No description available.

Inputs of DOC in precipitation were low and increased with the passage of rainfall through different canopies. Throughfall, stemflow, leachates from A horizons and litterfall were identified as sources of DOC, while B and C horizons in upland areas provide a sink. Throughfall and stemflow displayed high temporal variability in DOC concentrations, while soil leachates and peat waters exhibited strong seasonal patterns. DOC concentrations in throughfall, stemflow and A horizons were highest in the predominantly coniferous site. In the fall, DOC concentrations from A horizons in the deciduous site were significantly higher than those from the coniferous site. / Factors influencing DOC in peat waters are: (1) peat thermal regime, (2) water chemistry, and (3) water table position. Large storms ($>$30 mm precipitation) appear to be the primary factor influencing exports of DOC in streamflow, particularly following dry antecedant soil moisture conditions. Slow rates of water movement through compact deep peats ($>$60 cm depth) and adsorption of DOC in B and C horizons of this catchment obstruct exports of DOC, which over the 5.5 month study period, were minimal in comparison to inputs.

Yang, Li. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-72). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and Motivation --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Objectives --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Contributions --- p.2 / Chapter 1.4 --- Organization of the Dissertation --- p.3 / Chapter 2 --- Carbon Nanotubes as Sensing Elements --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Introduction to Carbon Nanotubes --- p.4 / Chapter 2.3 --- Chemical Sensor Applications --- p.6 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Semiconducting Sensors --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Dielectric Sensors --- p.8 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Adsorption Based Sensors --- p.9 / Chapter 2.4 --- Dielectrophoresis of CNTs --- p.9 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Theory and Methodology --- p.10 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Basic CNTs Sensor Fabrication Process Using DEP Force --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Electronic-Grade Carbon Nanotubes --- p.13 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Simulation --- p.14 / Chapter 2.5 --- Photodesorption Phenomenon --- p.16 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Chemical Desorption Process Induced by UV Illumination --- p.16 / Chapter 2.6 --- Summary --- p.19 / Chapter 3 --- Design of NaOCl Sensors Based on EG-CNTs in Microfluidic System --- p.20 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.20 / Chapter 3.2 --- Chemical --- p.20 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Introduction to Chemical Properties and Reactions --- p.21 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Reagents --- p.23 / Chapter 3.3 --- Methods for Chemical Detection --- p.23 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Hypochlorite Detection --- p.23 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Chlorine Gas Detection --- p.24 / Chapter 3.4 --- Design and Fabrication --- p.26 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Sodium Hypochlorite Sensor Using Microfluidic System --- p.26 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Modified Design For Indirect Detection to Chlorine Gas --- p.29 / Chapter 3.5 --- Equipments --- p.30 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Source Meter --- p.30 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Pneumatic Pump --- p.31 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- UV Illumination Devices --- p.31 / Chapter 3.5.4 --- Experimental Setup --- p.32 / Chapter 3.6 --- Summary --- p.34 / Chapter 4 --- Results --- p.35 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2 --- Processes of the Experiments --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Response to Static Solution --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Response to Fluid Flow --- p.36 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Response to Gas --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3 --- Noise and Accuracy --- p.37 / Chapter 4.4 --- I-V Characteristics --- p.38 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- EG-CNTs Sensor --- p.38 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Variation Under UV Illumination --- p.39 / Chapter 4.5 --- Responses to Sodium Hypochlorite Solution --- p.41 / Chapter 4.5.1 --- Typical Responses --- p.41 / Chapter 4.5.2 --- Selectivity --- p.44 / Chapter 4.5.3 --- Sensitivity --- p.45 / Chapter 4.5.4 --- Effect of Injection Flow Rate on Sensor Performance --- p.50 / Chapter 4.5.5 --- Effect of Volume on Sensor Performance --- p.51 / Chapter 4.5.6 --- Continuous Detection --- p.54 / Chapter 4.5.7 --- Operating Power Limit --- p.57 / Chapter 4.6 --- Response to Chlorine Gas by Modified Design --- p.59 / Chapter 4.7 --- Desorption Induced by UV Illumination --- p.60 / Chapter 4.8 --- Summary --- p.63 / Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.64 / Chapter 5.1 --- Future Work --- p.65 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Selectivity --- p.65 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Gaseous Chlorine Detection --- p.66 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- UV-LED Induced Desorption --- p.66 / Chapter 5.2 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.66 / Bibliography --- p.67

An incubation technique was used to examine carbon mineralization and inorganic nitrogen accumulation in samples of Douglas-fir and alder forest floors developed over soils derived from granitic, ultrabasic and limestone parent materials in western British Columbia and Washington. Samples included L, F, and H or Hi horizons of Douglas-fir mor, raw moder, mull-like moder and mull forest floors and alder typical moder forest floors. Carbon dioxide production by the forest floor materials provided an estimate of gross carbon mineralization and an approximate indication of gross nitrogen mineralization. Comparison of inorganic nitrogen accumulated and gross carbon mineralized indicated that a large fraction of the mineralized inorganic nitrogen is immobilized by the microbial population and (or) lost to denitrification. The Hi horizons (organic horizons containing considerable incorporated mineral matter) accumulated more inorganic nitrogen than did the L and F horizons. Alder forest floors accumulated more inorganic nitrogen than did Douglas-fir forest floor materials. Alder L horizons tended to accumulate ammonium nitrogen while the F and Hi horizons accumulated nitrate nitrogen. Douglas-fir mor forest floors were distinguished from their mull and moder counterparts by slower decomposition and less inorganic nitrogen accumulation, and by largely accumulating ammonium nitrogen in all horizons. Irregular nitrogen accumulation curves, for some samples of Douglas-fir L and F horizons were probably due to denitrification losses. Incubation conditions favoring nitrification, with no plant sinks to remove accumulated inorganic nitrogen, may have favored denitrification losses. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

Thesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Soil Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Globally and in most parts of South Africa, there is a trend of increasing shrub encroachment in savanna rangelands. A number of studies have investigated the impact of shrub encroachment on soil organic carbon content (SOC) and soil organic carbon stocks (SOCs) in savannas. So far there is no clear consensus on whether shrub encroachment increases or decreases the level of SOC and SOCs, especially in semi arid savanna grasslands. Furthermore, knowledge on the effects of shrub encroachment on SOCs is largely restricted to the topsoil, as this is the part of the profile influenced by inputs and losses of soil organic matter. How shrub encroachment affects the vertical distribution of SOCs is rarely considered in the existing literature and the edaphic factors controlling SOCs with depth are poorly understood. The objectives of this study were (i) to quantify the vertical distribution of SOC and SOCs and (ii) to identify the edaphic factors controlling the vertical distribution of SOC and SOCs in a shrub-encroached savanna grassland sited on shallow plinthic soil. To achieve the objectives, a vegetation and soil survey of the savanna grassland was conducted whereby sampling areas were demarcated and characterized into open and shrub encroached grassland plots. In each encroachment level, three pits were randomly dug to the limiting layer on plots sited on the same soil type and similar topographic position. Soil samples were collected from the pits at depth intervals of 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60 and 60-70 cm. The collected soil samples were analyzed for chemical and physical properties in the laboratory. Correlation analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between SOC and SOCs, which were the variables of interest in this study and related controlling soil physicochemical properties. The results showed that SOC was significantly greater (P<0.05) in the shrub-encroached grassland compared to open grassland. Furthermore, the results revealed that SOC was on average 19 and 13% greater in the topsoil (0-20 cm) and subsoil (20-70 cm) of shrub encroached grassland compared to open grassland. The greater SOC in the topsoil of the shrub-encroached grassland was mainly attributed to higher SOC inputs from plant litter and detritus derived from trees and grasses, which are the dominant plant life forms in savannas. In the topsoil, SOC and SOCs were positively correlated with extractable phosphorus (P) (r = 0.60; P < 0.05), while in the subsoil they were positively correlated ix with extractable phosphorus (r = 0.54), soil porosity (r = 0.52), extractable copper (r = 0.46), extractable zinc (r = 0.41), exchangeable calcium (r = 0.37) and negatively correlated with mean weight diameter (r = -0.43). Overall, SOC and SOCs under both shrub-encroached and open grasslands vertically decreased with soil depth. The results obtained highlighted that the factors controlling the level of SOC and SOCs differs in the topsoil and subsoil of the studied shrub encroached grassland. These findings suggest that in the shallow plinthic soil investigated in this study, SOC in the topsoil is controlled by the macronutrient P, while in the subsoil it is physically protected by soil aggregates and chemically stabilized via complexation interactions with exchangeable cations and heavy metals. In-depth understanding of the physico-chemical factors controlling SOC storage is critical to foster management practices that will improve the cycling of SOC in shrub-encroached savanna grasslands.

A common finding in the international trade literature is that economic integration leads to export diversification. By documenting a positive link between joining the European Economic and Monetary Union and bilateral export concentration, the leading essay shows that this is not always the case. Using a panel data approach, I find that exports between the Eurozone members are on average more concentrated than those among countries which do not share the euro. Central to this outcome is that some economic integration agreements, such as the European Economic and Monetary Union, may lead to a drop in not only trade but horizontal FDI costs as well. Theoretically, the results can be explained by the substitutability between exporting and horizontal FDI within a two-sector, two-firm type model which allows for sectoral trade cost heterogeneity. Since the early 1970s, a series of international environmental agreements (IEAs) were signed, ratified, and enforced throughout the developed and developing nations. Regarding IEAs as potential barriers to trade, the second essay seeks to quantify their impact on industry-level exports by using a gravity regression approach. I proceed by classifying industries into dirty and clean based on their average emission intensities and find that the ratification of IEAs is associated with a significant reduction in export flows. The decrease is more pronounced for industries which are classified as dirty or for those which are characterized by high emission intensities per unit of output. Additionally, climate change IEAs bring about a compositional shift towards cleaner exports. Lastly, climate change and acid rain IEAs are found to engender leakage effects. No such evidence is recovered for ozone depletion accords. The third essay adds to the literature on the Kyoto protocol and the carbon content of bilateral trade. It does so by analyzing the effect of ratifying the Kyoto protocol on exports, the carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity of exports, and the CO2 emissions embodied in exports within a novel dataset of 149 countries. For parties that took on binding emission caps, the ratification of Kyoto protocol leads to (i) lower CO2 emissions embodied in exports, (ii) lower CO2 emission intensities, but (iii) higher overall exports. For the same group of countries, a year-by-year analysis underlines a permanent decline in both the CO2 emission intensity and the CO2 content of their exports. Furthermore, the analysis also points out to a short-run decline in exports. In the long run, however, exports are estimated to recover. Also, the commitment type or whether a party was designated as a transition economy at the time of ratification are found to shape the above three outcomes.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Geography / Master / Master of Philosophy

MSc report presented to the University of the Witwatersrand In the fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg April 2017 / Oil and gas operations produce high volumes of wastewater in the form of finely dispersed oil/ water (o/w) emulsions, which have detrimental effects on the environment. The current most feasible method used to mitigate the environmental impacts caused by the emulsion (produced water) from oil and gas operations is polymer membrane technology. However, polymer membranes are susceptible to fouling and concentration polarization, which leads to the necessity for frequent membrane replacement, thus loss of operating time and high operation cost. This motivates the need to investigate ways of modifying the polymer membrane in order to make it more resistant to fouling and concentration polarization. This study is concerned with circumventing the challenges experienced by polymer membrane during crude oil/ water mixture ultra-filtration by infusing the polymer membrane with nano particles. The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of addition of CNTs on the modified membranes in treatment of waste water from petroleum source. The Wet Impregnation method was used for the preparation of the bimetallic catalyst (Fe-Co catalyst supported on Zeolite), Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was used to prepare the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Phase inversion (PI) method was used for the preparation of the polymer nanocomposite membrane. The bimetallic catalyst was characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The CNTs were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The prepared polymer nanocomposite membranes were characterized using SEM, FTIR, goniometer (for contact angles) and TAXT plus texture analyzer (for tensile strength test). Functionalized carbon nanotubes were used as membrane fillers or modifiers to improve the filtration properties of the polymeric membrane, ultimately forming nanocomposite polymer membranes. This increased hydrophilicity, chemical, mechanical and physical properties of the polymer membrane, made them to perform better during filtration than pristine polymer membranes. The performance of the nanocomposite membranes were evaluated and it was determined that the nanocomposite polymer membrane with a loading 0.4 wt.% functionalized carbon nanotubes performed better than pristine membrane and other CNTs loaded nanocomposite polymer membranes. The pristine membrane (0 wt% CNTs) showed a higher contact angle (79o) which crosses ponds to the inability to soak up water. The 0.4 wt% nanocomposite polymer membrane showed the lowest contact angle of 72 o, this validated an improvement in the properties of the membrane, in particular hydrophilicity. The 0.4 wt% nanocomposite polymer membrane showed a superior mechanical strength, with a breaking force at 4 N relative to the other membranes of the same thickness. 0.4 wt% nanocomposite polymer membrane showed the highest permeate flux of 120 L/m2.h compared to the pristine membrane, which showed a permeate flux of 63 L/m2.h. The permeate flux of 0.4 wt% nano-composite polymer membrane increased with the operating pressure. / MT 2018

Os solos representam um importante componente no ciclo biogeoquímico do carbono, armazenado cerca de quatro vezes mais carbono que a biomassa vegetal e quase três vezes mais que a atmosfera. Além disso, a quantidade de carbono está diretamente ligada a capacidade de retenção de água, fertilidade entre outras propriedades. Assim, a quantificação de carbono do solo em condições de campo é um tema importante para estudos do ciclo de carbono relacionado às mudanças climáticas globais. Atualmente, espectroscopia de emissão óptica com plasma induzido por laser (LIBS) pode ser usada para análise elementar qualitativa sem tratamento prévio das amostras e os resultados são obtidos rapidamente. Novas tecnologias ópticas tornaram possível sistema LIBS portáteis e, agora, a grande expectativa é o desenvolvimento de métodos que possibilitam medições quantitativas com sistemas LIBS. LIBS é uma técnica espectroanalítica que emprega a microamostragem por ablação com laser e subseqüente excitação dos átomos presentes no microplasma induzido durante a ablação. Sendo assim, o presente projeto de pesquisa visou desenvolver uma metodologia para quantificar carbono em amostras intactas de solo e avaliar o desempenho de sistemas LIBS portáteis para análises em campo. Trinta e seis amostras de solo da região do Cerrado brasileiro (Argissolo Vermelho Distrófico Latossólico) foram utilizadas. Para avaliar o efeito de heterogeneidade, trabalhou-se com as amostras moídas criogenicamente e não moídas. Com o intuito de estudar uma melhor forma para estimar a quantidade de carbono no solo, quatro metodologias diferentes foram empregadas utilizando o sistema LIBS de bancada e apenas uma metodologia para o sistema LIBS portátil. Para ambos os sistemas LIBS foi necessário inicialmente fazer correções no sinal de fundo dos espectros obtidos. A linha de emissão do carbono em 193,03 nm foi utilizada, pois esta não apresenta interferência da linha de emissão do elemento ferro. A técnica de análise térmica (combustão seca) conhecida como TOC (Total Organic Carbon) foi utilizada como referência para calibrar os sistemas. Utilizando o sistema LIBS de bancada, foram criados modelos com base em regressão linear simples e crescimento exponencial para estimar a quantidade de carbono nas amostras. Para o sistema LIBS portátil foram utilizados modelos com base em regressão linear simples e regressão linear múltipla. A melhor metodologia empregada para o sistema LIBS de bancada foi utilizando a energia máxima do laser (50 mJ) e o maior acúmulo de tiros (10 tiros) e o modelo de regressão linear simples apresentou um melhor ajuste. Não houve diferença entre os dados obtidos com as amostras moídas e não moídas. Para o sistema LIBS portátil a análise de regressão linear múltipla apresentou um melhor resultado, selecionando a melhor variável para o modelo. Sendo assim, conclui-se que sistemas LIBS são ferramentas úteis para se realizar estimativas quantitativas, podendo ser usados para a construção de inventários de carbono no solo, que são importantes para áreas ambientais com o foco em seqüestro de carbono, mudanças climáticas globais, avaliação do manejo de solos e o efeito da aplicação de águas residuárias em solos. / Soils are an important component in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon, storing about four times more carbon that biomass plants and nearly three times more than the atmosphere. Moreover, the carbon content is directly related on the capacity of water retention, fertility, among others properties. Thus, soil carbon quantification in field conditions is an important challenge related to carbon cycle and global climate changes. Nowadays, Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) has beeb applied to qualitative elemental analyses without previous treatment of samples and the results are obtained quickly. New optical technologies made possible portable LIBS systems and now, the great expectation is the development of methods that make possible quantitative analysis with LIBS. LIBS is a technique that employs a sampling by laser ablation and subsequent excitation of atoms present in induced microplasma during the ablation. The goal of this research was the development of methodology to estimate carbon in soil samples and evaluate the performance of portable LIBS systems for analysis in the field. Thirty six soil samples of Brazilian Cerrado region (Argisoil) were used. To evaluate the effect of heterogeneity, it was used samples that were grounding in a cryogenic ground and samples if not grounded. In order to study a better way to estimate the carbon content in the soil, four different methodologies were employed using the bench LIBS system and only one methodology for the portable LIBS system. For both LIBS systems was needed to do corrections in the background of obtained spectra. The carbon line at 193.03 nm was used because it does not present an interference of iron. The technique of thermal analysis known as TOC (Total Organic Carbon) was used as reference to calibrate the systems. Using the bench LIBS system have been adjusted models based on simple linear regression and exponential growth to estimate the carbon content in the samples. For portable LIBS system were used models based on simple linear regression and multiple linear regression. The best methodology used to the bench LIBS system was using the maximum of laser energy (50 mJ) and the largest shots count (10 shots count) and simple linear regression model showed a better fit. There was no difference between the data obtained from the grounded and not grounded samples. For the portable LIBS system multiple linear regression showed a better result because was select the best variable. Thus, it appears that LIBS systems are useful tools to perform quantitative estimates and could be used to build inventories of carbon in the soil that are important to environmental areas with the focus on carbon sequestration, global climate change, assessment the management of soils and the effect of wastewater into the soil.