Toward quantifying the effectiveness of water trading under uncertainty

This paper presents a methodology for quantifying the effectiveness of water-trading under uncertainty, by developing an optimization model based on the interval-parameter two-stage stochastic program (TSP) technique. In the study, the effectiveness of a water-trading program is measured by the water volume that can be released through trading from a statistical point of view. The methodology can also deal with recourse water allocation problems generated by randomness in water availability and, at the same time, tackle uncertainties expressed as intervals in the trading system. The developed methodology was tested with a hypothetical water-trading program in an agricultural system in the Swift Current Creek watershed, Canada. Study results indicate that the methodology can effectively measure the effectiveness of a trading program through estimating the water volume being released through trading in a long-term view. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to analyze the effects of different trading costs on the trading program. It shows that the trading efforts would become ineffective when the trading costs are too high. The case study also demonstrates that the trading program is more effective in a dry season when total water availability is in shortage.     

Intermittently aerated EMMC-Biobarrel (entrapped mixed microbial cell with Bio-barrel) process for concurrent organic and nitrogen removal

The PEMMC-Biobarrel (packed-bed of entrapped mixed microbial cells with Bio-barrel) process and MEMMC-Biobarrel (moving EMMC-Biobarrel) process were investigated for enhancing concurrent organic and nitrogen removal with applied intermittent aeration. For the PEMMC-Biobarrel process, the EMMC-Biobarrel carriers were employed at a packing ratio of 20%. In the MEMMC-Biobarrel process, the EMMC-Biobarrel carriers with a packing ratio of 10% were added along with the activated sludge (AS) in the bioreactor. Three different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 9, 6 and 4 h were applied. Aeration was provided intermittently at time schedules of 1 h air on/1 h air off, 1 h on/1.5 h off and 1 h on/2 h off. Nitrogen removal in the PEMMC-Biobarrel system was not improved by increasing the intermittent non-aeration time period. On the other hand, the MEMMC-Biobarrel process enhanced nitrogen removal with increasing non-aeration time even though the SCOD/N(TIN) ratio decreased from 6 to 4. Significant denitrification during the aeration cycle was observed in the MEMMC-Biobarrel process. The MEMMC-Biobarrel process demonstrated the most efficient organic and nitrogen removal at an HRT of 6 h with an intermittent aeration time schedule of 1 h on/2 h off. Nitrogen removal of 80% was achieved, which was about 15% higher compared to the AS system. TCOD and SCOD removal efficiencies were 80% and 75%, respectively.     

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in Hong Kong soils

It was short of research on the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in the soils of Hong Kong. Sixty-six representative soil samples were collected from the 46 sites covering five types of land uses in Hong Kong. Hexachlorohexanes (HCH) and 7 Stockholm Convention OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a Nickel 63 electronic capture detector (muECD). The results presented that HCH and 5 Stockholm Convention pesticides were detected in Hong Kong soils although the detectable ratio varies to a great extent. The concentration sequence of the five detectable OCPs was HCH > dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) > hexachlorobenzene (HCB) approximately = Endrin > alpha-endosulfan. Among the OCPs and their homologues or isomers, beta-HCH and p,p'-DDE were the two predominant substances according to the concentrations and detectable ratios, concentrations of which in soils were averagely 6.12 microg kg(-1) and 0.41 microg kg(-1) respectively. Soil horizon samples of 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm and >30 cm depth were selected from nine soil profiles to demonstrate the depth distributions of DDT and HCH in soil profiles. Concentrations of HCH tended to increase gradually from the topsoil to bottom layer while the lowest concentration of DDT is usually found in the subsoil (10-30 cm) in most sampling sites. In addition, close correlations of pH(KCl) and total organic carbon (TOC) with HCH indicated an effect on the residues of HCH caused by these two soils properties, but such relationships were not found with DDT or other OCPs.     

Effect of transpiration on Pb uptake by lettuce and on water soluble low molecular weight organic acids in rhizosphere

The effect of transpiration (high and low) on Pb uptake by leaf lettuce and on water soluble low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in rhizosphere has been studied. After two weeks of growth the plants were cultured in greenhouse for more four weeks and two days. Pb(NO(3))(2) solutions of different concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mg l(-1) of Pb) were then added to the quartz sand pots of different plants and studies were initiated. Blank experiments (without treating the quartz sand pots with Pb(NO(3))(2) solutions) were also run in parallel. No significant differences in the growth of the plants with the concentrations of added Pb(NO(3))(2) solutions were observed by both low and high transpirations at the end of the 0, 3rd, and 10th days of studies. The total evaporation of the volatiles during 10 days did not depend on the concentration of Pb(2+) but with high transpiration the rate of evaporation was significantly higher than with low transpiration. Uptake of Pb by shoots and roots of the plants was found to be proportional to the concentration of various Pb(NO(3))(2) solutions added and more accumulation was observed in roots than in shoots at the end of 3rd and 10th days. High transpiration created more Pb uptake than low transpiration did. One volatile acid, propionic acid and nine non-volatile acids, lactic, glycolic, oxalic, succinic, fumaric, oxalacetic, D-tartaric, trans-aconitic, and citric acids in rhizosphere quartz sands were identified and quantified by gas chromatography (GC) analysis. D-Tartaric and citric acids were major among the non-volatile acids. The amount of LMWOAs in rhizosphere quartz sands increased with the higher amount of Pb uptake and also with the duration of studies. The total quantities of the LMWOAs in the rhizosphere quartz sands were significantly higher under high transpiration with 300 mg l(-1) Pb solution addition at the end of 10th day. The present study shows prominent correlation between transpiration and uptake of heavy metal and interesting correlation between Pb contaminated level and quantity of water soluble LMWOAs in rhizosphere quartz sands. The latter thus deserves of further studies.     

Fluorescence-based monitoring of tracer and substrate distribution in an UASB reactor

In this work, rhodamine-related fluorescence was measured on-line at four reactor heights in order to study hydrodynamics within an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor. A linear dependence of the dispersion coefficient (D) on the upflow velocity was observed, while the influence of the organic loading rate (OLR) was insignificant. Furthermore, the Bodenstein number of the reactor loaded with granulated sludge was found to be position-dependent with the largest values measured at the bottom of the sludge bed. This trend was not observed in the reactor without sludge. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were measured at the same reactor heights as in rhodamine tests using conventional off-line analytical methods and on-line multiwavelength fluorometry. Significant spatial COD and VFA gradients were observed at organic loading rates above 6g COD l(R)(-1)d(-1) and linear upflow velocities below 0.8m h(-1).     

Bioaccumulation of Hg, Cu, and Zn in the Azores triple junction hydrothermal vent fields food web

In this work, mercury (Hg), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) concentrations and tissue distribution are determined in seven benthic invertebrates species (the key species) from the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) hydrothermal vent fields. The samples were collected from three hydrothermal vent fields – Menez Gwen, 840 m; Lucky Strike, 1700 m and Rainbow, 2300 m – near the Azores Triple Junction. These fields are characterized by different depths, geological context and chemical composition of the hydrothermal fluid, particularly the metal content, which is reflected by the metal concentrations in the organisms. Indeed, our results show that organisms from Menez Gwen presented the highest Hg concentrations, while those from Lucky Strike and Rainbow were richer in Cu and Zn. The potential transfer of these metals through two trophic links are also evaluated and include (1) the mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus and the commensal worm Branchipolynoe seepensis, and (2) three different species of shrimps and the crab Segonzacia mesatlantica. No evidence of Hg biomagnification in either of the vent food chains is clearly observed but an increase in Hg accumulation from prey to predator in the crustacean food chain. The same pattern was observed for Cu and Zn, even though these metals are not known to be generally biomagnified in food chains.     

Relationship between chlorine consumption and chlorination by-products formation for model compounds

The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between chlorine decay and the formations of disinfection by-products (DBP), including trichloromethane (TCM) and chloroacetic acid (CAA) in the presence of four model compounds, i.e., resorcinol, phloroglucinol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and m-hydroxybenzoic acid. The chlorine degradation in model compounds with OH and/or COOH functional groups were rapid after chlorination. The TCM yields of carboxylic group substituted compounds (3-hydroxybenzoic acid [3-HBA], 4-hydroxybenzoic acid [4-HBA]) were found to be lower than that of the m-dihydroxy substituted compounds. Phloroglucinol, with one more OH substitution group than resorcinol, tends to form significant amounts of CAA after chlorination. However, it was observed that with the COOH substitution of 3-HBA and 4-HBA tend to exhibit more CAA formation potential than resorcinol. The developed parallel second and first-order reaction model for chlorine demand has been successfully utilized for TCM, CAA and DBP formation modeling. A high correlation between CAA and TCM was observed for the model compounds.     

Accumulation and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rice (Oryza sativa)

Various tissues of rice plants were sampled from a PAH contaminated site in Tianjin, China at different growth stages of the ripening period and analyzed for PAHs. PAHs were much higher in roots than in the exposed tissues. Grains and internodes accumulated much smaller amounts of PAHs than leaves, hulls or ear axes. No specific gradient trends along roots, stem, ear axes, and grains were observed, suggesting that systematic translocation among them is unlikely. Over the ripening period, PAH concentrations were increased in rice roots and decreased in most above-ground tissues. Significant correlations between PAH and lipid contents can only be observed during full mature stage. The spectra of individual PAH compounds in rice organs including roots were similar to those in air, rather than those in soil. There was also a significant correlation between bioconcentration factor (BCF, plant over air) and octanol/air partitioning coefficient (Koa).     

Distributions and concentrations of PAHs in Hong Kong soils

Surface soil (0-10 cm) samples from 53 sampling sites including rural and urban areas of Hong Kong were collected and analyzed for 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total PAH concentrations were in the range of 7.0-410 microg kg(-1) (dry wt), with higher concentrations in urban soils than that in rural soils. The three predominant PAHs were Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Pyrene in rural soils, while Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Benzo(b + k)fluoranthene dominated the PAHs of urban soils. The values of PAHs isomer indicated that biomass burning might be the major origin of PAHs in rural soils, but vehicular emission around the heavy traffic roads might contribute to the soil PAHs in urban areas. A cluster analysis was performed and grouped the detectable PAHs under 4 clusters, which could be indicative of the PAHs with different origins and PAHs affected by soil organic carbon contents respectively.     

Effects of inoculation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on metal uptake by Brassica juncea

A greenhouse study was carried out with Brassica juncea to critically evaluate effects of bacterial inoculation on the uptake of heavy metals from Pb-Zn mine tailings by plants. Application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, including nitrogen-fixing bacteria and phosphate and potassium solubilizers, might play an important role in the further development of phytoremediation techniques. The presence of these beneficial bacteria stimulated plant growth and protected the plant from metal toxicity. Inoculation with rhizobacteria had little influence on the metal concentrations in plant tissues, but produced a much larger above-ground biomass and altered metal bioavailability in the soil. As a consequence, higher efficiency of phytoextraction was obtained compared with control treatments.