Degradation and detoxification of microcystin-LR in drinking water by sequential use of UV and ozone

Microcystins (MCs) produced by cyanobacteria are strong hepatotoxins and classified as possible carcinogens.MCs pose a considerable threat to human health through tainted drinking and surface waters.Herein filtrated water from a waterworks in Harbin,China,was spiked with microcystin-LR (MC-LR) extracted from a toxic scum of microcystis aeruginosa,and the spiked sample waters were treated using UV irradiation with consequent ozonation process (UV/O3),compared with ozonation at a dose range commonly applied in water treatment plants,UV irradiation at 254 nm and UV irradiation combined with ozonation (UV+O3),respectively.The remaining of toxins were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and also determined using a protein phosphatase type 2A inhibition assay,which was utilized to evaluate the reduction in toxicity.Results indicated that in comparison to other three processes (O3,UV,and UV+O3),UV/O 3 process could effectively decrease both the concentration and toxicity of MC-LR at 100 μg/L level after 5 min UV irradiation with consequent 5 min ozonation at 0.2 mg/L (below 1 μg/L),while 0.5 mg/L ozone dose was required for the level below 0.1 μg/L.The addition of an UV treatment step to the existing treatment train may induce significant transformation of micropollutants and breaks down the natural organic matters into moieties unfavorable for ozone decomposition,stabilizing the ozone residual.These findings suggested that sequential use of UV and ozone may be a suitable method for the removal of these potentially hazardous microcystins from drinking water.     

Microbial reduction of uranium (VI) by Bacillus sp. dwc-2: A macroscopic and spectroscopic study

The microbial reduction of U(VI) by Bacillus sp. dwc-2, isolated from soil in Southwest China, was explored using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Our studies indicated that approximately 16.0% of U(VI) at an initial concentration of 100 mg/L uranium nitrate could be reduced by Bacillus sp. dwc-2 at pH 8.2 under anaerobic conditions at room temperature. Additionally, natural organic matter (NOM) played an important role in enhancing the bioreduction of U(VI) by Bacillus sp. dwc-2. XPS results demonstrated that the uranium presented mixed valence states (U(VI) and U(IV)) after bioreduction, which was subsequently confirmed by XANES. Furthermore, the TEM and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis suggested that the reduced uranium was bioaccumulated mainly within the cell and as a crystalline structure on the cell wall. These observations implied that the reduction of uranium may have a significant effect on its fate in the soil environment in which these bacterial strains occur.     

Iron and lead ion adsorption by microbial flocculants in synthetic wastewater and their related carbonate formation

Although microbial treatments of heavy metal ions in wastewater have been studied, the removal of these metals through incorporation into carbonate minerals has rarely been reported. To investigate the removal of Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋, two representative metals in wastewater, through the precipitation of carbonate minerals by a microbial flocculant （MBF） produced by Bacillus mucilaginosus. MBF was added to synthetic wastewater containing different Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋ concentrations, and the extent of flocculation was analyzed. CO2 was bubbled into the mixture of MBF and Fe^3＋/Pb^2＋ to initiate the reaction. The solid substrates were analyzed via X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results showed that the removal efficiency decreased and the MBF adsorption capacity for metals increased with increasing heavy metal concentration. In the system containing MBF, metals （Fe^3＋ and Pb^2＋）, and CO2, the concentrated metals adsorbed onto the MBF combined with the dissolved CO2, resulting in oversaturation of metal carbonate minerals to form iron carbonate and lead carbonates. These results may be used in designing a method in which microbes can be utilized to combine CO2 with wastewater heavy metals to form carbonates, with the aim of mitigating environmental problems.     

磁性海泡石吸附Cr(VI)特性及动力学

采用化学共沉淀法合成磁性海泡石,通过静态吸附实验研究磁性海泡石对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附特性及其动力学。结果表明,磁性海泡石对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附在90 min内即可达到平衡;体系的初始pH是影响磁性海泡石吸附Cr(Ⅵ)性能的重要因素;当废水中Cr(Ⅵ)的初始浓度为50 mg/L时,磁性海泡石的适宜投加量为10 g/L;随反应温度的升高,磁性海泡石对Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附量增加;温度为25、35和45℃时,磁性海泡石对Cr(Ⅵ)的饱和吸附量分别为3.32、3.72、4.08 mg/g;吸附动力学曲线可以用拟二级反应动力学模型拟合;内扩散和液膜扩散联合控制Cr(Ⅵ)在磁性海泡石上的吸附过程,其中内扩散的控速作用大于液膜扩散。     

Effects of payments for ecosystem services on wildlife habitat recovery

Conflicts between local people's livelihoods and conservation have led to many unsuccessful conservation efforts and have stimulated debates on policies that might simultaneously promote sustainable management of protected areas and improve the living conditions of local people. Many government‐sponsored payments‐for‐ecosystem‐services (PES) schemes have been implemented around the world. However, few empirical assessments of their effectiveness have been conducted, and even fewer assessments have directly measured their effects on ecosystem services. We conducted an empirical and spatially explicit assessment of the conservation effectiveness of one of the world's largest PES programs through the use of a long‐term empirical data set, a satellite‐based habitat model, and spatial autoregressive analyses on direct measures of change in an ecosystem service (i.e., the provision of wildlife species habitat). Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat improved in Wolong Nature Reserve of China after the implementation of the Natural Forest Conservation Program. The improvement was more pronounced in areas monitored by local residents than those monitored by the local government, but only when a higher payment was provided. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of a PES program depends on who receives the payment and on whether the payment provides sufficient incentives. As engagement of local residents has not been incorporated in many conservation strategies elsewhere in China or around the world, our results also suggest that using an incentive‐based strategy as a complement to command‐and‐control, community‐ and norm‐based strategies may help achieve greater conservation effectiveness and provide a potential solution for the park versus people conflict.     

广州市环境监测管理信息化建设中若干问题探讨

以广州市环境监测中心站推进信息化的实践为例，重点对环境监测管理信息化规划、开发和应用3个环节所涉及的信息化进程路线、应用系统开发的需求分析和推广应用等问题进行了一些探讨，提出切合自身的解决思路或办法。     

Using geographically temporally weighted regression to assess the contribution of corruption governance to global PM2.5

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In the face of the global haze crisis, exploring the driving force of political factors for controlling minute atmospheric particles has become...     

Nitrogen removal performance and bacterial communities in zeolite trickling filter under different influent C/N ratios

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the degradation performance of nutrients in zeolite trickling filter (ZTF) with different influent C/N ratios and aeration conditions...     

Polystyrene nanoplastics affect growth and microcystin production of Microcystis aeruginosa

Nanoplastics are widely distributed in freshwater environments, but few studies have addressed their effects on freshwater algae, especially on harmful algae. In this study, the effects of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics on Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) growth, as well as microcystin (MC) production and release, were investigated over the whole growth period. The results show that PS nanoplastics caused a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa growth and a dose-dependent increase in the aggregation rate peaking at 60.16% and 46.34%, respectively, when the PS nanoplastic concentration was 100 mg/L. This caused significant growth of M. aeruginosa with a specific growth rate up to 0.41 d^?1 (50 mg/L PS nanoplastics). After a brief period of rapid growth, the tested algal cells steadily grew. In addition, the increase in PS nanoplastics concentration promoted the production and release of MC. When the PS nanoplastic concentration was 100 mg/L, the content of the intracellular (intra-) and extracellular (extra-) MC increased to 199.1 and 166.5 μg/L, respectively, on day 26, which was 31.4% and 31.1% higher, respectively, than the control. Our results provide insights into the action mechanism of nanoplastics on harmful algae and the potential risks to freshwater environments.

     

Geochemistry of heavy metal-contaminated sediments from the Four River inlets of Dongting lake,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The concentrations of major and trace elements in the sediments from the Four River inlets of Dongting Lake were analysed. The results show that the...