Organically bound tritium (OBT) for various plants in the vicinity of a continuous atmospheric tritium release

In order to quantify tritium impact on the environmental, we studied vegetation continuously exposed to a tritiated atmosphere. We chose lichens as bio-indicators, trees for determination of past tritium releases of the Valduc Centre, and lettuce as edible vegetables for dose calculation regarding neighbourhood. The Pasquill and Doury models from the literature were tested to estimate tritium concentration in the air around vegetable for distance from the release point less than 500m. The results in tree rings show that organically bound tritium (OBT) concentration was strongly correlated with tritium releases. Using the GASCON model, the modelled variation of OBT concentration with distance was correlated with the measurements. Although lichens are recognized as bio-indicators, our experiments show that they were not convenient for environmental surveys because their age is not definitive. Thus, tritium integration time cannot be precisely determined. Furthermore, their biological metabolism is not well known and tritium concentration appears to be largely dependent on species. An average conversion rate of HTO to OBT was determined for lettuce of about 0.20-0.24%h(-1). Nevertheless, even if it is equivalent to values already published in the literature for other vegetation, we have shown that this conversion rate, established by weekly samples, varies by a factor of 10 during the different stages of lettuce development, and that its variation is linked to the biomass derivative.     

Effect of bioethanol and thermal barrier coating on the performance of dual fuel engine operating on Honge oil methyl ester (HOME) and producer gas induction

Alternative fuels have numerous advantages compared to fossil fuels as they are renewable, biodegradable; provide energy security and foreign exchange saving besides addressing environmental concerns and socio-economic issues as well. Renewable fuels can be used predominantly as fuel for both transportation and power generation applications. Improved engine performance with reduced engine exhaust emissions is a major research objective in engine development. Today, the use of biomass derived producer gas is more relevant for addressing rural power generation and is a promising technique for controlling both nitric oxide (NO_x) and soot emission levels. In view of this, exhaustive experiments on the use of Honge oil methyl ester (HOME)–Producer gas in a dual fuel engine have been carried out with an intension of improving its fuel efficiency. This paper mainly presents results on a single cylinder four stroke direct injection diesel engine operated in dual fuel mode using HOME–Producer gas combination with and without bio-ethanol addition and thermal barrier coating (TBC). Further, the results were compared with diesel–producer gas mode of operation. Experimental investigation on dual fuel operation using HOME+5% bioethanol (BE5)–Producer gas operation with TBC showed 12.35% increased brake thermal efficiency with decreased hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions and increased NO_x emission levels compared to HOME–Producer gas mode of operation.     

Sustainable options of post treatment of UASB effluent treating sewage: A review

The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process is reported to be a sustainable technology for domestic wastewaters treatment in developing countries and for small communities. However, the inability of UASB process to meet the desired disposal standards has given enough impetus for subsequent post treatment. In order to upgrade the UASB based sewage treatment plants (STPs) to achieve desired effluent quality for disposal or for reuse, various technological options are available and broadly differentiated as primary post-treatment for the removal of organic and inorganic compounds and suspended matter; secondary post-treatment for the removal of hardly degradable soluble matter, colloidal and nutrients; and polishing systems for removals of pathogens. Hence, this paper discusses the different systems for the treatment of UASB reactor effluent treating sewage. Additionally, a comparative review, an economic evaluation of some of the emerging options was conducted and based on the extensive review of different integrated combination, i.e. UASB-different aerobic systems, a treatment concept based on natural biological mineralization route recognized as an advanced technology to meet all practical aspects to make it a sustainable for environmental protection, resource preservation and recovering maximum resources.     

固体和液体危险化学品仓库火灾风险分析方法探讨

固体和液体化学品仓库火灾是企业安全面临的经常性威胁之一,需考虑火灾中毒性燃烧产物释放和非燃烧产生的毒性物质释放。结合火灾风险分析方法,阐述火灾场景中各要素及相互关系,主要包括火灾场景、物质、燃烧速率、源项、毒性、扩散、概率和风险之间的关系,火灾场景考虑持续时间、面积和通风率的影响,物质中考虑平均结构式和燃烧方程,源项中考虑形成的产物、燃烧物质每千克的散发和活性物质百分比,毒性中考虑HCl,NO2,SO2和非燃烧产生的物质。基于储存物质平均结构式,建立燃烧关系方程。燃烧速率计算取决于可用的氧气量和需要的氧气量,分为面积受限的燃烧速率和氧气受限的燃烧速率。最后给出毒性燃烧产物HCl,NO2,SO2释放量和非燃烧产生的毒性物质释放量的计算方法,同时以毒性燃烧产物释放场景后果模拟为例说明仓库发生火灾的后果严重性,为仓库火灾风险分析提供借鉴。     

噻唑类缓蚀剂QADT的合成及缓蚀性能研究＊

以正丙醇、氯气和硫脲合成了2-氨基-5-甲基噻唑,将上述产物作为碱组分,与苯甲醛和苯乙酮反应得到曼尼希碱,最后采用溴代十二烷作为季铵化试剂,制得目标产物溴代2-氨基(1,4-二苯基-3-氧代丁基)-5-甲基噻唑铵(QADT)。静态失重法表明,QADT缓蚀效果显著。当温度为50℃,QADT的用量在200 mg/L时,缓蚀率达到95%以上。     

UV光解技术在采油（气）田脱水废气处理中的应用

采用UV高效光解净化设备,对采油（气）田TEG脱水工艺产生的废气深度净化、脱臭,其净化效率达99%;同时克服了废气成分复杂、浓度高、含水率高、环境温差大、防爆要求高等废气净化方法的限制性难题,并能广泛适用于多种行业的废气净化。     

蜈蚣草根部对As（Ⅲ）的吸收特性

采用水培实验对蜈蚣草吸收As（Ⅲ）的吸收特性进行了研究,结果表明在各个处理浓度范围内,培养液中As（Ⅲ）的吸收效率随着时间递增.当处理浓度为10 mg·L-1时,24 h后蜈蚣草对As（Ⅲ）的吸收高达97.57%,而在处理浓度为500 mg·L^-1和1000 mg·L^-1时,蜈蚣草对As（Ⅲ）的吸收比例明显降低,吸...     

Modelling landscape effects on density-contact rate relationships of deer in eastern Alberta: Implications for chronic wasting disease

Managing wildlife diseases requires an understanding of disease transmission, which may be strongly affected by host population density and landscape features. Transmission models are typically fit from time-series disease prevalence data and modelled based on how the contact rate among hosts is affected by density, which is often assumed to be a linear (density-dependent transmission) or constant (frequency-dependent transmission) relationship. However, long-term time-series data is unavailable for emerging diseases, and this approach cannot account for independent effects of landscape. We developed a mechanistic model based on ecological data to empirically derive the contact rate-density relationship in white-tailed and mule deer in an enzootic region of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Alberta, Canada and to determine whether it was affected by landscape. Using data collected from aerial surveys and GPS-telemetry, we developed empirical relationships predicting deer group size, home range size, and habitat selection to iteratively simulate deer distributions across a range of densities and landscapes. We calculated a relative measure of total per-capita contact rate, which is proportional to the number of other deer contacted per individual per unit time, for each distribution as the sum of pairwise contact rates between a target deer and all other individuals. Each pairwise contact rate was estimated from an empirical relationship developed from GPS-telemetry data predicting pairwise contact rates as a function of home range overlap and landscape structure. Total per-capita contact rates increased as a saturating function of density, supporting a transmission model intermediate between density- and frequency-dependent transmission. This pattern resulted from group sizes that reached an asymptote with increasing deer density, although this relationship was mediated by tree and shrub coverage in the landscape, such that in heavily wooded areas, the contact rate saturated at much lower densities. These results suggest that CWD management based on herd reductions, which require a density-dependent contact rate to be effective, may have variable effects on disease across a single management region. The novel mechanistic approach we employed for estimating effects of density and landscape on transmission is a powerful complement to typical data-fitting approaches for modelling disease transmission.     

Integrating soil carbon cycling with that of nitrogen and phosphorus in the watershed model SWAT: Theory and model testing

In this paper we describe and test a sub-model that integrates the cycling of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed model. The core of the sub-model is a multi-layer, one-pool soil organic carbon (S_C) algorithm, in which the decomposition rate of S_C and input rate to S_C (through decomposition and humification of residues) depend on the current size of S_C. The organic N and P fluxes are coupled to that of C and depend on the available mineral N and P, and the C:N and N:P ratios of the decomposing pools. Tillage explicitly affects the soil organic matter turnover rate through tool-specific coefficients. Unlike most models, the turnover of soil organic matter does not follow first order kinetics. Each soil layer has a specific maximum capacity to accumulate C or C saturation (S_x) that depends on texture and controls the turnover rate. It is shown in an analytical solution that S_x is a parameter with major influence in the model C dynamics. Testing with a 65-yr data set from the dryland wheat growing region in Oregon shows that the model adequately simulates the S_C dynamics in the topsoil (top 0.3 m) for three different treatments. Three key model parameters, the optimal decomposition and humification rates and a factor controlling the effect of soil moisture and temperature on the decomposition rate, showed low uncertainty as determined by generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation. Nonetheless, the parameter set that provided accurate simulations in the topsoil tended to overestimate S_C in the subsoil, suggesting that a mechanism that expresses at depth might not be represented in the current sub-model structure. The explicit integration of C, N, and P fluxes allows for a more cohesive simulation of nutrient cycling in the SWAT model. The sub-model has to be tested in forestland and rangeland in addition to agricultural land, and in diverse soils with extreme properties such high or low pH, an organic horizon, or volcanic soils.