Decolorization of methyl orange in wastewater with in situ electrogenerated oh free radicals

A treatability study was conducted to determine the potential of white rot fungi to remediate soil from a Superfund site that had been contaminated with DDT. A tiered approach was utilized, starting with simple laboratory studies to screen the potential of white rot fungal strains to degrade DDT and culminating with a soil pan study that simulated land farming. Results from early tiers of the study indicated that Phanerochaete sordida had the best potential for remediating the soil. In the soil pan study, the fungus ultimately grew very well after second inoculation. However, the good growth did not translate to higher DDT removal compared to removal in pans that were not inoculated. ¹⁴[DDT] fate studies indicated the small amount of removal that did occur for both fungal inoculated and non‐inoculated conditions could be partially attributed to incorporation into humic material. Addition of a surfactant to the soil enhanced the removal of DDT in both inoculated and non‐inoculated soil. Consequently, under simulated land fanning conditions, this strain of fungus was not successful in remediating this soil.     

Wildfire smoke and health impacts: A closer look at fire attributes and their marginal effects

Existing studies on the economic impact of wildfire smoke have focused on single fire events or entire seasons without considering the marginal effect of daily fire progression on downwind communities. Neither approach allows for an examination of the impact of even the most basic fire attributes, such as distance and fuel type, on air quality and health outcomes. Improved knowledge of these effects can provide important guidance for efficient wildfire management strategies. This study aims to bridge this gap using detailed information on 24 large-scale wildfires that sent smoke plumes to the Reno/Sparks area of Northern Nevada over a 4-year period. We relate the daily acreage burned by these fires to daily data on air pollutants and local hospital admissions. Using information on medical expenses, we compute the per-acre health cost of wildfires of different attributes. We find that patient counts can be causally linked to fires as far as 200–300 miles from the impact area. As expected, the marginal impact per acre burned generally diminishes with distance and for fires with lighter fuel loads. Our results also highlight the importance of allowing for temporal lags between fire occurrence and pollutant levels.     

Arsenic concentration in rice, fish, meat and vegetables in Cambodia: a preliminary risk assessment

To assess arsenic contaminations and its possible adverse health effects, food samples were collected from Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham in Cambodia. The highest and the lowest concentrations were observed in fish (mean 2,832 ng g^?1, ww) collected from Kandal province and cattle stomach (1.86 ± 1.10 ng g^?1, ww) collected from Kratie, respectively. The daily intake of arsenic via food consumption was 604, 9.70 and 136 μg day^?1 in Kandal, Kratie and Kampong Cham, respectively. The arsenic dietary intake in Kandal ranked No. 1 among all the 17 compared countries or regions. Fish consumption contributed the greatest proportion of total arsenic daily intake in Kandal (about 63.0 %) and Kampong Cham (about 69.8 %). It is revealed to be a much more important exposure pathway than drinking water for residents in Kampong Cham. The results of risk assessment suggested that the residents in Cambodia, particularly for people in Kandal province, suffer high public health risks due to consuming arsenic-contaminated food.     

Maximising the net social benefit of the construction of post‐disaster alternative housing projects

The widespread destruction that follows large‐scale natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, challenges the efficacy of traditional temporary housing methods in providing adequate solutions to housing needs. Recognising these housing challenges, the Congress of the United States allocated, in 2006, USD 400 million to the Department of Homeland Security to support Alternative Housing Pilot Programs, which are intended to explore the possibilities of providing permanent and affordable housing to displaced families instead of traditional temporary housing. This paper presents a new methodology and optimisation model to identify the optimal configurations of post‐shelter housing arrangements to maximise the overall net socioeconomic benefit. The model is capable of quantifying and optimising the impacts of substituting temporary housing with alternative housing on the social and economic welfare of displaced families as well as the required additional costs of doing so. An application example is presented to illustrate the use of the model and its capabilities.     

Cleaning of water contaminated by heavy metals using beetroot fibers as biofilter

We report for the first time the use of beetroot fibers to eliminate heavy metals from polluted water. This biomass is used to remove lead, copper and zinc ions. The kinetics and beetroot fibers fixation capacities of lead, zinc and copper according to various physico‐chemical parameters such as pH, and the concentration of metal solutions were studied. The experiments were carried out in a laboratory column with fixed bed. For kinetic studies, samples of metal solutions were taken at regular intervals and measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. pH at 6.6 shows a maximum retention of the above cited metals by beetroot fibers (98%, 92%, 90% respectively). Quantity of cations retained by this biomass in simple and mixture solution is respectively estimated to be 23.6, 14.02 and 14.64 mg/g. Results indicate the usefulness of this biomass in the remediation of water contaminated by heavy metals by a rapid, practical and efficient method.     

A comparative study of the toxicity of lead and its impact on the carbohydrate metabolism and some haematological parameters of cichlid fish,oreochromis niloticus and catfish,clarius gariepinus from saudi arabia

Fresh and healthy specimens of Oreochromis niloticus (mean weight 70.5± 1.23 g and mean length, 12.3± 1.5cm) and Clarias gariepinus (mean weight, 41.8±2.3 g and mean length 13.78 ± 1.2 cm) were exposed to heavy metal lead, ranging in concentration from 10 to 18 mg L^‐1 for O. niloticus and 20 to 28 mg L^‐1 for C. gariepinus respectively. The 96 h LC₅₀ for both the species was computed as 12.45 mg L^‐1 (O. niloticus) and 22.65 mg L^‐1 (C. gariepinus). The cichlid fish was exposed to sublethal concentration of lead (2, 4 and 6 mgL^‐1) and catfish (4, 8 and 12 mgL^‐1). The erythrocytes count, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit and the value of serum glucose increased significantly (P < 0.01), whereas leucocytes count, serum protein and serum triglyceride after intoxication declined in both the species with the same pattern but in different quantity. After 96 h of time a significant depletion of muscle and liver glycogen was noted, being greater in muscle (16.7% in O. niloticus) and in liver (15.9% in C. gariepinus). The response of fish to lead was dose dependent.     

Comparison of metabolic nitramine degradation by denitrifying species

The biodegradation of two popular nitramine energetics were investigated. The HMX (octa‐hydro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine) was mineralized by anaerobic mixed denitrifiers in digested sewage sludge culture. An initial HMX concentration of 120 mg/L decreased to a non‐detectable level (> 99% removal efficiency) in 8 days of incubation under strict anaerobic conditions. It was, however, not effectively metabolized by single denitrifying species, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis in a nitrogen limiting condition under their optimum growth conditions. The other nitramine energetic, ADN (ammonium dinitramide), was mineralized well in the anaerobic mixed culture. The initial ADN concentration of 250 mg/L was reduced to non‐detectable levels (> 99% removal efficiency) in 5 days of incubation under anaerobic conditions. These results show that the anaerobic mixed culture, compared to the pure monoculture, is superior in the degradation of nitramine energetics.     

Optimal parameters for Phanerochaete chrysosporium degradation of terephthalic acid wastewater

The optimal parameters for the degradation of pure terephthalic acid (PTA) wastewater by the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium were investigated. The relative mathematical model, objective function equation, constraint equations, constraint conditions and computer program were established in the optimal method. The results showed that the optimal value of the reactor volume needed was 9798 m³. It could save 83.82% of the reactor volume, which was needed for the native bacterium YZ1. This optimal method is simple, useful and economical for average treatment plants. Using the optimal parameters and P. chrysosporium to design and operate the treatment process of PTA wastewater would increase the treatment efficiency and decrease the cost.     

Analytical studies on the pollution of argeş river

Using two analytical techniques (ICP‐AES and ASV) the heavy metal pollution of Arge? River was studied. These techniques are characterized by similar analytical performances.

The samples were collected from 13 sites starting from Capra Lake (altitude 2241 m) and finishing at Oltenita city (altitude 10 m).

Arge? River is the fifth longest river in Romania after Siret, Mure?, Olt and Some?, its length is 340 km and the river flows through four cities, Curtea de Arge?, Pite?ti, Gae?ti and Oltenita.

The results of the determinations of Cu, Cd, Zn and Pb, indicate that the Arge? River shows relatively low pollution.     

Measuring the effectiveness of San Francisco’s planning standard for pedestrian wind comfort

ABSTRACT

In 1985, San Francisco adopted a wind comfort standard in its Downtown Area Plan in response to increasing concerns about the city’s downtown public open spaces becoming excessively windy. After 30 years of implementation, this study revisits the standard and examines its effectiveness in promoting pedestrian comfort. Seven hundred one valid samples were collected from 6 months of field study, which combined surveying pedestrians and on-site collection of microclimate data. Statistical analysis and an assessment using the physiological equivalent temperature show that 11 mph (4.92 m/s), the comfort criterion in places for walking, performs as an effective determinant of outdoor comfort in San Francisco. This study sheds light on climate-resilience of cities, as they have become key urban challenges today.