Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the conventional activated sludge treatment process: model predictions against experimental values

The FATE and treatibility estimator (FATE) model, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency was used for the prediction of the FATE of 26 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), i.e. 7 PCBs and 19 organochlorine compounds (OCs), during the conventional activated sludge treatment process applied in the waste water treatment plant (WWTP) of Thessaloniki, Greece. The removal rates predicted by the model for the primary and the secondary treatment stages were found to differ substantially from those experimentally measured. When the overall treatment was considered, the differences between measured and model predicted removals were within acceptable limits of confidence. Possible reasons that might cause deviations from experimental values were suggested to be the wastewater content in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and/or the low concentrations of POPs in untreated wastewater.     

Characterization of atmospheric particulates, particle-bound transition metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of urban air in the centre of Athens (Greece)

The concentrations of trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed to total suspended particulate (TSP) and finer fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) were determined from a site in the centre of Athens (Greece), which is characterized by heavy local traffic and is densely populated, during the winter and summer periods in 2003-2004. Also, we collected and analyzed samples of diesel and gasoline exhaust particles from local vehicles (buses, taxis and private cars) and from chimney exhaust of residential central heating appliances. A seasonal effect was observed for the size distribution of aerosol mass, with a shift to larger fine fractions in winter. The most commonly detected trace metals in the TSP and PM fractions were Fe, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, V, Ni and Cd and their concentrations were similar to levels observed in heavily polluted urban areas from local traffic and other anthropogenic emissions. Analysis of 16 PAHs bound to PM showed that they are mostly traffic related. In general, the fine particulate PAHs concentrations were higher than coarse particles. The most common PAHs in PM(10.2) and PM(2.1) were pyrene, phenanthrene, acenapthylene and fluoranthene, which are associated with diesel and gasoline exhaust particles. The results of this study underlined the importance of local emission sources, especially vehicular traffic, central heating and other local anthropogenic emissions. Compared with other big cities, Athens has much higher levels of airborne particles, especially of the finer fractions PM(10) and PM(2.5), correlated with traffic-related air pollution.     

Occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Soulou stream in the power generation area of Eordea, northwestern Greece

The occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated in the Soulou stream in the area of Eordea, northwestern Greece, receiving the effluents of two lignite burning power plants. The study was carried out after an accidental fire in one of the power plants during which losses of an amount of Aroclor 1232 were recorded. PCBs were determined in water and sediment samples collected from the wastewater treatment unit of the power plant and various points across the stream. Concentrations of PCBs were in the same order of magnitude as in other surface waters and sediments previously found in the Greek territory. The sum concentrations of seven PCBs (#28, #52, #101, #118, #138, #153, #180) varied between 94 and 206 ngl(-1) in waters, and between 67 and 500 ngg(-1) in sediments. Profile analysis of PCB congeners revealed large differences between waters and sediments, showing also significant dissimilarity with the profile of Aroclor 1232.     

Mineral, chemical and radiological investigation of a black sand at Touzla Cape, near Thessaloniki, Greece

A black-sand formation located at Touzla Cape, near Thessaloniki city, Greece, was investigated using optical microscopy, powder-XRD, SEM-EDS, INAA and in-situ -ray spectrometry. This black sand is mainly composed of ilmenite, magnetite, garnet, zircon and rutile. Also present, in minor or trace amounts, are quartz, sphene, pyroxenes, sillimanite, feldspars, biotite, haematite, tourmaline, chromite, niobian-rutile and pyrrhotite. Niobian-rutile and pyrrhotite were found as inclusions in ilmenite and magnetite respectively. The radioactivity measurements indicated contributions of the uranium and thorium radioactive series and of 40K and 137Cs, and the maximum value of the total absorbed dose rate in air was found to be 62, 172, 8 and 2 nGy h-1 respectively. The main radioactivity of the uranium and thorium series is attributed to the fractions of zircon (304 µg Th g-1 and 157 µg U g-1), of ilmenite (89 µg Th g-1) and to a lesser extent to the fraction of garnet (5 µg Th g-1). The zircon fraction also contained 5076 µg Hf g-1. Some minerals and elements (Ti, Zr, Hf, Th, U) contained in the black sand could be of potential economic value. The high proportions of monomineralic grains along with the variations observed in mineral phases, in colour, in sphericity, in roundness, in grain size, in composition and in mineral inclusions, imply that the minerals and grains were subjected to several cycles of weathering and sedimentation, as well as being derived from multiple source rocks and areas.     

Cattle egrets as a biosentinels of persistent organic pollutants exposure

We investigated selected chlorinated pollutants (β-HCH, γ-HCH, DDDs, DDEs, o,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDT, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin) in the Lahore and the Sialkot districts of Pakistan, using eggs of cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) collected during May and June 2007. The pollutant with highest level and frequency was ΣDDT, followed by β-HCH, γ-HCH, heptachlor, aldrin, dieldrin, and endrin in descending order. The concentration(s) were significantly higher in Sialkot heronry for all the pollutants (except p,p′-DDT) than in Lahore. The values for DDTs, β-HCH, γ-HCH, and heptachlor were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the egg(s) than in sediment(s) and in the chicks’ diet, due to biomagnification. Among DDTs analogues, p,p′-DDD was the major contaminant with >60 % of total DDT burden, reflecting the widespread aged as well as recent use of DDT as well as anaerobic degradation (DDD/DDE > 1 in many cases) in the nearby paddy soils. In few samples, p,p′-DDT/(DDD + DDE) > 0.5 suggested the recent emission patterns from surrounding contaminated areas of demolished DDT units and obsolete pesticide stores. The higher levels of HCHs (i.e., β-HCH) in the samples collected from Sialkot indicate exposure from long-term agricultural use. Overall, concentrations of all studied POPs were less than the threshold levels known to affect reproduction. Nevertheless, total DDTs and/or HCHs burdens in some eggs contained concentrations of greater than what would educe adverse effects on birds. This is among few studies on OCPs exposure to avian species, which provide the evidence of Pakistan’s contribution toward the Global POPs emission.     

Effectiveness of tertiary treatment processes in removing different classes of emerging contaminants from domestic wastewater

● Different advanced treatment processes were tested for ECs removal from wastewater. ● UV radiation showed low to moderate removal for 5 of the 38 micropollutants. ● Among tested membrane processes, nanofiltration showed the better performance. ● The use of PAC achieved high or partially removal for 31 out of the 38 compounds. ● The environmental and economical evaluation of a pilot-scale PAC unit is suggested. In this work, 38 different organic emerging contaminants (ECs), belonging to various chemical classes such as pharmaceuticals (PhCs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), benzotriazoles (BTRs), benzothiazoles (BTHs), and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), were initially identified and quantified in the biologically treated wastewater collected from Athens’ (Greece) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). Processes already used in existing STPs such as microfiltration (MF), nanofiltration (NF), ultrafiltration (UF), UV radiation, and powdered activated carbon (PAC) were assessed for ECs’ removal, under the conditions that represent their actual application for disinfection or advanced wastewater treatment. The results indicated that MF removed only one out of the 38 ECs and hence it was selected as pretreatment step for the other processes. UV radiation in the studied conditions showed low to moderate removal for 5 out of the 38 ECs. NF showed better results than UF due to the smaller pore sizes of the filtration system. However, this enhancement was observed mainly for 8 compounds originating from the classes of PhCs and PFCs, while the removal of EDCs was not statistically significant. Among the various studied technologies, PAC stands out due to its capability to sufficiently remove most ECs. In particular, removal rates higher than 70% were observed for 9 compounds, 22 were partially removed, while 7 demonstrated low removal rates. Based on our screening experiments, future research should focus on scaling-up PAC in actual conditions, combining PAC with other processes, and conduct a complete economic and environmental assessment of the treatment.     

Distribution of persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace elements in soil and vegetation following a large scale landfill fire in northern Greece

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexaclorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and DDTs, as well as trace elements were determined in soil and vegetation samples collected from the surrounding area of the landfill "Tagarades", the biggest in northern Greece, following a large scale fire involving approximately 50,000 tons of municipal waste. High concentrations of total PAHs, PCBs and heavy metals were found inside the landfill (1475 microg kg(-1) dw, 399 microg kg(-1) dw and 29.8 mg kg(-1) dw, respectively), whereas concentrations in the surrounding soils were by far lower ranging between 11.2-28.1 microg kg(-1) dw for PAHs, 4.02-11.2 microg kg(-1) dw for PCBs and 575-1207 mg kg(-1) dw for heavy metals. The distribution of HCHs and DDTs were quite different since certain soils exhibited equal or higher concentrations than the landfill. In vegetation, the concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, HCHs and DDTs ranged from 14.1-34.7, 3.64-25.9, 1.41-32.1 and 0.61-4.03 microg kg(-1) dw, respectively, while those of heavy metals from 81 to 159 mg kg(-1) dw. The results of the study indicated soil and vegetation pollution levels in the surroundings of the landfill comparable to those reported for other Greek locations. The impact from the landfill fire was not evident partially due to the presence of recent and past inputs from other activities (agriculture, vehicular transport, earlier landfill fires).     

An application of parametric and nonparametric models to the assessment of fluoride levels in vegetation exposed to stack emissions of an aluminum reduction plant in Greece

Various statistical models were developed for assessing airborne fluoride (F) levels in natural vegetation near an aluminum reduction plant using as predictor variables the distance from the emission source, the predominating wind, and characteristic topography-geomorphology parameters. Results revealed that F concentrations in vegetation showed a predictable response to both wind conditions and landscape features. The linear model was found to give good estimations, taking advantage of the relatively strong linear correlation between concentration and distance. A nonlinear relationship between the F concentration in vegetation and the other variables was also found, while interactions between the variables were found to be non-first-order. The nonlinear relationship hypothesis was supported by the improved results of various nonlinear models that also indicated the importance of the area's topography-geomorphology and meteorology in model predictions. The application of an artificial neural network (ANN) model showed the closest agreement between predicted and observed values with a correlation coefficient of 0.92. The improved reliability of the ANN and a regression tree model (RTM) also were indicated by the normal distribution of their residuals. The RTM and the ANN were further investigated and found to be capable of identifying the importance of the variables in vegetation exposure to air emissions.