Peroxidase-mediated removal of endocrine disrupting compound mixtures from water

Several classes of oxidative enzymes have shown promise for efficient removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) that are resistant to conventional wastewater treatments. Although the kinetics of reactions between individual EDCs and selected oxidative enzymes are well documented in the literature, there has been little investigation of reactions with EDC mixtures. This makes it impossible to predict how enzyme-mediated treatment systems will perform since wastewater effluents generally contain multiple EDCs. This paper reports pseudo-first order rate constants for a model oxidative enzyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), during single-substrate (k₁) and mixed-substrate (k_1-MIX) reactions. Measured values are compared with literature values of three Michaelis-Menten parameters: half-saturation constant (K_M), enzyme turnover number (k_CAT), and the ratio k_CAT/K_M. Published reports had suggested that each of these could be correlated with HRP reactivity towards EDCs in mixtures, and empirical results from this study show that K_M can be used to predict the sequence of EDC removal reactions within a particular mixture. We also observed that k_1-MIX values were generally greater than k₁ values and that compounds exhibiting greatest estrogenic toxicities reacted most rapidly in a given mixture. Finally, because K_M may be tedious to measure for every EDC of interest, we have constructed a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict these values. This model predicts K_M quite accurately (R² = 89%) based on two molecular characteristics: molecular volume and hydration energy. Its accuracy makes this QSAR a useful tool for predicting which EDCs will be removed most efficiently during enzyme treatment of EDC mixtures.     

Environmental assessment of garden waste management in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark

An environmental assessment of six scenarios for handling of garden waste in the Municipality of Aarhus (Denmark) was performed from a life cycle perspective by means of the LCA-model EASEWASTE. In the first (baseline) scenario, the current garden waste management system based on windrow composting was assessed, while in the other five scenarios alternative solutions including incineration and home composting of fractions of the garden waste were evaluated. The environmental profile (normalised to Person Equivalent, PE) of the current garden waste management in Aarhus is in the order of −6 to 8 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the non-toxic categories and up to 100 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the toxic categories. The potential impacts on non-toxic categories are much smaller than what is found for other fractions of municipal solid waste. Incineration (up to 35% of the garden waste) and home composting (up to 18% of the garden waste) seem from an environmental point of view suitable for diverting waste away from the composting facility in order to increase its capacity. In particular the incineration of woody parts of the garden waste improved the environmental profile of the garden waste management significantly.     

Marine and farmed fish on the Polish market: comparison of the nutritive value and human exposure to PCDD/Fs and other contaminants

Chemical analyses were performed in nine fish species that are popular on the Polish market. These included Baltic fish (cod, herring, salmon), fish farmed in Poland (carp, trout), marine fish imported from China (Alaska pollock, sole), and farmed fish imported from Vietnam and China (sutchi catfish, tilapia). The nutritional composition (amino acid, micro- and macronutrients, fat-soluble vitamins - A₁, D₃, E) and certain contaminants (organochlorine pesticides, OCPs; indicator polychlorinated biphenyl, PCB₆; polychlorinated dibenzo-paradioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDD/Fs; dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, dl-PCBs; organotin compounds, OCTs; dyes, malachite green and crystal violet; veterinary drug residues, nitrofurans and chloramphenicol; toxic metals, Cd, Pb, Hg) in the muscle tissues of fish were determined. It was confirmed that the fish species analyzed were excellent sources of amino acids, and were rich in phosphorous and selenium. Baltic Sea fish (salmon, herring), fish farmed in Poland (carp and trout), and tilapia were also rich in vitamin D₃.Traces of OCP, PCB₆, OCT, dyes, veterinary drug residues, and heavy metals were detected in concentrations which do not pose a threat to consumers at the current rate of fish consumption in Poland. However, the problem might arise from the content of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in fatty Baltic fish. The fish species analyzed, differed in their nutritional values and degrees of contamination. We suggest that for optimum health and safety, it is advisable that consumers include a variety of different fish species in their diets.     

Pseudomonas sp.fz胞外分离物降解四溴双酚A

四溴双酚A(TBBPA)是全球消耗量最大的溴系阻燃剂。通过活性物质的定位、分离和TBBPA产物的分析等步骤,对Pseudomonas sp.fz胞外分离物降解TBBPA进行了研究。结果表明,存在于胞外的活性物质通过异丙基断裂和脱溴两条途径降解TBBPA。通过超滤,Sephadex G-10分离纯化得到了具有降解活性的小分子物质,分子量约为376~456 Da,初步鉴定为短肽类物质。这种小分子物质具有很好的热稳定性(30~80℃),在弱酸性条件下(2.0~5.0)活性较高,其活性还受金属离子、氧气和抑制剂(Na N3)的影响。此外,部分纯化的小分子物质在一定条件下能够产生羟基自由基(·OH)。     

Precursors and potential sources of ground-level ozone in suburban Shanghai

• Air masses from Zhejiang Province is the major source of O₃ in suburban Shanghai. • O₃ formation was in VOC-sensitive regime in rural Shanghai. • O₃ formation was most sensitive to propylene in rural Shanghai. A high level of ozone (O₃) is frequently observed in the suburbs of Shanghai, the reason for this high level remains unclear. To obtain a detailed insight on the high level of O₃ during summer in Shanghai, O₃ and its precursors were measured at a suburban site in Shanghai from July 1, 2016 to July 31, 2016. Using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model and concentration weighted trajectories (CWT), we found that Zhejiang province was the main potential source of O₃ in suburban Shanghai. When the sampling site was controlled by south-western winds exceeding 2 m/s, the O₃-rich air masses from upwind regions (such as Zhejiang province) could be transported to the suburban Shanghai. The propylene-equivalent concentration (PEC) and ozone formation potential (OFP) were further calculated for each VOC species, and the results suggested that propylene, (m+p)-xylene, and toluene played dominant roles in O₃ formation. The Ozone Isopleth Plotting Research (OZIPR) model was used to reveal the impact of O₃ precursors on O₃ formation, and 4 base-cases were selected to adjust the model simulation. An average disparity of 18.20% was achieved between the simulated and observed O₃ concentrations. The O₃ isopleth diagram illustrated that O₃ formation in July 2016 was in VOC-sensitive regime, although the VOC/NO_x ratio was greater than 20. By introducing sensitivity (S), a sensitivity analysis was performed for O₃ formation. We found that O₃ formation was sensitive to propylene, (m+p)-xylene, o-xylene and toluene. The results provide theoretical support for O₃ pollution treatment in Shanghai.     

制备ZnO/CdS/Au异质结用于可见光催化降解低浓度甲醛

采用水热法和化学浴沉积法制备了ZnO/CdS/Au异质结光催化剂,用于可见光下室温去除低浓度甲醛。通过XRD、SEM、TEM、XPS、UV、PL、PEC、EIS等手段对ZnO/CdS/Au异质结光催化剂的光学性能、光电性能进行表征。结果表明,Au负载的ZnO/CdS纳米棒组成的微米花状结构中,异质结和金属等离子体效应能拓宽光谱吸收范围,抑制半导体缺陷发光,促进光吸收以及光生电子空穴的分离和迁移;所制备的ZnO/CdS/Au异质结光催化剂对甲醛的去除具有优异性能,室温下2 h即可将反应舱内低质量浓度甲醛(1.25 mg·m⁻³)降至0.025 mg·m⁻³以下,且经过8次重复使用后催化剂活性没有明显下降。此外,影响甲醛去除的因素,如催化剂种类、光照波长、甲醛初始质量浓度、相对湿度也进行了研究和探讨。该研究结果对低浓度甲醛的室温去除具有理论指导意义。     

General prevention and risk minimization in LCA A combined approach

Methods for life cycle assessment of products (LCA) are most often based on the general prevention principle, as opposed to the risk minimization principle. Here, the desirability and feasibility of a combined approach are discussed, along with the conditions for elaboration in the framework of LCA methodology, and the consequences for LCA practice. A combined approach provides a separate assessment of above and below threshold pollution, offering the possibility to combat above threshold impacts with priority. Spatial differentiation in fate, exposure, and effect modelling is identified to play a central role in the implementation. The collection of region-specific data turns out to be the most elaborate requirement for the implementation in both methodology and practice. A methodological framework for the construction of characterization factors is provided. Along with spatial differentiation of existing parameters, two newly introduced spatial parameters play a key role: the sensitivity factor and the threshold factor. The practicability of the proposed procedure is illustrated by an example of its application. Providing a reasonable data availability, the development of separate LCA characterization factors for the respective assessment of pollution levels above and below environmental threshold values seems to be a feasible task that may add to LCA credibility.     

一种新型复合球填料在低浓度污水再生回用中的应用研究

新型复合球填料为沸石与悬浮球填料的有机组合体,密度约为0.92～0.97g/cm3,比表面积为711～1185m2/m3,表面粗糙,物化性能稳定.在曝气量为20∶1,停留时间为6 h时,装有新型复合球填料的反应柱挂膜容易,成膜时间短,膜不易脱落,且生物相丰富.膜成熟时对生活污水中的氨氮和COD都有很好的去除效果,出水氨氮浓度≤2 mg/L,去除率≥93%;出水COD浓度≤22 mg/L,去除率≥80%.新型复合球反应柱在稳定状态处理低浓度的二级出水时,出水氨氮浓度≤2 mg/L,去除率≥89%,出水COD浓度为10～36 mg/L,去除率为48%～81%.出水水质符合GB50335-2002标准.     

低碳排放的生物絮凝中试系统污染物去除特性及污泥EPS变化

用中试规模生物絮凝工艺处理含化学絮凝剂的生活污水,分别研究了HRT和进水SS对生物絮凝系统污染物去除特性、剩余污泥产量、污泥特性和温室气体排放的影响。结果表明：生物絮凝系统对COD、TN和TP有较好的去除效果,且污染物去除效果受进水SS影响较大;生物絮凝系统平均污泥产量和平均有机物产量最高可达 53.63 kg·d⁻¹和21.14 kg·d⁻¹;污泥胞外聚合物EPS浓度和PN/PS均与有机负荷呈反比;化学絮凝剂通过影响PN/PS和EPS浓度,可间接影响污泥的沉降性能;生物絮凝系统与AAO工艺相结合,可降低50.12 g·m⁻³温室气体的排放。因此,生物絮凝工艺可为污水处理厂节能降耗运行奠定基础,有望得到广泛应用。     

A study on emission of phthalate esters from plastic materials using a passive flux sampler

Phthalate esters are used as plasticizer in many plastics, and several studies have shown their toxicity. Phthalate esters are gradually emitted over time, and so it is conceivable that they pose a significant health risk. This study aims to investigate the temperature dependence of the emissions of various phthalate esters and to estimate the health risks of these emissions at various temperatures. A passive-type sampler was developed to measure the flux of phthalate esters from the surface of plastic materials. With this sampler, we examined three widely used plastic materials: synthetic leather, wallpaper and vinyl flooring. The observed maximum emissions of diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) from these materials at 20°C were 0.89, 0.77, and 14 μg m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. Emissions at 80°C were 2.8, 4.5×10², and 1.5×10³ μg m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. The results showed this temperature dependence is determined primarily by the type of phthalate ester and less so by the type of material. The estimation from the results of temperature dependence indicated the concentration of DEHP in a vehicle left out in the sunshine during the day can exceed the recommended levels of Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.