THE IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN BOTTOM SEDIMENTS OF THE SADDLE RIVER1

ABSTRACT: A three-year study has been conducted on a 4.6 mile stretch of the Saddle River near Lodi, New Jersey. The primary objectives of this investigation were (1) to provide baseline information on the concentration and distribution of heavy metals in bottom sediments of the Saddle River; (2) to qualitatively evaluate which parameters affect this distribution; and (3) to determine the effect of urbanization on the concentration and distribution of these materials. Significant enrichments of several heavy metals were observed in bottom sediments of the lower Saddle River near Lodi, New Jersey, as compared to the upper Saddle River. Attempts to correlate metal concentrations in bottom sediments with chemical-oxygen demand were not successful in demonstrating a relationship between these two factors. Metal concentrations were found to be strongly dependent upon particle size. In general, metal concentrations in bottom sediments increased with decreasing partical diameter. However, metals enrichment was observed to be considerably greater in the larger sediment fractions studied (>420μ) than the smaller sediment fractions as one proceeded downstream through the urban area. Since the larger sediment fractions are least effected by scour and transport they may best reflect the effect of urbanization on the distribution of heavy metals over an extended period of time at a given location.     

DESK TOP METHODOLOGY FOR MODELING BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND IN STREAMS1

: The modeling of dissolved oxygen in streams is a widely used technique, upon which a great deal of money has been spent. This paper concludes that the standard methods of DO modeling by computer are unnecessarily complex, and that for some purposes, they can be replaced without loss of accuracy by desk top BOD models. Taking as an example, a set of data used in DO modeling, it is shown (a) that the data are grossly inconsistent, (b) that simultaneous gathering of data introduces errors in streams of long travel time, (c) that much more data as to pollutant concentrations should have been obtained, and (d) that 24-hour DO data could have been dispensed with.     

Implications of MTBE for Intrinsic Remediation of Underground Fuel Tank Sites

MTBE in groundwater has been shown to travel over 1,000 feet downgradient from its source in several comprehensive field studies conducted across North America. The biodegradability of MTBE is examined by summarizing all the significant literature on the subject and by detailing the findings of recent field investigations of MTBE transport. In Orange County, California, the persistence of MTBE is analyzed and statistical representations of source variability are presented. Regional and far field transport of MTBE in groundwater sourced from underground gasoline storage tanks are summarized in comprehensive tables of frequency and plume length. Estimates of source mass and duration allow for comparison of associated plume size. The conclusion reached after reviewing all the available literature on MTBE is that its biodegradability seems slight and the size of the plumes are surprisingly large. Intrinsic or natural attenuation remedies for MTBE merit close scrutiny.     

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Abstract

An indicator of solid waste generation potential (SWGP) is proposed as a versatile means to assist the development of integrated solid waste (SW) management plans. The proposed indicator is based on key sodoeconomic variables for the State of Illinois which were found to be highly correlated with variables describing the SW stream of the State. The proposed indicator was derived by applying the principal components analysis (PCA) technique. The technique is used to merge the rank transformed socioeconomic variables into a single variable, the SWGP indicator, while maintaining the regional information of the original variables. An innovative aspect of this indicator approach is the use of the ordinal scale for all these diverse variables. The validity of this approach was assessed and the proposed indicator was found to be directly proportional to a composite variable describing the SW stream for the State of Illinois. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to depict the spatial distribution of the SWGP will help planners visualize the expected overall refuse generation pattern and to identify critical regions. In addition, the proposed indicator could be used as an instrument to validate the solid waste generation (SWG) quantities reported by counties to state agencies.     

ESP Bus Section Failures: Design Considerations

This paper addresses a common operation and maintenance problem encountered with sectionalized electrostatic precipitators—bus section failure. ESPs are normally designed to meet a specific minimum collection efficiency in order to comply with emission standards; the loss of several bus sections may cause the unit to be out of compliance. In this paper, the effect of bus section failure on precipitator performance is analyzed. The study is presented in two parts. First, a simplified procedure to estimate the effect of bus section failure on the overall collection efficiency is developed. An illustrative example is presented to demonstrate the use of the technique. Secondly—and this is the main thrust of this study—the technique is extended to include calculations on whether a unit is out of compliance due to the failure of a given number of bus sections. This development clearly shows that this latter effect can only be expressed in terms of a probability. Two additional examples, based on a field unit using actual test data, complement the presentation and illustrate this probability calculation.     

Biodegradability of Quaternized, Crosslinked Sugarcane Bagasse

Quaternized, crosslinked sugarcane bagasse can adsorb anionic dyes from textile wastewater. Disposal of dye-saturated adsorbent by composting or land application would require that modifications made to the bagasse do not interfere with its decomposition. The impact of quaternization and crosslinking on bagasse biodegradability was examined. Bagasse in varying states of modification was mixed with soil and monitored for carbon dioxide evolution for four weeks at 27°C. After subtracting the amount of carbon evolved from control soil samples, the net carbon evolved from the bagasse samples was determined and used as a measure of their extent of biodegradation. Biodegradability decreased in the order: bagasse (approx. 60% degraded after four weeks) > quaternized bagasse > quaternized, epichlorohydrin-crosslinked bagasse > quaternized, methylene-bis-acrylamide-crosslinked bagasse > epichlorohydrin-crosslinked bagasse (less than 5% degraded). Crosslinking severely impacted biodegration, probably by preventing the penetration of (hemi)cellulytic and lignolytic enzymes into the interior of the modified bagasse particles. It is concluded that the biodegradability of quaternized, crosslinked bagasse is too low for composting or land application.