Growth characteristics and nutrient removal capability of eco-ditch plants in mesocosm sediment receiving primary domestic wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Eco-ditches are being explored to maximize their capability of capturing pollutants and mitigate any harmful side effects in rivers. In this study,...     

太湖上游城市宜兴城区主干道路径流污染特征解析

通过监测2015年8月—2016年9月7场典型降雨事件,系统分析太湖上游城市宜兴城区3个不同功能区(环科园、新城区和老城区)主干道路径流污染特征.研究表明:宜兴市城区主干道路径流浊度、COD、TN、NH_3-N、TP浓度分别为(77.2±66.9)NTU、(97.2±79.7)、(3.0±1.9)、(0.93±0.59)和(0.35±0.36)mg·L~(-1).COD和TN超出地表水环境Ⅴ类标准,是该地区径流特征污染物.降雨过程中污染物浓度整体呈下降趋势,伴随有不同程度的波动,主要受地表残留污染物及降雨强度的影响.3个区域TN浓度差异不大,且主要以溶解态存在(60%);环科园、新城区TP浓度差异不大,且主要以颗粒态存在(70%);然而,受居民生活活动的影响,老城区TP主要以溶解态存在(60%).此外,受交通及道路坡度影响,新城区道路径流浊度和COD污染最为严重.不同降雨事件径流污染物浓度变化较大,主要受干期长度和降雨强度的影响.干期长度越长、降雨强度越小,污染物累积量及可冲刷量越大.因此,加强控制宜兴市道路初期径流、路面颗粒物、径流颗粒物和TN以及老城区TP,对保护径流主要受纳水体南溪水系及太湖水体具有重要意义.     

Thermodynamic prediction and experimental investigation of short-term dynamic membrane formation in dynamic membrane bioreactors: Effects of sludge properties

In dynamic membrane bioreactors(DMBRs), a dynamic membrane(DM) forms on a support material to act as the separation membrane for solids and liquids. In this study, batch filtration tests were carried out in a DMBR using nylon mesh(25 μm) as support material to filtrate sludge suspensions of variable properties from three different sources to evaluate the effects on the short-term DM formation process(within 240 min). Furthermore, the extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek(XDLVO) theory was applied to analyze the sludge adhesion and cohesion behaviors on the mesh surface to predict quantitative parameters of the short-term DM formation process(including initial formation and maturation stage). The filtration results showed that the order of the initial DM formation time(permeate turbidity 1 NTU as an indicator) was as follows: sludge with poor settleability and dewaterability normal sludge sludge with poor flocculability. Moreover, normal sludge(regarding settleability, dewaterability,flocculability, and extracellular polymeric substance) showed a more acceptable DM formation performance(short DM formation time, low permeate turbidity, and high permeate flux) than sludge with poor settleability, dewaterability and flocculability. The influence of sludge properties on the initial DM formation time corroborates the prediction of sludge adhesion behaviors by XDLVO theory. Additionally, the XDLVO calculation results showed that acid–based interaction, energy barrier, and secondary energy minimum were important determinants of the sludge adhesion and cohesion behaviors. Therefore, short-term DM formation process may be enhanced to achieve stable long-term DMBR operation through positive modification of the sludge properties.     

Dynamic membrane bioreactor performance enhancement by powdered activated carbon addition: Evaluation of sludge morphological, aggregative and microbial properties

The effects of powdered activated carbon(PAC) addition on sludge morphological, aggregative and microbial properties in a dynamic membrane bioreactor(DMBR) were investigated to explore the enhancement mechanism of pollutants removal and filtration performance. Sludge properties were analyzed through various analytical measurements. The results showed that the improved sludge aggregation ability and the evolution of microbial communities affected sludge morphology in PAC-DMBR, as evidenced by the formation of large, regularly shaped and strengthened sludge flocs. The modifications of sludge characteristics promoted the formation process and filtration flux of the dynamic membrane(DM) layer. Additionally, PAC addition did not exert very significant influence on the propagation of eukaryotes(protists and metazoans)and microbial metabolic activity. High-throughput pyrosequencing results indicated that adding PAC improved the bacterial diversity in activated sludge, as PAC addition brought about additional microenvironment in the form of biological PAC(BPAC), which promoted the enrichment of Acinetobacter(13.9%), Comamonas(2.9%), Flavobacterium(0.31%) and Pseudomonas(0.62%), all contributing to sludge flocs formation and several(such as Acinetobacter) capable of biodegrading relatively complex organics. Therefore, PAC addition could favorably modify sludge properties from various aspects and thus enhance the DMBR performance.     

A sediment diagenesis model on sediment oxygen demand in managing eutrophication on Taihu,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Blue-green algae (CyanoHABs), photosynthetic bacteria that create a harmful aquatic environment, have been a trending issue on Taihu for over a...     

Macroinvertebrate and fish populations in a restored impounded salt marsh 21 years after the reestablishment of tidal flooding

During the last two decades, the State of Connecticut has restored tidal flow to many impounded salt marshes. One of the first of these and the one most extensively studied is Impoundment One in the Barn Island Wildlife Management Area in Stonington, Connecticut. In 1990, twelve years after the re-establishment of tidal flooding, the density of the marsh snail Melampus bidentatus, the numerically dominant macroinvertebrate of the high marsh, in Impoundment One was about half that in reference marshes below the breached impoundment dike. By 1999 the densities of Melampus above and below the dike were not significantly different, but the shell-free biomass was greater above the dike as a result of the somewhat larger number and size of the snails there. Twenty-one years after the renewal of tidal flooding, three marsh macroinvertebrates (the amphipods Orchestia grillus and Uhlorchestia spartinophila and the mussel Geukensia demissa) were significantly less abundant in the previously impounded marsh than in the reference marshes, whereas another amphipod (Gammarus palustris) was more abundant above the breached dike where conditions appeared to be somewhat wetter. In 1991 the fish assemblage in a mosquito-control ditch in Impoundment One was similar to that in a ditch below the breached dike; however, the common mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus appeared to be less abundant in the restoring marsh. By 1999 the number of mummichogs caught in ditches was significantly greater in Impoundment One than in the reference marsh, but the numbers of mummichogs trapped along the tidal creek were comparable above and below the dike. The results obtained in this study and those of other restoring marshes at Barn Island indicate the full recovery of certain animal populations following the reintroduction of tidal flow to impounded marshes may require up to two or more decades. Furthermore, not only do different species recover at different rates on a single marsh, but the time required for the recovery of a particular species may vary widely from marsh to marsh, often independently of other species.