Estimation of the volatilization of organic compounds from soil surfaces

Several simple models for the estimation of the half-life (t(1/2)) for the depletion of an organic chemical from a soil surface to air were examined. For moist surfaces, two models are proposed: the first requires knowledge of the soil/organic carbon partition coefficient (K(oc)) and the Henry's law constant (H) and the second the vapor pressure (P(s)) of the chemical involved. Due to uncertainties in the experimental K(oc) values those ones predicted by the group-contribution model of Meylan et al. [Environ. Sci. Technol. 26 (1992) 1560]-and proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-should be used. If reliable experimental P(s) values are not available, the first model is proposed, where in cases when H values are not available, predicted ones by the Bond-Contribution method of Meylan and Howard [Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 10 (1991) 1283]-and also proposed by EPA-can be used. In general, the agreement of the predicted t(1/2) values with the measured ones is within a factor of 3-5. Similar expressions, but with somewhat poorer results, are presented for dry field soils. In all cases, the obtained results represent a substantial improvement over those obtained with the currently used Dow method: t(1/2) = 1.58 x 10(-8)((K(oc) x S)/P(S)), where S is the solubility of the compound in water.     

Treatment of dye-containing effluents with different bentonites

Six different bentonites were studied for colour removal from dye-containing effluents. Two dyes of each of the basic, acid and direct categories were studied. Because of good results we have received with relatively small amounts of bentonite we propose this material as an effective and cheap adsorbent for this purpose.     

Bioavailability of dissolved organic nitrogen in treated effluents.

The research objective was to assess dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) bioavailability in wastewater effluents from a pilot-scale nitrification plant and a laboratory-scale total nitrogen (TN) removal plant. The DON bioavailability was assessed using a 14-day bioassay protocol containing bacterial and algal inocula. Nitrogen species, dissolved organic carbon, chlorophyll a, and biomass (as total suspended solids and culturable cell counts) concentrations were measured to assess DON bioavailability. The results showed an increase in algal chlorophyll a concentration, with a concurrent increase in algal biomass over time; increased bacterial counts and a decrease in DON concentration over time; and increased carbon-to-nitrogen ratio at the end of the 14-day bioassay, indicating effluent DON bioavailability to algae and bacteria. Approximately 18 to 61% of the initial DON in low-total-nitrogen wastewater effluent (TN = 4 to 5 mg/L) sample was bioavailable. The results show that bacteria and algae uptake and release DON during their growth.     

Use of hydrophilic and hydrophobic microfiltration membranes to remove microorganisms and organic pollutants from primary effluents.

Primary-effluent wastewater from the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (Pennsylvania) was used as a surrogate for combined-sewer-overflow waters contained in the sewershed. Pathogens contained in combined-primary-effluent wastewaters or combined-sewer overflows (CSOs) may pose a human-health threat to those coming in contact with such receiving waters. Polymeric ultra- and nano-membranes can be used to capture these microorganisms from CSOs. This research investigates the ability of polymeric hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes, ranging in pore size from 0.2 to 0.8 microm, to remove pathogen-indicator organisms (Escherichia coli, enterococcus, and fecal coliforms). Membranes, with pore size 0.45 microm and smaller, were able to reduce the bacteria levels to nondetectable levels, with the sole exception of one membrane with pore size 0.3 microm.     

复合电化学法处理含盐有机废水

研究了复合电化学法处理含盐,酚废水的可行性及处理效果,实验结果表明,在110－160℃,PH3-3.5,处理电压5V,电流密度6-9mA/cm^2,H2O2/苯酚（质量比）＞0．06时,200mg/L的苯酚溶液经处理后,酚去除率大于98％,CODCr去除率大于70％,该法电能消耗低,是一种适合于含盐有机废水处理的新方法。     

Emissions of unintentional persistent organic pollutants from open burning of municipal solid waste from developing countries

Open burning of waste is the most significant source of polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in many national inventories prepared pursuant to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This is particularly true for developing countries. Emission factors for POPs such as PCDD/PCDF, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCB) and penta- and hexachlorobenzenes (PeCBz/HCB) from open burning of municipal solid waste in China and Mexico are reported herein. Six different waste sources were studied varying from urban-industrial to semi-urban to rural. For PCDD/PCDF, the emission factors to air ranged from 3.0 to 650 ng TEQ kg⁻¹ waste and for dl-PCB from 0.092 to 54 ng TEQ kg⁻¹ waste. Emission factors for PeCBz (17-1200 ng kg⁻¹ waste) and HCB (24-1300 ng kg⁻¹ waste) spanned a wide but similar range. Within the datasets there is no indication of significant waste composition effect on emission factor with the exception of significantly higher Mexico rural samples.     

Influence of pH on adsorption of dye-containing effluents with different bentonites

The influence of pH on adsorption of dye-containing effluents with three different bentonites was studied. One dye of each of the basic, acid and direct categories were studied. A considerable increase of dye adsorption degree was observed in different pH.     

改性TiO_2/浮石光催化去除二级出水中有机物

为了实现城市污水厂二级出水的回用,将La3＋、Fe3＋共掺杂TiO2/浮石光催化用于二级出水中有机物的去除。在优化工艺条件下,该方法对TOC的去除率为49.0%,对UV254的去除率为76.5%;出水BDOC/DOC值大幅度提高,由最初的0.21提高到0.56,增加了出水的可生化性;二级出水中存在着影响光催化去除有机物的因素,其中阴离子对有机物的去除有一定的抑制作用;光催化反应在通过O3强化后对有机物的去除率得到提高,TOC的去除率达到75.0%,光催化和O3氧化对有机物的去除具有协同效应;随着光催化反应次数的增加,催化剂活性有下降趋势,使用10次后TOC去除率下降到第一次使用时的16.7%,再生能够使催化活性恢复到使用前的95%,催化剂在使用15次以内稳定性较好。     

Release flux of mercury from different environmental surfaces in Chongqing, China

An investigation was conducted to estimate mercury emission to the atmosphere from different environmental surfaces and to assess its contribution to the local mercury budget in Chongqing, China. Mercury flux was measured using dynamic flux chamber (DFC) at six soil sites of three different areas (mercury polluted area, farmland and woodland) and four water surfaces from August 2003 to April 2004. The mercury emission fluxes were 3.5 ± 1.2–8.4 ± 2.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for three shaded forest sites, 85.8 ± 32.4 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for farming field, 12.3 ± 9.8–733.8 ± 255 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for grassland sites, and 5.9 ± 12.6–618.6 ± 339 ng m⁻² h⁻¹ for water surfaces. Mercury exchange fluxes were generally higher from air/water surfaces than from air/soil surfaces. The mercury negative fluxes were found in tow soil sites at overcast days (mean = −6.4 ± 1.5 ng m⁻² h⁻¹). The diurnal and seasonal variations of mercury flux were observed in all sites. The mercury emission responded positively to the solar radiation, but negatively to the relative humidity. The mercury flux from air/soil surfaces was significantly correlated with soil temperature, which was well described by an Arrhenius-type expression with activation energy of 31.1 kcal mol⁻¹. The annual mercury emission to the atmosphere from land surface is about 1.787 t of mercury in Chongqing.     

Diagnosis of dissolved organic matter removal by GAC treatment in biologically treated papermill effluents using advanced organic characterisation techniques

Granular activated carbon (GAC) exhaustion rates on pulp and paper effluent from South East Australia were found to be a factor of three higher (3.62 cf. 1.47 kg m⁻³) on Kraft mills compared to mills using Thermomechanical pulping supplemented by Recycled Fibre (TMP/RCF). Biological waste treatment at both mills resulted in a final effluent COD of 240 mg L⁻¹. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was only 1.2 times higher in the Kraft effluent (70 vs. 58 mg L⁻¹), however, GAC treatment of Kraft and TMP/RCF effluent was largely different on the DOC persisted after biological treatment. The molecular mass (636 vs. 534 g mol⁻¹) and aromaticity (5.35 vs. 4.67 L mg⁻¹ m⁻¹) of humic substances (HS) were slightly higher in the Kraft effluent. The HS aromaticity was decreased by a factor of 1.0 L mg⁻¹ m⁻¹ in both Kraft and TMP/RCF effluent. The molecular mass of the Kraft effluent increased by 50 g mol⁻¹ while the molecular mass of the TMP/RCF effluent was essentially unchanged after GAC treatment; the DOC removal efficiency of the GAC on Kraft effluent was biased towards the low molecular weight humic compounds. The rapid adsorption of this fraction, coupled with the slightly higher aromaticity of the humic components resulted in early breakthrough on the Kraft effluent. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix analysis of the each GAC treated effluent indicated that the refractory components were higher molecular weight humics on the Kraft effluent and protein-like compounds on the TMP/RCF effluent. Although the GAC exhaustion rates are too high for an effective DOC removal option for biologically treated pulp and paper mill effluents, the study indicates that advanced organic characterisation techniques can be used to diagnose GAC performance on complex effluents with comparable bulk DOC and COD loads.     

Measurement of organic nitrogen and phosphorus fractions at very low concentrations in wastewater effluents

The purpose of this study was to develop simple, accurate, and inexpensive measurement protocols for dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved non-reactive phosphorus (DNRP) at low levels in wastewater effluents. Two protocols are presented--one to measure DON exclusively, and the other to measure DON and DNRP simultaneously. Currently, DON and DNRP are calculated indirectly by subtracting the dissolved inorganic fractions from the total dissolved concentration, resulting in significant errors. To increase the accuracy of DON measurements, effluent sample pretreatment using ion exchange to remove nitrate was applied. Spectrometric methods were selected to measure the inorganic fractions-the second derivative UV spectroscopy method for nitrate, and the malachite green method for orthophosphate. These methods, combined with the optimized persulfate digestion of the samples, can be used to measure total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus accurately. The measurement ranges attained were 0.05 to 3 mg N/L for DON and 0.01 to 0.5 mg P/L for DNRP.     

Equilibration time scales of organic aerosol inside thermodenuders: Evaporation kinetics versus thermodynamics

The interpretation of thermodenuder (TD) data often relies on the assumption that thermodynamic equilibrium is reached inside the instrument. We modeled the evaporation of three organic aerosol types (adipic acid, α-pinene SOA and aged OA) inside a thermodenuder with a mass transfer model, and calculated equilibration time scales for these systems at realistic conditions. The equilibrium times varied from less than a second to several hours, decreasing with increasing aerosol concentrations, decreasing particle sizes, decreasing volatilities and increasing mass accommodation coefficients. The results indicate that generally TDs measure particle evaporation rates rather than equilibria, and time-dependent modeling of the evaporation is usually needed to interpret the data. Measurements at varying residence times and temperatures, on the other hand, are desirable to investigate the equilibration of the studied aerosol and decouple the kinetic effects from the effects caused by the thermodynamic properties of the aerosol. Organic aerosol is likely to be further from equilibrium under typical field conditions compared with laboratory data. When determining the aerosol properties from TD data, assuming incorrectly equilibrium results in under-prediction of the vaporization enthalpy of the evaporating species. Similar under-estimation is predicted if multicomponent aerosols are approximated with single-component properties.     

PAH desorption from sediments with different contents of organic carbon from wastewater receiving rivers

Background and aim  

Many rivers have to receive treated or untreated wastewater as the main water sources in the world, especially in the countries facing with water shortage. For instance, the Haihe and Huaihe River Basin, which are among areas facing crises for water resources in China, receive 33,400 million tons of wastewater per year. As the sediment has large capacity for sorbing hydrophobic organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), it can act as a natural repository for the contaminants. This means pollutants can release into water phase again under some conditions, such as resuspension, sediment dredging, etc. The objective of this research was to study the trends of PAH release from sediments in rivers receiving much wastewater, such as Yongding New River (YD), Northsewer (NS), and Southsewer (SS) from Haihe River Basin. These rivers received most of the wastewater from Tianjin, China and merge into Bohai Bay finally.     

Fluorescence behaviour of Zn and Ni complexes of humic acids from different sources

Conventional fluorescence spectroscopy in the excitation, emission and synchronous scan modes and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy in the form of an excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of fluorescence intensity as a function of excitation and emission wavelengths have been applied to the study of three humic acids (HAs) extracted from soil (SHA), peat (PHA) and compost (CHA) and their interaction products with Zn(II) and Ni(II) ions. Fluorescence spectra of HAs appear to be related to the nature and origin of the sample. A strong reduction of intensity of all peaks is observed in the spectra of HAs-metal complexes as compared to those of untreated HAs. Ni(II) exhibits greater quenching ability than Zn(II). Fluorescence quenching measured for complexes of HAs at increasing Ni(II) concentrations was linearly correlated with metal ion concentration. The different capacity to interact with metal ions showed by various HAs is attributed to their different molecular complexity.     

滇池流域不同土壤类型和土地利用方式的土壤中溶解性有机碳的流失特性研究

采集滇池流域不同土壤类型、不同土地利用方式下的土壤样品,进行土壤中溶解性有机碳(DOC)的静态解吸实验,通过测定不同时间下溶入水相的COD量,探究不同土壤类型及土地利用方式下DOC的流失特性,从而揭示不同土地利用方式对滇池流域面源污染的影响.结果表明,同一土地利用方式的不同类型土壤中DOC的溶出平衡时间为壤土＞粘土＞粘壤土,其中退耕区(粘壤土＞粘土＞壤土)、大棚(粘土＞粘壤土=壤土)土壤不符合该规律,溶出平衡时间基本为1.5～2.5h;不同的土壤类型和土地利用方式下,DOC的溶出率为1.00％～2.75％,同一土地利用方式的不同类型土壤中DOC的溶出率存在一定差别,这是由于不同类型的土壤中砂粒、粉粒、粘粒的含量有所差异.     

有机微污染物在污水处理过程中的变化研究

多环芳烃等有毒有机微污染物对污水处理综合指标BOD、COD和TOC等的贡献极小,但危害却很大.采用固相萃取的前处理方法和GC/MS、GC/μECD的分析方法,针对北京市某污水处理厂的总泵进水、二沉出水以及混凝沉淀出水中有机氯农药、多环芳烃和酚类的浓度进行分析.研究结果表明,在不同处理工艺段中,有机氯农药、多环芳烃和酚类的质量浓度分别为nd～10、nd～835、nd～3 248 μg/L.所有检出化合物均未超出中国污水与地表水相应标准限值,其中多环芳烃和酚残留水平较高,应为重点监测对象.这些污染物多数能够在二级处理过程中得到有效去除,但混凝沉淀并没有显著地进一步去除效果.     

Combined chemical treatment of pharmaceutical effluents from medical ointment production

Three wastewater samples from a pharmaceutical plant formulating medical ointments were subjected to lab-scale treatment by a Fenton-like system in combination with lime coagulation. All samples were plant pre-treated by adsorption/flocculation/filtration processes with utilization of bentonite, but the quality of effluents did not comply with the regulations for wastewater discharged to local sewerage. The optimization of Fenton-like oxidation demonstrated the highest process efficacy at H(2)O(2)/COD weight ratio of 2:1, H(2)O(2)/Fe(2+) molar ratio of 10:1 and 2h of treatment time. The fast pH decrease to acidic values approximately 3 during first min of oxidation for all effluents suggested that pH adjustment was unnecessary. Combination of Fe(III) precipitation and lime coagulation proved feasible to improve considerably COD and residual iron concentration reduction in pharmaceutical effluents. Additionally, considerable BOD(7) reduction and BOD(7)/COD ratio improvement of pharmaceutical wastewater samples was achieved by combined treatment. The application of Fenton-like oxidation with subsequent iron (III)/lime coagulation did not only enhance the quality of pharmaceutical effluents with different chemical characteristics and help to meet the requirements for wastewater discharged to sewage, but also improve the biodegradability of pharmaceutical effluents.     

Stormwater runoff quality from different surfaces in an urban catchment in Beijing, China

Urban stormwater runoff quality, widely investigated around the world, has been monitored less in Beijing, China, which impedes the municipal government to use best management practices to protect surface water. In this study, rainwater and stormwater runoff samples from roofs, roads, and a lawn on the campus of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES) (Beijing, China) and from a ring road, with heavy traffic, have been sampled and analyzed for 31 storm events from June 2004 to August 2005. Total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations in rainwater and runoff ranged over 2 or more orders of magnitude, meaning that the highest concentration of a certain pollutant did not always occur in a certain kind of runoff. Runoff contained significantly higher concentrations of pollutants than rainwater. On the campus of RCEES, TSS and total phosphorus in runoff samples from the lawn and roads were significantly higher than those from roofs, while the COD, BOD5, and total nitrogen concentrations were not significantly different in runoff among surfaces. Compared with runoff from the roads on campus, runoff from the ring road contained more COD and total nitrogen, but less TSS, BOD5, and total phosphorus. All pollutants measured in runoff from roofs on campus and from the ring road showed a peak concentration in starting runoff, which then decreased sharply. The peak concentrations of COD, BOD5, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in the roof runoff increased with the increase in time of the antecedent dry period. Thus, urban stormwater pollution control, especially for first-flush control, is of great importance for the full use of rainwater and prevention of water pollution.     

Uptake of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by microalgae in presence of colloidal organic matter from wastewater treatment plant effluents

The present study addresses the key issue of linking the chemical speciation to the uptake of priority pollutants Cd(II) and Pb(II) in the wastewater treatment plant effluents, with emphasis on the role of the colloidal organic matter (EfOM). Binding of Cd(II) and Pb(II) by EfOM was examined by an ion exchange technique and flow field-flow fractionation coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in parallel to bioassays with green microalga Chlorella kesslerii in ultrafiltrate (<1 kDa) and colloidal isolates (1 kDa to 0.45 μm). The uptake of Cd by C. kesslerii was consistent with the speciation analysis and measured free metal ion concentrations, while Pb uptake was much greater than that expected from the speciation measurement. Better understanding of the differences in the effects of the EfOM on Cd(II) and Pb(II) uptake required to take into account the size dependence of metal binding by EfOM.     

Ammonia emissions from the composting of different organic wastes. Dependency on process temperature

Ammonia emissions were quantified for the laboratory-scale composting of three typical organic wastes with medium nitrogen content: organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, raw sludge and anaerobically digested sludge; and the composting of two wastes with high nitrogen content: animal by-products from slaughterhouses and partially hydrolysed hair from the leather industry. All the wastes were mixed with the proper amount of bulking agent. Ammonia emitted in the composting of the five wastes investigated revealed a strong dependence on temperature, with a distinct pattern found in ammonia emissions for each waste in the thermophilic first stage of composting (exponential increase of ammonia emitted when increasing temperature) than that of the mesophilic final stage (linear increase of ammonia emissions when increasing temperature). As composting needs high temperatures to ensure the sanitisation of compost and ammonia emissions are one of the main environmental impacts associated to composting and responsible for obtaining compost with a low agronomical quality, it is proposed that sanitisation is conducted after the first stage in large-scale composting facilities by a proper temperature control. CAPSULE: Ammonia emission pattern and correlation with process temperature are presented for the composting process of different organic wastes.