Optimized determination of airborne tetracycline resistance genes in laboratory atmosphere

• Sampling parameters with high efficiency was determined. • Operational process to detect airborne ARGs was optimized. • Providing research basis to control airborne ARGs of a laboratory atmosphere Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been detected in various atmospheric environments. Airborne ARGs transmission presents the public health threat. However, it is very difficult to quantify airborne ARGs because of the limited availability of collectable airborne particulate matter and the low biological content of samples. In this study, an optimized protocol for collecting and detecting airborne ARGs was presented. Experimental results showed that recovery efficiency tended to increase initially and then declined over time, and a range of 550–780 copies/mm² of capture loading was recommended to ensure that the recovery efficiency is greater than 75%. As the cell walls were mechanically disrupted and nucleic acids were released, the buffer wash protects ARGs dissolution. Three ratios of buffer volume to membrane area in buffer wash were compared. The highest concentrations of airborne ARGs were detected with 1.4 µL/mm² buffer wash. Furthermore, the majority of the cells were disrupted by an ultrasonication pretreatment (5 min), allowing the efficiency ARGs detection of airborne samples. While, extending the ultrasonication can disrupt cell structures and gene sequence was broken down into fragments. Therefore, this study could provide a theoretical basis for the efficient filter collection of airborne ARGs in different environments. An optimized sampling method was proposed that the buffer wash was 1.4 µL/mm² and the ultrasonication duration was 5 min. The indoor airborne ARGs were examined in accordance with the improved protocol in two laboratories. The result demonstrated that airborne ARGs in an indoor laboratory atmosphere could pose the considerable health risk to inhabitants and we should pay attention to some complicated indoor air environment.     

A History of Dry Cleaners and Sources of Solvent Releases from Dry Cleaning Equipment

Approximately 25, 000-35, 000 dry cleaning facilities currently operate in the U.S. The release of perchloroethylene and other solvents from these establishments represents a major source of soil and groundwater contamination. The manner in which dry cleaning solvents escape from dry cleaning plants is, for all practical purposes, identical for chlorinated and petroleum hydrocarbon solvents and is related to one of the following events: the catastrophic failure of a component of the dry cleaning system, the improper installation, operation or maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment or a combination of all of these causes. Acceptable customs, codes and regulations can also dictate what is authorized for operation of a dry cleaning facility in a particular community, geographic area during a particular time frame. Environmental litigation dealing with the origin of a solvent release from dry cleaners tends to focus on the design and manufacture of dry cleaning industry machines such as washers, washer extractors, tumblers, solvent filters, water separators, stills and spotting boards. A thorough analysis of the daily operations of dry cleaners often reveals that poor maintenance, failure to follow the manufacturer's instructions and the actions of the operator are the most likely causes of soil and groundwater pollution. In order to forensically evaluate the most probable origins of a solvent release and to examine issues regarding liability, a thorough understanding of the history of dry cleaning and a detailed analysis of the operation and maintenance of the dry cleaning equipment are necessary. The discovery of solvent plumes in the vicinity of dry cleaning plants may suggest that the solvent source is the dry cleaning plant; however, the presence of these plumes does not necessarily indicate that the dry cleaning equipment was defectively designed or manufactured. A thorough review of the type of equipment used over the life of the dry cleaning plant and verifiable solvent mileage records frequently indicates that operators of the plant have disposed of solvent and contaminated solids into the municipal sewer or on ground surfaces.     

曝气生物活性炭滤池深度处理垃圾渗滤液的效能研究

为了考察曝气生物活性炭滤池(BACF)深度处理垃圾渗滤液的效能,研究了填料填充度、曝气位置、气水比、水力停留时间和p H等影响因素对滤池去除有机物、氨氮和总氮的影响。结果表明,最佳的工艺运行条件为:填料填充度为80%,底部曝气,气水比为3:1,水力停留时间为8 h,p H为7~8。在最佳工艺条件下运行反应器,COD、氨氮和TN平均去除率分别达到85%、90%和57%,出水可达到实验设定水质要求。BACF具有较强的抗有机负荷能力,进水COD浓度在323至3 000 mg/L之间时,COD去除率稳定在80%。反应器受氨氮冲击负荷影响较大,氨氮进水浓度低于90mg/L时,出水可达到要求。     

Degradation characteristics of metribuzin in soils within the Nzoia River Drainage Basin,Kenya

Metribuzin, a triazinone herbicide, is heavily used within the expansive Nzoia River Drainage Basin in Kenya for the optimization of sugarcane yields. For field experiments, soils were spiked with metribuzin and amended with filter mud compost and Tithonia diversifolia leaves. Soils with history of metribuzin application (48 months) were also spiked with metribuzin but not amended with the organic materials. Degradation of metribuzin for the three variants was followed for a period of 102 days. Repeated exposure of metribuzin to soil and addition of filter mud compost to soil enhances the degradation of metribuzin with half dissipation times of 31 and 25 days. In soil amended with Tithonia diversfolia leaves, the half dissipation time was 32 days while in the control (unamended non history soil), it was 36 days. Laboratory studies showed that soil sterilization slowed the degradation of metribuzin, with a half dissipation time of 154 days. This confirmed that metribuzin was biochemically degraded in soil by an adapted community of microbes.     

Treating landfill gas hydrogen sulphide with mineral wool waste (MWW) and rod mill waste (RMW)

Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) gas is a major odorant at municipal landfills. The gas can be generated from different waste fractions, for example demolition waste containing gypsum based plaster board. The removal of H₂S from landfill gas was investigated by filtering it through mineral wool waste products. The flow of gas varied from 0.3 l/min to 3.0 l/min. The gas was typical for landfill gas with a mean H₂S concentration of ca. 4500 ppm. The results show that the sulphide gas can effectively be removed by mineral wool waste products. The ratios of the estimated potential for sulphide precipitation were 19:1 for rod mill waste (RMW) and mineral wool waste (MWW). A filter consisting of a mixture of MWW and RMW, with a vertical perforated gas tube through the center of filter material and with a downward gas flow, removed 98% of the sulfide gas over a period of 80 days. A downward gas flow was more efficient in contacting the filter materials. Mineral wool waste products are effective in removing hydrogen sulphide from landfill gas given an adequate contact time and water content in the filter material. Based on the estimated sulphide removal potential of mineral wool and rod mill waste of 14 g/kg and 261 g/kg, and assuming an average sulphide gas concentration of 4500 ppm, the removal capacity in the filter materials has been estimated to last between 11 and 308 days. At the studied location the experimental gas flow was 100 times less than the actual gas flow. We believe that the system described here can be upscaled in order to treat this gas flow.     

生活污水中水回用工程设计

采用曝气生物滤池与ClO2结合工艺处理生活废水,具有效果好、流程短、易操作,处理后水可回用等优点,有一定的推广价值。     

植物油烟雾的采样和监测方法研究

本文介绍了一种新型玻璃纤维滤筒采集油烟的装置 ,用该装置对植物油烟进行了采样和监测 ,该方法适用于油脂工业色拉油和餐饮业植物油烟雾的监测。     

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LINEAR AND NONLINEAR TIME SERIES MODELS FOR WATER QUALITY1

ABSTRACT: Surface water quality data are routinely collected in river basins by state or federal agencies. The observed quality of river water generally reflects the overall quality of the ecosystem of the river basin. Advanced statistical methods are often needed to extract valuable information from the vast amount of data for developing management strategies. Among the measured water quality constituents, total phosphorus is most often the limiting nutrient in freshwater aquatic systems. Relatively low concentrations of phosphorus in surface waters may create eutrophication problems. Phosphorus is a non-conservative constituent. Its time series generally exhibits nonlinear behavior. Linear models are shown to be inadequate. This paper presents a nonlinear state-dependent model for the phosphorous data collected at DeSoto, Kansas. The nonlinear model gives significant reductions in error variance and forecasting error as compared to the best linear autoregressive model identified.     

简化活性污泥数学模型的优化

为了从控制运行的角度促进简化数学模型的应用，必须借助其它优化手段进一步提高预测精度。本文主要介绍了应用于简化数学模型的扩展卡尔曼滤波、神经网络和误差反馈系统三种优化方法以及优化后的验证结果。从验证结果来看，优化的ROM模型与ASMl模型的定性变化行为相似，基于神经网络的复合模型对PO4^3-和NOx^-的预测结果非常准确，误差反馈的优化系统模拟性能良好。     

Phosphate adsorption performance of a novel filter substrate made from drinking water treatment residuals

Phosphate is one of the most predominant pollutants in natural waters. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the phosphate adsorption performance of a(NFS) made from drinking water treatment residuals. The adsorption of phosphate on the NFS fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic models. At p H 7.0, the maximum adsorption capacity of 1.03 mg/g was achieved at 15°C corresponding to the wastewater temperature in cold months, and increased notably to 1.31 mg/g at 35°C.Under both acidic conditions(part of the adsorption sites was consumed) and basic conditions(negative charges formed on the surface of NFS, which led to a static repulsion of PO43-and HPO42-), the adsorption of phosphate was slightly inhibited. Further study showed that part of the adsorption sites could be recovered by 0.25 mol/L Na OH. The activation energy was calculated to be above 8.0 k J/mol, indicating that the adsorption of phosphate on NFS was probably a chemical process. Considering the strong phosphate adsorption capacity and recoverability, NFS showed great promise on enhancing phosphate removal from the secondary treated wastewater in the filtration process.