Microbiological characteristics in a zero-valent iron reactive barrier

Zero-valent iron (Fe⁰)-based permeable reactive barriertreatment has been generating great interest for passivegroundwater remediation, yet few studies have paid particularattention to the microbial activity and characteristics withinand in the vicinity of the Fe⁰-barrier matrix. The presentstudy was undertaken to evaluate the microbial population andcommunity composition in the reducing zone of influence byFe⁰ corrosion in the barrier at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plantsite. Both phospholipid fatty acids and DNA analyses were usedto determine the total microbial population and microbialfunctional groups, including sulfate-reducing bacteria,denitrifying bacteria, and methanogens, in groundwater andsoil/iron core samples. A diverse microbial community wasidentified in the strongly reducing Fe⁰ environment despitea relatively high pH condition within the Fe⁰ barrier (up topH 10). In comparison with those found in the backgroundsoil/groundwater samples, the enhanced microbial populationranged from 1 to 3 orders of magnitude and appeared to increase from upgradient of the barrier to downgradient soil. Inaddition, microbial community composition appeared to change overtime, and the bacterial types of microorganismsincreased consistently as the barrier aged. DNA analysisindicated the presence of sulfate-reducing and denitrifyingbacteria in the barrier and its surrounding soil. However, theactivity of methanogens was found to be relatively low,presumably as a result of the competition by sulfate/metal-reducing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria because of the unlimited availability of sulfate and nitrate in the site groundwater. Results of this study provide evidenceof a diverse microbial population within and in the vicinity ofthe iron barrier, although the important roles of microbial activity, either beneficially or detrimentally, on the longevityand enduring efficiency of the Fe⁰ barriers are yet to be evaluated.     

Pollution prevention at ports: clearing the air

Seaports are major hubs of economic activity and of environmental pollution in coastal urban areas. Due to increasing global trade, transport of goods through ports has been steadily increasing and will likely continue to increase in the future. Evaluating air pollution impacts of ports requires consideration of numerous sources, including marine vessels, trucks, locomotives, and off-road equipment used for moving cargo. The air quality impacts of ports are significant, with particularly large emissions of diesel exhaust, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides. The health effects of these air pollutants to residents of local communities include asthma, other respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and premature mortality. In children, there are links with asthma, bronchitis, missed school days, and emergency room visits. The significance of these environmental health impacts requires aggressive efforts to mitigate the problem. Approaches to mitigation encompass a range of possibilities from currently available, low-cost approaches, to more significant investments for cleaner air. Examples of the former include restrictions on truck idling and the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel; the latter includes shore-side power for docked ships, and alternative fuels. A precautionary approach to port-related air pollution would encourage local production of goods in order to reduce marine traffic, greener design for new terminals, and state-of-the art approaches to emissions-control that have been successfully demonstrated at ports throughout the world.     

Using improved neural network model to analyze RSP,NOx and NO2 levels in urban air in Mong Kok,Hong Kong

As the health impact of air pollutants existing in ambient addresses much attention in recent years, forecasting of airpollutant parameters becomes an important and popular topic inenvironmental science. Airborne pollution is a serious, and willbe a major problem in Hong Kong within the next few years. InHong Kong, Respirable Suspended Particulate (RSP) and NitrogenOxides NO_x and NO₂ are major air pollutants due to thedominant diesel fuel usage by public transportation and heavyvehicles. Hence, the investigation and prediction of the influence and the tendency of these pollutants are ofsignificance to public and the city image. The multi-layerperceptron (MLP) neural network is regarded as a reliable andcost-effective method to achieve such tasks. The works presentedhere involve developing an improved neural network model, whichcombines the principal component analysis (PCA) technique and theradial basis function (RBF) network, and forecasting thepollutant levels and tendencies based in the recorded data. Inthe study, the PCA is firstly used to reduce and orthogonalizethe original input variables (data), these treated variables arethen used as new input vectors in RBF neural network modelestablished for forecasting the pollutant tendencies. Comparingwith the general neural network models, the proposed modelpossesses simpler network architecture, faster training speed,and more satisfactory predicting performance. This improvedmodel is evaluated by using hourly time series of RSP, NO_x and NO₂ concentrations collected at Mong Kok Roadside Gaseous Monitory Station in Hong Kong during the year 2000. By comparing the predicted RSP, NO_x and NO₂ concentrationswith the actual data of these pollutants recorded at the monitorystation, the effectiveness of the proposed model has been proven.Therefore, in authors' opinion, the model presented in the paper is a potential tool in forecasting air quality parameters and hasadvantages over the traditional neural network methods.     

Distribution of Iron, Manganese, Zinc and Atrazine in Groundwater in Parts of Palar and Cheyyar River Basins, South India

A study was carried out in a part of Palar and Cheyyar river basin to evaluate the current status of iron, manganese, zinc and atrazine concentrations, their origin and distribution in groundwater. Groundwater samples were collected during post-monsoon (March 1998 and February 1999) and pre-monsoon (June 1999) periods from 41 sampling wells distributed throughout the study area. The groundwater samples were analyzed for trace metals using AAS and atrazine using HPLC. The concentration of the trace elements in groundwater is predominant during pre-monsoon period. Distribution pattern indicates that the concentration of these elements increases from west to northeast and towards Palar river. Lower concentrations in the central part may be due to recharge of fresh water from the lakes located here. During most of the months, as there is no flow in Palar river, the concentrations of trace elements in groundwater are high. Drinking water standards indicate that Mn and Zn cross the permissible limit recommended by EPA during the pre-monsoon period. A comparison of groundwater data with trace element chemistry of rock samples shows the abundance of trace elements both in the rock and water in the order of Fe > Mn > Zn and Fe > Zn > Mn. This indicates that iron in groundwater is derived from lithogenic origin. Further, Fe, Mn and Zn have good correlation in rock samples, while it is reverse in the case of water samples, indicating the non-lithogenic origin of Mn and Zn. Atrazine (a herbicide) was not detected in any of the groundwater samples in the study area, perhaps due to low-application rate and adsorption in the soil materials.     

The importance of temperature in assessing iron pipe corrosion in water distribution systems

Temperature is expected to play a significant role in the corrosion of iron pipes in drinking water distribution systems. Temperature impacts many parameters that are critical to pipe corrosion including biological activity, physical properties of the solution, thermodynamic and physical properties of corrosion scale, and chemical rates. Moreover, variations in temperature and temperature gradients may give rise to new corrosion phenomena worthy of consideration by water treatment personnel.     

钢铁企业富余煤气制甲醇与二甲醚的研究

利用钢铁联合企业的富余煤气,制甲醇与二甲醚.提出合理可行的工艺方案,进行主要物料消耗计算和成本估算,得出在工艺上和经济上可行的结论.项目的实施,能实现钢铁联合企业资源综合利用,提高企业的经济效益,同时对实现能源的多样化、发展新型清洁能源、改善生态环境都具有重要意义,其经济效益和社会效益显著.     

金属铁还原降解2,4-二硝基甲苯的实验研究

研究了金属铁对2,4-二硝基甲苯(2,4-DNT)的还原降解情况.实验结果表明,2,4-DNT的还原降解与溶液初始pH值、初始浓度和溶解氧等因素有关.氯离子能消除金属铁的钝化现象.金属铁表面附载的铜对2,4-DNT的还原降解具有催化作用.     

H酸综合废水治理工艺试验研究及工程应用

针对H酸母液及T酸一次洗水高含盐量有机废水进行系统的实验研究，结果表明：废水经冷却、结晶、过滤后，用铁屑过滤，石灰乳、PAM处理．使废水COD去除率为50％，脱色率为7O％，BOD／CODcr提高到0．2以上，预期COD去除率达60％以上，BOD去除率达85％以上，NH3—N去除率达80％以上．     

铁炭内电解法处理染料废水的试验

文章采用铁屑一活性炭内电解法作为光合细菌生化处理染料废水的预处理方法，考查了3个主要影响因素（铁炭比、停留时间、初始pH值）。结果表明，最佳的处理条件为：铁炭比为7：3，pH值为5，停留时间为60min。在上述最佳处理条件下，对初始COD为6790mg／L的染料废水处理效率可以达到66．1％，并且废水经预处理后可生化性得到大大提高，有利于后续生化处理的进行。     

采用钙钛矿型催化剂(La0.8K0.2Cu0.05Mn0.95O3)同时催化去除NOx和碳烟的研究

将钙钛矿型催化剂与碳烟均匀混合后置于固定床连续流动反应体系中,利用程序升温反应技术,在模拟柴油机尾气的情况下对同时催化去除氮氧化物(NOx)和碳烟的反应进行了实验研究.通过改变含Cu原料的用量,得到不同Cu取代量的催化剂La0.8K0.2CuxMn1-xO3,性能评价结果表明,La0.8K0.2Cu0.05Mn0.95O3催化剂的综合性能较好,碳烟的起燃温度及NO向N2的最大转化率分别为280℃和58.0%.采用该催化剂,进一步考察了进气中NO浓度、O2浓度、进气总流量及催化剂与碳烟的接触状况对反应的影响.研究结果表明,进气中NO浓度、O2浓度、气体总流量和催化剂与碳烟之间的接触状况对NO的去除率的影响比较明显,而对碳烟起燃温度的影响较小.O2浓度从5%变为7.5%时,碳烟的起燃温度及最大NO转化率分别从280℃和53.8%变为270℃和96.7%.碳烟与催化剂松散接触时,碳烟的起燃温度及最大NO转化率分别为290℃和48.4%,紧密接触时分别为275℃和70.4%.而进气中NO浓度、气体总流量的变化对碳烟的燃烧基本上没有影响,虽然NO的转化率有明显变化,但生成的N2总量基本不变.