The impact of pumped water from a de-watered Magnesian limestone quarry on an adjacent wetland: Thrislington, County Durham, UK

Although quarrying is often cited as a potential threat to wetland systems, there is a lack of relevant, quantitative case studies in the literature. The impact of pumped groundwater discharged from a quarry into a wetland area was assessed relative to reference conditions in an adjacent fen wetland that receives only natural runoff. Analysis of vegetation patterns at the quarry wetland site, using Detrended Correspondence Analysis and the species indicator values of Ellenberg, revealed a clear disparity between community transitions in the quarry wetland and the reference site. Limited establishment of moisture-sensitive taxa, the preferential proliferation of robust wetland species and an overall shift towards lower species diversity in the quarry wetland were explicable primarily by the physico-chemical environment created by quarry dewatering. This encompassed high pH (up to 12.8), sediment-rich effluent creating a nutrient-poor substrate with poor moisture retention in the quarry wetland, and large fluctuations in water levels.     

Degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by selected helophytes

Four emergent plants (helophytes, synonyms emersion macrophytes, marsh plants, etc.) Phragmites australis, Juncus glaucus, Carex gracillis and Typha latifolia were successfully used for degradation of TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) under in vitro conditions. The plants took up and transformed more than 90% of TNT from the medium within ten days of cultivation. The most efficient species was Ph. australis which took up 98% of TNT within ten days. The first stable degradation products 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT) and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT) were identified and analysed during the cultivation period. [14C] TNT was used for the detection of TNT degradation products and their compartmentalization in plant tissues after two weeks of cultivation. Forty one percent of 14C was detected as insoluble or bound in cell structures: 34% in roots and 8% in the aerial parts. These results open the perspective of using the above-mentioned plants for the remediation of TNT contaminated waters.     

Photodegradation of pentachlorophenol and its degradation pathways predicted using density functional theory

The objectives of the present research were (i) to report the mass balance of chlorine during pentachlorophenol (PCP) photodegradation and (ii) to reveal the photodegradation pathway experimentally with a theoretical proof based on the density functional theory (DFT). The chlorine of PCP was completely mineralized to produce chloride ions after 24h of UV irradiation. As intermediates, 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and 2,5-dichlorophenol were identified. At least 80% of the chlorine balance during PCP photodegradation was accounted by PCP, these intermediates, and chloride ions. A DFT calculation showed differences in the C-Cl bond dissociation energy level and the positions of respective PCP molecular and the PCP intermediates. The dechlorination intermediates predicted using the calculated C-Cl bond dissociation energy were consistent with those experimentally confirmed, indicating the feasibility of this theoretical method in predicting the dechlorination pathway.     

Laboratory evaluation of thermophilic-anaerobic digestion to produce Class A biosolids. 2. Inactivation of pathogens and indicator organisms in a continuous-flow reactor followed by batch treatment.

Thermophilic-anaerobic digestion in a single-stage, mixed, continuous-flow reactor is not approved in the United States as a process capable of producing Class A biosolids for land application. This study was designed to evaluate the inactivation of pathogens and indicator organisms in such a reactor followed by batch treatment in a smaller reactor. The combined process was evaluated at 53 degrees C with sludges from three different sources and at 51 and 55 degrees C with sludge from one of the sources. Feed sludge to the continuous-flow reactor was spiked with the pathogen surrogates Ascaris suum and vaccine-strain poliovirus. Feed and effluent were analyzed for these organisms and for indigenous Salmonella spp., fecal coliforms, Clostridium perfringens spores, and somatic and male-specific coliphages. No viable Ascaris eggs were observed in the effluent from the continuous reactor at 53 or 55 degrees C, with greater than 2-log removals across the digester in all cases. Approximately 2-log removal was observed at 51 degrees C, but all samples of effluent biosolids contained at least one viable Ascaris egg at 51 degrees C. No viable poliovirus was found in the digester effluent at any of the operating conditions, and viable Salmonella spp. were measured in the digester effluent in only one sample throughout the study. The ability of the continuous reactor to remove fecal coliforms to below the Class A monitoring limit depended on the concentration in the feed sludge. There was no significant removal of Clostridium perfringens across the continuous reactor under any condition, and there also was limited removal of somatic coliphages. The removal of male-specific coliphages across the continuous reactor appeared to be related to temperature. Overall, at least one of the Class A pathogen criteria or the fecal coliform limit was exceeded in at least one sample in the continuous-reactor effluent at each temperature. Over the range of temperatures evaluated, the maximum time required to meet the Class A criteria by batch treatment of the continuous-reactor effluent was 1 hour for Ascaris suum and Salmonella spp. and 2 hours for fecal coliforms.     

Applicability of Fenton and H2O2/UV reactions in the treatment of tannery wastewaters

In this paper we evaluated the H2O2/UV and the Fenton's oxidation processes for the treatment of tannery wastewater under different experimental conditions. Efficiencies were judged by the amounts of organic substances degraded or eliminated under these treatment techniques. Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri were used to monitor toxicity. Organic compounds contained in the untreated and treated tannery wastewater were determined and identified using substance specific techniques. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in positive electron impact (EI(+)) mode was applied to determine volatile organics. Atmospheric pressure ionization (API) mass (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS) coupled with flow injection analysis (FIA) or liquid chromatography (LC) were used to detect or identify polar organic pollutants. The experimental results indicated that both oxidation processes--H2O2/UV at pH 3 and Fenton at pH 3.5--are able to reduce TOC content by mineralisation of the organic compounds.     

白腐菌应用于堆肥处理含木质素废物的研究

白腐菌对木质素具有较强的降解能力。通过在含大量木质素的模拟垃圾堆肥中采取添加白腐菌菌剂与不添加该菌剂2组实验对比,在相同堆肥处理条件下,接种菌剂的堆肥中木质素总量由274988mg降至15438mg,降解率达4386%,远高于未接种菌剂的堆肥中木质素的降解率,表明白腐菌可有效用于含木质素废弃物的堆肥处理,并有望于加速堆肥腐熟,提高堆肥效率。     

新型膜-生物反应器在不同通量下的膜污染特性研究

选择适当的膜通量是膜-生物反应器控制膜污染的有效手段之一.本文根据膜通量与临界通量的关系选取了5个不同的膜通量,考察在这些通量条件下新型膜-生物反应器膜污染发展特性的变化.试验结果表明,膜通量的变化会影响膜污染的发展特性.当膜通量小于临界通量区时,膜污染发展具有"2阶段"趋势,并且膜通量越小"第1阶段"和"第2阶段"的膜污染发展速率对比越显著.当膜通量在临界通量区通量内时,首先出现短暂的膜污染快速增长期,随后膜污染发展仍呈现"2阶段"现象.当膜通量大于临界通量区通量时,膜操作压力(TMP)从开始运行即迅速上涨直至试验结束.     

中国南方某城市自来水厂处理工艺对多环芳烃的去除效果研究

讨论了中国南方某城市自来水厂饮用水中的多环芳烃残留规律以及现有净水工艺对多环芳烃的去除效果。研究结果表明,该自来水厂饮用水中检出多环芳烃以2~4环芳烃为主,强致癌性高环数多环芳烃均在检出限以下,且多环芳烃总量未超出中国供水行业标准(2000年)的相关限值。各处理工艺段中,砂滤过程对多环芳烃的去除效果最好,相较于原水对多环芳烃总量的去除率可达64%。     

多隔室厌氧折流板反应器(ABR) 的水力特性试验研究

对ABR反应器的水力流态进行了示踪剂试验,分析了特征截面面积对ABR水力特性的影响,采用停留时间分布(RTD)法研究了不同进水COD浓度和HRT条件下ABR反应器的水力特性,结果表明不同进水COD浓度时ABR反应器的RTD曲线相似,表明进水COD浓度不是影响ABR水力特性的主要因素;不同HRT条件下RTD曲线差异很大,表明HRT对ABR的水力特性影响较大,随着水力停留时间的延长,N值增大,1/Pe减小,ABR的流态趋于推流流态,随着HRT的缩短,N值减小,1/Pe数增大,ABR反应器趋于完全混合流态.     

TiO2/H2O2/UV和TiO2/O3/UV降解对氯苯甲酸和喹啉的试验研究

主要叙述TiO2/H2O2/UV和TiO2/O3/UV体系降解对氯苯甲酸（4-CBA）和喹啉的试验研究.研究表明,（1）在TiO2/H2O2/UV体系里目标物降解速度先随过氧化氢投加量的增加而提高,但超过一定浓度之后便开始下降;（2）在TiO2/O3/UV体系中,目标降解物的反应速度都非常快,且臭氧浓度高的时候降解速度更快;（3）二氧化钛催化剂在TiO2/O3/UV体系中作为积极因素有助于提高反应速率,而在TiO2/H2O2/UV体系是消极因素,会降低反应速率.