Xianqiang Tang

Processes impacting on benzene removal in vertical-flow constructed wetlands.

The overall aim of this research project was to reduce low molecular weight hydrocarbons such as benzene in produced wastewaters. Over 30 months of research was conducted to test the treatment performance in terms of benzene removal in vertical-flow constructed wetlands. Based on an influent concentration of 1 g L(-1) benzene, the results show mean benzene removal efficiencies between 88.71% and 89.77%, and 72.66% and 80.46% for indoor and outdoor constructed wetlands, respectively. A statistical analysis indicated that the five days at 20 degrees C N-allylthiourea biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(5)), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate-nitrogen (NO(3)-N), dissolved oxygen (DO) and electric conductivity (EC) values of the effluent were positively correlated with the effluent benzene concentrations following the order COD>DO>EC>NO(3)-N>BOD(5), and negatively correlated according to the order pH>redox potential (redox)>temperature (T)>turbidity. No strong relationships between benzene and the variables ortho-phosphate-phosphorus (PO(4)(3-)) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH(4)-N) were recorded.

Review of remediation practices regarding cadmium-enriched farmland soil with particular reference to China

Cadmium-enrichment of farmland soil greatly threatens the sustainable use of soil resources and the safe cultivation of grain. This review paper briefly introduces the status of farmland soil as well as grain, which are both often polluted by cadmium (Cd) in China, and illustrates the major sources of Cd contaminants in farmland soil. In order to meet soil environmental quality standards and farmland environmental quality evaluation standards for edible agricultural products, Cd-enriched farmland soil is frequently remediated with the following prevailing techniques: dig and fill, electro-kinetic remediation, chemical elution, stabilisation and solidification, phytoremediation, field management and combined remediation. Most remediation techniques are still at the stage of small-scale trial experiments in China and few techniques are assessed in field trials. After comparing the technical and economical applicability among different Cd-enriched farmland soil remediation techniques, a novel ecological and hydraulic remediation technique has been proposed, which integrated the advantages of chemical elution, solidification and stabilisation, phytoremediation and field management. The ecological and hydraulic remediation concept is based on existing irrigation and drainage facilities, ecological ditches (ponds) and agronomic measures, which mainly detoxify the Cd-enriched soil during the interim period of crop cultivation, and guarantee the grain safety during its growth period. This technique may shift the challenge from soil to water treatment, and thus greatly enhances the remediation efficiency and shortens the remediation duration. Moreover, the proposed ecological and hydraulic remediation method matches well with the practical choice of cultivation while remediation for Cd-enriched soil in China, which has negligible impacts on the normal crop cultivation process, and thus shows great potential for large area applications.

Nutrient distribution within and release from the contaminated sediment of Haihe River

We assessed nutrient characteristics, distributions and fractions within the disturbed and undisturbed sediments at four sampling sites within the mainstream of Haihe River. The river sediments contained mostly sand (> 60%). The fraction of clay was < 3%. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations ranged from 729 to 1922 mg/kg and from 692 to 1388 mg/kg, respectively. Nutrient concentrations within the sediments usually decreased with increasing depth. The TN and TP concentrations within the fine sand were higher than for that within silt. Sediment phosphorus fractions were between 2.99% and 3.37% Ex-P (exchangeable phosphorus), 7.89% and 13.71% Fe/Al-P (Fe, Al oxides bound phosphorus), 61.32% and 70.14% Ca-P (calcium-bound phosphorus), and 17.03% and 22.04% Org-P (organic phosphorus). Nitrogen and phosphorus release from sediment could lead to the presence of 21.02 mg N/L and 3.10 mg P/L within the water column. A river restoration project should address the sediment nutrient stock.

Nutrient removal as a function of benzene supply within vertical-flow constructed wetlands

The role of benzene, macrophytes and temperature in terms of nutrient removal within constructed wetlands is unknown. Therefore, a research study over approximately 30 months was conducted to assess the potential of vertical‐flow constructed wetlands to treat nutrients and to examine the effect of benzene concentration, presence of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud (common reed), and temperature control on nutrient removal. Experimental wetlands removed between 72% and 90% of benzene at an influent concentration of 1000 mg L−1. A statistical analysis indicated that benzene is linked to increased effluent chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand concentrations. However, there was no significant relationship between benzene treatment and both nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Phragmites australis played a negligible role in organic matter (chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrogen and phosphorus) removal. Control of temperature favoured biochemical oxygen demand removal. However, no significant difference in chemical oxygen demand, and nitrogen and phosphorus removal was detected. Only the combination of the benzene and temperature variables had a significant impact on biochemical oxygen demand removal. The effluent biochemical oxygen demand concentrations in temperature‐controlled benzene treatment wetlands were much lower than those located in the natural environment. However, any other combination between benzene, P. australis and the environmental control variables had no significant effect on biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, or nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

Nutrient removal in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands treating eutrophic river water

Four planted (Typha latifolia L.) pilot-scale vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands were constructed to purify the eutrophic water of the Jinhe River in Tianjin (China) and to determine the feasibility of constructing a full-scale system in the future. The effects of intermittent artificial aeration and the use of polyhedron hollow polypropylene balls (PHPB) as part of the wetland substrate on the nutrient removal potential were also evaluated. During the entire running period, supplementary aeration enhanced the chemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus first order mean removal constants by 0.28 m/d, 3.05 m/d, 0.92 m/d, 0.74 m/d and 0.60 m/d, respectively, but reduced the nitrate-nitrogen removal constant by 1.72 m/d in contrast to non-aerated wetlands. A significantly positive contribution of PHPB to nutrient removal was obtained. The combination of artificial aeration and PHPB resulted in the augmentation of the first order mean removal constants by 0.29 m/d, 3.12 m/d, 1.15 m/d, 0.65 m/d and 0.54 m/d for chemical oxygen demand, ammonia-nitrogen, total nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus, respectively. Findings from a brief cost-benefit analysis suggest that both artificial aeration and the presence of PHPB would result in enhanced nutrient removal that is cost efficient for future projects, particularly if electricity costs are low.

Laboratory analyses of nutrient release processes from Haihe River sediment

Abstract Sediment samples were collected from the heavily contaminated Haihe River to conduct static nutrient release experiments with tap water, and to evaluate the effect of dredging depths, salinity and light on the corresponding release processes. The study is significant because it helps decision-makers to assess the likely impact of dredging (e.g. eutrophication) on contaminated freshwater and brackish rivers. The concentrations of total nitrogen and inorganic phosphorus were approximately 950 mg/kg and 760 mg/kg, respectively. The typical organic matter concentration was 8.6%. Data obtained from the nutrient leaching experiments indicated that 5cm-dredging of sediment reduced the water column total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus and ammonia-nitrogen concentrations insignificantly. In contrast, dredging 10cm surface sediment could improve the water quality. Higher salinity values benefited the release of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediment. In contrast to indoor experiments, concentrations of total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus and ammonia-nitrogen were higher for the outdoor experiments.

Arsenic(V) Removal in Wetland Filters Treating Drinking Water with Different Substrates and Plants.

Constructed wetlands are an attractive choice for removing arsenic (As) within water resources used for drinking water production. The role of substrate and vegetation in As removal processes is still poorly understood. In this study, gravel, zeolite (microporous aluminosilicate mineral), ceramsite (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) and manganese sand were tested as prospective substrates while aquatic Juncus effuses (Soft Rush or Common Rush) and terrestrial Pteris vittata L. (Chinese Ladder Brake; known as As hyperaccumulator) were tested as potential wetland plants. Indoor batch adsorption experiments combined with outdoor column experiments were conducted to assess the As removal performances and process mechanisms. Batch adsorption results indicated that manganese sand had the maximum As(V) adsorption rate of 4.55 h−1 and an adsorption capacity of 42.37 μg/g compared to the other three aggregates. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm equations better than other kinetic and isotherm models. Film-diffusion was the rate-limiting step. Mean adsorption energy calculation results indicated that chemical forces, particle diffusion and physical processes dominated As adsorption to manganese sand, zeolite and gravel, respectively. During the whole running period, manganese sand-packed wetland filters were associated with constantly 90% higher As(V) reduction of approximate 500 μg/L influent loads regardless if planted or not. The presence of P. vittata contributed to no more than 13.5% of the total As removal. In contrast, J. effuses was associated with a 24% As removal efficiency.

Distribution, sedimentation, and bioavailability of particulate phosphorus in the mainstream of the Three Gorges Reservoir

The transportation and sedimentation of particulate phosphorus (PP) in a huge reservoir such as the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) are closely related to the phosphorus distribution characteristics and nutritional status of the water body. In this study, the PP distribution, sedimentation, and bioavailability in the mainstream section of the TGR were investigated through a field survey, indoor simulated settlement experiment, and historical data analysis. The results indicated that PP was the major component of the total phosphorus (TP) and that the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) trapped nearly 76.25% of suspended sediment (SS) and 75.35% of PP in the TGR, even during the flood season. A decline in flow velocity promoted the deposition of PP; additionally, PP concentrations gradually dropped from 0.35 mg/L in Chongqing to 0.02 mg/L in Zigui. The static PP sedimentation process adequately fitted a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.97. Moreover, more than half of the PP sedimentation process was achieved in less than 60 min for samples collected from the upper river reaches within simulated sedimentation process. The median particle size of SS and absolute value of the water columns zeta potential were negatively and positively related to the t12 values of PP sedimentation, respectively. Compared with the concentration and particle size of SS obtained in the pre-TGR period, the values in the mainstream section of the TGR were lower. However, the TP and Fe/Al-P contents in SS increased several times. Due to the combined effects of flow velocity reduction and SS trapping, the water transparency and bioavailability of water column phosphorus were enhanced. Thus, the risk of water bloom outburst significantly increased when the impounded water level of 175 m in the TGR became the normal state.

Enhanced nitrate-nitrogen removal by modified attapulgite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron treating simulated groundwater

Attapulgite (or palygorskite) is a magnesium aluminium phyllosilicate. Modified attapulgite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) was created by a liquid-phase reduction method and then applied for nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) removal (transformation) in simulated groundwater. Nanoscale zero-valent iron was sufficiently dispersed on the surface of thermally modified attapulgite. The NO3-N removal efficiency reached up to approximately 83.8% with an initial pH values of 7.0. The corresponding thermally modified attapulgite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (TATP-NZVI) and NO3-N concentrations were 2.0 g/L and 20 mg/L respectively. Moreover, 72.1% of the water column NO3-N was converted to ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) within 6 h. The influence of environmental boundary conditions including dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, light illumination and water temperature on NO3-N removal was also investigated with batch experiments. The results indicated that the DO concentration greatly impacted on NO3-N removal in the TATP-NZVI-contained solution, and the NO3-N removal efficiencies were 58.5% and 83.3% with the corresponding DO concentrations of 9.0 and 0.3 mg/L after 6 h of treatment, respectively. Compared to DO concentrations, no significant (p > 0.05) effect of light illumination on NO3-N removal and NH4-N generation was detected. The water temperature also has great importance concerning NO3-N reduction, and the removal efficiency of NO3-N at 25 °C was 1.25 times than that at 15 °C. For groundwater, therefore, environmental factors such as water temperature, anaerobic conditions and darkness could influence the NO3-N removal efficiency when TATP-NZVI is present. This study also demonstrated that TATP-NZVI has the potential to be developed as a suitable material for direct remediation of NO3-N-contaminated groundwater.

Analysis hierarchy process model for plain river reach health assessment of the Luanhe River

In light of the ecological health problem occurring between the plain river reach between Daheiting and the estuary of the Luanhe River, three first-level indicators (river physical characteristic, eco-hydrological characteristic and socio-economic features) and corresponding fifteen second-level indicators such as river natural connectivity, water quantity, etc., were employed to establish the analysis hierarchy process (AHP) model. After fitting the AHP model with the data of 2005, the results show that the overall plain river reach health assessment score is 0.698 and the ecology is basically healthy. Moreover, construction of the Panjiakou Reservoir on the river mainstream destroyed the river natural morphologies, and finally contributed to the relatively low scores: 0 and 0.5 for river natural connectivity and river curve degree, respectively. It implicates that measures such as construction of ecological river course and reservoir dispatching should be taken into account in further restoration projects of the Luanhe River.