Antimony smelting process generating solid wastes and dust：Characterization and leaching behaviors

A large amount of solid waste has been produced by the antimony smelting process in the＂World Capital of Antimony＂, Xikuangshan area in China. This study comprehensively investigated the physical and chemical characteristics of the various solid wastes, as well as the leaching behavior of the solid wastes, which included water-quenched slag,arsenic-alkali residue, desulfurized slag and blast furnace dust. These four types of waste were enriched in a variety of heavy metals and metalloids and more specifically with As and Sb levels up to 8.6 × 104 and 3.16 × 105mg/kg, respectively, in arsenic-alkali residue. For desulfurized slag and water-quenched slag, the leaching concentration of Sb significantly exceeded the acceptable limits during the leaching tests using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure and the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure. In addition, As leaching in arsenic-alkali residue was extraordinarily hazardous, being three orders of magnitude higher than the regulatory level of As. According to the results of the extraction tests, all the tested wastes were classified as hazardous waste.     

Origin of major ions in monthly rainfall events at the Bamenda Highlands, North West Cameroon

Rainwater characteristics can reveal emissions from various anthropogenic and natural sources into the atmosphere. The physico-chemical characteristics of 44 monthly rainfall events （collected between January and December 2012） from 4 weather stations （Bamenda, Ndop plain, Ndawara and Kumbo） in the Bamenda Highlands （BH） were investigated. The purpose was to determine the sources of chemical species, their seasonal inputs and suitability of the rainwater for drinking. The mean pH of 5 indicated the slightly acidic nature of the rainwater. Average total dissolved solids （TDS） were low （6.7 mg/L）, characteristic of unpolluted atmospheric moisture/air. Major ion concentrations （mg/L） were low and in the order K＋ 〉 Ca2＋ 〉 Mg2~ 〉 Na＋ for cations and NO3 〉〉 HCO3 〉 SO] 〉 CI- 〉 PO3- 〉 F- for anions. The average rainwater in the area was mixed Ca-Mg-SO4-CI water type. The CI-/Na＋ ratio （1.04） was comparable to that of seawater （1.16）, an indication that N a＋ and CI originated mainly from marine （Atlantic Ocean） aerosols. High enrichments of Ca2＋, Mg2＋ and SO2- to Na＋ ratios relative to seawater ratios （constituting 44% of the total ions） demonstrated their terrigenous origin, mainly from Saharan and Sahelian arid dusts. The K＋/Na＋ ratio （2.24）, which was similar to tropical vegetation ash （2.38）, and NO3 was essentially from biomass burning. Light （〈 100 mm） pre-monsoon and post-monsoon convective rains were enriched in major ions than the heavy （〉 100 mm） monsoon rains, indicating a high contribution of major ions during the low convective showers. Despite the acidic nature, the TDS and major ion concentrations classified the rainwater as potable based on the WHO guidelines.     

Comparison of quartz sand, anthracite, shale and biological ceramsite for adsorptive removal of phosphorus from aqueous solution

The choice of substrates with high phosphorus adsorption capacity is vital for sustainable phosphorus removal from waste water in constructed wetlands. In this study, four substrates were used： quartz sand, anthracite, shale and biological ceramsite. These substrate samples were characterized by X- ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy studies for their mineral components （chemical components） and surface characteristics. The dynamic experimental results revealed the following ranking order for total phosphorus （TP） removal efficiency： anthracite 〉 biological ceramsite 〉 shale 〉 quartz sand. The adsorptive removal capacities for TP using anthracite, biological ceramsite, shale and quartz sand were 85.87, 81.44, 59.65, and 55.98 mg/kg, respectively. Phosphorus desorption was also studied to analyze the substrates＇ adsorption efficiency in wastewater treatment as well as the substrates＇ ability to be reused for treatment. It was noted that the removal performance for the different forms of phosphorus was dependent on the nature of the substrate and the adsorption mechanism. A comparative analysis showed that the removal of particulate phosphorus was much easier using shale. Whereas anthracite had the highest soluble reactive phosphorus （SRP） adsorptive capacity, biological ceramsite had the highest dissolved organic phosphorus （DOP） removal capacity. Phosphorus removal by shale and biological ceramsite was mainly through chemical adsorption, precipitation or biological adsorption. On the other hand, phosphorus removal through physical adsorption （electrostatic attraction or ion exchange） was dominant in anthracite and quartz sand.     

Biosorption mechanisms involved in immobilization of soil Pb by Bacillus subtilis DBM in a multimetal-contaminated soil

Mechanisms of soil Pb immobilization by Bacillus subtilis DBM, a bacterial strain isolated from a heavy-metal-contaminated soil, were investigated. Adsorption and desorption experiments with living bacterial cells as well as dead cells revealed that both extracellular adsorption and intracellular accumulation were involved in the Pb2＋removal from the liquid phase. Of the sequestered Pb（II）, 8.5% was held by physical entrapment within the cell wall, 43.3% was held by ion-exchange, 9.7% was complexed with cell surface functional groups or precipitated on the cell surface, and 38.5% was intracellularly accumulated.Complexation of Pb2＋with carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, amido, and phosphate groups was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. Precipitates of Pb5（PO4）3OH, Pb5（PO4）3Cl and Pb10（PO4）6（OH）2that formed on the cell surface during the biosorption process were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. Transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of the Pb（II）precipitates and that Pb（II） could be sequestered both extracellularly and intracellularly.Incubation with B. subtilis DBM significantly decreased the amount of the weak-acid-soluble Pb fraction in a heavy-metal-contaminated soil, resulting in a reduction in Pb bioavailability, but increased the amount of its organic-matter-bound fraction by 71%. The ability of B.subtilis DBM to reduce the bioavailability of soil Pb makes it potentially useful for bacteria-assisted phytostabilization of multi-heavy-metal-contaminated soil.     

Removal of phosphate from wastewater using alkaline residue

Alkaline residue(AR) was found to be an efficient adsorbent for phosphate removal from wastewater. The kinetic and equilibrium of phosphate removal were investigated to evaluate the performance of modified alkaline residue. After treatment by NaOH(AR-NaOH), removal performance was significantly improved, while removal performance was almost completely lost after treatment by HCl(AR-HCl). The kinetics of the removal process by all adsorbents was well characterized by the pseudo second-order model. The Langmuir model exhibited the best correlation for AR-HCl, while AR was effectively described by Freundlich model. Both models were well fitted to AR-NaOH. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated from Langmuir equation were in following manner: AR-NaOH AR AR-HCl. Phosphate removal by alkaline residue was pH dependent process. Mechanisms for phosphate removal mainly involved adsorption and precipitation, varied with equilibrium pH of solution. For AR-HCl, the acid equilibrium pH( 6.0) was unfavorable for the formation of Ca-P precipitate, with adsorption as the key mechanism for phosphate removal. In contrast, for AR and ARNaOH, precipitation was the dominant mechanism for phosphate removal, due to the incrase on pH( 8.0) after phosphate removal. The results of both XRD and SEM analysis confirmed CaHPO4·2H2O formation after phosphate removal by AR and AR-NaOH.     

Evaluation of accuracy of linear regression models in predicting urban stormwater discharge characteristics

Stormwater runoff has been identified as a source of pollution for the environment, especially for receiving waters. In order to quantify and manage the impacts of stormwater runoff on the environment, predictive models and mathematical models have been developed. Predictive tools such as regression models have been widely used to predict stormwater discharge characteristics. Storm event characteristics, such as antecedent dry days （ADD）, have been related to response variables, such as pollutant loads and concentrations. However it has been a controversial issue among many studies to consider ADD as an important variable in predicting stormwater discharge characteristics. In this study, we examined the accuracy of general linear regression models in predicting discharge characteristics of roadway runoff. A total of 17 storm events were monitored in two highway segments, located in Gwangju, Korea. Data from the monitoring were used to calibrate United States Environmental Protection Agency＇s Storm Water Management Model （SWMM）. The calibrated SWMM was simulated for 55 storm events, and the results of total suspended solid （TSS） discharge loads and event mean concentrations （EMC） were extracted. From these data, linear regression models were developed. R2 and p-values of the regression of ADD for both TSS loads and EMCs were investigated. Results showed that pollutant loads were better predicted than pollutant EMC in the multiple regression models. Regression may not provide the true effect of site-specific characteristics, due to uncertainty in the data.     

有机氯农药在农田土壤中的吸附解吸特征

选取3种不同深度的农田土壤作为吸附剂,采用批量实验方法,研究了有机氯农药p,p’-DDD和γ-HCH在等温条件下的吸附解吸行为。结果表明,p,p’-DDD和γ-HCH的吸附解吸曲线均可用Freundlich模型较好拟合,并且在表层土壤中表现为线性,而在深部土壤中表现为非线性,表明深部土壤的组成可能更加复杂和不均匀。3种土壤对p,p’-DDD的吸附容量参数Kf值与总有机碳(TOC)含量大小关系一致,而γ-HCH的吸附Kf值却与DOM含量显著正相关。p,p’-DDD和γ-HCH在所有样品中的解吸均有不同程度的滞后现象,其中p,p’-DDD的解吸主要受土壤中有机质含量的影响,TOC含量越低滞后性越不明显,而γ-HCH的解吸滞后性比较复杂。     

凹凸棒石纤维复合气凝胶吸附水体中TPH吸附特性

以水体中总石油烃(total petroleum hydrocarbons,TPH)为目标污染物,采用凹凸棒石复合二氧化硅气凝胶进行净化石油类污染水体研究,主要考察复合气凝胶使用量及环境要素对去除水体中TPH的影响。研究结果表明:凹凸棒石纤维复合气凝胶与污染水体的质量比为1:60,对TPH的去除率随温度的升高而降低,受pH变化影响较小;当NaCl浓度在0~100 g/L,MgCl2浓度在0~2.5 g/L时,复合气凝胶对水体中TPH的去除率几乎不受盐度的影响;Fe3+、Mn2+、NH4+、NO3-均能促进复合气凝胶对TPH的去除,但受其浓度变化影响较小,同时,凹凸棒石纤维复合气凝胶对上述离子也有微弱的去除作用。研究成果为凹凸棒石复合气凝胶在实际石油类污染水体中的应用提供了科学可靠的数据支撑。     

2种吸附剂对壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚吸附行为研究

该文研究了2种不同性质的吸附剂XAD-4大孔吸附树脂和活性炭对NPn EO的吸附行为。实验结果表明:2种吸附剂对NPn EO都具有一定的吸附作用,XAD-4对NPn EO的吸附效果好于活性炭。通过对2种吸附剂进行等温吸附研究发现,升高温度,XAD-4对NPn EO的吸附量增大;活性炭的吸附能力受温度影响不显著。采用Langmuir方程和Freundlich方程对NPn EO在2种吸附剂上的吸附行为进行等温方程拟合,结果表明,吸附等温线都更加符合Langmuir方程,相关系数大于0.99,属于单层分子吸附。动力学研究结果表明:NPn EO在XAD-4和活性炭上的吸附符合准二级动力学方程,相关系数大于0.99。     

颗粒活性炭改性同步去除水中铅、铬的研究

为提高颗粒活性炭同步去除水中铅、铬污染物的能力,分别使用氧化铁、氧化锰、十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(HTMAB)和氯化十六烷基吡啶(CPC)制作改性活性炭(Fe Cl3-AC,Mn O2-AC,HTMAB-AC,CPC-AC)。通过测定4种改性活性炭表面的等电点p H、酸碱官能团和扫描电子显微镜图像,研究4种改性活性炭吸附效果优异并分析其中原因。结果表明:Fe Cl3-AC同步去除铅、铬效果最佳,HTMAB-AC、CPC-AC与原炭效果持平,Mn O2-AC效果还不及原炭。从等电点p H来看,Fe Cl3-AC拥有较低的等电点p H,有利于静电吸附铬酸根阴离子团;从酸性基团数目来看,Fe Cl3-AC表面拥有较多酸性官能团,有利于离子交换作用,保证了对铅离子较高的吸附效率;从SEM来看,Fe Cl3-AC上Fe Cl3负载均匀,有效改善了活性炭表面特性,有利于吸附。