Microbial decolorization and bioremediation of melanoidin containing molasses spent wash

Molasses spent wash from cane-molasses based distilleries contains a brown coloured recalcitrantpolymer melanoidin, which if disposed untreated poses a great threat to environment. Microbial decolorization and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction was found to be dependent on specific carbon and nitrogen source. Under optimal condition of pH, carbon and nitrogen concentration for each treatment, it was found that Bacillus sp isolated from soil was capable of removing COD (85. 35%) and colour (81.10%) from distillery waste to the maximum extent after 9 days atpH 7 in the medium containing 0.5% peptone, 2% glucose and 10% (v/v), followed by Phanerochaete chrysosporium and lowest reduction was obtained by using native microbial consortium.     

Treatment of spent wash in anaerobic mesophilic suspended growth reactor (AMSGR)

Approximately 400 KL of spent wash or vinasse per annum is generated at an average COD concentration of 100,000 mg/l, by over 250 distilleries in India. There is an urgent need to develop, assess and use ecofriendly methods for the disposal of this high strength wastewater. Therefore, an attempt was made to investigate a few aspects of anaerobic digestion of spent wash collected from a distillery. The study was carried out in a 4 L laboratory scale anaerobic mesophilic suspended growth reactor. After the successful startup, the organic loading was increased stepwise to assess the performance of the reactor. During the study period, biogas generated was recorded and the maximum gas generated was found to be 16.9 L at an Organic Loading Rate (OLR) of 38 g COD/L. A 500% increase in the Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) concentration (2150 mg/L) was observed, when the OLR was increased from 38 to 39 g COD/L. During the souring phase the removal of COD, Total Solids (TS) and Volatile Solids (VS) were in the order of 52%, 40% and 46% respectively. The methane content in the biogas varied from 65% to 75%.     

Redox reactions of iron and manganese oxides in complex systems

• Mechanisms of redox reactions of Fe- and Mn-oxides were discussed. • Oxidative reactions of Mn- and Fe-oxides in complex systems were reviewed. • Reductive reaction of Fe(II)/iron oxides in complex systems was examined. • Future research on examining the redox reactivity in complex systems was suggested. Conspectus Redox reactions of Fe- and Mn-oxides play important roles in the fate and transformation of many contaminants in natural environments. Due to experimental and analytical challenges associated with complex environments, there has been a limited understanding of the reaction kinetics and mechanisms in actual environmental systems, and most of the studies so far have only focused on simple model systems. To bridge the gap between simple model systems and complex environmental systems, it is necessary to increase the complexity of model systems and examine both the involved interaction mechanisms and how the interactions affected contaminant transformation. In this Account, we primarily focused on (1) the oxidative reactivity of Mn- and Fe-oxides and (2) the reductive reactivity of Fe(II)/iron oxides in complex model systems toward contaminant degradation. The effects of common metal ions such as Mn²⁺ , Ca²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Cu²⁺, ligands such as small anionic ligands and natural organic matter (NOM), and second metal oxides such as Al, Si and Ti oxides on the redox reactivity of the systems are briefly summarized.     

植物根表铁锰氧化物胶膜的环境生态作用

许多湿地、水生植物根系都具有向根际环境释放氧气和氧化物,在根表和根际形成铁、锰氧化物胶膜的能力。因其所具有的特殊的物理或化学结构,植物根表的铁锰氧化物胶膜在环境生态中起重要作用。文章综述了植物根表铁锰氧化物的形成与特征,对有害金属和类金属污染物、有机污染物的吸附和富集作用,对富营养化水体的净化作用,以及提高植物的耐酸和耐贫瘠能力。借助新技术或研究手段强化铁、锰氧化物胶膜对湿地或水体有害金属和有机污染物的调控作用,是今后的发展方向。     

垃圾渗滤液对土壤铁锰有效性及地下水质的影响

受垃圾渗滤液影响,垃圾场周边土壤有机物含量增加。试验结果显示,随着土壤有机物含量的增加,土壤中有效态铁锰含量增大。垃圾场周边土壤中渗滤液有机物和金属铁锰共存时,大量的有机物质能活化土壤中的铁锰,增加其有效性,增强其在土壤中的迁移能力。从而造成垃圾场地下水较严重的铁锰污染。     

Migration of manganese and iron during the adsorption-regeneration cycles for arsenic removal

Fe-Mn binary oxide incorporated into porous diatomite (FMBO-diatomite) was prepared in situ and regenerated in a fixed-bed column for arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)] removal. Four consecutive adsorption cycles were operated under the following conditions: Initial arsenic concentration of 0.1 mg·L^-1, empty bed contact time of 5 min, and pH 7.0. About 3000, 3300, 3800, and 4500 bed volumes of eligible effluent (arsenic concentration≤0.01 mg·L^-1) were obtained in four As(III) adsorption cycles; while about 2000, 2300, 2500, and 3100 bed volumes of eligible effluent were obtained in four As(V) adsorption cycles. The dissection results of FMBO-diatomite fixed-bed exhibited that small amounts of manganese and iron were transferred from the top of the fixed-bed to the bottom of the fixed-bed during As(III) removal process. Compared to the extremely low concentration of iron (<0.01 mg·L^-1), the fluctuation concentration of Mn²⁺ in effluent of the As(III) removal column was in a range of 0.01–0.08 mg·L^-1. The release of manganese suggested that manganese oxides played an important role in As(III) oxidation. Determined with the US EPA toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), the leaching risk of As(III) on exhausted FMBO-diatomite was lower than that of As(V).     

Individual and combined effect of mercury and manganese on phenol and proline content in leaf and stem of mungbean seedlings

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L. Wilczelk cv. Pusa Baisakhi seedlings were raised in individual (0, 1, 10, 100 and 1000 ppm) and combined solutions (1 : 1, 10: 1, 1: 0 ppm Hg : Mn) of mercury and manganese for 6 days. Phenol and proline were found to accumulate in leaves in response to treatment with heavy metals. The magnitude of accumulation correlated with concentration of metals. However, a reverse trend was noticed in stem for phenol. Accumulation of phenol in response to heavy metal treatment was organ specific and occurred at higher rate in plant parts, which faced the stress mostly. However, accumulation of proline helped the plant to survive stress situation. In combined solutions, amelioration of mercurial toxicity by manganese was recorded.     

Complexation of iron by salicylic acid and its effect on atrazine photodegradation in aqueous solution

The photodegradation of atrazine and the photochemical formation of Fe(II) and H₂O₂ in aqueous solutions containing salicylic acid and Fe(III) were studied under simulated sunlight irradiation. Atrazine photolysis followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the rate constant (k) corresponding to the solution of Fe(III)-salicylic acid complex (Fe(III)-SA) was only 0.0153 h^?1, roughly one eighth of the k observed in the Fe(III) alone solution (0.115 h^?1). Compared with Fe(III) solution, the presence of salicylic acid significantly enhanced the formation of Fe(II) but greatly decreased H₂O₂ generation, and their subsequent product, hydroxyl radical (˙OH), was much less, accounting for the low rate of atrazine photodegradation in Fe(III)-SA solution. The interaction of Fe(III) with salicylic acid was analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and UV-visible absorption, indicating that Fe(III)-salicylic acid complex could be formed by ligand exchange between the hydrogen ions in salicylic acid and Fe(III) ions.     

Hair burning and liming in tanneries is a source of pollution by arsenic,lead, zinc,manganese and iron

Heavy metals in the environment may be toxic for human and animals. Tanneries are a source of pollution by heavy metals. There is little information on heavy metals pollution in tanneries, especially on metals produced by the process of hair burning and liming. Liming is the first stage of chemical treatment where animal hair or wool is removed with sodium sulphide and calcium oxide. Here we studied cow, goat, buffalo and sheep hair, conventional liming agents and liming wastewaters from several sources. Samples were acid-digested and aliquots were analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy following APHA standard method to measure concentrations of arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc, manganese and iron. Results show that the range of metal contents in hair or wool and liming agents are 1.3–8.2 mg/kg for arsenic, 0.02–21.8 mg/kg for lead, 17.7–121.0 mg/kg for manganese, 7.3–141.1 mg/kg for zinc and 119.6–10613.8 mg/kg for iron. Liming wastewaters contain 1.9–5.6 µg/L arsenic, 0.03–6.05 µg/L lead, 38.6–139.0 µg/L manganese, 144.0–171.5 µg/L zinc and 399.5–1069.0 µg/L iron. Cadmium was below detection limits. This is the first investigation that reveals that hair burning liming operation is a potential source of heavy metals in the environment.     

Combined effect of iron and zinc on micronutrient levels in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

A nutrient solution experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of Fe and Zn supply on Fe, Zn, Cu, and Mn concentrations in wheat plants. The experiment used a factorial combination of two Fe levels (0 and 5 mg l(-1)) and three Zn levels (0, 0.1 and 10 mg I(-1)). The supply of Fe (5 mg l(-1)) and Zn (0.1 mg l(-1)) increased plant dry weight and leaf chlorophyll content compared to the Fe or Zn deficient (0 mg 11) treatments. However, excess Zn supply (10 mg l(-1)) reduced plant dry weights and leaf chlorophyll content. Iron supply (5 mg l(-1)) reduced wheat Zn concentrations by 49%, Cu concentrations by 34%, and Mn by 56% respectively. Zinc supply (10 mg l(-1)) reduced wheat Fe concentrations by an average of 8%, but had no significant effect on Cu and Mn concentrations. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that Zn, Cu, and Mn concentrations were negatively correlated with root- and leaf-Fe concentrations, but positively correlated with stem-Fe concentrations. Leaf-Mn concentrations were negatively correlated with root-, stem- and leaf-Zn concentrations.     

Benthic recruitment and manganese crust formation on seamounts

Hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts are a common feature of oceanic seamounts, forming slowly (predominantly at 1 to 5 mm/m.yr through precipitation from seawater, by a process that is poorly understood yet producing crusts of thicknesses up to 240 mm. It remains unexplained why crusts are not overwhelmed by more rapid biological processes occurring simultaneously. The present study of recruitment by sessile invertebrates to ferromanganese crusts and basalt on Cross Seamount (18°40N; 158°17W), North Pacific Ocean, from July 1988 to February 1990 supports the view that hydrogenesis alone may not adequately account for crust formation. Here, mediation of crust growth by benthic Foraminifera and inhibition of ferromanganese oxide precipitation by high abundances of sessile macrofauna are suggested as two interactive biological processes relevant to crust accretion. Larval supply is an important factor in the distribution of sessile macrofauna on oceanic seamounts.     

The common mussel Mytilus edulis as an indicator of trace metals in Scandinavian waters. II. lead,iron and manganese

An investigation of the mechanisms of detoxication of copper and zinc by the oyster Ostrea edulis (L) has been carried out using naturally occurring green-sick (contaminated by copper) and unpolluted oysters. Electron microprobe X-ray analysis of tissues in the electron microscope gives direct evidence for the structural compartmentation of copper and zinc in separate, specific, granular amoebocytes. The metals are immobilized in membrane-limited vesicles as different chemical compounds, copper being associated with sulphur and zinc with phosphorus. Chemical analyses of serum and tissues of normal and green-sick oysters indicate that (a) Cu and Zn are accumulated independently, (b) the Cu and Zn in the serum, while higher than in the surrounding sea water, are maintained at a 10-fold smaller level than the tissues, (c) toxicity is reduced by active uptake from the serum into granular amoebocytes, where it is further reduced by compartmentation in membrane-limited vesicles. It is calculated that the individual cell types may contain as much as 13,000 ppm Cu and 25,000 ppm Zn.     

Removal of pollutants using spent mushrooms substrates

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Due to increasing environmental pollution, there is a need for cheap and effective methods to remove pollutants from water. Mushrooms can be used as a green...     

Crop demand of manganese

The peri-urban soils of Huelva, one of the first industrial cities in Spain, are subject to severe pollution problems primarily due to past poor management of industrial wastes and effluents. In this study, soil cores were collected in seven sites potentially contaminated with toxic chemicals arising from multiple anthropogenic sources, in order to identify trace elements of concern and to assess human health risks associated with them. In most soil core samples, total concentrations of As (up to 4,390 mg kg⁻¹), Cd (up to 12.9 mg kg⁻¹), Cu (up to 3,162 mg kg⁻¹), Pb (up to 6,385 mg kg⁻¹), Sb (up to 589 mg kg⁻¹) and Zn (up to 4,874 mg kg⁻¹) were by more than one order of magnitude greater than the site-specific reference levels calculated on the basis of regional soil geochemical baselines. These chemicals are transferred from the hazardous wastes, mainly crude pyrite and roasted pyrite cinders, to the surrounding soils by acid drainage and atmospheric deposition of wind-blown dust. Locally, elevated concentrations of U (up to 96.3 mg kg⁻¹) were detected in soils affected by releases of radionuclides from phosphogypsum wastes. The results of the human health risk-based assessment for the hypothetical exposure of an industrial worker to the surface soils indicate that, in four of the seven sites monitored, cancer risk due to As (up to 4.4 × 10⁻⁵) is slightly above the target health risk limit adopted by the Spanish legislation (1 × 10⁻⁵). The cumulative non-carcinogenic hazard index ranged from 2.0 to 12.2 indicating that there is also a concern for chronic toxic effects from dermal contact with soil.     

Crop demand of manganese

The objectives of this study were to evaluate some of the popular rotation crops grown in Hungary for tolerance to low external Mn(2+) levels and to determine the critical tissue concentration of Mn(2+) deficiency during early stages of growth. The minimum Mn(2+) concentration required in soil nutrient contents was 42.5 mg kg(-1) for sunflower, 24.3 mg kg(-1) for tobacco and 10.2 mg kg(-1) for triticale. Sunflower, tobacco and triticale achieved optimum growth at 48.0-65.0 mg Mn(2+) kg(-1), 24.9-32.1 mg Mn( n+) kg(-1) and 28.7 to 29.6 mg Mn(2+) kg(-1), respectively. Critical shoot Mn(2+) concentration at early stages of growth was 53.6 mg kg(-1) in sunflower, 458.0 mg kg(-1) in tobacco and 193.8 mg kg(-1) in triticale. Our results demonstrate that the tolerance to low external Mn(2+) (triticale: <30.2 mg kg(-1); sunflower: <56.2 mg kg(-1); tobacco: <69.3 mg kg(-1)) and the critical tissue Mn(2+) levels for deficiency varied significantly between crop species tested.     

Preparing graphene from anode graphite of spent lithium-ion batteries

With extensive use of lithium ion batteries (LIBs), amounts of LIBs were discarded, giving rise to growth of resources demand and environmental risk. In view of wide usage of natural graphite and the high content (12%–21%) of anode graphite in spent LIBs, recycling anode graphite from spent LIBs cannot only alleviate the shortage of natural graphite, but also promote the sustainable development of related industries. After calcined at 600°C for 1 h to remove organic substances, anode graphite was used to prepare graphene by oxidation-reduction method. Effect of pH and N₂H₄·H₂O amount on reduction of graphite oxide were probed. Structure of graphite, graphite oxide and graphene were characterized by XRD, Raman and FTIR. Graphite oxide could be completely reduced to graphene at pH 11 and 0.25 mL N₂H₄·H₂O. Due to the presence of some oxygen-containing groups and structure defects in anode graphite, concentrated H₂SO₄ and KMnO₄ consumptions were 40% and around 28.6% less than graphene preparation from natural graphite, respectively.

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Health problems among workers of iron welding machines: an effect of electromagnetic fields

The possible effects of EMFs on 100 workers were studied by means of structured interview and rating of subjective symptoms. As control 41 sewing machine operators and assembly workers were chosen, interviewed and likewise tested. The present Indian ceiling value of 250 Tesla for the equivalent power density was exceeded in more than 50% of the machines. The highest leakage fields, for EMFs, were found near machines, which gave a high exposure to the hands. Eye irritation complaints were reported by 40% of the workers. The fertility outcome did not show any significant result.     

铁还原菌介导的氧化铁还原与硝酸盐还原的竞争效应研究

中性厌氧条件下,脱色希瓦氏菌Shewanella decolorationis(S12)能够使用多种电子受体进行厌氧呼吸,包括溶解态的硝酸盐以及难溶态的氧化铁基质。因此,本文通过构建"脱色希瓦氏菌/铁氧化物/硝态氮"的交互反应体系,研究这一体系中铁还原与硝态氮还原的相互作用过程,并对相互作用机制进行初步探讨。结果表明,交互反应体系中氧化铁还原与硝酸盐还原存在明显的竞争关系;随着氧化铁比表面积、可利用态铁含量的增大,硝酸受抑制作用逐渐增强;通过不同温度煅烧而得到的不同结晶度的赤铁矿对硝态氮的抑制作用也被研究。结果还表明,氧化铁结晶度越高,S12对硝态氮的还原抑制作用越小。循环伏安电化学测试结果发现,加入硝酸条件下,铁氧化峰几乎完全消失,表明硝态氮存在条件下,铁还原受到明显抑制。针对以上结果,初步探讨了铁还原与硝态氮还原竞争的原因,即:(1)Fe(Ⅲ)与NO3–同时作为电子受体,因竞争电子而受到抑制;(2)吸附态Fe(Ⅱ)物种还原NO3–,导致Fe(Ⅱ)累积减少,NO3–还原因产生的Fe(Ⅱ)的低速率而被抑制。     

Effects of humic acid and surfactants on the aggregation kinetics of manganese dioxide colloids

The aggregation of common manganese dioxide (MnO₂) colloids has great impact on their surface reactivity and therefore on their fates as well as associated natural and synthetic contaminants in engineered (e.g. water treatment) and natural aquatic environments. Nevertheless, little is known about the aggregation kinetics of MnO₂ colloids and the effect of humic acid (HA) and surfactants on these. In this study, the early stage aggregation kinetics of MnO₂ nanoparticles in NaNO₃ and Ca(NO₃)₂ solutions in the presence of HA and surfactants (i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) were modeled through time-resolved dynamic light scattering. In the presence of HA, MnO₂ colloids were significantly stabilized with a critical coagulation concentration (CCC) of ~300 mmol·L^-1 NaNO₃ and 4 mmol·L^-1 Ca(NO₃)₂. Electrophoretic mobility (EPM) measurements confirmed that steric hindrance may be primarily responsible for increasing colloidal stability in the presence of HA. Moreover, the molecular and/or chemical properties of HA might impact its stabilizing efficiency. In the case of PVP, only a slight increase of aggregation kinetics was observed, due to steric reactions originating from adsorbed layers of PVP on the MnO₂ surface. Consequently, higher CCC values were obtained in the presence of PVP. However, there was a negligible reduction in MnO₂ colloidal stability in the presence of 20 mg·L^-1SDS.