Critical Limits for Hg(II) in soils, derived from chronic toxicity data

Published chronic toxicity data for Hg(II) added to soils were assembled and evaluated to produce a data set comprising 52 chronic end-points, five each for plants and invertebrates and 42 for microbes. With end-points expressed in terms of added soil Hg(II) contents, Critical Limits were derived from the 5th percentiles of species sensitivity distributions, values of 0.13 μg (g soil)⁻¹ and 3.3 μg (g soil organic matter)⁻¹ being obtained. The latter value exceeds the currently recommended Critical Limit, used to determine Hg(II) Critical Loads in Europe, of 0.5 μg (g soil organic matter)⁻¹. We also applied the WHAM/Model VI chemical speciation model to estimate concentrations of Hg²⁺ in soil solution, and derived an approximate Critical Limit Function (CLF) that includes pH; log [Hg²⁺]_crit = −2.15 pH −17.10. Because they take soil properties into account, the soil organic matter-based limit and the CLF provide the best assessment of toxic threat for different soils. For differing representative soils, each predicts a range of up to 100-fold in the dry weight-based content of mercury that corresponds to the Critical Limit.     

Total Organic Carbon,an Important Tool in an Holistic Approach to Hydrocarbon Source Fingerprinting

The identification and allocation of multiple hydrocarbon sources in marine sediments is best achieved using an holistic approach. Total organic carbon (TOC) is one important tool that can constrain the contributions of specific sources and rule out incorrect source allocations in cases where inputs are dominated by fossil organic carbon. In a study of the benthic sediments from Prince William Sound (PWS) and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA), we find excellent agreement between measured TOC and TOC calculated from hydrocarbon fingerprint matches of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and chemical biomarkers. Confirmation by two such independent source indicators (TOC and fingerprint matches) provides evidence that source allocations determined by the fingerprint matches are robust and that the major TOC sources have been correctly identified. Fingerprint matches quantify the hydrocarbon contributions of various sources to the benthic sediments and the degree of hydrocarbon winnowing by waves and currents. TOC contents are then calculated using source allocation results from fingerprint matches and the TOCs of contributing sources. Comparisons of the actual sediment TOC values and those calculated from source allocation support our earlier published findings (Boehm et al ., 2001) that the natural petrogenic hydrocarbon background in sediments in this area comes from eroding Tertiary shales and associated oil seeps along the northern GOA coast and exclude thermally mature area coals from being important contributors to the PWS background due to their high TOC content.     

Ammonia in urban atmosphere can be substantially reduced by vehicle emission control: A case study in Shanghai, China

To investigate the impact of emission controls on ammonia (NH₃) pollution in urban atmosphere, observation on NH₃ (1 hr interval) was performed in Shanghai before, during and after the 2019 China International Import Expo (CIIE) event, along with measurements on inorganic ions, organic tracers and stable nitrogen isotope compositions of ammonium in PM_2.5. NH₃ during the CIIE period was 6.5±1.0 µg/m³, which is 41% and 32% lower than that before and after the event, respectively. Such a decrease was largely ascribed to the emission controls in nonagricultural sources, of which contribution for measured NH₃ in control phase abated by ∼20% compared to that during uncontrol period. Molecular compositions of PAHs and hopanes further suggested a dominant role of the reduced vehicle emissions in the urban NH₃ abatement during the CIIE period. Our results revealed that vehicle exhaust emission control is an effective way to mitigate NH₃ pollution and improve air quality in Chinese urban areas.     

施用畜禽粪便堆肥品的蔬菜地CH4、N2O和NH3排放特征

农田是重要的温室气体排放来源之一,其中蔬菜地的温室气体排放日益受到人们关注.以北京市郊某温室种植的油麦菜地为研究对象,通过大棚试验,考察和比较了油麦菜地施用不同类型畜禽粪便堆肥产品的CH4、N2O和NH3排放特征及其影响因素.结果表明,油麦菜地NRM、RM、CF处理的CH4排放系数分别为0.2%、0.027%、0.004%;N2O排放系数分别为0.18%、0.63%、0.74%;NH3排放系数分别为2.00%、3.98%、2.53%.CH4排放通量与土壤温度和地表湿度相关,N2O排放通量与土壤温度、地表温度和湿度相关,CH4、N2O和NH3排放通量均受土壤含水率影响,而温室中的气温不是影响CH4、N2O和NH3排放的主要因素.     

鸡粪堆肥有机物演化对重金属生物有效性影响研究

采用离子色谱、三维荧光光谱、紫外-可见吸收光谱和多元统计分析,研究了鸡粪堆肥水溶性有机物(DOM)和重金属组成与演化特性,探究了有机物演化对重金属生物有效性的影响及其机理.结果显示,堆肥升温期和高温期有机物降解最为剧烈,产生了大量苹果酸、酒石酸、乙酸和草酸,其浓度分别在2097.55~2155.61、39.24~51.58、12.52~12.90及1.68~2.31 mg·L-1之间;堆肥降温期和二次发酵过程,蛋白类物质降解,腐殖质类物质合成,DOM的腐殖化率和缩合度增大,稳定性增强.堆肥过程中水溶态重金属中Fe的浓度(1.069~7.106 mg·L-1)最高,Al、As、Cr、Cu和Mn的浓度(0.1~1.008mg·L-1)其次,Pb的浓度(0.003~0.02 mg·L-1)最低,随着堆肥的进行水溶态重金属含量呈下降趋势(Al除外),相关性分析显示,水溶态重金属主要结合在腐殖质类物质上,生物可利用性低.分析结果表明,堆肥可通过降低水溶态重金属的含量和将水溶态重金属络合在腐殖质类物质上降低产品中重金属的生物有效性.     

畜禽养殖污染物资源化利用技术及模式研究

中国畜禽养殖业污染十分严重。结合中国传统农业"万物并育"思想,论述了畜禽养殖污染物的资源化利用技术及模式,主要有肥料化(牧-肥-草模式、农业废弃物-畜禽粪便堆肥模式、发酵床模式)、能源化(以沼气为核心的利用模式、畜禽粪便-农业废弃物联合发酵制氢模式)、基料化(农林副产物-食用菌模式、以食用菌为中心的循环经济模式、针叶树类木屑-发酵床养猪-食用菌利用模式)、饲料化四种方式。这些利用方式为防治畜禽养殖业污染发挥着重要作用。     

Investigation of physico-chemical properties and microbial community during poultry manure cocomposting process

Co-composting of poultry manure and rubber wood sawdust was performed with the ratio of 2:1 (V/V) for a period of 60 days. An investigation was carried out to study the extracellular enzymatic activities and structural degradation utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microbial succession was also determined by using denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE). The compost was able to reach its highest temperature of 71 ℃ at day 3 and stabilized between 30 and 40 ℃ for 8 weeks. CMCase, FPase and β-glucosidase acted synergistically in order to degrade the cellulosic substrate. The xylanase activities increased gradually during the composting and reached the peak value of 11.637 U/g on day 35, followed by a sharp decline. Both LiP and MnP activities reached their peak values on day 35 with 0.431 and 0.132 U/g respectively. The FT-IR spectra revealed an increase in aromaticity and a decrease in aliphatic compounds such as carbohydrates as decomposition proceeded. TGA/DTG data exhibited significant changes in weight loss in compost samples, indicating degradation of organic matter. SEM micrographs showed higher amounts of parenchyma exposed on the surface of rubber wood sawdust at day 60, showing significant degradation. DGGE and 16S rDNA analyses showed that Burkholderia sp., Pandoraea sp., and Pseudomonas sp. were present throughout the composting process. Ornithinibacillus sp. and Castellaniella ginsengisoli were only found in the initial stage of the composting, while different strains of Burkholderia sp. also occurred in the later stage of composting.     

Characterizations of organic compounds in diesel exhaust particulates

To characterize how the speed and load of a medium-duty diesel engine affected the organic compounds in diesel particle matter (PM) below 1 μm, four driving conditions were examined. At all four driving conditions, concentration of identifiable organic compounds in PM ultrafine (34–94 nm) and accumulation (94–1000 nm) modes ranged from 2.9 to 5.7 μg/m³ and 9.5 to 16.4 μg/m³, respectively. As a function of driving conditions, the non-oxygen-containing organics exhibited a reversed concentration trend to the oxygen-containing organics. The identified organic compounds were classified into eleven classes: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, esters, ketones, alcohols, ethers, nitrogen-containing compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds. At all driving conditions, alkane class consistently showed the highest concentration (8.3 to 18.0 μg/m³) followed by carboxylic acid, esters, ketones and alcohols. Twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified with a total concentration ranging from 37.9 to 174.8 ng/m³. In addition, nine nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds (NPACs) were identified with a total concentration ranging from 7.0 to 10.3 ng/m³. The most abundant PAH (phenanthrene) and NPACs (7,8-benzoquinoline and 3-nitrophenanthrene) comprise a similar molecular (3 aromatic-ring) structure under the highest engine speed and engine load.     

Biological treatment of fish processing wastewater: A case study from Sfax City (Southeastern Tunisia)

The present work presents a study of the biological treatment of fish processing wastewa at salt concentration of 55 g/L. Wastewater was treated by both continuous stirred-ta reactor(CSTR) and membrane bioreactor(MBR) during 50 and 100 days, respectively. Th biological processes involved salt-tolerant bacteria from natural hypersaline environme at different organic loading rates(OLRs). The phylogenetic analysis of the correspond excised DGGE bands has demonstrated that the taxonomic affiliation of the most domin species includes Halomonadaceae and Flavobacteriaceae families of the Proteobacteria(Gamm proteobacteria class) and the Bacteroidetes phyla, respectively. The results of MBR w better than those of CSTR in the removal of total organic carbon with efficiencies from 97 to 98.6%. Nevertheless, salinity with increasing OLR aggravates fouling that requires m cleaning for a membrane in MBR while leads to deterioration of sludge settleability a effluent quality in CSTR.     

Zebrafish as a possible bioindicator of organic pollutants with effects on reproduction in drinking waters

Organic contaminants can be detected at low concentrations in drinking water, raising concerns for human health, particularly in reproduction. In this respect, we attempted to use the zebrafish as a bioindicator to detect the possible presence of these substances in drinking water, aiming to define the most relevant parameters to detect these substances, which particularly affect the development and reproduction of zebrafish. To this end, batches of 30 embryos with the chorion intact were cultured in drinking waters from different sources, throughout their full life-cycle up to 5 months, in 20 L tanks. Six replicates were performed in all water groups, with a total of 24 aquariums. Two generations (F0 and F1) were studied and the following parameters were tested: in the F0 generation, survival and abnormality rates evaluated at 5 dpf (days post-fertilization) and at 5 mpf (months post-fertilization), the onset of spawning and the fertility rate from 3 mpf to 5 mpf, and the sex ratio and underdeveloped specimens at 5 mpf. Furthermore, in the F0 offspring (F1), survival and abnormality rates were evaluated at 5 dpf and the hatching rate at 72 hpf. These results revealed that the hatching rate is the most sensitive parameter to distinguish different levels of effects between waters during the early life stages, whereas the rate of underdeveloped specimens is more suitable at later life stages. Regarding adult reproduction, fertility rate was the most sensitive parameter. The possible reversibility or accumulative nature of such effects will be studied in future work.