Aliphatic and aromatic halocarbons as potential mutagens in drinking water

Chlorinated phenols are either products of industrial chemical processes or the result of chlorination of drinking water. Often, the formation of chlorinated phenols is based upon naturally occurring phenol. The following chlorinated phenols have been selected for testing in the Ames‐test for their mutagenic activity: 3‐chlorophenol, 4‐chlorophenol, 2,3,6‐, 2,4,5‐, 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol, 4‐chloro‐2‐methylphenol and 4‐chloro‐3‐methylchlorophenol. The tester strains TA97, TA98, TA100 and TA104 were employed. All tested compounds produced mutagenic activity at least in one tester strain. The highest numbers of revertants were detected for 2,3,6‐ and 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol. But in contrast to the other substances, these two induced only frameshift mutations in presence of a metabolizing system. The evidence of their presence in drinking water and of their mutagenic activity makes them to a potential health hazard.     

Molecular characterisation of high-strength polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading and phenol-tolerant bacteria obtained from thermal power plant wastewater

This article reports the successful isolation and molecular characterisation of nine different phenol-tolerant and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading Gram-positive bacterial species of diverse genera from the effluents of various industries. Based on similarity matrix studies, isolates Corynebacterium sp. DST1, Lysinibacillus sp. and Planococcus sp. showed<97% similarity, suggesting the possibility of new species in their respective genera.     

Analyses of phenolic compounds occurring in olive oil mill wastewaters by GC–MS

Phenolic compounds in olive oil mill wastewaters were analysed by HRGC–MS after extracting the acidified solution with ethyl acetate and derivatization with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. Both simple and complex phenols were detected with the latter being the most abundant. 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol), p-hydroxyphenyl ethanol (tyrosol), 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol (hydroxytyrosol) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl ethanol (homovanillyl alcohol) predominated among the simple phenols using a gas chromatograph coupled with a mass selective detector.     

The abatement of major pollutants in air and water by environmental catalysis

This review reports the research progress in the abatement of major pollutants in air and water by environmental catalysis. For air pollution control, the selective catalytic reduction of NO _x (SCR) by ammonia and hydrocarbons on metal oxide and zeolite catalysts are reviewed and discussed, as is the removal of Hg from flue gas by catalysis. The oxidation of Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by photo- and thermal-catalysis for indoor air quality improvement is reviewed. For wastewater treatment, the catalytic elimination of inorganic and organic pollutants in wastewater is presented. In addition, the mechanism for the procedure of abatement of air and water pollutants by catalysis is discussed in this review. Finally, a research orientation on environment catalysis for the treatment of air pollutants and wastewater is proposed.     

金属涂料生产中挥发性有机物（VOC）的污染及其防治

阐明了金属涂料生产中挥发性有机物（VOC）的危害性,介绍了一种工程造价低,处理效果较好的治理方法,供投资生产金属涂料的生产者参考。     

炼焦过程排放挥发性有机物的排放特征和组成分布研究

为控制炼焦排放以及为预防城市大气污染提供可靠的污染源数据支持,利用不锈钢采样罐和全自动预浓缩/GC/MS系统,研究了58-Ⅱ型和JN43-80型焦炉在装煤时刻和炼焦过程(包括装煤时刻)中挥发有机物(VOCs)的排放特征及其组成分布,分析了焦化行业排放VOCs的反应活性。研究发现,在装煤时刻和炼焦过程中,58-Ⅱ型焦炉产生的总挥发性有机物(TVOCs)浓度分别为7022μg/m~3和6266μg/m~3;JN43-80型焦炉产生的TVOCs浓度分别为4185μg/m~3和3298μg/m~3。装煤时刻产生的TVOCs浓度明显高于炼焦过程产生的。炼焦过程无组织排放的VOCs包含烯烃、烷烃、芳香烃、卤代烃以及少量的醛和酮,其中乙烯、乙烷、丙烯、苯、甲苯等为主要成分。这些产生的VOCs反应活性各不相同,活性最大的是烯烃类物质,其活性占TVOCs反应活性比重为(86.2±2.1)%;其次是芳香烃类物质,其活性比重为(9.2±3.1)%;反应活性最大的5个物种分别是丙烯、乙烯、1,3-丁二烯、1-丁烯以及苯乙烯。     

水中挥发酚检测方法初探

酚类属高毒物质,水中挥发酚的含量直接影响人类健康。近10年来,我国研究人员对水中挥发酚的测定方法开展了很多研究,特别对于采用4-氨基安替比林分光光度法(4-AAP)(GB 7490-1987)测定水中挥发酚的各个环节,如样品的采集、保存、预处理、试剂纯度、反应时间控制等相关因素进行了研究,找到了影响含量准确的因素,为测定水中挥发酚的含量提供了快速、准确、重复性好的方法。对一些非国标法测定水中挥发酚的方法也进行了介绍。文章对这些方法进行了分类总结。希望能对实验人员有所帮助。     

VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets based on response surface model: A case study in the Pearl River Delta Region, China

Because of the recent growth in ground-level ozone and increased emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), VOC emission control has become a major concern in China. In response, emission caps to control VOC have been stipulated in recent policies, but few of them were constrained by the co-control target of PM_2.5 and ozone, and discussed the factor that influence the emission cap formulation. Herein, we proposed a framework for quantification of VOC emission caps constrained by targets for PM_2.5 and ozone via a new response surface modeling (RSM) technique, achieving 50% computational cost savings of the quantification. In the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the VOC emission caps constrained by air quality targets varied greatly with the NO_x emission reduction level. If control measures in the surrounding areas of the PRD region were not considered, there could be two feasible strategies for VOC emission caps to meet air quality targets (160 µg/m³ for the maximum 8-hr-average 90th-percentile (MDA8-90%) ozone and 25 µg/m³ for the annual average of PM_2.5): a moderate VOC emission cap with <20% NOx emission reductions or a notable VOC emission cap with >60% NO_x emission reductions. If the ozone concentration target were reduced to 155 µg/m³, deep NO_x emission reductions is the only feasible ozone control measure in PRD. Optimization of seasonal VOC emission caps based on the Monte Carlo simulation could allow us to gain higher ozone benefits or greater VOC emission reductions. If VOC emissions were further reduced in autumn, MDA8-90% ozone could be lowered by 0.3-1.5 µg/m³, equaling the ozone benefits of 10% VOC emission reduction measures. The method for VOC emission cap quantification and optimization proposed in this study could provide scientific guidance for coordinated control of regional PM_2.5 and O₃ pollution in China.     

Enhanced nitrogen removal upon the addition of volatile fatty acids from activated sludge by combining calcium peroxide and low-thermal pretreatments

This study investigated a combined low-thermal and CaO₂ pretreatment to enhance the volatile fatty acid (VFA) production from waste activated sludge (WAS). The fermentative product was added to a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as an external carbon source to enhance nitrogen removal. The results showed that the combined pretreatment improved WAS solubilization, releasing more biodegradable substrates, such as proteins and polysaccharides, from TB-EPS to LB-EPS and S-EPS. The maximum VFA production of 3529 ± 188 mg COD/L was obtained in the combined pretreatment (0.2 g CaO₂/g VS + 70 °C for 60 min), which was 2.1 and 1.4-fold of that obtained from the sole low-thermal pretreatment and the control test, respectively. Consequently, when the fermentative liquid was added as an external denitrification carbon source, the effluent total nitrogen decreased to Class A of the discharge standard for pollutants in rural wastewater treatment plants in most areas of China.     

Potential applications of porous organic polymers as adsorbent for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with high toxicity and carcinogenicity are emitted from kinds of industries, which endanger human health and the environment. Adsorption is a promising method for the treatment of VOCs due to its low cost and high efficiency. In recent years, activated carbons, zeolites, and mesoporous materials are widely used to remove VOCs because of their high specific surface area and abundant porosity. However, the hydrophilic nature and low desorption rate of those materials limit their commercial application. Furthermore, the adsorption capacities of VOCs still need to be improved. Porous organic polymers (POPs) with extremely high porosity, structural diversity, and hydrophobic have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for VOCs adsorption. This review generalized the superiority of POPs for VOCs adsorption compared to other porous materials and summarized the studies of VOCs adsorption on different types of POPs. Moreover, the mechanism of competitive adsorption between water and VOCs on the POPs was discussed. Finally, a concise outlook for utilizing POPs for VOCs adsorption was discussed, noting areas in which further work is needed to develop the next-generation POPs for practical applications.