Removal of acid blue 113 and reactive black 5 dye from aqueous solutions by activated red mud

Removal of acid blue 113 (AB113) and reactive black 5 (RB5) dyes from aqueous solutions by activated red mud was investigated at different reaction parameters. Activated red mud has higher removal efficiency for AB113 than that for RB5. This can be explained by a greater molecular size of RB5 than that of AB113 and by different binding affinity with the surface of the activated red mud. Equilibrium data was fitted well with Freundlich isotherm and the kinetic data followed a pseudo second-order model. Maximum adsorption capacity was 83.33 mg/g and 35.58 mg/g at pH 3 for AB113 and RB5, respectively.     

Study of a membrane bioreactor with glass fiber flat grille modules and the modules' optimization based on the local critical flux theory

A novel flat grille membrane module using inorganic glass fibers as filter media is proposed for use in a membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment. A model which integrates the concepts of back transport velocity, spatial local critical flux and temporal variation of the local flux has been developed. The membrane module was optimized based on experimental results and calculations using the model. The optimized parameters include the volume ratio of membrane solution for the surface modification of glass fibers, the fiber inner diameter and fiber length. The optimal values were 1:2 and 5 mm respectively but the length had little effect on the performance of the module. The critical time was then calculated with the model and an equation developed. The result was in very good agreement with the observed one. Finally, the performance of the glass fiber MBR was monitored. The effluent quality and stability of the system were comparable to that of conventional MBRs. This MBR will be a promising technique for wastewater treatment given its low cost, high strength and good effluent quality.     

Multiscale analysis of the urbanization pattern of the Phoenix metropolitan landscape of USA: Time,space and thematic resolution

Investigating the ecological consequences of urbanization require knowledge of land-cover dynamics. Quantification of land-use/land-cover change in Phoenix, Arizona during the period of 1985–2005 using landscape metrics computed from Landsat-derived maps revealed temporal patterns of landscape composition and configuration. With accelerated urbanization the landscape as a whole became more fragmented ecologically and more complex compositionally and geometrically. However, the majority of individual patches became more compact in shape. Urban land covers, especially xeric residential, increased substantially and the desert decreased by 20%. Spatial and thematic resolution of data was shown to have large effects on the analysis of land-cover pattern. Our results, while agreeing in general with previously reported scaling relations with respect to changing spatial grain and extent, showed that scaling relations are also robust and consistent across thematic resolutions and time periods. Some metrics behaved unpredictably and some exhibited scale-free behavior. Compositional metrics, such as patch density, diversity, evenness, and largest patch index, were well correlated with vegetative cover, its spatial variation, and population density. Many of these correlations exhibited hump-shaped patterns with respect to increasing grain size, indicating a characteristic scale at approximately 500–1000 m. By simultaneously manipulating spatial and thematic resolutions, the importance of the Modifiable Area Unit Problem in relating landscape patterns to vegetation and socio-economic variables was also demonstrated. Additionally, highly variable desert vegetation due to precipitation variability poses a challenge for accurately quantifying urbanization pattern in arid environments. Choosing appropriate spatial, temporal and thematic resolutions is essential in meeting this challenge.     

Capillary monolithic bioreactor of immobilized snake venom phosphodiesterase for mass spectrometry based oligodeoxynucleotide sequencing

A capillary monolithic bioreactor of snake venom phosphodiesterase (SVP) was constructed to generate different single-nucleotide mass ladders of oligodeoxynucleotides for mass spectrometry (MS)-based sequencing by immobilization. The immobilization of SVP in the porous silica monolith significantly enhances its stability for prolonged and repeated applications. The constructed capillary bioreactor has the advantages of handling (sub)microliter DNA samples and having good permeability. Benefiting from its good permeability, DNA solutions can be directly injected into the sequential digestion bioreactor simply by hand pushing or a low-pressure microinjection pump. Moreover, the immobilization of SVP facilitates the elimination or repression of the metal adducts of oligodeoxynucleotides, improving the analytical performance of MS sequencing. By the application of capillary bioreactor of immobilized SVP, the sequence-specific modification of single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide induced by a ubiquitous pollutant acrolein (Acr) was identified, demonstrating its promising applications in identification of sequence-specific damage, which may further our understanding of DNA damage caused mutagenesis.     

Dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene using ultrafine Ca-Fe composite oxides

Ca-Fe composite oxides with different Ca/Fe atomic ratios were synthesized by co-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with elemental X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). Their dechlorination activities were evaluated using hexachlorobenzene (HCB) as a model compound. The results indicate that the dechlorination activity is related to the composition of metal oxides. Different compositions lead to the formation of different phases of Ca-Fe composite oxides. When Ca/Fe atomic ratio was 3.4, the dechlorination activity reached 97%, which was the highest in the dechlorination of HCB at 300 degrees C for 0.5 h. This may be related to the formation of Ca(2)Fe(2)O(5) phase and small agglomerate size of oxide crystal of about 1 microm. The effect of reaction time on HCB dechlorination and the pathway of dechlorination were investigated using the Ca-Fe composite oxide with the highest activity. It was found that hydrodechlorination took place in the destruction of HCB, the dechlorination efficiency is almost 100% after 2 h reaction. After reaction, quantitative measurement of chloride ion and qualitative analysis of CaCO(3) indicate besides hydrodechlorination, other degradation routes may be present. The mechanism of synergic dechlorination using Ca-Fe composite oxides was discussed.     

铝的水溶液化学特征及其聚合物生成机制

聚合氯化铝（PACl）是水处理中应用较广泛的絮凝剂。研究表明,PACl中各种铝聚合物的含量直接影响其絮凝效率。本文综述铝的水解聚合特性以及制备絮凝剂过程中的铝聚合物生成机制,着重介绍了Al13聚合物的结构特性、生成机制以及制备过程中各种因素的影响,为Al13絮凝剂的进一步研究奠定了基础。     

Adsorption of fluoride from water by aligned carbon nanotubes

Aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs), a new type of carbon material, were prepared by catalytic decomposition of xylene using ferrocene as catalyst. The kinetics experiment of ACNTs shows that fluoride adsorption rate is fast in the first 60 min and the adsorption capacity reaches 3.0 mg/g rapidly, then it decreases and adsorption achieves equilibrium gradually in about 180 min. The fluoride adsorption of ACNTs depends slightly on the solution pH value. The highest adsorption capacity of ACNTs occurs at pH 7 and reaches 4.5 mg/g at equilibrium fluoride concentration of 15 mg/l. The experimental results indicate that ACNTs are promising candidate materials for fluoride removal.     

CoMOR zeolite catalyst prepared by buffered ion exchange for effective decomposition of nitrous oxide

Co contained MOR zeolite catalysts with high Co loadings were successfully synthesized by buffered ion exchange at pH 8, and were tested for N(2)O catalytic decomposition. The high exchange level of synthesized CoMOR(x)-BIE catalysts probably benefits from the maximizing hydroxycomplexes Co(OH)(+) ion in the buffered solution, which is more preferred for the ion exchange with the zeolites. It has been found that the novel CoMOR(x)-BIE catalysts exhibit excellent catalytic activities, which is attributed to the large population of isolated Co(2+) ions on ion exchange positions. The most active CoMOR(130)-BIE catalyst shows high resistance to the inhibition of oxygen, NO and water vapor. Furthermore, stability tests indicate that the CoMOR(130)-BIE catalyst has no obvious deactivation under simulated emission conditions after reaction for more than 100 h. This extraordinary durability could be related to its high Co(2+) content and low Br?nsted acidity sites in the catalyst, which facilitate the stability of active isolated Co(2+) on ion exchange positions. Thus, the CoMOR(130)-BIE catalyst shows a great potential as a cost-effective catalyst for N(2)O elimination in future applications.     

Molecular differentiation of the species of two squid families (Loliginidae and Ommastrephidae) based on a PCR study of the 5S rDNA gene

The present study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 5s rDNA gene for the identification of commercially-valuable species of cephalopod belonging to the families Loliginidae and Ommastrephidae. Our results demonstrate distinct banding patterns in each of the six species sampled (Loligo surinamensis; Loligo sanpaulensis; Lolliguncula brevis; Sepiotheuthis sepioidea; Ornithoteuthis antillarum; Illex argentinus), as well as diagnostic traits at the genus and probably family levels. The results emphasize the efficiency of the 5s rDNA marker as a low-cost and rapid forensic technique, which not only permits the identification of species, but also differentiation of members of the Loliginidae and Ommastrephidae.