Mesophilic biomethanation and treatment of poultry waste-water using pilot scale UASB reactor

The feasibility of applying the up-flow anaerobicsludge blanket (UASB) treatment for poultry waste (faeces)water was examined. A continuous-flow UASB pilot scalereactor of 3.50 L capacity using mixed culture was operatedfor 95 days to assess the treatability of poultry waste-water and its methane production. The maximum chemicaloxygen demand (COD) removed was found to be 78% whenorganic loading rate (OLR) was 2.9 kg COD m^-3 day^-1 athydraulic retention times (HRT) of 13.2 hr. The averagebiogas recovery was 0.26 m³ CH₄ kg COD with an averagemethane content of 57% at mean temperature of 30 °C.Data indicate more rapid methanogenesis with higher loadingrates and shorter hydraulic retention times. At feedconcentration of 4.8 kg COD m^-3 day^-1, anaerobic digestionwas severely retarded at all hydraulic retention timetested. This complication in the reactor operations may belinked to build-up of colloidal solids often associated withpoultry waste water and ammonia toxicity. Isolates fromgranular sludge and effluent were found to be facultativeanaerobes most of which were Pseudomonas genera.     

Biotreatability and kinetics of UASB reactor to mixtures of chlorophenol pollutants

In most natural ecosystems heterotrophic microorganisms encountercomplex mixtures of carbon sources, each of which is present at aconcentration of few micrograms per litre. This study examined the biotreatability and kinetics of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor to complex mixtures of chlorophenols encountered in environmental conditions using on-line and off-line experimental studies. Results indicate that (1) steady-state concentration was quite lower (98.3 mg L^-1) with complex mixture of chlorophenols than steady-state concentration achieved when only 2.4 dichlorophenol (124 mg L^-1) was studied alone on the same reactor; (2) that toxiceffects of chlorophenols increase with increasing concentrationsof toxicant. (Onset of the inhibitory effect occurred at a lowerconcentration in multi-substrate than in single substrate utilization); (3) addition of alternative utilizable substrate can mitigate toxic effects and enhance degradation; (4) the relative concentration of substrate was critical in determiningutilization patterns. HPLC analysis of off-line experimental samples resulted in a steady-state treatment efficiency of68% for COD, 36% for 2-hlorophenol, 40.5% for 4-chlorophenol, 70.7% for 2,4-dichlorophenol, 53.2% for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and 42% for pentachlorophenol in presence of glucose. Kinetic constant in terms of V _max and K _s were determined. K _s for the five chlorophenols ranged between 0.016 and 0.117 kg m^-3 day^-1 while V _max ranged between 0.056 and 0.244 kg m^-3 day^-1.     

Kinetics of Biotransformation of 2,4-Dichlorophenol using UASB-Reactor

Chlorophenol compounds are environmental pollutants that are both anthropogenic and xenobiotics. Some of these chemicals are carcinogens and are both toxic to a number biochemical processes. Biotransformation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was studied in the presence of glucose on an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) using mixed culture. A continuously operated UASB reactor was employed using mixed synthetic wastewater. Results obtained from the 1.8 L volume capacity UASB reactor were subjected to kinetic evaluation constants. Results indicate that the degradation of 2,4-DCP in the presence of glucose was strongly influenced by the concentration of the compound. High degradation levels were observed when the concentration of 2,4-DCP was in the range of 50-150 mg L(-1). Concentrations of 2,4-DCP above 160 mg L(-1) were toxic to microbes even in the presence of glucose. The maximum degradation of 2,4-DCP was found to be 70.4% when initial concentration of 2,4-DCP was 124 mg L(-1) and glucose concentration of 500 mg L(-1) at hydraulic retention time of 13.2 hr. The biodegradation followed first order reaction kinetics with a rate constant (K) of 0.67, Vmax of 0.244 kg m(-3) day(-1), Ks of 0.117 kg m(-3) day(-1) and correlation coefficient of 0.766.     

Leachate from market refuse and biomethanation study

The market place is considered to be an important centre of daily life of campus community. In India, as in Europe and the USA, other forms of shopping have emerged significantly and now predominate, for instance department stores and supermarkets. Though, it is suffered from poor waste management, but the place could be a potential source for obtaining non-conventional energy. The present study examined the quality of market waste management of the Indian Institute of Technology Campus along with the feasibility of biogas production from leachate generated in the waste. Solid wastes from different storage locations of the market place were collected and analyzed. The characteristics of solid wastes were found to be degradable in nature. The wastes, composed of 85% of vegetable origin, were placed in a container and water was added to to generate leachate. The self-purification efficiency of leachate was also studied in the Indian environment and compared with research findings in the USA under an identical moisture application rate. Leachate characterization was investigated both under saturated and submerged conditions. The treatability of leachate was studied in a laboratory-scale up-flow anaerobic filter with hollow burnt clay rings as packing media. It was observed that 4,000–6,000 mg/l would be the optimum range of inlet chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration for leachate treatment because of the inhibitory effect of ammonia, sulphide, volatile fatty acids and toxic metals in high concentrations at higher strengths of leachate. The gas production rate was found to be at a maximum at 38°C and containing 70–75% methane. From experimental data, it was revealed that 83% COD was removed with input COD concentration of 5,475 mg/l at 2 days hydraulic retention time with biogas yield coefficients of 0.61. The present study also investigated the removal efficiency of chloride, ammonia, sulphide and nitrate.     

Water quality characterization in the Northern Florida everglades based on three different monitoring networks

The Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is affected by inflows containing elevated contaminant concentrations originating from agricultural and urban areas. Water quality was determined using three networks: the Northern Refuge (NRN), the Southern Refuge (SRN), and the Consent Decree (CDN) monitoring networks. Within these networks, the Refuge was divided into four zones: (1) the canal zone surrounding the marsh, (2) the perimeter zone (0 to 2.5 km into the marsh), (3) the transition zone (2.5 to 4.5 km into the marsh), and (4) the interior zone (>4.5 km into the marsh). In the NRN, alkalinity (ALK) and conductivity (SpC) and dissolved organic carbon, total organic carbon, total dissolved solids (TDS), Ca, Cl, Si, and SO₄ concentrations were greater in the perimeter zone than in the transition or interior zone. ALK, SpC, and SO₄ concentrations were greater in the transition than in the interior zone. ALK, SpC, and TDS values, Ca, SO₄, and Cl had negative curvilinear relationships with distance from the canal toward the Refuge interior (r ²?=?0.78, 0.67, 0.61, 0.77, 0.62, and 0.57, respectively). ALK, TB and SpC, and Ca and SO₄ concentrations decreased in the canal and perimeter zones from 2005 to 2009. Important water quality assessments using the SRN and CDN cannot be made due to the sparseness and location of sampling sites in these networks. The number and placement monitoring sites in the Refuge requires optimization based on flow pattern, distance from contaminant source, and water volume to determine the effect of canal water intrusion on water quality.     

Groundwater quality and hydrogeochemical properties of Torbalı Region, Izmir, Turkey

The large demand for drinking, irrigation and industrial water in the region of Torbali (Izmir, Turkey) is supplied from groundwater sources. Almost every factory and farm has private wells that are drilled without permission. These cause the depletion of groundwater and limiting the usage of groundwater. This study investigates spatial and temporal change in groundwater quality, relationships between quality parameters, and sources of contamination in Torbali region. For this purpose, samples were collected from 10 different sampling points chosen according to their geological and hydrogeological properties and location relative to factories, between October 2001 and July 2002. Various physical (pH, temperature, EC), chemical (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, alkalinity, copper, chromium, cadmium, lead, zinc) and organic (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, COD and cyanide) parameters were monitored. It was observed that the groundwater has bicarbonate alkalinity. Agricultural contamination was determined in the region, especially during the summer. Nitrite and ammonia concentrations were found to be above drinking water standard. Organic matter contamination was also investigated in the study area. COD concentrations were higher than the permissible limits during the summer months of the monitoring period.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of red mud-supported catalysts in combination with ozone and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the treatment of solution containing benzene,toluene, and xylene

Ozone and a Fe²⁺/TiO₂-based catalyst were examined in the degradation of a synthetic solution of benzene toluene and xylene (BTX) in an advanced oxidation process (AOP). The catalyst beads were made from the slurry waste of aluminum production process, by inserting the TiO₂ content and subsequent calcination. The reduction of the BTX concentration load was monitored by the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and BTX concentration. Different levels were used on factors: pH, time of treatment, initial concentration of BTX, and percentage of TiO₂. The process was conducted in a bubble column reactor with the insertion of catalyst beads. A response surface methodology technique (CCD) was used to build a model based on COD reduction results. The model was optimized using the normal-boundary intersection (NBI) algorithm to maximize COD reduction and minimize the variance attributed to the process. Optimization led to COD reductions of 80% in 2 h of experiment. Correlation analysis of coefficient models from experimental data R²_adj was 0.9966, showing a good fit of model data. In the optimized conditions, the possible increase of the biodegradability ratio of the BTX solution, through the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and COD, was also analyzed. Under pre-treatment conditions, the BOD/COD ratio was 0.13. After the treatment, it increased to 0.56.

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Assessment of the efficiency and economic viability of various methods of treatment of sanitary landfill leachate

This study assesses the efficiency of various physico-chemical, biological and other tertiary methods for treating leachate. An evaluation study on the treatability of the leachate from methane phase bed (MPB) reactor indicated that at an optimum hydraulic retention time of 6 days, the efficiency of the reactor in terms of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 91.29 and 82.69%, respectively. Recycling of the treated leachate through the municipal solid waste layers in the leachate recycling unit (LRU) resulted in a significant increase in the biodegradation of organics present in the leachate. Optimum BOD and COD removal efficiencies were achieved at the third recycle; additional recycling of the leachate did not produce any significant improvement. Physico-chemical treatment of the leachate demonstrated that alum and lime (Option 2) were more economical than coagulants lime and MgCO₃. A cost analysis of the economics of the various treatments revealed that the alternative treatment consisting of a MPB bed followed by a LRU and aerated lagoon is the most cost-effective treatment. However, the alternative consisting of a MPB followed by the LRU and a soil column, which is slightly more costly, would be the most appropriate treatment when adequate land is readily available.     

Chemometric characterization of river water quality

Various industrial facilities in the city of Varanasi discharge their effluent mixed with municipal sewage into the River Ganges at different discharge points. In this study, chemometric tools such as cluster analysis and box–whisker plots were applied to interpret data obtained during examination of River Ganges water quality. Specifically, we investigated the temperature (T), pH, total alkalinity, total acidity, electrical conductivity (EC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate nitrogen (N), phosphate (PO ₄ ^2? ), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in water samples collected from six sampling stations. Hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis was conducted using Ward’s method. Proximity distance between EC and Cr was the smallest revealing a relationship between these parameters, which was confirmed by Pearson’s correlation. Based on proximity distances, EC, Cr, Ni, Fe, N, COD, temperature, BOD, and total acidity comprised one group; Zn, Pb, Cd, total alkalinity, Cu, and phosphate (PO ₄ ^2? ) were in another group; and DO and pH formed a separate group. These groups were confirmed by Pearson’s correlation (r) values that indicated significant and positive correlation between variables in the same group. Box–whisker plots revealed that as we go downstream, the pollutant concentration increases and maximum at the downstream station Raj Ghat and minimum at the upstream station Samane Ghat. Seasonal variations in water quality parameters signified that total alkalinity, total acidity, DO, BOD, COD, N, phosphate (PO ₄ ^2? ), Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Fe, Pb, and Zn were the highest in summer (March–June) and the lowest during monsoon season (July–October). Temperature was the highest in summer and the lowest in winter (November–February). DO was the highest in winter and the lowest in summer season. pH was observed to be the highest in monsoon and the lowest in summer season.     

陕北石油勘探开发区地表水污染特征分析

研究了陕北主要石油勘探开发地区地表水的水质状况,分析了pH、矿化度(全盐量)、硬度、六价铬、砷、镉、铅、氨氮、挥发酚、石油类、化学需氧量(COD)、氯化物、硫酸盐、硝酸盐氮、总磷、氰化物、氟化物等17个指标,结果显示砷、镉、铅、氟化物、硝酸盐、氰化物、氟化物的P_i值均小于1;挥发酚、总磷、石油类、氨氮、COD、六价铬、硫酸盐、矿化度、氯化物、硬度均超标。研究区东部和西部地表水呈现出不同的污染特征,通过分析不同区域污染物来源,提出了污染防治对策与建议。