Adsorption of heavy metals in glacial till soil

The charged sites on soil particles are important for the retention/adsorption of metals. Metallic counterions can neutralize the intrinsic charges on the surfaces of soil particles by forming complexes. In this study, efforts have been made to determine the effect of surface potential, pH, and ionic strength on the adsorption of four metal ions, hexavalent chromium Cr(VI), trivalent chromium Cr(III), nickel Ni(II) and cadmium Cd(II), in glacial till soil. Batch tests were performed to determine the effect of pH (2–12) and ionic strength (0.001–0.1 M KCl) on zeta potential of the glacial till soil. The point of zero charge (pH _PZC ) of glacial till was found to be 7.0±2.5. Surface charge experiments revealed the high buffering capacity of the glacial till. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted at natural pH (8.2) using various concentrations of selected metals. The adsorption data was described by the Freundlich adsorption model. Overall glacial till shows lower adsorption affinity to Cr(VI) as compared to cationic metals, Cr(III), Ni(II) and Cd(II).     

Development of modified flyash as a permeable reactive barrier medium for a former manufactured gas plant site, Northern Ireland

A sequential biological permeable reactive barrier (PRB) was determined to be the best option for remediating groundwater that has become contaminated with a wide range of organic contaminants (i.e., benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons), heavy metals (i.e., lead and arsenic), and cyanide at a former manufactured gas plant after 150 years of operation in Portadown, Northern Ireland. The objective of this study was to develop a modified flyash that could be used in the initial cell within a sequential biological PRB to filter complex contaminated groundwater containing ammonium. Flyash modified with lime (CaOH) and alum was subjected to a series of batch tests which investigated the modified cation exchange capacity (CEC) and rate of removal of anions and cations from the solution. These tests showed that a high flyash composition medium (80%) could remove 8.65 mol of ammonium contaminant for every kilogram of medium. The modified CEC procedure ruled out the possibility of cation exchange as the major removal mechanism. The medium could also adsorb anions as well as cations (i.e., Pb and Cr), but not with the same capacity. The initial mechanism for Pb and Cr removal is probably precipitation. This is followed by sorption, which is possibly the only mechanism for the removal of dichromate anions. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed very small (<1 μm) cubic highly crystalline precipitates on the flyash, although this new crystalline zeolite growth did not occur rapidly enough to enable productive zeolite formation. Surface area measurements showed that biofilm growth on the medium could be a major factor in the comparative reduction of surface area between real and synthetic contaminant groundwaters. The modified flyash was found to be a highly sorptive granular material that did not inhibit microbiological activity, however, leaching tests revealed that the medium would fail as a long-term barrier material.     

Performance of alkaline reactive materials in the remediation of acidic groundwater

Acidic groundwater and surface water are common problems in coastal Australia causing massive fish kills, attack of concrete and steel structures, and clogging of waterways. The best solution is the construction of a permeable reactive barrier （PRB） to neutralise the acidic groundwater before entering nearby waterways. A PRB consists of a trench filled with reactive material that intersects the flow-path of a contaminant plume and ameliorates the contaminated groundwater. A PRB is being designed in a pilot scale study in ASS in southeastern Australia. The groundwater is acidic （pH 3） with high A1 （40 mg/L） and Fe （530 mg/L） levels. When the acidic groundwater comes into contact with this PRB, the acid will be neutralized by the alkaline reactive materials and the aluminum and iron will be removed from the groundwater. Twenty-five alkaline materials were tested for use in the PRB, with an emphasis on waste materials, including oyster shells and recycled concrete. Batch tests were used to select the best two reactive materials for use in the column tests. The pH achieved by each material was controlled by the reaction kinetics of the dominant alkaline component.     

用赤泥去除酸性矿井水中重金属污染物的初步研究

利用碱性赤泥去除酸性矿井水中的污染物。通过比较不同的赤泥改性方法、赤泥改性温度、反应温度、反应时间及赤泥和矿井水不同的固液比等条件下水样中的pH值和Cu、Zn、As、Cd、Hg、Pb重金属元素的去除率，获得各污染物元素的最佳去除条件。为治理赤泥和酸性矿井水的污染开辟一条新的途径。     

Kinetic Studies and Anaerobic Co‐digestion of Vegetable Market Waste and Sewage Sludge

The effect of anaerobic co‐digestion of vegetable market waste and sewage sludge was studied extensively. The effects of co‐digestion were compared with the separate digestion of vegetable market waste and sewage sludge. The batch studies were carried out using three bench scale reactors having 1.5 L working volume. The cumulative biogas production shows that the organic waste available from the vegetable waste contains easily biodegradable organic matter compared with the sewage sludge. First order reaction kinetics is maintained throughout the methanation fermentation. The reductions in volatile solids (VS) in the three reactors were in the range of 63–65 %. The specific gas production for vegetable waste was higher (0.75 L biogas/g VS_in and 1.17 L biogas/g VS_des) than for the sewage sludge (0.43 L biogas/g VS_in and 0.68 L biogas/g VS_des). Consequently, the specific gas production for the co‐digestion of the mixture of vegetable waste and sewage sludge (0.68 L biogas/g VS_in and 1.04 L biogas/g VS_des) was considerably higher than for the sewage sludge only. Batch kinetics of anaerobic digestion is useful in predicting the performance of digesters and for the design of appropriate digesters.     

Carbon Isotopic Constrains on the Sources and Controls of the Terrestrial Carbon Transported in the Four Large Rivers in China

The Changjiang， Huanghe， Zhujiang and Heilongjiang are the four largest rivers in China and they transport large amount of fresh water and terrigenous materials， including both inorganic and organic carbon into the ocean. The sources of the terrestrial carbon transported in the four rivers， however， have not been well constrained and compared. In this study， we used carbon isotopes （¹³C and ¹⁴C） combined with concentration measurements to investigate and compare the sources and fluxes of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon （DIC）， Particulate Inorganic Carbon （PIC）， Dissolved Organic Carbon （DOC） and Particulate Organic Carbon （POC） in the four rivers. The contributions of the potential sources to both DIC and DOC were quantitatively calculated using a dual isotope and three end member model. The results showed that the concentrations and isotope characteristics of the carbon pools in the river depended largely on the geological setting， surrounding environment and the anthropogenic influence of the drainage basins. Compared with other large rivers in the world， the concentrations of DIC in the Changjiang， Huanghe and Zhujiang were higher， but the DIC fluxes in the Huanghe and Zhujiang were lower. The DOC concentrations in the Heilongjiang River were higher and lower in the other three rivers compared with the average value of the world largest 25 rivers. The Changjiang， Huanghe and Zhujiang all transport millennia aged carbon. The old riverine DIC reflects the influence of chemical weathering of carbonate rocks and the old DOC reflects influence mainly from pre-aged soil OC. These ancient terrestrial carbon discharged by the rivers could have significant effects on the carbon cycle and ecosystems in the China's marginal seas.     

冻融作用对大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化的影响研究

冻融循环是影响土壤碳氮生物地球化学过程较为重要的因素。在全球变化背景下,冻融作用对冻土区土壤碳库稳定性及其关键生物地球化学过程影响研究是当前国际热点,尤其是冻融作用影响下多年冻土区泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化研究目前仍未明确。选取我国大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地表层（0~15 cm）和深层（15~30 cm）土壤,采用冻融试验及室内培养方法,探索分析了冻融作用影响下泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化特征,并从土壤活性碳和土壤酶活性角度阐述了影响机制。结果表明在短期的培养中,土壤有机碳矿化量在483~2836 mg/kg间波动,而冻融循环均显著降低了表层和深层土壤有机碳矿化量,并且对深层土壤有机碳的矿化抑制作用更为明显,高达76%。值得注意的是,冻融循环却明显促进了CH₄的排放,尤其是表层土壤,高达145%。冻融循环作用也显著增加了土壤可溶性有机碳（DOC）含量,但却降低了土壤微生物量碳（MBC）以及土壤纤维素酶、淀粉酶和蔗糖酶活性。冻融作用下低的土壤酶活性以及相对低质量碳是抑制土壤有机碳矿化的原因。全球变暖背景下,与单纯温度增加所导致的土壤有机碳矿化释放量相比,冻融循环作用能降低大兴安岭泥炭地活动层中土壤有机碳在短期内碳的释放。     

氢氧化锆对卤水中有机物的吸附特性研究

研究了卤水中有机物在吸附剂氢氧化锆上的吸附行为。测定了氢氧化锆对有机物在不同温度下的吸附等温线,利用热力学函数关系计算出了吸附焓、自由能和熵变,并探讨了有机物与氢氧化锆的吸附作用机理。实验结果表明,氢氧化锆对有机物的吸附等温线符合Langmuir等温吸附方程;吸附动力学数据符合拟二级反应动力学模型;吸附焓变ΔH及吸附自由能变ΔG分别在-15~-10 k J/mol及-20~0 k J/mol范围内,表明氢氧化锆对卤水中有机物的吸附属于自发的物理吸附过程,且吸附过程主要为范德华力吸附及氢键吸附,经脱附再生后的氢氧化锆可完全恢复其形态特征及吸附能力。     

低质热源有机朗肯循环效率特性研究

有机朗肯循环是有效的低品位能源利用方式,有机朗肯循环的流程设计和参数的选择对循环效率有很大影响,其中主蒸汽参数是最重要的热力循环参数。针对循环参数选取、主蒸汽过热对循环效率与余热回收效率的影响特性,建立了有机朗肯循环模型,并利用EES建立饱和蒸汽循环与过热蒸汽循环的计算方程,通过变参数计算得到有机朗肯循环主蒸汽参数与循环效率和余热回收率的对应曲线,并比较四类工质的热力循环特点总结有机质热力特性规律。