Influence of organic loading on an anaerobic sequencing biofilm batch reactor (ASBBR) as a function of cycle period and wastewater concentration

The effect of organic loading on the performance of a mechanically stirred anaerobic sequencing biofilm batch reactor (ASBBR) has been investigated, by varying influent concentration and cycle period. For microbial immobilization 1-cm polyurethane foam cubes were used. An agitation rate of 500 rpm and temperature of 30+/-2 degrees C were employed. Organic loading rates (OLR) of 1.5-6.0gCODl(-1)d(-1) were applied to the 6.3-l reactor treating 2.0 l synthetic wastewater in 8 and 12-h batches and at concentrations of 500-2000mgCODl(-1), making it possible to analyze the effect of these two operation variables for the same organic loading range. Microbial immobilization on inert support maintained approximately 60 gTVS in the reactor. Filtered sample organic COD removal efficiencies ranged from 73 to 88% for organic loading up to 5.4gCODl(-1)d(-1). For higher organic loading (influent concentration of 2000mgCODl(-1) and 8-h cycle) the system presented total volatile acids accumulation, which reduced organics removal efficiency down to 55%. In this way, ASBBR with immobilized biomass was shown to be efficient for organic removal at organic loading rates of up to 5.4gCODl(-1)d(-1) and to be more stable to organic loading variations for 12-h cycles. This reactor might be an alternative to intermittent systems as it possesses greater operational flexibility. It might also be an alternative to batch systems suspended with microorganisms since it eliminates both the uncertainties regarding granulation and the time necessary for biomass sedimentation, hence reducing the total cycle period.     

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.     

入湖河口区水生植物群落衰亡分解释放营养盐过程模拟研究

冬春季水生植物衰亡分解是影响水体水质的重要因素之一。为研究入湖河口区水生植物群落在衰亡期的适宜生物量,于2018-12-25—2019-04-25,在实验室模拟近自然条件下,开展水生植物收割后剩余0%、20%、40%、60%、80%、100%茎叶生物量的分解试验。结果表明:水生植物分解过程中,植物茎叶生物量是影响水体水质指标的关键因子,表现为茎叶生物量越大,水体溶解氧(DO)、氧化还原电位(Eh)、pH等理化指标越差,营养盐总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)浓度越高;相关性分析表明,茎叶生物量与水体TN、TP浓度存在极显著正相关(P<0.01),相关系数(R)分别为0.88和0.83;近自然条件下水生植物群落衰亡分解4个月,水体中各营养盐浓度的变化仍未稳定;收割后剩余20%的水生植物茎叶生物量有利于维持入湖河口区较好的水质。     

沼液中土著菌对斜生栅藻去除污染物效果的影响

研究斜生栅藻对沼液的净化效果,并分析沼液中土著菌对污染物去除效果的影响。在不同的初始藻细胞接种量条件下,根据藻细胞干重、细菌总数及COD、TP和TN浓度的变化趋势,比较斜生栅藻对原沼液和灭菌沼液的净化效果。在藻类培养初期,沼液中土著菌与斜生栅藻之间存在明显的共生关系,当初始藻细胞接种量为0.1 g·L-1时,原沼液中藻细胞干重达到最大值即2.11 g·L-1。在藻类对数生长阶段,沼液中土著菌与斜生栅藻在藻细胞生长量和污染物去除方面表现出明显的协同作用。研究结果表明,斜生栅藻与土著菌组成的共生系统对沼液具有较好的净化作用,且所得的藻类生物量可以作为产能原料。     

微波蔗渣中孔生物质炭对水中对氯苯酚的吸附特性

通过微波快速热解活化技术制备并探究了中孔蔗渣生物质炭对水中对氯苯酚的吸附性能、影响因素及等温吸附行为与动力学特性。结果表明,微波活化蔗渣炭富含微中孔结构,主要分布在2~5 nm,对水中对氯苯酚的吸附值高达165 mg·g-1,5 min内完成饱和吸附量的75%,表明中孔蔗渣炭是去除对氯苯酚的良好吸附材料。值得注意的是,蔗渣中孔炭对对氯苯酚吸附性能与效率均高于以微孔为主的市售炭粉与炭纤维,说明介孔结构的存在可缩短被吸附物质到达吸附活性点的路径,增大多孔炭对水中有机物的捕捉机率,增强多孔炭对水中对氯苯酚的吸附效率。降低溶液pH和温度有利于中孔蔗渣炭对水中对氯苯酚的吸附,吸附行为符合弗兰德里希和雷德利克·彼得森模型,表明吸附呈多分子层的指数分布。     

Relationships between nutrients and macroalgal biomass in a brazilian coastal lagoon: the impact of a lock construction

The Piratininga Lagoon is a coastal, choked, and brackish ecosystem in SE Brazil, where uncontrolled discharge of domestic sewage led to eutrophication, increasing massive proliferation of benthic macroalgae, and decrease of the lagoon mean depth. In 1992, a dam was constructed by the local Municipality at its tidal channel aiming at stabilising its water level. Main physico-chemical parameters, together with macroalgae biomass, nutrient concentrations in the water column, particulate organic carbon, and chlorophyll a were recorded monthly at 4 sampling stations within the Piratininga lagoon from April 1994 to April 1995. The data, compared with “before-lock” existing studies, show that nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations significantly increased after the lock construction. Based on the functioning of the ecosystem, we propose to harvest the algal mats before their decomposition period in order to partly remove the nutrient stocks from the lagoon and the future ecosystem modelling to predict the impact of natural and anthropogenic eutrophication.     

Phytoremediation of Cadmium-Contaminated Soils by Rorippa globosa Using Two-Phase Planting (5 pp)

Background Phytoextraction of contaminated soils by heavy metals can provide a great promise of commercial development. Although there are more than 400 species of hyperaccumulators found in the world, phytoremediation technology is rarely applied in field practice for remedying contaminated soils, partially due to low biomass and long growth duration for most of discovered hyperaccumulating plants. In order to enhance the metal-removing efficiency in a year, the two-phase planting countermeasure of phytoextraction by harvesting anthesis biomass was investigated on the basis of the newly found Cd-hyperaccumulator Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell. with 107.0 and 150.1 mg/kg of the Cd accumulation in stems and leaves, respectively, when soil Cd added was concentrated to 25.0 mg/kg. Methods The field pot-culture experiment was used to observe the distribution property of R. globosa aboveground biomass and to examine characteristics of accumulating Cd by the plant at different growth stages. The concentration of Cd in plants and soils was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). Results and Discussion The results indicated that the total dry stem and leaf biomass of R. globosa harvested at the flowering phase was up to 92.3% of that at its full maturity and the concentration of Cd in stems and leaves harvested at the flowering phase was up to 73.8% and 87.7% of that at the mature phase, respectively. The Cd-removing ratio by shoots of R. globosa harvested at the flowering phase was up to 71.4% of that at the mature phase. It was also found, by observing the growth duration of R. globosa, that the frostless period at the experiment site was twice as long as the growth time from the seedling-transplanted phase to the flowering phase of the hyperaccumulator. Conclusion R. globosa could be transplanted into contaminated soils twice in one year by harvesting the hyperaccumulator at its flowering phase based on climatic conditions of the site and traits of the plant growth. In this sense, the extraction efficiency of Cd in shoots of R. globosa increased 42.8% compared to that of at its single maturity when the plant was transplanted into contaminated soils after it had been harvested at its flowering phase and the plant accumulated Cd from soil at the same extraction ratio at its second flowering phase. Thus, the method of anthesis biomass regulation by the two-phase planting is very significant to increase the Cd-removing efficiency by phytoremediation used in practice over the course of a year. Recommendation and Outlook As for some hyperaccumulators that the growth duration from the seedling-transplanted phase to the flowering phase are short and the concentrations of heavy metals accumulated in their shoots at the flowering phase are high, the efficiency of phytoremediation can greatly be improved using the method of the two-phase planting.     

山一村山地生态系统结构功能和系统调控

本文对山－村山地生态系统的结构和功能、能量产投比、生物量等进行实地调查和研究。结果表明，通过多年生态建设，山地生态系统已显示较好的经济、环境和社会效益。     

农林生物质在含铬废水处理中的应用

农林生物质作为低成本吸附剂在环境污染治理中日益受到重视。综述了农林生物质在含铬废水处理中的应用研究进展，分析了生物质处理含铬废水的机理、影响因素，指出了生物质法处理含铬废水的发展方向。