A novel aerobic sulfate reduction process in landfill mineralized refuse

Optimization of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis via phase separation in a two-phase internal circulation reactor for the treatment of high-sulfate organic wastewater

To enhance the performance of the internal circulation (IC) reactor when treating high-sulfate organic wastewater, a laboratory-scale two-phase IC reactor with distinct phase separation capabilities was designed, and the sulfate reduction and methanogenesis processes were optimized by segregating the reactor into two specialized reaction zones. The results demonstrated that the first and second reaction areas of the two-phase IC reactor could be maintained at 4.5-6.0 and 7.5-8.5, respectively, turning them into the specialized phase for sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. Through phase separation, the two-phase IC reactor achieved a COD degradation and sulfate reduction efficiency of more than 80% when the influent sulfate concentration exceeded 5,000 mg/L, which were 32.32% and 16.04% higher than that before phase separation. Functional analyses indicated a greater activity of both the dissimilatory and assimilatory sulfate reduction pathways in the acidogenic phase, largely due to a rise in the relative abundance of the genera Desulfovibrio, Bacteroides, and Lacticaseibacillus, the primary carriers of sulfate reduction functional genes. In contrast, all the acetoclastic, hydrogenotrophic, and methylotrophic methanogenesis pathways were inhibited in the acidogenic phase but thrived in the methanogenic phase, coinciding with shifts in the genus Methanothrix, which harbors the mcrA, mcrB, and mcrG genes essential for the final transformation step of all three methanogenesis pathways.

Global perspective of municipal solid waste and landfill leachate: generation, composition, eco-toxicity, and sustainable management strategies

Globally, more than 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated each year, with that amount anticipated to reach around 3.5 billion tonnes by 2050. On a worldwide scale, food and green waste contribute the major proportion of MSW, which accounts for 44% of global waste, followed by recycling waste (38%), which includes plastic, glass, cardboard, and paper, and 18% of other materials. Population growth, urbanization, and industrial expansion are the principal drivers of the ever-increasing production of MSW across the world. Among the different practices employed for the management of waste, landfill disposal has been the most popular and easiest method across the world. Waste management practices differ significantly depending on the income level. In high-income nations, only 2% of waste is dumped, whereas in low-income nations, approximately 93% of waste is burned or dumped. However, the unscientific disposal of waste in landfills causes the generation of gases, heat, and leachate and results in a variety of ecotoxicological problems, including global warming, water pollution, fire hazards, and health effects that are hazardous to both the environment and public health. Therefore, sustainable management of MSW and landfill leachate is critical, necessitating the use of more advanced techniques to lessen waste production and maximize recycling to assure environmental sustainability. The present review provides an updated overview of the global perspective of municipal waste generation, composition, landfill heat and leachate formation, and ecotoxicological effects, and also discusses integrated-waste management approaches for the sustainable management of municipal waste and landfill leachate.

Sulfate reduction behavior in response to landfill dynamic pressure changes

During the long-term stabilization process of landfills, the pressure field undergoes constant changes. This study constructed dynamic pressure changes scenarios of high-pressure differentials (0.6 MPa) and low-pressure differentials (0.2 MPa) in the landfill pressure field at 25 °C and 50 °C, and investigated the sulfate reduction behavior in response to landfill dynamic pressure changes. The results showed that the pressurization or depressurization of high-pressure differentials caused more significant differences in sulfate reduction behavior than that of low-pressure differentials. The lowest hydrogen sulfide (H2S) release peak concentration under pressurization was only 29.67% of that under initial pressure condition; under depressurization, the highest peak concentration of H2S was up to 21,828 mg m-3, posing a serious risk of H2S pollution. Microbial community and correlation analysis showed that pressure had a negative impact on the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) community, and the SRB community adjusted its structure to adapt to pressure changes. Specific SRBs were further enriched with pressure changes. Differential H2S release behavior under pressure changes in the 25 °C pressure environments were mediated by Desulfofarcimen (ASV343) and Desulfosporosinus (ASV1336), while Candidatus Desulforudis (ASV24) and Desulfohalotomaculum (ASV94) played a key role at 50 °C. This study is helpful in the formulation of control strategies for the source of odor pollution in landfills.

Potential risks of organic contaminated soil after persulfate remediation: Harmful gaseous sulfur release

Persulfate is considered a convenient and efficient remediation agent for organic contaminated soil. However, the potential risk of sulfur into the soil remediation by persulfate remains ignored. In this study, glass bottles with different persulfate dosages and groundwater tables were set up to simulate persulfate remediation of organic pollutants (aniline). The results found sulfate to be the main end-product (83.0%‒99.5%) of persulfate remediation after 10 days. Moreover, H2S accounted for 93.4%‒99.4% of sulfur reduction end-products, suggesting that H2S was the final fate of sulfur. H2S was released rapidly after one to three days at a maximum concentration of 33.0 ppm, which is sufficient to make a person uncomfortable. According to the fitted curve results, H2S concentration decreased to a safe concentration (0.15 ppm) after 20‒85 days. Meanwhile, the maximum concentration of methanethiol reached 0.6 ppm. These results indicated that secondary pollution from persulfate remediation could release harmful gases over a long time. Therefore, persulfate should be used more carefully as a remediation agent for soil contamination.

Effect of hydraulic parameters of leachate treatment process on di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate removal from aged leachate

The effect of hydraulic parameters of an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic leachate treatment reactor on the removal of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from aged landfill leachate was studied. The mean DEHP removal efficiencies were 79.5%, 87.1%, 89.7% and 87.8% at hydraulic retention times of 6, 4.5, 3 and 2 d, respectively. The removal efficiency of DEHP was significantly higher when the internal reflux ratio was 200% than others. There was no significant difference among the DEHP removal efficiencies at different external reflux ratios of the reactor. Due to the overall efficiency of the reactor, hydraulic retention time 3 d, internal reflux ratio 200% and external reflux ratio 60%, were considered the optimal hydraulic parameters for DEHP removal from aged leachate. The removal efficiency of DEHP was significantly improved (from 75.7% to 89.1%) after the optimization of hydraulic parameters of the reactor. The removal percentages of DEHP in the anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic units of the reactor were 42.8%, 17.6%, and 15.3%, respectively. The oxic microcosms in the reactor had little effect on DEHP removal. The correlation between DEHP and leachate pollutants indicated that DEHP removal was strongly correlated with leachate COD and NH₄⁺-N.

Sulfate reduction behavior in pressure-bearing leachate saturated zone

Attention should be paid to the sulfate reduction behavior in a pressure-bearing leachate saturated zone. In this study, within the relative pressure range of 0-0.6 MPa, the ambient temperature with the highest sulfate reduction rate of 50°C was selected to explore the difference in sulfate reduction behavior in a pressure-bearing leachate saturated zone. The results showed that the sulfate reduction rate might further increase with an increase in pressure; however, owing to the effect of pressure increase, the generated hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) could not be released on time, thereby decreasing its highest concentration by approximately 85%, and the duration extended to about two times that of the atmospheric pressure. Microbial community structure and functional gene abundance analyses showed that the community distribution of sulfate-reducing bacteria was significantly affected by pressure conditions, and there was a negative correlation between disulfide reductase B (dsrB) gene abundance and H₂S release rate. Other sulfate reduction processes that do not require disulfide reductase A (dsrA) and dsrB genes may be the key pathways affecting the sulfate reduction rate in the pressure-bearing leachate saturated zone. This study improves the understanding of sulfate reduction in landfills as well as provides a theoretical basis for the operation and management of landfills.

Unravelling microbial drivers of the sulfate-reduction process inside landfill using metagenomics

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is one of the common landfill odor. This research demonstrates that the sulfate transformation behavior is significantly enhanced during the landfill process, accompanied by a shift in microbial structure. The relative abundance of dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR) and thiosulfate oxidation by SOX (sulfur-oxidation) complex gradually decreases through the landfill processes while the assimilatory sulfate reduction (ASR) demonstrates the opposite behavior. The major module for landfill sulfate reduction is ASR, accounting for 31.72% ± 2.84% of sulfate metabolism. Based on the functional genes for the sulfate pathway, the drivers for sulfate biotransformation in landfills were determined and further identified their contribution in the sulfate metabolism during landfill processes. Pseudomonas, Methylocaldum, Bacillus, Methylocystis and Hyphomicrobium were the top 5 contributors for ASR pathway, and only one genus Pseudomonas was found for DSR pathway. Among the 26 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes of sulfate functional species, 24 were considered novel species for sulfuric metabolism. Overall, this study provides unique insight into the sulfate transformation process related to the H₂S odor control in landfill management.

Introduction of acid-neutralizing layer to facilitate the stabilization of municipal solid waste landfill

Rapid stabilization is important for landfill operation and beneficial for treatment capacity recovery, biogas production, and pollution control. Acidification of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill hinders the degradation of MSW. In this study, a leachate-recirculated landfill bioreactor with acid-neutralizing layer (reactor BL) and a control landfill bioreactor without the acid-neutralizing layer (CL) were operated for 509 days. The pH of the landfill was increased by the acid-neutralizing layer. The landfill gas production volume increased by 18.3 % in reactor BL compared with CL during the study period, and the CH4 concentration was also increased. A greater MSW mass reduction was observed in reactor BL than in CL. Microbial community analysis demonstrated that the presence of the acid-neutralizing layer promoted the abundance of methanogens. Based on these observations, it is believed that application of the acid-neutralizing layer accelerated the stabilization by mitigating the acidification of landfill, which promote the abundance of methanogens and enhance the MSW degradation. These results help to understand the influencing mechanism of acid-neutralizing layer on the landfill stabilization, and provide a new approach for the practical landfill to achieve fast stabilization.

Sulfate-reduction behavior in waste-leachate transition zones of landfill sites

The sulfate reduction behavior of the waste-leachate transition zone of landfill was investigated at different temperatures and moisture contents. Marked differences in the sulfate reduction behavior were observed in the waste-leachate transition zone. The highest H₂S concentration was observed when the solid-to-liquid ratio was 1:3 at both temperatures. Although more leachate led to higher H₂S concentrations, the solid-to-liquid ratio was likely of subordinate significance compared with temperature. The microbial community was more unstable at 50 °C and more extensive mutualistic interactions among bacteria were observed, resulting in SRB showing a more violent response to changes in the solid-to-liquid ratio. At 25 °C, it's the opposite. A temperature of 25 °C was suitable for most SRB (such as Desulfomicrobium and Desulfobulbus), while some specific SRB that did not contain the functional genes (such as Dethiobacter and Anaerolinea) played a pivotal role in the significant differences in sulfate reduction behavior observed at 50 °C. This study provides a theoretical basis for controlling the release of H₂S from landfill.

Evolution of sulfate reduction behavior in leachate saturated zones in landfills

The sulfate reduction behavior of the landfill leachate saturated zone under different temperatures was investigated. The results showed that temperature had significant effects on sulfate reduction behavior. The sulfate reduction efficiency was the highest at high temperatures (55 °C and 45 °C), followed by mesophilic temperature (35 °C). Normal temperature 25 °C was far less effective than 55 °C, 45 °C and 35 °C. High abundances of aprA and dsrA genes were distributed under high temperatures. Through indicator species analysis and functional comparison, some key taxa were identified as putative key genera for sulfate reduction. Under high temperature, Paenibacillus could effectively degrade dimethyl sulfide. DsrAB is present in the genome of Tissierella. Gordonia, Syntrophomonas, and Lysinibacillus under mesophilic temperature indicates the potential of these organisms to degrade heterogenous biomass, environmental pollutants or other natural polymers with slow biodegradation. This microbial function is similar to that of the putative key genera under normal (25 °C) temperature. Most of the putative key genera belong to Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Myxococcota. This study provides theoretical support for the control of hydrogen sulfide release from landfills.

Odor emissions: A public health concern for health risk perception

The olfactory nuisance, due to the emissions of active molecules, is mainly associated with unproperly managed waste disposal and animal farming. Volatile compounds e.g., aromatics, organic and inorganic sulfide compounds, as well as nitrogen and halogenated compounds are the major contributor to odor pollution generated by waste management plants; the most important source of atmospheric ammonia is produced by livestock farming. Although an odorous compound may represent a nuisance rather than a health risk, long-term exposure to a mixture of volatile compounds may represent a risk for different diseases, including asthma, atopic dermatitis, and neurologic damage. Workers and communities living close to odor-producing facilities result directly exposed to irritant air pollutants through inhalation and for this reason the cumulative health risk assessment is recommended. Health effects are related to the concentration and exposure duration to the odorants, as well as to their irritant potency and/or biotransformation in hazardous metabolites. The health effects of a single chemical are well known, while the interactions between molecules with different functional groups have still to be extensively studied. Odor emissions are often due to airborne pollutants at levels below the established toxicity thresholds. The relationship between odor and toxicity does not always occurs but depends on the specific kind of pollutant involved. Indeed, some toxic agents does not induce odor nuisance while untoxic agents do. Accordingly, the relationship between toxicity and odor nuisance should be always analyzed in detail evaluating on the characteristics of the airborne mixture and the type of the source involved.

Removal of Di-n-butyl phthalate from aged leachate under optimal hydraulic condition of leachate treatment process and in the presence of its dominant bacterial strains

The effects of hydraulic condition of reactor and the dominant degrading bacteria on the removal of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) from aged landfill leachate by anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A/A/O) leachate treatment process were investigated. The optimal DBP removal (96.0%) was obtained from aged leachate when the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of the reactor was 3 d, internal reflux ratio of the reactor was 200%, and external reflux ratio of the reactor was 60%, respectively. The removal efficiency of DBP was significantly improved after the inoculation of the dominant DBP-degrading bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. W1) in the reactor. The mean removal efficiencies of DBP before and after inoculation were 94.1% and 97.7%, respectively. Furthermore, the inoculation of dominant DBP-degrading bacteria changed the original sludge structure and characteristics, which was more conducive to the removal of DBP. These results provide theoretical basis for the effective removal of DBP from aged leachate by the biological treatment process.

Arsenic transformation behavior mediated by arsenic functional genes in landfills

Landfill arsenic pollution is a complicated problem because of the sophisticated species and transformation of fractions involved. This study investigated arsenic transformation behavior from the viewpoint of arsenic functional genes based on analysis of 29 aged refuse samples collected from 11 sanitary landfills in 10 cities in Zhejiang Province, China. Arsenic species distribution varied significantly with landfill process. Landfill contains rich arsenic resistant microbes. arrA genes were the key factor responsible for arsenic transformation and migration in landfill. Although the abundance of aioA genes was the lowest among the four tested arsenic functional genes, it was the second important genes for arsenic distribution. Microbial metabolic activity was the main cause of arsenic transformation, and arsenate reduction by microbes was a key driver of arsenic mobilization in landfills. Moreover, arsenate was reduced to arsenite and further methylated to monomethylarsine (MMA) and dimethylarsine (DMA), decreasing the total arsenic content during the landfill process, but also inducing a new risk because of the arsenic effluent will be more easily as the state of arsenite, MMA, and DMA in the liquid phase. Overall, this study provides a picture of arsenic species transformation and insight into key roles involved in arsenic pollution during landfill processes.

High-throughput characterization of the expressed antibiotic resistance genes in sewage sludge with transcriptional analysis

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are emerging micro-pollutants that pose potential threats to environments and humans. Sewage sludge from wastewater is an important source for ARGs and current studies mainly focus on their existence in microbial genomes. However, little is known about which ARGs are expressed even though ARGs expression remains a better proxy for functional activity. In this study, the expressed ARGs in sewage sludge were characterized by high-throughput quantitative PCR (296 primer sets) combined with transcriptional analysis. A total of 202 ARG transcripts were detected and their abundances ranged from 3.1 × 10⁹ to 1.2 × 10¹⁰ copies/g dry weight. The sum abundance of five most abundant ARG transcripts (qacEdelta1-02, sul2, qacEdelta1-01, aadA2-03, tetX) exhibited a linear correlation with the total abundance of ARG transcripts (R² = 0.88, p < 10^-4), suggesting that these genes could be regarded as indicators to quantitatively predict the total abundance of expressed ARGs. Dynamics of expressed ARGs were observed with lower abundances in summer and winter than those in other seasons (p < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test). Variation partitioning analysis indicated that the shift in bacterial community structures induced by changes in environmental attributes might be the main driver for the dynamics of expressed ARGs. Results of this study provided new insights into the ARGs in sewage sludge.

Effect of substrate sulfur state on MM and DMS emissions in landfill

Methyl mercaptan (MM) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) are typical landfill odorous gases that have received little attention compared with hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). In this study, landfill MM and DMS emissions were investigated regarding their origin from substrates with different sulfur states, namely, intrinsic organic sulfur and external inorganic sulfur (SO₄^2-). Substrates with high protein contents showed the highest potential for MM and DMS emissions, at 46.0 and 9.2 μL·g^-1 substrate, respectively. Meanwhile, a comparable contribution by SO₄^2- was achieved when the SO₄^2- content comprised over 40% of the substrate. The substrate contribution to DMS emission was up to 10 times the SO₄^2- contribution. Meanwhile, the SO₄^2- contribution to MM emission was over 1000 times that to DMS emissions. MM and DMS can accumulate in landfill sites and then be transformed into H₂S or sulfide (S^2-). This research offers a comprehensive understanding of MM and DMS emissions in landfill and provides a basis for classification management methods in landfill sites.

Sulfate reduction behavior in the leachate saturated zone of landfill sites

Municipal solid waste landfills are considered one of the most important parts of the sulfur cycle. However, few studies have focused on sulfate reduction in the leachate saturated zone, where the temperature may be variable. In this work, the sulfate reduction behavior was evaluated in a landfill leachate saturated zone under temperatures between 30 and 80 °C. The results show that microbial sulfate reduction is high in the saturated zone, especially when the temperature is at 50-60 °C. The microbial diversity and the abundance of functional genes results reveal that specific sulfate-reducing bacteria such as Dethiobacter, the bacteria that offer energy to them, and genes other than dsrA and dsrB may have a close relationship with the variation in the reduction of sulfate. This work may improve the knowledge of sulfate reduction in the landfill sites and therefore offer theoretical support to management strategies.

Prevalence of fluoroquinolone, macrolide and sulfonamide-related resistance genes in landfills from East China, mainly driven by MGEs

Landfills are one of the most important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and ARG pollution in landfills has been well investigated. However, the various factors contributing to the widespread prevalence of ARGs in landfills have rarely been explored. Here, we quantified three classes of antibiotics, six kinds of heavy metals, eight types of ARGs, and five varieties of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in refuse samples from 10 landfills in Zhejiang Province, China. Compared with sulfonamides and macrolides, fluoroquinolones were present at much higher concentrations in all refuse samples, reaching a concentration of 1406.85 μg/kg in the Jiaxing region. The relative abundances of qnrD, qnrS, mexF, ermA, ermB, mefA, sul1, and sul2 in most landfills were >10^-4 copies per 16S rRNA, suggesting the presence of highly contaminated ARGs. No significant correlations between most target antibiotics and their corresponding ARGs were found. Variation partitioning analysis indicated that MGEs could be the determining factor in the spread of ARGs in landfills. This research not only reveals high levels of ARGs and the ubiquitous presence of antibiotics in refuse, but also provides guidance for controlling the spread of ARGs in landfills.

Bacterial community structure and predicted function in an acidogenic sulfate-reducing reactor: Effect of organic carbon to sulfate ratios

A lab-scale acidogenic sulfate-reducing reactor with N₂ stripping was continuously operated to uncover its microbial mechanism treating highly sulfate-containing organic wastewaters. Results showed that sulfate reduction efficiency decreased with the influent COD/sulfate ratios. Microbial community analysis showed that VFA accumulation mainly caused by the predominance of fermentative bacteria including Streptococcus and Oceanotoga. Genus Desulfovibrio was the most predominant SRB and enriched at low influent COD/sulfate ratios. Although Bifidobacterium, Atopobium, Wohlfahrtiimonas, Dysgonomonas etc. had low average abundance, they were identified keystone genera by the co-occurrence network analysis. The functions of the microbial community were not insignificantly influenced by COD/sulfate ratios. All predicted functional genes involved in dissimilatory sulfate reduction reached their maximum abundances at influent COD/sulfate ratio of 1.5, while the assimilatory sulfate reduction was favored at the COD/sulfate ratio lower than 2.

Emerging sustainable technologies for remediation of soils and groundwater in a municipal solid waste landfill site -- A review

Remediation of soils and groundwater in a municipal solid wastes (MSW) landfill site emerges as a global challenge to the living environment on earth with significant market potential. Unlike contaminants in an industry or agricultural site, contaminants from MSW landfills are diverse, primarily consisting of chemical oxygen demand (COD), inorganic matter (ammonia-nitrogen, nitrate-nitrogen, total phosphorus) and heavy metals. This renders new challenges to remediation contaminants of different characters altogether. A status quo of existing technologies, including permeable reactive barriers, electrokinetic remediation, microbial remediation, and injection of either solubilizing agents or micro or nanobubbles were thoroughly reviewed, with an emphasis on removal efficiency based on existing projects at lab, pilot or field scales. A design chart tailored for the remediation of a landfill contaminated site was developed, verified by a few case studies, which supplement the chart. Future trends of technical innovation (such as multi-layer permeable reactive barriers (PRBs)) and challenges (such as flow pattern) were identified.

Sulfate reduction at micro-aerobic solid-liquid interface in landfill

H₂S can be produced under aerobic conditions, which goes against the traditional view of an obligatory anaerobic metabolism process. In this research, the sulfate-reduction behavior at the micro-aerobic solid-liquid interface in a landfill was investigated. H₂S emission from mineralized waste from the landfill material could be enhanced when exposed to O₂. The highest H₂S concentration of 56.54 mg·m^-3, observed at an O₂ concentration of 2%, was 4.5 times higher than the highest concentration of H₂S recorded under anaerobic conditions. The presence of leachate influenced protection of the anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria against O₂, allowing the bacteria to survive and even undergo significant sulfate reduction under micro-aerobic conditions. The sulfate concentration could be maintained at a high level because of possible oxidation-reduction cycling under micro-aerobic conditions and the risk of H₂S emission was always high. This research provides a theoretical basis for controlling the release of H₂S within landfills.

Assessment of the major odor contributors and health risks of volatile compounds in three disposal technologies for municipal solid waste

Gaseous emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal plants pose serious odor pollution and health risks. In this study, the emission of volatile organic compounds and carbon disulfide was compared in the main processing units of three disposal methods, i.e., landfilling, eco-mechanical biological treatment (EMBT) and anaerobic fermentation in a MSW disposal plant. Among the detected volatile compounds (VCs), the top ten odor compounds were methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, carbon disulfide, styrene, m-xylene, 4-ethyltoluene, ethylbenzene, 2-hexyl ketone and n-hexane in the MSW disposal plant. Sulfur compounds were the main source of odor at the majority of sampling sites, and aromatic compounds were the dominant odor substrates at the tipping unit and sorting system of EMBT, while 2-hexanone was the major odor substrate at the tipping unit (AT) and sorting system (AS) of anaerobic fermentation and the landfill working surface. At AS and AT, the lifetime cancer risk values for 1,2-dichloroethane and trichloroethylene exceeded the carcinogenic risk value (>1.0E-04), and the hazard index values of naphthalene, trichloroethylene and acrolein all exceeded the acceptable level (>1). Therefore, special attention should be paid to VC emissions from MSW disposal facilities, and protection measures should be adopted for on-site workers to minimize health risks.

Fate and migration of arsenic in large-scale anaerobic landfill

The fate and migration of arsenic in a large-scale anaerobic landfill site was investigated by characterization of the total As content and its speciation using a sequential extraction procedure. The total As content in the anaerobic landfill varied greatly with age of the deposited refuse, ranging from 15.26 ± 4.18 mg kg^-1 to 38.41 ± 10.41 mg kg^-1. There was an increasing trend from the upper layer to a depth of 18-19 m, followed by a decrease in the lower layer. Sequential extraction results showed that As present in exchangeable and weak-acid soluble forms (F1) varied from 0.08 ± 0.01 mg kg^-1 to 12.61 ± 0.92 mg kg^-1, but from 1.28 ± 0.11 mg kg^-1 to 8.40 ± 0.23 mg kg^-1 in reducible forms (F2). Oxidizable (F3) and residual (F4) forms of As, which were much more stable and for which the environmental risk correspondingly decreased, accounted for 24.21%-58.70% and 10.11%-30.90% of the total As content, respectively. Nitrate and carbonate had a strong influence on the distribution of As in F1 species; ferric ion affected As distribution in F2; both ferrous ion and dissolved oxygen content contributed to F3 distribution; As in F4 was associated with crystalline minerals structures and was only weakly affected by environmental factors. The deposition process could be divided into six phases to interpret As migration and distribution within the anaerobic landfill after closure.

Distinct community structure and microbial functions of biofilms colonizing microplastics

Microplastics are frequently detected in freshwater environments, serving as a new factitious substrate for colonization of biofilm-forming microorganisms. Distinct microbial assemblages between microplastics and surrounding waters have been well documented; however, there is insufficient knowledge regarding biofilm colonization of plastic and non-plastic substrates, despite the fact that microbial communities generally aggregate on natural solid surfaces. In this study, the effects of substrate type on microbial communities were evaluated by incubation of biofilms on microplastic substrates (polyethylene and polypropylene) and natural substrates (cobblestone and wood) for 21 days under controlled conditions. Results from high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA revealed that the alpha diversity (richness, evenness, and diversity) was lower in the microplastic-associated communities than in those on the natural substrates, indicating substrate-type-coupled species sorting. Distinct community structure and biofilm composition were observed between these two substrate types. Significantly higher abundances of Pirellulaceae, Phycisphaerales, Cyclobacteriaceae, and Roseococcus were observed on the microplastic substrates compared with the natural substrates. Simultaneously, the functional profiles (KEGG) predicted by Tax4Fun showed that the pathways of amino acid metabolism and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins were increased in biofilms on the microplastic substrates. The findings illustrate that microplastic acts as a distinct microbial habitat (compared with natural substrates) that could not only change the community structure but also affect microbial functions, potentially impacting the ecological functions of microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems.

Improved impact assessment of odorous compounds from landfills using Monte Carlo simulation

Landfills are city infrastructures used for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) in China. However, due to technical failure and/or management problem most of them are facing serious secondary pollution such as groundwater contamination and odor nuisance. The latter is the main reason causing a growing number of public complaints. Atmospheric dispersion models are routinely adopted for odor impact assessment, but these models provide deterministic predictions only. To determine the potential odorant paths and treat the uncertainty of odor pollution, Monte Carlo simulation coupled with an odor dispersion model was proposed and named Monte Carlo-dispersion simulation method (MCDSM). By introducing a series of random values of error components in the dispersion model, MCDSM can produce probabilistic odor impact results. Values of these variances were randomly selected according to their probability density functions (PDFs) due to the imprecise knowledge of the meteorological and emission conditions. After running the odor dispersion model for numerous times, the randomization produces a set of possible results that closely resembles the expected behavior of the odorants. This study applied MCDSM to estimate the odor impact of methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) on an MSW landfill in Beijing, China. The PDF of the CH₃SH emission rate was derived from the field data. The uncertainty of odor impact was analyzed statistically, and the results were summarized using the probability of odor exceedance (POE). A POE map of CH₃SH was plotted for a particular interest, in which the north downwind direction was the most polluted area. MCDSM provides a scientific approach for the assessment of odor pollution from individual odorant, which can benefit the formulation of standard for odor impact assessment in landfill sites.