Effect of commercial pesticides on plant growth-promoting activities of Burkholderia sp. strain L2 isolated from rhizosphere of Lycopersicon esculentum cultivated in agricultural soil

The in vitro study was carried out to examine the toxicity of four commercially used pesticides (phorate, mancozeb, chlorpyrifos, and endosulfan) at the recommended dose (1X) and higher field doses (1.5X, 2X, 2.5X, and 3X) on plant growth-promoting activities of Burkholderia sp. strain L2, isolated from pesticide-treated rhizosphere of Lycopersicon esculentum. At the recommended dose, level of toxicity of all the pesticides to phosphate solubilization activity and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production was less detrimental as compared to exceeding doses. At maximum dose rate of each pesticide, the percentage decrease in phosphate solubilization and IAA production over control was found in order of chlorpyrifos < mancozeb < endosulfan < phorate. Present study proves that Burkholderia sp. strain L2 could be used as a potential microbial inoculant in the agricultural soil having persistent pesticide residues.     

Enhanced CO2 adsorptive performance of PEI/SBA-15 adsorbent using phosphate ester based surfactants as additives

In this study,a series of polyetherimide/SBA-15: 2-D hexagonal P6 mm,Santa Barbara USA(PEI/SBA-15) adsorbents modified by phosphoric ester based surfactants(including tri(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate(TEP),bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate(BEP) and trimethyl phosphonoacetate(TMPA))were prepared for CO_2 adsorption.Experimental results indicated that the addition of TEP and BEP had positive effects on CO_2 adsorption capacity over PEI/SBA-15.In particular,the CO_2 adsorption amount could be improved by around 20% for 45PEI–5TEP/SBA-15 compared to the additive-free adsorbent.This could be attributed to the decrease of CO_2 diffusion resistance in the PEI bulk network due to the interactions between TEP and loaded PEI molecules,which was further confirmed by adsorption kinetics results.In addition,it was also found that the cyclic performance of the TEP-modified adsorbent was better than the surfactant-free one.This could be due to two main reasons,based on the results of in situ DRIFT and TG-DSC tests.First and more importantly,adsorbed CO_2 species could be desorbed more rapidly over TEP-modified adsorbent during the thermal desorption process.Furthermore,the enhanced thermal stability after TEP addition ensured lower degradation of amine groups during adsorption/desorption cycles.     

共存阴阳离子对针铁矿表面磷固存机制的影响研究

磷素(P)兼具重要养分元素的利和潜在面源污染的弊,其在土壤环境中的固存行为及其迁移转化过程受到广泛关注.该研究选取黄、红壤中典型矿物(针铁矿、赤铁矿及高岭石)为模式矿物,在排除pH干扰的条件下,开展了共存阴(As(V))阳(Cd(II))离子对矿物表面P(V)固存机制的影响研究.结果表明:P(V)在不同矿物表面的吸附效...     

酸/碱改性香蒲生物炭对水中磷的去除及其机制研究

雨水径流中存在的磷污染问题严重威胁生态环境,而传统的雨水径流处理设施,如雨水花园、渗滤沟等,对磷的去除率较低且成本较高.以湿地中收割的香蒲为原材料,酸改性后制备的生物炭（TH7）的除磷效果非常好,明显优于碱改性生物炭（TOH7）：与原生物炭（T7）相比,酸改性生物炭大大提高了磷的去除效率,可从T7的65%提高至94%,而碱改性生物炭无除磷效果.TH7的表面孔隙发达,比表面积高达434.2m²·g^-1,对磷的吸附符合Freundlich模型和伪二级动力学模型,其吸附属于物理化学吸附,具体的机制为孔隙填充、表面化学沉淀、氢键结合.研究表明,以香蒲为原料制备的改性生物炭是一种效果优越的除磷吸附剂,可应用于植草沟、雨水花园等以填料为主要吸附层的径流处理设施中.     

不同磁黄铁矿自养反硝化脱氮除磷作用

氮磷排放标准日趋严格,开发高效廉价脱氮除磷材料已成为研究热点.采用黄铁矿与赤铁矿在管式炉中氮气气氛下600 ℃煅烧,得到硫化赤铁矿形成的磁黄铁矿、黄铁矿热分解形成的磁黄铁矿,构建磁黄铁矿-方解石体系处理含氮磷模拟废水,对比不同方式制备的磁黄铁矿、天然磁黄铁矿、黄铁矿、硫磺脱氮除磷性能,考察不同磁黄铁矿晶体结构和结晶度差异及其对脱氮除磷影响,探究不同体系中矿物结构和微生物群落变化.结果表明：黄铁矿热分解产物以六方磁黄铁矿为主;硫化赤铁矿产物以低结晶度的单斜磁黄铁矿为主,因而表现出优异的脱氮除磷活性,氮磷去除率分别为99.8%和96.8%.铁硫化物与微生物反应产物的XRD、SEM和FE-TEM分析结果表明,微生物能有效利用磁黄铁矿进行脱氮,磷酸盐主要以FePO₄形式被去除.群落分析结果表明铁硫化物脱氮除磷体系中的主要功能菌属为Thiobacillus和 Sulfurimonas,结晶度低的单斜磁黄铁矿更有利于Thiobacillus定向富集.     

A novel approach to estimate and control denitrification performance in activated sludge systems with respirogram technology

Respirogram technology has been widely applied for aerobic process, however, the response of respirogram to anoxic denitrification is still unclear. To reveal such response may help to design a new method for the evaluation of the performance of denitrification. The size distribution of flocs measured at different denitrification moments demonstrated a clear expansion of flocs triggered by denitrification, during which higher specific endogenous and quasi-endogenous respiration rates (SOUR_e and SOUR_q) were also observed. Furthermore, SOUR_q increases exponentially with the specific denitrification rate (SDNR), suggesting that there should be a maximum SDNR in conventional activated sludge systems. Based on these findings, an index R_q/t, defined as the ratio of quasi-endogenous (OUR_q) to maximum respiration rate (OUR_t), is proposed to estimate the denitrification capacity that higher R_q/t indicates higher denitrification potential, which can be readily obtained without complex measurement or analysis, and it offers a novel and promising respirogram-based approach for denitrification estimation and control by taking measures to extend anoxic time to maintain its value at a high level within a certain range.     

Biofilm-overproducing Bacillus subtilis B12ΔYwcc decreases Cd uptake in Chinese cabbage through increasing Cd-immobilizing related gene abundance and root surface colonization

Biofilm-producing bacteria can decrease Cd uptake in vegetables, but mechanisms underlying this effect are poorly characterized. In this study, two mutant strains B12ΔYwcc and B12ΔSlrR were constructed from a biofilm-producing Bacillus subtilis strain B12. Then, the impacts of strain B12 and its high biofilm-producing mutant strain B12ΔYwcc and low biofilm-producing mutant strain B12ΔSlrR on Cd availability and uptake in Chinese cabbage and the related mechanisms were investigated in the Cd-polluted soil. Strain B12 and its mutants B12ΔYwcc and B12ΔSlrR increased the dry biomasses of edible tissues by 54%–130% compared with the controls. Strain B12 and its mutant B12ΔYwcc reduced the soil available Cd content by 36%–50% and root and edible tissue Cd contents by 23%–50% compared with the controls. Furthermore, the mutant strain B12ΔYwcc reduced the edible tissue Cd content by 40% and increased the polysaccharide content by 23%, invertase activity by 139%, and gene copies of the cumA by 4.5-fold, epsA by 7.1-fold, and cadA by 4.3-fold, which were involved in Cd adsorption in the rhizosphere soils, respectively, compared with strain B12. The polysaccharide content and cumA, epsA, and cadA gene copy numbers showed significantly reverse correlations with the available Cd content. Notably, the mutant strain B12ΔYwcc showed better ability to colonize the vegetable root surface than strain B12. These findings demonstrated that the biofilm-overproducing mutant strain B12ΔYwcc increased the polysaccharide production and Cd-immobilizing related cumA, epsA, and cadA gene copies, resulting in lower Cd availability and accumulation in Chinese cabbage in the Cd-polluted soil.     

Effect of environmental forcing on the fate of nutrients, dissolved organic matter and heavy metals released by a coastal wastewater pipeline

Discharges of nutrients, urea, dissolved organic matter and heavy metals by a sewage underwater pipeline are analysed in comparison to environmental conditions in a shallow coastal zone. Variable thermo-haline stratifications of the water column and currents in upper (2.62-34.97 cm s^-1) and deeper (0.83-10.91 cm s^-1) layers drive vertical diffusion and lateral transport of wastewaters. Loads of reactive phosphorus (0.13 tons d^-1) and ammonium (1.62 tons d^-1) by the pipeline are not negligible compared to the major river loads in the gulf. High concentrations of urea (≤11.51 μmol N dm^-3) were found in the area of wastewater release. Ammonium uptake (6.14-534 nmol N dm^-3 h^-1) strongly exceeded nitrate uptake (0.19-138 nmol N dm^-3 h^-1), indicating that discharges of ammonium by the pipeline are actively assimilated by plankton community even at low levels of light. Distribution of Zn (≤27.7 ppb), Cu (≤25.6 ppb), Cd (≤0.80 ppb) and Pb (≤13.5 ppb) in the water column and the measurement of their complex-forming capacity in seawater did not indicate a persistent perturbation of the pelagic environment due to heavy metals.     

Mechanism of lead immobilization by oxalic acid-activated phosphate rocks

Lead (Pb) chemical fixation is an important environmental aspect for human health. Phosphate rocks (PRs) were utilized as an adsorbent to remove Pb from aqueous solution. Raw PRs and oxalic acid-activated PRs (APRs) were used to investigate the effect of chemical modification on the Pb-binding capacity in the pH range 2.0-5.0. The Pb adsorption rate of all treatments above pH 3.0 reached 90%. The Pb binding on PRs and APRs was pH-independent, except at pH 2.0 in activated treatments. The X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the raw PRs formed cerussite after reacting with the Pb solution, whereas the APRs formed pyromorphite. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that carbonate (CO₃^2-) in raw PRs and phosphate (PO₄^3-) groups in APRs played an important role in the Pb-binding process. After adsorption, anomalous block-shaped particles were observed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data further indicated that both chemical and physical reactions occurred during the adsorption process according to the binding energy. Because of lower solubility of pyromorphite compared to cerussite, the APRs are more effective in immobilizing Pb than that of PRs.     

Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide during the transition from winter carbon source to spring carbon sink in a temperate urban lawn

The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback of urban lawn in warmed environment. Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide during the transition period from winter to spring was investigated in a temperate urban lawn in Beijing, China. The NEE (negative for uptake) under soil warming treatment (temperature was about 5℃ higher than the ambient treatment as a control) was -0.71 μmol/(m².sec), the ecosytem was a CO₂ sink under soil warming treatment, the lawn ecosystem under the control was a CO₂ source (0.13 μmol/(m².sec)), indicating that the lawn ecosystem would provide a negative feedback to global warming. There was no significant effect of soil warming on nocturnal NEE (i.e., ecosystem respiration), although the soil temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) of ecosystem respiration under soil warming treatment was 3.86, much lower than that in the control (7.03). The CO₂ uptake was significantly increased by soil warming treatment that was attributed to about 100% increase of α (apparent quantum yield) and A_max (maximum rate of photosynthesis). Our results indicated that the response of photosynthesis in urban lawn is much more sensitive to global warming than respiration in the transition period.