Fate of Lignin in the Process of Aerobic Biological Treatment of Paper Mill Wastewater

Although lignin is known to be not readily biodegradable the concentration of dissolved lignin decreased during aerobic biological treatment of paper mill wastewater performed in sequencing batch reactors (SBR). Systematic lab scale batch tests were conducted to clarify whether the observed removal of lignin was the result of biodegradation or adsorption onto the activated sludge. For the batch tests, sludge samples were taken from sequencing batch reactors operated at solid retention times (SRT) of 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 days, respectively. The amount of lignin present in the bulk liquid and in the sludge samples was quantified by an analytical procedure comprising pyrolysis, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (py‐GC/MS analysis). It was found that lignin adsorbs onto the activated sludge by up to 30%[TH]w/w. This demonstrates the sludge excellent adsorption properties. The ultimate removal of lignin is achieved by sludge wasting. The highest overall removal rate was found when sludge was used from the SBR run at SRT of 20 days.     

南极威德尔海海冰晶体类型分析

为了解南极威德尔海不同区域海冰形成过程,分析了2006年9—10月威德尔海海冰调查中的27支冰芯晶体并描述了冰芯反映的冰层形成过程;给出2支完整冰芯晶体照片和多边形晶体雪冰照片,以及对应照片的冰层描述和冰盐度、密度、粒径。根据冰芯晶体揭示的海冰形成过程,发现尽管现场考察均选择较大表面平整的浮冰作业,但冰芯晶体揭示出实际冰层可以是受动力和热力联合作用形成的重叠冰、固结冰脊、二年冰;而从表面到底面属于纯热力学生长形成的冰层所占比例较小。积雪经过密实和水分参与,再冻结形成多边形晶体雪冰也是南极海冰主要组成之一。粒状晶体、过渡区混合晶体和柱状晶体海冰分别占27支冰芯总长度的28.7%、14.4%和55.2%。海冰的区域分布表现出海冰边缘区以纯热力学生长的一年冰为主;在冰架前缘,受动力作用形成的重叠冰和固结冰脊的比例增加,并且存在二年冰和多边形晶体雪冰;冰间湖内生长有大面积纯热力学生长的海冰并向外输送。     

A petrographical and geochemical study of quartzose nodules,country rocks,and dike rocks from the Upheaval Dome structure,Utah

Abstract— Upheaval Dome, in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA, is a unique structure on the Colorado Plateau. It has earlier been interpreted as an impact structure or as a pinched-off salt diapir. Some subrounded quartzose fragments were found in a ring depression near the eastern margin of the structure and, based on vesicularity and apparent flow structure, the fragments were interpreted by early researchers as “impactites.” Our petrographic studies show no indication of a high-temperature history and are in agreement with a slow, low-temperature formation of the quartz nodules. Composi***ionally, the lag deposit samples are almost pure SiO₂. They show no chemical similarity to any of the possible target rocks (e.g., Navajo Sandstone), from which they should have formed by melting if they were impactites. Instead, the samples have relatively high contents of elements that indicate fluid interaction (e.g., hydrothermal growth), such as As, Sb, Ba, and U, and show positive Ce anomalies. Thus, we interpret the “lag deposit samples” as normal low-temperature (hydrothermally-grown?) quartz that show no indication of being impact-derived. In addition, a petrographic and geochemical analysis of a series of dike samples yielded no evidence for shock metamorphism or a meteoritic component.     

Oscillations in the 45 – 5000 MHz Radio Spectrum of the 18 April 2014 Flare

Using a new type of oscillation map, made from the radio spectra by the wavelet technique, we study the 18 April 2014 M7.3 flare (SOL2014-04-18T13:03:00L245C017). We find a quasi-periodic character of this flare with periods in the range 65?–?115 seconds. At the very beginning of this flare, in connection with the drifting pulsation structure (plasmoid ejection), we find that the 65?–?115 s oscillation phase slowly drifts towards lower frequencies, which indicates an upward propagating wave initiated at the start of the magnetic reconnection. Many periods (1?–?200 seconds) are found in the drifting pulsation structure, which documents multi-scale and multi-periodic processes. On this drifting structure, fiber bursts with a characteristic period of about one second are superimposed, whose frequency drift is similar to that of the drifting 65?–?115 s oscillation phase. We also checked periods found in this flare by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS)/Hinode and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) observations. We recognize the type III bursts (electron beams) as proposed, but their time coincidence with the EIS and IRIS peaks is not very good. The reason probably is that the radio spectrum is a whole-disk record consisting of all bursts from any location, while the EIS and IRIS peaks are emitted only from locations of slits in the EIS and IRIS observations.     

Snow Mass Quantification and Avalanche Victim Search by Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems can be used in many applications of snow and ice research. The information from the GPR is used to identify and interpret layers, objects and different structures in the snow. A commercially available GPR system was further developed to work in the rough environment of snow and ice. The applied GPR is a 900 MHz system that easily reaches snow depths of up to 10 meters. The system was calibrated in the course of several manual snow depth measurements during each survey. The depth resolution depends on the snow type and is around ±0.1 m. The GPR system is carried alongside a line of interest and is triggered by an odometer wheel at regular adjustable steps. All equipment is mounted in a sledge and is pulled by a snowmobile over the snow surface. This setup allows for an efficient coverage of several kilometers of terrain profiles. The radar profiles give a real time two-dimensional impression of structures and objects and the interface between snow and the underlying ground. The actual radar profile is shown on a screen on the sledge allowing the immediate marking of objects and structures. During the past three years the instrument was successfully used for the study of snow distributions, for the detection of glacier crevasses under the snow cover, and for the search of avalanche victims in avalanche debris. The results show the capability of the instrument to detect persons and objects in the snow cover. In the future, this device may be a new tool for avalanche rescue operations. Today, the size and weight of the system prevents the accessing of very steep slopes and areas not accessible to snowmobiles. Further developments will decrease the size of the system and make it a valuable tool to quantify snow masses in avalanche release zones and run-out areas.     

Stochastic ground water flow simulation with a fracture zone continuum model

A method is presented for incorporating the hydraulic effects of vertical fracture zones into two-dimensional cell-based continuum models of ground water flow and particle tracking. High hydraulic conductivity features are used in the model to represent fracture zones. For fracture zones that are not coincident with model rows or columns, an adjustment is required for the hydraulic conductivity value entered into the model cells to compensate for the longer flowpath through the model grid. A similar adjustment is also required for simulated travel times through model cells. A travel time error of less than 8% can occur for particles moving through fractures with certain orientations. The fracture zone continuum model uses stochastically generated fracture zone networks and Monte Carlo analysis to quantify uncertainties with simulated advective travel times. An approach is also presented for converting an equivalent continuum model into a fracture zone continuum model by establishing the contribution of matrix block transmissivity to the bulk transmissivity of the aquifer. The methods are used for a case study in west-central Florida to quantify advective travel times from a potential wetland rehydration site to a municipal supply wellfield. Uncertainties in advective travel times are assumed to result from the presence of vertical fracture zones, commonly observed on aerial photographs as photolineaments.     

Intelligent data fusion for wide-area assessment of UXO contamination

The remediation of sites contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains an area of intense focus for the Department of Defense. Under the sponsorship of SERDP, data fusion techniques are being developed for use in enhancing wide-area assessment UXO remediation efforts and a data fusion framework is being created to provide a cohesive data management and decision-making utility to allow for more efficient expenditure of time, labor and resources. An important first step in this work is the development of feature extraction utilities and feature probability density maps for eventual input to data fusion algorithms, making data fusion of estimates of data quality, UXO-related features, non-UXO backgrounds, and correlations among independent data streams possible. Utilizing data acquired during ESTCP’s Wide-Area Assessment Pilot Program, the results presented here successfully demonstrate the feasibility of automated feature extraction from light detection and ranging, orthophotography, and helicopter magnetometry wide-area assessment survey data acquired at the Pueblo Precision Bombing Range #2. These data were imported and registered to a common survey map grid and UXO-related features were extracted and utilized to construct survey site-wide probability density maps that are well-suited for input to higher level data fusion algorithms. Preliminary combination of feature maps from the various data sources yielded maps for the Pueblo site that offered a more accurate UXO assessment than any one data source alone.