Pyrolysis of hydrazine hydrate waste salt: Thermal behaviors and transformation characteristics of organics under aerobic/anaerobic conditions.

The production of large quantities of industrial waste salts is becoming an issue of increasing concern with the adoption of the "zero liquid discharge" process for wastewater treatment. Recovery of waste salts as a useful resource after purification provides the best means of solving this problem. In this study, pyrolysis was studied as a purification technique to treat waste salt generated during hydrazine hydrate production (N2H4 WS) within the temperature range of 25-600 °C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Aerobic pyrolysis achieved 99.3% organic removal at a temperature that was 50 °C lower than was that achieved by anaerobic pyrolysis (600 °C). The formation of strong fluorescent species at 400 °C during anaerobic pyrolysis was detected using fluorescence excitation emission matrix (FEEM). These species were confirmed to be heterocyclic-N compounds, including pyridinic N and pyrrolic N, that were formed through cyclization reactions, as revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-mass spectrometry (TG-FTIR-MS). Harmful gases such as HCN and NH3 were released during anaerobic pyrolysis, and this may have been partially associated with the decomposition of heterocyclic-N compounds. Moreover, aerobic pyrolysis effectively reduced CO2 emissions by 8.7% based on energy consumption calculations. Therefore, aerobic pyrolysis is preferable for the purification of N2H4 WS owing to its low decomposition temperature, minimal release of harmful gaseous compounds, and low carbon emissions.

Why and how the nematode's early embryogenesis can be precise and robust: a mechanical perspective.

The early embryogenesis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is well-known for its stereotypic precision of cell arrangements and their lineage relationship. Much research has been focused on how biochemical processes achieve the highly reproducible cell lineage tree. However, the origin of the robustness in the cell arrangements is poorly understood. Here, we set out to provide a mechanistic explanation of how combining mechanical forces with the order and orientation of cell division ensures a robust arrangement of cells. We used a simplified mechanical model to simulate the arrangement of cells in the face of different disturbances. As a result, we revealed three fail-safe principles for cell self-organization in early nematode embryogenesis: ordering, simultaneity, and the division orientation of cell division events. Our work provides insight into the developmental strategy and contributes to the understanding of how robust or variable the cell arrangement can be in developing embryos.

Calculation of evapotranspiration in different climatic zones combining the long-term monitoring data with bootstrap method.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a central process in the climate system that plays a crucial role in the regional water cycle and climate regulation. However, estimating the effects of regional ET on the regional water cycle and climate regulation remains challenging due to the lack of quantitative methods and large-scale direct observational data. This study develops a new method to estimate evapotranspiration at regional scales using long-term monitoring data and the bootstrap resampling approach to calculate the ET unit area per year for China. This study applies the deviance information criterion as a goodness-of-fit index to select the most optimal formula for estimating regional ET for different climatic zones in China. The bootstrap resampling method was used to estimate parameter distribution in different climatic zones based on the outcome of 2000 trials. The results show that the predicted ET of adjacent climates overlaps with each other. The subtropical monsoonal climatic zone had the widest range of predicted ET (0-8000 mm/year), followed by the temperate and monsoonal climatic zones (0-1500 mm/year), mountain plateau climatic zone (0-1000 mm/year), and temperate continental climatic zone (0-500 mm/year). The probability distributions and isopleths of regionally predicted ET were also determined for China. The methods used in this study provide a promising tool to assess the effects of introducing large-scale forestation or restoration of trees on local water resources management.

Minimum network constraint on reverse engineering to develop biological regulatory networks.

Reconstructing the topological structure of biological regulatory networks from microarray expression data or data of protein expression profiles is one of major tasks in systems biology. In recent years, various mathematical methods have been developed to meet this task. Here, based on our previously reported reverse engineering method, we propose a new constraint, i.e., the minimum network constraint, to facilitate the reconstruction of biological networks. Three well studied regulatory networks (the budding yeast cell cycle network, the fission yeast cell cycle network, and the SOS network of Escherichia coli) were used as the test sets to verify the performance of this method. Numerical results show that the biological networks prefer to use the minimal networks to fulfill their functional tasks, making it possible to apply minimal network criteria in the network reconstruction process. Two scenarios were considered in the reconstruction process: generating data using different initial conditions; and generating data from knock out and over-expression experiments. In both cases, network structures are revealed faithfully in a few steps using our approach.

Divergent responses of plant functional traits and biomass allocation to slope aspects in four perennial herbs of the alpine meadow ecosystem.

Slope aspect can cause environmental heterogeneity over relatively short distances, which in turn affects plant distribution, community structure, and ecosystem function. However, the response and adaptation strategies of plants to slope aspects via regulating their physiological and morphological properties still remain poorly understood, especially in alpine ecosystems. Here, we selected four common species, including Bistorta macrophylla, Bistorta vivipara, Cremanthodium discoideum, and Deschampsia littoralis, to test how biomass allocation and functional traits of height, individual leaf area, individual leaf mass, and specific leaf area (SLA) respond to variation in slope aspect in the Minshan Mountain, eastern Tibetan Plateau. We found that the slope aspect affected SLA and stem, flower mass fraction with higher values at southwest slope aspect, which is potentially related to light environment. The low-temperature environment caused by the slope aspect facilitates the accumulation of root biomass especially at the northeast slope aspect. Cremanthodium discoideum and D. littoralis invested more in belowground biomass in southeast and southwest slope aspects, although a large number of significant isometric allocations were found in B. macrophylla and B. vivipara. Finally, we found that both biotic and abiotic factors are responsible for the variation in total biomass with contrasting effects across different species. These results suggest that slope aspect, as an important topographic variable, strongly influences plant survival, growth, and propagation. Therefore, habitat heterogeneity stemming from topographic factors (slope aspect) can prevent biotic homogenization and thus contribute to the improvement of diverse ecosystem functioning.

Anammox bacteria community and nitrogen removal in a strip-like wetland in the riparian zone.

A strip-like wetland was constructed in the riparian zone for investigation of ammonium nitrogen (NH(3)-N) removal in the Peach River. An inner zeolite layer was set in the wetland to adsorb NH(3)-N and further to remove total nitrogen (TN). An oxygen-deficient condition with dissolved oxygen of 0.87-1.60 mg L(-1) was observed in the zeolite layer, which benefits anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria survival. The community structure of anammox bacteria was analyzed in the zeolite layer. The analysis shows that the anammox bacterial sequences are grouped into three known distinct clusters: Candidatus Brocadia fulgida, Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans and Candidatus Jettenia asiatica. The intensified test driven by artificial pumping shows that average removal rates of NH(3)-N and TN are 41.6 mg m(-3)d(-1) and 63.2 mg m(-3)d(-1), respectively. The normal test driven by natural hydrodynamics also verifies that NH(3)-N removal mainly happens in the zeolite layer. Microbial mechanism of TN removal in the wetland involves both the autotrophic and heterotrophic process. These results suggest that the strip-like RW can be a cost-effective approach for NH(3)-N removal and can potentially be extended to similar rivers as no extra energy is required to maintain the wetland operation.

Characteristics and kinetics of phosphate adsorption on dewatered ferric-alum residuals.

The characteristics and kinetics of phosphate (P) adsorption on dewatered ferric-alum water treatment residuals (Fe-Al-WTRs) have been investigated. The existence of both aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) in the residuals can result in significantly high P adsorption capacities. The P adsorption kinetics of Fe-Al-WTRs exhibited an initial rapid phase, followed by a slower phase. This could be described by three models, including a pseudo-first-order equation, a pseudo-second-order equation, and a double-constant rate equation. The latter was especially good for those runs with initial P concentrations of 500 and 1000 mg L(-1). Both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms fit the experimental data well, particularly the Freundlich isotherm, which had a correlation coefficient of 0.9930. The maximum measured P adsorption capacity of Fe-Al-WTRs was 45.42 mg g(-1), which is high when compared to those of most WTRs, as well as other reported adsorbents. The results also show that the P adsorption is a spontaneous endothermic process. Highest P adsorption capacities of Fe-Al-WTRs were measured at low pHs and a particle size range of 0.6 to 0.9 mm.

Quantitative investigation reveals distinct phases in Drosophila sleep.

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model organism for the molecular and genetic dissection of sleeping behaviors. However, most previous studies were based on qualitative or semi-quantitative characterizations. Here we quantified sleep in flies. We set up an assay to continuously track the activity of flies using infrared camera, which monitored the movement of tens of flies simultaneously with high spatial and temporal resolution. We obtained accurate statistics regarding the rest and sleep patterns of single flies. Analysis of our data has revealed a general pattern of rest and sleep: the rest statistics obeyed a power law distribution and the sleep statistics obeyed an exponential distribution. Thus, a resting fly would start to move again with a probability that decreased with the time it has rested, whereas a sleeping fly would wake up with a probability independent of how long it had slept. Resting transits to sleeping at time scales of minutes. Our method allows quantitative investigations of resting and sleeping behaviors and our results provide insights for mechanisms of falling into and waking up from sleep.

A cleaner two-step synthesis of high purity diallyldimethylammonium chloride monomers for flocculant preparation.

In order to improve the flocculation efficiency of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC), high molecular weight PDADMAC should be prepared from high purity diallyldimethylammonium chloride(DADMAC) monomers. In this paper, a cleaner method with microwave irradiation and alkali solidification was proposed for preparing high pure DADMAC by selective heating under low temperature, and the prepared high purity DADMAC is characterized using FTIR and atomic absorption spectrometry. The new method provides a solution to the key technical problem of PDADMAC synthesis. Comparing with the conventional methods, the results showed that the advantages of the novel synthesis include: (a) high purity DADMAC is improved from 57% to 71%; (b) reaction time of tertiary amine preparation is shortened from 6 h to 7 min; (c) water instead of acetone was used as reaction medium; (d) toxic by-products, wastewater and waste gas are eliminated. Flocculant made from the synthesized high purity DADMAC monomers was proved more efficient in flocculation tests.

Effect of low molecular weight organic acids on phosphorus adsorption by ferric-alum water treatment residuals.

Effects of low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs; citric acid, oxalic acid and tartaric acid) on phosphorus (P) adsorption by ferric-alum water treatment residuals (FARs) were studied. Both batch and column experiments indicated that the effects of LMWOAs on P adsorption were closely related to adsorption time. Initially, all acids presented inhibitory function on P adsorption. The inhibition became weaker with time, eventually promoting P adsorption for citric acid and tartaric acid. In the column experiment with a 61-day duration, high P adsorption rates (>55%) were observed for the test groups containing citric acid and tartaric acid. Interestingly, higher pH likely enhanced P adsorption with the effects of LMWOAs and a distinct relationship between LMWOAs' effects on P adsorption and their concentrations was not observed. Moreover, fractionation of the adsorbed P from the FARs demonstrated that oxalic acid reduced P adsorption capacity, while citric acid and tartaric acid increased. Based on the forms of Fe and Al existing in the FARs and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses, LMWOAs can promote P adsorption through activating crystalline Fe/Al and preventing crystallization of amorphous Fe/Al to increase P adsorption sites, and can also inhibit P adsorption by competition with adsorption sites.

Enhancement of acidic dye biosorption capacity on poly(ethylenimine) grafted anaerobic granular sludge.

Developing a novel biosorbent with high capacity is crucial to remove dyes from waters in an efficient way. This study demonstrated that porous anaerobic granular sludge could be grafted with polyethylenimine (PEI), which definitely improved the sorption capacity towards Acid Red 18 (AR18) removal. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study revealed that the PEI modification introduced a large number of amino groups on the surface of sludge, and the amino groups played an important role in the adsorption of dye molecule. Analysis of sorption data using a Boyd plot confirms the film diffusion was the rate-limiting step. The equilibrium data were well fitted Langmuir model, with a maximum AR18 uptake of 520.52 mg/g. Removal of AR18 decreased with the increasing pH and the maximum color removal was observed at pH 2.0. The sorption energy calculated from Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm was found to be less than 8 for the biosorption of AR 18, which suggested that the biosorption processes of dye molecule onto modified anaerobic granules could be taken place by physical adsorption. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG(0), ΔH(0) and ΔS(0), were also calculated, which indicated that the present system was spontaneous and endothermic process.

Aerobic granulation for nitrogen removal via nitrite in a sequencing batch reactor and the emission of nitrous oxide.

In this study, the granulation of nitrifying-denitrifying via nitrite process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) as well as N(2)O emission patterns was investigated. After 60 days of operation, 0.8 mm granules were obtained, and partial nitrification was achieved after NH(4)(+)-N was raised to 350 mg/L. Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis indicated that a fairly large proportion of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was close to the surface but nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were rarely found. Batch experiments showed that 64.0% of NH(4)(+)-N in influent was transformed into NO(2)(-)-N, which showed the granules had excellent partial nitrification ability. Inhibition of free ammonia (FA) and limited DO diffusion within granules may contribute to the development and stabilization of partial nitrification. This process did not simultaneously lead to increased N(2)O production. N(2)O emissions at the anoxic and aerobic phases were 0.06 and 13.13 mg N(2)O/cycle, respectively.

Nitrate removal by microbial enhancement in a riparian wetland.

A riparian wetland (RW) was constructed in a river bend to study the effect of the addition of Bacillus subtilis FY99-01 on nitrate removal. Nitrate was removed more efficiently in the summer than in the winter owing to integrated hydraulic, microbial and environmental effects. The maximal nitrate removal and the mean nitrate loss rate in the RW were 36.1% and 50.5 g/m(2)/yr, respectively. Statistic analyses indicated that the redox potential was very significant to denitrification while organic matter in the outflow, temperature and nitrate in the inflow significantly affected nitrate removal. These results suggest that an RW can be a cost-effective approach to enhance microbial nitrate removal and can potentially be extended to similar river bends.

[Study on phosphorus(P) fixation in the sediment of lake using the clays modified by LaCl3].

14 kinds of clay modified by LaCl3 were prepared and their phosphorus(P) fixation was studied. The effect of pH on adsorption rate of P using kaolin modified by LaCl3 and dissolved concentration of La3+ from them were also discussed. The results showed that the fixation rates of P using clay modified by LaCl3 were improved to 52% - 95% from 3% - 14% using unmodified clay. The maximum adsorption rate of P using kaolin modified by LaCl3 was 94.85% on the pH value of 5. Under the condition of pH range from 4 to 8, the P adsorption rate was higher than 80%. When the pH value was higher than 6.5, the dissolved concentration of La3+ from the modified clay was lower than 0.017 8 mg/L.

[Atomic force microscope analysis of adsorption and flocculation behaviors of polydiallyldimethylammonium salts: influence of counterion].

High molecular weight polydiallyldimethylammonium nitrate (PDADMANO3) and polydiallyldimethylammonium sulfate (PDADMASO4) were prepared from polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC). The effects of univalent counterions (Cl-, ON3-) and bivalent counterion (SO4(2-) on solution, absorption and flocculation properties of polydiallyldimethylammonium salts (PDADMAX) were investigated by conductivity, reduced viscosity, atomic force microscopy (AFM), residual turbidity, distributions of zeta potential and flocculation index of kaolin suspension. The results show that different counterions possess significant effects on solution properties, absorption and flocculation behaviors of PDADMAX. PDADMANO3 shows stronger flocculation efficiency and "neutralization action", whereas PDADMASO4 shows the wider optimum dosage and larger floc size, as well as "bridging action". In particular, AFM image of single polyelectrolyte polymer is a valuable tool for the analysis of the absorption and flocculation mechanism of polyelectrolye.

Zirconia pillared montmorillonite for removal of arsenate from water.

Zirconia pillared montmorillonite, a clean adsorbent with increased specific areas of 40.118 m2/g and high basal spacing of 2.20 nm, was prepared for the removal of arsenate from water. Zirconia pillared montmorillonite is effective for the removal of arsenate. Adsorption is favored under acid conditions. Ca2+ and Mg2+ in the solution slightly enhance the adsorption. Over 95% removal was observed under natural pH conditions from 20 mg/L arsenate solutions containing 5.0 mg/L Ca2+ or Mg2+. High adsorption capacity of over 120 mg/g was observed from arsenate solutions with different Ca2+ concentrations. The Freundlich model can describe the adsorption equilibrium data well. The column test shows that the column allows the passage of the feeding solution for approximately 225 times the bed volume if the removal percentage of arsenate was monitored not to be lower than 98%. The adsorbed arsenate can be desorbed with NaOH and the desorption efficiency reaches 85% and 88% when the concentration of NaOH reaches 0.2 and 0.5 mol/L. Zirconia pillared montmorillonite can be regenerated and the regenerated adsorbents still have good adsorption capacities.