Hydrophilic Matter Research Articles

Activation of the Calcium-Sensing Receptor by a Subfraction of Amino Acids Contained in Thyroid Drainage Fluid.

Hypoparathyroidism is a common sequela of thyroid surgery; in this study, we aimed at exploring the pathogenesis behind it. The following premises suggest that wound fluid might be a causative agent. (i) Parathyroid hormone secretion is under feedback control by the calcium-sensing receptor, which responds to a diverse array of activating ligands. (ii) Postoperative hypoparathyroidism arises from a secretory deficiency of the parathyroid glands. Even in patients later unaffected by hypoparathyroidism, parathyroid hormone levels drop within hours after surgery. (iii) Wound fluid is bound to enter the tissue around the thyroid bed, where the parathyroid glands are located. Its composition is shaped by a series of proteolytic reactions triggered by wounding. Using thyroid drainage as a surrogate, we addressed the possibility that wound fluid contains compounds activating the calcium-sensing receptor. Drainage fluid ultrafiltrate was found to be rich in amino acids, and on separation by HPLC, compounds activating the calcium-sensing receptor partitioned with hydrophilic matter that rendered buffer acidic. The data show that glutamate and aspartate at millimolar concentrations supported activation of the calcium-sensing receptor, an effect contingent on low pH. In the presence of glutamate/aspartate, protons activated the calcium-sensing receptor with a pH50 of 6.1, and at pH 5, produced maximal activation. This synergistic mode of action was exclusive; glutamine/asparagine did not substitute for the acidic amino acids, nor did Ca2+ substitute for protons. NPS-2143, a negative allosteric receptor modulator completely blocked receptor activation by glutamate/aspartate and by fractionated drainage fluid. Thus, wound fluid may be involved in suppressing parathyroid hormone secretion.

Mechanisms by which different polar fractions of dissolved organic matter affect sorption of the herbicide MCPA in ferralsol

Exogenous dissolved organic matter (DOM) modifies the sorption of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA, a polar herbicide) in soil. However, how the chemodiversity and diverse fractions of DOM affect MCPA sorption is still unknown. Here, DOM was extracted from compost and rice straw; the structure–activity correlations between DOM chemodiversity and their effects on MCPA sorption were investigated by redundancy analysis. Moreover, the mechanism involved was explored by spectroscopic techniques, microbeam and modeling. DOM mainly affected MCPA sorption by altering soil surface properties and MCPA complexed form. Hydrophobic neutral (HON) and acid insoluble matter (AIM) were the fractions of DOM that most inhibited MCPA sorption through soil pore blockage, and were related to the humic-like substances with high aromaticity and large molecular weight. The hydrophobic acid fraction (HOA) only showed an intermediate inhibition on the sorption, although the largest competitive sorption occurred. This was because HOA contained abundant aromatic acid and polar groups with moderate polarity. Thus, the reduced effect caused by competitive sorption was partly compensated by the greatest co-sorption by HOA. The hydrophilic matter (HIM) had the weakest inhibition on MCPA sorption, because this fraction was rich in simple sugars, poly- and oligosaccharides, but lacked aryl groups. The results will aid in the risk assessments and prevention of MCPA in DOM-introduced soil.

Characteristics of hydrothermal treatment for the disintegration of oxytetracycline fermentation residue and inactivation of residual antibiotics

Oxytetracycline fermentation residue (OFR) can be managed by bioprocesses to recycle organic substances. However, the organic materials present are resistant to biodegradation due to protection by the OFR matrix structure, and the high levels of residual oxytetracycline have unavoidably negative impacts on microorganisms in bioprocesses and result in the poor biodegradability of OFR. Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is promising for processing OFR to improve its biodegradability, but there is still insufficient practical experience with HT of OFR. To explore the applicability of employing HT as a pretreatment to improve the biodegradability of OFR, HT processes at temperatures varying from 90 °C to 180 °C were performed on OFR to disintegrate its matrix and inactivate the high levels of residual oxytetracycline. The results demonstrated that performing HT clearly enhanced the production of hydrophilic matter including soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), soluble carbohydrates and soluble proteins. Nevertheless, the drawbacks of HT for degrading soluble organics and mineralizing total organics were clearly observed at 180 °C. Efficient destruction of the OFR matrix structure was speculated based on the release of carbohydrates and proteins and was visually confirmed by photomicrographs and scanning electron microscopy graphs. The disappearance of oxytetracycline fit a pseudo first-order kinetics model and the toxic intermediates of oxytetracycline, including 4-epi-oxytetracycline, α-apo-oxytetracycline and β-apo-oxytetracycline, could not be persistent during HT. Antibacterial activity linked to oxytetracycline greatly decreased after HT. The conditions of 150 °C and 180 min resulted in relatively good results in SCOD release and oxytetracycline inactivation. All these suggest that HT effectively improves the biodegradability of OFR.

Characteristic of dissolved organic matter polar fractions with variable sources by spectrum technologies: Chemical properties and interaction with phenoxy herbicide

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous with high biological and chemical activity. The large intake of DOM from compost, plant residues or soil can modify the behaviors of agrochemicals. Phenoxy herbicide is the third widely used herbicide around the world with both aromaticity and polarity. However, how the diverse fractions of DOM interacting with phenoxy herbicide and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, it is crucial to investigate the heterogeneous chemical properties of DOM fractions from variable sources and explore the interactive mechanisms. In this study, polar DOM derived from compost, rice straw and soil were fractionated, and the chemical properties of fractions were analyzed by spectrum technology and the complex interaction with phenoxy herbicide was assessed by infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that hydrophobic acid (HOA) was the largest component (49.6%) in compost DOM, while hydrophilic matter (HIM) was the main component in the polar DOM from rice straw and soil. The 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyac etic acid (MCPA) as one representative of phenoxy herbicides was used in our study, and the results showed the interaction between different DOM fractions and MCPA was heterogeneous. HOA containing abundant fulvic-like component and polar groups resulted a greatly complex interaction with MCPA mainly via hydrophobic force, ligand exchange and hydrogen bonding. Hydrophobic neutral fraction and acid-insoluble matter showed a medium interaction with MCPA as a result of enrichment with the high aromatic humic-like molecules. Inversely, no significant interaction between HIM and MCPA was observed. Our research revealed that the aromatic framework associated with polar groups in DOM dominated the interaction with phenoxy herbicide, which might affect the bioavailability, toxicity, and mobility of phenoxy herbicide.

Characteristics of refractory organics in industrial wastewater treated using a Fenton-coagulation process

ABSTRACT It is a challenging environmental issue to develop a cost-efficient approach for the removal of low-concentration refractory organics in industrial wastewater. In this study, the Fenton-coagulation process was utilised to remove the organics from the industrial effluent. The operational conditions of the Fenton-coagulation process were optimised, and then, the molecular weight (MW) and resin fraction distribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated before and after the Fenton-coagulation process. The results showed that the efficiency of organic matter removal was affected by the Fe2+/H2O2 molar ratio, pH, and reaction time. The removal rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by Fenton-coagulation process reached 37.8% under the following conditions: pH = 4.0 − 5.0, H2O2 concentration = 34 mg/L, Fe2+/H2O2 molar ratio = 1.5, and reaction time = 120 min. The resin fraction distribution results showed that hydrophobic bases (HoB) were almost completely removed, and the removal rate of hydrophobic acids (HoA) reached 58%, while hydrophilic matter (HiM) became the dominant form in the final effluent after the Fenton-coagulation process due to the appearance of hydrophilic charged fractions (HiC). The results were explained by a two-step mechanism (Fenton oxidation and Fe3+ coagulation). According to the molecular weight (MW), 35.7% removal of the main fractions of organic matter with MW < 1 kDa was achieved. Furthermore, a pilot test proved that the final effluent quality after the Fenton-coagulation process conformed to the first class of the A discharge standard of pollutants for municipal wastewater treatment plants in Tianjin.

Carbon doped Fe3O4 peroxidase-like nanozyme for mitigating the membrane fouling by NOM at neutral pH

Oxidation is a widely used method in drinking water treatment to mitigate the membrane fouling caused by the natural organic matters (NOM) from the surface water during ultra-filtration (UF) and nano-filtration (NF) processes, and H2O2 is one of the common oxidants for it. However, the oxidation capability of H2O2 at neutral pH is lower, compared to the acidic and alkaline conditions. In order to improve the efficiency of NOM oxidation at neutral pH, a carbon-doped Fe3O4 peroxidase-like nanozyme (CFPN) was synthesized in this study and used as a high-performance catalyst for H2O2 to generate hydroxyl radical. The oxygen-containing groups on the carbon structure of CFPN can form an acidic microenvironment, allowing H2O2 to produce hydroxyl radical by catalysis in neutral conditions. The results of hydrophilicity analysis, zeta potential, high-performance liquid size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) and flux indicated that the hydroxyl radical can oxidize the hydrophobic matters of humic acid (HA) into hydrophilic matters by Fenton reaction or electrophilic addition reaction, which can mitigate the fouling of NF membranes. The results of the same test for the bovine serum albumin (BSA) indicated that the hydroxyl radical can mitigate the fouling of UF membranes by degrading the tertiary and secondary structures of BSA and partly oxidizing the side chain groups. In addition, two types of surface water samples were used to verify the above mechanism, and the results indicated that the hydroxyl radical treatment at neutral pH is a new viable and effective strategy to significantly mitigate the NOM fouling of UF and NF membranes.

Hydrophobicity-dependent electron transfer capacities of dissolved organic matter derived from chicken manure compost

The electron transfer capacities (ETC) of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are related to their hydrophobicity. However, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. The DOM was extracted from chicken manure compost, and fractionated into four fractions based on hydrophobicity, i.e., hydrophobic acid (HOA), hydrophobic base (HOB), hydrophilic matter (HIM) and acid insoluble matter (AIM) fractions. The composition, structure and ETC of the four fractions were measured using spectral technology and electrochemical methods. The results showed that the HOA and AIM fractions consisted mainly of fulvic- and humic-like substances, the HOB fraction comprised mainly organic nitrogen compounds, and the HIM was mainly composed of carbohydrates and protein-like matter. The electron donating capacities (EDC) and electron accepting capacities (EAC) of the four fractions were in the range of 616.90–5224.66 and 7.30–191.20 μmoL/g(C), respectively, The HOB fraction exhibited the highest EDC among the four fractions, followed by the HOA, AIM and HIM fractions. The EAC of the four fractions was characterized by the order of AIM, HOB, HOA and HIM. The tryptophan- and humic-like substances and organic nitrogen compounds accounted for the EDC, whereas the carboxyl group on aromatic substance responsible for the EAC.

An extended standard blocking filtration law for exploring membrane pore internal fouling due to rate-determining adsorption

Membrane internal fouling due to foulant adsorption onto the pore walls is a critical aspect of fouling. The classical “standard blocking law” for internal fouling simplistically assumes instantaneous adsorption such that the adsorbed amount grows linearly with the filtered liquid volume, which is inadequate to describe realistic internal fouling with varied adsorption rates. In this study, an extended standard blocking law for scenarios involving time dependent adsorption is proposed and yields an expression of the form dR/dV ∼ RN (where R is filtration resistance and V is filtrate volume). Two ultimate scenarios of the law, i.e. the 1st-kind for sufficiently fast adsorption with the characteristic exponent N ≈ 1.5 (similar to the classical standard blocking) and the 2nd-kind for sufficiently slow adsorption with N ≈ 2.5 are experimentally verified via microfiltration of model polysaccharide (alginate) solutions using hydrophobic and hydrophilic membranes. Transition between the 1st-kind and 2nd-kind laws is related to the rates of adsorption versus filtrational mass transfer. The extended law provides an improved tool to evaluate internal fouling, particularly that associated with adsorption of hydrophilic matter (such as polysaccharides) into hydrophilic membranes.

Influences of isolated fractions of natural organic matter on adsorption of Cu(II) by titanate nanotubes

With different functional groups and hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties, natural organic matters (NOMs) displayed different combining capacities with metal ions. By using XAD-4 and DAX-8 resins, NOMs in natural lake were isolated into three fractions, i.e., HoB (hydrophobic base), HoA (hydrophobic acid) and HiM (hydrophilic matter). Afterwards, influences on Cu(II) adsorption onto titanate nanotubes (TNTs) were compared with varying NOMs and initial pH. As results, HoB can significantly control Cu(II) adsorption at pH 5, with the adsorption capacity increased 15% for 0.5 mg L−1 of HoB (ca. 120 mg g−1), which could be attributed to the formation of HoB-Cu complexation and electrostatic bridge effect of HoB with optimal concentration. Due to the easier ionization and complexation with Cu(II) at lower pH, HoA showed more obvious impaction on Cu(II) adsorption at pH 2. While HiM can influence Cu(II) adsorption at all pH ranges due to its hydrophilic groups and weak affinity to both TNTs and Cu(II). Furthermore, HoB dramatically changed the Langmuir model, with sharp increase of adsorption capacity as equilibrium Cu(II) increased, suggesting its significant involvement in Cu(II) adsorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed the absorbed Cu(II) existed in the form of TNTs‑OCu, TNTs‑COOCu and Cu(OH)2, proving Cu(II) adsorption mechanism including both direct adsorption by TNTs and bridging connection with NOMs. Moreover, the CO and OCO groups content ranked as HiM > HoB > HoA, while TNTs‑COOCu content ranked as HoA > HoB > HiM, suggesting HoB had the moderate connection with both TNTs and Cu(II), thus the impact on Cu(II) adsorption was remarkable.

Characterization of Dissolved Organic Matter Fractions in the Ning-Meng Section of the Yellow River and Relationship with Metal Ions

Dissolved organic matter(DOM)is an important element of natural aquatic systems. Due to differences in their hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties and various functional groups, chemical appearances of DOM fractions also vary. In this study, seven natural waters, extending from Xiaheyan to Toudaoguai along the Ning-Meng section of the Yellow river, were sampled in April 2015. Four DOM fractions were obtained by pumping through XAD-4 and XAD-8 resins, i.e., hydrophobic acid (HOA), hydrophobic base (HOB), weak hydrophobic acid (WHOA), and hydrophilic matter (HYI). Based on detection by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) and correlation analysis, relationships with five metal ions (Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, As) were analyzed. Results show that DOC gradually increased along an upstream to downstream continuum in the Ning-Meng section. HYI (small molecular proteins) was the main DOM fraction present, followed by HOA, suggesting enhanced microbial-sourced impact from industrial sewage discharges. The significant peaks of humic-like (A, C) and protein-like compounds (T1) in the EEM chart further highlight the effect of endogenous pollution caused by wastewater. Furthermore, SPSS fitting results indicate that DOM is correlated with all five metal ions, especially with Cu. In terms of the four DOM fractions, HYI showed the strongest correlation with Cu, illustrating the significant relationship between HYI and Cu during the migration and transformation process. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of protein-like compounds decreased with increasing Cu concentration, possibly due to fluorescence quenching caused by complexation between Cu and proteins in HYI.

An apparent liquid permeability model of dual-wettability nanoporous media: A case study of shale

The hydraulic fracturing fluid can easily infiltrate the ultra-tight shale matrix due to the remarkable slip feature of the liquid flow in nanoscale pores, showing a higher-than-expected fluid-loss in shale gas development. In this paper, a stochastic apparent liquid permeability (ALP) model is developed to reveal water transport mechanisms in dual-wettability nanoporous shale based on the transport behavior in a single nanotube. The present model considers the wettability and pore size related liquid slip effect, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and the structural parameters (maximum and minimum pore size of inorganic or inorganic matter, porosity) of shale matrix. The results show that the multilayer sticking effect (structural water molecules in the pore surface) constricts the flow capacity and slightly decreases the ALP for the inorganic hydrophilic matter, while, a large slip length for the water flow can be observed and the ALP is dramatically improved if the nanopores in the organic matter are strong hydrophobic, especially in organic-rich shale reservoir. The ALP can be reduced or enhanced with the increase of TOC content, which is determined by the relative importance of pore size difference (between organic matter and inorganic matter) and wettability of organic matter. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis of structural parameters on the ALP are examined.

Two-stage Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) system to reduce UV absorbance in landfill leachates

Landfill leachate typically contains UV-quenching organics, which hinder disinfection at POTWs. This study tested a 2-stage submerged AnMBR for the degradation of UV-absorbing compounds in landfill leachate. Leachate was treated in a thermophilic reactor (55 ± 2 °C) followed by a mesophilic AnMBR (37 ± 1 °C), with HRTs of 25 ± 5 days and 40 ± 5 days respectively. Solids were not wasted, in order to promote biomass accumulation. COD, Organic carbon, and UV254 absorbance were monitored over 13 months of operation. Known UV-quenching compounds, including humic acids, fulvic acids and hydrophilic matter, were reduced by 55%. Molecular weight distribution analyses revealed that the thermophilic reactor hydrolyzed organic carbon >100 KDa into smaller fractions, which were removed in the AnMBR. The system consistently removed 50% of the total UV absorbance. This promising, new enhanced biological process may provide landfills with a feasible pretreatment alternative to expensive chemical oxidation or RO processes before discharging leachate into sewers.

Composition and Evolution Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter During Composting Process

According to the fraction method presented by Leenheer, dissolved organic matter (DOM) extracted from chicken manure with different composting time was fractionated into five groups [i. e., hydrophobic acid (HOA), hydrophobic base (HOB), hydrophobic neutral (HON) fractions, acid-insoluble (AIM) and hydrophilic matter (HIM)] using the XAD-8 resin based on its polarity and electric charge characteristics. The composition and structures of these fractions were investigated by elemental analysis, FTIR and 1H-NMR spectra. The results showed that the HIM and HOA fractions accounted for 32%-44% and 35%-47% of DOM, respectively, during the composting process, while the sum of the fractions HOB, AIM and HON was responsible for less than 25% of DOM. The HIM content decreased while the hydrophobic component increased after composting. The elemental analysis indicated that, during the composting process, the N, C, S content of all five fractions increased, the H/C ratio decreased, but the humification degree increased; The result from 1H-NMR analysis showed that the HIM had low alkyl chain, short branched chain, high branches and carbohydrate structure, which was opposed to the HON fraction. The composition of AIM was similar to that of humic acids, while the HOB was rich in nitrogen-containing compounds. The result from the FTIR analysis showed that the HOA and HOB fractions were rich in abundant carboxyl, ester group and hydroxyl functional group. Besides the above functional groups, the AIM and HIM were rich in benzene groups. The HON fraction was rich in aliphatic functional group except for the abovementioned functional groups. The aliphatic functional group was degraded and the benzene functional group after composting.

Formation of haloacetonitriles and haloacetamides and their precursors during chlorination of secondary effluents.

The formation of dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN), dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm) and trichloroacetamide (TCAcAm) during chlorination of secondary effluents was evaluated under different conditions. The formation of DCAN and DCAcAm increased, then decreased with increasing contact time and chlorine dose, while TCAcAm formation increased continually, exceeding DCAcAm formation after a relatively long contact time or in response to a relatively high chlorine dose (20-80 mg L(-1)). Increasing the sample pH from 6 to 9 reduced the formation of DCAN and TCAcAm, while DCAcAm formation was highest at pH 8. Precursors in the secondary effluent were characterized by separating the organic matter into several fractions using membrane filtration and XAD resins and then measuring the formation of DCAN, DCAcAm and TCAcAm from each fraction during chlorination. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) with a molecular weight less than 1 kDa dominated the formation of DCAcAm and TCAcAm. However, particle-associated DCAN precursors were detected in addition to potent DCAN precursors in the DOM fractions. Among the XAD fractions of DOM, the hydrophilic neutral fraction prevailed in the secondary effluent and produced the most DCAN, DCAcAm and TCAcAm per volume, and the hydrophilic basic fraction with a low organic content had the highest yields of DCAN, DCAcAm and TCAcAm on a DOC basis, so their dominant precursors were associated with hydrophilic matter.

Insight into the composition and degradation potential of dissolved organic matter with different hydrophobicity in landfill leachates.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) isolated from the leachates with different landfill ages was fractionated into hydrophobic acid (HOA), hydrophobic neutral (HON), hydrophobic base (HOB) fractions and hydrophilic matter (HIM) based on hydrophobicity, and the composition and degradation potential of the bulk DOM and its fractions were investigated by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectra coupled with parallel factor analysis. Results showed that the bulk DOM comprised fulvic-, humic-, tryptophan- and tyrosine-like substances, as well as component C1, whose composition and origin was unidentified. Landfill process increased the content of component C1, fulvic- and humic-like matter. The HON fractions comprised primarily component C1 and tyrosine-like matter. The HOA, HOB and HIM fractions isolated from the young leachates consisted mainly of tryptophan- and tyrosine-like substances. As to the intermediate and old leachates, the HOA and HOB fractions comprised mainly component C1, while the HIM comprised mainly fulvic-like matter. The HIM showed the most resistant against biodegradation among the four fractions, and was the main component of leachate treatment. Advanced oxidation and/or membrane treatment are recommended to remove the HIM fraction due to its hydrophilic and stable characteristics.

The removal characteristics of natural organic matter in the recycling of drinking water treatment sludge: Role of solubilized organics

To clarify the role of solubilized organics derived from drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in the elimination of natural organic matter (NOM) in the DWTS recycling process, a probe sonoreactor at a frequency of 25kHz was used to solubilize the organics at varied specific energies. The coagulation behavior related to NOM removal in recycling the sonicated DWTS with and without solubilized organics was evaluated, and the effect on organic fractionations in coagulated water was determined. The study results could provide useful implications in designing DWTS recycling processes that avoid the enrichment of organic matter. Our results indicate that DWTS was disrupted through a low release of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and proteins, which could deteriorate the coagulated water quality under the specific energy of 37.87–1212.1kWh/kgTS. The optimal coagulation behavior for NOM removal was achieved by recycling the sonicated DWTS without solubilized organics at 151.5kWh/kgTS specific energy. Recycling the sonicated DWTS could increase the enrichment potential of weakly hydrophobic acid, hydrophilic matter, and <3kDa fractions; the enrichment risks could be reduced by discharging the solubilized organics. Fluorescent characteristic analysis indicated that when recycling the sonicated DWTS without solubilized organics, the removal of humic-like substances was limited, whereas removal of protein-like substances was enhanced, lowering the enrichment potential of protein-like substances.

Characterization of the precursors of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in the Yuqiao Reservoir in China.

To identify the primary precursors of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in the Yuqiao Reservoir in China, dissolved organic matters in the source water were isolated and fractionated into five different fractions (with XAD resin), and both trihalomethane and haloacetic acid formation potentials in each fraction were analysed by liquid-liquid extraction and GC-ECD. The primary precursors of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were identified using the index of disinfection by-product formation potential and specific disinfection by-product formation potential. In addition, the relationship between the specific ultraviolet absorbance and the specific disinfection by-product formation potential was studied using correlation analysis. The results indicated that during the sampling period, the hydrophobic acids and hydrophilic matter are the primary organic fractions in the Yuqiao Reservoir, accounting for 27.6-40.9% and 21.2-32.5%, respectively. Among the five fractions, the hydrophobic acids had the highest disinfection by-product formation potential and specific disinfection by-product formation potential, indicating that the hydrophobic acids were the primary precursors of the disinfection by-products in the Yuqiao Reservoir. A correlation analysis indicates that the specific ultraviolet absorbance had a moderately positive correlation with the specific disinfection by-product formation potential; therefore, the specific ultraviolet absorbance can be a reference index to analyse the ability of organic matter to generate disinfection by-products.

Characteristics of soluble organic nitrogen composition and sources in sediments from Erhai Lake in China and the effect on the water quality

Soluble organic nitrogen (SON) has been hypothesized to play a central role in biogeochemical nitrogen cycle in freshwater lake resulting in deterioration in water quality. In this study, we investigated the composition and structure of DON in sediments from a typical eutrophic lake, Erhai Lake in China, to understand organic nitrogen molecular transformation involved in nitrogen release in the lake, and to assess DON potential effect on the lake water quality. Our results indicated that total soluble nitrogen (TSN) and SON in sediments had similar spatial distribution trend. The dominant component of SON fractions in the lake region had a significant difference that the north region was HON, the south region was hydrophobic acidic (HOA), but the middle region was hydrophilic matter (HIM). Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy analysis of SON fractions indicated that HOA was dominated by humic-like substances, whereas HIM, HON, and hydrophobic basic were dominated by protein-like substances, which suggested that SON of the south region in the lake mostly originates from human activities. The higher content (31.7 %) and fluorescence characteristics of HIM in SON indicated that the SON of the lake sediments had a higher bioavailability and might remarkably impact the nitrogen cycle in water. Thus, the control of SON and HIM fraction in lake sediments was important to protect the lake water and to prevent the lake eutrophication.

Removal of organic matter and disinfection by-products precursors in a hybrid process combining ozonation with ceramic membrane ultrafiltration

The performance of an integrated process including coagulation, ozonation, ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) and biologic activated carbon (BAC) filtration was investigated for the removal of organic matter and disinfection by-products (DBPs) precursors from micro-polluted surface water. A pilot scale plant with the capacity of 120 m3 per day was set up and operated for the treatment of drinking water. Ceramic membranes were used with the filtration area of 50 m2 and a pore size of 60 nm. Dissolved organic matter was divided into five fractions including hydrophobic acid (HoA), base (HoB) and neutral (HoN), weakly hydrophobic acid (WHoA) and hydrophilic matter (HiM) by DAX-8 and XAD-4 resins. The experiment results showed that the removal of organic matter was significantly improved with ozonation in advance. In sum, the integrated process removed 73% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), 87% of UV254, 77% of trihalomethane (THMs) precursors, 76% of haloacetic acid (HAAs) precursors, 83%of trichloracetic aldehyde (CH) precursor, 77% of dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) precursor, 51% of trichloroacetonitrile (TCAN) precursor, 96% of 1,1,1-trichloroacetone (TCP) precursor and 63% of trichloronitromethane (TCNM) precursor. Hydrophobic organic matter was converted into hydrophilic organic matter during ozonation/UF, while the organic matter with molecular weight of 1000–3000 Da was remarkably decreased and converted into lower molecular weight organic matter ranged from 200–500 Da. DOC had a close linear relationship with the formation potential of DBPs.

The change of NOM in a submerged UF membrane with three different pretreatment processes compared to an individual UF membrane

Three identical submerged ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with different pretreatment processes (coagulation, adsorption and ozonation) were compared with an individual UF membrane to investigate the performance of the process and characterize organic membrane foulants by natural organic matter (NOM) molecular weight distribution (MWD) and chemical fraction techniques. The results indicated that the preferred amount of organic matter removal was achieved in three integrated processes (coagulation/UF, adsorption/UF, ozonation/UF), and the trans-membrane pressure (TMP) increased at a rate much lower than that in an individual UF membrane. The ozonation pretreatment, with O3 as an oxidant, improved the >10kDa NOM fraction removal and hindered the <3kDa NOM fraction removal for raw water, while the adsorption pretreatment, with powdered activated carbon (PAC) as an adsorbent, improved the <10kDa NOM fraction removal. The total NOM content of internal foulants extracted from the three integrated processes was lower than UF, indicating that all three pretreatments could reduce the accumulation of NOM in the membrane pores. The PAC/UF had a distinct advantage for removing NOM in effluent. It is observed that the hydrophilic matter (HiM) chemical fraction removal rate of O3/UF was lower than in the other three processes.