Impacts of algal blooms on sinking carbon flux and hypoxia off the Changjiang River estuary

Based on 10 multidisciplinary investigations conducted from February 2015 to January 2016,the phytoplankton community and its association with ambient seawater physicochemical parameters in the Changjiang(Yangtze)River estuary(CE)and its adjacent waters were comprehensively examined.In total,265 taxa were identified,belonging to 5 phyla and 94 genera.Diatoms(63.78%)and dinoflagellates(33.21%)were the dominant groups.The variation of diatom abundance showed a positive relationship with the nutrient concentrations while the dinoflagellate abundance showed a negative relationship.Two algal bloom events occurred during the investigation period.The Changjiang Diluted Water(CDW)induced environmental gradients in the upper layer,favoring the diatom bloom in July.The invasion of the nearshore Kuroshio branch current could affect the formation of a bloom of Prorocentrum donghaiense.With the blooming and senescence of phytoplankton,low dissolved oxygen(DO)and hypoxia occurred in the bottom waters.The bottom DO concentration displayed a significantly negative correlation with phytoplankton carbon flux.The present study provides straightforward evidence for the source of organic matter for oxygen consumption in the CE and its adjacent waters.

Full scale application of combined SBF-AS process for municipal wastewater treatment in small towns and cities in China

The combined submerged biofilm （SBF）-activated sludge （AS） process for treatment of municipal wastewater in a small city in China is described in this paper. The process exhibited high removal efficiencies for carbonaceous substances, nitrogen and phosphorus which mainly took place in the combined SBF-AS bioreactor. The SBF-AS bioreactor was divided into pre-anoxic, anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic zones from inlet to outlet, in which fixed biofilm carriers were packed. Excellent performance had been obtained under normal operating conditions in more than one year of operation in Dong’e municipal WWTP, Shandong province, with mean removal efficiencies of BOD5 934%, COD 88%, SS 92%, NH+4-N 821%, TP 75% and TN 667%, and quite high effluent quality such as BOD5 6 to 10 mg/L, COD 20 to 40 mg/L, SS 5 to 10 mg/L, TN 10 to 20 mg/L, NH+4-N 4 to 8 mg/L and TP 06 to 10 mg/L. The effluent was reused multi-purposely, such as toilet flushing, green belt watering and artificial lake pounding. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification took place due to the DO gradient in biofilm in aerobic zone of the SBF-AS bioreactor, which made TN removal efficiency improved remarkably in system. Some activated sludge was returned from final clarifiers to the bioreactor for phosphorus removal. The process had the advantages of low investment and low operational/maintenance （O/M） costs, low sludge yield and was preferably employed in small towns and cities.

Adsorption characteristics of copper,lead,zinc and cadmium ions by tourmaline

The adsorption characteristics of heavy metals： Cu（Ⅱ）, Pb（Ⅱ）, Zn（Ⅱ） and Cd（Ⅱ） ions on tourmaline were studied. Adsorption equilibrium was established. The adsorption isotherms of all the four metal ions followed well Langmuir equation. Tourmaline was found to remove heavy metal ions efficiently from aqueous solution with selectivity in the order of Pb（Ⅱ）〉Cu（Ⅱ）〉Cd（Ⅱ）〉Zn（Ⅱ）. The adsorption of metal ions by tourmaline increased with the initial concentration of metal ions increasing in the medium. Tourmaline could also increase pH value of metal solution.The maximum heavy metal ions adsorbed by tourmaline was found to be 78.86, 154.08, 67.25, and 66.67 mg/g for Cu（Ⅱ）, Pb（U）, Zn（Ⅱ） and Cd（U）, respectively. The temperature （25-55℃） had a small effect on the adsorption capacity of tourmaline. Competitive adsorption of Cu（Ⅱ）, Pb（Ⅱ）, Zn（Ⅱ） and Cd（Ⅱ） ions was also studied. The adsorption capacity of tourmaline for single metal decreased in the order of Pb〉Cu〉Zn 〉Cd and inhibition dominance observed in two metal systems was Pb〉Cu, Pb〉Zn, Pb〉Cd, Cu〉Zn, Cu〉Cd, and Cd〉Zn.

Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus in a combined A^2/O-BAF system with a short aerobic SRT

A bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process-biological aerated filter （A^2/O-BAF） combined system was carded out to treat wastewater with lower C/N and C/P ratios. The A^2/O process was operated in a short aerobic sludge retention time （SRT） for organic pollutants and phosphorus removal, and denitrification. The subsequent BAF process was mainly used for nitrification. The BAF effluent was partially returned to anoxic zone of the A^2/O process to provide electron acceptors for denitrification and anoxic P uptake. This unique system formed an environment for reproducing the denitdfying phosphate-accumulating organisms （DPAOs）. The ratio of DPAOs to phosphorus accumulating organisms （PAOs） could be maintained at 28% by optimizing the organic loads in the anaerobic zone and the nitrate loads into the anoxic zone in the A^2/O process. The aerobic phosphorus over-uptake and discharge of excess activated sludge was the main mechanism of phosphorus removal in the combined system. The aerobic SRT of the A^2/O process should meet the demands for the development of aerobic PAOs and the restraint on the nitrifiers growth, and the contact time in the aerobic zone of the A^2/O process should be longer than 30 min, which ensured efficient phosphorus removal in the combined system. The adequate BAF effluent return rates should be controlled with 1--4 mg/L nitrate nitrogen in the anoxic zone effluent of A^2/O process to achieve the optimal nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.

Kinetics and corrosion products of aqueous nitrate reduction by iron powder without reaction conditions control

Although considerable research has been conducted on nitrate reduction by zero-valent iron powder （Fe^0）, these studies were mostly operated under anaerobic conditions with invariable pH that was unsuitable for practical application. Without reaction conditions （dissolved oxygen or reaction pH） control, this work aimed at subjecting the kinetics of denitrification by microscale Fe^0 （160-200 mesh） to analysis the factors affecting the denitrification of nitrate and the composition of iron reductive products coating upon the iron surface. Results of the kinetics study have indicated that a higher initial concentration of nitrate would yield a greater reaction rate constant. The reduction rate of nitrate increased with increasing Fe^0 dosage. The reaction can be described as a pseudo-first order reaction with respect to nitrate concentration or Fe^0 dosage. Experimental results also suggested that nitrate reduction by microscale Fe^0 without reaction condition control primarily was an acid-driven surface-mediated process, and the reaction order was 0.65 with respect to hydrogen ion concentration. The analyses of X-ray diffractometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that a black coating, consisted of Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and FeO（OH）, was formed on the surface of iron grains as an iron corrosion product when the system initial pH was lower than 5. The proportion of FeO（OH） increased as reaction time went on, whereas the proportion of Fe3O4 decreased.

Reaction mode between Si and Fe and evaluation of optimal species in poly-silicic-ferric coagulant

A kind of Fe-polysilicate polymer, poly-silicic-ferric （PSF） coagulant was prepared by co-polymerization （hydroxylation of mixture of Fe^3＋ and fresh polysilicic acid （PS））, in which PSF0.5, PSF1 or PSF3 denotes Si/Fe molar ratio of 0.5, 1 or 3, respectively. The effects of Si/Fe ratio and reaction time （co-polymerization time or aging time） on the reaction mode between Si and Fe were studies, and the optimal species of PSF was evaluated by pH change during the preparation of PSF and coagulation tests. The results showed that the characteristics of PSF are largely affected by both reaction time and Si/Fe ratio. PSF is found to be a essential complex of Si, Fe, and many other ions. The reaction mode between Si and Fe differs with various Si/Fe ratios. The pH of PSF0.5, PSF1 or PSF3 tended to be stable when reaction time is 10, 25 or 55 rain, respectively, which is almost consistent with the time reaching the relative stable morphology that is just the optimal species of higher coagulation efficiency. The optimal reaction time reaching optimal species can be evaluated by measuring the pH change during the polymerization process.

Biodecolorization and partial mineralization of Reactive Black 5 by a strain of Rhodopseudomonas palustris

A strain of photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas palustris W1, isolated from a lab-scale anaerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) treating textile e?uent was demonstrated to decolorize Reactive Black 5 (RB5) effciently under anaerobic condition. By a series of batch tests, the suitable conditions for RB5 decolorization were obtained, namely, pH < 10, light presence, glutamine or lactate as carbon source with concentration more than 500 mg/L when lactate is selected, NH4Cl as a nitrogen source wi...

Properties and coagulation mechanisms of polyferric silicate sulfate with high concentration

Polyferric silicate sulfate （PFSS） with high concentration was prepared using the composite-poly method. The coagulation properties and mechanisms of this new complex were probed using TEM, Fe-Ferron timed complex-colorimetric method, and infrared spectrum method. The results showed that the flocculating effect of polyferric silicate sulfate had an advantage over polyferric sulfate （PFS）, as the optimum coagulation effect could be obtained when the Si/Fe mole ratio was 0.75 in accordance with its macrostructure of PFSS. According to the Fe-Ferron timed complex-colorimetric method, the Si species was mainly Sic, whereas, the Fe species were Fea and Fec in the copolymerization system. The infrared spectra indicated that the structure of these new flocculants was formed by polymers, mainly by olation, which was different from polyferric sulfate, and the vibration of M-OH-M of around 1100 cm^-1, also proved that there existed Fe-OH-Fe and its polymers in some forms.

ATR-FTIR and XPS study on the structure of complexes formed upon the adsorption of simple organic acids on aluminum hydroxide

Information on the binding of organic ligands to metal （hydr）oxide surfaces is useful for understanding the adsorption behaviour of natural organic matter on metal （hydr）oxide. In this study, benzoate and salicylate were employed as the model organic ligands and aluminum hydroxide as the metal hydroxide. The attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared （ATR-FTIR） spectra revealed that the ligands benzoate and salicylate do coordinate directly with the surface of hydrous aluminum hydroxide, thereby forming innersphere surface complexes. It is concluded that when the initial pH is acidic or neutral, monodentate and bridging complexes are to be formed between benzoate and aluminum hydroxide while bridging complexes predominate when the initial pH is alkalic. Monodentate and bridging complexes can be formed at pH 5 while precipitate and bridging complexes are formed at pH 7 when salicylate anions are adsorbed on aluminum hydroxide. The X-ray photoelectron （XP） spectra demonstrated the variation of C 1 s binding energy in the salicyate and phenolic groups before and after adsorption. It implied that the benzoate ligands are adsorbed through the complexation between carboxylate moieties and the aluminum hydroxide surface, while both carboxylate group and phenolic group are involved in the complexation reaction when salicylate is adsorbed onto aluminum hydroxide. The information offered by the XPS confirmed the findings obtained with ATR-FTIR.

Evolution on qualities of leachate and landfill gas in the semi-aerobic landfill

To study the characteristics of stabilization in semi-aerobic landfill, large-scale simulated landfill was constructed based on the semi- aerobic landfill theory. Consequently, the concentrations of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrite nitrogen, and the pH value in leachate, as well as the component contents of landfill gas composition （methane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen） in landfill were regularly monitored for 52 weeks. The restflts showed that COD and ammonia concentrations declined rapidly and did not show the accumulating rule like anaerobic landfill, and remained at about 300 and 100 mg/L, respectively, after 48 weeks. Meanwhile, the descending rate reached 98.9% and 96.9%, respectively. Nitrate concentration increased rapidly after 24 weeks and fluctuated between 220-280 mg/L after 43 weeks. The pH values were below 7 during the first 8 weeks and after that leachates appeared to be alkaline. Carbon dioxide was the main composition in landfill gas and its concentration remained at a high level through the whole stabilization process. The average contents of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and methane varied between 19 vol.%-28 vol.%, 2 vol.%-8 vol.%, and 5 vol.%-13 vol.%, respectively. A relative equilibrium was reached after 48 weeks. The highest temperature in the landfill chamber could amount to 75.8 degrees centigrade.

Fuzzy Control of Nitrate Recirculation and External Carbon Addition in A/O Nitrogen Removal Process

Nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations of effluent water must be taken into account for the design and operation of wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the requirement for effluent quality is becoming strict.Therefore, intelligent control approaches are recently required in removing biological nutrient. In this study, fuzzy control has been successfully applied to improve the nitrogen removal. Experimental results showed that a close relationship between nitrate concentration and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) at the end of anoxic zone was found for anoxic/oxic (A/O) nitrogen removal process treating synthetic wastewater. ORP can be used as online fuzzy control parazneter of nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition. The established fuzzy logic controller that includes two inputs and one output can maintain ORP value at-86 mV and -90 mV by adjusting the nitrate recirculation flow and external carbon dosage respectively to realize the optimal control of nitrogen removal, improving the effluent quality and reducing the operating cost.

Removal of organic matter and nitrogen from distillery wastewater by a combination of methane fermentation and denitrification/nitrification processes

The distillery wastewater of Guangdong Jiujiang Distillery, which is characteristic of containing high organic matters and rich total nitrogen, was treated by a combination of methane fermentation and denitrification/nitrification processes. 80% of COD in the raw wastewater was removed by methane fermentation at the COD volumetric loading rate of 20 kg COD/（m^3·d） using the expanded granule sludge bed （EGSB） process. However, almost all the organic nitrogen in the raw wastewater was converted into ammonia by ammonification there. Ammonia and volatile fatty acids （VFA） remaining in the anaerobically treated wastewater were simultaneously removed utilizing VFA as an electron donor by denitrification occurring in the other EGSB reactor and nitrification using PEG-immobilized nitrifying bacteria with recirculation process. An aerobic biological contact oxidization reactor was designed between denitrification/nitrification reactor for further COD removal. With the above treatment system, 18000-28000 mg/L of COD in raw wastewater was reduced to less than 100 mg/L. Also, ammonia in the effluent of the system was not detected and the system had a high removal rate for 900-1200 mg/L of TN in the raw wastewater, only leaving 400 mg/L of nitrate nitrogen.

Advanced treatment of oil recovery wastewater from polymer flooding by UV/H_2O_2/O_3 and fine filtration

In order to purify oil recovery wastewater from polymer flooding （ORWPF） in tertiary oil recovery in oil fields, advanced treatment of UV/H2O2/O3 and fine filtration were investigated. The experimental results showed that polyacrylamide and oil remaining in ORWPF after the conventional treatment process could be effectively removed by UV/H2O2/O3 process. Fine filtration gave a high performance in eliminating suspended solids. The treated ORWPF can meet the quality requirement of the wastewater-bearing polymer injection in oilfield and be safely re-injected into oil reservoirs for oil recovery.

Development and Experimental Evaluation of a Steady-state Model for the Step-feed Biological Nitrogen Removal Process

In this article,a steady-state mathematical model was developed and experimentally evaluated to inves- tigate the effect of influent flow distribution and volume ratios of anoxic and aerobic zones in each stage on the to- tal nitrogen concentration of the effluent in the step-feed biological nitrogen removal process.Unlike the previous modeling methods,this model can be used to calculate the removal rates of ammonia and nitrate in each stage and thereby predict the concentrations of ammonia,nitrate,and total nitrogen in the effluent.To verify the simulation results,pilot-scale experimental studies were carried out in a four-stage step feed process.Good correlations were achieved between the measured data and the simulation results,which proved the validity of the developed model. The sensitivity of the model predictions was analyzed.After verification of the validity,the step feed process was optimally operated for five months using the model and the criteria developed for the design and operation.During the pilot-scale experimental period,the effluent total nitrogen concentrations were all below 5mg·L -1 ,with more than 90%removal efficiency.

Formation and thermal stability of amorphous Ni-Mo-P alloys

The experimental researches on the chemical deposition of Ni-Mo-P amorphous alloys were carried out by adding Na2 MoO4 into acidic solutions. The optimum technology conditions were obtained by orthogonal design experiments. The structures and the relationship between compositions and their thermal stability were studied by energy spectrum (EC), scanning electron micrograph and X-ray diffraction spectrum. Compared with Ni-P amorphous alloys, the Ni-Mo-P amorphous alloys have high crystallization temperature and thermal stability, and the hardness reaches its peak when the annealing temperature is 500 ℃. With the increase of the heat treatment temperature, the surface morphology of the alloys changes.

Purification and Characterization of a Low-temperature Hydroxylamine Oxidase from Heterotrophic Nitrifier Acinetobacter sp.Y16

Objective To purify a low-temperature hydroxylamine oxidase （HAO） from a heterotrophic nitrifying bacterium Acinetobacter sp. Y26 and investigate the enzyme property. Methods A HAO was purified by an anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography from strain Y16. The purity and molecular mass were determined by RP-HPLC and SDS-PAGE. The HAO activity was detected by monitoring the reduction of potassium ferricyanide using hydroxylamine as substrate and ferricyanide as electron acceptor. The partial amino acid sequence was determined by mass spectrometry. Results The low-temperature HAO with a molecular mass of 61 kDa was purified from strain Y26 by an anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The enzyme exhibited an ability to oxidize hydroxylamine in wide temperature range （4-40 ℃） in vitro using hydroxylamine as substrate and ferricyanide as electron acceptor. It was stable in the temperature range of 4 to 25 ℃ and pH range of 6.0 to 8.5 with less than 30% change in its activity. The optimal temperature and pH were 15 ℃ and 7.5, respectively. Three peptides were determined by mass spectrometry which were shown to be not identical to other reported HAOs. Conclusion This is the first study to purify a low-temperature HAO from a heterotrophic nitrifier Acinetobecter sp. It differs from other reported HAOs in molecular mass and enzyme properties. The findings of the present study have suggested that the strain Y26 passes through a hydroxylamine-oxidizing process catalyzed by a low-temperature HAO for ammonium removal.

Biodegradation of Phenol and 4-Chlorophenol by the Mutant Strain CTM 2

酚和 4-chlorophenol (4-cp ) 的 biodegradations 用 He-Ne 激光照耀在野类型的 Candida tropicalis 上获得的变异的紧张 CTM 2 被学习。结果证明到 biodegrade 4-cp 的 CTM 2 的能力被增加直到 400 mg 路 L ? 1 在 59.5 h 以内。在双底层的 biodegradation， 4-cp 与低集中的酚增加了降级的 CTM 2 的速度和能力。400 mg 路 L 的一个总数 ? 1 4-cp 完全面对 300 mg 路 L 在 50.5 h 以内被降级 ? 1 酚。最大的 4-cp biodegradation 能到达 440 mg 路 L ? 1 与 120 mg 路 L ? 1 酚。低集中的 4-cp 引起了 CTM 2 上的大抑制降级酚。另外，运动行为用在这个实验室建议的运动模型被描述。

Bacterial Community and Function of Biological Activated Carbon Filter in Drinking Water Treatment

Objective It aims to investigate the changes in composition and structure of bacterial communities de-veloping on biological activated carbon （BAC） particles, and the bacterial functions. Method A pilot plant had been in service for 180 days, aiming to develop bacterial communities on acti-vated carbon naturally. After 180 days of operation, the bacterial communities were determined by dena-turing gradient gel electrophoresis （DGGE） analyses of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes. The study on community composition and the phylogenetic relationships of the organisms was complemented by a se-quence analysis of cloned PCR products from 16S rRNA genes. Gas chromatorgaphy-mass （GC-MS） mea-surement was used to determine organic chemical composition of inflow and outflow water on the 300th day. TOC and NH 4 ＋ -N were also tested in this experiment. Results It showed that the stable bacterial structure did not develop on BAC particles until the 9th month during running time of the BAC filter. The communities were finally dominated by Pseudomonas sp., Ba-cillus sp., Nitrospira sp., and an uncultured bacterium. Stable bacterial communities played an important role in removal of NH 4 ＋ -N and total organic carbon （TOC）. Results from gas chromatorgaphy-mass （GC-MS） showed that 36 kinds of chemicals in feed water were eliminated, and concentrations of 5 kinds of chemicals decreased. These chemicals served as nutrients for the dominant bacteria. Conclusion The findings from the study suggested that the stability of microbial structure was beneficial for improving NH 4 ＋ -N and TOC removal efficiencies. The dominant bacteria had the advantage of biode-grading a wide range of organic chemicals and NH 4 ＋ -N.

Mutagenesis and selection of high efficiency hydrogen-producing mutants by ultraviolet radiation

Hydrogen is an ideal, clean and sustainable energy source for the future because of its high conversion and nonpolluting nature. Biohydrogen production by dark-fermentation appears to have a great potential to be developed for practical application. However, one limiting factor affecting the development of hydrogen-production industrialization is that the hydrogen-producing capacity of bacteria is lower, so how to increase bacteria’s hydrogen-producing ability will be an urgent issue. In this experiment, 2 mutants, namely UV3 and UV7, were obtained by ultra-violet radiation. They grew and produced hydrogen efficiently on iron-containing medium. The hydrogen evolution of UV3 and UV7 were 2 356.68 ml/L and 2 219.62 ml/L at a glucose concentration of 10 g/L, respectively. With wild parent strain Ethanoligenens sp. ZGX4, the hydrogen evolution was 1 806.02 ml/L under the same conditions. Mutants’ hydrogen-producing capacities were about 29.71% and 22.22% higher than that of wild parent strain ZGX4. The maximum H2 production rate by mutants UV3 and UV7 were estimated to be 32.57 mmol H2/g cell h and 31.19 mmol H2/g cell h, respectively, which were 38.18% and 34.78% higher than the control （23.57 mmol H2/g cell h）. The abundant products of UV3 and UV7 were ethanol and acetic, which accounted for 95%-98% of total soluble microbial products. In each case, mutant strains UV3 and UV7 evolved hydrogen at a higher rate than the wild type, showing a possible potential for commercial hydrogen production. Another mutant named UV20’ was also gained whose main end metabolites were butyric acid and acetic acid. This would provide researched material for a discussion of metabolic pathways of hydrogen-producing bacteria.

Feasibility and simulation model of a pilot scale membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment and reuse from Chinese traditional medicine

The lack and pollution of water resource make wastewater reuse necessary. The pilot scale long-term tests for submerged membrane bioreactor were conducted to treat the effluents of anaerobic or aerobic treatment process for the high-strength Chinese traditional medicine wastewater. This article was focused on the feasibility of the wastewater treatment and reuse at shorter hydraulic retention time （HRT） of 5.0, 3.2 and 2.13 h. MLSS growth, membrane flux, vacuum values and chemical cleaning periods were also investigated. The experimental results of treating two-phase anaerobic treatment effluent demonstrated that the CODfilt was less than 100 mg/L when the influent COD was between 500-10000 mg/L at HRT of 5.0 h, which could satisfy the normal discharged standard in China. The experimental results to treat cross flow aerobic reactor effluent demonstrated that the average value of CODfilt was 17.28 mg/L when the average value of influent COD was 192.84 mg/L at HRT of 2.13 h during 106 d, which could completely meet the normal standard for water reuse. The maximum MLSS and MLVSS reached 24000 and 14500 mg/L at HRT of 3.2 h respectively. Membrane flux had maximal resume degrees of 94.7% at vacuum value of 0.02 MPa after cleaning. Chemical cleaning periods of membrane module were 150 d. A simulation model of operational parameters was also established based on the theory of back propagation neural network and linear regression of traditional mathematical model. The simulation model showed that the optimum operational parameters were suggested as follows： HRT was 5.0 h, SRT was 100 d, the range of COD loading rate was between 10.664-20.451 kg/（m3.d）, the range of MLSS was between 7543-13694 mg/L.