This paper investigated the influence of various florfenicol concentrations on the treatment effect of greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater by intermittent aeration dynamic membrane bioreactor (IADMBR). The results showed that when the florfenicol concentration reached 80 and 120 ng L⁻¹, the average removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased by 32 and 48 %, respectively. Thus, the enhanced removal of florfenicol and its maintenance at a low concentration are prerequisites to ensure excellent effluent quality. Orthogonal experiments showed that the optimized IADMBR process parameters were hydraulic retention time (HRT) = 5 h, sludge retention time (SRT) = 30 days, and C/N = 2.5; using this combination, the florfenicol concentration was reduced to 25.8 ng L⁻¹, and the average removal efficiency was as high as 78.5 %. The large-scale field pilot test showed that the optimized IADMBR process not only ensured standardized discharge of greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater but also effectively reduced antibiotic pollution and was thus worthy of use in practical applications.

Fe₃O₄-CuO@montmorillonite was prepared using coprecipitation method, and its structure was determined by XRD, IR, and transmission electron micrograph (TEM). Montmorillonite in Fe₃O₄-CuO@montmorillonite nanocomposite allowed the silicate layer of montmorillonite to behave as a barrier, which prevented the agglomeration and natural crystallization of Fe₃O₄ and CuO. Furthermore, the chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) oxidative degradation of anthracene-contaminated soil was studied in detail using Fe₃O₄-CuO@montmorillonite as a magnetic heterogeneous catalyst. The operating parameters such as ClO₂ concentration, catalyst dosage, reaction time, and pH were evaluated. Compared with the conventional ClO₂ oxidation process without the catalyst, the ClO₂ catalytic oxidation system could significantly enhance the degradation efficiency. Under the optimal condition (anthracene concentration 89.8 mg/kg, water soil mass ratio 3:1, initial pH 7, ClO₂ concentration 1 mol/kg, catalyst dosage 1 g/kg, reaction time 30 min, and reaction temperature 25 °C), anthracene degradation efficiency achieved 96.2 %. The catalyst could be easily reused by magnetic separation and used at least 8 cycles without obvious loss of activity. The kinetic studies revealed that the ClO₂ catalytic oxidation degradation of anthracene-contaminated soil with Fe₃O₄-CuO@montmorillonite as catalyst followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with respect to ClO₂ concentration. Thus, this study showed potential application of ClO₂ catalytic oxidation process in remediation of organic pollutant-contaminated soil.

Public concerns regarding the use of copper-based algaecide for controlling problematic algae may arise due to the risks it creates to non-target algae. To examine this concern, a series of comparative algal toxicity experiments were conducted to study effects of prokaryotic and eukaryotic algal cell densities on their responses to exposures of copper sulfate and copper-ethanolamine (Cu-EA). Microcystis aeruginosa and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata were cultured separately in BG 11 medium to three initial cell densities (5 × 10⁴, 5 × 10⁵, and 5 × 10⁶ cells/mL). The 96-h EC₅₀ values of copper sulfate for M. aeruginosa at the three cell densities were 9, 63, and 112 μg Cu/L, respectively; and were 192, 1873, and 4619 μg Cu/L for P. subcapitata. The 96-h EC₅₀ values of Cu-EA were 101 and 2579 μg Cu/L for M. aeruginosa and P. subcapitata at 10⁶ cells/mL. The margin of safety (MOS) for P. subcapitata at 10⁴ cells/mL was 1.3, 0.9, and 0.8 when M. aeruginosa cell density was 10⁴, 10⁵, and 10⁶ cells/mL. This laboratory study suggests that applying copper-based algaecides to control problematic algae at a relatively low cell density would inhibit their growth with minimum impacts on non-target algae; risks to non-target algae would increase with increases of problematic algal cell density.

Tea saponin (TS), a kind of biodegradable surfactant, was chosen to improve the accessible solubilization of pyrene and cadmium (Cd) in co-contaminated soils cultivated Lolium multiflorum. TS obviously improved the accessibility of pyrene and Cd for L. multiflorum to accelerate the process of accumulation and elimination of the pollutants. The chemical forms of Cd was transformed from Fe-Mn oxides and associated to carbonates fractions into exchangeable fractions by adding TS in single Cd and pyrene-Cd contaminated soils. Moreover, the chemical forms of pyrene were transformed from associated fraction into bioaccessible fraction by adding TS in pyrene and pyrene-Cd contaminated soils. In pyrene-Cd contaminated soil, the exchangeable fraction of Cd was hindered in the existence of pyrene, and bioaccessible fraction of pyrene was promoted by the cadmium. Besides, in the process of the pyrene degradation and Cd accumulation, the effect could be improved by the elongation of roots with adding TS, and the microorganism activity was stimulated by TS to accelerate the removal of pollutions. Therefore, Planting L. multiflorum combined with adding TS would be an effective method on the phytoremediation of organics and heavy metals co-contaminated soils.

Wastewaters from civil and industrial use, which contain high concentration of heavy metals, pose the problem for their correct disposal. They cannot be directly discharged in sewage systems, as metal ions represent a serious problem not only for human health but also for the environment. In this paper, the removal of nickel, cobalt, chromium, and zinc ions from synthetic liquid wastes was carried out, by using a micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) process; an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane (a monotubular ceramic of molecular weight cutoff 210 kDa) together with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an anionic surfactant was used, in a lab-scale experimental device. The synthetic liquid contained 10-mg/L metal ions (Cr, Zn, Co, Ni), while SDS concentration varied from values above and below critical micellar concentration (CMC). The experiments were carried out at room temperature (25 °C). Results achieved showed that SDS was able to bind metal ions, resulting in a strong increase of rejection coefficient, which reached highest values in case of SDS concentration below CMC, unexpectedly.

Main aim of the work assumed recognition of physicochemical changes in snowpack occurring during the melting period. Properties of snow cover had been identified at two sites in Western Sudetes mountains (860 and 1228 m asl) in SW Poland since the end of January, and monitored until the disappearance of snow in late Spring. Snow pit measurements and sample collection at both sites were made followed by chemical analyses with the use of ionic chromatography. The results were compared for subsequent stages of snowpack evolution. Thermometers installed above the ground during summer in one site (860 m asl) helped to identify the thermal gradient existing inside snow during winter. During studies, special attention was paid to the pollutant elution with determination the different release rates of individual ions from the snow cover. Results of chemical analysis showed that during the thaw, the first portions of meltwater were responsible for drainage into the ground a substantial part of the impurities. During the first two weeks of thaw at higher elevated site, pollutants released from the snow cover load amounted to 123.5 mMol·m⁻². In those days, there was a release to the ground of approximately 74, 74, and 57 %, respectively of H⁺, NO³⁻, and SO₄ ²⁻ ions contained in the snow cover, while only 14 % of snow mass in the form of meltwater was released.

Thermophile microorganisms play an important role in hydrocarbon degradation due to being adapted to extreme conditions of temperature, and different species are capable of resisting thermophile conditions. In this study, we evaluated the oil-degrading capacity of seven thermophilic bacterial strains. Maya crude oil, a type of Mexican heavy oil, was selected as carbon source, and residual hydrocarbon concentration (TRH) was used as indicator of microbial degradation crude oil. Only four strains presented could degrade hydrocarbons, and these strains were molecularly identified using 16s region amplification and showed homology with Bacillus licheniformis. Using a bubble column reactor, the identified strains were evaluated (together in a consortium) for hydrocarbon degradation at 45, 50 and 55 °C. Concentration of TRH was decreased to 77.70, 58.19 and 51.90 % at 50, 45 and 55 °C, respectively. The consortium showed substantial potential for degrading Maya crude oil at 50 °C.

The overuse of pig slurry for fertilization purposes could involve an environmental risk. Pig slurry has been scarcely treated using constructed wetlands and stabilization ponds. Further information on hydraulic retention time comparison at full-scale in farms is desired. This survey aims to optimize a low-cost system comparing two hydraulic retention times (3 and 7 days) to purify pig slurry. Physical, chemical and microbial parameters were tested. A mechanical separator provided homogenous influent to feed the constructed wetland. Seven days of retention presented higher COD and N removal while 3 days of retention was more effective to remove TP and SO₄ ²⁻ in the constructed wetland. However, higher removal efficiencies were registered performing 7 days of retention for Mn (148.1 %), TP (113.4 %), KN (102.6 %), COD (102.5 %), NH₄ ⁺-N (94.0 %), TC (87.9 %), Cu (64.2 %), FS (47.4 %), NO₃ ⁻ (36.6 %), Ca²⁺ (32.1 %), and Br⁻ (26.0 %) in the whole system, pointing out the positive effect of the storage pond. Though the main potential pollutants were effectively reduced, parameters such as Fe, SO₄ ²⁻, SS, Zn and NO₂ ⁻ increased after purification.

A series of nano-BiOBr were prepared by an effective hydrothermal method in the presence of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and ethanol at different calcination temperatures. The as-prepared nano-BiOBr samples were characterized by measuring the specific area (S BET), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the calcination temperature has an important impact on the morphology and microstructure of BiOBr. The nano-BiOBr calcined at 120 °C showed excellent photocatalytic degradation properties for benzene, with photocatalytic degradation rate of 75 % for benzene under UV irradiation for 90 min, and removal efficiency of benzene was significantly enhanced by using nano-BiOBr catalyst compared to UV irradiation alone. BiOBr catalyst possessed good photocatalytic activity even after three consecutive photocatalytic reaction cycles, illustrating its excellent stability. The photocatalytic degradation of benzene followed the first-order kinetics, and the good catalytic capability of nano-BiOBr catalyst can be attributed to its crystalline, hierarchical nanostructure and nanosheet thickness.

Aerosol optical properties were measured and analyzed through the ground-based remote sensing Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) over an urban-industrial site, Nanjing (32.21° N, 118.72° E, and 62 m above sea level), in the Yangtze River Delta, China, during September 2007–August 2008. The annual averaged values of aerosol optical depth (AOD₅₀₀) and the Ångström exponent (AE₄₄₀–₈₇₀) were measured to be 0.94 ± 0.52 and 1.10 ± 0.21, respectively. The seasonal averaged values of AOD₅₀₀ (AE₄₄₀–₈₇₀) were noticed to be high in summer (autumn) and low in autumn (spring). The characterization of aerosol types showed the dominance of mixed type followed by the biomass burning and urban-industrial type of aerosol at Nanjing. Subsequently, the curvature (a ₂) obtained from the second-order polynomial fit and the second derivative of AE (α′) were also analyzed to understand the dominant aerosol type. The single scattering albedo at 440 nm (SSA₄₄₀) varied from 0.88 to 0.93 with relatively lower (higher) values during the summer (spring), suggesting an increase in black carbon and mineral dust (desert dust) aerosols of absorbing (scattering) nature. The averaged monthly and seasonal evolutions of shortwave (0.3–4.0 μm) direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF) values were computed from the Santa Barbara DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model both at the top of atmosphere (TOA) and bottom of atmosphere (SUR) during the study period. Further, the aerosol forcing efficiency (AFE) and the corresponding atmospheric heating rates (AHR) were also estimated from the forcing within the atmosphere (ATM). The derived DARF values, therefore, produced a warming effect within the atmosphere due to strong absorption of solar radiation.