Occurrence and fate of androgens, estrogens, glucocorticoids and progestagens in two different types of municipal wastewater treatment plants

The occurrence and fate of fourteen androgens, four estrogens, five glucocorticoids and five progestagens were investigated in two different types of wastewater treatment plants (Plant A: activated sludge with chlorination, and Plant B: oxidation ditch with UV) of Guangdong province, China. 14, 14, and 10 of 28 target compounds were detected in the influent, effluent and dewatered sludge samples with the concentrations ranging from below 1.2 ± 0.0 ng L(-1) (stanozolol) to 1368 ± 283 ng L(-1) (epi-androsterone), below 1.0 ± 0.0 ng L(-1) (progesterone) to 23.1 ± 1.0 ng L(-1) (5α-dihydrotestosterone), 1.0 ± 0.1 ng g(-1) (estrone) to 460 ± 4.4 ng g(-1) (5α-dihydrotestosterone), respectively. The concentrations of total androgens (1554-1778 ng L(-1) in influent, 13.3-47.8 ng L(-1) in effluent, 377-923 ng g(-1) in dewatered sludge) were much higher than those of total estrogens (41.5-60.2 ng L(-1) in influent, 5.6-13.5 ng L(-1) in effluent, 13.9-57.8 ng g(-1) in dewatered sludge), glucocorticoids (171-192 ng L(-1) in influent, 2.2-6.3 ng L(-1) in effluent, N.D.-4.4 ng g(-1) in dewatered sludge), and progestagens (39.6-40.5 ng L(-1) in influent, 6.9-12.1 ng L(-1) in effluent, N.D. in dewatered sludge) in these two WWTPs. According to mass balance analysis, the removal rates of most target steroids in Plant A had exceeded 90%, while those in Plant B for nearly half of detected target steroids were lower than 80%. It is obvious that the treatment capacity of the activated sludge system (Plant A) is superior to the oxidation ditch (Plant B) in the degradation of steroids in sewage treatment systems. Androgens, estrogens and progestagens were mainly removed by sorption and degradation, while the reduction of glucocorticoids was primarily due to degradation.     

浙江浦阳江大型底栖无脊椎动物物种多样性和生态功能恢复研究

为科学评估河流修复效果,研究修复河流中底栖动物物种多样性和生态功能恢复特征,以浙江省浦江县浦阳江干流为研究对象,分别对2个近自然河段、2个城区修复河段和3个郊区修复河段在修复后1,3,4和5年的水质和底栖动物恢复状况进行调查研究.采用广义最小二乘法(GLS)模型探索底栖动物物种多样性(总物种丰富度、EPT丰富度和Sha...     

Spatio-temporal variation of heavy metals in fresh water after dam construction: a case study of the Manwan Reservoir, Lancang River

This study investigated temporal heavy metal characteristics over the past 20 years and the spatial variation of heavy metal characteristics at the Manwan Reservoir tail, center, and head in the Lancang River, Yunnan Province, China. The following heavy metals were selected for analysis: Hg, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Cr, Fe, and Mn. Multivariate statistical methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and the Pearson correlation matrix were used to distinguish the main pollution factors and sources before and after dam construction. The results indicate that the average annual values of heavy metals were far lower than the recommended values of the surface water quality standards in China with the exception of Hg. The concentration of metals showed considerable variation by season, where higher levels of metals generally occurred in high flow periods. The results from PCA show that three significant components were extracted, explaining 76.25% of the total variance. The ANOVA results indicate that Pb, Fe, Mn, and Cr had significant spatial variation (P < 0.05) at the reservoir tail, center and head. The enrichment factor (EF) used to compare the accumulation effect of heavy metals indicated that there was no enrichment (EF < 1) of heavy metals with the exception of Mn, which showed minor enrichment (1 < EF < 3) between the reservoir center and head. The spatiotemporal variation and the accumulation effects of water heavy metals were not distinct due to the construction of the Manwan Reservoir.     

不同铁源对剩余污泥厌氧系统中蓝铁石生成的影响

以污水处理厂剩余污泥为研究对象,污泥经酸/碱预处理(pH=3.0/pH=10.0)后,分别以FeOOH、FeCl₃及Fe₂O₃为外加铁源,进行厌氧发酵,探究铁源对厌氧系统中蓝铁石晶体生成的影响.结果表明：FeCl₃和FeOOH可以高效地被还原为Fe²⁺,其铁还原效率(EFe)最高为56.24%～80.10%,且酸处理效果优于碱处理(3.00%～13.31%),而Fe₂O₃的EFe相对较低,最高分别为31.94%(pH=3.0)和50.1%(pH=10.0).FeOOH和Fe₂O₃的投加,可促进胞外聚合物(EPS)中蛋白质含量的提升,增强胞外电子传递能力,但Fe₂O₃因其结晶度高,阻碍了铁还原微生物对铁源的利用,导致铁还原效率低.上清液PO₄^3-浓度、污泥Fe-P比例与EFe呈负相关,EFe越高则PO     

有效微生物群(EM)中抑藻酵母及其活性物质特性

采用选择性培养基从有效微生物群(EM)中富集出酵母菌,通过向对数增长期的混合藻液中加入酵母菌、葡萄糖、酵母菌+葡萄糖、经酵母菌发酵除菌后的葡萄糖溶液分别考察了其对水华藻的抑制效应.结果表明,混合酵母菌自身对于水华藻没有抑制作用,单独添加葡萄糖的水华藻甚至出现快速增殖;而在添加葡萄糖+酵母菌或酵母菌发酵液的实验中水华藻近似被完全抑制,最大抑制率达97%.据此可知,抑制水华藻增殖的并非酵母菌自身,而是具有高热稳定性的胞外分泌物.HPLC-SEC与三维荧光光谱分析表明,酵母菌发酵液中含有明显的芳环类羧酸及蛋白质物质,但由于其在高温灭菌后仍有良好的抑藻活性,因而进一步确定其抑藻活性物质为含苯环的有机酸.此外,依据对实验中水华藻细胞形态的显微镜观察,该酸性胞外物可能是通过破坏藻细胞的叶绿体结构来达到抑藻效果的.     

Hydration and leaching characteristics of cement pastes made from electroplating sludge

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hydration and leaching characteristics of the pastes of belite-rich cements made from electroplating sludge. The compressive strength of the pastes cured for 1, 3, 7, 28, and 90 days was determined, and the condensation of silicate anions in hydrates was examined with the ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. The leachabilities of the electroplating sludge and the hardened pastes were studied with the multiple toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (MTCLP) and the tank leaching test (NEN 7345), respectively. The results showed that the electroplating sludge continued to leach heavy metals, including nickel, copper, and zinc, and posed a serious threat to the environment. The belite-rich cement made from the electroplating sludge was abundant in hydraulic β-dicalcium silicate, and it performed well with regard to compressive-strength development when properly blended with ordinary Portland cements. The blended cement containing up to 40% the belite-rich cement can still satisfy the compressive-strength requirements of ASTM standards, and the pastes cured for 90 days had comparable compressive strength to an ordinary Portland cement paste. It was also found that the later hydration reaction of the blended cements was relatively more active, and high fractions of belite-rich cement increased the chain length of silicate hydrates. In addition, by converting the sludge into belite-rich cements, the heavy metals became stable in the hardened cement pastes. This study thus indicates a viable alternative approach to dealing with heavy metal bearing wastes, and the resulting products show good compressive strength and heavy-metal stability.     

Analysis and characterization of cultivable heavy metal-resistant bacterial endophytes isolated from Cd-hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. and their potential use for phytoremediation

This study investigates the heavy metal-resistant bacterial endophytes of Cd-hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. grown on a mine tailing by using cultivation-dependent technique. Thirty Cd-tolerant bacterial endophytes were isolated from roots, stems, and leaves of S. nigrum L. and classified by amplified ribosomal DNA-restriction analysis into 18 different types. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequences showed that these isolates belonged to four groups: Actinobacteria (43%), Proteobacteria (23%), Bacteroidetes (27%) and Firmicutes (7%). All the isolates were then characterized for their plant growth promoting traits as well as their resistances to different heavy metals; and the actual plant growth promotion and colonization ability were also assessed. Four isolates were re-introduced into S. nigrum L. under Cd stress and resulted in Cd phytotoxicity decrease, as dry weights of roots increased from 55% to 143% and dry weights of above-ground from 64% to 100% compared to the uninoculated ones. The total Cd accumulation of inoculated plants increased from 66% to 135% (roots) and from 22% to 64% (above-ground) compared to the uninoculated ones. Our research suggests that bacterial endophytes are a most promising resource and may be the excellent candidates of bio-inoculants for enhancing the phytoremediation efficiency.     

Integrating Social Marketing into Sustainable Resource Management at Padre Island National Seashore: An Attitude-Based Segmentation Approach

High demand for outdoor recreation and increasing diversity in outdoor recreation participants have imposed a great challenge on the National Park Service (NPS), which is tasked with the mission to provide open access for quality outdoor recreation and maintain the ecological integrity of the park system. In addition to management practices of education and restrictions, building a sense of natural resource stewardship among visitors may also facilitate the NPS ability to react to this challenge. The purpose of our study is to suggest a segmentation approach that is built on the social marketing framework and aimed at influencing visitor behaviors to support conservation. Attitude toward natural resource management, an indicator of natural resource stewardship, is used as the basis for segmenting park visitors. This segmentation approach is examined based on a survey of 987 visitors to the Padre Island National Seashore (PAIS) in Texas in 2003. Results of the K-means cluster analysis identify three visitor segments: Conservation-Oriented, Development-Oriented, and Status Quo visitors. This segmentation solution is verified using respondents’ socio-demographic backgrounds, use patterns, experience preferences, and attitudes toward a proposed regulation. Suggestions are provided to better target the three visitor segments and facilitate a sense of natural resource stewardship among them.     

乌苏-奎屯-独山子地区生态系统服务功能变化研究

在3S技术的支持下,以1990年和2005年的TM图像解译数据为基础,采用谢高地的评价方法分析了乌苏-奎屯-独山子地区景观类型与生态系统服务功能的变化特征,为研究该地区水土开发与生态环境演变提供了依据。结果表明,1990-2005年,乌苏-奎屯-独山子地区农田、灌木林地、城镇及工业用地、盐碱地、水域和未利用地面积增加,其他乔木林地、草地、冰川和沼泽面积均减少;区域生态系统服务功能从1990年的9 182.84×106元减少到2005年的8 627.96×106元,减少量为554.87×106元,减少率为6.04%。保护区域生态环境,恢复和提高区域生态系统服务功能是该区域生态环境建设的重要任务。