Locally enhanced electric field treatment (LEEFT) for water disinfection

• Nanowire-assisted LEEFT is applied for water disinfection with low voltages. • LEEFT inactivates bacteria by disrupting cell membrane through electroporation. • Multiple electrodes and device configurations have been developed for LEEFT. • The LEEFT is low-cost, highly efficient, and produces no DBPs. • The LEEFT can potentially be applicable for water disinfection at all scales. Water disinfection is a critical step in water and wastewater treatment. The most widely used chlorination suffers from the formation of carcinogenic disinfection by-products (DBPs) while alternative methods (e.g., UV, O₃, and membrane filtration) are limited by microbial regrowth, no residual disinfectant, and high operation cost. Here, a nanowire-enabled disinfection method, locally enhanced electric field treatment (LEEFT), is introduced with advantages of no chemical addition, no DBP formation, low energy consumption, and efficient microbial inactivation. Attributed to the lightning rod effect, the electric field near the tip area of the nanowires on the electrode is significantly enhanced to inactivate microbes, even though a small external voltage (usually<5 V) is applied. In this review, after emphasizing the significance of water disinfection, the theory of the LEEFT is explained. Subsequently, the recent development of the LEEFT technology on electrode materials and device configurations are summarized. The disinfection performance is analyzed, with respect to the operating parameters, universality against different microorganisms, electrode durability, and energy consumption. The studies on the inactivation mechanisms during the LEEFT are also reviewed. Lastly, the challenges and future research of LEEFT disinfection are discussed.     

Diffusive gradients in thin films using molecularly imprinted polymer binding gels for in situ measurements of antibiotics in urban wastewaters

• Selective molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) binding gel was prepared. • MIP-DGT showed excellent uptake performance for antibiotics. • In situ measurement of antibiotics in wastewaters via MIP-DGT was developed. • The MIP-DGT method was robust, reliable, and highly sensitive. Urban wastewater is one of main sources for the introduction of antibiotics into the environment. Monitoring the concentrations of antibiotics in wastewater is necessary for estimating the amount of antibiotics discharged into the environment through urban wastewater treatment systems. In this study, we report a novel diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) method based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for in situ measurement of two typical antibiotics, fluoroquinolones (FQs) and sulfonamides (SAs) in urban wastewater. MIPs show specific adsorption toward their templates and their structural analogs, resulting in the selective uptake of the two target antibiotics during MIP-DGT deployment. The uptake performance of the MIP-DGTs was evaluated in the laboratory and was relatively independent of solution pH (4.0–9.0), ionic strength (1–750 mmol/L), and dissolved organic matter (DOM, 0–20 mg/L). MIP-DGT samplers were tested in the effluent of an urban wastewater treatment plant for field trials, where three SA (sulfamethoxazole, sulfapyridine, and trimethoprim) and one FQ (ofloxacin) antibiotics were detected, with concentrations ranging from 25.50 to 117.58 ng/L, which are consistent with the results measured by grab sampling. The total removal efficiency of the antibiotics was 80.1% by the treatment plant. This study demonstrates that MIP-DGT is an effective tool for in situ monitoring of trace antibiotics in complex urban wastewaters.     

Degradation of polyacrylamide (PAM) and methane production by mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion: Effect of temperature and concentration

• PAM degradation in thermophilic AD in comparison with mesophilic AD. • PAM degradation and its impact on thermophilic and mesophilic AD. • Enhanced methane yield in presence of PAM during thermophilic and mesophilic AD. • PAM degradation and microbial community analysis in thermophilic and mesophilic AD. Polyacrylamide (PAM) is generally employed in wastewater treatment processes such as sludge dewatering and therefore exists in the sludge. Furthermore, it degrades slowly and can deteriorate methane yield during anaerobic digestion (AD). The impact or fate of PAM in AD under thermophilic conditions is still unclear. This study mainly focuses on PAM degradation and enhanced methane production from PAM-added sludge during 15 days of thermophilic (55°C) AD compared to mesophilic (35°C) AD. Sludge and PAM dose from 10 to 50 g/kg TSS were used. The results showed that PAM degraded by 76% to 78% with acrylamide (AM) content of 0.2 to 3.3 mg/L in thermophilic AD. However, it degraded only 27% to 30% with AM content of 0.5 to 7.2 mg/L in mesophilic AD. The methane yield was almost 230 to 238.4 mL/g VSS on the 8th day in thermophilic AD but was 115.2 to 128.6 mL/g VSS in mesophilic AD. Mechanism investigation revealed that thermophilic AD with continuous stirring not only enhanced PAM degradation but also boosted the organics release from the sludge with added PAM and gave higher methane yield than mesophilic AD.     

The influence on carbon,nitrogen recycling,and greenhouse gas emissions under different C/N ratios by black soldier fly

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Currently, sustainable utilization, including recycling and valorization, is becoming increasingly popular in waste management. Black soldier fly...     

N2 fixation in urbanization area rivers: spatial-temporal variations and influencing factors

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - While nitrogen (N2) fixation is an important process in nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling, supplying a significant portion of the N in natural...     

Functional wastepaper-montmorillonite composite aerogel for Cd2+ adsorption

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, a composite aerogel (WP-MMT) composed of wastepaper (WP) and montmorillonite (MMT) was prepared by ambient pressure drying technology...     

NOx attenuation in flue gas by •OH/SO4•--based advanced oxidation processes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The combustion of fossil fuels has resulted in rapidly increasing emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), which has caused serious human health and...     

Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon and nitrogen dynamics in relation to functional vegetation groups along precipitation gradients in secondary grasslands of South China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Soil labile and recalcitrant carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are strongly controlled by plant inputs and climatic conditions. However, the interrelation...     

不同装煤方式和炭化室高度的焦炉周边环境空气总悬浮颗粒物碳组分特征

研究了山西省4座典型焦炉周边环境空气中总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)碳组分特征,分析了不同装煤方式和炭化室高度对其的影响。结果表明:(1)焦炉周边环境空气中TSP质量浓度为711.95～2 938.41μg/m3,其中有机碳(OC)、元素碳(EC)的质量浓度分别为189.45～595.90、285.38～806.71μg/m3,总碳占TSP的质量分数为44.81%～67.45%;捣固焦炉周边的TSP及其碳组分浓度高于顶装焦炉,炭化室高度越高的焦炉周边环境空气中TSP及其碳组分浓度越低。(2)4座焦炉周边环境空气TSP中OC和EC质量比为0.66～1.04,说明焦炉周边环境空气中碳组分以一次污染为主。(3)4座焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分的分歧系数为0.092～0.490,均小于0.5,总体来说装煤方式和炭化室高度都对焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分的分布有一定影响,特别是装煤方式和炭化室高度都不同的焦炉周边环境空气TSP中碳组分差异较大。     

改性土-膨润土阻隔墙阻控离子型稀土矿氨氮污染

以土-膨润土为阻隔材料,使用硅灰及水泥对其进行固化改性,研究改性后阻隔墙对离子型稀土矿原地浸矿氨氮污染的阻控效果。通过了解阻隔墙材料的渗透性能、力学性能,并结合阻隔材料对氨氮的吸附效果、穿透效果和数值模拟结果,探讨改性土-膨润土阻隔材料对氨氮污染的阻控性能。结果表明:硅灰改性土-膨润土阻隔材料,最佳质量配比为硅灰∶土=1∶10,最佳含水率为67.80%;改性阻隔材料生成的铝硅酸盐提高了阻隔墙防渗性能,渗透系数为2.36×10~(-9) m·s~(-1);CaCO_3提高了材料的力学性能,使抗压强度达到0.896 MPa;改性阻隔材料对氨氮的吸附过程符合准二级动力学模型及Langmuir等温模型。这说明该吸附过程以化学吸附为主,并且该吸附是放热过程。在不同氨氮浓度的穿透下,渗透系数呈逐渐减小的趋势,实验期间并未达到穿透浓度。利用Visual MODFLOW数值模型对阻隔墙的阻控效果进行模拟发现,7 300 d后NH_4~+扩散范围小,未穿透阻隔墙。硅灰改性土-膨润土阻隔墙用于对离子型稀土矿氨氮污染阻控的效果较好。