Applications of functional nanoparticle-stabilized surfactant foam in petroleum-contaminated soil remediation.

Surfactant foam (SF) can be used to remediate petroleum-contaminated soil because of its easy transfer to inhomogeneous and low-permeability formations. Nanoparticles (NPs) not only stabilize SF under extreme conditions but also impart various functions, aiding the removal of petroleum contaminants. This review discusses the stabilization mechanisms of nanoparticle-stabilized SF (NP-SF) as well as the effects of NP size, chargeability, wettability, and NP-to-surfactant ratio on foam stability. SF stabilized by inert SiO2 NPs is most commonly used to remediate soil contaminated with crude oil and diesel. Low dose of SF stabilized by nano zero-valent iron is cost-effective for treating soil contaminated with chlorinated organics and heavy metal ions. The efficiency and recyclability of Al2O3/Fe3O4 NPs in the remediation of diesel and crude oil contamination could be enhanced by applying a magnetic field. This review provides a theoretical basis and practical guidelines for developing functional NP-SF to improve the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils. Future research should focus on the structural design of photocatalytic NPs and the application of catalytic NP-SF in soil remediation.

Coupling surfactants with ISCO for remediating of NAPLs: Recent progress and application challenges.

Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) pose a serious risk to the soil-groundwater environment. Coupling surfactants with in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) technology is a promising strategy, which is attributed to the enhanced desorption and solubilization efficiency of NAPL contaminants. However, the complex interactions among surfactants, oxidation systems, and NAPL contaminants have not been fully revealed. This review provides a comprehensive overview on the development of surfactant-coupled ISCO technology focusing on the effects of surfactants on oxidation systems and NAPLs degradation behavior. Specifically, we discussed the compatibility between surfactants and oxidation systems, including the non-productive consumption of oxidants by surfactants, the role of surfactants in catalytic oxidation systems, and the loss of surfactants solubilization capacity during oxidation process. The effect of surfactants on the degradation behavior of NAPL contaminants is then thoroughly summarized in terms of degradation kinetics, byproducts and degradation mechanisms. This review demonstrates that it is crucial to minimize the negative effects of surfactants on NAPL contaminants oxidation process by fully understanding the interaction between surfactants and oxidation systems, which would promote the successful implementation of surfactant-coupled ISCO technology in remediation of NAPLs-contaminated sites.

The combined effect of Diversispora versiformis and sodium bentonite contributes on the colonization of Phragmites in cadmium-contaminated soil.

To promote the colonization of Phragmites in Cd polluted, nutrient deprived and structural damaged soil, the combined remediation using chemical and microbial modifiers were carried out in potting experiments. The co-application of Diversispora versiformis and sodium bentonite significantly improved the soil structure and phosphorus utilization of the plant, while decreasing the content of cadmium bound by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid by 77.72%. As a result, the Phragmites height, tillers, and photosynthetic capacity were increased by 71.60%, 38.37%, and 17.54%, respectively. Further analysis suggested the co-application increased the abundance of phosphorus-releasing microbial communities like Pseudomonassp. and Gemmatimonadetes. Results of rhizosphere metabolites also proved that the signal molecule of lysophosphatidylcholine regulated the phosphorus fixation and utilization by the plant. This work finds composite modifiers are effective in the colonization of Phragmites in Cd contaminated soil by decreasing the bioavailable Cd, increasing the abundance of functional microbial communities and regulating the phosphorus fixation.

The effects of biochar and dredged sediments on soil structure and fertility promote the growth, photosynthetic and rhizosphere microbial diversity of Phragmites communis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

The improvement of urban river revetment soil is conducive to promote the growth of pioneer plants which can accelerate the restoration of ecosystems. How to effectively amend soil structure and composition to provide a suitable soil rhizosphere for rapid plant expansion is essential to be solved in the study. Biochar and lake dredged sediments were used to amend an urban river bank soil, where compaction and lack of mineral nutrition hindered the growth of Phragmites. The study found that the addition of 50% mass of dredged sediments combined with 5% mass of straw biochar increased the plant height maximum growth rate, tiller number per unit area, and root biomass by 32.93%, 29.62%, and 41.39%, respectively. The reason for these positive effects on plant growth mainly involved the improvement of rhizosphere soil properties. Addition of biochar increased porosity and available phosphorus content while dredged sediments increased soil organic carbon, thereby increasing the underground unit total phosphorus content of Phragmites by 18.18%. An increase of the Alpha diversity index of rhizosphere microorganisms (8.18%) and the decrease in infection rate of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (23.61%) also proved that the rapid expansion of Phragmites was improved owing to changes of the soil physicochemical properties. The combination of biochar and dredged sediments realized synergistic improvement of soil physical structure and increase of nutrient content, which helped promote the growth and expansion of the underground part of Phragmites. This cost-effective method can be feasible used for improvement of urban river revetment ecosystem.

[CALPUFF Modeling of the Influence of Typical Industrial Emissions on PM2.5 in an Urban Area Considering the SOA Transformation Mechanism].

120 main industrial installations were screened based on the emissions inventory of 2016 in Cangzhou City, and the air pollution effect of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, sulfates, nitrates, and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) was simulated for 2017 autumn-winter season for different levels of pollution using the CALPUFF model after code recompilation. The results showed that the ratios of the modelled and measured concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 were 3.3%, 5.7%, 5.6%, and 2.9%, respectively. The areas most affected by pollution from primary PM10 were the southwest and southeast part of Cangzhou, while sulfate, nitrate, and SOA pollution mainly affected the southeast part. The proportion of SOA in the PM2.5 was around 27.3%, and rose to 29.0% during heavily polluted periods. The aerosols of alkenes, tolune, xylene, and PAH in PM2.5 accouted for 12.1%, 6.0%, 7.0%, and 2.2% of the total aerosols respectively. The result of the simulation of individual enterprises showed that their total contribution to PM2.5 during heavily polluted periods was 3.02 µg·m-3, accounting for 50% of the requirements in the "Three-year Plan" for Cangzhou City (6.00 µg·m-3). The top 5 contributors were 1 Petrochemical industry in Cangzhou (0.41 µg·m-3), 2 Carbon Co. Ltd. (0.29 µg·m-3), 3 Petrochemical industry in Juhai (0.26 µg·m-3), 4 Fertilizer Company (0.23 µg·m-3), 5 Dahua Co. Ltd. (0.19 µg·m-3). These industrial installations were mainly located in Xinhua District, Cangxian, and Bohai New District. This research can provide a scientific ground for production restrictions and limitations and emissions reduction of each industry during heavily polluted periods.

Using non-ionic surfactant as an accelerator to increase extracellular lipid production by oleaginous yeast Cryptococcus curvatus MUCL 29819.

The aim of this work was to study the effects of non-ionic surfactant on the accumulation of total microbial lipids and extracellular lipid by Cryptococcus curvatus MUCL 29819 with acetic acid as carbon source. Compared with Brij 58 and Triton X-100, Brij 58 most increased the total lipids, with a yield up to 2.84 g/L (extracellular lipid up to 47%). Brij 58 also increased the metabolic flow of acetic acid to lipid accumulation (maximum conversion of 0.54 g/g at 1.0 g/L Brij 58) and limited its conversion to non-lipid biomass (minimum conversion 0.12 g/g at 0.5 g/L Brij 58). The improvement in the proportion of extracellular lipid by tea saponin and Brij 58 was due to changes in cell membrane permeability and improvement of cell membrane fluidity. Triton X-100, having weaker surface activity, promoted release of extracellular lipid and also increased the proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (C22:6, docosahexaenoic acid).

Enhancement of extracellular lipid production by oleaginous yeast through preculture and sequencing batch culture strategy with acetic acid.

Oleaginous yeast Cryptococcus curvatus MUCL 29819, an acid-tolerant lipid producer, was tested to spill lipids extracellularly using different concentrations of acetic acid as carbon source. Extracellular lipids were released when the yeast was cultured with acetic acid exceeding 20g/L. The highest production of lipid (5.01g/L) was obtained when the yeast was cultured with 40g/L acetic acid. When the yeast was cultivated with moderate concentration (20g/L) of acetic acid, lipid production was further increased by 49.6% through preculture with 40g/L acetic acid as stimulant. When applying high concentration (40g/L) of acetic acid as carbon source in sequencing batch cultivation, extracellular lipids accounted up to 50.5% in the last cycle and the extracellular lipids reached 5.43g/L through the whole process. This study provides an effective strategy to enhance extracellular lipid production and facilitate the recovery of microbial lipids.

Bioconversion of mixed volatile fatty acids into microbial lipids by Cryptococcus curvatus ATCC 20509.

The oleaginous yeast Cryptococcus curvatus ATCC 20509 can use 5-40g/L of acetic, propionic, or butyric acid as sole carbon source to produce lipids. High concentrations (30g/L) of mixed volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were used to cultivate C. curvatus to explore the effects of different ratios of mixed VFAs on lipid production and composition. When mixed VFAs (VFA ratio was 15:5:10) were used as carbon sources, the highest cell mass and lipid concentration were 8.68g/L and 4.93g/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than those when 30g/L of acetic acid was used as sole carbon source. The highest content and yield of odd-numbered fatty acids were 45.1% (VFA ratio was 0:15:15) and 1.62g/L (VFA ratio was 5:15:10), respectively. These results indicate that adjusting the composition ratios of mixed VFAs effectively improves microbial lipid synthesis and the yield of odd-numbered fatty acids.

Microbial conversion of mixed volatile fatty acids into microbial lipids by sequencing batch culture strategy.

Four mixed volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were used as sole carbon source to culture oleaginous yeast Cryptococcus curvatus by sequencing batch culture strategy. The highest lipid content (42.7%) and concentration (1.77g/L) were achieved when the ratio of VFAs (acetic, propionic, and butyric acids) was 6:3:1. The oleaginous yeast favored to use VFAs for lipid biosynthesis rather than cell proliferation. With regard to the utilization ratio of VFAs, acetic acid reached over 99%, whereas propionic acid was barely 35%. The produced lipids contained nearly 45% of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can be the ideal raw materials for biodiesel production. Additionally, the produced odd-numbered fatty acid content reached 23.6% when the propionate acid content of VFAs was 50%. Further analysis showed that increasing the ratio of acetic acid was most beneficial to cell mass and lipid production, whereas propionic acid and butyric acid were more conducive to lipid and cell mass synthesis, respectively.

Bioconversion of volatile fatty acids derived from waste activated sludge into lipids by Cryptococcus curvatus.

Pure volatile fatty acid (VFA) solution derived from waste activated sludge (WAS) was used to produce microbial lipids as culture medium in this study, which aimed to realize the resource recovery of WAS and provide low-cost feedstock for biodiesel production simultaneously. Cryptococcus curvatus was selected among three oleaginous yeast to produce lipids with VFAs derived from WAS. In batch cultivation, lipid contents increased from 10.2% to 16.8% when carbon to nitrogen ratio increased from about 3.5 to 165 after removal of ammonia nitrogen by struvite precipitation. The lipid content further increased to 39.6% and the biomass increased from 1.56g/L to 4.53g/L after cultivation for five cycles using sequencing batch culture (SBC) strategy. The lipids produced from WAS-derived VFA solution contained nearly 50% of monounsaturated fatty acids, including palmitic acid, heptadecanoic acid, ginkgolic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, which showed the adequacy of biodiesel production.

Culture strategies for lipid production using acetic acid as sole carbon source by Rhodosporidium toruloides.

Rhodosporidium toruloides AS 2.1389 was tested using different concentrations of acetic acid as a low-cost carbon source for the production of microbial lipids, which are good raw materials for biodiesel production. It grew and had higher lipid contents in media containing 4-20 g/L acetic acid as the sole carbon source, compared with that in glucose-containing media under the same culture conditions. At acetic acid concentrations as high as 20 g/L and the optimal carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) of 200 in a batch culture, the highest biomass production was 4.35 g/L, with a lipid content of 48.2%. At acetic acid concentrations as low as 4 g/L, a sequencing batch culture (SBC) with a C/N of 100 increased biomass production to 4.21 g/L, with a lipid content of 38.6%. These results provide usable culture strategies for lipid production by R. toruloides AS 2.1389 when using diverse waste-derived volatile fatty acids.

[Effect of Constructed Wetland Configuration on the Removal of Nitrogen Pollutants and Antibiotics in Aquaculture Wastewater].

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSFCW) and integrated vertical flow constructed wetland (IVFCW) consisted of down-flow and up-flow were built to treat aquaculture wastewater under different conditions. The water treatment performance, especially the nitrogen pollutants and antibiotics removal efficiencies, were compared, and the effects of flow patterns and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the efficiencies were studied. The results showed that IVFCW had a better removal efficiency on nitrogen pollutants, and the removal rates of TN and NH4+-N were 58% and 80% (HRT=3 d), respectively. Microbial community was further analyzed using BIOLOG microplate technique and 454-pyrosequencing. The internal structure of IVFCW was conducive to the flow and dissolved oxygen condition, which induced higher microbial activity and diversity. The richness in Nitrospira distribution was the main reason for the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen. HRT had a great influence on the removal of NO3--N and NO2--N, and maintaining 3-4 d could reach good efficiency for all kinds of nitrogen pollutants. Solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis (SPE-HPLC-MS/MS) was used to test the removal efficiency of antibiotics, and the results showed that there was no remarkable difference between the two configurations. The removal efficiency of Enrofloxacin was higher than that of Sulfamethoxazole and Florfenicol. Extending HRT from 1 d to 3 d could significantly improve the removal rate of Sulfamethoxazole, reaching above 50%.

Characteristics of ammonia emission during thermal drying of lime sludge for co-combustion in cement kilns.

Thermal drying was used to reduce sludge moisture content before co-combustion in cement kilns. The characteristics of ammonia (NH3) emission during thermal drying of lime sludge (LS) were investigated in a laboratory-scale tubular dry furnace under different temperature and time conditions. As the temperature increased, the NH3 concentration increased in the temperature range 100-130°C, decreased in the temperature range 130-220°C and increased rapidly at >220°C. Emission of NH3 also increased as the lime dosage increased and stabilized at lime dosages>5%. In the first 60 min of drying experiments, 55% of the NH3 was released. NH3 accounted for about 67-72% of the change in total nitrogen caused by the release of nitrogen-containing volatile compounds (VCs) from the sludge. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the main forms of nitrogen in sludge were amides and amines. The addition of lime (CaO) could cause conversion of N-H, N-O or C-N containing compounds to NH3 during the drying process.

[Extraction of surface active substance and analysis of demulsifying characteristics for the demulsifying strain Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1].

Extraction and identification of surface active substance of Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1, as well as description of its emulsion breaking process were conducted to reveal the demulsifying characteristics of this demulsifying strain. Alkali solvent was adopted in the extraction process with conditions optimized as 35 degrees C, 0.08 mol x L(-1) of alkali concentration, 12 g x L(-1) of sample to solution ratio, and 4 h of extraction time by launching both single-factor and orthogonal tests. Under this optimal condition, the extracted surface active substance (the extraction ratio was 36.1%) achieved 77% emulsion breaking ratio for 500 mg x L(-1) within 48 h. FT-IR showed the existence of glycolipids, lipids and proteins in the surface active substance, the molecular weight of which mainly scattered between 55 and 61 256. Saccharides, lipids and proteins were identified as the three chief components in surface active substance with the content of 22.2%, 7.5% and 13.4%, respectively. The proteins were further proved to take the most responsibility for the emulsion breaking ability. Moreover, obvious difference in the emulsion breaking process was demonstrated between the original demulsifying strain S-XJ-1 and the extracted surface active substance by real time observation of Turbiscan Lab Expert. The results suggested that the demulsifying efficiency of the strain was jointly contributed by its surface active substance and demulsifying cell morphology, and the former possessed higher functional priority than the latter.

[Influence of yeast extract on the fermentation of glucose by the demulsifying strain Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1].

The demulsifying strain Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1, isolated from oil contaminated soil, was cultivated with glucose as the carbon source. The influences of yeast extract on the growth, demulsifying ability and the element composition of the strain were investigated. The results showed that the yeast extract could increase the biomass and enhance the glucose utilization of Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1. When the concentration of the yeast extract was 5 g x L(-1), the biomass was increased up to 3.0 g x L(-1), and the glucose utilization achieved 58%. The demulsifying ability of the strain was improved with increasing yeast extract concentration. When the concentration of the yeast extract was 10 g x L(-1), the demulsification ratio of the obtained cell was 76%. While the C/N ratio of the cells decreased with the increasing concentration of yeast extract. The proteins of cells were extracted and measured. The results showed that the proteins of the obtained cell increased with the increasing concentration of yeast extract, in accordance with the increased concentrations of proteins on the surface of the cells as measured by FTIR. It is estimated that the increase of the proteins leads to the improvement of the demulsifying ability of the demulsifying strain and theses proteins play essential roles in the demulsifying process.

Pretreatment methods for aquatic plant biomass as carbon sources for potential use in treating eutrophic water in subsurface-flow constructed wetlands.

Plant biomass is usually added to constructed wetlands (CW) to enhance denitrification. In this study, we investigated effects of different pretreatments on two common external plant carbon sources, cattail and reed litter. We determined the average ratio of chemical oxygen demand (COD) to total nitrogen (TN), designated as C/N, in water samples after addition of litter subjected to various pretreatments. The C/N in the water samples ranged from 4.8 to 6.4 after addition of NaOH-pretreated cattail litter, which was four to six times greater than that of water from the Yapu River and 3.84-39.15% higher than that of systems that received untreated cattail litter. The C/N of systems that received H(2)SO(4)-pretreated carbon sources varied from 1.7 to 3.6. These two methods resulted in TN and total phosphorus (TP) levels lower than those in river water. The C/N was 1.4-1.7 after addition of CH(3)COOH-pretreated reed litter, which was 34.87-53.83% higher than that of river water. The C/N was 2.5 in systems that received mild alkali/oxidation-pretreated reeds, which was 30.59% higher than that of systems that received non-pretreated reeds. The residue rates of cattail and reed litter subjected to various pretreatments were greater than 60%. Our results showed that NaOH, H(2)SO(4), and mild alkali/oxidation pretreatments were useful to rapidly improve the C/N of river water and enhance denitrification.

Relationship of cell-wall bound fatty acids and the demulsification efficiency of demulsifying bacteria Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 cultured with vegetable oils.

Considering that the surface properties of demulsifying cells correlate with their demulsification efficiency, the demulsifying bacteria Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 with various surface properties were obtained using different vegetable oils as carbon sources. The results show that better performance was achieved with demulsifying bacteria S-XJ-1 possessing a relatively high cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and total unsaturated degree for the cell-wall bound fatty acids. There also appeared to be a correlation between the specific cell-wall bound fatty acid components of the bacteria, in terms of carbon chain length or degree of unsaturation, and either CSH or demulsification efficiency. The fatty acids attached to the cell wall were mainly composed of palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). C18:1 and C18:2 had a positive effect on the formation of CSH, while C18:0 and C18:3 had the opposite effect.

Turbiscan Lab ® Expert analysis of the biological demulsification of a water-in-oil emulsion by two biodemulsifiers.

The long-term destabilization process of a water-in-oil emulsion was investigated with two different biodemulsifiers produced under different culture conditions by Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1. Biodemulsifier I was obtained by using paraffin as substrate at initial culture pH of 10 and biodemulsifier II was produced with waste frying oils at pH of 7. The former exhibited higher demulsifying ability and interfacial activity than the latter. Bottle test, microscopy and Turbiscan Lab(®) Expert were used to investigate the biological demulsification process. It was found that biodemulsifiers' ability to decrease the interfacial tension played a more important role in demulsification than their ability to decrease the surface tension. Owing to their amphiphilic nature, demulsification process began with the adsorption of the biodemulsifiers onto the water-oil interface. Then the biodemulsifiers reacted with the emulsifiers because of their interfacial activity. As a result, thin liquid film was removed from the surface of dispersed droplets and coalescence occurred. This led to the settling of the dispersed droplets and the clarification of the continuous phase. Turbiscan Lab(®) Expert can be used to evaluate the demulsification efficiency and to analyze the destabilization process of different biodemulsifiers. It is a rapid and accurate method to screen high-efficiency demulsifiers from other bioproducts.

[Production of biodemulsifier by Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 using waste diesel oil].

Biodemulsifier is a new type of demulsifiers for breaking oil-water emulsion. One demulsifier-producing strain, Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 could grow on waste diesel oil (WDO), dry weight of the strain was up to 2.0 g/L after being cultivated for 7 d, 10 g/L S-XJ-1 cell suspension reduced surface tension of water from 72.0 mN/m to 29.7 mN/m. Biodemulsifier produced by S-XJ-1 was 0.3 g/L, its critical micelle concentration (CMC) was 150 mg/L, showing a better surface activity than chemical surfactant SDS. Furthermore, it showed an demulsifying efficiency over 70% for W/O model emulsion. It was indicated S-XJ-1 could utilize C14-C20 n-alkanes composing waste diesel oil by GC-MS, C20 n-alkane was almost completely comsumed by S-XJ-1 with utilization ratio of 99%. In addition, n-alkanes utilization ratio and demulsifying capability increased when length of carbon chain increased. Both utilization ratio and demulsifying capability of biodemulsifier produced by S-XJ-1 using C20 n-alkane as the carbon source were superior to other n-alkanes, and similar to waste diesel oil. It was identified the biodemulsifier produced by S-XJ-1 using waste diesel oil was lipopeptide by TLC and FTIR.

Optimization of biodemulsifier production from Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 and its application in breaking crude oil emulsion.

A biodemulsifier-producing strain of Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1, isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil of the Karamay Oilfield, exhibited excellent demulsifying ability. The application of this biodemulsifier significantly improved the quality of separated water compared with the chemical demulsifier, polyether, which clearly indicates that it has potential applications in the crude oil extraction industry. To optimize its biosynthesis, the impacts of carbon sources, nitrogen sources and pH were studied in detail. Paraffin, a hydrophobic carbon source, favored the synthesis of this cell wall associated biodemulsifier. The nitrogen source ammonium citrate stimulated the production and demulsifying performance of the biodemulsifier. An alkaline environment (pH 9.5) of the initial culture medium favored the strain's growth and improved its demulsifying ability. The results showed paraffin, ammonium citrate and pH had significant effects on the production of the biodemulsifier. These three variables were further investigated using a response surface methodology based on a central composite design to optimize the biodemulsifier yield. The optimal yield conditions were found at a paraffin concentration of 4.01%, an ammonium citrate concentration of 8.08 g/L and a pH of 9.35. Under optimal conditions, the biodemulsifier yield from Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1 was increased to 3.42 g/L.