Yanrui Cui

Effective removal of heavy metals from industrial sludge with the aid of a biodegradable chelating ligand GLDA.

Tetrasodium of N,N-bis(carboxymethyl) glutamic acid (GLDA), a novel readily biodegradable chelating ligand, was employed for the first time to remove heavy metals from industrial sludge generated from a local battery company. The extraction of cadmium, nickel, copper, and zinc from battery sludge with the presence of GLDA was studied under different experimental conditions such as contact times, pH values, as well as GLDA concentrations. Species distribution of metals in the sludge sample before and after extraction with GLDA was also analyzed. Current investigation showed that (i) GLDA was effective for Cd extraction from sludge samples under various conditions. (ii) About 89% cadmium, 82% nickel and 84% copper content could be effectively extracted at the molar ratio of GLDA:M(II)=3:1 and at pH=4, whereas the removal efficiency of zinc was quite low throughout the experiment. (iii) A variety of parameters, such as contact time, pH values, the concentration of chelating agent, stability constant, as well as species distribution of metals could affect the chelating properties of GLDA.

Modeling techniques and fluorescence imaging investigation of the interactions of an anthraquinone derivative with HSA and ctDNA

A new anthraquinone derivative (AORha) was synthesized. Its interactions with human serum albumin (HSA) and calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Cell viability assay and cell imaging experiment were performed using cervical cancer cells (HepG2 cells). The fluorescence results revealed that the quenching mechanism was static quenching. At different temperatures (290, 300, 310 K), the binding constants (K) and the number of binding sites (n) were determined, respectively. The positive ΔH and ΔS values showed that the binding of AORha with HSA was hydrophobic force, which was identical with the molecular docking result. Studying the fluorescence spectra, UV spectra and molecular modeling also verified that the binding mode of AORha and ctDNA might be intercalative. When HepG2 cells were treated with AORha, the fluorescence became brighter and turned green, which could be used for bioimaging.

Optimum Ozone Dosage of Preozonation and Characteristic Change of Refractory Organics in Landfill Leachate

Preozonation on landfill leachate was carried out. COD removal rate has an obvious inflection at ozone dosage 0.186 mgO3/mgCOD in ozonation process. Seven sets of identical O3-SBR combined process under different ozone dosages were studied. The results indicated that the best COD removal rate of synergetic effect is also at 0.186 mgO3/mgCOD. New organic substances produced after ozonation was confirmed by an excitation-emission matrix (EEM). Carbon dioxide production increased from 36.3 mg to 75.7 mg after ozonation, confirming that biodegradability of refractory organics in landfill leachate was enhanced. All the arguments indicated that the inflection point of COD removal by ozonation has a great significance for preozonation.

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in the Henan section of the Yellow River: Occurrences, fates, and fluxes

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) were measured in sediment and suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in the three seasons to elucidate their environmental behavior. The mean concentrations of ∑SCCPs and ∑MCCPs were 262 and 97.1 ng g-1 dw (dry weight) in sediment and 17,055 and 2573 ng g-1 dw in SPM, respectively, and higher SCCP levels did not clearly reflect a shift to more MCCPs in this section of the Yellow River. The predominant homologue groups were C10-CP and C11-CP for SCCPs and C14-CP for MCCPs. The CPs possibly mainly derived from the use of CP commercial mixtures, mainly included CP-42 and CP-52. The spatial distributions and principal component analysis indicated that industrial inputs, dams, and topography played important roles in influencing the environmental behavior of CPs in both sediment and SPM. In addition, decreasing fluxes of CPs were observed in SPM from Tongguan to Aishan stations, particularly in reservoirs, which implies that CPs may have accumulated in the Henan section of the Yellow River.

Influence of Liquid Height to the Oxidation Process of Landfill Leachate by Using Ozone

ABSTRACT The influence of liquid height on chemical oxygen demand (COD) of leachate was investigated. When 400 mL leachate was filled in a thick tube reactor (TTR) with height of 0.063 m, COD removal efficiency was 45.69%, while ozone dosage was 3.35 mgO3/mgCOD. As leachate was filled in a slender tube reactor (STR) with a height of 0.815 m, removal efficiency was 51.81%, and ozone dosage was 3.12 mgO3/mgCOD. The results indicated that COD removal efficiency increased with the height of liquid. It is believed that the liquid height increased hydraulic pressure and resulted in COD removal efficiency.