Response of ammonia-oxidizing archaea to heavy metal contamination in freshwater sediment

It has been well-documented that the distribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB) and archaea(AOA) in soils can be affected by heavy metal contamination, whereas information about the impact of heavy metal on these ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in freshwater sediment is still lacking. The present study explored the change of sediment ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in a freshwater reservoir after being accidentally contaminated by industrial discharge containing high levels of metals. Bacterial amoA gene was found to be below the quantitative PCR detection and was not successfully amplified by conventional PCR. The number of archaeal amoA gene in reservoir sediments were 9.62 × 10~2–1.35 × 10~7 copies per gram dry sediment. AOA abundance continuously decreased, and AOA richness, diversity and community structure also considerably varied with time. Therefore, heavy metal pollution could have a profound impact on freshwater sediment AOA community. This work could expand our knowledge of the effect of heavy metal contamination on nitrification in natural ecosystems.     

Editorial: Effects of metal contamination on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in a freshwater reservoir

<正>Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, including ammoniaoxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), are important to the global nitrogen cycle. These microbes catalyze the oxidization of ammonia (NH_3) to nitrite (NO_2~-), the ratelimiting step in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen (Stahl and de la Torre, 2012). Effects on the activity of the ammoniaoxidizing microbes could ultimately influence the global     

Functional relationship between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing archaea populations in the secondary treatment system of a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant

The abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea and their amoA genes from the aerobic activated sludge tanks, recycled sludge and anaerobic digesters of a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was determined. Polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis were used to generate diversity profiles, which showed that each population had a consistent profile although the abundance of individual members varied. In the aerobic tanks, the ammonia-oxidizing bacterial (AOB) population was more than 350 times more abundant than the ammonia-oxidizing archaeal (AOA) population, however in the digesters, the AOA population was more than 10 times more abundant. Measuring the activity of the amoA gene expression of the two populations using RT-PCR also showed that the AOA amoA gene was more active in the digesters than in the activated sludge tanks. Using batch reactors and ddPCR, amoA activity could be measured and it was found that when the AOB amoA activity was inhibited in the anoxic reactors, the expression of the AOA amoA gene increased fourfold. This suggests that these two populations may have a cooperative relationship for the oxidation of ammonia.     

Responses of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to biochar and compost amendments of heavy metals-polluted soil

Heavy metal pollution affects soil ecological function. Biochar and compost can effectively remediate heavy metals and increase soil nutrients. The effects and mechanisms of biochar and compost amendments on soil nitrogen cycle function in heavy-metal contaminated soils are not fully understood. This study examined how biochar, compost, and their integrated use affected ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in heavy metal polluted soil. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) activity was evaluated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results showed that compost rather than biochar improved nitrogen conversion in soil. Biochar, compost, or their integrated application significantly reduced the effective Zn and Cd speciation. Adding compost obviously increased As and Cu effective speciation, bacterial 16S rRNA abundance, and AMO activity. AOB, stimulated by compost addition, was significantly more abundant than AOA throughout remediation. Correlation analysis showed that AOB abundance positively correlated with NO₃^?-N (r = 0.830, P < 0.01), and that AMO activity had significant correlation with EC (r = -0.908, P < 0.01) and water-soluble carbon (r = -0.868, P < 0.01). Those seem to be the most vital factors affecting AOB community and their function in heavy metal-polluted soil remediated by biochar and compost.     

岩溶区域水体无机氮分布及影响氮素矿化的生境

从时空角度对岩溶区不同赋存条件水体进行研究,目的为掌握无机三氮变化规律、探究影响其转换的环境条件,为喀斯特山区水资源保护与利用提供理论依据。采用标准方法检测水体氨氮、亚硝酸盐氮、硝酸盐氮、DO、CODcr、TP、TN等相关指标,研究表明:①自然环境越是相对封闭,三种无机氮形态总体年内变幅也越小,其中亚硝酸盐氮表现最为显著。②赋存封闭的地下水体氨氮、亚硝酸盐氮与硝酸盐氮含量依次是未检出、0. 006和1. 469 mg/L,其浓度依次增高的特点与亚热带喀斯特山区地层溶蚀孔隙和漏斗等地貌形态的充分发育和淋溶土对氨氮的吸附作用是密切关联的。对于该水体亚硝酸盐氮,初秋时节出现浓度峰值,与夏季农业施肥与土壤下渗补给存在2～3个月时间滞后有关。③地表半开放水体清荷园氨氮和亚硝酸盐氮也表现为夏季含量低的特点。低温影响到AOB活性则成为亚硝酸盐氮冬季含量低的主导因素。春秋季气温回升(相比冬季)而降水不大(相比夏季),故各出现一个峰值。其硝酸盐氮曲线夏季仍然平稳,表征NOB增殖的瓶颈因素不是温度,而与溶解氧有关。④地表开放水体流仓桥河段夏季氨氮浓度低主要与降水稀释和水生植物对氨氮有最大吸收偏好有关。夏季陡变的自然环境条件(栖息环境突变、碳源不足等)和NOB自身适应环境能力差等因素,都会造成其增殖受限、硝化受阻而亚硝酸盐氮累积现象的发生。表现为亚硝酸盐氮峰值时节基本对应着硝酸盐氮低谷时段。且地表径流如要激发NOB活性,DO和环境温度的阈值分别应在4 mg/L和10℃以上。     

Distribution and ecological effect of mercury in Laogang landfill, Shanghai, China

Laogang landfill near Shanghai is the largest landfill in China, and receives about 10000 t of daily garbage per day, Samples of topsoil and plants were analyzed to evaluate mercury pollution from the landfill. For topsoil samples, there were significant correlations among total mercury （HgT）, combinative mercury （Hgc） and gaseous mercury （HgG）, and content of total organic carbon （TOC）, but, no significantly relationship was found between Hg content and filling time. Hg content changes in vertical profiles with time showed that the average Hgv of profiles 1992, 1996, and 2000 was similar, but their average HgG was quite different. HgT was significantly correlated with Hgc in profile 1992 and 2000, and Hgv was significantly correlated with Hg6 in profile 1996. HgG/Hgv ratio in profile samples decreased in the order of （HgG,/HgT）1992〉（HgG/HgT）1996〉〉（HgG/HgT）2000. A simple outline of Hg release in landfill could be drawn： with increasing of filling time, degradation undergoes different biodegradation, accordingly, gaseous mercury goes through small, more, and small proportion to total mercury. Distribution of Hg in plants was inhomogeneous, following the order of leaf〉root〉stem. The highest value of leaf may be associated with higher atmospheric Hg from landfill. Ligneous plants （e.g. Phyllostachys glanca, Prunus salicina and Ligustrum lucidum） are capable of enriching more Hg than herbaceous plants.     

EDTA-enhanced phytoremediation of lead contaminated soil by Bidens maximowicziana

Phytoremediation is a potential cleanup technology for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated soils.Bidens maximowicziana is a new Pb hyperaccumulator,which not only has remarkable tolerance to Pb but also extraordinary accumulation capacity for Pb.The maximum Pb concentration was 1509.3 mg/kg in roots and 2164.7 mg/kg in overground tissues.The Pb distribution order in the B. maximowicziana was:leaf>stem>root.The effect of amendments on phytoremediation was also studied.The mobility of soil Pb and the Pb concentrations in plants were both increased by EDTA application.Compared with CK(control check),EDTA application promoted translocation of Pb to overground parts of the plant.The Pb concentrations in overground parts of plants was increased from 24.23-680.56 mg/kg to 29.07-1905.57 mg/kg.This research demonstrated that B.maximowicziana appeared to be suitable for phytoremediation of Pb contaminated soil,especially,combination with EDTA.     

Decomposition of alachlor by ozonation and its mechanism

Decomposition and corresponding mechanism of alachlor, an endocrine disruptor in water by ozonation were investigated. Results showed that alachlor could not be completely mineralized by ozone alone. Many intermediates and final products were formed during the process, including aromatic compounds, aliphatic carboxylic acids, and inorganic ions. In evoluting these products, some of them with weak polarity were qualitatively identified by GC-MS. The information of inorganic ions suggested that the dechlorination was the first and the fastest step in the ozonation of alachlor.     

Enzymatic oxidation of aqueous pentachlorophenol

The influence of the nonionic surfactant Tween 80 on pentachlorophenol （PCP） oxidation catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase was studied. The surfactant was tested at concentrations below and above its critical micelle concentration （CMC）. Enhancement of PCP removal was observed at sub-CMCs. The presence of Tween 80 in the reaction mixture reduced enzyme inactivation which occurred through a combination of free radical attack and sorption by precipitated products. A simple first-order model was able to simulate time profiles for enzyme inactivation in the presence or absence of Tween 80. At supra-CMCs, the surfactant caused noticeable reductions in PCP removal, presumably through micelle partitioning of PCP which precluded the hydrophobic PCP molecule from interacting with the enzyme.     

基于综合水质标识指数和对应分析法的校园河道水质评价

以三峡大学的校园河道求索溪为研究对象,利用综合水质标识指数法确定求索溪水质类别,分析其水质时空变化规律,并利用对应分析法得出求索溪中不同监测点的主要污染因子.研究结果表明:求索溪整体的综合水质标识指数为7.423,整体水质为劣V类(地表水环境质量标准GB 3838-2002)且黑臭.从时间变化来看,求索溪4月份的水质最差,5月份次之,4、5月份所有监测点的水质都劣于V类且黑臭;8月份水质最好,水质为Ⅳ类;从空间分布来看,8个监测点综合水质标识指数均超过6.0,水质为劣V类,其中6号监测点的水质相对最好,监测点3号的水质相对最差;对应分析法得出求索溪的整体水体污染程度受总氮因子的影响最大,其次为总磷.该研究拟为求索溪及类似校园河道的水环境治理研究提供基础依据和参考.     

Effects of chitosan on growth of an aquatic plant (Hydrilla verticillata) in polluted waters with different chemical oxygen demands

Effects of chitosan on a submersed plant, Hydrilla verticillata, were investigated. Results indicated that H. venicillata could prevent ultrastructure phytotoxicities and oxidativereaction from polluted water with high chemical oxygen demand (COD). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in H. verticillata treated with 0.1% chitosan in wastewater increased with high COD (980 mg/L) and decreased with low COD (63 mg/L), respectively. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the stroma and grana of chloroplast basically remained normal. However, plant cells from the control experiment (untreated with chitosan) were vacuolated and the cell interval increased. The relict of protoplast moved to the center, with cells tending to disjoint. Our findings indicate that wastewater with high COD concentration can cause a substantial damage to submersed plant, nevertheless, chitosan probably could alleviate the membrane lipid peroxidization and ultrastructure phytotoxicities, and protect plant cells from stress of high COD concentration polluted water.     

Removal of cadmium using MnO2 loaded D301 resin

MnO2 loaded weak basic anion exchange resin D301 （Anion exchange resin, macroreticular weak basic styrene） as adsorbent has been prepared and applied to the removal of cadmium. The adsorption characteristics have been investigated with respect to effect of pH, equilibrium isotherms, removal kinetic data, and interference of the coexisting ions. The results indicated that the Cd^2＋ could be efficiently removed using MnO2 loaded D301 resin in the pH range of 3-8 from aqueous solutions with the co-existence of high concentration of alkali and alkaline-earth metals ions. The saturate adsorption capacity of the Cd^2＋ was 77.88 mg/g. The adsorption process followed the pseudo first-order kinetics. The equilibrium data obtained in this study accorded excellently with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm.     

Effect of coagulation pretreatment on the fouling of ultrafiltration membrane

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect and mechanism of preventing membrane fouling, by coagulation pretreatment, in terms of fractional component and molecular weight of natural organic matter （NOM）. A relatively higher molecular weight （MW） of hydrophobic compounds was responsible for a rapid decline in the ultrafiltration flux. Coagulation could effectively remove the hydrophobic organics, resulting in the increase of flux. It was found that a lower MW of neutral hydrophilic compounds, which could remove inadequately by coagulation, was responsible for the slow declining flux. The fluxes in the filtration of coagulated water and supernatant water were compared and the results showed that a lower MW of neutral hydrophilic compounds remained in the supernatant water after coagulation could be rejected by a membrane, resulting in fouling. It was also found that the coagulated flocs could absorb neutral hydrophilic compounds effectively. Therefore, with the coagulated flocs formed on the membrane surface, the flux decline could be improved.     

Penetration analysis of elements and bioleaching treatment of spent refractory for recycling

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC23270 and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TM-32 were used for bioleaching of spent refractories of aluminium and copper melting furnaces for their recycling.Firstly,penetration of elements into aluminium melting furnace refractory was investigated and it was found that up to 7 cm from surface was contaminated.Comparison on leaching efficiency by the strains ATCC23270 and TM-32 found that the strain ATCC23270 could treat larger amount of the refractories than the strain TM-32 could do.In the experiment of bioleaching of spent refractory aluminium melting furnace by the strain ATCC23270,high leaching efficiency were obtained on Al,Si,and Ca,and extremely low leaching performance was,however,shown on the rest of elements i.e.,Na,Mn,and Zn.Under the strain TM-32 use,relatively high leaching performance was recognized on Al,Si,Ca,Na,Mn,and Zn.In the experiment of bioleaching for spent refractory copper melting furnace,almost the same leaching trends were shown on Cu,Zn,Al,and Si under the strains ACTT23270 and TM-32 uses.     

Simultaneous removal of ammonium and phosphate by zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash as influenced by acid treatment

Zeolite synthesized from fly ash （ZFA） without modification is not efficient for the purification of NH4＋ and phosphate at low concentrations that occur in real effluents, despite the high potential removal capacity. To develop an effective technique to enhance the removal efficiency of ammonium and phosphate at low concentrations, ZFA was modified with acid treatment and the simultaneous removal of ammonium and phosphate in a wide range of concentration was investigated. It was seen that when compared with untreated ZFA, only the treatment by 0.01 mol/L of H2SO4 significantly improved the removal efficiency of ammonium at low initial concentrations. The behavior was well explained by the pH effect. Treatment by more concentrated H2SO4 led to the deterioration of the ZFA structure and a decrease in the cation exchange capacity. Treatment by 0.01 mol/L H2SO4 improved the removal efficiency of phosphate by ZFA at all initial P concentrations, while the treatment by concentrated H2SO4 （≥0.9 mol/L） resulted in a limited maximum phosphate immobilization capacity （PIC）. It was concluded that through a previous mild acid treatment （e.g. 0.01 mol/L of H2SO4）, ZFA can be used in the simultaneous removal of NH4＋ and P at low concentrations simulating real effluent.     

Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activities of boron- and cerium-codoped TiO2

Boron- and cerium-codoped TiO2 photocatalysts were synthesized using modified sol-gel reaction process and characterized by X- ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, particle size distribution （PSD）, diffuse reflectance spectra （DRS）, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET）. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by monitoring the degradation of dye Acid Red B （ARB）. The results showed that the prepared photocatalysts were mixed oxides mainly consisting of titania, ceria, and boron oxide. The structure of TiO2 could be transformed from amorphous to anatase and then to rutile by increasing calcination temperature; the transformation being accompanied by the growth of particle size without any obvious change in phase structure of CeO2. The XPS of B1.6Ce1.0-TiO2 prepared at 500℃ showed that a few boron atoms were incorporated into titania and ceria lattice, whereas others existed as B2O3. Cerium ions existed in two states, Ce^3＋ and Ce^4＋, and the atomic ratio of Ce^3＋/Ce^4＋ was 1.86. When boron and cerium were doped, the UV-Vis adsorption band wavelength showed an obvious shift toward the visible range （〈526 nm）. As the atomic ratio of Ce/Ti increased to 1.0, the absorbance edge wavelength increased to 481 nm. The absorbance edge wavelength decreased for higher cerium doping levels （Ce/Ti=2.0）. The particles size ranged from 122 to 255 nm with a domain at 168 nm （39.4%）. The degradation of ARB dye indicated that the photocatalytic activities of boron- and cerium-codoped TiO2 were much higher than those of P25 （a standard TiO2 powder）. The activities increased as the boron doping increased, whereas decreased when the Ce/Ti atomic ratio was greater than 0.5. The optimum atomic ratio of B/Ti and Ce/Ti was 1.6 and 0.5, respectively.     

Sensitivity of key factors and uncertainties in health risk assessment of benzene pollutant

Predicting long-term potential human health risks from contaminants in the multimedia environment requires the use of models. However,there is uncertainty associated with these predictions of many parameters which can be represented by ranges or probability distributions rather than single value.Based on a case study with information from an actual site contaminated with benzene,this study describes the application of MMSOILS model to predict health risk and distributions of those predictions generated using Monte Carlo techniques.A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate which of the random variables are most important in producing the predicted distributions of health risks.The sensitivity analysis shows that the predicted distributions can be accurately reproduced using a small subset of the random variables.The practical implication of this analysis is the ability to distinguish between important versus unimportant random variables in terms of their sensitivity to selected endpoints.This directly translates into a reduction in data collection and modeling effort.It was demonstrated that how correlation coefficient could be used to evaluate contributions to overall uncertainty from each parameter.The integrated uncertainty analysis shows that although drinking groundwater risk is similar with inhalation air risk,uncertainties of total risk come dominantly from drinking groundwater route.Most percent of the variance of total risk comes from four random variables.     

Diffuse pollution: A hidden threat to the water environment of the developing world

This Special Section collects eight articles from the 16th IWA International Conference on Diffuse Pollution and Eutrophication （16th DIPCON）, which was held in Beijing on 18 to 23 August, 2013. These articles focus on the diffuse pollution problems encountered in the development process.     

Exploration of relationships between phytoplankton biomass and related environmental variables using multivariate statistic analysis in a eutrophic shallow lake： A S-year study

Understanding the process of the changing phytoplankton patterns can be particularly useful in water quality improvement and management decisions. However, it is generally not easy to illustrate the interactions between phytoplankton biomass and related environmental variables given their high spatial and temporal heterogeneity. To elucidate relationships between them, in a eutrophic shallow lake, Taihu Lake, relative long-term data set of biotic and abiotic parameters of water quality in the lake were conducted using multivariate statistical analysis within seasonal periodicity. The results indicate that water temperature and total phosphorus （TP） played governing roles in phytoplankton dynamics in most seasons （i.e. temperature in winter, spring and summer; TP in spring, summer and autumn）; COD （chemical oxygen demand） and BOD （biological oxygen demand） presented significant positive relationships with phytoplankton biomass in spring, summer and autumn. However, a complex interplay was found between phytoplankton biomass and nitrogen considering significant positive relationships occurring between them in spring and autumn, and conversely negative ones in summer. As the predatory factor, zooplankton presented significant grazing-pressure on phytoplankton biomass during summer in view of negative relationship between them in the season. Significant feedback effects of phytoplankton development were identified in summer and autumn in view that significant relationships were obser,qed between phytoplankton biomass and pH, Trans （transparency of water） and DO. The results indicate that interactions between phyto：plankton biomass and related environmental variables are highly sensitive to seasonal periodicity, which improves understanding of different roles of biotic and abiotic variables upon phytoplankton variability, and hence, advances management methods for eutrophic lakes.     

Reactive oxygen species metabolism during the cadmium hyperaccumulation of a new hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii （Crassulaceae）

Sedum alfredii Hance, a newly discovered hyperaccumulator, could serve as a good material for phytoremediation Cd polluted sites. Malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidases (catalase (CAT); superoxide dismutase (SOD); peroxidase (POD)) in the leaf were determined when S. alfredii was treated for 15 d with various CdCl2 concentrations ranging from 0 to 800 μmol/L. The results showed that the production rate of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein (DCF), which is an indicator of ROS level, reached up to the maximum at 400 μmol/L CdCl2 and then declined with the increase of CdCl2 concentration, while MDA accumulation tended to increase. CAT activity was significantly inhibited at all tested CdCl2 concentrations and SOD activity was sharply suppressed at 800 μmol/L CdCl2. However, the enhancement of POD activity was observed when CdCl2 concentration was higher than 400 μmol/L. In addition, its activity increased when treated with 600 μmol/L CdCl2 for more than 5 d. When sodium benzoate, a free radical scavenger, was added, S. alfredii was a little more sensitive to Cd toxicity than that exposed to Cd alone, and the Cd accumulation tended to decline with the increase of sodium benzoate concentration. It came to the conclusions that POD played an important role during Cd hyperaccumulation, and the accumulation of ROS induced by Cd treatment might be involved in Cd hyperaccumulation.