Determination of quorum-sensing signal substances in water and solid phases of activated sludge systems using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

The detection of acyl homoserine lactones(AHLs) in activated sludge is essential for clarifying their function in wastewater treatment processes. An LC–MS/MS method was developed for the detection of AHLs in both the aqueous and solid phases of activated sludge. In addition, the effects of proteases and extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) on the detection of AHLs were evaluated by adding protease inhibitors and extracting EPS,respectively. Recoveries of each AHL were improved by adding 50 μL of protease inhibitor,and recoveries were also improved from 0 to 56.9% to 24.2%–105.8% by EPS extraction.Applying the developed method to determine the type and concentration of AHLs showed that C4-HSL, C_6-HSL, C_8-HSL and 3-oxo-C_8-HSL were widely detected in a suspended activated sludge system. The dominant AHL was C_8-HSL, with a highest concentration of304.3 ng/L. C_4-HSL was mainly distributed in the aqueous phase, whereas C_6-HSL, C_8-HSL and 3-oxo-C_8-HSL were preferentially distributed in the sludge phase.     

Is there a silver lining? Aggregation and photo-transformation of silver nanoparticles in environmental waters

Is the aggregation of silver nanoparticles in environmental waters a silver lining? The answer is not simple. Clearly, however, the aggregation and photo-transformation of AgNPs are complicated and could be more significant than previously thought. The difference in the water chemistry that controls the aggregation and photo-transformation of AgNPs results in the varying behavior and fate of AgNPs among different water bodies.     

Catalytic reductive dechlorination of p–chlorophenol in water using Ni/Fe nanoscale particles

Nanoscale bimetallic Ni/Fe particles were synthesized from the reaction of sodium borohydride （NaBH4） with reduction of Ni^2＋ and Fe^2＋ in aqueous solution. The obtained Ni/Fe particles were characterized by TEM （transmission electron microscope）, XRD （X-ray diffractometer）, and N2-BET. The dechlorination activity of the Ni/Fe was investigated using p-chlorophenol （p-CP） as a probe agent. Results demonstrated that the nanoscale Ni/Fe could effectively dechlorinate p-CP at relatively low metal to solution ratio of 0.4 g/L （Ni 5 wt%）. The target with initial concentration ofp-CP 0.625 mmol/L was dechlorinted completely in 60 rain under ambient temperature and pressure. Factors affecting dechlorination efficiency, including reaction temperature, pH, Ni loading percentage over Fe, and metal to solution ratio, were investigated. The possible mechanism of dechlorination ofp-CP was proposed and discussed. The pseudo-first- order reaction took place on the surface of the Ni/Fe bimetallic particles, and the activation energy of the dechlorination reaction was determined to be 21.2 kJ/mol at the temperature rang of 287-313 K.     

Blockage of ATPase-mediated energy supply inducing metabolic disturbances in algal cells under silver nanoparticles stress

Adenosine triphosphate(ATP) generation of aquatic organisms is often subject to nanoparticles(NPs) stress, involving extensive reprogramming of gene expression and changes in enzyme activity accompanied by metabolic disturbances. However, little is known about the mechanism of energy supply by ATP to regulate the metabolism of aquatic organisms under NPs stress. Here, we selected extensively existing silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) to investigate their implications on ATP generation and relevant met...     

Effect of filter-feeding fish silver carp on phytoplankton species and size distribution in surface water： A field study in water works

Silver carp were introduced into the pre-sedimentation pond to control excessive phytoplankton in raw water.The effectiveness of the filter-feeding silver carp on phytoplankton control and the effect of silver carp on phytoplankton community were investigated.The results showed that Microcystis could be effectively removed by silver carp stocked in the pre-sedimentation pond,and simultaneously,the concentration of single-cell phytoplankton increased obviously.The difference in phytoplankton species and singlecell phytoplankton size between in the water and in the gut of silver carp indicated that phytoplankton smaller than 5 μm,such as Chamydomonas and Platymonas,were almost not be filtered by silver carp,phytoplankton with the size between 5 and 20 μm could be partly filtered,and large size phytoplankton,mainly colony-forming Microcystis could be filtered almost completely.These filterfeeding characteristics directly caused the phytoplankton size distribution biased toward miniaturization.Therefore,this biological treatment using silver carp could be applied only to deal with groups of Microcystis-dominated eutrophic water,and was not appropriate in water bodies where single-cell micro phytoplankton were dominant.Especially when silver carp are used in water treatment,a cautious attitude should be taken based on the evaluation of phytoplankton biomass and species structure features in raw water.     

Extraction of 17β-estradiol in water using non-imprinted polymer submicron particles in membrane filters

17β-Estradiol (E2) is an endocrine disrupting chemical of harm to both animals and human beings at a low concentration level (ng/L). It cannot be completely removed by wastewater treatments, and is often detected in both environment and drinking waters. The purpose of this feasibility study, towards environmental engineering in the field of water analysis and treatment, was to remove E2 by extraction using non-imprinted polymer (NIP) submicron particles. Experimental results showed that 0.5 mg/L of E2 could be completely extracted by adding 10 mg of NIP particles directly into 10 mL of water. However, the extraction efficiency decreased to 64% for 100 mL of water. prefilling the NIP particles inside a membrane filter showed a potential for water treatment of a large volume, requiring no effort to distribute the particles uniformly in the water. High extraction efficiency (80 ± 10)% for E2 was achieved for 100 mL of water. A total mass of 0.29 mg E2 was extracted from 1000 mL of water containing 0.8 mg/L E2 (by using only 10 mg of NIP particles). Both efficiency and mass capacity can be increased, by scaling up the amount of NIP particles, towards environmental engineering applications.     

Effect of silver nanoparticles on an integrated fixed-film activated sludge–sequencing batch reactor: Performance and community structure

The effects of silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) on reactor performance, extracellular polymeric substances composition and microbial community structure and function in integrated fixed-film activated sludge–sequencing batch reactors(IFAS–SBRs) were investigated.Results showed that the addition of AgNPs from 0.1 to 10 mg/L exhibited no significant effects on nutrient removal. The average overall removal of COD, NH4+–N and PO43-–P was96.6%, 99.9% and 98.8%, respectively. The introduction of AgNPs caused an increase in extracellular polymeric substances content for the sludge and biofilm of IFAS–SBRs. The release of Ag+from Ag NPs and lactate dehydrogenase test implied the low toxicity of AgNPs to IFAS–SBRs. High-throughput sequencing revealed that microbial community structure showed significant shifts at phylum and genus levels after long-term exposure to AgNPs,but core functional groups responsible for nutrient removal remained at high abundance.Bacterial function prediction indicated that the metabolic categories showed no significant shifts under AgNPs stress, therefore good process performance could still be achieved.     

Quantitative determination of AI-2 quorum-sensing signal of bacteria using high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

Autoinducer 2(AI-2), an important bioactive by-product of the Lux S-catalyzed S-ribosylhomocysteine cleavage reaction in the activated-methyl-cycle, has been suggested to serve as a universal intra- and inter-species signaling molecule. The development of reliable and sensitive methods for quantitative determination of AI-2 is highly desired.However, the chemical properties of AI-2 cause difficulty in its quantitative analysis.Herein, we report a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method that enables reproducible and sensitive measurement of AI-2 concentrations in complex matrixes. 4,5-Dimethylbenzene-1,2-diamine(DMBDM), an easy-to-obtain commercial reagent, was used for the derivatization treatment. The assay was linear in the concentration range of 1.0–1000 ng/m L(R~2= 0.999) and had a lower limit of quantification of0.58 ng/m L. The method exhibited several advantages, e.g., high selectivity, wide linear response range, and good sensitivity. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the method was further validated through measuring AI-2 concentrations in the cell-free culture supernatant from Escherichia coli wild type.     

Numerical simulation of flow hydrodynamics of struvite pellets in a liquid–solid fluidized bed

Phosphorus recovery in the form of struvite has been aroused in recent decades for its dual advantages in eutrophication control and resource protection.The usage of the struvite products is normally determined by the size which is largely depended on the hydrodynamics.In this study,flow behavior of struvite pellets was simulated by means of Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid model combining with kinetic theory of granular flow in a liquid–solid fluidized bed reactor(FBR).A parametric study including the mesh size,time step,discretization strategy,turbulent model and drag model was first developed,followed by the evaluations of crucial operational conditions,particle characteristics and reactor shapes.The results showed that a cold model with the mesh resolution of 16 × 240,default time step of 0.001 sec and first order discretization scheme was accurate enough to describe the fluidization.The struvite holdup profile using Syamlal–O'Brien drag model was best fitted to the experimental data as compared with other drag models and the empirical Richardson–Zaki equation.Regarding the model evaluation,it showed that liquid velocity and particle size played important roles on both solid holdups and velocities.The reactor diameter only influenced the solid velocity while the static bed height almost took no effect.These results are direct and can be applied to guide the operation and process control of the struvite fluidization.Moreover,the model parameters can also be used as the basic settings in further crystallization simulations.     

Removal of 2-ClBP from soil–water system using activated carbon supported nanoscale zerovalent iron

We explored the feasibility and removal mechanism of removing 2-chlorobiphenyl(2-Cl BP)from soil–water system using granular activated carbon(GAC) impregnated with nanoscale zerovalent iron(reactive activated carbon or RAC).The RAC samples were successfully synthesized by the liquid precipitation method.The mesoporous GAC based RAC with low iron content(1.32%) exhibited higher 2-Cl BP removal efficiency(54.6%) in the water phase.The result of Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model implied that the different molecular structures between 2-Cl BP and trichloroethylene(TCE) resulted in more difference in dechlorination reaction rates on RAC than adsorption capacities.Compared to removing2-Cl BP in the water phase,RAC removed the 2-Cl BP more slowly in the soil phase due to the significant external mass transfer resistance.However,in the soil phase,a better removal capacity of RAC was observed than its base GAC because the chemical dechlorination played a more important role in total removal process for 2-Cl BP.This important result verified the effectiveness of RAC for removing 2-Cl BP in the soil phase.Although reducing the total RAC removal rate of 2-Cl BP,soil organic matter(SOM),especially the soft carbon,also served as an electron transfer medium to promote the dechlorination of 2-Cl BP in the long term.     

Rapid removal of polyacrylamide from wastewater by plasma in the gas–liquid interface

Due to the severe restrictions imposed by legislative frameworks, the removal of polyacrylamide(PAM) rapidly and effectively from produced wastewater in offshore oilfields before discharge is becoming an urgent challenge. In this study, a novel advanced oxidation process based on plasma operated in the gas–liquid interface was used to rapidly decompose PAM, and multiple methods including viscometry, flow field-flow fractionation multi-angle light scattering, UV–visible spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflectanceFourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the changes of PAM.Under a discharge voltage of 25 kV and pH 7.0, the PAM concentration decreased from 100 to 0 mg/L within 20 min and the total organic carbon(TOC) decreased from 49.57 to1.23 mg/L within 240 min, following zero-order reaction kinetics. Even in the presence of background TOC as high as 152.2 mg/L, complete removal of PAM(100 mg/L) was also achieved within 30 min. The biodegradability of PAM improved following plasma treatment for 120 min. Active species(such as O_3 and H_2O_2) were produced in the plasma. Hydroxyl radical was demonstrated to play an important role in the degradation of PAM due to the inhibitory effect observed after the addition of an ·OH scavenger, Na_2CO_3. Meanwhile, the release of ammonia and nitrate nitrogen confirmed the cleavage of the acylamino group.The results of this study demonstrated that plasma, with its high efficiency and chemicalfree features, is a promising technology for the rapid removal of PAM.     

Performance of a water hyacinth （Eichhornia crassipes） system in the treatment of wastewater from a duck farm and the effects of using water hyacinth as duck feed

Nowadays, intensive breeding of poultry and livestock of large scale has made the treatment of its waste and wastewater an urgent environmental issue, which motivated this study. A wetland of 688 m2 was constructed on an egg duck farm, and water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was chosen as an aquatic plant for the wetland and used as food for duck production. The objectives of this study were to test the role of water hyacinth in purifying nutrient-rich wastewater and its effects on the ducks’ feed intake, egg laying performance and egg quality. This paper shows that the constructed wetland removed as much as 64.44% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 21.78% of total nitrogen (TN) and 23.02% of total phosphorus (TP). Both dissolved oxygen (DO) and the transparency of the wastewater were remarkably improved, with its transparency 2.5 times higher than that of the untreated wastewater. After the ducks were fed with water hyacinth, the average daily feed intake and the egg-laying ratio in the test group were 5.86% and 9.79% higher, respectively, than in the control group; the di erences were both significant at the 0.01 probability level. The egg weight in the test group was 2.36% higher than in the control group (P < 0.05), but the feed conversion ratios were almost the same. The eggshell thickness and strength were among the egg qualities significantly increased in ducks fed with water hyacinth.We concluded that a water hyacinth system was e ective for purifying wastewater from an intensive duck farm during the water hyacinth growing season, as harvested water hyacinth had an excellent performance as duck feed. We also discussed the limitations of the experiment.     

Analysis of α, β, γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes in water by novel activated carbon fiber-solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography--mass spectrometry

A fast and simple method for determination of α, β,γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in water using activated carbon fibersolid phase microextraction(ACF-SPME) were studied. Results showed the performance of adsorption and desorption of three HCHs on ACF were excellent. A wide linear range from 10 to 100 μg/L and detection limits of the ng/L level were obtained using ACF-SPME with GC-MS in selected ion monitoring(SIM) acquisition mode. The proposed method was also successfully applied for determination of three HCHs in tap water. Compared to commercial fibers, ACF showed some advantages such as better resistance to solvents, higher thermal stability, longer lifetime and lower cost. The data demonstrated that GC-MS with ACF-SPME is well suitable for the analysis of HCHs in water.     

Fate and transport of the β-adrenergic agonist ractopamine hydrochloride in soil–water systems

The feed additive ractopamine hydrochloride was fortified at four concentrations into batch vials containing soils that differed in both biological activity and organic matter(OM).Sampling of the liquid layer for 14 days demonstrated that ractopamine rapidly dissipated from the liquid layer. Less than 20% of the fortified dose remained in the liquid layer after 4 hr,and recoveries of dosed ractopamine ranged from 8 to 18% in the liquid layer at 336 hr. Sorption to soil was the major fate for ractopamine in soil:water systems, i.e., 42%–51% of the dose at14 days. The major portion of the sorbed fraction was comprised of non-extractables; a smaller fraction of the sorbed dose was extracted into water and acetone, portions which would be potentially mobile in the environment. Partitioning coefficients for all soils suggested strong sorption of ractopamine to soil which is governed by hydrophobic interactions and cation exchange complexes within the soil OM. Ractopamine degradation was observed, but to mostly non-polar compounds which had a higher potential than ractopamine to sorb to soil. The formation of volatiles was also suggested. Therefore, despite rapid and extensive soil sorption,these studies indicated a portion of ractopamine, present in manures used to fertilize soils,may be mobile in the environment via water-borne events.     

Evaluation of mercury biogeochemical cycling at the sediment–water interface in anthropogenically modified lagoon environments

The Marano and Grado Lagoon is well known for being contaminated by mercury(Hg) from the Idrija mine(Slovenia) and the decommissioned chlor-alkali plant of Torviscosa(Italy).Experimental activities were conducted in a local fish farm to understand Hg cycling at the sediment–water interface. Both diffusive and benthic fluxes were estimated in terms of chemical and physical features. Mercury concentration in sediments(up to 6.81 μg/g)showed a slight variability with depth, whereas the highest methylmercury(MeHg) values(up to 10 ng/g) were detected in the first centimetres. MeHg seems to be produced and stored in the 2–3 cm below the sediment–water interface, where sulphate reducing bacteria activity occurs and hypoxic–anoxic conditions become persistent for days. DMeHg in porewaters varied seasonally(from 0.1 and 17% of dissolved Hg(DHg)) with the highest concentrations in summer. DHg diffusive effluxes higher(up to 444 ng/m~2/day) than those reported in the open lagoon(~ 95 ng/m~2/day), whereas DMeHg showed influxes in the fish farm(up to-156 ng/m~2/day). The diurnal DHg and DMeHg benthic fluxes were found to be higher than the highest summer values previously reported for the natural lagoon environment. Bottom sediments, especially in anoxic conditions, seem to be a significant source of MeHg in the water column where it eventually accumulates. However, net fluxes considering the daily trend of DHg and DMeHg, indicated possible DMeHg degradation processes. Enhancing water dynamics in the fish farm could mitigate environmental conditions suitable for Hg methylation.     

Applications of biosensors for bacteria and virus detection in food and water–A systematic review

Biosensors for sensitive and specific detection of foodborne and waterborne pathogens are particularly valued for their portability, usability, relatively low cost, and real-time or near real-time response. Their application is widespread in several domains, including environmental monitoring. The main limitation of currently developed biosensors is a lack of sensitivity and specificity in complex matrices. Due to increased interest in biosensor development, we conducted a systematic review, com...     

The influence of environmental factors on the carbon dioxide flux across the water–air interface of reservoirs in south-eastern Poland

Studies concerning the emission of carbon dioxide(CO_2) were carried out in 2009–2012 for six reservoirs located in four provinces of south-eastern Poland. The CO_2 flux across the water–air interface was measured using the "static chamber" method. The measured fluxes of CO_2(FCO_2) ranged from-30.64 to 183.78 mmol/m~2/day, and the average values varied in the range from-3.52 to 82.11 mmol/m2/day. In most of the cases, emission of CO_2 to the atmosphere was observed. The obtained values of CO_2 fluxes were comparable to values typical for other temperate reservoirs. Analysis of the influence of selected environmental factors on the FCO_2 showed that it depends on parameters characterizing both the sediments and surface water. The CO_2 flux at the water–air interface was positively correlated with parameters of bottom sediments such as porosity, content of organic carbon and total nitrogen; and negatively with p H value and δ~(13)C of organic carbon. In the case of the parameters characterizing surface water, positive dependences on the concentrations of nitrate and total nitrogen, and negative relationships with water temperature and chlorophyll a concentrations, were found.     

Advanced analytical determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and other major contaminants in water samples using GC-Ion Trap MS

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