Remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with organic chemicals using stabilized nanoparticles: Lessons from the past two decades

▪ Overviewed evolution and environmental applications of stabilized nanoparticles. ▪ Reviewed theories on particle stabilization for enhanced reactivity/deliverability. ▪ Examined various in situ remediation technologies based on stabilized nanoparticles. ▪ Summarized knowledge on transport of stabilized nanoparticles in porous media. ▪ Identified key knowledge gaps and future research needs on stabilized nanoparticles. Due to improved soil deliverability and high reactivity, stabilized nanoparticles have been studied for nearly two decades for in situ remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with organic pollutants. While large amounts of bench- and field-scale experimental data have demonstrated the potential of the innovative technology, extensive research results have also unveiled various merits and constraints associated different soil characteristics, types of nanoparticles and particle stabilization techniques. Overall, this work aims to critically overview the fundamental principles on particle stabilization, and the evolution and some recent developments of stabilized nanoparticles for degradation of organic contaminants in soil and groundwater. The specific objectives are to: 1) overview fundamental mechanisms in nanoparticle stabilization; 2) summarize key applications of stabilized nanoparticles for in situ remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated by legacy and emerging organic chemicals; 3) update the latest knowledge on the transport and fate of stabilized nanoparticles; 4) examine the merits and constraints of stabilized nanoparticles in environmental remediation applications; and 5) identify the knowledge gaps and future research needs pertaining to stabilized nanoparticles for remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. Per instructions of this invited special issue, this review is focused on contributions from our group (one of the pioneers in the subject field), which, however, is supplemented by important relevant works by others. The knowledge gained is expected to further advance the science and technology in the environmental applications of stabilized nanoparticles.     

Acceleration of the particulate organic matter hydrolysis by start-up stage recovery and its original microbial mechanism

• Carbon availability was partially solved by POM recovery and fermentation. • 12% carbon sources were regenerated by fermentation of the entrapped 35% TCOD. • The unique microbial communities facilitated the efficient hydrolysis of the POM. • Considerable economic benefits in aeration power and ECS dosage were anticipated. To address the availability of carbon sources for denitrification, the accelerated hydrolysis of the most abundant but low-availability fraction of particulate organic matter (POM) was investigated. Mesh sieves with different pore sizes were used as primary pretreatment at the start-up-stage of the biological process to separate some POM from the liquid system. The changes in soluble carbohydrates and proteins were monitored to investigate the hydrolysis performance of the sieved POM, with waste activated sludge (WAS) as the control test. The results showed that an average of 35% POM could be entrapped before filtrate mat development. In addition, benefiting from the high polysaccharides concentration, as well as the high availability due to the relatively loose physical structure, a 23% hydrolysis efficiency of POM was obtained, in contrast to that of WAS (3.4%), with a hydrolysis constant of 0.39 h⁻¹. The prominent performance was also attributed to the unique microbial communities having been domesticated at a lower temperature, especially the cellulose-degrading bacteria Paraclostridium and psychrophile Psychrobacter, making up 6.94% and 2.56%, respectively. Furthermore, the potential benefits and application of improved POM hydrolysis by start-up stage recovery via mesh sieves combined with anaerobic fermentation were evaluated, including selective POM entrapment, alleviation of blockage and wear, and a reduction in aeration energy. By the proposed strategy, carbon availability for biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes is anticipated to be improved more economically than that can be achieved by primary clarifier elimination.     

Adsorption of volatile benzene series compounds by surface-modified glass fibers: kinetics,thermodynamic adsorption efficiencies,and mechanisms

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The presence of volatile benzene series compounds (VBSCs) in the environment is continually increasing, with the potential for negative effects on...     

PVA降解酶催化反应的动力学方程

(上接2012年第6期第255页)结合图2发现,混合菌系产生的PVA降解酶在PVA浓度4 g/L以下时显示出一级反应特征。即,当底物浓度低时,酶的活性中心未被饱和,反应速度随底物浓度上升而成正比关系。因此,底物浓度越大,酶反应速率越快,PVA降解酶酶活越大。利用双倒数作图法求解该PVA降解酶酶催化的米氏方程。将图2中的PVA浓度([S])和PVA降解酶酶活(酶催化反应速率V)化为对应的1/[S]和1/V(见表2)。     

电子废弃物中的废塑料热解特性研究

选取电脑电路板上三种典型电子元器件(并行通信口、插槽、电路板)中的废塑料,研究不同的升温速率和成分对样品热解的特性影响及其动力学分析。在氮气气氛下进行热解实验,温度从室温升到1000℃,升温速率分别设为10,20℃/min。研究结果表明,并行通信口、插槽和电路板中塑料的失重有相似的变化趋势,且随着升温速率的变化,达到最高热解速率时所对应的温度也发生变化,其中电路板中塑料的失重率最小,并行通信口中塑料的失重率最大。热解速率随着升温速率的提高而增大,在不同的升温速率下,同一样品的热解剩余物质量分数基本一致。电路板中塑料的含碳量高于并行通信口和插槽中的塑料含碳量,并通过动力学研究得出电路板中塑料的活化能最小。     

Incineration of kitchen waste with high nitrogen in vortexing fluidized-bed incinerator and its NO emission characteristics

Some municipal solid waste (MSW) can be used as the fuel. Combustion of MSW with high nitrogen content is successfully conducted in a lab-scale vortexing fluidized-bed incinerator (VFBI). Pigskin with 16.5 wt.% nitrogen content was used to simulate the high nitrogen content kitchen waste, and silica sand was used as the bed material. The effects of operating conditions, such as the bed temperature, freeboard temperature, excess oxygen ratio, and static bed height on the CO and NO concentrations at the exit of combustor and cyclone were investigated. The experimental results show that the freeboard temperature is the most important factor for CO emission. The order of operating conditions impact on the NO emission is: (1) excess oxygen ratio; (2) bed temperature; (3) freeboard temperature; and (4) static bed height. Utilizing cyclone can significantly reduce the CO emission concentration when the CO concentration released from the freeboard is higher than 50 ppm. On the other hand, the cyclone has no significant effect on the NO emission. Despite having high nitrogen content, a low conversion from fuel-N to NO was attained. Compared with other types of combustors, VFBI reduces the CO and NO emission concentrations much better when burning MSW with high nitrogen content.     

荥阳地震台背景干扰及处理

利用荥阳地震台形变资料,对自然因素、人为影响、停电以及其他仪器故障等各种干扰事件进行了总结,分析了其影响幅度及机理,为利用形变资料识别并消除干扰、准确捕捉地震短临异常提供了可借鉴的依据。     

Review on recent progress in on-line monitoring technology for atmospheric pollution source emissions in China

Emissions from mobile sources and stationary sources contribute to atmospheric pollution in China, and its components, which include ultrafine particles (UFPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other reactive gases, such as NH₃ and NO_x, are the most harmful to human health. China has released various regulations and standards to address pollution from mobile and stationary sources. Thus, it is urgent to develop online monitoring technology for atmospheric pollution source emissions. This study provides an overview of the main progress in mobile and stationary source monitoring technology in China and describes the comprehensive application of some typical instruments in vital areas in recent years. These instruments have been applied to monitor emissions from motor vehicles, ships, airports, the chemical industry, and electric power generation. Not only has the level of atmospheric environment monitoring technology and equipment been improving, but relevant regulations and standards have also been constantly updated. Meanwhile, the developed instruments can provide scientific assistance for the successful implementation of regulations. According to the potential problem areas in atmospheric pollution in China, some research hotspots and future trends of atmospheric online monitoring technology are summarized. Furthermore, more advanced atmospheric online monitoring technology will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of atmospheric pollution and improve environmental monitoring capacity.     

Differentiated emission control strategy based on comprehensive evaluation of multi-media pollution: Case of mercury emission control

In order to comprehensively evaluate the environmental impact of multi-media mercury pollution under differentiated emission control strategies in China, a literature review and case studies were carried out. Increased human exposure to methylmercury was assessed through the dietary intake of residents in areas surrounding a typical coal-fired power plant and a zinc(Zn) smelter, located either on acid soil with paddy growth in southern China, or on alkaline soil with wheat growth in northern Chi...     

Rapid field testing of mercury pollution by designed fluorescent biosensor and its cells-alginate hydrogel-based paper assay

With increasing industrial activities, mercury has been largely discharged into environment and caused serious environmental problems. The growing level of mercury pollution has become a huge threat to human health due to its significant biotoxicity. Therefore, the simple and fast means for on-site monitoring discharged mercury pollution are highly necessary to protect human beings from its pernicious effects in time. Herein, a “turn off” fluorescent biosensor (mCherry L199C) for sensing Hg²⁺ was successfully designed based on direct modification of the chromophore environment of fluorescent protein mCherry. For rapid screening and characterization, the designed variant of mCherry (mCherry L199C) was directly expressed on outer-membrane of  Escherichia coli cells by cell surface display technique. The fluorescent biosensor was characterized to have favorable response to Hg²⁺ at micromole level among other metal ions and over a broad pH range. Further, the cells of the fluorescent biosensor were encapsulated in alginate hydrogel to develop the cells-alginate hydrogel-based paper. The cells-alginate hydrogel-based paper could detect mercury pollution in 5 min with simple operation process and inexpensive equipment, and it could keep fluorescence and activity stable at 4?°C for 24 hr, which would be a high-throughput screening tool in preliminarily reporting the presence of mercury pollution in natural setting.