Occurrence and fate of antibiotics in advanced wastewater treatment facilities and receiving rivers in Beijing, ChinaOccurrence and fate of antibiotics in advanced wastewater treatment facilities and receiving rivers in Beijing, China

The occurrence and removal of 13 antibiotics were investigated in five wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） with advanced wastewater treatment processes in Beijing, China. Most of the target antibiotics were detected in the secondary and tertiary effluents, with the concentrations of 4.8-1106.0 and 0.3-505.0ng·L^-1. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics showed relatively high concentrations in all samples （782-1814ng·L^-1）. Different tertiary treatment processes showed discrepant antibiotics removal performances. Ozonation process was found more effective in removing target antibiotics compared to the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process and sand filtration process. Investigation of the target antibiotics in three typical urban rivers in Beijing was carried out to understand antibiotics occurrence in surface water environment. Eight antibiotics were detected in the studied rivers, with highest concentration of antibiotics in the fiver which was mainly replenished by reclaimed water. This study showed the necessity of employing more effective advanced treatment facilities to further reduce the discharge amount of antibiotics.

Inactivation, reactivation and regrowth of indigenous bacteria in reclaimed water after chlorine disinfection of a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Disinfection of reclaimed water prior to reuse is important to prevent the transmission of pathogens. Chlorine is a widely utilized disinfectant and as such is a leading contender for disinfection of reclaimed water. To understand the risks of chlorination resulting from the potential selection of pathogenic bacteria, the inactivation, reactivation and regrowth rates of indigenous bacteria were investigated in reclaimed water after chlorine disinfection. Inactivation of total coliforms, Enterococcus and Salmonella showed linear correlations, with constants of 0.1384, 0.1624 and 0.057 L/（mg·min） and R 2 of 0.7617, 0.8316 and 0.845, respectively. However, inactivation of total viable cells by measurement of metabolic activity typically showed a linear correlation at lower chlorine dose （0-22 （mg·min）/L）, and a trailing region with chlorine dose increasing from 22 to 69 （mg·min）/L. Reactivation and regrowth of bacteria were most likely to occur after exposure to lower chlorine doses, and extents of reactivation decreased gradually with increasing chlorine dose. In contrast to total coliforms and Enterococcus, Salmonella had a high level of regrowth and reactivation, and still had 2% regrowth even after chlorination of 69 （mg·min）/L and 24 hr storage. The bacterial compositions were also significantly altered by chlorination and storage of reclaimed water, and the ratio of Salmonella was significantly increased from 0.001% to 0.045% after chlorination of 69 （mg·min）/L and 24 hr storage. These trends indicated that chlorination contributes to the selection of chlorine-resistant pathogenic bacteria, and regrowth of pathogenic bacteria after chlorination in reclaimed water with a long retention time could threaten public health security during wastewater reuse.

Combined process of biofiltration and ozone oxidation as an advanced treatment process for wastewater reuse

The effluent of a wastewater treatment plant was treated in a pilot plant for reclaimed water production through the denitrification biofilter （DNBF） process, ozonation （O3）, and biologic aerated filtration （BAF）. The combined process demonstrated good removal performance of conventional pollutants, including con- centrations of chemical oxygen demand （27.8 mg·L^-1） and total nitrogen （9.9 mg·L^-1） in the final effluent, which met the local discharge standards and water reuse purposes. Micropollutants （e.g., antibiotics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals） were also significantly removed during the proposed process. Ozonation exhibited high antibiotic removal efficiencies, especially for tetracycline （94%）. However, micropollutant removal efficiency was nega- tively affected by the nitrite produced by DNBF. Acute toxicity variations of the combined process were estimated by utilizing luminescent bacteria. Inhibition rate increased from 9% to 15% during ozonation. Carbonyl compound concentrations （e.g., aldehydes and ketones） also increased by 58% as by-products, which consequently increased toxicity. However, toxicity eventually became as low as that of the influent because the by-products were effectively removed by BAR The combined DNBF/O3/ BAF process is suitable for the advanced treatment of reclaimed water because it can thoroughly remove pollutants and toxicity.

Perfluorocarboxylic acids(PFCAs)and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates(PFASs)in surface and tap water around Lake Taihu in China

Perfluorinated compounds(PFCs)are ubiquitously distributed in the environment mainly as perfluorocarboxylic acids(PFCAs)and perfluoroalkyl sulfonates(PFASs).In this paper,six PFCAs and two PFASs were quantified in surface and tap water samples from 12 sites around Lake Taihu near Shanghai City in East China.Predominant PFCs were perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)and perfluorooctane sulfonate(PFOS),of which the concentration ranges were 6.8–206 and 1.2–45 ng·L^(–1),the geometric means were 35.3 and 9.4 ng·L^(–1),and the median(quartile range)values were 31.4(34.4)and 10.4(10.7)ng·L^(–1),respectively.Other PFCs were also detected but in much lower concentrations than PFOA.The sources of the PFCs were expected to be direct industrial discharges in the Lake Taihu area,and this area was also a possible source of PFCs contaminations in Shanghai district in the downstream.PFCs distributions were found different in the upstream,downstream and north part of Lake Taihu.Occurrences of PFCs in the tap water in Lake Taihu area indicated their exposure to the local people.A brief estimation of the environmental risks by PFCs implied no acute or immediate risks from PFCs to local human health,but chronic risks from PFOA in the tap water should be considered in the downstream regions.

Feedforward control for nitrogen removal in a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic plant for municipal wastewater treatment

To improve the efficiency of nitrogen removalwith lower energy consumption,the study of feedforwardcontrol was carried out on a pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxicoxic(AAO)plant for the treatment of municipal wastewater.The effluent qualities of the pilot plant underdifferent control strategies were investigated.The resultsindicated that the change of external recycle was not asuitable approach to regulate the sludge concentration ofplug-flow reactors;adjusting the aeration valve anddissolved oxygen set-point according to ammonia loadcould overcome the impact of influent fluctuation;and thedenitrification potential could be estimated based on thetransit time of anoxic zone and the relative content ofcarbon resource entering the anoxic zone.Simple feedforwardcontrol strategies for aeration and internal recyclewere subsequently proposed and validated.The nitrogenremoval was successfully improved in the pilot plant.Theeffluent total nitrogen had decreased by 29.9%and wassteadily controlled below 15 mg·L^(-1).Furthermore,approximately 38%of the energy for aeration had beensaved.

Isolation of a Pseudomonas Stutzeri strain that degrades 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and characterization of its degradative plasmid

The genetic information encoding metabolic pathways for xenobiotic compounds in bacteria often resides on catabolic plasmids.The aim of the present work was to know the location of the genes for degrading 1,2,4-trichlorobenzen.In this paper a 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene-degrading strain THSL-1 was isolated from the soil of Tianjin Chemical Plant using 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene as the sole carbon source.The strain was identified as Pseudomonas stutzeri through morphologic survey and 16S rDNA sequence determination.A plasmid was discovered from strain THSL-1 by using the alkali lysis method.When the plasmid was transformed into E.coli.JM109 by the CaCl2 method,the transformant could grow using 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene as the sole carbon source and had the degradation function of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene.Therefore,it could be deemed that the plasmid carried the degradative genes of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene.The average size of the plasmid was finally determined to be 40.2 Kb using selectively three kinds of restricted inscribed enzymes(HindIII,BamHI,and XholI)for single cutting and double cutting the plasmid pTHSL-1,respectively.

Evaluation of the infectivity,gene and antigenicity persistence of rotaviruses by free chlorine disinfection

The effects of free chlorine disinfection of tap water and wastewater effluents on the infectivity, gene integrity and surface antigens of rotaviruses were evaluated by a bench-scale chlorine disinfection experiments. Plaque assays, integrated cell culture-quantitative RT- PCR （ICC-RT-qPCR）, RT-qPCR, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays （ELISA）, respectively, were used to assess the influence of the disinfectant on virus infectivity as well as genetic and antigenic integrity of simian rotavirus SA11 as a surrogate for human rotaviruses. The ICC-RT-qPCR was able to detect rotaviruses survival from chlorine disinfection at chlorine dose up to 20 mg/L （60 min contact）, which suggested a required chlorine dose of 5 folds （from 1 to 5 mg/L） higher than that indicated by the plaque assay to achieve 1.8 log10 reductions in tap water with 60 rain exposing. The VP7 gene was more resistant than the infectivity and existed at chlorine dose up to 20 mg/L （60 min contact）, while the antigencity was undetectable with chlorine dose more than 5 mg/L （60 min contact）. The water quality also impacted the inactivation efficiencies, and rotaviruses have a relatively higher resistant in secondary effluents than in the tap water under the same chlorine disinfection treatments. This study indicated that rotaviruses have a higher infectivity, gene and antigencity resistance to chlorine than that previously indicated by plaque assay only, which seemed to underestimate the resistance of rotaviruses to chlorine and the risk of rotaviruses in environments. Present results also suggested that re-evaluation of resistance of other waterborne viruses after disinfections by more sensitive infectivity detection method （such as ICC-RT-qPCR） may be necessary, to determine the adequate disinfectant doses required for the inactivation of waterborne viruses.

Inhibitory effect of nitrobenzene on oxygen demand in lake sediments

Nitrobenzene is an important raw material and product, which presents a heavy threat to the ecosystem. The potential impacts of nitrobenzene on sediment oxygen demand （SOD） were studied in lake sediment simulating reactors receiving relatively low inputs of nitrobenzene. Oxygen microprofiles were measured in these sediment reactors using microelectrodes. After an initial microprofile measurement as a control, nitrobenzene was added to the overlying water resulting in concentrations of 0, 50, 100, and 150 μg/L. Microprofiles were measured on day 1, 2, 4 and 7 following the addition of nitrobenzene. SODs were determined from the microprofiles using a reaction-diffusion model. Results showed that the SODs increased relative to the initial values measured in the pre-treatment period in reactors exposed to all nitrobenzene concentrations on day 1. However, the values decreased gradually on the following days, which eventually resulted in a 50% loss in SODs after 7 days of exposure to nitrobenzene in all reactors. In addition, the inhibition effect of nitrobenzene on SOD exhibited a weak relationship with its concentration. The microscopic observation and count of algae in the sediment showed that the exposure to nitrobenzene did not change the composition of algae greatly, however, it decreased the number of dominant algae species sharply after 7 days of exposure. These results suggested that nitrobenzene could significantly alter SOD in lakes, which could ultimately affect the pollutant recovery in aquatic-sediment systems.

Flow characteristic and wastewater treatment performance of a pilot-scale airlift oxidation ditch

A pilot-scale airlift oxidation ditch using bubble diffuser and baffle as aerator was operated in a wastewater treatment plant(WWTP)to investigate its flow characteristic and wastewater treatment performance.Compared with the conventional oxidation ditch process,effective depth and oxygen utilization efficiency of this new process was improved by underwater aeration.Furthermore,it had a reversed velocity distribution,which decreased from the bottom to the top on vertical section.Velocity measurement showed that a velocity over 0.2 m/s at the bottom was sufficient to prevent sludge settlement during long term operation.Application of these concepts would save land area and energy consumption by about 25%–50%and 55%,respectively.In this new system,organic biodegradation and nitrification could be well achieved.Denitrification could occur steadily in the straight part by adjusting the airflow rate.An average TN removal rate of 63%was achieved with dissolved oxygen(DO)concentrations between 0.6 mg/L and 1.5 mg/L.The main pollutants in the effluent could meet the strictest discharge standard(COD<50 mg/L,NH4_(+)^(–)N<5 mg/L,and TN<15 mg/L)in China now.

Evaluation of oxygen transfer parameters of fine-bubble aeration system in plug flow aeration tank of wastewater treatment plant

Knowledge of the oxygen mass transfer of aerators under operational conditions in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant （WWTP） is meaningful for the optimization of WWTP, however, scarce to best of our knowledge. Through analyzing a plug flow aeration tank in the Lucun WWTP, in Wuxi, China, the oxygenation capacity of fine-bubble aerators under process conditions have been measured in- situ using the off-gas method and the non-steady-state method. The off-gas method demonstrated that the aerators in different corridors in the aeration tank of WWTP had significantly different oxygen transfer performance; furthermore, the aerators in the same corridor shared almost equal oxygen transfer performance over the course of a day. Results measured by the two methods showed that the oxygen transfer performance of fine-bubble aerators in the aeration tank decreased dramatically compared with that in the clean water. The loss of oxygen transfer coefficient was over 50% under low-aeration conditions （aeration amount 〈 0.67 Nm 3 /hr）. However, as the aeration amount reached 0.96 Nm 3 /hr, the discrepancy of oxygen transfer between the process condition and clean water was negligible. The analysis also indicated that the non-steady-state and off-gas methods resulted in comparable estimates of oxygen transfer parameters for the aerators under process conditions.

A potentiometric cobalt-based phosphate sensor based on screen-printing technology

A potentiometric cobalt-based screen-pritning sensor was fabricated by electroplating cobalt on the surface of a screen-printing electrode as the sensitive layer for the determination of dihydrogenphosphate （H2PO4） in wastewater samples. The electrochemical performance of this sensor was fully examined to determine its detection calibration, detection limit, response time, selectivity, and interference with pH, various ions, and dissolved oxygen （DO）. The cobalt-based phosphate sensor showed a phosphate-selective potential response in the range of 10 5mol·L^-1 to 10^-1 mol^-1, yielding a detection limit of 3.16 × 10μmol·L^l and a slope of -37.51 mV·decade＇ in an acidic solution （pH 4.0） of H2PO4-. DO and pH were found to interfere with sensor responses to phosphate. Ultimately, the performance of the sensor was validated for detecting wastewater samples from the Xiaojiahe Waste- water Treatment Plant against the standard speetrophotometric methods for HzPO4 analysis. The discrepancy between the two methods was generally ＋5% （relative standard deviation）. Aside from its high selectivity, sensitivity, and stability, which are comparable with conventional bulk Co-wire sensors, the proposed phosphate sensor presents many other advantages, such as low price, compactness, ease of use, and the possibility of integration with other analytical devices, such as flow injectors.

Degradation of bisphenol A by microorganisms immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres

In this study, microorganisms （named B111） were immobilized on polyvinyl alcohol microspheres prepared by the inverse suspension crosslinked method. The biodegradation of bisphenol A （BPA） and 4-hydro- xybenzaldehyde, a degradation product of BPA, by free and immobilized B lll was investigated. The BPA degradation studies were carried out at initial BPA concentrations ranging from 25 to 150 mg·L^-1. The affinity constant Ks and maximum degradation rate Rmax were 98.3 mg·L^-1 and 19.7mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for free B111, as well as 87.2mg·L^-1 and 21.1mg·mg^-1VSS·d^-1 for immobilized B 111, respectively. 16S rDNA gene sequence analyses confirmed that the dominant genera were Pseudomonas and Brevundimonas for BPA biodegradation in microorganisms B 111.

Sulfide elimination by intermittent nitrate dosing in sewer sediments

The formation of hydrogen sulfide in biofilms and sediments in sewer systems can cause severe pipe corrosions and health hazards, and requires expensive programs for its prevention. The aim of this study is to propose a new control strategy and the optimal condition for sulfide elimination by intermittent nitrate dosing in sewer sediments. The study was carried out based on lab-scale experiments and batch tests using real sewer sediments. The intermittent nitrate dosing mode and the optimal control condition were investigated. The results indicated that the sulfide-intermittent-elimination strategy by nitrate dosing is advantageous for controlling sulfide accumulation in sewer sediment. The oxidation–reduction potential is a sensitive indicator parameter that can reflect the control effect and the minimum N/S（nitrate/sulfide）ratio with slight excess nitrate is necessary for optimal conditions of efficient sulfide control with lower carbon source loss. The optimal control condition is feasible for the sulfide elimination in sewer systems.

One-pot preparation of graphene oxide magnetic nanocomposites for the removal of tetrabromobisphenol A

A simple solvothermal method was used to prepare monodisperse magnetite （Fe304） nanoparticles attached onto graphene oxide （GO） sheets as adsorbents to remove tetrabromobisphenol A （TBBPA） from an aqueous solution. These Fe304/GO （MGO） nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The adsorption capacity at different initial pH, contact duration, and temperature were evaluated. The kinetics of adsorption was found to fit the pseudo-second-order model perfectly. The adsorption isotherm well fitted the Langmuir model, and the theoretical maximum of adsorption capacity calculated by the Langmuir model was 27.26 mg ·g^-1 The adsorption thermodynamics of TBBPA on the MGO nanocomposites was determined at 303K, 313K, and 323 K, respectively. The results indicated that the adsorp- tion was spontaneous and endothermic. The MGO nanocomposites were conveniently separated from the media by an extemal magnetic field within several seconds, and then regenerated in 0.2 M NaOH solution. Thus, the MGO nanocomposites are a promising candidate for TBBPA removal from wastewater.

Water-level based discrete integrated dynamic control to regulate the flow for sewer-WWTP operation

This study aims to propose a multi-point integrated real-time control method based on discrete dynamic water level variations,which can be realized only based on the programmable logic controller(PLC)system without using a complex mathematical model.A discretized water level control model was developed to conduct the real-time control based on data-automation.It combines the upstream pumping stations and the downstream influent pumping systems of wastewater treatment plant(WWTP).The discretized water level control method can regulate dynamic wastewater pumping flow of pumps following the dynamic water level variation in the sewer system.This control method has been successfully applied in practical integrated operations of sewer-WWTP following the sensitive flow disturbances of the sewer system.The operational results showed that the control method could provide a more stabilized regulate pumping flow for treatment process;it can also reduce the occurrence risk of combined sewer overflow(CSO)during heavy rainfall events by increasing transport capacity of pumping station and influent flow in WWTP,which takes full advantage of storage space in the sewer system.