Enrong Xiao

The management of undesirable cyanobacteria blooms in channel catfish ponds using a constructed wetland: Contribution to the control of off-flavor occurrences

An exploratory study on the management of undesirable cyanobacteria blooms with respect to off-flavor problems using an integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland (CW) was performed at a small commercial-scale channel catfish farm from 2004 to 2007. The results of the three-year experiment indicated that water treatment by the CW could reduce the possibility of dominance by undesirable cyanobacteria species that often cause off-flavor problems. A detailed investigation in 2007, showed that the concentrations of geosmin, MIB (2-methylisoborneol), and β-cyclocitral in the water of the recirculating pond (4.3ngL(-1), U.D. (undetected) and 0.2ngL(-1), respectively) treated by the CW were significantly lower than those in the control pond (152.6ngL(-1), 63.3ngL(-1) and 254.8ngL(-1), respectively). In addition, the relationships among the cyanobacteria species, the off-flavor compounds and ten environmental variables were explored by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The results showed that Oscillatoria sp., Oscillatoria kawamurae and Microcystis aeruginosa were the main sources of off-flavor compounds in the catfish ponds. The successful manipulation of undesirable cyanobacteria species potentially resulted in lower concentrations of odorous compounds in the water of the recirculating pond. An investigation of the concentrations of geosmin and MIB in catfish fillets showed that the levels of odorous compounds were below the OTC (odor threshold concentration) values in the recirculating pond but were above the OTC values from July to October in the control pond. Water recycling by the CW could potentially be one of the best management practices to control off-flavor occurrences in aquaculture.

Bacterial diversity in activated sludge from a consecutively aerated submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater

The bacterial diversity of activated sludge from submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) was investigated. A 16S rDNA clone library was generated, and 150 clones were screened using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Of the screened clones, almost full-length 16S rDNA sequences of 64 clones were sequenced. Phylogenetic tree was constructed with a database containing clone sequences from this study and bacterial rDNA sequences from NCBI for identification purposes. The 90.6% of the clones were affiliated with the two phyla Bacteroidetes (50%) and Proteobacteria (40%), and beta-, gamma-, and delta-Proteobacteria accounted for 7.8%, 28.1%, and 4.7%, respectively. Minor portions were affiliated with the Actinobacteria and Firmicutes (both 3.1%). Only 6 out of 64 16S rDNA sequences exhibited similarities of more than 97% to classified bacterial species, which indicated that a substantial fraction of the clone sequences were derived from unknown taxa. Rarefaction analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) clusters demonstrated that 150 clones screened were still insufficient to describe the whole bacterial diversity. Measurement of water quality parameter demonstrated that performance of the SMBR maintained high level, and the SMBR system remained stable during this study.

Performance and microbial communities of completely autotrophic denitrification in a bioelectrochemically-assisted constructed wetland system for nitrate removal

A bioelectrochemically-assisted constructed wetland (BECW) system was used to treat nitrate-contaminated wastewater without organic carbon source. The denitrification performance and microbial community composition of a BECW in closed-circuit mode (BECW-C) was compared to a BECW in open-circuit mode (BECW-O). The highest denitrification efficiency (78.92±3.12%) was obtained in the BECW-C with an applied current of 15mA. No nitrite accumulation was observed during the autotrophic denitrification process in the BECW-C. The significantly higher denitrification efficiency of the BECW-C compared to the BECW-O suggested enhanced denitrification due to in situ generation of hydrogen. The bacterial communities in the anode, cathode and rhizosphere regions collected from the BECW-C (with 10 or 15mA) and the BECW-O were characterized using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing technology, which revealed different microbial community structures among the treatments. The results also indicated that Thiohalophilus and Clostridium sensu stricto might be responsible for autotrophic denitrification in the BECW-C.

Bacterial community and nitrate removal by simultaneous heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification in a bioelectrochemically-assisted constructed wetland

To enhance nitrate removal in constructed wetlands (CWs), a bioelectrochemically-assisted CW (BECW) integrating a three-dimensional biofilm-electrode reactor (3D-BER) into the CW was evaluated for the effectiveness of combined autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification in the presence of organic matter and applied current. The effects of COD/N ratios on nitrate removal were investigated, and the bacterial communities in the granular active carbon (GAC) and graphite felt (GF) in the reactors cathode region were compared. The highest NO3--N and TN removal efficiencies of 91.3±7.2% and 68.8±7.9% were obtained at the COD/N ratio of 5. According to the results of high-throughput sequencing analysis, sample GAC was enriched with a high abundance of Pseudomonas (17.29%) capable of autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification, whereas autotrophic bacteria Thiobacillus (43.94%) was predominant in sample GF. The synergy between heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification bacteria is believed to cause the high and stable nitrogen removal performance.

Internal nitrogen removal from sediments by the hybrid system of microbial fuel cells and submerged aquatic plants

Sediment internal nitrogen release is a significant pollution source in the overlying water of aquatic ecosystems. This study aims to remove internal nitrogen in sediment-water microcosms by coupling sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) with submerged aquatic plants. Twelve tanks including four treatments in triplicates were designed: open-circuit (SMFC-o), closed-circuit (SMFC-c), aquatic plants with open-circuit (P-SMFC-o) and aquatic plants with closed-circuit (P-SMFC-c). The changes in the bio-electrochemical characteristics of the nitrogen levels in overlying water, pore water, sediments, and aquatic plants were documented to explain the migration and transformation pathways of internal nitrogen. The results showed that both electrogenesis and aquatic plants could facilitate the mineralization of organic nitrogen in sediments. In SMFC, electrogenesis promoted the release of ammonium from the pore water, followed by the accumulation of ammonium and nitrate in the overlying water. The increased redox potential of sediments due to electrogenesis also contributed to higher levels of nitrate in overlying water when nitrification in pore water was facilitated and denitrification at the sediment-water interface was inhibited. When the aquatic plants were introduced into the closed-circuit SMFC, the internal ammonium assimilation by aquatic plants was advanced by electrogenesis; nitrification in pore water and denitrification in sediments were also promoted. These processes might result in the maximum decrease of internal nitrogen with low nitrogen levels in the overlying water despite the lower power production. The P-SMFC-c reduced 8.1%, 16.2%, 24.7%, and 25.3% of internal total nitrogen compared to SMFC-o on the 55th, 82th, 136th, and 190th days, respectively. The smaller number of Nitrospira and the larger number of Bacillus and Pseudomonas on the anodes via high throughput sequencing may account for strong mineralization and denitrification in the sediments under closed-circuit. The coupled P-SMFC system has shown good potential for the efficient removal of internal nitrogen.

Effect of intermittent aeration on the treatment performance in a submerged membrane bioreactor

In order to improve removal for nitrogen in a pilot-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR), intermittent aeration was conducted, and the effect on the treatment performance under four kinds of operation condition (run 1, continuous aeration; run 2, 60/60 min aeration on/off time; run 3, 60/90 min aeration on/off time; run 4, 60/75 min aeration on/off time) was evaluated. The results showed that depending on the specific on/off of the aeration time ratio, removal efficiency of nitrogen could be improved significantly, and the removal rates of total nitrogen (TN) under different operation conditions were 28.0%, 59.5%, 66.8% and 70.7%, respectively. There were no obvious differences for removal rates for CODCr and ammonia among different operation conditions. In general, intermittent aeration could be used as a feasible way to improve treatment performance for nitrogen in the SMBR.

Relationship between electrogenic performance and physiological change of four wetland plants in constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells during non-growing seasons

To find suitable wetland plants for constructed wetland-microbial fuel cells (CW-MFCs), four commonly used wetland plants, including Canna indica, Cyperus alternifolius L., Acorus calamus, and Arundo donax, were investigated for their electrogenic performance and physiological changes during non-growing seasons. The maximum power output of 12.82mW/m2 was achieved in the A. donax CW-MFC only when root exudates were being released. The results also showed that use of an additional carbon source could remarkably improve the performance of electricity generation in the C. indica and A. donax CW-MFCs at relatively low temperatures (2-15°C). However, A. calamus withered before the end of the experiment, whereas the other three plants survived the winter safely, although their relative growth rate values and the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) significantly declined, and free proline and malondialdehyde significantly accumulated in their leaves. On the basis of correlation analysis, temperature had a greater effect on plant physiology than voltage. The results offer a valuable reference for plant selection for CW-MFCs.

How Temperature Affects Wastewater Nitrate Removal in a Bioelectrochemically Assisted Constructed Wetland System

A novel bioelectrochemically assisted constructed wetland system (BECW) was investigated using a laboratory-scale experimental apparatus for treating nitrate-contaminated water without an organic carbon source. The BECW was operated at 29 ±1 and 18 ±1oC, respectively, to explore the effects of temperature on the autotrophic denitrification process. The results showed that higher TN removal efficiency (76.30 ±5.08%) was obtained at higher temperature when compared to a lower temperature (48.18 ±4.40%). The effluent concentrations of NO2 --N and NH4 +-N at 18 ±1oC were 0.40 ±0.11 and 0.50 ±0.42 mg N L-1, whereas those at 29 ±1oC could be neglected. Besides, significant accumulations of NO2 --N and NH4 +-N were observed in the cathode region at 18 ±1oC through quantifying different forms of nitrogen that varied along the flow path.

A comparison of the growth and photosynthetic response of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara to a long-term water depth gradient under flowing and static water

ABSTRACT In a mesocosm experiment, the growth and photosynthetic responses of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara was studied monthly in different water depths under flowing and static water. Water depth showed a significant effect on the shoot length, below-ground: above-ground biomass, and total biomass, while water velocity showed only a significant effect on the total biomass. In addition, total biomass and shoot length at 45, 75 and 105 cm was higher in the flowing treatment than that in the static treatment, which suggested that total biomass and shoot length are promoted by water flow to some extent. All of the investigated photosynthetic showed different changes with different months. Water depth exhibited significant effects on the maximum photosynthetic efficiency Fv/Fm, the maximum electron transport rate rETRmax, Chla, Chla + b and Chla/b, while water velocity showed only significant effects on Chla, Chla + b, ETRmax. The rapid light response curves varied differently with the time periods. In October, the time-course of slow chlorophyll a fluorescence induction curves, Fm peak, in the flowing treatment in 45, 75 and 105 cm is higher than that in the static treatment. All the results demonstrated that the differences between flowing and static water resulted in the different life strategy.

Enhanced phosphorus reduction in simulated eutrophic water: A comparative study of submerged macrophytes, sediment microbial fuel cells and their combination

ABSTRACT The phosphorus reduction in water column was attempted by integrating sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) with the submerged macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis. A comparative study was conducted to treat simulated water rich in phosphate with a control and three treatments: SMFC alone (SMFC), submerged macrophytes alone (macophyte), and combined macrophytes and fuel cells (M-SMFC). All treatments promoted phosphorus flux from the water column to sediments. Maximum phosphorus reduction was obtained in proportion to the highest stable phosphorus level in sediments in M-SMFC. For the initial phosphate concentrations of 0.2, 1, 2, and 4 mg/L, average phosphate values in the overlying water during four phases decreased by 33.3% (25.0%, 8.3%), 30.8% (5.1%, 17.9%), 36.5% (27.8%, 15.7%), and 36.2% (0.7%, 22.1%) for M-SMFC (macrophyte, SMFC), compared with the control. With macrophyte treatment, the obvious phosphorus release from sediments was observed during the declining period. However, such phenomenon was significantly inhibited with M-SMFC. The electrogenesis bacteria achieved stronger phosphorus adsorption and assimilation was significantly enriched on the closed-circuit anodes. The higher abundance of Geobacter and Pseudomonas in M-SMFC might in part explain the highest phosphorus reduction in the water column. M-SMFC treatment could be promising to control the phosphorus in eutrophic water bodies.