An introduction to critical loads

The critical loads approach to emission controls of gaseous pollutants is a concept with a short but eventful history. Despite difficulties with definitions and agreed values, its acceptance within the UN-ECE Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution has provided the impetus for developing methods to put critical loads to a practical use-the revision of the UNECE emission protocols for sulphur and nitrogen. Methodologies first focus upon quantifying a pollutant threshold at which harmful effects occur on particular sensitive receptors (usually biological species). This threshold is known as the critical load for deposited pollutants, and as the critical level for gaseous pollutants acting on receptors. To calculate a critical load, biological effects are usually 'translated' to critical chemical values, e.g. harmful effects on fish 'translate' to alkalinity or aluminium concentrations in water; thus, critical load calculations may be based upon the chemistry of a system. Such calculations may be performed using simple, steady-state models, whilst the use of more complex, dynamic models provides an insight into the past and future trends. Maps of critical loads can be drawn using calculated values, and maps of pollutant deposition data will then show geographical areas where critical loads are exceeded. Spatial emission-deposition models can identify sources contributing to areas of excess loads and quantify necessary emission reductions. Optimization procedures applied to such models can derive abatement strategies related to economic costs and critical load effects. The critical load calculations may also be used to underpin the setting of target loads; these are pollutant loads, determined by political agreement, which take account of social, economic and political considerations.     

Case study of augmenting livelihood of fishing community at Sagar Island,India, through solar thermal dryer technology

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Drying of fish at the Sagar Island (21.7269° N, 88.1096° E) is generally carried out in open sun on the seashore on plastic sheets or mat of...     

岗南水库沉积物间隙水有色溶解有机物的时空分布特征及差异分析

有色可溶性有机物(CDOM)作为溶解性有机物的重要组分,影响着水体中污染物质的形态特征和迁移转化过程.本研究运用紫外-可见光谱技术(UV-vis)以及三维荧光光谱(EEMs)技术结合平行因子分析法(PARAFAC),对岗南水库自入库河口到坝前主库区四季演变过程中沉积物间隙水CDOM的分布、光谱特征以及来源进行解析.结果表明,岗南水库沉积物间隙水CDOM的相对浓度a_(254)、a_(260)、a_(280)和a_(355)存在显著的季节差异,并且相对浓度大小为夏季春季秋季冬季;沉积物间隙水CDOM的E2/E3、E3/E4、E4/E6以及S_R存在显著的季节差异,呈现冬季高夏季低的特征;秋冬季的E2/E3以及E3/E4明显高于春夏季,并且秋冬季的E3/E4大部分均大于3.5,表明秋冬季沉积物间隙水CDOM具有更小的分子量和更低的腐殖化程度;三维荧光光谱通过PARAFAC解析出3种组分,分别为类酪氨酸(C1)、短波类富里酸(C2)和降解的腐殖类物质(C3),并且3种荧光组分间具有显著的正相关性(P0.001);岗南水库沉积物间隙水的CDOM总荧光强度和各荧光组分荧光强度呈现显著的季节差异,总荧光强度以及各组分的荧光强度呈现春季的最高、秋冬季次之、夏季最低的分布特征;秋冬季各个荧光组分占比不存在显著差异,春夏季各个荧光组分占比不存在显著差异,秋冬季与春夏季各个荧光组分占比存在显著差异;秋冬季沉积物间隙水CDOM生物源指数(BIX)和荧光指数(FI)均高于春夏季,表明秋冬季CDOM的自生源强于春夏季,与腐殖程度指标(HIX)的结果相吻合;PCA结合Adonis分析显示沉积物间隙水CDOM的光谱特征呈现显著的季节差异(P0.001);并且组分C1、C2、C3以及水质参数[氨氮、硝氮、亚硝氮、溶解性总氮以及溶解性总磷]均有很好的线性回归方程.综上,通过对岗南水库沉积物间隙水CDOM光谱特征进行研究,可以为分析岗南水库有机物污染特征和水质管理提供技术支持.     

生物质炭强化FeOOH类芬顿催化性能及其机制

采用醇助水热法制备了新型生物质炭修饰的α-FeOOH类芬顿催化剂（BC-FeOOH）,并通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、X射线衍射（XRD）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）对催化剂进行了表征,证明生物质炭（BC）成功引入到α-FeOOH中.以罗丹明B（RhB）为目标污染物,考察了BC修饰量、催化剂及H₂O₂投加量对其催化效率的影响.结果表明,BC的引入可以极大地提高FeOOH的类芬顿催化性能.在pH中性、催化剂投加量0.6 g·L^-1、H₂O₂初始浓度10 mmol·L^-1的条件下,BC-FeOOH（22.2% BC）对RhB的降解率可达到90%,重复利用5次活性仍可保持在80%左右,且铁离子溶出浓度仅为0.08 mg·L^-1.进一步通过ESR在不同体系中的测试结果表明,BC的引入不仅可促进H₂O₂有效还原分解产生更多的羟基自由基（·OH）,而且增强了催化剂与污染物RhB的相互作用,促使污染物失电子氧化降解,从而提高了FeOOH的催化活性及催化稳定性.     

Long-term effects of silver nanoparticles on performance of phosphorus removal in a laboratory-scale vertical flow constructed wetland

Silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) have been widely used in many fields,which raised concerns about potential threats to biological sewage treatment systems.In this study,the phosphorus removal performance,enzymatic activity and microbial population dynamics in constructed wetlands(CWs) were evaluated under a long-term exposure to Ag NPs(0,50,and 200 μg/L) for 450 days.Results have shown that Ag NPs inhibited the phosphorus removal efficiency in a short-term exposure,whereas caused no obviously negative effects from a long-term perspective.Moreover,in the coexisting CW system of Ag NPs and phosphorus,competition exhibited in the initial exposure phase,however,cooperation between them was observed in later phase.Enzymatic activity of acid-phosphatase at the moderate temperature(10–20°C) was visibly higher than that at the high temperature(20–30℃) and CWs with Ag NPs addition had no appreciable differences compared with the control.High-throughput sequencing results indicated that the microbial richness,diversity and composition of CWs were distinctly affected with the extension of exposure time at different Ag NPs levels.However,the phosphorus removal performance of CWs did not decline with the decrease of polyphosphate accumulating organisms(PAOs),which also confirmed that adsorption precipitation was the main way of phosphorus removal in CWs.The study suggested that Ag NPs and phosphorus could be removed synergistically in the coexistence system.This work has some reference for evaluating the influences of Ag NPs on the phosphorus removal and the interrelation between them in CWs.     

达里诺尔湖水体DOM荧光特征及其来源解析

达里诺尔湖（简称“达里湖”）是内蒙古自治区高原地区重要的生态屏障,探究达里湖水质状况及污染来源,对加强流域水环境治理、改善水环境质量具有十分重要的意义.于2018年9月及2019年6月对湖水进行采样,并通过三维荧光光谱结合PARAFAC（平行因子分析）模型,探究达里湖水体DOM（溶解性有机质）来源及其与水质的关系.结果表明:①达里湖水体中pH较高,ρ（DOC）（DOC为溶解性有机碳）、ρ（NH₄+-N）、ρ（TP）相对较高,均超过GB 3838—2002《地表水环境质量标准》Ⅴ类水质标准限值.②水体中DOM含4种荧光组分.夏季水体DOM主要分布于河流入湖口附近,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分（紫外区类富里酸和可见区类富里酸）占总组分的62.93%,类蛋白类荧光组分（类色氨酸和类酪氨酸）占总组分的36.07%;秋季水体DOM主要分布于东南侧,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分占总组分的40.52%,类蛋白类荧光组分占总组分的59.48%.③达里湖采样点荧光参数表明,达里湖DOM自生源特征较强,腐殖化程度较低.类腐殖质荧光组分与ρ（DOC）、ρ（Chla）均呈正相关,类色氨酸荧光组分与pH呈正相关,类络氨酸与ρ（DTN）、ρ（NH4+-N）、ρ（DTP）均呈正相关.研究显示,达里湖DOM具有陆源与生物源双重特性,DOM的形成与微生物、细菌、浮游生物的生命活动密切相关.      

石期河流域地下水化学特征及物质来源分析

为明确典型岩溶溶丘洼(谷)地区域地下水化学特征及其成因,以石期河流域为研究对象,运用Gibbs图、Piper图、端元分析及离子比例系数等方法,对地下水水化学特征及物质来源进行了定性和定量分析.结果表明,研究区内地下水pH值介于6.06～8.07之间,Ca~(2+)、 Mg~(2+)和HCO~-_3是地下水中的主要离子,其质量浓度范围分别为2.61～108.7、 0.54～27.61和8.1～370.74mg·L~(-1),符合岩溶水高钙弱碱性特征;地下水物质成分中, Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)主要受到碳酸参与的灰岩和白云岩风化作用的控制, Na~+主要来源于硅酸盐岩的溶解,同时, Ca~(2+)和Na~+在地下水流动过程中进行阳离子交替吸附作用; K~+、 Cl~-和NO~-_3主要受到农业化肥施放和生活废水排放的影响.此外,大气降水作为该区域地下水的主要补给来源,对当地地下水化学特征和物质来源也有一定的影响.     

大气沉降向华中丘陵区稻田输入硫通量的观测

选取我国华中丘陵区的湖南省长沙县一个典型水稻种植区,对2015与2016年2年雨水样中的SO₄²-S和大气SO₂的沉降量进行监测,分析雨水中SO₄^2-、NO₃^-的关系,解析大气硫沉降的主要来源.结果表明,研究区大气中SO₂-S和雨水中SO₄^2--S的年均浓度分别为8.5 μg/m³和1.1mg/L,大气硫沉降年均总量为26.8kgS/（hm²·a）,其中年均降雨混合沉降量18.2kgS/（hm²·a）,年均干沉降量为8.6kgS/（hm²·a）.研究区域硫素干、混合沉降量存在明显的季节差异,硫素混合沉降春季高于夏、秋、冬季,而硫素干沉降冬季高于春、夏、秋季.雨水中NO₃^-/SO₄^2-的质量比大多小于1,表明研究区大气硫素主要来自固定污染源（燃煤）.华中丘陵区稻田具有较高的硫沉降,但硫沉降量已较21世纪初出现了较大幅度下降,农业生产中需要根据农田硫素收支状况酌情补充硫肥来保证作物高产稳产.