Phytoremediation with kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) for cadmium-contaminated paddy soil in southern China: translocation, uptake, and assessment of cultivars.

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is suitable for growing in heavy metal-polluted soil for non-food purposes and can be used as a potential crop to remediate heavy metal-contaminated soil. The main objective of this study was to investigate kenaf phytoextraction of cadmium (Cd), including uptake, translocation, and accumulation differences in tissues among kenaf cultivars. A field experiment was conducted in a Cd contaminated paddy field in southern China area with 13 kenaf cultivars in 2015 and 2016. Agronomic performance, Cd concentrations in plant tissues (root, xylem, and phloem), and biomass of different tissues of each cultivar were measured and evaluated. Significant differences in Cd concentrations and accumulation among tissues and cultivars were observed. The phloem had the highest Cd accumulation and transfer capability compared with the roots and xylem. Approximately 35 ~ 65 g of Cd could be taken up by the aerial parts of different kenaf cultivars within every hectare of soil. The percentage of Cd uptake by the phloem ranged from 47 to 61% and by the xylem ranged from 38 to 53%. By evaluating the agronomic traits and Cd bioaccumulation capacity, Fuhong 952, Fuhong 992, and Fuhong R1 were regarded as Cd accumulators for the phytoremediation of Cd-contaminated soil. Our study clearly demonstrated that a significant level of Cd in the soil was taken up through the phytoremediation with kenaf. In addition, harmless utilization of kenaf planting in Cd-contaminated paddy soil was discussed.

The magnet system of the Space Plasma Environment Research Facility (SPERF): Parameter design and electromagnetic analysis.

A magnet system is used in the SPERF to create the magnetic field configuration for simulating the space plasma environment. In this paper, the parameters of the system are designed to achieve the target fields needed by the scaling laws, and the electromagnetic analysis has been performed to validate the results. A procedure to obtain the parameters is proposed based on the investigation into the physical and technological constraints. The vacuum magnetic fields for studying the 3D magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause, Earth's magnetosphere, and 3D magnetic reconnection driven by a plasma gun are computed. In addition, the engineering complexity is reviewed in brief. This research is crucial to the construction of the SPERF, and it is valuable to designing the magnets applied in other fields.

Remote in situ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic approach for diagnosis of the plasma facing components on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak.

The diagnosis of the fuel retention and impurity deposition on the plasma facing components (PFCs) is very important for monitoring plasma-wall interactions and improving the performance of long-pulse operation for tokamak devices. In this study, a remote in situ laser-induced breakdown spectroscopic (RIS-LIBS) system has been developed to be an effective and routine method for the diagnosis of the composition of the PFCs on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The RIS-LIBS system can be operated between EAST discharges via a remote network control system. This allows a flexible diagnosis for the PFCs at a specific EAST discharge operation or under planned plasma scenarios according to the experimental requirement. Measurements on the fuel retention and impurity deposition of the PFCs have been performed for the test of the RIS-LIBS system, and the depth resolution and the lateral resolution of the RIS-LIBS system have been achieved to be ∼100 nm and ∼3.0 mm, respectively. For the test of detectable elements, the fuel (deuterium) and impurities have been detected and identified clearly. In addition, the measurement of fuel abundance on the first wall as a function of the days of EAST deuterium plasma discharges has been carried out for the first time. These results well manifest a significant prospect of the RIS-LIBS for the diagnosis of the PFCs in the upcoming fusion devices like China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) and ITER.

High spatial resolution mapping of deposition layers on plasma facing materials by laser ablation microprobe time-of-flight mass spectroscopy.

A laser ablation microprobe time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (LAM-TOF-MS) system with high spatial resolution, ~20 nm in depth and ~500 µm or better on the surface, is developed to analyze the composition distributions of deposition layers on the first wall materials or first mirrors in tokamak. The LAM-TOF-MS system consists of a laser ablation microprobe combined with a TOF-MS and a data acquisition system based on a LabVIEW program software package. Laser induced ablation combined with TOF-MS is an attractive method to analyze the depth profile of deposited layer with successive laser shots, therefore, it can provide information for composition reconstruction of the plasma wall interaction process. In this work, we demonstrate that the LAM-TOF-MS system is capable of characterizing the depth profile as well as mapping 2D composition of deposited film on the molybdenum first mirror retrieved from HL-2A tokamak, with particular emphasis on some of the species produced during the ablation process. The presented LAM-TOF-MS system provides not only the 3D characterization of deposition but also the removal efficiency of species of concern.