Drought can offset potential water use efficiency of forest ecosystems from rising atmospheric CO2

Increasing atmospheric CO₂ is both leading to climate change and providing a potential fertilisation effect on plant growth. However, southern Australia has also experienced a significant decline in rainfall over the last 30 years, resulting in increased vegetative water stress. To better understand the dynamics and responses of Australian forest ecosystems to drought and elevated CO₂, the magnitude and trend in water use efficiency (WUE) of forests, and their response to drought and elevated CO₂ from 1982 to 2014 were analysed, using the best available model estimates constrained by observed fluxes from simulations with fixed and time-varying CO₂. The ratio of gross primary productivity (GPP) to evapotranspiration (ET) (WUEe) was used to identify the ecosystem scale WUE, while the ratio of GPP to transpiration (Tr) (WUEc) was used as a measure of canopy scale WUE. WUE increased significantly in northern Australia (p < 0.001) for woody savannas (WSA), whereas there was a slight decline in the WUE of evergreen broadleaf forests (EBF) in the southeast and southwest of Australia. The lag of WUEc to drought was consistent and relatively short and stable between biomes (≤3 months), but notably varied for WUEe, with a long time-lag (mean of 10 months). The dissimilar responses of WUEe and WUEc to climate change for different geographical areas result from the different proportion of Tr in ET. CO₂ fertilization and a wetter climate enhanced WUE in northern Australia, whereas drought offset the CO₂ fertilization effect in southern Australia.     

Surface characterization of metal oxides-supported activated carbon fiber catalysts for simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis of carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide

The sol–gel method was used to synthesize a series of metal oxides-supported activated carbon fiber (ACF) and the simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis activity of carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS₂) at relatively low temperatures of 60°C was tested. The effects of preparation conditions on the catalyst properties were investigated, including the kinds and amount of metal oxides and calcination temperatures. The activity tests indicated that catalysts with 5 wt.% Ni after calcining at 400°C (Ni(5)/ACF(400)) had the best performance for the simultaneous catalytic hydrolysis of COS and CS₂. The surface and structure properties of prepared ACF were characterized by scanning electron microscope-energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), carbon dioxide-temperature programmed desorption (CO₂-TPD) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared reflection (DRFTIR). And the metal cation defects were researched by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method. The characterization results showed that the supporting of Ni on the ACF made the ACF catalyst show alkaline and increased the specific surface area and the number of micropores, then improved catalytic hydrolysis activity. The DRFTIR results revealed that -OH species could facilitate the hydrolysis of COS and CS₂; -COO and -C–O species could facilitate the oxidation of catalytic hydrolysate H₂S. And the EPR results showed that high calcination temperature conditions provide more active reaction center for the COS and CS₂ adsorption.     

Adsorption mechanisms of PFOA onto activated carbon anchored with quaternary ammonium/epoxide-forming compounds: A combination of experiment and model studies

When wood-based activated carbon was tailored with quaternary ammonium/epoxide (QAE) forming compounds (QAE-AC), this tailoring dramatically improved the carbon's effectiveness for removing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from groundwater. With favorable tailoring, QAE-AC removed PFOA from groundwater for 118,000 bed volumes before half-breakthrough in rapid small scale column tests, while the influent PFOA concentration was 200 ng/L. The tailoring involved pre-dosing QAE at an array of proportions onto this carbon, and then monitoring bed life for PFOA removal. When pre-dosing with 1 mL QAE, this PFOA bed life reached an interim peak, whereas bed life was less following 3 mL QAE pre-dosing, then PFOA bed life exhibited a steady rise for yet subsequently higher QAE pre-dosing levels. Large-scale atomistic modelling was used herein to provide new insight into the mechanism of PFOA removal by QAE-AC. Based on experimental results and modelling, the authors perceived that the QAE's epoxide functionalities cross-linked with phenolics that were present along the activated carbon's graphene edge sites, in a manner that created mesopores within macroporous regions or created micropores within mesopores regions. Also, the QAE could react with hydroxyls outside of these pore, including the hydroxyls of both graphene edge sites and other QAE molecules. This latter reaction formed new pore-like structures that were external to the activated carbon grains. Adsorption of PFOA could occur via either charge balance between negatively charged PFOA with positively charged QAE, or by van der Waals forces between PFOA's fluoro-carbon tail and the graphene or QAE carbon surfaces.     

阿拉善沙漠高原降水化学特征与离子来源判别

为查明我国北方沙漠地区降水化学组成及来源,在阿拉善沙漠高原阿右旗气象站采集了2013—2015年的降水样品,测定了降水pH、EC（电导率）及主要离子当量浓度.结果表明:阿拉善沙漠阿右旗气象站降水pH和EC的范围分别为6.66~8.05和35~1 237 μS/cm;Ca2+、SO₄2-、Na+和Cl-为降水中的主要离子,其总和占总离子的85%以上.降水pH、EC和主要离子当量浓度是反映空气质量的基本参数,较高的降水pH反映出当地降水具有明显的碱性特征.与其他地区相比,该地区降水的EC和可溶性离子日均湿沉降通量也较高,且随月份有较大的变化,表明干旱沙漠粉尘对当地降水水化学的贡献较大.根据离子来源相对贡献的计算结果发现,降水中92.8%的SO₄2-和98%的NO₃-来自人为源,98.8%的Ca2+和88.7%的K+为陆地来源,55%的Mg2+为海洋源,24.8%的Na+来自矿物风化,极少部分Cl-为人为源.研究显示:除降水中的NH₄+外,其他主要离子之间的相关性表明各种成因物质在风力作用下同时进入了大气;基于[NH₄+]（NH₄+的当量浓度）与[K+]（K+的当量浓度）相关性分析,降水中的NH₄+来自生物质燃烧、肥料使用、动物粪便等.      

Comparative study of carbonic anhydrase activity in waters among different geological eco-environments of Yangtze River basin and its ecological significance

This study provides the presence of carbonic anhydrase(CA) activity in waters of the Yangtze River basin, China, as well as the correlation of CA activity with HCO-3 concentration and CO_2 sink flux. Different degrees of CA activity could be detected in almost all of the water samples from different geological eco-environments in all four seasons. The CA activity of water samples from karst areas was significantly higher than from non-karst areas(PP3-concentration(r = 0.672, P2 sink flux(r = 0.602, P = 0.076) in karst areas. This suggests that CA in waters might have a promoting effect on carbon sinks for atmospheric CO_2 in karst river basins. In conditions of similar geological type, higher CA activity was generally detected in water samples taken from areas that exhibited better eco-environments, implying that the CA activity index of waters could be used as an indicator for monitoring ecological environments and protection of river basins. These findings suggest that the role of CA in waters in the karst carbon sink potential of river basins is worthy of further in-depth studies.     

Effects of turbulence on carbon emission in shallow lakes

Turbulent mixing is enhanced in shallow lakes. As a result, exchanges across the air–water and sediment–water interfaces are increased, causing these systems to be large sources of greenhouse gases. This study investigated the effects of turbulence on carbon dioxide(CO_2)and methane(CH_4) emissions in shallow lakes using simulated mesocosm experiments.Results demonstrated that turbulence increased CO_2 emissions, while simultaneously decreasing CH_4 emissions by altering microbial processes. Under turbulent conditions, a greater fraction of organic carbon was recycled as CO_2 instead of CH_4, potentially reducing the net global warming effect because of the lower global warming potential of CO_2 relative to CH_4. The CH_4/CO_2 flux ratio was approximately 0.006 under turbulent conditions, but reached 0.078 in the control. The real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that methanogen abundance decreased and methanotroph abundance increased under turbulent conditions, inhibiting CH_4 production and favoring the oxidation of CH_4 to CO2.These findings suggest that turbulence may play an important role in the global carbon cycle by limiting CH4 emissions, thereby reducing the net global warming effect of shallow lakes.     

A nanofilter composed of carbon nanotube-silver composites for virus removal and antibacterial activity improvement

We have developed a new nanofilter using a carbon nanotube-silver composite material that is capable of efficiently removing waterborne viruses and bacteria.The nanofilter was subjected to plasma surface treatment to enhance its flow rate,which was improved by approximately 62%.Nanoscale pores were obtained by fabricating a carbon nanotube network and using nanoparticle fixation technology for the removal of viruses.The pore size of the nanofilter was approximately 38 nm and the measured flow rate ranged from 21.0 to 97.2 L/(min·m~2)under a pressure of 1–6 kgf/cm~2 when the amount of loaded carbon nanotube-silver composite was 1.0 mg/cm~2.The nanofilter was tested against Polio-,Noro-,and Coxsackie viruses using a sensitive real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to detect the presence of viral particles within the outflow.No trace of viruses was found to flow through the nanofilter with carbon nanotube-silver composite loaded above 0.8 mg/cm~2.Moreover,the surface of the filter has antibacterial properties to prevent bacterial clogging due to the presence of 20-nm silver nanoparticles,which were synthesized on the carbon nanotube surface.     

改性活性炭催化臭氧深度处理化工废水的研究

采用非均相催化臭氧氧化工艺深度处理化工废水二级生化出水,探索负载不同活性组分的活性炭催化剂及该工艺处理化工废水的影响因素。结果表明:当进水COD为85~110 mg/L,臭氧投加量为60 mg/L,催化剂投加量为200 mg/L Cr时,臭氧氧化、ACCA-1、ACCA-2和ACCA-3催化臭氧氧化对出水COD的平均去除率分别为22.46%、32.7%、40.5%和35.7%,3种催化剂均可强化臭氧氧化效果。活性炭催化剂能提高臭氧利用率,叔丁醇对ACCA-2抑制效果最明显。     

不同碳源条件下污水生物脱氮过程中N_2O的释放规律

以3类常用的碳源(乙酸钠、葡萄糖和甲醇)为研究对象,在3个稳定运行的SBR系统内考察了碳源种类对污水生物脱氮过程中N_2O释放的影响。结果显示,各系统内N_2O的释放主要发生在好氧硝化阶段,且在以乙酸钠为碳源的系统内氨氧化速率最快,TN去除率最大,但同时N_2O的释放速率、累积释放量(4.44 mg)和转化率(1.3%)也最大。而以甲醇为碳源的小试系统脱氮效果较差,TN去除率仅为59.5%,但N_2O的释放速率、累积释放量和转化率均最低。在实际污水处理过程中,当以温室气体N_2O释放作为判断标准时,此研究结果可为碳源的选择提供依据。     

我国碳排放权交易试点现状及问题分析

分析了碳排放权交易试点市场的政策环境,从准入规则、配额分配、排放核查、交易量与交易价格4个方面介绍了各试点地区碳排放权交易市场的现状,归纳出了我国碳排放交易试点的主要特点;并通过与碳排放交易欧盟体系(EU-ETS)进行对比,提出了我国在碳排放权交易试点工作中存在的主要问题及国际差距,并提出了完善我国碳排放权交易市场的建议。