Effect of soil solids concentration in batch tests on the partition coefficients of organic pollutants in landfill liner-soil materials

 The effect of the soil solids concentration in batch tests on the measured values of the partition coefficient (K _p) of organic pollutants in landfill liner-soil material was investigated. Since this study was based on the results of batch and column tests conducted independently, there were limitations to the conclusions derived. The organic compounds tested were benzene, methylene chloride, toluene, trichloroethylene, and p-xylene. The results of this study showed that as soil solids concentrations increased, the measured K _p values of these organic compounds strongly decreased. The observed values of K _p stabilized when the soil solids concentration was above a certain value. Typical K _p values obtained from batch tests conducted under high soil solids concentrations were close to those obtained from column tests. It was concluded that the K _p values of organic compounds measured under low soil solids concentrations, i.e., less than 100 g/l, may not correctly simulate the field situation. Consequently, the values of K _p obtained with low soil solids concentrations can result in an overestimation of the retardation factor of the landfill liner material. Received: March 14, 2002 / Accepted: August 25, 2002     

STREAM DISCHARGE PREDICTION VIA A GRID BASED SOIL WATER ROUTING WITH PADDY FIELDS1

ABSTRACT: A grid based daily hydrologic model for a watershed with paddy fields was developed to predict the stream discharge. ASCII formatted elevation, soil, and land use data supported by the GRASS Geographic Information System are used to generate distributed results such as surface runoff and subsurface flow, soil water content, and evapotranspiration. The model uses a single flow path algorithm and simulates a water balance at each grid element. A linear reservoir assumption was used to predict subsurface runoff components. The model was applied to a 75.6 km² watershed located in the middle of South Korea, and observed stream flow hydrographs from 1995 and 1996 were compared to model predictions. The stream flow predictions of 1995 and 1996 generally agreed with the observed flow, resulting in a Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency R² of 0.60 and 0.62, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity for percolating water through the saturated layer affected baseflow generation. The levee height of the paddy influenced the time and magnitude of the surface runoff, depending on irrigation management. The model will be used for making low flow management decisions by evaluating the role of each land use to stream flow, especially in case of paddy decrease by gradual urbanization of a watershed.     

Design of a representative and cost-effective sampling programs for industrial wastewater with examples from bleached kraft pulp and paper mills

The diagram constructed for selection of sampling methods indicates that, for a systematic error, E ≤ 13%, grab sampling (GS) may be used to characterize effluents with variation coefficient of flow ≤ 120% and of contaminant concentrations ≤ 10%. For the whole studied range of variation coefficient of contaminant concentrations (2–82%), time-proportional compositing (TC) method may be applied with E ≤ 10% for effluents characterized by variation coefficients in flow < 90%. The more complicated flow-proportional compositing (FC) method is required only for effluents with larger variation coefficients or to produce more precise results. The diagram constructed for selection of sampling frequencies indicates that sequential sampling at intervals of approximately 60 min may be applied with E ≤ 10% for effluents characterized by variation coefficients ≤ 30%. Practical application of the diagrams, constructed using normal series, was checked against monitoring data from two pulp and paper mills in Vietnam. The two diagrams provided results on sampling methods and frequencies in good agreement with those obtained from actual monitoring data with percentages of agreement cases of 80 and 75%, respectively. The approach was applied in design of a monitoring program at the Bai Bang integrated pulp and paper mill in Vietnam.     

Characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and their extinguishment by water mist

Large cooking oil pool fires, occurring in industrial oil cookers, present a severe hazard to food processing plants due to their size and the large amount of hot oil involved. This paper reports a series of full-scale fire experiments conducted in a large industrial oil cooker mock-up. The characteristics of large cooking oil pool fires and the effect of oil depth and hood position in the oil cooker on fire growth were studied. The use of water mist for extinguishing large oil pool fires and their extinguishing performance under different discharge pressure and with different types of water mist systems were investigated. Experimental results showed that the cooking oil underwent a substantial expansion in volume during heating. The fires developed quickly once the oil auto-ignited. The fire growth rate was affected by the oil depth in the pan and the hood position in the oil cooker. The water mist fire suppression systems effectively extinguished large cooking oil fires and prevented them from re-igniting. Their extinguishing performance was determined by the type of water mist system, discharge pressure and hood position in the oil cooker.     

Current status and research on E-waste issues in Asia

Rapid economic growth in Asia and the increasing transboundary movement of secondary resources will increasingly require both 3R endeavors (reduce, reuse, recycle) in each country and appropriate control of international material cycles. Recently, managing electrical and electronic waste (E-waste) has become an important target for domestic and international material cycles from the viewpoints of environmental preservation and resource utilization efficiency. To understand the current status of E-waste issues in the context of international material cycles and to discuss the future tasks related to achieving 3R in the region, we organized the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) E-waste Workshop in December 2004. This article reviews past studies on E-waste and briefly describes the topics presented and discussions held at the workshop. The topics at the workshop included E-waste generation, recycling systems, international trade, and environmental impacts. In addition, we discussed various issues such as terminology, current environmental concerns, and possible solutions. Transboundary shipments of E-waste should be conducted taking into consideration the concept of sustainable development. The direction of future research and possible collaborations are also discussed.     

Comparative studies on toluene removal and pressure drop in biofilters using different packing materials

To select the best available packing material for malodorous organic gases such as toluene and benzene, biofilter performance was compared in biofilters employed different packing materials including porous ceramic (celite), Jeju scoria (lava), a mixture of granular activated carbon (GAC) and celite (GAC/celite), and cubic polyurethane foam (PU). A toluene-degrading bacterium, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia T3-c, was used as the inoculum. The maximum elimination capacities in the celite, lava, and GAC/celite biofilters were 100, 130, and 110 gm(-3) hr(-1), respectively. The elimination capacity for the PU biofilter was approximately 350 g m(-3) hr(-1) at an inlet loading of approximately 430 g m(-3) hr(-1), which was 2 to 3.5 times higher than for the other biofilters. The pressure drop gradually increased in the GAC/ celite, celite and lava biofilters after 23 day due to bacterial over-growth, and the toluene removal efficiency remarkably decreased with increasing pressure drop. Backwashing method was not effective for the control of biomass in these biofilters. In the PU biofilter however, backwashing allowed maintenance of a pressure drop of 1 to 3 mm H2O m(-1) and a removal efficiency of > 80%, indicating that the PU was the best packing material for toluene removal among the packing materials tested.     

Kinetics of phenol and chlorophenol utilization by Acinetobacter species

Although microbial transformations via cometabolism have been widely observed, the few available kinetic models of cometabolism have not adequately addressed the case of inhibition from both the growth and nongrowth substrates. The present study investigated the degradation kinetics of self-inhibitory growth (phenol) and nongrowth (4-chlorophenol, 4-CP) substrates, present individually and in combination. Specifically, batch experiments were performed using an Acinetobacter isolate growing on phenol alone and with 4-CP present. In addition, batch experiments were also performed to evaluate the transformation of 4-CP by resting, phenol-induced Acinetobacter cultures. The Haldane kinetic model adequately predicted the biodegradation of phenol alone, although a slight discrepancy was noted in cases of higher initial phenol concentrations. Similarly, a Haldane model for substrate utilization was also able to describe the trends in 4-CP transformation by the resting cell cultures. The 4-CP transformation by the Acinetobacter species growing on phenol was modeled using a competitive kinetic model of cometabolism, which included growth and nongrowth substrate inhibition and cross-inhibition terms. Excellent agreement was obtained between the model predictions using experimentally estimated parameter values and the experimental data for the synchronous disappearance of phenol and 4-CP.     

Nationwide monitoring of atmospheric PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs in South Korea

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) were measured in ambient air samples collected from different parts of South Korea in 2008, and the measured levels were used for assessing the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric PCDDFs and DL-PCBs in South Korea. The average concentrations of atmospheric PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs among the 37 sites were 28 fg I-TEQ m⁻³ (ND ∼ 617) and 1 fg WHO-TEQ m⁻³ (ND ∼ 0.016). Elevated atmospheric levels of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs observed at residential/industrial sites and in the north-west of Korea, indicated a potential contribution and impacts of anthropogenic sources of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs. These levels were similar or lower than those previously reported in other ambient air surveys. Average concentrations of PCDD/Fs showed small seasonal variations (ANOVA analysis, p = 0.144). The highest concentrations of PCDD/Fs were observed during winter, followed by spring, autumn and summer. Atmospheric PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs in South Korea rapidly decreased during the last 10 years (1998-2008), demonstrating the efficiency of stricter regulations and the application of best available technologies/best environmental practices at emission sources. Comparison of the congener profiles and principal component analysis showed that current atmospheric PCDD/Fs are mostly influenced by industrial sources and PCBs from old commercial PCB uses. Nationwide POPs monitoring will continue and allows an effective evaluation of the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs.     

Reductive dechlorination and biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol using sequential permeable reactive barriers: laboratory studies

The reductive dechlorination and biodegradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) was investigated in a laboratory-scale sequential barrier system consisting of a chemical and biological reactive barrier. Palladium coated iron (Pd/Fe) was used as a reactive barrier medium for the chemical degradation of 2,4,6-TCP, and a sand column seeded with anaerobic microbes was used as a biobarrier following the chemical reactive barrier in this study. Only phenol was detected in the effluent from the Pd/Fe column reactor, indicating that the complete dechlorination of 2,4,6-TCP was achieved. The residence time of 30.2-21.2h was required for the complete dechlorination of 2,4,6-TCP of 100 mg l(-1) in the column reactor. The surface area-normalized rate constant (k(SA)) is 3.84 (+/-0.48)x10(-5)lm(-2)h(-1). The reaction rate in the column tests was one order of magnitude slower than that in the batch test. In the operation of the biobarrier, about 100 microM of phenol was completely removed with a residence time of 7-8d. Consequently, the dechlorination prior to biodegradation turns out to increase the overall treatability. Moreover, the sequential permeable reactive barriers, consisting of iron barrier and biobarrier, could be recommended for groundwater contaminated with toxic organic compounds such as chlorophenols.