Novel insight into high solid anaerobic digestion of swine manure after thermal treatment: Kinetics and microbial community properties.

Compared to traditional anaerobic digestion (AD), high solid anaerobic digestion (HSAD) had the advantages of small digester, low heating energy and less digestate. However, the methane production was poor. In our previous study, thermal treatment (70 ±â€¯1 °C, 3 days) without any dilution could satisfactorily enhance the methane production rate of HSAD by up to 39.5%. However, effects of solid content on HSAD after thermal treatment were not yet studied. In this study, HSAD was conducted at 11.7-17.6% solid content, and the control experiment was conducted at low solid content (4.4% solid content). Results showed that HSAD's methane production rate was the highest at 11.7% solid content (158 mL CH4/g VS), and could reach up to 89.2% of that at 4.4% solid content. The utilization of organics was revealed by kinetics analysis that the readily biodegradable organics could be utilized at increasing solid content with decreasing hydrolysis rate. Furthermore, it was notable that methylotrophic methanogens predominated in HSAD with the abundance of 82.6%. This was quite unique from the general belief that AD system was usually dominated by acetoclastic or hydrogenotrophic methanogenic pathways. In this study, the microbial community structure of HSAD after thermal treatment was firstly studied, its unique specific methanogenic pathways was firstly revealed.

The role of plant uptake in total phosphorous and total nitrogen removal in vegetated bioretention cells using vetiver and cattail.

Bioretention cells have emerged as a prominent strategy for mitigating pollutant loads within urban stormwater runoff. This study delves into the role of plant uptake in the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds within these systems. Three bioretention cells-CP, P1, and P2-were constructed using local soil, C33 sand, and gravel. CP served as the unvegetated control, while P1 and P2 were vegetated with vetiver and cattail, respectively. The removal efficiencies of NO3⁻-N, NH3⁻-N, NO2⁻-N, TN, TP, and COD from rainwater were evaluated under saturated and unsaturated conditions. The unvegetated control reactor (CP) achieved TN and TP removal rates of 40.44% and 82.52%, respectively. Reactor P1 (vetiver) demonstrated TN and TP removal rates of 62.92% and 97.19%, respectively. Reactor P2 (cattail) showed TN and TP removal rates of 49.71% and 87.78%, respectively. With the introduction of a saturation zone, TN removal efficiencies increased to 51.69%, 89.22%, and 79.91% for CP, P1, and P2, respectively. However, TP removal efficiencies decreased to 74.81%, 95.04%, and 84.58% for CP, P1, and P2, respectively. Plant tissue uptake tests indicated that vetiver could retain 5 times more TN and twice as much TP compared to cattail. This enhanced performance is attributed to vetiver's high photosynthetic potential as a C4 plant, resilience to varying environmental and nutrient conditions, extensive root network, secretion of oil sesquiterpenes from its root cortex, and the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which secrete glomalin, a substance that promotes water retention and nutrient uptake. Findings from this study indicate that the efficacy of traditional bioretention cells can be augmented through the strategic selection and integration of locally adapted plant species, coupled with the incorporation of saturation zones, to enhance pollutant removal capabilities and resilience to drought conditions.

[Research Progress on Production and Emission of CH4 and N2O from Urban Rivers].

Methane （CH4） and nitrous oxide （N2O） are concerning greenhouse gases. Urban rivers have been important emission sources of CH4 and N2O in recent years. It is meaningful for city greenhouse gas reduction to provide a systematic analysis of spatiotemporal characteristics, mechanisms, and influencing factors of the production and emission of CH4 and N2O from urban rivers. This study combed measured data of urban river CH4 and N2O dissolution concentrations and emission fluxes from related literature published in the past 20 years and also concluded the spatiotemporal characteristics of urban river CH4 and N2O emissions. This study estimated that CH4 and N2O emissions （expressed by CO2-eq） from urban rivers in Beijing were 234.63 and 59.53 Gg CO2-eq in 2018, whereas CH4 and N2O emissions （expressed by CO2-eq） from urban rivers in Shanghai were 159.86 and 260.24 Gg CO2-eq in 2018, respectively. These results demonstrated that urban rivers have become important CH4 and N2O emission sources. This study summarized the production/consumption processes and import/export pathways of CH4 and N2O in urban rivers. What is more, this study discussed the main influencing factors of urban river CH4 and N2O production and emissions from the perspectives of river environmental conditions and urbanization effects. At last, the present work prospected the future research trends of urban river CH4 and N2O emissions and provides urban rivers with scientific support for greenhouse gas reduction.

Characteristics of antibiotic resistance gene distribution in rainfall runoff and combined sewer overflow.

Rainfall runoff and combined sewer overflow (CSO) converge with organic waste, nutrients, and microbes from the ground and wastewater. These pollutants promote the spread and transformation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, four rainfall runoff and one CSO outfall were chosen, and samples were collected to explore the occurrence and distribution of ARGs. The ARGs were extracted from suspended solids and analyzed using metagenomic sequencing. A total of 888 ARG subtypes, belonging to 17 ARG types, were detected in all samples. Eleven ARG types were shared by all the samples. Multidrug resistance genes had the highest relative abundance. Their total relative abundance reached 1.07 ratio (ARG copy number/16S rRNA gene copy number) and comprised 46.6% of all the ARGs. In all samples, the CSO outfall had the highest total relative abundance (8.25 × 10-1 ratio) of ARGs, with a ratio ranging ND (not detected)-3.78 × 10-1 ratio. Furthermore, the relationship between ARG types and environmental factors was determined using redundancy analysis. The results showed that chemical organic demand (COD) and bacterial abundance were positively correlated with most ARG types, including multidrug, bacitracin, aminoglycoside, ß-lactam, tetracycline, and sulfonamide. NH3-N, TN, and TP were positively correlated with rifamycin, fosmidomycin, and vancomycin resistance genes. The relationship among the ARG subtypes was investigated using network analyses. The multidrug resistance gene subtypes had the highest frequency of co-occurrence. This study provides insights into the occurrence and distribution of ARGs under non-point source pollution and may contribute to the control of ARGs.

Non-uniform dissolved oxygen distribution and high sludge concentration enhance simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in a novel air-lifting reactor for municipal wastewater treatment: A pilot-scale study.

Achieving simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal with sludge-liquid separation in a single reactor offers a solution to land shortages and improves treatment efficiency in municipal wastewater treatment plants of megacities. This study proposes a novel air-lifting continuous-flow reactor configuration with an alternative-aeration strategy that creates multi-functional zones for anoxic, oxic, and settlement processes. The optimal operating conditions for the reactor include a long anoxic hydraulic retention time, low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the oxic zone, and no specific reflux for external nitrifying liquid, which exhibit a high nitrogen removal efficiency of over 90% in treating real sewage with C/N < 4 in the pilot-scale study. Results show that a high sludge concentration and a low DO concentration facilitate simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, and a well mixing of sludge and substrate in different reaction zones promotes mass transfer and microbial activity. The long-term operation enriches functional microbes for carbon storage and nutrient removal.

Microbial community and antibiotic resistance gene distribution in food waste, anaerobic digestate, and paddy soil.

The study assessed the occurrence and distribution of microbial community and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in food waste, anaerobic digestate, and paddy soil samples, and revealed the potential hosts of ARGs and factors influencing their distribution. A total of 24 bacterial phyla were identified, of which 16 were shared by all samples, with Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria accounting for 65.9-92.3 % of the total bacterial community. Firmicutes was the most abundant bacteria in food waste and digestate samples, accounting for 33-83 % of the total microbial community. However, in paddy soil samples with digestate, Proteobacteria had the highest relative abundance of 38-60 %. Further, 22 ARGs were detected in food waste and digestate samples, with multidrug, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin (MLS), bacitracin, aminoglycoside, tetracycline, vancomycin, sulfonamide, and rifamycin resistance genes being the most abundant and shared by all samples. The highest total relative abundance of ARGs in food waste, digestate, and soil without and with digestate was detected in samples from January 2020, May 2020, October 2019, and May 2020, respectively. The MLS, vancomycin, tetracycline, aminoglycoside, and sulfonamide resistance genes had higher relative abundance in food waste and anaerobic digestate samples, whereas multidrug, bacteriocin, quinolone, and rifampin resistance genes were more abundant in paddy soil samples. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that aminoglycoside, tetracycline, sulfonamide, and rifamycin resistance genes were positively correlated with total ammonia nitrogen and pH of food waste and digestate samples. Vancomycin, multidrug, bacitracin, and fosmidomycin resistance genes had positive correlations with potassium, moisture, and organic matter in soil samples. The co-occurrence of ARG subtypes with bacterial genera was investigated using network analysis. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteria were identified as potential hosts of multidrug resistance genes.

[Temporal and Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Runoff Pollution in Langfang City].

Urban runoff pollution can carry pollutants into the receiving water through scouring and leaching, causing black color and odor or eutrophication. Understanding and mastering the characteristics of runoff pollution is a prerequisite for the effective control of runoff pollution. This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of runoff pollution and the correlation between pollutants in the urban area of Langfang City. Rainfall runoff samples were collected seven times by setting up 14 sampling sites within the urban area. The suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), N, P, fecal E. coli, anionic surfactants, volatile phenols, and Zn, Cr6+, As, Cu, etc. were analyzed. The source and distribution of pollutants were summarized and analyzed through principal component analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed that the concentration of pollutants in runoff in Langfang City varied greatly at different times and locations. The average ρ(SS) at each point ranged from 150-500 mg·L-1, and the average concentrations of COD, N, P, and fecal E. coli all exceeded those of the surface water standard Ⅴ. The average concentration of anionic surfactants, petroleum, and volatile phenols were between those of the surface water standard Ⅰ and standard Ⅳ. The concentrations of metal pollutants were relatively low. NH4+-N had a positive correlation with total nitrogen (TN), volatile phenols, and As. COD had a certain positive correlation with TN, total phosphorus (TP), Cr6+, and As, whereas fecal E. coli had a certain negative correlation with Zn and Cu. The organic matter, P, Cu, and SS were probably derived from vehicle tires and road surfaces. All sampling sites could be roughly divided into four types according to the features of pollution:mainly commercial service areas, residential areas, larger arterial roads, and small roads between communities. The pollution of runoff in Langfang City was relatively serious, especially that of COD, N, and P. This research provides important reference values for the control and regulation of runoff pollution in urban areas and other northern cities.

[Effects of Microplastic Exposure on Crucian Growth, Liver Damage, and Gut Microbiome Composition].

Microplastics (MPs), which are widely present in the natural environment, may be harmful to the growth and health of aquatic organisms, though studies in this area are lacking. In this study, the crucian carp (Carassius carassius), a type of omnivorous freshwater fish, was chosen as the target, which was fed with fish food containing different concentrations of MPs for a 30-day food exposure experiment to study the effects of MPs on crucian growth, liver damage, and gut microbiome composition. Compared with that in the control group, the body length of the crucians in the environmental groups did not change significantly. The weight of the crucians in the low PE-MPs group increased significantly, but the weight of crucians in the medium and high PE-MPs groups decreased markedly. The liver tissues of the low PE-MPs group of crucians were basically normal, whereas crucians in the medium and high PE-MPs groups had varying degrees of liver damage, and crucians in the high PE-MPs group had the most serious liver damage. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroides were the dominant species in the gut of the crucians. Pathogens such as Staphylococcus and Ralstonia were present in the crucian gut of environmental groups. Alpha diversity results showed that the gut microbiome of crucians in the high PE-MPs group was the most abundant. PCoA results indicated that the gut microbiome of crucians in the control and environmental groups had obvious clustering characteristics.

[Spatial Variation and Potential Sources of Microplastics in Rivers in Tongzhou District, Beijing].

Microplastics are emerging contaminants, which can also absorb other contaminants, threatening the health of river ecosystems. However, research on the pollution of microplastics in rivers in northern China is still lacking. In this study, based on the sampling and analysis of water samples in 19 sites in six rivers in Tongzhou district, Beijing, the composition, spatial variation, and potential sources of microplastics were explored. The results showed that all sites were contaminated by microplastics, and the abundance of microplastics in the Xiaozhong River was the highest among all sites (3.50×104 n·m-3), which was 4.04 times that in the Yunchaojian River. The proportion of microplastics with particle sizes smaller than 2000 µm was 90.49%, and microplastics with particle sizes larger than 4000 µm were only found in two out of 19 sampling sites. The microplastics were fiber, film, fragment, and granule shaped. The proportion of fiber microplastics was the highest (90.23%) among all shapes. Most (84.29%) of the microplastics were transparent and blue. Rayon was the most common microplastic in each site, and its proportion in each site was over 66.67%. The proportions of other types of microplastics differed largely among different sites. Spatially, the abundance and types of microplastics in the upper reaches were higher than those in the lower reaches. According to spatial variations in shapes, types, colors, and abundance of microplastics, the potential sources of microplastics were identified. The potential sources of fiber microplastics were washing clothing and using fishing gear and dust-proof nets.

[Correlation Analysis among Environmental Antibiotic Resistance Genes Abundance, Antibiotics Concentrations, and Heavy Metals Concentrations Based on Web of Science Searches].

Antibiotics and heavy metals are both important environmental pollutants and selective stressors for antibiotic resistance. However, the impact of their environmental concentrations on antibiotic resistance levels is still unclear. In this paper, research published before 2019 reporting the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs), antibiotics concentrations, or heavy metal concentrations were extracted from the Web of Science database, and then statistical regression was used to investigate their correlative association. The results show that antibiotic selection pressure has a statistically significant effect on the increase in the abundance of ARGs in environmental media such as surface water, sediment, and soil, even at very low antibiotic concentrations(P<0.05). Different classes of antibiotics show different potential to select and enrich ARGs. Heavy metals and the interaction between antibiotics and heavy metals also have significant effects on ARG transmission(P<0.05). Multivariate statistical regression models can better explain the variance of ARG abundance, with R2 values for the water phase and solid phase environmental samples of 0.482 and 0.707 respectively, which are much higher than those achieved using univariate regression models. However, additional environmental factors not included may also affect ARG abundance. The results of this work provide a basis for the evaluation and control of environmental antibiotic resistance.

Residual ozone in microorganisms enhanced organics removal and shaped microbial community.

The residual ozone played an important role in enhancing the organics removal by stimulate subsequent biological processes. However, how the residual ozone affects the biological process is not well studied. In this work, a pilot scale integrated O3-BAF, ordinary BAF and separated O3-BAF were compared in advanced treatment of real bio-treated petrochemical wastewater. Results showed that residual ozone with 0.05-0.10 mg L-1 in the BAF demonstrated relatively high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 48.4%, which was 1.5-fold higher than that obtained by separated O3-BAF and 3-fold higher than that obtained by ordinary BAF. The stimulative effect of low dosage of O3 on biological treatment additionally donated 33.9% of the COD removal in the BAF. The COD removal amount per dosage of ozone reached 5.30 mg-COD/mg-O3. The biofilm thickness in the integrated O3-BAF was reduced by 30-50% while the dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was improved by 500%, indicating the stimulate effect on the bioactivity. Additionally, Illumina HiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons demonstrated significant microbial diversity decreasing. Specially, Gemmatimonadetes and Bacteroidetes are the dominate microorganism in the integrated O3-BAF, having a positive correlation with the proper residual ozone, and increased by 5.4% and 4.2% in comparison with the separated O3-BAF, respectively. The residual ozone higher than 0.22 mg L-1 showed inhibition effect on the bioactivity. In summary, the control of residual ozone introduced to BAF was crucial for stimulative effects and manager the microbial community in the integrated O3-BAF, which still need further detail research.

[Composition and Distribution of Microplastics in the Water and Sediments of Urban Rivers in Beijing].

It has been confirmed that microplastics widely exist in the natural environment, causing potential harm to organisms and humans. An investigation into the occurrence of microplastics is helpful to understand the level of pollution of microplastics in urban rivers and sediments. In this study, eight sampling points of water samples and three of sediments samples were placed along the North Canal and Huaihe River in Beijing, to compare the composition and distribution characteristics of the abundance, particle size, color, shape, and species of microplastics. The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in the water and sediments of the North Canal were(1941±201)-(8155±1781) n·m-3(n refers to the number of microplastics) and (120±11)-(268±31) n·kg-1, respectively. The average abundance of microplastics in the water of the North Canal was 4160 n·m-3. Compared with the North Canal, the pollution degree of microplastics in the Huaihe River was lower with an average abundance of 2357 n·m-3. Furthermore, the abundance of microplastics in the water and sediments in the upper reaches of the North Canal was higher than that in the lower reaches. No significant difference of microplastics distribution was observed in the water of the Huaihe River on the whole; however, there was a marked difference in abundance between the two distant locations. The main particle size range of microplastics at all site points was<300 µm, and mostly white/transparent(50.75%-83.91%); the main shape were fragments(50.00%-95.08%) and fibers(3.86%-30.00%). Polyurethane(PU) and ethylene vinyl acetate(EVA) were two main plastic species found at all sites. Microplastics in the water and sediments of the North Canal might have originated from urban construction and development, while the surrounding villages might have only affected the abundance of microplastics in the Huaihe River.

An autotrophic nitrogen removal process: short-cut nitrification combined with ANAMMOX for treating diluted effluent from an UASB reactor fed by landfill leachate.

A combined process consisting of a short-cut nitrification (SN) reactor and an anaerobic ammonium oxidation upflow anaerobic sludge bed (ANAMMOX) reactor was developed to treat the diluted effluent from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor treating high ammonium municipal landfill leachate. The SN process was performed in an aerated upflow sludge bed (AUSB) reactor (working volume 3.05 L), treating about 50% of the diluted raw wastewater. The ammonium removal efficiency and the ratio of NO2- -N to NOx- -N in the effluent were both higher than 80%, at a maximum nitrogen loading rate of 1.47 kg/(m3 x ay). The ANAMMOX process was performed in an UASB reactor (working volume 8.5 L), using the mix of SN reactor effluent and diluted raw wastewater at a ratio of 1:1. The ammonium and nitrite removal efficiency reached over 93% and 95%, respectively, after 70-day continuous operation, at a maximum total nitrogen loading rate of 0.91 kg/(m3 x day), suggesting a successful operation of the combined process. The average nitrogen loading rate of the combined system was 0.56 kg/(m3 x day), with an average total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency 87%. The nitrogen in the effluent was mostly nitrate. The results provided important evidence for the possibility of applying SN-ANAMMOX after UASB reactor to treat municipal landfill leachate.

[Effects of Temperature and Substrate Concentration on N2O Release of ANAMMOX Process].

The greenhouse gas N2O is released during the biological nitrogen removal process. ANAMMOX (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) is regarded as a promising nitrogen removal process for treating municipal wastewater, and the N2O emission patterns and mechanisms need further investigation. In this study, batch tests were performed to study the release of N2O at different temperatures and substrate concentrations, and the microbial mechanisms of N2O emission were discussed. The results showed that the increase of the influent substrate concentration of the ANAMMOX process promoted the release of N2O. At 35℃, when the influent nitrite increased from 40 mg·L-1 to 60 mg·L-1, 120 mg·L-1, the maximum accumulated concentration of N2O increased from 0.5 mg·L-1 to 1.5 mg·L-1 and 2.4 mg·L-1, accounting for 0.85%, 1.43%, and 1.11% of the total nitrogen removal, respectively. Lowering temperature had an obvious inhibitory effect on ANAMMOX activity. The specific ANAMMOX activity at 15℃ was only 6% of that at 30℃. Furthermore, the intracellular ATP concentration was reduced. At 15℃, the intracellular ATP concentration was 4% of that at 30℃. The decrease in temperature led to a decrease in the release of N2O in the ANAMMOX process. When the temperature decreased, the denitrification rate would decrease, leading to a lower N2O production rate and lower N2O accumulation. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that ANAMMOX bacteria Candidatus Brocadia and Ca. Jettenia were enriched, accounting for 6.9%-13.8% and 1.4%-2.6% of microbial community, respectively. Abundant heterotrophic bacteria were also found in the microbial community. The accumulation of N2O in the ANAMMOX process was mainly attributed to denitrifying bacteria producing and consuming N2O. This study provides support for controlling N2O emission during the ANAMMOX process for treating municipal wastewater.

Development of a dynamic feeding strategy for continuous-flow aerobic granulation and nitrogen removal in a modified airlift loop reactor for municipal wastewater treatment.

This study investigated the aerobic sludge granulation and nitrogen removal performance in a modified airlift loop reactor treating municipal wastewater under different operation conditions. Dynamic feeding and aeration control were applied to create feast/famine conditions to facilitate microbial aggregation. Experimental results demonstrated that aerobic granular sludge could be cultivated in continuous-flow reactors fed with an optimized dynamic feeding condition. Fresh granules sizing 0.4-0.6 mm were observed in the reactors after a 61-day operation, then turned to matured granules after another 33-day operation with a compact structure, a stable size of 2-4 mm, and a low SVI of ~35 mL/g. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) analysis results showed that both EPS contents and the ratio of protein to polysaccharides increased with the granulation process, leading to an increase of cell hydrophobicity. Granular sludge exhibited a good nitrogen removal ability with a comparable level of specific nitrification rate and denitrification rate with those measured in state-of-the-art sequential batch reactors. Microbial population analysis showed an increase in the relative abundance of functional microbes, including Zoogloea, Nitrospira, Dechloromonas, and Thauera in the cultivated granules, suggesting a potentially crucial role of these microbes in sludge granulation and nitrogen removal. The dynamic feeding strategy and the reactor configuration are considered as critical factors for aerobic granulation under continuous-flow conditions for creating feast/famine conditions and allow sludge backflow without structure damage.

[Spatial Distribution of Nitrogen Metabolism Functional Genes of Eubacteria and Archaebacteria in Dianchi Lake].

Nitrogen metabolism plays an important role in the nitrogen cycle and transformation in Dianchi Lake. Not only do eukaryotes participate in nitrogen transformation but prokaryotes, as the main drivers of the nitrogen cycle, also play an extremely important role in the nitrogen cycle. Based on 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology, 13 sites in Caohai and Waihai of Dianchi Lake were monitored, and PICRUSt function analysis method was adopted to analyze the microbial community diversity and key genes of nitrogen metabolism in Dianchi Lake. Bacteria belonging to 35 phyla and 427 genera were found in Dianchi Lake water and mainly included Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Archaea had 14 phyla and 61 genera and mainly belonged to Euryarchaeota. The overall bacterial richness index of Dianchi Lake was higher than that of archaea, and the bacterial diversity index of Caohai was higher than that of Waihai. Functional prediction showed functional richness of bacteria and archaea. There were 35 KO pathways involved in nitrogen metabolism in bacteria, including key genes such as nitrogenous nitrate-reducing gene nirB, nitric oxide reductase gene norB in denitrification, and nitroreductase gene nasK. There were 23 KO pathways involved in nitrogen metabolism in archaea, involving nifH, nifK, and nifD nitrogenase genes in nitrogen fixation. The copy number of nitrogenase genes was significantly higher than that of other nitrogenase genes. The copy number of nitrogen-fixing genes of archaea was higher than that of bacteria, the nitrogen metabolism capacity of archaea in Caohai was higher than that in Waihai, and the potential of nitrogen-fixation of archaea in Dianchi Lake water was higher than that of bacteria. From the perspective of community structure and function prediction of bacteria and archaea, this study discussed the differences of nitrogen cycle in bacteria and archaea in different areas of Dianchi Lake and provided a decision basis for water environment management in Dianchi Lake.

Study of an enhanced dry anaerobic digestion of swine manure: Performance and microbial community property.

Anaerobic digestion could treat organic wastes and recovery energy. Dry anaerobic digestion had advantages of low heating energy, small digester and less digestate, but its methane production was poor. In this study, an enhanced dry anaerobic digestion of swine manure (thermal treatment + dry anaerobic digestion) was proposed, and its feasibility was investigated via semi-continuous experiment. Results showed that methane production rates were 314.6, 416.0, 298.0 and 69.9 mL CH4/g VS at solid retention time (SRT) of 41 d, 35 d, 29 d and 23 d. Volatile solids (VS) removal rate and methane production rate could reached 71.4% and 416.0 mL CH4/g VS respectively at SRT of 35 d. Methane production rate of the enhanced dry anaerobic digestion was 390% higher than that of dry anaerobic digestion. Microbial study indicated that hydrogenotrophic methanogens predominated with the abundance of 90.2%, while acetoclastic methanogens were not detected. This process was feasible, and was of great practical importance.

Diversity of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in a granular sludge anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) reactor.

The ammonium-oxidizing microbial community was investigated in a granular sludge anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) reactor that was operated for about 1 year with high anaerobic ammonium oxidation activity (up to 0.8 kg NH(4)(+)-N m(-3) day(-1)). A Planctomycetales-specific 16S rRNA gene library was constructed to analyse the diversity of the anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB). Most of the specifically amplified sequences (15/16) were similar to each other (> 99%) but were distantly related to all of the previously recognized sequences (< 94%), with the exception of an unclassified anammox-related clone, KSU-1 (98%). An ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene library was also analysed to investigate the diversity of 'aerobic' ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AAOB) from the beta-Proteobacteria. Most of the amoA gene fragments (53/55) clustered in the Nitrosomonas europaea-Nitrosococcus mobilis group which has been reported to prevail under oxygen-limiting conditions. The quantitative results from real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification showed that the dominant AnAOB comprised approximately 50% of the total bacterial 16S rRNA genes in the reactor, whereas the AAOB of beta-Proteobacteria represented only about 3%. A large fragment (4008 bp) of the rRNA gene cluster of the dominant AnAOB (AS-1) in this reactor sludge was sequenced and compared with sequences of other Planctomycetales including four anammox-related candidate genera. The partial sequence of hydrazine-oxidizing enzyme (hzo) of dominant AnAOB was also identified using new designed primers. Based on this analysis, we propose to tentatively name this new AnAOB Candidatus'Jettenia asiatica'.

[Mechanisms and Efficiencies of Removal of PPCPs by Pilot River Water Bypass Treatment Process].

The pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) released into urban rivers are triggering certain ecological risks. The current study investigated the removal efficiencies of 30 frequently detected PPCPs by two river water bypass treatment processes (CS-BAF-UF-Ozone and CS-MBR-Ozone), and investigated the removal mechanism and eco-toxicological risk variation of target compounds via section-removal investigation and risk quotient model, respectively. Results indicated that both processes could efficiently remove the target PPCPs; the removal rates of tetracyclines and caffeine were>90% in the biological sections, while sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and other pharmaceuticals could only be efficiently removed when the COD of the influent and the water temperature were comparatively higher; the ozone process had particular effect on removing these compounds. The cumulative removal rate of all PPCPs during the whole process was higher than 92.5%. The total risk quotient (RQtot) of target PPCPs could be efficiently reduced by the bypass treatment processes; the RQtot decreased from 12.6 in the influent river water to 0.2 in the ozone effluent, with a removal rate of 98.4%.

[Mesophilic and Thermophilic Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste and Straw].

The anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and straw is more efficient in avoiding the accumulation of volatile fatty acids and promoting the degradation of lignocellulose in comparison with their individual digestions. The co-digestion of food waste and straw was investigated under mesophilic(35℃) and thermophilic(55℃) condition, respectively. The results indicated that when feeding volatile solid concentration was 3 kg·m-3, the accumulated methane production yield of the mesophilic reactor reached the peak of 272.0 mL·g-1 at a food waste-to-straw ratio of 9:1, while it reached the peak of 402.3 mL·g-1 at a food waste-to-straw ratio of 5:5 for thermophilic reactor. These amounts were significantly higher than those of food waste digestion alone(218.6 mL·g-1 for mesophilic reactor and 322.0 mL·g-1 for thermophilic reactor). Co-digestion promoted the rate of carbon transfer to methane, and further, the rate of the thermophilic reactor was higher than that of the mesophilic reactor. Degradation rate for lignocellulose of thermophilic reactor was 34.7%-45.8%, higher than that of mesophilic reactor, 12.6%-42.2%. It was confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequences of bacteria and archaea, ITS sequences of fungi based on high-throughput sequencing techniques, which showed the amounts of lignocellulose degrading bacteria and actinomycetes in the thermophilic reactor were both higher than those in the mesophilic reactor.