Changes in electrical generator cooling systems: Are they cost-effective sources of water now and under climate change?

In the United States, thermal power plant electrical generators (EGs) are large water diverters and consumptive users who need water for cooling. Retrofitting existing cooling systems to dry cooling and building new facilities with dry cooling can save water and reduce EG's vulnerability to drought. However, this can be an expensive source of water. We estimate that the cost of water saved by retrofitting cooling in existing EGs ranges from $0.04/m³ to $18/m³ depending on facility characteristics. Also water savings from building new EGs with dry cooling ranges in cost per unit water from $1.29/m³ to $2.24/m³. We compare costs with that for water development projects identified in the Texas State Water Plan. We find the water cost from converting to dry cooling is lower than many of the water development possibilities. We then estimate the impact of climate change on the cost of water saved, finding climate change can increase EG water use by up to 9.3% and lower the costs of water saved. Generally, it appears that water planners might consider cooling alterations as a cost competitive water development alternative whose cost would be further decreased by climate change.     

Research progress and hot spots of hydrothermal liquefaction for bio-oil production based on bibliometric analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of biomass used HTL reaction under high temperature and pressure to produce bio-oil. This technology is considered as...     

Coupled electrochemical methods for nitrogen and phosphorus recovery from wastewater: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Declining mineral resources, high fertilizer production cost and widespread eutrophication are calling for the recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewaters...     

Molecular docking analysis on antifungal properties of acid condensate produced from palm kernel shell

The rise in the number of fungi that resisted antifungal action is of serious concern nowadays. In this study, the potential of acid condensate (AC) produced from microwave-assisted pyrolysis of palm kernel shell (PKS) was investigated for its antifungal properties through molecular docking evaluation. The phenolic-rich AC was determined for its chemical compositions using the GC–MS analysis where compounds with the highest phenolics content were further evaluated (using the Autodock Tools 1.5.7) for its potential enzymes/protein binding properties. From the GC–MS analysis, catechol, guaiacol and syringol were present at highest percentages. This directly correlates with results obtained from the molecular docking works where all these ligands managed to bind (indicated by H-bond, π-stacking, hydrophobic interaction) with some of the amino acid at the active sites which indicate its potential to inhibit substrate binding of this enzyme. As a conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential use of AC from agricultural biomass such as PKS as a natural-based antifungal agent that can reduce environmental and health impacts.     

Magnetotactic bacteria: Characteristics and environmental applications

• Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize magnetic nanoparticle within magnetosomes. • The morphologic and phylogenetic diversity of MTB were summarized. • Isolation and mass cultivation of MTB deserve extensive research for applications. • MTB can remove heavy metals, radionuclides, and organic pollutants from wastewater. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a group of Gram-negative prokaryotes that respond to the geomagnetic field. This unique property is attributed to the intracellular magnetosomes, which contains membrane-bound nanocrystals of magnetic iron minerals. This review summarizes the most recent advances in MTB, magnetosomes, and their potential applications especially the environmental pollutant control or remediation. The morphologic and phylogenetic diversity of MTB were first introduced, followed by a critical review of isolation and cultivation methods. Past research has devoted to optimize the factors, such as oxygen, carbon source, nitrogen source, nutrient broth, iron source, and mineral elements for the growth of MTB. Besides the applications of MTB in modern biological and medical fields, little attention was made on the environmental applications of MTB for wastewater treatment, which has been summarized in this review. For example, applications of MTB as adsorbents have resulted in a novel magnetic separation technology for removal of heavy metals or organic pollutants in wastewater. In addition, we summarized the current advance on pathogen removal and detection of endocrine disruptor which can inspire new insights toward sustainable engineering and practices. Finally, the new perspectives and possible directions for future studies are recommended, such as isolation of MTB, genetic modification of MTB for mass production and new environmental applications. The ultimate objective of this review is to promote the applications of MTB and magnetosomes in the environmental fields.     

A review of measurement methods for peracetic acid (PAA)

• Physical and chemical properties and application of peracetic acid solution. • Determination method of high concentration peracetic acid. • Determination method of residual peracetic acid (low concentration). Peroxyacetic acid has been widely used in food, medical, and synthetic chemical fields for the past several decades. Recently, peroxyacetic acid has gradually become an effective alternative disinfectant in wastewater disinfection and has strong redox capacity for removing micro-pollutants from drinking water. However, commercial peroxyacetic acid solutions are primarily multi-component mixtures of peroxyacetic acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and water. During the process of water treatment, peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) often coexist, which limits further investigation on the properties of peroxyacetic acid. Therefore, analytical methods need to achieve a certain level of selectivity, particularly when peroxyacetic acid and hydrogen peroxide coexist. This review summarizes the measurement and detection methods of peroxyacetic acid, comparing the principle, adaptability, and relative merits of these methods.     

铜陵某富硫尾矿库周边土壤重金属污染特征及风险评价

铜陵某尾矿库堆积大量富硫尾矿,为研究其氧化状况及对周边土壤的污染情况,在尾矿库和周边采集尾矿及土壤样品,测试分析尾矿及土壤样品典型重金属(Hg、As、Cr、Cd、Pb、Zn)含量和赋存形态,并基于单因子污染指数法和内梅罗综合污染指数法对土壤污染状况进行了评价。结果表明:(1)尾矿中Fe_2O_3平均占比达到38.08%(质量分数,下同),S平均占比达到5.34%;(2)尾矿库周边土壤中Cd、As、Zn、Hg严重超标,分别为《土壤环境质量农用地土壤污染风险管控标准(试行)》(GB 15618—2018)风险筛选值的6.3、3.7、1.8、1.5倍;(3)土壤中重金属主要以残渣态形式存在,但Cd、Hg、Zn的非残渣态平均占比均达到25%以上,生物有效性较高,对周边环境存在潜在危害;(4)两种污染指数法评价结果表明,尾矿库周边土壤以Cd、As、Zn污染为主,该富硫尾矿库已对周边环境造成重度污染。     

新型铁碳微电解填料制备与除磷性能评价

针对传统铁碳填料处理污水活性低的问题,通过均质化-碳化-成型工艺制备新型铁碳微电解填料,采用SEM-EDS、XRD等方法对制备填料进行了表征,探讨了新型填料除磷机理;同时,开展了填料制备条件优化及生活污水除磷性能评价研究。结果表明,新型填料(Fe-C)由于焦油经高温碳化处理可在海绵铁表面及内部孔道形成大量铁碳微原电池,提高了电化学反应速率,其磷脱除率显著高于传统填料(Fe/C);在焦油/铁比(Tar/Fe)为0.3、碳化温度为950℃、恒温时间为0 min、黏结剂质量分数为30%、900℃焙烧90 min条件下,制备的填料除磷性能最佳,除磷效率达98%,可实现含磷废水达标排放。     

硬质聚氨酯泡沫和组合聚醚中消耗臭氧层物质的便携式GC-MS测定方法

建立了便携式顶空/气相色谱-质谱法测定硬质聚氨酯泡沫和组合聚醚中一氟三氯甲烷（CFC-11）、二氟二氯甲烷（CFC-12）、二氟一氯甲烷（HCFC-22）及一氟二氯乙烷（HCFC-141b）的定性分析方法，系统考察了色谱柱、顶空体系、顶空温度和顶空时间对测定结果的影响。结果表明，DB-WAX色谱柱对目标物质的分离效果最好，顶空温度为50℃、顶空时间为10 min条件下，目标物质的检测灵敏度最高。在优化条件下，硬质聚氨酯泡沫取样体积为1 cm³时，4种目标物的方法检出限为0.6~0.8 μg；组合聚醚取样量为10 mg时，4种目标物的方法检出限为0.5~0.6 μg。该方法具有较高的灵敏度，定性准确，适用于实际样品的现场快速定性分析。     

宁波月湖的水质改善与生态修复

随着浙江"五水共治"工作的深化,宁波作为浙江"五水共治"的中坚力量,始终把"五水共治"作为全市工作的首要任务和突破重点。自1999年进行清淤后,月湖水质得到短期改善,然而治标不治本的治理措施,并没有让月湖水质得到根本改善。因此,对月湖进行科学有效的生态修复,针对性地处理水污染问题,使之重新焕发活力具有十分重要的意义。