Determination of optimum polymeric coagulant in palm oil mill effluent coagulation using multiple-objective optimisation on the basis of ratio analysis (MOORA)

The main limitation of a conventional palm oil mill effluent (POME) ponding system lies in its inability to completely decolourise effluent. Decolourisation of effluent is aesthetically and environmentally crucial. However, determination of the optimum process parameters is becoming more complex with the increase of the number of coagulants and responses. The primary objective of this study is to determine the optimum polymeric coagulant in the coagulation–flocculation process of palm oil mill effluent by considering all output responses, namely lignin–tannin, low molecular mass coloured compounds (LMMCC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), pH and conductivity. Here, multiple-objective optimisation on the basis of ratio analysis (MOORA) is employed to discretely measure multiple response characteristics of five different types of coagulants as a function of assessment value. The optimum coagulant is determined based on the highest assessment value and was identified as QF25610 (cationic polyacrylamide). On the other hand, the lowest assessment value was represented by AN1800 (anionic polyacrylamide). This study highlights the simplicity of MOORA approach in handling various input and output parameters, and it may be useful in other wastewater treatment processes as well.     

Land use influences macroinvertebrate community composition in boreal headwaters through altered stream conditions

Land use is known to alter the nature of land–water interactions, but the potential effects of widespread forest management on headwaters in boreal regions remain poorly understood. We evaluated the importance of catchment land use, land cover, and local stream variables for macroinvertebrate community and functional trait diversity in 18 boreal headwater streams. Variation in macroinvertebrate metrics was often best explained by in-stream variables, primarily water chemistry (e.g. pH). However, variation in stream variables was, in turn, significantly associated with catchment-scale forestry land use. More specifically, streams running through catchments that were dominated by young (11–50 years) forests had higher pH, greater organic matter standing stock, higher abundance of aquatic moss, and the highest macroinvertebrate diversity, compared to streams running through recently clear-cut and old forests. This indicates that catchment-scale forest management can modify in-stream habitat conditions with effects on stream macroinvertebrate communities and that characteristics of younger forests may promote conditions that benefit headwater biodiversity.     

Strategies to evaluate biodegradability: application to chlorinated herbicides

The biodegradability of nitrochlorinated (diuron and atrazine) and chlorophenoxy herbicides (2,4-D and MCPA) has been studied through several bioassays using different testing times and biomass/substrate ratios. A fast biodegradability test using unacclimated activated sludge yielded no biodegradation of the herbicides in 24 h. The inherent biodegradability test gave degradation percentages of around 20–30 % for the nitrochlorinated herbicides and almost complete removal of the chlorophenoxy compounds. Long-term biodegradability assays were performed using sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and sequencing batch membrane bioreactor (SB-MBR). Fixed concentrations of each herbicide below the corresponding EC₅₀ value for activated sludge were used (30 mg L^?1 for diuron and atrazine and 50 mg L^?1 for 2,4-D and MCPA). No signs of herbicide degradation appeared before 35 days in the case of diuron and atrazine and 21 days for 2,4-D, whereas MCPA was partially degraded since the early stages. Around 25–36 % degradation of the nitrochlorinated herbicides and 53–77 % of the chlorophenoxy ones was achieved after 180 and 135 days, respectively, in SBR, whereas complete disappearance of 2,4-D was reached after 80 days in SB-MBR.     

Investigation of pharmaceutical metabolites in environmental waters by LC-MS/MS

Pharmaceuticals, once ingested, are commonly metabolized in the body into more polar and soluble forms. These compounds might not be completely removed in the wastewater treatment plants and consequently being discharged into the aquatic ecosystem. In this work, a multi-class sensitive method for the analysis of 21 compounds, including 7 widely consumed pharmaceuticals and 14 relevant metabolites, has been developed based on the use of UHPLC-MS/MS in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. The method was validated in six surface waters (SW) and six effluent wastewaters (EWW) at realistic concentration levels that can be found in waters. The optimized method was applied to the analysis of different types of water samples (rivers, lakes and effluent wastewater), detecting nearly all the parent compounds and metabolites investigated in this work. This fact illustrates that not only pharmaceuticals but also their metabolites are commonly present in these types of waters. Analytical research and monitoring programs should be directed not only towards parent pharmaceuticals but also towards relevant metabolites to have a realistic overview of the impact of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment.     

Statistical thermodynamics of adsorption of dye DR75 onto natural materials and its modifications: double-layer model with two adsorption energies

In this article, adsorption modelling was presented to describe the sorption of textile dye, Direct Red 75 (DR75), from coloured wastewater onto the natural and modified adsorbent, Posidonia oceanica. The formulation of the double-layer model with two energy levels was based on statistical physics and theoretical considerations. Thanks to the grand canonical ensemble in statistical physics some physico-chemical parameters related to the adsorption process were introduced in the analytical model expression. Fitting results show that the dye molecules are adsorbed in parallel position to the adsorbent surface. The magnitudes of the calculated adsorption energies show that the DR75 dye is physisorbed onto Posidonia. Both Van der Waals and hydrogen interactions are implicated in the adsorption process. Despite its simplicity, the model fits a wide range of experimental data, thereby supporting the underlying data that the grafted groups facilitate the parallel anchorage of the anionic dye molecule. Thermodynamic parameters, such as adsorption energy, entropy, Gibbs free adsorption energy and internal energy were calculated according to the double-layer model. Results suggested that the DR75 adsorption onto Posidonia was a spontaneous and exothermic process.     

Identification and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air particulate matter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In an effort to assess the occurrence and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ambient air of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, PM₁₀ samples were collected during December 2010. Diagnostic PAH concentration ratios were used as a tool to identify and characterize the PAH sources. The results reflect high PM₁₀ and PAH concentrations (particulate matter (PM)?=?270–1,270 μg/m³). The corresponding average PAH concentrations were in the range of 18?±?8 to 1,003?±?597 ng/m³ and the total concentrations (total PAHs (TPAHs) of 17 compounds) varied from 1,383 to 13,470 ng/m³ with an average of 5,871?±?2,830 ng/m³. The detection and quantification limits were 1–3 and 1–10 ng/ml, respectively, with a recovery range of 42–80 %. The ratio of the sum of the concentrations of the nine major non-alkylated compounds to the total (CPAHs/TPAHs) was 0.87?±?0.10, and other ratios were determined to apportion the PM sources. The PAHs found are characteristic for emissions from traffic with diesel being a predominant source.     

Comparative statistical study of hourly precipitation determined by radar-based Stage IV and ground-based methods in the North Central United States

Detailed hourly precipitation data are required for long-range modeling of dispersion and wet deposition of particulate matter and water-soluble pollutants using the CALPUFF model. In sparsely populated areas such as the north central United States, ground-based precipitation measurement stations may be too widely spaced to offer a complete and accurate spatial representation of hourly precipitation within a modeling domain. The availability of remotely sensed precipitation data by satellite and the National Weather Service array of next-generation radars (NEXRAD) deployed nationally provide an opportunity to improve on the paucity of data for these areas. Before adopting a new method of precipitation estimation in a modeling protocol, it should be compared with the ground-based precipitation measurements, which are currently relied upon for modeling purposes. This paper presents a statistical comparison between hourly precipitation measurements for the years 2006 through 2008 at 25 ground-based stations in the north central United States and radar-based precipitation measurements available from the National Center for Environmental Predictions (NCEP) as Stage IV data at the nearest grid cell to each selected precipitation station. It was found that the statistical agreement between the two methods depends strongly on whether the ground-based hourly precipitation is measured to within 0.1 in/hr or to within 0.01 in/hr. The results of the statistical comparison indicate that it would be more accurate to use gridded Stage IV precipitation data in a gridded dispersion model for a long-range simulation, than to rely on precipitation data interpolated between widely scattered rain gauges.

Implications:

The current reliance on ground-based rain gauges for precipitation events and hourly data for modeling of dispersion and wet deposition of particulate matter and water-soluble pollutants results in potentially large discontinuity in data coverage and the need to extrapolate data between monitoring stations. The use of radar-based precipitation data, which is available for the entire continental United States and nearby areas, would resolve these data gaps and provide a complete and accurate spatial representation of hourly precipitation within a large modeling domain.     

The amorphous Zn biomineralization at Naracauli stream,Sardinia: electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy

An amorphous Zn biomineralization (“white mud”), occurring at Naracauli stream, Sardinia, in association with cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya frigida and diatoms, was investigated by electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Preliminary diffraction analysis shows that the precipitate sampled on Naracauli stream bed is mainly amorphous, with some peaks ascribable to quartz and phyllosilicates, plus few minor unattributed peaks. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows that the white mud, precipitated in association with a seasonal biofilm, is made of sheaths rich in Zn, Si, and O, plus filaments likely made of organic matter. Transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the sheaths are made of smaller units having a size in the range between 100 and 200 nm. X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure data collected at the Zn K-edge indicate that the biomineral has a local structure similar to hemimorphite, a zinc sorosilicate. The differences of this biomineral with respect to the hydrozincite biomineralization documented about 3 km upstream in the same Naracauli stream may be related to either variations in the physicochemical parameters and/or different metabolic behavior of the involved biota.