Reaction time scales for sulphate reduction in sediments of acidic pit lakes and its relation to in-lake acidity neutralisation

Sulphate reduction is a key reaction to remove acidity from water bodies affected by acid mine drainage. In this study, ³⁵SSO₄²⁻ reduction rates determined in sediments from a variety of acidic lignite pit lakes have been compiled. The rates decreased with pH and are strongly dependent on carbon substrate. The rates were fitted to a Monod model adapted to the specific conditions of acidic pit lakes (APL) sediments: i) sulphate reduction rate is independent from sulphate concentration due to the high concentration typically observed in APL systems (10–30 mM), ii) the observed pH dependency of sulphate reduction was accounted for by an inhibition function F_inihibt which considers the occurrence of low cell numbers of sulphate reducing bacteria at pH values < 4.75. Simulated steady-state sulphate reduction rates are predicting measured rates at carbon substrate concentrations of <10 μM. Estimated steady-state reaction time scales range between 2.4 h at pH 7 and 41 h at pH 3 at a carbon half-saturation constant of K_C−S = 100 μM and are increasing with increasing K_C−S values. Time scales at low pH are too long to allow for significant generation of alkalinity during the time of residence of groundwater passing through the top and hence most reactive zone of APL sediments which has important implications for the remediation of acidic pit lakes.     

A Comparative Study of Pollutant Removal Stability in Hybrid Wetland Columns

This study investigated the effects of two alternative substrates(wood mulch and zeolite) on the performance of three laboratory-scale hybrid wetland systems that had identical system components and configurations.Each system consisted of a vertical flow(VF) wetland column,followed by a horizontal flow(HF) column and a vertical flow column.The substrates employed were wood mulch,gravel and zeolite,and Phragmites australis were planted in each column.The systems received synthetic wastewater,with pollutant loadings in the range of 8.5-38.0 g/(m2·d) total nitrogen(TN) and 4.0-46.4 g/(m2·d) biological oxygen demand(BOD5).Wood mulch and zeolite substrates showed higher efficiencies in terms of removing nitrogenous compounds and biodegradable organics.The supply of organic carbon from the organic mulch substrates enhanced denitrification,while adsorption of influent ammoniacal nitrogen(NH4-N) in zeolite played a major role in the removal of nitrogenous species in the wetland columns.Overall,the average percentage removals of TN and BOD5 reached >66% and >96% respectively,indicating stable performances by the hybrid wetland systems under the experimental loading ranges.Mathematical models were developed,based on the combination of Monod kinetics and continuously-stirred tank reactor(CSTR) flow patterns to describe the degradation of nitrogenous compounds.Predictions by the models closely matched the experimental data,indicating the validity and potential application of Monod kinetics in the modelling and design of treatment wetlands.     

植物种群资源竞争与共存的理论模型研究

自然生态系统不同植物种群之间存在着广泛的竞争,且多种植物种群可以共存,即具有生物多样性。经典的资源竞争模型(莫诺模型)支持生态学上的"竞争排斥原理",不适用于阐释自然生态系统不同植物种群间的竞争与共存。根据植物生态系统的特点,引入植物种群的生长率随着物种个体大小/个体数增加而逐渐趋于饱和的性质,建立自抑制资源竞争模型。该模型与莫诺模型的本质区别在于,物种的临界可利用资源随种群密度增加而上升,从而可以达到不同物种间的平衡。数学分析及数值模拟结果表明,该模型可允许多物种稳定共存(即共存的物种种类数可以多于供给其生长的资源种类数),同时优势物种随资源供给率增加而依次变化。     

Estimation of kinetic Monod parameters for anaerobic degradation of benzene in groundwater

To date, evidence for the degradation of benzene under anaerobic conditions has been established only in few studies under field and laboratory conditions. Recently, we demonstrated the mineralization of benzene under sulfate-reducing conditions in a large-scale column experiment at a field site by balancing electrons (Vogt et al. in Biodegradation, 2007, in press). Here, from a modelling approach, kinetic Monod parameters are estimated for the degradation of benzene in the columns, Monod kinetics proved useful to simulate benzene concentrations at the column outflow. The uncertainty of the obtained parameters is determined in a sensitivity analysis. A total mass of degraded benzene of 23 g or 80% of the total influx over a period of three months was calculated. The estimated maximum utilization rate was calculated to be around 70 times lower than from aerobic benzene degradation experiments.     

Simulation of sulfate-dependent sulfate reduction using Monod kinetics

A simple computer code is presented for simulating the dependence of sulfate reduction on sulfate concentration using Monod kinetics. Unlike previous models, the code provides a numerical initial value problem solution, rather than a two-point boundary value solution, for the Monod model using a search procedure to find the correct starting value for the derivative of sulfate concentration with respect to depth. Accordingly the code is not restricted to cases where sulfate vanishes at finite depth but also can be used to model situations where organic matter is exhausted before total depletion of sulfate can occur. In such situations, the code demonstrates that profiles generated using Monod kinetics differ significantly from those generated using the simple sulfate-independent model proposed by Berner (1964), even when the asymptotic concentration of sulfate at depth remains well above the Monod saturation constant.     

Characteristic regimes for in‐situ bioremediation of aquifers by injecting water containing an electron acceptor

A onedimensional model is developed for simulating insitu bioremediation. The modeled processes are advective and dispersive transport, biotransformation and microbial growth. The biodegradation of the contaminant is limited by the supply of electron acceptor or microbial mass. We distinguish three regimes of oxygen consumption, a low oxygen consumption regime, an intermediate regime and a fast oxygen consumption regime. Parameter variation reveals the influence of the dimensionless numbers on the duration of the three regimes.