The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

Mercury Flows in China and Global Drivers.

Mercury (Hg) pollution control has become an urgent need at global and national scales. This study, for the first time, comprehensively examines Hg flows in Mainland China and uncovers domestic and external causal drivers of China's Hg emissions/releases. Results show that China's Hg input reaches 2643 t in 2010.

Modelling Methane Production and Sulfate Reduction in Anaerobic Granular Sludge Reactor with Ethanol as Electron Donor.

In this work, a mathematical model based on growth kinetics of microorganisms and substrates transportation through biofilms was developed to describe methane production and sulfate reduction with ethanol being a key electron donor. The model was calibrated and validated using experimental data from two case studies conducted in granule-based Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactors. The results suggest that the developed model could satisfactorily describe methane and sulfide productions as well as ethanol and sulfate removals in both systems.

A Framework for Flood Risk Analysis and Benefit Assessment of Flood Control Measures in Urban Areas.

Flood risk analysis is more complex in urban areas than that in rural areas because of their closely packed buildings, different kinds of land uses, and large number of flood control works and drainage systems. The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical framework for flood risk analysis and benefit assessment of flood control measures in urban areas. Based on the concept of disaster risk triangle (hazard, vulnerability and exposure), a comprehensive analysis method and a general procedure were proposed for urban flood risk analysis.

An extended study on historical mercury accumulation in lake sediment of Shanghai: The contribution of socioeconomic driver.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization has caused large emission and potential contamination of mercury (Hg) in urban environment. However, little is known about the impact of socioeconomic factor on Hg accumulation in sediment. In the present study, historical record of anthropogenic Hg deposition of Shanghai was reconstructed by using three sediment cores from three park lakes (C1: Luxun Park; C2: Fuxing island Park; C3: Xinjiangwan Park).

Biochar alleviates combined stress of ammonium and acids by firstly enriching Methanosaeta and then Methanosarcina.

This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of biochar of different particle sizes in alleviating ammonium (NH4(+)) inhibition (up to 7 g-N/L) during anaerobic digestion of 6 g/L glucose. Compared to the control treatment without biochar addition, treatments that included biochar particles 2-5 mm, 0.5-1 mm and 75-150 μm in size reduced the methanization lag phase by 23.

Modeling the Kinetics of Contaminants Oxidation and the Generation of Manganese(III) in the Permanganate/Bisulfite Process.

Permanganate can be activated by bisulfite to generate soluble Mn(III) (noncomplexed with ligands other than H2O and OH(-)) which oxidizes organic contaminants at extraordinarily high rates. However, the generation of Mn(III) in the permanganate/bisulfite (PM/BS) process and the reactivity of Mn(III) toward emerging contaminants have never been quantified. In this work, Mn(III) generated in the PM/BS process was shown to absorb at 230-290 nm for the first time and disproportionated more easily at higher pH, and thus, the utilization rate of Mn(III) for decomposing organic contaminant was low under alkaline conditions.

Oxidation of Sulfonamides in Aqueous Solution by UV-TiO2-Fe(VI).

The photocatalytic degradation of sulfonamides in aqueous TiO2 suspension under UV irradiation has been investigated using potassium ferrate as electron acceptors. The results showed that the stability of Fe(VI) is dependent on pH significantly, and the stability reduces obviously in the presence of UV-TiO2. The experiments indicated that Fe(VI) could effectively scavenge the conduction band electrons from the surface of TiO2.

Degradation Effect of Sulfa Antibiotics by Potassium Ferrate Combined with Ultrasound (Fe(VI)-US).

Sulfa antibiotics are a family of typical broad-spectrum antibiotics, which have become one of the most frequently detected antibiotics in water, posing a great threat to human health and ecosystem. Potassium ferrate is a new type of high-efficiency multifunctional water treatment agent, collecting the effects of oxidation, adsorption, flocculation, coagulation, sterilization, and deodorization. Performance and mechanism of degradation of typical broad-spectrum antibiotics by Fe(VI)-US were further studied, investigating the degradation effect of sulfa antibiotics by single ultrasound, single potassium ferrate, and potassium ferrate-ultrasound (Fe(VI)-US).

Evaluation on the Nanoscale Zero Valent Iron Based Microbial Denitrification for Nitrate Removal from Groundwater.

Nanoscale zero valent iron (NZVI) based microbial denitrification has been demonstrated to be a promising technology for nitrate removal from groundwater. In this work, a mathematical model is developed to evaluate the performance of this new technology and to provide insights into the chemical and microbial interactions in the system in terms of nitrate reduction, ammonium accumulation and hydrogen turnover. The developed model integrates NZVI-based abiotic reduction of nitrate, NZVI corrosion for hydrogen production and hydrogen-based microbial denitrification and satisfactorily describes all of the nitrate and ammonium dynamics from two systems with highly different conditions.

Assessing chromate reduction by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria using mathematical modeling.

Chromate (Cr (VI)) is a ubiquitous contaminant in aquifers and soils, which can be reduced to its trivalent counterpart (Cr (III)), with the hazard being relieved. The coupling microbial and chemical reduction by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (IRB) is a promising approach for the reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III). In this work, three mathematical models with different Cr (VI) reduction pathways were proposed and compared based on their ability to predict the performance of an IRB-based stirred-flow reactor treating Cr (VI) contaminated medium and to provide insights into the possible chemical or microbial pathways for Cr (VI) reduction in the system.

Mercury distribution in sediment along urban-rural gradient around Shanghai (China): implication for pollution history.

The increasing levels of heavy metals in the environment generally related with the rapid industrialization and urbanization. Mercury (Hg) is a global toxin with wide concerns, and China gradually becomes the main producer, consumer, and emitter of Hg in the world. However, few historical data are available on the occurrence of Hg in Chinese urban areas.

Ru(III) catalyzed permanganate oxidation of aniline at environmentally relevant pH.

Ru(III) was employed as catalyst for aniline oxidation by permanganate at environmentally relevant pH for the first time. Ru(III) could significantly improve the oxidation rate of aniline by 5-24 times with its concentration increasing from 2.5 to 15 μmol/L.

Residential preferences for river network improvement: an exploration of choice experiments in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai, China.

River networks have both ecological and social benefits for urban development. However, river networks have suffered extensive destruction as a result of urbanization and industrialization, especially in China. River restoration is a growth business but suffers poor efficiency due to a lack of social understanding.

Chlorination and chloramination of tetracycline antibiotics: disinfection by-products formation and influential factors.

Formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) from chlorination and chloramination of tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) was comprehensively investigated. It was demonstrated that a connection existed between the transformation of TCs and the formation of chloroform (CHCl3), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) and dichloroacetone (DCAce). Factors evaluated included chlorine (Cl2) and chloramine(NH2Cl) dosage, reaction time, solution pH and disinfection modes.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP) in a conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Shanghai: seasonal variations and potential sources.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered an important medium for the transport and transformation of organic pollutants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dechlorane plus (DP). However, limited data on PBDEs and no data on DP were available regarding wastewater and sludge from China, especially in Shanghai, one of the most developed cities in China. This study examined the occurrence of PBDEs and DP in a conventional WWTP in Shanghai for one year.

Scenario analysis for sustainable development of Chongming Island: water resources sustainability.

With the socioeconomic and urban development of Chongming Island (the largest alluvial island in the world), water demand is rapidly growing. To make adjustments to the water utilization structure of each industry, allocate limited water resources, and increase local water use efficiency, this study performed a scenario analysis for the water sustainability of Chongming Island. Four different scenarios were performed to assess the water resource availability by 2020.

Land use pattern, socio-economic development, and assessment of their impacts on ecosystem service value: study on natural wetlands distribution area (NWDA) in Fuzhou city, southeastern China.

This paper quantifies the allocation of ecosystem services value (ESV) associated with land use pattern and qualitatively examined impacts of land use changes and socio-economic factors on spatiotemporal variation of ESV in the Natural Wetland Distribution Area (NWDA), Fuzhou city, China. The results showed that total ESV of the study area decreased from 4,332.16 × 10(6) RMB Yuan in 1989 to 3,697.

Molecular surveillance of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi by genotyping and subtyping parasites in wastewater.

Background: Despite their wide occurrence, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis are considered neglected diseases by the World Health Organization. The epidemiology of these diseases and microsporidiosis in humans in developing countries is poorly understood. The high concentration of pathogens in raw sewage makes the characterization of the transmission of these pathogens simple through the genotype and subtype analysis of a small number of samples.

Acidic pharmaceuticals in domestic wastewater and receiving water from hyper-urbanization city of China (Shanghai): environmental release and ecological risk.

The occurrence, behavior, and release of five acidic pharmaceuticals, including ibuprofen (IBP), naproxen (NPX), ketoprofen (KEP), diclofenac (DFC), and clofibric acid (CA), have been investigated along the different units in a tertiary-level domestic wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in hyper-urbanization city of China (Shanghai). IBP was the most abundant chemicals among the measured in raw wastewater. The loads of the acidic pharmaceuticals in the WWTP influent ranged from 7.

[Temporal and spatial variation of non-point source nitrogen in surface water in urban agricultural region of Shanghai].

To know the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of non-point source nitrogen in surface water in urban agricultural region, and reveal the effect of non-point source nitrogen pollution on the quality of surface water, the contents of total nitrogen and inorganic nitrogen species in surface water were continuously monitored in Orchard Village, Nanhui District, Shanghai. The results were obtained as follows: (1) Spatial distribution of nitrogen in surface water is affected by hydrological periods and land use type. Mass concentration of nitrate nitrogen (NN) is high and that of ammonium nitrogen (AN) is low in surface water affected by the orchard, and the discrepancy of nitrogen concentration is high in wet season and low in dry season.

[Characteristics of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen under different land use types in Shanghai].

By the methods of field sampling and laboratory analysis, this paper studied the variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents and SOC density under different land use types in Shanghai. Significant differences were observed in the test parameters among different land use types. The SOC density was the highest in paddy field (3.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in background surface soils from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China: occurrence, sources, and inventory.

Purposes: Very few data for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were available in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most developed and urbanized region in China. In this study, Chongming Island, located at the estuary of the Yangtze River, was selected as background area to investigate the occurrence, sources, and inventory of PBDEs.

Methods: Forty-two PBDE congeners were determined in surface soils from farmland, woodland, grassland, tideland, and road collected in Chongming Island.

Planning for sustainability in China's urban development: status and challenges for Dongtan eco-city project.

With the rapid urbanization in China, the country faces significant challenges in sustainable urban development and actively explores novel ways to expand urban areas while conserving natural resources. Radical changes in city planning are being made to switch to sustainable development, with new cities being designed to be ecologically friendly guided by principles like carbon neutrality and self-sufficiency. This paper introduces the development of the Dongtan eco-city project on Chongming Island, Shanghai and describes how it addresses issues including energy, water, waste, transportation, ecosystem, and social and economic development in its design.