Biochar-supported magnesium oxide as high-efficient lead adsorbent with economical use of magnesium precursor.

With unique porous structure inherited from lignocellulose, biochar was an appropriate carrier for small-size MgO materials, which could simplify the synthetic process and better solve agglomeration and separation problems during adsorption. Biochar-supported MgO was prepared with impregnation method. Under different synthesis conditions, the obtained MgO presented diverse properties, and moderate pyrolysis condition was conducive to the improvement of Mg conversion rate. The Pb(II) capacity was highly correlated with Mg content, rather than the specific surface area. Reducing the pyrolysis temperature or increasing the usage of supporter could improve adsorption efficiency when using Mg content-normalized capacity as the criterion. The better release ability of Mg, contribute by the higher extent of hydration and better spread of MgO, were the critical factors. The maximal Mg content-normalized capacity could reach 0.932 mmol·mmol-Mg-1 with the mass ratio of biochar/MgCl2·6H2O = 4:1 at the pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C. Considering the ultimate utilization efficiency of Mg in precursor, the optimum Mg consumption-normalized capacity was 0.744 mmol·mmol-Mg-1 with the mass ratio of biochar/MgCl2·6H2O = 1:1 at 600 °C.

Economic affordable carbonized phenolic foam anode with controlled structure for microbial fuel cells.

In microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the anode electrode is a core structure as the catalytic area of exoelectrogens. The anode material for large-scale MFCs needs excellent bioelectrochemical performance and low fabrication costs. Herein, carbonized phenolic foam with controllable porous structures was developed as the bio-capacitor of MFCs. The proportion of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), which improved mixing and dissolution between the resin liquid and the foaming agent, was adjusted to form open pores on the foam film and skeletons, which promoted both the capacitance and biocompatibility of the anode. Within SDBS proportion from 0 to 1.2 wt%, the anode SPF-9 (0.9 wt%) obtained the best capacitance (37 ±â€¯0.13 F g-1), electrochemical active surface area (87 ±â€¯0.38 cm2) and hydrophilia (contact angle 79 ±â€¯0.2°). The MFCs with SPF-9 obtained the highest power density of 3980 ±â€¯178 mW m-2, while those of carbon-cloth anodes were 1600 ±â€¯28 mW m-2. The biofilm of SPF-9 also demonstrated higher activity and obtained larger abundance of exoelectrogens (68 ±â€¯0.38%). The increased capacitance and biocompatibility mainly resulted in the good performance of SPF-9. The carbonized phenolic foam anode material was worth considering for the future application of MFCs due to its superior electrochemical performance and large-quantity fabrication capability.

Bread-derived 3D macroporous carbon foams as high performance free-standing anode in microbial fuel cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising clean energy source to directly convert waste chemicals to available electric power. However, the practical application of MFCs needs the increased power density, enhanced energy conversion efficiency and reduced electrode material cost. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) macroporous N, P and S co-doped carbon foams (NPS-CFs) were prepared by direct pyrolysis of the commercial bread and employed as free-standing anodes in MFCs. As-obtained NPS-CFs have a large specific surface area (295.07 m2 g-1), high N, P and S doping level, and excellent electrical conductivity. A maximum areal power density of 3134 mW m-2 and current density of 7.56 A m-2 are generated by the MFCs equipped with as-obtained NPS-CF anodes, which is 2.57- and 2.63-fold that of the plain carbon cloth anodes (areal power density of 1218 mW m-2 and current density of 2.87 A m-2), respectively. Such improvement is explored to mainly originate from two respects: the good biocompatibility of NPS-CFs favors the bacterial adhesion and enrichment of electroactive Geobacter species on the electrode surface, while the high conductivity and improved bacteria-electrode interaction efficiently promote the extracellular electron transfer (EET) between the bacteria and the anode. This study provides a low-cost and sustainable way to fabricate high power MFCs for practical applications.

Bioaccessibility and exposure assessment of trace metals from urban airborne particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in simulated digestive fluid.

We describe a batch-extraction with simulated digestive fluid (salivary fluid, gastric fluid and intestinal fluid) to estimate the bioaccessibility of inhaled trace metals (TMs) in particulate matter less than 10 and 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10 and PM2.5). Concentrations of the assayed TMs (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Mn, Cu, Zn, Sb, Hg and Pb) were determined in PM10 and PM2.5 samples by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The TMs with the largest soluble fractions for airborne PM collected from winter and summer in saliva were Mn and Sb, respectively; in seasons this became Co in gastric fluid and Cu in intestinal fluid. Clearly, bioaccessibility is strongly dependent on particle size, the component of simulated digestive fluids (e.g., pH, digestive enzymes pepsin and trypsin), and the chemical properties of metal ions. The particle size and seasonal variation affected the inhaled bioaccessible fraction of PM-bound TMs during mucociliary clearance, which transported PM from the tracheal and the bronchial region to the digestive system. This study provides direct evidence for TMs in airborne PM being bioaccessible TMs are likely to possess an enhanced digestive toxic potential due to airborne PM pollution.

A Spatial-Temporal Method to Detect Global Influenza Epidemics Using Heterogeneous Data Collected from the Internet.

The 2009 influenza pandemic teaches us how fast the influenza virus could spread globally within a short period of time. To address the challenge of timely global influenza surveillance, this paper presents a spatial-temporal method that incorporates heterogeneous data collected from the Internet to detect influenza epidemics in real time. Specifically, the influenza morbidity data, the influenza-related Google query data and news data, and the international air transportation data are integrated in a multivariate hidden Markov model, which is designed to describe the intrinsic temporal-geographical correlation of influenza transmission for surveillance purpose. Respective models are built for 106 countries and regions in the world. Despite that the WHO morbidity data are not always available for most countries, the proposed method achieves 90.26 to 97.10 percent accuracy on average for real-time detection of global influenza epidemics during the period from January 2005 to December 2015. Moreover, experiment shows that, the proposed method could even predict an influenza epidemic before it occurs with 89.20 percent accuracy on average. Timely international surveillance results may help the authorities to prevent and control the influenza disease at the early stage of a global influenza pandemic.

Exposure and health risk assessment of PM2.5-bound trace metals during winter in university campus in Northeast China.

In order to better understand the risk to students' health caused by pollution derived from fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5mm (PM2.5), this study collected 189 samples in one outdoor and four different functional indoor environments of a research center in a university campus. Trace metals (TMs) bound to PM2.5 in outdoor and indoor environments were measured using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The TMs measured were: As, Co, Cd, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn, Hg, and Pb. The measurements of PM2.5-bound TMs before and during the 2015 Spring Festival held in Northeast China were compared. Results showed that pollution due to PM2.5-bound TMs in outdoor and indoor environments was higher before than during the Spring Festival. Cu (in three indoor environments) and Zn (in an outdoor environment) showed the highest concentrations among the ten TMs that were measured. Hg showed the lowest concentrations in all the environments analyzed. The concentrations of PM2.5-bound TMs declined among four indoor environments in the following order: the atrium, the students' office (sampled just nine days before the Spring Festival), the laboratory, and an empty room. The potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks derived from PM2.5-bound TMs were within safe limits for graduate and undergraduate students, according to the standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

Trace metals in resuspended fraction of settled bus dust and assessment of non-occupational exposure.

Trace metals (TMs) within urban public transportation systems have rarely been studied and information on related health risks is scant. This study measured TM (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, nickel, zinc, copper and lead) concentrations in resuspended fractions of settled bus dust in Harbin, China, and estimated the exposure and health risks. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for commuters was estimated for TM exposures. The average concentration of total TMs was 559µg/g (ranges from 312 to 787) among 45 bus routes in Harbin. The hazard quotient of three selected commuter groups increased in the following order: teenagersdermal contact>inhalation.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of organic contaminant concentrations and ecological risk assessment in the Songhua River, China.

To control source pollution and improve water quality, an understanding of the spatiotemporal characteristics of organic contaminant concentrations in affected receiving waters is necessary. The Songhua River in northeast China is the country's third-largest domestic river and loadings of organic contaminants along an industrialized section have made it the focal point of a national pollution reduction plan. In addition to water quality issues, management of the Songhua River basin must also address local economic development, aquatic ecosystem sustainability and political relationships with Russia. In three periods spanning 2006 to 2010, eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and eight phenols were measured in surface waters at ten monitoring sites along the river. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to characterize water quality at different sites and time periods. Chemical concentrations of the organic compounds showed significant sinusoidal seasonal patterns and the concentrations declined significantly from 2006 to 2010, possibly due to management practices designed to control water pollution. A critical body residue analysis showed that water concentrations measured during the winter of 2007 across all monitoring sites, but especially at S1-Shaokou and S2-Songhuajiangcun, presented a high risk for fish species. The spatiotemporal characteristics of water quality and estimated ecological risks shown here add to the body of knowledge to develop policies on industrial output and pollution management strategies for the Songhua River basin.

Assessment on the occupational exposure of urban public bus drivers to bioaccessible trace metals through resuspended fraction of settled bus dust.

Limited information is available on the bioaccessible fraction of trace metals in the resuspended fraction of settled bus dust in order to estimate bus drivers' occupational exposure. In this study, 45 resuspended fraction of settled dust samples were collected from gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses and analyzed for trace metals and their fraction concentrations using a three-step sequential extraction procedure. Experimental results showed that zinc (Zn) had the greatest bioaccessible fraction, recorded as an average of 608.53 mg/kg, followed in order of decreasing concentration by 129.80 mg/kg lead (Pb), 56.77 mg/kg copper (Cu), 34.03 mg/kg chromium (Cr), 22.05 mg/kg nickel (Ni), 13.17 mg/kg arsenic (As) and 2.77 mg/kg cadmium (Cd). Among the three settled bus dust exposure pathways, ingestion was the main route. Total exposure hazard index (HIt) for non-carcinogenic effect trace metals was lower than the safety level of 1. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for drivers was estimated for trace metal exposure. Pb and Ni presented relatively high potential risks in the non-carcinogenic and potentially carcinogenic health assessment for all drivers. ILCR was in the range of 1.84E-05 to 7.37E-05 and 1.74E-05 to 6.95E-05 for gasoline and CNG buses, respectively.

A horizontal plug flow and stackable pilot microbial fuel cell for municipal wastewater treatment.

An application-oriented stackable horizontal MFC (SHMFC) was designed and proved to be capable for sewage treatment and simultaneously energy recovery. The system consisted of multiple stackable 250L modules, which is the largest single MFC module by far. Domestic wastewater was fed into SHMFC in horizontal advection. During the stable operation period, a maximum current 0.435±0.010A in each module was observed under the external resistance of 1Ω and the maximum power density was 116mW. The effluent COD was 70±17mgL(-1) with a removal rate of 79±7% and the effluent TN was 13±3mgL(-1) with a removal rate of 71±8%. From the comparison between SHMFC module (250L) and 4-cm cubic MFC (28mL), the internal resistance distribution changes and the contact resistance becomes assignable and even limiting factor in the enlargement.

Monitoring epidemic alert levels by analyzing Internet search volume.

The prevention of infectious diseases is a global health priority area. The early detection of possible epidemics is the first and important defense line against infectious diseases. However, conventional surveillance systems, e.g., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rely on clinical data. The CDC publishes the surveillance results weeks after epidemic outbreaks. To improve the early detection of epidemic outbreaks, we designed a syndromic surveillance system to predict the epidemic trends based on disease-related Google search volume. Specifically, we first represented the epidemic trend with multiple alert levels to reduce the noise level. Then, we predicted the epidemic alert levels using a continuous density HMM, which incorporated the intrinsic characteristic of the disease transmission for alert level estimation. Respective models are built to monitor both national and regional epidemic alert levels of the U.S. The proposed system can provide real-time surveillance results, which are weeks before the CDC's reports. This paper focusses on monitoring the infectious disease in the U.S., however, we believe similar approach may be used to monitor epidemics for the developing countries as well.

Application of nitrogen-doped carbon powders as low-cost and durable cathodic catalyst to air-cathode microbial fuel cells.

Given few in-depth studies available on the application of nitrogen-doped carbon powders (NDCP) to air-cathode microbial fuel cells (ACMFCs), a low-cost and durable catalyst of NDCP was prepared and used as cathodic catalyst of ACMFCs. Compared to the untreated carbon powders, the N-doped treatment significantly increased the maximum power density (MPD) of ACMFC. A two-step pretreatment of heat treatment and hydrochloric acid immersion can further obviously increase the MPD. With a reasonably large loading of catalyst, the MPD of NDCP based ACMFC was comparable to that of carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) based ACMFC, while the cost was dramatically reduced. The pretreatment increased the key nitrogen functional groups, pyridinic-like and pyrrolic-like nitrogen. A third new key nitrogen functional group, nitrogen oxide, was discovered and the mechanism of its contribution was explained. Compared to the inherent deterioration problem of Pt/C, NDCP exhibited high stability and was superior for long-term operation of ACMFCs.

Pretreatment of apramycin wastewater by catalytic wet air oxidation.

The pretreatment technology of wet air oxidation (WAO) and coagulation and acidic hydrolysis for apramycin wastewater was investigated in this paper. The COD, apramycin, NH4+ concentration, and the ratio of BOD5/COD were analyzed, and the color and odor of the effluent were observed. WAO of apramycin wastewater, without catalyst and with RuO2/Al2O3 and RuO2-CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts, was carried out at degradation temperature of 200 degrees C and the total pressure of 4 MPa in a 1 L batch reactor. The result showed that the apramycin removals were respectively 50.2% and 55.0%, COD removals were 40.0% and 46.0%, and the ratio of BOD5/COD was increased to 0.49 and 0.54 with RuO2/Al2O3 and RuO2-CeO2/Al2O3 catalysts in catylytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) after the reaction of 150 min. With the pretreatment of coagulation and acidic hydrolysis, COD and apramycin removals were slight decreased, and the ratio of BOD5/COD was increased to 0.45, and the effluents was not suitable to biological treatment. The color and odor of the wastewater were effectively controlled and the reaction time was obviously shortened with WAO. HO2 may promote organic compounds oxidized in WAO of the apramycin wastewater. The addition of CeO2 could promote the activity and stability of RuO2/Al2O3 in WAO of apramycin wastewater.