Hongbin Yin

Measurement of dissolved reactive phosphorus using the diffusive gradients in thin films technique with a high-capacity binding phase.

Measurement of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) by the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique was investigated using a new binding phase. Half-dried amorphous zirconium oxide (with 50 ± 5% of water content) was mixed with acrylamide solution for the preparation of the new binding phase. The resulting binding gel had a high binding capacity (223 μg P cm(-2)) for phosphate. The solution of NaOH (1 M) was used for elution of phosphate from the gel, and an elution efficiency of 0.95 was obtained. A test of DGT uptake with this gel showed its dependence on temperature, and there was no influence of pH (3 to 10) and ionic strength (10 nM to 0.1 M). Its capacity for DGT response exceeded 100 μg P cm(-2), corresponding to a DRP concentration of more than 20 mg L(-1) for a 24 h deployment with a standard DGT device at 25 °C, which was at least 50 times of the Fe-oxide gel commonly used in the present DGT technique. Measurements with this high-capacity DGT technique in a laboratory microcosm of homogeneously mixed sediments gave smooth and reproducible mass-depth profiles. This technique was well demonstrated by in situ measurements in algal- and macrophyte-dominated regions of Lake Taihu. The DGT-measured concentrations of DRP were on average 20% and 40% of the DRP concentrations in pore waters, respectively, indicating a partial resupply of the sediments to the pore waters with DRP.

Phosphate removal from wastewaters by a naturally occurring, calcium-rich sepiolite

Developing an easily handled and cost-effective phosphate absorbent is crucial for the control of water eutrophication. In this study, a naturally occurring, calcium-rich sepiolite (NOCS) was evaluated for its feasibility as a phosphate absorbent candidate. Batch studies showed that phosphate sorption on NOCS followed a stepwise isotherm for concentrations between 5 and 1000 mg P/l, and the phosphate sorption was fitted well by the Freundlich equation. The estimated maximum phosphorus sorption capacity was 32.0 mg P/g, which was quite high compared with other natural materials and was comparable to some efficient manmade P absorbents. The NOCS sorption kinetics followed a pseudo-first-order model with an R(2) value of 0.999. The adsorption of phosphate was highly pH dependent. Phosphate adsorption decreased moderately with increasing pH values from 3.0 to 6.0, and it decreased sharply in alkaline conditions. Ionic strength, sulfate, nitrate and chloride anions had no effects on the phosphate removal capacity of NOCS, but fluoride and bicarbonate anions exerted large effects. Phosphorus fractionation indicated that phosphate removed from the solution was primarily formed as a calcium-bound phosphorus precipitation, which was further confirmed by SEM-EDS analysis. Moreover, phosphate was barely (<1.5%) desorbed from the phosphorus-adsorbed sepiolite regardless of pH value.

Distribution, sources and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments from Lake Taihu, China

The distribution, sources and ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediments from Lake Taihu were studied. Results showed that the measured heavy metals had varied spatial distribution patterns, indicating that they had complex origins and controlling factors. Pearsons correlation analysis revealed that the total phosphorus and the loss on ignition were positively correlated with the measured metals except Cd. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis demonstrated that Hg, Cu, Cr, Cd and Pb might originate from domestic sewage and industrial wastewater, whereas As predominantly originated from natural processes. Potential ecological risk indices indicated that sediment from Wuli Lake, Gonghu Bay and the Northwest Area suffered high pollution, whereas other areas of Lake Taihu were moderately polluted. A comparison of metal levels with the effects range low (ERL) and effects range median (ERM) showed that metals exceeded their corresponding ERL limit at 13.6–72.3% (72.3% for As, 52.4% for Pb, 27.7% for Cu, 22.8% for Cd, 16.0 for Hg and 13.6% for Cr) of the sites investigated. Moreover, 3.90% and 0.50% of the sites sampled exceeded the ERM thresholds for Hg and Pb, respectively.

Batch investigations on P immobilization from wastewaters and sediment using natural calcium rich sepiolite as a reactive material

Phosphorus from wastewaters and sediment flux to surface water represents a major source of lake eutrophication. Active filtration and in situ capping (which refers to placement of a covering or cap over an in-situ deposit of contaminated sediment) are widely used as a means to immobilize phosphorus from wastewaters and sediment, to mitigate lake eutrophication. There is, however, a need to develop more efficient means of immobilizing phosphorus through the development of binding agents. In this study, natural calcium-rich sepiolite (NCSP) was calcined at a range of temperatures, to enhance its phosphorus removal capacity. Batch studies showed that the 900 °C calcinated NCSP (NCSP900) exhibited excellent sorption performance, attaining a phosphorus removal efficiency of 80.0%-99.9% in the range of 0.05 mg/L-800 mg/L phosphorus concentrations with a dosage of 20 g/L. The material displayed rapid sorption rate (maximum amount of 99.9% of phosphate removal with 5 min) and could lower the very high phosphate concentration (200 mg/L) to less than 0.1 mg/L after 4 h adsorption. It was also noted that factors such as pH, competing anions (except [Formula: see text] ) and humic acid, had no effect on phosphorus removal capacity. The sediment immobilization experiment indicated that NCSP900 had the capacity to transform reactive phosphorus into inert-phosphorus and significantly reduce the amount of algal-bioavailable phosphorus. The excellent phosphorus binding performance of NCSP900 was mainly due to the improvement of point of zero charge (pHPZC) as well as the transformation of the inert-calcium of NCSP to active free CaO during calcination. Phosphorus speciation indicated that phosphorus was mainly captured by relatively stable calcium-bound phosphorus (Ca-P) precipitation, which can account for 80.1% of the total phosphorus. This study showed that NCSP900 could be used as an efficient binding agent for the sequestration of phosphorus from wastewaters and sediment.

Distribution characteristics and toxicity assessment of heavy metals in the sediments of Lake Chaohu, China

The concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Ni were measured in surface and core sediments to determine their distribution characteristics and toxicity in the sediments of Lake Chaohu. The results revealed that metal concentrations in the surface sediments had a tendency to increase from the estuarine mouth to the lake center. The distribution characteristics of the five target metals were similar along the sediment profiles at each site. Principal component analysis revealed that all of the measured variables were loaded in the same component, indicating that there was a strong relationship among these measured variables, which was confirmed by the correlation analysis. Two sets of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs): simultaneously extracted metal (SEM) and acid volatile sulfides (AVS) models (including ∑SEM/AVS, ∑SEM–AVS, and ∑SEM–AVS/ foc) and threshold effect level and probable effect level values were used to predict the sediment toxicity. Comparison of the results obtained using these two sets of SQGs revealed that only a small portion of the entire set was identical, while the majority of the results were different and sometimes completely contradictory. These contradictory results would cause a great deal of trouble for environment managers. More accurate and universal SQGs must be developed for environmental researchers and local environmental managers and regulators.

Use of DGT and conventional methods to predict sediment metal bioavailability to a field inhabitant freshwater snail (Bellamya aeruginosa) from Chinese eutrophic lakes.

In this study, we used the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and conventional methods (including SEM-AVS models, BCR sequential extraction and total metal concentrations) to assess sediment Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb bioavailability to field inhabitant freshwater snails (Bellamya aeruginosa) from Chinese eutrophic lakes. The performance of these methods and the relationship between DGT measurements and conventional methods were evaluated. The results showed that DGT-measured metal concentrations have weak correlations with results from tests using SEM-AVS models as well as sequentially extracted European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) metal fractions. Among the methods used, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Pb measured by DGT were significantly correlated with metal concentrations in the tissue of snails, while SEM-AVS could predict Cr, Ni and Pb bioavailability well, but not SEM-AVS/fOC. Finally, BCR sequential extraction and total metal concentrations only correlated well with Pb bioavailability to snails. Overall, the results of this study indicated that DGT performed best in predicting metal accumulation in snails and which could be used to predict sediment metal bioavailability to field inhabitant snails from freshwater lake sediments due to their simple manipulation and validity.

Reduction of sediment internal P-loading from eutrophic lakes using thermally modified calcium-rich attapulgite-based thin-layer cap

We conducted a laboratory evaluation of a low-cost P-capping agent-700°C-heated natural calcium-rich attapulgite (NCAP700)-in terms of its ability to reduce internal P-loading in lake sediments. Batch studies indicated that NCAP700 could effectively reduce sediment mobile P (P mobile) in various types of lake sediment, and the dosage equation required to immobilize P mobile was developed accordingly. The equation was then applied to a laboratory incubation study on intact sediment cores. The results indicated that the NCAP700-based thin-layer cap can enhance the redox potential (Eh), pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) in surface sediment. However, this enhancing effect was decreased with increasing time. P fluxes and the concentration of P in overlying water and pore water from sediment could be effectively inhibited under anaerobic conditions. P fractionation analysis indicated that 34.5% of P mobile was bound in the upper 2 cm sediment layer during a 40-day remediation period, but this only exerted a minor influence on the P mobile in the 2-4 cm sediment layer. P immobilization by NCAP700 was mainly achieved through transformation of P mobile to stable Ca-P. These results indicate that NCAP700 can be used for lake eutrophication control by means of thin-layer capping.

Sulfur-containing amino acid methionine as the precursor of volatile organic sulfur compounds in algea-induced black bloom

After the application of methionine, a progressive and significant increase occurred in five volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs): methanethiol (MeSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) and dimethyl tetrasulfide (DMTeS). Even in the untreated control without a methionine addition, methionine and its catabolites (VOSCs, mainly DMDS) were found in considerable amounts that were high enough to account for the waters offensive odor. However, blackening only occurred in two methionine-amended treatments. The VOSCs production was observed to precede black color development, and the reaching of a peak value for total VOSCs was often followed by water blackening. The presence of glucose stimulated the degradation of methionine while postponing the occurrence of the black color and inhibiting the production of VOSCs. In addition, DMDS was found to be the most abundant species produced after the addition of methionine alone, and DMTeS appeared to be the most important compound produced after the addition of methionine+glucose. These results suggest that methionine acted as an important precursor of the VOSCs in lakes suffering from algea-induced black bloom. The existence of glucose may change the transformation pathway of methionine into VOSCs to form larger molecular weight compounds, such as DMTS and DMTeS.

Evaluation of simulated dredging to control internal phosphorus release from sediments: Focused on phosphorus transfer and resupply across the sediment-water interface

Sediment dredging is an effective restoration method to control the internal phosphorus (P) loading of eutrophic lakes. However, the core question is that the real mechanism of dredging responsible for sediment internal P release still remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the P exchange across the sediment-water interface (SWI) and the internal P resupply ability from the sediments after dredging. The study is based on a one-year field simulation study in Lake Taihu, China, using a Rhizon soil moisture sampler, high-resolution dialysis (HR-Peeper), ZrO-Chelex diffusive gradients in thin film (ZrO-Chelex DGT), and P fractionation and adsorption isotherm techniques. The results showed low concentration of labile P in the pore water with a low diffusion potential and a low resupply ability from the sediments after dredging. The calculated flux of P from the post-dredged sediments decreased by 58% compared with that of non-dredged sediments. Furthermore, the resupply in the upper 20mm of the post-dredged sediments was reduced significantly after dredging (P<0.001). Phosphorus fractionation analysis showed a reduction of 25% in the mobile P fractions in the post-dredged sediments. Further analysis demonstrated that the zero equilibrium P concentration (EPC0), partitioning coefficient (Kp), and adsorption capacity (Qmax) on the surface sediments increased after dredging. Therefore, dredging could effectively reduce the internal P resupply ability of the sediments. The reasons for this reduction are probably the lower contributions of mobile P fractions, higher retention ability, and the adsorption capacity of P for post-dredged sediments. Overall, this investigation indicated that dredging was capable of effectively controlling sediment internal P release, which could be ascribed to the removal of the surface sediments enriched with total phosphorus (TP) and/or organic matter (OM), coupled with the inactivation of P to iron (Fe) (hydr)oxides in the upper 20mm active layer.

Remote sensing estimation of the total phosphorus concentration in a large lake using band combinations and regional multivariate statistical modeling techniques

Remote sensing has been widely used for ater quality monitoring, but most of these monitoring studies have only focused on a few water quality variables, such as chlorophyll-a, turbidity, and total suspended solids, which have typically been considered optically active variables. Remote sensing presents a challenge in estimating the phosphorus concentration in water. The total phosphorus (TP) in lakes has been estimated from remotely sensed observations, primarily using the simple individual band ratio or their natural logarithm and the statistical regression method based on the field TP data and the spectral reflectance. In this study, we investigated the possibility of establishing a spatial modeling scheme to estimate the TP concentration of a large lake from multi-spectral satellite imagery using band combinations and regional multivariate statistical modeling techniques, and we tested the applicability of the spatial modeling scheme. The results showed that HJ-1A CCD multi-spectral satellite imagery can be used to estimate the TP concentration in a lake. The correlation and regression analysis showed a highly significant positive relationship between the TP concentration and certain remotely sensed combination variables. The proposed modeling scheme had a higher accuracy for the TP concentration estimation in the large lake compared with the traditional individual band ratio method and the whole-lake scale regression-modeling scheme. The TP concentration values showed a clear spatial variability and were high in western Lake Chaohu and relatively low in eastern Lake Chaohu. The northernmost portion, the northeastern coastal zone and the southeastern portion of western Lake Chaohu had the highest TP concentrations, and the other regions had the lowest TP concentration values, except for the coastal zone of eastern Lake Chaohu. These results strongly suggested that the proposed modeling scheme, i.e., the band combinations and the regional multivariate statistical modeling techniques, demonstrated advantages for estimating the TP concentration in a large lake and had a strong potential for universal application for the TP concentration estimation in large lake waters worldwide.