Phytoremediation potential of charophytes: Bioaccumulation and toxicity studies of cadmium, lead and zinc

The ability for usage of common freshwater charophytes,Chara aculeolata and Nitella opaca in removal of cadmium (Cd),lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from wastewater was examined.C.aculeolata and N.opaca were exposed to various concentrations of Cd (0.25 and 0.5 mg/L),Pb (5 and 10 mg/L) and Zn (5 and 10 mg/L) solutions under hydroponic conditions for 6 days.C.aculeolata was more tolerant of Cd and Pb than N.opaca.The relative growth rate of N.opaca was drastically reduced at high concentrations of Cd and Pb although both were tolerant of Zn.Both macroalgae showed a reduction in chloroplast,chlorophyll and carotenoid content after Cd and Pb exposure,while Zn exposure had little effects.The bioaccumulation of both Cd and Pb was higher in N.opaca (1544.3 μg/g at 0.5 mg/L Cd,21657.0 μg/g at 10 mg/L Pb) whereas higher Zn accumulation was observed in C.aculeolata (6703.5 μg/g at 10 mg/L Zn).In addition,high bioconcentration factor values (> 1000) for Cd and Pb were observed in both species.C.aculeolata showed higher percentage of Cd and Pb removal (> 95%) than N.opaca and seemed to be a better choice for Cd and Pb removal from wastewater due to its tolerance to these metals.     

Occurrence and distribution of hexabromocyclododecane in sediments from seven major river drainage basins in China

The concentrations and geographical distribution of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) were investigated in 37 composite surface sediments from seven major river drainage basins in China, including Yangtze River, Yellow River, Pearl River, Liaohe River, Haihe River, Tarim River and Ertix River. The detection frequency of HBCD was 54%, with the concentrations ranged from below limit of detection (LOD) to 206 ng/g dry weight. In general, the geographical distribution showed increasing trends from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the rivers and from North China to Southeast China. Compared to other regions in the world, the average concentration of HBCD in sediments from Yangtze River drainage basin was at relatively high level, whereas those from other six river drainage basins were at lower or similar level. The highest HBCD concentration in sediment from Yangtze River Delta and the highest detection frequency of HBCD in Pearl River drainage basins suggested that the industrial and urban activities could evidently affect the HBCD distribution. HBCD diastereoisomer profiles showed that γ-HBCD dominated in most of the sediment samples, followed by α- and β-HBCD, which was consistent with those in the commercial HBCD mixtures. Further risk assessment reflected that the average inventories of HBCD were 18.3, 5.87, 3.92, 2.50, 1.77 ng/cm 2 in sediments from Pearl River, Haihe River, Tarim River, Yellow River and Yangtze River, respectively.     

Cost-performance analysis of nutrient removal in a full-scale oxidation ditch process based on kinetic modeling

A full-scale oxidation ditch process for treating sewage was simulated with the ASM2d model and optimized for minimal cost with acceptable performance in terms of ammonium and phosphorus removal. A unified index was introduced by integrating operational costs (aeration energy and sludge production) with effluent violations for performance evaluation. Scenario analysis showed that,in comparison with the baseline (all of the 9 aerators activated), the strategy of activating 5 aerators could save aeration energy significantly with an ammonium violation below 10%. Sludge discharge scenario analysis showed that a sludge discharge flow of 250–300 m3/day (solid retention time (SRT), 13–15 days) was appropriate for the enhancement of phosphorus removal without excessive sludge production. The proposed optimal control strategy was: activating 5 rotating disks operated with a mode of "111100100" ( "1"represents activation and "0" represents inactivation) for aeration and sludge discharge flow of 200 m3/day (SRT, 19 days). Compared with the baseline, this strategy could achieve ammonium violation below 10% and TP violation below 30% with substantial reduction of aeration energy cost (46%) and minimal increment of sludge production (< 2%). This study provides a useful approach for the optimization of process operation and control.     

We are integrating with the world-Journal of Environmental Sciences Journey of twenty five years

1 Initial construction of JES Twenty years ago,research on environmental science was extended beyond its initial scope including pollution source surveys     

Pollutant emission characteristics of rice husk combustion in a vortexing fluidized bed incinerator

Rice husk with high volatile content was burned in a pilot scale vortexing fluidized bed incinerator. The fluidized bed incinerator was constructed of 6 mm stainless steel with 0.45 m in diameter and 5 m in height. The emission characteristics of CO, NO, and SO2 were studied. The effects of operating parameters, such as primary air flow rate, secondary air flow rate, and excess air ratio on the pollutant emissions were also investigated. The results show that a large proportion of combustion occurs at the bed surface and the freeboard zone. The SO2 concentration in the flue gas decreases with increasing excess air ratio, while the NOx concentration shows reverse trend. The flow rate of secondary air has a significant impact on the CO emission. For a fixed primary air flowrate, CO emission decreases with the secondary air flowrate. For a fixed excess air ratio, CO emission decreases with the ratio of secondary to primary air flow. The minimum CO emission of 72 ppm is attained at the operating condition of 40% excess air ratio and 0.6 partition air ratio. The NOx and SO2 concentrations in the flue gas at this condition are 159 and 36 ppm, which conform to the EPA regulation of Taiwan.     

BTEX pollution caused by motorcycles in the megacity of HoChiMinh

Monitoring of benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTEX) was conducted along with traffic counts at 17 roadside sites in urban areas of HoChiMinh. Toluene was the most abundant substance, followed by p,m-xylenes, benzene, o-xylene and ethylbenzene. The maximum observed hour-average benzene concentration was 254 μg/m3 . Motorcycles contributed to 91% of the traffic fleet. High correlations among BTEX species, between BTEX concentrations and the volume of on-road motorcycles, and between inter-species ratios in air and in gasoline indicate the motorcycle-exhaust origin of BTEX species. Daily concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p,m-xylenes and o-xylene were 56, 121, 21, 64 and 23 μg/m 3 , respectively. p,m-xylenes possess the highest ozone formation potential among the BTEX family.     

新型ISTD反应器处理污水处理厂污泥的试验研究

针对传统的污泥处理方法存在消化时间长、投资及运行费用高、运行管理较复杂等问题,开发了污泥同时浓缩与消化——新型ISTD反应器,并对城市污水厂剩余污泥进行试验研究。试验结果表明:在30³5℃,COD有机负荷0.65 kg/(m3·d),水力停留时间5 d的条件下,有机物分解率为53.88%,排泥含水率为91.91%,出水SS平均为612 mg/L。     

含铬废水的处理技术及机理简述

介绍了废水中六价铬的来源及存在形态,以及处理含铬废水的物理、物化、化学及生物等各种工艺,并对各种工艺的机理和优缺点进行分析,展望含铬废水的治理前景。     

Utilizing surfactants to control the sorption, desorption, and biodegradation of phenanthrene in soil-water system

An integrative technology including the surfactant enhanced sorption and subsequentdesorption and biodegradation of phenanthrene in the soil-water system was introduced and tested. For slightly contaminated agricultural soils, cationic-nonionic mixed surfactant- enhanced sorption of organic contaminants onto soils could reduce their transfer to plants, therefore safe-guarding agricultural production. After planting, residual surfactants combined with added nonionic surfactant could also promote thedesorption and biodegradation of residual phenanthrene, thus providing a cost-effective pollution remediation technology.0ur results showed that the cationic-nonionic mixed surfactantsdodecylpyridinium bromide (DDPB) and Triton X-100 (TX100) significantly enhanced soil retention of phenanthrene. The maximum sorption coefficient Kd* of phenanthrene for contaminated soils treated by mixed surfactants was about24.5 times that of soils without surfactant (Kd ) and higher than the combined effects of DDPB and TX100 individually, which was about 16.7 and 1.5 times Kd , respectively.0n the other hand, TX100 could effectively remove phenanthrene from contaminated soils treated by mixed surfactants, improving the bioavailability of organic pollutants. Thedesorption rates of phenanthrene from these treated soils were greater than 85% with TX100 concentration above2000 mg/L and approached 100% with increasing TX100 concentration. The biodegradation rates of phenanthrene in the presence of surfactants reached over 95% in30days. The mixed surfactants promoted the biodegradation of phenanthrene to some extent in 10-22days, and had no obvious impact on phenanthrene biodegradation at the end of the experiment. Results obtained from this study provide some insight for the production of safe agricultural products and a remediation scheme for soils slightly contaminated with organic pollutants.     

A pilot-scale study of cryolite precipitation from high fluoride-containing wastewater in a reaction-separation integrated reactor

Fluoride removal by traditional precipitation generates huge amounts of a water-rich sludge with low quality, which has no commercial or industrial value. The present study evaluated the feasibility of recovering fluoride as low water content cryolite from industrial fluoride-containing wastewater. A novel pilot-scale reaction-separation integrated reactor was designed. The results showed that the seed retention time in the reactor was prolonged to strengthen the induced crystallization process. The particle size of cryolite increased with increasing seed retention time, which decreased the water content. The recovery rate of cryolite was above 75% under an influent fluoride concentration of 3500 mg/L, a reaction temperature of 50℃, and an influent flow of 40 L/hr. The cryolite products that precipitated from the reactor were small in volume, large in particle size, low in water content, high in crystal purity, and recyclable.