Effect of salinity on community structure and naphthalene dioxygenase gene diversity of a halophilic bacterial consortium

The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of salinity on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) biodegradation, community structure and naphthalene dioxygenase gene (ndo) diversity of a halophilic bacterial consortium with the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) approach. The consortium was developed from oil-contaminated saline soil after enrichment for six times, using phenanthrene as the substrate. The prominent species in the bacterial consortium at all salinities were identified as halophilic bacteria Halomonas, Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, Idiomarina, Martelella and uncultured bacteria. The predominant microbes gradually changed associating with the saline concentration fluctuations ranging from 0.1% to 25% (w/v). Two ndo alpha subunits were dominant at salinities ranging from 0.1% to 20%, while not been clearly detected at 25% salinity. Consistently, the biodegradation occurred at salinities ranging from 0.1% to 20%, while no at 25% salinity, suggesting the two ndo genes played an important role in the degradation. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that both of the two ndo alpha subunits were related to the classic nah-like gene from Pseudomonas stutzeri AN10 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PaK1, while one with identity of about 82% and the other one with identity of 90% at amino acid sequence level. We concluded that salinity greatly affected halophilic bacterial community structure and also the functional genes which were more related to biodegradation.

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Distribution of thifluzamide,fenoxanil and tebuconazole in rice paddy and dietary risk assessment

Distribution behaviors of thifluzamide, fenoxanil, and tebuconazole applied to rice were investigated in South China. Analysis was by a modified QuEChERS method with gas chromatography (thifluzamide and fenoxanil) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (tebuconazole). Thifluzamide and tebuconazole partitioned mainly into the soil, with half-lives in the paddy soil of 12–14 and 5.3–7.8 days, respectively. Fenoxanil partitioned mainly into the rice plants, with half-lives of 3.3–4.4 days. The half-lives of thifluzamide, fenoxanil, and tebuconazole in paddy water were 0.17–0.89, 1.8–3.0, and 1.6–4.0 days, respectively. The residues in rice grains at the pre-harvest interval of 14 days were all below the established maximum limit values. The dietary risks assessed as hazard quotients at the pre-harvest interval were less than 1.     

Degradation characteristics and metabolic pathway of 4-nitrophenol by a halotolerant bacterium Arthrobacter sp. CN2

Arthrobacter sp. strain CN2, capable of degrading 4-nitrophenol, was isolated from activated sludge. Degradation of 4-nitrophenol was optimized at pH 7.7, 30?°C, and 0.53% of glucose. Salt tolerance of 4-nitrophenol degradation was as high as 6% (w/v). Several biodegradation intermediates were identified and quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. 4-Nitrocatechol is involved in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol by CN2. Scale-up of 4-nitrophenol degradation was conducted in a bioreactor with different salinity. When the salinity was below 7%, the degradation rate of 4-nitrophenol was above 90% (100 mg L^?1, 3 L).     

Approaching the binding between Cu(II) and aerobic granules by a modified titration and µ-XRF

Interactions between metals and activated sludge can substantially affect the fate and transport of heavy metals in wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, it is important to develop a simple, fast and efficient method to elucidate the interaction. In this study, a modified titration method with a dynamic mode was developed to investigate the binding of Cu(II), a typical heavy metal, onto aerobic granules. The titration results indicated that pH and ionic strength both had a positive effect on the biosorption capacity of the granular sludge. The µ-XRF results demonstrated that the distribution of metals on the granular surface was heterogeneous, and Cu showed strong correlations and had the same “hot spots” positions with other metal ions (e.g., Ca, Mg, Fe etc.). Ion exchange and complexing were the main mechanisms for the biosorption of Cu(II) by aerobic granules. These results would be beneficial for better understanding of Cu(II) migration and its fate in wastewater treatment plants.     

Improving simulations of sulfate aerosols during winter haze over Northern China: the impacts of heterogeneous oxidation by NO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We implemented the online coupled WRF-Chem model to reproduce the 2013 January haze event in North China, and evaluated simulated meteorological and chemical fields using multiple observations. The comparisons suggest that temperature and relative humidity (RH) were simulated well (mean biases are–0.2K and 2.7%, respectively), but wind speeds were overestimated (mean bias is 0.5 m?s^–1). At the Beijing station, sulfur dioxide (SO₂) concentrations were overpredicted and sulfate concentrations were largely underpredicted, which may result from uncertainties in SO₂ emissions and missing heterogeneous oxidation in current model. We conducted three parallel experiments to examine the impacts of doubling SO₂ emissions and incorporating heterogeneous oxidation of dissolved SO₂ by nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) on sulfate formation during winter haze. The results suggest that doubling SO₂ emissions do not significantly affect sulfate concentrations, but adding heterogeneous oxidation of dissolved SO₂ by NO₂ substantially improve simulations of sulfate and other inorganic aerosols. Although the enhanced SO₂ to sulfate conversion in the HetS (heterogeneous oxidation by NO₂) case reduces SO₂ concentrations, it is still largely overestimated by the model, indicating the overestimations of SO₂ concentrations in the North China Plain (NCP) are mostly due to errors in SO₂ emission inventory.

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2种毒性评估方法对PAHs污染场地人体健康风险的比较研究

毒性评估是人体健康风险评价的重要部分,目前主要存在2种方法,一种基于PAHs相对于苯并[a]芘(BaP)的毒性当量因子,采用Ba P致癌斜率因子参数(方法 1),另一种直接采用各PAHs致癌斜率因子和非致癌参考剂量等参数(方法 2)。然而2种毒性评估方法得到的风险及修复量是否存在差异以及引起差异的原因等问题鲜有讨论。针对苏南某焦化厂PAHs污染土壤,采用分层土壤健康风险评价模型,对比了2种毒性评估方法确定的PAHs风险、修复目标污染物及土方量的差异,并对引起差异的关键因素进行探讨。结果表明:对于0.0~1.0 m表层土壤,方法 1和方法 2确定的致癌风险最大值分别1.48E-05和1.32E-05,均超过可接受致癌风险,修复土方量分别为27 846 m~3和28 667 m3,修复目标污染物均为Ba P和二苊烃(Acy)。对于1.0~3.0 m深层土壤,方法 1确定的致癌风险最大值为3.36E-08,低于可接受致癌风险,不需要修复;而方法 2确定的致癌风险最大值为3.73E-04,非致癌危害指数最大值为6.96E+01,分别超过可接受致癌风险和非致癌危害商,需要修复,修复目标污染物为萘(NaP),修复土方量为35 944 m~3。最终,方法 2确定的总修复土方量(64 611 m~3)为方法 1确定土方量(27 846 m~3)的2.45倍,而这种差异主要是由于方法 1低估了深层土壤中高挥发性PAH单体尤其是NaP的风险所致。因此,从保守角度建议采用方法 2进行PAHs风险评价。     

左氧氟沙星在蒙脱石存在条件下对大肠杆菌的毒性效应

采用批实验研究了蒙脱石对左氧氟沙星的吸附机理及对左氧氟沙星抗菌作用的影响。结果表明,中性条件下存在培养基时,左氧氟沙星在蒙脱石上前2 h即达到吸附平衡,吸附等温线符合Langmuir吸附方程,吸附率达90%以上;蒙脱石吸附左氧氟沙星存在阳离子交换作用、氢键作用、疏水作用、阳离子键桥作用、静电吸附作用等物理化学过程;蒙脱石本身不具有抑菌、杀菌活性,且由于蒙脱石增大了微生物附着的比表面积,在特定情况下可以促进微生物的生长;扣除其对微生物生长的促进作用后,蒙脱石吸附左氧氟沙星降低了后者的毒性效应,其抑菌率降低约25%。上述结果为进一步研究抗生素在环境中的毒理效应提供了基础依据。     

基于我国物种毒性数据的多溴联苯醚预测无效应浓度分析

采用多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)对我国广泛分布生物物种的生态毒性数据,根据欧盟现有化学物质风险评价技术指导文件,对不同环境介质中PBDEs预测无效应浓度(PNEC)进行了推导。结果表明:我国淡水环境PBDEs(四溴、五溴、八溴)的PNEC水分别为50μg·L~(-1)、0.53μg·L~(-1)、0.017μg·L~(-1)。沉积物环境PBDEs(四溴、五溴、八溴和十溴)的PNEC沉积物分别为823.35 mg·kg~(-1)wt、1.55 mg·kg~(-1)dw、12.72 mg·kg~(-1)dw、38.41 mg·kg~(-1)dw。土壤环境PBDEs(四溴、五溴、八溴和十溴)的PNEC土壤分别为668.3mg·kg~(-1)wt、0.38 mg·kg~(-1)dw、147 mg·kg~(-1)dw、98 mg·kg~(-1)dw。次生毒性PBDEs(五溴、八溴和十溴)的PNEC经口分别为0.3~0.7 mg·kg~(-1)、0.56 mg·kg~(-1)、2 500 mg·kg~(-1)。该数值期为我国PBDEs的环境风险评价提供科学基础。     

不同老化时间的TiO_2纳米颗粒对玉米生长的影响

为探讨老化时间对TiO_2纳米颗粒(nanoparticles,NPs)生物有效性的影响,研究了不同老化时间的Ti O_2NPs(0~120 d)对玉米幼苗生长的影响、在玉米体内的吸收及其在植株不同部位的存在位点等。研究发现,不同浓度的TiO_2NPs(1 000 mg·kg~(-1)和2 000 mg·kg~(-1))加入到土壤中,对玉米幼苗干鲜重没有明显的影响,但老化时间小于60 d时,对玉米幼苗株高有一定的抑制效应,老化60 d之后,随着老化时间的继续延长,毒性逐渐降低,最后趋于稳定。老化60 d时,TiO_2NPs处理的玉米幼苗根冠增大,玉米幼苗体内产生H2O_2的累积。在Ti O_2老化土壤中生长的玉米幼苗根系和地上部均有Ti的累积,1 000 mg·kg~(-1)的TiO_2NPs在玉米幼苗根部的生物累积系数达到35.4%,在地上部为13.6%,在玉米植株体内的转运系数为0.38;通过TEM观察,TiO_2NPs可以进入到玉米幼苗体内,并存在于根细胞的细胞质和叶绿体膜上,在叶片细胞的液泡和细胞核中也发现有TiO_2NPs的存在。上述研究结果为客观评价TiO_2NPs的生态风险提供了有用信息。