A fragment constant QSAR model for evaluating the EC50 values of organic chemicals to Daphnia magna.

The quantitative relationship between the median effective concentration (EC50) of organic chemicals to Daphnia magna and the number of molecular fragments was investigated based on experimental EC50 values for 217 chemicals derived from the literature. A fragment constant model was developed based on a multivariate linear regression between the number of fragments and the logarithmically transformed reciprocal values of EC50. Functional correction factors were introduced into the model. The model was verified using an independent set of randomly selected data. The mean residual of the final model was 0.4 log-units. The robustness of the model was discussed based on the results of three jackknife tests.     

An experimental study on recolonization and succession of marine macrobenthos in defaunated sediment

Hypoxia/anoxia in coastal waters is a world wide problem which often results in mass mortality and defaunation of benthos. In this study, field experiments were carried out to examine recolonization and succession of macrobenthic infauna in defaunated sediments, and the time required for recovery from complete defaunation to a stable community. Trays (33 cm length × 25.5 cm width × 11 cm depth) of defaunated sediment were exposed at the subtidal of a pristine site in subtropical Hong Kong. Temporal changes of macrobenthic communities in defaunated sediment were analyzed by univariate and multivariate statistics, and compared with those in undisturbed natural sediment at the same site. Initial colonization of macrobenthos occurred rapidly. A total of 42 species was found, with an average of 258 animals per tray and 24 species per tray recorded in the first month. Abundance showed a small peak (496 animals per tray) after 3 months, reached a sharp peak (1154 animals per tray) after 6 months, and declined thereafter. Species number increased gradually, reached a maximum (68 species per tray) after 9 months, and then decreased. Recolonization was predominantly contributed by larval settlement rather than adult migration. Temporal changes in abundance, species number and diversity of the macrobenthic community in defaunated sediment resemble the spatial changes along a decreasing pollution gradient previously defined by other authors. Results of this experiment suggest that newly available sediment may allow more species to colonize (or coexist) than sediment pre-occupied by an established community. This is probably due to less interspecific competition in the former habitat. No significant difference in abundance or species richness was observed between defaunated and natural sediments after 15 months, suggesting that a stable community had been achieved, although minor variations in species composition were still discernible between defaunated and natural sediments. Received: 24 May 1999 / Accepted: 20 October 1999     

The quest for environmental justice in China: citizen participation and the rural–urban network against Panguanying’s waste incinerator

Environmental distribution conflicts (EDCs) related to the construction and operation of waste incinerators have become commonplace in China. This article presents a detailed case study of citizen opposition to an incinerator in the village of Panguanying, Hebei Province. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork, we show how this case was notable, because it transcended the local arena to raise bigger questions about environmental justice, particularly in relation to public participation in siting decisions, after villagers exposed fraudulent public consultation in the environmental impact assessment. An informal network between villagers and urban environmental activists formed, enabling the Panguanying case to exert influence far beyond the village locality. This network was critical in creating wider public debate about uneven power and substandard public participation in siting disputes, a central feature in many Chinese EDCs. By transcending local specificities and exposing broader, systemic inadequacies, this case became instrumental in supporting “strong sustainability”.     

Effect of adsorbents coated with titanium dioxide on the photocatalytic degradation of propoxur

Photocatalytic oxidation of pesticides in aqueous media irradiated by UV light is a rapidly growing field of research. Therefore, the treatment technology for degradation of propoxur (an insecticide) using titanium dioxide coated on the supports such as activated carbon, zeolite, brick, quartz and glass beads, was performed in this research. Results show that GAC/TiO2 is the best complexing agent for oxidizing propoxur because of its adsorption properities. The others follow the sequence: plain TiO2 > glass beads > zeolite > brick > quartz. The degradation rate of propoxur with plain TiO2 is higher than that with TiO2/GAC complexing agent. But the mineralization rate of propoxur with plain TiO2 is lower than that with TiO2/GAC complexing agent. However, it can be concluded that using GAC as the support can improve the photocatalytic efficiency.     

论环境监测综合信息系统的建设规划

根据对各级环保机械综合信息技术应用的调研,提出环境监测综合信息系统设计原则及技术路线。     

Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in the presence of primary substrate by immobilized pure culture bacteria

In this study, pure strains that are capable of utilizing 2,4,6-trichlorophenol have been isolated from the mixed culture grown on substrates containing chlorophenolic compounds. Studies have been carried out on the capability of these isolated pure strains in suspended and immobilized forms to decompose 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Additionally, the influence of primary substrates (e.g., phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol) on the decomposition of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol by the isolated pure strains grown in immobilized form is also investigated. The results are: Through bacterial isolation and identification, three pure strains have been obtained: Pseudomonas spp. strain 01, Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 and Agrobacterium spp. Whether in suspended or immobilized forms, all strains have poor removal efficiencies of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. However, addition of 200 mg/l phenol will enable the immobilized Pseudomonas spp. strain 01, and Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 to achieve 65% and 48% removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, respectively. Addition of phenol will assist the immobilized Pseudomonas spp. strain 02 in achieving removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol but the removal efficiency is not good if the phenol concentration is too low. The optimum phenol concentration should be between 200 and 400 mg/l.     

Removal of BTEX vapor from waste gases by a trickle bed biofilter

The system performance of a trickle bed biofilter for treating single and mixed benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX) vapors from waste gases was investigated under different gas flow rates and influent BTEX concentrations. When a single substrate was fed, removal efficiencies of greater than 90% could be achieved for the loads below 64 g benzene/m3/hr, 110 g toluene/m3/hr, 53 g ethylbenzene/m3/hr, and 55 g o-xylene/m3/hr. When a mixed substrate was fed, removal efficiencies of each compound could be above 90% at BTEX loads below 96 g/m3/hr. The trickle bed biofilter appears to be an effective treatment process for removing both single and mixed BTEX vapors with low to high loads. Under similar substrate loads, BTEX vapors were preferentially biodegraded in the order of toluene, benzene, o-xylene, and ethylbenzene. The volumetric removal rates (elimination capacities) of BTEX vapors for a single-substrate feed were higher than those for a mixed-substrate feed under similar substrate loads; these differences were enhanced at higher substrate loads and less significant for a preferred substrate.     

The effect of diesel fuel sulfur content on particulate matter emissions for a nonroad diesel generator

The effect of sulfur content on diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions was studied using a diesel generator (Generac Model SD080, rated at 80 kW) as the emission source to simulate nonroad diesel emissions. A load simulator was used to apply loads to the generator at 0, 25, 50, and 75 kW, respectively. Three diesel fuels containing 500, 2100, and 3700 ppm sulfur by weight were selected as generator fuels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sampling Method 5 "Determination of Particulate Matter Emissions from Stationary Sources" together with Method 1A "Sample and Velocity Traverses for Stationary Sources with Small Stacks or Ducts" was adopted as a reference method for measurement of the exhaust gas flow rate and DPM mass concentration. The effects of various parameters on DPM concentration have been studied, such as fuel sulfur contents, engine loads, and fuel usage rates. The increase of average DPM concentrations from 3.9 mg/Nm3 (n cubic meter) at 0 kW to 36.8 mg/Nm3 at 75 kW is strongly correlated with the increase of applied loads and sulfur content in the diesel fuel, whereas the fuel consumption rates are only a function of applied loads. An empirical correlation for estimating DPM concentration is obtained when fuel sulfur content and engine loads are known for these types of generators: Y = Zm(alphaX + beta), where Y is the DPM concentration, mg/m3, Z is the fuel sulfur content, ppm(w) (limited to 500-3700 ppm(w)), X is the applied load, kW, m is the constant, 0.407, alpha and beta are the numerical coefficients, 0.0118 +/- 0.0028 (95% confidence interval) and 0.4535 +/- 0.1288 (95% confidence interval), respectively.     

Human exposure and health risk of alpha-, beta-, gamma- and delta-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) in Tianjin, China

The dynamic exposures to HCHs of individuals born between the years 1913 and 1993 in Tianjin have been simulated by connecting a fugacity model (IV) with a multimedia exposure model. Ingestion is the most important pathway for human beings to take up HCHs, and concentrations in the human body correlate with body weight changes. Accumulations of HCHs were derived assuming that the degradation in human body behaved linearly. The health risk of exposure to HCHs was measured using cancer risk and loss of life expectancy (LLE), and LLE was modified from its original definition to incorporate a dynamic calculation that takes variances in exposure into account. Monte-Carlo simulations were run to analyze the uncertainties of the model.