Flocculating characteristic of activated sludge flocs: Interaction between Al3+ and extracellular polymeric substances

Aluminum flocculant can enhance the flocculating performance of activated sludge.However,the binding mechanism of aluminum ion(Al 3+) and extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) in activated sludge is unclear due to the complexity of EPS.In this work,threedimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy(3DEEM),fluorescence quenching titration and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) were used to explore the binding behavior and mechanism between Al 3+ and EPS.The results showed that two fluorescence peaks of tyrosineand tryptophan-like substances were identified in the loosely bound-extracellular polymeric substances(LB-EPS),and three peaks of tyrosine-,tryptophanand humic-like substances were identified in the tightly boundextracellular polymeric substances(TB-EPS).It was found that these fluorescence peaks could be quenched with Al 3+ at the dosage of 3.0 mg/L,which demonstrated that strong interactions took place between the EPS and Al 3+.The conditional stability constants for Al 3+ and EPS were determined by the Stern-Volmer equation.As to the binding mechanism,the-OH,N-H,C=O,C-N groups and the sulfurand phosphorus-containing groups showed complexation action,although the groups in the LB-EPS and TB-EPS showed different behavior.The TB-EPS have stronger binding ability to Al 3+ than the LB-EPS,and TB-EPS play an important role in the interaction with Al 3+.     

Occurrence, profiles, and ecotoxicity of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances and their alternatives in global apex predators: A critical review

Certain poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exhibit significant bioaccumulation/biomagnification behaviors in ecosystems. PFASs, such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) and related precursors, have elicited attention from both public and national regulatory agencies, which has resulted in worldwide restrictions on their production and use. Apex predators occupy the top trophic positions in ecosystems and are most affected by the biomagnification behavior of PFASs. Meanwhile, the long lifespans of apex predators also lead to the high body burden of PFASs. The high body burden of PFASs might be linked to adverse health effects and even pose a potential threat to their reproduction. As seen in previous reviews of PFASs, knowledge is lacking between the current stage of the PFAS body burden and related effects in apex predators. This review summarized PFAS occurrence in global apex predators, including information on the geographic distribution, levels, profiles, and tissue distribution, and discussed the trophic transfer and ecotoxicity of PFASs. In the case where legacy PFASs were restricted under international convention, the occurrence of novel PFASs, such as 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) and perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS), in apex predators arose as an emerging issue. Future studies should develop an effective analytical method and focus on the toxicity and trophic transfer behavior of novel PFASs.     

Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) probe for effectively sampling of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in waters and sediments

The passive sampling technique, diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) has attracted increasing interests as an in-situ sampler for organic contaminants including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). However, its effectiveness has been questioned because of the small effective sampling area (3.1 cm²). In this study, we developed a DGT probe for rapid sampling of eight PFAS in waters and applied it to a water-sediment system. It has a much larger sampling area (27 cm²) and as a result lower method quantification limits (0.15 – 0.21 ng/L for one-day deployment and 0.02 – 0.03 ng/L for one-week deployment) and much higher (by > 10 factors) sampling rate (100 mL/day) compared to the standard DGT (piston configuration). The sampler could linearly accumulate PFAS from wastewater, was sensitive enough even for a 24 hr deployment with performance comparable to grab sampling (500 mL). The DGT probe provided homogeneous sampling performance along the large exposure area. The use of the probe to investigate distributions of dissolved PFAS around the sediment-water interface was demonstrated. This work, for the first time, demonstrated that the DGT probe is a promising monitoring tool for trace levels of PFAS and a research tool for studying their distribution, migration, and fate in aquatic environments including the sediment-water interface.     

Insight into the distribution of metallic elements in membrane bioreactor: Influence of operational temperature and role of extracellular polymeric substances

The distribution of metallic elements in a submerged membrane bioreactor(MBR) was revealed at different temperatures using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry(ICP-OES), and the role of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) was probed by integrating scanning electron microscopy(SEM) with confocal laser scanning microscopy(CLSM) over long-term operation. More metallic elements in the influent were captured by suspended sludge and built up in the fouling layer at lower temperature. The concentration of metallic elements in the effluent was 5.60 mg/L at 10°C operational temperature, far lower than that in the influent(51.35 mg/L). The total contents of metallic elements in suspended sludge and the membrane fouling layer increased to 40.20 and 52.19 mg/g at 10°C compared to 35.14 and 32.45 mg/g at 30°C, and were dominated by the organically bound fraction. The EPS contents in suspended sludge and membrane fouling layer sharply increased to 37.88 and 101.51 mg/g at 10°C, compared to 16.87 and 30.03 mg/g at 30°C. The increase in EPS content at lower temperature was responsible for the deposition of more metallic ions. The strong bridging between EPS and metallic elements at lower temperature enhanced the compactness of the fouling layer and further decreased membrane flux. This was helpful for understanding the mechanism of membrane fouling at different operational temperatures and the role of EPS, and also of significance for the design of cleaning strategies for fouled membranes after long-term operation.     

Synthesis of a novel ternary HA/Fe-Mn oxides-loaded biochar composite and its application in cadmium(II) and arsenic(V) adsorption

Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) are two of the most toxic elements. However, the chemical behaviors of these two elements are different, making it challenging to utilize a single adsorbent with high adsorption capacity for both Cd(II) and As(V) removal. To solve this problem, we synthesized HA/Fe-Mn oxides-loaded biochar (HFMB), a novel ternary material, to perform this task, wherein scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with EDS (SEM-EDS) was used to characterize its morphological and physicochemical properties. The maximum adsorption capacity of HFMB was 67.11?mg/g for Cd(II) and 35.59?mg/g for As(V), which is much higher compared to pristine biochar (11.06?mg/g, 0?mg/g for Cd(II) and As(V), respectively). The adsorption characteristics were investigated by adsorption kinetics and the effects of the ionic strength and pH of solutions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that chelation and deposition were the adsorption mechanisms that bound Cd(II) to HFMB, while ligand exchange was the adsorption mechanism that bound As(V).     

含磷物质与活性炭复配稳定土壤重金属研究

利用含磷物质、活性炭及两者复配组合对污染土壤中的重金属进行稳定化处理,根据稳定效率对稳定剂进行筛选,并分析稳定前后土壤重金属的生物有效性、赋存形态变化。结果表明:经磷矿粉+5%煤基活性炭稳定7 d后,土壤中Pb、Zn、Cu、Cd稳定效率分别达75.85%、61.03%、52.80%、49.92%,土壤重金属的DTPA和PBET生物有效态均降低。BCR形态分级实验表明:该复合稳定剂对土壤重金属的稳定化效应较好,重金属的酸可提取态均有所减少,转化为其他难以分解转移的形态。结果表明,磷矿粉和煤基活性炭可作为资源回收利用,应用于土壤重金属污染修复。     

国外化学品环境管理中关于商业保密信息的实践及其对中国的借鉴

化学品环境管理实践中,化学品危害特性和暴露评估相关数据涉及的化学品所有者的商业保密信息(CBI)是管理部门和企业重点关注的焦点之一.通过信息的公布,可以让公众了解化学品的有毒有害特性,提前防范其环境和健康风险,实现管理目标,但同时也可能影响化学品企业的商业利益、竞争地位和技术优势,损害企业的利益.美国和欧盟的化学品管理法规均对CBI提出了规定和要求,其管理实践对完善中国化学品环境管理中保密信息的管理具有积极的借鉴意义.     

广州市售水产品中全氟烷基化合物的污染特征和安全风险评价

为调查广州市售水产品中全氟烷基化合物（perflurorinated alkylated substances,PFASs）的污染特征,采集鱼类、甲壳类和头足类等6类254个样品,采用超高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定23种PFASs的含量.不同种类样品的PFASs总检出率为93.5%~100%,鱼类和甲壳类的含量较高.鱼类中检出了13种PFASs组分,但鲍鱼仅检出6种,种类差异明显.全氟辛烷磺酸（PFOS）和全氟辛烷羧酸（PFOA）的检出率最高,分别为76.8%和75.6%,为PFASs的特征污染组分.PFOS的含量为0.19~192.27 μg·kg^-1,明显高于其它组分,污染贡献率达35.15%.与鱼类、甲壳类、头足类和加工制品中PFOS的污染贡献率最高不同,海珍品中污染贡献率最高的是全氟丁酸（PFBA）,样品组分污染特征表现出明显的种类差异性.风险评价结果表明,广州市售水产品中PFOA和PFOS对人的潜在健康风险低.     

Factors affecting the concentration of bisphenol A in leachates from solid waste disposal sites and its fate in treatment processes

 The concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) contained in landfill leachates from solid waste disposal sites were measured. The concentrations of BPA contained in leachates from industrial waste sites were in the range below the detection limit to 2800 μg/l, while those from municipal sites were in the range 26–8400 μg/l. The leachates from ash-rich sites contained relatively lower concentrations of BPA compared with organic-rich leachates. It is suggested that BPA concentration increases with time after the completion of reclamation in the case of ash-rich sites, whereas the concentration of BPA decreases with time in the case of organic-rich sites. A 7-year survey on a site in Japan showed neither a decrease nor an increase in the concentration of BPA during on-going reclamation. A leachate from a site in the Philippines contained high concentrations of BPA. A slight positive correlation was found between BPA concentrations and total organic carbon (TOC). A major portion of the BPA in leachates was found in dissolved and organic unassociated fractions, which cannot be precipitated by coagulation. More than 99.9% of the BPA contained in raw leachates was removed by a conventional series of treatment processes consisting of biological treatment, coagulation, sedimentation, sand filtration, and activated carbon adsorption. Received: May 29, 2002 / Accepted: October 17, 2002     

一体式膜生物反应器中环境条件对混合液粘度的影响研究

文章研究了一体式膜生物反应器中环境条件对混合液粘度的影响,以及混合液粘度对膜过滤阻力的影响。试验结果表明：混合液的粘度主要是由胞外聚合物引起的;混合液粘度随着胞外聚合物含量的变化而变化;混合液粘度与各操作条件之间存在一定的关系U=1．586（MESS）^0．614T^-0.106（DO）^0.4697;混合液粘度与膜过滤阻力有较好的相关性。