Adsorption of chlorpyrifos,penconazole and metalaxyl from aqueous solution by modified clays

Sorption of three pesticides (chlorpyrifos, metalaxyl and penconazole) has been measured on a commercial clay montmorillonite and on the same mineral modified with either of two cationic-surfactant micelles. Both micelle–clay complexes, commercial names Cloisite 20A and Cloisite 30B, showed a good capacity to sorb all three pesticides from water, whereas their sorption on the natural montmorillonite was not described by an isotherm. Modelling sorption on both micelle–clay complexes showed that the Freundlich sorption constant (K _F) was higher for chlorpyrifos on Cloisite 20A (K _F = 7.76) than on Cloisite 30B (K _F = 5.91), whereas the sorption of metalaxyl was stronger on Cloisite 30B (K _F = 1.07) than on Cloisite 20A (K _F = 0.57). Moreover the micelle–clay complex Cloisite 20A also showed a good affinity for penconazole, the maximum quantity adsorbed (q _m) of 6.33 mg g^?1 being 45% more than that on Cloisite 30B. Single-batch adsorption of each pesticide onto both micelle–clay complexes was studied using the Freundlich isotherm for chlorpyrifos and metalaxyl and the Langmuir isotherm for penconazole. The Cloisite 20A micelle–clay complex was predicted to require 23% less adsorbent to treat certain volumes of wastewater containing 30 mg L^?1 chlorpyrifos, 43% more to treat metalaxyl similarly and 57% less to treat penconazole compared with Cloisite 30B.     

Hydrologic and Phosphorus Export Behavior of Small Streams in Commercial Poultry‐Pasture Watersheds1

Romeis, J. Joshua, C. Rhett Jackson, L. Mark Risse, Andrew N. Sharpley, and David E. Radcliffe, 2011. Hydrologic and Phosphorus Export Behavior of Small Streams in Commercial Poultry‐Pasture Watersheds. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 1‐19. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00521.x Abstract: Few watershed‐scale studies have evaluated phosphorus export in streamflow from commercial poultry‐pasture operations. Continuous streamflow and mixed‐frequency water quality datasets were collected from nine commercial poultry‐pasture (AG) and three forested (FORS) headwater streams (2.4‐44 ha) in the upper Etowah River basin of Georgia to estimate total P (TP) loads and examine variability of hydrologic response and water quality of storm and nonstorm‐flow regimes. Data collection duration ranged from 18 to 22 months, and approximately 1,600 water quality samples were collected. Significant (p < 0.1) inverse relationships were detected between peak flow response variables and both drainage area and fraction of forest cover. Order‐of‐magnitude differences in TP and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentration were observed between AG and FORS sites and among AG sites. TP yields of FORS sites ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 kg P/ha. Yields of AG sites ranged from 0.031 to 3.17 kg P/ha (median = 0.354 kg P/ha). With 95% confidence intervals, AG yields ranged from 0.025 to 13.1 kg P/ha. These small‐watershed‐scale yields were similar to field‐scale yields measured in other studies in other regions. TP yields were significantly related to area‐weighted Mehlich‐1 soil test P concentrations (p = 0.0073) and base‐flow water sample P concentrations (p ≤ 0.0005). Water quality sampling during base‐flow conditions may be a useful screening tool for P risk‐based management programs.     

ENHANCING FECAL COLIFORM TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD MODELS THROUGH BACTERIAL SOURCE TRACKING1

ABSTRACT: Surface water impairment by fecal coliform bacteria is a water quality issue of national scope and importance. In Virginia, more than 400 stream and river segments are on the Commonwealth's 2002 303(d) list because of fecal coliform impairment. Total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) will be developed for most of these listed streams and rivers. Information regarding the major fecal coliform sources that impair surface water quality would enhance the development of effective watershed models and improve TMDLs. Bacterial source tracking (BST) is a recently developed technology for identifying the sources of fecal coliform bacteria and it may be helpful in generating improved TMDLs. Bacterial source tracking was performed, watershed models were developed, and TMDLs were prepared for three streams (Accotink Creek, Christians Creek, and Blacks Run) on Virginia's 303(d) list of impaired waters. Quality assurance of the BST work suggests that these data adequately describe the bacteria sources that are impairing these streams. Initial comparison of simulated bacterial sources with the observed BST data indicated that the fecal coliform sources were represented inaccurately in the initial model simulation. Revised model simulations (based on BST data) appeared to provide a better representation of the sources of fecal coliform bacteria in these three streams. The coupled approach of incorporating BST data into the fecal coliform transport model appears to reduce model uncertainty and should result in an improved TMDL.     

MODELING FECAL COLIFORM CONTAMINATION IN THE RIO GRANDE1

This study examines sources of fecal coliform in Segment 2302 of the Rio Grande, located south of the International Falcon Reservoir in southern Texas. The watershed is unique because the contributing drainage areas lie in Texas and Mexico. Additionally, the watershed is mostly rural, with populated communities known as “colonias.” The colonias lack sewered systems and discharge sanitary water directly to the ground surface, thus posing an increased health hazard from coliform bacteria. Monitoring data confirm that Segment 2302 is not safe for contact recreation due to elevated fecal coliform levels. The goal of the study was to simulate the observed exceedences in Segment 2302 and evaluate potential strategies for their elimination. Fecal coliform contributions from ranching and colonia discharges were modeled using the Hydrologic Simulation Program‐Fortran (HSPF). Model results indicated that the regulatory 30‐day geometric mean fecal coliform concentration of 200 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters is exceeded approximately three times per year for a total of 30 days. Ongoing initiatives to improve wastewater facilities will reduce this to approximately once per year for 14 days. Best management practices will be necessary to reduce cattle access to streams and eliminate all exceedences. The developed model was limited by the relatively sparse flow and fecal coliform data.     

Escherichia coli Concentrations in Urban Watersheds Exhibit Diurnal Sag: Implications for Water‐Quality Monitoring and Assessment

The variability of indicator bacteria over a fine resolution time scale on the order of minutes has yet to be fully understood. In this study, we collected more than 700 Escherichia coli samples at a 10‐ and 30‐min resolution in an urban watershed in Houston. A Bacteria Diurnal Sag (BDS) marked with daytime exponential decay followed by an exponential nighttime regeneration was observed. This pattern was observed during all sampled events but varied depending on other variables. The concentrations during a 24‐h period varied 1 to 5 orders of magnitude and the fecal load was at least 10 times lower than what would be obtained using a single morning E. coli measurement, the typical sampling scheme in most monitoring programs. Decay rates, ranging from 3.67 to 24.7/day, decreased E. coli concentrations to below the water‐quality standards from 14:00 to 18:00 h and were strongly influenced by water temperatures and solar radiation intensities. Rapid regeneration occurred on the order of 9.41 to 64.1/day allowing E. coli concentrations to return to their pre‐decay levels. The data indicated that four to six samples taken between 06:00 and 18:00 h may be sufficient to define the BDS depending on stream conditions, and that a threshold concentration of approximately 100 MPN/dl (most probable number in a deciliter) existed for the studied urban watershed. These findings have significant implications for water‐quality monitoring, regulation, and compliance.     

Three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model for TMDL development of Lake Fuxian, China

Lake Fuxian is the largest deep freshwater lake in China. Although its average water quality meets Class I of the China National Water Quality Standard (CNWQS), i.e., GB3838-2002, monitoring data indicate that the water quality approaches the Class II threshold in some areas. Thus it is urgent to reduce the watershed load through the total maximum daily load (TMDL) program. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed for Lake Fuxian, simulating flow circulation and pollutant fate and transport. The model development process consists of several steps, including grid generation, initial and boundary condition configurations, and model calibration processes. The model accurately reproduced the observed water surface elevation, spatiotemporal variations in temperature, and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations, suggesting a reasonable numerical representation of the prototype system for further TMDL analyses. The TMDL was calculated using two interpretations of the water quality standards for Class I of the CNWQS based on the maximum instantaneous surface and annual average surface water concentrations. Analysis of the first scenario indicated that the TN, TP and COD loads should be reduced by 66%, 68% and 57%, respectively. Water quality was the highest priority; however, local economic development and cost feasibility for load reduction can pose significant issues. In the second interpretation, the model results showed that, under the existing conditions, the average water quality meets the Class I standard and therefore load reduction is unnecessary. Future studies are needed to conduct risk and cost assessments for realistic decision-making.     

Estimation of the spatial covariance in Universal Kriging: Application to forest inventory

This paper presents a simple least squares procedure for estimating the spatial covariance and compares it with the numerically more difficult restricted maximum likelihood procedure. Thereafter, it compares design-based and kriging techniques for the estimation of spatial averages in the context of double sampling, as used in forest inventory, where terrestrial sample plots are combined with auxiliary information based on aerial photographs. A case study illustrates the theory.     

基于小波变换与传统时间序列模型的臭氧浓度多步预测

采用最大重叠小波分解与重构方法,将影响O3小时浓度的不同时间尺度的物化过程分离出来,以提高序列的光滑性.同时,选择合适的传统时间序列模型(如ARIMA模型等)来描述不同过程的序列特征,并分别拟合预报.最后,在建模中引入24 h季节项,以实现提前24 h-次性预测未来1d的O3逐时浓度.结果表明,预报的平均相对误差为12.92％,平均绝对误差和均方根误差分别为10.04 μ.g·m-3和13.98μg·m-3,预报值与实测值的相关系数和匹配指数分别为0.96和0.98.随着预测期的延长,预报误差仍处于可接受范围内.该方法同样适用于每日最大O3小时浓度预报,研究结果为发布天气预报式的空气质量预报提供了新思路,便于公众规划出行并减少大气污染暴露.     

ADSORPTION IN MULTICOMPONENT SOLUTION BY ACTIVATED CARBON

It was found that the total adsorptive capacity of activated carbon was enhanced by using a multicomponent solution with glucose, peptone and phenylphosphonic acid. A maximum use of the carbon adsorptive capacity is possible if the carbon is used for tertiary treatment followed by treating a stronger waste.     

Linear regression with Type I interval- and left-censored response data

Laboratory analyses in a variety of contexts may result in left- and interval-censored measurements. We develop and evaluate a maximum likelihood approach to linear regression analysis in this setting and compare this approach to commonly used simple substitution methods. We explore via simulation the impact on bias and power of censoring fraction and sample size in a range of settings. The maximum likelihood approach represents only a moderate increase in power, but we show that the bias in substitution estimates may be substantial.