Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs)-associated protobiofilm: A neglected contributor to biofouling during membrane filtration

• Bacteria could easily and quickly attached onto TEP to form protobiofilms. • TEP-protobiofilm facilitate the transport of bacteria to membrane surface. • More significant flux decline was observed in the presence of TEP-protobiofilms. • Membrane fouling shows higher sensitivity to protobiofilm not to bacteria level. Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are a class of transparent gel-like polysaccharides, which have been widely detected in almost every kind of feed water to membrane systems, including freshwater, seawater and wastewater. Although TEP have been thought to be related to the membrane fouling, little information is currently available for their influential mechanisms and the pertinence to biofouling development. The present study, thus, aims to explore the impact of TEPs on biofouling development during ultrafiltration. TEP samples were inoculated with bacteria for several hours before filtration and the formation of “protobiofilm” (pre-colonized TEP by bacteria) was examined and its influence on biofouling was determined. It was observed that the bacteria can easily and quickly attach onto TEPs and form protobiofilms. Ultrafiltration experiments further revealed that TEP-protobiofilms served as carriers which facilitated and accelerated transport of bacteria to membrane surface, leading to rapid development of biofouling on the ultrafiltration membrane surfaces. Moreover, compared to the feed water containing independent bacteria and TEPs, more flux decline was observed with TEP-protobiofilms. Consequently, it appeared from this study that TEP-protobiofilms play a vital role in the development of membrane biofouling, but unfortunately, this phenomenon has been often overlooked in the literature. Obviously, these findings in turn may also challenge the current understanding of organic fouling and biofouling as membrane fouling caused by TEP-protobiofilm is a combination of both. It is expected that this study might promote further research in general membrane fouling mechanisms and the development of an effective mitigation strategy.     

Remediation of arsenic contaminated soil by sulfidated zero-valent iron

• Sulfidation significantly enhanced As(V) immobilization in soil by zerovalent iron. • S-ZVI promoted the conversion of exchangeable As to less mobile Fe-Mn bound As. • Column test further confirmed the feasibility of sulfidated ZVI on As retention. • S-ZVI amendment and magnetic separation markedly reduced TCLP leachability of As. In this study, the influences of sulfidation on zero-valent iron (ZVI) performance toward As(V) immobilization in soil were systemically investigated. It was found that, compared to unamended ZVI, sulfidated ZVI (S-ZVI) is more favorable to immobilize As(V) in soil and promote the conversion of water soluble As to less mobile Fe-Mn bound As. Specifically, under the optimal S/Fe molar ratio of 0.05, almost all of the leached As could be sequestrated by>0.5 wt.% S-ZVI within 3 h. Although the presence of HA could decrease the desorption of As from soil, HA inhibited the reactivity of S-ZVI to a greater extent. Column experiments further proved the feasibility of applying S-ZVI on soil As(V) immobilization. More importantly, to achieve a good As retention performance, S-ZVI should be fully mixed with soil or located on the downstream side of As migration. The test simulating the flooding conditions in rice culture revealed there was also a good long-term stability of soil As(V) after S-ZVI remediation, where only 0.7% of As was desorbed after 30 days of incubation. Magnetic separation was employed to separate the immobilized As(V) from soil after S-ZVI amendment, where the separation efficiency was found to be dependent of the iron dosage, liquid to soil ratio, and reaction time. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests revealed that the leachability of As from soil was significantly reduced after the S-ZVI amendment and magnetic separation treatment. All these findings provided some insights into the remediation of As(V)-polluted soil by ZVI.     

The performance of nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes under variable initial Fe/N ratios: The fate of nitrogen and iron species

•Bacterially-mediated coupled N and Fe processes examined in incubation experiments. •NO₃⁻ reduction was considerably inhibited as initial Fe/N ratio increased. •The maximum production of N₂ occurred at an initial Fe/N molar ratio of 6. •Fe minerals produced at Fe/N ratios of 1–2 were mainly easily reducible oxides. The Fe/N ratio is an important control on nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes that occur both in the aquatic environment and in wastewater treatment systems. The response of nitrate reduction, Fe oxidation, and mineral production to different initial Fe/N molar ratios in the presence of Paracoccus denitrificans was investigated in 132 h incubation experiments. A decrease in the nitrate reduction rate at 12 h occurred as the Fe/N ratio increased. Accumulated nitrite concentration at Fe/N ratios of 2–10 peaked at 12–84 h, and then decreased continuously to less than 0.1 mmol/L at the end of incubation. N₂O emission was promoted by high Fe/N ratios. Maximum production of N₂ occurred at a Fe/N ratio of 6, in parallel with the highest mole proportion of N₂ resulting from the reduction of nitrate (81.2%). XRD analysis and sequential extraction demonstrated that the main Fe minerals obtained from Fe(II) oxidation were easily reducible oxides such as ferrihydrite (at Fe/N ratios of 1–2), and easily reducible oxides and reducible oxides (at Fe/N ratios of 3–10). The results suggest that Fe/N ratio potentially plays a critical role in regulating N₂, N₂O emissions and Fe mineral formation in nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes.     

南京市典型地区大气多环芳烃污染特征及健康风险评价

采用气相色谱-质谱法,于2016年9月和12月对南京市2个典型地区大气中16种多环芳烃(PAHs)的质量浓度进行分析,并开展了PAHs组成特征、来源解析及人体健康风险评价研究。结果表明,工业区(六合区)和生活区(江宁区)大气(气态和可吸入颗粒态)中16种PAHs的质量浓度分别为914.82和712.27 ng/m~3,苯并[a]芘毒性等效浓度分别为274.1和309.84 ng/m~3,且呈现冬季高、秋季低的特征。比值法源解析结果表明,燃煤污染是六合区PAHs污染主要来源,而江宁区主要表现为交通污染。人体健康风险评价结果表明,六合区和江宁区人群通过大气吸入PAHs的超额致癌风险分别为5.17×10~(-5)和5.85×10~(-5),均略高于可接受水平10~(-6)。     

Spatial analysis of resources and environmental carrying capacity in Iran

Urbanization and mass movement of the population from rural areas and small cities to megacities have led to environmental, economic, and social problems in Iran. In dealing with these challenges, assessing resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is considered an effective method to leverage space and capital to achieve sustainable development. This study aimed to rank the provincial RECC in Iran. Toward this purpose, environmental indices were generated from remotely sensed and statistical census data. Then, the provinces were scored in terms of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacities, and RECC using the mean variance analysis method. Results demonstrated that in most areas, there is no relationship between economic and infrastructural capacities and development. Statistically, a correlation coefficient of −0.53 between economic and environmental carrying capacities indicated excessive use of environmental capacities. Moreover, the spatial distribution pattern of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacity was entirely heterogeneous between the provinces; there was a northeast–southwest pattern in terms of infrastructural capacity and an economic pattern from north to south. The distribution pattern of RECC is most consistent with the environmental capacity, pointing at the high weight of the indicators of the RECC model. In conclusion, this research offers a new vision for policymakers and provides a theoretical and applicable framework for implementing sustainable strategies in land-use planning. It is recommended that the RECC concept and tools can be used not only for planning but also for measuring the efficiency of spatial development programs and establishing land balances in the region.     

Efficient removal of Cr(VI) by a 3D Z-scheme TiO2-ZnxCd1-xS graphene aerogel via synergy of adsorption and photocatalysis under visible light

Efficient and robust photocatalysts for environmental pollutants removal with outstanding stability have great significance. Herein, we report a kind of three dimensional (3D) photocatalyst presented as Z-scheme heterojunction, which combining TiO 2 and Zn x Cd 1- x S with graphene aerogel to contrast TiO 2 -Zn x Cd 1- x S graphene aerogel (TSGA, x = 0.5) through a moderate hydrothermal process. The as-prepared Z-scheme TSGA was used to remove aqueous Cr(VI) via a synergistic effect of adsorption and visible light photocatalysis. The adsorption equilibrium can be reached about 40 min, then after about 30 min irradiation under visible light (wavelength ( λ) > 420 nm) the removal rate of Cr(VI) almost reached 100%, which is much better than the performance of pristine TiO 2 and Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S, as well as TiO 2 graphene aerogel (TGA) and Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S graphene aerogel (SGA). The virulent Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III) with hypotoxicity after photocatalysis on TSGA, meanwhile the as-synthesized TSGA presented a good stability and reusability. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets between TiO 2 and Zn 0.5 Cd 0.5 S played a role as charge transfer mediator, promoting the photoinduced electrons transfer and photocatalysis ability of TSGA was enhanced significantly. Hence,such photocatalyst exhibits a potential application on removing heavy metals with high efficiency and stability from polluted aqueous environment.     

沈阳地区臭氧污染日时空变化特征及天气分型研究

利用2013—2019年沈阳地区11个国控监测站近地层臭氧(O_3)浓度监测数据和地面气象观测资料,分析了沈阳地区O_3污染日的O_3浓度时空分布规律,并对造成O_3污染日的天气系统进行了主观分型。结果表明:自2013年以来,以O_3为首要污染物的天数逐年增加,2017年达到研究期内的最高值,但2018—2019年略有下降。O_3浓度的日变化趋势呈现明显的单峰形,O_3-1 h在10:00—20:00明显高于其他时间段,最大浓度值出现在15:00,而在01:00—07:00则相对较低。从季节变化上看,沈阳地区O_3污染主要发生在6—7月,两个月的O_3污染日之和占全年O_3总污染日的比例高达51%。从O_3浓度空间分布上看,沈阳地区三环外监测站测得的O_3浓度明显高于三环内监测站,高浓度区域主要集中在东部和东北部,城市中心存在明显的低浓度区,南部和北部差别不大,但也明显高于城市中心。造成沈阳地区O_3污染的主要天气类型有4种:暖脊型、均压场型、高空槽型和副热带高压型。其中:暖脊型出现的频次最高,占总样本的49.1%;副热带高压型出现的次数最少,占总样本的7.7%。     

北京市城区挥发性有机物污染特征及其对臭氧影响分析

对2020年4月—2021年3月北京市建成区挥发性有机物（VOCs）的化学特征、污染来源及其对臭氧（O₃）污染的影响进行了研究。结果显示：O₃日最大8 h滑动平均值在臭氧季（4—9月）均值为134 μg/m³，是非臭氧季（10月至次年3月）均值（59.6 μg/m³）的2.2倍。臭氧季VOCs体积浓度均值为14.3×10^-9，明显低于非臭氧季（21.1×10^-9），可能与光化学反应速率和VOCs来源的季节性差异有关。臭氧生成潜势（OFP）贡献率排名前10位的物种在臭氧季和非臭氧季相似，均包括间/对-二甲苯、甲苯、乙烯、邻二甲苯、异戊烷、正丁烷、丙烯、反式-2-丁烯和1，2，4-三甲基苯，但排名有所差异，燃煤源特征明显的乙烯等物种在非臭氧季上升明显，与溶剂使用、油气挥发相关的间/对二甲苯、甲苯、异戊烷和正丁烷等物种在臭氧季上升明显。甲苯/苯的值和异戊烷/正戊烷的值在臭氧季明显高于非臭氧季，反映出机动车排放和油气挥发等在臭氧季影响突出，非臭氧季是燃煤影响显著。基于正交矩阵因子分解模型（PMF），臭氧季解析出机动车尾气排放（40.9%）、溶剂使用（20%）、油气挥发（16.4%）、工业排放（17.6%）和植物排放（5.1%）等5种污染源；非臭氧季解析出机动车尾气（38.9%）、燃烧源（26.3%）、工业排放（17.8%）和溶剂使用（17%）等4种污染源。     

衡阳市区和衡山背景站臭氧浓度变化规律的对比分析

选取衡阳市区和衡山背景站臭氧自动监测数据,分析两地的臭氧污染特征。对空气质量的优良率情况、臭氧作为首要污染物的变化情况、臭氧浓度的日变化特征、典型时段的浓度变化特征、臭氧浓度的月际变化特征和臭氧与PM_(2.5)的关联情况等进行了分析。结果表明,多云及阴雨天气时,衡阳市区的臭氧浓度日变化幅度大于衡山背景站。夏季,衡阳市区和衡山背景站的臭氧浓度的日变化特征规律差异较大,臭氧浓度分布比较分散,前者为典型的单峰形,后者则波动平缓。冬季,日变化幅度不大,但衡阳市区的臭氧浓度明显低于衡山背景站。衡山背景站和衡阳市区的臭氧基本同步变化,但日均值高于衡阳市区。     

Analysis of crater formation in buried NG pipelines: A survey based on past accidents and evaluation of domino effect

The formation of a crater by the abrupt and catastrophic rupture of a high-pressure pipeline can be highly relevant, especially when the crater uncovers other pipelines, which could undergo a domino effect with a significant increase of the consequences on people or on the environment. However, this scenario has been only partially studied in the literature. To assess the influence of the pipeline parameters on the dimensions of the resulting crater, a statistical analysis of accidental ruptures of buried natural gas pipelines that have involved the formation of a crater was carried out. Mathematical expressions are proposed to describe the proportionality relationships found, which can be very useful to support adequate separation distances in the design and construction of parallel corridors of pipelines after appropriate escalating effects are considered. Finally, detailed event trees were developed to calculate the probability of occurrence of the final outcomes, as well as the identified domino sequences, based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data. The study of these accident scenarios, based on actual cases, represents a useful and needed advance in risk analysis of natural gas transportation through pipelines.