Biological treatment of high NH_4^+-N wastewater using an ammonia-tolerant photosynthetic bacteria strain (ISASWR2014)

Wastewater with high NH_4^+-N is difficult to treat by traditional methods.So in this paper,a wild strain of photosynthetic bacteria was used for high NH_4^+-N wastewater treatment together with biomass recovery.Isolation,identification,and characterization of the microorganism were carried out.The strain was inoculated to the biological wastewater treatment unit.The impacts of important factors were examined,including temperature,dissolved oxygen,and light intensity.Results showed that photosynthetic bacteria could effectively treat high NH_4^+-N wastewater.For wastewater with NH_4^+-N of 2300 mg·L^(-1),COD/N=1.0,98.3%of COD was removed,and cell concentration increased by 43 times.The optimal conditions for the strain's cell growth and wastewater treatment were 30℃,dissolved oxygen of 0.5-1.5 mg·L^(-1) and a light intensity of 4000 lx.Photosynthetic bacteria could bear a lower C/N ratio than bacteria in a traditional wastewater treatment process,but the NH_4^+-N removal was only 20%-40%because small molecule carbon source was used prior to NH_4^+-N.Also,the use of photosynthetic bacteria in chicken manure wastewater containing NH4+-N about 7000 mg·L^(-1) proved that photosynthetic bacteria could remove NH_4^+-N in a real case,finally,83.2%of NH_4^+-N was removed and 66.3%of COD was removed.

Impacts of Power Density on Heavy Metal Release During Ultrasonic Sludge Treatment Process

The impact of ultrasonic power density on changes of heavy metals during sludge sonication was inves-tigated. Results showed that ultrasound could release heavy metals from sludge into the supernatant. There existed an effective power density range of 0.8-1.6 W·ml?1 for the release of the total heavy metal; there was little release below 0.8 W·ml?1 and too high power density was adverse to the release. Furthermore, sonication showed selective release of heavy metal from sludge to the supernatant; copper, cadmium and lead were not released by sonication, while arsenic and nickel were released easily and their release ratio could reach 40%. The effective energy range for each heavy metal was also different that 0.8-1.2 W·ml?1 for arsenic, 0.5-1.6 W·ml?1 for nickel, and 0.8-1.6 W·ml?1 for mercury and chrome. The differences among heavy metal release during sonication might be explained by the different distribution of chemical fractions of each metal in sludge. Such selectivity could be used to control heavy metal release during sludge treatment.

Applications of hollow nanomaterials in environmental remediation and monitoring： A review

Hollow nanomaterials have attracted signifi- cant attention because of their high chemical and thermal stability, high specific surface area, high porosity, low density, and good biocompatibility. These state-of-the-art nanomaterials have been shown to efficiently adsorb heavy metals, and volatile hazardous substances, photodegrade persistent organic pollutants, and other compounds, and inactivate bacteria. Such properties have enabled the use of these materials for environmental remediation, such as in water/wastewater treatment, soil remediation, air purifica- tion, and substance monitoring, etc. Hollow nanomaterials showed higher photocatalytic activity than those without hollow structure owing to their high active surface area, reduced diffusion resistance, and improved accessibility. And, the Doping method could improve the photocatalytic performance of hollow nanomaterials further under visible light. Moreover, the synthetic mechanisms and methods of these materials are important because their size and morphology help to determine their precise properties. This article reviews the environmental applications and potential risks of these materials, in addition to their syntheses. Finally, an outlook into the development of these materials is provided.

Tillage and Rice-Wheat Cropping Sequence Influences on Some Soil Physical Properties and Wheat Yield under Water Deficit Conditions

Adopting a better tillage system not only improves the soil health and crop productivity but also improves the environment. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of tillage and irrigation management on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in a post-rice (Oryza sativa L.) management system on silty clay loam soil (acidic Alfisol) for 2003-2006. Four irrigation levels (RF: rainfed;I1: irrigation at crown root initiation (CRI);I2: irrigation at CRI + flowering;I3: irrigation at CRI + tillering + flowering), and two tillage systems (ZT: zero tillage and CT: conventional tillage) were tested. Zero tillage compared to CT, resulted in higher bulk density (1.34 vs 1.23 Mg –3), lower total porosity (48.7 vs 52.9%), higher penetration resistance (1.51 vs 1.37 MPa), lower saturated hydraulic conductivity (1.60 vs 92.0 mm h–1), lower infiltration rate (9.40 vs 36.6 mm h–1) and higher volumetric available water capacity (7.9 vs 7.5%) in the surface 0.15 m soil layer. Irrigation levels significantly affected crop water use, wheat yield, and water use efficiency (WUE). Average total water use was 461, 491, 534 and 580 mm under RF, I1, I2 and I3 treatments, respectively. Grain and straw yield of wheat were statistically the same under ZT and CT during 2003-2004;the values, averaged over four irrigation levels were 2.10 and 2.38 Mg a–1 for grain, and 3.46 and 3.67 Mg a–1 for straw, respectively. Grain yield declined by 22%, 11% and 8% of I3 (2.32 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments, respectively, under ZT;and by 13%, 8% and 5% of I3 (2.61 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments under CT. Average values of WUE were 4.33 kg ha–1 m–1 and 2.35 m3–1 grain for the ZT and CT treatments. Wheat yield increased with increased irrigation levels for all the cropping seasons. Results from this study concluded that ZT system was better compared to the CT system even with lower yields due to lower input costs for this treatment.

Analysis of key microbial community during the start-up of anaerobic ammonium oxidation process with paddy soil as inoculated sludge

A sequencing batch reactor（SBR）-anaerobic ammonium oxidation（anammox） system was started up with the paddy soil as inoculated sludge. The key microbial community structure in the system along with the enrichment time was investigated by using molecular biology methods（e.g., high-throughput 16 S r RNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR）. Meanwhile,the influent and effluent water quality was continuously monitored during the whole start-up stage. The results showed that the microbial diversity decreased as the operation time initially and increased afterwards, and the microbial niches in the system were redistributed. The anammox bacterial community structure in the SBR-anammox system shifted during the enrichment, the most dominant anammox bacteria were Candidatus Jettenia. The maximum biomass of anammox bacteria achieved 1.68 × 10~9 copies/g dry sludge during the enrichment period, and the highest removal rate of TN achieved around 75%.

Simple model of sludge thickening process in secondary settlers

In wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs）, a secondary settler acts as a clarifier, sludge thickener, and sludge storage tank during peak flows and therefore plays an important role in the performance of the activated sludge process. Sludge thickening occurs in the lower portions of secondary clarifiers during their operation. In this study, by detecting the hindered zone from the complete thickening process of activated sludge, a simple model for the sludge thickening velocity, us = aXb （ a =0.9925SSFI3.5, b = - 3.5411n（ SS VI3.5 ） ＋12.973）, describing the potential and performance of activated sludge thickening in the hindered zone was developed. However, sludge thickening in the compression zone was not studied because sludge in the compression zone showed limited thickening. This empirical model was developed using batch settling data obtained from four WWTPs and validated using measured data from a fifth WWTP to better study sludge thickening. To explore different sludge settling and thickening mechanisms, the curves of sludge thickening and sludge settling were compared. Finally, it was found that several factors including temperature, stirring, initial depth, and polymer conditioning can lead to highly concentrated return sludge and biomass in a biologic reactor.

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic inactivation of bacteriophage f2 by Cu-TiO_2 nanofibers in the presence of humic acid

Pathogenic viruses in drinking water are great threats to public health. Visible-lightdriven photocatalysis is a promising technology for virus inactivation. However, the existing photocatalytic antiviral research studies have mostly been carried out in single-component systems, neglecting the effect of natural organic matter, which exists widely in actual water bodies. In this paper, electrospun Cu-TiO2 nanofibers were prepared as photocatalysts, and their photocatalytic antiviral performance in the presence of humic acid(HA) was comprehensively studied for the first time. The properties of the reaction mixture were measured during the reaction. In addition, the safety, reliability and stability of photocatalytic disinfection in the mixed system were evaluated. The results showed that the virus removal efficiency decreased with the increase of the HA concentration. The type of reaction solution, such as PBS buffer solution or water, did not affect the removal efficiency noticeably. Under acidic conditions, the electrostatic forces between photocatalysts and viruses were strengthened, leading to higher virus removal efficiency. As the reaction time went on, the pH value in the solution increased first and then tended to be stable, the conductivity remained stable, and the dissolved oxygen increased first and then decreased. The safety test showed that the concentration of Cu ions released into the solution was lower than specified by the international standards. No photoreactivation was observed, and the addition of HA significantly reduced the reutilization efficiency of the photocatalysts.

Rapid degradation of dyes in water by magnetic Fe^0/Fe_3O_4/graphene composites

Magnetic Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene has been successfully synthesized by a one-step reduction method and investigated in rapid degradation of dyes in this work. The material was characterized by N2 sorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FT-IR）, vibrating-sample magnetometer（VSM） measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）. The results indicated that Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene had a layered structure with Fe crystals highly dispersed in the interlayers of graphene, which could enhance the mass transfer process between Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene and pollutants. Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene exhibited ferromagnetism and could be easily separated and re-dispersed for reuse in water. Typical dyes, such as Methyl Orange, Methylene Blue and Crystal Violet, could be decolorized by Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene rapidly. After 20 min, the decolorization efficiencies of methyl orange, methylene blue and crystal violet were 94.78%, 91.60% and 89.07%, respectively. The reaction mechanism of Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene with dyes mainly included adsorption and enhanced reduction by the composite. Thus, Fe^0/Fe3O4/graphene prepared by the one-step reduction method has excellent performance in removal of dyes in water.

Online control of biofilm and reducing carbon dosage in denitrifying biofilter： pilot and full-scale application

Denitrifying biofilter （DNBF） is widely used for advanced nitrogen removal in the reclaimed wastewater treatment plants （RWWTPs）. Manual control of DNBF easily led to unstable process performance and high cost. Consequently, there is a need to automatic control of two decisive operational processes, carbon dosage and backwash, in DNBF. In this study, online control of DNBF was investigated in the pilot-scale DNBF （600 m3·d-1） and then applied in the full-scale DNBF （ 10 ×10^4m^3·d-1）. A novel simple onhne control strategy for carbon dosage with the effluent mtrate as the sole control parameter was designed and tested in the pilot-scale DNBF. Backwash operation was optimized based on the backwash control strategy using turbidity as control parameter. Using the integrated control strategy, in the pilot-scale DNBF, highly efficient nitrate removal with effluent TN lower than 3 mg·L-1 was achieved and DNBF was not clogged any more. The online control strategy for carbon dosage was successfully applied in a RWWTE Using the online control strategy, the effluent nitrate concentration was controlled relatively stable and carbon dosage was saved for 18%.

The effect of preparation conditions of Pt/Al2O3 on its catalytic performance for the H2-SCR in the presence of oxygen

Selective catalytic reduction of NOχ by H2 in the presence of oxygen has been investigated over Pt/ A12O3 catalysts pre-treated under different conditions. Catalyst preparation conditions exert significant influence on the catalytic performance, and the catalyst pre-treated by HE or H2 then followed by O2 is much more active than that pre-treated by air. The higher surface area and the presence of metallic Pt over Pt/A12O3 pre-treated by HE or pretreated by H2 then followed by O2 can contribute to the formation of NO2, which then promotes the reaction to proceed at low temperatures.

Effects of molecular weight and concentration of carboxymethyl cellulose on morphology of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles as prepared with one-step wet chemical method

Nano-sized apatite particles （nAP） synthesized with carboxymethyl cellulose （CMC） have shown great application potentials in in situ heavy metal remediation. However, differences in CMC＇s properties effects on the size of nAP produced are not well understood. In this paper, two types of CMC, with respective molecular weights （MW） of-120000 and -240000 Dalton or respective polymerization degrees of 500 （CMC-500） and 1050 （CMC-1050）, were studied in a concentration range of 0.05%-0.5% （w/w） for nAP synthesis. Morphology of the particles was characterized with transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. Results showed that 0.05% CMC- 500 solution gave an average particle size o f 148.7 -4-134.9 rim, 0.25% CMC-500 solution produced particles of 21.8~20.4nm, and, 0.5% CMC-500 solution contained particles of 15.8-4-7.7nm. In comparison, 0.05% CMC- 1050 solution produced nanoparticles of 6.8~3.2 rim, 0.25% CMC-1050 produced smaller nAP of 4.3-1-3.2 nm, and 0.5% CMC-1050 synthesized the smallest nanoparti- cles in this study, with an average diameter of 3.0~2.1 nm. Chemical composition of the products was identified with X-ray diffraction （XRD） as pure hydroxyapatite. Interac- tions between nAP and CMC were discussed with help of attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared （ATR- FTIR） spectroscopic data. This study showed that CMC at higher concentration as well as higher MW facilitated to produce finer nanoparticles, showing that nAP size could be manipulated by selecting appropriate CMC MW and/or applying appropriate CMC concentration.

Combined biologic aerated filter and sulfur/ceramisite autotrophic denitrification for advanced wastewater nitrogen removal at low temperatures

An innovative advanced wastewater treatment process combining biologic aerated filter （BAF） and sulfur/ ceramisite-based autotrophic denitrification （SCAD） for reliable removal of nitrogen was proposed in this paper. In SCAD reactor, ceramisite was used as filter and Ca （HCO3）2 was used for supplying alkalinity and carbon source. The BAF-SCAD was used to treat the secondary treatment effluent. The performance of this process was investigated, and the impact of temperature on nitrogen removal was studied. Results showed that the combined system was effective in nitrogen removal even at low temperatures （8℃）. Removal of total nitrogen （TN）, NH4＋ -N, NO3-N reached above 90% at room temperature. Nitrification was affected by the temperature and nitrification at low temperature （8℃） was a limiting factor for TN removal. However, denitrification was not impacted by the temperature and the removal of NO3 -N maintained 98% during the experimental period. The reason of effective denitrification at low temperature might be the use of easily dissolved Ca（HCO3）2 and high-flux ceramisite, which solved the problem of low mass transfer efficiency at low temperatures. Besides, vast surface area of sulfur with diameter of 2-6 mm enhanced the rate of microbial utilization. The removal of nitrate companied with the production of SO42-, and the average concentration of SO27 was about 240mg.L^-1. These findings would be beneficial for the application of this process to nitrogen removal especially in the winter and cold regions.