Differing estrogen activities in the organic phase of air particulate matter collected during sunny and foggy weather in a Chinese city detected by a recombinant yeast bioassay

Total air suspended particles (PM 100) collected from an urban location near a traffic line in Wuhan, China, were examined for estrogen using a recombinant yeast bioassay. Wuhan, located at the central part of China, is the fourth biggest city in China with 7 million populations. Today, Wuhan has developed into the biggest city and the largest traveling center of central China, becoming one of the important bases of industry, education and research. Wuhan is right at the confluent point of Yangzi River, the third longest river in the world, and its largest distributary Hanjiang, with mountains and more than 100 takes in downtown area. Therefore, by its unique landscape, Wuhan has formed clear four seasons with relatively long winter and summer and short spring and autumn. Foggy weather usually happen in early spring. The yeast line used in this assay stably expresses human estrogen receptor-alpha. Weak but clear estrogenic activities were detected in the organic phase of crude extracts of air particle materials (APM) in both sunny and foggy weather by 0.19-0.79 mug E2/gPM(100) which were statistically significantly elevated relative to the blank control responding from 20% to 50% of the maximum E2 response, and the estrogenic activity was much higher in foggy weather than in sunny weather. The estrogenic activities in the sub-fractions from chromatographic separation of APM sampled in foggy days were also determined. The results indicated that the responses of the fractions were obviously higher than the crude extracts. Since there is no other large pollution source nearby, the estrogenic material was most likely from vehicle emissions, house heating sources and oil fumes of house cooking. The GC/MS analysis of the PM100 collected under foggy weather showed that there were many phenol derivatives, oxy-PAHs and resin acids which have been reported as environmental estrogens. These results of the analysis of estrogenic potency in sunny and foggy weather in a subtropical city of China indicate that further studies are required to investigate the actual risks for the associated health and atmospheric system. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Root zone microbial populations, urease activities, and purification efficiency for a constructed wetland

In order to investigate the effects of microorganisms and their urease activities in macrophytic root zones on pollutant removal, four small-scale plots (SSPs) of vertical/reverse-vertical flow wetlands were set up to determine: a) the relationship between the abundance of microorganisms in the root zones and water purification efficiency; and b) the relationship between urease activities in the root zones and pollutant removal in a constructed wetland system. Total numbers of the microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and actinomyces) along with urease activities in the macrophytic root zones were determined. In addition, the relationships between microbial populations and urease activities as well as the wastewater purification efficiencies of total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were also analyzed. The results showed that there was a highly significant positive correlation (r = 0.9772, P < 0.01) between the number of bacteria in the root zones and BOD5 removal efficiency and a significant negative correlation (r = -0.9092, P < 0.05) between the number of fungi and the removal efficiency of TKN. Meanwhile, there was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.8830, P < 0.05) between urease activities in the root zones and the removal efficiency of TKN. Thus, during wastewater treatment in a constructed wetland system, microorganism and urease activities in the root zones were very important factors.

Presence of estrogenic activity from emission of fossil fuel combustion as detected by a recombinant yeast bioassay

Estrogenic activities of emission samples generated by fossil fuel combustion were investigated with human estrogen receptor (ER) recombinant yeast bioassay. The results showed that there were weak but clear estrogenic activities in combustion emissions of fossil fuels including coal, petroleum, and diesel. The estrogenic relative potency (RP) of fossil fuel combustion was the highest in petroleum-fired car, followed by coal-fired stove, diesel-fired agrimotor, coal-fired electric power station. On the other hand, the estrogenic relative inductive efficiency (RIE) was the highest in coal-fired stove and coal-fired electric power station, followed by petroleum-fired car and diesel-fired agrimotor. The estrogenic activities in the sub-fractions from chromatographic separation of emitted materials were also determined. The results indicated that different chemical fractions in these complex systems have different estrogenic potencies. The GC/MS analysis of the emission showed that there were many aromatic carbonyls, big molecular alcohol, PAHs and derivatives, and substituted phenolic compounds and derivatives which have been reported as environmental estrogens. The existence of estrogenic substances in fossil fuel combustion demands further investigation of their potential adverse effects on human and on the ecosystem. The magnitude of pollution due to global usage of fossil fuels makes it imperative to understand the issue of fossil fuel-derived endocrine activities and the associated health risks, particularly the aggregated risks stemmed from exposure to toxicants of multiple sources. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estrogenic effects from household stoves

With the application of a genetically modified yeast, estrogen receptor-activating compounds were detected in the soot and emission gas of a wood-burning household stove. The EC50 value of 17beta-estradiol was divided by the EC50 value of soot, and the obtained relative estrogenic value for raw soot was 2.37E-5, indicating that soot was about 100,000 times less estrogenic than 17beta-estradiol. Chemical analysis revealed that alkyl phenol, benzonic acid, and PAHs represented the major constituents in the most potent fractions of the soot. Along with PAHs, other constituents might also contribute to the estrogenicity of soot. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

Optimization of control parameters for petroleum waste composting

Composting is being widely employed in the treatment of petroleum waste. The purpose of this study was to find the optimum control parameters for petroleum waste in-vessel composting. Various physical and chemical parameters were monitored to evaluate their influence on the microbial communities present in composting. The CO2 evolution and the number of microorganisms were measured as the activity of composting. The results demonstrated that the optimum temperature, pH and moisture content were 56.5 - 59.5 degreesC, 7.0 - 8.5 and 55 % - 60%, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the removal efficiency of petroleum hydrocarbon reached 83.29% after 30 days composting.

Relationship between tissue concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and DNA adducts in green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis)

Green-lipped mussels (Perna viridis) were collected from a site in Hong Kong which is relatively free from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination, and maintained in situ at this and three other sites with different degrees of PAH contamination. The transplanted mussels were retrieved after a 30-day field exposure. DNA adducts in the gill tissues were quantified, and tissue concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene as well as total PAHs (with potential carcinogenicity) determined for individual mussels. Results indicate that (1) tissue concentration of PAHs and adduct levels in mussels collected from a single site can be highly variable; and (2) adduct levels were related to tissue concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene as well as total PAHs of individual animals.

KINETICS OF SIZE-FRACTIONATED AND DISSOLVED ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE IN A FARM POND

Nutrient addition bioassays were conducted in 10 L carboys with water from a eutrophic farm pond. The four bioassay treatments each conducted in triplicate were control (no nutrients added), +N (160 mu mol L(-1) NH4Cl), +P (10 mu mol L(-1) KH2PO4), and N+P (160 mu mol L(-1) NH4Cl and 10 mu mol L(-1) KH2PO4). The size fractionated (0.2-0.8, 0.8-3, > 3 mu m) contents of the carboys were analyzed after 7 d for alkaline phosphatase activity (APA) and chlorophyll-a content. Chlorophyll data suggested P deficiency in ammonium and control mesocosms and no P deficiency with phosphate additions. Pond water also was collected in June, August, October, and March for measurement of APA. In water from the pond, the greatest V-max of APA usually was associated with microorganisms in the size classes between 0.8-3 mu m. In mesocosm experiments, the N+P treatment increased V-max of dissolved and particulate associated APA in the 0.2-0.8 mu m size range and in dissolved form. The V-max of APA in the largest size-fraction (> 3 mu m) increased markedly with P deficiency (+N treatment) and decreased in the P-enrichment treatment. The patterns of APA and chlorophyll associated with different size fractions often varied independently among different treatments and seasons and not always as a function of P deficiency, indicating the difficulty of attempting to normalize APA to phytoplankton biomass or chlorophyll. The Michaelis half saturation constant of APA in the pond water showed no strong trends with varied seasons or size fraction.

STUDIES ON THE PURIFICATION AND RECLAMATION OF WASTE-WATER FROM A MEDIUM-SIZED CITY BY AN INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL POND SYSTEM

The feasibility of an inexpensive wastewater treatment system is evaluated in this study. An integrated biological pond system was operated for more than 3 years to purify the wastewater from a medium-sized city, Central China. The experiment was conducted in 3 phases with different treatment combinations for testing their purification efficiencies. The pond system was divided into 3 functional regions: influent purification, effluent upgrading and multi-utilization. These regions were further divided into several zones and subzones. Various kinds of aquatic organisms, including macrophytes, algae, microorganisms and zooplankton, were effectively cooperating in the wastewater treatment in this system. The system attained high reductions of BOD5, COD, TSS, TN, TP and other pollutants. The purification efficiencies of this system were higher than those of most traditional oxidation ponds or ordinary macrophyte ponds. The mutagenic effect and numbers of bacteria and viruses declined significantly during the process of purification. After the wastewater flowed through the upgrading zone, the concentrations of pollutants and algae evidently decreased. Plant harvesting did not yield dramatic effects on reductions of the main pollutants, though it did significantly affect the biomass productivity of the macrophytes. The effluent from this system could be utilized in irrigation and aquaculture. Some aquatic products were harvested from this system and some biomass was utilized for food, fertilizer, fodder and some other uses. The wastewater was reclaimed for various purposes.

The effect of buried AlxGa1-xN isolating layers on the transport properties of GaN deposited on sapphire substrate by molecular beam epitaxy using NH3

It is believed that the highly dislocated region near the GaN/sapphire interface is a degenerate layer. In this paper a direct evidence for such a proposal is presented. By inserting a buried AlxGa1-xN (x > 0.5) isolating layer to separate the interface region from the bulk region, the background electron concentration can be significantly reduced, while care must be taken to guarantee that there is no degrading of Hall mobility when choosing the thickness of the isolating layer. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

石油污染土壤生物修复中矿物油和多环芳烃降解的生态过程研究

采用实验室培养和室外盆栽试验相结合的方法，对石油污染土壤生物修复中存在的微生物适应性、矿物油和难降解污染物多环芳烃(PAHs)的生物修复生态过程和修复过程中的次生污染问题进行研究，旨在探讨微生物强化降解的影响因素和次生污染物的生成机制，为石油污染土壤的快速、完全生物修复提供实验依据和理论基础。 首先，通过人工调控的实验室摇床培养试验(周期为100天)和室外盆栽试验(周期为150天)研究了外源微生物的强化降解作用及土著微生物的适应性，结果表明，在石油污染土壤的生物修复中，外源专性细菌和真菌对矿物油和PAHs的降解在接种初期(<20d)具有优势；土著微生物对石油污染物的降解需要一个短期的适应过程，之后则表现出较强的降解优势，并很快抵消外源降解菌形成的早期优势。 其次，通过长期室外盆栽试验，分别采用L9(34)的正交设计(周期为5年)和两因素对比试验设计(周期为3年)，探讨石油污染土壤生物修复中矿物油和PAHs降解的生态过程，以及有机肥添加、有无植物等因素对污染物生物降解的影响。结果表明，土壤中的矿物油随生物修复时间的延长，降解速度减慢，矿物油的降解主要发生在前2年内(降解率为88.5~95.1%)。经过植物修复，土壤中原始柴油组分发生很大变化，烷烃、环烷烃等低分子量的组分几乎完全降解，同时生成了一些次生代谢产物。土壤中可利用N、P等营养物质的匮乏是矿物油降解的限制性因子。污染物浓度水平决定对有机肥的需求，对污染程度较高的石油污染土壤，有机肥的添加显著促进矿物油和PAHs的降解。 最后，利用陆地生态系统食物链不同级别的代表性生物体(小麦和蚯蚓)的敏感指标(生长和生理生化指标)，对经过修复处理的石油污染土壤的健康质量进行生态毒理学评价，结果表明，修复后的土壤对小麦和蚯蚓仍有一定的残留毒性，小麦根部指标和生理生化指标及蚯蚓分子毒理学指标对土壤污染状况的指示作用更敏感。

微生物固定化方法修复多环芳烃污染土壤

针对传统游离微生物修复技术的缺点和弊端，提出了采用固定化微生物技术修复受多环芳烃污染的非流体介质的新课题。本文筛选出2株高效降解菌，并进行了固定化载体筛选，优化并确定了3种固定化工艺。通过实验室模拟实验，考察了固定化菌对PAHs污染非流体介质的修复能力，最后通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）分析，对固定化微环境强化修复机制进行了初步探讨。 细菌芽孢杆菌（Bacillus sp.，SB02）和真菌毛霉（Mucor sp.，SF06）对土壤中的Pyr、BaP降解率高，降解速率快，为高效降解微生物。 碱化后的泥炭土适宜作为细菌固定化载体；玉米芯适宜作为真菌固定化载体；改性后蛭石适宜作为混合菌固定化载体。这些载体来源广泛，成本低廉，工艺简单，安全无毒。 将固定化菌应用于Pyr、BaP污染土壤的修复，考察了初始接种量、环境温度、土壤含水量对固定化菌降解Pyr、BaP的影响，固定化菌对不同系列浓度Pyr、BaP的降解，以及固定化菌在不灭菌土壤中对Pyr、BaP的降解，表明固定化菌对土壤中Pyr和BaP的降解率均高出游离菌20%，固定化混和菌降解效果最好，其次是固定化真菌，再次是固定化细菌。 SEM分析了固定化颗粒的微观结构和微生物在颗粒内部的形态变化，结果表明颗粒内部丰富的疏松多孔结构和巨大的比表面积为微生物提供了适宜的生存空间，使吸附固定化成为可能。 固定化菌对沈抚灌区PAHs污染土壤修复效果非常理想，经过6个月，土壤中总PAHs的去除率达70.3%，高于游离菌。

辽河干流底质微生物群落结构及芘降解菌研究

辽宁省是以石油化工、煤炭化工和钢铁工业为主的重工业基地。辽河流域近年来经济发展迅速，城市化水平不断提高，但由于产业结构的不合理和污染治理水平的相对滞后，致使辽河流域水体污染严重。对辽河流域水体污染状况、污染物化学与生物学的相互作用、微生物群落结构与功能的关系开展调查研究，对开展污染水体的生物生态修复具有重要的指导意义。 本论文选取辽河流域干流8个水文监测站点的不同时期（丰水期和平水期）底质为研究对象，调查了有机污染物（总油TPHs）和有毒污染物（多环芳烃PAHs）污染程度以及主要来源；采用变性梯度凝胶电泳（DGGE）和磷脂脂肪酸（PLFA）两种分析方法，对其微生物群落结构及多样性进行了分析；并以13C标记的菲和芘为代谢底物，以PLFA为生物标记物，采用气相色谱-稳定同位素比率质谱（GC-c-IRMS）分析技术，鉴定了底质样品中参与菲和芘代谢的主要微生物类群；并利用不同的吸附性载体进行了芘降解菌的富集和筛选。 研究结果表明： 1）平水期总石油烃污染比丰水期严重，TPH 含量分别在276.1～560.6mg/kg（平水期）和157.9～462.2mg/kg（丰水期）之间，辽河入海口TPH污染最重；PAHs含量分别在124.1～270.4ug/kg（平水期）和93.5～209.1ug/kg（丰水期）之间；主要来源于石油类污染物和化石燃料的热解，汽车尾气的污染等。 2) 采用DGGE和PLFA两种方法分析微生物群落结构得到基本一致的结果。微生物多样性与总石油烃含量、总多环芳烃含量无显著相关性，多样性指数是多种污染物和环境因子综合影响的结果。 3) 稳定同位素代谢示踪实验表明，底质中存在菲和芘的降解菌群；参与菲和芘降解的微生物均以G-细菌为主，真菌次之；G+细菌和放线菌也参与代谢；参与菲和芘代谢的菌群有一定的相似性。 4) 利用不同吸附性载体从污染底质样品中筛选到6株降解菌。

镉、铅污染土壤的植物-微生物联合修复研究

植物－微生物联合修复是利用微生物作为植物修复重金属土壤的一种强化手段，在弥补单纯植物及微生物修复技术不足的同时，利用植物和微生物的共存体系提高植物修复效率。本研究考察了向日葵（Helianthus annuus L.），芥菜（Brassica juncea L.），紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa L.）和蓖麻（Ricinus communis L.）对Cd、Pb的富集特征，并筛选出向日葵作为富集植物；探讨了向日葵根系分泌物在重金属胁迫下的变化；通过重金属耐受菌株与向日葵的配伍对Cd、Pb污染土壤进行联合修复，结果如下： 液体培养实验结果表明，四种植物对Cd、Pb富集能力明显不同，其中向日葵对两种重金属的提取效果较好。四种植物对重金属的富集量随着浓度的增加而增加，而富集系数随重金属浓度的增加而减小，转移系数同重金属浓度及地上部/地下部生物量比值呈现一定的相关性；Cd、Pb复合处理中，一种重金属的存在会在不同程度上影响植物对另一种重金属的吸收；此外，不同植物及重金属处理中根际区域的酸碱度及氧化还原电位呈现负相关性。 砂培实验结果表明，向日葵对重金属的富集规律基本同液体培养实验相似。富集系数与重金属浓度和培养时间呈现线性相关关系。复合处理中，当Cd和Pb在适当浓度比例时，向日葵可以增加对某一重金属的吸收效率。向日葵的根系分泌物组成因重金属的存在而明显减少，根系分泌物中的草酸、酒石酸、苹果酸、柠檬酸、乙酸及丁二酸含量随着不同浓度Cd、Pb而发生不规则变化。 在以根系分泌物作为唯一营养来源筛选重金属耐受菌株实验中，细菌和真菌对Cd及Pb的耐性及吸附效率不同。总体上看，微生物生物量随重金属浓度升高而降低，而重金属吸附量随浓度升高而增加，重金属复合毒性也减少了微生物对单一重金属的吸收；另外，培养基中酸碱度因微生物种类及重金属浓度而有所差异。 将筛选出的优势微生物与向日葵配伍处理Cd、Pb污染土壤的实验中，由于Cd、Pb污染模式及菌株种类的不同，微生物对向日葵吸收重金属的强化效果呈现很大差异，其中真菌对植物吸收重金属的强化能力较细菌强；同时，根系分泌物中6种有机酸的含量在不同处理中变化较大；在处理单一Cd或Pb污染的时候选用菌株B1、F1或混合菌B1+B2、F1+F2、B2+F1、B1+F2与向日葵配伍修复的效果较好；混合菌F1+F2、B1+F2、B2+F1的添加能较好的强化Cd、Pb复合污染中向日葵吸收重金属的能力。

植物与微生物联合修复多环芳烃污染土壤及机理研究

本文以多环芳烃污染土壤为研究对象，以菲（Phe）、芘（Pyr）和苯并[a]芘（BaP）为目标污染物，以建立生态、经济、高效污染土壤修复技术为目标，在研究植物与微生物联合修复多环芳烃污染土壤效果的基础上，重点研究了植物与微生物联合修复污染土壤过程中多环芳烃的去除机制。 研究结果表明：种植苜蓿和黑麦草能够促进土壤中多环芳烃的去除，提高土壤中多环芳烃的去除率。植物根际土壤中多环芳烃的去除速度快于于非根际土壤。在植物与高效降解菌联合作用过程中，植物的存在强化了菌剂对土壤中多环芳烃的去除作用。苜蓿和黑麦草与高效降解菌的联合作用使菲、芘和苯并[a]芘去除率分别比对照土壤提高了26.64%、30.41%、32.04%和26.93%、27.43%、30.15%。 植物根和茎叶中菲、芘和苯并[a]芘的含量与土壤污染物浓度正相关，但其吸收积累作用对土壤中多环芳烃去除的贡献率小于0.34%。植物对土壤多环芳烃污染的修复作用主要源于植物生长显著提高了根际微生物的降解活性。 植物根际微生物的数量和土壤酶活性显著高于非根际土壤。植物根系的存在提高了土壤中微生物的数量和酶活性，从而提高了土壤中PAHs的去除率。这是根际土壤中多环芳烃去除的主要机制。 模拟根际修复，研究了添加根系分泌物对土壤中芘降解的影响。添加20mg/kg根系分泌物土壤中细菌数量为未添加根系分泌物土壤的19.43-36.29倍，真菌为3.05-6.60倍，土壤中芘的半衰期比未添加根系分泌物处理减少10.91天。植物根系分泌物是影响根际修复的一个重要原因。