Magnetic cleansing of weathered/tarry oiled feathers--the role of pre-conditioners

Iron powder has previously been demonstrated to be effective in the removal, via magnetic harvesting, of a wide variety of oil contaminants from feathers and plumage. This study investigates the efficacy of magnetic cleansing for the removal from feathers of tarry contamination that has been allowed to weather. Clusters of feathers from Mallard duck (Anas platyrhnchos) and Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) were completely immersed in a tarry contaminant and allowed to weather from one to fourteen days. The contaminant was removed using a magnetic cleansing protocol and the removal efficacy assessed gravimetrically. For one, seven and fourteen days of weathering, a final removal (after fourteen treatments) of more than 99% and 97% was achieved for duck feathers and penguin feathers, respectively. Repeating the experiments (for a seven-day weathering period) for both duck and penguin feathers, with the judicious application of a pre-conditioner (olive oil), further improved removal efficacy. A convenient method to screen for improved pre-conditioning agents is suggested.     

纳米铁去除饮用水中As(Ⅲ)和As(Ⅴ)

在好氧水体中,As(Ⅲ)比As(Ⅴ)更易迁移,而且在水处理过程中去除效率更低。在实验室合成制得BET比表面积为49.16 m2/g,直径范围为20~40 nm的纳米铁。通过批试验考察纳米铁对As(Ⅲ)和As(Ⅴ)去除能力及其反应动力学情况。结果表明,在pH为7,温度20℃时纳米铁能够快速地去除As(Ⅲ)和As(Ⅴ),在60 m in内,0.25 g纳米铁对起始浓度为968.6μg/L As(Ⅲ)和828.9μg/L As(Ⅴ)的去除率大于99.5%。反应遵循准一级反应动力学方程,标准化后的As(Ⅲ)和As(Ⅴ)比表面积速率常数kSA分别为1.30 mL/(m2.m in)和1.64 mL/(m2.m in)。由实验结果可知,具有高反应活性的纳米铁是用于含砷饮用水处理非常有效的吸附材料。     

11 Å tobermorite from cement bypass dust and waste container glass: A feasibility study

A novel one-step hydrothermal synthesis of 11 Å tobermorite, a cation exchanger, from a unique combination of waste materials is reported. 11 Å tobermorite was prepared from stoicheiometric quantities of cement bypass dust and waste container glass at 100 °C in water. The product also comprised 10 wt.% calcite and trace quartz as residual parent phases from the cement bypass dust. In a batch sorption study at 20 °C the uptakes of Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ by the waste-derived tobermorite product were found to be 171 mg g^− 1 and 467 mg g^− 1, respectively, and in both cases the removal process could be described using a simple pseudo-second-order rate model (k₂ = 2.30 × 10^− 5 g mg^− 1 min^− 1 and 5.09 × 10^− 5 g mg^− 1 min^− 1, respectively). The sorption characteristics of the 11 Å tobermorite are compared with those of other waste-derived sorbents and potential applications are discussed.     

Rejection of arsenic minerals in sulfide flotation — A literature review

Arsenic is one of the most dangerous inorganic pollutants and thus a penalty element in many base metal concentrates. Arsenic removal in sulphide flotation has been studied extensively with various approaches, including pre-oxidation of flotation pulp, E_h control during flotation and the use of selective depressants/collectors. Pre-oxidation of flotation pulp using oxidizing agents or aeration conditioning represents a simple approach in arsenic removal and was found effective in many cases. Selective flotation of arsenic minerals through E_h control has made significant advances in recent years with promising results achieved. In addition, various depressants and collectors have also been studied in arsenic removal. In this communication, the various approaches used in selective flotation of arsenic minerals are reviewed with emphasis on the development in recent years.     

Channel response to a dam-removal sediment pulse captured at high-temporal resolution using routine gage data

In this study, we captured how a river channel responds to a sediment pulse originating from a dam removal using multiple lines of evidence derived from streamflow gages along the Patapsco River, Maryland, USA. Gages captured characteristics of the sediment pulse, including travel times of its leading edge (~7.8 km yr⁻¹) and peak (~2.6 km yr⁻¹) and suggest both translation and increasing dispersion. The pulse also changed local hydraulics and energy conditions, increasing flow velocities and Froude number, due to bed fining, homogenization and/or slope adjustment. Immediately downstream of the dam, recovery to pre-pulse conditions occurred within the year, but farther downstream recovery was slower, with the tail of the sediment pulse working through the lower river by the end of the study 7 years later. The patterns and timing of channel change associated with the sediment pulse were not driven by large flow or suspended sediment-transporting events, with change mostly occurring during lower flows. This suggests pulse mobility was controlled by process-factors largely independent of high flow. In contrast, persistent changes occurred to out-of-channel flooding dynamics. Stage associated with flooding increased during the arrival of the sediment pulse, 1 to 2 years after dam removal, suggesting persistent sediment deposition at the channel margins and nearby floodplain. This resulted in National Weather Service-indicated flood stages being attained by 3–43% smaller discharges compared to earlier in the study period. This study captured a two-signal response from the sediment pulse: (1) short- to medium-term (weeks to months) translation and dispersion within the channel, resulting in aggradation and recovery of bed elevations and changing local hydraulics; and (2) dispersion and persistent longer-term (years) effects of sediment deposition on overbank surfaces. This study further demonstrated the utility of US Geological Survey gage data to quantify geomorphic change, increase temporal resolution, and provide insights into trajectories of change over varying spatial and temporal scales.     

Solid phase characterization and metal deportment in a mussel shell bioreactor for the treatment of AMD,Stockton Coal Mine,New Zealand

The Stockton Coal Mine, located on the West Coast of New Zealand, is evaluating the use of a mussel shell bioreactor (MSB) to treat acidic metalliferous runoff from acid forming overburden. This novel approach is similar in concept to vertical flow wetlands (VFWs) and successive alkalinity producing systems (SAPS). The MSB system is a trapezoidal pit 2 m deep, 35 m long, 3–10 m wide with 60° angle sides. During operation it contained 160 tonnes (240 m³) of mussel shell material and was saturated with a 100–200 mm water cap. Influent flowed through the reactor at a mean rate of 0.3 L s⁻¹ resulting in a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of ≈6 days. The prototype MSB was in operation for a total of 1027 days, from June 2009 through March 2012, and effectively sequestered 99.7% of Al, 99.3% of Fe, 98.8% of Ni, 98.4% Tl and 99.3% of Zn, as determined from a previous evaluation of MSB performance. The MSB also effectively neutralized acidity, which resulted in an increase in influent pH from 2.8 to 6.9 in the effluent. Based on an examination of several excavated pits, five distinct reaction zones developed within the MSB. The reaction zones consisted of an allochthonous sediment layer (0–330 mm), an oxidized iron-rich ocherous layer (at 330–350 mm depth), an aluminum layer (at 350–600 mm depth) with geochemical variations throughout (350–500 mm and 500–600 mm); and a chemically reduced bottom shell layer (at 600–1100 mm). Representative samples were collected from each layer and analyzed using a combination of geochemical and physical methods to assess the stability of the secondary minerals and trace metal deportment within the MSB. Major elements Fe, Al, Ni, Tl, and Zn where preferentially associated with particular layers within the MSB. Elevated concentrations of Fe (110,000 mg kg⁻¹) were observed in the allochthonous sediment and ocherous precipitate layers, while Al (27,816 mg kg⁻¹), Ni (55 mg kg⁻¹), and Zn (655 mg kg⁻¹) were elevated within the aluminum and lower reduced depths within the MSB. Trace Tl (21 mg kg⁻¹) showed varying concentrations throughout the MSB, but was strongly correlated to lower layers of the system. Microbial biofilms were observed within the reduced portions of the shell layers often proximal to bacterial shaped sulfides. The geochemical assessment of the MSB presented in this study is the first of its kind for a MSB, and supports the argument that this system is another viable option for passive treatment of AMD.     

Biofilm mediated uptake of selenium in streams with mountaintop coal mine drainage

Selenium (Se) may cause reproductive toxicity, yet the characteristics of Se bioaccumulation in aquatic food webs are understudied. Stream biofilms were grown in two reaches of Mud River, West Virginia (WV), including one downstream of a coal mine complex and an adjacent, unmined watershed. Mined stream biofilms contained significantly higher Se concentrations compared to unmined biofilms. An inverse relationship between water Se concentrations and biofilm accumulation factors was observed; mined-stream biofilms had an average bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 688 ± 350 fold while unmined-stream biofilms had an average BCF of 14505 ± 2700 fold.     

海水浓度对生物接触氧化法处理废水的影响

研究了海水浓度对生物接触氧化法处理废水的影响。结果表明,在淡水中添加海水超过35％时,生物接触氧化法去除废水的化学耗氧量(COD)的效果随着海水浓度的增加而降低．添加海水10％～25％时,COD的去除效果好,25％时COD最高总去除率可达87．8％．处理效果几乎与纯淡水的对照组(COD总去除率88．6％)等同。     

基于GIS的泸水县易地扶贫搬迁安置地选择

易地扶贫搬迁是对生活在恶劣环境中的贫困人口采取的扶贫举措。泸水县尚有大量人口需要易地搬迁解决贫困问题,泸水县特殊的峡谷地理环境,使安置地的选择成为棘手的问题。将GIS技术应用于扶贫易地搬迁地选择中,可以方便地找出适宜的搬迁居住地,为当地政府易地安置提供决策参考依据。安置区的选择,主要考虑以下因子：交通便利、土地资源丰富、水源丰富、坡度较为平缓、海拔较低,避开地质灾害隐患点和自然保护区等。通过GIS技术,将上述因子图层叠加后找到适合的安置地。结果表明：泸水县难以找到成片的面积较大的安置区,安置区呈零星状分布在各个乡镇。