Impact of anthropogenic heat emissions on meteorological parameters and air quality in Beijing using a high-resolution model simulation

• The Large scale Urban Consumption of energY model was updated and coupled with WRF. • Anthropogenic heat emissions altered the precipitation and its spatial distribution. • A reasonable AHE scheme could improve the performance of simulated PM_2.5. • AHE aggravated the O₃ pollution in urban areas. Anthropogenic heat emissions (AHE) play an important role in modulating the atmospheric thermodynamic and kinetic properties within the urban planetary boundary layer, particularly in densely populated megacities like Beijing. In this study, we estimate the AHE by using a Large-scale Urban Consumption of energY (LUCY) model and further couple LUCY with a high-resolution regional chemical transport model to evaluate the impact of AHE on atmospheric environment in Beijing. In areas with high AHE, the 2-m temperature (T₂) increased to varying degrees and showed distinct diurnal and seasonal variations with maxima in night and winter. The increase in 10-m wind speed (WS₁₀) and planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) exhibited slight diurnal variations but showed significant seasonal variations. Further, the systematic continuous precipitation increased by 2.1 mm due to the increase in PBLH and water vapor in upper air. In contrast, the precipitation in local thermal convective showers increased little because of the limited water vapor. Meanwhile, the PM_2.5 reduced in areas with high AHE because of the increase in WS₁₀ and PBLH and continued to reduce as the pollution levels increased. In contrast, in areas where prevailing wind direction was opposite to that of thermal circulation caused by AHE, the WS₁₀ reduced, leading to increased PM_2.5. The changes of PM_2.5 illustrated that a reasonable AHE scheme might be an effective means to improve the performance of PM_2.5 simulation. Besides, high AHE aggravated the O₃ pollution in urban areas due to the reduction in NO_x.     

Modelling the responses of wildlife to human disturbance: An evaluation of alternative management scenarios for black-crowned night-herons

The impact of anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife is increasing becoming a source of concern as the popularity of outdoor recreation rises. There is now more pressure on site managers to simultaneously ensure the continued persistence of wildlife and provide recreational opportunities. Using ‘Simulation of Disturbance Activities’, a model designed to investigate the impact of recreational disturbance on wildlife, we demonstrate how a simulation modelling approach can effectively inform such management decisions. As an example, we explored the implications of various design and management options for a proposed recreational area containing a historic breeding bird colony. By manipulating the proximity, orientation and intensity of recreation, we were able to evaluate the impact of recreational activities on the behaviour of black-crowned night-heron nestlings (Nycticorax nycticorax). Using a classification and regression tree (CART) procedure to analyse simulation output, we explored the dynamics of multiple strategies in concert. Our analysis revealed that there are inherent advantages in implementing multiple strategies as opposed to any single strategy. Nestlings were not disturbed by recreation when bird-watching facility placement (proximity and orientation) and type were considered in combination. In comparison, proximity alone only led to a <10% reduction in disturbance. Thus we demonstrate how simulation models based on customised empirical data can bridge the gap between field studies and active management, enabling users to test novel management scenarios that are otherwise logistically difficult. Furthermore, such models potentially have broad application in understanding human-wildlife interactions (e.g. exploring the implications of roads on wildlife, probability of bird strikes around airports, etc.). They therefore represent a valuable decision-making tool in the ecological design of urban infrastructures.     

Win-Win: Anthropogenic circularity for metal criticality and carbon neutrality

● Anthropogenic circularity science is an emerging interdisciplinary field. ● Anthropogenic circularity was one effective strategy against metal criticality. ● Carbon neutrality is becoming the new industry paradigm around the world. ● Growing circularity could potentially minimize the CO₂ emission. Resource depletion and environmental degradation have fueled a burgeoning discipline of anthropogenic circularity since the 2010s. It generally consists of waste reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and recovery. Circular economy and “zero-waste” cities are sweeping the globe in their current practices to address the world’s grand concerns linked to resources, the environment, and industry. Meanwhile, metal criticality and carbon neutrality, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, denote the material's feature and state, respectively. The goal of this article is to determine how circularity, criticality, and neutrality are related. Upscale anthropogenic circularity has the potential to expand the metal supply and, as a result, reduce metal criticality. China barely accomplished 15 % of its potential emission reduction by recycling iron, copper, and aluminum. Anthropogenic circularity has a lot of room to achieve a win-win objective, which is to reduce metal criticality while also achieving carbon neutrality in a near closed-loop cycle. Major barriers or challenges for conducting anthropogenic circularity are deriving from the inadequacy of life-cycle insight governance and the emergence of anthropogenic circularity discipline. Material flow analysis and life cycle assessment are the central methodologies to identify the hidden problems. Mineral processing and smelting, as well as end-of-life management, are indicated as critical priority areas for enhancing anthropogenic circularity.     

混凝技术去除水中新兴污染物的研究进展

常规水处理工艺通常不能完全将水中新兴污染物(ECs)去除,残留的污染物仍然具有相当大的环境风险,如何有效地去除水中痕量新兴污染物是一个亟待解决的难题。本文概述了新兴污染物的来源、种类和危害,并分析了混凝工艺去除新兴污染物的可行性,重点介绍了新兴污染物性质、混凝剂种类和投加量、pH和水中溶解性物质对混凝效果的影响机制,并介绍了混凝与氧化、膜过滤及吸附等工艺的组合集成技术。在此基础上,对未来混凝技术去除新兴污染物的研究方向和发展趋势进行了展望。     

Photochemical degradation and mineralization of 4-chlorophenol

INTENTION, GOAL, SCOPE, BACKGROUND: Since the intermediate products of some compounds can be more toxic and/or refractory than the original compund itself, the development of innovative oxidation technologies which are capable of transforming such compounds into harmless end products, is gaining more importance every day. Advanced oxidation processes are one of these technologies. However, it is necessary to optimize the reaction conditions for these technologies in order to be cost-effective. OBJECTIVE: The main objectives of this study were to see if complete mineralization of 4-chlorophenol with AOPs was possible using low pressure mercury vapour lamps, to make a comparison of different AOPs, to observe the effect of the existence of other ions on degradation efficiency and to optimize reaction conditions. METHODS: In this study, photochemical advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) utilizing the combinations of UV, UV/H2O2 and UV/H2O2/Fe2+ (photo-Fenton process) were investigated in labscale experiments for the degradation and mineralization of 4-chlorophenol. Evaluations were based on the reduction of 4-chlorophenol and total organic carbon. The major parameters investigated were the initial 4-chlorophenol concentration, pH, hydrogen peroxide and iron doses and the effect of the presence of radical scavengers. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: It was observed that the 4-chlorophenol degradation efficiency decreased with increasing concentration and was independent of the initial solution pH in the UV process. 4-chlorophenol oxidation efficiency for an initial concentration of 100 mgl(-1) was around 89% after 300 min of irradiation in the UV process and no mineralization was achieved. The efficiency increased to > 99% with the UV/H2O2 process in 60 min of irradiation, although mineralization efficiency was still around 75% after 300 min of reaction time. Although the H2O2/4-CP molar ratio was kept constant, increasing initial 4-chlorophenol concentration decreased the treatment efficiency. It was observed that basic pHs were favourable in the UV/H2O2 process. The results showed that the photo-Fenton process was the most effective treatment process under acidic conditions. Complete disappearance of 100 mgl(-1) of 4-chlorophenol was achieved in 2.5 min and almost complete mineralization (96%) was also possible after only 45 min of irradiation. The efficiency was negatively affected from H2O2 in the UV/H2O2 process and Fe2+ in the photo-Fenton process over a certain concentration. The highest negative effect was observed with solutions containing PO4 triple ions. Required reaction times for complete disappearance of 100 mgl(-1) 4-chlorophenol increased from 2.5 min for an ion-free solution to 30 min for solutions containing 100 mgl(-1) PO4 triple ion and from 45 min to more than 240 min for complete mineralization. The photodegradation of 4-chlorophenol was found to follow the first-order law. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that UV irradiation alone can degrade 4-CP, although at very slow rates, but cannot mineralize the compound. The addition of hydrogen peroxide to the system, the so-called UV/H2O2 process, significantly enhances the 4-CP degradation rate, but still requires relatively long reaction periods for complete mineralization. The photo-Fenton process, the combination of homogeneous systems of UV/H2O2/Fe2+ compounds, produces the highest photochemical elimination rate of 4-CP and complete mineralization is possible to achieve in quite shorter reaction periods when compared with the UV/H2O2 process. RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTLOOK: It is more cost effective to use these processes for only purposes such as toxicity reduction, enhancement of biodegradability, decolorization and micropollutant removal. However the most important point is the optimization of the reaction conditions for the process of concern. In such a case, AOPs can be used in combination with a biological treatment systems as a pre- or post treatment unit providing the cheapest treatment option. The AOP applied, for instance, can be used for toxicity reduction and the biological unit for chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal.     

Testing the impact of social forces on the evolution of Sahelian farming systems: A combined agent-based modeling and anthropological approach

This article presents the results of a methodology based on an extensive sociological fieldwork in three different sites settled along a gradient of aridity in Nigerien Sahel. This fieldwork led to build a set of rules for the behaviour of individuals in non-pastoralist villages. We implemented these rules into an agent-based model simulating three village archetypes. Each archetype includes biophysical, economical, social agricultural and livestock modules. Results from simulations with no social transition processes show that villages specialize themselves into different economic activities according to natural resource specificities: A decreasing intensification gradient is observed from the most favoured site, with more local productions and good ecological indicators, to the less-favoured site, with a growing proportion of the population wealth coming from migration remittances and “off-shore” livestock. Two family transition processes were implemented, following field observations and literature-based hypotheses: family organizations evolve between a patriarchal mode and a non-cooperative mode following tensions due to income redistribution. Family inheritance systems evolve from a “customary” one-heir mode to a “local Muslim” mode in which all males inherits land. This evolution depends on family tensions due to land availability. Once introducing these processes, the population of each site differentiates itself into specialized groups according to size, assets and social status. Meanwhile, the group proportions and specializations strongly vary according to the sites but they are all characterized by the emergence of individualistic family types and the increase of the village populations’ robustness.     

Mercury contamination in vicinity of secondary copper smelters in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province, China: Levels and contamination in topsoils

In the present study, we aim to investigate the extent of soil contamination by Hg, particularly by anthropogenic Hg, and tentatively estimate the total Hg (Hg_T) accumulation in topsoils (0-15 cm) in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province—a secondary Cu smelter of China. The results show that the levels of soil Hg in the vicinity of the smelters have been substantially elevated following local smelting activities. The spatial distribution of soil Hg in this area reveals a rapid decrease as the distance from the smelter reaches 1.5 km, which is probably due to the quick deposition process of particulate Hg and reactive gaseous Hg emitted from the smelters. The total accumulation of Hg_T in the topsoils of the study area of 10.9 km² is approximately 365-561 kg and of which 346-543 kg might be contributed by anthropogenic emission alone with an annual emission of 17.3-27.2 kg Hg to the topsoils.     

Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液研究进展

常规处理方法难以将垃圾渗滤液中的有毒有害污染物彻底降解去除,需要高级氧化技术对其做进一步处理,Fenton法及其衍生方法处理垃圾渗滤液是具有竞争力的。围绕Fenton法及其衍生的相关方法处理垃圾渗滤液的原理、处理效果和技术发展,综述了该技术的最新研究进展,追踪其发展历史、关键技术步骤和最新技术应用动态;对比分析不同衍生处理方法的优缺点。基于不同垃圾渗滤液以及相应的最优工艺条件,综合考虑安全、经济可行和高去除率等问题,指出复合型以及与其他工艺联用的处理方法具有较好的处理效果和应用价值。对Fenton法处理垃圾渗滤液的应用前景和重点研究方向进行了展望,以期为该方法在处理垃圾渗滤液中的技术研发和推广应用提供参考。     

响应面法优化Fenton试剂法处理槟榔废水

本实验研究了Fenton试剂法处理槟榔废水的工艺条件。基于Box-Behnken响应曲面法,考察了初始pH值、双氧水投加量、硫酸亚铁投加量和反应时间的单独作用和交互作用,并建立了TOC去除率数学模型。实验表明,在初始pH值为5,双氧水投加量为50 mg/L,硫酸亚铁投加量为12.5 g/L,反应时间为120 min,0.2% PAM加入量为0.2 mL时,整个反应过程对TOC去除率可达到64.1%。通过Box-Behnken 响应曲面可知,双氧水投加量、硫酸亚铁投加量的交互作用对TOC去除率有显著影响,其中双氧水投加量对TOC去除率的影响极显著。Fenton试剂处理槟榔废水最佳的工艺条件为: 双氧水投加量为54.2 mL/L,硫酸亚铁投加量12.55 g/L,初始pH值为4.98,反应时间为103.5 min。在此条件下TOC去除率为70.18%。     

真空膜蒸馏和膜吸收及其集成工艺处理高氨氮废水

采用PP中空纤维膜组件,对VMD(真空膜蒸馏)和MA(膜吸收)脱氨过程进行了研究。考察了料液pH值(9.0~11.0)、料液进口温度(20~50℃)对脱氨效率的影响。研究结果表明,VMD和MA脱除率分别达85%和99%以上。料液pH和料液进口温度对VMD脱氨效果的影响较大,提高料液pH和进口温度可以明显提高VMD的脱氨效率;料液pH对MA的脱氨效率影响较为显著。对2种膜工艺进行了技术集成,利用该集成工艺可达到99.96%以上的氨去除率,出水可达标排放,并且可以有效防止硫酸铵的二次污染。