Towards global phosphorus security: a systems framework for phosphorus recovery and reuse options

Human intervention in the global phosphorus cycle has mobilised nearly half a billion tonnes of the element from phosphate rock into the hydrosphere over the past half century. The resultant water pollution concerns have been the main driver for sustainable phosphorus use (including phosphorus recovery). However the emerging global challenge of phosphorus scarcity with serious implications for future food security, means phosphorus will also need to be recovered for productive reuse as a fertilizer in food production to replace increasingly scarce and more expensive phosphate rock. Through an integrated and systems framework, this paper examines the full spectrum of sustainable phosphorus recovery and reuse options (from small-scale low-cost to large-scale high-tech), facilitates integrated decision-making and identifies future opportunities and challenges for achieving global phosphorus security. Case studies are provided rather than focusing on a specific technology or process. There is no single solution to achieving a phosphorus-secure future: in addition to increasing phosphorus use efficiency, phosphorus will need to be recovered and reused from all current waste streams throughout the food production and consumption system (from human and animal excreta to food and crop wastes). There is a need for new sustainable policies, partnerships and strategic frameworks to develop renewable phosphorus fertilizer systems for farmers. Further research is also required to determine the most sustainable means in a given context for recovering phosphorus from waste streams and converting the final products into effective fertilizers, accounting for life cycle costs, resource and energy consumption, availability, farmer accessibility and pollution.     

Evaluation of a sustainable remediation option: Beneficial reuse of petroleum-contaminated sediment as an energy source

The characteristics of petroleum-contaminated sediment (PCS) have been evaluated to assess whether the practice of its beneficial reuse as a sole or supplemental energy source is sustainable relative to other sediment remediation options such as monitored natural recovery (MNR), capping, or off-site disposal. Some of these remediation options for PCS are energy-intensive and/or require land utilization. The energy and compositional analysis results indicate a low carbon content (15–17%(wt)) and corresponding low energy values of 5,200 kJ/kg (2,200 Btu/lb) to 5,600 kJ/kg (2,400 Btu/lb). However, given other decision-making criteria, the sediment may contain enough value to be added as a supplemental fuel given that it is normally considered a waste product and is readily available.

The thermogravimetric profiles obtained under both combustion and pyrolytic conditions showed that the sulfur contents were comparable to typical low sulfur bituminous or lignite coals found in the United States, and most of the volatiles could be vaporized below 750°C. The heavy metal concentrations determined before and after combustion of the PCS indicated that further engineering controls may be required for mercury, arsenic, and lead. Due to the potential for reduction of public health and environmental threats, potential economic savings, and conservation of natural resources (petroleum and land), removal of PCS by dredging and beneficial reuse as a supplemental fuel clearly has merit to be considered as a sustainable remediation option.

Implications: This study will provide a logical evaluation process to determine whether petroleum-contaminated sediment can be reused as an energy source. The energy and emissions values were determined and evaluated whether the sediment could be combusted for viable and sustainable use, considering several factors pertinent to evaluate in the remediation decision process. Various analysis methods were employed to determine elemental compositions, heating values, thermal and emission characteristics. This evaluation process may be used as a general methodology for the determination of petroleum-contaminated sediment as a supplemental fuel that may have merit to be considered as a sustainable remediation option.     

Integrated nanofiltration and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket treatment of textile wastewater for in-plant reuse.

The filtration characteristics of simulated dyeing effluents containing Acid Orange 7, sodium sulfate, and a pH buffer made of acetic acid and sodium acetate is described using a commercially available nanofiltration membrane. The original membrane filtration properties were characterized with deionized water to provide a baseline of membrane performance. At high volumetric concentration of the test solutions, greater than 98% rejection of dye and sodium sulfate were obtained. Rejection of buffering chemicals was approximately 50% in all experiments, giving a permeate water not suitable for reuse in most dyeing operations. The final composite concentrate had a chemical oxygen demand (COD) value > 2000 mg/L. No problems were encountered with anaerobic treatment of the concentrate obtained from the dyeing wastewater. Adjusting the sulfate concentration to give COD-to-sulfate ratios to 2.9, 5.4, and 18.2 in the reactor feed had no significant alterations in the performance of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor.     

污染土壤修复效果评定方法的研究

在实施污染土壤修复的环境工程后,需要通过灵敏和有效的评定方法对污染土壤修复的效果进行评定.然而,单纯依靠化学方法进行污染土壤修复效果的评定,不能揭示土壤的整体质量特征,因此需要生态毒理方法作为相互补充的手段.本文概述了植物毒性评定法、陆生无脊椎动物评定法和土壤微生物评定法及其在污染土壤修复效果评定中的应用,并对污染土壤修复效果评定方法的发展前景进行展望.     

污染土壤修复效果评定方法的研究

在实施污染土壤修复的环境工程后，需要通过灵敏和有效的评定方法对污染土壤修复的效果进行评定。然而，单纯依靠化学方法进行污染土壤修复效果的评定，不能揭示土壤的整体质量特征，因此需要生态毒理方法作为相互补充的手段。本文概述了植物毒性评定法、陆生无脊椎动物评定法和土壤微生物评定法及其在污染土壤修复效果评定中的应用，并对污染土壤修复效果评定方法的发展前景进行展望。     

An evaluation of surfactant foam technology in remediation of contaminated soil

Soil contamination is notoriously difficult to treat because the contaminants are often tightly bound to the soil particles. Conventional remediation technologies are becoming less popular due to the high treatment costs. This paper gives a comprehensive overview and evaluation of an emerging promising alternative, surfactant foam technology. Different from other approaches, surfactant foam technology may be designed either to remove contaminants or/and simultaneously act as an augmentation for the existing technologies such as pump-and-treat systems and bioremediation processes to improve the contaminant removal efficiency and cost effectiveness. Encouraging results were achieved from laboratory and field demonstrations. However, as an innovative technology, there are many factors to be investigated with the future development. Special attention is paid to the selection of the most appropriate foaming surfactant and surfactant concentration, which are critical to the success of the implementation of the remediation process and have significant effects on the treatment costs. Moreover, development of predictive mathematical models in for future research is helpful to optimize the remediation process.     

砂滤/超滤回用处理校园景观水

在连续式65d运行过程中,采用砂滤/超滤回用处理校园景观水,对校园景观水中高锰酸盐指数、氨氮和浊度的去除效果进行了研究。结果表明:(1)生物滤池对高锰酸盐指数去除率为1.5%～37.0%,平均去除率为18.7%;超滤膜对高锰酸盐指数去除率为40.5%～93.7%,平均去除率为67.5%。(2)生物滤池对氨氮去除率为1.0%～77.6%。(3)砂滤/超滤工艺对浊度的去除率为24.6%～100.0%。(4)生物滤池内生物相以菌胶团和后生动物为主,利用后生动物对有机颗粒等的吞噬,使系统具有良好反堵塞自我调节作用。(5)利用10%(质量分数)NaOH对膜清洗效果要优于10%(质量分数)HCl。     

Integrated waste management through producers and consumers education: composting of vegetable crop residues for reuse in cultivation

As part of the design of an integrated waste management scheme through the use of the PRECEDE/PROCEED model in the area of Crete, data concerning the applicability of composting in various agricultural wastes was considered as necessary. Vegetable residues from tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and pepper crops were collected, shredded and composted either alone or with the use of olive press cake, olive tree leaves, and branches and vine branches as bulking agents. Seven random combinations--mixtures of the above materials were composted using windrows, where additional four similar windrows were made up by approximately 10 m3 of the above mentioned vegetable crop residues. All windrows were turned four times during the eight weeks thermophylic phase, with the help of a mechanical turner. A large number of physiochemical parameters were monitored in the raw materials, at the end of the thermophylic phase and at the end of the maturation phase. The temperature which was monitored daily, recorded the highest values (above 55 degrees C) in the windrows where bulking agents were used. All raw vegetable crop residues and their mixtures presented increased electrical conductivity values (above 5 mS/cm and up to 9.7 mS/cm) resulting to end products with respectively high EC values (above 3 mS/cm and up to 15 mS/cm) probably due to the presence of large amounts of soil, rich in fertilisers, attached to the roots of the plants. There was no detection of any remains of the 13 pesticides for which all 11 composts were tested for. The accuracy of the results was tested through a recovery test of the pesticides in mature compost, resulting to acceptable recovery values.     

Model-based evaluation of controlled-release systems in the remediation of dissolved plumes in groundwater

Controlled-release, semi-passive reactive barrier systems have been recently developed as a long-term treatment option for controlling the spread of contaminant plumes in groundwater. This paper describes a new computer code, and applies it to study coupled processes of solute release, reaction, and mass transport in an in situ remediation scheme using the controlled release of potassium permanganate. Confidence with the modeling approach was developed by model verifications and simulating results of a pilot-scale test-cell experiment. Sensitivity analyses indicated the possibilities of treatment inefficiencies due to inability of transverse dispersion to mix the permanganate (MnO(4)(-)) within the zone of reaction, fluctuations in source strength due to variations in flow velocity, and the small length of treatment zone due to strong soil utilization of MnO(4)(-). Although problems associated with the fluctuating source strength and strong soil utilization can be addressed by optimizing the release rate, the inefficiency of transverse dispersion to create mixing could pose a serious limitation. Through a series of model simulations, a system of injection/withdrawal wells in a doublet arrangement was developed to facilitate lateral spreading and mixing of MnO(4)(-). A well-mixed, stable MnO(4)(-) zone with predetermined size (DxL=8m x 2m) and concentration ranges (1.5-20 mg l(-1)) was created by four 1-day injection/withdrawal pumping periods over 24 d. This type of mixing zone may persist for many years with periodic well mixing and replacements of exhausted controlled-release forms. Coupled use of the generalized code with field hydrologic data will help to optimize the design and operation of controlled-release systems in practice.     

磷酸盐稳定化修复锌污染土壤小试和工程效果评估

采用磷矿粉和某商业药剂为主要稳定化修复材料,针对某典型锌污染场地（包括锌污染土壤和工业废渣）开展实验室小试、稳定化修复工程和长期跟踪稳定化效果评估。结果表明,采用磷矿粉+熟石灰组合对锌污染土壤和建筑废渣具有长期稳定并大幅降低污染介质中锌浸出浓度的效果,实验室小试时投加比为2%时,锌的浸出可完全满足场地修复目标值25 mg·L-1的浓度限值;在现场施工时,为保守起见,设定稳定化药剂投加比例4%,在稳定化过程中,pH变化趋势为逐渐升高到11左右,然后降低稳定至7.0左右,废渣和污染土壤中锌浸出分别为0.2 mg·L-1、0.05 mg·L-1以下;稳定化修复后450 d,再次采样测定锌的浸出和pH,结果分别为低于0.2~2.0 mg·L-1和7.3左右,完全达到预期长期稳定化效果。实验室小试和稳定化工程结果可为后续锌污染场地治理修复提供技术参考和借鉴。     

Accumulation of heavy metals from contaminated soil to plants and evaluation of soil remediation by vermiculite

We evaluated the distribution of 15 metal ions, namely Al, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, La, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sc, Ti, V, Y, Zn and Zr, in the soil of a contaminated site in Piedmont (Italy). This area was found to be heavily contaminated with Cu, Cr and Ni. The availability of these metal ions was studied using Tessier’s sequential extraction procedure: the fraction of mobile species, which potentially is the most harmful for the environment, was much higher than that normally present in unpolluted soils. This soil was hence used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with vermiculite to reduce the availability of the pollutants to two plants, Lactuca sativa and Spinacia oleracea, by pot experiments. The results indicated that the addition of vermiculite significantly reduces the uptake of metal pollutants by plants, confirming the possibility of using this clay in amendment treatments of metal-contaminated soils. The effect of plant growth on metal fractionation in soils was investigated. Finally, the sum of the metal percentages extracted into the first two fractions of Tessier’s protocol was found to be suitable in predicting the phytoavailability of most of the pollutants present in the investigated soil.     

Field evaluation of in situ remediation of a heavy metal contaminated soil using lime and red-mud

We evaluated the effectiveness of lime and red mud (by-product of aluminium manufacturing) to reduce metal availability to Festuca rubra and to allow re-vegetation on a highly contaminated brown-field site. Application of both lime and red mud (at 3 or 5%) increased soil pH and decreased metal availability. Festuca rubra failed to establish in the control plots, but grew to a near complete vegetative cover on the amended plots. The most effective treatment in decreasing grass metal concentrations in the first year was 5% red mud, but by year two all amendments were equally effective. In an additional pot experiment, P application in combination with red mud or lime decreased the Pb concentration, but not total uptake of Pb in Festuca rubra compared to red mud alone. The results show that both red mud and lime can be used to remediate a heavily contaminated acid soil to allow re-vegetation.     

The impact of spatial correlation and incommensurability on model evaluation

Standard evaluations of air quality models rely heavily on a direct comparison of monitoring data matched with the model output for the grid cell containing the monitor's location. While such techniques may be adequate for some applications, conclusions are limited by such factors as the sparseness of the available observations (limiting the number of grid cells at which the model can be evaluated) and the incommensurability between volume-averages and pointwise observations. We examine several sets of simulations to illustrate the effect of incommensurability in a variety of cases distinguished by the type and extent of spatial correlation present. Block kriging, a statistical method which can be used to address the issue, is then demonstrated using the simulations. Lastly, we apply this method to actual data and discuss the practical importance of understanding the impact of spatial correlation structure and incommensurability.     

循环经济理念在规划环境影响评价中的应用途径及案例研究

循环经济是建设生态文明的有效途径,规划环境影响评价是减少决策失误、保证科学发展的基本手段.把循环经济理念融入到规划环境影响评价中,能有效地推进循环经济的实施.结合规划环境影响评价的实践,分析了规划环境影响评价与循环经济的关系,讨论了将循环经济理论和方法体系纳入区域规划环境影响评价体系的途径.结合天津先进制造业产业区总体规划环境影响评价,从技术思路的完善、规划环境影响评价全过程中循环经济理念的落实等进行了细致的分析.     

芘和苯并[a]芘复合污染土壤中的环糊精-微生物连续修复

人为制作芘（Pyr）和苯并[a]芘（BaP）浓度分别为200 mg·kg-1、100 mg·kg-1的污染土样,通过羟丙基-β-环糊精（HPCD）和芘的降解菌,研究土壤中Pyr和BaP的修复效果及对微生物群落结构的变化。通过添加10%（w/w）HPCD和5%（v/w）降解菌修复人为污染的土壤,研究发现添加HPCD和降解菌对两种多环芳烃的降解均有促进作用,且同时添加的效果依次强于单独添加HPCD、单独添加降解菌。培养14周后,和对照相比,所有处理的土样中3种酶（脱氢酶、多酚氧化酶以及荧光素二乙酸酯酶）活性均增强,且HPCD+降解菌处理效果使酶活性增强最为显著,与样品的降解效果趋势相似。通过对土壤中2种多环芳烃进行Tenax TA 6 h提取来表征生物有效性,得出土壤中Pyr的生物有效性依次为HPCD处理（M）>> 对照处理（CK）>（HPCD+降解菌）处理（MB）>> 降解菌处理（CKB）;即HPCD可以显著增强土壤中Pyr的生物有效性,MB和CKB对土壤中Pyr的生物有效性具有减弱作用,且CKB处理的减弱效果最明显;BaP的生物有效性依次为HPCD处理（M）>>（HPCD+降解菌）处理（MB）> 对照处理（CK）>> 降解菌处理（CKB）;即不仅HPCD对土壤中BaP的生物有效性增强作用,MB对BaP的生物有效性也具有增强作用,而且CKB对土壤中BaP的生物有效性同样具有减弱作用。高通量测序表明,培养10周后,M、MB、CK和CKB 4种样品的土壤细菌组成相似。外接种菌液会提高土壤中的细菌多样性,环糊精的添加会降低土样的细菌多样性,两者都会改变土壤的细菌群落结构。     

An evaluation of the role of risk-based decision-making in a former manufactured gas plant site remediation

Environmental remediation decisions are driven by the need to minimize human health and ecological risks posed by environmental releases. The Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund Sites enunciates the principles of exposure and risk assessment that are to be used for reaching remediation decisions for sites under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Experience with remediation management under CERCLA has led to recognition of some crucial infirmities in the processes for managing remediation: cleanup management policies are ad hoc in character, mandates and practices are strongly conservative, and contaminant risk management occurs in an artificially narrow context. The purpose of this case study is to show how a policy of risk-based decision-making was used to avoid customary pitfalls in site remediation. This case study describes the risk-based decision-making process in a remedial action program at a former manufactured gas plant site that successfully achieved timely and effective cleanup. The remediation process operated outside the confines of the CERCLA process under an administrative consent order between the utility and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. A residential use end state was negotiated as part of this agreement. The attendant uncertainties, complications, and unexpected contingencies were overcome by using the likely exposures associated with the desired end state to structure all of the remediation management decisions and by collecting site-specific information from the very outset to obtain a detailed and realistic characterization of human health risks that needed to be mitigated. The lessons from this case study are generalizable to more complicated remediation cases, when supported by correspondingly sophisticated technical approaches.     

污水中磷的回收和利用途径

综述了近年来污水中磷回收的主要技术方法,重点针对磷酸铵镁结晶法,对磷酸铵镁的形成、用途及该方法的可行性做了详细的介绍与评述.同时,阐述了利用磷酸盐溶解微生物,实现磷产品肥效的回收.并对今后磷回收、回用工作的开展,提出了建议.     

Electrokinetic remediation of organochlorines in soil: enhancement techniques and integration with other remediation technologies

Electrokinetic remediation has been increasingly used in soils and other matrices for numerous contaminants such as inorganic, organic, radionuclides, explosives and their mixtures. Several strategies were tested to improve this technology effectiveness, namely techniques to solubilize contaminants, control soil pH and also couple electrokinetics with other remediation technologies. This review focus in the experimental work carried out in organochlorines soil electroremediation, aiming to systemize useful information to researchers in this field. It is not possible to clearly state what technique is the best, since experimental approaches and targeted contaminants are different. Further research is needed in the application of some of the reviewed techniques. Also a number of technical and environmental issues will require evaluation for full-scale application. Removal efficiencies reported in real contaminated soils are much lower than the ones obtained with spiked kaolinite, showing the influence of other factors like aging of the contamination and adsorption to soil particles, resulting in important challenges when transferring technologies into the field.     

洗浴废水循环再利用技术的探讨和分析

在我国 ,洗浴废水达到城市生活污水量的 30 %。本文针对目前洗浴废水通常作为一次性用水的现象 ,参考各国在污水再利用方面所做的工作 ,结合国内外对洗浴废水处理的研究成果 ,探讨了把洗浴废水处理为浴池补给用水的经济、技术、政策和公众接受观念的可行性 ,分析了现有对洗浴废水的处理方法及其工艺流程。提出将洗浴废水处理为浴池直接的补给水的思路 ,同时 ,通过对洗浴废水的成分分析、各种处理工艺的优缺点比较及处理后水回用的适用场所的讨论 ,论述洗浴废水经处理后达到《生活饮用水卫生标准》的可能性 ,可以安全地用作为浴池补给用水。