Statistical comparison and correlation of zinc and lead in estuarine sediments along the western coast of Mauritius

Cr, Zn and Pb were quantified using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) from urban and rural estuarine sediments collected along the western coast of Mauritius during the period July 2002-January 2003. The mean concentration of Cr (225.4 mg kg(-1)), Zn (107.0 mg kg(-1)) and Pb (27.0 mg kg(-1)) in sediments along the six estuaries can be considered below those from contaminated estuarine sediments. Zn and Pb were significantly higher in urban sediments downstream St. Louis River compared to a rural estuary at Tamarin at 5% significance level. Zn was also significantly lower in Tamarin compared to Petite Riviere Noire estuary. Cr was however not significantly different in sediments from the six estuaries and could be considered of basaltic origin and were correlated to neither lead nor zinc. The concentration of Zn and Pb were greatest in the more urbanised upper and lower reaches of the St. Louis estuary during the period of study and were also significantly positively correlated in the estuarine sediments indicating that the cycling of Pb and Zn were linked indicating a common source for Pb and Zn. The potential sources of Pb and Zn in the urban estuarine sediments were considered to arise from road runoff causing significant quantities to be trapped. At present, compared to contaminant levels found in the UK and elsewhere, Mauritius still looks relatively uncontaminated but there is growing concern about heavy metal contamination in urban estuaries. There is therefore a need for long-term studies in estuarine management to involve integrated strategies in which water-sediment interactions in estuaries need to be considered and international standards for sediment quality developed. Such studies undertaken in the future would further the understanding of the biogeochemical processes of estuarine systems in Mauritius which could then be used in environmental development schemes and effective coastal zone management.     

Characterization of demethylation of methylmercury in cultured astrocytes

Mercury (Hg) is a well-known neurotoxicant but its toxicity depends on the species present. A steady emergence of inorganic Hg in the brain following chronic and accidental exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) has suggested that MeHg can undergo demethylation. The objective of this study is to develop an in vitro model to study factors affecting Hg demethylation in the central nervous system. Astrocytes obtained from neonatal rat pups were cultured for 24h with 1 microM MeHg in the presence of two pro-oxidants, buthionine sulphoximine (BSO) and rotenone. The BSO treatment produced a 21% increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) content compared to the control (control vs. BSO; 100+/-1.35 vs. 121+/-1.52 relative fluorescence units (RFU)mg(-1) protein, p<0.001) but did not affect total Hg accumulation (control vs. BSO=86.5+/-4.14 ng mg(-1) vs. 95.7+/-9.26 ng mg(-1)). Rotenone increased ROS levels 107% (control vs. rotenone; 100%+/-1.35 vs. 207%+/-6.78RFU mg(-1)protein, p<0.001) and significantly increased the accumulation of total Hg (control vs. rotenone=86.5+/-4.14 ng mg(-1) vs. 124+/-3.80 ng mg(-1), p<0.001). There was no detectable demethylation in the control or BSO treated group, however, the rotenone treatment significantly increased the demethylation (control vs. rotenone=-1.86+/-5.57% vs. 16.3+/-2.68%, p<0.05). For the first time, we have demonstrated in an in vitro primary astrocyte culture model that MeHg can be converted to inorganic Hg and demethylation increases with oxidative stress. Our results provide a useful model to study demethylation of Hg in astrocytes and to explore potential ways to protect against Hg toxicity.     

Microbial fuel cells: Advances in electrode modifications for improvement of system performance

There is an increasing trend to conduct the researches related to Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) in the recent years. Limited power output has been the major obstacle for the practical application and upscaling of MFCs. Attempts have been made on electrode modifications such as anode treatments, cathode modifications with catalysts and bio cathodes developments to produce varying degrees of improved output current depending upon the types of modifications. Power density and Coulombic efficiency have been considered as the important parameters to analyze the system performances. This paper overviews on the advances made in MFCs’ researches focusing on different types of electrodes modifications along with the involved methodology. Furthermore, the system performances of different modified MFCs are compared in terms of the power density and the Coulombic efficiency.     

A 3D aerosol and visibility information system for urban areas using remote sensing and GIS

Currently, the depiction of urban air quality at boundary layer scale uses modelled climatic and land cover data. However, such models are difficult to verify, and only low to moderate accuracy may be achieved due to the complexity of the input data required and the reliance on assumptions about dispersion patterns. The provision of comprehensive air quality data to urban residents in city districts, at a level of detail commensurate with other Location-Based Services (LBS) which are time- and place-sensitive, has therefore not been possible. A method for urban air quality monitoring over cities at boundary layer scale, other than by the use of air quality models is presented here. The system presented uses empirical Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) data in near-real time, combining AOT data from AERONET with aerosol vertical profiles computed from twice-daily MODIS satellite images at 500 m resolution, to give three dimensional (3D) air quality data over the urban landscape. There has been no previous attempt to project the horizontal spatial distribution of aerosols from satellite image pixels into a vertical dimension to give a spatially comprehensive three dimensional record of air quality. The paper describes the sources and accuracy of the AOT data input to the system as well as its storage and retrieval on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, to provide air quality and visibility information according to user query at any 3D geographical location, including individual buildings or building floor.     

FTA和FMECA综合法对常压炉的风险分析

首先对炼油厂的常压炉系统进行了火灾爆炸事故的FTA分析,在此基础上进行了深入的FMECA分析,绘制出分析表格,并提出将这两种方法结合起来应用的优点以及一般步骤.综合两种分析方法深入分析了引起火灾爆炸事故的原因,指出系统运行的潜在危险因素,根据分析结果提出综合性的安全改进和预防措施.     

Bioaccessibility of polychlorinated biphenyls in workplace dust and its implication for risk assessment

Human exposure to bioaccessible PCBs via indoor dust is limited around the world. In the present study, the workplace dust sample from commercial office, hospital, secondary school, shopping mall, electronic factory and manufacturing plant were collected from Hong Kong for PCBs analyses. Total PCBs concentrations ranged from 46.8 to 249 ng g⁻¹, with a median of 107 ng g⁻¹. Manufacturing plant showed the highest concentration among all of sampling sites. PCB 77 was found as the dominant congeners. The bioaccessibility of PCBs in small intestinal juice ranging from 8.3% to 26.0% was significantly higher than that in gastric condition, ranging from 4.8% to 12.4%. In addition, significant negative correlations (p < 0.05) were observed between K_OW and bioaccessibility for all workplace dust samples. Risk assessment indicated that the averaged daily dose of dioxin-like PCBs via non-dietary intake of workplace dust, considering the bioaccessibility of PCBs, were much lower than the TDI of dioxins (2.3 pg WHO-TEQ kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹) established by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.     

基于一体化运营综合能源企业智能应急救援技术研究*

为解决综合能源企业集团生产区域集中、多种业态并存的现状下,应对多灾耦合、区域协同、快速救援处置需求问题,提出构建“构架一体系统共用、数据入湖实时获取、GIS数据动态调用”的智能管控系统,运用多灾事故耦合协同处置、数字结构预案辅助决策和处置情景构建救援演练等技术,达到“集团总部—产业实体—生产单位—作业单元”的点、线、面虚拟集成统一先期处置网络。研究结果表明:生产安全事故应急救援“基础管理健全、3级联动响应、全域覆盖网络、资源实时共享、培训演练规范、力量快速投放”等6个方面的能力得到提升,为综合能源企业安全生产和应急管理决策支持提供新的可行性方案。     

Sustainable method towards magnetic ordered mesoporous polymers for efficient Methylene Blue removal

The difficulty in achieving high removal efficiency for contaminants in textile wastewater over a wide range of pH impedes the progress of its treatment technique greatly. Herein, a facile and sustainable strategy was adopted for constructing magnetic ordered mesoporous polymers (M-OMPs) without the assistance of organic solvent and catalyst. The prepared M-OMPs were endowed with high special surface area and good superparamagnetism simultaneously, and exhibited high removal efficiency (>99%) for Methylene Blue (MB) within a short time (10 min) at a concentration of 50 mg/L. What's more, high removal efficiency was achieved over a wide range of pH 2-12 and the adsorption capacity for MB on M-OMPs was substantially retained even after 5 adsorption-desorption cycles, further demonstrating the application potential of M-OMPs in the decontamination of textile wastewater.     

Analysis of stability of silica nano-particle-laden microbubble dispersion

Microbubbles are small gas-filled bubbles which have wide application in various industries. The stability of microbubble is of primary concern for the application of microbubble. In this research, the stability of microbubble dispersion generated using CTAB surfactant is analyzed by drainage mechanism. The stability of microbubble dispersion is studied on the basis of the half-life of microbubble dispersion. Microbubble dispersion gas fraction and apparent rise velocity of interface of microbubble dispersion are also calculated. The size of microbubble is estimated from the apparent rise velocity of interface of microbubble dispersion. Further, silica nano-particles are added to the surfactants to study their effect on the stability of microbubble dispersion. The observed results clearly indicate that the stability of microbubble dispersion is significantly affected by the surfactant concentration and the weight of silica nano-particle in the liquid. Similar results were observed for the apparent rise velocity of interface and bubble size of dispersion. The present work may be beneficial for the application of microbubble in various chemical and biochemical industries and scientific community.