Solid components and acid buffering capacity of soils in South China

The effects of soil solid components on soil sensitivity to acid deposition by sequential extraction method were studied. A multiple regression equation of soil sensitivity was set up on the basis of stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that organic matter expressed dual effects that were decided by soil original pH value and exchangeable cation composition on acid buffering reactions. The hydrolysis of activated oxides was a very important proton buffering reaction when in low pH situation. The crystalline oxides also played a role in the buffering reactions, but the role was restricted by the rate of activation of oxides. Meanwhile, the results by stepwise analysis showed that factors that had significant effect on soil acid buffering capacity were content of montmorillite, soil original pH value, Al 0, Mn 0 and CEC in decreasing order. Finally, sixteen soils were classified into four types of sensitive with single index cluster and multiple fuzzy cluster analysis respectively.

Effect of pH Control with Acetic Acid/Sodium Acetate Buffer on Hot-water Extraction of Poplar Wood

Poplar wood chips were extracted in an acetic acid/sodium acetate(SA/AA)buffer solution at 180ºC for 60 minutes,with a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:6,to investigate the effect of pH on the extraction performance in terms of chemical compositions of the extract.The pH was controlled by varying the concentrations of sodium acetate and acetic acid in the buffer system.Results showed that the SA/AA system could promote the dissolution of hemicellulose,obtaining more oligosaccharides and monosaccharides,and could also inhibit the excessive decomposition of monosaccharides.When extracting poplar wood chips in a SA/AA system of pH=3.7,the yield of oligosaccharides was the highest,while the contents of furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural decreased by 25%and 30%,respectively,compared to conventional water extraction systems.Moreover,the amount of lignin extracted in the S/AA process was also higher than that in a conventional hot water extraction process.

Structural Changes of Poplar Wood Lignin in Hydrothermal pretreatment in Acetic Acid-Sodium Acetate system

Hydrothermal pretreatment of poplar wood chips was performed in an acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer medium.To characterize the structural changes of lignin in the pretreatment process,milled wood lignin(MWL)was isolated from both the un-treated and treated poplar wood chips,and analyzed by ^(1)H-NMR,^(13)C-NMR,^(31)P-NMR,FT-IR,and GPC-MALLS.Results showed that the lignin in the pretreated wood chips had more phenolic OH groups,less aliphatic OH groups,higher molecular weight,and narrower polydispersity,in comparison with the lignin in the un-treated wood.The acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer pretreatment facilitated the removal of-OCH_(3) groups and the cleavage of the inter-unit linkages ofβ-O-4 bond in the lignin.Furthermore,the re-polymerization of lignin in the acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer pretreatment was found to be less than that in autohydrolysis.

Determination of Carbonate Minerals Responsible for Alkaline Mine Drainage at Xikuangshan Antimony Mine, China: Using Thermodynamic Chemical Equilibrium Model

Minerals responsible for mine water quality at the Xikuangshan antimony mine were identified and characterized by a computer-assisted thermodynamic chemical equilibrium model. A total of 30 samples were collected and analyzed for major cations and anions. The Eh-pH diagrams identified Fe2O3 as the dominant iron species, while SO4^2- was the dominant sulfide species, which indicates acid production. The major acid producing minerals undergoing oxidation were identified to be pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite and siderite. Other secondary sulfide minerals that contributed to SO4^2- concentration in the groundwater were gypsum and epsomite. Calcite and dolomite were the main buffering carbonate minerals. Identification of the specific acid producing and consuming minerals occurred in the mine area is critical to determine an effective water management plan.