Persistence of gemfibrozil, naproxen and mefenamic acid in natural waters

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in natural waters is a potential threat to human nutrition and ecosystem quality. The persistence of the acidic pharmaceuticals gemfibrozil, naproxen and mefenamic acid was studied in surface waters of Maracaibo Lake and Tule reservoir (Venezuela) under laboratory conditions. A quick and easy analytical method was developed for the determination of the acidic drugs at microgram per liter levels using aqueous derivatization, liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Pharmaceuticals degradation followed a pseudo first-order kinetic and their half-lives were calculated for every experimental condition. Under sunlight, naproxen and mefenamic acid were degraded at moderate rates with half-lives from 9.6 ± 0.5 to 27.0 ± 6.6 days, while gemfibrozil had a higher persistence (t _1/2 = 119.5 ± 15.6 − 288.8 ± 61.3 days).     

Solid substrate fermentation of cassava fibrous residue for production of alpha-amylase, lactic acid and ethanol

There is serious concern about the disposal of solid residues left after large scale extraction of starch from cassava. Owing to the high starch content (55-65% on dry weight basis) and organic matter of these wastes, an attempt has been made to utilize it for the production of three bioproducts, i.e. alpha-amylase, lactic acid and ethanol in solid substrate fermentation by incubating the solid residue at different moisture holding capacity (40-80%) and incubation period (12- 60 hr for alpha-amylase, 24-144 hr for ethanol and 2-10 days for lactic acid). The highest product yield was obtained at 60% moisture holding capacity of the residue and period of incubation varied from 36 hr (alpha-amylase), 120 hr (ethanol) to 6 days (lactic acid). This study showed that the solid residues from cassava starch factories could serve as a low-cost substrate for bioproducts production.     

全氟辛酸和全氟辛基磺酸的光降解技术及机理研究进展

目前,普遍存在于各种环境介质中的全氟辛酸(PFOA)和全氟辛基磺酸(PFOS)造成的环境污染问题已引起全球的广泛关注.PFOA和PFOS具有稳定性、持久性和生物累积性等特点.常规的方法如:超声降解法、电化学氧化法和微生物降解法等,很难将其彻底降解,因此开发有效的PFOA和PFOS降解技术成为了环境领域的研究重点.近年来...     

Kinetic studies of imazapyr photolysis and characterization of the main photoproducts

The fate of imazapyr (2-(4-isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl)nicotinic acid), a broad-spectrum herbicide in the imidazolinone family, has been studied upon UV irradiation. Most of the photoproducts occurring during the photodegradation have been characterized by means of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry coupled techniques (LC-MS). The use of high resolution mass spectrometry has allowed to maximize the chemical information obtained from a single LC-MS analysis. The degradation of a 10?ppm imazapyr solution leads to pyridine derivatives which remain in solution during 50–100?h while the imazapyr is completely degraded after 6?h.     

Evaluation of different granulated active carbons for removal of Microcystin-LR from contaminated water

Most frequently encountered freshwater cyanobacterial toxin is Microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Microcystins released from cells into water have been responsible for the death of humans, domestic and wild animals. Removal of microcystin by active carbon has been one of the best methods available so far. This study evaluates three grades of active carbon namely 40, 60 and 80 CTC for their removal efficiency of MC-LR from contaminated water. Kinetics of toxin removal was studied in time course experiments. Protection in mouse model was studied for the samples after the adsorption. Toxin quantitation was done by HPLC method. The MC-LR concentration after 24 hr treatment with 40, 60 and 80 CTC carbons were 4.8, 3.3 and 1.3 microg/ml respectively from an initial concentration of 5.2 microg/ml. Protection in mouse bioassay was seen after 48, 24 and 2 hr of adsorption time respectively for 40, 60 and 80 CTC carbons. 80 CTC carbon was found to be most efficient in removing MC-LR from contaminated water.     

UV/H2 O2光氧化降解水中邻二氯苯的研究

通过UV/H2O2氧化法,对水中邻二氯苯的降解动力学、降解反应的影响参数进行研究,结果表明,UV/H2O2氧化法能有效降解邻二氯苯,其反应符合准一级反应动力学规律;弱酸性或中性环境有利于降解反应的进行,H2O2的投入量在特定条件下具有一个最佳值通过IC,GC/MS鉴定出降解中间产物主要为2,3二氯苯酚、3,4二氯苯酚、甲酸、乙酸和乙二酸等,据此推导出邻二氯苯在UV/H2O2体系中的降解途径和机理     

部分水溶性偶氮染料的光催化降解研究

本研究以高压汞灯为光源,系统地研究了１６种偶氮染料在水溶液中的ＴｉＯ２光催化降解。结果表明,这些偶氮染料的光解为一级动力学反应,采用ＴｉＯ２光催化降解方法处理所研究的偶氮染料是可行的,并初步探讨了染料的结构与光解反应表观速率常数之间的关系。     

偏电压对Ti/TiO2光电催化氧化富里酸的影响

采用光电催化反应器对水中天然有机物富里酸(FA)进行降解试验,考察了外加阳极偏电压对光电催化反应器降解富里酸的影响.结果表明,当外加电压为1.2V时,具有最佳的UV254和有机碳TOC去除率,当反应时间为2h时,富里酸的UV254和总有机碳TOC的去除率分别为77.4%和45.4%.另外,在反应初期(前1h内)富里酸光电催化反应动力学常数主要受外加偏电压的影响.     

Isolation,identification, and the degradation characteristics of a thiobencarb-degrading bacterium Bacillus sp. T2北大核心CSCD

Thiobencarb, a thiocarbamate herbicide, is widely used to control weeds in rice paddies. Screening for highly efficient thiobencarb-degrading bacteria is important for the bioremediation of thiobencarb-contaminated environments. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify highly efficient thiobencarb-degrading bacteria and to identify the degradation pathway and the degrading properties. The thiobencarb-degrading strain was isolated using methods of microbiological acclimation and enrichment and was then identified using a 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis. The degrading properties of the isolated bacterium were determined by single-factor experiments, and the degradation products were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A thiobencarb-degrading strain T2, which can utilize thiobencarb as the sole source of carbon for energy and growth, was isolated from paddy soil. Strain T2 degraded more than 98.3% of 0.4 mmol/L of thiobencarb within 36 h. It was preliminarily identified as Bacillus sp. T2 according to the 16S rRNA gene analysis and from its morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics. The metabolic products of the thiobencarb degradation for strain T2 were identified as 4-chlorobenzyl mercaptan, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, and 4-chlorobenzoic acid by the GC-MS. Based on metabolite identification, it was speculated that thiobencarb degradation in strain T2 was initiated by the hydrolysis of the thioester bond to produce 4-chlorobenzyl mercaptan, which was further oxidized to 4-chlorobenzaldehyde and 4-chlorobenzoic acid. The thiobencarb degradation that was initiated by the hydrolysis of the thioester bond by strain T2 is a new metabolic pathway, which provides valuable research material and reliable experimental data for revealing the metabolic process and mechanism of thiobencarb microbial degradation in soil. The strain Bacillus sp. T2 has a very high degradation efficiency, suggesting it is a good prospect for microbial remediation in thiobencarb-polluted environments. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Ecological issues and risk assessment in China

As a result of economic development and population explosion, global ecological environments have been severely disturbed and markedly changed. An ecological crisis involving desertification, soil erosion, degradation of land quality, loss of biodiversity and global climate change has been brought about all over the world. In order to manage ecosystems efficiently, it is necessary to assess ecological risk at multiple scales. Ecological risk is the probability that a region and/or site will experience defined ecological or environmental problems. In this paper, the ecological risks of soil erosion, desertification, and acid deposition have been assessed on a national scale according to natural and human factors, such as topography, soil, vegetation and climate. This assessment has provided very useful information for ecological environmental management in China.