Degradation of bisphenol A in aqueous solution by persulfate activated with ferrous ion

Degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution was studied with high-efficiency sulfate radical (SO₄ ^?·), which was generated by the activation of persulfate (S₂O₈ ^2?) with ferrous ion (Fe²⁺). S₂O₈ ^2? was activated by Fe²⁺ to produce SO₄ ^?·, and iron powder (Fe⁰) was used as a slow-releasing source of dissolved Fe²⁺. The major oxidation products of BPA were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer. The mineralization efficiency of BPA was monitored by total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. BPA removal efficiency was improved by the increase of initial S₂O₈ ^2? or Fe²⁺ concentrations and then decreased with excess Fe²⁺ concentration. The adding mode of Fe²⁺ had significant impact on BPA degradation and mineralization. BPA removal rates increased from 49 to 97 % with sequential addition of Fe²⁺, while complete degradation was observed with continuous diffusion of Fe²⁺, and the latter achieved higher TOC removal rate. When Fe⁰ was employed as a slow-releasing source of dissolved Fe²⁺, 100 % of BPA degradation efficiency was achieved, and the highest removal rate of TOC (85 %) was obtained within 2 h. In the Fe⁰–S₂O₈ ^2? system, Fe⁰ as the activator of S₂O₈ ^2? could offer sustainable oxidation for BPA, and higher TOC removal rate was achieved. It was proved that Fe⁰–S₂O₈ ^2? system has perspective for future works.     

Functional groups of marine ciliated protozoa and their relationships to water quality

Ciliated protozoa (ciliates) play important ecological roles in coastal waters, especially regarding their interaction with environmental parameters. In order to increase our knowledge and understanding on the functional structure of ciliate communities and their relationships to environmental conditions in marine ecosystems, a 12-month study was carried out in a semi-enclosed bay in northern China. Samples were collected biweekly at five sampling stations with differing levels of pollution/eutrophication, giving a total of 120 samples. Thirteen functional groups of ciliates (A–M) were defined based on their specific spatio-temporal distribution and relationships to physico-chemical parameters. Six of these groups (H–M) were the primary contributors to the ciliate communities in the polluted/eutrophic areas, whereas the other seven groups (A–G) dominated the communities in less polluted areas. Six groups (A, D, G, H, I and K) dominated during the warm seasons (summer and autumn), with the other seven (B, C, E, F, J, L and M) dominating in the cold seasons (spring and winter). Of these, groups B (mainly aloricate ciliates), I (aloricate ciliates) and L (mainly loricate tintinnids) were the primary contributors to the communities. It was also shown that aloricate ciliates and tintinnids represented different roles in structuring and functioning of the communities. The results suggest that the ciliate communities may be constructed by several functional groups in response to the environmental conditions. Thus, we conclude that these functional groups might be potentially useful bioindicators for bioassessment and conservation in marine habitats.     

Presence of bacteria in aqueous solution influences virus adsorption on nanoparticles

Virus contamination in wastewater is usually accompanied by the existence of various bacteria. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been shown to efficiently remove virus. In this study, bacterial cells, supernatants, and cultures were harvested separately from three strains at the culture ages of 6 and 24 h, corresponding to the log and stationary phases, respectively. The aim is to investigate how their presence affects virus adsorption on the three Fe and Al oxide NPs (α-Fe₂O₃, γ-Fe₂O₃-B, and Al₂O₃) and how these effects change with bacterial growth phase. Bacteriophage phiX174 was used as a virus model. Results showed that bacterial cells, supernatants, and cultures harvested at 6 h generally reduced virus adsorption by an average of 0.75?±?0.84, 7.7?±?9.0, and 10.3?±?8.6 %, respectively, while those harvested at 24 h reduced virus adsorption by an average of 2.1?±?0.93, 21.5?±?6.6, and 24.6?±?6.9 %, respectively. Among the NPs, α-Fe₂O₃ showed more sensitivity to bacteria than the other two, probably because of its relatively higher value of point of zero charge. It was found that cell-induced and supernatant-induced reductions were combined to achieve added results, in which the supernatants contributed much more than the cells, implying that the bacterial exudates might be more crucial in the reduced virus adsorption than the bacterial cells. These results strongly demonstrated that the bacteria-induced reduction in virus adsorption became more significant with culture age. It is suggested that studies conducted in the absence of bacteria may not accurately evaluate the potential of virus removal efficiency of the NPs in bacteria-containing environments.     

Temporal patterns of atmospheric mercury species in northern Mississippi during 2011–2012: Influence of sudden population swings

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM) were measured on the University of Mississippi campus from July 2011 to June 2012. It is believed to be the first time that concentrations of atmospheric mercury species have been documented in northern Mississippi, and at a location with relatively large and sudden swings in population. The mean concentration (±1SD) of GEM was 1.54 ± 0.32 ng m⁻³; levels were lower and generally more stable during the winter (1.48 ± 0.22) and spring (1.46 ± 0.27) compared with the summer (1.56 ± 0.32) and fall (1.63 ± 0.42). Mean concentrations for GOM and PBM were 3.87 pg m⁻³ and 4.58 pg m⁻³, respectively; levels tended to be highest in the afternoon and lowest in the early morning hours. During the fall and spring academic semesters concentrations and variability of GOM and PBM both increased, possibly from vehicle exhaust. There were moderate negative correlations with wind speed (all species) and humidity (GOM and PBM). Backward air mass trajectory modeling for the ten highest peaks for each mercury species revealed that the majority of these events occurred from air masses that passed through the northern continental US region. Overall, this study illustrates the complexity of temporal fluctuations of airborne mercury species, even in a small town environment.     

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) in biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment plants in China

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs) along with methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-PBDEs) have been frequently identified as natural compounds in marine environment and also assumed as metabolites of PBDEs. In the present study, nine OH-PBDE, nine MeO-PBDE and 10 PBDE congeners were studied in the sewage sludge collected from 36 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in 27 cities of China. The results suggest that OH-PBDEs and PBDEs are ubiquitous in sewage sludge in China, however, methoxylated PBDEs were not detectable. Composition profiles of detected OH-PBDE congeners were different depending on the sampling location. ΣOH-PBDEs in WWTPs sludge ranged from 0.04 to 2.24 ng g^?1 dry weight (mean: 0.35 ng g^?1 dry weight). The total amount of the two most prominent congeners (6-OH-BDE-47 + 2′-OH-BDE-68) accounted for about 53.3–100% of the sum of all six identified congeners. A significant linear relationship was found between 6-OH-BDE-47 and 2′-OH-BDE-68. A distinct geographical distribution of ΣOH-PBDEs was observed with greater concentrations of OH-PBDEs at coastal areas than inland regions in China.     

人工浮床技术开发与应用研究进展

人工浮床作为一种新型的生态修复技术,主要依靠植物、微生物和水生动物的共同作用实现对水体的净化,具有不占用土地、不消耗能源、成本低、管理简单等优点,在地表水修复和污水净化中得到了越来越多的应用.然而,受植物生长速度和温度的影响,其在应用中仍存在净化能力差、适用范围有限等缺陷.优势植物筛选与植物刈割、微生物强化技术和水生动物强化法等途径可以在一定程度上解决这些问题.人工浮床中植物、微生物和水生动物在污染物去除中的耦合过程、微生物活性及影响因素和人工浮床的设计、构建及日常管理标准的制定等研究尚不深入,是限制人工浮床技术进一步推广的主要因素,也是未来研究的重点和难点.     

碘掺杂Ti02可见光光催化性能研究

在低于100℃温度条件下,采用溶胶一凝胶法以钛酸正丁酯为钛源,碘酸钾为碘源,制备了I掺杂纳米TiO2催化剂（I-TiO2）,运用x-射线衍射（XRD）、透射电镜（TEM）及x-射线光电子能谱（XPS）等对催化剂进行表征,结果表明,TiO2及I-TiO2催化剂均为锐钛矿,I吸附并包裹在TiO2表面或以间隙进入的形式存在,并未进入TiO2晶格。通过在可见光照射下（A〉420nm）以罗丹明B（RhodamineB,RhB）的光催化降解为探针反应研究了在不同条件下制备催化剂的催化性能,结果表明,掺杂比为n1：n^ti=0．05：l,焙烧温度为400℃,降解介质条件pH=7时,l-TiO2光催化活性明显优于未掺杂的TiO2。光催化降解过程通过红外光谱（IR）,总有机碳（TOC）跟踪测定,比较了TiO2掺杂前后降解RhB和对氯苯酚（4-CP）的光催化特性差异;同时采用苯甲酸荧光光度法跟踪测定体系中的氧化物种,表明在可见光下,I-TiO2光催化体系中产生·OH高活性氧化物种从而氧化降解目标化合物。     

高效阿特拉津降解菌株DNS10降解条件优化

从长期施用阿特拉津的寒地黑土耕层(0～10 cm)土壤中筛选到一株能以除草剂阿特拉津为氮源生长的降解菌株,结合16S rRNA序列分析结果,将该菌株命名为Arthrobacter sp.DNS10。在接种量为108CFU/mL的条件下,菌株DNS10在24 h内对100 mg/L阿特拉津的降解率为99.41%。单因子实验结果表明,菌株DNS10适宜生长和降解的条件范围是:温度25～35℃,pH值5.0～8.0,培养液盐度0.1%～2%,对阿特拉津最大耐受浓度可达1 200 mg/L。正交实验法进一步表明,该菌株保持较好生长及降解能力的最优方案是温度30℃,pH值7.5,培养液盐度0.5%。影响其降解能力的环境因素的主次顺序依次是:温度>盐度>pH值。     

利用沉水植物生长期收割进行富营养化水体生态管理的实地研究

在以再生水为补水水源的圆明园玉玲珑水域进行沉水植物收割实验,自2011年4—12月间每隔半个月监测一次水质。结果表明,通过在生长期收割沉水植物,玉玲珑水体TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N、NO3--N和COD的平均浓度可维持在0.1、0.04、0.86、0.1、0.32和18 mg/L左右,水质保持在Ⅲ类至Ⅳ类地表水之间;与之对照的不收割沉水植物的玉玲珑进水口水域,9月沉水植物开始死亡腐烂,TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N最高分别可达0.5、0.1、2.4和0.60 mg/L;作为对照的另一以挺水植物为主的水域,水质普遍劣于有大量沉水植物生长的水域,TP、SRP、TN、NH4+-N最高分别可达1.2、0.60、6.1和0.61mg/L。圆明园的实地实验表明,沉水植物有很强的净化水质作用,通过生长期收割,能够进一步强化其水质净化作用,可以作为一项对富营养化水体进行生态管理的有效措施进行推广。