Characteristics of carbonyls and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in residences in Beijing,China

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbonyl compounds were measured both indoors and outdoors in 50 residences of Beijing in heating (December, 2011) and non-heating seasons (April/May, 2012). SUMMA canisters for VOCs and diffusive samplers for carbonyl compounds were deployed for 24 h at each site, and 94 compounds were quantified. Formaldehyde, acetone and acetaldehyde were the most abundant carbonyl compounds both indoors and outdoors with indoor median concentrations being 32.1, 21.7 and 15.3 μg·m⁻³, respectively. Ethane (17.6 μg·m⁻³), toluene (14.4 μg·m⁻³), propane (11.2 μg·m⁻³), ethene (8.40 μg·m⁻³), n-butane (6.87 μg·m⁻³), and benzene (5.95 μg·m⁻³) showed the high median concentrations in indoor air. Dichloromethane, p-dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) and toluene exhibited extremely high levels in some residences, which were related with a number of indoor emission sources. Moreover, isoprene, p-dichlorobenzene and carbonyls showed median indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios larger than 3, indicating their indoor sources were prevailing. Chlorinated compounds like CFCs were mainly from outdoor sources for their I/O ratios being less than 1. In addition, indoor concentrations between two sampling seasons varied with different compounds. Carbonyl compounds and some chlorinated compounds had higher concentrations in the non-heating season, while alkanes, alkenes, aromatic compounds showed an increase in the heating season. Indoor concentration of VOCs and carbonyls were influenced by locations, interior decorations and indoor activities, however the specific sources for indoor VOCs and carbonyls could not be easily identified. The findings obtained in this study would significantly enhance our understandings on the prevalent and abundant species of VOCs as well as their concentrations and sources in Beijing residences.     

Dilution sampling and analysis of particulate matter in biomass-derived syngas

Thermochemical biomass gasification, followed by conversion of the produced syngas to fuels and electrical power, is a promising energy alternative. Real-world characterization of particulate matter (PM) and other contaminants in the syngas is important to minimize damage and ensure efficient operation of the engines it powers and the fuels created from it. A dilution sampling system is demonstrated to quantify PM in syngas generated from two gasification plants utilizing different biomass feedstocks: a BioMax^?15 Biopower System that uses raw and torrefied woodchips as feedstocks, and an integrated biorefinery (IBR) that uses rice hulls and woodchips as feedstocks. PM_2.5 mass concentrations in syngas from the IBR downstream of the purification system were 12.8–13.7 μg·m^-3, which were significantly lower than the maximum level for catalyst protection (500 μg·m^-3) and were 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than those in BioMax^?15 syngas (2247–4835 μg·m^-3). Ultrafine particle number concentration and PM_2.5 chemical constituents were also much lower in the IBR syngas than in the BioMax^?15. The dilution sampling system enabled reliable measurements over a wide range of concentrations: the use of high sensitivity instruments allowed measurement at very low concentrations (~1 μg·m^-3), while the flexibility of dilution minimized sampling problems that are commonly encountered due to high levels of tars in raw syngas (~1 g·m^-3).     

中国典型沿海城市冬季PM2.5中碳组分的污染特征及来源解析

为研究中国典型沿海城市冬季PM_2.5中碳组分的污染特征及来源,于2018年12月5日—2019年1月30日分别在天津(TJ)、上海(SH)和青岛(QD)同步采集PM_2.5样品。结果表明,天津、上海和青岛PM_2.5的平均浓度分别为(116.96±66.93)、(31.21±25.62)、(74.93±54.60)μg·m^-3,OC和EC的空间分布均为天津(18.69±7.95)μg·m^-3和(4.98±2.08)μg·m^-3>青岛(16.45±8.94)μg·m^-3和(2.01±1.04)μg·m^-3>上海(7.28±3.11)μg·m^-3和(1.05±1.25)μg·m^-3。3个站点的OC和EC均呈现较好的相关性,表明OC和EC具有相似的来源;OC/EC比值范围在2.37—7.53、5.47—46.41和4.77—13.36之间,证明各采样点均存在二次有机碳(SOC)的生成;采用最小R²法(MRS)估算SOC浓度,得到3个采样点SOC的平均质量浓度为(5.09±4.68)、(3.90±1.65)、(4.21±4.31)μg·m^-3,分别占OC总量的27.2%、55.8%和19.5%,其中上海的SOC在OC中的占比最大,说明上海二次有机碳污染较为严重,这主要归因于冬季严重污染源排放和有利的二次转化气象条件,而天津和青岛的碳组分主要来自污染源的直接排放。主成分分析(PCA)结果发现,天津PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于道路尘、生物质燃烧和机动车尾气,上海PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于生物质燃烧、道路扬尘和机动车尾气。青岛PM_2.5中碳组分主要来源于道路扬尘、机动车尾气。后向轨迹聚类分析表明,来自西北方向的气团对天津的影响较大,PM_2.5和碳组分的浓度值最大;而对上海而言,主要受北方气溶胶经过海面又传输回上海的气团的影响;青岛站点主要受华北地区污染物和本地排放源的影响。     

广州万顷沙大气中醛酮类化合物的污染特征与来源分析

对广州万顷沙大气中的醛酮类化合物进行了检测。实验方法是应用醛酮类化合物和2,4-二硝基苯肼（DNPH）迅速反应生成衍生物,产物在高效液相色谱上检测。结果表明,大气中可以检出12种醛酮类化合物,其中丙酮质量浓度最高,其次是甲醛、乙醛和丙醛。这4种化合物平均质量浓度分别是22.07、9.99、7.80和1.20μg·m-3。白天醛酮类化合物的质量浓度比夜晚的高。ρ（甲醛）/ρ（乙醛）、ρ（乙醛）/ρ（丙醛）的数值显示大气中醛酮类污染主要和人为来源有关。甲醛、乙醛、丙醛和丁醛的质量浓度具有良好的相关性。广州城区的污染物随风迁移到万顷沙,使万顷沙也具有城市环境污染特征。     

天津市夏季PM2.5中碳组分时空变化特征及来源解析

为研究天津市夏季PM_2.5中碳组分的时空变化特征及来源,于2019年7—8月设立2个点位分昼夜采集天津市PM_2.5样品,并测定了其中有机碳(OC)和元素碳(EC)的含量。结果表明,城区PM_2.5、OC和EC浓度日均值分别为(53.4±20.8)μg·m^-3、(8.72±2.56)μg·m^-3和(1.67±0.90)μg·m^-3,郊区PM_2.5、OC和EC浓度日均值分别为(54.2±24.5)μg·m^-3、(7.54±2.50)μg·m^-3和(1.82±1.06)μg·m^-3;白天PM_2.5、OC、EC的平均浓度分别为(47.3±16.1)μg·m^-3、(8.7±2.1)μg·m^-3和(1.5±0.6)μg·m^-3,夜间PM_2.5、OC、EC的平均浓度分别为(60.2±26.2)μg·m^-3、(7.5±2.9)μg·m^-3和(2.0±1.2)μg·m^-3。OC浓度表现为城区高于郊区,白天高于夜间;EC及PM_2.5浓度表现为郊区高于城区,夜间高于白天。OC/EC比值分析得,城区(6.04)高于郊区(5.08);白天(6.58)高于夜间(4.54)。城区OC与EC相关性弱于郊区,白天OC与EC相关性弱于夜间。采用EC示踪法与MRS模型对SOC含量进行估算,得到白天与夜间SOC浓度分别为(5.71±1.35)μg·m^-3和(3.81±1.20)μg·m^-3,白天SOC污染比夜间严重。丰度分析与主成分分析的结果表明,天津市夏季城郊区PM_2.5中碳组分均主要来源于燃煤和机动车尾气排放。     

Whole pictures of halogenated disinfection byproducts in tap water from China’s cities

When bromide/iodide is present in source water, hypobromous acid/hypoiodous acid will be formed with addition of chlorine, chloramine, or other disinfectants. Hypobromous acid/hypoiodous acid undergoes reactions with natural organic matter in source water to form numerous brominated/iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). In this study, tap water samples were collected from eight cities in China. With the aid of electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry by setting precursor ion scans of m/z 35, m/z 81, and m/z 126.9, whole pictures of polar chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated DBPs in the tap water samples were revealed for the first time. Numerous polar halogenated DBPs were detected, including haloacetic acids, newly identified halogenated phenols, and many new/unknown halogenated compounds. Total organic chlorine, total organic bromine, and total organic iodine were also measured to indicate the total levels of all chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated DBPs in the tap water samples. The total organic chlorine concentrations ranged from 26.8 to 194.0 μg·L^–1 as Cl, with an average of 109.2 μg·L^–1 as Cl; the total organic bromine concentrations ranged from below detection limit to 113.3 μg·L^–1 as Br, with an average of 34.7 μg·L^–1 as Br; the total organic iodine concentrations ranged from below detection limit to 16.4 μg·L^–1 as I, with an average of 9.1 μg·L^–1 as I; the total organic halogen concentrations ranged from 31.3 to 220.4 μg·L^–1 as Cl, with an average of 127.2 μg·L^–1 as Cl.     

新型溴系阻燃剂环境污染现状研究进展

新型溴系阻燃剂(NBFRs,novel brominated flame retardants)作为传统溴系阻燃剂的替代品已广泛应用于电子产品、纺织品、家具等商品中,随着这些商品的生产、使用和处置,NBFRs不可避免地释放到环境中,给环境和人体带来潜在的危害.部分NBFRs可通过摄食和呼吸作用进入人体对人体产生一定危害...     

Continuous biohydrogen production from diluted molasses in an anaerobic contact reactor

An anaerobic contact reactor (ACR) system comprising a continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with settler to decouple the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from solids retention time (SRT) was developed for fermentative hydrogen production from diluted molasses by mixed microbial cultures. The ACR was operated at various volumetric loading rates (VLRs) of 20–44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 with constant HRT of 6 h under mesophilic conditions of 35°C. The SRT was maintained at about 46–50 h in the system. At the initial VLR of 20 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate dropped from 22.6 to 1.58 L·d^-1 as the hydrogen was consumed by the hydrogentrophic methanogen. After increasing the VLR to 28 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1 and discharging the sludge for 6 consecutive times, the hydrogentrophic methanogens were eliminated, and the hydrogen content reached 36.4%. As the VLR was increased to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, the hydrogen production rate and hydrogen yield increased to 42.1 L·d^-1 and 1.40 mol H₂·molglucose-consumed^-1, respectively. The results showed that a stable ethanol-type fermentation that favored hydrogen production in the reactor was thus established with the sludge loading rate (SLR) of 2.0–2.5 kgCOD·kgMLVSS^-1·d^-1. It was found that the ethanol increased more than other liquid fermentation products, and the ethanol/acetic acid (mol/mol) ratio increased from 1.27 to 2.45 when the VLR increased from 28 to 44 kgCOD·m^-3·d^-1, whereas the hydrogen composition decreased from 40.4% to 36.4%. The results suggested that the anaerobic contact reactor was a promising bioprocess for fermentative hydrogen production.     

Occurrence of estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals concern in sewage plant effluent

The purpose of this study was to give a worldwide overview of the concentrations of typical estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals （EDCs） in the effluent of sewage plants and then compare the concentra- tion distribution of the estrogenic EDCs in ten countries based on the survey data of the estrogenic EDCs research. The concentrations of three main categories （totally eight kinds） of estrogenic EDCs including steroidal estrogens （estrone （El）, estradiol （E2）, estriol （E3） and 17a- ethynylestradiol （EE2））, phenolic compounds （nonylphe- nol （NP） and bisphenol A （BPA）） and phthalate esters （dibutyl phthalate （DBP） and dibutyl phthalate （2- ethylhexyl） phthalate （DEHP）） in the effluents of sewage plants reported in major international journals over the past decade were collected. The statistics showed that the concentration distributions of eight kinds of EDCs were in the range of ng·L^-1 to μg·L^-1. The concentrations of steroidal estrogens mainly ranged within 50.00 ng. L-1, and the median concentrations of El, E2, E3 and EE2 were 11.00, 3.68, 4.90 and 1.00 ng·L^-1, respectively. Phenolic compounds and phthalate esters were found at pg. L-1 level （some individual values were at the high level of 40.00 μg·L^-1）. The median concentrations of BPA, NP, DBP and DEHP were 0.06, 0.55, 0.07 and 0.88 μg·L^-1, respectively. The concentrations of phenolic compounds and phthalate esters in the effluents were higher than that of steroids estrogens. The analysis of the concentration in various ten countries showed that steroids estrogens, phenolic compounds and phthalate esters in sewage plant effluents were detected with high concentration in Canada, Spain and China, respectively.     

Haloacetic acids in swimming pool and spa water in the United States and China

The objective of this study is to investigate the occurrence of haloacetic acids （HAAs）, a group of disinfection byproducts, in swimming pool and spa water. The samples were collected from six indoor pools, six outdoor pools and three spas in Pennsylvania, the United States, and from five outdoor pools and nine indoor pools in Beijing, China. Five HAAs （HAA5）, including monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, and dibromoacetic acid were analyzed. Total chlorine, pH and total organic carbon concentration were analyzed as well. Results indicated that the levels of HAA5 in swimming pools and spas in the United States ranged from 70 to 3980μg·L^-1, with an arithmetic average at 1440μg·L^-1 and a median level at 1150μg·L^-1. These levels are much higher than the levels reported in chlorinated drinking water and are likely due to organic matters released from swimmers＇ bodies. The levels of HAA5 in swimming pools in China ranged from 13 to 332μg·L^-1, with an arithmetic average at 117μg·L^-1 and a median level at 114μg·L^-1. The lower HAA levels in swimming pools in China were due to the lower chlorine residuals. Results from this study can help water professionals to better understand the formation and stability of HAAs in chlorinated water and assess risks associated with exposures to HAAs in swimming pools and spas.     

Physical and chemical processes of wintertime secondary nitrate aerosol formation

The UCD/CIT model was modified to include a process analysis (PA) scheme for gas and particulate matter (PM) to study the formation of secondary nitrate aerosol during a stagnant wintertime air pollution episode during the California Regional PM_2.5/PM₁₀ Air Quality Study (CRPAQS) where detailed measurements of PM components are available at a few sites. Secondary nitrate is formed in the urban areas from near the ground to a few hundred meters above the surface during the day with a maximum modeled net increase rate of 4 μg·m^-3·d^-1 during the study episode. The secondary nitrate formation rate in rural areas is lower due to lower NO₂. In the afternoon hours, near-surface temperature can be high enough to evaporate the particulate nitrate. In the nighttime hours, both the gas phase N₂O₅ reactions with water vapor and the N₂O₅ heterogeneous reactions with particle-bound water are important for secondary nitrate formation. The N₂O₅ reactions are most import near the surface to a few hundred meters above surface with a maximum modeled net secondary nitrate increase rate of 1 μg·m^-3·d^-1 and are more significant in the rural areas where the O₃ concentrations are high at night. In general, vertical transport during the day moves the nitrate formed near the surface to higher elevations. During the stagnant days, process analysis indicates that the nitrate concentration in the upper air builds up and leads to a net downward flux of nitrate through vertical diffusion and a rapid increase of surface nitrate concentration.     

预浓缩/柱箱制冷GCMS/FID法测定大气中117种挥发性有机物

建立了罐采样、吸附剂辅助电子制冷预浓缩-柱箱制冷GCMS/FID同时测定大气中117种挥发性有机物(VOCs)的方法.样品经填充吸附剂的电子制冷预浓缩系统除水、除CO2、浓缩和热脱附后,采用柱箱制冷及GCMS/FID的多维切割单元,将5种C2-C3组分切到二维色谱柱进行分离并进入FID检测,甲醛及其他111种VOCs组...     

Evaluate HAA removal in biologically active carbon filters using the ICR database

The effects of biologically active carbon (BAC) filtration on haloacetic acid (HAA) levels in plant effluents and distribution systems were investigated using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Information Collection Rule (ICR) database. The results showed that average HAA5 concentrations in all locations were 20.4 μg·L^-1 and 29.6 μg·L^-1 in ICR plants with granular activated carbon (GAC) and ICR plants without GAC process, respectively. For plants without GAC, the highest HAA levels were observed in the quarters of April to June and July to September. However, for plants with GAC, the highest HAA levels were observed in the quarters of April to June and January to March. This HAA level profile inversely correlated well with water temperature, or biologic activity. For GAC plants, simulated distribution samples matched well with distribution system equivalent samples for Cl₃AA and THMs. For plants with and without GAC, simulated distribution samples overestimated readily biodegradable HAAs in distribution systems. The study indicated that through HAA biodegradation, GAC process plays an important role in lowering HAA levels in finished drinking water.     

Preparation of hapten-specific monoclonal antibody for cadmium and its ELISA application to aqueous samples

High-affinity and specific monoclonal antibodies against cadmium-ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) complex have been produced using the hybridoma technique. A hapten was synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV-Vis. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative detection of cadmium in aqueous sample was developed. The monoclonal antibody with high level of binding affinity for Cd-IEDTA-BSA and high specificity for soluble Cd-EDTA complex showed less than 0.99% cross-reactivity with other 11 metals. The limit of detection was 0.10 μg·L^-1, and the effective linear range was 10^-1–10³ μg·L^-1. The intra- and inter-assay coefficient variations were 1.5%–6.3% and 3.2%–7.4%, respectively. The spike recovery in different water samples were between 98.5% and 110.3%. The detection limit of this assay was well below the allowable concentration of cadmium (3 μg·L^-1), and the working range was wider than that of other methods which showed the range of 2.19–86.38 and 0–10³ μg·L^-1. The competitive ELISA established in this paper was sensitive and accurate in the screening of cadmium in aqueous samples. The results will lay a solid foundation for construction of an immunoassay kit for cadmium.     

嘉善冬季PM2.5化学组分特征及来源分析

为研究嘉兴地区嘉善冬季污染时段和清洁时段PM_2.5化学组分特征,结合气象数据对2019年1月嘉兴市嘉善县善西超级站在线自动监测PM_2.5及化学组分数据、气态污染物(NO₂和SO₂)进行了分析.结果表明,2019年1月嘉善善西超级站污染时段PM_2.5浓度(97.18μg·m^-3)为清洁时段(36.77μg·m^-3)的2.6倍.污染时段水溶性离子浓度(41.58μg·m^-3)较清洁时段(19.82μg·m^-3)高21.76μg·m^-3,但占比有所降低,含碳组分比例增加.OC;EC比值为3.93,可能受到燃煤及机动车排放的共同影响.低风速及高湿有利于NO₂和SO₂等气态污染物进行二次转化,污染时段硫转化率和氮转化率均比清洁时段高,分别增高7.93%和54.11%,说明NOx向硝酸盐二次转化较为明显,导致颗粒物浓度升高.聚类分析结果显示67.34%气流来自北方,且相应的气流轨迹上污染物浓度比周边高,说明污染物存在一定的长距离输送.结合风玫瑰图可以看出,污染主要为本地及其周边的输送,污染物的长距离输送在短时会使污染浓度突增.因此,在重点关注本地及周边污染的同时,偏北气流下的污染物区域输送不可忽视.     

青藏高原东缘冬季PM2.5中碳组分特征和来源解析

于2017年冬季12月13—21日在青藏高原东缘理塘地区分昼夜采集PM_2.5样品,并用DRI2001A热光碳分析仪测定了有机碳(OC)和元素碳(EC)的质量浓度,研究青藏高原PM_2.5中碳组分的化学特征及主要来源,以期为理塘地区制定污染排放政策提供参考。结果表明,2017年冬季青藏高原东缘理塘地区PM_2.5平均质量浓度为44.34μg·m^?3,OC和EC的质量浓度为12.72μg·m^?3和3.85μg·m^?3,分别占PM_2.5质量浓度的29.61%和8.96%。通过经验公式,计算得到总碳气溶胶(TCA)质量浓度为24.20μg·m^?3,占PM_2.5的54.84%,说明碳质气溶胶对青藏高原东缘理塘地区PM_2.5有着十分重要的贡献。OC和EC在白天和夜间都有较高的相关性(相关系数分别为0.74和0.91),表明OC和EC的来源基本一致,受燃烧源影响较大。其中白天的相关系数低于夜间,说明青藏高原东缘理塘地区白天碳组分来源相对复杂。昼夜浓度对比显示,青藏高原东缘理塘地区PM_2.5白天和夜间的质量浓度分别为53.88μg·m^?3和33.44μg·m^?3,OC和EC浓度白天高于夜间,表明白天人为排放相对较高。冬季观测期间,PM_2.5中二次有机碳(SOC)昼夜浓度分别为1.11μg·m^?3和3.03μg·m^?3,分别占OC质量浓度的7.09%、26.59%,表明青藏高原东缘理塘城区白天碳组分主要为一次源。利用PMF 5.0软件对理塘城区碳组分进行进一步的解析,结果显示燃煤和生物质燃烧的混合源对总碳(TC)的贡献高达47.84%,占比最高;其次是汽车尾气和柴油车尾气源,贡献率分别为28.62%和23.54%。     

Selective recovery of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from wastewater using bioelectrochemical system

As the bioelectrochemical system, the microbial fuel cell (MFC) and the microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) were developed to selectively recover Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions from wastewater. The wastewater was treated in the cathode chambers of the system, in which Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions were removed by using the MFC and the MEC, respectively. At an initial Cu²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, removal efficiencies of Cu²⁺ increased from 97.0%±1.8% to 99.0%±0.3% with the initial Ni²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.1±0.5 to 5.4±0.6 W·m^-3. The Ni²⁺ removal mass in the MEC increased from 6.8±0.2 to 20.5±1.5 mg with the increase of Ni²⁺ concentrations. At an initial Ni²⁺ concentration of 500 mg·L^-1, Cu²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 99.1%±0.3% to 74.2%±3.8% with the initial Cu²⁺ concentrations from 250 to 1000 mg·L^-1, and maximum power densities increased from 3.0±0.1 to 6.3±1.2 W·m^-3. Subsequently, the Ni²⁺ removal efficiencies decreased from 96.9%±3.1% to 73.3%±5.4%. The results clearly demonstrated the feasibility of selective recovery of Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ from the wastewater using the bioelectrochemical system.     

辽宁西南典型城市冬季大气细颗粒物水溶性无机离子污染特征及来源解析

本研究于2018年12月3日-2019年1月1日在辽宁省西南典型城市葫芦岛市和朝阳市分别布设3个城区采样点,在区域传输点龙屯水库布设1个采样点,采集大气细颗粒物PM2.5样品(n=201).使用离子色谱检测样品中的Na+、Mg2+、Ca2+、K+、NH4+、SO42-、F-、Cl-和NO3-的质量浓度.观测期间PM2....     

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.     

Fermentative hydrogen production from beet sugar factory wastewater treatment in a continuous stirred tank reactor using anaerobic mixed consortia

A low pH, ethanol-type fermentation process was evaluated for wastewater treatment and bio-hydrogen production from acidic beet sugar factory wastewater in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an effective volume of 9.6 L by anaerobic mixed cultures in this present study. After inoculating with aerobic activated sludge and operating at organic loading rate (OLR) of 12 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1, HRT of 8h, and temperature of 35°C for 28 days, the CSTR achieved stable ethanol-type fermentation. When OLR was further increased to 18 kgCOD?m^-3·d^-1 on the 53rd day, ethanol-type fermentation dominant microflora was enhanced. The liquid fermentation products, including volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ethanol, stabilized at 1493 mg·L^-1 in the bioreactor. Effluent pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and alkalinity ranged at 4.1–4.5, -250–(-290) mV, and 230–260 mgCaCO₃?L^-1. The specific hydrogen production rate of anaerobic activated sludge was 0.1 L?gMLVSS^-1·d^-1 and the COD removal efficiency was 45%. The experimental results showed that the CSTR system had good operation stability and microbial activity, which led to high substrate conversion rate and hydrogen production ability.