The Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study: Part 1—Overview

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of a major, long-term program for tropospheric gas and aerosol research in the southeastern United States. Building on three existing ozone (O₃)-focused research sites begun in mid-1992, the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study (SEARCH) was initiated in mid-1998 as a 7-year observation and research program with a broader focus including aerosols and an expanded geographical coverage in the Southeast. The monitoring network comprises four urban-rural (or urban-suburban) site pairs at locations along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and inland, including two moderately sized and two major urban areas (Pensacola, FL; Gulfport, MS; Atlanta, GA; and Birmingham, AL). The sites are equipped with an extensive suite of instruments for measuring particulate matter (PM), gases relevant to secondary O₃ and the production of secondary aerosol particles, and surface meteorology. The measurements taken to date have added substantially to the knowledge about the temporal behavior and geographic variability of tropospheric aerosols in the Southeast. Details are presented in four papers to follow.     

The Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study: part 1--Overview

This paper presents an overview of a major, long-term program for tropospheric gas and aerosol research in the southeastern United States. Building on three existing ozone (O3)-focused research sites begun in mid-1992, the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Study (SEARCH) was initiated in mid-1998 as a 7-year observation and research program with a broader focus including aerosols and an expanded geographical coverage in the Southeast. The monitoring network comprises four urban-rural (or urban-suburban) site pairs at locations along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and inland, including two moderately sized and two major urban areas (Pensacola, FL; Gulfport, MS; Atlanta, GA; and Birmingham, AL). The sites are equipped with an extensive suite of instruments for measuring particulate matter (PM), gases relevant to secondary O3 and the production of secondary aerosol particles, and surface meteorology. The measurements taken to date have added substantially to the knowledge about the temporal behavior and geographic variability of tropospheric aerosols in the Southeast. Details are presented in four papers to follow.     

Effects of untreated hospital effluents on the accumulation of toxic metals in sediments of receiving system under tropical conditions: Case of South India and Democratic Republic of Congo

Physicochemical and ecotoxicological analyses have been performed to assess the quality of sediments receiving untreated hospital effluents from Indian and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hospitals. The sediments were collected monthly and characterized for grain size, organic matter, total organic carbon, total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, toxic metals and ecotoxicity. The results highlight the high concentration of toxic metals from the Indian hospital effluent receiving systems, especially for Cr, Cu, As, Zn and Hg. On the other hand, the metal concentrations in the sediment receiving system from DRC are low (e.g. maximum Hg and Zn concentration were 0.46 and 48.84 mg kg⁻¹ respectively). Ostracods exposed to sediment samples H2 (September month sample) and H3 (June and September month samples) were found dead after 6 d of exposure whereas the higher mortality rate for Congo sediments was 23% but was accompanied with 33 ± 7% of growth inhibition. The results of this study show the variation of sediment composition on toxic metal levels as well as toxicity related to both, the type of hospitals and the sampling period. Additionally, hospital effluent disposal practices at the study sites can lead to the pollution of water resources and may generate risks for aquatic organisms and human health.     

Di（2-ethylhexyl）phosphoric acid-coconut oil supported liquid membrane for the separation of copper ions from copper plating wastewater

Permeation of Cu(II) from its aqueous solution through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) containing di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) carrier dissolved in coconut oil has been studied. The effects of Cu(II), pH (in feed), H2SO4 (stripping) and D2EHPA (in membrane) concentrations have been investigated. The stability of the D2EHPA-coconutoil has also been evaluated. High Cu(II) concentration in the feed leads to an increase in flux from 4.1 × 10-9 to 8.9 × 10-9 mol/(m2·s) within the Cu(II) concentration range 7.8×10-4-78.6×10-4 mol/L at pH of 4.0 in the feed and 12.4 × 10-4 mol/L D2EHPA in the membrane phase. Increase in H2SO4 concentration in strip solution leads to an increase in copper ions flux up to 0.25 mol/L H2SO4, providing a maximum flux of 7.4 × 10-9 mol/(m2·s). The optimum conditions for Cu(II) transport are, pH of feed 4.0, 0.25 mol/L H2SO4 in strip phase and 12.4 × 10-4 mol/L D2EHPA (membrane) in 0.5 (m pore size polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane. It has been observed that Cu(II) flux across the membrane tends to increase with the concentration of copper ions. Application of the method developed to copper plating bath rinse solutions has been found to be successful in the recovery of Cu(II). rane. It     

The role of ferrous ion in Fenton and photo-Fenton processes for the degradation of phenol

The efficiency of different Fenton-related oxidative processes such as Fenton, solar-Fenton and UV-Fenton were examined using phenol as a model compound in simulated and industrial wastewater. A batch study was conducted to optimize parameters like pH, hydrogen peroxide concentration and ferrous ion concentration governing the Fenton process. At optimum conditions, different Fenton-related processes were compared for the degradation of phenol. Increased degradation and mineralisation efficiency were observed in photo-Fenton processes as compared to conventional Fenton process. The maximum mineralising efficiency for phenol with Fenton, solar and UV-Fenton processes were 41%, 96% and 97% respectively. In Fenton process, carboxylic acids like acetic acid and oxalic acid were formed as end products during the degradation of phenol while in photo-Fenton processes, both these ions were identified during the early stages of phenol degradation and were oxidized almost completely at 120 min of the reaction time. In photo-Fenton processes (solar and UV light) complete degradation were observed with 0.4 mM of Fe2+ catalyst as compared to 0.8 mM of Fe2+ in conventional Fenton process. In Fenton and solar-Fenton processes, an iron reusability study was performed to minimize the amount of iron used in treatment process. The efficacy of Fenton and solar-Fenton processes was applied to effluent from phenol resin-manufacturing unit for the removal and mineralisation of phenol.     

Case study of testing heavy‐particle concentrator‐aided remediation of lead‐contaminated rifle shooting range soil

Trials were conducted to optimize the parameters of a heavy‐particle concentrator (HPC) for the remediation of soil stockpiles contaminated by metallic lead at the Mount Stuart training area in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. A range of treatment methods, including orbital screen, HPC, and a combination of orbital screen and HPC were evaluated. The treatment efficiency, as well as reductions in Pb and Australian Standard Teaching Procedure values, was ranked: Orbital screen + HPC < HPC < 2nd run through HPC. The combination of orbital screening, HPC, and phosphate‐aided immobilization completely remediated the stockpiled material by reducing total lead to below the Australian National Environmental Protection Measure Health Investigation Level for Soil Contaminant (Recreational; < 600 milligrams lead per kilogram). The optimized parameters of HPC at 4 tonnes per hour of the < 40 millimeter (mm) orbital screen feed fraction were: inclination angle 4°, trommel speed 1,860 revolutions per minute (rpm), HPC belt speed 3.5 rpm, material distribution chute extension 100 mm and water flow 480 liters per minute.     

Low-Cost Filtration System to Treat First-Flush Stormwater

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of the low-flow filtration system (LFFS) that Kogarah Municipal Council developed for treating and reusing the highly polluted first-flush stormwater (FFSW) while allowing the cleaner subsequent major stormwater flows to be directed to the major street drainage. The LFFS was evaluated through laboratory investigations using columns packed with different filter media to test the removal efficiency of pollutants such as zinc (Zn), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), total organic content, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and turbidity. The findings from this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the LFFS to largely reduce turbidity, TPH, and trace metals from the FFSW. The LFFS also partially removes dissolved organics, TP and TN. These pollutants are more commonly and effectively removed in subsequent processes of a stormwater treatment train. Further this paper highlights the importance of regular maintenance of the LFFS especially as it is only associated in removing the high pollutant loads during a storm event. Due to this first flush, a thick oily crust-formed layer requires monthly removal, and an entire replacement of the exhausted filter media is required quarterly. However considering the labor required to service the crust formed layer within the LFFS, it is more cost effective to replace the entire depth of filter media monthly.     

Treatment of Stormwater using Fibre Filter Media

In this study, a high-rate fibre filter was used as a pre-treatment to stormwater in conjunction with in-line flocculation. The effect of operating the fibre filter with different packing densities (105, 115 and 125 kg/m³) and filtration velocities (20, 40, 60 m/h) with and without in-line flocculation was investigated. In-line flocculation was provided using 5, 10 and 15 mg/L of ferric chloride (FeCl₃·6H₂O). The filter performance was studied in terms of pressure drop (ΔP), solids removal efficiency, heavy metals (total) removal efficiency and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency. It is found that the use of in-line flocculation at a dose of 15 mg/L improved the performance of fibre filter as measured by turbidity removal (95%), total suspended solids reduction (98%), colour removal efficiency (99%), TOC removal (reduced by 30–40 %) and total coliform removal (93%). The modified fouling index reduced from 750–950 to 12 s/L² proving that fibre filter can be an excellent pre-treatment to membrane filtration that may be consider as post-treatment. The removal efficiency of heavy metal was variable as their concentration in raw water was small. Even though the concentration of some of these metals such as iron, aluminium, copper and zinc were reduced, others like nickel, chromium and cadmium showed lower removal rates.