Effect of surfactant on porosity and swelling behaviors of guar gum-g-poly(sodium acrylate-co-styrene)/attapulgite superabsorbent hydrogels.

Novel fast-swelling porous guar gum-g-poly(sodium acrylate-co-styrene)/attapulgite (GG-g-P(NaA-co-St)/APT) superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared by simultaneous free-radical graft copolymerization reaction of guar gum (GG), partially neutralized AA (NaA), styrene (St) and attapulgite (APT) using N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator in aqueous solution and the surfactant self-assembling templating pore-forming technique. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed that the surfactant could be removed from the final hydrogel product by methanol/water (8:1, v/v) washing process and the surfactant only act as micelle template to form pores. The effect of surfactant type on the porous microstructure of the hydrogel was assessed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It was shown that incorporation of proper amount of anionic surfactant sodium n-dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the gelling process of the hydrogel can obviously enhance the swelling capacity and initial swelling rate. The salt-sensitivity of the SDS-added hydrogel in distilled water and 15 mmol/L NaCl, CaCl(2) solution or 15 mmol/L NaCl and CaCl(2) solution was investigated, and it was found that the swelling-deswelling capability is quite reversible. A similar reproducible on-off switching behavior was observed in the 1 mmol/L solution of phosphate buffer at pH 2.1 and 7.4.

[Start-up and steady operation of two stage UASB-SBR new process for treatment of real landfill leachate of high strength ammonia-nitrogen].

Under the well-controlled experimental conditions, the biological treatability of real municipal landfill leachate with high strength nitrogen and high chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration using anoxic/anaerobic upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) -sequencing batch reactor (SBR) combined process was conducted in laboratory. The results indicated: stable anoxic/anaerobic UASB-SBR process performance was developed during running continuously for five phase (116 d) when feed COD concentration was range from 1 237.2 mg/L to 12596.8 mg/L, effluent COD concentration was between 108.4 mg/L and 528.26 mg/L, and when the influent ammonia nitrogen (NH4(+) -N) was changed from 155.8 mg/L to 1298.0 mg/L, the effluent NH4(+) -N was varied from 0.12 mg/L to 4.1 mg/L, it achieved high COD and NH4(+) -N removal efficiency. In this present study, it is noted that the anoxic UASB1 has two significant effects: firstly, denitrification reaction of high efficiency was conducted for SBR nitrified effluent recirculated by using the abundant organic matters in the raw leachate as carbon source. Secondly, its removal COD was highly effected by anaerobic biodegradation. The effluent COD of anoxic UASB1 was biodegraded further in the anaerobic UASB2 and aerobic SBR, the maximum organic loading rates (OLR) (as COD) were 13.0, 2.09, 2.14 kg/(m3 x d), respectively. In addition, the correlation between OLR with OLRrem and COD removal efficiency of three reactors was studied, relation between nitrogen loading rate (NLR) with NH4(+) -N removal efficiency of SBR was tested by linear regression analysis, it was found that the OLR of anoxic UASB1, anaerobic UASB2 and aerobic SBR increased linearly with OLRrem. As to SBR, the correlation was significant between NLR (as N) with NLRrem. In addition, the OLR of three reactors shows second order exponential correlation with COD removal efficiency. At last, when the water temperature of SBR ranged from 20.7 degrees C to 10.3 degrees C, and dissolved oxygen was controlled below 1.0 mg/L, the efficiencies of nitrification and denitrification were above 98.5% and 97.7% during the whole experimental running period, it achieved advanced nitrogen removal.

[Nitrite accumulation during the denitration process in SBR at low temperature].

Nitrite accumulation during the denitration process with SBR treating pre-treated by anoxic/anaerobic up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) was observed at low temperatures. The effects of types of carbon sources on nitrite accumulation were investigated for comprehensive understanding the mechanism of nitrite accumulation. Experimental results clearly showed that nitrite accumulated obviously when five carbon sources (methanol, ethanol, sodium acetate, sodium propinoate and glucose), except for glucose, were used as electron donor. Additionally, nitrite accumulations were observed at four different initial nitrate concentrations and lower temperatures. The maximum concentrations of nitrite accumulation were 37.8, 21.5, 25.2 and 18.8 mg/L, respectively, and the corresponding nitrite accumulation rates (N/VSS x t) were 0.117, 0.136, 0.235 and 0.068 g/(g x d) during the nitrite accumulation period. Two break points of "nitrate knee" and "nitrite knee" on oxidation reduction potential (ORP) profile indicated that the reduction reactions of nitrate and nitrite were completed, respectively.