An in situ arsenic removal method applicable to highly contaminated water is presented. The method is based in the use of steel wool, lemon juice and solar radiation. The method was evaluated using water from the Camarones River, Atacama Desert in northern Chile, in which the arsenic concentration ranges between 1000 and 1300 μg L−1. Response surface method analysis was used to optimize the amount of zero-valent iron (steel wool) and the citrate concentration (lemon juice) to be used. The optimal conditions when using solar radiation to remove arsenic from natural water from the Camarones river are: 1.3 g L−1 of steel wool and one drop (ca. 0.04 mL) of lemon juice. Under these conditions, removal percentages are higher than 99.5% and the final arsenic concentration is below 10 μg L−1. This highly effective arsenic removal method is easy to use and inexpensive to implement. 相似文献
Use of sewage sludge, a biological residue produced from sewage treatment processes in agriculture is an alternative disposal technique of waste. To study the usefulness of sewage sludge amendment for palak (Beta vulgaris var. Allgreen H-1), a leafy vegetable and consequent heavy metal contamination, a pot experiment was conducted by mixing sewage sludge at 20% and 40% (w/w) amendment ratios to the agricultural soil. Soil pH decreased whereas electrical conductance, organic carbon, total N, available P and exchangeable Na, K and Ca increased in soil amended with sewage sludge in comparison to unamended soil. Sewage sludge amendment led to significant increase in Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Zn and Ni concentrations of soil. Cd concentration in soil was found above the Indian permissible limit in soil at both the amendment ratios.
The increased concentration of heavy metals in soil due to sewage sludge amendment led to increases in heavy metal uptake and shoot and root concentrations of Ni, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn in plants as compared to those grown on unamended soil. Accumulation was more in roots than shoots for most of the heavy metals. Concentrations of Cd, Ni and Zn were more than the permissible limits of Indian standard in the edible portion of palak grown on different sewage sludge amendments ratios. Sewage sludge amendment in soil decreased root length, leaf area and root biomass of palak at both the amendment ratios, whereas shoot biomass and yield decreased significantly at 40% sludge amendment. Rate of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll content decreased whereas lipid peroxidation, peroxidase activity and protein and proline contents, increased in plants grown in sewage sludge-amended soil as compared to those grown in unamended soil.
The study clearly shows that increase in heavy metal concentration in foliage of plants grown in sewage sludge-amended soil caused unfavorable changes in physiological and biochemical characteristics of plants leading to reductions in morphological characteristics, biomass accumulation and yield. The study concludes that sewage sludge amendment in soil for growing palak may not be a good option due to risk of contamination of Cd, Ni and Zn and also due to lowering of yield at higher mixing ratio. 相似文献
Goals, Scope and Background It has been observed that hydrocarbon treated wastewaters still contain high COD and a number of intermediates. This suggests
that the required catabolic gene pool for further degradation might be absent in the system or, that its titer value is not
significant enough. By providing the desired catabolic potential, the overall efficiency of the treatment system can be improved.
This study aims to demonstrate this concept by bioaugmentation of a lab-scale reactor treating refinery wastewater with a
consortium having the capacity to complement the alkB genotype to the available microbial population.
Methods Two reactors were set up using activated biomass collected from a refinery treatment plant and operated at a continuous mode
for a period of 8 weeks. The feed to both reactors was kept constant. Crude oil was spiked regularly. One reactor was bioaugmented
with a consortium previously described for crude oil spill remediation. The efficiency of the bioaugmented reactor was demonstrated
by reduced COD. The changes in the microbial population over a period of time were analyzed by RAPD. Catabolic activity of
the biomass in both reactors was monitored by PCR. The presence of the catabolic loci was confirmed by Southern Hybridization.
Results and Discussion 52.2% removal of COD was observed in the bioaugmented reactor while only 15.1% reduction of COD was observed in the reactor
without bioaugmentation. The change in microbial population can be seen from the 4th week, which also corresponds to improved
catabolic activity. The presence of the bedA locus was seen in all samples, which indicates the presence of aromatic degraders,
but the appearance of the alkB locus, from the 6th week onwards, which was observed only in the samples from the bioaugmented
reactor. The results suggest that the gene pool of the bioaugmented reactor has catabolic loci that can degrade accumulated
intermediates, thus improving the efficiency of the system.
Conclusions In this study, improvement of efficiency of bioremediation was demonstrated by addition of catabolic loci that are responsible
for degradation. Bioaugmentation was carried out in biomass that was collected from an ETP (effluent treatment plant) treating
hydrocarbon containing wastewater to study the strategies for improvement of the treatment system. Biostimulation, only marginally
improved the efficiency, when compared to bioaugmentation. The improved efficiency was demonstrated by COD removal. The presence
of the alkB locus suggests the importance of a catabolic gene pool that acts on accumulated intermediates. It is well documented
that straight chain aliphatics and intermediates of aromatic compounds after ring cleavage, accumulate in refinery wastewater
systems, thereby hindering further degradation of the wastewater. Supplementation of a catabolic gene pool that treats the
lower pathway compounds and alkanes will improve the overall efficiency. In this study, results suggest that the alkB locus
can also be used to monitor the degradative mode of the activated biomass.
Recommendations and Perspective . Pollution from petroleum and petroleum products around the globe are known to have grave consequences on the environment.
Bioremediation, using activated sludge, is one option for the treatment of such wastes. Effluent treatment plants are usually
unable to completely degrade the wastewater being treated in the biological unit (the aerator chambers). The efficiency of
degradation can be improved by biostimulation and bioaugmentation. This study demonstrates the improved efficiency of a treatment
system for wastewater containing hydrocarbons by bioaugmentation of a consortium that supports degradation. Further experiments
on a pilot scale are recommended to assess the use of bioaugmentation on a large scale. The use of molecular tools, like DNA
probes for alkB, to monitor the system also needs to be explored. 相似文献
The presence of heavy metals in wastewater is one of the main causes of water and soil pollution. The aim of the present study was to investigate the removal of Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Mn, Cr and Zn in urban effluent by a biological wastewater treatment, as well as to quantify the levels of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Tl, V and Zn in dewatering sludge from the Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant to Ribeirão Preto (RP-BWTP), Brazil.
Materials and Methods
Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn and Pb in wastewater and those of Ni in sludge were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with graphite furnace atomization. Mercury concentrations in wastewater were measured by hydride generation atomic spectrophotometry, and Zn levels were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using acetylene flame. In sludge, the levels of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, Sn, Tl, V and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.
Results
The percentages of removal efficiency (RE) were the following: Hg 61.5%, Cd 60.0%, Zn 44.9%, Cu 44.2%, PB 39.7%, Cr 16,5% and Mn 10.4%. In turn, the mean concentrations (mg/kg) of metals in dewatering sludge followed this increasing order: Tl (<0.03), Hg (0.31), Be (0.43), As (1.14), Cd (1.34), V (59.2), Pb (132.1), Sn (166.1), Cr (195.0), Mn (208.1), Ni (239.4), Cu (391.7), Zn (864.4) and Fe (20537).
Discussion
The relationship between metal levels in untreated wastewater, as well as the removal efficiency are in agreement with previous data from various investigators, It is important to note that metal removal efficiency is not only affected by metal ion species and concentration, but also by other conditions such as operating parameters, physical, chemical, and biological factors.
Conclusions
Metal values recorded for treated wastewater and sludge were within the maximum permitted levels established by the Environmental Sanitation Company (CETESB), São Paulo, Brazil.
Recommendations
There is an urgent need for the authorities who are responsible for legislation on sludge uses in agriculture of establishing safety levels for As, Be, Hg, Sn, Tl and V.
Perspectives
According to the current metal levels, RP-BWTP sludge might be used for agriculture purposes. However, for an environmentally safe use of sewage sludge, further studies including systematic monitoring are recommended. Annual metal concentrations and predicted variations of those elements in the sludge should be monitored.