In this study, degradation of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) was investigated with ultrasound-assisted heterogeneous photoFenton process by iron-containing TiO₂catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and characterized by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, nitrogen adsorption, and ICP-AES measurements. Almost complete color removal (99.9 %) was achieved after a reaction time of 90 min while chemical oxygen demand (COD) could be removed by 24 % only with the 1 wt% iron-containing TiO₂catalyst. Initial color removal after 15 min of reaction and total COD abatement after 90 min of reaction decreased with increasing calcination temperature of the catalyst from 573 to 973 K. This indicated that the catalytic activity of the catalyst depend on the percentage of anatase phase in the TiO₂, which was decreased with increasing calcination temperature.

Impact of polysilicic acid (pSi) in polyferric silicate chloride (PFSiC) on coagulation-ultrafiltration process was investigated in comparison with polyferric chloride (PFC). The Fe(III) species distribution in PFSiC and PFC was measured by a timed complexation spectroscopy method. Characteristics of flocs produced by PFSiC and PFC were studied using a laser diffraction particle sizing device. Moreover, membrane fouling was evaluated using a dead-end batch ultrafiltration unit under two operation modes, coagulation-ultrafiltration (C-UF) and coagulation-sedimentation-ultrafiltration (CSUF). The results indicated that PFSiC with various Si/Fe ratios had better turbidity removal efficiency but inferior organic matter removal. Flocs formed by PFSiC were larger than those by PFC. In case of PFSiC, floc size increased with Si/Fe ratio increasing. PFSiC with various Si/Fe ratios resulted in more compact and weaker flocs than PFC. Ultrafiltration experiments indicated that under C-UF mode, PFSiC with Si/Fe ratios of 0.07 and 0.10 presented better membrane performance than PFC. Under CSUF mode, addition of pSi could alleviate membrane fouling.

Non-point source (NPS) pollution from agricultural drainage has aroused widespread concerns throughout the world due to its contribution to eutrophication of water bodies. To remove nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural drainage in situ, a Paddy Eco-ditch and Wetland System (PEDWS) was designed and built based on the characteristics of the irrigated rice district. A 2-year (2012–2013) field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of this system in Gaoyou Irrigation District in Eastern China. The results showed that the reduction in water input in paddy field of the PEDWS enabled the maintenance of high rice yield; it significantly increased irrigation water productivity (WPI), gross water productivity (WPG), and evapotranspiration water productivity (WPET) by 109.2, 67.1, and 17.6 %, respectively. The PEDWS dramatically decreased N and P losses from paddy field. Compared with conventional irrigation and drainage system (CIDS), the amount of drainage water from PEDWS was significantly reduced by 56.2 %, the total nitrogen (TN) concentration in drainage was reduced by 42.6 %, and thus the TN and total phosphorus (TP) losses were reduced by 87.8 and 70.4 %. PEDWS is technologically feasible and applicable to treat nutrient losses from paddy fields in situ and can be used in similar areas.

Br⁻and nitrogen-containing organic pollutants, such as amino acids, protein, etc., were often detected in water and wastewater treatment plants using advanced oxidation technologies. All these technologies have one common characteristic, that is, the removal processes involve ·OH. Therefore, it is necessary to study the different reaction pathways among ·OH, Br⁻, and amino acids. In this research, glycine was chosen as the representative of amino acids and H₂O₂was selected as ·OH precursor. Results showed that Br⁻had a shielding effect on H of α-carbon in glycine, when it was abstracted by ·OH. The main reaction pathway in the system containing Br⁻was the abstraction of H from amino group in glycine by ·OH, contributing 85 % of total abstracted H. This system had a prominent phenomenon of decarboxylation and performed as alkali production dominating. However, in the system not containing Br⁻, the main reaction pathway was the abstraction of H from α-carbon in glycine by ·OH, contributing 97 % of total abstracted H. This system performed as acid production dominating. By laser flash photolysis, the second-order rate constants of abstraction of H from both α-carbon and amino group in glycine by ·OH were obtained as (3.3 ± 0.5) × 10⁷M⁻¹·s⁻¹and (8.2 ± 0.8) × 10⁸ M⁻¹·s⁻¹, respectively. The second-order rate constants of the reaction between H₂NCH₂COO⁻, HṄCH₂COO⁻ and H₂O₂ were (1.5 ± 1.1) × 10⁷ M⁻¹·s⁻¹and (4.4 ± 0.3) × 10⁷ M⁻¹·s⁻¹, respectively. In addition, Br⁻was found to play a catalytic role in the decomposition of H₂O₂under UV radiation. The results mentioned above were significant for the application of advanced oxidation technologies for water containing both amino acids and Br⁻in water and wastewater treatment plants.

An electro/Fe²⁺/persulfate process has been conducted for toluene removal from surfactant (SDS) flushing solution, and the pseudo-second-order reaction rate constant (k ₂ value) of toluene removal has been optimized by a response surface methodology (RSM). The results indicated that in this process, the reaction between persulfate and externally added Fe²⁺ generates sulfate-free radicals, and at the same time, Fe²⁺ is electro-regenerated at the cathode by the reduction of Fe³⁺. RSM based on Box–Behnken design (BBD) has been applied to analyze the experimental variables, of which the concentrations of persulfate and Fe²⁺ showed a positive effect on the rate constant of toluene removal, whereas the concentration of SDS showed a negative effect. The interactions between pairs of variables proved to be significant, such as between SDS, persulfate, and Fe²⁺ concentrations. ANOVA results confirmed that the proposed models were accurate and reliable for analysis of the variables of the electro/Fe²⁺/persulfate process. The shapes of the 3D response surfaces and contour plots showed that the SDS, persulfate, and Fe²⁺ concentrations substantially affected the k ₂ value of toluene removal. The results indicated that increasing persulfate or Fe²⁺ concentration increased the k ₂ value, whereas increasing SDS concentration decreased the k ₂ value. The reaction intermediates have been identified by GC-MS, and a plausible degradation pathway for toluene degradation is proposed.

This paper evaluates the efficiency of water and sewerage companies (WaSCs) by introducing the lack of service quality as undesirable outputs. It also investigates whether the production frontier of WaSCs is overall constant returns to scale (CRS) or variable returns to scale (VRS) by using two different data envelopment analysis models. In a second-stage analysis, we study the influence of exogenous and endogenous variables on WaSC performance by applying non-parametric hypothesis tests. In a pioneering approach, the analysis covers 18 WaSCs from Chile, representing about 90 % of the Chilean urban population. The results evidence that the technology of the sample studied is characterized overall by CRS. Peak water demand, the percentage of external workers, and the percentage of unbilled water are the factors affecting the efficiency of WaSCs. From a policy perspective, the integration of undesirable outputs into the assessment of WaSC performance is crucial not to penalize companies that provide high service quality to customers.

Eucalyptus spp. is a dominant tree genus in Australia and most Eucalyptus spp. are canopy dominant species. In Australian natural forests, Eucalyptus spp. commonly are associated with understorey legumes which play a crucial role for ecological restoration owing to their nitrogen (N) fixing ability for replenishing the soil N lost after frequent prescribed burning. This study aimed to explore to what extent physiological responses of these species differ 7 and 12 years after last fire. Two most common understorey Acacia spp., Acacia leiocalyx and A. disparrima, as well as one non-leguminous Eucalyptus resinifera, were studied due to their dominance in the forest. Both A. leiocalyx and A. disparrima showed higher carbon (C) assimilation capacity, maximum photosynthetic capacity, and moderate foliar C/N ratio compared with E. resinifera. A. leiocalyx showed various advantages compared to A. disparrima such as higher photosynthetic capacity, adaptation to wider light range and higher foliar total N (TNₘₐₛₛ₎. A. leiocalyx also relied on N₂-fixing ability for longer time compared to A. disparrima. The results suggested that the two Acacia spp. were more beneficial to C and N cycles for the post burning ecosystem than the non-N₂-fixing species E. resinifera. A. leiocalyx had greater contribution to complementing soil N cycle long after burning compared to A. disparrima.

Flocculants are widely used to improve the properties of sludge dewatering in industrial wastewater treatment. However, there have been no studies conducted on the influence of flocculants on the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) during sewage sludge incineration. This paper selected three typical kinds of flocculants, including polyacrylamide (PAM), poly-ferric chloride (PFC), and polyaluminum chloride (PAC) flocculant, to study their influences on the formation of PCDD/Fs during sewage sludge incineration. The results indicated that PAM flocculant, which is an organic flocculant, inhibited the formation of PCDD/Fs in sewage sludge incineration, while inorganic flocculant, such as PFC and PAC flocculant, promoted the formation. The most probable explanation is that the amino content in the PAM flocculant acted as an inhibitor in the formation of PCDD/Fs, while the chlorine content, especially the metal catalyst in the PFC and PAC flocculants, increased the formation rate. The addition of flocculants nearly did not change the distribution of PCDD/F homologues. The PCDFs contributed the most toxic equivalent (TEQ) value, especially 2, 3, 4, 7, 8-PeCDF. Therefore, the use of inorganic flocculants in industrial wastewater treatment should be further assessed and possibly needs to be strictly regulated if the sludge is incinerated. From this aspect, a priority to the use of organic flocculants should be given.

The current socio-economic, environmental and public health challenges that countries are facing clearly need common-defined strategies to inform and support our transition to a sustainable economy. Here, the technology-critical elements (which includes Ga, Ge, In, Te, Nb, Ta, Tl, the Platinum Group Elements and most of the rare-earth elements) are of great relevance in the development of emerging key technologies—including renewable energy, energy efficiency, electronics or the aerospace industry. In this context, the increasing use of technology-critical elements (TCEs) and associated environmental impacts (from mining to end-of-life waste products) is not restricted to a national level but covers most likely a global scale. Accordingly, the European COST Action TD1407: Network on Technology-Critical Elements (NOTICE)—from environmental processes to human health threats, has an overall objective for creating a network of scientists and practitioners interested in TCEs, from the evaluation of their environmental processes to understanding potential human health threats, with the aim of defining the current state of knowledge and gaps, proposing priority research lines/activities and acting as a platform for new collaborations and joint research projects. The Action is focused on three major scientific areas: (i) analytical chemistry, (ii) environmental biogeochemistry and (iii) human exposure and (eco)-toxicology.

Pseudomonas sp. are predominant isolates of degradation-competent strains while very few studies have explored the degradation-related genes and pathways in most of the degrading strains. P. aeruginosa PAO1 was found capable of degrading naphthalene and phenanthrene efficiently. In order to investigate the degradation-related genes of naphthalene and phenanthrene in P. aeruginosa PAO1, a random promoter library of about 5760 strains was constructed. Thirty-two clones for differentially expressed promoters were obtained by screening in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentration of naphthalene and phenanthrene. Among them, 13 genes were up-regulated and 15 were down-regulated in the presence of naphthalene as well as phenanthrene. The four remaining genes have different regulation tendencies by naphthalene or phenanthrene. By comparing the growth between the wild type and mutants as well as the complementations, the roles of seven selected up-regulated genes on naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation were investigated. Five of the seven selected up-regulated genes, like PA2666 and PA4780, were found playing key roles on the degradation in P. aeruginosa PAO1. Also, the results imply that these genes participate in the overlapping part of naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation pathways in PAO1. Results in the article offer the convenience quick method and platform for searching degradation-related genes. It also laid a foundation for understanding of the role of the regulated genes.