A new approach for biological online testing of stack gas condensate from municipal waste incinerators

A biological testing system for the monitoring of stack gas condensates of municipal waste incinerators has been developed using Euglena gracilis as a test organism. The motility, velocity and cellular form of the organisms were the endpoints, calculated by an image analysis system. All endpoints showed statistically significant changes in a short time when organisms were exposed to samples collected during combustion situations with increased pollutant concentrations. The velocity of the organisms proved to be the most appropriate endpoint. A semi-continuous system with E. gracilis for monitoring stack gas condensate is proposed, which could result in an online system for testing stack gas condensates in the future.     

单质硫冲击对含硫废水中硫细菌与聚糖菌竞争关系的影响

聚糖菌的富集会与硫循环耦合反硝化除磷系统(denitrifying sulfur conversion-associated enhanced biological phosphorous removal,DS-EBPR)内功能种群微生物——硫细菌发生竞争,从而导致除磷效果波动.因此,首先对母反应器中微生物进行了长期驯...     

Estimation of intracellular phosphorus content of phosphorus-accumulating organisms at different P:COD feeding ratios

The intracellular phosphorus content of phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAO) was determined based on a stoichiometric equation and phosphorus balance for an enhanced biological phosphorus removal system fed with different P:COD ratios. The data indicated that a higher P:COD feeding ratio could significantly promote the growth of PAO. As the P:COD feeding ratio increased from 0.02:1 to 0.04:1 and 0.16:1, the phosphorus in the sludge increased considerably from 0.053 to 0.084 and 0.205 mg P (mg VSS(aerobic))(-1), respectively, indicating a dynamic condition in the microbial population. From the calculations, the mass fractions of the PAO, glycogen-accumulating organisms, and ordinary heterotrophs changed from 0.10-0.15, 0.83-0.88, and 0.02 at 0.02:1 to 0.19-0.28, 0.70-0.79, and 0.02 at 0.04:1 and to 0.478-0.71, 0.26-0.50, 0.03 at 0.16:1 P:COD feeding ratios, respectively. Despite the variation in microbial diversity, the calculated phosphorus contents of the PAO at all P:COD feeding ratios were consistent between 0.241 and 0.378 mg P (mg VSS(PAO))(-1). The initial specific phosphorus release and uptake rates were 84.7-167.9 mg P (g VSS(PAO))(-1)h(-1) and 52.8-90.0 mgP (g VSS(total))(-1)h(-1), respectively.     

The US’ Food and Drug Administration, Normativity of Risk Assessment, GMOs, and American Democracy

The process of risk assessment of biotechnologies, such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), has normative dimensions. However, the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems committed to the idea that such evaluations are objective. This essay makes the case that the agency’s regulatory approach should be changed such that the public is involved in deciding any ethical or social questions that might arise during risk assessment of GMOs. It is argued that, in the US, neither aggregative nor deliberative (representative) democracy ought to be used to make such determinations. Instead, participatory (deliberative) democracy should be the means by which members of the polity decide which normative concerns ought to underlie FDA’s assessment of GMOs. This paper uses a hypothetical case involving a new GM seed to make that argument.     

浮游植物程序性细胞死亡研究进展

浮游植物是水生生态系统的基础,在生物地化循环中起着非常重要的作用,浮游植物的死亡势必引起水生生态系统的改变。近年来的研究表明,浮游植物的死亡是浮游植物水华衰退的一个重要原因。浮游植物中是否存在与后生动物类似的程序性细胞死亡（Programmed cell death,PCD）途径,也因此成了一个热点问题。文章对近年来浮游植物死亡表型、PCD生化证据、诱发条件、分子基础方面研究进行了总结。大量证据表明,浮游植物中存在类似细胞凋亡、类凋亡、自噬等途径的PCD,但Caspase基因除具有死亡执行者功能外,还可能具有看家功能。活性氧（ROS）和一氧化氮（NO）在浮游植物PCD过程中可能起到死亡信号分子的作用。部分浮游植物的PCD可以改善种群生存,但其生态学意义总体而言仍存在许多争论。     

淀山湖水生生物中有机氯化合物的浓度与富集特征

为研究淀山湖水生生物中有机氯化合物的浓度与富集特征,测定了该湖水生生物样品(铜锈环棱螺、日本沼虾、鱼类)中滴滴涕(DDTs)、六六六(HCHs)、六氯苯(HCB)、多氯联苯(PCBs)的浓度。研究结果显示,在所有生物样品中均检测到了DDTs、HCHs、HCB,各生物体内的有机氯农药含量有很大差异。在8种生物样品中,乌鳢体内的有机氯化合物含量最高,这可能与乌鳢处于较高营养级,且为肉食性鱼类,体内脂肪较多有关。∑DDTs、∑HCHs、HCB的含量范围分别是55~1 135、0.5~24、6.9~91ng/g lw,其中DDTs为最主要的有机氯农药。4,4’-DDE和α-HCH在各自同系物中所占比例最高,说明淀山湖历史上曾经使用过有机氯农药,而近期没有新的污染源输入。以铜锈环棱螺为参照,有机氯农药的生物放大系数(BMFs)范围是1.2(泥鳅)~23(乌鳢);PCBs的生物放大系数范围是5.9(河川沙塘鳢)~55(乌鳢)。亲脂疏水性、低生化降解速率导致有机氯化合物能在生物组织中富集并通过食物链逐级放大。研究结果表明,有机氯化合物会沿着食物链积累放大,可能会对人体健康存在潜在的威胁。     

CASS反应器内反硝化聚磷菌处理生活污水的性能

以实际生活污水作为处理对象,创造出适宜反硝化聚磷菌富集的条件,研究CASS工艺去除有机物同步反硝化脱氮除磷的性能。经过阶段 I、阶段 II 2种运行模式共计66 d的污泥培养,实现反应器的稳定运行,出水化学需氧量、氨氮、TN、TP的去除率平均值分别为90.47%、95.02%、84.71%和99.09%。通过释/吸磷实验测定稳定运行阶段的污泥,反硝化聚磷菌占聚磷菌的比例达到80.00%,且典型周期内磷的吸收量与硝酸盐的去除量呈线性关系。在此运行模式下,该CASS运行模式可同时高效去除有机物、总氮与总磷,并且对反硝化聚磷菌具有较高的富集效率。     

铁盐化学除磷对活性污泥生物除磷系统的影响

在小型处理系统中生物除磷同步化学除磷简便易行,但加入的除磷剂本身和形成的化学沉淀物的积累可能会对生物系统造成影响。采用序批式生物反应器,对铁盐的2种投加剂量下对活性污泥系统的影响进行了研究。结果表明,向SBR系统中连续投加15 mg·L-1三氯化铁,表观上系统总体的除磷效率较未投加前有一定幅度的提高,活性污泥的沉降性能得到改善,但这削弱了系统的内在生物除磷效力。随着化学除磷的进行,系统污泥胞内PHA含量减少、糖原含量增加;污泥中PAOs相对数量下降而GAOs的相对数量显著增加,优势菌发生演替。结束投加后,污泥的活性可以缓慢恢复。说明该浓度下长时间连续进行同步化学与生物除磷,会对系统造成一定的损害,但这种损害在停止化学除磷后具有一定的可恢复性。而连续投加3 mg·L-1三氯化铁的SBR系统总体除磷效率较未投加前有所提高,且没有对生物除磷系统产生明显抑制作用,能够较好实现化学除磷和生物除磷的协同。     

The long-term effect of initial pH control on the enrichment culture of phosphorus- and glycogen-accumulating organisms with a mixture of propionic and acetic acids as carbon sources

In most studies on phosphorus- and glycogen-accumulating organisms (PAO and GAO), pH was controlled constantly throughout the entire anaerobic and aerobic periods, and acetic acid was used as the carbon source. In this paper, the effect of long-term initial pH values on PAO and GAO was investigated with mixed propionic and acetic acids as carbon sources. It was observed that with pH increasing from 6.4 to 8.0, the anaerobic propionic acid uptake rate by PAO linearly increased but that by GAO proportionally decreased. At pH 6.70 and pH 7.51, PAO and GAO exhibited the same acetic and propionic acid uptake rates, respectively. The acetic acid uptake rate by PAO was greater than that by GAO at pH > 6.70, and the propionic acid uptake rate by PAO was higher than that by GAO at pH > 7.51, which indicated that PAO would take predominance over GAO at pH > 7.51. Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, poly-3-hydroxyvalerate and poly-3-hydroxy-2-methylvalerate shared 7%, 62% and 31%, respectively in the PAO system, and 11%, 44% and 45% respectively in the GAO system, and these fractions were observed independent of pH either in the PAO or in the GAO system. In the PAO system, with the increase of pH, the phosphorus removal efficiency was improved greatly, and a phosphorus removal efficiency of 100% was achieved at 8.0. Further investigation showed that the higher phosphorus removal efficiency at higher pH was mainly caused by a biological effect instead of chemical one.     

Utility of the QSAR modeling system for predicting the toxicity of substances on the European inventory of existing commercial chemicals∗

Many chemicals are in common commercial use for which no information on the environmental fate or toxicity exists. Recent legislation requires that many substances be assessed for their toxicity to aquatic organisms within a very short time and determine which of these chemicals need to be studied in greater detail. It would be impossible to measure the acute and chronic effects of all of these compounds on a single organism, let alone a battery of different types of organisms, communities or ecosystems. Initially, the chemicals on the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) need to be screened and relative hazard to the environment determined. In response to OECD directives, there has been a great deal of activity by government and industry scientists. At the International Workshop on Advances in Environmental Hazard and Risk Assessment it was concluded that quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) could and should be used in the hazard assessment process. Papers published in that volume outline the advantages, disadvantages, limitations, advances and research requirements.

The QSAR, structure‐activity based chemical modeling and information system, which was developed by the US‐Environmental Protection Agency was used to predict the acute toxicity of 113 substances from the “Old Substances”; list of the German government to the four commonly used aquatic toxicity test organisms: Daphnia magna (DM), fathead minnow (FHM), rainbow trout (RBT), and blue‐gill sunfish (BG).

Of these compounds the QSAR system predicted the acute toxicity of 87 substances towards fathead minnow. For the other three species examined the QSAR system could be used to predict toxicity for 78 compounds.

The predicted toxicities were compared to observed toxicities of compounds which have been evaluated and stored in the “Aquire”; data base. Observed toxicity values were available for at least one species for 38 compounds. The toxicities of some compounds are well predicted while those of other compounds were not well predicted. Overall, the QSAR system accurately classified the acute toxicity ranges of 50%, 64%, 56% and 56% of the compounds investigated for DM, FHM, RBT and BG, respectively. Of the compounds studied 10 were very poorly predicted, of these the QSAR system overpredicted the toxicity of three, while underpredicting the toxicity of seven. Of these seven compounds, five contained amino groups.