Inactivation effect of pressurized carbon dioxide on bacteriophage Qβ and ΦX174 as a novel disinfectant for water treatment

The inactivation effects of pressurized CO2 against bacteriophage Qβ and ΦX174 were investigated under the pressure of 0.3–0.9 MPa, initial concentration of 107–109PFU/mL, and temperature of17.8°C–27.2°C. The optimum conditions were found to be 0.7 MPa and an exposure time of 25 min. Under identical treatment conditions, a greater than 3.3-log reduction in bacteriophage Qβ was achieved by CO2, while a nearly 3.0 log reduction was observed for phage ΦX174. The viricidal effects of N2O(an inactivation gas with similar characteristics to CO2), normal acid(HCl), and CO2 treatment with phosphate buffered saline affirmed the chemical nature of CO2 treatment. The pumping cycle, depressurization rate, and release of intracellular substances caused by CO2 were its viricidal mechanisms. The results indicate that CO2 has the potential for use as a disinfectant without forming disinfection by-products.     

Decomposing deflagration properties of acetylene under low temperatures

In this study, the decomposing deflagration properties of acetylene under temperatures down to −60 °C and pressures up to 0.2 MPa in a 1-L cylindrical closed vessel were experimentally investigated. The gases were ignited by an electric spark at the center of the vessel. The lower-limit pressures of decomposing deflagration by electric spark ignition were determined. The lower-limit pressure at 10 °C was 0.15 MPa, and it gradually increased with decreasing temperature. The lower-limit pressure at −60^oC was 0.18 MPa. The flame propagation properties, such as the pressure, were measured with pressure transducers mounted along the vessel. The maximum decomposing deflagration pressures and pressure rising rates also increased with decreasing temperature.     

Decomposing detonation and deflagration properties of ozone/oxygen mixtures

In this study, the decomposing detonation and deflagration properties of ozone/oxygen mixtures of up to 20 vol.% of ozone in oxygen under high pressure of up to 1.0 MPa in a tube were experimentally investigated. The mixtures were ignited by an electric spark at the end of the tube. Flame propagation properties such as flame velocity and pressure were measured with thermocouples and piezo electric transducers mounted along the tube. Slow and constant flame propagation profiles were obtained. We also investigated the quenching ability of a wire gauze as well as the concentration limit for flame propagation. However, in spite of slow flame propagation velocity and easy flame quenching properties under these experimental conditions, direct initiation of detonation by the driver detonation of the stoichiometric oxy-hydrogen mixture was easily achieved at much lower concentrations than the limit of deflagration. The observed detonation properties, such as wave velocity and pressure, agreed fairly well with C–J calculated values. The detonation velocity (900–1200 m/s) and the pressure ratio to initial pressures (5–9.5) were not affected by the initial pressure of the mixtures. Near the detonation limit, typical spinning detonations with oscillatory pressure waves were observed.     

Polybrominated, polychlorinated and monobromo-polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in marine surface sediments from Hong Kong and Korea

In this study we investigated occurrences and distribution patterns of dioxin-related compounds (DRCs) such as polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PBDD/Fs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), monobromo-polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (MoBPCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in marine surface sediments collected from the coastal waters of Hong Kong and Korea. In most sampling sites, concentrations of PCDDs were the highest, followed by DL-PCBs, PCDFs, PBDFs, PBDDs, MoBPCDDs and MoBPCDFs in this order. Levels of PBDD/Fs were generally 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than chlorinated analogues. Levels of PCDDs are higher than PCDFs in Hong Kong while levels of PBDFs are higher than PBDDs in Korea (p < 0.05). Report of PBDD/Fs and MoBPCDD/Fs in sediments from East Asian countries is novel and original. Environmental levels of PBDD/Fs are supposed to start increasing in accordance with rising production, use and disposal of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and recycling processes of e-waste in Asian developing countries.     

A simplified material flow analysis employing local expert judgment and its impact on uncertainty

Material flow analysis (MFA) is an effective tool for waste management, but low- and middle-income countries lack essential data for MFA. This study proposed a simplified MFA (sMFA) utilizing local expert judgment (LEJ) and examining the impact of simplification on its uncertainty. A stochastic sMFA model was developed for nitrogen and phosphorus in urban Mandalay, Myanmar. This model was compared with the intensive MFA (iMFA) model employing intensive surveys for primary data collection. For the total loadings to the environment, the medians of the sMFA were higher by 3% and 11%, respectively, for nitrogen and phosphorus than those of the iMFA. The widths of the 80% confidence intervals of these loadings in the sMFA, normalized by those in the iMFA, were − 0.05 and − 0.11, respectively. The three largest flows to the environment were the same for the two models: on-site sanitation effluent/leakage, greywater, and industrial wastewater. Large median gaps between the models were observed for industrial wastewater, fecal sludge, and human excreta, associated with informal waste management, whereby LEJ did not work well. Overall, the sMFA demonstrated a good estimation of nitrogen and phosphorus flows with limited increase of uncertainty, still requiring focused attention on informal waste streams.

Graphical abstract