Influence of alkalinity, hardness and dissolved solids on drinking water taste: A case study of consumer satisfaction

Two surveys of consumer satisfaction with drinking water conducted by Taiwan Water Supply Corp. are presented in this study. The study results show that although a lot of money was invested to modify traditional treatment processes, over 60% of local residents still avoided drinking tap water. Over half of the respondents felt that sample TT (from the traditional treatment process) was not a good drinking water, whether in the first or second survey, whereas almost 60% of respondents felt that samples PA, PB, CCL and CT (from advanced treatment processes) were good to drink. For all drinking water samples, respondent satisfaction with a sample primarily depended on it having no unpleasant flavors. Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration plans to revise the drinking water quality standards for TH and TDS in the near future. The new standards require a lower TH concentration (from currently 400mg/L (as CaCO(3)) to 150mg/L (as CaCO(3))), and a lower TDS maximum admissible concentration from the current guideline of 600 to 250mg/L. Therefore, this study also evaluated the impacts on drinking water tastes caused by variations in TH and TDS concentrations, and assessed the need to issue more strict drinking water quality standards for TH and TDS. The research results showed that most respondents could not tell the difference in water taste among water samples with different TDS, TH and alkalinity. Furthermore, hardness was found to be inversely associated with cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and complying with more strict standards would lead most water facilities to invest billions of dollars to upgrade their treatment processes. Consequently, in terms of drinking water tastes alone, this study suggested that Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration should conduct more thorough reviews of the scientific literature that provides the rationale for setting standards and reconsider if it is necessary to revise drinking water quality standards for TH and TDS.     

Photochemical alteration of the molecular weight of dissolved organic matter

Molecular weight (MW) is a key control on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of dissolved organic mater (DOM). This study investigated the effect of photooxidation on the average MW of DOM by exposing DOM of diverse origins to simulated solar radiation at varying levels of dissolved oxygen and under different incident light wavelength regimes. During irradiation, high-molecular-weight fractions were destroyed and low-molecular-weight constituents were formed. The average MW decreased with irradiation time in all treatments in a manner that can be described by a quasi-exponential function, which suggests that solar radiation is incapable of completely mineralizing DOM even after prolonged exposure. Increasing the oxygen concentration accelerated the MW reduction while the removal of oxygen strongly suppressed this process. The fractional contributions from UV-B, UV-A, and visible radiations to full-spectrum photoinduced MW reduction varied considerably among the DOM samples examined, ranging from 19% to 60%, 17% to 36%, and 15% to 46%, respectively. The MW changes in time-series irradiations were inversely correlated with the ratio of the absorbance at 250 nm to that at 365 nm (i.e., the E₂/E₃ quotient). Photoinduced MW reduction was accompanied by a decrease of polydispersity, which is indicative of a reduced DOM heterogeneity.     

Effectiveness of photocatalytic filter for removing volatile organic compounds in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

Nowadays, the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system has been an important facility for maintaining indoor air quality. However, the primary function of typical HVAC systems is to control the temperature and humidity of the supply air. Most indoor air pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cannot be removed by typical HVAC systems. Thus, some air handling units for removing VOCs should be added in typical HVAC systems. Among all of the air cleaning techniques used to remove indoor VOCs, photocatalytic oxidation is an attractive alternative technique for indoor air purification and deodorization. The objective of this research is to investigate the VOC removal efficiency of the photocatalytic filter in a HVAC system. Toluene and formaldehyde were chosen as the target pollutants. The experiments were conducted in a stainless steel chamber equipped with a simplified HVAC system. A mechanical filter coated with Degussa P25 titania photocatalyst and two commercial photocatalytic filters were used as the photocatalytic filters in this simplified HVAC system. The total air change rates were controlled at 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, and 1.5 hr(-1), and the relative humidity (RH) was controlled at 30%, 50%, and 70%. The ultraviolet lamp used was a 4-W, ultraviolet-C (central wavelength at 254 nm) strip light bulb. The first-order decay constant of toluene and formaldehyde found in this study ranged from 0.381 to 1.01 hr(-1) under different total air change rates, from 0.34 to 0.433 hr(-1) under different RH, and from 0.381 to 0.433 hr(-1) for different photocatalytic filters.     

水化氧化处理垃圾渗滤液生物处理后的尾水

经生物处理后垃圾渗滤液尾水的CODCr约在500~800 mg/L,此类CODCr除部分为有机物外,还含有大量还原性无机类物质,因此不适合采用常规的生物处理方法进行深度处理。本研究在投药量较低的情况下,采用水泥、NaAlO2和Ca(ClO)2等物质联合作用,取得较好的尾水CODCr去除效果(达到国家二级排放标准)。机理研究表明:渗滤液尾水CODCr的去除主要通过两种途径:一方面为常规的氧化作用,另一方面通过特殊的水化作用,可去除部分还原性无机类物质。     

生活垃圾填埋场矿化垃圾分选研究

对上海市老港生活垃圾填埋场填埋龄为1～14年的矿化垃圾进行了分选研究.结果表明,填埋龄在8年以上矿化垃圾细料(粒径＜50 mm)的百分比约占60%,而填埋龄低于5年的矿化垃圾细料比例低于40%.开采出来的垃圾经分选后的产品可得到有效的资源化利用.     

Effects of photodegradation of dissolved organic matter on the binding of benzo(a)pyrene

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in natural waters can bind various organic pollutants, and the affinity of this binding is strongly influenced by the chemical characteristics of the DOM and water pH. This study examined the effects of photochemically induced alteration of the DOM's chemical properties and water pH on the binding of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). Time- and pH-series of solar-simulated irradiations were performed on a natural water sample and aqueous DOM solutions prepared from aquatic and soil humic substances. The binding affinity of BaP, expressed as a partition coefficient of a compound to DOM, decreased substantially after the DOM samples were irradiated over environmentally relevant radiation doses and pH ranges. The lowering of the pH due to the photoproduction of acidic products often partly offsets the reduction of the binding affinity caused by direct photoalteration of the DOM's chemical structure. The decrease of the binding affinity, after correction for the photoinduced pH change, was positively correlated with the decrease in the molecular weight and the aromaticity of the DOM in the course of irradiation. Increasing O(2) abundance accelerated the decrease of the binding affinity as a result of enhanced DOM photodegradation. Visible light played a more important role in reducing the molecular weight and aromaticity of the DOM than in reducing the content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) via photoremineralization while the reverse was true for UV radiation, indicating that photochemical reduction of the binding affinity may occur in natural waters at depths greater than UV radiation can reach. A decrease of the affinity of DOM for binding BaP will increase the free dissolved fraction of BaP and thus its availability and toxicity to aquatic organisms. The results from this study may have similar implications for organic pollutants other than BaP.     

基于DOC+CDPF后处理技术的公交车实际道路颗粒物排放特性

利用车载排放测试系统,对柴油公交车安装氧化催化转化器(DOC)+催化型颗粒捕集器(CDPF)前后的实际道路工况颗粒物排放特性进行了研究。安装DOC+CDPF前后,稳态工况下,颗粒物数量排放(PN)、质量排放(PM)分别在车速为25,30 km/h降幅最大;瞬态工况下,随着加速度的增加,PN、PM排放率降幅逐渐增大;颗粒粒径分布规律不同,安装前呈单峰或双峰分布,而安装后呈三峰分布,粒径124.1 nm左右降幅最大。     

溢油模型理论及研究综述

油在水中的行为和归宿是一个复杂的过程,包括在重力、表面张力、惯性力和粘性力作用下的物理扩展,挥发、乳化、溶解、光氧化和生物降解等风化过程引起的化学变化,流场、风场等动力因素作用下的漂移运动以及随机部分。通过总结国内外的研究现状,概括了各个模型的理论依据、基本假设、应用范围,并对今后发展方向提出了几点展望。     

Emission reduction characteristics of a catalyzed continuously regenerating trap after-treatment system and its durability performance

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a catalyzed continuously regenerating trap(CCRT)system composed of a diesel oxidation catalyst(DOC)and a catalyzed diesel particulate filter(CDPF)on the main gaseous and particulate emissions from an urban diesel bus,as well as the durability performance of the CCRT system.Experiments were conducted based on a heavy chassis dynamometer,and a laboratory activity test as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)test were applied to evaluate the changes of the aged CCRT catalyst.Results showed that the CCRT could reduce the CO by 71.5%and the total hydrocarbons(THC)by 88.9%,and meanwhile promote the oxidation of NO.However,the conversion rates for CO and THC dropped to 25.1%and 55.1%,respectively,after the CCRT was used for one year(～60,000 km),and the NO oxidation was also weakened.For particulate emissions,the CCRT could reduce 97.4%of the particle mass(PM)and almost 100%of the particle number(PN).The aging of the CCRT resulted in a reduced PM trapping efficiency but had no observable effect on the PN;however,it increased the proportion of nucleation mode particles.The activity test results indicated that the deterioration of the CCRT was directly relevant to the increase in the light-off temperatures of the catalyst for CO,C_3H_8 and NO_2.In addition,the decreased concentrations of the active components Pt~(2+) and Pt~(4+) in the catalyst are also important factors in the CCRT deterioration.     

Chemical and olfactive impacts of organic matters on odor emission patterns from the simulated construction and demolition waste landfills

The explosive increase of construction and demolition waste (CDW) caused the insufficient source separation and emergency disposal at domestic waste landfills in many developing countries. Some organic fractions were introduced to the CDW landfill process and resulted in serious odor pollution. To comprehensively explore the impacts of organic matters on odor emission patterns, five CDW landfills (OIL), with organic matters/ inert CDW components (O/I) from 5% to 30%, and the control group only with inert components (IL) or organics (OL) were simulated at the laboratory. The chemical and olfactive characters of odors were evaluated using the emission rate of 94 odorants content (ER_total), theory odor concentration (TOC_total), and e-nose concentration (ER_ENC), and their correlations with waste properties were also analyzed. It was found that the main contributors to ER_total (IL: 93.0% NH₃; OIL: 41.6% sulfides, 31.0% NH₃, 25.9% oxygenated compounds) and TOC total (IL: 64.1% CH₃SH, 28.2% NH₃; OIL: 71.7% CH₃SH, 24.8% H₂S) changed significantly. With the rise of O/I, ER_total, TOC_total, and ER_ENC increased by 10.9, 20.6, and 2.1 times, respectively. And the organics content in CDW should be less than 10% (i.e., DOC<101.3 mg/L). The good regressions between waste properties (DOC, DN, pH) and ${\mathrm{ER}}_{\stackrel{?}{\mathrm{ENC}}}$ (r=0.86, 0.86, -0.88, p<0.05), ${\mathrm{TOC}}_{\stackrel{?}{\mathrm{total}}}$ (r=0.82, 0.79, -0.82, p<0.05) implied that the carbon sources and acidic substances relating to organics degradation might result in that increase. Besides, the correlation analysis results (${\mathrm{ER}}_{\stackrel{?}{\mathrm{ENC}}}$ vs. ${\mathrm{TOC}}_{\stackrel{?}{\mathrm{total}}}$, r=0.96, p<0.01; vs. ${\mathrm{ER}}_{\stackrel{?}{\mathrm{total}}}$, r=0.86, p<0.05) indicated that e-nose perhaps was a reliable odor continuous monitoring tool for CDW landfills.