Relative roles of resuspended particles and pore water in release of contaminants from sediment

Sediment layers containing contaminants play a significant role in environmental hydrodynamics. Experiments were conducted in order to characterize the relative roles of resuspended particles and pore water under different flow and sediment conditions. A conservative tracer （NaC1） and a reactive tracer （phosphate） were used as contaminants in the bottom sediment in a laboratory flume. The mixing between the overlying water and pore water occurred over a short time while the desorption of contaminants from fine-grained resuspended particles lasted a relatively long time. The effects of resuspended particles and pore water on the variations of release flux and concentration of contaminants in water with time under different hydrodynamic conditions were quantified. The results show that pore water dominated the initial release flux, which could be several orders of magnitude greater than the flux due to molecular diffusion. Flux contribution of desorption from sediment particles in the latter release could be equal to what was seen from pore water in the initial stage.

Development and application of multi-field coupled high-pressure triaxial apparatus for soil

The increasing severity of ground subsidence,ground fissure and other disasters caused by the excessive exploitation of deep underground resources has highlighted the pressing need for effective management.A significant contributing factor to the challenges faced is the inadequacy of existing soil mechanics experimental instruments in providing effective indicators,creating a bottleneck in comprehensively understanding the mechanisms of land subsidence.It is urgent to develop a multi-field and multi-functional soil mechanics experimental system to address this issue.Based soil mechanics theories,the existing manufacturing capabilities of triaxial apparatus and the practical demands of the test system,a set of multi-field coupled high-pressure triaxial system is developed tailored for testing deep soils(at depths of approximately 3000 m)and soft rock.This system incorporates specialized design elements such as high-pressure chamber and horizontal deformation testing devices.In addition to the conventional triaxial tester functions,its distinctive feature encompass a horizontal deformation tracking measuring device,a water release testing device and temperature control device for the sample.This ensemble facilitates testing of horizontal and vertical deformation water release and other parameters of samples under a specified stress conditions,at constant or varying temperature ranging from-40℃–90℃.The accuracy of the tested parameters meets the requirements of relevant current specifications.The test system not only provides scientifically robust data for revealing the deformation and failure mechanism of soil subjected to extreme temperature,but also offers critical data support for major engineering projects,deep exploration and mitigation efforts related to soil deformation-induced disaster.

A method to estimate aquifer artificial recharge from a hill dam in Tunisia

in arid and semi-arid areas, artificial recharge is a key technology in groundwater resources management, and a reliable estimate of artificial recharge is necessary to its sustainable development. Several methods are available to estimate the artificial recharge; however, most of them require field data or model parameters, thus limiting their applications. To overcome this limitation, we presented an analytical method to estimate the artificial recharge through monitoring the water release by piezometer and analysing the controlling factors of the artificial recharge from a hill dam in Tunisia. A total of 97 measurements of water flow in the streambed recorded from 4 gauging stations were analysed. Results indicated that the average infiltration velocity ranged from 0.043 to 0.127 m/d and the infiltration index varied from 7.6 to 11.8 L/（s.km）. Pearson＇s correlation coefficient analysis shows that the infiltration index, the stream gradient, the thickness of unsaturated zone, the number of infiltration pond, the stream geometry, and the water flow rate were found to be the main factors in determining the infiltration. The high correlation coefficients （0.908 for the number of infiltration pond and 0.999 for the stream geometry） mean that the number of infiltration pond and the stream geometry are the most influential factors. Time variations of groundwater level were used to analyze the recharge effects on the piezometry of aquifer. The analysis showed that during the artificial recharge, the water table increased at a rate of 5 mm/d and that the increase was limited to the area surrounding the recharge site. Based on the results of the study, building infiltration ponds along streambed and improving the potential of rainwater harvesting over the study area are recommended.

In situ investigation of lysozyme adsorption into polyelectrolyte brushes by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation

A well understanding about protein adsorption into charged polymer brushes is of importance in the elucidation of mechanism and important phenomena(such as “chain delivery”effect) in protein adsorption on polymer-grafted ion exchange adsorbents. In this work, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation(QCM-D) was introduced to in situ investigate lysozyme adsorption on QCM sensors grafted with poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate)(pSPM) via atom transfer radical polymerization. It was achieved by analyzing frequency(f) and energy dissipation(D) shift simultaneously on pSPM-grafted sensors. The result showed that an initial decrease in ΔD was typical of lysozyme adsorption on pSPM-grafted sensor and more significant with an increase of chain length and grafting density. It was attributed to significant water release in the hydration layer of protein and polymer chains in lysozyme adsorption into pSPM brushes.On pSPM-grafted sensors with long and dense chains, furthermore, lysozyme transitioned from monolayer to multilayer adsorption and the maximum adsorbed amount was obtained to be 374.0 ng·cmamong all pSPM-grafted sensors in this work. The results in D-f plot further revealed that lysozyme adsorption into pSPM brushes increased the rigidity of adsorbed layer and little structure adjustment of adsorbed lysozyme. It was unfavorable for “chain delivery” effect for facilitated transport of adsorbed protein. This work provided valuable insight into protein adsorption in pSPM brushes and outlined a feasible approach to increasing mass transport in polymer-grafted ion exchange adsorbents.

Boosting spring runoff into the sea by reservoir regulation and its potential for estuarine fishery recovery

With global surge in reservoir construction over the past decades,river systems worldwide have been profoundly fragmented.Consequently,flow manipulation by reservoirs has altered the natural hydrological processes,resulting in extensive modifications of fluvial-marine ecosystems.Mitigating the adverse ecological consequences of reservoirs has become a global concern and has garnered increasing attention.The Yellow River,as one of the most extensively manipulated river systems globally,has experienced substantial changes in the amount and timing of water discharge due to the presence of numerous reservoirs scattered throughout its catchment area.These alterations have caused physicochemical changes in the estuary and subsequent modifications to the estuarine ecosystem.In recent years,the Yellow River Conservancy Committee initiated the release of water through the Xiaolangdi Dam during the major spawning period of fisheries,specifically in the spring,with the aim of improving the estuarine ecological environment.From 2011 to 2020,a total of 84.05 km^(3)of water was discharged from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir during spring seasons,of which 40%(33.16 km^(3))constituted water impounded within the reservoir during preceding months.Correspondingly,the spring water discharge from the Yellow River to the sea increased significantly from 1.50 km^(3)/yr to 3.46 km^(3)/yr in the past decade,leading to a decrease in estuarine salinity by 1.6 PSU.The estuarine fishery resources,such as fish eggs in the Yellow River estuary,have demonstrated evident improvement.The reservoir regulation in the Yellow River,which has successfully enhanced spring water discharge and subsequently restored estuarine fishery resources,presents an effective attempt for mitigating the adverse ecological effects associated with reservoirs.