Mechanism of stibnite volatilization at high temperature

The volatilization of stibnite(Sb2S3) in nitrogen from 700 to 1000 °C was investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that in inert atmosphere, stibnite can be volatilized most efficiently as Sb2S3(g) at a linear rate below850 °C, with activation energy of 137.18 k J/mol, and the reaction rate constant can be expressed as k=206901exp(-16.5/T). Stibnite can be decomposed into Sb and sulfur at temperature above 850 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. However, in the presence of oxygen,stibnite is oxidized into Sb and SO2 gas at high temperature. Otherwise, Sb is oxidized quickly into antimony oxides such as Sb2O3 and Sb O2, while Sb2O3 can be volatilized efficiently at high temperature.

Characterization of the genes involved in nitrogen cycling in wastewater treatment plants using DNA microarray and most probable number-PCR

To improve nitrogen removal performance of wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs）, it is essential to understand the behavior of nitrogen cycling communities, which comprise various microorganisms. This study characterized the quantity and diversity of nitrogen cycling genes in various processes of municipal WWTPs by employing two molecular-based methods：most probable number-polymerase chain reaction （MPN-PCR） and DNA microarray. MPN-PCR analysis revealed that gene quantities were not statistically different among processes, suggesting that conventional actwated sludge processes （CAS） are similar to nitrogen removal processes in their ability to retain an adequate population of nitrogen cycling microorganisms. Furthermore, most processes in the WWTPs that were researched shared a pattern：the nitS and the bacterial amoA genes were more abundant than the nirK and archaeal amoA genes, respectivelv. DNA microarray analysis revealed that several kinds of nitrification and denitrification genes were detected in both CAS and anaerobic-oxic processes （AO）, whereas limited genes were detected in nitrogen removal processes. Results of this study suggest that CAS maintains a diverse community of nitrogen cycling microorganisms; moreover, the microbial communities in nitrogen removal processes may be specific.