Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Effluent Discharge'

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol)<br>The study illustrates the current ecological integrity of the Diep River system, based on the recent river health assessment using the South African Scoring System version 5 (2000-2003) and the water quality data (1996-2002). Some of the major land-use impacts on the river system are highlighted.

Liquid waste discharged from industrial outfalls is categorized into two major classes based on their density. One type is the effluent that has a higher density than that of the ambient water body. In this case, the discharged effluent has a tendency to sink as a negatively buoyant jet. The second type is the effluent that has a lower density than that of the ambient water body and is hence defined as a (positively) buoyant jet that causes the effluent to rise. Negatively/Positively buoyant jets are found in various civil and environmental engineering projects: discharges of desalination plants, discharges of cooling water from nuclear power plants turbines, mixing chambers, etc. This thesis investigated the mixing and dispersion characteristics of such jets numerically. In this thesis, mixing behavior of these jets is studied using a finite volume model (OpenFOAM). Various turbulence models have been applied in the numerical model to assess the accuracy of turbulence models in predicting the effluent discharges in submerged outfalls. Four Linear Eddy Viscosity Models (LEVMs) are used in the positively buoyant wall jet model for discharging of heated waste including: standard k-ε, RNG k-ε, realizable k-ε and SST k-ω turbulence models. It was found that RNG k-ε, and realizable k-ε turbulence models performed better among the four models chosen. Then, in the next step, numerical simulations of 30˚ and 45˚ inclined dense turbulent jets in stationary ambient water have been conducted. These two angles are examined in this study due to lower terminal rise height for 30˚ and 45˚, which is very important for discharges of effluent in shallow waters compared to higher angles. Five Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models are applied to evaluate the accuracy of CFD predictions. These models include two LEVMs: RNG k-ε, and realizable k-ε; one Nonlinear Eddy Viscosity Model (NLEVM): Nonlinear k-ε; and two Reynolds Stress Models (RSMs): LRR and Launder-Gibson. It has been observed that the LRR turbulence model as well as the realizable k-ε model predict the flow more accurately among the various turbulence models studied herein.

Federal regulations such as the Clean Water Act (P.L. 92-500), and its amendments, direct the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to implement programs to control the releases of conventional pollutants and toxics into the waterways of the United States. The EPA began requiring treatment plants to conduct toxicity tests (biomonitoring) of their effluent discharges. To control toxicity caused by chlorination of wastewater discharges, the EPA also began requiring some treatment facilities to dechlorinate their wastewater before discharging. This research was funded by the EPA to document the changes that occurred in the Trinity River from the dechlorination of the effluent from Ft. Worth's Village Creek municipal wastewater treatment plant. The study occurred over a two year period beginning in August 1990. A wide variety of biological field assessments and toxicological assays were used to measure various responses. Seven river stations, covering approximately twenty river miles, and the treatment plant effluent were assessed. Two of the river stations were upstream from the treatment plant and used as reference sites. The remaining five river stations were downstream from the treatment plant, spread out over seventeen river miles. The study evaluated the impact of chlorination prior to dechlorination, which served as a baseline. Responses determined during dechlorination were compared to the baseline data. An overall improvement in species richness and diversity was seen at those river stations which had previously been adversely impacted by chlorine. Aquatic toxicity tests, such as those required to be used by dischargers, were conducted during this study. Periodic toxicity was observed with these tests in the effluent and river samples after dechlorination was initiated. Those tests, along with in situ toxicity assays, proved to be good predictors of biological community responses.

This project investigates the possibility of achieving zero waste discharge on a dairy farm in south west Western Australia. The current best practices for dairy farm effluent treatment were assessed in a literature review and a water audit and a nutrient balance were conducted on a specific farm in Boyanup, W. A. with 500 cattle. The finding was 52 L/cow per milking of water were used, which is higher than the industry benchmark. Nutrients were leaking into groundwater table at six meters depth at low concentrations. Four different options were assessed in a techno-economic options assessment: i) no action to be taken; ii) installing a pond for effluent storage; iii) installing a tank for effluent storage, and iv) recycling effluent after primary treatment for dairy yard wash combined with construction of a roof on the yard for additional rainwater catchment and reduction of heat stress on cows. The paper concludes that a hybrid option incorporating effluent recycling for yard wash by installation of flood wash tanks, construction of a pond for storage during wet seasons, and the erection of a roof on the yard for additional rainwater catchment and reduction of heat stress on cows. This final recommendation was designed to achieve zero waste discharge and showed further benefits such as an increase in milk production and a reduction of labour. The installation cost for the proposed overall system was estimated at $170,000 with a payback period of 6.2 years.

Chorine is used by the Village Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant to kill pathogenic microorganisms prior to discharge of the effluent into the Trinity River. The residual chlorine in the river impacted aquatic life prompting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December 1990 to require dechlorination using sulfur dioxide. One pre-dechlorination and four post-dechlorination assessments of phytoplankton, periphyton, and zooplankton communities were conducted by the Institute of Applied Sciences at the University of North Texas. Dechlorination had no effect on the phytoplankton community. The periphyton community exhibited a shift in species abundance with a more even distribution of organisms among taxa. No change occurred in zooplankton species abundance, however, there was a decrease in zooplankton density following dechlorination.

Le respect des normes de rejets aqueux industriels imposées par la directive cadre sur l’eau (échéances en 2021) concernant les micropolluants, et notamment les phtalates, nécessite la mise au point de procédés de traitement innovants. L’étude du procédé basé sur le couplage ozone/charbon actif a ainsi été effectuée. Après la détermination des propriétés chimiques et texturales des charbons actifs testés, l’efficacité de ce couplage pour l’élimination des phtalates a été éprouvée selon plusieurs critères : cinétique d’élimination des polluants cibles, évolution de la minéralisation et de la toxicité au cours du traitement. La comparaison des résultats obtenus avec ceux de méthodes classiques (ozonation et adsorption seules) a mis en évidence le fort potentiel du couplage ozone/charbon actif, qui permet d’obtenir une élimination rapide des polluants ainsi qu’une minéralisation et une détoxification avancées dans toutes les conditions expérimentales testées. Ce couplage c’est aussi révélé efficace lors du traitement de matrices plus complexes, telle qu’une eau de sortie de station d’épuration. En outre, cette étude a permis de déterminer les propriétés chimiques et texturales du charbon actif favorisant ce procédé. Il a aussi été montré que ce matériau joue un rôle d’initiateur et de promoteur de radicaux libres (les réactions sont très majoritairement de nature radicalaire) ainsi que de support réactionnel. Enfin, cette étude a montré qu’une régénération in situ du matériau, économiquement très intéressante, pourrait être obtenue au cours du traitement<br>In order to comply with the standards governing the discharge of industrial effluents (Water Framework Directive, target date 2021) concerning micropollutants, in particular phthalates, innovative wastewater treatment processes have to be used. The present research addresses this issue through a study of ozone/activated carbon coupling. After determining the textural and chemical properties of several activated carbons, the efficiency of this coupling for the removal of phthalates was tested according to the following criteria: degradation kinetics of the target pollutants and evolution of both toxicity and mineralization during the process. Compared to the classical methods (ozonation or adsorption used separately), coupling proved to be highly efficient. It enables the fast removal of pollutants with a significant decrease in mineralization and toxicity. Coupling also proved to be efficient for the treatment of more complex matrices such as municipal wastewater treatment outflow. Moreover, the activated carbon properties which favour the process have also been determined. It is shown that, in this coupling, the material acts as a radical initiator and promoter (the reactions are mainly radical in nature) and as a reaction support. Lastly, the study also shows that in situ regeneration of the activated carbon, which would be economically attractive, could be achieved during the process

Currently, the US Environmental Protection Agency primarily regulates the discharge of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants in the United States. A recent study has shown that the treated effluent of many plants contains concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide well above the expected theoretical equilibrium concentration of 0.6 mg/L, indicating that carbon dioxide may have been overlooked as a possible pollutant in receiving waters. For this reason, it is necessary to examine the possible presence of a discharge plume containing high levels of dissolved CO2 downstream from the outfall of a major wastewater treatment plant in Tampa, Florida. To examine this possibility, discharge data at the Howard F. Curren Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant was collected over a two-week period and fed into the UM3 submerged discharge model to simulate discharge conditions at peak ebb tide. In all, five separate runs of the model were performed and compared to examine plume rise, spreading rate, average dissolved CO2 concentration, and plume path. The model predicts that, for this scenario, the plume rises fairly rapidly and is also quickly diluted to near-ambient concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide within a short distance of being discharged. While this would seem to indicate that the effects of Howard F. Curren on Tampa Bay, in terms of dissolved CO2, are negligible major limitations of the UM3 model make it difficult to say this with a great deal of certainty.

Reclaimed water is an important renewable resource because it mitigates the use of potable supplies to meet outdoor water demand. In Tucson, reclaimed water is managed through aquifer storage and recovery. Some recharge is done directly in the Santa Cruz River where credits are earned for water that infiltrates in a permitted stretch. The new Pima County water treatment facility, Agua Nueva, releases high quality Class A effluent, which infiltrates the river at higher rates than water from the previous facility. This study monitored the discharge from Agua Nueva and aimed to quantify instream recharge rates. Gaining higher spatial resolution on recharge is important for verifying current recharge credits, and modeling water demand of future effluent-use projects. Water level was continually measured at four river monitoring stations. A mass balance method was used to estimate recharge by calculating differences in streamflow between upstream and downstream stations. Because of the highly variable outflow from Agua Nueva, this method’s results were inconclusive. The study resulted in development of an effective way to temporarily deploy divers in highly variable Southwest streams experiencing intense monsoons. The water level data gathered provided new insight to patterns of effluent flow in the Lower Santa Cruz River.

Dissertação apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, Gestão de Sistemas Ambientais<br>The main goal of this study is to assess the impact of the discharges of the semi-closed water cooling circuits of CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) on the overall quality of CERN’s effluents, taking as guidelines the international legislation supported on the knowledge of the water systems of CERN. In order to reach this goal, a thorough analysis of the functioning of the semi-closed water cooling systems of CERN’s particle accelerators was done, as well as, an analysis of the treatment that is done to prevent the proliferation of bacteria such as Legionella. The products used in these water treatments, as well as their impact, were also researched. In addition, a study of the applicable regulation to CERN’s effluent was done. This study considered not only the regulation of France and Switzerland (CERN’s host states) but also the international regulation from the European community, Portugal Germany, Spain, U.S. and Canada, having in view a better understanding of the limit values of the parameters of the CERN’s host states, as well as, the possibility of setting a CERN’s internal regulation concerning water discharges. Considering the applicable regulation, the products used and the discharge conditions of the water systems, a research on the types of parameters to analyse was undertaken, bearing in mind the controversy on parameters such as AOX. This research was the foundation for conducting four water sampling campaigns: two of which during preventive shock treatment and the remaining two during regular treatment. The objective of the first two campaigns was broader and intended to check the conformity of CERN’s effluents with the regulations of the host states; On the other hand, the sampling campaigns conducted during regular treatment were oriented to deepen the knowledge on problematical parameters such as AOX, COD, DOC, Chlorine and Zinc. The preparation for these campaigns included also the choice of other aspects such as: the three sampling points (RAMSES, SF1 and building 863), the definition of the schedule for sampling and the selection of an external laboratory to conduct the analyses. The results of the analyses of CERN’s effluents, at the discharge point (RAMSES), were fully compliant with the regulation. However, at the source of this effluents (circuits SF1 and building 863) non-conformities have surged. The parameters AOX, DOC, COD, Chlorine, Brome, Suspended matter, Zinc and Aluminium demonstrated to be the most problematic. To conclude this work, a search for alternative methods to conventional water quality parameters was done that included a study on the applicability of ecotoxicological tests. As a result of this study, a final sampling campaign was performed using the tests Microtox (Vibrio fischeri), Green Algae (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata), Micro- crustaceans (Daphnia magna), Macrophytes (Lemma minor) having obtained results that were conducive with the previous results. This way, RAMSES didn’t not show any toxicity on the four tests whilst SF1 evidenced toxicity, being most sensitive to the Micro-crustaceans test where it presented a UT50 value of 7,1 and EC50 value of 14,2 %.

Le secteur industriel du traitement de surface (TS), secteur d’excellence en Bourgogne Franche-Comté, est contraint de recourir à de nouvelles méthodes d’épuration des eaux du fait d’une règlementation européenne de plus en plus stricte. En effet, notamment dans le cadre de la Directive Cadre sur l’Eau, les industriels doivent sans cesse améliorer la qualité de leurs rejets et diminuer les impacts générés par ceux-ci. Ce travail de thèse s’inscrit dans cet objectif. Ainsi, trois grands types d’investigations ont été menés : le premier a permis de définir la composition qualitative et quantitative en substances dangereuses (SD) des rejets de TS et d’étudier leur variabilité temporelle ; le second a validé des modifications d’une station physico-chimique de traitement des eaux franc-comtoise pour diminuer le flux de SD ; le dernier a proposé des solutions innovantes par bioadsorption sur des matériaux de cyclodextrine et par procédé d’oxydation avancée (POA) soit par ozone/UV, soit par l’utilisation de catalyseurs Pd-Cu pour atteindre le même objectif.[...]<br>The industrial sector of surface treatment (ST), sector of excellence in Bourgogne Franche-Comté, is forced to resort to new methods for water treatment due to European regulations increasingly strict. Indeed, particularly in the context of the Water Framework Directive, industries must continually improve the quality of their discharge waters and reduce the impacts generated by them. This work is part of this. Thus, three types of investigations were conducted: the first has defined qualitative and quantitative composition of hazardous substances (HS) in ST discharge waters and study their temporal variability; the second has approved changes in a physicochemical wastewater decontamination station to decrease HS water flow; the last proposed innovative solutions by biosorption on cyclodextrin materials and advanced oxidation process (AOP) by ozone / UV, or by the use of Pd-Cu catalysts to achieve the same objective.[...]

Vibrio infections remain a serious threat to public health. In the last decade, Vibrio disease outbreaks have created a painful awareness of the personal, economic, societal, and public health costs associated with the impact of contaminated water in the aquatic milieu. This study was therefore designed to assess the prevalence of Vibrio pathogens in the final effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Eastern Cape Province, as well as their abilities to survive the treatment processes of the activated sludge system either as free cells or as plankton-associated entities in relation to the physicochemical qualities of the effluents. Three wastewater treatment facilities were selected to represent typical urban, sub-urban and rural communities, and samples were collected monthly from August 2007 to July 2008 from the final effluent, discharge point, 500 meter upstream and downstream of the discharge points and analysed for physicochemical parameters, Vibrio pathogens prevalence and their antibiogram characteristics using both culture based and molecular techniques. Physicochemical parameters measured include pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, salinity, turbidity, total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrate, nitrite and orthophosphate levels. Unacceptably high levels of the assayed parameters were observed in many cases for COD (<10 - 1180 mg/l), nitrate (0.08 - 13.14 mg NO3- as N/l), nitrite (0.06 - 6.78 mg NO2- as N/l), orthophosphate (0.07-4.81 mg PO43- as P/l), DO (1.24 - 11.22 mg/l) and turbidity (2.04 -159.06 NTU). Temperature, COD and nitrite varied significantly with season (P < 0.05), while pH, EC, salinity, TDS, COD, and nitrate all varied significantly with sampling site (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). In the rural wastewater treatment facility, free-living Vibrio densities varied from 0 to 3.45 × 101 cfu ml-1, while the plankton-associated Vibrio densities vary with plankton sizes as follows: 180 μm (0 – 4.50 × 103 cfu ml-1); 60 μm (0 – 4.86 × 103 cfu ml-1); 20 μm (0 – 1.9 × 105 cfu ml-1). The seasonal variations in the Vibrio densities in the 180 and 60 μm plankton size samples were significant (P < 0.05), while the 20 μm plankton size and free-living vibrios densities were not. Molecular confirmation of the presumptive vibrios isolates revealed V. fluvialis (36.5 percent), as the predominant species, followed by V. vulnificus (34.6 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (23.1 percent), and V. metschnikovii (5.8 percent) (detected using only API 20 NE), suggesting high incidence of pathogenic Vibrio species in the final effluent of the wastewater facility. Correlation analysis suggested that the concentration of Vibrio species correlated negatively with salinity and temperature (P < 0.001 and P < 0.002 respectively) as well as with pH and turbidity (P < 0.001), in the final effluent. Population density of total Vibrio ranged from 2.1 × 101 to 4.36 × 104 cfu ml-1 and from 2.80 ×101 to 1.80 × 105 cfu ml-1 for the sub-urban and urban communities treatment facilities respectively. Vibrio species associated with 180 μm, 60 μm, and 20 μm plankton sizes, were observed at densities of 0 - 1.36 × 103 cfu ml-1, 0 - 8.40 × 102 cfu ml-1 and 0 - 6.80 × 102 cfu ml-1 respectively at the sub-urban community‘s WWTP. In the urban community, counts of culturable vibrios ranged from 0 - 2.80 × 102 cfu ml-1 (180 μm); 0 - 6.60 × 102 cfu ml-1 (60 μm) and 0 -1.80 × 103 cfu ml-1 (20 μm). Abundance of free-living Vibrio species varied between 0 and the orders of 102 and 103 cfu ml-1 in the sub-urban and urban communities WWTPs respectively. Molecular confirmation of the presumptive vibrios isolates revealed the presence of V. fluvialis (41.38 percent), V. vulnificus (34.48 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (24.14 percent) in the sub-urban community effluents. In the urban community V. fluvialis (40 percent), V. vulnificus (36 percent), and V. parahaemolyticus (24 percent) were detected. There was no significant correlation between Vibrio abundance and season, either as free-living or plankton-associated entities, while Vibrio species abundance correlated positively with temperature (r = 0.565; P < 0.01), salinity and dissolved oxygen (P < 0.05). Turbidity and pH showed significant seasonal variation (P < 0.05) in both locations. The Vibrio strains showed the typical multi-antibiotic-resistance of an SXT element. They were resistant to sulfamethoxazole (Sul), trimethoprim (Tmp), cotrimoxazole (Cot), chloramphenicol (Chl) and streptomycin (Str), as well as other antibiotics such as ampicillin (Amp), penicillin (Pen), erythromycin (Ery), tetracycline (Tet), nalidixic acid (Nal), and gentamicin (Gen). The antibiotic resistance genes detected includes dfr18 and dfrA1 for trimethoprim; tetA, strB, floR, sul2 blaP1, for tetracycline, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, sulfamethoxazole and β-lactams respectively. A number of these genes were only recently described from clinical isolates, demonstrating genetic exchange between clinical and environmental Vibrio species. This study revealed that there was an adverse impact on the physicochemical characteristics of the receiving watershed as a result of the discharge of inadequately treated effluents from the wastewater treatment facilities. The occurrence of Vibrio species as plankton-associated entities confirms the role of plankton as potential reservoir for this pathogen. Also the treated final effluents are reservoirs of various antibiotics resistance genes. This could pose significant health and environmental risk to the biotic component of the environment including communities that rely on the receiving water for domestic purposes and may also affect the health status of the aquatic milieu in the receiving water. There is need for consistent monitoring programme by appropriate regulatory agencies to ensure compliance of the wastewater treatment facilities to regulatory effluent quality standards.

Les Composés Organiques Volatils (COV), émis dans l'atmosphère sous différentes formes par les activités industrielles, sont considérés comme des polluants principaux de l'air. Pour le traitement des forts débits de gaz faiblement concentrés en COV, caractéristiques des principales sources de COV industriels, il n'existe que très peu de procédés adaptés et efficaces d'où le plasma non thermique. Sa faible consommation d'énergie et sa grande compacité font du traitement par plasma non-thermique un candidat prometteur. Ma thèse consiste à élaborer et étudier un dispositif de traitement des COV basé sur l'utilisation de décharges à barrière diélectrique de surface, décharges ayant la caractéristique de produire un vent électrique dirigé. Pour ce faire, nous avons conçu et optimisé une pompe plasma chimiquement active, composée d'un assemblage de cellules à surfaces actives, capable d'aspirer et de traiter simultanément de l'air pollué en COV. Il a fallu d'abord travailler sur l'optimisation paramétrique : électrique, géométrique et matériaux, d'une surface active élémentaire. Puis concevoir un canal actif constitué de deux surfaces actives optimales placées en vis-à-vis, pour finalement aboutir à la construction d'une pompe plasma prototype ayant un débit de pompage de 10 Nm3/h. Cette pompe originale par sa capacité de traitement chimique, constitue le prototype d'étude physique et chimique de cette thèse. Elle a permis d'effectuer des essais d'élimination de 5 COV différents injectés dans l'air : acétone, méthyl-éthyle cétone, butyraldéhyde, méthyl-valérate, méthyl-butyrate et d'en évaluer les taux d'abattement respectifs, mais aussi, d'identifier à l'aide de la chromatographie en phase gazeuse couplée à la spectrométrie de masse, les principaux sous-produits de la dégradation<br>The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emitted in the atmosphere by various forms is considered as principal atmospheric pollutant. In order to treat a high flow of gaz with a low concentration, few efficient methods exist like the non-thermal plasma. Its low power consumption and compactness make the non-thermal plasma treatment a promising candidate. My thesis deals with the development and study of a VOC treatment device based on the surface dielectric barrier discharges which have the characteristic of producing an oriented electric wind. To do this, we have designed and optimized a chemically active plasma pump, composed of an assembly of active surfaces, capable of drawing and treating simultaneously the air polluted in VOC. At first, we had to work on the optimization of the following parameters: electrical, geometric and material of an elementary active surface. And then conceive an active channel consisting of two optimal active surfaces disposed in a mirror effect, eventually leading to the construction of a prototype plasma pump having a flow rate approximately equal to 10 Nm3/h. This original pump by its capacity of chemical treatment consists on the physical and chemical prototype of the thesis. It allowed testing the conversion of 5 different VOCs injected into air which are: ketone, methyl ethyl ketone, butyraldehyde, methyl penatanoate, methyl butyrate and evaluate the respective abatement rates, but also identifying the main by-products of degradation, using the gas chromatography coupled to the mass spectrometry

La lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique est un enjeu majeur de ce XXIème siècle. Le centre deMarcoule du CEA développe différents procédés de traitement de déchets issus du nucléaire parincinération/vitrification qui génèrent des gaz de combustion nécessitant un traitement. Pour cefaire, le CEA utilise la précipitation électrostatique, technique de traitement d’effluents gazeuxemployée pour la filtration des particules fines.Cette thèse est consacrée à l’optimisation des performances d’un électrofiltre alimenté parhautes puissances pulsées. L’un des objectifs est de dimensionner et réaliser une nouvelle électrodeémissive adaptée au développement d’un nouveau procédé d’incinération. Cette nouvelle électrodecouplée à son alimentation HT, dont les paramètres électriques ont été optimisés, ont permisd’obtenir des rendements de filtration maximum durant des temps de fonctionnement enadéquation avec des applications industrielles. L’impact des caractéristiques physico-chimiques despoussières sur l’efficacité de filtration a été analysé.Une étude spécifique a également porté sur l’évolution des différents régimes de décharge quise développent dans l’électrofiltre de manière à identifier les phénomènes responsables de la chuted’efficacité du procédé. Les bénéfices de l’électrode émissive et d’un générateur hybride, combinantdes impulsions de tension superposées à un fond continu, ont clairement été mis en évidence parleurs effets sur l’initiation des "back corona" et par conséquent sur la durée de fonctionnement àrendement optimal<br>The fight against air pollution is a major issue in the twenty-first century. The center of Marcouleof CEA develops different waste treatment processes by incineration / vitrification that generatecombustion gases requiring treatment. To do this, the CEA uses the electrostatic precipitation, atechnical waste gas treatment employed for thin particles filtration.This thesis is dedicated to optimizing the performance of an electrofilter supplied by high pulsedpowered. One of the goals is to size and achieve a new emissive electrode adapted to thedevelopment of a new incineration process. This new electrode coupled to its High Voltage (HV)power supply, which electrical parameters were optimized, allowed to obtain maximum filtrationefficiency during operating times in line with industrial applications. The impact of thephysicochemical characteristics of dusts on the filtration efficiency was analyzed.A specific study also focused on the evolution of different discharge conditions that develop inthe electrofilter to identify the phenomena responsible for the process efficiency fall. The intake ofthe emissive electrode and a hybrid generator, combining a continuous background voltagesuperimposed with impulses, has clearly been demonstrated by their effects on back coronainitiation and therefore on the optimal efficiency operation duration

Water is life. In South Africa it is a crucial element in the battle against poverty, the cornerstone of prosperity and a limiting factor to growth. As a fundamental and indispensable natural resource, no regional or national development plan can take shape without giving primary consideration to water. Due to water being an essential component to human and ecological life the scarcity has focused the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DW AF) to converge into the protection, use development, conservation, management and control of water resources. The Water Act (Act No. 54 of 1956) encompassed various shortcomings and therefore was replaced with the National Water Act (Act No. 36 of 1998) (NW A). The promulgation of the NW A gave effect to Section 24 of the Constitution, which entitles "everyone to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being". Therefore the government has an obligation to protect the water resources. In order to address this problem, government introduced the Licensing System. Therefore the "polluter pays" concept was introduced, a waste discharge fee is charged to the user. This was introduced to deter users from wasting the resources and to promote sustainable development. The information was presented in the form of a case study between the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and Mhlathuze Water. An evaluation and assessment was conducted of the current licensing procedure for Mhlathuze Water and recommendations were made for the process to occur efficiently. The License is a legal document between the government and the water user and it stipulates conditions that should be complied with all the time. It is valid for forty years, however will be reviewed every five years by the relevant authority. Monitoring and auditing will be conducted on a regular basis. In the conditions stipulated are not complied with, the license will be revoked.<br>Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

This project was initiated by Westcoast Energy Inc. (Westcoast) to examine the feasibility of transforming their Fort Nelson Gas Plant (FNGP) into a zero-effluent discharge (ZED) facility. Water flow and water chemistry data were collected at the plant. The resulting data set was used to identify water leaks in the existing distribution network, as well as to identify methods of optimizing water use at this facility. Designs for implementing a Z ED protocol at the FNGP were then developed and subsequently evaluated with a computer simulator. A total of 18 Z E D models were constructed using reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, nanofilters and other Z ED technology. The final disposal mechanism in 10 of the 18 scenarios was a brine concentrator - spray dryer (BCS) assembly, which reduced all remaining wastewater into a solid waste. In the other 8 Z ED designs, final concentrates were disposed of in a deep well. The best deep well configuration was a 1-stage RO filter; the necessary equipment, excluding the deep well, would cost an estimated $101 700 US dollars. The best BCS scenarios were a 1-stage R O and a BCS-only models; they would cost around $1.61 and $1.79 million US dollars, respectively. A step by step approach by which the FNGP can be transformed into a Z ED facility is detailed in Chapter 8.0 of this report. While it is possible to implement a Z ED program at the FNGP, there are consequences to this course of action which need to be considered. The most important is final waste management. Regardless of whether a deep well or a BCS unit is used, either system will have to be built and operated in such a way that the final waste products produced by the Z ED treatment train do not migrate off-site, as this action would violate the Z ED principle. Once a Z E D program is initiated, wastewater and/or waste solids produced at the FNGP will no longer disappear with the FNR; they will remain on-site indefinitely.

The discharge of waste into a water resource and its disposal on land can easily cause pollution, especially of the water resource. However, it has long been accepted that these activities also form an integral part of a holistic waste management strategy aimed at achieving sustainability. The South African Constitution ensures a basic right to an environment that is not harmful to human health and wellbeing, and states that pollution must be prevented, the environment must be protected, and sustainable use of resources must be promoted, through "reasonable legislative and other measures" .. The other measures that are currently used by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry to determine whether a waste disposal or discharge action is allowable, are contained in the documents "Procedures to Assess Effluent Discharge Impacts" and "Minimum Requirements for the Handling, Classification, and Disposal of Hazardous Waste". These measures are evaluated to determine whether they are reasonable and effective in distinguishing between sustainable use and pollution in terms of newly promulgated legislation aimed at managing the environment and the water resource. The criteria used for this evaluation are based on the principles of sustainability, the components of risk analysis, and the scientific concepts and principles of waste discharge and disposal management. Based on this evaluation, the shortcomings of current mechanisms are highlighted, and their advantages are incorporated into a proposed integrated regulatory framework for an assessment and decision-making approach based on risk harmonisation, which has various advantageous applications, including: • The identification of cleaner production alternatives; • The identification of an appropriate medium of disposal or discharge (water or land); • The selection of the Best Practical Environmental Option (BPEO) for treatment, disposal or discharge methods; • The licensing of sustainable waste disposal or discharge actions; • The setting of charges for waste discharge activities; • The prioritisation of regulatory intervention; and • The rehabilitation of contaminated areas. The findings of this investigation comprise the first step taken in South Africa towards the harmonisation of assessment and decision-making approaches, which could have important implications for integrated waste and environmental management in the future.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000

Thesis (M.Sc. (Aquaculture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014<br>Population growth in urban areas is putting pressure on sewage treatment plants. The improper treatment of sewage entering the aquatic ecosystems causes deterioration of the water quality of the receiving water body. The effect of sewage effluent on the Sand River was assessed. Eight sampling sites were selected, site 1 and 2 were upstream of the of the sewage treatment plant along the urbanised area of Polokwane, whilst sites 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were downstream. The physicochemical parameters and coliform counts in the water samples were determined. Macroinvertebrate abundances and diversity (H') was determined at the different sites during the dry and rainy season. The water quality status of the Sand River with respect to the South African scoring system (SASS) scores and average score per taxon (ASPT) was determined. A linear regression was performed to test the correlation of the SASS scores with abundance and H'. Heavy metal concentrations in water, sediment, grass (Ishaemum fasciculatum) and fish (Oreochromis mossambicus) at the sites were evaluated. The suitability of the Sand River and surrounding borehole water for irrigation was also determined. Hierarchical average linkage cluster analysis produced two clusters, grouping two sites above the sewage treatment works and six sites downstream of the sewage effluent discharge point. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified total nitrogen, total phosphorus, conductivity and salinity as the major factors contributing to the variability of the Sand River water quality. These factors are strongly associated with the downstream sites. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that Chironomidae family was found on the nitrogen gradient during the dry season. However during the rainy season, Chironomidae was found in the centre of the ordination which indicated that it was ubiquitous. Escherichia coli levels (1463.73 counts/100ml) in the maturation ponds of Polokwane wastewater treatment works could potentially lead to contamination of the Polokwane aquifer. High diversity was recorded at the sites before discharge and the sites further downstream. There was significant correlation (P<0.05) between the SASS scores and macroinvertebrate diversity during the dry season (R2=0.69) and the rainy season (R2=0.77). Fish samples had significantly higher (P<0.05) iron and copper concentrations, while the vi sediment had significantly higher lead concentration (P>0.05). The United States salinity laboratory (USSL) diagram indicated that the sodium hazard (SAR) and alkalinity hazard (conductivity) was low and the Sand River and borehole water was suitable for irrigation. The residual sodium carbonate (RSC) was below 1.24 meq/l, also indicating that both the Sand River and borehole water is still suitable for irrigation. The total phosphorus concentrations fluctuated across the different site. Total nitrogen concentrations showed a gradual decrease downstream from the point of discharge. The coliform levels also showed a gradual decrease downstream. This shows that the river still has a good self-purification capacity.

Au cours des dernières décennies, un type de marais filtrant, généralement planté de saules, a été développé pour opérer un système de traitement d’eau sans effluent, par évapotranspiration. Ces marais à effluent sont généralement utilisés pour le traitement d’eau usée domestique, mais pourraient aussi présenter une alternative intéressante pour d’autres applications, comme le traitement de lixiviat contaminé. Les guides de conception actuellement disponibles ne permettent toutefois pas de concevoir un système flexible qui permettrait de gérer les grandes variations de volume à traiter liées à la nature même des lixiviats (i.e. résultent entièrement des précipitations) et ne tiennent pas compte de la variation inter et intra-annuelle de l’évapotranspiration (ET) du saule. Cette thèse présente d’abord une revue de littérature de ET du genre Salix et de ses facteurs de variation les plus importants. Il apparaît que les conditions de croissance ont plus d’importance que l’identité spécifique et que la disponibilité en eau, la fertilisation et la contamination sont les principaux facteurs dictant l’ET des saules. L’effet de l’âge, du contexte expérimental, de la densité de plant et du type de sol n’a pas pu être clairement démontrés par cette revue. Ensuite, une étude portant sur le potentiel d’ET de S. miyabeana ‘SX67’ est présentée. Il est démontré qu’un modèle basé sur des paramètres foliaires et sur le déficit de pression de vapeur d’eau dans l’air permet de prédire l’ET de S. miyabeana en condition de marais filtrant. Cette étude permettra entre autres d’améliorer les plans de conception d’un éventuel marais de saules à effluent nul. Pour continuer, la réponse de S. miyabeana ‘SX67’ à différentes concentrations de lixiviat et à différents types de substrats a été étudiée. Ce cultivar s’est montré tolérant aux concentrations du lixiviat brut retrouvées sur un site d’entreposage de poteaux de bois traité. Le type de substrat a influencé la réponse du saule et ses performances écophysiologiques, en plus d’affecter la dynamique des contaminants. Finalement, la modélisation hydrologique d’un système à effluent nul par marais de saules permet de proposer une méthode de dimensionnement des différents compartiments du système pour atteindre un objectif d’effluent nul sur une période de 20 ans, ainsi que de proposer des solutions de conception et d’opération optimale. L’application du modèle au cas spécifique d’un site d’entreposage de poteaux de bois traité a permis d’évaluer la faisabilité, d’un point de vue hydrologique, de cette technologie dans le contexte climatique du sud du Québec. Sur la base de cette étude, la principale limite pour l’application des marais à effluent nul au Québec sont la surface de marais et le volume de stockage requis. Dans le cas où une étape de prétraitement efficace précède le marais de saule, la durée de vie du marais ne devrait pas être limitante et dépendra principalement de la durée de vie des végétaux. Cependant, le destin des contaminants dans le système, qu’il s’agisse de la disposition des contaminants accumulés à l’étape de prétraitement ou d’une éventuelle translocation de contaminants dans les parties aériennes des végétaux, devrait être considéré avant d’établir un système à effluent nul. Les résultats de cette recherche permettent, entre autres, de proposer les marais de saules à effluent nul comme une alternative intéressante pour le traitement d’eau contaminée au Québec.<br>During the last decades, a type of constructed wetlands, usually planted with willows, was developed to operate a water treatment system with zero effluent, by evapotranspiration. These zero liquid discharge wetlands are typically used for domestic wastewater treatment, but could also be an attractive alternative for other applications, such as contaminated leachate treatment. However, the design guidelines currently available do not allow for the design of a flexible system that would manage the large variations of volume to be treated related to the very nature of leachates (i.e. produced entirely from precipitation) and do not take into account inter and intra-annual variation of willows evapotranspiration (ET). This thesis first presents a literature review of ET for the genus Salix and its most important driving factors. It appears that growing conditions are more important than species identity and that water availability, fertilization and contamination are the main factors dictating ET in willow. The effect of age, experimental context, planting density, and soil type could not be clearly demonstrated by this review. Then, a study on the potential ET of S. miyabeana 'SX67' is presented. It is shown that a model based on foliar parameters and on the water vapor pressure deficit in the air makes it possible to predict the ET of S. miyabeana under wetland conditions. This study will, among other things, improve the design plans for a potential zero effluent willow wetland. To continue, the response of S. miyabeana 'SX67' to different leachate concentrations and different types of substrates was studied. This cultivar has been tolerant of raw leachate concentrations found at a treated wood pole storage site. The type of substrate influenced the willow response and ecophysiological performance, and affected the dynamics of the contaminants. Finally, the hydrological modelling of a system with zero effluent by willow bed makes it possible to propose a method of dimensioning for the different compartments of the system in order to reach a zero effluent objective over a period of 20 years, as well as to propose solutions for optimal design and operation. The application of the model to the specific case of a treated wood pole storage site made it possible to assess the hydrological feasibility of this technology in the climate context of southern Quebec. On the basis of this study, the main limit for the application of zero effluent willow bed in Quebec is the wetland area and the storage volume required. In the case where an effective pre-treatment step precedes the willow bed, the life of the wetland should not be limiting and will depend mainly on the lifespan of the plants. However, the fate of the contaminants in the system, be it the disposition of the accumulated contaminants at the pre-treatment stage or a possible translocation of contaminants into the aerial parts of the plants, should be considered before establishing a system with zero effluent. The results of this research make it possible, among other things, to propose zero-effluent willow wetlands as an interesting alternative for the treatment of contaminated water in Quebec.

The now abandoned mine at Britannia Beach is a source of acidity and heavy metals to Howe Sound. Using evidence from monthly field sample collections over an entire year, the dispersion patterns of Cu, Cd and Zn in the estuary were elucidated. Acid mine drainage discharged to Howe Sound via Britannia Creek was found to mix predominantly with the brackish surface waters, since a pronounced pycnocline inhibits vertical mixing. Deep discharges via a submarine outfall may become trapped at or below ten metres depth during summer, but have been observed to rise to the surface in winter as a result of weaker stratification. Upon mixing with estuarine water, there was generally a transfer of Cu from the dissolved to the particulate phase. Similar removal was observed with Zn, albeit to a much lesser degree. Cd behaved essentially as a conservative element, which permitted its use as a tracer for the mixing of acid mine drainage with seawater. This greatly facilitated interpretation of the field data, since salinity proved to be an unreliable indicator of mixing in this three end-member system of Squamish River, Britannia Creek and seawater. Laboratory mixing experiments demonstrated that the removal of Zn occurred via adsorption onto iron oxyhydroxides, with other processes such as adsorption by flocculated organic matter or by clays playing a less important role. Cu removal was additionally governed to a large extent by direct precipitation of solid phases, most likely Cu(OH)2. Mixing experiments and speciation calculations suggest that Cu, and possibly Zn, may be present to a large degree in colloidal suspension. Metal concentrations in estuarine surface waters ranged between 0.8 - 230, 0.02 - 2.9 and 1.7 - 450 μg/L for Cu, Cd and Zn, respectively at a site some 350 m off the mouth of Britannia Creek. They were found to be controlled by the supply from acid mine drainage, by dilution with Squamish River runoff, and by the extent of removal in the creek mixing zone. All these parameters are strongly seasonal due to their dependence on hydrological conditions. They combined to produce maximum surface metal concentrations in spring and winter, as demonstrated using both field data and model calculations. In a bioassay experiment, Cu concentrations over 6.4 μg/L affected growth of endemic phytoplankton adversely. This level was found to be exceeded in 13 out of 26 field observations in Britannia Bay. In spring, concentrations that could produce detrimental effects on phytoplankton may also extend several kilometres down-estuary.

Municipal wastewater effluent (MWWE) has the potential for aquatic degradation, as it is the largest, per volume, anthropogenic discharge in Canada and other areas in the world. With an increasing population in many areas, such as Southern Ontario, there is concern that infrastructure of wastewater treatment facilities will not be able to maintain adequate treatment and prevent further degradation of the environment. The Grand River watershed, in Southern Ontario, is predicted to have its population increase to 1.2 million people by 2031 (from 780,000 people in 2001). Although wastewater treatment has improved, concern remains for receiving environments due to inadequate treatment (i.e. Kitchener) and minimal dilution (i.e. Guelph). This research was conducted to understand current impacts of MWWE in the Grand River watershed on fish communities to support future management and protection. Study sites upstream and downstream were chosen for their proximity to the Guelph, Kitchener, and Waterloo MWWE outfalls, similarity in habitat, and wadeability. Habitat analysis indicated that there were no large physical differences among sites. Fish communities were collected in a standardized method with a backpack electroshocker at each site (six randomly selected 10 m by 10 m sub-sites for 5 min). Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides) and Rainbow Darter (E. caeruleum), the most abundant species, were also analyzed for stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) at each site. Downstream of the Guelph outfall there were no changes in mean total catch per unit effort (CPUE) or mean total mass. Changes to diversity, resilience, and tolerance in the fish community were attributed to a decreased abundance of Greenside Darter and increased abundance of Rainbow Darter. Downstream of the Kitchener discharge, there was a trend towards decreasing mean total CPUE, especially for darter species, and an increase in mean total mass due to a community shift to larger species including Catostomids and Centrarchids. The changes in abundance of Rainbow Darter, Catostomids, and Centrarchids among reference and Kitchener MWWE exposed sites explained the pattern in resilience, tolerance, and diet classifications. Lower diversity downstream of all three MWWE outfalls can be attributed to the increase in Rainbow Darter abundance. Stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) of Greenside Darter did not change downstream of the Guelph and Waterloo discharges, but signatures of Rainbow Darter increased immediately below the two outfalls. This shift may be due to the Rainbow Darter being able to take advantage of a change in the environment (i.e. food availability), resulting in its increased abundance and changes in isotopic signature. Directly downstream of the Kitchener outfall both darter species had an increase in δ13C and a large decrease in δ15N, likely due to high nutrient inputs from the outfall. The Kitchener wastewater discharge is also associated with a decrease in abundance of fish and a shift in community structure. MWWEs are currently affecting the aquatic environment, including fish communities in the Grand River watershed. Future investments in infrastructure and watershed management should be made to mitigate degradation of water quality in this watershed.

<p>&quot<br>The aim of the study was to use in vitro human whole blood cultures to screen the water samples collected from the Eerste/Plankenbrug river system for cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity and for the first time investigate the impact on the cell- mediated and humoral immune pathways. Water samples were collected fronm the sites during the dry summer season and rainy winter season. Blood was collected from the healthy male volunteers and diluted with RPMI 1640. For cytotoxicity and inflammatory activity 2.5ul of blood for 18-20 hrs at 37 C... This study shows that waster from the Plankenbrug River is heavily polluted by contaminants from both the agricultural area and informal settlement of Kayamandi. These contaminants can be potentially immunotoxic during the summer season and they can result in inflammatory diarrheal disease and immunosuppression in exposed individuals...&quot<br></p>

碩士<br>國立中山大學<br>海洋環境及工程學系研究所<br>90<br>This study aimed to investigate the activity change of the sludge in a bioreactor after the addition of industrial wastewater and the influence on water quality of nearby waterway after the entrance of the treated effluent. Furthermore, with respect to the industrial effluent’s direct discharge to the near sea, the investigation of water quality was also undertaken to set up the database of water quality for the related receiving waters and further to provide information useful for the future monitoring and assessing the possible water pollution caused by the Tainan Technology Industrial Park (TTIP). At this present study, the TTIP, which was not at the stage of formal operation, was selected as the research object to investigate the possible adverse effects of the effluent from Hi-tech industries on the environment. In the first part of this study, several techniques for sludge diagnosis were used to evaluate the activity of sludge in various types of wastewaters in order to choose appropriate biological indices to represent the performance of a bioreactor. The results showed that dissolved oxygen was proportional to DHA concentration and number of bacteria. In addition, that both suspended solids (SS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) had poor correlation with dissolved oxygen led to their failure to be the biological indices. In the second part of this study, the influence on the water quality after the treated wastewater discharged into the nearby receiving waters was investigated. The results of field investigation showed that the effluent did not cause significant negative effects on the receiving waters but positive effects instead due to its lowering the concentrations of water pollutants. Summarily, the effluent emitted from the TTIP had no significant impact on the nearby receiving waters by now. However, in the future, when most of the factories in the park begin to produce products, further studies are required to make sure whether the effluent will cause adverse impact on the nearby water environments.