Heavy-metal adsorption by non-living biomass

The adsorption of some heavy metals onto the walls of harvested, washed, and dried non-living biomass cells of different Pseudomonas strains was studied at optimum experimental conditions using a simplified single component system. The Langmuir adsorption model was found to be a suitable approach to describe the system via multi-step processes. Isotherms measured at 30.0°C and pH 5.5 with [M]_total = 10-100 mM for tight, reversible Cr⁶⁺(aq), Ni²⁺(aq), Cu²⁺(aq) and Cd²⁺(aq) binding by the cell walls of the investigated biomass fit the Langmuir model and give the pH-independent stoichiometric site capacities ν_i and equilibrium constants K_i for metal binding at specific biomass sites i = A, B, C, and D. Tight binding sites A, B, and D of the non-living biomass are occupied by Cr^VI, sites A and C by Ni^II, sites A and D by Cd^II, and only site B by Cu^II. It is concluded that ν_i is a stoichiometric parameter that is independent of the magnitude of K_i for binding site i and that the studied heavy metals selectively and tightly bind at different biomass sites.     

Microbial biomass yield and turnover in soil biodegradation tests: carbon substrate effects

Most of the standardized biodegradation tests used to assess the ultimate biodegradation of environmentally degradable polymers are based solely on the determination of net evolved carbon dioxide. However, under aerobic conditions, it has to be considered that heterotrophic microbial consortia metabolize carbon substrates both to carbon dioxide and in the production of new cell biomass. It is generally accepted that in the relatively short term, 50% of the carbon content of most organic substrates is converted to CO₂, with the remaining carbon being assimilated as biomass or incorporated into humus. The latter is particularly important when the metabolism of the organic matter occurs in a soil environment. A straightforward relationship between the free-energy content of a carbon substrate (expressed as the standard free-energy of combustion) and its propensity for conversion to new microbial biomass rather than mineralization to CO₂ has been established. This can potentially lead to underestimation of biodegradation levels of test compounds, especially when they consist of carbon in a fairly low formal oxidation state and relatively high free-energy content. In the present work, the metabolism of different kind of carbon substrates, especially in soil, is reviewed and compared with our own experimental results from respirometric tests. The results show that conversion of highly oxidized materials, such as the commonly used reference materials, cellulose or starch, to CO₂ may be significantly overestimated. The addition of glucosidic material to soil leads to greatly increased respiration and is accompanied by a very low conversion to biomass or humic substances. In contrast, relatively less oxidized substrates metabolize more slowly to give both CO₂ and biomass to an extent which may be significantly underestimated if glucosidic materials are used as the reference. The need for an overall carbon balance taking into account both the carbon immobilized as biomass and that volatized as CO₂ must be considered in standard respirometric procedures for assessing the biodegradability of slowly degrading macromolecules.     

Costs of the Wastewater Standard in Pig Production in Mexico

The objective of this article is to address the environmental costs of pig farms in the La Piedad region Mexico, through an analysis of the standard on wastewater discharges to national water bodies. Field work was carried out from April to September 1999; a survey was conducted on 23 farms and samples of wastewater were taken on 11 farms. Pig production is the third most important system in Mexican livestock production. Heterogeneity in production systems, dependence on imported inputs (genetics and feed grains), and weak internalization of environmental costs are the main characteristics of pig production in Mexico. With no specific environmental regulations on intensive livestock activities at the municipal or state levels, Mexican Official Standard 001 on wastewater discharges is the only environmental obligation that pig farms must meet. Standard 001 on wastewater contains the maximum permissible limits for 20 contaminant parameters, and is based on a cost-benefit analysis that points to secondary treatment for the regulation’s economic viability. Investment in treatment systems and the fees that pig producers must pay when they fail to comply with the limits stipulated in the regulation, are estimated assessed as an approach to environmental costs. In order to remain within the limits in the standard, pig farms must invest in tertiary treatment, and that makes meeting the standard unaffordable for this sector.     

饮食业污水排污费征收办法的研究

在分析了当前饮食业排污收费现状和存在问题的基础上，提出了一种较易操作的排污费征收办法，并认为这种征收办法在实践上是可行的。     

上海新城区构建湿地处理污水的经济技术分析

根据上海市郊新城区发展规模以及绿地规划，从构建湿地处理污水的效果、投资和运行费用以及与市郊新城区绿地景观系统规划相容性方面进行了经济技术分析。分析结果表明：上海市郊新城区利用构建湿地建设生活污水处理系统，基本可以满足污水综合排放标准的要求，不但技术上可行，经济上更节省，而且能够与新城区绿地系统、亲水景观的规划建设有机结合。     

Effect of land management on soil microbial N supply to crop N uptake in a dry tropical cropland in Tanzania

In Sub-Saharan Africa, conservation of available soil N during early crop growth, when N loss by leaching generally occurs, is important to improve crop productivity. In a dry tropical cropland in Tanzania, we assessed the potential role of soil microbes as a temporal N sink-source to conserve the available soil N until later crop growth, which generally requires substantial crop N uptake. We evaluated the effect of land management [i.e., no input, plant residue application before planting (P plot) with or without fertilizer application, fertilizer application alone, and non-cultivated plots] on the relationship between soil N pool [microbial biomass N (MBN) and inorganic N] and crop N uptake throughout the ∼120-d crop growth period in two consecutive years. In the P plot, MBN clearly increased (∼14.6-29.6 kg N ha⁻¹) early in the crop growth period in both years because of immobilization of potentially leachable N, and it conserved a larger soil N pool (∼10.5-21.2 kg N ha⁻¹) than in the control plot. Especially in one year in which N leaching was critical, increased MBN maintained a larger soil N pool in the P plot throughout the experimental period, and a delay of increased MB C:N ratio and a substantial decrease in MBN was observed, indicating better soil microbial N supply for crop N uptake during later crop growth. Therefore, plant residue application before planting should enhance the role of soil microbes as a temporal N sink-source, leading to the conservation of potentially leachable N until later phase of crop growth, especially in years in which N leaching is relatively severe. Although further studies are necessary, our results suggest that plant residue application before planting is a promising option to achieve better N synchronization.     

Differences in nitrous oxide fluxes from red soil under different land uses in mid-subtropical China

Red soil may play an important role in nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions due to its recent land use change pattern. To predict the land use change effect on N₂O emissions, we examined the relationship between soil N₂O flux and environmental determinants in four different types of land uses in subtropical red soil. During two years of study (January 2005-January 2007), biweekly N₂O fluxes were measured from 09:00 to 11:00 a.m. using static closed chamber method. Objectives were to estimate the seasonal and annual N₂O flux differences from land use change and, reveal the controlling factors of soil N₂O emission by studying the relationship of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), water filled pore space (WFPS) and soil temperature with soil N₂O flux. Nitrous oxide fluxes were significantly higher in hot-humid season than in the cool-dry season. Significant differences in soil N₂O fluxes were observed among four land uses; 2.9, 1.9 and 1.7 times increased N₂O emissions were observed after conventional land use conversion from woodland to paddy, orchard and upland, respectively. The mean annual budgets of N₂O emission were 0.71-2.21 kg N₂O-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ from four land use types. The differences were partly attributed to increased fertilizer use in agriculture land uses. In all land uses, N₂O fluxes were positively related to soil temperature and DOC accounting for 22-48% and 30-46% of the seasonal N₂O flux variability, respectively. Nitrous oxide fluxes did significantly correlate with WFPS in orchard and upland only. Nitrous oxide fluxes responded positively to MBC in all land use types except orchard which had the lowest WFPS. We conclude that (1) land use conversion from woodland to agriculture land uses leads to increased soil N₂O fluxes, partly due increased fertilizer use, and (2) irrespective of land use, soil N₂O fluxes are under environmental controls, the main variables being soil temperature and DOC, both of which control the supply of nitrification and denitrification substrates.     

Steady performance of a zero valent iron packed anaerobic reactor for azo dye wastewater treatment under variable influent quality

Zero valent iron (ZVI) is expected to help create an enhanced anaerobic environment that might improve the performance of anaerobic treatment. Based on this idea, a novel ZVI packed upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (ZVI-UASB) reactor was developed to treat azo dye wastewater with variable influent quality. The results showed that the reactor was less influenced by increases of Reactive Brilliant Red X-3B concentration from 50 to 1000 mg/L and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 1000 to 7000 mg/L in the feed than a reference UASB reactor without the ZVI. The ZVI decreased oxidation-reduction potential in the reactor by about 80 mV. Iron ion dissolution from the ZVI could buffer acidity in the reactor, the amount of which was related to the COD concentration. Fluorescence in situ hybridization test showed the abundance of methanogens in the sludge of the ZVI-UASB reactor was significantly greater than that of the reference one. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis showed that the ZVI increased the diversity of microbial strains responsible for high efficiency.     

Responses of protists with different feeding habits to the changes of activated sludge conditions: A study based on biomass data

Changes of protists, which were categorized into different functional groups primarily according to their feeding habits, in two full-scale municipal wastewater treatment systems experiencing sludge bulking were investigated over a period of 14 months. Protist biomass represented 3.7% to 5.2% of total biomass on average under normal sludge conditions, and the percentage increased significantly (p < 0.05) under sludge bulking conditions. The biomass of Chilodonella spp., capable of eating filamentous bacteria, tended to decrease in both systems when sludge bulking occurred, showing that the abnormal growth of filamentous bacteria did not lead to a biomass bloom of this group of protists. On the other hand, the bactivorous protists represented more than 96% of total protist biomass, and the biomass of this group, particularly the attached ciliates, increased significantly (p < 0.05) when sludge bulking occurred. The significant increase of the attached ciliates may have possibly facilitated the growth of filamentous bacteria through selectively preying on non-filamentous bacteria and further exacerbated sludge bulking. The redundancy analysis and correlation analysis results showed that the biomass changes of the attached ciliates were primarily related to the sludge volume index and to some extent related to five-day biochemical oxygen demand loading and hydraulic retention time.     

基于BDPs的多级土壤渗滤系统处理受污染河水的试验研究

针对受污染的流入滇池的河流河水,采用具有曝气段和缺氧段的两段式多级土壤渗滤(multi-soil-layering,MSL)系统,开展了在缺氧段添加非水溶性可生物降解多聚物(BDPs)材料PBS颗粒的强化脱氮除磷研究.结果表明,添加PBS碳源可有效解决传统MSL系统因碳源不足而导致的脱氮效果不理想的问题.在河水污染较轻及较重两种情况下,系统对TN的平均去除率分别达到78%、85%,平均单位表面去除负荷分别为9.09g·m-·2d-1、24.55g·m-·2d-1;TP平均去除率分别达到92%、98%,平均单位表面去除负荷分别为0.76g·m-·2d-1、2.02g·m-·2d-1.此外,系统对COD的平均去除率可达到75%以上.