Acceleration of the biodegradation of cationic polyacrylamide by the coupling effect of thermophilic microorganisms and high temperature in hyperthermophilic composting.

As a flocculant of sewage sludge, cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) enters the environment with sludge and exists for a long time, posing serious threats to the environment. Due to the environmental friendliness and high efficiency in the process of organic solid waste treatment, hyperthermophilic composting (HTC) has received increasing attention. However, it is still unclear whether the HTC process can effectively remove CPAM from sludge. In this study, the effects of HTC and conventional thermophilic composting (CTC) on CPAM in sludge were compared and analyzed. At the end of HTC and CTC, the concentrations of CPAM were 278.96 mg kg-1 and 533.89 mg kg-1, respectively, and the removal rates were 72.17% and 46.61%, respectively. The coupling effect of thermophilic microorganisms and high temperature improved the efficiency of HTC and accelerated the biodegradation of CPAM. The diversity and composition of microbial community changed dramatically during HTC. Geobacillus, Thermobispora, Pseudomonas, Brevundimonas, and Bacillus were the dominant bacteria responsible for the high HTC efficiency. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which CPAM-containing sludge is treated using HTC. The ideal performance and the presence of key microorganisms revealed that HTC is feasible for the treatment of CPAM-containing sludge.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate by palygorskite supported Co-Fe for water treatment.

In the present work, palygorskite (PAL) supported Co-Fe oxides (CoFe@PAL) were prepared and used as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for removal of rhodamine B (RhB) in water. The results showed that CoFe@PAL prepared at impregnation solution of 50 g L-1 and calcination temperature of 500 °C showed the best catalytic performance. The removal efficiency of RhB (10 mg L-1) by PMS (0.1 mmol L-1) activated with CoFe@PAL (1 g L-1) was above 98% within 60 min. The effects of various environmental factors including initial pH, humic acid (HA) and inorganic anions on the removal effect were simultaneously investigated. The radical quenching experiments and EPR characterization revealed that ˙OH, SO4˙-, O2˙- and 1O2 radicals existed in the CoFe@PAL/PMS system simultaneously. The intermediates during RhB degradation were analyzed by LC-MS and possible degradation pathways of RhB were proposed. Moreover, CoFe@PAL exhibited superior stability and reusability.

Degradation of cyanobacterial neurotoxin ß-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) using ozone process: influencing factors and mechanism.

ß-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), which has been considered as an environmental factor that caused amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex (ALS/PDC) or Alzheimer's disease, could be produced by a variety of genera cyanobacteria. BMAA is widely present in water sources contaminated by cyanobacteria and may threaten human health through drinking water. Although oxidants commonly used in drinking water plants such as chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals have been shown to effectively degrade BMAA, there are limited studies on the mechanism of BMAA degradation by different oxidants, especially ozone. This work systematically explored the effectiveness of BMAA ozonation degradation, investigated the effect of the operating parameters on the effectiveness of degradation, and speculated on the pathways of BMAA decomposition. The results showed that BMAA could be quickly eliminated by ozone, and the removal rates of BMAA were nearly 100% in pure water, but the removal rates were reduced in actual water. BMAA was primarily degraded by direct oxidation of ozone molecules in acidic and near-neutral conditions, and indirect oxidation of •OH accounted for the main part under strong alkaline conditions. The pH value had a significant effect on the decomposition of BMAA, and the degradation rate of BMAA was fastest at near-neutral pH value. The degradation rates of TOC were significantly lower than that of BMAA, indicating that by-products were generated during the degradation process. Three by-products ([M-H]+ = 105, 90, and 88) were identified by UPLC-MS/MS, and the degradation pathways of BMAA were proposed. The production of by-products was attributed to the fracture of the C-N bonds. This work is helpful for the in-depth understanding on the mechanism and demonstration of the feasibility of the oxidation of BMAA by the ozone process. HIGHLIGHTS: • The reaction of ozonation BMAA was easy to occur. • The degradation rate was fast under near-neutral conditions. • Direct oxidation under neural conditions was the main pathway for ozone degradation of BMAA. • Three products were detected, and the reaction path was inferred.

A novel visible light-driven TiO2 photocatalytic reduction for hexavalent chromium wastewater and mechanism.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalyst was prepared with a sol-gel method and its characterizations were analyzed TiO2 photocatalytic reduction of Cr6+ was investigated in visible light irradiation and reduction mechanisms were calculated. Prepared TiO2 is anatase with a bandgap of about 2.95 eV. Experimental results display that almost 100% of Cr6+ is removed by visible light-driven TiO2 photocatalytic reduction after 120 min when Cr2O72- initial concentration is 1.0 mg·L-1, TiO2 dosage is 1.0 g·L-1, and pH value is 3. In acidic aqueous solution, HCrO4- is the dominant existing form of Cr6+ and is adsorbed by TiO2, forming a complex catalyst HCrO4-/TiO2 with an increase in wavelength to the visible light zone, demonstrated by UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy. Based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data, it can be deduced that Cr6+ is adsorbed on the surface of TiO2 and then reduced to Cr3+ in situ by photoelectrons. Self-assembly of HCrO4-/TiO2 complex catalyst and self-reduction of Cr6+ in situ are the key steps to start the visible light-driven TiO2 photocatalytic reduction. Furthermore, TiO2 photocatalytic reduction of Cr6+ fits well with pseudo-first-order kinetics and has the potential application to treat chemical industrial wastewater.

Treatment for high-concentration liquid crystal wastewater with a novel Fenton-SBR-microwave pyrolysis integrated process.

A novel Fenton-SBR-microwave pyrolysis integrated process is developed to treat liquid crystal wastewater possessing complex components, high toxicity and strong stability. In this integrated process, Fenton-SBR and microwave pyrolysis are for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and disposal of iron mud generated in the Fenton process respectively. The effects of H2O2:Fe2+ molar ratio and Fenton dosage on COD removal were optimized. The experimental results revealed that the removal efficiencies for COD and total organic carbon (TOC) were 99.8% and 99.2%, and the values for MLSS and SVI were stable at 4,500 mg L-1 and 65%, respectively. Microscopic examination proved that there were rotifer, Epistylis galea, Opercularia coarctata, vorticella and mormon genus which are indicative microbes for good water quality. Iron mud waste produced in the Fenton reaction was handled with microwave pyrolysis, producing ɑ-Fe2O3 commercial byproduct. The estimated cost including chemical reagents and electricity for this integrated process is about $320 T-1, without consideration of the added value of the ɑ-Fe2O3 byproduct. TOC removals in the Fenton and SBR processes both fit well with pseudo-first-order kinetics and the corresponding half-life times are 0.15 and 7 h, respectively.

ß-Ga2O3 nanorod synthesis with a one-step microwave irradiation hydrothermal method and its efficient photocatalytic degradation for perfluorooctanoic acid.

ß-Ga2O3 nanorod was first directly prepared by the microwave irradiation hydrothermal way without any subsequent heat treatments, and its characterizations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy techniques, and also its photocatalytic degradation for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was investigated. XRD patterns revealed that ß-Ga2O3 crystallization increased with the enhancement of microwave power and the adding of active carbon (AC). PFOA, as an environmental and persistent pollutant, is hard decomposed by hydroxyl radicals (HO·); however, it is facilely destroyed by ß-Ga2O3 photocatalytic reaction in an anaerobic atmosphere. The important factors such as pH, ß-Ga2O3 dosage and bubbling atmosphere were researched, and the degradation and defluorination was 98.8% and 56.2%, respectively. Reductive atmosphere reveals that photoinduced electron may be the major reactant for PFOA. Furthermore, the degradation kinetics for PFOA was simulated and constant and half-life was calculated, respectively.

Studies on crude oil removal from pebbles by the application of biodiesel.

Oil residues along shorelines are hard to remove after an oil spill. The effect of biodiesel to eliminate crude oil from pebbles alone and in combination with petroleum degrading bacteria was investigated in simulated systems. Adding biodiesel made oil detach from pebbles and formed oil-biodiesel mixtures, most of which remained on top of seawater. The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal efficiency increased with biodiesel quantities but the magnitude of augment decreased gradually. When used with petroleum degrading bacteria, the addition of biodiesel (BD), nutrients (NUT) and BD+NUT increased the dehydrogenase activity and decreased the biodegradation half lives. When BD and NUT were replenished at the same time, the TPH removal efficiency was 7.4% higher compared to the total improvement of efficiency when BD and NUT was added separately, indicating an additive effect of biodiesel and nutrients on oil biodegradation.

Optimization of diesel oil biodegradation in seawater using statistical experimental methodology.

Petroleum hydrocarbons released into the environment can be harmful to higher organisms, but they can be utilized by microorganisms as the sole source of energy for metabolism. To investigate the optimal conditions of diesel oil biodegradation, the Plackett-Burman (PB) design was used for the optimization in the first step, and N source (NaNO3), P source (KH2PO4) and pH were found to be significant factors affecting oil degradation. Then the response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite design (CCD) was adopted for the augmentation of diesel oil biodegradation and a fitted quadratic model was obtained. The model F-value of 27.25 and the low probability value (<0.0001) indicate that the model is significant and that the concentration of NaNO3N, KH2PO4 and pH had significant effects on oil removal during the study. Three-dimensional response surface plots were constructed by plotting the response (oil degradation efficiency) on the z-axis against any two independent variables, and the optimal biodegradation conditions of diesel oil (original total petroleum hydrocarbons 125 mg/L) were determined as follows: NaNO3 0.143 g, KH2PO4 0.022 g and pH 7.4. These results fit quite well with the C, N and P ratio in biological cells. Results from the present study might provide a new method to estimate the optimal nitrogen and phosphorus concentration in advance for oil biodegradation according to the composition of petroleum.

Influence of pH and surface oxygen-containing groups on multiwalled carbon nanotubes on the transformation and adsorption of 1-naphthol.

The pH-dependent behavior, including the transformation of 1-naphthol by oxidative polymerization to form precipitates in solution and the adsorption of 1-naphthol onto carbon nanotubes (CNTs), was examined. Neglecting the precipitate loss of 1-naphthol and possibly of similar chemicals may result in the overestimation of their adsorption and inadequate interpretation of the underlying adsorption mechanisms. Surface oxygen-containing groups on CNTs and the dissociated species of these groups can interact with the dissociated and neutral species of 1-naphthol in a way similar to polymerization, thus promoting the adsorption of 1-naphthol onto CNTs. Adsorption onto CNTs may reduce the polymeric precipitates of 1-naphthol in solution by possibly decreasing aqueous 1-naphthol concentrations. These observations and the underlying mechanisms are important for predicting the fate and risks of naphthalene and carbaryl in the environment because 1-naphthol is a primary metabolite of naphthalene and carbaryl. In addition, it is possible to enhance the removal of 1-naphthol and similar chemicals by controlling the pH and designing specific surface functional groups for CNTs.

Effects of nitrate concentration in interstitial water on the bioremediation of simulated oil-polluted shorelines.

Nutrient addition has been proved to be an effective strategy to enhance oil biodegradation in marine shorelines. To determine the optimal range of nutrient concentrations in the bioremediation of oil-polluted beaches, nitrate was added to the simulated shoreline models in the initial concentration of 1, 5 and 10 mg/L. Whenever the NO3-N concentration declined to 70% of its original value, additional nutrients were supplemented to maintain a certain range. Results showed adding nutrients increased the oil biodegradation level, the counts of petroleum degrading bacteria (PDB) and heterotrophic bacteria (HB), and the promoted efficiency varied depending on the concentration of nitrate. Oil degradation level in 5 mg/L (NO3-N) group reached as much as 84.3% accompanied with the consistently highest counts of PDB; while in 1 mg/L group oil removal efficiency was only 35.2%, and the numbers of PDB and HB were relatively low compared to the other groups supplemented with nutrients. Although counts of HB in the 10 mg/L group were remarkable, lower counts of PDB resulted in poorer oil removal efficiency (70.5%) compared to 5 mg/L group. Furthermore, it would need more NO3-N (0.371 mg) to degrade 1 mg diesel oil in the 10 mg/L group than in the 5 mg/L group (0.197 mg). In conclusion, Nitrate concentration in 5 mg/L is superior to 1 and 10 mg/L in the enhancement of diesel oil biodegradation in simulated shorelines.

Degradation of crude oil by indigenous microorganisms supplemented with nutrients.

Different kinds of mineral nutrients(NO3-N, NH4-N and PO4-P) were applied in the simulated oil-polluted seawater for enhancing oil biodegradation in the N/P ratio 10:1 and 20:1. Although indigenous microorganisms have the ability to degrade oil, adding nutrients accelerated biodegradation rates significantly. For the group amended with NO3-N and PO4-P in the ratio 10:1, the reaction rate coefficient was 4 times higher than the natural biodegradation. Chemical and microbiological analysis showed that the optimal N/P ratio in the system is 10:1, and microorganisms tend to utilize nitrate rather than ammonium as N source.