复合生物阴极型微生物燃料电池处理废水及同步产电性能

为研究生物阴极在MFC（微生物燃料电池）中的应用,分别以粒径为2~4 mm的颗粒活性炭和粒径为2~4、4~8、8~12 mm的颗粒石墨为阴极基质材料,构建升流复合生物阴极型单室MFC,研究阴极基质材料的种类和粒径对MFC的产电性能和净水效能的影响.结果表明:当阳极基质材料为2~4 mm粒径的颗粒活性炭时,燃料电池中利用玻璃纤维取代离子交换膜,阴极基质材料为选用4~8 mm粒径颗粒石墨的反应柱产电量最大,为534 mV（外电阻为1 000 Ω）,最大功率密度达到631.6 mW/m3,库伦效率为3.82%;阴极的pH越低越有利于阴极的产电反应;不同阴极基质材料的MFC对COD_Cr去除率均在80%左右,TN、NH₄+-N及TP的去除率最高可分别达到79%、93%和34%.研究显示,阴极基质材料的种类和粒径对MFC的产电性影响较大,但对其净水效能的影响不大.      

不同粒径羟基磷灰石对污染土壤铜镉磷有效性和酶活性的影响

为研究不同粒径羟基磷灰石对重金属污染土壤的修复效果,采用向污染土壤添加常规磷灰石（150 μm）、微米（3 μm）和纳米（40 nm）羟基磷灰石的田间原位试验方法,考察其钝化修复5 a后对土壤铜镉磷有效性和酶活性的影响.结果表明:3种粒径羟基磷灰石均提高了土壤pH,降低了土壤交换性酸和交换性铝的含量,且微米羟基磷灰石处理效果最好.常规磷灰石、微米和纳米羟基磷灰石处理分别使w（离子交换态铜）降低了62.6%、74.3%和70.4%,w（离子交换态镉）降低了15.7%、25.3%和26.7%.3种材料均增加了土壤w（TP）,其中4.61%~17.4%和73.4%~89.8%分别转化为树脂磷和稳定态磷.微米羟基磷灰石处理分别使土壤脲酶活性和微生物量碳含量提高了4.66和0.66倍.研究显示,微米羟基磷灰石更有利于铜和镉由活性态向非活性态转化,增加土壤磷的有效性,提高土壤微生物活性,在我国南方重金属污染红壤区具有较好的应用潜力.      

建筑材料隐含环境影响评估

我国建筑业快速发展,建筑开发使用大量的建筑材料给资源和环境带来严重负荷.以上海市为案例,运用生命周期评价方法,基于北京工业大学和Ecoinvent数据库中的建筑材料生产数据,采用ReCiPe法对上海市建筑物的材料隐含环境影响进行评估,并对未来的环境影响潜值进行预测.结果表明:在上海市居住建筑和非居住建筑所产生的各类环境影响中人类毒性、金属损耗最为突出,约占总环境影响的45%和20%;环境影响主要来源于钢筋和木材的生产,对各类环境影响贡献度分别约为47%、17%;高层居住建筑和非居住建筑中的工厂建筑物化环境影响在各自类型中所占比例最高.按现有趋势发展,2020年上海市居住建筑开发规模和环境影响潜值均将达到2014年的1.52倍,非居住建筑则可达到2014年的1.14倍.针对上海市建筑材料环境影响分析结果,为有效减轻上海市建筑物的环境影响,需重点关注钢筋、铝材、木材以及混凝土的生产,识别生产过程中污染物转移环节进而改进工序;在设计阶段考虑选择环境影响负荷低的绿色建材,如混凝土砌块、高性能混凝土等,从而降低环境影响;同时,应重点关注隐含环境负荷高的高层居住和工厂建筑类建筑,通过降低建材使用量等方案降低环境影响.      

Effects of Cu2+ and humic acids on degradation and fate of TBBPA in pure culture of Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT

Soil contamination with tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA) has caused great concerns;however, the presence of heavy metals and soil organic matter on the biodegradation of TBBPA is still unclear. We isolated Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT, a TBBPA-degrading bacterium, from activated sludge and incubated it with ~(14)C-labeled TBBPA for 87 days in the absence and presence of Cu~(2+)and humic acids(HA). TBBPA was degraded to organic-solvent extractable(59.4% ± 2.2%) and non-extractable(25.1% ± 1.3%) metabolites,mineralized to CO_2(4.8% ± 0.8%), and assimilated into cells(10.6% ± 0.9%) at the end of incubation. When Cu~(2+)was present, the transformation of extractable metabolites into non-extractable metabolites and mineralization were inhibited, possibly due to the toxicity of Cu~(2+)to cells. HA significantly inhibited both dissipation and mineralization of TBBPA and altered the fate of TBBPA in the culture by formation of HA-bound residues that amounted to 22.1% ± 3.7% of the transformed TBBPA. The inhibition from HA was attributed to adsorption of TBBPA and formation of bound residues with HA via reaction of reactive metabolites with HA molecules, which decreased bioavailability of TBBPA and metabolites in the culture. When Cu~(2+)and HA were both present, Cu~(2+)significantly promoted the HA inhibition on TBBPA dissipation but not on metabolite degradation. The results provide insights into individual and interactive effects of Cu~(2+)and soil organic matter on the biotransformation of TBBPA and indicate that soil organic matter plays an essential role in determining the fate of organic pollutants in soil and mitigating heavy metal toxicity.     

CHO cell cytotoxicity and genotoxicity analyses of disinfection by-products: An updated review

The disinfection of drinking water is an important public health service that generates high quality, safe and palatable tap water. The disinfection of drinking water to reduce waterborne disease was an outstanding public health achievement of the 20th century. An unintended consequence is the reaction of disinfectants with natural organic matter, anthropogenic contaminants and bromide/iodide to form disinfection by-products (DBPs). A large number of DBPs are cytotoxic, neurotoxic, mutagenic, genotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic. Epidemiological studies demonstrated low but significant associations between disinfected drinking water and adverse health effects. The distribution of DBPs in disinfected waters has been well defined by advances in high precision analytical chemistry. Progress in the analytical biology and toxicology of DBPs has been forthcoming. The objective of this review was to provide a detailed presentation of the methodology for the quantitative, comparative analyses on the induction of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of 103 DBPs using an identical analytical biological platform and endpoints. A single Chinese hamster ovary cell line was employed in the assays. The data presented are derived from papers published in the literature as well as additional new data and represent the largest direct quantitative comparison on the toxic potency of both regulated and emerging DBPs. These data may form the foundation of novel research to define the major forcing agents of DBP-mediated toxicity in disinfected water and may play an important role in achieving the goal of making safe drinking water better.     

Contribution of precursor compounds to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs)

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) are ubiquitous in sludge and water from waste water treatment plants, as a result of their incorporation in everyday products and industrial processes. In this study, we measured several classes of persistent PFASs,precursors, transformation intermediates, and newly identified PFASs in influent and effluent sewage water and sludge from three municipal waste water treatment plants in Sweden, sampled in 2015. For sludge, samples from 2012 and 2014 were analyzed as well.Levels of precursors in sludge exceeded those of perfluoroalkyl acids and sulfonic acids(PFCAs and PFSAs), in 2015 the sum of polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters(PAPs) were 15–20 ng/g dry weight, the sum of fluorotelomer sulfonic acids(FTSAs) was 0.8–1.3 ng/g,and the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and ethanols ranged from non-detected to 3.2 ng/g. Persistent PFSAs and PFCAs were detected at 1.9–3.9 ng/g and 2.4–7.3 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The influence of precursor compounds was further demonstrated by an observed substantial increase for a majority of the persistent PFCAs and PFSAs in water after waste water treatment. Perfluorohexanoic acid(PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid(PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS)had a net mass increase in all WWTPs, with mean values of 83%, 28%, 37% and 58%,respectively. The load of precursors and intermediates in influent water and sludge combined with net mass increase support the hypothesis that degradation of precursor compounds is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination in the environment.     

Concentrations of disinfection by-products in swimming pool following modifications of the water treatment process: An exploratory study

The formation and concentration of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in pool water and the ambient air vary according to the type of water treatment process used. This exploratory study was aimed at investigating the short-term impact of modifications of the water treatment process on traditional DBP levels (e.g., trihalomethanes (THMs), chloramines) and emerging DBPs (e.g., Halonitromethanes, Haloketones, NDMA) in swimming pool water and/or air. A sampling program was carried to understand the impact of the following changes made successively to the standard water treatment process: activation of ultraviolet (UV) photoreactor, halt of air stripping with continuation of air extraction from the buffer tank, halt of air stripping and suppression of air extraction from the buffer tank, suppression of the polyaluminium silicate sulfate (PASS) coagulant. UV caused a high increase of Halonitromethanes (8.4 fold), Haloketones (2.1 fold), and THMs in the water (1.7 fold) and, of THMs in the air (1.6 fold) and contributed to reducing the level of chloramines in the air (1.6 fold) and NDMA in the water (2.1 fold). The results highlight the positive impact of air stripping in reducing volatile contaminants. The PASS did not change the presence of DBPs, except for the THMs, which decrease slightly with the use of this coagulant. This study shows that modifications affecting the water treatment process can rapidly produce important and variable impacts on DBP levels in water and air and suggests that implementation of any water treatment process to reduce DBP levels should take into account the specific context of each swimming pool.     

Bioavailability of wastewater derived dissolved organic nitrogen to green microalgae Selenastrum capricornutum, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and Chlorella vulgaris with/without presence of bacteria

Effluent dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is problematic in nutrient sensitive surface waters and needs to be reduced to meet demanding total dissolved nitrogen discharge limits. Bioavailable DON (ABDON) is a portion of DON utilized by algae or algae + bacteria,while biodegradable DON (BDON) is a portion of DON decomposable by bacteria. ABDON and BDON in a two-stage trickling filter (TF) wastewater treatment plant was evaluated using three different microalgal species, Selenastrum capricornutum, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Chlorella vulgaris and mixed cultured bacteria. Results showed that up to 80% of DON was bioavailable to algae or algae + bacteria inoculum while up to 60% of DON was biodegradable in all the samples. Results showed that C. reinhardtii and C. vulgaris can be used as a test species the same as S. capricornutum since there were no significant differences among these three algae species based on their ability to remove nitrogen species.     

Asian Urban Environment and Climate Change: Preface

The Asian Network on Climate Science and Technology (www.ancst.org), in collaboration with Tsinghua University, held a conference on environmental and climate science, air pollution, urban planning and transportation in July 2015, with over 40 Asian experts participating and presentation. This was followed by a meeting with local government and community experts on the practical conclusions of the conference. Of the papers presented at the conference a selection are included in this special issue of Journal of Environmental Science, which also reflects the conclusions of the Paris Climate meeting in Dec 2015, when the major nations of the world agreed about the compelling need to reduce the upward trend of adverse impacts associated with global climate change. Now is the time for urban areas to work out the serious consequences for their populations, but also how they should work together to take action to reduce global warming to benefit their own communities and also the whole planet!