Extracellular polymeric substance induces biogenesis of vivianite under inorganic phosphate-free conditions

Vivianite is often found in reducing environments rich in iron and phosphorus from organic debris degradation or phosphorus mineral dissolution. The formation of vivianite is essential to the geochemical cycling of phosphorus and iron elements in natural environments. In this study, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were selected as the source of phosphorus. Microcosm experiments were conducted to test the evolution of mineralogy during the reduction of polyferric sulfate flocs (PFS) by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (S. oneidensis MR-1) at EPS concentrations of 0, 0.03, and 0.3 g/L. Vivianite was found to be the secondary mineral in EPS treatment when there was no phosphate in the media. The EPS DNA served as the phosphorus source and DNA-supplied phosphate could induce the formation of vivianite. EPS impedes PFS aggregation, contains redox proteins and stores electron shuttle, and thus greatly promotes the formation of minerals and enhances the reduction of Fe(III). At EPS concentration of 0, 0.03, and 0.3 g/L, the produced HCl-extractable Fe(II) was 107.9, 111.0, and 115.2 mg/L, respectively. However, when the microcosms remained unstirred, vivianite can be formed without the addition of EPS. In unstirred systems, the EPS secreted by S. oneidensis MR-1 could agglomerate at some areas, resulting in the formation of vivianite in the proximity of microbial cells. It was found that vivianite can be generated biogenetically by S. oneidensis MR-1 strain and EPS may play a key role in iron reduction and concentrating phosphorus in the oligotrophic ecosystems where quiescent conditions prevail.     

Identification and characterization of Fe3O4/peroxodisulfate advanced oxidation products from sulfameter

Sulfonamides (SAs) are one of the most widely used antibiotics and their residuals in the environment could cause some negative environmental issues. Advanced oxidation such as Fenton-like reaction has been widely applied in the treatment of SAs polluted water. Degradation rates of 95%-99.7% were achieved in this work for the tested 8 SAs, including sulfisomidine, sulfameter (SME), phthalylsulfathiazole, sulfamethoxypyridazine, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfisoxazole, sulfachloropyridazine, and sulfadimethoxine, in the Fe₃O₄/peroxodisulfate (PDS) oxidation system after the optimization of PDS concentration and pH. Meanwhile, it was found that a lot of unknown oxidation products were formed, which brought up the uncertainty of health risks to the environment, and the identification of these unknown products was critical. Therefore, SME was selected as the model compound, from which the oxidation products were never elucidated, to identify these intermediates/products. With liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS), 10 new products were identified, in which 2-amino-5-methoxypyrimidine (AMP) was confirmed by its standard. The investigation of the oxidation process of SME indicated that most of the products were not stable and the degradation pathways were very complicated as multiple reactions, such as oxidation of the amino group, SO₂ extrusion, and potential cross-reaction occurred simultaneously. Though most of the products were not verified due to the lack of standards, our results could be helpful in the evaluation of the treatment performance of SAs containing wastewater.     

Performance of an electrochemical COD (chemical oxygen demand) sensor with an electrode-surface grinding unit

An electrochemical COD (chemical oxygen demand) sensor using an electrode-surface grinding unit was investigated. The electrolyzing (oxidizing) action of copper on an organic species was used as the basis of the COD measuring sensor. Using a simple three-electrode cell and a surface grinding unit, the organic species is activated by the catalytic action of copper and oxidized at a working electrode, poised at a positive potential. When synthetic wastewater was fed into the system, the measured Coulombic yields were found to be dependent on the COD of the synthetic wastewater. A linear correlation between the Coulombic yields and the COD of the synthetic wastewater was established (10-1000 mg L(-1)) when the electrode-surface grinding procedure was activated briefly at 8 h intervals. When various kinds of wastewater samples obtained from various sewage treatment plants were measured, linear correlations (r(2)> or = 0.92) between the measured EOD (electrochemical oxygen demand) value and COD of the samples were observed. At a practical wastewater treatment plant, the measurement system was successfully operated with high accuracy and good stability over 3 months. These experimental results show that the application of the measurement system would be a rapid and practical method for the determination of COD in water industries.     

Dissolved organic sulfur in streams draining forested catchments in southern China

Dissolved organic sulfur (DOS) is an important fraction for sulfur mobilization in ecosystem. In this work stream waters were sampled in 25 forested sites in southern China to study the dissolved sulfur fractions. Dissolved sulfur was fractionated into dissolved organic sulfur (DOS) and inorganic sulfate (SO₄^2-) for 95 stream water samples. The results showed that the concentration of DOS ranged from 0 to 13.1 mg/L (average 1.3 mg/L) in all the streams. High concentrations of DOS in stream waters were found in the sites with high concentrations of sulfate. DOS constituted less than 60.1% of dissolved sulfur (average 17.9%). Statistical analysis showed that DOS concentration was correlated with SO₄^2- in streams waters and total sulfur in surface layer soils. The results also showed that DOS concentration in stream waters had a seasonal variation, but no trends were found with it. The implication was that the long term sulfur deposition had led the increase of the concentration and fraction of DOS in stream waters in acid rain prevailing regions     

pH-dependent leaching behaviour and other performance properties of cement-treated mixed contaminated soil

Portland cement has been widely used for stabilisation/solidification (S/S) treatment of contaminated soils. However, there is a dearth of literature on pH-dependent leaching of contaminants from cement-treated soils. This study investigates the leachability of Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from a mixed contaminated soil. A sandy soil was spiked with 3000 mg/kg each of Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn, and 10,000 mg/kg of diesel, and treated with ordinary Portland cement (CEM I). Four different binder dosages, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (m/m) and different water contents ranging from 13%-19% dry weight were used in order to find a safe operating envelope for the treatment process. The pH-dependent leaching behaviour of the treated soil was monitored over an 84-day period using a 3-point acid neutralisation capacity (ANC) test. The monolithic leaching test was also conducted. Geotechnical properties such as unconfined compressive strength (UCS), hydraulic conductivity and porosity were assessed over time. The treated soils recorded lower leachate concentrations of Ni and Zn compared to the untreated soil at the same pH depending on binder dosage. The binder had problems with Pb stabilisation and TPH leachability was independent of pH and binder dosage. The hydraulic conductivity of the mixes was generally of the order, 10^-8 m/sec, while the porosity ranged from 26%-44%. The results of selected performance properties are compared with regulatory limits and the range of operating variables that lead to acceptable performance described.     

Enhanced nitrate reduction in water by a combined bio-electrochemical system of microbial fuel cells and submerged aquatic plant Ceratophyllum demersum

High nitrate(NO_3~-)loading in water bodies is a crucial factor inducing the eutrophication of lakes.We tried to enhance NO_3~-reduction in overlying water by coupling sediment microbial fuel cells(SMFCs)with submerged aquatic plant Ceratophyllum demersum.A comparative study was conducted by setting four treatments:open-circuit SMFC(Control),closed-circuit SMFC(SMFC-c),open-circuit SMFC with C.demersum(Plant),and closed-circuit SMFC with C.demersum(P-SMFC-c).The electrochemical parameters were documented to illustrate the bio-electrochemical characteristics of SMFC-c and P-SMFC-c.Removal pathways of NO_3~- in different treatments were studied by adding quantitative~(15)NO_3~- to water column.The results showed that the cathodic reaction in SMFC-c was mainly catalyzed by aerobic organisms attached on the cathode,including algae,Pseudomonas,Bacillus,and Albidiferax.The oxygen secreted by plants significantly improved the power generation of SMFC-c.Both electrogenesis and plants enhanced the complete removal of NO_3~- from the sediment–water system.The complete removal rates of added~(15)N increased by 17.6% and 10.2% for SMFC-c and plant,respectively,when compared with control at the end of experiment.The electrochemical/heterotrophic and aerobic denitrification on cathodes mainly drove the higher reduction of NO_3~- in SMFC-c and plant,respectively.The coexistence of electrogenesis and plants further increased the complete removal of NO_3~- with a rate of 23.1%.The heterotrophic and aerobic denitrifications were simultaneously promoted with a highest abundance of Flavobacterium,Bacillus,Geobacter,Pseudomonas,Rhodobacter,and Arenimonas on the cathode.     

Comparison of CNT-PVA membrane and commercial polymeric membranes in treatment of emulsified oily wastewater

CNT-PVA membrane was fabricated and compared with polymeric membranes. The separation performance was evaluated by homemade and cutting fluid emulsions. The three membranes show similar oil retention rates. CNT-PVA membranes have higher permeation fluxes compared with polymeric membranes. CNT-PVA membrane shows higher fouling resistance. Membrane separation is an attractive technique for removal of emulsified oily wastewater. However, polymeric membranes which dominate the current market usually suffer from severe membrane fouling. Therefore, membranes with high fouling resistance are imperative to treat emulsified oily wastewater. In this study, carbon nanotube-polyvinyl alcohol (CNT-PVA) membrane was fabricated. And its separation performance for emulsified oily wastewater was compared with two commercial polymeric membranes (PVDF membrane and PES membrane) by filtration of two homemade emulsions and one cutting fluid emulsion. The results show that these membranes have similar oil retention efficiencies for the three emulsions. Whereas, the permeation flux of CNT-PVA membrane is 1.60 to 3.09 times of PVDF membrane and 1.41 to 11.4 times of PES membrane, respectively. Moreover, after five consecutive operation circles of filtration process and back flush, CNT-PVA membrane can recover 62.3% to 72.9% of its initial pure water flux. However, the pure water flux recovery rates are only 24.1% to 35.3% for PVDF membrane and 6.0% to 26.3% for PES membrane, respectively. Therefore, CNT-PVA membrane are more resistant to oil fouling compared with the two polymeric membranes, showing superior potential in treatment of emulsified oily wastewater.     

Repairing of rutin to the toxicity of combined F-53B and chromium pollution on the biofilm formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The wastewater discharge from the process of chrome plating, which contains 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate(F-53B) and chromium (Cr), may be toxic to biofilm.In this study we found that the biofilm formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was inhibited by exposure to a combination of F-53B and Cr(VI). The combined pollution damaged the cell membranes and the structure of the biofilm, and inhibited the production of the Pseudomonas quinolone-based signal, which affected biofilm forma...     

Heavy metals in rice and garden vegetables and their potential health risks to inhabitants in the vicinity of an industrial zone in Jiangsu, China

Contamination of soil and agricultural products by heavy metals resulting from rapid industrial development has caused major concern. In this study, we investigated heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, Hg and Cd) concentrations in rice and garden vegetables, as well as in cultivated soils, in a rural-industrial developed region in southern Jiangsu, China, and estimated the potential health risks of metals to the inhabitants via consumption of locally produced rice and garden vegetables. A questionnaire-based survey on dietary consumption rates of foodstuffs showed that rice and vegetables accounted for 64% of total foodstuffs consumed, and over 60% of rice and vegetables were grown in the local region. Average concentrations of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb were 0.75, 2.64, 12.00, 0.014, 0.006 and 0.054 mg/kg dw (dry weight) in rice and were 0.67, 1.18, 4.34, 0.011, 0.002 and 0.058 mg/kg fw (fresh weight) in garden vegetables, respectively. These values were all below the maximum allowable concentration in food in China except for Cr in vegetables. Leafy vegetables had higher metal concentrations than solanaceae vegetables. Average daily intake of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb through the consumption of rice and garden vegetables were 5.66, 16.90, 74.21, 0.10, 0.04 and 0.43 μg/(kg·day), respectively. Although Hazard Quotient values of individual metals were all lower than 1, when all six metal intakes via self-planted rice and garden vegetables were combined, the Hazard Index value was close to 1. Potential health risks from exposure to heavy metals in self-planted rice and garden vegetables need more attention.     

Mechanism and characterization of microplastic aging process: A review

● Methods for estimating the aging of environmental micro-plastics were highlighted. ● Aging pathways & characterization methods of microplastics were related and reviewed. ● Possible approaches to reduce the contamination of microplastics were proposed. ● The prospect and deficiency of degradable plastics were analyzed. With the increasing production of petroleum-based plastics, the problem of environmental pollution caused by plastics has aroused widespread concern. Microplastics, which are formed by the fragmentation of macro plastics, are bio-accumulate easily due to their small size and slow degradation under natural conditions. The aging of plastics is an inevitable process for their degradation and enhancement of adsorption performance toward pollutants due to a series of changes in their physiochemical properties, which significantly increase the toxicity and harm of plastics. Therefore, studies should focus on the aging process of microplastics through reasonable characterization methods to promote the aging process and prevent white pollution. This review summarizes the latest progress in natural aging process and characterization methods to determine the natural aging mechanism of microplastics. In addition, recent advances in the artificial aging of microplastic pollutants are reviewed. The degradation status and by-products of biodegradable plastics in the natural environment and whether they can truly solve the plastic pollution problem have been discussed. Findings from the literature pointed out that the aging process of microplastics lacks professional and exclusive characterization methods, which include qualitative and quantitative analyses. To lessen the toxicity of microplastics in the environment, future research directions have been suggested based on existing problems in the current research. This review could provide a systematic reference for in-depth exploration of the aging mechanism and behavior of microplastics in natural and artificial systems.