Comparative assessments of VOC emission rates and associated health risks from wastewater treatment processes

With the growing concern regarding emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the relationship between the VOC emission rates and the associated public health risks has been rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the VOC emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks by inhalation intake, using a municipal WWTP in China as an example, with respect to the effects of treatment technologies, VOC species, and seasonal variation. Given the treatment technology considered, the emission rates of VOCs in this study were estimated by means of mass balance or calculated on the molecular level. From the viewpoints of both emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks, sedimentation was the treatment technology with the highest health risks to the workers. Slightly lower VOC emission rates and health risks than those for sedimentation were observed in anaerobic treatment. Although the aeration significantly enhanced the VOC emission rates in the aerobic treatment process, the associated health risks were limited due to the low VOC concentrations in the gas phase, which were likely attributed to the strong mixing and dilution with fresh air by aeration. Amongst the VOCs investigated, benzene was the VOC with both a relatively high emission rate and health risk, while trichloroethylene possessed a high emission rate but the lowest health risk. Without strong interfacial aeration and turbulence between the water and atmosphere, the effects of treatment technology and seasonal variation on the health risks might be connected to the VOC emission rates, while the effect of VOC species depended considerably on the respective cancer slope factors and reference concentrations; the employment of aeration provided a different conclusion in which the emission rates were enhanced without a significant increase in the related cancer risks. These findings can provide insight into future health risk management and reduction strategies for workers in WWTPs.     

Biodegradation of methyl red by Bacillus sp. strain UN2: decolorization capacity,metabolites characterization,and enzyme analysis

Azo dyes are recalcitrant and refractory pollutants that constitute a significant menace to the environment. The present study is focused on exploring the capability of Bacillus sp. strain UN2 for application in methyl red (MR) degradation. Effects of physicochemical parameters (pH of medium, temperature, initial concentration of dye, and composition of the medium) were studied in detail. The suitable pH and temperature range for MR degradation by strain UN2 were respectively 7.0–9.0 and 30–40 °C, and the optimal pH value and temperature were respectively 8.0 and 35 °C. Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ (1 mM) were found to significantly accelerate the MR removal rate, while the enhancement by either Fe³⁺ or Fe²⁺ was slight. Under the optimal degradation conditions, strain UN2 exhibited greater than 98 % degradation of the toxic azo dye MR (100 ppm) within 30 min. Analysis of samples from decolorized culture flasks confirmed biodegradation of MR into two prime metabolites: N,N′dimethyl-p-phenyle-nediamine and 2-aminobenzoic acid. A study of the enzymes responsible for the biodegradation of MR, in the control and cells obtained during (10 min) and after (30 min) degradation, showed a significant increase in the activities of azoreductase, laccase, and NADH-DCIP reductase. Furthermore, a phytotoxicity analysis demonstrated that the germination inhibition was almost eliminated for both the plants Triticum aestivum and Sorghum bicolor by MR metabolites at 100 mg/L concentration, yet the germination inhibition of parent dye was significant. Consequently, the high efficiency of MR degradation enables this strain to be a potential candidate for bioremediation of wastewater containing MR.     

渗滤液耦合矿化垃圾制备甲烷氧化菌菌液

利用甲烷氧化菌菌液增加材料中甲烷氧化菌的数量,可以得到高甲烷氧化率的填埋场甲烷生物氧化覆盖材料。研究发现,渗滤液原水和渗滤液处理尾水均能促进甲烷氧化菌的生长,可利用渗滤液耦合矿化垃圾混合培养制备甲烷氧化菌菌液用于填埋场甲烷减排。填埋龄长的渗滤液原水有着较好的培养效果,得到的菌液在4 d内最高甲烷氧化速率达到2.68 mL/h,超过甲烷氧化菌培养液(nitrate minimal salt medium,NMS)的实验结果。渗滤液中总氮、无机碳、总有机碳和Ni元素的含量对甲烷氧化菌的培养过程影响较大,适用于甲烷氧化培养的渗滤液应满足:总氮1 400 mg/L,总有机碳55 mg/L,Ni元素0.4 mg/L,总磷含量较高。     

不同酶强化污泥为燃料微生物燃料电池特性对比分析

采用单室无膜悬浮阴极微生物燃料电池(MFC),对比分析了蛋白酶和淀粉酶强化剩余污泥为燃料的MFC(ESMFC)产电特性、酶特性和污泥减量化效果。研究表明,投加蛋白酶的ESMFC最大功率密度比对照组增加106.2%,投加淀粉酶时ESMFC最大功率密度比对照组增加48%。蛋白酶作用主要体现在投加后的前12小时,而淀粉酶作用时间则较长,为投加后的前144小时,但在运行前期,由于高温作用,导致系统内的酶活性较强,投加的淀粉酶作用则不明显。投加蛋白酶的系统内TCOD、TSS和VSS去除率分别为82%、65%和85%,而投加淀粉酶的系统内TCOD、TSS和VSS去除率分别达到86%、67%和88%。此研究对于ESMFC中外加酶的选择具有一定意义。     

Bioaccumulation and tissue distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in freshwater fishes: a case study performed in Poyang Lake,China’s largest lake

Concentrations and tissue distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in different tissues of freshwater fish, silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis), collected from Poyang Lake, China’s largest shallow lake, and were studied. OCPs were detected with the observed concentrations ranging from 280.67 to 1,006.58 ng/g wet weight (ww) for bighead carp and from 67.28 to 930.06 ng/g ww for silver carp. Composition analysis demonstrated OCPs in both fish were from the same polluted environment, and then, the species-specific bioaccumulation might be mainly due to the different fish age as well as the different feeding habits elucidating from the stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope analysis. Tissue distribution indicated that dietary intake was the major exposure route of OCPs for both fish and higher accumulation potency of OCPs by the hepatobiliary-related tissues (such as liver, kidney, bile, and heart). The higher metabolic activities of these tissues elucidating from the higher values of δ¹⁵N might be the potential-determined factor responsible for the tissue-specific accumulation.     

电渗透脱水对污泥热干燥特性的影响

以污水厂机械脱水后的污泥作为研究对象,提出了采用电渗透-热干燥结合进行深度脱水的方法。通过对原泥以及电渗透脱水至不同含水率(67%、71%和76%)的污泥在热干燥过程中含水率和干燥速率的测定,分析电渗透脱水对污泥热干燥特性的改善规律。结果表明,经电渗透脱水至含水率为67%和71%的污泥在热干燥过程中的传热传质速率及干燥速率有明显提高,且干燥温度越高,电渗透后污泥的干燥速率与原泥的干燥速率差距越大。相同电压梯度及相同温度下电渗透至67%后进行热干燥耗能最少。实际应用中应结合能耗分析选择合适的电渗透程度及干燥温度,以达到最优效果。     

矸石基X型分子筛对水中Co2+、Cu2+、Cd2+和Cr3+的去除

以煤矸石为原料,采用碱熔后水热合成法制备X型分子筛并进行XRD、SEM、BET和Zeta电位分析。研究其对水中Co2+、Cu2+、Cd2+和Cr3+4种离子的吸附性能,包括吸附等温线、吸附动力学以及初始金属离子浓度、pH值对吸附性能的影响。所合成的矸石基X型分子筛的BET比表面积为676.02 m2/g,微孔孔容为0.263 cm3/g。吸附实验表明,矸石基X型分子筛能有效去除上述4种离子,同时实现煤矸石的资源化和金属离子的去除。4种离子的平衡吸附量均随初始浓度的增大而增大,相同条件下平衡吸附量的大小顺序为Cd2+>Cr3+>Cu2+>Co2+。准二级动力学模型能很好地描述4种离子的吸附动力行为。Langmuir模型对Co2+、Cu2+和Cd2+吸附的拟合较Freundlich模型高,说明其主要表现为物理吸附过程。4种离子的吸附速率均由液膜扩散和颗粒内扩散共同控制。     

Catalytic hydrolysis of urea from wastewater using different aluminas by a fixed bed reactor

In order to find an effective method for treating urea wastewater, the experiments on the hydrolysis of urea in wastewater were conducted in a fixed bed reactor with different aluminas (α-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃, and η-Al₂O₃) as catalysts respectively in contrast with inert ceramic particle. The results indicate that the three alumina catalysts show obvious catalytic activity for urea hydrolysis at 125 °C. The order of activity is η-Al₂O₃?>?γ-Al₂O₃?>?α-Al₂O₃, and the activity difference increases with increasing temperature. According to the characterization results, surface acidity has little impact on the activity of catalyst. However, it was found that surface basicity of alumina catalyst plays an important role in catalytic hydrolysis of urea, and the activity of catalyst may be also influenced by the basic strength. With η-Al₂O₃ as catalyst, the urea concentration in wastewater is reduced to 4.96 mg/L at a temperature of 165 °C. Moreover, the η-Al₂O₃ shows a good stability for urea hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of urea over η-Al₂O₃ catalyst can evidently reduce the reaction temperature and is promising to replace industrial thermal hydrolysis process.