Temporal trends of nonylphenol and bisphenol A contamination in the Pearl River Estuary and the adjacent South China Sea recorded by dated sedimentary cores

Three dated sedimentary cores were collected for the investigation of temporal trends and the environmental loadings of nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in recent decades in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China and the adjacent South China Sea (SCS). The peak fluxes of NP and BPA occurred in the mid-1980s in the PRE, coincident with the rapid economic growth in China. The decline of NP and BPA fluxes is attributable to the implementation of sewage treatment in the late 1980s in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Multi-model distributions were observed for the fluxes of NP and BPA in the SCS with the peak fluxes occurring in the late 1950s and the mid-1970s respectively. The fluxes of NP and BPA have increased since the 1990s due to the lack of adequate wastewater treatment facilities and the constant economic growth. Nonylphenol was quantifiably detected in sediments predating its widespread application (1940s), suggesting the downward penetration of NP in the sediment columns. The characterization results revealed that NP and BPA were preserved well and the isomer-selective degradation of NP did not occur significantly in the sediment cores. The environmental loadings of NP and BPA in the PRE sediments were roughly estimated to be 124 t and 1.7 t respectively over the past 30 years.     

Total arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc in some salt rivers in the northern Andes of Antofagasta, Chile

Lake Velenje is located in one of the most polluted regions in Slovenia, the Salek Valley. The major source of pollution in the valley is the coal-fired thermal power plant in Sostanj (STPP, capacity 775 MW). It has five separate units. All units have electrostatic precipitators for fly ash removal. Unit 4 also has installed a wet flue gas desulfurisation system (FGD system). Total mercury (THg) concentrations were measured in lignite, slag and ash samples from the STPP. In flue gas, different mercury species (THg, MeHg, Hg2+, Hg0) were determined separately for unit 4 and unit 5 which use different flue gas cleaning technology. Mercury and methyl mercury (MeHg) concentrations were also measured in lake water at different depths, in inflow water, outflow water, rain, snow and lake sediments in order to establish the influence of the power plant on the lake. Most mercury emitted from the power plant is in the elemental form. The ratio between oxidised and elemental Hg depends on the flue gas cleaning technology. Mass balance calculations have been performed for the STPP. The results show that the major sources of mercury in Lake Velenje are wet deposition and lake inflows. Total and MeHg concentrations in the water column are very low and can be compared to other non-contaminated freshwater lakes in the world.     

金刚石绳锯切割中串珠磨损的光学显微研究

金刚石绳锯切割尽管还存在某些经济与工艺上的问题，但它在现今的大理石开采与加工工业中具有重要作用。串珠的磨损是影响大理石开采生产成本的主要因素。这在金刚石绳锯切割的最优化和其他工艺研究上是非常重要的。本研究的目的是调查研究金刚石串珠结构和岩石类型对切割过程中金刚石串珠磨损的影响与作用。在研究中采用不同串珠对不同矿岩成分的岩石进行金刚石绳锯切割。对串珠的磨损进行了光学研究，采用双目显微镜观察分析了磨损形式，金刚石的分布与数量对串珠的作用与影响。同时确定了串珠对选用石材的适应性，最终提出了对金刚石串珠生产的一些建议。     

Removal of persistent pharmaceutical micropollutants from sewage by addition of PAC in a sequential membrane bioreactor

The performance of a membrane bioreactor operating in a sequential mode (SMBR) using an external flat-plate membrane was investigated. After 200 days of operation, a single addition of 1 g L⁻¹ Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) was added directly into the mixed liquor in order to enhance the simultaneous removal of nutrients and pharmaceutical micropollutants from synthetic urban wastewater. Throughout the entire operation (288 days), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal efficiencies were up to 95%, ammonium nitrogen removal was maintained over 70-80%, whereas phosphorus removal achieved only high values (around 80%) after PAC addition. During the operation of the SMBR without PAC addition, micropollutants which exerted a more recalcitrant behaviour were carbamazepine, diazepam, diclofenac and trimethoprim, with no significant removal. On the other hand, moderate removals (42-64%) were observed for naproxen and erythromycin, whereas ibuprofen, roxithromycin and fluoxetine were removed in the range of 71-97%. The addition of PAC into the aeration tank was a successful tool to improve the removal of the more recalcitrant compounds up to 85%. The highest removal with PAC was observed for carbamazepine, trimethoprim as well as for roxithromycin, erythromycin and fluoxetine. The latter four compounds have amine groups and pKa in the range 6.7-10.1, thus the interaction between PAC and the positively charged amino groups might be the cause of their comparatively better results. Microbial ecology present in the biomass showed a higher abundance of Accumulibacter phosphatis as well as the ammonium oxidizing bacteria belonging to the genus Nitrosomonas after PAC addition.     

Anaerobic digestion of olive mill wastewaters in biofilm reactors packed with granular activated carbon and "Manville" silica beads

Anaerobic digestion is one of the most promising technologies for disposing olive mill wastewaters (OMWs). The process is generally carried out in the conventional contact bioreactors, which however are often unable to efficiently remove OMW phenolic compounds, that therefore occur in the effluents. The possibility of mitigating this problem by employing an anaerobic OMW-digesting microbial consortium passively immobilized in column reactors packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) or "Manville" silica beads (SB) was here investigated. Under batch conditions, both GAC- and SB-packed-bed biofilm reactors exhibited OMW COD and phenolic compound removal efficiencies markedly higher (from 60% to 250%) than those attained in a parallel anaerobic dispersed growth reactor developed with the same inoculum; GAC-reactor exhibited COD and phenolic compound depletion yields higher by 62% and 78%, respectively, than those achieved with the identically configured SB-biofilm reactor. Both biofilm reactors also mediated an extensive OMW remediation under continuous conditions, where GAC-reactor was much more effective than the corresponding SB-one, and showed a tolerance to high and variable organic loads along with a volumetric productivity in terms of COD and phenolic compound removal significantly higher than those averagely displayed by most of the conventional and packed-bed laboratory-scale reactors previously proposed for the OMW digestion.     

Extracting dust from soil: a simple solution to a tricky task

Air quality is commonly assessed by the ambient concentration of airborne particles sized smaller than 10 microm (PM10). However, in addition to concentration, particle shape as well as the type and bioaccessibility of elements adsorbed to this particulate fraction are likely to be related to subsequent respiratory health effects. In order to investigate this relationship, a relatively large mass of the relevant size fraction is needed since sample preparation is necessary prior to analysis. Most existing methods for sampling dust have been developed for analysing the dust directly, without prior handling or digestion. In order to provide sufficient material to be used for subsequent bioaccessibility analysis, these methods require repetitive and time consuming sampling as well as special equipment and procedures which are high in both cost and maintenance. This paper describes an inexpensive and relatively simple procedure for extracting the PM10 fraction from soil to be used for lung bioaccessibility studies. The method described involves dry and wet sieving in order to exclude larger size fractions as far as possible. Vacuum filtering of the wet-sieved soil solution through a 10 microm mesh was then employed to extract the required fraction. In order to avoid frequent blocking of the mesh, Stokes's law was applied in the construction of a tube which enables separation of the solution holding the smallest fraction.     

Dynamics of solutes and dissolved oxygen in shallow urban groundwater below a stormwater infiltration basin

Artificial recharge of urban aquifers with stormwater has been used extensively in urban areas to dispose of stormwater and compensate for reduced groundwater recharge. However, stormwater-derived sediments accumulating in infiltration beds may act as a source of dissolved contaminants for groundwater. Concentrations of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, nutrients and dissolved oxygen (DO) were monitored at multiple depths in shallow groundwater below a stormwater infiltration basin retaining large amounts of contaminated organic sediments. Multilevel wells and multiparameter loggers were used to examine changes in groundwater chemistry occurring over small spatial and temporal scales. Rainfall events produced a plume of low-salinity stormwater in the first 2 m below the groundwater table, thereby generating steep vertical physico-chemical gradients that resorbed during dry weather. Heavy metals and hydrocarbons were below reference concentrations in groundwater and aquifer sediments, indicating that they remained adsorbed onto the bed sediments. However, mineralization of organic sediments was the most probable cause of elevated concentrations of phosphate and DOC in groundwater. DO supply in groundwater was severely limited by bed respiration which increased with temperature. Cold winter stormwater slightly re-oxygenated groundwater, whereas warm summer stormwater lowered DO concentrations in groundwater. Among several results provided by this study, it is recommended for management purposes that infiltration practices should minimize the contact between inflow stormwater and organic sediments retained in infiltration basins.     

A new method for characterizing denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria by using three different types of electron acceptors

This study investigated the characteristics of denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria by using three different types of electron acceptors as well as the positive role of nitrite in phosphorus removal process. Denitrifying phosphorous removal bacteria was enriched under anaerobic-anoxic (A/A) condition. To understand A/A sludge better, sludge from two other sources were also studied. These include sludges obtained from a lab-scale anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A/A/O) system and a local sewage treatment plant. Three types of possible electron acceptors (oxygen, nitrate and nitrite) were examined for their roles in phosphorus uptake. The results obtained indicated that oxygen, nitrate and nitrite were able to act as electron acceptors successfully. This observation suggested that in addition to the two well-accepted groups of phosphorus removal bacteria (one can only utilize oxygen to take up phosphorus, P(O), while the other can use both oxygen and nitrate, P(ON)), a new group of phosphorus removal bacteria, P(ON(n)), which could use oxygen, nitrate or nitrite to take up phosphorus was identified. The relative population of these three types of bacteria could be calculated from results obtainable from phosphorus uptake batch experiments with either oxygen or nitrate or nitrite as electron acceptor. The results obtained in this study showed that A/A sludge had similar phosphorus removal performance as the A/A/O sludge. However, it has better denitrifying phosphorus removal capability, which was demonstrated by the relative population of the three groups of bacteria. The results also suggested that nitrite was not an inhibitor to phosphorus removal process. Instead, it is an alternative electron acceptor to oxygen or nitrate.     

Evaluation of the migration of mutagens/carcinogens from PET bottles into mineral water by Tradescantia/micronuclei test,Comet assay on leukocytes and GC/MS

This study monitored the release of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds into mineral water (natural and carbonated) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, using a plant mutagenicity test which reveals micronuclei formation in Tradescantia pollen cells (Trad/MCN test), a DNA damage assay (Comet assay) on human leukocytes and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the characterisation of migrants. The water samples were collected at a bottling plant and stored in PET bottles for a period ranging from 1 to 12 months. Every month some samples were randomly collected and lyophilised, the residual powders were extracted with organic solvents and then analysed by GC/MS and tested for DNA damage in human leukocytes, or reconstituted with distilled water to obtain concentrates for the exposure of Tradescantia inflorescences. Micronuclei increase in pollen was found only in natural mineral water stored for 2 months. DNA-damaging activity was found in many of the natural and carbonated water samples. Spring water was negative in the plant micronuclei test and the Comet assay, whereas distributed spring water showed DNA-damaging effects, suggesting a possible introduction of genotoxins through the distribution pipelines. GC/MS analysis showed the presence in mineral water of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogenic plasticizer, after 9 months of storage in PET bottles.