Simazine biodegradation and community structures of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in bioaugmented soil: impact of ammonia and nitrate nitrogen sources

The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of ammonia and nitrate nitrogen sources on simazine biodegradation by Arthrobacter sp. strain SD1 and the community structures of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in non-agricultural soil. Soil microcosms with different treatments were constructed for herbicide biodegradation test. The relative abundance of the strain SD1 and the structures of AOA and AOB communities were assessed using quantitative PCR (q-PCR) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP), respectively. The co-existence of two inorganic nitrogen sources (ammonia and nitrate) had certain impact on simazine dissipation by the strain SD1. Bioaugmentation could induce a shift in the community structures of both AOA and AOB, but AOA were more responsive. Nitrogen application had significant impacts on AOA and AOB communities in bioaugmented soils. Moreover, in non-bioaugmented soil, the community structure of AOA, instead of AOB, could be quickly recovered after herbicide application. This study could add some new insights towards the impacts of nitrogen sources on s-triazine bioremediation and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in soil ecosystem.     

Oxidation of ofloxacin by Oxone/Co2+: identification of reaction products and pathways

Oxidative degradation of ofloxacin (OFX) by sulfate free radicals (SO₄ ^??) in the UV/Oxone/Co²⁺oxidation process was investigated for the first time, with a special focus upon identifying the transformation products as well as understanding the reaction pathways. Thirteen main compounds were identified after the initial transformation of OFX; the detailed structural information of which were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry and MS fragmentation analysis. The degradation pathways mainly encompassed ring openings at both the piperazinyl substituent and the quinolone moiety, indicating that the usage of SO₄ ^?? aided the oxidative degradation of OFX to undergo more facile routes compared to those in previous reports by using OH^?/h⁺ as the oxidant, where the initial transformation attacks were mainly confined to the piperazine moiety. Moreover, in this study, smart control over the pH conditions of the oxidation system via different modes of Oxone dosage resulted in the selective degradation of the functional sites of OFX molecule, where it was shown that the SO₄ ^??-driven destruction of the quinolone moiety of OFX molecule favored the neutral pH conditions. This would be beneficial for the reduction of bacterial resistance against quinolones in the aqueous environment.     

Distribution features of biological hazardous pollutants in residential environments in Korea

This research has been conducted continuously since 2009 as part of a cohort of studies examining relationships between asthma and genetic factors, dietary habits, and environmental factors. Based on data from environmental research on house dust mites and endotoxins, which are widely known as pollutants in bedding that cause asthma in pregnant women and children, this work was conducted to obtain basic data that can be used in future cohort studies that analyze links between distribution of biological hazards and physical features of residential environments. The detection rates of house dust mite allergens, Der p1 and Der f1, were 52.7 and 86.5 %, respectively, indicating that Der f1 is a dominant species in domestic indoor environments. According to comparisons between concentrations of house dust mites and endotoxins in bedding of pregnant women and children, Der p1 and endotoxins showed significantly lower concentrations in bedding of pregnant women compared with those in bedding of children, whereas Der f1 showed no significant difference in concentration according to bedding.     

Characterization of the interactions between tetracycline antibiotics and microbial extracellular polymeric substances with spectroscopic approaches

The antibiotics have attracted global attentions for their impact on aquatic ecosystem. The knowledge about the fate of antibiotics encountering extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is, however, limited. In this study, we investigated the interacting mechanisms of tetracycline (TC) to EPS extracted from aerobic activated sludge. The contributions of the main components of EPS, extracellular proteins, and polysaccharides were evaluated using bovine serum albumin and alginate sodium, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino groups were the domain chemical groups involved in the interaction between TC and EPS, and the binding of TC onto EPS changed the structure of these chemical groups, thus causing shifts in their UV–visible absorption spectra. In addition, we found that extracellular proteins, rather than polysaccharides, were the major active contents involved in the interaction. Three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the fluorophores in EPS were clearly quenched by TC and the static quenching process was observed, implying the complex formation of TC and EPS. Furthermore, thermodynamic analysis indicated that the binding of TC with EPS is spontaneous and dominated by electrostatic forces.     

降解SO2功能菌的16S rRAN基因测序及降解特性

用低浓度SO2诱导驯化方法获得高效脱硫菌群,并用分离培养与16S rRNA基因测序技术相结合的方法鉴定菌群种属,分析驯化过程中种群结构的动态变化,同时研究分离纯菌种的脱硫性能。结果表明,从诱导驯化7 d和14 d菌液中分别分离出23株菌和22株菌,16S rRNA序列分析发现这些菌归属于13个种,其中有6个种(Rhodococcus erythropolis、Pseudomonas putida、Microbacterium oxydans、Sphingomonas koreensis、Acinetobacter junii、Acinetobacter johnsonii)对SO2-3有较强的降解能力,并在持续驯化过程中稳定的生长传代,降解产物以硫酸根为主,还有极少量的单质硫。与含混合菌的驯化菌液降解SO2-3的能力相比,单一脱硫菌的脱硫性能较弱。脱硫功能菌株及其基本特性的研究为微生物处理SO2烟气提供了丰富的菌源信息和理论基础。     

低温硝基苯降解菌选育及在土壤修复中的应用

从硝基苯污染地下水中筛选出一株以硝基苯为唯一碳源和氮源的低温、高效降解菌,命名为XJ菌;初步鉴定XJ菌为革兰氏阴性微小短杆细菌、恶臭假单胞菌属,降解硝基苯遵循部分还原降解途径;在10℃下培养96 h,XJ菌对硝基苯的降解去除率达到91.1%,其中约有67.1%的硝基氮素转变成了氨氮。在10℃下利用XJ菌修复硝基苯污染土壤,修复时间为96 h时,硝基苯去除率达到85.7%,XJ菌密度及微生物脱氢酶活性保持较高的水平。本研究可为低温下硝基苯污染土壤的生物修复提供参考。     

2008年江苏持续性降雪中的水汽和动力抬升机制分析

2008年1月下旬江苏省出现了历史罕见的持续性暴雪过程,研究发现,降雪量的大小与低空急流的日变化相对应,暴雪过程中700 hPa西南急流对水汽的输送起着重要的作用,作为大尺度天气系统,700 hPa急流的加速发生在降雪量增大之前,其值阈大小与6 h降雪量之间没有对应关系,急流减弱在暴雪结束以后;降雪的发生和发展与南北风的增大和冷暖平流有关,低层偏北风作为冷垫对暖湿气流的抬升和水汽的凝结起到了一定的作用;江苏降雪过程中水汽主要来源于700～500 hPa,低层东风气流对黄海南部的水汽输送非常有限;强降雪的发生与700 hPa水汽通量散度相对应,水汽通量散度辐合增大,降雪量增大;在降雪过程中垂直运动对降雪量的大小有很好的指示意义。     

智能电网——大规模风、光电并网瓶颈问题的解决方案

针对大规模风、光发电集中接入电网后产生的负荷波动性及电能质量较差,给电网带来的安全性和稳定性问题,通过分析对比发现,智能电网具有很好的智能性、灵活性和兼容性,不但成功地解决了上述问题还可以适应多种形式的电源接入并能将其成功消纳。研究表明:发展智能电网是解决大规模风、光发电并网瓶颈问题的最佳方案。     

Identification of Selected Hormonally Active Agents and Animal Mammary Carcinogens in Commercial and Residential Air and Dust Samples

ABSTRACT

In order to characterize typical indoor exposures to chemicals of interest for research on breast cancer and other hormonally mediated health outcomes, methods were developed to analyze air and dust for target compounds that have been identified as animal mammary carcinogens or hormonally active agents and that are used in commercial or consumer products or building materials. These methods were applied to a small number of residential and commercial environments to begin to characterize the extent of exposure to these classes of compounds. Phenolic compounds, including nonylphenol, octylphenol, bisphenol A, and the methoxychlor metabolite 2,2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (HPTE), were extracted, derivatized, and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)–selective ion monitoring (SIM). Selected phthalates, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were extracted and analyzed by GC/MS-SIM. Residential and workplace samples showed detectable levels of twelve pesticides in dust and seven in air samples. Phthalates were abundant in dust (0.3524 μg/g) and air (0.005-2.8 μg/m³). Nonylphenol and its mono- and di-ethoxylates were prevalent in dust (0.82-14 μg/g) along with estrogenic phenols such as bisphenol A and o-phenyl phenol. In this 7-sample pilot study, 33 of 86 target compounds were detected in dust, and 24 of 57 target compounds were detected in air. In a single sample from one home, 27 of the target compounds were detected in dust and 15 in air, providing an indication of chemical mixtures to which humans are typically exposed.     

Absorption and Reaction Kinetics of Amines and Ammonia Solutions with Carbon Dioxide in Flue Gas

Abstract

The removal system for the absorption of CO₂ with amines and NH₃ is an advanced air pollution control device to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Absorption of CO₂ by amines and NH₃ solutions was performed in this study to derive the reaction kinetics. The absorption of CO₂ as encountered in flue gases into aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and NH₃ was carried out using a stirred vessel with a plane gas-liquid interface at 50 °C. Various operating parameters were tested to determine the effect of these variables on the absorption kinetics of the reactants in both gas and liquid phases and the effect of competitions between various reactants on the mass-transfer rate.

The observed absorption rate increases with increasing gas-liquid concentration, solvent concentration, temperature, and gas flow rate, but changes with the O₂ concentration and pH value. The absorption efficiency of MEA is better than that of NH₃ and DEA, but the absorption capacity of NH₃ is the best. The active energies of the MEA and NH₃ with CO₂ are 33.19 and 40.09 kJ/mol, respectively.