QCM-D与AFM联用解析EfOM在SiO2改性PVDF超滤膜表面的吸附机制

为了进一步从微观角度上研究不同过滤阶段出水有机物(Ef OM)在纳米Si O2改性超滤膜表面的具体吸附机制,通过调节Si O2添加比例从而获得不同改性程度的实际膜.借用耗散型石英晶体微天平(QCM-D)与原子力显微镜(AFM)联用技术分别测定Ef OM在膜表面的吸附情况和Ef OM与膜之间的相互作用力.QCM-D实验结果与分析表明,膜表面的亲水性越好,膜表面Ef OM吸附量就越少,以及Ef OM在膜表面的吸附速率明显减缓.实验结果还发现,Ef OM的吸附经历了两个阶段:在初始阶段(15 min内),有机物快速吸附到膜表面并堆积;当Ef OM的吸附频率达到平衡时,耗散却处于非平衡状态,该现象说明虽然Ef OM在膜表面的吸附量达到稳定,但其吸附层的构象却仍在发生变化.AFM测定结果证明,随着亲水性的不断改善,Ef OM-膜、Ef OM-Ef OM之间的作用力均有所减小,该结果揭露了膜面Ef OM吸附量减少吸附速率下降的本质原因.QCM-D与AFM的联用有效地解释了膜改性对Ef OM吸附机制的影响.     

The response of Trissolcus basalis to footprint contact kairomones from Nezara viridula females is mediated by leaf epicuticular waxes

Chemical footprints left behind by true bugs are perceived as contact kairomones by scelionid egg parasitoids. Female wasps encountering a contaminated artificial substrate display a characteristic arrestment posture, holding the body motionless and antennating the surface. In the system Nezara viridula (L.) and its egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston), previous studies have shown that the kairomone mediating such behavior is part of N. viridula’s cuticular hydrocarbons (CHC) and furthermore that the wasp’s ability to discriminate host male and female footprints is mainly based on the presence/absence of nonadecane (nC₁₉). In this study, the effect of epicuticular waxes of leaves of broad bean, Vicia faba, on wasp responses to footprints of N. viridula females were investigated. Approximately 20% of T. basalis females displayed an arrestment posture when released on the adaxial leaf surfaces of broad bean plants with intact wax layer and without host chemical contamination; whereas ∼70% of wasps displayed the arrestment posture when intact leaves were contaminated by host female footprints. Adaxial leaf surfaces of broad bean plants dewaxed with an aqueous solution of gum arabic and afterwards contaminated by N. viridula females induced arrestment responses in about 10% of female wasps; the same percentage of arrestment (10%) was observed when the wasps were released on leaves contaminated by host females and subsequently dewaxed. The side of the polymer film that was appressed to the leaf surface, peeled from the contaminated leaves, induced an arrestment posture in about 95% of observed wasps. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the epicuticular waxes occurred as a film densely crystallized as irregularly shaped platelets with spherical granules randomly distributed. These findings demonstrated that epicuticular waxes of broad bean leaves can mediate the foraging behavior of T. basalis females by absorbing contact kairomones of the host.     

UV、O3及UV/O3削减耐药菌和抗性基因性能

从某污水处理厂二级出水分离出粪肠球菌、短芽孢杆菌、假单胞杆菌和大肠杆菌4种耐药菌,通过菌落计数法、qPCR评价UV、O₃及UV/O₃对耐药菌和抗性基因的削减效果.研究表明,3种方式对耐药菌均有较好的削减效果,其中革兰氏阳性菌灭活效果比阴性菌差;对抗性基因的削减受消毒方式和抗性基因的种类影响较大,结果表明短芽孢杆菌在耐药菌和抗性基因削减过程中表现出较强的抗逆性.结合复活实验和扫描电镜发现,UV消毒72h后耐药菌的光复活率为6.93%~11.58%;O₃因破坏了细胞结构未出现光复活现象,这一过程中胞内抗性基因可能释放到环境中;UV/O₃对耐药菌造成的损伤同样具有不可逆性.     

Enhanced removal of Cr(VI) by biochar with Fe as electron shuttles

Biochar is extensively used as an effective soil amendment for environmental remediation. In addition to its strong contaminant sorption capability, biochar also plays an important role in chemical transformation of contaminant due to its inherent redox-active moieties. However, the transformation efficiency of inorganic contaminants is generally very limited when the direct adsorption of contaminants on biochar is inefficient. The present study demonstrates the role of Fe ion as an electron shuttle to enhance Cr(VI) reduction by biochars. Batch experiments were conducted to examine the effects of Fe(III) levels, pyrolysis temperature of biochar, initial solution pH, and biochar dosage on the efficiency of Cr(VI) removal. Results showed a significant enhancement in Cr(VI) reduction with an increase in Fe(III) concentration and a decrease of initial pH. Biochar produced at higher pyrolysis temperatures (e.g., 700°C) favored Cr(VI) removal, especially in the presence of Fe(III), while a higher biochar dosage proved unfavorable likely due to the agglomeration or precipitation of biochar. Speciation analysis of Fe and Cr elements on the surface of biochar and in the solution further confirmed the role of Fe ion as an electron shuttle between biochar and Cr(VI). The present findings provide a potential strategy for the advanced treatment of Cr(VI) at low concentrations as well as an insight into the environmental fate of Cr(VI) and other micro-pollutants in soil or aqueous compartments containing Fe and natural or engineered carbonaceous materials.     

Road to full bioconversion of biowaste to biochemicals centering on chain elongation: A mini review

Production of biochemicals from waste streams has been attracting increasing worldwide interest to achieve climate protection goals. Chain elongation(CE) for production of mediumchain carboxylic acids(MCCAs, especially caproate, enanthate and caprylate) from diverse biowaste has emerged as a potential economic and environmental technology for a sustainable society. The present mini review summarizes the research utilizing various synthetic or real waste-derived substrates available for MCCA production. Additionally, the microbial characteristics of the CE process are surveyed and discussed. Considering that a large proportion of recalcitrantly biodegradable biowaste and residues cannot be further utilized by CE systems and remain to be treated and disposed, we propose here a loop concept of bioconversion of biowaste to MCCAs making full use of the biowaste with zero emission. This could make possible an alternative technology for synthesis of value-added products from a wide range of biowaste, or even non-biodegradable waste(such as, plastics and rubbers). Meanwhile, the remaining scientific questions, unsolved problems, application potential and possible developments for this technology are discussed.     

Municipal wastewater-induced histopathological lesions in gills of freshwater fish Labeo rohita – A SEM study

The fingerlings of fish Labeo rohita were subjected to chronic (15, 30, and 60 days) and recovery (60 days) experiments for histopathological studies using sublethal concentrations (35.4%, 26.6%, and 17.7% v/v) of municipal wastewater of Tung Dhab drain, Amritsar, India. Control fish were maintained for same exposure periods using tap water. Scanning electron microscopic studies exhibited dose- and duration-dependent alterations on gill surface ultra-structure. Control fish exhibited functionally normal gills with normal mean degree of tissue change. Fifteen different types of lesions were identified out of which 9, 5, and 1 were of the stage I, II, and III, respectively. The mean degree of change values in the treated groups ranged from 14.8 ± 0.5 (17.7%, 15 days) to 116. ± 17 (35.4%, 60 days) demonstrated gill damages of slight to irreparable lesions. The recorded alterations were epithelial lifting and intraepithelial edema, reduction of water spaces, lamellar fusion, lamellar telangiectasia, swelling and fusion of filaments, sloughing of lamellar epithelium, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mucous and chloride cells, and necrotic lamellae. The recovery experiments showed positive improvement as the intensity of damage was less than recorded for 60 days of treatment. This study clearly indicated toxicity of drain water to fish at cellular and organ level. The study recommends environmental agencies to make and enforce decisions regarding improvement of water quality of Tung Dhab drain, and further incorporating histopathological studies as an analytical tool.     

Scanning electron microscopy study of the gills,scales and erythrocytes of Anabas testudineus upon exposure to chlorpyrifos

The present study was undertaken to assess the toxicity of sublethal concentrations (125, 250, and 375 µg L^?1) of chlorpyrifos on Anabas testudineus for 21 days. The morphological changes on the gills, scales, and erythrocytes of A. testudineus were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Gill alterations included highly active mucous cells, epithelial hyperplasia, and fusion of secondary lamellae. The scales showed damaged lepidonts. Oozed out cytoplasmic content and lobopodial projections were observed in the erythrocytes after exposure to chlorpyrifos.     

Simultaneous Feammox and anammox process facilitated by activated carbon as an electron shuttle for autotrophic biological nitrogen removal

• The autotrophic nitrogen removal combining Feammox and Anammox was achieved. • Activated carbon can be used as an electron shuttle to enhance Feammox activity. • Fe(III) was reduced to Fe(II) and the secondary Fe(II) mineral (FeOOH) was obtained. • The iron-reducing bacteria and Anammox consortium was enriched simultaneously. Ferric iron reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Feammox) is a novel ferric-dependent autotrophic process for biological nitrogen removal (BNR) that has attracted increasing attention due to its low organic carbon requirement. However, extracellular electron transfer limits the nitrogen transformation rate. In this study, activated carbon (AC) was used as an electron shuttle and added into an integrated autotrophic BNR system consisting of Feammox and anammox processes. The nitrogen removal performance, nitrogen transformation pathways and microbial communities were investigated during 194 days of operation. During the stable operational period (days 126–194), the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency reached 82.9%±6.8% with a nitrogen removal rate of 0.46±0.04 kg-TN/m³/d. The contributions of the Feammox, anammox and heterotrophic denitrification pathways to TN loss accounted for 7.5%, 89.5% and 3.0%, respectively. Batch experiments showed that AC was more effective in accelerating the Feammox rate than the anammox rate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses showed the presence of ferric iron (Fe(III)) and ferrous iron (Fe(II)) in secondary minerals. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns indicated that secondary iron species were formed on the surface of iron-AC carrier (Fe/AC), and Fe(III) was primarily reduced by ammonium in the Feammox process. The phyla Anaerolineaceae (0.542%) and Candidatus Magasanikbacteria (0.147%) might contribute to the Feammox process, and Candidatus Jettenia (2.10%) and Candidatus Brocadia (1.18%) were the dominative anammox phyla in the bioreactor. Overall, the addition of AC provided an effective way to enhance the autotrophic BNR process by integrating Feammox and anammox.