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| Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2003 Jan, 54(1), 74 - 86 Application of toxicity tests into discharges of the pulp-paper industry in Turkey; Sponza DT; The aim of this study was to investigate the acute toxicity of pulp-paper industry wastewater using traditional and enrichment toxicity tests and to emphasize the importance of toxicity tests in wastewater discharge regulations . Enrichment toxicity tests are novel applications and give an idea of whether there is potential toxicity or growth-limiting and -stimulating conditions . Different organisms were used such as bacteria (floc and coliform bacteria), algae (Chlorella sp.), protozoa (Vorticella sp.), and fish (Lepistes sp.) to represent four trophic levels . Furthermore, chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractionation results were compared with these tests to assess the effect of COD subcategories on the determination of possible toxicity . The pulp-paper industry results revealed acute toxicity to at least two organisms in 6 of 20 effluent samples . The toxicity test results were assessed with chemical analyses such as COD, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), color, absorbable organic halogen (AOXs), and phenol . It was observed that the toxicity of the effluents could not be explained by using physicochemical analyses in four cases for the pulp-paper industry . The results clearly indicate that bioassay tests provide additional information on the toxicity potential of industrial discharges and effluents . Environ Sci Technol, 2003 Jan 1, 37(1), 107 - 15 Evaluation and testing of analytical methods for cyanide species in municipal and industrial contaminated waters; Zheng A et al.; Total cyanide analysis by distillation is used most commonly to assess cyanide content of water samples . This manual method is robust but slow and provides no information about cyanide speciation, a significant limitation in that cyanide species have substantially different toxicity characteristics . Seven alternative methods for the analysis of cyanide species or groups of species were evaluated in reagent water and five different contaminated water matrices, including five species-specific methods--weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide, free cyanide by microdiffusion, available cyanide, automated WAD cyanide by thin film distillation, metal cyanides by ion chromatography--and two automated techniques for total cyanide--total cyanide bythin film distillation and total cyanide by low-power UV digestion . The species-specific cyanide analytical techniques achieved low, ppb-level detection limits and exhibited satisfactory accuracy and precision for most contaminated waters . Analysis of low concentrations of cyanide species in raw wastewater was problematical for the available cyanide and ion chromatography methods, which experienced significant interference problems and/or low recoveries . There was recovery of significant diffusible cyanide in microdiffusion tests with nickel-cyanide-spiked samples, reflecting dissociation of this weak metal-cyanide complex during the test and demonstrating that the test can recover some fraction of WAD cyanide in addition to free cyanide . The automated total cyanide methods, which involve UV digestion, achieved low detection limits for most waters but exhibited low recoveries for some waters. Am J Ind Med, 2003 Feb, 43(2), 172 - 8 Prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection among sewage workers in Georgia; Venczel L et al.; BACKGROUND: Wastewater (WW) workers could have opportunity for direct contact with raw sewage, which might contain hepatitis A virus (HAV) . METHODS: A serologic survey of WW workers and a comparison population of roads and drainage workers (RD) . Factors potentially associated with anti-HAV positivity were evaluated in univariate and multivariate analyses . RESULTS: Among the 365 WW workers, overall anti-HAV prevalence was 38%, similar to that (35%) of the 166 RD workers (P = 0.5) . Prevalence varied by wastewater job type from 45% among the 164 field crew workers to 32% among the 201 treatment plant workers . In multivariate modeling, factors associated with anti-HAV positivity included age > or = 40 years (odds ratio {OR} = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.6-3.7), black compared to other races (OR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.5-3.8), birth outside the United States (OR = 7.5; 95% CI = 3.0-18.6), a high school education or less (OR 2.1; 95% CI = 1.4-3.2) and work on the field crew compared to RD work (OR 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1-2.4) . CONCLUSIONS: These results are consistent with no or a small increased risk of hepatitis A among WW workers, and do not provide a clear mandate for hepatitis A vaccination of these workers . Am . J . Ind . Med . 43: 172-178, 2003 . Water Environ Res, 2002 Nov-Dec, 74(6), 569 - 81 Ozonation of municipal wastewater effluents; Paraskeva P et al.; The increasing use of ozone in the treatment of municipal wastewater effluents has been stimulated by the need to achieve higher effluent quality and greater compliance with physicochemical and microbiological quality standards before discharge . These standards are applied when the effluent may pose a risk to the public through direct contact and where the effluent is used for agricultural purposes or water reclamation . Although various alternative technologies exist for upgrading wastewater effluents, ozone treatment may be the most appropriate approach in particular cases . This review summarizes the current status of the use of ozone for treating municipal effluents with respect to disinfection efficiency, its effect on the treatability of the effluent and on aggregate effluent parameters, the potential for the formation of ozonation byproducts, and its effect on the toxicity and mutagenicity of the effluent . The importance of treatment conditions (e.g., contact time) is also reviewed. Water Environ Res, 2002 Nov-Dec, 74(6), 541 - 4 Giardia cysts in tertiary-treated wastewater effluents: are they infective? Garcia A, Yanko W, Batzer G, Widmer G. The infectivity of Giardia lamblia cysts recovered in primary- and tertiary-treated wastewater reclamation plant effluents was assessed in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) . Infections in gerbils inoculated with cysts from primary effluent concentrates demonstrated the presence of infectious G . lamblia cysts . No infectious cysts were detected by this method in concentrates of tertiary-treated effluents . This study found that determination of cyst concentrations without viability or infectivity assessment may significantly overestimate the potential health risks associated with protozoan cysts in tertiary-treated wastewater effluents. Water Environ Res, 2002 Nov-Dec, 74(6), 521 - 5 Electroadsorption of acilan blau dye from textile effluents by using activated carbon-perlite mixtures; Koparal AS et al.; The feasibility of the removal of dye stuffs from textile effluents by electroadsorption has been investigated . An activated carbon-perlite mixture with a ratio of 8:1 for bipolarity has been used as the adsorbent . Conventional adsorption experiments have also been conducted for comparison . A bipolar trickle reactor has been used in the electroadsorption experiments . The model wastewater has been prepared by using acilan blau dye . Initial dye concentration, bed height between the electrodes, applied potential, flowrate, and the supporting electrolyte concentration have been examined as the parameters affecting the removal efficiency . A local textile plant effluent has been treated in the optimum values of these parameters obtained from the experimental studies . Adsorption kinetics and the amount of adsorbent required to reach the maximum removal efficiency have also been investigated and mass-transfer coefficients have been calculated for adsorption and electroadsorption . The results showed that a removal efficiency of up to 100% can be achieved with energy consumption values of 1.58 kWh/m3 of wastewater treated . However, energy consumption decreases to 0.09 kWh/m3 if an exit dye concentration of 4.65 mg/L is accepted . It can be concluded from this work that this method combines all of the advantages of the activated-carbon adsorption and electrolytic methods for the removal of dyes from wastewater. Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2002 Sep, 23(5), 113 - 6 {Extraction of organochlorine pesticides using ASE from wastewater irrigated agricultural soil}; Zhu X et al.; The extraction efficiency of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was studied for organochlorine pesticide residuals in soil and compared with that of Soxhlet . The results showed that the efficiency of ASE was generally better than Soxhlet when used for DDT measurement, and equivalent to Soxhlet for BHCs . With ASE, organochlorine pesticide residues were detected in wastewater irrigated and non-wastewater irrigated soils from Tianjin . alpha-BHC, beta-BHC, delta-BHC, gamma-BHC, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT ranged from 7.5 to 71.1 ng/g in wastewater irrigated vegetable and maize field and from 3.0 to 16.5 ng/g in wastewater irrigated paddy field . The eight pesticide residues from non-wastewater irrigated vegetable and maize field was in a range of 3.1-17.6 ng/g. Chemosphere, 2003 Mar, 50(8), 959 - 66 Reduction of the phenolic components in olive-mill wastewater by an enzymatic treatment and its impact on durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) germinability; Casa R et al.; Olive-mill wastewater (OMW), an effluent of olive oil extraction process, is annually produced in huge amounts in olive growing areas . An interesting option for its disposal is the spreading on agricultural land, provided that phytotoxic effects are neutralized . The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the potential of an enzyme-based treatment in removing OMW phytotoxicity . To this aim, germinability experiments on durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf . cv . Duilio) were conducted in the presence of different dilutions of raw or enzyme-treated OMW . OMW treatment with laccase resulted in a 65% and 86% reduction in total phenols and ortho-diphenols respectively, due their polymerization as revealed by size-exclusion chromatography . Raw OMW exerted a significant concentration-dependent inhibition on the germinability of durum wheat seeds which was evident up to a dilution rate of 1:8 . When the effluent was treated with a fungal laccase, germinability was increased by 57% at a 1:8 dilution and by 94% at a 1:2 dilution, as compared to the same dilutions using untreated OMW . The treatment with laccase also decreased the mean germination time by about 1 day as compared to untreated controls . These results show that germinability inhibition due to OMW can be reduced effectively using fungal laccase, suggesting that phenols are the main determinants of its phytotoxicity . Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(4), 785 - 92 Crossflow electro-microfiltration of oxide-CMP wastewater; Yang GC et al.; In this work, an electrically enhanced crossflow microfiltration (EECMF) system was used for the treatment of oxide-CMP wastewater under different operating conditions to investigate their effects on filtration rate . Oxide-CMP wastewater was obtained from a wafer fab and characterized by various standard methods . A membrane with a cut size of 0.1microm was used in the EECMF system . Operating parameters studied include crossflow velocity, transmembrane pressure, mode of electric field, electric field strength, and mode of backwashing . The filtration rate was found to increase with increasing crossflow velocity, electric field strength, and transmembrane pressure when operated below the critical electric field strength . Experimental results indicated that intra-filtration-run backwashing outperformed inter-filtration-run backwashing in terms of filtration rate . Experimental results also showed that the filtration rate for pulsed mode operation was greater than that of no electric field application, but worse than that of continuous mode operation . Using the present EECMF system, a fairly good quality of filtrate was obtained . It was found that the filtrate having a turbidity of 0.39 NTU is achievable . Thus, the filtrate could be reused for non-process applications. Water Res, 2003 Feb, 37(4), 735 - 42 Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the determination of bisphenol A and its chlorinated derivatives in urban wastewater; Zafra A et al.; The simultaneous determination of trace amounts of endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A (BPA) and its monochloro, dichloro, trichloro and tetrachloro derivatives in wastewater has been developed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) . Compounds were previously extracted from the aqueous samples using a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with a mixture of dichloromethane:carbon tetrachloride (25/75) . After extraction, solvent was removed and a silylation step was carried out with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) . The silylated compounds were identified and quantified by GC-MS using an HP1-MS column . The retention times were 6.64 min for BPA silylated, 7.26 min for Cl-BPA silylated, 7.99 min for Cl(2)-BPA silylated, 8.85 min for Cl(3)-BPA silylated and 9.95 min for Cl(4)-BPA silylated . A clean-up is not necessary using SIM mode . Deuterated anthracene (2H(10)-anthracene) was used as an internal standard . The detection limits obtained were 0.3, 0.6, 2.0, 4.5 and 13.0 ng L(-1) for silylated BPA, Cl-BPA, Cl(2)-BPA, Cl(3)-BPA and Cl(4)-BPA, respectively . The proposed method was applied satisfactory to the determination of these chemicals, in different types of wastewater previously spiked with different amounts of these chemicals at concentration levels ranging from 0.01 to 2.50 microg L(-1) for BPA, 0.05-2.50 micro L(-1) for Cl-BPA and 0.05-5.00 microg L(-1) for Cl(2)-BPA, Cl(3)-BPA and Cl(4)-BPA, respectively . The method was validated following standard addition methodology. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 451 - 6 Mass balance of a wastewater loaded canal system: case study of Bangkok; Banjongproo P et al.; A dynamic water quality model was applied in order to investigate self-purification processes in highly loaded canals in the centre of Bangkok, capital city of Thailand . Oxygen production by aquatic plants induces a significant diurnal variation of the dissolved oxygen concentration . The corresponding profiles of heterotrophic growth and BOD5 concentration demonstrate the limiting impact of oxygen shortage during night time . Both self-purification mechanisms--biological degradation and settling--are considered and water-sediment interactions are calculated . Simulation results and measurement data are summarized by mass balance schemes which offer a telling characterization of the complex system. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 343 - 8 Toxicity assays to determine the start-up strategy for an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (anSBR); Ng WJ et al.; Addition of glucose as the co-substrate and the use of a water-based polymer to enhance granulation were studied with the aim of shortening the start-up period of an anSBR (anerobic sequencing batch reactor) for high-strength industrial wastewater treatment . An initial start-up feed composition consisting of 70% sucrose and 30% industrial wastewater was favorable to reduce the start-up time . Increase in the average particle size and reduction in settled supernatant turbidity was observed with increased water-based polymer addition up to a concentration of 0.1 m/L . Polymer dosages above 0.1 ml/L were undesirable as big and "flaky" flocs were formed which prevented the flocs from settling quickly . Addition of 0.005 ml/L to 0.1 ml/L polymer to the mixed liquor had no observable adverse effects on the anaerobic biomass metabolism . Instead, the addition of the polymer appeared to improve biogas production and had an overall positive effect on anSBR performance treating the industrial wastewater. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 183 - 8 Removal of suspended substances by coagulation and foam separation from municipal wastewater; Suzuki Y et al.; A new method for solid-liquid separation for wastewater incorporating simple operation and shortened treatment time is necessary for improvement of sewage systems . In this study, removal of suspended solids from municipal wastewater by coagulation and foam separation using coagulant and milk casein was examined . By adding casein before the foam separation process, the removal of suspended substances was dramatically improved . The optimum condition for treating sewage was 20 mg-Fe/L of FeCl3, 3 mg/L of casein, and pH 5.5, which resulted in a removal rates of over 98% for turbidity and SS . A removal of 96-98% was also possible for phosphate and anionic surfactant . When PAC was used, the floc was also efficiently recovered in foam by the addition of casein . It became clear that coagulation and foam separation using casein as the collector is an effective method for removing suspended solids in municipal wastewater in a short time (within 10 min). Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 177 - 82 Treatment of agricultural wastewater and reuse; Reimann W; The use of membrane separation technology, such as ultrafiltration (UF) and subsequent reverse osmosis (RO), for purifying different types of low-contaminated wash water of carrots (COD = 1,314 mg/l) and wash water of different kinds of vegetables (COD = 2,280 mg/l) was investigated on a pilot scale to determine its suitability for reuse in the process . In both membrane processes, UF and RO, the permeate flux first decreased with increasing fouling (deposition of organic and inorganic substances on the membrane surface and in its pores) . After that the membrane permeability (permeate flux) and selectivity (rejection of COD) remained constant on a stable level in spite of a concentration with a volumetric concentration factor of up to 39 . The tests showed that water can be obtained with a quality complying with the German regulations by applying a process combination of UF and RO . It was found that the membranes gave a 5-log reduction for total bacteria, and no coliform bacteria were present in the permeate after RO . Using UF and RO, part of the wastewater can be recovered for reuse in the process if drinking water is used for the last step of vegetable washing. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 171 - 6 A preliminary study on electrically enhanced crossflow microfiltration of CMP (chemical-mechanical polishing) wastewater; Yang GC et al.; Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is currently one of the main technologies used by wafer plants in the semiconductor industry . Normally, a large amount of de-ionized water should be used to wash out the abrasives adhered to the surface of wafers during the grinding process . Therefore, CMP wastewater not only has a great quantity but also contains very small size of suspended solids . Generally, these suspended solids would not settle . This phenomenon results in a low visibility of CMP wastewater . To solve this problem, a study on electrically enhanced crossflow microfiltration of CMP wastewater was conducted . Normally, the membrane of traditional dead-end filtration is easily blocked by the filter cake resulting in a small flux of filtrate . Therefore, the form of crossflow filtration (CFF) is used to reduce the blocking of the membrane . Furthermore, if CFF is accompanied by an external electric field, the negatively charged suspended solids in wastewater would move toward the positive electrode . Meanwhile, the flux of filtrate would increase . In this investigation, CMP wastewater was obtained from a wafer plant and characterized by various standard methods . Before testing, the CMP wastewater was pre-filtered using a 1.2 microm pore size filter . Then it was operated by a crossflow microfiltration (0.1 microm pore size) system under an appropriate crossflow velocity, filtration pressure, and electric potential . The filtrate was also characterized by various standard methods . Experimental results show that the filtrate has a turbidity of zero value . Thus, the filtrate could be reused for other purposes . However, the suspended solids of the CMP wastewater would be concentrated by this method . Therefore, the recovery of the suspended solids would be worth considering. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 147 - 52 Phosphate removal and recovery by a novel electrolytic process; Sakakibara Y et al.; The possibility of removing and recovering phosphate from wastewater by a novel electrolytic process was investigated experimentally . In the process, ion electrodes are immersed in synthetic wastewater and direct current (DC) is applied to coagulate phosphate on the surface of the anode . Experimental results demonstrated that at electric current densities ranged from 0.001 to 0.1 mA/cm2, phosphate was removed and recovered as phosphate-rich aggregates formed on the anode surface . Decreases in phosphate concentration at bulk liquid were in fairly good agreement with the amounts of phosphate in the aggregates . Moreover, the removal rate of phosphate was increased with increasing electric current . In addition, as heavy metal anions such as Cu2+ deposit on the counter electrode (cathode), it was thought that relatively pure phosphate could be obtained by the present process. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 85 - 92 The nomographic design approach to recycled water reatment by the nitritation process; Gil K et al.; The side-stream generated recycled water in the wastewater treatment plants is characterized as high in both nitrogen concentration and fluctuation of load . Thus, the design approach for recycle water management became an important part of the biological nutrient removal system design . The application of nitrogen removal from recycled water using the nitritation process has recently been increased due to economical reasons associated with an effective carbon allocation as well as the minimization of aeration cost . The concept of nitritation reactor design related to an inhibition of nitrite oxidizer has not been fully practiced in reality because of the limited field experiences . In this paper, a new approach has been proposed to determine reactor size and oxygen requirement in nitritation process design . The SRT-based design approach has been examined based on a series of laboratory experiments. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(11-12), 77 - 84 Industrial wastewater minimization using water pinch analysis: a case study on an old textile plant; Ujang Z et al.; Industrial wastewater minimization can be conducted using four main strategies: (i) reuse; (ii) regeneration-reuse; (iii) regeneration-recycling; and (iv) process changes . This study is concerned with (i) and (ii) to investigate the most suitable approach to wastewater minimization for an old textile industry plant . A systematic water networks design using water pinch analysis (WPA) was developed to minimize the water usage and wastewater generation for the textile plant . COD was chosen as the main parameter . An integrated design method has been applied, which brings the engineering insight using WPA that can determine the minimum flowrate of the water usage and then minimize the water consumption and wastewater generation as well . The overall result of this study shows that WPA has been effectively applied using both reuse and regeneration-reuse strategies for the old textile industry plant, and reduced the operating cost by 16% and 50% respectively. Environ Technol, 2002 Dec, 23(12), 1325 - 36 Effect of ozonation on the biological treatability of a textile mill effluent; Karahan O et al.; Ozonation applied prior to biological processes, has proved to be a very effective chemical treatment step mostly for colour removal when soluble dyes are used in textile finishing operations . Its impact on biological treatability however has not been fully evaluated yet . This study evaluates the effect of ozonation on the quality of wastewater from a textile mill involving bleaching and reactive dyeing of cotton and synthetic knit fabric . The effect of ozonation on COD fractionation and kinetic coefficients defining major biological processes is emphasised . The results indicate that the extent of ozone applied greatly affects the remaining organic carbon composition in the wastewater . The relative magnitude of different COD fractions varies as a function of the ozone dose . Ozonation does not however exert a measurable impact on the rate of major biological processes. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Dec 1, 36(23), 5062 - 6 EXAFS and XANES studies of retention of copper and lead by a lignocellulosic biomaterial; Dupont L et al.; Lignocellulosic substrate (LS), which is a low cost biomaterial, has a strong complexing ability and can be used in the treatment of wastewaters as biosorbentto remove heavy metals . The speciation of copper and lead to this biomaterial has been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy . The copper(II) has a 6-coordinate structure with four oxygen atoms in the equatorial plane at 1.95 A and two in axial position at 2.35 A . In the case of lead a particularly low coordination number of about 3 has been obtained . The combination of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) suggested that Cu and Pb are bound to the surface of LS through carboxylic moieties. Environ Pollut, 2003, 121(2), 199 - 205 Determination of beta-adrenergic receptor blocking pharmaceuticals in United States wastewater effluent; Huggett DB et al.; Beta adrenergic receptor antagonists (beta-Blockers) are frequently prescribed medications in the United States and have been identified in European municipal wastewater effluent, however no studies to date have investigated these compounds in United States wastewater effluent . Municipal wastewater effluent was collected from treatment facilities in Mississippi, Texas, and New York to investigate the occurrence of metoprolol, nadolol, and propranolol . Propranolol was identified in all wastewater samples analyzed (n = 34) at concentrations < or = 1.9 microg/l . Metoprolol and nadolol were identified in > or = 71% of the samples with concentrations of metoprolol < or = 1.2 microg/l and nadolol < or = 0.36 microg/l . Time course studies at both Mississippi plants and the Texas plant indicate that concentrations of propranolol, metoprolol, and nadolol remain relatively constant at each sampling period . This study indicates that beta-Blockers are present in United States wastewater effluent in the ng/l to microg/l range. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 2003 Feb, 44(2), 237 - 46 Bioconcentration and toxicity of dodecylbenzene sulfonate (C12LAS) to aquatic organisms exposed in experimental streams; Versteeg DJ et al.; Fish, mollusks, and crustaceans were caged in the tail pool of streams during a C(12)LAS (dodecyl benzene sulfonate) model ecosystem experimental program . Bioconcentration of total C(12)LAS and individual isomers and acute and chronic toxicity were investigated during this study . Toxicity endpoints were based on water and tissue (i.e., body burden) concentrations at which adverse effects were observed . At 32 days, total C(12)LAS bioconcentration factors (BCFs) for the fathead minnow and three invertebrate species ranged from 9 to 116 . In general, bioconcentration was affected by isomer position, exposure concentration, and species . BCF values tended to decrease as isomer position moved from external (e.g., 2-phenyl) to internal (e.g., 5,6-phenyl) . BCFs also decreased as exposure concentration increased . Mean acute 4-d LC(50) values ranged from 1.5 to >3.0 mg/L for the six species tested . Lethal body burdens associated with 50% mortality (LBB(50)) varied from 0.21 to 0.60 mmole/kg (wet weight) . During the 32-day chronic exposures, the EC(20) values were 0.27 (0.204-0.352), 0.95 (0.597-1.29), and approximately 1.0 mg/L for Corbicula (length), Hyalella (survival), and fathead minnow (survival), respectively . At these EC(20) values, C(12)LAS body burdens were 0.035, 0.23, and 0.19 mmoles/kg wet weight in Corbicula, Hyalella, and fathead minnow, respectively . Fish exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent had total C(12)LAS tissue concentrations ranging from 0.0005 to 0.0039 mmoles/kg wet weight . These concentrations are approximately 45-360 times below the tissue concentration associated with subtle effects in the model ecosystem stream exposures . Total C(12)LAS body burdens in feral and caged Corbicula exposed to WWTP effluents were approximately 0.0013 mmoles/kg; approximately 25-fold below concentrations associated with effects in stream exposures. J Environ Monit, 2002 Dec, 4(6), 967 - 71 Accumulation of metals in the soil of an overland flow wastewater treatment system; Stefanutti R et al.; Accumulation of Co, Cu, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn was evaluated in a soil profile of an overland flow system used for the post-treatment of urban wastewater . A pilot version of the overland flow system received urban wastewater from five up-flow anaerobic filters filled with bamboo (Bambusa tuldoides) rings . The anaerobic effluent was applied as feed over 18 months at rates varying from 7 to 28 L min(-1), to a vegetated slope length covered with Tifton 85 (Cynodon) sp . grass . Soil and plant samples were collected in triplicate from the top to the bottom of the slope . In addition, the soils were sampled at the depths 0-20 and 20-40 cm . The metal concentrations found in the overall system were compared to those obtained in a control area located at the beginning of the slope onto which nothing was applied . A month of monitoring the urban wastewater of Limeira City (Sao Paulo State, Brazil) showed a drastic change in metals concentration due to the irregular discharge of industrial waste . This irregular discharge introduces Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn into the system used to treat domestic wastewater . The mass balance indicates the accumulation of metals in the soil and the translocation to the plants; also that they could be evapotranspirated, percolated and discharged. Bioresour Technol, 2003 May, 87(3), 269 - 72 Removal of total lipids and fatty acids from sunflower oil factory effluent by UASB reactor; Saatci Y et al.; In this study wastewaters of a sunflower oil factory in Elazig (Turkey) were investigated in a pilot-scale mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor by determination of removal of total lipids (TL) and fatty acids (FA) . The removal efficiencies of TL and FA (linoleic, oleic, myristic, palmitic, stearic, arashidic, behenic and other FA) were above 70% at organic loading rates (OLR) between 1.6 and 7.8 kg COD/m(3)d and at optimum hydraulic retention times of 2.0 and 2.8 day . The conversion rate of removed COD to methane was between 0.16 and 0.354 m(3) CH(4)/kg COD. Bioresour Technol, 2003 May, 87(3), 221 - 30 Dye adsorption by sewage sludge-based activated carbons in batch and fixed-bed systems; Rozada F et al.; The present research work deals with the production of activated carbons by chemical activation and pyrolysis of sewage sludges . The adsorbent properties of these sewage sludges based activated carbons were studied by liquid-phase adsorption tests . Dyes removal from colored wastewater being a possible application for sludge based adsorbents, methylene blue and saphranine removing from solution was studied . Pure and binary adsorption assays were performed in batch and fixed bed systems . In all cases studied, the adsorbents produced from sewage sludges were able to adsorb both the compounds considered here . Nevertheless, time required for reaching equilibrium, adsorptive capacity and fixed bed characteristic parameters were different for these two compounds . Methylene blue adsorption occurred faster than that of saphranine, and it was preferably adsorbed when treating binary solutions . It could be concluded that the sewage sludge-based activated carbons may be promising for dyes removal from aqueous streams. Environ Toxicol Chem, 2003 Jan, 22(1), 77 - 83 Reduction of estrogenic activity of municipal wastewater by aerated lagoon treatment facilities; Bringolf RB et al.; The estrogenic activity of municipal wastewater in aerated lagoon treatment facilities was evaluated using plasma concentrations of vitellogenin (Vtg) in male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) . Caged fathead minnows were exposed for 10 to 12 d in three lagoons that are connected in series at each of 10 municipal wastewater treatment facilities in central Iowa, USA, during October and November 2000 . Fathead minnows held in the laboratory served as unexposed controls . Pooled (n = 4-10 fish) plasma Vtg, quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), was 1,702 +/- 670 (mean +/- standard error {SE}) microg/ml in the first lagoons (n = 9), 0.94 +/- 0.36 microg/ml in the second lagoons (n = 10), and 0.04 +/- 0.02 microg/ml in the third lagoons (n = 8) . Differences in mean fish plasma Vtg concentration among lagoons were highly significant (p < 0.001) . The mean concentration of plasma Vtg in fish in the third lagoons was not significantly different (p = 0.990) from that of the control fish (0.04 +/- 0.02 microg/ml) . Plasma Vtg concentrations of fish in the first lagoons were inversely correlated with wastewater retention time in the lagoons (p = 0.002, r = -0.877) . Water temperatures of the final effluents during the study ranged from 9 to 12 degrees C . General treatment efficiency of lagoons has been shown to be dependent on temperature, so the potential exists for decreased removal of estrogenic activity when water temperatures are lower (e.g., winter months) than the present study . In conclusion, wastewater entering aerated lagoon systems was estrogenic to fish, but with serial passage through the lagoons, the estrogenic activity decreased to a level that was not sufficient to induce vitellogenesis in male fathead minnows in a 10- to 12-d exposure. Water Res, 2003 Jan, 37(2), 429 - 35 Forward and backward uncertainty propagation: an oxidation ditch modelling example; Abusam A et al.; In the field of water technology, forward uncertainty propagation is frequently used, whereas backward uncertainty propagation is rarely used . In forward uncertainty analysis, one moves from a given (or assumed) parameter subspace towards the corresponding distribution of the output or objective function . However, in the backward uncertainty propagation, one moves in the reverse direction, from the distribution function towards the parameter subspace . Backward uncertainty propagation, which is a generalisation of parameter estimation error analysis, gives information essential for designing experimental or monitoring programmes, and for tighter bounding of parameter uncertainty intervals . The procedure of carrying out backward uncertainty propagation is illustrated in this technical note by working example for an oxidation ditch wastewater treatment plant . Results obtained have demonstrated that essential information can be achieved by carrying out backward uncertainty propagation analysis. J Gen Appl Microbiol, 1998 Oct, 44(5), 303 - 309 Simultaneous degradation of p-nitrophenol and phenol by a newly isolated Nocardioides sp . Cho YG, Yoon JH, Park YH, Lee ST. A p-nitrophenol (PNP)- and phenol-mineralizing bacterium (strain NSP41) was isolated from an industrial wastewater and identified as a member of the genus Nocardioides . PNP was degraded via a hydroquinone pathway, and phenol was degraded through a catechol pathway in strain NSP41 . Both enzyme systems for the degradation of PNP and phenol were induced simultaneously in the presence of both compounds . Although both enzyme systems were induced at the same time, PNP and phenol were degraded by the hydroquinone and catechol pathway, respectively . However, during the simultaneous degradation in the low phenol concentration, after the exhaustion of phenol, some PNP was transformed by the catechol pathway and 4-nitrocatechol was transiently accumulated . Kinetically, the addition of phenol greatly enhanced the apparent PNP degradation rate, which may be due to the increased cell mass by the assimilation of phenol. Biodegradation, 2002, 13(3), 201 - 9 Inhibition of the anaerobic digestion process by linear alkylbenzene sulfonates; Gavala HN et al.; Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates (LAS) are the most widely used synthetic anionic surfactants . They are anthropogenic, toxic compounds and are found in the primary sludge generated in municipal wastewater treatment plants . Primary sludge is usually stabilized anaerobically and therefore it is important to investigate the effect of these xenobiotic compounds on an anaerobic environment . The inhibitory effect of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates (LAS) on the acetogenic and methanogenic step of the anaerobic digestion process was studied . LAS inhibit both acetogenesis from propionate and methanogenesis from acetate and hydrogen and it is shown that the propionateutilising bacteria are more sensitive to the presence of LAS than the acetoclastic methanogens . It has been proven that the inhibition intensity depends on the solids concentration and thus the term "biomass specific LAS concentration" has been introduced in order to describe the phenomenon better . Conclusively, it is believed that the inhibitory effect of LAS is the main reason that anaerobic microbial enrichments on LAS have not been succeeded yet . Also, the inhibition caused by LAS on the acetogenic and methanogenic step of the anaerobic digestion process should be seriously taken into consideration when wastewater from a surfactant producing industry is to be treated biologically or enter a municipal wastewater treatment plant that employs anaerobic technology . The upper allowable biomass specific LAS concentration should be 14 mg LAS (gVSS)(-1). Anal Chem, 2002 Dec 1, 74(23), 6055 - 63 Segmented flow injection, UV digestion, and amperometric detection for the determination of total cyanide in wastewater treatment plant effluents; Weinberg HS et al.; The currently approved method for the analysis of total cyanide (TCN) in wastewaters has remained virtually unchanged in the 25 years since its initial use; this despite its subjection to a number of interferences, many of which provide a positive bias in cyanide measurements, including the formation of TCN during sample processing and some of which remain undocumented to this day . In particular, many municipal wastewater treatment plant chlorinated effluents throughout North America have often been cited for permit violations on the levels of total cyanide in their effluents measured using this methodology . A recently developed procedure for the analysis of TCN in various matrixes that utilizes segmented flow injection for sample transport and reaction, on-line acidic UV digestion for conversion of complexed cyanide to HCN, and amperometric detection achieved within 4 min of sample injection is demonstrated on chlorinated effluents discharged from municipal wastewater treatment plants . Through a systematic evaluation of the chemistry of the processes involved in this method and an understanding of the complexity of the wastewater matrix, an application was developed that showed consistent reproducibility in measuring TCN in a variety of effluents . The method was employed initially on synthetic solutions containing controlled levels of constituents identified in the literature as interfering with the measurement of TCN through the traditional distillation/colorimetric approach . In its application to the analysis of TCN in chlorinated wastewaters, an approach was evolved that ensured that dechlorination carried out during sample processing did not bias the results of analysis. J Hazard Mater, 2003 Jan 31, 96(2-3), 155 - 69 Purification of storage brines from the preservation of table olives; Benitez FJ et al.; The chemical oxidation of the wastewaters generated during storage of table olives in NaCl brines, prior to their manufacturing process, was studied . Ozone alone produced COD removals in the range 14-23%, and a higher average removal of 73% of the aromatic compounds . The additional presence of hydrogen peroxide and UV radiation increased these values to 39% for COD and 86% for aromatics . However, UV radiation alone only gave a removal of 9% for COD and 27% for aromatics, and the additional presence of 0.5M H(2)O(2) led to 13% for COD and 38% for aromatics, respectively . The Fenton's reagent oxidation achieved a COD removal of 24% for the higher concentrations of Fe(2+) and H(2)O(2) . The most effective process was the combination O(3)/UV/H(2)O(2) with total removals of 65 and 92% for the COD and aromatics, respectively . The aerobic treatment of these effluents gave a 66% removal regardless of the initial biomass concentration used, and a rate constant of 0.19 per day was obtained for the process by using the Contois model . Finally, the aerobic treatment of the wastewaters previously ozonated alone, and ozonated with UV radiation, gave increases in the COD removal and a final rate constant of 0.44 per day . The enhancements were due to the chemical oxidations, these procedures being suitable technologies as pre-treatments to subsequent biological processes for the purification of these residues. Sci Total Environ, 2003 Jan 1, 301(1-3), 13 - 21 The effect of heavy metals on nitrogen and oxygen demand removal in constructed wetlands; Lim PE et al.; The objective of this study is to investigate the respective effects of Zn, Pb and Cd as well as the combined effect of Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu on the removal of nitrogen and oxygen demand in constructed wetlands . Four laboratory-scale gravel-filled subsurface-flow constructed wetland units planted with cattails (Typha latifolia) were operated outdoors and fed with primary-treated domestic wastewater at a constant flow rate of 25 ml/min . After 6 months, three of the wetland units were fed with the same type of wastewater spiked with Zn(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively, at 20, 5 and 1 mg/l for a further 9 months . The remaining unit was fed with the same type of wastewater spiked with a combination of Zn(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) at concentrations of 10, 2.5, 0.5 and 5 mg/l, respectively, over the same period . The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammoniacal nitrogen (AN) concentrations were monitored at the inlet, outlet and three additional locations along the length of the wetland units to assess the performance of the wetland units at various metal loadings . At the end of the study, all cattail plants were harvested for the determination of total Kjeldahl nitrogen and metal concentrations . The results showed that the COD removal efficiency was practically independent of increasing metal loading or a combination of metal loadings during the duration of the study . In contrast, the AN removal efficiency deteriorated progressively with increasing metal loading . The relative effect of the heavy metals was found to increase in the order: Zn<Pb<Cd and the synergistic effect of metals was not observed . The metals seem to exhibit some inhibitory effect on nitrogen uptake by cattail plants as indicated by lower nitrogen uptake rates in comparison to rates recorded in wetland systems treating domestic wastewater only . Ann Chim, 2002 Oct, 92(10), 1025 - 34 Electrocoagulation of textile wastewater bearing disperse dyes; Szpyrkowicz L; The paper describes a study on the removal of colour from textile wastewater bearing a mixture of three disperse dyes . The experiments were carried out in a reactor equipped with an Al sacrificial anode (100 cm2) and a stainless steel cathode of the same dimensions . Decolorisation occurred as a result of destabilisation of colloids due to an effect of an electric field generated between the electrodes (polarisation coagulation) and the reactions with coagulating compounds, formed in situ during anode oxidation (volumetric coagulation), followed by a subsequent flotation of agglomerates of the particles . During the study the following parameters were varied: initial pH of the solution, current density (between 100 and 300 A m-2) and an initial concentration of the dyes . The best results of elimination of colour, equal to 99%, were obtained during 5 minutes of treatment under the conditions of pH of 9 and the G factor equal to 41. Ann Chim, 2002 Oct, 92(10), 1015 - 23 Electrochemical oxidation of p-hydroxybenzoic and protocathecuic acids at a dimensional stable anode (DSA) in the presence of NaCl; Polcaro AM et al.; This work is part of a wider research programme on innovative technologies for industrial wastewater treatment . Results from electrolyses at DSA commercial anodes of synthetic solutions with composition analogous to that of agro-industrial wastes are presented . The results obtained indicate that the rate of degradation of phenolic compounds is high, provided that chloride ions are present in solution . Oxidation of phenolic compounds is faster than that of biodegradable substances, such as sugars or amminoacids . Moreover, investigation on the trend of toxicity during the treatment, seems to exclude that toxic intermediates persist in solution when phenolic compounds are removed . Experiments on olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) samples show that the results obtained from synthetic solutions are extensible to real wastewater . When phenolic compounds are completely removed, the toxicity of the solution is very low; the initial dark colour of the solution, due to the brown pigment which characterises OMW, is nearly completely disappeared. Ann Chim, 2002 Oct, 92(10), 995 - 1006 Electrochemical oxidation of phenol at boron-doped diamond electrode . Application to electro-organic synthesis and wastewater treatment; Panizza M et al.; The electrochemical behaviour of a synthetic boron-doped diamond thin film electrode (BDD) has been studied in acid media containing phenol using cyclic voltammetry and bulk electrolysis . The results have shown that in the potential region of water stability direct electron transfers can occur on BDD surface resulting in electrode fouling due to the formation of a polymeric film on its surface . During electrolysis in the potential region of oxygen evolution, complex oxidation reactions can take place due to electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals . Electrode fouling is inhibited under these conditions . Depending on the experimental conditions, the electrogenerated hydroxyl radicals can lead to the combustion of phenol or to the selective oxidation of phenol to benzoquinone . The experimental results have also been compared to a theoretical model that permits the prediction of the evolution with time of phenol concentration, during its combustion, or during its selective oxidation to benzoquinone. J Med Food, 2002 Summer, 5(2), 69 - 78 Synergistic antioxidative properties of phenolics from natural origin toward low-density lipoproteins depend on the oxidation system; Shafiee M et al.; Using an approach in line with that of a previous report, we assessed the antioxidant activity of several natural, polyphenol- or tocotrienol-rich mixtures: extracts from Elaesis Guineensis oil (A) and Vitis vinifera (B), a Coffea robusta powder (C), and extracts from Olea europea mill wastewaters (D), Solanum melongena (E), and Lycopersicon esculentum (F) . The copper- and 2-2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH)-oxidation systems were used in the presence of low-density lipoprotein . For comparison, antioxidant activities of chlorogenic acid and catechin, as archetypes of molecules highly efficient with the copper- and the AAPH-oxidation system, respectively, were assessed . The aim was to establish the occurrence of synergistic antioxidant actions among some of these natural mixtures . On a molar basis, the highest specific antioxidant activities (SAA) were found for B, chlorogenic acid, and C in the copper system, and for A, catechin, and B in the AAPH system . On a mass basis, the highest SAA were found, respectively, for chlorogenic acid, B, and catechin, and for catechin, chlorogenic acid, and B . These results show that large discrepancies take place in the evaluations between the two systems . B and C exhibited a synergistic antioxidant efficiency, in the presence or absence of A, but only with the copper system . This was also true for the two types of A+B+C mixture that were tested . It is thought that this association might provide an ideal combination, incorporating both the radical scavenger and the transition-metal ion chelation properties of B and C. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2002 Nov, 53(3), 370 - 5 Chemical and physical speciation of arsenic in a small pond receiving gold mine waste effluent; Sproal R et al.; The chemical and physical speciation of arsenic in a small pond that receives wastewater from a gold mine operation in western Victoria, Australia was studied using differential pulse polarography . By using different sample pretreatments, distinction between the physical states (dissolved or particulate As), between the oxidation states (As(III) or As(V)), and between the degrees of lability (labile or strongly bound) was achieved . The results are interpreted in terms of the physicochemical properties with reference to the use of the pond as a settlement dam for gold mining effluent . The speciation of arsenic was found to vary markedly with the physicochemical properties of the water . A model for the behavior of arsenic in the pond is proposed. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2002 Sep, 53(1), 154 - 62 Effects of a coastal golf complex on water quality, periphyton, and seagrass; Lewis MA et al.; The objective of this study was to provide baseline information on the effects of a golf course complex on water quality, colonized periphyton, and seagrass meadows in adjacent freshwater, near-coastal, and wetland areas . The chemical and biological impacts of the recreational facility, which uses reclaimed municipal wastewater for irrigation, were limited usually to near-field areas and decreased seaward during the 2-year study . Concentrations of chromium, copper, and organochlorine pesticides were below detection in surface water, whereas mercury, lead, arsenic, and atrazine commonly occurred at all locations . Only mercury and lead exceeded water quality criteria . Concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll a were greater in fairway ponds and some adjacent coastal areas relative to reference locations and Florida estuaries . Periphyton ash free dry weight and pigment concentrations statistically differed but not between reference and non-reference coastal areas . Biomass of Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass) was approximately 43% less in a meadow located adjacent to the golf complex (P < 0.05) . The results of the study suggest that the effects of coastal golf courses on water quality may be primarily localized and limited to peripheral near-coastal areas . However, this preliminary conclusion needs additional supporting data. Life Support Biosph Sci, 2002, 8(3-4), 149 - 54 Potential integration of wetland wastewater treatment with space life support systems; Nelson M et al.; Subsurface-flow constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and nutrient recycling have a number of advantages in planetary exploration scenarios: they are odorless, relatively low labor and low energy, assist in purification of water and recycling of atmospheric CO2, and can directly grow some food crops . This article presents calculations for integration of wetland wastewater treatment with a prototype ground-based experimental facility ("Mars on Earth") supporting four people showing that an area of 4-6 m2 may be sufficient to accomplish wastewater treatment and recycling . Discharge water from the wetland system can be used as irrigation water for the agricultural crop area, thus ensuring complete reclamation and utilization of nutrients within the bioregenerative life support system . Because the primary requirements for wetland treatment systems are warm temperatures and lighting, such bioregenerative systems can be integrated into space life support systems because heat from the lights may be used for temperature maintenance in the human living environment . Subsurface-flow wetlands can be modified for space habitats to lower space and mass requirements . Many of its construction requirements can eventually be met with use of in situ materials, such as gravel from the Mars surface . Because the technology does not depend on machinery and chemicals, and relies more on natural ecological mechanisms (microbial and plant metabolism), maintenance requirements (e.g., pumps, aerators, and chemicals) are minimized, and systems may have long operating lifetimes . Research needs include suitability of Martian soil and gravel for wetland systems, system sealing and liner options in a Mars base, and determination of wetland water quality efficiency under varying temperature and light regimes. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(10), 305 - 10 Sludge management regulations and their applicability in mountainous regions; Wett B et al.; The Commission of the European Communities (CEC) is just working out a new directive in order to regulate the agricultural reuse of sewage sludge . This new regulation will also effect a "special case"--sludge usage in a mountainous environment--which will be discussed in this paper . Three reuse sites at small wastewater treatment plants of mountain refuges at altitudes more than 2,000 m a.s.l . are investigated . Applied sludge, soil and drainage flow from lysimeters are analysed . Concerning heavy metal concentrations domestic sewage sludge from these sites differs significantly from municipal sludge . A comparison with background concentrations reveals that no relevant accumulative pollution of the soil is possible . An increase of coliform bacteria of maximum two orders of magnitude is preserved during the long winter period and indicates a limited hygienic risk. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(10), 217 - 24 Impact on crops, plants and soils of metal trace elements transfer and flux, after spreading of fertilizers and biosolids; Maisonnave V et al.; In France, the yearly production of sludge from wastewater treatment plants is 900,000 metric tons dry matter and 60% of this is reused for land application . Today, the sustainability of this pathway is open to question . Among the different arguments cited are the levels of metal trace elements and the risks of accumulation in soils . With the ultimate aim of agronomic sludge recycling, the transfer of metal trace elements has been studied using vegetation containers planted with rye-grass under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity . Samples of a domestic sludge, an industrial sludge and a fertilizer have been mixed with the soil . By monitoring the growth of the rye-grass, we have been able to observe that the addition of sludge increases production of plant matter . It appears that the roots absorb higher quantities of metal trace elements and form a barrier to their transfer to the above ground parts of the rye-grass . For the group of metal trace elements studied, no significant differences have been observed between the rye-grass grown on soil alone and that on soils amended with fertilizer or urban sludge . For the majority of the vegetation containers studied, there has been no significant modification in the soil metal distribution over time, as a result of the addition of urban sludge, and no significant difference between fertilizers and sludges. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(10), 195 - 8 Volatile organic compound emissions during the composting of biosolids from a domestic wastewater treatment plant; Ramos CX et al.; VOCs emitted by two composting static piles of biosolids coming from the "El Salitre" wastewater treatment plant (Bogota, Colombia) were analysed during the composting process . Each pile in its sampling time was maintained with a different aeration system . The sampling was made using Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME); separation and identifications were made using Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to Mass Spectrometry (MS) . Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated compounds, ketones, mercaptans, alcohols and amines were identified in concentrations greater than the norms stipulated by the EPA for inhalation in humans beings . The emission behavior varied according to the aeration system used. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(10), 33 - 41 Different options for metal recovery after sludge decontamination at the Montreal Urban Community wastewater treatment plant; Meunier N et al.; The MUG (Montreal Urban Community) treatment plant produces approximately 270 tons of dry sludge daily (270 tds/day) during the physico-chemical treatment of wastewater . Recently, this treatment plant endowed a system of drying and granulation of sludge for valorization as an agricultural fertilizer having a capacity of 70 tds/day (25% of the daily sludge production) . However, the metal content (mainly Cu and Cd) of the sludge surpasses the norms for biosolids valorization . In order to solve this problem, a demonstration project, from the lab scale to the industrial pilot plant, was carried out to test the Metix-AC technology for the removal of metals . A strongly metal-loaded filtrate was generated during the sludge decontamination . Tests concerned the study of the metal recovery by total precipitation and selective precipitation, as well as the use of alternative products for the metal precipitation . Other works consisted to simulate the acid filtrate recirculation from the decontaminated sludge (25% of the total volume) in the untreated sludge (75% of the total volume) intended for the incineration . The total precipitation with hydrated limeappearedeffectivefortherecoveryof metals (87% Cd, 96% Cr, 97% Cu, 98% Fe, 71% Ni, 100% Pb, 98% Zn) . However, this option entails the production of an important quantity of metallic residue, which should be disposed of expensively as dangerous material . The selective iron precipitation does not appear to bean interesting option because the iron in solution within the leached sludge was principally present in the form of ferrous iron, which cannot be precipitated at pH lower than five . On the other hand, the use of commercial precipitating agents (TMT-15, CP-33Z, CP-NB and CPX) without pH adjustment of filtrate gave good results for the recovery of Cu and, to a lesser degree for the recovery of Pb . However, the efficiency for the other metals' (Cd, Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn) recovery was weaker (< 25%) . Finally, the acid filtrate recirculation containing solubilised metals in untreated sludge destined for incineration appears to be the most interesting option . Metals in solution in the acid filtrate, precipitate or adsorb effectively (97% Cd, 97% Cr, 99% Cu, 82% Ni, 100% Pb and 87% Zn) on the solids of the untreated sludge . Moreover, TCLP tests were done on ashes produced during the incineration of sludge mixed with the acid filtrate produced during sludge decontamination . These tests showed that there were no significant differences, as regards the extractability of metals, between such ashes and those produced during the untreated sludge incineration without addition of filtrate . Therefore, it was predictable that this method can respect the current environmental standards required by the different governmental authorities. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(10), 9 - 16 Characterization of wastewater and solids odors using solid phase microextraction at a large wastewater treatment plant; Kim H et al.; A simple and reliable technique has been developed and used to detect odorous gases, i.e . propionic and butyric acids, carbon disulfide, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and trimethylamine, emitted from various materials generated by the wastewater treatment process . The method detection limits are in the low ppb range and comparable to the odor threshold for human detection . In this study solid phase microextraction (SPME) was employed to characterize and quantify odorous compounds in the headspace over samples collected from various unit processes at the District of Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant, Washington DC, USA . The patterns of odorous chemicals released from wastewater influent, thickened sludge, dewatered sludge and biosolids were evaluated . Volatile reduced sulfurs were more prevalent in samples collected from downstream processes and corresponded with decreased oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) conditions . Volatile fatty acids were consistently identified in the primary gravity thickeners, while trimethylamine could only be detected from biosolids after the post-liming process. Environ Res, 2002 Nov, 90(3), 201 - 6 Characterizing and comparing risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a Tianjin wastewater-irrigated area; Wang XL et al.; A probability risk assessment was conducted to characterize the ecotoxicity of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo{a}pyrene, fluoranthene, and phenanthrene, to various species in a wastewater-irrigated area of Tianjin, China . The relative risk of these chemicals was investigated using joint risk probability distribution curves, which were generated based on the distributions of exposure and acute toxicity data . Risk at various exposure levels was discussed . The results indicated that among the three PAHs studied, the overall risk of phenanthrene was the highest, with that of benzo{a}pyrene the lowest, due mainly to their exposure concentrations . For lower exposure levels at which the percentage of species affected was less than 20%, the risk associated with benzo{a}pyrene was clearly higher than that of the other two chemicals. Environ Pollut, 2003, 121(1), 23 - 5 Chloride/bromide ratios in leachate derived from farm-animal waste; Hudak PF; Ratios of conservative chemicals have been used to identify sources of groundwater contamination . While chloride/bromide ratios have been reported for several common sources of groundwater contamination, little work has been done on leachate derived from farm-animal waste . In this study, chloride/bromide ratios were measured in leachate derived from longhorn-cattle, quarterhorse, and pygme-goat waste at a farm in Abilene, Texas, USA . (Minimum, median, and maximum) chloride/bromide ratios of (66.5, 85.6, and 167), (119, 146, and 156), and (35.4, 57.8, and 165) were observed for cattle, horses, and goats, respectively . These ratios are below typical values for domestic wastewater and within the range commonly observed for oilfield brine . Results of this study have important implications for identifying sources of contaminated groundwater in settings with significant livestock and/or oil production. Anal Bioanal Chem, 2002 Dec, 374(7-8), 1212 - 7 Epub 2002 Nov 12. A spot test for aqueous phosphate by color band formation; Kiso Y et al.; Phosphate is generally analyzed by color intensity of phosphoantimonylmolybdenum blue (PAMB): especially by a spot test based on spectrophotometric or visual determination . Visual determination is one of the simplest and most inexpensive methods; however, it is believed to be of low precision . In this work, we have developed an alternative phosphate spot test, where phosphate concentration is measured by the color band length of PAMB formed in a detection tube similar to a gas detection tube . The color band is formed by the entrapment of the hydrophobic ion pair of PAMB and quaternary ammonium ions in the column; we demonstrated that this color band length correlates quantitatively with the phosphate concentration . In order to optimize the measurement performance, systematic investigations have been carried out for various experimental parameters such as phosphate concentration, preparation conditions of the column packing material, the type of support material (either silica-gel or PVC), the solution feeding conditions (filtration or penetration), and volume of the sample solution . The effects from some co-existing components were also studied for the measurement of real samples.Determination of phosphate concentrations in actual wastewaters was successfully carried out by this method, indicating that the quantification range achievable was of 3-18 mg PO(4) L(-1) without dilution prior to the analysis . No interference was observed from suspended solid (SS) and organic pollutants (COD, TOC) during the wastewater analysis . Because of the simplicity and rapid processing of the samples (not requiring any special instruments) this newly developed method can be applied to the on-site analysis of wastewater. Biotechnol Prog, 2002 Nov-Dec, 18(6), 1257 - 64 Mature experimental constructed wetlands treating urban water receiving high metal loads; Scholz M et al.; The aim was to assess over 2 years the treatment efficiencies of vertical-flow wetland filters containing macrophytes and granular media of different adsorption capacities . Different concentrations of lead and copper sulfate (constant for 1 year each) were added to urban beck inflow water in order to simulate pretreated (pH adjustment assumed) mine wastewater . After 1 year of operation, the inflow concentrations for lead and copper were increased from 1.30 to 2.98 and from 0.98 to 1.93 mg/L, respectively . However, the metal mass load rates (mg/m(2)/d) were increased by a factor of approximately 4.9 for lead and 4.3 for copper . No breakthrough of metals was recorded . Lead and copper accumulated in the biomass of the litter zone and rhizomes of the macrophytes . Furthermore, microbiological activity decreased during the second year of operation . Bioindicators such as ciliated protozoa and zooplankton decreased sharply in numbers but diatoms increased . In conclusion, the use of macrophytes and adsorption media did not significantly enhance the filtration of lead and copper . Particulate lead is removed by filtration processes including straining . Furthermore, some expensive and time-consuming water quality variables can be predicted with less expensive ones such as temperature in order to reduce sampling costs. Water Res, 2003 Jan, 37(1), 233 - 7 Detection of tannic acid at trace level in industrial wastewaters using a highly sensitive chemiluminescence method; Xie C et al.; A novel flow injection procedure was developed for the determination of tannic acid in industrial wastewaters based on the enhancement by tannic acid of the chemiluminescence from luminol-K3Fe(CN)6-OH- system . The method has the merits of higher sensitivity, higher selectivity, wider linear range, simpler instrumentation . It is applicable for the determination of tannic acid in the range of 3.0 x 10(-10)-1.0 x 10(-7) mol/L with a detection limit of 1.0 x 10(-10) mol/L . The relative standard deviation is 2.7% for the determination of 1.0 x 10(-8) mol/L tannic acid (n = 11) . The method has been successfully used to determine tannic acid at trace level in industrial wastewaters from brewery and tannery. Water Res, 2003 Jan, 37(1), 139 - 49 Preliminary assessment of transport processes influencing the penetration of chlorine into wastewater particles and the subsequent inactivation of particle-associated organisms; Dietrich JP et al.; The diffusion of a chemical disinfectant into wastewater particles may be viewed as a serial two-step process involving transport through a macroporous network of pathways to micropores that lead into dense cellular regions . Previous research reveals that ultraviolet (UV) light penetration into wastewater particles is limited primarily to macropores, resulting in a residual concentration of targeted organisms in post-disinfected effluents that reflects the number of organisms embedded in the dense cellular regions of particles . Conversely, chlorine was demonstrated as part of this research to penetrate into both the macroporous and microporous network of pathways, implying that the application of chlorine may be designed feasibly to achieve a desired level of inactivation of particle-associated organisms . In the short term, a disinfection model previously developed for UV irradiation may be used to assess the inactivation of particle-associated organisms with chlorine . However, in the long-term, a more rigorous and complete understanding of the transport of chemical disinfectants into particles can be explored utilizing existing mathematical expressions commonly used to model mass transport into porous media . The parameters of interest in this modeling approach include the reaction rate of chlorine with particulate material, the diffusion rate of chlorine within a particle, the mass-transfer rate coefficient across the particle's boundary, and the particle porosity. Water Res, 2003 Jan, 37(1), 67 - 77 Analysis of photosynthetic activity in the most polluted stretch of river Ganga; Tare V et al.; As a result of the increasing anthropogenic activities in the gangetic plain, Ganga water quantity as well as quality has declined over the years . A major effort to clean Ganga, named Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was instituted by the Government of India in 1984 . The emphasis in GAP was on the reduction of organic load on the river through interception, diversion and treatment of wastewater reaching the river, thus maintaining the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of river within the acceptable limits . A major criticism of GAP is that the significance of river ecology has not been addressed adequately during its conception and implementation . One of the important aspects from this perspective is the photosynthetic activity in the river Ganga . It has been postulated that photosynthetic activity plays an important role in maintaining high levels of DO in Ganga, and as a result the river can assimilate high organic loads without appreciable depletion in dissolved oxygen levels . Objective of the present study was to assess the photosynthetic activity and oxygen production rates in the river and correlate these values with various water quality parameters . Most polluted stretch of Ganga, which is known as the Kannauj-Kanpur stretch was chosen for this study . Based on the results of the study, it was concluded that despite implementation of phase I of GAP, and consequent diversion and reduction of organic loading to the river, both BOD and DO levels in the river has increased in the entire Kannauj-Kanpur stretch, except at Jajmau, where anaerobically treated effluent is discharged to the river . The nitrogen levels have also increased in the entire Kannauj-Kanpur stretch . Dissolved oxygen (DO) and alkalinity in the river water vary diurnally at all sites . Chlorophyll-a levels and oxygen production rates due to photosynthesis appear to be positively influenced by phosphate levels in the river water . Chlorophyll-a levels appear to be negatively correlated to the Ammonical and total Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) content in the river water, suggesting the possibility of release of nutrients due to algal death and decomposition under certain circumstances. Water Res, 2003 Jan, 37(1), 55 - 66 Acidogenesis of gelatin-rich wastewater in an upflow anaerobic reactor: influence of pH and temperature; Yu HQ et al.; The influence of temperature and pH on the acidification of a synthetic gelatin based wastewater was investigated using an upflow anaerobic reactor . Gelatin degradation efficiency and rate, degree of acidification, and formation rate of volatile fatty acids and alcohols all slightly increased with temperature . Temperature affected the acidogenesis of gelatin according to the Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 1.83 kcal/mol . Compared with temperature, pH had a more significant effect on the acidogenesis . Gelatin degradation efficiency substantially increased with pH, from 60.0% at pH 4.0 to 97.5% at pH 7.0 . The degree of acidification increased from 32.0% at pH 4.0 to 71.6% at pH 6.5, but dropped to 66.8% when pH increased to 7.0 . The optimum pH for the overall acidogenic activity was found to be 6.0, close to 5.9, the optimum pH calculated using a semi-empirical model . Operation at pH of 4.0-5.0 favored the production of propionate, hydrogen, whereas the operation at pH 6.0-7.0 encouraged the production of acetate, butyrate, and i-butyrate . The region between pH 5.0 and 6.0 was the transition zone. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Nov 8, 976(1-2), 335 - 43 Determination of nineteen 4-alkylphenol endocrine disrupters in Geneva municipal sewage wastewater; Espejo R et al.; A method for the determination of 18 isomeric 4-nonylphenols and 4-tert.-octylphenol in wastewater using GC-MS and LC-MS has been developed . This procedure has been applied to the determination of the free allylphenols and the analysis of these substances in the form of 4-alkylphenol polyethoxylates, their various hydrosoluble metabolites and other hydrosoluble 4-alkylphenol containing degradation products ("bonded" alkylphenols) after their cleavage with hydroiodic acid . In the environment, the final degradation products of 4-alkylphenol polyethoxylates and their metabolites are the long-chain free 4-alkylphenols, which are responsible of endocrine disruption in various animal species . The average concentration of free alkylphenols in the wastewater of the sewage plant in Aire, Geneva (Switzerland) ranges from 1.0 to 6.8 microg/l (average 2.5 microg/l) . The concentration of "bonded" 4-alkylphenols can reach about 0.66 mg/l . The precision of the method and its accuracy are satisfactory with recovery rates for the free 4-alkylphenols and "bonded" 4-nonylphenols ranging from 74 to 79% and 80 to 87%, respectively . The relative standard deviation is lower than 6% for all analyzed compounds . The detection limits are in the range of 0.4 to 6 ng/l (typically 2 ng/l) and quantification limits are between 2 to 22 ng/l (typically 10 ng/l) for all individual isomeric alkylphenols. Lett Appl Microbiol, 2002, 35(6), 548 - 51 Aerobic granules: a novel zinc biosorbent; Liu Y et al.; AIMS: Aerobic granules are aggregates with a compact and porous microbial structure . In view of the potential use of aerobic granules as biosorbents for Zn(II) removal from industrial wastewater, this study investigated the effects of initial Zn(II) and aerobic granule concentrations on the kinetics of Zn(II) biosorption on the aerobic granule surface . METHODS AND RESULTS: Acetate-fed aerobic granules with a mean diameter of 1.0 mm were used as biosorbents . Results showed that the kinetics of Zn(II) biosorption on the aerobic granule surface were related to both initial Zn(II) and granule concentrations . It was found that the real driving force for Zn(II) biosorption on the aerobic granule surface could be described by the ratio of initial Zn(II) concentration (Co) to initial granule concentration (Xo), rather than individual Co or Xo . The Co/Xo ratio provides a unified basis for interpretation of the biosorption data obtained under different initial conditions . The maximum biosorption capacity of Zn(II) by aerobic granules was 270 mg g(-1) . CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the aerobic granule can be used as an effective biosorbent for efficient removal of Zn(II) or other types of heavy metals from industrial wastewater . SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study could lead to the development of a novel granular biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater . A simple and compact aerobic granule-based biosorber could be expected. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Oct 18, 974(1-2), 143 - 59 Determination of endocrine-disrupting compounds in environmental samples using gas and liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry; Jeannot R et al.; This paper describes certain applications for endocrine-disrupting compounds determination . LC-MS was applied using an electrospray ionization (ESI) technique in positive mode for alcohol polyethoxylates and nonylphenol and octylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOn and OPEOn), and in negative mode for 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and 4-octylphenol (4-OP) to determine targeted compounds in wastewater and sludge . GC-MS and GC-MS-MS were used to determine 4-NP, 4-tert.-octylphenol (4-t-OP), bisphenol A, estradiol-17beta, estriol estrone, testosterone, 17alpha-ethynylestradioL cholesterol, coprostan-3-ol, coprostan and coprostan-3-one in both surface water and wastewater after derivatization with N,O-bis(trimethyl-silyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) . Extraction from the water samples was by an SPE technique, using either a copolymeric (Oasis HLB) or C18 silica sorbents, depending on the target contaminants . Extraction from the sludge samples was by a Soxtec system using methanol . Percentage recoveries for most of the selected compounds, using either a copolymeric (Oasis HLB) or C18 silica sorbents, were satisfactory (>60%) . Quantification limits for the target compounds were at ppb levels in both water and sludge samples when using LC-ESI-MS in both positive and negative modes . They reached ppt levels in water when using GC-MS (in large volume injection mode) and GC-MS-MS . The results revealed 4-NP, NPEOn and AEOs in sludge samples at a concentration range of 1.3-8.5 microg/g, and NPEOn, OPEOn and other compounds, such as coprostan and bisphenol A, in surface water and/or wastewater samples at concentrations ranging from the ppt to ppb levels. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Oct 18, 974(1-2), 111 - 21 Mass spectrometric strategies for the analysis of polar industrial chemicals and their by-products in wastewater and surface water; Knepper TP; Various mass spectrometric techniques, such as gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) after derivatization, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization (LC-ESI) MS and ESI-time of flight (TOF)-MS have been applied to the determination of, in general substituted, polar organic sulfonates . Methods were developed for the rapid quantification of such industrial chemicals in wastewater effluents and surface water, as required following spills leading to unusually high emissions into the river Rhine, Germany . Using these methods, the tonnage of methylsulfamido-antipyrin, an intermediate of the pain reliever metamizole synthesis, and 3-nitro-benzenesulfonate could be directly calculated without time-consuming enrichment or clean-up procedures . Thereby a significant increase in sensitivity was achieved by switching a cation suppressor between LC and MS . But still, the evaluation and identification of more complex chemical structures of formerly unknown substituted and halogenated by-products of 2-chlorotoluene methylsulfon-synthesis in wastewater was only possible through the combined interpretation of the GC- and LC-ESI mass spectra and with the additional information obtained from application of ESI-TOF-MS to the samples. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Oct 25, 975(1), 105 - 12 Polymer-coated synthetic fibers designed for miniaturized sample preparation process; Saito Y et al.; Miniaturized sample preparation technique for complex sample matrices has been developed with a polymer-coated fibrous extraction medium . Several hundreds of fine fibrous materials were packed longitudinally into a fused-silica capillary followed by a polymeric coating on it to prepare the extraction capillary . The extraction capillary was installed in a liquid chromatograph as a sample loop of the injection valve . The on-line coupled sample preparation/separation system demonstrated a good validity for the analysis of phthalates in real river and wastewater samples . The lowest limits of quantification for several phthalates were less than 1 ng/ml . The effect of polymeric coating to the filaments on the extraction power was also investigated. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Oct 25, 975(1), 95 - 104 Role of the retaining precolumn in large-volume on-column injections of volatiles to gas chromatography; Kristenson EM et al.; In the present study the retaining precolumn, which is commonly used in a set-up for large-volume on-column injections, or when solid-phase extraction (SPE) or liquid chromatography is coupled to gas chromatography (CC), was removed after varying its length from the standard length of 3 m down to zero . A dramatic increase of the evaporation rate of the injected organic solvent was obtained from a typical value of 100 microl/min up to 300 microl/min . The increased evaporation rate allowed (i) injection of a larger volume in the same retention gap, (ii) faster injection/transfer of the organic solvent and (iii) reduction of the transfer temperature . As volatile compounds under partially concurrent solvent evaporation conditions are easily lost once the organic solvent has been removed via a solvent-vapour exit (SVE), the parameters for large-volume injection, i.e . the evaporation rate and injection speed, were optimised using accurate measurements of the real flow-rate of the carrier gas into the GC system . All these options have been evaluated over the last 4 years . In order to demonstrate that omitting the retaining precolumn had no effect on the application range of the on-column interface, analytes as volatile as benzene were injected into GC-MS using 50-200 microl of n-pentane solutions . Contaminants were extracted from river water and wastewater into n-pentane using in-vial liquid-liquid extraction . The detection limits for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene were approximately 10 ng/l . To obtain optimum results the SVE had to be closed 1 s before the end of evaporation . Several brands of n-pentane were analysed to check for the presence of benzene . Most of them contained interfering compounds and benzene at the low microg/l level and therefore had to be cleaned by means of column chromatography . As another example C8-C17 alkylphenones were extracted from wastewater with n-hexane . Detection limits were 10-40 ng/l. Anal Bioanal Chem, 2002 Nov, 374(6), 1132 - 40 Epub 2002 Oct 25. Ultrasound-assisted method for determination of chemical oxygen demand; Canals A et al.; A method for determination chemical oxygen demand (COD) assisted by use of ultrasound has been successfully evaluated for the first time . The method uses instrumentation simpler and cheaper and, in some instances, safer than that used by previous methods for the same purpose . The new device used for sonication is an all-glass cylindrical sonotrode that can be introduced directly into the reaction mixture . Use of this device enables more efficient interaction between sample and ultrasonic energy . The optimized experimental conditions are high ultrasonic power (55% amplitude, 0.9-second pulses each second), high sulfuric acid concentration (>60%), and a sonication time of 2 min . Under these conditions the method has limitations similar to those of the official COD method with regard to the type of organic compound . It works adequately with easily oxidized organic matter (potassium hydrogen phthalate and dextrose) and other organic compounds difficult to oxidize by conventional methods (e.g . phenol and acetic acid) but the COD values obtained with volatile compounds and difficult organic matter are poor . Chloride is tolerated up to a concentration of 7000 mg L(-1) without any masking agent . Gasification of the sample is recommended to improve results; use of air and argon resulted in no significant differences - bubbling with air during sonication resulted in COD values for certified materials and real wastewater samples statistically identical with the certified COD values and those obtained by the classic (open reflux) method . The use of ultrasound energy for COD determination thus seems to be an interesting and promising alternative to conventional oxidation methods used for the same purpose. Sci Total Environ, 2002 Oct 21, 298(1-3), 131 - 45 Sources of heavy metals in urban wastewater in Stockholm; Sorme L et al.; The sources of heavy metals to a wastewater treatment plant was investigated . Sources can be actual goods, e.g . runoff from roofs, wear of tires, food, or activities, e.g . large enterprises, car washes . The sources were identified by knowing the metals content in various goods and the emissions from goods to sewage or stormwater . The sources of sewage water and stormwater were categorized to enable comparison with other research and measurements . The categories were households, drainage water, businesses, pipe sediment (all transported in sewage water), atmospheric deposition, traffic, building materials and pipe sediment (transported in stormwater) . Results show that it was possible to track the sources of heavy metals for some metals such as Cu and Zn (110 and 100% found, respectively) as well as Ni and Hg (70% found) . Other metals sources are still poorly understood or underestimated (Cd 60%, Pb 50%, Cr 20% known) . The largest sources of Cu were tap water and roofs . For Zn the largest sources were galvanized material and car washes . In the case of Ni, the largest sources were chemicals used in the WTP and drinking water itself . And finally, for Hg the most dominant emission source was the amalgam in teeth . For Pb, Cr and Cd, where sources were more poorly understood, the largest contributors for all were car washes . Estimated results of sources from this study were compared with previously done measurements . The comparison shows that measured contribution from households is higher than that estimated (except Hg), leading to the conclusion that the sources of sewage water from households are still poorly understood or that known sources are underestimated . In the case of stormwater, the estimated contributions are rather well in agreement with measured contributions, although uncertainties are large for both estimations and measurements . Existing pipe sediments in the plumbing system, which release Hg and Pb, could be one explanation for the missing amount of these metals . Large enterprises were found to make a very small contribution, 4% or less for all metals studied . Smaller enterprises (with the exception of car washes) have been shown to make a small contribution in another city; the contribution in this case study is still unknown. Water Res, 2002 Nov, 36(19), 4765 - 74 Pilot scale study on the ex situ electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from municipal wastewater sludges; Kim SO et al.; In order to remove toxic heavy metals from municipal wastewater sludges, the ex situ electrokinetic technique was studied at pilot scale . This study focused on the feasibility of the electrokinetic removal of heavy metals from sludge and the effectiveness of this technique on the variations of abiotic (physicochemical) and biotic (intracellular and extracellular) speciations of heavy metals using several analytical methods . Even though the sludge used was taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, the sludge contained relatively high concentrations of target metal contaminants (Cd = 6.8 mg/kg, Cr = 115.6 mg/kg, Cu = 338.7 mg/kg, and Pb = 62.8 mg/kg) . The removal efficiencies of heavy metals were significantly dependent on their speciations in the sludge matrices . The electrokinetic removal efficiencies of abiotic heavy metals exceeded 70% for the mobile and weakly bound fractions, such as, the exchangeable and carbonate fractions and were lower than 35% for the strongly bound fractions, such as, the organic/sulfide and residual fractions . In the case of the biotic heavy metals, the removal efficiencies of the extracellular fractions were slightly higher than those of the intracellular fractions. Water Res, 2002 Nov, 36(19), 4735 - 44 Removal of phenolics in olive mill wastewaters using the white-rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus; Fountoulakis MS et al.; Olive mill wastewaters (OMW) present a major environmental problem . The large amounts generated, combined with the high phenols and chemical oxygen demand concentrations, are the main difficulties in finding a solution for the management of these wastewaters, which are dangerous for the environment . The phenols, which are contained in the OMW have a structure similar to lignin, which makes them difficult to biodegrade . Lignin can be degraded only by a few microorganisms, such as "white-rot" basidiomycete, which produce manganese (MnPs) and lignin peroxidases (LiPs) and laccases that are responsible for the oxidisation of lignin compounds . The capability of Pleurotus ostreatus to degrade phenols of OMW in different conditions such as in sterilized and thermally processed (at 100 degrees C) wastewater, with and without dilution, is investigated in this work . According to the experimental results P . ostreatus removed phenols from the culture medium, under all different conditions that were examined . The degradation of phenols reached up to 78.3% for the sterilized and 50% diluted OMW, 66.7% and 64.7% for the thermally processed OMW, with and without dilution, respectively . The effect of pre-treatment of OMW on the performance of anaerobic digestion is also assessed, as methanogenic bacteria are seriously affected by the presence of phenol compounds . The pre-treated wastewater was shown to be more amenable to a subsequent anaerobic digestion. Water Res, 2002 Nov, 36(19), 4725 - 34 A pilot scale evaluation of removal of mercury from pharmaceutical wastewater using granular activated carbon; Cyr PJ et al.; Thimerosal (an organic mercury compound) is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry and hospitals . This study examines the removal of mercury (thimerosal and Hg(II)) from a pharmaceutical wastewater using F-400 granular activated carbon (GAC) at bench and pilot scales . Bench scale dynamic column tests are conducted with 30, 60, 90 and 120 min empty bed contact times (EBCTs) . The pilot scale study is conducted using two GAC columns-in-series each of 30 min EBCT . The capital and operational cost analysis for the treatment system is performed . Simultaneous removal of copper, turbidity, phenol, and color from the wastewater by the pilot scale system is also reported. Water Res, 2002 Nov, 36(19), 4717 - 24 Anion exchange resins for removal of reactive dyes from textile wastewaters; Karcher S et al.; Sorption onto an easily regenerable sorbent in fixed bed filters would be an interesting option for removal of reactive dyes from textile wastewaters . A previous screening with model solutions (Dyes Pigm 51 (2001) 111) had shown two anion exchangers (strong basic S6328a and weak basic MP62, both Bayer) to exhibit good sorption characteristics for reactive dyes . The aim of this study was to evaluate these materials more closely . Thus filter breakthrough, the behavior with original wastewater samples, and the effect of inorganic wastewater parameters as well as regeneration were studied . Breakthrough curves for both materials are relatively unfavorable with a flat gradient, but throughput until breakthrough (100-800 bed volumes) should be sufficient for technical use . With both resins dye uptake is influenced little by competition of inorganic anions (sulfate, carbonate, phosphate) and they perform well in original wastewaters . However, the weak basic type is only efficient up to pH 8 . Alkaline regeneration works well for MP62, for S6328a acid regeneration works for most dyes. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 297 - 302 Removal of phosphate by seafood processing wasted sludge; Lee SM et al.; There is a need for developing low cost, easily and abundantly available, yet efficient, adsorbents for the removal of phosphates during the tertiary treatment of wastewater . The wasted sludge from a cuttlefish processing factory prepared on a laboratory scale has been used to evaluate its performance for phosphate adsorption . The material has been shown to be a good alternative adsorbent . As much as 90% phosphate removal by the prepared sludge is possible in about 20 h under the test conditions . Phosphate removal is seen to increase with decreasing adsorbent particle size, increasing the relative concentration of phosphate to sludge and increasing adsorbent dose . Models for predicting phosphate removal incorporate operational variables such as the ratio of phosphate to wasted material and adsorbent dose . These models also manifest high values of the correlation coefficients . Calcium phosphate precipitation in the present experimental system is not a significant phosphate removal mechanism. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 263 - 70 Pilot-scale study of an anaerobic baffled reactor for the treatment of domestic wastewater; Dama P et al.; Large proportions of South Africans live in areas with inadequate sanitation and a poor infrastructure for waterborne sanitation . Service providers are looking for alternative wastewater treatment options . The anaerobic baffled reactor is being considered as a decentralised sanitation option in these areas . A 3,200 L reactor was built and is currently being evaluated at a wastewater treatment works . The reactor was built based on experiences gained from working with a laboratory reactor (10 L) and predicted flow patterns observed on a computational fluid dynamics model . The design and construction of the reactor will be discussed in this paper . The feed to the reactor consists of screen degritted sewage and the flow to the reactor is maintained by means of a programmable logic controller . The pilot-plant layout is discussed in this paper . Samples are analysed for chemical oxygen demand, pH, alkalinity, ammonia, phosphorus, solids and ash content . Reductions of between 70 and 80% are obtained for COD and the pH values for the effluent samples are within the discharge limits. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 255 - 62 Influence of varying reacting conditions in the degradation of azo dye using immobilized TiO2 photocatalyst; Aris A et al.; In Malaysia, most colored wastewater from dyeing factories is discharged to the environment causing serious problems . In this paper the influence of several reacting conditions, i.e . H2O2, pH, Ultraviolet (UV) intensity and dye concentration, on the performance of the immobilized system is discussed . The pH of the solution was varied from 3 to 11 while H2O2 concentration tested was from 10(-4) M to 5 x 10(-2) M . UV was tested at 365 nm and 254 nm, while dye concentration ranged from 2.5 x 10(-4) M to 10(-3) M . The influence of the reacting conditions was assessed based on absorbance . Using an OG concentration of 10(-3) M, the degradation increases from 17.8% to 49.7% . Optimum concentration of H2O2 was found to be 5 x 10(-3) M for degradation . Increasing the intensity of the UV light via shorter light wavelength also improves the performance of the system . Increasing the concentration of the dye reduces the overall performance of the system . Using the dye concentration of 2.5 x 10(-4) M (H2O2 = 10(-2) M, lambda = 254 nm, pH = 11), gives a degradation of 93.2% . At dye concentration of 10(-3) M, the performance was reduced to 53.1%. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 185 - 92 Half saturation constants for nitrate and nitrite by in-sewer anoxic transformations of wastewater organic matter; Abdul-Talib S et al.; A significant breakthrough and progress have been made in the study of the kinetics of microbial transformation in sewers under aerobic and under changing aerobic/anaerobic conditions . Fundamental knowledge on anoxic kinetics of wastewater is still lacking, so it is not now possible to apply an integrated approach to municipal wastewater treatment incorporating sewer networks as a bio-chemical reactor . This paper presents the results of studies on determining half saturation constants for nitrate, KNO3, and nitrite, KNO2, in raw wastewater . The average values of KNO3 and KNO2, determined from experiments conducted on 7 different wastewater samples were found to be 0.76 gNO3-N/m3 and 0.33 gNO2-N/m3 respectively. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 63 - 9 A model for decentralised grey wastewater treatment system in Singapore public housing; Lim J et al.; Global concerns over the sustainable use of natural resources provided the impetus for research into water reclamation from wastewater within the Singapore context . The objective of the research is to study and develop a water infrastructure system as an integral element of architecture and the urbanscape, thereby reducing the need for the large area requirements associated with centralised treatment plants . The decentralised plants were considered so as to break up the large contiguous plot of land otherwise needed, into smaller integrated fragments, which can be incorporated within the housing scheme . This liberated more usable space on the ground plane of the urban housing master plan, enabling water-edge and waterscape relationships within both the private and public domains of varying scale. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 11 - 20 Integrated design of sewers and wastewater treatment plants; Vollertsen J et al.; Sewer system design must be integrated with wastewater treatment plant design when moving towards a more sustainable urban wastewater management . This integration allows an optimization of the design of both systems to achieve a better and more cost-effective wastewater management . Hitherto integrated process design has not been an option because the tools to predict in-sewer wastewater transformations have been inadequate . In this study the WATS model--being a new and validated tool for in-sewer microbial process simulations--is presented and its application for integrated sewer and treatment plant design is exemplified . A case study on a Malaysian catchment illustrates this integration . The effects of centralization of wastewater treatment and the subsequently longer transport distances are addressed . The layout of the intercepting sewer is optimized to meet the requirements of different treatment scenarios. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(9), 1 - 9 Water and wastewater in developing countries: present reality and strategy for the future; Ujang Z et al.; This paper summarises the paper presentation sessions at the Conference, as well giving insights on the issues related to developing countries . It also discusses the present status of practice and research on water and wastewater management, and projected future scenario based not only on the papers presented in the Conference, but also on other sources . The strategy is presented to overcome many problems in developing countries such as rapid urbanization, industrialization, population growth, financial and institutional problems and, depleting water resources . The strategy consists of Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM), cleaner industrial production, waste minimisation and financial arrangements. J Environ Manage, 2002 Nov, 66(3), 269 - 80 Modeling the width and placement of riparian vegetated buffer strips: a case study on the Chi-Jia-Wang stream, Taiwan; Lin CY et al.; Improper agricultural activities seriously affect water quality . It is very important to control agricultural nonpoint source pollution along the Chi-Jia-Wang Stream to protect the habitat of land-locked salmon (Oncorhynchus masou formosanus), one of the endangered species in Taiwan . Riparian vegetative buffer strips are used to intercept wastewater, surface runoff and groundwater flow to reduce pesticide, nutrient and other organic pollutants before they enter the stream . This study estimates the suitable width for vegetated buffer strips in the riparian zone along the stream using a geographic information system and an index model . The groundwater in the study area is easily contaminated by pollutants due to the high hydraulic conductivity in the riparian zone of the Chi-Jia-Wang Stream . After comparing simulations on selected 46 kinds of selected pesticides, the maximum safety depth of Fenarimol was estimated . A wider Fenarimol vegetated strip is needed as a buffer zone to ensure pollution control effectiveness . Simulation results can provide a preliminary evaluation for the soil or groundwater pollution caused by pesticides, but the actual influences require onsite data verification. Environ Int, 2002 Nov, 28(5), 393 - 400 Estimation of sources of total phosphorus in a river basin and assessment of alternatives for river pollution reduction; Drolc A et al.; The methodology of material flow analysis is presented and applied to developing a phosphorus balance in a river basin and evaluating different scenarios for pollution reduction . The method is based on the balance principle: inputs and outputs of each phosphorus-related subsystems were balanced . The application of the methodology strategies was illustrated by means of a case study of the Krka River, Slovenia . The results showed that besides effluents from wastewater treatment plants, agriculture contributed significantly to the total annual phosphorus load . After establishing the present levels of phosphorus balance, different scenarios were considered: different stages of wastewater treatment as well as management of agricultural activities . The present emission of phosphorus is estimated to be 81.8 tons/year; after implementation of measures, it would be 48.6 tons/year, a total reduction of 40% . Besides reduction of point sources by means of wastewater collection and implementation of nutrient removal technology, managing agricultural phosphorus to protect water quality should become a major challenge in the Krka river basin. Res Microbiol, 2002 Oct, 153(8), 547 - 54 Characterization of manganese-dependent peroxidase isoenzymes from the ligninolytic fungus Phanerochaete flavido-alba; de la Rubia T et al.; Phanerochaete flavido-alba is able to decolorize and detoxify olive oil wastewater (OMW) in a process in which simple and polymeric phenols are removed . An unusual acidic MnP is accumulated during the degradation course . This microorganism produces two families of MnPs . MnP1 has an apparent molecular weight of 45 kDa and is secreted as a mixture of isoenzymes with pI ranging from 5.6 to 4.75 . MnP2, which is produced as an unique isoenzyme, has an apparent molecular weight of 55.6 Mr and an unusual acidic pI lower than 2.8 . The higher specific peroxidase activity for purified MnP2 was for Mn2+ oxidation . Hydroquinone and methylhydroquinone oxidation by MnP2 was Mn2+ dependent, in reaction mixtures without exogenous H2O2 . Conversely, ABTS oxidation was Mn2+ independent . Two different DNA fragments (mnpA and mnpB), amplified by PCR, using MnP2 N-terminal sequence and oligonucleotides deduced from two conserved sequences of other MnPs, code for MnPs that belong to the P . chrysosporium mnp2 subfamily on the basis of intron position . The structure of mnpA and mnpB seems to be related to known manganese peroxidase genes, but mnpA encodes an Alanine instead of a Serine (Ser168) regarded as invariant within typical MnPs. Environ Monit Assess, 2002 Nov, 80(1), 17 - 31 Comparative studies on accumulation of Cr from metal solution and tannery effluent under repeated metal exposure by aquatic plants: its toxic effects; Sinha S et al.; The present study demonstrates comparison of Cr accumulating potential by the plants of Najas indica Cham . (submerged), Vallisneria spiralis L . (rooted submerged) and Alternanthera sessilis R . Br . (rooted emergent) under repeated metal exposure and its effect on chlorophyll and protein concentrations . These plants were treated with different concentrations of Cr under repeated exposure in controlled laboratory conditions to assess the maximum metal accumulation potential . The plants of V . spiralis accumulated significantly high amount of Cr under laboratory conditions in comparison to N . indica and A . sessilis . The maximum accumulation of 1378, 458 and 201 microg (-1) dw Cr was found in the leaves of V . spiralis . N . indica and A . sessilis, respectively at 8 mg (-1) after 9 day of Cr exposure . These plants have shown a decrease in chlorophyll and protein concentrations with increase in Cr concentrations . In view of high accumulation of Cr in V . spiralis, the plants were treated with different concentrations of tannery effluent collected from Common Effluent Treatment Plant, Unnao (UP) . The plants of V . spiralis treated with 100% tannery wastewater showed the maximum accumulation (57.5 microg g(-1) dw) of Cr in the roots after 10 days of exposure . The plants were found effective in removing Cr from solution and tannery effluent. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 2003 Jan, 44(1), 77 - 82 Nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates in fish, sediment, and water from the Kalamazoo River, Michigan; Kannan K et al.; A survey measuring concentrations of nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPEs) in fish was performed in the Kalamazoo River, Michigan, USA, in 1999 . Of 183 fish analyzed, 59% had no detectable NP or NPE . Detected concentrations were reported to range from 3.3 (limit of detection) to 29.1 ng NP/g wet weight . To further explore the means of exposure of NP and NPE in the fish, concentrations of NP and its mono-through tri-ethoxylates (NPE(1-3)) were measured in fish, sediment, and water collected near two wastewater treatment plants on the Kalamazoo River in 2000 . Samples were analyzed using exhaustive steam distillation with concurrent liquid extraction . Nonylphenol ethoxycarboxylates (NPE(1-3)C) were also analyzed in water . Concentrations of NP and NPEs in fish were less than the method detection limits (MDLs) in all the samples except one fish, which contained 3.4 ng NP/g wet weight, just above the detection limit of 3.3 ng/g . Three of 36 sediments and 1 of 24 water samples contained detectable concentrations of NP or NPE(1) . NPE(2), NPE(3), and NPEC were not detected in water samples. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Nov 1, 36(21), 4533 - 9 Estrogen receptor agonist fate during wastewater and biosolids treatment processes: a mass balance analysis; Holbrook RD et al.; The estrogen receptor agonist fate of hexane extracts from various locations and phases (liquid and solid) within one pilot-scale and two full-scale wastewater treatment facilities were examined by use of the receptor-binding yeast estrogen screen (YES assay) . Estrogenic activity was found in samples that contained a high concentration of biological solids and was particularly high in the suspended solid fraction from biosolids treatment facilities . Mass balances revealed that the estrogenic activity associated with the processed biosolids constituted between 5 and 10% of the influent estrogenic activity, while the treated liquid effluent prior to disinfection contained between 26 and 43% . Overall, this suggests that between 51 and 67% of the estrogenic activity contained in the influent wastewater was either biodegraded during the wastewater or biosolids treatment processes or was unavailable to the extraction/detection procedure . In both aerobic and anaerobic digestion, mass balances revealed an increase in estrogenic activity as treatment progressed and biosolids destruction occurred . The estrogenic activity associated with the solid phase decreased during mesophilic aerobic digestion . A correlation was observed between the estrogenicity of mixed liquor suspended solids and aerobic sludge age and suggests that wastewater treatment facilities can be designed and operated to enhance the sorption and removal of estrogenic compounds from the liquid phase. Chemosphere, 2002 Nov, 49(7), 749 - 54 Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in River Po sediments; Fattore E et al.; The River Po is the main Italian river draining one of the most populated and industrialised regions in Italy . As part of a monitoring project to assess environmental quality in the River Po, we measured the concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in bottom sediments collected along the whole course of the river, from the spring to the delta, downstream from the confluence of its main tributaries . The aim was to investigate the level of contamination in the main Italian river and the contribution of contaminant loads from the subbasins . Composite sediment samples were collected in summer and winter surveys in low-flow water conditions and analysed by HRGC-HRMS for PCDD and PCDF homologue groups and for the 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners . The spatial trend observed in the Po River for PCDD and PCDF concentrations varied depending on the load of contaminants received from the tributaries and the processes of sedimentation . The sum of PCDD and PCDF concentrations, and the toxic equivalent content, ranged from 121 to 814 and from 1.3 to 13 ng/kg dry weight sediment, respectively . These levels of contamination seem lower than in the sediments of rivers draining highly industrialised areas . The PCDD and PCDF homologue profiles in all the samples were very similar, suggesting a common source of this contamination in the River Po . Principal component analysis suggested that widespread sources, such as urban runoff and domestic wastewaters, are probably the main cause of these levels of PCDDs and PCDFs. Microbiology, 2002 Nov, 148(Pt 11), 3353 - 64 Glycogen-accumulating organisms in laboratory-scale and full-scale wastewater treatment processes; Crocetti GR et al.; Laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) as models for wastewater treatment processes were used to identify glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs), which are thought to be responsible for the deterioration of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) . The SBRs (called Q and T), operated under alternating anaerobic-aerobic conditions typical for EBPR, generated mixed microbial communities (sludges) demonstrating the GAO phenotype . Intracellular glycogen and poly-beta-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) transformations typical of efficient EBPR occurred but polyphosphate was not bioaccumulated and the sludges contained 1.8% P (sludge Q) and 1.5% P (sludge T) . 16S rDNA clone libraries were prepared from DNA extracted from the Q and T sludges . Clone inserts were grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) by restriction fragment length polymorphism banding profiles . OTU representatives were sequenced and phylogenetically analysed . The Q sludge library comprised four OTUs and all six determined sequences were 99.7% identical, forming a cluster in the gamma-Proteobacteria radiation . The T sludge library comprised eight OTUs and the majority of clones were Acidobacteria subphylum 4 (49% of the library) and candidate phylum OP10 (39% of the library) . One OTU (two clones, of which one was sequenced) was in the gamma-Proteobacteria radiation with 95% sequence identity to the Q sludge clones . Oligonucleotide probes (called GAOQ431 and GAOQ989) were designed from the gamma-Proteobacteria clone sequences for use in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); 92% of the Q sludge bacteria and 28% of the T sludge bacteria bound these probes in FISH . FISH and post-FISH chemical staining for PHA were used to determine that bacteria from a novel gamma-Proteobacteria cluster were phenotypically GAOs in one laboratory-scale SBR and two full-scale wastewater treatment plants . It is suggested that the GAOs from the novel cluster in the gamma-Proteobacteria radiation be named 'Candidatus Competibacter phosphatis'. Bioresour Technol, 2003 Jan, 86(1), 59 - 64 Composting of the solid fraction of olive mill wastewater with olive leaves: organic matter degradation and biological activity; Garcia-Gomez A et al.; The flocculated solid fraction of olive mill wastewaters, obtained from two different olive oil extraction systems (FOMW1 and FOMW2) was composted, with olive leaves (OL) as bulking agent, by the static pile system (Rutgers) . The dynamic of organic matter (OM) degradation during composting and its relationship with the basal respiration and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolytic activity, as indicators of biological activity, were studied . Two mixtures were prepared: C1, from 65% FOMW1 plus 35% OL; and C2, from 74% FOMW2 plus 25% OL and 1% urea . The biooxidative phase of composting in C1, which had a high initial C/N ratio, was long, leading to a high OM degradation, mainly of the lignocellulosic compounds . The water-soluble organic carbon content, C/N ratio and the urea supplied as a N source for the C2 compost make this mixture more adequate for composting, as it had a shorter composting time than C1, and developed a microbial population with a high metabolic activity . The results for basal respiration in C1 and C2 were correlated at a high probability level with those of FDA hydrolysis, and both parameters can be used for establishing the degree of biological stability of the composting material. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(8), 177 - 86 Wastewater management in coastal urban areas: the case of Greece; Paraskevas PA et al.; The continuously increasing quantities of municipal and industrial wastewater discharged into the sea environment degrade the quality of the water . In this paper, the recent technologies are evaluated, and the practices recommended for the wastewater treatment in coastal urban areas are analyzed, with respect to the requirements of the EU legislation . Also the principles for the disposal of the treated wastewater are discussed . Finally, a brief review of the current situation of wastewater management in Greece is given, regarding the treatment strategies previously presented Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(8), 67 - 74 Innovative technologies for wastewater treatment in coastal tourist areas; Orhon D et al.; The selection of appropriate wastewater treatment technologies for coastal tourist areas is important in the sense that they have to meet stringent effluent limits in a simple and easy to operate flow scheme . This paper outlines different effluent standards implemented in sensitive coastal areas and briefly discusses the merit of a number of innovative technologies, namely the sequencing batch reactor, the intermittent aeration process, the moving bed reactor and the biofim-filter-sequencing batch reactor system, either as a batch or continuous flow process applicable in these areas. Water Res, 2002 Oct, 36(17), 4386 - 90 Electrochemical treatment of cigarette industry wastewater: feasibility study; Bejankiwar RS; The electrochemical treatability of wastewater from the cigarette industry has been investigated in this paper using cast iron electrode . The treatment efficiency was monitored in terms of COD, BOD and suspended solids concentration . The cast iron anode was found effective in treatment of the above-mentioned wastewater . About 56% of COD and 84% of BOD removal was observed at 3.5 A current for 5 h of electrolysis . The effect of increase in surface area of anode reduces electrolysis time and also energy consumption per kg of COD removal . The treated effluent was subjected to chemical coagulation studies using Ca(OH)2 as coagulant . The final treated effluent was found to confirm the stipulated standards for safe disposal into surface water bodies (Indian Standards) . It was concluded that the electrochemical treatment followed by chemical coagulation could be opted as an alternate treatment scheme for the present industry. Water Res, 2002 Oct, 36(17), 4177 - 84 Engineering properties of water/wastewater-treatment sludge modified by hydrated lime, fly ash and loess; Lim S et al.; The purpose of this research was to present engineering properties of modified sludge from water/wastewater treatment by modifiers such as hydrated lime, loess, and fly ash . The proper mixing ratio was determined to hold the pH of the modified sludge above 12.0 for 2 h . Laboratory tests carried out in this research included particle analysis, compaction and CBR, SEM and X-ray diffraction, unconfined compression test, permeability test, and TCLP test . The main role of lime was to sterilize microorganisms in the sludge . The unconfined strength of the modified sludge by fly ash and loess satisfied the criteria for construction materials, which was above 100 kPa . The permeability of all the mixtures was around 1.0 x 10(-7) cm/s . Extraction tests for hazardous components in modified sludge revealed below the regulated criteria, especially for cadmium, copper, and lead . The present study suggested that the use of lime, fly ash, and loess be an another alternative to modify or stabilize water/wastewater treatment sludge as construction materials in civil engineering. Water Res, 2002 Nov, 36(18), 4648 - 54 Methanogenic population dynamics during startup of a full-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor treating swine waste; Angenent LT et al.; Changes in methanogenic population levels were followed during startup of a full-scale, farm-based anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and these changes were linked to operational and performance data . The ASBR was inoculated with anaerobic digester sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment facility . During an acclimation period of approximately 3 months, the ASBR content was diluted to maintain a total ammonia-N level of approximately 2000mg l(-1) . After this acclimation period, the volatile solids loading rate was increased to its design value of 1.7g l(-1) day(-1) with a 15-day hydraulic retention time, which increased the total ammonia-N level in the ASBR to approximately 3,600 mg l(-1) . The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) levels of the acetate-utilizing methanogens of the genus Methanosarcina decreased from 3.8% to 1.2% (expressed as a percentage of the total 16S rRNA levels) during this period, while the 16S rRNA levels of Methanosaeta concilii remained low (below 2.2%) . Methane production and reactor performance were not affected as the 16S rRNA levels of the hydrogen-utilizing methanogens of the order Methanomicrobiales increased from 2.3% to 7.0% . Hence, it is likely that during operation with high ammonia levels, the major route of methane production is through a syntrophic relationship between acetate-oxidizing bacteria and hydrogen-utilizing methanogens . Anaerobic digestion at total ammonia-N levels exceeding 3500mg l(-1) was sustainable apparently due to the acclimation of hydrogen-utilizing methanogens to high ammonia levels. J Environ Manage, 2002 Oct, 66(2), 185 - 99 Heavy equipment maintenance wastes and environmental management in the mining industry; Guerin TF; Maintenance wastes, if not managed properly, represent significant environmental issues for mining operations . Petroleum hydrocarbon liquid wastes were studied at an Australian site and a review of the literature and technology vendors was carried out to identify oil/water separation technologies . Treatment technologies and practices for managing oily wastewater, used across the broader mining industry in the Asia-Pacific region, were also identified . Key findings from the study were: (1) primary treatment is required to remove grease oil contamination and to protect secondary oily wastewater treatment systems from being overloaded; (2) selection of an effective secondary treatment system is dependent on influent oil droplet size and concentration, suspended solids concentration, flow rates (and their variability), environmental conditions, maintenance schedules and effectiveness, treatment targets and costs; and (3) oily wastewater treatment systems, based on mechanical separation, are favoured over those that are chemically based, as they simplify operational requirements . Source reduction, through housekeeping, equipment and reagent modifications, and segregation and/or consolidation of hydrocarbon waste streams, minimizes treatment costs, safety and environmental impact. Water Environ Res, 2002 Jul-Aug, 74(4), 362 - 9 Determination of the inactivation rate of Ascaris eggs in wastewater stabilization pond sludge using dialysis chambers and sludge cores; Nelson KL et al.; The inactivation rate of Ascaris eggs was studied in the sludge layer of a primary, facultative wastewater stabilization pond located in Mexico City . Two independent methods, sludge cores and dialysis chambers, were used, to determine the inactivation rates through which a comprehensive picture of the inactivation was gained . The dialysis chambers provided a detailed picture of the initial inactivation (14 months) at one location in the pond, whereas the sludge cores provided less precise information about the inactivation rate at several locations and over the entire lifetime of the pond (10 years) . The inactivation curve was characterized by an initial lag phase, a period of roughly first-order inactivation, and a tailing region . During the first year, 50 to 60% of the eggs were inactivated, after which the rate decreased . Although the observed, initial first-order rate constant was greater than 0.002 d(-1), the average, long-term rate constant was closer to 0.001 d(-1). Water Res, 2002 Sep, 36(16), 3925 - 40 Struvite formation, control and recovery; Doyle JD et al.; Recent legislation on the removal of nutrients from wastewater has led to a number of operation problems with struvite scaling . Struvite is MgNH4PO4 x 6H2O and this paper reviews the formation, control and recovery of struvite from primarily municipal wastewater and other waste streams . Treatment options for control and technologies for recovery are discussed. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Oct, 37(9), 1757 - 64 Feasibility study on the operation of UASB reactor treating acidified food waste . Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket; Xu HL et al.; A mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor seeded with granules adapted to VFA wastewater was operated as the methanogenic phase of a two-phase anaerobic batch process for food waste digestion . A semi-liquid recycle reactor filled with food waste was used as the acidification reactor and first recirculated for 8 days in the pre-acidification stage, resulting in 14,500 mg/L of total VFA and 15,800 mg/L of COD in the leachate . During the subsequent 8 days of two-phase operation, the leachate was circulated to the UASB reactor . In methanogenic phase, biogas with methane content of 68% on average was generated, and COD and total VFA removals were 74-93% and 77-99%, respectively . At the end of two-phase process, 65% of volatile solids removal and 0.30 L/gVS of methane yield were obtained . The results of this laboratory-scale study show that an UASB system can be used as the methanogenic phase in a two-phase anaerobic batch process, and is effective for conversion of the acidified food waste. Bioelectrochemistry, 2002 Nov, 58(1), 113 - 8 Electrochemical DNA biosensor for analysis of wastewater samples; Lucarelli F et al.; The application of a disposable electrochemical DNA biosensor to wastewater samples is reported . The DNA biosensor is assembled by immobilising double-stranded calf thymus DNA on the surface of a disposable, carbon screen-printed electrode (SPE) . The oxidation signal of the guanine base, obtained by a square wave voltammetric scan, is used as analytical signal . The presence of compounds with affinity for DNA is measured by their effect on the guanine oxidation . The comparison of the results with a toxicity test based on bioluminescent bacteria has confirmed the applicability of the method to real samples. J Environ Monit, 2002 Oct, 4(5), 754 - 60 Chemical oxidation of C . I . Reactive Red 2 using Fenton-like reactions; Dutta K et al.; A detailed investigation on the kinetics of the oxidative degradation of a reactive dye, C . I . Reactive Red 2 by hydroxyl radicals generated by H202 and Fe2+ has been carried out in aqueous acidic media . Effects of different parameters like initial concentration of dye, H2O2, Fe2+, pH of the solution, reaction temperature and added electrolytes on the oxidation process have been studied . The results indicate that 1.63 x 10(-4) mol dm(-3) dye can be most effectively degraded at a dye: Fe2+: H2O2 molar ratio of 1:0.22: 8.13 at pH approximately 2.7 and at 299 K . The addition of excess 2-propanol or t-butyl alcohol, well known scavengers of hydroxyl radicals, almost stopped the degradation of the dye indicating the absence of any possible reductive pathways in the degradation . The results may be useful for designing the treatment systems of wastewater containing various reactive dyes. Mar Pollut Bull, 2002, 45(1-12), 362 - 71 Removal of tributyltin (TBT) by live and dead microalgal cells; Tam NF et al.; The removal of tributyltin (TBT) from artificial wastewater by dead and live cells of four microalgal species, Chlorella miniata, C . sorokiniana, Scenedesmus dimorphus and S . platydiscus was investigated . Dead cells were generally more efficient in removing TBT during three days exposure . More than 90% and 85% TBT were removed by dead cells of Scenedesmus and Chlorella, respectively . Although the removal percentages of live microalgae were smaller, TBT was continuously absorbed and degraded, and TBT removal percentages similar to respective dead cells were achieved at the end of 14 days treatment . Degradation products, DBT and MBT, were recorded mainly inside the cells, and intracellular MBT concentrations were significantly higher than DBT . In terms of TBT removal, Scenedesmus cells were more effective than Chlorella, probably due to larger cell sizes and biomass . However, TBT specific uptake and degradation by Chlorella was higher than in Scenedesmus . The highest specific TBT uptake values, as well as the highest degradation, were recorded in C . miniata, a Hong Kong isolate. Mar Pollut Bull, 2002, 45(1-12), 295 - 9 Spatial and temporal trend of sewage pollution indicated by coprostanol in Macao Estuary, southern China; Peng X et al.; Bottom sediments and a 210Pb dated sedimentary core in Macao Estuary were quantitatively analyzed with GC-MS for coprostanol and other sterols . Higher coprostanol concentrations were detected at Port Interior and Lower Qianshan River, indicative of serious sewage pollution from densely populated Macao Island and Zhuhai City . However, very low concentrations of coprostanol were detected around Coloane Island as well as Port Exterior and Maliuzhou River except sites adjacent sewage outlets . Coprostanol pollution in Macao Estuary originates mainly from locally direct discharge of untreated wastewater . The concentrations of coprostanol in ZJ-9 were mainly in range of 150-280 ng/g with an average of 210 ng/g for more than 20 years from early 1970s to early 1990s . However, it increased obviously since 1993, and reached the highest in 1995-1996 . However, a sharp decrease of coprostanol concentration from 470 to 31 ng/g after 1996 was observed corresponding to the first wastewater treatment plant in Taipa Island going into action. Mar Pollut Bull, 2002, 45(1-12), 24 - 34 Biosensors for marine pollution research, monitoring and control; Kroger S et al.; Measurement of ecological, climatic and anthropogenic changes underpins the formulation of effective management strategies for sustainable use and protection of the marine environment . Sensors are traditionally used in marine studies to determine physical parameters, but there is increasing demand for real-time information about chemical and biological parameters . These parameters are currently measured in samples collected at sea and subsequently analysed in the laboratory . Biosensors fuse the exquisite sensitivity and specificity of living systems with the processing power of microelectronics to deliver simple, inexpensive measurement systems for use in the field or deployment in situ . While their potential for use in the marine environment is enormous, much published work to date has focussed on applications in freshwater and wastewater . Marine applications pose a substantial challenge in the robustness required for remote application, but recent developments in portable medical devices and receptor design suggest that these demands can now be realistically tackled. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2002 Jul-Dec, 102-103(1-6), 261 - 76 Cloning and sequencing of a phenol hydroxylase gene of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes strain MH1: a bacterium able to mineralize various aromatic compounds; Zouari H et al.; The phenol-degrading strain Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes MH1, identified by the rRNA approach, was isolated from wastewater enrichment culture . It utilized phenol up to 1.5 g/L as the sole source of carbon and energy . In addition, cresols (o-, m-, p-), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid, and vanillic acid were metabolized as sole substrates by phenol-grown cells of strain MH1 . Using primers, designed on the basis of the sequence of the dmp operon of P . putida strain CF600, a gene encoding phenol hydroxylase, which catalyzes the hydroxylation of phenol to catechol, was detected in strain MH1 . The whole phenol hydroxylase operon of strain MH1 was amplified in a polymerase chain reaction fragment of 5.207 kb that was cloned and sequenced . The total sequence revealed a cluster of six ATG starting open reading frames (ORFs) . Analysis of the regulatory signals showed a putative promoter region, 40 bp upstream from the transcriptional start of ORF1, which have a strong homology to a set of positively controlled promoters . Comparison of the MH1 phenol hydroxylase gene sequence with those of other Pseudomonas strains revealed higher homology except in the 5' region . Thus, the deduced amino acid sequence of the first subunit of phenol hydroxylase of P . pseudoalcaligenes strain MH1 exhibited a difference at the N-terminal region (the first 10 amino acids) compared with that of known phenol hydroxylase of Pseudomonas strains. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2002 Jul-Dec, 102-103(1-6), 227 - 37 Heavy metal removal by biosorption using Phanerochaete chrysosporium; Gopal M et al.; Biosorption using microbial cells as adsorbents is being seen as a cost-effective method for the removal of heavy metals from wastewaters . Biosorption studies with Phanerochaete chrysosporium were performed for copper (II), lead (II), and cadmium (II) to evaluate the effectiveness and to optimize the operational parameters using response surface methodology . The operational parameters chosen were initial metal ion concentration, pH, and biosorbent dosage . Using this method, the metal removal could be correlated to the operational parameters, and their values were optimized . The results showed fairly high adsorptive capacities for all the metals within the settings of the operational parameters . The removal efficiencies followed the order Pb > Cu > Cd . As a general trend, metal removal efficiency decreased as the initial metal ion concentration increased, and the results fitted the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms well. Appl Biochem Biotechnol, 2002 Jul-Dec, 102-103(1-6), 5 - 20 Effect of ecological factors on conjugal transfer of chromium-resistant plasmid in Escherichia coli isolated from tannery effluent; Verma T et al.; The influence of total organic carbon (TOC), pH, and mating temperature on transfer of chromium-resistant plasmid between Escherichia coli strains in terms of variation in the number of transconjugants formed and variation in transfer frequency was investigated . In vitro transfer was studied in five chromate-tolerant E . coli strains isolated from tannery effluent using E . coli K12 J62 (Nal(r) Lac-) as a recipient . Conjugal transfer of different selection markers was observed in three strains . The study was carried out in sterile wastewater . A gradual decrease was observed both in the number of transconjugants and in transfer frequencies as the concentration of TOC in the mating medium descended from 10,095 to 1.2 mg of C/L, obtaining the maximum values with a TOC concentration of 10,095 mg of C/L . The number of transconjugants and the transfer frequency were maximum at 30 degrees C . However, neither the transfer frequency nor the transconjugant number varied significantly in the range of pHs assayed . The strains were also found resistant to different heavy metals and antibiotics . Curing of these strains resulted in loss of one or more resistance markers indicating the plasmid-borne resistance . Itis inferred that plasmid transferby conjugation occurs in wastewater bodies within a wide range of conditions. Indian J Environ Health, 2001 Jul, 43(3), 128 - 34 Chemical treatment of textile wastewaters: statistical characterization, colour and sulfide removal; Pala A; One of the major problems encountered in the textile industry is production of highly colored large volumes of wastewater . It is often not possible to predict the characteristics of textile wastewaters by using reported values in the literature because every textile industry is unique with respect to the type of production and the technology and chemicals used in production . Furthermore, the concentrations of pollutants in textile wastewaters vary according to the wastewater management practices and amount of water used in the production . In the first part of this study, wastewater characteristics of a cotton mill textile industry were determined by using the normal and log-normal II distribution functions for flow, COD, TOC, pH and colour . These parameters were measured in the effluent of the equalization tank and the statistical fits were evaluated by using the chi-Square test . It was found that flow and TOC values fitted normal distribution; COD values fitted log-normal II distribution . On the other hand, pH and colour did not fit in to aforementioned distributions . In the second part of this study, the treatment of textile wastewater by coagulation/flocculation/precipitation (CFP) was investigated . Lime, iron and aluminum salts with anionic polielectrolite combination were used as coagulants . Aluminum salts and the combination FeSO4 + lime + polielectrolite were used to remove the colour from mixed textile wastewaters, successfully . On the other hand, FeSO4 + lime + polielectrolite was more effective than aluminum salts to remove the colour from wastewater of indigo dyeing process . In the third part of this work, the removal of sulfide arising from indigo dyeing was investigated . Sulfide removal was accomplished by chemical oxidation and catalyzed air oxidation and removal efficiencies up to ninety percent were found . Chemical oxidation using sodium hypochlorite resulted in color removal too; however, dosages of hypochlorite have to be carefully monitored in order to avoid toxic effects of excess chlorine in water. Indian J Environ Health, 2001 Jan, 43(1), 53 - 5 Viability of water weeds and microalga in pulp and paper mill wastewater; Joseph V et al.; Water weeds Azolla pinnata and Lemna minor and the chlorophycean alga Scendesmus bijugatus were grown in a paper mill wastewater . The objective of the study was to assess the viability of these species upon exposure to such effluents and to assess their potential in the improvement of effluent quality . The wastewater was analysed before and after the treatment with these species . The growth of the alga and the hydrophytes was also measured . The algal assay revealed that the clear effluent will promote algal growth on addition of fertilizer while water weeds did not require fertilizer input . Both the algae and macrophytes could reduce the BOD and COD of the effluent. Sci Total Environ, 2002 Oct 7, 297(1-3), 59 - 65 Long-term changes in sewage sludge stored in a reed bed; Pempkowiak J et al.; The problem of the utilization and management of sewage sludge originating from small wastewater treatment plants is still unsolved . A common approach is to store the sludge in plots which in time turn into grassland . This investigation was aimed at evaluating the influence of the storage time in plots on the chemical properties of sewage sludge deposited there . Tests were carried out on samples obtained from discrete layers of stratified sludge that had lain in a hydrophyte facility disused for 7 years after 23 years of continuous sludge discharge . The age of the sludge was established by the lead-210 method . Moisture, organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus contents were measured in samples of dated sewage sludge . The composition of the stored biosolids stabilized with respect to phosphorus, nitrogen and organic matter within 11, 15 and 17 years, respectively. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Oct 15, 36(20), 4312 - 8 Field evidence for a protistan role in an organically-contaminated aquifer; Kinner NE et al.; The association between protists, bacteria, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in an oxygen-depleted, 6 km-long wastewater contaminant plume within a sandy aquifer (Cape Cod, MA) was investigated by comparing abundance patterns along longitudinal and vertical transects and at a control site . Strong linear correlations were observed between unattached bacterial abundance and DOC for much of the upgradient-half of the plume (0.1-2.5 km downgradient from the source) that is characterized by quasi-steady state chemistry . However, a logarithmic decrease was observed between the number of protists supported per mg of DOC and the estimated age of the DOC within the plume . The relatively labile dissolved organic contaminants that characterize the groundwater sampled from the plume < or = 0.1 km downgradient from the contaminant source appeared to indirectly support 3-4 times as many protists (per mg of DOC) as the older, more recalcitrant DOC in the alkylbenzene sulfonate (ABS)-contaminated zone at 3 km downgradient (approximately 30 years travel time) . Substantive numbers of protists (>10(4)/cm3) were recovered from suboxic zones of the plume . The higher than expected ratios of protists to unattached bacteria (10 to 100:1) observed in much of the plume suggest that protists may be grazing upon both surface-associated and unattached bacterial communities to meet their nutritional requirements . In closed bottle incubation experiments, the presence of protists caused an increase in bacterial growth rate, which became more apparent at higher amendments of labile DOC (3-20 mgC/L) . The presence of protists resulted in an increase in the apparent substrate saturation level for the unattached bacterial community, suggesting an important role for protists in the fate of more-labile aquifer organic contaminants. J Chromatogr Sci, 2002 Sep, 40(8), 447 - 55 Improving the recoveries of unstable N-chloramines determined by liquid chromatography-postcolumn electrochemical detection; Bedner M et al.; Liquid chromatographic (LC) measurement of individual N-chloramines, which are key byproducts of wastewater and drinking water chlorination, could lead to more effective control of water disinfection . Such measurements are challenging because of analyte instability . A detector selective for N-chloramines is constructed based on postcolumn derivatization with iodide followed by reductive detection of the iodine product at a glassy carbon electrode . In flow injection (FIA) mode, the detector gives identical responses for a test set of four chemically diverse N-chloramines . In the LC mode, losses of the test compounds are observed when LC and FIA responses are compared and quantitated by introducing a relative response factor (RRF) . Using the RRF, N-chloramine recoveries are evaluated as a function of multiple LC separation parameters . The highest recoveries are obtained using a reversed-phase (C18) column with an acetonitrile mobile phase and a pH 7.02 aqueous phosphate buffer . With these conditions, linear calibration curves are obtained for all test N-chloramines . The detection limits obtained are in the low 10(-7)-mol/L range, which is nearly tenfold better than previously reported and 10-1000-fold lower than total residual chlorine concentrations typically found in disinfected water and wastewater. Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao, 2002 Jul, 18(4), 486 - 91 {Hydrogen photoproduction from acetate by Rhodopseudomonas palustris}; Yang SP et al.; Based on the characteristics of metabolism of photosynthetic bacteria and the major kinds of organic compounds produced in wastewater degradation, eleven kinds of organic compounds were chosen for hydrogen photoproduction using Rhodopseudomonas palustris Z strain . The maximal volumetric H2 productivity was obtained using acetate as the sole carbon source and electron donor . The kinetics of cell growth and H2 liberation, and the influences of several major limiting factors on photoevolution of H2 were examined using acetate as carbon source . It was shown that hydrogen production was partially correlated with cell growth . The medium composition of the preculture, the preculture time, and inoculation volume were confirmed to have big effects on hydrogen photoevolution . The time delay of H2 production was evidently shortened using the inoculum of late exponential growth phase or stationary phase using ammonium sulfate as nitrogen source or with the inoculum of middle exponential growth phase using glutamate as the nitrogen source . The identity of temperature and light intensity for H2 evolution and cell growth has significant potential application in the technology of splitting organic acid into H2 by photosynthetic bacteria . The concentrations of acetate and glutamate in the medium affected hydrogen photoevolution and cell growth significantly . The productivity of H2 increased with substrate concentrations when substrate concentrations of sodium acetate and sodium glutamate were lower than 70 mmol/L and 15 mmol/L, respectively . Hydrogen production was inhibited but the cell growth was faster when the concentration of sodium glutamate over 15 mmol/L due to forming free NH4+ . The highest rate of hydrogen production was 19.4 mL.L-1.h-1 using 30 mmol/L of sodium acetate as hydrogen donor under the standard conditions, respectively . The optimal conditions for hydrogen production were 35-37 degrees C, 6000-8000 lx and pH 7.3-8.3 . The effects of oxygen and inoculation volume on photoproduction of hydrogen were also discussed. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 397 - 402 Time of flight flow meters as a reliable and cost effective monitoring alternative in sewer systems; Harmuth B et al.; The replacement and operation of sewage systems are now among the most cost intensive areas of local authority wastewater disposal activities . Measurements are especially important for a precise analysis of the condition of a system . This paper reports on experience with the operation of transit-time ultrasonic flow meters . Ultrasonic flow metering has proved to be a precise, cost-effective method of carrying out measurements in large-diameter sewers. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 371 - 8 Centralised versus decentralised treatment and disposal options for Küçükçekmece Basin of Istanbul city; Eroglu V et al.; Kucukcekmece Lake is a sea lagoon located on the European side of Istanbul city with a drainage area of 4 million inhabitants (year 2040) . The original plan to treat all of the wastewater collected from the drainage basin in a single plant located at the Northern end of the lake is compared with the decentralised option involving 4 treatment plants . The initial investment cost of the decentralised option is estimated to be higher than the original plan by an amount of 43 million US $ . However, the decentralised option has been chosen finally, considering the low cost and risk of wastewater collection, the possibility of the staging of the services, and the reduced environmental impacts. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 325 - 32 Wastewater recycling concept for an urban multi-storey building; Herrmann T et al.; An innovative system for blackwater recycling is described . An existing building comprising of 32 flats built in 1962 was renovated and equipped with vacuum toilets to collect blackwater separately . The energy and water consumption was determined . The flushing water consumption decreased from 40 l/p/d to 9 l/p/d. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 297 - 302 Wastewater reclamation for use in snow-making within an alpine resort in Australia--resource rather than waste; Tonkovic Z et al.; The Mt Buller Alpine Resort is located approximately 200 km north of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia . A wastewater treatment plant services the resort and currently treats to advanced nutrient removal standards . The treated effluent is presently discharged into the Howqua River . Most Australian ski resorts are not blessed with abundant snow cover on a regular basis . Artificial snow allows most of the popular ski runs to operate for the whole of the season . At the Mt Buller resort, snow-making is presently limited by lack of water supply in the catchment . The conditions at Mt Buller resort present a unique opportunity to utilise reclaimed wastewater to allow increased snow-making capacity . It is one of the unique opportunities where the wastewater is valued as a resource rather than merely viewed as a waste problem . Wastewater reclamation for snow-making will require additional treatment for pathogen removal . It is proposed that following advanced nutrient removal, the effluent will require further treatment, including membrane ultrafiltration, so as to ensure a minimum of four barriers for pathogen removal . Pilot plant operation of a membrane ultrafiltration system commenced in June 2000 and will continue until the end of 2001, to primarily demonstrate the extent of pathogen removal. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 273 - 80 Water reuse introduces the need to integrate both water supply and wastewater management at local and regulatory levels; Okun DA; Growing population and increasing urbanization is resulting in shortages of water supply for communities even in water-rich areas of the world . An approach to addressing this problem has been the introduction of wastewater reclamation and reuse for nonpotable purposes through dual distribution systems in municipalities in the United States on a significant scale in the 1970s and more recently in Japan and Australia . Many hundreds of communities, some very small and others very large, have adopted dual systems to add to their water resources and to reduce the burden of water pollution . Two issues deserve attention . The first is that the provision of water supply and its regulation by government is generally entirely separated from the provision of sewerage and wastewater treatment, so that the management of a reclaimed water service requires new arrangements both on the part of communities and of the government agencies that are concerned with the oversight of water supply and pollution control . The second issue is that the availability of new technology for treating waters drawn from polluted sources has led to proposals for purposefully using reclaimed water for potable purposes . The integration of water supply and wastewater disposal functions in professional organizations, such as IWA, is a useful step towards integrating water management in practice. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 225 - 32 Designing cost effective water demand management programs in Australia; White SB et al.; This paper describes recent experience with integrated resource planning (IRP) and the application of least cost planning (LCP) for the evaluation of demand management strategies in urban water . Two Australian case studies, Sydney and Northern New South Wales (NSW) are used in illustration . LCP can determine the most cost effective means of providing water services or alternatively the cheapest forms of water conservation . LCP contrasts to a traditional approach of evaluation which looks only at means of increasing supply . Detailed investigation of water usage, known as end-use analysis, is required for LCP . End-use analysis allows both rigorous demand forecasting, and the development and evaluation of conservation strategies . Strategies include education campaigns, increasing water use efficiency and promoting wastewater reuse or rainwater tanks . The optimal mix of conservation strategies and conventional capacity expansion is identified based on levelised unit cost . IRP uses LCP in the iterative process, evaluating and assessing options, investing in selected options, measuring the results, and then re-evaluating options . Key to this process is the design of cost effective demand management programs . IRP however includes a range of parameters beyond least economic cost in the planning process and program designs, including uncertainty, benefit partitioning and implementation considerations. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 141 - 50 Integrated modelling as an analytical and optimisation tool for urban watershed management; Erbe V et al.; In recent years numerical modelling has become a standard procedure to optimise urban wastewater systems design and operation . Since the models were developed for the subsystems independently, they did not support an integrated view to the operation of the sewer system, the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the receiving water . After pointing out the benefits of an integrated approach and the possible synergy effects that may arise from analysing the interactions across the interfaces, three examples of modelling case studies carried out in Germany are introduced . With these examples we intend to demonstrate the potential of integrated models, though their development cannot be considered completed . They are set up with different combinations of self-developed and commercially available software . The aim is to analyse fluxes through the total wastewater system or to integrate pollution-based control in the upstream direction, that is e.g . managing the combined water retention tanks as a function of state variables in the WWTP or the receiving water . Furthermore the interface between the sewer and the WWTP can be optimised by predictive simulations such that the combined water flow can be maximised according to the time- and dynamics-dependent state of the treatment processes. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 131 - 9 The design of a web-based decision support system for the sustainable management of an urban river system; Chang YC et al.; The effects of urbanization on the aquatic environment, and solutions to the deterioration of water quality and stream ecology in the Love River have long been the main focus of environmental management in southern Taiwan . Apart from choosing the regular strategies of installing an intercept and sewer system, coastal wastewater treatment plant, and ocean outfall pipe, a new opportunity for improving the overall managerial efficiency is to design and implement a web-based Decision Support System (DSS) . This DSS must be capable of managing storm water impacts when overflow is inevitable, river water quality variations loading to influences on the ecosystem, and changing land use programs along river corridors and adjacent urban areas simultaneously . This paper presents a new design framework for building such a DSS . By using the advanced information technology in the "Internet" environment, the proposed DSS may perform normal queries and statistical analyses in a web-enabled database, spatial analysis via the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Internet environment, and essential data warehousing/data mining . Possible linkage with various analytical models is anticipated . Such a DSS must be helpful for achieving the rehabilitation of the estuarine ecosystem and satisfying the goals for sustainable management in a regional sense. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 121 - 9 Systems analysis for environmental assessment of urban water and wastewater systems; Jeppsson U et al.; In this paper, two fundamentally different urban wastewater systems are assessed from an environmental impact perspective . One system represents a centralised, high-tech, end-of-pipe structure whereas the second system is primarily based on source-separation strategies . Using material flow analysis in combination with evaluation methods based on life-cycle assessment the systems are evaluated by means of simulation and the results are discussed . A set of priority indicators for environmental assessments of urban water systems is suggested and applied in the analysis . Energy issues are also commented upon . The main intent of the paper is to present the principles of this type of assessment rather than detailed numbers for all possible environmental effects and hazardous substances emitted to air, water and soil . It represents one of several building blocks for a future multi-criteria decision-support system to evaluate urban water management from a sustainability perspective. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 35 - 46 Project CARE: reducing wet weather overflows to improve beach water quality . Council Action in Respect of the Environment; Heijs J et al.; The people who live in North Shore City (New Zealand) consider the beaches as their greatest asset . Following public outcry on frequent beach pollution caused by wet weather sewer overflows, Project CARE commenced in 1998 to plan the improvements to the city's separated wastewater and stormwater systems to protect the streams and beaches, particularly from a public health perspective . The investigation included building hydrological and hydraulic models to represent the wastewater and stormwater systems and a receiving waters model to simulate the impacts on the beaches . These models were later used to explore options for improvement . It was found that North Shore City has a very leaky wastewater system that is under capacity . The resulting wet weather overflows (12 per year on average) are the most important contributor to the problem although stormwater pollution alone is big enough to cause problems (at a smaller magnitude) . A cost optimisation model (iterative process using performance/cost relationships) was then used to assist in identifying the optimal set of improvement works (storage, repair and increased capacity, wastewater treatment plant) to meet different performance targets and to cater for growth up to the year 2050 . Cost Benefit analyses, looking at improvements in system performance and water quality, show diminishing returns for performance levels better than 2 overflows per year . The total costs that meet this target are estimated at almost NZ$300M (US$135M). Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(6-7), 19 - 26 Storm water management in an urban catchment: effects of source control and real-time management of sewer systems on receiving water quality; Frehmann T et al.; For the examination of the effects of different storm water management strategies in an urban catchment area on receiving water quality, an integrated simulation of the sewer system, wastewater treatment plant and receiving water is carried out . In the sewer system real-time control measures are implemented . As examples of source control measures the reduction of wastewater and the reduction of the amount of impervious surfaces producing storm water discharges are examined . The surface runoff calculation and the simulation of the sewer system and the WWTP are based on a MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation environment . The impact of the measures on the receiving water is simulated using AQUASIM . It can be shown that the examined storm water management measures, especially the source control measures, can reduce the combined sewer overflow volume and the pollutant discharge load considerably . All examined measures also have positive effects on the receiving water quality . Moreover, the reduction of impervious surfaces avoids combined sewer overflow activities, and in consequence prevents pollutants from discharging into the receiving water after small rainfall events . However, the receiving water quality improvement may not be seen as important enough to avoid acute receiving water effects in general. Anal Bioanal Chem, 2002 Oct, 374(3), 513 - 9 Epub 2002 Sep 10. Stability study of As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA by anion exchange chromatography and HG-AFS in wastewater samples; Segura M et al.; The stability of arsenic species (arsenate {As(V)}, monomethylarsonate {MMA}, dimethylarsinate {DMA} and arsenite {As(III)}) in two types of urban wastewater samples (raw and treated) was evaluated . Water samples containing a mixture of the different arsenic species were stored in the absence of light at three different temperatures: +4 degrees C, +20 degrees C and +40 degrees C . At regular time intervals, arsenic species were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-hydride generation (HG)-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) . The experimental conditions for the separation of arsenic species by HPLC and their determination by AFS were directly optimised from wastewater samples . As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA were separated on an anion exchange column using phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) as the mobile phase . Under these conditions the four arsenic species were separated in less than 10 min . The detection limits were 0.6, 0.9, 0.9 and 1.8 micro g L(-1) for As(III), DMA, MMA and As(V), respectively . As(V), MMA and DMA were found stable in the two types of urban wastewater samples over the 4-month period at the three different temperatures tested, while the concentration of As(III) in raw wastewater sample decreased after 2 weeks of storage . A greater stability of As(III) was found in the treated urban wastewater sample . As(III) remained unaltered in this matrix at pH 7.27 over the period studied, while at lower pH (1.6) losses of As(III) were detected after 1 month of storage . The results show that the decrease in As(III) concentration with time was accompanied by an increase in As(V) concentration. Anal Bioanal Chem, 2002 Oct, 374(3), 498 - 504 Epub 2002 Sep 07. Determination of total phenols in environmental wastewater by flow-injection analysis with a biamperometric detector; Zhao C et al.; A flow injection (FI) method with a biamperometric detector, based on the biamperometry for an irreversible redox couple, is described for the determination of phenols in environmental wastewater . The method relies on coupling of the oxidation of phenols at one platinum-wire electrode with the reduction of MnO4- at another platinum wire electrode to enable biamperometric detection with an applied potential difference of 0 V . The linear dynamic range for the dependence of current on phenol concentration was from 1.0 x 10(-6) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol L(-1), with a detection limit of 4.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) (signal-to-noise ratio, S/N=3) . In comparison with the 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) standard method and the 3-methyl-2-benzothiazoline hydrazone (MBTH) method the proposed method can be used to detect many para-substituted phenols that do not react with 4-AAP and MBTH, and response factors are higher for most of the phenols tested . The method, which is simple, economic, and rapid (180 samples h(-1)), has been applied to the analysis of four wastewater samples . The results obtained were compared with those from 4-AAP method . The recoveries obtained by adding phenol standards to samples ranged from 94.3 to 105.2% with a standard deviation of 3.6%. Environ Toxicol Chem, 2002 Oct, 21(10), 2059 - 66 Monitoring of aromatic monosulfonic acids in coastal waters by ion-pair liquid chromatography followed by electrospray-mass spectrometric detection; Alonso MC et al.; Spain is one of the European countries that still discharges untreated wastewaters and sewage sludge into the sea . Aromatic monosulfonated compounds were detected in 36 seawater samples collected bimonthly on the Catalonian coast (Spain) over a period of 18 months . These compounds are of environmental concern because of their limited biodegradability and high mobility within the aquatic system . A method based on a sequential solid-phase extraction procedure (SSPE) followed by ion-pair liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (IPC-ESI-MS) in negative ionization mode was used to monitor aromatic monosulfonated compounds in the Catalonian coastal waters . Triethylamine (TEA) and acetic acid (HOAc) were used as volatile mobile-phase additives . A comparison of two polymeric solid-phase extraction (SPE) materials for the extraction of 15 aromatic monosulfonated compounds of environmental concern was performed . The investigated adsorbents were the polystyrene-divinylbenzene materials Lichrolut EN, from Merck, and Isolute ENV+, from International Sorbent Technology (IST) . The influence of the matrix on the analysis of seawater samples was also studied . Applications of the developed analytical procedure to seawater samples gave limits of detection (n = 3) ranging from 0.6 to 45 pg on column for the target analytes . Barcelona and Tarragona locations were chosen along the Catalonian coast as sampling sites because of their large sewage discharges and intensive industrial activities . Samples were acquired from submarine outfalls of two rivers, Besos and Llobregat, located in the north and south of Barcelona city, respectively . Samples from petrochemical industry submarine outfalls located near the commercial port of Tarragona were also studied . Concentrations of benzenesulfonates (BS) and naphthalenesulfonates (NS) were of the order of ng/ml . Most of the collected samples were found to contain both isomers of mononaphthalenesulfonate . The study showed that these compounds can contaminate marine coastal waters. Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2002 Jul, 23(4), 62 - 6 {Laboratory-scale continuous treatment of monosodium glutamate manufacturing wastewater using yeast}; Hei L et al.; Dehydrogenation activity(DHA), test indicated that mixed yeast strains isolated from high strength monosodium glutamate wastewater could endure the high concentrations of COD, SO4(2-), and NH4+ containing in glutamate wastewater . The mixed yeast strains were inoculated to a biological contact oxidation reactor, and the reactor was used to treat the glutamate wastewater . Under a COD load ranging from 2.0 to 14.3 kg/(m3.d), the COD removal rate was over 80% . On the other hand, supplementation of phosphorus was necessary to maintain a stable COD removal performance . Variation of effluent pH seemed to have no apparent influence on COD removal rate . The optimum pH for the growth of yeast, however, was found to be in the range of 3.5-5.0 . The effluent wastewater contained high concentration of yeast bodies, which could be utilized as a forage additive because of its high protein content (57.9%) and well-balanced amino acid distribution. Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2002 Jul, 23(4), 52 - 6 {Effect of COD/SO4(2-) ratio on the ecological characteristic in acidogenic sulfate-reducing reactor}; Ren N et al.; Continuous-flow experiment was conducted in acidogenic sulfate-reducing reactor, which was fed with high strength sulfate wastewater, to study the change law of pH value, ORP (oxidation reduction potential), VFAs (volatile fat acids), ALK (alkalinity) and the distribution of preponderant populations subjected by decreasing COD/SO4(2-) ratio from 4.2 to 2.0 . It was demonstrated that during this course of change, ORP and ALK increased, while pH value and the proportion of acetic acid accounting for VFAs decreased significantly, and the type of climax community was changed from stable-type with high COD/SO4(2-) ratio to sub-stable-type with low COD/SO4(2-) ratio, but it was still belonged to typical acetic-acid type climax community. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1581 - 91 Effect of electron acceptors on photocatalytic decolorization of organic dyes in water; Kuo WS; Color in textile effluents has become a potentially serious environmental problem . Photocatalytic process with TiO2 as photocatalyst has been considered as an effective alternative for removing color from wastewater . In this study, the decoloring efficiency of organic reactive dyes including RB21, RY145, and RR195 with a concentration of 10 mg/L in water was examined . In addition, the effect of the additional use of an electron acceptor such as hydrogen peroxide or peroxodisulfate for promoting decoloring rate and efficiency was investigated . Results showed that the higher the concentration of electron acceptor dosing, the better the decoloring efficiency of dye solutions was . The decoloring efficiency of dye solutions were more than 90% within 1 h of treatment with an addition of 240 mg/L of H2O2 or Na2S2O8, while the decoloring efficiency of RB21, RY145 and RR195 could only reach 52.8%, 26.4%, and 44.7%, respectively for a simply UV/TiO2 film system . This phenomenon could be attributed to the additional use of an electron acceptor for promoting competition for electrons and then avoid recombination of e-/h+ pairs, leading more radicals involved in the decoloring reaction . Moreover, it was found that peroxodisulfate was more effective for promoting decoloring rate than hydrogen peroxide . This was probably due to S2O8(2-) (lambda(max): 230 nm) was also decomposed to *SO4- radicals under UV irradiation in addition to play a role of electron acceptor *SO4- radicals have been shown to be a strong oxidant to oxidize organic pollutants in water . Accordingly, an immobilized TiO2 photocatalytic process along with the aid of an adequate electron acceptor such as peroxodisufate could be a potential alternative for the decolorization of wastewater. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1545 - 62 Strategies for regeneration of copper(0)-deposited TiO2 photocatalytic film; He C et al.; The treatment of the simulated wastewater containing formic acid and Cu(II) ions was investigated using photocatalytic technology of immobilized TiO2 film . The technology could efficiently remove COD and Cu(II) from the solution . In parallel, a rapid deactivation for COD removal was observed in a successive batch experiment . By XRD, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, SEM image and TG analysis, it was inferred that the deactivation was attributed to the shield of the deposited Cu(0) from UV light . The Cu(0)-fouled TiO2 film could be regenerated using three kinds of methods, air oxidation, electrochemical oxidation and air-assisted electrochemical oxidation . The regeneration time was mainly dependent on the used regeneration strategy while the regeneration extent was obviously associated with the tested regeneration medium . For the deactivated film with a relative activity of about 20%, the regeneration time is in order air-assisted electrochemical oxidation < electrochemical oxidation < air oxidation, and HNO3 medium has a regeneration extent of 97.2% for the air-assisted electrochemical oxidation, more desirable than HCl and H2SO4 mediums. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1509 - 22 Removal of pollutants from wastewater by coal bottom ash; Lin CY et al.; Coal bottom ash produced from a thermal power plant was used in a batch experiment to investigate the adsorption characteristic of this bottom ash . The adsorbate solutions were synthetic wastewaters contained copper (Cu2+) or COD and a sanitary landfill leachate . The influences of various factors, such as contact time, pH, initial adsorbate concentration and temperature on the sorption have been studied . Experimental results show that coal bottom ash had a good adsorption capacity for copper and COD and could reduce the concentrations of various pollutants in the leachate . The adsorption capacities of each gram of coal bottom ash were 0.48 mg Cu (at pH 4 and temperature 25 degrees C) and 7.5 mg COD (at pH 5 and temperature 25 degrees C); their adsorption behaviors conformed to Freundlich's adsorption model . In treating leachate, the removal efficiencies of COD, NH3--N, total Kjeldah nitrogen, phosphorus, Fe3+, Mn2+ and Zn2+ were 47, 39.4, 31.1, 92.9, 96.5, 94.3 and 82.2%, respectively . Based on these results we can conclude that it is possible to use coal bottom ash for removing pollutants from wastewaters . The adsorption capacities of coal bottom ash for pollutants were also determined. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1495 - 507 Potential non-phytopathogenic filamentous fungi for bioconversion of domestic wastewater sludge; Molla AH et al.; Ten filamentous fungi adapted to domestic wastewater sludge (DWS) were further studied to evaluate their potential in terms of adaptation to higher sludge supplemented growing media and phytopathogenicity (induction of diseases to plants) to three germinating crop (Corn: Zea mays, Mung bean: Phaseolus aureus and Mustard: Brassica napus) seeds . The performances of the fungi in seed germination were evaluated based on percent germination index (GI) and infected/spotted seeds on direct fungal biomass (FBM) and fungal metabolite (FM) . Significantly the highest biomass production was achieved with RW-P1 512 and Penicillium corylophilum (WW-P1003) at the highest (25%) sludge supplemented growing media that implied its excellent potentiality of adaptation and multiplication to domestic wastewater sludge . Significantly encouraging results of percent GI and spotted/infected seedlings were observed in FM than FBM by all fungi except the strain Aspergillus niger . A . niger gave the poorest percent of GI (24.30, 26.98 and 00.00%) and the highest percent of infected/spotted seeds (70, 100, and 100%) using FBM for corn, mung bean and mustard, respectively . On the other hand, comparatively the highest percent of GI (107.99, 106.25 and 117.67%) and the lowest percent of spotted/infected seedlings (3.3, 3.3 and 3.3%) were achieved with the isolate RW-P1 512 using FM . In FBM, the superior results of percent GI (86.61, 95.92 and 83.87%) and spotted/infected seedlings (3.3, 63.3 and 43.3%) were obtained by A . versicolor . Several crop seeds were responded differently for different fungal treatments . Hundred percent infected/spotted seeds in FM were recorded only for mustard with Trichoderma family that implied its strong sensitiveness to its metabolites. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1483 - 94 Microbial and cod removal in a municipal wastewater treatment plant using coagulation flocculation process; Meric S et al.; This study was designed to improve the removal efficiency of COD, SS, and microorganism at the S . Giovanni a Teduccio municipal wastewater treatment plant, Naples, Italy . The plant consists of screen, sand grinder, oil removal, coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation units, hypochlorite disinfection, mechanical dewatering, and thermal sludge conditioning . A series of Jar-test was conducted on twelve samples taken after screen using FeSO4 alone or together with Ca(OH)2 at 100 rpm rapid mixing for 1 min, 30 rpm for slow mixing for 20 min and 30 min for settling . 150 mg L(-1) and 450 mg/L doses of FeSO4 were used at a pH interval in between 6 and 9 . The removals of COD, TSS, Escherichia coli and total coliforms were measured ranging from 40 to 70%, 70 to 90%, 96 to 99% and 97 to 99%, respectively when FeSO4 was used alone at 150 mg L(-1) and 450 mg L(-1) doses and at pH 6, 7 and 8 . Wastewater discharge standards could be safely obtained at 150 mg L(-1) dose of FeSO4 with the use of 220 mg L(-1) Ca(OH)2 at pH 8 in terms of COD and E . coli removals resulted in 65% and 98%, respectively, with less sludge production to be disposed . Additionally, none of influent and supernatant samples tested in this study was found to be acute toxic on 24h-born Daphnia magna at 50% dilution. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng, 2002 Sep, 37(8), 1441 - 51 The effect of heavy metals on the total protein concentration of Typha latifolia plants, growing in a substrate containing sewage sludge compost and watered with metaliferus wastewater; Manios T et al.; Typha latifolia plants, commonly known as cattails, were grown in a mixture of sewage sludge compost, commercial compost and perlite . Large 6.5 L pots were used with one well developed plant in each pot, divided in five groups . Four groups were irrigated with a solution containing different concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn for a period of 10 weeks, where the fifth was used as a blank . Changes in the concentration of total protein in the leaves/stems were monitored aiming to study the effect of heavy metals from both the substrate and the wastewater on the plants' development and health . At the end of the experiment in the leaves/stems of Typha latifolia the mean concentration of Ni and Zn reached values of 27.50 and 60.83 mg/kg of d.w . respectively . Similar high concentrations were recorded for all five metals . This, however, did not resulted in an inhibition of the plants development and health in three of the four groups as evidenced by the increasing concentrations of the total protein in the leaves' tissue . Only in the fourth group, where the stronger solution was used, some evidence of inhibition occurred after the 8th week . The presence of NO- as part of the metals' salts (growth factor), the short period of the experiment and the natural tolerance of Typha latifolia in heavy metals toxicity could explain such phenomenon. Water Res, 2002 Sep, 36(15), 3867 - 73 Removal of selenocyanate from water using elemental iron; Meng X et al.; Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the removal of selenocyanate (SeCN-) from oil refinery wastewater and artificial wastewater with elemental iron {Fe(0)} . The chemical forms of selenium in the reacted solids were determined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and a sulfite extraction procedure . SeCN- was effectively removed from the wastewater with Fe(0) filings when the water pH was controlled at approximately 6 . SeCN- was removed by Fe(0) through the formation of elemental selenium {Se(0)} and ferrous selenide . The possible chemical reactions between SeCN- and Fe(0) included deselenation of SeCN- and electrochemical reduction of Se(0) to selenide . A cost-effective process may be developed for the treatment of SeCN- in wastewater using Fe(0). J Environ Manage, 2002 Aug, 65(4), 383 - 409 A comparative analysis of methods to represent uncertainty in estimating the cost of constructing wastewater treatment plants; Chen HW et al.; Prediction of construction cost of wastewater treatment facilities could be influential for the economic feasibility of various levels of water pollution control programs . However, construction cost estimation is difficult to precisely evaluate in an uncertain environment and measured quantities are always burdened with different types of cost structures . Therefore, an understanding of the previous development of wastewater treatment plants and of the related construction cost structures of those facilities becomes essential for dealing with an effective regional water pollution control program . But deviations between the observed values and the estimated values are supposed to be due to measurement errors only in the conventional regression models . The inherent uncertainties of the underlying cost structure, where the human estimation is influential, are rarely explored . This paper is designed to recast a well-known problem of construction cost estimation for both domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants via a comparative framework . Comparisons were made for three technologies of regression analyses, including the conventional least squares regression method, the fuzzy linear regression method, and the newly derived fuzzy goal regression method . The case study, incorporating a complete database with 48 domestic wastewater treatment plants and 29 industrial wastewater treatment plants being collected in Taiwan, implements such a cost estimation procedure in an uncertain environment . Given that the fuzzy structure in regression estimation may account for the inherent human complexity in cost estimation, the fuzzy goal regression method does exhibit more robust results in terms of some criteria . Moderate economy of scale exists in constructing both the domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants . Findings indicate that the optimal size of a domestic wastewater treatment plant is approximately equivalent to 15,000 m3/day (CMD) and higher in Taiwan . Yet the optimal size of an industrial wastewater treatment plant could fall in between 6000 CMD and 20,000 CMD. J Can Dent Assoc, 2002 Oct, 68(9), 553 - 8 The weight of wastes generated by removal of dental amalgam restorations and the concentration of mercury in dental wastewater; Adegbembo AO et al.; OBJECTIVE: To determine the amount of amalgam entering the waste stream during removal of dental amalgam restorations . METHODS: Dental amalgam restorations were removed from anatomic replica teeth and natural teeth by means of a tungsten carbide bur, a high-speed handpiece and a conventional suction system . The weight of amalgam particles trapped in the primary and secondary solids separators was determined . Amalgam particles were filtered from wastewater with 15-microm filter paper and weighed . The concentration of total mercury in the effluent collected (by instantaneous flow-through) during the removal of amalgams, with and without an ISO-certified separator, was measured by means of cold-vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry . RESULTS: About 60% by weight of the amalgam removed was found in the effluent, about a third was retained in the primary solids separator and less than 10% was retained in the secondary solids separator . The ISO-compliant separator reduced the concentration of mercury in the instantaneous flow-through discharge by 99.4%, from 31.2973 mg/L to 0.1800 mg/L . CONCLUSIONS: About 60% of the waste generated during the removal of amalgams escaped the primary and secondary solids collectors and was released into the wastewater . An ISO-certified amalgam particle separator was effective in removing the amalgam from the wastewater. Chemosphere, 2002 Oct, 49(4), 431 - 7 Pyrolytic kinetics of sludge from a petrochemical factory wastewater treatment plant--a transition state theory approach; Chao CG et al.; The pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-rich sludge in an oxygen-free environment can provide useful liquefaction products and residues . When applied to sewage sludge, energy and time costs are the major factors that affect the operation . Therefore, it is important to understand how the process is affected by temperature . The pyrolysis kinetics of sludge from a petrochemical factory wastewater treatment plant was studied to reveal the effects of temperature on the reaction rate and the magnitude of deltaH and deltaS of the reaction barrier . Oven-dried sludge samples were pyrolyzed in an isothermal reactor under six different temperatures . The residues were weighed at frequent intervals within a total 30-min experiment period . Data analysis indicated that a first order reaction model could describe the pyrolysis kinetics, across all experimental temperature ranges . When transition state theory was applied, the results indicated that the major reaction barrier came from the entropy term of the activation free energy . Therefore, increasing the pyrolysis temperature to overcome the reaction barrier yielded no apparent improvement, but strategies that reduced the entropy should significantly improve the reaction. Waste Manag, 2002, 22(7), 739 - 45 Structural investigation of catalyst deactivation of Pt/SDB for catalytic oxidation of VOC-containing wastewater; Hsieh CC et al.; The stability of styrene-divinyl benzene copolymer (SDB)-supported Pt (Pt/SDB) catalysts for destruction of volatile-organic-compound (VOC) in wastewater was examined . The test reaction was wet oxidation of water-containing aliphatic alcohol and formaldehyde at 140 degrees C and 90 psig for 40 h . The catalytic performance tests indicated that activity of the Pt/SDB catalysts could be maintained for VOC concentration of 3 wt.%, whereas the catalysts deactivated rapidly for 10 wt.% VOC containing wastewater . In order to investigate the nature of catalyst deactivation, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge (XANES) spectroscopy were used to characterize the fresh and used catalysts . After the reaction, there is no oxidation of Pt clusters observed in EXAFS and XANES spectroscopy suggesting that the oxidation reaction takes places via the adsorbed oxygen . The spectroscopy results further indicated that deactivation of the catalysts were mainly caused by the increase of Pd particle size . After the reaction, the Pt-Pt coordination number has no significant change for the 3 wt.% wastewater whereas increase from 5.6 to 6.2 for 10 wt.% wastewater . Combined with the fact that the catalysts fractured during the reactions, we suggested that Pt agglomeration was mainly caused by thermal migration of the metal clusters. Waste Manag, 2002, 22(7), 721 - 6 Mercury removal from aqueous solutions by zinc cementation; Ku Y et al.; The main purpose of this research is to study the addition effect of the surfactant and other operating factors on the treatment of wastewater containing mercury ions in aqueous solution by cementation with sacrificing metal, zinc . The removal of mercury ions from aqueous solutions by cementation of zinc powder was found to be a function of solution pH and temperature, amount of zinc, concentration of mercury ion, contact time and the addition of several organic surfactants . Cementation of mercury was shown to be a feasible process to achieve a very high degree of mercury removal over a broad operational range within a fairly reasonable contact time . The reaction rate is approximately first order with respect to the concentration of mercury ion in aqueous solution . Among the surfactants used in this study, only the presence of SDS, an anionic surfactant, slightly enhanced the cementation rate of mercury . The presence of CTAB and Triton-X100 retarded the cementation of mercury by zinc. Bioresour Technol, 2002 Dec, 85(3), 331 - 3 The removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions by Ulothrix zonata; Nuhoglu Y et al.; In this work, adsorption of copper(II) ions on alga has been studied by using batch adsorption techniques . The equilibrium biosorption level was determined as a function of contact time at several initial metal ion concentrations . The effect of adsorbent concentration on the amount adsorbed was also investigated . The experimental adsorption data were fitted to the Langmuir adsorption model . The free energy change (deltaG0) for the adsorption process was found to be -12.60 kJ/mol . The results indicated that the biomass of Ulothrix zonata is a suitable biosorbent for both the removal and recovery of heavy metals from wastewater. Bioresour Technol, 2002 Dec, 85(3), 235 - 41 Kinetics of anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater in batch and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor; Rodriguez-Martinez J et al.; The kinetics of anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater in batch and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors was investigated . Different concentrations of organic matter in slaughterhouse wastewater did not change the first order kinetics of the reaction . In batch digesters, methane and nitrogen production stopped after 30-40, 20-30 h, respectively, and in UASB reactors it was terminated after 30-40 days . The constant of velocity was 3.93 and 0.23 h(-1) respectively, for methane and nitrogen production . The yield coefficient, Yp was 343 and 349 ml CH4 per g of chemical oxygen demand at standard temperature and pressure conditions for batch reactors and UASB reactor, respectively. Rev Saude Publica, 2002 Aug, 36(4), 513 - 20 Environmental impact on the bacteriological quality of domestic water supplies in Lagos, Nigeria; Egwari L et al.; OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of town planning, infrastructure, sanitation and rainfall on the bacteriological quality of domestic water supplies . METHODS: Water samples obtained from deep and shallow wells, boreholes and public taps were cultured to determine the most probable number of Escherichia coli and total coliform using the multiple tube technique . Presence of enteric pathogens was detected using selective and differential media . Samples were collected during both periods of heavy and low rainfall and from municipalities that are unique with respect to infrastructure planning, town planning and sanitation . RESULTS: Contamination of treated and pipe distributed water was related with distance of the collection point from a utility station . Faults in pipelines increased the rate of contamination (p<0.5) and this occurred mostly in densely populated areas with dilapidated infrastructure . Wastewater from drains was the main source of contamination of pipe-borne water . Shallow wells were more contaminated than deep wells and boreholes and contamination was higher during period of heavy rainfall (p<0.05) . E . coli and enteric pathogens were isolated from contaminated supplies . CONCLUSIONS: Poor town planning, dilapidated infrastructure and indiscriminate siting of wells and boreholes contributed to the low bacteriological quality of domestic water supplies . Rainfall accentuated the impact. Chemosphere, 2002 Nov, 49(5), 471 - 6 Toxicity and bioaccumulation of copper in three green microalgal species; Yan H et al.; The effective concentrations of copper on the inhibition of the growth of Scenedesmus obliquus, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Closterium lunula at 96 h (96 h EC50) were determined to be 50, 68 and 200 microg/l, respectively . The low initial bioaccumulation of Cu by C . lunula was found to be responsible for its tolerance to Cu . The amount of Cu accumulated by all three microalgae reached the maximum value and decreased quickly after the peak followed by a slow decrease over the next 6 d . Bioaccumulation of Cu by C . lunula was directly proportional to the initial Cu concentration . After reaching the first peak after 1 d, the bioconcentration factor of Cu by microalgae declined to its minimum value during the exponential growth phase but increased in the stationary growth phase again . This indicates that desorption of Cu from microalgae was higher during the exponential growth phase but lower in the stationary growth phase . Smaller microalgae with low 96 h EC50 values are more efficient in removing Cu from wastewater. Waste Manag Res, 2002 Aug, 20(4), 332 - 40 Availability and quality of solid waste and wastewater in Southern Thailand and its potential use as fertiliser; Schouw NL et al.; Recycling nutrients to agriculture with waste in Southern Thailand has been assessed in three model-areas: Kuan Lang, Prik and Phattalung . Samples of biodegradable solid waste and gray wastewater were collected and characteris ed physically and chemically . At present nutrients in the biodegradable solid waste and wastewater are lost, but especially kitchen waste and grey household wastewater constitute a large fertiliser potential . The average daily per capita generation rate of household kitchen waste is 228 g wet matter, 0.65 g N, 0.16 g P 0.34 g K, 0.05 g S, 0.39 g Ca, 0.06 g Mg, 6.9 mg Zn, 0.29 mg Cu, 0.05 mg Ni, 0.02 mg Pb, 0.09 mg Cd and 0.006 mg Hg . The average daily per capita generation rate of grey household wastewater is 102 L, 2.4 g N, 2.4 g P, 4.2 g K, 2.0 g S, 2.2 g Ca, 0.82 g Mg, 42 mg Zn, 0.91 mg Cu, 1.6 mg Ni, 0.46 mg Pb, 0.20 mg Cd and < 0.06 mg Hg . The waste products generally contain higher amounts of K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu and Pb (relative to phosphorous) than conventional chemical fertiliser, while N, S, Ni, Hg and Cd is at the same level. Waste Manag Res, 2002 Aug, 20(4), 328 - 31 Report: management problems of solid waste landfills in Kuwait; Al-Yaqout AF et al.; This paper evaluates current operational practices in municipal solid waste landfills in Kuwait to provide existing knowledge on uncontrolled landfilling and associated problems of solid waste disposal in developing countries . The current landfilling practices are safe neither for humans nor for the environment . The landfill sites receive all kinds of wastes such as food wastes, oil products, debris, dead animals, agricultural wastes, chemical wastes, wastewater and sewage sludge . The wastes are dumped, spread and compacted in an uncontrolled manner and cover material is not applied regularly . Dust created within the landfill site and gas emissions cause a public nuisance . The characteristics of leachate formed indicate high organic content and presence of heavy metals, salts and nutrients . There are no provisions for leachate or landfill gas collection at the landfill sites . Recommendations for adjustment in landfill operation have been made in recognition of the transition period that is experienced in proceeding from the past and present to the future management of landfills in Kuwait to safeguard the public health and protect the environment. Environ Technol, 2002 Sep, 23(9), 1027 - 32 Surfacing of domestic wastewater applied to soil through drip tubing and reduction in numbers of Escherichia coli; Franti JM et al.; Drip tubing is a technology that is increasing in use.The effectiveness of such systems in distributing the wastewater uniformly through the soil matrix, providing adequate removal of bacteria from wastewater, and keeping wastewater from reaching the soil surface has not been adequately evaluated . Experiments were conducted at two sites that had used drip tubing for approximately 3 years . This 3-year-old drip tubing and newly installed tubing were used in this investigation . A solution containing Brilliant Blue FCF dye and Escherichia coli, at an approximate concentration of 1 x 10(6) cells ml(-1), was applied to the sites through drip emitters . Reduction i n Escherichia coli populations reaching the soil surface was generally less than 10% . The route of travel for the solution reaching the soil surface was consistently along preferential flow paths and not uniformly through the soil matrix . Instances of water reaching the soil surface for drip tubing installed at 15 cm was nearly 50% . Increasing burial of the drip tubing from 15 to 30 cm nearly eliminated water surfacing . A 31 per emitter dose of water, immediately following drip line installation later increased instances of water reaching the soil surface for drip tubing buried at 30 cm . The volume of water applied per dose had little effect on the number of times water reached the soil surface . Inherent soil structural characteristics limited the drip tubing's ability to uniformly distribute water and adsorb bacteria . Drip tubing installation to 30 cm may be an important practice to reduce public health hazards from the likelihood of wastewater surfacing. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 77 - 82 Pollution control of industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries: a case study; Abdel-Gawad S et al.; Industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries represents a heavy pollution source on their receiving water body . This paper studies a case of pollution control at Tanta Soap and Oil Company, Banha Factory, Egypt . The factory production includes soap, edible oil, and animal fodder . About 4,347 m3/day of industrial wastewater effluent was discharged via gravity sewers to the public sewerage system . Most of the effluent was cooling water because the cooling process in the factory was open circle . In spite of the huge quantity of cooling water being disposed of, disposal of wastewater was violating pertinent legislation . Three procedures were used for controlling the pollution at the Banha Factory . Firstly, all open circuit cooling systems were converted to closed circuit thus reducing the quantity of the discharged wastewater down to 767 m3/day . Secondly, the heavily polluted oil and grease (O&G) wastewater from the refinery unit is treated via two gravity oil separator (GOS) units, dissolved air floatation (DAF), and biological units in order to reduce the high levels of O&G, BOD, COD, and SS to the allowable limits . Thirdly, the heavily polluted waste effluent from the 'red water' saponification unit is treated separately by acidification to convert the emulsified fatty acid to free form in order to be separated through an oil separation unit . The effluent is then passed to liming stage to neutralize excess acidity and precipitate some of the dissolved matters . The mixture is finally clarified and the pH is adjusted to the allowable limits . The effluent wastewater from the three processes is collected and mixed in a final equalization tank for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system . The characteristics of the effluent water are very good with respect to the allowable Egyptian limits for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 43 - 50 Adsorption of reactive dyes to granulated iron hydroxide and its oxidative regeneration; Kornmuller A et al.; Granulated iron hydroxide (beta-FeOOH) is used as a regenerable sorbent and catalyst for reactive dye removal in textile wastewater treatment . In oxidative regeneration the previously sorbed reactive dye is catalytically oxidized after activation of hydrogen peroxide to hydroxyl radicals on the FeOOH surfaces to regain adsorption capacity and reuse the sorbents . A high initial H2O2 concentration is needed for an efficient mass transfer water/solid but its consumption per oxidized dye results only in 7-25 mg mg(-1) . At room temperature a regeneration time of 3.5 h is necessary for decolorization and 6 h for further decomposition of the formed oxidation products to enable a reloading without any loss in adsorption capacity . Compared to Fenton's reagent, this oxidation process takes advantage of pH-independence between 4 and 8 and additionally no sludge is produced . Salts are commonly used in textile dying processes . While chloride improves the dye sorption, the presence of sulfate results in deteriorating sorption . Carbonate reacts as a scavenger of hydroxyl radicals resulting in a higher hydrogen peroxide consumption, but the efficiency of dye oxidation is only slightly affected . Nearly 20% of DOC of the sorbed dye can be attributed to short chain organic acids (formate, acetate, oxalate) indicating the far-reaching catalytic oxidation and enabling biological post-treatment. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 413 - 9 Co-removal of hexavalent chromium during copper precipitation; Sun J et al.; In our recent study using the nucleated precipitation technology to treat plating wastewater, it was found that about one half of hexavalent chromium was co-removed with copper, nickel and zinc . Since hexavalent chromium could not react with either hydroxide or carbonate to from precipitates, this study was undertaken to evaluate the mechanism(s) involved in the chromium co-removal . Batch tests were conducted with synthetic solutions containing either only copper or both copper and hexavalent chromium . Metal precipitation was induced by adding Na2CO3 to different pH, and the quantitative removal of copper and chromium was determined . Besides, the {Cr}/{Cu} molar ratio of produced precipitates were also assessed in conjunction with the EDAX analysis to determine their compositions . Experimental results indicate that for pure copper solution, precipitation begins at pH 6.0, and completes at pH 7.0 . The chemical forms of the precipitates are copper carbonates {CuCO3 x Cu(OH)2 and CuCO3 x 2Cu(OH)2} . On the other hand, in a bi-metal solution of copper plus chromium, precipitation of copper begins at about pH 5.0, and copper precipitation is always accompanied by some chromium removal . From the removal stoichiometry of the two metals, it is found that at low pH, the co-removal is a result of "co-precipitation" which results in the formation of CuCrO4 crystallites . Once such crystallites are formed, they provide a heterogeneous environment which enhances an early formation of copper carbonate at a lower pH (below 5.5) . It is further found that once copper carbonate precipitates are produced, the remaining soluble will precipitate in such form, and at this stage further removal of copper is no longer accompanied by additional chromium removal . The test data also reflect that the produced copper carbonates are positively charged, as verified by zeta potential measurement, at pH below 7.5 . Thus they are able to adsorb some anionic chromium (existing as chromate) through electrostatic attraction and/or inorganic ligand exchange . At pH of 6 to 10, the extent of adsorption decreases with increasing pH, and the adsorption capacity seems to coincide with the progressive reduction of positive zeta potentials of the precipitated particles. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 355 - 60 Performance of an innovative FWS constructed wetland in Crete, Greece; Dialynas G et al.; Pompia is an ancient name of a small community in Messara valley, which is the main agricultural area, in central Crete . The constructed wetland in Pompia is a free water surface (FWS) system, for treating the wastewater of the local community of 1,200 p.e . That wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is a pilot plant but it is simple, safe, innovative, and environmentally friendly . The WWTP was funded by the Region of Crete . The Eastern Crete Development Organization was responsible for the design, supervision, management, and initial operation . The project was completed in August 1999, and has been under operation since then . The effluent is considered to be equivalent to tertiary treated municipal wastewater, and it will be used to irrigate olive orchards . The general sense for a visitor is that the FWS system operates like a natural marsh and a habitat of birds and wild animals . In addition, very high removal rates for BOD5, COD, TSS, TKN, TP, TC, and FC have been obtained. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 347 - 54 Selection of natural treatment processes for algae removal from stabilisation ponds effluents in Brasilia, using multicriterion methods; Neder KD et al.; A multicriterion methodology is used in the evaluation and selection of the most appropriate alternative(s) for removing algae from stabilisation ponds effluents in a case study in Brasilia . For this purpose, five different natural treatment processes are tested at pilot scale: rock filter, sand filter, floating aquatic plants, constructed wetlands, and overland flow . These pilot units were constructed in Brasilia and set in parallel, each one receiving a portion of the effluent that comes from an existing wastewater treatment plant composed of preliminary treatment, UASB reactors, and high-rate stabilisation ponds . Several evaluation criteria are used in order to relate the capabilities of the post-treatment processes to the multiple objectives in this case . Two multicriterion decision-aid methods--compromise programming and ELECTRE-III--are used to select the most satisfying processes . The top ranking alternatives are indicated for subsequent studies, considering the possible implementation of these technologies to existing plants. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 339 - 46 Assessing the environmental impact of WWTP expansion: odour nuisance and its minimization; Capodaglio AG et al.; As part of the effort to provide proper wastewater disposal for the City of Milan, the expansion of the WWTP located in Peschiera Borromeo has been planned and is currently under completion . The plant, sized for a population of less than 300,000, will soon treat the wastes from the south-east areas of Milan for a total capacity of over 500,000 p.e . The paper describes the approach to find a satisfactory solution of an alleged odour problem that is slowing down the completion of the plant restructuring . This included a survey of the existing plant and analysis of its final design, identification of odour emission sources and their quantification, and the examination of different alternatives for odour abatement . These were carried out using air quality modelling techniques consisting of dynamic, continuous "puff" models capable of reproducing diffusion even at very low pollutant concentrations . Several intervention hypotheses were tested and compared with the few existing regulatory norms and guidelines for odour pollution . In all but the minimum and the no-action hypotheses, proposed actions would results in a drastic reduction of nuisance effects at the receptors . Under the strongest intervention hypothesis (the one adopted by the WWTP agency), odour impact would be virtually eliminated. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 293 - 9 Efficiency of SBR technology in municipal wastewater treatment plants; Steinmetz H et al.; Four wastewater treatment plants running with sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology have been evaluated in view of their effluent quality, treatment efficiency and energy demand . The plants are designed for approximately 5,000, 8,000, 15,000 and 25,000 population equivalents (p.e.) . Although two of the plants were overloaded during the investigation time the effluent concentrations of nitrogen, especially ammonia, and phosphorus were low . The results show, that SBR plants which are designed according to German standards have additional capacities for degradation of organic matter and removal of nitrogen and phosphorus . Furthermore SBR plants with combined sewer systems are able to treat combined sewage very well . Thus SBR technology proves to be a good alternative for municipal sewage plants and can help to save investment costs. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 273 - 80 MBR-technology in municipal wastewater treatment: challenging the traditional treatment technologies; van der Roest HF et al.; In The Netherlands a development programme for the application of the MBR technology in municipal wastewater treatment has started . This paper briefly describes this development programme and goes into detail for the first step: a large pilot plant study at the Beverwijk WWTP . Under the supervision of DHV Water four different membrane systems from Kubota, Mitsubishi, X-Flow and Zenon were extensively tested . The objectives set for the study were more than achieved . The available world knowledge regarding municipal MBR was extremely limited and often very specific for a particular country's wastewater and wastewater flow characteristic . The conditions set by the Dutch situation were the first of its kind and lead to new methods of MBR optimisation . After almost two years of intensive research and further development of the technological feasibility of the MBR for The Netherlands, it has been decided to extend it to demonstration scale. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 27 - 33 Simulation program for wastewater coagulation; Ratnaweera H et al.; The lack of comprehensive simulation models for wastewater coagulation is one of the obstacles to achieving optimal coagulant dosing . Two approaches for developing a model to describe the coagulation process are presented . The comprehensiveness in describing the influent quality with several parameters, rather than with one parameter, is identified to give high efficiency in dosing models based on algorithms constructed using the partial least squares method . The concept was tested on two full-scale wastewater treatment plants, with coagulant savings and effluent quality improvements . Significant differences were observed with the increase of online parameters in the models . The second approach is based on distribution of coagulant for particle and phosphate removal processes and is discussed for inert fractions . The concept is integrated into existing simulation software as a module . The calibration results and dosage predictions are demonstrated. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 265 - 72 Dsorption of estrone on nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes in water and wastewater treatment; Nghiem LD et al.; Adsorption of the trace contaminant estrone, a natural hormone and commonly abundant in surface waters and in treated as well as untreated wastewaters, to eight commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes was investigated under well defined conditions . Experiments were conducted in stainless steel stirred cells by spiking trace levels (100 ng x L(-1)) of estrone into five different matrices, namely MilliQ water, a bicarbonate solution, synthetic natural waters containing natural organics, and secondary effluent . Results show that estrone is adsorbed to the membranes to varying degrees with extent of adsorption influenced by the feedwater composition with different mechanisms of association controlling adsorption to different membrane types . Increase in membrane resistance is typically observed to result in decrease in extent of estrone adsorption. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 223 - 30 Improved split feed anaerobic baffled reactor (SFABR) for shorter start-up period and higher process performance; Uyanik S et al.; In this paper, the Split Feed Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (SFABR) is introduced and investigations into the use of modified seed material are described . It was shown that shorter and reliable start-up times could be achieved with SFABR when using improved seed material, even for the treatment of particularly problematic wastewater, i.e . ice-cream wastewater . Scanning electron photo-micrographs (SEM) revealed that granulation process occurs relatively rapidly in the SFABR compared with other reactor configurations, and that the reactor contained a highly mixed population of methanogens in all compartments . The use of polymer-conditioned anaerobic sludge and granular sludge as seed proved advantageous over the use of suspended growth anaerobic sludge, and the "improved" SFABR consequently performed more efficiently and also showed greater stability than the conventional ABR. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(4-5), 185 - 92 Environmental factors contributing to the "G bacteria" population in full-scale EBPR plants; Griffiths PC et al.; A survey of several enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) plants within Australia has demonstrated that a group of bacteria known as the "G" bacteria are able to proliferate under a broad range of plant configurations . The diverse designs and operational parameters of these plants did not permit definitive determination of the factor(s) contributing to the proliferation of G bacteria . Two plants were monitored over time to assess the G bacteria and phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAO) populations in relation to key operational parameters . The mixed liquor biomass and operational parameters were compared to other plants successfully and unsuccessfully reducing phosphorus from the wastewater . Two critical factors recognised in this study were the dissolved oxygen concentration in the aerobic zone and the type and amount of carbon source in the anaerobic zone. Aquat Toxicol, 2002 Dec 3, 61(3-4), 211 - 24 Evaluation of estrogenic activity from a municipal wastewater treatment plant with predominantly domestic input; Tilton F et al.; The purpose of this study was to survey estrogenic releases from two primarily domestic wastewater treatment plants over three seasons (1996-1999) . Mature male channel catfish were maintained at two sites within each WWTP and a reference site for 21 days . Estrogenic activity of effluent was assessed by the Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) assay (in 1999) and the expression of the female egg yolk precursor protein, vitellogenin (Vtg) in caged male channel catfish (1996-1998) . Serum Vtg of animals exposed at WWTP-A was induced 220% above reference values in the Fall of 1996 and 480% in Spring of 1997 . In animals exposed to effluent of WWTP-B, serum Vtg was elevated 370% in Spring of 1997 and 480% in Fall of 1997 relative to fish held in a reference location . Serum 17-beta-estradiol (E2) levels were also significantly elevated 13 and 16-fold in the Fall 1997 and Summer 1998 in the fish exposed to WWTP-A effluent . A 13.5-fold increase in serum E2 was observed in fish exposed to WWTP-B during Fall 1997 . Utilizing an E2 concentration-Vtg response curve generated in the laboratory, effluent from both plants (in 1997 and 1998) had estrogen equivalent values ranging from 23 to 123 ng/l E2 equivalents . These values were comparable with YES values obtained from 1999, which indicated the presence of 21 to 147 ng/l E2 equivalents . E2 was responsible for 3 (fall) to 100% (summer) of the YES activity . Glucuronides of E2 were also observed in the treated effluent . These studies indicate that variable estrogenic activity is present in municipal wastewater resulting from domestic activities and that this activity may be significantly altered by environmental factors. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Sep 13, 970(1-2), 191 - 200 Analysis of commercial vegetable tanning agents by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and its application to wastewater; Zywicki B et al.; Commercial vegetable tanning agents that are derived from plants and consist of condensed or hydrolyzable tannins were analyzed by electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) to identify their major constituents and to study their collision-induced dissociation . In the condensed tannin wattle a series of proanthocyanidin dimers to tetramers was identified together with the flavonoid monomers catechin and gallocatechin . The composition of the hydrolyzable tannin chestnut was more heterogenous . Besides the monomers ellagic and gallic acid a variety of gallotannins were detected, namely mono-, di- and trigalloylglucose, and a variety of ellagitannins . Reversed-phase HPLC-ESI-MS/MS methods were developed to detect condensed and hydrolyzable tannins in tannery wastewaters by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) . The methods proved suitable even for highly loaded wastewaters . However, the detected amount of wattle tanning agent in spent retanning baths was about two orders of magnitude below the amount used for the retanning . This suggests that the condensed tannins of polyphenolic structure are rapidly transformed during the tanning process to yet unknown products. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Sep 13, 970(1-2), 167 - 81 Surface and wastewater quality monitoring: combination of liquid chromatography with (geno)toxicity detection, diode array detection and tandem mass spectrometry for identification of pollutants; Bobeldijk I et al.; Identification of unknown water pollutants with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) is often more complex and time consuming than identification with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) . In order to focus the identification effort on relevant compounds, unknown peaks need to be selected carefully . Based on its frequency of occurrence in the LC-Diode Array Detection (LC-DAD) chromatograms of surface and infiltrated waters, an unknown peak was selected for identification with LC-MS-MS . This compound was identified as hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM), a chemical often used in the coating industry . This is the first time the presence of this chemical in surface waters has been reported . In addition to HMMM, two other structurally related compounds were found to be present in the investigated surface water . A standard mixture of HMMM and its by-products did not exhibit (geno)toxicity under the test conditions applied in this study . In another example, a genotoxic fraction of an industrial wastewater was isolated and examined by LC-MS-MS using a modern quadrupole-orthogonal acceleration-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF) . Four compounds were detected . The structures of two compounds present are proposed to be 9-amino-2-hydroxy-acridine and 9-hydroxy-acridine-N-oxide or its structural isomer dihydroxy-acridine . Confirmation with standards could not be carried out, as pure compounds are not available . The other two compounds (structural isomers) could not be identified based on the data available within this study. World Watch, 1998 Jul-Aug, 11(4), 10 - 6 China's water shortage could shake world food security; Brown LR et al.; PIP: This report indicates the global concern about China's water shortages and describes basin supplies, global availability of grain, and reasons for water losses . There is little precise data on how land productivity will be affected by declines in irrigation . Reports from the "China Daily" indicate that the 1995 grain harvest in Shandong province declined by 2.7 million tons (food for 9 million people) due to water failures of the Yellow River . A delegate at the 1998 National People's Congress pointed out that rural villages nationwide had shortages of 30 billion cu . m and losses of 20 million tons of grain production . About 70% of grain harvests rely on irrigation . Water demand for residential use and industrial use is likely to increase and compete with farm use . One unlikely option is to divert irrigation water to cities as needed and import grain . The entire agricultural, energy, and industrial economies need to be made more water efficient . Agriculture will need to produce more water efficient crops and livestock products and less water intensive energy supplies . Another alternative is to divert water from one location to another . Water pricing could reinforce efficiency of use . Use of composting toilets could reduce human residential water demand . Urban capacity building should rely on separate industrial and residential wastewater systems . Investing in technologies for industry can reduce water demand among paper and steel producers . The fastest growing grain market is in North Africa and the Middle East . Trends in principal grain exporting countries with 85% of global exports indicate no growth in grain production for export since 1980 . Biotechnol Bioeng, 2002 Nov 20, 80(4), 369 - 79 Bioreduction and biocrystallization of palladium by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans NCIMB 8307; Yong P et al.; The reduction of Pd(II) to Pd(0) was accelerated by using the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans NCIMB 8307 at the expense of formate or H(2) as electron donors at pH 2-7 . With formate no reduction occurred at pH 2, but with H(2) 50% of the activity was retained at pH 2, with the maximum rate (1.3-1.4 micromol min(-1) mg dry cells(-1)) seen at pH 3-7, which was similar to the rate with formate at neutral pH . Excess nitrate was inhibitory to Pd(II) reduction using formate, but not H(2) . Chloride ion was inhibitory as low as 100 mM using formate but with H(2) only ca . 25% inhibition was observed at 500 mM Cl(-) and H(2) was concluded to be the electron donor of choice for the potential remediation of industrial wastes . Deposited Pd was visible on the cells using transmission and scanning electron microscopy and analysis by energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDAX) identified the deposit as Pd, confirmed as Pd(0) by X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD) . The crystal size of the biodeposited Pd(0) was determined to be only 50% of the size of Pd(0) crystals manufactured chemically from Pd(II) at the expense of H(2) and, unlike the chemically manufactured material, the biocrystal size was independent of the pH . The "biological" Pd(0) functioned as a superior chemical catalyst in a test reaction which liberated hydrogen from hypophosphite . Pd, and also Pt and Rh, could be recovered by resting cell suspensions under H(2) from an industrial processing wastewater, suggesting a possible future application of bioprocessing technology for precious metals . Appl Environ Microbiol, 2002 Oct, 68(10), 4853 - 62 Multiplex fluorogenic real-time PCR for detection and quantification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in dairy wastewater wetlands; Ibekwe AM et al.; Surface water and groundwater are continuously used as sources of drinking water in many metropolitan areas of the United States . The quality of water from these sources may be reduced due to increases in contaminants such as Escherichia coli from urban and agricultural runoffs . In this study, a multiplex fluorogenic PCR assay was used to quantify E . coli O157:H7 in soil, manure, cow and calf feces, and dairy wastewater in an artificial wetland . Primers and probes were designed to amplify and quantify the Shiga-like toxin 1 (stx1) and 2 (stx2) genes and the intimin (eae) gene of E . coli O157:H7 in a single reaction . Primer specificity was confirmed with DNA from 33 E . coli O157:H7 and related strains with and without the three genes . A direct correlation was determined between the fluorescence threshold cycle (C(T)) and the starting quantity of E . coli O157:H7 DNA . A similar correlation was observed between the C(T) and number of CFU per milliliter used in the PCR assay . A detection limit of 7.9 x 10(-5) pg of E . coli O157:H7 DNA ml(-1) equivalent to approximately 6.4 x 10(3) CFU of E . coli O157:H7 ml(-1) based on plate counts was determined . Quantification of E . coli O157:H7 in soil, manure, feces, and wastewater was possible when cell numbers were >/=3.5 x 10(4) CFU g(-1) . E . coli O157:H7 levels detected in wetland samples decreased by about 2 logs between wetland influents and effluents . The detection limit of the assay in soil was improved to less than 10 CFU g(-1) with a 16-h enrichment . These results indicate that the developed PCR assay is suitable for quantitative determination of E . coli O157:H7 in environmental samples and represents a considerable advancement in pathogen quantification in different ecosystems. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Sep 1, 36(17), 3678 - 82 Nonylphenol in anaerobically digested sewage sludge from New York State; Pryor SW et al.; Nonylphenols (NPs) have been identified as xenoestrogens and have been found at high concentrations in Canadian and European biosolids . While nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) are being phased out and regulated in several European countries, there is currently no regulation of these compounds in the United States, and little information is available concerning the presence of NPs in U.S . biosolids . Anaerobically digested sewage sludge from five wastewater treatment plants in central New York State was analyzed for the presence of NPs . Samples were taken from treatment plants in both small municipalities and larger metropolitan areas with a range of industrial inputs . Samples were extracted via Soxhlet apparatus and analyzed by GC/MS . The various isomers of NP were summed yielding total NP concentrations as high as 1840 mg/kg with a mean of 1500 mg/kg on a dry weight basis . These values are two to five times as high as previously reported concentrations for U.S . and Canadian biosolids from plants using similar treatment schemes. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Sep 1, 36(17), 3652 - 61 Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in river and wastewater in Germany; Achten C et al.; An overview of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) concentrations in German river water (315 samples) and wastewater (82 samples) is given . In the agglomerated area of Frankfurt/M, several samples of surface water, wastewater, and industrial effluents were analyzed for its MTBE content from 1999 to 2001 . MTBE was analyzed by a combination of headspace-solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) . Rhine and Main water concentrations of MTBE in the lower parts of the rivers were approximately 250 ng/L and 200 ng/L, respectively . The concentrations increased from the upper parts of the rivers to its mouths . Water from the Elbe, Neckar, and Weser rivers showed lower MTBE concentrations, and the ether was not detected in the Danube river . Generally, higher MTBE concentrations were detected at urban agglomerations compared to rural areas . Small urban creeks without significant industrial input showed MTBE concentrations of approximately 50 ng/L, and it was hardly detectable in small rural creeks . Higher MTBE concentrations in river water were correlated with increased concentrations of the oxygenate measured in precipitation . Most MTBE concentrations in river water fell in the range of 50-200 ng/L (32%), 10-50 ng/L (28%), and 200-1000 ng/L (26%) . MTBE concentrations in German surface water and air are 3-17 times lower compared to Californian data . Wastewater samples from influents of two sewage plants showed MTBE concentrations of approximately 100-300 ng/L, and a loading of 2-37 kg/a was calculated . An eliminated MTBE percentage of roughly 30-35% of MTBE in the plants was estimated . Industrially influenced samples of river water or public wastewater and industrial effluents showed MTBE concentrations of up to 2267 ng/L and 28 microg/L, respectively . This input has not been considered before because only 1.5% of the produced amount of MTBE in Germany is used for industrial processes, but it should not be neglected because MTBE is very persistent in water. Gend Action . 1998 Winter;2(1):5, 8. The link between access to urban environmental infrastructure services and health . USAID / Indonesia shifts program emphasis; Analysis of the impact of population growth in Henan province on its environment and ecosystem; PIP: This study examined the impact of population growth on degradation of the environment in Henan Province, China . Data were obtained from the provincial Statistical Yearbook . Total population in Henan Province increased during 1949-95, from 41.74 million to 91 million . Population will reach about 97 million after 1996, even if effective birth control is achieved . Population is expected to peak around 2014, and will reach 110-120 million by 2030-2040 . Population is about 7.4% of total Chinese population . Henan has 1.74% of total Chinese land area and has less cultivated land per capita than the national average . Cultivated land area declined from 9 million Gong Qing (a traditional Chinese unit of area) to 6.8 million during 1954-95 . Reserve resources are minimal . Multiple cropping is used extensively . Actual land area is expected to accommodate about 99.5 million people with a minimal living standard for food and clothing . Domestic sewage increased during 1965-95, from 10 million tons to 710 million tons . The forest area in Xin Yang District has been significantly reduced by human use . Forest decline results in soil erosion, which amounts to about 78% of mountain area . Rivers are polluted with silt . This study cites the findings of the Henan province 1995 Annual Environment Report on wastewater, emission gases, solid wastes, pollution of the 4 main rivers, pollution in the air, by noise, and from garbage in cities, and pollution in rural areas from industry, enterprises, and agriculture . The people should receive an education about these issues . The province should adopt effective birth control policy, strengthen leadership, protect the environment, and reduce pollution . Asian Forum Newsl . 1997 Sep;(Spec No):7. Sustainable development needs family planning: Mr . Wang Guoging; Coping with pollution in Indonesia; PIP: The plight of fishermen from Jakarta Bay and Muara Angke, Indonesia, is described . Lack of general education and education in modern fishing techniques and pollution in the coastal areas has reduced the quantity and quality of fish caught . The changes in the Bay are recounted by Sho Boen Seng, the 78-year old unofficial head of Muara Angke who remembers when fish were plentiful and catches available closer to the shoreline . The fishing community north of Jakarta suffers from degraded resources, not just from the loss of coral reefs and mangroves, but from millions of tons of industrial and municipal dumping of wastewaters . There has also been construction of port facilities and fish farming which has thrust sedimentation into the Bay and wiped out near-shore spawning areas for shrimp and clams . Coliform bacteria counts and toxic metals in the Bay exceed US standards, and parts of the Bay are oxygen starved (eutropic) . Current and tidal patterns have been changed . Fishermen have travel 6 hours and fish 12 miles out from the shore . Poor fishing families fish close to shore and eat the contaminated fish; as a consequence many suffer from chronic intestinal and stomach disorders . Conditions are similar to Ambon Bay and the Flores Sea and other coastal areas, because 75% of Indonesian cities follow the 54,716 miles of coastline . Conditions for the fishermen of Muara Angke are hampered by low prices paid for fish due to the money lenders who control finance in the village . The Indonesian government has provided loans to small fisherman to buy motors for their boats and halted trawler fishing in the Bay . These efforts have not been effective because too many fishermen still use the old ways, and the regulations came after the Bay had already been overfished and was too shallow for much of a catch . More help from government is needed to provide general and fishing education . Mar Pollut Bull, 2002 Aug, 44(8), 807 - 15 Long-term variation in mercury concentrations in estuarine organisms with changes in releases into Lavaca Bay, Texas; Sager DR; Mercury releases into Lavaca Bay resulted in public health notices and a fishing closure for crabs and finfish . Mercury containing wastewater discharges were halted in 1970, but sediments were contaminated with mercury . The sediments are a source of mercury to the benthic food web via methylation . Mercury in water column feeding organisms has decreased markedly . Concentrations in benthic food web organisms remain elevated . Human consumption concerns for oysters have ended, but a closure for fishing for crabs and finfish continues . Monitoring of mercury in organisms since 1977 shows a gradual downward trend in mercury in crabs and finfish, but this was not sufficient to remove the closure . Continued releases of mercury, man's activities, and resuspension of sediments keep mercury in the sediment's biologically active zone . This enables the uptake of mercury via the benthic food web . If releases are ended, it will take years for the mercury to decrease to concentrations not of concern for human consumption . If more remediation to reduce the mercury concentrations in the sediments takes place, decrease of mercury in the organisms might occur more quickly. Asian Pac Popul Programme News, 1980, 9(1-2), 34 - 5 Thailand: PPAT extends services to southern provinces; project on better living for women; Paget's disease of bone in Lancashire and arsenic pesticide in cotton mill wastewater: a speculative hypothesis; mudbrick@rainbowis.com.au A 1974 survey of Paget's disease of bone in 31 UK towns identified a cluster of six Lancashire former cotton mill towns with the highest prevalence rates of the disease and noted a link with the cotton industry . The two highest-prevalence towns are situated on estuaries and are jointly the smallest of the six by the size of their former cotton industry . The two lowest-prevalence towns of the six are highest above sea level and jointly the largest by the size of their former cotton industry . This pattern suggests a waterborne agent . A 1993 repeat survey of 10 of the 31 towns identified a general decline in prevalence, greatest in the three cotton towns included from the six in the earlier survey, further suggesting a link to the cotton industry . Cotton mills and bleach/dyeworks produced a large volume of wastewater that was commonly discharged into adjacent waterways . Wastewater contained process chemicals and imported organisms and pesticides carried in cotton bales . The process chemicals and imported organisms could be discounted as a probable factor in Paget's disease; however, pesticides could not be discounted . Lancashire cotton came predominantly from the American cotton belt . From 1917 to 1945, calcium arsenate pesticide was used intensively to combat the boll weevil and was imported to Lancashire in cotton bales . The calcium arsenate era is consistent with the high-prevalence findings in 1974 and the decline in 1993, allowing for time lags . Geochemical arsenate is widespread in the environment and may account for geographic variations in Paget's prevalence, although data are inadequate for correlation studies . Noncytotoxic doses of arsenic affect all the steroid receptors and some signal transduction pathways, which may lead to dysfunctional osteoclast signaling and differentiation . Human cells are more susceptible than animal cells to arsenic, based on studies of nonbone cells . It is speculative that arsenic may be a factor in the abnormal variation in prevalence rates in Lancashire . It is not a general theory of Paget's disease . Water Res, 2001 Nov, 35(16), 3987 - 92 Removal of organic pollutants from industrial wastewater by electrogenerated Fenton's reagent; Panizza M et al.; This study was performed to investigate the treatment of an industrial wastewater mainly containing naphthalene- and anthraquinone-sulphonic acids, by electrogenerated Fenton's reagent . The hydrogen peroxide was produced in situ by electrochemical reduction of oxygen on graphite-felt cathodes and the Fe2+ ions were also regenerated by cathodic reduction of Fe3+ . The influence of cathode potential, Fe2+ concentration and electrode surface pre-treatment on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and colour fading were studied . Results indicated that the higher COD removal was obtained in the presence of 3 mM of ferrous ions working at a constant potential of -1 V vs . SCE . Moreover, it was shown that both chemical and electrochemical pre-treatments of the cathode surface resulted in a decrease of COD depletion. Water Res, 2001 Nov, 35(16), 3845 - 56 Degradation of medical x-ray film developing wastewaters by advanced oxidation processes; Stalikas CD et al.; Effluents from X-ray film developing processes feature high contaminant load (COD about 200 g/l) . Identification of the main organics present in these wastewaters was performed by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in electron impact mode, LC-(EI)MS . Both, unconsumed ingredients and sulphonated/hydroxylated derivatives and dimers yielded from the developing agents hydroquinone and phenidone were found to be the main organics contributing to the contaminant load of these effluents . Their potential degradation by oxidation with both photo- and thermal-Fenton reactions was investigated and the optimal degradation conditions were determined . Under these conditions the initial COD was reduced by about 97% within 6 h of treatment . The intermediates detected by LC-(EI)MS in the oxidation of hydroquinone and phenidone during the treatment were essentially hydroxylated derivatives and dimers and the residual organic matter was mainly made up of carboxylic acids . Reaction pathways for the oxidation of the developing agents hydroquinone and phenidone were proposed . The presence of many organic and inorganic components in the wastewaters did not affected the favoured oxidation route of these developers . The results obtained allow to assess the reduction of costs permitted in the treatment of X-ray effluents with the photo- and thermal-Fenton reaction without affecting the degradation degree and quality of the discharge. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(3), 97 - 104 A broad spectrum analytical scheme for the screening of endocrine disruptors (EDs), pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewaters and natural waters; Bruchet A et al.; This paper describes the implementation of a broad-spectrum analytical scheme which was used at three wastewater plants for the screening of organic micropollutants . The more than 200 compounds identified comprised a variety of endocrine disrupters, pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products . Glycol ethers which have well established effects on the development of the embryo were outstanding in all plants investigated . The first plant, which was investigated at various stages of treatment, was quite efficient at removing undesirable compounds . The second plant, which received 50% of effluents from pharmaceutical industries, released low but significant levels of drugs . An antibiotic, cyclamidomycine, was identified in the effluent from the third plant. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(3), 115 - 22 Surface and subsurface irrigation with effluents of different qualities and presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in soil and on crops; Armon R et al.; A large variety of human pathogens are excreted in wastewater including bacteria, viruses, protozoan cysts and helminth eggs . In raw sewage, human pathogens reach high numbers, thereafter decreasing successively at each treatment step . However, the final effluents still contain a large fraction of these pathogens that may pose a serious public health . Among the various crops irrigated with effluents, vegetables are the most vulnerable to contamination . Vegetables, usually eaten raw (uncooked) or with rich dressings (causing regrowth of some pathogenic bacteria) pose the main threat to humans . The importance of microbiological and parasitological criteria for reused water has been repeatedly emphasized . Some microbiological recommendations based on epidemiological data have been established for untreated wastewater, there is still a need to define the criteria for effluent quality required for unrestricted crop irrigation . This paper presents a field study comparison of two irrigation methods: surface and subsurface of field crops (mainly vineyard) and follow-up of Cryptosporidium oocysts in soil at different depths (0 to 90 cm) . Oocysts were isolated at all depths without a clear pattern of distribution (0 to 640 oocysts/g) . In addition different vegetables irrigated with different effluent qualities were tested for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts . The highest prevalence of oocysts was found on zucchini that has a sticky and hairy outer surface (80 to 10,000 oocysts/0.5 kg). Bioresour Technol, 2002 Nov, 85(2), 179 - 87 Characteristics, and carbon and nitrogen dynamics in soil irrigated with wastewater for different lengths of time; Ramirez-Fuentes E et al.; Irrigation of agricultural land with wastewater will increase crop production, but also heavy metal concentrations and the rate of infection of farmers with pathogens . The risks associated with the use of wastewater are reduced by treating the wastewater, but treatment also reduces organic material, phosphorus and inorganic N for crops . We investigated characteristics, e.g . heavy metal concentrations, of soils of the valley of the Mezquital (Mexico) irrigated with waste from Mexico City water since 1912, 1925, 1965, 1976, 1996 or 1997, or not irrigated at all, and dynamics of C and N when soil was amended with wastewater or drainage water . Concentrations of total Mg, Hg, Mo, Ca, Cu and Cr, available concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cu increased significantly with length of irrigation (P < 0.05), but were not at hazardous concentrations . Although organic C, total N, microbial biomass C and N, and microbial activity, as witnessed by CO2 production, increased with length of irrigation, N mineralization did not . Oxidation of NO2- was inhibited and could be due to increases in salinity, toxic compounds or heavy metals . We found that N mineralization was low or absent so it will not compensate for the loss of N when the wastewater is treated and application of N fertilizer will be required to maintain the same level of crop production . The characteristics of the soils appear not to have deteriorated after years of application of wastewater, but further irrigation even with treated wastewater might increase sodicity and salinity and pose a threat to future crop production. Bioresour Technol, 2002 Nov, 85(2), 165 - 71 Biosorption of phenol from an aqueous solution by Aspergillus niger biomass; Rao JR et al.; Phenols in trace quantities are usually present in the treated effluent of many wastewater-treatment plants . Phenol contamination of drinking water even at 1 microg/l concentration can cause significant taste and odor problems . This study investigates the use of non-viable pretreated cells of Aspergillus niger to remove phenol from an aqueous solution . Five types of non-viable pretreated A . niger biomass powders were used as a biosorbent to remove phenol present in an aqueous solution at a concentration of 1,000 microg/l . Sulfuric acid-treated non-viable biomass powder, which was the most effective, was used as a biosorbent in a further study . The maximum removal of phenol was observed at an initial pH of 5.1 for the sulfuric acid-treated biomass . The adsorption of phenol by pretreated A . niger biomass was best described by the Brunauer Emmet Teller model . Desorption of phenol using distilled deionized water was found to be approximately 5% suggesting a strong biosorption by the biomass . Sulfuric acid-treated biomass beads developed through immobilization in polysulphone were used in a column study . Approximately 66% of phenol was removed in the column operated at an initial pH of 5.1 and an initial concentration of 1,000 microg/l of phenol. Chemosphere, 2002 Sep, 48(10), 1029 - 34 Effects of solution conditions on the precipitation of phosphate for recovery . A thermodynamic evaluation; Song Y et al.; To understand the effects of solution conditions on the precipitation of calcium phosphates from wastewater for recovery, a computer programme PHREEQC was employed to calculate the speciation and saturation-index (SI) with respect to hydroxyapatite of a chemically defined precipitation system, which contains phosphate of 1-200 mg P/l, with Ca/P molar ratios of one to 10 times of the stoichiometric calcium to phosphorus molar ratio of hydroxyapatite, at a pH range of 7.0-11.0 . The results show that the SI is respectively the logarithmic function of the phosphate concentration and the calcium concentration, increasing with the increase of either of them; the SI is a polynomial function of the solution pH value and increases with its increase, and the effect of solution pH value is due to its influence on base uptake of the precipitation reaction and the speciation of phosphate and calcium ions; the SI is also a logarithmic function of the solution ionic strength but decreases with its increase; at the temperature range of 5-30 degrees C the SI increases linearly with solution temperature and the effect of temperature is also due to its influence on the speciation of phosphate and calcium ions. Trop Med Int Health, 2002 Sep, 7(9), 750 - 6 Diarrhoea and effects of different water sources, sanitation and hygiene behaviour in East Africa; Tumwine JK et al.; Apart from "Drawers of Water (DOW I)" published in 1972, there have been only a handful of published studies on domestic water use and environmental health in East Africa, based on direct observations or other reliable research methods . The objective of this study was to carry out a repeat analysis of domestic water use and environmental health in East Africa based on DOW I . The study was conducted in the same sites as DOW I . Field assistants spent at least 1 day in each household observing and conducting semi-structured interviews . They measured the amount of water collected, recorded the amount of water used in the home, and noted household socio-demographic characteristics, prevalence of diarrhoea, state and use of latrines, sources of water and conditions of use . We surveyed 1015 households in 33 sites in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in 1997 . From 1967 to 1997, the prevalence of diarrhoea, in the week preceding the survey, increased from 6% to 18% in Kenya and from 16% to 21% in Uganda; it declined slightly in Tanzania (11-8%) . Determinants of diarrhoea morbidity included poor hygiene (unsafe disposal of faeces and wastewater), education level of household head, obtaining water from surface sources or wells and per capita water used for cleaning . Hygiene practices are an important complement to improved water and sanitation in reducing diarrhoea morbidity. Mar Pollut Bull, 2002 Jul, 44(7), 633 - 41 Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea--a regional approach; Scheren PA et al.; Environmental pollution in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) coastal zone has caused eutrophication and oxygen depletion in the lagoon systems, particularly around the urban centres, resulting in decreased fish (reproduction) levels and waterborne diseases . A pollution sources assessment was undertaken by six countries in the region as a first step in defining a region-wide Environmental Management Plan . Results show that households produce 90% of solid waste . Industry, however, is responsible for substantial amounts of hazardous waste, specifically the Nigerian petroleum industry . The latter is also responsible for the spilling of large amounts of oil . BOD load from industrial effluents is slightly larger than domestic loads in the industrialised coastal zone . Wastewater treatment systems are either absent or inadequate . Apart from large-scale gas flaring in Nigeria, air pollution, in terms of COx, HC, NOx and SO2 emissions, is contributed mainly by traffic . Particulates, originate mainly from industries and domestic biomass burning. Chemosphere, 2002 Sep, 48(8), 805 - 9 Distribution and levels of brominated flame retardants in sewage sludge; Oberg K et al.; One hundred and sixteen sewage sludge samples from 22 municipal wastewater treatment plants in Sweden were analysed for brominated flame retardants . Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were in the range n.d.-450 ng/g wet weight, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) varied between n.d . and 220 ng/g wet weight, 2,4,6-tribromophenol was in the range n.d.-0.9 ng/g wet weight and polybrominated biphenyls were not detected (except for a possible analytical interference) . There was a significant variation in the samples among plants . Influence from industries and other local sources can therefore be assumed . The correlation pattern indicated contribution from three different types of technical products; composed of either low-brominated PBDEs, decaBDE or TBBPA. Anal Bioanal Chem, 2002 Sep, 374(1), 17 - 24 Epub 2002 Jul 24. Catalytic determination of Pb(II) in the presence of Cu(II); Rustoiu-Csavdari A et al.; A kinetic method is presented to determine micro-molar amounts of Pb(II) from various river and wastewater samples, in the presence of trace copper . The procedure is based on the catalytic effect of both species on the oxidation of mercaptosuccinic acid by chromate in acidic media . The extent of the reaction is followed spectrophotometrically at 420 nm and pseudo-first-order rate coefficients of the rate-determining step are determined as a function of catalyst concentrations . The optimum operating conditions (ionic strength, temperature, and concentration of reagents) regarding sensitivity towards lead were established . Interference by several ionic species has been studied . The effect of Fe(III), the only severe interferent, is suppressed by complexation with 1,10-phenantroline . The bi-component calibration model employs an artificial neural network to compute the Pb(II) concentration from a k(obsd) value and the a priori-known Cu(II) concentration of the sample . Working concentration ranges are 20-2160 micro g L(-1) for Pb(II) and 80-650 micro g L(-1) for Cu(II), respectively . Detection limits are 20 micro g L(-1) Pb(II) and 80 micro g L(-1) Cu(II), respectively . The relative standard deviations (3 measurements) for four different testing points are lower than 2.5% . The method was applied to samples of river and wastewater of the mining region of Baia-Mare, Northern Romania . The results were compared to those obtained by an officially standardized AAS method . Good agreement was achieved . The method is inexpensive, fairly rapid, and sensitive . Its working range covers the exact range of concentrations usually encountered in the mentioned geographic area. Environ Toxicol Chem, 2002 Sep, 21(9), 1934 - 9 Accumulation of heavy metals in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) cultivated in the Bangkok region, Thailand; Gothberg A et al.; The aquatic plant water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), either wild or cultivated, is found throughout Southeast Asia and is a widely consumed vegetable in the region . Many of the waters where I . aquatica grows serve as recipients for domestic and other types of wastewater . Because these waters contain not only nutrients, but often also a wide variety of pollutants such as heavy metals from various human activities, many people risk intoxication . To estimate the accumulation of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), total mercury (total Hg), and methylmercury in I . aquatica and the potential hazard to human health via consumption, nine sites for cultivation of I . aquatica in the greater Bangkok region of Thailand were sampled . At seven of the sites, I . aquatica was cultivated for the local food market . The concentrations of methylmercury, total Hg, Pb, and Cd in I . aquatica were 0.8 to 221, 12 to 2,590, 40 to 530, and < or = 10 to 123 microg/kg dry weight, respectively . At all sites at least one element showed relatively high concentrations and no reference site could be established . From threshold values for highest tolerable intake of these metals by humans and information about consumption of I . aquatica among local people, Pb and Cd concentrations in I . aquatica do not seem to be a direct threat to human health . However, concentrations of Hg were very high at some sites, and were higher in leaves (highest mean value: 1,440 microg/kg dry wt) than in stems (highest mean value: 422 microg/kg dry wt) . This might be a threat, especially to children and fetuses, because Hg in I . aquatica was composed of methylmercury, partly or totally, at most sites to 11% or less and at one site from 50 to 100% . At the latter site, I . aquatica was not cultivated for the food market . Because other food sources, such as fish, may have high concentrations of methylmercury, these results indicate a need for monitoring of Hg, especially methylmercury, in different foodstuffs in the region. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 551 - 8 Molecular monitoring of bulking sludge in industrial wastewater treatment plants; van der Waarde J et al.; Fluorescent In Situ Hybridisation (FISH) was used to monitor the presence of filamentous microorganisms in industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) . Monitoring with a restricted set of FISH probes in WWTPs from potato industry showed growth and decline of Thiothrix populations that could be linked to operational procedures . In a follow up project new FISH probes were developed for filamentous bacteria in industrial WWTPs and 70 WWTPs were analysed for presence of these filaments . Several newly described species of filamentous bacteria appear to be common and dominant in industrial WWTPs . Monitoring of a WWTP from textile industry showed growth and decline of one of these organisms when operational conditions in the plant were varied . The present paper demonstrates that bulking sludge in industrial wastewater treatment plants can effectively be monitored using a combination of standard chemical analyses and the FISH technique. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 503 - 6 Treatment of easily biodegradable wastewater avoiding bulking sludge; Matsche N et al.; The presence of easily degradable compounds from food industries frequently leads to bulking problems . The paper describes a new process that has been developed for a dairy in Austria . Because of the increase in production the treatment plant receiving the wastewater up to now was not able to handle the increased loads . Therefore detailed studies for treatment alternatives have been undertaken which led to a completely new concept . The excess sludge of the urban treatment plant is contacted with the concentrated dairy waste in a separate contact tank . In this tank the easily degradable substrate from the industrial waste is mainly adsorbed to the biological sludge and after a mechanical dewatering transferred to the anaerobic digester where it yields an increased gas production . The filtrate of the dewatering process is completely free from biodegradable material and can without danger of bulking be fed to the aeration tank . The process has been in operation for more than one year and has fulfilled all expectations. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 491 - 4 Control of the growth of Microthrix parvicelle by using an aerobic selector--results of pilot and full scale plant operation; Lebek M et al.; A two-stage wastewater treatment plant experiences bulking sludge problems in winter, correlating with Microthixparvicella abundance . Pilot and full-scale studies of the use of an aerobic selector to control M . parvicella had little success, probably resulting from long chain fatty acid retention in foam at the tank surface . Initial pilot studies with reduced foam retention showed better results. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 49 - 53 Filamentous bacterial population dominance in activated sludges subject to stresses; Gaval G et al.; Evolution of a filamentous bacterial population was monitored on four wastewater treatment pilot plants subject to stresses which have consisted of oxygen deficiencies and/or loading shocks . Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to perform filaments identification and quantification . Results obtained on the different pilot plants have led us to conclude that independently of the nature of the stresses, a single filamentous bacteria species was involved in the increase of the sludge volume index associated to the filamentous growth . In addition, when serial stresses were used, substitutions in dominant filamentous populations occurred: if another filament began to proliferate it caused the regression of the one which was formerly dominant. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 405 - 12 Community structure of micro- and macroflocs in pin-point sludge and the influence of sludge age and potassium addition on microfloc formation; Muller E et al.; Settling problems caused by pin-point sludge constitute a serious problem in biological wastewater treatment, particularly in many industrial plants . Until now, most studies focused on the relationship between pin-point sludge formation and either shearing forces or the impact of toxicants . This study deals with the community structure in both the micro- and macrofloc fraction which was analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and BIOLOG substrate utilization patterns . It was shown that each fraction consisted of different microbial communities with unique metabolic profiles suggesting that pin-point sludge formation is not due to dispersal of intact flocs but to microcolonies growing separately . Alternatively, macroflocs may have an architecture leading to segregation of microbial communities after floc dispersal . Further it could be shown that the formation of microflocs was influenced by sludge age . The best sludge sedimentation was obtained for a sludge age of 5 and 10 days . Additional analysis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) suggested that the lower protein to carbohydrate ratio of 10-day-old sludge led to better flocculation compared to 20-day-old sludge containing similar total amounts of EPS . From a practical point of view, addition of potassium (0.1 g/l) effected a noticeable improvement of sludge settleability. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 29 - 33 Control of bulking sludge caused by Type 021 N and Type 0961 in an industrial wastewater treatment plant with an aerobic selector; Duine A et al.; Over a period of 6 months, pilot plant investigations were carried out with the purpose of bulking sludge control with different aerobic selectors . The wastewater was dominated by industrial dischargers, containing volatile fatty acids up to 450 mg/l . With complete-mix-selectors it was not possible to achieve a stable SVI below 150 ml/g . The bulking sludge could only be controlled with a sectionalized selector (HRT 5-8 minutes per section) . The SVI decreased to values below 100 ml/g . Shock-loads and increased VFA-concentrations (by dosing NaC2H3OO) did not cause filamentous growth. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 46(1-2), 115 - 8 Studies of Microthrix parvicella in situ and in laboratory culture: production and use of specific antibodies; Connery N et al.; Physiological studies on M . parvicella have been conducted to determine the rate of growth of this organism in pure culture . The organism displayed a doubling time of 128 days despite its profuse abundance in a local Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTW) . An extensive survey has been ongoing since February 2000 into the extent of M . parvicella in the WWTW . A suite of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies has been developed to detect and quantify M . parvicella. Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao, 2002 Jun, 13(6), 719 - 22 {Effects of constructed wetlands on treating with nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater from hoggery}; Liao X et al.; Using plant species Vetiveria zizanioides (VCWS) and Cyperus alternifolius (CCWS) respectively, two constructed wetlands (CWS) with size of 1.0 m x 0.5 m x 0.8 m were established . The purifying function and its change pattern among different seasons, influent concentration and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of CWS on nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater from a hoggery was studied throughout four seasons in the year . The results showed that the effects of HRT and wastewater concentration on the removal rate of NH3-N and S-PO4(3-) were obvious in both VCWS and CCWS . High removal rates of NH3-N and S-PO4(3-) were obtained in CCWS and VCWS in spring . Significant removal of TN in wastewater existed in CCWS and VCWS in autumn, while significant removal of TP in wastewater existed only in VCWS . The removal of TP or S-PO4(3-) against the HRT in CWS followed exponential function . The rates of P removal in winter and summer changed with the influent concentrations . Under the same HRT, the change of S-PO4(3-) concentrations in outflow against the influent concentration followed a linear relationship. Environ Sci Technol, 2002 Aug 15, 36(16), 3604 - 11 Formation and identification of intermediates in the visible-light-assisted photodegradation of sulforhodamine-B dye in aqueous TiO2 dispersion; Chen C et al.; The photodegradation of dye pollutants under visible light irradiation in TiO2 dispersions continues to draw considerable attention because of the greater effective utilization of solar energy and its potential application in treating wastewaters from textile and photographic industries . To get a better handle on the mechanistics details of this TiO2-assisted photodegradation of dyes with visible radiation, the process was examined by UV-visible spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography, silica gel thin-layer chromatography, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric techniques to separate and identify the N-de-ethylated intermediate products during the photodegradation of N,N,N,N-tetraethylsulforhodamine-B (SRB) in the absence and presence of iodide ions . Five intermediates, namely, N,N-diethyl-N'-ethyl-sulforhodamine, N,N-diethylsulforhodamine, N-ethyl-N'-ethylsulforhodamine, N-ethylsulforhodamine, and sulforhodamine were thus identified . They correspond to intermediate products having a different number of N-ethyl groups, which are removed sequentially from the SRB molecule . The reaction process was accompanied by the oxidation of I- to I3- in the presence of I- ions . Formation of radicals was assessed by spin-trap electron spin resonance spectrometry . The experimental results provided the basis for a more detailed description of the reaction mechanism(s). J Environ Sci (China), 2002 Jul, 14(3), 330 - 2 The affect of industrial activities on zinc in alluvial Egyptian soil determined using neutron activation analysis; Abdel-Sabour MF et al.; Thirty-two surface (0-20 cm) soil samples were collected from different locations in Egypt representing non-polluted, moderately and highly polluted soils . The aim of this study was to evaluate total Zn content in alluvial soils of Nile Delta in Egypt by using the delayed neutron activation analysis technique (DNAA), in the irradiation facilities of the first Egyptian research reactor (ET-RR-1) . The gamma-ray spectra were recorded with a hyper pure germanium detection system . The well resolved gamma-ray peak at 1116.0 keV was efficiently used for 65Zn content determination . Zn content in non-polluted soil samples ranged between 74.1 and 103.8 ppm with an average of 98.5 +/- 5.1 ppm . Zn content in moderately polluted soils ranged between 136.0 and 232.5 ppm with an average of 180.1 +/- 32.6 ppm . The highest Zn levels ranging from 240.0 and 733.0 ppm with an average of 410.3 +/- 54.4 ppm, were observed in soil samples collected from, either highly polluted agricultural soils exposed to prolonged irrigation with industrial wastewater or surface soil samples from industrial sites. J Environ Sci (China), 2002 Jul, 14(3), 303 - 8 Excavation and characterization of refuse in closed landfill; Zhao YC; Refuse in landfills becomes stabilized as organic matter in refuse degrades and soluble inorganic substances dissolve during their long-term stabilization process . In this paper, this process is also referred to as mineralization process and the resultant stabilized refuse referred to as aged refuse . Aged refuse contains a wide spectrum and huge quantity of microorganisms with strong decomposition capability for refractory organic matter present in some wastewater such as leachate . In this study, aged refuse excavated from 2 to 10 years old closed landfill compartments in Shanghai Refuse Landfill is characterized in terms of particulate distribution by screening, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, biodegradable matter . The approaches for redevelopment of both land and aged refuse in the stabilized landfills are proposed. Environ Technol, 2002 Aug, 23(8), 949 - 54 Treatment of effluents of poultry slaughterhouse with aluminum salts and natural polyelectrolytes; Ikeda E et al.; A mixture of aluminum salts and natural polyelectrolytes, extracted from the cactus Opuntia ficus indica, has been used for cleaning of wastewater from poultry slaughterhouse . The aggregation and settling properties of colloids and complex organics such as oil, grease, fats, proteins, and suspended solids, was increased if compared with conventional methods of wastewater treatment using only aluminum or iron sulfate . A mixture of aluminum salt in a concentration range of 300 to 600 mg l(-1) and natural polyelectrolytes of 0.6 to 0.8 mg l(-1) was used for flocculation and coagulation . The combination of coagulant and natural polyelectrolytes was able to remove chemical oxygen demand (86%), oil and grease (93%), turbidity (89%), and suspended solids (93%) . Methanization activity was also investigated for the effluents in natura. Environ Technol, 2002 Aug, 23(8), 889 - 97 Physicochemical characterization of UASB sludge with different size distributions; Ahn Y et al.; Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) sludges developed in UASB system are used to treat various wastewaters . Methanogenic microbial consortia in UASB sludges convert organic compounds to methane under anaerobic conditions . Sludge granules are developed by self-granulation of microorganisms and dynamic balance between granule growth and decay results in coexistence of UASB sludges with different sizes in the reactor . In this study, UASB sludges taken from a laboratory-scale UASB reactor were classified into 4 groups based on their diameters and their physicochemical characteristics were investigated . Each group was analyzed for settling ability, specific methanogenic activity (SMA), and elemental content . Settling ability was proportional to diameter of UASB sludges, suggesting effective detainment of larger granular sludges in the reactor . When acetate o r glucose was used as a substrate, a ll groups showed a relatively slight difference in SMA . However SMA with a volatile fatty acid mixture showed a significant increase with sludge diameter, suggesting better establishment of syntrophic relationship in larger granular sludges . Larger granular sludges showed a higher value of SMA upon environmental changes(ie., pH, temperature, or toxicant concentration) . Comparative analysis of elemental contents showed that content (dry weight %) of most tested elements (Fe, Ca, P, Zn, Ni, and Mn) decreased with sludge diameter, suggesting that the elements could be important for initial granulation . Taken together, this study verified experimentally that physicochemical properties of UASB sludges are related to UASB sludge size distributions . Overall results of physicochemical characterization supports that larger granular sludges are better applicable to UASB systems. Aquat Toxicol, 2002 Oct 2, 60(1-2), 61 - 73 The effect of water hardness on the toxicity of uranium to a tropical freshwater alga Chlorella sp; Charles AL et al.; Uranium (U) derived from mining activities is of potential ecotoxicological concern to freshwater biota in tropical northern Australia . Few data are available on the effects of water hardness (Ca and/or Mg), which is elevated in U mine wastewaters, on the toxicity and bioavailability of U to freshwater biota, particularly algae . This study determined the effect of water hardness (8, 40, 100 and 400 mg CaCO(3) x l(-1), added as calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) sulphate) on the toxicity (72 h growth rate inhibition) of U to the unicellular green alga, Chlorella sp., in synthetic freshwater, at constant pH (7.0) and alkalinity (8 mg CaCO(3) x l(-1)), similar in chemical composition to sandy coastal streams in tropical northern Australia . A 50-fold increase in water hardness resulted in a 5-fold decrease (P<or =0.05) in the toxicity of U to Chlorella sp . (i.e . the 72 h EC(50) increased from 56 to 270 micro g U l(-1)) . Possible explanation for the ameliorative effect of water hardness includes: (i) competition between U and Ca and/or Mg for binding sites on the cell surface; and (ii) a change in U speciation, and hence, bioavailability . Results showed that extracellular (cell-surface) and intracellular U concentrations significantly (P<0.05) decreased (2-5-fold) as water hardness increased from 8 to 400 mg CaCO(3)x l(-1) . Calculation of U speciation using the geochemical model HARPHRQ showed that there were no significant (P>0.05) differences in the predicted speciation (% distribution) of U amongst the four water hardness levels . The reduction in U toxicity with increasing water hardness was most likely due to competition between U and Ca and/or Mg for binding sites on the algal cell surface . The minimum detectable effect concentrations of U were approximately 3 and 24 times higher (at 8 and 400 mg CaCO(3)x l(-1) hardness, respectively) than the national interim U guideline value (0.5 micro g x l(-1)) for protecting aquatic ecosystems . Overall, the results reinforce the need for a more flexible U guideline based on a hardness-dependent algorithm, which may allow environmental managers to relax the national guideline for U on a site-specific basis. Waste Manag Res, 2001 Dec, 19(6), 573 - 8 Study for reclamation of land occupied by solar evaporation pond at UCIL, Bhopal, India; George KV et al.; Solar Evaporation Ponds (SEP) were used by Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), Bhopal for storage of wastewater containing high concentrations of inorganic chemicals especially chlorides . Area occupied by the SEPs had to be recovered due to closure of the plant . A prerequisite to the reclamation of the SEP area is a study of adjoining soil and groundwater, which may be contaminated due to possible leakage in the pond . Surface soil, subsurface soil and groundwater samples were collected and analysed . The electrical conductivity method was employed inside the pond to test for leak in the geo-membrane liner . This was further confirmed by physically checking the liners . Based on the wet period, total rainfall and evaporation rate of the region, drying of remaining wastewater by spreading in dry ponds followed by pond dismantling was scheduled. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 361 - 5 Water and wastewater minimization plan in food industries; Ganjidoust H et al.; Iran is one of the countries located in a dry and semi-dry area . Many provinces like Tehran are facing problems in recent years because of less precipitation . For reduction in wastewater treatment cost and water consumption, many research works have been carried out . One of them concerns food industries group, which consumes a great amount of water in different units . For example, in beverage industries, washing of glass bottles seven times requires large amounts of water but use of plastic bottles can reduce water consumption . Another problem is leakage from pipelines, valves, etc . Their repair plays an important role in the wastage of water . The non-polluted wasted water can be used in washing halls, watering green yards, recycling to the process or reusing in cooling towers . In this paper, after a short review of waste minimization plans in food industries, problems concerning water consuming and wastewater producing units in three Iranian food industries have been investigated . At the end, some suggestions have been given for implementing the water and wastewater minimization plan in the companies. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 355 - 60 Fouling of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes by dairy industry effluents; Turan M et al.; Fouling experiments of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) are reported for treatment of the effluent of chemical-biological treatment plant and the original effluent of dairy industry respectively . In the experiments, a thin film composite type of spiral wound was used and fitted with flowmeters and pressure sensors . The feed water was stored into a feed tank and passed a fine filter and was pumped to membrane . Brine and permeate were recirculated back to the feed tank . Membrane fouling was investigated with 16 and 30% water recovery of a single membrane at different pressures and flowrates for RO and NF membranes respectively . Fouling is evaluated with a relationship between relative flux (J/Jo) which is the ratio of the flux at any time during the fouling test to the initial flux and relative resistance (Rf/Rm) which is the ratio of fouling (cake) layer resistance to clean membrane resistance . Turbidity, conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and total hardness were measured in the feed and permeate side of each membrane . The effluent total hardness concentrations of chemical-biological treatment plant were found greater than the influents . The results are presented in terms of the relative flux as a function of time related to hydrodynamic conditions and pollution characteristics of wastewater . The permeate water flux of RO membrane decreases more rapidly than NF membrane, the relative flux decreases with increasing the fouling layer resistance, Rf onto membrane surface . 50% the drop of permeate flux was observed for RO and NF membranes after 50 h and 80 h of operation, respectively . The fouling rate increases with an increase in the concentration of the wastewater constituents in the dairy industry . The relative flux decreased 10 and 20% with increasing chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 5,000 mgl-1 to 10,000 mgl-1 and from 45 mgl-1 to 450 mgl-1 for RO and NF membranes, respectively after 45 h of time . Fouling of membranes resulted in 100% increase of specific energy consumption as the relative permeate fluxes of NF and RO membranes decreased 30 and 40% respectively . The average of specific energy consumption was obtained at 6 and 10 kWhm-3; consequently, operational costs were estimated at U.S . $0.45 m-3 and U.S . $0.75 m-3 for NF and RO units respectively . Also, operational cost for chemical-biological treatment was found at U.S . $0.30 m-3. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 329 - 34 Treatment of dairy waste by using water hyacinth; Trivedy RK et al.; In the present study treatment of wastewater from a large dairy by using water hyacinth was studied in laboratory experiments . Effects of depth of the system, variations in area coverage, prior settling and of daily renewal of the plants was also studied on the efficacy of hyacinth in treating the dairy waste . Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was found to grow exceptionally well in the waste (BOD 840.0 mg/L) and brought down the level of BOD from 840.0 to 121.0 mg/L; COD from 1,160.0 to 164.0 mg/L, total suspended solids from 359.0 mg/L to 245.0 mg/L, TDS from 848.0 mg/L to 352.0 mg/L, total nitrogen from 26.6 mg/L to 8.9 mg/L in 4 days . There was very little reduction, however in calcium, sodium and potassium concentration . Results of different experiments showed that systems with shallow depth were more efficient in removing dissolved solids, suspended solids, BOD, COD, nitrogen and phosphorus . Daily renewal of the plants led to slightly better reduction in suspended and dissolved solids, BOD, COD and nitrogen . Water hyacinth coverage was found to have a direct bearing on the treatment efficiency . Pretreatment (settling) of the waste was also found to be favourable as dissolved oxygen content increased rapidly in the experimental sets with pretreatment . Efficiency of removal of various parameters was also good in these sets . From the study it can be concluded that dairy waste can be effectively treated by water hyacinth . Consideration of above parameters and incorporating them in design factors can greatly increase the efficiency of the system. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 315 - 20 Sustainable development of wastewater treatment strategies for the food industries; Sekoulov I; The sustainable development of environmental protection is a newly created philosophy . It means continuous development of better protection of the air, soil, water and resources, used from the industry, to be saved also for future generations . The globalization of the economy is another process, which interferes with environmental ideas, and an equilibrium with the socio-eco-sustainable development is wanted . The industry is subjected to big changes depending on economic development . Thus the treatment plants at the end of the pipe must be constructed with maximum flexibility . A removal of constructed devices, if not necessary, must be considered from the beginning as a possibility . Priority is given to integrated production processes solving wastewater problems directly by production devices . The treatment of the process wastewater streams separately will become more important . The end of the pipe solutions will be less complicated and more reliable . The reuse of valuable waste substances and treated water will reduce the total cost of the treatment plants substantially. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 297 - 304 The effect of pre-ozonation on the H2O2/UV-C treatment of raw and biologically pre-treated textile industry wastewater; Alaton IA et al.; Advanced chemical oxidation of raw and biologically pretreated wastewater by ozonation, H2O2/UV-C treatment and the successive combination of ozonation and H2O2/UV-C oxidation was investigated . For the raw textile wastewater, the application of successive O3 + H2O2/UV-C oxidation enhanced the COD and TOC removal efficiency of the H2O2 (50 mM)/UV-C process by a factor of 13 and 4, respectively . In case of the biotreated textile wastewater, the preliminary ozonation step increased COD removal of the H2O2 (10 mM)/UV-C treatment system from 15% to 62%, and TOC removal from 0% to 34%, but did not appear to be more effective than applying a single ozonation process in terms of TOC abatement rates . Enhancement of the biodegradability was more pronounced for the biologically pre-treated wastewater with a two fold average increase in the BOD5/COD ratio for the studied chemical oxidation systems. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 287 - 95 In-plant control applications and their effect on treatability of a textile mill wastewater; Dulkadiroglu H et al.; Water minimization and exploration of the potential for wastewater recovery and reuse are priority issues of industrial wastewater management . They are extremely significant for the textile industry commonly characterized with a high water demand . The study presents a detailed in-plant control survey for a wool finishing plant . A comprehensive process profile and wastewater characterization indicate that process water consumption can be reduced by 34%, and 23% of the wastewater volume can be recovered for reuse . Treatability of reusable wastewater fraction and the effect of in-plant control applications on effluent treatability were also investigated. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 279 - 86 Decolorization of textile wastewater by ozonation and Fenton's process; Sevimli MF et al.; The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of some operational parameters on the efficiency of ozonation and Fenton's process for decolorization and COD removal . Acid Red 337 and Reactive Orange 16 dye solutions and the effluents of acid and reactive dye-bath effluents were used in the experiments . The influence of ozone dose and pH for color and COD removal from the wastewater were studied . Increasing the ozone dose increased the rate constants, and color and COD removal efficiencies . Ozone consumption ratio per unit color and COD removal at any time was found to be almost the same while the applied ozone dose was different . pH did not significantly affect color and COD removal from the wastewater by ozonation . In spite of having high color removal efficiencies (60-91%), limited COD removal efficiencies between 9-17% at 30 minutes ozonation time were obtained . In the Fenton oxidation experiments, the effects of pH, temperature, dosage of ferrous sulfate and hydrogen peroxide, and the proper ratio of Fe(II)/H2O2 were studied . The result indicates that up to 99% color removal and 82% COD removal can be obtained by Fenton's oxidation . While Fenton's oxidation was greatly affected by the pH value, temperature of wastewater did not significantly affect the Fenton process for color removal . Increasing the dose of both hydrogen peroxide and ferrous sulfate enhanced the removal efficiencies of color and COD . Suitable ratios of Fe(II)/H2O2 were found to be between 0.5 and 0.83. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 241 - 50 Modelling of a recirculating granular medium filter's processes; Boutin C et al.; The effluents of French small farm factories will soon be submitted to regulation . Only a few treatment techniques are available to deal with these kind of effluent (high concentration and small daily volumes) . To allow the treatment, in the particular economic context of small food processing industries, Cemagref is trying to adapt a treatment based on attached growth cultures on fine media, a system known to be easy to operate and relatively inexpensive . A model, based on four sub-models (hydrodynamic characteristics, oxygen transport, solute transport in the mobile and immobile phases and bacterial evolution) describes this process . Based on wastewater concentration, hydraulic load, applied organic loads, feeding/rest cycles and recycling phases number, this model predicts: eliminated organic loads and the discharge concentration as a function of time, oxygen and biomass contents as a function of time and depth . The determination of the model's parameters is based on a comparison between simulations and performances achieved on experimental columns . This model would be helpful in sizing full-scale filters treating different types of agro-food wastewater . The aim of this article is to present the model's structure, to give all parameter values and to compare the simulations with the results obtained on pilot and full scale plants. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 225 - 32 Use of recycling through medium size granular filters to treat small food processing industry effluents; Menoret C et al.; Currently there are no suitable wastewater treatment systems for effluents from small food processing industries (dairy, cheese, wine production) . Such raw sewages are characterized by high organic matter concentrations (about 10 g COD L-1) and relatively low daily volumes (about 2 m3) . An adaptation of attached-growth cultures on fine media processes, known to be easy and inexpensive to use, could fit both the technical and economical context of those industries . Coarser filter particle size distributions than those normally used allow a better aeration and reduce clogging risk . The transit time of the effluent through the porous filter materials is shortened and requires recycling to increase the contact time between the biomass and the substrate . A pilot plant was built to compare the efficiency of two kinds of filter materials, gravel (2-5 mm) and pozzolana (3-7 mm) . Two measurement campaigns were undertaken on a full-scale unit dealing with cheese dairy effluents . Both pilot-scale and full-scale plants show high COD removal rates (> 95%) . Pilot-scale experiments show that accumulation of organic matter leads to the clogging of the recycling filter . To prevent early clogging, a better definition of feeding cycles is needed. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 205 - 15 Assessment of source-based nitrogen removal alternatives in leather tanning industry wastewater; Zengin G et al.; Nitrogen is an important parameter of leather tanning wastewaters . Magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP) precipitation is a chemical treatment alternative for ammonia removal . In this study, a detailed source-based wastewater characterisation of a bovine leather tannery was made and nitrogen speciation as well as other basic pollutant parameter values was evaluated . This evaluation has led to definition of alternatives for source-based MAP treatment . MAP precipitation experiments conducted on these alternatives have yielded over 90% ammonia removal at pH 9.5 and using stoichiometric doses . Among the alternatives tested liming-deliming and bating-washing was found to be the most advantageous providing 71% ammonia removal. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 151 - 8 Algal treatment of pulp and paper industry wastewaters in SBR systems; Tarlan E et al.; Highly colored and highly polluted pulp and paper industry wastewaters are proposed to be treated by using algae in sequential batch reactors (SBR) . Results of batch studies revealed that up to 74% COD; 74% color removal could be attained in about 40 days of incubation . From the preliminary SBR experiments, filling period was found to be a critical step affecting the overall efficiency when mixing and aeration is applied during filling . Therefore, 5 different filling periods (4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 days) were studied with a total SBR cycle of 15 days . For all filling periods; COD, color and AOX removal efficiencies increased with increasing filling time . Maximum removal efficiencies achieved were 60 to 85% for COD, 42 to 75% for color and 82 to 93% for AOX for the filling periods of 4 to 12 days . For 8 days or longer filling periods, no additional reaction time was required . Results showed that, organics in the wastewater were both chlorinated and non-chlorinated; algae removed these mainly by metabolism; and chlorine cleavage from chlorinated organic molecules was more rapid than the degradation of non-chlorinated and colored organics . Adsorbed lignin on algal biomass was found to be varying between 10-20% depending on filling period applied. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(12), 1 - 11 Appropriate basis of effluent standards for industrial wastewaters; Tilche A et al.; Designing industrial discharge standards should reflect the numerical compromise between what can be achieved to prevent environmental pollution and sustainable development . They should involve categorical limitations for specific sources . Micropollutants represent the major concern for industrial effluents . A micropollutant-based subcategorization is needed for an effective control of industrial effluents . Regulations imposed require a comprehensive knowledge of polluting processes and sources, and technological limits of available treatment technologies. Anal Sci, 2002 Aug, 18(8), 875 - 9 A 9,10-anthraquinone derivative having two propenyl arms as a neutral ionophore for highly selective and sensitive membrane sensors for copper(II) ion; Shamsipur M et al.; New polymeric membrane (PME) and coated graphite (CGE) copper(II)-selective electrodes based on 1-hydroxy-2-(prop-2'-enyl)-4-(prop-2'-enyloxy)-9,10-anthraquinone were prepared . The electrodes reveal linear emf-pCu2+ responses over wide concentration ranges (1.0 x 10(-5)-1.0 x 10(-1) M with a slope of 27.3 mV decade-1 for PME and 8.0 x 10(-8)-5.0 x 10(-2) M with a slope of 29.1 mV decade-1 for CGE) and very low limits of detection (8.0 x 10(-6) M for PME and 5.0 x 10(-8) M for CGE) . The potentiometric response is independent of the pH of the test solution in the pH range 3.0-6.0 . The proposed electrodes possess very good selectivities over a wide variety of other cations, including alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions, the selectivity coefficients for the CGE being much improved over those for the PME . The electrodes were used as indicator electrodes in the potentiometric titration of Cu2+ and in the recovery of copper ions from wastewater. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Jul 26, 964(1-2), 153 - 60 Method based on solid-phase microextraction--high-performance liquid chromatography with UV and electrochemical detection to determine estrogenic compounds in water samples; Penalver A et al.; We determined a group of estrogenic compounds by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with both ultraviolet (UV) and electrochemical detection (ED) . A modified liquid chromatograph was used . Polyacrylate fibers (85 microns) were used to extract the analytes from the aqueous samples . Dynamic and static modes of desorption were compared and the variables affecting both absorption and desorption processes in SPME-HPLC were optimized . Static desorption gave the best recoveries and peak shapes . The performance of the SPME-HPLC-UV-ED method was checked with river water and wastewater . The method enabled estrogenic compounds to be determined at low-microgram l-1 levels in real water samples . Limits of detection were between 0.3 and 1.1 micrograms l-1 using UV detection and between 0.06 and 0.08 microgram l-1 using ED . beta-Estradiol was found in samples from a wastewater treatment plant at concentrations between 1.9 and 2.2 micrograms l-1. J Environ Monit, 2002 Aug, 4(4), 505 - 10 Copper fractionation with dissolved organic matter in natural waters and wastewater--a mixed micelle mediated methodology (cloud point extraction) employing flame atomic absorption spectrometry; Giokas DL et al.; A cloud point extraction-preconcentration methodology for the speciation analysis of free and organically complexed metal species in natural waters is presented . The method is based on the neutralization of the electrostatic charge of the humate-metal complexes with a positively charged surfactant in a high ionic strength solution environment . The resulting complexes are conveniently solubilized in the micelles of a non-ionic surfactant medium and are thus separated from the bulk aqueous phase . Free metal species are also determined by complexation with a conventional chelating agent under mild conditions . The overall procedure is easy, rapid and allows for a high sample throughput in terms of massive analysis of many samples in the same time period . The method offers substantially low detection limits of 8.5 and 0.9 micrograms l-1 for bound and labile species respectively, with a calibration curve rectilinear in the wide range 40-150 micrograms l-1 for the humate associated and 4-40 micrograms l-1 for the free metal species . The method is free from interferences yielding recoveries in the range 97-102% for various samples of different matrixes. Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2002, 8(3), 331 - 8 Intranet-based safety documentation in management of major hazards and occupational health and safety; Leino A; In the European Union, Council Directive 96/82/EC requires operators producing, using, or handling significant amounts of dangerous substances to improve their safety management systems in order to better manage the major accident potentials deriving from human error . A new safety management system for the Viikinmaki wastewater treatment plant in Helsinki, Finland, was implemented in this study . The system was designed to comply with both the new safety liabilities and the requirements of OHSAS 18001 (British Standards Institute, 1999) . During the implementation phase experiences were gathered from the development processes in this small organisation . The complete documentation was placed in the intranet of the plant . Hyperlinks between documents were created to ensure convenience of use . Documentation was made accessible for all workers from every workstation. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 87 - 92 A new model for anaerobic processes of up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors based on cellular automata; Skiadas IV et al.; The advantageous performance of the UASB reactors is due to the immobilisation of the active biomass, since bacteria coagulate forming aggregates usually called granules . Changes in organic loading rate, hydraulic loading rate or influent substrate composition usually result in changes in granule characteristics and lead to different reactor behaviour . A dynamic mathematical model has been developed for the anaerobic digestion of a glucose based synthetic wastewater in UASB reactors . Cellular automata (CA) theory has been applied to simulate the granule development process . The model takes into consideration that granule diameter and granule microbial composition are functions of the reactor operational parameters and is capable of predicting the UASB performance and the layer structure of the granules. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 81 - 6 Simulation of a periodic anaerobic baffled reactor (PABR): steady state and dynamic response; Stamatelatou K et al.; The Periodic Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (PABR) is a novel high-rate configuration for wastewater treatment . The reactor resembles an ABR with the compartments arranged in a circular manner . The feeding and effluent points are periodically set in different compartments by proper manipulation of valves that determine the flow pattern . This way of feeding makes the reactor response oscillating and gives the PABR a great flexibility in the operation mode . A 15 litre PABR was operated on a gelatin based medium under steady and variable organic loading rate . The experimental conditions were simulated using a mathematical model whose primary feature was that each compartment was considered as a two-section tank, each section with a different biomass concentration in them . The degree of biomass accumulation was determined indirectly by the operating conditions and the reactor dynamics and was not set a-priori. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 329 - 34 Combining UASB technology and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to treat food processing wastewaters; Sigge GO et al.; UASB treatment of fruit cannery and winery effluents was shown to be feasible . However, the treated effluents still have residual COD levels well above the legal limit of 75 mg.l(-1) for direct discharge to a water system and a form of post-treatment is necessary to reduce the COD further . Ozone and ozone/hydrogen peroxide were used in combination with a granular activated carbon contacting column to assess the effectiveness as a post-treatment option for the UASB treated fruit cannery and winery effluent . Colour reduction in the effluents ranged from 66 to 90% and COD reductions of 27-55% were achieved . The combination of ozone and hydrogen peroxide gave better results than ozonation alone . Significant progress was thus made in achieving the legal limit of 75 mg.l(-1). Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 321 - 8 Anaerobic digestion for sustainable development: a natural approach; Gljzen HJ; After the discovery of methane gas by Alessandro Volta in 1776, it took about 100 years before anaerobic processes for the treatment of wastewater and sludges were introduced . The development of high rate anaerobic digesters for the treatment of sewage and industrial wastewater took until the nineteen-seventies and for solid waste even till the nineteen-eighties . All digesters have in common that they apply natural anaerobic consortia of microorganisms for degradation and transformation processes . In view of this, it could be rewarding to evaluate the efficiency of natural ecosystems for their possible application . Examples of high rate anaerobic natural systems include the forestomach of ruminants and the hindgut of certain insects, such as termites and cockroaches . These 'natural reactors' exhibit volumetric methane production rates as high as 35 l/l.d . The development of anaerobic reactors based on such natural anaerobic systems could produce eco-technologies for the effective management of a wide variety of solid wastes and industrial wastewater . Important limitations of anaerobic treatment of domestic sewage relate to the absence of nutrient and pathogen removal . A combination of anaerobic pre-treatment followed by photosynthetic posttreatment is proposed for the effective recovery of energy and nutrients from sewage . This eco-technology approach is based on the recognition that the main nutrient assimilating capacity is housed in photosynthetic plants . The proposed anaerobic-photosynthetic process is energy efficient, cost effective and applicable under a wide variety of rural and urban conditions . In conclusion: a natural systems approach towards waste management could generate affordable eco-technologies for effective treatment and resource recovery. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 207 - 12 Treatment of fish processing wastewater in a one- or two-step upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor; Palenzuela-Rollon A et al.; The performance of one-step UASB reactors treating fish processing wastewater of different lipid levels was determined using artificially generated influent simulating that of the canning of sardines and tuna . The organic loading rates (OLR) and the hydraulic retention times (HRT) were 5-8 g COD.l(-1).d(-1) and 11-12 hours, respectively . In treating a wastewater that contains 3-4 g.l(-1) total COD of which 5-9% was lipids, the COD removal and conversion to methane were ca.78% and 61%, respectively . In treating a wastewater with a higher lipid content (ca . 47% of the total COD), the total COD removed and converted to methane were 92% and 47%, respectively . A considerable part of the influent total COD was removed via adsorption on reactor surfaces and sludge particles . The adsorption of lipids on sludge particles threatens the stability of the UASB operation . Thus, the performance of a first-step UASB reactor in removing suspended solids (SS) from a "high-lipid" wastewater was also determined in this study. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 201 - 6 Acidogenesis of dairy wastewater at various pH levels; Yu HG et al.; Continuous experiments were conducted to study the influence of pH in the range 4.0-6.5 on the acidification of dairy wastewater at 37 degrees C with 12 hours of hydraulic retention in an upflow reactor . Results showed that degradation of dairy pollutants increased with pH from pH 4.0 to 5.5 . At pH 5.5, 95% of carbohydrate, 82% of protein and 41% of lipid were degraded . Based on chemical oxygen demand (COD), 48.4% of dairy pollutants were converted into volatile fatty acids and alcohols in the mixed liquor, 6.1% into hydrogen and methane in biogas, and the remaining 4.9% into biomass . The biomass yield at pH 5.5 was estimated as 0.32 mg-VSS/mg-COD . Further increase of pH, up to 6.5, increased degradation of carbohydrate, protein and lipid only slightly, but resulted in the lowering of overall acid and alcohol production due to their increased conversion into methane . Acetate, propionate, butyrate and ethanol are the main products of acidogenesis . Productions of propionate and ethanol were favored at pH 4.0-4.5, whereas productions of acetate and butyrate were favored at pH 6.0-6.5. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 195 - 200 Expert system for the on-line diagnosis of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants; Punal A et al.; A diagnosis system for anaerobic wastewater treatment processes is presented . The system is able to recognise the state and trend of the operation and suggest the appropriate control action . The on-line variables measured were gas flow rate and composition (methane and carbon monoxide), feed and recycling flow rates, temperature and pH, while the manipulable inputs are feed, recycling and buffer-addition flow rates . The diagnosis system comprises a structured rule base, incorporating expert knowledge using fuzzy logic features . The structure of the system is based on the classification of information related to the process in three categories: i) the state of the process, ii) its trend and iii) the recommended set-point values for the inputs manipulated: feeding, buffer and recycling pumps . The system was applied to diagnose the operation of a 1.1 m3 hybrid UASB-UAF treating wastewater from a fibreboard production factory under different conditions (overload and underload), corresponding to some of the typical causes of destabilisation in anaerobic wastewater treatment plants . These situations require control action in order to maintain the stability and the treatment capacity of the reactor . The application of the system developed for the purpose of managing the situation proved to be reliable for supplying the actual state and trend of the process, as well as the adequate set point values to recover stable operation and/or to avoid further destabilisation. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 187 - 93 The influence of calcium on granular sludge in a full-scale UASB treating paper mill wastewater; Batstone DJ et al.; Calcium precipitation can have a number of effects on the performance of high-rate anaerobic performance including cementing of the sludge bed, limiting diffusion, and diluting the active biomass . The aim of this study was to observe the influence of precipitation in a stable full-scale system fed with high-calcium paper factory wastewater . Granules were examined from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (volume 1,805 m3) at a recycled paper mill with a loading rate of 5.7-6.6 kgCOD.m(-3).d(-1) and influent calcium concentration of 400-700 gCa m(-3) . The granules were relatively small (1 mm), with a 200-400 microm core of calcium precipitate as observed with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy . Compared to other granules, Methanomicrobiales not Methanobacteriales were the dominant hydrogen or formate utilisers, and putative acidogens were filamentous . The strength of the paper mill fed granules was very high when compared to granules from other full-scale reactors, and a partial linear correlation between granule strength and calcium concentration was identified. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 157 - 62 Physical modelling of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor: near-field study; Gimenez JR et al.; This paper presents a physical evaluation of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor . Specifically, the study contemplates the region influenced by the wastewater inlet jets at the bottom of the reactor, here termed the near-field area . A three-dimensional physical model of a UASB reactor in reduced scale, geometrically and dynamically correlated to a full-scale prototype was used in the evaluation . From the analysis of the major forces acting and of the physical properties investigated in the prototype, it was possible to establish non-dimensional relations that were applied to the reduced scale model, allowing the investigation of the phenomenon of interest . Tests were developed on the model to visualise the inlet flows under the buoyant effect at the bottom of the reactor, through the injection of a tracer fluid in the area with higher density, simulating the effects of the sludge bed . Based on the experimental results, it was possible to provide dimensioning criteria for the jet distribution system in UASB reactors. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(10), 133 - 8 On-line measurements of COD, TOC, VFA, total and partial alkalinity in anaerobic digestion processes using infra-red ectrometry; Steyer P et al.; This paper describes the use of a Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectrometer as an on-line sensor to measure Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA), and Partial and Total Alkalinity (PA and TA) in anaerobic digestion processes for the treatment of industrial wastewaters . Comparison with manual off-line analysis and with an on-line industrial TOC analyser and an on-line titrimetric sensor (for the measurements of VFA, TA and PA) are provided to demonstrate the interest of spectral analysis in the mid infra-red domain for the monitoring of anaerobic digestion processes . In order to further illustrate the advantages of using such a technique, on-line measurements recorded during an accident of the pH regulation in the input (pH in the reactor went above 11 and biomass activity stopped) are shown . They demonstrate that, if carefully performed, the calibration can be extended outside its range while being still compatible with requirements of wastewater treatment processes. Water Res, 2002 Jul, 36(13), 3298 - 306 Use of bituminous coal for concentration of enteroviruses from sewage and effluent; Lakhe SB et al.; A method has been developed for concentration of enteroviruses from untreated and treated domestic wastewater using bituminous coal bed as a virus adsorbent . A bed made from 1.5 g of 120 mesh coal powder was used for concentrating enteroviruses from 100 ml of clarified sewage at different pH values with and without addition of AlCl3 . To enhance the adsorption of viruses, requisite quantities of aluminium chloride were added so that a final concentration of 0.0005 M could be achieved . At pH 3.0 maximum adsorption (82.8%) of poliovirus type 1 from artificially contaminated clarified sewage was observed without addition of AlCl3 . However, at pH 5.0 maximum virus adsorption of 98.7% was achieved after addition of aluminium chloride . An average recovery of 86.9% of adsorbed viruses at pH 5.0 was achieved from coal bed with 3% flocculating beef extract at pH 9.5 . This method for concentration of enteroviruses incorporating use of coal was compared with that of Millipore membrane filter method applied to raw sewage and clarified sewage . The results obtained from the methodology using coal as adsorbent was subjected to Student's "t" test and it was observed that its efficiency is confirmed for recovery of enteroviruses from raw and nonclarified sewage . These results are also comparable with that obtained with MF method . The results presented in this paper are indicative of the potential of this method for both treated and raw sewage. J Chromatogr A, 2002 Jul 19, 963(1-2), 249 - 57 Determination of volatile alkyl sulfides in wastewater by headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; Abalos M et al.; An analytical procedure based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in the electron impact mode has been developed for the determination of low-molecular-mass sulfides and disulfides in wastewater . Parameters affecting to the extraction of these volatile alkyl sulfides (VASs) with the SPME, such as the extraction temperature, sample volume, pH and the NaCl addition to the matrix, have been optimised using a polydimethylsiloxane-Carboxen fibre . The linear dynamic range was close to three orders of magnitude for all the studied compounds . Detection limits of 4 ng l(-1) for dimethyl sulfide, 0.7 ng l(-1) for ethylmethyl sulfide, 5 ng l(-1) for diethyl sulfide and 1 ng l(-1) for dimethyl disulfide were achieved, with a relative standard deviation between 4 and 6% . The developed analytical methodology was applied to determine those VASs in different wastewaters. Ann Chim, 2002 Jul-Aug, 92(7-8), 677 - 88 Lead removal and recovery from battery industry wastewaters by soluble starch xanthate; Tiravanti G et al.; Treatment, removal and recovery of lead (3 mg/L) from battery industry wastewaters have been investigated utilising a chemical precipitation process with soluble starch xanthate (SX) at pH 5-6 . A reactant ratio, i.e., SX/Pb(II) = 6 mol/mol, a reaction time of 15 min., the addition of 15 mg/L of a cationic polyelectrolyte and a final filtration gave residual lead concentrations in the liquid phase less than 0.2 mg/L, well below the maximum limit established by the EU Directive . Lead was extracted from the obtained sludge by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide solutions . The amounts of oxidant needed were quantified as 13.5 mol NaClO/mol Pb and one order of magnitude larger, for H2O2, the latter due to the competitive disproportion reaction of the oxidant . The metal extraction was quantitative using sodium hypochlorite; when hydrogen peroxide was used, the formation of insoluble PbSO4 (Anglesite) gave a 80% metal extraction . In both cases molar ratios between sulphate and lead ions in the extracted solutions were in the range 2.1-2.2, in agreement with the stoichiometries of the reactions . Lead can be quantitatively recovered from the extracted (NaClO) solutions, for reuse, after a chemical precipitation process with 1M NaOH at pH 9-9.5, in the form of hydrocerussite {Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2}. J Air Waste Manag Assoc, 2002 Aug, 52(8), 912 - 7 The fate and behavior of mercury in coal-fired power plants; Meij R et al.; For the past 22 years in the Netherlands, the behavior of Hg in coal-fired power plants has been studied extensively . Coal from all over the world is fired in Dutch power stations . First, the Hg concentrations in these coals were measured . Second, the fate of the Hg during combustion was established by performing mass balance studies . On average, 43 +/- 30% of the Hg was present in the flue gases downstream of the electrostatic precipitator (ESP; dust collector) . In individual cases, this figure can vary between 1 and 100% . Important parameters are the Cl content of the fuel and the flue gas temperature in the ESP . On average, 54 +/- 24% of the gaseous Hg was removed in the wet flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, which are present at all Dutch coal-power stations . In individual cases, this removal can vary between 8% (outlier) and 72% . On average, the fate of Hg entering the power station in the coal was as follows: <1% in the bottom ash, 49% in the pulverized fuel ash (ash collected in the ESP), 16.6% in the FGD gypsum, 9% in the sludge of the wastewater treatment plant, 0.04% in the effluent of the wastewater treatment plant, 0.07% in fly dust (leaving the stack), and 25% as gaseous Hg in the flue gases and emitted into the air . The distribution of Hg over the streams leaving the FGD depends strongly on the installation . On average, 75% of the Hg was removed, and the final concentration of Hg in the emitted flue gases of the Dutch power stations was only -3 microg/m3(STP) at 6% O2 . During co-combustion with biomass, the removal of Hg was similar to that during 100% coal firing . Speciation of Hg is a very important factor . An oxidized form (HgCl2) favors a high degree of removal . The conversion from Hg0 to HgCl2 is positively correlated with the Cl content of the fuel . A catalytic DENOX (SCR) favors the formation of oxidized Hg, and, in combination with a wet FGD, the total removal can be as high as 90%. Microbiology, 2002 Aug, 148(Pt 8), 2309 - 18 Filamentous Chloroflexi (green non-sulfur bacteria) are abundant in wastewater treatment processes with biological nutrient removal; Bjornsson L et al.; Most filamentous bacteria in biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes have not been identified beyond their morphotype and simple staining reactions . Furthermore, the majority of sludge filaments observed under the microscope do not hybridize to commonly used phylogenetic probes for well characterized bacterial phyla such as the Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and BACTEROIDETES: Specific 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes were designed for the phylum Chloroflexi (green non-sulfur bacteria) and optimized for use in fluorescence in situ hybridization . Chloroflexi have been implicated in BNR systems by phylogenetic identification of filamentous bacteria isolated by micromanipulation from sludge and culture-independent molecular phylogenetic surveys . The predominant morphotype responding to the probes was filamentous and these filaments were generally abundant in 10 Australian full-scale and two laboratory-scale BNR samples examined . Filamentous bacteria responding to a subdivision 1 Chloroflexi probe were rare in the samples, whereas subdivision 3 Chloroflexi filaments were very common in some sludges . This is in direct contrast to results obtained from molecular phylogenetic surveys of BNR systems where most sludge 16S rDNA clones belong to subdivision 1 and only a few to subdivision 3 . It is suggested that filamentous bacteria belonging to the Chloroflexi phylum account for a large fraction of phylogenetically uncharacterized filaments in BNR systems and are likely to be abundant in such systems on a global scale. Anal Chem, 2002 Aug 1, 74(15), 3858 - 64 A flow method with photocatalytic oxidation of dissolved organic matter using a solid-phase (TiO2) reactor followed by amperometric detection of consumed oxygen; Kim YC et al.; A photocatalytic sensor for the determination of chemical oxygen demand (COD) using titanium dioxide, based on the use of a pair of oxygen electrodes and flow injection analysis, is described . The measuring principle is based on the direct determination of the oxygen concentration change resulting from photocataltic oxidation of organic compounds . One of the two oxygen electrodes, the reference oxygen electrode, was utilized to measure the reference signal responding only to oxygen present in the injected samples . Oxygen consumption due to the TiO2-catalyzed photochemical oxidation of organic compounds in samples was monitored with the working oxygen electrode . The COD value of this sensor was calculated as the difference of the currents at reference and working oxygen electrodes, respectively . The operation characteristics of the sensor are demonstrated using artificially treated wastewater as a substrate . The sensor was also applied to the determination of COD in real water samples from dam reservoirs (n = 20) all over Japan . The results were in good agreement with those from the conventional COD methods (i.e., permanganate and dichromate methods). J Environ Qual, 2002 Jul-Aug, 31(4), 1349 - 61 Phosphorus forms in biosolids-amended soils and losses in runoff: effects of wastewater treatment process; Penn CJ et al.; Continuous addition of municipal biosolids to soils based on plant nitrogen (N) requirements can cause buildup of soil phosphorus (P) in excess of crop requirements; runoff from these soils can potentially contribute to nonpoint P pollution of surface waters . However, because biosolids are often produced using lime and/or metal salts, the potential for biosolids P to cause runoff P losses can vary with wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) process . This study was conducted to determine the effect of wastewater treatment process on the forms and amounts of P in biosolids, biosolids-amended soils, and in runoff from biosolids-amended soils . We amended two soil types with eight biosolids and a poultry litter (PL) at equal rates of total P (200 kg ha(-1); unamended soils were used as controls . All biosolids and amended soils were analyzed for various types of extractable P, inorganic P fractions, and the degree of P saturation (acid ammonium oxalate method) . Amended soils were placed under a simulated rainfall and all runoff was collected and analyzed for dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), iron-oxide-coated filter paper strip-extractable phosphorus (FeO-P), and total phosphorus (EPA3050 P) . Results showed that biosolids produced with a biological nutrient removal (BNR) process caused the highest increases in extractable soil P and runoff DRP . Alternatively, biosolids produced with iron only consistently had the lowest extractable P and caused the lowest increases in extractable soil P and runoff DRP when added to soils . Differences in soil and biosolids extractable P levels as well as P runoff losses were related to the inorganic P forms of the biosolids. J Appl Microbiol, 2002, 93(3), 473 - 8 Prevalence of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) in slurry, farmyard manure and sewage sludge in France; Vernozy-Rozand C et al.; AIMS: The aims of the present study were to determine VTEC prevalence in manure, slurry and sewage sludge in France and to characterize the VTEC strains isolated (virulence genes and serotype) . METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven hundred and fifty-two samples from 55 farmyard manures, 136 bovine and porcine faeces, 114 slurries, 10 composts, and 437 samples from outflows of sewage wastewater treatment plants were analysed . Twenty-four percent contained isolates which were PCR positive for stx gene . Twenty-one VTEC strains were recovered from positive samples by colony hybridization: 76% of them were positive for stx(2) gene, 33% for stx(1) gene,and 19% for eae gene . One strain belonged to serotype O157:H7 and two others to serogroups O26 and O55, respectively . CONCLUSIONS: Some of the VTEC strains isolated from environments in France should be considered as potentially pathogenic for humans . SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Appropriate handling or use of manure, slurry and sewage sludge is necessary so that contamination of the environment and food by VTEC can be prevented. AIHA J (Fairfax, Va), 2002 May-Jun, 63(3), 340 - 7 Exposure modeling and risk assessment at a water pollution control plant; Hernandez DW; This study utilized tracer gas methods, influent source analysis, and simulation techniques to develop a method for predicting air concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a barscreen room at a water pollution control plant . Water pollution control plant workers are potentially exposed to numerous VOCs during routine tasks including wastewater sampling, equipment maintenance, and cleaning . Since air concentrations of VOCs within the barscreen room are assumed to be related to the VOC loading of the wastewater, exposures are expected to be variable . Due to the limitations of plant staff, limited resources, and the large number of sampling days required to adequately characterize exposures, traditional industrial hygiene monitoring methods were not judged to be feasible for exposure evaluation . This study incorporated source analysis and Monte Carlo simulation techniques to address the variability and uncertainty associated with the air contaminant emissions and to evaluate the risks associated with exposure to this area of the plant . The study was successful in developing a method for estimating barscreen room air concentrations of dissolved VOCs. Water Res, 2002 Jul, 36(12), 2991 - 8 Removal of phosphate, magnesium and calcium from swine wastewater through crystallization enhanced by aeration; Suzuki K et al.; In order to confirm the possibility of removing P04-P, Mg and Ca from swine wastewater through artificial crystallization by aeration, laboratory and pilot scale experiments were carried out using actual swine wastewater . The pH of swine wastewater increased up to approximately 8.5 with continuous aeration, and a large part of the soluble PO4-P, Mg and Ca was crystallized . The ingredients of the crystals were estimated as MAP and HAP according to their mole ratio of NH4-N, PO4-P, Mg and Ca . The sedimentation speed of crystals in swine wastewater was about 3 m h(-1), and over 90% of them had settled after standing 1 h . A pilot scale reactor with the dual functions of crystallization by aeration and settling was operated continuously using actual swine wastewater, with aeration conditions of HRT 4.1 h and 26m3 airh(-1) m(-2) cross section (18m3 air h(-1) m(-3) volume) . During 50 days of operation, pH at the aeration column held stable at 8.0, and 65% of PO4-P, 51% of Mg, and 34% of Ca were removed. Water Res, 2002 Jul, 36(12), 2941 - 8 Removal of ammonium and phosphorus ions from synthetic wastewater by the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris coimmobilized in alginate beads with the microalgae growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense; de-Bashan LE et al.; Coimmobilization of the freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris in alginate beads with the microalgae growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense under semi-continuous synthetic wastewater culture conditions significantly increased the removal of ammonium and soluble phosphorus ions compared to immobilization of the microalgae alone . In continuous or batch cultures removal of these ions followed a similar trend but was less efficient than in semi-continuous culture . It is proposed that coimmobilization of a microalgae with microalgae growth-promoting bacteria can serve as a tool in devising novel wastewater treatments. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(11), 3 - 8 Rivers of life: the challenge of restoring health to freshwater ecosystems; Postel S; The world is moving into a period of widespread water stress and competition, with enormous implications for food security, the health of the aquatic environment, and social and political stability . In the second half of the 20th Century water demand more than tripled, the major factor being irrigation for food production . Over the same period, the number of large dams worldwide climbed from 5,000 to 45,000-bringing about a major alteration of river hydrology and ecosystem function . Rivers have been disconnected from portions of their channels, their floodplains, their deltas, and from the seas into which they empty . The resulting loss of aquatic habitat has put freshwater life in grave jeopardy . In the 21st Century it will be possible to satisfy the needs of 8-9 billion people while protecting the health of aquatic ecosystems, but only with a fundamental shift in the way society uses, manages and values freshwater . It will likely require a doubling of water productivity over the next 25 years--including more efficient irrigation practices and greater recycling of wastewater . To guide policy, nations need to systematically determine their freshwater ecosystem flow requirements in a way that perhaps only South Africa is attempting so far . Underpinning all these measures is the need for a guiding water ethic that states that enough water should be provided for all living things before some get more than enough. Water Sci Technol, 2002, 45(11), 161 - 8 A micro case study of the legal and administrative arrangements for river health in the Kangaroo River (NSW); Mooney C et al.; Kangaroo Valley is a drinking water supply catchment for Kangaroo Valley village, parts of the Southern Highlands and Sydney . It is also a popular recreation area both for swimming and canoeing . Land use has traditionally been dominated by dairy farming but there has been significant and continuing development of land for hobby farms and rural residential subdivision . Dairy industry restructuring has affected the viability of some farms in the Valley and created additional pressure for subdivision . River health is a function of flows, water quality, riparian vegetation, geomorphology and aquatic habitat and riverine biota . River flows in the Kangaroo River are affected by water extraction and storage for urban water supply and extraction by commercial irrigators and riparian land holders which have a significant impact at low flows . Current water quality often does not meet ANZECC Guidelines for primary contact and recreation and the river is a poor source of raw drinking water . Key sources of contaminants are wastewater runoff from agriculture, and poorly performing on-site sewage management systems . Riparian vegetation, which is critical to the maintenance of in-stream ecosystems suffers from uncontrolled stock access and weed infestation . The management of land use and resulting diffuse pollution sources is critical to the long term health of the river . The Healthy Rivers Commission of New South Wales Independent Inquiry into the Shoalhaven River System Final Report July, 1999 found that the longer term protection of the health of the Kangaroo River is contingent upon achievement of patterns of land use that have regard to land capability and also to the capability of the river to withstand the impacts of inappropriate or poorly managed land uses . This micro case study of Kangaroo Valley examines the complex legal and administrative arrangements with particular reference to the management of diffuse pollution for river health . In the past, diffuse pollution has fallen through the gaps in legislation and its administration . Although water pollution legislation is broad enough to embrace diffuse pollution, in practice the Environment Protection Authority has focused on regulating point sources . Water legislation has traditionally been concerned with issues of water quantity rather than water quality . Legislation which allows agency intervention in relation to land degradation has grown from soil conservation roots, neglecting the flow-on effects upon water quality . Under the land use planning system existing land uses are protected from new regulatory requirements . A number of recent developments in NSW law and its administration have set the scene for addressing this past neglect . Water planning provisions in the Water Management Act 2000 have the potential to enable community based Water Management Committees to move away from a narrow focus on water quantity to the broader issues of river health, including water quality . Improved management of on-site sewage management systems is expected as a result of the Local Government (Approvals) Amendment (Sewage Management Regulation) 1998 . A draft Regional Environmental Plan prepared for the Sydney Catchment Authority aims to improve the assessment of new development in terms of its impact on drinking water quality . It also moves away from an exclusive concern with controlling new development towards grappling with existing uses . Proposed amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 as detailed in the White Paper, Plan First (2001) include the integration of imperatives derived from catchment strategies and water management plans into local land use plans. Can J Microbiol, 2002 Jun, 48(6), 514 - 21 Increased pigment and lipid content, lipid variety, and cell and population size of the microalgae Chlorella spp . when co-immobilized in alginate beads with the microalgae-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense; de-Bashan LE et al.; Three strains of the freshwater microalgae used for wastewater treatment, Chlorella vulgaris and Chlorella sorokiniana co-immobilized separately in alginate beads with the microalgae-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense Cd, resulted in significant changes in microalgal-population size, cell size, cell cytology, pigment, lipid content, and the variety of fatty acids produced in comparison with microalgae immobilized in alginate without the bacterium . Cells of C . vulgaris UTEX 2714 did not change in size, but the population size within the beads significantly increased . On the other hand, C . vulgaris UTEX 395 cells grew 62% larger, but their numbers did not increase . The population of C . sorokiniana UTEX 1602 increased, but not their cell size . The content of pigments chlorophyll a and b, lutein, and violoaxanthin increased in all microalgal species . The lipid content also significantly increased in all three strains, and the number of different fatty acids in the microalgae increased from four to eight . This study indicates that the microalgae-growth-promoting bacterium induced significant changes in the metabolism of the microalgae. Rev Panam Salud Publica, 2002 May-Jun, 11(5-6), 374 - 85 {Information for health equity in Chile}; Arteaga O et al.; OBJECTIVES: To estimate the magnitude of geographical health inequalities in Chile through key indicators based on data and information that are routinely collected and easily obtained, and to characterize the current situation with respect to the availability, quality, and access to information on health equity that official sources routinely collect . METHODS: A conceptual framework proposed by the World Health Organization was used to study health equity in terms of four dimensions: 1) state of health, 2) health determinants, 3) resources for and the supply of health system services, and 4) utilization of health system services . For each of these four dimensions, indicators were selected for which there was available information . The information was aggregated according to geographical and administrative units in the country: communes (342 in Chile), sanitary districts called "Health Services" (28), and regions (13) . The aggregated information was analyzed using univariate analysis (distribution characteristics), bivariate analysis (correlations and frequency tables), and tabulation of values for selected indicators for the communes . RESULTS: With respect to the first dimension, state of health, we found an inverse relationship between mortality and average family income in the communes (r = -0.24; P < 0.001; n = 191 communes) . With health determinants, there were important differences among the communes with regard to average household income, years of schooling, literacy, quality of housing, drinking water supply, and the wastewater disposal system . In terms of resources for and the supply of health system services, the municipal governments of the communes with higher average household incomes tended to contribute more funds per beneficiary (r = 0.19; P = 0.013) . The financial contributions from the national government were targeted well, but they only partially compensated for the more limited resources available in poorer communes . With respect to the utilization of health care services per beneficiary in the different sanitary districts, we found some large differences . In terms of the ratio between the highest rate of utilization in any of the districts and the lowest rate in any other district, the ratio for primary-care visits per beneficiary was 2.8, the ratio for emergency-care visits was 3.9, and the ratio for hospitalizations was 2.0 . CONCLUSIONS: There are important geographical differences in Chile with respect to mortality and other health outcomes, income and environmental conditions, and the financing and utilization of health care services . The information that is collected regularly and is available to characterize the health-related variables frequently has limitations in terms of quality, sustainability, and access . In Chile it would be pointless to focus the greatest efforts on reorganizing the information systems . The existing indicators showing marked inequalities are adequate to support the planning of interventions aimed at making urgently needed improvements in the situation of the worst-off Chileans. Ultrason Sonochem, 2002 Jul, 9(3), 123 - 31 Wastewater treatment: a novel energy efficient hydrodynamic cavitational technique; Sivakumar M et al.; A novel method of treating a dye solution has been studied by hydrodynamic cavitation using multiple hole orifice plates . The present work deals with the effect of geometry of the multiple hole orifice plates on the degradation of a cationic dye rhodamine B (rhB) solution . The efficiency of this technique has been compared with the cavitation generated by ultrasound and it has been found that there is substantial enhancement in the extent of degradation of this dye solution using hydrodynamic cavitation . Large-scale operation coupled with better energy efficiency makes this technique a viable alternative for conventional cavitational reactors. Water Res, 2002 May, 36(10), 2673 - 80 Water quality control in the river Arno; Campolo M et al.; In this work, we analyzed pollution in the river Arno using a non-steady advection-dispersion-reaction equation (ADRE) calibrated on experimental data . We examined the influence different pollution control strategies have on dissolved oxygen (DO) . We considered (i) flow rate variation; (ii) local oxygenation at critical points; (iii) dynamic modification of wastewater load . Results indicate first, that reservoir management is effective in reducing pollution; second, that local oxygenation is necessary to ensure that DO does not fall below safety levels; and finally, that tuning wastewater loads appears to be impractical to manage the river quality given the stringent limitations it would impose on the industrial effluents. Water Res, 2002 May, 36(10), 2656 - 66 An expert system for monitoring and diagnosis of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants; Punal A et al.; In this paper, an expert system (ES) developed for the monitoring and diagnosis of anaerobic wastewater treatment plants (AWT), is presented . The system was evaluated in a hybrid pilot plant of 1.1 m3 located in an industrial environment for the treatment of wastewaters from a fibreboard production factory . The reactor is a hybrid USBF, combining an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) in the lower part and an upflow anaerobic filter (UAF) at the top. Water Res, 2002 May, 36(10), 2589 - 95 Contribution of microbial activity to virus reduction in saturated soil; Nasser AM et al.; Application of wastewater to soil may result in the contamination of groundwater and soil with pathogenic microorganisms and other biological and chemical agents . This study was performed to determine the antiviral microbial activity of soil saturated with secondary effluent . Low concentrations (0.05mg/ml) of protease pronase resulted in the inactivation of more than 90% of seeded Cox-A9 virus, whereas Poliovirus type 1, Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and MS2 bacteriophages were found to be insensitive to the enzyme activity . Exposure of Cox A9 virus to P . aeruginosa extracellular enzymes resulted in 99% inactivation of the seeded virus . Hepatitis A virus was found to be as sensitive as the Cox A9 virus, whereas Poliovirus 1 and MS2 were found to be insensitive to P . aeruginosa extracellular enzymatic activity . Furthermore, the time required for 99% reduction (T99) of Cox A9 and MS-2 Bacteriophage, at 15 degrees C, in soil saturated with secondary effluent was found to be 7 and 21 days, respectively . Faster inactivation was observed for MS2 and Cox A9 in soil saturated with secondary effluent incubated at 30 degrees C, T99 of 2 and 0.3 days, respectively . Although the concentration of the total bacterial count in the soil samples increased from 10(3) cfu/g to 10(5) cfu/g after 20 days of incubation at 30 degrees C, the proteolytic activity was below the detection level . The results of this study indicate that the virucidal effect of microbial activity is virus type dependent . Furthermore microbial activity in the soil material can be enhanced by the application of secondary effluent at higher temperature . The results also showed that MS2 bacteriophage can be used to predict viral contamination of soil and groundwater. Water Res, 2002 May, 36(10), 2515 - 24 Software sensors for highly uncertain WWTPs: a new approach based on interval observers; Alcaraz-Gonzalez V et al.; This paper presents the practical implementation of a new robust interval observer on a 1 m3 continuous fixed bed anaerobic reactor used for the treatment of industrial wine distillery wastewater . This interval observer is able to generate guaranteed intervals for the unmeasured variables (i.e . acidogenic and methanogenic bacteria, alkalinity and chemical oxygen demand) from few on-line measurements (i.e . input liquid flow rate, CO2 gaseous flow rate, volatile fatty acids and total inorganic carbon) . The main advantage of this approach is its independance with respect to disturbances and uncertainty in the initial conditions, in the kinetics and, last but not least, in the process inputs. Water Res, 2002 May, 36(10), 2483 - 90 Removal of lindane and malathion from wastewater using bagasse fly ash--a sugar industry waste; Gupta VK et al.; The bagasse fly ash, obtained from the local sugar industry, has been used as inexpensive and effective adsorbent for the removal of lindane and malathion from wastewater . The optimum contact needed to reach equilibrium was found to be 60 min . Maximum removal takes place at pH 6.0 . The removal of the pesticides increases with an increase in adsorbent dose and decreases with adsorbent particle size . The optimum adsorbent dose is 5 g/l of particle size 200-250 microm . Removal of the two pesticides was achieved up to 97-98% under optimum conditions . The material exhibits good adsorption capacity and follows both Langmuir and Freundlich models . Thermodynamic parameters also indicate the feasibility of the process . The adsorption was found to be exothermic in nature . At lower concentrations, adsorption is controlled by film diffusion, while at higher concentrations, it is controlled by particle diffusion mechanisms . The adsorbent is a very useful and economic product for the removal of lindane and malathion. Chemosphere, 2002 Jul, 48(4), 461 - 6 The sedimentation capabilities of hexadecyltrimethylammonium-modified montmorillonites; Yang L et al.; Natural montmorillonite was modified with a quaternary ammonium compound, hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) . The sedimentation capabilities of unmodified and modified montmorillonites were then investigated . The sedimentation velocity of modified montmorillonites increased if the amounts of adsorbed HDTMA were from 0.3 to 1.0 times the cation exchange capacitity (CEC) . It also emerged that the sedimentation capability of modified montmorillonites was improved and that the variously CEC-modified montmorillonites had similar sedimentation capabilities after they had sorbed organic matter from oily wastewater . Thus, modified montmorillonites (especially 0.5 CEC treatment) had good sedimentation capabilities for sorbing organic substance and can act as carriers in wastewater biotreatment. Toxicol Sci, 2002 Aug, 68(2), 389 - 402 Transgenerational and developmental exposure of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to ethinylestradiol results in endocrine and reproductive differences in the response to ethinylestradiol as adults; Foran CM et al.; 17alpha-Ethinylestradiol (EE), a synthetic estrogen found in birth control pills, has been detected in the effluent of municipal wastewater treatment plants in several countries . Because EE was designed to be extremely potent at the estrogen receptor (ER), environmental exposure to low concentrations has the potential to disrupt the development of normal endocrine and reproductive function when exposure occurs during critical periods in development . Japanese medaka, Oryzias latipes, were used to evaluate the effect of exposure to EE during development on adult reproduction and endocrine function and the sensitivity of these animals to estrogen exposure as adults . To determine if the response to exogenous estrogen stimulation was diminished or sensitized, adults resulting from the developmental exposure groups were reexposed to EE at respectively higher concentrations . Hatchling exposure produced no changes in adult vitellogenin (VTG) content in the liver or circulating steroid concentrations, nor was reproduction affected . Reexposure of these adults inhibited reproduction, increased hepatic VTG and ER, and increased estrogen concentration measured in male plasma . Parental exposure produced permanent changes in hepatic content of ER and VTG in the adults resulting from exposure during gametogenesis and was related to a diminished response of males to subsequent estrogen exposure . The potential for this transgenerational exposure to decrease the responsiveness of males to EE is supported by comparing the concentration-response curves for hepatic VTG and ER in males exposed in ovo and as hatchlings . Our results indicate that the relationship between biomarkers and estrogen exposure will be altered by the timing and frequency of exposure. Sci Total Environ, 2002 May 27, 291(1-3), 85 - 97 Solar photocatalysis: a clean process for water detoxification; Robert D et al.; The photocatalytic degradation of various toxic organic compounds has been proposed as a viable process to detoxify drinking water . Irradiating pulverulent semi-conductors like TiO2 in suspension or fixed to various supports in aqueous solutions containing organic pollutants, creates a redox environment able to destroy these pollutants . Solar photocatalytic mineralization of organic water pollutants has a strong potential in the industrial destruction of toxic organics in water as this has been widely demonstrated in recent years, and the applications and target compounds are numerous . The aim of this paper is to present the basic principle of the photocatalysis and especially to show the various applications of the solar photocatalysis in the field of the decontamination of wastewater. Water Environ Res, 2002 May-Jun, 74(3), 295 - 305 In-sewer wastewater characterization and model parameter determination using respirometry; Almeida Mdo C et al.; Experimental determination of wastewater characteristics and model parameters is required for robust modeling of in-sewer processes . Respirometric assays can be used to determine some of the model parameters, thus reducing the number of model parameters to be determined by model calibration and verification . However, the model structure has to be considered for this purpose . The model used consists of three main modules, namely hydrodynamics, advection and dispersion, and biochemical processes, and is applicable in sewers under aerobic dry-weather flow conditions . A procedure is proposed to determine important chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions and model parameters for biochemical processes . Cumulative oxygen utilization proves to be useful for process identification, providing extra information on substrate availability during the assay . While the values obtained for both COD fractions and parameters depend on the model structure adopted, the procedure used can easily be adapted to other model formulations. Water Environ Res, 2002 May-Jun, 74(3), 280 - 7 Removal of nitroaromatics from synthetic wastewater using two-step zero-valent iron reduction and peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative polymerization; Mantha R et al.; Degradation of nitroaromatics, which are significant environmental pollutants, is difficult to achieve . Zero-valent iron reduction of nitroaromatics coupled with peroxidase-catalyzed capture of the resulting anilines as a two-step strategy for removing nitroaromatics from wastewater and process water is investigated here . The concentration range of nitroaromatics studied was that which would be present in industrial wastewater streams . Studies were done in continuous-flow columns . The enzymatic treatment following zero-valent iron reduction was carried out in a plug-flow reactor using a crude preparation of the enzyme soybean peroxidase extracted from soybean hulls . The complete reaction time for the two steps was 5 to 5.5 hours . Operating parameters including pH, peroxide/substrate ratio, enzyme concentration, and alum concentration were optimized . Optimum conditions obtained were approximately neutral pH with a hydrogen peroxide/substrate molar ratio of 1.5 for all of the nitroaromatics tested . Alum concentrations between 50 and 100 mg/L were useful in removing the apparent color from the treated water. Water Environ Res, 2002 May-Jun, 74(3), 264 - 71 Degradation of methanethiol in a continuously operated upflow anaerobic sludge-blanket reactor; Sipma J et al.; The feasibility of anaerobic treatment of wastewater containing volatile organic sulfur compounds was investigated using biomass originating from an anaerobic wastewater treatment facility treating brewery wastewater . Interest focused mainly on the degradation of methanethiol (MT), an extremely volatile and malodorous sulfur compound . Formation of hydrogen sulfide from methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) was observed . Batch experiments showed that methanethiol was predominantly used by methanogenic bacteria as the sole source of energy and carbon . Methane was formed on MT degradation, and in the presence of 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid (BES), a specific inhibitor of methanogens, MT conversion was strongly inhibited . During the MT degradation, DMS and DMDS were the other primary compounds found . Relatively small quantities of DMS were present; whereas the DMDS concentrations could accumulate as a result of the relatively fast rate at which methanethiol autoxidizes in the presence of minor amounts of molecular oxygen . It was shown that DMS and DMDS could be biologically degraded, resulting in the formation of methane and hydrogen sulfide . In a continuous experiment using a laboratory-scale upflow anaerobic sludge-blanket (UASB) reactor with a volume of 2.0 L, the feasibility of anaerobic treatment of methanethiol was tested . The reactor was operated at a hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 6 hours, temperature of 30 degrees C, and pH of 7.3 to 7.6 . The maximal MT conversion efficiency in the continuous experiment was reached after approximately 70 days and exceeded 97% at an influent concentration of 6 mM, corresponding to a MT loading rate of 25 mM/d . The specific MT degradation rate, as determined after 40 days of operation in the UASB, measured 1.1 +/- 0.1 mM MT/g volatile suspended solids.d . These results show that anaerobic treatment of MT-containing waste streams is an interesting alternative for currently used physicochemical treatment methods. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 2002 Jul, 52(Pt 4), 1309 - 16 Characterization of filamentous Eikelboom type 021N bacteria and description of Thiothrix disciformis sp . nov . and Thiothrix flexilis sp . nov; Aruga S et al.; The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of 15 strains of Eikelboom type 021 N bacteria isolated from wastewater treatment plants were investigated . The strains shared many characters with Thiothrix species . However, the Eikelboom type 021N bacteria had only 88.3-92.0% 16S rDNA sequence similarity to members of the Thiothrix nivea group, including T . nivea, 'Thiothrix ramosa', Thiothrix unzii and Thiothrix fructosivorans, and were differentiated from them in sugar utilization and other properties, suggesting that the Eikelboom type 021N bacteria belong to species distinct from the T . nivea group . The 15 Eikelboom type 021N bacteria that were investigated were divided into three distinct groups (I to III) on the basis of their genotypic and phenotypic characteristics . The creation of two novel species is proposed, Thiothrix disciformis sp . nov . for the group I strains (type strain B3-1T = JCM 11364T = DSM 14473T) and Thiothrix flexilis sp . nov . for the group III strains (type strain EJ2M-BT = JCM 11135T = DSM 14609T) . Thiothrix eikelboomii AP3T was included in group II and shared many characters with the other group II strains . The inclusion of all group II strains within the species T . eikelboomii is proposed,together with emendation of the description of T . eikelboomii. Water Res, 2002 Jun, 36(11), 2883 - 90 Determination of volatile organic compounds in surface waters and treated wastewater in Greece; Nikolaou AD et al.; The occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was studied in river water, lake water, seawater and treated wastewater in Greece from October 1998 to September 1999 . The determination of 41 VOCs was performed with a Purge and Trap-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry method . Samples were collected seasonally from 10 rivers, seven lakes, three gulfs and four wastewater treatment plants . In surface water samples, 15 VOCs were detected . In wastewater samples, occurrence of 31 VOCs was observed . The results suggest that not only agricultural and industrial activity within the Greek territory, but also transboundary pollution deriving from neighbouring countries consist important sources of VOCs in surface waters of Greece . However, the measured concentrations did not in any case exceed the guideline values proposed by the EC. Water Res, 2002 Jun, 36(11), 2703 - 10 Fenton and photo-Fenton oxidation of textile effluents; Perez M et al.; The simultaneous use of Fenton reagent and irradiation for the treatment of textile wastewaters generated during a hydrogen peroxide bleaching process is investigated . The experimental conditions tested during this study provide the simultaneous occurrence of Fenton, Fenton-like and photo-Fenton reactions . The batch experimental results are assessed in terms of total organic carbon reduction . Identification of some of the chemical constituents of the effluent was performed by means of GC-MS . Other pollution related features of the initial effluent-like COD and color were also measured . The main parameters that govern the complex reactive system, i.e., light intensity, temperature, pH, Fe(II) and H2O2 initial concentrations have been studied . Concentrations of Fe(II) between 0 and 400 ppm, and H2O2 between 0 and 10,000 ppm were used . Temperatures above 25 degrees C and up to 70 degrees C show a beneficial effect on organic load reduction . A set of experiments was conducted under different light sources with the aim to ensure the efficiency of using solar light irradiation . The combination of Fenton, Fenton-like and photon-Fenton reactions has been proved to be highly effective for the treatment of such a type of wastewaters, and several advantages for the technique application arise from the study. Huan Jing Ke Xue, 2002 May, 23(3), 124 - 8 {A study on non-point source pollution models}; Hu X et al.; With the effective control of industrial wastewater, pollution of non-point sources has become increasingly important in China . The understanding of non-point source pollution processes, mostly through mathematical models, is thus a prior knowledge to its effective control . A review is presented in this paper, regarding the development of non-point source pollution models . The conceptualization, structure and major processes of non-point source models are systematically summarized and several widely applied models are compared so as to assess its state of art . The future development trends of non-point source model are also discussed. Chemosphere, 2002 Aug, 48(6), 615 - 20 Toxicity of boron to the duckweed, Spirodella polyrrhiza; Davis SM et al.; Boron is an essential nutrient for plants and the potential exists for efficient removal of this element by wetland treatment systems due to accumulation by plants . To evaluate the efficacy of using Spirodella polyrrhiza to treat boron-contaminated wastewater or to be a suitable species for removing other nutrients from boron-containing wastewater the toxicity of this micronutrient was determined using standard methods . Frond production is apparently a more sensitive endpoint than either growth rate or the presence of abnormal fronds . Frond production in S . polyrrhiza was significantly reduced at 3.55 mg B/l . Significant reductions in growth rate and the percentage of abnormal (chlorotic, necrotic, and dead) fronds were observed at 18.9 and 22.4 mg B/l, respectively . The EC50 for frond production, frond growth rate, and abnormal fronds were 14.3, 11.7, and 17.7 mg B/l, respectively . S . polyrrhiza did not remove significant amounts of boron from the treatment solutions under the conditions and concentrations existing in this study . The inability of S . polyrrhiza to remove even small amounts of boron from the test solutions indicates this species is not suitable for treating boron-containing wastewater, even those with low boron concentrations. J Hazard Mater, 2002 Sep 2, 94(1), 89 - 99 Integrated copper-containing wastewater treatment using xanthate process; Chang YK et al.; Although, the xanthate process has been shown to be an effective method for heavy metal removal from contaminated water, a heavy metal contaminated residual sludge is produced by the treatment process and the metal-xanthate sludge must be handled in accordance with the Taiwan EPA's waste disposal requirements . This work employed potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) to remove copper ions from wastewater . The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and semi-dynamic leaching test (SDLT) were used to determine the leaching potential and stability characteristics of the residual copper xanthate (Cu-EX) complexes . Results from metal removal experiments showed that KEX was suitable for the treatment of copper-containing wastewater over a wide copper concentration range (50, 100, 500, and 1000 mg/l) to the level that meets the Taiwan EPA's effluent regulations (3mg/l) . The TCLP results of the residual Cu-EX complexes could meet the current regulations and thus the Cu-EX complexes could be treated as a non-hazardous material . Besides, the results of SDLT indicated that the complexes exhibited an excellent performance for stabilizing metals under acidic conditions, even slight chemical changes of the complexes occurred during extraction . The xanthate process, mixing KEX with copper-bearing solution to form Cu-EX precipitates, offered a comprehensive strategy for solving both copper-containing wastewater problems and subsequent sludge disposal requirements.
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