Solubility of toluene, benzene and TCE in high-microbial concentration systems

We report measurements of solubility limits for benzene, toluene, and TCE in systems that contain varying levels of biomass up to 0.13 g mL⁻¹ for TCE and 0.25 g mL⁻¹ for benzene and toluene. The solubility limit increased from 21 to 48 mM when biomass (in the form of yeast) was added to aqueous batch systems containing benzene. The toluene solubility limit increased from 4.9 to greater than 20 mM. For TCE, the solubility increased from 8 mM to more than 1000 mM. Solubility for TCE (trichloroethylene) was most heavily impacted by biomass levels, changing by two orders of magnitude as the microbial concentrations approach those in biofilms.     

Mixing-controlled biodegradation in a toluene plume--results from two-dimensional laboratory experiments

Various abiotic and biotic processes such as sorption, dilution, and degradation are known to affect the fate of organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons in saturated porous media. Reactive transport modeling of such plumes indicates that the biodegradation of organic pollutants is, in many cases, controlled by mixing and therefore occurs locally at the plume's fringes, where electron donors and electron-acceptors mix. Herein, we aim to test whether this hypothesis can be verified by experimental results obtained from aerobic and anaerobic degradation experiments in two-dimensional sediment microcosms. Toluene was selected as a model compound for oxidizable contaminants. The two-dimensional microcosm was filled with quartz sand and operated under controlled flow conditions simulating a contaminant plume in otherwise uncontaminated groundwater. Aerobic degradation of toluene by Pseudomonas putida mt-2 reduced a continuous 8.7 mg L(-1) toluene concentration by 35% over a transport distance of 78 cm in 15.5 h. In comparison, under similar conditions Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1 degraded 98% of the toluene infiltrated using nitrate (68.5+/-6.2 mg L(-1)) as electron acceptor. A major part of the biodegradation activity was located at the plume fringes and the slope of the electron-acceptor gradient was steeper during periods of active biodegradation. The distribution of toluene and the significant overlap of nitrate at the plume's fringe indicate that biokinetic and/or microscale transport processes may constitute additional limiting factors. Experimental data is corroborated with results from a reactive transport model using double Monod kinetics. The outcome of the study shows that in order to simulate degradation in contaminant plumes, detailed data sets are required to test the applicability of models. These will have to deal with the incorporation of existing parameters coding for substrate conversion kinetics and microbial growth.     

Toxic effects of Hydrilla verticillata exposed to toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene and safety assessment for protecting aquatic macrophytes

Little information is available about the toxicity of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene acting on macrophytes, and their toxicity data are rarely used in regulation and criteria decisions. The results extended the knowledge on toxic effects of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene on aquatic plants. The responses of Hydrilla verticillata to these pollutants were investigated. Chlorophyll levels, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase) showed diverse responses at different concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. The linear regression analyses were performed respectively, suggesting the concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene expected to protect aquatic macrophytes were 7.30 mg L⁻¹, 1.15 mg L⁻¹ and 2.36 mg L⁻¹, respectively. This study emphasized that aquatic plants are also sensitive to organic pollutants as fishes and zooplanktons, indicating that macrophytes could be helpful in predicting the toxicity of these pollutants and should be considered in regulation and criteria decisions for aquatic environment protection.     

超临界态二氧化碳再生活性炭法治理甲苯废气

制鞋业产生的含甲苯、苯和二甲苯废气的治理大多采用活性炭吸附法。该课题提出以压缩二氧化碳为脱附剂,采用超临界流体萃取技术再生活性炭及回收甲苯工艺。实验表明,以液态或超临界态的压缩二氧化碳作萃取剂,采用萃取法可完全再生活性炭,其采用液态优于超临界态;压缩二氧化碳对活性炭具有扩孔作用,可增加活性炭的吸附容量,多次再生的活性炭吸附容量几乎不变;萃取剂的用量和密度显著影响着活性炭的再生效率;活性炭捆包填充在脱附塔中,不会显著增加脱附的阻力。      

Promotional effect of cobalt doping on catalytic performance of cryptomelane-type manganese oxide in toluene oxidation

The cryptomelane-type manganese oxide (OMS-2)-supported Co (xCo/OMS-2; x = 5, 10, and 15 wt.%) catalysts were prepared via a pre-incorporation route. The as-prepared materials were used as catalysts for catalytic oxidation of toluene (2000 ppmV). Physical and chemical properties of the catalysts were measured using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopic (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) techniques. Among all of the catalysts, 10Co/OMS-2 performed the best, with the T_90%, specific reaction rate at 245°C, and turnover frequency at 245°C (TOF_Co) being 245°C, 1.23 × 10⁻³ mol_toluene/(g_cat·sec), and 11.58 × 10⁻³ sec⁻¹ for toluene oxidation at a space velocity of 60,000 mL/(g·hr), respectively. The excellent catalytic performance of 10Co/OMS-2 were due to more oxygen vacancies, enhanced redox ability and oxygen mobility, and strong synergistic effect between Co species and OMS-2 support. Moreover, in the presence of poisoning gases CO₂, SO₂ or NH₃, the activity of 10Co/OMS-2 decreased for the carbonate, sulfate and ammonia species covered the active sites and oxygen vacancies, respectively. After the activation treatment, the catalytic activity was partly recovered. The good low-temperature reducibility of 10Co/OMS-2 could also facilitate the redox process accompanied by the consecutive electron transfer between the adsorbed O₂ and the cobalt or manganese ions. In the oxidation process of toluene, the benzoic and aldehydic intermediates were first generated, which were further oxidized to the benzoate intermediate that were eventually converted into H₂O and CO₂.     

工业废气中甲苯的生物降解研究

采用生物膜填料塔进行净化低浓度甲苯废气的研究结果表明，构成生物膜的假单胞菌属中的短杆菌对废气中甲苯有很强的生化降解能力，每升体积的生物膜填料对甲苯的生化去除量最大可达１０４．４ｍｇ／ｈ，且当入口气体甲苯浓度约低于２．０ｍｇ／Ｌ时，单塔净化效率可保持在８０％以上。反应级数的转换约在其液相浓度为０．８—１．２ｍｇ／Ｌ（相当于气相浓度约１．７—２．１ｍｇ／Ｌ）时发生。     

生物法处理低浓度有机废气的填料选择研究

采用不锈钢环、瓷环、陶粒、塑料环、海藻石、轻质陶块、煤渣等作为填料的试验研究，结果表明七种填料的净化性能顺序为：海藻石＞轻质陶块＞陶粒＞瓷环＞不锈钢环＞煤渣＞塑料环。     

脉冲电晕放电治疗有机废气的研究—放电反应器结构

对脉冲电晕法治理甲苯有机废气进行了实验，考察了放电反应器结构及参数对其性能的影响。结果表明，对线－筒式反应器，当直径较小时，去除率较高，但易发生火花放电，实验条件下直径２０ｍｍ的反应器效果较好。若采用陶瓷管反应器，其效果较金属管明显提高，脉冲峰值电压Ｖｐ为４２ｋＶ时，可使甲苯的去除率由４０％提高到６１％左右。对线－板式反应器，放电间隙越大，甲苯的去除率越低，使用陶瓷板反应器可使甲苯去除率明显提高，     

Wall losses of oxygenated volatile organic compounds from oxidation of toluene: Effects of chamber volume and relative humidity

Vapor wall losses can affect the yields of secondary organic aerosol. The effects of surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio and relative humidity (RH) on the vapor-wall interactions were investigated in this study. The oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were generated from toluene-H₂O₂ irradiations. The average gas to wall loss rate constant (k_gw) of OVOCs in a 400 L reactor (S/V = 7.5 m⁻¹) is 2.47 (2.41 under humid conditions) times higher than that in a 5000 L reactor (S/V = 3.6 m⁻¹) under dry conditions. In contrast, the average desorption rate constant (k_wg) of OVOCs in 400 L reactor is only 1.37 (1.20 under humid conditions) times higher than that in 5000 L reactor under dry conditions. It shows that increasing the S/V ratio can promote the wall losses of OVOCs. By contrast, the RH effect on k_gw is not prominent. The average k_gw value under humid conditions is almost the same as under dry conditions in the 400 L (5000 L) reactor. However, increasing RH can decrease the desorption rates. The average k_wg value under dry conditions is 1.45 (1.27) times higher than that under humid conditions in the 400 L (5000 L) reactor. The high RH can increase the partitioning equilibrium timescales and enhance the wall losses of OVOCs.     

Toluene decomposition performance and NOx by-product formation during a DBD-catalyst process

Characteristics of toluene decomposition and formation of nitrogen oxide (NOx) by-products were investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor with/without catalyst at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Four kinds of metal oxides, i.e., manganese oxide (MnOx), iron oxide (FeOx), cobalt oxide (CoOx) and copper oxide (CuO), supported on Al₂O₃/nickel foam, were used as catalysts. It was found that introducing catalysts could improve toluene removal efficiency, promote decomposition of by-product ozone and enhance CO₂ selectivity. In addition, NOx was suppressed with the decrease of specific energy density (SED) and the increase of humidity, gas flow rate and toluene concentration, or catalyst introduction. Among the four kinds of catalysts, the CuO catalyst showed the best performance in NOx suppression. The MnOx catalyst exhibited the lowest concentration of O₃ and highest CO₂ selectivity but the highest concentration of NOx. A possible pathway for NOx production in DBD was discussed. The contributions of oxygen active species and hydroxyl radicals are dominant in NOx suppression.