An investigation of changes in water quality throughout the drinking water production/distribution chain using toxicological and fluorescence analyses

Changes in water quality from source water to finished water and tap water at two conventional drinking water treatment plants(DWTPs) were monitored.Beside the routine water quality testing,Caenorhabditis elegans-based toxicity assays and the fluorescence excitation–emission matrices technique were also applied.Both DWTPs supplied drinking water that met government standards.Under current test conditions,both the investigated finished water and tap water samples exhibited stronger lethal,genotoxic and reprotoxic potential than the relative source water sample,and the tap water sample was more lethal but tended to be less genotoxic than the corresponding finished water sample.Meanwhile,the nearly complete removal of tryptophan-like substances and newly generated tyrosine-like substances were observed after the treatment of drinking water,and humic-like substances were identified in the tap water.Based on these findings,toxic pollutants,including genotoxic/reproductive toxicants,are produced in the drinking water treatment and/or distribution processes.Moreover,further studies are needed to clarify the potentially important roles of tyrosine-like and humic-like substances in mediating drinking water toxicity and to identify the potential sources of these contaminants.Additionally,tryptophan-like fluorescence may be adopted as a useful parameter to monitor the treatment performance of DWTPs.Our observations provided insights into the importance of utilizing biotoxicity assays and fluorescence spectroscopy as tools to complement the routine evaluation of drinking water.     

Plasmonic silver/silver oxide nanoparticles anchored bismuth vanadate as a novel visible-light ternary photocatalyst for degrading pharmaceutical micropollutants

The degradation of pharmaceutical micropollutants is an intensifying environmental problem and synthesis of efficient photocatalysts for this purpose is one of the foremost challenges worldwide. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop novel plasmonic Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposite photocatalysts by simple precipitation and thermal decomposition methods, which could exhibit higher photocatalytic activity for mineralized pharmaceutical micropollutants. Among the different treatments, the best performance was observed for the Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposites (5 wt.%; 10 min's visible light irradiation) which exhibited 6.57 times higher photodegradation rate than the pure BiVO₄. Further, the effects of different influencing factors on the photodegradation system of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) were investigated and the feasibility for its practical application was explored through the specific light sources, water source and cycle experiments. The mechanistic study demonstrated that the photogenerated holes (h⁺), superoxide radicals (?O₂^?) and hydroxyl radicals (?OH) participated in TC-HCl removal process, which is different from the pure BiVO₄ reaction system. Hence, the present work can provide a new approach for the formation of novel plasmonic photocatalysts with high photoactivity and can act as effective practical application for environmental remediation.     

Algal toxicity induced by effluents from textile-dyeing wastewater treatment plants

This research aimed to evaluate the alga Scenedesmus obliquus toxicity induced by textiledyeing effluents(TDE).The toxicity indicator of TDE in alga at the physiological(algal growyth),biochemical(chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) synthesis and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity) and structural(cell membrane integrity) level were investigated.Then we further study the relationship among toxicity indicators at physiological and biochemical level,and supplemented by research on algal biomacromolecules.According to the analysis of various endpoints of the alga,the general sensitivity sequence of toxicity endpoints of Scenedesmus obliquus was:SOD activity Chl-a synthesis algal growth.The stimulation rate of SOD activity increased from day 3(57.25%～83.02%) to day 6(57.25%～103.81%),and then decreased on day 15(-4.23%～-32.96%),which indicated that the antioxidant balance system of the algal cells was destroyed.The rate of Chl-a synthesis inhibition increased gradually,reaching19.70%～79.39% on day 15,while the rate of growth inhibition increased from day 3(-12.90%～10.16%) to day 15(-21.27%～72.46%).Moreover,the algal growth inhibition rate was positively correlated with the inhibition rate of SOD activity or Chl-a synthesis,with the correlation coefficients were 0.6713 and 0.5217,respectively.Algal cells would be stimulating to produce excessive reactive oxygen species,which would cause peroxidation in the cells,thereby destroying chloroplasts,inhibiting chlorophyll synthesis and reducing photosynthesis.With increasing exposure time,irreversible damage to algae can lead to death.This study is expected to enhance our understanding of the ecological risks through algal tests caused by TDE.     

On-going nitrification in chloraminated drinking water distribution system (DWDS) is conditioned by hydraulics and disinfection strategies

Within the drinking water distribution system (DWDS) using chloramine as disinfectant, nitrification caused by nitrifying bacteria is increasingly becoming a concern as it poses a great challenge for maintaining water quality. To investigate efficient control strategies, operational conditions including hydraulic regimes and disinfectant scenarios were controlled within a flow cell experimental facility. Two test phases were conducted to investigate the effects on the extent of nitrification of three flow rates (Q = 2, 6, and 10 L/min) and four disinfection scenarios (total Cl₂=1 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=3:1; total Cl₂=1 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=5:1; total Cl₂=5 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=3:1; and total Cl₂=5 mg/L, Cl₂/NH₃-N=5:1). Physico-chemical parameters and nitrification indicators were monitored during the tests. The characteristics of biofilm extracellular polymetric substance (EPS) were evaluated after the experiment. The main results from the study indicate that nitrification is affected by hydraulic conditions and the process tends to be severe when the fluid flow transforms from laminar to turbulent (2300<Re<4000). Increasing disinfectant concentration and optimizing Cl₂/NH₃-N mass ratio were found to inhibit nitrification to some extend when the system was running at turbulent condition (Q = 10 L/min, Re = 5535). EPS extracted from biofilm that was established at the flow rate of 6 L/min had greater carbohydrate/protein ratio. Furthermore, several nitrification indicators were evaluated for their prediction efficiency and the results suggest that the change of nitrite, together with total organic carbon (TOC) and turbidity can indicate nitrification potential efficiently.     

污泥腐殖酸对Cd2+的吸附特性

为了促进污水处理厂剩余污泥的资源化利用,探索S-HA（sludge-based humic acid, 污泥腐殖酸）对溶液中重金属Cd2+的吸附特性.采用国际腐殖酸协会（IHSS）推荐的方法提取S-HA,通过元素分析、FT-IR（傅里叶红外光谱分析）和SEM-EDS（外观形态分析）等方法,考察溶液pH和共存阳离子对吸附过程的影响,并对吸附过程分别进行了吸附动力学模型、等温吸附模型和吸附热力学模型拟合,同时通过对比S-HA吸附前后的红外光谱和扫描电镜-能谱图片,探索S-HA对Cd2+的吸附机制.结果表明:①S-HA表面呈松散的簇团状,含有大量的羧基、醇羟基和酚羟基等含氧官能团,芳香度较高,含有较多的脂肪链结构;S-HA在吸附水中Cd2+的过程中,Cd2+与S-HA表面上的酚羟基、羧基等官能团发生了络合作用.②S-HA对Cd2+的吸附量随溶液pH升高而增加,溶液中Na+、NH₄+和Ca2+等共存阳离子的存在不利于S-HA对Cd2+的吸附,其中Ca2+的存在对S-HA吸附Cd2+影响最大.③S-HA对Cd2+的吸附由快吸附、慢吸附和吸附平衡3个阶段组成,吸附平衡时间为12 h;吸附过程符合准二级动力学模型,其整体吸附速度由液膜扩散和颗粒内扩散共同控制;吸附等温线符合Freundlich等温吸附模型,25℃下的最大吸附量为19.29 mg/g,Cd2+在S-HA上的吸附是自发吸热反应.研究显示:污水处理厂剩余污泥提取的S-HA对Cd2+具有较好的吸附效果;S-HA对Cd2+的吸附过程同时存在着物理吸附和化学吸附;高pH对S-HA吸附Cd2+有促进作用,而高离子强度对S-HA吸附Cd2+有抑制作用.      

基于模糊PI控制的瞬态高温控制策略研究

目的通过地面环境试验研究气动热引起的瞬态高温环境对飞行器结构的影响。方法设计基于石英灯和离心机的瞬态高温-加速度复合试验系统,研究温度和加速度同步控制系统的结构和原理,分析无制冷装置环境下瞬态高温控制的难点,提出基于模糊PI控制器的温度控制策略。结果通过MATLAB仿真验证,设计的模糊PI控制器相比传统的PI控制器能够有效提高温度控制的动态性能与精确性。结论将基于模糊PI控制的瞬态加热控制策略应用于瞬态高温控制是可行、有效的,能为地面气动热模拟环境试验提供技术保障。     

石期河流域地下水化学特征及物质来源分析

为明确典型岩溶溶丘洼(谷)地区域地下水化学特征及其成因,以石期河流域为研究对象,运用Gibbs图、Piper图、端元分析及离子比例系数等方法,对地下水水化学特征及物质来源进行了定性和定量分析.结果表明,研究区内地下水pH值介于6.06～8.07之间,Ca~(2+)、 Mg~(2+)和HCO~-_3是地下水中的主要离子,其质量浓度范围分别为2.61～108.7、 0.54～27.61和8.1～370.74mg·L~(-1),符合岩溶水高钙弱碱性特征;地下水物质成分中, Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)主要受到碳酸参与的灰岩和白云岩风化作用的控制, Na~+主要来源于硅酸盐岩的溶解,同时, Ca~(2+)和Na~+在地下水流动过程中进行阳离子交替吸附作用; K~+、 Cl~-和NO~-_3主要受到农业化肥施放和生活废水排放的影响.此外,大气降水作为该区域地下水的主要补给来源,对当地地下水化学特征和物质来源也有一定的影响.     

海水入侵指标对比分析与评价—以珠江口地下水含水层为例

合理评价海水入侵对于地下水含水层管理和居民生活健康有着重要的意义。当前海水入侵评价应用较广泛的为包含单一因子和基于统计分析的多种水化学方法。本文综合阐述了海水入侵评价中所用的水化学指标、原理与方法,包括在国内评价体系中少见的一些方法,并以珠江口地下水含水层为例,对比了各种指标的有效性,评价了各类方法的优缺点以及在实际应用中可能产生的问题。结果显示,以Cl-和TDS作为简单直接的单因子可以快速评价海水入侵,尤其对于大范围的海水入侵评价十分有效。而和Ca2+,HCO₃-,SO₄2-等变化有关的指标具有地域性,在研究区对海水入侵的指示并不是十分敏感。在复杂评价因子中,与离子交换有关SAR,BEX以及GQI_SWI与Cl-相关性较高,可以较好的指示海水入侵及水岩相互作用。经过分析,受到地下含水层和地表水道双重介质入侵的影响,研究区海水入侵范围在过去几个年代有向北推进的趋势。本研究对于高速经济发展下的沿海地下水含水层管理和评价有重要的指导意义。     

Mercury flows in large-scale gold production and implications for Hg pollution control

Large-scale gold production(LSGP) is one of the five convention-related atmospheric mercury(Hg) emission sources in the Minamata Convention on Mercury. However, field experiments on Hg flows of the whole process of LSGP are limited. To identify the atmospheric Hg emission points and understand Hg emission characteristics of LSGP, Hg flows in two gold smelters were studied. Overall atmospheric Hg emissions accounted for 10%–17% of total Hg outputs and the Hg emission factors for all processes were 7.6–9.6 kg/ton. There were three dominant atmospheric Hg emission points in the studied gold smelters, including the exhaust gas of the roasting process, exhaust gas from the environmental fog collection stack and exhaust gas from the converter of the refining process. Atmospheric Hg emissions from the roasting process only accounted for 16%–29% of total emissions and the rest were emitted from the refining process. The overall Hg speciation profile(gaseous elemental Hg/gaseous oxidized Hg/particulate-bound Hg) for LSGP was 34.1/57.1/8.8. The dominant Hg output byproducts included waste acid, sulfuric acid and cyanide leaching residue. Total Hg outputs from these three byproducts were 80% in smelter A and 84% in smelter B. Our study indicated that previous atmospheric Hg emissions from large-scale gold production might have been overestimated.Hg emission control in LSGP is not especially urgent in China compared to other significant emission sources(e.g., cement plants). Instead, LSGP is a potential Hg release source due to the high Hg output proportions to acid and sludge.