Biodegradation during contaminant transport in porous media: 4. Impact of microbial lag and bacterial cell growth

Miscible-displacement experiments were conducted to examine the impact of microbial lag and bacterial cell growth on the transport of salicylate, a model hydrocarbon compound. The impacts of these processes were examined separately, as well as jointly, to determine their relative effects on biodegradation dynamics. For each experiment, a column was packed with porous medium that was first inoculated with bacteria that contained the NAH plasmid encoding genes for the degradation of naphthalene and salicylate, and then subjected to a step input of salicylate solution. The transport behavior of salicylate was non-steady for all cases examined, and was clearly influenced by a delay (lag) in the onset of biodegradation. This microbial lag, which was consistent with the results of batch experiments, is attributed to the induction and synthesis of the enzymes required for biodegradation of salicylate. The effect of microbial lag on salicylate transport was eliminated by exposing the column to two successive pulses of salicylate, thereby allowing the cells to acclimate to the carbon source during the first pulse. Elimination of microbial lag effects allowed the impact of bacterial growth on salicylate transport to be quantified, which was accomplished by determining a cell mass balance. Conversely, the impact of microbial lag was further investigated by performing a similar double-pulse experiment under no-growth conditions. Significant cell elution was observed and quantified for all conditions/systems. The results of these experiments allowed us to differentiate the effects associated with microbial lag and growth, two coupled processes whose impacts on the biodegradation and transport of contaminants can be difficult to distinguish.     

有机蒸气-空气分子扩散系数实测数据及分析

利用自行研发的气体扩散系数测试装置,测定了烷烃、环烷烃、芳香烃、含氧化合物（酯类、醇类、酮类等）等21种挥发性有机化合物在空气中的分子扩散系数。测定结果表明：互为同系物的有机化合物在相同温度下,分子扩散系数随着分子链的增长而减小,与其沸点呈负相关;互为同分异构体的有机化合物在相同温度下,有支链的分子扩散系数比没有支链的要大。另外,将实验实测值与FSG方程计算值以及文献值进行了对比分析。通过比较实测值与计算值,认为大部分分子结构全部为单键并且不含环状结构的有机化合物的实测值与计算值吻合度比较高,但分子结构中含苯环、碳环和烷烃支链的有机化合物,实测值与计算值吻合度不是很高。建议FSG方程进一步考虑分子结构差异性的影响。     

饮用水中典型致嗅物质吹扫捕集-气相色谱质谱检测方法及优化

采用吹扫捕集/气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）法对饮用水中致嗅物质2-甲基异茨醇（2-MIB）和土臭素（GSM）进行测定。通过调整吹扫温度、吹扫时间、吹扫时捕集阱的温度、六通阀温度和传输管线温度,分析吹扫捕集条件对吹扫捕集效率的影响,并确定最佳吹扫捕集条件。2-MIB和GSM的方法检出限（MDL）分别为0.729 ng·L-1和1.037 ng·L-1,方法定量限（MQL）分别为2.187 ng·L-1和3.112 ng·L-1,平均加标回收率分别在92%~108%和88%~104%范围内,相对标准偏差分别小于6.5%和9.0%.在20~300 ng·L-1的范围内,各异嗅化合物浓度与响应值的线性关系均良好,相关系数均大于0.999。该方法具有操作简便、检出限低,相关性良好、灵敏度高、重复性好等优点。     

Effect of selected organic and inorganic snow and cloud components on the photochemical generation of nitrite by nitrate irradiation

The effect of selected organic and inorganic compounds, present in snow and cloudwater was studied. Photolysis of solutions of nitrate to nitrite was carried out in the laboratory using a UVB light source. The photolysis and other reactions were then modelled. It is shown that formate, formaldehyde, methanesulphonate, and chloride to a lesser extent, can increase the initial formation rate of nitrite. The effect, particularly significant for formate and formaldehyde, is unlikely to be caused by scavenging of hydroxyl radicals. The experimental data obtained in this work suggest that possible causes are the reduction of nitrogen dioxide and nitrate by radical species formed on photooxidation of the organic compounds. Hydroxyl scavenging by organic and inorganic compounds would not affect the initial formation rate of nitrite, but would protect it from oxidation, therefore, increasing the concentration values reached at long irradiation times. The described processes can be relevant to cloudwater and the quasi-liquid layer on the surface of ice and snow, considering that in the polar regions irradiated snow layers are important sources of nitrous acid to the atmosphere. Formate and (at a lesser extent) formaldehyde are the compounds that play the major role in the described processes of nitrite/nitrous acid photoformation by initial rate enhancement and hydroxyl scavenging.     

Impact of Bioaugmentation with a Consortium of Bacteria on the Remediation of Wastewater-Containing Hydrocarbons (5 pp)

Goals, Scope and Background It has been observed that hydrocarbon treated wastewaters still contain high COD and a number of intermediates. This suggests that the required catabolic gene pool for further degradation might be absent in the system or, that its titer value is not significant enough. By providing the desired catabolic potential, the overall efficiency of the treatment system can be improved. This study aims to demonstrate this concept by bioaugmentation of a lab-scale reactor treating refinery wastewater with a consortium having the capacity to complement the alkB genotype to the available microbial population. Methods Two reactors were set up using activated biomass collected from a refinery treatment plant and operated at a continuous mode for a period of 8 weeks. The feed to both reactors was kept constant. Crude oil was spiked regularly. One reactor was bioaugmented with a consortium previously described for crude oil spill remediation. The efficiency of the bioaugmented reactor was demonstrated by reduced COD. The changes in the microbial population over a period of time were analyzed by RAPD. Catabolic activity of the biomass in both reactors was monitored by PCR. The presence of the catabolic loci was confirmed by Southern Hybridization. Results and Discussion 52.2% removal of COD was observed in the bioaugmented reactor while only 15.1% reduction of COD was observed in the reactor without bioaugmentation. The change in microbial population can be seen from the 4th week, which also corresponds to improved catabolic activity. The presence of the bedA locus was seen in all samples, which indicates the presence of aromatic degraders, but the appearance of the alkB locus, from the 6th week onwards, which was observed only in the samples from the bioaugmented reactor. The results suggest that the gene pool of the bioaugmented reactor has catabolic loci that can degrade accumulated intermediates, thus improving the efficiency of the system. Conclusions In this study, improvement of efficiency of bioremediation was demonstrated by addition of catabolic loci that are responsible for degradation. Bioaugmentation was carried out in biomass that was collected from an ETP (effluent treatment plant) treating hydrocarbon containing wastewater to study the strategies for improvement of the treatment system. Biostimulation, only marginally improved the efficiency, when compared to bioaugmentation. The improved efficiency was demonstrated by COD removal. The presence of the alkB locus suggests the importance of a catabolic gene pool that acts on accumulated intermediates. It is well documented that straight chain aliphatics and intermediates of aromatic compounds after ring cleavage, accumulate in refinery wastewater systems, thereby hindering further degradation of the wastewater. Supplementation of a catabolic gene pool that treats the lower pathway compounds and alkanes will improve the overall efficiency. In this study, results suggest that the alkB locus can also be used to monitor the degradative mode of the activated biomass. Recommendations and Perspective . Pollution from petroleum and petroleum products around the globe are known to have grave consequences on the environment. Bioremediation, using activated sludge, is one option for the treatment of such wastes. Effluent treatment plants are usually unable to completely degrade the wastewater being treated in the biological unit (the aerator chambers). The efficiency of degradation can be improved by biostimulation and bioaugmentation. This study demonstrates the improved efficiency of a treatment system for wastewater containing hydrocarbons by bioaugmentation of a consortium that supports degradation. Further experiments on a pilot scale are recommended to assess the use of bioaugmentation on a large scale. The use of molecular tools, like DNA probes for alkB, to monitor the system also needs to be explored.     

Life cycle responses of the midge Chironomus riparius to polycyclic aromatic compound exposure

During acute exposure, polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) act mainly by narcosis, but during chronic exposure the same compounds may exert sublethal life cycle effects. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the chronic effects of sediment spiked PACs on the emergence of the midge Chironomus riparius. Three isomer pairs were selected, and 28-day LC50 values and 50% emergence times (EMt50) were determined. Concentration-response relationships were observed for phenanthrene, acridine, phenanthridine and acridone. Anthracene and phenanthridone had no effect on total emergence, but did cause a delay in emergence. Calculated porewater LC50 values correlated well with logKow values, suggesting narcosis as mode of action. In contrast, effect concentrations for delay in emergence (EMt50) deviated from narcosis, suggesting a specific mode of action during chronic exposure. It is concluded that emergence is a powerful endpoint to detect life cycle effects of PACs on a key sediment inhabiting invertebrate.     

生物修复剂在清除海滩石油污染中的应用

介绍了生物修复石油污染海滩时常用的修复剂类型及其特点.当实验室环境条件能较好控制时,生物强化剂一般是有效的;然而污染现场得出的证据不能表明其对生物降解有促进作用.实验室和现场的研究均表明营养型生物促进剂能有效促进石油的生物降解.水溶性营养易被波浪和潮汐冲刷掉;缓释型营养盐面临的主要挑战是如何控制其释放速率,以保证孔隙水中能较长时间维持理想的营养浓度;亲油型肥料中含有有机碳,有可能在微生物降解石油之前被优先降解.建议根据污染环境的特点选用适合的生物促进剂.     

秦皇岛市重点工业企业VOCs排放及分布特征

工业企业挥发性有机物(VOCs)污染排放对大气环境影响日益突出,工业源VOCs污染防治成为环境保护的重点工作。为进一步提高秦皇岛市工业源挥发性有机物(VOCs)治理的科学性、针对性和有效性,对2019年秦皇岛市重点排污企业VOCs的排污量、区域分布、排放行业等进行了详细调查分析:秦皇岛市重点工业源VOCs排放总量为6875.83t,排放量最大的区域是秦皇岛经济技术开发区,占比51.1%;排放量最大的行业是交通运输设备制造业,占总排放量的33.5%;溶剂使用源的排放量最大,占比52.3%。     

典型三床RTO设备燃爆危险性数值模拟研究*

为研究苯、甲苯、二甲苯混合废气在三床蓄热式废气焚烧炉内部的燃烧过程,基于FLUENT软件建立典型的三床蓄热式废气焚烧炉的物理模型和数值模型,重点分析进气风量和混合可燃气体-空气摩尔占比对其内部压力变化规律的影响,以期可为其安全设计提供借鉴。研究结果表明:燃烧室内的温度变化与燃烧速度变化保持一致,可通过监测RTO燃烧室内的温度来定性评估气体燃烧速度,随着进气风量的增加,混合废气燃烧速度先升高后下降后再升高;从能源损耗和安全生产2个方面综合考虑,得出RTO运行的最佳进气风量为15 000 m3/h到30 000 m3/h,最佳的混合可燃气体-空气摩尔占比为0.15~0.2,这与RTO实际工况相符合,解释RTO装置内废气积聚导致爆炸事故的原因,燃烧过程中压力出现2次峰值超压,实际生产中需在2个时间节点多加防范。     

Organochlorine and heavy metals in newborns: Results from the Flemish Environment and Health Survey (FLEHS 2002–2006)

To collect regional information on internal levels of pollutants in humans in Flanders, 1196 mother–child pairs were systematically recruited in 2002–2003 via 25 maternities across Flanders. Cd, Pb, PCB congeners 118, 170, 138, 153 and 180, p,p′-DDE — a key metabolite of DDT- and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in cord blood or plasma. Cd was detected in 64% of the samples (geometric mean 0.21 µg/L cord blood). p,p′-DDE (110 ng/g plasma lipids) and Pb (14.7 µg/L blood), were measurable in nearly all samples. The individual PCB congeners could be detected in 40 to 81% of the newborns (138 + 153 + 180 = 64.4 ng/g plasma lipids). HCB (18.9 ng/g plasma lipids) and dioxin-like compounds measured by DR-CALUX® (23 pg CALUX-TEQ/g lipids) were above detection limit in more than 75% of the samples. Age and smoking habits of the mothers, did not influence the cord blood Pb and Cd levels. The organochlorines increased 4 to 9% per year of the mother's age (partial R² = 0.05 to 0.22). Mothers had 2.6% less PCBs in cord blood (partial R² = 0.02) for each unit increase in pre-pregnancy BMI. Season of delivery, breastfeeding previous children or consumption of local dairy products, were minor determinants. Up to 20% of the variability in organochlorine concentrations was explained by residence area. It was concluded that the place of birth in Flanders is an important determinant of the load of pollutants measured at the start of life. This underlines the validity of human biomonitoring on (relatively) small geographical scale.