Persistent organic pollutants control strategy in China

The development of Persistent Organic Pollutants(POPs) control policy in China in the context of international concerns on POPs was reviewed. The aspects of the Chinese POPs control strategies were analyzed, and compared with those of developed counterparts(e.g. US, EU, Japan). Currently, while the legal framework on POPs management, which complies with intemational guidelines has been established, it should be improved in the areas of special POPs management, risk assessment, the precautionary principle, lifecycle management and technical support capacity. The analysis of Chinese POPs policy and suggestions for strengthening the sciencebased decision making capacity are not only useful for Chinese decision-makers, but also a case study for developing wodd and make a great contribution for the global elimination of POPs to make a toxic-free future.     

New microbial electrosynthesis system for methane production from carbon dioxide coupled with oxidation of sulfide to sulfate

Microbial electrosynthesis system (MES) is a promising method that can use carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, to produce methane which acts as an energy source, without using organic substances. However, this bioelectrical reduction reaction can proceed at a certain high applied voltage when coupled with water oxidation in the anode coated with metallic catalyst. When coupled with the oxidation of HS^– to SO₄²⁻, methane production is thermodynamically more feasible, thus implying its production at a considerably lower applied voltage. In this study, we demonstrated the possibility of electrotrophic methane production coupled with HS^– oxidation in a cost-effective bioanode chamber in the MES without organic substrates at a low applied voltage of 0.2 V. In addition, microbial community analyses of biomass enriched in the bioanode and biocathode were used to reveal the most probable pathway for methane production from HS^– oxidation. In the bioanode, electroautotrophic SO₄²⁻ production accompanied with electron donation to the electrode is performed mainly by the following two steps: first, incomplete sulfide oxidation to sulfur cycle intermediates (SCI) is performed; then the produced SCI are disproportionated to HS^– and SO₄²⁻. In the biocathode, methane is produced mainly via H₂ and acetate by electron-accepting syntrophic bacteria, homoacetogens, and acetoclastic archaea. Here, a new eco-friendly MES with biological H₂S removal is established.     

Advanced analytical determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and other major contaminants in water samples using GC-Ion Trap MS

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Study on the effects of organic matter characteristics on the residual aluminum and flocs in coagulation processes

Characteristics of organic matter may affect the residual aluminum after the coagulation process. This study reported the results of a survey for one drinking water treatment plant and measured the concentration of residual aluminum species with different molecular weights.Survey results indicated that humic acid or organic matter whose molecular weight was smaller than 1500 Da had significant effects on residual aluminum. All the treatment processes were ineffective in removing dissolved organic matter whose molecular weight was smaller than1500 Da. These results also indicated that the addition of sand or polyacrylamide in the coagulation process could greatly decrease the concentration of humic acid, and the concentration of residual aluminum also decreased. These results revealed that for all water samples after filtration, the majority of total residual aluminum existed in the form of total dissolved aluminum, accounting for 70%–90%. The concentration of residual aluminum produced in bovine serum albumin solutions indicated that when the DOC was larger than4.0 mg/L, there were still significant differences when the solution p H value varied from 4.0 to 9.0.     

Monitoring of 943 organic micropollutants in wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants with secondary and advanced treatment processes

To perform a systematic survey on the occurrence and removal of micropollutants during municipal wastewater treatment, 943 semi-volatile organic chemicals in 32 wastewater samples including influents of secondary treatments, secondary effluents and final effluents(effluents of advanced treatments), which were collected from seven full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants(MWTPs) in China, were examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) coupled with an automated identification and quantification system with a database(AIQS-DB). In total, 196 and 145 chemicals were detected in secondary and final effluents, respectively. The majority of the total concentrations(average removal efficiency, 87.0%±5.9%) of the micropollutants were removed during secondary treatments. However, advanced treatments achieved different micropollutant removal extents from secondary effluents depending on the different treatment processes employed. Highly variable removal efficiencies of total concentrations(32.7%–99.3%) were observed among the different advanced processes. Among them,ozonation-based processes could remove 70.0%–80.9% of the total concentrations of studied micropollutants. The potentially harmful micropollutants, based on their detection frequency and concentration in secondary and final effluents, were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)(2-methylnaphthalene, fluoranthene, pyrene, naphthalene and phenanthrene), phosphorus flame retardants(tributyl phosphate(TBP), tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate(TCEP) and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate(TDCP)), phthalates(bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate(DEHP)), benzothiazoles(benzothiazole,2-(methylthio)-benzothiazol, and 2(3H)-benzothiazolone) and phenol. This study indicated that the presence of considerable amounts of micropollutants in secondary effluent creates the need for suitable advanced treatment before their reuse.     

Identifying the major fluorescent components responsible for ultrafiltration membrane fouling in different water sources

Three-dimensional fluorescence excitation–emission matrix(EEM) coupled with parallel factor analysis(PARAFAC) was performed for a total of 18 water samples taken from three water sources(two lakes and one wastewater treatment plant(WWTP) secondary effluent),with the purpose of identifying the major ultrafiltration(UF) membrane foulants in different water sources. Three fluorescent components(C1, C2 and C3) were identified,which represented terrestrially derived humic-like substances(C1), microbially derived humic-like substances(C2), and protein-like substances(C3). The correlations between the different fluorescent components and UF membrane fouling were analyzed. It was shown that for the WWTP secondary effluent, all three components(C1, C2 and C3) made a considerable contribution to the irreversible and total fouling of the UF membrane.However, for the two lakes, only the C3 exhibited a strong correlation with membrane fouling, indicating that the protein-like substances were the major membrane foulants in the lake waters. Significant attachment of C1, C2 and C3 to the UF membrane was also confirmed by mass balance analyses for the WWTP secondary effluent; while the attachment of C1 and C2 was shown to be negligible for the two lakes. The results may provide basic formation for developing suitable fouling control strategies for sustainable UF processes.     

医疗废物高温蒸汽处理工艺的二次污染控制——以孝感市医疗废物处置中心为例

以孝感市医疗废物处置中心为例,介绍了高温蒸汽处理过程的二次污染控制工艺。结果表明:采用生物脱臭处理工艺,废气中的恶臭污染物可以达到《恶臭污染排放控制标准》(GB 14554—1993)相应排放速率限值要求;采用生化和物化相结合的废水处理工艺,出水水质可以满足《污水综合排放标准》(GB 8978—1996)的二级排放标准要求。     

湿地土壤有机碳及其活性组分分布特征影响因素研究

红碱淖湖泊湿地是西北半干旱荒漠区重要的生态屏障,随着湖泊面积的减少以及土壤退化程度的加剧,逐渐形成5种典型的景观类型(盐碱沼泽、沼泽化草甸、草地、草原化沙地、沙地)。基于野外实地调查,选取红碱淖湖泊湿地流域蟒盖兔和尔林兔2个典型子流域,研究湖泊退化后不同景观类型土壤有机碳及其活性组分的分布特征及其影响因素。结果表明,5种景观类型土壤有机碳(SOC)、土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)、土壤易氧化态有机碳(EOC)含量均较低。土壤SOC和EOC在垂直剖面上分布特征一致,土壤EOC与土壤有机质动态变化密切相关,土壤砂砾含量高是研究区土壤有机碳含量较低的主要原因。     

Chlorothalonil binding to aquatic humic substances assessed from gas purge studies

Abstract

Fate of the fungicide chlorothalonil (TCIN) binding to dissolved organic acid fractions was quantified using gas‐purge desorption studies. Binding studies were conducted to measure the dissolved organic carbon partition constant (K_DOC) with aquatic fulvic and humic acid fractions purified from cranberry bog water. Desorption studies at DOC concentrations up to 50 mg L^‐1 resulted in mean log K_DOC values of 4.63 (s.d.=0.5, n=8) and 4.81 (s.d.=0.7, n=7) for fulvic and humic acids, respectively. These values deviated from reported K_OC (organic carbon) values by 0.5 to 1.5 orders of magnitude. The relationship between K_OC and K_DOC did not conform to accepted ratios of 10: 1 to 3: 1, although these studies were conducted with the strong hydrophobic fraction of DOC. Binding was rapid suggesting hydrophobic partitioning or weak Van Der Waals forces as binding mechanisms. The strong binding potential for TCIN to aquatic humic substances corresponds to increased solubility in the aqueous system. Sorption to DOC suggests a possible transport mechanism which may result in elevated concentrations of TCIN in cranberry bog systems.     

Microalgae cultured by sewage and organic constituents

The microalgae could be multiplied by supplying only sewage influent or effluent without any additional microalgal stock or nutrient salt. In a semicontinuous culture, the N:P weight ratios consumed were 14:1 and 18:1 for the sewage influent and effluent, respectively. The total cell number and green algae ratio of microalgae cultivated by semicontinuous culture exceeded those of batch culture. No cyanobacterial cells were observed in the semicontinuous culture using the sewage effluent. The organic components in the cultured microalgae using sewage effluent, eluted by n-hexane, were determined. The ratio of unsaturated fatty acid exceeded that of saturated fatty acid, which was possibly attributable to the fluidity of the cell membrane. The squalene was also obtained by the culture using sewage alone, free of any external stock or nutrient salt. The higher heating value of the microalgae of semicontinuous culture using the sewage influent was 25 MJ kg⁻¹, corresponding to the heating value of lignite and showing the potential of the sewage culture microalgae as a means of power generation and combustion aid.