Soil erosion and its impacts on water treatment in the northeastern provinces of Thailand

The economy of Northeast Thailand is mainly based on agriculture. The transformation of forestlands to agricultural areas and the encroachment of riverbanks within the Phong watershed have caused severe soil erosion. Strong storms in rainy season exacerbate the problem of soil erosion. Difficulty in getting water drives people in the upstream region to live on riverbanks. Soil erosion affects water utility by increasing the turbidity in the Phong River and also by decreasing the water storage capacity of small reservoirs for the upstream residents, as well as that of the Ubolratana Dam. The rate of siltation in the Ubolratana Dam was estimated to be 1.5 million tons/year during 1965-1990. The main source of water supply is surface water in the Phong watershed, and fluctuating turbidity makes water treatment difficult. The maximum turbidity in the upstream Phong River exceeds 5000 NTU, whereas it is reduced to be about 300 NTU at the intake point of Khon Kaen Municipal Water Treatment Plant because the Ubolratana Dam works as a huge clarifier. Khon Kaen Municipal Waterworks has a daily water supply of 72,960 m3/day. The average amounts of alum used in the wet (May-October) and dry (November-April) periods are 42.33 g/m3 and 28.46 g/m3, respectively. The average costs of the amounts of alum used are 0.213 and 0.143 Bahts/m3 during the wet and dry periods, respectively. Fluctuation of turbidity in raw water makes it difficult to adjust alum dose, resulting in treated water quality unstable, and handling of sludge disposal difficult.     

Respiratory tract retention of inhaled air pollutants: Report 1 : Mercury absorption by inhaling through the nose and expiring through the mouth at various concentrations

To study atmospheric mercury absorption in human respiratory passage-ways, mercury in expired air was measured in three different states of breathing: steady breathing, deep breathing and breath held after inspiration.In this study, air containing mercury was inhaled through the nose and expired through the mouth. The concentration of mercury in the exhaled air was determined by the technique of gold-amalgam trapping, heat vaporization, and flameless atomic absorption measurement.The subjects were 13 male adults, aged 25–62 years, and 38 cases were observed. Four different concentrations of mercury, 1–3, 4–6, 10–11, and 20–30 μg/m³ were used, and absorption for each was determined. When the concentration was 1–3 μg/m₃, the absorption was 74–92%, the average being 82.5%. At concentrations of 4–6, 10–11, and 20–30 μg/m₃, the absorption was 76.6–100%, 75.5–99.2%, and 79.9–95.9% respectively, and the average was 88.8%, 85.2%, and 87.7% respectively.A slightly higher rate of mercury absorption was observed in deep breathing than in steady breathing, and when expiration was suppressed for some time after inspiration, the rate increased remarkably to 97.4–99.7%. Prolonged retention of inhaled air containing mercury in the respiratory tract is believed to have caused the increased absorption.     

A practical and simple method in fractional determination of ambient forms of mercury in air

A collecting method to prepare a fractional determination of ambient forms of mercury in air is proposed. Particulate mercury is collected by a glass fiber filter. Sequential trap tubes consist of four long and slender quartz tubes, in which the Chromosorb W treated with HC$\text{l}$ gas for Hg(II), the Chromosorb W treated with 0.1 M NaOH for methylmercury, the silver-wire tip for metallic mercury and the gold plate tip for dimethylmercury are packed. The collection efficiency for these trap tubes was in the range of about 85 ～ 100% at the μg or ng concentration level. With this method, the air was collected by suction at the rate of 1.5 $\text{l}$/min. for about five hours, the detection limit being 0.2 ng Hg/m³. The results indicate that the regional distribution of total mercury in air was considerably greater in the volcanic and hot spring regions. Mercury species was found to be mostly Hg(II), followed by metallic mercury, methylmercury, dimethylmercury and particulate mercury in this order.     

Simultaneous removal of dissolved organic matter and bromide from drinking water source by anion exchange resins for controlling disinfection by-products

Anion exchange resins （AERs） with different properties were evaluated for their ability to remove dissolved organic matter （DOM） and bromide, and to reduce disinfection by-product （DBP） formation potentials of water collected from a eutrophic surface water source in Japan. DOM and bromide were simultaneously removed by all selected AERs in batch adsorption experiments. A polyacrylic magnetic ion exchange resin （MIEX） showed faster dissolved organic carbon （DOC） removal than other AERs because it had the smallest resin bead size. Aromatic DOM fractions with molecular weight larger than 1600 Da and fluorescent organic fractions of fulvic acid- and humic acid-like compounds were efficiently removed by all AERs. Polystyrene AERs were more effective in bromide removal than polyacrylic AERs. This result implied that the properties of AERs, i.e. material and resin size, influenced not only DOM removal but also bromide removal efficiency, MIEX showed significant chlorinated DBP removal because it had the highest DOC removal within 30 rain, whereas polystyrene AERs efficiently removed brominated DBPs, especially brominated trihalomethane species. The results suggested that, depending on source water DOM and bromide concentration, selecting a suitable AER is a key factor in effective control of chlorinated and brominated DBPs in drinking water.     

Efficiency of ASTM Method D4994-89 for Recovery of Enteric Viruses from Biosolids

The ASTM Method D4994-89 has been used in the United States for almost two decades to assess the virological quality of biosolids. However, the efficiency of this method for recovery of different enteric viruses has never been determined. The method was found to recover several different enteroviruses and adenovirus 2 with an efficiency ranging from 18.1 ± 5.5 to 24.6 ± 7.8%.     

Effects of wavelength and water quality on photodegradation of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)

N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is a potent carcinogen that yields a cancer risk of 10⁻⁶ at concentrations as low as 0.7 ng L⁻¹. Tentative guideline values are set at 3 ng L⁻¹ in California, USA; 9 ng L⁻¹ in Ontario, Canada; 40 ng L⁻¹ nationwide in Canada; and 100 ng L⁻¹ by the World Health Organization. NDMA is a great concern in treating reclaimed water as well as drinking water. UV degradation can be considered effective degradation method. A 1-log reduction of NDMA is achieved by 1000 mJ cm⁻² of a 254-nm low pressure (LP) mercury UV lamp. However, a higher degradation efficiency than that provided by LP lamps is desired in practical treatment. In this study, the effects of wavelength and water quality were investigated to achieve higher degradation efficiency. The effects of wavelength were examined by comparing three UV lamps: a 222-nm Kr Cl Excimer UV lamp, a 254-nm LP mercury UV lamp, and a 230- to 270-nm filtered medium pressure (FMP) mercury UV lamp. The 222-nm lamp and FMP lamp achieved 4 times and 2.8 times higher degradation efficiency, respectively, than the conventional 254-nm LP lamp. Effects on water quality were also simulated by using absorption spectrum data of nitrate solutions and process water from a drinking-water treatment plant. In the simulation, the 222-nm lamp was affected by UV-absorbing compounds in the water, whereas the FMP lamp showed more stable degradation efficiency. Appropriate use of these three types of lamps could enhance the efficiency of degradation of NDMA.     

Spatial and temporal variation in nutrient parameters in stream water in a rural-urban catchment, Shikoku, Japan: effects of land cover and human impact

Seasonal and spatial variations in major ion chemistry and isotope composition in the rural-urban catchment of the Shigenobu River were monitored to determine the influences of agricultural and urban sewage systems on water quality. Temporal patterns of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and suspended sediment (SS) were examined at four sites in the rural-urban catchment. Urban land cover, incorporating the effects of increased population, domestic water use, and industrial wastewater, was positively associated with increases in water pollution and was included as an important explanatory variable for the variations in all water quality parameters. Significant trends were found in each parameter. BOD concentrations ranged widely, and were high in urban regions, due to the presence of a waste water treatment plant. TN and SS showed various trends, but did not vary widely, unlike TP. TP concentrations varied greatly, with high concentrations in cultivated areas, due to fertilizer use. Local water quality management or geology could further explain some of the variations in water quality. Non-point-source pollution exhibited strong positive spatial autocorrelation, indicating that incorporating spatial dimensions into water quality assessment enhances our understanding of spatial patterns of water quality. Data from the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) and Environment Ministry (EM) were used to investigate trends in land management. Stepwise regression analysis was used to test the correlation between specific management practises and substance concentrations in surface water and sediment. MLIT and EM data for 1981-2003 showed an increase in TN, TP, and SS concentrations in surface water. High levels of fertilizer in dormant sprays and domestic water use were associated with high pesticide concentrations in water and sediment. This paper presents a novel method of studying the environmental impact of various agricultural management practises and recommends a management strategy that combines the use of reduced-risk pesticides with irrigation and non-irrigation periods in paddy fields.     

Estimation of contribution from non-point sources to perfluorinated surfactants in a river by using boron as a wastewater tracer

The contribution of non-point sources to perfluorinated surfactants (PFSs) in a river was evaluated by estimating their fluxes and by using boron (B) as a tracer. The utility of PFSs/B as an indicator for evaluating the impact of non-point sources was demonstrated. River water samples were collected from the Iruma River, upstream of the intake of drinking water treatment plants in Tokyo, during dry weather and wet weather, and 13 PFSs, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN), and B were analyzed. Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUA), and perfluorododecanoate (PFDoDA) were detected on all sampling dates. The concentrations and fluxes of perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs, e.g. PFOA and PFNA) were higher during wet weather, but those of perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs, e.g. PFHxS and PFOS) were not. The wet/dry ratios of PFSs/B (ratios of PFSs/B during wet weather to those during dry weather) agreed well with those of PFS fluxes (ratios of PFS fluxes during wet weather to those during dry weather), indicating that PFSs/B is useful for evaluating the contribution from non-point sources to PFSs in rivers. The wet/dry ratios of PFOA and PFNA were higher than those of other PFSs, DOC, and TN, showing that non-point sources contributed greatly to PFOA and PFNA in the water. This is the first study to use B as a wastewater tracer to estimate the contribution of non-point sources to PFSs in a river.     

Analysis of adsorption processes of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on ferrihydrite using surrogate organic compounds

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ferrihydrite (Fh) has been recently used in water treatment for removing dissolved organic matter (DOM), but its governing interactions with...