bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urine separating sewage systems - environmental effects and resource usage
Authors: Jönsson H. 
Published: May 2018

Effects of urine separation on the environment and resource usage were estimated using the simulation package ORWARE. Measurements on the urine-separating system in the housing district Palsternackan in Stockholm and on the fertilising effect of the urine were used in the simulations.
The tenants were at home 65% of the time and separated 65% of the urine. Under these conditions, urine separation decreased the waterborne emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus by 55% and 33% respectively. Compared to the conventional system, urine separation increased the flow from the wastewater system to agriculture of plant-available nitrogen by a factor of 28, phosphorus by a factor of 1.35 and potassium by a factor of 23. Urine is a well-balanced complete fertiliser with very low concentrations of heavy metals. Urine separation conserved energy as long as the urine was transported distances shorter than 221 km to the field with a truck and trailer. If all the urine had been separated and transported only 1 km, the energy saving would have been 36%.
In this and in previous studies, urine separation proved to be an improvement over the conventional system as regards environmental effects and resource usage.
Computer aided decision support on choosing the right technology for sewer rehabilitation
Authors: Plenker T. 
Published: May 2018

The decision, whether and how to rehabilitate a damaged sewer is a complex one. Detailed information available from sewer inspection can be used for evaluating its condition and determining the urgency of rehabilitation. There are various rehabilitation techniques, from conventional open trenching to newer trenchless construction. Municipal waste water departments and companies must use their tight budgets in the most efficient and responsible way.
Therefore, a decision support system for choosing the right/best sewer rehab technology is urgently needed. For a computer aided selection of the right technology for sewer rehabilitation a formalised weighing and ranking procedure should be used. That procedure should be based on a detailed description of the rehabilitation task. So the state of the existing sewer has to be identified, future technical requirements have to be formulated and specific local restraints taken into account. First, rehab technologies not capable of solving the problem under given constraints, are eliminated by “knock-out” criteria. Thus the number of potential solutions is reduced to those which are subsequently compared (computer aided) in pairs. There is no scoring hocus-pocus and criteria weighing in this decision system. The result is found just by comparing pairs of options on as many criteria as needed, and these criteria may be measured on different scales and need not be independent from each other.
Application of a membrane bioreactor system for opto-electronic industrial wastewater treatment - a pilot study
Authors: Chen T.K. , Chen J.N. , Ni C.H. , Lin G.T. , Chang C.Y. 
Published: May 2018

The membrane bioreactor (MBR) system has become more and more attractive in the field of wastewater treatment. It is particularly attractive in situations where long solids retention times are required, such as nitrifying bacteria, and physical retention is critical to achieving more efficiency for biological degradation of pollutants. Although it is a new technology, the MBR process has been applied to industrial wastewater treatment for only the past decade. The opto-electronic industry, developed very fast over the past decade in the world, is a high technological manufacturing industry. The treatment of the opto-electronic industrial wastewater containing a significant quantity of organic nitrogen compounds, with a ratio over 95% in organic nitrogen (Org-N) to total nitrogen (T-N), is very difficult to meet the discharge limits.
The purpose of this research is mainly to discuss the treatment capacity of high-strength organic nitrogen wastewater, and to investigate the capabilities of the MBR process. A 2 m3/day capacity MBR pilot plant consisting of anoxic and aerobic tanks and a membrane bioreactor was installed for evaluation. The operation was continued for 130 days. Over the whole experimental period, a satisfactory organic removal performance was achieved. The COD could be removed with an average of over 94.5%. For TOC and BOD5, the average removal efficiencies were 96.3 and 97.6%, respectively. The nitrification and denitrification were also successfully achieved. The effluent did not contain any suspended solids. Only a small concentration of ammonia nitrogen was found in the effluent. The stable effluent quality and satisfactory removal performance mentioned above were ensured by the efficient interception performance of the membrane device incorporated within the biological reactor. The MBR system shows promise as a means of treating very high organic nitrogen wastewater without dilution. The effluent of TKN, NOx-N and COD can fall below 20 mg/L, 30 mg/L and 50 mg/L.
The effect of chlorination of estrogenic chemicals on the level of serum vitellogenin of Japanese Medaka (oryzias latipes)
Authors: Tabata A. , Miyamoto N. , Ohnishi Y. , Itoh M. , Yamada T. , Kamei T. , Magara Y. 
Published: May 2018

Mature male medaka were continually exposed to four chemicals, p-n-nonylphenol (p-n-NP), p-nonylphenol (p-NP), bisphenol-A (BPA) and 17b-estradiol (E2) to evaluate their estrogenic activities in the laboratory. In order to understand the effect of the chlorination that is applied widely in water and waste-water treatment, the above chemicals were chlorinated and then exposed to mature male medaka. Furthermore, in the case of vitellogenin, a is a female specific protein induced by the exposure to test waters containing the above chemicals after 5 weeks, medaka was returned to uncontaminated tap water to determine whether male medaka have a self recovery function from the effect of estrogenic chemicals.
Much greater vitellogenin compared to the background levels were induced in the male medaka by separate exposure to 100 μg/L of p-NP, 1,000 μg/L of BPA and 0.05 μg/L of E2. The levels of vitellogenin increased with increasing exposure periods. The relative potencies of these chemicals descended in the order of E2 &gt;&gt; p-NP&gt; BPA.
Vitellogenin levels inducible by these chemicals were drastically reduced as a result of the chlorination for 24 hours. However, a moderate increase in hepatocyte somatic index (HSI) meant the hepatic fatness was observed as a result of chlorination. It is not clear at this stage whether or not the formation of chlorination by-products is responsible for this moderate increase in HSI.
The vitellogenin concentration of male medaka exposed to chemicals for 5 weeks decreased gradually after return to the uncontaminated water. However, the vitellogenin concentration did not return to the initial normal levels even after 5 weeks.
A clear relationship between the serum vitellogenin concentration and the hepatic vitellogenin concentration was also found. Since quantitative analytical procedures for hepatic vitellogenin are easier than those of the serum vitellogenin, measuring the estrogenic effect using the measurement of vitellogenin in liver is recommended.
Color removal ability of a streptomycin resistant decolorizing strain Rhodococcus erythropolis (ATCC 4277.1)
Authors: Hu T.-L. 
Published: May 2018

Rhodococcus erythropolis (ATCC 4277.1) is a streptomycin resistant mutant of ATCC 4277, which can decolorize the sulfonated azo dye of Orange II and Amido Black. Pseudomonas luteola is a decolorizing strain, which was isolated from sludge resulting from the treatment of dyeing wastewater. This study had two purposes: 1) to determine the color removal capacity of R. erythropolis (ATCC 4277.1) for Red 22, V2RP and RP2B dyes; and 2) to compare the decolorization capability of R. erythropolis (ATCC 4277.1) to that of P. luteola, a wild type decolorizing strain.
R. erythropolis (ATCC 4277.1) grew well in broth containing the azo dyes of Red 22, V2RP or RP2B, and the color of azo dyes could be removed within five days of incubation. The total percentage of color removal was 70%, 30% and 23%, respectively. Color removal by R. erythropolis occurred through a process of degradation, since after five day's incubation in a dye containing broth, the color of R. erythropolis cells remained the same as their original pinkish white color. Comparison of the color removing ability between R. erythropolis and P. luteola showed that the specific color removal (SCR) of R. erythropolis was 1.52 mg of RP2B degraded per gram of dried cells, and that of SCR of P. luteola was 31.7 mg, which was 30 fold higher than that of R. erythropolis.
Efficiency of the Activated Sludge Model no. 3 for German wastewater on six different WWTPs
Authors: Wichern M. , Lübken M. , Blömer R. , Rosenwinkel K.-H. 
Published: May 2018

In 1999, the Activated Sludge Model No. 3 by the IWA Task Group on Mathematical Modelling for the Design and Operation of Biological Wastewater Treatment was presented. The model is used for the simulation of nitrogen removal. The simulations in this paper were done on the basis of a new calibration of the ASM 3 by Koch et al., with the easily degradable COD measured by respiration. For modelling of EBPR the BioP-Module of Rieger et al., was used.
Six German wastewater treatment plants were simulated during this research to test the existing set of parameters of the models on various large scale plants. It was shown that changes for nitrification and enhanced biological phosphorus removal in the set of biological parameters were necessary. Sensible parameters and recommended values are presented in this article. Apart from the values of the changed biological parameters, we will in our examination discuss the modelling of the different activated sludge systems and the influent fractioning of the COD. Two plants with simultaneous denitrification in the recirculation ditch (EBPR) are simulated, one with preliminary dentrification, one with intermittent denitrification (EBPR), one with cascade denitrification (EBPR), and one pilot plant according to the Johannesburg-process (EBPR) which was simulated over a period of three months.
Anaerobic degradation of organic materials - significance of the substrate surface area
Authors: Palmowski L.M. , Müller J.A. 
Published: May 2018

In anaerobic degradation of substrates containing mainly particulate organic matter, solids hydrolysis is rate-limiting. In these investigations, the particle size of various substrates was reduced by comminution to support hydrolysis. Two positive effects of comminution were observed. For substrates with high fibre content, which are particularly resistant to biodegradation, a significant improvement of the degradation degree was observed as a result of comminution. Secondly, for all substrates tested, and particularly for those rich in fibres, the degradation rate of comminuted samples was significantly higher.
The first reason for both effects is an increase of the sample surface area. Several methods for measuring the specific surface area of organic materials, including particle size analysis, Nitrogen-adsorption and enzyme adsorption, were used and compared for the purpose of this study, where the surface area accessible to microbial enzymes is critical. The significance of the surface area in anaerobic degradation of particulate substrates was investigated through a kinetic model where the hydrolysis rate was based on the sample surface area. Good agreements were obtained between model and experiments carried out with samples of various specific surface areas. These results reinforced the significance of the sample surface area in anaerobic degradation processes. However, other effects of comminution responsible for the increased degradation degree and degradation rate were identified and discussed. These include: the increase of dissolved compounds due to cell rupture, exposition of surface areas previously inaccessible for microbial degradation, and alteration of the sample structure such as the lignin-cellulose arrangements.
Integrated environmental assessment of tertiary and residuals treatment - LCA in the wastewater industry
Authors: Beavis P. , Lundie S. 
Published: May 2018

In the wastewater industry, decision-makers lack access to an environmental tool that can assist in further informing the non-financial analysis of a system. Such a tool should incorporate impacts beyond the effluent quality and look at the supporting processes of a plant as well as plant specific operations. Life Cycle Assessment can provide the means to fill a gap in pertinent information towards more sustainable decision-making. The project “Best Practice LCA in the Wastewater Industry” is commissioned by the CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control at UNSW with representatives from Sydney Water Corporation(SWC), NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation and the NSW Department of Public Works. Two case studies were researched to provide a post-implementation review of changes in wastewater treatment.
Case study 1: The conversion from chlorine gas to hypochlorite and UV disinfection has been completed for several inland wastewater plants at SWC. A review of operational data for each of the options has been incorporated into an LCA of each technology. Under efficient dosing conditions, disinfection with the hypochlorite system has the minimum environmental impact.
Case study 2 deals with the conversion from anaerobic to aerobic digestion. Aerobic digestion minimises release of nutrients into a sidestream to be further treated in the plant. However conversion results in more biosolids production and higher electricity requirements. This study includes a consideration of the environmental impacts of biosolids production and application. On the basis of the extended system boundary including consideration of reflux composition, energy requirements and biosolids quality to potentially offset fertiliser production, anaerobic digestion performs best in 6 out of 9 impact categories.
These results suggest that environmental LCA has a role in informing decision-making on unit process and treatment train selection by quantifying aspects on non-financial criteria. Also, improvement potentials are foreshadowed but not detailed.
Effects of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) on the toxicity of a mixture of pharmaceuticals
Authors: Andreozzi R. , Campanella L. , Fraysse B. , Garric J. , Gonnella A. , Lo Giudice R. , Marotta R. , Pinto G. , Pollio A. 
Published: May 2018

The possibility of applying main AOP techniques, namely ozonation, H2O2/UV photolysis and TiO2 photocatalysis to provide a significant reduction of toxicity of pharmaceutical mixtures has been evaluated. For the preparation of the mixture six pharmaceuticals were chosen among those found at highest concentrations in Sewage Treatment Plant effluents, namely carbamazepine, clofibric acid, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, ofloxacin and propranolol.
The blue-green alga Synechococcus leopoliensis and the rotifer Brachyonus calyciflorus were utilised to assess the toxicity of the mixtures after AOP treatments. All the toxicity tests were performed using chronic standardized bioassays. The best results were obtained with ozonation. With this type of treatment a complete removal of mixture toxicity on S. leopolensis was obtained even after the shortest time of application (1 min). The ozonation treatment leads also to removal of all the pharmaceutical mixture toxicity on B. calyciflorus, by applying the oxidizing agent for at least for 2 minutes.
Derivatisation of 4-nonylphenol and bisphenol A with halogenated anhydrides
Authors: Stehmann A. , Schröder H. Fr. 
Published: May 2018

The aim of this work is to synthesize and characterise the halogenated derivatives of the endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) and bisphenol A (BPA). Characterisation was performed after gas chromatographic (GC) separation on-line coupled to mass spectrometric (MS) detector and a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic detector. Further structure elucidation was done applying Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR).
Two different approaches for the preparation of derivatives were evaluated. At first trifluoroacetyl derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) anhydride and the EDCs in acetonitrile at a temperature of 50°C for 30 minutes. In a second step the 4-NP was derivatised using trichloroacetic acid anhydride and triethylamine in diethyl ether at 20¡C for 30 minutes.
After synthesis the halogenated NP and BPA derivatives were characterised applying GC/MS, GC/FTIR and NMR. Three indices for a successful derivatisation were observed: EI-GC/MS proved a complete derivatisation presenting a characteristic fragmentation pattern for each derivative. The IR spectra obtained by GC/FTIR after derivatisation and separation confirmed the loss of the phenolic O-H stretching vibration at 3,600 cm-1 while typical absorptions for halogenated compounds now were observed. The NMR-spectra contained the predicted resonance signals.
Determination of musks and other fragrance compounds at ng/L levels using CLSA (closed loop stripping analysis) and GC/MS detection
Authors: Mitjans D. , Ventura F. 
Published: May 2018

Closed loop stripping analysis (CLSA), a suitable tool for the determination of volatile and semivolatile compounds at low trace levels (ng/l), has been used to determine and quantify seven selected musks and two fragrances (Acetyl cedrene and Amberonne). The obtained extracts are analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS) operating in the SIM mode.
Quality parameters such as limit of detection; matrix effects; precision expressed as repeatability and reproducibility relative standard deviations of the method and an estimation of the uncertainty have been evaluated.
The method has been applied to the analysis of wastewater effluents, surface water and tap water from different places in Europe. All samples contained differents musks at ng/l levels with the polycyclic musks Galaxolide and Tonalide and both fragrances, Amberonne and Acetyl cedrene, being the most abundant. These results suggest the importance of studying and controlling the presence of these ubiquitous environmental compounds in water systems.
Comparison of different advanced oxidation process to reduce toxicity and mineralisation of tannery wastewater
Authors: Schrank S.G. , José H.J. , Moreira R.F.P.M. , Schröder H. Fr. 
Published: May 2018

Many organic compounds contained in wastewater are resistant to conventional chemical and/or biological treatment. Because of this reason different degradation techniques are studied as an alternative to biological and classical physico-chemical processes. Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) probably have developed to become the best options in the near future. AOP while making use of different reaction systems, are all characterised by the same chemical feature: production of OH radicals (*OH). The versatility of AOPs is also enhanced by the fact that they offer different possibilities for OH radical production, thus allowing them to conform to specific treatment requirements. The main problem with AOPs is their high cost. The application of solar technologies to these processes could help to diminish that problem by reducing the energy consumption required for generating UV radiation.
In this work, different AOPs (O3, TiO2/UV, Fenton and H2O2/UV) were examined to treat tannery wastewater or as a pre-treatment step for improving the biodegradation of tannery wastewater, at different pH and dosage of the chemicals. Under certain circumstances retardation in biodegradation and/or an increase in toxicity may be observed within these treatment steps. Two different bioassays (Daphnia magna and Vibrio fischeri) have been used for testing the progress of toxicity during the treatment. In parallel other objectives were to analyse and identify organic compounds present in the untreated wastewater and arising degradation products in AOP treated wastewater samples. For this purpose substance specific techniques, e.g., gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in positive electron impact (EI(+)) mode and atmospheric pressure ionisation (API) in combination with flow injection analysis (FIA) or liquid chromatography - mass and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS or LC-MS-MS) were performed.
Assessment of microbial natural attenuation in groundwater polluted with gasworks residues
Authors: Schulze S. , Tiehm A. 
Published: May 2018

Intrinsic biodegradation, representing the key process in Natural Attenuation, was examined at a tar-oil polluted disposal site. Methods to assess microbial natural attenuation of BTEX and PAH included analysis of groundwater hydrochemistry, pollutant profiles, composition of the microflora, and microcosm studies. In the polluted groundwater downgradient the disposal site, oxygen and nitrate were only available adjacent to the groundwater table and at the plume fringes. In the anaerobic core of the plume, a sequence of predominating redox zones (methanogenic, sulphate-reducing, Fe(III)-reducing) was observed. Changing pollutant profiles in the plume indicated active biodegradation processes, e.g. biodegradation of toluene and naphthalene in the anaerobic zones. High numbers of microorganisms capable of growing under anaerobic conditions and of aerobic pollutant degrading organisms confirmed the impact of biodegradation at this site.
In microcosm studies, the autochthonous microflora utilised toluene, ethylbenzene, and naphthalene under sulfate- and Fe(III)-reducing conditions. Additionally, benzene and phenanthrene were degraded in the presence of Fe(III). Under aerobic conditions, all BTEX and PAH were rapidly degraded. The microcosm studies in particular were suitable to examine the role of specific electron acceptors, and represented an important component of the multiple line of evidence concept to assess natural attenuation.