Effect of mean cell residence time on the performance and microbial diversity of pre-denitrification submerged membrane bioreactors

The effect of mean cell residence time (MCRT) (5, 8.3, 16.7, and 33.3d) on domestic wastewater treatment performance had been investigated using four bench-scale pre-denitrification submerged membrane bioreactors (MBR) operated in parallel. The 33.3-d MCRT MBR had the lowest microbial activities in terms of specific oxygen uptake rate, specific denitrification rate and observed sludge yield. Excellent COD removal efficiency (more than 95%) and nitrification (more than 97%) were observed in all the four MBRs investigated. Even though high nitrification can be achieved in all the MBRs, total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was found to be affected by MCRT with a maximum of 77% at 33.3-d MCRT. Better TN removal efficiency achieved in the 33.3-d MCRT MBR was due to the combined effect of high mixed liquor concentration and lower dissolved oxygen concentration in the recycled mixed liquor. A comparison of terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) fingerprints based on 16S rRNA and nirS gene revealed that the microbial communities of 5- and 8.3-d MCRT are grouped under the same branch while 16.7- and 33.3-d MCRT are grouped in another branch. T-RFLP based on amoA gene shows that members from the Nitrosomonas genus were more dominant under shorter MCRT operating environment. Clustering analysis did not show any correlation with the organic and nitrogen removal performance obtained in this study.     

Photolysis of low concentration H2S under UV/VUV irradiation emitted from microwave discharge electrodeless lamps

The photolysis of simulating low concentration of hydrogen sulfide malodorous gas was studied under UV irradiation emitted by self-made microwave discharge electrodeless lamps (i.e. microwave UV electrodeless mercury lamp (185/253.7 nm) and iodine lamp (178.3/180.1/183/184.4/187.6/206.2 nm)). Experiments results showed that the removal efficiency (eta H2S) of hydrogen sulfide was decreased with increasing initial H2S concentration and increased slightly with gas residence time; H2S removal efficiency was decreased dramatically with enlarged pipe diameter. Under the experimental conditions with pipe diameter of 36 mm, gas flow rate of 0.42 standard l s(-1), eta H2S was 52% with initial H2S concentration of 19.5 mg m(-3) by microwave mercury lamp, the absolute removal amount (ARA) was 4.30 microg s(-1), and energy yield (EY) was 77.3 mg kW h(-1); eta H2S was 56% with initial H2S concentration of 18.9 mg m(-3) by microwave iodine lamp, the ARA was 4.48 microg s(-1), and the EY was 80.5mg kW h(-1). The main photolysis product was confirmed to be SO4(2-) with IC.     

Determination of the herbicide fluroxypyr in oil matrices

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for the determination of fluroxypyr (4-amino-3,5-dichloro-6-fluro2-pyridyloxyacetic acid) residue in palm oil namely crude palm oil (CPO) and crude palm kernel oil (CPKO). The method involves the extraction of the herbicide from the oil matrix followed by low temperature precipitation and finally quantification of the residues using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extraction efficiency of the method was evaluated by conducting recovery studies. The recovery of fluroxypyr from the fortified CPO samples ranged from 78%-111% with the relative values for the coefficient of variation ranging from 1.4 to 8.6%. Furthermore, the recovery of fluroxypyr from the spiked CPKO samples ranged from 91-107% with the relative values for the coefficient of variation ranging from 0.6 to 4.5%. The minimum detection limit of fluroxypyr in CPO and CPKO was 0.05 microg/g. The method was used to determine fluroxypyr residues from the field-treated samples of CPO and CPKO. When fluroxypyr was used for weed control in oil palm plantations no residue was detected in CPO and CPKO irrespective of the sampling interval and the dosage applied at the recommended or double the manufacturer's recommended dosage.     

Contamination levels of selected organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides in the Selangor River, Malaysia between 2002 and 2003

In Malaysia, rivers are the main source of public water supplies. This study was conducted from 2002 to 2003 to determine the levels of selected organochlorine and organophosphate pesticides in the Selangor River in Malaysia. Surface water samples have been collected seasonally from nine sites along the river. A liquid-liquid extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry technique was used to determine the trace levels of these pesticide residues. The organochlorine pesticides detected were lindane, heptachlor, endosulfan, dieldrin, endosulfan sulfate, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDE whereas for organophosphate pesticides, they were chlorpyrifos and diazinon. At the river upstream where a dam is located for public water supply, incidents of pesticide levels exceeding the European Economic Community Directive of water quality standards have occurred. Furthermore, the wetland ecosystems located at the downstream of the river which houses the fireflies community is being threatened by occasional pesticide levels above EPA limits for freshwater aquatic organisms. The occurrence of these residual pesticides in the Selangor River can be attributed to the intense agriculture and urban activity.     

Synthesis, characterization and application of a novel chemical sand-fixing agent-poly(aspartic acid) and its composites

A novel sand-fixing agent-poly(aspartic acid) and its composites were synthesized to improve sand particles compressive strength and anti-wind erosion properties. The relationship between the concentration of sand-fixing agent and the sand-fixing properties was studied by three kinds of aging tests. Some composites were choose to improve the sand-fixing property and the composition of 40% xanthan gum and 60% ethyl cellulose were chosen to compare sand-fixing property with lignosulfonate. The results showed that the sand-fixing and water-retaining properties of xanthan gum and ethyl cellulose composites were better than that of lignosulfonate. The biodegradability experiment showed that the PASP and its composites were environment-friendly products and the field test showed that the PASP composites could improve wind erosion disturbance.     

Fuzzy input–output model for optimizing eco-industrial supply chains under water footprint constraints

Global water stress is expected to increase due to population growth, economic development and climate change. Because of this trend, there is an increased interest in the water intensity of industrial activities conducted via the product supply chain or within specified geographical boundaries or regions, both at the enterprise- or regulatory-level. The total water footprint of economic activities should be evaluated in consideration of local water resource consumption, virtual water trade and resource availability. As individual entities seek to protect their respective interests, the challenge is to optimize inter-regional trade of goods with the consideration of the interests of participants in the network. This work presents a fuzzy input–output model for optimizing supply chains under water footprint constraints. Two case studies, involving tile manufacturing and biofuel production, are considered to demonstrate the use of the model.     

GIS在广西香蕉低温冻害分析中的应用

根据香蕉生长状况、受害程度与低温冻害强度的关系,确定香蕉冻害的等级指标;利用广西90个气象台站30年的气候资料和台站地理信息,建立冻害指标的空间分析模型,采用GIS技术推算出1km×1km分辨率的冻害指标空间分布;并根据香蕉冻害分级指标,通过GIS的空间分析能力,分析了广西香蕉低温冻害的空间分布特征。     

谈"动态对等"的缺陷

美国著名翻译理论家Nida提出的"动态对等"原则是对翻译理论界的一大贡献.笔者在承认这个原则的同时,从它概念的几个关键词入手,指出这个概念中几个值得商榷的地方,认为它的理论基础不牢靠,并分析了它所忽视的翻译所涉及的几个要素,由此表明,翻译这种涉及到许多因素的复杂活动不能依靠一种理论来指导.     

两种有机酸存在下铜对中华圆田螺肝脏的氧化应激效应

为探讨不同水平EDTA和柠檬酸(CA)作用下沉积物中铜对底栖无脊椎动物生态毒理学效应,以中华圆田螺为受试生物,研究了肝脏中活性氧(ROS)、丙二醛(MDA)含量、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)以及过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性的变化规律。研究结果表明:有机酸存在下,铜污染底泥可诱导中华圆田螺肝脏产生ROS。电子顺磁共振(EPR)技术得出的3组双重峰分裂谱线为典型的α-苯基-N-叔丁基甲亚胺-N-氧化物(PBN)捕获羟自由基(·OH)形成PBN/·OH的EPR波谱。有机酸存在下,低剂量铜(≤100 mg·kg-1)对MDA产量影响不显著。较高剂量铜暴露下,EDTA的存在抑制MDA产生,CA的添加则均使MDA含量增加。EDTA存在下铜可显著抑制中华圆田螺肝脏中SOD和CAT活性。相对而言,CA的加入可减缓高剂量铜暴露下中华圆田螺肝脏SOD与CAT酶活性的剧烈变化。