Effect of tea saponin on phytoremediation of Cd and pyrene in contaminated soils by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lolium multiflorum</Emphasis>

Tea saponin (TS), a kind of green biosurfactant produced by plants, was added into the Cd–pyrene co-contaminated soils to evaluate its influence on phytoremediation of Cd and pyrene by Lolium multiflorum. The results showed that the accumulation of pyrene in L. multiflorum was significantly promoted by the TS. Compared with no TS treatments (PL and ML), the aboveground concentrations of pyrene in TS treatments (PLT and MLT) increased by 135 and 30%, respectively, and the underground concentrations of pyrene in TS treatments (PLT and MLT) increased by 40 and 25%. The concentrations of Cd in the aboveground and underground parts in single contaminated treatments were all significantly more than those in co-contaminated treatments, while the situation of pyrene was quite the reverse. Besides, the addition of TS enhanced activities of dehydrogenase and polyphenol oxidase in soils and increased the biomass of L. multiflorum. The micromorphology of L. multiflorum was not affected by TS. The study suggests that the use of L. multiflorum with TS is an alternative technology for remediation of Cd–pyrene co-contaminated soils.     

Characterization of cattle fecal Streptomyces strains converting cellulose and hemicelluloses into reducing sugars

To characterize Streptomyces isolated from cattle feces for converting lignocellulose into reducing sugars, five Streptomyces strains were screened. All the strains could convert lignocellulose into reducing sugars. The strain A16 accumulate 3.3-folds more reducing sugars on cottonseed shells treated with ethanol than without the treatment (P?<?0.05). The five strains did not accumulate more reducing sugars on rice straws and wheat brans than those on cottonseed shells. Compared with A10 alone, the microbial combination of F1 + A10 accumulated 19, 61, and 25 % less reducing sugars on cottonseed shell, rice straw, and wheat bran than those by A10 solely, respectively (P?<?0.05). Further studies indicated that the activities of avicelase and xylanase were not correlated with the reducing sugar amount accumulated by the test strains. Strain A7 could produce more cellular lipids with xylose and glucose as the sole carbon sources. This study shows the potential for Streptomyces strains from herbivore feces to convert lignocelluloses into lipids and reducing sugars for fuel production.     

Characterization of the extracellular biodemulsifiers secreted by Bacillus cereus LH-6 and the enhancement of demulsifying efficiency by optimizing the cultivation conditions

A highly efficient demulsifying strain, LH-6, was isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil and identified as Bacillus cereus by 16S rDNA gene analysis. It achieved 95.61 and 95.40 % demulsifying ratios within 12 h for water-in-oil (W/O) and oil-in-water (O/W) model emulsions, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) detections indicated that the LH-6’s extracellular biodemulsifiers were different types of lipopeptides for the W/O and O/W emulsions. Optimization of the culture medium composition was conducted to improve the biosynthesis and demulsifying efficiency of the biodemulsifier. The optimal carbon source was liquid paraffin, while waste frying oil could also be an alternative carbon source. The optimal nitrogen sources were ammonium sulfate and yeast extract. To further enhance the biodemulsifier efficiency, the optimal cultivation conditions were determined using response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotation design (CCRD). Using the optimized cultivation conditions, the demulsifying ratios increased to 98.23 and 97.65 % for the W/O and O/W model emulsions, respectively.     

膜吸收法净化低浓度甲醛和氨气简

基于膜吸收技术自制双层平板式膜吸收器，搭建净化低浓度甲醛和氨气污染模拟系统，考察不同膜结构参数、进气流量、吸收剂流量等因素对其净化效果的影响。结果表明，聚偏氟乙烯PVDF对低浓度甲醛和氨气的净化效率高于聚四氟乙烯PTFE。对同一材质膜，随着膜孔隙率的增大，甲醛和氨气的净化率呈上升趋势。随着进气流量的增加，甲醛和氨气的净化效率降低；而吸收剂流量对其净化效率影响不大。对于所有实验条件，平均膜孔径为0.22 μm的PVDF 4^#在进气流量u_g=120 L/h时，甲醛和氨气的净化效率最高，分别达94.7%和96.3%。     

Numerical model of aerobic bioreactor landfill considering aerobic-anaerobic condition and bio-stable zone development

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Aeration by airflow technology is a reliable method to accelerate waste biodegradation and stabilization and hence shorten the aftercare period of a...     

Pollution characteristics and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in three land-use types on the southern Loess Plateau,China

The accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils has been the subject of great concern because these metals have the potential to be transferred to soil solutions and subsequently accumulate in the food chain. To study the persistence of trace metals in crop and orchard soils, representative surface soil samples were collected from terrace farmland that had been cultivated for various numbers of years (3, 8, 12, 15, and >20 years), terrace orchard land that had been cultivated for various numbers of years (4, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 25, and >30 years), and slope farmland with various gradients (3°, 5°, 8°, 12°, 15°, and 25°) and analyzed for heavy metals (As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Zn). These samples were collected from Nihegou catchment of Chunhua county in the southern Loess Plateau of China. The six heavy metals demonstrated different trends with time or gradient in the three land-use types. The Cu and Zn contents of the soil were higher than the referee background values of the loessal soil, and the contents of Cr and Ni, and especially those of As and Hg, were lower. Cu was the only heavy metal that just met the Grade III Environmental Quality Standard for Soils of China, while the others reached grade I. Cu and Hg were considered contaminant factors and Hg was a moderate potential ecological risk factor in the catchment. Of the sites investigated, 89.5% fell into the category with a low degree of contamination (C _d ) and rest were moderate, while all three land-use types had low potential ecological risk (RI). Changes of C _d and RI were consistent with the cultivated time in the terrace farmland and terrace orchard land. Values of RI increased while C _d decreased with the increasing of slope gradient in the slope farmland. Evaluating the ecological risk posed by heavy metals using more soil samples in a larger study area is necessary on the Loess Plateau of China.     

Carbon dioxide emissions from cities in China based on high resolution emission gridded data

Based on the China high resolution emission gridded data (1 km spatial resolution), this article is aimed to create a Chinese city carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission data set using consolidated data sources as well as normalized and standardized data processing methods. Standard methods were used to calculate city CO₂ emissions, including scope 1 and scope 2. Cities with higher CO₂ emissions are mostly in north, northeast, and eastern coastal areas. Cities with lower CO₂ emissions are in the western region. Cites with higher CO₂ emissions are clustered in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region (such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Tangshan), and the Yangtze River Delta region (such as Shanghai and Suzhou). The city per capita CO₂ emission is larger in the north than the south. There are obvious aggregations of cities with high per capita CO₂ emission in the north. Four cities among the top 10 per capita emissions (Erdos, Wuhai, Shizuishan, and Yinchuan) cluster in the main coal production areas of northern China. This indicates the significant impact of coal resources endowment on city industry and CO₂ emissions. The majority (77%) of cities have annual CO₂ emissions below 50 million tons. The mean annual emission, among all cities, is 37 million tons. Emissions from service-based cities, which include the smallest number of cities, are the highest. Industrial cities are the largest category and the emission distribution from these cities is close to the normal distribution. Emissions and degree of dispersion, in the other cities (excluding industrial cities and service-based cities), are in the lowest level. Per capita CO₂ emissions in these cities are generally below 20 t/person (89%) with a mean value of 11 t/person. The distribution interval of per capita CO₂ emission within industrial cities is the largest among the three city categories. This indicates greater differences among per capita CO₂ emissions of industrial cities. The distribution interval of per capita CO₂ emission of other cities is the lowest, indicating smaller differences of per capita CO₂ emissions among this city category. Three policy suggestions are proposed: first, city CO₂ emission inventory data in China should be increased, especially for prefecture level cities. Second, city responsibility for emission reduction, and partitioning the national goal should be established, using a bottom-up approach based on specific CO₂ emission levels and potential for emission reductions in each city. Third, comparative and benchmarking research on city CO₂ emissions should be conducted, and a Top Runner system of city CO₂ emission reduction should be established.     

Removal of ammonia nitrogen from water by mesoporous carbon electrode–based membrane capacitance deionization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater is always a focus in current water treatment. In this study, a combination of mesoporous carbon...     

Experimental and simulated evaluations of airborne contaminant exposure in a room with a modified localized laminar airflow system

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The traditional mixing ventilation is not an energy effective approach to remove indoor air pollutants, maintain breath zone air quality, and control...     

Steam reforming of glycerol for syngas generation under cold plasma conditions: A DFT study

Density functional theory (DFT) has been used to investigate the reaction pathways with steam reforming of glycerol under cold plasma conditions. Total energies, energy barriers, and reaction enthalpies at 298.15 K have been calculated at the GGA/PW91/DNP level. The calculation shows that, with the presence of steam, the energy barrier of glycerol conversion is reduced and the conversion from glycerol to H₂ and CO is promoted under cold plasma conditions. The formation of syngas was through a multi-step pathway via the conversion of OHCH₂CHOH, CH₂OH, CH₂O, HCO,·and CH₃, while the recombination of H generated extra H₂. The synthesis of hydrocarbons are from the recombination of·CH₃,·CH₂, and·CH, which could be primarily generated through glycerol dissociation. The structure of glycerol anion was also studied in this work, and it was less stable than the neutral molecule. The route for the formation of OHCH₂CHOH·and CH₂OH·from glycerol anion is thermodynamically favorable.