Acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reaction of 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol with hydrogen peroxide

Acid-catalyzed heterogeneous oxidation with hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) has been suggested to be a potential pathway for secondary organic aerosol(SOA) formation from isoprene and its oxidation products. However, knowledge of the chemical mechanism and kinetics for this process is still incomplete. 3-Methyl-2-buten-1-ol(MBO321), an aliphatic alcohol structurally similar to isoprene, is emitted by pine forests and widely used in the manufacturing industries. Herein the uptake of MBO321 into H2SO4–H2O2mixed solution was investigated using a flow-tube reactor coupled to a mass spectrometer. The reactive uptake coefficients(γ) were acquired for the first time and were found to increase rapidly with increasing acid concentration. Corresponding aqueous-phase reactions were performed to further study the mechanism of this acid-catalyzed reaction. MBO321 could convert to 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol(MBO232) and yield isoprene in acidic media. Organic hydroperoxides(ROOHs) were found to be generated through the acid-catalyzed route,which could undergo a rearrangement reaction and result in the formation of acetone and acetaldehyde. Organosulfates, which have been proposed to be SOA tracer compounds in the atmosphere, were also produced during the oxidation process. These results suggest that the heterogeneous acid-catalyzed reaction of MBO321 with H2O2 may contribute to SOA mass under certain atmospheric conditions.     

Efficiency analysis for organic agricultural producers: the role of soil-improving inputs

Greater emphasis is being placed on indicators of agri-environmental efficiency of organic production systems. Linking environmental measures with profitability measures based on net income is the only way to develop such indicators. A stochastic production frontier model that explicitly incorporates farm decisions about acquiring and managing organic soil-improving inputs is used to measure efficiency. The results confirm that on-farm self-sufficiency in soil-improving inputs is positively related to farm-level efficiency.     

Chemical Partitioning to Foliage: The Contribution and Legacy of Davide Calamari

- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/espr2006.01.002 Background Davide Calamari and his colleagues were among the first to appreciate that vegetation could play a key role in determining the fate and effects of organic contaminants. They conducted pioneering experiments to investigate the uptake of contaminants by plants from the atmosphere and they sought to model the observed phenomena. In the nearly two decades since there has been a marked increase in understanding of these phenomena as a result of both experimental and modelling studies. - Goal. In this study we briefly review our current understanding of chemical partitioning between foliage and air. A model in both fugacity and concentration format is described, based on that of Tolls and McLachlan (1994), in which the leaf is treated as consisting of two layers, a waxy cuticle with an underlying 'reservoir' layer, the cuticle being surrounded by an air boundary layer and containing stomata that provide direct access from the air to the 'reservoir'. The model quantifies the dynamic penetration of a defined chemical into a defined leaf as a function of time. Main Features The model is applied for illustrative purposes to a hypothetical but typical leaf for a set of illustrative chemicals to demonstrate the effect of changes in physical-chemical properties and leaf characteristics. Discussion The results are compared qualitatively with a variety of field and laboratory studies of foliage uptake and clearance of chemicals. Conclusion It is concluded that the model yields results that are generally consistent with observations. It is suggested that with appropriate parameterisation and validation, the model can contribute to an improved understanding of the process of foliage uptake from the atmosphere and to the development of an improved predictive capability.     

渗透蒸发技术去除水中的挥发性有机污染物

渗透蒸发技术是一种新型膜分离技术,主要用于有机溶剂脱水、水中脱除有机物与有 机物之间的分离。本文主要介绍渗透蒸发技术在脱除水中挥发性有机污染物方面的应用。     

Biomass and nutrient removals from commercial thinning and whole-tree clearcutting of central hardwoods

The objective of this research was to evaluate the impacts of increasing product removal on biomass and nutrient content of a central hardwood forest ecosystem. Commercial thinning, currently the most common harvesting practice in southern New England, was compared with whole-tree clearcutting or maximum aboveground utilization. Using a paired-watershed approach, we studied three adjacent, first-order streams in Connecticut. During the winter of 1981–82, one was whole-tree clearcut, one was commercially thinned, and one was designated as the untreated reference. Before treatment, living and dead biomass and soil on the whole-tree clearcut site contained 578 Mg ha^–1 organic matter, 5 Mg ha^–1 nitrogen, 1 Mg ha^–1 phosphorus, 5 Mg ha^–1 potassium, 4 Mg ha^–1 calcium, and 13 Mg ha^–1 magnesium. An estimated 158 Mg ha^–1 (27% of total organic matter) were removed during the whole-tree harvest. Calcium appeared to be the nutrient most susceptible to depletion with 13% of total site Ca removed in whole-tree clearcut products. In contrast, only 4% (16 Mg ha^–1) of the total organic matter and 2% of the total nutrients were removed from the thinned site. Partial cuts appear to be a reliable management option, in general, for minimizing nutrient depletion and maximizing long-term productivity of central hardwood sites. Additional data are needed to evaluate the long-term impacts of more intensive harvests.     

Assessment of contamination and biomarker responses in two species of herons on the St. Lawrence river

This study was undertaken to validate potential biomarkers of exposure and effects due to chemical contaminants in breedingcolonies of the Great Blue Heron and the Black-crowned Night-Heron on the St. Lawrence River. Eggs and fledglings from both species were collected from many colonies along theRiver. The fledglings from colonies in freshwater and brackishwater were more contaminated by mercury and PCBs than those from estuarine and gulf colonies. With respect to fledglings ofthe two heron species, some morphometric and blood biochemicalmeasurements, including plasma thyroid hormones and retinol, were significantly different among colonies. Significant differences were also observed in liver retinoids, EROD and porphyrins among colonies. The results of this study suggestthat plasma retinoids and thyroid hormones are good biomarkersof exposure and effects, and are sufficiently sensitive to reflect local and regional variations in contamination. Along with the measure of contaminants in egg and plasma, they constitute non-invasive biomarkers which represent an importantcriteria for long term monitoring of wildlife species. It is concluded that the Great Blue Heron is an appropriate sentinelspecies in the surveillance network for the St. Lawrence River.     

Incidence of stress in benthic communities along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts within different ranges of sediment contamination from chemical mixtures

Synoptic data on concentrations of sediment-associated chemical contaminants and benthic macroinfaunal community structure were collected from 1,389 stations in estuaries along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts as part of the nationwide Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). These data were used to develop an empirical framework for evaluating risks of benthic community-level effects within different ranges of sediment contamination from mixtures of multiple chemicals present at varying concentrations. Sediment contamination was expressed as the mean ratio of individual chemical concentrations relative to corresponding sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), including Effects Range-Median (ERM) and Probable Effects Level (PEL) values. Benthic condition was assessed using diagnostic, multi-metric indices developed for each of three EMAP provinces (Virginian, Carolinian, and Louisianian). Cumulative percentages of stations with a degraded benthic community were plotted against ascending values of the mean ERM and PEL quotients. Based on the observed relationships, mean SQG quotients were divided into four ranges corresponding to either a low, moderate, high, or very high incidence of degraded benthic condition. Results showed that condition of the ambient benthic community provides a reliable and sensitive indicator for evaluating the biological significance of sediment-associated stressors. Mean SQG quotients marking the beginning of the contaminant range associated with the highest incidence of benthic impacts (73–100% of samples, depending on the province and type of SQG) were well below those linked to high risks of sediment toxicity as determined by short-term toxicity tests with single species. Measures of the ambient benthic community reflect the sensitivities of multiple species and life stages to persistent exposures under actual field conditions. Similar results were obtained with preliminary data from the west coast (Puget Sound).     

城市河流,湖库中痕量有机污染物的测试方法

采用ＧＤＸ－５０２大孔树脂和ＧＣ－ＭＳ等仪器对城市河流，湖库中的痕量有机污染物进行测试分析，共检出５８种有机污染物，其中含有多种美国ＥＰＡ公布的重点污染物。因而为痕量有机污染物的研究建立了灵敏度高，分辨率好的测试方法。     

实验室“三废”的处理方法

论述了含汞等７类实验室常见废弃物的处理方法，介绍了６种有机溶剂的３种贵重金属的回收与提纯，以防止污染事故的发生。