Understanding implications of consumer behavior for wildlife farming and sustainable wildlife trade

Unsustainable wildlife trade affects biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent upon those resources. Wildlife farming has been proposed to promote sustainable trade, but characterizing markets and understanding consumer behavior remain neglected but essential steps in the design and evaluation of such operations. We used sea turtle trade in the Cayman Islands, where turtles have been farm raised for human consumption for almost 50 years, as a case study to explore consumer preferences toward wild‐sourced (illegal) and farmed (legal) products and potential conservation implications. Combining methods innovatively (including indirect questioning and choice experiments), we conducted a nationwide trade assessment through in‐person interviews from September to December 2014. Households were randomly selected using disproportionate stratified sampling, and responses were weighted based on district population size. We approached 597 individuals, of which 37 (6.2%) refused to participate. Although 30% of households had consumed turtle in the previous 12 months, the purchase and consumption of wild products was rare (e.g., 64–742 resident households consumed wild turtle meat [i.e., 0.3–3.5% of households] but represented a large threat to wild turtles in the area due to their reduced populations). Differences among groups of consumers were marked, as identified through choice experiments, and price and source of product played important roles in their decisions. Despite the long‐term practice of farming turtles, 13.5% of consumers showed a strong preference for wild products, which demonstrates the limitations of wildlife farming as a single tool for sustainable wildlife trade. By using a combination of indirect questioning, choice experiments, and sales data to investigate demand for wildlife products, we obtained insights about consumer behavior that can be used to develop conservation‐demand‐focused initiatives. Lack of data from long‐term social–ecological assessments hinders the evaluation of and learning from wildlife farming. This information is key to understanding under which conditions different interventions (e.g., bans, wildlife farming, social marketing) are likely to succeed.     

表面活性剂增强修复地下水中PCE的砂箱实验及模拟

在石英砂充填的二维砂箱中开展表面活性剂（Tween 80）冲洗四氯乙烯（PCE）的修复实验,基于图像分析技术监测不同污染源区结构条件下NAPL相的去除过程.由于实验条件限制,实验中缺乏溶解相浓度数据.为此进一步基于UTCHEM数值模拟方法来理解NAPL相和溶解态之间的质量传输过程,并探讨表面活性剂浓度、注入速率等因素对修复效率的影响.综合砂箱实验和数值模拟结果表明：介质均质和非均质条件下会形成不同类型DNAPL污染源区结构,表现为离散状PCE与池状PCE体积比（GTP）差异.由于离散状污染物与表面活性剂的接触面积更大,更易被优先去除;初始GTP值越高,污染物的修复速率和修复效率也越高.增大表面活性剂浓度或提高表面活性剂的注入速率,虽然能提高DNAPL的修复速率,但会明显降低表面活性剂的修复效率,实验过程中修复效率降幅可达93%.线性驱动溶解模型可以有效地模拟表面活性剂修复DNAPLs过程,基于数值模拟方法选择合适的表面活性剂配比可有效的节省实际污染场址修复经费和时间成本.     

海水中阴极极化对X80钢应力腐蚀及氢脆敏感性的影响

目的研究不同p H值海水中阴极极化对X80管线钢应力腐蚀及氢脆的抑制作用。方法采用慢应变速率拉伸试验、电化学测试、微观组织观察等分析方法。结果 X80钢在天然海水中的析氢电位约为-940m V(vs.SCE,下同),海水p H为3.5时析氢电位发生正移。其应力腐蚀敏感性与极化电位有很大关系,随着极化电位负移,X80钢的氢脆敏感性增加。天然海水中当极化电位负于-950 m V时,断口出现准解理断裂特征形貌。在-1050 m V极化电位下,钢材进入氢脆断裂区发生脆性断裂。海水p H为3.5时,-900 m V钢材有发生氢脆的危险。结论与天然海水相比,X80钢在p H为3.5的酸性海水中具有较高的应力腐蚀敏感性,两种海水介质中X80钢的应力腐蚀敏感性均随极化电位负移而增加。     

Photocatalytic degradation of phenol

In this study photocatalytic degradation of phenol in thepresence of UV irradiated TiO₂ catalyst andH₂O₂was investigated. Effects of TiO₂ andH₂O₂concentrations and pH on photocatalytic degradation were examined. The rate constants for photocatalytic degradation wereevaluated as a function of TiO₂ and H₂O₂ concentrations and pH of the solution. It was found thatphotodegradation is an effective method for the removal of phenoland disappearance of phenol obeyed first order kinetics. The amount of CO₂h produced during photocatalytic degradation wascorresponding to the complete mineralization. Photodegradationcan be an alternative method for the treatment of phenol containing wastewaters.     

Time dependent influx and efflux of phenol by immobilized microbial consortium

Phenol, like many other organic solvents, is toxic to micro-organisms even at low concentrations. However, some micro-organisms can withstand this toxicity to a certain concentration. To observe the uptake mechanism of phenol, bacteria were isolatedfrom a petroleum refinery effluent and identified. Study was carried out to understand the effect of varying sub-lethal concentrations of phenol, on all the isolated individual bacterial cultures. Out of the bacteria isolated, Serratia liquefaciens was found to tolerate phenol concentration up to 1500 mg l^-1. A microbial consortium of the isolated bacteriawas formulated and immobilized. Individual cultures were also immobilized and uptake of phenol by the immobilized micro-organisms was observed in a nutrient-rich and nutrient-stressed medium containing phenol as a sole source of carbon. A time-dependent uptake of phenol was exhibited by the micro-organismsin nutrient-stressed medium, after which a sudden increase in phenol concentration occurred in the extracellular medium, till it reached back to the initial concentration. This was attributedto an active efflux mechanism adopted by the micro-organisms to withstand the toxic shock.     

Preparation of rare-earth metal complex oxide catalysts for catalytic wet air oxidation

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is one of the most promising technologies for pollution abatement. Developing catalysts with high activity and stability is crucial for the application of the CWAO process. The Mn/Ce complex oxide catalysts for CWAO of high concentration phenol-containing wastewater were prepared by coprecipitation. The catalyst preparation conditions were optimized by using an orthogonal layout method and single-factor experimental analysis. The Mn/Ce serial catalysts were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis and the metal cation leaching was measured by inductively coupled plasma torch-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results show that the catalysts have high catalytic activities even at a low temperature (80°C) and low oxygen partial pressure (0.5 MPa) in a batch reactor. The metallic ion leaching is comparatively low (Mn<6.577 mg/L and Ce<0.6910 mg/L, respectively) in the CWAO process. The phenol, COD_Cr, and TOC removal efficiencies in the solution exceed 98.5% using the optimal catalyst (named CSP). The new catalyst would have a promising application in CWAO treatment of high concentration organic wastewater. Translated from Techniques and Equipment for Environmental Pollution Control, 2005, 6(2): 40–44 [译自: 环境污染治理技术与设备]     

含酚废水治理方法的研究

根据含酚废水的性质，用ClO2氧化除酚，ZL—1和聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)混凝沉降除悬浮物的方法处理该废水。实验结果表明，经处理后废水中的主要污染物酚、焦油和悬浮物等去除率都很高，该水可以满足循环使用的要求。     

提高酚氰废水生化处理工艺的效率

主要介绍了投加葡萄糖类物质显著提高煤气厂酚、氰废水生化处理装置效率的情况 ,并对其机理进行了分析探讨     

用呼吸仪监测取代酚类化合物对活性污泥的抑制

应用呼吸仪测定活性污泥中微生物的活性。研究了九种取代酚对微生物活性的影响,发现抑制效应与有机物的正辛醇-水分配系数、最低未占轨道能级有着相关联系,并发现取代酚对活性污泥硝化细菌比起异养细菌有着更强的抑制。生物膜比活性污泥具有更好的耐抑制能力,驯化对抗抑制有明显的效果,增大污泥浓度在一定程度上可以减轻毒害。     

QSAR法研究取代苯酚的生物活性

基于表征成键原子的生物活性特征值Ai构建取代苯酚的自相关拓扑指数tT,并以0T1、T为结构描述符,分别建立了取代苯酚诱发浮萍萎黄、对日本长腿蛙蝌蚪的QSAR模型:pC=-2.4591+0.51730T-6.3888×10-21T,r=0.9778;24h-LC50=2.1269+1.1013×10-20T+3.4552×10-41T2,r=0.9676.它们的估算结果均优于文献结果,用Jackknife法检验,以上模型具有总体稳健性。