Biogenic palladium prepared by activated sludge microbes for the hexavalent chromium catalytic reduction: Impact of relative biomass

• Pd nanoparticles could be reduced and supported by activated sludge microbes. • The effect of biomass on Pd adsorption by microbes is greater than Pd reduction. • More biomass reduces Pd particle size, which is more dispersed on the cell surface. • When the biomass/Pd add to 6, the catalytic reduction rate of Cr(VI) reaches stable. Palladium, a kind of platinum group metal, owns catalytic capacity for a variety of hydrogenations. In this study, Pd nanoparticles (PdNPs) were generated through enzymatic recovery by microbes of activated sludge at various biomass/Pd, and further used for the Cr(VI) reduction. The results show that biomass had a strong adsorption capacity for Pd(II), which was 17.25 mg Pd/g sludge. The XRD and TEM-EDX results confirmed the existence of PdNPs associated with microbes (bio-Pd). The increase of biomass had little effect on the reduction rate of Pd(II), but it could cause decreasing particle size and shifting location of Pd(0) with the better dispersion degree on the cell surface. In the Cr(VI) reduction experiments, Cr(VI) was first adsorbed on bio-Pd with hydrogen and then reduced using active hydrogen as electron donor. Biomass improved the catalytic activity of PdNPs. When the biomass/Pd (w/w) ratio increased to six or higher, Cr(VI) reduction achieved maximum rate that 50 mg/L of Cr(VI) could be rapidly reduced in one minute.     

污泥水磷和有机物同步混凝去除的多目标优化技术研究

通过引入多响应值的归一化评分法进行了污泥水磷和有机物同步混凝去除的多目标优化,并利用响应面(RSM)技术考察了Al/P比、聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)投加量和悬浮固体(SS)浓度对污染物去除的单独效应和联合效应.结果表明,复合投加聚合氯化铝和PAM能同步去除污泥水中磷和有机物,并改善沉降效果.归一化后单目标RSM优化显示,对污泥水中磷和有机物同步去除的贡献为Al/P比SS浓度PAM投加量.在最优条件Al/P比为3、PAM浓度为1.22 mg·L~(-1)、SS浓度为3.58 g·~(L-1)的条件下,正磷和总有机碳去除率分别为93.1%和53.9%.与多响应变量优化相比,引入归一化评分法有效解决了变量间数值量级差异的问题,使结果的分析计算变得简单方便.     

The need for innovative strategies to improve immunisation services in rural Zimbabwe

Gokwe South, a rural district in Midlands Province, Zimbabwe, reported the lowest rate of immunisation coverage in the country in 2005: 55 per cent of children vaccinated with three doses of diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus vaccine (DPT3) and 35 per cent dropout between the first and third dose of DPT. In January 2007, the authors assessed local barriers to immunisation and proposed strategies to improve immunisation rates in the district, in the face of nationwide economic and political challenges. A situational analysis was performed to assess barriers to immunisation using focus-group discussions with health workers, key informant interviews with health management and community leaders, and desk reviews of records. Responses were categorised and solutions proposed. Health workers and key informants reported that immunisation service delivery was hampered by insufficient availability of gas for cold-chain equipment, limited transport and fuel to conduct basic activities, and inadequate staff and supervision. Improving coverage will require prioritising gas for vaccine cold-chain equipment, identifying reliable transportation or alternative transportation solutions, and increased staff, training and supervision. Local assessment is critical to pinpointing site-specific barriers, and innovative strategies are needed to overcome existing contextual challenges.