Occurrence and ecological hazard assessment of selected veterinary medicines in livestock wastewater treatment plants

The occurrence of some veterinary medicines in the livestock wastewater plants (WWTPs) was investigated. This investigation represented the occurrence of veterinary medicines to treat in the livestock WWTPs or be discharged into the water system in Korea since the sampling sites were widely distributed across the nation and samples were collected from the 11 livestock WWTPs. Nine antibiotics, two analgesics, and two disinfectants occurred in the livestock wastewater plants (WWTPs). From 11 livestock WWTP influents, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, acetylsalicylic acid, and disinfectants frequently occurred with the high concentrations. Meanwhile, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin-H₂O, and trimethoprim did not occur during sampling periods. The values for log Kow of each chemical showed a high correlation with the number of hydrogen bonding acceptors and were important parameters to estimate and understand the biodegradability and toxicity of a compound in the environment. The biodegradability of each compound was proportional to the hydrophilicity of each compound and the toxicity was proportional to the number of hydrogen bonding acceptors of each compound. The expected introductory concentration (EIC), predicted exposure concentration (PEC), and hazard quotient showed that the livestock WWTP effluents were hazardous to ecosystems.     

Combined biological processing and microfiltration in the treatment of unhairing wastewater

Introduction  

The unhairing step, a part of the beamhouse process, is particularly polluting, generating an alkaline wastewater with high concentrations of organic and inorganic matter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment of this industrial wastewater using a combination of biological and microfiltration processes.     

Physiological parameters of plants as indicators of water quality in a constructed wetland

Introduction  

Increasing demand for water has stimulated efforts to treat wastewater for reuse in agriculture. Decentralized facilities for wastewater treatment became popular as a solution to remote and small communities. These systems mimic natural wetlands, cleaning wastewater as they flow through a complex of filter media, microbial fauna, and vegetation. The function of plants in constructed wetlands (CWs) has not been fully elucidated yet.     

Determination of total and available fractions of PAHs by SPME in oily wastewaters: overcoming interference from NAPL and NOM

Background, aim, and scope  

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are often found in oily wastewaters. Their presence is usually the result of human activities and has a negative effect on the environment. One important step in addressing this problem is to evaluate the effectiveness of PAH removal by biological processes since these are the most cost-effective treatments known today. Many techniques are presently available for PAH determination in wastewaters. Solid phase microextracion (SPME) is known to be one of the most effective techniques for this purpose. When analyzing complex matrices with substances such as natural organic matter (NOM) and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), it is important to differentiate the free dissolved PAH from matrix-bonded PAH. PAHs associated with the bonded fraction are less susceptible to biological treatment. The present study concerns the development of a simple and suitable methodology for the determination of the freely dissolved and the total fraction of PAHs present in oily wastewaters. The methodology was then applied to an oily wastewater from a fuel station retention basin.     

Influence of soluble microbial products (SMP) on wastewater disinfection byproducts: trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid species from the chlorination of SMP

Introduction  

Effluent organic matter from biological wastewater treatment plants is composed of degradation products and soluble microbial products (SMP). Protein, polysaccharide, humic acid, and DNA were major biomolecules of SMP. Little is known about the effects of SMP as microbially derived precursors on disinfection byproduct formation and speciation in biologically treated wastewater. In addition, there has never been any attempt to directly chlorinate the major biomolecules of SMP.     

Improvement of biodegradability of PVA-containing wastewater by ionizing radiation pretreatment

Background

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been widely used as sizing agents in textile and manufacturing industry, and it is a refractory compound with low biodegradability.

Objective

The objective of this paper was to treat the PVA-containing wastewater using gamma irradiation as a pretreatment strategy to improve its biodegradability and to determine the roles of different kinds of radical species played during pretreatment.

Methods

Gamma radiation was carried out in a ⁶⁰Cobalt source station, PVA concentration was analyzed by using a visible spectrophotometer and specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR, milligram of O₂ per gram of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) per hour) was measured by a microrespirometer.

Results

The results showed that the biodegradability of PVA-containing wastewater with low initial concentration (e.g., 327.8?mg/l) could be improved greatly with increasing irradiation dose. However, PVA gel formation was observed at higher initial PVA concentration (e.g., 3,341.6?mg/l) and higher irradiation dose, which inhibited PVA degradation by aerobic microorganisms. However, the formed gel could be separated by microfiltration, which led to more than 90% total organic carbon (TOC) removal.

Conclusion

Ionizing radiation could be used as a pretreatment technology for PVA-containing wastewater, and its combination with biological process is feasible.     

Turning calcium carbonate into a cost-effective wastewater-sorbing material by occluding waste dye

Background, aim, and scope  

Over the years, organic pollution in the environment has aroused people’s concern worldwide, especially persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Particularly in developing countries, plenty of concentrated organic wastewaters treated noneffectively are discharged into aquatic environments from chemical, textile, paper-making, and other industries to seriously threaten the surface and drinking water. The conventional wastewater treatment techniques are often helpless due to high cost with multilevel processing. Adsorption as an efficient method is often applied to the treatment of wastewater. The aim of this work is to develop an eco-friendly and cost-effective wastewater-sorbing material with weak acidic pink red B (APRB) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) by reusing highly concentrated dye wastewater.     

Factorial analysis of the trihalomethane formation in the reaction of colloidal,hydrophobic, and transphilic fractions of DOM with free chlorine

Background, aim, and scope  

This study focuses on the factors that affect trihalomethane (THMs) formation when dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions (colloidal, hydrophobic, and transphilic fractions) in aqueous solutions were disinfected with chlorine.     

Influence of temperature and origin of dissolved organic matter on the partitioning behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Background, aim, and scope  

The behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is affected by dissolved organic matter (DOM) present in pore water of soils and sediments. Since partitioning to DOM reduces the bioavailable or freely dissolved PAH concentration in pore water, it is important to assess the effect of environmental variables on the magnitude of dissolved organic matter to water partition coefficients (K _DOC). The objective of this study was to apply passive samplers to measure freely dissolved PAHs allowing depletion from the aqueous phase. The method was applied to determine K _DOC at different temperatures for a selection of PAHs with natural DOM of very different origin.     

Remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soil through composting with fresh organic wastes

Introduction  

Composting may enhance bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils by providing organic substrates that stimulate the growth of potential microbial degraders. However, the influence of added organic matter (OM) together with the microbial activities on the dissipation of PAHs has not yet been fully assessed.     

Degradation of 1,2-dichloroethane from wash water of ion-exchange resin using Fenton’s oxidation

Background, aim, and scope  

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs), widely used in industry as solvents and chemical intermediates in the production of synthetic resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals, are highly toxic to the environment and public health. Various studies reported that Fenton’s oxidation could degrade a variety of chlorinated VOCs in aqueous solutions. In acidic conditions, ferrous ion catalyzes the decomposition of H₂O₂ to form a powerful ^•OH radical. In this study, wastewater from wash of ion-exchange resin containing typical CVOC, 1,2-dichloroethane, was treated using Fenton’s oxidation. To reduce environmental load and processing costs of wastewater, Fenton process as a simple and efficient treatment method was applied to degrade 1,2-dichloroethane of wash water.     

Use of halophytes in pilot-scale horizontal flow constructed wetland treating domestic wastewater

Recent findings encourage the use of halophytes in constructed wetlands for domestic wastewater treatment due to their special physiological characteristics as the ability to accumulate heavy metals and salts in their tissues makes them ideal candidates for constructed wetland vegetation. In this particular study, we investigated the application of halophytic plants in a horizontal flow constructed wetland for domestic wastewater treatment purposes. The pilot plant which was situated in Crete (Greece) was planted with a polyculture of halophytes (Tamarix parviflora, Juncus acutus, Sarcocornia perrenis, and Limoniastrum monopetalum). The system’s performance was monitored for a period of 11 months during which it received primary treated wastewater from the local wastewater treatment plant. Results show that halophytes developed successfully in the constructed wetland and achieved organic matter and pathogen removal efficiencies comparable to those reported for reeds in previous works (63% and 1.6 log units, respectively). In addition, boron concentration in the effluent was reduced by 40% in comparison with the influent. Salinity as expressed by electrical conductivity did not change during the treatment, indicating that the accumulation of salts in the leaves is not able to overcome electrical conductivity increasing due to evapotranspiration. The results indicate an improvement in the treatment of domestic wastewater via the use of halophyte-planted CWs.     

Occurrence and sources of selected phenolic endocrine disruptors in Ria de Aveiro,Portugal

Background, aim and scope  

Ria de Aveiro (Portugal) is a shallow coastal lagoon of high economic and ecological importance. Hardly any data on its chemical pollution by polar organic pollutants are available in literature. This study focused on the presence and sources of a series of phenolic endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in this area, including parabens, alkylphenolic compounds and bisphenol-A (BPA). A number of possible sources of pollution are present in the area, including the large harbours present in the lagoon, the city of Aveiro and the rivers discharging into the area. A recently constructed submarine wastewater outfall, located a few kilometres from the lagoon inlet has also been suggested as a possible source of pollution to Ria de Aveiro in several publications. The aim of the current field study was to investigate the occurrence and main sources of phenolic endocrine disruptors in Ria de Aveiro.     

The development of soil organic matter in restored biodiverse Jarrah forests of South-Western Australia as determined by ASE and GCMS

Background, aim and scope  

Soil organic matter (SOM) is known to increase with time as landscapes recover after a major disturbance; however, little is known about the evolution of the chemistry of SOM in reconstructed ecosystems. In this study, we assessed the development of SOM chemistry in a chronosequence (space for time substitution) of restored Jarrah forest sites in Western Australia.     

Biohydrogen production from dairy manures with acidification pretreatment by anaerobic fermentation

Background, aim, and scope  

Hydrogen is a clean and efficient energy source and has been deemed as one of the most promising carriers of new energy for the future. From an engineering point of view, producing hydrogen by mixed cultures is generally preferred because of lower cost, ease of control, and the possible use of organic waste as feedstock. The biological hydrogen production has been intensively studied in recent decades. So far, most investigates of biohydrogen production are still confined to using pure carbohydrates and carbohydrate-rich wastewater. Nowadays, the large amounts of livestock manure, which come from cattle feedlots, poultry, and swine buildings, are causing a major environmental issue because it has become a primary source of odors, gases, dust, and groundwater contamination. The increasingly stringent requirements for pollution control on livestock manures are challenging the scientific community to develop new waste treatment strategies. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop nonpolluting and renewable energy source utilizing the organic waste (e.g., livestock manure). It is well known that anaerobic digestion had successfully been used for the disposal of manures to produce methane in the last two decades. Recently, an alternative strategy has been developed to convert livestock manures (e.g., dairy manures) to biohydrogen as a high value-added clean energy source instead of methane. However, little information is available on hydrogen production from dairy manure via the mixed anaerobic microbe. As far as we know, the hydrogen production is habitually accompanied with production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate, which are also an optimal feedstock for production of methane by anaerobic digestion. Provided that the biohydrogen production from dairy manure is further combined with the anaerobic digestion of the effluent from the producing hydrogen reactor that would be a one-stone two-bird paradigm, it not only produces a clean and readily usable biologic energy but also cleans up simultaneously the environment in a sustainable fashion.     

Wet air oxidation and catalytic wet air oxidation for dyes degradation

Background, aim, and scope  

Textile industry produces wastewater which contributes to water pollution since it utilizes a lot of chemicals. Preliminary studies show that the wastewater from textile industries contains grease, wax, surfactant, and dyes. The objective of this study was to determine the treatment efficiency of the nickel catalysts supported on hydrotalcites in three-dye model compounds and two types of wastewater.     

Trihalomethane formation during water disinfection in four water supplies in the Somes river basin in Romania

Background, aim and scope  

After the discovery of chloroform in drinking water, an extensive amount of work has been dedicated to the factors influencing the formation of halogenated disinfections by-products (DBPs). The disinfection practice can vary significantly from one country to another. Whereas no disinfectant is added to many water supplies in Switzerland or no disinfectant residual is maintained in the distribution system, high disinfectant doses are applied together with high residual concentrations in the distribution system in other countries such as the USA or some southern European countries and Romania. In the present study, several treatment plants in the Somes river basin in Romania were investigated with regard to chlorine practice and DBP formation (trihalomethanes (THMs)). Laboratory kinetic studies were also performed to investigate whether there is a relationship between raw water dissolved organic matter, residual chlorine, water temperature and THM formation.     

Estrogenic effects of dissolved organic matter and its impact on the activity of 17β-estradiol

Background and purpose  

The ubiquitous dissolved organic matter (DOM) is actually not inert as we always think, and the hormone-like effects of DOM have been reported. The objective of this study was to investigate the estrogenic effects of DOM and its impact on the activity of the natural estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2).     

Chemical, biological, and ecotoxicological assessment of pesticides and persistent organic pollutants in the Bahlui River, Romania

Background, aim, and scope  

Current knowledge on environmental impacts of industrial activities in Romania, particularly persistent organic pollutants (POPs), indicates that environmental standards of the European Union are not systematically met. In our study area, additional sources of POPs are agriculture and domestic wastes. Very scarce information is available upon environmental contaminations and effects. In the present study, we investigated the chemical pollution and their eventual impact on the ecosystem by measuring POPs and by using biological indicators of pollution.