Evaluation of humic acid removal by a flat submerged membrane photoreactor

A flat submerged membrane combined with a TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor (FSMPR) was employed in batch mode to remove humic acid (HA). HA removal efficiency was characterized by UV 254 absorbance, UV-vis spectra, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). The FSMPR process was effective in removing more than 86% of DOC and nearly 100% of UV 254 absorbance, while the THMFPs of samples were reduced to < 19 μ g/L after 150 min of treatment. In addition, changes in transmembrane pressure (TMP) with and without UV were evaluated; TiO 2 /UV was effective at controlling membrane fouling by HA. Analysis of the molecular weight (MW) distributions and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of HAs revealed that the effectiveness in membrane fouling control is a result of changes in HA molecular characteristics. The TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor caused the degradation of high MW, hydrophobic humic-like molecules to low MW, hydrophilic protein-like molecules, although this fraction was not completely removed during 150 min of treatment and was less responsible for membrane fouling.     

Composition and Accumulation of Fouling during Leachate Reverse Osmosis Membrane Treatment in both a Typical Incineration Plant and a Landfill

Reverse osmosis(RO) membrane process has been extensively used for leachate treatment both in incineration plants and landfills. However, operation and maintenance costs caused by membrane pollution limit the wide application of RO membrane.In order to further understand membrane fouling, this study analyzes the influent, effluent, concentrated liquid pollutants and membrane fouling of typical waste incineration plants and landfills in Chongqing, a city in the west of China based on the comparis...     

Hydroxyl radicals induced by quartz particles in lung alveolar macrophages： the role of surface iron

Previous studies have shown that hydroxyl radical generation is a key step in the mechanism of pathogenic process caused by airborne particles to the lung. However, there is no direct evidence for dose-response relationship between airborne particles and hydroxyl radical generation. In this study, hydroxyl radicals generated in lung alveolar macrophages exposed to quartz particles were measured using a highly sensitive capillary electrophoresis-fluorescence detection method. The results demonstrated that quartz particles induced the generation of hydroxyl radical in a dose-dependent manner, and the amount of the hydroxyl radicals was 10^-10 mol/10⁶ cells. The viability of alveolar macrophages exposed to quartz particles decreased with the increase of quartz concentration, showing a clear dose-response relationship. Hydroxyl radical scavenger mannitol could increase the viability of quartz-treated cells, suggesting that hydroxyl radical contributed directly to cell death. In this study this contribution accounted for about 5%?20% of cell death. The hydroxyl radical generating potential was found to be related to surface iron content of the quartz particles.     

Improving the sulfidation-flotation of fine cuprite by hydrophobic flocculation pretreatment

Hydrophobic flocculation pretreatment was performed to assess its effect on the recovery of fine cuprite in sulfidation-flotation. The results of the micro-flotation experiment showed that cuprite recovery is related to the particle size, and that an excessive content of fine particles (<18 μm) impacted the recovery of coarse particles. When hydrophobic flocculation pretreatment was used, the recovery of fine cuprite in sulfidation-flotation increased from 60.3% to 86.3% under optimum conditions (pH 9.5; sodium oleate concentration, 2×10-4 mol·L-1; stirring time, 6 min; stirring speed, 1600 r·min-1). The laser particle size analysis and optical microscopy results indicate that hydrophobic flocculation pretreatment effectively reduces the content of fine cuprite, and augments the apparent particle size in the pulp. We performed the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory and extended DLVO theory calculations to further support the interpretation of the results.     

Impact of dissolved humic acid on the bioavailability of acenaphthene and chrysene assessed by membrane-based passive samplers

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is known to reduce the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in aqueous environments. This reduction occurs as a result of adsorption to DOC, apparently reducing the freely dissolved concentration of HOCs. In the present study, triolein-embedded cellulose acetate membrane (TECAM) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were used to measure the uptake of acenaphthene and chrysene in the presence of commercial humic acid (HA) at different concentrations (0―15 mg C·L-1) under controlled laboratory conditions. Apparent uptake rate constants for PAHs in TECAM and medaka were compared and DOC-water partition coefficients (KDOCs) of two PAHs were calculated with different sampling methods by model fit. Results showed that HA present in water significantly reduced the uptake of PAHs in TECAM and medaka. The obtained values of log KDOC of acenaphthene and chrysene measured by TECAM were 4.63 and 5.83, respectively, whereas biologically determined values were 4.52 and 5.76, respectively. These log KDOC values were comparable to earlier published KDOCs toward commercial HA, thereby indicating that TECAM accumulated only the freely dissolved fraction of chemicals and uptake PAHs in a manner similar to that of fish. All these results suggested that the TECAM method can provide a good means for assessing the impact of DOC on bioavailability of PAHs in the aqueous environment.     

Transport of Yellow Sand in Stratified Flow over an Isolated Mountain Ridge

The transport of yellow sand over mountain regions in the presence of internal gravity waves has been investigated numerically. The motion of yellow sand particles has been simulated in a Lagrangian frame of reference by solving the time-dependent Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit time integration in a fitted body grid arrangement was used to simulate the stratified flow over an isolated ideally bell-shaped mountain. The transport and deposition of particles of various sizes, and of the altitudes where particles were released have been analyzed. Particular attention was given to transport patterns of different sized particles in various atmospheric conditions. The results show that the particle size and the re-lease altitude are both important factors in determining the trajectories of the particles. Small particles tend to be transported a long distance over the mountains, whereas heavier particles settle down around the re-lease source. Due to the existence of an internal gravity wave, the particle release altitude affects the trajec-tory of the particles. The analysis and results provide a very useful tool for the study of atmospheric flow and transport of pollutants over real topographies.     

Addition of cerium and yttrium to ferritic steel weld metal to improve hydrogen trapping efficiency

The applicability of Ce and Y as promising candidate elements to form irreversible traps in weld metal was investigated by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) with gas chromatography (GC).The precise nature of the precipitate particles newly formed in the weld metal by the addition of Ce and Y to a certain alloy system was characterized.Moreover,the hydrogen trapping efficiency expressed as the reduction of the diffusible hydrogen in the weld metal was analyzed.The results showed that the addition of Ce and/or Y to this alloy system led to the formation of a mixed type of (Ce,Ti)-based oxide,(Y,Ni)-based carbide,or (Ce,Y,Ti)-based oxide particles.Because of the high activation energy of the mixed type of particles (≥ 150 kJ/mol),the trapping efficiency for hydrogen was considered to be sufficiently high to effectively reduce the diffusible hydrogen content.     

Dynamic Membrane for Cross-flow Micro-filtration in Treating Activated Sludge

Mixed liquid of activated sludge （AS） were micro- filtrated by dynamic membrane （DM） made of 6 000 mesh kaolin. The results illustrated that the permeate quality and flux with DM filtration were superior to that with direct filtration in treating AS. The experiments of membrane washing showed that DM could abate the internal fouling of membranes efficiently, and the permeate flux of renewed membrane reached 90% of that of new membranes. The denser the mixed liquid suspended solids （MLSS） were, the lower the permeate flux was. Increasing of both flow velocity over the membrane surface and trans-membrane pressure （TMP） could lead to some enhancement of permeate flux, while the former approach could be carried out more economically. The feasibility of application of the DM to membrane bioreactor （MBR） has been ascertained.     

Coseismic response of groundwater level in the Three Gorges well network and its relationship to aquifer parameters

The 12 May 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake caused notable changes in the water levels of wells in the Three Gorges area. This work examines the relationship between these coseismic changes in water level and the changes in aquifer parameters. Three wells in the area with good responses to earth tide were chosen for analysis. Water-level data from February to June 2008 were used to calculate the aquifer transmissivity, permeability and specific storage of the rocks, and analyze the relationship between the coseismic responses of the wells and their aquifer parameters. The results show that the Wenchuan earthquake changed these parameters considerably, thereby controlling co- and postseismic variations of water level. The values of these parameters prior to the earthquake are linearly related with the amplitudes of coseismic variations in water level. The larger the aquifer transmissivity, the more remarkable the coseismic change in water level. During the earthquake, changes in aquifer parameters were found to be associated with coseismic variations in water level, with the larger changes occurring when the coseismic variation in water level was larger. The tectonic setting has a certain degree of influence on the co- and postseismic changes in water level. The permeability structures of the fault zone appear to determine the manner of coseismic variation in water level. Moreover, it seems that the water level in wells where groundwater converges more easily can recover faster following an earthquake. Insight from this study helps to improve understanding of the characteristics of water-level changes caused by earthquakes.     

Surface Modification of Electrospun Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(ε-caprolactone) Fibrous Membranes by Plasma Treatment and Gelatin Immobilization

Biopolymer fibers have great potential for technical applications in biomaterials. The surface properties of fibers are of importance in these applications. In this study, electrospun poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL) membranes were modified by cold plasma treatment and coating gelatin to improve the surface hydrophilic properties. The morphologies of the fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Atomic force microscopy(AFM) was employed to show the surface characteristics of the fibers. The chemical feature of the fibrous membrane surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The surface wettability of the fibrous membrane was also characterized by water contact angle measurements. All these results show that plasma treatment can have profound effects on the surface properties of fibrous membranes by changing their surface physical and chemical features. Gelatin-PLLA/PCL membrane has great potential in applications of tissue engineering scaffolds.     

混凝/吸附预处理对超滤膜过滤特性的影响

采用混凝和吸附两种方法预处理模拟微污染地表水,研究了不同水样的污染物指标与超滤膜污染的关系,分析了颗粒物特性对超滤膜通量的影响. 试验结果表明:粉末活性炭吸附能够有效降低水中有机物浓度,但是对于浊度去除效果不明显;混凝对于有机物去除效果较差,但能明显降低水中浊度. 混凝预处理能够有效提高膜通量,但吸附对膜通量没有影响. 不同水样的膜污染指数与浊度及溶解性有机物（DOC）的相关性拟合表明,膜污染指数与浊度性相关性较好,与DOC相关性较差,水中浊度物质是试验条件下膜污染的主要物质;0.01~1.20μm的胶体和颗粒物是造成膜通量下降的主要因素,同时,浊度物质造成的膜污染指数具有良好的累积性.      

粉末活性炭吸附对超滤膜处理再生水膜污染状况的影响

利用粉末活性炭-超滤(PAC-UF)组合工艺处理污水厂二级出水中腐殖酸(humic acid,HA)溶液,主要考察在不同的PAC投加量工况下对膜通量的影响、膜污染阻力变化、Hermia经典过滤堵塞模型拟合和膜污染趋势分析情况。结果表明,PAC颗粒本身几乎不会影响膜通量的下降,处理腐殖酸类有机溶液的PAC最佳投加量为20 mg/L;腐殖酸导致的膜污染以不可逆膜污染为主,其与滤饼层污染模型的拟合度最好;将超滤阶段分为初期黏附阶段与后期黏聚阶段,初期阶段导致的膜通量下降更加剧烈,后期阶段形成的滤饼层有效的拦截有机物避免直接接触超滤膜。     

高锰酸钾预氧化对有机物构型与超滤膜污染的影响

以引黄水库水为水源,基于超滤组合工艺中试装置,考察KMnO4预氧化对有机物转化和超滤膜污染的影响。研究结果表明:原水以相对分子质量大于3×103的有机物为主,亲疏水性有机物比例相当。混凝沉淀主要去除疏水性与相对分子质量大于1×105的有机物,去除率分别为13.50%和47.06%。随投加量的升高,KMnO4对相对分子质量大于1×105的有机物去除率增加,同时产生了较多相对分子质量为3×103～1×105的有机物;水中疏水性有机物随之由降低变为升高。当KMnO4投加量适量时,可以减少膜污染,当投加量过高时,则会增加膜的不可逆污染。超滤膜去除的主要是疏水性有机物,相对分子质量大于1×105和1×104～1×105的有机物分别是造成膜可逆与不可逆污染的主要因素。超滤反洗废液中主要为相对分子质量大的疏水性有机物,化学清洗废液中的Mn含量随KMnO4投加量升高而增大。     

有机物亲疏水特性对超滤膜污染的影响

以实验室配制的不同亲疏水性比例的水样，经超滤膜过滤，观察有机物亲疏水性对膜污染的影响．结果显示：过滤末期含疏水性最多的腐殖酸水样跨膜压差最高，疏水性有机物与亲水性有机物比例为3／7～1／2的水样跨膜压差最低．考察水样Zeta电位及粒径，发现疏水性有机物与亲水性有机物比例为3／7～1／2的水样Zeta电位值比其他水样低约40％，粒径比其他水样大约7％．结果表明：在疏水性组分较多时（大于60％），疏水性有机物是造成膜污染的主要原因；在疏水性组分较少时（小于40％），水样中胶团可压缩性是造成膜污染的主要原因．     

粉末活性炭（PAC）改性聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）超滤膜的制备及性能研究

以粉末活性炭（PAC）为改性剂,通过共混杂化的方法加入聚偏氟乙烯的铸膜液中,采用相分离法制得一系列含有不同PAC比例的聚偏氟乙烯（PVDF）超滤膜。通过电子扫描显微镜、原子力显微镜、接触角测量、红外光谱等表征手段对改性膜和空白膜的结构和性能进行对比和分析,并以腐殖酸溶液和市政二沉池出水为处理对象进行过滤实验,研究PAC的添加对超滤膜的抗污染性能影响。结果表明：PAC的添加可以提升超滤膜的孔隙率,改善亲水性,增强纯水通量和污染物阻截率。并且,以纯水通量最高的活性炭杂化超滤膜和空白膜作为对照组进行腐殖酸（HA）溶液和市政二沉池出水的过滤实验,发现PAC的添加可以增强超滤膜的抗污染性能。     

强化混凝去除水源水中天然有机物研究进展

水源水中存在的天然有机物(NOM)会严重影响饮用水的质量。强化混凝能经济有效地去除水源水中的NOM,但对溶解态消毒副产品(DBP)前驱物的去除率不高。基于强化混凝去除水源水中NOM的新方法研究成为了热点。本文论述了吸附、预氧化、磁技术、生物降解4种方法分别与强化混凝联合去除水源水中NOM的研究进展,从技术原理、工艺条件、处理效果、运行经济性等方面对其各自优缺点及应用前景进行了对比和展望。     

基于CFD仿真模拟及PIV粒子示踪相结合法超滤膜组件优化

采用在线监测与水力流体模拟相结合方式,利用数值模拟仿真技术、示踪技术及高速图像采集分析等手段,考察现有超滤膜组件内部的流场分布,并设计出新型超滤膜组件。结果表明,由于超滤膜组件内部流场主要受到布水管布水的影响,布水管上开孔均匀与否将直接影响整个超滤膜组件内部布水的均匀性。与组件UFA-860C相比,设计出的条形孔超滤膜组件因其布水管上有规则地均匀开孔且采用多根布水管组合,在运行时组件内部布水更加均匀,且能够充分利用膜丝的有效面积,从而有效减缓膜污染。     

粉末活性炭-超滤膜组合工艺处理二级出水的膜污染特性

采用粉末活性炭(PAC)-超滤膜(UF)组合工艺对某城市二级出水进行深度处理,研究了不同PAC投加量下组合工艺的膜渗透性能,并对其膜污染性能进行分析。研究结果发现:在最佳膜通量投加量下(PAC为10 mg/L),膜通量和不可逆膜污染阻力达到最低值;组合工艺对不同分子量的去处效果较直接超滤都有所提高,其中小分子量(3k～10 k Da和3kDa)有机物的去除率提高最大;组合工艺以滤饼层和中间堵塞模型为主,而发生完全堵塞模型的概率相对较小。投加PAC能够有效提高去除效果,降低膜污染。     

超滤膜改性技术的研究进展

随着超滤膜技术的发展,人们对超滤膜提出了各种各样的特性要求,而解决膜污染问题也成为目前膜领域最为关注的问题．超滤膜改性,尤其是在膜表面引入亲水性基团是解决膜污染问题的关键．介绍了超滤膜改性技术方面的研究进展,探讨了未来超滤膜技术的发展方向．