Drought-tolerant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces pactum</Emphasis> Act12 assist phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soil by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amaranthus hypochondriacus</Emphasis>: great potential application in arid/semi-arid areas

Microbe-assisted phytoremediation provides an effective approach to clean up heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, severe drought may affect the function of microbes in arid/semi-arid areas. Streptomyces pactum Act12 is a drought-tolerant soil actinomycete strain isolated from an extreme environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to assess the effect of Act12 on Cd tolerance, uptake, and accumulation in amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) under water deficit. Inoculated plants had higher Cd concentrations (root 8.7–33.9 %; shoot 53.2–102.1 %) and uptake (root 19.9–95.3 %; shoot 110.6–170.1 %) than non-inoculated controls in Cd-treated soil. The translocation factor of Cd from roots to shoots was increased by 14.2–75 % in inoculated plants, while the bioconcentration factor of Cd in roots and shoots was increased by 10.2–64.4 and 53.9–114.8 %, respectively. Moreover, inoculation with Act12 increased plant height, root length, and shoot biomass of amaranth in Cd-treated soil compared to non-inoculated controls. Physiochemical analysis revealed that Act12 enhanced Cd tolerance in the plants by increasing glutathione, elevating superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, as well as reducing malondialdehyde content in the leaves. The drought-tolerant actinomycete strain Act12 can enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of amaranth for Cd-contaminated soils under water deficit, exhibiting potential for application in arid and semi-arid areas.     

Cadmium (Cd) distribution and contamination in Chinese paddy soils on national scale

Rice is a staple food by an increasing number of people in China. As more issues have arisen in China due to rice contaminated by cadmium (Cd), Cd contamination in arable soils has become a severe problem. In China, many studies have examined Cd contamination in arable soils on a national scale, but little studies have focused on the distribution of Cd in paddy fields. This study explored the spatial pattern of Cd in paddy soils in China, made a preliminary evaluation of the potential risk, and identified the most critically contaminated regions based on the domestic rough rice trade flow. The results showed that Cd concentrations in paddy soils in China ranged from 0.01 to 5.50 mg/kg, with a median value of 0.23 mg/kg. On average, the highest Cd concentrations were in Hunan (0.73 mg/kg), Guangxi (0.70 mg/kg), and Sichuan (0.46 mg/kg) provinces. Cd concentrations in paddy soils in central and western regions were higher than those in eastern regions, especially the southeastern coastal regions. Of the administrative regions, Cd standard exceedance rate was 33.2 %, and the heavy pollution rate was 8.6 %. Regarding to Cd of paddy soil, soil environmental quality was better in Northeast China Plain than in Yangtze River Basin and southeastern coastal region. Mining activities were the main anthropogenic pollution source of Cd in Chinese paddy soil. Based on rice trade, more of the Chinese population would be exposed to Cd through intake of rice produced in Hunan province. Certain regions that output rice, especially Hunan province, should be given priority in the management and control of Cd contamination in paddy soil.     

Research and application of method of oxygen isotope of inorganic phosphate in Beijing agricultural soils

Phosphorus (P) in agricultural ecosystems is an essential and limited element for plants and microorganisms. However, environmental problems caused by P accumulation as well as by P loss have become more and more serious. Oxygen isotopes of phosphate can trace the sources, migration, and transformation of P in agricultural soils. In order to use the isotopes of phosphate oxygen, appropriate extraction and purification methods for inorganic phosphate from soils are necessary. Here, we combined two different methods to analyze the oxygen isotopic composition of inorganic phosphate (δ¹⁸O_P) from chemical fertilizers and different fractions (Milli-Q water, 0.5 mol L^?1 NaHCO₃ (pH = 8.5), 0.1 mol L^?1 NaOH and 1 mol L^?1 HCl) of agricultural soils from the Beijing area. The δ¹⁸O_P results of the water extracts and NaHCO₃ extracts in most samples were close to the calculated equilibrium value. These phenomena can be explained by rapid P cycling in soils and the influence of chemical fertilizers. The δ¹⁸O_P value of the water extracts and NaHCO₃ extracts in some soil samples below the equilibrium value may be caused by the hydrolysis of organic P fractions mediated by extracellular enzymes. The δ¹⁸O_P values of the NaOH extracts were above the calculated equilibrium value reflecting the balance state between microbial uptake of phosphate and the release of intracellular phosphate back to the soil. The HCl extracts with the lowest δ¹⁸O_P values and highest phosphate concentrations indicated that the HCl fraction was affected by microbial activity. Hence, these δ¹⁸O_p values likely reflected the oxygen isotopic values of the parent materials. The results suggested that phosphate oxygen isotope analyses could be an effective tool in order to trace phosphate sources, transformation processes, and its utilization by microorganisms in agricultural soils.     

臭氧活性炭-后置砂滤工艺对水中农药的控制效能

选择我国饮用水水质标准中有相关规定,以及部分用量较大或虽被禁用但仍有残留的农药共25种,对黄浦江水源水以及采用臭氧活性炭-后置砂滤工艺的某水厂工艺段出水中的浓度分布进行了调查,评估了砂滤后置工艺条件下相应农药的实际处理效果。结果表明:原水中有包括莠去津、乐果、六氯苯、敌敌畏、乙草胺、丁草胺、仲丁威和p,p'-DDT的8种农药检出,且总浓度较高达到760 ng/L,其中莠去津和乙草胺含量较高,最高浓度分别达到531 ng/L和277 ng/L;从季节性分布来看,春季总农药浓度最高达760 ng/L,秋季最低为175 ng/L。从工艺去除效果来看,臭氧活性炭砂滤后置工艺对农药的总体去除率为62%~78%,与冬春季相比,夏秋季节的农药的去除率提高约10%左右,这可能与高温期微生物活性较高有关。值得关注的是,砂滤后置工艺与同期常规臭氧活性炭工艺相比农药的总去除率要低10%左右,应结合总体出水水质情况对其进一步评估。     

2种动物对复合垂直流人工湿地基质中磷形态的影响

分别向复合垂直流人工湿地下行流池和上行流池中加入蚯蚓和泥鳅,研究动物加入后人工湿地基质中磷形态及去除效率的变化。结果表明,加入蚯蚓后,下行流池基质中铁铝磷(Fe/Al-P)、钙磷(Ca-P)、有机磷和总磷的含量显著增加(p<0.05);加入泥鳅后,上行流池基质中Fe/Al-P含量无显著性变化,钙磷、有机磷、总磷含量增加。人工湿地加入蚯蚓后,基质中Ca-P占总磷的百分比下降,Fe/Al-P和有机磷占总磷的百分比增加;加入泥鳅后,基质中Ca-P占总磷的百分比也下降,而有机磷占总磷的百分比升高,该结果表明,蚯蚓和泥鳅促进了基质中Ca-P向有机磷的转化。加入蚯蚓的人工湿地对磷的去除率高于未加蚯蚓的人工湿地,其原因之一可能与加入蚯蚓后人工湿地基质总磷含量增加有关。     

应用地累积指数评价鞍山市夏季PM2.5中元素的污染

2014年夏季在鞍山市的6个站点进行了PM2.5的样品采集,对其载带的15种元素进行了检测。通过地累积指数、相关分析和聚类分析等方法分析了鞍山市夏季PM2.5中15种元素的污染来源。结果表明:Ca、Zn、Pb、Ni和Cd这5种元素的质量分数在各站点之间存在较大的差异;地累积指数结果显示,Cd为极强污染程度,可能的来源是钢铁冶炼和刹车及轮胎磨损,Pb和Zn污染程度在强污染以上,Pb可能的主要人为来源是钢铁冶炼和窖炉煤的燃烧,Zn可能主要来自钢铁冶炼和机动车,Cu、Ni、Cr和Ca中到强污染以下;聚类分析将中度污染及以上元素分为Zn-Cd-Pb,Ni-Cu-Cr和Ca 3类,分别指示钢铁冶炼、机动车尾气及刹车、轮胎磨损,建筑尘;相关性分析显示,Cr与Ni、Cu可能来自同一污染源,Zn、Cd和Pb可能来自同一种源。     

富里酸吸附TNT的环境影响因素

采用振荡平衡法对富里酸(FA)吸附TNT的主要环境影响因素以及其热力学特性进行了研究。结果表明:随着pH值的升高,FA对TNT的吸附量先减少后增加,pH=7.0时吸附量最小;随着离子强度(IS)的增大,FA对TNT的吸附量逐渐增加;随着温度的升高,FA对TNT的吸附量逐渐减少;ΔH0=-5.62 kJ/mol、ΔG0 S0 < 0,表明FA对TNT的吸附为自发的放热反应,且吸附过程中系统的无序性降低。FA对TNT的吸附机制主要包括范德华力、疏水作用、偶极作用力以及氢键力,并且范德华力和疏水作用会随着温度的升高逐渐减弱。     

聚合物水凝胶的制备以及吸附废水中铅离子

以2-丙烯酸羟乙酯(HEA)和L-半胱氨酸(L-Cys)为单体,采用辐射共聚法制备了对Pb2+具有高效吸附性能的水凝胶,利用改性剂(乙酰胺基-L-半胱氨酸)对共聚物水凝胶进行了改性,应用SEM、FT-IR、XPS等方法表征了水凝胶的性能,研究了改性后水凝胶在不同pH以及不同温度条件下对Pb2+的吸附效果,探讨了水凝胶吸附Pb2+的吸附机理,并且采用EDTA二钠为脱附剂,探索了水凝胶的重复利用能力。     

臭氧对再生水中指示病原微生物的灭活特性

以臭氧投加量(TOD)为臭氧消耗剂量评价指标,研究了北京市某实际再生水中臭氧对大肠杆菌及枯草芽孢的灭活特性,以及消毒过程中臭氧对溶解性有机碳(DOC)、色度、UV254、荧光强度的去除效果。在此基础之上,分析了色度与指示病原微生物灭活特性之间的相关性。结果表明,臭氧对大肠杆菌及枯草芽孢的灭活特性与余臭氧浓度有关。当水中无法检测到余臭氧时,随着TOD的增加,大肠杆菌灭活率增加的速率较慢,TOD增加 3 mg/L,灭活率增加了1.5 log。枯草芽孢则无显著灭活。当水中余臭氧浓度大于0时,大肠杆菌灭活率增加的速率快速提升,TOD增加 3 mg/L,灭活率增加了3 log。枯草芽孢灭活率也随TOD的增加而显著增加。消毒过程中,DOC无显著变化,而臭氧对色度、UV254、三维荧光强度的去除效果显著。当色度随TOD的增加而趋于稳定时,水中余臭氧浓度开始显著上升,预示着指示病原微生物开始进入高效灭活阶段。同时,进水色度越大,指示病原微生物进入高效灭活阶段所需的TOD越大。