Vermiculture and waste management: study of action of earthworms Elsinia foetida, Eudrilus euginae and Perionyx excavatus on biodegradation of some community wastes in India and Australia

The practice of vermiculture is at least a century old but it is now being revived worldwide with diverse ecological objectives such as waste management, soil detoxification and regeneration and sustainable agriculture. Earthworms act in the soil as aerators, grinders, crushers, chemical degraders and biological stimulators. They secrete enzymes, proteases, lipases, amylases, cellulases and chitinases which bring about rapid biochemical conversion of the cellulosic and the proteinaceous materials in the variety of organic wastes which originate from homes, gardens, dairies and farms. The process is odour free because earthworms release coelomic fluids in the decaying waste biomass which has anti-bacterial properties which kills pathogens. The species used in India were Indian blue (Perionyx excavatus), African night crawler (Eudrilus euginae) and the Tiger worm (Elsinia foetida). E. foetida was used in Australia. E. euginae was found to have higher feeding, growth and biodegradation capacity compared to other two species.Earthworm action was shown to enhance natural biodegradation and decomposition of wastes (60–80 percent under optimum conditions), thus significantly reducing the composting time by several weeks. Within 5 to 6 weeks, 95–100 percent degradation of all cellulosic materials was achieved. Even hard fruit and egg shells and bones can be degraded, although these may take longer.     

Evaluation of Material Biodegradability in Real Conditions–Development of a Burial Test and an Analysis Methodology Based on Numerical Vision

This work validated a burial protocol for in situ testing and presents a robust, repeatable and time-saving technique to measure degraded areas in the sample, i.e. an image analysis method. 1440 specimens of degraded samples have been compiled in a data base. To this end, twenty samples presenting different levels of biodegradability (i.e. PHBV/HV, PLA, PCL, PCL-Starch, paper, PE, PE-Starch) were buried at 4 different locations and then disinterred at 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24-month intervals. The biodegradation levels of these samples were determined by computing weight and area loss. Weight loss was measured after careful cleaning, whereas area loss was quantified using image analysis. Image analysis gives reliable information on visual pollution while only requiring a rudimentary and thus quicker cleaning of the samples.     

选择性吸附-高效生物降解法处理含硝基苯与苯酚混合废水

结合NDA-150型树脂（简称树脂）选择性吸附和生物降解的优点，对含硝基苯和苯酚的模拟混合废水（简称混合废水）进行处理。通过树脂的选择性吸附，使混合废水中的硝基苯和苯酚分离，随后用高效菌对树脂所吸附的硝基苯进行生物降解，同时实现树脂的再生。实验结果表明：通过调节混合废水的pH，树脂可有效地将混合废水中的硝基苯和苯酚进行选择性吸附分离；树脂对硝基苯的吸附是可逆的；树脂的再生程度受微生物对可利用硝基苯质量浓度的下限（1．2mg／L）限制；吸附-生物再生循环实验结果表明，该树脂可有效抵抗微生物的生物降解与破坏。     

采用两段SBR工艺处理石化废水

采用两段序批式活性污泥反应器（SBR）工艺处理高浓度石化废水，考察了DO、MLSS、反应温度对废水处理效果的影响。实验结果表明，两段SBR系统中有机物降解存在着不同的作用机理，第一段主要以去除易降解有机物为主，第二段主要以去除难降解有机物为主。在进水COD为4000mg／L、SBR1中DO为4～5mg／L、MLSS为5000mg／L，SBR2中DO为2～4mg／L、MLSS为3000mg／L、反应温度约为20℃的条件下，废水COD去除率达90％以上。     

Metabolic fate of the 14C-labeled herbicide clodinafop-propargyl in soil

The metabolic fate of ¹⁴C-phenyl-labeled herbicide clodinafop-propargyl (CfP) was studied for 28 days in lab assays using a soil from Germany (A_p horizon, silt loam, and cambisol). Mineralization amounted to 12.40% of applied ¹⁴C after 28 days showing a distinct lag phase until day 7 of incubation. Portions of radioactivity extractable by means of 0.01 M CaCl₂ solution (bioavailable fraction) decreased rapidly and were 4.41% after 28 days. Even immediately after application, only 57.31% were extracted with the aqueous solvent. Subsequent extraction using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE; acetonitrile/water 4:1, v/v) released 39.91% of applied ¹⁴C with day 0 and 26.16% with day 28 of incubation from the samples. Non-extractable portions of radioactivity thus, increased with time amounting to 11.99% (day 0) and 65.00% (day 28). A remarkable increase was observed between 14 and 28 days correlating with the distinct increase of mineralization. No correlation was found throughout incubation with general microbial activity as determined by DMSO reduction. Analysis of the CaCl₂ and ASE extracts by radio-TLC, radio-HPLC and GC/MS revealed that CfP was rapidly cleaved to free acid clodinafop (Cf), which was further (bio-) transformed; DT₅₀ values (based on radio-TLC detection of the parent compound) were far below 1 day (CfP) and about 7 days (Cf). TLC analysis pointed to 2-(4-hydroxyphenoxy)-propionic acid as further metabolite. Due to fractionation of non-extractable residues, most of the ¹⁴C was associated with fulvic and humic acids, portions in humin fractions and non-humics were moderate and low, respectively. Using a special strategy, which included pre-incubation of the soil with CfP and then mineralization of ¹⁴C-CfP as criterion, a microorganism was isolated from the soil examined. The microorganism grew using CfP as sole carbon source with concomitant evolution of ¹⁴CO₂. The bacterium was characterized by growth on commonly used carbon sources and by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The sequence exhibited high similarity with that of Rhodococcus wratislaviensis (99.56%; DSM 44107, NCIMB 13082).     

生物表面活性剂产生菌处理水体石油污染物的研究

为研究水体石油污染物的生物处理方法,通过富集培养、蓝色凝胶平板分离初筛、摇瓶复筛等方法从长期被石油污染的油泥中筛选生物表面活性剂产生菌.采用薄层层析显色法和红外光谱法鉴定该菌所产表面活性剂种类,测定表面活性剂的乳化性能、表面张力和临界胶束浓度等性能,并对菌株降解水体石油污染物的影响因素及效果进行了研究.结果表明,筛选出的生物表面活性剂高产菌株LJ2所产表面活性剂为糖脂,其乳化指数为33％,25℃下可将水的表面张力从71.14 mN/m降至27.22 mN/m,临界胶束质量浓度为5 mg/L;当表面活性剂水溶液质量浓度为100 mg/L时,其乳化指数可达50％.温度、降解时间以及NaCl质量分数对菌株LJ2处理水体石油污染效果影响很大.在34℃条件下处理5d,菌株LJ2对质量浓度为2 g/L的水体石油污染物的降解率高达99.5％.研究表明,生物表面活性剂产生菌L J2对水体石油污染物有良好的降解效果,而且该菌还对水体中较高浓度的NaCl有一定的耐受性.     

Bacterial degradation of monocrotophos and phyto- and cyto-toxicological evaluation of metabolites

The bacterium Serratia marsescens strain JAS16 was isolated from agricultural soil which had prior exposure to monocrotophos for three years. The strain JAS16 tolerated up to 1200 mg L^–1 monocrotophos and degraded the insecticide (1000 mg L^–1) at a degradation rate constant of 136 d^?1 (DT₅₀ = 3.7 d). In soil, the degradation rate constant was 105 d^?1 (DT₅₀ = 4.8 d). A schematic pathway is being proposed from the degraded products derived from gas chromatography--mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The phytotoxicity of degradation products to Vigna radiata, Vigna unguiculata, and Macrotyloma uniflorum and the genotoxicity to Allium cepa roots were found to be low. A cost-effective powder-based formulation was achieved with the isolate. The isolate remained viable during the storage and also multiplied with a higher colony forming units (CFU) load g^–1 for over a period of seven weeks of storage.     

海洋生物对微塑料迁移转化的调控作用

近年来,海洋微塑料污染已成为全球关注的重要环境问题。海洋中广泛存在的微塑料可被藻类吸附、微生物定植,亦可被海洋动物摄食并蓄积。生物与微塑料之间的相互作用必然会改变微塑料的物理、化学性质,及其在海洋中的迁移转化。因此,本文系统地阐述了海洋生物对微塑料的吸附、摄入、蓄积与排泄等关键过程;重点总结了微塑料在海洋生物过程(如排泄、与海洋雪团聚、形成生物膜以及生物扰动)影响下的沉降-埋藏等迁移过程;深入讨论了海洋动物对微塑料的摄食、消化过程以及微生物的分解作用导致的微塑料破碎、降解以及塑料添加剂和吸附污染物的释放过程及其机理。本文阐明了海洋生物对微塑料迁移转化的调控作用,为理解海洋微塑料的环境归趋提供理论依据。     

聚乙烯微塑料的微生物降解研究进展

现代工业的发展使得塑料制品的使用量急剧增加,由此产生的大量废旧塑料垃圾在环境中裂解形成粒径更小的微塑料（<5 mm）.由于微塑料结构稳定,分布广泛且生物可利用性低,在环境中长期存在,已经逐渐成为对海洋生态和环境造成巨大影响的重要污染物.近年的研究表明,自然环境中存在一些能降解这些难降解微塑料的微生物,微生物降解无二次污染且对环境扰动少,在微塑料的去除中具有很好地应用潜力,但亦有一些局限性.综述了环境中数量最多的聚乙烯微塑料的微生物降解研究现状,着重探讨了降解效果和量化方法.基于微塑料生物分解效率普遍较低的现状,开展进一步的研究还非常有必要.     

比值-导数光谱法快速测定香草醛

文章用比值—导数光谱法测定香草醛的含量。实验结果表明,香草醛木素溶液在pH≤7时香草醛在230 nm处有吸收,在pH>7时在248 nm处有吸收。根据不同pH值和不同浓度条件下香草醛木素溶液的比值-导数光谱,说明在230 nm处的光谱信号在pH≤7不受pH值影响,248 nm处的光谱信号在pH>7不受pH值影响。在230 nm和248 nm处的光谱信号对浓度的变化较为敏感,在此两处吸收值可用于香草醛的测定。