Nitrogen recovery in an integrated system for wastewater treatment and tilapia production

An integrated system, consisting of Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB)-duckweed-tilapia ponds was used for recovery of sewage nutrients and water recycling. A UASB reactor with 40 liter working volume was used as pre-treatment unit followed by a series of three duckweed ponds for nitrogen recovery. The treated effluent and duckweed biomass was used to feed fishponds stocked with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The UASB reactor was fed with raw, domestic sewage at 6 h hydraulic retention time. The three duckweed ponds were stocked with Lemna gibba and fed with UASB effluent at 15 days hydraulic retention time. Nitrogen recovery from UASB effluent via duckweed biomass represented 81% of total nitrogen removal and 46.5% from the total nitrogen input to the system. In subsequent fishponds the nitrogen recovery from duckweed as fish feed was in the range of 13.4–20%. This nitrogen in fish biomass represented 10.6–11.5 g N from the total nitrogen in the raw sewage fed to the UASB reactor. The growth performance of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) showed specific growth rates (SGR) in the range of 0.53–0.97. The range of feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were 1.2–2.2 and 2.1–2.28, respectively. The results of the experiments showed total fish yield and net fish yield in the range of 17–22.8 ton/ha/y and 11.8–15.7 ton/ha/y respectively. In conclusion UASB-duckweed-tilapia ponds provide marketable by-products in the form of duckweed and fish protein, which represent a cost recovery for sewage treatment.     

Alternative treatments for the municipal solid waste and domestic sewage in Campinas,Brazil

The treatments of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the domestic sewage (DS) are critical issues of the current political and environment discussions. These concerns are due to the lack of dumping areas, the continuous increase of the population, and public health issues. The adequate treatment and management of MSW and DS can produce many benefits such as financial funds, heat and energy production, reduction of emissions and recuperation of water for reuse. Currently in Campinas MSW and DS are deposited in landfills or discharged into rivers and other sites. In the present study two scenarios are evaluated for the treatment of MSW and DS in Campinas: recycling with biological treatment and recycling with thermal treatment. The most suitable treatments for Campinas, based on the data from the present analysis and taking into consideration the local conditions, maximization of energy potential and environmental benefits, are incineration for the MSW and biological treatment for DS, both with energy recuperation. The main gains of this option are substantial environmental benefits, generated energy which can reach 18% of the total electrical energy consumed in Campinas while about 53% recuperation of the total amount of water treated for Campinas in 2010.     

医疗废物焚烧厂周边环境空气中二英浓度分布及其健康风险评估

于2015-2018年冬季（12月-2月）对广东省某医疗废物焚烧厂排放烟气及焚烧设施周边2.5 km范围内6个采样点分别进行了4次烟气和环境空气样品采集,应用高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱（HRGC-HRMS）联用技术对二（口恶）英（PCDD/Fs）浓度水平进行监测并对其组成特征进行了分析,运用主成分分析法（PCA）对周边环境空气中二（口恶）英来源进行了初步解析,同时采用VLIER-HUMAAN模型评估其对人体的健康风险.结果表明该医疗废物焚烧厂烟气二（口恶）英毒性当量浓度为0.542~21.300 ng·Nm^-3（以I-TEQ计）,排放水平较高;周边环境空气中PCDD/Fs质量浓度和毒性当量浓度变化范围分别为0.682~196.000 pg·m^-3和0.036~17.700 pg·m^-3（以I-TEQ计）,周边环境空气中PCDD/Fs浓度明显受到排放源烟气落地点的影响.空气样品中二（口恶）英同族体及异构体分布指纹谱图与该焚烧设施排放烟气类似,空气质量浓度主要贡献单体以OCDD、1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF、OCDF以及1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD为主,主要毒性贡献单体为2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF.PCA源解析结论与指纹谱图特征分析结论基本一致,该研究区域中环境空气二（口恶）英主要来源于医疗废物焚烧烟气排放.健康风险评估结果表明,该区域人群呼吸暴露风险总体处于较为安全的水平（0.0032~0.141 pg TEQ·kg^-1·d^-1）,部分个体的呼吸暴露贡献率超过了评价限值,应引起重视.     

Methane fermentation of dung from litter-free reared domestic animals — an optimisation study

Data on the quantity (27 453 tons from litter-free reared animals in Bulgaria, only) and the chemical and energy characteristics of dung produced in intensive management farms for domestic animals suggests that technologies combining biogenic elements recycling with energy utilistation and dung decontamination are expedient to be applied on these types of farms. To this effect a fermenter was designed and a mathematical model (a Chen-Hashimoto model based computer programme) was applied, as a result of which the optimum methane fermentation parameters were determined. The technological methane output (Y_v) — indicator of biogas production efficiency (output/dm³ fermentor volume) showed an optimum at temperature 55°C and period of exchange 6 days. The methane output per unit mineralised organic matter in the substrate (B) — assumed as an indicator of ecological efficiency (maximum organic matter degradation) exhibited an optimum at 33°C for 15 days period of exchange.     

低污染、高效转式垃圾焚烧技术

通过在本课题组自行设计的中空水冷转式垃圾焚烧炉上的实验研究，论文从工艺流程和NOx生成特性方面探讨了该新型焚烧炉的稳定燃烧和低污染排放技术特点；并与固定床焚烧炉作了实验研究比较，可知中空水冷转式垃圾焚烧炉在降低NOx浓度与提高燃尽率方面具有良好的性能。     

城市垃圾焚烧主要工艺段捕集灰中二噁英的分布特征

采用同位素稀释法、高分辨气相色谱/质谱检测垃圾焚烧主要工艺段捕集灰中的二英.垃圾焚烧炉预热器、过热器和布袋除尘器捕集灰中二英(PCDD/Fs)的浓度分别为1025ng·g-1,1249ng·g-1和4670ng·g-1,毒性当量(ITEQ)为0073ng·g-1,0026ng·g-1和811ng·g-1.同时,分析了不同氯原子数取代的二英同系物在预热器、过热器、布袋除尘器捕集灰中的变化和对ITEQ值的贡献.     

Taste-rejection by predators and the evolution of unpalatability in prey

Aposematic species advertise their unpalatability to potential predators using conspicuous warning colouration. The initial evolution of aposematism is thought to occur by warningly coloured mutants emerging in an already unpalatable cryptic species. However, possessing defence chemicals is often costly, and it is difficult to understand what the selective benefits might be for a mutation causing its bearer to be defended in a population of otherwise palatable cryptic prey. One solution to this problem is that chemically defended individuals are tasted and rejected by predators, and are, therefore, more likely to survive predatory attacks than undefended individuals. Using naïve domestic chicks Gallus gallus domesticus as predators and cryptic green chick crumbs as prey, we asked whether the accuracy with which birds discriminated between palatable and unpalatable prey was affected by the palatability of the unpalatable prey (moderately or highly defended), or their frequency in the population (10 or 25%). Birds could discriminate between green prey on the basis of their defences, and showed better discrimination between palatable and unpalatable prey when defended crumbs were highly unpalatable, compared to when they were moderately unpalatable. Although there was no detectable effect of the frequency of unpalatable prey in the population on predator taste-rejection behaviour in our main analysis, frequency did appear to affect the strategies that birds used in their foraging decisions when prey were only moderately unpalatable. How birds used taste to reject prey also suggests that birds may be able to monitor and regulate their chemical intake according to the frequency and defence levels of the unpalatable prey. Taken together, these results show that avian predators can generate selection for unpalatability in cryptic prey by sampling and taste-rejecting prey, but that a relatively large chemical difference between palatable and unpalatable prey may be necessary before unpalatable prey can enjoy a selective advantage. The exact nature of this evolutionary dynamic will depend on other environmental factors, such as defence costs and prey availability, but it provides a mechanism by which defences can evolve in a cryptic population.     

Public participation in plastics recycling schemes

Without public contributions, recycling from domestic waste would not be possible. In order to support recycling projects it is important to try to understand who recycles, how they recycle, and why they recycle. This paper presents the results of a structured survey of 500 members of the public served by schemes to collect plastics waste for recycling. Data were gathered on the characteristics, behaviours and motivations of recyclers. The authors also sought to discover how the public perceive plastics compared to other materials, and as a recyclable material. Responses were collected in such a way that the awareness of the recyclability of materials could be compared with the recycling behaviour of respondents. An element of comparison was introduced between those served by a system of bottle banks (bring scheme) and those covered by a household collection (collect scheme). The survey results are reported and their implications for the management of post-consumer plastics waste collection schemes are discussed.     

回转炉床式焚烧炉计算机实时监测系统的研究

将计算机实时监测和控制技术引入到城市垃圾焚烧设备中，对回转炉床式焚烧炉的整个流程中各环节的生产数据，进行实时监测及控制，以提高焚烧炉的焚烧量和焚烧质量，使焚烧效率最佳，并且保证系统的安全可靠运行。     

渗滤系统处理北方城市生活污水微生物数量变化的研究

本文应用粉煤灰渗滤系统处理北方寒冷地区城市污水,结果细菌数量去除率在89.6%—99.9%之间,粪大肠菌群数量去除率在90%—99.9%之间,此方法成本低、效果好,适合北方中小城镇污水处理。