Comparative lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction potential for typical petrochemical enterprises in China

Petrochemical enterprises have become a major source of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, due to the unavailability of basic data, there is still a lack of case studies to quantify GHG emissions and provide petrochemical enterprises with guidelines for implementing energy conservation and emission reduction strategies. Therefore, this study conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis to estimate the GHG emissions of four typical petrochemical enterprises in China, using first-hand data, to determine possible emission reduction measures. The analytical data revealed that Dushanzi Petrochemical (DSP) has the highest GHG emission intensity (1.17 tons CO₂e/ton), followed by Urumqi Petrochemical (UP) (1.08 tons CO₂e/ton), Dalian Petrochemical (DLP) (average 0.58 tons CO₂e/ton) and Karamay Petrochemical (KP) (average 0.50 tons CO₂e/ton) over the whole life cycle. At the same time, GHG emissions during fossil fuel combustion were the largest contributor to the whole life cycle, accounting for about 77.31%–94.27% of the total emissions. In the fossil-fuel combustion phase, DSP had the highest unit GHG emissions (1.20 tons CO₂e), followed by UP (0.89 tons CO₂e). In the industrial production phase, DLP had the highest unit GHG emissions (average 0.13 tons CO₂e/ton), followed by UP (0.10 tons CO₂e/ton). During the torch burning phase, torch burning under accident conditions was the main source of GHG emissions. It is worth noting that the CO₂ recovery stage has "negative value," indicating that it will bring some environmental benefits. Further scenario analysis shows that effective policies and advanced technologies can further reduce GHG emissions.     

Low nutrient levels as drinking water conditions can reduce the fitness cost of efflux pump-mediated ciprofloxacin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The long-term persistence of antibiotic resistance in the environment, especially in drinking water, is a public health concern. Expression of an efflux pump, an important mechanism of resistance to antibiotics, usually confers a fitness cost in bacteria. In this study, we aimed to determine why antibiotic resistance conferred by overexpression of an efflux pump persisted in low-nutrient environments(TOC 10 mg/L) such as drinking and source water in which antibiotic selective pressure might be very low or even absent.Competition experiments between wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ciprofloxacinresistant mutants revealed that the fitness cost of ciprofloxacin resistance significantly decreased(p 0.05) under low-nutrient(0.5 mg/L total organic carbon(TOC)) relative to high-nutrient(500 mg/L TOC) conditions. Mechanisms underlying this fitness cost were analyzed. The mexD gene expression in resistant bacteria(cip_3 strain) was significantly lower(p 0.05) in low-nutrient conditions, with 10 mg/L TOC((8.01 ± 0.82)-fold), than in high-nutrient conditions, with 500 mg/L TOC((48.89 ± 4.16)-fold). Moreover, rpoS gene expression in resistant bacteria((1.36 ± 0.13)-fold) was significantly lower(p 0.05) than that in the wild-type strain((2.78 ± 0.29)-fold) under low-nutrient conditions(10 mg/L TOC),suggesting a growth advantage. Furthermore, the difference in metabolic activity between the two competing strains was significantly smaller(p 0.05) in low-nutrient conditions(5 and 0.5 mg/L TOC). These results suggest that nutrient levels are a key factor in determining the persistence of antibiotic resistance conferred by efflux pumps in the natural environment with trace amounts or no antibiotics.     

Monitoring biofouling based on aerobic respiration in reverse osmosis system

A monitoring method of biofouling in reverse osmosis (RO) system was proposed based on the fluorescent signal of resorufin, which is reduced by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide released from viable cells during aerobic respiration. The fluorescent signal of resorufin reduced by planktonic cells and microorganisms of biofilm showed linearity, indicating its feasibility to monitor biofouling in a RO system. For the application of the method to the lab-scale RO system, the injection concentration of resazurin and the injection flow rate were optimized. Biofilm on RO membranes continuously operated in a lab-scale RO system was estimated by resorufin fluorescence under optimized detection condition. As a result, resorufin fluorescence on RO membrane showed a significant increase in which the permeability of RO system decreased by 30.48%. Moreover, it represented the development of biofilm as much as conventional biofilm parameters such as adenosine triphosphate, extracellular polymeric substances, and biofilm thickness. The proposed method could be used as a sensitive and low-cost technology to monitor biofouling without autopsy of membranes.     

Understanding the electrode reaction process of dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol over Ni/Fe nanoparticles: Effect of pH and 2,4-dichlorophenol concentration

Herein,with the exploitation of iron and nickel electrodes,the 2,4-dichlorophenol(2,4-DCP)dechlorinating processes at the anode and cathode,respectively,were separately studied via various electrochemical techniques(e.g.,Tafel polarization,linear polarization,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy).With this in mind,Ni/Fe nanoparticles were prepared by chemical solution deposition,and utilized to test the dechlorination activities of 2,4-DCP over a bimetallic system.For the iron anode,the results showed that higher 2,4-DCP concentration and solution acidity aggravated the corrosion within the electrode.The charge transfer resistance(R_(ct))values of the iron electrode were 703,473,444,and 437Ω·cm~2 for the initial 2,4-DCP concentrations of0,20,50,and 80 mg/L,respectively.When the bulk pH of the 2,4-DCP solution varied from 3.0,5.0to 7.0,the corresponding R_(ct) values were 315,376,and 444Ω·cm~2,respectively.For the nickel cathode,the reduction current densities on the electrode at-0.75 V(vs.saturated calomel electrode)were 80,106,and 111μA/cm~2,for initial 2,4-DCP concentrations of 40,80,and125 mg/L.The dechlorination experiments demonstrated that when the initial pH of the solution was 7.0,5.0,and 3.0,the dechlorination percentage of 2,4-DCP by Ni/Fe nanoparticles was 62%,69%,and 74%,respectively,which was in line with the electrochemical experiments.10 wt.%Ni loading into Ni/Fe bimetal was affordable and gave a good dechlorination efficiency of 2,4-DCP,and fortunately the Ni/Fe nanoparticles remained comparatively stable in the dechlorination processes at pH 3.0.     

多级串联表面流库塘-湿地净化农田径流效果评价

农田径流已成为湖泊流域非点源污染治理的主要制约因素.为研究多级串联表面流库塘-湿地中各级表面流湿地对洱海流域农田径流水体的净化效果,以大理市喜洲镇美坝村新建的多级串联表面流库塘-湿地为研究对象,跟踪监测其各级表面流湿地进、出水中ρ（TN）、ρ（NO₃--N）和ρ（TP）,分析水质净化效果及营养盐质量浓度沿程变化规律.结果表明:①多级串联表面流库塘-湿地出水ρ（TN）、ρ（NO₃--N）和ρ（TP）平均值分别为1.77、1.18和0.05 mg/L,低于GB 3838—2002《地表水环境质量标准》中Ⅴ类标准限值,TN、NO₃--N和TP去除率分别为57.75%、65.54%和67.43%.②农田径流在经过沉淀池、一级和二级表面流湿地后,对TN、NO₃--N和TP的去除率已分别达45.35%、52.21%和50.59%,且二级表面流湿地中出水ρ（TN）、ρ（NO₃--N）和ρ（TP）分别为2.36、1.69和0.06 mg/L,已达到较好的出水水质.③氮、磷营养盐质量浓度沿程削减模型拟合结果表明,指数削减模型较适宜表征TN、NO₃--N在多级串联表面流库塘-湿地中的沿程削减过程,而TP的最佳削减模型为线性削减模型.研究显示,多级串联表面流库塘-湿地对农田径流具有较好的净化效果,其对营养盐净化作用主要体现在前两级表面流湿地.      

Facile synthesis of graphitic carbon-nitride supported antimony-doped tin oxide nanocomposite and its application for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds

Antimony-doped tin oxide(ATO) nanoparticles with an average size of ～ 6 nm were prepared by co-precipitation and subsequent heat treatment. Graphitic carbon nitride(g-CN)/ATO hybrid nanocomposite was designed by the combination of thermally synthesized g-CN and ATO nanoparticles by ultrasonication. The materials were characterized using N2 adsorption/desorption(BET), X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR). A mixture of five volatile organic compounds(VOCs, chloroform, benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene) was used to compare the adsorption capacity of the samples. The adsorption capacity of ATO nanoparticles was improved by the addition of g-CN. Experimental data showed that, among the five VOCs,chloroform was the least adsorbed, regardless of the samples. The g-CN/ATO showed nearly three times greater adsorption capacity for the VOC mixture than pure ATO. The unchanged efficiency of VOC adsorption during cyclic use demonstrated the completely reversible adsorption and desorption behavior of the nanocomposite at room conditions. This economically and environmentally friendly material can be a practical solution for outdoor and indoor VOC removal.     

Vertical response of microbial community and degrading genes to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in saline alkaline soil

A column microcosm was conducted by amending crude oil into Dagang Oilfield soil to simulate the bioremediation process. The dynamic change of microbial communities and metabolic genes in vertical depth soil from 0 to 80 cm were characterized to evaluate the petroleum degradation potential of indigenous microorganism. The influence of environmental variables on the microbial responds to petroleum contamination were analyzed. Degradation extent of 42.45% of n-alkanes(C8–C40) and 34.61% of 16ΣPAH were reached after 22 weeks. Relative abundance of alkB, nah, and phe gene showed about 10-fold increment in different depth of soil layers. Result of HTS profiles demonstrated that Pseudomonas, Marinobacter and Lactococcus were the major petroleum-degrading bacteria in0–30 and 30–60 cm depth of soils. Fusarium and Aspergillus were the dominant oil-degrading fungi in the 0–60 cm depth of soils. In 60–80 cm deep soil, anaerobic bacteria such as Bacteroidetes, Lactococcus, and Alcanivorax played important roles in petroleum degradation.Redundancy analysis(RDA) and correlation analysis demonstrated that petroleum hydrocarbons(PHs) as well as soil salinity, clay content, and anaerobic conditions were the dominant effect factors on microbial community compositions in 0–30, 30–60, and 60–80 cm depth of soils, respectively.     

Applications of magnetic nanoparticles in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of environmental pollutants

Environmental pollution, a major problem worldwide, poses considerable threat to human health and ecological environment. Efficient and reliable detection technologies, which focus on the appearance of emerging environmental and trace pollutants, are urgently needed. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) has become an attractive analytical tool for sensing trace targets in environmental field because of its inherent molecular fingerprint specificity and high sensitivity. In this review, we focused on the recent developments in the integration of magnetic nanoparticles(MNPs) with SERS for facilitating sensitive detection of environmental pollutants. An overview and classification of different types of MNPs for SERS detection were initially provided, enabling us to categorize the huge amount of literature that was available in the interdisciplinary research field of MNPs based SERS technology. Then, the basic working principles and applications of MNPs in SERS detection were presented. Subsequently, the detection technologies integrating MNPs with SERS that eventually were used for the detection of various environmental pollutions were reviewed. Finally, the advantages of MNP-basedSERS detection technology for environmental pollutants were concluded, and the current challenges and future outlook of this technology in practical applications were highlighted. The application of the MNPsbasedSERS techniques for environmental analysis will be significantly advanced with the great progresses of the nanotechnologies, optics, and materials.     

Trametes sp.LS-10C产漆酶发酵培养基优化及其漆酶对偶氮染料的脱色性能

为了提高菌株Trametes sp.LS-10C的漆酶产量并初步研究该酶对偶氮染料的脱色性能,本文通过单因素实验及均匀设计对菌株Trametes sp.LS-10C产漆酶培养基进行了优化,获得最优培养基配方为:葡萄糖14.4 g·L~(-1)、豆渣10.1 g·L~(-1)、麸皮100 g·L~(-1)、NH_4Cl_3g·L~(-1)、KH2PO41.4g·L~(-1)、CuSO_4’5H2O 1 g·L~(-1)、NaCl 1 g·L~(-1)、MgSO_40.8 g·L~(-1)、CaCl_20.5 g·L~(-1).菌株发酵至8 d时漆酶产量为595.15 U·m L~(-1),约是优化前的35.66倍.进一步研究表明,该漆酶-介体系统对酸性红GR、酸性蓝40和酸性铬蓝K等3种偶氮染料脱色10 h后脱色率分别高达96.86%、91.28%和86.31%.相比公开发表的文献,本研究所报道的Trametes sp.LS-10C利用优化培养基发酵产漆酶达到了较高水平,具有酶活力高和发酵时间短等特征,且该漆酶在处理偶氮染料废水脱色领域中具有进一步研发和应用价值.     

Simultaneous elimination of cyanotoxins and PCBs via mechanical collection of cyanobacterial blooms: An application of “green-bioadsorption concept”

In this study, the distribution, transfer and fate of both polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and cyanotoxins via phytoplankton routes were systematically investigated in two Chinese lakes. Results indicated that PCB adsorption/bioaccumulation dynamics has significantly positive correlations with the biomass of green alga and diatoms. Total lipid content of phytoplankton is the major factor that influences PCB adsorption/bioaccumulation. Cyanobacterial blooms with relatively lower lipid content could also absorb high amount of PCBs due to their high cell density in the water columns, and this process was proposed as major route for the transfer of PCBs in Chinese eutrophic freshwater. According to these findings, a novel route on fates of PCBs via phytoplankton and a green bioadsorption concept were proposed and confirmed. In the practice of mechanical collections of bloom biomass from Lake Taihu, cyanotoxin/cyanobacteria and PCBs were found to be removed simultaneously very efficiently followed this theory.