生物碳的物理结构与化学成分对土壤氧化亚氮排放的影响

为探究生物碳对土壤中重要温室气体氧化亚氮(N2O)排放的影响机制,将生物碳的可溶性化学成分和稳定的物理结构分离后得到浸提液和碳骨架,设置了4种不同的实验处理方式:土壤(对照)、土壤+生物碳、土壤+浸提液、土壤+碳骨架,进行了为期90 d的室内培养试验.实验结果显示,在培养前期(前7 d),添加生物碳和碳骨架的处理都显著抑制了土壤N2O的释放,且抑制程度相似,最高均可达80%,而添加浸提液的处理却显著促进了土壤N2O的释放.因此,土壤添加生物碳后对N2O排放的抑制作用主要归因于生物碳的物理结构,生物碳的物理结构可以有效地提高土壤的pH值、吸附土壤及其自身含有的可能促进N2O释放的化学物质,从而减少土壤中N2O的产生和排放.     

N2O emission from nitrogen removal via nitrite in oxic-anoxic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor

Bionitrification is considered to be a potential source of nitrous oxide （N2O） emissions, which are produced as a by-product during the nitrogen removal process. To investigate the production of N2O during the process of nitrogen removal via nitrite, a granular sludge was studied using a labscale sequence batch reactor operated with real-time control. The total production of N2O generated during the nitrification and denitrification processes were 1.724 mg/L and 0.125 mg/L, respectively, demonstrating that N2O is produced during both processes, with the nitrification phase generating larger amount. In addition, due to the NEO-N mass/oxidized ammonia mass ratio, it can be concluded that nitrite accumulation has a positive influence on N2O emissions. Results obtained from PCRDGGE analysis demonstrate that a specific Nitrosomonas microorganism is related to N2O emission.     

Characteristics of greenhouse gas emission in three full-scale wastewater treatment processes

Three full-scale wastewater treatment processes, Orbal oxidation ditch, anoxic/anaerobic/aerobic （reversed A^2O） and anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic （A^2O）, were selected to investigate the emission characteristics of greenhouse gases （GHG）, including carbon dioxide （CO2）, methane （CH4） and nitrous oxide （N2O）. Results showed that although the processes were different, the units presenting high GHG emission fluxes were remarkably similar, namely the highest CO2 and N2O emission fluxes occurred in the aerobic areas, and the highest CH4 emission fluxes occurred in the grit tanks. The GHG emission amount of each unit can be calculated from its area and GHG emission flux. The calculation results revealed that the maximum emission amounts of CO2, CH4 and N2O in the three wastewater treatment processes appeared in the aerobic areas in all cases. Theoretically, CH4 should be produced in anaerobic conditions, rather than aerobic conditions. However, results in this study showed that the CH4 emission fluxes in the forepart of the aerobic area were distinctly higher than in the anaerobic area. The situation for N2O was similar to that of CH4： the N2O emission flux in the aerobic area was also higher than that in the anoxic area. Through analysis of the GHG mass balance, it was found that the flow of dissolved GHG in the wastewater treatment processes and aerators may be the main reason for this phenomenon. Based on the monitoring and calculation results, GHG emission factors for the three wastewater treatment processes were determined. The A^2O process had the highest CO2 emission factor of 319.3 g CO2/kg CODremoved, and the highest CH4 and N2O emission factors of 3.3 g CH4/kg CODremoved and 3.6 g N2O/kg TNremoved were observed in the Orbal oxidation ditch process.     

Accumulation and elimination of iron oxide nanomaterials in zebrafish (Danio rerio) upon chronic aqueous exposure

A 52-day continuous semi-static waterborne exposure (test media renewed daily) regimen was employed to investigate the accumulation and elimination profiles of two iron oxide nanomaterials (nano-Fe₂O₃ and nano-Fe₃O₄) in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Adult zebrafish were exposed to nanomaterial suspensions with initial concentrations of 4.0 and 10.0 mg/L for 28 days and then were moved to clean water for 24 days to perform the elimination experiment. Fe content was measured in fish body and feces to provide data on accumulation and elimination of the two iron oxide nanomaterials in zebrafish. The experiment revealed that: (1) high accumulation of nano-Fe₂O₃ and nano-Fe₃O₄ were found in zebrafish, with maximum Fe contents, respectively, of 1.32 and 1.25 mg/g for 4.0 mg/L treatment groups and 1.15 and 0.90 mg/g for 10.0 mg/L treatment groups; (2) accumulated nanoparticles in zebrafish can be eliminated efficiently (the decrease of body burden of Fe conforms to a first-order decay equation) when fish were moved to nanoparticle-free water, and the elimination rates ranged from 86% to 100% by 24 days post-exposure; and (3) according to analysis of Fe content in fish excrement in the elimination phase, iron oxide nanomaterials may be adsorbed via the gastrointestinal tract, and stored for more than 12 days.     

Effects of surfactants on graphene oxide nanoparticles transport in saturated porous media

Transport behaviors of graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONPs) in saturated porous media were examined as a function of the presence and concentration of anionic surfactant (SDBS) and non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-100) under different ionic strength (IS). The results showed that the GONPs were retained obviously in the sand columns at both IS of 50 and 200 mmol/L, and they were more mobile at lower IS. The presence and concentration of surfactants could enhance the GONP transport, particularly as observed at higher IS. It was interesting to see that the GONP transport was surfactant type dependent, and SDBS was more effective to facilitate GONP transport than Triton X-100 in our experimental conditions. The advection–dispersion–retention numerical modeling followed this trend and depicted the difference quantitatively. Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) interaction calculations also were performed to interpret these effects, indicating that secondary minimum deposition was critical in this study.     

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a subtropical coastal embayment (Moreton Bay,Australia)

Surface water methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) concentrations and fluxes were investigated in two subtropical coastal embayments (Bramble Bay and Deception Bay, which are part of the greater Moreton Bay, Australia). Measurements were done at 23 stations in seven campaigns covering different seasons during 2010–2012. Water–air fluxes were estimated using the Thin Boundary Layer approach with a combination of wind and currents-based models for the estimation of the gas transfer velocities. The two bays were strong sources of both CH₄ and N₂O with no significant differences in the degree of saturation of both gases between them during all measurement campaigns. Both CH₄ and N₂O concentrations had strong temporal but minimal spatial variability in both bays. During the seven seasons, CH₄ varied between 500% and 4000% saturation while N₂O varied between 128 and 255% in the two bays. Average seasonal CH₄ fluxes for the two bays varied between 0.5 ± 0.2 and 6.0 ± 1.5 mg CH₄/(m²·day) while N₂O varied between 0.4 ± 0.1 and 1.6 ± 0.6 mg N₂O/(m²·day). Weighted emissions (t CO₂-e) were 63%–90% N₂O dominated implying that a reduction in N₂O inputs and/or nitrogen availability in the bays may significantly reduce the bays' greenhouse gas (GHG) budget. Emissions data for tropical and subtropical systems is still scarce. This work found subtropical bays to be significant aquatic sources of both CH₄ and N₂O and puts the estimated fluxes into the global context with measurements done from other climatic regions.     

Role of nitric oxide in the genotoxic response to chronic microcystin-LR exposure in human–hamster hybrid cells

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is the most abundant and toxic microcystin congener and has been classified as a potential human carcinogen (Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the genotoxic effects of MC-LR during chronic exposure are still poorly understood. In the present study, human–hamster hybrid (A_L) cells were exposed to MC-LR for varying lengths of time to investigate the role of nitrogen radicals in MC-LR-induced genotoxicity. The mutagenic potential at the CD59 locus was more than 2-fold higher (p < 0.01) in A_L cells exposed to a cytotoxic concentration (1 μmol/L) of MC-LR for 30 days than in untreated control cells, which was consistent with the formation of micronucleus. MC-LR caused a dose-dependent increase in nitric oxide (NO) production in treated cells. Moreover, this was blocked by concurrent treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor N^G-methyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA), which suppressed MC-LR-induced mutations as well. The survival of mitochondrial DNA-depleted (ρ⁰) A_L cells was markedly decreased by MC-LR treatment compared to that in A_L cells, while the CD59 mutant fraction was unaltered. These results provided clear evidence that the genotoxicity associated with chronic MC-LR exposure in mammalian cells was mediated by NO and might be considered as a basis for the development of therapeutics that prevent carcinogenesis.     

Distributed generation by energy from waste technology: A life cycle perspective

Municipal Solid Waste in general and its organic fraction in particular is a potential renewable and non-seasonal resource. In this work, a life cycle assessment has been performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of two future scenarios using biogas produced from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) to supply energy to a group of dwellings, respectively comprising distributed generation using solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) micro-CHP systems and condensing boilers. The London Borough of Greenwich is taken as the reference case study. The system is designed to assess how much energy demand can be met and what is the best way to use the digestible waste for distributed energy purposes.The system is compared with two alternative scenarios fuelled by natural gas: a reference scenario, where the electricity is supplied by the grid and the heat is supplied from condensing boilers, and a fuel cell micro-CHP system. The results show that, although OFMSW alone can only supply between 1% and 4% of the total energy demand of the Borough, a saving of ∼130 tonnes of CO₂ eq per year per dwelling equipped with micro-CHP is still achievable compared with the reference scenario. This is primarily due to the surplus electricity produced by the fuel cell when the micro-CHP unit is operated to meet the heat demand. Use of biogas to produce heat only is therefore a less desirable option compared with combined heat and power production. Further investigation is required to identify locally available feedstock other than OFMSW in order to increase the proportion of energy demand that can be met in this way.     

不同沉淀pH值条件下制备的水合氧化锆对水中磷酸盐的吸附作用

研究了沉淀pH值分别为4.8、8.0和10.6条件下制备的水合氧化锆对水中磷酸盐的吸附作用,结果表明,共存的Na~+仅仅略微促进了沉淀pH值为4.8和8.0时所得水合氧化锆对水中磷酸盐的吸附,却明显促进了沉淀pH值为10.6时所得水合氧化锆对磷酸盐的吸附.共存的Ca~(2+)仅仅略微促进了沉淀pH值为4.8时水合氧化锆对磷酸盐的吸附,却极大地促进了沉淀pH值为8.0和10.6时水合氧化锆对磷酸盐的吸附.共存的HCO_3~-和SO_4~(2-)抑制了水合氧化锆对磷酸盐的吸附,且它们对沉淀pH值为4.8时水合氧化锆吸磷的抑制作用明显大于对沉淀pH值为8.0和10.6时水合氧化锆的抑制作用.不同沉淀pH值条件下制备的水合氧化锆对水中磷酸盐的吸附能力均随着溶液pH值的增加而降低.不同沉淀pH值条件下所得水合氧化锆对水中磷酸盐的吸附平衡数据可以采用Langmuir、Freundlich和Dubinin-Redushckevich(D-R)等温吸附模型加以描述.存在Na+而不存在Ca~(2+)情况下,3种不同沉淀pH值条件下所得水合氧化锆对中性溶液中磷酸盐的最大单层吸附容量差别不大;存在Ca~(2+)情况下,沉淀pH值为8.0和10.6时所得水合氧化锆对中性溶液中磷酸盐的最大单层吸附容量远远高于沉淀pH值为4.8时制备的水合氧化锆.沉淀pH值为4.8和8.0时所得水合氧化锆的吸磷机制主要是表面氯和羟基基团与磷酸盐之间的配位体交换作用,而沉淀pH值为10.6时所得水合氧化锆的吸磷机制主要是表面羟基基团与磷酸盐之间的配位体交换作用.以上研究结果显示,与沉淀pH值为4.8时制备的水合氧化锆相比,沉淀pH值为8.0和10.6时制备的水合氧化锆更加适合作为吸附剂去除废水中的磷酸盐.     

多孔不锈钢基氧化铝膜去除水溶液中的Cr(VI)和Cd(II)

通过悬浮粒子浸涂法将合成的γ-Al₂O₃纳米粒子固载于316L多孔不锈钢表面以吸附水溶液中的Cr（VI）和Cd（Ⅱ）.扫描电镜（SEM）和X射线衍射（XRD）测试结果表明,γ相的Al₂O₃纳米粒子均匀地涂在了316L多孔不锈钢基体上,膜体表面沉积厚度约为20 μm.该膜对单一Cr（VI）和Cd（Ⅱ）吸附的最佳pH分别为3.0~4.0和8.0~9.0,吸附均符合动力学准二级模型和Langmuir吸附等温模型,最大吸附量分别为0.603 mg·g^-1和0.399 mg·g^-1.本研究可为水体中的高毒性重金属Cr（VI）和Cd（Ⅱ）去除提供一定的理论和技术参考.