Pb and Cd binding to natural freshwater biofilms developed at different pH: the important role of culture pH

The effects of solution pH on adsorption of trace metals to different types of natural aquatic solid materials have been studied extensively, but few studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of pH at which the solid materials were formed on the adsorption. The purpose of present study is to examine this effect of culture pH on metal adsorption to natural freshwater biofilms. The adsorption of Pb and Cd to biofilms which were developed at different culture pH values (ranging from 6.5 to 9.0) was measured at the same adsorption pH value (6.5). The culture pH had considerable effects on both composition and metal adsorption ability of the biofilms. Higher culture pH usually promoted the accumulation of organic material and Fe oxides in the biofilms. The culture pH also affected the quantity and species of algae in the biofilms. The adsorption of Pb and Cd to the biofilms generally increased with the increase of culture pH. This increase was minor at lower pH range and significant at higher pH range and was more remarkable for Cd adsorption than for Pb adsorption. The notable contribution of organic material to the adsorption at higher culture pH values was also observed. The profound impacts of culture pH on adsorption behavior of biofilms mainly resulted from the variation of total contents of the biofilm components and were also affected by the alteration of composition and properties of the components.     

Degradation of bisphenol A in aqueous solution by persulfate activated with ferrous ion

Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution was studied with high-efficiency sulfate radical (SO₄ ^?·), which was generated by the activation of persulfate (S₂O₈ ^2?) with ferrous ion (Fe²⁺). S₂O₈ ^2? was activated by Fe²⁺ to produce SO₄ ^?·, and iron powder (Fe⁰) was used as a slow-releasing source of dissolved Fe²⁺. The major oxidation products of BPA were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer. The mineralization efficiency of BPA was monitored by total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. BPA removal efficiency was improved by the increase of initial S₂O₈ ^2? or Fe²⁺ concentrations and then decreased with excess Fe²⁺ concentration. The adding mode of Fe²⁺ had significant impact on BPA degradation and mineralization. BPA removal rates increased from 49 to 97 % with sequential addition of Fe²⁺, while complete degradation was observed with continuous diffusion of Fe²⁺, and the latter achieved higher TOC removal rate. When Fe⁰ was employed as a slow-releasing source of dissolved Fe²⁺, 100 % of BPA degradation efficiency was achieved, and the highest removal rate of TOC (85 %) was obtained within 2 h. In the Fe⁰–S₂O₈ ^2? system, Fe⁰ as the activator of S₂O₈ ^2? could offer sustainable oxidation for BPA, and higher TOC removal rate was achieved. It was proved that Fe⁰–S₂O₈ ^2? system has perspective for future works.     

The impact of sewage sludge compost on tree peony growth and soil microbiological,and biochemical properties

In order to assess the suitability of sludge compost application for tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)–soil ecosystems, we determined soil microbial biomass C (C_mic), basal respiration (R_mic), enzyme activities, and tree peony growth parameters at 0–75% sludge compost amendment dosage. Soil C_mic, R_mic, C_mic as a percent of soil organic C, enzyme (invertase, urease, proteinase, phosphatase, polyphenoloxidase) activities, and plant height, flower diameter, and flower numbers per plant of tree peony significantly increased after sludge compost amendment; however, with the increasing sludge compost amendment dosage, a decreasing trend above 45% sludge compost amendment became apparent although soil organic C, total Kjeldahl N, and total P always increased with the sludge compost amendment. Soil metabolic quotient first showed a decreasing trend with the increasing sludge compost application in the range of 15–45%, and then an increasing trend from compost application of 45–75%, with the minimum found at compost application of 45%. As for the diseased plants, 50% of tree peony under the treatment without sludge compost amendment suffered from yellow leaf disease of tree peony, while no any disease was observed under the treatments with sludge compost application of 30–75%, which showed sludge compost application had significant suppressive effect on the yellow leaf disease of tree peony. This result convincingly demonstrated that ?45% sludge compost application dosage can take advantage of beneficial effect on tree peony growth and tree peony–soil ecosystems.     

Fate of caffeine in mesocosms wetland planted with Scirpus validus

Uptake, accumulation and translocation of caffeine by Scirpus validus grown in hydroponic condition were investigated. The plants were cultivated in Hoagland’s nutrient solution spiked with caffeine at concentrations of 0.5–2.0 mg L^?1. The effect of photodegradation on caffeine elimination was determined in dark controls and proved to be negligible. Removal of caffeine in mesocosms without plants showed however that biodegradation could account for about 15–19% of the caffeine lost from solutions after 3 and 7 d. Plant uptake played a significant role in caffeine elimination. Caffeine was detected in both roots and shoots of S. validus. Root concentrations of caffeine were 0.1–6.1 μg g^?1, while the concentrations for shoots were 6.4–13.7 μg g^?1. A significant (p < 0.05) positive correlation between the concentration in the root and the initial concentrations in the nutrient solution was observed. The bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of caffeine for roots ranged from 0.2 to 3.1, while BAFs for shoots ranged from 3.2 to 16.9. Translocation from roots to shoots was the major pathway of shoot accumulation. The fraction of caffeine in the roots as a percentage of the total caffeine mass in solution was limited to 0.2–4.4% throughout the whole experiment, while shoot uptake percentage ranged from 12% to 25% for caffeine at the initial concentration of 2.0 mg L^?1 to 50–62% for caffeine at the initial concentration of 0.5 mg L^?1. However, a marked decrease in the concentration of caffeine in the shoots between d-14 and d-21 suggests that caffeine may have been catabolized in the plant tissues subsequent to plant uptake and translocation.     

双柱双电子捕获检测器气相色谱法测定水中的苦味酸

以双柱双电子捕获检测器(ECD)气相色谱法分析水中苦味酸.结果表明:(1)双柱双ECD气相色谱法分析水中的苦味酸的最适反应温度为30℃,次氯酸钠加入量最适为2.0 mL;(2)利用不同极性的双柱双ECD气相色谱法分析水中的苦味酸具有良好的线性关系,精确度和准确度实验表明该方法可靠可行.     

常温低基质厌氧氨氧化反应器启动及其稳定性

以上向流生物滤池为反应器,以实验室内氧化沟回流污泥为接种污泥,采用先培育好氧生物膜,后转为厌氧环境培育厌氧氨氧化生物膜的方式,成功实现了常温低基质浓度下厌氧氨氧化反应器的启动。控制反应器进水pH为7.50～7.80,NH4+-N为30～40 mg/L,NO2--N为35～50 mg/L,温度为20～25℃。224 d以后,反应器启动成功。在稳定运行阶段,出水亚硝氮和氨氮的平均浓度分别为1.4 mg/L和4.6 mg/L,平均去除率分别为95.3%和90.1%,去除比例为1～1.8∶1,主要集中在1.4～1.5∶1,亚硝氮和氨氮去除的容积负荷分别为104.2 mg/(L.d)和146.0 mg/(L.d)。     

响应面分析法优化稀土废水MAP沉淀法脱氮

经过预处理后的稀土生产废水,其氨氮浓度大幅降低,但并未达到中华人民共和国《稀土工业污染物排放标准》（GB26451-2011）中氨氮浓度限值。实验通过响应面分析法中的Box-Behnken实验设计（BBD）,取pH、n（Mg）：n（N）、n（P）：n（N）3因素,采用Design-Expert 8.0.6,建立合适的剩余氨氮浓度及剩余总磷浓度模型,得到回归方程,并分析模型各项指标,各因素及其相互作用对剩余氨氮浓度及剩余总磷浓度的影响。利用预测模型预测最佳实验条件,在最佳实验条件下验证预测结果,并对沉淀物进行X射线衍射（XRD）分析。结果显示,二次响应模型适用于剩余氨氮浓度及剩余总磷浓度,2个模型均拥有较好的拟合程度、可信度及精密度,最优反应条件为：pH=9.88、n（Mg）：n（N）=1.50：1、n（P）：n（N）=1.38：1时,剩余氨氮浓度为46.58 mg/L,剩余总磷浓度为7.85 mg/L。在最优条件下所得到的沉淀物并非纯净的MgNH₄PO₄·6H₂O,还有Mg₃（PO₄）₂·22H₂O生成。     

臭氧-BAF组合工艺对石化行业废水深度处理的中试研究

采用臭氧-曝气生物滤池（BAF）组合工艺对中石化九江分公司二级生化出水进行深度处理中试实验。探讨了臭氧投加量、进水水质冲击负荷等因素对该组合工艺出水COD、NH₄⁺-N的影响。中试结果表明,在该水质条件下,臭氧最佳投加量为20~25 mg/L;组合工艺处理后出水COD低于40 mg/L,NH₄⁺-N低于5 mg/L,达到中水回用设计标准;该组合工艺能够经受一定冲击负荷。     

Polarity effect of pulsed corona discharge for the oxidation of gaseous elemental mercury

The effect of polarity on the oxidation of Hg⁰ was examined in the presence of O₂ via a pulsed corona discharge (PCD). The experimental result showed no difference in the energy yield of Hg⁰ oxidation at both positive and negative PCDs (∼8 μg Hg W h⁻¹ at following conditions: total flow rate = 2 L min⁻¹ (Hg⁰ = 50 μg N m⁻³, O₂ = 10%, and N₂ balance), temperature = 150 °C, and specific energy density = 5-15 W h N m⁻³). This suggests that the positive PCD process used to control gaseous air pollutants may play an essential key role in Hg⁰ oxidation because it consumes enough energy (∼15 W h N m⁻³) but an electrical precipitator could not because it consumes less energy (∼0.3 W h N m⁻³) to oxidize Hg⁰.     

PCDDs and PCDFs in sewage sludges from two wastewater treatment plants in Beijing, China

The levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were analyzed by an isotope-dilution high-resolution mass spectrometric in 16 sewage sludges, sampled from 2004 to 2009, from two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Beijing. Total toxicity equivalent (TEQ) values were evaluated using the toxicity equivalent factors proposed by International for PCDD/Fs. The I-TEQs for these sewage sludges were from 0.97 to 15.0 pg g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) with a mean value 4.43 pg g⁻¹ dw, indicating that all I-TEQs were below Chinese legislation limit value regulated for agricultural use in soils.The results from limited samples (16 samples) showed that the levels of PCDD/Fs might be correlated with the sludge age. Meanwhile, the temporal trends of PCD/Fs suggested that the I-TEQs may correlate with rainfall in the present study.