Research on transesterification parameters for producing plant sterols with supercritical methanol

The supercritical fluid method, regarded as a type of individual production process in the course of preparing plant sterols, has become a promising technology, which possesses advantages of high conversion rate without any pretreatment and need of a catalyst. This study examined the reaction process of the deodorizer distillate (DOD), which mainly included the direct transesterification of DOD to convert into free sterols. The effects of the ratio of methanol to DOD, reaction temperature and time on transesterification were studied. Furthermore, the interactions between different factors were also assessed using the response surface methodology. The optimal conditions obtained were as follows: reaction temperature 553 K, reaction time 80 min, and CH₃OH: DOD = 25:1 (mass ratio). Under these conditions, 36.42% sterol concentration was obtained, which is significantly higher in comparison with the initial sterols’ concentration in raw material (22.45%).     

Rapid and simple spectrophotometric determination of persulfate in water by microwave assisted decolorization of Methylene Blue

A rapid and simple method for determination of persulfate in aqueous solution was developed. The method is based on the rapid reaction of persulfate with Methylene Blue(MB) via domestic microwave activation, which can promote the activation of persulfate and decolorize MB quickly. The depletion of MB at 644 nm(the maximum absorption wavelength of MB) is in proportion to the increasing concentration of persulfate in aqueous solution. Linear calibration curve was obtained in the range 0–1.5 mmol/L, with a limit of detection of 0.0028 mmol/L. The reaction time is rapid(within 60 sec), which is much shorter than that used for conventional methods. Compared with existing analytical methods, it need not any additives, especially colorful Fe2+, and need not any pretreatment for samples, such as p H adjustment.     

Adsorption and biodegradation of three selected endocrine disrupting chemicals in river-based artificial groundwater recharge with reclaimed municipal wastewater

Endocrine disrupting chemical(EDC) pollution in river-based artificial groundwater recharge using reclaimed municipal wastewater poses a potential threat to groundwater-based drinking water supplies in Beijing, China. Lab-scale leaching column experiments simulating recharge were conducted to study the adsorption, biodegradation, and transport characteristics of three selected EDCs: 17β-estradiol(E2), 17α-ethinylestradiol(EE2) and bisphenol A(BPA). The three recharge columns were operated under the conditions of continual sterilization recharge(CSR), continual recharge(CR), and wetting and drying alternative recharge(WDAR). The results showed that the attenuation effect of the EDCs was in the order of WDAR CR CSR system and E2 EE2 BPA, which followed first-order kinetics. The EDC attenuation rate constants were 0.0783, 0.0505, and 0.0479 m-1 for E2, EE2 and BPA in the CR system, respectively. The removal rates of E2, EE2, and BPA in the CR system were 98%, 96% and 92%, which mainly depended on biodegradation and were affected by water temperature.In the CR system, the concentrations of BPA, EE2, and E2 in soil were 4, 6 and 10 times higher than in the WDAR system, respectively. According to the DGGE fingerprints, the bacterial community in the bottom layer was more diverse than in the upper layer, which was related to the EDC concentrations in the water-soil system. The dominant group was found to be proteobacteria, including Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria, suggesting that these microbes might play an important role in EDC degradation.     

Leaching-induced migration and compositional form change of Cu,Zn, and Cd from sludge to loess

Land utilization of sewage sludge has become one of the major issues in environmental mitigation in China. This is particularly important in the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. Sludge enriched with organic matter and nutrients might effectively help to resolve the problems of silty loess soils as evidenced by porosity defect, structural alterations and absence of fertility. After sludge flows into the loess, irrigation water contains heavy metals that leach and migrate into sludge and consequently related human health risks may occur that raise concerns; and this situation needs to be rectified. The characteristics of the vertical migration and composition form change of Cu, Zn, and Cd from composted sludge to loess, and corresponding influencing factors, were investigated by performing a soil column simulation test under the leaching treatment of a one-year irrigation water capacity. Results demonstrated that: (1) composted sludge significantly improved loess fertility, and irrigation leaching transported only a small quantity of organic matter in sludge in the plough layer; (2) although some of the Cu, Zn, and Cd in composted sludge migrated to and concentrated in the middle and upper layers of the soil column during leaching, these metals were mostly retained in the plough layer; and (3) after the leaching treatment of the one-year irrigation water capacity, the compositions of Cu, Zn, and Cd (particularly Cu and Zn) in both plough layer and loess began to stabilize with low concentrations in the exudate. These findings confirmed the applicability of composted sludge in loess regions. This study provided a new insight into the sludge reuse in alkaline soils in arid and semi-arid region.     

Evidence on the causes of the rising levels of CODMn along the middle route of the South-to-North Diversion Project in China: The role of algal dissolved organic matter

As the biggest inter-basin water transfer scheme in the world,the South-to-North Water Diversion Project（SNWD） was designed to alleviate the water crisis in North China.The main channel of the middle route of the SNWD is of great concern in terms of the drinking water quality.In this study,we tested the hypothesis that the dissolved organic matter（DOM） derived from the planktonic algae causes the rising levels of COD_Mn along the middle route by monitoring data on water quality（2015-20...     

Precise and Economical Dredging Model of Sediments and Its Field Application: Case Study of a River Heavily Polluted by Organic Matter,Nitrogen, and Phosphorus

Environmental dredging is an efficient means to counteract the eutrophication of water bodies caused by endogenous release of nitrogen and/or phosphorus from polluted sediments. The huge operational cost and subsequent disposal cost of the dredged polluted sediments, as well as the adverse effect on the benthic environment caused by excessive dredging, make the currently adopted dredging methods unfavorable. Precise dredging, i.e., determining the dredging depth based on the pollution level, not only significantly decreases the costs but also leaves a uniform favorable environment for benthos. However, there is still no feasible process to make this promising method executable. Taking a river heavily polluted by organic compounds as an example, we proposed an executable precise dredging process, including sediment survey, model establishment, data interpolation, and calculation of dredging amount. Compared with the traditional dredging method, the precise one would save 16 to 45 % of cost according to different pollutant removal demands. This precise dredging method was adopted by the National Water Project of China to treat the endogenous pollution of Nanfei River in 2010. This research provides a universal scientific and engineering basis for sediment dredging projects.     

PFOS/PFOA对斑马鱼(Danio rerio)胚胎致毒效应研究

采用斑马鱼胚胎毒性测试方法,研究了PFOA/PFOS对斑马鱼的急性毒性和生命早期阶段生长发育的影响.结果表明,PFOS/PFOA对斑马鱼有明显毒性作用,LC₅₀(48 h)分别为1005 mg/L和107 mg/L,LC₅₀(96　h)分别为499 mg/L和71 mg/L.PFOS/PFOA抑制斑马鱼胚胎发育,可导致胚胎发育畸形,甚至死亡,高浓度(＞240 mg/L)PFOS损伤细胞膜,导致胚胎分裂中的细胞发生自溶而卵凝结死亡,抑制胚胎原肠胚的形成.在各种亚致死效应中,脊柱畸形对PFOS暴露最敏感,其EC₅₀=9.14 mg/L,PFOA暴露最敏感亚致死性毒理学终点为96　h孵化,对应EC₅₀=328.0 mg/L.PFOA/PFOS导致胚胎发育延迟,具有发育毒性.     

聚磷污泥去除高浓度铅的影响因素研究

利用聚磷活性污泥去除废水中的铅[ρ(Pb2+)=150.0 mg·L-1],研究了反应体系内不同溶解氧状况和初始pH值对污泥除铅的效率和稳定性的影响.结果表明,厌氧条件下,pH 6时,铅的去除率随时间增长呈上升趋势,32 d后铅去除率达99.8%,其中有机物及硫化物结合态铅、残渣态分别占41.8%和52.6%,污泥中铅的稳定性良好.好氧条件下,在相对较短时间内铅的去除率随pH上升而增加,反应2 h时,pH 6、pH 4和pH 2对应的铅的去除率分别为99.9%、96.9%和30.3%;而好氧32 d后pH 6、pH 4和pH 2的污泥中残渣态铅含量分别为3 072.3、4 726.8和2 359.1 mg·kg-1,分别占污泥中总铅的41.8%、65.8%和88.8%.综合考虑除铅率和除铅后污泥稳定性,好氧且pH 4理论上是聚磷污泥除铅的最佳条件.     

活性污泥高质量RNA快速提取方法研究

通过比较RNA产量、纯度、降解程度、特定基因的扩增能力、微生物多样性等评价指标,考察和探讨了5种不同RNA提取方法对活性污泥总RNA提取效果的影响并最终建立了一种快速、有效的活性污泥RNA提取方法,即在TENP和PBS洗涤沉淀污泥的基础上,分别采用溶菌酶和TRIzol裂解活性污泥细菌、氯仿去除细菌裂解液中的蛋白和大部分DNA、异丙醇沉淀核酸和DNase I水解残留DNA后,最后进一步用离心柱纯化RNA.结果表明,这种方法可以有效提取高质量的菌群RNA,不仅提取的RNA总量多(每g污泥可提取169.6μg RNA)、纯度高、降解程度低、完整性好、具有丰富的生物多样性,而且可同时进行16SrRNA和amoA基因的RT-PCR扩增反应;与其它方法相比,性价比高,具有明显的优越性,适用于活性污泥RNA的大量提取,同时,T-RFLP结果证明RNA提取方法对分析样品的微生物种类和丰度分析结果影响较大,不同的RNA提取方法所获得的微生物群落基因多样性及其种类、丰度均不同.本研究建立了一种快速、有效的高质量RNA提取方法,将在监测活性污泥菌群动态变化、菌群代谢功能学、微生物群落芯片等研究上具有重要意义.