Recycling MSWI bottom and fly ash as raw materials for Portland cement

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash is rich in heavy metals and salts. The disposal of MSWI ash without proper treatment may cause serious environmental problems. Recently, the local cement industry in Taiwan has played an important role in the management of solid wastes because it can utilize various kinds of wastes as either fuels or raw materials. The objective of this study is to assess the possibility of MSWI ash reuse as a raw material for cement production. The ash was first washed with water and acid to remove the chlorides, which could cause serious corrosion in the cement kiln. Various amounts of pre-washed ash were added to replace the clay component of the raw materials for cement production. The allowable limits of chloride in the fly ash and bottom ash were found to be 1.75% and 3.50% respectively. The results indicate that cement production can be a feasible alternative for MSWI ash management. It is also evident that the addition of either fly ash or bottom ash did not have any effect on the compressive strength of the clinker. Cement products conformed to the Chinese National Standard (CNS) of Type II Portland cement with one exception, the setting time of the clinker was much longer.     

Evaluation of marine outfall with three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality modeling

Numerical models are often used to evaluate the potential impact of human alternation of natural water bodies and to help the design of the alternation to mitigate its impacts. In the past decade, three-dimensional hydrodynamic and reactive transport modeling has matured from a research subject to a practical analysis technology. This paper presents a practical study in which a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model [hydrodynamic eutrophication model (HEM-3D)] was applied to determine the optimal location for treated wastewater discharged from marine outfall system in the Keelung harbor and the adjacent coastal sea. First, model validation was conducted with respect to surface elevation, current, and water quality variables measured in the Keelung harbor station and its coastal sea. The overall performance of the model was in qualitative agreement with the available field data. The model was then used to evaluate several scenarios of the locations from marine outfall system. Based on model simulation results, a location at the northeast of Ho-Ping Island was recommended for adoption because the environmental impact is smaller than any other alternative.

Na型粉末树脂回收废水中低浓度氨氮

为探究Na型粉末树脂回收废水中低浓度氨氮的可行性,分别采用静态摇瓶与动态树脂柱方法进行实验研究。结果表明:预处理仅使粉末树脂吸附氨氮的能力降低了5%;在中性与酸性条件下,Na型粉末树脂对低浓度氨氮去除率均可达到99%;每增加2 g·L~(-1)树脂投加量,氨氮去除率会提高20%,但吸附容量下降2.85 mg·g~(-1);钙镁离子的存在会降低Na型粉末树脂对氨氮的吸附容量,最大降低量为3.5 mg·g~(-1);由于钾离子与氨氮为同价离子,其影响不显著。Na型粉末树脂对氨氮的吸附符合Langmuir吸附等温线,吸附过程符合准二级动力学。根据实验结果,Na型粉末树脂静态运行方式适用于低浓度氨氮的回收,但动态运行方式下粉末树脂达到吸附饱和时间更短,因此,需要对运行方式进一步研究。     

Fluidized zero valent iron bed reactor for nitrate removal

A fluidized zero valent iron (ZVI) reactor is examined for nitrate reduction. Using the system, the pH of solution can be maintained at optimal conditions for rapid nitrate reduction. For hydraulic retention times of 15 min, the nitrate reduction efficiency increases with increasing ZVI dosage. At ZVI loadings of 33 gl-1, results indicate that the nitrate removal efficiency increases from less than 13% for systems without pH control to more than 92% for systems operated at pH of 4.0. By maintaining pH at 4.0, we are able to decrease the hydraulic retention time to 3 min and still achieve more than 87% nitrate reduction. The recovery of total nitrogen added as nitrate, ammonium, and nitrite was less than 50% for the system operated at pH4.0, and was close to 100% for a system without pH control. The possibility of nitrate and ammonium adsorption onto iron corrosion products was ruled out by studying the behavior of their adsorption onto freshly hydrous ferric oxide at variable pH. Results indicate the probable formation of nitrogen gas species during reaction in pH4.0.     

Maximum nitrogen removal in the step-feed activated sludge process.

This paper presents a mathematical framework that can be used to determine the flow distributions for a step-feed activated sludge process that result in maximum nitrogen removal. The model indicates that nitrogen removal efficiency in a step-feed activated sludge process is highly dependent on the ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(L))-to-total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) ratio of the wastewater. For typical domestic wastewater, which has a relatively high BOD(L)-to-TKN ratio, the step-feed process will outperform the Modified Ludzack-Ettinger process for nitrogen removal, when the flow to each step is optimally distributed. Using plant-specific water quality data and operating conditions from a 1-year period, nitrogen removal performance for four step-feed activated sludge plants operated by the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County (California) was calculated using the developed model. The calculated nitrogen removal efficiencies match well with the actual plant performance data. These results validate the model as a useful tool for predicting nitrogen removal in a step-feed activated sludge process. Other analyses revealed that improvements in nitrogen removal at existing facilities are achievable by adjusting the split of primary effluent flow to each anoxic zone several times during the day. The timing of the adjustments and the optimal flow splits can be determined from data on diurnal fluctuations in BOD(L) and TKN concentrations. An example is provided to illustrate the application of such an operating strategy and the potential enhancement of nitrogen removal.     

Performance of a constructed wetland treating intensive shrimp aquaculture wastewater under high hydraulic loading rate

A water treatment unit, mainly consisting of free water surface (FWS) and subsurface flow (SF) constructed wetland cells, was integrated into a commercial-scale recirculating aquaculture system for intensive shrimp culture. This study investigated performance of the treatment wetlands for controlling water quality. The results showed that the FWS-SF cells effectively removed total suspended solids (55-66%), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (37-54%), total ammonia (64-66%) and nitrite (83-94%) from the recirculating water under high hydraulic loading rates (1.57-1.95 m/day). This led to a water quality that was suitable for shrimp culture and effluent that always satisfied the discharge standards. The area ratios of wetlands to culture tank being demonstrated (0.43) and calculated (0.096) in this study were both significantly lower than the reported values. Accordingly, a constructed wetland was technically and economically feasible for managing water quality of an intensive aquaculture system.     

Quantification of the dissolved organic matter effect on the sorption of hydrophobic organic pollutant: application of an overall mechanistic sorption model

This study presents an overall sorption model to estimate the sorption equilibrium coefficients of hydrophobic organic pollutants for heterogeneous aquatic systems. This proposed model combines a series of sorption equilibrium relationships including the adsorption of dissolved organic matters on particulates, the binding between organic pollutants and dissolved organic matters, and the sorption of organic pollutants on particulates with or without the presence of dissolved organic matters. By using this model, variations among the sorption equilibrium coefficients with the concentrations of dissolved organic matters are obtained. Also discussed herein are case studies involving pollutants having a wide spectrum of K(ow)s, different types of dissolved organic matters, different pH values and ionic strengths. In most of the case studies, the sorption equilibrium coefficients initially increase with the-concentrations of dissolved organic matters and, then, decrease after reaching a maximum value. This study also addresses the relative errors of partition coefficients attributed to the negligence of the effect caused by the dissolved organic matter, the so-called third-phase effect.     

Mechanical Properties and Isothermal Crystallization Behaviour of Poly(lactide)/Poly(methyl methacrylate)/α-Cellulose Composites

Polylactide (PLA)/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/α-cellulose composites were fabricated using a twin-screw extruder. During fabrication, α-cellulose short fibres were incorporated for improving the toughness of the brittle PLA and a chain extender was used for reducing PLA hydrolysis. Highly transparent PLA and PMMA were blended to obtain miscible and transparent blends. For evaluating the performance of the PLA/PMMA/α-cellulose composites, a series of measurements, including tensile and Izod impact tests, light transmission and haze measurements, thermomechanical analysis, and determination of isothermal crystallisation behaviour, was conducted. Adding the chain extender considerably reduced the occurrence of hydrolytic degradation. Both the chain extender and α-cellulose short fibres increased the elongation at break and Izod impact strength of the composites. Compared with the neat PLA, including 1.0 wt% α-cellulose short fibres increased the elongation at break and Izod impact strength of the composite PLA by approximately 211 and 219 %, respectively. According to the observed mechanical performance, the optimal blending ratios for PLA and PMMA were between 90:10 and 80:20. The total light transmittance of the composites was as high as 91 %, indicating that the PLA/PMMA blend was highly miscible. The haze value of the PLA/PMMA/α-cellulose composites was lower than 32 %. Incorporating cellulose short fibres increased the number of crystallisation sites and crystallinity of the PLA/PMMA/α-cellulose composites while reducing the spherulite dimensions.     

Agricultural pesticide residues in farm ditches of the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Transient and permanent farm ditches flowing to the Lower Fraser River tributary fish streams of British Columbia, Canada, were sampled at several locations in 2003-2004 to determine the occurrence and concentration of residues of selected pesticides, their transformation products, and soluble/extractable Cu++ ions. Of the 43 compounds analyzed, 28 and 22 pesticides were detected in transient farm ditch water and sediments, respectively. About 34% fewer pesticides, however, were found in both matrices of permanent farm ditches. Average concentrations (microg L(-1)) of those most frequently detected in permanent farm ditch water were atrazine (0.20), alpha -chlordane (0.06), desethylatrazine (0.13), diazinon (0.55), dieldrin (0.28), endosulfan sulfate (0.16), glyphosate (6), metalaxyl (0.27); and soluble Cu++ ions (25). Those most often found in ditch sediments (microg kg(-1)) were aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) (2,300), 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) (250), endosulfan sulfate (500), glyphosate (1,225); and extractable Cu++ ions (58,000). The risk potential of these pesticide residues to non-target aquatic organisms inhabiting Fraser River tributary fish streams contiguous to permanent farm ditches is evaluated and discussed.