Removal and biodegradation of nonylphenol by different Chlorella species

All four Chlorella species, including one commercially available species, Chlorella vulgaris and three local isolates, Chlorella sp. (1uoai), Chlorella sp. (2f5aia) and Chlorella miniata (WW1), had a rapid and high ability to remove nonylphenol (NP). Among these species, C. vulgaris had the highest NP removal (nearly all NP was removed from the medium) and degradation abilities (more than 80% of NP was degraded) after 168 h, followed by WW1 and 1uoai; 2f5aia had the lowest NP degradation ability. The NP removal by C. vulgaris was less affected by growth conditions, but its biodegradation efficiency was significantly increased by temperature and light intensity, suggesting that the biodegradation ability was positively related to photosynthetic and metabolic activities. These results indicated that C. vulgaris was the most suitable species for effective removal and biodegradation of NP, especially under 25 °C with light illumination and initial biomass between 0.5 and 1.0 mg chlorophyll l⁻¹.     

椭圆小球藻( Chlorella ellipsoidea )对4种重金属的耐受性及富集

分离筛选获得了一株高重金属抗性的椭圆小球藻 (Chlorellaellipsoidea) ,并研究了不同浓度的重金属铜、锌、镍、镉对该藻生长和叶绿素a含量的影响及其对重金属离子的吸收富集作用 .结果显示 ,该藻对Zn2 +和Cd2 +具有很高的耐受性 .对四种重金属的耐受能力依次为锌 >镉>镍 >铜 .其叶绿素a含量与重金属离子浓度呈明显负相关 .该藻对重金属具有很好的去除效果 ,经 15μmol/LCu2 +、30 0 μmol/LZn2 +、10 0 μmol/LNi2 +、30 μmol/LCd2 +浓度 72h处理 ,去除率分别达到 4 0 .93%、98.33%、97.6 2 %、86 .88% ,可应用于含重金属废水的处理     

Visualization experiments of biodegradation in porous media and calculation of the biodegradation rate

Biodegradation in porous media is studied with carefully controlled and well-characterized experiments in model porous media constructed of etched glass. Porous media of this type allow visual observation of the phenomena that take place at pore scale. An aqueous solution of five organic pollutants (toluene, phenol, o-cresol, naphthalene and 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene) was used as a model NAPL (representing creosote). The bacteria used were Pseudomonas fluorescens, which are indigenous (even predominant) in many contaminated soils. The maximum aqueous concentrations of the specific organic substances, below which biodegradation becomes possible, were determined as a function of temperature from toxicity experiments. Visualization experiments were made under various flow velocities and organic loadings to study the morphology and thickness of the biofilm as a function of the pore size and the distance from the entrance, and the efficiency of biodegradation. The efficiency of biodegradation decreased as the aqueous concentration of NAPL at the inlet increased and/or as the flow velocity increased. The thickness of biofilm decreased as the distance from the inlet increased and/or the pore diameter decreased. A quasi-steady-state theoretical model of biodegradation was used to calculate the values of the mesoscopic biochemical rates and to predict the profile of NAPL concentration in the porous medium and the thickness of biofilm in pores. The agreement between experimental data and model predictions is quite satisfactory.     

Sperm motility in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is affected by nonylphenol

Nonylphenol, a widespread aquatic pollutant with endocrine-disrupting potential has been found to affect sperm motility in the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg). This marine invertebrate, a global aquaculture species, was exposed to nonylphenol at concentrations of 1 and 100 μg l⁻¹ for a duration of 72 h during the period of gametogenesis. Growth was monitored at regular intervals until sexual maturity when sperm motility was assessed. The growth rate of C. gigas remained unaffected by exposure to nonylphenol during gametogenesis. However, the number of individuals with motile sperm was significantly reduced.     

Petroleum biodegradation and oil spill bioremediation

Hydrocarbon-utilizing microorganisms are ubiquitously distributed in the marine environment following oil spills. These microorganisms naturally biodegrade numerous contaminating petroleum hydrocarbons, thereby cleansing the oceans of oil pollutants. Bioremediation, which is accomplished by adding exogenous microbial populations or stimulating indigenous ones, attempts to raise the rates of degradation found naturally to significantly higher rates. Seeding with oil degraders has not been demonstrated to be effective, but addition of nitrogenous fertilizers has been shown to increase rates of petroleum biodegradation. In the case of the Exxon Valdez spill, the largest and most thoroughly studied application of bioremediation, the application of fertilizer (slow release or oleophilic) increased rates of biodegradation 3–5 times. Because of the patchiness of oil, an internally conserved compound, hopane, was critical for demonstrating the efficacy of bioremediation. Multiple regression models showed that the effectiveness of bioremediation depended upon the amount of nitrogen delivered, the concentration of oil, and time.     

Multidimensional analytical models for isotope ratios in groundwater pollutant plumes of organic contaminants undergoing different biodegradation kinetics

This work presents analytical models which are able to predict contours of concentrations and isotope ratios of organic pollutants in homogeneous aquifers. Four analytical solutions of the advective–dispersive transport equation for reactive transport from the literature differing in assumptions regarding biodegradation kinetics were used. Stable isotope ratios are computed after modelling the individual reactive transport of isotopic species in the aquifer, which respond differently to fractionation by biodegradation or sorption. The main finding of this study is that the isotope ratios in the plumes are very sensitive to the assumptions underlying the biodegradation kinetics in the models. When biodegradation occurs throughout the core of the plume as first-order reaction, the transversal gradients in isotope ratios are smooth. When biodegradation occurs in a bi-molecular reaction with an electron acceptor (modelled by double-Monod kinetics), steep transversal isotope gradients are predicted. When the reaction rates approach instantaneous reaction along the plume fringes, isotope shifts in the core of the plume disappear. A model incorporating plume and fringe degradation produces the most plausible predictions of isotope ratios in this study. It is shown furthermore that isotope fractionation by sorption causes an even different pattern of isotope ratios, with positive shifts restricted to near the forerunning front of an expanding plume. The models developed in this work can serve for the validation of numerical models and may be incorporated in natural attenuation support systems such as e.g. BIOSCREEN.     

Magnetic signature of different vegetation species in polluted environment

Detailed magnetic study on vegetation samples from several strongly polluted and clean sites in Bulgaria is carried out in order to evaluate suitability of different species as passive dust collectors in magnetometry. From each location, available species among lichens, mosses, poplar leaves, dandelion, needles have been sampled. Magnetic susceptibility calculated on mass-specific basis shows wide variability between diamagnetic signal up to 846 × 10⁻⁸ m³/kg. Lichens and mosses are found to be the species, showing magnetic signals with the strongest contrast between clean and polluted environment. The main magnetic phase is magnetite-like according to the results from thermomagnetic analysis of susceptibility on magnetic extracts. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) microphotographs reveal the presence of abundant particulate matter on vegetation surface both with anthropogenic (spherules) and lithogenic origin. Magnetic grain size deduced by the ratio of saturation remanent magnetization (SIRM) and mass-specific magnetic susceptibility (χ) and coercivities (B_c and B_cr) suggest that different species accumulate preferentially small SD-like grains from pollution emissions. Contrasting relationship of the ratio of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) and χ for polluted vs clean sites deduced by needles and lichens may be related to transformation of the accumulated dust particles within lichens’ tissue. This finding indicates that the exact species used as biological dust collector is of importance when studying spatial grain size distribution of magnetic dust particles. Pilot study on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) content and its relation to magnetic parameters shows good correspondence between high levels of PAHs and high SIRM values for locations affected by non-ferrous industrial production.     

Seasonal and spatial distribution of nonylphenol and IBP in Saemangeum Bay, Korea

In order to investigate spatial and temporal distribution of organic pollutants in the Saemangeum Bay, organophosphorus pesticides (10), alkylphenols (8), chlorophenols (2), bisphenol A were analyzed from the surface seawater taken in 2002–2003. Most of the analytes were not detected in all stations except nonylphenol and S-benzyl-O,O-di-isopropyl phosphorothioate (IBP). Concentrations of nonylphenol and IBP ranged from ND to 298 ng/l and from ND to 1840 ng/l, respectively. The high levels of nonylphenol and IBP were found in the estuary areas of Mangyeong and Dongjin River. The levels of nonylphenol and IBP in surface seawater varied through seasons and the high levels of nonylphenol and IBP were in summer season (August). Based on real time monitoring of IBP and on correlation between concentrations of target compounds and contents of salinity in seawater, physical mixing and diffusion of seawater were found to be the major factors that affect the spatial distribution of IBP and nonylphenol in the Saemangeum Bay environment.     

Profiles of nonylphenol isomers in surface waters from Sri Lanka

Isomer-specific concentrations of nonylphenol (NP) and their predicted estrogenic potency were investigated in Sri Lankan waters for the first time. The total concentration of 13 NP isomers ranged from 90 to 1835 ng/L, while the predicted estrogenic equivalent concentration ranged from 0.072 to 1.38 ng 17β-estradiol (E2)/L. Bire Lake, located in the central area of the commercial capital, Colombo, had the highest contamination among the studied locations. These data show that NP levels in Sri Lankan waters are well within the recently reported concentrations in other regions of the world. The spatial differences in NP concentrations suggest that NP contamination in Sri Lanka may be widespread, and comprehensive study is vital.     

Accumulation and biodegradation of phenanthrene and fluoranthene by the algae enriched from a mangrove aquatic ecosystem

This study focused on the accumulation and biodegradation of two typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenanthrene (PHE) and fluoranthene (FLA), by the diatoms enriched from a mangrove aquatic ecosystem in the Jiulong River estuary, China. After separation, purification and culture, Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve and Nitzschia sp. were exposed to different concentrations of PHE, FLA, and a mixture of the two. The results showed that the tolerance of S.costatum to PHE and FLA was greater than that of Nitzschia sp., and that the toxic effect of FLA on S. costatum and Nitzschia sp. was higher than that of PHE. The microalgal species S. costatum and Nitzschia sp. were capable of accumulating and degrading the two typical PAHs simultaneously. The accumulation and degradation abilities of Nitzschia sp. were higher than those of S. costatum. Degradation of FLA by the two algal species was slower, indicating that FLA was a more recalcitrant PAH compound. The microalgal species also showed comparable or higher efficiency in the removal of the PHE-FLA mixture than PHE or FLA singly, suggesting that the presence of one PAH stimulated the degradation of the other.     

不同鱼类对沉水植物生长的影响

沉水植物是富营养水体生态修复的重要组成部分,鱼类是影响沉水植物生长的重要因素之一.为了解鱼类对沉水植物生长的影响,研究3种鱼(草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)、鲫(Carassius auratus)、鳊(Parabramis pekinensis))对4种沉水植物(苦草(Vallisneria natans)、金鱼藻(Ceratophyllum demersum)、伊乐藻(Elodea nuttalli)、马来眼子菜(Potamogeton malaianus))生长的影响.结果显示,对照组、草鱼组和鳊组沉水植物生物量分别下降19.2%、82.1%和16.6%,而鲫组沉水植物生物量却增长12.5%.4种沉水植物中,金鱼藻生物量增长最高,其中对照组、鳊组和鲫组中金鱼藻生物量分别增长171.1%、113.9%和265.5%,而草鱼组金鱼藻生物量却下降24.4%.草鱼、鳊、鲫都能有效抑制沉水植物的竞争者水绵的生长.该研究结果在利用沉水植物修复富营养水体过程中对鱼类的管理具有重要的参考意义.     

菌藻共固定化降解微囊藻毒素

研究了微囊藻毒素降解菌S3和椭圆小球藻L1共固定化后,对微囊藻毒素(MC-LR)的降解作用.结果表明,共固定化藻菌体系比单独固定化菌对MC-LR有更好的降解效果,共固定的藻可促进降解菌S3的生长.固定化细胞对毒素的降解能力较稳定,受环境温度和pH变化的影响较小,重复使用仍可维持较高的降解活性.     

Influence of transient flow on contaminant biodegradation

The rate of biodegradation in contaminated aquifers depends to a large extent on dispersive mixing processes that are now generally accepted to result from spatial variations in the velocity field. It has been shown, however, that transient flow fields can also contribute to dispersive mixing. The influence of transient flow on biodegrading contaminants is particularly important since it can enhance mixing with electron acceptors, further promoting the reactive process. Using numerical simulations, the effect of transient flow on the behavior of a biodegradable contaminant is evaluated here both with respect to the development of apparently large horizontal transverse dispersion and also with respect to enhanced mixing between the substrate (electron donor) and electron acceptor. The numerical model BIO3D, which solves for advective-dispersive transport coupled with Monod-type biodegradation of substrates in the presence of an electron acceptor, was used for the simulations. The model was applied in a two-dimensional plan view mode considering a single substrate. Transient flow fields were found to yield larger apparent transverse dispersion because the longitudinal dispersivity also acts transverse to the mean flow direction. In the reactive case, the transient flow field increases substrate-oxygen mixing, which in turn enhances the overall rate of biodegradation. The results suggest that in the case of moderate changes of flow directions, a steady-state flow field can be justified, thereby avoiding the higher computational costs of a fully transient simulation. The use of a higher transverse horizontal dispersivity in a steady flow field can, under these conditions, adequately forecast plume development.     

内蒙古乌梁素海不同形态氮的时空分布

为揭示不同形态氮在乌梁索海空间分布特征及变化规律,运用ArcGIS统计模块分析了2006-2007年乌梁素海不同形态氮浓度的时空变异.研究表明:乌梁素海水体中各监测点总氮浓度夏、冬季高,秋季低,季节性差异较为明显;秋、冬季氨氮平均浓度明显高于夏季;不同季节亚硝态氮平均浓度明显高于硝态氮.在空间分布上,乌梁索海不同形态氮浓度分布呈现出由北向南逐渐降低的趋势.总之,乌梁索海氮素污染问题已十分严重,主要污染源为河套灌区农田排水、沿总干渠区域的工业废水和生活污水,随水体的流动氮污染减少,但某些区域因芦苇、水革密集而使不同形态氮有不同程度的增减.