Application of stress release models to historical earthquakes from North China

Univariate and multivariate stress release models are fitted to historical earthquake data from North China. It is shown that a better fit is obtained by treating separately the Eastern part of the region, including the North China Plain and Bohai Sea, and the Western part of the region, including the Ordos Plateau and its Eastern boundary. Further improvement is obtained by fitting the large events (M7.6) and smaller events in the Western region by different stress release models. The comparisons are made by computing the likelihoods of the fitted models and discounting the number of parameters used by Akaike's AIC criterion. The models are used to develop long-term risk scenarios for the East and West regions.     

Numerical modeling for analyzing thermal surface anomalies induced by underground coal fires

Coal seams burning underneath the surface are recognized all over the world and have drawn increasing public attention in the past years. Frequently, such fires are analyzed by detecting anomalies like increased exhaust gas concentrations and soil temperatures at the surface. A proper analysis presumes the understanding of involved processes, which determine the spatial distribution and dynamic behavior of the anomalies.In this paper, we explain the relevance of mechanical and energy transport processes with respect to the occurrence of temperature anomalies at the surface. Two approaches are presented, aiming to obtain insight into the underground coal fire situation: In-situ temperature mapping and numerical simulation. In 2000 to 2005, annual temperature mapping in the Wuda (Inner Mongolia, PR China) coal fire area showed that most thermal anomalies on the surface are closely related to fractures, where hot exhaust gases from the coal fire are released. Those fractures develop due to rock mechanical failure after volume reduction in the seams. The measured signals at the surface are therefore strongly affected by mechanical processes.More insight into causes and effects of involved energy transport processes is obtained by numerical simulation of the dynamic behavior of coal fires. Simulations show the inter-relation between release and transport of thermal energy in and around underground coal fires. Our simulation results show a time delay between the coal fire propagation and the observed appearance of the surface temperature signal. Additionally, the overall energy flux away from the burning coal seam into the surrounding bedrock is about 30-times higher than the flux through the surface. This is of particular importance for an estimation of the energy released based on surface temperature measurements. Finally, the simulation results also prove that a fire propagation rate estimated from the interpretation of surface anomalies can differ from the actual rate in the seam.     

Microbial release of potassium from K-bearing minerals by thermophilic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus

A strain of thermophilic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured with K-bearing minerals to determine if microbe-mineral interactions enhance the release of mineralic potassium. Experiments were carried out in two settings, one with the mineral grains and the fungal cells in direct contact, and the other employing a membrane (pore size 0.22 μm) to separate the two. Measurements over a period of 30 days showed that, irrespective of the experimental setup, the concentration of free K in the culture was drastically higher than those in any of the control experiments where no living organism was present. Moreover, the occurrence of mineral-cell physical contact enhanced potassium release by an additional factor of 3 to 4 in comparison to the separation experiments. For contact experiments, Electron Probe Microanalysis revealed the formation of mycelium-mineral aggregates, and Atomic Force Microscopy imaging further indicated the possible ingestion of mineral particles by the fungus cells. Contrasting to what was observed and expected in control experiments, the potassium solubilization rate showed a positive dependence upon pH when fungi and minerals were mixed directly, and exhibited no correlations with solution acidity if cell-rock contact was restrained. These results appear to suggest that A. fumigatus promoted potassium release by means of at least three likely routes, one through the complexation of soluble organic ligands, another appealing to the immobile biopolymers such as the insoluble components of secretion, and the third related to the mechanical forces in association with the direct physical contact between cells and mineral particles.     

The Role of Fracture Structure in Leachate Pollution at Landfills: A Case Study of a Landfill in Chongqing City

This paper studies a landfill where there are three faults running through. As serious pollution has occurred to the geological environment, the landfill is to be closed up and renovated. The paper aims to explore the role of fracture structure in leachate pollution at the landfill. The research was carried out in several stages. First, mathematical models of the pre-renovation landfill with three faults running through and the landfill after renovation were established. And then, the boundary conditions and parameters of the two mathematical models were determined. The groundwater level of the landfills was simulated in order to modify the two mathematical models. As a result, a feasible mathematical model was achieved. Based on this model, a comparison was made of the COD concentration variations in the inside leachate and outside leachate between the two landfills. Accordingly, the impacts of the fracture structure on the pollution of leachate at the landfills could be identified. The study results show that while faults contribute to the migration of ieachate, they also serve as a confluence of leachate, thus further deteriorating the environment. The COD concentrations of the inside leachate and the outside leachate of the pre-renovation landfill are respectively 800 mg/L and 220 mg/L higher than those of the post-renovation landfill. Therefore, measures must be taken to handle the ieachate seepage in areas where there are faults as well as the neighboring areas so as to get the environmental pollution under control.     

基于ArcIMS的城市小区信息发布系统的设计与实现

利用ESRI公司新一代Web GIS产品Arc IMS9.0,结合ASP及IIS6.0、SQL Serve、ArcSDE等网络、空间数据库方面技术,建立了城市小区信息发布系统。总结了ArcIMS的特点和体系结构,提出了基于ArcIMS的城市小区信息发布系统的设计思路和方案,阐述了系统的具体实现方法。     

三峡库区消落区土壤磷释放的环境影响因子

以三峡库区消落区万州段为试验基地,选取释磷能力较强的紫色冲积土,根据三峡水库消落带的"干湿交替"空间和时间特征,进行万州断面土壤磷释放的影响因子的实验室模拟试验和万州江面淹没的对照试验。研究发现,随着淹水时间的变化,各种形态的磷在前5~10d各形态磷变化有相当的差异,随后变化趋势趋于稳定。TP有降低的趋势,土壤磷有一定的释放。野外研究表明Olsen-P在淹水10周左右到达最大值,以后缓慢降低。淹水时土壤Olsen-P增加,干燥后降低。多次淹水时每次淹水后土壤的有效磷水平都略有增加,落干后相较上次落干后有效磷水平降低,最后一次淹水后相较与初始时Olsen-P水平低16.7%。随着淹水深度增加,土壤的Olsen-P水平在淹水时由淹水前20.53mg/kg提高到43.23mg/kg,增加110.6%。当上覆水磷浓度较低时(<2mg/L),磷吸附到达平衡的时间较短,约需要6周。当上覆水磷浓度较高(>2mg/L)时,磷吸附到达平衡的时间较长。微生物活动对淹水土壤的磷释放有一定影响,有微生物时磷的释放高于无微生物者0.048mg/L。种植植物的土壤在淹水后Olsen-P含量大于土壤直接淹没时的释放量,种植狗牙根(Cynodondactylon)和野地瓜藤(Ficustikoua)的土壤中Olsen-P分别较未种植物土壤释放量高出21.5%和12.7%。     

Can stable isotopes be used to monitor landfill leachate impact on surface waters?

Bacterially mediated methanogenesis in municipal solid waste landfills has been shown to cause an enrichment of carbon stable isotope ratios of dissolved inorganic carbon and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of water in landfill leachate. In the present study, we investigate the universality of this enrichment in leachate obtained from four diverse landfill sites in New Zealand. At each site, surface water samples upstream and downstream of landfills were analysed to examine the applicability of stable isotope ratios as a tool for monitoring leachate contamination in landfill-associated streams. The design of leachate collection systems, operational history, and landfill location appeared to strongly influence leachate isotopic values and the effectiveness of isotope ratios as an environmental monitoring tool for surface water.     

Mitigation of municipal solid waste leachate contamination at Payatas, Metro Manila, Philippines： A technical proposal

The gross environmental condition of the Payatas Disposal Facility in Metro Manila, Philippines, implores the need for sustainable technologies to control and abate toxic municipal solid waste leachate and protect public health. A team of environmental engineers recognized this need by selecting the site as a design project for the Mondialogo Worldwide Engineering Award, sponsored by the United Nations and Daimler Chrysler. The project culminated in a technical proposal that highlighted the following design features： an impermeable dumpsite cap to control leachate generation; vertical impermeable barriers for containment and isolation of leachate; a drainage system to divert clean, surface water from the cap and prevent its contamination prior to discharge; a leachate recirculation system to enhance stabilisation of the waste deposit; and a facultative lagoon and constructed wetland system to treat excess leachate.     

梁子湖水体P的季节变化与沉积物P释放初步研究

采用分级测定的方法对梁子湖沉积物中无机磷酸盐进行了分析,测定了梁子湖水体P的季节变化,并以室内模拟的方法研究梁子湖沉积物在pH值和温度控制下P的释放特征。研究表明,梁子湖水体P的含量呈明显的季节变化,冬季高,夏季低。沉积物无机磷(P i)中以钙磷(Ca—P)为主(55%~61%),铁磷(Fe—P)次之(28%~33%),铝磷(A l—P)最少(3%~5%)。在梁子湖的入水口和出水口,由于沉积环境影响到P的形态,P的释放明显较湖心高。在试验初期,由于扰动的影响,使得P的释放在第1天比第2天和第3天高,其后P的释放量则迅速增加。温度对P释放影响明显,其具体表现为,30℃时P释放达到峰值的时间比4℃时提前4 d,而且前者峰值比后者高出9倍。pH值对沉积物P释放同样有明显的影响,与正常状态下的湖水条件(pH值为8.5)相比,偏酸(pH值为5.5)和偏碱(pH值为11.5)条件下,P的释放量增加。