Deming Dong

Investigation of the potential mobility of Pb, Cd and Cr(VI) from moderately contaminated farmland soil to groundwater in Northeast, China.

The adsorption/desorption of Pb, Cd and Cr(VI) on moderately contaminated farmland soils in Northeast China and the effect of pH value on adsorption/desorption were investigated. Soil column leaching experiment was also carried out to further understand the mobility of the three metals in aeration zone of soil. Both Langmuir and Freundlich model gave good fits to the adsorption data of Pb and Cd, while the adsorption data of Cr(VI) followed linear adsorption isotherm. The adsorption/desorption of Pb, Cd and Cr(VI) obtained equilibrium in a few hours. Adsorption amounts of the three metals decreased in the order: Pb>Cd>>Cr(VI). Desorption of the metals was insignificant at pH 5.0. Pb and Cd adsorption increased with pH, while Cr(VI) decreased. The effect of pH on desorption was contrary to that of adsorption. Leaching experiment showed that the mobility of these metals followed the order of Cr(VI)>>Cd>Pb, which was consistent with the adsorption/desorption study. The results suggest that once soil is polluted by wastewater containing Pb and Cd, Pb and Cd tend to accumulating in topsoil and move downward very slowly, while the mobility of Cr(VI) in soil/groundwater system is much high because only limited amount of Cr(VI) were adsorbed by soil.

Investigation of the transport and fate of Pb, Cd, Cr(VI) and As(V) in soil zones derived from moderately contaminated farmland in Northeast, China

Some farmland in Shenyang had been irrigated with industrial wastewater since 1962. Although wastewater irrigation was ceased in 1992, soil had been heavily polluted by heavy metals, especially by Cd. For better understanding processes of soil-heavy metal interactions, in particular, the mobility and retention mechanism of heavy metal in soil, a study on the transport and fate of heavy metals in soil zones from Shenyang suburb was carried out by column leaching tests in laboratory. Breakthrough curves of Pb, Cd, Cr(VI) and As(V) fitted by Thomas model and Yoon-Nelson model. The results of fitted breakthrough curves showed that transport rates of the four heavy metals in the soil zones followed the order: Cr(VI)>As(V)>Cd>Pb, which indicated that Cr(VI) was much more mobile, and Pb was comparatively unmovable. Cr in effluents and As were almost entirely Cr(VI) and As(V), respectively, and no Cr(III) and As(III) was ever detected during the leaching tests. The contents of Pb, Cd, Cr and As in leached soils decreased in the order of Pb>Cd>Cr>As, which suggested that adsorption ability of soil to Pb was greatest and to As was least. The methods of selective sequential extraction and solvent extraction were used to determine the fractions of Pb, Cd, Cr, As and the valent states of Cr, As [Cr(VI) or Cr(III), As(V) or As(III)] in original soils and in leached soils. After leaching tests, the relative and absolute concentrations of exchangeable, carbonate, Fe-Mn oxide and organic fraction of each element were all increased, which enhanced the potential mobility and risk of Pb, Cd, Cr and As to soil/groundwater system. The relative concentrations of Cr(III) and As(III) in different depth of the soil zones after leaching tests were increased by about 6.0% and 5.6%, respectively. Cr(III) and As(III) tended to be adsorbed by soils, which reduced the mobility of them into groundwater.

Comparison of the adsorption of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and barium to freshwater surface coatings.

Measurements were made regarding the adsorption of lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and barium to freshwater surface coatings (biofilms and associated minerals), which were collected in Nanhu Lake in Jilin Province, PR China, in order to investigate the variability of adsorption capacities of these heavy metals mentioned in the above surface coatings. The adsorption of lead and other heavy metals to the biofilms was observed to decrease in the following order: copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, and barium. Generally, the values of Gamma(max) (the maximum adsorption, micromol/m(2)) increased with the standard electrode potential of metal elements used and were recorded as 166.7, 40.0, 29.4, 10.8, and 1.8 for copper, lead, zinc, cadmium and barium, respectively. The values of 1/Gamma(max) increased linearly with the decrease in values of the standard electrode potential of metal elements with a significant correlation (n=5, p=0.01) and increased linearly with the increase in values of covalent radius of metal elements with a significant correlation (n=5, p=0.05). This indicates that standard electrode potential and covalent radius were two of the principal characteristics of metals employed, causing the variation of lead and other heavy metal adsorption to the surface coatings.

Sorption of pentachlorophenol on surficial sediments: The roles of metal oxides and organic materials with co-existed copper present

The sorption characteristics of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in the surficial sediments were investigated using a selective extraction procedure. The results show that the Gamma(max) of PCP sorption decreased from 1.60 micromol g(-1) to 0.69 micromol g(-1) by approximately 60% after selective removal of organic materials from the sediments. The sorption of PCP in the sediments after selective removal of Mn oxides increased nearly up to 600% (from 1.60 micromol g(-1) to 11.11 micromol g(-1)) and, to a less degree, the PCP sorption in the sediments after simultaneous removal of Fe/Mn oxides (Gamma(max)=3.53 micromol g(-1)). The analysis of the data using an additional model indicates that the contribution of Mn oxides to PCP sorption was negative, and Fe oxides and organic materials both have greater potential for sorption of PCP with less contribution from residues including Mn and Fe oxides in the residual fractions determined by a sequential extraction procedure and clay and silicate minerals. The differences in the decreased degrees of PCP sorption with increasing of Cu suggest that competition between Cu and PCP for sorption sites mainly takes place on Fe oxides.

Lead and Cadmium Adsorption onto Iron Oxides and Manganese Oxides in the Natural Surface Coatings Collected on Natural Substances in the Songhua River of China

Abstract Natural surface coatings collected from natural substances (NSCsNS) were employed to study the roles of the main chemical components (iron oxides, manganese oxides, and other components) in controlling the adsorption of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in aquatic environments. The selective chemical extraction followed by the adsorption of Pb and Cd experiments and statistical analysis, were used to investigate the adsorption property of each component. Hydroxylamine hydrochloride was used to remove manganese oxides selectively, and sodium dithionite was used to extract iron oxides and manganese oxides. The result indicated that iron oxides and manganese oxides played an important role in the adsorption of Pb and Cd on NSCsNS, and the relative contribution was about two-thirds. The contribution of manganese oxides was the greatest, with a lesser role indicated for other components. The adsorption ability of manganese oxides for Pb and Cd was greater than that of iron oxides or other components for Pb and Cd. The Pb adsorption observed in each component was greater than Cd adsorption.

The degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in the presence of light and natural biofilms: the important role of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis of algae usually changes the chemical conditions of microenvironment in natural waters. However, few studies have been carried out to examine the effects of diurnal variation and photosynthesis on behavior of organic pollutants in aquatic environments. In this study, linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) was selected as a representative of non-persistent organic pollutants to investigate the degradation of this type of pollutants in the presence of light and natural biofilms by laboratory batch experiments, with special emphasis on the effect of photosynthesis of the biofilms. The maximum decrease of LAS was observed in the coexistence of both illumination and fully active biofilms, and about 75% of the LAS were removed after a 36-h degradation experiment. The removal of LAS was found to be dominated by photosynthesis of the biofilms, with lesser roles attributed to biodegradation and adsorption by the biofilms, and the role of direct photolysis was negligible. The production of some reactive oxygen species might account for the role of photosynthesis in decomposing the LAS. The study confirms the important roles of algae biofilms and their photosynthesis in determining the fate of organic pollutants in aquatic environments.

Evidence for a mutual effect of biofilms, suspended particles and sediments on DDT sorption

This report shows that biofilms and suspended particles double DDT sorption capacity on surface sediments. Sorption of pollutants by solid materials, such as biofilms, suspended particles and sediments, is a major process controlling the fate of hydrophobic pollutants in natural waters. Most previous studies focused on the sorption of hydrophobic pollutants by single-solid material, whereas few studies considered the mutual effect of different solids on the sorption. Various solid materials often interact with each other when they coexist in the same system. Therefore, pollutants sorption could be different from that in the single-solid sorption system. Here we studied the mutual effect of biofilms, suspended particles and surface sediments on the sorption of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Results showed that biofilms and suspended particles double DDT sorption capacity on surface sediments. The different effects were mainly determined by distinct components and structures of the three solid materials, particularly by organic components. Here we show the mutual effect of biofilms, suspended particles and sediments on DDT sorption.

Inhibitory effects of extracellular polymeric substances on ofloxacin sorption by natural biofilms

Natural biofilms have strong affinities for organic contaminants, and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been thought to control the sorption process. However, the role of EPS in the sorption of antibiotics, an emerging concern, is poorly understood. Here, soluble (SEPS) and bound EPS (BEPS) were extracted from intact biofilms incubated at different lengths of time to obtain SEPS- and BEPS-free biofilms. Batch sorption experiments and infrared spectroscopy were used to investigate the role of EPS in the sorption of ofloxacin (OFL) by natural biofilms. The sorption capacities of OFL onto intact biofilms were lower than that those onto SEPS-free and BEPS-free biofilms. Partition and Langmuir adsorption contributed to the sorption of OFL onto these biofilms. SEPS and BEPS suppressed partitioning of OFL into biofilm organic matter. Meanwhile, the formation of hydrogen bonds could affect the Langmuir adsorption of OFL onto BEPS-free biofilms. These sorption mechanisms occurred simultaneously and enhanced the sorption capacities of biofilms after EPS removal. The information obtained in this study is beneficial for understanding the interaction mechanisms between antibiotics and natural biofilms.

The role of extracellular polymeric substances on the sorption of pentachlorophenol onto natural biofilms in different incubation times: a fluorescence study

ABSTRACT Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have been regarded as the most significant components in sorbing organic contaminants onto natural biofilms. However, few investigations have reported the effects of EPS on the sorption of organic contaminants onto biofilms in different incubation times. Here, pentachlorophenol (PCP), selected as a model organic pollutant, was sorbed by biofilms and EPS-free biofilms cultured for 15, 30, and 45 days, to evaluate the role of EPS in the sorption process. EPS were extracted from biofilms to investigate the binding mechanism of PCP to the fluorescence matters in EPS by fluorescence quenching titration. Results showed that EPS, bound with biofilms or released to water, could increase or decrease the sorption amounts of PCP on biofilms in various incubation times. The presence of bound EPS in biofilms enhanced the sorption amounts of 30-day biofilms (6.0 ± 0.11 μmol g−1) because of the formation of the EPS-PCP complex between PCP and fluorescence matters in EPS, such as protein-like matters. In contrast, the release of PCP-bound EPS in 15- and 45-day biofilms decreased the sorption amounts of PCP on biofilms. All the results suggested that EPS dominated the sorption of PCP onto biofilms.

Ammonia nitrogen removal and recovery from acetylene purification wastewater by air stripping

Ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) contaminated wastewater has posed a great threat to the safety of water resources. In this study, air stripping was employed to remove and recover NH4-N from acetylene purification wastewater (APW) in a polyvinylchloride manufacturing plant. Investigated parameters were initial APW pH, air flow rate, APW temperature and stripping time. The NH4-N removal by air stripping has been modeled and the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient (KLa) of the stripping process has been calculated from the model equation obtained. In addition, the ability of H2SO4 solution to absorb the NH3 stripped was also investigated. The results indicated that under the experimental conditions, the APW temperature and its initial pH had significant effects on the NH4-N removal efficiency and the KLa, while the effects of other factors were relatively minor. The removal efficiency and residual concentration of NH4-N were about 91% and 12 mg/L, respectively, at the optimal operating conditions of initial APW pH of 12.0, air flow rate of 0.500 m3/(h·L), APW temperature of 60 °C and stripping time of 120 min. One volume of H2SO4 solution (0.2 mol/L) could absorb about 93% of the NH3 stripped from 54 volumes of the APW.