Removal of tetracyclines,sulfonamides, and quinolones by industrial-scale composting and anaerobic digestion processes

This study evaluated and compared the removal of antibiotics by industrial-scale composting and anaerobic digestion at different seasons. Twenty compounds belonged to three classes of widely used veterinary antibiotics (i.e., tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and quinolones) were investigated. Results show that of the three groups of antibiotics, tetracyclines were dominant in swine feces and poorly removed by anaerobic digestion with significant accumulation in biosolids, particularly in winter. Compared to that in winter, a much more effective removal (>?97%) by anaerobic digestion was observed for sulfonamides in summer. By contrast, quinolones were the least abundant antibiotics in swine feces and exhibited a higher removal by anaerobic digestion in winter than in summer. The overall removal of antibiotics by aerobic composting could be more than 90% in either winter or summer. Nevertheless, compost products from livestock farms in Beijing contained much higher antibiotics than commercial organic fertilizers. Thus, industrial composting standards should be strictly applied to livestock farms to further remove antibiotics and produce high quality organic fertilizer.     

Comparative study on the removal efficiency of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using three different packings

To improve the removal efficiency on hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a biofilter was developed and was made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes. The effects of three different packings (i.e., packing A, packing B, and packing C), containing different proportions of activated carbon, sawdust, wormcast, perlite, and pig manure compost, based on different biofilter parameters on H₂S removal efficiency, were investigated. With the extension of running time, the H₂S removal rate of packing A reached up to 90.12%, that of packing B reached a peak at 92.96%, and that of packing C was highest at 87.21%. The contribution rate of each packing at the bottom of the device was significantly greater (p < 0.01) than that of other parts, and those of the top of the devices were all greater than those of the middle of the devices. The H₂S removal rate increased with greater filler layer height. The removal rate of group B increased first with humidity, and then declined, with the optimal humidity level for the removal of H₂S 50–65% in this study. With the prolongation of the run, the pH of packing A was reduced from 7.1 to 5.91, while the pH of packing B and C remained within the range of 6.53–7.10. An increase was found in the number of bacteria and fungi over time. The count of bacteria in packing B and C and following a decreasing order was bottom > middle > top, whereas that for fungi was the opposite. In conclusion, it is thought that packing B (comprising wormcast + sawdust + activated carbon) is more efficient in the removal of H₂S than the other packings and may thus be utilized in biofilters. These results hope to provide useful information for future related research on the removal efficiency of H₂S using packings.

Implications: Wormcasts use as biological filter packing to remove H₂S is limited and needs yet to be explored. A comparative study on the removal efficiency of H₂S using three packings showed the packings that included wormcast were more efficient than others, and showed the combined features of physical absorption and biological removal with long sustainability and good efficiency, although these were largely influenced by environmental factors and nutrient content for the microorganisms. In summary, wormcast could be utilized in biological filters in the future in related research beacuse of its good efficiency and low cost.     

Heavy metals in soils from a typical industrial area in Sichuan,China: spatial distribution,source identification,and ecological risk assessment

Anthropogenic activities could result in increasing concentrations of heavy metals in soil and deteriorating in soil environmental quality. Topsoil samples from a typical industrial area, Shiting River Valley, Sichuan, Southwest China, were collected and determined for the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg. The mean concentrations of these metals were lower than the national threshold values, but were slightly higher than their corresponding background values, indicating enrichment of these metals in soils in the valley, especially for Cu, Zn, and Hg. The topsoils in this area demonstrated moderate pollution and low potential ecological risk. Principal component analysis coupled with cluster analysis was applied to analyze the data and identified possible sources of these heavy metals; the results showed that soil Cd, Hg, As, Cu, and Zn were predominantly controlled by human activities, whereas Cr was mainly from the parent material. The spatial distribution of the heavy metals varied distinctly and was closely correlated to local anthropogenic activities. Furthermore, the concentrations of heavy metals in the industrial land demonstrated relatively higher levels than those of other land use patterns. Soil metal concentrations decreased with the distance increase from the traffic highway (0–1.0 km) and water system (0–2.0 km). Additionally, soil properties, especially pH and soil organic matter, were found to be important factors in the distribution and composition of metals.     

Potential biodiesel-producing microalgae: two new strains of Amphikrikos sp.

BH32 and BH43 were isolated and identified as Amphikrikos sp. based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic trees. They shared the same 18S rRNA sequences, but possessed different amounts of introns in their 18S rDNAs. The specific growth rate, cellular component and fatty acid profile under different growth stages have been surveyed. Their main fatty acids were found to be C16 and C18 groups. Our results indicated that both of them could be taken as excellent candidates of biodiesel. Moreover, the intra-genus polymorphism of 18S rDNA caused by intron presence/absence can provide valuable information for the study of intron evolution.     

Migration of manufacturing industries and transfer of carbon emissions embodied in trade: empirical evidence from China and Thailand

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - At present, China’s carbon emissions rank first in the world, which not only brings huge challenges to the sustainable development of...     

炼油污水深度处理回用的中试

采用两级曝气生物滤池和多介质滤池相串联的中试装置,连续处理某炼油厂污水车间二浮出水,主要考察了中试装置对污水中主要污染物的去除效果和规律,并确定了适宜的气水比。试验结果表明:采用该工艺时,除石油类外,其它各项指标都达到《循环冷却水用再生水水质标准》(HG/T3923-2007)要求的水质指标;两级曝气生物滤池的气水比分别选用5.6∶1和5∶1为宜;验证了BAF是通过生物氧化和过滤两种作用来去除COD,第一段BAF以去除污水中碳化有机物为主,第二段BAF主要以去除污水中的NH4+-N为主。     

评价城市基础设施自然灾害连锁效应的结构方法

介绍一种新的结构方法来评价城市基础设施自然灾害及连锁效应,通过对城市基础设施任务有效性变化的结果分析(第一步)和脆弱性分析(第二步)实现了城市基础设施自然灾害从定性到定量的精确评价,为城市基础设施防灾减灾研究提供一种方法指导和解决措施.     

Altitude dependence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in surface soil from Tibetan Plateau, China

Remote mountain areas besides high latitude regions are beginning to receive increased attention in studying the transport and behavior of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). In the present work, surface soil samples were collected from the Tibetan Plateau, the highest plateau in the world which includes the northern slope of Mt. Qomolangma, to investigate the levels and trends of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) along the altitudinal gradient. The average PCB and PBDE concentrations were 185.6 ng kg⁻¹ dry weight (dw) (range 47.1–422.6 ng kg⁻¹ dw) and 11.1 ng kg⁻¹ dw (range 4.3–34.9 ng kg⁻¹ dw), respectively. Regression analysis between the log-transformed TOC-normalized concentrations and the altitudes of the sampling sites showed two opposite trends with regard to altitude dependence: negative relationship with altitude below about 4500 m followed by a positive altitude dependence above this point. Considering minimum anthropogenic activities and very sparse precipitation in the north of Himalayas, the trends above 4500 m imply that the significant altitude dependence of these two groups of POPs were irrespective of pollution sources, but could be predicted by the global distillation effect involving cold condensation in high altitude mountain areas. Increasing levels of heavier congeners were found in higher altitude sites, although the lighter congeners were the main contributors to the total amount, suggesting that less volatile congeners seem to become enriched easier than those more volatile at higher altitudes in this region.     

产富马酸酶菌种筛选及固定化细胞生产L-苹果酸转化条件研究

从土样中筛选得到２０支可将富马酸转化为Ｌ－苹果酸垢细菌菌株。经摇瓶复筛,得到一株富马酸酶活力较高的ＺＧ－４菌株。以改性ＰＶＡ为载体,制备得到固定化细胞。其较佳转化条件为：１经ｍｏｌ／Ｌ Ｎａ２Ｆｕ为底物,ｐＨ７．０,４０转化。固定化细胞经胆酸ρ＝４ｇ／Ｌ或ＴＰＣρ＝０．６ｇ／Ｌ预处理后,可有效抑制琥铂酸副产物的生成。添加没食子单宁ρ＝１ｇＬ,可使富马酸酶比活力达１．９５ｍｍｏｌ ｇ＾－ｈ＾－。固定     

太湖铜锈环棱螺对氮磷的降解作用

太湖的五湖里湾是一个富营养湖,水质亟待改善。铜锈环棱螺是太湖的常见种群,通过在五里湖的一些室内外实验,研究了螺对水体透明度,总磷、氨氮、溶解氧的作用,发现它能交水体透明度从０．５ｍ左右提高到１．３ｍ,使室内水体浊度迅速降低,降解总磷的幅度能达到５０％,分析为铜锈环棱螺的絮凝作用所致;并且,在其水域氨氮深度大幅度降低,使实验点高达５ｍｇ／Ｌ以上的氨氮浓度降至２ｍｇ／Ｌ以下,从感观和水质指标两方面有效