Individual and combined inhibition of phenol and thiocyanate on microbial activity of partial nitritation

This study evaluated the individual and interactive effect of phenol and thiocyanate (SCN⁻) on partial nitritation (PN) activity using batch test and response surface methodology. The IC₅₀ of phenol and SCN⁻ on PN sludge were 5.6 and 351 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The PN sludge was insensitive to phenol and SCN⁻ at levels lower than 1.77 and 43.3 mg L⁻¹, respectively. A regression model equation was developed and validated to predict the relative specific respiration rate (RSRR) of PN sludge exposed to different phenol and SCN⁻ concentrations. In the range of independent variables, the most severe inhibition was observed with a valley value (17%) for RSRR, when the phenol and SCN⁻ concentrations were 4.08 and 198 mg L⁻¹, respectively. An isobole plot was used to judge the combined toxicity of phenol and SCN⁻, and the joint inhibitory effect was variable depending on the composition and concentration of the toxic components. Furthermore, the toxic compounds showed independent effects, which is the most common type of combined toxicity.

     

Modeling in-situ uranium(VI) bioreduction by sulfate-reducing bacteria

We present a travel-time based reactive transport model to simulate an in-situ bioremediation experiment for demonstrating enhanced bioreduction of uranium(VI). The model considers aquatic equilibrium chemistry of uranium and other groundwater constituents, uranium sorption and precipitation, and the microbial reduction of nitrate, sulfate and U(VI). Kinetic sorption/desorption of U(VI) is characterized by mass transfer between stagnant micro-pores and mobile flow zones. The model describes the succession of terminal electron accepting processes and the growth and decay of sulfate-reducing bacteria, concurrent with the enzymatic reduction of aqueous U(VI) species. The effective U(VI) reduction rate and sorption site distributions are determined by fitting the model simulation to an in-situ experiment at Oak Ridge, TN. Results show that (1) the presence of nitrate inhibits U(VI) reduction at the site; (2) the fitted effective rate of in-situ U(VI) reduction is much smaller than the values reported for laboratory experiments; (3) U(VI) sorption/desorption, which affects U(VI) bioavailability at the site, is strongly controlled by kinetics; (4) both pH and bicarbonate concentration significantly influence the sorption/desorption of U(VI), which therefore cannot be characterized by empirical isotherms; and (5) calcium-uranyl-carbonate complexes significantly influence the model performance of U(VI) reduction.     

Microbial communities biostimulated by ethanol during uranium (VI) bioremediation in contaminated sediment as shown by stable isotope probing

Stable isotope probing (SIP) was used to identify microbes stimulated by ethanol addition in microcosms containing two sediments collected from the bioremediation test zone at the US Department of Energy Oak Ridge site, TN, USA. One sample was highly bioreduced with ethanol while another was less reduced. Microcosms with the respective sediments were amended with ¹³C labeled ethanol and incubated for 7 days for SIP. Ethanol was rapidly converted to acetate within 24 h accompanied with the reduction of nitrate and sulfate. The accumulation of acetate persisted beyond the 7 d period. Aqueous U did not decline in the microcosm with the reduced sediment due to desorption of U but continuously declined in the less reduced sample. Microbial growth and concomitant ¹³C-DNA production was detected when ethanol was exhausted and abundant acetate had accumulated in both microcosms. This coincided with U(VI) reduction in the less reduced sample. ¹³C originating from ethanol was ultimately utilized for growth, either directly or indirectly, by the dominant microbial community members within 7 days of incubation. The microbial community was comprised predominantly of known denitrifiers, sulfate-reducing bacteria and iron (III) reducing bacteria including Desulfovibrio, Sphingomonas, Ferribacterium, Rhodanobacter, Geothrix, Thiobacillus and others, including the known U(VI)-reducing bacteria Acidovorax, Anaeromyxobacter, Desulfovibrio, Geobacter and Desulfosporosinus. The findings suggest that ethanol biostimulates the U(VI)-reducing microbial community by first serving as an electron donor for nitrate, sulfate, iron (III) and U(VI) reduction, and acetate which then functions as electron donor for U(VI) reduction and carbon source for microbial growth.     

利用厌氧颗粒污泥处理氯代有毒有机物

用能进行还原脱氯的微生物富集物接种，在小型试验装置内成功地培养出了具有还原脱氯功能的颗粒污泥。五氯苯酚能被这种颗粒污染完全脱氯并进一步分解为甲烷和二氧化碳。四氯乙烯和其他氯代乙烯能被颗粒污还原脱氯为乙烯。这种脱氯的颗粒污泥可用来处理含有五氯苯酚和氯乙烯类的废水和地下水。     

长江口及邻近水域富营养化现状及变化趋势的评价与分析

根据2000～2002年6个航次的调查资料,分析研究了长江口及邻近水域富营养化现状及其变化趋势。研究结果表明,长江口及邻近水域营养盐含量十分丰富,平均56％水域无机氮含量已超过海水水质四类标准,磷酸盐也有40％以上已达到或超过海水水质四类标准。基于20个监测点有机污染指数（E值）和富营养化指数（A值）的计算结果,发现长江口及邻近水域从西向东、从北向南污染程度逐步降低;同时根据多年平均的A值划分,大约60％水域已达到重污染水平,受轻度和中度污染的水域均为20％左右。     

Effects of Environmental Aging on the Durability of Wood-Flour Filled Recycled PET/PA6 Wood Plastic Composites

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Outdoor building materials made of wood require preservatives containing chromated copper arsenate and other carcinogenic substances but still are subject...     

Machine learning-based models for predicting gas breakthrough pressure of porous media with low/ultra-low permeability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Gas breakthrough pressure is a significant parameter for the gas exploration and safety evaluation of engineering barrier systems in the carbon...     

Uranium sequestration in sediment at an iron-rich contaminated site at Oak Ridge, Tennessee via. bioreduction followed by reoxidation

This study evaluated uranium sequestration performance in iron-rich(30 g/kg) sediment via bioreduction followed by reoxidation. Field tests(1383 days) at Oak Ridge, Tennessee demonstrated that uranium contents in sediments increased after bioreduced sediments were re-exposed to nitrate and oxygen in contaminated groundwater. Bioreduction of contaminated sediments(1200 mg/kg U) with ethanol in microcosm reduced aqueous U from 0.37 to 0.023 mg/L. Aliquots of the bioreduced sediment were reoxidized with O_2, H_2O_2,and NaNO_3, respectively, over 285 days, resulting in aqueous U of 0.024, 1.58 and 14.4 mg/L at pH 6.30, 6.63 and 7.62, respectively. The source-and the three reoxidized sediments showed different desorption and adsorption behaviors of U, but all fit a Freundlich model.The adsorption capacities increased sharply at pH 4.5 to 5.5, plateaued at pH 5.5 to 7.0, then decreased sharply as pH increased from 7.0 to 8.0. The O_2-reoxidized sediment retained a lower desorption efficiency at pH over 6.0. The NO_3~--reoxidized sediment exhibited higher adsorption capacity at pH 5.5 to 6.0. The pH-dependent adsorption onto Fe(Ⅲ) oxides and formation of U coated particles and precipitates resulted in U sequestration, and bioreduction followed by reoxidation can enhance the U sequestration in sediment.     

Control measure implications of COVID-19 infection in healthcare facilities reconsidered from human physiological and engineering aspects

The Wells-Riley model invokes human physiological and engineering parameters to successfully treat airborne transmission of infectious diseases. Applications of this model would have high potentiality on evaluating policy actions and interventions intended to improve public safety efforts on preventing the spread of COVID-19 in an enclosed space. Here, we constructed the interaction relationships among basic reproduction number (R₀) − exposure time − indoor population number by using the Wells-Riley model to provide a robust means to assist in planning containment efforts. We quantified SARS-CoV-2 changes in a case study of two Wuhan (Fangcang and Renmin) hospitals. We conducted similar approach to develop control measures in various hospital functional units by taking all accountable factors. We showed that inhalation rates of individuals proved crucial for influencing the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, followed by air supply rate and exposure time. We suggest a minimum air change per hour (ACH) of 7 h⁻¹ would be at least appropriate with current room volume requirements in healthcare buildings when indoor population number is < 10 and exposure time is < 1 h with one infector and low activity levels being considered. However, higher ACH (> 16 h⁻¹) with optimal arranged-exposure time/people and high-efficiency air filters would be suggested if more infectors or higher activity levels are presented. Our models lay out a practical metric for evaluating the efficacy of control measures on COVID-19 infection in built environments. Our case studies further indicate that the Wells-Riley model provides a predictive and mechanistic basis for empirical COVID-19 impact reduction planning and gives a framework to treat highly transmissible but mechanically heterogeneous airborne SARS-CoV-2.