Evaluation of the physiology of miniature pig fed Shochu distillery waste using mRNA expression profiling

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Shochu distillery waste is the discarded material generated during Shochu production, and it has been used as feed for livestock. In this study, we...     

Performance and efficiency of removal of pharmaceutical compounds from hospital wastewater by lab-scale biological treatment system

The fate of pharmaceuticals after discharged from hospital into wastewater was clarified experimentally by using a new lab-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment reactor. The 43 target compounds belong to nine therapeutic classes (antivirals, antibacterials, anticancer drugs, psychotropics, antihypertensives, analgesic–antipyretics, contrast media, herbal medicines, and phytoestrogens) were selected with inclusion of 16 newly estimated compounds. The efficiency of the present reactor was estimated by comparing the reaction rate constant of the solid-water partition coefficients (log K_d) between liquid and solid samples and half-life during 48-h experiment obtained by using hospital effluents with those obtained by using STP wastewater. The results that no significant difference in removal efficiency was observed between both water samples (P?>?0.05) indicate high reliability of the present lab-scale reactor. The actual rates of removal when hospital effluent was applied varied widely (mean, 59?±?40%) independent of type of the pharmaceuticals. More than 90% of 17 compounds were removed after 8 h of treatment. However, the values for psychotropics (mean, 19?±?26%) and contrast media (mean, 24?±?17%) were generally low, indicating high stability. The log K_d values ranged from 1.3 to 4.8. Notably, clarithromycin, acridine, and glycitein could be removed in both liquid and solid phases. The dominant removal mechanisms were found to be different for individual pharmaceutical. These results suggest the effectiveness of introduction of the lab-scale biological treatment system for development of a new solution for discharge of pharmaceuticals from hospital.

     

Waste on the roadside, 'poi-sute' waste: its distribution and elution potential of pollutants into environment

Waste on the roadside, 'poi-sute' waste, was collected in a typical suburb in Japan (Ueda city, the sampling course: 3.2 km). The distribution, characterization of the 'poi-sute' waste and the loading of pollutants from the waste were studied. The average number of pieces of total waste was 690 pieces a month, and 220 pieces of waste were dumped a month per km. There was a tendency for much waste to be discarded around shops staying open until late at night. Regarding the sorts of the waste, cigarette butts are the most prevalent (the average was 150 cigarette butts/km/mo), and second was plastic materials. As for the weight, cigarette butts, plastics and papers were at a similar level (about 90 g/km/mo). The elution of arsenic (0.041 mg/L) and nicotine (3.8 mg/L) was ascertained by a dissolution test of 'poi-sute' cigarette butts obtained by sampling. Furthermore, the loading of heavy metals, such as lead, copper, chromium and cadmium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from cigarette butts into the environment was confirmed. The load potentials of heavy metals were 0.020-1.7 mg/km/mo, and that of total-polyaromatic hydrocarbons was 0.032 mg/km/mo. These results indicate that the 'poi-sute' waste has a harmful influence on the environment.