Acute toxicity tests with Daphnia magna, Americamysis bahia, Chironomus riparius and Gammarus pulex and implications of new EU requirements for the aquatic effect assessment of insecticides

Threshold concentrations for treatment related effects of 31 insecticides, as derived from aquatic micro-/mesocosm tests, were used to calibrate the predictive value of the European Tier-1 acute effect assessment on basis of laboratory toxicity tests with Daphnia magna, Chironomus spp., Americamysis bahia and Gammarus pulex. The acute Tier-1 effect assessment on basis of Daphnia (EC(50)/100) overall was protective for organophosphates, carbamates and most pyrethroids but not for neonicotinoids and the majority of insect growth regulators (IGRs) in the database. By including the 28-day water-spiked Chironomus riparius test, the effect assessment improves but selecting the lowest value on basis of the 48-h Daphnia test (EC50/100) and the 28-day Chironomus test (NOEC/10) is not fully protective for 4 out of 23 insecticide cases. An assessment on basis of G. pulex (EC(50)/100) is sufficiently protective for 15 out of 19 insecticide cases. The Tier-1 procedure on basis of acute toxicity data (EC(50)/100) for the combination of Daphnia and A. bahia and/or Chironomus (new EU dossier requirements currently under discussion) overall is protective to pulsed insecticide exposures in micro-/mesocosms. For IGRs that affect moulting, the effect assessment on basis of the 48-h Chironomus test (EC(50)/100) may not always be protective enough to replace that of the water-spiked 28-day C. riparius test (NOEC/10) because of latency of effects.     

Urban transformation of a metropolis and its environmental impacts

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the sustainability of urban spatial transformation in the process of rapid urbanization, and calls for future research on the demographic and economic dimensions of climate change. Shanghai towards its transformation to a metropolis has experienced vast socioeconomic and ecological change and calls for future research on the impacts of demographic and economic dimensions on climate change. We look at the major questions (1) to explore economic and demographic growth, land use and land-cover changes in the context of rapid economic and city growth, and (2) to analyze how the demography and economic growth have been associated with the local air temperature and vegetation.

Method

We examine urban growth, land use and land-cover changes in the context of rapid economic development and urbanization. We assess the impact of urban expansion on local air temperature and vegetation. The analysis is based on time series data of land use, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and meteorological, demographic and economic data.

Results and discussion

The results indicate that urban growth has been driven by mass immigration; as a consequence of economic growth and urban expansion, a large amount of farmland has been converted to paved road and residential buildings. Furthermore, the difference between air temperature in urban and exurban areas has increased rapidly. The decrease of high mean annual NDVI has mainly occurred around the dense urban areas.     

Enhanced degradation of azo dye alizarin yellow R in a combined process of iron–carbon microelectrolysis and aerobic bio-contact oxidation

Purpose

With the aim of enhanced degradation of azo dye alizarin yellow R (AY) and further removal of the low-strength recalcitrant matter (LsRM) of the secondary effluent as much as possible, our research focused on the combination of aerobic bio-contact oxidation (ABO) with iron/carbon microelectrolysis (ICME) process.

Materials and methods

The combined ABO (with effective volume of 2.4?l) and ICME (with effectively volume of 0.4?l) process were studied with relatively short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4 or 6?h.

Results

At the HRT of 6?h with the reflux ratio of 1 and 2, the AY degradation efficiency in the final effluent was >96.5%, and the total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency were 69.86% and 79.44%, respectively. At the HRT of 4?h and the reflux ratio of 2, TOC removal efficiency and AY degradation efficiency were 73.94% and 94.89%, respectively. The ICME process obviously enhanced the total AY removal and the generated micromolecule acids and aldehydes then that wastewater backflow to the ABO where they were further biodegraded.

Conclusion

The present research might provide the potential options for the advanced treatment azo dyes wastewater with short HRT and acceptable running costs.     

Rapidly eliminating pathogenic microorganisms in large air space using spraying *OH radicals

A new method for rapidly eliminating pathogenic microorganisms in large air space using spraying *OH radicals is presented in this paper With a physical method of strong electric-field discharge, large numbers of *OH radicals were produced by the oxygen activated particles of O2+, O(1D), O(3P), etc., and the introducing reagent HO2-. The gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis, the gram-negative bacteria Serratia marcescens, and Bacillus spores were used for the eliminating experiments. Results show that the different microorganisms were rapidly killed by *OH radicals with a concentration of 0.8 mg/L and spraying density of 21 microL/m2 within 4 sec. Cell morphological changes were also observed under microscope. The cells of B. subtilis and Bacillus spores in their cellular wall, cellular membrane, or cell protoplasm were greatly destroyed when being exposed to a killing dosage of *OH radicals.     

松树锯末对亚甲基蓝（MB）的吸附研究

采用松树锯末以及改性松树锯末对模拟废水中的亚甲基蓝进行吸附实验研究。研究结果表明,当亚甲基蓝的初始浓度为50 mg/L、pH为6、锯末投加量为1 g/L时,改性前后的锯末对亚甲基蓝的吸附量最大,分别为29.9 mg/g和60.6 mg/g。同时,对改性前后的锯末做了吸附等温线拟合及动力学研究。结果表明,吸附等温线均能很好地符合Langmuir吸附模式,吸附过程符合拟二级动力学方程。     

超强静磁场对染料脱色菌Escheriehia coli的acpD基因的影响

将大肠杆菌E.coli ATCC8739置于12.0 T超强静磁场(ultra-strong static magnetic field,SMF)中进行处理,获得了磁场处理0.5、1、2、4和8 h的菌株E.coli-SMFn(n=0.5、1、2、4、8)。在37℃、pH 7、静置的条件下,菌株对偶氮染料AR14(I.C.Acid Red 14)的脱色结果指出,当反应进行到4、6和8 h时,E.coli-SMF8的脱色效率分别为18%、55%和96%,远高于E.coli ATCC8739的3%、19%和50%,表明SMF作用显著地增强了菌株的脱色效率。基因组DNA提取、PCR扩增、分子克隆以及基因测序的实验结果进一步表明,全部6例E.coli ATCC8739菌株的偶氮还原酶基因(acpD)序列均与GenBank中报道的完全一致;而E.coli-SMF8菌株的acpD-SMF8核酸序列中缺失了第99位的胞嘧啶。该缺失突变不仅使acpD-SMF8的核酸序列与acpD的存在显著不同,同时得到了具新活性中心的偶氮还原酶AzoR-SMF8。这个新的活性中心具有更强的黄素(FMN)结合能力,因此使该酶与偶氮染料的亲和力大大增加,促进了脱色效率的提高。     

SO2-4/TiO2光催化降解苯酚

以工业硫酸氧钛为原料水解制得SO42-/TiO2光催化剂,并以苯酚为目标降解物,考察了SO24-/TiO2的光催化性能。结果表明:随着SO42-/TiO2制备过程中焙烧温度的升高,其光催化活性逐渐增加,650℃焙烧获得的SO24-/TiO2的光催化活性最好,此后再升高温度会因催化剂中硫的挥发而下降;在确定苯酚原液初始浓度为50 mg/L条件下,SO42-/TiO2的光催化降解苯酚的最佳工艺条件为反应时间2 h、苯酚pH为7、催化剂用量1 g/L。XRD、SEM和FTIR的分析结果显示实验温度下制得的SO42-/TiO2均为锐钛型TiO2;其间掺杂的SO24-在TiO2表面分散性较好,没有聚集成大的颗粒;红外分析的结果初步判定低温(<550℃)焙烧制得的催化剂SO42-在TiO2表面是螯合双配位吸附,高温焙烧时(>550℃)SO42-在TiO2表面是桥式配位吸附。     

一体化臭氧-曝气生物滤池处理酸性玫瑰红印染模拟废水

针对含酸性玫瑰红印染废水高色度、难生物降解的特点,分别采用了一体化和分离式臭氧-曝气生物滤池(O3-BAF)工艺处理。与分离式工艺相比,一体化工艺的特点是在一个反应器内部同时实现臭氧氧化和生化的协同作用,降低了处理设施的基建和运行费用。实验结果表明,一体化工艺处理效果明显优于分离式工艺,脱色率达92%,COD去除率达60%,处理效果良好。     

Fe2O3-Cr2O3/TiO2系列催化剂的结构和脱硝性能

研究以纳米TiO2为载体,浸渍负载过渡金属氧化物,以CO为还原剂的脱硝催化剂的脱硝性能。实验中以计算量的Ni(NO3)2和Fe(NO3)3混合溶液浸渍纳米TiO2粉末,室温下搅拌30 min至混合均匀,放入旋转蒸发器中,70℃下至水分蒸干为止;所得粉末在550℃下、空气气氛中焙烧4 h即得所需催化剂。用以上方法分别制备2%Fe2O3-10%Cr2O3/TiO2、4%Fe2O3-8%Cr2O3/TiO2、6%Fe2O3-6%Cr2O3/TiO2、8%Fe2O3-4%Cr2O3/TiO2与10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2等5种催化剂样品。实验结果表明,制备的催化剂具有较好的结构,分散较为均匀。对于CO+NO反应,Fe2O3-Cr2O3/TiO2系列催化剂具有较好的催化活性,NO的转化率都达到了100%。其中,10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2样品具有最好的低温活性,H2-TPR结果表明,这是由于10%Fe2O3-2%Cr2O3/TiO2催化剂更易于被CO预还原。     

垃圾渗滤液处理工艺运行参数优化与技术比较

垃圾渗滤液是公认的一种成分复杂且难以处理的高浓度有机废水,笔者在北京市海淀区六里屯垃圾填埋场通过2007—2010年垃圾渗滤液处理的工程实践,以COD和氨氮的去除率为指标,研究了不同的垃圾渗滤液处理工艺组合,以及不同运行参数条件下对垃圾渗滤液的处理效果。结果表明,在中温UASB和A/O的平均水力停留时间(HRT)缩短1/3的情况下,通过改进A/O段曝气方式,优化系统的pH、DO等运行参数,用MBR替代絮凝工艺,使整个组合工艺对COD的年平均去除率达到了94.3%,氨氮的去除率维持在99.5%以上,出水氨氮稳定在10 mg/L以内,而改造前的COD与氨氮的年平均去除率仅为82.2%与55.3%。与改造前的UASB+A/O+絮凝工艺组合相比,改造后的UASB+A/O+MBR工艺组合具有更高的污染物去除能力、更好的抗缓冲性和稳定性。