Enzymatic nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater treatment

Nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas, is emitted during nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment, significantly contributing to greenhouse effect. Nitrogen removal generally involves nitrification and denitrification catalyzed by specific enzymes. N₂O production and consumption vary considerably in response to specific enzyme-catalyzed nitrogen imbalances, but the mechanisms are not yet completely understood. Studying the regulation of related enzymes’ activity is essential to minimize N₂O emissions during wastewater treatment. This paper aims to review the poorly understood related enzymes that most commonly involved in producing and consuming N₂O in terms of their nature, structure and catalytic mechanisms. The pathways of N₂O emission during wastewater treatment are briefly introduced. The key environmental factors influencing N₂O emission through regulatory enzymes are summarized and the enzyme-based mechanisms are revealed. Several enzymebased techniques for mitigating N₂O emissions directly or indirectly are proposed. Finally, areas for further research on N₂O release during wastewater treatment are discussed.

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安徽淮北矿区地表水氮的富营养化特征及来源解析

为探索淮北临涣矿区地表水体中氮的分布和来源,采集研究区河流和沉陷积水区样品,测试分析其水化学指标和氮、氧同位素特征值,并采用IsoSource模型计算不同端源氮的污染贡献率。结果表明:研究区地表水处于中度富营养化状态,矿区地表水中氮的输入源受含氮肥料、土壤有机氮和粪肥污水共同影响,所发生的硝化及反硝化作用微弱;矿区河水中氮的主要输入源为粪肥污水,贡献率达66.6%,沉陷积水区氮主要受含氮肥料输入的影响,贡献率达52.0%。     

Organic and nitrogen removal from landfill leachate in aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactors

Granule sequencing batch reactors (GSBR) were established for landfill leachate treatment, and the COD removal was analyzed kinetically using a modified model. Results showed that COD removal rate decreased as influent ammonium concentration increasing. Characteristics of nitrogen removal at different influent ammonium levels were also studied. When the ammonium concentration in the landfill leachate was 366 mg L⁻¹, the dominant nitrogen removal process in the GSBR was simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND). Under the ammonium concentration of 788 mg L⁻¹, nitrite accumulation occurred and the accumulated nitrite was reduced to nitrogen gas by the shortcut denitrification process. When the influent ammonium increased to a higher level of 1105 mg L⁻¹, accumulation of nitrite and nitrate lasted in the whole cycle, and the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and ammonium decreased to only 35.0% and 39.3%, respectively. Results also showed that DO was a useful process controlling parameter for the organics and nitrogen removal at low ammonium input.     

Does salt marsh fertilization enhance shellfish production? An application of flow analysis

The method of flow analysis, which is similar to economic input-output analysis, is presented as a means of making flow models of ecological systems more useful to environmental managers. This paper considers as an illustration the extent to which nitrogen fertilizer added toSpartina salt marsh sediments can enhance shellfish growth. Nitrogen flow models of both the Barataria Bay salt marsh complex of coastal Louisiana and the Sippewissett Marsh of western Cape Cod are analyzed. The analysis shows the transfer of added nitrogen to shellfish growth viaSpartina growth, decomposition, and detrital feeding to be considerably less efficient than its transfer toSpartina growth itself. These results are similar for both marsh systems, despite their great physical differences and despite the inclusion of considerably more microbial processing of nitrogen in the Barataria Bay model than in the Sippewissett models. The results suggest that the most efficient mechanism by which added nitrogen could enhance shellfish growth in salt marshes may have to bypass the route through theSpartina life cycle.     

CALIBRATION OF STORM LOADS IN THE SOUTH PRONG WATERSHED,FLORIDA, USING BASINS/HSPF1

ABSTRACT: The South Prong watershed is a major tributary system of the Sebastian River and adjacent Indian River Lagoon. Continued urbanization of the Sebastian River drainage basin and other watersheds of the Indian River Lagoon is expected to increase runoff and nonpoint source pollutant loads. The St. Johns River Water Management District developed watershed simulation models to estimate potential impacts on the ecological systems of receiving waters and to assist planners in devising strategies to prevent further degradation of water resources. In the South Prong system, a storm water sampling program was carried out to calibrate the water quality components of the watershed model for total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorous (TP), and total nitrogen (TN). During the period of May to November 1999, water quality and flow data were collected at three locations within the watershed. Two of the sampling stations were located at the downstream end of major watercourses. The third station was located at the watershed outlet. Five storm events were sampled and measured at each station. Sampling was conducted at appropriate intervals to represent the rising limb, peak, and recession limb of each storm event. The simulations were handled by HSPF (Hydrologic Simulation Program‐Fortran). Results include calibration of the hydrology and calibration of the individual storm loads. The hydrologic calibration was continuous over the period 1994 through 1999. Simulated storm runoff, storm loads, and event mean concentrations were compared with their corresponding observed values. The hydrologic calibration showed good results. The outcome of the individual storm calibrations was mixed. Overall, however, the simulated storm loads agreed reasonably well with measured loads for a majority of the storms.     

Modelling nitrogen cycles of farming systems as basis of site- and farm-specific nitrogen management

The paper describes a model designed for analysing interrelated nitrogen (N) fluxes in farming systems. It combines the partial N balance, farm gate balance, barn balance and soil surface balance, in order to analyse all relevant N fluxes between the subsystems soil–plant–animal–environment and to reflect conclusive and consistent management systems. Such a system approach allows identifying the causes of varying N surplus and N utilisation.The REPRO model has been applied in the experimental farm Scheyern in southern Germany, which had been subdivided into an organic (org) and a conventional (con) farming system in 1992. Detailed series of long-term measuring data are available for the experimental farm, which have been used for evaluating the software for its efficiency and applicability under very different management, yet nearly equal site conditions.The organic farm is multi-structured with a legume-based crop rotation (N₂ fixation: 83 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). The livestock density is 1.4 LSU ha⁻¹. The farm is oriented on closed mass cycles.The conventional farm is a simple-structured cash crop system based on mineral N (N input 145 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Averaging the years 1999–2002, the organic crop rotation reached, with regard to the harvested products, about 81% (6.9 Mg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) of the DM yield and about 93% (140 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) of the N removal of the conventional rotation. Related to the cropped area, the N surplus calculated for the organic rotation was 38 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ versus 44 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for the conventional rotation. The N utilisation reached 0.77 (org) and 0.79 (con), respectively. The different structure of the farms favoured an enhancement of the soil organic nitrogen stock (35 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) in the organic crop rotation and caused a decline in the conventional system (−24 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Taking account of these changes, which were substantiated by measurements, N surplus in the organic rotation decreased to 3 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, while it increased to 68 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in the conventional system. The adjusted N utilisation value amounted to 0.98 (org) and 0.69 (con), respectively.     

湖泊水体中营养盐控制技术研究进展

营养盐物质是造成湖泊水体富营养化的关键因素,在对湖泊水体营养盐控制技术探讨过程中,分析了营养盐的来源形式,从物理、化学、生物生态学角度分别对营养盐的控制技术进行了论述和思考,并指出了今后湖泊水体中营养盐控制技术发展方向。     

Atmospheric deposition contributes little nutrient and sediment to stream flow from an agricultural watershed

Atmospheric deposition of nutrients within agricultural watersheds has received scant attention and is poorly understood compared to nutrient transport in surface and subsurface water flow pathways. Thus, we determined the deposition of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), and sediment in a mixed land use watershed in south-central Pennsylvania (39.5 ha; 50% corn–wheat–soybean rotation, 20% pasture, and 30% woodland), in comparison with stream loads at several locations along its reach between 2004 and 2006. There was a significant difference in deposition rates among land uses (P < 0.05) with more P and N deposited on cropland (1.93 kg P and 10.71 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) than pasture (1.10 kg P and 8.06 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) and woodland (0.36 and 2.33 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Although not significant, sediment showed the same trends among land uses. A significant relationship was found between P in deposition and P in soil <10-m away from the samplers suggesting much of the deposited sample was derived from local soil. Samplers adjacent to the stream channel showed deposition rates (1.64 kg P and 8.83 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) similar to those on cropland. However, accounting for the surface area of the stream, direct deposition of P, N, and sediment probably accounted for <3% of P and <1% of N and sediment load in stream flow from the watershed (1.41 kg P, 27.09 kg N, and 1343 kg sediment ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ at the outlet). This suggests that strategies to mitigate nutrient and sediment loss in this mixed-land use watershed should focus on runoff pathways.     

Ammonia stomatal compensation point of young oilseed rape leaves during dark/light cycles under various nitrogen nutritions

The plant can be a source or a sink of ammonia (NH₃) depending on its nitrogen (N) supply, metabolism and on the background atmospheric concentrations. Thus plants play a major role in regulating atmospheric NH₃ concentrations. For a better understanding of the factors influencing the NH₃ stomatal compensation point, it is important to analyse the dynamics of leaf NH₃ fluxes. The relationship between the leaf NH₃ fluxes and the leaf apoplast ammonium and nitrate concentrations, N nutrition and the light and dark periods was studied here.We designed an experiment to quantitatively assess leaf-atmosphere NH₃ exchange and the stomatal compensation point and to identify the main factors affecting the variation of NH₃ fluxes in oilseed rape. We tested day and night dynamics as well as the effect of five different N treatments. Two experimental methods were used: a dynamic open flux chamber and extraction of the apoplastic solution.Chamber measurements showed that there was a good correlation between plant NH₃ fluxes and water fluxes. Compensation points were calculated by two different methods and ranged between 0.8 and 12.2 μg m⁻³ NH₃ (at 20 °C) for the different N treatments. Apoplastic solution measurements showed that there was no significant differences in the apoplastic NH₄⁺ concentrations ([NH₄⁺]_apo) extracted in dark and light periods for the same N treatment. Statistical analysis also showed that [NH₄⁺]_apo was correlated with [NH₄⁺] in the nutrient solution and weakly correlated with [NO₃⁻]. Apoplast NH₄⁺ concentrations ranged between 0.1 and 2.1 mM, bulk tissue NH₄⁺ concentrations between 3.9 and 6.6 mM and xylem concentrations between 2.4 and 6.1 mM depending on the N supply.Calculated NH₃ emission potential from the extraction measurements were over-estimated when compared with the value calculated from chamber measurements. Errors related to chamber measurements included separation of the cuticular and stomatal fluxes and the calculation of total resistance to NH₃ exchange. Errors related to the extraction measurements included assessing the amount of cytoplasmic contamination. We do not have another method to assess the NH₃ stomatal compensation point and the choice between these two measurement techniques should depend on the scales to which the measurements apply and the processes to be studied.     

水泥行业SO2和NOX排放总量核算方法选取

就水泥企业SO₂和NO_X排放总量核算方法的选取问题,以3家不同类型水泥企业为例,以监测数据法核算结果为依据,对排污系数法和物料衡算法的核算结果进行统计学描述和差异性检验。结果表明:排污系数法能基本反映各类企业SO₂、NO_X实际排放状况;物料衡算法不适合各类企业NO_χ的总量核算;对含熟料生产线的水泥企业,物料衡算法核算得出的SO₂排放量偏小,实际工作中不建议采用;对粉磨站水泥企业,物料衡算法与排污系数法均能反映实际SO₂排放情况,建议以"取大值"原则选取。