Treatment of a clinical analysis laboratory wastewater from a hospital by photo-Fenton process at four radiation settings and toxicity response

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The photo-Fenton process was performed with four radiation settings to treat clinical analysis laboratory wastewater (CALWW) from a hospital, with the...     

Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 films grown on different substrates

Titanium dioxide films were prepared on glass, indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass and p-type monocrystalline silicon and studied for the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B in an aqueous medium. Raman, AFM, and XPS spectroscopic investigations of these films indicated that microstructure of titanium oxide films were greatly affected by the substrate materials. Rutile was confirmed to be easily formed on the surface of ITO glass, and TiO2 tended to grow as closely packed particles that were elongated strips with an average size of 20 nm, and had lovely contrast with the perfectly round particles grown on p-type monocrystalline silicon. Charge transfer between the film and silicon substrate was verified by surface photovoltage spectra. This may be the real reason why the films grown on ITO glass and silicon substrates exhibit higher photocatalytic reactivity than the film on glass substrate. Moreover, the different surface properties also seem to be responsible for the different activity.     

A comparison of the environmental impact of pesticide multiresidues and their occurrence in river waters surveyed by liquid chromatography coupled in tandem with UV diode array detection and mass spectrometry

Twenty-two pesticides and metabolites selected on the basis of a regional priority list, were surveyed in surface river waters by high performance liquid chromatography coupled in tandem with UV diode array detection and mass spectrometry, after an off-line pre-concentration step. Pesticide concentrations ranged between 0.07 and 4.8 microg/l according to the compound and sampling period. Analytical results were linked to the environmental risk of pesticides, evaluated by their system investigation of risk by integration of score (SIRIS) rank.     

Accelerated remediation of pesticide-contaminated soil with zerovalent iron

High pesticide concentrations in soil from spills or discharges can result in point-source contamination of ground and surface waters. Cost-effective technologies are needed for on-site treatment that meet clean-up goals and restore soil function. Remediation is particularly challenging when a mixture of pesticides is present. Zerovalent iron (Fe0) has been shown to promote reductive dechlorination and nitro group reduction of a wide range of contaminants in soil and water. We employed Fe0 for on-site treatment of soil containing > 1000 mg metolachlor, > 55 mg alachlor, > 64 mg atrazine, > 35 mg pendimethalin, and > 10 mg chlorpyrifos kg(-1). While concentrations were highly variable within the windrowed soil, treatment with 5% (w/w) Fe0 resulted in > 60% destruction of the five pesticides within 90 d and increased to > 90% when 2% (w/w) Al2(SO4)3 was added to the Fe0. GC/MS analysis confirmed dechlorination of metolachlor and alachlor during treatment. Our observations support the use of Fe0 for ex situ treatment of pesticide-contaminated soil.     

Neutron activation analysis of ceramic tiles and its component and radon exhalation rate

IntroductionCeramic,consistofearthymaterialslikeclaykaolin ,limestoneandsandglass .Ceramicmaterialsarenonmetalic ,inorganiccompoundsprimaryoxides ,alsocarbides ,nitridesandsilicides .Twotypesofbondingmechanismsoccurinceramicmaterial ,ionicandcovalent.Theo…     

Volatilization of heavy metals during incineration of municipal solid wastes

Incineration experiments with MSW, which had been impregnated with heavy metals, were presented to obtain information on the volatilization behavior of the elements cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) under different conditions. Experiments were carried out in a bubbling fluid bed system connected to a customized inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES) for analyzing metals in the flue gas. The results indicated that the combustion temperature, the gas atmosphere, and the chlorine content in the flue gas could affect the volatilization behavior of heavy metals. In the fluidized bed combustion, a large surface area was provided by the bed sand particles, and they may act as absorbents for the gaseous ash-forming compound. Comparer with the metals Cd and Pb, the vaporization of Zn was low. The formation of stable compounds such as ZnO.Al2O3 could greatly decrease the metals volatilization. The presence of chlorine would enhance the volatilization of heavy metals by increasing the formation of metal chlorides. However, when the oxygen content was high, the chlorinating reaction was kinetically hindered, which heavy metals release would be delayed.     

Scenario simulation of water security in China

Umited water resources, increasing demand, low use efficiency, and serious pollution result in severe water resource difficult in China. The evaluation of addressing water problems and the search for effective countermeasures that ensure sustainable water use are key to China‘ s sustainable development. The “compound water security“ consists of food security, life security, environmental security, and economic security. By establishing a conceptual model, the water security of China has been simulated in terms of four scenarios called BAU(the business-as-usual scenario), TEC(the technology and economics scenario), IVL(the institution, values, and lifestyles scenario) and TSD(toward sustainable development) in this paper. The results indicated that water crises, especially water shortages, are being experienced now and will continue to do so for a relatively long time in China and that it is possible to reach a basic balance between supply and demand of water and grain under the TSD developing pattern by a series of approaches including technological innovation, policy adjustments, and behaviour inducement.     

Inventory of emissions from major air pollutant categories in Turkey

In this study, an inventory of air pollutant emission estimates from major air polluting sources in Turkey for period between 1985 and 2005 with 5-year intervals were estimated. Inventory covers anthropogenic sources of five major air pollutants of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and non-methane volatile organic compounds. Their break-down with respect to main activity sectors were shown and their distribution by the largest industrial source categories were worked out as annual estimates. This inventory and its analysis point to serious environmental implications of air pollutants and a need to develop a policy plan for reducing these emissions.     

Are flocculants required in a flocculant process?

The effectiveness of solids abatement by pH increase was investigated using the jar test procedure with a bentonite tap water suspension and an urban wastewater and an oxidation pond effluent. The results indicated that, depending on the suspended particles and on the dissolved ions, pH values between 9.5 and 12 induced extensive solids elimination without adding any other chemical than a base, i.e. sodium hydroxide or lime. The major effective reactions are then the calcium carbonate precipitation and the magnesium hydroxide precipitation. Moreover, this process does not require a flocculation step but only a precipitation step where the particles are entrapped by sweep coagulation and adsorption-coagulation. A continuous reactor was operated with an oxidation pond effluent. A suspended solids concentration less than 30 mg/l was obtained by adjusting pH between 11 and 11.5 while the reactor was operated up to 20 m/h superficial upflow velocity corresponding to a residence time through the whole unit of only 5 minutes. The sludge settling velocity depends on pH and on the primary particles but a maximum settling velocity larger than 1 m/h is easily reached. The concentration factor is then about 100. Environmental policy implications of this technique are that it allows to significantly upgrade a stabilization pond effluent and can be used when a high pH situation is acceptable.