Optimization of process parameters of extraction of lotaustralin from the roots of Rhodiola rosea L using supercritical CO2 plus modifier

Lotaustralin from the root of Rhodiola rosea L was extracted using supercritical carbon dioxide with methanol as modifier. Response surface methodology using Box–Behnken experimental design was utilized to explore parameters for supercritical carbon dioxide extraction. The effects of various values of temperatures (50–70 °C), pressures (200--400 bar), and percentages of methanol modifier (80%–100%) on the extraction yields of lotaustralin were evaluated. Extract identification was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The experimental data obtained were fitted to second-order polynomial equations and assessed using analysis of variance. The highest yields predicted from the experiments were 2.05 g kg^?1 lotaustralin at the optimal values, i.e. temperature 65 °C, pressure 316 bar, 88% methanol modifier at a flow rate of 0.4 mL min^?1, and dynamic extraction time 90 min.     

超积累植物垂序商陆(Phytolacca americana L.)吸收锰机制的初步探讨

垂序商陆是中国境内发现的锰超积累植物,了解其对锰的吸收特性及机制可为植物修复提供基础信息.通过人工培养液温室培养方法,探讨了低锰浓度处理下垂序商陆吸收累积锰的特性;采用同步辐射荧光技术(SRXRF)分析了锰在垂序商陆根横截面的分布特征;应用能量代谢抑制剂2,4-二硝基苯酚(DNP)和矾酸钠(Na3VO4)、钙离子通道抑制剂氯化镧(LaCl3)研究了垂序商陆对锰吸收,并探讨了其吸收机制.结果表明,低锰浓度处理下,锰超积累植物垂序商陆仍然具有较高的吸收和累积锰的能力,5μmol·L-1低锰浓度处理下垂序商陆根、茎、叶锰含量(以干重计)仍可高达402、208、601 mg·kg-1.锰在垂序商陆根横截面中柱含量最高,其次为表皮,皮层锰含量最少,锰从皮层进入到中柱是一个从低浓度到高浓度的过程,表明垂序商陆对锰的吸收可能存在主动运输过程.DNP和Na3VO4对垂序商陆锰吸收有一定的抑制作用,表明锰进入细胞是需要消耗能量的,进一步说明垂序商陆对锰的吸收存在主动吸收的过程.钙离子通道抑制剂LaCl3抑制垂序商陆根对锰的吸收高达30%,表明垂序商陆对锰的吸收与钙离子通道密切相关.     

典型工业沿海区域的大气环境腐蚀性评价

目的 利用现役金属材料对工业沿海区域所处不同大气环境进行环境腐蚀性评价,并研究不同金属材料的腐蚀行为差异性,探讨工业沿海大气环境下金属材料的耐蚀性选择。方法 在不同大气环境下,选择现役金属材料Q235、16MnNi和L415开展1 a的户外曝晒试验,并利用质量损失分析、扫描电镜等手段,通过对金属基材进行腐蚀机理研究,评价大气环境的腐蚀性。结果 Q235、16MnNi和L415等3种钢在不同区域沿海工业大气环境下的腐蚀行为受大气腐蚀环境的影响较大,腐蚀产物中含有一定量的Cl和S。同种金属材料表面锈层的特殊结构,使得其基体与大气环境中的腐蚀因子相接触,引发了金属材料在不同大气腐蚀环境中不同腐蚀行为的差异性。结论 工业沿海区域的大气环境中,大气腐蚀性差异由酸循环腐蚀机制形成。3种钢材在腐蚀初期,由于锈层多孔隙结构和可溶性腐蚀产物形成,加重了腐蚀程度。黄岛区域、曹妃甸区域、岚山区域和湛江区域的大气腐蚀等级分别为C2、C3、C2、C3级。     

A combined process coupling phytoremediation and in situ flushing for removal of arsenic in contaminated soil

Phytoremediation and soil washing are both potentially useful for remediating arsenic(As)-contaminated soils.We evaluated the effectiveness of a combined process coupling phytoremediation and in situ soil flushing for removal of As in contaminated soil through a pilot study.The results showed that growing Pteris vittata L.(P.v.) accompanied by soil flushing of phosphate(P.v./Flushing treatment) could significantly decrease the total As concentration of soil over a 37 day flushing period compared with the single flushing(Flushing treatment).The P.v./Flushing treatment removed 54.04% of soil As from contaminated soil compared to 47.16% in Flushing treatment,suggesting that the growth of P.vittata was beneficial for promoting the removal efficiency.We analyzed the As fractionation in soil and As concentration in soil solution to reveal the mechanism behind this combined process.Results showed that comparing with the control treatment,the percent of labile arsenate fraction significantly increased by 17% under P.v./Flushing treatment.As concentration in soil solution remained a high lever during the middle and later periods(51.26–56.22 mg/L),which was significantly higher than the Flushing treatment.Although soil flushing of phosphate for more than a month,P.vittata still had good accumulation and transfer capacity of As of the soil.The results of the research revealed that combination of phytoremediation and in situ soil flushing is available to remediate As-contaminated soils.     

Sustainable development principles for the disposal of mining and mineral processing wastes

This paper examines the minerals industry's response to sustainable development in the area of waste disposal and argues that leadership and guidance are still needed to forge collective agreement on norms and standards of practise. To encourage further debate, the paper develops a set of sustainable development principles for the disposal of mining and mineral processing wastes, and discusses the implications for current and future practise. In practise, the principles can guide waste disposal decisions through the consideration of what risk and magnitude, in any given local context, a particular management solution poses to their application. The sustainability challenge in the management of tailings and waste rock is to dispose of material, such that it is inert or, if not, stable and contained, to minimise water and energy inputs and the surface footprint of wastes and to move toward finding alternate uses. Future trends in mining and processing may compound the challenges of waste management, as lower ore grades increase the ratio of waste produced for a given unit of resource, and emphasise the urgency and need for the industry to adopt new approaches. New technologies and innovations, such as thickened tailings, dry stacking and paste backfill, have greatly increased the waste disposal methods available to meet the future challenges to sustainable development.     

盐生小藜对碱性土壤的修复作用研究

以碱性植物小藜为研究对象,在威海市高区玛珈山上提取实验组与对照组的土壤,分别测定能够描述土壤性质数据,通过比较实验组、对照组以及培养组中土壤颗粒关于空气体积、贮水能力、有机质含量、pH值之间的不同,分析得出盐生植物小藜对盐碱土具有修复作用.结合实际情况讨论在海边盐碱地上种植小藜的意义,为其他盐生植物的研究提供依据.     

入侵物种三裂叶蟛蜞菊挥发物对杂草叶绿素含量的影响

研究了华南地区外来入侵植物三裂叶蟛蜞菊(Wedelia trilobata L.)挥发物对本地区3种主要杂草的叶绿素含量的影响,以揭示其化感作用的机理。结果表明:三裂叶蟛蜞菊植株挥发物和挥发油对稗草(Echinochloa crusgalli(L.)Beauv.)、三叶鬼针草(Bidens pilosa L.)和青葙(Celosia argentea L.)叶绿素含量有明显的抑制作用。在同一实验条件下,250.0 g三裂叶蟛蜞菊新鲜茎叶及含有0.10 mL、0.25 mL和0.50 mL挥发油容器中生长的稗草、三叶鬼针草和青葙的叶绿素含量明显减少,稗草的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少56.5%、41.9%、49.6%和64.9%;三叶鬼针草的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少6.45%、4.35%、15.3%和24.8%;青葙的叶绿素含量分别比对照减少53.3%、17.6%、33.3%和71.5%。结论:三裂叶蟛蜞菊挥发物的化感作用可使受体植物的叶绿素含量减少。其作用机理值得深入研究。     

The terms of trade debate and the policy implications for primary product producers

The terms of trade debate initiated by Raul Prebisch and Hans Singer over 60 years ago continues to this day and is unlikely to be resolved soon. However, even if Prebisch and Singer are right and the terms of trade of countries exporting primary products are falling, to suggest that these countries should diversify away from the production of mineral commodities and other primary products, as many have done, may be poor policy advice, encouraging countries to abandon a promising source of wealth with which to foster economic development.     

Lithium availability in the EU27 for battery-driven vehicles: The impact of recycling and substitution on the confrontation between supply and demand until2050

The adverse impacts of climate change are widely recognized as well as the importance of the mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Battery driven vehicles are expected to have a bright future, since GHG emissions can be reduced. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries appear to be the most promising, due to their high energy density. Recently, the discussion concerning adequate lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) resources is resolved. The current challenge is the needed increase in flow rate of Li₂CO₃ into society to foresee in forecasted demand. This research determines ten factors which influence the availability of Li-ion batteries for the EU27 in the coming decades. They are used in a system dynamics analysis. The results of this research show that undersupply can be expected in the EU27 until 2045 somewhere between 0.5 Mt and 2.8 Mt. Substitution of Li₂CO₃ in other end-use markets and recycling can relieve the strain on Li₂CO₃ supply to some extent. In 2050, 20% of the vehicle fleet in the EU27 can be battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The lack of resources in the EU27 and the geographical distribution of lithium in politically sensitive areas suggest that the shares of lithium available for the EU27 will be less than assumed in this research. The increase in flow rate shows to be the bottle-neck for a transition to (partly) battery driven vehicles in the EU27, at least when Li-ion batteries are used. Focusing on large-scale application of BEVs with Li-ion batteries in order to substantially mitigate CO₂ emissions in transport is a futile campaign.     

Dynamic relationship between precious metals

We use a relatively new approach to endogenously detect the volatility shifts in the returns of four major precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and palladium) from 1999 to 2013. We reveal that the turbulent year of 2008 has no significant effect on volatility levels of gold and silver however causes an upward shift in the volatility levels of palladium and platinum. Using the consistent dynamic conditional correlations, we show that precious metals get strongly correlated with each other in the last decade which reduces the diversification benefits across them and indicates a convergence to a single asset class. We endogenously detect the shifts in these dynamic correlation levels and reveal uni-directional volatility shift contagions among precious metals. The results show that gold has a uni-directional volatility shift contagion effect on all other precious metals and silver has a similar effect on platinum and palladium. However, the latter two do not matter in terms of volatility shift contagion. Thus, investors that hedge with precious metals should, in particular, monitor the volatility levels of gold and silver.