Utilization of coal fly ash in China: a mini-review on challenges and future directions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The rapid economic development in China places a large demand for energy, and as a result, thermal power plants in China are producing an enormous...     

Nitrogen removal performance and bacterial communities in zeolite trickling filter under different influent C/N ratios

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the degradation performance of nutrients in zeolite trickling filter (ZTF) with different influent C/N ratios and aeration conditions...     

Polystyrene nanoplastics affect growth and microcystin production of Microcystis aeruginosa

Nanoplastics are widely distributed in freshwater environments, but few studies have addressed their effects on freshwater algae, especially on harmful algae. In this study, the effects of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics on Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) growth, as well as microcystin (MC) production and release, were investigated over the whole growth period. The results show that PS nanoplastics caused a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on M. aeruginosa growth and a dose-dependent increase in the aggregation rate peaking at 60.16% and 46.34%, respectively, when the PS nanoplastic concentration was 100 mg/L. This caused significant growth of M. aeruginosa with a specific growth rate up to 0.41 d^?1 (50 mg/L PS nanoplastics). After a brief period of rapid growth, the tested algal cells steadily grew. In addition, the increase in PS nanoplastics concentration promoted the production and release of MC. When the PS nanoplastic concentration was 100 mg/L, the content of the intracellular (intra-) and extracellular (extra-) MC increased to 199.1 and 166.5 μg/L, respectively, on day 26, which was 31.4% and 31.1% higher, respectively, than the control. Our results provide insights into the action mechanism of nanoplastics on harmful algae and the potential risks to freshwater environments.

     

Development of highly efficient and reusable magnetic nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes for chlorophenol removal

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method and further modified with magnetic Co0.5Cu0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles...     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and n-alkane pollution characteristics and structural and functional perturbations to the microbial community: a case-study of historically petroleum-contaminated soil

Characterization of the typical petroleum pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes, and indigenous microbial community structure and function in historically contaminated soil at petrol stations is critical. Five soil samples were collected from a petrol station in Beijing, China. The concentrations of 16 PAHs and 31 n-alkanes were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The total concentrations of PAHs and n-alkanes ranged from 973 ± 55 to 2667 ± 183 μg/kg and 6.40 ± 0.38 to 8.65 ± 0.59 mg/kg (dry weight), respectively, which increased with depth. According to the observed molecular indices, PAHs and n-alkanes originated mostly from petroleum-related sources. The levels of ΣPAHs and the total toxic benzo[a]pyrene equivalent (ranging from 6.41 to 72.54 μg/kg) might exert adverse biological effects. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was employed to investigate the indigenous microbial community structure and function. The results revealed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most abundant phyla, and Nocardioides and Microbacterium were the important genera. Based on COG and KEGG annotations, the highly abundant functional classes were identified, and these functions were involved in allowing microorganisms to adapt to the pressure from contaminants. Five petroleum hydrocarbon degradation-related genes were annotated, revealing the distribution of degrading microorganisms. This work facilitates the understanding of the composition, source, and potential ecological impacts of residual PAHs and n-alkanes in historically contaminated soil.

     

Effects of tea polyphenols on the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the expression of related gene in the leaves of wheat seedlings under salt stress

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Longchun 30, a new wheat variety, was used to investigate seedling growth, element absorption, and antioxidant response under 150 mM NaCl and tea...     

Performance and microbial community of a membrane bioreactor system——Treating wastewater from ethanol fermentation of food waste

In this study, a lab-scale biological anaerobic/anaerobic/anoxic/membrane bioreactor(A_-~3MBR) was designed to treat wastewater from the ethanol fermentation of food waste,a promising way for the disposal of food waste and reclamation of resources. The 454 pyrosequencing technique was used to investigate the composition of the microbial community in the treatment system. The system yielded a stable effluent concentration of chemical oxygen demand(202 ± 23 mg/L), total nitrogen(62.1 ± 7.1 mg/L), ammonia(0.3 ±0.13 mg/L) and total phosphorus(8.3 ± 0.9 mg/L), and the reactors played different roles in specific pollutant removal. The exploration of the microbial community in the system revealed that:(1) the microbial diversity of anaerobic reactors A_1 and A_2, in which organic pollutants were massively degraded, was much higher than that in anoxic A_3 and aerobic MBR;(2) although the community composition in each reactor was quite different, bacteria assigned to the classes Clostridia, Bacteroidia, and Synergistia were important and common microorganisms for organic pollutant degradation in the anaerobic units, and bacteria from Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were the dominant microbial population in A_3 and MBR;(3) the taxon identification indicated that Arcobacter in the anaerobic reactors and Thauera in the anoxic reactor were two representative genera in the biological process. Our results proved that the biological A_-~3MBR process is an alternative technique for treating wastewater from food waste.     

一种多介质层波形潜流人工湿地处理重污染河水试验

我国河流污染严重,城市黑臭水体的比率日益增加。人工湿地作为一种高效低耗能的绿色处理技术,已被广泛应用于污染河水的治理。通过对比分析分层装填复合填料的多介质层波形潜流人工湿地和单一砾石填料的普通人工湿地处理重污染河水的效果,研究了特种基质填料强化脱氮除磷作用以及不同水力负荷条件的影响。试验结果表明:在水力负荷为0.2 m~3/(m~2·d)时,普通湿地对COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的去除率分别达到55.95%、77.85%、39.80%和54.94%;多介质层湿地对COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的去除率分别达到58.52%、75.99%、67.08%和57.31%。在水力负荷为0.5 m~3/(m~2·d)时,普通湿地对COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的去除率分别达到68.46%、90.73%、42.13%和53.70%;多介质层湿地对COD、NH3-N、TN和TP的去除率分别达到69.61%、89.94%、77.58%和68.63%,其脱氮效果明显好于普通湿地。以复合填料包分层装填的波形潜流人工湿地系统具有良好的脱氮除磷效果,有很好的推广应用价值。     

大鹏湾近岸海域叶绿素a的时空分布特征

根据2015年度大鹏湾近岸海域5个海洋环境浮标的在线监测数据,分析大鹏湾海域海水中叶绿素a（Chl a）的时空分布特征及其与主要水质参数的相关关系。结果表明大鹏湾Chl a含量在春、夏、秋季较高,而冬季较低,实测最大值为82.23 μg/L;受水动力环境及陆源排放影响,终年沙头角附近海域的Chl a含量明显高于其他区域。Pearson相关分析结果表明,大鹏湾海域Chl a含量与水温呈现正相关关系,但与盐度不存在显著意义的相关关系。总体来看,Chl a含量的时空分布受陆地径流、外源输入和养殖环境状况等的共同影响。     

基于ASPEN的酸性水泄漏应急处置装置设计与优化

针对厂区的含硫化氢酸性水泄漏设计了一套应急处置装置,以氢氧化钠溶液为吸收剂,采用Aspen Plus标准大型通用流程模拟软件对受限空间内硫化氢洗消装置的洗消过程进行模拟,分别考察液气比、操作气速、硫化氢进口浓度、洗消液浓度、填料比表面积等因素对硫化氢脱除效率的影响。结果表明:综合考虑洗消效果、功率消耗等,所设计的硫化氢洗消装置液气比宜选择为6~7L/m3、进气量为300Nm3、硫化氢入口浓度不大于2 000ppm、洗消液质量分数不大于4%、填料比表面积在350m2/m3以上,在此优化条件下,硫化氢的出口浓度可降低到满足30ppm的应急排放标准要求。该研究可为酸性水泄漏应急处置装置的设计与优化提供技术支持。