Seasonal variations of tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate and cytotoxicity of organic extracts in water samples from Wuhan, China

Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate(TCEP) is a typical phosphate flame retardant. Its potential adverse health effects have recently aroused concern. We investigated the seasonal variations of TCEP concentrations in the raw, finished and tap water samples from two drinking water treatment plants(DWTPs) in China, and evaluated the cytotoxicity and apoptosis/necrosis of organic extracts(OEs) in water samples. We enriched TCEP and OEs in water samples by solid-phase extraction method. The TCEP concentrations in water samples were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Normal human liver cell line L02 was treated with OEs in the water samples, and then the cytotoxicity and apoptosis/necrosis were measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethyithiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The results showed that cytotoxicities of OEs in raw water samples from both DWTPs in summer and winter were stronger than those in spring and autumn, cytotoxicity of OEs in finished and tap water samples from both DWTPs in summer and autumn were stronger than those in spring and winter. In all seasons, the maximal concentrations(100 mL water/mL cell culture) of OEs in the raw water samples from both DWTPs induced late apoptosis/necrosis. The reasons for seasonal variations of TCEP in water samples and potential toxic effects of other pollutants in the water samples need to be further investigated.     

Toxicity and mechanisms of action of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in living organisms

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles(TiO_2 NPs) are one of the most widely used nanomaterials in the consumer products, agriculture, and energy sectors. Their large demand and widespread applications will inevitably cause damage to organisms and ecosystems. A better understanding of TiO_2 NP toxicity in living organisms may promote risk assessment and safe use practices of these nanomaterials. This review summarizes the toxic effects of TiO_2 NPs on multiple taxa of microorganisms, algae, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates. The mechanism of TiO_2 NP toxicity to organisms can be outlined in three aspects: The Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS)produced by TiO_2 NPs following the induction of electron–hole pairs; cell wall damage and lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane caused by NP-cell attachment by electrostatic force owing to the large surface area of TiO_2 NPs; and TiO_2 NP attachment to intracellular organelles and biological macromolecules following damage to the cell membranes.     

Horizontal and vertical gene transfer drive sediment antibiotic resistome in an urban lagoon system

Rapid urbanization has resulted in pervasive occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban aquatic ecosystems. However, limited information is available concerning the ARG profiles and the forces responsible for their assembly in urban landscape lagoon systems. Here, we employed high-throughput quantitative PCR (HT-qPCR) to characterize the spatial variations of ARGs in surface and core sediments of Yundang Lagoon, China. The results indicated that the average richness and absolute abundance of ARGs were 11 and 53 times higher in the lagoon sediments as compared to pristine reference Tibetan lake sediments, highlighting the role of anthropogenic activities in ARG pollution. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated that various anaerobic prokaryotic genera belonging to Alpha-, Deltaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes and Synergistetes were the potential hosts of ARGs. The partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) analysis revealed positive and negative indirect effects of physicochemical factors and heavy metals on the lagoon ARG profiles, via biotic factors, respectively. The horizontal (mediated by mobile genetic elements) and vertical (mediated by prokaryotic communities) gene transfer may directly contribute the most to drive the abundance and composition of ARGs, respectively. Furthermore, the neutral community model demonstrated that the assembly of sediment ARG communities was jointly governed by deterministic and stochastic processes. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the diversity and distribution of ARGs in the benthic habitat of urban lagoon systems and underlying mechanisms for the spread and proliferation of ARGs.     

Fe/La定向修饰凹凸棒土稻壳基颗粒成型生物炭：磷酸盐吸附行为与机制

本研究合成一种新型除磷载Fe/La定向修饰凹凸棒土稻壳基颗粒成型生物炭吸附材料（Fe-La/AC）,考察了材料表面特性、Fe/La投加量、热解温度、保温时间以及凹凸棒土投加量等对磷素吸附影响规律. Fe/La最佳投加量为2：2 mmol,AT添加量为30%,热解温度为350 ℃,热解时间2 h,制备的Fe-La/AC对磷酸根的最大吸附量可以达到47.62 mg·g^-1（以磷计）. 傅里叶红外光谱分析表明Fe、La主要以铁镧氧化物及铁镧水合氯化物的形式存在于炭材料表面,Fe和La提供了磷酸盐吸附的活性中心. 该材料吸附动力学过程符合准二级动力学模型,吸附等温线拟合分析Langmiur模型更适于描述Fe-La/AC对磷酸盐的吸附过程,表明吸附动力学主要受化学作用控制. 磷酸盐吸附机制主要涉及静电吸引、配体交换和内层络合作用. 本研究制备的Fe-La/AC颗粒成型生物炭,可作为低磷浓度废水处理及水体富营养化调控的一种高效除磷吸附剂,具有较大的实际应用前景.     

澳大利亚污水处理与再生水利用现状分析及经验

对澳大利亚水资源赋存现状、污水处理和再生水利用的历史与现状进行了详细整理与分析,梳理了澳大利亚污水处理与再生水利用发展历程、相关标准、政策和法律法规以及再生水利用典型案例。该经验可为我国开展再生水循环利用研究和工程实践提供重要指导和技术支撑。借鉴澳大利亚水回用技术与管理方法,我国可进一步发展污水再生深度处理技术与工艺,提高再生水生产品质,拓展再生水利用途径,通过浓度控制与处理工艺要求相结合提升再生水水质安全保障能力,建立健全污水资源化利用技术和管理标准体系。     

Protonated acetone ion chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for real-time measurement of atmospheric ammonia

Ammonia (NH₃) is ubiquitous in the atmosphere, it can affect the formation of secondary aerosols and particulate matter, and cause soil eutrophication through sedimentation. Currently, the use of radioactive primary reagent ion source and the humidity interference on the sensitivity and stability are the two major issues faced by chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) in the analysis of atmospheric ammonia. In this work, a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) Kr lamp was used to replace the radioactive source, and acetone was ionized under atmospheric pressure to obtain protonated acetone reagent ions to ionize ammonia. The ionization source is designed as a separated three-zone structure, and even 90 vol.% high-humidity samples can still be directly analyzed with a sensitivity of sub-ppbv. A signal normalization processing method was designed, and with this new method, the quantitative relative standard deviation (RSD) of the instrument was decreased from 17.5% to 9.1%, and the coefficient of determination was increased from 0.8340 to 0.9856. The humidity correction parameters of the instrument were calculated from different humidity, and the ammonia concentrations obtained under different humidity were converted to its concentration under zero humidity condition with these correction parameters. The analytical time for a single sample is only 60 sec, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 8.59 pptv (signal-to-noise ratio S/N = 3). The ambient measurement made in Qingdao, China, in January 2021 with this newly designed CIMS, showed that the concentration of ammonia ranged from 1 to 130 ppbv.     

混凝-接触氧化处理印染废水的试验研究

对混凝-生物接触氧化法处理印染废水进行研究。混凝部分试验研究了聚合氯化铝(PAC)、聚合硫酸铁(PFS)、氯化铁(FC)3种混凝剂对印染废水的处理效果。结果表明:PAC的处理效果最好,并确定了混凝的最佳pH值和投加量。在生物接触氧化试验部分,主要考察了水力停留时间和曝气量对COD去除率的影响,确定了最佳工艺参数。经试验,脱色率和COD去除率分别达95.68%和95.23%。     

湿法脱硫入口SO_2浓度对脱硫效率影响的非线性回归分析

通过对太原二电厂11号FGD现场168运行数据采用一元非线性回归分析和基于距离判别法的多元非线性回归分析两种不同的分析方法,利用最小二乘曲线拟合法建立了不同出口SO2浓度范围内的入口SO2浓度与脱硫效率的非线性回归方程,为实际运行过程中脱硫效率的预测和分析提供理论依据。此外,分析了入口SO2浓度对脱硫效率的影响,为运行人员在实际运行过程中提高脱硫效率而提供控制思路。     

基于秀丽隐杆线虫的微量水样环境毒理学研究

目前,环境水样个体水平的毒理学检测成本较高、耗时长,且检测后的水样若处理不当易造成环境的二次污染。通过使用易于培养和观察、个体微小的模式生物—秀丽隐杆线虫作为实验对象,利用毛细玻璃管的虹吸原理将线虫暴露于微量的环境水样进行染毒培养,实现微量水样在个体水平的毒理学评价。为了验证该方法的可行性,检测了暴露组线虫与对照组线虫的生殖腺细胞损伤水平、活性氧自由基(ROS)产生量、氧化应激水平、脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)损伤水平等生物终点的差异性。研究结果有助于为微量环境水样在个体水平的毒理学分析提供一种快速、可行、廉价的评价手段。     

Effect of ultraviolet irradiation and chlorination on ampicillin-resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> and its ampicillin resistance gene

Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health risk that may spread via potable and reclaimed water. Effective disinfection is important for inactivation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and disruption of antibiotic resistance genes. Ampicillin is a widely prescribed antibiotic but its effectiveness is increasingly undermined by resistance. In this study, changes in ampicillin resistance for Escherichia coli (E. coli) CGMCC 1.1595 were analyzed after exposure to different doses of ultraviolet (UV) or chlorine, and damage incurred by the plasmid encoding ampicillin resistance gene bla _TEM-1 was assessed. We reported a greater stability in ampicillinresistant E. coli CGMCC 1.1595 after UV irradiation or chlorination when compared with previously published data for other E. coli strains. UV irradiation and chlorination led to a shift in the mortality frequency distributions of ampicillin-resistant E. coli when subsequently exposed to ampicillin. The ampicillin hemiinhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) without disinfection was 3800 mg·L^–1, and an increment was observed after UV irradiation or chlorination. The IC₅₀ of ampicillin-resistant E. coli was 1.5-fold higher at a UV dose of 40 mJ·cm^–2, and was 1.4-fold higher when exposed to 2.0 mg·L^–1 chlorine. These results indicate that UV irradiation and chlorination can potentially increase the risk of selection for E. coli strains with high ampicillin resistance. There was no evident damage to bla _TEM-1 after 1–10 mg Cl₂·L^–1 chlorination, while a UV dose of 80 mJ·cm^–2 yielded a damage ratio for bla _TEM-1 of approximately 1.2-log. Therefore, high UV doses are required for effective disruption of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria.