七虎林河流域上游溶解性有机质光谱特性分析

七虎林河源头区地表腐殖质随着径流的冲刷进入水体，形成了天然有机质(NOM),其中，溶解性有机质(DOM)易对河流水质造成影响。为了研究七虎林河中DOM的时空分布特征及其对水质的影响，开展了6次采样，分析了水体及土壤吸收光谱和荧光光谱特征参数，利用平行因子(PARAFAC)算法解析了水体DOM的特性及来源。结果表明：七虎林河上游水体五日生化需氧量(BOD₅)、高锰酸盐指数(COD_Mn)、化学需氧量(COD)、可溶性有机碳(DOC)的浓度分别为1.4 mg/L±0.2 mg/L、6.1 mg/L±3.0 mg/L、21 mg/L±8 mg/L、7.0 mg/L±3.2 mg/L,BOD₅/COD平均值为0.08,说明流域内水体DOM的可生化性差，对水质影响较小。光谱特征参数紫外吸收系数(SUVA₂₅₄)、荧光指数(FI)、腐殖化指数(HIX)、生物源指数(BIX)分析结果表明，七虎林河上游云山水库库上林区河段DOM的物质组成与水库及库下河段差异显著。库上河段DOM的芳香碳含量更高、分子量更大、自生源组分...     

Factor analysis of H2S emission at a wastewater lift station: a case study

Odor and corrosion are common problems in domestic wastewater collection, transportation, pumping, and treatment processes. Based on the comparison among odorous compounds and onsite observations at a wastewater lift station, H₂S is more likely to have caused the odor and corrosion problems than methanethiol and other organic sulfides. The field data from both air and wastewater quality monitoring demonstrated that more H₂S (1 ppmv) was formed at a more negative redox potential, lower pH, and a higher temperature of wastewater. Since the lower detection level of most current analytical techniques is much greater than human’s smell and the reference concentration for adverse health effects, automatic monitoring on the threshold of H₂S formation provides a mechanism to trigger control techniques only when necessary for cost saving purposes. Based on Gibbs free energy, a more negative redox potential is required to form H₂S with an increase in pH and a decrease in temperature and SO ₄ ^2? concentration. However, pH effect is more significant than both temperature and SO ₄ ^2? concentration for H₂S formation. It is recommended that H₂S control techniques be started when the redox potential is below ?44 mV, the pH is lower than 5.6, and the temperature is higher than 11.5 °C to control H₂S below the reference concentration. Corroded concrete particles were examined by X-ray diffraction, which showed that the dominant crystal form was quartz.     

Impact of long-term wastewater application on microbiological properties of vadose zone

Impact of wastewater irrigation on some biological properties was studied in an area where treated sewage water is being supplied to the farmers since 1979 in the western part of National Capital Territory of New Delhi under Keshopur Effluent Irrigation Scheme. Three fields were selected which had been receiving irrigation through wastewater for last 20, 10 and 5 years. Two additional fields were selected in which the source of irrigation water was tubewell. The soil bacterial and fungal population density was studied in soil layers of 0?C15, 15?C30, 30?C60 and 60?C120 cm depths. Groundwater samples were collected from the piezometers installed in the field irrigated with sewage water for last 20, 10 and 5 years. Results indicate that there was significant increase in bacterial and fungal count in sewage-irrigated soils as compared to their respective control. The population density of bacteria and fungi in waste water-irrigated soils increased with the duration of sewage water application and decreased with increasing depth. The bacterial and fungal count was also directly proportional to organic carbon, sand and silt content and negatively correlated to the clay content, electrical conductivity, pH and bulk density of the soil. Groundwater under sewage-irrigated fields had higher values of most probable number (MPN) index as compared to that of tubewell water-irrigated fields. All the shallow and deep groundwaters were found to be contaminated with faecal coliforms. The vadose zone had filtered the faecal coliform to the tune of 98?C99%, as the MPN index was reduced from ??18,000 per 100 ml of applied waste water to 310 per 100 ml of groundwater under 20 years sewage-irrigated field. The corresponding values of MPN were 250 and 130 per 100 ml of shallow groundwater under 10 and 05 years sewage-irrigated fields, respectively. Rapid detection of faecal contamination suggested that the Citrobacter freundii and Salmonella were dominant in shallow groundwater, while Escherichia coli was dominant in deep groundwater collected from sewage-irrigated field.     

城市雨水管网沉积物不同分子量溶解性有机质空间分布及光谱特征

采用超滤法、紫外-可见吸收光谱和三维荧光光谱分析法研究了北京市西城区4个典型功能区(居民区、文教区、交通区、商业区)雨水管网表层沉积物中不同分子量溶解性有机质(DOM)的分布特征和光谱特性。结果表明:雨水管网沉积物DOM以小分子量组分为主,约占整体水平的60%~70%。通过分析还发现,沉积物中小分子量(小于3k Da)DOM主要是类蛋白物质,而腐殖类物质主要集中在DOM的大分子量(大于10k Da)区域,微生物活动对小分子量DOM贡献作用显著,由此可见,DOM的分子组成和结构特性在一定程度上可以作为雨水管网沉积物DOM主成分和来源的衡量指标。4个功能区DOM腐殖化水平较低,表现出随分子量增大DOM腐殖化程度升高的规律。     

Fluorescence spectroscopic characterization of dissolved organic matter fractions in soils in soil aquifer treatment

This work investigated the effect of soil aquifer treatment (SAT) operation on the fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) fractions in soils through laboratory-scale soil columns with a 2-year operation. The resin adsorption technique (with XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins) was employed to characterize the dissolved organic matter in soils into five fractions, i.e., hydrophobic acid (HPO-A), hydrophobic neutral (HPO-N), transphilic acid (TPI-A), transphilic neutral (TPI-N), and hydrophilic fraction (HPI). The synchronous fluorescence spectra revealed the presence of soluble microbial byproduct- and humic acid-like components and polycyclic aromatic compounds in DOM in soils, and SAT operation resulted in the enrichment of these fluorescent materials in all DOM fractions in the surface soil (0–12.5 cm). More importantly, the quantitative method of fluorescence regional integration was used in the analysis of excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectra of DOM fractions in soils. The cumulative EEM volume (Φ _{T, n} ) results showed that SAT operation led to the enrichment of more fluorescent components in HPO-A and TPI-A, as well as the dominance of less fluorescent components in HPO-N, TPI-N, and HPI in the bottom soil (75–150 cm). Total Φ _{T, n} values, which were calculated as $ {\Phi_{{T,n}}} \times {\mathrm{DOC}} $ , suggested an accumulation of fluorescent organic matter in the upper 75 cm of soil as a consequence of SAT operation. The distribution of volumetric fluorescence among five regions (i.e., P _{i, n} ) results revealed that SAT caused the increased content of humic-like fluorophores as well as the decreased content of protein-like fluorophores in both HPO-A and TPI-A in soils.     

焦化废水生化处理过程中溶解性有机物及毒性变化规律

焦化废水中的溶解性有机物(DOM)作为废水污染物和毒性的主要来源受到广泛关注。厌氧-缺氧-好氧(A-A-O)生物法联合混凝沉淀工艺在焦化废水处理中被广泛应用。于2018年4,7和11月分别采集4座焦化废水处理厂废水,采用光谱学分析手段和水生生物急性毒性试验对A-A-O联合混凝沉淀处理过程中焦化废水的DOM和毒性变化进行分析。结果表明,焦化废水中含有大量不饱和芳香性物质,其中类色氨酸、络氨酸物质占主导,其次为类溶解性微生物代谢产物、类富里酸物质和类腐殖酸类物质;未经处理的焦化废水对藻类和大型溞的急性毒性等级为中毒至高毒。A-A-O联合混凝沉淀处理可去除90%以上的类色氨酸、络氨酸和类富里酸物质,但对类腐殖酸类物质去除率相对较低,仅为约80%,关键去除段为缺氧段和好氧段;该工艺对焦化废水急性毒性削减率为80.51%~94.30%,关键削减段为厌氧段。Pearson相关性分析结果显示,焦化废水溶解性总有机碳(TOC)、类腐殖酸类物质荧光组分C1和类富里酸类物质荧光组分C4与废水急性毒性存在显著正相关关系,可利用其作为水样急性毒性初筛的指示性指标。可为焦化废水生化处理的效能优化和废水毒性控制及安全评估提供科学支撑。     

Adsorption of ammonium from simulated wastewater by montmorillonite nanoclay and natural vermiculite: experimental study and simulation

In this research, montmorillonite nanoclay (MNC) and vermiculite were used to adsorb ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) from simulated wastewater. The effect of organic acids, cations, and anions on adsorption of NH₄ ⁺ was also studied using batch experiments. The presence of organic acids significantly decreased the NH₄ ⁺ adsorption using both adsorbents and the reduction followed the order of citric acid > malic acid > oxalic acid. The presence of cations in wastewater could decrease the adsorption of NH₄ ⁺ and the ion exchange selectivity on the MNC and vermiculite followed the orders Mg > Ca ≥ K > Na and Mg > > Ca > Na > K, respectively. Adsorption of NH₄ ⁺ by adsorbents in the presence of sulfate (SO₄) was higher than those in the presence of phosphate (PO₄) and chloride (Cl) anions. Results indicated that MNC and vermiculite had good potential for NH₄ ⁺ removal depending on adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial NH₄ ⁺ concentration. The effect of pH on removal of NH₄ ⁺ indicated that MNC would be more appropriate as the adsorbent than vermiculite at low pH values. Kinetic analysis demonstrated that the rate-controlling step adsorption for NH₄ ⁺ by MNC and vermiculite was heterogeneous chemisorption and followed the pseudo-second-order model. The desorption experiments indicated that the adsorption of NH₄ ⁺ by adsorbents was not fully reversible, and the total recovery of adsorbed NH₄ ⁺ for MNC and vermiculite varied in the range of 72 to 94.6% and 11.5 to 45.7%, respectively. Cation exchange model (CEM) in PHREEQC program was used to simulate NH₄ ⁺ adsorption. Agreement between measured and simulated data suggested that CEM was favored in simulating adsorption of NH₄ ⁺ by clay minerals. The results indicated that MNC and vermiculite have good performance as economic and nature-friendly adsorbents that can ameliorate the water and environment quality.     

Dust events and their influence on aerosol optical properties over Jaipur in Northwestern India

In this study, we systematically document the link between dust episodes and local scale regional aerosol optical properties over Jaipur located in the vicinity of Thar Desert in the northwestern state of Rajasthan. The seasonal variation of AOT_{500 nm} (aerosol optical thickness) shows high values (0.51?±?0.18) during pre-monsoon (dust dominant) season while low values (0.36?±?0.14) are exhibited during winter. The Ångström wavelength exponent has been found to exhibit low value (<0.25) indicating relative dominance of coarse-mode particles during pre-monsoon season. The AOT increased from 0.36 (April_mean) to 0.575 (May–June_mean). Consequently, volume concentration range increases from April through May–June followed by a sharp decline in July during the first active phase of the monsoon. Significantly high dust storms were observed over Jaipur as indicated by high values of single scattering albedo (SSA_{440 nm}?=?0.89, SSA_{675 nm}?=?0.95, SSA_{870 nm}?=?0.97, SSA_{1,020 nm}?=?0.976) than the previously reported values over IGP region sites. The larger SSA values (more scattering aerosol), especially at longer wavelengths, is due to the abundant dust loading, and is attributed to the measurement site’s proximity to the Thar Desert. The mean and standard deviation in SSA and asymmetry parameter during pre-monsoon season over Jaipur is 0.938?±?0.023 and 0.712?±?0.017 at 675 nm wavelength, respectively. Back-trajectory air mass simulations suggest Thar Desert in northwestern India as the primary source of high aerosols dust loading over Jaipur region as well as contribution by long-range transport from the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East gulf regions, during pre-monsoon season.     

Uptake of heavy metals by some edible vegetables irrigated using wastewater: a preliminary study in Accra, Ghana

The heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, Co, and Cd) burden in wastewater, soil, and vegetable samples from a wastewater irrigated farm located at KorleBu, Accra has been investigated. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave digestion using a combination of HNO₃, HCl, and H₂O₂ (for water), and HNO₃ and HCl (for soil and vegetables). The mean concentrations (in milligrams per kilogram) of heavy metals in the soil samples were in the order of Fe (171?±?5.22)?>?Zn (36.06?±?4.54)?>?Pb (33.35?±?35.62)?>?Ni (6.31?±?8.15)?>?Cr (3.40?±?3.63)?>?Co (1.36?±?0.31)?>?Cd (0.43?±?0.24), while the vegetables were in the order of Fe (183.11?±?161.2)?>?Zn (5.38?±?3.50)?>?Ni (3.52?±?1.27)?>?Pb (2.49?±?1.81)?>?Cr (1.46?±?0.51)?>?Co (0.66?±?0.25)?>?Cd (0.36?±?0.15). The bioconcentration factors suggest environmental monitoring for the heavy metals as follows: Cd (0.828), Cr (0.431), Ni (0.558), Co (0.485), and Fe (1.067). Estimated daily intakes were very low for both children and adults except Fe (0.767 mg/kg/day) in children. The population that consume vegetables from the study area were, however, estimated to be safe based on the results obtained from the health risk index, which were all?<?<1. The sodium absorption ratio according to FAO (1985) classifications indicate that the wastewater in the study area is unsuitable for irrigation purposes.     

Assessment of organic pollution of an industrial river by synchronous fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopy: the Fensch River (NE France)

To rapidly monitor the surface water quality in terms of organic pollution of an industrial river undergoing restoration, optical methods (UV–visible spectrometry and fluorescence) were applied in parallel to classical physical–chemical analyses. UV–visible spectra were analyzed using the maximum of the second derivative at 225 nm (related to nitrates), specific absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA₂₅₄), and the spectral slope between 275 and 295 nm (S _275–295) (related to the aromaticity and molecular weight of dissolved organic carbon). The synchronous fluorescence spectra (wavelength difference = 50 nm) exhibited a high variability in the composition of dissolved organic material between the upstream and downstream sections and also versus time. The principal components analysis of the entire set of synchronous fluorescence spectra helped to define three river sections with different pollution characteristics. Spectral decomposition was applied to the two most upstream sections: five fluorophores, classical in rivers impacted by domestic sewage and related to protein-like (λ _ex = 280 nm) and humic-like fluorescence (M-type with λ _ex ≈ 305–310 nm and C-type with λ _ex ≥ 335 nm), were identified. The irregular shape of the synchronous fluorescence spectra in the most downstream section is likely due to organic pollutants of industrial origin; however, their variability and the complexity of the spectra did not allow the further elucidation of their nature.     

Spectroscopic Distribution of Dissolved Organic Matter in a Dam Reservoir Impacted by Turbid Storm Runoff

Spectroscopic characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a large dam reservoir were determined using ultraviolet absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate spatial distribution of DOM composition after turbid storm runoff. Water samples were collected along a longitudinal axis of the reservoir at three to four depths after a severe storm runoff. Vertical profiles of turbidity data showed that a turbid water layer was located at a middle depth of the entire reservoir. The spectroscopic characteristics of DOM samples in the turbid water layer were similar to those of terrestrial DOM, as demonstrated by the higher specific UV absorbance (SUVA) and the lower fluorescence emission intensity ratio (F ₄₅₀/F ₅₀₀) compared to other surrounding DOM samples in the reservoir. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that higher content of humic-like DOM composition was contained in the turbid water. Fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) showed that lower content of protein-like aromatic amino acids was present in the turbid water DOM. The highest protein-like fluorescence was typically observed at a bottom layer of each sampling location. The bottom water DOM exhibited extremely high protein-like florescence near the dam site. The particular observation was attributed to the low water temperature and the isolation of the local bottom water due to the upper location of the withdrawal outlet near the dam. Our results suggest that the distribution of DOM composition in a dam reservoir is strongly influenced by the outflow operation, such as selective withdrawal, as well as terrestrial-origin DOM inputs from storm runoff.     

Quantitative detection of nitrate in water and wastewater by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

The presence of inorganic nitrogen species in water can be unsuitable for drinking and detrimental to the environment. In this study, a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method coupled with a commercially available gold nanosubstrate (a gold-coated silicon material) was evaluated for the detection of nitrate and nitrite in water and wastewater. Applications of SERS coupled with gold nanosubstrates resulted in an enhancement of Raman signals by a factor of ～10⁴ compared to that from Raman spectroscopy. The new method was able to detect nitrate with linear ranges of 1–10,000 mg NO₃ ^?/L (R ²?=?0.978) and 1–100 mg NO₃ ^?/L (R ²?=?0.919) for water and wastewater samples, respectively. Among the common anions, phosphate appeared to be the major interfering anion affecting nitrate measurement. Nevertheless, the percentage error of nitrate measurement in wastewater by the proposed SERS method was comparable to that by ion chromatography. The nitrate detection limits in water and wastewater samples were about 0.5 mg/L. The SERS method could simultaneously detect sulfate, which may serve as a reference standard in water. These results suggested that the SERS coupled with nanosubstrates is a promising method to determine nitrate concentrations in water and wastewater.     

Mechanism of ofloxacin fluorescence quenching and its interaction with sequentially extracted dissolved organic matter from lake sediment of Dianchi,China

The wide use and occurrence of antibiotics in water environments have caused wide concerns. Ofloxacin (OFL) was selected as a target antibiotic, and the interaction between OFL and sequential extracted dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the sediment of Dianchi, a hypertrophic lake in Southwest China, was explored using fluorescence quenching technology. The method of fuorescence quenching was used to characterize the interaction between OFL and sequentially extracted DOM. The result indicated that static and dynamic quenching both existed in the interaction. The interaction in the background water (0.01 mol/L NaCl and 200 mg/L NaN₃) became increasingly weak with the further extraction of DOM. A low non-linear factor N value (0.53～0.63) of Freundlich model was observed, indicating a non-linear interaction between OFL and DOM. Elemental characterization and infrared spectrum analysis showed an enhanced OFL-DOM binding with the decrease in humic acid (HA) polarity. The effect of ion strength was tested in the OFL-DOM interaction to show the impact of usually existing metal ions in water environment on the OFL behavior. The result showed that K⁺ had little influence, but Cu²⁺ had a significant promotion (p?相似文献   

Determination of micropollutants in combined sewer overflows and their removal in a wastewater treatment plant (Seoul,South Korea)

The present study investigated the occurrence of 29 selected micropollutants such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface waters and wastewaters in Seoul (South Korea) during both dry and wet weather conditions. The study area was selected based on the lack of available information regarding the suspected contamination of rivers/creeks by EDCs and PPCPs in the Seoul region and the presence of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which serves approximately 4.1 million inhabitants and has a design capacity of 1,297?×?10³ m³/day. Many target compounds (83 %) were detected in samples collected from wastewater treatment influent/effluent, creek water, and combined sewer overflow (CSO). The total EDC/PPCP concentrations were as follows: WWTP influent (69,903 ng/L)?>?WWTP effluent (50,175 ng/L) >3 creek samples (16,035–44,446 ng/L) during dry weather, and WWTP influent (53,795 ng/L)?>?WWTP bypass (38,653 ng/L) >5 creek samples (15,260–29,113 ng/L) >2 CSO samples (11,109–11,498 ng/L) during wet weather. EDCs and PPCPs were found to be present at high daily loads (65.1 and 69.8 kg/day during dry and wet weather, respectively) in the WWTP effluent. Compound removal by the WWTP varied significantly by compound: caffeine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, and propylparaben (>90 %), and acesulfame, DEET, iohexol, iopromide, and iopamidol (<5 %). These findings and literature information support the hypothesis that the efficiency of removal of EDCs and PPCPs is strongly dependent on both removal mechanism (e.g., biodegradation, adsorption to sludge, and oxidation by chlorine) and compound physicochemical properties (e.g., pK _a and hydrophobicity).     

Simultaneous quantification of Bi(III) and U(VI) in environmental water samples with a complicated matrix containing organic compounds

Trace amounts of bismuth(III) and uranium(VI) can be simultaneously determined in a single scan by adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry in the presence of cupferron as a complexing agent. Optimal conditions were found to be: 0.1 mol?L^?1 acetate buffer (pH 5.3), 5?×?10^?5?mol?L^?1 cupferron, accumulation potential of ?0.25 V, and accumulation time of 30 s. The linear range of Bi(III) and U(VI) was observed over the concentration range from 2?×?10^?9 to 2?×?10^?7?mol?L^?1 and from 1?×?10^?8 to 5?×?10^?7?mol?L^?1, respectively. The influence of the main components of real water samples such as foreign ions and organic substances (surface active substances, humic substances) was precisely investigated. The method was applied to the simultaneous measurements of bismuth and uranium in natural water samples.     

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewater of north Indian cities and risk assessment

Six pharmaceuticals of different categories, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac), anti-epileptic (carbamazepine), and anti-microbial (trimethoprim), were investigated in wastewater of the urban areas of Ghaziabad and Lucknow, India. Samples were concentrated by solid phase extraction (SPE) and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. The SPE-HPLC method was validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. All the six drugs were detected in wastewater of Ghaziabad, whereas naproxen was not detected in Lucknow wastewater. Results suggest that levels of these detected drugs were relatively higher in Ghaziabad as compared to those in Lucknow, and diclofenac was the most frequently detected drug in both the study areas. Detection of these drugs in wastewater reflects the importance of wastewater inputs as a source of pharmaceuticals. In terms of the regional distribution of compounds in wastewater of two cities, higher spatial variations (coefficient of variation 112.90–459.44 %) were found in the Lucknow wastewater due to poor water exchange ability. In contrast, lower spatial variation (162.38–303.77 %) was observed in Ghaziabad. Statistical analysis results suggest that both data were highly skewed, and populations in two study areas were significantly different (p?NSAIDs) posed high (RQ >1) risk to all the test species. The present study would contribute to the formulation of guidelines for regulation of such emerging pharmaceutical contaminants in the environment.     

Seasonal variation of different microorganisms with nickel and cadmium in the industrial wastewater and agricultural soils

Wastewater and soil samples were collected from the industrial area of Ghaziabad City, India from January 2005 to December 2007 and were analyzed for the presence of heavy metals by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Test samples revealed high levels of Fe, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn, and Cd as 967.03, 34.63, 27.97, 19.7, 16.70, and 3.20 mg/L of wastewater, respectively. The concentrations of inorganic minerals were higher in the soil samples irrigated with wastewater. Total coliforms were found to be maximum (1,133 × 10⁴ most probable number per 100 mL) during spring and summer followed by winter and postmonsoon in the wastewater samples. The microbial count in soil as well as in wastewater decreases as the metal concentration increases. The concentration 200 μg/mL of nickel and cadmium inhibits majority of the population, while, at some points, it inhibits 100% of the population. The exponential decay model for microbial count at the increasing metal concentrations indicate that asymbiotic N₂ fixers were best fitted to the model. In all the seasons, the order of decline in terms of exponential decay of the population of different microbial groups in soil was asymbiotic N₂ fixers > actinomycetes > fungi > aerobic heterotrophic bacteria. The different microbial groups that have different values of slope in different seasons indicate that the resistant population of microorganisms was variable with seasons.     

Physicochemical characteristics of paper industry effluents��a case study of South India Paper Mill (SIPM)

Pulp and paper mills generate varieties of pollutants depending upon type of the pulping process being used. This paper presents the characteristics of wastewater from South India Paper Mill, Karnataka, India which is using recycled waste paper as a raw material. The raw wastewater consists of 80?C90 mg L^???1 suspended solid and 1,010?C1,015 mg L^???1 dissolved solid. However, pH varied from 5.5?C6.8. The biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand ranged from 200?C210 and 1,120?C1,160 mg L^???1, respectively. Aerobic treatment of raw effluent attribute to significant reduction in suspended solid (range between 25 to 30 mg L^???1) and total dissolved solid (range between 360 to 390 mg L^???1). However, pH, temperature, and electrical conductivity were found superior after treatment. Copper, cadmium, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc were found in less quantity in raw effluent and were almost completely removed after treatment. The dendrogram of the effluent quality parameters clearly indicate that South India Paper Mill does not meet Minimal National Standard set by central Pollution Control Board to discharge in agricultural field.     

Effect of wastewater irrigation on vegetables in relation to bioaccumulation of heavy metals and biochemical changes

The present study was conducted to determine the heavy metal contamination in soil with accumulation in edible parts of plants and their subsequent changes in biochemical constituents due to wastewater irrigation. Though the wastewater contains low levels of the heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, and Cr), the soil and plant samples show higher values due to accumulation. The trend of metal accumulation in wastewater-irrigated soil is in the order: Fe > Pb > Mn > Cr > Cd. Of the three species Colocasia esculentum, Brassica nigra, and Raphanus sativus that are grown, the order of total heavy metal accumulation in roots is Raphanus sativus > Colocasia esculentum, while in shoots the order is Brassica nigra > Colocasia esculentum > Raphanus sativus. The enrichment factor (EF) of the heavy metals in contaminated soil is in the sequence of Cd (3) > Mn (2.7) > Cr (1.62) > Pb (1.46) > Fe (1.44), while in plants EF varies depending upon the species and plant part. C. esculentum and R. sativus show a higher EF for Cr and Cd. All plants show a high transfer factor (TF > 1) for Cd signifying a high mobility of Cd from soil to plant whereas the TF values for Pb are very low as it is not bioavailable. Results of the biochemical parameters show decrease in total chlorophyll and total amino acid levels in plants and an increase in amounts of soluble sugars, total protein, ascorbic acid, and phenol except B. nigra for protein in plants grown in soil irrigated with wastewater as compared to control site.     

Physicochemical quality of an urban municipal wastewater effluent and its impact on the receiving environment

The physicochemical qualities of the final effluents of an urban wastewater treatment plant in South Africa were assessed between August 2007 and July 2008 as well as their impact on the receiving watershed. The pH values across all sampling points ranged between 6.8 and 8.3, while the temperature varied from 18°C to 25°C. Electrical conductivity (EC) of the samples was in the range of 29–1,015 μS/cm, and turbidity varied between 2.7 and 35 NTU. Salinity and total dissolved solids (TDS) varied from 0.36 to 35 psu and 16 to 470 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations of the other physicochemical parameters are as follows: chemical oxygen demand (COD, 48–1,180 mg/L); dissolved oxygen (DO, 3.9–6.6 mg/L); nitrate (0.32–6.5 mg NO $_{3}^{-}$ as N/L); nitrite (0.06–2.4 mg NO $_{2}^{-}$ as N/L); and phosphate (0.29–0.54 mg PO $_{4}^{3-}$ as P/L). pH, temperature, EC, turbidity, TDS, DO, and nitrate varied significantly with season and sampling point (P?<?0.05 and P?<?0.01, respectively), while salinity varied significantly with sampling point (P?<?0.01) and COD and nitrite varied significantly with season (P?<?0.05). Although the treated effluent fell within the recommended water quality standard for pH temperature, TDS, nitrate and nitrite, it fell short of stipulated standards for other parameters. The result generally showed a negative impact of the discharged effluent on the receiving watershed and calls for a regular and consistent monitoring program by the relevant authorities to ensure best practices with regard to treatment and discharge of wastewater into the receiving aquatic milieu in South Africa.