Integrated catalytic wet air oxidation and aerobic biological treatment in a municipal WWTP of a high-strength o-cresol wastewater

This study examines the feasibility of coupling a Catalytic Wet Air Oxidation (CWAO), with activated carbon (AC) as catalyst, and an aerobic biological treatment to treat a high-strength o-cresol wastewater. Two goals are pursued: (a) To determine the effect of the main AC/CWAO intermediates on the activated sludge of a municipal WasteWater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and (b) To demonstrate the feasibility of coupling the AC/CWAO effluent as a part of the influent of a municipal WWTP. In a previous study, a high-strength o-cresol wastewater was treated by AC/CWAO aiming to establish the distribution of intermediates and the biodegradability enhancement. In this work, the biodegradability, toxicity and inhibition of the most relevant intermediates detected in the AC/CWAO effluent were determined by respirometry. Also, the results of a pilot scale municipal WWTP study for an integrated AC/CWAO-aerobic biological treatment of this effluent are presented. The biodegradation parameters (i.e. maximum oxygen uptake rate and oxygen consumption) of main AC/CWAO intermediates allowed the classification of the intermediates into readily biodegradable, inert or toxic/inhibitory compounds. This detailed study, allowed to understand the biodegradability enhancement exhibited by an AC/CWAO effluent and to achieve a successful strategy for coupling the AC/CWAO step with an aerobic biological treatment for a high-strength o-cresol wastewater. Using 30%, as COD, of AC/CWAO effluent in the inlet to the pilot scale WWTP, the integrated AC/CWAO-biological treatment achieved a 98% of total COD removal and, particularly, a 91% of AC/CWAO effluent COD removal without any undesirable effect on the biomass.     

Heterogeneous uptake of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) onto mineral dust aerosol under variable RH conditions

We have carried out kinetic studies to characterize the heterogeneous decay of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅) in the presence of representative mineral dust aerosol in order to obtain a better understanding of the atmospheric fate of these siloxanes. The heterogeneous chemistry of D₄ and D₅ with various mineral dusts was studied in an environmental aerosol reaction chamber using FTIR absorption spectroscopy to monitor the reaction. The apparent heterogeneous uptake coefficient, γ_app, for D₄ and D₅ with various mineral dusts was measured under dry conditions and as a function of relative humidity (RH). In addition, the effect of initial D₄ and D₅ concentration on the rate and yield of the reaction was examined. The uptake coefficient, γ_app, for D₄ and D₅ was similar for the most reactive aerosols tested, with kaolinite ≈hematite > silica. Limited uptake onto carbon black and calcite surfaces was observed for either siloxane. Reaction with hematite and kaolinite resulted in multilayer coverages, suggesting extensive polymerization of D₄ and D₅ on the aerosol surface.     

Correlates of male mating success in great bustard leks: the effects of age, weight, and display effort

We examined how mating success varied in relation to age, weight, body size, and display behavior among great bustard Otis tarda males. The estimated mating success was strongly skewed, with 45% of adult males being involved in copulation attempts and only 9.7% actually seen copulating successfully. Unlike most birds, body size continued increasing in great bustards several years after reaching sexual maturity. Age, weight, and display effort were all significant and independent predictors of male mating success. The higher display effort involved performing longer full-display bouts. Older males could detach from the male flock earlier in the season as well as on each day and spend longer seasonal and daily periods displaying as solitary birds, which contributed to increase their mating success. In contrast, males weighing more did not invest more in display, which suggests that they could be recognized as dominants by other males and selected by females through assessment of their plumage sexual traits. In contrast to most other bird species, the system described for great bustards resembles that found in some lek-mating ungulates, where social rank is a complex trait determined by both age and mass, and as in these mammals, it suggests that sexual selection continues to favor a high male weight in this extremely sexually dimorphic species.     

A heuristic approach to predicting water beetle diversity in temporary and fluctuating waters

An understanding of the causal mechanisms and processes that shape macroinvertebrate communities at a local scale has important implications for the management and conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Here we compare the performance of linear and non-linear statistics to explore diversity-environment relationships using data from 76 temporary and fluctuating ponds in two regions of southern England. We focus on aquatic beetle assemblages, which have been shown to be excellent surrogates of wider freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity. Ponds in the region contained a rich coleopteran fauna, totaling 68 species, which provided an excellent model system with which to compare the performance of two non-linear procedures (artificial neural networks—ANNs and generalised additive models—GAMs) and one more traditional linear approach (Multiple linear regression—MLR) to modelling diversity-environment relationships. Of all approaches employed, the best fit was obtained using an ANN model with only four input variables (conductivity, turbidity, magnesium concentration and depth). This model accounted for 82% of the observed variability in Shannon diversity index across ponds. In contrast, the best GAM and MLR models only explained 50% and 14% of this variation, respectively. Contribution profile analysis of conductivity, turbidity, magnesium concentration and depth, obtained from the best fit ANN through a hierarchical cluster analysis, allowed the identification of direct and proxy effects in relation to the environmental variables measured in this study. In each case, distinct clusters of ponds were identified in contribution profile analysis, suggesting that ponds across the two regions fall into a number of discrete groups, whose beetle faunas respond in subtly yet significantly different ways to key environmental variables. Aquatic coleopteran diversity in ponds in the two regions appears to be driven at a local scale by changes in relatively few physicochemical gradients, which are related to diversity in a clearly non-linear manner.     

珠江水体表层沉积物中PAHs的含量与来源研究

沿珠江白鹅潭水域及大学城官州河流域设立6个采样点,利用沉积物捕获器收集沉积物。参照美国EPA8000系列方法及质量保证和质量控制,对各采样点表层沉积物中16种多环芳烃（polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,PAHs）进行分析,以阐明珠江广州河段表层沉积物中PAHs的含量和分布特征,并结合特征化合物指数对其来源作初步探讨。珠江广州河段表层沉积物中PAHs总量介于4 787.5～8 665 ng·g^-1,平均值为7 078 ng·g^-1,黄沙码头河涌出口沉积物中总量为最高（8 665 ng·g^-1）,芳村码头为最低（4 787.5 ng·g^-1）。16种多环芳烃中菲、荧蒽、芘含量较高,分别占PAHs总量的16.11%、14.47%和17.77%。特征化合物荧蒽/202比值均小于0.5,茚并[1,2,3-cd]芘/276比值均大于0.2,表明珠江广州段表层沉积物中PAHs主要来源于化石燃料的不完全燃烧。     

典型灌区稻田多氯联苯残留特征及生态风险评估

以南方典型小灌区的两块稻田为试验小区,采用GC-ECD对其田间水体和土壤中EPA优控14种多氯联苯（PCBs）进行了检测和定量分析。结果表明,14种PCBs同系物有不同程度检出,优势残留物主要以3氯和5氯取代PCBs为主,水和土壤占PCBs总量的88.24%、90.13%。水中∑PCBs质量浓度为24.09～310.34ng·L^-1,其中地表水均值为245.84ng·L^-1,地下水均值为96.46ng·L^-1;土壤中∑PCBs质量分数为10.01～54.63ng·g^-1,均值为33.92ng·g^-1。稻田地表水中的PCBs质量浓度远高于地下水,垂向迁移明显但速度较慢;稻田地表及地下水中PCBs质量浓度有随时间衰减的趋势,可能与水稻的生育周期有关;淹灌处理稻田PCBs质量分数高于节水灌溉。研究区毒性当量TEQ在2.65×10^-2～7.54×10^-2pg·g^-1之间,生态风险处于中等水平。地表及地下水均遭到污染,再加上PCBs具有生态累积效应,危害不容忽视。     

Pseudomonas sp.L19抗除草剂AHAS基因的克隆、表达及特性

乙酰羟酸合酶(AHAS)是磺酰脲类、咪唑啉酮类、三唑嘧啶类、磺酰胺类和嘧啶水杨酸类等乙酰羟酸合酶抑制剂类除草剂的作用靶标,获得能抗此类除草剂的AHAS突变基因资源具有非常重要的理论和应用价值.从长期使用甲磺隆的农田土壤中分离到1株对乙酰羟酸合酶抑制剂类除草剂有广谱抗性的菌株L19,根据表型特征、生理生化特性和16S rDNA序列系统发育分析,将其鉴定为假单孢菌属(Pseudomonas sp.).利用PCR技术从Pseudomonas sp.L19的总DNA中克隆AHAS基因,氨基酸序列比对结果表明,L19与对除草剂敏感菌株P.putida KT2440的AHAS调节亚基氨基酸序列完全相同,而催化亚基有4个氨基酸位点不同:[Val 29→Ala(L19→KT2440),Pro93→Ser,Val 345→Ala,Pro 484→Arg].分别将菌株L19与KT2440的AHAS催化亚基克隆到pET29a(+)的多克隆位点,构建了表达载体pET-L19AHASc和pET-KT2440AHASc,通过镍柱亲和层析纯化得到带有组氨酸标签的乙酰羟酸合酶.抗性试验结果表明菌株L19的乙酰羟酸合酶对四大类乙酰羟酸合酶抑制剂类除草剂的抗性均要强于KT2440的乙酰羟酸合酶,对甲磺隆、咪唑乙烟酸、唑嘧磺草胺和嘧草醚的抗性倍数分别达到53.6、9.3、8.2和9.5倍.菌株L19的乙酰羟酸合酶比活力、对ThDP和Mg2+的Kc值相应地比KT2440乙酰羟酸合酶的要低;而对底物丙酮酸钠的米氏常数Km值要比KT2440乙酰羟酸合酶的要高近1倍.     

微咸水膜下滴灌对白僵土盐碱地水盐特性及油葵生长的影响

为了解滴灌条件下不同微咸水矿化度及覆膜与否对盐碱地土壤水盐特性及油葵生长的影响,在宁夏平罗西大滩盐碱地进行不同灌水矿化度(0.2、1、2、3 g/L)膜下滴灌田间试验.结果表明,地膜覆盖比不覆盖处理土壤含水量高约2%,盐分表聚减缓,油葵株高、产量及其构成均高于不覆膜处理,产量最高增幅达82.5%;不同矿化度微咸水之间比较发现,利用矿化度为1 g/L的微咸水进行灌溉时,下层土壤含水量较高,微咸水滴灌不但没有为上层土壤带去过多盐分,反而由于土壤有一定的渗透性能,灌水将土壤上层盐分逐渐淋洗至下层.膜下滴灌微咸水矿化度为1 g/L时,油葵产量最大.因此在适宜条件、合理措施下,微咸水覆膜滴灌技术可以促进作物生长,确保作物产量,在淡水缺乏而微咸水较为丰富的盐碱地地区应积极推广利用.     

Ecological state equation

The direct equivalence between ecology and thermodynamics has not been attained despite accepted thermodynamic features of the ecosystem. This article explores the homeomorphism between ecology and statistical mechanics by analysis of ruderal vegetation. In conventional thermostatistical algorithm, the pro-kinetic effect of temperature on molecules was replaced by the anti-kinetic effect of species diversity on biological individuals. The existence of an ecological equivalent of the thermodynamic Boltzmann constant was empirically verified. From the relationship of this constant with biocenological variables, we derived a probable ecological equation of state under stationary and quasi-stationary conditions. This equation of state is homeomorphic with regard to the ideal gas state equation, and it is useful to infer the value of some biocenological parameters whose direct measurement is difficult, as biomass, energy and dispersal. According to these results, ecosystem assessment from conventional thermostatistics is plausible and empirically verifiable. This approach offers useful analytical tools for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems.