Microbial mediated arsenic biotransformation in wetlands

Arsenic (As) is a pervasive environmental toxin and carcinogenic metalloid. It ranks at the top of the US priority List of Hazardous Substances and causes worldwide human health problems. Wetlands, including natural and artificial ecosystems (i.e. paddy soils) are highly susceptible to As enrichment; acting not only as repositories for water but a host of other elemental/chemical moieties. While macroscale processes (physical and geological) supply As to wetlands, it is the micro-scale biogeochemistry that regulates the fluxes of As and other trace elements from the semi-terrestrial to neighboring plant/aquatic/atmospheric compartments. Among these fine-scale events, microbial mediated As biotransformations contribute most to the element’s changing forms, acting as the ‘switch’ in defining a wetland as either a source or sink of As. Much of our understanding of these important microbial catalyzed reactions follows relatively recent scientific discoveries. Here we document some of these key advances, with focuses on the implications that wetlands and their microbial mediated transformation pathways have on the global As cycle, the chemistries of microbial mediated As oxidation, reduction and methylation, and future research priorities areas.

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Nitrogen fertility and abiotic stresses management in cotton crop: a review

This review outlines nitrogen (N) responses in crop production and potential management decisions to ameliorate abiotic stresses for better crop production. N is a primary constituent of the nucleotides and proteins that are essential for life. Production and application of N fertilizers consume huge amounts of energy, and excess is detrimental to the environment. Therefore, increasing plant N use efficiency (NUE) is important for the development of sustainable agriculture. NUE has a key role in crop yield and can be enhanced by controlling loss of fertilizers by application of humic acid and natural polymers (hydrogels), having high water-holding capacity which can improve plant performance under field conditions. Abiotic stresses such as waterlogging, drought, heat, and salinity are the major limitations for successful crop production. Therefore, integrated management approaches such as addition of aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG), the film antitranspirant (di-1-p-menthene and pinolene) nutrients, hydrogels, and phytohormones may provide novel approaches to improve plant tolerance against abiotic stress-induced damage. Moreover, for plant breeders and molecular biologists, it is a challenge to develop cotton cultivars that can tolerate plant abiotic stresses while having high potential NUE for the future.     

Field crops (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk. and Brassica chinensis L.) for phytoremediation of cadmium and nitrate co-contaminated soils via rotation with Sedum alfredii Hance

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Phytoremediation coupled with crop rotation (PCC) is a feasible strategy for remediation of contaminated soil without interrupting crop production....     

Direct methanol fuel cell bubble removal mechanism using magnetic actuation

This article develops a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) with a magnet-actuated bubble removal mechanism. A micro-DC motor is used to control the bubble removal mechanism. The lower magnetic device is operated to extrude a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) runner to compress the liquid fuel in the anode flow channel, forcing the CO₂ bubbles in the runner to flow toward the outlet end. The bubble retention in the anode flow channel is thereby improved, enhancing the cell performance. The proposed mechanism stability and performance and Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) runner are also discussed.     

茅草添加与温度变化对餐厨垃圾厌氧水解产酸的影响

比较了茅草添加在温度变化条件下对餐厨垃圾厌氧水解过程小分子有机酸产量的影响,提出一种新型餐厨垃圾的资源化方式。研究结果显示,餐厨垃圾在55℃条件下厌氧水解主要产物为乳酸,达到25．7g／L,其干物质转化率可以达到32．1％（gTS）,而餐厨＋茅草处理在同样条件下的乳酸产量为20．1g／L,干物质转化率为25．1％。温度下降为37℃后继续进行的的厌氧水解,得到的主要产物是乙酸、丙酸和丁酸,餐厨处理和餐厨＋茅草处理这两者的峰值分别为6．5、2．8、8．0和6．1g／L、2．7g／L和5．9g／L。结果显示茅草添加可以在一定程度上调节水解产物的比例,而温度变化可以调控小分子有机酸的产量。本研究结果表明,厌氧水解是一种有潜力的小分子有机酸生产与餐厨垃圾资源化处理途径。     

Comparison of lignin peroxidase and horseradish peroxidase for catalyzing the removal of nonylphenol from water

Concentrations of aqueous-phase nonylphenol (NP), a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical, are shown to be reduced effectively via reaction with lignin peroxidase (LiP) or horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide. We systematically assessed their reaction efficiencies at varying conditions, and the results have confirmed that the catalytic performance of LiP toward NP was more efficient than that of HRP under experimental conditions. Mass spectrum analysis demonstrated that polymerization through radical–radical coupling mechanism was the pathway leading to NP transformation. Our molecular modeling with the assistance of ab initio suggested the coupling of NP likely proceeded via covalent bonding between two NP radicals at their unsubstituted carbons in phenolic rings. Data from acute immobilization tests with Daphnia confirm that NP toxicity is effectively eliminated by LiP/HRP-catalyzed NP removal. The findings in this study provide useful information for understanding LiP/HRP-mediated NP reactions, and comparison of enzymatic performance can present their advantages for up-scale applications in water/wastewater treatment.     

膜电解法退镀废ABS电镀件及回收铜和镍

采用膜电解法对废丙烯腈-丁二烯-苯乙烯（ABS）电镀件进行退镀处理。以退镀废液作为阴极液和阳极液,在阳极室退镀ABS电镀件,在阴极室电解退镀废液,进行铜镍分离,回收铜粉和NiCl₂。实验结果表明：在阴极电流密度为500 A/m²、初始铜离子质量浓度为24.00 g/L的条件下电解160 min,阴极铜回收率可达97.65%,电流效率达86.60%,得到的铜粉纯度为97%~99%,处理1 L退镀废液可回收铜粉20.0 g,2 mol/L盐酸0.87 L,NiCl₂晶体43.8 g;在阳极电流密度为500 A/m²、液固比为6的条件下电解60 min, ABS电镀件的退镀率为77.22%。     

炼油废水污泥脱水工艺条件的优化

采用化学除油降黏—污泥调理—离心脱水工艺处理某炼油厂废水处理系统的混合污泥,并对工艺条件进行优化。实验结果表明,最佳的工艺条件为：化学除油降黏阶段处理体系的pH=4,反应温度35 ℃,H₂O₂加入量 2 g/L,m（H₂O₂）∶ m（Fe²⁺）=4,反应时间 60 min;污泥调理反应阶段的CaO加入量7.0 g/L;离心脱水阶段在分离因数为1 558时脱水5 min。在此条件下,得到的泥饼的含水率为70.0%~75.0%（w）,含油率小于2%（w）,污泥比阻约为3.0×10⁷ s²/g。     

Effects of methamidophos on the community structure,antagonism towards Rhizoctonia solani,and phlD diversity of soil Pseudomonas

A microcosm incubation study using an aquic brown soil from northeast China (a Cambisol in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO Soil Taxonomy) was conducted to examine the effects of different concentrations (0, 50, 150, and 250 mg kg^?1) of methamidophos (O,S-dimethyl phosphoramidothioato) on Pseudomonas, one of the most important gram-negative bacteria in soil. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was performed to study the Pseudomonas community structure, an in vitro assay was made to test the antagonistic activity of isolated Pseudomonas strains against soil-borne Rhizoctonia solani, a major member of the pathogens highly related to soil-borne plant diseases, and special primer amplification and sequencing were performed to investigate the diversity of phlD, an essential gene in the biosynthesis of 2, 4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2, 4-DAPG), which has biocontrol activity in phlD ⁺isolates. With exposure to increasing methamidophos concentrations, the total number of soil Pseudomonas ARDRA patterns decreased significantly, but with less change in the same treatments over 1, 3, and 5 weeks of incubation. The number of isolated Pseudomonas strains with antagonistic activity against R. solani as well as the diversity and appearance frequency of the strains' phlD gene also decreased with increasing concentrations of methamidophos, especially at high methamidophos concentrations. Applying methamidophos could increase the risk of soil-borne plant diseases by decreasing the diversity of the soil Pseudomonas community and the amount of R. solani antagonists, particularly those with the phlD gene.     

Volatile organic compounds in the unsaturated zone from radioactive wastes

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often comingled with low-level radioactive wastes (LLRW), but little is known about subsurface VOC emanations from LLRW landfills. The current study systematically quantified VOCs associated with LLRW over an 11-yr period at the USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) in southwestern Nevada. Unsaturated-zone gas samples of VOCs were collected by adsorption on resin cartridges and analyzed by thermal desorption and GC/MS. Sixty of 87 VOC method analytes were detected in the 110-m-thick unsaturated zone surrounding a LLRW disposal facility. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were detected in 100% of samples collected. Chlorofluorocarbons are powerful greenhouse gases, deplete stratospheric ozone, and are likely released from LLRW facilities worldwide. Soil-gas samples collected from a depth of 24 m and a horizontal distance 100 m south of the nearest waste-disposal trench contained >60,000 ppbv total VOCs, including >37,000 ppbv CFCs. Extensive sampling in the shallow unsaturated zone (0-2 m deep) identified areas where total VOC concentrations exceeded 5000 ppbv at the 1.5-m depth. Volatile organic compound concentrations exceeded background levels up to 300 m from the facility. Maximum vertical diffusive fluxes of total VOCs were estimated to be 1 g m yr. Volatile organic compound distributions were similar but not identical to those previously determined for tritium and elemental mercury. To our knowledge, this study is the first to characterize the unsaturated zone distribution of VOCs emanating from a LLRW landfill. Our results may help explain anomalous transport of radionuclides at the ADRS and elsewhere.