Health risks of residential wood heat

The resurgence in the use of wood in the United States for residential heating has been accompanied by a dramatic increase in deaths and injuries from residential fires. Toxic materials present in woodsmoke also appear to present a significant public health hazard. As a result of these factors, production of residential wood heat can be up to two orders of magnitude more hazardous than generation of an equivalent amount of electric energy at a coal-fired power plant. Proper care in installation and operation of wood stoves, as well as technological innovations that control wood-stove emissions, can greatly reduce the health and safety hazards of residential heating with wood.     

Blast wave clearing behavior for positive and negative phases

The purpose of the research was to improve prediction of response of buildings to blast waves by including the negative phase and considering clearing of both positive and negative phases. Commonly used structural design practices, which trace their origins to military design manuals, often ignore the negative phase as well as positive phase clearing. For high explosive threats, this approach is conservative in most circumstances. However, negative phase clearing had not previously been studied for blast waves, and the implications for structural response had not been evaluated. This paper presents results of modeling negative phase blast clearing behavior for a typical blast wave and discusses the differences from positive phase clearing. The implications of including positive and negative phase clearing in building blast damage analysis are also investigated through single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analyses.Blast waves from explosion sources like a vapor cloud explosion (VCE), pressure vessel burst or high explosive exhibit both positive and negative phases, and the relative magnitude of the positive and negative phases varies among explosion sources and the specific circumstances of each source. A fully reflected blast wave is produced if an incident blast wave were to strike an infinitely tall and wide wall in a normal orientation. Both the positive and negative phases of the blast wave are enhanced by the reflection process. However, when an incident blast wave strikes a wall of finite size in a normal orientation, rarefaction waves are created at the edges of the wall, and the rarefactions sweep down from the roof and inward from sides. The rarefaction waves result in a clearing effect for both the positive and negative phases.Clearing relieves some of the applied blast load on the reflected wall for the positive phase. However, this is not always the case for the negative phase. As shown by the results presented in this paper, clearing may either relieve or enhance the applied negative phase blast load, depending on the duration of the blast wave and the wall dimensions.The impact of negative phase clearing on structural response for generic building components was also investigated. Nonlinear SDOF methods were used to characterize response in terms of peak positive and negative displacements. It was found that the influence of the negative phase is significant and the peak structural response can occur during negative (outward) displacement.     

武汉市城市化过程中的空气质量响应研究

以武汉市2000-2013年的城市化水平和空气质量状况数据为基础,运用主成分分析法和目标比率模型构建综合评价体系,并用多元回归模型进行检验,探究城市化过程中的空气环境质量响应特征.结果表明:1)2000年以来,武汉城市化进入稳增长的快速抬升阶段,空气污染综合指数总体变化平稳,2013年有变坏的趋势;2)不同类型的污染物对城市化水平具有不同的响应规律和影响程度,SO2为倒“U”型,表明随着城市发展,SO2浓度得到控制并呈下降趋势;NO2为“U”型,近9年来NO2浓度不减反增,对空气环境污染严重;而PM10及空气质量综合水平表现为倒“N”型特征,表明现阶段空间环境呈现污染加重的趋势;3)城市化快速扩张过程中的基础设施建设、建筑扬尘,汽车尾气排放、工业烟尘等是影响武汉空间环境质量的主要因素,需有针对性地加强城市空气环境管理.     

火灾中液化气储罐热响应CFD模拟的UDF程序设计

为了降低火灾环境下储罐内部介质热响应及储罐失效试验研究的成本和风险,更好地为储罐事故的预测预防提供模拟依据,利用Fluent 12.0软件对密闭容器内部介质的传热传质过程进行模拟,给出了内部介质在受热和冷却条件下相变的控制方程;通过考虑内部介质气化热随温度的变化及饱和温度与区域单元压力之间的关系,编写了内部介质在受热和冷却条件下质量和能量源项的用户自定义函数(UDF);通过对部分参数进行简化,分别给出了喷射火和池火条件下丙烷储罐热响应模拟的结果,并与试验结果进行了对比.结果表明:储罐热响应各主要参数(内部介质温度、壁面温度,储罐内部压力)的误差在喷射火条件下低于15％,在池火条件下低于12.4％.这表明模拟所需源项UDF正确,可以用于现实储罐热响应的模拟.     

微波诱导热解法制备落叶吸附剂及其工艺优化

采用微波诱导热解法制备低成本落叶吸附剂,以实现落叶的资源化利用.以碘吸附值为响应值,采用响应面分析法研究了微波诱导热解法制备落叶吸附剂的工艺条件.结果表明,热解时间与微波功率之间存在交互作用,当热解功率增加时,可适当缩短热解时间.落叶吸附剂的最佳制备工艺条件为:热解时间4.04 min,微波功率488.72W,氯化锌质量分数27％.落叶吸附剂以微孔吸附为主,BJH孔径分布较窄,孔容最高峰对应的孔径在1.9 nm左右,Langmuir比表面积为769.61 m2/g.     

石墨烯是促进还是抑制嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌生长?

尽管石墨烯以其独特的光学、电学、力学特性在各大领域都具有广阔的应用前景,但其工业化使用后在环境当中的行为,特别是遗留下的石墨烯对生态系统的毒性研究则鲜见报道.因此,本文以嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans)为目标微生物,探讨不同浓度(1、10、50 mg·L-1)石墨烯对Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans的毒性效应.结果表明,石墨烯对Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans的生长有明显抑制作用,且抑制作用随着石墨烯浓度的降低而增强.在石墨烯投加量为1 mg·L-1时,培养48 h后菌株的生长量OD420达到最大值0.045,低于空白组的0.163;并且其可溶性蛋白含量也达到最大值1.546 mg·L-1,低于空白组的3.789 mg·L-1.不同浓度石墨烯对体系p H和ORP均存在不同程度的影响,低浓度下的石墨烯影响最为显著.此外,通过扫描电镜(SEM)和荧光显微镜分析,进一步证实Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans能在高浓度的石墨烯上生长,而低浓度的石墨烯则会对细胞膜造成损伤,它极其尖锐的边缘是细菌失活的有效机制.因此,石墨烯的毒性具有剂量效应,这一结果可为石墨烯合理利用及评价其生态毒性提供理论依据.     

超高压工程电缆绝缘油对海洋生物的生态毒性效应

随着超高压联网工程建设项目不断增多,取得巨大经济效益的同时,其电缆安全性日益受到关注。采用标准实验方法,研究电缆绝缘油对8种占据不同生态位的海洋生物(费氏弧菌(Vibrio fischeri)、牟氏角毛藻(Chaetoceros mueleri)、卤虫(Artemia sp.)、蒙古裸腹溞(Moina mongolica)、凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)、裸项栉鰕虎鱼(Ctenogobius gymnauchen)、双齿围沙蚕(Perinereis aibuhitensis)、菲律宾蛤仔(Ruditapes philippinarum))的急性毒性,同时进行了电缆绝缘油对裸项栉鰕虎鱼14 d延长毒性实验和电缆绝缘油对蒙古裸腹溞的慢性毒性。结果表明,电缆绝缘油在50%饱和溶解浓度下未对费氏弧菌产生明显的发光抑制作用;对牟氏角毛藻、凡纳滨对虾、裸项栉鰕虎鱼、双齿围沙蚕和菲律宾蛤仔等5种生物未表现出急性毒性影响,其LC50均大于饱和浓度;对卤虫的96 h-LC50为17.07%,LOEC为12.5%,NOEC为6.25%;对蒙古裸腹溞96 h-LC50为29.75%,LOEC为25.0%,NOEC为12.5%;电缆绝缘油对卤虫和蒙古裸腹溞有剧毒。对裸项栉鰕虎鱼成鱼14 d延长毒性LC50大于500 000 mg·L~(-1);对蒙古裸腹溞母溞存活数的NOEC为625μg·L~(-1),LOEC为1 250μg·L~(-1);对母溞存活期的NOEC为312μg·L~(-1),LOEC为625μg·L~(-1);对产胎数的NOEC为625μg·L~(-1),LOEC为1 250μg·L~(-1);对产幼溞数的NOEC为625μg·L~(-1),LOEC为1 250μg·L~(-1)。     

四氯丙烯对稀有鮈鲫的急性毒性及安全浓度评价

采用半静态试验方式测试了四氯丙烯对稀有鮈鲫(Gobiocypris rarus)的急性毒性,试验浓度分别设定为0.25 mg·L~(-1)、0.30mg·L~(-1)、0.36 mg·L~(-1)、0.42 mg·L~(-1)、0.50 mg·L~(-1)和0.60 mg·L~(-1),同时进行空白对照(试验用水)和分散剂对照(体积分数为0.006%的吐温-80水溶液)试验。采用气相色谱法对试验溶液进行浓度分析,实测浓度分别为0.19 mg·L~(-1)、0.25 mg·L~(-1)、0.34 mg·L~(-1)、0.40 mg·L~(-1)、0.51 mg·L~(-1)和0.64 mg·L~(-1),试验结果以实测浓度表示和统计。结果表明:四氯丙烯致稀有鮈鲫无死亡发生(EC0)的最高浓度为0.25 mg·L~(-1),导致稀有鮈鲫100%死亡(EC100)的最低浓度为0.51 mg·L~(-1)。根据实测浓度,用SPSS(17.0)概率单位法求得四氯丙烯对稀有鮈鲫的半数致死浓度96 h-LC50为0.347 mg·L~(-1),95%置信区间为0.328 mg·L~(-1)~0.361 mg·L~(-1)。     

Effect of commercial pesticides on plant growth-promoting activities of Burkholderia sp. strain L2 isolated from rhizosphere of Lycopersicon esculentum cultivated in agricultural soil

The in vitro study was carried out to examine the toxicity of four commercially used pesticides (phorate, mancozeb, chlorpyrifos, and endosulfan) at the recommended dose (1X) and higher field doses (1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and 3X) on plant growth-promoting activities of Burkholderia sp. strain L2, isolated from pesticide-treated rhizosphere of Lycopersicon esculentum. At the recommended dose, level of toxicity of all the pesticides to phosphate solubilization activity and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production was less detrimental as compared to exceeding doses. At maximum dose rate of each pesticide, the percentage decrease in phosphate solubilization and IAA production over control was found in order of chlorpyrifos < mancozeb < endosulfan < phorate. Present study proves that Burkholderia sp. strain L2 could be used as a potential microbial inoculant in the agricultural soil having persistent pesticide residues.     

Research on transesterification parameters for producing plant sterols with supercritical methanol

The supercritical fluid method, regarded as a type of individual production process in the course of preparing plant sterols, has become a promising technology, which possesses advantages of high conversion rate without any pretreatment and need of a catalyst. This study examined the reaction process of the deodorizer distillate (DOD), which mainly included the direct transesterification of DOD to convert into free sterols. The effects of the ratio of methanol to DOD, reaction temperature and time on transesterification were studied. Furthermore, the interactions between different factors were also assessed using the response surface methodology. The optimal conditions obtained were as follows: reaction temperature 553 K, reaction time 80 min, and CH₃OH: DOD = 25:1 (mass ratio). Under these conditions, 36.42% sterol concentration was obtained, which is significantly higher in comparison with the initial sterols’ concentration in raw material (22.45%).