Identification of pakchoi cultivars with low cadmium accumulation and soil factors that affect their cadmium uptake and translocation

The selection and use of low-Cd-accumulating cultivar （LCAC） has been proposed as one of the promising approaches in minimizing the entry of Cd in the human food chain. This study suggests a screening criterion of LCACs focusing on food safety. Pot culture and plot experiments were conducted to screen out LCACs from 35 pakchoi cultivars and to identify the crucial soil factors that affect Cd accumulation in LCACs. Results of the pot culture experiment showed that shoot Cd concentrations under the three Cd treatments significantly varied across cultivars. Two cultivars, Hualv 2 and Huajun 2, were identified as LCACs because their shoot Cd concentrations were lower than 0.2 mg. kg-1 under low Cd treatment and high Cd exposure did not affect the biomass of their shoots. The plot experiment further confirmed the consistency and genotypic stability of the low-Cd- accumulating traits of the two LCACs under various soil conditions. Results also showed that soil phosphorus availability was the most important soil factor in the Cd accumulation of pakchoi, which related negatively not only to Cd uptake by root but also to Cd translocation from root to shoot. The total Cd accumulation and translocation rates were lower in the LCACs than in the high-Cd cultivar, suggesting that Cd accumulation in different cultivars is associated with the Cd uptake by root as well as translocation from root to shoot. This study proves the feasibility of the application of the LCAC strategy in pakchoi cultivation to cope with Cd contamination in agricultural soils.     

Quantitative characterization of Cu binding potential of dissolved organic matter （DOM） in sediment from Taihu Lake using multiple techniques

Dissolved organic matter （DOM） plays an important role in heavy metal speciation and distribution in the aquatic environment especially for eutrophic lakes which have higher DOM concentration. Taihu Lake is the third largest freshwater and a high eutrophic lake in the downstream of the Yangtze River, China. In the lake, frequent breakout of algae blooms greatly increased the concentration of different organic matters in the lake sediment. In this study, sediment samples were collected from various part of Taihu Lake to explore the spatial difference in the binding potential of DOM with Cu. The titration experiment was adopted to quantitatively characterize the interaction between Cu（II） and DOM extracted from Taihu Lake sediments using ion selective electrode （ISE） and fluorescence quenching technology. The ISE results showed that the exogenous DOM had higher binding ability than endogenous DOM, and DOM derived from aquatic macrophytes had a higher binding ability than that derived from algae. The fluorescence quenching results indicated that humic substances played a key role in the complexation between DOM and Cu（II） in the lake. However, because of the frequent breakout of algae blooms, protein-like matters are also main component like hnmic matters in Taihu Lake. Therefore, the metals bound by protein-like substances should be caused concern as protein-like substances in DOM were unstable and they will release bound metal when decomposed.     

植物络合素及其合酶在重金属抗性中的功能研究进展

Under heavy metal stress, higher plants initiate a set of defense responses, among which biosynthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) is important. PCs are rich in cystein and biosynthesized by phytochelatin synthase. The chemical structure of PCs and their ability to form complexes with a large range of metal ions is clear. Up to now, these peptides are known to play an important role in both endogenous metal ion homeostasis and heavy metal ion detoxification. The mechanism of cadmium tolerance is illustrated in detail. A model of this mechanism suggested that the detoxification process of cadmium include such steps as PCs induction, transport of cadmium into the tonoplast, formation of the HMW-Cd-PCs complexes and sequestration in vacuole. At the same time, PCs also have other functions, such as detoxification of arsenic, protecting enzyme from metal ion inhibition and supplying metal ion as a cofactor to the enzyme potentially. However, a lot of questions about its biological function remain to be answered. In 1999, three independent labs isolated the genes encoding the PCs synthase. This breakthrough of plant heavy metal tolerance research gave us a chance to further study the heavy metal tolerance mechanism. All the results from the reserch of PCs have a ffreat application potential in phytoremidation. Fig 1, Ref 25     

Speciation evolutions of target metals （Cd,Pb） influenced by chlorine and sulfur during sewage sludge incineration

In sludge incineration, the thermal behavior of heavy metal is a growing concern. In this work, the combined analysis of metal partitioning behavior between vapor phase and condensed phase, speciation redistribu- tion in condensed phase and the difference of metal species in binding energy was carried out to investigate the possible volatilization-condensation mechanism of heavy metals in high-temperature sludge incineration. It was found that there were two steps in metal volatilization. The initial volatilization of heavy metal originated from their exchangeable （EXC）, carbonate bound （CAR） and iron- manganese bound （FM） fractions, which is primarily composed of simple substance, chlorides, oxides and sulfides. With the increase of chlorine and sulfur in sludge, the inner speciation redistribution of heavy metals occurred in condensed phase, which was an important factor affecting the potential volatility of heavy metals. A partial of metal species with complexed （COM） and residual （RES） fractions gradually decomposed into simple substance or ions, oxides and carbonates, which signifi- cantly strengthened the second volatility. In presence of chlorine, about 46% of Cd with the RES fraction disappeared when the volatility rate of Cd increased by 44.89%. Moreover, about 9% of Pb with COM fraction disappeared when there was an increase of nearly 10% in the volatilization rate. Thus, the second volatilization was mainly controlled by the decomposition of metal species with COM and RES fractions. By virtue of XRD analysis and the binding energy calculation, it was found that metal complex and silicates were inclined to decompose under high temperature due to poor thermo stability as compared with sulfates.     

Effects of soil warming and nitrogen deposition on leaf and soil stoichiometric characteristics of Cunninghamia lanceolata saplings北大核心CSCD

Warming and nitrogen deposition directly or indirectly affect the plant-soil element cycle under global change. To examine the effects of warming and nitrogen deposition on leaf and soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) contents, and their stoichiometric ratios in Cunninghamia lanceolata saplings, four types of treatments were assigned: control (CT), warming (W, + 4 ºC), nitrogen deposition (N, 40 kg ha-1 a-1), and warming + nitrogen deposition (WN) treatments. The results showed that: (1) compared with CT, W treatment significantly decreased leaf P content by 54.54% and increased leaf C/P and N/P by 85.26% and 83.39%, respectively; WN treatment significantly decreased leaf C content and P content by 1.99% and 51.03%, respectively, but increased the leaf C/P by 68.01% with no significant differences in leaf N content among treatments. The leaf N/P ratio of each treatment was less than 10, but that of the W and WN treatments were closer to 10 than that of the CT treatment. Meanwhile, W and WN treatments significantly increased tree height. (2) No significant differences were observed in soil total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents among treatments. Compared with CT, W treatment significantly decreased soil C/N by 4.09%, while neither W nor WN treatment affected soil C/P and N/P. W treatment increased the available soil content compared to CT treatment. (3) The correlation analysis showed that leaf N content was significantly negatively correlated with soil C/N in the CT treatment; in the W treatment leaf N content and N/P were significantly positively correlated with soil TN and TP content, respectively. Leaf N content was significantly negatively correlated with soil TC and TN in the N treatment, and leaf contents had no significant correlation with soil C, N, and P contents or their stoichiometric characteristics in the WN treatment. This study showed that N limitation still exists in C. lanceolata saplings. Warming and the interaction between warming and nitrogen deposition could alleviate N limitation and promote the growth of C. lanceolata. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.     

Effects of warming on leaf non-structural carbohydrates and carbon and nitrogen isotopes of Cunninghamia lanceolata saplings during different seasons北大核心CSCD

To reveal the response of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and carbon and nitrogen isotopes in plant leaves to global warming, we conducted soil warming experiments in the Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem and Global Change National Observation and Research Station of China. We designed two treatments: control (CT) and warming (W; cable heating, +4 ℃). Heating cables were installed 20 cm from each other at a depth of 10 cm and were heated in March 2016. In this study, Cunninghamia lanceolata saplings were used to analyze seasonal changes in leaf non-structural carbohydrates, and carbon and nitrogen isotopes. The results showed that (1) warming significantly reduced the soluble sugar, starch, and NSC content of leaves in spring but without any significant difference during other seasons. (2) Leaf δ13C increased significantly in spring and winter after warming, whereas leaf δ15N did not change significantly. (3) No significant correlation was observed between leaf δ13C, δ15N, or NSC content during the warming treatment, but a negative correlation was observed between leaf δ15N, δ13C, and sugar to starch ratio. A positive correlation between leaf δ15N and starch content was identified. In summary, when temperature increases, plants adjust the NSC content during different seasons for osmotic regulation, change the characteristics of the nutrient cycle, and alter the plant water and nutrient use strategies to maintain plant growth. In the future, we should further study the seasonal variation characteristics of NSC content and isotopes and the relationship between NSC content and the carbon and nitrogen cycles in plants under the context of long-term warming. © 2022 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Soil physi-chemical properties,biomass and nutrient contents of forest litter in mixed plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and three tree species北大核心CSCD

In the present study, we compared the soil physical and chemical properties, biomass of forest litter and nutrient contents in three-and-half-year plantations of E. grandis mixed with Toona ciliate, Alnus formosana, Sassafras tzumu. The results indicated that mixing T. ciliate and A. formosana with E. grandis mitigated soil acidification. In E. grandis × S. tzumu plantations, the soil bulk density decreased, but the moisture capacity and porosity increased. The mixed plantations of E. grandis × S. tzumu significantly increased the soil total C, N, P and K content, by 64.7%, 41.9%, 28.6% and 7.7%, respectively. The mixed plantations of E. grandis × A. formosana also significantly increased the soil total C, N and P content, by 15.2%, 27.9% and 47.6%, respectively. Compared with the pure plantations, the mixed plantations had significantly lower soil hydrolysis N and higher available P content. Only the E. grandis × A. formosana plantations had higher soil available K content. Compared with that in pure plantations, the biomass of branch litter and leaf litter was significantly higher in E. grandis × A. formosana plantations but significantly lower in E. grandis × A. formosana and E. grandis × A. formosana plantations; the biomass of leaf litter and total biomass of litter of E. grandis × S. tzumu were 9.8% and 9.3% respectively lower. The litter C content in three kinds of mixed forest was significantly lower and the litter N content was significantly higher than that in the pure plantations. Only the mixed plantations of E. grandis × A. formosana plantations would increase the content of litter P. The mixed plantations of E. grandis × S. tzumu would increase the content of litter K. In general, S. tzumu is the optimal tree species to mix with E. grandis, followed by A. formosana, but T. ciliate is unsuitble for mixed plantation with E. grandis.     

Decontamination efficiency and root structure change in the plant-intercropping model in vertical-flow constructed wetlands

Subtropical climatic conditions can contribute to the death of the aerial parts of constructed wetland plants in winter. This presents a barrier to the widespread application of constructed wetland and is an issue that urgently needs to be solved. Three contrasting experi- ments, the plant-intercropping model （A）, the warm- seasonal plant model （B）, and the non-plant model （C）, were studied in terms of their efficiency in removing pollutants, and the change in root structure of plants in the plant-intercropping model within the vertical-flow con- structed wetlands. The results indicate that model A was able to solve the aforementioned problem. Overall, average removal rates of three pollutants （CODcr, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorous （TP）） using model A were significantly higher than those obtained using models B and C （P 〈 0.01）. Moreover, no significant differences in removal rates of the three pollutants were detected between A and B during the higher temperature part of the year （P〉 0.05）. Conversely, removal rates of the three pollutants were found to be significantly higher using model A than those observed using model B during the lower temperature part of the year （P 〈 0.01）. Furthermore, the morphologies and internal structures of plant roots further demonstrate that numerous white roots, whose distribution in soil was generally shallow, extend further under model A. The roots of these aquatic plants have an aerenchyma structure composed of parenchyma cells, therefore, roots of the cold-seasonal plants with major growth advantages used in A were capable of creating a more favorable vertical-flow constructed wetlands media- microenvironment. In conclusion, the plant-intercropping model （A） is more suitable for use in the cold environment experienced by constructed wetland during winter.     

Impacts of surfactants on the ecotoxicological effects of TiO2-NP and/or Cd contamination in sediments北大核心CSCD

Surfactants may alter the interaction between engineered nanoparticles (ENP) and coexisting pollutants, and further influence the ecotoxicity of these pollutants. This research aimed to evaluate the impacts of the surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDS) on the ecotoxicological effects of TiO2-NP and Cd combined contamination in freshwater sediments by deposit-feeding gastropoda Bellamya aeroginosa. We investigated the effects of TiO2-NP and/or Cd contamination in the presence of different concentrations of SDS on DNA damage, Na+, K+-ATPase activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and protein carbonyl (PCO) levels in the hepatopancreas of B. aeroginosa following 21-d chronic sediment bioassay. The results showed that low concentration (5 μg g-1) of Cd had no toxicity to B. aeroginosa, while relatively high concentration (25 μg g-1) displayed obvious toxicity, and that SDS could significantly enhance the toxicity of Cd to B. aeroginosa. TiO2-NP with nontoxic concentration could enhance the toxicity of Cd with low concentration to B. aeroginosa, but had no effects on the toxicity of Cd with high concentration. SDS could significantly enhance the toxicity of TiO2-NP and Cd combined contamination to B. aeroginosa in a SDS-concentration-dependent manner. When assessing the potential environmental risk of ENP, we should not only focus on the toxicity of ENP itself, or the interaction between ENP and coexisting contaminants, but also should consider the potential impacts of surfactants and other environmental factors.     

Genotoxic Effect of Phenol on the Cells of Onion (Allium cepa ) Roots

The roots of onion (Allium cepa) stand out for having cells with large size and small number of chromosomes.These characteristics make them useful in bioassays for the measurement of a variety of cytogenetic and morphological parameters , in which they can be used as toxicity indicators of the induction and formation of micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations.Based on this background , the potential genotoxic effect of phenol concentration on cells of A.ceparoots was investigated either in terms of induced aberrations or micronuclei formation.The results demonstrated that the higher the concentration of phenol , the higher the incidence of abnormalities , thus confirming the genotoxicity of this pollutant.     

Responses of bacterial strains isolated from drinking water environments to N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones and their analogs during biofilm formation

Often as a result ofbiofilm formation, drinking water distribution systems （DWDS） are regularly faced with the problem of microbial contamination. Quorum sensing （QS） systems play a marked role in the regulation of microbial biofilm formation; thus, inhibition of QS systems may provide a promising approach to biofilm formation control in DWDS. In the present study, 22 bacterial strains were isolated from drinking water-related environments. The following properties of the strains were investigated： bacterial biofilm formation capacity, QS signal molecule N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones （AHLs） production ability, and responses to AHLs and AHL analogs, 3-chloro-4-（dichloromethyl）-5-hydroxy-2（5H）- furanone （MX） and 2（5H）-furanone. Four AHLs were added to developed biofilms at dosages ranging from 0.1 nmol.L J to 100nmol.L1. As a result, the biofilm growth of more than 1/4 of the isolates, which included AHL producers and non-producers, were significantly promoted. Further, the biofilm biomasses were closely associated with respective AHLs concentrations. These results provided evidence to support the idea that AHLs play a definitive role in biofilm formation in many of the studied bacteria. Meanwhile, two AHLs analogs demon- strated unexpectedly minimal negative effects on biofilm formation. This suggested that, in order to find an applicable QS inhibition approach for biofilm control in DWDS, the testing and analysis of more analogs is needed.     

Detailed analysis of PCBs and PCDD/Fs impurities in a dielectric oil sample （ASKAREL Nr 1740） from an imported transformer in China

Homolog and congener profiles of polychlori- nated biphenyls （PCBs）, polychlorinated dibenzo-p- dioxins （PCDDs） and polychlorinated dibenzofurans （PCDFs） in commercial PCBs formulations are useful information for the source appointment of PCBs contam- ination as well as the risk assessment caused by potential exposure. Dielectric oil （ASKAREL Nr 1740） in an imported transformer found in China was sampled and analyzed by isotope dilution technology using high resolution gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry （HRGC/HRMS）. The detailed homolog and congener profiles of PCBs obtained were compared with those of known Aroclor formulations. High similarity in the homolog profile between the oil sample and Aroclor 1260was found, with the hexachlorinated and hepta- chlorinated biphenyls accounting for more than 80.2% of the total PCBs concentration. Severn indicator PCBs contribute about 30%, while 12 PCB congeners （i.e., # 153, #143, #168, #180, #149, #165, #138, #170, #190, #187, #174, #181） account for more than 50% of the total PCB concentrations. Total concentration ofPCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs （DL-PCBs） was found to be 740 ng TEQ/g, of which 620 ng TEQ/g came from DL-PCBs. The contribution of PCDDs to the total TEQ was neglectable. The concentration of PCDFs homologs follows the order of OCDF 〉 HxCDFs 〉 HpCDFs 〉 PeCDFs 〉 TeCDFs, which is in consistence with the previous study on Aroclor 1260. Three DL-PCBs congeners （i.e., #118, #156, #157） accounted for 77% of the total concentration of DL-PCBs, also they contribute 72% in the TEQ caused by DL-PCBs.     

Ozone kinetics of dimethyl sulfide in the presence of water vapor

The outdoor smog chamber was used to thorough investigate the rate constants of gas-phase reaction between dimethyl sulfide （DMS） and ozone （O3） under conditions of relative humidity 55.0%-67.8% at （296±2）K for the first time. The rate constants were measured, at a total pressure of 1 atm, to be （10.4±0.2） × 10^-19 cm^3·molecule^-1·s^-1 at relative humidity of 67.5%±0.3% at 298K, （10.1±0.1） × 10^-19cm^3·molecule^-1·s^-1 at relative humidity of 66.5%±0.5% at 296K, （7.75±0.39） × 10^-19cm^3·molecule^-1·s^-1 at relative humidity of 64.8%± 0.1% at 294K and （3.42±0.21） × 10^-19cm^3·molecu- le^-1·s^-1at relative humidity of 55.8%±0.8% at 295K. Base on these results, it is possible to see the reaction of O3/ DMS in the presence of water vapor as an important sink for DMS in the earth atmosphere.     

Trends of chemical speciation profiles of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds emissions in China, 2005–2020

This study estimates the detailed chemical profiles of China＇s anthropogenic volatile organic com- pounds （VOCs） emissions for the period of 2005-2020. The chemical profiles of VOCs for seven activity sectors are calculated, based on which the Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential （POCP） of VOCs for these sectors is evaluated. At the national level, the VOCs species emitted in 2005 include alkanes, alkenes and alkynes, aromatic compounds, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters, ethers and halocarbons, accounting for 26.4wt.%, 29.2wt.%, 21.3 wt.%, 4.7 wt.%, 5.4 wt.%, 1.7 wt.%, 2.1 wt.%, 0.7 wt. % and 2.2wt.% of total emissions, respectively. And during 2005-2020, their mass proportions would respec- tively grow or decrease by - 34.7%, -48.6%, 108.5%, 6.9%, -32.7%, 7.3%, 65.3%, 100.5%, and 55.4%. This change would bring about a 13% reduction of POCP for national VOCs emissions in the future. Thus, although the national VOCs emissions are expected to increase by 33% over the whole period, its ozone formation potential is estimated to rise only by 14%. Large discrepancies are found in VOCs speciation emissions among provinces. Compared to western provinces, the eastern provinces with a more developed economy would emit unsaturated hydrocarbons and benzene with lower mix ratios, and aromatic compounds except benzene, oxidized hydrocar- bons and halocarbons with higher mix ratios. Such differences lead to lower POCP of VOCs emitted in eastern provinces, and higher POCP of VOCs emitted in western provinces. However, due to the large VOCs emissions from Chinese eastern region, the ozone forma- tion potential of VOCs emission in eastern provinces would be much higher than those in western provinces by about 156%-235%.     

Combined biologic aerated filter and sulfur/ceramisite autotrophic denitrification for advanced wastewater nitrogen removal at low temperatures

An innovative advanced wastewater treatment process combining biologic aerated filter （BAF） and sulfur/ ceramisite-based autotrophic denitrification （SCAD） for reliable removal of nitrogen was proposed in this paper. In SCAD reactor, ceramisite was used as filter and Ca （HCO3）2 was used for supplying alkalinity and carbon source. The BAF-SCAD was used to treat the secondary treatment effluent. The performance of this process was investigated, and the impact of temperature on nitrogen removal was studied. Results showed that the combined system was effective in nitrogen removal even at low temperatures （8℃）. Removal of total nitrogen （TN）, NH4＋ -N, NO3-N reached above 90% at room temperature. Nitrification was affected by the temperature and nitrification at low temperature （8℃） was a limiting factor for TN removal. However, denitrification was not impacted by the temperature and the removal of NO3 -N maintained 98% during the experimental period. The reason of effective denitrification at low temperature might be the use of easily dissolved Ca（HCO3）2 and high-flux ceramisite, which solved the problem of low mass transfer efficiency at low temperatures. Besides, vast surface area of sulfur with diameter of 2-6 mm enhanced the rate of microbial utilization. The removal of nitrate companied with the production of SO42-, and the average concentration of SO27 was about 240mg.L^-1. These findings would be beneficial for the application of this process to nitrogen removal especially in the winter and cold regions.     

Enhanced dewatering characteristics of waste activated sludge with Fenton pretreatment: effectiveness and statistical optimization

In this work, the enhanced dewaterabing characteristics of waste activated sludge using Fenton pretreatment was investigated in terms of effectiveness and statistical optimization. Response surface method （RSM） and central composite design （CCD） were applied to evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of important operational parameters, i.e., H202 concentrations, Fe2＋ concentrations and initial pH values. A significant quadratic polynomial model was obtained （R2= 0.9189） with capillary suction time （CST） reduction efficiency as the response. Numerical optimization based on desirability function was carried out. The optimum values for H202, Fe2, and initial pH were found to be 178 mg-g-1 VSS （volatile suspended solids）, 211mg.gI VSS and 3.8, respectively, at which CST reduction efficiency of 98.25% could be achieved. This complied well with those predicted by the established polynomial model. The results indicate that Fenton pretreatment is an effective technique for advanced waste activated sludge dewatering. The enhancement of sludge dewaterability by Fenton＇s reagent lies in the migration of sludge bound water due to the disintegration of sludge flocs and microbial cells lysis.     

Application of probabilistic risk assessment at a coking plant site contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Application of Probabilistic Risk Assessment （PRA） and Deterministic Risk Assessment （DRA） at a coking plant site was compared. By DRA, Hazard Quotient （HQ） following exposure to Naphthalene （Nap） and Incremental Life Cancer Risk （ILCR） following exposure to Benzo（a）pyrene （Bap） were 1.87 and 2.12 × 104. PRA revealed valuable information regarding the possible distribution of risk, and risk estimates of DRA located at the 99.59th and 99.76th percentiles in the risk outputs of PRA, which indicated that DRA overestimated the risk. Cleanup levels corresponding acceptable HQ level of 1 and ILCR level of 104 were also calculated for both DRA and PRA. Nap and Bap cleanup levels were 192.85 and 0.14mg.kg-1 by DRA, which would result in only 0.25% and 0.06% of the exposed population to have a risk higher than the acceptable risk, according to the outputs of PRA. The application of PRA on cleanup levels derivation would lift the cleanup levels 1.9 times for Nap and 2.4 times for Bap than which derived by DRA. For this coking plant site, the remediation scale and cost will be reduced in a large portion once the method of PRA is used. Sensitivity analysis was done by calculating the contribution to variance for each exposure parameter and it was found that contaminant concentration in the soil （Cs）, exposure duration （ED）, total hours spent outdoor per day （ETout）, soil ingestion rate （IRs）, the air breathing rate （IRa） and bodyweight （BW） were the most important parameters for risk and cleanup levels calculations.     

Modeling of Ce（IV） transport through a dispersion flat combined liquid membrane with carrier P507

A mathematical model for the transport of Ce （IV） from hydrochloric acid solutions through dispersion flat combined liquid membrane （DFCLM） with contain 2- ethyl hexyl phosphonic acid-mono-2-ethyl hexyl ester （P507） as the carrier, dissolved in kerosene as the membrane solution have been studied. This process of facilitated transport, based on membrane technology, is a variation on the conventional technique of solvent extraction and may be described mathematically using Fick＇s second law. The equations for transport velocity are derived considering the diffusion of P507 and its metallic complexes through the liquid membrane. In this work, the system is considered to be in a transient state, and chemical reaction between Ce（IV） and the carrier to take place only at the solvent-aqueous interfaces. Model concentration profiles are obtained for the Ce（IV）, from which extraction velocities are predicted. The experimental and simulated Ce（IV） extractions showed similar tendencies for a high Ce （IV） concentration and acidity case.The model results indicate that high initial Ce（IV） concentrations and acidity both have detrimental effects on Ce（IV） extraction and stripping. The diffusion coefficient of Ce（IV） in the membrane and the thickness of diffusion layer between feed phase and membrane phase are obtained and the values are 6.31 × 10-8m2·s-1 and 31.2 μm, respectively. The results are in good agreement with experimental results.     

Process control factors for continuous microbial perchlorate reduction in the presence of zero-valent iron

Process control parameters influencing microbial perchlorate reduction via a flow-through zero-valent iron （ZVI） column reactor were investigated in order to optimize perchlorate removal from water. Mixed perchlorate reducers were obtained from a wastewater treatment plant and inoculated into the reactor without further acclimation. Examined parameters included hydraulic residence time （HRT）, pH, nutrients requirement, and perchlorate reduction kinetics. The minimum HRT for the system was concluded to be 8 hr. The removal efficiency of 10 mg. L-1 influent perchlorate concentration was reduced by 20%-80% without control to the neutral pH （HRT = 8 hr）. Therefore pH was determined to be an important parameter for microbial perchlorate reduction. Furthermore, a viable alternative to pH buffer was discussed. The microbial perchlorate reduction followed the first order kinetics, with a rate constant （K） of 0.761 hr-1. The results from this study will contribute to the implementation of a safe, cost effective, and efficient system for perchlorate reduction to below regulated levels.