Recycling-oriented characterization of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from mobile phones by electronic and chemical imaging

This study characterizes the composition of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from end-of-life mobile phones. This knowledge may help define an optimal processing strategy for using these items as potential raw materials. Correct handling of such a waste is essential for its further “sustainable” recovery, especially to maximize the extraction of base, rare and precious metals, minimizing the environmental impact of the entire process chain. A combination of electronic and chemical imaging techniques was thus examined, applied and critically evaluated in order to optimize the processing, through the identification and the topological assessment of the materials of interest and their quantitative distribution. To reach this goal, end-of-life mobile phone derived wastes have been systematically characterized adopting both “traditional” (e.g. scanning electronic microscopy combined with microanalysis and Raman spectroscopy) and innovative (e.g. hyperspectral imaging in short wave infrared field) techniques, with reference to frames and printed circuit boards. Results showed as the combination of both the approaches (i.e. traditional and classical) could dramatically improve recycling strategies set up, as well as final products recovery.     

An investigation on the fuel savings potential of hybrid hydraulic refuse collection vehicles

Refuse trucks play an important role in the waste collection process. Due to their typical driving cycle, these vehicles are characterized by large fuel consumption, which strongly affects the overall waste disposal costs. Hybrid hydraulic refuse vehicles offer an interesting alternative to conventional diesel trucks, because they are able to recuperate, store and reuse braking energy. However, the expected fuel savings can vary strongly depending on the driving cycle and the operational mode. Therefore, in order to assess the possible fuel savings, a typical driving cycle was measured in a conventional vehicle run by the waste authority of the City of Stuttgart, and a dynamical model of the considered vehicle was built up. Based on the measured driving cycle and the vehicle model including the hybrid powertrain components, simulations for both the conventional and the hybrid vehicle were performed. Fuel consumption results that indicate savings of about 20% are presented and analyzed in order to evaluate the benefit of hybrid hydraulic vehicles used for refuse collection.     

中国西南酸雨区降水化学特征研究进展

西南酸雨区为我国主要酸雨沉降区,且是全球三大喀斯特集中分布区之一.本文将该区9个地点的降雨资料进行了总结、整理和分析,数据包括pH值和主离子成分(Cl~-、SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-、Ca~(2+)、NH_4~+、Mg~(2+)、K~+、Na~+).该地区降雨中的主要阴离子为SO_4~(2-)和NO_3~-,主要阳离子为Ca~(2+)和NH_4~+.与我国其它地区相比,其酸性离子、碱性离子和总离子浓度均普遍高于东南地区、而低于我国北方地区.西南酸雨区主要以pH值为4.5~5.6的弱酸性降雨为主,占总降雨频次的58%左右.根据酸、碱性离子的相关性、中和因子等分析结果,该区雨水中的酸性物质可能受到了碱性离子的中和作用,其中起主要中和作用的离子为Ca~(2+)和NH_4~+.将该区雨水pH值和酸、碱性离子浓度与我国其它地区进行对比研究发现,西南酸雨区降雨受到的中和作用要强于东南地区,但弱于北方地区的降雨.通过对西南酸雨区降雨中主要离子来源的分析和估算,降雨中的酸性离子SO_4~(2-)和NO_3~-主要来自于人为污染;99.7%的Ca~(2+)和84.0%的Mg~(2+)为陆源贡献,这可能与西南地区碳酸盐岩广泛分布有关.     

三峡库区腹地大气微量金属干湿沉降特征

为研究三峡库区腹地大气微量金属沉降特征,在万州城区采样点收集了2014年1月~6月的干湿沉降样品,在云阳晒经村(工厂区)、云阳高阳(场镇郊区)、开县白家溪(自然保护区)、开县野塘溪(县郊区)、开县大德(乡村区)收集了2014年4月的干湿沉降样品;分别测定了样品的p H值、电导率和微量金属元素(Al、As、B、Ba、Bi、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Fe、Li、Mn、Pb、Ni、Sb、Sr、Sn、Ti、Zn、V).结果表明:1万州城区酸雨频率为48.44%,酸雨主要集中在1~4月.不同功能区酸雨频率高低顺序为:工厂区万州城区县郊区场镇郊区自然保护区乡村区.2湿沉降中20种微量金属质量浓度均低于国家地表水环境质量标准Ⅲ级标准限值,而Cd、Cu、Pb和Zn不同程度超Ⅰ级标准限值,其中工厂区相对严重.3万州城区干沉降提取液p H值在4.91~6.74之间,平均为5.79.各功能区干沉降酸度高低顺序为:工厂区县郊区万州城区乡村区场镇郊区自然保护区,这与湿沉降酸度顺序完全一致,说明干湿沉降中主要酸性物质具有同源性.4万州城区Ba、Co、Cu、Cr、Li、Mn、Ni、Sr、Zn干沉降超过湿沉降,而Al、As、B、Bi、Cd、Fe、Pb、Sb、Sn、Ti、V湿沉降大于干沉降.富集因子分析表明,万州城区Al为中等富集,Bi和Cd显著富集.     

溶藻活性物质对棕囊藻溶藻及其脂肪酸影响的模拟

为了探讨芽孢杆菌B1分泌的胞外溶藻活性物质对球形棕囊藻的溶藻特性和藻毒素物质脂肪酸的影响,比较了模拟自然水体中叶绿素a、p H、溶解氧DO、高锰酸盐指数和营养元素N、P浓度在溶藻前后的变化,并利用GC-MS检测了球形棕囊藻脂肪酸的成分和含量.用体积比1∶100的芽孢杆菌B1胞外活性物质处理模拟水体14 d,发现水体中叶绿素a、p H值和高锰酸盐指数随处理时间的增加而降低,DO和N、P浓度随处理时间的增加而增加.在第14 d时,处理组水体中p H值由8.50降低到7.51,叶绿素a降低82.3%(P0.05),DO增加29.5%(P0.05),高锰酸盐指数降低55.2%(P0.01).NH+4-N、NO-2-N、NO-3-N和PO3-4-P浓度分别增加了0.46、1.50、6.24和1.30倍.投加活性物质处理14 d后,球形棕囊藻藻毒素中的主要3种脂肪酸C18:2、C16:0和C18:1分别降低了100%、97.7%和85.4%(P0.01),总脂肪酸含量降低83.4%(P0.01).结果表明,芽孢杆菌B1胞外溶藻活性物质在模拟自然水体中能有效抑制球形棕囊藻的生长,并降低藻毒素脂肪酸的含量.研究结果为芽孢杆菌B1胞外活性物质的生态安全性应用提供理论基础.     

黄山PM10中二元羧酸类化合物的季节变化特征及其来源

为研究黄山大气PM_(10)中二元羧酸类化合物的季节变化特征,分别于2015年夏季、冬季在黄山山顶采集PM_(10)样品,并分析二元羧酸、酮羧酸和α-二羰基化合物.结果表明,无论在夏季还是冬季,草酸(HOOC—COOH,C_2)均是浓度最高的二元羧酸,其次是丙二酸(HOOC—CH_2—COOH,C_3)、丁二酸[HOOC—(CH_2)_2—COOH,C_4],这与其它高海拔地区的分子组成是相似的.大部分二元羧酸的浓度呈冬低夏高的季节变化特征,但是冬季己二酸(C_6)和邻苯二甲酸(Ph)的浓度约高于夏季的2倍,表明冬季黄山大气受周边地区所排放的人为污染物的影响更大.作为二元羧酸的重要前体物,乙二醛(Gly)与甲基乙二醛(mGly)的浓度呈冬高夏低的季节变化特征,表明夏季黄山气溶胶的氧化性比冬季强.主成分分析(PCA)结果表明,黄山冬季SOA主要来自人为源的长距离传输,而夏季SOA主要是当地生物源经二次氧化形成.气溶胶无机模型(AIM)的计算结果表明,黄山夏季的C_2主要是经酸催化反应二次形成的.     

Structure and activity of thermophilic methanogenic microbial communities exposed to quaternary ammonium sanitizer

Food processing facilities often use antimicrobial quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) sanitizers to maintain cleanliness. These QACs can end up in wastewaters used as feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The aim of this study was to measure the effect of QAC contamination on biogas production and structure of microbial communities in thermophilic digester sludge. Methane production and biogas quality data were analyzed in batch anaerobic digesters containing QAC at 0, 15, 50, 100 and 150 mg/L. Increasing sanitizer concentration in the bioreactors negatively impacted methane production rate and biogas quality. Microbial community composition data was obtained through 16S rRNA gene sequencing from the QAC-contaminated sludges. Sequencing data showed no significant restructuring of the bacterial communities. However, significant restructuring was observed within the archaeal communities as QAC concentration increased. Further studies to confirm these effects on a larger scale and with a longer retention time are necessary.     

我国工业危险废物的来源、处理及监管对策与建议

通过大量环境统计数据的分析,对我国工业危险废物的产生、综合利用、处置和贮存,从行业来源、区域分布进行了分析和总结。结合我国工业危险废物企业自建设施和政府集中处理设施处理情况,对我国工业危险废物的处理和环保监管对策提出了若干建议。     

Contribution of precursor compounds to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs)

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) are ubiquitous in sludge and water from waste water treatment plants, as a result of their incorporation in everyday products and industrial processes. In this study, we measured several classes of persistent PFASs,precursors, transformation intermediates, and newly identified PFASs in influent and effluent sewage water and sludge from three municipal waste water treatment plants in Sweden, sampled in 2015. For sludge, samples from 2012 and 2014 were analyzed as well.Levels of precursors in sludge exceeded those of perfluoroalkyl acids and sulfonic acids(PFCAs and PFSAs), in 2015 the sum of polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters(PAPs) were 15–20 ng/g dry weight, the sum of fluorotelomer sulfonic acids(FTSAs) was 0.8–1.3 ng/g,and the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and ethanols ranged from non-detected to 3.2 ng/g. Persistent PFSAs and PFCAs were detected at 1.9–3.9 ng/g and 2.4–7.3 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The influence of precursor compounds was further demonstrated by an observed substantial increase for a majority of the persistent PFCAs and PFSAs in water after waste water treatment. Perfluorohexanoic acid(PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid(PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS)had a net mass increase in all WWTPs, with mean values of 83%, 28%, 37% and 58%,respectively. The load of precursors and intermediates in influent water and sludge combined with net mass increase support the hypothesis that degradation of precursor compounds is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination in the environment.     

Tissue distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids and health status in wild Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from Loskop Dam, Mpumalanga, South Africa

This study examined concentrations of 15 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in tissues from male Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) collected at Loskop Dam, Mpumalanga, South Africa in 2014 and 2016. Nine of the 15 PFAAs were detected frequently and were included in statistical analysis and included two of the most commonly known PFAAs, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (median, 41.6 ng/g) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (median, 0.0825 ng/g). Of the tissues measured, plasma (2016 and 2014 median, 22.2 ng/g) contained the highest PFAA burden followed by (in descending order): liver (median, 11.6 ng/g), kidney (median, 9.04 ng/g), spleen (median, 5.92 ng/g), adipose (median, 2.54 ng/g), and muscle (median, 1.11 ng/g). Loskop Dam tilapia have been affected by an inflammatory disease of the adipose tissue known as pansteatitis, so this study also aimed to investigate relationships between PFAA tissue concentrations and incidence of pansteatitis or fish health status. Results revealed that healthy tilapia exhibited an overall higher (p-value < 0.05) PFAA burden than pansteatitis-affected tilapia across all tissues. Further analysis showed that organs previously noted in the literature to contain the highest PFAA concentrations, such as kidney, liver, and plasma, were the organs driving the difference in PFAA burden between the two tilapia groups. Care must be taken in the interpretations we draw from not only the results of our study, but also other PFAA measurements made on populations (human and wildlife alike) under differing health status.