Hepatic antioxidant enzymes and total glutathione of Cyprinus carpio exposed to three disinfectants, chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid, for superficial water potabilization

This study was carried out in order to assess the effects of disinfectant-treatment on antioxidant response of Cyprinus carpio L. Therefore, enzymatic activities of glutathione S-transferases, glyoxalase I, glyoxalase II, glutathione peroxidases, glutathione reductase, catalase and total glutathione content of carp liver, exposed to surface water treated with three disinfectants for potabilization, sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and peracetic acid were investigated. Specimens of carp were exposed in four experimental tanks supplied with a continuous water flow from Lake Trasimeno (Italy), three of them treated with constant concentration of sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and peracetic acid, for 10 and 20 days, while the control tank was supplied with untreated lake water. Differences in biochemical parameters were observed in specimens following exposure to these disinfectants and mainly, chlorine compounds induced marked biochemical variations of carp liver, compared to those induced by peracetic acid treatment. Our results showed that antioxidant parameters of Cyprinus carpio could be used as biomarkers of oxidative stress when this species is exposed to disinfectants for water potabilization.     

Phosphorus quantity-intensity relationships and agronomic measures of P in surface layers of soil from a long-term slurry experiment

Soils from a long-term slurry experiment established in 1970 at Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, were used in the experiment. The site has a clay loam soil overlying Silurian shale. Seven treatments were used with three replicate plots per treatment. Control plots were treated with mineral fertiliser supplying 200 kg N, 32 kg P and 160 kg K ha(-1) yr(-1). Slurry treatment plots were in two blocks and treated with either pig or cow slurry supplied at 50, 100 or 200 m3 ha(-1) yr(-1). Agronomic measures of P determined on 10-cm soil cores were compared with measured P quantity/intensity (Q/I) parameters from fitted sorption and desorption isotherms. Phosphorus affinity constant was found to be significantly and negatively correlated with P loading of soils. Desorption rate coefficient also increased significantly with increase in P loading from slurry, although there was no significant difference between slurry types (cow vs. pig). In contrast, while agronomic measures of P (water-soluble P, Olsen P, calcium chloride-extractable P, degree of P saturation (DPS)) also correlated significantly with P loading and total P (TP) in the soils, there was a separation and significant differences between the cow and pig slurry treatment blocks, with the former being much lower. Phosphorus inputs to pig slurry treated plots were much higher than to equivalent cow slurry plots over the first 15 years of the study but declined sharply over the most recent 10 years to more or less par. Conventional measures of agronomic P such as Olsen P and DPS, measure only P accumulation over the longer term and indicated only the higher content of P accumulating in soil of pig slurry treatments. Risk of P loss estimated by Q/I parameters appeared to show very similar behaviour between the two slurry types in line with more recent manurial additions but in contradiction of P accumulation statistics.     

An anaerobic bioreactor allows the efficient degradation of HCH isomers in soil slurry

The insecticide gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH or lindane), which has been extensively used for agricultural and medical purposes, presents high persistence and toxicity to the environment and low solubility. This study intends to assess the efficiency of an anaerobic reactor to degrade HCH isomers contained in soil slurry cultures. This study was developed in two phases: experiments in flasks to optimize the process parameters, and assessment of the slurry process in the anaerobic slurry reactor operated for an approximate period of a year. The influence of different environmental conditions was evaluated: the HCH concentration (25-100 mg HCH kg-1), the type of substrate (volatile fatty acids or starch), the sludge concentration (2-8 g VSS l-1) and the replacement of spiked soil to simulate a fed-batch operation (10-50%). The best results were obtained when the reactor was operated with a sludge concentration of 8 g VSS l-1, starch concentration of 2 g COD l-1 and soil replacements of 10-20%. Under these conditions, alpha- and gamma-HCH were completely degraded after 10d while nearly 90% beta- and delta-HCH were removed only after 50 d. According to the obtained results related to the total degradation of the HCH isomers and the degradation rates, especially high for alpha- and gamma-HCH, the anaerobic slurry reactor appears to be a good alternative for the degradation of the HCH isomers present in polluted soil.     

Occurrence of estrogenic effects in sewage and industrial wastewaters in Beijing, China

Estrogenic potencies of the effluents or water samples from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), industries and hospitals and some receiving rivers in Beijing city were estimated by using a human estrogen receptor recombinant yeast assay. Estrogenic activity of industrial wastewaters was found to range from 0.1 to 13.3 ng EEQ/L and decreased to the range of 0.03-1.6 ng EEQ/L after treatment. Estrogenic activity in WWTP influent ranged from 0.3 to 1.7 ng EEQ/L and decreased to the range of 0.05-0.5 ng EEQ/L after treatment. In the receiving river waters, the estrogenic effect range was 0.1-4.7 ng EEQ/L. These data suggest that treated industrial effluents and WWTP effluents of concern are not the only source of estrogenic pollution in surface waters in Beijing city. EEQ levels in Beijing river water are likely attributable to untreated municipal and industrial wastewaters discharged directly into the river.     

Disinfection of an advanced primary effluent with peracetic acid and ultraviolet combined treatment: a continuous-flow pilot plant study

Disinfection of an advanced primary effluent using a continuous-flow combined peracetic acid/ultraviolet (PAA/UV) radiation system was evaluated. The purpose was to determine whether the maximum microbial content, established under Mexican standards for treated wastewaters meant for reuse--less than 240 most probable number fecal coliforms (FC)/100 mL--could be feasibly accomplished using either disinfectant individually, or the combined PAA/UV system. This meant achieving reduction of up to 5 logs, considering initial concentrations of 6.4 x 10(+6) to 5.8 x 10(+7) colony forming units/100 mL. During the tests performed under these experiments, total coliforms (TC) were counted because FC, at the most, will be equal to TC. Peracetic acid disinfection achieved less than 1.5 logs TC reduction when the C(t) x t product was less than 2.26 mg x minimum (min)/L; 3.8 logs for C(t) x t 4.40 mg x min/L; and 5.9 logs for C(t) x t 24.2 mg x min/L. In continuous-flow UV irradiation tests, at a low-operating flow (21 L/min; conditions which produced an average UV fluence of 13.0 mJ/cm2), the highest TC reduction was close to 2.5 logs. The only condition that produced a disinfection efficiency of approximately 5 logs, when both disinfection agents were used together, was the combined process dosing 30 mg PAA/L at a pilot plant flow of 21 L/min and contact time of 10 minutes to attain an average C(t) x t product of 24.2 mg x min/L and an average UV fluence of 13 mJ/cm2. There was no conclusive evidence of a synergistic effect when both disinfectants were employed in combination as compared to the individual effects achieved when used separately, but this does not take into account the nonlinearity (tailing-off) of the dose-response curve.     

Effect of influent nitrogen speciation on organic nitrogen occurrence in activated sludge process effluents

The effect of influent nitrogen composition on organic nitrogen production in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) activated sludge process was investigated. A laboratory-scale SBR was fed with three different type synthetic wastewaters with varying nitrogen compositions (phase I = nitriloacetic acid + ammonium [NH4-N], phase II = NH(4-)N, and phase III = amino acid mixture + NH(4-)N) was operated. The effluent contained approximately 1 to 2 mg N/L organic nitrogen, even though there was no organic nitrogen in influent. The effluent organic nitrogen increased to approximately 4 mg N/L when the influent composition was changed and then stabilized at <2 mg N/L. The maximum nitrifier growth rate constants (microN) were calculated as 0.91+/-0.10 to 1.14+/-0.08 day-1, 0.82 +/-0.13 day-1, and 0.89+/-0.08 day-1 at 20 degrees C for the three different influent compositions. The effluent colloidal organic nitrogen (CON) was negligible, suggesting that the effluent CON found in full-scale plants may be the result of influent-derived suspended matter.     

Treatment of wastewater from red and tropical fruit wine production by zeolite anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

A study of the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters derived from red (RWWW) and tropical fruit wine (TFWWW) production was carried out in four laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactors with natural zeolite as bacterial support. These reactors operated at mesophilic temperature (35 degrees C). Reactors R1 and R2 contained Chilean natural zeolite, while reactors R3 and R4 used Cuban natural zeolite as microorganism support. In addition, reactors R1 and R3 processed RWWW, while reactors R2 and R4 used TFWWW as substrate. The biomass concentration attached to zeolites in the four reactors studied was found to be in the range of 44-46 g volatile solids (VS)/L after 90 days of operation time. Both types of zeolites can be used indistinctly in the fluidized bed reactors achieving more than 80%-86% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals for organic loading rates (OLR) of up to at least 20 g COD/L d. pH values remained within the optimal range for anaerobic microorganisms for OLR values of up to 20 and 22 g COD/L d for RWWW and TFWWW, respectively. Toxicity and inhibition levels were observed at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d in reactors R1 and R3 while processing RWWW, whereas the aforementioned inhibitory phenomena were not observed at an OLR of 24 g COD/L d in R2 and R4, treating TFWWW as a consequence of the lower phenolic compound content present in this substrate. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels were always lower in reactors processing TFWWW (R2 and R4) and these values (< 400 mg/L, as acetic acid) were lower than the suggested limits for digester failure. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was twice as high in reactors R2 and R4 than in R1 and R3 after 120 days of operation when all reactors operated at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d.     

Column studies to investigate the fate of veterinary antibiotics in clay soils following slurry application to agricultural land

The environment may be exposed to veterinary medicines administered to livestock due to the application of organic fertilisers to land. For other groups of substances that are applied to agricultural land (e.g. pesticides), preferential flow in underdrained clay soils has been identified as an extremely important pathway by which pollution of surface waters can occur. Three soil column leaching experiments have therefore been carried out using a clay soil to investigate the fate of a range of antibiotics from the sulphonamide, tetracycline and macrolide groups. These column studies complemented a range of other experiments at the field and semi-field scales, as well as modelling studies which are being reported in separate papers. Each column study had a different objective. The first examined the effect of pig slurry on the mobility of antibiotics in clay loam soil. The second experiment investigated changes in soil water pH due to the application of slurry. The final experiment quantified the extent to which soil tillage prior to slurry application can reduce the leaching of antibiotic residues found in slurry. It was found that slurry had no impact on the leaching of oxytetracycline although soil water pH was affected significantly by slurry application. It was also shown that pre-tillage can substantially reduce the leaching of antibiotic residues through macroporous clay soils.     

Conditions for effective removal of pyrene from an artificially contaminated soil using Pseudomonas aeruginosa 57SJ rhamnolipids

The efficacy of a new rhamnolipid biosurfactants mixture to enhance the removal of pyrene from a soil artificially contaminated was investigated. The molar solubilization ratio (MSR) and the partition coefficient between the micelles and water (log K(m)) were found to be 7.5 x 10(-3) and 5.7, respectively. From soil column studies, the pyrene removal increased linearly with the concentration of the injected biosurfactants solution above the effective critical micellar concentration (0.4 g L(-1)). Flushing with a 5.0 g L(-1) biosurfactants solution increased the pyrene concentration in the effluent by 178 times. At high biosurfactants' concentrations (2.5 and 5.0 g L(-1)), the cumulative pyrene recovery reached 70%. This pyrene remobilization takes place independently of the soil organic carbon solubilization. This study provides a combination of batch and column experiments in order to find the conditions for effective soil remediation using a new rhamnolipids mixture.     

Biodegradation of imidacloprid by an isolated soil microorganism

Imidacloprid (1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)-methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine), a chloronicotinyl insecticide used to control biting and sucking insects, is very persistent in the soil with a half-life often greater than 100 days. Although a few soil metabolites have been reported in the literature, there are no reports of imidacloprid-degrading soil microorganisms. Our objectives were to discover, isolate, and characterize microorganisms capable of degrading imidacloprid in soil. Two soil-free stable enrichment cultures in N-limited media were obtained that degraded 19 mg L(- 1) (43%) and 11 mg L(- 1) (16%) of the applied imidacloprid, and produced about 19 mg L(- 1) 6-chloronicotinic acid in three weeks. Enrichment media without microorganisms had no loss of imidacloprid. Strain PC-21, obtained from the enrichment cultures, degraded 37% to 58% of 25 mg L(- 1) imidacloprid in tryptic soy broth containing 1 g L(- 1) succinate and D-glucose at 27 degrees C incubation over a period of three weeks. Trace amounts of NO(3)(-)/NO(2)(-)were produced and six metabolites were characterized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using (14)C-methylene-imidacloprid and liquid chromatograph-electrospray-mass spectrometer (LC-MS). Two of the metabolites were identified as imidacloprid-guanidine and imidacloprid-urea by HPLC standards and LC-MS. During the experiment, 6-chloronicotinic acid was not produced. Less than 1% of the applied (14)C was incorporated into the microbial biomass and no (14)CO(2) was detected. Strain PC-21, identified as a species of Leifsonia by PCR amplification of a 500 bp sequence of 16s rRNA, cometabolized imidacloprid.     

厌氧发酵系统中回流沼液的产甲烷活性研究

为确定两阶段厌氧发酵系统合理的污泥回流时段,对厌氧发酵系统排出沼液产甲烷活性进行了研究。通过对这些沼液在后储罐放置的不同天数(0~5 d)测定其不同的活性,用间歇实验方法测定最大比产甲烷活性(Um ax.CH4)作为厌氧污泥的产甲烷活性指标。结果表明,排出的沼液产甲烷活性在不同的时间段有所不同,经实验得出沼液放置第2 d时的产甲烷活性最高,从而确定该两阶段厌氧发酵系统排出污泥合理的回流时段应该是沼液进入后储罐的第2 d。进而为在线活性污泥与后储罐最佳活性时段污泥混合的污泥回流工艺提供理论依据。     

Persulfate oxidation for in situ remediation of TCE. II. Activated by chelated ferrous ion

In situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) is a technique used to remediate contaminated soil and groundwater systems. It has been postulated that sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) can be activated by transition metal ions such as ferrous ion (Fe2+) to produce a powerful oxidant known as the sulfate free radical (SO4-*) with a redox potential of 2.6 V, which can potentially destroy organic contaminants. In this laboratory study persulfate oxidation of dissolved trichloroethylene (TCE) was investigated in aqueous and soil slurry systems under a variety of experimental conditions. A chelating agent (i.e., citric acid) was used in attempt to manipulate the quantity of ferrous ion in solution by providing an appropriate chelate/Fe2+ molar ratio. In an aqueous system a chelate/Fe2+ molar ratio of 1/5 (e.g., S2O8(2)-/chelate/Fe2+/TCE ratio of 20/2/10/1) was found to be the lowest acceptable ratio to maintain sufficient quantities of Fe2+ activator in solution resulting in nearly complete TCE destruction after only 20 min. The availability of Fe2+ appeared to be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of chelate/Fe2+. In general, high levels of chelated ferrous ion concentrations resulted in faster TCE degradation and more persulfate decomposition. However, if initial ferrous ion contents are relatively low, sufficient quantities of chelate must be provided to ensure the chelation of a greater percentage of the limited ferrous ion present. Citric acid chelated ferrous ion appeared effective for TCE degradation within soil slurries but required longer reaction times. Additionally, the use of citric acid without the addition of supplemental Fe2+ in soil slurries, where the citric acid apparently extracted native metals from the soil, appeared to be somewhat effective at enhancing persulfate oxidation of TCE over extended reaction times. A comparison of different chelating agents revealed that citric acid was the most effective.     

Occurrence, fate and antibiotic resistance of fluoroquinolone antibacterials in hospital wastewaters in Hanoi, Vietnam

Occurrence and behavior of fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents (FQs) were investigated in hospital wastewaters in Hanoi, Vietnam. Hospital wastewater in Hanoi is usually not treated and this untreated wastewater is directly discharged into one of the wastewater channels of the city and eventually reaches the ambient aquatic environment. The concentrations of the FQs, ciprofloxacin (CIP) and norfloxacin (NOR) in six hospital wastewaters ranged from 1.1 to 44 and from 0.9 to 17 micrgl(-1), respectively. Total FQ loads to the city sewage system varied from 0.3 to 14 g d(-1). Additionally, the mass flows of CIP and NOR were investigated in the aqueous compartment in a small wastewater treatment facility of one hospital. The results showed that the FQ removal from the wastewater stream was between 80 and 85%, probably due to sorption on sewage sludge. Simultaneously, the numbers of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were measured and their resistance against CIP and NOR was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration. Biological treatment lead to a 100-fold reduction in the number of E. coli but still more than a thousand E. coli colonies per 100ml of wastewater effluent reached the receiving water. The highest resistance was found in E. coli strains of raw wastewater and the lowest in isolates of treated wastewater effluent. Thus, wastewater treatment is an efficient barrier to decrease the residual FQ levels and the number of resistant bacteria entering ambient waters. Due to the lack of municipal wastewater treatment plants, the onsite treatment of hospital wastewater before discharging into municipal sewers should be considered as a viable option and consequently implemented.     

An attempt to electrically enhance phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated water

Water polluted with arsenic presents a challenge for remediation. A combination of phyto- and electro-remediation was attempted in this study. Four tanks were setup in order to assess the arsenic removal ability of the two methods separately and in combination. Lemna minor was chosen for As remediation and collected from a ditch in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The tanks were filled with surface water without any pre-cleaning, therefore containing various elements including metals as Mn (2.9 mg L(-1)), Cu (0.05 mg L(-1)), Fe (1.39 mg L(-1)), and Ba (0.13 mg L(-1)). This water was then spiked with As and allocated to a feed container, guaranteeing a continuous flow of 0.12 mL s(-1) to each tank. Two experiments were performed: Exp. 1 with 3 consecutive stages with rising applied voltage and Exp. 2, with a constant voltage over a period of 6 d. Measurements of pH and temperature were taken every working day, as well as water samples from outlets of all tanks including feed container for control. From the present study, there was no evidence that As had been taken up by the plants, but a strong depletion of As was observed in the tanks where current was applied. Preliminary results clearly showed that applying voltage to the electrodes caused 90% removal of As from the spiked surface water.     

Quantitative modelling to estimate the transfer of pharmaceuticals through the food production system

Use of pharmaceuticals in animal production may cause an indirect route of contamination of food products of animal origin. This study aimed to assess, through mathematical modelling, the transfer of pharmaceuticals from contaminated soil, through plant uptake, into the dairy food production chain. The scenarios, model parameters, and values refer to contaminants in emission slurry production, storage time, immission into soil, plant uptake, bioaccumulation in the animal's body, and transfer to meat and milk. Modelling results confirm the possibility of contamination of dairy cow's meat and milk due the ingestion of contaminated feed by the cattle. The estimated concentration of pharmaceutical residues obtained for meat ranged from 0 to 6 ng kg^?1 for oxytetracycline, from 0.011 to 0.181 μg kg^?1 for sulfamethoxazole, and from 4.70 to 11.86 μg kg^?1 for ketoconazole. The estimated concentrations for milk were: zero for oxytetracycline, lower than 40 ng L^?1 for sulfamethoxazole, and from 0.98 to 2.48 μg L^?1 for ketoconazole. Results obtained for the three selected pharmaceuticals indicate a minor risk for human health. This study showed that supply chain modelling could be an effective tool in assessing the indirect contamination of feedstuff and animal products by residues of pharmaceuticals. The model can easily be adjusted to other contaminants and supply chain and, in this way, present a valuable tool to underpin decision making.     

Enhanced degradation of carbazole and 2,3-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in soils by Pseudomonas resinovorans strain CA10

We studied the degradation of carbazole (CAR) and 2,3-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3-DCDD) in soils inoculated with carbazole- and dioxin-degrader Pseudomonas resinovorans strain CA10. By using Tn5-based transposon delivery systems, this bacterium was chromosomally marked with a tandem green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene. Real-time competitive PCR and direct counting using the (gfp) marker were employed to monitor the total number of carbazole 1,9a-dioxygenase gene (carAa) and survival of CA10 cells in the soil and soil slurry microcosms. Bioaugmentation studies indicated that the survival of the marked CA10 cells in soil microcosms was strongly influenced by pH and organic matter. While the number of the marked CA10 cells decreased rapidly in pH 6 with low organic matter, a high cell density was maintained in pH 7.3 with 2.5% organic matters up to 21 days after inoculation. In pH 7.3 soil, the period needed for complete degradation of CAR (100 microg kg(-1)) was markedly shortened from 21 to 7 days by the inoculation with the CA10 cells. Single inoculation of CA10 cells into the soil slurry system of 2,3-DCDD-contaminated soil enhanced the degradation of 2,3-DCDD from 25.0% to 37.0%. In this system, the population density of CA10 cells and the total number of carAa gene were maintained up to 14 days after inoculation. By repeated inoculation (every 2 days) with CA10 cells each at a density of 10(9) CFU g(-1) of soil, almost all of the 2,3-DCDD (1 microg kg(-1)) was degraded within 14 days. Results of these experiments suggest that P. resinovorans strain CA10 may be an important resource for bioremediation of CAR and chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin in contaminated soils.     

The impact of semiconductor, electronics and optoelectronic industries on downstream perfluorinated chemical contamination in Taiwanese rivers

This study provides the first evidence on the influence of the semiconductor and electronics industries on perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) contamination in receiving rivers. We have quantified ten PFCs, including perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs: PFBS, PFHxS, PFOS) and perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs: PFHxA, PFHpA, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA, PFDoA) in semiconductor, electronic, and optoelectronic industrial wastewaters and their receiving water bodies (Taiwan's Keya, Touchien, and Xiaoli rivers). PFOS was found to be the major constituent in semiconductor wastewaters (up to 0.13 mg/L). However, different PFC distributions were found in electronics plant wastewaters; PFOA was the most significant PFC, contributing on average 72% to the effluent water samples, followed by PFOS (16%) and PFDA (9%). The distribution of PFCs in the receiving rivers was greatly impacted by industrial sources. PFOS, PFOA and PFDA were predominant and prevalent in all the river samples, with PFOS detected at the highest concentrations (up to 5.4 μg/L).     

Transport of veterinary antibiotics in overland flow following the application of slurry to arable land

The environment may be exposed to veterinary medicines administered to livestock due to the application of organic fertilisers to land. Slurry is often spread on to fields following the harvest of the previous crop. Despite recommendations to do so, the slurry may not be ploughed into the soil for some time. If precipitation occurs before incorporation then it is likely that the slurry and any antibiotic residues in the slurry will be transported towards surface waters in overland flow. This phenomenon has been investigated in a plot study and transport via 'tramlines' has been compared to that through crop stubble. Three veterinary antibiotics, from the tetracycline, sulphonamide and macrolide groups, were applied to the plots in pig slurry. Twenty four hours after the application the plots were irrigated. Following this the plots received natural rainfall. Sulphachloropyridazine was detected in runoff from the tramline plot at a peak concentration of 703.2 microgl(-1) and oxytetracycline at 71.7 microgl(-1). Peak concentrations from the plot that did not contain a tramline were lower at 415.5 and 32 microgl(-1), respectively. In contrast, tylosin was not detected at all. Mass losses of the compounds were also greater from the tramline plot due to greater runoff generation. These did not exceed 0.42% for sulphachloropyridazine and 0.07% for oxytetracycline however.     

Bioavailability of selenium to forage crops in a sandy loam soil amended with Se-rich plant materials

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to study the bioavailability of selenium (Se) to sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) fodders in a sandy loam soil amended with different levels of Se-rich wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and raya (Brassica juncea L. Czern) straw containing 53.3 and 136.7microg Seg(-1), respectively. Each of the fodder crops was grown after incorporation of Se-rich materials either individually or in a sequence - sorghum-maize-berseem by incorporating Se-rich straws only to the first crop. Application of Se-rich straws to each crop, even at the greatest rate of 1%, did not have any detrimental effect on dry matter yield of different crops. With increase in the level of wheat straw from 0% to 1%, Se content in sorghum and maize plants increased to greatest level of 1.3 and 1.5microg g(-1), respectively, at 0.3% of applied straw and thereafter it decreased consistently. In case of raya straw, the greatest Se content in sorghum (2.3microg g(-1)) and maize (3.0microg g(-1)) was recorded at 0.3% and 0.4% of the applied straw, respectively. Unlike sorghum and maize fodders, Se content in all the four cuts of berseem continued to increase with increase in the level of applied straws and for different cuts of berseem it varied from 1.6 to 2.3 and 3.4 to 4.3microg g(-1) in case of wheat and raya straw, respectively. Similar variations in Se content of different fodder crops were recorded when these were grown in the sequence - sorghum-maize-berseem; but Se content was 2-4 times lower than when each crop was grown with fresh application of Se-rich straw. None of the fodders absorbed Se in levels toxic for animal consumption (>5microg g(-1)) even at the greatest level of applied straw. Of the total Se added through Se-rich straws, utilization of Se was not more than 2% in case of sorghum and maize crops and up to 5% in case of berseem. At the time of sowing of sorghum, hot water soluble Se (HWS-Se) in soils treated with different levels of Se-rich wheat and raya straw, respectively, varied from 18 to 36 and 18 to 79microg kg(-1). Whereas in case of berseem, it varied from 33 to 101 and 33 to 154microg kg(-1), respectively. HWS-Se present at the sowing time of berseem was significantly correlated with Se content of all the four cuts in the soil treated with Se-rich straws; the coefficients of correlation 'r' varied between 0.79 (p0.05) and 0.99 (p0.001). Selenium-rich materials supplied significant amounts of S, P and micronutrients to the growing fodder crops. These investigations suggest that Se-rich raya and wheat straw may be disposed off safely in soils used for growing fodders.     

Treatment of wastewater from red and tropical fruit wine production by zeolite anaerobic fluidized bed reactor

A study of the anaerobic treatment of wastewaters derived from red (RWWW) and tropical fruit wine (TFWWW) production was carried out in four laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactors with natural zeolite as bacterial support. These reactors operated at mesophilic temperature (35°C). Reactors R1 and R2 contained Chilean natural zeolite, while reactors R3 and R4 used Cuban natural zeolite as microorganism support. In addition, reactors R1 and R3 processed RWWW, while reactors R2 and R4 used TFWWW as substrate. The biomass concentration attached to zeolites in the four reactors studied was found to be in the range of 44–46 g volatile solids (VS)/L after 90 days of operation time. Both types of zeolites can be used indistinctly in the fluidized bed reactors achieving more than 80%–86% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removals for organic loading rates (OLR) of up to at least 20 g COD/L d. pH values remained within the optimal range for anaerobic microorganisms for OLR values of up to 20 and 22 g COD/L d for RWWW and TFWWW, respectively. Toxicity and inhibition levels were observed at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d in reactors R1 and R3 while processing RWWW, whereas the aforementioned inhibitory phenomena were not observed at an OLR of 24 g COD/L d in R2 and R4, treating TFWWW as a consequence of the lower phenolic compound content present in this substrate. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) levels were always lower in reactors processing TFWWW (R2 and R4) and these values (< 400 mg/L, as acetic acid) were lower than the suggested limits for digester failure. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) was twice as high in reactors R2 and R4 than in R1 and R3 after 120 days of operation when all reactors operated at an OLR of 20 g COD/L d.