Evaluation of shredded tyre chips as sorption media for passive treatment walls

The potential of shredded tyre chips, either on their own or mixed with gravel, to act as a permeable reactive barrier has been examined by carrying out tests for assessing sorption characteristics and establishing their mechanical properties. Sorption–desorption tests have been carried out using free product petrol and paraffin and aqueous phase phenol and cresols.

Compaction and compressibility tests have been carried out to establish optimum tyre–chip mixes in order to optimise the mix in terms of compressibility behaviour. The results demonstrate that tyre chips show significant promise for incorporation in a permeable reactive barrier. The evidence indicates that they would be particularly effective for the retardation of aqueous phase hydrophobic organic contaminants and residual free product. Optimum mixes of 2–6 mm tyre chips and 20 mm gravel, in terms of mechanical stability, will contain just under 10% of tyre chips.     

LINKING SEDIMENT EXPOSURE WITH EFFECTS: MODELING TECHNIQUES, ORGANIC AVAILABILITY AND UPTAKE

1 INTRODUCTION Sediments are the ultimate sink for many hydrophobic contaminants and represent biologically important environmental habitats. Exposure of the sediment-associated contaminants is not only influenced by the fate and transport of sediment but also is influenced by a variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes that involve no net movement of sediments. These processes include pore water transport processes such as advection and diffusion, and sediment mixing process…     

太阳能在处理水、大气及土壤中有机污染物方面的应用

太阳能除作为传统的热源外，还可用于驱动化学过程。本文主要介绍利用光催化氧化技术处理废水、大气及土壤中有机污染物方面的最新进展，正在进行的现场实验、有关的太阳能设施，目前存在的主要困难及未来的应用前景等。     

地表稠油污染物地球化学研究现状

关于石油轻组分对环境的污染问题相对研究较多，而针对稠油污染物的研究则较薄弱。本文着重介绍了目前地表稠油污染物的研究进展，涉及稠油污染的潜在严重性和危害性，其赋存形态、迁移方式和演化机制，以及目前常用的修复方法。进一步开展稠油污染物在地表土壤以及水体中的地球化学特征及演化机制方面的研究工作，将有助于为稠油开采和炼制地区的环境保护和修复治理提供更多的科学依据。     

Ocean urea fertilization for carbon credits poses high ecological risks

The proposed plan for enrichment of the Sulu Sea, Philippines, a region of rich marine biodiversity, with thousands of tonnes of urea in order to stimulate algal blooms and sequester carbon is flawed for multiple reasons. Urea is preferentially used as a nitrogen source by some cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, many of which are neutrally or positively buoyant. Biological pumps to the deep sea are classically leaky, and the inefficient burial of new biomass makes the estimation of a net loss of carbon from the atmosphere questionable at best. The potential for growth of toxic dinoflagellates is also high, as many grow well on urea and some even increase their toxicity when grown on urea. Many toxic dinoflagellates form cysts which can settle to the sediment and germinate in subsequent years, forming new blooms even without further fertilization. If large-scale blooms do occur, it is likely that they will contribute to hypoxia in the bottom waters upon decomposition. Lastly, urea production requires fossil fuel usage, further limiting the potential for net carbon sequestration. The environmental and economic impacts are potentially great and need to be rigorously assessed.     

赤潮异弯藻(Heterosigma akashiwo)对蒙古裸腹溞(Moina mongolica)和日本新糠虾(Neomysis japonica)的毒性影响

采用生物急性和慢性毒性实验的方法,研究了赤潮异弯藻对蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾的毒性影响,并初步探讨了赤潮异弯藻导致二者较快死亡的机制。结果发现,赤潮异弯藻不仅对蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾的存活有显著影响,而且使其个体变小、产幼前发育时间延长、总生殖量降低、平均存活时间缩短,种群数量增长受抑制。显微观察发现,蒙古裸腹溞能摄食赤潮异弯藻,但摄食后,其粪便紧紧地粘在蒙古裸腹溞的肠道末端;日本新糠虾不摄食赤潮异弯藻,但该藻粘附在其触须、附肢以及腹部、尾部的刚毛上,以及作为食物的卤虫幼体也被大量粘附在一起,聚集成团,或通过赤潮异弯藻粘附在日本新糠虾的附肢上。因此赤潮异弯藻很可能通过干扰蒙古裸腹溞和日本新糠虾正常的生理活动,而导致其快速死亡。     

Long-term modification of Arctic lake ecosystems: Reference condition, degradation under toxic impacts and recovery (case study Imandra Lakes, Russia)

In this study, published data on Lake Imandra, north-west Russia, have been synthesised to investigate trends in lake contamination and recovery due to changing inputs of heavy metals and nutrients over time. Records of water chemistry, phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish communities have been used to determine the status of aquatic ecosystem health in three distinct phases of Lake Imandra's recent history. Firstly, background (reference) conditions within the lake have been established to determine lake conditions prior to anthropogenic influences. Secondly, a period of ecosystem degradation due to anthropogenic inputs of toxic metals and nutrients has been described. Finally, evidence of lake recovery due to recent decreases of toxic metals and nutrients has been explored. Pollution of Lake Imandra began in the 1930s, reaching a peak in the 1980s. Increases in heavy metal and nutrient inputs transformed the typical Arctic ecosystem. During the contamination phase, there was a decrease in Arctic species and in biodiversity. During the last 10 years, pollution has decreased and the lake has been recolonised by Arctic water species. Ecosystem recovery is indicated by a change of predominant species, an increase in the individual mass of organisms and an increase in the biodiversity index of plankton communities. In accordance with Odum's ecosystem succession theory, this paper demonstrates that the ecosystem has transformed to a more stable condition with new defining parameters. This illustrates that the recovery of Arctic ecosystems towards pre-industrial reference conditions after a reduction in anthropogenic stresses occur, although a complete return to background conditions may not be achievable. Having determined the status of current ecosystem health within Lake Imandra, the effect of global warming on the recovery process is discussed. Climate warming in Arctic regions is likely to move the ecosystem towards a predominance of eurybiontic species in the community structure. These organisms have the ability to tolerate a wider range of environmental conditions than typical Arctic inhabitants and will gain advantages in development. This indicates that the full recovery of Arctic ecosystems in a warming climate may not be possible.