Pathways of ammonium (NH4 (+)) removal were investigated using the stable isotope approach in constructed wetlands (CWs). We investigated and compared several types of CWs: planted horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF), unplanted HSSF, and floating plant root mat (FPRM), including spatial and seasonal variations. Plant presence was the key factor influencing efficiency of NH4 (+) removal in all CWs...

We documented significantly increasing trends in atmospheric loading of ammonium (NH4) and nitrate/nitrite (NO2/3) and decreasing trends in total phosphorus (P) and sulfate (SO4) to Flathead Lake, Montana, from 1985 to 2004. Atmospheric loading of NO2/3 and NH4 increased by 48 and 198% and total P and SO4 decreased by 135 and 39%. The molar ratio of TN:TP also increased significantly. Severe ai...

Leachate from municipal landfills of the city is often contaminated heavily, especially for parameters such as organic components, heavy metals, microorganisms. However, leachate also contains amounts of valuable nutrients (e.g. N, P, K) which can be used for agriculture as fertilizers. Precipitated of N and P in the form of struvite (MgNH4PO4.6H2O) might be applied as a technique for removal a...

Elevated levels of NH4+ in the brain impair neuronal function. We studied the effects of NH4+ on postsynaptic inhibition of cultured rat brain neurons using whole cell recording under nominally HCO3- -free conditions. Application of NH4+ shifted the reversal potentials for spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents and currents elicited by dendritic GABA applications in a positive direction b...

A simple, reliable and rapid method for the spectrophotometric determina­ tion of carboxyhemoglobin in fresh blood is described. A blood hemolysate is prepared by diluting a blood sample with 0.4 percent NH4 OH. Addition of sodium dithionite deoxygenates hemoglobin (and reduces methemoglobin if present) without affecting carboxyhemoglobin. Comparison of the 541/555 nm absorbance ratio for the h...

Chemical bonding between the Rydberg molecule NH4 and three alkali atoms Li, Na, and K, via their 2s, 3s, or 4s valence orbitals, is examined using flexible atomic orbital basis sets and high level ab initio methods. The results thus obtained suggest that (NH4)Na and (NH4)K should have large enough barriers to fragmentation (to (NH3) plus the alkali hydride) to be detected experimentally if it ...

Every year a large amount of ammonia is mechanically compressed with a low efficiency (∼65%) as an environmentally friendly chemical for fuel storage, transportation, food preservation and air conditioning. Electrochemical compression with a high efficiency (93%) offers an opportunity for substantial energy savings. But ammonia is never considered electrochemically compressible because of the k...

A procedure for start-up of oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification-denitrification (OLAND) in a lab-scale rotating biological contactor (RBC) is presented. In this one-step process, NH4+ is directly converted to N2 without the need for an organic carbon source. The approach is based on a sequential addition of two types of easily available biocatalyst to the reactor during start-up: aerobic n...

Humid tropical forests are generally characterized by the lack of nitrogen (N) limitation to net primary productivity, yet paradoxically have high potential for N loss. We conducted an intensive field experiment with NH4 and NO3 additions to highly weathered tropical forest soils in Puerto Rico to determine the relative importance of N retention and loss mechanisms. Over one-half of all the NH4...