Biotrickling filtration of nitric oxide

A biotrickling filter with blast-furnace slag packings (sizes = 20-40 mm and specific surface area = 120 m2/m3) was utilized to treat NO in an air stream. The operational stability, as well as the effects of gas empty-bed retention time (EBRT) and nutrient addition on the removal ability of NO, were tested. Approximately six weeks were required for the development of a biofilm for NO degradation, and a two-week organic carbon deficiency resulted in the detachment of biofilms from the packing surfaces. A steady removal rate of 80% was attained at specified influent NO concentrations of 892 to 1237 ppm and an EBRT of 118 sec. The effluent NO concentration diminished exponentially with enlarging EBRT, with influent NO concentrations of 203-898 ppm, and EBRTs of 25 to 118 sec. Nutrient addition is essential for efficient removal of the influent NO. Mass ratios of C: P: N = 7: 1: 30 and NaHCO3: NO-N = 6.3 could be used for practical applications.     

异养型生物过滤床硝化净化一氧化氮

采用生物滤床处理NO模拟废气,研究了停留时间(EBRT)、有机物浓度等在生物硝化去除NO技术中的作用过程.实验结果表明,EBRT和有机物含量是影响NO硝化去除效率的主要因素,NO去除效果随着有机物含量和EBRT的增大而提高;当进口浓度50 mg/m3,营养液中葡萄糖40 mg/L,EBRT＞3 min时,NO去除率达95%以上.比较自养菌和异养菌对NO硝化去除的效果,异养菌的去除效率提高20%～30%,具有广泛应用前景.     

The changes of nitric oxide production during the growth of Microcystis aerugrinosa

This study characterized the changes of nitric oxide (NO) production during the growth of Microcystis aerugrinosa, a cyanobacterium which usually cause cyanobacterial blooms. Results showed a drastic NO release accompanying with cell density and Chl-a content sharp rises when M. aerugrinosa grew from fifth day to sixth day. Moreover, high N:P ratio accelerated the cyanobacterial growth and NO burst. Sodium nitroprusside, an exogenous NO donor, promoted M. aerugrinosa growth with the optimal concentration of 0.1 mg/L. Experiments by supplementing with sodium nitrite and l-arginine demonstrated NO production in M. aerugrinosa cells was mainly through nitrate reductase (NR) pathway while minorly through NO synthase pathway. All these data suggested M. aerugrinosa produced increasing NO during its growth mainly by NR pathway, during which NO positively regulated the growth of M. aerugrinosa.     

Biogenic nitric oxide emissions from cropland soils

Emissions of nitric oxide (NO) were determined during late spring and summer 1995 and the spring of 1996 from four agricultural soils on which four different crops were grown. These agricultural soils were located at four different sites throughout North Carolina. Emission rates were calculated using a dynamic flow-through chamber system coupled to a mobile laboratory for in-situ analysis. Average NO fluxes during late spring 1995 were: 50.9±47.7 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soil planted with corn in the lower coastal plain. Average NO fluxes during summer 1995 were: 6.4±4.6 and 20.2±19.0 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹, respectively, from soils planted with corn and soybean in the coastal region; 4.2±1.7 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with tobacco in the piedmont region; and 8.5±4.9 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with corn in the upper piedmont region. Average NO fluxes for spring 1996 were: 66.7±60.7 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with wheat in the lower coastal plain; 9.5±2.9 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with wheat in the coastal plain; 2.7±3.4 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with wheat in the piedmont region; and 56.1±53.7 ng N m⁻² s⁻¹ from soils planted with corn in the upper piedmont region. An apparent increase in NO flux with soil temperature was present at all of the locations. The composite data from all the research sites revealed a general positive trend of increasing NO flux with soil water content. In general, increases in total extractable nitrogen (TEN) appeared to be related to increased NO emissions within each site, however a consistent trend was not evident across all sites.     

Biogenic nitric oxide from wastewater land application

The importance of municipal wastewater land application to nitric oxide production and transport in soil was studied through the formulation and conduct of a comprehensive laboratory testing protocol. Nitric oxide (NO) is a precursor in the formation of tropospheric ozone which can directly impact public health and the environment. It is the uncertainty in the NO budget, and its relation to O₃, that motivates the need for measurements and modeling of NO flux from soils. Wastewater-amended soil is potentially one important component of that budget. NO emissions reported here were measured from: a well-characterized unamended soil, water-amended soil, and wastewater-amended soil in the laboratory in a dynamic test chamber. Laboratory results indicate that NO emissions from the selected sandy loam soil ranged from 0.3 to 0.4 ng N m^-2 s^-1 per cm² of unamended soil, while water-amended soil emissions ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 ng N m^-2 s^-1 per cm². NO flux from wastewater-amended soil ranged from 1.0 to 1.2 ng N m^-2 s^-1 per cm² of applied soil.     

Consumption of biogenic nitric oxide in hydrated soil

An experimental study was conducted in order to determine the relationship of nitric oxide (NO) consumption to water-filled pore space in soil. A test system that included the capability to blend gases, test soil samples, and analyze off-gases was used to conduct the study. The experimental set consisted of three replicates at five different levels of soil water content and three different levels of soil nitrogen in a sandy loam soil: unamended soil, soil fertilized at 56.2 kg N per ha (50 lb N acre(-1)), and soil fertilized at 112.3 kg N per ha (100 lb N acre(-1)). The average NO consumption rates were 7.1x10(-13) g-NO cm(-3) soil, 3.5x10(-11) g-NO cm(-3) soil, and 1.5x10(-10) g-NO cm(-3) soil, respectively.     

Modeling toxic compounds from nitric oxide emission measurements

Determining the amount and rate of degradation of toxic pollutants in soil and groundwater is difficult and often requires invasive techniques, such as deploying extensive monitoring well networks. Even with these networks, degradation rates across entire systems cannot readily be extrapolated from the samples. When organic compounds are degraded by microbes, especially nitrifying bacteria, oxides or nitrogen (NO_x) are released to the atmosphere. Thus, the flux of nitric oxide (NO) from the soil to the lower troposphere can be used to predict the rate at which organic compounds are degraded. By characterizing and applying biogenic and anthropogenic processes in soils the rates of degradation of organic compounds. Toluene was selected as a representative of toxic aromatic compounds, since it is inherently toxic, it is a substituted benzene compound and is listed as a hazardous air pollutant under Section 12 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Measured toluene concentrations in soil, microbial population growth and NO fluxes in chamber studies were used to develop and parameterize a numerical model based on carbon and nitrogen cycling. These measurements, in turn, were used as indicators of bioremediation of air toxic (i.e. toluene) concentrations. The model found that chemical concentration, soil microbial abundance, and NO production can be directly related to the experimental results (significant at P < 0.01) for all toluene concentrations tested. This indicates that the model may prove useful in monitoring and predicting the fate of toxic aromatic contaminants in a complex soil system. It may also be useful in predicting the release of ozone precursors, such as changes in reservoirs of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen. As such, the model may be a tool for decision makers in ozone non-attainment areas.     

过渡金属氧化物催化氧化NO实验研究

采用沉淀法制备出一系列过渡金属氧化物催化剂,在内径为10 mm的固定床反应器中考察其对低浓度NO的催化氧化活性,催化反应活性顺序为:MnCrCoCuFeZn,并考察了以锰为活性组分采用低温固相法、流变相法和浸渍法制备的催化剂催化氧化NO的活性。实验结果表明,采用流变相法和低温固相法制备的锰氧化物催化剂,在反应温度150℃,NO浓度为5×10-4,O2为3%,N2为平衡气,空速51 000 h-1条件下,NO转化率分别为65%和57%;采用浸渍法制备的Mn/TiO2-10%催化剂,在反应温度200℃,空速相同的条件下,NO转化率为47%。     

An inventory of nitric oxide emissions from soils in China

The emission of NO was parameterized using empirical relationships with landuse type, fertilization rate and soil temperature. Eight landuse types (including four arable lands) were considered. Fertilization rates were distinguished for different regions and crops. A typical summer period of July in 1999 was chosen for detailed calculations. The total NO emission in the July is 141.1 Gg N, with 73.7% from arable lands and 22.0% from grasslands. The highest emission intensity can be more than 40 ng N m(-2) s(-1) in the heavily fertilized North China Plain, and the average of the whole lands is 6.5 ng N m(-2) s(-1). The annual emission was roughly estimated to be 657 Gg N, about 11.7% of the global total (5600 Gg N, reported by IPCC in 2000), and about 12.5% of the anthropogenic origin in China. Our results were compared with some earlier findings, and uncertainties were discussed.     

生物转鼓过滤器反硝化净化NO的效率研究

采用自行研制的生物转鼓过滤器(RDB)反硝化净化NO。结果表明,在实验温度为25～30℃、pH为7.0～7.5、转鼓转速为1.0r/min、空床停留时间(EBRT)为86.40s、营养液用量为5.0L、营养液更换频率为0.2L/d的条件下,RDB在30d内完成挂膜;RDB稳定运行期间,当NO进气质量浓度为90～433mg/m3时,NO去除率维持在42.9%～85.2%,平均去除负荷为10.40g/(m3.h);转鼓转速决定了生物膜表面的更新速率和液膜厚度,当转速为0.5r/min时,NO去除率达到最大值(75.0%);将营养液用量控制在1.3～3.0L较为合理;EBRT是决定反硝化效率的重要因素,当EBRT为345.60s时,NO去除率不受其进气浓度的影响,且去除率高达95%以上,当EBRT为43.20s、NO进气质量浓度从98mg/m3增加到1095mg/m3时,NO去除率从62.5%下降到30.7%,当进气负荷为50.00g/(m3.h)时,NO去除负荷达到最大值(27.50g/(m3.h))。     

The role of endogenous nitric oxide in melatonin-improved tolerance to lead toxicity in maize plants

Melatonin (MT) and nitric oxide (NO) are known as scavengers of free radicals and an antioxidant against biotic and abiotic stresses in plant defense systems. However, whether NO interplays role in MT-induced antioxidant defense remains to be determined in the plants exposed to lead (Pb) toxicity. So, two experiments were designed to evaluate the role of NO in MT-mediated tolerance of maize plants to Pb stress. In the initial experiment, prior to starting different treatments, a solution of 0.05- or 0.10-mM MT was sprayed every other day for a period of 10 days to the leaves of maize plants exposed to Pb stress (0.1-mM PbCl₂). Pb toxicity significantly caused reduction in plant biomass (both fresh and dry), PSII maximum efficiency (F_v/F_m), total chlorophyll, leaf potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and leaf water potential, but it resulted in increased levels of proline, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), malondialdehyde (MDA), electron leakage (EL), leaf Pb, and endogenous NO. An addition experiment was set up to further understand whether NO played role in mitigation of Pb toxicity in maize plants by MT using scavengers of NO and cPTIO combined with the MT treatments. MT-induced tolerance to Pb toxicity was totally eliminated by cPTIO by reversing endogenous NO. The present results clearly indicated that MT mediated the endogenous NO to improve tolerance of maize plants to Pb toxicity. This evidence was also supported by the increases of H₂O₂ and MDA and reduces some antioxidant enzyme activities tested as well as the plant growth inhibition and increased leaf Pb content by application of MT combined with cPTIO.

     

Unraveling the source of nitric oxide emission during nitrification.

Nitric oxide production was measured during nitrification in a laboratory-scale bioreactor, operated at conditions relevant to municipal nitrifying wastewater treatment plants. This study aims to determine which type of microorganism and which metabolic pathway is responsible for nitric oxide emission during nitrification. Simulation studies were used to identify which pathway is the main source of nitric oxide emission, based on the following three hypothetical pathways for nitric oxide emission: (a) nitrification, (b) denitrification by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria with ammonium as electron donor, and (c) heterotrophic denitrification. The results of the study suggest that, in a nitrifying reactor treating wastewater containing solely ammonium and nutrients, denitrification by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria is the main nitric-oxide-producing pathway. During the experiments, 0.025% of the treated ammonium is emitted as nitric oxide, independent of the aeration rate imposed. Nitrite presence and oxygen limitation were found to increase the nitric oxide emission.