Influence of reactor configuration on reliability of activated sludge process

The effect of uncertainty in system parameters and the accuracy of the mathematical model used on the design and reliability of the activated sludge process is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. Simulations indicate that the coefficient of variation for a reactor volume varies from 0.56 for a single mixed tank reactor to 0.44 for a plug flow reactor. The coefficient of variation for effluent for reactors designed on nominal values was found to be 0.56 for a mixed-tank reactor, 1.28 for two reactors in series, 1.56 for three reactors in series and 1.6 for a plug flow reactor. Significant contributing parameters to the reliability of the process are established. Reactor volumes for desired reliability levels are also calculated.     

Comparison of the effects of seleno-L-methionine, seleno-DL-methionine, and selenized yeast on reproduction of mallards

The toxicities of seleno-L-methionine, seleno-DL-methionine, and selenized yeast were compared. Ten pairs of mallards were fed a control diet and 15 pairs were fed diets containing 10 ppm selenium as seleno-DL-methionine, seleno-L-methionine, or selenized yeast. Hatching of fertile eggs was significantly lower for females fed 10 ppm selenium as seleno-DL-methionine (7.6%) and seleno-L-methionine (6.4%) than for controls (41.3%). Survival of ducklings was lower when their parents had been fed 10 ppm selenium as seleno-L-methionine (20.0%) than for controls (98.4%). The number of 6-day-old ducklings produced per female was significantly lower for mallards fed 10 ppm selenium as seleno-DL-methionine (0.47) or selenized yeast (2.67) than for controls (6.10), and was significantly lower for mallards fed seleno-L-methionine (0.13) than for mallards fed selenized yeast. The eighth eggs of females fed the DL or L forms of selenomethionine contained means of 9.2 and 8.9 ppm selenium, wet weight; these means were higher than the mean (6.6 ppm) for females fed selenized yeast. Among embryos that died at 7 days of age or older, the percentage of embryos that were deformed was 1.3% for controls, 24.6% for seleno-DL-methionine, 28.2% for seleno-L-methionine, and 11.0% for selenized yeast. The results suggested that seleno-DL-methionine and seleno-L-methionine were of similar toxicity and were both more toxic than selenium from selenized yeast.     

Effect of common food preservatives on mycelial growth and spore germination of Fusarium oxysporum

The growth and spore germination inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis-cucumerinum by the common food additives: acetic acid, formic acid potassium sorbate, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and the fungistatic agent sec-butylamine was examined in vitro. The inhibitory efficacy of these chemicals decreased in the following order: sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, propionic acid, acetic acid, sec-butylamine and formic acid. At pH 6.4, the ED50 value for mycelium growth was: 976 ppm for sorbic acid, 1292 ppm for potassium sorbate, 2435 ppm for propionic acid, 3805 ppm for acetic acid, 3962 ppm for sec butylamine and 4668 ppm for formic acid. The ED50 value for spore germination was: 225 ppm for potassium sorbate, 1201 ppm for sorbic acid, 1402 ppm for propionic acid, 1600 ppm for sec-butylamine, 1957 ppm for acetic acid and 2485 ppm for formic acid.     

Influence of chemical characteristics of humic substances on the partition coefficient of a chlorinated dioxin

The partition coefficients (Koc) of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HpCDD) with respect to a variety of humic substances (HSs) were evaluated by a method involving solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-electron capture detection. The log Koc values for each of the HS samples were in the range of 6.4-7.7. The log Koc values for HAs from tropical peat, brown forest and ando soils were in the range of 7.3-7.6, similar to the calculated value for the octanol-water partition coefficient (log Koc=7.56). In contrast, the log Koc values for FAs and peat HAs were 0.5-1 unit lower than the calculated value. The parameters for the polarity of HSs, as calculated from (N+O)/C, O/C atomic ratios and the carboxyl group content, were numerically similar related to the log Koc for HpCDD. These results show that the Koc values for HpCDD are significantly influenced by the polarity of HSs.     

基于荧光素酶发光检测体系的几种工业污染物综合毒性评价

利用化工污染物能抑制荧光素酶催化发光反应这一特性,对水质中6种化工化合物分别进行毒性测试,建立一种快速检测水质中化工污染物毒性的生物学方法。实验结果表明,对苯二酚、4-氨基酚、苯胺、氯仿、盐酸邻联甲苯胺和硫柳汞的EC50值分别为:5.563、10.225、20.236、38.432、8.827和0.6 mg/L,6种污染物毒性大小依次为:硫柳汞>对苯二酚>盐酸邻联甲苯胺>4-氨基酚>苯胺>氯仿,相关系数>0.95。该方法为进一步研究基于荧光素酶反应体系检测水质中化工污染物综合毒性的生物传感器方法奠定基础。     

Considerations of uncertainty in setting critical loads of acidity of soils: the role of weathering rate determination

The concept of critical loads has been generally accepted throughout Europe, and increasingly in Asian countries and the rest of the world, as providing the data which forms the basis for international negotiations on abatement strategies for emissions of acidifying pollutants. Central to the determination of quantitative critical loads of acidity for forests (and other ecosystems) is the rate at which the minerals in the soil weather or dissolve. Seven methods for determining these rates on a regional basis for the production of critical load maps have been suggested by the official bodies which are responsible for co-ordinating the European critical load mapping efforts. These methods are largely correlations which require a knowledge of the soil parent material and/or the soil mineralogy. The purpose of this paper is to review these weathering rate calculation methods and to assess whether it is currently possible to calculate numerically accurate critical loads for the production of regional critical load maps. A consideration of the data used to generate these methods and comparisons of the weathering rates calculated using various methods leads to the conclusion that at present it is not. Further work is needed to develop and maintain the initial credibility of critical loads both scientifically and as an aid to policy decisions.     

Column study of the influence of air humidity on the retention of hydrocarbons on soil

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is used for the analysis of the influence of air relative humidity on the retention of hexane, benzene, toluene and p-xylene in a sandy soil under experimental conditions similar to those typical of soil vapor extraction (SVE). The advantages of IGC over other techniques, are (a) an efficient use of lab resources, (b) a high sensitivity to low partitioning coefficients and (c) a closer reproduction of field conditions. In our procedure, experiments with only two samples of different mass are necessary to establish if linear isotherms can be used to describe the retention of the contaminants. This approach gives information necessary for analyzing the feasibility and design of remediation technologies with a laboratory effort significantly smaller than the adsorption/desorption cycle for isotherm determination. The retention coefficients of the contaminants decrease as humidity increases in a similar fashion for all of them, probably because the reduction in the number of the adsorption sites available for the organic compounds due to the presence of water is quite similar for all the contaminants studied. These retention coefficients may be related to those obtained for dry air conditions for all the contaminants through (R - 1)RH% = A(R - 1)dry air(B), where the parameter B is found to remain approximately constant (0.90), while the parameter A decreases linearly with the relative moisture.     

Impact of overexploitation of shellfish: northeastern coast of India

India has a very extensive coastline of about 7515 km, rich in diverse living resources. These resources continue to deteriorate with rampant harvesting or are altered for other uses such as aquaculture and fisheries. The present paper deals with degrading coastal habitats in northeastern India, and projects the intensity of the stress arising from the collection of tiger prawn seeds (Penaeus monodon) for aquacultural farms and molluskan shells for poultry feed and edible lime. Indiscriminate exploitation of these resources leads to a heavy reduction of the species concerned and other associated marine communities. The magnitude of such destruction has been quantified. The impacts of biodiversity loss and their after-effects on the ecobalance of this coastal system have become a matter of great concern to ecologists to maintain security and sustainability. The authors propose a public awareness program on themes relating to the importance of biodiversity for human livelihoods.     

An evaluation of the heat of formation of chlorinated dioxins and its application to isomer abundance predictions

Heats of formation for dibenzo-p-dioxin and all chlorinated dioxins are derived and combined with standard entropies and heat capacities to obtain a computational database for prediction for these compounds. Databases based on a published preditive method for dioxins, and on general group additivity data have also been constructed. The predicted relative abundances of the isomers for all degrees of chlorination from the three databases are compared. The abundances of the tetra- to heptachlorodioxin isomers are compared with those predicted by Unsworth using MOPAC, and with experimentally determined concentrations from combustion systems.     

Assessment of bioconcentration and secondary poisoning of surfactants

The relevance of the bioconcentration behaviour of surfactants for the secondary poisoning assessment and for the risk characterisation in the bird and mammalian food chain has been investigated. The approach used is described in the recently revised EU Technical Guidance Document for the Risk Assessment of Substances. The results demonstrate that, based on experimentally derived bioconcentration factors, environmental concentrations and effects in animals, there is a clear level of safety for both linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) and alcohol ethoxylates (AE), the most important surfactants by volume. To assess other surfactants used in detergents, a bioconcentration factor that would need to be attained for secondary poisoning to be of concern has been estimated from predicted environmental concentrations and known long-term effects data in animals. Based on the known structural similarity of these surfactants to LAS and AE and the ubiquitous nature of the enzymatic systems that are present in biotransformation processes in organisms, it is concluded that bioconcentration of these surfactants to these levels is highly unlikely. Therefore the potential for secondary poisoning effects of these surfactants is extremely low.     

Volatilization of ketones

Volatilization fluxes of seven ketones were measured over a range of temperatures. Gas-film coefficients were calculated from these volatilization fluxes and related to the gas-film coefficient for the evaporation of water. These relations, when combined with an equation for estimating the gas-film coefficient for evaporation of water from a canal, permit estimating gas-film coefficients for the volatilization of ketones from streams and rivers.     

Development of enzyme immunoassay for detection of DDT

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is one of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) widely found in the environment and in the general population. In this study, a direct competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) has been developed for the quantitative analysis of DDT. To generate a specific polyclonal antibody for EIA, p, p'-DDT was conjugated to porcine thyroglobulin for rabbit immunization. At optimized EIA conditions, the standard curves ranged from 0.137 to 100 ng/mL with the quantification limit of 0.41 ng/mL. The coefficients of variation (CV%) were 5.42-10.53% for intra-assay and 6.04-7.26% for inter-assay. Cross-reactivities with DDT metabolites (DDTs, including o, p'-DDT, p, p'-DDD, o, p'-DDD, p, p'-DDE, o, p'-DDE, p, p'-dichlorobenzophenone (DCBP), o, p'-DCBP) were investigated. The polyclonal antibody showed relatively low and/or no cross-reactivity with these compounds, and the assay was seen to be highly selective for p, p'-DDT. Moreover, the DDTs could be ranked by their reactivity: DDT > DDD > DDE > DCBP. In addition, the characterization of the polyclonal antibody indicated that the antiserum possesses a high specificity for p, p'-isomers. The results indicated that the developed EIA using this antibody could be a convenient and supplemental analytical tool for monitoring DDT.     

生物修复中的酶学技术研究与展望

随着对活性污泥工艺和废水除污技术的不断了解，开发不同的策略来研究这些污染物的降解已成为必要，其中酶技术越来越受到人们的关注。作者简单介绍了生物补救技术的研究现状及存在的一些问题，详细介绍了酶在生物除污、生物打浆、生物漂白、生物浸矿过程中的最新发展，并对该领域作了展望。     

Investigation of acute toxicity of permethrin on guppies Poecilia reticulata

Permethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide and potential toxic pollutant contaminating aquatic ecosystems, was investigated in the present study for acute toxicity. Guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata) were selected for the bioassay experiments. The experiments were repeated 3 times and the 48-h LC(50) was determined for the guppies. The static test method of acute toxicity test was used. Water temperature was regulated at 20+/-1 degrees C. In addition, behavioral changes at each permethrin concentration were observed for the individual fish. Data obtained from the permethrin acute toxicity tests were evaluated using the probit analysis statistical method. The 48-h LC(50) value for guppy was estimated as 245.7 microg/l. Values in the range of 0.05-97.0 microg/l have been reported for various other fish species.     

Effect of common food preservatives on mycelial growth and spore germination of Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

The growth and spore germination inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicis‐cucumerinum by the common food additives: acetic acid, formic acid potassium sorbate, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and the fungistatic agent sec‐butylamine was examined in vitro. The inhibitory efficacy of these chemicals decreased in the following order: sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, propionic acid, acetic acid, sec‐butylamine and formic acid. At pH 6.4, the ED₅₀ value for mycelium growth was: 976 ppm for sorbic acid, 1292 ppm for potassium sorbate, 2435 ppm for propionic acid, 3805 ppm for acetic acid, 3962 ppm for sec butylamine and 4668 ppm for formic acid. The ED₅₀ value for spore germination was: 225 ppm for potassium sorbate, 1201 ppm for sorbic acid, 1402 ppm for propionic acid, 1600 ppm for sec‐butylamine, 1957 ppm for acetic acid and 2485 ppm for formic acid.     

皮革废水经微电解-SBR处理后的综合毒性变化

选择蛋白核小球藻（Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick）为供试藻种，采用藻类急性毒性试验考察皮革废水经微电解-SBR工艺处理后的综合毒性变化情况。结果表明，皮革废水经微电解-SBR工艺处理后，其综合毒性显著降低。分别以细胞数和活体叶绿素a含量计算得到的原水、微电解出水和SBR出水的EbC50值和EeC50值依次为16.6%、19.3%、52.6%和13.0%、15.6%和52.1%。根据Bulich提出的毒性等级划分原则，经处理后最终出水的毒性级别由原水的Ⅰ级降为Ⅱ级。     

Investigation of acute toxicity of beta-cypermethrin on guppies Poecilia reticulata

Beta-cypermethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide and potential toxic pollutant, contaminating aquatic ecosystems was investigated in the present study for acute toxicity. Guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata) was selected for the bioassay experiments. The experiments were repeated three times and the 48-h LC50 was determined for the guppies. The static test method of acute toxicity test was used. Water temperature was regulated at 22 +/- 1 degrees C. In addition, behavioral changes at each beta-cypermethrin concentration were observed for the individual fish. Data obtained from the beta-cypermethrin acute toxicity tests were evaluated using the probit analysis statistical method. The 48-h LC50 value for guppy was estimated as 21.4 microg/l.     

Application of flotation for the separation of metal-loaded zeolites

Several industrial wastewater streams may contain heavy metal ions, which must be effectively removed, before the discharge or reuse of treated waters could take place. Different bonding materials, presenting selectivity and fast reaction kinetics for the removal of metals, have been examined for this purpose. The objective of the present paper was to investigate the application of dispersed-air flotation for the separation of metal-loaded sorbents. Two similar zeolite samples were applied as effective bonding agents for the removal of zinc, a toxic metal commonly found in many industrial wastewaters. This combined process, termed sorptive flotation, involves the preliminary scavenging of metal ions, by using the appropriate sorbent particles (usually present as ultrafine particulates), followed by flotation for the effective separation of them. The obtained results were very promising, as both metal and sorbent were effectively removed/separated from the dispersion.     

Standardization of Methods For Measurement of Air Pollutants

Currently available compilations of methods of air analysis are listed. Collaborative testing is urgently needed to reconcile differences and to demonstrate the accuracy of these methods. The Analytical Methods Evaluation Service of the National Center for Air Pollution Control conducted a survey of the instruments and manual methods of analysis in use. Responses are tabulated from about 80 laboratories, in 28 states and 3 foreign countries. Sulfur dioxide was the most widely measured pollutant. The first collaborative study organized by the Analytical Methods Evaluation Service is described. The purpose was to evaluate the permeation tube technique as a primary standard method for generating known sulfur dioxide concentrations for instrument calibration and methods testing. Although a good beginning has been made, the testing of methods for measuring air pollutants has barely begun.     

Effect of Dust Concentration Upon the Gas-Flow Capacity of a Cyclonic Collector

The flow rate through an industrial gas-cleaning cyclone at a fixed pressure drop is greater when the incoming gas is dusty than when it is clean. This observation by Briggs for a single cyclone tube was extended to multiple tubes, and ike results compared to observations by Soo and Trezek that the fraction factor for turbulent flow in a pipe is less for dusty gas than for clean. Empirical considerations indicated tJtat both of these observations should be connected with a rather large reduction in gas viscosity due to the dust. This predicted viscosity decrease was later observed. A physical theory accounting for viscosity reduction by a dust cloud is proposed. This effect also offers a means for increasing the heat, transfer coefficient in gas heat exchangers.