Characterization of dissolved organic matter fractions from Lake Hongfeng, Southwestern China Plateau

With XAD-series and ion exchange resins, dissolved organic matter (DOM) from Lake Hongfeng in Southwestern China Plateau was isolated into 6 fractions, i.e., humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA), hydrophobic neutrals (HON), hydrophilic acids (HIA), hydrophilic bases (HIB) and hydrophilic neutrals (HIN). Those fractions were characterized by high performance size exclusion chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy and UV absorbance. Among the 6 fractions, FA was predominant and accounted for 51% of the total DOM. The weight-average (Mw) and number-averaged (Mn) molecular weight of these fractions ranged from 1688 to 2355 Da and from 1338 to 1928 Da, respectively. A strong correlation was observed between specific UV absorbance at 280 nm, E2/E3 (absorbance at 250 nm to 365 nm), and the molecular weight for DOM fractions. UV-Vis fulvic-like fluorescence peaks were found in all fractions. Protein-like fluorescence peaks existed in HON may indicate that microbial activity was severely in Lake Hongfeng. There was a significant relationship between fluorescence intensities and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm for those DOM fractions, suggesting their similar luminescence characteristics. The values of fluorescence index (f450/500) indicated that hydrophobic fractions may derive from terrestrial sources, and the hydrophilic fractions from microbial and terrestrial origins. Those results suggest that there were inter-relationships between molecular weight, fluorescence and absorbance characteristics, and also subtle consistencies between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties and the sources for these 6 fractions from Lake Hongfeng.

Binding characteristics of perylene, phenanthrene and anthracene to different DOM fractions from lake water

Six hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions were isolated using XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins, and were extensively characterized. Partition coefficients of perylene, phenanthrene and anthracene binding to the six fractions were determined by fluorescence quenching titration. The Kdoc values obtained for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) binding to the hydrophobic fractions were larger than those to the hydrophilic fractions. Nonlinear Stern-Volmer plots were observed when binding phenanthrene and anthracene to some hydrophilic fraction samples, suggesting saturation of polar interaction binding sites. A significant correlation of logKdoc values with molecular weights and molar absorptivities at 280 nm was observed, while atomic ratio of C/H was found to be a poor indicator for aromaticity. Other structural descriptors such as paraffinic carbon and polarity influenced the DOM-fraction ability to bind PAHs. Different interaction mechanisms underlying binding of the different fractions to the PAHs were also discussed.

Organic Phosphorus in Shallow Lake Sediments in Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Area in China

Thirteen sediment core samples(0-10 cm) were taken from the seven lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River to determine the contents and distributions of organic phosphorus(P) fractions in the sediments of the shallow lakes in the area.The organic P fractions in the sediments were in the order of moderately labile organic P(MLOP) > moderately resistant organic P(MROP) > highly resistant organic P(HROP) > labile organic P(LOP),with average proportional ratios of 13.2:2.8:1.3:1.0.LOP,MLOP,and MROP were significantly related to the contents of total organic carbon(TOC),water-soluble P(WSP),algal-available P(AAP),NaHCO3-extractable P(Olsen-P),total P(TP),organic P(OP),and inorganic P(IP).However,HROP was significantly related to OP and weakly correlated with TOC,WSP,AAP,Olsen-P,TP or IP.This suggested that organic P,especially LOP and MLOP in sediments,deserved even greater attention than IP in regards to lake eutrophication.In terms of organic P,sediments were more hazardous than soils in lake eutrophication.Although OP concentrations were higher in moderately polluted sediment than those in heavily polluted sediment,LOP and MLOP were higher in the heavily polluted sediment,which indicated that heavily polluted sediment was more hazardous than moderately polluted sediment in lake eutrophication.

Effect of pH on binding of pyrene to hydrophobic fractions of dissolved organic matter(DOM) isolated from lake water

In order to better understand the compositional and structural complexity of dissolved organic matter(DOM) macromolecules and provide mechanistic information on the binding of hydrophobic organic contaminants(HOCs) to DOM, we fractionated large amounts of lake water into three hydrophobic DOM-fractions. The variation of the partitioning coef?cients(K_(DOC)) of pyrene at different p H levels was examined by ?orescence quenching titration. Results show that, relative to the more polar acidic DOM-fractions, the hydrophobic neutral fraction exhibits a higher sorption ability to pyrene. Generally, the sorption of pyrene to the three hydrophobic fractions is strongly pH-dependent. The K_(DOC) values of pyrene generally increase with decreasing p H levels, which is especially obvious in the sorption of pyrene to the fulvic acid fractions, suggesting that the binding is controlled by hydrophobic interactions. The mechanisms underlying the binding of pyrene to the hydrophobic fractions were also discussed. Our data are bene?cial to further understanding the binding of HOCs to DOM and how it has been affected,which may result in more accurate predictions of K_(DOC).

Control concept and countermeasures for shallow lakes’eutrophication in China

Research on lake eutrophication in China began in the early 1970s,and many lakes in China are now known to be in meso-eutrophic status.Lake eutrophication has been showing a rapidly increasing trend since 2000.Investigations show that the main reasons for lake eutrophication include a fragile lake background environment,excessive nutrient loading into lakes,excessive human activities,ecological degeneration,weak environmental protection awareness,and lax lake management.Major mechanisms resulting from lake eutrophication include nutrient recycling imbalance,major changes in water chemistry(pH,oxygen,and carbon),lake ecosystem imbalance,and algal prevalence in lakes.Some concepts for controlling eutrophication should be persistently proposed,including lake catchment control,combination of pollutant source control with ecological restoration,protection of three important aspects(terrestrial ecology,lake coast zone,and submerged plant),and combination of lake management with regulation.Measures to control lake eutrophication should include pollution source control(i.e.,optimize industrial structural adjustments in the lake catchment,reduce nitrogen and phosphorus emission amounts,and control endogenous pollution)and lake ecological restoration(i.e.establish a zone-lake buffer region and lakeside zone,protect regional vegetation,utilize hydrophytes in renovation technology);countermeasures for lake management should include implementing water quality management,identifying environmental and lake water goals,legislating and formulating laws and regulations to protect lakes,strengthening publicity and the education of people,increasing public awareness through participation in systems and mechanic innovations,establishing lake region management institutions,and ensuring implementation of governance and management measures.

Denitrification and microbial community in MBBR using A. donax as carbon source and biofilm carriers for reverse osmosis concentrate treatment

In this study,raw Arundo donax(A.donax)pieces were applied as carbon source and biofilm carriers for denitrification in a lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactor(MBBR)for the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrate gathered from local wastewater reuse plant.At stable phase(about 60 days),efficient denitrification performance was obtained with73.2%±19.5%NO3--N average removal and 8.10±3.45 g N/(m3·day)NO3--N average volumetric removal rate.Mass balance analysis showed that 4.84 g A.donax was required to remove 1 g TN.Quantitative real-time PCR analysis results showed that the copy numbers of 16S r-RNA,narG,nirS,nosZ and anammox gene of carrier biofilm and suspended activated sludge in the declination phase(BF2 and AS2)were lower than those of samples in the stable phase(BF1 and AS1),and relatively higher copy numbers of nirS and nirK genes with lower abundance of narG and nosZ genes were observed.High-throughput sequencing analysis was conducted for BF2 and AS2,and similar dominant phyla and classes with different abundance were obtained.The class Gammaproteobacteria affiliated with the phylum Proteobacteria was the most dominant microbial community in both BF2(52.6%)and AS2(41.7%).The PICRUSt prediction results indicated that 33 predictive specific genes were related to denitrification process,and the relative abundance of 18 predictive specific genes in BF2 were higher than those in AS2.

Phosphorus speciation in the sediment profile of Lake Erhai, southwestern China: Fractionation and ^(31)P NMR

The distribution characteristics of phosphorus(P) forms in the sediment profile of Lake Erhai,in southwestern China has been investigated by sequential extraction and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(NMR) of NaOH extracts to understand P dynamics and its potential contribution to lake eutrophication.Contents of P fractions varied in the order of NH4Cl extracted P(NH4ClP) < bicarbonate-dithionite extracted P(BD-P) < HCl-P,Residual-P < NaOH extracted P(NaOH-P).The highly available NH4Cl-P represented less than 1% of total P(TP).BD-P and NaOH extracted reactive P(NaOH-rP) averaged 39%,while the ratio of Fe/P was higher than 15,indicating low P release from the sediments under permanent oxic condition.The less bio-available HCl-P,NaOH extracted nonreactive P(NaOH-nrP) and residual-P contributed 61% of TP.Regression analysis revealed that BD-P,NaOH-rP and HCl-P were positively correlated with the contents of Fe and Mn,Al and Fe,and Ca,respectively.The investigation of P compound groups in NaOH extracts by 31 P NMR showed that ortho-P and monoester-P were the largest two constituents of the P pool,followed by diester-P,phosphonate and pyro-P.A comparison of vertical variations of P groups in the sediment profile suggested that these compounds were involved in the P recycling to different extents in Lake Erhai.In particular,the lake exhibits high potential for labile P release from the surface sediments,which should be taken into consideration even after the outsourced P runoff ceased.

Resolving the influence of nitrogen abundances on sediment organic matter in macrophyte-dominated lakes, using fluorescence spectroscopy

A controlled experiment was designed to resolve the influence of nitrogen abundance on sediment organic matters in macrophyte-dominated lakes using fluorescence analysis.Macrophyte biomass showed coincident growth trends with time, but different variation rates with nitrogen treatment. All plant growth indexes with nitrogen addition(N, NH4Cl100, 200, 400 mg/kg, respectively) were lower than those of the control group. Four humiclike components, two autochthonous tryptophan-like components, and one autochthonous tyrosine-like component were identified using the parallel factor analysis model. The results suggested that the relative component changes of fluorescence in the colonized sediments were in direct relation to the change of root biomass with time. In the experiment, the root formation parameters of the plants studied were significantly affected by adding N in sediments, which may be related to the reason that the root growth was affected by N addition.Adding a low concentration of N to sediments can play a part in supplying nutrients to the plants. However, the intensive uptake of NH4+may result in an increase in the intracellular concentration of ammonia, which is highly toxic to the plant cells. Hence, our experiment results manifested that organic matter cycling in the macrophyte-dominated sediment was influenced by nitrogen enrichment through influencing vegetation and relevant microbial activity.

Mutual influence of copper and paraquat on their adsorption in soil

Paraquat and copper (Cu) are commonly used and detected in soil.Therefore,it is important to understand their mobility in the environment.In this study,the competitive effects of paraquat and Cu on their adsorption in five representative Chinese soils were investigated using batch adsorption equilibrium experiments and spectroscopic analysis.The results showed that the adsorption of paraquat in soil varied with soil type and was positively correlated with both soil cation exchange capacity and organic matter content.Paraquat exerted a more remarkable suppression effect on the adsorption of Cu than Cu on the adsorption of paraquat.In the presence of 0.12 and 0.19 mmol L-1paraquat,Cu adsorption decreased by 16%and 22%in Heilongjiang soil and by 24%and37%in Jiangxi soil,respectively.In the presence of 0.1 and 0.2 mmol L-1Cu,paraquat adsorption decreased by 4%and 8%in Heilongjiang soil and by15%and 19%in Jiangxi soil,respectively.Exchange selectivity involving symmetric cation (paraquat2+and Cu2+) exchange is the probable basis for the suppression effect.The ultraviolet-visible absorption experiments suggested that the formation of Cu-paraquat complexes was unlikely to happen in a solution or at the soil surface.Copper K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that Cu in soil may have some water as hydration layers as the nearest neighbors,and each Cu atom was coordinated with five oxygen atoms.These findings greatly improve our knowledge of the molecular-scale adsorption mechanisms of paraquat and Cu in soil and can be used to predict the behavior,transport,and fate of paraquat and Cu in agricultural soils.

Approaching the upper boundary of driver-response relationships:identifying factors using a novel framework integrating quantile regression with interpretable machine learning

The identification of factors that may be forcing ecological observations to approach the upper boundary provides insight into potential mechanisms affecting driver-response relationships,and can help inform ecosystem management,but has rarely been explored.In this study,we propose a novel framework integrating quantile regression with interpretable machine learning.In the first stage of the framework,we estimate the upper boundary of a driver-response relationship using quantile regression.Next,we calculate“potentials”of the response variable depending on the driver,which are defined as vertical distances from the estimated upper boundary of the relationship to observations in the driver-response variable scatter plot.Finally,we identify key factors impacting the potential using a machine learning model.We illustrate the necessary steps to implement the framework using the total phosphorus(TP)-Chlorophyll a(CHL)relationship in lakes across the continental US.We found that the nitrogen to phosphorus ratio(N:P),annual average precipitation,total nitrogen(TN),and summer average air temperature were key factors impacting the potential of CHL depending on TP.We further revealed important implications of our findings for lake eutrophication management.The important role of N:P and TN on the potential highlights the co-limitation of phosphorus and nitrogen and indicates the need for dual nutrient criteria.Future wetter and/or warmer climate scenarios can decrease the potential which may reduce the efficacy of lake eutrophication management.The novel framework advances the application of quantile regression to identify factors driving observations to approach the upper boundary of driver-response relationships.

Effects of overlying water aeration on phosphorus fractions and alkaline phosphatase activity in surface sediment

Microbial activity may influence phosphorus (P) deposit and release at the water sediment interface.The properties of DO (dissolved oxygen),pH,P fractions (TP,Ca-P,Fe-P,OP,IP),and APA (alkaline phosphatase activity) at the water sediment interface were measured to investigate microbial activity variations in surface sediment under conditions of two-month intermittent aeration in overlying water.Results showed that DO and TP of overlying water increased rapidly in the first week and then decreased gradually after 15 day of intermittent aeration.Microorganism metabolism in surface sediment increased pH and decreased DO and TP in the overlying water.After two-month intermittent aeration,APA and OP from surface sediment (0-2 cm) were both significantly higher than those from bottom sediment (6-8 cm) (p < 0.05),and surface sediment Fe-P was transferred to OP during the course of microorganism reproduction on the surface sediment.These results suggest that microbial activity and microorganism biomass from the surface sediment were higher than those from bottom sediment after two-month intermittent aeration in the overlying water.

Removal of antimony from antimony mine flotation wastewater by electrocoagulation with aluminum electrodes

Antimony (Sb) has received increasing environmental concerns due to its potential toxic and carcinogenic properties. In the present work, the electrocoagulation technique was used to treat the flotation wastewater from a heavy antimony polluted area, and the mechanism of removing Sb was also investigated. The study focused on the effect of operation parameters such as current density, initial pH and standing time on the Sb removal efficiency. Antimony concentration of below 1 mg/L in the treated wastewater was achieved, which meets the emission standards established by State Department of Environmental Protection and State Administration of China for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine of China.

Contaminant removal from low-concentration polluted river water by the bio-rack wetlands

The bio-rack is a new approach for treating low-concentration polluted river water in wetland systems.A comparative study of the efficiency of contaminant removal between four plant species in bio-rack wetlands and between a bio-rack system and control system was conducted on a small-scale (500 mm length × 400 mm width × 400 mm height) to evaluate the decontamination effects of four different wetland plants.There was generally a significant difference in the removal of total nitrogen (TN),ammonia nitrogen (NH 3-N) and total phosphorus (TP),but no significant difference in the removal of permanganate index (COD Mn) between the bio-rack wetland and control system.Bio-rack wetland planted with Thalia dealbata had higher nutrient removal rates than wetlands planted with other species.Plant fine-root (root diameter 3 mm) biomass rather than total plant biomass was related to nutrient removal efficiency.The study suggested that the nutrient removal rates are influenced by plant species,and high fine-root biomass is an important factor in selecting highly effective wetland plants for a bio-rack system.According to the mass balance,the TN and TP removal were in the range of 61.03-73.27 g/m2 and 4.14-5.20 g/m2 in four bio-rack wetlands during the whole operational period.The N and P removal by plant uptake constituted 34.9%-43.81% of the mass N removal and 62.05%-74.81% of the mass P removal.The study showed that the nitrification/denitrification process and plant uptake process are major removal pathways for TN,while plant uptake is an effective removal pathway for TP.

N2O emission in partial nitritation-anammox process

Nitrous oxide(N2O)is one of the significant greenhouse gases,and partial nitritation-anammox(PNA)process emits higher N2O than traditional nitrogen removal processes.N2O production in PNA mainly occurs in three different pathways,i.e.,the ammonia oxidizing bacteria(AOB)denitrification,the hydroxylamine(NH2 OH)oxidation and heterotrophic denitrifiers denitrification.N2O emission data vary significantly because of the different operational conditions,bioreactor configurations,monitoring systems and quantitative methods.Under the common operational parameter scopes of PNA,N2O emission via NH2 OH oxidation dominates at relatively low dissolved oxygen(DO),low inorganic carbon(IC),high pH or low N02-concentration,while N2O emission via AOB denitrification dominates at relative higher DO,higher IC.lower pH or higher N2O-concentration.AOB are highly enriched while nitriteoxidizing bacteria(NOB)are rarely found in partial nitritation process,and the order Nitrosomonadales of AOB is the dominant group and N2O producer.Anammox bacteria,AOB and certain amount of heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria are observed in the anammox process,the genus Denitratisoma and the heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria in the deep layer of anammox granules are the dominant N2O generation bacteria.In one-stage PNA reactors,anammox bacteria account for a large fraction of the biomass,AOB account for small portion,and NOB account for even less.The microbial community,diversity and N2O producers in one-stage PNA reactors are similar with those in two-stage PNA reactors.The dominant anammox bacteria,AOB and NOB in PNA are the species Candidatus Brocadia,the genera of Nitrotoga,Nitrospira and Nitrobacter,and the genus Nitrosomonas,respectively.The relations between N2O emission pathways and microbial communities need further study in the future.

Nitrogen removal from summer to winter in a field pilot-scale multistage constructed wetland-pond system

A pilot-scale multistage constructed wetland-pond(MCWP)system with a"pre-ecological oxidation pond,two-stage horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland(HSCW)and surface flow constructed wetland(SFCW)as the core and postsubmerged plant pond"as the process was used to treat actual polluted river water in the field,and the variation in nitrogen removal from summer to winter was investigated.The results showed that the average total nitrogen(TN)removal efficiency in the MCWP was approximately 40.74%.The significant positive correlation between the daily highest temperature and the TN removal efficiency of the whole system was fitted with a nonlinear curve(R^(2)=0.7192).The TN removal load rate in the HSCWs was 2.7–3.7 times that in the SFCW.The SFCW,which had high-density plants(35 plants/m^(2)),increased the proportion of nitrogen removed by plant harvesting and microbial function.The TN transformed by Iris pseudacorus L.accounted for 54.53%in the SFCW.Furthermore,bacteria completed the nitrogen cycle in the SFCW through a variety of nitrogen removal pathways.This research not only investigated the TN removal performance in an MCWP system but also made it possible to predict the TN removal efficiency according to the daily highest temperature from summer to winter in the field.

Factors influencing the photodegradation of Nnitrosodimethylamine in drinking water

In order to provide basic data for practical application,photodegradation experiment of Nnitrosodimethylamine(NDMA)in aqueous solution was carried out with a low-pressure Hg lamp.Effects of the initial concentration of NDMA,solution pH,dissolved oxygen,and the presence of humic acid on NDMA photodegradation were investigated.NDMA at various initial concentrations selected in this study was almost completely photodegraded by UV irradiation within 20 min,except that at 1.07 mmol/L,NDMA could be photodegraded almost completely in the acidic and neutral solutions,while the removal efficiency decreased remarkably in the alkaline solution.Dissolved oxygen enhanced the NDMA photodegradation,and the presence of humic acid inhibited the degradation of NDMA.Depending on the initial concentration of NDMA,NDMA photodegradation by UV obeyed the pseudo-first-order kinetics.Dimethylamine,nitrite,and nitrate were detected as the photodegradation products of NDMA.^(1)O_(2) was found to be the reactive oxygen species present in the NDMA photodegradation process by UV,based on the inhibiting experiments using tert-butanol and sodium azide.