Changes in the activities of key enzymes and the abundance of functional genes involved in nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil under different aerated conditions

Soil microorganisms play important roles in nitrogen transformation. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in the activity of nitrogen transformation enzymes and the abundance of nitrogen function genes in rhizosphere soil aerated using three different methods(continuous flooding(CF), continuous flooding and aeration(CFA), and alternate wetting and drying(AWD)). The abundances of amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea(AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria(AOB), nirS, nirK, and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, ammonia oxidase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase were measured at the tillering(S1), heading(S2), and ripening(S3) stages. We analyzed the relationships of the aforementioned microbial activity indices, in addition to soil microbial biomass carbon(MBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen(MBN), with the concentration of soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen. The abundance of nitrogen function genes and the activities of nitrogen invertase in rice rhizosphere soil were higher at S2 compared with S1 and S3 in all treatments. AWD and CFA increased the abundance of amoA and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and decreased the abundance of nirS and nirK genes and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, with the effect of AWD being particularly strong. During the entire growth period, the mean abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were 2.9, 5.8, and 3.0 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase were 1.1, 0.5, and 0.7 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the nirS and nirK genes, and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase were 73.6, 84.8, 10.3 and 36.5% lower in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were significantly and positively correlated with the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and the abundances of the nirS and nirK genes were significantly positively correlated with the activities of nitrate reductase. All the above indicators were positively correlated with soil MBC and MBN. In sum, microbial activity related to nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil was highest at S2. Aeration can effectively increase the activity of most nitrogen-converting microorganisms and MBN, and thus promote soil nitrogen transformation.

Kinetic Performance of Oil-field Produced Water Treatment by Biological Aerated Filter

The biological aerated filter （BAF） was used to treat the oil-field produced water. The removal efficiency for oil, COD, BOD and suspended solids （SS） was 76.3%-80.3%, 31.6%-57.9%, 8.6.3%-96.3% and76.4%--82.7%, respectively when the hydraulic loading rates varied from 016m·h^-1 to 1.4m·h^-1. The greatest partof removal, for example more than 80% of COD removal, occurred on the top 100cm of the media in BAF. The kinetic .performance of BAF indicated that the relationship of BOD removal efficiency with the hydraulic loadingrates, in biological aerated filters could be described by c1/c1=l-exp（-2.44/L^0.59）. This equation could be used topredict the B OD.removal efficiency at different hydraulic loading rates.

Simultaneous removal of COD and nitrogen using a novel carbon-membrane aerated biofilm reactor

A membrane aerated biofilm reactor is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. In this study, a carbon-membrane aerated biofilm reactor （CMABR） has been developed, to remove carbon organics and nitrogen simultaneously from one reactor. The results showed that CMABR has a high chemical oxygen demand （COD） and nitrogen removal efficiency, as it is operated with a hydraulic retention time （HRT） of 20 h, and it also showed a perfect performance, even if the HRT was shortened to 12 h. In this period, the removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen （NH4^＋-N）, and total nitrogen （TN） reached 86%, 94%, and 84%, respectively. However, the removal efficiencies of NH4^＋-N and TN declined rapidly as the HRT was shortened to 8 h. This is because of the excessive growth of biomass on the nonwoven fiber and very high organic loading rate. The fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） analysis indicated that the ammonia oxidizing bacteria （AOB） were mainly distributed in the inner layer of the biofilm. The coexistence of AOB and eubacteria in one biofilm can enhance the simultaneous removal of COD and nitrogen.

The effects of aerated irrigation on soil respiration, oxygen, and porosity

To ameliorate soil oxygen deficiencies around subsurface drip irrigation(SDI) drippers, aerated irrigation(AI) was introduced to supply aerated water to the soil through venturi installed in the SDI pipeline. The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of AI on soil respiration(SR), air-filled porosity(AFP), soil temperature(ST), and oxygen concentrations(OCC). Total soil respiration(TSR), biological activity temperature index(BAT), and soil oxygen consumption(OCS) based on SR, ST, and OCC, respectively, were subsequently calculated to explore the relationships between TSR, BAT, OCS, OCC, and AFP. Greenhouse-based experiments included two treatments: AI and unaerated SDI(CK), during the tomato growing season in the fall of 2015. The results showed that compared with CK, AI treatment significantly increased OCC and AFP(by 16 and 7.4%, respectively), as well as TSR and OCS(by 24.21 and 22.91%, respectively)(P<0.05). Mean fruit yield with AI treatment was also 23% higher(P<0.05) than that with CK. When BAT was controlled, partial correlations between TSR, OCS, OCC, and AFP were all significant in the AI treatment but not in the CK treatment. TSR was more sensitive to the interaction effects of OCC, OCS, AFP, and BAT under the AI treatment. Thus, the significantly increased TSR with AI appeared to be due to the favorable soil aeration conditi ons(higher OCC and AFP). Furthermore, the improvements in soil aeration conditions and respiration with AI appeared to facilitate the improvement in fruit yields, which also suggests the economic benefits of AI.

Effects of Aerated Irrigation on Leaf Senescence at Late Growth Stage and Grain Yield of Rice

With the japonica inbred cultivar Xiushui 09, indica hybrid combinations Guodao 6 and Liangyoupeijiu as materials, field experiments were conducted in 2007 and 2008 to study the effects of aerated irrigation on leaf senescence at late growth stage and grain yield of rice. The dissolved oxygen concentration of aerated water evidently increased and decreased at a slow rate. The soil oxidation-reduction potential under aerated irrigation treatment was significantly higher than that of the CK, contributing to significant increases in effective panicles, seed setting rate and grain yield. In addition, the aerated irrigation improved root function, increased superoxide dismutase activity and decreased malondialdehyde content in flag leaves at post-flowering, which delayed leaf senescence process, prolonged leaf functional activity and led to enhanced grain filling.

Kinetics of COD Removal in a Biological Aerated Filter in the Presence of 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol （Picric Acid）

An empirical model for COD removal in a biological aerated filter （BAF） in the presence of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol （TNP） was developed, which related effluent COD to influent COD or hydraulic loading rate along the bed height. The overall reaction rate for substrate biodegradation could be described as pseudo first order. The experimental data of COD removal against reactor height were used to calculate the parameters in the empirical model. The COD concentration at different reactor height was expressed as a function of influent COD concentration and hydraulic loading rate, ln（C0/C）=0.124H/QC0^0.77 and ln（C/C0）=-5.63H/L^0.94, respectively, under the experimental condition. The models may be used to predict the COD removal profiles along the reactor height at different hydraulic loading rates and influent COD concentration for design, selection and sizing of BAF.

Application of a novel backwashing process in upflow biological aerated filter

To improve the efficiency of backwashing in upflow biological aerated filter （BAF）, a novel backwashing process named air-water siphon backwashing （AWSB） was proposed and applied on laboratory scale. The effects of backwashing on turbidity and suspended solid （SS） in backwashing efluent using this new backwashing process were compared with those of traditional backwashing process, namely air-water backwashing （AWB）. In AWB, the turbidity of backwashing efluent maintained 100 NUT when consumed 60 min and 10.5 L water. However, in AWSB, it declined to 44 NUT, consumed 40 min, and 7 L water. The COD removal of BAF after backwashing was also analyzed. The average removal rate of COD in the reactor backwashed by AWB and AWSB was 89.34% and 90.91%, respectively. Compared with AWB, the backwashing interval had been prolonged 35%. The volume of backwashing water in that AWSB was only 66.7% of that in AWB. The results demonstrated that AWSB required less water and took shorter backwashing timerelative to AWB to achieve the same turbidity of backwashing efluent, and AWSB was more effective in removing fouling than that of AWB. More significant advantage of AWSB was that the backwashing interval was effectively prolonged

Effect of media heights on the performance of biological aerated filter

The optimum media height of carbon oxidation and nitrification in a down-flow biological aerated filter was determined, and the distribution of the heterotrophic and nitrifying populations through studying the changes of organic carbon contents and ammonia concentration at different media height was got. The results showed that as a down flow BAF with granular media, the active layer of nitrifiers was deeper than heterotrophs in BAF. And the optimum media height for the removal of SS, COD Cr and NH + 4-N was 40 cm,60 cm and 80 cm respectively. The removal efficiency of SS, COD Cr and NH + 4-N was 79.1%, 63.9% and 96.4% respectively under the influent COD Cr and NH + 4-N of 122.1 mgCOD Cr /L and 14.84 mgNH + 4-N/L, the influent flux of 15.8 L/h, air to liquid ratio of 3∶1.

Treatment of Slightly Polluted Wastewater in an Oil Refinery Using a Biological Aerated Filter Process

The slightly polluted wastewater from oil refinery contains some COD, oil pollutants and suspended solids （SS）. A small-scale fixed film biological aerated filter （BAF） process was used to treat the wastewater. The influences of hydraulic retention time （HRT）, air/water volume flow ratio and backwashing cycle on treatment efficiencies were investigated. The wastewater was treated by the BAF process under optimal conditions： the HRT of 1.0 h, the air/water volume flow ratio of about 5 ： 1 and the backwashing cycle of every 4-7 days. The results showed that the average removal efficiency of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 84.5%, 94.0% and 83.4%, respectively. And the average effluent concentration of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 12.5, 0.27, 14.5 mg·L^-1, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the BAF process is a suitable and highly efficient method to treat the wastewater.

Synthesis and Microstructure Analysis of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete with Carbide Slag Addition

Synthesis of autoclaved aerated concrete （AAC） has been carried out with carbide slag addition, and the carbide slag could be used as a main material to produce the AAC with the compressive strength about 2 MPa and the density below 0.6 g.cm-3. In this study, quartz sand acted as frame structure phase in the matrix, and quartz addition also influenced the Si/Ca of starting material. Tobermorite and CSH gel were formed readily at 62%, which seemed to enhance the compressive strength of samples. Curing time seemed to affect the morphology of phase produced, and specimen with the plate-like tobermorite formed at 10 h appeared to have a better compressive strength development than the fiber-like one at 18 h. The higher curing temperature seemed to favor the tobermorite and CSH gel formation, which also exerted a significant effect on the strength development of the samples. On the micro-scale, the formed CSH gel was filled in the interface of the matrix, and the tobermorite appeared to grow in internal-surface of the pores and interstices. The tobermorite or/and CSH formation seemed to densify the matrix, and therefore enhanced the strength of the samples.

Synergism of Novel Sequence Bio-ecological Process and Biological Aerated Filter for Sewage Treatment in Cold Climate

A lab-scale integrated treatment system including the novel sequence bio-ecological process （SBEP） and biological aerated filter （BAF） for a sewage mixture （chemistry laboratory wastewater and domestic sewage） was presented in this paper. The main objective of the study was to test the contribution of artificial aeration, recir-culation ratio and mass concentration of steel slag on pollutant removal in winter when the plants are dormant. It had been shown that SBEP and BAF play different roles in removing contaminants from wastewater. During the airflow experiment, the removal efficiency of COD and TP in SBEP was higher than that in BAF, whereas BAF can compensate for the deficiency of SBEP where no significant improvement on ammonium nitrogen removal is ob-served. Yet, the removal etticiencies of COD,TP and NH4^＋ -N in SBEP could be improved apparently when ditterent recireulation ratio or various mass concentration of steel were applied. Especially, when the airflow of 0.06 L·h^-1, the recirculation ratio rate of 80% and the mass concentration of steel of 2.2-2.4 g·L^-1 were applied, thehighest efficiency of 94.6%, 77.9% and 80.7% for COD, TP and NH4^＋ -N were achieved,-respectively,The integrated treatment system of SBEP and BAF was proved to be an effective wastewater treatment technique and a better alternative to treat domestic sewage.

Microstructure and Properties of Silty Siliceous Crushed Stone-lime Aerated Concrete

The clayish crushed stone was used for making aerated concrete. Through studying hydro-thermal synthesis reaction, mix ratio, gas-forming and performance analysis, Grade-B05 and Grade-B06 aerated concrete were prepared successfully. The proper mix ratio and key processing parameters were achieved. The microstructure of aerated concrete with crush stone was analyzed by means of XRD and SEM. The experimental results indicate that the hydration products are poorly crystalline C- S- H （ B ）, tobermorite and hydrogarnet. No componeat of clay was found. Unreacted SiO2 cart be in existence, and the structure system of aerated concrete is homogencous and dense.

Using a biological aerated filter to treat mixed water-borne volatile organic compounds and assessing its emissions

A biological aerated filter （BAF） was evaluated as a fixed-biofilm process to remove water-borne volatile organic compounds （VOCs） from a multiple layer ceramic capacitor （MLCC） manufacturing plant in southern Taiwan. The components of VOC were identified to be toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, bromodichloromethane and isopropanol （IPA）. The full-scale BAF was constructed of two separate reactors in series, respectively, using 10- and 15-cm diameter polypropylene balls as the packing materials and a successful preliminary bench-scale experiment was performed to feasibility. Experimental results show that the BAF removed over 90% chemical oxygen demand （COD） from the influent with （1188 ± 605） mg/L of COD. A total organic loading of 2.76 kg biochemical oxygen demand （BOD）/（m3 packing·d） was determined for the packed bed, in which the flow pattern approached that of a mixed flow. A limited VOC concentration of （0.97 ± 0.29） ppmv （as methane） was emitted from the BAF system. Moreover, the emission rate of VOC was calculated using the proposed formula, based on an air-water mass equilibrium relationship, and compared to the simulated results obtained using the Water 9 model. Both estimation approaches of calculation and model simulation revealed that 0.1% IPA （0.0031-0.0037 kg/d） were aerated into a gaseous phase, and 30% to 40% （0.006-0.008 kg/d） of the toluene were aerated.

Theoretical Model of Dynamic Bulk Modulus for Aerated Hydraulic Fluid

Existing models of bulk modulus for aerated hydraulic fluids primarily focus on the effects of pressure and air fraction,whereas the effect of temperature on bulk modulus is disregarded.Based on the lumped parameter method and the full cavitation model,combined with the improved Henry’s law and the air polytropic course equation,a theoretical model of dynamic bulk modulus for an aerated hydraulic fluid is derived.The effects of system pressure,air fraction,and temperature on bulk modulus are investigated using the controlled variable method.The results show that the dynamic bulk modulus of the aerated hydraulic fluid is inconsistent during the compression process.At the same pressure point,the dynamic bulk modulus during expansion is higher than that during compression.Under the same initial air faction and pressure changing period,a higher temperature results in a lower dynamic bulk modulus.When the pressure is lower,the dynamic bulk modulus of each temperature point is more similar to each other.By comparing the theoretical results with the actual dynamic bulk modulus of the Shell Tellus S ISO32 standard air-containing oil,the goodness-of-fit between the theoretical model and experimental value at three temperatures is 0.9726,0.9732,and 0.9675,which validates the theoretical model.In this study,a calculation model of dynamic bulk modulus that considers temperature factors is proposed.It predicts the dynamic bulk modulus of aerated hydraulic fluids at different temperatures and provides a theoretical basis for improving the analytical model of bulk modulus.

A Review on the Utilization of Waste Material for Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Production

Autoclaved aerated concrete(AAC)has become more attractive due to its excellent and environmental-friendly properties in building construction.AAC is relatively lightweight,possesses lower thermal conductivity,higher heat resistance,lower shrinkage,and fasten construction than normal concrete.AAC is a combination of silica sand,cement,gypsum,lime,water,and an expansion agent.To improve its physical and mechanical properties and reduce its production cost,tremendous innovations where waste materials were utilized as partial replacement of AAC materials were done.This paper is intended to present the literature on the utilization of waste materials as a means of a partial replacement in AAC materials to enhance its physical and mechanical properties and thermal performance.The physical properties such as microstructure and mechanical properties such as density,compressive strength,water absorption are presented to classify the investigation that has been done in such innovations.Apart from that,the discussion on innovations to improve its thermal performance was also presented.Based on the review,an increase of AAC application causes much waste at construction sites and recycling concrete waste powder into wall concrete;particularly,an AAC was not frequently practiced in construction.

Design and Operation of the Printing and Dyeing Wastewater Treatment Project by Combination of Coagulation Sedimentation - Hydrolytic Acidification with Aeration Tank - Biological Aerated Filter - Active Sand Filter

In order to protect quality of Baiyangdian surface water and Gaoyang groundwater,the project is applied to process printing and dyeing wastewater that contains complicated compositions,high concentrations of organics and SS,and lots of pollutants difficult to degrade by microorganism. The process and operating parameters of project are optimized and debugged,and its economic and environmental benefits are analyzed.The results show that the process of coagulation sedimentation-hydrolytic acidification with aeration tank-biological aerated filter-active sand filter is applied in Gaoyang Sewage Treatment Plant. The design scale of sewage treatment plant is 120000 m^3/d. The influent is as following: COD is 669mg/L; SS is 424mg/L; NH_3-N is 8.83mg/L; TP is 6.03mg/L. After the process,the best removal rates of COD,SS,NH_3-N and TP are 93. 5%,98. 8%,97. 1% and 96. 2%,respectively. The various indexes of effluent water complied with standard A of the first order in Pollutants Emission Standard of Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant( GB 18918-2002). The processing cost is only 0. 807 yuan/m^3. As a result,the project construction and operation not only improve the environment,but also promote regional economic development. Process design and operating parameters provide an important reference value for the printing and dyeing wastewater treatment industry.

Treatment performance of integrated biological aerated filter by orthogonal experiments

Biological aerated filters have many advantages such as small volume and high treatment efficiency. This research focused on sewage treatment performance of integrated biological aerated filter (IBAF) under different conditions such as aeration, hydraulic retention time and the height of fillers layer, to identify the turn of marked affecting factor of removal performance through orthogonal experiments, optimize the function parameter of IBAF, reveal the regularity of sewage treatment of IBAF under different conditions, and adopt suitable measures to guarantee excess water quality of IBAF.

Performance of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in lateral flow biological aerated filter

A new wastewater treatment facility—lateral flow biological aerated filter (LBAF) was developed aiming at solving energy consumption and operational problems in wastewater treatment facilities in small towns. It has the function of nitrification and removing organic substrate. In this study, we focused on the denitrification performance of LBAF and its possible mechanism under thorough aeration. We identified the existence of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) by analyzing nitrogenous compounds along the flow path of LBAF and supportive microbial microscopy, and studied the effects of air/water ratio and hydraulic loading on the performance of nitrogen removal and on SND in LBAF to find out the optimal operation condition. It is found that for saving operation cost, aeration can be reduced to some degree that allows desirable removal efficiency of pollutants, and the optimal air/water ratio is 10:1. Hydraulic loading less than 0.43 m h?1 hardly affects the nitrification and denitrification performance; whereas higher hydraulic loading is unfavorable to both nitrification and denitrification, far more unfavorable to denitrification than to nitrification.

Preparation of New Cementitious System using Fly Ash and Dehydrated Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

We experimentally studied the interaction between pozzolanic material（fly ash） and dehydrated autoclaved aerated concrete（DAAC）. The DAAC powder was obtained by grinding aerated concrete waste to particles fi ner than 75μm and was then heated to temperatures up to 900 ℃. New cementitious material was prepared by proportioning fly ash and DAAC, named as AF. X-ray diffraction（XRD） was employed to identify the crystalline phases of DAAC before and after rehydration. The hydration process of AF was analyzed by the heat of hydration and non-evaporable water content（Wn）. The experimental results show that the highest reactivity of DAAC can be obtained by calcining the powder at 700 ℃ and the dehydrated products are mainly β-C2 S and CaO. The cumulative heat of hydration and Wn was found to be strongly dependent on the replacement level of fl y ash, increasing the replacement level of fl y ash lowered them in AF. The strength contribution rates on pozzolanic effect of fl y ash in AF are always negative, showing a contrary tendency of that of cement-fl y ash system.

Effects of Phosphorus Concentration on the Treatment of Domestic Wastewater by a Combination of Hydrolytic Acidification and Biological Aerated Filter Filled with Mussel Shells

The combination of hydrolytic acidification and biological aerated filter （BAF） filled with mussel shells was used to treat domestic wastewater, and the removal rates of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, ammonia nitrogen （NH3-N） and total phosphorus （TP） by the system were analyzed under different TP concentrations. When TP concentration ranged from 12.39 to 14.69 mg/L, the removal rate of COD was the best, over 90.92% ; as TP concentration varied from 2.26 to 2.61 mg/L, the removal rates of NH3-N and TP were the best, up to 100.00% and 76.38% respectively. The results show that it is feasible to use mussel shells as the media of BAF, and TP concentration has certain influence on the performance of the system dealing with domestic wastewater.