Multistep conversion of cresols by phenol hydroxylase and 2,3-dihydroxy-biphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase

A mulfistep conversion system composed of phenol hydroxylase （PHrND） and 2,3-dihydroxy-biphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase （BphCLA_4） was used to synthesize methylcatechols and semialdehydes from o- and m-cresol for the first time. Docking studies displayed by PyMOL predicted that cresols and methylcatechols could be theoretically transformed by this multistep conversion system~ High performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry （HPLC-MS） analysis also indicated that the products formed from multistep conversion were the corresponding 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol, 2- hydroxy-3-methyl-6-oxohexa-2,4-dienoic acid （2- hydroxy-3-methyl-ODA） and 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-6-oxo- hexa-2,4-dienoic acid （2-hydroxy-5-methyl-ODA）. The optimal cell concentrations of the recombinant E. coli strain BL21 （DE3） expressing phenol hydroxylase （PHrND） and 2,3-dihydroxy-biphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase （BphCLA_4） and pH for the multistep conversion of o- and m-cresol were 4.0 （g-L-1 cell dry weight） and pH 8.0, respectively. For the first step conversion, the formation rate of 3- methylcatechol （0.29μmol·L-1·min-1·mg-1cell dry weight） from o-cresol was similarly with that ofmethylca- techols （0.28 μmol·L-1·min-1·mg-1 cell dry weight） from m-cresol by strain PHrND. For the second step conversion, strain BphCLA_4 showed higher formation rate （0.83 μmol·L-1·min-1·mg-1 cell dry weight） for 2-hydroxy-3-methyl- ODA and 2-hydroxy-5-methyl-ODA from m-cresol, which was 1.1-fold higher than that for 2-hydroxy-3-methyl- ODA （0.77 μmol·L-1·min-1·mg-1. mglcell dry weight） from ocresol. The present study suggested the potential application of the multistep conversion system for the production of chemical synthons and high-value products.     

Selective recovery of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from wastewater using bioelectrochemical system

As the bioelectrochemical system, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) were developed to selectively recover Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions from wastewater. The wastewater was treated in the cathode chambers of the system, in which Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions were removed by using the MFC and the MEC, respectively. At an initial Cu²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, removal efficiencies of Cu²⁺ increased from 97.0%±1.8% to 99.0%±0.3% with the initial Ni²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.1±0.5 to 5.4±0.6 W·m^-3. The Ni²⁺ removal mass in the MEC increased from 6.8±0.2 to 20.5±1.5 mg with the increase of Ni²⁺ concentrations. At an initial Ni²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, Cu²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 99.1%±0.3% to 74.2%±3.8% with the initial Cu²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.0±0.1 to 6.3±1.2 W·m^-3. Subsequently, the Ni²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 96.9%±3.1% to 73.3%±5.4%. The results clearly demonstrated the feasibility of selective recovery of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from the wastewater using the bioelectrochemical system.     

Charge and separation characteristics of nanofiltration membrane embracing dissociated functional groups

The current work focused on the investigation of charge and separation characteristics of nanofiltration （NF） membrane embracing dissociated functional groups under different electrolyte solutions. The electro-kinetic method was carried out to assess the membrane volume charge density （X） with different salt concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 mol. m-3 and different electrolyte species, such as type 1-1, type 2-1 and type 3-1. The Donnan steric pore model-dielectric exclusion （DSPM- DE） model was employed to evaluate the separation characteristics of the NF membrane for wide range of electrolyte concentration （from 25.7 to 598.9mol·m^-3）. The results indicated that the dissociation of the hydro- philic functional groups and the specific adsorption contributed to charge formation on membrane surface. The former played a dominant role in type 1-1 and type 2-1 electrolytes at dilute aqueous solutions （0.1-0.5 mol · m^3）. However, for type 3-1 electrolyte, specific adsorp- tion should contribute to the charge effect to a large extent. Moreover, the correlation between the volume charge density and feed concentration was in accordance with Freundlich isotherm. Furthermore, it was found that the separation characteristic of NF membrane could be evaluated well by DSPM-DE model coupling with electro-kinetic method in a whole concentration range.     

Concept and application of anaerobic suspended granular sludge bed （SGSB） reactor for wastewater treatment

Bed expansion serves an important function in the design and operation of an upflow anaerobic reactor. An analysis of the flow pattern of expanded granular sludge bed （EGSB） reactors shows that most EGSB reactors do not behave as expanded bed reactors, as is widely perceived. Rather, these reactors behave as fluidized bed reactors based on the classic chemical reactor theory. In this paper, four bed expansion modes, divided as static bed, expanded bed, suspended bed, and fluidized bed, for bioreactors are proposed. A high-rate anaerobic suspended granular sludge bed （SGSB） reactor was then developed. The SGSB reactor is an upflow anaerobic reactor, and its expansion degree can be easily controlled within a range to maintain the suspended status of the sludge bed by controlling upfiow velocity. The results of the full-scale reactor confirmed that the use of SGSB reactors is advantageous. The full-scale SGSB reactor runs stably and achieves high COD removal efficiency （about 90%） at high loading rates （average 40 kg-COD·m^-3·d^-1, maximum to 52 kg·COD·m^-3 ·d^-1） based on the SGSB theory, and its expansion degree is between 22% and 37%.     

Continuous biohydrogen production from diluted molasses in an anaerobic contact reactor

An anaerobic contact reactor (ACR) system comprising a continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with settler to decouple the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from solids retention time (SRT) was developed for fermentative hydrogen production from diluted molasses by mixed microbial cultures. The ACR was operated at various volumetric loading rates (VLRs) of 20–44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 with constant HRT of 6 h under mesophilic conditions of 35°C. The SRT was maintained at about 46–50 h in the system. At the initial VLR of 20 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate dropped from 22.6 to 1.58 L·d^-1 as the hydrogen was consumed by the hydrogentrophic methanogen. After increasing the VLR to 28 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 and discharging the sludge for 6 consecutive times, the hydrogentrophic methanogens were eliminated, and the hydrogen content reached 36.4%. As the VLR was increased to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate and hydrogen yield increased to 42.1 L·d^-1 and 1.40 mol H₂·molglucose-consumed^-1, respectively. The results showed that a stable ethanol-type fermentation that favored hydrogen production in the reactor was thus established with the sludge loading rate (SLR) of 2.0–2.5 kgCOD·kgMLVSS^-1·d^-1. It was found that the ethanol increased more than other liquid fermentation products, and the ethanol/acetic acid (mol/mol) ratio increased from 1.27 to 2.45 when the VLR increased from 28 to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, whereas the hydrogen composition decreased from 40.4% to 36.4%. The results suggested that the anaerobic contact reactor was a promising bioprocess for fermentative hydrogen production.     

Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.     

Denitrification potential in a Louisiana wetland receiving diverted Mississippi River water

Excess nitrate in Mississippi River water entering offshore areas is reported to contribute to low oxygen (hypoxia) conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Excessive algal growth driven by the excess nitrogen results in a decrease in dissolved oxygen in bottom water. Reintroduction of Mississippi River waters into a Louisiana coastal wetland has the potential to reduce the amount of nitrate reaching offshore waters. In this study, reduction in the concentration of added NO₃^- was determined in sediment-water-columns collected from a wetland site in Breton Sound estuary receiving nutrient inputs from the Mississippi River. The capacity of a wetland to process nitrate in floodwater was determined in the laboratory. The rates of NO₃^- removal (determined from change in nitrate concentration in the floodwater) averaged 97 mg N m^-2 d^-1 over 16 d for a 1750-mg NO₃-N m^-2 addition, and 170 mg N m^-2 d^-1 over 16 d for a 3500-mg NO₃-N m^-2 addition. The total N₂O-N emissions from the 1750- and 3500-mg NO₃-N m^-2 additions were 19 and 54 mg N m^-2 accounting for 1.1% and 1.5% of the applied NO₃-N, respectively. Using the acetylene-inhibition technique, the average denitrification rate was determined to be 57 and 87 mg N m^-2 d^-1 (21 and 32 g N m^-2 yr^-1) during the most active denitrification period of 5 d after incubation for 1750 and 3500 mg NO₃^--N m^-2 of added nitrate in floodwater, respectively. The total N evolved over 11 d as N₂O + N₂ was equivalent to 436 and 921 mg N m^-2 (24.9% and 26.3%, respectively, of added N). Increasing the amount of NO₃^- applied to the overlying water increased the rate of NO₃^- loss and N₂O emission significantly. The thickness of the oxidized surface sediment layer was also influenced by the NO₃^- application to the floodwater with a significant linear correlation between nitrate addition and thickness of the oxidized layer (r = 0.9998, p = 0.01). This study indicates that wetlands receiving diverted Mississippi River water have the potential to process and remove NO₃^- in the river water, reducing the amount of NO₃^- reaching to offshore areas.     

Abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in Tibetan and Yunnan plateau agricultural soils of China

As low oxygen and high ultraviolet （UV） exposure might significantly affect the microbial existence in plateau, it could lead to a specialized microbial community. To determine the abundance and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea （AOA） in agricultural soil of plateau, seven soil samples were collected respectively from farmlands in Tibet and Yunnan cultivating the wheat, highland-barley, and colza, which are located at altitudes of 3200-3800 m above sea level. Quantitative PCR （q-PCR） and clone library targeting on amoA gene were used to quantify the abundances of AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB）, and characterize the community structures of AOA in the samples. The number of AOA cells （9.34 × 10^7-2.32× 10^8 g^-1 soil） was 3.86-21.84 times greater than that of AOB cells （6.91 × 10^6-1.24 × 10^8 g^-1 soil） in most of the samples, except a soil sample cultivating highland- barley with an AOA/AOB ratio of 0.90. Based Kendall＇s correlation coefficient, no remarkable correlation between AOA abundance and the environmental factor was observed. Additionally, the diversities of AOA community were affected by total nitrogen and organic matter concentration in soils, suggesting that AOA was probably sensitive to several environmental factors, and could adjust its community structure to adapt to the environmental variation while maintaining its abundance.     

Sediment microbial fuel cell with floating biocathode for organic removal and energy recovery

A sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) with three dimensional floating biocathode (FBC) was developed for the electricity generation and biodegradation of sediment organic matter in order to avoid negative effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) depletion in aqueous environments on cathode performance and search cost-effective cathode materials. The biocathode was made from graphite granules with microbial attachment to replace platinum (Pt)-coated carbon paper cathode in a laboratory-scale SMFC (3 L in volume) filled with river sediment (organic content 49±4 g·kg^-1 dry weight). After start-up of 10 days, the maximum power density of 1.00W·m^-3 (based on anode volume) was achieved. The biocathode was better than carbon paper cathode catalyzed by Pt. The attached biofilm on cathode enhanced power generation significantly. The FBC enhanced SMFC performance further in the presence aeration. The SMFC was continuously operated for an over 120-day period. Power generation peaked within 24 days, declined gradually and stabilized at a level of 1/6 peak power output. At the end, the sediment organic matter content near the anode was removed by 29% and the total electricity generated was equal to 0.251 g of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removed.     

Optimization of methyl orange removal from aqueous solution by response surface methodology using spent tea leaves as adsorbent

The effective disposal of redundant tea waste is crucial to environmental protection and comprehensive utilization of trash resources. In this work, the removal of methyl orange （MO） from aqueous solution using spent tea leaves as the sorbent was investigated in a batch experiment. First, the effects of various parameters such as temperature, adsorption time, dose of spent tea leaves, and initial concentration of MO were investigated. Then, the response surface methodology （RSM）, based on Box- Behnken design, was employed to obtain the optimum adsorption conditions. The optimal conditions could be obtained at an initial concentration of MO of 9.75 mg·L-1, temperature of 35.3℃, contact time of 63.8 min, and an adsorbent dosage 3.90 g· L-1. Under the optimized condi- tions, the maximal removal of MO was 58.2%. The results indicate that spent tea leaves could be used as an effective and economical adsorbent in the removal of MO from aqueous solution.     

Modified pretreatment method for total microbial DNA extraction from contaminated river sediment

Extraction of high-quality microbial DNA from contaminated environmental samples is an essential step in microbial ecological study. Based on previously published methods for soil and sediment samples, a modified pretreatment method was developed for extracting microbial DNA from heavily contaminated river sediment samples via selection of optimal pretreatment parameters (i.e., reagent solution, reaction duration, and temperature). The pretreatment procedure involves washing the river sediment sample for three times with a solution containing 0.1 mol·L^-1 ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), 0.1 mol·L^-1 Tris (pH 8.0), 1.5 mol·L^-1 NaCl, 0.1 mol·L^-1 NaH₂PO₄, and Na₂HPO₄ at 65°C with 180 r·min^-1 for 15 min to remove humic materials and heavy metals prior to the employment of standard DNA extraction procedures. We compared the results of standard procedure DNA extraction following pretreatment, without pretreatment, and with using a commercial PowerSoil^TM DNA Isolation Kit. The results indicated that the pretreatment significantly improved the DNA quality based on DNA yield, DNA fragment length, and determination of prokaryotic diversity. Prokaryotic diversity exhibited in the DNA with the pretreatment was also considerably higher than that extracted with the PowerSoil^TM DNA Isolation Kit only. The pretreatment method worked well even with a small amount of sediment sample (0.25 g or even lower). The method provides a novel, simple, cost-effective tool for DNA extraction for microbial community analysis in environmental monitoring and remediation processes.     

Enhanced adsorption of phosphate by loading nanosized ferric oxyhydroxide on anion resin

Ferric oxyhydroxide loaded anion exchanger （FOAE） hybrid adsorbent was prepared by loading nanosized ferric oxyhydroxide （FO） on anion exchanger resin for the removal of phosphate from wastewater. TEM and XRD analysis confirmed the existence of FO on FOAE. After FO loading, the adsorption capacity of the hybrid adsorbent increased from 38.70 to 51.52mg.g-1. Adsorption processes for both FOAE and anion resin were better fit to the pseudo first order model. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that higher temperature （313K）, higher initial phosphate concentration （50 mg.L-1） and lower solution pH （pH value of 2） would be more propitious to phosphate adsorption. Competition effect of coexisting anions on phosphate removal can be concluded as sulfate 〉 nitrate 〉 chloride. Freundlich isotherm model can describe the adsorption of phosphate on FOAE more accurately, which indicated the heterogeneous adsorption occurred on the inner-surface of FOAE.     

Performance of an ANAMMOX reactor treating wastewater generated by antibiotic and starch production processes

A pilot-scale anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX) reactor was used to treat mixed wastewater resulting from a chlortetracycline and starch production process. The results, collected over the course of 272 days, show that the ratio of influent ammonium to nitrite, pH, and temperature can all affect the efficiency of nitrogen removal. The ratio of influent ammonium to nitrite was maintained at about 1:1 at a concentration below 200 mg·L^-1 for both influent ammonium and nitrite. The total nitrogen (TN) loading rate was 0.15–0.30 kgN·m^-3·d^-1, pH remained at 7.8–8.5, and temperature was recorded at 33±1°C. The rate of removal of ammonia, nitrite, and TN were over 90%, 90%, and 80%, and the effluent ammonium, nitrite and TN concentrations were below 50, 30, and 100 mg·L^-1.     

乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水的化学特征及来源分析

为研究乌鲁木齐市米东区大气降水中的化学组分特征及来源,对2017-2019年降水中主要离子浓度及来源进行了分析.研究结果显示,米东区2017-2019年降水的雨量加权pH年均值为7.95,雨量加权平均电导率年均值为16.15 mS·m-1,雨量加权平均总离子浓度为72.75-95.89 μeq·L-1,年均浓度为81....     

硝酸钙投加频次对污泥生物调理效果的影响

在接种了反硝化菌的剩余污泥中投加硝酸钙药剂,利用反硝化菌消耗NO₃^-进行反硝化作用去除污泥中易生物降解的有机物,利用Ca²⁺的中和、架桥作用,改善污泥的脱水性能.固定NO₃^-总投加浓度为100 mg·g^-1 TS,在6 d的时间内,按1次、2次、3次、6次的投加频次向污泥中投加硝酸钙.结果表明,1次投加对污泥脱水性能的提升最显著,较对照组而言,污泥CST降低了65.0%,SRF降低了73.2%,污泥脱水性能明显改善;投加硝酸钙后,污泥胞外聚合物中蛋白质含量大幅降低,S层、L层蛋白质分别从13.47 mg·L^-1、11.66 mg·L^-1降低至0.52 mg·L^-1、1.43 mg·L^-1;投加硝酸钙的污泥Zeta电位更趋于电中性.研究还发现,一次性投加硝酸钙产生了更多NO₂^-,有利于污泥结合水,即微生物细胞质的释放.释放出的有机碳被反硝化菌用作碳源,又增强了反硝化效果,从而促进了污泥EPS的破坏与降解,从而改善了污泥的脱水性能.     

Using crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol polymer membrane as a separator in the microbial fuel cell

Separator between anode and cathode is an essential part of the microbial fuel cell （MFC） and its property could significantly influence the system perfor- mance. In this study we used polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） polymer membrane crosslinked with sulfosuccinic acid （SSA） as a new separator for the MFC. The highest power density of 7594-4 mW-m-2 was obtained when MFC using the PVA membrane crosslinked with 15% of SSA due to its desirable proton conductivity （5.16 x 10-2 S.cml）. The power density significantly increased to 11064- 30 mW.m-2 with a separator-electrode-assembly config- uration, which was comparable with glass fiber （11704- 46 mW.m-2）. The coulombic efficiencies of the MFCs with crosslinked PVA membranes ranged from 36.3% to 45.7% at a fix external resistance of lO00f2. The crosslinked PVA membrane could be a promising alter- native to separator materials for constructing practical MFC system.     

Simultaneous quantification of several classes of antibiotics in water,sediments, and fish muscles by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Precise and sensitive methods for the simultaneous determination of different classes of antibiotics, including sulphonamides, fluoroquinolones, macrolides, tetracyclines, and trimethoprim in surface water, sediments, and fish muscles were developed. In water samples, drugs were extracted with solid-phase extraction (SPE) by passing 1000 mL of water through hydrophilic lipophilic balanced (HLB) SPE cartridges. Sediment samples were solvent-extracted, followed by tandem SPE (strong anion exchange (SAX) + HLB) clean-ups. Fish muscles were extracted by a mixture of acetonitrile and citric buffer (80:20, v/v) solution, and cleaned by SPE. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) detection was employed to quantify all compounds. The recoveries for the antibiotics in the spiked water, sediment, and fish samples were 60.2%–95.8%, 48.1%–105.3%, and 59.8%–103.4%, respectively. The methods were applied to samples taken from Dianchi Lake, China. It showed that concentrations of the detected antibiotics ranged from limits of quantification (LOQ) to 713.6 ng·L^-1 (ofloxacin) in surface water and from less than LOQ to 344.8 μg·kg^-1 (sulphamethoxazole) in sediments. The number of detected antibiotics and the overall antibiotic concentrations were higher in the urban area than the rural area, indicating the probable role of livestock and human activities as important sources of antibiotic contamination. In fish muscles, the concentration of norfloxacin was the highest (up to 38.5 μg·kg^-1), but tetracyclines and macrolides were relatively low. Results showed that the methods were rapid and sensitive, and capable of determining several classes of antibiotics from each of the water, sediment, and fish matrices in a single run.     

Migration of manganese and iron during the adsorption-regeneration cycles for arsenic removal

Fe-Mn binary oxide incorporated into porous diatomite (FMBO-diatomite) was prepared in situ and regenerated in a fixed-bed column for arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] removal. Four consecutive adsorption cycles were operated under the following conditions: Initial arsenic concentration of 0.1 mg·L^-1, empty bed contact time of 5 min, and pH 7.0. About 3000, 3300, 3800, and 4500 bed volumes of eligible effluent (arsenic concentration≤0.01 mg·L^-1) were obtained in four As(III) adsorption cycles; while about 2000, 2300, 2500, and 3100 bed volumes of eligible effluent were obtained in four As(V) adsorption cycles. The dissection results of FMBO-diatomite fixed-bed exhibited that small amounts of manganese and iron were transferred from the top of the fixed-bed to the bottom of the fixed-bed during As(III) removal process. Compared to the extremely low concentration of iron (<0.01 mg·L^-1), the fluctuation concentration of Mn²⁺ in effluent of the As(III) removal column was in a range of 0.01–0.08 mg·L^-1. The release of manganese suggested that manganese oxides played an important role in As(III) oxidation. Determined with the US EPA toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), the leaching risk of As(III) on exhausted FMBO-diatomite was lower than that of As(V).     

高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时检测水体中26种药物及个人护理品

通过优化固相萃取条件和高效液相色谱-串联质谱参数,建立了可以同时检测地表水和地下水中26种典型药物及个人护理品(pharmaceuticals and personal care products,PPCPs),包括磺胺类、大环内酯类、喹诺酮类、酰胺醇类、精神类、消炎止痛类以及个人护理品的检测方法.通过将水样pH值调节至7,利用HLB固相萃取柱对水样中PPCPs进行富集,以甲醇和含0.005%甲酸的水溶液作为正离子模式流动相,甲醇和含0.5 mmol·L^-1乙酸铵的水溶液作为负离子模式流动相进行梯度洗脱,采用多反应监测的质谱扫描模式(MRM)分析测定.26种PPCPs的检出限为0.007—1.78 ng·L^-1,定量限为0.02—5.68 ng·L^-1,回收率为52.28%—115.24%.利用该方法检测北京潮白河地表水和地下水中PPCPs的浓度,结果表明,地表水中PPCPs的含量普遍高于地下水,磺胺甲恶唑、舒必利、咖啡因、卡马西平和布洛芬在地表水和地下水中的含量相对较高,检测浓度分别高达147.83、52.48、78.35、166.58、30.63 ng·L^-1.     

Influence of aeration intensity on the performance of A/O-type sequencing batch MBR system treating azo dye wastewater

Among the numerous parameters affecting the membrane bioreactor (MBR) performance, the aeration intensity is one of the most important factors. In the present investigation, an anoxic/aerobic-type (A/O-type) sequencing batch MBR system, added anoxic process as a pretreatment to improve the biodegradability of azo dye wastewater, was investigated under different aeration intensities and the impact of the aeration intensity on effluent quantity, sludge properties, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) amount generated as well as the change of permeation flux were examined. Neither lower nor higher aeration intensities could improve A/O-type sequencing batch MBR performances. The results showed 0.15 m³·h^-1 aeration intensity was promising for treatment of azo dye wastewater under the conditions examined. Under this aeration intensity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen and color removal as well as membrane flux amounted to 97.8%, 96.5%, 98.7% and 6.21 L·m^-2·h^-1, respectively. The effluent quality, with 25.0 mg·L^-1COD, 0.84 mg·L^-1 ammonium nitrogen and 8 chroma, could directly meet the reuse standard in China. In the meantime, the sludge relative hydrophobicity, the bound EPS, soluble EPS and EPS amounts contained in the membrane fouling layer were 70.3%, 52.0 mg·g^-1VSS, 38.8 mg·g^-1VSS and 90.8 mg·g^-1VSS, respectively, which showed close relationships to both pollutant removals and membrane flux.