[Characterization of Dissolved Organic Matter Fractions in the Ning-Meng Section of the Yellow River and Relationship with Metal Ions]

Dissolved organic matter(DOM)is an important element of natural aquatic systems. Due to differences in their hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties and various functional groups, chemical appearances of DOM fractions also vary. In this study, seven natural waters, extending from Xiaheyan to Toudaoguai along the Ning-Meng section of the Yellow river, were sampled in April 2015. Four DOM fractions were obtained by pumping through XAD-4 and XAD-8 resins, i.e., hydrophobic acid (HOA), hydrophobic base (HOB), weak hydrophobic acid (WHOA), and hydrophilic matter (HYI). Based on detection by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) and correlation analysis, relationships with five metal ions (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, As) were analyzed. Results show that DOC gradually increased along an upstream to downstream continuum in the Ning-Meng section. HYI (small molecular proteins) was the main DOM fraction present, followed by HOA, suggesting enhanced microbial-sourced impact from industrial sewage discharges. The significant peaks of humic-like (A, C) and protein-like compounds (T₁) in the EEM chart further highlight the effect of endogenous pollution caused by wastewater. Furthermore, SPSS fitting results indicate that DOM is correlated with all five metal ions, especially with Cu. In terms of the four DOM fractions, HYI showed the strongest correlation with Cu, illustrating the significant relationship between HYI and Cu during the migration and transformation process. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of protein-like compounds decreased with increasing Cu concentration, possibly due to fluorescence quenching caused by complexation between Cu and proteins in HYI.

[Influence of Current Densities on Mineralization of Indole by BDD Electrode]

Electrochemical oxidation by boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode is an effective method of degrading refractory organics. Compared with TOC detection, the amount of gas escape can more effectively and intuitively reflect the mineralization and the removal extent. In this study, indole is chosen as a typical pollutant and the detection of its removal rate was compared at current densities of 10, 20, and 30 mA·cm^-2. Meanwhile, the degradation mechanism was analyzed based on the changes in the carbon and nitrogen forms and conservation status. As a result, BDD electrodes displayed a higher removal efficiency to indole, which can completely be removed after 8 h, 5 h, and 4 h with current densities of 10, 20 and 30 mA·cm^-2, respectively. Changes in TOC removal and CO₂ generation were both increased with increasing the current densities, suggesting that the mineralization extent was in accordance with current densities. Furthermore, the escaped CO₂, combined with TOC and TIC constituted a conservative carbon system. The byproduct isatin was stable and accumulated at 4-5 h, as TOC, TON, and CO₂ generation was unchanged at this stage. Finally, the XPS analysis suggested the adsorption by-products such as isatin and benzoquinone on the BDD surface, which can further be removed by increasing the electrolysis time. This study demonstrated the mineralization process of indole based on the escaped gas detection and the changes in the carbon and nitrogen forms, which will increase the understanding of the electrolysis process.

Removal of copper from aqueous solution by electrodeposition in cathode chamber of microbial fuel cell

Based on energetic analysis, a novel approach for copper electrodeposition via cathodic reduction in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was proposed for the removal of copper and recovery of copper solids as metal copper and/or Cu(2)O in a cathode with simultaneous electricity generation with organic matter. This was examined by using dual-chamber MFCs (chamber volume, 1L) with different concentrations of CuSO(4) solution (50.3 ± 5.8, 183.3 ± 0.4, 482.4 ± 9.6, 1007.9 ± 52.0 and 6412.5 ± 26.7 mg Cu(2+)/L) as catholyte at pH 4.7, and different resistors (0, 15, 390 and 1000 Ω) as external load. With glucose as a substrate and anaerobic sludge as an inoculum, the maximum power density generated was 339 mW/m(3) at an initial 6412.5 ± 26.7 mg Cu(2+)/L concentration. High Cu(2+) removal efficiency (>99%) and final Cu(2+) concentration below the USA EPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water (1.3mg/L) was observed at an initial 196.2 ± 0.4 mg Cu(2+)/L concentration with an external resistor of 15 Ω, or without an external resistor. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that Cu(2+) was reduced to cuprous oxide (Cu(2)O) and metal copper (Cu) on the cathodes. Non-reduced brochantite precipitates were observed as major copper precipitates in the MFC with a high initial Cu(2+) concentration (0.1M) but not in the others. The sustainability of high Cu(2+) removal (>96%) by MFC was further examined by fed-batch mode for eight cycles.

A membrane-free baffled microbial fuel cell for cathodic reduction of Cu(II) with electricity generation

A membrane-free baffled microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed to treat synthetic Cu(II) sulfate containing wastewater in cathode chamber and synthetic glucose-containing wastewater fed to anode chamber. Maximum power density of 314 mW/m(3) with columbic efficiency of 5.3% was obtained using initial Cu(2+) concentration of 6400 mg/L. Higher current density favored the cathodic reduction of Cu(2+), and removal of Cu(2+) by 70% was observed within 144 h using initial concentration of 500 mg/L. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the Cu(2+) was reduced to Cu(2)O or Cu(2)O plus Cu which deposited on the cathode, and the deficient cathodic reducibility resulted in the formation of Cu(4)(OH)(6)SO(4) at high initial Cu(2+) concentration (500-6400 mg/L). This study suggested a novel low-cost approach to remove and recover Cu(II) from Cu(2+)-containing wastewater using MFC-type reactor.

[Electricity generation and contaminants degradation performances of a microbial fuel cell fed with Dioscorea zingiberensis wastewater]

The electricity generation performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) utilizing Dioscorea zingiberensis wastewater was studied with an H-shape reactor. Indexes including pH, conductivity, oxidation peak potential and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the anolyte were monitored to investigate the contaminants degradation performance of the MFC during the electricity generation process, besides, contaminant ingredients in anodic influent and effluent were analyzed by GC-MS and IR spectra as well. The maximum power density of the MFC could achieve 118.1 mW/m2 and the internal resistance was about 480 omega. Connected with a 1 000 omega external resistance, the output potential was about 0.4 V. Fed with 5 mL Dioscorea zingiberensis wastewater, the electricity generation lasted about 133 h and the coulombic efficiency was about 3.93%. At the end of electricity generation cycle, COD decreased by 90.1% while NH4(+) -N decreased by 66.8%. Furfural compounds, phenols and some other complicated organics could be decomposed and utilized in the electricity generation process, and the residual contaminants in effluent included some long-chain fatty acids, esters, ethers, and esters with benzene ring, cycloalkanes, cycloolefins, etc. The results indicate that MFC, which can degrade and utilize the organic contaminants in Dioscorea zingiberensis wastewater simultaneously, provides a new approach for resource recovery treatment of Dioscorea zingiberensis wastewater.

[Treatment of Cu(2+)-containing wastewater by microbial fuel cell with excess sludge as anodic substrate]

The two-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were constructed with excess sludge as the anodic substrate and CuSO4 solution as the catholyte. The start up method, degradation of the anodic sludge, removal of the Cu2+ and products on cathode were investigated in the study. The results of batch experiments showed that Cu2+ can be used as cathodic electron acceptors, e. g. a stable voltage output of 0.478 V and a maximum power density of 536 mW/m3 were obtained at external resistance of 1 000 omega and Cu2+ concentration of 6 400 mg/L. The Cu2+ contained in wastewater could be removed effectively by the MFC process, e. g. 97.8% of Cu2+ was removed in a MFC reactor at the end of 288 h with initial Cu2+ concentration of 1 000 mg/L and external resistance of 0 omega. The cathodic products depended on cathodic reducibility, most of Cu2+ was deposited as Cu2O and a small part as Cu4 (OH), 6SO4 with lower cathodic reducibility, metal copper deposited on the cathode with higher cathodic reducibility. Using excess sludge as anodic substrate could support the MFCs for long-term operation. The acclimation stage of the exoelectrogenic bacteria on the anode had an impact on MFC performance and cathodic reduction of Cu2+, and the stability of exoelectrogenic biofilm on anode could be determined by monitoring the anode potential. The MFC with excess sludge as anodic substrate can degrade organic matter in sludge and accomplish Cu(2+) -containing wastewater treatment and copper recovery simultaneously.

Change of crystallinity and mineral composition of fly ash with mechanical and chemical activation for the improvement of phosphate uptake

A detailed investigation of the development of the mineral composition and crystallinity of fly ash (FA) activated by an integrated process, as well as the relation between that development and phosphate uptake (PU) in solution, was conducted. This process, consisting of pretreatment (mechanical milling), alkali fusion (sodium hydroxide) at 550 °C and acid attack (3 mol L⁻¹ sulfuric acid), exhibited a remarkable activation effect. One-hour grinding could enhance PU from 0.67 to 1.66 mg PO₄³⁻-P g⁻¹ FA, and then under the optimum chemical conditions with the ratio of NaOH to FA of 0.5 g g⁻¹ and that of H₂SO₄ to FA of 3 mL g⁻¹, the PU was further improved to 7.14 mg g⁻¹. Results also indicated that the PU performance was closely linked with the crystallinity and mineral composition of FA, that is, the treated material with the lowest crystallinity and least crystal phase could achieve the highest PU. For the purpose of destroying original minerals in raw FA farthest and avoiding the production of new crystals, therefore, control on the ratio of NaOH to FA and that of acid to FA was very important during the chemical treatment.

Production of diosgenin from Dioscorea zingiberensis tubers through enzymatic saccharification and microbial transformation

In order to develop a clean and effective approach for producing the valuable drug diosgenin from Dioscorea zingiberensis tubers, two successive processes, enzymatic saccharification and microbial transformation, were used. With enzymatic saccharification, 98.0% of starch was excluded from the raw herb, releasing saponins from the network structure of starch. Subsequently, the treated tubers were fermented with Trichoderma reesei under optimal conditions for 156 h. During microbial transformation, glycosidic bonds, which link beta-D-glucose or alpha-L-rhamnose with aglycone at the C-3 position in saponins, were broken down effectively to give a diosgenin yield of 90.6+/-2.45%, 42.4% higher than that obtained from bioconversion of raw tubers directly. Scaled up fermentation was conducted in a 5.0-l bioreactor and gave a diosgenin yield of 91.2+/-3.21%. This is the first report on the preparation of diosgenin from herbs through microbial transformation as well as utilizing other available components in the raw material, providing an environmentally friendly alternative to diosgenin production.

Variation of natural streamflow since 1470 in the middle Yellow River, China

Nowadays, as the available water resources throughout the World are becoming depleted, in order to manage and plan water resource better, more and more attention is being paid into the fluctuating characteristics of water discharges. However, the preexisting research was mainly focused on the last half century. In this paper, the natural streamflow observed since 1470 at the Sanmenxia station in the middle Yellow River basin was collected, and the methods of variation coefficient, moving average, Mann-Kendall test and wavelet transform were applied to analyze the dynamic characteristics of the streamflow. The results showed that, (1) between 1470 and 2007, the natural streamflow changed 200–919 × 10⁸ m³, and water discharge varied moderately; (2) in the middle Yellow River basin, it appears that the most severe and most persistent droughts during circa 1868–1990, the periods of 1470s–1490s, 1920s–1930s and 1990s–2000s also presented the condition of sustained low flows; (3) the natural streamflow series shows increasing and decreasing trends during the periods of 1470–1880 and 1881–2007, respectively, but both trends are not significant at >95% confidence; in addition, it is still found the streamflow series shows abrupt changes circa 1845, 1935 and 1960, respectively; (4) within a 250-year scale, there are circa 11, 26, 67 and 120-year periods for natural streamflow at the Sanmenxia station, and the periodicity of the 120-year one is the strongest. The dynamic characteristics of natural streamflow is the comprehensive result by many influencing factors, such as precipitation, temperature, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, sunspots, human activity, etc.

[Ecological characteristics of phytoplankton in Shenzhen Bay]

Based on the data of surface phytoplankton investigated by Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department in Shenzhen Bay in 2006, variation characteristics of phytoplankton communities and the relationship between the phytoplankton diversity indices and environmental factors were analyzed in the present paper. Results showed that a total of 27 genera and 34 species of phytoplankton were identified. Of these, 18 were diatoms (52.94%), 10 were dinoflagellates (29.41%), 6 were from other minor groups (17.65%). The cell abundance was estimated to be from 2.13 x 10(6) to 4.15 x 10(6) cells/L, with an average of 2.92 x 10(6) cells/L. The maximum cell abundance appeared in the autumn (October), followed in spring (May). The cell abundance showed double abundance peaks annually. The cell abundance of phytoplankton decreased from the middle bay to the bay mouth. In the marine area, the diversity index of the phytoplankton ranged from 0.76 to 2.52; the evenness of phytoplankton ranged from 0.29 to 0.74; the diversity and evenness of phytoplankton community were rather low, which indicated that the relative abundances of the species diverged from evenness, phytoplankton community were not steady, and only few dominant species increased rapidly. The species richness index ranged from 0.57 to 2.17, the high eutrophic water body caused the species richness index declined. Better relationship was found between phytoplankton diversity indices and nutrient, salinity, dissolved oxygen.

Removal of Acid Orange 7 in simulated wastewater using a three-dimensional electrode reactor: removal mechanisms and dye degradation pathway

The removal of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) in simulated wastewater was experimentally investigated using a three-dimensional electrode reactor with granular activated carbon as the particle electrode, ACF (activated carbon fiber)/Fe as the anode, and ACF/Ti as the cathode. Particular attention was paid to the reaction mechanisms and the dye degradation pathway in the system. The removal of AO7 in the system was mainly dependent on the oxidation by the produced active substances (()OH, etc.) and the coagulation by Fe(II) or Fe(III) dissolved from the anode. The former mechanism was predominant. A possible pathway for AO7 degradation was proposed by monitoring the temporal evolution of intermediates in the solution, with the use of some techniques including GC/MS, FTIR and HPLC. The AO7 molecule was observed to be firstly decomposed to aromatic intermediates, further degraded to ring opening products and finally mineralized to CO(2), H(2)O and inorganic salts. The intermediates increased the biodegradability of the wastewater, which was proved by the increase of the BOD/COD value after electrolysis treatment. The three-dimensional electrode method can be considered an effective alternative to dye wastewater pretreatment prior to the biological process.

[Enhanced visible-light absorbance of nanosized AgI/TiO2 by using calcination combined with light irradiation]

With the aim to enhance visible-light absorbance, calcination combined with light irradiation was used to modify nanosized AgI/TiO2. UV-Vis spectrum curves indicated that the modified sample exhibited an intense absorption in the whole visible light range and a spectrum shifted from 465 nm to 800 nm, and that absorbance at 500 nm was improved three times as much as that of the reported pertinent material. XRD analytic results demonstrated that calcined AgI/TiO2 possessed more rutile phase with reduced band gap from 2.89 eV to 2.81 eV, and that the following xenon-light irradiation further enhanced the relative contents of anatase TiO2, rutile TiO2 and AgI accompanied with produced AgCl phase, leading to the decrease in band gap to 1.55 eV. Formation of AgCl and increases in the relative contents of rutile TiO2 and AgI should take the main responsibilities for the decrease in the band gap and enlargement of visible-light absorbance. Additionally, it was confirmed that only the spectrum absorption of the calcined AgI/TiO2 could be improved by light irradiation, and that ultraviolet light played more role than visible part during the light irradiation. Moreover, it was proposed here that two or more silver halides supported on TiO2 could show more capabilities to stimulate visible-light activation of TiO2.

[Effect of temperature on the Pb2+ biosorption with aerobic granules]

Experimental studies were conducted on the effect of temperature on the Pb2+ biosorption with aerobic granules seeding with floccular activated sludge. The results showed that the aerobic granules manly comprised the elements of C, H, N, O and P. According to the elemental compositions of the microbial granules, the corresponding empirical formula of the granules can be determined as C5.7 H10.9 O3.9 NS0.04. ESEM results showed many coccoid bacteria were visiable on the granule surface with porous structure. Both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm equations could describe the biosorption process well (R2 > 0.914)under various temperature (20-40 degrees C). The maximum biosorption capacity (Q(max)) increased from 80.65 mg x g(-1) (20 degrees C) to 97.09 mg x g(-1) (40 degrees C). The values of thermodynamic parameters (deltaG < 0, deltaH > 0, deltaS > 0) indicated the biosorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Moreover, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results demonstrated that such active groups as -OH, -COOH and P = O were involved in Pb2+ biosorption but nothing to do with nitrogen-containing groups.

[Mechanisms of bioelectricity generation in Enterobacter aerogenes-based microbial fuel cells]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using hydrogen-producing bacteria (HPB) could utilize a large number of substrates to generate power. However, the coulombic efficiency is limited by the fact that only suspended cells are used as biocatalyst in anodic medium. MFCs using Fe (III)-reducing bacteria have high energy recovery efficiency, but can only utilize some simple organic matters. In this study, Enterobacter aerogenes XM02, a hydrogen-producing strain with Fe(III)-reducing activity, was selected as biocatalyst for MFCs, which could produce electricity by digesting lots of carbohydrates even starch. Graphite felt, a material with high specific surface area and hydrogen catalysis, instead of carbon paper supported platinum, was used as anode material. The coulombic efficiency had been substantially improved from 1.68% to 42.49%, higher than other HPB-based MFCs previously reported. The SEM image proved the ability of XM02 strain to colonize on the anode surface. Power generation of MFCs could restore quickly when anodic medium was completely replaced with non-growth medium containing glucose. This suggested that the attached cells contributed to electricity production because planktonic cells had been removed during the medium replacement. This study proposed the mechanism of power generated from in situ oxidation of hydrogen produced by the XM02 strain biofilm.

Study on treatment of coking wastewater by biofilm reactors combined with zero-valent iron process

Experiments were conducted to investigate the behavior of the integrated system with biofilm reactors and zero-valent iron (ZVI) process for coking wastewater treatment. Particular attention was paid to the performance of the integrated system for removal of organic and inorganic nitrogen compounds. Maximal removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH(3)-N) and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) were up to 96.1, 99.2 and 92.3%, respectively. Moreover, it was found that some phenolic compounds were effectively removed. The refractory organic compounds were primarily removed in ZVI process of the integrated system. These compounds, with molecular weights either ranged 10,000-30,000 Da or 0-2000 Da, were mainly the humic acid (HA) and hydrophilic (HyI) compounds. Oxidation-reduction and coagulation were the main removal mechanisms in ZVI process, which could enhance the biodegradability of the system effluent. Furthermore, the integrated system showed a rapid recovery performance against the sudden loading shock and remained high efficiencies for pollutants removal. Overall, the integrated system was proved feasible for coking wastewater treatment in practical applications.

Defluoridation of drinking water by combined electrocoagulation: effects of the molar ratio of alkalinity and fluoride to Al(III)

The defluoridation efficiency (epsilon(F)) of electrocoagulation (EC) is closely related to the pH level of the F(-)-containing solution. The pH level usually needs to be adjusted by adding acid in order to obtain the highest epsilon(F) for the F(-)-containing groundwater. The use of combined EC (CEC), which is the combination of chemical coagulation with EC, was proposed to remove fluoride from drinking water for the first time in this study. The optimal scheme for the design and operation of CEC were obtained through experiments on the treatment of F(-)-containing groundwater. It was found, with OH(-) being the only alkalinity of the raw water, that the highest efficiency would be obtained when the molar ratio of alkalinity and fluoride to Al(III) (gamma(Alkalinity+F)) was controlled at 3.0. However, when the raw water contained HCO(3)(-) alkalinity, a correction coefficient was needed to correct the concentration of HCO(3)(-) to obtain the optimal defluoridation condition of gamma(Alkalinity+F)=3.0 for CEC. The correction coefficient of HCO(3)(-) concentration was concluded as 0.60 from the experiment. For the practical F(-)-containing groundwater treatment, CEC can achieve similar epsilon(F) as an acid-adding EC process. The consumption of aluminum electrode was decreased in CEC. The energy consumption also declined greatly in CEC, which is less than one third of that in the acid-adding EC process.

[Electricity generation from corn steepwater using microbial fuel cell technology]

Corn steepwater containing 49,732.2 mg/L of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was used as fuel for a membrane electrode assembly microbial fuel cell (MEA-MFC), which could generate electricity and treat the wastewater at the same time. During a batch experiment of 94 days with a fixed 1,000 Omega external resistance, the maximum voltage output of 525.0 mV and power density of 169.6 mW/m2 were obtained after 17 days, corresponding to the current density, internal resistance and open voltage of 440.2 mA/m2, 350 Omega and 619.5 mV, respectively. However, data showed that the coulombic efficiency was only 1.6%, suggesting very limited COD was utilized for electricity generation. At the conclusion of the test, the removals of COD and ammonia-nitrogen were achieved 51.6% and 25.8%, respectively. This study demonstrates that corn steepwater can be used for power generation in MFC with simultaneous accomplishments of wastewater treatment, providing a novel approach for the safe disposal and recycle of corn steepwater.

Anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) for treating heavy oil produced water with high concentrations of salt and poor nutrient

The start-up and operational performance (total 212 days, including the start-up of 164 days) of an anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR), which is used to treat heavy oil produced water, was studied without the temperature control. Inoculums were mixtures of acclimated sediment taken from a heavy oil produced water treatment plant and digested sludge from a sewage wastewater treatment plant. The rod-shaped and spherical granules with colors of henna and black, in which Clostridia, Methanosarcina and Methanothrx sp. were main populations, were observed in each compartment of ABR after the reactor's successful start-up (day 164). Rhodopseudomonas with the activity of lipase and halotolerant, as a kind of photosynthetic bacteria, was also observed in the first five compartments. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the spherical granule sludge was compact and contained a large amount of organics, amorphous materials, and crystals of Fe(2)O(3), FeS, and CaCO(3), whereas the rod-shaped granule sludge was incompact without crystals of Fe(2)O(3), FeS, and CaCO(3). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the skeleton construction of this rod-shaped granule was filamentous bacteria and amount of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The ABR, after successful start up, can achieve high average chemical oxygen demand (COD) and oil removals of 65% and 88% for heavy oil produced water with poor nutrient (COD:TN:TP, 1200:15:1) and high salt concentration (1.15-1.46%), respectively. Furthermore, ABR kept stable during 2.5 times the COD level shock load (0.50 kg COD m-3 d-1) for four days.

Degradation of quinoline by Rhodococcus sp. QL2 isolated from activated sludge

A novel aerobic gram-positive bacterial strain capable of utilizing quinoline as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy was isolated from activated sludge of a coke plant wastewater treatment process. The isolate was identified as Rhodococcus sp. QL2 based on its morphology, physiochemical properties in addition to the results from 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The optimum temperature and the pH for its growth were 35-40 degrees C and 8.0, respectively. Extra nitrogen sources stimulated the bacterial growth on quinoline. Strain QL2 had strong quinoline degradability, and its degradation kinetics could be described with Haldane's model. Strain QL2 also had a broad range of substrate utilization. Identification of intermediates by GC/MS showed Rhodococcus sp. QL2 degraded quinoline via two pathways simultaneously.

Fluorescence evolution of leachates during treatment processes from two contrasting landfills

Landfill leachates are composed of a complex mixture of organic matter, including a wide range of potentially fluorescent organic compounds. The fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (FEEM) of leachates during treatment processes is investigated. Particular attention is paid to the fluorescence evolution of leachates during treatment processes. Two typical types of landfill, landfill A (a direct municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill) and landfill B (disposal of bottom ashes from MSW incinerators), in a city in Southern China were selected. The results show that two characteristic and intense excitation-emission peaks located at Ex/Em = 310-330 nm/395-410 nm (peak alpha) and Ex/Em = 250-260 nm/450-460 nm (peak alpha') are observed. As the aromatic chemicals, capable of emitting fluorescence, are more recalcitrant to biodegradation than aliphatic chemicals, enhancement of the dissolved organic carbon normalized fluorescence intensities is demonstrated during treatment processes of leachate A and leachate B. This is confirmed by the variation of ultraviolet absorptivity of leachates at 254 nm. Peak alpha' and peak alpha are attributed to a mixture of xenobiotic organic compounds with low molecular weight and relatively stable aromatic fulvic-like matters with high molecular weight, respectively. Humic substances are more resistant to biodegradation than xenobiotic organic compounds, so a significant reduction in the Ialpha'/Ialpha values (fluorescence intensity ratios of peak alpha' and peak a) of leachate A was observed during treatment processes. However, no evident variation for the Ialpha/Ialpha values of leachate B was found during treatment processes owing to the low concentrations of xenobiotic organic compounds in leachate B after incineration.

[Concentration and spectrum characteristic of the NaOH extracted humic substances in three size fractions of sediments from the Yellow River]

The concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) and the NaOH extracted humic substances were analyzed in three size fractions (I : 100 - 300 microm, II : 63 - 100 microm and III : < 63 microm) of sediments sampled in the middle Yellow River. Moreover, UV-visible absorption spectra, fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) and three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectra (3DEEM) were used to characterize the chemical structures of the NaOH extracted humic substances in three sediment size fractions. The results show that sediment organic matter in all the size fractions of the collected sediments is dominated by humic substances absorbed on the clay minerals. The proportions of the NaOH extracted humic substances to TOC decrease with decreasing sediment grain size ( I > II > III). This may result from the stronger interaction of the humic substances with clay minerals in finer size fractions of the colleted sediments. Similar UV-visible spectra with different absorbance intensity are observed for the NaOH extracted humic substances in three sediment size fractions. The infrared spectra of the NaOH extracted humic substances show five strong peaks in all fractions of the samples. The area ratios of FTIR peaks suggest that the contents of the phenolic, alcoholic and carboxylic groups account for more than 75% in the NaOH extracted humic substances. Three characteristic excitation-emission peaks present in the 3DEEM of the NaOH extracted humic substances: peak A (UV humic-like compounds), peak C (visible humic-like compounds) and peak T'(phenolic compounds or protein like compounds). UV-visible, FTIR and 3DEEM results imply that the aromatic degree of the NaOH extracted humic substances is higher in fractions I and II than in fraction III. The results also indicate that the aliphatic and aromatic contents are higher in fractions I and II, whilst the phenolic, alcoholic and carboxylic contents are higher in fraction III.

Surface flow constructed wetland for heavy oil-produced water treatment

Heavy oil-produced water from China' Liaohe Oilfield was purified in a surface flow constructed wetland (SFCW) during a 3-yr field experiment. Treatment showed high mean removal efficiencies of 80%, 93%, 88% and 86% for COD, oil, BOD and TKN, respectively for reed bed #1 and 71%, 92%, 77%, and 81% for COD, oil, BOD and TKN, respectively for reed bed #2. The results also showed that in the third year of the system's operation, the oil-produced water had mainly positive impacts on the reed's health parameters. Thus, reed can be used as a feasible wetland macrophyte for treating such wastewater, and this SFCW system can operate for a long time.

Fluorescence of sediment humic substance and its effect on the sorption of selected endocrine disruptors

Humic substances (HS) have a critical influence on the sorption of organic contaminants by soils and sediments. This paper describes investigations into the sorption behavior of three representative endocrine disruptors, bisphenol A (BPA), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), onto sediments and HS extracted sediments using a batch technique. The organic carbon-normalized partition coefficients (K(oc)) for the extracted HS (K(oc)(hs)) were calculated, and the fluorescence spectra of the HS extraced from different sediment samples were gained using excitation/emission matrix (EEM). Particular attention was paid to the correlations between the fluorescence characteristics of HS and the log K(oc)(hs) of selected endocrine disruptors. The results show that the log K(oc)(hs) values range from 3.14 to 4.09 for BPA, from 3.47 to 4.33 for E2, and from 3.65 to 4.32 for EE2. Two characteristic excitation-emission peaks were observed for HS samples extracted from sediments. They are located at Ex/Em=250-260 nm/400-450 nm (peak alpha') and Ex/Em=310-330 nm/390-400 nm (peak alpha) respectively. The alpha' and alpha peak relative intensities I(alpha')/I(alpha) vary from 0.46 to 1.64 for different extracted HS samples. The similarity between fulvic acids (FA) Ex/Em pairs and those observed for HS indicates that FA is the predominant fraction of HS extracted from sediments. Moreover, the log K(oc)(hs) values of BPA, E2, and EE2 have a negative linear correlation to I(alpha')/I(alpha) values. Peak alpha is often attributed to relatively stable and high molecular weight aromatic fulvic-like matter. Therefore, the result presented here reveals that the abundance of aromatic rings in HS molecular structure plays a critical role in the sorption of selected endocrine disruptors.

Phytodegradation of extra heavy oil-based drill cuttings using mature reed wetland: an in situ pilot study

Environmental contamination caused by extra heavy oil-based drill cuttings (DCs) is a major problem in the Liaohe Oilfield, northeastern China. To study the potential effectiveness of the mature reed wetland in removing extra heavy oil contained in drill cuttings, biodegradation of extra heavy oils and study of the effects on soil property and ecophysiological and quality indices of reeds were carried out in a 2-year in situ pilot experiment. In the wetland, four reed beds were used to treat drill cuttings in various loadings: 0 (control), 5, 20, and 40 kg/m(2), corresponding to 150, 600, and 1200 g/m(2) extra heavy oil hydrocarbons (HCs). The obtained results demonstrate that the mature reed wetland was effective at degrading extra heavy oils without extra fertilization. Removal efficiencies of reed bed 2 in the 0- to 80-cm soil profile increased with time, from 90.1% (first harvest season) to 95.8% (second harvest season). After 2 years, only 4.2% of the initial hydrocarbons residual was retained in the surface soil. There was no apparent adverse effects on the surface soil property during degradation of extra heavy oils and, actually, the deeper soil property and reed quality indices were improved at the end of the experiment. Phytotoxicity, resulting in reduction of reed yield, was observed in the most heavily treated beds in the first year. However, long-term reed yield recovered robustly. During the 2-year period, reed height and leaf number were slightly inhibited.

Total waste-load control and allocation based on input-output analysis for Shenzhen, south China

The general objective for this paper is to reveal the dynamic relationships between the rapid economic development, water pollution and the subsequent waste-load allocation in different economic sectors through a case-study in Shenzhen City, South China. Two-objective analysis model was employed based on the input-output table for Shenzhen with the full consideration of various constraints in local area. The improved Tchebycheff procedure was used for obtaining the solutions. The predictions were made on economic development and pollutants from wastewater in different sectors and different planning years. The present study allows for the consideration of the economic structural adjustment. It is found that the current situation of economic structure is generally good and is subject to further adjustment in Shenzhen, although it has undergone the rapid development in the past 18 years. When the maximum Gross Domestic Production and the minimum Chemical Oxygen Demand are chosen as the two objectives subject to other constraints, the harmonized results indicated a scheme that claims substantial reduction of polluting effluences in Shenzhen while closely keeping the economic growth rate as planned.