Assessment of semi-empirical mass transfer correlations for pervaporation treatment of wastewater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons

Assessment of mass transfer characteristics of pervaporation （PV） treatment of wastewater contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons is of great importance for water treatment plant operators conducting initial evaluation, process optimization, and process economics. While a membrane plays a central role in pervaporation processes and separation efficiency, the mass transfer in the liquid layer next to the membrane surface is of equal, if not greater importance. It is one of the few process parameters that can be adjusted in situ to manipulate the outcome of a pervaporation process. In this study, a bench scale pervaporation experiment of removing a common chlorinated hydrocarbon from water was carried out and the results of it were compared to the ones based on well-known semi-empirical correlations. The mass transfer coefficients from the experiments, ranging from 0.8× 10^-5-2.5× 10^-5 m/s under the operating conditions, are higher than those predicted by the correlation. The corresponding separation factors under varying flow velocities are determined to be between 310-950.

Aerobic Biodegradation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons by Bacillus circulans WZ-12 CCTCC M 207006 under Saline Conditions

A novel saline-tolerant bacterium Bacillus circulans WZ-12 was evaluated for its potential to degrade four chlorinated hydrocarbons under saline conditions. CHECl2 was effectively degraded by Bacillus circulans WZ-12 cells in the medium containing NaCl concentrations ranging from 5 g.L^-1 to 10 g-L^-1, and the maximum degradation efficiency （85%） was achieved at NaCl concentration of 10 g.L^-1. Similarly, Bacillus circulans WZ-12 was able to degrade CH2BrCl, C2H4Cl2, and C2H2Cl2 in the presence of 10 g NaCl per liter within 24 h. Cells of Bacillus circulans WZ-12 grown in minimal salt medium contained low levels of glycine betaine （GB）, but GB levels were 3- to 5-fold higher in cells grown in media with high salt. Kinetic analysis revealed that biodegradation of the four chlorinated hydrocarbons was concentration dependent and a linear inverse correlation （R2= 0.85-0.94） was observed between the rate of biodegradation （V） and salt concentration from 5 g.L〈 to 60 g.L-1. The growing cells （in minimal salt medium） degraded approximately 50% of the CH2C12 within 24 h, whereas the resting cells （in physiological saline） degraded only 25% of the CH2C12 within 24 h and were inactive after 36 h cultivation. Biodegradation could be repeatedly performed for more than 192 h with more than 50% removal efficiency. Bacillus circulans WZ-12 grows well in an aqueous/oil system, hence, it is effective for the treatment of industriai efflu- ents that contain chlorinated hydrocarbons with high salt concentrations.

Rush-hour aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons in selected subway stations of Shanghai,China

Air samples were collected simultaneously at platform,mezzanine and outdoor in five typical stations of subway system in Shanghai,China using stainless steel canisters and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass selective detector （GC-MSD） after cryogenic pre-concentration.Benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene and xylenes （BTEX） at the platforms and mezzanines inside the stations averaged （10.3±2.1）,（38.7±9.0）,（19.4±10.1） and （30.0±11.1） μg/m 3,respectively;while trichloroethylene （TrCE）,tetrachloroethylene （TeCE） and para-dichlorobenzene （pDCB）,vinyl chloride and carbon tetrachloride were the most abundant chlorinated hydrocarbons inside the stations with average levels of （3.6±1.3）,（1.3±0.5）,（4.1±1.1）,（2.2±1.1） and （1.2±0.3） μg/m 3,respectively.Mean levels of major aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons were higher indoor （platforms and mezzanines） than outdoor with average indoor/outdoor （I/O） ratios of 1.1–9.5,whereas no significant indoor/outdoor differences were found except for benzene and TrCE.The highly significant mutual correlations （p0.01） for BTEX between indoor and outdoor and their significant correlation （p0.05） with methyl tert-butyl ether （MTBE）,a marker of traffic-related emission without other indoor and outdoor sources,indicated that BTEX were introduced into the subway stations from indoor/outdoor air exchange and traffic emission should be their dominant source.TrCE and pDCB were mainly from indoor emission and TeCE might have both indoor emission sources and contribution from outdoor air,especially in the mezzanines.

Electrochemical reduction characteristics and the mechanism of chlorinated hydrocarbons at the copper electrode

The electrochemical reduction characteristics of chlorinated hydrocarbons were investigated by cyclic voltam-metry technique.The reduction mechanism and activity of the chlorinated hydrocarbons at the copper electrode were explored.The relationship between the structure of chlori-nated hydrocarbons and their reductive activity were dis-cussed.The experimental results showed that chlorinated alkanes and a portion of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons could be reduced directly at the copper electrode.However,chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons were not easy to reduce at the copper electrode.The results provided a theoretical basis for the catalyzed iron inner electrolysis method.

Treatability of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of different textures along a vertical profile by mechanical soil aeration：A laboratory test

Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technology that is suitable for sites contaminated with volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons（VCHs）. Conventionally, this technique is used to treat the mixed soil of a site without considering the diversity and treatability of different soils within the site. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical soil aeration for remediating soils of different textures（silty,clayey, and sandy soils） along a vertical profile at an abandoned chloro-alkali chemical site in China. The collected soils were artificially contaminated with chloroform（TCM） and trichloroethylene（TCE）. Mechanical soil aeration was effective for remediating VCHs（removal efficiency 〉 98%）. The volatilization process was described by an exponential kinetic function.In the early stage of treatment（0–7 hr）, rapid contaminant volatilization followed a pseudofirst order kinetic model. VCH concentrations decreased to low levels and showed a tailing phenomenon with very slow contaminant release after 8 hr. Compared with silty and sandy soils, clayey soil has high organic-matter content, a large specific surface area, a high clay fraction, and a complex pore structure. These characteristics substantially influenced the removal process, making it less efficient, more time consuming, and consequently more expensive. Our findings provide a potential basis for optimizing soil remediation strategy in a cost-effective manner.

Current status and prospects of research on 1,4-dioxane pollution and treatment technologies in the water environment

1,4-dioxane pollution is characterized by its early identification, widespread sources and extensive distribution. The pollutant is highly mobile and persistent in the water environment and is classified as a B2(probable) human carcinogen. After reviewing recent researches on the pollution status,transport and transformation characteristics of 1,4-dioxane in the water environment, as well as the environmental pollution remediation and treatment technologies, and the status of environmental regulation,this paper addresses that the distribution of 1,4-dioxane in water bodies is significantly correlated with chlorinated hydrocarbon pollutants such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane(1,1,1-TCA) and trichloroethylene(TCE).It is noteworthy that 1,4-dioxane often occurs in symbiosis with 1,1,1-TCA and has a similarity contamination plume distribution to 1,1,1-TCA. The natural attenuation of 1,4-dioxane in groundwater environment is weak, but there is a certain degree of biological oxidation attenuation. Current methods for treating 1,4-dioxane pollution mainly include extraction-treatment technology, advanced oxidation treatment technology, modified biological treatment technology and phytoremediation technology, all of which have their limitations in practical application. Currently, there is no environmental regulation available for the 1,4-dioxane pollution worldwide, and no enforceable standard established for defining the health trigger levels of 1,4-dioxane in drinking water. Research on this contaminant in China is generally limited to the site or laboratory scale, and there are no studies on the environmental risk and quality standards for 1,4-dioxane in the water environment.

A Municipal Management Plan for Urban Groundwater Investigation and Remediation

The project MAGPIan, funded by the European Commission under the program LIFE＋2008, aims to develop and implement an optimal strategy for integral groundwater investigation and efficient remediation of key sources of pollution for the whole inner city area. The first investigations included descriptions of the complex hydro-geological system of the eight aquifers, drilling of monitoring wells and set up of the conceptual contaminant model. A conceptual contaminant model was developed to describe the status quo of the present contaminant distribution, as well as the basic processes controlling contaminant migration within the observed aquifers. This included the characterization of redox conditions and natural chlorinated hydrocarbons degradation processes, as well as age dating, forensic interpretations with respect to the contaminant origin, and determination of radioactive and stable isotopes. Further on, a numerical unsteady groundwater flow and contaminant transport model were developed, which enabled a quantitative description of the mass balance within the project area. The unsteady numerical model provided detection of migration paths in the valley of Stuttgart and identification of key sources of pollution.

Analysis of Pesticide Raid^(█) in Feed of Wistar Rat by High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)

The distribution of pesticide by-product in tissues of wistar rats were analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography. The limit of detection of the HPLC was 0.1 μg. Results show bioaccumulation factor of pesticide “Raid?” in lipid, up to three times that of the feed at the first concentration and gradually decreased as the concentration increased in the muscle > (0.7), brain > (0.5) and liver > (0.3) as indicated in the text. At higher concentration of 961 μg/g, bioaccumulation factor decreased in the lipid to 1.2 and 0.6 in the muscle, 0.03 in the brain and 0.08 in the liver respectively. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis of raid extract suggests the presence of micprothrin and palethrin. The implications are numerous, but simply put that accidental ingestion of chlorinated hydrocarbon as in “Raid?” may involve convulsions, collapse and coma after only brief excitation and ataxia at the onset.

A Technique for Carbon and Chlorine Isotope Analyses of Chlorinated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Groundwater

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons （CAHs）, significant contaminants in groundwater, can be characterized by stable isotopic compositions of carbon and chlorine. Previously published methods were of low analytical sensitivity or not ideal for natural samples with low concentrations of CAHs. This method is reported here to carry out simultaneously carbon and chlorine isotope analyses for mieromolar concentrations of dissolved CAHs. It was executed by extracting and converting CAHs to carbon dioxide and methyl chloride （CH3CI）. Specially, a continuous-flow interface GasBench Ⅱ was used to extract CH3CI for online chlorine isotope analysis. As a result, it greatly enhances the efficiency for isotope analysis by eliminating procedures for offline CH3CI preparation and separation. Sample size requirement was reduced to approximately 11 pmol chlorine. The standard deviation of δ^＋3C and δ^37CI for both TCE solvents and water samples was better than 0.30‰ and 0.20%0 （1σ）, respectively.Carbon and chlorine isotope analyses can be used as an important tool to study the sources of organic contaminants in groundwater and their behaviors in the aquifers. The method is applicable to manufacturers＇ products as well as a sample from a polluted site in principle, which will be validated in our field studies.

Tetrachloroethane(TeCA)removal through sequential graphite-mixed metal oxide electrodes in a bioelectrochemical reactor

Electro-bioremediation offers a promising approach for eliminating persistent pollutants from groundwater since allows the stimulation of biological dechlorinating activity,utilizing renewable electricity for process operation and avoiding the injection of chemicals into aquifers.In this study,a two-chamber microbial electrolysis cell has been utilized to achieve both reductive and oxidative degradation of tetrachloroethane(TeCA).By polarizing the graphite granules cathodic chamber at650 mV vs the standard hydrogen electrode and employing a mixed metal oxide(MMO)counter electrode for oxygen production,the reductive and oxidative environment necessary for TeCA removal has been established.Continuous experiments were conducted using two feeding solutions:an optimized mineral medium for dechlorinating microorganisms,and synthetic groundwater containing sulphate and nitrate anions to investigate potential side reactions.The bioelectrochemical process efficiently reduced TeCA to a mixture of trans-dichloroethylene,vinyl chloride,and ethylene,which were subsequently oxidized in the anodic chamber with removal efficiencies of 37±2%,100±4%,and 100±5%,respectively.The introduction of synthetic groundwater with nitrate and sulphate stimulated reductions in these ions in the cathodic chamber,leading to a 17%decrease in the reductive dechlorination rate and the appearance of other chlorinated by-products,including cis-dichloroethylene and 1,2-dichloroethane(1,2-DCA),in the cathode effluent.Notably,despite the lower reductive dechlorination rate during synthetic groundwater operation,aerobic dechlorinating microorganisms within the anodic chamber completely removed VC and 1,2-DCA.This study represents the first demonstration of a sequential reductive and oxidative bioelectrochemical process for TeCA mineralization in a synthetic solution simulating contaminated groundwater.