Assessment of the stabilization of heavy metal contaminants in soils using chemical leaching and an earthworm bioassay

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Soil stabilization is a remedial technique that reduces the exposure of the soil environment to soil contaminants. Its efficacy can be assessed by...     

Characterization of CANON reactor performance and microbial community shifts with elevated COD/N ratios under a continuous aeration mode

COD/N at low ratios (0–0.82) improved N removals of CANON. CANON performance decreased after COD/N up to 0.82. The relative abundance of AOB decreased continuously with increasing COD/N. AOB outcompeted at a high COD load led to CANON failure. The relative abundance of AnAOB decreased and increased with increasing COD/N. The effects of increasing COD/N on nitrogen removal performance and microbial structure were investigated in a SBR adopting a completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite process with a continuous aeration mode (DO at approximately 0.15–0.2 mg/L). As the COD/N increased from 0.1 to≤0.59, the nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) increased from 88.7% to 95.5%; while at COD/N ratios of 0.59–0.82, the NRE remained at 90.7%–95.5%. As the COD/N increased from 0.82 to 1.07, the NRE decreased continuously until reaching 60.1%. Nitrosomonas sp. (AOB) and Candidatus Jettenia (anammox bacteria) were the main functional genera in the SBR. As the COD/N increased from 0.10 to 1.07, the relative abundance of Nitrosomonas decreased from 13.4% to 2.0%, while that of Candidatus Jettenia decreased from 35% to 9.9% with COD/N<0.82 then increased to 45.4% at a COD/N of 1.07. Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria outcompeted AOB at high COD loadings (650 mg/L) because of oxygen competition, which ultimately led to deteriorated nitrogen removal performance.     

基于蒙特卡罗模拟的阿特拉津健康风险评价

为评估阿特拉津(ATR)对人体的健康风险,通过文献检索及追溯方式,收集了93篇文献中关于我国环境介质中ATR的检测数据,基于美国环保署健康风险评价方法,并运用蒙特卡罗模拟方法,评价了我国成年男性和女性ATR的健康风险,分析了各参数的敏感性和相关性。结果显示,我国成年男性和女性的非致癌健康风险熵值分别为4.53×10~(-2)和4.30×10~(-2),分别有89.8%的成年男性和89.9%的成年女性风险熵值低于0.10;饮用水中ATR的浓度对其健康风险的贡献(即敏感性)分别为男性88.0%和女性83.3%,与健康风险的关联性(R)分别为男性0.907和女性0.895。我国ATR的非致癌健康风险处于可接受水平,饮用水中ATR对其健康风险的贡献最大。该方法可为有毒有害物质的健康风险预警和精准控制提供方法学参考。     

油烟净化器的研制

研制的油烟净化器具有设计新、除油率高、组合模块、易安装维护、占地面积小、重量轻等特点,采用单片机控制整机电路,具备多种保护,运行智能化,具有广泛的推广应用价值。     

建设工程总承包和分包中的安全管理

某公司承揽了A市经济适用房建设,工程开工后,指挥部决定塑钢窗的制作安装不再由土建施工单位施工,而由指挥部另指定厂家承包施工.但在厂家确定后,指挥部又要求施工单位与厂家签定分包合同,厂家根据合同每次拨付工程款时,由施工单位代开收据,然后该工程款直接进入厂家帐户,并不经施工单位帐户,施工单位仅收取每平方米5元的分包管理费.     

Start-up of PN-anammox system under low inoculation quantity and its restoration after low-loading rate shock

• PN-A was start-up under low inoculation amount and a higher NRR was achieved. • PN-anammox system was successfully restored by aggressive sludge discharge. • Increase in granular sludge was the important factor to rapid recovery. • Enrichment of AOB and AnAOB in granular sludge favors the stable operation. Partial nitritation (PN)-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a promising pathway for the biological treatment of wastewater. However, the destruction of the system caused by excessive accumulation of nitrate in long-term operation remains a challenge. In this study, PN-anammox was initialized with low inoculation quantity in an air-lift reactor. The nitrogen removal rate of 0.71 kgN/(m³·d) was obtained, which was far higher than the seed sludge (0.3 kgN/(m³·d)). Thereafter, excess nitrate build-up was observed under low-loading conditions, and recovery strategies for the PN-anammox system were investigated. Experimental results suggest that increasing the nitrogen loading rate as well as the concentration of free ammonium failed to effectively suppress the nitrite oxidation bacteria (NOB) after the PN-anammox system was disrupted. Afterwards, effluent back-flow was added into the reactor to control the up-flow velocity. As a result, an aggressive discharge of sludge that promoted the synergetic growth of functional bacteria was achieved, leading to the successful restoration of the PN-anammox system. The partial nitritation and anammox activity were in balance, and an increase in nitrogen removal rate up to 1.07 kgN/(m³·d) was obtained with a nitrogen removal efficiency of 82.4% after recovery. Besides, the proportion of granular sludge (over 200 mm) increased from 33.67% to 82.82%. Ammonium oxidation bacteria (AOB) along with anammox bacteria were enriched in the granular sludge during the recovery period, which was crucial for the recovery and stable operation of the PN-anammox system.     

Composition,dispersion, and health risks of bioaerosols in wastewater treatment plants: A review

• Bioaerosols are produced in the process of wastewater biological treatment. • The concentration of bioaerosol indoor is higher than outdoor. • Bioaerosols contain large amounts of potentially pathogenic biomass and chemicals. • Inhalation is the main route of exposure of bioaerosol. • Both the workers and the surrounding residents will be affected by the bioaerosol. Bioaerosols are defined as airborne particles (0.05–100 mm in size) of biological origin. They are considered potentially harmful to human health as they can contain pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. This review summarizes the most recent research on the health risks of bioaerosols emitted from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in order to improve the control of such bioaerosols. The concentration and size distribution of WWTP bioaerosols; their major emission sources, composition, and health risks; and considerations for future research are discussed. The major themes and findings in the literature are as follows: the major emission sources of WWTP bioaerosols include screen rooms, sludge-dewatering rooms, and aeration tanks; the bioaerosol concentrations in screen and sludge-dewatering rooms are higher than those outdoors. WWTP bioaerosols contain a variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria, fungi, antibiotic resistance genes, viruses, endotoxins, and toxic metal(loid)s. These potentially pathogenic substances spread with the bioaerosols, thereby posing health risks to workers and residents in and around the WWTP. Inhalation has been identified as the main exposure route, and children are at a higher risk of this than adults. Future studies should identify emerging contaminants, establish health risk assessments, and develop prevention and control systems.     

Assessment of future climate change impacts on water-heat-salt migration in unsaturated frozen soil using CoupModel

• A model coupling water-heat-salt of unsaturated frozen soil was established. • Future temperature, precipitation, and evaporation increase in freeze–thaw period. • Soil water, heat, and salt transport are closely coupled during freeze–thaw period. • Freeze–thaw cycles and future climate change can exacerbate salinization. The transport mechanisms of water, heat, and salt in unsaturated frozen soil, as well as its response to future climate change are in urgent need of study. In this study, western Jilin Province in north-eastern China was studied to produce a model of coupled water-heat-salt in unsaturated frozen soil using CoupModel. The water, heat, and salt dynamics of unsaturated frozen soil under three representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios were simulated to analyze the effects of future climate change on unsaturated frozen soil. The results show that water, heat, and salt migration are tightly coupled, and the soil salt concentration in the surface layer (10 cm) exhibits explosive growth after freezing and thawing. The future (2020–2099) meteorological factors in the study area were predicted using the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM). For RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 scenarios, future temperatures during the freeze–thaw period increased by 2.68°C, 3.18°C, and 4.28°C, respectively; precipitation increased by 30.28 mm, 28.41 mm, and 32.17 mm, respectively; and evaporation increased by 93.57 mm, 106.95 mm, and 130.57 mm, respectively. Climate change will shorten the freeze–thaw period, advance the soil melting time from April to March, and enhance water and salt transport. Compared to the baseline period (1961–2005), future soil salt concentrations at 10 cm increased by 1547.54 mg/L, 1762.86 mg/L, and 1713.66 mg/L under RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5, respectively. The explosive salt accumulation is more obvious. Effective measures should be taken to prevent the salinization of unsaturated frozen soils and address climate change.     

基于生物光谱技术的污染物毒性效应研究进展

生物光谱技术能够有效反映生物、组织以及细胞等样本中生物化学的综合信息,能够精确检测和评价生物分子成分或构象的微观变化,具有快速、客观、无损、重现性好等优点。本文系统综述了生物光谱技术在环境污染物毒性效应研究方面的进展,其中常用的2种技术是红外光谱和拉曼光谱技术。红外光谱技术目前已被广泛用于单一污染物(重金属、有机污染物、纳米材料等)以及复合污染对细胞、植物、动物以及微生物的蛋白质、氨基酸、脂质、DNA/RNA、多糖以及碳水化合物等方面的影响研究之中;拉曼光谱技术包括常规拉曼技术和表面增强拉曼光谱技术,二者均可以用于污染物的毒性效应研究之中,表面增强拉曼光谱技术具有信噪比高、检测限低、灵敏度高等特点,并提供丰富的细胞生物化学指纹图谱信息。数据处理是生物光谱技术应用的重要一环,光谱数据分析大致分为光谱数据预处理、提取光谱信息特征、以及信息分类和光谱特征峰解析3个部分。本研究结果将为进一步系统地开展生物光谱技术在污染物毒性效应方面的研究提供支持。     

Short-term effect of temperature variation on the competition between PAOs and GAOs during acclimation period of an EBPR system

Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) processes was used to investigate the impact of the temperature shock on the competition between phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) in start-up stage. During the 34 days operation, SBR was set with temperature variation(0–5 d, 22±1°C; 6–13 d, 29±1°C; 14–34 d, 14±1°C). PAOs and GAOs were analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and intracellular polyphosphate granules were stained by Neisser-stain. The results showed that the influence of temperature shock on PAOs’ abundance was more serious than that on GAOs in the enriching process. Under sudden and substantially temperature variation, from 22±1°C to 29±1°C and then to 14±1°C, the domination of PAOs was deteriorated. After temperature shock, PAOs’ competitive advantages at low temperature that concluded in other study did not appear in our study. As mesophilic, GAOs (indicated by Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria) were more temperature adaptive and better grew and took the domination at 14±1°C in the end. In the competition process, organisms of tetrad forming organisms (TFOs)-like shape which were considered as typical GAOs, were observed. With the evidence of poly-P granules containing by Neisser-straining and result of FISH, these organisms of TFOs-like shape were better to be assumed as adaption state or a special self-protecting shape of PAOs.