Assessment of Contamination By Percolation Of Septic Tank Effluent Through Natural and Amended Soils

Fly ash has been found to be a potential material for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater, and may be useful in the treatment of septic tank effluent. Laboratory columns (30 cm) were used to determine the sorption capacity and hydraulic properties of lagoon fly ash, loamy sand, sand, and sand amended by lagoon fly ash (30 and 60%) and red mud gypsum (20%). The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was high in all column effluents (71–93%). Extent of nitrification was high in Spearwood sand, Merribrook loamy sand and 20% red mud gypsum amended Spearwood sand. However, actual removal of nitrogen (N) was high in columns containing lagoon fly ash. Unamended Spearwood sand possessed only minimal capacity for P sorption. Merribrook loamy sand and red mud gypsum amended sand affected complete P removal throughout the study period of 12 weeks. Significant P leakage occurred from lagoon fly ash amended sand columns following 6–10 weeks of operation. Neither lagoon fly ash nor red mud gypsum caused any studied heavy metal contamination including manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) of effluent. It can be concluded that Merribrook loamy sand is better natural soil than Spearwood sand as a filter medium. The addition of lagoon fly ash enhanced the removal of P in Spearwood sand but the efficiency was lower than with red mud gypsum amendment.     

Breathing losses from low-pressure storage tanks due to atmospheric weather change

Vapors inside atmospheric and low-pressure storage tanks may condense either slowly during rainfalls or abruptly for instance by injection of cold liquid during steaming. Vapor condensation inside tanks may result in deformation and collapse. The latest editions of API 2000 and ISO 28300 standards lack an explicit formulation for the required in-breathing to compensate for vapor condensation, caused by a prolonged rainfall, which is the main topic of this paper. The analytical model here, which includes vapor condensation on the tank walls, predicted total in-breathing requirements for mixtures of air saturated with vapors, which are substantially larger than those calculated using the procedures in the standards. This paper is aimed to provide some realistic guidance for the reader addressing the issue of vapor condensation when determining the worst realistic case scenario for the tank breathing requirements.     

A Profile and Management of the US Army's underground storage tanks

The US Army owns more than 10,000 underground storage tanks (USTs), many of which are old and may be leaking. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 required tank owners to collect and report data on them by May 1986. In order to manage the large amounts of information on its USTs, the Army developed a microcomputer-based data base system. The data base system is user friendly and allows the user to store, organize, and manipulate the UST data. A leak potential index (LPI) was also developed and calculated for each of the Army's USTs. The LPI is used to prioritize USTs so that those with higher LPIs can be monitored closely. A characteristic profile of Army USTs according to construction material, capacity, age, content, and LPI is presented in this paper.The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Department of the Army, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

Eutrophication of Buttermilk Bay,a cape cod coastal embayment: Concentrations of nutrients and watershed nutrient budgets

Nutrient concentrations in Buttermilk Bay, a coastal embayment on the northern end of Buzzards Bay, MA, are higher in the nearshore where salinities are lower. This pattern suggests that freshwater sources may contribute significantly to nutrient inputs into Buttermilk Bay. To evaluate the relative importance of the various sources we estimated inputs of nutrients by each major source into the watershed and into the bay itself. Septic systems contributed about 40% of the nitrogen and phosphorus entering the watershed, with precipitation and fertilizer use adding the remainder. Groundwater transported over 85% of the nitrogen and 75% of the phosphorus entering the bay. Most nutrients entering the watershed failed to reach the bay; uptake by forests, soils, denitrification, and adsorption intercepted two-thirds of the nitrogen and nine-tenths of the phosphorus that entered the watershed. The nutrients that did reach the bay most likely originated from subsoil injections into groundwater by septic tanks, plus some leaching of fertilizers.Buttermilk Bay water has relatively low nutrient concentrations, probably because of uptake of nutrients by macrophytes and because of relatively rapid tidal flushing. Annual budgets of nutrients entering the watershed showed a low nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio of 6, but passage of nutrients through the watershed raised N/P to 23, probably because of adsorption of PO₄ during transit. The N/P ratio of water that leaves the watershed and presumably enters the bay is probably high enough to maintain active growth of nitrogenlimited coastal producers. There is a seasonal shift in N/P in the water column of Buttermilk Bay. N/P exceeded the 161 Redfield ratio during midwinter; the remainder of the year N/P fell below 161. This suggests that annual budgets do not provide sufficiently detailed data with which to interpret nutrient-limitation of producers. Further, some idea of water turnover is also needed to evaluate impact of loading rates. Urbanization of watersheds seems to increase loadings to nearshore environments, and to shift the nutrient loadings delivered to coastal waters to relatively high N-to-P ratios, potentially stimulating growth of nitrogen-limited primary producers.     

寒冷地区化粪池的效果评价和探讨

寒冷地区化粪池具有水温低,处理效果差的特点,针对哈尔滨市幸福家园化粪池的水质情况进行了研究,为化粪池的改造和优化提供依据,并对化粪池问题和技术进行探讨。在化粪池前后的检查井处进行取样,每隔1个小时取一个样,总共取24小时,然后对CODtot、CODss、CODcol、CODdis、NH3-N、总氮、总磷、SS、VSS、pH、水温进行测定。水温在14～17度下,平均去除率分别是16.9%、47.2%、26.4%、-49.1%、-39.3%、7.5%、12.4%、59.3%和59.5%,可见,污水的可生化性有明显提高,但是对污染物的去除作用不大。研究结果对于全面评价寒冷地区化粪池的功能特征,进而为化粪池的取舍和改造提供技术的参考依据。     

Fire risk management system for safe operation of large atmospheric storage tanks

This paper has been prepared by its authors to show the benefits coming from the application of the fire risk assessment methodology prepared by the “LastFire^© Project” group of experts. Now a days this methodology seems to be very effective to face the fire risk connected with large atmospheric storage tanks. It has been developed during the period 1997–2005 the HSE & operations experts from experts 16 worldwide operating oil companies. The authors, by “ad hoc” created software package, show the benefit coming from the applications of the LastFire^© methodology and how, from this, using the methodology and the supporting tad, realize a coherent fire strategy in the form of a Fire Risk Management System. Same workflow could also be extended to the issues connected with other problems related with large atmospheric tanks storing hydrocarbons, such as environmental impact by soil pollution, to create a common frame walk of assessment not can be shared with authorities as well. The proposed methodology, moving from the original project, sets as an effective “Fire Hazard Management Approach” in line with the most recent trends (even enforced by the regulations) shared at international levels, that propose the integration of risk assessment with prevention and protection measures selection based on achieved risk reduction, costs, time needed, etc.     

含体积型缺陷加筋球壳拱顶的稳定性分析

当大型储罐拱顶出现体积型缺陷时,最常见的破坏形式是拱顶外压失稳破坏。因此,针对含体积型缺陷的加筋拱顶,对其缺陷发生的最不利位置及拱顶稳定性进行了大量的有限元计算,提出了含缺陷加筋拱顶临界失稳载荷的实用计算公式,以供建立含缺陷加筋拱顶的安全评定方法参考。     

海洋石油平台生活污水处理系统杀菌方式优化

目前海洋石油平台生活污水处理系统广泛采用氯片或氯粉杀菌,其采购成本高,稀释浓度不易控制,药剂添加困难。海洋石油平台多数配有造氯系统产生氯水,以限制海生物的附着生长。实验表明:使用合适浓度的氯水能使生活污水达到GB 4914-2008《海洋石油勘探开发污染物排放浓度限值》中的相关要求,优化了杀菌方式。     

Improving Energetic Performance and Water Usage in an Industrial Ethanol Distillery

In this paper, a case study based on an industrial process of ethanol distillation was undertaken. It was aimed to improve the energy and water usage in the process. Pinch Analysis concepts were used to propose a new heat exchanger network and a study was undertaken to the water reuse. The minimization of wastewater is achieved through the exploitation of recycle and reuse opportunities by process modifications. Through these studies, a new streams circuit was obtained, which resulted in a lower consumption of steam and in a reduction in the volume of water collecting of 12 m³ to 1 m³ per tons of crushed sugar cane. Process changes and economical viability were presented. Two kinds of equipment were studied, cooling towers and aspersion tanks.