Halogen-specific total organic halogen analysis: Assessment by recovery of total bromine

Determination of halogen-specific total organic halogen(TOX) is vital for studies of disinfection of waters containing bromide, since total organic bromine(TOBr) is likely to be more problematic than total organic chlorine. Here, we present further halogen-specific TOX method optimisation and validation, focusing on measurement of TOBr. The optimised halogen-specific TOX method was validated based on the recovery of model compounds covering different classes of disinfection by-products(haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles,halophenols and halogenated benzenes) and the recovery of total bromine(mass balance of TOBr and bromide concentrations) during disinfection of waters containing dissolved organic matter and bromide. The validation of a halogen-specific TOX method based on the mass balance of total bromine has not previously been reported. Very good recoveries of organic halogen from all model compounds were obtained, indicating high or complete conversion of all organic halogen in the model compound solution through to halide in the absorber solution for ion chromatography analysis. The method was also successfully applied to monitor conversion of bromide to TOBr in a groundwater treatment plant. An excellent recovery(101%)of total bromine was observed from the raw water to the post-chlorination stage. Excellent recoveries of total bromine(92%–95%) were also obtained from chlorination of a synthetic water containing dissolved organic matter and bromide, demonstrating the validity of the halogen-specific TOX method for TOBr measurement. The halogen-specific TOX method is an important tool to monitor and better understand the formation of halogenated organic compounds, in particular brominated organic compounds, in drinking water systems.     

VOC removal from contaminated groundwater through membrane pervaporation. (Ⅰ): Water- 1,1,1- trichloroethane system

1,1,1-trichloroethane(TCA), a common chlorinated organic solvent and volatile organic compound(VOC), was removed from contaminated groundwater by using a bench-scale membrane pervaporation unit. The effects of TCA concentration, temperature, and flow rate on permeation flux and selectivity(a value) of the process were evaluated. In general, higher temperature leads to higher VOC flux but lower selectivity; higher flow rate of TCA feed stream results in higher VOC flux and selectivity, an indication of the effect of concentration polarization; higher TCA feed concentration produces higher TCA permeation, however, the selectivity was virtually unchanged.     

Impact of fertilization on chestnut growth, N and P concentrations in runo water on degraded slope land in South China

Growing fruit trees on the slopes of rolling hills in South China was causing serious environmental problems because of heavy application of chemical fertilizers and soil erosion. Suitable sources of fertilizers and proper rates of applications were of key importance to both crop yields and environmental protection. In this article, the impact of four fertilizers, i.e., inorganic compound fertilizer, organic compound fertilizer, pig manure compost, and peanut cake （peanut oil pressing residue）, on chestnut （Castanea mollissima Blume） growth on a slope in South China, and on the total N and total P concentrations in runoff waters have been investigated during two years of study, with an orthogonal experimental design. Results show that the organic compound fertilizer and peanut cake promote the heights of young chestnut trees compared to the control. In addition, peanut cake increases single-fruit weights and organic compound fertilizer raises single-seed weights. All the fertilizers increased the concentrations of total N and total P in runoff waters, except for organic compound fertilizer, in the first year experiment. The observed mean concentrations of total N varied from 1.6 mg/L to 3.2 mg/L and P from 0.12 mg/L to 0.22 mg/L, which were increased with the amount of fertilizer applications, with no pattern of direct proportion. On the basis of these experiment results, organic compound fertilizer at 2 kg/tree and peanut cake at 1 kg/tree are recommended to maximize chestnut growth and minimize water pollution.     

Speciation of organic phosphorus in a sediment profile of Lake Taihu II. Molecular species and their depth attenuation

The understanding of organic phosphorus(P) dynamics in sediments requires information on their species at the molecular level,but such information in sediment profiles is scarce.A sediment profile was selected from a large eutrophic lake,Lake Taihu(China),and organic P species in the sediments were detected using solution phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(31 P NMR) following extraction of the sediments with a mixture of 0.25 mol/L NaOH and 50 mmol/L EDTA(NaOH-EDTA) solution.The results showed that P in the NaOH-EDTA extracts was mainly composed of orthophosphate,orthophosphate monoesters,phospholipids,DNA,and pyrophosphate.Concentrations of the major organic P compound groups and pyrophosphate showed a decreasing trend with the increase of depth.Their half-life times varied from 3 to 27 years,following the order of orthophosphate monoesters > phospholipids DNA > pyrophosphate.Principal component analysis revealed that the detected organic P species had binding phases similar to those of humic acid-associated organic P(NaOH-NRP HA),a labile organic P pool that tends to transform to recalcitrant organic P pools as the early diagenetic processes proceed.This demonstrated that the depth attenuation of the organic P species could be partly attributed to their increasing immobilization by the sediment solids,while their degradation rates should be significantly lower than what were suggested in previous studies.     

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2 by surface fluorination in degradation of organic cationic compound

Experiments were carried out to investigate the influence of TiO2 surface fluorination on the photodegradation of a representative organic cationic compound, Methylene Blue （MB）. The eleetropositive MB shows poor adsorption on TiO2 surface; its degradation performs a HO. radical-mediated mechanism. In the F-modified system, the kinetic reaction rate enlarged more than 2.5 fold that was attributed mainly to the accumulating adsorption of MB and the increased photogenerated hole available on the F-modified TiO2 surface.     

Sorption of a triazol derivative by soils: importance of surface acidity

The sorption of a triazol derivative,1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)penten-3-ol with a common name of s3307D,on fifteen soils and three H2O2-treated soils was investigated.The sorption isotherm for each untreated and treated soil was nonlinear,and was best fitted to Freundlich sorption equation.Soils containing hith amount of clay content or organic matter or both sorbed much higher amounts of the chemical than soils that had low contents of these soil constituents.H2O2-treated soils showed sonsiderable sorptive affinity for S3307D.It was concluded that both organic matter and mineral fraction in natural soils contributed to the sorption of the basic compound.Sorption by the H2O2 treated soils increased as suspension pH decreased,but all suspension pHs exceeded the pKa of the compound by more than two units.This implies that organic base protonation can occur on surfaces of soil components,and surface acidity (exchangeable acidity)is important in sorption process of the organic base rather than suspension pH.     

Characterization of fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking

PM2.5 samples were collected by a three-stage cascade impactor at two kinds of Chinese restaurants to characterize fine organic particulate matter from Chinese cooking sources. Major individual organic compounds have been quantified by GC/MS, including series of alkanes, n-alkanoic acids, n-alkanals, alkan-2-0nes and PAHs.Alkanes and ketones make up a significant fraction of particle-phase organic compounds, ranging from C11 to C26,and (C9 to C19, respectively. In addition, other organic compound classes have been identified, such as alkanols,esters, furans, lactones, amides, and nitriles. The mass concentrations of fine particles, alkanes, n-alkanoic acids and PAHs in air emitted from the Uigur style cooking are hundreds times higher than ambient PM2.5in Beijing.     

Preparation and characterization of PVDF-glass fiber composite membrane reinforced by interfacial UV-grafting copolymerization

A novel inorganic–organic composite membrane,namely poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF-glass fiber(PGF) composite membrane,was prepared and reinforced by interfacial ultraviolet(UV)-grafting copolymerization to improve the interfacial bonding strength between the membrane layer and the glass fiber.The interfacial polymerization between inorganic–organic interfaces is a chemical cross-linking reaction that depends on the functionalized glass fiber with silane coupling(KH570) as the initiator and the polymer solution with acrylamide monomer(AM) as the grafting block.The Fourier transform infrared spectrometer-attenuated total reflectance(FTIR-ATR) spectra and the energy dispersive X-ray(EDX) pictures of the interface between the glass fiber and polymer matrix confirmed that the AM was grafted to the surface of the glass fiber fabric and that the grafting polymer was successfully embedded in the membrane matrix.The formation mechanisms,permeation,and anti-fouling performance of the PGF composite membrane were measured with different amounts of AM in the doping solutions.The results showed that the grafting composite membrane improved the interfacial bonding strength and permeability,and the peeling strength was improved by 32.6% for PGF composite membranes with an AM concentration at 2 wt.%.     

Sorption of BTEX mixtures to organobenonites

Organobentonites synthesized by replacing the metal ions in bentonite with cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) or tetramethylammonium cation(TMA) were investigated for their behaviors to sorb benzene, toluene, pxylene from water. The results served to distinguish the sorption mechanisms (adsorption or partition) of the two types of organobentonites. Bentonites modified with short-chain alkyl functional groups(e, g., TMA) sorb organic contaminants primarily by an adsorption process, in which the sorbed amount decreases with increasing steric hindrance of the organic compound and the process exhibits a competitive effect because of steric hindrance in multisolute systems. In contrast, the sorption of contaminants to organobentonites modified with long-chain alkyl groups (e. g., CTMA) occurs by partition process without exhibiting a competitive effect, and the additional organic compounds may induce a cosorptive effect. In the latter case, the measured distribution coefficients of organic compounds between organobentonites and water( log Kd ) are positively correlated with the octanol-water partition coefficients of the compounds (logKow) and the sorption process exhibits no competitive effect in multi-solute systems.     

Biodegradation of mixture of VOC's in a biofilter

Volatile organic compounds(VOC‘s) in air have become major concern in recent years. Biodegradation of a mixture of ethanol and methanol vapor was evaluated in a laboratory biofilter with a bed of compost and polystyrene particles using an acclimated mixed culture. The continuous performance of the biofilter was studied with different proportion of ethanol and methanol at different initial concentration and flow rates. The result showed significant removal for both ethanol and methanol, which were composition dependent.The presence of either compound in the mixture inhibited the biodegradation of the other.     

Influence of metal ions on sulfonamide antibiotics biochemical behavior in fiber coexisting system

Metal ions and fiber are common compounds in the livestock and poultry manure,which will affect the fate of organic compounds in aqueous environment. However,limited research has addressed the effect of coexisting metal ions and fiber on the biodegradation of sulfonamide antibiotics. Accordingly, a compositing study was performed to assess the effect of metal ions(Fe3+and Cu2+) on the biodegradation of sulfadimethoxine sodium salt(SDM) in the presence of fiber. The enhanced adsorption of SDM onto fiber in the presence of metal ions can be attributed to the π+–π electron donor acceptor(EDA) interaction. The microbial(Phanerochaete chrysosprium) could easily attach onto fiber forming attached microbial, and the degradation rates of SDM of immobilized bacteria in the presence of Fe3 +were 100%, which were significantly higher than those of free bacteria(45%). This study indicates that Fe3 +and fiber could enhance the biodegradation of SDM. Fiber acts as adsorbent, carrier, and substrate which enhanced the removal of SDM.     

Supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol and desizing wastewater：Influence of NaOH on the organic decomposition

Polyvinyl alcohol is a refractory compound widely used in industry. Here we report supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol solution and desizing wastewater with and without sodium hydroxide addition. However, it is difficult to implement complete degradation of organics even though polyvinyl alcohol can readily crack under supercritical water treatment. Sodium hydroxide had a significant catalytic effect during the supercritical water oxidation of polyvinyl alcohol. It appears that the OH ion participated in the C-C bond cleavage of polyvinyl alcohol molecules, the CO2-capture reaction and the neutralization of intermediate organic acids, promoting the overall reactions moving in the forward direction. Acetaldehyde was a typical intermediate product during reaction. For supercritical water oxidation of desizing wastewater, a high destruction rate (98.25%) based on total organic carbon was achieved. In addition, cases where initial wastewater was alkaline were favorable for supercritical water oxidation treatment, but salt precipitation and blockage issues arising during the process need to be taken into account seriously.     

A review of environmental characteristics and effects of low-molecular weight organic acids in the surface ecosystem

Low molecular weight organic acids （LMWOAs） are prevalent on the earth＇s surface. They are vital intermediate products during metabolic pathways of organic matter and participate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle during life activities. Photochemical reactions are pivotal for LMWOAs＇ origination and play a large role in determining their diversity and their ultimate fate. Within the long time that organic matter is preserved in sediments, it can be decomposed and converted to release organic and inorganic pollutants as well as C, N, and P nutrients, which are of potential ecological risk in causing secondary pollution to lake water. The sediment pool is a comprehensive and complex compartment closely associated with overlying water by various biochemical processes, during which LMWOAs play critical roles to transport and transform elements. This article elucidates geochemical behaviors of LMWOAs in the surface environment in details, taking natural water, soil, and aerosol as examples, focusing on reviewing research developments on sources and characteristics, migration and mineralization of LMWOAs and relevant environmental effects. Simultaneously, this review article depicts the categories and contents of LMWOAs or their contribution to DOC in environmental media, and evaluates their importance during organic matter early diagenesis. Through concluding and discussing the conversion mechanisms and influencing factors, the next research orientations on LMWOAs in lake ecosystems are determined, mainly concerning relationships with hydrochemical parameters and microorganisms, and interactions with pollutants. This will enrich the knowledge on organic matter degradation and related environmental effects, and help reconstruct a theoretical framework for organic compound succession and influencing factors, providing basic data for lake eutrophication and ecological risk assessment, conducive to better control over water pollution and proper management of water quality.     

Research and application of kapok fiber as an absorbing material: A mini review

Kapok fiber corresponds to the seed hairs of the kapok tree(Ceiba pentandra), and is a typical cellulosic fiber with the features of thin cell wall, large lumen, low density and hydrophobic–oleophilic properties. As a type of renewable natural plant fiber, kapok fiber is abundant,biocompatible and biodegradable, and its full exploration and potential application have received increasing attention in both academic and industrial fields. Based on the structure and properties of kapok fiber, this review provides a summary of recent research on kapok fiber including chemical and physical treatments, kapok fiber-based composite materials, and the application of kapok fiber as an absorbent material for oils, metal ions, dyes, and sound,with special attention to its use as an oil-absorbing material, one predominant application of kapok fiber in the coming future.     

Degradation behavior of 17αup-ethinylestradiol by ozonation in the synthetic secondary effluent

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the secondary effluent discharged from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are of great concern in the process of water reuse. Ozonation has been reported as a powerful oxidation technology to eliminate micropollutants in water treatment. Due to the complexity of the wastewater matrix, orthogonal experiments and single factor experiments were conducted to study the influence of operational parameters on the degradation of 17αup-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the synthetic secondary effluent. The results of the orthogonal experiments indicated that the initial ozone and natural organic matter (NOM) concentration significantly affected EE2 degradation efficiency, which was further validated by the single factor confirmation experiments. EE2 was shown to be effectively degraded by ozonation in the conditions of low pH (6), NOM (10 mg/L), carbonate (50 mg/L), but high suspended solid (20 mg/L) and initial ozone concentration (9 mg/L). The study firstly revealed that the lower pH resulted in higher degradation of EE2 in the synthetic secondary effluent, which differed from EDCs ozonation behavior in pure water. EE2 degradation by ozone molecule instead of hydroxyl radical was proposed to play a key role in the degradation of EDCs by ozonation in the secondary effluent. The ratio between O₃ and TOC was identified as an appropriate index to assess the degradation of EE2 by ozonation in the synthetic secondary effluent.     

Unregulated emissions from diesel engine with particulate filter using Fe-based fuel borne catalyst

The alteration and formation of toxic compounds and potential changes in the toxicity of emissions when using after-treatment technologies have gained wide attention. Volatile organic compound（VOC）, carbonyl compound and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon（PAH） emissions were tested at European Steady State Cycle（ESC） to study unregulated emissions from a diesel engine with a fuel-borne catalyst and diesel particulate filter（FBC–DPF）. An Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst was used for this study. According to the results, brake specific emissions of total VOCs without and with DPF were 4.7 and4.9 mg/kWh, respectively, showing a 4.3% increase. Benzene and n-undecane emissions increased and toluene emission decreased, while other individual VOC emissions basically had no change. When retrofitted with the FBC–DPF, total carbonyl compound emission decreased 15.7%, from 25.8 to 21.8 mg/kWh. The two highest carbonyls, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, were reduced from 20.0 and 3.7 to 16.5 and 3.3 mg/kWh respectively. The specific reactivity（SR） with DPF was reduced from 6.68 to 6.64 mg/kWh. Total particle-phase PAH emissions decreased 66.4% with DPF compared to that without DPF. However, the Benzo[a]pyrene equivalent（BaPeq） with DPF had increased from 0.016 to 0.030 mg/kWh.Fluoranthene and Pyrene had the greatest decrease, 91.1% and 88.4% respectively. The increase of two- and three-ring PAHs with DPF indicates that the fuel-borne catalyst caused some gas-phase PAHs to adsorb on particles. The results of this study expand the knowledge of the effects of using a particulate filter and a Fe-based fuel-borne catalyst on diesel engine unregulated emissions.     

Physiological cellular responses and adaptations of Rhodococcus erythropolis IBBPo1 to toxic organic solvents

A new Gram-positive bacterium, Rhodococcus erythropolis IBBPo1（KF059972.1） was isolated from a crude oil-contaminated soil sample by enrichment culture method. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 was able to tolerate a wide range of toxic compounds, such as antibiotics（800–1000 μg/mL）,synthetic surfactants（50–200 μg/mL）, and organic solvents（40%–100%）. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 showed good tolerance to both alkanes（cyclohexane, n-hexane, n-decane） and aromatics（toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene） with logPOW（logarithm of the partition coefficient of the solvent in octanol–water mixture） values between 2.64 and 5.98. However, alkanes were less toxic for R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells, compared with aromatics. The high organic solvent tolerance of R. erythropolis IBBPo1 could be due to the presence in their large genome of some catabolic（alkB, alkB1, todC1, todM, xylM）, transporter（HAE1） and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase（otsA1, KF059973.1） genes. Numerous and complex physiological cellular responses and adaptations involved in organic solvent tolerance were revealed in R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells exposed 1 and 24 hr to 1% organic solvents. R. erythropolis IBBPo1 cells adapt to 1% organic solvents by changing surface hydrophobicity, morphology and their metabolic fingerprinting.Considerable modifications in otsA1 gene sequence were also observed in cells exposed to organic solvents（except ethylbenzene）.     

Properties of agricultural aerosol released during wheat harvest threshing, plowing and sowing

This study shows for the first time a chemical and morphological characterization of agricultural aerosols released during three important agricultural operations： threshing, plowing and sowing. The field campaigns were carried out in the eastern part of the Po Valley, Italy, in summer and autumn 2009. The aerosol particles were sampled on quartz fiber filters and polytetrafluoroethylene membranes in order to allow Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry （ICP-MS） analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer （SEM-EDS） investigations, respectively. The organic carbon mass concentrations were measured with a Sunset Laboratory Dual-Optical Organic Carbone/Elemental Carbon （OCEC） Aerosol analyzer. The morphological and chemical analyses by SEM-EDS allowed recognizing four main particle classes： organic, silica, calcite and clay minerals. The organic particles contribute to both fine and coarse aerosol fractions up to ca. 50% for all three agricultural activities. This was also confirmed by OCEC analysis for fine fraction. Most of the agricultural aerosols, about 60%, were single particles and the remaining 40% were agglomerations of particles. The ICP-MS results showed that threshing and plowing produce more aerosol particles than sowing, which was characterized by important amounts of clay minerals produced from land soils.     

Hydrocarbons in particulate samples from wildfire events in central Portugal in summer 2010

In summer 2010, twenty eight(14 PM_(2.5)samples plus 14 samples PM_(2.5–10)) smoke samples were collected during wildfires that occurred in central Portugal. A portable high-volume sampler was used to perform the sampling, on quartz fibre filters of coarse(PM_(2.5–10)) and fine(PM_(2.5)) smoke samples. The carbonaceous content(elemental and organic carbon) of particulate matter was analysed by a thermal–optical technique. Subsequently, the particulate samples were solvent extracted and fractionated by vacuum flash chromatography into three different classes of organic compounds(aliphatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) and carbonyl compounds). The organic speciation was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(GC–MS). Emissions were dominated by the fine particles, which represented around 92% of the PM_(10). A clear predominance of carbonaceous constituents was observed, with organic to elemental carbon(OC/EC)ratios ranging between 1.69 and 245 in both size fractions. The isoprenoid ketone6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone, a tracer for secondary organic aerosol formation, was one of the dominant constituents in both fine and coarse particles. Retene was the most abundant compound in all samples. Good correlations were obtained between OC and both aliphatic and PAH compounds. Pyrogenic processes, thermal release of biogenic compounds and secondary processing accounted for 97% of the apportioned PM_(2.5)levels.     

Performance of the hybrid growth sequencing batch reactor (HG-SBR) for biodegradation of phenol under various toxicity conditions

Hybrid growth microorganisms in sequencing batch reactors have proven effective for treating the toxic compound phenol, but the toxicity effect under different toxicity conditions has rarely been discussed. Therefore, the performance of the HG-SBR under toxic, acute and chronic organic loading can provide the overall operating conditions of the system. Toxic organic loading(TOL) was monitored during the first 7 hr while introducing50 mg/L phenol to the system. The system was adversely affected with the sudden introduction of phenol to the virgin activated sludge, which caused a low degradation rate and high dissolved oxygen consumption during TOL. Acute organic loading(AOL) had significant effects at high phenol concentrations(600, 800 1000 mg/L). The specific oxygen uptake rate(SOUR) gradually decreased to 4.9 mg O_2/(g MLVSS·hr) at 1000 mg/L of phenol compared to 12.74 mg O_2/(g MLVSS·hr) for 200 mg/L of phenol. The HG-SBR was further monitored during chronic organic loading(COL) over 67 days. The effects of organic loading were more apparent at 800 mg/L and 1000 mg/L phenol concentrations, as the removal range was between 22%–30% and 18%–46% respectively, which indicated the severe effects of COL.