New generation Amberlite XAD resin for the removal of metal ions: A review

The direct determination of toxic metal ions, in environmental samples, is difficult because of the latter's presence in trace concentration in association with complex matrices, thereby leading to insufficient sensitivity and selectivity of the methods used. The simultaneous removal of the matrix and preconcentration of the metal ions, through solid phase extraction, serves as the promising solution. The mechanism involved in solid phase extraction (SPE) depends on the nature of the sorbent and analyte. Thus, SPE is carried out by means of adsorption, ion exchange, chelation, ion pair formation, and so forth. As polymeric supports, the commercially availableAmberlite resins have been found very promising for designing chelating matrices due to its good physical and chemical properties such as porosity, high surface area, durability and purity. This review presents an overview of the various works done on the modification of Amberlite XAD resins with the objective of making it an efficient sorbent. The methods of modifications which are generally based on simple impregnation, sorption as chelates and chemical bonding have been discussed. The reported results, including the preconcentration limit, the detection limit, sorption capacity, preconcentration factors etc., have been reproduced.     

Regulatory effectiveness and the long-run policy horizon: The case of U.S. toxic chemical use

This paper employs state-of-the-art time series analysis to examine the long-run economic and institutional drivers of toxic chemical use behavior in the U.S. Toxic chemicals are classified into growth, Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), and kinked-growth chemicals, according to their long-run use trend behavior. Cointegration analysis shows that while some toxic chemicals have been successfully reduced by regulatory efforts, a majority of the toxic chemicals used in commercial products share a long-run equilibrium with national accounts and industrial production, suggesting that toxic chemical use has been largely driven by changes in GDP, industrial production, and private R&D investments, rather than by government regulations. Estimated structural break results indicate that the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, which created the Toxic Release Inventory has had impact on the consumptive use of more poisonous industrial chemicals than command-and-control regulations.     

Urgently reveal longly hidden toxicant in a familiar fabrication process of biomass-derived environment carbon material

Biomass-derived N-doped carbon (BNC) is an important environmental material and widely used in the fields of water purification and soil remediation. However, the toxicant in the commonly used synthesis process of BNC materials have been largely ignored. Herein, we firstly report the presence of a highly toxic by-product (KCN) in the activation process of BNC materials consequential of the carbothermal reduction reaction. Because this carbothermal reduction reaction also regulates the N-doping and pore development of BNC materials, the KCN content directly relates with the properties of BNC material properties. Accordingly, a high KCN content (∽ 611 mg) can occur in the production process of per g BNC material with high specific surface area (∽ 3600 m²/g). Because the application performance of BNC material is determined by the surface area and available N doping, therefore, production of a BNC material with high performance entails high risk. Undoubtedly, this study proves a completely new risk recognition on a familiar synthesis process of biomass-based material. And, strict protective device should be taken in fabrication process of biomass-derived carbon material.     

EPA develops process to destroy Kepone

Environmental Management -     

毒物排放对污水处理厂的风险评价方法和模型

位于城市污水处理厂污水收集系统区域内的工业污染源，必须考虑其突发性或间歇排放的化学物质对污水处理的影响。据此提出了基于生物抑制浓度的风险评估方法，建立的毒物在污水处理厂中的归宿模型，包含了生物降解，挥发曝发溶出和固体吸附４大类型机理，可以用于排放污染物在各处理单元中的浓度及其动态变化过程的预测，从而判断是否对生物处理产生抑制作用以及出水是否超     

藻类抗毒性效应研究现状

污染物的毒性大小决定其在环境中的安全浓度，大力开展各类污染物对藻类毒性的研究，了解各种污染物在生态系统的迁移、转化及整体生态效应以及其生态风险评价无疑具有重要的理论意义和应用价值。本文综述了近年来我国在有机污染物对单种藻类和藻类群落的毒性效应的研究成果。     

大型蚤急性毒性试验在工业污染源监测中的应用研究

对铁岭市 32家有代表性的企业所排放的废水进行大型蚤急性毒性试验。探讨了生物急性毒性试验在污染源监测中的地位与作用。提出了以急性毒性试验数据为依据 ,来控制工业污染源的排放量及以此数据作为征收排污费的科学性     

Recovery of lotic periphyton communities after disturbance

Periphyton communities represent potentially excellent candidates for assessing the recovery of lotic ecosystems after disturbance. These communities are ubiquitous, relatively easy to sample and measure (in terms of total community biomass), have short generation times, and may influence the recovery rates of higher trophic levels. The first section of this article analyzes how site availability, species availability, and differential species performance influence periphyton successional dynamics. This background information provides a foundation for understanding how periphytic organisms respond after a disturbance. The second section of this article analyzes how periphyton communities respond to four different types of disturbance (flood events, desiccation, organic nutrient enrichment, and toxic metal exposure). Although data are limited, it is concluded that the fast growth rates and short generation times of periphytic organisms, coupled with their flexible life history strategies and good dispersal ability, allow lotic periphyton communities to recover relatively quickly after a disturbance. In addition, disturbance type and severity, local environmental conditions, and site-specific factors also will influence recovery rates. Future research needs include a better understanding of: (1) what periphyton property(ies) would serve as the best index of recovery; (2) whether or not the robustness of this index varies among different environments and different disturbances; (3) interactions between autotrophs and heterotrophs within the periphyton mat, particularly with respect to nutrient cycling; (4) competitive interactions among organisms; (5) functional redundancy of organisms; and (6) the influence of the riparian zone and channel geomorphology on periphyton recovery rates.     

Feedstock recycling from plastic and thermoset fractions of used computers (I): pyrolysis

The increasing production of computers, the progress in their performance, and the shorter time between innovation and production has led to increasing numbers of obsolete products. It has thus become necessary to recover some materials from old computers and to protect the environment from a new type of pollution. Such recycling is difficult because of the diversity of polymeric materials used, e.g., thermoplastics (polystyrene or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and thermosets (epoxy resins), and the relatively high levels of flame retardants (halogen- and nitrogen-containing compounds) added during production. Pyrolysis seems to be a suitable way to recover materials and energy from such waste without component separation if an efficient method for reducing toxic compounds can be applied. In this study, the pyrolysis of plastic and thermoset fractions (keyboards, casings, printed circuit boards, and mixtures thereof) of used computers was studied by thermogravimetry and batch reactor pyrolysis. The degradation products were separated into three fractions, solid, liquid, and gaseous, each of them being characterized by suitable methods such as gas chromatography (GC-MSD, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection; GC-AED, gas chromatography-atomic emission detection), infrared (FT-IR) and 1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonanace) spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. It has been established that most of the halogens, nitrogen, and sulfur is concentrated in the residue. However, the elimination of hazardous toxic compounds, mainly those containing bromine, is necessary before being able to safely use the pyrolysis oils as fuels or in refinery or petrochemical industry flows.     

Are dispersion models suitable for simulating small gaseous chlorine releases?

Dispersion models are mostly validated on the basis of historical dispersion experiments. The latter imply large quantities of hazardous products (flammable or toxic gases), and are dedicated to study the dispersion of the resulting clouds on great distances from the source to reach a better knowledge of the different phases of gas dispersion (slumping, creeping, passive dispersion…).However, dispersion models have hardly been validated on small releases and therefore require more validation on small plumes of dangerous gases. Indeed, what is their reliability in case of accidents involving small amounts (e.g., chlorine leakages at swimming pools’ installations), and for small distances downwind the gas source? This information is of prime interest in so far as small releases are more likely to occur than larger ones.This paper reports on chlorine small-scale dispersion experiments and deals with the comparison between experimental data of ground level concentrations in the plume and predicted concentrations obtained from several dispersion models.