Study on Different Size-fractionated Phytoplankton Assemblage Change in the Mesocosm Ecosystem

A algal bloom process had been simulated via field mesocosm experiment, and the change of phytoplankton assemblage of different sizes in different growing phases had been studied. Nutrients addition could promote the growth of phytoplankton In the mesocosm of Prorocentrum donghaiense （M1） and the mesocosm of natural waters （M2）, and the peaks of chlorophyll a were 112.79 mg/m and 235.60 mg/m, respectively. The restraining effect of nano-phytoplankton on pico-phytoplankton growth was stronger in M2 than in M1. When nutrients were abundant, the relative growth rate of diatom was higher than that of P. donghaiense, and they reached the peak quickly and then came to die out very fast. The decreasing of Si promoted diatom bloom to die out.

Organic carbon stratification and size distribution of three typical paddy soils from Taihu Lake region,China

Developing realistic soil carbon （C） sequestration strategies for China＇s sustainable agriculture relies on accurate estimates of the amount, retention and turnover rates of C stored in paddy soils. Available C estimates to date are predominantly for the tilled and flood-irrigated surface topsoil （ca. 30 cm）. Such estimates cannot be used to extrapolate to soil depths of 100 cm since soil organic carbon （SOC） generally shows a sharp decrease with depth. In this research, composite soil samples were collected at several depths to 100 cm from three representative paddy soils in the Taihu Lake region, China. Soil organic carbon distribution in the profiles and in aggregate-size fractions was determined. Results showed that while SOC decreased exponentially with depth to 100 cm, a substantial proportion of the total SOC （30%-40%） is stored below the 30 cm depth. In the carbon-enriched paddy topsoils, SOC was found to accumulate preferentially in the 2-0.25 and 0.25-0.02 mm aggregate size fractions. δ^13C analysis of the coarse micro-aggregate fraction showed that the high degree of C stratification in the paddy topsoil was in agreement with the occurrence of lighter δ^1313C in the upper 30 cm depth. These results suggest that SOC stratification within profiles varies with different pedogenetical types of paddy soils with regards to clay and iron oxyhydrates distributions. Sand-sized fractions of aggregates in paddy soil systems may play a very important role in carbon sequestration and turnover, dissimilar to other studied agricultural systems.

Distribution of Cu and Pb in particle size fractions of urban soils from different city zones of Nanjing, China

Soil samples from 4 defined city zones of Nanjing were randomly collected at 0-5 cm and 5-20 cm intervals and size fractions of soil particles were separated from undisturbed bulk soils by low energy dispersion procedure. The total contents of Cu and Pb in the different particle size fractions of the urban soils were analyzed by HNO3-HF-HClO4 digestion and flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer determination. The total content of Cu and Pb in soil particle size fractions varied with their size and with city zones as well. Both the content and variation with the size fractions of Pb was bigger than of Cu supporting our previous finding that there was Pb pollution to different degrees in the urban soils although the two elements were generally enriched in clay-sized fraction. Contaminated Pb tended to be preferentially enriched in the size fraction of 2000-250 μm and clay-sized fraction. While the size fractions of the soils from newly developed and preserved area contained smaller amount of Cu and Pb, the partitioning of them in coarse and fine particle size fractions were insignificant compared to that from inner residence and commercial area. The very high Pb level over 150 mg/kg of the fine particle fractions from the soils of the inner city could be a cause of high blood Pb level reported of children from the city as acute exposure to Pb of fine particles of the urban soil might occur by soil ingestion and inhalation by young children. Thus, much attention should be paid to the partitioning of toxic metals in fine soil particles of the urban soils and countermeasures against high health risk of Pb exposure by soil ingestion and dust inhalation should be practiced against the health problem of blood Pb for young children from the cities.

Effects of free iron oxyhydrates and soil organic matter on copper sorption-desorption behavior by size fractions of aggregates from two paddy soils

Effects of free iron oxyhydrates （Fed） and soil organic matter （SOM） on copper （Cu^2＋） sorption-desorption behavior by size fractions of aggregates from two typical paddy soils （Ferric-Accumulic Stagnic Anthrosol （Soil H） and Gleyic Stagnic Anthrosol （Soil W）） were investigated with and without treatments of dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and of H2O2. The size fractions of aggregates were obtained from the undisturbed bulk topsoil using a low energy ultrasonic dispersion procedure. Experiments of equilibrium sorption and subsequent desorption were conducted at soil water ratio of 1：20, 25℃. For Soil H, Cu^2＋ sorption capacity of the DCB-treated size fractions was decreased by 5.9% for fine sand fraction, by 40.4% for coarse sand fraction, in comparison to 2.9% for the bnlk sample. However, Cu^2＋ sorption capacities of the H2O2-treated fractions were decreased by over 80% for the coarse sand fraction and by 15% for the clay-sized fraction in comparison to 88% for bulk soil. For Soil W, Cu^2＋ sorption capacity of the DCB-treated size fraction was decreased by 30% for the coarse sand fraction and by over 75% for silt sand fraction in comparison to 44.5% for the bulk sample. Cu^2＋ sorption capacities of the H2O2-treated fractions were decreased by only 2.0% for the coarse sand fraction and by 15% for the fine sand fraction in comparison to by 3.4% for bulk soil. However, Cu^2＋ desorption rates were increased much in H2O2-treated samples by over 80% except the clay-sized fraction （only 9.5%） for Soil H. While removal of SOM with H2O2 tendend to increase the desorption rate, DCB- and H2O2-treatments caused decrease in Cu^2＋ retention capacity of size fractions, Particularly, there hardly remained Cu^2＋ retention capacity by size fractions from Soil H after H2O2 treatment except for clay-sized fraction. These findings supported again the dominance of the coarse sand fraction in sorption of metals and the preference of absorbed metals bound to SOM in differently stabilized status among the size fractions. Thus, enrichment and turnover of SOM in paddy soils may have great effects on metal retention and chemical mobility in paddy soils.

Spatial and temporal variability and size fractionation of chlorophyll a in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean

The spatial and temporal variability and size fractionation of chlorophyll a (Chl a) were investigated in the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean during four survey cruises from 2005 to 2009.The surface Chl a (S-Chl a) concentration ranged from 0.002 to 0.497 mg/m3 and was obviously higher in the eastern Pacific than in the western and central Pacific.The vertical distribution of Chl a displayed a single peak pattern,and the maximum Chl a layer (MCL) was observed at a shallower depth in the eastern Pacific than in the western Pacific.All three size fractions of Chl a measurements in the surface water showed a similar distribution to total Chl a and were found in higher concentrations in the eastern Pacific than in the western and central Pacific.Picoplankton dominated the phytoplankton in the surveyed tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean.Furthermore,pico-Chl a (0.2-2 μm) accounted for a larger percentage of the total Chl a in the central Pacific than it did in the western Pacific and eastern Pacific.In the western Pacific,there seemed to be a latitudinal variability in the phytoplankton community composition where small-sized phytoplankton (＜2 μm) were more dominant in the tropical than in the subtropical western Pacific.The spatial and temporal variability and size fractionation of Chl a were controlled by hydrological and chemical characteristics and climate events,such as El Ni(n)o and La Ni(n)a.

Flotation kinetics performance of different coal size fractions with nanobubbles

The flotation kinetics of different size fractions of conventional and nanobubble(NB) flotation were compared to investigate the effect of NBs on the flotation performance of various coal particle sizes. Six flotation kinetics models were selected to fit the flotation data, and NBs were observed on a hydrophobic surface under hydrodynamic cavitation by atomic force microscope scanning. Flotation results indicated that the best flotation performance of size fraction at-0.125+0.074 mm can be obtained either in conventional or NB flotation. NBs increase the combustible recovery of almost all the size fractions, but they increase the product ash content of-0.25+0.074 mm and reduce the product ash content of-0.045 mm at the same time. The first-order models can be used to fit the flotation data in conventional and NB flotation, and the classical first-order model is the most suitable one. NBs considerably enhance flotation rate on coarse size fraction(-0.5+0.25 mm) but decrease the flotation rate of the medium size(-0.25+0.074 mm). The improvement of flotation speed on fine coal particles(-0.074 mm) is probably the reason for the improved performance of raw sample flotation.

Size structure of biomass and primary production of phytoplankton：environmental impact analysis in the Dongsha natural gas hydrate zone, northern South China Sea

The size-fractionated biomass and primary production of phytoplankton, and the influence of environmental factors on it were studied in the Dongsha natural gas hydrate zone of the northern South China Sea in May 2013.Low nutrient, low chlorophyll a（Chl a） and primary productivity characteristics were found in these waters. The phenomena of subsurface Chl a maximum layers（SCMLs） and primary production maximum layers（SPMLs）were observed in the Dongsha waters. There were significant differences in the size-fractionated biomass and primary production that showed picophytoplankton〉nanophytoplankton〉microphytoplankton in terms of biomass and degree of contribution to production. Vertical biomass distribution indicated there were considerable differences among different phytoplankton within the euphotic zone（Zeu） in spring. For example,microphytoplankton was distributed evenly in the euphotic layer and nanophytoplankton was mainly distributed in the subsurface or in the middle of the euphotic layer, while picophytoplankton was mainly distributed in the middle or bottom of the euphotic layer. Smaller cell size and larger relative surface area allow picophytoplankton to benefit from nutrient competition and to hold a dominant position in the tropical oligotrophic waters of low latitudes. There was a positive correlation between size-fractionated biomass and temperature with pH and a negative correlation between size-fractionated biomass and silicate with phosphate. There was a positive correlation between size-fractionated primary production and temperature and a negative correlation between size-fractionated biomass and salinity with phosphate. Phosphate was an important factor influencing the size structure of phytoplankton. Meanwhile, irradiation and the euphotic layer were more important in regulating the vertical distribution of size-fractionated phytoplankton in the Dongsha natural gas hydrate zone.

Size-fractionated uranium isotopes in surface waters in the Jiulong Estuary in China

Surface water was collected from the Jiulong Estuary for determination of activity concentrations of uranium isotopes in different size fractions, namely, greater than 53, 10 -53, 2 - 10, 0.4 -2 μm, 10 000 u -0.4 μm and less than 10 000 u fractions by microfihration and cross-flow uhrafiltration technologies. Results indicated that most of the dissolved uranium （ 〈 0.4 μm） exis- ted in the low molecular mass fraction （ 〈 10 000 u）, and the colloidal uranium-238 （10 000 u -0.4 μm） only contributed less than 1% of the dissolved uranium-238. The fractions of colloidal uranium in the dissolved phases decreased with the increasing sa- linity. A positive linear relationship between uranium-238 activities and salinities was observed for the dissolved, colloidal and low molecular mass fractions, indicating a conservative behavior of uranium in the Jiulong Estuary. In the particulate phases （ 〉 0.4 μm）, the partitioning of uranium isotopes among different size fractions was controlled by the partitioning of particle concentrations. In the regions with salinities below 20, the partitioning of uranium-238 among different size fractions was as follows： 10 - 53 μm 〉 2 - 10 μm 〉 0.4 - 2 μm greater than above 53 μm. However, the order at the offshore station with salinities above 30 changed as follows ： 0.4 - 2 μm 〉 10 - 53 μm 〉 2 - 10 μm greater than above 53 μm. The fraction of the 0.4 - 2 μm particles increased at the offshore station, suggesting the increased contribution of the authigenic uranium. The activity ratio of uranium-234 to uranium-238 in the dissolved phases, including the low molecular mass fraction and the colloidal fraction, was larger than unity, showing the occurrence of excess uranium-234. In contrast, the activity ratio of uranium-234 to uranium-238 in all size fractions of the particulate phase was close to the equilibrium value （1.0）. The observed different values of the activity ratio of uranium-234 to uranium-238 in the dissolved phase and the particulate phase were ascribed to the preferential leaching of uranium-234 and the small amount of the leaching particulate uranium. The mass ratio of thorium-232 to uranium-238 also showed different values between the dissolved phase and the particulate phase. Mass ratio of thorium-232 to uranium-238 in the dissolved, colloidal and low molecular mass fractions was less than unity, while those in the different size fractions of particulate phases were larger than unity, reflecting a different behavior between uranium and thorium during their transport into the ocean.

Seasonal export fluxes of size-fractionated particulate derived from polonium-210: A case study in Xiamen Bay

Size-fractionated 210Po and 210Pb, in the size fractions >0.4 μm, >2 μm and >10 μm, were examined to determine the seasonal variability of particulate fluxes in Xiamen Bay. Good correlations between 210Po and particulate organic carbon (POC) or non-Particulate Organic Matter (nPOM) suggested that 210Po can be used to trace the export fluxes of POC and nPOM. Both steady-state (SS) model and nSS model were used to evaluate fluxes of size-fractionated 210Po, results showed that nSS model was better than the SS model in coastal areas. Based on the nSS model, size-fractionated POC fluxes decreased with increasing particle size. For the particle size studied, maximum POC fluxes occurred in autumn, followed by spring, winter, and summer. Fluxes of nPOM were an order of magnitude higher than the corresponding size-fractionated POC fluxes. Differences between size-fractionated nPOM fluxes indicated that hydrodynamic conditions were the main factor regulating transportation of particulate out of the inner Bay. In winter most particulates, including >10 μm particles, were transported under the strongest hydrodynamic conditions. In contrast, only a fraction of the <2 μm particulates were transported from the inner Bay in spring. This study suggested that 210Po is a powerful tracer of seasonal particulate export in coastal seas.

Distribution characteristics and controlling factors of typical heavy metals in Huanghe River estuary,China

The geochemical characteristics and potential controlling factors of colloidal Zn,Cd,and Pb in Huanghe(Yellow)River estuary(HRE),China were investigated.The three metals were highly variable over a range of spatiotemporal scales,comprehensively forced by various physical and biological processes.Total dissolved Zn,Cd,and Pb varied from 200.1 to 321.7,2.6 to 4.1,and 0.5 to 1.0 nmol/L,respectively.Only one near-estuarine station of Zn had contamination factor values>1,which indicate the lower contaminant levels.Five dissolved species of Zn,Cd and Pb were fractionated,namely<1 kDa,1-3 kDa,3-10 kDa,10-100 kDa,and 100 kDa-0.45μm.The<1 kDa truly dissolved phase was the main fraction of the three dissolved metals(50%-62%),while the 100-kDa-0.45-μm high molecular weight colloidal fraction was dominant in their respective colloidal phase.Territorial input and sediment acted as important sources of strong ligands and natural colloids for the HRE water system.<3-kDa Zn and Pb were susceptible to the dissolved oxygen,the behaviors of colloidal Zn and 3-10-kDa Pb were related to dissolved organic carbon(DOC).However,no significant correlation between each dissolved fraction of Cd and salinity,pH,temperature,colloidal organic carbon,and DOC was found in this study.Overall,these findings,completed by the evaluation of the dissolved species of Zn,Cd,and Pb at 10 sites over the river-sea mixing zone,provided new insights into the colloidal heterogeneity that affect metals geochemical features,migration and fate in estuaries.

Environmental change inferred from Rb and Sr of lacustrine sediments in Huangqihai Lake,Inner Mongolia

Based on the geochemical elements Rb and Sr in sediments with three different grain size fractions from profile H3 on the northern lacustrine bottomland 13 m above the Huangqihai Lake surface in 1986,the paper investigates the record of palaeolake stand state, sedimentary environmental evolution,and winter monsoon change.First,these samples are separated into three different grain size fractions,i.e.,total sediments,77-20μm and〈20μm. Second,the chemical elements-Rb and Sr-of the grain size separation were tested and analyzed systematically in this paper.Then the elements compositions of these samples are measured using VP-320 mode fluorescence spectrum instrument,respectively.The magnetic susceptibility of these samples is measured using Kappabridge KLY-3 mode instrument made in Czech AGICO Company.The results showed the elements and the ratios varied regularly with the grain size.But the ratio of Rb/Sr in the sediments〈20μm correlates positively with the magnetic susceptibility of these samples.Therefore,the ratio of Rb/Sr in the fraction〈20 μm from the lake sediments reflected the strengthening of the weathering in the deposition sites.It is a good indicator of the summer monsoon-induced weathering and pedogenesis fluctuations and can be used to reconstruct the conditions of the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment.

Behavior of different phosphorus species in suspended particulate matter in the Changjiang estuary

Suspended particulate matter （SPM） collected in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） estuary in June 2006 was separated into five fractions via water elutriation： clay-very fme silt （〈8 μm）, fine silt （8-16 μm）, medium silt （16--32 μm）, coarse silt （32~53 μm） and sand （〉63 μm）. The SPM and fractionated particles were sequentially analyzed by a modified SEDEX sequential extraction method to obtain six species of phosphorus： exchangeable or loosely-sorbed P, organic P, Fe-bound P, authigenic P, detrital P and refractory P. The results indicated that all particulate phosphorus species except for detrital P were negatively correlated to particle size; a high detrital P content was found in coarse silt and very coarse silt. From the inside of the river mouth to the gate of the fiver mouth, organic P, Fe-bound P and refractory P in the suspended particles decreased and a higher amount of exchangeable P appeared around the gate of the fiver mouth. From the gate of the river mouth to the sea, exchangeable P and organic P in suspended panicles increased distinctly. The total particulate P flux into the estuary from the Changjiang River was about 45.45×10^8μmol/s during sampling. Of this, about 8.27×10^8μmol/s was associated with the ＂truly suspended＂ fraction. The bio-available particulate P flux was about 13.58×10^8μmol/s. Of this, about 4.24 ×10^8μmol/s w as transported by ＂truly suspended＂ particles.

The distribution of chlorophyll a in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean in austral summer

To study the effect of hydrographic factors on the spatial distributions of chlorophyll a （Chl a）, an investigation was carried out in the tropical eastern Indian Ocean （80 –100 E along 7 S, and 7 –18 S along 80 E） in December 2010. The fluorescent method was used to obtain total Chl a and size-fractioned Chl a at the 26 stations. The results show that surface Chl a concentration averaged at （0.168 ± 0.095） mg/m 3 s.d. （range： 0.034–0.475 mg/m 3 ）, concentrations appeared to be higher in the west for longitudinal variations, and higher in the north for latitudinal variations. Furthermore, the surface Chl a concentration was lower （0.034–0.066 mg/m 3 ） in the region to the south of 16 S. There was a strong subsurface Chl a maximum layer at all stations and the depth of the Chl a maximum increased towards to the east and south along with the respective nitracline. The spatial variation of Chl a was significant： correlation and regression analysis suggests that it was primarily affected by PO 3 4 , N（NO 3 –N＋NO 2 –N） and temperature. Size-fractionated Chl a concentration clearly showed that the study area was a typical oligotrophic open ocean, in which picophytoplankton dominated, accounting for approximately 67.8% of total Chl a, followed by nanophytoplankton （24.5%） and microphytoplankton （7.6%）. The two larger fractions were sensitive to the limitation of P, while picophytoplankton was primarily affected by temperature.

Effect of the column height on the performance of liquid-solid fluidized bed for the separation of coarse slime

A liquid-solid fluidized bed separator, used for the separation of coarse slime, was developed. Test parti- cles sized in the range from 0.25 to 0.5, 0.5 to 1.0, and 0.25 to 1.0 mm were separated in the liquid-solid fluidized bed. Beds with column heights of 1200, 1500, and 1800 mm were tried. The clean coal and the railings were subsequently analyzed by float-sink testing. The results showed that the ash and yield of clean coal both decreased with increasing column height, for all three size fractions, and that the ash of the clean coal obtained from tests on the broader size fraction was less than that from the narrower sized fractions. The separation density decreased with increasing column height. The lowest E value was seen for a column height of 1500 ram, for which conditions the separation density was 1.45 g/cm3. The E value was 0.084 for the 0.25-0.5 mm fraction but the corresponding separation density was 1.48 g/cm3, and the E value 0.089, for the broader 0.25-1.0 mm fraction.

A method for simulating sediment incipient motion varying with time and space in an ocean model(FVCOM):development and validation

We modified the sediment incipient motion in a numerical model and evaluated the impact of this modification using a study case of the coastal area around Weihai, China. The modified and unmodified versions of the model were validated by comparing simulated and observed data of currents, waves, and suspended sediment concentrations(SSC) measured from July 25^(th) to July 26^(th), 2006. A fitted Shields diagram was introduced into the sediment model so that the critical erosional shear stress could vary with time. Thus, the simulated SSC patterns were improved to more closely reflect the observed values, so that the relative error of the variation range decreased by up to 34.5% and the relative error of simulated temporally averaged SSC decreased by up to 36%. In the modified model, the critical shear stress values of the simulated silt with a diameter of 0.035 mm and mud with a diameter of 0.004 mm varied from 0.05 to 0.13 N/m^2, and from 0.05 to 0.14 N/m^2, respectively, instead of remaining constant in the unmodified model. Besides, a method of applying spatially varying fractions of the mixed grain size sediment improved the simulated SSC distribution to fit better to the remote sensing map and reproduced the zonal area with high SSC between Heini Bay and the erosion groove in the modified model. The Relative Mean Absolute Error was reduced by between 6% and 79%, depending on the regional attributes when we used the modified method to simulate incipient sediment motion. But the modification achieved the higher accuracy in this study at a cost of computation speed decreasing by 1.52%.

Influence of soil physicochemical properties,particle size fractions and mineralogy on the leaching potentials of arsenic and antimony in abandoned mine soils

At abandoned mine sites,arsenic(As)-and antimony(Sb)-enriched soils are often disposed of through onsite burial or capping.In highly weathered mine sites,the mobility of As and Sb is typically controlled by iron(Fe)(III)/Fe(II)phases;thus,the suitability of such disposal methods and appropriate testing techniques are questionable.In the present study,leaching potentials of As and Sb were examined using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure(TCLP),waste extraction test(WET),and WET-extended procedure(WET-EXT)at three abandoned mine site soils in Australia.The leached concentration of As regularly exceeded USEPA criteria(5 mg L^(-1)).The highest leached concentrations of As and Sb were observed in the finest particle size fraction(<0.053 mm)by WET-EXT(1040 mg L^(-1)for As and 21.10 mg L^(-1)for Sb)followed by WET(800 mg L^(-1)for As and 20.90 mg L^(-1)for Sb).The TCLP method resulted in the lowest concentrations of leached As(0.0009 mg L^(-1))and Sb(0.0003 mg L^(-1)).Crystalline and amorphous As-bearing Fe oxides were the main phases in the soils studied.However,the best correlations of leached As determined by TCLP(0.832),WET(0.944),and WET-EXT(0.961)were found with the non-specifically sorbed(NS1)As fraction.The mineralogical and sequential extraction data clearly indicate the dominant role of Fe geochemistry in controlling leachability of As and Sb.The TCLP method was unlikely to be suitable for assessing leachability,as it exhibited no relationship with leachable Fe and substantially lower leached As and Sb than the other two methods.Given the high to extremely high leachable As and Sb concentrations,most of the soil samples would not be recommended for placement in capping works,old shafts,or reduction systems(e.g.,collection in drainage basins).

Distribution and Accumulation of Major and Trace Elements in Gypsum Samples from Lignite Combustion Power Plant

Flue gas containing volatile elements, fine fly ash particulates not retained by particle control devices, and limestone are the most important sources of trace and major elements (TMEs) in wet flue gas desulphurization (WFGD) gypsum. In this study, samples of gypsum slurry were separated into fine and coarse fractions. Multi-elemental analysis of 45 elements in the different size fractions of gypsum, slurry waters and lignite were performed by k0-INAA (k0-instrumental neutron activation analyses). The study found that the volatile elements (Hg, Se and halogens) in the flue gas accumulate in the fine fractions of gypsum. Moreover, the concentrations of most TMEs are considerably higher in the fine fractions compared to the coarse fractions. The exceptions are Ca and Sr that primarily originate from the limestone. Variations of TMEs in the finer fractions are dependent on the presence of CaSO4·2H2O that is the main constituent of the coarse fraction. Consequently, the content of TMEs in the fine fraction is highly dependent on the efficiency of separating the fine fraction from the coarse fraction. Separation of the finer fraction, representing about 10% of the total gypsum, offers the possibility to remove effectively TMEs from WFGD slurry.

The relationship between organic matter and specific surface area in <2 μm clay size fraction of muddy source rock

The adsorption of organic matter(OM)onto clay minerals has long been considered as a significant way of OM preservation in source rock.Here we analyzed the relationship between OM and the specific surface area(SSA)of <2μm clay size fraction isolated from 13 source rock cores collected from Dongying depression.Rock-Eval pyrolysis and N2 adsorption experiment were employed to probe the characteristics of OM and SSA(denoted SBET)in samples before and after OM extraction using trichloromethane.The results indicate that various kinds of OM occurrence coexist in clay size fraction and their contributions to hydrocarbon are different in each period of OM evolution.The occurrence and amount of OM affect the S BET of clay size fraction,and a nonlinear negative correlation between total organic carbon(TOC)and S BET can be recognized.The soluble OM(chloroform extract "A"),mainly stored in the pore space of clay size fraction,shows a negative correlation in amount with S BET.Our data also indicate that free hydrocarbon(S1)was stored mainly in the pore space and/or the surface of clay size fraction,whereas pyrolysis hydrocarbon(S2)was mingled mainly with clay minerals.Therefore,to understand various OM occurrences and their relationship with SBET in the clay size fraction is significant in the study of generation,accumulation,and migration of hydrocarbon in muddy source rock.

Continuous size fractionation of magnetic nanoparticles by using simulated moving bed chromatography

The size fractionation of magnetic nanoparticles is a technical problem,which until today can only be solved with great effort.Nevertheless,there is an important demand for nanoparticles with sharp size distributions,for example for medical technology or sensor technology.Using magnetic chromatography,we show a promising method for fractionation of magnetic nanoparticles with respect to their size and/or magnetic properties.This was achieved by passing magnetic nanoparticles through a packed bed of fine steel spheres with which they interact magnetically because single domain ferro-/ferrimagnetic nanoparticles show a spontaneous magnetization.Since the strength of this interaction is related to particle size,the principle is suitable for size fractionation.This concept was transferred into a continuous process in this work using a so-called simulated moving bed chromatography.Applying a suspension of magnetic nanoparticles within a size range from 20 to 120 nm,the process showed a separation sharpness of up to 0.52 with recovery rates of 100%.The continuous feed stream of magnetic nanoparticles could be fractionated with a space-time-yield of up to 5 mg/(L∙min).Due to the easy scalability of continuous chromatography,the process is a promising approach for the efficient fractionation of industrially relevant amounts of magnetic nanoparticles.

Effects of Organic Amendments on Soil Physical Attributes and Aggregate-Associated Phosphorus Under Long-Term Rice-Wheat Cropping

The quantification of phosphorus(P) in bulk soil and P distribution in different size fractions of water-stable aggregates(WSAs)are important for assessing potential P loss through runoff. We evaluated available and total P distribution within WSAs of a sitty clay to clay soil in a long-term fertility experiment of a rice-wheat cropping system in India. Surface soil samples were collected from seven plots amended with NPK fertilizers in combination with or without organic amendments, farmyard manure(FYM), green manure(GM), and paddy straw(PS). The plot with no NPK fertilizers or organic amendments was set as a control. The soil samples were separated by wet sieving into four soil aggregate size fractions: large macroaggregates(> 2.0 mm), small macroaggregates(0.25–2.0 mm), fine microaggregates(0.05–0.25 mm), and a silt + clay-sized fraction(< 0.05 mm). Structural indices were higher in the soil receiving organic amendments than in the soil receiving inorganic fertilizer alone. Organically amended soil had a higher proportion of stable macroaggregates than the control and the soil receiving inorganic fertilizer alone, which were rich in microaggregates. Total and available P contents within WSAs were inversely related to the aggregate size, irrespective of treatment. The distribution of available and total P in the soil aggregate size fraction was as follows: silt + clay-size fraction > small macroaggregates > fine microaggregates> large macroaggregates. Within a size class, aggregate-associated available and total P contents in the organically amended soil were in the following order: FYM > PS ≥ GM. The available P content of the microaggregates(< 0.25 mm) was 8-to 10-times higher than that of the macroaggregates(> 0.25 mm), and the total P content of the microaggregates was 4-to 5-times higher than that of the macroaggregates. Cultivation without organic amendments resulted in more microaggregates that could be checked by the application of organic amendments such as FYM and GM, which increased the proportion of water-stable macroaggregates by consolidating microaggregates into macroaggregates.