Roles of extracellular polymeric substances in uranium immobilization by anaerobic sludge.

The specific roles of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and how factors influenced EPS's roles during U(VI) immobilization are still unclear. In this study, high content of U with the main form of nanoparticles was detected in EPS, accounting for 10-42% of total U(VI) removal. EPS might be utilized as energy source or even as electron donors when external carbon source was unavailable. The influencing degree of each experimental parameter to uranium (U) removal process was elucidated. The influential priority to U(IV)/U(VI) ratios in sludge was as follows: acetate, U(VI), and nitrate. The influential priority to total EPS contents was as follows: U(VI), nitrate and acetate. The complex interaction mechanism between U(VI) and EPS in the U immobilization process was proposed, which might involve three ways including biosorption, bioreduction and bioprecipitation. These results indicate important and various roles of EPS in U(VI) immobilization.

Boiling significantly promotes photodegradation of perfluorooctane sulfonate.

The application of photochemical processes for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) degradation has been limited by a low treatment efficiency. This study reports a significant acceleration of PFOS photodegradation under boiling condition compared with the non-boiling control. The PFOS decomposition rate increased with the increasing boiling intensity, but declined at a higher hydronium level or under oxygenation. These results suggest that the boiling state of solution resulted in higher effective concentrations of reactants at the gas-liquid interface and enhanced the interfacial mass transfer, thereby accelerating the PFOS decomposition. This study broadens our knowledge of PFOS photodegradation process and may have implications for development of efficient photodegradation technologies.

Insights into perfluorooctane sulfonate photodegradation in a catalyst-free aqueous solution.

Photodegradation in the absence of externally added chemicals could be an attractive solution for the removal of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in aqueous environment, but the low decomposition rate presents a severe challenge and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that PFOS could be effectively degraded in a catalyst-free aqueous solution via a reduction route. Under appropriate pH and temperature conditions, a rapid PFOS photodegradation, with a pseudo-first-order decomposition rate constant of 0.91 h(-1), was achieved. In addition, hydrated electrons were considered to be the major photo-generated reductive species responsible for PFOS photodegradation in this system. Its production and reduction ability could be significantly affected by the environmental conditions such as pH, temperature and presence of oxidative species. This study gives insights into the PFOS photodegradation process and may provide useful information for developing catalyst-free photodegradation systems for decomposing PFOS and other persistent water contaminants.

Characterization of cefalexin degradation capabilities of two Pseudomonas strains isolated from activated sludge.

Pharmaceuticals have recently been regarded as contaminants of emerging concern. To date, there is limited knowledge about antibiotic-degrading microorganisms in conventional activated sludge treatment systems and their characteristics toward antibiotic degradation especially in the presence of a pharmaceutical mixture. As such, antibiotic-degrading microorganisms were investigated and isolated from the activated sludge, and their degradation capabilities were evaluated. Two strains of cefalexin-degrading bacteria CE21 and CE22 were isolated and identified as Pseudomonas sp. in the collected activated sludge. Strain CE22 was able to degrade over 90% of cefalexin, while CE21 was able to remove 46.7% of cefalexin after incubation for 24h. The removal efficiency of cefalexin by CE22, different from that of CE21, was not significantly affected by an increase in cefalexin concentration, even up to 10ppm, however the presence of 1ppm of other pharmaceuticals had a significant effect on the degradation of cefalexin by CE22, but no significant effect on CE21. The degradation product of cefalexin by the two strains was identified to be 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl pyrazine. Our results also indicated that CE21 and CE22 were able to degrade caffeine, salicylic acid and chloramphenicol. Moreover, CE21 was found to be capable of eliminating sulfamethoxazole and naproxen.

Complete mineralization of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) by γ-irradiation in aqueous solution.

Decomposition of perfluorooctanoic acid (C7F15COOH, PFOA) has been gaining increasing interests because it is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant and resistant to the most conventional treatment processes. In this work, the rapid and complete mineralization of PFOA and simultaneous defluorination were achieved by γ-ray irradiation with a (60)Co source. The degradation rate of PFOA by γ-ray irradiation would be high, and a pseudo-first-order kinetic rate constant of 0.67 h(-1) could be achieved in the N2 satured condition at pH 13.0. The experimental results and quantum chemical calculation confirmed that two radicals, i.e., hydroxyl radical (·OH) and aqueous electrons (eaq(-)), were responsible for the degradation of PFOA, while only either eaq(-) or ·OH might not be able to accomplish complete mineralization of PFOA. The synergistic effects of ·OH and eaq(-) involved in the cleavage of C-C and C-F bonds, and therefore complete mineralization of PFOA were achieved. The intermediate products were identified and the degradation pathway was also proposed. The results of this study may offer a useful, high-efficient approach for complete mineralizing fluorochemicals and other persistent pollutants.