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1.
Treatment of wastewater using a sequencing batch reactor.
de Sousa, JT, Miná, VG, Lopes, WS, Leite, VD, de Oliveira, MF
Environmental technology. 2013;(5-8):1035-42
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two sequencing batch reactors (R1 and R2) at removing nutrient (N and P) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The two reactors (R1 and R2) were of the same design, operating under identical cycles and had a sludge retention time of 5 d. In R1, the substrate was sewage enriched with cooked and triturated cereals. In R2, the substrate was raw sewage mixed with triturated discarded excess sludge. Respirometry tests were performed to compare the biodegradability of the substrates used during the experimental period. The efficiency of R1 in removing soluble P and N-ammonia was considerably higher (90.4 and 97.2%, respectively) than reactor R2 (60 and 39.2%, respectively). While the effluent generated by R1 contained only minor amounts of N-nitrite and N-nitrate (0.5 +/- 0.4 and 1.7 +/- 0.8 mg L(-1), respectively). The concentrations of nitrite and nitrate in the effluent from R2 were 2 and 7 times higher. The lack of biodegradable COD available for denitrification was responsible for the high concentrations of nitrite and nitrate in the effluent of R2.
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2.
Comparative study of chromium biosorption by Mesorhizobium amorphae strain CCNWGS0123 in single and binary mixtures.
Xie, P, Hao, X, Mohamad, OA, Liang, J, Wei, G
Applied biochemistry and biotechnology. 2013;(2):570-87
Abstract
The appearance of chromium in the aqueous effluent is a major concern for the modern industry. In this work, Mesorhizobium amorphae strain CCNWGS0123 was investigated as a biosorbent to remove chromium from aqueous solutions. The optimum pH for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) biosorption were 4 and 2, respectively. This isolate showed an experimental maximum Cr(III) adsorption capacity of 53.52 mg L(-1), while the result was 47.67 mg L(-1) for Cr(VI), with an initial 100 mg L(-1) Cr ions and 1.0 g L(-1) biomass. In terms of time equilibrium, Cr(III) ion was more readily adsorbed than Cr(VI) by this isolate. The biosorption data of both ions fit the Langmuir isotherm better than that of Freundlich model. Meanwhile, this organism exhibited a good capability to release Cr ions, with desorption efficiency of 70 % for Cr(III) and 76 % for Cr(VI). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that -OH, -COO, -NH, amide I, and C=O were involved in Cr(III) and Cr(VI) binding. The biosorbent was further characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, which indicated an accumulation of chromium on the cellular level. In the binary mixtures, the removal ratio of total Cr and Cr(III) increased from pH 2 to 4. The highest removal ratio of the total Cr was observed in the 25/25 mg L(-1) mixture at pH 4. In addition, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) was closely influenced by Cr(III) in the mixture, decreasing to 23.57 mg g(-1) in the 100/100 mg L(-1) mixture system, due to the competition of Cr(III). The potential usage of the chromium-resistant rhizobium for the remediation of chromium-contaminated effluents has been demonstrated based on the above results.
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3.
Treatment of waste sludge: a comparison between anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton processes.
Godini, K, Azarian, G, Rahmani, AR, Zolghadrnasab, H
Journal of research in health sciences. 2013;(2):188-93
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electrochemical methods, as one of the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), have recently been applied to remove different contaminants from water and wastewater. This study compares the performance of anodic oxidation (AO) and electro-Fenton (EF) methods on waste sludge treatment. METHODS This experimental study was performed on real sludge and the effect of operating parameters such as solution pH, operating time, current density, supporting electrolyte and hydrogen peroxide concentration were investigated in a batch reactor. For determination of oxidation and treatability of the sludge, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total coliform (TC) removal were examined. Pb/PbO2 and iron electrodes respectively for AO and EF were applied. RESULTS Experimental data indicated for both AO and EF as the operating time and current density increased, COD removal increased. pH=4.0 and 3.0 and current density=1.75 and 2 A respectively for AO and EF and the concentration = 57.2 mMol of hydrogen peroxide for EF were measured as the optimum amounts of these variables. The removal efficiency of COD in AO and EF process was 76% and 72%, respectively. Of course, the efficiency of EF in TC removal was better and the percentage of TC removal in 60 min for AO and EF was 99.0% and 99.9%, respectively. The amounts of consumed electrical energy for AO and EF were 8.6 and 28.0 kWh kg-1 COD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AO was more effective in treatment and mineralization of waste sludge and TC removal than EF in terms of environmental economical features.
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4.
Isotherm equilibria of Mn²⁺ biosorption in drinking water treatment by locally isolated Bacillus species and sewage activated sludge.
Hasan, HA, Abdullah, SR, Kofli, NT, Kamarudin, SK
Journal of environmental management. 2012;:34-43
Abstract
Manganese (Mn(2+)) is one of the inorganic contaminant that causes problem to water treatment and water distribution due to the accumulation on water piping systems. In this study, Bacillus sp. and sewage activated sludge (SAS) were investigated as biosorbents in laboratory-scale experiments. The study showed that Bacillus sp. was a more effective biosorbent than SAS. The experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir (Langmuir-1 & Langmuir-2), Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. Mn(2+) biosorption by Bacillus sp. was found to be significantly better fitted to the Langmuir-1 isotherm than the other isotherms, while the D-R isotherm was the best fit for SAS; i.e., the χ(2) value was smaller than that for the Freundlich, Temkin, and R-P isotherms. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir-1 isotherm, the maximum biosorption capacities of Mn(2+) onto Bacillus sp. and SAS were 43.5 mg Mn(2+)/g biomass and 12.7 mg Mn(2+)/g biomass, respectively. The data fitted using the D-R isotherm showed that the Mn(2+) biosorption processes by both Bacillus sp. and SAS occurred via the chemical ion-exchange mechanism between the functional groups and Mn(2+) ion.
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5.
Optimizing removal of ibuprofen from water by magnetic nanocomposite using Box-Behnken design.
Singh, KP, Singh, AK, Singh, UV, Verma, P
Environmental science and pollution research international. 2012;(3):724-38
Abstract
PURPOSE The present research aims to optimize the removal of ibuprofen (IBP), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drug from the aqueous solution using a synthesized magnetic carbon-iron nanocomposite, and to investigate the individual and combined effects of the independent process variables. METHOD Combining the adsorptive capability of carbon and magnetic property of iron, a carbon-iron nanocomposite was synthesized. A four-factor Box-Behnken experimental design-based optimization modeling was performed for maximizing the removal of IBP from water by the nanocomposite using the batch experimental data. A quadratic model was built to predict the responses. Significance of the process variables and their interactions was tested by the analysis of variance and t test statistics. RESULTS The experimental maximum removals of IBP from the aqueous solution by carbon and magnetic nanocomposite were 14.74% and 60.39%, respectively. The model predicted maximum removal of 65.81% under the optimum conditions of the independent variables (IBP concentration 80 mg/l; temperature 48°C; pH 2.50; dose 0.6 g/l) was very close to the experimental value (65.12 ± 0.92%). pH of the solution exhibited most significant effect on IBP adsorption. CONCLUSION The developed magnetic nanocomposite was found superior than its precursor carbon exhibiting higher removal of IBP from the water and can be easily separated from the aqueous phase under temporary external magnetic field. The developed magnetic nanocomposite may be used for an efficient removal of IBP from the water.
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6.
Comparison of polyhydroxyalkanoates production by activated sludges from anaerobic and oxic zones of an enhanced biological phosphorus removal system: effect of sludge retention time.
Chang, HF, Chang, WC, Chuang, SH, Fang, YL
Bioresource technology. 2011;(9):5473-8
Abstract
This study compared the PHAs production behavior of sludges from the anaerobic and oxic phases of an enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) system. This was accomplished by using the kinetics and stoichiometric coefficients obtained from aerobic batch tests to evaluate the performance of these two sludges. Experimental results indicated that the metabolic behavior of the sludges for PHAs production depend significantly on the operating sludge retention time (SRT) of the EBPR system. The oxic sludge with 5 days of SRT exhibited better PHAs production performance than anaerobic sludge. Conversely, the anaerobic sludge with 15 days of SRT had superior PHAs production capability compared to oxic sludge. These comparisons suggest that whether anaerobic or oxic sludge should be employed for PHAs production depends mainly on the operating SRT of the EBPR system.
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7.
[Evaluation of the efficiency of operation of MFM-0142 membrane module-based units in the sanitary-virological monitoring of water].
Nedachin, AE, Dmitrieva, RA, Tarasov, AV, Fedotov, IuA, Lepeshin, SA, Doskina, TV, Dolgin, VA, Sanamian, AG, Snegirev, DV
Gigiena i sanitariia. 2009;(5):92-5
Abstract
The paper outlines materials on how to improve a method for indication of water viral pollution in different water objects of the environment, by applying a MFM filtration module based on tangentially radial-mode water microfiltration and viral concentration on the positively charged membranes, by using the secondary stage of concentration. Experimental and full-scale studies have demonstrated that this method for virus isolation has a high effectiveness and is based on the employment of the materials made in Russia. This determines its rapid introduction into the system for the sanitary-virological monitoring of practical laboratories of various departments, which will favor the higher efficiency of epidemiological surveillance as an integral part of nonspecific prophylactic measures of virus infections of water etiology.
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8.
Simultaneous removal of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn from stormwater: experimental comparison of 11 different sorbents.
Genç-Fuhrman, H, Mikkelsen, PS, Ledin, A
Water research. 2007;(3):591-602
Abstract
The potential of using alumina, activated bauxsol-coated sand (ABCS), bark, bauxsol-coated sand (BCS), fly ash (FA), granulated activated carbon (GAC), granulated ferric hydroxide (GFH), iron oxide-coated sand (IOCS), natural zeolite (NZ), sand, and spinel (MgAl(2)O(4)) as sorbents for removing heavy metals from stormwater are investigated in the present study. The ability of the sorbents to remove a mixture of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn from synthetic stormwater samples were evaluated in batch tests at a starting pH of 6.5. The metal speciation and saturation data is obtained using the PHREEQ-C geochemical model and used to elucidate the sorption data. It is found that BCS, FA, and spinel have significantly higher affinity towards heavy metals mainly present as cationic or non-charged species (i.e. Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn) compared to those present as anionic species (i.e. As and Cr). However, IOCS, NZ and sand have higher affinity towards As and Cr, while alumina has equally high affinity to all tested heavy metals. The Freundlich isotherm model is found to fit the data in many cases, but ill fitted results are also observed, especially for FA, BCS and GAC, possibly due to leaching of some metals from the sorbents (i.e. for FA) and oversaturated conditions making precipitation the dominant removal mechanism over sorption in batches with high heavy metal concentrations and pH. Calculated sorption constants (i.e. K(d)) are used to compare the overall heavy metal removal efficiency of the sorbents, which in a decreasing order are found to be: alumina, BCS, GFH, FA, GAC, spinel, ABCS, IOCS, NZ, bark, and sand. These findings are significant for future development of secondary filters for removal of dissolved heavy metals from stormwater runoff under realistic competitive conditions in terms of initial heavy metal concentrations, pH and ionic strength.
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9.
Relative performance of duckweed ponds and rock filtration as advanced in-pond wastewater treatment processes for upgrading waste stabilisation pond effluent: a pilot study.
Short, MD, Cromar, NJ, Nixon, JB, Fallowfield, HJ
Water science and technology : a journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research. 2007;(11):111-9
Abstract
An experimental pilot plant was operated over a five month period to assess the relative treatment performances of: a duckweed (DW) pond; a rock filter (RF); and an open pond (OP); for the upgrading of final WSP effluent prior to reuse applications. Each pilot treatment system consisted of three identical ponds arranged in three parallel series, each fed a continuous flow of wastewater from the local Bolivar treatment plant. Light penetration profiling for the DW and OP systems revealed some 55% greater light attenuation capacity for DW ponds compared to the OP system. Results showed a significantly elevated performance capacity for the RF treatment with respect to BOD5, SS, turbidity and NH4-N removal, but equal treatment performances for algal (chlorophyll) removal. No significant performance differences were evident between the DW and OP treatments for any of the monitored parameters. Soluble reactive phosphorus, faecal coliform and E. coli removals were similar for all pilot treatment systems. Rock filters not only demonstrated an enhanced performance capacity in terms of removal of loaded parameters, but also showed greater reliability of performance and produced a consistently higher quality final effluent. Rock filters demonstrated greater potential over both DW and OP systems for the upgrading of WSP effluent prior to reuse application.
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10.
Long term diurnal variations in contaminant removal in high rate ponds treating urban wastewater.
García, J, Green, BF, Lundquist, T, Mujeriego, R, Hernández-Mariné, M, Oswald, WJ
Bioresource technology. 2006;(14):1709-15
Abstract
In this investigation, diurnal variations in contaminant removal in high rate ponds (HRP) treating urban wastewater were evaluated. Two experimental HRPs (surface area 1.54 m2 and depth 0.3 m), each with a clarifier in series (surface area 0.025 m2), were operated in parallel with different hydraulic retention times (3-10 days) but with the same environmental conditions over a period of one year. The operating strategies adopted only yielded a significant overall difference in removal between the two HRPs for nutrients. Effluent total suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand were slightly higher at midday than at dawn, while for total nitrogen and total phosphorous the concentrations were slightly higher at dawn. All these differences were related to the diurnal changes of DO and pH. The main conclusion of this work is that the diurnal variations of the contaminant concentrations in HRPs do not seriously affect their reliability in treating wastewater.