Maximizing pollutant removal and greenhouse gas emission reduction in vertical flow constructed wetlands: an orthogonal experimental approach.

Owing to the impact of the effluent C/N from the secondary structures of urban domestic wastewater treatment plants, the denitrification efficiency in constructed wetlands (CWs) is not satisfactory, limiting their widespread application in the deep treatment of urban domestic wastewater. To address this issue, we constructed enhanced CWs and conducted orthogonal experiments to investigate the effects of different factors (C/N, fillers, and plants) on the removal of conventional pollutants and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The experimental results indicated that a C/N of 8, manganese sand, and calamus achieved the best denitrification efficiencies with removal efficiencies of 85.

Efficient rural sewage treatment with manganese sand-pyrite soil infiltration systems: Performance, mechanisms, and emissions reduction.

The application of soil infiltration systems (SISs) in rural domestic sewage (RDS) is limited due to suboptimal denitrification resulting from factors such as low C/N (<5). This study introduced filler-enhanced SISs and investigated parameter impacts on pollutant removal efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction. The results showed that Mn sand-pyrite SISs, with hydraulic load ratios of 0.

Suitability evaluation of rural sewage treatment facilities in China considering lifcycle environmental impacts and regional differences.

Centralized vs. decentralized sewage treatment is one of the key issues in the planning of rural sewage treatment (RST) in China due to the country's diverse regional characteristics. There are very limited comprehensive evaluation models for selecting regionally suitable schemes and facilities, particularly for national or provisional scale planning.

Synthesis of Ag/BiOBr/CeO composites with enhanced photocatalytic degradation for sulfisoxazole.

A novel Ag/BiOBr/CeO composite was successfully prepared for the first time, which had excellent performance in degrading sulfisoxazole (SSX) under visible light irradiation. The as-prepared samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, UV-vis DRS and BET et al. The composite of 10% Ag/BiOBr/CeO showed the best photocatalytic activity and more than 99.

[Preparation of pg-CN/BiOBr/Ag Composite and Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole].

A pg-CN/BiOBr/Ag composite was successfully prepared by simple high-temperature calcination and co-precipitation methods. The composite was characterized by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV-Vis, BET, and photocurrent analyses alongside other detection methods, and the degradation of 10 mg·L sulfamethoxazole was investigated under simulated visible light irradiation. The results showed that the pg-CN/BiOBr/Ag composite had the best degradation effect on sulfamethoxazole when the loading ratio of silver was 5%.

Enhanced activation of peroxydisulfate by strontium modified BiFeOperovskite for ciprofloxacin degradation.

A series of Sr-doped BiFeO perovskites (BiSrFeO, BSFO) fabricated via sol-gel method was applied as peroxydisulfate (PDS) activator for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation. Various technologies were used to characterize the morphology and physicochemical features of prepared BSFO samples and the results indicated that Sr was successfully inserted into the perovskites lattice. The catalytic performance of BiFeO was significantly boosted by strontium doping.

Enhanced degradation of atrazine by nanoscale LaFeCuO perovskite activated peroxymonosulfate: Performance and mechanism.

Cu-doped LaFeO perovskite (LaFeCuO, LFC) synthesized using a sol-gel method was introduced in the heterogeneous activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for atrazine degradation. The obtained LFC catalysts were characterized by several technologies and the results showed that Cu was incorporated into the perovskites lattice successfully. In addition, the introduction of Cu resulted in the mixed valence state of Fe(III)/Fe(II) and Cu(II)/Cu(I) in perovskite structure.

Effect of inoculation with a microbial consortium that degrades organic acids on the composting efficiency of food waste.

In order to overcome the excessive acidification problem, a microbial consortium for the degradation of organic acids (MCDOA), which acts synergistically in degrading organic acids, was developed and used as an inoculum to improve the efficiency of food waste composting. MCDOA could eliminate the initial lag phase of the pile temperature rise because of excessive acidification and effectively shorten the composting period. Fluorescence regional integration analysis of the excitation-emission matrix spectra of dissolved organic matter showed that compared with raw material, in compost with MCDOA inoculation, the percent fluorescence response (P ) values of Regions I, II and IV decreased by 95.

Impact of anti-acidification microbial consortium on carbohydrate metabolism of key microbes during food waste composting.

This study investigated the effect of anti-acidification microbial consortium (AAMC), which act synergistically for rapid bioconversion of organic acids on carbohydrate metabolism of key microbes in the course of food waste (FW) composting by metaproteomics. AAMC was inoculated to the composting mass and compared with treatment with alkaline compounds and the control without any amendment. Inoculating AAMC could effectively accelerate carbohydrate degradation process and improve composting efficiency.

Life cycle energy efficiency and environmental impact assessment of bioethanol production from sweet potato based on different production modes.

The bioethanol is playing an increasingly important role in renewable energy in China. Based on the theory of circular economy, integration of different resources by polygeneration is one of the solutions to improve energy efficiency and to reduce environmental impact. In this study, three modes of bioethanol production were selected to evaluate the life cycle energy efficiency and environmental impact of sweet potato-based bioethanol.

Environmental sustainability of bioethanol produced from sweet sorghum stem on saline-alkali land.

Life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the energy efficiency and environmental impacts of a bioethanol production system that uses sweet sorghum stem on saline-alkali land as feedstock. The system comprises a plant cultivation unit, a feedstock transport unit, and a bioethanol conversion unit, with 1000L of bioethanol as a functional unit. The net energy ratio is 3.

Biogas production improvement and C/N control by natural clinoptilolite addition into anaerobic co-digestion of Phragmites australis, feces and kitchen waste.

Anaerobic co-digestion (A co-D) performance of Phragmites australis, feces and kitchen waste with addition of clinoptilolite (one main kind of zeolite) was investigated to evaluate the improvement of biogas/methane production and internal mechanism of nitrogen and organics control. A better biogas/methane production was observed by 10% clinoptilolite (v/v) than bentonite and diatomite, with the shortest lag phase of 0.070d(-1), the max rate of 15.

MCM-41 impregnated with A zeolite precursor: Synthesis, characterization and tetracycline antibiotics removal from aqueous solution.

In this paper, the MCM-41 has been modified by impregnation with zeolite A to prepare a kind of new adsorbent. The adsorption of TC from aqueous solutions onto modified MCM-41 has been studied. It was discovered that the adsorption capability of zeolite A modified MCM-41 (A-MCM-41) increased dramatically after modification.

Energy efficiency and environmental performance of bioethanol production from sweet sorghum stem based on life cycle analysis.

Life cycle analysis method was used to evaluate the energy efficiency and environmental performance of bioethanol production from sweet sorghum stem in China. The scope covers three units, including plant cultivation, feedstock transport, and bioethanol conversion. Results show that the net energy ratio was 1.

[Characterizing composition and transformation of dissolved organic matter in subsurface wastewater infiltration system].

In the present study, the soil column with radius of 30 cm and height of 200 cm was used to simulate a subsurface wastewater infiltration system. Under the hydraulic loading of 4 cm x d(-1), composition and transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from different depths were analyzed in a subsurface wastewater infiltration system for treatment of septic tank effluent using three-dimensional excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-EEM) with regional integration analysis (FRI). The results indicate that: (1) from different depth, the composition of DOM was also different; influent with the depth of 0.

Extraction, purification, and characterization of a trypsin inhibitor from cowpea seeds (Vigna unguiculata).

Protease inhibitors against trypsin were extracted from cowpea seeds, purified, and characterized. After the seed powder was defatted with hexane, the cowpea trypsin inhibitor (CpTI) was extracted with 0.15 M NaCl for 30 min.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers occurrence in major inflowing rivers of Lake Chaohu (China): characteristics, potential sources and inputs to lake.

Eight commonly occurring polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), including BDE 28, 47, 99, 100, 153, 154, 183, 207, and 209, were investigated in water samples from seven major inflowing rivers of Lake Chaohu to determine the distribution characteristics, potential sources and inputs to the lake. The sum of 8 BDE congeners (Σ8PBDEs) had a concentration varied from 0.31 to 84 ng L(-1), with those of BDE 209, BDE 47, BDE 99, and BDE 153 being 0.

Synthesis, characterization, and mercury adsorption properties of hybrid mesoporous aluminosilicate sieve prepared with fly ash.

A novel hybrid mesoporous aluminosilicate sieve (HMAS) was prepared with fly ash and impregnated with zeolite A precursors. This improved the mercury adsorption of HMAS compared to original MCM-41. The HMAS was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and Si and Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectra.

Life-cycle energy efficiency and environmental impacts of bioethanol production from sweet potato.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the energy efficiency and environmental impacts of sweet potato-based bioethanol production. The scope covered all stages in the life cycle of bioethanol production, including the cultivation and treatment, transport, as well as bioethanol conversion of sweet potato. Results show that the net energy ratio of sweet potato-based bioethanol is 1.

Using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy to monitor the conversion of organic matter during anaerobic co-digestion of cattle dung and duck manure.

In this study, the removal of volatile solids (VSs) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) by co-digesting cattle dung (CD) and duck manure (DM) was determined and compared with the reduction achieved with CD or DM digestion alone. Moreover, fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy was utilised to characterise the conversion mechanisms of organic nitrogen. It was found that the co-digestion provided 71% VS reduction compared with 58% for CD and 61% for DM.

Decomposition analysis of wastewater pollutant discharges in industrial sectors of China (2001-2009) using the LMDI I Method.

China's industry accounts for 46.8% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and plays an important strategic role in its economic growth. On the other hand, industrial wastewater is also the major source of water pollution.

[Effects of multi-stage strengthening inoculation on bacterial community diversity during composting].

Effects of multi-stage strengthening inoculation on bacterial community diversity were analyzed using PCR-DGGE method in municipal solid waste composting combined with Cluster analysis and changes of Shannon-Weaver index, and the changes of lignocellulose's degradation rate were also detected during the process. The results showed that Multi-stage inoculation of composting can improve the temperature of cooling and the secondary fermentation period. And the hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin degradation rate increased by 7.

[Study on ecoregion techniques of lake nutrients in Yunnan-Guizhou plateau Lake regions].

The primary objective of this research is to present an ecoregion model based on the principle components analysis (PCA), the cluster analysis (CA), the discriminant analysis (DA) and the spatial autocorrelation analysis (SAA), which were applied to establish the ecorigion of lake nutrients in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau Lakes. First, the principle components analysis method was used not only to reduce the dimensionality of the feature space, but also to deal with new indexes. The accumulation contribution ratio of the four new indexes achieved 93.

Temporal-spatial variability and fractal characteristics of soil nitrogen and phosphorus in Xinji District, Hebei Province, China.

Traditional statistics, geostatistics, fractal dimensions, and geographic information systems (GIS) were employed to study the temporal-spatial variability of soil total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) levels in Xinji District, Hebei Province area of the North China Plain from 1980 to 2007. The results indicate that nutrient levels follow normal or lognormal distributions. The TN content was 0.

[Effects of land management measures on nutrients emission].

The SWAT model, coupled with a GIS, was applied to simulate the effects of fertilizer application, contour planting and returning land for farming to forestry on nutrients discharges. The results showed that when nitrogen fertilizer of agricultural land increased from 630 to 955 kg/hm2, and phosphorus fertilizer increased from 200 to 300 kg/hm2, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient emissions have shown a growing trend. Nitrate nitrogen loads reached to 3 776.