Wastewater

Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2003 Mar, 24(2), 77 - 81
{Evaluating the fate of gamma-HCH using fugacity model in Tianjin environment}; Cao H et al.; This study taking Tianjin as the study area calculated the concentration and transfer flux of gamma-HCH in all bulks using Matlab based on the assumption of steady state fugacity model . The calculated values agree well with the observed values, the concentrations of gamma-HCH in air, water, soil, sediment, fish, crop, and vegetable were 1.57 x 10(-11), 7.95 x 10(-7), 1.17 x 10(-4), 4.58 x 10(-4), 6.03 x 10(-4), 1.60 x 10(-4), 6.42 x 10(-5) mol/m3 respectively . The result indicated that the main source of gamma-HCH was agricultural application and wastewater from pesticide industries, the biggest bulk sinks were soil and sediment (accounting for 99% of total amount in the environment) . Among all transfer processes deposition and diffusion on the water-sediment and air-soil interface were the primary, and mineralization was the key route for gamma-HCH to disappear in the environment.

Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2003 Mar, 24(2), 50 - 3
{Effects of land utilization of sewage sludge on grass and soils}; Wang X et al.; Effects of land disposal of sewage sludge on grass and soil environment were studied . The sewage sludge used was from Northern Shenyang Wastewater Treatment Plant . The results showed that contents of nutrient in the soil were increased after sewage sludge application, especially for organic matter . Grass biomass were increased and the green period were extended with a better growth of the lawn . The heavy metal contents in the soil were increased with Cd contents beyond 2nd grade national environmental quality standard for soils . However, Pb, Cu, Zn contents not accumulated heavily . Poa annua had better ability of absorbing and accumulating Pb from the sewage sludge . When the application rate of sewage sludge capacity was at 25, 30, 60 t.hm-2, Zoysia japonica expressed significant absorption and accumulation of Cd, Cu, Zn.

Free Radic Res, 2003 May, 37(5), 573 - 84
Grape and grape seed extract capacities at protecting LDL against oxidation generated by Cu2+, AAPH or SIN-1 and at decreasing superoxide THP-1 cell production . A comparison to other extracts or compounds; Shafiee M et al.; A large body of evidence supports the key role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in atherosclerosis . The aim of this study was to compare the capacity of natural polyphenols (PP) from Vitis vinifera and Olea europea at protecting LDL against oxidation brought about by Cu2+, oxygen-centered radical-generating AAPH, or peroxynitrite-generating SIN-1 in vitro systems, or at impairing superoxide production in promonocyte cells (THP-1) conveniently differentiated into adherent macrophages . PP were either from the whole grape (fraction A) containing mainly procyanidins, (epi)-catechin and anthocyanins, or from grape seed extracts (fractions B and C) consisting of tannins and procyanidin oligomers with a higher content in B than in C, or from a grape skin extract (fraction D) consisting mainly of anthocyanins, or from a hydrosoluble olive mill wastewater PP extract (fraction E) containing hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein . Chlorogenic acid (F) and catechin (G) were taken as archetypes of PP preventing oxidation partly as copper scavenger and as radical scavenger only, respectively . All grape fractions were efficient towards Cu2+ system (equally or more efficient than F), whereas they were rather poorly efficient towards AAPH and SIN-1 (less efficient than G but as efficient as F) . Among the PP fractions, B was the most effective at protecting LDL in the SIN-1 system and at impairing THP-1 superoxide production . Taken together, these data suggest that the PP fraction from grape seed rich in procyanidins achieves the best compromise between the direct and indirect (i.e . cell-mediated) types of action in protecting LDL against oxidation, strengthening the need for improving the knowledge of its bioavailability in humans.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2003 Apr-Jun, 109(1-3), 241 - 52
Anaerobic waste stabilization ponds: a low-cost contribution to a sustainable wastewater reuse cycle; Alexiou GE et al.; Waste stabilization ponds (WSP) have been used extensively all over Europe over the last 50 yr for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters . Models presented in manuals should be used only for guidance, and local experience from pilot and full-scale plants of a particular pond type is extremely valuable . Anaerobic WSP are single-stage, continuous- flow, anaerobic reactors operating at ambient temperatures and low volumetric organic loading as a pretreatment method . This article presents a literature review on the different available operational parameters of anaerobic ponds and examples from full-scale plant performance worldwide . On a wastewater management scheme, involving reuse for agriculture, the zero-energy demand of a waste stabilization pond series for the effective removal of organic and microbiological loading under existing legislation and guidelines will remain a valuable tool for sustainable development.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2003 Apr-Jun, 109(1-3), 197 - 206
Anaerobically treated wastewater in agricultural irrigation as an alternative for posttreatment in water-demanding zones; Jeison D et al.; Agroindustries usually produce high amounts of wastewaters and are frequently located close to agricultural activities . Agricultural use of treated wastewaters therefore represents a unique opportunity to solve the problem of water supply for irrigation and disposal of treated water at the same time . This article is the result of collaborative work with the biggest Chilean pisco- (a distillated drink prepared from Muscatel wine) producing company at present . Experiments were conducted to establish anaerobic treatability of wastewaters and also irrigation properties of treated water . With the purpose of confirming laboratory results, a full-scale anaerobic plant was built, and treated water is being used to irrigate 3000 eucalypti . The results showed, at both laboratory and full scale, that anaerobic treatment is suitable for the treatment of pisco wastewater, and that nutrient content of treated water can be beneficial for plant growth, reducing the need for fertilizers.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2003 Apr-Jun, 109(1-3), 117 - 26
Pretreatment of swine wastewater using anaerobic filter; Kang H et al.; Efforts were made to assess the efficiency of an anaerobic filter packed with porous floating ceramic media and to identify the optimum operational condition of anaerobic filter as a pretreatment of swine wastewater for the subsequent biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus . A stepwise decrease in hydraulic retention time (HRT) and an increase in organic loading rate (OLR) were utilized in an anaerobic filter reactor at mesophilic temperature (35 degrees C) . The optimum operating condition of the anaerobic filter was found to be at an HRT of 1 d . A soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 62% and a total suspended solids removal efficiency of 39% at an HRT of 1 d were achieved with an OLR of 16.0 kg total COD/(m3.d), respectively . The maximum methane production rate approached 1.70 vol of biogas produced per volume of reactor per day at an HRT of 1 d . It was likely that the effluent COD/total Kjeldahl nitrogen ratio of 22, the COD/total phosphorous ratio of 47, and the high effluent alkalinity >2500 mg/L as CaCO3 of the anaerobic filter operated at an HRT of 1 d was adequate for the subsequent biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 357 - 63
Prevention of odour emergence in sewage networks; Barjenbruch M; Through increasing central development and through the decrease of specific wastewater production, wastewater systems are more and more prone to odour and corrosion problems . Hydrogen sulphide is produced, particularly in anaerobic flow stretches, which will then escape at turbulent places because of change in the flow direction and create odour harassment . Of particular importance in this respect are the transferring shafts after rising mains . The empirical approaches used for the estimation of the assumed sulphide concentrations yield considerable differences in the calculation and must therefore be used with care . This report presents a methodology for the co-ordination of odour- and corrosion-reducing measures which also includes the area of complaint management . It is crucially important to fine-tune the necessary measures (for instance the application of operational or chemical/biological methods) to the specific frame conditions . The practical comparison of the additional dosage of external water, iron and nitrate served to test the efficiency of these methods . The dosage of iron and nitrate led to considerable reductions in H2S content at the transferring shaft . The online measurement of the spectral adsorption coefficient (SAC) could become one control parameter for saving chemicals . It should be pointed out that it is necessary to consider the relevant measures and effects of odour and corrosion production during the planning stage--from the creation of the development plan of cities and communities . Through the selection of the wastewater disposal method to the planning of details . Moreover, the relevant financial means for these measures must be included in the economic plan.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 351 - 6
Research of the flow procedures in a pressure sewer system; Dohse C et al.; At the Institute of Land Reclamation, Hydrology and Sanitary Engineering of the University at Rostock the pressure and flow ratios are examined within a measuring section in the pressure dewatering system on the Darss peninsula . The objective of the research project is the knowledge upgrade about the highly unsteady hydraulic conditions in a pressure sewer system . This paper firstly presents the method and the dimensioning of pressure dewatering systems, which can be done using either the peak effluent method or the statistical method; the examination program will be explained . The examination includes pressure difference measuring with two pressure meters and flow data measuring via magnetic-inductive flow meters . Additionally the pump running times of 15 pumping stations, as well as the compressor action of the pressure pipe rinsing station are continuously and temporarily recorded and saved . Finally the measuring results which provide initial information about the pressure and flow conditions in a pressure dewatering system will be presented . The effects of the rinsing, the low pressure differences, the air cushions, the seasonal differences as well as the daily development graphs of the wastewater production are all clearly visible.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 311 - 7
A comparative analysis: storm water pollution policy in California, USA and Victoria, Australia; Swamikannu X et al.; Urban drainage systems historically were developed on principles of hydraulic capacity for the transport of storm water to reduce the risk of flooding . However, with urbanization the percent of impervious surfaces increases dramatically resulting in increased flood volumes, peak discharge rates, velocities and duration, and a significant increase in pollutant loads . Storm water and urban runoff are the leading causes of the impairment of receiving waters and their beneficial uses in Australia and the United States today . Strict environmental and technology controls on wastewater treatment facilities and industry for more than three decades have ensured that these sources are less significant today as the cause of impairment of receiving waters . This paper compares the approach undertaken by the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria for the Melbourne metropolitan area with the approach implemented by the California Environmental Protection Agency for the Los Angeles area to control storm water pollution . Both these communities are largely similar in population size and the extent of urbanization . The authors present an analysis of the different approaches contrasting Australia with the USA, comment on their comparative success, and discuss the relevance of the two experiences for developed and developing nations in the context of environmental policy making to control storm water and urban runoff pollution.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 251 - 7
Emissions of heavy metals into river basins of Germany; Scherer U et al.; The input of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) into the large river basins of Germany via various point and diffuse pathways were estimated for the period of 1985 through 2000 . To quantify the emissions via point sources a nationwide survey on heavy metal data of municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial direct discharges was carried out . The input via diffuse pathways was calculated using an adapted version of the model MONERIS . This model accounts for the significant transport processes, and it includes a Geographical Information System (GIS) that provides digital maps as well as extensive statistical information . For a comparison of the calculated heavy metal emission with the measured heavy metal load at monitoring stations the losses of heavy metals due to retention processes within the river systems have to be considered . Therefore heavy metal retention was calculated according to the retention functions given by Vink and Behrendt . For the large river basins a good correspondence could be found between estimated and measured heavy metal loads in rivers . The total emission into the North Sea decreased for each metal during the period of 1986 to 2000 . The reduction varies between 87% for Hg and 41% for Ni mainly caused by the decline via point sources . Today's emissions of heavy metals into river basins of Germany are dominated by the input via diffuse pathways . The most important diffuse emission pathways are "paved urban areas" and "erosion".

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 209 - 16
Water quality management in the Kaoping River watershed, Taiwan; Kao CM et al.; The Kaoping River basin is the largest and the most intensively used river basin in Taiwan . It is 171 km long and drains a catchment of more than 3,250 km2 . Based on the current water quality analysis, the Kaoping River is heavily polluted . Concern about the deteriorating condition of the river led the Government of Taiwan to amend the relevant legislation and strengthen the enforcement of the discharge regulations to effectively manage the river and control the pollution . Investigation results demonstrate that both point and non-point source pollutants are now the causes of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nutrients, and pathogens in the river . The main water pollution sources are livestock wastewater from hog farms, municipal wastewater, industrial wastewater, non-point source (NPS) pollutants from agricultural areas, and leachate from riverbank landfills . The current daily BOD, NH3-N, and TP loadings to Kaoping River are 74,700, 39,400, and 5,100 kg, respectively . However, the calculated BOD, NH3-N, and TP carrying capacities are 27,700, 4,200, and 600 kg per day . To protect public health and improve the river water quality, a comprehensive management and construction strategy is proposed . The proposed strategy includes the following measures to meet the calculated river carrying capacity: (1) a hog ban in the entire Kaoping River basin, (2) sewer system construction to achieve 30% of connection in the basin within 10 years, (3) removal of 10 riverbank landfills, and (4) enforcement of the industrial wastewater discharge standards . After the implementation of the proposed measures, the water quality should be significantly improved and the BOD and nutrient loadings can be reduced to below the calculated carrying capacities.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 141 - 7
River basin management, described for the example of the Emschergenossenschaft; Baumgart HC et al.; Considerable problems concerning drainage capacity made it necessary, at the beginning of the 20th Century, to make a joint public-private effort, because the existence of the Ruhr Area as an industrial location was endangered . By Prussian law a co-operative was established for wastewater and drainage-management of the entire Emscher river system . In the past the Emscher Association and the later founded Lippe Association have proved to be the best instrument to cope with the wastewater problems of a densely-populated industrial area . In recent time, the Emscher area is undergoing fundamental structural changes . To increase its attractiveness increased efforts are needed for a modernisation of the wastewater transport and treatment system . To deal with the various and complex tasks to reshape the Emscher system, the joint association again provides a highly efficient and competent instrument.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 125 - 31
Periphyton collectors as a tool to measure environmental performance of ocean outlets; Lemmens S; Brown and Root has participated in extensive investigations of the effects of the discharges from Perth's Ocean Outlets, as part of the Perth Long-Term Ocean Outlet Monitoring (PLOOM) Programme (1995 to 2001) . The major environmental concern with these discharges is the potential for nutrients in the wastewater to stimulate excess primary production in the sea . PLOOM, and its predecessor, the Perth Coastal Waters Study, have been instrumental in developing parameters for the measurement of the performance of Perth's ocean outlets . These parameters are currently being integrated in the development of Environmental Quality Criteria (EQC) for the Perth region . EQC play an important role in the management framework by providing the quantitative benchmarks for measuring success in achieving the environmental quality objectives . PLOOM has monitored a range of environmental parameters in the Perth Metropolitan area, including water quality, nutrient levels, water circulation and plume dilution, levels of metals and pesticides present in the marine environment, and the environmental health of benthic communities, in particular of temperate reef systems . During the PLOOM studies, a valuable tool was being developed to monitor outlet performance . Artificial reef structures ("periphyton collectors") were placed in the plume trajectory . Here, periphyton is defined as: the microalgae (diatoms and microscopic filamentous forms), algal propagules, bacteria, microfauna and particulate material that are found in a mucous-like layer commonly coating seagrass leaves, and that initially colonise artificial surfaces . The advantage of periphyton collectors is that these largely remove the effects of natural variability, can be placed at any depth and distance from a potential nutrient source, provide an easy, cost effective measure of environmental impact, integrated over an extended period (one month), and produce tangible results which can be interpreted by the wider community, as well as legislative authorities and by outlet managers . In addition, outlet performance can be measured by means of these tools, and tested against accepted environmental criteria . Between 1995-2001, periphyton collectors, consisting of 15 x 15 cm PVC plates attached to moorings at fixed depths (2, 4 and 8 m), were deployed for one month during spring, summer and autumn, at increasing distance from the source (250 and 500 m distance to the north, east, west, and south, and at 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 m to the north and south only) . After retrieval, the collectors were analysed for total biomass (g AFDW m(-2)), calcium carbonate content (% AFDW) and chlorophyll levels (chlorophyll a m(-2)) . The results confirmed the predictions made by hydrodynamic modelling (e.g . Zic and Gondinoudis, 2002) and are in accordance with measured nutrient and chlorophyll a levels around the outlets, and demonstrated that the zone of influence was strongly determined by the prevailing currents (to the north), and largely restricted to surface layers (2-4 m depth) . Both biomass and chlorophyll content proved reliable parameters, which have the potential to be used as Environmental Quality Criteria (EQC's) for the management of Perth's coastal waters . These EQC's were developed in collaboration with legislative authorities, as part of draft criteria, in accordance with national guidelines: ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 109 - 16
Integrated environmental assessment of tertiary and residuals treatment--LCA in the wastewater industry; Beavis P et al.; In the wastewater industry, decision-makers lack access to an environmental tool that can assist in further informing the non-financial analysis of a system . Such a tool should incorporate impacts beyond the effluent quality and look at the supporting processes of a plant as well as plant specific operations . Life Cycle Assessment can provide the means to fill a gap in pertinent information towards more sustainable decision-making . The project "Best Practice LCA in the Wastewater Industry" is commissioned by the CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control at UNSW with representatives from Sydney Water Corporation (SWC), NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation and the NSW Department of Public Works . Two case studies were researched to provide a post-implementation review of changes in wastewater . Case study 1: The conversion from chlorine gas to hypochlorite and UV disinfection has been completed for several inland wastewater plants at SWC . A review of operational data for each of the options has been incorporated into an LCA of each technology . Under efficient dosing conditions, disinfection with the hypochlorite system has the minimum environmental impact . Case study 2 deals with the conversion from anaerobic to aerobic digestion . Aerobic digestion minimises release of nutrients into a sidestream to be further treated in the plant . However conversion results in more biosolids production and higher electricity requirements . This study includes a consideration of the environmental impacts of biosolids production and application . On the basis of the extended boundary including consideration of reflux composition, energy requirements and biosolids quality to potentially offset fertiliser production, anaerobic digestion performs best in 6 out of 9 impact categories . These results suggest that environmental LCA has a role in informing decision-making on unit process and treatment train selection by quantifying aspects on non-financial criteria . Also, improvement potentials are foreshadowed but not detailed.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 81 - 6
Integrated water resources management in the Ruhr River Basin, Germany; Bode H et al.; The Ruhr, with an average flow of 80.5 m3/s at its mouth, is a comparatively small tributary to the Rhine River that has to perform an important task: to secure the water supply of more than 5 million people and of the industry in the densely populated region north of the river . The complex water management system and network applied by the Ruhrverband in the natural Ruhr River Basin has been developed step by step, over decades since 1913 . And from the beginning, its major goal has been to achieve optimal conditions for the people living in the region . For this purpose, a functional water supply and wastewater disposal infrastructure has been built up . The development of these structures required and still requires multi-dimensional planning and performance . Since the river serves as receiving water and at the same time as a source of drinking water, the above-standard efforts of Ruhrverband for cleaner water also help to conserve nature and wildlife . Ruhrverband has summed up its environmental awareness in the slogan: "For the people and for the environment" . This basic water philosophy, successfully applied to the Ruhr for more than 80 years, will be continued in accordance with the new European Water Framework Directive, enacted in 2000, which demands integrated water resources management in natural river basins, by including the good ecological status of surface waterbodies as an additional goal.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 65 - 71
Wastewater services for small communities; Gray S et al.; Connection to centralised regional sewage systems has been too expensive for small-dispersed communities, and these townships have traditionally been serviced by on-site septic tank systems . The conventional on-site system in Australia has consisted of an anaerobic holding tank followed by adsorption trenches . This technique relies heavily on the uptake of nutrients by plants for effective removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from the effluent, and is very seasonal in its efficiency . Hence, as these small communities have grown in size, the environmental effects of the septic tank discharges have become a problem . In locations throughout Australia, such as rural Victoria and along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, septic tanks as being replaced with the transport of sewage to regional treatment plants . For some isolated communities, this can mean spending 20,000 dollars-40,000 dollars/household, as opposed to more common connection prices of 7,000 dollars/household . This paper explores some alternative options that might be suitable for these small communities, and attempts to identify solutions that provide acceptable environmental outcomes at lower cost . The types of alternative systems that are assessed in the paper include local treatment systems, separate blackwater and greywater collection and treatment systems both with and without non-potable water recycling, a small township scale treatment plant compared to either existing septic tank systems or pumping to a remote regional treatment facility . The work demonstrated the benefits of a scenario analysis approach for the assessment of a range of alternative systems . It demonstrated that some of the alternatives systems can achieve better than 90% reductions in the discharge of nutrients to the environment at significantly lower cost than removing the wastewater to a remote regional treatment plant . These concepts allow wastewater to be retained within a community allowing for local reuse of treated effluent.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 49 - 55
Hydraulics of sub-superficial flow constructed wetlands in semi arid climate conditions; Ranieri E; This paper reports the evaluation of the hydraulics of two constructed wetland (cw(s)) plants located in Apulia (the South Eastern Italy region characterized by semi arid climate conditions) . These fields were planted with Phragmites australis hydrophytes and are supplied with local secondary wastewater municipal treatment plant effluent . Each plant--Kickuth Root-Zone method based--covers an area of approx . 2,000 m2 . The evapotranspiration phenomenon has been evaluated within perforated tubes fixed to the field bottom and very high values--up to 40 mm/d--were found . Hydraulic conductivity has been evaluated by in situ measurements at different field points . Hydraulic gradients and the piezometric curve within the field are also reported.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 33 - 9
Sustainability concept for a newly built urban area in Malmö, Sweden; Gruvberger C et al.; National goals regarding sustainable development from the Swedish government were decisive in the planning process when the newly built city district Western Harbour was established in the city of Malmo, Sweden . A systems analysis was used as a tool for evaluating different collection and treatment systems . This type of analysis does not include more subjective factors such as acceptance of organic fertilizers based on human waste and user acceptance of collection schemes . These aspects, however, will often determine the success of a technical solution . When the system for collection and treatment of old organic waste and wastewater was designed, both subjective and objective factors were considered . This meant that a centralised solution for wastewater treatment was selected . In order to facilitate a more sustainable solution for sludge management a treatment process with recovery of phosphorus will have to be introduced . Organic waste is sorted out and treated in an anaerobic digestion process . Source sorting of solid organic waste has been difficult to implement in Sweden due to inadequate sorting discipline . As a consequence two relatively new systems are tested in the area . A comprehensive evaluation will be carried out during a period of two years.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 11 - 8
A conceptual framework for the sustainable management of wastewater in Harare, Zimbabwe; Nhapi I et al.; The aim of this study was to formulate an integrated wastewater management model for Harare, Zimbabwe, based on current thinking . This implies that wastewater is treated/disposed of as close to the source of generation as possible . Resource recovery and reuse in a local thriving urban agriculture are integrated into this model . Intervention strategies were considered for controlling water, nitrogen and phosphorus flows to the lake . In the formulation of strategies, Harare was divided into five major operational areas of high-, medium-, and low-density residential areas, and also commercial and industrial areas . Specific options were then considered to suit landuse, development constraints and socio-economic status for each area, within the overall criteria of limiting nutrient inflows into the downstream Lake Chivero . Flexible and differential solutions were developed in relation to built environment, population density, composition of users, ownership, future environmental demands, and technical, environmental, hygienic, social and organisational factors . Options considered include source control by the users (residents, industries, etc.), using various strategies like implementation of toilets with source separation, and natural methods of wastewater treatment . Other possible strategies are invoking better behaviour through fees and information, incentives for cleaner production, and user responsibility through education, legislative changes and stricter controls over industry.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(7-8), 1 - 9
Evaluating integrated urban water systems alternatives for Brisbane, Australia; Mitchell G et al.; The Brazil Development Study investigates the feasibility of alternative approaches to providing sustainable water services to a 226 ha mixed residential and industrial greenfield development within the city of Brisbane, Australia . The alternatives include techniques such a the use of rainwater tanks, water use efficiency, a local wastewater treatment plant for recycling of reclaimed water and composting toilets amongst others . This paper evaluates a series of urban development scenarios against the objectives of the study . The insights gained into the drivers for cost and environmental impact for this particular site are discussed as well as a number of issues of concern and challenges to Council and the community.

Environ Sci Technol, 2003 May 15, 37(10), 2152 - 8
Marine sponges as biomonitor of polychlorobiphenyl contamination: concentration and fate of 24 congeners; Perez T et al.; The aim of this study was first to assess the relevance of a marine sponge, Spongia officinalis, as a biomonitor of PCB . Twenty-four chlorobiphenyl congeners have been measured along a pollution gradient both in sponges and seawater . S . officinalis displays a capacity to accumulate all types of congeners . The highest concentration factors were found for hexa- and heptachlorobiphenyls . Concentrations recorded in sponges agreed quite well with the PCB concentrations of study sites . The prevalence of CB138 and CB153 definitely demonstrated the urban origin of the PCB detected, despite the ban on their production and the existence of a wastewater treatment plant since 1987 . The CB138/CB153 ratio is approximately 1.2 in commercial mixtures as well as in seawater . In sponges, this ratio varies strongly in space and time, from 1 in sponges at the most polluted site to 0.3 at the reference site . This change in the ratio of these two very persistent congeners, which is not observed in seawater, indicates a metabolism of CB138 in sponges . As it was recently demonstrated for nonpersistent organic contaminants, sponges might well be able to degrade PCB, but further work is needed to identify the processes involved.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 2003 Jun, 69(6), 3593 - 9
A rapid microtiter plate method to measure carbon dioxide evolved from carbon substrate amendments so as to determine the physiological profiles of soil microbial communities by using whole soil; Campbell CD et al.; Sole-carbon-source tests (Biolog), designed to identify bacteria, have become very popular for metabolically fingerprinting soil microbial communities, despite disadvantages associated with the use of carbon source profiles that primarily select for fast-growing bacteria . In this paper we describe the use of an alternative method that combines the advantages of the Biolog community-level physiological profile (CLPP) method, in which microtiter-based detection plates are used, with the ability to measure carbon dioxide evolution from whole soil . This method facilitates measurement over short periods of time (4 to 6 h) and does not require the extraction and culturing of organisms . Deep-well microtiter plates are used as test wells into which soil is placed . The apparatus to fill the deep-well plates and interface it with a second removable detection plate is described . Two detection systems, a simple colorimetric reaction in absorbent alkali and scintillation counting with radioactive carbon sources, are described . The methods were compared to the Biolog-CLPP system by using soils under different vegetation types and soil treated with wastewater sludge . We aimed to test the hypothesis that using whole soil would have specific advantages over using extracts in that more immediate responses to substrates could be obtained that would reflect activity rather than growth . The whole-soil method was more rapid and gave earlier detection of C source use . Also, the metabolic fingerprints obtained could discriminate between sludge treatments.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2003, 47(1-6), 193 - 7
Approaches to environmental restoration of a polluted harbour with submerged archaeology: the Alexandria case study; El-Rayis OA et al.; Many invaluable underwater buildings of archaeological interest in Alexandria were discovered in 1996 at different sites in the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria . There is a belief that the best way to protect these invaluable heritages is to transfer them to an underwater park or museum . Obviously, the execution of such a project depends essentially upon the water quality (including water transparency) improving in the future . The harbour is presently polluted by discharge of wastewater effluents from different sources . It has recently been decided to restore this important coastal area through: (1) stopping the direct discharge of wastewater effluents into this semi-enclosed harbour in 1993 and (2) gradually reducing the discharge of the municipal wastewater through marine outfalls at two sites lying at the outer sides of the harbour . Zero discharge is expected to be effective by the end of the year 2001 . The present work, therefore, is a follow up of the study of water quality in the harbour after 1993: in 1996 and 1999-2000 . The water quality of an open sea reference station was also studied for comparison . The results reveal occurrence of an improvement of the environmental conditions in the harbour . The water has turned from being eutrophic to mesotrophic . The harbour is expected to become meso/oligotrophic as soon as the complete cessation of the discharge from the two outside sources is attained.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2003, 47(1-6), 162 - 8
Finnish strategies for reduction and control of effluents to the marine environment--examples from agriculture, municipalities and industry; Kohonen JT; The most serious environmental problem encountered in the Baltic Sea is eutrophication . Finland finalised in spring 2002 its national Programme for the Protection of the Baltic Sea . The programme contains more than 30 measures for improving the state of the Baltic Sea and protecting the marine environment . Total national investments during the next 10-15 years will amount to EUR 300-370 million . The highest annual cost will be environmental support to agriculture . The bulk of the rest of the money will be used for nitrogen purification of municipal wastewater, improvement of water protection in dispersed settlement areas, and investments to improve maritime safety and decrease the risks of oil spills.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2003, 47(1-6), 30 - 6
The characteristics of nutrients and eutrophication in the Pearl River estuary, South China; Huang XP et al.; In the spring of 1998, 24-h time series and synchronization of vertical profiles of NO(3)-N, NO(2)-N, NH(3)-N, PO(4)-P, chlorophyll a, suspended substance, salinity, temperature and other chemical parameters were taken at 10 stations in the Pearl River estuary in order to analyze the status and characteristics of nutrients and eutrophication . The results indicated that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) mainly came from the four river channels in the main estuary, and NO(3)-N was the main form of DIN in most area . The concentration of DIN was general above 0.30 mg l(-1) in the estuary, and more than 0.50 mgl(-1) in most part . Phosphate from four river channels was not the main sources, but land-based sources from the area near Shenzhen Bay or along the estuary were obvious, and other land-based sources outside the estuary brought by coastal current and flood tide current were also the main contributions . The concentration of phosphate was generally about 0.015 mg l(-1) except the area near Shenzhen Bay . The ratio of N:P was generally high, and it was higher in the north than in the south . The highest ratio was higher than 300, and the lowest one was over 30 . The concentration of chlorophyll a was about 0.8-7.8 mg m(-3), and turbidity and phosphate may be the main two limiting factors for algal bloom in the estuary . The concentration of nutrients decreased slightly in the past decade, but still stayed at a high level . The nutrients mainly came from domestic sewage, industrial wastewater, agriculture fertilizer and marine culture in the Pearl River estuary.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2003, 47(1-6), 25 - 9
A model of fish preference and mortality under hypoxic water in the coastal environment; Karim MR et al.; Eutrophication and associated occurrence of hypoxic condition could cause significant damage to marine ecosystems, resulting in considerable economic losses to fisheries and aquaculture and is a major source of stress that fish often have to contend with in order to survive . This problem is likely to be exacerbated in the coming years, since the wastewater treatment facilities is unlikely to catch up with increasing human activities . Moreover, large-scale reclamation projects in coastal areas have recently been increased, and these activities certainly have adverse impacts on water quality and fisheries resources . Coastal construction has a significant role in the development of hypoxic water by changing the current and mixing pattern of water . Changes in species composition and decreases in species richness and diversity have been well documented in hypoxic systems . Hypoxia could cause endocrine disruption in fish and eliminate populations of sensitive species . Shallow coastal areas are of great importance for the special nursery of fish and shellfish and land reclamation in these areas cause strong damage to fisheries . Although the tolerance of aquatic life to hypoxia is known, there is no information about the mortality of fish caused by hypoxia because fish can swim around it and no modeling study has yet been carried out . Criteria that influence the movement of fish are: amounts of food, water temperature and depth, dissolved oxygen concentration and nature of seabed . However, among these, water temperature and dissolved oxygen are the most crucial parameters that affect survival, movement and growth of fish . In this paper, a model of fish preference and mortality for environmental conditions was developed and applied to the Hakata Bay where hypoxic water occurs every summer . For the purpose of this study, a field survey of fish behavior under hypoxic water was conducted by releasing marbled sale (Pleuronectes yokohamae) in the inner bay . Moreover, a series of preference tests for DO, salinity and temperature in the laboratory were conducted in order to decide preference parameters of fish . Using the results of both field and laboratory studies, a sub-module of fish preference and mortality was coded within an integrated hydrothermal and eutrophication model (CHEM) to predict the behavior and mortality of marbled sale when hypoxia would occur in the bay . The model could reasonably simulate the behavior of the fish under hypoxia . An assessment of the impact of the ongoing land reclamation project of about 401 ha in the Wajiro tidal flat zones at the head of the bay on the fisheries resources was also conducted using the model . The results showed that the artificial land lowered the mortality rate of fish under hypoxic condition in the bay during the summer period.

Environ Toxicol Chem, 2003 Jun, 22(6), 1309 - 17
The relationships of biochemical endpoints to histopathology and population metrics in feral flatfish species collected near the municipal wastewater outfall of Orange County, California, USA; Roy LA et al.; In July 2000, 330 individuals of three flatfish species were collected from reference locations and nine sites surrounding the outfall of the Orange County (CA, USA) Sanitation District (OCSD) municipal wastewater discharge . Species included hornyhead turbot (Pleuronichthys verticalis), English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus), and bigmouth sole (Hippoglossina stomata) . Livers of sampled animals were examined for the expression of vitellogenin (in males), cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A), and DNA damage (comet assay) . Biliary fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) were also measured . Comparisons with tissue and sediment contaminant residues, liver histopathology, and population estimates were assessed to determine whether relationships exist between levels of biological organization . The CYP1A results indicated exposure to planar aromatic hydrocarbons at one nearshore site . Regression analysis of all English sole CYP1A to total sediment polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (r2 = 0.97; p < 0.05) indicated a significant correlation . Widespread exposure to estrogens was observed at all sites without correlation to the abundance of the three species examined . Fluorescent aromatic compounds demonstrated no correlation to CYP1A expression . Overall, histopathology and biochemical endpoints did not indicate significant adverse effects in fish at the OCSD outfall.

Environ Toxicol Chem, 2003 Jun, 22(6), 1288 - 94
Effect of dissolved organic matter of various origins and biodegradabilities on the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Daphnia magna; Gourlay C et al.; As a preliminary study of the influence of urban organic matter on the bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the effect of different types of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the bioaccumulation of fluoranthene, pyrene, or benzo{a}pyrene in Daphnia magna was studied . Commercial humic substances, DOM from the aeration basin of a wastewater treatment plant, and highly biodegradable DOM (algae or animal extracts) were tested . The bioaccumulation of benzo{a}pyrene was reduced by each DOM (up to 80% reduction with humic substances) . Pyrene bioaccumulation was also decreased by each DOM to a lesser extent . Fluoranthene bioaccumulation was affected by the presence of humic acids only . In each experiment, the solution containing humic DOM led to the lowest bioaccumulation . Supposing that only dissolved PAHs were bioavailable, the reduction of bioaccumulation allowed a biological estimate of the partition coefficients of DOM and PAH, K(DOC) . The estimated coefficients were positively related to the aromaticity of DOM and negatively related to its biodegradability.

Ann N Y Acad Sci, 2003 Mar, 984, 401 - 10
Hydrophobic pervaporation: toward a shortcut method for the pervaporation-decanter system; Field RW et al.; Pervaporation is a relatively new technology . Although hydrophilic pervaporation has become established, hydrophobic pervaporation for recovery of organics from water has not been a commercial success . Technologic reasons for this are suggested . However, as the pressure to include waste minimization and to recycle, as well as pollution prevention, increases, there will be opportunity for the development of new wastewater treatment processes . This may lead to hybrid processes, including a coupling of pervaporation with conventional technology . The hybrid process examined herein is a simple pervaporation-decanter system that is applicable to organics with limited solubility in water . In this system, the PV unit produces permeate that after condensation gives two liquid phases . The organic phase is relative pure and concentrated (and available for reuse), whereas the aqueous phase can be recycled into the PV feed stream . For a given feed concentration and water purity target, there is a minimum membrane selectivity (alpha(min)) that yields a two-phase condensate . If the membrane has a selectivity that is just greater than the minimum, the recycle rate of the aqueous phase relative to the feed rate will be very large and likewise the membrane area . Also, for a membrane with known organic permeability, one can define a theoretical A(min), the minimum membrane area required when the separation factor is so high that the aqueous phase is negligible . For membranes with alpha > alpha(min), values of the required membrane area, A, have been obtained for various representative duties, and a correlation between alpha/alpha(min) and A/A(min) has been obtained (compare with the Gilliland correlation used in distillation) . An approximate relationship is (A/A(min) (- 1))(alpha/alpha(min) (- 1)) = 1 . Since alpha(min) and A(min) can be calculated readily, this relationship is a shortcut tool that permits estimation of A for any alpha and any duty . Finally, membrane areas for the above hybrid system and those for PV alone are compared.

Ann N Y Acad Sci, 2003 Mar, 984, 178 - 93
Characteristics and application of ceramic nanofiltration membranes; Weber R et al.; In this paper we report on the characteristic and filtration behavior of a newly developed ceramic nanofiltration membrane and compare it with other commercial ceramic nanofiltration membranes currently available . It is shown that it is possible to produce a ceramic membrane with separation properties in the nanofiltration range and with permeability rates that are clearly superior to those of polymer nanofiltration membranes . The ceramic membrane was used in tests involving the treatment of textile wastewater, alkaline solutions from bottle washing machines, and pickling bath solutions.

Chemosphere, 2003 Aug, 52(6), 1089 - 94
Leaching behavior and chemical stability of copper butyl xanthate complex under acidic conditions; Chang YK et al.; Although xanthate addition can be used for treating copper-containing wastewater, a better understanding of the leaching toxicity and the stability characteristics of the copper xanthate complexes formed is essential . This work was undertaken to evaluate the leaching behavior of copper xanthate complex precipitates by means of toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) and semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT) using 1 N acetic acid solution as the leachant . Also, the chemical stability of the copper xanthate complex during extraction has been examined with the studying of variation of chemical structure using UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS).Both TCLP and SDLT results showed that a negligible amount of copper ion was leached out from the copper xanthate complex precipitate, indicating that the complex exhibited a high degree of copper leaching stability under acidic conditions . Nevertheless, chemical structure of the copper xanthate complex precipitate varied during the leaching tests . XPS data suggested that the copper xanthate complex initially contained both cupric and cuprous xanthate, but the unstable cupric xanthate change to the cuprous form after acid extraction, indicating the cuprous xanthate to be the final stabilizing structure . Despite that, the changes of chemical structure did not induce the rapid leaching of copper from the copper xanthate complex.

Environ Sci Technol, 2003 May 1, 37(9), 1955 - 61
Supercritical water oxidation of sulfide; Wang T et al.; Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) of sulfide wastewater with oxygen as the oxidant was investigated using ammonium sulfide solution as the model waste . The experiments, which were conducted in a bench-scale continuous SCWO installation, indicated that S2- could be completely oxidized to SO4(2-) within the residence time of less than 10 s under the supercritical water conditions at 698.2-773.2 K and 22.0 MPa-30.0 MPa . The reaction pathway of S2- in SCWO was determined to be S2- --> S2O3(2-) --> SO3(2-) --> SO4(2-) . The effects of temperature, pressure, and oxygen content on SCWO of S2- were also studied . The kinetic model based on this pathway was established with the reaction rate constants and orders found by fitting the experimental data . The dependence of the rate constants on the temperature can be described with Arrhenius' law . The rate constants are dependent on the density of SCW, and the dependence is logarithmically linear.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 Jun, 38(6), 1073 - 85
Removal of total suspended solids from wastewater in constructed horizontal flow subsurface wetlands; Manios T et al.; Subsurface horizontal flow experimental wetlands (reed beds), were designed and built based on a combination of two design methodologies, that of the WRc and Severn Trent Water plc (1996) and that of the USA, EPA (1988) . Four different growing media were used with a combination of top soil, gravel, river sand, and mature sewage sludge compost, to determine the best substrate for total suspended solids (TSS) removal . Eight units were constructed, two for each growing media . One bed for each pair was planted with Typha latifolia plants commonly known as cattails . Primary treated domestic wastewater, was continuously fed to the beds for more than six months . All eight beds performed very well . The best performance was achieved by the gravel reed beds with an almost constant removal rate above 95% and an average effluent concentration of less than 10 mg/L . Soil based beds containing top soil and sand, managed to reach values of removal around 90% . The wetlands containing compost in their substrate, produced an effluent with average concentration of less than 30 mg/L and a percentage removal between 80% and 90% . As expected, there was no significant difference in the performance of planted and unplanted wetlands.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 Jun, 38(6), 991 - 1005
Removal of organic pollutants and metabolic adaptation of microorganisms by micro-aeration; Saito M et al.; Aerobic systems are high rate processes for wastewater treatment, but they consume much power for aeration . Several low-cost anaerobic systems have been developed for mid- and low-income countries . The removal efficiencies of nutrients, particulate matter, and pathogens are not satisfactory for the anaerobic systems . Micro-aeration is a type of low-cost aerobic application which enhances oxygen transfer through water surface . Trickling was found the most efficient method of micro-aeration and batch experiments were performed to evaluate the effectiveness . When soluble organic carbon was removed, ORP7 (redox potential rectified to pH at 7) were around -120 or +260 mV . When soluble organic carbon increased due to organic overload, ORP7 was around +30 mV . At +30 mV, carbon fraction of biomass increased to 0.54 (higher than average value of 0.46) . It was presumable that the ORP7 of -120, +260, and +30 mV were anaerobic, aerobic, and internal storage mode, respectively . Maximum reaction rate of aerobic condition was four times as high as that of anaerobic condition . At internal storage mode, the rate was halved from aerobic mode . It is concluded that microorganisms adapt the metabolic systems to conform to the redox environment, which can be evaluated by ORP . Organic overload results metabolic shift to internal storage mode which retards mineralization of organic matter.

Water Environ Res, 2003 Mar-Apr, 75(2), 163 - 70
Detection of infectious human adenoviruses in tertiary-treated and ultraviolet-disinfected wastewater; Thompson SS et al.; A pilot-scale study investigating the use of low-pressure, high-intensity UV radiation for disinfection of urban wastewater was conducted . The inactivation of coliform bacteria, wastewater-indigenous enteric viruses, seeded poliovirus, and seeded F-specific coliphage was studied . During the course of the pilot study, infectious human adenoviruses were isolated from 15 of 16 large-volume samples of UV-disinfected secondary- and tertiary-treated wastewater . Half of the tertiary-treated, UV-disinfected effluent samples from which the adenoviruses were isolated had total coliform concentrations that complied with California's Water Recycling Criteria . To determine the relative UV resistance of the adenovirus isolates, purified viruses were seeded into tertiary-treated waste-water and exposed to low-pressure, high-intensity, collimated UV radiation . A dose of approximately 170 mW-s/cm2 was required to achieve 99.99% inactivation . These findings suggest that UV doses effective at meeting certain wastewater regulations for total coliform bacteria may not provide suitable inactivation of the UV-resistant human adenoviruses.

Water Environ Res, 2003 Mar-Apr, 75(2), 121 - 5
Examination of mechanisms for odor compound generation during lime stabilization; Kim H et al.; Lime-stabilized biosolids produced from a wastewater treatment plant often emit odors, especially those described as "fishy" and "decaying" . These odors can generate public opposition to biosolids land-application programs even though they represent an environmentally friendly recycling of organic material that is beneficial to the agricultural industry . Therefore, it is critical to examine the controlling factors involved in odor production during the lime stabilization process . Results from preliminary experiments examining added polymer and protein material to dewatered limed biosolids show increased trimethylamine (TMA) production with further increases in 1-hour and 4-hour storage times prior to liming . Further experiments with water-silica slurry reaction media reveal that enzymatically facilitated degradation of polymer and protein is the overriding factor in TMA and dimethyldisulfide (DMDS) production . It is hypothesized that macromolecules such as polymer and proteins in biosolids are first broken down enzymatically, upon which the addition of lime causes TMA and DMDS to be released.

J Hazard Mater, 2003 May 30, 99(3), 303 - 11
Removal characteristics of anionic metals by micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration; Baek K et al.; Surfactant-based separation of Fe(CN)(6)(3-) and CrO(4)(2-) using regenerated cellulose membrane was studied in order to assess the potential of micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration for the remediation of wastewater or groundwater polluted with ferriccyanide and chromate . In the ferriccyanide/octadecylamine acetate (ODA) and chromate/ODA systems, removal of ferriccyanide increased from 73 to 92% and to 98%, and that of chromate from 64 to 97% and to >99.9% as the molar ratio of ODA to ferriccyanide and to chromate increased from 1 to 2 and to 3, respectively . In the ferriccyanide/chromate/ODA system, while the removal of ferriccyanide increased from 62 to 72% and to 93%, the removal of chromate from 20 to 38% and to 68% as the molar ratio of ferriccyanide:chromate:ODA increased from 1:1:1 to 1:1:2 and to 1:1:4, respectively . With the molar ratio of 1:1:6, the removal was >99.9 and 98% for chromate and ferriccyanide, respectively . Ferriccyanide ions were more easily bound to ODA micelles because the binding power of ferriccyanide was greater than that of chromate.

Aquat Toxicol, 2003 May 29, 63(4), 431 - 46
Developmental estrogenic exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio): II . Histological evaluation of gametogenesis and organ toxicity; Weber LP et al.; Aquatic species can be exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in wastewater that often includes the weak estrogen, 4-nonylphenol (NP) and the potent estrogen, 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE) . The goal of the present study was to determine concentration-dependent effects of developmental exposure to NP and EE on gametogenesis, as well as gonad, kidney and liver pathology using quantitative histological evaluation of hematoxylin/eosin-stained saggital sections of zebrafish (Danio rerio) . The major finding of the present study was that exposure to NP (>/=100 microg/l nominal) and EE (>/=1 ng/l nominal) from 2 to 60 days post-hatch (dph) caused concentration-dependent suppression of gametogenesis in both male and female zebrafish . Severe kidney pathology was observed in 60 dph zebrafish, specifically glomerular dilation or degeneration, fibrosis, tubule enlargement and tubule necrosis, at a threshold of 10 ng/l EE . However, minor kidney histopathology indicated by increased pyknotic nuclei in kidney tubule and interstitial (hematopoietic) cells was detected at lower estrogenic exposures (>/=10 microg/l NP nominal) than delayed gametogenesis . Considering all histological parameters in the current study, the rank order of potency for pathological effects in 60 dph zebrafish was 10 ng/l EE>1 ng/l EE=100 microg/l NP>30 microg/l NP>10 microg/l NP10 (nominal concentrations) . Zebrafish from the same cohort examined in the current study that had been placed in clean water from 60 to 300 dph had histologically normal testes and no kidney or liver histopathology . However, increased ovarian follicle atresia was detected at 300 dph in zebrafish exposed developmentally to 100 microg/l NP . Therefore, we conclude that functional rather than morphological changes may be more important for future evaluations of developmental exposure to estrogens in fish, and that negative effects in female rather than male gonads may contribute to prolonged breeding impairment.

Water Res, 2003 Jun, 37(11), 2732 - 8
Study on the use of NADH fluorescence measurements for monitoring wastewater treatment systems; Farabegoli G et al.; Fluorescence measurement of intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) provides information about the physiological response of microbes towards changing conditions in their environment and has been suggested to be useful for the control of wastewater treatment plants . In this study, the practical usefulness of such measurements was evaluated from batch experiments with a commercially available NADH sensor in a bench scale reactor . The sensor was linear in the NADH concentration, robust, almost maintenance free, and hardly sensitive to floc size distribution . Measured fluorescence intensity proved to depend strongly on the concentration of active heterotrophic biomass . The NADH level was supposed to be dependent on the ratio of electron donor/electron acceptor availability inside the cells; however, neither acetate nor ammonium addition was reflected by the measurement signal.A jump wise NADH signal change was observed at complete oxygen or nitrate depletion as also reflected by bends in the redox curve . In the near zero concentration ranges of oxygen and nitrate (0.1-0.5mg/l) the signal changes only slightly in the opposite direction to the redox trend.

Water Res, 2003 Jun, 37(11), 2627 - 35
Estimating DOC regime in a wastewater treatment plant by UV deconvolution; Escalas A et al.; A UV-deconvolution method was modified, and applied to estimation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) along a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Catalonia, Spain . One grab sample was taken every 2h at four sampling points, for 1 week (336 samples), in order to characterise day/night and weekday/weekend DOC regimes along the plant . Samples were centrifuged before DOC determination or estimation . Four components were selected for describing wastewater composition and spectra . Reference spectra for these components were taken from the literature and proved to correctly explain the sample spectra . A two-step deconvolution method was developed, which avoided negative nitrate coefficients while keeping deconvolution error low . The calibration file for DOC estimation was determined by analysing DOC and acquiring UV spectra from 48 samples . DOC values were correlated to UV spectra by multiple linear regression . Determination coefficient and standard error were comparable to the values found in the literature . In raw or diluted samples with an absorbance between 2.0 and 2.5, DOC was probably underestimated by the method . This points to some nonlinearity for absorbances above 2.0, rather than the 2.5 limit suggested by the original method . DOC calculation through UV deconvolution allowed for the estimation of DOC regime along the WWTP . Time bands for higher and lower DOC concentrations were determined and characterised at each sampling point, for weekdays and the weekend . Except for the plant effluent, clear time bands were found . In effluent, DOC was always low, and very small oscillations were detected, due to DOC removal and intense mixing in the biological process . DOC profiles at each point are discussed in this paper . The modified deconvolution method has proved to be an accurate and efficient technique for estimating DOC of a large number of raw and diluted samples.

Water Res, 2003 Jun, 37(11), 2583 - 94
Dynamic behavior of ozonation with pollutant in a countercurrent bubble column with oxygen mass transfer; Chen YH et al.; The dynamic behavior of ozonation with pollutants in a countercurrent bubble column is studied for the model establishment . Bubble columns have been widely used for an ozonation system in the plants and laboratories . In addition, a countercurrent bubble column has been commonly recommended than a cocurrent one because it has a higher ozone transfer efficiency . Therefore, the investigation of this paper focuses on the countercurrent bubble column . As an ozonation process starts, the gas mixture of ozone and oxygen is introduced into the bottom of a column, and then transferred into the liquid . The pollutants in the wastewater are eliminated subsequently via oxidation by the dissolved ozone . There certainly exists a temporary and unsteady period before the ozonation system reaches steady state . However, available ozonation models employed to describe ozone and pollutant profiles have commonly been developed for steady state . The treating qualities of wastewater in the early stage of ozonation are usually not predicted, and the time required for the steady-state establishment remains to be determined . Moreover, oxygen mass transfer is usually neglected in previous ozonation models so that the increase of dissolved oxygen is uncertain . These information is desirable for the proper design and operation of ozonation system in a bubble column . Thus, the aim of this study is to model and investigate the dynamic processes of ozonation with pollutants including oxygen mass transfer . The dynamic axial dispersion model proposed is employed to predict the variation of the ozone, pollutant, and oxygen concentrations profiles . The validity of the model was demonstrated by comparing the predicted results with the experimental data . The o-cresol was chosen as the model pollutant . The temporal concentration variations of the residual o-cresol and dissolved oxygen in the effluent liquid, and the off-gas ozone in the free volume were measured accordingly . Furthermore, the variation of the enhancement factor of ozone and the amount of off-gas were predicted . Note that it usually needs 2-5 hydraulic retention times to approach steady state under the conditions of this study . Further, the effects of dimensionless system parameters on the performance of the ozonation processes are examined . As a result, the proposed dynamic model of ozonation with pollutants is useful for proper prediction of the variables of an ozonation system in a countercurrent bubble column.

Mycopathologia, 2002, 156(3), 193 - 205
Ecology of dermatophytes and other keratinophilic fungi in swimming pools and polluted and unpolluted streams; Ali-Shtayeh MS et al.; The biodiversity and richness of keratinophilic fungal communities including dermatophytes were assessed in three stream sites and three swimming pools in the Nablus district in Palestine, using hair baiting (HBT) and surface dilution plate (SDP) techniques, over 8- and 6-month periods, respectively . The effect of wastewater effluent and selected ecological factors on these fungi in relation to species diversity and population densities were also considered . Fifty keratinophilic fungal species were recovered from the aquatic habitats studied, of which 42 were recovered from stream sites and 22 from swimming pools . Of these fungi 6 were either dermatophytes (Microsporum gypseum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes) or dermatophyte related species (Chrysosporium merdarium, Ch . tropicum, Ch . keratinophilum and T . terrestre) . The most frequently isolated species in the three pools were Acremonium strictum and Cladosporium cladosporioides, using Sabouraud dextrose agar medium (SDA) . The most abundant species were Acr . strictum, and Aspergillus flavus . However, only 4 species were isolated using the SDA medium amended with 5-flurocytosine (5-FC) . The most frequent and abundant species in the three stream sites using SDA medium were Geotricum candidum, and Penicillium chrysogenum . The most frequent species in the three sites using the 5-FC medium, was Paecilomyces lilacinus . Using HBT, the most abundant and frequent species in the three stream sites were G . candidum, and Pa . lilacinus, on SDA medium, and Pa . lilacinus, and Gliocladium nigrovirens on the 5-FC medium . The 5-FC medium was more suitable for the isolation of dermatophytes and closely related species than the SDA medium; 6 were recovered on 5-FC, whereas only one on the SDA medium . Variation in the levels of keratinophilic fungal populations from the three stream sites sampled 5 times over an 8-month period, followed comparable fluctuation patterns . Wastewater affected fungal population densities with the highest levels in the un-polluted stream sites, and lowest in the heavily polluted sites . Swimming pools, polluted and un-polluted stream sites were found to be rich in pathogenic and potentially pathogenic fungi.

Int J Environ Health Res, 2003 Jun, 13(2), 107 - 15
Sanitation and hygiene in urban and rural households in East Africa; Tumwine J et al.; Latrine possession, disposal of children's faeces and waste-water in 1015 households in 33 sites in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were studied in 1997 . Assistants conducted interviews and observed the state and use of latrines, disposal of children's faeces, wastewater, and household socio-demographic characteristics . Latrine possession was 92.4% in Uganda, 95% in Kenya and 99.5% in Tanzania . In unpiped sites, 73.5% of Ugandan, 90.5% of Tanzanian and 95% of Kenyan households had latrines . Over 30% of latrines in rural Uganda were contaminated with faeces, compared with 10% in Tanzania . More latrines in urban Kenya and Uganda had contaminated surroundings than in the rural areas . The mean number of people using a toilet in the urban areas (10) was significantly higher than in rural areas (7), (F = 45.5; P < 0.001) . Toilets in Kenya and Uganda were more likely to be fouled than in Tanzania . Households where the head was an educated professional or business person, or the toilet had a door, lid or concrete wall or floor or waste water was disposed of in the latrine, were less likely to have fouled toilets . Most households disposed of the faeces safely with a few placing them in the garden or elsewhere . The study emphasises the need to promote appropriate sanitation and hygiene.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 May, 38(5), 935 - 47
Performance of COD removal from acid scarlet BS-containing solution in a novel packed-bed hollow-tube photocatalytic (PHP) reactor; Xiong Y et al.; A novel packed-bed hollow-tube photocatalytic (PHP) reactor using TiO2-coated Ti particles as fillers was designed and applied to treat a simulated dye wastewater containing Acid Scarlet BS . The experimental results showed that PHP reactor could efficiently remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the dye solution and the COD removal efficiency was considerably dependent on the operating parameters, airflow, initial dye concentration and initial pH value of solution . It was also found that the inserting of the hollow tubes could apparently increase the COD removal efficiency of the packed-bed photo-reactor while the application of external electric field could improve the degradation efficiency of the dye but not obviously promote COD removal.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 May, 38(5), 897 - 907
Electrophoretic nature and evaluation of poly-aluminum-chloride-sulfate (PACS) as a coagulant for water and wastewater treatment; Gao BY et al.; A series of poly-aluminum-chloride-sulfates (PACS), which have different OH/Al (gamma) and Al(3+)/SO4(2-) mole ratios, has been prepared using AlCl3 x 6H2O, A(SO4)3 x 18H2O and Na2CO3 as raw materials . The electrophoretic nature of PACS was investigated by electrophoresis . Laboratory experiments were undertaken to evaluate the PACS in comparison with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) for the coagulation of simulating water and actual wastewaters . The experimental results show that the gamma value and the Al(3+)/SO4(2-) mole ratio affect the electrophoretic nature of PACS . PACS has a maximum zeta potential at about a gamma value of 1.5 and Al(3+)/SO4(2-) mole ratio of 12-16 . The zeta potential of PACS varies with pH . The performance of PACS as coagulant is affected by gamma value and Al(3+)/SO4(2-) mole ratio . PACS of gamma = 2.1 and Al(3+)/SO4(2-) = 15 gives best turbidity removal effectiveness . In comparison with PAC of gamma = 2.0, PACS of gamma = 2.0 and Al(3+)/SO4(2-) = 16 gives higher removal efficiency for turbidity and COD, and shows the following advantages in the clarification of waters and wastewaters: rapid aggregation velocity, larger and heavier flocs, and lower required dosage.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 May, 38(5), 883 - 96
Factors affecting the performances of sepiolite and zeolite for the treatment of textile wastewater; Armagan B; In this study, the adsorption mechanism of three reactive azo dyes (Everzol Black B, Everzol Red 3BS, Everzol Yellow 3RS H/C) on natural porous minerals, sepiolite and zeolite, have been examined in order to identify the ability of clay minerals on the removal of colored textile dyes from aqueous solutions . High ion exchange capacity, high surface areas and importantly their relatively cheap prices make them attractive adsorbents . For this purpose, series of batch adsorption tests were carried out as a function of solids concentration, time and dye concentration using natural and modified sepiolites and zeolites . Also, experiments were conducted to determine the amount of solid to be used in adsorption tests . An optimum solids concentration was selected as 0.05 g/mL (5%) . Most of the adsorption was found to take place within the first 2h of mixing, taking into account the extreme changes like pH and concentration, the mixing period was selected as 4 h for further testing . The adsorption results indicate that both natural sepiolite and zeolite have limited adsorption capacities of the reactive dyes but are substantially improved by modifying their surfaces with quaternary amines . The mechanism of adsorption process is elucidated on the basis of experimental data.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 May, 38(5), 823 - 38
Soil contamination and plant uptake of heavy metals at polluted sites in China; Wang QR et al.; We investigated heavy metal contamination in soils and plants at polluted sites in China including some with heavy industries, metal mining, smelting and untreated wastewater irrigation areas . We report our main findings in this paper . The concentrations of heavy metals, including Cd and Zn, in the soils at the investigated sites were above the background levels, and generally exceeded the Government guidelines for metals in soil . The concentrations of metals in plants served to indicate the metal contamination status of the site, and also revealed the abilities of various plant species to take up and accumulate the metals from the soil . Substantial differences in the accumulation of heavy metals were observed among the plant species investigated . Polygonum hydropiper growing on contaminated soils in a sewage pond had accumulated 1061 mg kg(-1) of Zn in its shoots . Rumex acetosa L . growing near a smelter had accumulated more than 900 mg kg(-1) of Zn both in its shoots and roots . Therefore these species have potential for phytoremediation of metal-contaminated sites . Our results indicate the need to elucidate the dynamics of soil metal contamination of plants and the onward movement of metal contaminants into the food chain . Also our results indicate that the consumption of rice grown in paddy soils contaminated with Cd, Cr or Zn may pose a serious risk to human health, because from 24 to 22% of the total metal content in the rice biomass was concentrated in the rice grain . Platanus acerifolia growing on heavily contaminated soil accumulated only very low levels of heavy metals, and this mechanism for excluding metal uptake may have value in crop improvement . Sources of metal entering the environmental matrices studied included untreated wastewater, tailings or slurries and dust depositions from metal ore mining, and sewage sludge . Pb, Zn or Cd concentrations declined with the distance from metal smelter in accordance with a good exponential correlation (R2>0.9), and this shows that metal dust deposition is an important contributor to metal contamination of soils.

J Colloid Interface Sci, 2003 Apr 1, 260(1), 166 - 75
Interaction of the zeolitic tuff with Zn-containing simulated pollutant solutions; Trgo M et al.; The possibility of removing Zn(2+) cations from wastewater by ion exchange using natural zeolites as exchangers has been investigated . The process of binding of zinc ions into zeolite structure has been established by several reaction mechanisms as a fast chemical reaction of ion exchange, accompanied by slower adsorption of different ionic species and possible precipitation or coprecipitation with the zeolite structure . The physicochemical phenomena such as hydrolysis and dissolution of surface layers are the result of interaction of zeolite with hydrogen or hydroxyl ions from the solution . Complexation of OH(-) with Zn(2+) to form the zinc-hydroxy species strongly depends on pH value and affect the uptake mechanism as to lower dissolution of surface aluminosilicate layers . Structure imperfections as a surface property of mineralogical nonhomogeneous zeolitic grains can lead to formation of sorption surface sites with different energy, which affects the nonuniform distribution of different zinc species adsorbed . It is particularly possible in zeolitic tuff samples with relatively high content of aluminosilicates as minor mineralogical components, which is characteristic of Croatian deposits.

Stud Surf Sci Catal, 1999, 120, 455 - 71
Adsorption processes in spacecraft environmental control and life support systems; DallBauman LA et al.; The environmental control and life support system on a spacecraft maintains a safe and comfortable environment in which the crew can live and work by supplying oxygen and water and by removing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and trace contaminants from cabin air . Although open-loop systems have been used successfully in the past for short-duration missions, the economics of current and future long-duration missions in space will make nearly complete recycling of air and water imperative . A variety of operations will be necessary to achieve the goal of nearly complete recycling . These include separation and reduction of carbon dioxide, removal of trace gas-phase contaminants, recovery and purification of humidity condensate, purification and polishing of wastewater streams, and others . Several of these can be performed totally or in part by adsorption processes . These processes are good candidates to perform separations and purifications in space due to their gravity independence, high reliability, relative high energy efficiency, design flexibility, technological maturity, and regenerative nature . For these reasons, adsorption has historically played a key role in life support on U.S . and Russian piloted spacecraft . Among the life support applications that can be achieved through use of adsorption technology are removal of trace contaminants and carbon dioxide from cabin air and recovery of potable water from waste streams . In each of these cases adsorption technology has been selected for use onboard the International Space Station . The requirements, science, and hardware for these applications are discussed . Human space exploration may eventually lead to construction of planetary habitats . These habitats may provide additional opportunities for use of adsorption processes, such as control of greenhouse gas composition, and may have different resources available to them, such as gases present in the planetary atmosphere . Separation and purification processes based on adsorption can be expected to continue to fulfill environmental control and life support needs on future missions.

Waste Manag Res, 2003 Apr, 21(2), 145 - 54
Kinetics of anaerobic treatment of landfill leachates combined with urban wastewaters; Fueyo G et al.; The anaerobic degradation of landfill leachates mixed with domestic wastewater has been studied in a pilot-scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor . A previous work in laboratory-scale had shown that a fraction (5%) of the refractory organic matter could be additionally degraded when these two substrates were treated in conjunction, but this synergistic effect in the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) removal was not reproduced . However, the mass loading rate for which the maximum degradation was obtained was higher for the mixtures (0.5 kg COD/kg SSV x d) than for the separated components (0.18 and 0.19), allowing an increase in the treatment capacity of the leachates . The methane productivity (304 L/kg COD) was close to the theoretical maximum and independent of the proportion of the mixture components . The experimental data were fitted to a modification of Haldane's kinetic model, in which the parameters depend on the hydraulic residence time and the biomass concentration.

J Chromatogr A, 2003 Apr 18, 993(1-2), 29 - 37
Simultaneous determination of neutral and acidic pharmaceuticals in wastewater by high-performance liquid chromatography-post-column photochemically induced fluorimetry; Gonzalez-Barreiro C et al.; An analytical method for the simultaneous determination of acidic and neutral pharmaceutical active compound (PhACs) residues in wastewater has been developed based on the combination of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and photochemically induced fluorimetry . The photoderivatization conditions for each particular PhAC have been assessed . Off-line optimization of the HPLC separation for both neutral and acidic compounds has been utilised and evaluated . Detection limits in the low ng/ml range have been achieved without sample pretreatment . By applying the developed analytical method combined with solid-phase extraction to real wastewater samples an enrichment factor of approximately two orders of magnitude can be obtained.

Environ Monit Assess, 2003 May, 84(1-2), 35 - 44
Removal and recovery of metals from a coal pile runoff; Ibeanusi VM et al.; The removal and recovery of heavy metals from a coal pile runoff water using a mixture of multiple metal-tolerant bacterial strains of ATCC 55673, and ATCC 55674 and a Pseudomonas sp . was investigated . The analysis of elemental composition of metal precipitates recovered from the bacterial biomass by transmission electron microscopy andenergy dispersive X-ray analysis revealed the presence of metals originally present in the wastewater . In addition, analysis of metals in culture supernatant and bacterial biomass by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP-ES) indicated a removal range of 82-100% and a recovery of 15-58% of metals from the wastewater and bacterial biomass, respectively.

Ambio, 2003 Mar, 32(2), 124 - 9
Water management for a megacity: Mexico City Metropolitan Area; Tortajada C et al.; The paper presents an overview of the present situation of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) . The analysis indicates an urgent need to radically improve the current water supply and wastewater management practices, to become sustainable . The MCMA is one of the most rapidly growing urban centers of the world, with a population of about 21 million people, a very high rate of immigration and numerous illegal settlements . In order to meet the increasing water demand, successive governments have focused almost exclusively on supply management and engineering solutions, which have resulted in investments of hundreds of millions of USD and the construction of major infrastructure projects for interbasin water transfer . Environmental, economic and social policies associated with water management are mostly inadequate and insufficient, which is resulting in increasing deterioration in the environment, health and socioeconomic conditions of a population living in one of the largest urban agglomerations of the world . Surprisingly, however, no long-term strategies on demand-management, reuse, conservation, and improved water-management practices have been developed so far.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Mar, 87(1), 129 - 32
Utilization of various agricultural wastes for activated carbon preparation and application for the removal of dyes and metal ions from aqueous solutions; Kadirvelu K et al.; Activated carbons were prepared from the agricultural solid wastes, silk cotton hull, coconut tree sawdust, sago waste, maize cob and banana pith and used to eliminate heavy metals and dyes from aqueous solution . Adsorption of all dyes and metal ions required a very short time and gave quantitative removal . Experimental results show all carbons were effective for the removal of pollutants from water . Since all agricultural solid wastes used in this investigation are freely, abundantly and locally available, the resulting carbons are expected to be economically viable for wastewater treatment.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Mar, 87(1), 113 - 24
Mathematical modeling of non-ideal mixing continuous flow reactors for anaerobic digestion of cattle manure; Keshtkar A et al.; Most conventional digesters used for animal wastewater treatment include continuously stirred-tank reactors . While imperfect mixing patterns are more common than ideal ones in real reactors, anaerobic digestion models often assume complete mixing conditions . Therefore, their applicability appears to be limited . In this study, a mathematical model for anaerobic digestion of cattle manure was developed to describe the dynamic behavior of non-ideal mixing continuous flow reactors . The microbial kinetic model includes an enzymatic hydrolysis step and four microbial growth steps, together with the effects of substrate inhibition, pH and thermodynamic considerations . The biokinetic expressions were linked to a simple two-region liquid mixing model, which considered the reactor volume in two separate sections, the flow-through and the retention regions . Deviations from an ideal completely mixed regime were represented by changing the relative volume of the flow-through region (a) and the ratio of the internal exchange flow rate to the feed flow rate (b) . The effects of the hydraulic retention time, the composition of feed, the initial conditions of the reactor and the degree of mixing on process performance can be evaluated by the dynamic model . The simulation results under different conditions showed that deviations from the ideal mixing regime decreased the methane yield and resulted in a reduced performance of the anaerobic reactors . The evaluation of the impact of the characteristic mixing parameters (a) and (b) on the anaerobic digestion of cattle manure showed that both liquid mixing parameters had significant effects on reactor performance.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Mar, 87(1), 51 - 6
Comparative evaluation of yeast and bacterial treatment of high salinity wastewater based on biokinetic coefficients; Dan NP et al.; This paper compares the performance of the aerobic treatment of high organic-high salinity wastewater by yeast and bacterial systems . The biokinetic coefficients for both the systems were determined and used to analyze the behavior of the yeast and bacterial systems under high salinity conditions . It was found that the yeast culture was more efficient compared to the bacterial culture, especially for high salinity conditions that severely inhibit growth and performance of bacterial systems . The values of the biokinetic coefficients obtained from this study are in agreement with the observations . Nutrient removal capacity has also been found to be better for yeast due to higher nutrient uptake in the yeast biomass.

Anal Bioanal Chem, 2003 Apr, 375(8), 1130 - 5 Epub 2003 Feb 22.
On-line monitoring of opaque liquids by photoacoustic spectroscopy; Schmid T et al.; A new photoacoustic sensor system for on-line monitoring of highly concentrated and optical opaque liquid samples is presented . The dyeing of textiles is performed with highly concentrated dye solutions with concentrations ranging from 50 mg L(-1) up to 40 g L(-1) . For process optimization and control of the wastewater, an on-line monitoring of the dye concentration is needed . Optical transmission measurements allow the determination of the dye concentration in a relatively small range . Samples with concentrations in the upper mg L(-1) and g L(-1) range have to be diluted before the measurement due to their optical opacity . Additionally, light-scattering particles have a strong effect on the transmitted light intensity . By photoacoustic spectroscopy, concentrations in condensed matter can be determined over several orders of magnitude . Furthermore, scattering particles do not generate any photoacoustic signal.

Med Pr, 2003, 54(1), 73 - 80
{Harmful agents in municipal wastewater treatment plants}; Cyprowski M et al.; Chemical and biological hazards and health effects of exposure to some selected agents on the workers of municipal wastewater treatment plants are reported . This issue has not as yet been thoroughly analyzed in Poland . The workers of wastewater treatment plants are exposed to: heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), volatile organic matter, hydrogen sulfide, organic agents, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, organic-produced endotoxins and glucans . The most frequent disorders reported by the wastewater--treatment workers comprise respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, ocular and dermal irritations, headache and discomfort . The assessment of hygienic conditions at individual workplaces is difficult because of lack of hygiene standards for airborne microorganisms and endotoxins . Up to now, the exposure of workers employed in municipal wastewater treatment plants has not been assessed in Poland . The number of the affected workers is estimated at 11,000-19,000 people.

J Biotechnol, 2003 May 8, 102(3), 233 - 9
A general model for biosorption of Cd2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ by aerobic granules; Liu Y et al.; Aerobic granules are microbial aggregates with a strong and compact structure . This study looked into the feasibility of aerobic granules as a novel type of biosorbent for the removal of individual Cd(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) from aqueous solution . Based on the thermodynamics of biosorption reaction, a general model was developed to describe the equilibrium biosorption of individual Cd(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) by aerobic granules . This model provides good insights into the thermodynamic mechanisms of biosorption of heavy metals . The model prediction was in good agreement with the experimental data obtained . It was further demonstrated that the Langmuir, Freundlich and Sips or Hill equations were particular cases of the proposed model . The biosorption capacity of individual Cd(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) on aerobic granules was 172.7, 59.6 and 164.5 mgg(-1), respectively . These values may imply that aerobic granules are effective biosorbent for the removal of Cd(2+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) from industrial wastewater.

Chemosphere, 2003 Jul, 52(1), 55 - 66
Risk assessment approach for untreated wastewater using the QUAL2E water quality model; McAvoy DC et al.; This paper presents a novel approach for assessing the risk of consumer product ingredients in surface waters that receive untreated wastewater . The approach utilizes the water quality simulation model QUAL2E for predicting the impact caused by conventional pollutants, as well as the exposure concentration of consumer product ingredients . This approach invokes an impact zone concept whereby the receiving water can be thought of as a natural wastewater treatment system . After the river has recovered via self-purification, the ecosystem is then assessed by traditional risk assessment methods . This approach was validated using data collected from the Balatuin River, which is located in the Philippines . Results from this study support the use of QUAL2E for assessing the risk of consumer product ingredients in riverine systems receiving untreated wastewater.

Chemosphere, 2003 Jul, 52(1), 43 - 53
The influence of untreated wastewater to aquatic communities in the Balatuin River, The Philippines; Dyer SD et al.; A risk assessment of chemical constituents in rivers that receive untreated wastewater should take into account the adverse effects of increased biological oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia and reduced dissolved oxygen (DO) . This concept was tested via a field study in the Balatuin River, The Philippines, where the influence of physical and chemical factors, including the consumer product chemical linear alkylbenezene sulfonate (LAS), to aquatic communities (algae, invertebrates, fish) was determined . Periphytic algae were found to be insensitive to high BOD (>10 mg/l) and ammonia (>0.01 mg unionized NH(3)/l), concentrations from organically enriched untreated wastewater discharges . However, taxa richness and abundance of macroinvertebrates were influenced greatly by the discharges . Where BOD and ammonia concentrations were elevated, the dominant taxa were oligochaete worms and chironominds . Fish and crustaceans (freshwater crabs and prawns) were found only in sites with the least BOD concentrations (furthest upstream and downstream) . The maximum concentration of LAS (0.122 mg/l) was less than that expected to affect 5% of taxa (0.245 mg/l), whereas exceedences of DO and ammonia criteria were observed in several sites . The lack of recovery observed was attributed to influences of low DO, high ammonia and poor colonization from upstream and downstream reaches due to organically-enriched discharges

J Environ Monit, 2003 Apr, 5(2), 341 - 5
Occurrence and persistence of perfluorooctanesulfonate and other perfluorinated surfactants in groundwater at a fire-training area at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, USA; Moody CA et al.; Various formulations of fire-extinguishing materials, including aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), were used as part of fire-training exercises conducted at Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) in northeastern Michigan from the 1950s until the base was decommissioned in 1993 . As a result of past fire-training exercises, AFFF-laden wastewater containing fuels, solvents, and other materials directly entered groundwater without prior treatment . Perfluorinated surfactants are key components in some AFFF formulations . In this study, groundwater was analyzed for perfluoroalkanesulfonates and perfluorocarboxylates . Perfluoroalkanesulfonates were directly detected using negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry . Derivatized perfluorocarboxylates were detected using electron impact gas chromatography-mass spectrometry . Groundwater from wells around fire-training area FTA-02 at WAFB contained four perfluorinated surfactants ranging in concentration from 3 to 120 microg L(-1): perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS); perfluorohexanesulfonate; perfluorooctanoate; and perfluorohexanoate . This is the first report demonstrating that PFOS, recently shown to be toxic to organisms ranging from zooplankton to primates, is still present in groundwater in measurable quantities five or more years after its last known use.

J Environ Monit, 2003 Apr, 5(2), 319 - 23
Determination of petroleum hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sludge from wastewater treatment basins; Pavlova A et al.; Screening by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been carried out on sludge extracts of wastewater treatment basins . Soxhlet extraction with trichlorotrifluoroethane was applied . The yields for petroleum hydrocarbons and PAH recovery were high, usually in excess of 90% . The proposed investigations permit a quick assessment of petroleum pollutants in the environment.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(10), 2520 - 4
Wastewater treatment by radial freezing with stirring effects; Gay G et al.; Radial freezing experiments on wastewater models were conducted in the presence of imposed stirring in order to remove impurities . The studied samples (dilute Na-montmorillonite suspensions charged with nitrates and with zinc or lead) were placed inside a cylindrical annulus, cooled at a controlled temperature around -7 degrees C at its inner wall which rotated around a vertical axis . The freezing front propagated toward the still outer wall which was maintained at a constant temperature around +1 degrees C . Thanks to stirring, considerable purification rates up to 99.97% were attained . It was also demonstrated that combining radial freezing and stirring ended in residual concentrations which agreed with drinking water standards.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(10), 2442 - 8
Reactor design and kinetics study of 4,4'-dichlorobiphenyl photodecay in surfactant solution by using a photosensitizer and hydrogen source; Chu W et al.; The system design based on the photodegradation kinetics of 4,4'-dichlorobiphenyl (4,4'-DCB) in surfactant solution with the aid of solvents (acetone and/or squalane) has been studied . Organic solvents acetone and squalane were added as a photosensitizer and a hydrogen source, respectively, to achieve better photolysis performance . The quantum yield of 4,4'-DCB photodecay in Tween 80 micellar solution in the presence of added acetone was increased from 0.032 to 0.043 at its optimal condition . Acetone was shown to be an effective photosensitizer at low concentration, but an overdose would quench the reaction . Furthermore, the addition of squalane could further promote the photodechlorination of 4,4'-DCB in the Tween 80/acetone solutions for an additional 59% of rate improvement . However, an overdose of either solvent was found to cause UV light attenuation and to reduce the observed quantum yield . This effect has been justified and quantified in this study by a proposed light attenuation model, which has also been incorporated into the kinetic equation so that the resulted formula can be used to design the UV reactors for water and wastewater treatment works.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(10), 2426 - 34
Membrane treatment by nanofiltration of exhausted vegetable tannin liquors from the leather industry; Cassano A et al.; A rational use of water in the leather industry is described by applying the criteria of "clean technologies" by means of membrane processes . A nanofiltration (NF) process was used for recovering tannins and water from exhausted baths and reusing them as tanning agents and washings . Results of experiments performed on laboratory and semi-industrial pilot scale plants, operating and fluid-dynamic conditions and mass balance of the NF process are reported and discussed . Chemical and physical analytical values measured on skins treated with the recovered solutions were very similar to those measured on control skins tanned with standard solutions . According to the obtained results, a process scheme is suggested . It permits both to recover water and to increase the tannin/non tannin (T/NT) ratio in the retentate solution, starting from exhausted tanning baths and by using a NF membrane purification/concentration . The final volume reduction factor of tested exhausted baths was 5.25, the increase of T/NT ratio was from 1.1 to 2.3 and the average permeate flux was 12.5l/m(2)h . Advantages are in terms of: reduction of environmental impact (up to 75% of COD reduction of the global effluent), simplification of cleaning-up processes of wastewaters, decrease of disposal costs, saving of chemicals and water.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(10), 2365 - 71
Wastewater disinfection with PAA and UV combined treatment: a pilot plant study; Caretti C et al.; This study is part of a larger research project on Advanced Treatments for wastewater reuse in agriculture . Because of Italy's strict microbiological limits on unrestricted wastewater reuse in agriculture (2 MPN/100ml Total Coliforms), a very high degree of disinfection is necessary.The objective of this study is to proceed in validating, with a pilot plant experimentation, previous laboratory results on the disinfection efficacy of the synergic combined treatment between ultraviolet irradiation (UV) and peracetic acid (PAA) . The research has been carried out through a 5 month on-site experimental study in a pilot plant, considering four different solutions: PAA addition, UV irradiation, addition of PAA upstream the UV device (PAA+UV) and addition of PAA downstream the UV device (UV+PAA) . In the investigated experimental conditions (2-8 ppm of PAA with 10-30 min contact time; 100-300 mJ/cm(2) UV), it has been impossible to meet the microbiological limits through an exclusive use of UV irradiation or PAA . The disinfection efficacy enhances by using the UV+PAA treatment, but a much higher efficacy gain occurs by using the PAA+UV treatment . In this latter case, the higher efficiency is recognized as being brought about by the formation of free radicals due to the photolysis of the PAA when in presence of the UV rays . A preliminary cost analysis has been carried out in order to highlight the more economically advantageous solution which guarantees compliance to the strict limits.

J Colloid Interface Sci, 2003 May 1, 261(1), 133 - 45
Plastic deformation in cake consolidation; Zhao J et al.; Cake filtration has a variety of applications in wastewater treatment by solid/liquid separation processes . In order to obtain the physical properties of the filter cake, a Compression-Permeability Cell (C-P Cell) can be used to examine the constitutive relationships among the solid compressive stresses, porosity and the specific filtration resistance . In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to study the transient distribution of stresses, strains and void ratios in the confined cake of a C-P Cell under constant axial loads for dewatering . Simulations have been carried out using a plasticity model and the sensitivity analysis has revealed the possible contribution a finite plasticity can bring about the two types of cake examples with either medium or high compressibility.

Environ Monit Assess, 2003 Apr, 83(3), 295 - 302
Photocatalytic degradation of phenol; Akbal F et al.; In this study photocatalytic degradation of phenol in the presence of UV irradiated TiO2 catalyst and H2O2 was investigated . Effects of TiO2 and H2O2 concentrations and pH on photocatalytic degradation were examined . The rate constants for photocatalytic degradation were evaluated as a function of TiO2 and H2O2 concentrations and pH of the solution . It was found that photodegradation is an effective method for the removal of phenol and disappearance of phenol obeyed first order kinetics . The amount of CO2 produced during photocatalytic degradation was corresponding to the complete mineralization . Photodegradation can be an alternative method for the treatment of phenol containing wastewaters.

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop, 2003 Jan-Feb, 36(1), 41 - 50 Epub 2003 Apr 22.
Environmental sanitation conditions and health impact: a case-control study; Heller L et al.; This epidemiological investigation examines the impact of several environmental sanitation conditions and hygiene practices on diarrhea occurrence among children under five years of age living in an urban area . The case-control design was employed; 997 cases and 999 controls were included in the investigation . Cases were defined as children with diarrhea and controls were randomly selected among children under five years of age . After logistic regression adjustment, the following variables were found to be significantly associated with diarrhea: washing and purifying fruit and vegetables; presence of wastewater in the street; refuse storage, collection and disposal; domestic water reservoir conditions; feces disposal from swaddles; presence of vectors in the house and flooding in the lot . The estimates of the relative risks reached values up to 2.87 . The present study revealed the feasibility of developing and implementing an adequate model to establish intervention priorities in the field of environmental sanitation.

Sci Total Environ, 2003 May 20, 307(1-3), 11 - 8
Degradative hydrogen peroxide oxidation of chelates catalysed by metallophthalocyanines; Pirkanniemi K et al.; Catalytic oxidation of various chelating agents in aqueous solutions, namely: diethylenetriaminepentakis(methylphosphonic acid) (DTPMP); diethylenediaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA); ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA); nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA); and beta-alaninediacetic acid (beta-ADA) was studied . Hydrogen peroxide was used as oxidising agent in combination with five different metallotetrasulfophthalocyanines as catalysts . (Reaction temperature was set to 60 degrees C, which is expected to be the temperature of bleaching wastewaters of modern pulp mill in the near future . Among the uncomplexed chelating agents, EDTA was most readily degraded, while DTPMP and NTA were less degradable . beta-ADA and DTPA concentrations remained high . The metal speciation of these chelating agents has a significant effect on their chemical degradability . Iron, manganese and sodium complexes were most degradable, while zinc, copper and calcium complexes were more difficult to oxidise.

J Environ Qual, 2003 Mar-Apr, 32(2), 694 - 701
Polyvalent cation effects on myo-inositol hexakis dihydrogenphosphate enzymatic dephosphorylation in dairy wastewater; Dao TH; Information is needed on organic polyphosphates such as myo-inositol 1,2,3,5/4,6-hexakis dihydrogenphosphate or phytate (IP6) contribution to the sources and sinks of dissolved phosphorus (PO4-P) in the soil-manure-water system . Effects of Na+, Ca2+, Al3+, and Fe3+ and cation to IP6-P mole ratios on the enzymatic dephosphorylation of IP6 were studied to determine controlling mechanisms of dephosphorylation and persistence in manure . Phytate- and PO4-P were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography . Phytate dephosphorylation by Aspergillus ficuum (Reichardt) Henn . phytase EC 3.1.3.8 decreases by 50 +/- 3.6 and 40 +/- 4% at pH 4.5 and 6, respectively, as Ca2+ concentrations increase and cation to IP6-P mole ratios reach 6:6 . Polyanionic IP6 has a high affinity for Al3+ and Fe3+ and reductions in dephosphorylation average 27 and 32% at a cation to IP6-P mole ratio of 1:6 for Al3+ and Fe3+, respectively, while reaching more than 99% at a mole ratio of 6:6 . A phytase-hydrolyzable phosphorus (PHP) fraction is native to ruminant animal manure and is proportional to total solids (TS) concentration in 1 to 100 g L(-1) suspensions . Added phytase, in effect, increases water-extractable P content of manure and the risk of environmental P dispersion . As the bioavailability and ecological effect of IP6-P appear to be regulated not only by pH-controlled enzyme activity but also by the associated counterions, the differential protective effects of cations influence the accuracy of manure PHP fraction estimates and increase phytate resistance to enzymatic dephosphorylation that may lead to its persistence in manure.

J Environ Qual, 2003 Mar-Apr, 32(2), 633 - 41
Phosphorus in runoff assessed by anion exchange resin extraction and an algal assay; Uusitalo R et al.; Eutrophication of surface waters can be accelerated by agricultural inputs of phosphorus (P), provided that P is in a form that can be utilized by aquatic algae . We studied anion exchange resin (AER) extraction and a dual culture algal assay (DCAA) for the determination of potentially algal-available P in water samples without sediment preconcentration . Our material consisted of agricultural and forest runoff and wastewaters . The results obtained by the two methods were essentially equal when the samples contained only small amounts of particulate phosphorus (PP) in relation to dissolved molybdate-reactive phosphorus (DRP) . However, in turbid agricultural runoff, P extracted with AER averaged 72% (n = 17) of the P yield of the 3-wk DCAA (R2 = 0.94) . When the runoff samples were diluted for the AER extraction in the same manner as for the DCAA, the AER-P yield increased to 85% (n = 5) of DCAA-P . The minimum detectable value was greater for the AER test (41 microg L(-1) AER-extractable P) than for the DCAA (7 microg L(-1) DCAA-P) . At concentrations greater than about 50 microg L(-1) AER-P or DCAA-P, the accuracy of the methods was satisfactory, with the coefficient of variation in replicated analyses being less than 10% for the AER test and less than 20% for the DCAA . Other anions competing for the exchange sites of the AER decreased P recovery by 15 to 20% when their equivalent concentration exceeded about 4 mmol, L(-1), and this effect was relatively constant over a large concentration range . We consider that AER extraction is a suitable low-cost method to estimate the algal availability of P in runoff samples.

Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2003 Jan, 24(1), 107 - 12
{Catalytic wet oxidation of simulated wastewater succinic acid aqueous solution}; Zhang S et al.; TiO2 supports and Ru-TiO2 catalysts were characterized such as resistance to compression, specific area and crystalline structure . Activities of Ru-TiO2 catalysts in catalytic wet oxidation of succinic acid aqueous solution were studied . When loading same content of Ru on support, the larger of specific area and pore volume of support the higher of catalytic activities . Activities of catalyst made by surface treated support were higher than not treated support(COD removal increased about 10%) . Reaction was greatly influenced by temperature and pH value . When the reaction conditions were 270 degrees C, pH = 11.00, starting pressure 2.3 MPa, reacting pressure 7.1 MPa, 30 min, COD removal was at the range of 67.4%-95.4% . The catalysts remained high activities and stability after 12 times of reaction and kept COD removal great than 99%, NH3-N removal reached to 100% in a month running on a 200 L/d reactor.

Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2003 Jan, 24(1), 63 - 9
{Temperature effects on DO and ORP in the wastewater treatment}; Gao D et al.; At present, there are some problems in the study of DO and ORP as control parameters, because the researches are usually developed in the invariable temperature . However, environmental temperature is changing in the wastewater treatment . The effect of environmental temperature on DO and ORP as control parameter was studied specially in some experiments carried on a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with soybean wastewater in this paper . Results show that the law of variation in DO during organism removal were influenced with the environmental temperature, at different experiment condition of aeration intensity, MLSS concentration or inflow nutrition concentration, but the variation in ORP were not influenced with it . The reason that the DO was influenced was also discussed . This paper brought forward that the control parameter using ORP was accurate and reliable when environmental temperature changed . In addition, inflow COD concentration and the time that ORP concave value appeared was connected, and the speed that ORP in curve ascended related with the COD concentration during the degradation . So the end point of degradation may be estimated by applying ORP derivative . United ORP concave value and its derivative, it can be made on-line control of aeration intensity and aeration time.

Biosens Bioelectron, 2003 May, 18(5-6), 529 - 40
New highly sensitive and selective catalytic DNA biosensors for metal ions; Lu Y et al.; While remarkable progress has been made in developing sensors for metal ions such as Ca(II) and Zn(II), designing and synthesizing sensitive and selective metal ion sensors remains a significant challenge . Perhaps the biggest challenge is the design and synthesis of a sensor capable of specific and strong metal binding . Since our knowledge about the construction of metal-binding sites in general is limited, searching for sensors in a combinatorial way is of significant value . Therefore, we have been able to use a combinatorial method called in vitro selection to obtain catalytic DNA that can bind a metal ion of choice strongly and specifically . The metal ion selectivity of the catalytic DNA was further improved using a 'negative selection' strategy where catalytic DNA that are selective for competing metal ions are discarded in the in vitro selection processes . By labeling the resulting catalytic DNA with a fluorophore/quencher pair, we have made a new class of metal ion fluorescent sensors that are the first examples of catalytic DNA biosensors for metal ions . The sensors combine the high selectivity of catalytic DNA with the high sensitivity of fluorescent detection, and can be applied to the quantitative detection of metal ions over a wide concentration range and with high selectivity . The use of DNA sensors in detection and quantification of lead ions in environmental samples such as water from Lake Michigan has been demonstrated . DNA is stable, cost-effective, environmentally benign, and easily adaptable to optical fiber and microarray technology for device manufacture . Thus, the DNA sensors explained here hold great promise for on-site and real-time monitoring of metal ions in the fields of environmental monitoring, developmental biology, clinical toxicology, wastewater treatment, and industrial process monitoring.

Mar Pollut Bull, 2003 Apr, 46(4), 424 - 9
Elements in fish of Malibu Creek and Malibu Lagoon near Los Angeles, California; Moeller A et al.; Our aim was to assess whether past discharges from a wastewater treatment plant increased metal pollutant loads in stream mobile species in a one-day baseline sampling study that included a coastal wetland . Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) of two sizes, black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), and crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were collected from Malibu Creek, and California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) of three sizes, as well as arroyo chub (Gila orcutti) were sampled from Malibu Lagoon near Los Angeles, California . Species from each locality were pooled by length, homogenized, digested by microwave wet ashing, and analyzed by simultaneous inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy for 27 elements . Lagoon killifish 2.0-3.5 cm long contained levels of arsenic and lead above the levels for 95% of California fish, the EDL95 . Black bullhead upstream of the discharge contained elevated levels of As, Cr and Se . Young mosquitofish <3 cm in length upstream of the discharge differed greatly in the order of abundance of their elements relative to larger mosquitofish and to other species collected . More sampling than this baseline study allowed was needed to determine if the wastewater treatment plant was a pollution source.

Environ Technol, 2003 Mar, 24(3), 361 - 8
Effect of rapid hydraulic shock loads on the performance of granular bed baffled reactor; Baloch MI et al.; This paper describes the performance of a granular bed baffled reactor when receiving unpredictable hydraulic shock loads, which is a frequent occurrence in industrial wastewater treatment plants . Shock loads were created by rapidly increasing volumetric organic loading rates from 2.5 to 20 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), by decreasing (in a stepwise fashion) hydraulic retention time from 48 hrs to 6 hrs . Synthetic wastewater containing glucose as the main organic compound was used in this study . High effluent quality was observed, with soluble COD removal efficiencies of 94% to 97%, during all shock loading conditions at steady state . The reactor appeared to possess high tolerance to rapid hydraulic changes with fast recovery time . Marked phase separation between different microorganisms occurred at high organic loading rate, with acidogenesis and methanogenesis being the respective dominant activities in the upstream and downstream compartments of the reactor . The compartmentalised nature of the reactor and the granular bed structure were believed to be responsible for high reactor stability during overloading conditions . Microbial ecology in the system appeared to favour acetate and butyrate production at high organic loading rate . Granular biomass possessed good settling characteristics, hence encouraging high biomass retention within the system . The dense granular bed in the methanogenic zone acted as a filtration bed for lighter floating non-granular biomass, thus further reducing overall effluent solids concentration . This study demonstrated that the granular bed baffled reactor is a suitable system for treating industrial wastewaters with highly varying rates.

Environ Technol, 2003 Mar, 24(3), 349 - 59
The under sink garbage grinder: a friendly technology for the environment; Bolzonella D et al.; The use of garbage grinders is not a usual practice in Europe, but it is in other countries around the world (e.g., North America, Japan and Australia) . Sometimes, garbage grinders are accused of producing problems in sewers and wastewater treatment plants and are prohibited by environmental protection laws . In this study, the different impacts determined by the use of this technology were considered to show the positive impacts of its use . In particular, it was shown that garbage grinders enable the disposal of household organic wastes with advantages for the wastewater treatment processes because of an increase in the carbon/nutrients ratio in the wastewater . This is particularly important for biological nutrients removal processes . Daily specific contributions for person equivalent (PE) due to organic waste disposal through garbage grinders were found to be equal to 75 gCODPE(-1) d(-1) for carbon (as COD), 2.5 gNPE(-1) d(-1) for nitrogen and 0.25 gPPE(-1) d(-1) for phosphorous, respectively . Those determined a value of 30 for the COD/N ratio . Moreover, no problems with solids settling in sewers were noted . These results were extensively compared with literature data . The economical balance showed that the use of garbage grinders allowed a global saving of some 17 Euro year(-1) for a three people family . Important benefits are also gained from an environmental point of view (e.g, organic wastes disposal nutrients removal in wastewater treatment and increase in biogas production with energy reclamation).

J Colloid Interface Sci, 2002 Oct 1, 254(1), 17 - 22
Adsorption of dyes onto carbonaceous materials produced from coffee grounds by microwave treatment; Hirata M et al.; Organic wastes have been burned for reclamation . However, they have to be recycled and reused for industrial sustainable development . Carbonaceous materials were produced from coffee grounds by microwave treatment . There are many phenolic hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the surface of carbonaceous materials . The base consumption of the carbonaceous materials was larger than that of the commercially activated carbon . The carbonaceous materials produced from coffee grounds were applied to the adsorbates for the removal of basic dyes (methylene blue and gentian violet) in wastewater . This result indicated that the adsorption of dyes depended upon the surface polar groups on the carbonaceous materials . Moreover, the Freundlich constants of isotherms for the adsorption of methylene blue and gentian violet onto the carbonaceous materials produced from coffee grounds were greater than those for adsorption onto activated carbon or ceramic activated carbon . The interaction was greatest between the surface or porosity of the carbonaceous materials and methylene blue and gentian violet . The microwave treatment would be useful for the carbonization of organic wastes to save energy.

Lett Appl Microbiol, 2003, 36(5), 297 - 301
Biomass and porosity profiles in microbial granules used for aerobic wastewater treatment; Tay JH et al.; AIMS: To obtain biomass and porosity profiles for aerobically grown granules of different diameters and to determine a suitable range of granule diameters for application in wastewater treatment . METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbial granules were cultivated in an aerobic granulated sludge reactor with model wastewaters containing acetate, or ethanol plus acetate, or glucose as the main carbon source . Granules were formed by retaining microbial aggregates using a settling time of 2 min . Sampled granules had diameters ranging from 0.45 to 3 mm . Microbial biomass in the granules was detected with the nucleic acid stain SYTO 9 and confocal laser scanning microscopy . The thickness of the microbial biomass layer was proportional to the granule diameter, and had a maximum value of 0.8 mm . The thickness of the microbial biomass layer correlated with the penetration depth of 0.1 microm fluorescent beads into the granule . CONCLUSIONS: The microbial biomass and porosity studies suggest that aerobically grown microbial granules should have diameters less than a critical diameter of 0.5 mm, if deployed for wastewater treatment applications . This critical diameter is based on the assumption that whole granules should have a porous biomass-filled matrix . SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work could contribute to the development of aerobic granulation technology for effective biological wastewater treatment.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Sep, 89(2), 207 - 11
Removal of hexavalent chromium using distillery sludge; Selvaraj K et al.; Batch mode experiments were conducted to study the removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous and industrial effluent using distillery sludge . Effects of pH, contact time, initial concentration and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption of Cr(VI) were studied . The data obeyed Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms . The Langmuir adsorption capacity was found to be 5.7 mg/g . Freundlich constants K(f) and n were 2.05 {mg/g(L/mg)(n)} and 3.9, respectively . Desorption studies indicated the removal of 82% of the hexavalent chromium . The efficiency of adsorbent towards the removal of chromium was also tested using chromium-plating wastewater.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Sep, 89(2), 145 - 54
Comparative biosorption of mercuric ions from aquatic systems by immobilized live and heat-inactivated Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus sajur-caju; Arica MY et al.; Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus sajur-caju mycelia immobilized in Ca-alginate beads were used for the removal of mercuric ions from aqueous solutions . The sorption of Hg(II) ions by alginate beads and both immobilized live and heat-killed fungal mycelia of T . versicolor and P . sajur-caju was studied in the concentration range of 0.150-3.00 mmol dm(-3) . The biosorption of Hg(II) increased as the initial concentration of Hg(II) ions increased in the medium . Maximum biosorption capacities for plain alginate beads were 0.144+/-0.005 mmol Hg(II)/g; for immobilized live and heat-killed fungal mycelia of T . versicolor were 0.171+/-0.007 mmol Hg(II)/g and 0.383+/-0.012 mmol Hg(II)/g respectively; whereas for live and heat-killed P . sajur-caju, the values were 0.450+/-0.014 mmol Hg(II)/g and 0.660+/-0.019 mmol Hg(II)/g respectively . Biosorption equilibrium was established in about 1 h and the equilibrium adsorption was well described by Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms . Between 15 and 45 degrees C the biosorption capacity was not affected and maximum adsorption was observed between pH 4.0 and 6.0 . The alginate-fungus beads could be regenerated using 10 mmol dm(-3) HCl solution, with up to 97% recovery . The biosorbents were reused in five biosorption-desorption cycles without a significant loss in biosorption capacity . Heat-killed T . versicolor and P . sajur-caju removed 73% and 81% of the Hg(II) ions, respectively, from synthetic wastewater samples.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Sep, 89(2), 115 - 9
Adsorption of metal ions by pecan shell-based granular activated carbons; Bansode RR et al.; The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the adsorption effectiveness of pecan shell-based granular activated carbons (GACs) in removing metal ions (Cu(2+), Pb(2+), Zn(2+)) commonly found in municipal and industrial wastewater . Pecan shells were activated by phosphoric acid, steam or carbon dioxide activation methods . Metal ion adsorption of shell-based GACs was compared to the metal ion adsorption of a commercial carbon, namely, Calgon's Filtrasorb 200 . Adsorption experiments were conducted using solutions containing all three metal ions in order to investigate the competitive effects of the metal ions as would occur in contaminated wastewater . The results obtained from this study showed that acid-activated pecan shell carbon adsorbed more lead ion and zinc ion than any of the other carbons, especially at carbon doses of 0.2-1.0% . However, steam-activated pecan shell carbon adsorbed more copper ion than the other carbons, particularly using carbon doses above 0.2% . In general, Filtrasorb 200 and carbon dioxide-activated pecan shell carbons were poor metal ion adsorbents . The results indicate that acid- and steam-activated pecan shell-based GACs are effective metal ion adsorbents and can potentially replace typical coal-based GACs in treatment of metal contaminated wastewater.

Water Res, 2003 Apr, 37(8), 1868 - 78
Anaerobic treatment of real textile wastewater with a fluidized bed reactor; Sen S et al.; Anaerobic treatability of a real cotton textile wastewater was investigated in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR) with pumice as the support material . The immobilized biomass or attached volatile solids level on the support material was 0.073 g VSS/g support material at the end of the 128-d start-up period . During the operation period, real cotton textile wastewater was fed to the anaerobic FBR both unsupplemented (in Stages 1 and 2) and supplemented (with synthetic municipal wastewater in Stage 3 and glucose in Stages 4-6) . The effect of operational conditions such as organic loading rate (OLR), hydraulic retention time (HRT), influent glucose concentration as the co-substrate, etc . was investigated to achieve the maximum color removal efficiency in the reactor . Results indicated that anaerobic treatment of textile wastewater studied was possible with the supplementation of an external carbon source in the form of glucose (about 2g/l) . The corresponding maximum COD, BOD(5) and color removals were found to be around 82%, 94% and 59%, respectively, for HRT of around 24h and OLR of 3 kg COD/m(3)/d . Further increase in external carbon source added to real textile wastewater did not improve the color removal efficiency of the anaerobic FBR reactor.

Water Res, 2003 Apr, 37(8), 1859 - 67
Techno-economic evaluation of membrane filtration for the recovery and re-use of tanning chemicals; Scholz W et al.; The majority of pollution generated from leather manufacturing can be contributed to the inefficiency of chemical use in leather processing and to organic substances derived from the hides during processing . In particular, the overall tanning processes performed in drums can be characterized by a high consumption of water and chemicals, most of which are found in the final wastewater . To ensure full penetration and reaction of chemicals with collagen, chemicals are added in excess and are only partly up-taken by the leather . Significant savings of chemicals can be achieved by recovery and recycling of chemicals and water from part streams, thus reducing environmental impacts.This research formed an integrated approach to investigate and exploit the potential of a closed loop operation for various part streams of tanneries . Each of the process streams was separately collected, treated and purified by membrane technologies to obtain a recyclable liquor which can be re-used operationally . In this way a complete recovery of process liquors can be achieved for immediate operational re-use.Membrane technology has been applied to recover chemicals from un-hairing, vegetable tanning, chrome liquors and to polish saline part streams for re-use . By applying membrane filtration up to 90% of the treated liquors can be recovered giving a remaining concentrate volume of only 10% . The permeate obtained from several process areas contained to a high extent chemicals, which were re-used for leather processing.

Water Res, 2003 Apr, 37(8), 1769 - 75
Novel poly (vinyl chloride) matrix membrane electrodes for the determination of phenolic pollutants in waste water; El-Kosasy AM et al.; The construction and electrochemical response characteristics of poly (vinyl chloride) matrix membrane sensors for seven phenolic compounds (phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol, p-chlorophenol, o-nitrophenol, alpha-naphthol and beta-naphthol) are described.The membranes incorporate ion association complexes of these seven phenolic anions with phenanthroline-iron(II) as electroactive materials.These sensors show linear response for phenol, o-cresol, p-cresol, p-chlorophenol, o-nitrophenol, alpha-naphthol, and beta-naphthol over wide concentration ranges, with an average anionic slope 54.3 mV per concentration decade.The suggested sensors exhibit fast response time (1 min), low determination limits (1 x 10(-5)M), good stability (2-3 weeks), reasonable selectivity to phenolic compounds in the presence of other water pollutants . The average percentage recovery was 99.78+/-0.088 for individual phenolates and 99.61+/-0.198 for phenolates in mixtures.The investigated sensors were successfully used for direct potentiometric determination of traces of these phenolic compounds in wastewater samples . Results with mean accuracy of 99.74+/-0.29%, 99.82+/-0.36%, 99.65+/-0.47%, 99.73+/-0.37%, 99.77+/-0.30%, 99.86+/-0.31% and 99.91+/-0.22% was obtained for the seven sensors, respectively.These results were compared with data obtained using the British pharamacopial method (The British Pharmacopoeia, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London, 1993) and others (Clarke's Isolation and Identification of Drugs in Pharmaceuticals Body Fluids and Post-mortem Materials, 2nd Edition, The Pharmaceutical Press, London, 1998).

Chemosphere, 2003 Jun, 51(9), 901 - 12
Influence of various reaction parameters on 2,4-D removal in photo/ferrioxalate/H(2)O(2) process; Lee Y et al.; The influence of various reaction parameters on herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) removal were examined in the photo/ferrioxalate/H(2)O(2) system, with regard to: (1) sulfate, phosphate, and z.rad;OH scavenger, as solution constituent; and (2) light intensity, ferrioxalate, H(2)O(2), and oxalate concentration, as operating parameter . In terms of 2,4-D removal, the photo/ferrioxalate/H(2)O(2) system has always been superior to the photo/Ferric ion/H(2)O(2) system, despite the high presence of anions (sulfate 100 mM, phosphate 1 mM) or z.rad;OH scavenger . Not only the rate of 2,4-D removal, but also the decomposition rate of H(2)O(2) and oxalate proportionally increase with light intensity . The ferrioxalate concentration determines the light absorption fraction, and thus, controls the rates of 2,4-D removal, and the decomposition of H(2)O(2) and oxalate, are predicted from kinetic formulations . The optimal concentration of H(2)O(2) and oxalate, according to the extent of the z.rad;OH scavenging reaction with these reagents, has been demonstrated for 2,4-D removal . It was found that an increasing oxalate concentration, which bears the burden of increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC), does not occur . This is because its decomposition, as a result of the photochemical reduction of the ferric oxalate complex, results in a decrease of the equivalent DOC . The importance of the key reaction factors to be considered, when applying this system to real wastewater treatment, is also discussed.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2251 - 6
Use of fluorescent in situ hybridization to evidence the presence of Helicobacter pylori in water; Moreno Y et al.; We have evaluated the use of a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique for the detection of Helicobacter pylori in water (river and wastewater) samples . The assay was compared with PCR detection and isolation of cells on selective media . 16S rRNA and UreA+B sequence data were used as oligonucleotide probe and specific primers for FISH and PCR, respectively . Using FISH technique, H . pylori was detected in two river water and one wastewater samples, while PCR yielded only one positive result . H . pylori culture was not possible from any sample . According to these results, FISH technique has the potential to be used as a quick and sensitive method for detection of H . pylori in environmental samples.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2248 - 50
Treatment of cotton textile wastewater using lime and ferrous sulfate; Georgiou D et al.; This technical note summarizes the results of a textile wastewater treatment process aiming at the destruction of the wastewater's color by means of coagulation/flocculation techniques using ferrous sulfate and/or lime . All the experiments were run in a pilot plant that simulated an actual industrial wastewater treatment plant . Treatment with lime alone proved to be very effective in removing the color (70-90%) and part of the COD (50-60%) from the textile wastewater . Moreover, the treatment with ferrous sulfate regulating the pH in the range 9.0+/-0.5 using lime was equally effective . Finally, the treatment with lime in the presence of increasing doses of ferrous sulfate was tested successfully, however; it proved to be very costly mainly due to the massive production of solids that precipitated.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2233 - 41
Microscopic observation of particle reduction in slaughterhouse wastewater by coagulation-flocculation using ferric sulphate as coagulant and different coagulant aids; Aguilar MI et al.; A coagulation-flocculation treatment has been applied to a slaughterhouse liquid effluent, using ferric sulphate as coagulant and activated silica, powdered activated carbon, cationic polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid and anionic polyacrylamide as coagulant aids in order to improve the settling time.Once the optimal conditions had been established (speed and time of stirring during flocculation step, pH, coagulant and coagulant aid doses), the efficiency of the coagulation-flocculation process was studied by comparing the particle size distribution before and after the addition of the coagulant.When ferric sulphate was used without the coagulant aids, particle removal efficiency varied with size, although overall efficiency was quite substantial (87%) . The use of coagulant aids improved the removal efficiency, except in the case of activated silica, when it fell to 78% . In all other cases removal efficiency values between 93% (for polyvinyl alcohol) and 99% (for anionic polyacrylamide) were reached.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2090 - 6
Effect of various parameters on the ultraflocculation of fine sorbent particles, used in the wastewater purification from organic contaminants; Maes A et al.; A sorbent (Organosorb) is used in the wastewater purification from organic contaminants, here simulated by tetradecane . A short hydrodynamic treatment in a rather intense hydrodynamic field (G>10(3)) (called ultraflocculation) is applied to the sorbent suspension to which a flocculant is added . The efficiency of removal of the sorbent is studied . The sorbent concentration, the flocculant concentration, the treatment time, the organic pollutant (which has to be sorbed by the sorbent), the detergent (used for the emulsification of the pollutant), the pH and the calcium concentration of the water all influence the flocculation efficiency (E) of the sorbent particles . For each set of these parameters there exists an optimum intensity of the hydrodynamic treatment at which maximum flocculation efficiency is reached . An increase in the optimum intensity of the hydrodynamic field corresponds to an increased floc break-up, and consequently a lower maximum flocculation efficiency.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2081 - 9
Kinetics of a reactive dye adsorption onto dolomitic sorbents; Walker GM et al.; A novel wastewater treatment technique has been investigated, for reactive dye removal, in batch kinetic systems . These experimental studies have indicated that charred dolomite has the potential to act as an adsorbent for the removal of Brilliant Red reactive dye from aqueous solution . The effect of initial dye concentration, adsorbent mass:liquid volume ratio, and agitation speed on dye removal have been determined with the experimental data mathematically described using empirical external mass transfer and intra-particle diffusion models . The experimental data show conformity with an adsorption process, with the removal rate heavily dependent on both external mass transfer and intra-particle diffusion.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2053 - 62
ORP-based oxygenation for sulfide control in anaerobic treatment of high-sulfate wastewater; Khanal SK et al.; A series of chemostat studies were conducted at a constant influent total organic carbon of 3750 mg/L (equivalent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 10,000 mg/L) but at different influent sulfates of 1000, 3000 and 5000 mg/L in order to investigate the feasibility of online sulfide toxicity control through periodic oxygenation to the recycled biogas stream . The oxygen dosing for sulfide oxidation was regulated by using oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) as a controlling parameter . During oxygenation at elevated ORPs of -230 and -180 mV (50 and 100 mV above natural ORP of -280 mV, respectively), the dissolved and gaseous sulfides were completely eliminated which resulted in a concomitant improvement in methane yield by 56.3% at 5000 mg/L influent sulfate . However, at influent sulfates of 1000 and 3000 mg/L, both methane generation rate and sulfate removal efficiency were dropped appreciably at elevated ORPs . Facultative heterotrophs were found to consume as high as 66.3% of the influent COD during oxygenation . For effective sulfide oxidation at lower sulfate levels, it was no longer required to raise the ORP by as much as 50 or 100 mV . The actual needed ORP increase depended on the influent sulfate . This study had proven that the ORP-controlled oxygenation was reliable for achieving consistent online sulfide control during anaerobic treatment of high-sulfate wastewater.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2035 - 42
A combined system of lagoon and constructed wetland for an effective wastewater treatment; Steinmann CR et al.; Lagoon systems are a common and effective method to purify communal sewage in rural areas . Low costs and high purification rates are some of their advantages . But mostly algae blooms in the lagoon cause a secondary pollution of the following stream . In order to tackle this problem, several tests have been carried out combining both lagoon and filtering system . This paper describes a 3 year study on the combination of a lagoon and a planted filter dam in one basin . This system has shown a high and continuous retention rate of algae, pH buffering and a further reduction of general sewage parameters . Furthermore, the effects of varying weather conditions (dry, wet) and seasonal aspects on this combined system will be presented.

Water Res, 2003 May, 37(9), 2027 - 34
Reduction of suspended biomass in municipal wastewater using bdelloid rotifers; Lapinski J et al.; Clarification of municipal wastewater was shown to be improved significantly by the addition of cultured bdelloid rotifers . The rate and degree of suspended particle removal were correlated with rotifer number . The size range of unsettled particles suspended in wastewater was determined and found to overlap with the size range of particles consumed by rotifers . Rotifers were shown to have two distinct effects on suspended particles: consumption of biomass due to feeding activity; and improved settling, probably due to enhanced aggregation . These experiments demonstrate the potential for the use of bdelloid rotifers in an enhanced wastewater treatment process, with reduced biomass production and improved effluent clarity.

Toxicol Lett, 2003 May 15, 142(3), 169 - 83
Aquatic ecotoxicology of fluoxetine; Brooks BW et al.; Recent studies indicate that the pharmaceutical fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is discharged in municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents to surface waters . Few data on environmental fluoxetine exposure and hazard to aquatic life are currently available in the literature . Here, we summarize information on fluoxetine detection in surface waters and review research on single-species toxicity test, Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) reproduction and endocrine function, and freshwater mesocosm community responses to fluoxetine exposure . Based on results from our studies and calculations of expected introduction concentrations, we also provide a preliminary aquatic risk characterization for fluoxetine . If standard toxicity test responses and a hazard quotient risk characterization approach are solely considered, little risk of fluoxetine exposure may be expected to aquatic life . However, our findings indicate that: (1) the magnitude, duration and frequency of fluoxetine exposure in aquatic systems requires further investigation; (2) mechanistic toxicity of fluoxetine in non-target biota, including behavioral responses, are clearly not understood; and (3) an assessment of environmentally relevant fluoxetine concentrations is needed to characterize ecological community responses.

Toxicol Lett, 2003 May 15, 142(3), 157 - 67
Indirect human exposure to pharmaceuticals via drinking water; Webb S et al.; There are numerous observations of pharmaceuticals (or their metabolites) as contaminants in wastewater, surface water and groundwater . This implies a potential for indirect human exposure to pharmaceuticals via drinking water supplies . Various effect benchmarks may be employed in an evaluation of the significance of such indirect exposure . In this study a comparison was made between reported concentrations of pharmaceuticals in German drinking water and therapeutic dose . The margin between potential indirect daily exposure via drinking water and daily therapeutic dose was at least three orders of magnitude and typically much more . For certain compounds it was also possible to benchmark exposure against ADIs derived within the context of meat and food stuff residues following veterinary use . In all cases potential exposure was less than the ADIs, similarly suggesting that for these compounds there are no substantial concerns with regards to indirect exposure via drinking water.

Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(3), 699 - 704
A novel approach to calcium removal from calcium-rich industrial wastewater; Hammes F et al.; Calcium-rich wastewater is a problem for industries due to calcification during downstream processing . The potential for Ca2+ removal from industrial wastewater through ureolytic microbiological carbonate precipitation was investigated for the first time . Batch experiments were used to determine feasible urea concentrations and hydraulic retention times . These results were applied in a semi-continuous reactor system, where the emphasis was placed on the development of a calcifying sludge . Calcium removal in excess of 90% was achieved throughout the experimental period, while the effluent pH remained at a reasonable level.

Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(3), 674 - 80
Sonolytic debromination of ambroxol process wastewater; Bruggemann H et al.; In this study ultrasound was examined in terms of its effectiveness in treating wastewater containing ambroxol and process water from ambroxol synthesis . The organic bromine contents of the water samples investigated were in the 20-1200 mg l(-1) range . Ultrasound is capable to debrominate the ambroxol molecule rendering it biologically degradable . The debromination rate increases with the ultrasound intensity and the 0.4 order of the organic bromine concentration . Temperature and pH have only a small influence . Bromide ions reduce the debromination efficiency of the ultrasound . No removal of the organic carbon could be observed during ultrasonic treatment . The process water from ambroxol syntheses shows higher sonolytical debromination rates than the ambroxol model water . After extracting the process water with butyl acetate, the debromination reaction of the remaining organic bromine is considerably smaller . Argon increases the debromination under certain circumstances . The specific electric energy requirements for sonolysis vary between 7 and 920 kWh g(-1) of removed organic bromine.

Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(3), 661 - 73
Mechanisms and models for anaerobic granulation in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor; Liu Y et al.; Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor has been employed in industrial and municipal wastewater treatment for decades . However, the long start-up period required for the development of anaerobic granules seriously limits the application of this technology . In order to develop the strategy for rapid UASB start-up, the mechanisms for anaerobic granulation should be understood . This paper attempts to provide a up-to-date review on the existing mechanisms and models for anaerobic granulation in the UASB reactor, which include inert nuclei model, selection pressure model, multi-valence positive ion-bonding model, synthetic and natural polymer-bonding model, Capetown's model, spaghetti theory, syntrophic microcolony model, multi-layer model, secondary minimum adhesion model, local dehydration and hydrophobic interaction model, surface tension model, proton translocation-dehydration theory, cellular automaton model and cell-to-cell communication model . Based on those previous works, a general model for anaerobic granulation is also proposed . It is expected that this paper would be helpful for researchers to further develop a unified theory for anaerobic granulation and technology for expediting the formation of the UASB granules.

Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(3), 634 - 44
Sludge accumulation pattern in an anaerobic pond under Mediterranean climatic conditions; Papadopoulos A et al.; The main objective of this study was to observe the sludge accumulation pattern of an experimental, covered, anaerobic pond treating municipal wastewater under Mediterranean climatic conditions throughout a 2-year operational period (1999-2000) in order to form a seasonal sludge accumulation model which may be used to predict the required desludging time, not only of the particular anaerobic pond used in the study, but also for other types of anaerobic ponds and operational situations . The 4-m deep pond was supplied with pre-screened, untreated wastewater from the nearby treatment plant of Thessaloniki, Greece, initially at a flow rate of 120m3/day and later at a flow rate of 150m3/day . The influent characteristics were BOD5 441 mg O2/L, COD 942 mg O2/L and suspended solids (SS) 574 mg/L . BOD5, COD, and SS concentrations of the pond effluent were reduced by 50%, 53%, and 64%, respectively, in comparison with those of the influent . During the operational period, three distinctly different zones were seen to form within the anaerobic pond: The first zone, which formed at the bottom of the pond, consisted of inert, high-density sludge . The second zone, which formed above this, contained a high concentration of volatile (easily biodegradable) sludge . The third upper zone (supernatant), was a liquid layer low in suspended solids . The accumulation of sludge in the pond followed an annual sinusoidal pattern with high values during winter and low ones during summer due to the increased digestion rate . The maximum high-density sludge height observed was 0.7m, or 2% (14 m3) of the total pond volume . The maximum volatile sludge accumulation reached 3.1 m, or 53% (300 m3) of the pond volume . A seasonal sludge accumulation model, based on the sludge inflow and seasonal digestion rates, was used to simulate the annual fluctuation in accumulation rate for the local (Mediterranean type) climatic conditions . Monthly values of accumulation (or digestion) rate of sludge (K(AS)) were experimentally estimated at specific mean monthly air temperatures and approximated by a regression second degree polynomial equation to be used with the model . The predicted desludging interval for our experimental pond was 3 years.

Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(3), 579 - 84
Soft metal preferences of 1,3-benzenediamidoethanethiol; Matlock MM et al.; Recent studies indicate that the sodium salt of 1,3-benzenediamidoethanethiol (BDET) is both economical and effective in precipitating mercury and other heavy metals from water . Because wastewaters and contaminated natural waters may contain a variety of heavy metals, it is important to determine how different heavy metals may interact with BDET, and whether free metals may displace those that are bound . To explore this possibility, Cd-, Cu-, Pb-, Mn-, Hg- and Zn-BDET were leached separately under a nitrogen purge for up to 240 h in pH 3 aqueous solutions containing 0.100 mmol of all five heavy metals . The leaching studies indicate that dissolved Hg has a strong tendency to displace Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn from the BDET structure.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Feb, 86(3), 245 - 52
Integrating entrapped mixed microbial cell (EMMC) process for biological removal of carbon and nitrogen from dilute swine wastewater; Yang PY et al.; An entrapped mixed microbial cells (EMMC) process was used to investigate the simultaneous removal of carbon and nitrogen from dilute swine wastewater . Cellulose triacetate was used as the matrix for entrapping the mixed microbial cells . The EMMC process was tested with various oxygen supply conditions (ratios of aeration to non-aeration times) and two types of carrier sizes (large and medium) . Also, various pre-treatments with chemical coagulation, screen separation and ammonium crystallization prior to the EMMC process, and post-treatment after the EMMC process were investigated . It was found that at a hydraulic retention time of 30 h and one hour of aeration and one hour of non-aeration, the EMMC process packed with medium carriers after the pretreatment of ammonium crystallization, exhibited the best total nitrogen removal efficiency of 95.1 +/- 1.0% when compared to the other two pre-treatment methods . The total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) and soluble chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies were 83.5 +/- 2.2% and 84.1 +/- 1.1%, respectively . Lime post-treatment provided TCOD and total phosphorus removal efficiencies of 59.6 +/- 2.7% and 98.0 +/- 0.5%, respectively . Thus, a cost analysis for ammonium crystallization pre-treatment, EMMC process, and post-treatment with lime was conducted . The unit cost for a 2000 pig operation is approximately dollars 4.91/pig/year . For the application of the EMMC process with the proposed pre- and post-treatments, a suitable farm size needs to be greater than a 2000 pig operation . Because of the high efficiency and the simple operation of simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal, the EMMC process has the potential for treatment of dilute swine wastewater in a land-limited area and can be manufactured as pre-fabricated wastewater treatment units.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Feb, 86(3), 221 - 5
Biogas production from water hyacinth and channel grass used for phytoremediation of industrial effluents; Singhal V et al.; The paper reports on the biogas production from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and channel grass (Vallisneria spiralis) employed separately for phytoremediation of lignin and metal-rich pulp and paper mill and highly acidic distillery effluents . These plants eventually grow well in diluted effluent up to 40% (i.e., 2.5-times dilution with deionized water) and often take up metals and toxic materials from wastewater for their metabolic use . Slurry of the two plants used for phytoremediation produced significantly more biogas than that produced by the plants grown in deionized water; the effect being more marked with plants used for phytoremediation of 20% pulp and paper mill effluent . Biogas production from channel grass was relatively greater and quicker (maximum in 6-9 days) than that from water hyacinth (in 9-12 days) . Such variation in biogas production by the two macrophytes has been correlated with the changes in C, N and C/N ratio of their slurry brought by phytoremediation.

J Gen Appl Microbiol, 2002 Dec, 48(6), 335 - 43
Tistrella mobilis gen nov, sp nov, a novel polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing bacterium belonging to alpha-Proteobacteria; Shi BH et al.; Strain IAM 14872, isolated from wastewater in Thailand, is capable of producing polyhydroxyalkanoate . This bacterium is Gram-negative, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic and highly motile with a single polar flagellum . Both oxidase and catalase activities are positive . The G+C content of DNA is 67.5% and Q-10 is the major quinone . The major cellular fatty acids are C(18:1)omega7c, 2-OH C(18:0) and 3-OH C(14:0) . On the basis of the 16S rDNA sequence analysis and phenotypic properties, it is proposed that the strain IAM 14872 be classified in a new genus as Tistrella mobilis gen . nov., sp . nov . The type strain is IAM 14872(T) (=TISTR 1108(T)).

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 Mar, 38(3), 577 - 88
Study of nitrogen and organics removal in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using hybrid media; Thuan TH et al.; The removal of nitrogen and organics in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using hybrid media were investigated in this work . The hybrid media was made by the use of polyurethane foam (PU) cubes and powdered activated carbon (PAC) . The function of activated carbon of hybrid media was to offer a suitable active site, which was able to absorb organic substances and ammonia, as well as that of PU was to provide an appropriated surface onto which biomass could be attached and grown . A laboratory-scale moving-bed sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used for investigating the efficiency of hybrid media . The removal of nitrogen and organics for synthetic wastewater (COD; 490-1,627 mg/L, NH4(+)-N; 180-210 mg/L) were evaluated at different COD/N ratio and different anoxic phase conditions, respectively . The system was operated with the organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.1, 0.16, 0.24, and 0.28 kg COD/m3 day, respectively . Each mode based on OLR was divided as the periods of 45 days of operation time, except for third mode that was operated during 30 days . After acclimatization period, effluent total COD concentrations slightly decreased and the removal efficiency of organics increased to about 90% (COD; 70 mg/L) after 60 days and achieved 98% (COD; 30 mg/L) at the end of experiments . The organics reduction seemed to be less affected by shock loading since high organic loads did not affect the removal efficiency . The NIH4(+)-N concentrations in effluent showed almost lower than 1 mg/L and NO3(-)-N concentrations were high (150 mg/L) during a very low C/N ratio (C/N=2) . Over 90% of T-N removal efficiency (T-N; 16 mg/L) was obtained during the last 20 days of the operation after controlling the COD/N ratio (C/N=7) . The mixing condition and COD/N ratio at anoxic phase were determined as a main operating factors . In future, the optimal operating conditions of SBR system with hybrid media will be investigated from the view of maintaining a sufficient biomass to the hybrid media under the vigorous mixing conditions.

J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2003 Mar, 38(3), 545 - 54
Influence of zeolite transformation in a homoionic form on the removal of some heavy metal ions from wastewater; Panayotova M et al.; Influence of zeolite-clinoptilolite transformation in a homoionic (Na) form on zeolite ability to immobilize Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Zn2+ and Ni2+ from single ion and multi-component solutions has been studied . Zeolite in Na form exhibits significantly increased ability to remove Cd2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ from their single ion and multi-component solutions when the water hardness due to Ca2+ presence is not high . Zeolite pretreatment with NaCl leads to increased rate of heavy metal ions' immobilization, as well as to increased distribution coefficients that are indicative for more complete exchange process . Heavy metal ions are more strongly bound to zeolite pretreated with NaCl, compared to natural zeolite . Heavy metal ions immobilization is due to ion exchange adsorption, both in the case of natural and converted in Na form zeolite . Zeolite pretreatment with NaCl practically does not change zeolite selectivity sequence for the ions investigated.

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 2003 Jan 15, 59(2), 303 - 7
Monitoring of phenol photodegradation by ultraviolet spectroscopy; Roig B et al.; Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been developed as an emerging technology for hazardous organic treatment in industrial wastewater . In this paper, the contribution of ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy to follow phenol photodegradation was studied in a laboratory photochemical reactor equipped with a low pressure mercury lamp . It has been observed that a multicomponent approach is efficient for the evolution estimation of the initial product or intermediate compounds formed during the photodegradation.

Environ Pollut, 2003, 121(3), 321 - 6
Uptake and accumulation of mercury from dental amalgam in the common goldfish, Carassius auratus; Kennedy CJ; In this study, the bioavailability and accumulation of mercury from external environmental exposure to mixed, cured, milled, sieved and proportioned dental amalgam was examined in the common goldfish, Carassius auratus . Fish were exposed to dental amalgam (particle size range from < 0.10 to 3.15 mm) in order to represent the particle size and distribution of that found within the typical dental office wastewater discharge stream . Experimental amalgam water loadings were 0 g/l, 0.5 g/l and 1 g/l in glass aquaria at 15 degrees C for 28 days . Fish tissues were sampled at 5 min and 28 days of exposure, and the liver, brain, muscle and whole body analyzed for total mercury using cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectroscopy . Mercury was found in several tissues examined and generally increased with exposure to higher amounts of dental amalgam . The highest levels were found in the whole body (17.68 +/- 5.73 microg/g) followed by the liver (0.80 +/- 0.16 microg/g) and muscle (0.47 +/- 0.16 microg/g) . The lowest concentrations were seen in the brain (0.28 +/- 0.19 microg/g) . Compared to controls, concentrations in the whole body, muscle and liver in fish exposed for 28 days to the highest concentration of amalgam were 200-, 233-, and 40-fold higher, respectively . This study shows that mercury from an environmental exposure to representative samples of dental amalgam typically found within the dental wastewater discharge stream is bioavailable to fish and may accumulate in internal tissues.

Environ Toxicol Chem, 2003 Apr, 22(4), 855 - 65
Reproductive effects of estrogenic and antiestrogenic chemicals on sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus); Karels AA et al.; Environmental estrogens can activate genes of the reproductive system, such as vitellogenin (VTG), a precursor to egg yolk protein, by activating the estrogen receptor (ER), whereas antiestrogens can inhibit ER activation . Adult lab-reared male sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) were exposed to estrogenic 4-tert-octylphenol (OP) and females to antiestrogenic cadmium (Cd), and the effects on four potential indicators of impaired reproductive function were examined: VTG in F0 male blood as sign of feminization, F0 generation fecundity/fertility, embryonic development/egg hatching/survival rate of F1 generation fry, and F0 gonadal histology . Mean VTG in the control, 11.5, 33.6, and 61.1 microg/L OP male fish were 0, 10.7, 38.7, and 65.6 mg/ml postexposure and 0, 2.5, 19.4, and 30.0 mg/ml postreproduction . A significant inverse relationship between increasing VTG in male blood and reproductive success of mating groups involving these males was shown, with higher OP decreasing percent viable eggs (fertility) by approximately 60% . Histology showed increased testis anomalies and decreased spermatozoa with increasing OP exposure . No effects on F1 embryonic development, egg hatching, or fry survival rate were observed . A significant decline in percent viable egg production involving Cd-exposed females occurred only when mated with OP-exposed males, with no eggs produced by fish exposed to the highest OP and Cd concentration . A three-week field exposure near a wastewater treatment plant outfall showed no elevated VTG in male plasma, but significantly higher total egg production per female per collection day (approximately 45%) was observed at the site furthest from the outfall.

Environ Toxicol Chem, 2003 Apr, 22(4), 760 - 6
A potential link between the turnover of soil organic matter and the release of aged organic contaminants; Reemtsma T et al.; Soil column experiments were conducted to investigate the release of aged organic contaminants (adsorbable organohalogens, {AOX}) and the potential effects of microbial turnover of soil organic matter onto the contaminant release from two different soils of former wastewater infiltration sites . Under reference conditions, the total carbon flux ranged from 6 to 9 mg/kg/d from the two soils . More than 92% of it was due to mineralization (CO2) and below 8% to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the column effluent . Despite very different organohalogen levels in the two soils, the fluxes of AOX were similar (1 microg/kg/d) . Microbial activity was altered by changing temperature and the solution pH and by drying . In all experiments where increased microbial respiration (CO2 production) was observed, the release of organic contaminants in the column effluent also increased . Fluxes of nickel, zinc, and phosphate showed a completely different pattern, suggesting that their retention in soil is determined by chemical parameters . A linear correlation analysis provided clear evidence that AOX and DOC fluxes are closely linked to each other . However, the superimposition of abiotic and biotic processes in the soils did not allow a causal relation to be established between the mineralization of soil organic matter and the release of organic contaminants sequestered in the soil . Our findings suggest that microbial activity may have a significant impact on the extent to which contaminated soils may act as a source of persistent organic pollutants.

Environ Pollut, 2003, 124(1), 47 - 55
Distribution and fate of metals in the dispersion plume of a major municipal effluent; Gagnon C et al.; The environmental impacts of municipal wastewater discharges on receiving waters are numerous and inputs of contaminants such as metals can cause toxicity to organisms in receiving waters . The effluents generated by the treatment plant of the city of Montreal, Canada, the largest such facility in the St . Lawrence Valley, was investigated to determine the environmental fate of trace metals in the receiving waters . Total and extractable metal concentrations were determined and physico-chemical parameters were measured to characterize the receiving waters and evaluate their influence on the fate and behaviour of metals released from the urban effluent . Our results showed that particulate metals near the effluent discharge point are highly reactive and their distribution seems to be significantly influenced by the abundance of HCl-reactive iron and manganese, which act as trace-metal carriers . The partitioning of metals between dissolved and particulate phases varies along the effluent dispersion plume and therefore could strongly influence the exposure routes for aquatic organisms that are exposed to the various contaminants released from the effluent.

Water Environ Res, 2003 Jan-Feb, 75(1), 61 - 5
Investigation of corrosion caused by constituents of refinery wastewater effluent used as circulating cooling water; Zhang Z et al.; The corrosion rate of steel plate using single-factor, multifactor, and complex water systems was investigated via refinery wastewater effluents used as circulating cooling water . The results show that the primary corrosion factors of steel depend on the characteristics of the ions, the formation of the oxidized coating, the diffusion of dissolved oxygen, and other complex factors, although ions such as chloride, calcium, and carbonate play an important role . The corrosion rate of carbon steel exhibits two trends: The corrosion rate is high at low conductivity, increases to a maximum, and then decreases and becomes stable with increasing conductivity, as is the case with chloride, sulfate, nitrate and calcium ions . On the other hand, the corrosion rate is highest at low conductivity and then decreases and becomes stable with increasing conductivity, as is the case with carbonate, silicate, and sodium nitrate ions . Research results indicate that the anticorrosive ability is minimal at low conductivity; but is excellent at high conductivity . Pretreatment of low-conductivity water using air flotation and clarification to decrease the concentrations of chloride, calcium, and carbonate ions to a suitable level to satisfy the anticorrosion requirements is required . However, it is not necessary to significantly reduce the salt concentration or conductivity of the water by osmosis or ion exchange to obtain an anticorrosion effect when reusing wastewater effluents as circulating cooling water.

Water Environ Res, 2003 Jan-Feb, 75(1), 30 - 8
Effect of water quality management efforts on wastewater loadings during the past century; Hetling LJ et al.; The history of wastewater discharges to the Hudson River watershed from Troy, New York, to the New York City Harbor was traced from 1900 to 2000 . The parameters studied include population, flow, type of treatment, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus . This paper details a methodology for estimating historic loadings where data are lacking . The data show dramatic changes in wastewater loadings . There has been a continued increase in wastewater flow and population over the past century but a decrease in contaminant loading during the last 25 years . The reduction in effluent loads is directly related to state and federal water quality management programs and the substantial public and private investment made in upgrading point source water pollution control infrastructure . A comparison of point with nonpoint source loads shows that although nonpoint sources are now a significant contributor of contaminants to the river, point sources remain as major sources of total nitrogen and total phosphorus.

Water Environ Res, 2003 Jan-Feb, 75(1), 15 - 20
Equilibrium and kinetics of color removal from dye solutions with bentonite and polyaluminum hydroxide; Kacha S et al.; Wastewater from the textile industry contains soluble dyes that are toxic and particularly difficult to remove . A promising low-cost treatment, however, is use of polyaluminum hydroxide associated with bentonite . At suitable conditions, this process is able to efficiently remove color from solutions containing mixtures of soluble acid azo dyes and produce easily settleable sludge . The removal mechanism, which is believed to involve adsorption or precipitation and weak pH variations, is not well understood . With the overall reaction being second order, two elementary first-order reactions could be assumed . The equilibrium removal is a decreasing function of the temperature . However, this effect is weak and decreases when the dye concentration increases . At usual values of concentration in textile wastewater, this effect can be neglected . The resulting solid compound is particularly resistant to mechanical stress . Moreover, color was significantly released at pH greater than 8 . Sodium ions have no influence on the compound stability, which reinforces the assumption of the involvement of an adsorption process.

Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao, 2002 Dec, 13(12), 1667 - 70
{Application of turning band method in conditional simulation of soil heavy metals}; Wang X; Geostatistical simulation techniques are widely used in studying spatial phenomena . The purpose of this study is to make an experimental study in applying this technique to understand the spatial distribution of copper and lead in wastewater irrigated agricultural soil in the eastern suburb of Beijing . The results showed that the simulation is efficient, because it fits to the main characteristics of the revealed reality of the spatial distribution of these elements . Geostatistical simulation could play an important role in regional environmental and ecological studies.

J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol, 2003 Mar, 13(2), 161 - 8
Incorporating susceptible subpopulations in microbial risk assessment: pediatric exposures to enteroviruses in river water; Parkin RT et al.; The City of Stockton, California operates a wastewater treatment facility that discharges treated effluent to the San Joaquin River . During a recent discharge permit renewal, the question was raised whether pathogenic microorganisms in the effluent may cause an unacceptably high health risk for body contact recreation in the vicinity of the discharge . An investigation was initiated to characterize the risk to public health via body contact recreation in the San Joaquin River under various flow and treatment scenarios . In this investigation, a disease transmission model was applied to quantitatively characterize the relative risk associated with various treatment and flow scenarios for the City of Stockton's wastewater treatment facility . An important component of the investigation was to assess the feasibility of quantitatively characterizing the risk to highly susceptible subpopulations for effluent-related exposures to enteroviruses . This paper presents the methods used to conduct the feasibility assessment, the conclusions drawn for this project, and our recommendations to improve exposure assessments of susceptible subpopulations' contact with microbial pathogens in recreational water.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Aug, 89(1), 89 - 93
Effect of carbon source on biological nutrient removal in a sequencing batch reactor; Kargi F et al.; Sequencing batch operation was used for nutrient (COD, NH4-N, NO3-N, PO4-P) removal from synthetic wastewater by using different carbon sources . Operation consisted of anaerobic, anoxic, oxic, anoxic and oxic (An/Ax/Ox/Ax/Ox) phases with durations of 2/1/4.5/1.5/1.5 h . Glucose, acetate and a mixture of glucose/acetate were used as carbon source to yield a COD/N/P ratio of 100/5/1.5 in the feed . Sludge age was kept constant at 10 days . COD, NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P removal efficiencies were maximum at the levels of 96%, 87%, 81% and 90% respectively, when a mixture (50/50) of glucose and acetate was used.

Biotechnol Bioeng, 2003 Jun 20, 82(6), 736 - 44
Competition strategies for the decolorization of a textile-reactive dye with the white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor under non-sterile conditions; Libra JA et al.; A variety of white-rot fungi can oxidize textile dyes under sterile conditions; however, an important consideration for their use in treating wastewater containing textile dyes is whether similar degrees of treatment can be achieved under non-sterile conditions . Four strategies were investigated for their potential in optimizing the use of the fungus Trametes versicolor in non-sterile culture for treating wastewater containing the diazo textile dye C.I . Reactive Black 5 (RB5) . Three strategies with suspended culture were designed to increase the decolorization activity in suspended culture from a given amount of T . versicolor inoculum based on its tolerance of low pH (pH reduction in medium), production of extracellular enzymes (use of suspended enzymes alone), and its ability to produce enzymes independent of growth (nitrogen limitation in medium) . The results showed that reduction of the medium pH to 3 did not suppress bacterial growth, while enzyme production by T . versicolor ceased . The use of the extracellular enzymes alone would allow the decoupling of the process of fungal growth from wastewater treatment; however, the enzyme activity of an enzyme suspension decreased rapidly under non-sterile conditions . The strategy of limiting nitrogen in the medium to suppress bacterial growth has potential together with the fourth strategy, the cultivation of fungi on organic solids to produce inocula for a decolorization process under non-sterile conditions . A high degree of decolorization of RB5 under non-sterile conditions was achieved with T . versicolor grown on grains as sole substrate . The rate of decolorization was dependent on the amount of fungal inoculum used .

Sci Total Environ, 2003 Apr 15, 305(1-3), 157 - 67
The use of surfactant-based separation techniques for monitoring of orthophosphate in natural waters and wastewater; Katsaounos CZ et al.; In an effort to monitor orthophosphate in natural waters and wastewater in the Ipirous region (Greece), an analytical methodology was established owing to the need for interference-free determination at the low mg/l levels . The method applied for the determination of orthophosphate is based on its reaction with molybdate towards a yellow heteropoly acid complex, which is electrically balanced with a cationic surfactant (cetylatrimethylammonium bromide) towards a complex non-polar derivative . This derivative is conveniently solubilized in the micelles of a non-ionic surfactant under mild conditions and measured spectrophotometrically at 370 nm after its uptake with a sulfuric acid-methanol solution . By simply preconcentrating 10 ml of sample volume a detection limit of 2.6 microM was obtained . Due to the required dilution step and signal enhancement caused by the presence of surfactant, interference from the presence of anionic species (mostly silicate and arsenate) was minor and could be conveniently alleviated by the use of tartaric acid and Na(2)SO(3), respectively . The method was successfully applied to real samples obtained for the natural sites subject to the monitoring survey ranging in their matrix complexity from clean river water to wastewater.

Chemosphere, 2003 Jun, 51(8), 735 - 46
Fate of 14C-bisphenol A in soils; Fent G et al.; Bisphenol A (BPA; 2,2-(4,4(')-dihydroxydiphenyl)propane) is predominantly used as an intermediate in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins . Traces of BPA released into the environment can reach the soil via application of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment systems that receive wastewaters containing BPA, or from leachate from uncontrolled landfills . The biodegradability of BPA has been previously investigated in several studies designed to simulate surface waters and biological wastewater treatment systems . However, there is little information available about the fate of BPA in soil . Therefore, laboratory soil degradation and batch adsorption studies were conducted with 14C-BPA and four soils according to international guidelines . The soils represented a broad range of physico-chemical properties . An important result of the degradation study was that, independent of the soil type, 14C-BPA was rapidly dissipated and not detectable in soil extracts following 3 days of incubation . Based on this result, a dissipation half-life of less than 3 days was estimated . The major route of dissipation of 14C-BPA in soil was the formation of bound residues that could not be recovered by exhaustive Soxhlet extraction . 14C-BPA was also shown to be transiently converted to up to five metabolites, but within 3 days, neither 14C-BPA nor 14C-metabolites were detectable in the soils . After 120 days incubation, significant amounts (up to 20% of the radioactivity applied) of the parent compound were recovered as 14CO(2) . Soil adsorption experiments indicated that the distribution coefficients (K(oc)) were between 636 and 931, classifying BPA as having low mobility for all tested soils . From the results of this study, it was concluded that if BPA reaches the soil compartment, it is not expected to be stable, mobile, or bioavailable.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 175 - 83
The use of hydrodynamic vortex separators and screening systems to improve water quality; Andoh RY et al.; The paper reviews the evolution of Hydrodynamic Vortex Separators (HDVS) in the context of application as high rate rotary flow separators for achieving water quality improvements to meet with regulatory requirements in Europe and North America . The types of HDVS and their application for the control of wet-weather discharges such as combined sewer overflows (CSOs), sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and stormwater are outlined and a number of myths surrounding their use, dispelled . Reference is made to outputs of peer reviewed comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and demonstration projects on pilot and full-scale installations to demonstrate the efficacy and extensive track record of these systems . Recent developments and innovations in HDVS technologies are discussed, focusing on their combined use as solids liquid separators, contact vessels for wastewater disinfection, the incorporation of self-cleansing screening devices for the control of aesthetic pollutants (e.g . floatables) and the use of computational modelling for optimisation.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 137 - 48
The utilisation of engineered invert traps in the management of near bed solids in sewer networks; Ashley RM et al.; Large existing sewers are considerable assets which wastewater utilities will require to operate for the foreseeable future to maintain health and the quality of life in cities . Despite their existence for more than a century there is surprisingly little guidance available to manage these systems to minimise problems associated with in-sewer solids . A joint study has been undertaken in the UK, to refine and utilise new knowledge gained from field data, laboratory results and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to devise cost beneficial engineering tools for the application of small invert traps to localise the deposition of sediments in sewers at accessible points for collection . New guidance has been produced for trap siting and this has been linked to a risk-cost-effectiveness assessment procedure to enable system operators to approach in-sewer sediment management pro-actively rather than reactively as currently happens.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 101 - 8
Interactions within the wastewater system: requirements for sewer processes modelling; Langeveld JG et al.; Today's focus on wastewater system optimisation necessitates the development of knowledge on the interactions between sewer systems and wastewater treatment, since these interactions have often been neglected in the past . In this paper the question is discussed to what extent it is favourable and possible to include dynamic changes of wastewater quality in wastewater system optimisation studies . The sensitivity of the wastewater treatment works to influent fluctuations proved to be the key issue in determining which sewer processes are involved in the dynamic interactions between sewer systems and treatment works . The preliminary results show the importance of a good description of the transport processes involving the double and suspended fractions.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 93 - 100
Modelling in-sewer pollutant degradation processes in the Costa do Estoril sewer system; Mourato S et al.; Characteristics of wastewater vary during transportation through sewer systems as a result of a number of processes . Under aerobic conditions, in long sewer systems, the reduction of the BOD or COD may be similar to the reduction obtained in conventional primary settling tanks . The mathematical model that was developed is based on a number of different existing models: the ASM n . 1 and ASM n . 2 models, the AEROSEPT model and the WATS model . The model also includes a prediction of reaeration at falls . The module of the anoxic conditions was adapted from the ASM n . 2 model . This module is a first attempt to model the degradation of organic matter in sewer systems under anoxic conditions . The mathematical model was applied to the Costa do Estoril intercepting sewer, and the obtained results are discussed taken into account the experimental data that was collected during a three-month period . Average removals of dissolved COD over 20% have been obtained . In the paper special emphasis is given to the importance of the performance of the Costa do Estoril sewer system as a biological reactor.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 85 - 92
Introducing the emission process of hydrogen sulfide to a sewer process model (WATS); Yongsiri C et al.; Emission of hydrogen sulfide in sewer networks results in odor, health and corrosion problems . These problems generally occur when wastewater is transported under anaerobic and turbulent conditions . Studies on integrated aerobic/anaerobic processes in sewers have led to a conceptual sewer process model, WATS (Wastewater Aerobic/anaerobic Transformations in Sewers) . The WATS model accounts for the carbon cycle, reaeration and sulfide formation . However, to handle odor, health and corrosion problems more efficiently, other aspects of the sulfur cycle need to be included . Emphasis in this study is on an extension of the WATS model in terms of hydrogen sulfide emission . A fundamental concept of this extended model is related to emission of the molecular form of hydrogen sulfide and thereby to pH of wastewater . An engineering application of the extended WATS model includes different scenarios of sewer performance concerning hydrogen sulfide emission under dissolved oxygen-limited conditions . By applying the extended WATS model, users can more realistically cope with the fate of hydrogen sulfide . Consequently, when dealing with the sulfur cycle, users need no longer be restricted to the sulfide formation process but can also take transfer of hydrogen sulfide across the air-water interface into account.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(4), 69 - 76
Exfiltration from gravity sewers: a pilot scale study; Vollertsen J et al.; Pilot-scale experiments were conducted on exfiltration of wastewater from gravity sewers . The effect of storm events, flushing of pipes and alternating infiltration/exfiltration were simulated . Exfiltration through different types of sewer leaks and into different soils were studied . It was found that the exfiltration rate became constant after some days of exfiltration . It stayed constant for the duration of the experiments, which typically spanned over some weeks . The exfiltration was governed by the development of a clogging zone at the sewer leak and could be characterized by a leakage factor . The leakage factor may then be used to estimate the risk of groundwater pollution from a sewer network.

Environ Technol, 2003 Feb, 24(2), 179 - 86
Stimulation of bacterial activity by the addition of different PACs; Morinaga H et al.; The effect of bacterial adhesion on powdered activated carbon on bacterial activity in non-toxic wastewater was studied and the difference of powdered activated carbon species on the stimulation of bacterial activity was also evaluated using eight kinds of powdered activated carbon . Pure cultures of Escherichia coli K-12, which can reduce NO3- to NO2- in anoxic conditions, were used . Specific nitrate reduction activity was used as an indicator of bacterial activity . The higher specific nitrate reduction rates were noted in cultures with powdered activated carbon than without powdered activated carbon or with Kaolin . The specific nitrate reduction rate with powdered activated carbon was up to about 1.4 times as highas those without powdered activated carbon . The stimulation of bacterial activity was induced by the adhesion of bacterial cells onto powdered activated carbon . There are powderedactivated carbons that can stimulate bacterial activity, whereas not all the powdered activated carbon can stimulate bacterial activity . Surface characteristics like Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface areas, total surface acidity, oxygen functional groups, total surface basicity, surface charge, pH(pzc), iodine number, concentrations of metals, electric resistance, free radical concentration and adsorption capacity of formate did not related with the stimulation of the bacterial activity.

Environ Technol, 2003 Feb, 24(2), 171 - 8
Removal of Cu and Zn from swine raising wastewater using organic filters; de Matos AT et al.; Rice husks, coffee bean skins, sugar cane bagasse, maize cobs, saw dust and fine charcoal dust were evaluated as filters for the removal of heavy metals (Cu and Zn) from the waste water of swine raising installations . The specific mass, pH and the sum of bases and removable acids were determined to characterize each of the filter materials . Each filtering material was placed in a 100 mm diameter, 600 mm long, PVC column to a height of 500 mm under 12,500 N m(-2) of compression . Chemical and physical analyses were determined on effluent samples collected for each 1.5 l up to a total of 15 l . The organic materials reduced the concentration of sediment solids (> 90%), total solids (up to 33%) and Cu (up to 43.6%) of the inffluent but had little or no effect on Zn concentration.

Environ Technol, 2003 Feb, 24(2), 153 - 9
The fate of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr) in an integrated wastewater treatment plant: two phase anaerobic reactor (RAP) - high rate algal pond (HRAP); Toumi A et al.; Removal of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr) by an integrated wastewater treatment system, Two Phase Anaerobic Reactor (RAP) - High Rate Algal Pond (HRAP), was investigated . Results indicate a good reduction of these micro-pollutants by this system . Global elimination rates of treatment system are 80%, 87%, 38%, 60% and 63%, respectively for Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr . Primary treatment (RAP) was not involved in this reduction . Metal concentrations detected in RAP effluent are higher than those detected in raw wastewater . However, the essential metal removal was ensured by the HRAP and thetwo maturation ponds . Sedimentation of metals adsorbed on suspended matters is the principal factor that intervened in metal elimination by these ponds . Indeed, metal analysis of wastewater dissolved and particulate fractions showed that the majority of these cations was in particulate fraction, notably for Zn, Cu, Cd and Cr . Their distribution between these fractions evolved towards their solubilization, during the treatment . Otherwise, metal sediment analysis of different ponds showed that sludges accumulate important quantities of metals, especially in RAP sludges . Thereafter, Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations increased in HRAP sludges, but Pb and Cr contents decreased . However, in maturation pond sludges metal quantities are lower . On the other hand, metal contents in sludges are variable from upstream to downstream of each pond.

Anal Bioanal Chem, 2003 Mar, 375(6), 820 - 5 Epub 2003 Feb 22.
Removal of heavy metals by using adsorption on alumina or chitosan; Luisa Cervera M et al.; The removal of heavy metals from wastewater by using activated alumina or chitosan as adsorbers was evaluated . Cd(II) and Cr(III) were employed as models of the behaviour of divalent and trivalent metal ions . The adsorption of Cd(II) and Cr(III) onto the adsorbers evaluated was studied as a function of pH, time, amount of adsorber, concentration of metal ions and sample volume . A 0.4-g portion of activated alumina can retain 0.6 mg Cr(III) and 0.2 mg Cd(II) from 20 mL sample adjusted at pH 4 and stirred for 30 min . It is therefore possible to totally decontaminate 500 mL of a waste containing 5 mg L(-1) Cd(II) and Cr(III) with 10 g alumina . On the other hand, 0.4 g chitosan can totally decontaminate 20 mL of a pH 5 solution containing up to 50 mg L(-1) Cd(II) and Cr(III) . A 99.2+/-0.1% retention of Cd(II) and 83+/-1% retention of Cr(III) was obtained from 500 mL of a laboratory waste . The aforementioned strategies were applied for the minimization of analytical chemistry teaching laboratories and atomic spectrometry laboratory wastes . On comparing both adsorbers it can be concluded that chitosan is more preferable than alumina due to the reduced price of chitosan and the absence of side-pollution effects.

Environ Pollut, 2003, 123(1), 107 - 13
The potential use of constructed wetlands in a recirculating aquaculture system for shrimp culture; Lin YF et al.; A pilot-scale constructed wetland unit, consisting of free water surface (FWS) and subsurface flow (SF) constructed wetlands arranged in series, was integrated into an outdoor recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) for culturing Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) . This study evaluated the performance of the wetland unit in treating the recirculating wastewater and examined the effect of improvement in water quality of the culture tank on the growth and survival of shrimp postlarvae . During an 80-day culture period, the wetland unit operated at a mean hydraulic loading rate of 0.3 m/day and effectively reduced the influent concentrations of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5, 24%), suspended solids (SS, 71%), chlorophyll a (chl-a, 88%), total ammonium (TAN, 57%), nitrite nitrogen (NO2-N, 90%) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N, 68%) . Phosphate (PO4-P) reduction was the least efficient (5.4%) . The concentrations of SS, Chl-a, turbidity and NO3-N in the culture tank water in RAS were significantly (P<or=.05) lower than those in a control aquaculture system (CAS) that simulated static pond culture without wetland treatment . However, no significant difference (P<or=.05) in BOD5, TAN and NO2-N was found between the two systems . At the end of the study, the harvest results showed that shrimp weight and survival rate in the RAS (3.8 +/-1.8 g/shrimp and 90%) significantly (P<or=.01) exceeded those in the CAS (2.3+/-1.5 g/shrimp and 71%) . This study concludes that constructed wetlands can improve the water quality and provide a good culture environment, consequently increasing the shrimp growth and survival without water exchange, in a recirculating system.

Kansenshogaku Zasshi, 2003 Feb, 77(2), 75 - 82
{Effect of the mixed-oxidant solution on infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in a neonatal mouse model}; Sasahara T et al.; Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts were exposed to the mixed-oxidant solution, which was electrochemically generated by Miox Water Disinfection Unit, and sodium hypochlorite in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.2) or biologically treated wastewater at 25 degrees by using concentrations of residual chlorine of up to 5 mg/l and contact times of up to 8 h . The effect of two disinfectants on infectivity of the oocysts in a neonatal murine model was comparatively evaluated by determining the total number of oocysts recovered from the intestine . Exposure to the mixed-oxidant solution at 2 and 5 mg/l (residual chlorine) yielded a significant inactivation of infectivity in the dose- and exposure time-dependent manner, while exposure to 5 mg/l (residual chlorine) of sodium hypochlorite for contact times of up to 4 h produced no measurable inactivation of infectivity . Morphological examination also revealed a picture of degenerating oocysts after exposure to 5 mg/l (residual chlorine) of the mixed-oxidant solution, but not with sodium hypochlorite . When the oocysts were exposed to either biologically treated wastewater--or PBS-diluted the mixed-oxidant solution at 5 mg/l (residual chlorine) for 4 h, the disinfectants produced a significant inactivation of infectious oocysts . The decrease number of the oocysts was 0.8 log 10 in the former and 2.1 log 10 in the latter . These results demonstrate that the mixed-oxidant solution may be a useful disinfectant against Cryptosporidium oocysts, but appropriate applications need to be validated.

Anal Chem, 2003 Mar 15, 75(6), 1285 - 93
Analysis of a retan agent used in the tanning process and its determination in tannery wastewater; Song Z et al.; The chemical structure and composition of a retan agent, CNSF (condensation product of naphthalenesulfonic acid (NSA) and formaldehyde), and related components contained in tannery wastewaters were analyzed by ion-pair liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (IPC-HPLC/ESI-MS) in negative ion mode . This method allows high-resolution separation of polymers . CNSF contained linear NSA oligomers (n = 1-11) that were eluted in order of increasing degree of polymerization . The area under the peaks was correlated to the concentration . The theoretical correlation between retention time and the molecular mass of CNSF oligomers can be used to predict the actual distribution of molecular mass or degree of polymerization . The CNSF consisted of 34.3% monomers, 14.8% dimers, 15.3% trimers and 12.1% tetramers . Other oligomers (n = 5-11) accounted for the remaining 23.5% . Using solid-phase extraction techniques and HPLC/MS, sulfonated monomers, dimers, and trimers were detected in three tannery wastewaters (A-C) . Monomers (NSA and naphthalenedisulfonic acid) were one of the major components and ranged from 1.2- (C) to 22.0% (B) . Concentrations of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid were 4.9 mg/L (A), 30.1 mg/L (B), and 0.6 mg/L (C) . A high proportion of dimers (18.5%) and trimers (14.5%) were detected in wastewater C, as compared with A (6.4 and 0.7%) and B (3.92 and 0.2%) . The method presented allows the analysis of aromatic sulfonates in syntan and tannery wastewater.

Chemosphere, 2003 Jan, 50(1), 131 - 6
Performance of three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor for the reduction of COD in simulated wastewater-containing phenol; Xiong Y et al.; The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from wastewater-containing phenol was investigated using three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor . Special attention was paid to experimentally probe the performance of the reactor in COD removal in the process of repeated batch runs . The experimental results showed that the reactor could remove COD from phenol-containing wastewater much more efficiently than both granulated activated carbon (GAC) adsorption bed and conventional three-dimensional electrode . For 200th batch run, the three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor with an airflow of 5 l min(-1) and a cell voltage of 30 V could remove 1350 ppm COD from the wastewater in 30 min while conventional three-dimensional electrode reactor with a same cell voltage and GAC adsorption bed with a same airflow only could remove 610 and 1000 ppm, respectively, at the same reaction duration . Although it was found that COD removal decreased with increasing repeated batch runs in our experimental range, due to adsorption saturation of GAC and electrode passivation, the extent of decrease for the three-phase three-dimensional electrode is much less than those for conventional three-dimensional electrodes and GAC adsorption beds . The passivated reactor could be partly re-activated by electrolysis in the presence of MnO2.

Chemosphere, 2003 Jan, 50(1), 85 - 95
Treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater containing antibiotics by O3 and O3/H2O2 processes; Akmehmet Balcioglu I et al.; Ozonation of three different synthetic pharmaceutical formulation wastewater containing two human antibiotics and a veterinary antibiotic has been studied to enhance the their biodegradability . The effects of pH and initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) value as well as addition of hydrogen peroxide on ozonation process were investigated . Total organic carbon (TOC), COD, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and aromatic content (UV254) were the parameters followed to evaluate the performance of ozonation process . Comparison of the biodegradability of selected wastewaters containing different antibiotics confirmed that the variation of biodegradability was associated with the target compound . While BOD5/COD ratio of veterinary antibiotic formulation wastewater was increased from 0.077 to 0.38 with an applied ozone dosage of 2.96 g/l, this ratio for human antibiotic I and human antibiotic II was increased from 0 to 0.1 and 0.27 respectively . Moreover the results of this investigation showed that the ozonation process is capable of achieving high levels of COD and aromaticity removals at about their natural pH values.

Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2003 Jan, 53(Pt 1), 93 - 7
Chryseobacterium defluvii sp . nov., isolated from wastewater; Kampfer P et al.; A Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, yellow-pigmented bacterium (strain B2T) isolated from wastewater of a sequence batch reactor showing enhanced phosphorus removal was investigated to determine its taxonomic status . Complete 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the organism should be placed in the genus Chryseobacterium . The strain contained a polyamine pattern with sym-homospermidine as the major compound, menaquinone MK-6 as the predominant menaquinone and ai-C15:0, i-C15:0 and C16:1 as the major fatty acids . Phosphatidylethanolamine and several unidentified lipids were detected in the polar lipid profile . Phylogenetically, strain B2T was most closely related to Chryseobacterium indoltheticum and Chryseobacterium gleum (96.2 and 95-9% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively) . The phylogenetic distance from any validly described species within the genus Chryseobacterium, as indicated from 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, and its phenotypic properties demonstrate that strain B2T represents a novel species, for which the name Chryseobacterium defluvii sp . nov . is proposed; the type strain is B2T (=DSM 14219T =CIP 107207T).

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Jan, 86(2), 147 - 9
Adsorption studies on rice husk: removal and recovery of Cd(II) from wastewater; Ajmal M et al.; Adsorption behaviour of Ni(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Cr(VI) on untreated and phosphate-treated rice husk (PRH) showed that adsorption of Ni(II) and Cd(II) was greater when PRH was used as an adsorbent . Sorption of Cd(II) was dependent on contact time, concentration, temperature, adsorbent doses and pH of the solution . The Langmuir constants and thermodynamic parameters have been calculated at different temperatures . It was found that recovery of Cd(II) from synthetic wastewater by column operation was better than a batch process.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Jan, 86(2), 131 - 7
The influence of temperature and moisture contents regimes on the aerobic microbial activity of a biosolids composting blend; Liang C et al.; To understand the relationships between temperature, moisture content, and microbial activity during the composting of biosolids (municipal wastewater treatment sludge), well-controlled incubation experiments were conducted using a 2-factor factorial design with six temperatures (22, 29, 36, 43, 50, and 57 degrees C) and five moisture contents (30, 40, 50, 60, and 70%) . The microbial activity was measured as O2 uptake rate (mg g(-1) h(-1)) using a computer controlled respirometer . In this study, moisture content proved to be a dominant factor impacting aerobic microbial activity of the composting blend . Fifty percent moisture content appeared to be the minimal requirement for obtaining activities greater than 1.0 mg g(-1) h(-1) . Temperature was also documented to be an important factor for biosolids composting . However, its effect was less influential than moisture content . Particularly, the enhancement of composting activities induced by temperature increment could be realized by increasing moisture content alone.

Mar Environ Res, 2003 Jul-Aug, 56(1-2), 277 - 97
Toxicity assessment of sediment cores from Santa Monica Bay, California; Greenstein D et al.; During the summer of 1997, sediment core samples were taken at 25 stations in Santa Monica Bay . Toxicity testing was performed on 4-cm sections of the entire length of each core using purple sea urchin fertilization and amphipod survival tests . The sea urchin test identified sections as being toxic at six stations, all located near current or former Hyperion Treatment Plant (HTP) wastewater outfall locations . The amphipod test identified sections from 17 stations as having toxic sediments . The stations having toxic sediments were scattered throughout the bay and toxicity was identified at numerous core depths . Spatial and temporal patterns indicated that toxicity was most strongly associated with the historical disposal of municipal wastewater sludge . Many of the sections toxic to the amphipods did not have chemical levels expected to cause toxicity and were in locations where a source of toxicity was not apparent.

Mar Environ Res, 2003 Jul-Aug, 56(1-2), 255 - 76
Temporal and spatial distributions of contaminants in sediments of Santa Monica Bay, California; Bay SM et al.; Contaminant inputs from wastewater discharge, a major source of contamination to Santa Monica Bay (SMB), have declined drastically during the last three decades as a result of improved treatment processes and better source control . To assess the concomitant temporal changes in the SMB sediments, a study was initiated in June 1997, in which 25 box cores were collected using a stratified random sampling design . Five sediment strata corresponding to the time intervals of 1890-1920, 1932-1963, 1965-1979, 1979-1989, and 1989-1997 were identified using (210)Pb dating techniques . Samples from each stratum were analyzed for metals, 1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and total organic carbon (TOC) . Samples from the 1965-1979, 1979-1989, and 1989-1997 strata were also analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) . Sediment metal concentrations increased from 1890-1979 and were similar during the time intervals of 1965-1979, 1979-1989, and 1989-1997, although the mass emissions of trace metals from sewage inputs declined substantially during the same time period . Trace organic contamination in SMB was generally highest in sediments corresponding to deposition during the years of 1965-1979 or 1979-1989 and showed a decline in concentration in the 1989-1997 stratum . Temporal trends of contamination were greatest in sediments collected from areas near the Hyperion Treatment Plant (HTP) outfall system and on the slope of Redondo Canyon . The highest contaminant concentrations were present in sediments near the HTP 7-mile outfall in the 1965-1979 stratum . Elevated trace metal and organic concentrations were still present in the 1989-1997 stratum of most stations, suggesting that sediment contaminants have moved vertically in the sediment column since sludge discharges from the 7-mile outfall (a dominant source of contamination to the bay) ceased in 1987 . The widespread distributions of DDTs and PCBs in SMB and highly confined distribution of LABs around the HTP outfall system were indicative of a dispersal mechanism remobilizing historically deposited contaminants to areas relatively remote from the point of discharge.

J Chromatogr A, 2003 Feb 21, 988(1), 41 - 51
Trace analysis of technical nonylphenol, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol in wastewater using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Braun P et al.; To enable high sample throughput, an automated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method coupled with GC-MS for the trace analysis of technical nonylphenol, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol was developed . The extraction performance of different SPME fibre coatings was examined, with polyacrylate proving most suitable . Although study of the extraction time showed that the analytes have not reached equilibrium after 3 h, as a compromise an extraction time of 1 h was applied in all the experiments with detection limits between 0.04 and 1 microg l(-1) for wastewater effluent . The mean reproducibility of the technique is 8% RSD . Carry-over effects are negligible . The linearity of calibration curves ranges over three orders of magnitude . The method was tested for determining the analytes in influents and effluents of constructed wetland plants and in model wastewater used in laboratory experiments.

Environ Technol, 2003 Jan, 24(1), 43 - 50
Biomass characterization of slow sand filtration schmutzdecke and its effects on filter performance; Muhammad N et al.; A new approach of representing biomass by measuring the Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) content of sand in the schmutzdecke of slow sand filtration (SSF) was established by correlating TKN, Volatile Solids (VS) and Total Plate Count, a better way for the representation of biomass against the usual method by measuring VS . Reasonably good correlations were found between TKN and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of the extract from the schmutzdecke sand . The effects of the concentration of TKN on the efficiency of the SSF used as a tertiary unit of a wastewater treatment plant in removing BOD, COD, Ammonia Nitrogen (NH(3)-N) and Total Microorganisms have been evaluated and better performances of the filter have been observed at higher TKN concentration . The removal of NH(3)-N was almost proportional to TKN concentration further proving the importance of measuring the NH(3)-N in the effluent to identify the degree of ripening of the filter.

Environ Technol, 2003 Jan, 24(1), 17 - 22
Filamentous bulking control by sponge media in lab-scale SBR process; Takashima M et al.; Polyurethane foam sponge media were examined with respect to their ability to control filamentous bulking in a sequencing batch reactor process . In a high-rate nutrient removal study conducted with a 201 lab-scale reactor and synthetic wastewater of approximately 200 mgBOD 1(1), the presence of 20% v/v sponge media in the reactor improved the settling properties of biomass significantly, resulting in enhanced nutrient removal performance, i.e., < 10 mgT-N 1(-1) and < 1 mgT-P 1(-1) even at the HRT of 0.67 day . Without the support of sponge media, the suspended biomass was so bulky as to lead to its heavy washout from the reactor . A microscopic study under filamentous bulking revealed that the sponge media physically cut or broke biomass to shorter filaments and smaller flocs, mitigating the severe bulking condition . Indirect effects derived from the physical breakdown of biomass, such as more aerobic conditions in flocs, are expected to further create favorable conditions for suppressing filamentous bulking.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(3), 261 - 6
Virological control of groundwater quality using biomolecular tests; Carducci A et al.; Deep groundwater, even if generally protected, could be contaminated by surface or rain water infiltration through soil fractures, septic tanks, cesspits, land irrigation, disposal of wastewater and disposal of muds from depuration systems . The sanitary importance of such possible contamination is related to the different uses of the water and it is at the maximum level when it is intended for human use . Routine microbiological analyses do not consider viruses, only bacterial parameters, as contamination indicators . However, it is known that enteric viruses can survive a long time in deep aquifers and that they may not always be associated with bacterial indicators . The virological analysis of waters intended for drinking use is provided only as an occasional control exercised at the discretion of the sanitary authority . Technological difficulties with obtaining data about groundwater viral contamination led to a study to devise rapid and efficient methods for their detection and the application of these methods to samples from different sources . Four acid nucleic extraction techniques have been tested (classic proteinase K- phenol/chloroform, QIAamp Viral RNA Kit (Qiagen), SV Total RNA Isolation System (Promega) and NucleoSpin Virus L (Macherey-Nagel) . Sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR protocols for entero- (EV), hepatitis A (HAV) and small round structured (SRSV) viruses have been verified . Deep groundwater samples (100 L) were concentrated (2-step tangential flow ultrafiltration) and the concentrate contaminated with serial 10-fold dilutions of a known titre of poliovirus type 3 . Extracted RNA was concentrated (microcon-100) and analysed by RT-PCR using specific EV primers and visualising amplification products by agarose gel electrophoresis . In addition, two different methods of RT-PCR for non-cultivable viruses have been tested: (a) RT-PCR and nested RT-PCR for HAV and (b) RT-PCR with generic primers and RT-PCR with specific primers for SRSV . Different specificity tests have been carried out in the presence of some of the commoner microorganisms . The most efficient, sensitive and specific protocols were used to test 35 x 100L deep groundwater samples . Sample concentrates were split with one part treated with chloroform and analysed by cell culture (BGM and Frp/3, derived from FrHK/4, cells) and the other tested by RT-PCR for HAV, EV and SRSV . Results demonstrated the high efficiency of the classic and QIAamp methods . Microcon-100 did not increase the sensitivity of the technique used . The highest sensitivity was observed for RT-PCR with specific primers for SRSV and for nested RT-PCR for HAV . One sample showed a cytopathic effect, not confirmed at the third subculture, while the RT-PCR allowed the detection of echovirus 7 . Cell culture did not allow detection of the majority of the enteric viruses while PCR gave sensitive, specific and rapid detection of a range of agents in the same samples . Even if it was impossible to fix a virological quality standard, it would be necessary to find a viral indicator in order to achieve a complete preventive check which would be particularly useful in some cases (e.g . water never used before, after pollution accidents, for seasonal checking).

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(3), 157 - 62
Removal of microbes from municipal wastewater effluent by rapid sand filtration and subsequent UV irradiation; Rajala RL et al.; The elimination of wastewater microbes is often necessary when effluent receiving waters are reused for different purposes e.g . for irrigation or as a raw water source of drinking water . In the present study, rapid sand filtration (SF) combined with the use of polyaluminium chloride coagulation was used as a pre-treatment to improve the quality of wastewater effluent before further treatment with UV irradiation . Pilot-scale experiments were run in four treatment plants in Finland . Treatment performance was followed by measuring physical and microbial parameters . Rapid sand filtration reduced suspended solids, turbidity and colour of effluents by about 90%, 70-80% and 20-50% respectively . It also improved the UV transmittance of water by up to 20% . Microbes and phosphorus were reduced by 90-99% and to 0.05 mg/L respectively . UV irradiation further reduced the number of microbes up to 99.9% . The efficiency of UV doses in pilot UV reactors was confirmed with collimated-beam device determinations and with added FRNA phages . More than 99.9% reduction of MS2 was achieved with the dose of 140mWs/cm2 in pilot UV reactors . Rapid sand filtration and the subsequent UV irradiation reduced the number of all the tested microbes to a low level, often below the detection limit . Suspended solids and the water turbidity were reduced to 1-2 mg/L and approximately 1 NTU respectively.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(3), 137 - 42
A chemiluminescent immunofocus assay (CIFA) for non-microscopic enumeration of Cryptosporidium parvum infectivity in cell culture; Simmons OD 3rd et al.; As Cryptosporidium parvum continues to cause waterborne disease, despite extensive efforts by drinking water suppliers and regulators, it is important to have reliable and convenient methods for detection of this pathogen in wastewater discharges, environmental source waters and finished drinking water supplies . In order to better understand the health risks of this organism, it is necessary that detection methods be able to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious Cryptosporidium oocysts in these environmental samples . Cryptosporidium infectivity assay systems based on infections in mice and on in vitro infections in continuous mammalian cell lines are available . Currently, these methods are impractical for routine analysis of water samples because they are tedious, lengthy and costly . These methods rely on careful microscopic examination or further analysis by PCR and then characterisation of the amplified DNA . Practical and affordable non-microscopic methods to determine Cryptosporidium infectivity are much needed for environmental analysis . A cell culture infectivity detection system was developed for infectious Cryptosporidium oocysts that does not rely on microscopic examination of samples to score results, is applicable to a variety of samples and has the potential to be used for routine water monitoring and other environmental or biomedical analysis . Using a chemiluminescent immunoassay, the discrete foci of developmental stages of Cryptosporidium in cell cultures are clearly visible as discrete objects in an image of the entire cell culture layer in a dish or on a slide . These objects are directly countable with the unaided eye and their identity can be further confirmed or verified by microscopic examination.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(3), 91 - 6
Comparative survival of Cryptosporidium, coxsackievirus A9 and Escherichia coli in stream, brackish and sea waters; Nasser AM et al.; Discharge of inadequately treated wastewater into streams may result in the dissemination of pathogens and the contamination of surface water sources . Determining the die-off rate of pathogenic microorganisms in stream and sea waters may serve as the basis for evaluating the health risks posed by the presence of pathogens in seawater . This study was conducted to determine the effect of microbial load, temperature, salinity and turbidity on the die-off of oocysts of Cryptosporidium as compared to that of coxsackie A9 virus (Cox A9) and E . coli . The test microorganisms were seeded into stream, outfall or sea waters and incubated at either 30 degrees C (summer) or 15 degrees C (winter) . At 30 degrees C, the fastest die-off was observed for Cox A9 where < 5-log was reduced regardless of the water quality . At 1 degrees C Cox A9 persistence was similar to that of Cryptosporidium where no change was detected in the concentration of either throughout the study period . E . coli die-off reached 5 orders of magnitude within 10d then its concentration remained unchanged . The die-off of E . coli was faster than observed for Cox A9 at 15 degrees C regardless of the water quality . No decrease was observed in the viability of Cryptosporidium under all tested conditions throughout the study period indicating the unsuitability of E . coli to serve as an indicator for the presence of parasites and viruses in stream and marine waters . The prolonged persistence of pathogenic microorganisms in marine waters suggested that discharge of contamination into streams may present a serious environmental health risk.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(3), 77 - 83
Predation of Cryptosporidium oocysts by protozoa and rotifers: implications for water quality and public health; Stott R et al.; Predation by free-living protozoa and rotifers was investigated as a possible mechanism for the removal of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in aquatic ecosystems including wastewater treatment plants . Free-living ciliated protozoa (Stylonychia mytilus, Paramecium caudatum and an unidentified wastewater wetland ciliate), an amoeba (Acanthamoeba culbertsoni) and rotifers, all commonly found in aquatic ecosystems, were exposed to varying doses of C . parvum oocysts . All organisms investigated ingested oocysts . Predation activity and rates of ingestion varied with predator species and prey density . Ciliated protozoa demonstrated greater predation activity than A . culbertsoni or rotifers when exposed to 2 x 10(5) oocyst/mL for up to 3 h . Greatest predation after 1 h exposure was observed in P . caudatum, the largest ciliate, with on average 1.9 oocysts/cell (range 0-9 oocysts/cell) . Stylonychia mytilus and the wetland ciliate had a similar mean ingestion of around 0.3 oocysts/cell, with numbers internalised ranging from 0-3 oocysts/cell . Rotifers ingested on average 1.6 oocysts/individual (range 0-7 oocysts/individual) whilst amoebae ingested on average 1.8 oocysts/cell after 2 h exposure (up to 3 oocysts/cell) . Grazing activity by P . caudatum was demonstrated at a variety of prey levels ranging from 9 to 9,000 oocysts . Numbers of oocysts internalised by Paramecium frequently exceeded the reported human infective dose of 30 oocysts . In general, numbers of internalised oocysts increased with incubation time of up to 20-30 min although the rate of accumulation was slower at lower dose levels . The significance of predation on the fate of Cryptosporidium oocysts in the environment is discussed.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2002, Spec No 1, 68 - 74
The comparison study of compost and natural organic matter samples; Zbytniewski R et al.; Sewage sludge is a serious problem facing modern wastewater treatment plants . One of the methods to safely utilize the sludge is through composting and the agricultural use of the final product . In this study the compost samples from municipal sewage sludge are compared to the natural, rich in organic matter samples . Based on physicochemical properties of the material, the maturity indices are obtained to evaluate the quality of organic matter and estimate the similarities between the samples . The study shows that one-dimensional analysis like that based on maturity indices does not provide satisfactory answers concerning the nature of such complex materials . The data set of the analysis naturally possesses a multidimensional character so that the employment of advanced chemometric techniques like cluster analysis show a number of features which were hidden within the 'data flood' . The major conclusion of this work is that the compost from sewage sludge is similar to peat in the significance of the properties of the organic matter . Moreover, the organic matter of agricultural soil, which is most stable and has been naturally matured over a long period of time, differs substantially from the other samples.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 205 - 11
On-line measurement data of wastewater systems via WAP mobile phones; Alex J et al.; In order to support the operation of wastewater systems a system was developed which allows us to access plant data by standard mobile devices such as WAP mobile phones . This system is suited complement the standard application of alarm and message systems based for example on SMS or pager services . This technology provides useful options for mobile remote monitoring and remote control of automated plants . This technology is particularly appropriate for the use in remote facilities where no staff is available . The technology has been implemented succesfully and shows how standard IT and Internet technologies can be utilised to support the operation of spatially distributed plants with reasonable effort . Two implementations are presented which access plant data via WAP mobile phones and via mobile pocket PCs . First application experiences are presented.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 181 - 8
Novel monitoring concepts to acquire new water quality knowledge; Noij TH et al.; Two novel water quality monitoring concepts were developed: the HPLC-fingerprint for the monitoring of yet unidentified pollutants and the HPLC-Toxprint for the recognition of (unknown) toxic or genotoxic compounds . The paper describes applications of both concepts . The HPLC-fingerprint is used for the evaluation of the overall water quality in addition to the monitoring of individual pollutants . Based on their occurrence (frequency, concentration, location) a listing of unknown priority pollutants is set up . Participating waterworks monitor for these compounds using a dedicated HPLC-DAD library that contains the required compound data (UV-absorbance spectrum, retention time index) . In five years of experience with this concept, the HPLC-fingerprint was also found very suitable for the retrieval of new priority pollutants in existing HPLC-fingerprint databases, providing historic data on these new compounds . The HPLC-fingerprint concept was also used as an Early Warning System for accidental spills or sabotage . The HPLC-Toxprint was successfully applied in identifying genotoxicity (in the umu-test) in various waste water samples . By the application of LC-MS/MS genotoxicity could be assigned to acridine-derivatives in one of these wastewaters . To enable the evaluation of drinking water resources, the sensitivity of the HPLC-Toxprint was improved, now allowing the detection of pollutants with a 10% genotoxic potential as compared to 2-aminoanthracene (the positive control compound) at concentrations as low as 0.1 microg/l.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 171 - 9
Multivariate on-line monitoring: challenges and solutions for modern wastewater treatment operation; Rosen C et al.; In this paper, a number of challenges, which need to be overcome if multivariate monitoring of wastewater treatment operation is to be successful, are presented . For each challenge, one or several solutions are discussed . The methodologies are illustrated using an example from full-scale wastewater treatment operation . Some guidelines regarding choices of methods and implementation aspects are given.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 87 - 93
Determination of sewer roughness and sediment properties using acoustic techniques; Horoshenkov KV et al.; Measurements have been carried out to determine the effect of porous sediments in a pipe on the attenuation and spectrum of the airborne acoustic field . The results show that the presence of even a relatively thin sandy layer results in a considerable increase in the acoustic attenuation over the broad frequency range . The measured value of the relative attenuation is in the range of 0.8 dB/m . The effect of the sediment on the acoustic spectrum is the reduction in energy of the propagating modes, which is an easily detectable phenomenon . These results pave the way for the development of the instrumentation for non-invasive characterisation of the parameters of sediments in wastewater systems.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 79 - 86
Non-contact measurement of wastewater polluting load--the Loadmon project; Russell SL et al.; A new approach to the measurement of polluting load in crude wastewaters is described . The Loadmon project has developed an optical technique which enables suspended solids and organic load of a crude wastewater to be measured in an open channel . There is no requirement for any sampling equipment or sensor contact of any kind . The paper covers the laboratory study of wastewater optical properties,the prototype development, testing in the laboratory and field trials . Future plans for product development are outlined.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 73 - 8
Influence of changes of the wastewater composition on the applicability of UV-absorption measurements at combined sewer overflows; Stumwohrer K et al.; The applicability of UV-absorption measurements at combined sewer overflows was investigated under different storm water conditions . Three specific rainfall events of different intensity, different duration and different intervals between the events were investigated . An individual evaluation of each single event resulted in an acceptable correlation between the UV absorption and the pollution measured as COD . A combined evaluation of the different events exhibited a very poor correlation which could not be used as pollution control parameter . Since the calibration procedure of the spectrometer used was not flexible enough to distinguish between different wastewater matrices from the different storm events the applicability of this type of spectrometer for the control of storm water overflows is questionable.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 63 - 71
A multivariate calibration procedure for UV/VIS spectrometric quantification of organic matter and nitrate in wastewater; Langergraber G et al.; A submersible UV/VIS spectrometer for in-situ real-time measurements is presented . It utilises the UV/VIS range (200-750 nm) for simultaneous measurement of COD, filtered COD, TSS and nitrate with just a single instrument . A global calibration is provided that is valid for typical municipal wastewater compositions . Usually high correlation coefficients can be achieved using this standard setting . By running a local calibration improvements concerning trueness, precision and long term stability of the results can be achieved . The calibration model is built by means of PLS, various validation procedures and outlier tests to reach both high correlation quality and robustness . This paper describes the UV/VIS spectrometer and the calibration procedure.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 53 - 61
Use of real-time data in environmental monitoring: current practices; Gunatilak A et al.; Water quality monitoring in Europe, especially in transboundary water courses has made steady progress during the last decades through establishment of international commissions . The main activities of these commissions include protection and management of the catchment, sustainable use of the river and establishment of Accident Emergency Warning Systems (AEWS) . The latter could be effectively accomplished only through real-time monitoring . Concurrently real-time data have been found important for the monitoring of potable water intake points, wastewater treatment plants, estuaries and in aquaculture . With the recognition of the diversified demand, there are a number of questions to be answered such as: (1) are we satisfied with the existing monitoring systems? (2) is standardisation of the measuring instruments a necessity? (3) do we have foolproof systems for data capture and transmission? (4) are there adequate procedures to analyse vast amount of data generated? We have to answer these questions urgently as the demand for real-time monitoring has been drastically increased.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(2), 43 - 51
Transforming data into information; Beck MB et al.; In spite of a long history of automated instruments being deployed in the water industry, only recently has the difficulty of extracting timely insights from high-grade, high-volume data sets become an important problem . Put simply, it is now relatively easy to be "data-rich", much less easy to become information-rich" . Whether the availability of so many data arises from "technological push" or the "demand pull" of practical problem solving is not the subject of discussion . The paper focuses instead on two issues: first, an outline of a methodological framework, based largely on the algorithms of (on-line) recursive estimation and involving a sequence of transformations to which the data can be subjected; and second, presentation and discussion of the results of applying these transformations in a case study of a biological system of wastewater treatment . The principal conclusion is that the difficulty of transforming data into information may lie not so much in coping with the high sampling intensity enabled by automated monitoring networks, but in coming to terms with the complexity of the higher-order, multi-variable character of the data sets, i.e., in interpreting the interactions among many contemporaneously measured quantities.

Biotechnol Bioeng, 2003 May 20, 82(4), 489 - 97
Monitoring of a sequencing batch reactor using adaptive multiblock principal component analysis; Lee DS et al.; Multiway principal component analysis (MPCA) for the analysis and monitoring of batch processes has recently been proposed . Although MPCA has found wide applications in batch process monitoring, it assumes that future batches behave in the same way as those used for model identification . In this study, a new monitoring algorithm, adaptive multiblock MPCA, is developed . The method overcomes the problem of changing process conditions by updating the covariance structure recursively . A historical set of operational data of a multiphase batch process was divided into local blocks in such a way that the variables from one phase of a batch run could be blocked in the corresponding blocks . This approach has significant benefits because the latent variable structure can change for each phase during the batch operation . The adaptive multiblock model also allows for easier fault detection and isolation by looking at the relationship between blocks and at smaller meaningful block models, and it therefore helps in the diagnosis of the disturbance . The proposed adaptive multiblock monitoring method is successfully applied to a sequencing batch reactor for biological wastewater treatment .

Environ Sci Technol, 2003 Feb 1, 37(3), 462 - 7
PAHs, PCBs, PCNs, organochlorine pesticides, synthetic musks, and polychlorinated n-alkanes in U.K . sewage sludge: survey results and implications; Stevens JL et al.; A survey of the digested sludge from 14 U.K . wastewater treatment plants was carried out to obtain contemporary U.K . data on the concentrations of certain classes of persistent organic compounds for which data are scarce and to assess whether U.K . sludge was likely to comply with the sludge limits for PCBs and PAHs proposed by the European Union . Total PAH (24 compounds) concentrations ranged from 67 to 370 mg/kg dw, in line with data from other countries; all the samples would exceed the proposed EU limit . Total PCB concentrations were 110-440 microg/kg dw, well below the proposed EU limit . Total PCN concentrations ranged from 50 to 190 microg/kg . Total synthetic musk concentrations ranged from 2.1 to 86 mg/kg dw; there were a few very high concentrations of HHCB and AHTN in the samples . Total concentrations of the short- and medium-chained polychlorinated alkanes ranged between 7 and 200 mg/kg and between 30 and 9700 mg/kg, respectively . These very high concentrations are indicative of chemicals with numerous and ongoing diffuse sources.

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Mar 17, 98(1-3), 295 - 309
Industrial wastewater treatment in a new gas-induced ozone reactor; Lin SH et al.; The present work was to investigate industrial wastewater treatment by ozonation in a new gas-induced reactor in conjunction with chemical coagulation pretreatment . The reactor was specifically designed in a fashion that gas induction was created on the liquid surface by the high-speed action of an impeller turbine inside a draft tube to maximize the ozone gas utilization . A new design feature of the present reactor system was a fixed granular activated carbon (GAC) bed packed in a circular compartment between the reactor wall and the shaft tube . The fixed GAC bed provided additional adsorption and catalytic degradation of organic pollutants . Combination of the fixed GAC bed and ozonation results in enhanced oxidation of organic pollutants . In addition to enhanced pollutant oxidation, ozonation was found to provide in situ GAC regeneration that was considered crucial in the present reaction system . Kinetic investigations were also made using a proposed complex kinetic model to elucidate the possible oxidation reaction mechanisms of the present gas-induced ozonation system . As a complementary measure, chemical coagulation pretreatment was found able to achieve up to 50% COD and 85% ADMI removal . Experimental tests were conducted to identify its optimum operating conditions .

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Mar 17, 98(1-3), 241 - 55
Oxidative degradation and detoxification of aqueous carbofuran by membrane anodic Fenton treatment; Wang Q et al.; Anodic Fenton treatment (AFT), a new Fenton technology for the treatment of pesticide wastewater, has been reported previously . The substitution of an ion exchange membrane for the salt-bridge, an improvement to the practicality of the AFT without sacrificing treatment efficiency, has also been reported . The oxidative degradation by membrane AFT of carbofuran, a heavily used and toxic carbamate insecticide, was investigated in this study . The results show that the degradation kinetics of carbofuran with different initial concentrations obeys the AFT model, and the treatment efficiency increases with increasing initial concentration . Raising the treatment temperature can result in enhanced degradation of carbofuran in solution . The pseudo-activation energy of carbofuran by membrane AFT was estimated to be 7.66 kJ mol(-1) . The results also show that AFT treatment can effectively remove COD and dramatically improve the biodegradability of carbofuran in solution . GC/MS analysis found four degradation products, revealing that the carbamate branch and 3-C in the furan ring are the first and second attack targets of hydroxyl radicals . As shown by the toxicity assay, the fatal toxicity of carbofuran to earthworms can be totally removed . The degradation of carbofuran by AFT is also a detoxification process .

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Mar 17, 98(1-3), 225 - 40
Disposal of MSWI fly ash through a combined washing-immobilisation process; Mangialardi T; The objective of this work was to investigate the feasibility of a combined washing-immobilisation process as a means of optimising the disposal of fly ash resulting from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) in cementitious matrices . Two different types of Italian MSWI fly ash and an ordinary Portland cement (ASTM Type I) were used . Washing pre-treatment of fly ash with water always produces a wastewater that can be successfully treated by reducing the pH to values of 6.5-7.5 . This treatment is capable of removing the detected contaminants (Al, Cd, Pb, Zn) through two different mechanisms: precipitation of aluminium hydroxide and adsorption of cadmium, lead and zinc ions onto floc particles of Al(OH)(3) . Setting and leaching tests on cementitious mixes prove that the hazardous sludge produced from wastewater treatment can be completely mixed with washed fly ash and this mixture can be incorporated into cementitious matrices to a great extent (75 wt.% of total solid) without the risks of an unacceptable delay of cement setting and an excessive heavy metals leachability from solidified products . The better performance of the combined washing-immobilisation process as compared to the immobilisation process of unwashed fly ash may be ascribed primarily to the ability of the washing step in promoting the formation of hydrate phases that incorporate and/or convert heavy metal compounds into less reactive forms and, secondarily, to its ability of removing significant amounts of alkali chlorides and sulphates from fly ash . As a result, MSWI fly ash is transformed into a material that adversely affects cement hydration to a much lower extent than unwashed fly ash .

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Mar 17, 98(1-3), 201 - 10
Photo-assisted oxidation of an oily wastewater using hydrogen peroxide; Philippopoulos CJ et al.; The primary objective was to study the purification of an oily wastewater from a lubricant production unit using ultraviolet irradiation and hydrogen peroxide . The influence of hydrogen peroxide concentration, initial pH of the solution and of the addition of ferric ions on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was examined . In each case, the concentration of the compounds contained in the oily wastewater was determined . It was shown that a 20-45% COD removal was achieved with 830-1660 mg l(-1) H(2)O(2) . Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed that the organic compounds of the wastewater decomposed to organic acids that were very resistant to photo-oxidation . Among these compounds, ethylene glycol remained almost unchanged by the attack from hydroxyl radicals . Acidic pH and Fe(III) addition enhanced significantly the photo-oxidation of the wastewater .

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Mar 17, 98(1-3), 69 - 90
Recent advances in VOCs removal from water by pervaporation; Peng M et al.; Pervaporation (PV) is a separation process in which minor components of a liquid mixture are preferentially transported by partial vaporization through a non-porous permselective (selectively permeable) membrane . PV is an emerging technology in environment cleanup operations, especially in the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from industrial wastewaters or contaminated groundwaters . Current state of PV membrane development in VOC removal and improvement in process engineering, and better understanding of the interactions between VOCs and membrane materials are reviewed . Among PV process parameters documented here are process temperature, permeate pressure, feed concentration, and feed flow rate . The effects of these parameters on PV selectivity and permeation flux have been studied extensively and these studies have borne fruit in a better understanding of many aspects of PV processes . The challenge in implementing PV in practical operations lies in the further enhancement of membrane quality for specific VOCs as well as improved management and control of possible adverse hurdles coming from real systems .

Waste Manag, 2003, 23(1), 27 - 35
Waste paper and clinoptilolite as a bulking material with dewatered anaerobically stabilized primary sewage sludge (DASPSS) for compost production; Zorpas AA et al.; Environmental problems associated with sewage sludge disposal have prompted strict legislative actions over the past few years . At the same time, the upgrading and expansion of wastewater treatment plants have greatly increased the volume of sludge generated . The major limitation of land application of sewage sludge compost is the potential for high heavy metal content in relation to the metal content of the original sludge . Composting of sewage sludge with natural zeolite (clinoptilolite) can enhance its quality and suitability for agricultural use . However, the dewatered anaerobically stabilized primary sewage sludge (DASPSS) contained a low concentration of humic substances (almost 2%), and the addition of the waste paper was necessary in order to produce a good soil conditioner with high concentrations of humics . The final results showed that the compost produced from DASPSS and 40-50% w/w of waste paper was a good soil fertilizer . Finally, in order to estimate the metal leachability of the final compost product, the generalized acid neutralization Capacity (GANC) procedure was used, and it was found that by increasing the leachate pH, the heavy metal concentration decreased . The application of the sequential chemical extraction indicated that metals were bound to the residual fraction characterized as a stabilize fractions.

Waste Manag, 2003, 23(2), 135 - 43
Accumulation and fate of selected heavy metals in a biological wastewater treatment system; Chipasa KB; The aim of this research was to study the accumulation and removal of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) by a biological wastewater treatment system . Heavy metal contents in the influent and effluent wastewater were compared . Also, the heavy metal contents in the sludge before and after anaerobic digestion were compared . The results showed: (1) more pronounced variations in the contents of Cu and Zn than that of Cd and Pb, which showed that at 0.02 for Cd and 0.05 mg/l for Pb, the reduction in their contents was insignificant; (2) that removal of heavy metals was directly proportional to their initial contents in the influent wastewater . Corresponding to the influent contents, in increasing order, the reduction in heavy metal contents was: Cd<Pb<Cu<Zn; and (3) that anaerobic stabilization of sludge caused an increase in heavy metal contents on dry weight basis . The order of increase in heavy metal contents in digested sludge (Zn<Pb<Cu<Cd) was opposite to that of their contents removal from influent wastewater.

Z Naturforsch {C}, 2003 Jan-Feb, 58(1-2), 87 - 92
Hydrolytic enzymes and surfactants of bacterial isolates from lubricant-contaminated wastewater; Vasileva-Tonkova E et al.; Fifteen bacterial monocultures were isolated from lubricant-contaminated wastewater of an electric power station in Sofia . Six isolates showed best growth in liquid media with 1.5% hexadecane, and on mineral salt agar plates supplemented with one of the following hydrocarbons: n-hexadecane, paraffin, kerosene and samples of wastewater . The ability of all isolates to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes and surface-active glycolipids was assessed on the basis of their growth on hydrocarbons . The study of this relatively closed micro-ecosystem revealed the existence of well-balanced microbial consortium where different members have their own role and support each other . On this basis, an alternative approach is proposed for bioaugmented clean up of wastewater contaminated with hydrocarbons and organic polymers using a mixed culture of indigenous bacteria that combines the best producers of glycolipids and hydrolytic enzymes.

Can J Microbiol, 2002 Dec, 48(12), 1041 - 7
Tannic acid induces transcription of laccase gene cglcc1 in the white-rot fungus Coriolopsis gallica; Carbajo JM et al.; Laccase, a phenoloxidase enzyme secreted by white-rot fungi, has a significant role in the degradation of lignin and environmental pollutants . Coriolopsis gallica is a ligninolytic basidiomycete that produces high levels of this extracellular enzyme . A laccase gene cglcc1 from this fungus has been cloned and sequenced . The capacity of C . gallica to efficiently degrade polyphenols has been successfully applied in our laboratory to the biotreatment and decolorization of several industrial wastewaters . This study focused on the effect of tannic acid, a natural compound widely distributed in plants, on the production of laccase activity by C . gallica . Our results showed an evident increase of extracellular laccase levels when C . gallica was grown in the presence of tannic acid . Concentrations of 50 and 100 microM of this compound increased laccase activity when compared with control samples grown without tannic acid . In addition, we found an increase in laccase transcript levels in C . gallica grown in culture media supplemented with tannic acid . The role of tannic acid was shown to be an inductor of laccase activity in this fungus, due to the enhancement of expression of the laccase gene at the transcriptional level.

Chemosphere, 2003 May, 51(7), 595 - 601
A comparison of TEQ contributions from PCDDs, PCDFs and dioxin-like PCBs in sewage sludges from Catalonia, Spain; Eljarrat E et al.; Eight sewage sludges from rural, urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Catalonia (Spain) were analysed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs) to determine the present levels of contamination . A method based on an automated cleanup system followed by an isotope-dilution high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis was employed . Total toxicity equivalent (WHO-TEQ) values were calculated using the toxicity equivalent factors (WHO-TEFs) proposed by WHO for dioxin-like PCBs, PCDDs and PCDFs . The WHO-TEQ(PCDD/F) values for these samples ranged from 4.9 to 20.8 pg/g dry weight (d.w.), with a mean value of 9.3 pg/g d.w., whereas WHO-TEQ(PCB) levels ranged between 1.9 and 6.6 pg/g d.w., with a mean value of 4.2 pg/g d.w . The WHO-TEQ(PCB) contribution varied from 13% to 50%, suggesting that PCB contribution on the toxicity of the samples must be taken into account . Moreover, these contemporary PCDD, PCDF and PCB concentrations were compared with previous data obtained from sewage sludge samples collected during the 80s . Our findings show that contemporary PCDD, PCDF and PCB levels have declined since the 80s.

J Dent, 2003 Jan 1, 31(1), 51 - 58
Particle versus mercury removal efficiency of amalgam separators; Drummond JL et al.; Objective . The intent of this project was to evaluate the efficiency of three commercial amalgam separators based on mercury and particle removal.Methods . Dental wastewater samples were collected from a 54-chair dental clinic and a one chair private dental office . Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure mercury, and a laser diffractometer method to determine the particle size distributions.Results . The mercury removal efficiency of the three units ranged from 26.5 to 61.8% for the 54-chair clinic and from 80.8 to 94.7% for the one chair office . Following treatment, the particle size range of the effluent was 8.3-19.2&mgr;m for the 54-chair office and 27.5-41.4&mgr;m for the one-chair clinic . For particle samples based on the silver-copper and copper standards, the three amalgam separators had a particle removal efficiency ranging from 92.3 to 99.9% . The initial particle size distributions for these samples were all under 100&mgr;m.Conclusions . The efficiency of the amalgam separators is influenced by the initial concentration of the dental wastewater, the physical setup of the discharge system before the dental wastewater reaches the separators, and the addition of chemicals to the dental wastewater . In addition, it is likely that assessment of efficiency based on particle removal by weight may not be as effective as removal based on concentration.

Environ Int, 2003 Apr, 29(1), 21 - 7
Water quality and impacts of pollution sources for Eymir and Mogan Lakes (Turkey); Karakoc G et al.; Mogan and Eymir Lakes are two shallow lakes, interconnected hydrologically in the close vicinity of Ankara, Turkey . A total of 245 km(2) of the total 971.4 km(2) watershed is under environmental protection status as "Golbasi Specially Protected Area" . Potential impacts from extensive agriculture, recreation, incomplete infrastructure and other human activities, such as residential settlements, are discussed with reference to previous and more recent pollution monitoring . Six monitoring stations enabling follow-up of previous work were selected in this study . These were on the creeks feeding the lake systems . Generally, summer months showed heavier pollution loads, with Eymir Lake concentrating the pollutants due to flow from Mogan Lake . When compared with the 1995 study; COD, total-P, Kjeldahl-N in the six stations were close or slightly decreased in the present study . Suspended solids significantly decreased; possibly due to erosion control measures and decreased domestic wastewater . The improvement in the pollution state of the lakes is attributed to the construction of a sewage system going around Mogan Lake and collecting wastewater discharges and restrictions to urban settlement development around the lakes brought by the 1/25,000 land use plan controlling further impact from residential developments within the protected area boundaries . The study, while addressing water quality and interactions due to human activities in shallow lakes, also discusses problems associated with human impacts in protected areas with the aim of presenting a complicated case study .

Environ Int, 2003 Mar, 28(8), 761 - 9
Toxicity of copper in sewage sludge; Fjallborg B et al.; Sewage sludge is a source of organic matter and nutrients, but a major obstacle for its recycling is that the municipal wastewater sludge has low but significant levels of contaminants . This investigation, on the acute toxicity of copper in sewage sludge, was conducted with three organisms, Daphnia magna, Lemna minor and Raphanus sativus (seeds) . The toxicity of the leakage water from sewage sludge spiked with CuSO(4) was studied for 64 days . The toxicity increased during the first 8-16 days and then started to decrease . The first increase in toxicity was due to ammonia, but after 32 days, a dose-related effect of copper was found . After 64 days, L . minor had an EC50 of 3800 mg Cu/kg dw for 7 days growth inhibition, a LOEC of 3200 mg Cu/kg dw and a NOEC of 1600 mg Cu/kg dw . D . magna had an EC50 of 18100 mg Cu/kg dw (24-h immobility) and a NOEC of 12800 mg Cu/kg dw . Root elongation of R . sativus was reduced at 25600 mg Cu/kg dw . Both for Daphnia and Lemna, the pH of the leakage water had an effect of the toxicity . This means that chemical speciation and bioavailability is very important for the hazard assessment of copper in sludge and soil.

Environ Int, 2003 Mar, 28(8), 751 - 9
Determination of potentially bioaccumulating complex mixtures of organochlorine compounds in wastewater: a review; Contreras Lopez MC; Organic chlorine compounds can be persistent environmental contaminants and may be accumulated through the food chain to the aquatic organisms, to fish and humans, depending basically on their hydrophobic properties . Consequently, there is an interest to measure these organic compounds from both the scientific and regulatory communities . The analytical essays have been improved for measuring specific organic chlorine compounds that present the most toxicological potential (polychlorinated biphenyls {PCBs}, certain pesticides and dioxins), although they are tedious and time-consuming procedures . The existing tests to measure adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) or extractable organic halogens (EOX) do not distinguish the more hydrophobic organic chlorine matter . The intention of this paper is to make a review of the existing methods to measure the potentially bioaccumulating organochlorine compounds (OCs) from wastewater and propose a methodology to a standardisation procedure for complex mixtures of OCs in wastewater, such as pulp mill effluents . A new method has been proposed for determining the most hydrophobic part of the extractable organic halogens (EOX(fob)), the lowest reported value is 0.6 microg/l, expressed as chloride, and the relative standard deviation at 20 microg/l is 7% on laboratory samples and 30% on real effluents . This new procedure could be a valuable tool to complement environmental risk assessment studies of wastewater discharges.

Arch Microbiol, 2003 Apr, 179(4), 242 - 9 Epub 2003 Feb 21.
Sporotomaculum syntrophicum sp . nov., a novel anaerobic, syntrophic benzoate-degrading bacterium isolated from methanogenic sludge treating wastewater from terephthalate manufacturing; Qiu YL et al.; An anaerobic, mesophilic, syntrophic benzoate-degrading bacterium, designated strain FB(T), was isolated from methanogenic sludge which had been used to treat wastewater from the manufacture of terephthalic acid . Cells were non-motile gram-positive rods that formed spores . The optimum temperature for growth was 35-40 degrees C, and the optimum pH was 7.0-7.2 . A co-culture with the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanospirillum hungatei converted benzoate to acetate, carbon dioxide, and methane . Butyrate transiently accumulated at a high concentration of 2.5 mM during degradation . Besides benzoate, no other compound tested supported growth of the co-culture . Crotonate supported growth of strain FB(T) in pure culture . Furthermore, the strain degraded benzoate in pure culture with crotonate as co-substrate to produce acetate and butyrate . The strain was not able to utilize sulfate, sulfite, thiosulfate, nitrate, fumarate, or Fe(III) as electron acceptor . The G+C content of the DNA was 46.8 mol% . Strain FB(T) contained MK-7 as the major quinone and C(16:1) as the major fatty acid . 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that the strain was a member of the genus Sporotomaculum, even though it exhibited significant differences, such as the capacity for syntrophic growth, to the known member of the genus . Hence, we propose the name Sporotomaculum syntrophicum sp . nov . for strain FB(T) . The type strain is strain FB(T) (DSM 14795, JCM 11475).

Toxicol Sci, 2003 Mar, 72(1), 77 - 83
Comparison of in vitro and in vivo bioassays for estrogenicity in effluent from North American municipal wastewater facilities; Huggett DB et al.; Attempts to better understand causal factors affecting estrogenicity in municipal wastewater have primarily focused on analytical evaluation of specific chemical estrogens and the use of estrogen receptor (ER) based in vitro assays . To compare analytical,in vitro, and in vivo assays for estrogenicity, wastewater from four New York and one Texas municipal wastewater facilities was evaluated for estrogenic activity using the yeast estrogen screen assay (YES) and an in vivo fish vitellogenin (VTG) assay . Estrogenic activity, as measured by the YES assay, was observed in methanol and/or methylene chloride eluents from C18 extracts in two of the New York treatment facilities and the Texas facility . Estradiol equivalents for the YES assay data ranged from </=1 to 15 ng/l . Male Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) were then exposed for 7 days to solvent extracts from the New York-Red Hook facility and the Texas facility . Hepatic and plasma vitellogenin were induced in medaka after exposure to the methanol eluent from the New York facility, even though the YES assay indicated that both the methanol and methylene chloride eluents were estrogenic . Whereas an estrogenic response in the YES assay was only observed in the methanol eluent from the Texas facility, plasma VTG induction was observed in both the methanol and methylene chloride eluents . In vivo estrogenic activity was nearly 10-fold greater than YES activity indicating the presence of nonestrogen receptor ligands that elicit estrogenic effects in fish through indirect mechanisms . The sole use of in vitro assays to screen for estrogenicity may underestimate estrogenic potential of wastewater.

Chemosphere, 2003 Apr, 51(4), 265 - 71
Removal of nitrogen and phosphate from wastewater by addition of bittern; Lee SI et al.; Removal of nitrogen and phosphate through crystallization of struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4).6H(2)O) has gained increasing interest . Since wastewaters tend to be low in magnesium relative to ammonia and phosphates, addition of this mineral is usually required to effect the struvite crystallization process . The present study evaluated the feasibility of using bittern, a byproduct of salt manufacture, as a low-cost source of magnesium ions . High reaction rates were observed; the extent of nitrogen and phosphorus removals did not change beyond 10 min . Phosphorus removals from pure solutions with bittern added were equivalent to those obtained with MgCl(2) or seawater . Nitrogen removals with bittern were somewhat lower than with the alternate Mg(2+) sources, however . Application of bittern to biologically treated wastewater from a swine farm achieved high phosphate removal, but ammonia removals were limited by imbalance in the nitrogen:phosphorus ratio.

Chemosphere, 2003 Apr, 51(4), 245 - 52
A study of volatile organic sulfur emissions causing urban odors; Muezzinoglu A; Levels of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur containing organic compounds were studied in the air at the deltas of the polluted creeks in the city of Izmir, Turkey in summer 2001 . High concentrations of these malodorous compounds were measured in the air samples . Presence of these compounds in the air was connected with the dark appearance and rising gas bubbles in the studied segments of the creeks . These creeks were like open sewers carrying wastewaters from the industry and residential areas into the inner Izmir Bay until September 2001.Within the scope of this study organic sulfur compounds such as methane thiol, ethane thiol, 2-propane thiol, 2-butane thiol, dimethylsulfide, dimethyldisulfide, thiophene, diphenylsulfide and hydrogen sulfide were studied in the air at selected urban sites where odor nuisance was recognized . Flux measurements from polluted surfaces were preferred rather than direct ambient air measurements . Organic sulfur emission fluxes from the creek surfaces were found above the values reported in the literature . Their concentrations and fluxes were higher in June field program . A limited number of measurements of reduced sulfur compound emission concentrations from the wastewater treatment plant equalization tank and the sludge drying beds as well as the landfill soil surface were also included in the study.Concentrations of total organic sulfur compounds and certain individual components such as dimethylsulfide and hydrogen sulfide in emitted gases from river surfaces were correlated with ambient SO(2) concentrations.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2003 Feb, 104(2), 119 - 28
Biosorption of metal ions with Penicillium chrysogenum; Tan T et al.; Biosorption of metal ions with Penicillium chrysogenum mycelium is described in this article . Alkaline pretreatment was used to remove proteins and nucleic acids from cells, and this treatment increased the adsorption capacities, for Cr3+ from 18.6 mg g(-1) to 27.2 mg g(-1), for Ni2+ from 13.2 mg g(-1) to 19.2 mg g(-1), for Zn2+ from 6.8 mg g(-1) to 24.5 mg g(-1) . The adsorption of metal ions was strongly pH dependent . The mycelium could be used for large-scale removal of Cr3+ from tannery wastewater . The results show that this inexpensive mycelium adsorbent has potential in industry because of its high adsorption capacity . The main chelating sites are amino groups (-NH2) of chitosan in the mycelium . A new model is established, which describes the relation of adsorption of metal ions on pH according to amino group chelating with metal ions and H+ . The relative errors of simulation for Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, and Cr3+ are 4.66%, 5.45%,11.55%, and 1.69%, respectively.

Environ Monit Assess, 2003 Feb, 82(1), 75 - 81
Flue gas treatability studies: a tool for techno-economic control of industrial air pollution; Rao BP et al.; Air pollution problems in developing countries have gained larger fraction in the last decade especially due to non functioning and non implementation of effective air pollution control devices in industries . In industrial wastewater management, adequate treatability studies are conducted to arrive at a techno-economic treatment option . However no such studies were done for reducing air pollution or emission from industries until now in India . Little information was available about such studies in other countries . This article provides information about a novel technique known as flue gas treatability studies and to undertake such studies, a pilot scale system is installed in Air Pollution Control Division of M/s National Environmental Engineering research Institute, NEERI, Nagpur-20, India . This study is a tool for techno-economic selection of air pollution control systems specially for small/medium scale industrial emissions.

J Environ Sci (China), 2003 Jan, 15(1), 129 - 35
Cleaner production for continuous digester processes based on hybrid Pareto genetic algorithm; Jin FJ et al.; Pulping production process produces a large amount of wastewater and pollutant emitted, which has become one of the main pollution sources in pulp and paper industry . To solve this problem, it is necessary to implement cleaner production by using modeling and optimization technology . This paper studies the modeling and multi-objective genetic algorithms for continuous digester process . First, model is established, in which environmental pollution and saving energy factors are considered . Then hybrid genetic algorithm based on Pareto stratum-nichecount is designed for finding near-Pareto or Pareto optimal solutions in the problem and a new genetic evaluation and selection mechanism is proposed . Finally using the real data from a pulp mill shows the results of computer simulation . Through comparing with the practical curve of digester, this method can reduce the pollutant effectively and increase the profit while keeping the pulp quality unchanged.

J Environ Sci (China), 2003 Jan, 15(1), 102 - 6
Removal of lead from aqueous solutions by condensed tannin gel adsorbent; Zhan XM et al.; Lead has caused serious environmental pollution due to its toxicity, accumulation in food chains and persistence in nature . In this paper, lead removal from aqueous solutions was investigated using condensed tannin gel adsorbent synthesized from a natural tannin compound . It is found that the adsorption is strongly affected by pH values of aqueous solutions . Within pH range of 3.5-6, when initial lead concentration is 100 mg/L, removal efficiency is more than 90% . Adsorption equilibrium is reached within 150 minutes . The adsorption isotherm fits well with the Langmuir equation, by which the saturated adsorption uptake of 190 mg Pri2+ /g dry tannin gel adsorbent is obtained . By means of thermodynanamics analysis, it is revealed that the process is exothermic and the adsorption heat is up to 38.4 kJ/mol . With respect to high efficiency, moderate pH requirement and minimized second pollution, the tannin gel adsorbent exhibits a promising potential in the removal of lead from wastewater.

J Environ Sci (China), 2003 Jan, 15(1), 31 - 7
Numerical modeling method on the movement of water flow and suspended solids in two-dimensional sedimentation tanks in the wastewater treatment plant; Zeng GM et al.; Taking the distributing calculation of velocity and concentration as an example, the paper established a series of governing equations by the vorticity-stream function method, and dispersed the equations by the finite differencing method . After figuring out the distribution field of velocity, the paper also calculated the concentration distribution in sedimentation tank by using the two-dimensional concentration transport equation . The validity and feasibility of the numerical method was verified through comparing with experimental data . Furthermore, the paper carried out a tentative exploration into the application of numerical simulation of sedimentation tanks.

Water Res, 2003 Apr, 37(7), 1505 - 14
Continuous electrochemical treatment of phenolic wastewater in a tubular reactor; Korbahti BK et al.; The electrochemical treatment of phenolic wastewater in a continuous tubular reactor, constructed from a stainless steel tube with a cylindrical carbon anode at the centre, was investigated in this study, being first in literature . The effects of residence time on phenol removal was studied at 25 degrees C, 120 g l(-1) electrolyte concentration for 450 and 3100 mg l(-1) phenol feed concentrations with 61.4 and 54.7 mA cm(-2) current densities, respectively . The change in phenol concentration and pH of the reaction medium was monitored in every run and GC/MS analyses were performed to determine the fate of intermediate products formed during the electrochemical reaction in a specified batch run . During the electrolysis mono, di- and tri-substituted chlorinated phenol products were initially formed and consumed along with phenol thereafter mainly by polymerization mechanism . For 10 and 20 min of residence time phenol removal was 56% and 78%, respectively, with 450 mg l(-1) phenol feed concentration and above 40 min of residence time all phenol was consumed within the column . For 1, 1.5, 2 and 3h of residence time, phenol removal achieved was 42%, 71%, 81% and 98%, respectively, at 3100 mg l(-1) phenol feed concentration . It is noteworthy that more than 95% of the initial phenol was converted into a non-passivating polymer without hazardous end products in a comparatively fast and energy-efficient process, being a safe treatment .

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(6), 1278 - 87
Preliminary testing of a rapid coupled methodology for quantitation/viability determination of helminth eggs in raw and treated wastewater; de Victorica J et al.; The use of raw and treated wastewater for irrigation of crops is a common practice in Mexico . In force since January 1997, the Water Quality Norms for helminth ova refer only to the number of eggs that can be present in the irrigation water, and ignore the assessment of viability because the conventional techniques are not suitable for routine application . However, since viability is of prime importance in the epidemiology of parasitic infections, work was done for the development of a rapid and reliable method to detect a metabolic activity or a physiological characteristic related to viability . As a result, a vital staining procedure was developed and validated, and it was coupled with two rapid quantitative procedures previously assessed, therefore, permitting the determination of the total number of helminth eggs and, simultaneously, the viable and non-viable fraction . The average recovering efficiency of the rapid quantitative methods is 54% for raw wastewater and 77% for treated wastewater; the staining technique for viability is equally reliable (within the 95% confidence limits) as the conventional in vitro procedure; the overall test takes from 4 to6 h to be completed when processing up to four samples at the same time, and the cost per sample (for unrecoverable materials) ranges from US$2.50 to $4.00.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(6), 1270 - 7
Performance predictions of mature experimental constructed wetlands which treat urban water receiving high loads of lead and copper; Scholz M; The treatment efficiencies of vertical-flow wetland filters containing macrophytes and granular media of different adsorption capacities were investigated . Different concentrations of lead and copper sulphate were added to urban stream inflow water in order to simulate pre-treated (pH adjustment assumed) mine wastewater . After 1 year of operation, the metal mass load rate was increased by a factor of approximately 4.6 . No breakthrough of metals was recorded . The use of macrophytes and adsorption media did not enhance heavy metal reduction significantly after 13 months of operation . A correlation analysis indicated strong positive correlations between conductivity on one side and other variables including temperature, total solids, dissolved oxygen and the redox potential on the other side . Some expensive or time-consuming variables (e.g., biochemical oxygen demand) can be predicted with less expensive ones (e.g., dissolved oxygen and temperature) . The associated absolute mean errors were <10%.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(6), 1223 - 30
Photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene using titanium dioxide and concentrated solar radiation: chemical effects and scaleup; Bhatkhande DS et al.; Photocatalytic degradation of nitrobenzene (NB) using titanium dioxide (Degussa P-25) as photocatalyst and concentrated solar radiation has been studied . The effects of various factors, such as the presence of anions common in the industrial wastewater, the initial pH and the addition of FeSO(4), were investigated . The intermediates detected were o, p,m-nitrophenols and dihhydroxy derivatives indicating that degradation proceeds via z.rad;OH radicals . Degradation of NB was studied in three reactors of different diameters to ascertain the effect of photon penetration depth on the degradation.

Chemosphere, 2003 May, 51(5), 441 - 3
Generation of cyanide ion by the reaction of phenol with nitrous acid in wastewater; Adachi A et al.; It was found that phenol reacts with nitrous acid to produce cyanide ions . Cyanide ion generation is attributed to the conversion of phenol to nitrosophenol through the well-known nitrosation reaction, and decomposition of benzoquinonoxim to form cyanide and aliphatic compound.

Chemosphere, 2003 May, 51(5), 349 - 56
Occurrence of alkylphenol polyethoxylates in the St . Lawrence River and their bioconcentration by mussels (Elliptio complanata); Sabik H et al.; A study was conducted in 1999 to determine the occurrence of alkylphenol polyethoxylates in the St . Lawrence River and their bioconcentration by mussels (Elliptio complanata) . Concentrations of selected contaminants were measured in surface water, municipal effluent, sediments and mussels . Analyses were performed on 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP), 4-n-nonylphenol (4-n-NP), nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NP(1-16)EO), nonylphenol-mono and di-ethoxycarboxylic acids (NP(1)EC and NP(2)EC), and octylphenol-mono and di-ethoxycarboxylic acids (OP(1)EC and OP(2)EC) . Mussels (Elliptio complanata) taken from a reference lake were placed in cages and submerged for 62 days at two sites in the St . Lawrence River, 1.5 km upstream and 5 km downstream of the outfall of a municipal wastewater treatment plant . The results showed that many of the target chemicals were present in all matrices studied: in water, at ppt and ppb levels, and reaching ppm levels in sediments and mussels . Concentrations of these contaminants were higher in matrices sampled at the downstream site than in those drawn at the site upstream of the Montreal effluent outfall, especially in sediments . Likewise, the slight, but not significant, bioconcentration of certain alkylphenol polyethoxylates (AP(n)EO) in the mussels was more noticeable at the downstream site than at the upstream site.

Environ Manage, 2003 Mar, 31(3), 421 - 8
Capacity to influence sources of heavy metals to wastewater treatment sludge; Sorme L et al.; Wastewater treatment sludge contains valuable nutrients, yet represents a residue problem due to the amount of heavy metals, which is one of the factors preventing the use of sludge as fertilizer . In Sweden, the government has a declared aim of closing the ecocycles of nutrients to arable land, while at the same time the existing limit values are among the lowest in the world . This paper focuses on the opportunities for Swedish wastewater utilities (WWUs) to manage and reduce sources of heavy metals in order to get sludge approved and recycled . A case study focusing on sources of the heavy metals Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn and the WWUs ability to influence the source by means of existing regulations was traced and categorized . A substantial fraction of the heavy metals were shown to be caused by diffuse emissions, such as the use of goods and products in society . For most sources discussed in the paper, a WWU can only manage the sources to a limited extent, if at all . This study shows that the WWUs cannot manage both recycling of nutrients and a decrease in heavy metals ending up in sludge . Diffuse emissions of heavy metals must be examined in context, not as a separate phenomenon or an issue for a single actor . The existing environmental legislation does not handle diffuse sources, yet long-term strategies for reducing the emissions to wastewater treatment must involve the reduction of diffuse emissions.

J Agric Food Chem, 2003 Feb 26, 51(5), 1360 - 72
Xenobiotic organic compounds in runoff from fields irrigated with treated wastewater; Pedersen JA et al.; Investigations of agricultural nonpoint source pollution typically focus on a relatively narrow range of targeted toxic and biostimulatory compounds (e.g., specific pesticides, nutrients) . Regular application of numerous other organic compounds to agricultural fields in pesticide formulations, irrigation water, soil amendments, and fertilizers may result in their transport into surface waters via runoff . We examined whether potentially toxic dissolved and particle-associated "nontarget" organic compounds were present in surface runoff from agricultural fields irrigated with disinfected tertiary recycled water or wastewater effluent-dominated streamwater . Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses of filtered runoff samples revealed the presence of numerous nontarget compounds of potential toxicological significance including pesticide transformation products, pesticide adjuvant chemicals, plasticizers, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals, and personal care product ingredients . Although the toxicity of many of these compounds is poorly characterized, some may elicit subtle but profound toxicological effects . Agricultural runoff also represented a source of allochthonous natural organic matter to the stream system.

Anal Bioanal Chem, 2003 Feb, 375(3), 450 - 5 Epub 2003 Jan 04.
Sorption of trace metals on human hair and application for cadmium and lead pre-concentration with flame atomic absorption determination; Sweileh JA; Human hair shavings were characterized as a sorbent for trace metals . At pH 7.0 metal sorption follows the order Pb(II)>Cd(II)>Cr(VI)>Fe(III)>Cu(II)>Ni(II)>Mn(VI) . Metal recovery is quantitative for Pb and Cd after 30 min of equilibration . Recovery of other metals is less quantitative and varies with pH . For example, while Cu is best recovered at pH 5, Ni and Mn are sorbed optimally in the basic pH region . Sorbed metals can be washed off the sorbent with 0.5 mol L(-1) strong mineral acids or more completely with 0.1 mol L(-1) ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) . Typical sorption isotherms were obtained for Cd and Pb with sorption capacities of 39 and 26 micromol g(-1), respectively.Hair sorbent was used for 40-fold pre-concentration of Cd and Pb from treated wastewater samples followed by flame atomic absorption spectroscopic (FAAS) determination . Comparison of the data obtained for lead and cadmium by the proposed pre-concentration method with that by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) showed 79 to 86% recovery and comparable analytical precision . Common cations and anions at the levels normally present in natural water do not interfere in the proposed pre-concentration-FAAS method.

Biotechnol Bioeng, 2003 Apr 20, 82(2), 223 - 31
Oxidation of 4-bromophenol by the recombinant fused protein cellulose-binding domain-horseradish peroxidase immobilized on cellulose; Levy I et al.; A fused protein consisting of cellulose-binding domain (CBD) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli . Refolded recombinant CBD-HRP (95% recovery yield) was bound to microcrystalline cellulose and applied for the oxidation of a model toxic phenol, 4-bromophenol (BP) . Oxidation of BP by CBD-HRP resulted in the formation of dimers to pentamers as evidenced by mass spectrometry analysis . When immobilized, the vast majority of the oxidation products adsorbed to the cellulose matrix . CBD-HRP (0.75 pyrogallol units) bound to 0.1 g cellulose was packed in a column, connected to an HPLC pump and monitoring system, and column performance and capacity were studied under various operating conditions . When performance was studied as a function of BP loading rate at a constant H(2)O(2) loading rate of 1500 nmol/min, V(app) (max) and K(m) (app) were calculated to be 5.29 +/- 0.46 micromol mL min and 644.9 +/- 114.3 microM, respectively . Immobilized CBD-HRP exhibited enhanced stability to H(2)O(2) and oxidized considerably more BP than free CBD-HRP . Inclusion of gelatin, which suppresses product-dependent inactivation, further increased the amount of BP oxidation . These findings may have potential impact in terms of enzyme supply in high-rate treatment of wastewater contaminated with toxic phenols, since the susceptibility of peroxidases to both H(2)O(2) - and product-dependent inactivation demands continuous supply of fresh enzyme .

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 257 - 62
A simplified risk-based approach for process screening in municipal wastewater reclamation and reuse; Chu WH et al.; Reuse of municipal wastewater has become a promising solution to relieve the tension of increasing fresh water demand in many metropolitans . Although different advanced technologies are available to reclaim wastewater into premium quality, associated health effects are usually not properly assessed in reclamation process selection . A simplified risk-based approach developed for process screening and adaptation of health impacts as a consideration in reclamation process selection is discussed in this paper . This approach can be used to screen out unqualified processes and those with poor cost benefits . As a result, the design of wastewater reclamation could be enhanced to control the associated health impacts in wastewater reuse.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 229 - 35
Competitive adsorption for binary mixture of 4-nitrophenol and phenol on RSTA using GAC; Lee SM et al.; Adsorption characteristics of a reverse stratified tapered adsorber (RSTA) system and competitive adsorption for phenol and 4-nitrophenol were investigated . In this study, a novel technology, RSTA, was introduced and compared with a conventional cylindrical adsorber (CA) . The optimum study of RSTA in a single-solute system with phenol for size distribution, mean velocity and optimum angle was conducted to satisfy environmental criteria and reduce granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment costs . The competitive adsorption efficiency of RSTA and CA was also compared in a binary solute system with phenol and 4-nitrophenol . In the results of single-solute experiment, breakthrough time of RSTA was increased by 30-50% over conventional CA . The mean bed velocity was 19.10 cm/min and the optimum angle of RSTA was decided to 3 degrees . Adsorption efficiency was increased with increasing GAC dose and the number of GAC layers . The affinity of competitive adsorption was significantly increased with decreasing GAC dose and increasing adsorbate concentration . The RSTA can be considered to provide an increase in breakthrough time with decreasing flow rate and increasing the number of layers . Water and wastewater plants processing large volumes of water can realize significant savings in capital and operation costs by utilizing this type of operation.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 211 - 7
Photocatalytic oxidation technology for humic acid removal using a nano-structured TiO2/Fe2O3 catalyst; Qiao S et al.; A novel TiO2 coated haematite photocatalyst was prepared and used for removal of colored humic acids from wastewater in an UV bubble photocatalytic reactor . XRD analysis confirmed that nano-size anatase crystals of TiO2 were formed after calcination at 480 degrees C . SEM results revealed that nano-size particles of TiO2 were uniformly coated on the surface of Fe2O3 to form a bulk of nano-structured photocatalyst Fe2O3/TiO2 . The porous catalyst had a BET surface area of 168 m2/g . Both the color and total organic carbon (TOC) conversion versus the residence time were measured at various conditions . The effects of pH value, catalyst loaded, initial humic acid concentration and reaction temperature on conversion were monitored . The experimental results proved that the photocatalytic oxidation process was not temperature sensitive and the optimum catalyst loading was found to be 0.4 g/l . Degradation and decolorization of humic acids have higher efficiency in acidic medium and at low initial humic acid concentration . The new catalyst was effective in removing TOC at 61.58% and color400 at 93.25% at 180 minutes illumination time and for 20 mg/l neutral humic acid aqueous solution . The kinetic analysis showed thatthe rate of photocatalytic degradation of humic acids obeyed the first order reaction kinetics.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 153 - 8
Hydrogen production from wastewater by acidogenic granular sludge; Liu H et al.; Sludge was granulated in a hydrogen-producing acidogenic reactor when operated at 26 degrees C, pH 5.5 treating a sucrose-rich wastewater . The influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and sucrose concentration on hydrogen production by the acidogenic granular sludge was investigated at a constant loading rate of 25 g-sucrose/(l x day) . Results show that the gas composition was not greatly influenced by HRT or sucrose concentration . The hydrogen accounted for 57% to 68% of the biogas at HRT ranging 4.6-28.6 h and sucrose concentration ranging 4,800-29,800 mg/l . However, the hydrogen yield was more dependent on HRT and sucrose concentration . It ranged from 0.19 to 0.27 l/g-sucrose with the maximum yield occurring at HRT 13.7 h and sucrose concentration 14,300 mg/l in the wastewater . The acidified effluent was composed of volatile fatty acids and alcohols . The predominant products were butyrate (59-68%) and acetate (10-25%), plus smaller amounts of i-butyrate, valerate, i-valerate, caproate, methanol, ethanol, propanol, and butanol . The sludge yield averaged 0.2 g-VSS/g-sucrose . The carbon balance was 98-107% throughout the study.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 89 - 95
Characteristics of coagulation-flocculation of humic acid with effective performance of polymeric flocculant and inorganic coagulant; Yu J et al.; Ferric chloride and aluminium sulphate as coagulants and positive charged flocculants PDDMAC ((PDDMAC = poly (diallyldimethylammonium chloride) were used for pre-treatment of water and wastewater for removing humic substance prior to RO membrane filtration . It was found that a combination of flocculant and coagulant enhanced the coagulation-flocculation process and humic acid removal . The optimum conditions of coagulation-flocculation were established in reference to the ratio of humic acid and coagulant . Zeta potential and the ratio of E4/E6 were investigated to explore the possible micro-mechanisms of coagulation-flocculation . The ratios of E4/E6 show the molecular size variations using different coagulants and flocculants, which are expected to benefit membrane-fouling control.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 83 - 7
Adsorption characteristics of benzene on biosolid adsorbent; Hung-Lung C et al.; This study selected biosolids from a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant as the raw material . The sludge was immersed in 0 to 5 mol l(-1) of ZnCl2 solutions and pyrolyzed at different temperatures . When the sludge was pyrolyzed for 30 min at temperatures of 400, 500, 600, and 700 degrees C, the corresponding surface area of the biosolid adsorbent was 46, 401, 921, and 727 m2/g, respectively . Pore size analysis indicated that the mesopore (20 to 500 A) contributed more than the macropore and micropore in the sludge pyrolytic residue . When the benzene influent concentration was 800 ppmv, the adsorption capacity ranged from 59 to 164 mg/g for different biosolid adsorbents . A larger BET surface area and smaller average pore diameter yielded a larger benzene adsorption capacity.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 59 - 64
Wastewater reuse in on-site wastewater treatment: bacteria and virus movement in unsaturated flow through sand filter; Selas B et al.; In on-site wastewater treatment plants, effluents are pre-treated by septic tank and treated by soil infiltration or sand filtration systems, with unsaturated flow conditions . These systems remove efficiently carbon, nitrogen and suspended solids . But for microbial pollution, the treatment efficiency depends on the hydrodynamic behaviour and filtering media characteristics . Contamination of superficial water and groundwater due to pathogenic viruses and pathogenic bacteria is responsible for many diseases . The objective of this study is to approach the mechanisms and operating conditions to control bacteria and virus release in the environment . Experiments were carried out on reactors of different length packed with sand . Hydraulic load of 90 cm x d(-1) with a pulse periodic flow was used . The influence of chemical composition of the solution on the treatment efficiency has also been studied . For the first time, the residence time distribution (RTD) has been studied using a conservative tracer (KI), to determine the main hydrodynamic parameters . For the second time, the RTD with bacterial and viral tracers (E . coli, bacteriophage MS2) was applied, with the aim to define microbial behaviour in filtering media, including adsorption and filtration phenomena . This work allowed us to determine retardation factors according to the hydraulic loads and chemical composition.

Water Sci Technol, 2003, 47(1), 15 - 20
Integrated centralized utility services to a chemical complex on Jurong Island, Singapore; Yan YG et al.; SUT pioneered centralized utility services for the chemical industry on Jurong Island, which are cost-effective due to economies of scale, reliable due to inter-connection of satellite operations, and customer tailored for special requirements . The utility services range from the supply of steam and water, wastewater treatment, incineration, terminalling, service corridor to fire fighting . Among the services, water management achieves the complete cycle from wastewater treatment to effluent recycling.

Adv Space Res, 2003, 31(1), 69 - 75
Development and research program for a soil-based bioregenerative agriculture system to feed a four person crew at a Mars base; Silverstone S et al.; For humans to survive during long-term missions on the Martian surface, bioregenerative life support systems including food production will decrease requirements for launch of Earth supplies, and increase mission safety . It is proposed that the development of "modular biospheres"--closed system units that can be air-locked together and which contain soil-based bioregenerative agriculture, horticulture, with a wetland wastewater treatment system is an approach for Mars habitation scenarios . Based on previous work done in long-term life support at Biosphere 2 and other closed ecological systems, this consortium proposes a research and development program called Mars On Earth(TM) which will simulate a life support system designed for a four person crew . The structure will consist of 6 x 110 square meter modular agricultural units designed to produce a nutritionally adequate diet for 4 people, recycling all air, water and waste, while utilizing a soil created by the organic enrichment and modification of Mars simulant soils . Further research needs are discussed, such as determining optimal light levels for growth of the necessary range of crops, energy trade-offs for agriculture (e.g . light intensity vs . required area), capabilities of Martian soils and their need for enrichment and elimination of oxides, strategies for use of human waste products, and maintaining atmospheric balance between people, plants and soils . c2002 COSPAR . Published by Elsevier Science Ltd . All rights reserved.

Bioresour Technol, 2003 Jun, 88(2), 157 - 62
Potential of biogas recirculation to enhance biomass accumulation on supporting media; Suvajittanont W et al.; Two lab-scale anaerobic hybrid reactors (AHR) were operated to investigate the effect of recirculated biogas on the development of biomass on supporting media during the start-up . The reactor comprised of two distinct zones; sludge bed on the bottom and packed bed using nylon fiber as the media on the upper half of the reactor . Both reactors were continuously fed with cassava starch wastewater . The organic loading rate (OLR) was increased from 0.3 to 5.5 g COD/L/day by gradually decreasing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 37 to 3.5 days in two months . The biogas at 2.6 L/L/day was recirculated merely in the first month of the operation in order to allow the attached biomass to grow according to the organic matters present in the reactor at the final stage of the start up . Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of over 80% was achieved throughout the study . The result demonstrated a better COD removal efficiency for the reactor with biogas recirculation, especially at low HRTs . The amounts of biomass accumulated on the media in both reactors were slightly different with 11.9 gVSS found on the one with biogas recirculation compared to 9.8 gVSS on the other . In addition, 16.3% increase of the sludge bed was achieved with biogas recirculation as opposed to 9% in the control one . The attached biomass activity test indicated a greater amount and more favorable ratio of the methanogenic bacterial group on the media with the recirculation correlating well to a relatively higher methane content in biogas . As a result, the recirculation of biogas has a potential of improving the characteristics of the AHR especially in terms of biomass accumulation.

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Feb 28, 97(1-3), 257 - 65
Treatment of industrial oily wastewaters by wet oxidation; Zerva C et al.; In the present work, the homogeneous wet oxidation (WO) of an oily wastewater (COD approximately 11,000 mg l(-1)), composed mainly of alcohols and phenolic compounds, was studied in a high-pressure agitated autoclave reactor in the temperature range of 180-260 degrees C and oxygen pressure 1 MPa . Temperature was found to have a significant impact on the oxidation of the contaminants in the wastewater . Among the compounds contained in the wastewater, ethylene glycol showed great resistance to wet oxidation . Temperatures above 240 degrees C were required for its effective degradation . Organic acids, mainly acetic acid, were the intermediate products of the wet oxidation process and their conversion to carbon dioxide was very slow . A generalised model based on a parallel reaction scheme was used to interpret the experimental data obtained . The activation energies obtained were in the range of 90-130 kJ mol(-1).

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Feb 28, 97(1-3), 193 - 205
Characterisation of phosphorous forms in wastewater treatment plants; Fernandez Duenas J et al.; The removal of different forms of phosphorous (namely total phosphorous, soluble phosphorous, particulate phosphorous and total phosphate) has been studied in two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) with different characteristics, but without any specific implemented strategy for phosphorous removal . The results obtained for the different forms of phosphorus can be summarised as follows: (1) complete removal of particulate phosphorous is achieved in either primary or secondary clarifiers; (2) total phosphorous concentration in the effluent is mostly soluble phosphorous and this is mainly phosphate; (3) a small amount of soluble phosphorous is removed by biomass growth and/or biosorption; (4) both WWTPs presented a high-buffered behaviour in response to high inlet loading of phosphorous, showing a constant pattern at the outlet of the WWTP; (5) removal of total phosphorous was approximately 60-70% for both WWTPs; and (6) recirculation streams such as supernatant from centrifuge sludge dehydration operation can have a significant contribution to the inlet amount of phosphorous.The results presented in this paper provide a basis to develop prospects for phosphorous removal, which may be adapted to the particular configurations of the WWTP studied.

J Hazard Mater, 2003 Feb 28, 97(1-3), 59 - 70
On-site treatment and landfilling of MSWI air pollution control residues; Lundtorp K et al.; Air pollution control (APC) residues from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) are difficult to landfill due to substantial leaching of trace metals . An on-site pretreatment prior to landfilling of APC-residues was investigated in terms of bench-scale experiments with a semidry APC-residue and a fly ash . The treatment involved mixing of the residues with a ferrous sulphate solution and subsequent oxidation of the suspension . Afterwards, the suspension was spread on a dedicated landfill section and allowed to drain by gravity through the drainage system of the landfill . The wastewater from the process, collected through the drainage system, contained large concentrations of salts (Cl: 14-30 g/l, Na: 4-9 g/l, K: 5-11 g/l, Ca: 2-12 g/l) but low concentrations of trace metals (e.g . Pb: 14-100 microg/l, Cd: <2-7 microg/l) . The treated residues left in the landfills were later subject to leaching by simulated rainfall . The leachate contained low concentrations of trace metals (Pb: <120 microg/l, Cd: <2 microg/l, Cr: <485 microg/l) . The leachate concentrations from the treated APC-residues were substantially reduced compared to concentrations in leachate from untreated APC-residues . Particularly in the early stages of the leaching, concentrations of trace metals were reduced by up to four orders of magnitude.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 2003 Feb, 69(2), 769 - 78
Monitoring gene expression in mixed microbial communities by using DNA microarrays; Dennis P et al.; A DNA microarray to monitor the expression of bacterial metabolic genes within mixed microbial communities was designed and tested . Total RNA was extracted from pure and mixed cultures containing the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)-degrading bacterium Ralstonia eutropha JMP134, and the inducing agent 2,4-D . Induction of the 2,4-D catabolic genes present in this organism was readily detected 4, 7, and 24 h after the addition of 2,4-D . This strain was diluted into a constructed mixed microbial community derived from a laboratory scale sequencing batch reactor . Induction of two of five 2,4-D catabolic genes (tfdA and tfdC) from populations of JMP134 as low as 10(5) cells/ml was clearly detected against a background of 10(8) cells/ml . Induction of two others (tfdB and tfdE) was detected from populations of 10(6) cells/ml in the same background; however, the last gene, tfdF, showed no significant induction due to high variability . In another experiment, the induction of resin acid degradative genes was statistically detectable in sludge-fed pulp mill effluent exposed to dehydroabietic acid in batch experiments . We conclude that microarrays will be useful tools for the detection of bacterial gene expression in wastewaters and other complex systems.

Appl Environ Microbiol, 2003 Feb, 69(2), 747 - 53
Molecular characterization of astroviruses by reverse transcriptase PCR and sequence analysis: comparison of clinical and environmental isolates from South Africa; Nadan S et al.; A comparative analysis was performed with 25 isolates of astroviruses (AstVs) detected in sewage sources and 22 concurrently identified clinical AstV isolates from the Tshwane (Pretoria) Metropolitan Area in South Africa . The samples and specimens were screened for AstVs by using an enzyme immunoassay and/or a reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) for the highly conserved untranslated region (3' end) of the genome . The RT-PCR results were confirmed by oligonucleotide probe dot blot hybridization . Viable viruses were propagated in cell cultures for amplification when a minimal specimen was available or indeterminate sequences were obtained . AstV strains were characterized by RT-PCR and partial sequence analysis of the capsid region . The presence of multiple human AstV (HAstV) types in a single sewage sample complicated identification of individual strains, and additional type-specific RT-PCR and sequence analyses of the capsid region were required for characterization . Amplification and characterization of one genotype from a sample, therefore, did not preclude the possibility that a sample harbored additional different genotypes . Genotype and sequence information obtained from AstVs in wastewater samples were compared to information obtained from AstV strains from human stools . HAstV type 1 (HAstV-1), as well as HAstV-3, -5, -6, and -8, were identified among the clinical isolates, and HAstV-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -7, and -8 were identified among the environmental samples . Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that HAstV-1, -3, -5, and -8, which were present in human stool and sewage samples, clustered together, indicating that these viruses are closely related . The concurrent presence of identical HAstV strains in wastewater samples and in hospitalized patients suggests that AstVs present in the environment pose a potential risk to communities in which fecally contaminated water is used for recreational and domestic purposes.

J Agric Food Chem, 2003 Feb 12, 51(4), 1005 - 9
Environmental effects caused by olive mill wastewaters: toxicity comparison of low-molecular-weight phenol components; Fiorentino A et al.; Olive oil mill wastewaters (OMWs) show significant polluting properties due to their content of organic substances, and because of their high toxicity toward several biological systems . Wastewaters' toxicity has been attributed to their phenolic constituents . A chemical study of wastewaters from a Ligurian oil mill characterized phenolic products such as 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol), derivatives of benzoic acid, phenylacetic acid, phenylethanol, and cinnamic acid . The OMWs were fractioned by ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis techniques and tested for toxicity on aquatic organisms from different trophic levels: the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (formerly known as Selenastrum capricornutum); the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus; and two crustaceans, the cladoceran Daphnia magna and the anostracan Thamnocephalus platyurus . The fraction most toxic to the test organisms was that from reverse osmosis containing compounds of low molecular weight (<350 Da), and this was especially due to the presence of catechol and hydroxytyrosol, the most abundant components of the fraction.

Environ Sci Technol, 2003 Jan 15, 37(2), 423 - 7
Reactive phosphorus removal from aquaculture and poultry productions systems using polymeric hydrogels; Kofinas P et al.; This work reports on the features of a sorption processes for the ultimate removal and recovery of reactive phosphorus from aquaculture and poultry production wastewater effluents . The sorbent used was a cross-linked polyamine (PAA-HCl) polymeric hydrogel . The PAA-HCl hydrogels were prepared by chemically cross-linking aqueous solutions of linear PAA-HCl chains with epichlorohydrin (EPI) . The phosphorus binding capacity of the gels was measured in standard aqueous solutions as a function of ionic strength . Equilibrium PO4(3-), loadings of 100 mg anion/g gel were obtained . The regeneration ability of the gels was demonstrated by release of the bound phosphorus anions upon washing with 1-2 M NaOH solution, providing opportunities to recover and reuse the gel over multiple cycles . The ionic polyamine gels have been demonstrated to be appropriate materials for treating poultry and aquaculture wastewater effluents . Upon treatment phosphorus anion concentrations were reduced to levels suitable for discharge into natural surface waters.

Environ Sci Technol, 2003 Jan 15, 37(2), 261 - 7
Metal selectivity of Sargassum spp . and their alginates in relation to their alpha-L-guluronic acid content and conformation; Davis TA et al.; The discovery of a consistent and unusual enrichment in homopolymeric alpha-L-guluronic acid G-blocks in alginates extracted from a suite of Sargassum brown algae is described in this study . 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize these alginates which display homopolymeric guluronic acid block (G-block) frequency values (F(GG)) between 0.37 and 0.81 . The presence of these G-blocks results in an enhanced selectivity for cadmium or calcium relative to monovalent ions such as sodium and the proton as well as smaller divalent ions such as magnesium . Results of competitive exchange experiments for the Cd-Ca-alginate system yield selectivity coefficient, K*(Cd)Ca, values between 0.43 +/- 0.10 and 1.32 +/- 0.02 for a range in F(GG) of 0.23 to 0.81 . In contrast to the Cd-Ca-alginate system, the Mg-Ca-alginate and Mg-Cd-alginate systems yielded maximum values of K*(Mg)Ca (18.0 +/- 1.4) and K*(Mg)Cd (16.0 +/- 0.9) for the alginates extracted from Sargassum fluitans (F(GG) = 0.81; Cuba) and Sargassum thunbergii (F(GG) = 0.75; Korea), respectively . Selectivity studies with mixed-metal pair alginate systems highlight the importance of the specific macromolecular conformation of the alginate polymer in determining metal binding behavior in multiple-metal systems . Furthermore, they demonstrate the importance of the conformation of the alginate as it occurs within the tissue of Sargassum in determining the metal binding behavior of this algal biosorbent . The unique composition of the alginates present in species of Sargassum may represent a distinct advantage over other brown algal species when considering their implementation for the strategic removal of toxic heavy metals from contaminated and industrial wastewaters.

Health Phys, 2003 Feb, 84(2 Suppl), S30 - 6
Worker and environmental protection issues in the remediation of an abandoned source manufacturing facility; Hoffman DE; The Gulf Nuclear Superfund Site located in Odessa, Texas, was an abandoned radioactive source production facility slated for cleanup as a Removal Action under the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency Region VI Superfund program . Prior to cessation of operations and abandonment of the facility in 1992, it was used for the production of radioactive sources used in the oil and gas industry and nuclear medicine applications . Pangea Group was contracted by the U.S . Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Kansas City District to perform remediation of the site and other contaminated debris, cleaning of interior building surfaces, building demolition, and excavation/removal of contaminated soils and septic system . The project scope also included loading, containerization and transportation of low-level radioactive wastes for offsite disposal . Primary radionuclides present at the facility were 137Cs, 60Co, and 241Am . The project also included packaging and removal of radioactive sources and mixed waste consisting of radiologically contaminated lead shot and lead source containers . Included in the paper is a discussion of primary worker protection and environmental protection measures employed on the project . Worker protection issues included the control of industrial and construction safety hazards as well as control of external and internal radiation dose . Control of air emissions and contaminated wastewater were also very important, especially due to the location of the site . The site was located in an area containing both residential and commercial properties . Several residences and businesses were located immediately adjacent to the site . The project involved the participation of the USACE Kansas City District, EPA Region 6, and the Texas Bureau of Radiological Health . Field work on the project started in April 2001 and was completed approximately five months later.

Health Phys, 2003 Feb, 84(2), S30 - S36
Worker and Environmental Protection Issues in the Remediation Of an Abandoned Source Manufacturing Facility; Hoffman DE; The Gulf Nuclear Superfund Site located in Odessa, Texas, was an abandoned radioactive source production facility slated for cleanup as a Removal Action under the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency Region VI Superfund program . Prior to cessation of operations and abandonment of the facility in 1992, it was used for the production of radioactive sources used in the oil and gas industry and nuclear medicine applications . Pangea Group was contracted by the U.S . Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Kansas City District to perform remediation of the site and other contaminated debris, cleaning of interior building surfaces, building demolition, and excavation/removal of contaminated soils and septic system . The project scope also included loading, containerization and transportation of low-level radioactive wastes for offsite disposal . Primary radionuclides present at the facility were Cs, Co, and Am . The project also included packaging and removal of radioactive sources and mixed waste consisting of radiologically contaminated lead shot and lead source containers . Included in the paper is a discussion of primary worker protection and environmental protection measures employed on the project . Worker protection issues included the control of industrial and construction safety hazards as well as control of external and internal radiation dose . Control of air emissions and contaminated wastewater were also very important, especially due to the location of the site . The site was located in an area containing both residential and commercial properties . Several residences and businesses were located immediately adjacent to the site . The project involved the participation of the USACE Kansas City District, EPA Region 6, and the Texas Bureau of Radiological Health . Field work on the project started in April 2001 and was completed approximately five months later.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(5), 1185 - 91
Ozonation of naphthalene sulfonic acids in aqueous solutions: part II--relationships of their COD, TOC removal and the frontier orbital energies; Shiyun Z et al.; This paper evaluated the COD, TOC removal and molecular frontier energies in the ozonation of naphthalene sulfonic acids (NSAs) . It was found that both COD and TOC degradation of the 11 compounds followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic and the reaction rate constants with ozone varied widely . A linear relationship between logarithm of global COD degradation rate constant and the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbit, E(homo), was obtained for these NSAs with a regression coefficient of 0.88 and a slope of 0.4672 eV(-1) . TOC degradation kinetics also reached similar results with a regression coefficient of 0.90 and a slope of 0.9336 eV(-1) . The results of correlation analysis suggested that TOC and COD removal in ozonation of NSAs follow the frontier orbital theory and can be predicted by E(homo), which indicated that electrophilic effect was the main factor in the ozonation of NSAs . Therefore, it is possible to improve the biodegradability of dyestuff wastewater bearing mainly NSAs by ozonation at an accepted cost and evaluate the economy of ozonation process.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(5), 1170 - 6
Pretreatment of Afyon alcaloide factory's wastewater by wet air oxidation (WAO); Kacar Y et al.; In this study, pretreatment of Afyon (Turkey) alcaloide factory wastewater, a typical high strength industrial wastewater (chemical oxygen demand (COD)=26.65 kgm(-3), biological oxygen demand (BOD(5))=3.95 kgm(-3)), was carried out by wet air oxidation process . The process was performed in a 0.75 litre specially designed bubble reactor . Experiments were conducted to see the advantages of one-stage and two-stage oxidation and the effects of pressure, pH, temperature, catalyst type, catalyst loading and air or oxygen as gas source on the oxidation of the wastewater . In addition, BOD(5)/COD ratios of the effluents, which are generally regarded as an important index of biodegradability of a high-strength industrial wastewater, were determined at the end of some runs . After a 2h oxidation (T=150 degrees C, P=0.65 MPa, airflowrate=1.57 x 10(-5)m(3)s(-1), pH=7.0), the BOD(5)/COD ratio was increased from 0.15 to above 0.5 by using the salts of metals such as Co(2+),Fe(2+),Fe(2+)+Ni(2+),Cu(2+)+Mn(2+) as catalyst.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(5), 1136 - 42
Seasonal change and fate of coliphages infected to Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a wastewater treatment plant; Tanji Y et al.; Seasonal change of virulent phage infected to two E . coli O157:H7 strains (O:157-phage) in the influent of a domestic wastewater treatment plant in the central part of Japan and fate of O:157-phage in the plant were monitored almost monthly from March 2001 to February 2002 . Coliphage infected to nonpathogenic E . coli O157:H7 ATCC43888 (43888-phage) was detected for 1 year . On the other hand, phage infected to pathogenic E . coli O157:H7 EDL933 (EDL-phage) was detected intermittently . Concentration of EDL-phage was almost one-tenth of that of 43888-phage . The progressive decrease in phage concentration with the treatment steps was observed . No phage was detected in the supernatant from the secondary settling tank and effluent . PCR amplification of the Stx 2 gene that encodes Shiga toxin (Stx) was observed when O:157-phage concentration in the influent was high x10(3) PFU/ml order . Concentration and percentage of suspended O:157-phage decreased with the progress of the wastewater treatment . 933W phage, which encodes Stx 2 gene, was more fragile and sensitive to chlorination than T4 phage . However, addition of 0.02 mg/l chlorine, in conformance with the required concentration of the plant, did not affect the viability of T4 and 933 W phages . On the other hand, 1mg/l chlorine inactivated the 933 W phage significantly.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(5), 1125 - 35
Solar photocatalytic thin film cascade reactor for treatment of benzoic acid containing wastewater; Chan AH et al.; A solar photocatalytic cascade reactor was constructed to study the photocatalytic oxidation of benzoic acid in water under various experimental and weather conditions at HKUST . Nine stainless steel plates coated with TiO(2) catalyst were arranged in a cascade configuration in the reactor . Photolytic degradation and adsorption were confirmed to be insignificant total organic carbon (TOC) removal mechanisms . A turbulent flow pattern and, hence, improved mixing in the liquid film were achieved due to the unique cascade design of the reactor . The photoinduced consumption of oxygen during reactions was demonstrated in a sample experiment . The proposed rate equations provided good fits to 90 data points from 17 experiments . The regression results showed that the TOC removal rates averaged over 30 min intervals did not illustrate significant dependence on TOC(0) and that I(mean) was more important in affecting the photocatalytic process within the ranges of the data examined . The percentage removal of TOC in 7 l of 100 mg/l (or 100 ppm) benzoic acid solutions increased from 30% to 83% by adding 10 ml of hydrogen peroxide solution (30 wt%) . Hydrogen peroxide was also shown to enhance the efficiency of the degradation process at elevated temperatures . Ortho-, meta- and para-hydroxybenzoic acids were identified by HPLC analysis as the intermediates of benzoic acid during reactions without the addition of hydrogen peroxide solutions.

Water Res, 2003 Mar, 37(5), 1023 - 32
Ozonation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oil/water-emulsions: mass transfer and reaction kinetics; Kornmuller A et al.; The ozonation of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) was studied in oil/water-emulsions, which are comparable to poorly water-soluble PAH in industrial wastewaters and at contaminated sites . As there was a lack of knowledge about the ozonation in oil/water-emulsions, first the ozone mass transfer was studied and optimized from the gas to the water phase and from the water to the oil phase . The ratio of mass transfer and oxidation reaction was determined by the Hatta-number and revealed a slow, quasi homogeneous reaction of ozone with PAH inside the oil droplets . Because the ozone gas concentration had no influence under the optimized conditions, the selective PAH-ozonation could be described microkinetically by a direct ozone reaction of pseudo-first order regarding PAH-concentrations . The determined PAH mean reaction rate constants of 1.02 min(-1) in oil/water-emulsions are in the upper range as found for PAH dissolved in water . These results give a new insight into the ozonation in the three-phase systems and into the treatment of highly condensed, hardly biodegradable PAH.

Waste Manag Res, 2002 Dec, 20(6), 541 - 5
Toxicity assessment of a dye industry treatment sludge; Celebi S et al.; Industrial treatment sludges often contain heavy metals and a variety of other hazardous substances which can cause soil and underground water pollution . In the present work, sludge samples from a dye industry treatment plant were analysed for their heavy metal contents, and three different leaching procedures were used to assess the potential toxicity of the sludge . The sludge samples were also incinerated at 600 degrees C, and the remaining inorganic residues were also tested for their leaching characteristics by using the same leaching procedures . The treatment sludge investigated in this study contained about 55 grams of Fe per kilogram of dry sludge because iron salts are used in the chemical treatment of the wastewater . Excluding iron, the decreasing order of abundance for heavy metals in the sludge samples was found to be: Zn> Mn> Cr> Cu> Ni> Pb> Co> Cd . The average concentration of each of these heavy metals varied between 25-740 mg/kg of dry sludge . The Fe content of the inorganic residues was found to be about 140 g/kg, and the heavy metal content varied between 40-2,800 mg/kg . In all the leaching tests, Pb was the most readily extracted metal from the sludge, whereas from the inorganic residue, Cd was leached the most easily . The toxicity of the sludge is estimated according to pertinent legislation.

J Environ Qual, 2003 Jan-Feb, 32(1), 63 - 9
Enzymatic oxidative transformation of chlorophenol mixtures; Bollag JM et al.; Chlorinated phenols are major industrial and agricultural xenobiotics that pollute soil and ground water . It has been shown that laccases catalyze the oxidative coupling of phenolic compounds . Therefore, the transformation of one or a mixture of several chlorinated phenols by a laccase from the fungus Trametes villosa was studied . Generally, if more than one phenol was added, the transformation of chlorinated phenols decreased, and if the concentration of the laccase was increased, the transformation of the phenols was enhanced . There were exceptions to these observations: for instance, the transformation of 0.1 mM 4-chlorophenol incubated with 1 mM 2,4-dichlorophenol in buffered salt solutions was not enhanced if the concentration of the laccase was increased from 2 to 20 DMP units/mL . The reason for the reduced transformation of chlorinated phenols in the presence of additional phenols is still unknown . However, in spite of some limitations, the application of laccase to decontaminate wastewater polluted with chlorinated phenols appears feasible.

Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao, 2001 Jun, 41(3), 265 - 9
{Characterization and phylogenetics of a new species of genus Methanobacterium}; Sun Z et al.; A strain of methanogenic bacterium Px1 was isolated from an anaerobic digester in the department of environmental sciences, TsingHua University, which treated the wastewater from Beijing Beer Factory . The isolate is curved rod, light-yellow colony, uses only H2 + CO2 as the substrate for CH4 formation . On the basis of physiology, morphology, structural characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, it is turned out that strain Px1 is a new species of the genus Methanobacterium, the name Methanobacterium curvum sp . nov . is proposed.

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