Effects of Bisphenol A and Its Substitute, Bisphenol F, on the Gut Microbiota in Mice

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the impact of bisphenol A(BPA)and its substitute,bisphenol F(BPF),on the colonic fecal community structure and function of mice.Methods We exposed 6–8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice to 5 mg/(kg∙day)and 50μg/(kg∙day)of BPA or BPF for 14 days.Fecal samples from the colon were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing.Results Gut microbiome community richness and diversity,species composition,and function were significantly altered in mice exposed to BPA or BPF.This change was characterized by elevated levels of Ruminococcaceae UCG-010 and Oscillibacter and decreased levels of Prevotella 9 and Streptococcus.Additionally,pathways related to carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism showed substantial enrichment.Conclusion Mice exposed to different BP analogs exhibited distinct gut bacterial community richness,composition,and related metabolic pathways.Considering the essential role of gut bacteria in maintaining intestinal homeostasis,our study highlights the intestinal toxicity of BPs in vertebrates.

Effects of hydrodynamics processes on phosphorus fluxes from sediment in large,shallow Taihu Lake

The turnover of phosphorus （P） in lake sediments, a major cause of eutrophication and subsequent deterioration of water quality, is in need of deep understanding. In this study, effects of resuspension on P release were studied in cylindrical microcosms with Yshape apparatus. The results indicated that there was a positive correlation between flux of suspended substance across sediment-water interface （Fss） and the wind speed, and an increasing Fss during each wind process followed by a steady state. The maximal Fss under fight, moderate, and strong wind conditions were 299.9±41.1,573.4±61.7, and 2093.8±215.7 g/m^2, respectively. However, flux of P across sediment-water interface （Fp） did not follow a similar pattern as Fss responding to wind intensity, which increased and reached the maximum in initial 120 rain for fight wind, then decreased gradually, with maximal flux of 9.4±1.9 mg/m^2. A rapid increase of Fp at the first 30 rain was observed under moderate wind, with maximal flux of 11.2±0.6 mg/m^2. Surprisingly, strong wind caused less Fp than under light and moderate wind conditions with maximal flux of 3.5±0.9 mg/m^2. Fss in water column declined obviously during the sedimentation process after winds, but Fp varied with wind regime. No obvious difference was detected on Fp after 8 h sedimentation process, compared with the initial value, which means little redundant P left in the water column after winds.

Discoloration of Congo Red by Rod-Plate Dielectric Barrier Discharge Processes at Atmospheric Pressure

A dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） reactor with a rod-plate electrode configuration was used for the oxidative decomposition of Congo red dye in an aqueous solution. Plasma was generated in the gas space above the water interface under atmospheric pressure. Discharge characteristics were analyzed by voltage-current waveforms. Effects of applied voltage, initial conductivity, and initial concentration were also analyzed. Congo red discoloration increased with increased applied voltage and decreased conductivity. The initial conductivity significantly influenced the Congo red discoloration. Under the same conditions, the highest discoloration rate was obtained at 25 mg/L. The presence of ferrous ions in the solutions had a substantial positive effect on Fenton dye degradation and flocculation. At an applied voltage of 20 kV, about 100% of dye was degraded after 4 min of Fe^2＋/DBD treatment. Results showed that adding a certain dosage of hydrogen peroxide to the wastewater could enhance the discoloration rate. Possible pathways of Congo red discoloration by DBD plasma were proposed based on GC/MS, FTIR, and UV-vis spectroscopy analyses.

Techniques for Treating Sulphuric Acid Pickling Waste Liquid of Steel Industry

Pickling waste liquid of the steel industry is included in National Hazardous Wastes Catalogue because of its high corrosion and large discharge. The techniques for treating pickling waste liquid （ H2SO4 ） in steel industry is summarized. The advantages, disadvantages and applied ranges of all kinds of control technologies are comparatively analysed. The research trends of techniques for treating pickling waste liquid （ H2SO4 ） are the resource reclamation technologies in future which is pointed out in the paper.

Boron promoted Fe^(3+)/peracetic acid process for sulfamethazine degradation:Efficiency,role of boron,and identification of the reactive species

In this work,boron(B)was used to promote Fe^(3+)/peracetic acid(Fe^(3+)/PAA)for the degradation of sulfamethazine(SMT).An SMT degradation efficiency of 9.1%was observed in the Fe^(3+)/PAA system over 60 min,which was significantly increased to 99.3%in the B/Fe^(3+)/PAA system over 10 min.The B/Fe^(3+)/PAA process also exhibited superior resistance to natural substances,excellent adaptability to different harmful substances,and good removal of antibiotics in natural fresh water samples.The mechanism of action of boron for Fe^(3+)reduction was determined using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)spectroscopy,density functional theory(DFT)calculations,and electrochemical tests.The dominant role of^(·)OH was confirmed using quenching experiments,electron spin resonance(EPR)spectroscopy,and quantitative tests.Organic radicals(R-O^(·))and Fe(IV)also significantly contribute to the removal of SMT.DFT calculations on the reaction between Fe^(2+)and the PAA were conducted to further determine the contribution from ^(·)OH,R-O^(·),and Fe(IV)from the perspective of thermodynamics and the reaction pathways.Different boron dosages,Fe^(3+)dosages,and initial pH values were also investigated in the B/Fe^(3+)/PAA system to study their effect of SMT removal and the production of the reactive species.Fe(IV)production determined the k_(R-O·+Fe(IV))value suggesting that Fe(IV)may play a more important role than R-O^(·).A comparison of the results with other processes has also proved that the procedure described in this study(B/Fe^(3+)/PAA)is an effective method for the degradation of antibiotics.

N-doping offering higher photodegradation performance of dissolved black carbon for organic pollutants: experimental and theoretical studies

We investigated the influence mechanism of N-doping for dissolved black carbon(DBC)photodegradation of organic pollutants.The degradation performance of N-doped dissolved black carbon(NDBC)for tetracycline(TC)(71%)is better than that for methylene blue(MB)(28%)under irradiation.These levels are both better than DBC degradation performances for TC(68%)and MB(18%)under irradiation.Reactive species quenching experiments suggest that h and-O,are the main reactive species for NDBC photodegraded TC,while-OH and h*are the main reactive species for NDBC photodegraded MB.-OH is not observed during DBC photodegradation of MB.This is likely because N-doping increases valence-band(VB)energy from 1.55 eV in DBC to 2.04 eV in NDBC;the latter is strong enough to oxidize water to form-OH.Additionally,N-doping increases the DBC band gap of 2.29 to 2.62 eV in NDBC,resulting in a higher separation efficiency of photo-generated electrons-holes in NDBC than in DBC.AIl these factors give NDBC stronger photodegradation performance for TC and MB than DBC.High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS)characterization and toxicity evaluation with the quantitative structure-activity relationship(QSAR)method suggest that TC photodegradation intermediates produced by NDBC have less aromatic structure and are less toxic than those produced by DBC.We adopted a theoretical approach to clarify the relationship between the surface groups of NDBC and the photoactive species produced.Our results add to the understanding of the photochemical behavior of NDBC.

Influence of fuel moisture, charge size, feeding rate and air ventilation conditions on the emissions of PM, OC, EC, parent PAHs, and their derivatives from residential wood combustion

Controlled combustion experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of fuel charge size, moisture, air ventilation and feeding rate on the emission factors （EFs） of carbonaceous particulate matter, parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （pPAHs） and their derivatives from residential wood combustion in a typical brick cooking stove. Measured EFs were found to be independent of fuel charge size, but increased with increasing fuel moisture. Pollution emissions from the normal burning under an adequate air supply condition were the lowest for most pollutants, while more pollutants were emitted when an oxygen deficient atmosphere was formed in the stove chamber during fast burning. The impacts of these factors on the size distribution of emitted particles was also studied. Modified combustion efficiency and the four investigated factors explained 68%, 72%, and 64% of total variations in EFs of PM, organic carbon, and oxygenated PAHs, respectively, but only 36%, 38% and 42% of the total variations in EFs of elemental carbon, pPAHs and nitro-PAHs, respectively.

Emissions of parent, nitrated, and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from indoor corn straw burning in normal and controlled combustion conditions

Emission factors （EFs） of parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （pPAHs）, nitrated PAHs （nPAHs）, and oxygenated PAHs （oPAHs） were measured for indoor corn straw burned in a brick cooking stove under different burning conditions. The EFs of total 28 pPAHs, 6 nPAHs and 4 oPAHs were （7.9 ±3.4）, （6.5 ±1.6）×10^-3, and （6.1 ±1.4）×10^-1mg/kg, respectively. Fuel charge size had insignificant influence on the pollutant emissions. Measured EFs increased significantly in a fast burning due to the oxygen deficient atmosphere formed in the stove chamber. In both restricted and enhanced air supply conditions, the EFs of pPAHs, nPAHs and oPAHs were significantly higher than those measured in normal burning conditions. Though EFs varied among different burning conditions, the composition profiles and calculated isomer ratios were similar, without significant differences. The results from the stepwise regression model showed that fuel burning rate, air supply amount, and modified combustion efficiency were the three most significant influencing factors, explaining 72%-85% of the total variations.

Quantification of emission reduction potentials of primary air pollutants from residential solid fuel combustion by adopting cleaner fuels in China

Residential low efficient fuel burning is a major source of many air pollutants produced during incomplete combustions, and household air pollution has been identified as one of the top environmental risk factors. Here we compiled literature-reported emission factors of pollutants including carbon monoxide（CO）, total suspended particles（TSPs）, PM2.5, organic carbon（OC）,elemental carbon（EC） and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs） for different household energy sources, and quantified the potential for emission reduction by clean fuel adoption. The burning of crop straws, firewood and coal chunks in residential stoves had high emissions per unit fuel mass but lower thermal efficiencies, resulting in high levels of pollution emissions per unit of useful energy, whereas pelletized biofuels and coal briquettes had lower pollutant emissions and higher thermal efficiencies. Briquetting coal may lead to 82%–88% CO, 74%–99%TSP, 73%–76% PM2.5, 64%–98% OC, 92%–99% EC and 80%–83% PAH reductions compared to raw chunk coal. Biomass pelletizing technology would achieve 88%–97% CO, 73%–87% TSP, 79%–88%PM2.5, 94%–96% OC, 91%–99% EC and 63%–96% PAH reduction compared to biomass burning. The adoption of gas fuels（i.e., liquid petroleum gas, natural gas） would achieve significant pollutant reduction, nearly 96% for targeted pollutants. The reduction is related not only to fuel change, but also to the usage of high efficiency stoves.

The effect of continuous Ni(Ⅱ) exposure on the organic degradation and soluble microbial product(SMP) formation in two-phase anaerobic reactor

A two-phase anaerobic reactor fed with glucose substrate（3 g chemical oxygen demand（COD）/L） was used to investigate the effects of toxic metals on the degradation of organics and the soluble microbial product（SMP） formation. Low concentrations of Ni（II）（5 and10 mg/L） promoted the acid phase, whereas high concentrations（15, 20, and 25 mg/L）exhibited an inhibitory effect on, but did not alter the fermentative method, which mainly involved the fermentation of propionic acid. The methanogenic microorganism exhibited a strong capability adapting constantly increased Ni（II） levels. The acid phase was an accumulation stage of SMP. In the absence of Ni（II）, the high-molecular-weight material in the effluent SMP mainly contained polysaccharide, tryptophan, and casein. Methanogens metabolized most of the polysaccharide, the whole tryptophan content, and part of the casein, leading to the presence of humic acid and protein in effluent. After Ni（II） dosage, the protein and polysaccharide of the acid phase increased, and tryptophan changed, while casein remained stable. More protein than polysaccharide was produced, suggesting the prominent function of protein when addressing the negative effect of toxic metals. The analysis of DNA confirmed the change of bacterial activity.

Influence of fuel mass load,oxygen supply and burning rate on emission factor and size distribution of carbonaceous particulate matter from indoor corn straw burning

The uncertainty in emission estimation is strongly associated with the variation in emission factor （EF）,which could be influenced by a variety of factors such as fuel properties,stove type,fire management and even methods used in measurements.The impacts of these factors are complicated and often interact with each other.Controlled burning experiments were conducted to investigate the influences of fuel mass load,air supply and burning rate on the emissions and size distributions of carbonaceous particulate matter （PM） from indoor corn straw burning in a cooking stove.The results showed that the EFs of PM （EFPM）,organic carbon （EFOC） and elemental carbon （EFEC） were independent of the fuel mass load.The differences among them under different burning rates or air supply amounts were also found to be insignificant （p 〉 0.05） in the tested circumstances.PM from the indoor corn straw burning was dominated by fine PM with diameter less than 2.1 μm,contributing 86.4%±3.9% of the total.The size distribution of PM was influenced by the burning rate and air supply conditions.On average,EF PM,EF OC and EF EC for corn straw burned in a residential cooking stove were （3.84±1.02）,（0.846±0.895） and （0.391±0.350） g/kg,respectively.EF PM,EF OC and EF EC were found to be positively correlated with each other （p 〈 0.05）,but they were not significantly correlated with the EF of co-emitted CO,suggesting that special attention should be paid to the use of CO as a surrogate for other incomplete combustion pollutants.

Temperature sensitivity of organic compound destruction in SCWO process

To study the temperature sensitivity of the destruction of organic compounds in supercritical water oxidation process （SCWO）, oxidation effects of twelve chemicals in supercritical water were investigated. The SCWO reaction rates of different compounds improved to varying degrees with the increase of temperature, so the highest slope of the temperature-effect curve （/max） was defined as the maximum ratio of removal ratio to working temperature. It is an important index to stand for the temperature sensitivity effect in SCWO. It was proven that the higher imax is, the more significant the effect of temperature on the SCWO effect is. Since the high-temperature area of SCWO equipment is subject to considerable damage from fatigue, the temperature is of great significance in SCWO equipment operation. Generally, most compounds （/max 〉 0.25） can be completely oxidized when the reactor temperature reaches 500~C. However, some compounds （/max 〉 0.25） need a higher temperature for complete oxidation, up to 560~C. To analyze the correlation coefficients between/max and various molecular descriptors, a quantum chemical method was used in this study. The structures of the twelve organic compounds were optimized by the Density Functional Theory B3LYP/6-311G method, as well as their quantum properties. It was shown that six molecular descriptors were negatively correlated to imax while other three descriptors were positively correlated to imax. Among them, dipole moment had the greatest effect on the oxidation thermodynamics of the twelve organic compounds. Once a correlation between molecular descriptors and imax is established, SCWO can be run at an appropriate temperature according to molecular structure.

Sequential separation of Cu(Ⅱ)/Ni(Ⅱ)/Fe(Ⅱ)from strong-acidic pickling wastewater with a two-stage process based on a bi-pyridine chelating resin

A self-synthesized bi-pyridine chelating resin(PAPY)could separate Cu(Ⅱ)/Ni(Ⅱ)/Fe(Ⅱ)sequentially from strong-acidic pickling wastewater by a two-stage p H-adjusted process,in which Cu(Ⅱ),Ni(Ⅱ),and Fe(Ⅱ)were successively preferred by PAPY.In the first stage(p H 1.0),the separation factor of Cu(Ⅱ)over Ni(Ⅱ)reached 61.43 in Cu(Ⅱ)-Ni(Ⅱ)-Fe(Ⅱ)systems.In the second stage(p H 2.0),the separation factor of Ni(Ⅱ)over Fe(Ⅱ)reached 92.82 in Ni(Ⅱ)-Fe(Ⅱ)systems.Emphasis was placed on the selective separation of Cu(Ⅱ)and Ni(Ⅱ)in the first-stage.The adsorption amounts of Cu(Ⅱ)onto PAPY were 1.2 mmol/g in the first stage,while those of Ni(Ⅱ)and Fe(Ⅱ)were lower than 0.3 mmol/g.Cu(Ⅱ)adsorption was hardly affected by Ni(Ⅱ)with the presence of dense Fe(Ⅱ),but Cu(Ⅱ)inhibited Ni(Ⅱ)adsorption strongly.Part of preloaded Ni(Ⅱ)could be replaced by Cu(Ⅱ)based on the replacement effect.Compared with the absence of Fe(Ⅱ),dense Fe(Ⅱ)could obviously enhance the separation of Cu(Ⅱ)-Ni(Ⅱ).More than 95.0%of Cu(Ⅱ)could be removed in the former 240 BV(BV for bed volume of the adsorbent)in the fixed-bed adsorption column process with the flow rate of 2.5 BV/h.As proved by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry(XPS)and density functional theory(DFT)analyses,Cu(Ⅱ)exerted a much stronger deprotonation and chelation ability toward PAPY than Ni(Ⅱ)and Fe(Ⅱ).Thus,the work shows a great potential in the separation and purification of heavy metal resources from strong-acidic pickling wastewaters.

Photolysis kinetics and influencing factors of bisphenol S in aqueous solutions

The photodegradation of bisphenol S （BPS） in aqueous solutions was studied under different conditions. Photolysis and kinetics were investigated, as were the photolysis mechanism and the influences of initial pH value, light source, and environmental substances in water. The results showed that the photolysis of BPS occurred under UV light, and the rate increased with light source intensity. The photolysis of 5.0-50.0 mg/L BPS in water followed first-order kinetics： the rate was γ = 0.0161CBPS under a 40-W UV-lamp, and the degradation half-life was 43.1 min. Due to its absorption of light, direct photolysis of BPS was a predominant pathway for BPS but was not obviously affected by reactive oxygen species. The results confirmed that the photolysis rates of BPS in alkaline water solution were faster than those in acidic and neutral water solution because of the ionization of BPS. The photodegradation rate of BPS increased in the presence of chloride and ferric ions, while the rate was inhibited by nitrate and phosphate in aqueous solution.

Human bronchial epithelial cell injuries induced by fine particulate matter from sandstorm and non-sandstorm periods：Association with particle constituents

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the exacerbation of respiratory diseases following sandstorm-derived particulate matter（PM） exposure.The presence of anthropogenic and biological agents on the sandstorm PM and the escalation of PM 〈 2.5 μm（PM2.5）pollution in China have led to serious concerns regarding the health effects of PM2.5during Asian sandstorms.We investigated how changes in PM2.5composition,as the weather transitioned towards a sandstorm,affected human airway epithelial cells.Six PM2.5samples covering two sandstorm events and their respective background and transition periods were collected in Baotou,an industrial city near the Gobi Desert in China.PM samples from all three periods had mild cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B,which was positively correlated with the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and several metals.All PM samples potently increased the release of interleukin-6（IL-6） and interleukin-8（IL-8）.Endotoxin in all samples contributed significantly to the IL-6 response,with only a minor effect on IL-8.Cr was positively correlated with both IL-6 and IL-8 release,while Si was only associated with the increase of IL-6.Our study suggests that local agricultural and industrial surroundings in addition to the sandstorm play important roles in the respiratory effects of sandstorm-derived PM.

5m尺度上夹卷率的变化特征及其与云微物理量之间的关系(英文)

云在全球辐射平衡和气候变化中起重要作用.气候模式中的积云参数化方案影响降水和气候等的数值模拟研究.夹卷率是积云参数化中一个重要的物理量,但夹卷率的估算存在很大的不确定性,关于夹卷率概率密度分布函数的观测研究鲜有报道.本文利用积云飞机观测资料,发现从云的边界到云的中心,夹卷率递减.夹卷率的概率密度分布函数可以用对数正态分布、伽玛分布或者威布尔分布拟合,其中威布尔分布的效果最好.夹卷率与云滴数浓度、半径和含水量负相关,与离散度正相关.夹卷率对云滴谱的影响显著,总体而言,这与云滴谱的系统理论是一致的.