Non-UV based germicidal activity of metal-doped TiO2 coating on solid surfaces

A stain-based screening method was developed to screen different catalyst coatings for their germicidal activity. A Baclight dead/live bacteria viability kit （invitrogen, molecular probes） was used for staining the cell. The screening was carried out following a standard procedure. This included loading cell suspension to solid surface and maintaining contact for 30 min, then staining with a mixture containing dyes. The stained cells were observed using an epifluorescent microscope and photographed with a CCD camera under UV. Metal-doped TiO2 coatings on AI plates were prepared and tested for non-UV germicidal activity without using UV. It was tested using model microorganisms such as Bakers Yeast （Saccharomyces cerevisiae）, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas putida, and Escherichia coli. On the basis of the germicidal activity of catalyst and the degree of damage caused to the cells, the stained cells may appear green （viable）, green with red or yellow nuclei and yellow （compromised） or red （nonviable）. According to their stained color, cells were counted to calculate the percentage of dead, live, and compromised cells. Compromised cells are cells that grow very slowly after reculturing indicating a degree of reversible cell damage. Screening the germicidal activity using this staining method is accurate and efficient, and requires less time than the culture-based method. A modification to the procedure for measuring germicidal activity of rough surfaces or fibrous coatings was developed. Both TiO2 and metal-doped TiO2 （Ag, Pt, Au, Cu） possess non-UV based germicidal activity. The germicidal activity of TiO2 was found to be related with its wetting property and can be improved by UV irradiation before testing. It is not greatly affected by contact time, indicating a fast acting germicidal activity.     

Heavy metal availability and impact on activity of soil microorganisms along a Cu/Zn contamination gradient

All the regulations that define a maximum concentration of metals in the receiving soil are based on total soil metal concentration. However, the potential toxicity of a heavy metal in the soil depends on its speciation and availability. We studied the effects of heavy metal speciation and availability on soil microorganism activities along a Cu/Zn contamination gradient. Microbial biomass and enzyme activity of soil contaminated with both Cu and Zn were investigated. The results showed that microbial biomass was negatively affected by the elevated metal levels. The microbial biomass-C （Cmic）/organic C （Corg） ratio was closely correlated to heavy metal stress. There were negative correlations between soil microbial biomass, phosphatase activity and NH4NO3 extractable heavy metals. The soil microorganism activity could be predicted using empirical models with the availability of Cu and Zn. We observed that 72% of the variation in phosphatase activity could be explained by the NH4NO3-extractable and total heavy metal concentration. By considering different monitoring approaches and different viewpoints, this set of methods applied in this study seemed sensitive to site differences and contributed to a better understanding of the effects of heavy metals on the size and activity of microorganisms in soils. The data presented demonstrate the relationship between heavy metals availability and heavy metal toxicity to soil microorganism along a contamination gradient.     

Effect of sulfate on the methanogenic activity of a bacterial culture from a brewery wastewater during glucose degradation

The maximum specific methanogenic activity （SMA） of a sludge originating from a brewery wastewater treatment plant on the degradation of glucose was investigated at various levels of sulfate on a specific loading basis. Batch experiments were conducted in serum bottles at pH 7 and 35℃. A comparison of the values indicates that the SMA of this mixed culture was increased and reached its highest level of 0.128 g CH4 gas COD/（g VSS.d） when biomass was in contact with sulfate at a ratio of 1：0.114 by weight.     

Topsoil organic carbon mineralization and CO2 evolution of three paddy soils from South China and the temperature dependence

Carbon mineralization and its response to climatic warming have been receiving global attention for the last decade. Although the virtual influence of temperature effect is still in great debate, little is known on the mineralization of organic carbon （SOC） of paddy soils of China under warming. SOC mineralization of three major types of China＇s paddy soils is studied through laboratory incubation for 114 d under soil moisture regime of 70% water holding capacity at 20℃ and 25℃ respectively. The carbon that mineralized as CO2 evolved was measured every day in the first 32 d and every two days in the following days. Carbon mineralized during the 114 d incubation ranged from 3.51 to 9.22 mg CO2-C/gC at 20℃ and from 4.24 to 11.35 mg CO2-C/gC at 25℃ respectively; and a mineralizable C pool in the range of 0.24 to 0.59 gC/kg, varying with different soils. The whole course of C mineralization in the 114 d incubation could be divided into three stages of varying rates, representing the three subpools of the total mineralizable C： very actively mineralized C at 1-23 d, actively tnineralized C at 24--74 d and a slowly mineralized pool with low and more or less stabilized C mineralization rate at 75-114 d. The calculated Q10 values ranged from 1.0 to 2.4, varying with the soil types and N status. Neither the total SOC pool nor the labile C pool could account for the total mineralization potential of the soils studied, despite a well correlation of labile C with the shortly and actively mineralized C, which were shown in sensitive response to soil warming. However, the portion of microbial C pool and the soil C/N ratio controlled the C mineralization and the temperature dependence. Therefore, C sequestration may not result in an increase of C mineralization proportionally. The relative control of C bioavailability and microbial metabolic activity on C mineralization with respect to stabilization of sequestered C in the paddy soils of China is to be further studied.     

应用分子生物学与同位素示踪技术研究厌氧氨氧化菌活性及功效

厌氧氨氧化是一个新发现的氮循环途径,与反硝化作用都产生氮气,但准确衡量厌氧氨氧化活性及功效的相关方法还是个难题.本研究联合应用分子生物学与同位索示踪技术,以北京某污水处理厂的活性污泥为实验样品,研究其中厌氧氨氧化菌的存在、活性和功效.厌氧氨氧化菌的分子生物学分析是通过16S rRNA进行,选择两步引物分别为pla46-...     

江西省陆地生态系统氮平衡的时空分布规律研究

利用系统物质平衡模型,对1995-2005年江西省陆地生态系统的N收支平衡进行了核算,并分析了不同来源N收支量的时间序列特征以及N盈余强度的空间分布特征,探讨了自然灾害和政策实施对N平衡的影响.结果表明:江西省陆地生态系统的N输入量变化范围是(155.5-184.2)×107kg·a-1,平均值为168.5 ×107 ...     

Antimicrobial activity of thin metallic silver flakes, waste products of a manufacturing process

The aim of the research was to develop new products and processes from a manufacturing waste from an Italian metallurgic company. The company produced thin silver metallic films and the production scraps were silver flakes. The possibility to use the silver flakes in water disinfection processes was studied. The antimicrobial activity of the flakes was investigated in batch using Escherichia coli as Gram-negative microorganism model. The flakes did not show any antimicrobial activity, so they were activated with two different processes: thermal activation in reducing atmosphere and chemical activation, obtaining, respectively, reduced flakes (RF) and chemical flakes (CF). The flakes, activated with either treatment, showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli. The kill rate was dependent on the type of activated flakes. The chemical flakes were more efficient than reduced flakes. The kill rate determined for 1 g of CF, 1.0 ± 0.2 min⁻¹, was greater than the kill rate determined for 1 g of RF, 0.069 ± 0.004 min⁻¹. This was confirmed also by the minimum inhibitory concentration values. It was demonstrated that the antimicrobial capability was dependent on flakes amount and on the type of aqueous medium. Furthermore, the flakes maintained their properties also when used a second time. Finally, the antimicrobial activities of flakes were tested in an effluent of a wastewater treatment plant where a variety of heterotrophic bacteria were present.     

Historical trends of heavy metal contamination and their sources in lacustrine sediment from Xijiu Lake, Taihu Lake Catchment, China

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Hg in Xijiu Lake sediment from the Taihu Lake catchment, China, were analyzed. Their contamination state was investigated based on the geoaccumulation index and enrichment factors. Statistical analysis was used to differentiate the anthropogenic versus natural sources of heavy metals (HMs), and the anthropogenic accumulation fluxes were calculated to quantify anthropogenic contribution to HMs. The results indicated that the lake sediment had been heavily contaminated by Cd, enrichment of Zn and Hg was at a relatively high level, while that of Cu and Pb was in the lower-to-moderate level and Cr was in the low enrichment level. Sources of Cr in the sediment were mainly from natural inputs, while other metals, especially Cd, were predominantly derived from anthropogenic sources. In the past century, anthropogenic accumulation fluxes of Pb, Zn and Hg increased by 0.1-47.3 mg/(cm².yr), 2.4-398.1 mg/(cm².yr), and 3.7-110.3 ng/(m².yr), respectively, accounting for most inputs of HMs entering the sediment. The contamination state of HMs varied with industrial development of the catchment, which demonstrated that contamination started in the early 20th century, reached the maximal level between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s, and decreased a little after the implementation of constraints on high contamination industries, although the contamination of some HMs, such as Cd, Zn and Hg, is still at high levels.     

羟基多溴联苯醚对鲤鱼急性毒性及定量结构活性关系

羟基多溴联苯醚是一类具有环境风险的新兴污染物,它们已经在众多环境介质甚至人体内广泛存在。参照GB/T13267-91标准方法,采用静态生物急性毒性试验,测定了6种羟基多溴联苯醚(2′-OH-BDE7、4′-OH-BDE17、2′-OH-BDE28、2′-OH-BDE68、4′-OH-BDE90和2′-OH-BDE123)对普通鲤鱼的急性毒性96 h-LC50值,分别为697、1 130、854、550、644和522 ng.mL-1。除4′-OH-BDE17为高毒物质外,其他5种OH-PBDEs均为剧毒物质,高溴代的2′-OH-BDE123毒性最大。选用OH-PBDEs的KOW参数及由MOPAC软件PM3算法计算出的16个量子化学参数(EHomo、qBr+、ELumo等)为描述符,运用一元线性回归分析分别研究了96 h-LC50与他们之间的相关关系。结果表明:lgKOW和ELumo与6种羟基多溴联苯醚的96 h-lg LC50表现出较好的相关性,复相关系数均大于0.96,根据方程得到的96 h-lg LC50预测值与实验值基本相同,进一步对环境中广泛检出的其它OH-PBDEs的96 h-LC50值也进行了预测。     

苯酚对活性污泥活性及微型动物群落结构的影响

为了探究苯酚对污泥活性及微型动物群落结构的影响,以SBR工艺的活性污泥为研究对象,分析苯酚对污泥TTC-ETS活性、INT-ETS活性和微型动物群落结构及其动态变化的影响.结果表明,污泥TTC-ETS活性较之INT-ETS活性能够更有效表征有机毒害物质苯酚对污泥活性的影响,且随着进水苯酚浓度的增大,苯酚对污泥活性的抑制越明显:进水浓度在50mg·L-1时,苯酚对污泥活性的抑制率为(20.75±10.43)%.进水苯酚浓度为100 mg·L-1时,抑制率为(39.73±26.92)%,且波动较大.在300 mg·L-1进水运行后期,苯酚对污泥活性的抑制率稳定在40%左右;苯酚对活性污泥微型动物群落结构的影响随浓度的增大而增大,且对不同微型动物类群影响不同:在低浓度苯酚进水条件下,只有单个微型动物类群(有壳变形虫)受到明显的抑制,而当浓度增大至100 mg·L-1和300 mg·L-1时,对多个微型动物类群(固着型纤毛虫、有壳变形虫、匍匐型纤毛虫、肉食性纤毛虫等)产生抑制,对少数类群(鞭毛虫、线虫等)产生促进作用;苯酚影响下的污泥活性与微型动物之间存在一定的关联性,针棘匣壳虫(Centropyxis aculeata)、多变斜板虫(Plagiocampa mutabilis)等可作为含酚废水处理过程中污泥活性低的指示生物,湖累枝虫(Epistylis lacustris)、软波豆虫(Bodo lens)、跳侧滴虫(Pleuromonas jaculans)等可作为污泥活性高的指示生物.