Nitrogen dynamics in the sediments of a wetland coastal ecosystem of southern India

The study area, Kuttanad Waters is a part of the Cochin estuarine system on the west coast of India. Kuttanad is well known for its agricultural activity and so the major contribution to the inorganic ions of nitrogen will be from fertilisers applied in agriculture. Based on observed salinity the stations have been divided into three zones. The fresh water zones had higher quantities of silt and clay whereas the estuarine zone was more sandy. The chemical speciation scheme applied here distinguishes three forms of ammoniacal nitrogen species: exchangeable, fixed, and organic ammoniacal nitrogen. No significant trends were observed in the seasonal distribution of total, exchangeable, fixed and organic nitrogen. A significant concentration of exchangeable ammonia was observed in the sediment due to their predominantly reducing environment, which restricts nitrification. High NH₄-N concentrations in the pore waters, along with the sedimentary composition leads to a significantly high quantity of fixed NH₄-N. The low values for N org is due to high mineralisation or deamination of organic nitrogen     

涟江上游表层岩溶泉水污染源解析

为明确涟江上游表层岩溶泉水化学污染特征及其污染来源,选取区域内7个地表饮用泉作为研究对象.测定泉水水温(T)、电导率(EC)、溶解氧(DO)、pH、总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)、氨氮(NH4-N)、硝氮(NO₃-N)、高锰酸盐指数(COD)并研究其与泉眼半径200、500、1000 m范围内耕地、住宅用地及交通用地面积的相关性.研究结果表明,依据地表水环境质量标准(GB3838-02)等水质标准,涟江上游7个表层岩溶泉水TN均超标,耕地周围的泉水TP、NH₄-N、NO₃-N也超过标准值,表明该区域表层岩溶泉水总体高N而局部高P的污染特征.主成分分析表明农业活动对泉水TN、TP、NH₄-N、NO₃-N及COD含量产生了一定的影响.泉眼半径200 m范围内耕地面积与TP、NH₄-N显著正相关,表明小范围内农业活动是泉水N、P污染的主要源头;500 m范围内EC与住宅用地面积显著正相关,表明较大规模人类聚居可能造成泉水离子成分偏复杂.从保护地表饮用泉的角度出发,建议泉眼半径200 m内减少农业活动强度及频率,泉眼半径500 m内控制人口密度及日常生活排污量.     

Sediment nutrient flux in a coastal lake impacted by diverted Mississippi River water

The internal nutrient load from bottom sediment to the water column of a Louisiana Barataria Basin lake (Lake Cataouatche) receiving diverted Mississippi River water was determined. Dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), ammonium (NH₄-N) and nitrate (NO₃-N) flux from sediment to water column were measured. The DRP flux averaged-0.22 mg m^-2 d^-1 under aerobic water column conditions, as compared with that 3.29 mg m^-2 d^-1 under anaerobic conditions. The average NH₄-N released under anaerobic conditions (1.42 mg m^-2 d^-1) was significantly greater than rates under aerobic conditions (-0.02 mg m^-2 d^-1), indicating a strong relationship between nutrient flux and oxygen availability in the water column. The average NO₃-N flux was 2.13 mg m^-2 d^-1 under aerobic conditions as compared with-0.24 mg m^-2 d^-1 under anaerobic conditions in the sediment-water column. When the water column maintained under anaerobic conditions was switched to aerobic conditions, the DRP, NH₄-N, and NO₃-N concentrations in overlying water decreased rapidly over a short period of time. The mean annual internal DRP and NH₄-N load from the sediment to the overlying water was estimated to be 69.26 and 29.9 tonnes (Mg) yr^-1 respectively, which represents a significant portion of the total nutrient load to the Lake. Results demonstrate that the internal flux of nutrients from sediments can contribute a significant portion of the total nutrient load to the water column and should be considered in decisions on impact of nutrient in diverted Mississippi River on water quality of Barataria Basin.     

Characteristic and correlation analysis of influent and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants in Taihu Basin

Poor biodegradability and insufficient carbon source are discovered from influent. Influent indices presented positively normal distribution or skewed distribution. Average energy consumption of WWTPs in Taihu Basin was as high as 0.458 kWh/m³. Energy consumption increases with the increase in influent volume and COD reduction. The total energy consumption decreases with the NH₃-N reduction. The water quality and energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Taihu Basin were evaluated on the basis of the operation data from 204 municipal WWTPs in the basin by using various statistical methods. The influent ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N) and total nitrogen (TN) of WWTPs in Taihu Basin showed normal distribution, whereas chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), suspended solid (SS), and total phosphorus (TP) showed positively skewed distribution. The influent BOD₅/COD was 0.4%–0.6%, only 39.2% SS/BOD₅ exceeded the standard by 36.3%, the average BOD₅/TN was 3.82, and the probability of influent BOD₅/TP>20 was 82.8%. The average energy consumption of WWTPs in Taihu Basin in 2017 was 0.458 kWh/m³. The specific energy consumption of WWTPs with a daily treatment capacity of more than 5 × 10⁴ m³ in Taihu Basin was stable at 0.33 kWh/m³. A power function relationship was observed between the reduction in COD and NH₃-N and the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction, and the higher the pollutant reduction is, the lower the specific energy consumption of pollutant reduction presents. In addition, a linear relationship existed between the energy consumption of WWTPs and the specific energy consumption of influent volume and pollutant reduction. Therefore, upgrading and operation with less energy consumption of WWTPs is imperative and the suggestions for Taihu WWTPs based on stringent discharge standard are proposed in detail.     

施氮与凋落物去除影响下中亚热带阔叶林土壤氮素矿化潜势和硝化潜势研究

氮沉降影响土壤氮循环,而凋落物是土壤有机氮的主要来源,因此,为了探讨氮沉降和凋落物是否去除作用下,亚热带森林土壤潜在的氮素矿化与硝化作用,选择已进行8年模拟氮沉降试验的亚热带罗浮栲(Castanopsis fabri)常绿阔叶林土壤为研究对象,野外样地氮添加设置3个水平:对照(CK,0 kg·hm?2·a?1)、低氮(...     

Algal purification of pretreated landfill Leachate

The efficiency of microalgae in removing various pollutants in landfill leachate after pretreatment by free stripping or air stripping was tested by a laboratory batch system. The results showed that Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus sp. had similar removal efficiencies with regard to ammoniacal‐nitrogen, oxidized‐nitrogen, orthophosphate and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The COD removal by algal treatment was better in Junk Bay (JB) leachate than in Gin Drinkers’ Bay (GDB) leachate (14–21% and 0.4–7% respectively). No significant difference (P > 0.05) was found in removing other nutrients including ammoniacal‐nitrogen, oxidized‐nitrogen and orthophosphate between leachate from the two landfills, regardless of the pretreatment used. The removal efficiencies of ammoniacal‐nitrogen and phosphorus were found to be higher in air‐stripped leachate than in free‐stripped one. Removal of ammoniacal‐nitrogen and phosphorus in air‐stripped leachate was 30% and 87% respectively. Poor removal of ammoniacal‐nitrogen was probably due to a deficiency in phosphorus (high N : P ratio) for algal growth in leachate. The two‐stage leachate treatment (ammonia stripping followed by algal purification) resulted in overall reduction of COD (38–51%), ammoniacal‐nitrogen (72–96%) and orthophosphate (79–96%).     

NiB2O4 (B = Mn or Co) catalysts for NH3-SCR of NOx at low-temperature in microwave field

● Microwave-assisted catalytic NH₃-SCR reaction over spinel oxides is carried out. ● SCR reaction temperature is tremendously lowered in microwave field. ● NO conversion of NiMn₂O₄ is highly up to 90.6% at 70°C under microwave heating. Microwave-assisted selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) was investigated over Ni-based metal oxides. The NiMn₂O₄ and NiCo₂O₄ catalysts were synthesized by the co-precipitation method and their activities were evaluated as potential candidate catalysts for low-temperature NH₃-SCR in a microwave field. The physicochemical properties and structures of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), N₂-physisorption, NO adsorption-desorption in the microwave field, H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) and NH₃-temperature programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD). The results verified that microwave radiation reduced the reaction temperature required for NH₃-SCR compared to conventional heating, which needed less energy. For the NiMn₂O₄ catalyst, the catalytic efficiency exceeded 90% at 70 °C and reached 96.8% at 110 °C in the microwave field. Meanwhile, the NiMn₂O₄ also exhibited excellent low-temperature NH₃-SCR reaction performance under conventional heating conditions, which is due to the high BET specific surface area, more suitable redox property, good NO adsorption-desorption in the microwave field and rich acidic sites.     

Influence of the sewage irrigation on the agricultural soil properties in Tongliao City, China

Increasing shortages of fresh water has led to greater use of treated wastewater for irrigation of crops. This study evaluates the spatial variability of soil properties after irrigation with wastewater and freshwater. Geostatistical techniques were used to identify the variability of soil properties at the different sites. A set of physical and chemical soil properties were measured including total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), organic matter (OM) and soil moisture. The TN concentration levels varied from 567 to 700 mg·kg^-1, while OC levels ranged from 7.3 to 16.3 mg·kg^-1 in wastewater-irrigated zones. The concentration levels of TP were between 371.53 and 402.88 mg·kg^-1 for the wastewater-irrigated sites. Wastewater irrigation resulted in higher TN, TP and OM concentrations by 18.4%, 8% and 25%, respectively. The highest TN and OM occurred along the wastewater trunk. It was also observed that nitrogen concentrations correlate with the soil's organic matter. The increase of salinity may be associated with the increase of pH, which might suggest that a reduction of pH will be beneficial for plant growth due to the decrease of salinity. The average concentrations of nitrogen in topsoil were higher than those in subsurface soils in irrigated areas. Such differences of the N profile might be due to variations in organic matter content and microbial populations. Consistent with TN and OM, soil C:N decreased significantly with an increase of depth. This phenomenon possibly reflects a greater degree of breakdown and the older age of humus stored in the deeper soil layers. The analysis of pH levels at different depths for the three sites showed that pH values for wastewater irrigation were slightly lower than the controlled sites at the same depths.     

A heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacterium Halomonas venusta TJPU05 suitable for nitrogen removal from high-salinity wastewater

• H. venusta TJPU05 showed excellent HN-AD ability at high salinity. • Successful expression of AMO, HAO, NAR and NIR confirmed the HN-AD ability of TJPU05. • H. venusta TJPU05 could tolerate high salt and high nitrogen environment. • H. venusta TJPU05 is a promising candidate for the bio-treatment of AW. A novel salt-tolerant heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) bacterium was isolated and identified as Halomonas venusta TJPU05 (H. venusta TJPU05). The nitrogen removal performance of H. venusta TJPU05 in simulated water (SW) with sole or mixed nitrogen sources and in actual wastewater (AW) with high concentration of salt and nitrogen was investigated. The results showed that 86.12% of NH₄⁺-N, 95.68% of NO₃^–-N, 100% of NO₂^–-N and 84.57% of total nitrogen (TN) could be removed from SW with sole nitrogen sources within 24 h at the utmost. H. venusta TJPU05 could maximally remove 84.06% of NH₄⁺-N, 92.33% of NO₃^–-N, 92.9% of NO₂^–-N and 77.73% of TN from SW with mixed nitrogen source when the salinity was above 8%. The application of H. venusta TJPU05 in treating AW with high salt and high ammonia nitrogen led to removal efficiencies of 50.96%, 47.28% and 43.19% for NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^–-N and TN respectively without any optimization. Furthermore, the activities of nitrogen removal–related enzymes of the strain were also investigated. The successful detection of high level activities of ammonia oxygenase (AMO), hydroxylamine oxidase (HAO), nitrate reductase (NAR) and nitrite reductase (NIR) enzymes under high salinity condition further proved the HN-AD and salt-tolerance capacity of H. venusta TJPU05. These results demonstrated that the H. venusta TJPU05 has great potential in treating high-salinity nitrogenous wastewater.     

Enhanced nitrogen removal and microbial analysis in partially saturated constructed wetland for treating anaerobically digested swine wastewater

Anaerobically digested swine wastewater was treated by a novel constructed wetland. Tidal operation was better for total nitrogen removal than intermittent flow. Mechanism of nitrogen removal by biozeolite-based constructed wetland was discussed. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were determined in zeolite layer. Nitrogen removal of wastewater containing high-strength ammonium by the constructed wetlands (CWs) has been paid much attention. In this study, the ability of a partially saturated CW to treat anaerobically-digested decentralized swine wastewater under varying operating parameters from summer to winter was investigated. The partially saturated CW achieved better NH₄⁺-N and TN removal by tidal flow than intermittent flow. With surface loading rates of 0.108, 0.027, and 0.029 kg/(m²·d) for COD, NH₄⁺-N, and TN, the partially saturated CW by tidal operation achieved corresponding removal efficiencies of 85.94%, 61.20%, and 57.41%, respectively, even at 10°C. When the rapid-adsorption of NH₄⁺-N and the bioregeneration of zeolites reached dynamically stable, the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in the aerobic zeolite layer was observed and accounted for 58.82% of the total denitrification of CW. The results of Illumina high-throughput sequencing also indicated that nitrifiers (Nitrospira and Rhizomicrobium) and denitrifiers (Rhodanobacter and Thauera) simultaneously existed in the zeolite layer. The dominant existence of versatile organic degraders and nitrifiers/denitrifiers in the zeolite layer was related to the removal of most COD and nitrogen in this zone. The contribution of the possible nitrogen removal pathways in the CW was as follows: nitrification-denitrification (86.55%)>substrate adsorption (11.70%)>plant uptake (1.15%)>microbial assimilation (0.60%).     

Effect of clay minerals on extractability of heavy metals and sewage sludge mineralization in soil

An incubation experiment lasting 111 d was carried out to study the effect of the addition of three clay minerals (Na-bentonite, Ca-bentonite, and zeolite) to soil derived from sewage sludge on water-extractable and exchangeable forms of four heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Cu, and Ni), as well as on soil organic matter mineralization, microbial biomass C and the release of inorganic N. The addition of clay minerals led to a significant decrease in water-extractable and exchangeable forms of heavy metals. The extent of decrease ranged from 14 to 75% for the water-extractable heavy metals and from 12 to 42% for the exchangeable form over the incubation time, as compared with untreated soil. The reduction in extractability of heavy metals was greater due to the addition of Na-bentonite and Ca-bentonite than that due to the addition of zeolite. Addition of clay minerals did not affect any of the following microbiological parameters in the soil: microbial biomass C, organic C (C_org) mineralization, and metabolic quotient (qCO₂), and release of inorganic N during the first 3 weeks of incubation. However, as the incubation period increased, these parameters were significantly increased by the addition of clay minerals, especially by the addition of Na-bentonite and Ca-bentonite. This result is explained by a strong reduction in extractability of heavy metals after the addition of Na-bentonite and Ca-bentonite.     

我国半干旱区滴灌水肥一体化马铃薯田土壤NH3挥发特征和强度及影响因素

氨(NH₃)挥发是农业生态系统氮肥损失的重要途经,然而,北方干旱半干旱地区水肥耦合马铃薯田土壤NH₃挥发规律缺少数据支撑.该研究利用通气法田间原位观测我国西北滴灌水肥一体化和传统沟灌施肥马铃薯田水肥耦合土壤NH₃挥发特征,设置滴灌施肥500 kg·hm^-2(DDF)、滴灌施肥1000 kg·hm^-2(DGF)、滴灌不施肥(DCK)、沟灌施肥500 kg·hm^-2(FDF)、沟灌施肥1000 kg·hm^-2(FGF)、沟灌不施肥(FCK)6个处理.结果表明,NH₃挥发速率峰值出现在施用氮肥后1—2周,不同水肥处理土壤NH₃挥发存在显著差异(P<0.01).2018年DDF、DGF、DCK、FDF、FGF、FCK土壤NH₃累积挥发量分别为21.50、28.14、7.20、37.06、66.25、11.88 kg·hm^-2;2019年,分别为9.42、15.25、7.24、34.73、76.81、8.56 kg·hm^-2.2018年和2019年,沟灌FDF处理的NH₃挥发损失率分别是滴灌DDF处理的1.76倍和11.89倍;沟灌FGF处理分别是滴灌DGF的2.60倍和8.54倍.滴灌DGF处理NH₃挥发强度比滴灌DDF处理分别增加27.03%和52.94%,沟灌FGF处理比沟灌FDF处理分别增加76.04%和118.37%.随施肥量增加,传统沟灌马铃薯田土壤NH₃挥发损失率和NH₃挥发强度的增量高于滴灌水肥一体化模式.NH₃挥发速率与土壤体积含水量、NH₄⁺-N和NO₃^--N呈极显著相关(P<0.01).和传统沟灌比较,滴灌水肥一体化技术降低马铃薯田土壤NH₃挥发损失率,减轻NH₃挥发强度,提高马铃薯水肥利用率,减轻环境污染.     

奶牛粪便翻堆式与槽式堆肥过程气体排放规律及养分损失原位监测

为探究奶牛粪便翻堆式与槽式堆肥过程中温室气体和氨气(NH₃)排放规律及养分损失情况,采用原位监测的方法,通过静态采气箱和气体在线监测设备,分别对奶牛粪便翻堆式和槽式堆体开展为期36 d的气体监测。结果表明,翻堆式堆肥过程中甲烷(CH₄)、氧化亚氮(N2_O)和NH₃排放主要集中于翻堆阶段;槽式堆肥过程中CH₄和NH₃排放主要集中于堆肥前期,N2_O排放则主要集中于堆肥中后期。堆体管理措施及物料特性显著影响堆肥气体的排放。翻堆式堆肥过程中翻堆对气体排放的影响大于堆肥理化因子如温度、含水率以及pH值;而槽式堆肥过程中,降低堆体的平均温度可同时减缓堆肥过程中CH₄、二氧化碳(CO₂)和NH₃的释放。从养分损失来看,翻堆式和槽式堆肥过程中碳素总损失量分别占堆肥物料初始总碳含量(TC)的27.16%和21.53%,其中约80%以上的碳素损失来自CO₂-C。而堆肥过程中氮素总损失量分别占堆肥物料初始总氮含量(TN)的18.67%和13.44%,其中约80%以上的氮素损失来源于NH₃N。该研究表明,在保证堆体物料腐熟的前提下,降低翻堆频率可显著减缓翻堆式堆肥过程中温室气体和NH₃的排放;降低槽式堆肥堆体的温度可显著减少堆肥过程中CH₄、CO₂和NH₃的排放。该研究结果对于减少堆肥过程气态污染物排放和养分损失,提高堆肥效率具有重要的指导意义。     

Chemical reclamation of crude-oil-inundated soils from Niger Delta, Nigeria

Crude-oil-inundated soils were collected from the Agbada oil field in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria 2 months after the recorded incidence of oil spillage. The soils were taken on the second day of reconnaissance from three replicate quadrats, at surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) depths, using the grid sampling technique. The total extractable hydrocarbon content (THC) of the polluted soils ranged from 1.24 × 10² to 3.86 × 10⁴ mg/kg at surface and subsurface depths (no overlap in standard errors at a 95% confidence level). Greenhouse trials for possible reclamation were later carried out using 10-100 g of (NH₄)₂SO₄, KH₂PO₄ and KCl (NPK) fertilizer as nutrient supplements. Nitrogen as NO₃-N and potassium were optimally enhanced at 2% (w/w) and 3% (w/w) of the NPK supplementation, respectively. Phosphorus, which was inherently more enhanced in the soils than the other nutrients, maintained the same level of impact after treatment with 20 g of NPK fertilizer. Total organic carbon (%TOC), total organic matter (%TOM), pH, and percentage moisture content all provided evidence of enhanced mineralization in the fertilizer-treated soils. If reclamation of the crude-oil-inundated soils is construed as the return to normal levels of metabolic activities of the soils, then the application of the inorganic fertilizers at such prescribed levels would duly accelerate the remediation process. However, this would be limited to levels of pollution empirically defined by such THC values obtained in this study.     

Reconsideration on the effect of nitrogen on mixed culture polyhydroxyalkanoate production toward high organic loading enrichment history

Effect of nitrogen on mixed culture PHA production was reconsidered. Enrichment history of PHA accumulating culture was discussed. Higher PHA content and biomass growth were achieved in presence of nitrogen. Enrichment strategy toward higher PHA accumulation was investigated. Microbial community succession in PHA accumulation phase was investigated. In most of the operating strategies for mixed microbial cultures polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production, moderate organic loads and low nitrogen concentrations are used, however, the real waste streams contain variable concentrations of carbon and nitrogen. To evaluate the effect of enrichment history on PHA producer and production the various carbon and nitrogen levels were utilized during the accumulation phase. Different operating strategies were applied in three sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) subjected to aerobic dynamic feeding. The maximum PHA production of the enriched cultures under nutrient excess, limitation and starvation (Cmol/Nmol ratio of 8, 40 and ∞, respectively) was evaluated in batch assays. A higher PHA content and biomass growth were achieved in the nutrients presence in comparison to the nutrient starvation condition. The cultures from the SBR treated under short sludge retention time, high organic loading rate, short cycle length (SBR#3) and nutrient excess reached the maximum PHA content (54.9%) and biomass increase (38.9%). Under nutrient limitation, the negative biomass growth was observed under nutrient starvation because of the sampling loss. The succession of microbial communities in SBRs and batch assays was analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. The SBR#3 had the best overall PHA production performance considering its high PHA content and productivity in all nutrient content, it indicates that nitrogen has a substantial impact on PHA yield especially when high organic loading rate enrichment history is involved.     

长春市土壤微生物生化作用与重金属化学形态关系研究

研究了长春市土壤微生物的生化作用强度（氨化作用强度、固氮作用强度,纤维素分解强度和土壤基础呼吸）与重金属（Pb、Cd、Cu、Zn和Ni）化学形态的关系。通过科学采样和实验室测试分析了不同功能区土壤中,重金属含量和化学形态与微生物生化作用强度,并使用相关分析、偏相关分析多种数据统计方法进行数据处理。结果表明：各功能区因土地利用方式的差别和土壤中重金属的各种化学形态对土壤微生物生化作用强度有不同的影响。其中氨化作用与交换态Cd、Zn和Ni含量呈显著正相关;固氮作用与土壤重金属各化学形态相关性均不显著;呼吸作用与铁锰氧化物结合态Pd和交换态Cu呈显著正相关;纤维素分解作用强度与交换态Pd含量呈显著负相关。在土壤理化性质等相关变量受控时,重金属化学形态对微生物生化作用强度的影响有较明显的变化。其中与无控制变量相比,在控制变量作用下,纤维素分解作用强度受交换态Pd影响上升了0.0314,表现为交换态Pd抑制纤维素分解作用强度。呼吸作用与交换态Pd的相关系数在无控制因素情况下为-0.1425,在有控制因素情况下为-0.3230,表明交换态Pd促进呼吸作用强度。而有机结合态Ni表现为抑制固氮作用。因此可利用交换态Pd与纤维素分解作用强度、呼吸作用强度的相互关系,有机结合态Ni与固氮作用的相互关系等相结合来评价城市土壤重金属污染状况。文章为评价长春城市土壤重金属污染提供了微生物学指标的理论依据。     

Removal of ammonium and nitrate through Anammox and FeS-driven autotrophic denitrification

● Simultaneous NH₄⁺/NO₃^– removal was achieved in the FeS denitrification system ● Anammox coupled FeS denitrification was responsible for NH₄⁺/NO₃^– removal ● Sulfammox, Feammox and Anammox occurred for NH₄⁺ removal ● Thiobacillus, Nitrospira , and Ca. Kuenenia were key functional microorganisms An autotrophic denitrifying bioreactor with iron sulfide (FeS) as the electron donor was operated to remove ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃⁻) synergistically from wastewater for more than 298 d. The concentration of FeS greatly affected the removal of NH₄⁺/NO₃⁻. Additionally, a low hydraulic retention time worsened the removal efficiency of NH₄⁺/NO₃⁻. When the hydraulic retention time was 12 h, the optimal removal was achieved with NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ removal percentages both above 88%, and the corresponding nitrogen removal loading rates of NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ were 49.1 and 44.0 mg/(L·d), respectively. The removal of NH₄⁺ mainly occurred in the bottom section of the bioreactor through sulfate/ferric reducing anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Sulfammox/Feammox), nitrification, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) by functional microbes such as Nitrospira, Nitrosomonas, and Candidatus Kuenenia. Meanwhile, NO₃⁻ was mainly removed in the middle and upper sections of the bioreactor through autotrophic denitrification by Ferritrophicum, Thiobacillus, Rhodanobacter, and Pseudomonas, which possessed complete denitrification-related genes with high relative abundances.     

Techno-economic characteristics of wastewater treatment plants retrofitted from the conventional activated sludge process to the membrane bioreactor process

• Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased effluent quality and environmental benefits. • Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased energy consumption but not operating cost. • Retrofitting from CAS to MBR increased the net profit and cost efficiency. • The advantage of MBR is related to the adopted effluent standard. • The techno-economy of MBR improves with stricter effluent standards. While a growing number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are being retrofitted from the conventional activated sludge (CAS) process to the membrane bioreactor (MBR) process, the debate on the techno-economy of MBR vs. CAS has continued and calls for a thorough assessment based on techno-economic valuation. In this study, we analyzed the operating data of 20 large-scale WWTPs (capacity≥10000 m³/d) and compared their techno-economy before and after the retrofitting from CAS to MBR. Through cost-benefit analysis, we evaluated the net profit by subtracting the operating cost from the environmental benefit (estimated by the shadow price of pollutant removal and water reclamation). After the retrofitting, the removal rate of pollutants increased (e.g., from 89.0% to 93.3% on average for NH₃-N), the average energy consumption increased from 0.40 to 0.57 kWh/m³, but the operating cost did not increase significantly. The average marginal environmental benefit increased remarkably (from 0.47 to 0.66 CNY/g for NH₃-N removal), leading to an increase in the average net profit from 19.4 to 24.4 CNY/m³. We further scored the technical efficiencies via data envelopment analysis based on non-radial directional distance functions. After the retrofitting, the relative cost efficiency increased from 0.70 to 0.73 (the theoretical maximum is 1), while the relative energy efficiency did not change significantly. The techno-economy is closely related to the effluent standard adopted, particularly when truncating the extra benefit of pollutant removal beyond the standard in economic modeling. The modeling results suggested that MBR is more profitable than CAS given stricter effluent standards.     

五指山不同海拔高度的土壤化学性质特征

根据海南省五指山2003年土壤样品的分析结果,对不同海拔高度下五指山土壤的化学性质特征进行了分析。结果表明,在不同海拔高度下水提pH和盐提pH随采样深度的增加基本呈明显的增大趋势,交换性H 、CEC、全N和有机质随采样深度的增加基本呈明显的下降趋势;而交换性Al3 和交换性酸除在720m、894m处剖面外,其它海拔高度下也基本随采样深度的增加而明显降低。从化学过程较为活跃的表层土壤来看,水提pH、盐提pH、交换性H、交换性Al3 和交换性酸随海拔高度的增加并没有明显的同时增大或减小的分布规律,而CEC、全N和有机质有明显的增加趋势。