锁磷剂联合好氧反硝化菌修复富营养化水体

氮磷是造成水体富营养化的主要原因,单一治理方法常常难以同时有效去除氮磷.本文利用1株分离自富营养化水体的好氧反硝化菌株（AD-19）构建固定化菌膜,并与锁磷剂Phoslock^®联合修复富营养化水体,研究了Phoslock^®的控磷效能和反硝化菌的脱氮性能及二者联合作用时对富营养化水体的修复效果.结果表明,在投加比例为80（Phoslock^®与PO₄^3--P的质量比）的条件下,Phoslock^®对模拟富营养化水体中PO₄^3--P去除率可达95%以上,并能有效抑制底泥中磷的释放.好氧反硝化菌AD-19具有较好的异养硝化-好氧反硝化功能,在以NH₄⁺-N或NO₃^--N为唯一氮源条件下生长良好并能去除97%以上的氮,经16S rDNA鉴定该菌株属于假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas sp.）.利用湖泊模拟装置论证了Phoslock^®联合固定化菌膜修复富营养化水体的可行性,进一步地,利用该技术对武汉市某公园内富营养化池塘进行修复治理,经过16 d的处理,氮磷等水质指标从劣Ⅴ类地表水提升至Ⅲ类,并持续稳定270 d以上,证明Phoslock^®联合固定化菌膜可快速和有效地修复富营养化水体,并保持水质长期稳定.     

Steady‐state field‐scale gas permeability estimation and pore‐gas velocity calculation in a domain open to the atmosphere

Field‐scale estimation of gas permeability and subsequent computation of pore‐gas velocity profiles are critical elements of sound soil venting design. It has been our experience, however, in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) technical assistance program, provided by the Office of Research and Development in support EPA regional offices, that many venting practitioners are unaware of equations and data interpretation methods appropriate for gas permeability estimation and pore‐gas velocity computation. To ameliorate this situation, we use data collected at a U.S. Coast Guard Station in Traverse City, Michigan, to demonstrate gets permeability estimation and pore‐gas velocity calculation for steady‐state, axisymmetric, two‐dimensional gas flow in a domain open to the atmosphere. For gas permeability estimation, we use random guesses constrained with decreasing intervals of radial and vertical permeabilityand analysis of root mean square errors to ensure attainment of a global versus local minimum. We demonstrate confidence in permeability estimation by providing plots of observed versus simulated pressure response. Finally, we illustrate how plots of pore‐gas velocity as a function of distance and flow rate can be helpful in venting design.     

Chronic exposure of arsenic via drinking water and its adverse health impacts on humans

Worldwide chronic arsenic (As) toxicity has become a human health threat. Arsenic exposure to humans mainly occurs from the ingestion of As contaminated water and food. This communication presents a review of current research conducted on the adverse health effects on humans exposed to As-contaminated water. Chronic exposure of As via drinking water causes various types of skin lesions such as melanosis, leucomelanosis, and keratosis. Other manifestations include neurological effects, obstetric problems, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the respiratory system and of blood vessels including cardiovascular, and cancers typically involving the skin, lung, and bladder. The skin seems to be quite susceptible to the effects of As. Arsenic-induced skin lesions seem to be the most common and initial symptoms of arsenicosis. More systematic studies are needed to determine the link between As exposure and its related cancer and noncancer end points.     

Modeling Biodegradation of Nonylphenol

Nonylphenol is the primary breakdown product of nonylphenol ethoxylates, a certain class of nonionic surfactants. Nonylphenol has been found to be toxic to aquatic organisms and has been suspected of being harmful to humans due to its xenoestrogenic properties. Although there are known releases of nonylphenol to the environment, there is a lack of data describing the extent of biodegradation. This study thus focuses on much needed information on the biodegradation kinetics of nonylphenol. Oxygen uptake, cell growth and nonylphenol removal data were collected using batch reactors in an electrolytic respirometer. Nonylphenol removal, cell growth and substrate removal rates were modeled by the Monod, Haldane, Aiba, Webb, and Yano equations. The differential equations were solved by numerical integration to simulate cell growth, substrate removal, and oxygen uptake as a function of time. All models provided similar results with the Haldane model providing the best fit. The values of the kinetic parameters and the activation energy for nonylphenol were determined. These values can be used for predicting fate and transport of nonylphenol in the environment. The validity of applying each model to the biodegradation of nonylphenol was analyzed by computing the R ² values of each equation.     

Cypermethrin induced alterations in nitrogen metabolism in freshwater fishes

In the present study, two fresh water fishes namely, Channa punctatus and Clarias batrachus, were exposed to three sub-acute concentrations of synthetic pyrethroid, cypermethrin, for 96 h to evaluate the role of amino acids in fulfilling the immediate energy needs of fishes under pyrethroid induced stress as well as to find out the mechanism of ammonia detoxification. The experiments were designed to estimate the levels of free amino acid, urea, ammonia and the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), alanine aminotransferase (AlAT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamine synthetase (GS) and arginase in some of the vital organs like brain, gills, liver, kidney and muscle of both fish species. The significant decrease in the levels of amino acids concomitant with remarkable increase in the activities of AAT, AlAT and GDH in these vital tissues of fish species elucidated the amino acid catabolism as one of the main mechanism of meeting out the immediate energy demand of the fishes in condition of cypermethrin exposure. The levels of ammonia were significantly increased at 10% of 96 h LC(50) of cypermethrin in the different organs such as brain, gills, liver, kidney and muscle of both fish species while 15% and 20% concentrations of 96 h LC(50) of cypermehrin registered remarkable decline in both fish species. The differential increment in the activities of GDH, GS and arginase and in the level of urea established three different alternative mechanisms of ammonia detoxification. The results indicated that in C. punctatus, the prevalent mode of nitrogen excretion is in the form of conversion of ammonia into glutamine and glutamate while in C. batrachus, the excessive nitrogen is excreted in the form of urea synthesized from ammonia.     

Effect of soil ageing on in vivo arsenic bioavailability in two dissimilar soils

Arsenic (As) bioavailability in spiked soils aged for up to 12 months was assessed using in vitro and in vivo methodologies. Ageing (natural attenuation) of spiked soils resulted in a decline in in vivo As bioavailability (swine assay) of over 75% in soil A (Red Ferrosol) but had no significant effect on in vivo As bioavailability even after 12 months of ageing in soil B (Brown Chromosol). Sequential fractionation, however, indicated that there was repartitioning of As within the soil fractions extracted during the time course investigated. In soil A, the As fraction associated with the more weakly bound soil fractions decreased while the residual fraction increased from 12% to 35%. In contrast, little repartitioning of As was observed in soil B indicating that natural attenuation may be only applicable for As in soils containing specific mineralogical properties.     

Application of an in vivo swine model for the determination of arsenic bioavailability in contaminated vegetables

Considerable information is available in the literature regarding the uptake of arsenic (As) from contaminated soil and irrigation water by vegetables. However, few studies have investigated As speciation in these crops while a dearth of information is available on As bioavailability following their consumption. In this study, the concentration and speciation of As in chard, radish, lettuce and mung beans was determined following hydroponic growth of the vegetables using As-contaminated water. In addition, As bioavailability was assessed using an in vivo swine feeding assay. While As concentrations ranged from 3.0 to 84.2mg As kg(-1) (dry weight), only inorganic As (arsenite and arsenate) was detected in the edible portions of the vegetables. When As bioavailability was assessed through monitoring blood plasma As concentrations following swine consumption of As-contaminated vegetables, between 50% and 100% of the administered As dose was absorbed and entered systemic circulation. Arsenic bioavailability decreased in the order mung beans>radish>lettuce=chard.     

Degradation of fenamiphos in soils collected from different geographical regions: the influence of soil properties and climatic conditions

The persistence of fenamiphos (nematicide) in five soils collected from different geographical regions such as Australia, Ecuador and India under three temperature regimes (18, 25 and 37 degrees C) simulating typical environmental conditions was studied. The effect of soil properties (soil pH, temperature and microbial biomass) on the degradation of fenamiphos was determined. The rate of degradation increased with increase in temperature. Fenamiphos degradation was higher at 37 degrees C than at 25 and 18 degrees C (except under alkaline pH). The degradation pathway differed in different soils. Fenamiphos sulfoxide (FSO) was identified as the major degradation product in all the soils. Fenamiphos sulfone (FSO2), and the corresponding phenols: fenamiphos phenol (FP), fenamiphos sulfoxide phenol (FSOP) and fenamiphos sulfone phenol (FSO2P) were also detected. The degradation of fenamiphos was faster in the alkaline soils, followed by neutral and acidic soils. Under sterile conditions, the dissipation of the pesticide was slower than in the non-sterile soils suggesting microbial role in the pesticide degradation. The generation of new knowledge on fenamiphos degradation patterns under different environmental conditions is important to achieve better pesticide risk management.     

Investigating the relationship between lead speciation and bioaccessibility of mining impacted soils and dusts

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Lead (Pb) bioaccessibility measurements have been the subject of much research in recent years, given the desire to develop a cost-effective and...     

Yardsticks to Integrate Risk Assessment,Risk Management,and Groundwater Remediation

Remediation of contaminated sites has focused largely on restoration of groundwater aquifers. Often the stated remedial goal is to achieve conditions allowing unrestricted use and unrestricted exposure. Such total groundwater cleanup has occurred at some sites, but is the exception rather than the rule. At the same time, significant effort occurs to perform risk assessments for potential exposure to contaminants in groundwater at sites, both before and after remediation. The logical synergy between risk assessment and remediation is for risk management to seek opportunities for optimal use of groundwater based upon realistic expectations of cleanup technologies and the relevant acceptable residual (postremediation) levels of contaminants. This article explores an approach to improve this synergistic relationship between risk assessment, risk management, and remediation for groundwater cleanups. ©2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.