Flowability,moisture sorption and thermal properties of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] grain flours

Recently tef is attracting the attention of the modern food industry since it is a gluten-free grain encompassing highly appreciated nutritional advaxntages. As a relatively new raw material, little information on its handling and processing properties is available. Flowability, water sorption characteristics and thermal properties of flours from three Ethiopian tef varieties were studied. Wheat (whole and refined) and rice flours were included as references. Tef flours were less flowable than the reference flours and their flow properties were more sensitive to water activity changes. Tef flours led to sigmoidal sorption isotherms with estimated monolayer water content of 0.053 (BET model) and 0.057 (GAB model) g water/g dry solids. No significant differences among the three tef varieties were observed on their gelatinization enthalpies that were higher than that of wheat and similar to rice. The amylopectin recrystallization extent after 7 days of storage at 4 °C was significantly higher in tef than in wheat flour.     

Sorption of Cr(VI) on the wood of Japanese larch treated with concentrated sulfuric acid

A carbonaceous sorbent was prepared from the wood of Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis) by dehydration with concentrated sulfuric acid in a 69% yield. The abilities of the sorbent to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions were investigated. Research parameters included the initial solution pH, temperature, and initial concentration of Cr(VI) in solution. The removal of Cr(VI) was highly solution pH dependent and was mainly governed by physicochemical sorption under weak acidic conditions. The equilibrium data fit well in the Langmuir isotherm model. The Langmuir constants were calculated at different temperatures, and the sorption capacity increased with rising temperature, indicating the endothermic nature of the Cr(VI) sorption onto the sorbent. The desorption experiments suggest that the Cr(VI) sorption is generally irreversible, owing to strong interaction of HCrO ₄ ⁻ with the active sites of the sorbent.     

Phosphatase activity does not limit the microbial use of low molecular weight organic-P substrates in soil

Plant roots and soil microorganisms contain significant quantities of low molecular weight (MW) phosphorylated nucleosides and sugars. Consequently, upon death these can represent a significant input of organic-P to the soil. Some of these organic-P substrates must first be dephosphorylated by phosphatases before being assimilated by the soil microbial community while others can be taken up directly from soil solution. To determine whether sorption or phosphatase activity was limiting the bioavailability of low MW organic-P in soil we compared the microbial uptake and C mineralization of a range of ¹⁴C-labeled organic-P substrates [glucose-6-phosphate, adenosine monophosphate (AMP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)] to that of the parent compounds (adenosine and glucose). In a fertile grassland soil we showed that at low organic-P substrate concentrations (<0.5 mM) phosphatase activity did not limit microbial uptake or mineralization in comparison to their non-phosphorylated counterparts. However, at high substrate concentrations (1-10 mM) the mineralization of the organic-P compounds was significantly lower than that of the non-phosphorylated compounds suggesting that phosphatase activity or microbial transporter capacity limited bioavailability. Sorption to the solid phase followed the series glucose<adenosine<G-6-P<AMP<ADP=ATP. However, sorption of the organic-P compounds to the solid phase did not appear to greatly affect bioavailability. The high adenosine mineralization capacity of the microbial biomass suggests that nucleosides may represent a significant source of C and N to the soil microbial biomass. We conclude that at low organic-P substrate concentrations typical of those in soil, neither phosphatase activity nor sorption greatly limits their bioavailability.     

Critical body residues (CBRs) for ecotoxicological soil quality assessment: copper in earthworms

The term ‘critical body residue’ (CBR) was defined as the lowest observed total body concentration of a contaminant in an organism, which is associated with the occurrence of adverse toxic effects in either individuals or populations of a defined age or stage of development. In this study, internal toxicity thresholds were determined for copper in the clitellated adult stage of earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus and Aporrectodea caliginosa). The objective was to assess the applicability of CBRs as a practical tool in soil quality assessment of contaminated sites and as a means of a sustainable protection of earthworm fauna. Laboratory studies showed that body concentrations of Cu were generally in agreement with the chemically available CaCl₂-extractable fraction in soil, but that there was also some evidence of internal pH-related homeostatic regulation. Toxicological correlates of body Cu concentrations with adverse effects on cocoon production (fecundity) suggested an approximate sublethal internal threshold of about 40 mg kg⁻¹, with mortality occurring at about 60 mg kg⁻¹. Adult L. rubellus sampled from areas with a wide range of metal pollution showed body Cu concentrations with a minimum of 8 mg kg⁻¹ and a maximum of 60 mg kg⁻¹. Beyond this apparent physiological tolerance range, environmental management directed at optimal earthworm population survival may not be sustainable in contaminated fields. Studies of L. rubellus colonizing a metal-contaminated experimental sludge-treated field showed that a reduced rate of colonization can already be associated with an average body Cu concentration of 25 mg kg⁻¹. However, in this particular field situation mixture effects of other metals that were also present in the soil and the occurrence of avoidance behaviour during colonization may have contributed to this low internal toxicity threshold. It is concluded that the CBR approach seems to be a feasible option for use as a tool in a bioavailability-based soil quality assessment, even for essential trace metals like copper, but that further insight may be needed to establish the uncertainty and reliability of the application in environmental quality assessment and decision making.     

土壤中黑碳对农药敌草隆的吸附-解吸迟滞行为研究

采用批处理振荡法和连续稀释法分别测定了敌草隆在人工添加黑碳土壤和自然形成的不同有机质和黑碳含量的土壤中的吸附一解吸行为。吸附结果表明，人工添加黑碳的土壤对敌草隆的吸附强度和吸附容量以及吸附等温线的非线性均随土壤黑碳添加浓度的增加而逐步增大；自然土壤的吸附容量和吸附强度随土壤总有机质含量增加而增加，但吸附等温线的非线性则与土壤中黑碳对有机质的相对含量有关，黑碳比例越高，等温线非线性越大。解吸实验结果表明，无论是人工添加黑碳的土壤还是自然土壤，对敌草隆的解吸迟滞作用均随土壤黑碳含量增高而愈明显。     

铬在土壤中的吸附解吸研究进展

对铬在土壤中的吸附解吸研究进行了综述,土壤中铬的吸附解吸机理包括非专性吸附(离子交换吸附)、专性吸附以及物理表面吸附,分别对pH、氧化还原电位、土壤组分(土壤矿物和有机质)、竞争离子以及离子强度等因素对铬吸附解吸的影响作了论述。文章进一步描述了土壤中铬吸附解吸的数学模型Freundlich方程、Langmuir方程、一级动力学模型、金属-腐殖酸模型(one-sitemodel)和表面络合模型-扩散层模型(DLM)等的研究情况,并对今后的研究方向进行了探讨。     

氧化还原条件对土壤磷素固定与释放的影响

为探讨水稻土由氧化环境转为还原条件时对土壤磷素固定与释放的影响,选择18种水稻土样品进行室内模拟实验,通过测定不同条件下磷的等温吸附曲线和采用氧化铁试纸测定法进行多次提取以对比淹水前后土壤磷的累计解吸量,发现大部分供试样品的固磷能力在淹水条件下有了显著的提高,全部样品在淹水后磷的释放量都有不同程度的减少。进一步的研究表明淹水条件下土壤对磷的固定与释放的变化主要与淹水后土壤Eh的降低和pH的升高而导致的大量无定形铁的形成有关。     

土壤·河流和水库沉积物对磷吸附特性的研究

[目的]以赋石水库和上游河道沉积物以及流域内代表性土壤3组共9个样品为对象来研究上覆水体磷浓度和pH的变化对沉积物和土壤对磷吸附的影响。[方法]采用室内模拟与模型预测。[结果]3组样品对磷的吸附量均随浓度的升高而增加,并达到平衡状态,用Langmuir方程能较好地拟合磷等温吸附过程。磷最大吸附量大小顺序为土壤>水库沉积物>河道沉积物。水库和河道沉积物的吸附/解吸平衡浓度均大于其上浮水体TP浓度。它们向水体释放磷,起污染"源"的作用。样品对上覆水pH有较强的缓冲性。上覆水pH在3～11时,平衡溶液pH在微酸到微碱之间,在1和13时为强酸和强碱性。上覆水pH在3～9时,样品均吸附磷,但对各个样品的影响较小,在1.62和10.53时样品对磷的吸附量为0,低于1.62和高于10.53时沉积物释放磷,且释放量随酸性和碱性的增强而增加。[结论]通过加强水土保持力度,改善土壤质地,增强土壤抗蚀力和对营养物质的吸持力,达到控制水土流失和营养物质流失的目的,并最终起到改善流域内水体质量的目的。     

线性和非线性方法估计单宁酸共存下形成的无定形铝氧化物上菲的吸附等温线参数比较

采用批实验研究了菲在单宁酸干扰下形成的不同晶形铝氧化物上的吸附现象,并用不同的吸附等温线方程对吸附平衡数据进行了拟合,重点比较了线性和非线性回归方法估计吸附等温线参数的差异。结果表明:菲在各种晶形的铝氧化物上都有明显的吸附,但并不是完全随着单宁酸含量和结晶度的变化而规律性变化。吸附平衡数据以Langmuir、Redlich-Peterson和Dubinin-Radushkevich吸附等温方程,用不同的回归方法估计的等温线参数值均有显著性差异。线性回归得到的参数有不确定性,表明用线性回归来判断吸附等温线能否对吸附平衡数据进行最优拟合是不可靠的。相反,非线性回归能较好地确定菲在不同晶形铝氧化物上的最佳吸附等温线及相应参数。采用R2和χ2共同检验发现,菲在4种不同结晶度(单宁酸与铝的摩尔比(MR)=0,10-3,10-2,10-1)铝氧化物上的最佳吸附等温线方程并不尽相同,分别为Freundlich,Freundlich,Dubinin-Radushkevich和Freundlich,反映了各种晶形的铝氧化物的表面异质性。修正的Freundlich方程比较不同晶形铝氧化物对菲的相对吸附容量顺序为:MR=10-3MR=10-2MR=0MR=10-1。由此,认为菲在无定形铝氧化物上的吸附是熵驱动的结果。     

Aspects of the adsorption and degradation of isoproturon in a heavy clay soil

Abstract. Degradation of isoproturon in a heavy clay soil followed first-order reaction kinetics with half-lives at 15 °C of 27 and 208 days in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Adsorption when shaken with 3 mm sieved samples of the soil fitted the empirical Freundlich relationship with k values of 3.25 in the topsoil and 1.06 in the subsoil. Adsorption in a static system with different sized aggregates of soil did not reach equilibrium, even after 24 hours contact, and the rate of adsorption was slower with larger aggregates. Following an adsorption period of 24 hours, desorption equilibrium was reached more rapidly with larger (6–10 mm) than with smaller (<3 mm) aggregates. Adsorption isotherms measured in a static system with a soil:water ratio typical of field conditions in winter also indicated less adsorption than that measured in shaken, laboratory systems with low soil:water ratios. The rate of change in water extractable residues of the herbicide was more rapid than that of total extract-able residues following application of isoproturon to the heavy clay soil in the field. The implications of the results for isoproturon leaching under field conditions are discussed.