Phosphorus fractionation and bio-availability in Taihu Lake(China) sediments

Typical sediments from Taihu Lake, a meso-to-hypereutrophic lake, were collected and examined on the basis of P-fractionation by sequential extraction scheme. Sedimentary inorganic phosphorus were fractioned into four forms and the rank order according to the mean concentration of P-fractions in Taihu Lake was NaOH-P>BD-P>HCl-P>NH_4Cl-P. The concentrations of BD-P were linearly correlated with the content of active Fe(R2=0.96). Also, the linear relationship between the sum of BD-P and NaOH-P and the sum of active Fe and active Al content was observed within the six sediments investigated(R2=0.96). Moreover, the bio-available phosphorus(BAP) content was estimated by the sum of NH_4Cl-P, BD-P, and NaOH-P, viz. BAP=NH_4Cl-P+NaOH-P+BD-P. In Taihu Lake, the BAP contents are ranging from 0.10 mg/g dw to 1.25 mg/g dw, and average 0.40 mg/g dw for all sediment samples. The relative contributions of BAP to total sedimentary phosphorus(TP) and inorganic sedimentary phosphorus(IP) range from 18.67% to 50.79%(33.61% on average) and from 52.82% to 82.09%(67.81% on average), respectively.

Coagulation of micro-polluted Pearl River water with IPF-PACls

Water samples collected from early March 2001 to the end of April 2002 at the branch of Pearl River around the Guangzhou City were analyzed for its micro-polluted characteristics. The coagulation behavior of polyaluminum chlorides(PACls) was then examined focusing on the effect of primary water quality and speciation distribution. The results showed that PACls exhibit better coagulation efficiency than alum in accordance with the different speciation. The turbidity removal property of PACls is evidently better than alum at low dosage. While in neutral zone(about 6.5—7.5), the turbidity removal of PACls decreases owing to the restabilization of particles at higher dosage. The organic matters in raw water exhibit marked influence on coagulation. In acidic zone, organic matters complex with polymer species and promote the formation of flocs. With an increase in pH, the complexation of organics with polymer species gradually decreases, and the removal of organics mainly depends on adsorption. The effect is evidently improved with the raise of B value.

Treatment of 2-phenylamino-3-methyl-6-di-n-butylaminofluoran production effluent by combination of biological treatments and Fenton's oxidation

High strength refractory organic stream is produced during the production of 2-phenylamino-3-methyl-6-di-n-butylaminofluoran （One Dye Black 2, abbr. ODB 2）, a novel heat-sensitive material with a promising market. In this study, a combination of acidificationprecipitation, primary biological treatment, Fenton＇s oxidation and another biological treatment was successfully used for the removal of COD from 18000-25000 mg/L to below 200 mg/L from the ODB 2 production wastewater in a pilot experiment. A COD removal of 70%-80% was achieved by acidification-precipitation under a pH of 2.5-3.0. The first step biodegradafion permitted an average COD removal of 70% under an hydraulic residence time （HRT） of 30 h. By batch tests, the optimum conditions of Fenton＇s oxidation were acquired as： Fe^2＋ dose 6.0 mmol/L; H2O2 dose 3000 mg/L; and reaction time 6 h. The second step biological treatment could ensure an effluent COD below 200 mg/L under an HRT of 10 h following the Fenton＇s treatment.

Recent developments of surface complexation models applied to environmental aquatic chemistry

Based on numerous latest references, the current developments in surface complexation, surface precipitation and the corresponding models (SCMs and SPMs), were reviewed. The contents involved comparison on surface charge composition and layer-structure of solid-solution interface for the classical 1-pK and 2-pK models. In addition, the fundamental concept and relations of the new models, i. e., multi-site complexation (MUSIC) and charge- distribution (CD) MUSIC models were described as well. To avoid misuse or abuse, it must be emphasized that the applicability and limitation for each model should be considered carefully when selecting the concerned model(s). In addition, some new powerful techniques for surface characterization and analysis applied to model establishment and modification were also briefly introduced.

Designing principles of an ecological water storage basin on coastal saline: a case study

The degradation of water source environment becomes serious problems accompanying with rapid urbanization in China. Ecological engineering provides ecologically sound and cost effective solution to solving this problem. As a case study, a 15 hm 2 ecological water storage basin for a water plant was designed and constructed on the TEDA area in Tianjin City. Located on saline, the construction of this project has to face serious difficulties, such as high salinity, scarce seed banks of macrophytes, and strong winds. Freshwater replacement, soil amendation and macrophytes planting at the basinshore, wooden water breaker and plastic membrane installation and other measures were conducted for the assistance of plant community establishment. The result showed that the chloride concentration in the basin water decreased from 11600 mg/L to less than 100 mg/L, and the chloride content in the basin sediment decreased from 2 1% to 0 35% after freshwater soaking. The introduced macrophytes of 8 species all survived and 11 other macrophytes species were occurred in the basin. A new ecosystem was created with increased biological diversity in the original saline, and the water quality was improved. This ecological water storage basin also provided a pleasing landscape for local people.

Characteristics of metal enrichment in Deep Bay,Hong Kong

Sediment cores, suspended particles and overlying water were collected in Deep Bay, Hong Kong. Enrichment of Zn in surface sediments in the landward direction and the decreasing of exchangeable Cd, Ni and Zn in sediment from the inner bay to the outer bay indicated the influence of anthropogenic pollutants discharged from the riparian runoffs.

Streamwater chemistry and flow dynamics along vegetation-soil gradient in a subalpine Abies fabri forest watershed, China

Streamwater chemistry and spatial flow dynamics from a subalpine Abies fabri forest in an experimental watershed located in the east slope of Gongga Mountain were analyzed to gain insights into the gradient effect of primary community succession on the stream biogeochemical process. Results showed that high sand content(exceeding 80%) and porosity in the soil(exceeding 20% in A horizon and 35% in B horizon), as well as a thick humus layer on the soil surface, made the water exchange quickly in the Huangbengliu(HBL) watershed. Consequently, no surface runoff was observed, and the stream discharge changed rapidly with the daily precipitation. The flow trends of base ions in the stream water were influenced by the Abies fabri succession gradient. Ca 2+ , HCO - 3 and SO 2- 4 were the dominant anions in the streamwater in this region. A significant difference of Ca 2+ , HCO - 3 and SO 2- 4 concentration exported between the succession stages in the watershed can be found. But they had the similar temporal change in the stream flow. Ca 2+ , HCO - 3 and SO 2- 4 showed significantly negative correlations with the daily precipitation and the stream discharge. \;Concentrations of Cl -, Na +, K +, and Mg 2+ were low in all streamwaters monitored and we observed no differences along the Abies fabri succession gradient. Low ratios of Na:(Na+Ca) (range from 0.1 to 0.2) implied cations were from bedrock weathering(internal source process in the soil system) in this region. But, a variance analysis showed there were almost no differences between rainwater and streamwaters for Mg 2+ , Na +, K +, and Cl - concentrations. This indicated that they might be come from rainfall inputs(external source). The highly mobile capacity, rapid water exchange between precipitation and discharge, and long-term export lead to this observed pattern were suggested.

Interaction of PACls with sulfate

This article discusses the influential factors on Al 13 separation considering the interaction of sulfate with various polyaluminum chloride(PACl). The experimental results showed that the basicity( B =[OH]/[Al]), the concentration of PACl and Al/SO 4 ratio exhibited significant roles in the PACl sulfate reaction. It indicated that different species in various PACl underwent different reaction pathway with sulfate. The Al c, colloidal species, formed precipitation quickly with sulfate, while Al b, oligomers and polymers, underwent slow crystallization. And Al a, monomers, reacted with sulfate to form soluble complexes. The kinetic difference of reaction made it possible to realize the separation of Al b and further purification. The decrease of Al a resulted in the limit of ferron method was also mentioned.

Spectroscopic study on variations in illite surface properties after acid-base titration

FT IR, Raman microscopy, XRD, 29 Si and 27 Al MAS NMR, were used to investigate changes in surface properties of a natural illite sample after acid base potentiometric titration. The characteristic XRD lines indicated the presence of surface Al Si complexes, preferable to Al(OH) 3 precipitates. In the microscopic Raman spectra, the vibration peaks of Si O and Al O bonds diminished as a result of treatment with acid, then increased after hydroxide back titration. The varied ratio of signal intensity between IV Al and VI Al species in 27 Al MAS NMR spectra, together with the stable BET surface area after acidimetric titration, suggested that edge faces and basal planes in the layer structure of illite participated in dissolution of structural components. The combined spectroscopic evidence demonstrated that the reactions between illite surfaces and acid leaching silicic acid and aluminum ions should be considered in the model description of surface acid base properties of the aqueous illite.

Diffuse pollution: A hidden threat to the water environment of the developing world

This Special Section collects eight articles from the 16th IWA International Conference on Diffuse Pollution and Eutrophication （16th DIPCON）, which was held in Beijing on 18 to 23 August, 2013. These articles focus on the diffuse pollution problems encountered in the development process.