Occurrence and decay of SARS-CoV-2 in community sewage drainage systems.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in over 200 countries poses a substantial threat to human health. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19, can be discharged with feces into the drainage system. However, a comprehensive understanding of the occurrence, presence, and potential transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in sewers, especially in community sewers, is still lacking. This study investigated the virus occurrence by viral nucleic acid testing in vent stacks, septic tanks, and the main sewer outlets of community where confirmed patients had lived during the outbreak of the epidemic in Wuhan, China. The results indicated that the risk of long-term emission of SARS-CoV-2 to the environment via vent stacks of buildings was low after confirmed patients were hospitalized. SARS-CoV-2 were mainly detected in the liquid phase, as opposed to being detected in aerosols, and its RNA in the sewage of septic tanks could be detected for only four days after confirmed patients were hospitalized. The surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage could be a sensitive indicator for the possible presence of asymptomatic patients in the community, though the viral concentration could be diluted more than 10 times, depending on the sampling site, as indicated by the Escherichia coli (E. coli) test. The comprehensive investigation of the community sewage drainage system is helpful to understand the occurrence characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in sewage after excretion with feces and the feasibility of sewage surveillance for COVID-19 pandemic monitoring.

[Selective Adsorption of Au(â ¢) by Activated Carbon Supported Polythioamides and Adsorption Mechanism].

By using in-situ synthesis of polythioamide (PTA) on activated carbon (AC), a polythioamide-modified activated carbon-based adsorbent (AC-PTA) was successfully prepared and used to study the selective adsorption effect and mechanism of Au(Ⅲ) in wastewater. The results showed that AC-PTA exhibited excellent selective adsorption to Au(Ⅲ) in the coexisting solution of multiple metal ions in a wide pH range (<5.0). The adsorption effect for Au(Ⅲ) was the best at a pH of 2 and 3; the concentration of residue Au(Ⅲ) was less than 0.1 mg·L-1, whereas other metals were barely adsorbed. The selective adsorption process for Au(Ⅲ) conformed to the pseudo-second kinetic model (R2=0.9853), the thermodynamic process conformed to the Langmuir isotherm process (R2=0.9936), and adsorption capacity was up to 2018 mg·g-1. Such advantages were mainly attributed to the coordination interaction between the -C([FY=,1]S)NH- functional groups on the AC-PTA surface and Au(Ⅲ), the electrostatic adsorption between the positive AC-PTA and negative Au(Ⅲ) complex anions, and the direct reduction of Au(Ⅲ) by AC. The successful recovery of gold was finally realized by burning the adsorbed AC-PTA at 1000℃ for 4 hours under air conditions, and solid gold with a mass fraction higher than 90.0% was obtained. This study provided the possibility for selective adsorption and recovery of low concentration Au(Ⅲ) from actual wastewater.

[Universality and Potential Application of Mn(â ¡) Oxidation Triggered by Microbial Interspecies Interactions].

Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing microorganisms can catalytically increase the oxidation rate of divalent manganese by several orders of magnitude, and affect the valence state and fate of elemental manganese. In addition to Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidization by a single microbial strain, our previous studies revealed that interspecies interactions between two bacterial strains (Sphingopyxis sp. QXT-31 and Arthrobacter sp. QXT-31) could trigger the Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing activities of Arthrobacter sp. QXT-31. In order to further explore its universality, mechanism, and potential engineering applications, research was conducted on three other Sphingopyxis strains using culture-dependent experiments, comparative genomic analysis, and transcriptome analysis. The results showed that one Sphingopyxis strain could also trigger the Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing activity of Arthrobacter sp. QXT-31, which could be regarded as a hint for the prevalence of Mn(Ⅱ) oxidation triggered by microbial interspecies interactions in the natural environment. Furthermore, the upregulation of the antibiotic synthesis pathway in Sphingopyxis was observed just before the Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing activity of Arthrobacter sp. QXT-31 was triggered, thus suggesting its possible involvement in stimulating the Mn(Ⅱ)-oxidizing activity of Arthrobacter sp. QXT-31. Finally, we demonstrated that using microbial interspecies interactions to enhance the oxidative removal of Mn(Ⅱ) in a manganese removal reactor is potentially feasible.

[Occurrence and Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Derivatives in Typical Wastewater Treatment Plants in Beijing].

Substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (SPAHs) can be emitted to the environment not only through the incomplete combustion, but also through the transformation from parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by photo chemical and biological processes. The toxicities of some SPAHs are higher than their corresponding PAHs. Samples were collected from the wastewater treatment plants in Beijing. Three types of SPAHs, including oxy-PAHs (OPAHs), methyl-PAHs (MPAHs) and nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), as well as 16 PAHs were analyzed, in order to study the occurrence and behavior of these compounds during the wastewater biological treatment process. MPAHs, OPAHs and PAHs were detected in the influent and effluent, but no NPAHs. The concentrations of PAHs in the influent in both the aquatic and particulate phases ranged from 1.94 to 4.34 µg · L⁻¹, and SPAHs from 1.16 to 2.20 µg · L⁻¹. The concentrations of PAHs in the effluent were between 0.77 and 0.98 µg · L⁻¹, and SPAHs from 0.39 to 0.45 µg · L⁻¹. The concentrations of the MPAHs were lower than their corresponding PAHs, while OPAHs were higher. The removal efficiencies of all the compounds ranged from 53% to 83%. PAHs and SPAHs were mainly removed by adsorption and biodegradation during the activated sludge treatment processes. Some OPAHs could be transformed from PAHs, and could be accumulated. The PAHs were mainly originated from incomplete combustion of wood and coal, and some from combustion of petroleum, while only a little from the discharge of petroleum. The concentrations of PAHs and SPAHs in the effluent were higher in autumn than summer and winter. Most of the SPAHs and PAHs were discharged to the agriculture area through the river-water irrigation, which might pose potential risk to the humans. As a result, it is necessary to upgrade the wastewater treatment process to improve the removal efficiency of PAHs and SPAHs.

[Formation of disinfection by-products by Microcystis aeruginosa intracellular organic matter: comparison between chlorination and bromination].

In order to illustrate the effects of released algal organic matter in cyanobacteria blooms on raw water quality and water treatment process, intracellular organic matter (IOM) of Microcystis aeruginosa, which is the dominant species in cyanobacteria blooms, was chosen as a precursor and characterized. In addition, the transformation of IOM and the formation of disinfection byproducts were evaluated at different pH of 6.5, 7.1 and 8.4 after chlorination or bromination, with subsequent correlation analysis. The results indicated that IOM was primarily composed of macromolecular matter, i. e. , the species with relative molecular weight of > 30 x 10(3), constituting 68.8% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix indicated that IOM was mainly composed of aromatic protein-like matter with an intensity of 92.6 AU x L x mg(-1). After reaction with chlorine or bromine, the intensity of aromatic protein-like peaks decreased sharply by 76.6% - 93.3%, and its reduction correlated well with the formation of trihalomethane (THMs, R2 = 0.81) and haloacetic acid (HAAs, R2 = 0.77). The formation of THMs and HAAs increased with the increase in pH. Compared with chlorine, bromine formed more THMs and HAAs, and tended to form highly halogenated HAAs. However, with increasing pH, the reactivity with IOM between chlorine and bromine was closer, i.e, k(OBr-IOM)/k(OCl-(IOM) < k(HOBr-IOM/k(HOCl-IOM).

Enhanced arsenic removal by in situ formed Fe-Mn binary oxide in the aeration-direct filtration process.

Field studies were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of an in situ formed Fe-Mn binary oxide (in situ FMBO) for improving arsenic (As) removal in the aeration-direct filtration process. The transformation and transportation of As, Fe, and Mn in the filter bed were also investigated. The in situ FMBO increased the As removal efficiency by 20-50% to keep the residual As below 10 µg/L. The optimum FMBO dosage was determined to be 0.55 mg/L with the Fe/Mn ratio as 10:1. The removal of Fe, Mn, turbidity, and particles was also improved to a large extent. The in situ FMBO favored the transformation of soluble As, Fe, and Mn into the solid phases, benefiting the removal of these pollutants by the subsequent filtration. Moreover, the deposited precipitates onto the filter media were characterized, as indicated by the analyses of SEM/EDS and particle size distribution. The long-term experiments exhibited decreased head loss growth and prolonged run length, suggesting an enhanced pollutant catching capacity of the filter media. The full-scale field study with a flow of 10,000 m3/d confirmed positive effects of in situ FMBO on As removal, with the average effluent As concentration reduced from 20 µg/L to 6 µg/L (reagent cost=0.006 ¥/m3).

[Enhanced decomposition of 1, 4-benzoquinone ring by DSA electrode under ultraviolet irradiation].

Commercial DSA electrode was employed for photoelectrochemical degradation of a model pollutant 1,4-benzoquinone. The effect of electrolyte, electrical field intensity and solution pH conditions were investigated. The results proved that the TOC removal by photoelectrochemical oxidation was 1.25 times that of photocatalytic oxidation and electrocatalytic oxidation alone, indicating a synergetic effect. Addition of electrolyte and application of external electrical field have effectively enhanced the photoelectrochemical oxidation efficiency within a certain range of concentration and intensity. Acidic and neutral pH conditions are favorable for ring opening of 1,4-Benzoquinone.The photoelectrochemical oxidation mechanism is also discussed. It suggests that the efficiency of electrochemically assisted photoelectrochemical oxidation process can be manipulated, accompanied by the generation of hydroxyl radicals, which will be more adaptable for water and wastewater treatment.

[Ambient pressure synthesis and characterization of silica aerogel as adsorbent for dieldrin].

Hydrophobic silica aerogels were prepared from cheap waterglass precursors via surface modification of wet gels and ambient pressure drying route. Its adsorption capacity of Dieldrin, a typical of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), was examined. It is characterized via BET, FTIR, and DSC-TGA. The silica aerogels were highly hydrophobic with contact angles of 135 degrees-142 degrees, and the hydrophobicity of the aerogels could be maintained up to the temperature of 380 degrees C. The silica aerogels were porous with, pore size distribution of 17.5-23.4 nm, porosity of 94.8%-95.6%, and surface area of 444-560 m2 x g(-1). The results of adsorption experiments indicated that the hydrophobic aerogels could remove 84% of dieldrin from aqueous solution within 4 h; the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics process. Based on the adsorption equilibrium results, the adsorption capacity of silica aerogel was 11 times bigger than by active carbon.

Transformations of particles, metal elements and natural organic matter in different water treatment processes.

Characterizing natural organic matter (NOM), particles and elements in different water treatment processes can give a useful information to optimize water treatment operations. In this article, transformations of particles, metal elements and NOM in a pilot-scale water treatment plant were investigated by laser light granularity system, particle counter, glass-fiber membrane filtration, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, ultra filtration and resin absorbents fractionation. The results showed that particles, NOM and trihalomethane formation precursors were removed synergistically by sequential treatment of different processes. Pre-ozonation markedly changed the polarity and molecular weight of NOM, and it could be conducive to the following coagulation process through destabilizing particles and colloids; mid-ozonation enhanced the subsequent granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration process by decreasing molecular weight of organic matters. Coagulation-flotation and GAC were more efficient in removing fixed suspended solids and larger particles; while sand-filtration was more efficient in removing volatile suspended solids and smaller particles. Flotation performed better than sedimentation in terms of particle and NOM removal. The type of coagulant could greatly affect the performance of coagulation-flotation. Pre-hydrolyzed composite coagulant (HPAC) was superior to FeCl3 concerning the removals of hydrophobic dissolved organic carbon and volatile suspended solids. The leakages of flocs from sand-filtration and microorganisms from GAC should be mitigated to ensure the reliability of the whole treatment system.

Decomposition of alachlor by ozonation and its mechanism.

Decomposition and corresponding mechanism of alachlor, an endocrine disruptor in water by ozonation were investigated. Results showed that alachlor could not be completely mineralized by ozone alone. Many intermediates and final products were formed during the process, including aromatic compounds, aliphatic carboxylic acids, and inorganic ions. In evoluting these products, some of them with weak polarity were qualitatively identified by GC-MS. The information of inorganic ions suggested that the dechlorination was the first and the fastest step in the ozonation of alachlor.

Removal mechanism of As(III) by a novel Fe-Mn binary oxide adsorbent: oxidation and sorption.

A novel Fe-Mn binary oxide adsorbent was developed for effective As(III) removal, which is more difficult to remove from drinking water and much more toxic to humans than As(V). The synthetic adsorbent showed a significantly higher As(III) uptake than As(V). The mechanism study is therefore necessary for interpreting such result and understanding the As(III) removal process. A control experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of Na2SO3-treatment on arsenic removal, which can provide useful information on As(III) removal mechanism. The adsorbent was first treated by Na2SO3, which can lower its oxidizing capacity by reductive dissolution of the Mn oxide and then reacted with As(V) or As(III). The results showed that the As(V) uptake was enhanced while the As(III) removal was inhibited after the pretreatment, indicating the important role of manganese dioxide during the As(III) removal. FTIR along with XPS was used to analyze the surface change of the original Fe-Mn adsorbent and the pretreated adsorbent before and after reaction with As(V) or As(III). Change in characteristic surface hydroxyl groups (Fe-OH, 1130, 1048, and 973 cm(-1)) was observed by the FTIR. The determination of arsenic oxidation state on the solid surface after reaction with As(III) revealed that the manganese dioxide instead of the iron oxide oxidized As(III) to As(V). The iron oxide was dominant for adsorbing the formed As(V). An oxidation and sorption mechanism for As(III) removal was developed. The relatively higher As(III) uptake may be attributed to the formation of fresh adsorption sites at the solid surface during As(III) oxidation.

Removal of a type of endocrine disruptors--di-n-butyl phthalate from water by ozonation.

Ozonation of synthetic water containing a type of endocrine disruptor--di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) was examined. Key impact factors such as pH, temperature, ionic strength, ozone dosage and initial DBP concentration were investigated. In addition, the activities of radicals on uncatalysed and catalysed ozonation were studied. The degradation intermediate products were followed and the kinetic of the ozonation were assessed as well. Results revealed that ozonation of DBP followed two mechanisms. Firstly, the reaction rate of direct ozonation was slower at lower pH, temperature, and ionic strength. Secondly, when these factors were increased for indirect radical reaction, higher percentage of DBP was removed with the increase of the initial ozone dosage and the decrease of the initial DBP concentration. In addition, tert-butanol, humic substances and Fe(II) affected DBP ozonation through the radical pathway. It was determined that ozonation was restrained by adding tert-butanol for its radical inhibition effect. Furthermore, humic substances enhanced the reaction to some extent, but a slight negative effect would be encountered if the optimum dosage was exceeded. As a matter of fact, Mn(II) affected the ozonation by "active sites" mechanism. In the experiment, three different kinds of intermediate products were produced during ozonation, but the amount of products for each one of them decreased as pH, temperature, ionic strength and initial ozone dosage increased. A kinetic equation of the reaction between ozone and DBP was obtained.

[Coagulation behavior of Al13 species].

Coagulation behavior of Al13 species was examined in synthetic water with high alkalinity and high humic acid concentration from viewpoint of the transformation of Al hydrolysis products during the coagulation process. The results indicated that coagulation efficiency of Al coagulants positively correlated with the content of Al13 in the coagulation process. Aluminum chloride (AlCl3) was more effective than polyaluminum chloride (PACI) in removing turbidity and dissolved organic matter in the synthetic water because AlCl3 could not only generate Al13 species but also function as pH control agent in the coagulation process. During coagulation process pH control can improve coagulation process through regulating Al speciation, and AlCl3 benefited most from pH control.

Dyes wastewater treatment by reduction-oxidation process in an electrochemical reactor packed with natural manganese mineral.

A novel technology which combined electrochemical process catalyzed by manganese mineral with electro-assisted coagulation process was proposed in this study. The mineralization of organic pollutant from simulated dye wastewater containing an azo dye Acid Red B (ARB) was experimentally investigated using this method. It was found that the manganese mineral could catalyze the electrochemical process dramatically. The TOC removal percentage of electrochemical treatment catalyzed by manganese mineral was 43.6% while the TOC removal percentage of the process using the manganese mineral alone and using the electrolysis alone were 9.3% and 20.8%, respectively. Moreover, it was found that combined electroxidation with electro-assisted coagulation process could more effectively eliminate ARB. After a period of 180 min electrooxidation and 300 min electroreduction, almost 66.9% of TOC was removed, and the dissolved Mn2+ could be effectivly removed. The effects of the order of oxidation and reduction, the proper ratio electrooxidation/reduction time, and current density on the removal efficiency were investigated in detail. In addition, a proposed mechanism of manganese-mineral-catalyzed electrooxidation-reduction process was discussed in this paper.

[Property of adsorption about ammonium on suspended mineral matters in eutrophic water].

Static experiments were performed to investigate the adsorption characteristics of ammonium by suspended mineral matters (SPM). Three kinds of suspended mineral matters including montmorillonite, kaolin and the particles separated from the sediments of the Taihu Lake were used as the sorbent. The experiments show that the equation could be gotten within 30 min, and that the ammonium adsorption on mineral particles conformed to Herry isotherm. The parting coefficient of the adsorption about ammonium could reach 548.30, 287.36, 191.27 L/kg in experimental condition that there were 1 000 mg/L mineral particles and 1.0 mg/L ammonium in water with pH 7.00. Some effectors such as temperature, pH and salinity of the water on the adsorption about ammonium were observed. The results show that the quantity of adsorbed ammonium slightly decrease with the increasing of temperature and salinity, and greatly do with increasing of pH. The quantity decrease rapidly also with the increasing of the content of mineral particles below 1 000 mg/L.

[Preparation and characterization of a novel adsorbent made by cellulose acetate].

A novel adsorbent made by cellulose acetate was developed. Preparation method, structure, and adsorbing characterization of the adsorbent were discussed. SEM results showed that the surface of round adsorbent was stable membrane of cellulose acetate, free from obvious cracks, holes, or other defects; while the cross section of the adsorbent was meshy and a lot of cavities were found. The adsorption results of 4 organochlorinated pesticides, such as Dieldrin, Aldrin, Endrin and Heptachlor, show that the adsorbent has higher efficient for organic pollutants, the adsorption rate is about 85% after 12 h. The adsorption rate is faster with the higher lgKow, and the removal efficiency of Heptachlor and Aldrin is up to 99% after 0.5h. The adsorbent can be used to remove persistent organic pollutants effectively.

[Preparation of triolein-embedded CA membrane and its characteristics].

Triolein is successfully embedded into cellulose acetate (CA) by phase inversion. This prepared flat membrane can effectively remove trace lipophilic organic pollutants from water. Structure of hybrid membrane is mainly observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Triolein dispersion by mechanical rabbling and ultrasound are investigated. Ultrasound can more effectively strengthen triolein dispersion than mechanical rabbling. Effect of casting membrane temperature (room temperature, 0 degrees C) shows low temperature can help to forming smaller triolein droplets. In addition, interaction between triolein and CA belongs to physical mixing by the observation of FT-IR, accordingly triolein structure is not changed and adsorptive capacity for persistent organic pollutants is not affected. Triolein in hexane is analyzed by fluorometric measure. The results show that triolein is completely embedded into membrane, so it is impossible that triolein leaks into water in the process of the adsorption.

Degradation of microcystins in aqueous solution with in situ electrogenerated active chlorine.

A new and efficient method for the degradation of microcystins (one family of blue algal toxins) was developed and studied. Microcystins (MCs) in water were directly and effectively removed by active chlorine transformed in situ from the naturally existing Cl- in water resource using electrochemical method. Titanium coated with RuO2 and TiO2 was used as the anode. Microcystin-RR (MCRR) and Microcystin-LR (MCLR) were chosen as the model compounds of MCs. The results suggested that 20.87 mgl(-1) MCs (12.58 mgl(-1) MCRR and 8.29 mgl(-1) MCLR) in aqueous solution with 1.85 mM Cl- could be synchronously decomposed within 15 min electrolysis under the condition of the current density 8.89 mAcm(-2), 20 degrees C and pH 7.00. The qualitative analysis showed that the heptapetide ring and the Adda group of both treated MCs were changed. The results also indicated that the removal rates of both MCs increased with the increasing of chloride concentration and applied current density, but decreased with the increasing of initial concentration of MCs and initial pH of electrolyte. In the absence of Cl-, only a small fraction of both MCs were decomposed by direct anodic oxidation, while their almost complete removals could be obtained in the case of indirect electrooxidation with in situ electrogenerated active chlorine from Cl- in water.

Designing principles of an ecological water storage basin on coastal saline: a case study.

The degradation of water source environment becomes serious problems accompanying with rapid urbanization in China. Ecological engineering provides ecologically sound and cost-effective solution to solving this problem. As a case study, a 15 hm2 ecological water storage basin for a water plant was designed and constructed on the TEDA area in Tianjin City. Located on saline, the construction of this project has to face serious difficulties, such as high salinity, scarce seed banks of macrophytes, and strong winds. Freshwater replacement, soil amendation and macrophytes planting at the basinshore, wooden water breaker and plastic membrane installation and other measures were conducted for the assistance of plant community establishment. The result showed that the chloride concentration in the basin water decreased from 11600 mg/L to less than 100 mg/L, and the chloride content in the basin sediment decreased from 2.1 % to 0.35% after freshwater soaking. The introduced macrophytes of 8 species all survived and 11 other macrophytes species were occurred in the basin. A new ecosystem was created with increased biological diversity in the original saline, and the water quality was improved. This ecological water storage basin also provided a pleasing landscape for local people.

[In situ FTIR spectroscopic studies of the catalytic combustion of acid red B on CuFe2O4 in the presence and absence of O2].

The reaction process of catalytic combustion of ARB on CuFe2O4 in the presence and absence of O2 was studied by in situ DRIFT spectroscopy. The results showed that the decomposition of the sulfonic group of ARB molecule was not affected by the reaction atmosphere, but the decompositions of azo group and aromatic ring were markedly affected by the presence or absence of O2. The catalytic combustion of ARB was faster in air atmosphere than that in N2 atmosphere, and ARB could be completely oxidized to CO2 and nitrate at 300 degrees C. But in N2 atmosphere, it was very difficult for the decomposition of ARB to complete at 300 degrees C, even though air was introduced following this process. The temperature required for the rapid and complete decomposition would be as high as 500 degrees C.