Biogenic palladium prepared by activated sludge microbes for the hexavalent chromium catalytic reduction: Impact of relative biomass

• Pd nanoparticles could be reduced and supported by activated sludge microbes. • The effect of biomass on Pd adsorption by microbes is greater than Pd reduction. • More biomass reduces Pd particle size, which is more dispersed on the cell surface. • When the biomass/Pd add to 6, the catalytic reduction rate of Cr(VI) reaches stable. Palladium, a kind of platinum group metal, owns catalytic capacity for a variety of hydrogenations. In this study, Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) were generated through enzymatic recovery by microbes of activated sludge at various biomass/Pd, and further used for the Cr(VI) reduction. The results show that biomass had a strong adsorption capacity for Pd(II), which was 17.25 mg Pd/g sludge. The XRD and TEM-EDX results confirmed the existence of PdNPs associated with microbes (bio-Pd). The increase of biomass had little effect on the reduction rate of Pd(II), but it could cause decreasing particle size and shifting location of Pd(0) with the better dispersion degree on the cell surface. In the Cr(VI) reduction experiments, Cr(VI) was first adsorbed on bio-Pd with hydrogen and then reduced using active hydrogen as electron donor. Biomass improved the catalytic activity of PdNPs. When the biomass/Pd (w/w) ratio increased to six or higher, Cr(VI) reduction achieved maximum rate that 50 mg/L of Cr(VI) could be rapidly reduced in one minute.     

Metabolic uncoupler, 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide addition for sludge reduction and fouling control in a gravity-driven membrane bioreactor

• Effects of metabolic uncoupler TCS on the performances of GDMBR were evaluated. • Sludge EPS reduced and transformed into dissolved SMP when TCS was added. • Appropriate TCS increased the permeability and reduced cake layer fouling. • High dosage aggravated fouling due to compact cake layer with low bio-activity. The gravity-driven membrane bioreactor (MBR)system is promising for decentralized sewage treatment because of its low energy consumption and maintenance requirements. However, the growing sludge not only increases membrane fouling, but also augments operational complexities (sludge discharge). We added the metabolic uncoupler 3,3′,4′,5-tetrachlorosalicylanilide (TCS) to the system to deal with the mentioned issues. Based on the results, TCS addition effectively decreased sludge ATP and sludge yield (reduced by 50%). Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS; proteins and polysaccharides) decreased with the addition of TCS and were transformed into dissolved soluble microbial products (SMPs) in the bulk solution, leading to the break of sludge flocs into small fragments. Permeability was increased by more than two times, reaching 60–70 L/m²/h bar when 10–30 mg/L TCS were added, because of the reduced suspended sludge and the formation of a thin cake layer with low EPS levels. Resistance analyses confirmed that appropriate dosages of TCS primarily decreased the cake layer and hydraulically reversible resistances. Permeability decreased at high dosage (50 mg/L) due to the release of excess sludge fragments and SMP into the supernatant, with a thin but more compact fouling layer with low bioactivity developing on the membrane surface, causing higher cake layer and pore blocking resistances. Our study provides a fundamental understanding of how a metabolic uncoupler affects the sludge and bio-fouling layers at different dosages, with practical relevance for in situ sludge reduction and membrane fouling alleviation in MBR systems.     

基于3S技术对太湖底质及水质总磷的研究

应用3S技术研究了太湖底质与水质总磷(TP)的分布情况,并结合水华频次分析了其相关性。结果表明:2016—2018年,太湖底质TP年均值在433~537 mg/kg波动,水质TP年均值从0.064 mg/L上升至0.087 mg/L。从空间分布来看,底质TP、水质TP和水华频次均呈现“西高东低”的规律,太湖西部区尤其是竺山湖区是需要开展治理的重点区域。3年间,太湖西部区水质TP上升,而底质TP与入湖河流TP下降,说明内源磷污染是太湖西部区水质TP升高的主要原因,须加强科学清淤。     

基于模糊推理的FRAM事故定量分析方法研究

为有效克服FRAM事故分析中无法进行定量分析的缺陷，提出结合模糊推理技术的Fuzzy FRAM模型。此改进模型基于FRAM识别系统运行状态；依据功能输出要素的时间/精度属性利用Matlab构建2阶模糊推理系统量化功能输出质量；根据通用性能条件(CPC)及功能输入耦合端口构建功能评价体系，针对评价体系中存在的不确定性信息融合及建模问题，采用模糊证据推理技术，通过模糊信度结构建立、数据处理、信息融合测度后获得功能的风险指数;以既有铁路危险品运输事故为例，验证方法的可行性。结果表明:Fuzzy FRAM模型的评估结果较为精确，是FRAM分析方法的有效补充。     

移动通信技术发展对安全生产影响研究*

为了深入揭示安全生产水平同移动通信技术发展的内在联系，提出安全生产信息技术能力的概念及其监控管理连接、救援响应监测、定位导航追踪3方面子能力的定义，进而通过构建3方面子能力同移动通信主要性能指标之间的关系模型（SPITCMC），并对其进行深入分析和研究。研究结果表明:SPITCMC模型可以准确诠释过去移动通信技术发展对安全生产水平产生的影响，同时可用于预判未来移动通信技术发展对安全生产可能产生的影响程度，从而为后续相关工作的开展提供参考和借鉴。     

污水处理厂设备维护管理优化研究

以JL污水处理厂设备管理优化过程为例,充分吸取LCC,TPM中的先进思想,以设备运行可靠性及设备维护经济性为追求目标,建立了设备管理优化体系。流程体系上,通过建立作业指导文件,建立标准化维修程序,对于操作过程及时进行记录,建立可视化、可追溯的管理方法;指标体系上,根据设备重要性及运行状况,确定设备风险指数,分级管理;建立控制指标,并动态调整;管控体系上,建立设备“户口”,对设备的维护、保养、使用等信息进行全面登记;考核设备维护的全面性、及时性、可靠性、合规性;重视设备维护的预计与预警;技术体系上,通过设备监测仪器的使用,对设备运行状况定量化。通过不断推进设备预防性维护工作,设备完好率不断提升,仪表完好率从2016年的97.34%,96.55%水平,分别提升至99.08%,98.72%;维护费用也保持在较低水平,检修费与资产比例在实施的前两年分别降至1.49%,0.85%,实现了污水处理厂节能降耗及运行可靠性的强化。     

Cautioning against overemphasis of normative constructs in conservation decision making

Questions around how to conserve nature are increasingly leading to dissonance in conservation planning and action. While science can assist in unraveling the nature of conservation challenges, conservation responses rely heavily on normative positions and constructs to order actions, aid interpretations, and provide motivation. However, problems can arise when norms are mistaken for science or when they stymy scientific rigor. To highlight these potential pitfalls, we used the ethics-based tool of argument analysis to assess a controversial conservation intervention, the Pelorus Island Goat Control Program. The program proponents' argument for restorative justice was unsound because it relied on weak logical construction overly entrenched in normative assumptions. Overreliance on normative constructs, particularly the invocation of tragedy, creates a sense of urgency that can subvert scientific and ethical integrity, obscure values and assumptions, and increase the propensity for flawed logic. This example demonstrates how the same constructs that drive biodiversity conservation can also drive poor decision making, spur public backlash, and justify poor animal welfare outcomes. To provide clarity, a decision-making flowchart we devised demonstrates how values, norms, and ethics influence one another. We recommend practitioners follow 3 key points to improve decision making: be aware of values, as well as normative constructs and ethical theories that those values inform; be mindful of overreliance on either normative constructs or ethics when deciding action is justified; and be logically sound and transparent when building justifications. We also recommend 5 key attributes that practitioners should be attentive to when making conservation decisions: clarity, transparency, scientific integrity, adaptiveness, and compassion. Greater attention to the role of norms in decision making will improve conservation outcomes and garner greater public support for actions.     

Diversity of antibiotic resistance genes and encoding ribosomal protection proteins gene in livestock waste polluted environment

The rapid development and increase of antibiotic resistance are global phenomena resulting from the extensive use of antibiotics in human clinics and animal feeding operations. Antibiotics can promote the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which can be transferred horizontally to humans and animals through water and the food chain. In this study, the presence and abundance of ARGs in livestock waste was monitored by quantitative PCR. A diverse set of bacteria and tetracycline resistance genes encoding ribosomal protection proteins (RPPs) from three livestock farms and a river were analyzed through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The abundance of sul(I) was 10³ to 10⁵ orders of magnitude higher than that of sul(II). Among 11 tet-ARGs, the most abundant was tet(O). The results regarding bacterial diversity indicated that the presence of antibiotics might have an evident impact on bacterial diversity at every site, particularly at the investigated swine producer. The effect of livestock waste on the bacterial diversity of soil was stronger than that of water. Furthermore, a sequencing analysis showed that tet(M) exhibited two genotypes, while the other RPPs-encoding genes exhibited at least three genotypes. This study showed that various ARGs and RPPs-encoding genes are particularly widespread among livestock.     

Co-development of an integrated assessment framework to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of selected nature-based water treatment technologies in Sri Lanka,The Philippines,and Vietnam

Water quality is a critical challenge in Asia in the context of growing industrialization, urbanization, and climate change. Nature-based solutions (NbS) could play an important role in reducing urban water pollution, while generating multiple co-benefits that could make cities more liveable and resilient. In this regard, a number of pilot and demonstration projects have been set up to explore their potential across cities in Asia. Their effectiveness and impacts, however, have not been adequately documented, thus how they can be sustained, replicated and up-scaled remain poorly understood. This study aims to contribute to addressing this challenge by co-developing an integrated assessment framework and employing it to understand how existing evaluations of NbS in the region can be improved. It focuses specifically on a set of nature-based solutions that have been employed for water treatment across six cities in Southeast Asia (two in each Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Vietnam), namely, floating wetlands, constructed wetlands and maturation ponds. The study also suggests specific methodologies for capturing a set of core indicators considered relevant for assessing the effectiveness and capturing the multi-faceted impacts of the examined NbS.     

城市污泥-磷石膏陶粒的制备条件及性能分析

以城市污水处理厂剩余污泥和磷酸生产废渣磷石膏为原料制备多孔陶粒,考察不同配比、烧结温度及烧结时间对多孔陶粒堆积密度、吸水率及盐酸可溶率的影响。结果表明:在污泥与磷石膏混合比1∶4、烧结温度1 050℃、烧结时间15 min的条件下,可制得堆积密度为685.78 kg/m~3、吸水率27.34%、盐酸可溶率11.38%的陶粒,该陶粒内部含有丰富的膨胀气孔,可用作水处理滤料或建材骨料。