Occurrence and distribution of hexabromocyclododecane in sediments from seven major river drainage basins in China

The concentrations and geographical distribution of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were investigated in 37 composite surface sediments from seven major river drainage basins in China, including Yangtze River, Yellow River, Pearl River, Liaohe River, Haihe River, Tarim River and Ertix River. The detection frequency of HBCD was 54%, with the concentrations ranged from below limit of detection (LOD) to 206 ng/g dry weight. In general, the geographical distribution showed increasing trends from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the rivers and from North China to Southeast China. Compared to other regions in the world, the average concentration of HBCD in sediments from Yangtze River drainage basin was at relatively high level, whereas those from other six river drainage basins were at lower or similar level. The highest HBCD concentration in sediment from Yangtze River Delta and the highest detection frequency of HBCD in Pearl River drainage basins suggested that the industrial and urban activities could evidently affect the HBCD distribution. HBCD diastereoisomer profiles showed that γ-HBCD dominated in most of the sediment samples, followed by α- and β-HBCD, which was consistent with those in the commercial HBCD mixtures. Further risk assessment reflected that the average inventories of HBCD were 18.3, 5.87, 3.92, 2.50, 1.77 ng/cm 2 in sediments from Pearl River, Haihe River, Tarim River, Yellow River and Yangtze River, respectively.     

Cost-performance analysis of nutrient removal in a full-scale oxidation ditch process based on kinetic modeling

A full-scale oxidation ditch process for treating sewage was simulated with the ASM2d model and optimized for minimal cost with acceptable performance in terms of ammonium and phosphorus removal. A unified index was introduced by integrating operational costs (aeration energy and sludge production) with effluent violations for performance evaluation. Scenario analysis showed that,in comparison with the baseline (all of the 9 aerators activated), the strategy of activating 5 aerators could save aeration energy significantly with an ammonium violation below 10%. Sludge discharge scenario analysis showed that a sludge discharge flow of 250–300 m3/day (solid retention time (SRT), 13–15 days) was appropriate for the enhancement of phosphorus removal without excessive sludge production. The proposed optimal control strategy was: activating 5 rotating disks operated with a mode of "111100100" ( "1"represents activation and "0" represents inactivation) for aeration and sludge discharge flow of 200 m3/day (SRT, 19 days). Compared with the baseline, this strategy could achieve ammonium violation below 10% and TP violation below 30% with substantial reduction of aeration energy cost (46%) and minimal increment of sludge production (< 2%). This study provides a useful approach for the optimization of process operation and control.     

We are integrating with the world-Journal of Environmental Sciences Journey of twenty five years

1 Initial construction of JES Twenty years ago,research on environmental science was extended beyond its initial scope including pollution source surveys     

Pollutant emission characteristics of rice husk combustion in a vortexing fluidized bed incinerator

Rice husk with high volatile content was burned in a pilot scale vortexing fluidized bed incinerator. The fluidized bed incinerator was constructed of 6 mm stainless steel with 0.45 m in diameter and 5 m in height. The emission characteristics of CO, NO, and SO2 were studied. The effects of operating parameters, such as primary air flow rate, secondary air flow rate, and excess air ratio on the pollutant emissions were also investigated. The results show that a large proportion of combustion occurs at the bed surface and the freeboard zone. The SO2 concentration in the flue gas decreases with increasing excess air ratio, while the NOx concentration shows reverse trend. The flow rate of secondary air has a significant impact on the CO emission. For a fixed primary air flowrate, CO emission decreases with the secondary air flowrate. For a fixed excess air ratio, CO emission decreases with the ratio of secondary to primary air flow. The minimum CO emission of 72 ppm is attained at the operating condition of 40% excess air ratio and 0.6 partition air ratio. The NOx and SO2 concentrations in the flue gas at this condition are 159 and 36 ppm, which conform to the EPA regulation of Taiwan.     

BTEX pollution caused by motorcycles in the megacity of HoChiMinh

Monitoring of benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTEX) was conducted along with traffic counts at 17 roadside sites in urban areas of HoChiMinh. Toluene was the most abundant substance, followed by p,m-xylenes, benzene, o-xylene and ethylbenzene. The maximum observed hour-average benzene concentration was 254 μg/m3 . Motorcycles contributed to 91% of the traffic fleet. High correlations among BTEX species, between BTEX concentrations and the volume of on-road motorcycles, and between inter-species ratios in air and in gasoline indicate the motorcycle-exhaust origin of BTEX species. Daily concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p,m-xylenes and o-xylene were 56, 121, 21, 64 and 23 μg/m 3 , respectively. p,m-xylenes possess the highest ozone formation potential among the BTEX family.     

餐厨垃圾与污水污泥共消化产酸试验研究

研究了餐厨垃圾与污水污泥在不同混合比例、不同污泥停留时间条件下的共消化产酸效果。试验结果表明:当餐厨垃圾与污水污泥TS比为1∶3时,SRT=1 d的反应器酸化效率最高,且乙酸含量占优,产酸效果较佳;当TS之比为1∶1时,各反应器产酸量普遍高于1∶3时,其中SRT=5 d产酸反应器,最高酸化效率达5.94,产酸量最大,且乙酸含量占优,运行效果最佳。     

不同曝气强度下SBR系统污染物去除及N_2O排放研究

为考察曝气强度对SBR(A/O)系统N2O产生量的影响,试验采用人工合成废水长期驯化2个月后的污泥,分别考察了在0.2,0.4,0.6L/min三个曝气强度下对污染物的去除情况及N2O的产生情况。结果表明:在三种曝气强度下磷酸盐的平均去除率均可达95%⁹8%,低曝气强度下N2O释放量明显高于中等曝气强度,高曝气强度下N2O释放量最大,0.4L/min曝气强度下污染物去除率最好N2O释放量低,因此确定为最佳曝气强度。     

Utilizing surfactants to control the sorption, desorption, and biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil-water system

An integrative technology including the surfactant enhanced sorption and subsequentdesorption and biodegradation of phenanthrene in the soil-water system was introduced and tested. For slightly contaminated agricultural soils, cationic-nonionic mixed surfactant- enhanced sorption of organic contaminants onto soils could reduce their transfer to plants, therefore safe-guarding agricultural production. After planting, residual surfactants combined with added nonionic surfactant could also promote thedesorption and biodegradation of residual phenanthrene, thus providing a cost-effective pollution remediation technology.0ur results showed that the cationic-nonionic mixed surfactantsdodecylpyridinium bromide (DDPB) and Triton X-100 (TX100) significantly enhanced soil retention of phenanthrene. The maximum sorption coefficient Kd* of phenanthrene for contaminated soils treated by mixed surfactants was about24.5 times that of soils without surfactant (Kd ) and higher than the combined effects of DDPB and TX100 individually, which was about 16.7 and 1.5 times Kd , respectively.0n the other hand, TX100 could effectively remove phenanthrene from contaminated soils treated by mixed surfactants, improving the bioavailability of organic pollutants. Thedesorption rates of phenanthrene from these treated soils were greater than 85% with TX100 concentration above2000 mg/L and approached 100% with increasing TX100 concentration. The biodegradation rates of phenanthrene in the presence of surfactants reached over 95% in30days. The mixed surfactants promoted the biodegradation of phenanthrene to some extent in 10-22days, and had no obvious impact on phenanthrene biodegradation at the end of the experiment. Results obtained from this study provide some insight for the production of safe agricultural products and a remediation scheme for soils slightly contaminated with organic pollutants.     

A pilot-scale study of cryolite precipitation from high fluoride-containing wastewater in a reaction-separation integrated reactor

Fluoride removal by traditional precipitation generates huge amounts of a water-rich sludge with low quality, which has no commercial or industrial value. The present study evaluated the feasibility of recovering fluoride as low water content cryolite from industrial fluoride-containing wastewater. A novel pilot-scale reaction-separation integrated reactor was designed. The results showed that the seed retention time in the reactor was prolonged to strengthen the induced crystallization process. The particle size of cryolite increased with increasing seed retention time, which decreased the water content. The recovery rate of cryolite was above 75% under an influent fluoride concentration of 3500 mg/L, a reaction temperature of 50℃, and an influent flow of 40 L/hr. The cryolite products that precipitated from the reactor were small in volume, large in particle size, low in water content, high in crystal purity, and recyclable.     

Biodegradation of 2-methylquinoline by Enterobacter aerogenes TJ-D isolated from activated sludge

Bacterial strain Enterobacter aerogenes TJ-D capable of utilizing 2-methylquinoline as the sole carbon and energy source was isolated from acclimated activated sludge under denitrifying conditions. The ability to degrade 2-methylquinoline by E. aerogenes TJ-D was investigated under denitrifying conditions. Under optimal conditions of temperature (35℃) and initial pH 7, 2-methylquinoline of 100 mg/L was degraded within 176 hr. The degradation of 2-methylquinoline by E. aerogenes TJ-D could be well described by the Haldane model (R² > 0.91). During the degradation period of 2-methylquinoline (initial concentration 100 mg/L), nitrate was almost completely consumed (the removal efficiency was 98.5%), while nitrite remained at low concentration (< 0.62 mg/L) during the whole denitrification period. 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-2-methylquinoline, 4-ethyl-benzenamine, N-butyl-benzenamine, N-ethyl-benzenamine and 2,6-diethyl-benzenamine were metabolites produced during the degradation. The degradation pathway of 2-methylquinoline by E. aerogenes TJ-D was proposed. 2-Methylquinoline is initially hydroxylated at C-4 to form 2-methyl-4-hydroxy-quinoline, and then forms 2-methyl-4-quinolinol as a result of tautomerism. Hydrogenation of the heterocyclic ring at positions 2 and 3 produces 2,3-dihydro-2-methyl-4-quinolinol. The carbon-carbon bond at position 2 and 3 in the heterocyclic ring may cleave and form 2-ethyl-N-ethyl-benzenamine. Tautomerism may result in the formation of 2,6-diethyl-benzenamine and N-butyl-benzenamine. 4-Ethyl-benzenamine and N-ethyl-benzenamine were produced as a result of losing one ethyl group from the above molecules.