Monitoring of Phenol in Wastewater Bioremediation by HPLC

Bioremediation emphasizes the detoxification and destruction of toxic substances by microorganisms. Wastewater obtained from an industrial concern was solvent extracted with methyl alcohol and dichloromethane and analysed by GC/MS. Besides phenol, a large variety of organic compounds were detected. Under controlled laboratory conditions, the wastewater was innoculated with a mixed culture of microorganisms specially selected for their abilities to degrade phenol. Samples were collected at regular intervals from the stirred tank bioreactor and analysed for phenol by reverse phase HPLC with a C18 column. Results shows that from an initial phenol concentration of 987 ppm, slightly more than 50% was destroyed within 163 hours. The dry weight of the microorganisms and the plate count (CFU/ml) shows a steady increase from 0.5238 gms to 0.5355 gms and from 1.1E+9 to 1.94E+13 respectively over the same period. This suggested that the phenol was consumed by the microorganisms as the sole carbon source.     

Acceptability and digestion of diets fed to larval stages ofHomarus gammarus and the role of dietary conditioning behaviour

Whilst the role of chemoreception in juvenile crustacean feeding behaviour has received considerable attention, the chemosensory responses of larval planktonic crustacean stages have been neglected. The present study investigated the acceptability of processed, microparticulate and microencapsulated diets and the possible role of chemoattractants for larval and juvenile stages ofHomarus gammarus (Linnaeus) and juvenile stages ofPalaemon elegans (Rathke). Larval and juvenile lobster were obtained from MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Conwy, UK), and juvenileP. elegans were collected from the Menai Straits (Gwynedd, UK) during the summer months of 1985/1986. During the larval stages, food capture results from chance encounter, and the role of low molecular-weight chemoattractants appears to be in the determination of the edible from the inedible. Dietary conditioning behaviour in decapod larvae, which has until now not been investigated, enables the larvae to discriminate more rapidly between particles of different digestibilities. The digestibility and assimilation efficiency displayed on artificial diets in the present study suggest that lobster larvae possess limited enzymatic capabilities, although later stages are more efficient and display longer food-retention time. Growth (0.114 mm d^–1) and survival (80.0%) of lobster larvae fed natural diets were significantly better (F=14.8;P=0.001, andF=54.0,P=0.001, respectively) than of individuals fed artificial diets. Although pre-digested artificial diets (ingredients pre-treated with pancreatin) resulted in higher survival (74 and 63%) compared to microencapsulated diets (37%), there was no significant growth difference between the artificial diets tested.     

餐厨垃圾和剩余污泥厌氧混合发酵过程的动态膜强化特性研究

比较了厌氧动态膜生物反应器（DMBR）与完全混合式反应器（CSTR）在处理餐厨垃圾（FW）和剩余污泥（WAS）时的发酵产气过程,验证了高负荷餐厨垃圾和剩余污泥混合发酵时DMBR系统运行的稳定性,考察了动态膜（DM）基材孔径（300目、200目和100目）对DMBR运行性能及其固液分离效果的影响.结果表明：一体式DMBR能够强化餐厨垃圾和剩余污泥混合发酵的高负荷稳定运行,DMBR过膜滤液中平均总挥发性脂肪酸（TVFA）为86.1 mg·L^-1,低于CSTR排泥中TVFA的浓度（527.3 mg·L^-1）.当动态膜基材孔径为300目时,DMBR过膜滤液中总有机物（TCOD）为（1.6±1.1）g·L^-1,相应的固液分离效果优于200目（（3.2±1.9）g·L^-1）和100目（（32.0±1.3）g·L^-1）动态膜基材,即当动态膜基材孔径为100目时,DMBR过膜滤液中TCOD比300目动态膜基材高6.7倍.与200目动态膜基材孔径相比,300目动态膜基材相应的跨膜压差增长缓慢,反洗频率和运行能耗均较低,而100目动态膜基材孔径过大,固液分离效果较低.因此,在高负荷餐厨垃圾和剩余污泥混合发酵系统中,选用300目动态膜基材形成的动态膜过滤效果最优.此外,本文还对比分析了有机废物和废水处理领域中较优的动态膜基材孔径及DMBR的应用情况,为拓展DMBR在有机物处理领域的应用提供依据.     

医疗废物高温蒸气杀菌工艺中质热传递模型

医疗废物高温蒸气灭菌工艺中，如何使蒸气充分渗透到医疗废物内部是决定杀菌效果的关键。结合实际的操作工艺，以单片物料作为研究对象，将其视为多孔介质，从多孔物料传质传热的基本理论出发，建立了医疗废物内部传质传热数学模型，给出了其解析解，并通过实验验证了所建模型的合理性。     

膜基材对连续流动态膜厌氧混合发酵系统的影响

采用动态膜生物反应器(DMBR)成功启动并稳定运行了玉米秸秆与餐厨垃圾中温厌氧混合发酵系统,重点探究了膜基材性质(膜面积、膜孔径和膜材质)对连续流动态膜混合发酵系统运行性能和动态膜性能的影响.结果表明,膜面积、膜孔径和膜材质对动态膜的形成、膜通量的改变和有机质的截留能力均有影响显著.其中,适当增大膜面积以降低膜通量能够显著降低膜反洗频率;与200目尼龙网膜基材相比,相同膜面积的300目不锈钢膜基材的有机质截留率更高(95%),稳定状态出料浊度低于50 NTU,相应的DMBR系统甲烷产率由(111.1±7.9) mL·g~(-1) COD增至(217.1±18.6) mL·g~(-1) COD.比对分析可知,300目不锈钢膜基材能够较好地实现混合发酵系统水力停留时间(HRT)和固体停留时间(SRT)的稳定分离,有利于最大限度地提升混合发酵系统的甲烷产率.此外,在选定动态膜组件较优膜面积、膜孔径(300目)和膜材质(不锈钢网)的基础上,设定有机负荷、HRT和SRT分别为(3.91±0.55) g·L~(-1)·d~(-1)、30 d和46 d,连续流动态膜混合发酵系统能够实现长时间高效稳定运行,反应器内辅酶F_(420)浓度(1.65μmol·g~(-1) VS)较高,且纤维素类生物质降解显著.     

The puzzle of North America's Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction patterns: Test of new explanation yields unexpected results

Although Late Pleistocene extinctions disproportionately affected larger mammalian species, numerous smaller species were also lost. To date, no satisfactory explanation has been presented to account for this pattern. Beginning with the assumption that human predation caused the extinctions, we offer and test the first such explanatory hypothesis, which is predicated on considering more realistic functional response forms (i.e., those that allow for predator interference or prey sharing). We then test the hypothesis via a one-predator, six-prey ecological model that maintains transparency, minimalism of design, and maximal constraint of parameters. Results indicate that altering assumptions about one cornerstone of ecological modeling (i.e., functional response) fails to produce qualitative differences in survival–extinction outcomes—even in conjunction with a wide range of capture efficiency permutations. This unexpected finding suggests that no reasonable form of predation alone is capable of producing the survival–extinction pattern observed. We conclude that the matter of causation and the conclusions of previous Late Pleistocene extinction models remain far less certain than many have assumed.     

Global distribution of a key trophic guild contrasts with common latitudinal diversity patterns

Most hypotheses explaining the general gradient of higher diversity toward the equator are implicit or explicit about greater species packing in the tropics. However, global patterns of diversity within guilds, including trophic guilds (i.e., groups of organisms that use similar food resources), are poorly known. We explored global diversity patterns of a key trophic guild in stream ecosystems, the detritivore shredders. This was motivated by the fundamental ecological role of shredders as decomposers of leaf litter and by some records pointing to low shredder diversity and abundance in the tropics, which contrasts with diversity patterns of most major taxa for which broad-scale latitudinal patterns haven been examined. Given this evidence, we hypothesized that shredders are more abundant and diverse in temperate than in tropical streams, and that this pattern is related to the higher temperatures and lower availability of high-quality leaf litter in the tropics. Our comprehensive global survey (129 stream sites from 14 regions on six continents) corroborated the expected latitudinal pattern and showed that shredder distribution (abundance, diversity and assemblage composition) was explained by a combination of factors, including water temperature (some taxa were restricted to cool waters) and biogeography (some taxa were more diverse in particular biogeographic realms). In contrast to our hypothesis, shredder diversity was unrelated to leaf toughness, but it was inversely related to litter diversity. Our findings markedly contrast with global trends of diversity for most taxa, and with the general rule of higher consumer diversity at higher levels of resource diversity. Moreover, they highlight the emerging role of temperature in understanding global patterns of diversity, which is of great relevance in the face of projected global warming.     

基于GIS的高寒草原区土壤冻融侵蚀强度及空间分布特征

以位于青海南部高原高寒草原区的兴海盆地作为研究区,选取气温年较差、年降水量、植被盖度、坡度、坡向、海拔等因素作为冻融侵蚀强度评价指标,运用层次分析法计算各评价指标的权重,采取标准化值赋权重加权求和的方法计算冻融侵蚀强度指数,以等间隔方法对冻融侵蚀强度指数进行分级,获得了研究区冻融侵蚀强度等级类型,并利用Arc GIS的空间分析与统计分析功能对研究区冻融侵蚀的空间分布特征进行研究。结果表明:研究区冻融侵蚀发生的总面积是4784.34 km~2,其中,轻度侵蚀和中度侵蚀居多,分别占冻融侵蚀总面积的32.07%和40.06%;微度侵蚀、强烈侵蚀和极强烈侵蚀占少部分,分别占冻融侵蚀总面积的7.39%、16.08%和4.39%;冻融侵蚀主要分布在研究区的西部,不同的海拔与坡度等级下,4000—4800 m与5—35°冻融侵蚀最集中,其主要发生在高寒草甸、草原,低覆盖草地上冻融侵蚀尤为严重。研究区冻融侵蚀在各个坡向的波动较小,坡向对其影响亦较小。降水量330—455 mm和年较差24.85—26.04℃冻融侵蚀分布最集中。     

Interactions between shear rates and biofilms affecting exploratory behaviour by cyprids ofElminius modestus (Cirripedia)

The behaviour ofElrninius modestur Darwin cyprids suggests interaction between surface bacterial films acclimated to contrasting shear regimes and the range of shear rates over which observations were made. Exploratory behaviour is encouraged by filmed surfaces rather than biologically clean surfaces. Increasing shear rates encourage attachment to all surfaces, but cyprids detach from high-shear-acclimated films less often than from either low-shear-acclimated films, or clean surfaces. Furthermore, numbers of attaching cyprids are consistently lower on low-shear-acclimated films than on high-shear films.