Isolation and characterization of a Rhodococcus strain with phenol-degrading ability and its potential use for tannery effluent biotreatment

Introduction

Wastewater derived from leather production may contain phenols, which are highly toxic, and their degradation could be possible through bioremediation technologies.

Materials, methods and results

In the present work, microbial degradation of phenol was studied using a tolerant bacterial strain, named CS1, isolated from tannery sediments. This strain was able to survive in the presence of phenol at concentrations of up to 1,000?mg/L. On the basis of morphological and biochemical properties, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, the isolated strain was identified as Rhodococcus sp. Phenol removal was evaluated at a lab-scale in Erlenmeyer flasks and at a bioreactor scale in a stirred tank reactor. Rhodococcus sp. CS1 was able to completely remove phenol in a range of 200 to 1,000?mg/L in mineral medium at 30 ± 2?°C and pH 7 as optimal conditions. In the stirred tank bioreactor, we studied the effect of some parameters, such as agitation (200?C600 rpm) and aeration (1?C3?vvm), on growth and phenol removal efficiency. Faster phenol biodegradation was obtained in the bioreactor than in Erlenmeyer flasks, and maximum phenol removal was achieved at 400?rpm and 1 vvm in only 12?h. Furthermore, Rhodococcus sp. CS1 strain was able to grow and completely degrade phenols from tannery effluents after 9?h of incubation.

Conclusion

Based on these results, Rhodococcus sp. CS1 could be an appropriate microorganism for bioremediation of tannery effluents or other phenol-containing wastewaters.     

Multi-criteria evaluation technique for SFI site identification of NORMS and oil industry waste disposal – Possibilities in Kuwait

Waste generation and accumulating quantities of oil field waste are a matter of environmental concern. This study proposes the Slurry Fracture Injection (SFI) technique as an alternative waste disposal method. The slurried solids injection waste disposal method is environmentally secure and permanent, leaving no future liabilities that must be risk-evaluated or priced. An entire waste stream comprising ground solids and waste water can be injected into deep and hydraulically secure target strata with no contamination of potable water-bearing formations or formations outside the target zone that may contain resources (gas and oil). The slurry injection method can be used to clean and reclaim landfills, oil pits and granular waste dumps. This article proposes a two-tier screening method for evaluating the feasibility of this technique and the identification of suitable target zones. A stringent environmental and process control monitoring program should complement the planning and operational period to ensure environmental protection, waste containment, and regulatory HSE compliance.     

High time-resolved measurements of organic air toxics in different source regimes

High time-resolved (HTR) measurements can provide significant insight into sources and exposures of air pollution. In this study, an automated instrument was developed and deployed to measure hourly concentrations of 18 gas-phase organic air toxics and 6 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at three sites in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The sites represent different source regimes: a site with substantial mobile-source emissions; a residential site adjacent to a heavily industrialized zone; and an urban background site. Despite the close proximity of the sites (less than 13 km apart), the temporal characteristic of outdoor concentrations varied widely. Most of the compounds measured were characterized by short periods of elevated concentrations or plume events, but the duration, magnitude and composition of these events varied from site to site. The HTR data underscored the strong role of emissions from local sources on exposure to most air toxics. Plume events contributed more than 50% of the study average concentrations for all pollutants except chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, and carbon tetrachloride. Wind directional dependence of air toxic concentrations revealed that emissions from large industrial facilities affected concentrations at all of the sites. Diurnal patterns and weekend/weekday variations indicated the effects of the mixing layer, point source emissions patterns, and mobile source air toxics (MSATs) on concentrations. Concentrations of many air toxics were temporally correlated, especially MSATs, indicating that they are likely co-emitted. It was also shown that correlations of the HTR data were greater than lower time resolution data (24-h measurements). This difference was most pronounced for the chlorinated pollutants. The stronger correlations in HTR measurements underscore their value for source apportionment studies.     

化学溶胀法分离废弃线路板中金属与基板

废弃线路板的粉碎和所含金属组分的高效解离是后续分选回收的前提条件。本研究分别使用乙二胺等10种溶剂浸泡废弃线路板，比较对线路板中铜箔与基板间剥离强度的影响，从而筛选出4种有代表性的溶剂，即溶剂D、溶剂F、丙酮和水, 比较废弃线路板经化学溶胀后的单体解离度和获得一定粒径分布的颗粒所需的破碎时间。研究结果表明，化学溶胀后破碎能大幅提高金属的单体解离度，浸泡效果的优良排序为：溶剂D>溶剂F>丙酮>水；浸泡时间越长，浸泡温度越高，对剥离强度的降低越有利；使用溶剂D在150℃、3 h或140℃、5 h的工艺下浸泡废弃线路板，可以使铜箔与基板自动脱落。研究结果为后续的分选提供了便利的条件。     

Influence of content and particle size of waste pet bottles on concrete behavior at different w/c ratios

The goal of this work was to study the mechanical behavior of concrete with recycled Polyethylene Therephtalate (PET), varying the water/cement ratio (0.50 and 0.60), PET content (10 and 20 vol%) and the particle size. Also, the influence of the thermal degradation of PET in the concrete was studied, when the blends were exposed to different temperatures (200, 400, 600 °C). Results indicate that PET-filled concrete, when volume proportion and particle size of PET increased, showed a decrease in compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity; however, the water absorption increased. On the other hand, the flexural strength of concrete-PET when exposed to a heat source was strongly dependent on the temperature, water/cement ratio, as well as on the PET content and particle size. Moreover, the activation energy was affected by the temperature, PET particles location on the slabs and water/cement ratio.     

季节性城市生活垃圾成分分析及厌氧消化特性研究

城市生活垃圾的成分及特性随着季节和人类在不同季节的生活习惯而变化，针对我国北方城市研究了一年中不同季节的城市生活垃圾成分特点，对影响厌氧发酵过程的相关成分如总有机碳（TOC）、总氮（TN）、蛋白质、脂肪和还原糖等进行了测定分析。通过厌氧消化实验，测得不同季节城市生活垃圾pH值、日产气量、沼气甲烷含量、甲烷累积量、挥发性脂肪酸（VFAs）和氧化还原电位（ORP）等参数的变化规律，分析相应变化的影响因素。结果表明，二、三季度的含水率分别为64．81％和67．50％，高于一、四季度，一季度发酵原料中蛋白质和脂肪含量分别为12．56％和8．86％，明显高于其他3个季度。一季度甲烷累积量最高，达到17616mL，单位发酵原料的产气量为204．8mL／g，也是4个季度中最高的，说明蛋白质、脂肪等有机成分含量对厌氧发酵过程及结果影响比较明显。为进一步的城市生活垃圾厌氧消化制取生物燃气的工艺条件提供依据。     

Black Carbon Aerosol at McMurdo Station,Antarctica

ABSTRACT

Aerosol light absorption as black carbon (BC) was measured from November 19, 1995, to February 6, 1996, at a location 0.65 km downwind of the center of McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast. The results show a bimo-dal frequency distribution of BC concentrations. Approximately 65% of the measurements were found in a mode at a low range of concentrations centered at ~20 ng/m³. These concentrations are higher than those found at other remote Antarctic locations and probably represent contamination from the station. The remaining measurements were in a high-concentration mode (BC ~300 ng/m³), indicating direct impact of local emissions from combustion activities at the station. High values of BC were associated with winds from the direction of the station, and the BC flux showed a clear directionality. Maximum BC concentrations occurred between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. The "polluted" mode accounted for more than 80% of the BC frequency-weighted impact at this location.     

INSIGHT: a framework for determining impacts of changes in land and water policies.

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems is constructing a spatially explicit modelling system capable of exploring alternative land and water policy alternatives against plausible price, cost, and climate scenarios for the next 20 years. INSIGHT will be used to identify the likely impacts of land and water policy options on regional economies and structural adjustment. Flowcharts have been constructed for most of the major crop and pasture and associated economic models for commodities produced in the Lachlan River Catchment of New South Wales. This enabled the most important components and interrelationships within these models to be readily identified. The next step has been to construct models at the regional scale that contain the essential elements of the more-detailed point models. The paper describes the progress to date in describing these models, and how they have been integrated into a coordinated agricultural crop production evaluation system.