Microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor for combined heavy metals monitoring and associated bioelectrochemical process

To explore the feasibility and related mechanism of MFC biosensor for wastewater detection under the action of combined heavy metals. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and scanning electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to explore the related bioelectrochemical process. The response of the reactor to single/combined heavy metals, low/high heavy metal concentrations, and the differences in ohmic resistance (Rs) and charge transfer resistance (Rct) were investigated using Ni as the core heavy metal and the combined action of Cd, Cu and Zn. The results indicated that there was a linear relationship between the concentration and output voltage of the MFC biosensor under the action of combined heavy metals (R² = 0.8803–0.973). However, the internal resistance (Rint) of the MFC biosensor under the action of single heavy metal was far less than that of the combined heavy metal group, and the power density (19.849 W m^?3) was 4 times that of the combined heavy metal group (3.109–4.589 W m^?3). The Rs of the biosensors in the combined heavy metal group were 0.868Ω and 0.860, which were higher than 0.768Ω of the single heavy metal sensor. With the increase of the concentration of heavy metals in the influent, the increase of Rct was more obvious in the combined group, while the Rs in the single group significantly increased (P < 0.05). The results imply that it is possible for MFC biosensors to be used in the detection of actual water polluted by various heavy metals, but the biosensor performance is mainly limited by Rct, which needs to be further improved.     

水力空化改质对重质原油沥青质及性质的影响

利用水力空化过程产生局部的高温、高压、高射流以及强大的剪切力等极端化学物理条件改质处理沙特重质原油，试验结果表明：沙特重质原油经过水力空化改质后粘度由13.61降低至7.22mm2/s，残碳由7.16%降低至6.48%，实沸点蒸馏后减压渣油降低1个百分点。进一步采用APPI FT-IR MS、XRD、FT-IR、SEM和粒度分布等技术研究了水力空化改质对沙重原油分子组成，沥青质团聚体微晶结构、沥青质胶束粒径分布、沥青质官能团、沥青质形貌等方面的影响，从分子角度阐述空化改质重油的机理。研究结果表明：水力空化改质后沙重原油分子量分布、芳烃类化合物缔合作用变小；沥青质对低DBE化合物吸附性能降低；沥青质团聚体微晶结构更加松散；沥青质胶束粒度分布降低；沥青质分子相互团聚作用力减弱。进一步考察了水力空化改质前后减压渣油延迟焦化性能，改质处理后焦炭产率降低1.85个百分点，液体收率和气体产率分别增加1.52和0.33个百分点，水力空化改质对沥青质性质、结构特点的改善能够有效的提高其加工性能。     

Post-erosion mechanical responses of internally unstable gap-graded soil under drained torsional simple shear and triaxial compression

Internal erosion is a major threat to hydraulic earth structures, such as river levees and dams. This paper focuses on suffusion and suffosion phenomena which are caused by the movement of fine particles in the granular skeleton due to seepage flow. The present study investigates the impact of internal erosion on the dynamic response under cyclic torsional shear and monotonic responses under triaxial compression and torsional simple shear. A series of experiments, using a gap-graded silica mixture with a fines content of 20%, is performed under loose, medium, and dense conditions using a novel erosion hollow cylindrical torsional shear apparatus. The erosion test results indicate that the critical hydraulic gradient and the rate of erosion are density-dependent, where a transition from suffosion to suffusion is observed as the seepage continues. Regardless of the sample density, variations in the radial strain and particle size distribution, along the specimen height after erosion, are no longer uniform. Furthermore, the dynamic shearing results show that the small-strain shear modulus increases, but the initial damping ratio decreases after internal erosion, probably due to the removal of free fines. In addition, the elastic threshold strain and reference shear strain values are found to be higher for the eroded and non-eroded specimens, respectively. Finally, based on drained monotonic loading, the post-erosion peak stress ratio increases remarkably under triaxial compression, while that under torsional simple shear depends on the relative density where the direction of loading is normal to the direction of seepage. These observations indicate that the horizontal bedding plane becomes weaker, while the vertical one becomes stronger after downward erosion.     

Stability assessment of 3D reinforced soil structures under steady unsaturated infiltration

Internal stability assessment of geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures (GRSSs) has been commonly carried out assuming plane-strain conditions and dry backfills. However, failures of GRSSs usually show three-dimensional (3D) features and occur under unsaturated conditions. A procedure based on the kinematic limit-analysis method is proposed herein to assess 3D effects and the role of steady unsaturated infiltration on the required geosynthetic strength for GRSSs. A suction stress-based framework is used to describe the soil stress behavior under steady unsaturated infiltration. Based on the principle of energy-work balance, the required geosynthetic strength is determined. A comparison analysis with the prior research is conducted to verify the developed method. Two kinds of backfills, i.e., high-quality backfill and marginal backfill, are considered for comparison in this work. It is shown that accounting for 3D effects and the role of unsaturated infiltration considerably reduces the required geosynthetic strength. The 3D effects are primarily affected by the width-to-height ratio of GRSSs, and the contribution of unsaturated infiltration is mainly influenced by the soil type, flow rate, GRSS's height, and location of the water table.     

Consolidation considering increasing soil column radius for dredged slurries improved by vacuum preloading method

Soil column is often investigated in the improvement of dredged slurries. Different from the smear zone, the soil column forms gradually and has extremely low permeability. This study presents an analytical solution for soil consolidation considering the increasing radius of the soil column and time-dependent discharge capacity. Based on the solution, the influence of the radius' increase on the consolidation behavior is found significant when the soil column has low permeability and large final radius, and the increase of formation time can lead to the increase of consolidation speed and final consolidation degree.     

Experimental study on the load bearing behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil bridge abutments with different facing conditions

This paper presents an experimental study on reduced-scale model tests of geosynthetic reinforced soil (GRS) bridge abutments with modular block facing, full-height panel facing, and geosynthetic wrapped facing to investigate the influence of facing conditions on the load bearing behavior. The GRS abutment models were constructed using sand backfill and geogrid reinforcement. Test results indicate that footing settlements and facing displacements under the same applied vertical stress generally increase from full-height panel facing abutment, to modular block facing abutment, to geosynthetic wrapped facing abutment. Measured incremental vertical and lateral soil stresses for the two GRS abutments with flexible facing are generally similar, while the GRS abutment with rigid facing has larger stresses. For the GRS abutments with flexible facing, maximum reinforcement tensile strain in each layer typically occurs under the footing for the upper reinforcement layers and near the facing connections for the lower layers. For the full-height panel facing abutment, maximum reinforcement tensile strains generally occur near the facing connections.     

Effect of the particle size ratio on macro- and mesoscopic shear characteristics of the geogrid-reinforced rubber and sand mixture interface

As a new type of material for civil engineering projects, the rubber and sand mixture is widely used in roadbed fillers, offering environmental benefits over traditional tyre disposal methods. This study uses a large-scale direct shear apparatus to examine the interface shear properties of the geogrid-reinforced rubber and sand mixture, considering different particle size ratios (r), rubber contents, and normal stresses. Based on indoor tests, direct shear models of the mixture with different values of r are established in PFC^3D, revealing the meso-mechanical mechanism of the mixture in the direct shear process. The results show that when r is greater than 1, incorporating a certain amount of rubber particles can increase the shear strength of the mixture. The r values of 15.78, 7.63, and 3.98 correspond to an optimal rubber content of 30%, 10%, and 20%, respectively. When r is less than 1, mixing rubber particles can only reduce the shear strength of the mixture. When the rubber content is low, the smaller the value of r, the greater is the thickness of the shear band. Furthermore, the normal and tangential contact forces are greater. The fabric anisotropy evolution law of the mixture is consistent with the change in the contact force distribution.     

Structural damage and shear performance degradation of fiber–lime–soil under freeze–thaw cycling

The freeze–thaw cycling damages the soil structure, and the shear performance of soil are degraded. A series of tests on lime–soil(L–S) and fiber–lime–soil(F–L–S), including freeze–thaw test, the triaxial compression test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test and scanning electron microscope (SEM) test, were completed. The test results showed that fiber reinforcement changed the stress–strain behavior and failure pattern of soil. The cohesion and internal friction angle of soil gradually decreased with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles (F–T cycles). The pore radius and porosity of soil increased, while the micro pore volume decreased, and the small pore volume, medium pore volume and large pore volume increased, and the large pore volume had a little variation after 10 F–T cycles. The number of pores of F–L–S was less than L–S, demonstrating that the addition of fiber helped to reduce the pore volume. The interweaved fibers limited the development and the connection of cracks. By means of the spatial restraint effect of fiber on the soil and the friction action between fiber and soil, the shear performances and freeze–thaw durability of F–L–S better were than that of L–S.