Biosorption mechanisms involved in immobilization of soil Pb by Bacillus subtilis DBM in a multimetal-contaminated soil

Mechanisms of soil Pb immobilization by Bacillus subtilis DBM, a bacterial strain isolated from a heavy-metal-contaminated soil, were investigated. Adsorption and desorption experiments with living bacterial cells as well as dead cells revealed that both extracellular adsorption and intracellular accumulation were involved in the Pb2＋removal from the liquid phase. Of the sequestered Pb（II）, 8.5% was held by physical entrapment within the cell wall, 43.3% was held by ion-exchange, 9.7% was complexed with cell surface functional groups or precipitated on the cell surface, and 38.5% was intracellularly accumulated.Complexation of Pb2＋with carboxyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, amido, and phosphate groups was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. Precipitates of Pb5（PO4）3OH, Pb5（PO4）3Cl and Pb10（PO4）6（OH）2that formed on the cell surface during the biosorption process were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. Transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of the Pb（II）precipitates and that Pb（II） could be sequestered both extracellularly and intracellularly.Incubation with B. subtilis DBM significantly decreased the amount of the weak-acid-soluble Pb fraction in a heavy-metal-contaminated soil, resulting in a reduction in Pb bioavailability, but increased the amount of its organic-matter-bound fraction by 71%. The ability of B.subtilis DBM to reduce the bioavailability of soil Pb makes it potentially useful for bacteria-assisted phytostabilization of multi-heavy-metal-contaminated soil.     

Molecular characterization and developmental expression patterns of thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) and their responsiveness to TR agonist and antagonist in Rana nigromaculata

Considering some advantages of Rana nigromaculata as an experimental species, we propose that this species, like Xenopus laevis, could be used to assay thyroid hormone（TH） signaling disrupting actions. To validate the utilizability of R. nigromaculata, we investigated the responsiveness of R. nigromaculata to a TH receptor（TR） agonist（T3） and antagonist（amiodarone） by analyzing expression, based on characterizing TR cDNA and developmental expression patterns. With high levels of identity with the corresponding genes in X. laevis, both TRα and TRβ in R. nigromaculata exhibited roughly similar developmental expression patterns to those of X. laevis, in spite of some species-specific differences. Both TRα and TRβ expression had greater changes in the liver and intestine than in the tail and brain during metamorphosis. T3 exposure for 2 days induced more dramatic increases of TRβ expression in stage 27 than in stage34 tadpoles but not in stage 42 tadpoles, showing that the responsiveness of R. nigromaculata to TH decreased with development and disappeared at the onset of metamorphic climax.Corresponding to greater changes of TRβ expression in the liver and intestine than in the tail and brain during metamorphosis, the liver and intestine had higher responsiveness to exogenous T3 than the tail and brain. Amiodarone inhibited T3-induced TRβ expression. Our results show that R. nigromaculata can be used as a model species for assaying TH signaling disrupting actions by analyzing TRβ expression, and intestine tissues at stage 27 are ideal test materials due to high responsiveness and easy accessibility.     

Potential bioremediation of mercury-contaminated substrate using filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil

The use of filamentous fungi in bioremediation of heavy metal contamination has been developed recently. This research aims to observe the capability of filamentous fungi isolated from forest soil for bioremediation of mercury contamination in a substrate. Six fungal strains were selected based on their capability to grow in 25 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose agar plates. Fungal strain KRP1 showed the highest ratio of growth diameter, 0.831, thus was chosen for further observation.Identification based on colony and cell morphology carried out by 18S rRNA analysis gave a 98%match to Aspergillus flavus strain KRP1. The fungal characteristics in mercury(Ⅱ) contamination such as range of optimum pH, optimum temperature and tolerance level were 5.5–7 and 25–35℃ and 100 mg/L respectively. The concentration of mercury in the media affected fungal growth during lag phases. The capability of the fungal strain to remove the mercury(Ⅱ) contaminant was evaluated in 100 mL sterile 10 mg/L Hg2+-contaminated potato dextrose broth media in 250 mL Erlenmeyer flasks inoculated with 108spore/mL fungal spore suspension and incubation at 30℃ for 7 days. The mercury(Ⅱ) utilization was observed for flasks shaken in a 130 r/min orbital shaker(shaken) and nonshaken flasks(static) treatments. Flasks containing contaminated media with no fungal spores were also provided as control. All treatments were done in triplicate. The strain was able to remove 97.50%and 98.73% mercury from shaken and static systems respectively. A. flavus strain KRP1 seems to have potential use in bioremediation of aqueous substrates containing mercury(Ⅱ) through a biosorption mechanism.     

垃圾“零填埋”,路在何方?

<正>垃圾主要指在日常生活中为日常生活提供服务的活动中产生的固体废物。与其他固体废物不同的是,垃圾是我们每个人每一天都要产生和排放的,不可避免地要与我们经常性地发生"亲密接触",处理不当会影响市容、传播疾病和污染环境。正因为     

Aerobic granules cultivated and operated in continuous-flow bioreactor under particle-size selective pressure

A novel method based on the selective pressure of particle size （particle-size cultivation method, PSCM） was developed for the cultivation and operation of aerobic granular sludge in a continuous-flow reactor, and compared with the conventional method based on the selective pressure of settling velocity （settling-velocity cultivation method, SVCM）. Results indicated that aerobic granules could be cultivated in continuous operation mode by this developed method within 14 days. Although in the granulation process, under particle-size selective pressure, mixed liquor suspended solids （MLSS） in the reactor fluctuated greatly and filamentous bacteria dominated the sludge system during the initial operation days, no obvious difference in profile was found between the aerobic granules cultivated by PSCM and SVCM. Moreover, aerobic granules cultivated by PSCM presented larger diameter, lower water content and higher specific rates of nitrification, denitrifieation and phosphorus removal, but lower settling velocity. Under long term operation of more than 30 days, aerobic granules in the continuous-flow reactor could remain stable and obtain good chemical oxygen demand （COD）, NH4^＋-N, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） removal. The results indicate that PSCM was dependent on the cultivation and maintenance of the stability of aerobic granules in continuous-flow bioreactors.     

罗萨利·巴罗·艾格

<正>罗萨利·巴罗·艾格(Rosalie Barrow Edge,1877年11月3日—1962年11月30日),纽约社会活动家,环境保护主义者,观鸟爱好者,终生致力于鸟类保护事业。罗萨利女士1877年出生于纽约,是家里五个孩子里最小的一个,她的父亲是英国一位富有的商人和会计,也是英国作家查尔斯?狄更斯的表弟。在自然教育经历上,罗萨利没有经过正式的培训,但从师于不少顶级野生动物学专家,在野生动物种保护领域上取得了深厚的知识修养。     

植物性食物中重金属生物可利用性研究进展

重金属生物可利用性是衡量重金属污染对人体危害的重要指标,也是健康风险评价中最为关键的因子。该文以植物性食物中重金属生物可利用性为出发点,综述了国内外有关重金属在土壤、植物以及人体中的生物可利用性最新研究进展,分析了化学提取法、植物指示法和生物模拟法在重金属生物可利用性研究中的应用现状,并提出了未来的研究方向和重点。     

生物炭原位修复富营养化水体的试验研究

通过实验模拟,考察了粒径、炭层厚度、水体温度等因素对生物炭吸附与固定底泥氮磷的影响。结果表明:生物炭对氨氮与磷酸盐的最大吸附容量分别为4.92 mg/g、1.90 mg/g,吸附过程符合Langmuir和Freundlich方程,在温度5~35℃、粒径80目、炭层厚度0.5cm时,模拟水体中TN和TP浓度可维持在0.55~0.85 mg/L和0.02~0.04 mg/L之间,说明生物炭能很好的吸附水体中的N、P并将其固定在底泥中。     

污泥浓度对生物海绵铁体系中Fe~0的腐蚀影响研究

通过单因素实验,研究了不同活性污泥浓度对海绵铁体系中铁离子浓度变化的影响。结果表明:随着反应的进行,反应器泥水混合液中Fe(Ⅱ)和TFe浓度在不断升高,与活性污泥浓度成正相关性;pH值也呈现升高趋势,活性污泥浓度越高,pH值变化的越小;试验还发现海绵铁释铁过程包括生物腐蚀和化学腐蚀,生物腐蚀的影响要远远大于化学腐蚀。     

秸秆生物炭还田对围垦盐碱土壤的低碳化改良

利用芦苇秸秆和其生物炭还田改良围垦盐碱土壤。通过盆栽实验,从改良后土壤的脱盐率、植物的生长情况和生物量以及土壤呼吸和有土壤机碳含量等方面研究和比较了芦苇及其生物炭还田对围垦盐碱土壤的改良效应以及对土壤碳收支的影响。研究结果表明:秸秆和秸秆生物炭改良后土壤的含盐量显著低于空白对照,两者改良后的植物总收获量(干重)基本相同,均显著高于未改良的空白对照,但生物炭还田改良后的土壤呼吸强度显著低于秸秆直接还田,改良后其土壤有机碳含量也高于后者以及空白对照。高度稳定的生物炭还田能有效抵抗微生物的分解作用,因此其土壤微生物总量低于秸秆直接还田,从而导致土壤异养微生物活性较弱,使得生物炭中的碳得以在土壤中长期保存,增加了土壤有机碳含量,降低了土壤呼吸,是一种较低碳的秸秆还田措施。