Modeled Summer Background Concentration of Nutrients and Suspended Sediment in the Mid‐Continent (USA) Great Rivers1

Angradi, Ted R., David W. Bolgrien, Matt A. Starry, and Brian H. Hill, 2012. Modeled Summer Background Concentration of Nutrients and Suspended Sediment in the Mid‐Continent (USA) Great Rivers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 1054‐1070. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00669.x Abstract: We used regression models to predict summer background concentration of total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), and total suspended solids (TSS), in the mid‐continent great rivers: the Upper Mississippi, the Lower Missouri, and the Ohio. From multiple linear regressions of water quality indicators with land use and other stressor variables, we determined the concentration of the indicators when the predictor variables were all set to zero — the y‐intercept. Except for total P on the Upper Mississippi River, we could predict background concentration using regression models. Predicted background concentration of total N was about the same on the Upper Mississippi and Lower Missouri Rivers (430 μg l^?1), which was lower than percentile‐based values, but was similar to concentrations derived from the response of sestonic chlorophyll a to great river total N concentration. Background concentration of total P on the Lower Missouri (65 μg l^?1) was also lower than published and percentile‐based concentrations. Background TSS concentration was higher on the Lower Missouri (40 mg l^?1) than the other rivers. Background TSS concentration on the Upper Mississippi (16 mg l^?1) was below a threshold (30 mg l^?1) designed to protect aquatic vegetation. Our model‐predicted concentrations for the great rivers are an attempt to estimate background concentrations for water quality indicators independent from thresholds based on percentiles or derived from stressor‐response relationships.     

Plant steroid hormones produced under Ni stress are involved in the regulation of metal uptake and oxidative stress in Brassica juncea L

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are involved in the amelioration of various biotic and abiotic stresses. With an aim to explore the role of BRs under heavy metal stress, plants of Brassica juncea L. were grown in pots. The plants were subjected to various concentrations of Nickel metal (0.0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mM) and harvested on 60th day in order to observe the expression of these hormones. The isolated BRs from the leaves of Brassica plants characterized by GC-MS include 24-Epibrassinolide (24-EBL), Castasterone, Dolicholide and Typhasterole. The effect of isolated 24-EBL was studied on Ni metal uptake and antioxidative defense system in 60 d old plants of Brassica. It was observed that 24-EBL significantly increased the activities of stress ameliorating enzymes and lowered the metal uptake in plants. This is the first report in B. juncea L. plants showing the expression of BRs under metal treatments and effect of the isolated 24-EBL on metal uptake and in oxidative stress management.     

Thioarsenate formation upon dissolution of orpiment and arsenopyrite

Thioarsenates were previously determined as dominant species in geothermal and mineral waters with excess sulfide. Here, we used batch leaching experiments to determine their formation upon weathering or industrial leaching of the arsenic-sulfide minerals orpiment (As₂S₃) and arsenopyrite (FeAsS) under different pH and oxygen conditions. Under acidic conditions, as expected based on their known kinetic instability at low pH, no thioarsenates formed in either of the two mineral systems. Under neutral to alkaline conditions, orpiment dissolution yielded mono-, di- and trithioarsenate which accounted for up to 43-55% of total arsenic. Thioarsenate formation upon arsenopyrite dissolution was low at neutral (4%) but significant at alkaline pH, especially under suboxic to sulfidic conditions (20-43%, mainly as monothioarsenate). In contrast to orpiment, we postulate that recombination of arsenite and sulfide in solution is of minor importance for monothioarsenate formation during alkaline arsenopyrite dissolution. We propose instead that hydroxyl physisorption lead to formation of As-OH-S surface complexes by transposition of hydroxyl anions to arsenic or iron sites. Concurrently formed ironhydroxides could provide re-sorption sites for the freshly released monothioarsenate. However, sorption experiments with goethite showed slower sorption kinetics of monothioarsenate compared to arsenite, but comparable with arsenate. The discovery that thioarsenates are released by natural weathering and industrial leaching processes and that, once they are released, have a higher mobility than the commonly-investigated species arsenite and arsenate requires future studies to consider them when assessing arsenic release in sulfidic natural or mining-impacted environments.     

三垟湿地沉积物-间隙水-上覆水界面磷形态研究

沉积物与上覆水间营养物质交换,成为导致水体发生富营养化的首要化学变迁过程.分别在三垟湿地的柑橘林(S1)、景观用地(S2)和生活用地(S3)取样,研究了沉积物-间隙水-上覆水界面磷形态以及相互关系.结果表明:(1)沉积物TP增加时,间隙水PO3-4和可溶性总磷(TDP)也增加.要削减磷在上覆水中的含量,控制间隙水PO3-4或TDP是一良策.(2)随着沉积物铁磷、铝磷的增加,间隙水PO3-4也增加.在三垟湿地沉积物中,铁磷和铝磷含量都可作为间隙水PO34-含量的指示.(3)S1、S2和S3的沉积物活性磷、间隙水TDP和上覆水TDP存在明显的浓度梯度,沉积物活性磷＞间隙水TDP＞上覆水TDP.说明在三垟湿地中,沉积物活性磷是磷释放的关键因子,而沉积物-间隙水界面则是磷释放的关键界面.     

水生植物修复氮、磷污染水体研究进展

氮、磷是引起水体富营养化、导致水质恶化的重要因素,因此去除氮、磷一直是污水处理的重要任务.鉴于传统物理、化学方法存在的操作难、成本高、易产生二次污染等问题,人们越来越多地将目光转向利用水生植物去除氮、磷营养物质、净化水质上.介绍了近年来国内外应用水生植物修复氮、磷污染水体的方法、效果及其影响因素,探讨了水生植物净化污染水体的机制.针对目前研究中的不足,提出今后应在不同植物种类开发、植物组合优化以及植物的净化机制等方面加强研究.     

VFAs、TOC及COD作为生物除磷能力指标的探讨

在实际生活污水的处理中,研究了通过A/O运行模式对生物除磷过程中磷的变化情况及在厌氧释磷过程中COD、TOC与VFAs变化之间的关系。结果表明,在厌氧释磷过程中VFAs的变化更能准确地反映系统内释磷进程,实际生活污水中能直接用于磷释放的有机物含量占COD的13.33%,并且释放1 mg P所需VFAs为1.401 mg,此值明显低于前期研究结果。通过对COD、TOC和VFAs 3种组分的分析,可将实际生活污水中的有机底物分为3类:易生物降解含碳有机物、难降解的含碳有机物和水中存在的无机性还原物质,含量分别占COD的13.33%、31.7%和54.97%,其中只有13.33%的含量对生物释磷有直接作用,并可对实际生活污水除磷有指导意义。     

污泥转移SBR工艺处理低浓度生活污水

污泥转移SBR工艺是一种通过内部污泥回流实现污泥在不同SBR隔室间转移,从而增加污泥利用效率,提高系统除污效能的新工艺。以设计规模为240 m3/d、处理低浓度生活污水的工艺系统为对象,研究了新工艺在不同泥转移量(污泥回流比)下的除污性能,并与系统以传统SBR方式运行的情况进行了对比。结果表明,新工艺可以有效提高SBR反应器的容积利用率;采用30%的污泥回流比进行污泥转移,新工艺的处理能力比传统SBR工艺提高近1/2,除磷效率从46%提升至85%。出水各项水质指标均能达到国家排放标准的要求。     

苦土和氧化镁处理氮磷废水的对比研究

分别采用苦土、纯氧化镁为沉淀剂对模拟高浓度氮磷废水(N/P=0.8)进行了脱氮除磷研究,比较了沉淀剂投加量、pH对2种沉淀剂处理氮磷废水的影响,对沉淀产物进行XRD分析,并进行了经济效益比较。结果表明,pH是影响2种沉淀剂处理氮磷废水的主要因素,随着pH的增加,脱氮除磷效果提高,在平衡pH为9～10之间时氮磷处理效果最佳,pH继续增加,由于磷酸镁沉淀的形成使得氨氮去除率降低。此外,处理相同的废水,苦土的最佳投加量要大于纯氧化镁,但是经济效益比较结果表明,以苦土为沉淀剂处理氮磷废水可大大降低处理成本。     

无砾石微孔管地下渗滤系统处理生活污水的中试研究

进行了无砾石微孔管地下渗滤系统处理生活污水的中试研究。基于不同土壤、不同管径、不同植物的协同效应,对比研究了不同系统处理污水中有机物、氮、磷和SS的去除效果及其影响因素。结果表明,不同土壤、不同管径及不同植物组成的系统,对生活污水中有机物、氮、磷和SS的去除效果差别较大。中试系统对COD、总磷、氨氮、总氮和SS的最佳去除率分别达到86.13%、90.20%、61.24%、65.49%和97.43%,对应的出水COD、总磷、氨氮、总氮和SS的平均浓度分别为64.29、0.69、22.13、26.19和5.56 mg/L。分析表明,进水SS浓度过高、外界温度下降等共同作用是导致系统对生活污水中NH4+-N和TN的去除率相对较低的主要原因。