Electro-oxidation of Ni (II)-citrate complexes at BDD electrode and simultaneous recovery of metallic nickel by electrodeposition

The simultaneous electro-oxidation of Ni (II)-citrate and electrodeposition recovery of nickel metal were attempted in a combined electro-oxidation-electrodeposition reactor with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a polished titanium cathode. Effects of initial nickel citrate concentration, current density, initial pH, electrode spacing, electrolyte type, and initial electrolyte dosage on electrochemical performance were examined. The efficiencies of Ni (II)-citrate removal and nickel metal recovery were determined to be 100% and over 72%, respectively, under the optimized conditions (10 mA/cm², pH 4.09, 80 mmol/L Na₂SO₄, initial Ni (II)-citrate concentration of 75 mg/L, electrode spacing of 1 cm, and 180 min of electrolysis). Energy consumption increased with increased current density, and the energy consumption was 0.032 kWh/L at a current density of 10 mA/cm² (pH 6.58). The deposits at the cathode were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These characterization results indicated that the purity of metallic nickel in cathodic deposition was over 95%. The electrochemical system exhibited a prospective approach to oxidize metal complexes and recover metallic nickel.     

Assessing the capacity of biochar to stabilize copper and lead in contaminated sediments using chemical and extraction methods

Because of its high adsorption capacity, biochar has been used to stabilize metals when remediating contaminated soils; to date, however, it has seldom been used to remediate contaminated sediment. A biochar was used as a stabilization agent to remediate Cu- and Pb-contaminated sediments, collected from three locations in or close to Beijing. The sediments were mixed with a palm sawdust gasified biochar at a range of weight ratios (2.5%, 5%, and 10%) and incubated for 10, 30, or 60?days. The performance of the different treatments and the heavy metal fractions in the sediments were assessed using four extraction methods, including diffusive gradients in thin films, the porewater concentration, a sequential extraction, and the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure. The results showed that biochar could enhance the stability of heavy metals in contaminated sediments. The degree of stability increased as both the dose of biochar and the incubation time increased. The sediment pH and the morphology of the metal crystals adsorbed onto the biochar changed as the contact time increased. Our results showed that adsorption, metal crystallization, and the pH were the main controls on the stabilization of metals in contaminated sediment by biochar.     

Insight into the distribution of metallic elements in membrane bioreactor: Influence of operational temperature and role of extracellular polymeric substances

The distribution of metallic elements in a submerged membrane bioreactor(MBR) was revealed at different temperatures using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES), and the role of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) was probed by integrating scanning electron microscopy(SEM) with confocal laser scanning microscopy(CLSM) over long-term operation. More metallic elements in the influent were captured by suspended sludge and built up in the fouling layer at lower temperature. The concentration of metallic elements in the effluent was 5.60 mg/L at 10°C operational temperature, far lower than that in the influent(51.35 mg/L). The total contents of metallic elements in suspended sludge and the membrane fouling layer increased to 40.20 and 52.19 mg/g at 10°C compared to 35.14 and 32.45 mg/g at 30°C, and were dominated by the organically bound fraction. The EPS contents in suspended sludge and membrane fouling layer sharply increased to 37.88 and 101.51 mg/g at 10°C, compared to 16.87 and 30.03 mg/g at 30°C. The increase in EPS content at lower temperature was responsible for the deposition of more metallic ions. The strong bridging between EPS and metallic elements at lower temperature enhanced the compactness of the fouling layer and further decreased membrane flux. This was helpful for understanding the mechanism of membrane fouling at different operational temperatures and the role of EPS, and also of significance for the design of cleaning strategies for fouled membranes after long-term operation.     

天津市冬季近地层颗粒物垂直分布特征研究

为了解天津市冬季近地层颗粒物垂直分布特征,于2013年12月23日—2014年1月18日,利用Andersen撞击式采样器在天津大气边界层观测站采集10 m和220 m高度颗粒物样品,分析了水溶性离子、碳组分.结果表明,不同天气下不同粒径颗粒物质量浓度分布均呈双峰形,峰值出现在1.1~2.1μm和9.0~10μm粒径段.PM10浓度均随高度的增加而降低,污染日和清洁日最大浓度峰值分别出现在1.1~2.1μm、9.0~10μm粒径段.污染日SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-、NH_4~+等二次离子质量浓度、百分占比及OC/EC的比值均随高度的上升而增加;清洁日二次离子质量浓度随着高度的上升而降低,但百分占比随着高度的上升而增加,OC/EC的比值均随高度的上升基本保持稳定.污染日SO_4~(2-)、NO_3~-、Cl~-质量浓度及百分占比均较清洁日增加明显,燃煤、机动车及二次离子为颗粒物的主要来源,并在220 m高度二次污染较重.污染日和清洁日下NO_3~-/SO_4~(2-)的比值均随着高度的上升而增加,低层机动车排放对亚微米模态(1μm)贡献明显,而对于粗粒径段,燃煤源的贡献则大于机动车.污染日和清洁日二次离子、OC、EC主要富集于细粒子,Ca~(2+)、Mg~(2+)、Na~+等一次离子主要富集于粗粒子.     

Hydrolysis mechanism of carbendazim hydrolase from the strain Microbacterium sp. djl-6F

The carbendazim(MBC) hydrolyzing enzyme gene was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) from a newly isolated MBC-degrading bacterium strain Microbacterium sp. strain djl-6F. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS)analysis revealed that purified MheI-6F protein catalyzes direct hydrolysis of MBC into2-aminobenzimidazole(2-AB) with a high turnover rate and moderate affinity(Kmof6.69 μmol/L and kcatof 160.88/min) without the need for any cofactors. The optimal catalytic condition of MheI-6F was identified as 45°C, pH 7.0. The enzymatic activity of MheI-6F was found to be diminished by metal ions, and strongly inhibited by sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS).Through generating amino acid mutations in MheI-6F, Cys16 and Cys222 were identified as the catalytic groups that are essential for the hydrolysis of MBC. This is the first report on the biodegradation of MBC at the enzymatice level.     

Photodegradation of 17α-ethynylestradiol in dissolved humic substances solution: Kinetics, mechanism and estrogenicity variation

17α-Ethynylestradiol(EE2) in natural waters may cause adverse effects on organisms due to its high estrogenic potency. Laboratory studies were performed to study the effects of a local humic acid(LHA), fulvic acid(LFA) and Aldrich humic acid(AHA) on the photochemical behavior and estrogenic potency of EE2. Here photolytic experiments demonstrated that pure aqueous EE2 could undergo direct and self-sensitized photodegradation at a global rate of 0.0068 hr~(-1).Photodegradation rate of EE2 in 5.0 mg/L dissolved humic substances(DHS) was determined to be 0.0274, 0.0296 and 0.0254 hr~(-1) for LHA, LFA and AHA, respectively. Reactive oxygen species(ROS) and triplet dissolved humic substances(~3DHS*) scavenging experiments indicated that the promotion effect of DHS on EE2 photodegradation was mainly aroused by the reactions of HOU(35%–50%),~1O_2(10%) andDHS*(22%–34%). However, the photodegradation of EE2 could also be inhibited when DHS exceeded the threshold of 10 mg/L. Three hydroxylation products of EE2 were identified using GC–MS and their formation pathways were also proposed. In vitro estrogenicity tests showed that EE2 was transformed into chemicals without estrogenic potency. These findings could extend our knowledge on the photochemical behaviors of steroid estrogens in sunlit natural waters.     

白塔堡河不同粒级有机物的三维荧光特征解析

利用三维荧光扫描(3DEEM)和体积积分法(FRI),分析了辽河流域白塔堡河在春汛期水中溶解性有机物(DOM)、小粒径有机物(0.22~0.7μm)和大粒径有机物(>0.7μm)的分布。结果显示:白塔堡河中有机物以芳香类蛋白质和溶解性微生物代谢产物为主,腐植酸类物质含量极少;5类组分在不同粒径有机物中分布相似,在0.22μm以下的DOM中分布最多;溯源分析显示,DOM来源较单一,表现出较强的内源生物降解特性,而颗粒状有机物则表现出内源和陆源的双重特性;多元统计分析显示,白塔堡河点位有机物分布基本上呈现区域性分布特征。     

Visual Modflow模型在地下水污染模拟预测中的应用研究

选取中国东北部某地级市地下水源地补给区,研究地下水运动规律及水中所含污染物迁移转化规律,结合气象、水文、地质、水质等资料,在地下水水均衡计算的基础上,应用地下水有限差分软件Visual Modflow建立了地下水水流水质预测模型,并校正模型.提出的建议对研究区地下水多为战略用水,多属风险防控区,其次是需加强地下水环境准入,以生态红线标准管理,以及加快落实工业污染源、垃圾填埋场等污染防治责任.通过模型预测出未来一定时间段内的地下水流及水质变化情况,为当地政府提出地下水污染防治对策和措施提供了理论依据.     

A giant spider from the Jurassic of China reveals greater diversity of the orbicularian stem group

A large female spider, Nephila jurassica, was described from Middle Jurassic strata of north-east China and placed in the modern genus Nephila (family Nephilidae) on the basis of many morphological similarities, but, as with many ancient fossils, the single specimen lacked synapomorphies of the family (Selden et al. 2011). In order to test the placement within the nephilid phylogenetic tree, Kuntner et al. (2013) calibrated the molecular phylogeny using N. jurassica in three different scenarios based on inferred mitochondrial substitution rates. They concluded that N. jurassica fitted better as a stem orbicularian than a nephilid. Now, a giant male spider has been discovered at the same locality that yielded N. jurassica. The two sexes are considered conspecific based on their similar morphological features, size, and provenance. The male cannot be accommodated in Nephilidae because of its pedipalp morphology, so the new genus Mongolarachne and family Mongolarachnidae are erected for the species. Comparison with possibly related families show that Mongolarachnidae is most likely on the orbicularian stem, close to other cribellate orbicularians (e.g., Deinopoidea), which suggests a greater diversity of cribellate orbicularians during the Middle Jurassic.     

镇江市雨水利用示范工程水量平衡计算及效益分析

针对镇江市某医院雨水利用示范工程, 结合该医院绿化和景观用水状况及过去20年的 日降雨量、蒸发量资料,建立相应的水量平衡方程,对区域内雨水利用系统收集和利用的雨 水量进行核算.结果表明,示范工程雨水收集量能够满足该区域内绿化用水、道路喷洒用水 、水面蒸发和其他损失的水量,不需要补充自来水.该系统雨水利用率达到81%,每...