Environmental dynamics of nitrogen and phosphorus release from river sediments of arid areas

Human activities lead to the accumulation of a large amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments in rivers.Simultaneously,nitrogen and phosphorus can be affected by environment and re-enter the upper water body,causing secondary pollution of the river water.In this study,laboratory simulation experiments were conducted initially to investigate the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from river sediments in Urumqi City and the surrounding areas in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China and determine the factors that influence their release.The results of this study showed significant short-term differences in nitrogen and phosphorus release characteristics from sediments at different sampling points.The proposed secondary kinetics model(i.e.,pseudo-second-order kinetics model)better fitted the release process of sediment nitrogen and phosphorus.The release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments is a complex process driven by multiple factors,therefore,we tested the influence of three factors(pH,temperature,and disturbance intensity)on the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments in this study.The most amount of nitrate nitrogen(NO_(3)^(–)-N)was released under neutral conditions,while the most significant release of ammonia nitrogen(NH_(4)^(+)-N)occurred under acidic and alkaline conditions.The release of nitrite nitrogen(NO_(2)^(-)-N)was less affected by pH.The dissolved total phosphorus(DTP)released significantly in the alkaline water environment,while the release of dissolved organic phosphorus(DOP)was more significant in acidic water.The release amount of soluble reactive phosphorus(SRP)increased with an increase in pH.The sediments released nitrogen and phosphorus at higher temperatures,particularly NH_(4)^(+)-N,NO_(3)^(–)-N,and SRP.The highest amount of DOP was released at 15.0℃.An increase in disturbance intensity exacerbated the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments.NH_(4)^(+)-N,DTP,and SRP levels increased linearly with the intensity of disturbance,while NO_(3)^(–)-N and NO_(2)^(–)-N were more stable.This study provides valuable information for protecting and restoring the water environment in arid areas and has significant practical reference value.

Effect of dissolved phosphorus on alkaline phosphatase activity in marine microalgae

Alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) and dissolved phosphorus were monitored during the batch cultures of two bone microalgae. Results indicate that variation of APA was in the shape of 'S' curve. Different specs of dissolved phaphorus had different effects on APA. The concentrations of dis solved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and and molecular dissolved organic phosphorus (SDOP) had a sig nificant effect on APA, while the concentration of large molecular dissolved organic phosphorus (LDOP) had a little effect on APA., and the increase of APA could accelerate the decomposing of LDOP in the medium. Results also show that algae species and abundance had why a little effect on APA.

Composition characterization and transformation mechanism of dissolved organic phosphorus in wastewater treatment using 31P NMR spectroscopy

The migration and transformation of phosphorus components in wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs)play a crucial role in the convergence and circulation of phosphorus.However,the composition and variation of dissolved organic phosphorus(DOP)in WWTPs were unclear because of its complex nature,hindering its efficient detection.In this study,the DOP species and their transformation during the treatment process in WWTP were comprehensively analyzed.First,two enrichment methods were assessed for their effectiveness at facilitating wastewater analysis:lyophilization and aluminum salt precipitation.Aluminum salt precipitation was found to be better because its application allowed 31P nuclear magnetic resonance(31P NMR)spectroscopy to identify more species in the secondary effluent:orthophosphate(Ortho-P)(81.1%–89.3%of the dissolved total phosphorus),pyrophosphates(Pyro-P)(0%–2.3%),orthophosphate monoesters(Mono-P)(7.0%–10.77%),orthophosphate diesters(Di-P)(1.0%–2.96%),and phosphonate(Phos-P)(1.7%–5.16%).Furthermore,the variation and transformation mechanism of phosphorus,particularly those of DOP,during the entire sewage-treatment process were elucidated.Among the treatment steps,biological treatment combined tertiary treatment achieved better DOP removal efficiencies.Therein,biological treatment mainly removed Mono-P and Di-P with removal efficiencies of 33.3%and 41.7%compared with the effluent of the grit chamber.Di-P has higher bioavailability and is more easily converted and utilized by microorganisms than Mono-P.However,Phos-P,with low bioavailability,was hardly utilized by microorganisms,which showed only 18.4%removal efficiency in biological treatment.In tertiary treatment,coagulation process exhibited higher removal ability of Ortho-P(69.1%)and partial removal efficiencies of DOP,resulting in an increase in the DOP proportion in TP.In addition,Phos-P could not be effectively removed through the biological treatment and was only partially reduced via the adsorption process by large particles,zoogloea or multinuclear hydroxyl complexes.The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for efficient phosphorus removal in WWTPs.

Degree of nutrient consumption as an aging index of upwelling or vertically mixed water in the northern Taiwan Strait

In order to determine the relative aging status of upwelled or vertically mixed water in the northern Taiwan Strait, a recently developed method of calculating the degree of nutrient consumption (DNC) was employed. Upwelling was detected at a water depth of about 75 m in summer. Bottom waters in the aphotic zone and newly-upwelled waters in the euphoric zone were found to be low in terms of their DNC. In general, a low DNC was noted alongside the other traditional upwelling indicators, such as lower temperature and degree of oxygen saturation, but higher salinity, apparent oxygen utilization, nutrient contents and chlorophyll-a. Enhanced vertical mixing, but without an apparent upwelling signal, was detected near the same location in winter.

Cyanobacterial extracellular alkaline phosphatase:detection and ecological function

Dissolved inorganic phosphorus is an important form of directly bioavailable phosphorus for cyanobacteria in natural water.Dissolved organic phosphorus could be used by cyanobacteria via alkaline phosphatase,which is produced mainly by bacteria and also cyanobacteria itself.Herein,we review the current knowledge of extracellular phosphatase excreted by cyanobacteria,highlighting the development of detection method and its ecological roles in regulating pho sphorus cycling in freshwater systems,which is based on reports for around 100 species of cyanobacteria.Recommendations are suggested concerning the extracellular phosphatase produced by bloom-forming cyanobacteria in terms of the ecological role,followed by a discussion of the future prospects for the study.

Growth and alkaline phosphatase activity of Chattonella marina and Heterosigma akashiwo in response to phosphorus limitation

The growth and alkaline phosphatase activity（APA） of two raphidophyceae species Chattonella marina and Heterosigma akashiwo were investigated in response to P-limitation and subsequent addition of dissolved inorganic phosphorus（DIP, Na H2PO4） and two dissolved organic phosphorus（DOP） compounds： guanosine 5-monophosphate（GMP） and triethyl phosphate（TEP）. APA levels increased greatly after P-starvation as the decrease of the cellular phosphorus quotes（Qp）. C. marina responded to P-limitation quickly and strongly, with 10-fold increase in APA within 24 hr after P-starvation. The larger difference between maximal and minimal QP values in C. marina indicated its high capacity in P storage. APA of H. akashiwo was maximally enlarged about 2.5 times at 48 hr of P-starvation. After the addition of nutrients, cell numbers of C. marina increased in all treatments including the P-free culture, demonstrating the higher endurance of C. marina to P-limitation. However, those of H. akashiwo increased only in DIP and GMP cultures. APA increased only after the addition of the monophosphate ester GMP. The results suggest that quick responses of C. marina to P-limitation, high capacity in P storage as well as endurance for P-depletion provide this species an ecological advantage in phytoplankton community competition under DIP-limited conditions.