Assessing slope stability in unplanned settlements in developing countries

Unplanned housing in developing countries is often located on steep slopes. Frequently no building code is enforced for such housing and mains water is provided with no drainage provision. Both of these factors can be particularly significant in terms of landslide risk if, as is so often the case, such slopes lack any planned drainage provision. There is thus a need to develop a model that facilitates the assessment of slope stability in an holistic context, incorporating a wide range of factors (including surface cover, soil water topographic convergence, slope loading and point source water leakage) in order that appropriate advice can be given as to the general controls on slope stability in such circumstances. This paper outlines a model configured for this specific purpose and describes an application to a site in St. Lucia, West Indies, where there is active slope movement in an unplanned housing development on relatively steep topography. The model findings are in accord with the nature of the current failure at the site, provide guidance as to the significance of slope drainage and correspond to inferences drawn from an application of resistance envelope methods to the site. In being able to scenario test a uniquely wide range of combinations of factors, the model structure is shown to be highly valuable in assessing dominant slope stability process controls in such complex environments.     

农业土地利用转变对土壤团聚体组成及碳、氮含量的影响

为探究农业土地利用转变对土壤团聚体组成、稳定性及有机碳（SOC）、全氮（TN）含量变化的影响,选取玉米地、玉米地转变为姜地、稻田和稻田转变为姜地4种农业土地利用类型为研究对象,对土壤水稳性团聚体的组成、稳定性及SOC、TN含量进行测定与分析.结果表明： ①玉米地转变为姜地后,>0.25 mm粒级的大团聚体减少21.48%（p<0.01）,>0.25 mm稳定性团聚体的含量（DR_0.25）显著降低53.39%;稻田转变为姜地后,大团聚体差异不显著,<0.053 mm粒级的粉黏团聚体增加8.93%（p<0.01）;冗余分析和相关分析表明,土壤含水量是团聚体组成和 稳定性的重要影响因素;②玉米地转变为姜地后,0.25~1 mm粒级团聚体中SOC、TN含量分别减少52.68%、50.98%,粉黏团聚体（<0.053 mm）中SOC和TN含量增加约2倍（p<0.01）;稻田转变为姜地后,>0.25 mm的大团聚体和0.053~0.25 mm的微团聚体中的SOC、TN含量均减少（p<0.05）,其中,大团聚体碳氮比与团聚体组成和稳定性存在相关关系（p<0.05）;③所有处理均为大团聚体SOC、TN贡献率最高,转变后的姜地较玉米地、稻田的土壤粉黏团聚体的SOC、TN贡献率显著增加,尤其是较玉米地的粉黏团聚体SOC、TN贡献率增加3倍（p<0.01）;④平均质量 直径（MWD）和几何平均直径（GMD）与大团聚体的SOC、TN含量呈显著正相关（p<0.05）,分形维数（D）与MWD及1~2 mm粒级大团聚体的SOC、TN含量呈显著负相关（p<0.01）,DR_0.25与大团聚体的SOC、TN含量呈显著正相关（p<0.01）.总体上,玉米地和稻田两种用地转变为姜地后,土壤团聚体的组成发生较大变化,团聚体稳定性变化虽不显著,但大团聚体中SOC、TN含量降低,粉黏团聚体中SOC、TN含量增加.本研究的开展对农田科学管理和可持续生产具有重要的指导意义.     

正渗透去除地表水中DOM的效能研究

采用经砂滤处理后的滆湖水作为原料液,氯化钠溶液作为汲取液,在不同影响因素条件下进行正渗透试验,并对试验后的膜片进行清洗,探究膜污染的可逆性.结果表明:提高汲取液浓度、运行温度及膜面流速均可有效增加膜通量;正渗透对滆湖水体中的溶解性微生物代谢产物、类色氨酸、类富里酸和腐殖酸四种主要DOM成分均有较好的去除效果,DOC、UV₂₅₄截留率均在96%以上;短期运行通过水力清洗几乎可以完全恢复膜通量,而长期运行通过超声清洗可以基本恢复全部膜通量,通过分析膜清洗液可知造成膜污染的主要物质为类色氨酸类和类富里酸类物质.     

包埋硫铁生物填料的制备及自养反硝化性能

采用包埋固定化技术制备了包埋硫铁生物填料(ESI Filler),基于升流式自养反硝化反应器开展动态实验研究,通过改变水力停留时间(HRT)、pH值、溶解氧(DO)等运行条件,探究ESI Filler反应器的脱氮效果及微生物群落结构组成。结果表明,当进水硝酸盐氮(NO₃^--N)浓度为30mg/L,HRT为10h时,NO₃^--N去除率不断上升至99.80%。当HRT缩短为2.5h时,NO₃^--N去除率降至61.35%。ESI Filler反应器对pH值和DO的改变具有较高的稳定性,NO₃^--N平去除率可维持在82.5%以上。但对低温的耐受性较差,当温度从35℃降低至15℃时,NO₃^--N平均去除率由90.12%降低至68.80%。运行164d后,球体未出现破裂散落的现象,表现出较长的使用寿命。通过扫描电镜发现,填料表面疏松多孔,附着大量杆状细菌,已成为微生物的良好载体。高通量测序结果表明,包埋颗粒中优势菌属为典型的自养反硝化功能菌Thiobacillus,丰度为80.79%。     

Microbial characteristics in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating domestic sewage: Effects of HRT and process performance

Two anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) equipped with different membrane pore size (0.4 or 0.05μm) were operated at 25℃ and fed with domestic wastewater.The hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactors was shortened.The microbial communities of the two AnMBRs were investigated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to see the effects of HRT.The predominant Archaea was an aceticlastic methanogen Methanosaeta.The composition of hydrogenotrophic methanogens changed with the HRTs:the population ...     

Evaluation of disinfection byproducts for their ability to affect mitochondrial function

In the race to deliver clean water to communities through potable water reuse, disinfection and water quality assessment are and will continue to be fundamental factors. There are over 700 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in water; evaluating each compound is practically impossible and very time consuming. A bioanalytical approach could be an answer to this challenge. In this work, the response of four major classes of DBPs toward mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and cytoplasmic adenosine triphosphate (C-ATP) was investigated with human carcinoma (HepG2) cells. Within 90 min of cell exposure, only the haloacetic acid (HAA) mixture caused a cytotoxic response as measured by C-ATP. All four groups (haloacetonitriles (HANs), trihalomethanes (THMs), nitrosamines (NOAs), and HAAs) responded well to ΔΨm, R² > 0.70. Based on the half-maximum concentration that evoked a 50% response in ΔΨm, the response gradient was HANs >> HAAs ∼ THM > NOAs. The inhibition of the ΔΨm by HANs is driven by dibromoacetonitrile (DBAN), while dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) did not cause a significant change in the ΔΨm at less than 2000 µM. A mixture of HANs exhibited an antagonistic behavior on the ΔΨm compared to individual compounds. If water samples are concentrated to increase HAN concentrations, especially DBAN, then ΔΨm could be used as a biomonitoring tool for DBP toxicity.     

Daily Bank Erosion Rates in the Lower Yellow River Before and After Dam Construction

During the period of water impoundment and sediment detention of the Sanmenxia Reservoir, riverbank erosion processes played a key role in the channel evolution of the Lower Yellow River (LYR). However, research into bank erosion rates of the LYR has been neglected due to the lack of direct field monitoring. In this study, an indirect method is proposed to determine bank erosion rates at daily time scales by outlining a detailed calculation procedure using measured hydrological data. A total of 810 data points of daily bank erosion rates before and after the construction of Sanmenxia Dam was calculated at seven hydrometric sections along the LYR, with the corresponding values of the bank stability coefficient and the width‐to‐depth ratio also being calculated. Empirical relations were then developed to estimate the daily bank erosion rates, using these parameters at the sections. Temporal and spatial variability in daily bank erosion rates in the LYR before and after dam construction were also investigated, revealing that: (1) the bank erosion rates had a mean value of 16.7‐29.1 m/day in the braided reach, with a maximum value of 290.0 m/day, while they were relatively low in the meandering reach, with a mean value of 2.5 m/day; (2) the erosion rates before dam construction were slightly greater than those after dam construction, with the difference reaching 5‐10 m/day in the braided reach, decreasing in the transitional reach gradually, and being slight in the meandering reach.     

Closing the water cycle for industrial laundries: An operational performance and techno-economic evaluation of a full-scale membrane bioreactor system

To reduce the consumption of freshwater in the laundry industry, a new trend of closing the water cycle has resulted in the reuse/recycling of water. In this study, the performance of a full-scale submerged aerobic membrane bioreactor (9 m³) used to treat/reuse industrial laundry wastewater was examined over a period of 288 days. The turbidity and total solids (TS) were reduced by 99%, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) effluent removal efficiencies were between 70% and 99%. The levels of COD removed by the membrane were significantly greater than the levels of biodegraded COD. This enabled the bioreactor to sustain COD levels that were below 100 mg/L, even during periods of low wastewater biodegradation due to bioreactor sludge. An economic evaluation of the membrane bioreactor (MBR) system showed a savings of 1.13 € per 1 m³ of water. The payback period for this system is approximately 6 years. The energy and maintenance costs represent only 5% of the total cost of the MBR system.     

对定标用标准紫外辐射光源性能指标的探讨

紫外辐射是模拟环境条件测试的重要组成部分,对紫外辐射强度、剂量等的定标对于老化耐久实验数据的准确性和可靠性具有重要意义。本文通过实验手段对目前常见的定标用紫外标准光源的技术指标进行分析,同时对该类光源的性能指标未来的改进方向进行探讨,并提出了改进设计方案。     

Erosional Consequence of Saltcedar Control

Removal of nonnative riparian trees is accelerating to conserve water and improve habitat for native species. Widespread control of dominant species, however, can lead to unintended erosion. Helicopter herbicide application in 2003 along a 12-km reach of the Rio Puerco, New Mexico, eliminated the target invasive species saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), which dominated the floodplain, as well as the native species sandbar willow (Salix exigua Nuttall), which occurred as a fringe along the channel. Herbicide application initiated a natural experiment testing the importance of riparian vegetation for bank stability along this data-rich river. A flood three years later eroded about 680,000 m³ of sediment, increasing mean channel width of the sprayed reach by 84%. Erosion upstream and downstream from the sprayed reach during this flood was inconsequential. Sand eroded from channel banks was transported an average of 5 km downstream and deposited on the floodplain and channel bed. Although vegetation was killed across the floodplain in the sprayed reach, erosion was almost entirely confined to the channel banks. The absence of dense, flexible woody stems on the banks reduced drag on the flow, leading to high shear stress at the toe of the banks, fluvial erosion, bank undercutting, and mass failure. The potential for increased erosion must be included in consideration of phreatophyte control projects.