Monitoring of Phenol in Wastewater Bioremediation by HPLC

Bioremediation emphasizes the detoxification and destruction of toxic substances by microorganisms. Wastewater obtained from an industrial concern was solvent extracted with methyl alcohol and dichloromethane and analysed by GC/MS. Besides phenol, a large variety of organic compounds were detected. Under controlled laboratory conditions, the wastewater was innoculated with a mixed culture of microorganisms specially selected for their abilities to degrade phenol. Samples were collected at regular intervals from the stirred tank bioreactor and analysed for phenol by reverse phase HPLC with a C18 column. Results shows that from an initial phenol concentration of 987 ppm, slightly more than 50% was destroyed within 163 hours. The dry weight of the microorganisms and the plate count (CFU/ml) shows a steady increase from 0.5238 gms to 0.5355 gms and from 1.1E+9 to 1.94E+13 respectively over the same period. This suggested that the phenol was consumed by the microorganisms as the sole carbon source.     

Reproductive suppression and inbreeding avoidance in wild populations of co-operatively breeding meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

Meerkats live in co-operatively breeding familial groups in which reproduction is monopolised by a dominant pair of breeders. Offspring of the breeders are behaviourally subordinate, and typically remain in their natal group as sexually mature, non-breeding helpers. In this study, we investigated the proximate factors limiting subordinate reproduction. Evidence for reproductive suppression by dominants was investigated by comparing life history, behaviour and hormonal profiles of dominants and subordinates. Baseline levels of plasma luteinising hormone (LH) were significantly higher in dominant than in subordinate females. However, following an exogenous injection of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), both categories had comparable concentrations of circulating LH. There were no significant differences in pre- or post-GnRH challenge LH levels in dominant or subordinate males. Reproduction in both dominant and subordinate females rarely occurred in the absence of unrelated males. Given that groups typically comprise parents and offspring, lack of suitable mates emerged as the primary constraint on subordinate reproduction. When this constraint was removed, subordinates typically bred but at a lower rate than dominants. This difference in reproduction may be attributed to intrasexual competition manifested through direct interference by dominant females through subordinate evictions, infanticide and the abandoning of subordinate litters. We argue that differences in reproductive regulation within mammalian co-operative breeding systems may be explained by differences in the mating strategy (inbreeding versus outbreeding) and the probability that subordinates in obligate outbreeding species will encounter unrelated opposite-sex partners. Received: 19 April 2000 / Accepted: 17 July 2000     

Flow Field and Pollution Dispersion in a Central London Street

Urban pollution due to roadways is perceived as a major obstacle to implementing low-energy ventilation design strategies in urban non-domestic buildings. As part of a project to evaluate the use of a computational fluid flow model as an environmental design tool for urban buildings, this paper seeks to address the impact of pollution from roadways on buildings in areas of restricted topography and assess dominant influencing factors and other requirements for testing the flow model predictions. Vertical profiles of carbon monoxide (CO) and temperature at the facade of a building in a Central London street, in addition to above-roof wind speed and direction, were measured over a period of three months. The street has a height-to-width (h/W) ratio of 0.6 and is of asymmetric horizontal alignment. The air flows in the area surrounding the building were modelled using a computational fluid flow model for two orthogonal wind directions. CO concentrations were calculated from the steady-state flow field in order to place point measurements in the context of the flow field, identify persistent features in the measured data attributable to the flow structure and, by comparison with measurements, identify further testing requirements.Some qualitative and quantitative agreement between measured and modelled data was obtained. Measured CO levels at the building facade and vertical variations of CO were small, as predicted by the model. A wake-interference type flow was predicted by the model for wind speeds >2ms-1 with formation of a vortex cell occurring for roof-level wind speeds >5ms-1 for the cross-wind direction, which was reflected in the measured CO levels and facade gradients. A direction-dependent inverse relationship was noted, both in the model and measurements, between above-roof wind speed and facade CO levels although statistical correlations in the time series were poor. CO concentrations at the facade were found to increase with height frequently, as well as decrease, especially for parallel winds. It is expected that mechanical turbulence due to vehicles was largely responsible. In comparison, thermal stratification appeared to play only a minor role in controlling vertical mixing in the street, under low wind speed conditions.