Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Water pollution engineering'

Nonpoint source nutrient pollution is diffuse pollution lacking discrete origin and conveyance. This thesis synthesizes and critically reviews research on residential nitrogen and phosphorus loss to stormwater runoff and leaching. The evaluation pulls from research covering influential socio-demographic indicators, such as use of lawn maintenance services and homeowner fertilizer practices. The extent to which such social and economic factors may influence the prevalence and fate of diffuse nutrients in stormwater runoff from residential areas has not been adequately established. Understanding the source and influencing factors of diffuse nutrient pollution is important in order to effectively protect surface and groundwater resources. Research based on sampling campaigns of catchments, sampling of controlled turf systems and models of residential catchments were compiled for this review. Based on the compilation reviewed for this thesis, there are wide differences in approaches researchers have taken to attempt to quantify and understand diffuse nutrient pollution from residential and urban areas. There is not consistency in the chemical nitrogen or phosphorus species evaluated or in reported measurements (i.e. concentration vs. loading vs. yield). This review revealed several important knowledge gaps. Determination of correlation between residential system nutrient loss to the environment and social factors, demographic characteristics, local fertilizer ordinances or nutrient management education programs has not been substantiated. More exploration of nutrient leaching from different soil types and turf grass species is needed to develop a complete understanding of nutrient loss from turf grass systems. Further, other specific management practices such as leaving grass clippings on lawns has not been studied in depth for a variety of soil types and grass species. There is room for improvement in future research and additional studies are needed to guide future policy and implementation of best management practices. Based on these and other findings, I recommend a concerted effort to standardize a portion of the reporting details of future stormwater research and for reevaluation of nutrient/fertilizer education efforts.

The conventional approach to water quality monitoring is to combine periodic sampling with batch analysis in the laboratory. Such a procedure is both labour intensive and time consuming, there are likely to be sample stability and contamination problems, and the information provided is unlikely to be continuous or immediate. This research focussed on the design and construction of fully automated and portable monitors based on flow injection analysis and incorporating solid state photometric detectors. A novel solid state photometric detector was constructed, incorporating light emitting diodes as the light source, which could be used in conjunction with flow injection analysis. Manifolds were studied for a range of species of interest (phosphate, nitrate, ammonia and aluminium) in the field of water quality monitoring and were optimised for their suitability for continuous use. An automated monitor for nitrate was constructed and long term evaluation trials were carried out at several locations for water quality monitoring. Results are also presented for the use of a nitrate monitor in hydroponic cultivation. An automated monitor was also built for the monitoring of ammonia levels in natural waters, which was field tested on the River Avon (Wiltshire). A manifold was also evaluated for the monitoring of residual aluminium levels in drinking water and is currently being commissioned at a water treatment works in Somerset.

The main body of the thesis is a detailed study of the practice of the legal regulation of water pollution, primarily between the period of 1 October 1983 and 31 August 1989, although reference is made to events preceding that period where necessary to provide a full assessment.

As stormwater flows over roads, sidewalks, and other impervious surfaces, it picks up pollutants that are deposited on these surfaces. One common pollutant transported by stormwater is road salt. While the application of road salt is crucial for wintertime public safety, road salt has a host of negative environmental impacts. Road salt has been linked to increasing levels of dissolved solids in groundwater, vegetation damage, and behavioral changes in aquatic organisms. Studies have shown that these impacts are concentrated around salt storage facilities. As a result, the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued many state departments of transportation municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits. In Utah, road salt is stored at Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) maintenance stations, which are regulated by a Phase I MS4 permit. To comply with their MS4 permit, UDOT constructed retention ponds to capture salt-laden stormwater and truck wash water. However, without information and established maintenance and management plans informing pond design, these retention ponds suffer from design issues such as overflow throughout the winter season. Through pollution prevention assessments, pond and tap water analysis, pond sediment analysis, and surface water quality modeling at 11 UDOT maintenance stations, this project provides UDOT with site design guidelines and best management practices to ultimately reduce the impact of UDOT road salt facilities on the environment.

Separate sewerage systems are designed so that the wastewater and stormwater are carried separately. However, in practice, untreated wastewater discharges to receiving waters are not that rare, impairing the quality of the receiving waters and increasing the risks to public health and aquatic organisms. The two main causes for such discharges are wastewater that enters stormwater sewers as well as sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) from the separate wastewater sewers. The overall aim of this licentiate thesis is to review and improve the strategies used for detection of wastewater inputs to stormwater sewers and their location, and to address the issue of quantification of untreated wastewater discharges into the receiving waters by developing two methods: one for SSO discharges and one for the estimation of the wastewater amounts in stormwater sewers.A review of methods for detecting the entry of wastewater into stormwater sewers and the location of the entry points has been carried out by a critical literature review of the effectiveness of the current methods, their advantages, weaknesses and limitations in use. Additionally, an evaluation of the factors affecting the performance of a selected number of methods has been made from specially designed field studies, focusing on detectability of certain indicative pollution parameters and the effects of travel distance. The parameters selected based on those identified as being potentially the most useful in the literature review were E. coli, total coliform, Enterococci, conductivity, turbidity, TSS, and ammonium.The estimation of the volumes of untreated wastewater discharged into receiving waters was addressed by developing two methods: (1) volume estimation of SSO discharges based on already available infrastructure—backflow preventing flap gates—by performing full-scale studies to establish flow rating curves as a function of water head; and (2) estimation of wastewater ingress volumes into a stormwater system by using data from field studies as input to a Monte Carlo simulation to generate the probability distribution of possible fractions of wastewater in stormwater sewers.The reviewed indicator parameters and methods all demonstrated potential for detecting stormwater contamination by wastewater. However, there was no single method or strategy that would work under all conditions investigated. Human waste specific indicators—microbiological (adopted in microbial source tracking methods) and chemical markers (e.g., caffeine and carbamazepine)—as well as the Distributed Temperature Sensing method provided the best indication of wastewater pollution in the literature. However, these methods are currently beyond the capabilities of typical municipal expertise due to their costs and/or complexity and, therefore, combinations of methods that minimise the limitations of individual approaches have been identified in this thesis as the most effective provided these are tailored to specific cases.The travel distance from the point at which the wastewater entered the stormwater sewer is an important factor affecting the detectability of the investigated parameters, as the concentrations of the indicator parameters may change along the sewer length due to dilution, dispersion, physical, chemical, and microbiological processes. A Maximum Detection Distance (MDD) away from the origin of the input was determined which was in general shorter for the microbiological parameters than for the physicochemical parameters. Among the microorganisms analysed, Enterococci showed the shortest MDD of about 330–550 m, and E. coli — the longest of about 635–1245 m. Of the physicochemical parameters, the shortest MDD was for TSS (800–1130 m) and the longest for conductivity (1220–1560 m). MDD itself is not the main factor for selecting what parameters should be used, but rather how the sampling strategy for a particular parameter should be planned.The full-scale experiments on circular flap gates provided flow-rating curves for diameters of 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 mm with high precision (R2>0.99). There are a large number of such gates installed in Sweden and the flow rating curves developed in this study could help practitioners to monitor SSO discharges with minimal onsite measurements (water head before and after the flap gate) in a reliable and inexpensive way.From the field study results, an equation was developed to estimate the volume of wastewater entering into the stormwater sewer. Monte Carlo simulation was selected as a means to increase the robustness of the outcome of the developed equation. The results of the simulation showed that the efficiency of the suggested method varied to a great extent depending on the selected combination of parameters: for example, for TSS and conductivity the percent error between the most probable and actual wastewater fractions in the sewer was less than 2%, while TSS combined with microbiological parameters failed as a combination to estimate the wastewater fraction in sewer.

Godkänd; 2015; 20151102 (olepan); Nedanstående person kommer att hålla licentiatseminarium för avläggande av teknologie licentiatexamen. Namn: Oleksandr Panasiuk Ämne: VA-teknik/Urban Water Engineering Uppsats: Towards Better Practices in Detection of Wastewater Pollution in Stormwater Sewers and Volume Estimation of SSO Discharges Examinator: Professor Maria Viklander, Institutionen för samhällsbyggnad och naturresurser, Avdelning: Arkitektur och vatten, Luleå tekniska universitet. Diskutant: Professor Sveinung Sægrov, NTNU Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering. Tid: Onsdag 9 december, 2015 kl 10.00 Plats: E632, Luleå tekniska universitet

This project addresses concerns from the Canadian public about the quality of water in regions where many agricultural operations are located. Fecal coliforms are endemic in poultry and are difficult to eradicate from production facilities. Poultry manure is a reservoir of Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli (including O157:H7) and Salmonella spp. Biochar, the charcoal produced from pyrolysis of biomass, is gaining global recognition due to its unique properties when applied as a soil amendment. Biochar could play an important role in controlling the mobility of pathogens in soil and water environment. Its half-life is estimated to be hundreds of years so it is expected that its role in reducing agricultural pollution could be very long-lasting, and hence very cost-effective.In this study we investigated the effectiveness of biochar in preventing the leaching of fecal coliforms into surface water. The target organisms in this study were Escherichia coli (E .coli) and total coliform. E. coli is widely recognized as the indicator organism for presence of fecal coliform and total coliforms to determine disinfection rate. The study was divided into two components, namely laboratory study and field study.In laboratory study, the effectiveness of three different types of biochar (variation based on production temperature, time and raw material) in adsorption and desorption of E. coli was studied. In adsorption test, a comparative analysis was carried out to understand the differences between biochar, soil amended biochar (soil to biochar ratio of 99:1) and un-amended soil in the removal of E. coli. The statistical analysis showed the adsorption of E. coli was significantly higher in the soil amended biochar treatment. The soil amended biochar and the un-amended soil treatments were further subjected to desorption to test their retention capacity. The statistical analysis showed that two types of soil amended biochars (slow pyrolysis biochar and fast pyrolysis biochar) retained E. coli significantly better. The adsorption capacity of biochar was directly proportional to its porosity and inversely proportional to its ash content. The two types of soil amended biochar were shortlisted based on sorption and retention capacity and were used as treatments in the field study.A sixty-day study was conducted using field lysimeters to evaluate the effectiveness of soil amended biochar in removing or reducing the leaching of fecal coliforms (E. coli) from poultry manure. Lysimeter with only soil was used as control and the shortlisted biochars (slow pyrolysis biochar and fast pyrolysis biochar) were used as treatments. In the biochar-amended treatments, the top 0.05 m of soil was amended with biochar in a proportion of 1:99 biochar:soil. Poultry manure was spread over the soil in all lysimeters. The lysimeters were protected from natural rainfall, and the simulated rainfall was applied as 4 events over a sixty day period. Both soil (3 sampling depths) and leachate samples were collected and analyzed at predetermined time intervals. In the experiment, E. coli and total coliform were found to leach down through the soil profiles, and their concentrations decreased with soil depth and time. The statistical analysis of soil samples and leachate showed that the concentration of E. coli in the treatments at the three sampling depths and in the leachate were significantly different from control (P ≤ 0.05), which is attributed to the effectiveness of the treatments in reducing the leaching of fecal coliforms. However, the concentration of total coliforms was significant (P ≤ 0.05) on certain intervals and insignificant in the others; this can be attributed to already present total coliforms in the soil system and effectiveness of the treatments to hinder coliform transport. Soil biochar amendment was thus seen to be effective in reducing the leaching of fecal coliforms through soil profiles and providing fecal coliforms free leachate.
Ce projet répond aux préoccupations du public canadien au sujet de la qualité de l'eau dans les régions où de nombreuses exploitations agricoles sont présentes. Les coliformes fécaux sont endémiques chez les volailles et sont difficiles à éradiquer des sites de production. Le biochar, un charbon produit par pyrolyse de la biomasse, gagne de plus en plus de reconnaissance à l'échelle mondiale en raison de ses propriétés uniques lorsqu'il est utilisé comme amendement de sol. Sa demi-vie est estimée à des centaines d'années. Par conséquent, son rôle dans la réduction de la pollution agricole pourrait s'étendre sur une longue période.Dans cette étude, nous examinons l'efficacité du biochar dans la prévention de la lixiviation des coliformes fécaux dans l'eau de surface. Les organismes ciblés dans cette étude sont Escherichia coli (E coli.) et les coliformes totaux. E. coli est reconnu comme étant l'organisme indicateur de la présence de coliformes fécaux et les coliformes totaux comme étant révélateur du taux de désinfection. L'étude est composée de deux parties, l'une effectuée en laboratoire et l'autre sur le terrain.Dans l'étude en laboratoire, l'efficacité d'absorption et de désorption d'E. coli de trois différents types de biochar a été étudiée. Par le moyen de tests d'adsorption, une analyse comparative a été effectuée afin de déterminer la différence entre du biochar pur, un sol amendé par du biochar et un sol non-amendé dans leur efficacité d'élimination d'E. coli. Les analyses statistiques ont montré que le biochar comme amendement du sol joue un rôle important dans l'adsorption d'E. coli.Le sol amendé par du biochar et le sol non-amendé ont ensuite été soumis à un test de désorption afin de tester leur capacité de rétention. Les analyses statistiques ont démontré que deux types de sol amendés de biochar (l'un issu de la pyrolyse lente et l'autre de la pyrolyse rapide) retenaient E. coli. La capacité d'adsorption du biochar s'est révélée être directement proportionnelle à sa porosité et inversement proportionnelle à sa teneur en cendres. Les deux types de biochars ont été sélectionnés et utilisés comme traitements dans l'étude de terrain. L'étude de terrain a été réalisée sur des lysimètres pendant soixante jours afin d'évaluer l'efficacité du biochar dans l'élimination et la réduction du lessivage des coliformes fécaux (E. coli) venant du fumier de volaille. Le témoin contenait seulement du sol et le biochar sélectionné (l'un issu de la pyrolyse lente et l'autre de la pyrolyse rapide) a été utilisé comme traitement. Le biochar a été mélangé avec 5 cm de sol en partant de la surface (rapport de sol a biochar de 99:1). Le fumier de volaille a été répandu sur le sol dans tous les lysimètres. Les lysimètres ont été protégés de la pluie afin de simuler l'irrigation. L'irrigation a été simulée en 4 événements au cours des soixante jours. Le sol (3 profondeurs d'échantillonnage) et les échantillons de lixiviat ont été prélevés et analysés à des intervalles temporels prédéterminés. Dans cette étude, E. coli et les coliformes totaux se sont infiltrés à travers les profils de sol, et leurs concentrations ont diminués avec le temps et la profondeur du sol. Les analyses statistiques (P ≤ 0.05) des échantillons de sol et des lixiviats ont montré que la concentration d'E. coli dans les traitements aux trois profondeurs et dans le lixiviat étaient différente du contrôle, ce qui est attribué à l'efficacité des traitements de réduction du lessivage des coliformes fécaux. Cependant, la concentration de coliformes totaux était significatif (P ≤ 0.05) sur certains intervalles et insignifiant sur d'autres, ce qui peut être lié a une présence antérieure de coliformes totaux dans le sol et a l'efficacité des traitements qui suggèrent un taux de désinfection efficace. Le sol amendé de biochar a donc été considéré comme étant efficace dans la réduction du lessivage des coliformes fécaux a travers les profils de sol.

Dyestuffs are widely used industrial chemicals, yet surprisingly little is known about their fate in the environment. The potential modes of transformation and removal of reactive dyes in treatment and in the environment are principally through anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation and photodegradation. The research herein describes the use of LC-MS analysis with laboratory simulations to develop a better understanding of the occurrence and fate of reactive dyes and their degradation products in the aquatic environment. One reason for the lack of information on the environmental fate of reactive dyes has been the paucity of robust analytical methods suitable for the determination of dyes in aqueous samples. Robust analytical methods were optimised to provide LC-MS and MSMS identification of degradation products. Additionally, interpretation of the MSMS spectra of known reactive dyes provided novel characteristic fragment ions indicative of the triazine reactive group of reactive dyes . Fibre reactive dyes are designed to have a degree of photostability and therefore their photodegradation behaviour has not been widely investigated. Little is known of their stability to daylight over prolonged periods of irradiation in dilute aqueous solutions and in the presence of humic substances. The kinetics of photodegradation of an anthraquinone dye (Reactive Blue H4R) and azo dye (Reactive Yellow P5G) were evaluated. The former underwent rapid and extensive degradation 01/2 1.5 h). The major products formed were identified using LC-MSMS and a photodegradation pathway proposed. By comparison, the photodegradation of the azo dye was significantly slower, 01/2 30 h). The addition of humic substancesa ppearedt o have little effect on the rate of photodegradationu nder the conditions used. The reduction of azo dyes under anaerobic treatment has been extensively studied, but the subsequent fate of the initial reduction products when exposed to air are not understood. Three relatively simple azo dyes, Amaranth, Sunset Yellow and Naphthol Blue-Black, were reduced and their autoxidation products identified by LC-MS. These were subsequently used to predict the autoxidation products of a more complex azo reactive dye: Reactive Red 3.1. Additionally, a persistent degradation product from the anaerobicaerobic treatment of Reactive Red 3.1 was identified from LC-MS data. Azo reactive dyes are generally regarded as being resistant to aerobic degradation and there are few published data regarding degradation pathways for reactive anthraquinone dyes. Pure cultures of Pseudomonas docunhae, A 9046 and A texaco and mixed bacterial consortia (semi-continuous activated sludge, SCAS) aerobic degradation of azo and anthraquinone reactive dyes was studied. Two azo dyes were degraded by pure cultures of A docunhae and A 9046, suggesting that azo dyes can be aerobically degraded given favourable conditions. The antraquinone dye was extensively degraded by SCAS and pure culture biodegradation. Metabolites were identified by LC-MS and a degradation pathway proposed.

Surface water is globally becoming more and more a scarce resource, and in Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia, river water quality has been degraded due to anthropological forcing for many years. Therefore, the study objective was to investigate causes and impact of surface water pollution in Kebena and Great Akaki rivers. The technical aspect of the study focused on analysing the parameters E. coli, phosphate, nitrate and total ammonia nitrogen in 34 different sampling sites in the western part of the Great Akaki catchment. The other aspect was to evaluate authorities’ and companies’ perspective on the water quality, usage and future plans to mitigate further pollution of rivers. Another perspective was to interview households and farmers regarding their view on usage, water quality and health risks. The main finding was a high surface water contamination in both Kebena and Akaki river, throughout the city, mostly from domestic, municipality and industrial wastewater and solid waste. E. coli concentrations exceeded thresholds given by WHO. Concentrations of phosphate and total ammonia nitrogen strongly indicated eutrophication. Nitrate values were lower than expected with no perceived healthrisk. The interview study with authorities, households and farmers indicated irrigation as the main usage. Little to moderate health risks perceived by farm users and high health risks perceived by authorities for farmers were found. Therefore, addressing a stronger collaboration between authorities and the local community is important. In addition, the implementation of mitigation strategies should be strengthened and the stakeholders need to be accountable for their actions. A continued monitoring of pollutants as well as a multi-sectoral approach to solidwaste and wastewater management will help improve the river water quality.
Ytvatten blir globalt allt mer en knapp resurs och i Addis Abeba, huvudstaden i Etiopien, har flodernas vattenkvalitet under många år försämrats på grund av antropogen påverkan. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka orsaker och påverkan på ytvattenföroreningar i floderna Kebena och Akaki. Den tekniska aspekten av studien inkluderar vattenanalyser av parametrarna E.coli, fosfat, nitrat och totalt ammonium kväve som utfördes på 34 olika provtagningsplatser i västra delen av Great Akakis avrinningsområde. Den andra aspekten var att utvärdera myndigheters och företags perspektiv på vattenkvalité, flodvattnets användningsområden och framtida planer för förbättring av föroreningsgraden i floderna. Ett annat perspektiv var att intervjua hushåll och lantbrukare angående deras bild av ytvattenanvändning, om vattenkvaliteten och hälsorisker. Studiens huvudsakliga upptäckt är en genomgående hög föroreningsgrad i stadens flodvatten. Föroreningen består till största del av avlopp och avfall från hushåll, kommuner och industrier. Koncentrationerna av E.coli överskred WHO:s gränsvärden. Halterna av fosfat och totalt ammoniumkväve indikerade övergödning. Nitratvärdena visade lägre halter än förväntat och därmed ingen påvisad hälsorisk. Intervjustudien med myndigheter, hushåll och lantbrukare påvisade att ytvattnet mest används för bevattning av åkermark. Lantbrukarna uppfattade en liten till medelhög hälsorisk med denna användning, medan myndigheter ansåg att lantbrukarna utsattes för en hög risk. Därför är ett starkare samarbete mellan myndigheter och samhället viktigt. Dessutom behöver implementationen av förbättringsåtgärder förbättras och alla aktörer måste göras ansvariga för sina handlingar. En fortsatt övervakning av föroreningar och ett multi-disciplinärt arbetssätt vid avfall- och avloppshantering kommer att vara till hjälp vid förbättring av vattenkvaliteten i floden.

Pollution from nonpoint sources is a leading cause of receiving water quality impairment. The largest source of nonpoint pollution is storm water runoff, which includes pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, metals, microorganisms, and organic compounds. Sediment is of particular importance because many pollutants are readily 5 adsorbed onto particles. In the Lake Tahoe basin, sediment is also significant because of its direct contribution to clarity attenuation. The most prudent control measure for mitigating sediment flux in the Lake Tahoe basin is infiltration, which captures runoff volume, allowing it to percolate into the soil and enter groundwater. All residential parcels in the Lake Tahoe basin are required to have an on-site infiltration system. These systems require rigorous maintenance to maintain full function. Negligence can lead to premature clogging from debris and accumulated sediment, and the cost of rehabilitating or replacing the system can be significant to homeowners. It is mandatory for a sediment trapping device to be installed to pretreat runoff discharged into the infiltration system; however, there is limited infomation regarding sediment trapping devices designed for residential use. The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of an on-site stormwater treatment device in removing sediment from simulated stormwater runoff. The sediment trapping device consists of removable, porous 200-micron nylon inserts for filtration and is designed to mitigate premature clogging infiltrative runoff control measures. Laboratory analysis of a full scale device model was performed. Removal efficiency, effluent concentration, and bulk solids removal were assessed for perfomance evaluation. The device demonstrated a median removal efficiency from grab samples of 74%, median total suspended solids effluent concentration of 72 mg/L, and removed 89% of the total solids introduced into the system. Economic and sustainability implications of the device were also assessed.

The thesis examines control and eradication of Guinea worm in West Africa and investigates factors, especially water supply, related to the incidence of Guinea worm. The study was carried out in North Zou, Benin between 1987 and 1990 and in Nigeria between 1989 and 1993 during water supply and Guinea worm eradication programme execution. About 5% of villages in Nigeria, located in one half the LGAs were infected. The number of annual cases in a region was related to the previous year's cases, although 5-10% of the regions changed between infected and non-infected. Cases were not statically focused in villages. The relative risk of infection in a village based on the previous year's infection was 1.74 in North Zou. Incidence varied inversely and endemicity varied directly with village population. Villages of all sizes were infected. Prevalence varies seasonally by region. Incidence was low at high altitudes, in sandy and alluvial soils, in areas with high or low annual rainfall and in densely populated areas. Incidence was not otherwise related to rainfall, vegetation, altitude, soils, geology or distance to rivers. Incidence among Muslims and Christians was the same but varied by ethnic group. Incidence in an area was strongly related to the ratio of females to males. School attendance in endemic areas fell during the transmission period. Losses in Nigeria in 1990/91 were £16 million. Provision of improved water supply lowered incidence by 50%. Endemicity was 20% lower in villages in North Zou with water supply but endemicity did not fall immediately following provision and a difference was not seen in Nigeria. Water supply to all infected villages in Nigeria identified in 1990/91 would cost £23 million. Three possible water supply strategies were examined. Ten water supply options were considered and roof rainwater catchment was found the most promising. Factors that reduce the effective use of water supply were examined. Water supply coverage in endemic countries is 27%. The countries are among the poorest and least developed in the world. The lack of static focus of cases in villages, the low impact of water supply, and the difficulty of supplying water to all endemic areas make Guinea worm eradication by 1999 unlikely.

Civil Engineering
M.S.Env.E.
Untreated human sewage pollution in surface water is of concern because it contributes to the degradation of aquatic ecosystems and it could be a potential hazard to human health. Also, any pollution of surface water, which ultimately supplies drinking water, may affect the drinking water quality. Improper operation and maintenance of separate storm sewer systems are prominent contributors of untreated sewage to source waters, resulting from illicit connections, leakage of sewers, or cross-connections. This thesis studied anthropogenic markers to track untreated sewage in an urban watershed with separate storm sewer system, under dry weather conditions. The main feature of these chemical markers is their degradation behavior at municipal wastewater treatment plants: some markers are completely removed (labile markers), whereas others show only partial or no removal at all (conservative markers). A set of ubiquitous chemical markers with practical analytical detection limits was selected to exploit the labile vs conservative distinction, and determine if untreated human sewage was discharged from stormwater outfalls. The presence of labile markers alone was not enough to confirm the occurrence of untreated sewage in stormwater outfalls. The concentration ratios between labile and conservative markers from several chemical groups (pharmaceuticals and personal care products, over-the-counter medications, artificial sweeteners, and human metabolites) created a chemical fingerprint of untreated sewage, and it was statistically demonstrated to track untreated human sewage in local stormwater outfalls.
Temple University--Theses

Water pollution is recognized as one of the major environmental problems in the mining industry. This has been compounded with an increase in agriculture activities. Water pollution is a major problem on copper and coal mines throughout the world and Zambia, the focus of this study, is no exception. Worldwide freshwater resources, which provide important ecosystem services to humans, are under threat from rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization and abandonment of wastelands. There is an urgent need to monitor and assess these resources. In this context, the physical, chemical and ecological water quality of the Munkulungwe Stream located on the Copperbelt of Zambia, was assessed with possible contamination from Bwana Mkubwa TSF, agriculture activities and subsequent impact on the surrounding community. The chemical and physical parameters were assessed at four sampling locations. Sampling site S1 was located on the Munkulungwe stream upstream of Bwana Mkubwa TSF, S2, S3 and S4 were on the main stream downstream of Bwana Mkubwa TSF. In addition, a macroinvertebrate composition analysis was performed to estimate the quality of water using the biotic index score. Finally, the relationship between physiochemical parameters and biotic index score was analysed to interrogate their inter-relationship with respect to water quality. The results showed that the average values of dissolved oxygen (DO) of 4.52 mg/l, turbidity (40.96 NTU), Co (0.24 mg/l), Pb (0.25 mg/l), Fe (0.36 mg/l) and Mn (0.22 mg/l) downstream exceeded international standards for drinking water. Upstream, the values of Co, Pb, Fe and Mn were within acceptable standards for drinking water, DO and turbidity were above acceptable standards. The metal concentration and total dissolved solutes were impacted by closeness to the mine tailings deposit with the heavy metal concentration being highest at S2 and S3. Moreover, high turbidity levels revealed that land erosion induced by agriculture activities is a severe problem in the area. Physical parameters were high in the rainy season due erosion escalated by rains while chemical parameters were high post rainy season. During the rainy season, the chemical contaminants are diluted and thus they are not such a big impact, but they tend to concentrate up during the dry MDNLEE001 III season. The stream at sampling points S2 and S3 was dominated by species tolerant (leech, Isopod and Snail: Pouch) and semi tolerant (Blackfly larvae and Amphipod or Scud) to pollution. The change in season influenced the composition of macroinvertebrates, with the number of species increased post rainy season. The average biotic index score (2.5) showed that the stream condition is not good, it is slightly polluted. The results showed that water quality downstream was substantially affected by Bwana Mkubwa TSF, agriculture activities and is likely to affect human health and food security. It is recommended that groundwater surrounding tailings dams should be monitored in both active and abandoned mines. Curtain boreholes around a tailings dam can be drilled and the water extracted and treated so that it doesn't contaminate other water bodies. To improve the environmental management of mining related impacts in Zambia, mining areas should be completely rehabilitated. There is need for remediation strategies for abandoned mine sites. Constructed wetlands, roughing filtration and phytoremediation are highly promising techniques, as they are reliable, cheap, effective and sustainable.

The limited underground water resources and the dramatic increase of fresh water consumption in Qatar forced the government to seek alternative ways to compensate for the lack of fresh water resources. Unfortunately, most of the currently available alternatives are costly in terms of excessive fuel consumption; also they require large capital investment and high maintenance cost. Such plants currently produce over 98% of the total fresh water in Qatar. This ratio may increase to 100% in the next few years. The main aim of this work is to investigate the most viable water desalination processes, which can produce sufficient, and a continuous supply of fresh water with low operation and construction costs. Climatic conditions and solar radiation in Qatar have been studied and analysed to determine the performance of any potential solar system applicable to this country. A technical and economical investigation into the current and common desalination methods with particular emphasis on the three main desalination systems including multistage flash, multiple effect distillation and reverse osmosis were conducted and included. A comprehensive literature survey on various water desalination methods was undertaken. The current experimental program was confined mainly to one novel type of tilted tray solar still system, namely pyramid tilted tray solar still, which was developed to increase productivity by increasing the receiving surface area of the still (the absorber) in order to collect the optimum amount of solar radiation. Two types of cover have also been selected and tested in this work, namely pyramid and dome shapes. These tilted tray solar stills were designed and constructed on a small scale and have been tested under controlled laboratory conditions at the University of Hertfordshire. Various parameters, which are likely to effect the still performance have been investigated. These include water flow rate, spacing between cover and tray surface, glass thickness, insulation layer, and inlet water temperature. Finally, a comparison of the stills performance characteristics of the two shapes has been carried out. The laboratory experimental results of hourly production revealed that pyramid type solar still yield higher distilled water output results than the dome type. However, the use of the pyramid shape with tilted tray solar can lead to further increase in the still productivity by optimising the orientation and surface area of the still absorber. The field experimental results of pyramid solar still, which were conducted under local climate conditions of Qatar, indicated clearly that solar desalination can be a suitable economical option, particularly for remote areas, where the fresh water demand is low and water transport is expensive. Moreover, a theoretical model was employed to predict the effects on solar still performance under three various parameters under typical climatic conditions of Qatar; These include the thermal insulation layer, the water depth and wind speed. Due to the economical reasons the dual-purpose multistage flash process will remain for the foreseeable future the preferred process, when fresh water and electricity demands are growing concurrently and rapidly.

Household air pollution annually kills around 14 300 people in Kenya, due to the hazardous smoke of incomplete combustion coming from inefficient stoves. Exposure to this smokeleads to lethal health issues for the women and children staying in these kitchens, but the smoke also leads to a contribution to global warming. Which makes it important finding are placement for the inefficient traditional cooking methods. This report presents results from a field work situated in Kibugu, Embu in central Kenya. It includes testing of three stoves, the traditional Three stone open fire and two biochar producing stoves, the previously tested stove Gastov made by KIRDI and the MiG|BioCooker made by Make It Green Solutions AB. The data was collected using participatory cooking tests where five households got to cook the traditional meal Ugali with Sukuma wiki and Githeri (maize and beans). Firewood consumption, emissions of CO and PM, user experience and char production were measured during the test, to be able to compare the stoves. The results indicate that the MiG|BioCooker can decrease the emissions of PM2.5 and CO in the kitchens and produce biochar. But on the other hand, cooking with three stone open fire more effective in terms of cooking time. Even though the MiG|BioCooker could improve the conditions of the household’s indoor air, the users seems to prioritize the practical characteristics of the three stone open fire that gives them more time and making it easier to cook. But with some modifications and by further use of the MiG|BioCooker, it might be apossible substitute to the three stone open fire in the future.

Pineview Reservoir, near Utah's populous Wasatch Front, could play an important role in modulating water supply as water demands and water uses change in response to increasing population densities. The reservoir is currently mesotrophic but threatens to become eutrophic. Ground water in the shallow water table aquifer that surrounds the reservoir contributes a large proportion of the reservoir's inflows in summer and fall because most of the stream flow is diverted for irrigation. Ground water flow and its subsequent nutrient loading to the reservoir were studied from February 2010 through November 2011. The objectives were to: 1) characterize nutrient transport from the water table aquifer to the reservoir; 2) quantify and characterize the spatial variability of ground water flow and nutrient loading in a mountainous irrigated valley; and 3) estimate nitrate leaching to ground water from cropland, lawns and septic drain fields. The first objective was achieved by monitoring stream flows, and modeling ground water flow and nutrient loading towards Pineview Reservoir. Ground water from the water table aquifer contributed 22 percent and 2.6 percent nitrate + nitrite nitrogen and total dissolved phosphorus, respectively, to the annual reservoir loads. The aquifer contributed a total inflow of 3.4 x 106 m3 yr-1 (2 percent of the total inflows) to the reservoir. Large variations in both ground water nutrient concentrations (6 - 310 µg P L-1 as total dissolved phosphorus and 3.3 - 21 mg N L-1 as nitrate + nitrite) and ground water flows among aquifer subdivisions were observed. Study of the second objective employed GIS-based interpolation techniques in analyzing the spatial distribution of ground water flow and nutrient loading towards the reservoir. Large spatial variations in ground water flows and nutrient loadings were observed. The 67 percent confidence intervals (geometric mean ± 1 standard deviation) for total dissolved phosphorus ranged from 0.014 - 0.400 kg P d-1. Nitrate + nitrite nitrogen had a 67 percent confidence interval of 0.954 - 39.1 kg N d-1. The variations were attributed to agricultural and domestic non-point sources. Under the third objective, ground water nitrate loadings in the near-reservoir drainage area of the reservoir's major tributary, the South Fork of the Ogden River, were simulated in the GIS-based Nitrogen Loss and Environmental Assessment Package. Annual leaching rates (kg N ha-1 yr-1) from drain-fields and the lawns were, respectively, more than 2.6- and 1.1-fold higher than the croplands. However, differences in the spatial extent of contributing sources resulted in 70- and 50-fold higher total leaching losses from croplands and lawns, respectively, than drain-fields. The findings would help water managers, town planners, and stakeholders in their decisions relative to land use, water distribution and use to protect and/or improve water quality in the reservoir.

Population growth has lead to an increase in development and impervious areas in urban settings. Post-development conditions cause several problems for stormwater management such as limited space for stormwater storage systems and the conveyance of pollution picked up by runoff to near by water bodies. Green Roofs with cisterns have been shown to attenuate the peak flow of storm events and reduce the pollution load leaving a site and entering nearby water bodies. The purpose of this research is to expand the available research data on green roofs with cisterns by investigating the water quality and hydrology effects of different green roof designs including depth of media, an additional pollution control layer beneath the growth media, and different drainage layer materials. Furthermore, a comparison study is performed on the cistern water quality, direct filtrate water quality, and control roof filtrate water quality. Results show that phosphorus concentrations are lower when using a pollution control layer beneath the growing media, and that evapotransporation and filtrate factor values from the 4-inch media and the 8-inch media are approximately equal for one year. However, hydrograph results show that the 8-inch media design has a lower peak flow and longer attenuation when compared to the 4-inch media design for a single storm event. Furthermore, the drainage layer material has no significant effect on the water quality or hydrology of the green roof discharge. The data also emphasizes the importance and effectiveness of the incorporation of a cistern into a green roof system.
M.S.Env.E.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Environmental Engr MSEnvE

Baigiamojo bakalauro darbo tema – Mūšos upės taršos problemų analizė. Darbo tikslas – ištirti Mūšos upės taršą įtakojančius veiksnius. Aprašytos į Mūšą sutekančios Kulpės, Kruojos, Daugyvenės, Tatulos ir Lėvens upės, jų vandens kokybė bei į Mūšos upę iš šių intakų atplukdomi teršalų kiekiai. Pateiktas hidrocheminis upių įvertinimas. Analizuojama mokslinė literatūra paviršinio vandens apsaugos klausimais. Pateikiamos žinios apie Mūšos upės būklę. Atlikti Kulpės, Kruojos, Daugyvenės, Tatulos, Lėvens upių vandens užterštumo tyrimai. Mūšoje vandens tarša matuota aukščiau Kulpės, Mūšoje žemiau Saločių bei UAB „Searimner“ kiaulių komplekso „Mūša“ teritorijoje esančiame drenažo vandenyje. Mėginiai buvo paimti vietose: vienas aukščiau miestų (Mūša aukščiau Kulpės), kiti penki mėginiai upių žiotyse – prieš įtekant į Mūšos upę, vienas šalia kiaulių komplekso esančio drenažo pabaigoje prie įtekėjimo į Mūšą, vienas 14 km nuo Latvijos sienos, žemiau Saločių gyvenvietės. Vandens mėginiuose ištirta: vandens pH, temperatūra, skendinčių medžiagų kiekis (SM), BDS7, amonio azoto, nitritų, nitratų, bendrojo azoto, bendrojo fosforo bei fosfatų koncentracijos. Ištirtuose vandens mėginiuose pH svyravo nuo 7,66 iki 8,07. BDS7 viršijo didžiausią leistiną koncentraciją visose tirtose upėse nuo 1 – 4 kartų, išskyrus taške Mūša aukščiau Kulpės. Amonio azoto koncentracija Kulpės žiotyse DLK (0,78 mgN/l) viršyta 5 kartus. Nitritai didžiausią leistiną koncentraciją viršija Kulpės (1,6 karto), Lėvens (2... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
Bachelor thesis – pollution problems analysis in river Mūša. The aim of the work – to analyse the key issues which influence pollution in river Mūša. Provided description of inflow rivers like Kulpė, Kruoja, Daugyvenė, Tatula and Lėvuo, their water quality and also their level of pollution flow to river Mūša. Evaluation of these rivers hydro-chemical state provided. Moreover, there is scientific literature analysis about protection questions of surface water. Information about the state of river Mūša provided. Water pollution examples were taken in Kulpė, Kruoja, Daugyvenė, Tatula and Lėvuo. In Mūša water pollution was measured before Kulpė inflow, another test was taken after Saločiai village and one more from drainage water in the territory of pig complex called “Mūša”. Examples were taken from: one before the city’s (Mūša before Kulpe inflow), other five examples near the estuary, before inflow to Mūša. One more example was taken from drainage before inflow to Mūša near the pig complex and last one 14 kilometres from Latvian border, before Saločai village. Analysed water examples revealed: water pH, temperature, flowing material quantity (SM), BDS7, ammonium nitrogen, nitrite, nitrate, total nitrogen, total phosphor and phosphates concentration. In analysed water examples pH falter from 7,66 to 8,07. BDS7 exceeded highest permitted concentration in all analysed rivers from 1 to 4 times, except point Mūša before Kulpe inflow. Ammonium nitrogen... [to full text]

The South Slough Estuary is located off Coos Bay along the southern coast of Oregon. It is divided into two channels that meet and continue to Coos Bay at the Charleston Harbor. There are six major contributing streams to South Slough. After rainfall events, the level of coliform bacteria in the slough increases because of stream bacteria loading. This is due to cattle grazing in the drainage areas, failed septic systems from private homes, and sewage sludge applied to the County landfill, which drains into the slough. The Oregon Health Division has enforced a Sanitation Management Plan for Commercial Shellfish Harvesting in South Slough that specifies closure of commercial shellfish harvesting for certain rainfall and flood events. The purpose of this study is to analyze and improve the current understanding of the hydraulics and water quality of the South Slough Estuary. This was achieved by calibrating the South Slough using the water quality model CEQUAL- W2. It was calibrated for the following parameters water surface elevations, velocity, temperature and total dissolved solids. A management analysis was also done analyzing the transport of bacteria and a conservative tracer. Model predictions for water surface elevations at one of the monitoring sites, Hinch Road Bridge, was significantly lower than measured elevations. There was an excellent correlation of velocity, and reasonable timing of peaks due to tidal effects. Model predictions for temperature and total dissolved solids match measured values well. To improve the accuracy of the model the following was recommended; install a raingage in the South Slough, measure temperature and constituent concentrations at inflow locations, survey the S4 current meter, new soundings performed of the Winchester Creek arm and at the Hinch Road Bridge gaging station, and investigate the possibility of an obstruction near the Hinch Road Bridge gaging station.

Economic development in an area attracts more people to live in it. This increment drives the necessity to improve available infrastructure, like roads for instance, to satisfy a higher demand. Bigger roads and higher number of vehicles have raised the concern about possible pollution coming from these sources In this thesis, copper coming from road runoff in a peri-urban catchment in Portugal was analyzed. The catchment is located in the Coimbra region, center of Portugal. In order to model copper pollution in road runoff, it is necessary to couple a hydrological model and a water quality Based on a previous study (Kalantari, Ferreira, Walsh, Ferreira, & Destouni, 2017) a physical based hydrological model  MIKE SHE  coupled with the hydraulic model MIKE 11was updated and further coupled with  ECO Lab to simulate water quality and ecological processes. The results show an improvement of the hydrological model compared with the original one, nash-sutcliffe efficiency was raised from 0.59 to 0.77 and the coefficient of determination varied from 0.64 to 0.79. For copper the model behavior for punctual and distributed sources was analyzed. For punctual sources, highest concentrations were present in the grid points where the incoming sources were located in the tributaries, and these concentrations are rapidly reduced downstream. On the other hand, distributed sources approach gives higher concentrations near the end of the river than in the tributaries upstream. Comparing time-averaged model results along the river, with fresh water quality criteria according to U.S. EPA (2004), for punctual sources an extension of 978 meters (7,6% of the river) presents a concentration above CCC or CMC, on the contrary, for distributed sources the extension is lower with 494 meters (3,8%). The organic carbon partitioning coefficient have bigger influence on the results than other factors, nevertheless this influence is not marked. Modeled copper values do not agree well with the mesured values specially for periods with higher discharge as the model simulates lower concentration with higher discharge and viceversa. Copper boundary values for the model represent a big challenge considering limited data available. This thesis gives good overview about the coupling process between MIKE 11 and ECO Lab, as well as analyzes the importance of some factors as well as model limitations and uncertainties.

Användandet av obehandlat avloppsvatten inom jordbruket är en växande företeelse i många delar av världen. Speciellt i vattenfattiga områden där avloppsvattnet ses som en värdefull och pålitlig resurs. Det höga näringsinnehållet minskar behovet av konstgödsel och detta ökar böndernas inkomster. Men med användandet av avloppsvattnet följer vissa hälsorisker. Bland annat har man sett en högre förekomst av inälvsmaskar hos bönder som använder orenat avloppsvatten jämfört med de som använder rent vatten. Den här vattenkvalitetstudien har utförts längs floden Musi i Andhra Pradesh, Indien. Musi rinner igenom staden Hyderabad och mycket av stadens avloppsvatten dumpas i floden. Nedströms Hyderabad används detta vatten för bevattning. Längs med floden är dammar byggda, för att avleda vattnet i bevattningskanaler. Reservoirer bildas då flödeshastigheten minskar. Studieområdet sträcker sig från Hyderabad och 28.7 km nedströms. Hypotesen var att reservoirerna fungerar som biodammar och syftet var att kvantifiera dammarnas inverkan på vattenkvaliteten och utvärdera dess lämplighet utifrån ett hälso- och jordbruksperspektiv. Inom studieområdet är reningen med avseende på BOD, Nematoder och E coli 86,9%, 99,9% respektive 99,9%. Trots att reningen är så hög överstiger Nematod- och E coli-koncentrationerna Världshälsoorganisationens riktlinjer och utgör en hälsorisk för bönder och konsumenter. Syre- och salthalt ökar nedströms och den höga salthalten kan ha negativ inverkan på jordbrukets avkastning. Genom att titta på reningsmönster och förändring av olika vattenkvalitetsparametrar är en av slutsatserna av detta arbete att reningen i dammarna motsvarar den rening som sker i de anaeroba bassängerna i ett biodammsystem.

The use of untreated domestic sewage in agriculture is a growing practice in many parts of the world. It is being looked upon as a valuable and reliable resource in water scarce communities. Wastewater is usually rich in nutrients and the use results in high yields without the need for artificial fertilisers. But with the use of untreated wastewater follows a number of associated health risks, e.g. a higher prevalence of helminth infections has been seen among wastewater users compared to non-users. This water quality study was performed along the River Musi in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Musi River flows through the city of Hyderabad carrying the most of the town’s wastewater. Downstream of Hyderabad the wastewater is used by farmers for irrigation. Along the river weirs are constructed which diverts the irrigation water into canals and reservoirs are formed where the flow velocity slows down. The study area stretches from Hyderabad and 28.7 km downstream. The hypothesis was that the existing irrigation infrastructure acts like Wastewater Stabilisation Ponds and the aim was to quantify the impact of the weirs on water quality and to evaluate the irrigation water quality in reference to associated health risks and agricultural suitability. Within the study area the BOD, E coli and Nematode removals were 86.9%, 99.9% and 99.9% respectively. Despite the high removal the E coli and Nematodes, the concentrations exceed WHO guidelines for unrestricted and restricted irrigation, and there exists an excess risk of intestinal nematode- and enteric infections for farmers. Dissolved oxygen and salinity increases downstream and due to the high salinity farmers could experience reduced crop yields. By looking at removal patterns, and the change in water quality parameters, the conclusion can be made that the reservoirs act like anaerobic ponds in a Wastewater Stabilisation Pond system.

Viena svarbiausių aplinkosauginių problemų Lietuvoje yra paviršinių vandenų kokybė. Šiame darbe įvertinta Plungės rajono Nausodžio seniūnijos Varkalių gyvenvietės nuotekų bei taškinių taršos šaltinių įtaka drenažo vandenų kokybei bei paviršinių vandenų būklės atitiktis didžiausioms leistinoms teršalų koncentracijoms. Tyrimų objektas pasirinktas remiantis gyventojų skundai (2 ir 3 priedai), pateiktais žemės ūkio skyriui, dėl užterštos melioracijos sistemos išvalymo. Šioje gyvenvietėje gyvena apie 1277 gyventojų, didžioji dalis jų ūkinės veiklos nevykdo, o apie 40 % - ūkininkauja. Vyrauja smulkūs ūkiai, kurių pagrindinė šaka - gyvulininkystė. Natūriniai tyrimai pradėti vykdyti 2008 m., balandžio mėn., baigti - 2009 m., sausio mėn. Kas 40 – 45 paras dviejuose sausinimo sistemos vietose buvo imami vandens ištekančio iš sausinimo sistemos mėginiai ir ištirti 6 parametrai: vandens rūgštingumo reakcija pH, Nbendr, NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N, PO4-P. Pirmoji mėginių ėmimo vieta pasirinkta arčiau gyvenvietės pačioje sistemos pradžioje ties ištakomis, kur, manoma, ir yra pagrindiniai taršos šaltiniai, o antroji - prie sausinimo sistemos žiočių Mažosios Sruojos upelyje, šiek tiek aukščiau Varkalių tvenkinio. Ši parinkta tam, kad būtų galima nustatyti kokios kokybės vanduo patenka į paviršinių vandens telkinius. Tiriamųjų parametrų nustatymui bandiniai tirti LŽŪU Aplinkotyros laboratorijoje tirti jonometriniu ir spektrofotometrinės analizės metodu, atitinkančiu ISO standartus. Tirtieji mėginių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
One of the most important environmental problems in Lithuania is the surface water quality. This thesis evaluated waste water and other pollution influence of drainage water quality and surface waters accordance with the maximum concentrations of pollutants in Plunge district, Varkaliai village The object of research was selected in accordance with complaints from the population, by the agricultural department of contaminated drainage system. In this village lives about 1277 person. About 40%, of population are farmers. Prevailing small farms, whose main industry – stock-raising The investigation was launched in April of 2008, and finished in January of 2009,. Every 40 - 45 days, in two place of drainage systems, were taken water samples effluent from the drainage system and investigated 6 parameters: the water acidity pH, Ntotal, NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N, PO4-P. The first testing place was selected closer to the village in the headwater of the system , where supposedly is, the main sources of pollution, and the second - to the outfall of drainage system in the river Mazoji Sruoja, slightly above Varkalių pond. This was chosen in order to determine what quality of water access in the surface water. The water sample was investigated in LŽŪU environmental laboratory by the ionimetric and the spectrophotometer method of analysis conforming to ISO standards. Investigated characteristics of samples were compared and interdependence of the individual substances is determined using a... [to full text]

Vandens telkinių apsauga nuo užteršimo komunalinėmis nuotekomis – viena aktualiausių Kupiškio rajono savivaldybės vandensaugos problemų. Rajone geriamojo vandens tiekimą ir nuotekų šalinimą vykdo UAB „Kupiškio butų ūkis ir vandentiekis“, kuris aptarnauja 12 gyvenviečių. Nuotekų valymo įrenginius turi Kupiškio miestas ir 7 gyvenvietės: Subačius, Šepeta, Šimonys, Noriūnai, Rudiliai, Alizava, Selamiestis. Kupiškio miesto nuotekos savitakiniais tinklais yra surenkamos į nuotekų valyklą, kurios projektinis našumas 2000 m3/d , o faktinė apkrova 1016 m3/d. Nuotekų valykla pastatyta 1989 metais. Atlikus Kupiškio rajono nuotekų valyklų būklės analizę nustatyta, kad Kupiškio rajono valymo įrenginiai prastos būklės, dirba neefektyviai. Svarbu išplėsti nuotekų tinklus į naujus kvartalus Skapiškyje, Aukštupėnuose, Paketuriuose, Byčiuose ir Virbališkyje. Neefektyvūs rusiški siurbliai turi būti pakeisti naujais Kupiškio, Subačiaus siurblinėse. Atsarginiai siurbliai reikalingi Subačiaus, Šepetos, Rudilių, Salamiesčio siurblinėse. Azoto ir fosforo šalinimo įrenginiai turi būti pastatyti Kupiškio nuotekų valymo įrenginiuose. Reikia statyti Subačiaus, Alizavos, Salamiesčio nuotekų valymo įrenginius. Biologiniai tvenkiniai Rudilių nuotekų valymo įrenginiuose nėra aeruojami ir yra labai blogos būklės. Šiuo metu jie tarnauja tik kaip nuotekų kaupimo rezervuarai. Nauji nuotekų valymo įrenginiai turi būti statomi Šepetoje, Skapiškiuose, Rudiliuose, Aukštupėnuose, Paketuriuose, Byčiuose... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
Protection of water bodies from pollution by municipal wastewaters is one of the most relevant water protection problems in Kupiškis District Municipality. In the region the drinking water supply and wastewater removal is being carried out by the JSC “Kupiškis flat economy and water-supply”. This company maintains 12 settlements. Kupiškis town and 7 settlements (Subačius, Šepeta, Šimonys, Noriūnai, Rudiliai, Alizava, Salamiestis) have wastewater treatment facilities. The wastewater from Kupiškis town is collected by self-flowing networks to the wastewater treatment facilities, where design efficiency is 2000 m3/d and present load is 1016 m3/d. Wastewater treatment facilities were built in 1989. It is important to expand wastewater networks into new quarters of Skapškis, Aukštupėnai, Paketuriai, Byčiai and Virbališkis. New pumps in the pumping stations of Kupškis and Subačius must replace ineffective Russian-made ones. Alternate pumps are necessary in the pumping stations of Subačius, Šepeta, Rudiliai and Salamiestis. Nitrogen and phosphorus elimination equipment must be arranged in the Kupiškis wastewater treatment facilities. In the settlements Subačius, Alizava and Salamiestis wastewater treatment facilities must be built. Biological ponds in the Rudiliai wastewater treatment facilities are not being aerated and are in a bad condition. At present they serve as wastewater storage reservoirs. New wastewater treatment facilities must be built in Šepeta, Skapiškiai, Rudiliai... [to full text]

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014
Environmental legislation focusing on wastewater disposal in industries that utilise cyanide and/or cyanide-related compounds has become increasingly stringent worldwide, with many companies that utilise cyanide products required to abide by the Cyanide International Code associated with the approval of process certifications and management of industries which utilise cyanide. This code enforces the treatment or recycling of cyanide-contaminated wastewater. Industries such as those involved in mineral processing, photo finishing, metal plating, coal processing, synthetic fibre production, and extraction of precious metals, that is, gold and silver, contribute significantly to cyanide contamination in the environment through wastewater. As fresh water reserves throughout the world are low, cyanide contamination in water reserves threatens not only the economy, but also endangers the lives of living organisms that feed from these sources, including humans. In the mining industry, dilute cyanide solutions are utilised for the recovery of base (e.g. Cu, Zn, Ni, etc.) and precious metals (e.g. Au, Ag, etc.). However, for technical reasons, the water utilised for these processes cannot be recycled upstream of the mineral bioleaching circuit as the microorganisms employed in mineral bioleaching are sensitive to cyanide and its complexes, and thus the presence of such compounds would inhibit microbial activity, resulting in poor mineral oxidation. The inability to recycle the water has negative implications for water conservation and re-use, especially in arid regions. A number of treatment methods have been developed to remediate cyanide containing wastewaters. However, these chemical and physical methods are capital intensive and produce excess sludge which requires additional treatment. Furthermore, the by-products that are produced through these methods are hazardous. Therefore, there is a need for the development of alternative methods that are robust and economically viable for the bioremediation of cyanide-contaminated wastewater. Biological treatment of free cyanide in industrial wastewaters has been proved a viable and robust method for treatment of wastewaters containing cyanide. Several bacterial species, including Bacillus sp., can degrade cyanide to less toxic products, as these microorganisms are able to use the cyanide as a nitrogen source, producing ammonia and carbon dioxide. These bacterial species secrete enzymes that catalyse the degradation of cyanide into several end-products. The end-products of biodegradation can then be utilised by the microorganisms as nutrient sources. This study focused on the isolation and identification of bacterial species in wastewater containing elevated concentrations of cyanide, and the assessment of the cyanide biodegradation ability of the isolates. Thirteen bacterial isolates were isolated from electroplating wastewater by suppressing the growth of fungal organisms and these species were identified as species belonging to the Bacillus genus using the 16S rDNA gene. A mixed culture of the isolates was cultured in nutrient broth for 48 hours at 37°C, to which FCN as KCN was added to evaluate the species‟ ability to tolerate and biodegrade cyanide in batch bioreactors. Subsequently, cultures were supplemented solely with agro-waste extracts, that is, Ananas comosus extract (1% v/v), Beta vulgaris extract (1% v/v), Ipomea batatas extract (1% v/v), spent brewer‟s yeast (1% v/v) and whey (0.5% w/v), as the primary carbon sources. Owing to the formation of high ammonium concentration from the cyanide biodegradation process, the nitrification and aerobic denitrification ability of the isolates, classified as cyanide-degrading bacteria (CDB) was evaluated in a batch and pneumatic bioreactor in comparison with ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB). Furthermore, the effects of F-CN on the nitrification and aerobic denitrification was evaluated assess the impact of F-CN presence on nitrification. Additionally, optimisation of culture conditions with reference to temperature, pH and substrate concentration was evaluated using response surface methodology. Using the optimised data, a continuous biodegradation process was carried out in a dual-stage packed- bed reactor combined with a pneumatic bioreactor for the biodegradation of F-CN and subsequent nitrification and aerobic denitrification of the formed ammonium and nitrates. The isolated bacterial species were found to be gram positive and were able to produce endospores that were centrally located; using the 16S rDNA gene, the species were found to belong to the Bacillus genus. The species were able to degrade high cyanide concentration in nutrient broth with degradation efficiencies of 87.6%, 65.4%, 57.0% and 43.6% from 100 mg F-CN/L, 200 mg F-CN/L, 300 mg F-CN/L, 400 mg F-CN/L and 500 mg F-CN/L respectively over a period of 8 days. Additionally, the isolates were able to degrade cyanide in an agro-waste supported medium, especially in a medium that was supplemented with whey which achieved a degradation efficiency of 90% and 60% from 200 mg F-CN/L and 400 mg F-CN/L, respectively over a period of 5 days. The nitrification ability of the isolates was evaluated and the removal of NH4 +/NO3 - by the CDB and AOB in both shake flasks and pneumatic bioreactor was determined to be pH dependent. The maximum NH4 +/NO3 - removal evaluated over a period of 8 days for CDB and 15 days for AOB, observed at pH 7.7 in shake flasks, was 75% and 88%, respectively, in the absence of F-CN. Similarly, the removal of NH4 +/NO3 - in a pneumatic bioreactor was found to be 97.31% for CDB and 92% for AOB, thus demonstrating the importance of aeration in the designed process. The nitrification by CDB was not inhibited by cyanide loading up to a concentration of 8 mg FCN/ L, while the AOB were inhibited at cyanide loading concentration of 1 mg F-CN/L. The CDB removed the NH4 +/NO3 - in PBSs operated in a fed-batch mode, obtaining efficiencies >99% (NH4 +) and 76 to 98% (NO3 -) in repeated cycles (n = 3) under F-CN (≤8 mg F-CN/L). The input variables, that is, pH, temperature and whey-waste concentration, were optimised using a numerical optimisation technique where the optimum conditions were found to be: pH 9.88, temperature 33.60 °C and whey-waste concentration 14.27 g/L, under which 206.53 mg CN-/L in 96 h can be biodegraded by the microbial species from an initial cyanide concentration of 500 mg F-CN/L. Furthermore, using the optimised data, cyanide biodegradation in a continuous mode was evaluated in a dual-stage packed-bed bioreactor connected in series to a pneumatic bioreactor system used for simultaneous nitrification including aerobic denitrification. The whey-supported Bacillus sp. culture was not inhibited by the free cyanide concentration of up to 500 mg F-CN/L, with an overall degradation efficiency of ≥99% with subsequent nitrification and aerobic denitrification of the formed ammoniu and nitrates over a period of 80 days.

Less than 10% of the world’s domestic wastewater is disinfected prior to discharge into surface waters; therefore, human exposure to diverse wastewater-related pathogens results in millions of cases of illness each year. Among the enteric pathogens, viruses represent an important group of emerging pathogens and are frequently the cause of food- and water-borne outbreaks of illness. Although the World Health Organization and many government agencies mandate the use of bacterial indicators to identify poor microbial water quality, it is well known that these indicators poorly correlate with fecal pollution contamination events and risk of disease. The field of public health-related environmental microbiology has made significant advances over the last twenty years; however, there is still a need for improved methods to identify poor microbial water quality and manage health risks associated with water-related activities (e.g., recreation, shellfish harvesting, irrigation). Furthermore, it is imperative to effectively detect fecal pollution in the environment as well as determine the extent of pathogen removal during (waste)water treatment to meet the Sustainable Development Goals associated with water and food security as well as the water reuse recommendations by the U.S. National Research Council. This dissertation directly addressed the need to identify an improved viral indicator by exploring the application of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a virus of dietary origin that is extremely abundant in human feces, as a surrogate for enteric viruses in diverse settings and contexts. Using a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) method, PMMoV was compared with other indicators, index surrogates, and reference pathogens for assessing surface water quality in a developed country (Appendix A) and developing country context (Appendix B and C). In addition, the applicability of PMMoV as a (waste)water treatment process indicator was demonstrated in natural treatment systems in developing countries (Appendix C and D) and artificial treatment systems (Appendix E). In all settings, PMMoV always co-occurred with at least one reference pathogen, index organism, and/or indicator; additionally, PMMoV was detected more frequently and in higher concentrations than other reference pathogens and indicators. Three investigations also associated PMMoV detection with predicted human health risks greater than the health benchmark for recreation and water reuse activities (Appendix A, C, and D). Additionally, PMMoV facilitated an improved understanding of virus-particle interactions in wastewater treatment pond systems (Appendix D) and allowed for an improved understanding of virus removal with respect to riverbank filtration systems and wastewater reuse in agriculture (Appendix C). PMMoV was established as a valuable component of the microbial source tracking toolbox in Costa Rica (Appendix B) and appeared to be useful in Bolivia (Appendix C). Finally, a paradigm shift in (waste)water management is occurring, in which routine monitoring is being replaced by a more holistic approach that includes sanitary surveys, targeted water quality monitoring, and exploratory quantitative microbial risk assessment. To support and complement this paradigm shift, field-based, laboratory-free methods are needed to identify and/or infer the presence of enteric viruses (Appendix F). Collectively, all the investigations presented here confirm the use of PMMoV as a surrogate for enteric viruses; however, its utility depends on the context and research question.

Thesis (M.Ing.)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this research has been to compare nonpoint sources assessment techniques for simulating phosphorous production in rural catchments which have a variety ofland use types. Four nonpoint source assessment techniques capable of simulating phosphorous production, operating at different spatial and temporal resolutions, were selected after an intensive literature review. The model selection criteria included the capability to simulate phosphorous production, the need for the study to cover a range of spatial and temporal resolutions, model data requirements, model affordability and availability in South Africa. The models selected using these criteria are the Phosphorous Export Model (PEM) (Weddepohl & Meyer, 1992), Impoundment and River Management and Planning Assessment Tool for Water Quality Simulation Model (IMPAQ) (DWAF,1995), the Hydrological Simulation Program Fortran (HSPF) (Bricknell,1993) and the Agricultural Catchments Research Unit Model (ACRU) (Smithers and Caldecott, 1994). Four ofthe study catchments were selected within the Berg River basin in the Western Cape and the remaining four were selected within the Amatole catchments in the Eastern Cape. The four subcatchments in the Berg River basin are the Twenty-Four Rivers, Leeu River, Kompanjies River and Doring River catchments and the four in the Amatole catchments are the Upper Buffalo, Cwencwe, Yellowwoods and Gqunube River catchments. The range of land use/cover types comprises: Western Cape catchments : wheat, grapes, natural vegetation and forestry Eastern Cape catchments : natural vegetation and forestry The PEM and IMPAQ models were applied reasonably successfully to all the catchments to simulate phosphorous production, with the observed flow as the input. The HSPF model could not successfully be applied to the catchments to simulate both the catchment hydrology and phosphorous production. Hence, the investigation into HSPF was abandoned, and in its place, the ACRU daily phosphorous yield model was incorporated at a fairly late stage in the research. ACRU was applied to only the Western Cape catchments. The estimated parameters for different land use types were compared to investigate the potential for parameter transfer in space and time. Both the PEM and IMP AQ models showed promise that land use parameters could be transferred in time for catchments located in the Western Cape catchments, but did not show promise for catchments located in the Eastern Cape. The IMPAQ model showed promise that land use parameters could be transferred in space for catchments located in the Eastern Cape, but did not perform as well in the Western Cape catchments. The PEM model showed promise that land use parameters could be transferred in space for catchments located in the Western Cape, but did not perform as well in the Eastern Cape. Since the ACRU phosphorous yield model was included at a late stage of the research, the potential for land use parameter transfer in space and time could not investigated. The model results were verified at the relevant flow and water quality gauging stations. The ACRU phosphorous model verification results showed promise for catchments located in humid parts of the Berg River basin, but did not perform as well in the catchment located in the semi-arid part. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: I. Intensive research should be undertaken to develop a database ofland use parameters/ export coefficients related to phosphorous production (and other non-conservative constituents) in South African catchments. Availability of these parameters would make phosphorous modelling much easier. HSPF should be configured and calibrated, more especially its water quality component, for catchments with hourly rainfall and rainfall stations located within/on the catchment boundaries, to investigate its performance under South African conditions. Given the complexity of the HSPF algorithms and the time required to familiarise oneself with the model, it is recommended that such an investigation be undertaken which is not inclusive of any other models. The spatial resolution ofPEM is extremely coarse, and should be improved to allow the user to partition the total flow in the catchment according to contributions from the variety ofland use types and to estimate soluble and particulate phosphorous parameters for each land use type. A study should be undertaken to investigate the potential for the ACRU phosphorous yield model parameter transfer in time and space. Sampling frequency of water quality data in South Africa should be improved, because it is difficult to assess the performance of the calibrated water quality models, more especially phosphorous export models, due to a lack of continuous data sets. Rainfall data collection in gauged catchments, more especially Western Cape catchments (e.g. Twenty-Four Rivers, Leeu, Kompanjies and the Doring River catchments), should be improved. There should be at least one rainfall gauging station located within the catchment boundaries. This would contribute towards achieving reasonable hydrological calibration or verification. Since runoff is the driving factor for water quality components, improved hydrological calibration/verification would result in reasonable water quality calibration/verification.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die navorsing was om die simulering van fosfaat produksie in landelike gebiede, wat 'n verskeidenheid grondgebruike het, met behulp van nie-punt bron evaluerings tegnieke te evulaeer. Vier nie-punt bron evaluerings tegnieke, met die vermoë om fosfaat produksie op verskillende ruimtelike en tyds resolusies te simuleer, is gekies na 'n intensiewe ondersoek van beskikbare literatuur. Die kriteria vir die keuse van die model het ingesluit die vermoë om fosfaat produksie te simuleer, die behoefte vir die studie om 'n reeks van ruimtelike en tyds resolusies te simuleer, model data vereistes, model bekostigbaarheid en beskikbaarheid in Suid Afrika. Die gekose modelle, gebaseer op bogemelde kriteria, was die PEM, IMPAQ, HSPF en ACRU modelle. Vier van die opvanggebiede gebruik in die studie, was in die Bergrivier bekken in die Wes-Kaap en vier was in die Amatole opvanggebiede in die Oos-Kaap. Die vier opvanggebiede in die Bergrivier bekken is die Vier-en- Twentigriviere, Leeurivier, Kompanjiesrivier en die Doringrivier en die vier opvanggebiede in die Amatole opvanggebiede is die Bo-Buffels, Cwencwe, Yellowwoods, en die Gunubierivier opvanggebiede. Grondgebruik beslaan die volgende: Wes-Kaap opvanggebiede : koring, druiwe, natuurlike weiding en plantasies. Oos-Kaap : natuurlike plantegroei en plantasies Die PEM en IMPAQ modelle is met redelike sukses in al die opvanggebiede gebruik vir die simulasie van fosfaat produksie, met die waargenome vloei as invoer. Die HSPF model kan nie met enige sukses gebruik word om beide die opvanggebied hidrologie en fosfaat produksie, te simuleer nie. Die HSPF model is dus uitgeskakel en in 'n redelike laat stadium van die studie met die ACRU daaglikse fosfaat leweringsmodel vervang. Die ACRU model is net op die Wes-Kaap opvanggebiede toegepas. Die beraamde parameters vir die verskillende grondgebruik tipes is vergelyk om die potensiaal vir parameter oordrag in ruimte en tyd te ondersoek. Beide die PEM en IMPAQ modelle het belowend vertoon ten opsigte van die oordrag van grondgebruik parameters in tyd vir opvanggebiede in die Wes- Kaap, maar het geensins belowend vertoon vir die Oos-Kaap opvanggebiede nie. Die IMPAQ model het belowend vertoon ten opsigte van die ruimtelike oordrag van grondgebruik parameters vir die Oos-Kaap opvanggebiede, maar het nie so goed vertoon in die Wes-Kaap opvanggebiede nie. Die PEM model het belowend vertoon ten opsigte van die ruimtelike oordrag dat grondgebruikte parameters in die Wes-Kaap opvanggebiede is, maar het nie so goed in die Oos-Kaap opvanggebiede vertoon nie. Aangesien die ACRU fosfaat leweringsmodel op 'n laat stadium van die navorsing ingesluit is, kan die potensiaal vir die oordrag van grondgebruik parameters in ruimte en tyd nie ondersoek word nie. Die model resultate is by die toepaslike vloei en waterkwaliteit meetstasies geverifiëer Die resultate van die ACRU fosfaat model verifikasie het belowend vertoon vir opvangebiede in die humiede gedeeltes van die Bergrivier bekken, maar het nie so goed vertoon in die semi-droeë deel van die opvangebied nie. AANBEVELINGS VIR VERDERE NAVORSING : Y4 Intensiewe navorsing moet onderneem word ten einde in 'n databasis van grondgebruik parameters/oordrag koëffisiente met betrekking tot fosfaat produksie (en ander niekonserwatiewe bestandelle ) in Suid Afrikaanse opvanggebiede op te bou. Beskikbaarheid van hierdie parameters sal fosfaat modellering vergemaklik. Die HSPF model moet opgestel en gekalibreer word, meer spesifiek ten opsigte van die waterkwaliteit komponent, vir opvanggebiede met uurlikse reënval en reënvalstasies binne of op die opvanggebied grense, om die model se vertoning onder Suid Afrikaanse omstandighede te ondersoek. Gegewe die kompleksiteit van die HSPF algoritmes en tyd benodig om met model vertroud te raak, word dit aanbeveel dat so 'n ondersoek onderneem word met uitsluiting van die ander modelle. Die ruimtelike resolusie van die PEM model is uitermatig grof, en behoort verbeter te word ten einde die gebruiker toe te laat om die totale vloei in die opvanggebied in ooreenstemming met die bydraes van die onderskeie grondgebruik tipes te verdeel en om oplosbare en partikulere fosfaat parameters vir elke grondgebruik tipe te beraam. 'n Studie om die potensiaal vir die ruimtelike en tydsoordrag van die ACRU fosfaat leweringsmodel parameters te ondersoek, moet onderneem word. Die frekwensie van waterkwaliteit monitering in Suid Afrika moet verbeter word, aangesien dit moelik is om, weens 'n gebrek aan deurlopend waargenome data, die vertoning van gekalibreerde waterkwaliteit modelle te ondersoek, meer spesifiek nog fosfaat uitvoer modelle. Reënval inligting versameling in gemete opvanggebied, meer spesifiek die Wes-Kaap opvanggebiede (bv.Vier-en-Twintigriviere, Leeu, Kompanjies en Doringrivier opvanggebiede), behoort verbeter te word. Daar behoort ten minste een reënval stasie binne die opvanggebied grense te wees. Dit sal bydra tot die bereiking van redelike hidrologiese kalibrasie ofverifikasie. Aangesien afloop die dryfveer van die waterkwaliteit komponente is, sal verbeterde hidrologiese kalibrasie/verifikasie lei tot redelike waterkwaliteit kalibrasie/verifikasie.

There are many possible ways to mitigate stormwater pollution, but this study focused on the DrainPacTM catchment basin insert and the feasibility of integrating N-halamine biocidal brominated beads into the filter system. This study was divided into three sections. The first section involved testing a DrainPacTM filter for treatable flow rates, head loss, and removal of solids, oil, and bacteria. The DrainPacTM filter is designed to be installed in a stormwater catch basin. The filter is composed of a 12 x 41 inch metal frame with textile filter media attached to it in a basket shape. The upper portion of one panel of the filter basket is made from a plastic mesh to allow overflow if the filter is overloaded. The second section of this study involved testing N-halamine brominated biocidal beads in laboratory-scale columns, and the third section involved integrating the beads into the DrainPacTM filter and testing it full scale. For the DrainPacTM filter tests, the unit was installed into a custom-built test flume which was designed to mimic the conditions that would be encountered in a real stormwater application. The flume was supplied with a gravity-fed stream of water from a retention pond located on the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus. The initial tests were conducted to determine the amount of head loss produced by the filter. First, the clean filter was subjected to flow rates between 20 and 200 GPM. The filter showed very minimal head loss (0.5 to 9.1 cm for 20 to 200 GPM) when not loaded with solids. Next, the filter was subjected to 200 GPM flow with a solids concentration of between 80 and 100 mg/L until it failed (overflowed). This occurred after 625 g of solids had been added to the filter. After the filter had been loaded with solids to the point of overflow at 200 GPM, it was tested to determine what flow rate could be filtered with the solids present. The fully loaded filter was able to pass a flow rate of up to 80 GPM before overflowing. The DrainPacTM filter removed solids at a range of efficiencies from 83 to 91% at flow rates between 20 and 200 GPM. The higher removal efficiencies were achieved at the lower flow rates. The filter removed oil at efficiencies ranging between 40 and 80%. The oil removal efficiency did not appear to depend on the flow rate. The DrainPacTM filter did not remove bacteria under the test conditions. Following the DrainPacTM experiments, 0.3 mm and 0.8 mm diameter N-halamine brominated biocidal beads were tested in the lab using a laboratory glass column. At flow rates between 0.28 and 1.4 mL/sec, a 1 cm bed height of the 0.3 mm beads was found to produce head losses between 19 and 51.7 cm. The 0.8 mm beads produced head losses ranging from 11.9 to 47.7 cm when tested over the same range of flow rates. These flow rates represent nominal velocities between 0.36 and 1.8 cm/sec which would be expected in the DrainPacTM filter. The beads were then tested to determine how effectively they inactivate bacteria in a stream of water. Contact time after flowing through the column was found to be the key factor in how efficiently the beads worked. When the effluent samples were instantly quenched with sodium thiosulfate, the bacteria removal results matched those observed for the control (beads without bromine). When the samples were quenched directly after collection by adding the sodium thiosulfate to the sample as soon as the desired sample volume had been collected (95 to 285 seconds depending on flow rate), between 95 and over 99 percent of the bacteria were inactivated. After 10 minutes, all of the bacteria were inactivated. The final test involved integrating the N-halamine brominated beads into the DrainPacTM filter for a full scale test. Two sleeves containing 1400 grams of beads were laid into a DrainPacTM filter which was custom built to concentrate the flow through the beads. This system was tested using pond water with an average of 298 CFU/100 mL coliform bacteria at a flow rate of 36 GPM. The results of this test were very similar to the results of the lab scale testing. Contact time again proved to be necessary for bacteria inactivation. The filter with integrated N-halamine beads removed between 72 and 100% of bacteria with contact time between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.

Vandenų apsauga yra viena iš svarbiausių aplinkosaugos sričių. Europos Sąjungos direktyvos griežtai reglamentuoja išleidžiamų į paviršinius vandenis miestų nuotekų kokybę. Ne mažiau kaip 80 procentų išleidžiamų nuotekų neturi viršyti didžiausios leidžiamos koncentracijos. Darbo tikslas ištirti nuotekų valyklų Raseinių rajono savivaldybėje darbo efektyvumą ir numatyti priemones jų darbui pagerinti. Darbe analizuojama Raseinių rajono (Raseinių, Ariogalos, Kaulakių gyvenviečių) nuotekų valyklų darbo efektyvumas. Analizei naudoti 2005-2007 metais atliktų tyrimų duomenys. Duomenų analizė parodė, kad visoms valykloms reikalinga rekonstrukcija, visose gyvenvietėse reikia didinti prie centrinės nuotekų šalinimo sistemos prisijungusių gyventojų skaičių.
The protection of water is one of the most important spheres in the environment control. The quality of cities‘ sewage, that is drained to surface water, is strictly regulated by the directives of European Union. Not less than 80 per cent of drained sewage must not exceed the maximum allowable concentration. The purpose of this research is to analyse the effectiveness of sewage works in Raseiniai district and to provide the plant improvement scheme. In the article there is discussed the effectiveness of sewage works in Raseiniai district (Raseiniai, Ariogala, Kaulakiai). The data of 2007 is used in the analysis. The results show that the reconstruction is necessary for all the sewage works. Moreover, in all the places of residence it is a must to increase the number of residents who are linked to the central sewage removal system.

Ce travail de recherche porte sur l'application d'un procédé électrochimique d'oxydation avancée, le procédé électro-Fenton, au traitement des eaux usées contenant des polluants organiques persistants tels que les herbicides. En fait, le radical hydroxyle qui est un oxydant fort est généré in situ de manière électrocatalytique. Ce radical est capable d'oxyder n'importe quel molécule organique jusqu'à la minéralisation (transformation en CO2 et H2O).La dégradation/minéralisation de trois herbicides (atrazine, mesotrione et sulcotrione) a fait l'objet de ce travail. L'atrazine est un herbicide qui a été très largement utilisé dans le passé et interdit récemment en France à raison de son impact négatif sur l'environnement. L'atrazine constitue un polluant chroniques des eaux de surfaces et souterrains des deux dernières décennies. L'atrazine et ses métabolites seront présents dans les eaux encore pendant plusieurs années. L'atrazine est bien connu comme herbicide problématique quant à leur traitement. L'atrazine est une des molécules rare qui résiste à la minéralisation par les procédés d'oxydation avancée. Mesotrione et sulcotrione se sont des molécules conçus pour remplacer l'atrazine en tant que herbicides. Après avoir optimisé les paramètres opératoires du procédé électro-Fenton (nature et concentration du catalyseur, l'utilisation d'une anode Pt et une anode BDD en diamant dopé au bore, etc.) afin d'augmenter son efficacité, nous l'avons appliqué au traitement des solutions aqueux des polluants organiques. En premier lieu, nous avons identifié et effectué le suivi quantitatif des intermédiaires réactionnels aromatiques et aliphatiques formés lors du traitement. La libération des ions minéraux a été mise en évidence par chromatographie et leur évolution au cours de l'électrolyse a été suivie. L'efficacité de minéralisation des solutions traitées a été déterminée par l'analyse du carbone organique total. Dans le cas de l'atrazine, un taux de minéralisation de 96 % a été obtenu. Un taux si élevé n'est jamais rapporté par un procédé d'oxydation avancée. L'étude cinétique de la dégradation des herbicides étudiés a permis de déterminer les constantes de réaction apparentes de dégradation par les radicaux hydroxyles. Les constantes de vitesse absolue (kabs) de réaction des radicaux hydroxyles sur les herbicides étudiés ont été mesurées par la mise en oeuvre de la méthode de cinétique de compétition. Les valeurs de ( (1,53 x 108 M-1 s-1 ) ,(1.01 x 109 M-1 s-1 ) et ( 8.20 x 108 M-1 s-1)ont été trouvées respectivement pour l'atrazine, la sulcotrione et la Mesotrione

Thesis submitted in the requirements for the degree Doctor Technologiae: Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, 2013
To date, limited information has been published on textile wastewater treatment, for re-use, in South Africa (SA), with treatment processes focusing on conventional wastewater treatment methods. A large contributor to the contamination of water within textile industries is from dyehouse processes. A major concern in textile wastewater treatment is the release of azo dyes and their metabolites, some of which are carcinogenic and mutanogenic, into the environment since they are xenobiotic and aerobically recalcitrant to biodegradation. A necessity therefore exists to find an effective treatment method capable of removing both the strong colour and the toxic organic compounds from textile wastewater. Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are favoured when treating high-strength wastewater, since the membrane area is determined by the hydraulic throughput and not the biological load; no sludge is wasted and all bacteria are retained within the reactor, including specific bacteria capable of degrading the toxic, non-biodegradable constituents present in textile wastewater. MBR systems, using various configurations have been utilised extensively in the rest of the world to treat textile wastewater at both lab and pilot-scale. This DTech project formed part of a collaborative Water Research Commission (WRC) funded project K5/1900 - Pilot application of a dual-stage membrane bioreactor (dsMBR) for industrial wastewater treatment. The main purpose of this study was the on-site evaluation of a pilot-scale dsMBR incorporating two ultrafiltration (UF) sidestream membrane modules for the treatment, recovery and re-use of textile wastewater. The objectives of this project were to determine the treatment efficiency of the system; to evaluate the degree of colour removal from the textile wastewater; to improve residual colour removal within the system using treatment processes, such as NF and RO, as well as to propose a design and cost for a full-scale plant. A textile industry located in Bellville, Western Cape, was chosen as the industrial partner for the on-site evaluation of a semi-automated pilot wastewater treatment MBR plant using two 5.1 m2 Norit X-flow AirliftTM membrane modules. Since the wastewater treatment system was located on the premises, real continuously changing industrial wastewater was being treated. The industrial textile wastewater was treated in a series of tanks: 1) an anaerobic tank, which cleaved the azo bonds of the reactive dyes; 2) an anoxic tank containing reduced amounts of dissolved oxygen, in which denitrification occurred; and 3) an aerobic tank, in which i) nitrification, as well as ii) mineralisation of the aromatic amines occurred. The UF-membrane modules would account for the removal of any organic material. The wastewater stream was characterised by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) range of between 45 to 2,820 mg/L and an average biological oxygen demand (BOD) of 192.5 mg/L. The dsMBR achieved an average COD reduction of 75% with a maximum of 97% over the 220 day test period. The COD concentration obtained after dsMBR treatment averaged at 191 mg/L, which was well within the City of Cape Town industrial wastewater discharge standard. The average reduction in turbidity and TSS was 94% and 19.6%, respectively, during the UF-MBR stage of the system. Subsequent treatment of the UF permeate with nanofiltration (NF) for 4 days, alternated with reverse osmosis (RO) for 14 days removed both the residual colour and salt present in the UF permeate. A consistent reduction in the colour of the incoming wastewater was evident. The colour in the wastewater was reduced from an average of 659 ADMI units to ~12 ADMI units in the NF permeate, a lower American dye manufacturing index (ADMI) (i.e. method of colour representation) compared to the potable water (~17 ADMI units) utilised by the industrial partner in their dyeing processes. The colour was reduced from an average of 659 to ~20 ADMI units in the RO permeate, a lower ADMI and therefore colour when compared to the potable water. An average conductivity rejection of 91% was achieved with conductivity being reduced from an average of 7,700 to 693 μS/cm and the TDS reduced from an average of 5,700 to 473 mg/L, which facilitated an average TDS rejection of 92%. Based on the composition of the UF permeate fed to the RO membrane a maximum removal of 98.7% was achieved for both conductivity and total dissolved solids (TDS). The proposed full-scale plant would incorporate a UF-MBR system, followed by NF, RO, flocculation and a filter press. Therefore, the two waste products produced during operation of the proposed full-scale plant, would be the solid filter cakes and the liquid filtrate from the filter press. Implementing the proposed full-scale plant it would cost the industrial partner an operating cost of ZAR 113.85 and ZAR 3,415.49 to treat 97.1 m3 and 2,913 m3 of textile wastewater, respectively, per day and per month. This results in an annual saving of ZAR 845,848 on potable water expenses. This research, would provide SA textile industries, with an option to: 1) reduce their water consumption, thereby utilising less of a valuable decreasing commodity; 2) meet the SA government discharge standards and reduce their discharge costs; 3) reduce their carbon footprint (i.e. reduce their impact on the environment) by re-using their treated wastewater and therefore using less water from the municipality; and 4) decrease their annual expenditure on water, since the treated wastewater would be available for re-use.

A water footprint is a tool for assessing the impacts of freshwater use by mapping the water use of the production of a good or a service, a process in a production chain, a business or even of a whole country. One of the most commonly used methods for calculating the water footprint was developed by the Water Footprint Network (WFN). The objective of this study was to account for the water footprint of the production of coffee in the area of Miraflor, Nicaragua, using the WFN method. The study aimed to highlight where improvements can be made regarding water resources management, both with respect to the quantity of the water appropriated in the different process steps, as well as concerning the treatment of residues of the coffee production. The results of the study show a water footprint of 20 049 m3 per ton of harvested coffee in Miraflor. This equals a consumption of more than 6 000 000 m3 of water when considering the overall production of the harvest of 2015/2016. The results pinpoint the growing phase as crucial with 98.1 % of the total water footprint. Nicaragua and the region where Miraflor is located are having increasing problems with water scarcity due to drought and contamination of water resources. Together with these circumstances, the results of the study show that the current management should be improved in order to minimize the impacts on local water resources and the environment. It is mainly the application of pesticides and fertilizers in the cultivation of the coffee that give rise to the large water footprint. Furthermore, the current management violates the law restricting the discharge of effluent waters from coffee processing plants. Another important factor contributing to the water footprint yields in the consumption of rainwater via evapotranspiration by the crops in field. In order to reduce the water footprint there should be a more conscious use of pesticides and fertilizers as well as a development in the treatment of the effluent water. The latter factor can be elaborated by considering new installations where even smaller ones probably could make a considerable change. Other management practices to decrease the water footprint consist of generating a higher yield per hectare of land.
Vattenfotavtryck är ett verktyg för att bedöma miljöpåverkan från användningen av vatten. Med ett vattenfotavtryck kartläggs hur vatten används för produktionen av en vara, för en process i en produktionskedja, ett företag eller för ett helt land. En av de mest använda metoderna för beräkning av vattenfotavtryck utvecklades av Water Footprint Network (WFN). Syftet med denna studie var att genom användning av WFN:s metod beräkna vattenfotavtrycket för produktionen av kaffe i området Miraflor i Nicaragua. Studien ämnade visa var förbättringar kan göras i vattenresurshanteringen, både vad gäller mängden vatten som används i de olika produktionsstegen som i behandlingen av restvattnet från kaffeproduktionen. Resultatet från studien visar ett vattenfotavtryck på 20 049 m3 per ton skördat kaffe i Miraflor. Sett till hela skörden för säsongen 2015/2016 ger detta ger en total konsumtion av mer än 6 000 000 m3 vatten. Resultatet påvisar att vegetationsperioden är den i särklass största bidragande faktorn till kaffeproduktionens vattenfotavtryck med 98,1 % av det totala avtrycket. Nicaragua och regionen där Miraflor ligger har alltjämt ökande problem med vattenbrist på grund av torka och föroreningar av vattenresurser. Studiens resultat visar tillsammans med denna bakgrund att nuvarande tekniker i kaffeproduktionen i Miraflor bör förbättras för att minimera konsekvenser för lokala vattenresurser och miljön. Främst är det användningen av bekämpningsmedel och gödsel som ger upphov till det stora vattenfotavtrycket. Kaffeproduktionen orsakar därtill överträdelser av gällande bestämmelser om värden på vattenkvalitetsparameterar i restvatten från kaffeproduktion. En ytterligare betydande faktor för vattenfotavtrycket som påvisas i studien är konsumtionen av regnvatten via evapotranspiration från grödorna i fält. För att minska vattenfotavtrycket bör i första hand en mer medveten användning av bekämpningsmedel och gödsel införas. Därtill bör det ske en förbättring i hanteringen av utsläppsvatten. Den senare faktorn kan utvecklas genom att nya installationer införs där även mindre sådana troligtvis skulle ge en betydande skillnad. Andra metoder för att minska vattenfotavtrycket ligger i att generera en högre skörd per hektar land.

Kulpė – upė Šiauliuose, Šiaulių ir Joniškio rajonuose, dešinysis Mūšos intakas. Ši upė kadaise buvo viena iš labiausiai Lietuvoje užterštų upių. Į Kulpės upę buvo išleidžiamas neišvalytas arba mažai valytas Šiaulių miesto nuotekų vanduo. 1996 m. UAB "Šiaulių vandenys" tapo viena iš šešių Baltijos šalių vandens paslaugų įmonių, vykdančių aplinkosauginius projektus, siekiančius pagerinti vandenų būklę. Darbe nagrinėjama Kulpės upės paviršinio vandens kokybės kaita 1995 – 2012 m. Analizuoti duomenys - BDS7, Nbendr Nmin, PO4-P, Pbendr ir skendinčios medžiagos. Tyrimai parodė, kad modernizavus Šiaulių miesto vandenvalos įrenginius į paviršinius Kulpės upės vandenis iš jų išleistas bendrojo azoto kiekis, nuo 1995 iki 2012 metų sumažėjo 44 %, bendrojo fosforo – 46 %, skendinčių medžiagų – 87%, BDS7 – 73 %. Kulpės upės vanduo tiriamu laikotarpiu nuo blogos būklės perėjo prie geros ar net labai geros ekologonės būklės. Tą lėmė Šiaulių miesto valymo įrenginių modernizavimas.
Kulpė is a river in the Šiauliai city, Šiauliai and Joniškis area and rigth tributary of Mūša river. This river was once one of the most polluted rivers in Lithuania. Was discharged untreated or low-treated urban waste water in the Kulpė river. When „Šiauliai waters“ Ltd with the World Bank in 1996, signed the loan contract and the project under which the company has become one of the six water services in the Baltic companies engaged in the environmental projects of enterprises. The studies assessed the water quality change in 1995 – 2012. Data - BDS7, Ntotal Nminer, PO4-P, Ptotal and suspended matter. Studies have shown that the modernization of the city of Šiauliai wastewater treatment facility 2004 in the waters of the Kulpė river released their total nitrogen - 44%, total phosphorus - 46%, suspended solids - 87%, BDS7 - 73%. Kulpė river water during the investigation period from the poor condition moved to good or even very good ecological status. This has resulted cleaning equipment modernization in Šiauliai city.

O processo de ocupação urbana da Baixada de Jacarepaguá a partir da década de 1970, promoveu inúmeros impactos ambientais que afetaram, de forma não uniforme, os diferentes grupos sociais, que habitam a região, e afetaram principalmente o meio ambiente, mais especificamente os recursos hídricos. A rápida e intensa ocupação urbana da região, impulsionada pela produção imobiliária, gerou inúmeros problemas ambientais, principalmente devido à precariedade nos serviços de saneamento. Diversos impactos se processam atualmente na rede de drenagem da Baixada de Jacarepaguá, os quais comprometem negativamente a qualidade de vida população que vive na região, assim como, do meio ambiente. Neste trabalho é avaliada a qualidade da água dos principais cursos dágua da bacia hidrográfica de Jacarepaguá, caracterizando o estado atual de degradação dos recursos hídricos da região a partir da análise dos dados referentes aos parâmetros de qualidade das águas, obtidos junto ao órgão ambiental estadual, no período compreendido entre os anos de 2003 e 2008. As variáveis estatísticas dos parâmetros foram determinadas, os resultados foram apresentados através dos gráficos boxplot e sua discussão foi realizada em consoante com a Resolução CONAMA 357/2005. Os cursos dágua da bacia de Jacarepaguá, em destaque aqueles avaliados neste trabalho expressam a degradação pela qual vem sofrendo em virtude das intervenções antrópicas que se projetam na bacia hidrográfica. Nota-se a partir, dos resultados para os parâmetros de qualidade de água avaliados que a poluição nos cursos dágua da baixada de Jacarepaguá que, possivelmente o principal aspecto da poluição hídrica é devido ao despejo de esgotos domésticos nos cursos dágua sem tratamento adequado.
The process of land use of the Jacarepaguá low-lands hydrographic region from the 1970s promoted numerous environmental impacts, specifically in water bodies, that affect, in a non-uniform, different social groups that inhabit the region. The rapid and intense urban occupation in the region, driven by the sprawl estate, created many environmental problems, mainly due to the precarious services sanitation. Various effects are conducted currently in the drainage of Jacarepaguá basin, which adversely compromise the quality of life people living in the region. This work evaluated the water quality of the main streams of the Jacarepagua basin, characterizing the current state of degradation of water bodies of the region from the analysis of data on water quality parameters obtained from the Rio de Janeiro Council Environmental, during the period between 2003 and 2008. The statistical variables of the parameters were determined, the results were presented by means of boxplots and the discussion was held and compared with the CONAMA 357/2005 Resolution. The streams of the Jacarepagua basin highlighted those used in this work express the degradation from which she has suffered as a result of human interventions that are projected in the basin. It is noted from the results for the parameters of water quality evaluated the pollution in streams of the lowlands Jacarepaguá that possibly the main aspect of water pollution is due to the dumping of domestic sewage in rivers without treatment.

Ce sujet de recherche vise mieux comprendre les processus de bio remédiation qui participent à la réduction des charges en polluants dans les écosystèmes aquatiques du type zones humides, en tant que question d'actualité en ingénierie écologique. L'efficacité des processus de phytoremédiation a été largement démontrée par des applications individuelles sur le sol et les sédiments. Cette thèse a pour objectif de démontrer la participation d'une population d'invertébrés dans l'efficacité de la réduction de polluants des sédiments aquatiques en combinant le processus de bioturbation avec la phytoremédiation. Les hypotheses de recherche ont été testée expérimentalement en conditions de laboratoire à l'aide d'une série de microcosmes reproduisant chacun une portion d'interface eau/ sédiments similaire aux conditions en zones humides. Dans nos expériences, la bioturbation est réalisée par une population d'oligochètes Tubificidae bien connue comme un ingénieur écologique. La phytoremédiation associée est effectuée par une plante aquatique Typha latifolia connue pour sa capacité à extraire les polluants organiques et inorganiques des sédiments par l'accumulation dans leur biomasse. L'influence de cette biodiversité sur les flux et bilan de masse de polluants modèles, a été démontré à l'aide de 2 expériences de laboratoire mettant en oeuvre des séries de microcosmes contaminées avec du Cadmium en tant que métal trace avec une concentration initiale de 20 µg.L-1, dans l'eau surnageante, et de l'atrazine marquée avec une concentration de 5 µg.g-1 de sédiment frais en tant que micropolluant organique persistant et herbicide. Les résultats de ces expériences démontrent que le bio-transport créé par la population de tubificidae ainsi que la bioremédiation sont toujours actifs en présence de contamination ce qui confirme le potentiel de dévelopement de ces organismes en ingénierie écologique. La bioadvection du sédiment et des contaminants par les tubificidae est quantifiée grâce à l'utilisation de luminophores (traceurs particulaires). [...]
The development of efficient bioremediation techniques to reduce pollutant loads in aquatic ecosystems is a challenging research question for ecological engineering. The accuracy of phytoremediation processes has been primarily demonstrated by individual applications on soils or water sediments. The present Ph.D. aims to demonstrate the interest of additional bioturbation combined to phytoremediation processes for the improvement bioremediation efficiency of aquatic sediments. This strategy benefits are tested experimentally in controlled laboratory conditions with a serie of microcosms reproducing each a portion of water/sediment interface such as in wetland areas. In our experiments, bioturbation was carried out by a conveyor-belt invertebrate population, the tubificidae oligochaetes Tubifex tubifex, well known as an active ecological engineer. The phytoremediation was conducted by the riparian plant Typha latifolia known for its ability to remove organic and inorganic pollutants from sediments by accumulation into its biomass. The experiments were managed to demonstrate the effects of this biological influence (plant and inveterbrate) on the mass balances and fluxes of one metal and one pesticide as models of pollutants. Cadmium as a heavy, inorganic and conservative metal pollutant was introduced as a pulse input in the overlying water of the contaminated microcosms, with a cadmium concentration of 20 µg.L-1 in at the initial time of the experiment that lasted one month. In a second experiment, atrazine was mixed in the whole sediment column at the initial time in order to reach a concentration of 5 µg.g-1 of fresh sediment as a source of organic micropollutant and herbicide in the microcosms. The pesticide was radiolabeled with 14C. Fluxes from water to sediment, and from sediment to plants were assessed in experimental conditions with several treatments (+/- plants, +/- bioturbation, +/- pollutants) allowing to demonstrate the effects of the biological influence. Our results indicated that the tubificids and the related bioremediation influences are still efficient under cadmium and atrazine contaminations in aquatic systems. Biotransport due to tubificids changed the distribution of cadmium across the sediment column and enhanced the pumping of cadmium from the water to surface sediment and then to the anoxic underlying sediment surrounding the plant roots. [...]

Šiame magistriniame darbe yra nagrinėjama Utenos savivaldybės vandentiekio ir nuotekų šalinimo sistemų būklė. Darbo tikslas - įvertinti Utenos miesto ir rajono vandentiekio, nuotekų tinklų ir nuotekų valyklų būklę, jų efektyvumą, nustatyti, kur ir kokios šių sistemų modernizavimo priemonės yra labiausiai reikalingos. Šiame darbe pateikiamos pagrindinės Utenos savivaldybės vandentiekio ir nuotekų surinkimo ir tvarkymo sistemų problemos bei galimi jų sprendimo variantai. Nustatyta, kad išsprendus Utenos miesto ir didžiųjų gyvenviečių nuotekų valymo problemas, 70% sumažės paviršinių vandens telkinių teršimas.
This article deals with Utena municipal water supply and sewage disposal systems state. The aim of the work is to evaluate water supply and sewage treatment plant’s state in Utena city and Utena district, to evaluate their effectiveness, to identify where and how wastewater disposal systems modernization measures are most needed. The article presents the main Utena municipal sewage collection and treatment systems problems and possible solutions. The main Utenos municipality and region sewage elimination system problems are presented and also some solution versions are given.

Heavy metal contamination in the environment is a global issue that is likely to increase in the future. This report investigates a construction area in which increased concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel and zinc and a decreased pH-value has been observed in the surface water recipient. The focus is on assessing contamination characteristics and identifying suitable remediation methods to avoid a river protected by environmental quality standards further downstream from getting contaminated. The bedrock in the area is sulphide containing and releases acidic leachate when oxidising, which is assumed to have occurred due to plane blasting and filling of residual rock. The contamination characteristics were assessed with the statistical methods modified double mass analysis and principal components analysis. A water balance was established to obtain the flowrates, discharge volumes and to determine the masses of the released metals in the surface water. Identification of suitable remediation methods was performed through a literature study of available remediation methods and using the findings of the assessments as basis. The results showed that there was a significant increase in metal concentrations and decrease in pH-value roughly around the same time as blasting and filling of residual rocks in the area was begun and that there were elevated levels of sulphide and sulphur, but they could not be specifically linked to any media. The yearly masses of metals released from the area into the surface water were between 77-98 % higher than allowed by the established guidelines. By separating the water assumed to carry the majority of the contaminants from the remaining natural water in the watershed, the volume that needs to be treated can be halved. As the contamination is so extensive, a mixture of remediation methods was proposed, including installing green roofs to decrease the runoff from the area, confining the crushed rock with bentonite and installing a filter for fast, efficient reduction. For long-term remediation, it is suggested to optimise the existing sedimentation basins and wetlands. The conclusions were that it will be very expensive to remediate the contamination, due to the extent and magnitude, and that handling sulphide containing bedrock for construction purposes should be legally regulated in order to avoid negative environmental and economic impacts.
Förorening av tungmetaller i naturen är ett globalt problem som troligtvis kommer öka i framtiden. Den här rapporten undersöker en byggarbetsplats där ökade koncentrationer av metallerna kadmium, kobolt, koppar, nickel och zink samt ett minskat pH-värde har observerats i ytvattenrecipienten. Fokus ligger på att analysera föroreningskaraktärer och identifiera lämpliga åtgärdsmetoder för att undvika att en å nedströms som är skyddad av miljökvalitetsnormer ska förorenas. Berggrunden i området är sulfidförande och släpper ut surt lakvatten när den oxiderar, vilket är antaget har hänt till följd av plansprängning och utfyllnad av överblivet bergmaterial. Föroreningskaraktärerna analyserades med de statistiska metoderna modified double mass analysis och principalkomponentsanalys. En vattenbalans etablerades för att ta fram flöden, volymer och för att bestämma massorna av de frigjorda metallerna i ytvattnet. Identifiering av lämpliga åtgärdsmetoder gjordes med en litteraturstudie av tillgängliga metoder som grund. Resultaten visade att det är en signifikant ökning av metallkoncentrationer och minskning i pH-värde runt samma tid som sprängning och utfyllning av bergmaterial påbörjades samt att det är förhöjda halter av sulfid och svavel, men de kunde inte bli associerade med ett specifikt media. De årliga massorna av frigjorda metaller som släpps ut från området i ytvattnet är mellan 77-98 % högre än tillåtet av de etablerade riktlinjerna. Genom att separera vattnet som kan antas innehålla majoriteten av föroreningarna från det naturliga vattenflödet i avrinningsområdet kan volymen som behöver renas halveras. Eftersom föroreningen är så omfattande föreslås en kombination av åtgärdsmetoder; installation av gröna tak för att minska avrinningen från området, inneslutning av utfyllnadsmaterialet med bentonit och installation av ett filter för snabb, effektiv reduktion. För mer långsiktig rening föreslås det att optimera de existerande sedimentationsdammarna och våtmarken. Slutsatsen är att det kommer bli väldigt dyrt att åtgärda föroreningen på grund av dess omfattning, och hantering av sulfidförande berg för exploateringssyfte borde vara lagstadgat för att undvika miljömässiga och ekonomiska kostnader.

As the world population approaches seven billion, a greater strain is put on the resources necessary to sustain life. One of the most basic and essential resources is water and while two thirds of the earth is covered by water, the majority is either salt water (oceans and seas) or it is too contaminated to drink. The purpose of this project is to develop a portable device capable of testing whether a specific source of water (i.e. lake, river, well ...) is potable. There are numerous filtration techniques that can remove contaminants and make even the dirtiest water clean enough for consumption but they are for the most part, very time consuming and immobile processes. The device is not a means of water purification but rather focuses on determining the content of the water and whether it is safe. Particles within the water are separated and trapped using a combination of a Taylor Couette fluid flow system and Dielectrophoretic electrodes. This paper explores Taylor Couette flow in a large gap and low aspect ratio system through theory and experimentation with early stage prototypes. Different inner cylinder radii, 2.12cm, 1.665cm and 1.075cm, were tested at different speeds approaching, at and passing the critical Taylor number, 3825, 4713 and 6923 respectively for each cylinder. Dielectrophoretic (DEP) electrodes were designed, fabricated, coated and tested using latex beads to determine the method of integrating them within the fluid flow system. Taylor Couette theory, in terms of the formation of vortices within the large gap, small aspect ratio system, was not validated during testing. The flow pattern generated was more akin to a chaotic circular Couette flow but still served to move the particles toward the outer wall. Fully integrated tests were run with limited success.; Recommendations were made to pursue both circular Couette flow as the basis for particle separation and dimensional changes in the setup to allow for the formation of Taylor vortices by increasing the radius ratio but still allowing for a larger volume of fluid.
ID: 028916599; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-109).
M.S.M.E.
Masters
Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Miniature Engineering Systems