Showing papers in "Journal of Environmental Sciences-china in 2009"
TL;DR: The extent of depletion of antioxidant enzymes activities and the elevation of LPO in the liver was the greatest, indicating that the liver might be the most susceptible organ to TiO2-NPs exposure.
Abstract: Increasing application of nanotechnology highlights the need to clarify and understand nanotoxicity. Mammalian and in vitro studies have raised concerns about the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs), but there are limited data on ecotoxicity to aquatic organisms. In this work, the sub-acute toxicity of TiO2-NPs to carp (Cyprinus carpio) was assessed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidase (POD) activities and lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels in liver, gill and brain tissues of carps varied with concentration of TiO2-NPs suspensions and exposure time (up to 8 d). As a result, 100 and 200 mg/L TiO2-NPs caused statistically significant decrease in SOD, CAT and POD activities and significant increase in LPO levels in tissues (P < 0.05), suggesting that the fish exposed to these two concentrations of TiO2-NPs suffered from the oxidative stress. The extent of depletion of antioxidant enzymes activities and the elevation of LPO in the liver was the greatest, indicating that the liver might be the most susceptible organ to TiO2-NPs exposure. In addition, carps had gill pathologies including edema and thickening of gill lamellae as well as gill filaments, and liver pathologies including necrotic and apoptosis hepatocytes after exposed to 100 and 200 mg/L TiO2-NPs for 20 d. These results indicated a potential risk from TiO2-NPs released into the aqueous environment.
255 citations
TL;DR: Bacterial isolates can be exploited for the bioremediation of hexavalent chromium containing wastes, since they seem to have a potential to reduce the toxic Hexavalent form to its nontoxic trivalent form.
Abstract: The present study was aimed to assess the ability of Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 and Staphylococcus capitis to reduce hexavalent chromium into its trivalent form. Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 could tolerate Cr(VI) (4800 microg/mL) and S. capitis could tolerate Cr(VI) (2800 microg/mL). Both organisms were able to resist Cd2+ (50 microg/mL), Cu2+ (200 microg/mL), Pb2+ (800 microg/mL), Hg2+ (50 microg/mL) and Ni2+ (4000 microg/mL). S. capitis resisted Zn2+ at 700 microg/mL while Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 only showed resistance up to 50 microg/mL. Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 and S. capitis showed optimum growth at pH 6 and 7, respectively, while both bacteria showed optimum growth at 37 degrees C. Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 and S. capitis could reduce 85% and 81% of hexavalent chromium from the medium after 96 h and were also capable of reducing hexavalent chromium 86% and 89%, respectively, from the industrial effluents after 144 h. Cell free extracts of Bacillus sp. JDM-2-1 and S. capitis showed reduction of 83% and 70% at concentration of 10 microg Cr(VI)/mL, respectively. The presence of an induced protein having molecular weight around 25 kDa in the presence of chromium points out a possible role of this protein in chromium reduction. The bacterial isolates can be exploited for the bioremediation of hexavalent chromium containing wastes, since they seem to have a potential to reduce the toxic hexavalent form to its nontoxic trivalent form.
220 citations
TL;DR: The results indicates that the highest percentage removal of Pb can be achieved at pH 5, 40 mg/L of CNTs, contact time 80 min, and agitation speed 50 r/min, and the highest correlation coefficients from Langmuir isotherm model indicates the strong adsorptions of P b(II) on the surface of C NTs.
Abstract: The capability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to adsorb lead (Pb) in aqueous solution was investigated. Batch mode adsorption experiment was conducted to determine the effects of pH, agitation speed, CNTs dosage and contact time. The removal of Pb(II) reached maximum value 85% or 83% at pH 5 or 40 mg/L of CNTs, respectively. Higher correlation coefficients from Langmuir isotherm model indicates the strong adsorptions of Pb(II) on the surface of CNTs (adsorption capacity Xm = 102.04 mg/g). The results indicates that the highest percentage removal of Pb (96.03%) can be achieved at pH 5, 40 mg/L of CNTs, contact time 80 min, and agitation speed 50 r/min.
209 citations
TL;DR: A significant dependence of the photocatalytic degradation of phenol on the functional parameters was showed and the probable promising roles of the additives on the degradation process were discussed.
Abstract: Photocatalytic degradation of phenol selected as model compound of organic pollutant had been investigated in aqueous titanium dioxide (TiO2) dispersion under UV irradiation. The effects of various parameters such as pH, catalyst concentration, phenol concentration, anions, metal ions, electron acceptors, and surfactants on the photocatalytic degradation of phenol were investigated. The degradation kinetics was determined by the change in phenol concentration employing UV-Vis spectrometry as a function of irradiation time. The degradation kinetics of phenol follows pseudo first-order kinetics. The results showed a significant dependence of the photocatalytic degradation of phenol on the functional parameters. The probable promising roles of the additives on the degradation process were discussed.
203 citations
TL;DR: MW-APO AC is a new catalytic combustion technology for destruction of organic contamination even for high concentration, and SO4*- plays the dominant role.
Abstract: This article, for the first time, provides a novel advanced oxidation process based on sulfate radical (SO 4 •− ) to degrade organic pollutants in wastewater: microwave (MW)-activated persulfate oxidation (APO) with or without active carbon (AC). Azo dye acid Orange 7 (AO7) is used as a model compound to investigate the high reactivity of MW-APO. It is found that AO7 (up to 1000 mg/L) is completely decolorized within 5–7 min under an 800 W MW furnace assisted-APO. In the presence of chloride ion (up to 0.50 mol/L), the decolorization is still 100% completed, though delayed for about 1–2 min. Experiments are made to examine the enhancement by AC. It is exciting to find that the 100% decolorization of AO7 (500 mg/L) is achieved within 3 min by MW-APO using 1.0 g/LACas catalyst, while the degradation efficiency maintains at 50% by MW energy without persulfate after about 5 min. Besides the destruction of visible light chromophore band of AO7 (484 nm), during MW-APO, two bands in the ultraviolet region (228 nm and 310 nm) are rapidly broken down. The removal of COD is about 83%–95% for 500 mg/L AO7. SO 4 •− is identified with quenching studies using specific alcohols. Both SO 4 •− and ·OH could degrade AO7, but SO 4 •− plays the dominant role. In a word, MW-APO AC is a new catalytic combustion technology for destruction of organic contamination even for high concentration.
196 citations
TL;DR: The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was carried out using TiO2 supported on activated carbon (TiO2-AC) under microwave irradiation and the intermediates transformed to acid molecules which were mineralized to water and carbon dioxide.
Abstract: The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was carried out using TiO2 supported on activated carbon (TiO2-AC) under microwave irradiation Composite catalyst TiO2-AC was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) In the process of microwave-enhanced photocatalysis (MPC), RhB (30 mg/L) was almost completely decoloured in 10 min, and the mineralization efficiency was 960% in 20 min The reaction rate constant of RhB in MPC using TiO2-AC by pseudo first-order reaction kinetics was 416 times of that using Degussa P25 Additionally, according to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) identification, the major intermediates of RhB in MPC included two kinds of N-de-ethylation intermediates (N, N-diethyl-N'-ethyl-rhodamine (DER)), oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, and phthalic acid, maleic acid, 3-nitrobenzoic acid, and so on The degradation of RhB in MPC was mainly attributed to the destruction of the conjugated structure, and then the intermediates transformed to acid molecules which were mineralized to water and carbon dioxide
194 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the capabilities of chitosan-EGDE beads for removing acid red 37 (AR 37) and acid blue 25 (AB 25) from aqueous solution were examined.
Abstract: The capabilities of chitosan and chitosan-EGDE (ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether) beads for removing Acid Red 37 (AR 37) and Acid Blue 25 (AB 25) from aqueous solution were examined. Chitosan beads were cross-linked with EGDE to enhance its chemical resistance and mechanical strength. Experiments were performed as a function of pH, agitation period and concentration of AR 37 and AB 25. It was shown that the adsorption capacities of chitosan for both acid dyes were comparatively higher than those of chitosan-EGDE. This is mainly because cross-linking using EGDE reduces the major adsorption sites -NH3+ on chitosan. Langmuir isotherm model showed the best conformity compared to Freundlich and BET. The kinetic experimental data agreed very well to the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The desorption study revealed that after three cycles of adsorption and desorption by NaOH and HCl, both adsorbents retained their promising adsorption abilities. FT-IR analysis proved that the adsorption of acid dyes onto chitosan-based adsorbents was a physical adsorption. Results also showed that chitosan and chitosan-EGDE beads were favourable adsorbers and could be employed as low-cost alternatives for the removal of acid dyes in wastewater treatment.
185 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that the accumulation of heavy metals in specific animal organ of tissues could not be neglected, although transfer of metals to chicken from plant and insect was limited.
Abstract: The accumulation and transfer of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd along a soil-plant-insect-chicken food chain at contaminated sites were investigated. The study site nearing the Pb/Zn mine had been contaminated by heavy metals severely. Cadmium and Pb concentrations steadily declined with increasing trophic level (p 0.05). The concentrations of heavy metals were the highest in chicken muscle, with lower values in liver and blood. The bioaccumulation of Pb was observed in chicken livers. The eliminations of Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd via insect and chicken feces avoid metal bioaccumulation in insect and chicken body. These results suggest that the accumulation of heavy metals in specific animal organ of tissues could not be neglected, although transfer of metals to chicken from plant and insect was limited.
173 citations
TL;DR: The pure-form zeolites (A and X) were synthesized by applying a two-stage method during hydrothermal treatment of fly ash prepared initial Cu and Zn gel to investigate the removal performance of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution on zeolite A.
Abstract: The pure-form zeolites (A and X) were synthesized by applying a two-stage method during hydrothermal treatment of fly ash prepared initial Cu and Zn gel. The difference of adsorption capacity of both synthesized zeolites was assessed using Cu and Zn as target heavy metal ions. It was found that adsorption capacity of zeolite A showed much higher value than that of zeolite X. Thus, attention was focused on investigating the removal performance of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution on zeolite A, comparing with zeolite HS (hydroxyl-solidate) prepared from the residual fly ash (after synthesis of pure-form zeolite A from fly ash) and a commercial grade zeolite A. Batch method was used to study the influential parameters of the adsorption process. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir model. The removal mechanism of metal ions followed adsorption and ion exchange processes. Attempts were also made to recover heavy metal ions and regenerate adsorbents.
169 citations
TL;DR: The results showed that the concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ni in vegetables from open-fields were all significantly higher than those grown in greenhouses, and in local-produced vegetables, all HMs except Zn were significantlyHigher than those in provincial vegetables.
Abstract: A systematic survey of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations in vegetables from 416 samples (involving 100 varieties) in Beijing was carried out for assessing the potential health risk to local inhabitants. The results indicated that the metal concentrations in vegetables ranged from < 0.001 to 0.479 microg/g fresh weight (fw) (As), < 0.001 to 0.101 microg/g fw (Cd), < 0.001 to 1.04 microg/g fw (Cr), 0.024 to 8.25 microg/g fw (Cu), 0.001 to 1.689 microg/g fw (Ni), < 0.001 to 0.655 microg/g fw (Pb) and 0.01 to 25.6 microg/g fw (Zn), with average concentrations of 0.013, 0.010, 0.023, 0.51, 0.053, 0.046 and 2.55 microg/g fw, respectively. The results showed that the concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb and Ni in vegetables from open-fields were all significantly higher than those grown in greenhouses. In addition, in local-produced vegetables, all HMs except Zn were significantly higher than those in provincial vegetables. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn from vegetables was 0.080, 0.062, 0.142, 3.14, 0.327, 0.283 and 15.7 microg/(kg body weight (bw) x d) for adults, respectively. Arsenic was the major risk contributor for inhabitants since the target hazard quotient based on the weighted average concentration (THQw) of arsenic amounted to 44.3% of the total THQ (TTHQ) value according to average vegetable consumption. The TTHQ was lower than 1 for all age groups, indicating that it was still safe for the general population of Beijing to consume vegetables.
168 citations
TL;DR: The arsenic removal by adsorption on the sand coated with TiO2 nanoparticles was the highest among the three types of sand used, and the solution pH appeared to be the most important factor in controlling the amount of arsenic adsorbed.
Abstract: The adsorption potential of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles for removing arsenic from drinking water was evaluated. Pure and iron-doped TiO2 particles are synthesized via sol-gel method. The synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles were then immobilized on ordinary sand for adsorption studies. Adsorption isotherms were conducted on the synthesized nanoparticles as well as the sand coated with TiO2 nanoparticles under varying conditions of air and light, namely, the air-sunlight (A-SL), air-light (AL), air-dark (AD) and nitrogen-dark (ND). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the pure and iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were in 100% anatase crystalline phase with crystal sizes of 108 and 65 nm, respectively. Adsorption of arsenic on the three adsorbents was non-linear that could be described by the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models. Iron doping enhanced the adsorption capacity of TiO2 nanoparticles by arresting the grain growth and making it visible light responsive resulting in a higher affinity for arsenic. Similarly, the arsenic removal by adsorption on the sand coated with TiO2 nanoparticles was the highest among the three types of sand used. In all cases, As(V) was adsorbed more compared with As(III). The solution pH appeared to be the most important factor in controlling the amount of arsenic adsorbed.
TL;DR: Results show that EC could effectively reduce COD, O&G, and SS by 55.43%, 98.42%, and 96.59%, respectively, at the optimum conditions of pH 6.06, applied voltage 18.2 V, and reaction time 23.5 min.
Abstract: The production of biodiesel through a transesterification method produces a large amount of wastewater that contains high levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and oil and grease (O&G). Currently, flotation is the conventional primary treatment for O&G removal prior to biological treatments. In this study, electrocoagulation (EC) was adopted to treat the biodiesel wastewater. The effects of initial pH, applied voltage, and reaction time on the EC process for the removal of COD, O&G, and suspended solids (SS) were investigated using one factor at a time experiment. Furthermore, the Box-Behnken design, an experimental design for response surface methodology (RSM), was used to create a set of 15 experimental runs needed for optimizing of the operating conditions. Quadratic regression models with estimated coefficients were developed to describe the pollutant removals. The experimental results show that EC could effectively reduce COD, O&G, and SS by 55.43%, 98.42%, and 96.59%, respectively, at the optimum conditions of pH 6.06, applied voltage 18.2 V, and reaction time 23.5 min. The experimental observations were in reasonable agreement with the modeled values.
TL;DR: The result illustrated that the serious air pollution in haze episodes was strongly correlated with the meteorological conditions; the shorter air masses transport distance, the worse air quality and visibility in Guangzhou, indicating the strong domination of local sources contributing to haze formation.
Abstract: The chemical characteristics (water-soluble ions and carbonaceous species) of PM2.5 in Guangzhou were measured during a typical haze episode. Most of the chemical species in PM2.5 showed significant difference between normal and haze days. The highest contributors to PM2.5 were organic carbon (OC), nitrate, and sulfate in haze days and were OC, sulfate, and elemental carbon (EC) in normal days. The concentrations of secondary species such as, NO3(-), SO4(2-), and NH4(+) in haze days were 6.5, 3.9, and 5.3 times higher than those in normal days, respectively, while primary species (EC, Ca(2+), K(+)) show similar increase from normal to haze days by a factor about 2.2-2.4. OC/EC ratio ranged from 2.8 to 6.2 with an average of 4.7 and the estimation on a minimum OC/EC ratio showed that SOC (secondary organic carbon) accounted more than 36.6% for the total organic carbon in haze days. The significantly increase in the secondary species (SOC, NO3(-), SO4(2-), and NH4(+)), especially in NO3(-), caused the worst air quality in this region. Simultaneously, the result illustrated that the serious air pollution in haze episodes was strongly correlated with the meteorological conditions. During the sampling periods, air pollution and visibility had a good relationship with the air mass transport distance; the shorter air masses transport distance, the worse air quality and visibility in Guangzhou, indicating the strong domination of local sources contributing to haze formation. High concentration of the secondary aerosol in haze episodes was likely due to the higher oxidation rates of sulfur and nitrogen species.
TL;DR: The results showed that the additional carbon source (glucose) can remarkably improve the nitrate removal ability of the constructed wetland and it was found that the abilities of plant in adjusting pH and temperature can result in an increase of denitrification in wetlands.
Abstract: The ability of constructed wetlands with di erent plants in nitrate removal were investigated. The factors promoting the rates of denitrification including organic carbon, nitrate load, plants in wetlands, pH and water temperature in field were systematically investigated. The results showed that the additional carbon source (glucose) can remarkably improve the nitrate removal ability of the constructed wetland. It demonstrated that the nitrate removal rate can increase from 20% to more than 50% in summer and from 10% to 30% in winter, when the nitrate concentration was 30‐40 mg/L, the retention time was 24 h and 25 mg/L dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was ploughed into the constructed wetland. However, the nitrite in the constructed wetland accumulated a little with the supply of the additional carbon source in summer and winter, and it increased from 0.15 to 2 mg/L in the e uent. It was also found that the abilities of plant in adjusting pH and temperature can result in an increase of denitrification in wetlands. The seasonal change may also impact the denitrification.
TL;DR: In this article, the use and potential applications of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide for a selected range of key and emerging industrial processes as a sustainable alternative to totally eliminate or greatly reduce the requirement of numerous conventional organic solvents.
Abstract: Environmentally benign carbon dioxide offers significant potential in its supercritical fluid phase to replace current reliance on a range of hazardous, relatively expensive and environmentally damaging organic solvents that are used on an extensive global basis. The unique combination of the physical properties of supercritical fluids are being exploited and further researched to continue the development and establishment of high efficiency, compact plant to provide energy and water efficient manufacturing processes. This mini-review is focused on the use and potential applications of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide for a selected range of key and emerging industrial processes as a sustainable alternative to totally eliminate or greatly reduce the requirement of numerous conventional organic solvents. Examples of the industries include: chemical extraction and purification, synthetic chemical reactions including polymerization and inorganic catalytic processes. Biochemical reactions involving enzymes, particle size engineering, textile dyeing and advanced material manufacture provide further illustrations of vital industrial activities where supercritical fluid technology processes are being implemented or developed. Some aspects relating to the economics of sustainable supercritical fluid carbon dioxide processes are also considered.
TL;DR: The results show that the kidney is a target organ for chromium accumulation, which implies that it is also the "critical" organ for toxic symptoms, and metal accumulations of the binary mixtures of chromium and nickel are substantially higher than those of the individual metals, indicating synergistic interactions between the two metals.
Abstract: Contamination of aquatic ecosystems with heavy metals has been receiving increased worldwide attention due to their harmful effects on human health and other organisms in the environment. Most of the studies dealing with toxic effects of metals deal with single metal species, while the aquatic organisms are typically exposed to mixtures of metals. Hence, in order to provide data supporting the usefulness of freshwater fish as indicators of heavy metal pollution, it has been proposed in the present study to investigate the bioaccumulation and depuration of chromium in the selected organs of freshwater fingerlings Cirrhinus mrigala, individually and in binary solutions with nickel. The results show that the kidney is a target organ for chromium accumulation, which implies that it is also the "critical" organ for toxic symptoms. The results further show that accumulation of nickel in all the tissues of C. mrigala is higher than that of chromium. In addition, the metal accumulations of the binary mixtures of chromium and nickel are substantially higher than those of the individual metals, indicating synergistic interactions between the two metals. Theoretically the simplest explanation for an additive joint action of toxicants in a mixture is that they act in a qualitatively similar way. The observed data suggest that C. mrigala could be suitable monitoring organisms to study the bioavailability of water-bound metals in freshwater habitats.
TL;DR: Aqueous blended MEA + AMP solutions have a higher CO2 loading than MEA and a higher reaction rate than AMP and could be an effective way to design considering economical efficiency and used to operate absorber for a long time.
Abstract: The carbon dioxide (CO2) removal efficiency, reaction rate, and CO2 loading into aqueous blended monoethanolamine (MEA) + 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) solutions to enhance absorption characteristics of MEA and AMP were carried out by the absorption/regeneration process. As a result, compared to aqueous MEA and AMP solutions, aqueous blended MEA + AMP solutions have a higher CO2 loading than MEA and a higher reaction rate than AMP. The CO2 loading of rich amine of aqueous 18 wt.% MEA + 12 wt.% AMP solution was 0.62 mol CO2/mol amine, which is 51.2% more than 30 wt.% MEA (0.41 mol CO2/mol amine). Consequently, blending MEA and AMP could be an effective way to design considering economical efficiency and used to operate absorber for a long time.
TL;DR: The overall results indicated that the incinerated sewage sludge ash can be treated with acid to efficiently recover phosphorus and thus can be considered a potentially renewable source of phosphorus.
Abstract: Ashes from sewage sludge incineration have a high phosphorus content, approximately 8% (W/W), which indicates a potential resource of the limiting nutrient Incineration of sewage sludge with subsequent recovery of phosphorus is a relatively new sludge treatment technique In this article, the leaching of phosphorus by using sulfuric acid as well as hydrochloric acid by means of several batch experiments was presented At the same time a selective recovery of phosphorus by adsorption was also discussed The effects of acid concentration, temperature and time on extraction were studied The phosphorus leaching increased with the increase in acid concentration and temperature Kinetic studies showed that the complete leaching of phosphorus took place in less than 4 h Selective adsorption of phosphorus by using orange waste gel provided a hint for recovery of this natural resource, which eventually could meet the ever-increasing requirement for phosphorus The overall results indicated that the incinerated sewage sludge ash can be treated with acid to eficiently recover phosphorus and thus can be considered a potentially renewable source of phosphorus
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have shown that fouling mitigation in membrane bio-reactor (MBR) systems can potentially be done by coupling coagulation and flocculation to the process, which is the membrane process which has had most success and has the best prospects for the future in wastewater treatment.
Abstract: Water supply and sanitation demands are foreseen to face enormous challenges over the coming decades to meet the fast growing needs in a global perspective. Significant growth in the industry is predicted and membrane separation technologies have been identified as one of the possible solutions to meet future demands. Application and implementation of membrane technology is expected both in production of potable water as well as in treatment of wastewater. In potable water production membranes are substituting conventional separation technologies due to the superior performance, potential for less chemical use and sludge production, as well as the potential to fulfill hygienic barrier requirements. Membrane bio-reactor (MBR) technology is probably the membrane process which has had most success and has the best prospects for the future in wastewater treatment. Trends and developments indicate that this technology is becoming accepted and is rapidly becoming the best available technology for many wastewater treatment applications. A major drawback of MBR systems is membrane fouling. Studies have shown that fouling mitigation in MBR systems can potentially be done by coupling coagulation and flocculation to the process.
TL;DR: Investigation of the distributions of proteins (PN) and polysaccharides (PS) in the sludge, the PN/PS ratio, the particle sizes, and their relationship with sludge dewaterability showed that PN was mainly partitioned in the pellet and TB-EPS fractions, while PS distributed evenly in the four fractions.
Abstract: Four batch experiments of hydrolysis and acidification were carried out to investigate the distributions of proteins (PN) and polysaccharides (PS) in the sludge, the PN/PS ratio, the particle sizes, and their relationship with sludge dewaterability (as determined by capillary suction time, CST). The sludge flocs were stratified through centrifugation- and ultrasound-based method into four fractions: (1) slime, (2) loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS), (3) tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), and (4) pellet. The results showed that PN was mainly partitioned in the pellet (80.7%) and TB-EPS (9.6%) fractions, while PS distributed evenly in the four fractions. During hydrolysis and acidification, PN was transferred from the pellet and TB-EPS fractions to the slime fraction, but PS had no significant transfer trends. The mean particle sizes of the sludge flocs decreased with hydrolysis and acidification. The pH had a more significant influence on the dewaterability of sludge flocs than temperature. Sludge dewaterability during hydrolysis and acidification processes greatly deteriorated from 9.7 s at raw sludge to 340-450 s under alkaline conditions. However, it was just slightly increased under acidic conditions. Further investigation suggested that CST was affected by soluble PN, soluble PN/PS, and particle sizes of sludge flocs, but was affected slightly by total PN, PS, or PN/PS in the whole sludge flocs and other fractions (except slime).
TL;DR: It is indicated that airborne volatile particles and aerosols contributed the most to As, Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu contamination, while Cd and Cu may also derive from the discharge of wastewater from smelters and the leaching of tailings, respectively.
Abstract: The spatial variation of heavy metals in the soils in Shuikoushan mining-smelting area, Hunan Province, China, was investigated using multivariate and geo-statistic analysis. A total of 106 composite soil samples were collected in an area of about 100 km2. Concentrations of total As, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Arsenic and Pb were found to have a common source, indicating the same sources and spreading processes, such as aerosols and airborne particulates from smelting chimneys. Airborne sources from smelting chimneys contributed greatly to Cd in the area, which demonstrated the same dispersion pattern as As and Pb. However, two hot spots of Cd around smelters were possibly enlarged by wastewaters, demonstrating another important source of Cd in Shuikouhsan. Geo-statistic interpolated mapping demonstrated that hot-spots of Zn were only found proximal to the large smelters, suggesting that Zn primarily came from the chimneys of larger smelters. The major Cu hot-spots appeared closely to the tailing dam, indicating that weathering and leaching of tailings were the major sources of Cu contamination in Shuikoushan. Our findings indicated that airborne volatile particles and aerosols contributed the most to As, Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu contamination, while Cd and Cu may also derive from the discharge of wastewater from smelters and the leaching of tailings, respectively.
TL;DR: Storage stability and reusability tests revealed that the oil degradation ability of immobilized cells was stable after storing at 4 degrees C for 30 d and reuse for 12 times, respectively, and the COD degradation rate of immobilization cells was also maintained 82% at the sixth cycle, suggesting that immobilized Y. lipolytica might be applicable to a wastewater treatment system for the removal of oil and COD.
Abstract: The ability of Yarrowia lipolytica W29 immobilized by calcium alginate to degrade oil and chemical oxygen demand (COD) was examined. The degradation rules of oil and COD by immobilized cells with the cell density of 6.65 × 106 CFU/mL degraded 2000 mg/L oil and 2000 mg/L COD within 50 h at 30°C (pH 7.0, 150 r/min), similarly to those of free cells, and the degradation efficiencies of oil and COD by immobilized cells were above 80%, respectively. The factors affecting oil and COD degradation by immobilized cells were investigated, the results showed that immobilized cells had high thermostability compared to that of free cells, and substrate concentration significantly affected degrading ability of immobilized cells. Storage stability and reusability tests revealed that the oil degradation ability of immobilized cells was stable after storing at 4°C for 30 d and reuse for 12 times, respectively, the COD degradation rate of immobilized cells was also maintained 82% at the sixth cycle. These results suggested that immobilized Y. lipolytica might be applicable to a wastewater treatment system for the removal of oil and COD.
TL;DR: As it was demonstrated in the experiment, both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) have an ability to reduce soil catalase activity, typically characterized by the highest content of organic matter creating favorable conditions for microorganisms.
Abstract: The impact of chromium(III) and (VI) forms on soil catalase activity was presented. The Orthic Podzol, Haplic Phaeozem and Mollic Gleysol from different depths were used in the experiment. The soil samples were amended with solution of Cr(III) using CrCl3, and with Cr(VI) using K2Cr2O7 in the concentration range from 0 to 20 mg/kg, whereas the samples without the addition of chromium served as control. Catalase activity was assayed by one of the commonly used spectrophotometric methods. As it was demonstrated in the experiment, both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) have an ability to reduce soil catalase activity. A chromium dosage of 20 mg/kg caused the inhibition of catalase activity and the corresponding contamination levels ranged from 75% to 92% for Cr(III) and 68% to 76% for Cr(VI), with relation to the control. Catalase activity reached maximum in the soil material from surface layers (0-25 cm), typically characterized by the highest content of organic matter creating favorable conditions for microorganisms.
TL;DR: Factor analysis showed that these areas were mainly contaminated by three sources, namely lithology, traffic, and industry, as well as the possible pollution sources of metals.
Abstract: The 25 road-deposited sediments were collected from five different land-use zones (industrial, residential, commercial, park, and countryside) in Hangzhou, China. The concentrations of metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in these samples were determined using ICP-AES after digestion with the mixture of HNO3-HF-HCl (aqua regia), and chemically fractionated according to the modified BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure. The high metal concentration levels were detected in the sample from industrial zone and commercial zone having heavy traffic. While the low metal levels were noted in the street dust sample from residential zone, park, and countryside zone. The mobility sequence based on the sum of the BCR sequential extraction stages was: Zn (80.28%), Pb (78.68%), Cd (77.66%) > Cu (73.34%) > Mn (67.92%) > Co (41.66%) > Ni (30.36%) > Cr (21.56%), Fe (20.86%). Correlation analysis and principal component analysis were applied to the data matrix to evaluate the analytical results and to identify the possible pollution sources of metals. Factor analysis showed that these areas were mainly contaminated by three sources, namely lithology, traffic, and industry.
TL;DR: Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic or with NaOH pretreatment in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.
Abstract: Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these two methods were investigated. The evaluation was based on the quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in the pretreated sludge as well as the degradation of organic matter in the subsequent aerobic digestion. For WAS samples with combined pretreatment, the released COD levels were higher than those with ultrasonic or alkaline pretreatment alone. When combined with the ultrasonic treatment, NaOH treatment was more efficient than Ca(OH)2 for WAS solubilization. The COD levels released in various sequential options of combined NaOH and ultrasonic treatments were in the the following descending order: simultaneous treatment > NaOH treatment followed by ultrasonic treatment > ultrasonic treatment followed by NaOH treatment. For simultaneous treatment, low NaOH dosage (100 g/kg dry solid), short duration (30 min) of NaOH treatment, and low ultrasonic specific energy (7500 kJ/kg dry solid) were suitable for sludge disintegration. Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic (42.5%) or with NaOH pretreatment (43.5%) in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.
TL;DR: The results suggest that there were inter-relationships between molecular weight, fluorescence and absorbance characteristics, and also subtle consistencies between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties and the sources for these 6 fractions from Lake Hongfeng.
Abstract: With XAD-series and ion exchange resins, dissolved organic matter (DOM) from Lake Hongfeng in Southwestern China Plateau was isolated into 6 fractions, i.e., humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA), hydrophobic neutrals (HON), hydrophilic acids (HIA), hydrophilic bases (HIB) and hydrophilic neutrals (HIN). Those fractions were characterized by high performance size exclusion chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy and UV absorbance. Among the 6 fractions, FA was predominant and accounted for 51% of the total DOM. The weight-average (Mw) and number-averaged (Mn) molecular weight of these fractions ranged from 1688 to 2355 Da and from 1338 to 1928 Da, respectively. A strong correlation was observed between specific UV absorbance at 280 nm, E2/E3 (absorbance at 250 nm to 365 nm), and the molecular weight for DOM fractions. UV-Vis fulvic-like fluorescence peaks were found in all fractions. Protein-like fluorescence peaks existed in HON may indicate that microbial activity was severely in Lake Hongfeng. There was a significant relationship between fluorescence intensities and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm for those DOM fractions, suggesting their similar luminescence characteristics. The values of fluorescence index (f450/500) indicated that hydrophobic fractions may derive from terrestrial sources, and the hydrophilic fractions from microbial and terrestrial origins. Those results suggest that there were inter-relationships between molecular weight, fluorescence and absorbance characteristics, and also subtle consistencies between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties and the sources for these 6 fractions from Lake Hongfeng.
TL;DR: This review emphasized on the recent development of heterogeneous catalytic ozonation, electrocatalysis in respect of novel electrodes and electro- Fenton method, photoelectrocatalysis process and photoelectron-Fenton in water purification.
Abstract: Catalytic technologies have been paid increasing attention in refractory pollutants abatement due to its practical and potential values in water purification. As effective and efficient approaches for water purification, Fenton's reagent, ozonation, electrochemical and photocatalytic methods have been widely studied and applied in different aspects and have been reviewed by several articles. In recent years, some novel catalytic processes based on above processes have been developed for enhancing the efficiency of removing the organics from water. This review emphasized on the recent development of heterogeneous catalytic ozonation, electrocatalysis in respect of novel electrodes and electro-Fenton method, photoelectrocatalysis process and photoelectron-Fenton in water purification. It was also an attempt to propose general ideas about mechanism and principle enhancing the catalytic efficiency for the degradation and the mineralization of organics in water.
TL;DR: The consensus-based SQGs and mean PEC quotient are applicable to assess potential toxicity risks of heavy metals in freshwater sediments in the Pearl River.
Abstract: Based on the monitoring of five heavy metal elements in the surface sediments of the Pearl River in South China, potential toxicity of the heavy metals was assessed using consensus-based sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) method and geo-accumulation (Igeo) index method. The monitoring results showed the heavy metal concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with each other, demonstrating a common trend in variation of concentration in the surface sediments. The assessment using the consensus-based SQGs method showed the potential toxicity of Cu was the highest, and Cd was the lowest. The evaluation based on mean probable effect concentration (PEC) quotient showed the region was seriously polluted with high toxicity heavy metals. Correlation analysis revealed a significant and positive correlation between the mean PEC quotient and the average of Igeo with a correlation coefficient of 0.926 (n = 23, P < 0.01). In conclusion, the consensus-based SQGs and mean PEC quotient are applicable to assess potential toxicity risks of heavy metals in freshwater sediments in the Pearl River.
TL;DR: The results indicated that xonotlite might be used as an effective crystal seed for the removal and recovery of phosphate from aqueous solution.
Abstract: Xonotlite was synthesized and tested for phosphate removal and recovery from synthetic solution in a batch mode. The effects of pH, initial calcium concentration, bicarbonate concentration on phosphate removal through crystallization were examined. The morphology and X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of xonotlite before and after crystallization confirmed the formation of crystalline hydroxyapatite. The results indicated that the crystallization product had a very high P content (> 10%), which is comparable to phosphate rock at the dosage of 50-200 mg xonotlite per liter, with a maximum P content of 16.7%. The kinetics of phosphate removal followed the second-order reaction equation. The phosphate removal ability increased with increasing pH. The precipitation of calcium phosphate took place when pH was higher than 7.2, whereas the crystallization occurred at pH 6.0. A high calcium concentration could promote the removal of phosphate via crystallization, while a high bicarbonate concentration also enhanced phosphate removal, through that the pH was increased and thus induced the precipitation process. When xonotlite was used to remove phosphate from wastewater, the removal efficiency could reach 91.3% after 24 h reaction, with removal capacity 137 mg/g. The results indicated that xonotlite might be used as an effective crystal seed for the removal and recovery of phosphate from aqueous solution.
TL;DR: The developing process of clogging caused by biofilm growth or organic particle accumulation instead of total organic matter accumulation was investigated in two grdups of lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands and indicated that composition and accumulation mode in addition to the amount of the accumulated organic matter played an important role in causing clogging.
Abstract: The accumulation of organic matter in substratum pores is regarded as an important factor causing clogging separately in the subsurface flow constructed wetlands. In this study, the developing process of clogging caused by biofilm growth or organic particle accumulation instead of total organic matter accumulation was investigated in two grdups of lab-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs), which were fed with glucose (dissolved organic matter) and starch (particulate organic matter) influent. Results showed that the growth of biofilms within the substratum pores certainly caused remarkable reduction of effective porosity, especially for the strong organic wastewater, whereas its influence on infiltration rate was negligible. It was implied that the most important contribution of biofilm growth to clogging was accelerating the occurrence of clogging. In comparison with biofilm growth, particles accumulation within pores could rapidly reduce infiltration rate besides effective porosity and the clogging occurred in the upper 0-15 cm layer. With approximately equal amount of accumulated organic matter, the effective porosity of the clogged layer in starch-fed systems was far less than that of glucose-fed systems, which indicated that composition and accumulation mode in addition to the amount of the accumulated organic matter played an important role in causing clogging.