(-3)) containing 3 mol dm(-3) NaCl. The extraction mechanism of Cr(VI) is also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Salting-out of homogeneous mixed solvent of 2-propanol can be employed to extract Cr(VI) quantitatively, as an ion-pair of [2-PrOH2+ * CrO3Cl-] solvated by 2-PrOH molecules. Then, the complex becomes 'solvent-like' and is readily separated into the organic phase. The increase of Cl- ion concentration in the aqueous phase favors the extraction. The 2-PrOH, salts and acid play important roles in the extraction process. There is no need to use an extracting agent at a high salting-out condition. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Chromium(VI) must be quickly removed before it enters into the natural cycle. As the 2-PrOH is water-miscible in any proportion, ion-pairing between 2-PrOH2+ and CrO3Cl- becomes very fast. As a result, Cr(VI) can easily be extracted. Therefore, the method is recommended as a simple, rapid and adaptable method to quickly separate Cr(VI) from aqueous samples.     

地下水环境中甲基叔丁基醚运移过程的动力学模型

建立了地下水环境中甲基叔丁基醚(MTBE)运移过程的变系数动力学模型,并对模型进行了验证和参数灵敏度分析.模拟结果表明,地下水流速和阻滞系数对于MTBE的运移过程影响最为显著,而水动力弥散系数的影响较小,忽略其变化不会对预测地下水环境中污染物运移的环境动力学行为造成太大误差.由此得到的结论可定量研究MTBE在地下水环境中的对流.扩散特征,还可为MTBE污染地下水的预测预报、修复治理等研究提供科学依据.     

Pb/Zn冶炼废渣中重金属的生物浸出-盐浸处理

利用中温嗜热菌对某铅锌冶炼废渣进行生物浸出盐浸处理研究,并根据国家固体废物浸出毒性方法(HJ/T299-2007)对盐浸后余渣进行毒性分析。研究结果表明,在pH 1.5、温度65℃、矿浆浓度5%的优化条件下生物浸出3 d后,废渣中Cu、In、Ga和Zn的浸出率分别达到了91.5%、91.8%、84.9%和93.4%;盐浸生物浸出渣,其浸出液中Ag、Pb浓度分别为7.6和247.5 mg/L,可从废渣中有效回收Cu、In、Ga、Zn、Ag和Pb。生物浸出盐浸处理后余渣约为原渣量的70%;毒性分析浸出液中重金属元素Ag、As、Cd、Cu、Pb和Zn浓度分别为2～3.5、2～3、0.3～0.5、30～50、2～4、20～60 mg/L,低于国家危险废物鉴别标准(GB5085.3-2007)。根据试验结果,提出了针对冶炼废渣资源化、减量化、无害化的生物浸出盐浸联用工艺。     

聚硅酸氯化铝处理皂素废水的研究

制备了聚硅酸氯化铝(PASC)絮凝剂,并用其进行了皂素废水处理实验。考察了絮凝剂投加量、pH值、搅拌速度对COD和浊度去除率的影响。结果表明,当絮凝剂投加量为9～13.5 mg/L、pH值5～7、搅拌速度150～250 r/min时,COD和浊度去除效果较好。最佳工艺条件为：絮凝剂投加量11.25 mg/L、pH值6、搅拌速度200 r/min。此时,COD去除率为93.7％,浊度去除率为97.5％。PASC的絮凝性能明显优于PAC。     

液晶显示器液晶处理与铟回收技术

在实验室条件下,对液晶显示器回收的各个重要环节作了初步的探索,提出了一整套回收工艺.其中包括利用丙酮常温浸取去除偏光片、分离玻璃基板、溶解液晶,还包括利用硫酸溶液和二氧化锰联合浸取玻璃基板,铟的浸取率达89%.得到的铟的酸液经过萃取、置换和电解,可以得到铟的产品,为液晶显示器的资源化和无害化提供实验数据和技术支持.     

湖州市埭溪镇污水处理厂的工程设计

湖州市埭溪镇污水处理厂的设计规模,近期为2万m^2／d,远期为3万m^2／d,其污水处理工艺采用改良式A^2／O工艺,污泥处理工艺采用带式浓缩脱水一体机。文中着重介绍了工程设计参数、处理工艺流程及其设计特点。     

Enhancing community-based disaster preparedness with information technology

A critical component of community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) is a local resource database of suppliers providing physical, information and human resources for use in disaster response. Maintenance of such a database can become a collaborative responsibility among community-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and public and private community organisations. In addition to mobilising resources, this process raises awareness within the community and aids in assessing local knowledge and resources. This paper presents the results of a pilot study on implementing a community-based resource database through collaboration with local American Red Cross chapters and public and private community organisations. The design of the resource database is described. The resource database is accessible via the internet and offline using laptops and handheld Personal Digital Assistants. The study concludes that CBDP is strengthened through a combination of appropriate information technology and collaborative relationships between NGOs and community-based organisations.