The impact of aluminium on green algae isolated from two hydrochemically different headwater streams, Bavaria, Germany

Two strains of green algae (Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp.) have been isolated from two headwater streams differing in stream chemistry (Eger river: acidic, low alkalinity; Püttlach river: slightly alkaline, high alkalinity). In this study the growth response of these indigenous algae to increased concentrations of aluminium (Al) is investigated. A semi-continuous culture technique was used for Al-toxicity studies. Algal response was determined by calculating growth rates from turbidity and cell counts. Those Al-species which are well known to be toxic were estimated by equilibrium calculations using the WATEQ computer program (Truesdall & Jones, 1973). The pH-value of the culture media was usually pH=5, except for one of the test series. Tested concentrations ranged from c=4 to 220 micromol litre(-1). The isolated strains of green algae were highly sensitive to increased Al-concentrations. The strain isolated from the Püttlach river was more sensitive than the Eger river algae. A total growth inhibition occurs at Al-concentrations of c=4 micromol litre(-1) if the whole Al was added at once. If Al was added gradually into the growth media the response of the algae was delayed. This is due to Al-enrichment in cells. In our long term toxicity studies, growth inhibition occurs even at nearly neutral pH-conditions (pH=6.5) although Al toxicity is expected at pH-values less than pH=5.5. This new result confirms the need of long-term studies in continuous cultures under simulated natural conditions. This might be the only way to achieve valid conclusions about the fate and the toxicity of environmental pollutants.     

A Rapid In Situ Respiration Test for Measuring Aerobic Biodegradation Rates of Hydrocarbons in Soil

An in situ test method to measure the aerobic biodegradation rates of hydrocarbons in contaminated soil is presented. The test method provides an initial assessment of bioventing as a remediation technology for hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. The in situ respiration test consists of ventilating the contaminated soil of the unsatiirated zone with air and periodically monitoring the depletion of oxygen (O2) and production of carbon dioxide (CO2) over time after the air is turned off. The test is simple to implement and generally takes about four to five days to complete. The test was applied at eight hydrocarbon-contaminated sites of different geological and climatic conditions. These sites were contaminated with petroleum products or petroleum fuels, except for two sites where the contaminants were primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Oxygen utilization rates for the eight sites ranged from 0.02 to 0.99 percent O2/hour. Estimated biodegradation rates ranged from 0.4 to 19 mg/kg of soil/day. These rates were similar to the biodegradation rates obtained from field and pilot studies using mass balance methods. Estimated biodegradation rates based on O2 utilization were generally more reliable (especially for alkaline soils) than rates based on CO2 production. CO2 produced from microbial respiration was probably converted to carbonate under alkaline conditions.     

A rapid, direct measurement of bacterial growth rate in anaerobic wastewater treatment.

Reliable design and operation of biological wastewater treatment systems demand robust models of biological degradation processes. However, methods to directly measure key bacterial growth kinetics have not been readily available. Those methods that are available rely on the classic measurement of aerobic respiration using oxygen uptake take rates. This paper shows how the thymidine assay can be used as a rapid and direct measurement of bacterial specific growth rates (mu) in situ for an anaerobic treatment process, independent of aerobic respiration. A filtration-based assay is applied and evaluated a dispersed-phase high-rate anaerobic treatment process, with results obtained in less than an hour. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) biomass in the reactor was 0.52 kg COD m(-3) and the specific growth rate of these anaerobic bacteria was 0.8 +/- 0.2 d(-1). It took the bacterial populations 21.6 hours to double. This is an important advancement from existing methods that use aerobic respiration as a pseudo measurement of bacterial specific growth rates. The method allows rapid and direct measures of microbial growth rates for anaerobic treatment processes.     

Zinc acclimation and its effect on the zinc tolerance of Raphidocelis subcapitata and Chlorella vulgaris in laboratory experiments.

The effect of zinc acclimation of Raphidocelis subcapitata (syn. Selenastrum capricornutum) and Chlorella vulgaris on their sensitivity towards this metal was examined in a series of laboratory experiments. These two commonly used algal species were acclimated to 65 microg Zn/l and changes in zinc tolerance were monitored using standard growth inhibition tests. The chemically defined ISO medium was used as a control culture medium. Both species demonstrated a maximum increase in zinc tolerance of a factor of 3 after 100 days of acclimation. Shifts in the shape of the concentration-response curve due to acclimation were observed for R. subcapitata. Compared to non-acclimated algae, acclimated R. subcapitata exhibited higher growth rates in all zinc treatments as well as in the controls. This suggests that the use of ISO-medium results in sub-optimal growth due to zinc deficiency. These effects could not be demonstrated for C. vulgaris. The zinc tolerance of both species decreased significantly one week after returning the acclimated algae to control (ISO) medium. 72hEC50 values based on growth rate were two to four times higher than those calculated using biomass measurements. Algal toxicity test results, particularly if used for metal risk assessments, must not be conducted using nutrient deficient media.     

Treatment of food industry waste by bench-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket-anoxic-aerobic system.

An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB)-anoxicaerobic system was used for treatment of tomato and bean processing wastewater. At various hydraulic retention times, ranging from 0.7 to 5 days, excellent removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia-nitrogen (NH4-N), and total Kjeldahl nitrogen was achieved with final effluent BOD/TSS/NH4N concentrations of less than 15/15/1 mg/L. Biogas yield in the UASB reactor varied from 0.33 to 0.44 m3/kgCODremoved. The kinetics of anaerobic treatment were investigated. The yield coefficient was 0.03 gVSS/gCOD; maximum specific growth rate was 0.24 day(-1); Monod half velocity constant was 135 mgCOD/L; and specific substrate utilization rate was 3.25 gCOD/gVSS x d. Nitrification and denitrification kinetics were studied in batch experiments, and the rates were comparable with those in the continuous flow system.     

水中毒物对硝化反应毒性的快速检测

本文描述了一种利用硝化细菌快速、灵敏的检测急性毒物的方法 ,该方法将ATU作为亚硝酸细菌的选择性抑制剂 ,通过测定硝化细菌的耗氧速率来反映毒物毒性作用的大小 ,同时测定毒物的EC50 值。将本方法应用于底泥毒性检测中 ,与传统方法相比结果一致。     

Toxicity of waters from two streams to early life stages of brown trout (Salmo trutta f. fario L.), tested under semi-field conditions.

The development of brown trout (Salmo trutta f. fario L.) in water of two differently polluted streams and in a control situation was monitored in order to get insights into the impact of anthropogenic chemical stressors on the reproductive success of this fish species indigenous to both streams. The test streams, situated in the south of Stuttgart, Germany, were the complexly polluted K?rsch stream and the less polluted Kr?henbach stream. Bypass systems connected to the streams and a laboratory control system were used for continuous exposure of early brown trout stages shortly after fertilisation up to the end of the embryonic development. Temperature and oxygen conditions were standardised in all test series in order to minimise unspecific effects. The examined endpoints were: (1) mortality, (2) developmental rate, (3) time course of hatching, (4) malformations, and (5) growth. A retarded development, reduced growth rates and higher mortality rates of K?rsch stream water exposed embryos indicated an embryotoxic potential for the more polluted stream. High infection-related mortality rates of embryos suggested the presence of confounding factors also in the less polluted Kr?henbach stream. In parallel to the exposure experiment, physicochemical and limnochemical parameters as well as concentrations of organic contaminants and heavy metals were monitored. Analytical data confirm the different degrees of pollution of both streams.     

Modelling PAHs adsorption and sequestration in freshwater and marine sediments

Chemical sequestration is a natural process taking place in sediments and soils which reduces the availability of hydrophobic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The rate of sequestration following the release of PAHs into the aquatic environment is still unexplored. To measure kinetic parameters and investigate governing factors of adsorption and sequestration of individual PAHs, natural sediment slurries were spiked with [2H]-PAHs and periodically extracted with a high molecular weight surfactant solution to determine changes in the available fraction over periods of 7-28 days. Dissolved and/or colloidal [2H]-PAHs were first adsorbed on particles within 4-7 days. Adsorbed molecules became slowly sequestered into sediment particles and were gradually more difficult to extract over a period of 17-20 days. An empirical model based on a three-compartment dynamic system was developed to quantify the sequestration rate constants of a group of seven selected PAHs. The sequestration process was assumed to be a first-order consecutive and irreversible two-stage reaction. The model was tested with lowly contaminated marine sediment and moderately contaminated freshwater sediment. Adsorption rate constants ranged between 0.056 h(-1) and 0.017 h(-1) and were approximately ten times higher than sequestration rate constants. Light PAHs were faster to enter into the sequestration process whereas colloidal dispersion of heavier less soluble PAHs reduced their adsorption rates. Although quite simple, this model was efficient to compute kinetic parameters for most PAHs studied and predict that only a small proportion of adsorbed PAHs would remain extractable after one month.     

Effect of temperature and dissolved oxygen on the growth kinetics of Pseudomonas putida F1 growing on benzene and toluene

Batch experiments were conducted to determine the effect of temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration on the rates of growth and substrate (benzene and toluene) degradation by the toluene degrading strain, Pseudomonas putida F1. Over a range of temperature from 15 to 35 degrees C the maximum specific growth rate followed the Topiwala-Sinclair relationship when either benzene or toluene served as the sole carbon and energy source. Oxygen limited growth followed Monod saturation kinetics with the specific growth rate given as a function of the dissolved oxygen concentration. The oxygen half-saturation coefficient was found to be approximately 1 mg/l regardless of whether benzene or toluene was the substrate. Similar experiments with Burkholderia (Ralstonia) pickettii PKO1 for grown on toluene revealed an oxygen half-saturation coefficient of 0.7 mg/l.     

Effects of residence time distribution and packing on methanol oxidation in biotrickling filter

The effects of residence time distribution (RTD) on biotrickling filter systems and the comparison of the maximum elimination capacity (EC) and poisoning limits as functions of loadings of two packing media, Celite Biocatalyst Carrier R-635 and a subituminous coal, were studied. To alter the RTD patterns in the two reactor columns, two baffle designs were chosen. The RTD tests were done under dry conditions, over a range of airflow rates, with zero baffle, one baffle, and two baffles added into each column. Mixed culture from compost was used to acclimate the bed for the methanol removal efficiency study. No nutrients were added in the coal column. To study the poisoning limit, the inlet methanol concentration was randomly increased until a severe drop in removal efficiency occurred. From the RTD tests and the removal efficiency runs, which did not result in 100% conversion, number of tank-in-series (N) values, maximum EC values, and rate constants of each column with different baffle configurations could be obtained. Results from duplicate runs showed that addition of baffles decreased the N values of the columns and increased the back mixing in both systems. Maximum EC values, critical loadings, and poisoning limits also increased with increasing back mixing. Coal was superior to Celite Biocatalyst Carrier R-635 because it gave good conversions without additional nutrients. In all runs, the rate of methanol removal was controlled by a zero order process.     

Photolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

We have studied the photochemical reactions of eight polycyclic aromatics and heteroatom analogs (PAHs). Quantum yields and rate constants in sunlight and at single wavelengths were measured and half-lives of the PAHs as a function of the time of year were calculated. Product studies and the effect of humic acid and oxygen on rates are reported.     

Monitoring the toxicity of phenolic chemicals to activated sludge using a novel optical scanning respirometer.

This paper reports the development of optical scanning respirometer for determining the toxicity of chemicals to activated sludge. The respirometer is used to measure the dissolved oxygen concentration by monitoring the luminescence intensity of ruthenium dye immobilized in a polymer film in contact with the wastewater sample. The intensity is related to the extent of oxygen quenching of luminescence. The toxicity of chemicals can be evaluated by measuring the inhibition on respiration rate of microorganism using the scanning respirometer. The IC50 values (concentration of a chemical that exhibits 50% respiration inhibition) of various phenolic chemicals in activated sludge were determined. The performance of this method is compared with other toxicity methods. The experimental results indicate that the reproducibility and sensitivity of this respirometer are reasonably good.     

Toxicity of chlorophenols to Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata under air-tight test environment

A closed-system algal toxicity test with no headspace was applied to evaluate the toxicity of chlorophenols to Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. The dissolved oxygen production and the growth rate based on cell density were the response endpoints. Phenol and seven chlorophenols were tested using the above test technique. Median effective concentrations (EC50) range from 0.004 to 25.93 mg/l (based on DO production) and 0.0134 to 20.90 mg/l (based on growth rate). No-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) is within the range of 0.001-8.19 mg/l. In general, growth rate is a more sensitive response endpoint than the oxygen production, except for the case of pentachlorophenol. However, the differences in sensitivity between the two parameters were marginal. Furthermore, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR's) based on the n-octanol/water partition coefficient (log P) and the acid dissociation constant (pK(a)) values were established with R(2) ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. From literature data also based on P. subcapitata, the new test method is 1.65-108 times more sensitive than the conventional algal batch tests. A completely different relative-sensitivity relationship among various aquatic organisms was thus observed. The results of this study indicate that the toxicity data of volatile organic chemicals derived by conventional algal toxicity tests may severely underestimate the impact of these toxicants. Our results show that alga is very sensitive to chlorophenols compared to other aquatic organisms such as the luminescent bacteria (the Microtox test), Daphnia magna, and rainbow trout.     

Metabolic rate and uptake and loss of cadmium from food by the fish Noemacheilus barbatulus L. (stone loach)

Fish, Noemacheilus barbatulus (stone loach), of different body weights were used to study rates of uptake and loss of cadmium during and after dietary exposure. Fish were kept singly in a continuous-flow system, and fed tubificid worms. The worms had a range of cadmium levels, but all levels were below that needed to cause acute lethal toxicity in the fish. Body weight affected both the maintenance ration and the amount of food consumed ad libitum, but the exponent for body weight (0.78+/-0.04), relating body weight to food consumption, was unaffected by either temperature or the size of feeding ration. The cadmium content of the worms did not affect the size of the maintenance ration. Metal burden in fish changed rapidly both during and after exposure. After exposure, the cadmium burden of starved fish usually declined more rapidly than in fed fish. A 58-fold increase in cadmium content in the food produced a 28% increase of body burden in the fish, and there was no evidence for biomagnification. Maintenance ration and ration ad libitum and rates of uptake and loss of cadmium increased with temperature within the range 8-18 degrees C, but exposure to cadmium at 16 degrees C yielded a higher asymptotic body burden than either 8 degrees C or 18 degrees C. Rate constants for loss of cadmium after exposure appear to be lower than for loss during exposure. Rates of uptake and loss of cadmium vary with metabolic rate. A maximum in the rate of oxygen consumption was measured at 16 degrees C, above which the rate dropped, presumably due to stress. The exponent for body weight was unaffected by activity or temperature. Body weight of fish appeared to affect both the rates of uptake and loss of cadmium, and feeding rations and respiration to the same extent: body weight exponents were not dissimilar.     

Method for predicting photocatalytic oxidation rates of organic compounds

In designing a photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) system for a given air pollution source, destruction rates for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are required. The objective of this research was to develop a systematic method of predicting PCO rate constants by correlating rate constants with physical-chemical characteristics of compounds. Accordingly, reaction rate constants were determined for destruction of volatile organics over a titanium dioxide (TiO2) catalyst in a continuous mixed-batch reactor. It was found that PCO rate constants for alkanes and alkenes vary linearly with gas-phase ionization potential (IP) and with gas-phase hydroxyl radical reaction rate constant. The correlations allow rates of destruction of compounds not tested in this research to be predicted based on physical-chemical characteristics.     

Kinetics of soil ozonation: an experimental and numerical investigation

This study investigates the use of ozone for soil remediation. Batch experiments, in which ozone-containing gas was continuously recycled through a soil bed, were conducted to quantify the rate of ozone self-decomposition and the rates of ozone interaction with soil organic and inorganic matter. Column experiments were conducted to measure ozone breakthrough from a soil column. Parameters such as ozone flow rate, soil mass, and ozonation time were varied in these experiments. After ozone concentration had reached steady state, the total organic carbon concentration was measured for all soil samples. The ozonation efficiency, represented by the ratio of soil organic matter consumed to the total ozone input, was quantified for each experiment. Numerical simulations were conducted to simulate experimentally obtained column breakthrough curves. Experimentally obtained kinetic rate constants were used in these simulations, and the results were in good agreement with experimental data. In contrast to previous studies in which soil inorganic matter was completely ignored, our experiments indicate that soil inorganic matter may also promote depletion of ozone, thus reducing the overall ozonation efficiency. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were conducted to predict the efficacy of ozonation for soil remediation in the field. These simulations indicate that such ozonation can be very effective, provided that effective circulation of ozone is achieved through appropriately placed wells.     

Determination of growth rate and yield of nitrifying bacteria by measuring carbon dioxide uptake rate.

Nitrifier growth parameters--the maximum growth rate (microAmax) and yield (YA)--were estimated by measuring the rate of carbon dioxide uptake and additional rates of oxygen uptake and ammonia (or nitrite) use. Batch tests in a combined titrimetric and offgas analyzer with enriched Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas cultures and an activated sludge sample were performed. The measured microAmax values for the Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas cultures were 0.67 +/- 0.03 day(-1) and 0.54 +/- 0.09 day(-1), while the YA values were 0.072 +/- 0.01 g volatile suspended solids (VSS) x g nitrogen (N)(-1) and 0.14 +/- 0.02 gVSS x gN(-1), respectively. For the activated sludge sample, microAmax was observed to increase with pH (microAmax = 0.72 x 3.3(pH-7.1)) over the range 6.8 to 7.1. All microAmax and YA values determined by this method were similar to those previously reported. Compared with other microAmax and YA estimation methods, this method allows for unique microAmax and YA estimations for given conditions from a single experiment.     

Acute, chronic and sublethal effects of the herbicide propanil on Daphnia magna

Acute and chronic toxicity tests with propanil were conducted on Daphnia magna. The 24 and 48 h LC50 were 43.74 and 5.01 mg/l respectively. Chronic toxicity tests were carried out using sublethal propanil concentrations (0.07, 0.10, 0.21 and 0.55 mg/l) during 21 days. The effect of propanil on survival, reproduction and growth of D. magna organisms was monitored. The parameters used to evaluate herbicide effect on reproduction were: mean total young ones per female, mean brood size, time to first reproduction, mean number broods per female and intrinsic rate of natural increase (r). Survival and growth (body length) were also determined after 21 days of exposure to the herbicide. Reproduction was significantly reduced when propanil concentration increased in the medium. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) decreased with increasing concentrations of propanil especially in those animals exposed to 0.55 mg/l. However, growth as well as survival of the exposed organisms only decreased in daphnids exposed to the highest propanil concentration tested. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) was calculated for D. magna exposed to the herbicide using as parameter of evaluation the intrinsic rate of natural increase (r). The interpolation of these results gave MATC values of 0.08 mg/l herbicide. We have derived the EC50 values for some selected parameters on D. magna exposed to propanil. EC50 values indicated that reproductive parameters were very sensitive of the effect of propanil on daphnids. Finally, the daphnids were exposed to the same sublethal herbicide concentrations as in the chronic study and the effect of the toxicant on filtration and ingestion rates was determined. Feeding rates of D. magna declined with increasing propanil concentrations. The effective propanil concentrations at which feeding rates were reduced to 50% of that in controls (EC50) were also calculated.     

Decoloration of textile dyes by alginate-immobilized Trametes versicolor

Alginate-immobilized Trametes versicolor decolorized Amaranth at similar rates in repeated batch culture when the dye was present in either (i) modified Kirk's medium containing 0.22 gl(-1) ammonium tartrate, (ii) the same buffer, thiamine, trace elements and glucose concentrations as in the modified Kirk's medium, or (iii) glucose alone at either 1, 5 or 10 gl(-1). With glucose alone (0.5 gl(-1)), Amaranth, Reactive Black 5, Reactive Blue 19 and Direct Black 22 had first-order decoloration rate constants of 0.56, 0.76, 0.52, and 0.15 h(-1), respectively. Mixtures of these dyes were also completely decolorized. After four successive decolorations, beads were kept in storage solutions for 48 d at 6 degrees C. CaCl2 (1g l(-1)) was the best storage solution as the beads were easier to handle and had the fastest decoloration rates after storage. Decoloration rates were faster with lower viscosity (less than 2000 cps) alginates and with softer beads which had a lower resistance to compression. Fungal colonization of the beads resulted in higher biomass concentrations with a corresponding higher decoloration rate but the beads became larger, had a lower resistance to compression and a higher percentage of bead breakage in a stirred tank reactor. Biomass, recovered from beads in which there was no growth, could be dispersed while the biomass from colonized beads formed a hollow, spherical shell due to growth on and near the bead surface and no growth in the bead interior. If alginate-immobilized T. versicolor is to be used in a stirred tank reactor, a high biomass loading during the immobilization phase and no fungal growth in the beads is recommended to have high decoloration rates and low bead breakage.     

Hydraulic residence time effects on performance of an activated sludge unit treating wastewater containing dichlorophenol.

Wastewaters containing chlorophenol compounds are difficult to treat by biological means because of the toxic effects of those compounds on microorganisms. To investigate the adverse effects of chlorophenols on microorganisms, synthetic wastewater containing 2,4 dichlorophenol (DCP) was biologically treated in an activated sludge unit at different hydraulic residence times (HRTs) between 5 and 40 hours, whereas the feed chemical oxygen demand (COD), DCP concentrations, and sludge age were kept constant at 2500 +/- 50 mg/L, 150 mg/L, and 20 days, respectively. The resazurin method based on dehydrogenase activity was used for assessment of the feed and effluent wastewater toxicity. Percent COD, DCP, and toxicity removals increased, and the effluent COD, DCP, and toxicity levels decreased with increasing HRT. Biomass concentration in the aeration tank increased with increasing HRT because of low levels of DCP at high HRT levels, resulting in high COD, DCP, and toxicity removals. The sludge volume index decreased with increasing HRT, yielding well-settling organisms as a result of low levels of toxicity and high concentrations of active cells. Percent DCP and COD removals decreased with increasing specific DCP loading rate. The rates of DCP and COD removals showed a maximum at a low DCP concentration of 6 mg/L in the aeration tank, corresponding to a 25-hour HRT.