Cation exchange in a glacial till drumlin at a road salt storage facility

At a former wood preservation plant severely contaminated with coal tar oil, in situ bulk attenuation and biodegradation rate constants for several monoaromatic (BTEX) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined using (1) classical first order decay models, (2) Michaelis–Menten degradation kinetics (MM), and (3) stable carbon isotopes, for o-xylene and naphthalene. The first order bulk attenuation rate constant for o-xylene was calculated to be 0.0025 d^− 1 and a novel stable isotope-based first order model, which also accounted for the respective redox conditions, resulted in a slightly smaller biodegradation rate constant of 0.0019 d^− 1. Based on MM-kinetics, the o-xylene concentration decreased with a maximum rate of k_max = 0.1 µg/L/d. The bulk attenuation rate constant of naphthalene retrieved from the classical first order decay model was 0.0038 d^− 1. The stable isotope-based biodegradation rate constant of 0.0027 d^− 1 was smaller in the reduced zone, while residual naphthalene in the oxic part of the plume further downgradient was degraded at a higher rate of 0.0038 d^− 1. With MM-kinetics a maximum degradation rate of k_max = 12 µg/L/d was determined. Although best fits were obtained by MM-kinetics, we consider the carbon stable isotope-based approach more appropriate as it is specific for biodegradation (not overall attenuation) and at the same time accounts for the dominant electron-accepting process. For o-xylene a field based isotope enrichment factor ε_field of − 1.4 could be determined using the Rayleigh model, which closely matched values from laboratory studies of o-xylene degradation under sulfate-reducing conditions.     

Biosorption of nickel(II) from aqueous solution by Aspergillus niger: Response surface methodology and isotherm study

In the present study, the effects of biosorbent Aspergillus niger dosage, initial solution pH and initial Ni(II) concentration on the uptake of Ni(II) by NaOH pretreated biomass of A. niger from aqueous solution were investigated. Batch experiments were carried out in order to model and optimize the biosorption process. The influence of three parameters on the uptake of Ni(II) was described using a response surface methodology (RSM) as well as Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Optimum Ni(II) uptake of 4.82 mg Ni(II) g⁻¹ biomass (70.30%) was achieved at pH 6.25, biomass dosage of 2.98 g L⁻¹ and initial Ni(II) concentration of 30.00 mg L⁻¹ Ni(II). Langmuir and Freundlich were able to describe the biosorption isotherm fairly well. However, prediction of Ni(II) biosorption using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms was relatively poor in comparison with RSM approaches. The biosorption mechanism was also investigated by using Fourier transfer infrared (FT-IR) analysis of untreated, NaOH pretreated, and Ni(II) loaded A. niger biomass.     

Remediation of alachlor and atrazine contaminated water with zero-valent iron nanoparticles

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI, diameter < 90 nm, specific surface area = 25 m² g^?1) have been used under anoxic conditions for the remediation of pesticides alachlor and atrazine in water. While alachlor (10, 20, 40 mg L^?1) was reduced by 92–96% within 72 h, no degradation of atrazine was observed. The alachlor degradation reaction was found to obey first-order kinetics very closely. The reaction rate (35.5 × 10^?3–43.0 × 10^?3 h^?1) increased with increasing alachlor concentration. The results are in conformity with other researchers who worked on these pesticides but mostly with micro ZVI and iron filings. This is for the first time that alachlor has been degraded under reductive environment using nZVI. The authors contend that nZVI may prove to be a simple method for on-site treatment of high concentration pesticide rinse water (100 mg L^?1) and for use in flooring materials in pesticide filling and storage stations.     

Effects of biosurfactants on assays of PCB congeners in transgenic arabidopsis plants carrying a recombinant guinea pig AhR-mediated GUS reporter gene expression system

The transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying a recombinant guinea pig (g) aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene expression system were generated for assays of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. The selected transgenic Arabidopsis plant XgD2V11-6 exhibited a correlation between uptake of PCB126 and PCB126-induced GUS activity. Also, the plants showed induced GUS activity towards the supplemental indole 3-acetic acid (IAA). Thus, the GUS assay may reflect induction by both endogenous and exogenous AhR ligands. When biosurfactants, MEL-B, produced in the culture of yeast isolated from plants were used for assays of PCB congeners in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants, they showed marked PCB126 dose-dependent and toxic equivalency factor (TEF) dependent GUS activities. The effects of biosurfactants were clearer when the plants were cultivated on soils containing PCB congeners for 7 days as compared with on soils for 3 days as well as in the medium for 3 days. Threfore, it was estimated that biosurfactants form micellae with PCB congeners, which are easily uptaken by the plants in a mode of passive diffusion, transport into the aerial parts and then induce GUS activity.     

基于三角条块法的土体主、被动临界滑动场及土压力的计算

提出基于三角条块法的土体主、被动临界滑动场的数值模拟方法,并得到相应的土压力分布。首先,将土体划分为若干三角条块,引入带参数的条间力函数,建立土体极限平衡方程;然后,由最优控制理论得到一系列互不相交的临界滑动面,选定通过墙脚的临界滑动面,根据平衡方程求解格式,不断调整条间力函数中的参数,使土体满足力与力矩的平衡;最后,利用有限差分法,由墙面上各离散点的临界推力计算墙面上的土压力分布。数值计算结果表明,此方法适应性强,可计算任意倾斜角度的填土和墙体,且精度高、与现有解析解一致,可用于工程计算。     

活性炭吸附和脱附-等离子体氧化净化有机废气的研究

根据滑动弧放电等离子体适于降解高浓度有机物废气的特性,结合活性炭吸附法,提出了吸附器的吸附浓缩和热脱附-等离子体氧化净化有机废气的方法。在活性炭吸附过程中,最初2 h内甲苯净化率达到100%,随着时间的增加净化率下降;在热脱附滑动弧放电等离子体净化过程中,甲苯降解效率最高为97.3%。将滑动弧放电等离子体反应器出口气相产物收集进行FT-IR检测,发现放电后有CO2、CO、H2O和NO2产生,并分析了甲苯的降解机理。     

模拟黑水的生物处理

针对以糖蜜配制的半人工黑水生物处理时除磷效率下降和污泥膨胀的现象,利用序批式反应器(SBR)进行了实验分析,比较了以蔗糖和糖蜜为主要碳源时除磷效果的差异,并探讨了污泥膨胀发生的原因。研究表明,以糖蜜为主要碳源配制模拟黑水时的除磷效果比蔗糖为碳源时差,主要是由于GAOs的竞争性代谢所致。以糖蜜为碳源的条件下,污泥的胞外聚合物含量是正常活性污泥的一倍以上,导致污泥沉降性能变差;糖蜜碳源时的夏季高温条件下丝状菌大量生长也是导致污泥膨胀的重要原因。     

Oil Identification Based on a Goodness-of-Fit Metric Applied to Hydrocarbon Analysis Results

Assessment of environmental damage following accidental oil spills requires reliable oil identification methods. Results from hydrocarbon analyses of environmental samples are often difficult to interpret, because of the changes in oil composition (or weathering) that follows release into the environment, and because of confounding by hydrocarbons from other sources. To a first-order approximation, weathering proceeds according to simple first-order loss-rate (FOLR) kinetics for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) based on molecular size. This relationship between relative weathering rate and molecular size can be exploited to infer the initial PAH composition of spilled oils, and this information can be combined with results for weathering-invariant analytes to substantially increase the precision and accuracy of hydrocarbon source recognition methods. The approach presented here evaluates a goodness-of-fit metric between the measured hydrocarbon composition of an environmental sample and a suspected source, after correcting for PAR weathering losses based on FOLR kinetics. Variability from analytical and sampling error may thus be accounted for, and source identifications can be expressed as objective probability statements. This approach is illustrated by application to four independent case studies.     

柠檬酸对褐土中DTPA提取态铜、镉含量及对紫花苜蓿吸收铜、镉的影响

为了阐述有机酸对土壤中重金属生物有效性的影响,通过盆栽实验,研究了Cu、Cd复合污染下柠檬酸对褐土中二乙基三胺五乙酸(DTPA)提取态铜和镉含量的影响,并探讨了柠檬酸对植物吸收铜、镉的影响。结果表明,土壤中DT-PA-Cu含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加而减小,添加高浓度铜(Cu 1 000)处理中,DTPA-Cu含量减小更明显。在添加低铜浓度(Cu600)处理下,柠檬酸添加量为2和12 mmol/kg时,土壤DTPA-Cu含量随土壤镉含量的增加而增加,而柠檬酸含量为5mmol/kg时,DTPA-Cu含量在低镉处理(Cd 1)时含量最低。紫花苜蓿中铜含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加明显降低。土壤中DTPA-Cd含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加而减小,且随铜添加量的增加而降低。紫花苜蓿中的镉含量随柠檬酸添加量的增加先增加后减小;在相同柠檬酸添加量处理时,紫花苜蓿中镉的含量随镉含量的增加而增加;在低镉处理下,铜的加入对较低柠檬酸浓度时紫花苜蓿镉含量影响不明显,但柠檬酸浓度为12 mmol/kg时,紫花苜蓿中镉含量随铜添加量的增加而明显增加。