Enhanced reductive degradation of carbon tetrachloride by carbon dioxide radical anion-based sodium percarbonate/ Fe（ll）/formic acid system in aqueous solution

The performance of sodium percarbonate （SPC） activated with ferrous ion （Fe（Ⅱ） with the addition of formic acid （FA） to stimulate the degradation of carbon tetrachloride （CT） was investigated. Results showed that CT could be entirely reduced within 15 min in the system at a variety of SPC/Fe（Ⅱ）/FA/CT molar ratios in experimental level. Scavenging tests indicated that carbon dioxide radical anion （CO2-） was the dominant reactive oxygen species responsible for CT degradation. CT degradation rate, to a large extent, increased with increasing dosages of chemical agents and the optimal molar ratio of SPC/Fe（Ⅱ）/FAJCT was set as 60/60/60/1. The initial concentration of CT can hardly affect the CT removal, while CT degradation was favorable in the pH range of 3.0-9.0, but apparently inhibited at pH 12. C1- and HCO3 of high concentration showed negative impact on CT removal. Cl- released from CT was detected and the results confirmed nearly complete mineralization ofCT. CT degradation was proposed by reductive C-C1 bond splitting. This study demonstrated that SPC activated with Fe（Ⅱ） with the addition of FA may be promising technique for CT remediation in contaminated groundwater.

Efficient dechlorination of chlorinated solvent pollutants under UV irradiation by using the synthesized TiO_2 nano-sheets in aqueous phase

Titanium dioxide （TiO2）, which is the widely used photo-catalyst, has been synthesized by simple hydrothermal solution containing tetrabntyl titanate and hydrofluoric acid. The synthesized product has been applied to photo-degradation in aqueous phase of chlorinated solvents, namely tetra- chloroethene （PCE）, tdchloroethene （TCE） and 1,1,l-trichloroethane （TCA）. The photo-degradation results revealed that the degradation of these harmful chemicals was better in UV/synthesized TiO2 system compared to UV/commerciai P25 system and UV only system. The photo-catalytic efficiency of the synthesized TiO2 was 1.4, 1.8 and 3.0 folds higher compared to the commercial P25 for TCA, TCE and PCE degradation, respectively. Moreover, using nitrobenzene （NB） as a probe of hydroxyl radical （.OH）, the degradation rate was better over UV/synthesized TiO2, suggesting the high concentration of .OH generated in UV/synthesized TiO2 system. In addition, .OH concentration was confirmed by the strong peak displayed in EPR analysis over U~/synthesized TiO2 system. The characterization result using XRD and TEM showed that the synthesized TiO2 was in anatase form and consisted of well-defined sheet-shaped structures having a rectangular outline with a thickness of 4 rim, side length of 50 nm and width of 33 nra and a surface 90.3 m^2/g. XPS analysis revealed that ≡Ti-F bond was formed on the surface of the synthesized TiO2. The above results on both photocatalytic activity and the surface analysis demonstrated the good applicability of the synthesized TiO2 nano-sheets for the remediation of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater.

Biodegradation of bezafibrate by the activated sludge under aerobic condition:Effect of initial concentration,temperature and pH

Lab-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of initial concentration,temperature and pH on the removal of bezafibrate(BF)by activated sludge under aerobic condition.The results showed that adsorption of BF onto activated sludge was negligible,and biodegradation was the main removal mechanism of BF.The removal of BF in the aqueous phase by the activated sludge can be described by a pseudo-first-order reaction.The reaction rate constants had a negative relationship with the initial concentration of BF,and dramatically reduced from 0.050 to 0.007 h^-1,when the temperature dropped from 20℃to 10℃.Variation of pH between 5.0 and 9.0 did not have significant influence on the removal of BF,indicating a high adaptation of microorganism in the activated sludge responsible for BF degradation to a wide pH range.The findings of this study are helpful to improve the removal of pharmaceuticals during the wastewater treatment plants by selecting the appropriate process variables,and eventually eliminate their release to the environment.

Effect of effluent organic matter on ozonation of bezafibrate

The influence of three effluent organic matter （EfOM） model compounds, humic acid （HA）, bovine serum albumin （BSA）, and sodium alginate （AGS）, on the ozonation ofbezafibrate （BF）, a typical pharmaceutical and personal care product （PPCP）, was investigated. The results show that ozonation efficiently removed BF from aqueous solution with removal efficiencies 〉 95% within 8 min for all conditions. The reaction rate of BF decreased with increasing model compounds concentrations and the influence was more pronounced for HA and BSA, while less pronounced for AGS. Although BF concentration was significantly reduced, the degree of mineralization achieved was only approximately 11%. The addition of HA and BSA improved the mineralization of the solution, while the influence of AGS was minor. The acute toxicity of BF solution during ozonation was determined using the Luminescent bacteria test, and the toxicity exhibited an initial increase and a successive reduction. An overall decreased acute toxicity was observed with an increase of HA. The presence of BSA increased the formation rate of toxicity intermediates and resulted in inhibition peak forward.

Coking wastewater treatment for industrial reuse purpose: Combining biological processes with ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis

A full-scale plant using anaerobic, anoxic and oxic processes （A1/A2/O）, along with a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor （MBR）, nanofiltration （NF） and reverse osmosis （RO） integrated system developed by Shanghai Baosteel Chemical Co. Ltd., was investigated to treat coking wastewater for industrial reuse over a period of one year. The removals reached 82.5% （COD）, 89.6% （BOD）, 99.8% （ammonium nitrogen）, 99.9% （phenol）, 44.6% （total cyanide （T-CN））, 99.7% （thiocyanide （SCN-）） and 8.9% （fluoride）, during the A1/A2/O biological treatment stage, and all parameters were further reduced by over 96.0%, except for fluoride （86.4%）, in the final discharge effluent from the currently operating plant. The pilot-scale MBR process reduced the turbidity to less than 0.65 NTU, and most of the toxic organic compounds were degraded or intercepted by the A1/A2/O followed MBR processes. In addition, parameters including COD, T-CN, total nitrogen, fluoride, chloride ion, hardness and conductivity were significantly reduced by the NF-RO system to a level suitable for industrial reuse, with a total water production ratio of 70.7%. However, the concentrates from the NF and RO units were highly polluted and should be disposed of properly or further treated before being discharged.

Removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products by sequential ultraviolet and ozonation process in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant

The application of appropriate advanced treat- ment process in the municipal wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） has become an important issue considering the elimination of emerging contaminants, such as pharma- ceutical and personal care products （PPCPs）. In the present study, the removal of 13 PPCPs belonging to different therapeutic classes by the sequential ultraviolet （UV） and ozonation process in a full-scale WWTP in Beijing was investigated over the course of ten months. Most of the target PPCPs were effectively removed, and the median removal efficiencies of individual PPCPs, ranging from -13% to 89%, were dependent on their reaction rate constants with molecular ozone. Noticeable fluctuation in the removal efficiencies of the same PPCPs was observed in different sampling campaigns. Nevertheless, the sequential UV and ozonation process still made a significant contribution to the total elimination of most PPCPs in the full-scale WWTP, by compensating for the poor or fluctuant removal performance of PPCPs by biologic treatment process.

Occurrence, sources and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the groundwater: A review

The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products(PPCPs)in the aquatic environment may pose potential threat to the ecosystem and human health,hence PPCPs have aroused much concern over the world.The contamination of PPCPs in the groundwater,the main source of drinking water supply in many countries and regions,has been extensively studied in the last decade.This paper reviews the occurrence of frequently detected PPCPs,including antibiotics,anti-inflammatories,lipid-regulators,carbamazepine,caffeine,and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide in groundwater,with special concern to the progress made over the past three years.Possible emission sources for PPCPs in groundwater,such as wastewater and contaminated surface water,landfills,septic systems,livestock breeding and sewer leakage,are summarized.Besides,adsorption,migration and degradation,the dominant mechanisms in the subsurface transport and fate of PPCPs,are discussed,and the insights into the future study of PPCPs in the groundwater are provided.

Degradation of carbon tetrachloride in thermally activated persulfate system in the presence of formic acid

The thermally activated persulfate （PS） degradation of carbon tetrachloride （CT） in the presence of formic acid （FA） was investigated. The results indicated that CT degradation followed a zero order kinetic model, and CO2^- was responsible for the degradation of CT confirmed by radical scavenger tests. CT degradation rate increased with increasing PS or FA dosage, and the initial CT had no effect on CT degradation rate. However, the initial solution pH had effect on the degradation of CT, and the best CT degradation occurred at initial pH 6. Cl^- had a negative effect on CT degradation, and high concentration of Cl^- displayed much strong inhibition. Ten mmol·L^-1HCO3^- promoted CT degradation, while 100mmol·L^-1NO3^- inhibited the degradation of CT, but SO4^2- promoted CT degradation in the presence of FA. The measured Cl^- concentration released into solution along with CT degradation was 75.8% of the total theoretical dechlorination yield, but no chlorinated intermediates were detected. The split of C-Cl was proposed as the possible reaction pathways in CT degradation. In conclusion, this study strongly demonstrated that the thermally activated PS system in the presence of FA is a promising technique in in situ chemical oxidation （ISCO） remediation for CT contaminated site.

Enhanced degradation of trichloroethene by calcium peroxide activated with Fe（III） in the presence of citric acid

Trichloroethene （TCE） degradation by Fe（III）- activated calcium peroxide （CP） in the presence of citric acid （CA） in aqueous solution was investigated. The results demonstrated that the presence of CA enhanced TCE degradation significantly by increasing the concen- tration of soluble Fe（III） and promoting H202 generation. The generation of HO· and O2^-· in both the CP/Fe（III） and CP/Fe（III）/CA systems was confirmed with chemical probes. The results of radical scavenging tests showed that TCE degradation was due predominantly to direct oxidation by HO·, while O2^-· strengthened the generation of HO· by promoting Fe（III） transformation in the CP/Fe （III）/CA system. Acidic pH conditions were favorable for TCE degradation, and the TCE degradation rate decreased with increasing pH. The presence of Cl·-, HCO3·-, and humic acid （HA） inhibited TCE degradation to different extents for the CP/Fe（III）/CA system. Analysis of Cl·- production suggested that TCE degradation in the CP/Fe （III）/CA system occurred through a dechlorination process. In summary, this study provided detailed information for the application of CA-enhanced Fe（III）-activated calcium peroxide for treating TCE contaminated groundwater.

国际基因工程机器大赛在中国

合成生物学是一门新兴的交叉学科,为培养合成生物学后备人才,国际基因工程机器(iGEM)大赛应运而生。2007年中国首次有5支队伍参加iGEM大赛,至今已经有11年的历史。然而,目前尚无全面总结中国iGEM队伍的相关文献。文中全面梳理和总结了iGEM大赛在中国的发展历程,包括参赛队伍的数量、地理分布、竞赛成绩、中国iGEM社群CCiC的发展情况,以及iGEM大赛对中国高等教育的促进和借鉴作用,并深度思考了iGEM大赛在中国的发展前景,提出了发展建议。随着我国高等教育"双一流"战略的实施,iGEM大赛在我国的发展具有光明的前景,可为培养新一代科学家作出更大的贡献。

Recent advances in pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the surface water and sediments in China

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products （PPCPs） have been regarded as an emerging problem in the surface water environment in the past few decades. In China, although related studies were initiated several years ago, an increasing number of studies on this topic have been conducted in recent years. These studies have expanded knowledge of their occurrence, behavior and associated risk in the surface water environment in China. This review compiles the most recent literature related to the studies of PPCPs in the surface water environment in China. It includes PPCP occurrence in surface water and sediments, their geographical distribution, and outcomes of the associated risk assessment. It shows that antibiotics have received much more attention in both surface water and sediments than other PPCPs. Compared to other countries; most antibiotics in the collected sediments in China showed higher contamination levels. Many more study areas have been covered in recent years; however, attention has been given to only specific areas. Environmental risk assessment based on risk quotients indicated that sulfamethoxazole presents the most significant environmental risk to relevant aquatic organisms; followed by ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, 17α-ethynylestradiol, ibuprofen and diclofenac. Despite limited research on the environmental risk assessment of PPCPs in sediments, higher risks posed by PPCPs in the sediments rather than surfhce water were identified highlighting the need for further risk assessment of PPCPs in sediment samples.

Identification and ecotoxicity assessment of intermediates generated during the degradation of clofibric acid by advanced oxidation processes

The aim of this study was to identify the intermediates in clofibric acid degradation under various advanced oxidation processes, namely ultraviolet （UV）, UV/H2O2, vacuum ultraviolet （VUV）, VUV/H2O2, and solar/TiO2 processes, as well as to assess the toxicity of these intermediates. Eleven intermediates have been detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer, most of which were reported for the first time to our best knowledge. Combining the evolution of the dissolved organic carbon, CF and specific ultraviolet absorption at 254 nm, it could be deduced that cleavage of aromatic ring followed by dechlorination was the mechanism in solar/ TiO2 process, while dechlorination happened first and accumulation of aromatic intermediates occurred in the other processes. Different transformation pathways were proposed for UV-, VUV-assisted and solar/TiO2 processes, respectively. The acute toxicity was evaluated by means of Photobacterium phosphoreurn T3 spp. bioassay. It was believed that aromatic intermediates increased the toxicity and the ring-opening pathway in solar/TiO2 process could relieve the toxicity.