Innexin hemichannel activation by Microplitis bicoloratus ecSOD monopolymer reduces ROS.

The extracellular superoxide dismutases (ecSODs) secreted by Microplitis bicoloratus reduce the reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulated by the Microplitis bicoloratus bracovirus. Here, we demonstrate that the bacterial transferase hexapeptide (hexapep) motif and bacterial-immunoglobulin-like (BIg-like) domain of ecSODs bind to the cell membrane and transiently open hemichannels, facilitating ROS reductions. RNAi-mediated ecSOD silencing in vivo elevated ROS in host hemocytes, impairing parasitoid larva development. In vitro, the ecSOD-monopolymer needed to be membrane bound to open hemichannels. Furthermore, the hexapep motif in the beta-sandwich of ecSOD49 and ecSOD58, and BIg-like domain in the signal peptides of ecSOD67 were required for cell membrane binding. Hexapep motif and BIg-like domain deletions induced ecSODs loss of adhesion and ROS reduction failure. The hexapep motif and BIg-like domain mediated ecSOD binding via upregulating innexins and stabilizing the opened hemichannels. Our findings reveal a mechanism through which ecSOD reduces ROS, which may aid in developing anti-redox therapy.

Simulating immunosuppressive mechanism of Microplitis bicoloratus bracovirus coordinately fights Spodoptera frugiperda.

Parasitoid wasps control pests via a precise attack leading to the death of the pest. However, parasitoid larvae exhibit self-protection strategies against bracovirus-induced reactive oxygen species impairment. This has a detrimental effect on pest control. Here, we report a strategy for simulating Microplitis bicoloratus bracovirus using Mix-T dsRNA targeting 14 genes associated with transcription, translation, cell-cell communication, and humoral signaling pathways in the host, and from wasp extracellular superoxide dismutases. We implemented either one-time feeding to the younger instar larvae or spraying once on the corn leaves, to effectively control the invading pest Spodoptera frugiperda. This highlights the conserved principle of "biological pest control," as elucidated by the triple interaction of parasitoid-bracovirus-host in a cooperation strategy of bracovirus against its pest host.

Five New Glycoside Constituents from the Roots of Gentiana crassicaulis Duthie ex Burk.

Three undescribed glycoside constituents, macrophyllosides E-G and a pair of iridoid glycosides genticrasides A/B, together with eleven known glycoside compounds were isolated from the roots of Gentiana crassicaulis Duthie ex Burk. Their structures were identified by means of spectra analysis and data comparison with previous literatures. Interestingly, the glucose moieties in macrophylloside E and F possess free anomeric hydroxy groups. Genticrasides A/B, identified as a pair of iridoid originated lactones, have not been reported from Gentianaceae family up to now. The anti-inflammatory effects of selected compounds were also evaluated through the nitric oxide (NO) production inhibition in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells. In which, macrophyllosides G and D showed NO inhibitory activities with rates of 76.14±4.02 % and 52.44±8.29 % at 100 µg/mL.

Standardized Nursing Procedures for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation via Upper Endoscopy.

Fecal microbiota transplantation is an emerging treatment option that lacks a standardized nursing procedure. In our department, fecal microbiota transplantation has been undertaken to treat chronic hepatitis B and inflammatory bowel diseases since 2015. The fecal microbiota transplantation process involves various nursing measures that are critical for the successful completion of the procedures. In our center, a set of standardized nursing procedures has been established and has proved effective and operable. Standardized nursing procedures enhance the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation and alleviate the risk of treatment-related complications.

[Biosynthetic schwertmannite as catalyst in Fenton-like reactions for degradation of methyl orange].

Biosynthesized schwertmannite was used as catalyst in photo-Fenton-like reaction to facilitate the degradation of methyl orange (MO). Schwertmannite was synthesized through the oxidation of FeSO4 by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 cell suspension at an initial pH 2.5 and 28 degress C for 3 days and characterized using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope. The oxidative degradation of MO in the photo-Fenton-like reaction was studied at different initial pH values of suspension, concentrations of H2O2 and dosages of catalyst. The results suggested that the biosynthetic schwertmannite showed a good catalytic activity in the MO degradation via *OH radical mechanism. Considerable degradation efficiency of MO was still obtained in approximately neutral condition or in the presence of high concentrations of chloride, sulfate and nitrate. This work demonstrated that the heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like reaction catalyzed by the biosynthetic schwertmannite is a promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of wastewater containing MO.

[Photochemical degradation of landfill leachate facilitated by combined schwertmannite and H2O2].

It is practically important that high concentrations of organic pollutants in landfill leachate were degraded by a rapid and efficient approach. The influence of operating conditions such as schwertmannite dosage, V(H2O2)/m (schwertmannite) ratio on the degradation efficiency of color, TOC and COD contents of landfill leachate, was investigated by using the schwertmannite/H2O2/UV process. It was demonstrated that the color, TOC and COD removal efficiencies increased significantly with the increase in schwertmannite dosage, and then were approximately stable. However, COD removal efficiency declined because of the presence of the residual H2O2 when V (H2O2)/m (schwertmannite) was greater than 2, and the best removal efficiency of COD was 44.9%. Furthermore, high-intensity ultraviolet was more conducive to eliminate pollutants through photochemical oxidation with schwertmannite/H2O2. The color, TOC and COD removal efficiencies were 90.0%, 78.8% and 52.6% respectively after 2.5 hours of photochemical degradation, with UV-500 W under optimal initial pH = 2.5; meanwhile, this study found that it was beneficial to the photochemical degradation of leachate at room temperature via the schwertmannite/H2O2/UV process, and COD removal efficiency declined gradually when the temperature was higher than 25 degrees C. Controlled trials showed that the schwertmannite/H2O2 method was conducive to the removal of color compared with the traditional homogeneous Fenton reaction.

[Effect of temperature on activity of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan and formation of biogenic secondary iron minerals].

In this study, batch experiments were performed to investigate the effect of temperature on the Fe (II) oxidation and the formation of biogenic secondary iron minerals by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan. Results showed that the low temperature significantly inhibited the oxidation activity of A. ferrooxidan. In the FeSO4-H2O biological oxidation system facilitated by A. ferrooxidan, it was found that after 5 days culture, the oxidation rates of Fe (II) in treatments of 10 degrees C and 28 degrees C were 11.81% and 100%, respectively. In addition, it rapidly rose to 95.10% when the temperature was adjusted from 10 degrees C (cultured for 7 days) to 28 degrees C in 1 day, and the maximum oxidation rates were as follows: 10 degrees C (cultured for 7 days) +28 degrees C (2.25 h(-1)) > 28 degrees C (1.42 h(-1)) >10 degrees C (0.81 h(-1)). Furthermore, the XRD patterns showed that the lower Fe (III) supply rate was more conducive to the formation of amorphous schwertmannite in 9K medium at 10 degrees C. Correspondingly, the generation of amorphous schwertmannite was preceded to ihleite at 28 degrees C, and the crystallinity degree of ihleite was getting better with the extension of culture time. Combined with the SEM characteristics, it was judged that the 28 degrees C sample contained jarosite and schwertmannite.

[Optimization of extracellular polymeric substance extraction method and its role in the dewaterability of sludge].

Seven commonly adopted extraction schemes were selected to extract extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) from the sludge, and the dewaterability of sludge was also investigated before and after extracting EPS. Results showed that Formaldehyde + NaOH and 2% EDTA methods were proved to be effective in extracting EPS from the sludge, and the total EPS production of the total suspend solid was 128.86 mg x g(-1) and 42.38 mg x g(-1), respectively. However, the cell destructed seriously after extracted by Formaldehyde + NaOH and 2% EDTA methods. Heating method was a gentle and efficient method, and the total EPS production was 21.97 mg x g(-1). Sludge dewaterability was largely improved after extracted slime, loosely bound EPS and tightly bound EPS from the sludge flocs. It was also found that the higher content of EPS in slime, the worse dewaterability of sludge, and sludge dewaterability would be deteriorated when EPS was released from other layers to slime. Capillary suction time (CST) values of sludge from the ShekWuHui and Stonecutters Island Treatment works were 132.9 s and 229.9 s compared to 80.8 s and 79.4 s, separately after extracted Slime from sludge flocs, and the dewaterability of sludge was greatly improved.

[Effects of different temperatures biochar on adsorption of Pb(II) on variable charge soils].

Effects of incorporation of the biochars generated from rice straw and peanut straw at different temperatures on soil pH and Pb(II) adsorption were investigated with two variable charge soils. The soil pH increased by 1.04-3.00 units, and the increase in soil pH increased with the rise of pyrolysis temperature of the biochar. Results from adsorption isotherm experiments indicated that the incorporation of the biochar enhanced the adsorption of Pb(II) by two soils. The adsorption of Pb(II) was increased by 12.6% -57.6%, when the initial concentration of Pb(II) is 2 mmol x L(-1). The adsorption also increased with rising pH. Freundlich and Langmuir equations can be used to fit the adsorption isotherms of Pb(II), but the Freundlich equation fitted the adsorption data better, the r-values are above 0.94. Soils incorporated with peanut straw char have a greater adsorption capacity for Pb(II) than these incorporated with rice straw char as predicted by the parameters of k and Q(m) in Freundlich and Langmuir equations, respectively. The biochars generated at 400 degrees C have a greater enhancement on Pb(II) adsorption by soils than 300 degrees C and 500 degrees C. Desorption results showed that the desorption of Pb(II) for the treatments with biochar added was greater than that for the control, but the amount of desorbed Pb(II) was much lower than that of adsorbed Pb(II). These results suggested that the enhanced adsorption of Pb(II) by incorporation of the biochars involved at least two mechanisms: electrostatic adsorption and non-electrostatic adsorption.

Scavenging of BHCs and DDTs from soil by thermal desorption and solvent washing.

Intensive remediation of abandoned former organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) manufacturing areas is necessary because the central and surrounding soils contaminated by OCPs are harmful to crop production and food safety. Organochlorine and its residues are persistent in environments and difficult to remove from contaminated soils due to their low solubility and higher sorption to the soils. We performed a comprehensive study on the remediation of OCPs-contaminated soils using thermal desorption technique and solvent washing approaches. The tested soil was thermally treated at 225, 325, 400, and 500 °C for 10, 20, 30, 45, 60, and 90 min, respectively. In addition, we tested soil washing with several organic solvents including n-alcohols and surfactants. The optimal ratio of soil/solvent was tested, and the recycling of used ethanol was investigated. Finally, activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO), urease (URE), alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase (ACP), and invertase (INV) were assayed in the treated soils. The tested soil was thermally treated at 500 °C for 30 min, and the concentration of contaminants in soil was decreased from 3,115.77 to 0.33 mg kg(-1). The thermal desorption in soil was governed by the first-order kinetics model. For the chemical washing experiment, ethanol showed a higher efficiency than any other solvent. Using a 1:20 ratio of soil/solvent, the maximum removal of OCPs was achieved within 15 min. Under this condition, approximately 87 % of OCPs was removed from the soils. More than 90 % of ethanol in the spent wash fluid could be recovered. Activities of some enzymes in soils were increased after ethanol treatment. But ALP, ACP, and INV activities were decreased and PPO and URE showed slightly higher activities following remediation by thermal treatment. Both heating temperature and time were the key factors for thermal desorption of OCPs. The n-alcohol solvent showed higher removal of OCPs from soils than surfactants. The highly efficient removal of OCPs from soil was achieved using ethanol. More than 90 % of ethanol could be recovered and be reused following distillation. This study provides a cost-effective and highly efficient way to remediate the OCPs-contaminated soils.

[Effect of microbial nutrient concentration on improvement of municipal sewage sludge dewaterability through bioleaching].

In this study, shaking flask batch experiments and practical engineering application tests were performed to investigate the effect of microbial nutrient concentration on the dewaterability of municipal sewage sludge with 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% solid contents via bioleaching. Meanwhile, the changes of pH value and the utilization efficiency of microbial nutrients during bioleaching were analyzed in this study. The results showed that the pH value decreased gradually at the beginning and then maintained a stable state in the treatments with different solid contents, and the nutrients were completely used up by the microorganisms after 2 days of bioleaching. It was found that the SRF of 2%, 3%, 4%, 5% sludges decreased quickly and then rose gradually with the extension of bioleaching time. In addition, the higher solid content the greater the increase. It was determined that the optimum microbial nutrient dosage for sludge with solid content of 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% were 3.0 g x L(-1), 4.5 g x L(-1), 8.3 g x L(-1) and 12.8 g x L(-1) respectively. At this point, the lowest SRF of sludge with each solid content were 0.61 x 10(12) m x kg(-1), 1.22 x 10(12) m x kg(-1), 3.09 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) and 4.83 x 10(12) m x kg(-1), respectively. Through the engineering application, it was showed that diluting the solid content of sewage sludge from 5% to 3% before bioleaching was feasible. It could not only improve the dewaterability of bioleached sewage sludge (the SRF declined from 3.29 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) to 1.10 x 10(12) m x kg(-1)), but also shorten the sludge nutrient time (shortened from 4 days to 2.35 days) and reduce the operation costs. Therefore, the results of this study have important significance for the engineering application of bioleaching of municipal sewage sludge with high solid content.

[Mineralogical characteristics of biogenic schwertmannite amended with different pretreatment methods and the effects on As(III) absorption].

Biogenic schwertmannite has better absorption performance for As(III) than other adsorbents, but there is obvious agglomeration of mineral particles due to the polysaccharides secreted by the bacteria during the synthesis of schwertmannite. The aim of this study was to find out a best pretreatment method to further reduce the agglomeration of mineral particles and enhance the As(III) absorption capacity by comparing the effects of different pretreatment methods on the mineralogical characteristics and adsorption performance of schwertmannite. The pretreatment methods of the biogenic schwertmannite induding the treatments with NaOH, NaCl, thermal activation at 200 degrees C and ethanol-ultrasound. The results showed that the mineral phases were not altered after pretreatment, however, different physical and chemical properties of schwertmannite were found after different pretreatment methods were used. Compared with the original mineral, the mineral surface area, Fe/S molar ratio, SEM image and As(III) adsorption were significantly changed. The highest As(III) sorption capacity was obtained for the pH 12 NaOH treated schwertmannite with the maximum absorbance at room temperature increased from 101.9 mg x g(-1) to 143.3 mg x g(-1), and the surface area enhanced from 45.63 m2 x g(-1) to 325.18 m2 x g(-1). Besides, aggregation of mineral particles was remarkably decreased.

[Characterization comparison of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon uptake by roots of different crops].

It is important to investigate the differences in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) uptake by roots of different crops for selecting and breeding less or excess uptake species of PAHs by genetic engineering, and further yielding safe production and phytoremediating the soil or water contaminated with PAHs. Hydroponic experiments were performed to study characterization comparison of phenanthrene (a representative of PAHs) uptake by soybean, wheat and carrot roots. Soybean, carrot and wheat roots can take up phenanthrene from Hoagland nutrient solution and the phenanthrene absorbed by roots increases with incubation time. The uptake process consists of two sequential phases: a fast accumulation process followed by a slow one. The capability to take up phenanthrene for the three crops can be arranged as soybean > carrot > wheat. The relationship between the phenanthrene absorbed and time fits Elovich equation well. Uptake rate constants for soybean, carrot and wheat roots are 4.31, 4.10 and 2.84 mg x (kg x h)(-1), respectively. Concentration-dependent uptake of phenanthrene by roots of soybean, carrot and wheat can be described with Michaelis-Menten equation and the Km values for soybean, carrot and wheat are 0.117, 0.124 and 0.540 mg x L(-1). Hydroponic solution pH increases due to phenanthrene uptake and the trend in pH increase significantly correlates with those in uptake rate constant and Km value. In addition, the orders of uptake rate constant, Km value and pH increase for soybean, carrot and wheat are the same as that of uptake capability. Therefore, it is concluded that uptake rate constant, Km value and pH increase can be employed as indicators for the capability to take up PAHs by crop roots, and uptake rate constant and Km value are better indicators than pH increase because of less affecting factors.

[Effect of acidification on the dewaterability of sewage sludge in bioleaching].

Batch experiments were performed to exploit the effect and the mechanism of bioleaching on sludge dewaterability by the inoculation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 in this study. Besides, chemical leaching experiments using sulphuric acid were also performed as control to study the effect of acidification on sludge dewaterability. During the processes of both biological and chemical leaching, Zeta potential, cell lyses, morphology and structure of sludge flocs were monitored. Results showed that along with the acid production and hence the decrease of pH during bioleaching, the specific resistance of bioleached sludge decreased systematically from 1.81 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) to 0.59 x 10(12) m x kg(-1), whilst Zeta potential increased from -25.2 mV to 9.6 mV, and the natural sedimentation rate increased to as high as 48% at pH 2.90. In chemical leaching, the specific resistance decreased continuously to a minimum value of 2.6 x 10(12) m x kg(-1) at pH 3.35 and then started to increase. Zeta potential increased with the decrease of pH, and reached zero at pH 2.90. At strong acid condition, sludge cells could be decomposed, resulting in the increase of total dissolved phosphorus in centrifugal liquor of chemical leached sludge. However, this phenomenon was not observed in bioleaching process because that the phosphorus was utilized by the abundant microorganism in system. Observation by SEM showed that there was no obvious change in the flocs structure of both sludge at pH 3.35 except for that some secondary minerals appeared only in bioleached sludge. These results revealed that decrease of absolute value of Zeta potential and formation of secondary minerals caused by bioleaching were responsible for the improvement of sludge dewaterability.

[Effect of different sludge retention time (SRT) on municipal sewage sludge bioleaching continuous plug flow reaction system].

A plug-flow bio-reactor of 700 L working volume for sludge bioleaching was used in this study. The reactor was divided into six sections along the direction of the sludge movement. Fourteen days of continuous operation of sludge bioleaching with different sludge retention time (SRT) under the condition of 1.2 m3 x h(-1) aeration amount and 4 g x L(-1) of microbial nutritional substance was conducted. During sludge bioleaching, the dynamic changes of pH, DO, dewaterability (specific resistance to filtration, SRF) of sewage sludge in different sections were investigated in the present study. The results showed that sludge pH were maintained at 5.00, 3.00, 2.90, 2.70, 2.60 and 2.40 from section 1 to section 6 and the SRF of sludge was drastically decreased from initial 0.64 x 10(13) m x kg(-1) to the final 0.33 x 10(13) m x kg(-1) when bioleaching system reached stable at hour 72 with SRT 2.5d. In addition, the sludge pH were maintained at 5.10, 4.10, 3.20, 2.90, 2.70 and 2.60, the DO value were 0.43, 1.47, 3.29, 4.76, 5.75 and 5.88 mg x L(-1) from section 1 to section 6, and the SRF of sludge was drastically decreased from initial 0.56 x 10(13) to the final 0.20 x 10(13) m x kg(-1) when bioleaching system reached stable at hour 120 with SRT 2 d. The pH value was increased to 3.00 at section 6 at hour 48 h with SRT 1.25 d. The bioleaching system imbalanced in this operation conditions because of the utilization efficiency of microbial nutritional substance by Acidibacillus spp. was decreased. The longer sludge retention time, the easier bioleaching system reached stable. 2 d could be used as the optimum sludge retention time in engineering application. The bioleached sludge was collected and dewatered by plate-and-frame filter press to the moisture content of dewatered sludge cake under 60%. This study would provide the necessary data to the engineering application on municipal sewage sludge bioleaching.

[Improvement of municipal sewage sludge dewaterability by bioleaching: a pilot-scale study with sequence batch reaction model].

To observe the bioleaching effect on sewage sludge dewaterability, three consecutive batch bioleaching experiments were conducted through a bioleaching bio-reactor with 700 L of working volume. Subsequently, the bioleached sludge was dewatered by using chamber filter press. The results show that the 1st batch bioleaching process can be finished within 90 hours if the aeration amount was 1.2 m3/h with the 1: 15 mixing ratio of bioleached sludge to raw sludge. The pH of sludge declines from initial 6.11 to 2.33 while ORP increased from initial -134 mV to finial 507 mV. The specific resistance to filtration (SRF) of the tested sludge was decreased from original 1.00 x 10(13) m/kg to final 0.09 x 10(13) m/kg after bioleaching. For the subsequent two batch trials, the bioleaching process can be finished in 40 hours and 46 hours, respectively. Likewise, sludge SRF is also significantly decreased to 0.19 x 10(13) m/kg and 0.36 x 10(13) m/kg if the mixing ratio of bioleached sludge to fresh sludge is 1:1 although the microbial nutrient substance dosage is reduced by 25% and 50% for 2nd, and 3rd batch experiments, respectively. The harvested bioleached sludge from three batch trails is dewatered by chamber filter press with 0.3-0.4 MPa working pressure for 2 hours. It is found that the moisture of dewatered sludge cake can be reduced to 58%, and that the dewatered sludge cake is of khaki appearance and didn't emit any offensive odor. In addition, it is also observes that sludge organic matter only changed a bit from 52.9% to 48.0%, but 58% of sludge-borne Cu and 88% of sludge-borne Zn can be removed from sludge by bioleaching process. Therefore, dual goals for sludge-borne heavy metal removal and sludge dewatering of high efficiency can be achieved simultaneously through the approach mentioned above. Therefore, bioleaching technique is of great engineering application for the treatment of sewage sludge.

[Dynamic changes of physicochemical properties in phenanthrene-contaminated soil under wheat and clover intercropping].

Soil physicochemical properties play an important role in the efficiency of phytoremediation and soil arability after phytoremediation. Soil pot experiments were conducted to investigate the dynamic changes of physicochemical properties in phenanthrene (a representative of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)-contaminated soil under wheat and clover intercropping. The results showed that plants improved the pH values of phenanthrene-polluted soil with a maximum variation pH of 0.61. The difference in pH between wheat/clover intercropping and wheat/clover single cropping was not significant. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity and available potassium decreased over the experiment period due to biodecomposition and plant root absorption. The intercropping of wheat and alfalfa accelerated the consumption of the above-mentioned nutrients. And the decrease percentages ranged from 5.24% to 57.85%, more than those of wheat or alfalfa only planted with decrease percentages between 6.29% and 39.09%. In particular, soil available nitrogen and availiable phosphorus decreased more than the other nutrients with a maximum reduction percentage of 57.85%. Therefore, the application of nitrogen and phosphorus must be paid more attention during phytoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil in the wheat and alfalfa intercropping system.

[Difference in acclimation of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans by various substrates and its effect on coal desulfurization efficiency].

In this study, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 was cultured in 9K medium with pyrite and ferrous sulfate as the substrates. Results showed that the number of A. ferrooxidans LX5 acclimated by pyrite for 20 d was 3.0 x 10(7) cell/mL in the liquid, and the oxidation activity to pyrite was stronger. A. ferrooxidans LX5 cultured for 48 h was 1.0 x 10(8) cell/mL in medium with FeSO4. Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) produced from A. ferrooxidans LX5 acclimated by pyrite was 2 395 microg/(10(10) cells) three times as much as that cultured with FeSO4. A high-sulfur coal desulfurization experiment were carried out with A. ferrooxidans LX5 domesticated respectively in medium with ferrous sulfate and pyrite. The results showed that the coal desulfurization rate was up to 72.4% after bioleaching for 13 d by A. ferrooxidans LX5 acclimated by pyrite, at the same time, the desulfurization rate was only 47.2% with A. ferrooxidans LX5 cultured with ferrous sulfate and reached 65.8% in 20 d. Therefore, the desulfurization efficiency can be improved of coal and shorten the desulfurization time when A. ferrooxidans LX5 acclimated with pyrite as the substrate.

[Improvement of municipal sewage sludge dewaterability by bioleaching: a pilot-scale study with a continuous plug flow reaction model].

A plug-flow bio-reactor of 700 L working volume for sludge bioleaching was used in this study. The reactor was operationally divided into six sections along the direction of the sludge movement. Ten duration of continuous operation of sludge bioleaching with Acidibacillus spp. and 1.2 m3 x h(-1) aeration amount was conducted. In this system, sludge retention time was 2.5 d, and the added amount of microbial nutritional substance was 4 g x L(-1). During sludge bioleaching, the dynamic changes of pH, dewaterability (specific resistance to filtration, SRF) of sewage sludge in different sections, the moisture content and moisture evaporation rate of dewatered bioleached sludge cake obtained by chamber filter press were investigated. The results showed that the SRF of sludge significantly decreased from initial 1.50 x 10(13) m x kg(-1) to the final 0.34 x 10(13) m x kg(-1). The wasted bioleached sludge was collected and dewatered by chamber filter press under the following pressures as 0.3 MPa for 4 h (2 h for feeding sludge, 2 h for holding pressure), 3 h (1.5 h for feeding sludge, 1.5 h for holding pressure), 2 h (1 h for feeding sludge, 1 h for holding pressure), and 1 h (0.5 h for feeding sludge, 0.5 h for holding pressure). Correspondingly, the moisture of dewatered sludge was reduced to 57.9%, 59.2%, 59.6%, and 63.4% of initial moisture, respectively. Moreover, the moisture content of bioleached sludge cake was reduced to about 45% and less than 10% if the cake was placed at 25 degrees C for 15 h and 96 h, respectively. Obviously, sludge bioleaching followed by sludge dewatering using chamber filter press is a promising attractive approach for sludge half-dryness treatment in engineering application.

[Influence of bioleaching on dewaterability of cattle biogas slurry].

The dewaterability of cattle biogas slurry facilitated by bioleaching was investigated through batch experiments with co-inoculation of different Acidophilic thiobacilli (Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TS6 or Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5). The experiment was set the following 5 treatments: (1) original biogas slurry (CK), (2) 4 g x L(-1) Fe(2+) (uninoculation), (3)2 g x L(-1) S(0) + 25 mL A. t, (4) 4 g x L(-1) Fe(2+) + 25 mL A. f and (5) 2 g x L(-1) S(0) + 4 g x L(-1) Fe(2+) + 12.5 mL A. t + 12.5 mL A. f. During bioleaching, dynamic changes of pH, ORP, Fe(2+), F(3+), total Fe, the settleability, the turbidity of the supernatant after settling for 12 h, and the dewaterability (expressed as specific resistance to filtration gamma or capillary suction time, CST) of biogas slurry were monitored. Results show that specific resistance gamma and CST of bioleached biogas slurry are reduced drastically for the treatments of original biogas slurry spiked with only Fe(2+), the treatment of original biogas slurry co-spiked with Fe(2+) and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5, and the treatment of original biogas slurry co-spiked with Fe(2+), S(0) and two Acidophilic thiobacilli. Taking the dewaterability, settleability, the turbidity of the supernatant fluid after settle 12 h and economical cost into account, the treatment of original biogas slurry co-spiked with Fe(2+) and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans LX5 is the most suitable pattern for cattle biogas slurry bioleaching. After bioleaching, 1.14% of organic matter, 0.09% of N, 0.05% of P, and 0.1% of K are lost in the bioleaching process, but it don't affect its fertilizer efficiency. Meanwhile, the 63.2% of Cu and 91.3% of Zn are removed from the biogas slurry, and elimination efficiencies of total coliforms in bioleached slurry exceed 99%. This study might provide a new approach for treatment and disposal of biogas slurry.