Removal of Oil from the Sea Surface through Particulate Interactions: Review and Prospectus

The fate of oil spilled in coastal zones depends in large part on the interactions with environmental factors existing within a short time of the spill event. In addition to weathering which produces changes in the chemistry of the hydrocarbon stock, physical interactions between oil and suspended particulate matter (SPM), both organic and inorganic, play a role in determining the dispersal and sedimentation rates of the spill. This in turn affects the degradation rate of the oil. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the role of oil–particle interactions in removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from the sea surface and provides estimates of the degree to which SPM may augment the deposition of oil. Both field and laboratory observations have shown widely varying rates of oil removal due to particulate interactions. The discussion covers the interaction between oil weathering, injection, sinking, adsorption, microbial processes, flocculation and ingestion by zooplankton, which all contribute to packaging oil and SPM into settling aggregates.     

Continuous monitoring of odours from a composting plant using electronic noses

The odour impact of a composting plant situated in an urbanized area was evaluated by continuously monitoring the ambient air close to the plant during a period of about 4 days using two electronic noses. One electronic nose was installed in a nearby house, and the other one inside the perimeter of the composting plant in order to compare the response of both instruments. The results of the monitoring are represented by tables that report the olfactory class and the odour concentration value attributed to the analyzed air for each of the 370 measurements carried out during the monitoring period. The electronic nose installed at the house detected the presence of odours coming from the composting plant for about 7.8% of the monitoring total duration. Of the odour detections, 86% (25 of 29 measurements) were classified as belonging to the olfactory class corresponding to the open air storage of the waste screening overflows heaps, which was therefore identified to be the major odour source of the monitored composting plant. In correspondence of the measurements during which the electronic nose inside the house detected the presence of odours from the composting plant, the olfactory classes recognized by both instruments coincide. Moreover, the electronic nose at the house detected the presence of odours from the composting plant at issue in correspondence of each odour perception of the house occupants. The results of the study show the possibility of using an electronic nose for environmental odours monitoring, which enables the classification of the quality of the air and to quantify the olfactory nuisance from an industrial source in terms of duration and odour concentration.     

Metal Contamination of the Natural Environment in Norway from Long Range Atmospheric Transport

Long range atmospheric transport is the most important sourceof contamination to the natural environment in Norway with manyheavy metals. Investigations based on aerosol studies, bulkdeposition measurements and moss analysis show that airborne transport from other parts of Europe is the major mode for supplyof vanadium, zinc, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium, tin,antimony, tellurium, thallium, lead, and bismuth, whereas metalssuch as chromium, nickel, and copper are mainly derived from point sources within Norway and in northwestern Russia close tothe Norwegian border. Elements associated with long range transport show substantial enrichment in the humus horizon of natural soils in southern Norway, sometimes to levels suspected to cause effects on soil microbial processes. E.g. lead concentration values of 150–200 ppm are observed in the mostcontaminated areas in the south as compared to about 5 ppm inthe far north. Elements such as lead and cadmium also show enrichment in some terrestrial food chains. These elements alsoshow considerably elevated levels over background concentrationsin the water and sediment of small lakes in the southern part ofthe country. Retrospective studies based on ombrogenous peatcores indicate that long range transport has been a significantsource of heavy metal contamination in southern Norway for thelast couple of centuries. The deposition of most heavy metals inNorway has been considerably reduced over the last 20 yr, withthe exception of contributions in the north from Russian smelters.     

The Relation of Langmuir Circulation Processes to the Standard Oil Spill Spreading,Dispersion, and Transport Algorithms

Most standard oil spill modeling programs neglect the effects of Langmuir circulation (LC). The authors have identified three areas where LC effects may be important in spill behavior. These three areas are spreading, dispersion, and transport. LC will cause the slick to break into windrows when the wind-row formation velocity is comparable to Fay and other spreading forces. Oil dispersion is likely to be enhanced, with droplets carried to greater depth and distributed non-uniformly. Transport velocities for different parts of the slick will vary because of LC, a phenomenon that also occurs because of other factors.     

Topographic Controls of Nitrogen,Sulfur, and Carbon Transport from a Tolerant Hardwood Hillslope

The lateral down-slope movement of water, NO₃ ^-, NH₄ ⁺, SO₄ ^2-, H⁺ and DOC through an ablation till was examined from 1987 to 1990 for a one hectaresoil catena on a steep hillslope with uniform forest cover at the Turkey Lakes Watershed (TLW), Ontario, Canada. Natural variation in the export of nutrients from the soil profile via soil water to Little Turkey Lake was assessed in relation to nutrient distribution in soil at different topographic positions.Subsurface throughflow exhibited dramatic differences in nutrientconcentrations and fluxes with slope position, largely reflectingthat of the soil horizons through which the water passed. GreaterNO₃ ^-, SO₄ ^2-, and DOC concentrations in subsurface water in the upper, well-drained hillslope were a reflection of enrichment by contact with more acidic, more developed podzols, and more favorable soil physical and biological conditions for NO₃ ^- retention in solution.Nutrient inputs to the lake were strongly influenced by increaseddown-slope transport of water, and increased SO₄ ^2-, N, and C retention in wetter, less-developed podzolic soils that characterize lower slope positions. An understanding of water movement and soil development variation withtopographic position was required to accurately estimate nutrient budgets for steep slopes at TLW.     

Development of Ambient Cured Polyesteramide Coatings from Linseed Oil: a Sustainable Resource

The resourceful employment of vegetable oil based polymers in coating applications that yield novel properties, faces challenges usually in their processing. We have developed polyesteramide coatings from linseed (Linnum ussitatissium seeds) oil with improved coating properties. Linseed oil was first converted into N, N-bis 2-hydroxy ethyl linseed oil fatty amide diol (HELA). The resin was synthesized by the reaction of HELA with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to develop ethylenediamine polyesteramide (Ed-PEA). The latter was further treated with poly (styrene co-maleic anhydride) (SMA) in different (35–50) phr (part per hundred part of resin) to obtain ambient cured polyesteramide (AC-PEA). The structural elucidation of polymeric resin (AC-PEA) was carried out by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Thermal behavior of AC-PEA was studied by thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The coatings of AC-PEA were prepared on mild steel strips to investigate their physico-mechanical and anticorrosive behavior (in acid, alkali, water and xylene). It was found that among all the samples, the one having 45 phr of SMA showed the best physico-mechanical and corrosion resistance performance. The thermal stability performance suggests that AC-PEA45 system could be safely used up to 150 °C.     

Release of Metals from Buildings,Constructions and Products during Atmospheric Exposure in Stockholm

This article presents results from investigations of run-off frommaterials used on buildings and other constructions obtained byshort term exposures of smaller model surfaces and one year exposures of larger materials surfaces on buildings and other constructions. Elevated concentrations of metals in run-off wereobserved for a wide range of different materials used on buildings and other constructions. Sources of metal emission tothe environment includes copper (Cu) surfaces, galvanized steel,impregnated wood, lead (Pb) surfaces, asphalt surfaces, paintedmaterial stainless steel and concrete. Metal emission rates fromsurfaces of copper and galvanized steel were measured from surfaces on buildings during 12 months exposure. The magnitude of metal emission form other surfaces was also estimated and theapplicability of these data for calculations of metal flows inan urban environment is discussed.     

Transformation of Particle-Bound Phosphorus at the Land–Sea Interface in a Danish Estuary

Danish rivers carry >50% of the phosphorus (P) transport as particulate P (PP). In five of six rivers sampled in November 1998 iron-bound P made up > 59% of PP and loosely adsorbed P ranged between 2% and 13%. This fraction could potentially be released in 14‰ seawater. The behaviour of dissolved and particulate P fractions was studied during seven month in a 2 km long estuary with low freshwater retention time and low tidal range. The river carried ∼10% of PP as loosely adsorbed P but increased concentrations of dissolved inorganic P (DIP) relative to the estuarine mixing line was only observed in the summer month with low freshwater flow and was more likely due to DIP release from the bottom sediment. Instead estuarine particles were always enriched with oxidized iron (ox.Fe) and iron-bound P as well as loosely adsorbed P and during May–September this coincided with increasing concentration of PP in estuary. We suggest that flocculation of ox.Fe and adsorption of DIP onto the particles with subsequent transport seawards is a major loss process for P during the summer month. During winter month where 85% of the run-off occurs the dominant process in the estuary is sedimentation of larger particles, however, a comparison of river particles with surface sediment clearly reveals that most PP is mobilized again from the bottom sediments.     

Cultivation of Biogranules in a Continuous Flow Reactor at Low Dissolved Oxygen

This study investigated sludge granulation inoculated with various mixtures of aerobic and anaerobic sludge at low dissolved oxygen (DO; 0.3–0.6 mg/l) or aerobic (>2.5 mg/l) conditions in four parallel flow reactor systems. Formation of high-density coupled granules was achieved in the reactor system inoculated with anaerobic and aerobic sludge seeds (1:1 mass ratio) at low DO concentrations, with a mean size of 2.5 mm after only 27 days of cultivation. The highest ratio of protein (PN) to polysaccharide (PS; 3.3) was observed for the coupled sludge compared to granules cultivated under aerobic conditions. The PN/PS ratio correlated well with high hydrophobicity, low sludge volumetric index, and compact granular structure. Activity tests of the specific anaerobic and aerobic biomass confirmed that anaerobes and aerobes coexisted in the same coupled granule. Based on the optical microscopic and SEM observations, the process of coupled granule formation was proposed.     

Determination of the Burning Characteristics of a Slick of Oil on Water

The burning rate of a slick of oil on a water bed is characterized by three distinct processes, ignition, flame spread and burning rate. Although all three processes are important, ignition and burning rate are critical. The former, because it defines the potential to burn and the latter because of the inherent possibility of boilover. Burning rate is calculated by a simple expression derived from a one-dimensional heat conduction equation. Heat feedback from the flame to the surface is assumed to be a constant fraction of the total energy released by the combustion reaction. The constant fraction (χ) is named the burning efficiency and represents an important tool in assessing the potential of in situ burning as a counter-measure to an oil spill. By matching the characteristic thermal penetration length scale for the fuel/water system and an equivalent single layer system, a combined thermal diffusivity can be calculated and used to obtain an analytical solution for the burning rate. Theoretical expressions were correlated with crude oil and heating oil, for a number of pool diameters and initial fuel layer thickness. Experiments were also conducted with emulsified and weathered crude oil. The simple analytical expression describes well the effects of pool diameter and initial fuel layer thickness permitting a better observation of the effects of weathering, emulsification and net heat feedback to the fuel surface. Experiments showed that only a small fraction of the heat released by the flame is retained by the fuel layer and water bed (of the order of 1%). Ignition has been studied to provide a tool that will serve to assess a fuels ease to ignite under conditions that are representative of oil spills. Two different techniques are used, piloted ignition when the fuel is exposed to a radiant heat flux and flash point as measured by the ASTM D56 Tag Closed Cup Test. Two different crude oils were used for these experiments, ANS and Cook Inlet. Crude oils were tested in their natural state and at different levels of weathering, showing that piloted ignition and flash point are strong functions of weathering level.     

Prediction of heavy metals concentration in the leachate: a case study of Ukrainian waste

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - A lifetime of landfill with the waste composition and conditions specific to big and small towns of Ukraine is reproduced with landfill simulation...     

化工废水排放量灰色预测新方法

对偏离灰指数律的原始时序系统，累加生成不是削弱随机波动性影响折唯一途径ＧＭ（１，１）模型也不是预测模型的最佳选择。本文介绍了一种新的生成方式－－线性生成及一种新的预测模型－－ＧＩＭ（１）。某市化工行业废水排放量的预测实例表明，本方法比ＧＭ（１，１），有着更好的预测效果。     

Bioremediation of Dissolved and Free Phase Oil in Wastewater from Equipment Maintenance Activities

Land treatment facilities can provide effective treatment of secondary oily wastewater from maintenance operations, particularly in arid climates. Soil and underlying groundwater from a land treatment facility, which has been operating for eight years, were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of using bioremediation for the treatment of dissolved and free‐phase oil in maintenance wastewater. The study was conducted at a mining site in Western Australia. The facility was capable of treating 140 kiloliters (kL) of oily wastewater per day. The average petroleum hydrocarbon content of the wastewater was 2 percent weight per volume (w/v) based on data available for the first five years. The soil data indicate that the land treatment process has been operating efficiently even at high wastewater loadings with maximum degradation rates of 10–242 mg/kg per day. Based on the soil data, there is no evidence of accumulation of any metal or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds. The land treatment facility has led to only low levels of TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons) contamination (<4 ppm) in the underlying groundwater. However, nitrate concentrations in the groundwater were shown to increase over the first five years of the facility's operation. This article reports and discusses the operational data from the land treatment process, illustrating its effectiveness in treating oily wastewater. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Release and fate of fluorocarbons in a shredder residue landfill cell: 2. Field investigations

The shredder residues from automobiles, home appliances and other metal containing products are often disposed in landfills, as recycling technologies for these materials are not common in many countries. Shredder waste contains rigid and soft foams from cushions and insulation panels blown with fluorocarbons. The objective of this study was to determine the gas composition, attenuation, and emission of fluorocarbons in a monofill shredder residue landfill cell by field investigation. Landfill gas generated within the shredder waste primarily consisted of CH₄ (27%) and N₂ (71%), without CO₂, indicating that the gas composition was governed by chemical reactions in combination with anaerobic microbial reactions. The gas generated also contained different fluorocarbons (up to 27 μg L^?1). The presence of HCFC-21 and HCFC-31 indicated that anaerobic degradation of CFC-11 occurred in the landfill cell, as neither of these compounds has been produced for industrial applications. This study demonstrates that a landfill cell containing shredder waste has a potential for attenuating CFC-11 released from polyurethane (PUR) insulation foam in the cell via aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation processes. In deeper, anaerobic zones of the cell, reductive dechlorination of CFCs to HCFCs was evident, while in the shallow, oxic zones, there was a high potential for biooxidation of both methane and lesser chlorinated fluorocarbons. These findings correlated well with both laboratory results (presented in a companion paper) and surface emission measurements that, with the exception from a few hot spots, indicated that surface emissions were negative or below detection.     

Release and fate of fluorocarbons in a shredder residue landfill cell: 1. Laboratory experiments

The shredder residues from automobiles, home appliances and other metal-containing products are often disposed in landfills, as recycling technologies for these materials are not common in many countries. Shredder waste contains rigid and soft foams from cushions and insulation panels blown with fluorocarbons. The objective of this study was to use laboratory experiments to estimate fluorocarbon release and attenuation processes in a monofill shredder residue (SR) landfill cell. Waste from the open SR landfill cell at the AV Miljø landfill in Denmark was sampled at three locations. The waste contained 1–3% metal and a relatively low fraction of rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam particles. The PUR waste contained less blowing agent (CFC-11) than predicted from a release model. However, CFC-11 was steadily released in an aerobic bench scale experiment. Anaerobic waste incubation bench tests showed that SRSR produced significant methane (CH₄), but at rates that were in the low end of the range observed for municipal solid waste. Aerobic and anaerobic batch experiments showed that processes in SRSR potentially can attenuate the fluorocarbons released from the SRSR itself: CFC-11 is degraded under anaerobic conditions with the formation of degradation products, which are being degraded under CH₄ oxidation conditions prevailing in the upper layers of the SR.     

Continuous water‐level monitoring in the assessment of groundwater remediation and refinement of a conceptual site model

An Erratum has been published for this article in Remediation 16(1) 2005, 155–157. Water‐level data collection is a fundamental component of groundwater investigations and remediation. While the locations and depths of monitored wells are important, the frequency of data collection may have a large impact on conclusions made about site hydrogeology. Data‐logging water‐level probes may be programmed to record water levels at frequent intervals, providing site decision makers with abundant, detailed information on the response of an aquifer to both anticipated and unforeseen stresses. In this study, a network of movable probes has provided several years of hourly water‐ level data. The understanding of the site's phytoremediation system has been enhanced by the continuous data, but subsequent insights into an unexpected situation regarding the site's infrastructure have been the most valuable result of the monitoring program. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

超声波辅助破乳法回收石化罐底油泥中的原油

采用超声波辅助破乳法对安庆石化罐底油泥进行脱水处理,进而回收原油。考察了超声功率、水浴温度、超声时间、破乳剂加入量对油泥脱水率和原油回收率的影响。采用显微镜对处理前后的油泥内部结构进行表征。实验结果表明:在超声频率28 k Hz、超声功率70 W、水浴温度70℃、超声时间15 min、破乳剂加入量50μg/g的最佳超声波辅助破乳条件下,油泥脱水率和原油回收率分别为92.3%和98.5%,比没有超声波辅助的传统破乳法分别提高了25.7百分点和12.3百分点。表征结果显示,经超声波辅助破乳处理后,水滴的粒径和数量均明显减少,说明超声波辐射可有效地改善油泥的破乳效果。     

催化燃烧法处理炼油厂隔油池废气

在隔油池废气催化燃烧处理中试装置上 ,采用蜂窝状 Pt、Pd、Ce多组分催化剂 ,在空速 40 0 0 0 h- 1 、反应器入口温度 2 5 0℃以上、进气总烃体积分数 10 0 0× 10 - 6 ～ 6 0 0 0× 10 - 6 条件下 ,可以使总烃去除率达到 96 %～ 99% ,净化排气总烃体积分数小于 10 0× 10 - 6 ,无恶臭气味     

Determination of the Thermal Efficiency of Pre-boilover Burning of a Slick of Oil on Water

The burning rate of a slick of oil on a water bed is calculated by a simple expression derived from a one-dimensional heat conduction equation. Heat feedback from the flame to the surface is assumed to be a constant fraction of the total energy released by the combustion reaction. The constant fraction (χ) is named the burning efficiency and represents an important tool in assessing the potential of in situ burning as a counter-measure to an oil-spill. The total heat release, as a function of the pool diameter, is obtained from an existing correlation. It is assumed that radiative heat is absorbed close to the fuel surface, that conduction is the dominant mode of heat transfer in the liquid phase and that the fuel boiling temperature remains constant. By matching the characteristic thermal penetration length scale for the fuel/water system and an equivalent single layer system, a combined thermal diffusivity can be calculated and used to obtain an analytical solution for the burning rate. Theoretical expressions were correlated with crude oil and heating oil, for a number of pool diameters and initial fuel layer thickness. Experiments were also conducted with emulsified and weathered crude oil. The simple analytical expression describes well the effects of pool diameter and initial fuel layer thickness permitting a better observation of the effects of weathering, emulsification and net heat feedback to the fuel surface. Experiments showed that only a small fraction of the heat released by the flame is retained by the fuel layer and water bed (of the order of 1%). The effect of weathering on the burning rate decreases with the weathering period and that emulsification results in a linear decrease of the burning rate with water content.