Sample records for wastewater effluent discharges

  1. Effects of wastewater effluent discharge on stream quality in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Graham, Jennifer L.; Foster, Guy M.

    2014-01-01

    Contaminants from point and other urban sources affect stream quality in Indian Creek, which is one of the most urban drainage basins in Johnson County, Kansas. The Johnson County Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin and Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facilities discharge to Indian Creek. Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Johnson County Wastewater, during June 2004 through June 2013 were used to evaluate stream quality in Indian Creek. This fact sheet summarizes the effects of wastewater effluent discharge on physical, chemical, and biological conditions in Indian Creek downstream from the Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin and Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

  2. Evaluation of leachate dissolved organic nitrogen discharge effect on wastewater effluent quality.

    PubMed

    Bolyard, Stephanie C; Reinhart, Debra R

    2017-07-01

    Nitrogen is limited more and more frequently in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents because of the concern of causing eutrophication in discharge waters. Twelve leachates from eight landfills in Florida and California were characterized for total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). The average concentration of TN and DON in leachate was approximately 1146mg/L and 40mg/L, respectively. Solid-phase extraction was used to fractionate the DON based on hydrophobic (recalcitrant fraction) and hydrophilic (bioavailable fraction) chemical properties. The average leachate concentrations of bioavailable (bDON) and recalcitrant (rDON) DON were 16.5mg/L and 18.4mg/L, respectively. The rDON fraction was positively correlated, but with a low R 2 , with total leachate apparent color dissolved UV 254 , chemical oxygen demand (COD), and humic acid (R 2 equals 0.38, 0.49, and 0.40, respectively). The hydrophobic fraction of DON (rDON) was highly colored. This fraction was also associated with over 60% of the total leachate COD. Multiple leachate and wastewater co-treatment simulations were carried out to assess the effects of leachate on total nitrogen wastewater effluent quality using removals for four WWTPs under different scenarios. The calculated pass through of DON suggests that leachate could contribute to significant amounts of nitrogen discharged to aquatic systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Effects of wastewater effluent discharge and treatment facility upgrades on environmental and biological conditions of Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, June 2004 through June 2013

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Graham, Jennifer L.; Stone, Mandy L.; Rasmussen, Teresa J.; Foster, Guy M.; Poulton, Barry C.; Paxson, Chelsea R.; Harris, Theodore D.

    2014-01-01

    Indian Creek is one of the most urban drainage basins in Johnson County, Kansas, and environmental and biological conditions of the creek are affected by contaminants from point and other urban sources. The Johnson County Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin (hereafter referred to as the “Middle Basin”) and Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTFs) discharge to Indian Creek. In summer 2010, upgrades were completed to increase capacity and include biological nutrient removal at the Middle Basin facility. There have been no recent infrastructure changes at the Tomahawk Creek facility; however, during 2009, chemically enhanced primary treatment was added to the treatment process for better process settling before disinfection and discharge with the added effect of enhanced phosphorus removal. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Johnson County Wastewater, assessed the effects of wastewater effluent on environmental and biological conditions of Indian Creek by comparing two upstream sites to four sites located downstream from the WWTFs using data collected during June 2004 through June 2013. Environmental conditions were evaluated using previously and newly collected discrete and continuous data and were compared with an assessment of biological community composition and ecosystem function along the upstream-downstream gradient. This study improves the understanding of the effects of wastewater effluent on stream-water and streambed sediment quality, biological community composition, and ecosystem function in urban areas. After the addition of biological nutrient removal to the Middle Basin WWTF in 2010, annual mean total nitrogen concentrations in effluent decreased by 46 percent, but still exceeded the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater effluent permit concentration goal of 8.0 milligrams per liter (mg/L); however, the NPDES wastewater effluent permit total phosphorus concentration goal of 1.5 mg/L or less was

  4. Solutions to microplastic pollution - Removal of microplastics from wastewater effluent with advanced wastewater treatment technologies.

    PubMed

    Talvitie, Julia; Mikola, Anna; Koistinen, Arto; Setälä, Outi

    2017-10-15

    Conventional wastewater treatment with primary and secondary treatment processes efficiently remove microplastics (MPs) from the wastewater. Despite the efficient removal, final effluents can act as entrance route of MPs, given the large volumes constantly discharged into the aquatic environments. This study investigated the removal of MPs from effluent in four different municipal wastewater treatment plants utilizing different advanced final-stage treatment technologies. The study included membrane bioreactor treating primary effluent and different tertiary treatment technologies (discfilter, rapid sand filtration and dissolved air flotation) treating secondary effluent. The MBR removed 99.9% of MPs during the treatment (from 6.9 to 0.005 MP L -1 ), rapid sand filter 97% (from 0.7 to 0.02 MP L -1 ), dissolved air flotation 95% (from 2.0 to 0.1 MP L -1 ) and discfilter 40-98.5% (from 0.5 - 2.0 to 0.03-0.3 MP L -1 ) of the MPs during the treatment. Our study shows that with advanced final-stage wastewater treatment technologies WWTPs can substantially reduce the MP pollution discharged from wastewater treatment plants into the aquatic environments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Estimated discharge of treated wastewater in Florida, 1990

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Marella, R.L.

    1994-01-01

    According to the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection, 5,100 wastewater treatment systems were in operation during 1990. Of this total, 72 percent were domestic wastewater facilities and 28 percent were industrial waste- water facilities. The number of wastewater systems inventoried for 1990 was 1,062 (systems that treated and discharged more than 0.01 Mgal/d or had a plant capacity of greater than 0.04 Mgal/d. Based on this inventory, the estimated discharge of treated wastewater in Florida during 1990 totaled 1,638 million gallons per day. Approxi- mately 65 percent of this water was discharged to surface water during 1990 and the remaining 35 percent was discharged to ground water. Discharge to surface water includes effluent outfalls into the Atlantic Ocean (32 percent), while the re- maining (68 percent) is discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, bays, rivers, wetlands, and other surface water bodies throughout Florida. Discharge to ground-water includes treated effluent outfalls to land application systems (reuse systems and spray fields), drain fields, percolation ponds (51 percent), and to injection wells (49 percent). An estimated 322 million gallons per day of the treated domestic and industrial wastewater was reused during 1990. Discharge of treated domestic wastewater from the 994 systems inventoried in Florida during 1990 totaled 1,353 million gallons per day and served an estimated 8.58 million people (66 percent of the population of Florida in 1990). The remaining 34 percent of the popu- lation (4.36 million) are served by the 2,700 smaller domestic wastewater systems or have individual septic tanks. In 1990, there were 1.56 million septic tanks in Florida. Discharge of industrial wastewater was inventoried for 68 systems in 1990 and totaled 285 million gallons per day. Discharge of domestic wastewater in- creased more than 20 percent and industrial wastewater discharge increased 5 percent from 1985 to 1990. (USGS)

  6. Microplastic pollution is widely detected in US municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent.

    PubMed

    Mason, Sherri A; Garneau, Danielle; Sutton, Rebecca; Chu, Yvonne; Ehmann, Karyn; Barnes, Jason; Fink, Parker; Papazissimos, Daniel; Rogers, Darrin L

    2016-11-01

    Municipal wastewater effluent has been proposed as one pathway for microplastics to enter the aquatic environment. Here we present a broad study of municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent as a pathway for microplastic pollution to enter receiving waters. A total of 90 samples were analyzed from 17 different facilities across the United States. Averaging all facilities and sampling dates, 0.05 ± 0.024 microparticles were found per liter of effluent. Though a small value on a per liter basis, even minor municipal wastewater treatment facilities process millions of liters of wastewater each day, yielding daily discharges that ranged from ∼50,000 up to nearly 15 million particles. Averaging across the 17 facilities tested, our results indicate that wastewater treatment facilities are releasing over 4 million microparticles per facility per day. Fibers and fragments were found to be the most common type of particle within the effluent; however, some fibers may be derived from non-plastic sources. Considerable inter- and intra-facility variation in discharge concentrations, as well as the relative proportions of particle types, was observed. Statistical analysis suggested facilities serving larger populations discharged more particles. Results did not suggest tertiary filtration treatments were an effective means of reducing discharge. Assuming that fragments and pellets found in the effluent arise from the 'microbeads' found in many cosmetics and personal care products, it is estimated that between 3 and 23 billion (with an average of 13 billion) of these microplastic particles are being released into US waterways every day via municipal wastewater. This estimate can be used to evaluate the contribution of microbeads to microplastic pollution relative to other sources (e.g., plastic litter and debris) and pathways (e.g., stormwater) of discharge. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. Comparative analysis of effluent water quality from a municipal treatment plant and two on-site wastewater treatment systems.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Santos N; Clubbs, Rebekah L; Stanley, Jacob K; Scheffe, Brian; Yelderman, Joe C; Brooks, Bryan W

    2013-06-01

    Though decentralized on-site technologies are extensively employed for wastewater treatment around the globe, an understanding of effluent water quality impairments associated with these systems remain less understood than effluent discharges from centralized municipal wastewater treatment facilities. Using a unique experimental facility, a novel comparative analysis of effluent water quality was performed from model decentralized aerobic (ATS) and septic (STS) on-site wastewater treatment systems and a centralized municipal wastewater treatment plant (MTP). The ATS and STS units did not benefit from further soil treatment. Each system received common influent wastewater from the Waco, Texas, USA Metropolitan Area Regional Sewerage System. We tested the hypothesis that MTP effluent would exhibit higher water quality than on-site effluents, based on parameters selected for study. A tiered testing approach was employed to assess the three effluent discharges: select routine water quality parameters (Tier I), whole effluent toxicity (Tier II), and select endocrine-active compounds (Tier III). Contrary to our hypothesis, ATS effluent was not statistically different from MTP effluents, based on Tier I and III parameters, but reproductive responses of Daphnia magna were slightly more sensitive to ATS than MTP effluents. STS effluent water quality was identified as most degraded of the three wastewater treatment systems. Parameters used to assess centralized wastewater treatment plant effluent water quality such as whole effluent toxicity and endocrine active substances appear useful for water quality assessments of decentralized discharges. Aerobic on-site wastewater treatment systems may represent more robust options than traditional septic systems for on-site wastewater treatment in watersheds with appreciable groundwater - surface water exchange. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Contribution of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents to Nutrient Dynamics in Aquatic Systems: A Review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carey, Richard O.; Migliaccio, Kati W.

    2009-08-01

    Excessive nutrient loading (considering nitrogen and phosphorus) is a major ongoing threat to water quality and here we review the impact of nutrient discharges from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to United States (U.S.) freshwater systems. While urban and agricultural land uses are significant nonpoint nutrient contributors, effluent from point sources such as WWTPs can overwhelm receiving waters, effectively dominating hydrological characteristics and regulating instream nutrient processes. Population growth, increased wastewater volumes, and sustainability of critical water resources have all been key factors influencing the extent of wastewater treatment. Reducing nutrient concentrations in wastewater is an important aspect of water quality management because excessive nutrient concentrations often prevent water bodies from meeting designated uses. WWTPs employ numerous physical, chemical, and biological methods to improve effluent water quality but nutrient removal requires advanced treatment and infrastructure that may be economically prohibitive. Therefore, effluent nutrient concentrations vary depending on the particular processes used to treat influent wastewater. Increasingly stringent regulations regarding nutrient concentrations in discharged effluent, along with greater freshwater demand in populous areas, have led to the development of extensive water recycling programs within many U.S. regions. Reuse programs provide an opportunity to reduce or eliminate direct nutrient discharges to receiving waters while allowing for the beneficial use of reclaimed water. However, nutrients in reclaimed water can still be a concern for reuse applications, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation.

  9. Wastewater effluent, combined sewer overflows, and other sources of organic compounds to Lake Champlain

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Phillips, P.; Chalmers, A.

    2009-01-01

    Some sources of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) to streams, lakes, and estuaries, including wastewater-treatment-plant effluent, have been well documented, but other sources, particularly wet-weather discharges from combined-sewer-overflow (CSO) and urban runoff, may also be major sources of OWCs. Samples of wastewater-treatment-plant (WWTP) effluent, CSO effluent, urban streams, large rivers, a reference (undeveloped) stream, and Lake Champlain were collected from March to August 2006. The highest concentrations of many OWCs associated with wastewater were in WWTP-effluent samples, but high concentrations of some OWCs in samples of CSO effluent and storm runoff from urban streams subject to leaky sewer pipes or CSOs were also detected. Total concentrations and numbers of compounds detected differed substantially among sampling sites. The highest total OWC concentrations (10-100 ??g/l) were in samples of WWTP and CSO effluent. Total OWC concentrations in samples from urban streams ranged from 0.1 to 10 ??g/l, and urban stream-stormflow samples had higher concentrations than baseflow samples because of contributions of OWCs from CSOs and leaking sewer pipes. The relations between OWC concentrations in WWTP-effluent and those in CSO effluent and urban streams varied with the degree to which the compound is removed through normal wastewater treatment. Concentrations of compounds that are highly removed during normal wastewater treatment [including caffeine, Tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate, and cholesterol] were generally similar to or higher in CSO effluent than in WWTP effluent (and ranged from around 1 to over 10 ??g/l) because CSO effluent is untreated, and were higher in urban-stream stormflow samples than in baseflow samples as a result of CSO discharge and leakage from near-surface sources during storms. Concentrations of compounds that are poorly removed during treatment, by contrast, are higher in WWTP effluent than in CSO, due to dilution. Results indicate

  10. Necessity of toxicity assessment in Turkish industrial discharges (examples from metal and textile industry effluents).

    PubMed

    Sponza, Delia Teresa

    2002-01-01

    Toxicity of some organic and inorganic chemicals to microorganisms is an important consideration in assessing their environmental impact against their economic benefits. Microorganisms play an important role in several environmental processes, both natural and engineered. Some organic and inorganics at toxic levels have been detected in industrial discharges resulting in plant upsets and discharge permit violations. In addition to this, even though in some cases the effluent wastewater does not exceed the discharge limits, the results of toxicity tests show potential toxicity. Toxicity knowledge of effluents can benefit treatment plant operators in optimising plant operation, setting pre-treatment standards, and protecting receiving water quality and in establishing sewer discharge permits to safeguard the plant. In the Turkish regulations only toxicity dilution factor (TDF) with fish is part of the toxicity monitoring program of permissible wastewater discharge. In various countries, laboratory studies involving the use of different organisms and protocol for toxicity assessment was conducted involving a number of discharges. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the acute toxicity of textile and metal industry wastewaters by traditional and enrichment toxicity tests and emphasize the importance of toxicity tests in wastewater discharge regulations. The enrichment toxicity tests are novel applications and give an idea whether there is potential toxicity or growth limiting and stimulation conditions. Different organisms were used such as bacteria (Floc and Coliform bacteria) algae (Chlorella sp.). fish (Lepistes sp.) and protozoan (Vorticella sp.) to represent four tropic levels. The textile industry results showed acute toxicity for at least one organism in 8 out of 23 effluent samples. Acute toxicity for at least two organisms in 7 out of 23 effluent sampling was observed for the metal industry. The toxicity test results were assessed with chemical analyses

  11. Effects of wastewater effluent discharge and treatment facility upgrades on environmental and biological conditions of the upper Blue River, Johnson County, Kansas and Jackson County, Missouri, January 2003 through March 2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Graham, Jennifer L.; Stone, Mandy L.; Rasmussen, Teresa J.; Poulton, Barry C.

    2010-01-01

    The Johnson County Blue River Main Wastewater Treatment Facility discharges into the upper Blue River near the border between Johnson County, Kansas and Jackson County, Missouri. During 2005 through 2007 the wastewater treatment facility underwent upgrades to increase capacity and include biological nutrient removal. The effects of wastewater effluent on environmental and biological conditions of the upper Blue River were assessed by comparing an upstream site to two sites located downstream from the wastewater treatment facility. Environmental conditions were evaluated using previously and newly collected discrete and continuous data, and were compared with an assessment of biological community composition and ecosystem function along the upstream-downstream gradient. This evaluation is useful for understanding the potential effects of wastewater effluent on water quality, biological community structure, and ecosystem function. In addition, this information can be used to help achieve National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater effluent permit requirements after additional studies are conducted. The effects of wastewater effluent on the water-quality conditions of the upper Blue River were most evident during below-normal and normal streamflows (about 75 percent of the time), when wastewater effluent contributed more than 20 percent to total streamflow. The largest difference in water-quality conditions between the upstream and downstream sites was in nutrient concentrations. Total and inorganic nutrient concentrations at the downstream sites during below-normal and normal streamflows were 4 to 15 times larger than at the upstream site, even after upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility were completed. However, total nitrogen concentrations decreased in wastewater effluent and at the downstream site following wastewater treatment facility upgrades. Similar decreases in total phosphorus were not observed, likely because the biological

  12. Occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in wastewater and sludge from wastewater treatment plants: removal and ecotoxicological impact of wastewater discharges and sludge disposal.

    PubMed

    Martín, J; Camacho-Muñoz, D; Santos, J L; Aparicio, I; Alonso, E

    2012-11-15

    The occurrence of sixteen pharmaceutically active compounds in influent and effluent wastewater and in primary, secondary and digested sludge in one-year period has been evaluated. Solid-water partition coefficients (Kd) were calculated to evaluate the efficiency of removal of these compounds from wastewater by sorption onto sludge. The ecotoxicological risk to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, due to wastewater discharges to the receiving streams and to the application of digested sludge as fertilizer onto soils, was also evaluated. Twelve of the pharmaceuticals were detected in wastewater at mean concentrations from 0.1 to 32 μg/L. All the compounds found in wastewater were also found in sewage sludge, except diclofenac, at mean concentrations from 8.1 to 2206 μg/kg dm. Ibuprofen, salicylic acid, gemfibrozil and caffeine were the compounds at the highest concentrations. LogKd values were between 1.17 (naproxen) and 3.48 (carbamazepine). The highest ecotoxicological risk in effluent wastewater and digested sludge is due to ibuprofen (risk quotient (RQ): 3.2 and 4.4, respectively), 17α-ethinylestradiol (RQ: 12 and 22, respectively) and 17β-estradiol (RQ: 12 and 359, respectively). Ecotoxicological risk after wastewater discharge and sludge disposal is limited to the presence of 17β-estradiol in digested-sludge amended soil (RQ: 2.7). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Treated Wastewater Effluent as a Source of Microbial Pollution of Surface Water Resources

    PubMed Central

    Naidoo, Shalinee; Olaniran, Ademola O.

    2013-01-01

    Since 1990, more than 1.8 billion people have gained access to potable water and improved sanitation worldwide. Whilst this represents a vital step towards improving global health and well-being, accelerated population growth coupled with rapid urbanization has further strained existing water supplies. Whilst South Africa aims at spending 0.5% of its GDP on improving sanitation, additional factors such as hydrological variability and growing agricultural needs have further increased dependence on this finite resource. Increasing pressure on existing wastewater treatment plants has led to the discharge of inadequately treated effluent, reinforcing the need to improve and adopt more stringent methods for monitoring discharged effluent and surrounding water sources. This review provides an overview of the relative efficiencies of the different steps involved in wastewater treatment as well as the commonly detected microbial indicators with their associated health implications. In addition, it highlights the need to enforce more stringent measures to ensure compliance of treated effluent quality to the existing guidelines. PMID:24366046

  14. Export of Dissolved Methane and Carbon Dioxide with Effluents from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.

    PubMed

    Alshboul, Zeyad; Encinas-Fernández, Jorge; Hofmann, Hilmar; Lorke, Andreas

    2016-06-07

    Inland waters play an important role for regional and global scale carbon cycling and are significant sources of the atmospheric greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Although most studies considered the input of terrestrially derived organic and inorganic carbon as the main sources for these emissions, anthropogenic sources have rarely been investigated. Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) could be additional sources of carbon by discharging the treated wastewater into the surrounding aquatic ecosystems. Here we analyze seasonally resolved measurements of dissolved CH4 and CO2 concentrations in effluents and receiving streams at nine WWTPs in Germany. We found that effluent addition significantly altered the physicochemical properties of the streamwater. Downstream of the WWTPs, the concentrations of dissolved CH4 and CO2 were enhanced and the atmospheric fluxes of both gases increased by a factor of 1.2 and 8.6, respectively. The CH4 exported with discharged effluent, however, accounted for only a negligible fraction (0.02%) of the estimated total CH4 emissions during the treatment process. The CH4 concentration in the effluent water was linearly related to the organic load of the wastewater, which can provide an empirical basis for future attempts to add WWTPs inputs to regional-scale models for inland water-carbon fluxes.

  15. Modified Whole Effluent Toxicity Test to Assess and Decouple Wastewater Effects from Environmental Gradients

    PubMed Central

    Sauco, Sebastián; Gómez, Julio; Barboza, Francisco R.; Lercari, Diego; Defeo, Omar

    2013-01-01

    Environmental gradients and wastewater discharges produce aggregated effects on marine populations, obscuring the detection of human impact. Classical assessment methods do not include environmental effects in toxicity tests designs, which could lead to incorrect conclusions. We proposed a modified Whole Effluent Toxicity test (mWET) that includes environmental gradients in addition to effluent dilutions, together with the application of Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to assess and decouple those effects. We tested this approach, analyzing the lethal effects of wastewater on a marine sandy beach bivalve affected by an artificial canal freshwater discharge used for rice crops irrigation. To this end, we compared bivalve mortality between canal water dilutions (CWd) and salinity controls (SC: without canal water). CWd were prepared by diluting the water effluent (sampled during the pesticide application period) with artificial marine water. The salinity gradient was included in the design by achieving the same final salinities in both CWd and SC, allowing us to account for the effects of salinity by including this variable as a random factor in the GLMM. Our approach detected significantly higher mortalities in CWd, indicating potential toxic effects of the effluent discharge. mWET represents an improvement over the internationally standardized WET tests, since it considers environmental variability and uses appropriate statistical analyses. PMID:23755304

  16. Analysis of 16S Sediment Microbial Communities from a Southern California Wastewater-Treatment Discharge Field

    EPA Science Inventory

    Treated sewage effluent from several large wastewater treatment plants in the Los Angeles metropolitan area is discharged into the Pacific Ocean through a network of outfalls located between 5 and 7 miles offshore. To support development of new indicators of wastewater effects o...

  17. Wastewater treatment plant effluent as a source of microplastics: review of the fate, chemical interactions and potential risks to aquatic organisms.

    PubMed

    Ziajahromi, Shima; Neale, Peta A; Leusch, Frederic D L

    2016-11-01

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent has been identified as a potential source of microplastics in the aquatic environment. Microplastics have recently been detected in wastewater effluent in Western Europe, Russia and the USA. As there are only a handful of studies on microplastics in wastewater, it is difficult to accurately determine the contribution of wastewater effluent as a source of microplastics. However, even the small amounts of microplastics detected in wastewater effluent may be a remarkable source given the large volumes of wastewater treatment effluent discharged to the aquatic environment annually. Further, there is strong evidence that microplastics can interact with wastewater-associated contaminants, which has the potential to transport chemicals to aquatic organisms after exposure to contaminated microplastics. In this review we apply lessons learned from the literature on microplastics in the aquatic environment and knowledge on current wastewater treatment technologies, with the aim of identifying the research gaps in terms of (i) the fate of microplastics in WWTPs, (ii) the potential interaction of wastewater-based microplastics with trace organic contaminants and metals, and (iii) the risk for aquatic organisms.

  18. Understanding the hydrologic impacts of wastewater treatment plant discharge to shallow groundwater: Before and after plant shutdown

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hubbard, Laura E.; Keefe, Steffanie H.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Barber, Larry B.; Duris, Joseph W.; Hutchinson, Kasey J.; Bradley, Paul M.

    2016-01-01

    Effluent-impacted surface water has the potential to transport not only water, but wastewater-derived contaminants to shallow groundwater systems. To better understand the effects of effluent discharge on in-stream and near-stream hydrologic conditions in wastewater-impacted systems, water-level changes were monitored in hyporheic-zone and shallow-groundwater piezometers in a reach of Fourmile Creek adjacent to and downstream of the Ankeny (Iowa, USA) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Water-level changes were monitored from approximately 1.5 months before to 0.5 months after WWTP closure. Diurnal patterns in WWTP discharge were closely mirrored in stream and shallow-groundwater levels immediately upstream and up to 3 km downstream of the outfall, indicating that such discharge was the primary control on water levels before shutdown. The hydrologic response to WWTP shutdown was immediately observed throughout the study reach, verifying the far-reaching hydraulic connectivity and associated contaminant transport risk. The movement of WWTP effluent into alluvial aquifers has implications for potential WWTP-derived contamination of shallow groundwater far removed from the WWTP outfall.

  19. Wastewater treatment plant effluent introduces recoverable shifts in microbial community composition in urban streams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledford, S. H.; Price, J. R.; Ryan, M. O.; Toran, L.; Sales, C. M.

    2017-12-01

    New technologies are allowing for intense scrutiny of the impact of land use on microbial communities in stream networks. We used a combination of analytical chemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and targeted amplicon sequencing for a preliminary study on the impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge on urban streams. Samples were collected on two dates above and below treatment plants on the Wissahickon Creek, and its tributary, Sandy Run, in Montgomery County, PA, USA. As expected, effluent was observed to be a significant source of nutrients and human and non-specific fecal associated taxa. There was an observed increase in the alpha diversity at locations immediately below effluent outflows, which contributed many taxa involved in wastewater treatment processes and nutrient cycling to the stream's microbial community. Unexpectedly, modeling of microbial community shifts along the stream was not controlled by concentrations of measured nutrients. Furthermore, partial recovery, in the form of decreasing abundances of bacteria and nutrients associated with wastewater treatment plant processes, nutrient cycling bacteria, and taxa associated with fecal and sewage sources, was observed between effluent sources. Antecedent moisture conditions impacted overall microbial community diversity, with higher diversity occurring after rainfall. These findings hint at resilience in stream microbial communities to recover from wastewater treatment plant effluent and are vital to understanding the impacts of urbanization on microbial stream communities.

  20. Laccase-catalyzed oxidation of oxybenzone in municipal wastewater primary effluent.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Hector A; Hoffman, Catherine M; Kinney, Kerry A; Lawler, Desmond F

    2011-02-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are now routinely detected in raw and treated municipal wastewater. Since conventional wastewater treatment processes are not particularly effective for PPCP removal, treated wastewater discharges are the main entry points for PPCPs into the environment, and eventually into our drinking water. This study investigates the use of laccase-catalyzed oxidation for removing low concentrations of PPCPs from municipal wastewater primary effluent. Oxybenzone was selected as a representative PPCP. Like many other PPCPs, it is not recognized directly by the laccase enzyme. Therefore, mediators were used to expand the oxidative range of laccase, and the efficacy of this laccase-mediator system in primary effluent was evaluated. Eight potential mediators were investigated, and 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), a synthetic mediator, and acetosyringone (ACE), a natural mediator, provided the greatest oxybenzone removal efficiencies. An environmentally relevant concentration of oxybenzone (43.8 nM, 10 μg/L) in primary effluent was completely removed (below the detection limit) after two hours of treatment with ABTS, and 95% was removed after two hours of treatment with ACE. Several mediator/oxybenzone molar ratios were investigated at two different initial oxybenzone concentrations. Higher mediator/oxybenzone molar ratios were required at the lower (environmentally relevant) oxybenzone concentration, and ACE required higher molar ratios than ABTS to achieve comparable oxybenzone removal. Oxybenzone oxidation byproducts generated by the laccase-mediator system were characterized and compared to those generated during ozonation. Enzymatic treatment generated byproducts with higher mass to charge (m/z) ratios, likely due to oxidative coupling reactions. The results of this study suggest that, with further development, the laccase-mediator system has the potential to extend the treatment

  1. Lagrangian sampling of wastewater treatment plant effluent in Boulder Creek, Colorado, and Fourmile Creek, Iowa, during the summer of 2003 and spring of 2005--Hydrological and chemical data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barber, Larry B.; Keefe, Steffanie H.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Schnoebelen, Douglas J.; Flynn, Jennifer L.; Brown, Gregory K.; Furlong, Edward T.; Glassmeyer, Susan T.; Gray, James L.; Meyer, Michael T.; Sandstrom, Mark W.; Taylor, Howard E.; Zaugg, Steven D.

    2011-01-01

    This report presents methods and data for a Lagrangian sampling investigation into chemical loading and in-stream attenuation of inorganic and organic contaminants in two wastewater treatment-plant effluent-dominated streams: Boulder Creek, Colorado, and Fourmile Creek, Iowa. Water-quality sampling was timed to coincide with low-flow conditions when dilution of the wastewater treatment-plant effluent by stream water was at a minimum. Sample-collection times corresponded to estimated travel times (based on tracer tests) to allow the same "parcel" of water to reach downstream sampling locations. The water-quality data are linked directly to stream discharge using flow- and depth-integrated composite sampling protocols. A range of chemical analyses was made for nutrients, carbon, major elements, trace elements, biological components, acidic and neutral organic wastewater compounds, antibiotic compounds, pharmaceutical compounds, steroid and steroidal-hormone compounds, and pesticide compounds. Physical measurements were made for field conditions, stream discharge, and time-of-travel studies. Two Lagrangian water samplings were conducted in each stream, one in the summer of 2003 and the other in the spring of 2005. Water samples were collected from five sites in Boulder Creek: upstream from the wastewater treatment plant, the treatment-plant effluent, and three downstream sites. Fourmile Creek had seven sampling sites: upstream from the wastewater treatment plant, the treatment-plant effluent, four downstream sites, and a tributary. At each site, stream discharge was measured, and equal width-integrated composite water samples were collected and split for subsequent chemical, physical, and biological analyses. During the summer of 2003 sampling, Boulder Creek downstream from the wastewater treatment plant consisted of 36 percent effluent, and Fourmile Creek downstream from the respective wastewater treatment plant was 81 percent effluent. During the spring of 2005

  2. Reusing effluent of flue gas desulfurization wastewater treatment process as an economical calcium source for phosphorus removal.

    PubMed

    Dou, Weixiao; Zhou, Zhen; Ye, Jiongjiong; Huang, Rongwei; Jiang, Lu-Man; Chen, Guofeng; Fei, Xiaoyun

    2017-09-01

    Flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater treatment by conventional neutralization, chemical precipitation and coagulation process removes most suspended solids and heavy metals, and provides an effluent rich in calcium, alkalinity and chloride, which obstructs its reclamation and reuse but is in favor of phosphorus (P) precipitation. The goals of this study were to investigate feasibility of reusing FGD effluent as a calcium source for P removal from P-rich wastewater. Results revealed that increasing the volumetric ratio between FGD effluent and P-rich wastewater achieved higher pH value and Ca/P ratio, and thus enhanced P removal efficiency to 94.3% at the ratio of 40%. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analysis of harvested precipitates showed that increasing pH from 8 to 10 induced the conversion of hydroxyapatite to tri-calcium phosphate, and then to whitlockite. This study demonstrated that for reusing FGD effluent for P removal was highly feasible, both technically and economically. This process not only saves the cost of precipitants for P removal, but also provides an economical alternative for current zero liquid discharge technology for FGD wastewater, which requires high energy consumption and capital costs.

  3. Hydroponics reducing effluent's heavy metals discharge.

    PubMed

    Rababah, Abdellah; Al-Shuha, Ahmad

    2009-01-01

    This paper investigates the capacity of Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) to control effluent's heavy metals discharge. A commercial hydroponic system was adapted to irrigate lettuces with primary treated wastewater for studying the potential heavy metals removal. A second commercial hydroponic system was used to irrigate the same type of lettuces with nutrient solution and this system was used as a control. Results showed that lettuces grew well when irrigated with primary treated effluent in the commercial hydroponic system. The NFT-plant system heavy metals removal efficiency varied amongst the different elements, The system's removal efficiency for Cr was more than 92%, Ni more than 85%, in addition to more than 60% reduction of B, Pb, and Zn. Nonetheless, the NFT-plants system removal efficiencies for As, Cd and Cu were lower than 30%. Results show that lettuces accumulated heavy metals in leaves at concentrations higher than the maximum acceptable European and Australian levels. Therefore, non-edible plants such as flowers or pyrethrum are recommended as value added crops for the proposed NFT.

  4. Effluent Charts Help | ECHO | US EPA

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Effluent Charts present dynamic charts and tables of permitted effluent limits, releases, and violations over time for Clean Water Act (CWA) wastewater discharge permits issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

  5. The effects of wastewater discharges on the functioning of a small temporarily open/closed estuary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrie, Robynne A.; Stretch, Derek D.; Perissinotto, Renzo

    2010-04-01

    Wastewater discharges affect the functioning of small temporarily open/closed estuaries (TOCEs) through two main mechanisms: (1) they can significantly change the water balance by altering the quantity of water inflows, and (2) they can significantly change the nutrient balance and hence the water quality. This study investigated the bio-physical responses of a typical, small TOCE on the east coast of South Africa, the Mhlanga Estuary. This estuary receives significant inflows of treated effluent from upstream wastewater treatment works. Water and nutrient budgets were used together with biological sampling to investigate changes in the functioning of the system. The increase in inflows due to the effluent discharges has significantly increased the mouth breaching frequency. Furthermore, when the mouth closes, the accumulation of nutrients leads to eutrophication and algal blooms. A grey water index, namely the proportion of effluent in the estuary and an indicator of the additional nutrient inputs into the estuary, reached high values (≳50%) during low flow regimes and when the mouth was closed. In these hyper-eutrophic conditions (DIN and DIP concentrations up to 457 μM and 100 μM respectively), field measurements showed that algal blooms occurred within about 14 days following closure of the mouth (chlorophyll-a concentrations up to 375 mg chl-a m -3). Water and nutrient balance simulations for alternative scenarios suggest that further increases in wastewater discharges would result in more frequent breaching events and longer open mouth conditions, but the occurrence of hyper-eutrophic conditions would initially intensify despite more frequent openings. The study indicates how water and nutrient balance simulations can be used in the planning and impact assessment of wastewater treatment facilities.

  6. Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistant and Virulent Salmonella spp. in Treated Effluent and Receiving Aquatic Milieu of Wastewater Treatment Plants in Durban, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Odjadjare, Ejovwokoghene C.; Olaniran, Ademola O.

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we evaluated the impact of treated wastewater effluent from two wastewater treatment plants on the physicochemical parameters and Salmonella spp. load of receiving rivers. Presumptive Salmonella spp. were obtained at all sampled points including the discharge points, with counts ranging from 0 to 4.14 log cfu/mL at both plants. Turbidity, chemical and biological oxygen demand were found to be high and mostly above the required limit for treated wastewater discharge. However, recorded nitrate and phosphate values were very low. Of the 200 confirmed Salmonella spp. isolates recovered from the treated effluent and receiving surface waters, 93% harbored the spiC gene, 84% harbored the misL gene, and 87.5% harbored the orfL gene while 87% harbored the pipD gene. The antibiotic resistance profile revealed that the isolates were resistant to sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid and streptomycin, but susceptible to quinolones and third generation β-lactams. These results indicate that in South Africa treated effluents are still a major source of contamination of rivers with pathogens such as Salmonella. Appropriate steps by the regulatory authorities and workers at the treatment plants are needed to enforce stipulated guidelines in order to prevent pollution of surface water resources due to the discharge of poorly treated effluents. PMID:26295245

  7. Determination of buildup and dilution of wastewater effluent in shellfish growing waters through a modified application of super-position.

    PubMed

    Goblick, Gregory N; Ao, Yaping; Anbarchian, Julie M; Calci, Kevin R

    2017-02-15

    Since 1925, dilution analysis has been used to minimize pathogenic impacts to bivalve molluscan shellfish growing areas from treated wastewater effluent in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP). For over twenty five years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended a minimum of 1000:1 dilution of effluent within prohibited closure zones established around wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. During May 2010, using recent technologies, a hydrographic dye study was conducted in conjunction with a pathogen bioaccumulation study in shellfish adjacent to a WWTP discharge in Yarmouth, ME. For the first time an improved method of the super-position principle was used to determine the buildup of dye tagged sewage effluent and steady state dilution in tidal waters. Results of the improved method of dilution analysis illustrate an economical, reliable and more accurate and manageable approach for estimating the buildup and steady state pollutant conditions in coastal and estuarine waters. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Occurrence of antibiotics in hospital, residential, and dairy effluent, municipal wastewater, and the Rio Grande in New Mexico.

    PubMed

    Brown, Kathryn D; Kulis, Jerzy; Thomson, Bruce; Chapman, Timothy H; Mawhinney, Douglas B

    2006-08-01

    This study had three objectives: 1) determine occurrence of antibiotics in effluent from hospitals, residential facilities, and dairies, and in municipal wastewater 2) determine antibiotic removal at a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Albuquerque, NM, and 3) determine concentrations of antibiotics in the Rio Grande, which receives wastewater from the Albuquerque WWTP. Twenty-three samples of wastewater and 3 samples of Rio Grande water were analyzed for the presence of 11 antibiotics. Fifty-eight percent of samples had at least one antibiotic present while 25% had three or more. Hospital effluent had detections of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, lincomycin, and penicillin G, with 4 of 5 hospital samples having at least one antibiotic detected and 3 having four or more. At the residential sampling sites, ofloxacin was found in effluent from assisted living and retirement facilities, while the student dormitory had no detects. Only lincomycin was detected in dairy effluent (in 2 of 8 samples, at 700 and 6600 ng/L). Municipal wastewater had detections of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin, with 4 of 6 samples having at least one antibiotic present and 3 having 3 or more. The relatively high concentrations (up to 35,500 ng/L) of ofloxacin found in hospital and residential effluent may be of concern due to potential genotoxic effects and development of antibiotic resistance. At the Albuquerque WWTP, both raw wastewater and treated effluent had detections of sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and ofloxacin, at concentrations ranging from 110 to 470 ng/L. However, concentrations in treated effluent were reduced by 20% to 77%. No antibiotics were detected in the Rio Grande upstream of the Albuquerque WWTP discharge, and only one antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole, was detected in the Rio Grande (300 ng/L) below the WWTP.

  9. 40 CFR 455.43 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Packaging Subcategory § 455.43 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction... shall provide no discharge additional discharge allowance for those pesticide active ingredients (PAIs) in the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging wastewaters when those PAIs are also...

  10. 40 CFR 455.43 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Packaging Subcategory § 455.43 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction... shall provide no discharge additional discharge allowance for those pesticide active ingredients (PAIs) in the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging wastewaters when those PAIs are also...

  11. Contamination of nonylphenolic compounds in creek water, wastewater treatment plant effluents, and sediments from Lake Shihwa and vicinity, Korea: Comparison with fecal pollution

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Choi, Minkyu; Furlong, Edward T.; Moon, Hyo-Bang; Yu, Jun; Choi, Hee-Gu

    2011-01-01

    Nonylphenolic compounds (NPs), coprostanol (COP), and cholestanol, major contaminants in industrial and domestic wastewaters, were analyzed in creek water, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and sediment samples from artificial Lake Shihwa and its vicinity, one of the most industrialized regions in Korea. We also determined mass discharge of NPs and COP, a fecal sterol, into the lake, to understand the linkage between discharge and sediment contamination. Total NP (the sum of nonylphenol, and nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylates) were 0.32–875 μg L-1 in creeks, 0.61–87.0 μg L-1 in WWTP effluents, and 29.3–230 μg g-1 TOC in sediments. Concentrations of COP were 0.09–19.0 μg L-1 in creeks, 0.11–44.0 μg L-1 in WWTP effluents, and 2.51–438 μg g-1 TOC in sediments. The spatial distributions of NPs in creeks and sediments from the inshore region were different from those of COP, suggesting that Lake Shihwa contamination patterns from industrial effluents differ from those from domestic effluents. The mass discharge from the combined outfall of the WWTPs, located in the offshore region, was 2.27 kg d-1 for NPs and 1.00 kg d-1 for COP, accounting for 91% and 95% of the total discharge into Lake Shihwa, respectively. The highest concentrations of NPs and COP in sediments were found in samples at sites near the submarine outfall of the WWTPs, indicating that the submarine outfall is an important point source of wastewater pollution in Lake Shihwa.

  12. 40 CFR 419.24 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... section. (e) Effluent limitations for contaminated runoff. The following effluent limitations constitute... attributable to contaminated runoff which may be discharged after the application of the best conventional... contaminated runoff and is not commingled or treated with process wastewater, it may be discharged if it does...

  13. 40 CFR 419.44 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... section. (e) Effluent limitations for contaminated runoff. The following effluent limitations constitute... attributable to contaminated runoff which may be discharged after the application of the best conventional... contaminated runoff and is not commingled or treated with process wastewater, it may be discharged if it does...

  14. Two-year survey of specific hospital wastewater treatment and its impact on pharmaceutical discharges.

    PubMed

    Wiest, Laure; Chonova, Teofana; Bergé, Alexandre; Baudot, Robert; Bessueille-Barbier, Frédérique; Ayouni-Derouiche, Linda; Vulliet, Emmanuelle

    2018-04-01

    It is well known that pharmaceuticals are not completely removed by conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants. Hospital effluents are of major concern, as they present high concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds. Despite this, these specific effluents are usually co-treated with domestic wastewaters. Separate treatment has been recommended. However, there is a lack of information concerning the efficiency of separate hospital wastewater treatment by activated sludge, especially on the removal of pharmaceuticals. In this context, this article presents the results of a 2-year monitoring of conventional parameters, surfactants, gadolinium, and 13 pharmaceuticals on the specific study site SIPIBEL. This site allows the characterization of urban and hospital wastewaters and their separate treatment using the same process. Flow proportional sampling, solid-phase extraction, and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry were used in order to obtain accurate data and limits of quantification consistent with ultra-trace detection. Thanks to these consolidated data, an in-depth characterization of urban and hospital wastewaters was realized, as well as a comparison of treatment efficiency between both effluents. Higher concentrations of organic carbon, AOX, phosphates, gadolinium, paracetamol, ketoprofen, and antibiotics were observed in hospital wastewaters compared to urban wastewaters. Globally higher removals were observed in the hospital wastewater treatment plant, and some parameters were shown to be of high importance regarding removal efficiencies: hydraulic retention time, redox conditions, and ambient temperature. Eleven pharmaceuticals were still quantified at relevant concentrations in hospital and urban wastewaters after treatment (e.g., up to 1 μg/L for sulfamethoxazole). However, as the urban flow was about 37 times higher than the hospital flow, the hospital contribution appeared relatively low compared to

  15. Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) describes the aggregate toxic effect of an aqueous sample (e.g., whole effluent wastewater discharge) as measured by an organism's response upon exposure to the sample (e.g., lethality, impaired growth, or reproduction).

  16. Endocrine disrupting alkylphenolic chemicals and other contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents, urban streams and fish in the Great Lakes Region and Upper Mississippi River

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Urban streams are an integral part of the municipal wastewater treatment process by providing a point of discharge for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and additional attenuation through dilution and transformation processes. The receiving surface waters also are a conduit for contaminan...

  17. Required ozone doses for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater effluents.

    PubMed

    Antoniou, Maria G; Hey, Gerly; Rodríguez Vega, Sergio; Spiliotopoulou, Aikaterini; Fick, Jerker; Tysklind, Mats; la Cour Jansen, Jes; Andersen, Henrik Rasmus

    2013-07-01

    The aim of the this study was to investigate the ozone dosage required to remove active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from biologically treated wastewater of varying quality, originated from different raw wastewater and wastewater treatment processes. Secondary effluents from six Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were spiked with 42 APIs (nominal concentration μg/L) and treated with different O₃ doses (0.5-12.0 mg/L ozone) in bench-scale experiments. In order to compare the sensitivity of APIs in each matrix, the specific dose of ozone required to achieve reduction by one decade of each investigated API (DDO₃) was determined for each effluent by fitting a first order equation to the remaining concentration of API at each applied ozone dose. Ozone dose requirements were found to vary significantly between effluents depending on their matrix characteristics. The specific ozone dose was then normalized to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of each effluent. The DDO₃/DOC ratios were comparable for each API between the effluents. 15 of the 42 investigated APIs could be classified as easily degradable (DDO₃/DOC ≤ 0.7), while 19 were moderately degradable (0.7 < DDO₃/DOC ≤ 1.4), and 8 were recalcitrant towards O₃-treatment (DDO₃/DOC >1.4). Furthermore, we predict that a reasonable estimate of the ozone dose required to remove any of the investigated APIs may be attained by multiplying the experimental average DDO₃/DOC obtained with the actual DOC of any effluent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in drinking water, wastewater effluent, and the Big Sioux River in or near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2001-2004

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sando, Steven K.; Furlong, Edward T.; Gray, James L.; Meyer, Michael T.

    2006-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the city of Sioux Falls conducted several rounds of sampling to determine the occurrence of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) in the city of Sioux Falls drinking water and waste-water effluent, and the Big Sioux River in or near Sioux Falls during August 2001 through May 2004. Water samples were collected during both base-flow and storm-runoff conditions. Water samples were collected at 8 sites, which included 4 sites upstream from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge, 2 sites downstream from the WWTP discharge, 1 finished drinking-water site, and 1 WWTP effluent (WWE) site. A total of 125 different OWCs were analyzed for in this study using five different analytical methods. Analyses for OWCs were performed at USGS laboratories that are developing and/or refining small-concentration (less than 1 microgram per liter (ug/L)) analytical methods. The OWCs were classified into six compound classes: human pharmaceutical compounds (HPCs); human and veterinary antibiotic compounds (HVACs); major agricultural herbicides (MAHs); household, industrial,and minor agricultural compounds (HIACs); polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); and sterol compounds (SCs). Some of the compounds in the HPC, MAH, HIAC, and PAH classes are suspected of being endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Of the 125 different OWCs analyzed for in this study, 81 OWCs had one or more detections in environmental samples reported by the laboratories, and of those 81 OWCs, 63 had acceptable analytical method performance, were detected at concentrations greater than the study reporting levels, and were included in analyses and discussion related to occurrence of OWCs in drinking water, wastewater effluent, and the Big Sioux River. OWCs in all compound classes were detected in water samples from sampling sites in the Sioux Falls area. For the five sampling periods when samples were collected from the Sioux Falls finished drinking water, only one

  19. Toxicity Identification and Evaluation for the Effluent from Wastewater Treatment Plant in Industrial Complex using D.magna

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Keum, H.; Chun Sang, H.

    2015-12-01

    In recent years, the interests on the impacts of industrial wastewater on aquatic ecosystem have increased with concern about ecosystem protection and human health. Whole effluent toxicity tests are used to monitor toxicity by unknown toxic chemicals as well as conventional pollutants from industrial effluent discharges. This study describes the application of TIE (toxicity identification evaluation) procedures to an acutely toxic effluent from a wastewater treatment plant in industrial complex which was toxic to Daphnia magna. In TIE phase I (characterization step), the toxic effects by heavy metals, organic compounds, oxidants, volatile organic compounds, suspended solids and ammonia were screened and revealed that the source of toxicity is far from these toxicants group. Chemical analysis (TIE phase II) on TDS showed that the concentration of chloride ion (6,900 mg/L) was substantially higher than that predicted from EC50 for D. magna. In confirmation step (TIE phase III), chloride ion was demonstrated to be main toxicant in this effluent by the spiking approach, species sensitivity approach and deletion approach. Calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, fluorine, sulfate ion concentration (450, 100, 80, 5,300, 0.66, 2,200mg/L) was not shown toxicity from D. magna. Finally, we concluded that chloride was the most contributing toxicant in the waste water treatment plant. Further research activities are needed for technical support of toxicity identification and evaluation on the various types of wastewater treatment plant discharge in Korea. Keywords : TIE, D. magna, Industrial waste water Acknowledgement This research was supported by a grant (15IFIP-B089908-02) from Plant Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean government

  20. The treatment performance of different subsoils in Ireland receiving on-site wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Gill, L W; O'Súlleabháin, C; Misstear, B D R; Johnston, P J

    2007-01-01

    Current Irish guidelines require a comprehensive site assessment of a percolation area for wastewater disposal before planning permission is granted for dwellings in rural areas. For a site to be deemed suitable, the subsoil must have a percolation value equivalent to a field saturated hydraulic conductivity in the range 0.08 to 4.2 m d(-1) using a falling head percolation test. A minimum of 1.2 m of unsaturated subsoil must also exist below the invert of the percolation area receiving effluent from a septic tank (or 0.6 m for secondary treated effluent). During a 2-yr period, the three-dimensional performance of four percolation areas treating domestic wastewater was monitored. At each site samples were taken at 0, 10, and 20 m along each of the four percolation trenches at depths of 0.3, 0.6, and 1.0 m below each trench to ascertain the attenuation effects of the unsaturated subsoil. The two sites with septic tanks installed performed at least as well as the other two sites with secondary treatment systems installed and appeared to discharge a better quality effluent in terms of nutrient load. An average of 2.1 and 6.8 g total N d(-1) remained after passing through 1-m depth of subsoil beneath the trenches receiving septic tank effluent compared with 12.7 and 16.7 g total N d(-1) on the sites receiving secondary effluent. The research also indicates that the septic tank effluent was of an equivalent quality to the secondary treated effluent in terms of indicator bacteria (E. coli) after percolating through 0.6-m depth of unsaturated subsoil.

  1. Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility discharges can substantially increase the pharmaceutical load to U.S. wastewaters

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scott, Tia-Marie; Phillips, Patrick J.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Colella, Kaitlyn M.; Furlong, Edward T.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.

    2018-01-01

    Discharges from pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities (PMFs) previously have been identified as important sources of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Yet few studies are available to establish the influence of PMFs on the pharmaceutical source contribution to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and waterways at the national scale. Consequently, a national network of 13 WWTPs receiving PMF discharges, six WWTPs with no PMF input, and one WWTP that transitioned through a PMF closure were selected from across the United States to assess the influence of PMF inputs on pharmaceutical loading to WWTPs. Effluent samples were analyzed for 120 pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical degradates. Of these, 33 pharmaceuticals had concentrations substantially higher in PMF-influenced effluent (maximum 555,000 ng/L) compared to effluent from control sites (maximum 175 ng/L). Concentrations in WWTP receiving PMF input are variable, as discharges from PMFs are episodic, indicating that production activities can vary substantially over relatively short (several months) periods and have the potential to rapidly transition to other pharmaceutical products. Results show that PMFs are an important, national-scale source of pharmaceuticals to the environment.

  2. Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater treatment plant for high quality effluent.

    PubMed

    Del Nery, V; Damianovic, M H Z; Moura, R B; Pozzi, E; Pires, E C; Foresti, E

    2016-01-01

    This paper assesses a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) regarding the technology used, as well as organic matter and nutrient removal efficiencies aiming to optimize the treatment processes involved and wastewater reclamation. The WWTP consists of a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system, an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, an aerated-facultative pond (AFP) and a chemical-DAF system. The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (97.9 ± 1.0%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (98.6 ± 1.0%) and oil and grease (O&G) (91.1 ± 5.2%) at the WWTP, the nitrogen concentration of 17 ± 11 mg N-NH3 and phosphorus concentration of 1.34 ± 0.93 mg PO4(-3)/L in the final effluent indicate that the processes used are suitable to comply with discharge standards in water bodies. Nitrification and denitrification tests conducted using biomass collected at three AFP points indicated that nitrification and denitrification could take place in the pond.

  3. Differential BPA levels in sewage wastewater effluents from metro Detroit communities.

    PubMed

    Santos, Julia M; Putt, David A; Jurban, Michael; Joiakim, Aby; Friedrich, Klaus; Kim, Hyesook

    2016-10-01

    The endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) is ubiquitous in both aquatic and surface sediment environments because it is continuously released into sewage wastewater effluent. The measurement of BPA at wastewater treatment plants is rarely performed even though the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that current levels of environmental BPA could be a threat to aquatic organisms. Therefore, the aims of this study were to measure BPA levels in sewage wastewater at different collection points over a 1-year period and to compare the levels of BPA to 8-isoprostane, a human derived fatty acid, found in sewage wastewater. We analyzed pre-treated sewage samples collected from three source points located in different communities in the metropolitan Detroit area provided by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Human urine samples were also used in the study. BPA and 8-isoprostane were measured using ELISA kits from Detroit R&D, Inc. BPA levels from the same collection point oscillated more than 10-fold over 1 year. Also, BPA levels fluctuated differentially at each collection point. Highly fluctuating BPA values were confirmed by LC/MS/MS. The concentration of BPA in sewage wastewater was ~100-fold higher than the concentration of 8-isoprostane, while urinary concentration was ~20-fold higher. Thus, BPA levels discharged into the sewage network vary among communities, and differences are also observed within communities over time. The difference in BPA and 8-isoprostane levels suggest that most of the BPA discharged to sewage wastewater might be derived from industries rather than from human urine. Therefore, the continuous monitoring of BPA could account for a better regulation of BPA release into a sewage network.

  4. Nutrient loading on subsoils from on-site wastewater effluent, comparing septic tank and secondary treatment systems.

    PubMed

    Gill, L W; O'Luanaigh, N; Johnston, P M; Misstear, B D R; O'Suilleabhain, C

    2009-06-01

    The performance of six separate percolation areas was intensively monitored to ascertain the attenuation effects of unsaturated subsoils with respect to on-site wastewater effluent: three sites receiving septic tank effluent, the other three sites receiving secondary treated effluent. The development of a biomat across the percolation areas receiving secondary treated effluent was restricted on these sites compared to those sites receiving septic tank effluent and this created significant differences in terms of the potential nitrogen loading to groundwater. The average nitrogen loading per capita at 1.0m depth of unsaturated subsoil equated to 3.9 g total-N/d for the sites receiving secondary treated effluent, compared to 2.1 g total-N/d for the sites receiving septic tank effluent. Relatively high nitrogen loading was, however, found on the septic tank sites discharging effluent into highly permeable subsoil that counteracted any significant denitrification. Phosphorus removal was generally very good on all of the sites although a clear relationship to the soil mineralogy was determined.

  5. Identification of critical contaminants in wastewater effluent for managed aquifer recharge.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Jie; Van Dyke, Michele I; Huck, Peter M

    2017-04-01

    Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using highly treated effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants has been recognized as a promising strategy for indirect potable water reuse. Treated wastewater effluent can contain a number of residual contaminants that could have adverse effects on human health, and some jurisdictions have regulations in place to govern these. For those that do not, but where reuse may be under consideration, it is of crucial importance to develop a strategy for identifying priority contaminants, which can then be used to understand the water treatment technologies that might be required. In this study, a multi-criteria approach to identify critical contaminants in wastewater effluent for MAR was developed and applied using a case study site located in southern Ontario, Canada. An important aspect of this approach was the selection of representative compounds for each group of contaminants, based on potential for occurrence in wastewater and expected health or environmental impacts. Due to a lack of MAR regulations in Canada, the study first proposed potential recharge water quality targets. Predominant contaminants, potential additional contaminants, and potential emerging contaminants, which together comprise critical contaminants for MAR with reclaimed water, were then selected based on the case study wastewater effluent monitoring data and literature data. This paper proposes an approach for critical contaminant selection, which will be helpful to guide future implementation of MAR projects using wastewater treatment plant effluents. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Effluent Guidelines

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Effluent guidelines are national standards for wastewater discharges to surface waters and municipal sewage treatment plants. We issue the regulations for industrial categories based on the performance of treatment and control technologies.

  7. Combined sewer overflows: an environmental source of hormones and wastewater micropollutants

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Phillips, P.J.; Chalmers, A.T.; Gray, J.L.; Kolpin, D.W.; Foreman, W.T.; Wall, G.R.

    2012-01-01

    Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving 30,000 people) to assess the relative contribution of CSO (combined sewer overflow) bypass flows and treated wastewater effluent to the load of steroid hormones and other wastewater micropollutants (WMPs) from a WWTP to a lake. Flow-weighted composite samples were collected over a 13 month period at this WWTP from CSO bypass flows or plant influent flows (n = 28) and treated effluent discharges (n = 22). Although CSO discharges represent 10% of the total annual water discharge (CSO plus treated plant effluent discharges) from the WWTP, CSO discharges contribute 40–90% of the annual load for hormones and WMPs with high (>90%) wastewater treatment removal efficiency. By contrast, compounds with low removal efficiencies (<90%) have less than 10% of annual load contributed by CSO discharges. Concentrations of estrogens, androgens, and WMPs generally are 10 times higher in CSO discharges compared to treated wastewater discharges. Compound concentrations in samples of CSO discharges generally decrease with increasing flow because of wastewater dilution by rainfall runoff. By contrast, concentrations of hormones and many WMPs in samples from treated discharges can increase with increasing flow due to decreasing removal efficiency.

  8. Combined Sewer Overflows: An Environmental Source of Hormones and Wastewater Micropollutants

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Data were collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Burlington, Vermont, USA, (serving 30,000 people) to assess the relative contribution of CSO (combined sewer overflow) bypass flows and treated wastewater effluent to the load of steroid hormones and other wastewater micropollutants (WMPs) from a WWTP to a lake. Flow-weighted composite samples were collected over a 13 month period at this WWTP from CSO bypass flows or plant influent flows (n = 28) and treated effluent discharges (n = 22). Although CSO discharges represent 10% of the total annual water discharge (CSO plus treated plant effluent discharges) from the WWTP, CSO discharges contribute 40–90% of the annual load for hormones and WMPs with high (>90%) wastewater treatment removal efficiency. By contrast, compounds with low removal efficiencies (<90%) have less than 10% of annual load contributed by CSO discharges. Concentrations of estrogens, androgens, and WMPs generally are 10 times higher in CSO discharges compared to treated wastewater discharges. Compound concentrations in samples of CSO discharges generally decrease with increasing flow because of wastewater dilution by rainfall runoff. By contrast, concentrations of hormones and many WMPs in samples from treated discharges can increase with increasing flow due to decreasing removal efficiency. PMID:22540536

  9. An integrated approach with the zebrafish model for biomonitoring of municipal wastewater effluent and receiving waters.

    PubMed

    Li, Caixia; Chen, Qiyu; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Snyder, Shane A; Gong, Zhiyuan; Lam, Siew Hong

    2017-12-11

    Comprehensive monitoring of water pollution is challenging. With the increasing amount and types of anthropogenic compounds being released into water, there are rising concerns of undetected toxicity. This is especially true for municipal wastewater effluents that are discharged to surface waters. This study was designed to integrate zebrafish toxicogenomics, targeted gene expression, and morphological analyses, for toxicity evaluation of effluent discharged from two previously characterized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Pima County, Arizona, and their receiving surface water. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to organic extracts from the WWTP1 effluent that were reconstituted to represent 1× and 0.5× of the original concentration. Microarray analyses identified deregulated gene probes that mapped to 1666, 779, and 631 unique human homologs in the 1×, 0.5×, and the intersection of both groups, respectively. These were associated with 18 cellular and molecular functions ranging from cell cycle to metabolism and are involved in the development and function of 10 organ systems including nervous, cardiovascular, haematological, reproductive, and hepatic systems. Superpathway of cholesterol biosynthesis, retinoic acid receptor activation, glucocorticoid receptor and prolactin signaling were among the top 11 perturbed canonical pathways. Real-time quantitative PCR validated the expression changes of 12 selected genes. These genes were then tested on zebrafish embryos exposed to the reconstituted extract of water sampled downstream of WWTP1 and another nearby WWTP2. The expression of several targeted genes were significantly affected by the WWTP effluents and some of the downstream receiving waters. Morphological analyses using four transgenic zebrafish lines revealed potential toxicity associated with nervous, hepatic, endothelial-vascular and myeloid systems. This study demonstrated how information can be obtained using adverse outcome pathway framework to

  10. Toxicity of leather tanning wastewater effluents in sea urchin early development and in marine microalgae.

    PubMed

    Meriç, Süreyya; De Nicola, Elena; Iaccarino, Mario; Gallo, Marialuisa; Di Gennaro, Annamaria; Morrone, Gaetano; Warnau, Michel; Belgiorno, Vincenzo; Pagano, Giovanni

    2005-10-01

    This study was designed to investigate the composition and the toxicity of leather tanning wastewater and conditioned sludge collected at the leather tanning wastewater treatment plant (CODISO) located in Solofra, Avellino (Southern Italy). Samples were analyzed for their conventional parameters (COD, TSS, chromium and ammonia) and for metal content. Effluent samples included raw wastewater, and samples collected following coagulation/flocculation process and biological treatment. A set of toxicity endpoints were tested using sea urchin and marine microalgal bioassays by evaluating acute embryotoxicity, developmental defects, changes in sperm fertilization success and transmissible damage from sperm to the offspring, and changes in algal growth rate. Dose-related toxicity to sea urchin embryogenesis and sperm fertilization success was exerted by effluent or sludge samples according to the following rank: conditioned sludge > coagulated effluent > or = raw influent > effluent from biological treatment. Offspring quality was not affected by sperm exposure to any wastewater or to sludge samples. Algal growth was inhibited by raw or coagulated effluent to a similar extent and, again, the effluent from the biological treatment resulted in a decreased toxicity. The results suggest that coagulated effluent and conditioned sludge result in higher toxicity than raw influent in sea urchin embryos and sperm, whereas the biological wastewater treatment of coagulated effluent, in both sea urchins and algae, cause a substantial improvement of wastewater quality. Hence a final biological wastewater treatment should be operated to minimize any environmental damage from tannery wastewater.

  11. Effects of urban runoff and wastewater effluent on Wilsons Creek and James River near Springfield, Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Berkas, Wayne R.

    1980-01-01

    Statistical analysis on water-quality parameters from James River upstream and downstream from the confluence of Wilsons Creek shows a significant difference for all parameters except temperature and dissolved silica at the 0.05 probability level. Regression analysis shows correlation for discharge with dissolved sodium, dissolved chloride, and dissolved potassium, and for specific conductance with dissolved chloride and dissolved sulfate at the station downstream from Wilsons Creek. This is due to the consistent quality of the effluent from the Southwest Wastewater Plant on Wilsons Creek. Water-quality monitor stations upstream and downstream from the wastewater plant indicate that the plant has a degrading effect on dissolved oxygen in Wilsons Creek and James River. The monitors also indicate that rainfall flushes momentarily poor quality water into Wilsons Creek from the urbanized Springfield area. Overall, the runoff is diluting the effluent from the wastewater plant. Rainfall and runoff stations indicate a rapid response of runoff to rainfall due to the high percentage of imperviousness and the filling or paving of sinkholes. (USGS)

  12. Detection, identification and formation of new iodinated disinfection byproducts in chlorinated saline wastewater effluents.

    PubMed

    Gong, Tingting; Zhang, Xiangru

    2015-01-01

    The use of seawater for toilet flushing introduces high levels of inorganic ions, including iodide ions, into a city's wastewater treatment systems, resulting in saline wastewater effluents. Chlorination is widely used in disinfecting wastewater effluents owing to its low cost and high efficiency. During chlorination of saline wastewater effluents, iodide may be oxidized to hypoiodous acid, which may further react with effluent organic matter to form iodinated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Iodinated DBPs show significantly higher toxicity than their brominated and chlorinated analogues and thus have been drawing increasing concerns. In this study, polar iodinated DBPs were detected in chlorinated saline wastewater effluents using a novel precursor ion scan method. The major polar iodinated DBPs were identified and quantified, and their organic precursors and formation pathways were investigated. The formation of iodinated DBPs under different chlorine doses and contact times was also studied. The results indicated that a few polar iodinated DBPs were generated in the chlorinated saline primary effluent, but few were generated in the chlorinated saline secondary effluent. Several major polar iodinated DBPs in the chlorinated saline primary effluent were proposed with structures, among which a new group of polar iodinated DBPs, iodo-trihydroxybenzenesulfonic acids, were identified and quantified. The organic precursors of this new group of DBPs were found to be 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid and 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene, and the formation pathways of these new DBPs were tentatively proposed. Both chlorine dose and contact time affected the formation of iodinated DBPs in the chlorinated saline wastewater effluents.

  13. Wastewater indicator compounds in wastewater effluent, surface water, and bed sediment in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and implications for water resources and aquatic biota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, 2007-08

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tomasek, Abigail A.; Lee, Kathy E.; Hansen, Donald S.

    2012-01-01

    The results of this study indicate that aquatic biota in the St. Croix River are exposed to a wide variety of organic contaminants that originate from diverse sources including WWTP effluent. The data on wastewater indicator compounds indicate that exposures are temporally and spatially variable and that OWCs may accumulate in bed sediment. These results also indicate that OWCs in water and bed sediment increase downstream from discharges of wastewater effluent to the St. Croix River; however, the presence of OWCs in surface water and bed sediment at the Sunrise site indicates that potential sources of compounds, such as WWTPs or other sources, are upstream from the Taylors Falls-St. Croix Falls area.

  14. Reuse of effluent water from a municipal wastewater treatment plant in microalgae cultivation for biofuel production.

    PubMed

    Cho, Sunja; Luong, Thanh Thao; Lee, Dukhaeng; Oh, You-Kwan; Lee, Taeho

    2011-09-01

    This study assessed the usability of effluent water discharged from a secondary municipal wastewater treatment plant for mass cultivation of microalgae for biofuel production. It was observed that bacteria and protozoa in the effluent water exerted a negative impact on the growth of Chlorella sp. 227. To reduce the effect, filtration or UV-radiation were applied on the effluent water as pre-treatment methods. Of all the pretreatment options tested, the filtration (by 0.2 μm) resulted in the highest biomass and lipid productivity. To be comparable with the growth in the autoclaved effluent water, the filtration with a proper pore size filter (less than 0.45 μm) or UV-B radiation of a proper dose (over 1620 mJ cm(-2)) are proposed. These findings led us to conclude that the utilization can be realized only when bacteria and other microorganisms are greatly reduced or eliminated from the effluent prior to its use. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Spatial Characteristics and Driving Factors of Provincial Wastewater Discharge in China

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Kunlun; Liu, Xiaoqiong; Ding, Lei; Huang, Gengzhi; Li, Zhigang

    2016-01-01

    Based on the increasing pressure on the water environment, this study aims to clarify the overall status of wastewater discharge in China, including the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of wastewater discharge and its driving factors, so as to provide reference for developing “emission reduction” strategies in China and discuss regional sustainable development and resources environment policies. We utilized the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) method to analyze the characteristics of the spatio-temporal distribution of the total wastewater discharge among 31 provinces in China from 2002 to 2013. Then, we discussed about the driving factors, affected the wastewater discharge through the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method and classified those driving factors. Results indicate that: (1) the total wastewater discharge steadily increased, based on the social economic development, with an average growth rate of 5.3% per year; the domestic wastewater discharge is the main source of total wastewater discharge, and the amount of domestic wastewater discharge is larger than the industrial wastewater discharge. There are many spatial differences of wastewater discharge among provinces via the ESDA method. For example, provinces with high wastewater discharge are mainly the developed coastal provinces such as Jiangsu Province and Guangdong Province. Provinces and their surrounding areas with low wastewater discharge are mainly the undeveloped ones in Northwest China; (2) The dominant factors affecting wastewater discharge are the economy and technological advance; The secondary one is the efficiency of resource utilization, which brings about the unstable effect; population plays a less important role in wastewater discharge. The dominant driving factors affecting wastewater discharge among 31 provinces are divided into three types, including two-factor dominant type, three-factor leading type and four-factor antagonistic type. In addition

  16. Spatial Characteristics and Driving Factors of Provincial Wastewater Discharge in China.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kunlun; Liu, Xiaoqiong; Ding, Lei; Huang, Gengzhi; Li, Zhigang

    2016-12-09

    Based on the increasing pressure on the water environment, this study aims to clarify the overall status of wastewater discharge in China, including the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of wastewater discharge and its driving factors, so as to provide reference for developing "emission reduction" strategies in China and discuss regional sustainable development and resources environment policies. We utilized the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) method to analyze the characteristics of the spatio-temporal distribution of the total wastewater discharge among 31 provinces in China from 2002 to 2013. Then, we discussed about the driving factors, affected the wastewater discharge through the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method and classified those driving factors. Results indicate that: (1) the total wastewater discharge steadily increased, based on the social economic development, with an average growth rate of 5.3% per year; the domestic wastewater discharge is the main source of total wastewater discharge, and the amount of domestic wastewater discharge is larger than the industrial wastewater discharge. There are many spatial differences of wastewater discharge among provinces via the ESDA method. For example, provinces with high wastewater discharge are mainly the developed coastal provinces such as Jiangsu Province and Guangdong Province. Provinces and their surrounding areas with low wastewater discharge are mainly the undeveloped ones in Northwest China; (2) The dominant factors affecting wastewater discharge are the economy and technological advance; The secondary one is the efficiency of resource utilization, which brings about the unstable effect; population plays a less important role in wastewater discharge. The dominant driving factors affecting wastewater discharge among 31 provinces are divided into three types, including two-factor dominant type, three-factor leading type and four-factor antagonistic type. In addition, the

  17. Dissolved effluent organic matter: Characteristics and potential implications in wastewater treatment and reuse applications.

    PubMed

    Michael-Kordatou, I; Michael, C; Duan, X; He, X; Dionysiou, D D; Mills, M A; Fatta-Kassinos, D

    2015-06-15

    Wastewater reuse is currently considered globally as the most critical element of sustainable water management. The dissolved effluent organic matter (dEfOM) present in biologically treated urban wastewater, consists of a heterogeneous mixture of refractory organic compounds with diverse structures and varying origin, including dissolved natural organic matter, soluble microbial products, endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products residues, disinfection by-products, metabolites/transformation products and others, which can reach the aquatic environment through discharge and reuse applications. dEfOM constitutes the major fraction of the effluent organic matter (EfOM) and due to its chemical complexity, it is necessary to utilize a battery of complementary techniques to adequately describe its structural and functional character. dEfOM has been shown to exhibit contrasting effects towards various aquatic organisms. It decreases metal uptake, thus potentially reducing their bioavailability to exposed organisms. On the other hand, dEfOM can be adsorbed on cell membranes inducing toxic effects. This review paper evaluates the performance of various advanced treatment processes (i.e., membrane filtration and separation processes, activated carbon adsorption, ion-exchange resin process, and advanced chemical oxidation processes) in removing dEfOM from wastewater effluents. In general, the literature findings reveal that dEfOM removal by advanced treatment processes depends on the type and the amount of organic compounds present in the aqueous matrix, as well as the operational parameters and the removal mechanisms taking place during the application of each treatment technology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. 40 CFR 419.14 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (b) of this section. (e) Effluent limitations for contaminated runoff. The following effluent... paragraph and attributable to contaminated runoff which may be discharged after the application of the best... solely of contaminated runoff and is not commingled or treated with process wastewater, it may be...

  19. 40 CFR 419.54 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (b) of this section. (e) Effluent limitations for contaminated runoff. The following effluent... paragraph and attributable to contaminated runoff which may be discharged after the application of the best... solely of contaminated runoff and is not commingled or treated with process wastewater, it may be...

  20. A comparison of the suitability of different willow varieties to treat on-site wastewater effluent in an Irish climate.

    PubMed

    Curneen, S J; Gill, L W

    2014-01-15

    Short rotation coppiced willow trees can be used to treat on-site wastewater effluent with the advantage that, if planted in a sealed basin and sized correctly, they produce no effluent discharge. This paper has investigated the evapotranspiration rate of four different willow varieties while also monitoring the effects of three different effluent types on each variety. The willow varieties used are all cultivars of Salix viminalis. The effluents applied were primary (septic tank) effluent, secondary treated effluent and rain water (control). The results obtained showed that the addition of effluent had a positive effect on the evapotranspiration. The willows were also found to uptake a high proportion of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the primary and secondary treated effluents added during the first year. The effect of the different effluents on the evapotranspiration rate has been used to design ten full scale on-site treatment systems which are now being monitored. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Ecotoxicological risk assessment of hospital wastewater: a proposed framework for raw effluents discharging into urban sewer network.

    PubMed

    Emmanuel, E; Perrodin, Y; Keck, G; Blanchard, J-M; Vermande, P

    2005-01-14

    In hospitals a large variety of substances are in use for medical purposes such as diagnostics and research. After application, diagnostic agents, disinfectants and excreted non-metabolized pharmaceuticals by patients, reach the wastewater. This form of elimination may generate risks for aquatic organisms. The aim of this study was to present: (i) the steps of an ecological risk assessment and management framework related to hospital effluents evacuating into wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) without preliminary treatment; and (ii) the results of its application on wastewater from an infectious and tropical diseases department of a hospital of a large city in southeastern France. The characterization of effects has been made under two assumptions, which were related to: (a) the effects of hospital wastewater on biological treatment process of WWTP, particularly on the community of organisms in charge of the biological decomposition of the organic matter; (b) the effects on aquatic organisms. COD and BOD5 have been measured for studying global organic pollution. Assessment of halogenated organic compounds was made using halogenated organic compounds absorbable on activated carbon (AOX) concentrations. Heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chrome, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc) were measured. Low most probable number (MPP) for faecal coliforms has been considered as an indirect detection of antibiotics and disinfectants presence. For toxicity assessment, bioluminescence assay using Vibrio fischeri photobacteria, 72-h EC50 algae growth Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and 24-h EC50 on Daphnia magna were used. The scenario allows to a semi-quantitative risk characterization. It needs to be improved on some aspects, particularly those linked to: long term toxicity assessment on target organisms (bioaccumulation of pollutants, genotoxicity, etc.); ecotoxicological interactions between pharmaceuticals, disinfectants used both in diagnostics and in cleaning of surfaces

  2. Death from below: Investigation of inhibitory factors in bloom development during a wastewater effluent diversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kudela, Raphael M.; Lucas, Andrew J.; Hayashi, Kendra; Howard, Meredith; McLaughlin, Karen

    2017-02-01

    Eutrophication of coastal waters is an urgent and globally increasing problem. A significant source of nutrients to Southern California coastal waters is direct discharge of secondarily treated wastewater effluent from regional Publicly Owned Treatment Works. The planned diversion of treated wastewater from the Orange County Sanitation District's main (5-mile) pipe to a shallow 1-mile pipe off Huntington Beach, CA in autumn 2012 provided an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the response of the coastal phytoplankton community to a major anthropogenic loading event. Despite the continuous release of approximately 11.07 × 106 m3 of effluent containing 1743 μM ammonium, there was virtually no detectable change in phytoplankton biomass, in striking contrast to the harmful algal bloom dominated community that quickly developed in response to a comparable diversion in Santa Monica Bay in 2006. Field and laboratory studies demonstrate that disinfection byproducts associated with enhanced dechlorination were present in the discharged water, and that these compounds had a strong inhibitory impact on phytoplankton photophysiology and growth, lasting 24 h for photosynthetic performance and at least 3 d for growth, assessed as change in chlorophyll. Thus, the perhaps fortuitous unintended consequence of enhanced chlorination was the production of inhibitory compounds that suppressed the potential phytoplankton response over a large swath of the continental shelf during the diversion.

  3. Impact assessment of a wastewater treatment plant effluent using the fish biomarker ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase: field and on-site experiments.

    PubMed

    Kosmala, A; Migeon, B; Flammarion, P; Garric, J

    1998-09-01

    The impact of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent was assessed with the fish biomarker ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) using field and on-site laboratory experiments. EROD activity was measured in chub (Leuciscus cephalus) and stone loach (Noemacheilus barbatulus) caught at three sites of the Chalaronne River (southeast France). Liver somatic index (LSI) and organochloride bioaccumulation in muscle were estimated for chub only. In September, EROD activity and LSI of chub increased significantly between the sites above and below the WWTP effluent discharge. EROD induction detected in chub was confirmed by on-site tank experiments. EROD levels were determined in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to different concentrations of the WWTP effluent and river water for 16 days. After a 4-day exposure, EROD activities of the carp exposed to the effluent increased significantly compared with the control. The response was linked to the effluent concentration and was stable with exposure time. WWTP effluent induced EROD activity, whereas organic and metal analyses, performed on fish muscle and sediment, did not indicate any difference between upstream and downstream of the discharge. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

  4. Organic compounds downstream from a treated-wastewater discharge near Dallas, Texas, March 1987

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buszka, P.M.; Barber, L.B.; Schroeder, M.P.; Becker, L.D.

    1994-01-01

    Comparison of instantaneous flux values of selected organic compounds in water from downstream sites indicates: (1) the formation of chloroform in the stream following the discharge of the treated effluent, and that (2) instream biodegradation may be decreasing concentrations of linear alkylbenzene compounds in water. The relative persistence of many of the selected organic compounds in Rowlett Creek downstream from the municipal wastewater-treatment plant indicates that they could be transported into Lake Ray Hubbard, a source of municipal water supply.

  5. 40 CFR 429.21 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... all mechanical barking installations: There shall be no discharge of process wastewater pollutants... hydraulic barking installations: Subpart A Pollutant or pollutant property BPT effluent limitations Maximum...

  6. 40 CFR 429.21 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... all mechanical barking installations: There shall be no discharge of process wastewater pollutants... hydraulic barking installations: Subpart A Pollutant or pollutant property BPT effluent limitations Maximum...

  7. Distribution of pyrethroid insecticides in secondary wastewater effluent

    PubMed Central

    Parry, Emily; Young, Thomas M.

    2014-01-01

    Although the freely dissolved form of hydrophobic organic chemicals may best predict aquatic toxicity, differentiating between dissolved and particle bound forms is challenging at environmentally relevant concentrations for compounds with low toxicity thresholds such as pyrethroid insecticides. We investigated the distribution of pyrethroids among three forms: freely dissolved, complexed with dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and sorbed to suspended particulate matter, during a yearlong study at a secondary wastewater treatment plant. Effluent was fractionated by laboratory centrifugation to determine if sorption was driven by particle size. Linear distribution coefficients were estimated for pyrethroid sorption to suspended particulate matter (Kid) and dissolved organic carbon (Kidoc) at environmentally relevant pyrethroid concentrations. Resulting Kid values were higher than those reported for other environmental solids, and variation between sampling events correlated well with available particle surface area. Fractionation results suggest that no more than 40% of the pyrethroid remaining in secondary effluent could be removed by extending settling periods. Less than 6%of the total pyrethroid load in wastewater effluent was present in the dissolved form across all sampling events and chemicals. PMID:23939863

  8. Endocrine disrupting alkylphenolic chemicals and other contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents, urban streams, and fish in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Regions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barber, Larry B.; Loyo-Rosales, Jorge E.; Rice, Clifford P.; Minarik, Thomas A.; Oskouie, Ali K.

    2015-01-01

    Urban streams are an integral part of the municipal water cycle and provide a point of discharge for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, allowing additional attenuation through dilution and transformation processes, as well as a conduit for transporting contaminants to downstream water supplies. Domestic and commercial activities dispose of wastes down-the-drain, resulting in wastewater containing complex chemical mixtures that are only partially removed during treatment. A key issue associated with WWTP effluent discharge into streams is the potential to cause endocrine disruption in fish. This study provides a long-term (1999-2009) evaluation of the occurrence of alkylphenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and other contaminants discharged from WWTPs into streams in the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio). The Greater Metropolitan Chicago Area Waterways, Illinois, were evaluated to determine contaminant concentrations in the major WWTP effluents and receiving streams, and assess the behavior of EDCs from their sources within the sewer collection system, through the major treatment unit processes at a WWTP, to their persistence and transport in the receiving stream. Water samples were analyzed for alkylphenolic EDCs and other contaminants, including 4-nonylphenol (NP), 4-nonylphenolpolyethoxylates (NPEO), 4-nonylphenolethoxycarboxylic acids (NPEC), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), 4-tert-octylphenolpolyethoxylates (OPEO), bisphenol A, triclosan, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and trace elements. All of the compounds were detected in all of the WWTP effluents, with EDTA and NPEC having the greatest concentrations. The compounds also were detected in the WWTP effluent dominated rivers. Multiple fish species were collected from river and lake sites and analyzed for NP, NPEO, NPEC, OP, and OPEO. Whole-body fish tissue analysis indicated widespread occurrence of alkylphenolic compounds

  9. Effect of average flow and capacity utilization on effluent water quality from US municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

    PubMed

    Weirich, Scott R; Silverstein, Joann; Rajagopalan, Balaji

    2011-08-01

    There is increasing interest in decentralization of wastewater collection and treatment systems. However, there have been no systematic studies of the performance of small treatment facilities compared with larger plants. A statistical analysis of 4 years of discharge monthly report (DMR) data from 210 operating wastewater treatment facilities was conducted to determine the effect of average flow rate and capacity utilization on effluent biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia, and fecal coliforms relative to permitted values. Relationships were quantified using generalized linear models (GLMs). Small facilities (40 m³/d) had violation rates greater than 10 times that of the largest facilities (400,000 m³/d) for BOD, TSS, and ammonia. For facilities with average flows less than 40,000 m³/d, increasing capacity utilization was correlated with increased effluent levels of BOD and TSS. Larger facilities tended to operate at flows closer to their design capacity while maintaining treatment suggesting greater efficiency. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. PRN 93-10: Effluent Discharge Labeling Statements

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This notice describes revised effluent discharge labeling statements required on all manufacturing use products and end use products that may be discharged to waters of the United States ormunicipal sewer systems.

  11. Pollution control of industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries: a case study.

    PubMed

    Abdel-Gawad, S; Abdel-Shafy, M

    2002-01-01

    Industrial wastewater from soap and oil industries represents a heavy pollution source on their receiving water body. This paper studies a case of pollution control at Tanta Soap and Oil Company, Banha Factory, Egypt. The factory production includes soap, edible oil, and animal fodder. About 4,347 m3/day of industrial wastewater effluent was discharged via gravity sewers to the public sewerage system. Most of the effluent was cooling water because the cooling process in the factory was open circle. In spite of the huge quantity of cooling water being disposed of, disposal of wastewater was violating pertinent legislation. Three procedures were used for controlling the pollution at the Banha Factory. Firstly, all open circuit cooling systems were converted to closed circuit thus reducing the quantity of the discharged wastewater down to 767 m3/day. Secondly, the heavily polluted oil and grease (O&G) wastewater from the refinery unit is treated via two gravity oil separator (GOS) units, dissolved air floatation (DAF), and biological units in order to reduce the high levels of O&G, BOD, COD, and SS to the allowable limits. Thirdly, the heavily polluted waste effluent from the 'red water' saponification unit is treated separately by acidification to convert the emulsified fatty acid to free form in order to be separated through an oil separation unit. The effluent is then passed to liming stage to neutralize excess acidity and precipitate some of the dissolved matters. The mixture is finally clarified and the pH is adjusted to the allowable limits. The effluent wastewater from the three processes is collected and mixed in a final equalization tank for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system. The characteristics of the effluent water are very good with respect to the allowable Egyptian limits for discharging effluent to the public sewerage system.

  12. Fecal coliform accumulation within a river subject to seasonally-disinfected wastewater discharges.

    PubMed

    Mitch, Azalea A; Gasner, Katherine C; Mitch, William A

    2010-09-01

    As pathogen contamination is a leading cause of surface water impairment, there has been increasing interest in the implications of seasonal disinfection practices of wastewater effluents for meeting water quality goals. For receiving waters designated for recreational use, disinfection during the winter months is often considered unnecessary due to reduced recreational usage, and assumptions that lower temperatures may reduce pathogen accumulation. For a river subject to seasonal disinfection, we sought to evaluate whether fecal coliforms accumulate during the winter to concentrations that would impair river water quality. Samples were collected from municipal wastewater outfalls along the river, as well as upstream and downstream of each outfall during the winter, when disinfection is not practiced, and during the summer, when disinfection is practiced. During both seasons, fecal coliform concentrations reached 2000-5000 CFU/100 mL, nearly an order of magnitude higher than levels targeted for the river to achieve primary contact recreational uses. During the summer, wastewater effluents were not significant contributors to fecal coliform loadings to the river. During the winter, fecal coliform accumulated along the river predominantly due to loadings from successive wastewater outfalls. In addition to the exceedance of fecal coliform criteria within the river, the accumulation of wastewater-derived fecal coliform along the river during the winter season suggests that wastewater outfalls may contribute elevated loads of pathogens to the commercial shellfish operations occurring at the mouth of the river. Reductions in fecal coliform concentrations between wastewater outfalls were attributed to dilution or overall removal. Combining discharge measurements from gauging stations, tributaries and wastewater outfalls to estimate seepage, dilution between wastewater outfalls was estimated, along with the percentage of the river deriving from wastewater outfalls. After

  13. Effects of wastewater effluent on the South Platte River from Littleton to Denver

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Spahr, N.E.; Blakely, S.R.

    1985-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey 's one-dimensional steady-state water quality model was used to investigate the effects of the effluent from the Bi-City WWTP (Wastewater Treatment Plant) on the South Platte River. The Bi-City WWTP is operated by the Cities of Littleton and Englewood. The model was calibrated from a 14.5 mile reach for 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand, organic, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate using data collected during September 1983. Model verification was completed using data collected during October 1982 and January 1984 for all constituents except nitrite nitrogen. Nitrite nitrogen could not be verified for the cold temperature conditions of January of 1984. Measured benthic sediment oxygen demand used in model ranged from 1.01 to 2.77 grams per square meter per day. Model simulations were made for an estimated 7-day, 10-year discharge of 18 cubic feet per second, upstream from the outfall of the WWTP. Two groups of simulations were made for both warm and cold temperature conditions. In the first group of simulation variations were made in effluent 5-day carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand concentrations and flow rates. The second group of simulations varied the amount of nitrogen discharged as ammonia and nitrate. The extent of the mixing zone downstream of the WWTP outfall was determined by injecting Rhodamine WT dye into the effluent. The mixing zone was found to extend 0.8 miles during low-flow conditions. (USGS)

  14. PRN 95-1: Effluent Discharge Labeling Statements

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This notice exempts certain pesticide products from bearing effluent discharge labeling statements specified by P.R. Notice 93-10 for manufacturing use products and end use products that may be discharged to waters of the U.S. or municipal sewer systems.

  15. Determination and occurrence of phthalates, alkylphenols, bisphenol A, PBDEs, PCBs and PAHs in an industrial sewage grid discharging to a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Avila, Juan; Bonet, Jordi; Velasco, Gemma; Lacorte, Silvia

    2009-06-15

    Industrial and urban discharges release organic contaminants which might affect the quality of receiving waters if not properly eliminated in Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP). This study is aimed to evaluate the source, transport and fate of contaminants of industrial origin in a sewage grid discharging to a WWTP and finally to the sea. The sampling network covered an industrial and urban area and wastewaters, influents and effluents of a WWTP were analyzed using a newly developed multiresidual method to capture a wide range contaminants (phthalates, alkylphenols, bisphenol A, PBDEs, PCBs and PAHs). Alkylphenols and phthalates followed by PAHs were the main compounds detected at levels between 0.01 to 698 microg l(-1) in the sewage pipelines. At the WWTP influent they were detected at concentrations up to 345 microg l(-1). The contaminant load was eliminated in a 64-92% during the primary and secondary treatment of the plant. However, alkylphenols, phthalates bisphenol A and traces of PAHs were discharged with the effluent, producing a total net input of 825 g d(-1) to the sea. The study of wastewaters herein proposed can be used to better predict the loads into WWTP to improve treatment conditions according to specific sewage inputs and to assess the risks associated with the continuous discharge of contaminants to receiving plants.

  16. Separate treatment of hospital and urban wastewaters: A real scale comparison of effluents and their effect on microbial communities.

    PubMed

    Chonova, Teofana; Keck, François; Labanowski, Jérôme; Montuelle, Bernard; Rimet, Frédéric; Bouchez, Agnès

    2016-01-15

    Hospital wastewaters (HWW) contain wider spectrum and higher quantity of pharmaceuticals than urban wastewaters (UWW), but they are generally discharged in sewers without pretreatment. Since traditional urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are not designed to treat HWWs, treated effluents may still contain pollutants that could impair receiving aquatic environments. Hence, a better understanding of the effect of pharmaceuticals in the environment is required. Biofilms are effective "biological sensors" for assessing the environmental effects of pharmaceuticals due to their ability to respond rapidly to physical, chemical and biological fluctuations by changes in their structure and composition. This study evaluated the efficiency of biological treatment with conventional activated sludge system performed parallel on HWW and UWW. Furthermore, six successive monthly colonizations of biofilms were done on autoclaved stones, placed in grid-baskets in the hospital treated effluents (HTE) and urban treated effluents (UTE). The biomass of these biofilms as well as the structure and diversity of their bacterial communities were investigated. Results showed better treatment efficiency for phosphate and nitrite/nitrate during the treatment of UWW. Pharmaceuticals from all investigated therapeutic classes (beta-blockers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, analgesics and anticonvulsants) were efficiently removed, except for carbamazepine. The removal efficiency of the antibiotics, NSAIDs and beta-blockers was higher during the treatment of HWW. HTE and UTE shaped the bacterial communities in different ways. Higher concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the HTE caused adapted development of the microbial community, leading to less developed biomass and lower bacterial diversity. Seasonal changes in solar irradiance and temperature, caused changes in the community composition of biofilms in both effluents. According to the removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals

  17. Predicting fate of the contraceptive pill in wastewater treatment and discharge.

    PubMed

    Mastrup, M; Schäfer, A I; Khan, S J

    2005-01-01

    The risk of endocrine disrupters to humans and wildlife is to date poorly understood, although evidence of effects is now widespread. In understanding the risk, an important step is the determination of the partitioning, as well as chemical and biochemical transformation, of compounds in the environment, the water cycle and the food chain. This is a complex task and this paper is a first step towards estimating some of these factors from a largely theoretical approach. A chemical fate model is used to predict the fate of the contraceptive drug 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2). The example of the contraceptive pill is chosen to follow the journey of the drug from human ingestion and excretion to treatment in a sewage treatment plant (STP) using fugacity-based fate models, followed by discharge into a receiving river and eventually into the estuary/sea. The model predicts how EE2 will partition into the different compartments during each stage of this journey and thereby infiltrate into the food chain. The results suggest that a person would have to ingest more than 30,000 portions of fish to consume an equivalent to a single average dose of the contraceptive pill. While this scenario is highly unlikely, the biochemical consequence of the contraceptive pill is greatly significant. Furthermore, there are many identified similarly estrogenic compounds in the environment while this study only considers one. Cumulative effects of such compounds as well as degradation into other potent compounds may be anticipated. An important message in this paper is the interrelation of wastewater effluent discharge and eventual human exposure of marginally degradable and lipophilic chemicals. While at present the main concerns regarding endocrine disrupters appear to be the fear of their occurrence in drinking water sources, it is clear that the domains of wastewater treatment and discharge, water supply and contamination of food should not be treated as separate issues. The model

  18. Health Effects in Fish of Long-Term Exposure to Effluents from Wastewater Treatment Works

    PubMed Central

    Liney, Katherine E.; Hagger, Josephine A.; Tyler, Charles R.; Depledge, Michael H.; Galloway, Tamara S.; Jobling, Susan

    2006-01-01

    Concern has been raised in recent years that exposure to wastewater treatment effluents containing estrogenic chemicals can disrupt the endocrine functioning of riverine fish and cause permanent alterations in the structure and function of the reproductive system. Reproductive disorders may not necessarily arise as a result of estrogenic effects alone, and there is a need for a better understanding of the relative importance of endocrine disruption in relation to other forms of toxicity. Here, the integrated health effects of long-term effluent exposure are reported (reproductive, endocrine, immune, genotoxic, nephrotoxic). Early life-stage roach, Rutilus rutilus, were exposed for 300 days to treated wastewater effluent at concentrations of 0, 15.2, 34.8, and 78.7% (with dechlorinated tap water as diluent). Concentrations of treated effluents that induced feminization of male roach, measured as vitellogenin induction and histological alteration to gonads, also caused statistically significant alterations in kidney development (tubule diameter), modulated immune function (differential cell count, total number of thrombocytes), and caused genotoxic damage (micronucleus induction and single-strand breaks in gill and blood cells). Genotoxic and immunotoxic effects occurred at concentrations of wastewater effluent lower than those required to induce recognizable changes in the structure and function of the reproductive endocrine system. These findings emphasize the need for multiple biological end points in tests that assess the potential health effects of wastewater effluents. They also suggest that for some effluents, genotoxic and immune end points may be more sensitive than estrogenic (endocrine-mediated) end points as indicators of exposure in fish. PMID:16818251

  19. Role of effluent organic matter in the photochemical degradation of compounds of wastewater origin.

    PubMed

    Bodhipaksha, Laleen C; Sharpless, Charles M; Chin, Yu-Ping; MacKay, Allison A

    2017-03-01

    The photoreactivity of treated wastewater effluent organic matter differs from that of natural organic matter, and the indirect phototransformation rates of micropollutants originating in wastewater are expected to depend on the fractional contribution of wastewater to total stream flow. Photodegradation rates of four common compounds of wastewater origin (sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimethoxine, cimetidine and caffeine) were measured in river water, treated municipal wastewater effluent and mixtures of both to simulate various effluent-stream water mixing conditions that could occur in environmental systems. Compounds were chosen for their unique photodegradation pathways with the photochemically produced reactive intermediates, triplet-state excited organic matter ( 3 OM*), singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), and hydroxyl radicals (OH). For all compounds, higher rates of photodegradation were observed in effluent relative to upstream river water. Sulfamethoxazole degraded primarily via direct photolysis, with some contribution from OH and possibly from carbonate radicals and other unidentified reactive intermediates in effluent-containing samples. Sulfadimethoxine also degraded mainly by direct photolysis, and natural organic matter appeared to inhibit this process to a greater extent than predicted by light screening. In the presence of effluent organic matter, sulfadimethoxine showed additional reactions with OH and 1 O 2 . In all water samples, cimetidine degraded by reaction with 1 O 2 (>95%) and caffeine by reaction with OH (>95%). In river water mixtures, photodegradation rate constants for all compounds increased with increasing fractions of effluent. A conservative mixing model was able to predict reaction rate constants in the case of hydroxyl radical reactions, but it overestimated rate constants in the case of 3 OM* and 1 O 2 pathways. Finally, compound degradation rate constants normalized to the rate of light absorption by water correlated with E 2 /E 3 ratios

  20. Removal of antibiotics in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment: implications for environmental discharge and wastewater recycling.

    PubMed

    Watkinson, A J; Murby, E J; Costanzo, S D

    2007-10-01

    Removal of 28 human and veterinary antibiotics was assessed in a conventional (activated sludge) and advanced (microfiltration/reverse osmosis) wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Brisbane, Australia. The dominant antibiotics detected in wastewater influents were cephalexin (med. 4.6 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), ciprofloxacin (med. 3.8 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), cefaclor (med. 0.5 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), sulphamethoxazole (med. 0.36 microg L(-1), freq. 100%) and trimethoprim (med. 0.34 microg L(-1), freq. 100%). Results indicated that both treatment plants significantly reduced antibiotic concentrations with an average removal rate from the liquid phase of 92%. However, antibiotics were still detected in both effluents from the low-to-mid ng L(-1) range. Antibiotics detected in effluent from the activated sludge WWTP included ciprofloxacin (med. 0.6 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), sulphamethoxazole (med. 0.27 microg L(-1), freq. 100%) lincomycin (med. 0.05 microg L(-1), freq. 100%) and trimethoprim (med. 0.05 microg L(-1), freq. 100%). Antibiotics identified in microfiltration/reverse osmosis product water included naladixic acid (med. 0.045 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), enrofloxacin (med. 0.01 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), roxithromycin (med. 0.01 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), norfloxacin (med. 0.005 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), oleandomycin (med. 0.005 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), trimethoprim (med. 0.005 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), tylosin (med. 0.001 microg L(-1), freq. 100%), and lincomycin (med. 0.001 microg L(-1), freq. 66%). Certain traditional parameters, including nitrate concentration, conductivity and turbidity of the effluent were assessed as predictors of total antibiotic concentration, however only conductivity demonstrated any correlation with total antibiotic concentration (p=0.018, r=0.7). There is currently a lack of information concerning the effects of these chemicals to critically assess potential risks for environmental discharge and water recycling.

  1. Formation of nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) during chlorine disinfection of wastewater effluents prior to use in irrigation systems.

    PubMed

    Pehlivanoglu-Mantas, Elif; Hawley, Elisabeth L; Deeb, Rula A; Sedlak, David L

    2006-01-01

    The probable human carcinogen nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is produced when wastewater effluent is disinfected with chlorine. In systems where wastewater effluent is used for landscape or crop irrigation, relatively high chlorine doses (i.e., up to 2,000,mg-min/L) are often used to ensure adequate disinfection and to minimize biofouling in the irrigation system. To assess the formation of NDMA in such systems, samples were collected from several locations in full-scale wastewater treatment systems and their associated irrigation systems. Up to 460 ng/L of NDMA was produced in full-scale systems in which chloramines were formed when wastewater effluent was disinfected with chlorine in the presence of ammonia. Less than 20 ng/L of NDMA was produced in systems that used free chlorine (i.e., HOCl/OCl(-)) for disinfection in the absence of ammonia. The production of NDMA in ammonia-containing systems was correlated with the concentration of NDMA precursors in the wastewater effluent and the overall dose of chlorine applied. Much of the NDMA formation occurred in chlorine contact basins or in storage basins where water that contained chloramines was held after disinfection. When landscape or crop irrigation is practiced with ammonia-containing wastewater effluent, NDMA production can be controlled by use of lower chlorine doses or by application of alternative disinfectants.

  2. Particulate and colloidal silver in sewage effluent and sludge discharged from British wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Andrew C; Jürgens, Monika D; Lawlor, Alan J; Cisowska, Iwona; Williams, Richard J

    2014-10-01

    Differential filtration was used to measure silver (>2 nm) entering and leaving nine sewage treatment plants (STPs). The mean concentration of colloidal (2-450 nm) silver, which includes nanosilver, was found to be 12 ng L(-1) in the influent and 6 ng L(-1) in the effluent. For particulate silver (>450 nm) the mean values were 3.3 μg L(-1) for influent and 0.08 μg L(-1) for effluent. Thus, removal was around 50% and 98% for colloidal and particulate silver respectively. There was no significant difference in performance between the different types of STP investigated (three examples each of activated sludge, biological filter and biological filter with tertiary treatment located across England, UK). In addition, treated sewage sludge samples (biosolids) were taken from several STPs to measure the total silver likely to be discharged to soils. Total silver was 3-14 mg kg(-1) DW in the sludge (median 3.6), which if the sludge were added at the recommended rate to soil, would add 11 μg kg(-1) yr(-1) to the top 20 cm soil layer. Predicted concentrations using the LF2000-WQX model for all the rivers of England and Wales for nanosilver were typically in the 0-1 ng L(-1) range but levels up to 4 ng L(-1) are possible in a high discharge and low flow scenario. Predicted concentrations for the total particulate forms were mostly below 50 ng L(-1) except for a high discharge and low flow scenario where concentrations could reach 135 ng L(-1). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Spatial Trends of Pharmaceuticals in an Urbanized Estuary: Influence of Wastewater Effluents in Narragansett Bay, RI, USA

    EPA Science Inventory

    For years, pharmaceuticals have been routinely detected in wastewater treatment plant effluents and freshwater systems. Wastewater effluent serves as a primary source of pharmaceutical compounds to natural waters. Many marine and estuarine systems receive inputs either directly...

  4. Spatial and temporal shifts in gross primary productivity, respiration, and nutrient concentrations in urban streams impacted by wastewater treatment plant effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledford, S. H.; Toran, L.

    2017-12-01

    Impacts of wastewater treatment plant effluent on nutrient retention and stream productivity are highly varied. The working theory has been that large pulses of nutrients from plants may hinder in-stream nutrient retention. We evaluated nitrate, total dissolved phosphorus, and dissolved oxygen in Wissahickon Creek, an urban third-order stream in Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, PA, that receives effluent from four wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater treatment plant effluent had nitrate concentrations of 15-30 mg N/L and total dissolved phosphorus of 0.3 to 1.8 mg/L. Seasonal longitudinal water quality samples showed nitrate concentrations were highest in the fall, peaking at 22 mg N/L, due to low baseflow, but total dissolved phosphorous concentrations were highest in the spring, reaching 0.6 mg/L. Diurnal dissolved oxygen patterns above and below one of the treatment plants provided estimates of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER). A site 1 km below effluent discharge had higher GPP in April (80 g O2 m-2 d-1) than the site above the plant (28 g O2 m-2 d-1). The pulse in productivity did not continue downstream, as the site 3 km below the plant had GPP of only 12 g O2 m-2 d-1. Productivity fell in June to 1-2 g O2 m-2 d-1 and the differences in productivity above and below plants were minimal. Ecosystem respiration followed a similar pattern in April, increasing from -17 g O2 m-2 d-1 above the plant to -47 g O2 m-2 d-1 1 km below the plant, then decreasing to -8 g O2 m-2 d-1 3 km below the plant. Respiration dropped to -3 g O2 m-2 d-1 above the plant in June but only fell to -9 to -10 g O2 m-2 d-1 at the two downstream sites. These findings indicate that large nutrient pulses from wastewater treatment plants spur productivity and respiration, but that these increases may be strongly seasonally dependent. Examining in-stream productivity and respiration is critical in wastewater impacted streams to understanding the seasonal and

  5. Spatiotemporal variability of inorganic nutrients during wastewater effluent dominated streamflow conditions in Indian Creek, Johnson County, Kansas, 2012–15

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Foster, Guy M.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Williams, Thomas J.; King, Lindsey R.

    2016-10-31

    Nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, are a leading cause of water-quality impairment in Kansas and the Nation. Indian Creek is one of the most urban drainage basins in Johnson County, Kansas, and environmental and biological conditions are affected by contaminants from point and other urban sources. The Johnson County Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin (hereinafter Middle Basin) wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) is the largest point-source discharge on Indian Creek. A second facility, the Tomahawk Creek WWTF, discharges into Indian Creek approximately 11.6 kilometers downstream from the Middle Basin WWTF. To better characterize the spatiotemporal variability of nutrients in Indian Creek, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Johnson County Wastewater, collected high-resolution spatial and temporal (a large number of samples collected over the entire reach or at single locations over a long period of time) inorganic nutrient (nitrate plus nitrite and orthophosphorus) data using a combination of discrete samples and sensor-measured data during 2012 through 2015.Nutrient patterns observed in Indian Creek along the upstream-downstream gradient during wastewater effluent dominated streamflow conditions were largely affected by the WWTFs and by travel time of the parcels of water. Nitrate plus nitrite concentrations in the Middle Basin WWTF effluent and at downstream sites varied by as much as 6 milligrams per liter over a 24-hour period. The cyclical variability in the Middle Basin WWTF effluent generated a nitrate plus nitrite pulse that could be tracked for approximately 11.5 kilometers downstream in Indian Creek, until the effect was masked by the Tomahawk Creek WWTF effluent discharge. All longitudinal surveys showed the same general patterns along the upstream-downstream gradient, though streamflows, wastewater effluent contributions to streamflow, and nutrient concentrations spanned a wide

  6. Influence of seasonality and vegetation on the attenuation of emerging contaminants in wastewater effluent-dominated streams. A preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Matamoros, Víctor; Rodríguez, Yolanda

    2017-11-01

    Treated wastewater from small communities is discharged into rivers or streams with a high biodiversity value. This is particularly important in Mediterranean countries, where most of the streams are dry almost all year round. This preliminary study assessed the occurrence and attenuation of 23 emerging contaminants (ECs) in 4 wastewater-dominated streams in which treated wastewater accounted for the entire stream flow. The concentration of ECs was monitored in the warm and cold seasons in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent and at 6 downstream locations. The concentration of ECs in the WWTP effluents ranged from undetected to 12 μg L -1 . The attenuation of ECs 1 km downstream ranged from no removal to up to 80% (48% on average). The half-lives of ECs in the 4 streams ranged from 0.4 to 20 h (3.9 ± 3.5 h on average). Compounds such as benzodiazepine drugs and flame retardants were the most recalcitrant (half-lives >5 h). The highest attenuation of ECs and ammonia was observed in the stream completely covered by vegetation. The cumulative hazardous quotient 1 km downstream was reduced on average by more than 60%. Therefore, the results suggest that both seasonality and vegetation play an important role in in-stream attenuation of ECs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Temporal and spatial variability in the estrogenicity of a municipal wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Hemming, Jon M; Allen, H Joel; Thuesen, Kevin A; Turner, Philip K; Waller, William T; Lazorchak, James M; Lattier, David; Chow, Marjorie; Denslow, Nancy; Venables, Barney

    2004-03-01

    The estrogenicity of a municipal wastewater effluent was monitored using the vitellogenin biomarker in adult male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The variability in the expression of vitellogenin was evident among the monitoring periods. Significant (alpha< or =0.05) increases in plasma vitellogenin concentrations were detected in March and December, but not in August or June. Additionally, the magnitude of expression was variable. Variability in the spatial scale was also evident during the March and June exposure months. Concurrent exposures in both the creek receiving the effluent from a wastewater treatment plant and an experimental wetland showed estrogenicity to be different with distance from the respective effluent inflow sites. March exposures showed estrogenicity to be somewhat persistent in the receiving creek (>600 m), but to decrease rapidly within the experimental wetland (<40 m). Results are discussed relative to the monitoring season, to the spatial distribution of the response in both receiving systems, and to possible causative factors contributing to the effluent estrogenicity.

  8. 40 CFR 455.44 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Formulating and Packaging Subcategory § 455.44 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of... permitting authorities shall provide no additional discharge allowance for those pesticide active ingredients (PAIs) in the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging wastewaters when those PAIs are also...

  9. 40 CFR 455.44 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Formulating and Packaging Subcategory § 455.44 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of... permitting authorities shall provide no additional discharge allowance for those pesticide active ingredients (PAIs) in the pesticide formulating, packaging and repackaging wastewaters when those PAIs are also...

  10. 40 CFR 461.12 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium Subcategory § 461.12... 1.49 (b) There shall be no discharge allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  11. 40 CFR 461.12 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium Subcategory § 461.12... 1.49 (b) There shall be no discharge allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  12. Toxicity of municipal wastewater effluents contaminated by pentachlorophenol in southwest Missouri

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wylie, G.D.; Finger, S.E.; Crawford, R.W.

    1990-01-01

    Toxicity of effluents from two sewage treatment plants in Joplin, Missouri, was tested using Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas. No test organisms survived in effluents from either plant, in effluents diluted with water from Turkey Creek (the receiving stream), or in water from Turkey Creek. Mortality was complete in all but the most dilute treatments of effluents, in which reconstituted water was used as the diluent. High concentrations of pentachlorophenol (130–970 μg liter−1) in effluents and the receiving stream likely caused mortality during the 7-day tests. Detectable concentrations of other phenolic compounds indicated the presence in Turkey Creek of other toxic by-products of pentachlorophenol manufacture. This study demonstrated the utility of biological tests of whole effluents to determine toxicity of wastewater effluents.

  13. Palm oil mill effluent and municipal wastewater co-treatment by zeolite augmented sequencing batch reactors: Turbidity removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farraji, Hossein; Zaman, Nastaein Qamaruz; Aziz, Hamidi Abdul; Sa'at, Siti Kamariah Md

    2017-10-01

    Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the largest wastewater in Malaysia. Of the 60 million tons of POME produced annually, 2.4-3 million tons are total solids. Turbidity is caused by suspended solids, and 75% of total suspended solids are organic matter. Coagulation and flocculation are popular treatments for turbidity removal. Traditional commercial treatments do not meet discharge standards. This study evaluated natural zeolite and municipal wastewater (MWW)-augmented sequencing batch reactor as a microbiological digestion method for the decontamination of POME in response surface methodology. Aeration, contact time, and MWW/POME ratio were selected as response factors for turbidity removal. Results indicated that turbidity removal varied from 96.7% (MWW/POME ratio=50 %, aeration flow=0.5 L/min, and contact time=12) to 99.31% (MWW/POME ratio=80%, aeration flow 4L/min, and contact time 12 h). This study is the first to present MWW augmentation as a suitable microorganism supplier for turbidity biodegradation in high-strength agroindustrial wastewater.

  14. Non-discharging evapotranspiration bed system for wastewater disposal at Lincoln.

    PubMed

    Balley, P; Dakers, A J

    1996-10-01

    A non-discharging evapotranspiration bed system installed on a dairy farm at Lincoln University was studied to evaluate actual evapotranspiration rate, ET a , to develop and validate a water balance model for the system, and to assess the feasible application of the vaporative concept for wastewater disposal in the immediate geographic area. Observations, measurements, and calculations indicate that ET a was slightly higher than the meteorologically estimated Penman potential ET (ET p ) for the study period, and a ratio λ=ET a /ET p =1.21 was obtained. A water-balance equation of the system which can be used in different climatic conditions was obtained and can be written as ΔW=Q+PPTN-Et a ; where ΔW is the variation of storage water in the bed (in mm), Q is the effluent wastewater (in mm), and PPTN is the total precipitation. It was also observed that a truly non-discharging ET bed system's feasible application in the study location may be highly questionable. This is due to the fact that the precipitation rate for the location generally exceeds the ET p during critical Winter months. However, two possibilities of improving the performance of the system were found and suggested for further studies. The suggestions were (1) to design the system with its surface adequately crowned to shed large amounts of rain water falling on it, and (2) to design a winter-sheltered-non-discharging ET bed which would consist of an ET bed with a removable transparent plastic roof to shed the total amount of rain water and act as a 'green house'

  15. Fate of pharmaceuticals in contaminated urban wastewater effluent under ultrasonic irradiation.

    PubMed

    Naddeo, V; Meriç, S; Kassinos, D; Belgiorno, V; Guida, M

    2009-09-01

    The application of sonolysis (US) for remediation of wastewater is an area of increasing interest. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrasonic (US) process on the degradation of pharmaceuticals (diclofenac (DCF), amoxicillin (AMX), carbamazepine (CBZ)) in single solutions and also in three mixtures spiked in urban wastewater effluent. Several operating conditions, such as power density (25-100 W L(-1)), initial substrate concentrations (2.5-10 mg L(-1)), initial solution pH (3-11), and air sparging were varied for the evaluation and understanding of the process. The degradation (as assessed by measuring UV absorbance), the generation of hydroxyl radicals (as assessed measuring H(2)O(2) concentration), the mineralization (in terms of TOC and COD removal), and the aerobic biodegradability (as assessed by the BOD(5)/COD ratio) were monitored during sonication. Ecotoxicity to Daphnia magna, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Lepidium sativum before and after treatment was also evaluated. It was found that the pharmaceuticals conversion is enhanced at increased applied power densities, acidic conditions and in the presence of dissolved air. The reaction rate increases with increasing initial concentration of single pharmaceuticals but it remains constant in the mixtures, indicating different kinetic regimes (i.e. first and zero order respectively). Mineralization is a slow process as reaction by-products are more stable than pharmaceuticals to total oxidation; nonetheless, they are also more readily biodegradable. The toxicity of the wastewater samples before and after contamination with pharmaceuticals both in mixtures and in single substance-containing solutions was observed more severely on P. subcapitata; a fact that raises concerns in regards to the discharge of such effluents. D. magna displayed less sensitivity compared to P. subcapitata because it belongs in a lower taxonomic species than D. magna. The germination index of L. sativum in the presence of

  16. Integration of chemical and biological treatments for textile industry wastewater: a possible zero-discharge system.

    PubMed

    Lee, H H; Chen, G; Yue, P L

    2001-01-01

    Theoretical and experimental studies have established that integrated treatment systems (mostly chemical and biological) for various industrial wastewaters can achieve better quality of treatment and can be cost-effective. In the present study, the objective is to minimize the use of process water in the textile industry by an economical recycle and reuse scheme. The textile wastewater was first characterized in terms of COD, BOD5, salinity and color. In order to recycle such wastewater, the contaminants should be mineralized and/or removed according to the reusable textile water quality standards. Typical results show that this is achievable. An economic analysis has been conducted on the proposed integrated system. The economic analysis shows that the integrated system is economically more attractive than any of the single treatment technologies for achieving the same target of treatment. The information presented in this paper provides a feasible option for the reduction of effluent discharges in the textile industry.

  17. Concentrations of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes in biosolid amended soil, influent, effluent, receiving water, and sediment of wastewater treatment plants in Canada.

    PubMed

    Wang, De-Gao; Steer, Helena; Tait, Tara; Williams, Zackery; Pacepavicius, Grazina; Young, Teresa; Ng, Timothy; Smyth, Shirley Anne; Kinsman, Laura; Alaee, Mehran

    2013-10-01

    A comprehensive surveillance program was conducted to determine the occurrence of three cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) in environmental compartments impacted by wastewater effluent discharges. Eleven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), representative of those found in Southern Ontario and Southern Quebec, Canada, were investigated to determine levels of cVMS in their influents and effluents. In addition, receiving water and sediment impacted by WWTP effluents, and biosolid-amended soil from agricultural fields were also analyzed for a preliminary evaluation of the environmental exposure of cVMS in media impacted by wastewater effluent and solids. A newly-developed large volume injection (septumless head adapter and cooled injection system) gas chromatography - mass spectrometry method was used to avoid contamination originating from instrumental analysis. Concentrations of D4, D5, and D6 in influents to the 11 WWTPs were in the range 0.282-6.69μgL(-1), 7.75-135μgL(-1), and 1.53-26.9μgL(-1), respectively. In general, wastewater treatment showed cVMS removal rates of greater than 92%, regardless of treatment type. The D4, D5, and D6 concentration ranges in effluent were <0.009-0.045μgL(-1), <0.027-1.56μgL(-1), and <0.022-0.093μgL(-1), respectively. The concentrations in receiving water influenced by effluent, were lower compared to those in effluent in most cases, with the ranges <0.009-0.023μgL(-1), <0.027-1.48μgL(-1), and <0.022-0.151μgL(-1) for D4, D5, and D6, respectively. Sediment concentrations ranged from <0.003-0.049μgg(-1)dw, 0.011-5.84μgg(-1)dw, and 0.004-0.371μgg(-1)dw for D4, D5, and D6, respectively. The concentrations in biosolid-amended soil, having values of <0.008-0.017μgg(-1)dw, <0.007-0.221μgg(-1)dw, and <0.009-0.711μgg(-1)dw for D4, D5, and D6, respectively, were lower than those in sediment impacted by wastewater

  18. Surface wastewater in Samara and their impact on water basins as water supply sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strelkov, Alexander; Shuvalov, Mikhail; Gridneva, Marina

    2017-10-01

    The paper gives an overview of surface wastewater outlets in Samara through the rainwater sewer system into the Saratov water reservoir and the Samara river. The rainwater sewer system in Samara is designed and executed according to a separate scheme, except for the old part of the city, where surface run-off is dumped into the sewer system through siphoned drain. The rainwater system disposes of surface, drainage, industrial clean-contamined waters, emergency and technology discharges from the city’s heat supply and water supply systems. The effluent discharge is carried out by means of separate wastewater outlets into ravines or directly into the Samara river and the Saratov water reservoir without cleaning. The effluent discharge is carried out through the rainwater sewer system with 17 wastewater outlets into the Saratov water reservoir. In the Samara river, surface runoff drainage and clean-contamined water of industrial enterprises is carried out through 14 wastewater outlets. This study emphasizes the demand to arrange effluent discharge and construction of sewage treatment plants to prevent contamination of water objects by surface run-off from residential areas and industrial territories.

  19. 40 CFR 461.71 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Zinc Subcategory...) There shall be no discharge allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. [49 FR 9134, Mar. 9, 1984; 49 FR...

  20. 40 CFR 461.71 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Zinc...) There shall be no discharge allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. [49 FR 9134, Mar. 9, 1984; 49 FR...

  1. 40 CFR 461.71 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Zinc...) There shall be no discharge allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. [49 FR 9134, Mar. 9, 1984; 49 FR...

  2. 40 CFR 418.12 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FERTILIZER MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY... waters. (b) Process wastewater pollutants from a calcium sulfate storage pile runoff facility operated... a surge capacity equal to the runoff from the 10-year, 24-hour rainfall event may be discharged...

  3. 40 CFR 418.12 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FERTILIZER MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY... waters. (b) Process wastewater pollutants from a calcium sulfate storage pile runoff facility operated... a surge capacity equal to the runoff from the 10-year, 24-hour rainfall event may be discharged...

  4. 40 CFR 418.12 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FERTILIZER MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY... waters. (b) Process wastewater pollutants from a calcium sulfate storage pile runoff facility operated... a surge capacity equal to the runoff from the 10-year, 24-hour rainfall event may be discharged...

  5. The fate of wastewater-derived NDMA precursors in the aquatic environment.

    PubMed

    Pehlivanoglu-Mantas, Elif; Sedlak, David L

    2006-03-01

    To assess the stability of precursors of the chloramine disinfection byproduct N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) under conditions expected in effluent-dominated surface waters, effluent samples from four municipal wastewater treatment plants were subjected to chlorination and chloramination followed by incubation in the presence of inocula derived from activated sludge. Samples subjected to free chlorine disinfection showed lower initial concentrations of NDMA precursors than those that were not chlorinated or were disinfected with pre-formed chloramines. For chloraminated and control (unchlorinated) treatments, the concentration of NDMA precursors decreased by an average of 24% over the 30-day incubation in samples from three of the four facilities. At the fourth facility, where samples were collected on three different days, NDMA precursor concentrations decreased by approximately 80% in one sample and decreased by less than 20% in the other two samples. In contrast to the low reactivity of the NDMA precursors, NDMA disappeared within 30 days under the conditions employed in these experiments. These results and measurements made in an effluent-dominated river suggest that although NDMA may be removed after wastewater effluent is discharged, wastewater-derived NDMA precursors could persist long enough to form significant concentrations of NDMA in drinking water treatment plants that use water originating from sources that are subjected to wastewater effluent discharges.

  6. Characterization of fish hold effluent discharged from commercial fishing vessels into harbor waters.

    PubMed

    Albert, Ryan J; McLaughlin, Christine; Falatko, Debra

    2014-10-15

    Fish hold effluent and the effluent produced from the cleaning of fish holds may contain organic material resulting from the degradation of seafood and cleaning products (e.g., soaps and detergents). This effluent is often discharged by vessels into near shore waters and, therefore, could have the potential to contribute to water pollution in bays and estuaries. We characterized effluent from commercial fishing vessels with holds containing refrigerated seawater, ice slurry, or chipped ice. Concentrations of trace heavy metals, wet chemistry parameters, and nutrients in effluent were compared to screening benchmarks to determine if there is a reasonable potential for effluent discharge to contribute to nonattainment of water quality standards. Most analytes (67%) exceeded their benchmark concentration and, therefore, may have the potential to pose risk to human health or the environment if discharges are in significant quantities or there are many vessels discharging in the same areas. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  7. Assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent effects on fish reproduction

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are known contributors of chemical mixtures into the environment. Of particular concern are endocrine-disrupting compounds that can affect hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function in exposed organisms. The present study examined t...

  8. Conventional methods and emerging wastewater polishing technologies for palm oil mill effluent treatment: a review.

    PubMed

    Liew, Wai Loan; Kassim, Mohd Azraai; Muda, Khalida; Loh, Soh Kheang; Affam, Augustine Chioma

    2015-02-01

    The Malaysian palm oil industry is a major revenue earner and the country is ranked as one of the largest producers in the world. However, growth of the industry is synonymous with a massive production of agro-industrial wastewater. As an environmental protection and public health concern, the highly polluting palm oil mill effluent (POME) has become a major attention-grabber. Hence, the industry is targeting for POME pollution abatement in order to promote a greener image of palm oil and to achieve sustainability. At present, most palm oil mills have adopted the ponding system for treatment. Due to the successful POME pollution abatement experiences, Malaysia is currently planning to revise the effluent quality standards towards a more stringent discharge limits. Hence, the current trend of POME research focuses on developing tertiary treatment or polishing systems for better effluent management. Biotechnologically-advanced POME tertiary (polishing) technologies as well as other physicochemical methods are gaining much attention as these processes are the key players to push the industry towards the goal of environmental sustainability. There are still ongoing treatment technologies being researched and the outcomes maybe available in a while. However, the research completed so far are compiled herein and reported for the first time to acquire a better perspective and insight on the subject with a view of meeting the new standards. To this end, the most feasible technology could be the combination of advanced biological processes (bioreactor systems) with extended aeration, followed by solids separation prior to discharge. Chemical dosing is favoured only if effluent of higher quality is anticipated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Multiple-endpoints gene alteration-based (MEGA) assay: A toxicogenomics approach for water quality assessment of wastewater effluents.

    PubMed

    Fukushima, Toshikazu; Hara-Yamamura, Hiroe; Nakashima, Koji; Tan, Lea Chua; Okabe, Satoshi

    2017-12-01

    Wastewater effluents contain a significant number of toxic contaminants, which, even at low concentrations, display a wide variety of toxic actions. In this study, we developed a multiple-endpoints gene alteration-based (MEGA) assay, a real-time PCR-based transcriptomic analysis, to assess the water quality of wastewater effluents for human health risk assessment and management. Twenty-one genes from the human hepatoblastoma cell line (HepG2), covering the basic health-relevant stress responses such as response to xenobiotics, genotoxicity, and cytotoxicity, were selected and incorporated into the MEGA assay. The genes related to the p53-mediated DNA damage response and cytochrome P450 were selected as markers for genotoxicity and response to xenobiotics, respectively. Additionally, the genes that were dose-dependently regulated by exposure to the wastewater effluents were chosen as markers for cytotoxicity. The alterations in the expression of an individual gene, induced by exposure to the wastewater effluents, were evaluated by real-time PCR and the results were validated by genotoxicity (e.g., comet assay) and cell-based cytotoxicity tests. In summary, the MEGA assay is a real-time PCR-based assay that targets cellular responses to contaminants present in wastewater effluents at the transcriptional level; it is rapid, cost-effective, and high-throughput and can thus complement any chemical analysis for water quality assessment and management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Removal of helminth eggs by centralized and decentralized wastewater treatment plants in South Africa and Lesotho: health implications for direct and indirect exposure to the effluents.

    PubMed

    Amoah, Isaac Dennis; Reddy, Poovendhree; Seidu, Razak; Stenström, Thor Axel

    2018-05-01

    Wastewater may contain contaminants harmful to human health; hence, there is the need for treatment before discharge. Centralized wastewater treatment systems are the favored treatment options globally, but these are not necessarily superior in reduction of pathogens as compared to decentralized wastewater treatment systems (collectively called DEWATS). This study was therefore undertaken to assess the soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and Taenia sp. egg reduction efficiency of selected anaerobic baffled reactors and planted gravel filters compared to centralized wastewater treatment plants in South Africa and Lesotho. The risk of ascariasis with exposure to effluents from the centralized wastewater treatment plants was also assessed using the quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach. Eggs of Ascaris spp., hookworm, Trichuris spp., Taenia spp., and Toxocara spp. were commonly detected in the untreated wastewater. The DEWATS plants removed between 95 and 100% of the STH and Taenia sp. eggs, with centralized plants removing between 67 and 100%. Helminth egg concentrations in the final effluents from the centralized wastewater treatment plants were consistently higher than those in the WHO recommended guideline (≤ 1 helminth egg/L) for agricultural use resulting in higher risk of ascariasis. Therefore, in conclusion, DEWATS plants may be more efficient in reducing the concentration of helminth eggs in wastewater, resulting in lower risks of STH infections upon exposure.

  11. Assessment of wastewater treatment facility compliance with decreasing ammonia discharge limits using a regression tree model.

    PubMed

    Suchetana, Bihu; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Silverstein, JoAnn

    2017-11-15

    A regression tree-based diagnostic approach is developed to evaluate factors affecting US wastewater treatment plant compliance with ammonia discharge permit limits using Discharge Monthly Report (DMR) data from a sample of 106 municipal treatment plants for the period of 2004-2008. Predictor variables used to fit the regression tree are selected using random forests, and consist of the previous month's effluent ammonia, influent flow rates and plant capacity utilization. The tree models are first used to evaluate compliance with existing ammonia discharge standards at each facility and then applied assuming more stringent discharge limits, under consideration in many states. The model predicts that the ability to meet both current and future limits depends primarily on the previous month's treatment performance. With more stringent discharge limits predicted ammonia concentration relative to the discharge limit, increases. In-sample validation shows that the regression trees can provide a median classification accuracy of >70%. The regression tree model is validated using ammonia discharge data from an operating wastewater treatment plant and is able to accurately predict the observed ammonia discharge category approximately 80% of the time, indicating that the regression tree model can be applied to predict compliance for individual treatment plants providing practical guidance for utilities and regulators with an interest in controlling ammonia discharges. The proposed methodology is also used to demonstrate how to delineate reliable sources of demand and supply in a point source-to-point source nutrient credit trading scheme, as well as how planners and decision makers can set reasonable discharge limits in future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Characterization of persistent colors and decolorization of effluent from biologically treated cellulosic ethanol production wastewater.

    PubMed

    Shan, Lili; Liu, Junfeng; Yu, Yanling; Ambuchi, John J; Feng, Yujie

    2016-05-01

    The high chroma of cellulosic ethanol production wastewater poses a serious environmental concern; however, color-causing compounds are still not fully clear. The characteristics of the color compounds and decolorization of biologically treated effluent by electro-catalytic oxidation were investigated in this study. Excitation-emission matrix (EEM), fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), UV-Vis spectra, and ultrafiltration (UF) fractionation were used to analyze color compounds. High chroma of wastewater largely comes from humic materials, which exhibited great fluorescence proportion (67.1 %) in the biologically treated effluent. Additionally, the color compounds were mainly distributed in the molecular weight fractions with 3-10 and 10-30 kDa, which contributed 53.5 and 34.6 % of the wastewater color, respectively. Further decolorization of biologically treated effluent by electro-catalytic oxidation was investigated, and 98.3 % of color removal accompanied with 97.3 % reduction of humic acid-like matter was achieved after 180 min. The results presented herein will facilitate the development of a well decolorization for cellulosic ethanol production wastewater and better understanding of the biological fermentation.

  13. Microalgae and wastewater treatment

    PubMed Central

    Abdel-Raouf, N.; Al-Homaidan, A.A.; Ibraheem, I.B.M.

    2012-01-01

    Organic and inorganic substances which were released into the environment as a result of domestic, agricultural and industrial water activities lead to organic and inorganic pollution. The normal primary and secondary treatment processes of these wastewaters have been introduced in a growing number of places, in order to eliminate the easily settled materials and to oxidize the organic material present in wastewater. The final result is a clear, apparently clean effluent which is discharged into natural water bodies. This secondary effluent is, however, loaded with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus and causes eutrophication and more long-term problems because of refractory organics and heavy metals that are discharged. Microalgae culture offers an interesting step for wastewater treatments, because they provide a tertiary biotreatment coupled with the production of potentially valuable biomass, which can be used for several purposes. Microalgae cultures offer an elegant solution to tertiary and quandary treatments due to the ability of microalgae to use inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus for their growth. And also, for their capacity to remove heavy metals, as well as some toxic organic compounds, therefore, it does not lead to secondary pollution. In the current review we will highlight on the role of micro-algae in the treatment of wastewater. PMID:24936135

  14. Study on quality of effluent discharge by the Tiruppur textile dyeing units and its impact on river Noyyal, Tamil Nadu (India).

    PubMed

    Rajkumar, A Samuel; Nagan, S

    2010-10-01

    In Tiruppur, 729 textile dyeing units are under operation and these units generate 96.1 MLD of wastewater. The untreated effluent was discharged into the Noyyal River till 1997. After the issuance of directions by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) in 1997, these units have installed 8 common effluent treatment plants (CETP) consisting of physical, chemical and biological treatment units. Some of the units have installed individual ETP (IETP). The treated effluent was finally discharged into the river. The dyeing units use sodium chloride in the dyeing process for efficient fixing of dye in the fabric efficiently. This contributes high total dissolved solids (TDS) and chlorides in the effluent. CETPs and IETPs failed to meet discharge standards of TDS and chlorides and thereby significantly affected the river water quality. TDS level in the river water was in the range of 900 - 6600 mg/L, and chloride was in the range of 230 - 2700 mg/L. Orathupalayam dam is located across Noyyal river at 32 km down stream of Tiruppur. The pollutants carried by the river were accumulated in the dam. TDS in the dam water was in the range of 4250 - 7900 mg/L and chloride was in the range of 1600 - 2700 mg/L. The dam sediments contain heavy metals of chromium, copper, zinc and lead. In 2006, the High Court has directed the dyeing units to install zero liquid discharge (ZLD) plant and to stop discharging of effluent into the river. Accordingly, the industries have installed and commissioned the ZLD plant consisting of RO plant and reject management system in 2010. The effluent after secondary treatment from the CETP is further treated in RO plant. The RO permeate is reused by the member units. The RO reject is concentrated in multiple effect evaporator (MEE)/ mechanical vacuum re-compressor (MVR). The concentrate is crystallized and centrifuged to recover salt. The salt recovered is reused. The liquid separated from the centrifuge is sent to solar evaporation pan. The salt

  15. Treatment of Dyeing Wastewater by Using Positive Pulsed Corona Discharge to Water Surface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, Sun Mok; Hyun, Tae Ahn; Joeng, Tai Kim

    2007-02-01

    This study investigated the treatment of textile-dyeing wastewater by using an electrical discharge technique (positive pulsed corona discharge). The high-voltage electrode was placed above the surface of the wastewater while the ground electrode was submerged in the wastewater. The electrical discharge starting at the tip of the high voltage electrode propagated toward the surface of the wastewater, producing various oxidative radicals and ozone. Oxygen was used as the working gas instead of air to prevent nitrogen oxides from forming. The simulated wastewater was made up with amaranth, which is a kind of azo dye. The results obtained showed that the chromaticity of the wastewater was almost completely removed within an hour. The ultraviolet/visible spectra of the wastewater treated by the electrical discharge revealed that the total hydrocarbon level also decreased significantly.

  16. Glider and remote sensing observations of the upper ocean response to an extended shallow coastal diversion of wastewater effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seegers, Bridget N.; Teel, Elizabeth N.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Caron, David A.; Jones, Burton H.

    2017-02-01

    The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) diverted wastewater discharge (5.3 × 108 l d-1) from its primary deep (56 m) outfall 8 km offshore, to a secondary shallower (16 m) outfall 1.6 km offshore for a period of three weeks. It was anticipated that the low salinity and density of the effluent would cause it to rise to the surface with limited dilution, elevating nutrient concentrations in near-surface waters and stimulating phytoplankton blooms in the region. Three Teledyne Webb Slocum gliders and a Liquid Robotics surface wave glider were deployed on transects near the outfalls to acquire high spatial and temporal coverage of physical and chemical parameters before, during, and after the wastewater diversion. Combined autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and MODIS-Aqua satellite ocean color data indicated that phytoplankton biomass increased in the upper water column in response to the diversion, but that the magnitude of the response was spatially patchy and significantly less than expected. Little evidence of the plume or its effects was detectable 72 h following the diversion. The effluent plume exhibited high rates of dilution and mixed throughout the upper 20 m and occasionally throughout the upper 40 m during the diversion. Rapid plume advection and dilution appeared to contribute to the muted impact of the nutrient-rich effluent on the phytoplankton community in this coastal ecosystem.

  17. Wastewater treatment plants as a pathway for microplastics: Development of a new approach to sample wastewater-based microplastics.

    PubMed

    Ziajahromi, Shima; Neale, Peta A; Rintoul, Llew; Leusch, Frederic D L

    2017-04-01

    Wastewater effluent is expected to be a pathway for microplastics to enter the aquatic environment, with microbeads from cosmetic products and polymer fibres from clothes likely to enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). To date, few studies have quantified microplastics in wastewater. Moreover, the lack of a standardized and applicable method to identify microplastics in complex samples, such as wastewater, has limited the accurate assessment of microplastics and may lead to an incorrect estimation. This study aimed to develop a validated method to sample and process microplastics from wastewater effluent and to apply the developed method to quantify and characterise wastewater-based microplastics in effluent from three WWTPs that use primary, secondary and tertiary treatment processes. We applied a high-volume sampling device that fractionated microplastics in situ and an efficient sample processing procedure to improve the sampling of microplastics in wastewater and to minimize the false detection of non-plastic particles. The sampling device captured between 92% and 99% of polystyrene microplastics using 25 μm-500 μm mesh screens in laboratory tests. Microplastic type, size and suspected origin in all studied WWTPs, along with the removal efficiency during the secondary and tertiary treatment stages, was investigated. Suspected microplastics were characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, with between 22 and 90% of the suspected microplastics found to be non-plastic particles. An average of 0.28, 0.48 and 1.54 microplastics per litre of final effluent was found in tertiary, secondary and primary treated effluent, respectively. This study suggests that although low concentrations of microplastics are detected in wastewater effluent, WWTPs still have the potential to act as a pathway to release microplastics given the large volumes of effluent discharged to the aquatic environment. This study focused on a single sampling campaign, with

  18. Effects of advanced treatments of wastewater effluents on estrogenic and reproductive health impacts in fish.

    PubMed

    Filby, Amy L; Shears, Janice A; Drage, Briane E; Churchley, John H; Tyler, Charles R

    2010-06-01

    Whether the implementation of additional treatments for the removal of estrogens from wastewater treatment works (WwTWs) effluents will eliminate their feminizing effects in exposed wildlife has yet to be established, and this information is crucial for future decisions on investment into WwTWs. Here, granular activated carbon (GAC), ozone (O(3)), and chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) were investigated for their effectiveness in reducing steroidal estrogen levels in a WwTW effluent and assessments made on the associated estrogenic and reproductive responses in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) exposed for 21 days. All treatments reduced the estrogenicity of the standard-treated (STD) effluent, but with different efficacies; ranging between 70-100% for total estrogenicity and 53-100% for individual steroid estrogens. In fish exposed to the GAC- and ClO(2)- (but not O(3)-) treated effluents, there was no induction of plasma vitellogenin (VTG) or reduction in the weight of the fatpad, a secondary sex character in males, as occurred for fish exposed to STD effluent. This finding suggests likely benefits of employing these treatment processes for the reproductive health in wild fish populations living in rivers receiving WwTW discharges. Exposure of pair-breeding minnows to the GAC-treated effluent, however, resulted in a similar inhibition of egg production to that occurring for exposure to the STD effluent (34-40%). These data, together with a lack of effect on egg production of the estrogen, ethinylestradiol (10 ng/L), alone, suggest that chemical/physical properties of the effluents rather than their estrogenicity were responsible for the reproductive effect and that these factor(s) were not remediated for through GAC treatment. Collectively, our findings illustrate the importance of assessing integrative biological responses, rather than biomarkers alone, in the assessment and improvement of WwTW technologies for the protection of wild fish populations.

  19. Concentrating mixtures of neuroactive pharmaceuticals and altered neurotransmitter levels in the brain of fish exposed to a wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    David, Arthur; Lange, Anke; Tyler, Charles R; Hill, Elizabeth M

    2018-04-15

    Fish can be exposed to a variety of neuroactive pharmaceuticals via the effluent discharges from wastewater treatment plants and concerns have arisen regarding their potential impacts on fish behaviour and ecology. In this study, we investigated the uptake of 14 neuroactive pharmaceuticals from a treated wastewater effluent into blood plasma and brain regions of roach (Rutilus rutilus) after exposure for 15days. We show that a complex mixture of pharmaceuticals including, 6 selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, 3 atypical antipsychotics, 2 tricyclic antidepressants and a benzodiazepine, concentrate in different regions of the brain including the telencephalon, hypothalamus, optic tectum and hindbrain of effluent-exposed fish. Pharmaceuticals, with the exception of nordiazepam, were between 3-40 fold higher in brain compared with blood plasma, showing these neuroactive drugs are readily uptaken, into brain tissues in fish. To assess for the potential for any adverse ecotoxicological effects, the effect ratio was calculated from human therapeutic plasma concentrations (HtPCs) and the measured or predicted fish plasma concentrations of pharmaceuticals. After accounting for a safety factor of 1000, the effect ratios indicated that fluoxetine, norfluoxetine, sertraline, and amitriptyline warrant prioritisation for risk assessment studies. Furthermore, although plasma concentrations of all the pharmaceuticals were between 33 and 5714-fold below HtPCs, alterations in serotonin, glutamate, acetylcholine and tryptophan concentrations were observed in different brain regions of effluent-exposed fish. This study highlights the importance of determining the potential health effects arising from the concentration of complex environmental mixtures in risk assessment studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Assessing acute toxicity of effluent from a textile industry and nearby river waters using sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in continuous mode.

    PubMed

    Gurung, Anup; Hassan, Sedky H A; Oh, Sang-Eun

    2011-10-01

    Bioassays are becoming an important tool for assessing the toxicity of complex mixtures of substances in aquatic environments in which Daphnia magna is routinely used as a test organism. Bioassays outweigh physicochemical analyses and are valuable in the decision-making process pertaining to the final discharge of effluents from wastewater treatment plants as they measure the total effect of the discharge which is ecologically relevant. In this study, the aquatic toxicity of a textile plant effluent and river water downstream from the plant were evaluated with sulfur-oxidizing bacterial biosensors in continuous mode. Collected samples were analysed for different physicochemical parameters and 1,4-dioxane was detected in the effluent. The effluent contained a relatively high chemical oxygen demand of 60 mg L(-1), which exceeded the limit set by the Korean government for industrial effluent discharges. Results showed that both the effluent and river waters were toxic to sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. These results show the importance of incorporating bioassays to detect toxicity in wastewater effluents for the sustainable management of water resources.

  1. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and organic wastewater compounds in Pennsylvania waters, 2006-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reif, Andrew G.; Crawford, J. Kent; Loper, Connie A.; Proctor, Arianne; Manning, Rhonda; Titler, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Concern over the presence of contaminants of emerging concern, such as pharmaceutical compounds, hormones, and organic wastewater compounds (OWCs), in waters of the United States and elsewhere is growing. Laboratory techniques developed within the last decade or new techniques currently under development within the U.S. Geological Survey now allow these compounds to be measured at concentrations in nanograms per liter. These new laboratory techniques were used in a reconnaissance study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, to determine the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in streams, streambed sediment, and groundwater of Pennsylvania. Compounds analyzed for in the study are pharmaceuticals (human and veterinary drugs), hormones (natural and synthetic), and OWCs (detergents, fragrances, pesticides, industrial compounds, disinfectants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fire retardants and plasticizers). Reconnaissance sampling was conducted from 2006 to 2009 to identify contaminants of emerging concern in (1) groundwater from wells used to supply livestock, (2) streamwater upstream and downstream from animal feeding operations, (3) streamwater upstream from and streamwater and streambed sediment downstream from municipal wastewater effluent discharges, (4) streamwater from sites within 5 miles of drinking-water intakes, and (5) streamwater and streambed sediment where fish health assessments were conducted. Of the 44 pharmaceutical compounds analyzed in groundwater samples collected in 2006 from six wells used to supply livestock, only cotinine (a nicotine metabolite) and the antibiotics tylosin and sulfamethoxazole were detected. The maximum concentration of any contaminant of emerging concern was 24 nanograms per liter (ng/L) for cotinine, and was detected in a groundwater sample from a Lebanon County, Pa., well. Seven pharmaceutical compounds including acetaminophen

  2. Antibiotic Susceptibilities of Enterococcus Species Isolated from Hospital and Domestic Wastewater Effluents in Alice, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Iweriebor, Benson Chuks; Gaqavu, Sisipho; Obi, Larry Chikwelu; Nwodo, Uchechukwu U.; Okoh, Anthony I.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms are on the increase worldwide and are responsible for substantial cases of therapeutic failures. Resistance of species of Enterococcus to antibiotics is linked to their ability to acquire and disseminate antimicrobial resistance determinants in nature, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be one of the main reservoirs of such antibiotic resistant bacteria. We therefore determined the antimicrobial resistance and virulence profiles of some common Enterococcus spp that are known to be associated with human infections that were recovered from hospital wastewater and final effluent of the receiving wastewater treatment plant in Alice, Eastern Cape. Methods: Wastewater samples were simultaneously collected from two sites (Victoria hospital and final effluents of a municipal WWTP) in Alice at about one to two weeks interval during the months of July and August 2014. Samples were screened for the isolation of enterococci using standard microbiological methods. The isolates were profiled molecularly after targeted generic identification and speciation for the presence of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes. Results: Out of 66 presumptive isolates, 62 were confirmed to belong to the Enterococcus genusof which 30 were identified to be E. faecalis and 15 E. durans. The remaining isolates were not identified by the primers used in the screening procedure. Out of the six virulence genes that were targeted only three of them; ace, efaA, and gelE were detected. There was a very high phenotypic multiple resistance among the isolates and these were confirmed by genetic analyses. Conclusions: Analyses of the results obtained indicated that hospital wastewater may be one of the sources of antibiotic resistant bacteria to the receiving WWTP. Also, findings revealed that the final effluent discharged into the environment was contaminated with multi-resistant enterococci species thus posing a health hazard

  3. Whole effluent assessment of industrial wastewater for determination of BAT compliance. Part 2: metal surface treatment industry.

    PubMed

    Gartiser, Stefan; Hafner, Christoph; Hercher, Christoph; Kronenberger-Schäfer, Kerstin; Paschke, Albrecht

    2010-06-01

    Toxicity testing has become a suitable tool for wastewater evaluation included in several reference documents on best available techniques of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive. The IPPC Directive requires that for direct dischargers as well as for indirect dischargers, the same best available techniques should be applied. Within the study, the whole effluent assessment approach of OSPAR has been applied for determining persistent toxicity of indirectly discharged wastewater from the metal surface treatment industry. Twenty wastewater samples from the printed circuit board and electroplating industries which indirectly discharged their wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) have been considered in the study. In all factories, the wastewater partial flows were separated in collecting tanks and physicochemically treated in-house. For assessing the behaviour of the wastewater samples in WWTPs, all samples were biologically pretreated for 7 days in the Zahn-Wellens test before ecotoxicity testing. Thus, persistent toxicity could be discriminated from non-persistent toxicity caused, e.g. by ammonium or readily biodegradable compounds. The fish egg test with Danio rerio, the Daphnia magna acute toxicity test, the algae test with Desmodesmus subspicatus, the Vibrio fischeri assay and the plant growth test with Lemna minor have been applied. All tests have been carried out according to well-established DIN or ISO standards and the lowest ineffective dilution (LID) concept. Additionally, genotoxicity was tested in the umu assay. The potential bioaccumulating substances (PBS) were determined by solid-phase micro-extraction and referred to the reference compound 2,3-dimethylnaphthalene. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) values of the effluents were in the range of 30-2,850 mg L(-1) (COD) and 2-614 mg L(-1) (TOC). With respect to the metal concentrations, all samples were not heavily polluted. The

  4. Textile wastewater treatment: aerobic granular sludge vs activated sludge systems.

    PubMed

    Lotito, Adriana Maria; De Sanctis, Marco; Di Iaconi, Claudio; Bergna, Giovanni

    2014-05-01

    Textile effluents are characterised by high content of recalcitrant compounds and are often discharged (together with municipal wastewater to increase their treatability) into centralized wastewater treatment plants with a complex treatment scheme. This paper reports the results achieved adopting a granular sludge system (sequencing batch biofilter granular reactor - SBBGR) to treat mixed municipal-textile wastewater. Thanks to high average removals in SBBGR (82.1% chemical oxygen demand, 94.7% total suspended solids, 87.5% total Kjeldahl nitrogen, 77.1% surfactants), the Italian limits for discharge into a water receiver can be complied with the biological stage alone. The comparison with the performance of the centralized plant treating the same wastewater has showed that SBBGR system is able to produce an effluent of comparable quality with a simpler treatment scheme, a much lower hydraulic residence time (11 h against 30 h) and a lower sludge production. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Disinfection of tertiary wastewater effluent prior to river discharge using peracetic acid; treatment efficiency and results on by-products formed in full scale tests.

    PubMed

    Pedersen, Per Overgaard; Brodersen, Erling; Cecil, David

    2013-01-01

    This is an investigation of chemical disinfection, with peracetic acid (PAA), in a tertiary sand filter at a full scale activated sludge plant with nitrification/denitrification and P-removal. The reduction efficiency of Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci in the sand filter is reported. E. coli log reductions of between 0.4 and 2.2 were found with contact times from 6 to 37 min and with dosing from 0 to 4.8 mg L(-1). The average log reduction was 1.3. The decomposition products, bromophenols, chlorophenols and formaldehyde and residual H2O2 were measured before and after the sand filter. The residual H2O2 concentration in the effluent was critical at short contact times and high dosages of PAA due to the discharge limit of 25 μg L(-1). The other three products could not be detected at 0.1 μg L(-1) levels. The chemical cost of PAA dosing is estimated to be 0.039 US$ m(-3) treated wastewater.

  6. Treating domestic effluent wastewater treatment by aerobic biofilter with bioballs medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Permatasari, R.; Rinanti, A.; Ratnaningsih, R.

    2018-01-01

    This laboratory scale research aimed to treat wastewater effluent with advanced treatment utilizing aerobic biofilter with bio-balls medium to obtain effluent quality in accordance with DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 122 of 2005. The seeding and acclimatization were conducted in 4 weeks. The effluent were accommodated in a 150 L water barrel supported by a submersible pump. The effluent were treated in two boxes shaped reactors made of glasses with 36 L of each capacity. These reactors were equipped with aquarium aerators, sampling tap is 10 cm from the base of reactors, and bio-balls with 3 cm diameter are made of PVC. Reactors operated continuously with variations of retention time of 4 hours, 8 hours, 12 hours, 18 hours, and 24 hours and also variations of Carbon: Nitrogen: Phosphor = C: N: P ratio were, 100:5:1, 100:8:1, 100:10:1, 100:12:1, 100:15:1. The results showed that the optimum variance of retention time was 24 hours and the ratio of C:N:P was 100:10:1 yielded the largest removal efficiency for 83,33% of COD, 87,33% of BOD, 82,5% of Ammonia, 79,1% of Nitrate, 92% of Nitrite, 84,82% of Oil and Grease. The concentration parameter resulted from outlet biofilter has met the domestic wastewater quality standard of DKI Jakarta.

  7. Endocrine active chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals of concern in surface water, wastewater-treatment plant effluent, and bed sediment, and biological characteristics in selected streams, Minnesota-design, methods, and data, 2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lee, Kathy E.; Langer, Susan K.; Barber, Larry B.; Writer, Jeff H.; Ferrey, Mark L.; Schoenfuss, Heiko L.; Furlong, Edward T.; Foreman, William T.; Gray, James L.; ReVello, Rhiannon C.; Martinovic, Dalma; Woodruff, Olivia R.; Keefe, Steffanie H.; Brown, Greg K.; Taylor, Howard E.; Ferrer, Imma; Thurman, E. Michael

    2011-01-01

    This report presents the study design, environmental data, and quality-assurance data for an integrated chemical and biological study of selected streams or lakes that receive wastewater-treatment plant effluent in Minnesota. This study was a cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Cloud State University, the University of St. Thomas, and the University of Colorado. The objective of the study was to identify distribution patterns of endocrine active chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other organic and inorganic chemicals of concern indicative of wastewater effluent, and to identify biological characteristics of estrogenicity and fish responses in the same streams. The U.S. Geological Survey collected and analyzed water, bed-sediment, and quality-assurance samples, and measured or recorded streamflow once at each sampling location from September through November 2009. Sampling locations included surface water and wastewater-treatment plant effluent. Twenty-five wastewater-treatment plants were selected to include continuous flow and periodic release facilities with differing processing steps (activated sludge or trickling filters) and plant design flows ranging from 0.002 to 10.9 cubic meters per second (0.04 to 251 million gallons per day) throughout Minnesota in varying land-use settings. Water samples were collected from the treated effluent of the 25 wastewater-treatment plants and at one point upstream from and one point downstream from wastewater-treatment plant effluent discharges. Bed-sediment samples also were collected at each of the stream or lake locations. Water samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pharmaceuticals, phytoestrogens and pharmaceuticals, alkylphenols and other neutral organic chemicals, carboxylic acids, and steroidal hormones. A subset (25 samples) of the bed-sediment samples were analyzed for carbon, wastewater-indicator chemicals, and steroidal hormones; the

  8. Wastewater use in agriculture: irrigation of sugar cane with effluents from the Cañaveralejo wastewater treatment plant in Cali, Colombia.

    PubMed

    Madera, C A; Silva, J; Mara, D D; Torres, P

    2009-09-01

    In Valle del Cauca, south-west Colombia, surface and ground waters are used for sugar cane irrigation at a rate of 100 m3 of water per tonne of sugar produced. In addition large quantities of artificial fertilizers and pesticides are used to grow the crop. Preliminary experiments were undertaken to determine the feasibility of using effluents from the Cañaveralejo primary wastewater treatment plant in Cali. Sugar cane variety CC 8592 was planted in 18 box plots, each 0.5 m2. Six were irrigated with conventional primary effluent, six with chemically enhanced primary effluent and six with groundwater. For each set of six box plots, three contained local soil and three a 50:50 mixture of sand and rice husks. The three irrigation waters were monitored for 12 months, and immediately after harvest the sugar content of the sugar cane juice determined. All physico-chemical quality parameters for the three irrigation waters were lower than the FAO guideline values for irrigation water quality; on the basis of their sodium absorption ratios and electrical conductivity values, both wastewater effluents were in the USDA low-to-medium risk category C2S1. There was no difference in the sugar content of the cane juice irrigated with the three waters. However, the microbiological quality (E. coli and helminth numbers) of the two effluents did not meet the WHO guidelines and therefore additional human exposure control measures are required in order to minimize any resulting adverse health risks to those working in the wastewater-irrigated fields.

  9. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater constituents in selected streams in northern Arkansas, 2004

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Galloway, Joel M.; Haggard, Brian E.; Meyers, Michael T.; Green, W. Reed

    2005-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the University of Arkansas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, collected data in 2004 to determine the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater constituents, including many constituents of emerging environmental concern, in selected streams in northern Arkansas. Samples were collected in March and April 2004 from 17 sites located upstream and downstream from wastewater- treatment plant effluent discharges on 7 streams in northwestern Arkansas and at 1 stream site in a relatively undeveloped basin in north-central Arkansas. Additional samples were collected at three of the sites in August 2004. The targeted organic wastewater constituents and sample sites were selected because wastewater-treatment plant effluent discharge provides a potential point source of these constituents and analytical techniques have improved to accurately measure small amounts of these constituents in environmental samples. At least 1 of the 108 pharmaceutical or other organic wastewater constituents was detected at all sites in 2004, except at Spavinaw Creek near Maysville, Arkansas. The number of detections generally was greater at sites downstream from municipal wastewater-treatment plant effluent discharges (mean = 14) compared to sites not influenced by wastewatertreatment plants (mean = 3). Overall, 42 of the 108 constituents targeted in the collected water-quality samples were detected. The most frequently detected constituents included caffeine, phenol, para-cresol, and acetyl hexamethyl tetrahydro naphthalene.

  10. Fate of wastewater effluent hER-agonists and hER-antagonists during soil aquifer treatment.

    PubMed

    Otakuye, Conroy; Quanrud, David M; Ela, Wendell P; Wicke, Daniel; Lansey, Kevin E; Arnold, Robert G

    2005-04-01

    Estrogen activity was measured in wastewater effluent before and after polishing via soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) using both a (hER-beta) competitive binding assay and a transcriptional activation (yeast estrogen screen, YES) assay. From the competitive binding assay, the equivalent 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2) concentration in secondary effluent was 4.7 nM but decreased to 0.22 nM following SAT. The YES assay indicated that the equivalent EE2 concentration in the same effluent sample was below the method-detection limit (<2.5 x 10(-3) nM) but increased to 0.68 nM in effluent polished via SAT processes. It was hypothesized thattest-dependent differences arose because the competitive binding assay responds positively to both estrogen mimics and anti-estrogens; the YES assay responds to estrogen mimics, but test response is inhibited by anti-estrogens. The hypothesis was supported when organics extracted from wastewater effluent inhibited the YES test response to EE2 (anti-estrogenic effect). A similar extract prepared from SAT-polished effluent augmented the EE2 curve (agonist response). When hydrophobic organics in secondary effluent were fractionated, assay results indicated that several physically distinct anti-estrogens were present in the sample. From this work, it is evident that transcription-activation bioassays alone should not be relied upon to measure estrogenic activity in complex environmental samples because the simultaneous presence of both agonists and antagonist compounds can yield false negatives. Multiple in vitro bioassays, sample fractionation or tests designed to measure anti-estrogenic activity can be used to overcome this problem. It is also clear that there are circumstances under which SAT does not completely remove estrogenic activity during municipal wastewater effluent polishing.

  11. Assessment of wastewater effluent quality in Thessaly region, Greece, for determining its irrigation reuse potential.

    PubMed

    Bakopoulou, S; Emmanouil, C; Kungolos, A

    2011-02-01

    The objective of the present study is to assess wastewater effluent quality in Thessaly region, Greece, in relation to its physicochemical and microbiological burden as well as its toxic potential on a number of organisms. Wastewater may be used for agricultural as well as for landscape irrigation purposes; therefore, its toxicity potential is quite important. Thessaly region has been chosen since this region suffers from a distinct water shortage in summer period necessitating alternative water resources. During our research, treated effluents from four wastewater treatment plants operating in the region (Larissa, Volos, Karditsa, and Tirnavos) were tested for specific physicochemical and microbiological parameters [biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(5)), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, electrical conductivity, selected metals presence (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, As), and fecal coliforms' (FC) number]. The effluents were also tested for their toxicity using two different bioassays (Daphnia magna immobilization test and Phytotoxkit microbiotest). The findings were compared to relative regulations and guidelines regarding wastewater reuse for irrigation. The results overall show that secondary effluents in Thessaly region are generally acceptable for reuse for irrigation purposes according to limits set by legislation, if effective advanced treatment methods are applied prior to reuse. However, their potential toxicity should be closely monitored, since it was found that it may vary significantly in relation to season and location, when indicator plant and zooplankton organisms are used. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Marine carbohydrates of wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Sudha, Prasad N; Gomathi, Thandapani; Vinodhini, P Angelin; Nasreen, K

    2014-01-01

    Our natural heritage (rivers, seas, and oceans) has been exploited, mistreated, and contaminated because of industrialization, globalization, population growth, urbanization with increased wealth, and more extravagant lifestyles. The scenario gets worse when the effluents or contaminants are discharged directly. So wastewater treatment is a very important and necessary in nowadays to purify wastewater before it enters a body of natural water, or it is applied to the land, or it is reused. Various methods are available for treating wastewater but with many disadvantages. Recently, numerous approaches have been studied for the development of cheaper and more effective technologies, both to decrease the amount of wastewater produced and to improve the quality of the treated effluent. Biosorption is an emerging technology, which uses natural materials as adsorbents for wastewater treatment. Low-cost adsorbents of polysaccharide-based materials obtained from marine, such as chitin, chitosan, alginate, agar, and carrageenan, are acting as rescue for wastewater treatment. This chapter reviews the treatment of wastewater up to the present time using marine polysaccharides and its derivatives. Special attention is paid to the advantages of the natural adsorbents, which are a wonderful gift for human survival. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Direct quantification of bacterial biomass in influent, effluent and activated sludge of wastewater treatment plants by using flow cytometry.

    PubMed

    Foladori, P; Bruni, L; Tamburini, S; Ziglio, G

    2010-07-01

    A rapid multi-step procedure, potentially amenable to automation, was proposed for quantifying viable and active bacterial cells, estimating their biovolume using flow cytometry (FCM) and to calculate their biomass within the main stages of a wastewater treatment plant: raw wastewater, settled wastewater, activated sludge and effluent. Fluorescent staining of bacteria using SYBR-Green I + Propidium Iodide (to discriminate cell integrity or permeabilisation) and BCECF-AM (to identify enzymatic activity) was applied to count bacterial cells by FCM. A recently developed specific procedure was applied to convert Forward Angle Light Scatter measured by FCM into the corresponding bacterial biovolume. This conversion permits the calculation of the viable and active bacterial biomass in wastewater, activated sludge and effluent, expressed as Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS) or particulate Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). Viable bacterial biomass represented only a small part of particulate COD in raw wastewater (4.8 +/- 2.4%), settled wastewater (10.7 +/- 3.1%), activated sludge (11.1 +/- 2.1%) and effluent (3.2 +/- 2.2%). Active bacterial biomass counted for a percentage of 30-47% of the viable bacterial biomass within the stages of the wastewater treatment plant. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN THE ESTROGENICITY OF A MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER EFFLUENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Estrogenicity of a municipal wastewater effluent was monitored using the vitellogenin biomarker in adult male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). Variability in expression of the vitellogenin biomarker was evident among monitoring periods. Significant increases in plasma vit...

  15. Assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent on fish reproduction utilizing the adverse outcome pathway conceptual framework

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are a known contributor of chemical mixture inputs into the environment. Whole effluent testing guidelines were developed to screen these complex mixtures for acute toxicity. However, efficient and cost-effective approaches for screenin...

  16. Demasculinization of male fish by wastewater treatment plant effluent

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vajda, A.M.; Barber, L.B.; Gray, J.L.; Lopez, E.M.; Bolden, A.M.; Schoenfuss, H.L.; Norris, D.O.

    2011-01-01

    Adult male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were exposed to effluent from the City of Boulder, Colorado wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) under controlled conditions in the field to determine if the effluent induced reproductive disruption in fish. Gonadal intersex and other evidence of reproductive disruption were previously identified in white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) in Boulder Creek downstream from this WWTP effluent outfall. Fish were exposed within a mobile flow-through exposure laboratory in July 2005 and August 2006 to WWTP effluent (EFF), Boulder Creek water (REF), or mixtures of EFF and REF for up to 28 days. Primary (sperm abundance) and secondary (nuptial tubercles and dorsal fat pads) sex characteristics were demasculinized within 14 days of exposure to 50% and 100% EFF. Vitellogenin was maximally elevated in both 50% and 100% EFF treatments within 7 days and significantly elevated by 25% EFF within 14 days. The steroidal estrogens 17??-estradiol, estrone, estriol, and 17??-ethynylestradiol, as well as estrogenic alkylphenols and bisphenol A were identified within the EFF treatments and not in the REF treatment. These results support the hypothesis that the reproductive disruption observed in this watershed is due to endocrine-active chemicals in the WWTP effluent. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

  17. LC-MS/MS determination of antiretroviral drugs in influents and effluents from wastewater treatment plants in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Abafe, Ovokeroye A; Späth, Jana; Fick, Jerker; Jansson, Stina; Buckley, Chris; Stark, Annegret; Pietruschka, Bjoern; Martincigh, Bice S

    2018-06-01

    South Africa has the largest occurrence of the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) in the world but has also implemented the largest antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programme. It was therefore of interest to determine the presence and concentrations of commonly used antiretroviral drugs (ARVDs) and, also, to determine the capabilities of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for removing ARVDs. To this end, a surrogate standard based LC-MS/MS method was optimized and applied for the detection of thirteen ARVDs used in the treatment and management of HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in two major and one modular WWTP in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The method was validated and the detection limits fell within the range of 2-20 ng L -1 . The analytical recoveries for the ARVDs were mainly greater than 50% with acceptable relative standard deviations. The concentration values ranged from effluent) in a decentralized wastewater treatment facility (DEWATS); effluent) in Northern WWTP and 61-34000 ng L -1 (influent), effluent) in Phoenix WWTP. Whilst abacavir, lamivudine and zidovudine were almost completely removed from the effluents, atazanavir, efavirenz, lopinavir and nevirapine persisted in the effluents from all three WWTPs. To estimate the ecotoxicological risks associated with the discharge of ARVDs, a countrywide survey focussing on the occurrence of ARVDs in WWTPs, surface and fresh water bodies, and aquatic organisms, is necessary. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Association between degradation of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds and microbial communities along a treated wastewater effluent gradient in Lake Mead.

    PubMed

    Blunt, Susanna M; Sackett, Joshua D; Rosen, Michael R; Benotti, Mark J; Trenholm, Rebecca A; Vanderford, Brett J; Hedlund, Brian P; Moser, Duane P

    2018-05-01

    The role of microbial communities in the degradation of trace organic contaminants in the environment is little understood. In this study, the biotransformation potential of 27 pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds was examined in parallel with a characterization of the native microbial community in water samples from four sites variously impacted by urban run-off and wastewater discharge in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA. Samples included relatively pristine Colorado River water at the upper end of the lake, nearly pure tertiary-treated municipal wastewater entering via the Las Vegas Wash, and waters of mixed influence (Las Vegas Bay and Boulder Basin), which represented a gradient of treated wastewater effluent impact. Microbial diversity analysis based on 16S rRNA gene censuses revealed the community at this site to be distinct from the less urban-impacted locations, although all sites were similar in overall diversity and richness. Similarly, Biolog EcoPlate assays demonstrated that the microbial community at Las Vegas Wash was the most metabolically versatile and active. Organic contaminants added as a mixture to laboratory microcosms were more rapidly and completely degraded in the most wastewater-impacted sites (Las Vegas Wash and Las Vegas Bay), with the majority exhibiting shorter half-lives than at the other sites or in a bacteriostatic control. Although the reasons for enhanced degradation capacity in the wastewater-impacted sites remain to be established, these data are consistent with the acclimatization of native microorganisms (either through changes in community structure or metabolic regulation) to effluent-derived trace contaminants. This study suggests that in urban, wastewater-impacted watersheds, prior exposure to organic contaminants fundamentally alters the structure and function of microbial communities, which in turn translates into greater potential for the natural attenuation of these compounds compared to more pristine

  19. Association between degradation of pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds and microbial communities along a treated wastewater effluent gradient in Lake Mead

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blunt, Susanna M.; Sackett, Joshua D.; Rosen, Michael R.; Benotti, Mark J.; Trenholm, Rebecca A.; Vanderford, Brett J.; Hedlund, Brian P.; Moser, Duane P.

    2018-01-01

    The role of microbial communities in the degradation of trace organic contaminants in the environment is little understood. In this study, the biotransformation potential of 27 pharmaceuticals and endocrine-disrupting compounds was examined in parallel with a characterization of the native microbial community in water samples from four sites variously impacted by urban run-off and wastewater discharge in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA. Samples included relatively pristine Colorado River water at the upper end of the lake, nearly pure tertiary-treated municipal wastewater entering via the Las Vegas Wash, and waters of mixed influence (Las Vegas Bay and Boulder Basin), which represented a gradient of treated wastewater effluent impact. Microbial diversity analysis based on 16S rRNA gene censuses revealed the community at this site to be distinct from the less urban-impacted locations, although all sites were similar in overall diversity and richness. Similarly, Biolog EcoPlate assays demonstrated that the microbial community at Las Vegas Wash was the most metabolically versatile and active. Organic contaminants added as a mixture to laboratory microcosms were more rapidly and completely degraded in the most wastewater-impacted sites (Las Vegas Wash and Las Vegas Bay), with the majority exhibiting shorter half-lives than at the other sites or in a bacteriostatic control. Although the reasons for enhanced degradation capacity in the wastewater-impacted sites remain to be established, these data are consistent with the acclimatization of native microorganisms (either through changes in community structure or metabolic regulation) to effluent-derived trace contaminants. This study suggests that in urban, wastewater-impacted watersheds, prior exposure to organic contaminants fundamentally alters the structure and function of microbial communities, which in turn translates into greater potential for the natural attenuation of these compounds compared to more pristine

  20. Optimization and performance evaluation for nutrient removal from palm oil mill effluent wastewater using microalgae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibrahim, Raheek I.; Wong, Z. H.; Mohammad, A. W.

    2015-04-01

    Palm oil mill effluent (POME) wastewater was produced in huge amounts in Malaysia, and if it discharged into the environment, it causes a serious problem regarding its high content of nutrients. This study was devoted to POME wastewater treatment with microalgae. The main objective was to find the optimum conditions (retention time, and pH) in the microalgae treatment of POME wastewater considering retention time as a most important parameter in algae treatment, since after the optimum conditions there is a diverse effect of time and pH and so, the process becomes costly. According to our knowledge, there is no existing study optimized the retention time and pH with % removal of nutrients (ammonia nitrogen NH3-N, and orthophosphorous PO43-) for microalgae treatment of POME wastewater. In order to achieve with optimization, a central composite rotatable design with a second order polynomial model was used, regression coefficients and goodness of fit results in removal percentages of nutrients (NH3-N, and PO43-) were estimated.WinQSB technique was used to optimize the surface response objective functionfor the developed model. Also experiments were done to validate the model results.The optimum conditions were found to be 18 day retention time for ammonia nitrogen, and pH of 9.22, while for orthophosphorous, 15 days were indicated as the optimum retention time with a pH value of 9.2.

  1. 40 CFR 35.918-3 - Requirements for discharge of effluents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Requirements for discharge of effluents. 35.918-3 Section 35.918-3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER... by EPA under section 304(d)(2) of the Act shall be met for disposal of effluent on or into the soil...

  2. Surveillance of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria from Wastewater Effluents Across the United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    This presentation will inform the audience of the purpose and importance of the antibiotic resistant bacteria surveillances that have been conducted to date. And an overview of why the EPA is looking into this problem in wastewater effluents.

  3. Effect of Ozone Treatment on Nano-Sized Silver Sulfide in Wastewater Effluent.

    PubMed

    Thalmann, Basilius; Voegelin, Andreas; von Gunten, Urs; Behra, Renata; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Kaegi, Ralf

    2015-09-15

    Silver nanoparticles used in consumer products are likely to be released into municipal wastewater. Transformation reactions, most importantly sulfidation, lead to the formation of nanoscale silver sulfide (nano-Ag2S) particles. In wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), ozonation can enhance the effluent quality by eliminating organic micropollutants. The effect of ozonation on the fate of nano-Ag2S, however, is currently unknown. In this study, we investigate the interaction of ozone with nano-Ag2S and evaluate the effect of ozonation on the short-term toxicity of WWTP effluent spiked with nano-Ag2S. The oxidation of nano-Ag2S by ozone resulted in a stoichiometric factor (number of moles of ozone required to oxidize one mole of sulfide to sulfate) of 2.91, which is comparable to the results obtained for the reaction of bisulfide (HS(-)) with ozone. The second-order rate constant for the reaction of nano-Ag2S with ozone (k = 3.1 × 10(4) M(-1) s(-1)) is comparable to the rate constant of fast-reacting micropollutants. Analysis of the ozonation products of nano-Ag2S by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) revealed that ozonation dominantly led to the formation of silver chloride in WWTP effluent. After ozonation of the Ag2S-spiked effluent, the short-term toxicity for the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii increased and reached EC50 values comparable to Ag(+). This study thus reveals that ozone treatment of WWTP effluent results in the oxidation of Ag2S and, hence, an increase of the Ag toxicity in the effluent, which may become relevant at elevated Ag concentrations.

  4. Greenhouse gas emissions are enhanced by wastewater discharge into New York City coastal estuaries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brigham, B. A.; O'Mullan, G. D.; Bird, J. A.

    2016-12-01

    The Hudson River Estuary (HRE) receives significant inputs of untreated wastewater from sewer overflow from New York City (NYC) and other urban areas. These inputs deliver large, concentrated pulses of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) into the estuary primarily during storm events. We hypothesized that sewage inputs would increase carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) efflux from the HRE via two mechanism: (1) direct input of these gases into estuarine surface waters from NYC's wastewater treatment system; and (2) indirect in-situ microbial production in response to the C and N additions. To test these hypotheses, CO2, CH4, dissolved organic C and inorganic N concentrations were measured in both sewage outflow and in estuarine waters. Efflux of CO2 and CH4 were also quantified from sediment cores sampled from Flushing Bay (FB), which is in close proximity to sewage delivery outlets. Wastewater discharge was found to be both a direct input in wastewater and an indirect source of CO2 and CH4 via microbial respiration. Effluent concentrations of CH4 (125 ppm), CO2 (2200 ρCO2), dissolved organic C, ammonium, and nitrate surface water concentrations, were a minimum of 3 times greater than in estuarine surface water adjacent to the sewage delivery area and up to 20 times greater than concentrations found in regional HRE surface waters. Incubation experiments with FB sediment demonstrated that acetate additions stimulated CO2 efflux by + 1.25 and CH4 efflux by +10 times, compared with unamended controls. The magnitude of CH4 produced was +40 times greater than from sediments incubated from a non-sewage affected area with similar salinity levels. However, total C mineralization (6 µg C day-1 g-1 of dry soil) was a small portion of the C amendment indicating negligible priming. These data warrant study on larger regional scales to assess the broader climate impact likely driven by CH4 efflux that results from discharge of untreated wastewater into urban estuaries.

  5. Applying polarity rapid assessment method and ultrafiltration to characterize NDMA precursors in wastewater effluents.

    PubMed

    Chen, Chao; Leavey, Shannon; Krasner, Stuart W; Mel Suffet, I H

    2014-06-15

    Certain nitrosamines in water are disinfection byproducts that are probable human carcinogens. Nitrosamines have diverse and complex precursors that include effluent organic matter, some anthropogenic chemicals, and natural (likely non-humic) substances. An easy and selective tool was first developed to characterize nitrosamine precursors in treated wastewaters, including different process effluents. This tool takes advantages of the polarity rapid assessment method (PRAM) and ultrafiltration (UF) (molecular weight distribution) to locate the fractions with the strongest contributions to the nitrosamine precursor pool in the effluent organic matter. Strong cation exchange (SCX) and C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges were used for their high selectivity for nitrosamine precursors. The details of PRAM operation, such as cartridge clean-up, capacity, pH influence, and quality control were included in this paper, as well as the main parameters of UF operation. Preliminary testing of the PRAM/UF method with effluents from one wastewater treatment plant gave very informative results. SCX retained 45-90% of the N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation potential (FP)-a measure of the precursors-in secondary and tertiary wastewater effluents. These results are consistent with NDMA precursors likely having a positively charged amine group. C18 adsorbed 30-45% of the NDMAFP, which indicates that a substantial portion of these precursors were non-polar. The small molecular weight (MW) (<1 kDa) and large MW (>10 kDa) fractions obtained from UF were the primary contributors to NDMAFP. The combination of PRAM and UF brings important information on the characteristics of nitrosamine precursors in water with easy operation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Modeling effluent distribution and nitrate transport through an on-site wastewater system.

    PubMed

    Hassan, G; Reneau, R B; Hagedorn, C; Jantrania, A R

    2008-01-01

    Properly functioning on-site wastewater systems (OWS) are an integral component of the wastewater system infrastructure necessary to renovate wastewater before it reaches surface or ground waters. There are a large number of factors, including soil hydraulic properties, effluent quality and dispersal, and system design, that affect OWS function. The ability to evaluate these factors using a simulation model would improve the capability to determine the impact of wastewater application on the subsurface soil environment. An existing subsurface drip irrigation system (SDIS) dosed with sequential batch reactor effluent (SBRE) was used in this study. This system has the potential to solve soil and site problems that limit OWS and to reduce the potential for environmental degradation. Soil water potentials (Psi(s)) and nitrate (NO(3)) migration were simulated at 55- and 120-cm depths within and downslope of the SDIS using a two-dimensional code in HYDRUS-3D. Results show that the average measured Psi(s) were -121 and -319 cm, whereas simulated values were -121 and -322 cm at 55- and 120-cm depths, respectively, indicating unsaturated conditions. Average measured NO(3) concentrations were 0.248 and 0.176 mmol N L(-1), whereas simulated values were 0.237 and 0.152 mmol N L(-1) at 55- and 120-cm depths, respectively. Observed unsaturated conditions decreased the potential for NO(3) to migrate in more concentrated plumes away from the SDIS. The agreement (high R(2) values approximately 0.97) between the measured and simulated Psi(s) and NO(3) concentrations indicate that HYDRUS-3D adequately simulated SBRE flow and NO(3) transport through the soil domain under a range of environmental and effluent application conditions.

  7. Contribution of hospital effluents to the load of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters: identification of ecologically relevant pharmaceuticals.

    PubMed

    Santos, Lúcia H M L M; Gros, Meritxell; Rodriguez-Mozaz, Sara; Delerue-Matos, Cristina; Pena, Angelina; Barceló, Damià; Montenegro, M Conceição B S M

    2013-09-01

    The impact of effluent wastewaters from four different hospitals: a university (1456 beds), a general (350 beds), a pediatric (110 beds) and a maternity hospital (96 beds), which are conveyed to the same wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), was evaluated in the receiving urban wastewaters. The occurrence of 78 pharmaceuticals belonging to several therapeutic classes was assessed in hospital effluents and WWTP wastewaters (influent and effluent) as well as the contribution of each hospital in WWTP influent in terms of pharmaceutical load. Results indicate that pharmaceuticals are widespread pollutants in both hospital and urban wastewaters. The contribution of hospitals to the input of pharmaceuticals in urban wastewaters widely varies, according to their dimension. The estimated total mass loadings were 306 g d(-1) for the university hospital, 155 g d(-1) for the general one, 14 g d(-1) for the pediatric hospital and 1.5 g d(-1) for the maternity hospital, showing that the biggest hospitals have a greater contribution to the total mass load of pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, analysis of individual contributions of each therapeutic group showed that NSAIDs, analgesics and antibiotics are among the groups with the highest inputs. Removal efficiency can go from over 90% for pharmaceuticals like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to not removal for β-blockers and salbutamol. Total mass load of pharmaceuticals into receiving surface waters was estimated between 5 and 14 g/d/1000 inhabitants. Finally, the environmental risk posed by pharmaceuticals detected in hospital and WWTP effluents was assessed by means of hazard quotients toward different trophic levels (algae, daphnids and fish). Several pharmaceuticals present in the different matrices were identified as potentially hazardous to aquatic organisms, showing that especial attention should be paid to antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, azithromycin and clarithromycin, since their hazard quotients

  8. Unsupervised Analysis of the Effects of a Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on the Fathead Minnow Ovarian Transcriptome

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents contain complex mixtures of chemicals, potentially including endocrine active chemicals (EACs), pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Due to the complex and variable nature of effluents, biological monitori...

  9. Effects of wastewater on forested wetlands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Doyle, Thomas W.

    2002-01-01

    Cycling nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through natural, forested wetlands is a practice that municipal waste treatment managers are considering as a viable option for disposing of wastewater. In this wastewater cycling process, sewer effluent that has been circulated through aerated ponds is discharged into neighboring wetland systems. To understand how wastewater cycling affects forest and species productivity, researchers at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center conducted dendroecological investigations in a swamp system and in a bog system that have been exposed to wastewater effluent for many decades. Dendroecology involves the study of forest changes over time as interpreted from tree rings. Tree-ring chronologies describe the pattern and history of growth suppression and release that can be associated with aging and disturbances such as hurricanes, floods, and fires. But because of limited monitoring, little is known about the potential for long-term effects on forested wetlands as a result of wastewater flooding. USGS researchers used tree rings to detect the effect of wastewater cycling on tree growth. Scientists expected to find that tree-ring width would be increased as a result of added nutrients.

  10. Treatability study of pesticide-based industrial wastewater.

    PubMed

    Shah, Kinnari; Chauhan, L I; Galgale, A D

    2012-10-01

    This paper finds out appropriate treatment methods for wastewater of an Organophosphorus viz, chloropyrifos pesticide manufacturing industry. The characterization of wastewater generated during trial production of chloropyrifos was carried out. Based on the characterization of wastewater, various treatability studies were conducted. The most desirable results were obtained with treatment scheme employing acidification, chlorination with NaOCl, suspended growth biological treatment, chemical precipitation for phosphorous removal and activated carbon treatment. Acidification of wastewater helps in by-product recovery as well as reduction in COD upto 36.26%. Chlorination followed by biological treatment was found to be effective to reduce the COD level by 62.06%. To comply with permissible limits prescribed by Effluent Channel Project Ltd.(ECPL)* and Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) for discharge of industrial effluent into channel, further treatment in the form of chemical precipitation (for phosphorous removal) and granular activated carbon is suggested.

  11. 40 CFR 419.32 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... discharged if it does not exceed 15 mg/l oil and grease and 110 mg/l total organic carbon (TOC) based upon an... and grease or 110 mg/l TOC is not commingled or treated with any other type of wastewater, the... effluent exceeds 1,000 mg/l (1,000 ppm), the permitting authority may substitute TOC as a parameter in lieu...

  12. Treatment of industrial wastewater effluents using hydrodynamic cavitation and the advanced Fenton process.

    PubMed

    Chakinala, Anand G; Gogate, Parag R; Burgess, Arthur E; Bremner, David H

    2008-01-01

    For the first time, hydrodynamic cavitation induced by a liquid whistle reactor (LWR) has been used in conjunction with the advanced Fenton process (AFP) for the treatment of real industrial wastewater. Semi-batch experiments in the LWR were designed to investigate the performance of the process for two different industrial wastewater samples. The effect of various operating parameters such as pressure, H2O2 concentration and the initial concentration of industrial wastewater samples on the extent of mineralization as measured by total organic carbon (TOC) content have been studied with the aim of maximizing the extent of degradation. It has been observed that higher pressures, sequential addition of hydrogen peroxide at higher loadings and lower concentration of the effluent are more favourable for a rapid TOC mineralization. In general, the novel combination of hydrodynamic cavitation with AFP results in about 60-80% removal of TOC under optimized conditions depending on the type of industrial effluent samples. The combination described herein is most useful for treatment of bio-refractory materials where the diminution in toxicity can be achieved up to a certain level and then conventional biological oxidation can be employed for final treatment. The present work is the first to report the use of a hydrodynamic cavitation technique for real industrial wastewater treatment.

  13. Nitrogen transport and transformations in a shallow aquifer receiving wastewater discharge: A mass balance approach

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Desimone, Leslie A.; Howes, Brian L.

    1998-01-01

    Nitrogen transport and transformations were followed over the initial 3 years of development of a plume of wastewater-contaminated groundwater in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Ammonification and nitrification in the unsaturated zone and ammonium sorption in the saturated zone were predominant, while loss of fixed nitrogen through denitrification was minor. The major effect of transport was the oxidation of discharged organic and inorganic forms to nitrate, which was the dominant nitrogen form in transit to receiving systems. Ammonification and nitrification in the unsaturated zone transformed 16–19% and 50–70%, respectively, of the total nitrogen mass discharged to the land surface during the study but did not attenuate the nitrogen loading. Nitrification in the unsaturated zone also contributed to pH decrease of 2 standard units and to an N2O increase (46–660 µg N/L in the plume). Other processes in the unsaturated zone had little net effect: Ammonium sorption removed <1% of the total discharged nitrogen mass; filtering of particulate organic nitrogen was less than 3%; ammonium and nitrate assimilation was less than 6%; and ammonia volatilization was less than 0.25%. In the saturated zone a central zone of anoxic groundwater (DO ≤ 0.05 mg/L) was first detected 17 months after effluent discharge to the aquifer began, which expanded at about the groundwater-flow velocity. Although nitrate was dominant at the water table, the low, carbon-limited rates of denitrification in the anoxic zone (3.0–9.6 (ng N/cm3)/d) reduced only about 2% of the recharged nitrogen mass to N2. In contrast, ammonium sorption in the saturated zone removed about 16% of the recharged nitrogen mass from the groundwater. Ammonium sorption was primarily limited to anoxic zone, where nitrification was prevented, and was best described by a Langmuir isotherm in which effluent ionic concentrations were simulated. The initial nitrogen load discharged from the groundwater system may depend

  14. Removal Efficiency of Faecal Indicator Organisms, Nutrients and Heavy Metals from a Peri-Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant in Thohoyandou, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Edokpayi, Joshua N; Odiyo, John O; Msagati, Titus A M; Popoola, Elizabeth O

    2015-06-29

    Wastewater treatment facilities are known sources of fresh water pollution. This study was carried out from January to June 2014 to assess the reduction efficiency of some selected contaminants in the Thohoyandou wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The pH and electrical conductivity of the effluent fell within the South African wastewater discharge guidelines. The WWTP showed the chemical oxygen demand reduction efficiency required by the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) guidelines of 75 mg/L for the months of April and June, although it was below this standard in March and May. Free chlorine concentration varied between 0.26-0.96 mg/L and exceeded the DWA guideline value of 0.25 mg/L. The concentration of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3(-) N) in the influent and effluent varied between 0.499-2.31 mg/L and 7.545-19.413 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of NO3- N in the effluent complied with DWA effluent discharge standard of 15 mg/L, except in April and May. Phosphate concentrations in the influent and effluent were in the ranges of 0.552-42.646 mg/L and 1.572-32.554 mg/L, respectively. The WWTP showed reduction efficiencies of E. coli and Enterococci during some sampling periods but the level found in the effluent exceeded the recommended guideline value of 1000 cfu/100 mL for faecal indicator organisms in wastewater effluents. Consistent removal efficiencies were observed for Al (32-74%), Fe (7-32%) and Zn (24-94%) in most of the sampling months. In conclusion, the Thohoyandou WWTP is inefficient in treating wastewater to the acceptable quality before discharge.

  15. The attenuation of microorganisms in on-site wastewater effluent discharged into highly permeable subsoils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Luanaigh, N. D.; Gill, L. W.; Misstear, B. D. R.; Johnston, P. M.

    2012-11-01

    An extensive field study on percolation areas receiving both septic tank and secondary treated on-site effluents from single houses in Ireland was carried out to investigate the attenuation capacity of highly permeable subsoils with respect to E. coli bacteria and spiked bacteriophages (MS2, ΦX174 and PR772). The development of biomats across the percolation areas receiving the secondary effluent was restricted compared to the percolation area receiving septic tank effluent, promoting a much higher areal hydraulic loading which created significant differences in the potential microbiological loading to groundwater. Greatest E. coli removal in the subsoil occurred within the first 0.35 m of unsaturated subsoil for all effluent types. Analysis showed, however, that more evidence of faecal contamination occurred at depth in the subsoils receiving secondary treated effluents than that receiving septic tank effluent, despite the lower bacterial influent load. All three bacteriophages were reduced to their minimum detection limit (< 10 PFU/mL) at a depth of 0.95 m below the percolation trenches receiving septic tank effluent, although isolated incidences of ΦX174 and PR772 were measured below one trench. However again, slightly higher breakthroughs of MS2 and PR772 contamination were detected at the same depth under the trenches receiving secondary treated effluent.

  16. A river-scale Lagrangian experiment examining controls on phytoplankton dynamics in the presence and absence of treated wastewater effluent high in ammonium

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kraus, Tamara; Carpenter, Kurt; Bergamaschi, Brian; Parker, Alexander; Stumpner, Elizabeth; Downing, Bryan D.; Travis, Nicole; Wilkerson, Frances; Kendall, Carol; Mussen, Timothy

    2017-01-01

    Phytoplankton are critical component of the food web in most large rivers and estuaries, and thus identifying dominant controls on phytoplankton abundance and species composition is important to scientists, managers, and policymakers. Recent studies from a variety of systems indicate that ammonium ( NH+4) in treated wastewater effluent decreases primary production and alters phytoplankton species composition. However, these findings are based mainly on laboratory and enclosure studies, which may not adequately represent natural systems. To test effects of effluent high in ammonium on phytoplankton at the ecosystem scale, we conducted whole-river–scale experiments by halting discharges to the Sacramento River from the regional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and used a Lagrangian approach to compare changes in phytoplankton abundance and species composition in the presence (+EFF) and absence (−EFF) of effluent. Over 5 d of downstream travel from 20 km above to 50 km below the WWTP, chlorophyll concentrations declined from 15–25 to ∼2.5 μg L−1, irrespective of effluent addition. Benthic diatoms were dominant in most samples. We found no significant difference in phytoplankton abundance or species composition between +EFF and −EFF conditions. Moreover, greatest declines in chlorophyll occurred upstream of the WWTP where NH+4 concentrations were low. Grazing by clams and zooplankton could not account for observed losses, suggesting other factors such as hydrodynamics and light limitation were responsible for phytoplankton declines. These results highlight the advantages of conducting ecosystem-scale, Lagrangian-based experiments to understand the dynamic and complex interplay between physical, chemical, and biological factors that control phytoplankton populations.

  17. Duckweed based wastewater stabilization ponds for wastewater treatment (a low cost technology for small urban areas in Zimbabwe)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dalu, J. M.; Ndamba, J.

    A three-year investigation into the potential use of duckweed based wastewater stabilizations ponds for wastewater treatment was carried out at two small urban areas in Zimbabwe. The study hoped to contribute towards improved environmental management through improving the quality of effluent being discharged into natural waterways. This was to be achieved through the development and facilitation of the use of duckweed based wastewater stabilizations ponds. The study was carried out at Nemanwa and Gutu Growth Points both with a total population of 23 000. The two centers, like more than 70% of Zimbabwe’s small urban areas, relied on algae based ponds for domestic wastewater treatment. The final effluent is used to irrigate gum plantations before finding its way into the nearest streams. Baseline wastewater quality information was collected on a monthly basis for three months after which duckweed ( Lemna minor) was introduced into the maturation ponds to at least 50% pond surface cover. The influent and effluent was then monitored on a monthly basis for chemical, physical and bacteriological parameters as stipulated in the Zimbabwe Water (Waste and Effluent Disposal) regulations of 2000. After five months, the range of parameters tested for was narrowed to include only those that sometimes surpassed the limits. These included: phosphates, nitrates, pH, biological oxygen demand, iron, conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, total dissolved solids and total suspended solids. Significant reductions to within permissible limits were obtained for most of the above-mentioned parameters except for phosphates, chemical and biological oxygen demand and turbidity. However, in these cases, more than 60% reductions were observed when the influent and effluent levels were compared. It is our belief that duckweed based waste stabilization ponds can now be used successfully for the treatment of domestic wastewater in small urban areas of Zimbabwe.

  18. The effects of wastewater effluent and river discharge on benthic heterotrophic production, organic biomass and respiration in marine coastal sediments.

    PubMed

    Burd, B; Macdonald, T; Bertold, S

    2013-09-15

    We examine effects of high river particulate flux and municipal wastewater effluent on heterotrophic organic carbon cycling in coastal subtidal sediments. Heterotrophic production was a predictable (r(2)=0.95) proportion (56%) of oxidized OC flux and strongly correlated with organic/inorganic flux. Consistent growth efficiencies (36%) occurred at all stations. Organic biomass was correlated with total, OC and buried OC fluxes, but not oxidized OC flux. Near the river, production was modest and biomass high, resulting in low P/B. Outfall deposition resulted in depleted biomass and high bacterial production, resulting in the highest P/B. These patterns explain why this region is production "saturated". The δ(15)N in outfall effluent, sediments and dominant taxa provided insight into where, and which types of organisms feed directly on fresh outfall particulates, on older, refractory material buried in sediments, or utilize chemosynthetic symbiotic bacteria. Results are discussed in the context of declining bottom oxygen conditions along the coast. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Application of the removal of pollutants from textile industry wastewater in constructed wetlands using fuzzy logic.

    PubMed

    Dogdu, Gamze; Yalcuk, Arda; Postalcioglu, Seda

    2017-02-01

    There are more than a hundred textile industries in Turkey that discharge large quantities of dye-rich wastewater, resulting in water pollution. Such effluents must be treated to meet discharge limits imposed by the Water Framework Directive in Turkey. Industrial treatment facilities must be required to monitor operations, keep them cost-effective, prevent operational faults, discharge-limit infringements, and water pollution. This paper proposes the treatment of actual textile wastewater by vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) systems operation and monitoring effluent wastewater quality using fuzzy logic with a graphical user interface. The treatment performance of VFCW is investigated in terms of chemical oxygen demand and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) content, color, and pH parameters during a 75-day period of operation. A computer program was developed with a fuzzy logic system (a decision- making tool) to graphically present (via a status analysis chart) the quality of treated textile effluent in relation to the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. Fuzzy logic is used in the evaluation of data obtained from the VFCW systems and for notification of critical states exceeding the discharge limits. This creates a warning chart that reports any errors encountered in a reactor during the collection of any sample to the concerned party.

  20. Prediction of micropollutant elimination during ozonation of a hospital wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yunho; Kovalova, Lubomira; McArdell, Christa S; von Gunten, Urs

    2014-11-01

    Determining optimal ozone doses for organic micropollutant elimination during wastewater ozonation is challenged by the presence of a large number of structurally diverse micropollutants for varying wastewater matrice compositions. A chemical kinetics approach based on ozone and hydroxyl radical (·OH) rate constant and measurements of ozone and ·OH exposures is proposed to predict the micropollutant elimination efficiency. To further test and validate the chemical kinetics approach, the elimination efficiency of 25 micropollutants present in a hospital wastewater effluent from a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) were determined at pH 7.0 and 8.5 in bench-scale experiments with ozone alone and ozone combined with H2O2 as a function of DOC-normalized specific ozone doses (gO3/gDOC). Furthermore, ozone and ·OH exposures, ·OH yields, and ·OH consumption rates were determined. Consistent eliminations as a function of gO3/gDOC were observed for micropollutants with similar ozone and ·OH rate constants. They could be classified into five groups having characteristic elimination patterns. By increasing the pH from 7.0 to 8.5, the elimination levels increased for the amine-containing micropollutants due to the increased apparent second-order ozone rate constants while decreased for most micropollutants due to the diminished ozone or ·OH exposures. Increased ·OH quenching by effluent organic matter and carbonate with increasing pH was responsible for the lower ·OH exposures. Upon H2O2 addition, the elimination levels of the micropollutants slightly increased at pH 7 (<8%) while decreased considerably at pH 8.5 (up to 31%). The elimination efficiencies of the selected micropollutants could be predicted based on their ozone and ·OH rate constants (predicted or taken from literature) and the determined ozone and ·OH exposures. Reasonable agreements between the measured and predicted elimination levels were found, demonstrating that the proposed chemical kinetics

  1. Water-Quality Assessment of Southern Florida - Wastewater Discharges and Runoff

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Marella, Richard L.

    1998-01-01

    Nearly 800 million gallons per day of treated wastewater was discharged in the Southern Florida National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) study unit in 1990, most to the Atlantic Ocean (44 percent) and to deep, saline aquifers (25 percent). About 9 percent was discharged to fresh surface waters and about 22 percent to shallow ground water, of which septic tanks accounted for 9 percent. Runoff from agricultural and urban lands, though not directly measured, is a large source of wastewater in southern Florida.

  2. Discharge of three benzotriazole corrosion inhibitors with municipal wastewater and improvements by membrane bioreactor treatment and ozonation.

    PubMed

    Weiss, Stefan; Jakobs, Jutta; Reemtsma, Thorsten

    2006-12-01

    A set of three benzotriazole corrosion inhibitors was analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in wastewaters and in a partially closed water cycle in the Berlin region. Benzotriazole (BTri) and two isomers of tolyltriazole (TTri) were determined in untreated municipal wastewater with mean dissolved concentrations of 12 microg/L (BTri), 2.1 microg/L (4-TTri), and 1.3 microg/L (5-TTri). Removal in conventional activated sludge (CAS) municipal wastewater treatment ranged from 37% for BTri to insignificant removal for 4-TTri. In laboratory batch tests 5-TTri was mineralized completely and 4-TTri was mineralized to only 25%. This different behavior of the three benzotriazoles was confirmed by following the triazoles through a partially closed water cycle, into bank filtrate used for drinking water production, where BTri (0.1 microg/L) and 4-TTri (0.03 microg/ L) but no 5-TTri were detected after a travel time of several months. The environmental half-life appears to increase from 5-TTri over BTri to 4-TTri. Treatment of municipal wastewater by a lab-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) instead of CAS improved the removal of BTri and 5-TTri but could not avoid their discharge. Almost complete removal was achieved by ozonation of the treatment plant effluent with 1 mg O3/mg DOC.

  3. Treatment of Wastewater with High Conductivity by Pulsed Discharge Plasma

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhaojun; Jiang, Song; Liu, Kefu

    2014-07-01

    A wastewater treatment system was established by means of pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The main advantage of this system is that the wastewater is employed as one of the electrodes for the degradation of rhodamine B, which makes use of the high conductivity and lessenes its negative influence on the discharge process. At the same time, the reactive species like ozone and ultraviolet (UV) light generated by the DBD can be utilized for the treatment of wastewater. The effects of some factors like conductivity, peak pulse voltage, discharge frequency and pH values were investigated. The results show that the combination of these reactive species could enhance the degradation of the dye while the ozone played the most important role in the process. The degradation efficiency was enhanced with the increase of energy supplied. The reduction in the concentration of rhodamine B was much more effective with high solution conductivity; under the highest conductivity condition, the degradation rate could rise to 99%.

  4. Wastewater discharge impact on drinking water sources along the Yangtze River (China).

    PubMed

    Wang, Zhuomin; Shao, Dongguo; Westerhoff, Paul

    2017-12-01

    Unplanned indirect (de facto) wastewater reuse occurs when wastewater is discharged into surface waters upstream of potable drinking water treatment plant intakes. This paper aims to predict percentages and trends of de facto reuse throughout the Yangtze River watershed in order to understand the relative contribution of wastewater discharges into the river and its tributaries towards averting water scarcity concerns. The Yangtze River is the third longest in the world and supports more than 1/15 of the world's population, yet the importance of wastewater on the river remains ill-defined. Municipal wastewater produced in the Yangtze River Basin increased by 41% between 1998 and 2014, from 2580m 3 /s to 3646m 3 /s. Under low flow conditions in the Yangtze River near Shanghai, treated wastewater contributions to river flows increased from 8% in 1998 to 14% in 2014. The highest levels of de facto reuse appeared along a major tributary (Han River) of the Yangtze River, where de facto reuse can exceed 20%. While this initial analysis of de facto reuse used water supply and wastewater data from 110 cities in the basin and 11 gauging stations with >50years of historic streamflow data, the outcome was limited by the lack of gauging stations at more locations (i.e., data had to be predicted using digital elevation mapping) and lack of precise geospatial location of drinking water intakes or wastewater discharges. This limited the predictive capability of the model relative to larger datasets available in other countries (e.g., USA). This assessment is the first analysis of de facto wastewater reuse in the Yangtze River Basin. It will help identify sections of the river at higher risk for wastewater-related pollutants due to presence of-and reliance on-wastewater discharge that could be the focus of field studies and model predictions of higher spatial and temporal resolution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluation of Shiraz wastewater treatment plant effluent quality for agricultural irrigation by Canadian Water Quality Index (CWQI)

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Using treated wastewater in agriculture irrigation could be a realistic solution for the shortage of fresh water in Iran, however, it is associated with environmental and health threats; therefore, effluent quality assessment is quite necessary before use. The present study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial quality of Shiraz wastewater treatment plant effluent for being used in agricultural irrigation. In this study, 20 physicochemical and 3 microbial parameters were measured during warm (April to September) and cold months (October to march). Using the measured parameters and the Canadian Water Quality Index, the quality of the effluent was determined in both warm and cold seasons and in all the seasons together. Results The calculated index for the physicochemical parameters in the effluent was equal (87) in warm and cold months and it was obtained as 85 for the seasons all together. When the microbial parameters were used in order to calculate the index, it declined to 67 in warm and cold seasons and 64 in all the seasons together. Also, it was found that three physicochemical parameters (TDS, EC, and NO3) and three microbial parameters (Fecal coliform, Helminthes egg, and Total coliform) had the most contribution to the reduction of the index value. Conclusions The results showed that the physicochemical quality of Shiraz Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent was good for irrigation in the warm, cold, and total of the two kinds of seasons. However, by applying the microbial parameter, the index value declined dramatically and the quality of the effluent was marginal. PMID:23566673

  6. Satellite Remote Sensing Detection of Wastewater Plumes in Southern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trinh, R. C.; Holt, B.; Pan, B. J.; Rains, C.; Gierach, M. M.

    2014-12-01

    Wastewater discharged through ocean outfalls can surface near coastlines and beaches, posing a threat to the marine environment and human health. Coastal waters of the Southern California Bight (SCB) are an ecologically important marine habitat and a valuable resource in terms of commercial fishing and recreation. Two of the largest wastewater treatment plants along the U.S. West Coast discharge into the SCB, including the Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant (HWTP) and the Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD). In 2006, HWTP conducted an internal inspection of its primary 8 km outfall pipe (60 m depth), diverting treated effluent to a shorter 1.2 km pipe (18 m depth) from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30. From Sep. 11 - Oct. 4, 2012, OCSD conducted a similar diversion, diverting effluent from their 7 km outfall pipe to a shallower 2.2 km pipe, both with similar depths to HWTP. Prevailing oceanographic conditions in the SCB, such as temporally reduced stratification and surface circulation patterns, increased the risk of effluent being discharged from these shorter and shallower pipes surfacing and moving onshore. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of satellite remote sensing data (i.e., sea surface roughness from SAR, sea surface temperature from MODIS-Aqua and ASTER-Terra, chlorophyll-a and water leaving radiance from MODIS-Aqua) in the identification and tracking of wastewater plumes during the 2006 HWTP and 2012 OCSD diversion events. Satellite observations were combined with in situ, wind, and current data taken during the diversion events, to validate remote sensing techniques and gain surface to subsurface context of the nearshore diversion events. Overall, it was found that satellite remote sensing data were able to detect surfaced wastewater plumes along the coast, providing key spatial information that could inform in situ field sampling during future diversion events, such as the planned 2015 HWTP diversion, and thereby constrain costs.

  7. Assessment of the effluent quality from a gold mining industry in Ghana.

    PubMed

    Acheampong, Mike A; Paksirajan, Kannan; Lens, Piet N L

    2013-06-01

    The physical and chemical qualities of the process effluent and the tailings dam wastewater of AngloGold-Ashanti Limited, a gold mining company in Ghana, were studied from June to September, 2010. The process effluent from the gold extraction plant contains high amounts of suspended solids and is therefore highly turbid. Arsenic, copper and cyanide were identified as the major pollutants in the process effluent with average concentrations of 10.0, 3.1 and 21.6 mg L(-1), respectively. Arsenic, copper, iron and free cyanide (CN(-)) concentrations in the process effluent exceeded the Ghana EPA discharge limits; therefore, it is necessary to treat the process effluent before it can be discharged into the environment. Principal component analysis of the data indicated that the process effluent characteristics were influenced by the gold extraction process as well as the nature of the gold-bearing ore processed. No significant correlation was observed between the wastewater characteristics themselves, except for the dissolved oxygen and the biochemical oxygen demand. The process effluent is fed to the Sansu tailings dam, which removes 99.9 % of the total suspended solids and 99.7 % of the turbidity; but copper, arsenic and cyanide concentrations were still high. The effluent produced can be classified as inorganic with a high load of non-biodegradable compounds. It was noted that, though the Sansu tailings dam stores the polluted effluent from the gold extraction plant, there will still be serious environmental problems in the event of failure of the dam.

  8. Removal of novel antiandrogens identified in biological effluents of domestic wastewater by activated carbon.

    PubMed

    Ma, Dehua; Chen, Lujun; Liu, Rui

    2017-10-01

    Environmental antiandrogenic (AA) contaminants in effluents from wastewater treatment plants have the potential for negative impacts on wildlife and human health. The aim of our study was to identify chemical contaminants with likely AA activity in the biological effluents and evaluate the removal of these antiandrogens (AAs) during advanced treatment comprising adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC). In this study, profiling of AA contaminants in biological effluents and tertiary effluents was conducted using effect-directed analysis (EDA) including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fractionation, a recombinant yeast screen containing androgen receptor (YAS), in combination with mass spectrometry analyses. Analysis of a wastewater secondary effluent from a membrane bioreactor revealed complex profiles of AA activity comprising 14 HPLC fractions and simpler profiles of GAC effluents with only 2 to 4 moderately polar HPLC fractions depending on GAC treatment conditions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-nanospray mass spectrometry analyses of AA fractions in the secondary effluent resulted in detection of over 10 chemical contaminants, which showed inhibition of YAS activity and were potential AAs. The putative AAs included biocides, food additives, flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and industrial contaminants. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the AA properties of N-ethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanecarboxamide (WS3), cetirizine, and oxcarbazepine are reported. The EDA used in this study was proven to be a powerful tool to identify novel chemical structures with AA activity in the complex aquatic environment. The adsorption process to GAC of all the identified antiandrogens, except WS3 and triclosan, fit well with the pseudo-second order kinetics models. Adsorption to GAC could further remove most of the AAs identified in the biological effluents with high efficiencies. Copyright

  9. Municipal wastewater characteristics in Thailand and effects of soft intervention measures in households on pollutant discharge reduction.

    PubMed

    Tsuzuki, Y; Koottatep, T; Jiawkok, S; Saengpeng, S

    2010-01-01

    In developing countries with large Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) sanitation indicator, pollutant discharge reduction function of wastewater treatment systems should be considered. In this paper, pollutant generations per capita (PGCs) and pollutant discharges per capita (PDCs) are estimated as a base dataset for wastewater management in Thailand. PDCs of black water, i.e. toilet wastewater, are found to be much smaller than PGCs of black water. However, PDCs of gray water, i.e. municipal wastewater other than toilet wastewater are large. Gray water is often discharged without treatment and contributes much to ambient water deterioration. Moreover, possible 5-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5) discharge reductions with "soft interventions", i.e. measurements in households to reduce wastewater pollutant discharge such as using a paper filter or a plastic net in kitchen sinks and so on, are estimated as 39, 21 and 34% for BOD5, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and phosphate (PO4-P), respectively. For the estimation, environmental accounting housekeeping (EAH) books of domestic wastewater, spreadsheets with pollutant discharges by water usages and possible effects of "soft interventions" are applied. The framework of this study with "soft intervention" effects on pollutant discharge reductions should enhance wastewater management especially in the areas under development of wastewater treatment systems.

  10. Integrated assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluent estrogenicity in the Upper Murray River, Australia, using the native Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vajda, Alan M.; Kumar, Anupama; Woods, Marianne; Williams, Mike; Doan, Hai; Tolsher, Peter; Kookana, Rai S.; Barber, Larry B.

    2016-01-01

    The contamination of major continental river systems by endocrine-active chemicals (EACs) derived from the discharge of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents can affect human and ecosystem health. As part of a long-term effort to develop a native fish model organism for assessment of endocrine disruption in Australia's largest watershed, the Murray-Darling River Basin, the present study evaluated endocrine disruption in adult males of the native Australian Murray rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) exposed to effluent from an activated sludge WWTP and water from the Murray River during a 28-d, continuous-flow, on-site experiment. Analysis of the WWTP effluent and river water detected estrone and 17β-estradiol at concentrations up to approximately 25 ng L−1. Anti-estrogenicity of effluent samples was detected in vitro using yeast-based bioassays (yeast estrogen screen) throughout the experiment, but estrogenicity was limited to the first week of the experiment. Histological evaluation of the testes indicated significant suppression of spermatogenesis by WWTP effluent after 28 d of exposure. Plasma vitellogenin concentrations and expression of vitellogenin messenger RNA in liver were not significantly affected by exposure to WWTP effluent. The combination of low contaminant concentrations in the WWTP effluent, limited endocrine disrupting effects in the Murray rainbowfish, and high in-stream dilution factors (>99%) suggest minimal endocrine disruption impacts on native Australian fish in the Murray River downstream from the WWTP outfall. 

  11. Post-treatment of secondary wastewater treatment plant effluent using a two-stage fluidized bed bioreactor system

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a two-stage fluidized bed reactor (FBR) system for the post-treatment of secondary wastewater treatment plant effluents (Shahrak Gharb, Tehran, Iran). The proposed treatment scheme was evaluated using pilot-scale reactors (106-L of capacity) filled with PVC as the fluidized bed (first stage) and gravel for the filtration purpose (second stage). Aluminum sulfate (30 mg/L) and chlorine (1 mg/L) were used for the coagulation and disinfection of the effluent, respectively. To monitor the performance of the FBR system, variation of several parameters (biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity, total phosphorous, total coliform and fecal coliform) were monitored in the effluent wastewater samples. The results showed that the proposed system could effectively reduce BOD5 and COD below 1.95 and 4.06 mg/L, respectively. Turbidity of the effluent could be achieved below 0.75 NTU, which was lower than those reported for the disinfection purpose. The total phosphorus was reduced to 0.52 mg/L, which was near the present phosphorous standard for the prevention of eutrophication process. Depending on both microorganism concentration and applied surface loading rates (5–10 m/h), about 35 to 75% and 67 to 97% of coliform were removed without and with the chlorine addition, respectively. Findings of this study clearly confirmed the efficiency of the FBR system for the post-treatment of the secondary wastewater treatment plant effluents without any solid problem during the chlorination. PMID:24499570

  12. Tracing wastewater effluents in surface and groundwaters: a couple approach with organic/inorganic tracers and isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petelet-Giraud, Emmanuelle; Baran, Nicole; Soulier, Coralie

    2017-04-01

    In the context of land use change, the origins of contamination of water resources are often multiple, including for a single chemical element or molecule. For instance, excess of nitrates in both surface and groundwater can originate from agricultural practices and wastewater effluents. The discrimination of the origins and vectors of contamination in the environment is both an environmental and societal issue in order to define an integrated water resources management at the catchment or water body scale by implementing appropriate measures to effectively struggle against pollution. The objective of this study is to define a methodology for the identification of a "domestic wastewater" contamination within surface waters and groundwater. An ideal tracer should be conservative, persistent in the different water compartments, present in quantity above the detection limit and originate from a single type of pollution source. There is, however, no ideal tracer in the strict sense. Indeed, even chloride which is present in quantity in wastewater, and which behaves conservatively in the environment, is not an univocal tracer of wastewater, as it may come from atmospheric inputs, from the dissolution of evaporitic rocks, from the salting of roads or from fertilizers. To overcome this limitation, in this study, we propose a multi-tracer approach (chemical and isotopic) to identify and validate the relevance of foreseen tracers. Among the relevant tracers of wastewater, the following may be used for their intrinsic or combined discriminant power: 1) organic effluent tracers: nitrogen contents and isotopic ratios of nitrogen and oxygen of nitrates; 2) tracer of detergents: boron contents and boron isotopes; 3) pharmaceuticals tracers: e.g. carbamazepine, ibuprofen, paracetamol, gadolinium anomaly; 4) life-style tracers: e.g. caffeine. The originality of the study relies on small capacities wastewater treatment plants without tertiary treatment process. Results on a

  13. Removal Efficiency of Faecal Indicator Organisms, Nutrients and Heavy Metals from a Peri-Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant in Thohoyandou, Limpopo Province, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Edokpayi, Joshua N.; Odiyo, John O.; Msagati, Titus A. M.; Popoola, Elizabeth O.

    2015-01-01

    Wastewater treatment facilities are known sources of fresh water pollution. This study was carried out from January to June 2014 to assess the reduction efficiency of some selected contaminants in the Thohoyandou wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The pH and electrical conductivity of the effluent fell within the South African wastewater discharge guidelines. The WWTP showed the chemical oxygen demand reduction efficiency required by the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) guidelines of 75 mg/L for the months of April and June, although it was below this standard in March and May. Free chlorine concentration varied between 0.26–0.96 mg/L and exceeded the DWA guideline value of 0.25 mg/L. The concentration of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3− N) in the influent and effluent varied between 0.499–2.31 mg/L and 7.545–19.413 mg/L, respectively. The concentration of NO3− N in the effluent complied with DWA effluent discharge standard of 15 mg/L, except in April and May. Phosphate concentrations in the influent and effluent were in the ranges of 0.552–42.646 mg/L and 1.572–32.554 mg/L, respectively. The WWTP showed reduction efficiencies of E. coli and Enterococci during some sampling periods but the level found in the effluent exceeded the recommended guideline value of 1000 cfu/100 mL for faecal indicator organisms in wastewater effluents. Consistent removal efficiencies were observed for Al (32–74%), Fe (7–32%) and Zn (24–94%) in most of the sampling months. In conclusion, the Thohoyandou WWTP is inefficient in treating wastewater to the acceptable quality before discharge. PMID:26132481

  14. Vibrio Species in Wastewater Final Effluents and Receiving Watershed in South Africa: Implications for Public Health.

    PubMed

    Okeyo, Allisen N; Nontongana, Nolonwabo; Fadare, Taiwo O; Okoh, Anthony I

    2018-06-15

    Wastewater treatment facilities in South Africa are obliged to make provision for wastewater effluent quality management, with the aim of securing the integrity of the surrounding watersheds and environments. The Department of Water Affairs has documented regulatory parameters that have, over the years, served as a guideline for quality monitoring/management purposes. However, these guidelines have not been regularly updated and this may have contributed to some of the water quality anomalies. Studies have shown that promoting the monitoring of the current routinely monitored parameters (both microbial and physicochemical) may not be sufficient. Organisms causing illnesses or even outbreaks, such as Vibrio pathogens with their characteristic environmental resilience, are not included in the guidelines. In South Africa, studies that have been conducted on the occurrence of Vibrio pathogens in domestic and wastewater effluent have made it apparent that these pathogens should also be monitored. The importance of effective wastewater management as one of the key aspects towards protecting surrounding environments and receiving watersheds, as well as protecting public health, is highlighted in this review. Emphasis on the significance of the Vibrio pathogen in wastewater is a particular focus.

  15. Shadow prices of emerging pollutants in wastewater treatment plants: Quantification of environmental externalities.

    PubMed

    Bellver-Domingo, A; Fuentes, R; Hernández-Sancho, F

    2017-12-01

    Conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are designed to remove mainly the organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds and suspended solids from wastewater but are not capable of removing chemicals of human origin, such as pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). The presence of PPCPs in wastewater has environmental effects on the water bodies receiving the WWTP effluents and renders the effluent as unsuitable as a nonconventional water source. Considering PPCPs as non-desirable outputs, the shadow prices methodology has been implemented using the output distance function to measure the environmental benefits of removing five PPCPs (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, carbamazepine and trimethoprim) from WWTP effluents discharged to three different ecosystems (wetland, river and sea). Acetaminophen and ibuprofen show the highest shadow prices of the sample for wetland areas. Their values are 128.2 and 11.0 €/mg respectively. These results represent a proxy in monetary terms of the environmental benefit achieved from avoiding the discharge of these PPCPs in wetlands. These results suggest which PPCPs are urgent to remove from wastewater and which ecosystems are most vulnerable to their presence. The findings of this study will be useful for the plant managers in order to make decisions about prioritization in the removal of different pollutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Method Description, Quality Assurance, Environmental Data, and other Information for Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater-Treatment-Plant Effluents, Streamwater, and Reservoirs, 2004-2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Phillips, Patrick J.; Smith, Steven G.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Zaugg, Steven D.; Buxton, Herbert T.; Furlong, Edward T.

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Wastewater-treatment-plant (WWTP) effluents are a demonstrated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. During 2004-09, a study was conducted to identify pharmaceutical compounds in effluents from WWTPs (including two that receive substantial discharges from pharmaceutical formulation facilities), streamwater, and reservoirs. The methods used to determine and quantify concentrations of seven pharmaceuticals are described. In addition, the report includes information on pharmaceuticals formulated or potentially formulated at the two pharmaceutical formulation facilities that provide substantial discharge to two of the WWTPs, and potential limitations to these data are discussed. The analytical methods used to provide data on the seven pharmaceuticals (including opioids, muscle relaxants, and other pharmaceuticals) in filtered water samples also are described. Data are provided on method performance, including spike data, method detection limit results, and an estimation of precision. Quality-assurance data for sample collection and handling are included. Quantitative data are presented for the seven pharmaceuticals in water samples collected at WWTP discharge points, from streams, and at reservoirs. Occurrence data also are provided for 19 pharmaceuticals that were qualitatively identified. Flow data at selected WWTP and streams are presented. Between 2004-09, 35-38 effluent samples were collected from each of three WWTPs in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial inflows (greater than 20 percent of plant flow) from pharmaceutical formulation facilities (PFF) and one (NY1) receives no PFF flow. Samples of effluents from 23 WWTPs across the United States were analyzed once for these pharmaceuticals as part of a national survey. Maximum pharmaceutical effluent concentrations for the national survey and NY1 effluent samples were generally less than 1 ug/L. Four pharmaceuticals (methadone, oxycodone

  17. Impacts of urban wastewater discharge on seagrass meadows ( Zostera noltii)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cabaço, Susana; Machás, Raquel; Vieira, Vasco; Santos, Rui

    2008-06-01

    The abiotic disturbance of urban wastewater discharge and its effects in the population structure, plant morphology, leaf nutrient content, epiphyte load and macroalgae abundance of Zostera noltii meadows were investigated in Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, southern Portugal using both univariate and multivariate analysis. Four sites were assessed, on a seasonal basis, along a gradient from a major Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) discharge to a main navigation channel. The wastewater discharge caused an evident environmental disturbance through the nutrient enrichment of the water and sediment, particularly of ammonium. Zostera noltii of the sites closest to the nutrient source showed higher leaf N content, clearly reflecting the nitrogen load. The anthropogenic nutrient enrichment resulted in higher biomass, and higher leaf and internode length, except for the meadow closest to the wastewater discharge (270 m). The high ammonium concentration (158-663 μM) in the water at this site resulted in the decrease of biomass, and both the leaf and internode length, suggesting a toxic effect on Z. noltii. The higher abundance of macroalgae and epiphytes found in the meadow closest to the nutrient source may also affect the species negatively. Shoot density was higher at the nutrient-undisturbed site. Two of the three abiotic processes revealed by Principal Component Analysis were clearly related to the WWTW discharge, a contrast between water column salinity and nutrient concentration and a sediment contrast between both porewater nutrients and temperature and redox potential. A multiple regression analysis showed that these abiotic processes had a significant effect on the biomass-density dynamics of meadows and on the overall size of Z. noltii plants, respectively. Results show that the wastewater discharge is an important source of environmental disturbance and nutrients availability in Ria Formosa lagoon affecting the population structure, morphology and N content of Z

  18. Effect of treated tannery effluent with domestic wastewater and amendments on growth and yield of cotton.

    PubMed

    Jagathjothi, N; Amanullah, M Mohamed; Muthukrishnan, P

    2013-11-15

    Pot culture and field experiments were carried out at the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP), Dindigul during kharif 2011-12 to investigate the influence of irrigation of treated tannery effluent along with domestic wastewater on growth, yield attributes and yield of cotton. The pot culture was in a factorial completely randomized design and field experiment laid out in factorial randomized block design with four replications. The results revealed that the mixing proportion of 25% Treated Tannery Effluent (TTE)+75% domestic wastewater (DWW) application recorded taller plants, higher dry matter production, number of sympodial branches plant(-1), number of fruiting points plant(-1), number of bolls plant(-1) and seed cotton yield with yield reduction of 15.28 and 16.11% compared to normal water irrigation under pot culture and field experiment, respectively. Regarding amendments, gypsum application registered higher seed cotton yield followed by VAM.

  19. Evaluation of Combined Peracetic acid and UV treatment for Disinfection of Secondary Wastewater Effluent

    EPA Science Inventory

    The current study evaluates the effectiveness of the combined application of Peracetic acid and ultraviolet radiation as alternative disinfectant agents to the traditional chlorination of wastewater effluents. Various pathogens (E. coli, enterococci and fecal coliforms) were eval...

  20. Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in effluent-dominated streams in Northeastern Kansas

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lee, C.J.; Rasmussen, T.J.

    2006-01-01

    Fifty-nine stream-water samples and 14 municipal wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) discharge samples in Johnson County, northeastern Kansas, were analyzed for 55 compounds collectively described as organic wastewater compounds (OWCs). Stream-water samples were collected upstream, in, and downstream from WWTF discharges in urban and rural areas during base-flow conditions. The effect of secondary treatment processes on OWC occurrence was evaluated by collecting eight samples from WWTF discharges using activated sludge and six from WWTFs samples using trickling filter treatment processes. Samples collected directly from WWTF discharges contained the largest concentrations of most OWCs in this study. Samples from trickling filter discharges had significantly larger concentrations of many OWCs (p-value < 0.05) compared to samples collected from activated sludge discharges. OWC concentrations decreased significantly in samples from WWTF discharges compared to stream-water samples collected from sites greater than 2000??m downstream. Upstream from WWTF discharges, base-flow samples collected in streams draining predominantly urban watersheds had significantly larger concentrations of cumulative OWCs (p-value = 0.03), caffeine (p-value = 0.01), and tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (p-value < 0.01) than those collected downstream from more rural watersheds.

  1. Potential tracers for tracking septic tank effluent discharges in watercourses.

    PubMed

    Richards, Samia; Withers, Paul J A; Paterson, Eric; McRoberts, Colin W; Stutter, Marc

    2017-09-01

    Septic tank effluent (STE) contributes to catchment nutrient and pollutant loads. To assess the role of STE discharges in impairment of surface water, it is essential to identify the sources of pollution by tracing contaminants in watercourses. We examined tracers that were present in STE to establish their potential for identifying STE contamination in two stream systems (low and high dilution levels) against the background of upstream sources. The studied tracers were microbial, organic matter fluorescence, caffeine, artificial sweeteners and effluent chemical concentrations. The results revealed that tracer concentration ratios Cl/EC, Cl/NH 4 -N, Cl/TN, Cl/TSS, Cl/turbidity, Cl/total coliforms, Cl/sucralose, Cl/saccharin and Cl/Zn had potential as tracers in the stream with low dilution level (P < 0.05). Fluorescence spectroscopy could detect STE inputs through the presence of the tryptophan-like peak, but was limited to water courses with low level of dilution and was positively correlated with stream Escherichia coli (E. coli) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). The results also suggested that caffeine and artificial sweeteners can be suitable tracers for effluent discharge in streams with low and high level of dilution. Caffeine and saccharin were positively correlated with faecal coliforms, E. coli, total P and SRP, indicating their potential to trace discharge of a faecal origin and to be a marker for effluent P. Caffeine and SRP had similar attenuation behaviour in the receiving stream waters suggesting caffeine's potential role as a surrogate indicator for the behaviour of P downstream of effluent inputs. Taken together, results suggest that a single tracer alone was not sufficient to evaluate STE contamination of watercourses, but rather a combination of multiple chemical and physical tracing approaches should be employed. A multiple tracing approach would help to identify individual and cumulative STE inputs that pose risks to stream waters in

  2. Biodiesel production from Scenedesmus bijuga grown in anaerobically digested food wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Shin, Dong Yun; Cho, Hyun Uk; Utomo, Joseph Christian; Choi, Yun-Nam; Xu, Xu; Park, Jong Moon

    2015-05-01

    Microalgae, Scenedesmus bijuga, was cultivated in anaerobically digested food wastewater effluent (FWE) to treat the wastewater and produce biodiesel simultaneously. Three different mixing ratios with municipal wastewater were compared for finding out proper dilution ratio in biodiesel production. Of these, 1/20 diluted FWE showed the highest biomass production (1.49 g/L). Lipid content was highest in 1/10 diluted FWE (35.06%), and the lipid productivity showed maximum value in 1/20 diluted FWE (15.59 mg/L/d). Nutrient removal was also measured in the cultivation. FAME compositions were mainly composed of C16-C18 (Over 98.94%) in S. bijuga. In addition, quality of FAMEs was evaluated by Cetane Number (CN) and Bis-allylic Position Equivalent (BAPE). Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Transport of chemical and microbial compounds from known wastewater discharges: Potential for use as indicators of human fecal contamination

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Glassmeyer, S.T.; Furlong, E.T.; Kolpin, D.W.; Cahill, J.D.; Zaugg, S.D.; Werner, S.L.; Meyer, M.T.; Kryak, D.D.

    2005-01-01

    The quality of drinking and recreational water is currently (2005) determined using indicator bacteria. However, the culture tests used to analyze for these bacteria require a long time to complete and do not discriminate between human and animal fecal material sources. One complementary approach is to use chemicals found in human wastewater, which would have the advantages of (1) potentially shorter analysis times than the bacterial culture tests and (2) being selected for human-source specificity. At 10 locations, water samples were collected upstream and at two successive points downstream from a wastewaster treatment plant (WWTP); a treated effluent sample was also collected at each WWTP. This sampling plan was used to determine the persistence of a chemically diverse suite of emerging contaminants in streams. Samples were also collected at two reference locations assumed to have minimal human impacts. Of the 110 chemical analytes investigated in this project, 78 were detected at least once. The number of compounds in a given sample ranged from 3 at a reference location to 50 in a WWTP effluent sample. The total analyte load at each location varied from 0.018 μg/L at the reference location to 97.7 μg/L in a separate WWTP effluent sample. Although most of the compound concentrations were in the range of 0.01−1.0 μg/L, in some samples, individual concentrations were in the range of 5−38 μg/L. The concentrations of the majority of the chemicals present in the samples generally followed the expected trend:  they were either nonexistent or at trace levels in the upstream samples, had their maximum concentrations in the WWTP effluent samples, and then declined in the two downstream samples. This research suggests that selected chemicals are useful as tracers of human wastewater discharge.

  4. Treated and untreated wastewater effluents alter river sediment bacterial communities involved in nitrogen and sulphur cycling.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Santos, Miren; Lanzén, Anders; Unda-Calvo, Jessica; Martín, Iker; Garbisu, Carlos; Ruiz-Romera, Estilita

    2018-08-15

    Studying the dynamics of nitrogen and sulphur cycling bacteria in river surface sediments is essential to better understand their contribution to global biogeochemical cycles. Evaporitic rocks settled at the headwater of the Deba River catchment (northern Spain) lead to high values of sulphate concentration in its waters. Besides, the discharge of effluents from untreated and treated residual (urban and industrial) wastewaters increases the concentration of metals, nutrients and organic compounds in its mid- and low-water courses. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of anthropogenic contamination from untreated and treated residual and industrial wastewaters on the structure and function of bacterial communities present in surface sediments of the Deba River catchment. The application of a quantitative functional approach (qPCR) based on denitrification genes (nir: nirS+nirK; and nosZ), together with a 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding structural analysis, revealed (i) the high relevance of the sulphur cycle at headwater surface sediments (as reflected by the abundance of members of the Syntrophobacterales order, and the Sulfuricurvum and Thiobacillus genera) and (ii) the predominance of sulphide-driven autotrophic denitrification over heterotrophic denitrification. Incomplete heterotrophic denitrification appeared to be predominant in surface sediments strongly impacted by treated and untreated effluents, as reflected by the lower values of the nosZ/nir ratio, thus favouring N 2 O emissions. Understanding nitrogen and sulphur cycling pathways has profound implications for the management of river ecosystems, since this knowledge can help us determine whether a specific river is acting or not as a source of greenhouse gases (i.e., N 2 O). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Uptake of three antibiotics and an anti-epileptic drug by wheat plants spray irrigated with wastewater treatment plant effluent

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    With rising demands on water supplies necessitating water reuse, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is often used to irrigate agricultural lands. Emerging contaminants, like pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), are frequently found in effluent due to limited removal during WWT...

  6. The potential for facilitating spring discharge from continental climate waste stabilisation ponds by carry-over of treated wastewater: concepts and experimental findings.

    PubMed

    Whalley, C; Pak, L N; Heaven, S

    2007-01-01

    The research investigated some factors influencing the rate of stabilisation of wastewater in the spring period in continental climate waste stabilisation ponds, and in particular the potential for bringing forward the discharge date by optimising storage capacity and dilution. Experiments using pilot and modelscale ponds were set up in Almaty, Kazakhstan. These simulated operating regimes for a facultative and storage/maturation pond system subject to ice cover from late November until late March. Two pilot-scale facultative ponds were operated at hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 20 and 30 days, with surface loading rates of 100 and 67 kg BOD ha(-1) day(-1). Effluent from the 20-day HRT facultative pond was then fed to two pilot-scale storage/maturation ponds which had been partially emptied and allowed to refill over the winter period with no removal of effluent. The paper discusses the results of the experiments with respect to selection of an operating regime to make treated wastewater available early in the spring. Preliminary results indicate that there may be potential for alternative operating protocols designed to maximise their performance and economic potential.

  7. Toxicity and genotoxicity of wastewater from gasoline stations

    PubMed Central

    2009-01-01

    The toxicity and genotoxicity of wastewater from eight gasoline stations in Brasília, Brazil's capital city, was studied by assessing chromosomal aberrations, chromosomal malsegregation and the mitotic index in Alliumcepa root cells, and the occurrence of micronucleus and nuclear abnormalities in peripheral erythrocytes of tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus). The content of gasoline station effluents was also analyzed based on several physico-chemical parameters. None of the wastewater samples was genotoxic to A. cepa root cells, although cell proliferation was significantly inhibited, especially at the highest concentrations. Likewise, no micronuclei were observed in O. niloticus peripheral erythrocytes, even after exposure to high concentrations, but there was an increase in the number of nuclear abnormalities and fish mortality. These results show that although the effluent from gasoline stations is processed by an oil/water separation system before being discharged into the main sewage system, the wastewater still contains toxic compounds. PMID:21637464

  8. THE PRESENCE OF ESTROGENIC AND ANDROGENIC SUBSTANCES IN EFFLUENTS FROM CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    In February 2003 the U.S.EPA published a final rule on National Polllutant Discharge Elimination System Permit Regulation and Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Manure and wastewater from CAFOs have the potential to c...

  9. Alumina Refinery Wastewater Management: When Zero Discharge Just Isn't Feasible….

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, Lucy; Howard, Steven

    Management and treatment of liquid effluents are determinant considerations in the design of alumina refineries. Rainfall, evaporation rate, proximity to the coast, process design and layout, ore mineralogy, the local environment, and potential impact on contiguous communities are all integral to the development of an appropriate refinery water management strategy. The goal is to achieve zero discharge of liquid effluent to the environment. However this is not always the most feasible solution under the extreme rainfall conditions in tropical and subtropical locations. This paper will explore the following issues for both inland and coastal refineries: • Methods to reduce and control refinery discharges

  10. Enhancement effects of ultrasound on secondary wastewater effluent disinfection by sodium hypochlorite and disinfection by-products analysis.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xiaoqin; Zhao, Junyuan; Li, Zifu; Song, Jianing; Li, Xueying; Yang, Xin; Wang, Dongling

    2016-03-01

    Since fecal coliforms was introduced as a standard indicator of pollutants in effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants in China in 2003, chlorine had been widely used in many wastewater treatment plants. However, concerns about the disinfection by-products (DBPs) of chlorine have been increasing. One of the effective way to reduce the production of DBPs is to reduce the effective chlorine dosage by improving the utilization rate of disinfectant. Ultrasound (US) is proved to be effective in wastewater treatment for its multiple chemical and physical effects produced by cavitation, which could favor the disinfection process accordingly. For the purpose of improving disinfection efficiency with the help of US, following points are addressed in the current study: (1) investigate the enhancement effects of US on the disinfection efficiency of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) for real secondary effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants; (2) evaluate the possibility of using US specific energy consumption (kJ/L) as an parameter for disinfection efficiency evaluation; and (3) quantify the reduction in chlorine-DBPs through US application. Results demonstrated that sonication could reduce two-thirds (US pretreatment) or one-third (simultaneous US and NaClO disinfection) of the required concentrations of NaClO (available chlorine) for 4 log reduction of fecal coliforms, which could meet the Class 1A (fecal coliforms less than 1000 CFU/L) discharge standard of China. In addition, US pretreatment with NaClO disinfection performed better enhancement in disinfection efficiency compared with simultaneous US and NaClO disinfection. Furthermore, analysis on DBPs showed that US application as pretreatment could obviously reduce the contents of trichloromethane (TCM) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) by more than 85% and 50%, respectively, compared with NaClO disinfection alone for the same disinfection efficiency. Meanwhile, the experimental results also showed that the

  11. Sequential anaerobic-aerobic biological treatment of colored wastewaters: case study of a textile dyeing factory wastewater.

    PubMed

    Abiri, Fardin; Fallah, Narges; Bonakdarpour, Babak

    2017-03-01

    In the present study the feasibility of the use of a bacterial batch sequential anaerobic-aerobic process, in which activated sludge was used in both parts of the process, for pretreatment of wastewater generated by a textile dyeing factory has been considered. Activated sludge used in the process was obtained from a municipal wastewater treatment plant and adapted to real dyeing wastewater using either an anaerobic-only or an anaerobic-aerobic process over a period of 90 days. The use of activated sludge adapted using the anaerobic-aerobic process resulted in a higher overall decolorization efficiency compared to that achieved with activated sludge adapted using the anaerobic-only cycles. Anaerobic and aerobic periods of around 34 and 22 hours respectively resulted in an effluent with chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color content which met the standards for discharge into the centralized wastewater treatment plant of the industrial estate in which the dyeing factory was situated. Neutralization of the real dyeing wastewater and addition of carbon source to it, both of which results in significant increase in the cost of the bacterial treatment process, was not found to be necessary to achieve the required discharge standards.

  12. Probabilistic analysis of risks to US drinking water intakes from 1,4-dioxane in domestic wastewater treatment plant effluents.

    PubMed

    Simonich, Staci Massey; Sun, Ping; Casteel, Ken; Dyer, Scott; Wernery, Dave; Garber, Kevin; Carr, Gregory; Federle, Thomas

    2013-10-01

    The risks of 1,4-dioxane (dioxane) concentrations in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, receiving primarily domestic wastewater, to downstream drinking water intakes was estimated using distributions of measured dioxane concentrations in effluents from 40 WWTPs and surface water dilution factors of 1323 drinking water intakes across the United States. Effluent samples were spiked with a d8 -1,4-dioxane internal standard in the field immediately after sample collection. Dioxane was extracted with ENVI-CARB-Plus solid phase columns and analyzed by GC/MS/MS, with a limit of quantification of 0.30 μg/L. Measured dioxane concentrations in domestic wastewater effluents ranged from <0.30 to 3.30 μg/L, with a mean concentration of 1.11 ± 0.60 μg/L. Dilution of upstream inputs of effluent were estimated for US drinking water intakes using the iSTREEM model at mean flow conditions, assuming no in-stream loss of dioxane. Dilution factors ranged from 2.6 to 48 113, with a mean of 875. The distributions of dilution factors and dioxane concentration in effluent were then combined using Monte Carlo analysis to estimate dioxane concentrations at drinking water intakes. This analysis showed the probability was negligible (p = 0.0031) that dioxane inputs from upstream WWTPs could result in intake concentrations exceeding the USEPA drinking water advisory concentration of 0.35 μg/L, before any treatment of the water for drinking use. © 2013 SETAC.

  13. Improved wastewater treatment at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporations`s Steubenville East Coke Plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Goshe, A.J.; Nodianos, M.J.

    1995-12-01

    Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation recently improved its wastewater treatment at it`s by-products coke plant. This has led to greatly improved effluent quality. Excess ammonia liquor, along with wastewater from the light oil recovery plant, desulfurization facility, and coal pile runoff, must be treated prior to being discharged into the Ohio River. This is accomplished using a biological wastewater treatment plant to remove 99.99% of the organic contaminants and ammonia. Biologically treated, clarified wastewater is now polished in the newly constructed tertiary treatment plant.

  14. Distribution of effluent injected into the Boulder Zone of the Floridan aquifer system at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant, southeastern Florida, 1997–2011

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    King, Jeffrey N.; Decker, Jeremy D.

    2018-02-09

    Nonhazardous, secondarily treated, domestic wastewater (effluent) has been injected about 1 kilometer below land surface into the Boulder Zone of the Floridan aquifer system at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeastern Florida. The Boulder Zone contains saline, nonpotable water. Effluent transport out of the injection zone is a risk of underground effluent injection. At the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant, injected effluent was detected outside the Boulder Zone. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, investigated effluent transport from the Boulder Zone to overlying permeable zones in the Floridan aquifer system.One conceptual model is presented to explain the presence of effluent outside of the injection zone in which effluent injected into the Boulder Zone was transported to the Avon Park permeable zone, forced by buoyancy and injection pressure. In this conceptual model, effluent injected primarily into the Boulder Zone reaches a naturally occurring feature (a karst-collapse structure) near an injection well, through which the effluent is transported vertically upward to the uppermost major permeable zone of the Lower Floridan aquifer. The effluent is then transported laterally through the uppermost major permeable zone of the Lower Floridan aquifer to another naturally occurring feature northwest of the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant, through which it is then transported vertically upward into the Avon Park permeable zone. In addition, a leak within a monitoring well, between monitoring zones, allowed interflow between the Avon Park permeable zone and the Upper Floridan aquifer. A groundwater flow and effluent transport simulation of the hydrogeologic system at the North District Wastewater Treatment Plant, based on the hypothesized and non-unique conceptualization of the subsurface hydrogeology and flow system, generally replicated measured effluent constituent

  15. Infectivity of Giardia duodenalis Cysts from UV Light-Disinfected Wastewater Effluent Using a Nude BALB/c Mouse Model

    PubMed Central

    dos Santos, Luciana Urbano; Alves, Delma Pegolo; Guaraldo, Ana Maria Aparecida; Cantusio Neto, Romeu; Durigan, Mauricio; Franco, Regina Maura Bueno

    2013-01-01

    Giardia duodenalis is a protozoan of public health interest that causes gastroenteritis in humans and other animals. In the city of Campinas in southeast Brazil, giardiasis is endemic, and this pathogen is detected at high concentrations in wastewater effluents, which are potential reservoirs for transmission. The Samambaia wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the city of Campinas employs an activated sludge system for sewage treatment and ultraviolet (UV) light for disinfection of effluents. To evaluate this disinfection process with respect to inactivating G. duodenalis cysts, two sample types were investigated: (i) effluent without UV disinfection (EFL) and (ii) effluent with UV disinfection (EFL+UV). Nude immunodeficient BALB/c mice were intragastrically inoculated with a mean dose of 14 cysts of G. duodenalis recovered from effluent from this WWTP, EFL, or EFL+UV. All animals inoculated with G. duodenalis cysts developed the infection, but animals inoculated with UV-exposed cysts released a lower average concentration of cysts in their faeces than animals inoculated with cysts that were not UV disinfected. Trophozoites were also observed in both groups of animals. These findings suggest that G. duodenalis cysts exposed to UV light were damaged but were still able to cause infection. PMID:27335858

  16. Preliminary Studies on Oleochemical Wastewater Treatment using Submerged Bed Biofilm Reactor (SBBR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, Z.; Mahmood, N. A. N.; Ghafar, U. S. A.; Umor, N. A.; Muhammad, S. A. F.

    2017-06-01

    Wastewater discharge from the industry into water sources is one of the main reason for water pollution. The oleochemicals industry effluent produces high content of chemical oxygen demand (COD) with value between 6000-20,000 ppm. Effective treatment is required before wastewater effluent is discharged to environment. The aim of the study is to develop submerged bed biofilm reactor (SBBR) with packing materials in the cosmoball® carrier. Water quality such as chemical oxygen demands (COD), turbidity and pH were analysed. The result shows that the initial COD of 6000 ppm was reduced below 200 ppm. The optimum conditions for SBBR were obtained when green sponges used as packing material in cosmoball® effluent flowrate set at 100 mL/min; 1:1 ratio of cosmoball® volume to reactor volume and 1:1 ratio of active sludge (mixed culture) volume to reactor volume. Turbidity and pH were recorded with 9.0 NTU and 7.0 respectively, which indicated that SBBR is feasible as an alternative for conventional biological treatment in oleochemical industry.

  17. Surface discharge of raw wastewater among unsewered homes in central Alabama

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elliott, M.; Das, P.; Blackwell, A.; Aytekin, E.; Hu, Y.; White, K.; Jones, R.; Lu, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Discussions of future water and wastewater challenges in the US typically focus on crumbling infrastructure. However, another major challenge has been almost entirely neglected. A growing body of evidence indicates that household discharge of untreated wastewater to the surface (through so-called "straight pipes") is widespread in poor rural communities of Appalachia and the southeastern US. The US Census included water and wastewater questions until 1990. However, the census questions do not appear to differentiate clearly between legal onsite treatment and discharge of raw wastewater to the ground (EPA, 1999; US Census, 2015). Although straight pipes are illegal, many reports from the southern US and Appalachia indicate that the practice is still common in poor rural areas (e.g., EPA Region 4, 2002; du Albuquerque, 2011). A representative, county-scale report on straight pipes in Madison County, NC (Baldwin, 2000) found that 5.6% of unsewered rural households directly discharged raw wastewater and a 2005 study of Bibb County, AL, reported 15% straight pipe among households not connected to sewer (White and Jones, 2006). We focused on two Alabama counties (Hale and Wilcox) with high rates of rural poverty (26.6% and 39.2% of households in poverty, respectively) and soils unsuited for conventional septic systems. We used two main methods (1) site-by-site inspections of a random sample of unsewered rural homes and (2) water sample collection and analysis from impacted streams. We found high rates of straight pipe use and substantial impacts on water quality in local streams. For example, in Wilcox Co., 60% of unsewered households had a visible straight pipe; conservatively, these homes discharge 500,000 gallons of raw sewage to the ground in Wilcox Co. each day. Water sampling upstream and downstream of an unsewered town with many straight pipes indicated major impacts on surface water quality. Additionally, the literature reveals possible health impacts from onsite

  18. Relative importance of P and N in macrophyte and epilithic algae biomass in a wastewater-impacted oligotrophic river.

    PubMed

    Taube, Nadine; He, Jianxun; Ryan, M Cathryn; Valeo, Caterina

    2016-08-01

    The role of nutrient loading on biomass growth in wastewater-impacted rivers is important in order to effectively optimize wastewater treatment to avoid excessive biomass growth in the receiving water body. This paper directly relates wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent nutrients (including ammonia (NH3-N), nitrate (NO3-N) and total phosphorus (TP)) to the temporal and spatial distribution of epilithic algae and macrophyte biomass in an oligotrophic river. Annual macrophyte biomass, epilithic algae data and WWTP effluent nutrient data from 1980 to 2012 were statistically analysed. Because discharge can affect aquatic biomass growth, locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) was used to remove the influence of river discharge from the aquatic biomass (macrophytes and algae) data before further analysis was conducted. The results from LOWESS indicated that aquatic biomass did not increase beyond site-specific threshold discharge values in the river. The LOWESS-estimated biomass residuals showed a variable response to different nutrients. Macrophyte biomass residuals showed a decreasing trend concurrent with enhanced nutrient removal at the WWTP and decreased effluent P loading, whereas epilithic algae biomass residuals showed greater response to enhanced N removal. Correlation analysis between effluent nutrient concentrations and the biomass residuals (both epilithic algae and macrophytes) suggested that aquatic biomass is nitrogen limited, especially by NH3-N, at most sampling sites. The response of aquatic biomass residuals to effluent nutrient concentrations did not change with increasing distance to the WWTP but was different for P and N, allowing for additional conclusions about nutrient limitation in specific river reaches. The data further showed that the mixing process between the effluent and the river has an influence on the spatial distribution of biomass growth.

  19. Common effluent treatment plant (CETP) for wastewater management from a cluster of small scale tanneries.

    PubMed

    Pathe, P P; Kumar, M Suresh; Kharwade, M R; Kaul, S N

    2004-05-01

    Effluent treatment plants need land for construction, capital cost, power and specialized manpower for their operation and maintenance. Because of these constraints, small scale tanneries can not afford to have their own effluent treatment facilities and therefore, combined effluent from all tanneries are to be brought to a centralized place for treatment. This facility is called a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). For operation and maintenance of CETP, small scale tanners formed a co-operative society. The expenses for operation and maintenance of CETP are being shared by participating tanneries. Wastewater management for the cluster of small scale tanneries was studied in details and various measures were incorporated to improve performance of the CETP and also to improve treated effluent quality to confirm standard prescribed by regulatory agencies. Performance of existing CETP was evaluated. Based on the results, bench scale laboratory treatability studies were conducted for improvement in treated effluent quality and also to suggest appropriate modifications to the CETP. These studies are detailed in this paper.

  20. Source analysis of organic matter in swine wastewater after anaerobic digestion with EEM-PARAFAC.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Zhuo; Zheng, Ping; Ding, Aqiang; Zhang, Meng; Abbas, Ghulam; Li, Wei

    2017-03-01

    Swine wastewater is one of the most serious pollution sources, and it has attracted a great public concern in China. Anaerobic digestion technology is extensively used in swine wastewater treatment. However, the anaerobic digestion effluents are difficult to meet the discharge standard. The results from batch experiments showed that plenty of refractory organic matter remained in the effluents after mesophilic anaerobic digestion for 30 days. The effluent total COD (tCOD) and soluble COD (sCOD) were 483 and 324 mg/L, respectively, with the sCOD/tCOD ratio of 0.671. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) revealed that the dissolved organic matter in the effluents was tryptophan-like substance, humic acid substance, and fulvic acid substance. Based on the appearance time during anaerobic digestion, tryptophan-like substance and humic acid substance were inferred to originate from the raw swine wastewater, and the fulvic acid substance was inferred to be formed in the anaerobic digestion. This work has revealed the source of residual organic matter in anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater and has provided some valuable information for the post-treatment.

  1. Surface-Water to Groundwater Transport of Pharmaceuticals in a Wastewater-Impacted Stream in the U.S.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bradley, P. M.; Barber, L. B.; Duris, J. W.; Foreman, W. T.; Furlong, E. T.; Hubbard, L. E.; Hutchinson, K. J.; Keefe, S. H.; Kolpin, D. W.

    2014-12-01

    Wastewater pharmaceutical contamination of shallow groundwater is a substantial concern in effluent-dominated streams, due to aqueous mobility and designed bioactivity of pharmaceuticals and due to effluent-driven hydraulic gradients. Improved understanding of the environmental fate and transport of wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals is essential for effective protection of vital aquatic ecosystem services, environmental health, and drinking-water supplies. Substantial longitudinal (downstream) transport of pharmaceutical contaminants has been documented in effluent-impacted streams. The comparative lack of information on vertical and lateral transport (infiltration) of wastewater contaminants from surface-water to hyporheic and shallow groundwater compartments is a critical scientific data gap, given the potential for contamination of groundwater supplies in effluent-impacted systems. Growing dependencies on bank filtration and artificial recharge applications for release of wastewater to the environment and for pretreatment of poor-quality surface-water for drinking water emphasize the critical need to better understand the exchange of wastewater contaminants, like pharmaceuticals, between surface-water and groundwater compartments. The potential transport of effluent-derived pharmaceutical contaminants from surface-water to hyporheic-water and shallow groundwater compartments was examined in a wastewater-treatment-facility (WWTF) impacted stream in Ankeny, Iowa under effluent-dominated (71-99% of downstream flow) conditions. Strong hydraulic gradients and hydrologic connectivity were evident between surface-water and shallow-groundwater compartments in the vicinity of the WWTF outfall. Carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, and immunologically-related compounds were detected in groundwater 10-20 meters from the stream bank. Direct aqueous-injection HPLC-MS/MS revealed high percentage detections of pharmaceuticals (110 total analytes) in surface-water and groundwater

  2. Application of ceramic membranes with pre-ozonation for treatment of secondary wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Lehman, S Geno; Liu, Li

    2009-04-01

    Membrane fouling is an inevitable problem when microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltraion (UF) are used to treat wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. While historically the use of MF/UF for water and wastewater treatment has been almost exclusively focused on polymeric membranes, new generation ceramic membranes were recently introduced in the market and they possess unique advantages over currently available polymeric membranes. Ceramic membranes are mechanically superior and are more resistant to severe chemical and thermal environments. Due to the robustness of ceramic membranes, strong oxidants such as ozone can be used as pretreatment to reduce the membrane fouling. This paper presents results of a pilot study designed to investigate the application of new generation ceramic membranes for WWTP effluent treatment. Ozonation and coagulation pretreatment were evaluated to optimize the membrane operation. The ceramic membrane demonstrated stable performance at a filtration flux of 100 gfd (170LMH) at 20 degrees C with pretreatment using PACl (1mg/L as Al) and ozone (4 mg/L). To understand the effects of ozone and coagulation pretreatment on organic foulants, natural organic matter (NOM) in four waters - raw, ozone treated, coagulation treated, and ozone followed by coagulation treated wastewaters - were characterized using high performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The HPSEC analysis demonstrated that ozone treatment is effective at degrading colloidal NOMs which are likely responsible for the majority of membrane fouling.

  3. The Developmental Effects Of A Municipal Wastewater Effluent On The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wastewater effluents are complex mixtures containing a variety of anthropogenic compounds, many of which are known endocrine disruptors. In order to characterize the development and behavorial effects of such a complex mixture, northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, were e...

  4. 40 CFR 125.67 - Increase in effluent volume or amount of pollutants discharged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act § 125.67 Increase in effluent volume or amount of pollutants discharged. (a) No modified...

  5. 40 CFR 125.67 - Increase in effluent volume or amount of pollutants discharged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM Criteria for Modifying the Secondary Treatment Requirements Under Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act § 125.67 Increase in effluent volume or amount of pollutants discharged. (a) No modified...

  6. Disinfection of wastewater by hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid: development of procedures for measurement of residual disinfectant and application to a physicochemically treated municipal effluent.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Monika; Brumelis, Daina; Gehr, Ronald

    2002-01-01

    The Montreal Urban Community Wastewater Treatment Plant (MUCWTP) located in Montreal. Quebec, Canada, uses physicochemical treatment processes prior to discharging wastewater into the St. Lawrence River via an outfall tunnel of 2 hours retention time. Although chlorination facilities exist, they are not being used, and the MUCWTP is seeking alternative methods for disinfection to achieve a 2- to 3-log fecal coliform reduction. Liquid chemical disinfectants were attractive options because of their low capital costs. This led to an investigation of the feasibility of using hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid. A method for measuring peroxycompounds (hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid plus hydrogen peroxide) was developed using the peroxidase-based oxidation of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenz-thiazoline-6-sulfuric acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) with hydrogen peroxide. The validity of the method was confirmed using effluent from the MUCWTP. Recovery was higher than 90% for peracetic acid levels as low as 1.0 mg/L. Quenching of hydrogen peroxide was achieved with 50-mg/L catalase; quenching of peracetic acid was achieved with 100 mg/L of sodium thiosulfate, followed by 50 mg/L of catalase. Batch disinfection tests were conducted on MUCWTP effluent. Hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid in wastewater over time could be modeled as a second-order decay, with the decay "constant" being a function of the initial concentration of peroxycompounds. This function was the same for both hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, possibly indicating similar decomposition pathways in wastewater matrices. Disinfection was modeled using a modified Hom equation. Required doses of hydrogen peroxide to reach the target fecal coliform levels ranged from 106 to 285 mg/L, with the higher doses occurring when ferric chloride instead of alum was used as the coagulant. Hence, hydrogen peroxide was infeasible as a disinfectant for this application. On the other hand, the peracetic acid dose needed to

  7. Wastewater characterization survey, Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority and hazardous-waste survey at George AFB, California. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Binovi, R.D.; Ng, E.K.; Tetla, R.A.

    1987-01-01

    This is a report of a survey of the Victor Wastewater Reclamation Authority Sewerage system, the sewage treatment plant, and effluent from the various operations at George AFB, California. The scope of work included the characterization of the wastewater from George AFB, as well as characterization of effluents from 29 oil/water separators servicing industrial operations on base, flow measurements at three locations on base, a microbiological evaluation of aeration basin foam, bench-scale activated-sludge studies, and a review of results from previous surveys. Recommendations: (1) AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) should never be discharged to the sewer. (2) Programming for pretreatmentmore » should proceed at selected operations. (3) More waste and wastestream analysis be performed. (4) Upgrade waste accumulation points. (5) Implement an aggressive inspection program for oil/water separators. (6) Cut down on nonessential washing.« less

  8. 40 CFR 35.918-3 - Requirements for discharge of effluents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Requirements for discharge of effluents. 35.918-3 Section 35.918-3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act...

  9. 40 CFR 35.918-3 - Requirements for discharge of effluents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Requirements for discharge of effluents. 35.918-3 Section 35.918-3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act...

  10. 40 CFR 35.918-3 - Requirements for discharge of effluents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Requirements for discharge of effluents. 35.918-3 Section 35.918-3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act...

  11. 40 CFR 35.918-3 - Requirements for discharge of effluents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Requirements for discharge of effluents. 35.918-3 Section 35.918-3 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GRANTS AND OTHER FEDERAL ASSISTANCE STATE AND LOCAL ASSISTANCE Grants for Construction of Treatment Works-Clean Water Act...

  12. Spatiotemporal variations in estrogenicity, hormones, and endocrine-disrupting compounds in influents and effluents of selected wastewater-treatment plants and receiving streams in New York, 2008-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Baldigo, Barry P.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Ernst, Anne G.; Gray, James L.; Hemming, Jocelyn D.C.

    2014-01-01

    Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) in wastewater effluents have been linked to changes in sex ratios, intersex (in males), behavioral modifications, and developmental abnormalities in aquatic organisms. Yet efforts to identify and regulate specific EDCs in complex mixtures are problematic because little is known about the estrogen activity (estrogenicity) levels of many common and emerging contaminants. The potential effects of EDCs on the water quality and health of biota in streams of the New York City water supply is especially worrisome because more than 150 wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) are permitted to discharge effluents into surface waters and groundwaters of watersheds that provide potable water to more than 9 million people. In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) began a pilot study to increase the understanding of estrogenicity and EDCs in effluents and receiving streams mainly in southeastern New York. The primary goals of this study were to document and assess the spatial and temporal variability of estrogenicity levels; the effectiveness of various treatment-plant types to remove estrogenicity; the concentrations of hormones, EDCs, and pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs); and the relations between estrogenicity and concentrations of hormones, EDCs, and PPCPs. The levels of estrogenicity and selected hormones, non-hormone EDCs, and PPCPs were characterized in samples collected seasonally in effluents from 7 WWTPs, once or twice in effluents from 34 WWTPs, and once in influents to 6 WWTPs. Estrogenicity was quantified, as estradiol equivalents, using both the biological e-screen assay and a chemical model. Results generally show that (1) estrogenicity levels in effluents varied spatially and seasonally, (2) a wide range of known and unknown EDCs

  13. Treatment of real industrial wastewaters through nano-TiO2 and nano-Fe2O3 photocatalysis: case study of mining and kraft pulp mill effluents.

    PubMed

    Nogueira, V; Lopes, I; Rocha-Santos, T A P; Gonçalves, F; Pereira, R

    2018-06-01

    High quantities of industrial wastewaters containing a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants are being directly discharged into the environment, sometimes without proper treatment. Nanotechnology has a tremendous potential improving the existing treatments or even develop new treatment solutions. In this study, nano-TiO 2 or nano-Fe 2 O 3 was used for the photocatalytic treatment of kraft pulp mill effluent and mining effluent. The experiments with the organic effluent lead to reduction percentages of 93.3%, 68.4% and 89.8%, for colour, aromatic compounds and chemical oxygen demand, respectively, when treated with nano-TiO 2 /H 2 O 2 /UV and nano-Fe 2 O 3 /H 2 O 2 /UV, at pH 3.0. Significant removal of metals from the mining effluent was recorded but only for Zn, Al and Cd, the highest removal attained with 1.0 g L -1 of nano-TiO 2 /UV and nano-Fe 2 O 3 /UV. Regarding the toxicity of the organic effluent to Vibrio fischeri, it was reduced with the treatments combining the oxidant and the catalyst. However, for the inorganic effluent, the best reduction was achieved using 1.0 g L -1 of catalyst. In fact, the increase in dose of the catalyst, especially for nano-TiO 2 , enhanced toxicity reduction. Our results have shown that the use of these NMs seemed to be more effective in the organic effluent than in metal-rich effluent.

  14. Reliability analysis of a wastewater treatment plant using fault tree analysis and Monte Carlo simulation.

    PubMed

    Taheriyoun, Masoud; Moradinejad, Saber

    2015-01-01

    The reliability of a wastewater treatment plant is a critical issue when the effluent is reused or discharged to water resources. Main factors affecting the performance of the wastewater treatment plant are the variation of the influent, inherent variability in the treatment processes, deficiencies in design, mechanical equipment, and operational failures. Thus, meeting the established reuse/discharge criteria requires assessment of plant reliability. Among many techniques developed in system reliability analysis, fault tree analysis (FTA) is one of the popular and efficient methods. FTA is a top down, deductive failure analysis in which an undesired state of a system is analyzed. In this study, the problem of reliability was studied on Tehran West Town wastewater treatment plant. This plant is a conventional activated sludge process, and the effluent is reused in landscape irrigation. The fault tree diagram was established with the violation of allowable effluent BOD as the top event in the diagram, and the deficiencies of the system were identified based on the developed model. Some basic events are operator's mistake, physical damage, and design problems. The analytical method is minimal cut sets (based on numerical probability) and Monte Carlo simulation. Basic event probabilities were calculated according to available data and experts' opinions. The results showed that human factors, especially human error had a great effect on top event occurrence. The mechanical, climate, and sewer system factors were in subsequent tier. Literature shows applying FTA has been seldom used in the past wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) risk analysis studies. Thus, the developed FTA model in this study considerably improves the insight into causal failure analysis of a WWTP. It provides an efficient tool for WWTP operators and decision makers to achieve the standard limits in wastewater reuse and discharge to the environment.

  15. Control of Reactive Species Generated by Low-frequency Biased Nanosecond Pulse Discharge in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takashima, Keisuke; Kaneko, Toshiro

    2016-09-01

    The control of hydroxyl radical and the other gas phase species generation in the ejected gas through air plasma (air plasma effluent) has been experimentally studied, which is a key to extend the range of plasma treatment. Nanosecond pulse discharge is known to produce high reduced electric field (E/N) discharge that leads to efficient generation of the reactive species than conventional low frequency discharge, while the charge-voltage cycle in the low frequency discharge is known to be well-controlled. In this study, the nanosecond pulse discharge biased with AC low frequency high voltage is used to take advantages of these discharges, which allows us to modulate the reactive species composition in the air plasma effluent. The utilization of the gas-liquid interface and the liquid phase chemical reactions between the modulated long-lived reactive species delivered from the air plasma effluent could realize efficient liquid phase chemical reactions leading to short-lived reactive species production far from the air plasma, which is crucial for some plasma agricultural applications.

  16. Printing ink and paper recycling sources of TMDD in wastewater and rivers.

    PubMed

    Guedez, Arlen A; Püttmann, Wilhelm

    2014-01-15

    2,4,7,9-Tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol (TMDD) is a non-ionic surfactant which is preferentially used as defoamer in paints and printing ink and for the treatment of surfaces. Effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as the domination point sources for TMDD in rivers since the removal rate of the compound in the WWTPs is in general less than 70%. However, the dominating entry pathways of TMDD into the sewage were unknown so far. In this study effluents from both, municipal WWTPs with and without treatment of indirect industrial dischargers and from industrial WWTPs with direct discharge of wastewater into receiving rivers were analyzed for the first time to identify the proportions of TMDD coming from domestic wastewater and from various industrial sources. Moreover, rivers were samples before and after the influent of sewage water from WWTPs. The TMDD concentrations in the water samples were measured using solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). High TMDD concentrations were found in rivers (up to 63.5 μg/L), and in effluents of WWTPs (up to 310 μg/L) affected by wastewater from paper recycling industry and factories producing paint and printing ink. Concentrations of TMDD revealed to be far higher in wastewater from factories processing recycled paper (up to 113 μg/L) compared to wastewater from factories not processing recycled paper (0.066 μg/L). The results indicate that the use of recycling paper in the paper production process is the dominating reason for increased TMDD concentrations in wastewaters and receiving rivers due to the wash out of TMDD from the paper impregnated with printing ink. Very high TMDD concentrations (up to 3300 μg/L) were also detected in wastewater from a printing ink factory and a paint factory. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Monitoring hospital wastewaters for their probable genotoxicity and mutagenicity.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Pratibha; Mathur, N; Singh, A; Sogani, M; Bhatnagar, P; Atri, R; Pareek, S

    2015-01-01

    Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Excluding the genetic factors, environmental factors, mainly the pollutants, have been implicated in the causation of the majority of cancers. Wastewater originated from health-care sectors such as hospitals may carry vast amounts of carcinogenic and genotoxic chemicals to surface waters or any other source of drinking water, if discharged untreated. Humans get exposed to such contaminants through a variety of ways including drinking water. The aim of the present study was, thus, to monitor the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of wastewaters from three big hospitals located in Jaipur (Rajasthan), India. One of them was operating an effluent treatment plant (ETP) for treatment of its wastewater and therefore both the untreated and treated effluents from this hospital were studied for their genotoxicity. Two short-term bacterial bioassays namely the Salmonella fluctuation assay and the SOS chromotest were used for the purpose. Results of fluctuation assay revealed the highly genotoxic nature of all untreated effluent samples with mutagenicity ratios (MR) up to 23.13 ± 0.18 and 42.25 ± 0.35 as measured with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100, respectively. As determined with the chromotest, all untreated effluents produced significant induction factors (IF) ranging from 3.29 ± 1.11 to 13.35 ± 3.58 at higher concentrations. In contrast, treated effluent samples were found to be slightly genotoxic in fluctuation test only with an MR = 3.75 ± 0.35 for TA100 at 10 % concentration. Overall, the results indicated that proper treatment of hospital wastewaters may render the effluents safe for disposal contrary to the untreated ones, possessing high genotoxic potential.

  18. The effect of the feeding pattern of complex industrial wastewater on activated sludge characteristics and the chemical and ecotoxicological effluent quality.

    PubMed

    Caluwé, Michel; Dobbeleers, Thomas; Daens, Dominique; Blust, Ronny; Geuens, Luc; Dries, Jan

    2017-04-01

    Research has demonstrated that the feeding pattern of synthetic wastewater plays an important role in sludge characteristics during biological wastewater treatment. Although considerable research has been devoted to synthetic wastewater, less attention has been paid to industrial wastewater. In this research, three different feeding strategies were applied during the treatment of tank truck cleaning (TTC) water. This industry produces highly variable wastewaters that are often loaded with hazardous chemicals, which makes them challenging to treat with activated sludge (AS). In this study, it is shown that the feeding pattern has a significant influence on the settling characteristics. Pulse feeding resulted in AS with a sludge volume index (SVI) of 68 ± 15 mL gMLSS -1 . Slowly and continuously fed AS had to contend with unstable SVI values that fluctuated between 100 and 600 mL gMLSS -1 . These fluctuations were clearly caused by the feeding solution. The obtained settling characteristics are being supported by the microscopic analysis, which revealed a clear floc structure for the pulse fed AS. Ecotoxicological effluent assessment with bacteria, Crustacea and algae identified algae as the most sensitive organism for all effluents from all different reactors. Variable algae growth inhibitions were measured between the different reactors. The chemical and ecotoxicological effluent quality was comparable between the reactors.

  19. Faecal pollution loads in the wastewater effluents and receiving water bodies: a potential threat to the health of Sedibeng and Soshanguve communities, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Teklehaimanot, Giorgis Z; Coetzee, Martie A A; Momba, Maggy N B

    2014-01-01

    The discharge of untreated or inadequately treated effluents has been identified among the activities responsible for the spread of a wide range of potentially infectious agents. The aim of this study was to determine whether inadequate treatment of wastewater and the faecal pollution load of effluents and receiving water bodies in Sedibeng District and Soshanguve peri-urban area of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality could be a potential threat to the health of the surrounding communities. Variations in the counts of faecal indicator bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms and compliance of the effluents and receiving water bodies with South African and World Health Organization standards were assessed between August 2011 and May 2012 using culture-based methods and molecular techniques. The overall quality of effluents did not comply with the South African special standard of no risk for unrestricted irrigation (zero Escherichia coli/100 ml). The quality of the receiving water bodies did not comply with South African regulatory limits set for domestic purposes (zero E. coli/100 ml, <30 faecal enterococci/100 ml and <1 somatic coliphages/100 ml), for full contact recreation (<20 somatic coliphages/100 ml) and aquaculture (<10 E. coli/100 ml) and WHO standards for full and intermediate contact recreational use (<1 E. coli/100 ml and <40 faecal enterococci/100 ml, respectively). The PCR results revealed the prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms; between 0 and 60 % of samples tested positive for Salmonella Typhimurium and Shigella dysenteriae, and between 20 and 60% of samples tested positive for Vibrio cholerae. These findings demonstrated that potential health risks might be associated with the use of the target river waters for domestic, recreational and irrigation purposes. This study calls for a prompt intervention to improve wastewater management.

  20. Impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Mulk, Shahi; Azizullah, Azizullah; Korai, Abdul Latif; Khattak, Muhammad Nasir Khan

    2015-02-01

    Industries play an important role in improving the living standard but at the same time cause several environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of industries on the quality of environment. In the present study, the impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan was evaluated. Water and sediment samples were collected at three different sampling sites (upstream, industrial, and downstream sites) from Barandu River and their physicochemical properties were inter-compared. In addition, different marble stones and mix water (wastewater) from marble industry were analyzed. The measured physicochemical parameters of river water including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), alkalinity, total hardness, Ca and Mg hardness, total dissolved solid (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), sulfates (SO4 (2-)), sodium (Na(+)), potassium (K(+)), nitrites (NO2 (-)), nitrate (NO3 (-)), chloride (Cl(-)), calcium (Ca(2+)), and magnesium (Mg(2+)) were found to be significantly altered by effluent discharges of marble industries. Similarly, heavy metal concentrations in both water and sediments of the river were significantly increased by marble industry wastewater. It is concluded that large quantities of different pollutants are added to Barandu River due to direct disposal of marble industry effluents which degrades its quality. Therefore, it is recommended that direct disposal of marble industry wastewater should be banned and all effluents must be properly treated before discharging in the river water.

  1. Dynamic Membrane Technology for Printing Wastewater Reuse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Lin; Lu, Xujie; Chen, Jihua

    As environmental regulations become rigid and the cost of freshwater increases, wastewater is considered as a major resource in China. The paper presented a study on the implementation of the advanced treatment process using dynamic membrane (DM) in reusing of printing wastewater. The DM was well formed by circulating 1.5g/L of PAC in 20 minutes, the trans-membrane pressure of 200 kPa and the cross-flow velocity of 0.75m/s. The printing effluents were treated in effluent treatment plants comprising a physicochemical option followed by biological process. The treated effluent contained chemical oxygen demand (COD), color and turbidity in the range of 45-60 mg/L, 0.030-0.045 (absorbance at 420 nm) and 3-5 NTU. The results showed that the COD, color and turbidity removal efficiencies of the DM permeate were 84%, 85% and 80%, respectively. The wastewater treated by DM was reused as process water and the final concentrated retentate could be discharged directly into sewage treatment works with no additional treatments. Cleaning and regeneration of DM were very convenient if necessary. The proper process was that the polluted DM was cleaned with tap water at high cross-flow velocity. When irreversible pollutants accumulate, it would be rinsed with chemicals tested and the membrane flux would be restored up to 95%. The result showed that DM was considered as a promising method for purification aimed at reuse of printing wastewater, resulting in direct environmental and economic benefits.

  2. Assessment of physicochemical parameters and prevalence of virulent and multiple-antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in treated effluent of two wastewater treatment plants and receiving aquatic milieu in Durban, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Pillay, Leanne; Olaniran, Ademola O

    2016-05-01

    The poor operational status of some wastewater treatment plants often result in the discharge of inadequately treated effluent into receiving surface waters. This is of significant public health concern as there are many informal settlement dwellers (ISDs) that rely on these surface waters for their domestic use. This study investigated the treatment efficiency of two independent wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Durban, South Africa and determined the impact of treated effluent discharge on the physicochemical and microbial quality of the receiving water bodies over a 6-month period. Presumptive Escherichia coli isolates were identified using biochemical tests and detection of the mdh gene via PCR. Six major virulence genes namely eae, hly, fliC, stx1, stx2, and rfbE were also detected via PCR while antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates were determined using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay. The physicochemical parameters of the wastewater samples ranged variously between 9 and 313.33 mg/L, 1.52 and 76.43 NTUs, and 6.30 and 7.87 for COD, turbidity, and pH respectively, while the E. coli counts ranged between 0 and 31.2 × 10(3) CFU/ml. Of the 200 selected E. coli isolates, the hly gene was found in 28 %, fliC in 20 %, stx2 in 17 %, eae in 14 %, with stx1 and rfbE in only 4 % of the isolates. Notable resistance was observed toward trimethoprim (97 %), tetracycline (56 %), and ampicillin (52.5 %). These results further highlight the poor operational status of these WWTPs and outline the need for improved water quality monitoring and enforcement of stringent guidelines.

  3. Local environmental conditions determine the footprint of municipal effluent in coastal waters: a case study in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia.

    PubMed

    Johannessen, Sophia C; Macdonald, Robie W; Burd, Brenda; van Roodselaar, Albert; Bertold, Stan

    2015-03-01

    To predict the likely effects of management action on any point source discharge into the coastal ocean, it is essential to understand both the composition of the effluent and the environmental conditions in the receiving waters. We illustrate a broadly-applicable approach to evaluating the comprehensive environmental footprint of a discharge, using regional geochemical budgets and nearfield monitoring. We take as a case study municipal effluent discharged into the Strait of Georgia (west coast of Canada), where there has been public controversy over the discharge of screened or primary-treated effluent directly into the ocean. Wastewater contributes ≤ 1% of the nitrogen, organic carbon and oxygen demand in the Strait and is unlikely to cause eutrophication, harmful algal blooms or hypoxia in this region. Metals (Hg, Pb, Cd) are controlled by natural cycles augmented by past mining and urbanization, with 0.3-5% of the flux contributed by wastewater. Wastewater contributes ~5% of PCBs but ≤ 60% of PBDEs and is likely also important for pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Effects of high organic flux on benthos are measurable in the immediate receiving environment. The availability of particle-active contaminants to enter the food chain depends on how long those contaminants remain in the sediment surface mixed layer before burial. Secondary treatment, slated for completion in Vancouver in 2030, will reduce fluxes of some contaminants, but will have negligible effect on regional budgets for organic carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, metals and PCBs. Removal of PBDEs from wastewater will affect regional budgets, depending on how the sludge is sequestered. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Influence of organic loading rate on integrated bioreactor treating hypersaline mustard wastewater.

    PubMed

    Kang, Wei; Chai, Hongxiang; Yang, Shiwei; Du, Guojun; Zhou, Jian; He, Qiang

    2016-07-01

    Mustard tuber wastewater is characterized by high salinity and high organic content that is potentially detrimental to the biological treatment system and affects the treatment efficiency accordingly. The experiment used the integrated bioreactor to reduce much of the organics in mustard tuber wastewater, and found the influence of organic loading rate on effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphate (PO4 (3-) -P). Results showed that under the condition of 10-15 °C, 6 mg/L of dissolved oxygen, the reduction value of COD removal rate in anaerobic and aerobic area was 14.5% and 31.7% when the organic loading rate increased from 2.0 to 4.0 kg COD/m(3) /day. Therefore, an integrated bioreactor should take 2.0 kg COD/m(3) /day organic loading rate in mustard wastewater treatment if the effluent is expected to meet the third level of "Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard" (GB 8978-1996). © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  5. Novel industrial wastewater treatment integrated with recovery of water and salt under a zero liquid discharge concept.

    PubMed

    Rajamani, Sengodagounder

    2016-03-01

    Conventional industrial effluent treatment systems are designed to reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD) but not total dissolved solids (TDS), mainly contributed by chlorides. In addition to the removal of TDS, it is necessary to recover water for reuse to meet the challenges of shortage of quality water. To recover water, the wastewater needs to be further treated by adopting treatment systems including microfilters, low pressure membrane units such as ultrafiltration (UF), membrane bioreactors (MBR), etc., for the application of reverse osmosis (RO) systems. By adopting the RO system, 75%-80% of quality water with <500 mg/L of TDS is recovered from treated effluent. The management of 20%-25% of the saline water rejected from the RO system with high TDS concentration is being addressed by methods such as forced evaporation systems. The recovery of water from domestic and industrial waste for reuse has become a reality. The membrane system has been used for different applications. It has become mandatory to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) in many states in India and other countries such as Spain, China, etc., and resulted in development of new treatment technologies to suit the local conditions.

  6. Assessment of peracetic acid disinfected effluents by microbiotests.

    PubMed

    Antonelli, M; Mezzanotte, V; Panouillères, M

    2009-09-01

    Bioassays were performed by commercially available kits on peracetic acid (PAA) solutions, at different concentrations, and on secondary effluents (from two different wastewater treatment plants) after disinfection at bench-scale, considering both samples containing residual active PAA and the same samples where residual PAA was quenched. Four indicator organisms were used: Vibrio fischeri, Thamnocephalus platyurus, Daphnia magna, and Selenastrum capricornutum. The experiments lead to conclude that Thamnocephalus platyurus is a very sensitive organism, probably not adequate to perform a reliable toxicity assessment of effluents for monitoring purposes. The presence of specific organic compounds deriving from human metabolism and urban pollution, even at very low concentrations, can affect the results of bioassays, especially those performed on Vibrio fischeri. PAA is toxic for bacteria and crustaceans even at concentrations lower than the ones commonly used in wastewater disinfection (2-5 mg/L), while its effect on algae is smaller. The toxic effect on bacteria was expected, as PAA is used for disinfection, but its possible influence on biological processes in the receiving aquatic environment should be considered. Toxicity on crustaceans would confirm the fact that discharging disinfected effluents could raise some environmental problems.

  7. Developmental Effects Of A Municipal Wastewater Effluent On Two Generations Of The Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas

    EPA Science Inventory

    Municipal wastewater effluents have been shown to contain a variety of anthropogenic compounds, many of which are know to display estrogenic properties. While multiple laboratory studies have shown the effects of such compounds on an individual basis at elevated concentrations, ...

  8. Oil Production by a Consortium of Oleaginous Microorganisms grown on primary effluent wastewater

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hall, Jacqueline; Hetrick, Mary; French, Todd

    Municipal wastewater could be a potential growth medium that has not been considered for cultivating oleaginous microorganisms. This study is designed to determine if a consortium of oleaginous microorganism can successfully compete for carbon and other nutrients with the indigenous microorganisms contained in primary effluent wastewater. RESULTS: The oleaginous consortium inoculated with indigenous microorganisms reached stationary phase within 24 h, reaching a maximum cell concentration of 0.58 g L -1. Water quality post-oleaginous consortium growth reached a maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of approximately 81%, supporting the consumption of the glucose within 8 h. The oleaginous consortium increased themore » amount of oil produced per gram by 13% compared with indigenous microorganisms in raw wastewater. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results show a substantial population increase in bacteria within the first 24 h when the consortium is inoculated into raw wastewater. This result, along with the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) results, suggests that conditions tested were not sufficient for the oleaginous consortium to compete with the indigenous microorganisms.« less

  9. Ozonation performance of WWTP secondary effluent of antibiotic manufacturing wastewater.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Shaokui; Cui, Cancan; Liang, Qianjin; Xia, Xinghui; Yang, Fan

    2010-11-01

    The ozonation performance of wastewater treatment plant secondary effluent of oxytetracycline (OTC) manufacturing wastewater was investigated in terms of ozone dosage and initial pH levels when OTC contributed to a negligible fraction in the chemical oxygen demand (COD) ingredients of the medium-organic-strength wastewater with low biodegradability. A particular emphasis was placed on ammonia, OTC, and residual antibacterial activity (RAA) (evaluated using the objective pathogenic bacterium Staphylococcus aureus). It appears that an ozone dosage of 657 mg L⁻¹ (120 min of reaction) was enough to achieve an OTC abatement of 96%, and COD and biochemical oxygen demand removals of 29% and 33%, respectively, at initial levels of 10.4, 1360, and 300 mg L⁻¹ , respectively. There is a clear correlation between complete OTC depletion and complete RAA disappearance with an increase of ozone dosage. The presence of plentiful non-antibiotic refractory substances influenced the determination of the optimum ozone dosage for biodegradability enhancement and OTC/RAA reduction as well as the ozonation transformation of NH(3). The initial pH adjustment from the original level (pH 9) to pH 11 significantly reduced COD removal while RAA and NH(3) levels were not significantly influenced. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. An advanced anaerobic biofilter with effluent recirculation for phenol removal and methane production in treatment of coal gasification wastewater.

    PubMed

    Li, Yajie; Tabassum, Salma; Zhang, Zhenjia

    2016-09-01

    An advanced anaerobic biofilter (AF) was introduced for the treatment of coal gasification wastewater (CGW), and effluent recirculation was adopted to enhance phenol removal and methane production. The results indicated that AF was reliable in treating diluted CGW, while its efficiency and stability were seriously reduced when directly treating raw CGW. However, its performance could be greatly enhanced by effluent recirculation. Under optimal effluent recirculation of 0.5 to the influent, concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phenol in the effluent could reach as low as 234.0 and 14.2mg/L, respectively. Also, the rate of methane production reached 169.0mLCH4/L/day. Though CGW seemed to restrain the growth of anaerobic microorganisms, especially methanogens, the inhibition was temporary and reversible, and anaerobic bacteria presented strong tolerance. The activities of methanogens cultivated in CGW could quickly recover on feeding with glucose wastewater (GW). However, the adaptability of anaerobic bacteria to the CGW was very poor and the activity of methanogens could not be improved by long-term domestication. By analysis using the Haldane model, it was further confirmed that high effluent recirculation could result in high activity for hydrolytic bacteria and substrate affinity for toxic matters, but only suitable effluent recirculation could result in high methanogenic activity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Formation of halogenated organics during waste-water disinfection

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Singer, P.C.; Brown, R.A.; Wiseman, J.F.

    The research examined the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and total organic halides (TOX) during wastewater chlorination at three wastewater treatment plants in the central Piedmont of North Carolina. Secondary effluent samples were collected before and after the addition of chlorine at each of the three treatment facilities; chlorinated samples were taken from various locations within the chlorine contact chambers and at the plant discharge. Water samples were also collected upstream and downstream from two of the plant outfalls to determine the increase and persistence of THMs and TOX below each plant. TOX and THM formation was evaluated in terms ofmore » effluent wastewater quality (e.g., residual chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon and ammonia concentration), chlorine dose, chlorine contacting system, methods of chlorine addition, and chlorine-to-ammonia ratio. The results showed that TOX was present in the unchlorinated wastewater and that additional TOX was formed immediately after chlorine addition. Small to insignificant amounts of THMS were detected. TOX formation did not increase with increasing contact time, due to the rapid depletion of free chlorine and the formation of combined chlorine in the chlorine contact chamber.« less

  12. Slaughterhouse Wastewater Treatment by Combined Chemical Coagulation and Electrocoagulation Process

    PubMed Central

    Bazrafshan, Edris; Kord Mostafapour, Ferdos; Farzadkia, Mehdi; Ownagh, Kamal Aldin; Mahvi, Amir Hossein

    2012-01-01

    Slaughterhouse wastewater contains various and high amounts of organic matter (e.g., proteins, blood, fat and lard). In order to produce an effluent suitable for stream discharge, chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation techniques have been particularly explored at the laboratory pilot scale for organic compounds removal from slaughterhouse effluent. The purpose of this work was to investigate the feasibility of treating cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process to achieve the required standards. The influence of the operating variables such as coagulant dose, electrical potential and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of major pollutants was determined. The rate of removal of pollutants linearly increased with increasing doses of PACl and applied voltage. COD and BOD5 removal of more than 99% was obtained by adding 100 mg/L PACl and applied voltage 40 V. The experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of chemical and electrochemical techniques for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters. Consequently, combined processes are inferred to be superior to electrocoagulation alone for the removal of both organic and inorganic compounds from cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater. PMID:22768233

  13. Slaughterhouse wastewater treatment by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process.

    PubMed

    Bazrafshan, Edris; Kord Mostafapour, Ferdos; Farzadkia, Mehdi; Ownagh, Kamal Aldin; Mahvi, Amir Hossein

    2012-01-01

    Slaughterhouse wastewater contains various and high amounts of organic matter (e.g., proteins, blood, fat and lard). In order to produce an effluent suitable for stream discharge, chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation techniques have been particularly explored at the laboratory pilot scale for organic compounds removal from slaughterhouse effluent. The purpose of this work was to investigate the feasibility of treating cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater by combined chemical coagulation and electrocoagulation process to achieve the required standards. The influence of the operating variables such as coagulant dose, electrical potential and reaction time on the removal efficiencies of major pollutants was determined. The rate of removal of pollutants linearly increased with increasing doses of PACl and applied voltage. COD and BOD(5) removal of more than 99% was obtained by adding 100 mg/L PACl and applied voltage 40 V. The experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of chemical and electrochemical techniques for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewaters. Consequently, combined processes are inferred to be superior to electrocoagulation alone for the removal of both organic and inorganic compounds from cattle-slaughterhouse wastewater.

  14. Wastewater injection, aquifer biogeochemical reactions, and resultant groundwater N fluxes to coastal waters: Kā'anapali, Maui, Hawai'i.

    PubMed

    Fackrell, Joseph K; Glenn, Craig R; Popp, Brian N; Whittier, Robert B; Dulai, Henrietta

    2016-09-15

    We utilize N and C species concentration data along with δ(15)N values of NO3(-) and δ(13)C values of dissolved inorganic C to evaluate the stoichiometry of biogeochemical reactions (mineralization, nitrification, anammox, and denitrification) occurring within a subsurface wastewater plume that originates as treated wastewater injection and enters the coastal waters of Maui as submarine groundwater discharge. Additionally, we compare wastewater effluent time-series data, injection rates, and treatment history with submarine spring discharge time-series data. We find that heterotrophic denitrification is the primary mechanism of N loss within the groundwater plume and that chlorination for pathogen disinfection suppresses microbial activity in the aquifer responsible for N loss, resulting in increased coastal ocean N loading. Replacement of chlorination with UV disinfection may restore biogeochemical reactions responsible for N loss within the aquifer and return N-attenuating conditions in the effluent plume, reducing N loading to coastal waters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Geophysical and hydrogeological characterisation of the impacts of on-site wastewater treatment discharge to groundwater in a poorly productive bedrock aquifer.

    PubMed

    Donohue, Shane; McCarthy, Valerie; Rafferty, Patrick; Orr, Alison; Flynn, Raymond

    2015-08-01

    Contaminants discharging from on-site wastewater treatment systems (OSWTSs) can impact groundwater quality, threatening human health and surface water ecosystems. Risk of negative impacts becomes elevated in areas of extreme vulnerability with high water tables, where thin unsaturated intervals limit vadose zone attenuation. A combined geophysical/hydrogeological investigation into the effects of an OSWTS, located over a poorly productive aquifer (PPA) with thin subsoil cover, aimed to characterise effluent impacts on groundwater. Groundwater, sampled from piezometers down-gradient of the OSWTS percolation area displayed spatially erratic, yet temporally consistent, contaminant distributions. Electrical resistivity tomography identified an area of gross groundwater contamination close to the percolation area and, when combined with seismic refraction and water quality data, indicated that infiltrating effluent reaching the water table discharged to a deeper more permeable zone of weathered shale resting on more competent bedrock. Subsurface structure, defined by geophysics, indicated that elevated chemical and microbiological contaminant levels encountered in groundwater samples collected from piezometers, down-gradient of sampling points with lower contaminant levels, corresponded to those locations where piezometers were screened close to the weathered shale/competent rock interface; those immediately up-gradient were too shallow to intercept this interval, and thus the more impacted zone of the contaminant plume. Intermittent occurrence of faecal indicator bacteria more than 100m down gradient of the percolation area suggested relatively short travel times. Study findings highlight the utility of geophysics as part of multidisciplinary investigations for OSWTS contaminant plume characterisation, while also demonstrating the capacity of effluent discharging to PPAs to impact groundwater quality at distance. Comparable geophysical responses observed in similar

  16. EU-wide monitoring survey on emerging polar organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plant effluents.

    PubMed

    Loos, Robert; Carvalho, Raquel; António, Diana C; Comero, Sara; Locoro, Giovanni; Tavazzi, Simona; Paracchini, Bruno; Ghiani, Michela; Lettieri, Teresa; Blaha, Ludek; Jarosova, Barbora; Voorspoels, Stefan; Servaes, Kelly; Haglund, Peter; Fick, Jerker; Lindberg, Richard H; Schwesig, David; Gawlik, Bernd M

    2013-11-01

    In the year 2010, effluents from 90 European wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were analyzed for 156 polar organic chemical contaminants. The analyses were complemented by effect-based monitoring approaches aiming at estrogenicity and dioxin-like toxicity analyzed by in vitro reporter gene bioassays, and yeast and diatom culture acute toxicity optical bioassays. Analyses of organic substances were performed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) or liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) or gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS). Target microcontaminants were pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), veterinary (antibiotic) drugs, perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), organophosphate ester flame retardants, pesticides (and some metabolites), industrial chemicals such as benzotriazoles (corrosion inhibitors), iodinated x-ray contrast agents, and gadolinium magnetic resonance imaging agents; in addition biological endpoints were measured. The obtained results show the presence of 125 substances (80% of the target compounds) in European wastewater effluents, in concentrations ranging from low nanograms to milligrams per liter. These results allow for an estimation to be made of a European median level for the chemicals investigated in WWTP effluents. The most relevant compounds in the effluent waters with the highest median concentration levels were the artificial sweeteners acesulfame and sucralose, benzotriazoles (corrosion inhibitors), several organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers (e.g. tris(2-chloroisopropyl)phosphate; TCPP), pharmaceutical compounds such as carbamazepine, tramadol, telmisartan, venlafaxine, irbesartan, fluconazole, oxazepam, fexofenadine, diclofenac, citalopram, codeine, bisoprolol, eprosartan, the antibiotics trimethoprim, ciprofloxacine, sulfamethoxazole, and clindamycine, the insect repellent N,N'-diethyltoluamide (DEET), the pesticides

  17. Periphyton indicate effects of wastewater discharge in the near-coastal zone, Perth (Western Australia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cosgrove, Jeffrey; Walker, Di; Morrison, Peter; Hillman, Karen

    2004-10-01

    Periphyton communities on artificial substrata were successfully utilised as a biological indicator of the potential eutrophic effects of wastewater discharge into coastal waters off Perth, Western Australia. Biomass and percentage carbonate content measurements of periphyton communities grown in situ indicated that the periphyton primary production (organic weight) was enhanced in the vicinity of the discharge outlets, with a significant negative correlation between distance north of the northern outlet in Whitfords Lagoon and periphyton organic weight (OW) observed in autumn at a depth of 4 m ( r = -0.704, P < 0.001). However, this response was primarily limited to the relatively calm autumn season and substrata at depths of 2 m and 4 m. Thus, in favourable conditions phytoplankton and high relief reef communities are more likely to exhibit a eutrophic influence (in the form of enhanced primary production) of the treated wastewater discharge. Laboratory studies confirmed that treated wastewater, diluted 100-fold to estimate surface concentrations above the wastewater outfalls in the field, stimulates periphyton growth above levels recorded in unpolluted seawater ( F = 12.485; P = 0.0073).

  18. Advanced treatment of sodium dithionite wastewater using the combination of coagulation, catalytic ozonation, and SBR.

    PubMed

    Zou, Xiao-Ling

    2017-10-01

    A combined process of coagulation-catalytic ozonation-anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR)-SBR was developed at lab scale for treating a real sodium dithionite wastewater with an initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 21,760-22,450 mg/L. Catalytic ozonation with the prepared cerium oxide (CeO 2 )/granular activated carbon catalyst significantly enhances wastewater biodegradability and reduces wastewater microtoxicity. The results show that, under the optimum conditions, the removal efficiencies of COD and suspended solids are averagely 99.3% and 95.6%, respectively, and the quality of final effluent can meet the national discharge standard of China. The coagulation and ASBR processes remove a considerable proportion of organic matter, while the SBR plays an important role in post-polish of final effluent. The ecotoxicity of the wastewater is greatly reduced after undergoing the hybrid treatment. This work demonstrates that the hybrid system has the potential to be applied for the advanced treatment of high-strength industrial wastewater.

  19. The effects of wastewater discharge on the microbiological nitrogen cycle of the lake sediments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saarenheimo, Jatta; Aalto, Sanni L.; Tiirola, Marja

    2016-04-01

    Anthropogenic wastewater inputs alter the natural dynamics of nitrogen (N) cycle by providing high concentrations of nitrate and organic matter to the sediment microbes. It can also change the microbial community composition and N removal potential but this is currently not that well studied. To study these aspects, we conducted ecosystem-scale experiment in Lake Keurusselkä, Finland. In the experiment, the wastewater discharge to the recipient lake was optimized with sediment filtration, which increased the surface and retention time of the nitrified wastewater with the sediment. In addition to N transformation rates, which showed that optimization enhanced denitrification, we studied the microbial responses at the sediment. Genetic potential of nitrogen transformation processes, such as denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and nitrification were studied by targeting the functional genes (i.e. nirS, nirK, nosZI, nosZII, nrfA, amoAarchaea and amoAbacteria) with quantitative PCR and digital droplet PCR. In addition, changes in the microbial community composition along the wastewater gradient were examined by using next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes. In line with our hypothesis, the relative abundance of denitrifying genes followed the observed denitrification rates, being highest near the nitrate-rich wastewater discharge. Furthermore the microbial community composition in the discharge point differed clearly from the control and downstream sites, having also the highest numbers of rare OTUs. Abundance of nitrifying bacteria was higher than nitrifying archaea near the waste water discharge, whereas the opposite was seen at the control site. The results indicate that wastewater is not only increasing the denitrification rates, but can also alter the structure and genetic potential microbial communities.

  20. Acute toxicity and chemical evaluation of coking wastewater under biological and advanced physicochemical treatment processes.

    PubMed

    Dehua, Ma; Cong, Liu; Xiaobiao, Zhu; Rui, Liu; Lujun, Chen

    2016-09-01

    This study investigated the changes of toxic compounds in coking wastewater with biological treatment (anaerobic reactor, anoxic reactor and aerobic-membrane bioreactor, A1/A2/O-MBR) and advanced physicochemical treatment (Fenton oxidation and activated carbon adsorption) stages. As the biological treatment stages preceding, the inhibition effect of coking wastewater on the luminescence of Vibrio qinghaiensis sp. Nov. Q67 decreased. Toxic units (TU) of coking wastewater were removed by A1/A2/O-MBR treatment process, however approximately 30 % TU remained in the biologically treated effluent. There is a tendency that fewer and fewer residual organic compounds could exert equal acute toxicity during the biological treatment stages. Activated carbon adsorption further removed toxic pollutants of biologically treated effluent but the Fenton effluent increased acute toxicity. The composition of coking wastewater during the treatment was evaluated using the three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The organic compounds with high polarity were the main cause of acute toxicity in the coking wastewater. Aromatic protein-like matters in the coking wastewater with low biodegradability and high toxicity contributed mostly to the remaining acute toxicity of the biologically treated effluents. Chlorine generated from the oxidation process was responsible for the acute toxicity increase after Fenton oxidation. Therefore, the incorporation of appropriate advanced physicochemical treatment process, e.g., activated carbon adsorption, should be implemented following biological treatment processes to meet the stricter discharge standards and be safer to the environment.

  1. Potential impacts of discharging tertiary-treated wastewater into Port Royal Sound, South Carolina

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Speiran, G.K.; Belval, D.L.

    1985-01-01

    An assessment of physical characteristics of Port Royal Sound was combined with the results of a dye tracer study and with data collected from a previous environmental study to describe the impact on the water quality from discharging tertiary treated wastewater into the sound. Calculated velocities for the time of maximum velocity in the tidal cycle ranged from 2.32 ft/sec near the bottom to 4.65 ft/sec near the surface of the sound in a cross section in the vicinity of a proposed wastewater outfall. Vertical velocity distributions calculated for the time of maximum velocity were similar at all stations at which velocities were measured except the station in shallow water near the shore. A recent bathymetric chart of the vicinity of the proposed outfall indicates that a bar extends farther along the northern shore of Hilton Head Island than indicated on earlier nautical charts of Port Royal Sound. Continued extension of this bar could alter the impact on water quality from discharge of treated wastewater into the sound. Further study may be needed to monitor changes in the bar if the outfall is located between the bar and Hilton Head Island. Conservative calculations based on the results of the dye tracer study indicate that the discharge of 10.9 million gallons/day of wastewater having concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids of 15 mg/L will result in a maximum cumulative increase in concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand of < 0.01 mg/L and no increase in concentrations of suspended solids at high slack tide in the part of Port Royal Sound most affected by the proposed wastewater discharge. (Author 's abstract)

  2. Human infective potential of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in urban wastewater treatment plant effluents

    EPA Science Inventory

    Cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, and microsporidiosis are important waterborne diseases. In the standard for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in China and other countries, fecal coliform is the only microbial indicator, raising concerns about the potential for pathogen t...

  3. Inventing Wastewater: The Social and Scientific Construction of Effluent in the Northeastern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brideau, J. M.; Ng, M.; Hoover, J. H.; Hale, R. L.; Thomas, B.; Vogel, R. M.; Northeast ConsortiumHydrologic Synthesis Summer Institute, 2010--Biogeochemistry

    2010-12-01

    Title: Inventing Wastewater: The Social and Scientific Construction of Effluent in the Northeastern United States Authors: Jeffrey Brideau, Melissa Ng, Joseph Hoover, Rebecca Hale, Brian Thomas, and Richard Vogel Presented by: Jeffrey Brideau B.A., M.A., PhD Candidate, Department of History, University of Maryland Regulation of pollution is a prevalent part of contemporary American society. Scientists and policy makers have established acceptable effluent thresholds, with the ostensible goal of protecting human and stream health. However, this ubiquity of regulation is a recent phenomenon, and institutional mechanisms for effluent control were virtually non-existent in the early 20th century. Nonetheless, these same decades witnessed the emergence of nascent efforts at water pollution abatement. This project aims to explore social and scientific perceptions of wastewater, and begins with the simple premise that socio-cultural values underlay human decision-making in water management, and that wastewater is imbued with a matrix of human values that are continuously renegotiated. So what were the primary motivations for abatement efforts? Were they aesthetic and olfactory, or scientific concern for public and stream health? This paper proposes that there are social as well as scientific thresholds for pollutant loads. Collaborating with a team of interdisciplinary researchers we have created and aggregated discrete data sets to model, using export coefficient and linear regression modeling techniques, historic pollutant loading in the Northeastern United States. Concurrently, we have drawn on historical narratives of agitation by abatement advocates, nuisance laws, regulatory regimes, and changing scientific understanding; and contrasting the modeling results with these narratives allows this project to quantitatively determine where social thresholds lay in relation to their scientific counterparts. This project’s novelty lies in its use of existing narratives of

  4. Caffeine, an anthropogenic marker for wastewater comtamination of surface waters.

    PubMed

    Buerge, Ignaz I; Poiger, Thomas; Müller, Markus D; Buser, Hans-Rudolf

    2003-02-15

    The suitability of caffeine as a chemical marker for surface water pollution by domestic wastewaters was assessed in this study. Caffeine concentrations in influents and effluents of Swiss wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs, 7-73 and 0.03-9.5 microg/L, respectively) indicated an efficient elimination of 81-99.9%. Corresponding loads in untreated wastewater showed small variations when normalized forthe population discharging to the WWTPs (15.8 +/- 3.8 mg person(-1) d(-1)), reflecting a rather constant consumption. WWTP effluent loads were considerably lower (0.06 +/- 0.03 mg person(-1) d(-1)), apart from installations with low sludge age (< or = 5 d, loads up to 4.4 mg person(-1) d(-1)). Despite the efficient removal in most WWTPs, caffeine was ubiquitously found in Swiss lakes and rivers (6-250 ng/ L), except for remote mountain lakes (<2 ng/L; analytical procedure for wastewater and natural waters: SPE, GC-MS-SIM or GC-MS-MS-MRM, internal standard 13C3-labeled caffeine). Caffeine concentrations in lakes correlated with the anthropogenic burden by domestic wastewaters, demonstrating the suitability of caffeine as a marker. A mass balance for Greifensee revealed that approximately 1-4% of the wastewaters had been discharged without treatment, presumably on rainy days when the capacity of WWTPs had been exceeded. For Zürichsee, it could be shown that the monthly inputs of caffeine correlated with precipitation data. The depth- and seasonal-dependent concentrations in this lake were adequately rationalized by a numerical model considering flushing, biodegradation, and indirect photodegradation via HO. radicals as elimination processes and caffeine inputs as fitting variables.

  5. A Multitracer Approach to Detecting Wastewater Plumes from Municipal Injection Wells in Nearshore Marine Waters at Kihei and Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hunt, Charles D.; Rosa, Sarah N.

    2009-01-01

    Municipal wastewater plumes discharging from aquifer to ocean were detected by nearshore wading surveys at Kihei and Lahaina, on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Developed in cooperation with the Hawaii State Department of Health, the survey methodology included instrument trolling to detect submarine groundwater discharge, followed by analysis of water and macroalgae for a suite of chemical and isotopic constituents that constitute a 'multitracer' approach. Surveys were conducted May 6-28, 2008, during fair-weather conditions and included: (1) wading and kayak trolling with a multiparameter water-quality sonde, (2) marine water-column sampling, and (3) collection of benthic algae samples. Instrument trolling helped guide the water sampling strategy by providing dense, continuous transects of water properties on which groundwater discharge zones could be identified. Water and algae samples for costly chemical and isotopic laboratory analyses were last to be collected but were highly diagnostic of wastewater presence and nutrient origin because of low detection levels and confirmation across multiple tracers. Laboratory results confirmed the presence of wastewater constituents in marine water-column samples at both locales and showed evidence of modifying processes such as denitrification and mixing of effluent with surrounding groundwater and seawater. Carbamazepine was the most diagnostic pharmaceutical, detected in several marine water-column samples and effluent at both Kihei and Lahaina. Heavy nitrogen-isotope compositions in water and algae were highly diagnostic of effluent, particularly where enriched to even heavier values than effluent source compositions by denitrification. Algae provided an added advantage of time-integrating their nitrogen source during growth. The measured Kihei plume coincided almost exactly with prior model predictions, but the Lahaina plume was detected well south of the expected direct path from injection wells to shore and may be

  6. Performance of anaerobic fluidized membrane bioreactors using effluents of microbial fuel cells treating domestic wastewater.

    PubMed

    Kim, Kyoung-Yeol; Yang, Wulin; Ye, Yaoli; LaBarge, Nicole; Logan, Bruce E

    2016-05-01

    Anaerobic fluidized membrane bioreactors (AFMBRs) have been mainly developed as a post-treatment process to produce high quality effluent with very low energy consumption. The performance of an AFMBR was examined using the effluent from a microbial fuel cell (MFC) treating domestic wastewater, as a function of AFMBR hydraulic retention times (HRTs) and organic matter loading rates. The MFC-AFMBR achieved 89 ± 3% removal of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), with an effluent of 36 ± 6 mg-COD/L over 112 days operation. The AFMBR had very stable operation, with no significant changes in COD removal efficiencies, for HRTs ranging from 1.2 to 3.8h, although the effluent COD concentration increased with organic loading. Transmembrane pressure (TMP) was low, and could be maintained below 0.12 bar through solids removal. This study proved that the AFMBR could be operated with a short HRT but a low COD loading rate was required to achieve low effluent COD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Biotoxicity assessment and toxicity mechanism on coal gasification wastewater (CGW): A comparative analysis of effluent from different treatment processes.

    PubMed

    Ma, Weiwei; Han, Yuxing; Xu, Chunyan; Han, Hongjun; Zhu, Hao; Li, Kun; Zheng, Mengqi

    2018-05-04

    Even though coal gasification wastewater (CGW) treated by various biochemical treatment processes generally met the national discharge standard, its potential biotoxicity was still unknown. Therefore, in this study, bioassay with Tetrahymena thermophila (T. thermophila) was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the variation of biotoxicity in raw CGW and the treated effluent from lab-scale micro-electrolysis integrated with biological reactor (MEBR), single iron-carbon micro-electrolysis (ICME) and conventional activated sludge (CAS) processes. The results illustrated that raw CGW presented intensive acute toxicity with 24 h EC 50 value of 8.401% and toxic unit (TU) value of 11.90. Moreover, it performed significant cell membrane destruction and DNA damage even at 10% dilution concentration. The toxicant identification results revealed that multiple toxic polar compounds such as phenolic, heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic compounds were the main contributors for biotoxicity. Furthermore, these compounds could accelerate oxidative stress, thereby inducing oxidative damage of cell membrane and DNA. As for treated effluent, TU value was decreased by 90.58% in MEBR process. An effective biotoxicity reduction was achieved in MEBR process owing to high removal efficiency in polar organic toxicants. In contrast, effluent from ICME and CAS processes presented relatively high acute toxicity and genotoxicity, because various heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic compounds were difficult to be degraded in these processes. Therefore, it was suggested that MEBR was a potential and feasible process for improving CGW treatment and minimizing ecological risk. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Occurrence of surfactants in wastewater: hourly and seasonal variations in urban and industrial wastewaters from Seville (Southern Spain).

    PubMed

    Camacho-Muñoz, Dolores; Martín, Julia; Santos, Juan Luís; Aparicio, Irene; Alonso, Esteban

    2014-01-15

    Surfactants are daily discharged to the environment from urban and industrial activities. The assessment of the risk derived from the presence of these compounds in the environment requires a deep knowledge about their sources and their distribution in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, in spite of several studies reporting their presence in WWTPs, only a small number is focused on their different sources. In this work, the distribution of anionic (linear alkylbenzene sulfonates) and non-ionic (nonylphenol ethoxylates) surfactants in WWTPs and in urban and industrial wastewater collection systems has been investigated. Seasonal and daily variability was also assessed. Concentrations of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates in influent and effluent wastewaters ranged from 1155 to 9200 μg L(-1), and from below limit of detection to 770 μg L(-1), respectively, whereas the concentrations of nonylphenol ethoxylates were significantly lower. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates were efficiently removed (>96%), while mean removal rates of nonylphenol ethoxylates were significantly lower (<20%). Studies carried out in different seasons revealed seasonal discharge patterns from both urban and industrial activities. The analysis of wastewater collection systems showed a major contribution of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates from urban areas while, in the case of nonylphenol ethoxylates, their major contribution came from industrial activities. In all cases the discharge patterns of surfactants were related with the water consumption. © 2013.

  9. [Ecological security of wastewater treatment processes: a review].

    PubMed

    Yang, Sai; Hua, Tao

    2013-05-01

    Though the regular indicators of wastewater after treatment can meet the discharge requirements and reuse standards, it doesn't mean the effluent is harmless. From the sustainable point of view, to ensure the ecological and human security, comprehensive toxicity should be considered when discharge standards are set up. In order to improve the ecological security of wastewater treatment processes, toxicity reduction should be considered when selecting and optimizing the treatment processes. This paper reviewed the researches on the ecological security of wastewater treatment processes, with the focus on the purposes of various treatment processes, including the processes for special wastewater treatment, wastewater reuse, and for the safety of receiving waters. Conventional biological treatment combined with advanced oxidation technologies can enhance the toxicity reduction on the base of pollutants removal, which is worthy of further study. For the process aimed at wastewater reuse, the integration of different process units can complement the advantages of both conventional pollutants removal and toxicity reduction. For the process aimed at ecological security of receiving waters, the emphasis should be put on the toxicity reduction optimization of process parameters and process unit selection. Some suggestions for the problems in the current research and future research directions were put forward.

  10. 40 CFR 125.67 - Increase in effluent volume or amount of pollutants discharged.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS CRITERIA AND STANDARDS FOR THE NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION... projections of effluent volume and mass loadings for any pollutants to which the modification applies in 5...

  11. Evaluation of the levels of alcohol sulfates and ethoxysulfates in marine sediments near wastewater discharge points along the coast of Tenerife Island.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Ramos, C; Ballesteros, O; Zafra-Gómez, A; Camino-Sánchez, F J; Blanc, R; Navalón, A; Pérez-Trujillo, J P; Vílchez, J L

    2014-02-15

    Alcohol sulfates (AS) and alcohol ethoxysulfates (AES) are all High Production Volume and 'down-the-drain' chemicals used globally in detergent and personal care products, resulting in low levels ultimately released to the environment via wastewater treatment plant effluents. They have a strong affinity for sorption to sediments. Almost 50% of Tenerife Island surface area is environmentally protected. Therefore, determination of concentration levels of AS/AES in marine sediments near wastewater discharge points along the coast of the Island is of interest. These data were obtained after pressurized liquid extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Short chains of AES and especially of AS dominated the homologue distribution for AES. The Principal Components Analysis was used. The results showed that the sources of AS and AES were the same and that both compounds exhibit similar behavior. Three different patterns in the distribution for homologues and ethoxymers were found. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Removal rate and releases of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in two wastewater treatment plants, Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hyo Jin; Kim, Gi Beum

    2017-06-01

    Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an important role in minimizing the release of many pollutants into the environment. Nineteen congeners in two WWTPs in Korea were determined to investigate the occurrence and fate of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) during wastewater treatment processes. The concentration of total PBDEs was 69.6 and 183 ng/L in influent, which declined to 1.59 and 2.34 ng/L in the final effluent, respectively (Tongyeong and Jinhae WWTPs). PBDEs were found to exist mostly in the particulate phase of wastewater, which rendered sedimentation efficient for the removal of PBDEs. BDE-209 was the predominant congener in the influent and sludge. Most of the PBDEs entering the WWTPs presumably ended up in the sludge, with < 2% being discharged with the final effluent. According to the mass loading estimation, every day 2.55-9.29 g PBDEs entered the two WWTPs, 2.8-10.4 g were disposed to landfill sites in sludge form and 0.06-0.12 g were discharged to the surrounding water through final effluent, respectively. Preliminary results indicated that the ecological risk to organisms in soil exposed to PBDEs through the usage of sludge application to agricultural land was relatively low. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the removal efficiency of PBDEs in a WWTP in Korea.

  13. Pharmaceutical Formulation Facilities as Sources of Opioids and Other Pharmaceuticals to Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluents

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Facilities involved in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are an under-investigated source of pharmaceuticals to the environment. Between 2004 and 2009, 35 to 38 effluent samples were collected from each of three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in New York and analyzed for seven pharmaceuticals including opioids and muscle relaxants. Two WWTPs (NY2 and NY3) receive substantial flows (>20% of plant flow) from pharmaceutical formulation facilities (PFF) and one (NY1) receives no PFF flow. Samples of effluents from 23 WWTPs across the United States were analyzed once for these pharmaceuticals as part of a national survey. Maximum pharmaceutical effluent concentrations for the national survey and NY1 effluent samples were generally <1 μg/L. Four pharmaceuticals (methadone, oxycodone, butalbital, and metaxalone) in samples of NY3 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 3.4 to >400 μg/L. Maximum concentrations of oxycodone (1700 μg/L) and metaxalone (3800 μg/L) in samples from NY3 effluent exceeded 1000 μg/L. Three pharmaceuticals (butalbital, carisoprodol, and oxycodone) in samples of NY2 effluent had median concentrations ranging from 2 to 11 μg/L. These findings suggest that current manufacturing practices at these PFFs can result in pharmaceuticals concentrations from 10 to 1000 times higher than those typically found in WWTP effluents. PMID:20521847

  14. In vivo and In vitro neurochemical-based assessments of wastewater effluents from the Maumee River area of concern.

    PubMed

    Arini, Adeline; Cavallin, Jenna E; Berninger, Jason P; Marfil-Vega, Ruth; Mills, Marc; Villeneuve, Daniel L; Basu, Niladri

    2016-04-01

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents contain potentially neuroactive chemicals though few methods are available to screen for the presence of such agents. Here, two parallel approaches (in vivo and in vitro) were used to assess WWTP exposure-related changes to neurochemistry. First, fathead minnows (FHM, Pimephales promelas) were caged for four days along a WWTP discharge zone into the Maumee River (Ohio, USA). Grab water samples were collected and extracts obtained for the detection of alkylphenols, bisphenol A (BPA) and steroid hormones. Second, the extracts were then used as a source of in vitro exposure to brain tissues from FHM and four additional species relevant to the Great Lakes ecosystem (rainbow trout (RT), river otter (RO), bald eagle (BE) and human (HU)). The ability of the wastewater (in vivo) or extracts (in vitro) to interact with enzymes (monoamine oxidase (MAO) and glutamine synthetase (GS)) and receptors (dopamine (D2) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA)) involved in dopamine and glutamate-dependent neurotransmission were examined on brain homogenates. In vivo exposure of FHM led to significant decreases of NMDA receptor binding in females (24-42%), and increases of MAO activity in males (2.8- to 3.2-fold). In vitro, alkylphenol-targeted extracts significantly inhibited D2 (66% in FHM) and NMDA (24-54% in HU and RT) receptor binding, and induced MAO activity in RT, RO, and BE brains. Steroid hormone-targeted extracts inhibited GS activity in all species except FHM. BPA-targeted extracts caused a MAO inhibition in FHM, RT and BE brains. Using both in vivo and in vitro approaches, this study shows that WWTP effluents contain agents that can interact with neurochemicals important in reproduction and other neurological functions. Additional work is needed to better resolve in vitro to in vivo extrapolations (IVIVE) as well as cross-species differences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. State Waste Discharge Permit application for industrial discharge to land: 200 East Area W-252 streams

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    This document constitutes the WAC 173-216 State Waste Discharge Permit application for six W-252 liquid effluent streams at the Hanford Site. Appendices B through H correspond to Section B through H in the permit application form. Within each appendix, sections correspond directly to the respective questions on the application form. The appendices include: Product or service information; Plant operational characteristics; Water consumption and waterloss; Wastewater information; Stormwater; Other information; and Site assessment.

  16. Recirculation of gas emissions to achieve advanced denitrification of the effluent from the anaerobic treatment of domestic wastewater.

    PubMed

    Pelaz, L; Gómez, A; Garralón, G; Letona, A; Fdz-Polanco, M

    2018-02-01

    A denitrifying pilot plant was designed, constructed and operated for more than five months. The plant treated domestic wastewater with high ammonium nitrogen concentration, which had previously undergone an anaerobic process at 18 °C. The process consisted of one biofilter with 2 h of hydraulic retention time for denitritation. Different synthetic nitrite concentrations were supplied to the anoxic reactor to simulate the effluent of a nitritation process. This work investigates the advanced denitritation of wastewater using the organic matter and other alternative electron donors present in an anaerobic treatment process effluent: methane and sulfide. The denitrifying bacteria were able to treat wastewater at an inlet nitrite concentration of 75 mg NO 2 - -N/L with a removal efficiency of 92.9%. When the inlet nitrite concentration was higher, the recirculation of the gas from the top of the anoxic reactor was successful to enhance the nitrite removal, achieving a NO 2 - elimination efficiency of 98.3%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Application of solar AOPs and ozonation for elimination of micropollutants in municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents.

    PubMed

    Prieto-Rodríguez, L; Oller, I; Klamerth, N; Agüera, A; Rodríguez, E M; Malato, S

    2013-03-15

    Conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants are not able to entirely degrade some organic pollutants that end up in the environment. Within this group of contaminants, Emerging Contaminants are mostly unregulated compounds that may be candidates for future regulation. In this work, different advanced technologies: solar heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO(2), solar photo-Fenton and ozonation, are studied as tertiary treatments for the remediation of micropollutants present in real municipal wastewater treatment plants effluents at pilot plant scale. Contaminants elimination was followed by Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole ion trap Mass Spectrometry analysis after a pre-concentration 100:1 by automatic solid phase extraction. 66 target micropollutants were identified and quantified. 16 of those contaminants at initial concentrations over 1000 ng L(-1), made up over 88% of the initial total effluent pollutant load. The order of micropollutants elimination efficiency under the experimental conditions evaluated was solar photo-Fenton > ozonation > solar heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO(2). Toxicity analyses by Vibrio fischeri and respirometric tests showed no significant changes in the effluent toxicity after the three tertiary treatments application. Solar photo-Fenton and ozonation treatments were also compared from an economical point of view. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Concentrations of levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol in wastewater effluents: Is the progestin also cause for concern?

    PubMed

    King, Olivia C; van de Merwe, Jason P; McDonald, James A; Leusch, Frederic D L

    2016-06-01

    Synthetic hormones have been widely reported in treated sewage effluents, and consequently receiving aquatic environments. Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a potent synthetic estrogen commonly used in conjunction with levonorgestrel in oral contraceptive pills. Both EE2 and levonorgestrel have been identified in the aquatic environment, but although there is a significant amount of literature on EE2, there is much less information on levonorgestrel. Using Australian prescription data as well as excretion and predicted wastewater removal rates, the concentrations of EE2 and levonorgestrel in Australian wastewater were calculated at 0.1 ng/L to 0.5 ng/L and 0.2 ng/L to 0.6 ng/L, respectively. Both compounds were analyzed in treated wastewater and surface water grab samples from 3 Southeast Queensland, Australia sites. The predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) for EE2 of 0.1 ng/L was exceeded at most sites, with EE2 concentrations up to 2 ng/L in treated effluent, albeit quickly diluted to 0.1 ng/L to 0.2 ng/L in the receiving environment. A provisional PNEC for levonorgestrel of 0.1 ng/L derived in the present study was slightly lower than predicted effluent concentrations of 0.2 ng/L to 0.6 ng/L, indicating a potential risk of endocrine-related effects in exposed aquatic species. The detection limit for levonorgestrel in the present study was 2.5 ng/L, and all samples were below detection limit. The present study's results suggest that improvements in analytical capabilities for levonorgestrel are warranted to more accurately quantify the risk of this compound in the receiving environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1378-1385. © 2015 SETAC. © 2015 SETAC.

  19. Assessment of toxicological profiles of the municipal wastewater effluents using chemical analyses and bioassays.

    PubMed

    Smital, Tvrtko; Terzic, Senka; Zaja, Roko; Senta, Ivan; Pivcevic, Branka; Popovic, Marta; Mikac, Iva; Tollefsen, Knut Erik; Thomas, Kevin V; Ahel, Marijan

    2011-05-01

    The hazardous chemical contamination of untreated wastewater and secondary effluent from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of the city of Zagreb, Croatia was comprehensively characterized using large-volume solid-phase extraction (SPE) and silica gel fractionation, followed by a detailed analysis of the resulting extracts by a combination of chemical and bioassay methods. Over 100 individual contaminants or closely related-contaminant groups were identified by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF). Ecotoxicity profiling of the investigated samples, including cytotoxicity, chronic toxicity and EROD activity; inhibition of the multixenobiotic resistance (MXR), genotoxicity and estrogenic potential, revealed the most significant contribution of toxic compounds to be present in polar fractions. Wastewater treatment using conventional activated sludge process reduced the initial toxicity of raw wastewater to various extents, ranging from 28% for algal toxicity to 73.2% for an estrogenic activity. The most efficient toxicity removal was observed for the polar compounds. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. An Assessment of the Model of Concentration Addition for Predicting the Estrogenic Activity of Chemical Mixtures in Wastewater Treatment Works Effluents

    PubMed Central

    Thorpe, Karen L.; Gross-Sorokin, Melanie; Johnson, Ian; Brighty, Geoff; Tyler, Charles R.

    2006-01-01

    The effects of simple mixtures of chemicals, with similar mechanisms of action, can be predicted using the concentration addition model (CA). The ability of this model to predict the estrogenic effects of more complex mixtures such as effluent discharges, however, has yet to be established. Effluents from 43 U.K. wastewater treatment works were analyzed for the presence of the principal estrogenic chemical contaminants, estradiol, estrone, ethinylestradiol, and nonylphenol. The measured concentrations were used to predict the estrogenic activity of each effluent, employing the model of CA, based on the relative potencies of the individual chemicals in an in vitro recombinant yeast estrogen screen (rYES) and a short-term (14-day) in vivo rainbow trout vitellogenin induction assay. Based on the measured concentrations of the four chemicals in the effluents and their relative potencies in each assay, the calculated in vitro and in vivo responses compared well and ranged between 3.5 and 87 ng/L of estradiol equivalents (E2 EQ) for the different effluents. In the rYES, however, the measured E2 EQ concentrations in the effluents ranged between 0.65 and 43 ng E2 EQ/L, and they varied against those predicted by the CA model. Deviations in the estimation of the estrogenic potency of the effluents by the CA model, compared with the measured responses in the rYES, are likely to have resulted from inaccuracies associated with the measurement of the chemicals in the extracts derived from the complex effluents. Such deviations could also result as a consequence of interactions between chemicals present in the extracts that disrupted the activation of the estrogen response elements in the rYES. E2 EQ concentrations derived from the vitellogenic response in fathead minnows exposed to a series of effluent dilutions were highly comparable with the E2 EQ concentrations derived from assessments of the estrogenic potency of these dilutions in the rYES. Together these data support the

  1. Titanium dioxide nanoparticle exposure reduces algal biomass and alters algal assemblage composition in wastewater effluent-dominated stream mesocosms.

    PubMed

    Wright, Moncie V; Matson, Cole W; Baker, Leanne F; Castellon, Benjamin T; Watkins, Preston S; King, Ryan S

    2018-06-01

    A 5-week mesocosm experiment was conducted to investigate the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) to periphytic algae in an environmentally-realistic scenario. We used outdoor experimental streams to simulate the characteristics of central Texas streams receiving large discharges of wastewater treatment plant effluent during prolonged periods of drought. The streams were continually dosed and maintained at two concentrations. The first represents an environmentally relevant concentration of 0.05 mg L -1 (low concentration). The second treatment of 5 mg L -1 (high concentration) was selected to represent a scenario where TiO 2 NPs are used for photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Algal cell density, chlorophyll-a, ash-free dry mass, algal assemblage composition, and Ti accumulation were determined for the periphyton in the riffle sections of each stream. The high concentration treatment of TiO 2 NPs significantly decreased algal cell density, ash-free dry mass, and chlorophyll-a, and altered algal assemblage composition. Decreased abundance of three typically pollution-sensitive taxa and increased abundance of two genera associated with heavy metal sorption and organic pollution significantly contributed to algal assemblage composition changes in response to TiO 2 NPs. Benefits of the use of TiO 2 NPs in wastewater treatment plants will need to be carefully weighed against the demonstrated ability of these NPs to cause large changes in periphyton that would likely propagate significant effects throughout the stream ecosystem, even in the absence of direct toxicity to higher trophic level organisms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Transport and fate of microplastic particles in wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Carr, Steve A; Liu, Jin; Tesoro, Arnold G

    2016-03-15

    Municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are frequently suspected as significant point sources or conduits of microplastics to the environment. To directly investigate these suspicions, effluent discharges from seven tertiary plants and one secondary plant in Southern California were studied. The study also looked at influent loads, particle size/type, conveyance, and removal at these wastewater treatment facilities. Over 0.189 million liters of effluent at each of the seven tertiary plants were filtered using an assembled stack of sieves with mesh sizes between 400 and 45 μm. Additionally, the surface of 28.4 million liters of final effluent at three tertiary plants was skimmed using a 125 μm filtering assembly. The results suggest that tertiary effluent is not a significant source of microplastics and that these plastic pollutants are effectively removed during the skimming and settling treatment processes. However, at a downstream secondary plant, an average of one micro-particle in every 1.14 thousand liters of final effluent was counted. The majority of microplastics identified in this study had a profile (color, shape, and size) similar to the blue polyethylene particles present in toothpaste formulations. Existing treatment processes were determined to be very effective for removal of microplastic contaminants entering typical municipal WWTPs. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Retention in Treated Wastewater Affects Survival and Deposition of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in Sand Columns

    PubMed Central

    Li, Jiuyi; Zhao, Xiaokang; Tian, Xiujun; Li, Jin; Sjollema, Jelmer

    2015-01-01

    The fate and transport of pathogenic bacteria from wastewater treatment facilities in the Earth's subsurface have attracted extensive concern over recent decades, while the impact of treated-wastewater chemistry on bacterial viability and transport behavior remains unclear. The influence of retention time in effluent from a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant on the survival and deposition of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains in sand columns was investigated in this paper. In comparison to the bacteria cultivated in nutrient-rich growth media, retention in treated wastewater significantly reduced the viability of all strains. Bacterial surface properties, e.g., zeta potential, hydrophobicity, and surface charges, varied dramatically in treated wastewater, though no universal trend was found for different strains. Retention in treated wastewater effluent resulted in changes in bacterial deposition in sand columns. Longer retention periods in treated wastewater decreased bacterial deposition rates for the strains evaluated and elevated the transport potential in sand columns. We suggest that the wastewater quality should be taken into account in estimating the fate of pathogenic bacteria discharged from wastewater treatment facilities and the risks they pose in the aquatic environment. PMID:25595758

  4. Effective swine wastewater treatment by combining microbial fuel cells with flocculation.

    PubMed

    Ding, Weijun; Cheng, Shaoan; Yu, Liliang; Huang, Haobin

    2017-09-01

    Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide a cost-effective method for treating swine wastewater treatment and simultaneously producing electricity, yet they need to be combined with other wastewater treatment processes to improve the effluent water quality. In this paper, we constructed single-chamber air-cathode MFCs with a compact configuration for nitrogen and COD removal and high electricity production and combined them with a low-cost flocculation process to discharge higher quality wastewater. We show that MFCs could remove ammonia at a rate of 269.2 ± 0.5 g m -3 d -1 (99.1± 0.1% ammonia removal efficiency) with a maximum power density of 37.5 W m -3 and 21.6% of coulombic efficiency at a 40:60 ratio of raw swine wastewater to denitrification effluent of swine wastewater. Up to 82.5 ± 0.5% COD could be removed with MFCs, from 2735 ± 15 mg L -1 to 480 ± 15 mg L -1 , and flocculation further reduced levels to 90 ± 1 mg L -1 for a 96.6 ± 0.2% overall COD removal efficiency of the combination technology. Cost analysis of the combined MFC and flocculation process showed a net economic benefit of $ 0.026 m -3 . In summary, this novel combination wastewater treatment method provides an effective way to treat swine wastewater to low pollutant levels in the effluent at low cost (a net gain). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Effect of adding brewery wastewater to pulp and paper mill effluent to enhance the photofermentation process: wastewater characteristics, biohydrogen production, overall performance, and kinetic modeling.

    PubMed

    Hay, Jacqueline Xiao Wen; Wu, Ta Yeong; Juan, Joon Ching; Md Jahim, Jamaliah

    2017-04-01

    Although a significant amount of brewery wastewater (BW) is generated during beer production, the nutrients in the BW could be reused as a potential bio-resource for biohydrogen production. Therefore, improvements in photofermentative biohydrogen production due to a combination of BW and pulp and paper mill effluent (PPME) as a mixed production medium were investigated comprehensively in this study. The experimental results showed that both the biohydrogen yield and the chemical oxygen demand removal were improved through the combination of BW and PPME. The best biohydrogen yield of 0.69 mol H 2 /L medium was obtained using the combination of 10 % BW + 90 % PPME (10B90P), while the reuse of the wastewater alone (100 % BW and 100 % PPME) resulted in 42.3 and 44.0 % less biohydrogen yields than the highest yield, respectively. The greatest light efficiency was 1.97 % and was also achieved using the combination of both wastewaters at 10B90P. This study revealed the potential of reusing and combining two different effluents together, in which the combination of BW and PPME improved the nutrients and light penetration into the mixed production medium.

  6. Nitrogen speciation in wastewater treatment plant influents and effluents-the US and Polish case studies.

    PubMed

    Pagilla, K R; Urgun-Demirtas, M; Czerwionka, K; Makinia, J

    2008-01-01

    The fate of N species, particularly dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), through process trains of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was investigated. In this study, three fully nitrifying plants in Illinois, USA and biological nutrient removal (BNR) plants in northern Poland were sampled for N characterization in the primary and secondary effluents as a function of the particle size distribution. The correlations between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) concentrations were examined. The key findings are that DON becomes significant portion (about 20%) of the effluent N, reaching up to 50% of effluent total N in one of the Polish plants. The DON constituted 56-95% of total ON (TON) in the secondary effluents, whereas in the Polish plants the DON contribution was substantially lower (19-62%) and in one case (Gdansk WWTP) colloidal ON was the dominating fraction (62% of TON). The DOC to DON ratio in the US plants is significantly lower than that in the receiving waters indicating potential for deterioration of receiving water quality. In Polish plants, the influent and effluent C:N ratios are similar, but not in the US plants. IWA Publishing 2008.

  7. Survival of antibiotic resistant bacteria following artificial solar radiation of secondary wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Glady-Croue, Julie; Niu, Xi-Zhi; Ramsay, Joshua P; Watkin, Elizabeth; Murphy, Riley J T; Croue, Jean-Philippe

    2018-06-01

    Urban wastewater treatment plant effluents represent one of the major emission sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in natural aquatic environments. In this study, the effect of artificial solar radiation on total culturable heterotrophic bacteria and ARB (including amoxicillin-resistant, ciprofloxacin-resistant, rifampicin-resistant, sulfamethoxazole-resistant, and tetracycline-resistant bacteria) present in secondary effluent was investigated. Artificial solar radiation was effective in inactivating the majority of environmental bacteria, however, the proportion of strains with ciprofloxacin-resistance and rifampicin-resistance increased in the surviving populations. Isolates of Pseudomonas putida, Serratia marcescens, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia nosocomial pathogens were identified as resistant to solar radiation and to at least three antibiotics. Draft genome sequencing and typing revealed isolates carrying multiple resistance genes; where S. maltophilia (resistant to all studied antibiotics) sequence type was similar to strains isolated in blood infections. Results from this study confirm that solar radiation reduces total bacterial load in secondary effluent, but may indirectly increase the relative abundance of ARB. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Critical evaluation of monitoring strategy for the multi-residue determination of 90 chiral and achiral micropollutants in effluent wastewater.

    PubMed

    Petrie, Bruce; Proctor, Kathryn; Youdan, Jane; Barden, Ruth; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

    2017-02-01

    It is essential to monitor the release of organic micropollutants from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) for developing environmental risk assessment and assessing compliance with legislative regulation. In this study the impact of sampling strategy on the quantitative determination of micropollutants in effluent wastewater was investigated. An extended list of 90 chiral and achiral micropollutants representing a broad range of biological and physico-chemical properties were studied simultaneously for the first time. During composite sample collection micropollutants can degrade resulting in the under-estimation of concentration. Cooling collected sub-samples to 4°C stabilised ≥81 of 90 micropollutants to acceptable levels (±20% of the initial concentration) in the studied effluents. However, achieving stability for all micropollutants will require an integrated approach to sample collection (i.e., multi-bottle sampling with more than one stabilisation method applied). Full-scale monitoring of effluent revealed time-paced composites attained similar information to volume-paced composites (influent wastewater requires a sampling mode responsive to flow variation). The option of monitoring effluent using time-paced composite samplers is advantageous as not all WWTPs have flow controlled samplers or suitable sites for deploying portable flow meters. There has been little research to date on the impact of monitoring strategy on the determination of chiral micropollutants at the enantiomeric level. Variability in wastewater flow results in a dynamic hydraulic retention time within the WWTP (and upstream sewerage system). Despite chiral micropollutants being susceptible to stereo-selective degradation, no diurnal variability in their enantiomeric distribution was observed. However, unused medication can be directly disposed into the sewer network creating short-term (e.g., daily) changes to their enantiomeric distribution. As enantio-specific toxicity is observed

  9. WW LCI v2: A second-generation life cycle inventory model for chemicals discharged to wastewater systems.

    PubMed

    Kalbar, Pradip P; Muñoz, Ivan; Birkved, Morten

    2018-05-01

    We present a second-generation wastewater treatment inventory model, WW LCI 2.0, which on many fronts represents considerable advances compared to its previous version WW LCI 1.0. WW LCI 2.0 is a novel and complete wastewater inventory model integrating WW LCI 1.0, i.e. a complete life cycle inventory, including infrastructure requirement, energy consumption and auxiliary materials applied for the treatment of wastewater and disposal of sludge and SewageLCI, i.e. fate modelling of chemicals released to the sewer. The model is expanded to account for different wastewater treatment levels, i.e. primary, secondary and tertiary treatment, independent treatment by septic tanks and also direct discharge to natural waters. Sludge disposal by means of composting is added as a new option. The model also includes a database containing statistics on wastewater treatment levels and sludge disposal patterns in 56 countries. The application of the new model is demonstrated using five chemicals assumed discharged to wastewater systems in four different countries. WW LCI 2.0 model results shows that chemicals such as diethylenetriamine penta (methylene phosphonic acid) (DTPMP) and Diclofenac, exhibit lower climate change (CC) and freshwater ecotoxicity (FET) burdens upon wastewater treatment compared to direct discharge in all country scenarios. Results for Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen (more readily degradable) show that the CC burden depends on the country-specific levels of wastewater treatment. Higher treatment levels lead to lower CC and FET burden compared to direct discharge. WW LCI 2.0 makes it possible to generate complete detailed life cycle inventories and fate analyses for chemicals released to wastewater systems. Our test of the WW LCI 2.0 model with five chemicals illustrates how the model can provide substantially different outcomes, compared to conventional wastewater inventory models, making the inventory dependent upon the atomic composition of the molecules

  10. Systematic study of the contamination of wastewater treatment plant effluents by organic priority compounds in Almeria province (SE Spain).

    PubMed

    Barco-Bonilla, Nieves; Romero-González, Roberto; Plaza-Bolaños, Patricia; Martínez Vidal, José L; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

    2013-03-01

    The occurrence of priority organic pollutants in wastewater (WW) effluents was evaluated in a semi-arid area, characterized by a high agricultural and tourism activity, as Almeria province (Southeastern Spain). Twelve wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were sampled in three campaigns during 2011, obtaining a total of 33 WW samples, monitoring 226 compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenolic compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Certain banned organochlorine pesticides such as aldrin, pentachlorobenzene, o,p'-DDD and endosulfan lactone were found, and the most frequently detected pesticides were herbicides (diuron, triazines). PAHs and VOCs were also detected, noting that some of these pollutants were ubiquitous. Regarding phenolic compounds, 4-tertoctylphenol was found in all the WW samples at high concentration levels (up to 89.7 μg/L). Furthermore, it was observed that WW effluent samples were less contaminated in the second and third sampling periods, which corresponded to dry season. This evaluation revealed that despite the WW was treated in the WWTP, organic contaminants are still being detected in WW effluents and therefore they are released into the environment. Finally the risk of environmental threat due to the presence of some compounds in WWTP effluents, especially concerning 4-tertoctylphenol must be indicated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Efficiency of beef extract for the recovery of poliovirus from wastewater effluents

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Landry, E.F.; Vaughn, J.M.; Thomas, M.Z.

    1978-10-01

    The efficiency of poliovirus elution from fiber glass cartridge filters (K27), epoxy-fiber glass-asbestos filters (M780), and pleated cartridge filters was assessed by using 3% beef extract (pH 9.0) or 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5). Poliovirus type I, strain LSc, was seeded into 20 to 25 gallon (ca. 75.6 to 95.6 liter) samples of treated sewage effluent and concentrated by using a filter adsorption-elution technique. Virus elution was accomplished by using either two 600-ml portions of 3% beef extract (pH 9.0), or two 1 liter portions of 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5). In all experiments, beef extract elution followed by organicmore » flocculation was found to be superior, yielding a mean recovery efficiency of 85%, with recoveries ranging from 68 to 100%. Elution with 0.1 M glycine (pH 11.5) followed by inorganic flocculation resulted in a mean recovery efficiency of 36%. The variable range of recoveries with beef extract could not be significantly improved by varying the type of beef extract or by extending the elution time to 30 min. Second-step reconcentration of 1 liter seeded sewage effluent and renovated wastewater samples indicated that organic flocculation was a more efficient method for virus recovery than inorganic flocculation. Beef extract concentrations of less than 3% were found to be efficient in the recovery of poliovirus from renovated wastewater.« less

  12. Effects of urban wastewater on hyporheic habitat and invertebrates in Mediterranean streams.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Morales, Marc; Sabater, Francesc; Muñoz, Isabel

    2018-06-18

    Wastewater discharges into fluvial ecosystems represent a significant and continuous source of fine particles and nutrients that can severely modify stream community composition and functionality. Depending on both wastewater and stream features (e.g., nutrient removal treatments and stream dilution capacity), the ecological effects can be more or less severe. To determine how hyporheic habitat and hyporheos are affected, we analysed eight Mediterranean streams both upstream and downstream of a wastewater effluent. The results demonstrated that environmental factors associated with clogging, such as the quantity of fine particulate and organic matter in sediment, were magnified downstream of the wastewater inputs. Likewise, dissolved nutrients also increased but depended to a greater extent on the presence of a wastewater treatment plant and on the nitrogen and phosphorus removal treatments. The hyporheic invertebrates were more affected by clogging than by eutrophication. Both richness and diversity parameters were negatively correlated with clogging features but were not correlated with eutrophication. The most affected taxa were Macrocrustaceans, Hydrachnidia and several insect species, which decreased or were not detected downstream of the effluents. On the contrary, other taxa such as Naididae (Oligochaeta), Orthocladiinae (Chironomidae) and Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gastropoda) benefited from the wastewater inputs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Pulsed corona discharge oxidation of aqueous carbamazepine micropollutant.

    PubMed

    Ajo, Petri; Krzymyk, Ewelina; Preis, Sergei; Kornev, Iakov; Kronberg, Leif; Louhi-Kultanen, Marjatta

    2016-08-01

    The anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ) receives growing attention due to slow biodegradation and inherent accumulation in the aquatic environment. The application of a gas-phase pulsed corona discharge (PCD) was investigated to remove CBZ from synthetic solutions and spiked wastewater effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment facility. The treated water was showered between high voltage (HV) wires and grounded plate electrodes, to which ultra-short HV pulses were applied. CBZ was readily oxidized and 1-(2-benzaldehyde)-4-hydroquinazoline-2-one (BQM) and 1-(2-benzaldehyde)-4-hydro-quinazoline-2,4-dione (BQD) were identified as the most abundant primary transformation products, which, contrary to CBZ ozonation data available in the literature, were further easily oxidized with PCD: BQM and BQD attributed to only a minor portion of the target compound oxidized. In concentrations commonly found in wastewater treatment plant effluents (around 5 µg L(-1)), up to 97% reduction in CBZ concentration was achieved at mere 0.3 kW h m(-3) energy consumption, and over 99.9% was removed at 1 kW h m(-3). The PCD application proved to be efficient in the removal of both the parent substance and its known transformation products, even with the competing reactions in the complex composition of wastewater.

  14. Concentrations of Prioritized Pharmaceuticals in Effluents from 50 Large Wastewater Treatment Plants in the US and Implications for Risk Estimation

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    PDF file of Concentrations of Prioritized Pharmaceuticals in Effluents from 50 Large Wastewater Treatment Plants in the US and Implications for Risk Estimation by Mitchell Kostich, Angella Batt, and James Lazorchak

  15. Strategies for development of industrial wastewater reuse in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Visvanathan, C; Cippe, A

    2001-01-01

    Majority of the industrial activities in Thailand are concentrated around Bangkok Metropolitan Area. The ever increasing industrial activities have led to over exploitation of water resources and discharge of significant pollution load. Therefore, it is important to identify the wastewater reuse potentials and develop strategies for its promotion within the industrial sector. Although technological advances have made it possible to treat effluents for industrial re-use, in practice, the Thai industries do lack in implementation of such technologies. Promotion of cleaner production concepts and advanced new technologies such as membrane technologies could assist the industry for the implementation of wastewater reuse projects in Thailand. This paper discusses various technical, institutional and management related issues to promote industrial wastewater reuse, with few case studies.

  16. Polar pollutants entry into the water cycle by municipal wastewater: a European perspective.

    PubMed

    Reemtsma, Thorsten; Weiss, Stefan; Mueller, Jutta; Petrovic, Mira; González, Susana; Barcelo, Damia; Ventura, Francesc; Knepper, Thomas P

    2006-09-01

    The effluents of eight municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in Western Europe were analyzed by liquid-chromatography-mass spectrometry for the occurrence of 36 polar pollutants, comprising household and industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. In a long-term study of the effluents of three WWTP over 10 months, sulfophenyl carboxylates and ethylene diamino tetraacetate (EDTA) were detected above 10 microg/L on average, while benzotriazoles, benzothiazole-2-sulfonate, diclofenac, and carbamazepine showed mean concentrations of 1-10 microg/L, followed by some flame retardants, naphthalene disulfonates, and personal care products in the range of 0.1-1 microg/L. Half of the determined compounds were not significantly removed in tertiary wastewater treatment. By dividing the effluent concentration of a compound by its relative removal in WWTP a water cycle spreading index (WCSI) was calculated for each compound. We propose that this index provides a measure for the potential of a polar compound to spread along a partially closed water cycle after discharge with municipal wastewater and to occur in raw waters used for drinking water production. Polar pollutants in surface water samples of different catchments showed increasing concentration for compounds with increasing WCSI.

  17. Effects of wastewater disinfection on waterborne bacteria and viruses

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blatchley, E. R.; Gong, W.-L.; Alleman, J.E.; Rose, J.B.; Huffman, D.E.; Otaki, M.; Lisle, J.T.

    2007-01-01

    Wastewater disinfection is practiced with the goal of reducing risks of human exposure to pathogenic microorganisms. In most circumstances, the efficacy of a wastewater disinfection process is regulated and monitored based on measurements of the responses of indicator bacteria. However, inactivation of indicator bacteria does not guarantee an acceptable degree of inactivation among other waterborne microorganisms (e.g., microbial pathogens). Undisinfected effluent samples from several municipal wastewater treatment facilities were collected for analysis. Facilities were selected to provide a broad spectrum of effluent quality, particularly as related to nitrogenous compounds. Samples were subjected to bench-scale chlorination and dechlorination and UV irradiation under conditions that allowed compliance with relevant discharge regulations and such that disinfectant exposures could be accurately quantified. Disinfected samples were subjected to a battery of assays to assess the immediate and long-term effects of wastewater disinfection on waterborne bacteria and viruses. In general, (viable) bacterial populations showed an immediate decline as a result of disinfectant exposure; however, incubation of disinfected samples under conditions that were designed to mimic the conditions in a receiving stream resulted in substantial recovery of the total bacterial community. The bacterial groups that are commonly used as indicators do not provide an accurate representation of the response of the bacterial community to disinfectant exposure and subsequent recovery in the environment. UV irradiation and chlorination/dechlorination both accomplished measurable inactivation of indigenous phage; however, the extent of inactivation was fairly modest under the conditions of disinfection used in this study. UV irradiation was consistently more effective as a virucide than chlorination/dechlorination under the conditions of application, based on measurements of virus (phage

  18. Experimental research on bypass evaporation tower technology for zero liquid discharge of desulfurization wastewater.

    PubMed

    Ma, Shuangchen; Chai, Jin; Wu, Kai; Xiang, Yajun; Jia, Shaoguang; Li, Qingsong

    2018-03-20

    Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) of wastewater has become the trend of environmental governance after the implementation of 'The Action Plan for Prevention and Treatment of Water Pollution' in China, desulfurization wastewater has gained more attention due to its complex composition and heavy metals. However, current technologies for ZLD have some shortcomings such as high cost and insufficient processing capacity, ZLD cannot be achieved actually. This paper proposes a new evaporation drying technology. An independent bypass evaporation tower was built, part of the hot flue gas before the air preheater was introduced into the evaporation tower for desulfurization wastewater evaporation, and the generated dust after evaporation was discharged back to the flue duct before electrostatic precipitator. This paper reports on the performance of desulfurization wastewater evaporation and the characteristics of evaporation products in depth and makes a comprehensive discussion of the impact on the existing equipment based on the self-designed evaporation tower. Research suggests that this technology has high system reliability and little effect on subsequent equipment and provides theoretical and practical data. Due to environmental policies and huge market demand for ZLD of desulfurization wastewater, bypass evaporation tower technology has a great application prospect in the future.

  19. Artificial Sweeteners Reveal Septic System Effluent in Rural Groundwater.

    PubMed

    Spoelstra, John; Senger, Natalie D; Schiff, Sherry L

    2017-11-01

    It has been widely documented that municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents are a major source of artificial sweeteners to surface waters. However, in rural areas, the extent to which septic systems contribute these same compounds to groundwater aquifers is largely unknown. We examined the occurrence of four commonly used artificial sweeteners in an unconfined sand aquifer that serves as a water supply for rural residents, as a receptor of domestic wastewater from septic systems, and as a source of baseflow to the Nottawasaga River, ON, Canada. Groundwater from the Lake Algonquin Sand Aquifer in the southern Nottawasaga River Watershed was collected from private domestic wells and as groundwater seeps discharging along the banks of the Nottawasaga River. Approximately 30% of samples had detectable levels of one or more artificial sweeteners, indicating the presence of water derived from septic system effluent. Using acesulfame concentrations to estimate the fraction of septic effluent in groundwater samples, ∼3.4 to 13.6% of the domestic wells had 1% or more of their well water being derived from septic system effluent. Similarly, 2.0 to 4.7% of the groundwater seeps had a septic effluent contribution of 1% or more. No relationship was found between the concentration of acesulfame and the concentration of nitrate, ammonium, or soluble reactive phosphorus in the groundwater, indicating that septic effluent is not the dominant source of nutrients in the aquifer. It is expected that the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in shallow groundwater is widespread throughout rural areas in Canada. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  20. Contaminant removal by wastewater treatment plants in the Stillaguamish River Basin, Washington

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barbash, Jack E.; Moran, Patrick W.; Wagner, Richard J.; Wolanek, Michael

    2015-01-01

    Human activities in most areas of the developed world typically release nutrients, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and other contaminants into the environment, many of which reach freshwater ecosystems. In urbanized areas, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are critical facilities for collecting and reducing the amounts of wastewater contaminants (WWCs) that ultimately discharge to rivers, coastal areas, and groundwater. Most WWTPs use multiple methods to remove contaminants from wastewater. These include physical methods to remove solid materials (primary treatment), biological and chemical methods to remove most organic matter (secondary treatment), advanced methods to reduce the concentrations of various contaminants such as nitrogen, phosphorus and (or) synthetic organic compounds (tertiary treatment), and disinfection prior to discharge (Metcalf and Eddy, Inc., 1979). This study examined the extent to which 114 organic WWCs were removed by each of three WWTPs, prior to discharge to freshwater and marine ecosystems, in a rapidly developing area in northwestern Washington State. Removal percentages for each WWC were estimated by comparing the concentrations measured in the WWTP influents with those measured in the effluents. The investigation was carried out in the 700-mi2Stillaguamish River Basin, the fifth largest watershed that discharges to Puget Sound (fig. 1).

  1. Strategies for decolorization and detoxification of pulp and paper mill effluent.

    PubMed

    Garg, Satyendra K; Tripathi, Manikant

    2011-01-01

    The potential hazards associated with industrial effluents, coupled with increasing awareness of environment problems, have prompted many countries to limit the indiscriminate discharge of untreated wastewaters. The pulp and paper industry has been among the most significant of industrial polluters of the waterways, and therefore has been one of the industries of concern. The pulp and paper industry produces large quantities of brown/black effluent that primarily result from pulping, bleaching, and paper-making production stages. The dark color and toxicity of pulp-paper mill effluent comes primarily from lignin and its chlorinated derivatives (e.g., lignosulphonic acid, resins, phenols, and hydrocarbons) that are released during various processing steps of lignocellulosic materials. The color originates from pulping and pulp bleaching stages, while adsorbable organic halides (AOX) originates exclusively from chlorine bleaching. Discharge of untreated effluent results in increased BOD/COD, slime growth, thermal problems, scum formation, discoloration, loss of aesthetic quality and toxicity to the aquatic life, in the receiving waterbodies. The dark brow color of pulp-paper effluent is not only responsible for aesthetic unacceptability, but also prevents the passage of sunlight through colored waterbodies. This reduces the photosynthetic activity of aquatic flora, ultimately causing depletion of dissolved oxygen. The pulp-paper organic waste, coupled with the presence of chlorine, results in the generation of highly chlorinated organic compounds. These toxic constituents of wastewater pose a human health risk through long term exposure. via drinking water and\\or through consumption of fish that can bioaccumulate certain pollutants from the food chain. Therefore, considerable attention has been focused by many countries on decolorization of paper mill effluents , along with reduction in the contaminants that pose human health or other environmental hazards. Various

  2. A critical review on textile wastewater treatments: Possible approaches.

    PubMed

    Holkar, Chandrakant R; Jadhav, Ananda J; Pinjari, Dipak V; Mahamuni, Naresh M; Pandit, Aniruddha B

    2016-11-01

    Waste water is a major environmental impediment for the growth of the textile industry besides the other minor issues like solid waste and resource waste management. Textile industry uses many kinds of synthetic dyes and discharge large amounts of highly colored wastewater as the uptake of these dyes by fabrics is very poor. This highly colored textile wastewater severely affects photosynthetic function in plant. It also has an impact on aquatic life due to low light penetration and oxygen consumption. It may also be lethal to certain forms of marine life due to the occurrence of component metals and chlorine present in the synthetic dyes. So, this textile wastewater must be treated before their discharge. In this article, different treatment methods to treat the textile wastewater have been presented along with cost per unit volume of treated water. Treatment methods discussed in this paper involve oxidation methods (cavitation, photocatalytic oxidation, ozone, H2O2, fentons process), physical methods (adsorption and filtration), biological methods (fungi, algae, bacteria, microbial fuel cell). This review article will also recommend the possible remedial measures to treat different types of effluent generated from each textile operation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Mathematical modeling of wastewater-derived biodegradable dissolved organic nitrogen.

    PubMed

    Simsek, Halis

    2016-11-01

    Wastewater-derived dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) typically constitutes the majority of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) discharged to surface waters from advanced wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). When considering the stringent regulations on nitrogen discharge limits in sensitive receiving waters, DON becomes problematic and needs to be reduced. Biodegradable DON (BDON) is a portion of DON that is biologically degradable by bacteria when the optimum environmental conditions are met. BDON in a two-stage trickling filter WWTP was estimated using artificial intelligence techniques, such as adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems, multilayer perceptron, radial basis neural networks (RBNN), and generalized regression neural networks. Nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, TDN, and DON data were used as input neurons. Wastewater samples were collected from four different locations in the plant. Model performances were evaluated using root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean bias error, and coefficient of determination statistics. Modeling results showed that the R(2) values were higher than 0.85 in all four models for all wastewater samples, except only R(2) in the final effluent sample for RBNN modeling was low (0.52). Overall, it was found that all four computing techniques could be employed successfully to predict BDON.

  4. 40 CFR 412.46 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... production areas. There must be no discharge of manure, litter, or process wastewater pollutants into waters... practice effluent limitations designed to ensure no discharge of manure, litter, or process wastewater... such effluent limitations, “no discharge of manure, litter, or process wastewater pollutants,” as used...

  5. Pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in wastewater samples in north-eastern Tunisia.

    PubMed

    Moslah, Bilel; Hapeshi, Evroula; Jrad, Amel; Fatta-Kassinos, Despo; Hedhili, Abderrazek

    2017-04-07

    Pharmaceutically active substances (PhACs) and drugs of abuse (DAs) are two classes of contaminants of emerging concern that have attracted great concern and interest by the scientific community during the last two decades. Numerous studies have revealed their presence in treated urban wastewaters. This is mainly due to the fact that some compounds are not efficiently removed during wastewater treatment processes, and are thus able to reach the aquatic environment through wastewater discharge and reuse practices. The application of an optimized multi-residue method for the simultaneous confirmation and quantification of licit and illicit drugs has been investigated in influent and effluent wastewater samples from seven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in north-eastern Tunisia. Analysis was performed through ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Out of 12 pharmaceutical compounds analyzed, 11 of them were detected mainly in effluent wastewaters. In both matrices, antibiotics and β-blockers were the most detected groups. This suggests that these compounds show noticeable resistance against biological treatment in WWTPs. The estimated concentrations of antibiotics in effluents ranged from ca. 35 ng/L to 1.2 μg/L. However, all five studied illicit drugs were detected, mainly in influent wastewaters. Forensic investigation performed on people suspected to be drug abusers covering all Tunisian cities was conducted by monitoring an epidemiological study of human urine samples surveying rate of consumption for illicit drugs. Hence, these preliminary results confirmed the presence of illicit drugs in the influent wastewater samples. For example, quantification ranges for cocaine were found to be 25-450 ng/L in influent wastewater samples. Significant differences for cocaine consumption across the two sampling methods were observed. Consequently, we conclude that the analyses in wastewater are more reflective of the

  6. Application of chemical, biological and membrane separation processes in textile industry with recourse to zero effluent discharge--a case study.

    PubMed

    Nandy, T; Dhodapkar, R S; Pophali, G R; Kaul, S N; Devotta, S

    2005-09-01

    Environmental concerns associated with textile processing had placed the textile sector in a Southern State of India under serious threat of survival. The textile industries were closed under the orders of the Statutory Board for reason of inadequate compliance to environmental discharge norms of the State for the protection of the drinking water source of the State capital. In compliance with the direction of the Board for zero effluent discharge, advanced treatment process have been implemented for recovery of boiler feed quality water with recourse to effluent recycling/reuse. The paper describes to a case study on the adequacy assessment of the full scale effluent treatment plant comprising chemical, biological and filtration processes in a small scale textile industry. In addition, implementation of measures for discernable improvement in the performance of the existing units through effective operation & maintenance, and application of membrane separation processes leading to zero effluent discharge is also highlighted.

  7. Assessment of the interactions between economic growth and industrial wastewater discharges using co-integration analysis: a case study for China's Hunan Province.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Qiang; Gao, Yang; Hu, Dan; Tan, Hong; Wang, Tianxiang

    2011-07-01

    We have investigated the interactions between economic growth and industrial wastewater discharge from 1978 to 2007 in China's Hunan Province using co-integration theory and an error-correction model. Two main economic growth indicators and four representative industrial wastewater pollutants were selected to demonstrate the interaction mechanism. We found a long-term equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the discharge of industrial pollutants in wastewater between 1978 and 2007 in Hunan Province. The error-correction mechanism prevented the variable expansion for long-term relationship at quantity and scale, and the size of the error-correction parameters reflected short-term adjustments that deviate from the long-term equilibrium. When economic growth changes within a short term, the discharge of pollutants will constrain growth because the values of the parameters in the short-term equation are smaller than those in the long-term co-integrated regression equation, indicating that a remarkable long-term influence of economic growth on the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants and that increasing pollutant discharge constrained economic growth. Economic growth is the main driving factor that affects the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants in Hunan Province. On the other hand, the discharge constrains economic growth by producing external pressure on growth, although this feedback mechanism has a lag effect. Economic growth plays an important role in explaining the predicted decomposition of the variance in the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants, but this discharge contributes less to predictions of the variations in economic growth.

  8. Determination of alcohol sulfates in wastewater treatment plant influents and effluents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Ramos, C; Ballesteros, O; Blanc, R; Zafra-Gómez, A; Jiménez-Díaz, I; Navalón, A; Vílchez, J L

    2012-08-30

    In the present paper, we developed an accurate method for the analysis of alcohol sulfates (AS) in wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influents and effluents. Although many methodologies have been published in the literature concerning the study of anionic surfactants in environmental samples, at present, the number of analytical methodologies that focus in the determination of AS by gas chromatography in the different environmental compartments is limited. The reason for this is that gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique requires a previous hydrolysis reaction followed by derivatization reactions. In the present work, we proposed a new procedure in which the hydrolysis and derivatization reactions take place in one single step and AS are directly converted to trimethylsilyl derivatives. The main factors affecting solid-phase extraction (SPE), hydrolysis/derivatization and GC-MS procedures were accurately optimised. Quantification of the target compounds was performed by using GC-MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The limits of detection (LOD) obtained ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 μg L(-1), and limits of quantification (LOQ) from 0.5 to 1.0 μg L(-1), while inter- and intra-day variability was under 5%. A recovery assay was also carried out. Recovery rates for homologues in spiked samples ranged from 96 to 103%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of anionic surfactants in wastewater samples from one WWTP located in Granada (Spain). Concentration levels for the homologues up to 39.4 μg L(-1) in influent and up to 8.1 μg L(-1) in effluent wastewater samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. What happens in hospitals does not stay in hospitals: antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital wastewater systems.

    PubMed

    Hocquet, D; Muller, A; Bertrand, X

    2016-08-01

    Hospitals are hotspots for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (ARB) and play a major role in both their emergence and spread. Large numbers of these ARB will be ejected from hospitals via wastewater systems. In this review, we present quantitative and qualitative data of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospital wastewaters compared to community wastewaters. We also discuss the fate of these ARB in wastewater treatment plants and in the downstream environment. Published studies have shown that hospital effluents contain ARB, the burden of these bacteria being dependent on their local prevalence. The large amounts of antimicrobials rejected in wastewater exert a continuous selective pressure. Only a few countries recommend the primary treatment of hospital effluents before their discharge into the main wastewater flow for treatment in municipal wastewater treatment plants. Despite the lack of conclusive data, some studies suggest that treatment could favour the ARB, notably ESBL-producing E. coli. Moreover, treatment plants are described as hotspots for the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacterial species. Consequently, large amounts of ARB are released in the environment, but it is unclear whether this release contributes to the global epidemiology of these pathogens. It is reasonable, nevertheless, to postulate that it plays a role in the worldwide progression of antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial resistance should now be seen as an 'environmental pollutant', and new wastewater treatment processes must be assessed for their capability in eliminating ARB, especially from hospital effluents. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Winery wastewater treatment using the land filter technique.

    PubMed

    Christen, E W; Quayle, W C; Marcoux, M A; Arienzo, M; Jayawardane, N S

    2010-08-01

    This study outlines a new approach to the treatment of winery wastewater by application to a land FILTER (Filtration and Irrigated cropping for Land Treatment and Effluent Reuse) system. The land FILTER system was tested at a medium size rural winery crushing approximately 20,000 tonnes of grapes. The approach consisted of a preliminary treatment through a coarse screening and settling in treatment ponds, followed by application to the land FILTER planted to pasture. The land FILTER system efficiently dealt with variable volumes and nutrient loads in the wastewater. It was operated to minimize pollutant loads in the treated water (subsurface drainage) and provide adequate leaching to manage salt in the soil profile. The land FILTER system was effective in neutralizing the pH of the wastewater and removing nutrient pollutants to meet EPA discharge limits. However, suspended solids (SS) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels in the subsurface drainage waters slightly exceeded EPA limits for discharge. The high organic content in the wastewater initially caused some soil blockage and impeded drainage in the land FILTER site. This was addressed by reducing the hydraulic loading rate to allow increased soil drying between wastewater irrigations. The analysis of soil characteristics after the application of wastewater found that there was some potassium accumulation in the profile but sodium and nutrients decreased after wastewater application. Thus, the wastewater application and provision of subsurface drainage ensured adequate leaching, and so was adequate to avoid the risk of soil salinisation. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Treatment of landfill leachate in municipal wastewater treatment plants and impacts on effluent ammonium concentrations.

    PubMed

    Brennan, R B; Clifford, E; Devroedt, C; Morrison, L; Healy, M G

    2017-03-01

    Landfill leachate is the result of water percolating through waste deposits that have undergone aerobic and anaerobic microbial decomposition. In recent years, increasingly stringent wastewater discharge requirements have raised questions regarding the efficacy of co-treatment of leachate in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study aimed to (1) examine the co-treatment of leachate with a 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ): chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio less than or slightly greater than 0.26 (intermediate age leachate) in municipal WWTPs (2) quantify the maximum hydraulic and mass (expressed as mass nitrogen or COD) loading of landfill leachate (as a percentage of the total influent loading rate) above which the performance of a WWTP may be inhibited, and (3) quantify the impact of a range of hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) of young and intermediate age leachate, loaded on a volumetric basis at 0 (study control), 2, 4 and 10% (volume landfill leachate influent as a percentage of influent municipal wastewater), on the effluent ammonium concentrations. The leachate loading regimes examined were found to be appropriate for effective treatment of intermediate age landfill leachate in the WWTPs examined, but co-treatment may not be suitable in WWTPs with low ammonium-nitrogen (NH 4 -N) and total nitrogen (TN) emission limit values (ELVs). In addition, intermediate leachate, loaded at volumetric rates of up to 4% or 50% of total WWTP NH 4 -N loading, did not significantly inhibit the nitrification processes, while young leachate, loaded at volumetric rates greater of than 2% (equivalent to 90% of total WWTP NH 4 -N loading), resulted in a significant decrease in nitrification. The results show that current hydraulic loading-based acceptance criteria recommendations should be considered in the context of leachate NH 4 -N composition. The results also indicate that co-treatment of old leachate in municipal WWTPs may represent the most sustainable

  12. Inputs of fossil carbon from wastewater treatment plants to U.S. Rivers and oceans

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Griffith, D.R.; Barnes, R.T.; Raymond, P.A.

    2009-01-01

    Every day more than 500 million cubic meters of treated wastewater are discharged into rivers, estuaries, and oceans, an amount slightly less than the average flow of the Danube River. Typically, wastewaters have high organic carbon (OC) concentrations and represent a large fraction of total river flow and a higher fraction of river OC in densely populated watersheds. Here, we report the first direct measurements of radiocarbon (14C) in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The radiocarbon ages of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC and DOC) in effluent are old and relatively uniform across a range of WWTPs in New York and Connecticut. Wastewater DOC has a mean radiocarbon age of 1630 ?? 500 years B.P. and a mean ??13C of -26.0 ?? 1???. Mass balance calculations indicate that 25% of wastewater DOC is fossil carbon, which is likely derived from petroleumbased household products such as detergents and pharmaceuticals. Thesefindings warrant reevaluation of the "apparent age" of riverine DOC, the total flux of petroleum carbon to U.S. oceans, and OC source assignments in waters impacted by sewage. ?? 2009 American Chemical Society.

  13. Eutrophication and Bacterial Pathogens as Risk Factors for Avian Botulism Outbreaks in Wetlands Receiving Effluents from Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants

    PubMed Central

    Vidal, Dolors; Laguna, Celia; Díaz-Sánchez, Sandra; Sánchez, Sergio; Chicote, Álvaro; Florín, Máximo; Mateo, Rafael

    2014-01-01

    Due to the scarcity of water resources in the “Mancha Húmeda” Biosphere Reserve, the use of treated wastewater has been proposed as a solution for the conservation of natural threatened floodplain wetlands. In addition, wastewater treatment plants of many villages pour their effluent into nearby natural lakes. We hypothesized that certain avian pathogens present in wastewater may cause avian mortalities which would trigger avian botulism outbreaks. With the aim of testing our hypothesis, 24 locations distributed in three wetlands, two that receive wastewater effluents and one serving as a control, were monitored during a year. Sediment, water, water bird feces, and invertebrates were collected for the detection of putative avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens type A, and Clostridium botulinum type C/D. Also, water and sediment physicochemical properties were determined. Overall, APEC, C. perfringens, and C. botulinum were significantly more prevalent in samples belonging to the wetlands which receive wastewater. The occurrence of a botulism outbreak in one of the studied wetlands coincided with high water temperatures and sediment 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), a decrease in water redox potential, chlorophyll a, and sulfate levels, and an increase in water inorganic carbon levels. The presence of C. botulinum in bird feces before the onset of the outbreak indicates that carrier birds exist and highlights the risk of botulinum toxin production in their carcasses if they die by other causes such as bacterial diseases, which are more probable in wastewater wetlands. PMID:24795377

  14. Potential of Micro Hydroelectric Generator Embedded at 30,000 PE Effluent Discharge of Sewerage Treatment Plant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Che Munaaim, M. A.; Razali, N.; Ayob, A.; Hamidin, N.; Othuman Mydin, M. A.

    2018-03-01

    A micro hydroelectric generator is an energy conversion approach to generate electricity from potential (motion) energy to an electrical energy. In this research, it is desired to be implemented by using a micro hydroelectric generator which is desired to be embedded at the continuous flow of effluent discharge point of domestic sewerage treatment plant (STP). This research evaluates the potential of electricity generation from micro hydroelectric generator attached to 30,000 PE sewerage treatment plant. The power output obtained from calculation of electrical power conversion is used to identify the possibility of this system and its ability to provide electrical energy, which can minimize the cost of electric bill especially for the pumping system. The overview of this system on the practical application with the consideration of payback period is summarized. The ultimate aim of the whole application is to have a self-ecosystem electrical power generated for the internal use of STP by using its own flowing water in supporting the sustainable engineering towards renewable energy and energy efficient approach. The results shows that the output power obtained is lower than expected output power (12 kW) and fall beyond of the range of a micro hydro power (5kW - 100kW) since it is only generating 1.58 kW energy by calculation. It is also observed that the estimated payback period is longer which i.e 7 years to recoup the return of investment. A range of head from 4.5 m and above for the case where the flow shall at least have maintained at 0.05 m3/s in the selected plant in order to achieved a feasible power output. In conclusion, wastewater treatment process involves the flowing water (potential energy) especially at the effluent discharge point of STP is possibly harvested for electricity generation by embedding the micro hydroelectric generator. However, the selection of STP needs to have minimum 4.5 meter head with 0.05 m3/s of continuously flowing water to make

  15. Potential chemical and microbiological risks on human health from urban wastewater reuse in agriculture. Case study of wastewater effluents in Spain.

    PubMed

    Muñoz, Ivan; Tomàs, Núria; Mas, Jordi; García-Reyes, Juan Fracisco; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; Fernández-Alba, Amadeo R

    2010-05-01

    Potential health risks derived from wastewater reuse in agriculture have been evaluated with Risk Assessment modelling techniques, in a case study involving the effluents of two Spanish wastewater treatment plants. One of the plants applies primary and secondary treatment, and the other one applies an additional tertiary treatment. Health risks were assessed on the basis of ingesting contaminated food, due to exposure to: (i) 22 chemical pollutants, namely pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), and priority pollutants included in the European Framework Directive, and (ii) microorganisms, namely enterovirus. Chemical Risk Assessment has been carried out following the European Commission's technical guidelines, while risks from exposure to viruses have been evaluated by means of Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment, assuming a virus to coliform ratio of 1:10(5). The results of the chemical assessment show that there is a margin of safety above 100 for all substances, with the exception of gemfibrozil, for which the mean margin of safety (MOS) is above 100, but the lower bound of MOS with a 95 % confidence interval lies in the 3-4 range. A MOS under 100 was also found for 2,3,7,8-TCDD in one of the effluents. The assessment of risks from viruses shows a very low probability of infection. The overall results show that risks are lower for the plant applying tertiary treatment, especially concerning microbiological parameters.

  16. Treatment of winery wastewater by physicochemical, biological and advanced processes: a review.

    PubMed

    Ioannou, L A; Li Puma, G; Fatta-Kassinos, D

    2015-04-09

    Winery wastewater is a major waste stream resulting from numerous cleaning operations that occur during the production stages of wine. The resulting effluent contains various organic and inorganic contaminants and its environmental impact is notable, mainly due to its high organic/inorganic load, the large volumes produced and its seasonal variability. Several processes for the treatment of winery wastewater are currently available, but the development of alternative treatment methods is necessary in order to (i) maximize the efficiency and flexibility of the treatment process to meet the discharge requirements for winery effluents, and (ii) decrease both the environmental footprint, as well as the investment/operational costs of the process. This review, presents the state-of-the-art of the processes currently applied and/or tested for the treatment of winery wastewater, which were divided into five categories: i.e., physicochemical, biological, membrane filtration and separation, advanced oxidation processes, and combined biological and advanced oxidation processes. The advantages and disadvantages, as well as the main parameters/factors affecting the efficiency of winery wastewater treatment are discussed. Both bench- and pilot/industrial-scale processes have been considered for this review. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Wastewater Treatment Effluent Reduces the Abundance and Diversity of Benthic Bacterial Communities in Urban and Suburban Rivers

    PubMed Central

    Drury, Bradley; Rosi-Marshall, Emma

    2013-01-01

    In highly urbanized areas, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent can represent a significant component of freshwater ecosystems. As it is impossible for the composition of WWTP effluent to match the composition of the receiving system, the potential exists for effluent to significantly impact the chemical and biological characteristics of the receiving ecosystem. We assessed the impacts of WWTP effluent on the size, activity, and composition of benthic microbial communities by comparing two distinct field sites in the Chicago metropolitan region: a highly urbanized river receiving effluent from a large WWTP and a suburban river receiving effluent from a much smaller WWTP. At sites upstream of effluent input, the urban and suburban rivers differed significantly in chemical characteristics and in the composition of their sediment bacterial communities. Although effluent resulted in significant increases in inorganic nutrients in both rivers, surprisingly, it also resulted in significant decreases in the population size and diversity of sediment bacterial communities. Tag pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes revealed significant effects of effluent on sediment bacterial community composition in both rivers, including decreases in abundances of Deltaproteobacteria, Desulfococcus, Dechloromonas, and Chloroflexi sequences and increases in abundances of Nitrospirae and Sphingobacteriales sequences. The overall effect of the WWTP inputs was that the two rivers, which were distinct in chemical and biological properties upstream of the WWTPs, were almost indistinguishable downstream. These results suggest that WWTP effluent has the potential to reduce the natural variability that exists among river ecosystems and indicate that WWTP effluent may contribute to biotic homogenization. PMID:23315724

  18. Transport of nitrogen in a treated-wastewater plume to coastal discharge areas, Ashumet Valley, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barbaro, Jeffrey R.; Walter, Donald A.; LeBlanc, Denis R.

    2013-01-01

    Land disposal of treated wastewater from a treatment plant on the Massachusetts Military Reservation in operation from 1936 to 1995 has created a plume of contaminated groundwater that is migrating toward coastal discharge areas in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. To develop a better understanding of the potential impact of the treated-wastewater plume on coastal discharge areas, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, evaluated the fate of nitrogen (N) in the plume. Groundwater samples from two large sampling events in 1994 and 2007 were used to map the size and location of the plume, calculate the masses of nitrate-N and ammonium-N, evaluate changes in mass since cessation of disposal in 1995, and create a gridded dataset suitable for use in nitrogen-transport simulations. In 2007, the treated-wastewater plume was about 1,200 meters (m) wide, 30 m thick, and 7,700 m long and contained approximately 87,000 kilograms (kg) nitrate-N and 31,600 kg total ammonium-N. An analysis of previous studies and data from 1994 and 2007 sampling events suggests that most of biologically reactive nitrogen in the plume in 2007 will be transported to coastal discharge areas as either nitrate or ammonium with relatively little transformation to an environmentally nonreactive end product such as nitrogen gas. Nitrogen-transport simulations were conducted with a previously calibrated regional three-dimensional MODFLOW groundwater flow model. Mass-loaded particle tracking was used to simulate the advective transport of nitrogen to discharge areas (or receptors) along the coast. In the simulations, nonreactive transport (no mass loss in the aquifer) was assumed, providing an upper-end estimate of nitrogen loads to receptors. Simulations indicate that approximately 95 percent of the nitrate-N and 99 percent of the ammonium-N in the wastewater plume will eventually discharge to the Coonamessett River, Backus River, Green

  19. Rapid nitrification of wastewater ammonium near coastal ocean outfalls, Southern California, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLaughlin, Karen; Nezlin, Nikolay P.; Howard, Meredith D. A.; Beck, Carly D. A.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Mengel, Michael J.; Robertson, George L.

    2017-02-01

    In the southern California Bight (SCB), there has been a longstanding hypothesis that anthropogenic nutrient loading is insignificant compared to the nutrient loading from upwelling. However, recent studies have demonstrated that, in the nearshore environment, nitrogen (N) flux from wastewater effluent is equivalent to the N flux from upwelling. The composition of the N pool and N:P ratios of wastewater and upwelled water are very different and the environmental effects of wastewater discharges on coastal systems are not well characterized. Capitalizing on routine maintenance of the Orange County Sanitation District's ocean outfall, wherein a wastewater point source was "turned off" in one area and "turned on" in another for 23 days, we were able to document changes in coastal N cycling, specifically nitrification, related to wastewater effluent. A "hotspot" of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrite (NO2-) occurred over the ocean outfall under normal operations and nitrification rates were significantly higher offshore when the deeper outfall pipe was operating. These rates were sufficiently high to transform all effluent NH4+ to nitrate (NO3-). The dual isotopic composition of dissolved NO3- (δ15NNO3 and δ18ONO3) indicated that N-assimilation and denitrification were low relative to nitrification, consistent with the relatively low chlorophyll and high dissolved oxygen levels in the region during the study. The isotopic composition of suspended particulate organic matter (POM) recorded low δ15NPN and δ13CPN values around the outfall under normal operations suggesting the incorporation of "nitrified" NO3- and wastewater dissolved organic carbon into POM. Our results demonstrate the critical role of nitrification in nitrogen cycling in the nearshore environment of urban oceans.

  20. Pathway-based approaches for assessment of real-time exposure to an estrogenic wastewater treatment plant effluent on fathead minnow reproduction

    EPA Science Inventory

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are known contributors of chemical mixtures into the environment. Of particular concern are endocrine-disrupting compounds, such as estrogens, that can affect hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function in exposed organisms. The presen...

  1. Denitrification of the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) effluent with alternative electron donors in domestic wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Pelaz, L; Gómez, A; Garralón, G; Letona, A; Fdz-Polanco, M

    2017-11-01

    A fixed film bioreactor for the denitrification of the effluent from an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating domestic wastewater was designed, built and investigated. After anaerobic treatment, the wastewater usually has a low C/N ratio (∼1.3), and a remaining chemical oxygen demand of around 117mg O 2 /L, which is not enough to make conventional heterotrophic denitrification possible. That effluent also holds methane and sulfide dissolved and oversaturated after leaving the AnMBR. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of using these reduced compounds as electron donors in order to remove 80mg NO x - -N/L at 18°C and 2h of hydraulic retention time. In addition, the influence of the NO 2 - /NO 3 - ratios in the feed was studied. Total nitrogen removal was achieved in all the cases studied, except for a feed with 100% NO 3 - . Methane was the main electron donor used to remove the nitrites and nitrates, with a participation rate of over 70%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Antimicrobial resistant Escherichia coli in the municipal wastewater system: effect of hospital effluent and environmental fate.

    PubMed

    Harris, Suvi; Morris, Carol; Morris, Dearbhaile; Cormican, Martin; Cummins, Enda

    2014-01-15

    The prevalence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria is increasing worldwide and remains a significant medical challenge which may lead to antimicrobial redundancy. The contribution of hospital effluent to the prevalence of resistance in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents is not fully understood. AMR bacteria contained in hospital effluent may be released into the aquatic and soil environments after WWTP processing. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify the extent hospital effluent contributes to contamination of these environments by comparing two WWTPs, one which receives hospital effluent and one which does not. AMR Escherichia coli were monitored in the two WWTPs. A model was developed using these monitored values to predict the effect of hospital effluent within a WWTP. The model predicted levels of AMR E. coli in the aquatic environment and potential bather exposure to AMR E. coli. The model results were highly variable. WWTP influent containing hospital effluent had a higher mean percentage of AMR E. coli; although, there appeared to be no within treatment plant effect on the prevalence of AMR E. coli. Examination of WWTP sludge showed a similar variation. There appeared to be no consistent effect from the presence of hospital effluent. The human exposure assessment model predicted swimmer intake of AMR E. coli between 6 and 193CFU/100ml sea water. It appears that hospital effluent is not the main contributing factor behind the development and persistence of AMR E. coli within WWTPs, although resistance may be too well-developed to identify an influence from hospital effluent. Mitigation needs to focus on the removal of already present resistant bacteria but for new or hospital specific antimicrobials focus needs to be on their limited release within effluents or separate treatment. © 2013.

  3. In-Stream Microbial Denitrification Potential at Wastewater Treatment Plant Discharge Sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hill, N. B.; Rahm, B. G.; Shaw, S. B.; Riha, S. J.

    2014-12-01

    Reactive nitrogen loading from municipal sewage discharge provides point sources of nitrate (NO3-) to rivers and streams. Through microbially-mediated denitrification, NO3- can be converted to dinitrogen (N2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) gases, which are released to the atmosphere. Preliminary observations made throughout summer 2011 near a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in the Finger Lakes region of New York indicated that NO3- concentrations downstream of the discharge pipe were lower relative to upstream concentrations. This suggested that nitrate processing was occurring more rapidly and completely than predicted by current models and that point "sources" can in some cases be point "sinks". Molecular assays and stable isotope analyses were combined with laboratory microcosm experiments and water chemistry analyses to better understand the mechanism of nitrate transformation. Nitrite reductase (nirS and nirK) and nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) genes were detected in water and sediment samples using qPCR. Denitrifcation genes were present attached to stream sediment, in pipe biofilm, and in WWTP discharge water. A comparison of δ18-O and δ15-N signatures also supported the hypothesis that stream NO3- had been processed biotically. Results from microcosm experiments indicated that the NO3- transformations occur at the sediment-water interface rather than in the water column. In some instances, quantities of denitrification genes were at higher concentrations attached to sediment downstream of the discharge pipe than upstream of the pipe suggesting that the wastewater discharge may be enriching the downstream sediment and could promote in-stream denitrification.

  4. Assessment of the disinfection capacity and eco-toxicological impact of atmospheric cold plasma for treatment of food industry effluents.

    PubMed

    Patange, Apurva; Boehm, Daniela; Giltrap, Michelle; Lu, Peng; Cullen, P J; Bourke, Paula

    2018-08-01

    Generation of wastewater is one of the main environmental sustainability issues across food sector industries. The constituents of food process effluents are often complex and require high energy and processing for regulatory compliance. Wastewater streams are the subject of microbiological and chemical criteria, and can have a significant eco-toxicological impact on the aquatic life. Thus, innovative treatment approaches are required to mitigate environmental impact in an energy efficient manner. Here, dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) was evaluated for control of key microbial indicators encountered in food industry effluent. This study also investigated the eco-toxicological impact of cold plasma treatment of the effluents using a range of aquatic bioassays. Continuous ACP treatment was applied to synthetic dairy and meat effluents. Microbial inactivation showed treatment time dependence with significant reduction in microbial populations within 120 s, and to undetectable levels after 300 s. Post treatment retention time emerged as critical control parameter which promoted ACP bacterial inactivation efficiency. Moreover, ACP treatment for 20 min achieved significant reduction (≥2 Log 10 ) in Bacillus megaterium endospores in wastewater effluent. Acute aquatic toxicity was assessed using two fish cell lines (PLHC-1 and RTG-2) and a crustacean model (Daphnia magna). Untreated effluents were toxic to the aquatic models, however, plasma treatment limited the toxic effects. Differing sensitivities were observed to ACP treated effluents across the different test bio-assays in the following order: PLHC-1 > RTG-2 ≥ D. magna; with greater sensitivity retained to plasma treated meat effluent than dairy effluent. The toxic effects were dependent on concentration and treatment time of the ACP treated effluent; with 30% cytotoxicity in D. magna and fish cells observed after 24 h of exposure to ACP treated effluent for

  5. Concentrations of prioritized pharmaceuticals in effluents from 50 large wastewater treatment plants in the US and implications for risk estimation

    EPA Science Inventory

    We measured the concentrations of 56 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and seven metabolites, including 50 prioritized APIs, in 24-hour composite effluent samples collected from 50 very large municipal wastewater treatment plants across the US. Hydrochlorothiazide was foun...

  6. SBR treatment of tank truck cleaning wastewater: sludge characteristics, chemical and ecotoxicological effluent quality.

    PubMed

    Caluwé, Michel; Dobbeleers, Thomas; Daens, Dominique; Geuens, Luc; Blust, Ronny; Dries, Jan

    2017-08-02

    A lab-scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used to treat tank truck cleaning (TTC) wastewater with different operational strategies (identified as different stages). The first stage was an adaptation period for the seed sludge that originated from a continuous fed industrial plant treating TTC wastewater. The first stage was followed by a dynamic reactor operation based on the oxygen uptake rate (OUR). Thirdly, dynamic SBR control based on OUR treated a daily changing influent. Lastly, the reactor was operated with a gradually shortened fixed cycle. During operation, sludge settling evolved from nearly no settling to good settling sludge in 16 days. The sludge volume index improved from 200 to 70 mL gMLSS -1 in 16 days and remained stable during the whole reactor operation. The average soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal varied from 87.0% to 91.3% in the different stages while significant differences in the food to mass ratio were observed, varying from 0.11 (stage I) to 0.37 kgCOD.(kgMLVSS day) -1 (stage III). Effluent toxicity measurements were performed with Aliivibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. Low sensitivity of Aliivibrio was observed. A few samples were acutely toxic for Daphnia; 50% of the tested effluent samples showed an inhibition of 100% for Pseudokirchneriella.

  7. Kinetic Study of Hydroxyl and Sulfate Radical-Mediated Oxidation of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Effluents.

    PubMed

    Lian, Lushi; Yao, Bo; Hou, Shaodong; Fang, Jingyun; Yan, Shuwen; Song, Weihua

    2017-03-07

    Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as hydroxyl radical (HO • )- and sulfate radical (SO 4 •- )-mediated oxidation, are alternatives for the attenuation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater effluents. However, the kinetics of these reactions needs to be investigated. In this study, kinetic models for 15 PPCPs were built to predict the degradation of PPCPs in both HO • - and SO 4 •- -mediated oxidation. In the UV/H 2 O 2 process, a simplified kinetic model involving only steady state concentrations of HO • and its biomolecular reaction rate constants is suitable for predicting the removal of PPCPs, indicating the dominant role of HO • in the removal of PPCPs. In the UV/K 2 S 2 O 8 process, the calculated steady state concentrations of CO 3 •- and bromine radicals (Br • , Br 2 •- and BrCl •- ) were 600-fold and 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than the concentrations of SO 4 •- , respectively. The kinetic model, involving both SO 4 •- and CO 3 •- as reactive species, was more accurate for predicting the removal of the 9 PPCPs, except for salbutamol and nitroimidazoles. The steric and ionic effects of organic matter toward SO 4 •- could lead to overestimations of the removal efficiencies of the SO 4 •- -mediated oxidation of nitroimidazoles in wastewater effluents.

  8. Assessment of De Facto Wastewater Reuse across the US: trends between 1980 and 2008.

    PubMed

    Rice, Jacelyn; Wutich, Amber; Westerhoff, Paul

    2013-10-01

    De facto wastewater reuse is the incidental presence of treated wastewater in a water supply source. In 1980 the EPA identified drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) impacted by upstream wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges and found the top 25 most impacted DWTPs contained between 2% and 16% wastewater discharges from upstream locations (i.e., de facto reuse) under average streamflow conditions. This study is the first to provide an update to the 1980 EPA analysis. An ArcGIS model of DWTPs and WWTPs across the U.S. was created to quantify de facto reuse for the top 25 cities in the 1980 EPA study. From 1980 to 2008, de facto reuse increased for 17 of the 25 DWTPs, as municipal flows upstream of the sites increased by 68%. Under low streamflow conditions, de facto reuse in DWTP supplies ranged from 7% to 100%, illustrating the importance of wastewater in sustainable water supplies. Case studies were performed on four cities to analyze the reasons for changes in de facto reuse over time. Three of the four sites have greater than 20% treated wastewater effluent within their drinking water source for streamflow less than the 25th percentile historic flow.

  9. Photo-Electrochemical Treatment of Reactive Dyes in Wastewater and Reuse of the Effluent: Method Optimization

    PubMed Central

    Sala, Mireia; López-Grimau, Víctor; Gutiérrez-Bouzán, Carmen

    2014-01-01

    In this work, the efficiency of a photo-electrochemical method to remove color in textile dyeing effluents is discussed. The decolorization of a synthetic effluent containing a bi-functional reactive dye was carried out by applying an electrochemical treatment at different intensities (2 A, 5 A and 10 A), followed by ultraviolet irradiation. The combination of both treatments was optimized. The final percentage of effluent decolorization, the reduction of halogenated organic volatile compound and the total organic carbon removal were the determinant factors in the selection of the best treatment conditions. The optimized method was applied to the treatment of nine simulated dyeing effluents prepared with different reactive dyes in order to compare the behavior of mono, bi, and tri-reactive dyes. Finally, the nine treated effluents were reused in new dyeing processes and the color differences (DECMC (2:1)) with respect to a reference were evaluated. The influence of the effluent organic matter removal on the color differences was also studied. The reuse of the treated effluents provides satisfactory dyeing results, and an important reduction in water consumption and salt discharge is achieved. PMID:28788251

  10. Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Induced Photocatalysis and Ozonation for the Treatment of Wastewater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mok, Young Sun; Jo, Jin-Oh; Lee, Heon-Ju

    2008-02-01

    The physicochemical processes of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) such as in-situ formation of chemically active species and emission of ultraviolet (UV)/visible light were utilized for the treatment of a simulated wastewater formed with Acid Red 4 as the model organic contaminant. The chemically active species (mostly ozone) produced in the DBD reactor were well distributed in the wastewater using a porous gas diffuser, thereby increasing the gas-liquid contact area. For the purpose of making the best use of the light emission, a titanium oxide-based photocatalyst was incorporated in the wastewater treating system. The experimental parameters chosen were the voltage applied to the DBD reactor, the initial pH of the wastewater, and the concentration of hydrogen peroxide added to the wastewater. The results have clearly shown that the present system capable of degrading organic contaminants in two ways (photocatalysis and ozonation) may be a promising wastewater treatment technology.

  11. Viral Pollution of Surface Waters Due to Chlorinated Primary Effluents

    PubMed Central

    Sattar, Syed A.; Westwood, J. C. N.

    1978-01-01

    The role of chlorinated primary effluents in viral pollution of the Ottawa River (Ontario) was assessed by examining 282 field samples of wastewaters from two different sewage treatment plants over a 2-year period. The talc-Celite technique was used for sample concentration, and BS-C-1 cells were employed for virus detection. Viruses were detected in 80% (75/94) of raw sewage, 72% (68/94) of primary effluent, and 56% (53/94) of chlorinated effluent samples. Both raw sewage and primary effluent samples contained about 100 viral infective units (VIU) per 100 ml. Chlorination produced a 10- to 50-fold reduction in VIU and gave nearly 2.7 VIU/100 ml of chlorinated primary effluent. With a combined daily chlorinated primary effluent output of approximately 3.7 × 108 liters, these two plants were discharging 1.0 × 1010 VIU per day. Because the river has a mean annual flow of 8.0 × 1010 liters per day, these two sources alone produced a virus loading of 1.0 VIU/8 liters of the river water. This river also receives at least 9.0 × 107 liters of raw sewage per day and undetermined but substantial amounts of storm waters and agricultural wastes. It is used for recreation and acts as a source of potable water for some 6.0 × 105 people. In view of the potential of water for disease transmission, discharge of such wastes into the water environment needs to be minimized. PMID:215085

  12. Pretreatment of industrial wastewater containing phthalate esters by centrifugation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Petrosky, C.J.; Vidic, R.D.

    1996-11-01

    In this study, a full-scale commercial centrifuge was used to treat, on a continuous basis, the entire wastewater stream generated by a chemical manufacturing facility which produces a variety of phthalate, adipate, maleate, and trimellitate esters. The wastewater from this facility is comprised of process water, equipment was water, and rain water runoff containing varying concentrations of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (BEHP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP), and di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP) esters in addition to mono-ester salts and alcohols. The wastewater is discharged to the local Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) under pretreatment regulations which specify an effluent limitation of 5.0 mg/L on themore » total toxic organic (TTO) concentration which can be placed on the combined BEHP, DNOP, and DNBP ester concentration. Various esters and long chain alcohols present in the wastewater have very low water solubilities and are considered immiscible. They form a dispersed phase in the wastewater that has a specific gravity in the range of 0.88 to 0.93. Separation of the dispersed phase containing the regulated esters from the heavier water phase to consistently below 5.0 mg/L poses a challenge due to the stability of this colloidal suspension. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of centrifugation in meeting the 5.0 mg/L effluent limit on the total BEHP, DNOP, and DNBP ester concentration.« less

  13. Antimicrobial resistance and virulence signatures of Listeria and Aeromonas species recovered from treated wastewater effluent and receiving surface water in Durban, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Olaniran, Ademola O; Nzimande, Sphephile B T; Mkize, Ndumiso G

    2015-10-24

    Treated wastewater effluent has been found to contain high levels of contaminants, including disease-causing bacteria such as Listeria and Aeromonas species. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance and virulence signatures of Listeria and Aeromonas spp. recovered from treated effluents of two wastewater treatment plants and receiving rivers in Durban, South Africa. A total of 100 Aeromonas spp. and 78 Listeria spp. were positively identified based on biochemical tests and PCR detection of DNA region conserved in these genera. The antimicrobial resistance profiles of the isolates were determined using Kirby Bauer disc diffusion assay. The presence of important virulence genes were detected via PCR, while other virulence determinants; protease, gelatinase and haemolysin were detected using standard assays. Highest resistance was observed against penicillin, erythromycin and nalidixic acid, with all 78 (100%) tested Listeria spp displaying resistance, followed by ampicillin (83.33%), trimethoprim (67.95%), nitrofurantoin (64.10%) and cephalosporin (60.26%). Among Aeromonas spp., the highest resistance (100%) was observed against ampicillin, penicillin, vancomycin, clindamycin and fusidic acid, followed by cephalosporin (82%), and erythromycin (58%), with 56% of the isolates found to be resistant to naladixic acid and trimethoprim. Among Listeria spp., 26.92% were found to contain virulence genes, with 14.10, 5.12 and 21% harbouring the actA, plcA and iap genes, respectively. Of the 100 tested Aeromonas spp., 52% harboured the aerolysin (aer) virulence associated gene, while lipase (lip) virulence associated gene was also detected in 68% of the tested Aeromonas spp. The presence of these organisms in effluents samples following conventional wastewater treatment is worrisome as this could lead to major environmental and human health problems. This emphasizes the need for constant evaluation of the wastewater treatment effluents to ensure

  14. Waste-water characterization survey, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Final report, 28 Oct-7 Nov 91

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fields, M.K.; Davis, R.P.

    1992-08-01

    A wastewater characterization survey was conducted by members of the Armstrong Laboratory Occupational and Environmental Health directorate Water Quality Function from 28 Oct 91 - 7 Nov 91 at Whiteman AFB, MO. The purpose of the survey was to identify and characterize the wastewater, determine the appropriateness of present disposal methods, determine the need for routine sampling or monitoring and recommend parameters for wastewater analysis. Results of the sampling showed metals and volatile organic discharge in varying concentrations throughout the base. Recommendations are: (1) evaluation of industrial operations and chemical disposal procedures at designated sites; (2) routine monitoring of themore » discharge from the Hospital and Audiovisual for silver; (3) excavation and sediment disposal at the Transportation Washrack and WWTP Effluent discharge point; (4) collection and analyses of sludge at oil water separators, to include the oil and water side; (5) evaluation of the sanitary sewer system for corrosion and sediment buildup by a mobile Reveal and Seal Unit; (6) background soil sample collection and analyses; and (7) pretreatment of Aqueous Film Forming Foam discharge and notification of the Base Bioenvironmental Engineer, Environmental Coordinator, and WWTP personnel when discharge occurs.« less

  15. Denitrification and nitrogen transport in a coastal aquifer receiving wastewater discharge

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    DeSimone, L.A.; Howes, B.L.

    1996-01-01

    Denitrification and nitrogen transport were quantified in a sandy glacial aquifer receiving wastewater from a septage-treatment facility on Cape Cod, MA. The resulting groundwater plume contained high concentrations of NO3- (32 mg of NL-1), total dissolved nitrogen (40.5 mg of N L-1), and dissolved organic carbon (1.9 mg of C L-1) and developed a central anoxic zone after 17 months of effluent discharge. Denitrifying activity was measured using four approaches throughout the major biogeochemical zones of the plume. Three approaches that maintained the structure of aquifer materials yielded comparable rates: acetylene block in intact sediment cores, 9.6 ng of N cm-3 d-1 (n = 61); in situ N2 production, 3.0 ng of N cm-3 d-1 (n = 11); and in situ NO3- depletion, 7.1 ng of N cm-3 d-1 (n = 3). In contrast, the mixing of aquifer materials using a standard slurry method yielded rates that were more than 15-fold higher (150 ng of N cm-3 d-1, n = 16) than other methods. Concentrations and ??15N of groundwater and effluent N2, NO3-, and NH4+ were consistent with the lower rates of denitrification determined by the intact-core or in situ methods. These methods and a plumewide survey of excess N2 indicate that 2-9% of the total mass of fixed nitrogen recharged to the anoxic zone of the plume was denitrified during the 34-month study period. Denitrification was limited by organic carbon (not NO3-) concentrations, as evidenced by a nitrate and carbon addition experiment, the correlation of denitrifying activity with in situ concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, and the assessments of available organic carbon in plume sediments. Carbon limitation is consistent with the observed conservative transport of 85-96% of the nitrate in the anoxic zone. Although denitrifying activity removed a significant amount (46250 kg) of fixed nitrogen during transport, the effects of aquifer denitrification on the nitrogen load to receiving ecosystems are likely to be small (<10%).

  16. Metagenomics Reveals the Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plants on the Dispersal of Microorganisms and Genes in Aquatic Sediments.

    PubMed

    Chu, Binh T T; Petrovich, Morgan L; Chaudhary, Adit; Wright, Dorothy; Murphy, Brian; Wells, George; Poretsky, Rachel

    2018-03-01

    Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release treated effluent containing mobile genetic elements (MGEs), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and microorganisms into the environment, yet little is known about their influence on nearby microbial communities and the retention of these factors in receiving water bodies. Our research aimed to characterize the genes and organisms from two different WWTPs that discharge into Lake Michigan, as well as from surrounding lake sediments to determine the dispersal and fate of these factors with respect to distance from the effluent outfall. Shotgun metagenomics coupled to distance-decay analyses showed a higher abundance of genes identical to those in WWTP effluent genes in sediments closer to outfall sites than in sediments farther away, indicating their possible WWTP origin. We also found genes attributed to organisms, such as those belonging to Helicobacteraceae , Legionellaceae , Moraxellaceae , and Neisseriaceae , in effluent from both WWTPs and decreasing in abundance in lake sediments with increased distance from WWTPs. Moreover, our results showed that the WWTPs likely influence the ARG composition in lake sediments close to the effluent discharge. Many of these ARGs were located on MGEs in both the effluent and sediment samples, indicating a relatively broad propensity for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Our approach allowed us to specifically link genes to organisms and their genetic context, providing insight into WWTP impacts on natural microbial communities. Overall, our results suggest a substantial influence of wastewater effluent on gene content and microbial community structure in the sediments of receiving water bodies. IMPORTANCE Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release their effluent into aquatic environments. Although treated, effluent retains many genes and microorganisms that have the potential to influence the receiving water in ways that are poorly understood. Here, we tracked the genetic footprint

  17. Metagenomics Reveals the Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plants on the Dispersal of Microorganisms and Genes in Aquatic Sediments

    PubMed Central

    Chu, Binh T. T.; Petrovich, Morgan L.; Chaudhary, Adit; Wright, Dorothy; Murphy, Brian; Wells, George

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release treated effluent containing mobile genetic elements (MGEs), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and microorganisms into the environment, yet little is known about their influence on nearby microbial communities and the retention of these factors in receiving water bodies. Our research aimed to characterize the genes and organisms from two different WWTPs that discharge into Lake Michigan, as well as from surrounding lake sediments to determine the dispersal and fate of these factors with respect to distance from the effluent outfall. Shotgun metagenomics coupled to distance-decay analyses showed a higher abundance of genes identical to those in WWTP effluent genes in sediments closer to outfall sites than in sediments farther away, indicating their possible WWTP origin. We also found genes attributed to organisms, such as those belonging to Helicobacteraceae, Legionellaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Neisseriaceae, in effluent from both WWTPs and decreasing in abundance in lake sediments with increased distance from WWTPs. Moreover, our results showed that the WWTPs likely influence the ARG composition in lake sediments close to the effluent discharge. Many of these ARGs were located on MGEs in both the effluent and sediment samples, indicating a relatively broad propensity for horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Our approach allowed us to specifically link genes to organisms and their genetic context, providing insight into WWTP impacts on natural microbial communities. Overall, our results suggest a substantial influence of wastewater effluent on gene content and microbial community structure in the sediments of receiving water bodies. IMPORTANCE Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release their effluent into aquatic environments. Although treated, effluent retains many genes and microorganisms that have the potential to influence the receiving water in ways that are poorly understood. Here, we tracked the genetic

  18. Organic Wastewater Compounds, Pharmaceuticals, andColiphage in Ground Water Receiving Discharge from OnsiteWastewater Treatment Systems near La Pine, Oregon:Occurrence and Implications for Transport

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hinkle, Stephen J.; Weick, Rodney J.; Johnson, Jill M.; Cahill, Jeffery D.; Smith, Steven G.; Rich, Barbara J.

    2005-01-01

    The occurrence of organic wastewater compounds (components of 'personal care products' and other common household chemicals), pharmaceuticals (human prescription and nonprescription medical drugs), and coliphage (viruses that infect coliform bacteria, and found in high concentrations in municipal wastewater) in onsite wastewater (septic tank effluent) and in a shallow, unconfined, sandy aquifer that serves as the primary source of drinking water for most residents near La Pine, Oregon, was documented. Samples from two types of observation networks provided basic occurrence data for onsite wastewater and downgradient ground water. One observation network was a group of 28 traditional and innovative (advanced treatment) onsite wastewater treatment systems and associated downgradient drainfield monitoring wells, referred to as the 'innovative systems network'. The drainfield monitoring wells were located adjacent to or under onsite wastewater treatment system drainfield lines. Another observation network, termed the 'transect network', consisted of 31 wells distributed among three transects of temporary, stainless-steel-screened, direct-push monitoring wells installed along three plumes of onsite wastewater. The transect network, by virtue of its design, also provided a basis for increased understanding of the transport of analytes in natural systems. Coliphage were frequently detected in onsite wastewater. Coliphage concentrations in onsite wastewater were highly variable, ranging from less than 1 to 3,000,000 plaque forming units per 100 milliliters. Coliphage were occasionally detected (eight occurrences) at low concentrations in samples from wells located downgradient from onsite wastewater treatment system drainfield lines. However, coliphage concentrations were below method detection limits in replicate or repeat samples collected from the eight sites. The consistent absence of coliphage detections in the replicate or repeat samples is interpreted to indicate

  19. Occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Cyclospora in influent and effluent water at wastewater treatment plants in Arizona.

    PubMed

    Kitajima, Masaaki; Haramoto, Eiji; Iker, Brandon C; Gerba, Charles P

    2014-06-15

    We investigated the occurrence of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Cyclospora at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Arizona over a 12-month period, from August 2011 to July 2012. Influent and effluent wastewater samples were collected monthly, and protozoan (oo)cysts were concentrated using an electronegative filter, followed by the detection of protozoa using fluorescent microscopy (Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts) and PCR-based methods (Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis, and Cyclospora cayetanensis). The concentration of Giardia cysts in the influent was always higher than that of Cryptosporidium oocysts (mean concentration of 4.8-6.4×10(3) versus 7.4×10(1)-1.0×10(2)(oo)cysts/l) with no clear seasonality, and log10 reduction of Giardia cysts was significantly higher than that of Cryptosporidium oocysts for both WWTPs (P<0.05). Log10 reduction of Giardia cysts at the WWTP utilizing activated sludge was significantly higher than the other WWTP using trickling filter (P=0.014), while no statistically significant difference between the two WWTPs was observed for the log10 reduction of Cryptosporidium oocysts (P=0.207). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that G. intestinalis strains identified in wastewater belonged to two assemblages, AII and B, which are potentially infectious to humans. C. cayetanensis was also detected from both influent and effluent using a newly developed quantitative PCR, with the highest influent concentration of 1.2×10(4)copies/l. Our results demonstrated that these protozoan pathogens are prevalent in the study area and that efficacy of the conventional wastewater treatment processes at physically removing (oo)cysts is limited. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Technical Roundtables on EPA's Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water Resources: Wastewater Treatment and Waste Disposal, November 16, 2012

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This project focuses on the efficacy of treatment processes at POTWs and CWTs, since discharge of treated wastewater to surface waters provides an opportunity for chemicals found in the effluent to be transported to downstream drinking water intakes.

  1. The impact of tertiary wastewater treatment on copper and zinc complexation.

    PubMed

    Constantino, C; Gardner, M; Comber, S D W; Scrimshaw, M D; Ellor, B

    2015-01-01

    Tightening quality standards for European waters has seen a move towards enhanced wastewater treatment technologies such as granulated organic carbon treatment and ozonation. Although these technologies are likely to be successful in degrading certain micro-organic contaminants, these may also destroy compounds which would otherwise complex and render metals significantly less toxic. This study examined the impact of enhanced tertiary treatment on the capacity of organic compounds within sewage effluents to complex copper and zinc. The data show that granulated organic carbon treatment removes a dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fraction that is unimportant to complexation such that no detrimental impact on complexation or metal bioavailability is likely to occur from this treatment type. High concentrations of ozone (>1 mg O3/mg DOC) are, however, likely to impact the complexation capacity for copper although this is unlikely to be important at the concentrations of copper typically found in effluent discharges or in rivers. Ozone treatment did not affect zinc complexation capacity. The complexation profiles of the sewage effluents show these to contain a category of non-humic ligand that appears unaffected by tertiary treatment and which displays a high affinity for zinc, suggesting these may substantially reduce the bioavailability of zinc in effluent discharges. The implication is that traditional metal bioavailability assessment approaches such as the biotic ligand model may overestimate zinc bioavailability in sewage effluents and effluent-impacted waters.

  2. Integrated catalytic wet air oxidation and biological treatment of wastewater from Vitamin B 6 production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Jianxiong; Zhan, Wei; Li, Daosheng; Wang, Xiaocong; Song, Jing; Liu, Dongqi

    This study investigated the feasibility of coupling a catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO), with CuO/Al 2O 3 as catalyst, and an anaerobic/aerobic biological process to treat wastewater from Vitamin B 6 production. Results showed that the CWAO enhanced the biodegradability (BOD 5/COD) from 0.10 to 0.80. The oxidized effluents with COD of 10,000 mg l -1 was subjected to subsequent continuous anaerobic/aerobic oxidation, and 99.3% of total COD removal was achieved. The quality of the effluent obtained met the discharge standards of water pollutants for pharmaceutical industry Chemical Synthesis Products Category (GB21904-2008), and thereby it implies that the integrated CWAO and anaerobic/aerobic biological treatment may offer a promising process to treat wastewater from Vitamin B 6 production.

  3. Analysis of amphetamine and methamphetamine in municipal wastewater influent and effluent using weak cation-exchange SPE and LC-MS/MS.

    PubMed

    Boles, Tammy H; Wells, Martha J M

    2016-12-01

    Amphetamine and methamphetamine are emerging contaminants-those for which no regulations currently require monitoring or public reporting of their presence in our water supply. In this research, a protocol for weak cation-exchange (WCX) SPE coupled with LC-MS/MS was developed for determination of emerging contaminants amphetamine and methamphetamine in a complex wastewater matrix. Gradient LC parameters were adjusted to yield baseline separation of methamphetamine from other contaminants. Methamphetamine-D5 was used as the internal standard (IS) to compensate for sample loss during SPE and for signal loss during MS (matrix effects). Recoveries were 102.1 ± 7.9% and 99.4 ± 4.0% for amphetamine and methamphetamine, respectively, using WCX sorbent. Notably, methamphetamine was determined to be present in wastewater influent at each sampling date tested. Amphetamine was present in wastewater influent on two of four sampling dates. Amphetamine concentrations ranged from undetectable to 86.4 ng/L in influent, but it was undetectable in wastewater effluent. Methamphetamine was detected in influent at concentrations ranging from 27.0-60.3 ng/L. Methamphetamine concentration was reduced but incompletely removed at this facility. Although absent in one post-UV effluent sample, concentrations of methamphetamine ranged from 10.8-14.8 ng/L. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Study of different pretreatments for reverse osmosis reclamation of a petrochemical secondary effluent.

    PubMed

    Benito-Alcázar, C; Vincent-Vela, M C; Gozálvez-Zafrilla, J M; Lora-García, J

    2010-06-15

    Conventionally treated petrochemical wastewaters contain substantial quantities of hazardous pollutants. In addition, wastewater reuse is being enhanced as a consequence of the shortage of fresh water. Advanced petrochemical wastewater treatment for water reuse will reduce hazardous pollutants discharges as well as water consumption. Reverse osmosis is a suitable technology to obtain pure water. This work studies the adequacy of different pretreatments applied to a petrochemical secondary effluent to produce a suitable feeding for reverse osmosis treatment. The permeate obtained can be used in the petrochemical industry for different processes. In this work, several experiments (granulated activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and granulated activated carbon filtration coupled with nanofiltration) were performed to improve the conventional pretreatment. Total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity and silt density index were used to evaluate water quality for reverse osmosis feeding. In granulated activated carbon filtration, all the measured parameters but silt density index indicated a good filtrate quality to feed reverse osmosis membranes. Although the ultrafiltration permeate obtained was suitable for reverse osmosis, nanofiltration and granulated activated carbon filtration coupled with NF provided a better effluent quality for reverse osmosis than the other pretreatments studied. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Reducing the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 for its application to an industrial wastewater treatment plant treating winery effluent wastewater.

    PubMed

    García-Diéguez, Carlos; Bernard, Olivier; Roca, Enrique

    2013-03-01

    The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) is a complex model which is widely accepted as a common platform for anaerobic process modeling and simulation. However, it has a large number of parameters and states that hinder its calibration and use in control applications. A principal component analysis (PCA) technique was extended and applied to simplify the ADM1 using data of an industrial wastewater treatment plant processing winery effluent. The method shows that the main model features could be obtained with a minimum of two reactions. A reduced stoichiometric matrix was identified and the kinetic parameters were estimated on the basis of representative known biochemical kinetics (Monod and Haldane). The obtained reduced model takes into account the measured states in the anaerobic wastewater treatment (AWT) plant and reproduces the dynamics of the process fairly accurately. The reduced model can support on-line control, optimization and supervision strategies for AWT plants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The effect of aeration and effluent recycling on domestic wastewater treatment in a pilot-plant system of duckweed ponds.

    PubMed

    Ben-shalom, Miriam; Shandalov, Semion; Brenner, Asher; Oron, Gideon

    2014-01-01

    Three pilot-scale duckweed pond (DP) wastewater treatment systems were designed and operated to examine the effect of aeration and effluent recycling on treatment efficiency. Each system consisted of two DPs in series fed by pre-settled domestic sewage. The first system (duckweed+ conventional treatment) was 'natural' and included only duckweed plants. The second system (duckweed aeration) included aeration in the second pond. The third system (duckweed+ aeration+ circulation) included aeration in the second pond and effluent recycling from the second to the first pond. All three systems demonstrated similarly efficient removal of organic matter and nutrients. Supplemental aeration had no effect on either dissolved oxygen levels or on pollutant removal efficiencies. Although recycling had almost no influence on nutrient removal efficiencies, it had a positive impact on chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids removals due to equalization of load and pH, which suppressed algae growth. Recycling also improved the appearance and growth rate of the duckweed plants, especially during heavy wastewater loads.

  7. Characterization of organic particulates present in milk factory process waters used for reuse along with aerobically digested effluent wastewater.

    PubMed

    Verheyen, Vincent; Cruickshank, Alicia; Wild, Karl; Heaven, Michael W; McGee, Rachel; Watkins, Mark; Nash, David

    2011-01-01

    Wastewater from a dairy processor is being reused and recycled both within the plant and for irrigation. Flash pyrolysis GC-MS was used to examine nitrogen and phenol containing compounds (M.W.=35 to 450 g/mol) in the particulate fraction of the milk condensate, combined clean wastewater and aerobic bioreactor effluent. For comparison, the particulates were also prepared for standard GC-MS analyses using conventional solvent extraction methods. Compounds detected by pyrolysis GC-MS were found mostly in the bioreactor with the amino acid arginine (220 mg/kg) and the amino acid derivative 1-methyl-5-oxo-L-proline methyl ester (130 mg/kg) found at the highest concentrations. In comparison, sterols detected in the effluent were found at higher concentrations when using solvent extraction indicating some degradation with pyrolysis GC-MS. However, with few exceptions, particulates were generally found not to act as passive collectors capable of concentrating less water soluble chemicals. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Analysis of chemical reaction kinetics of depredating organic pollutants from secondary effluent of wastewater treatment plant in constructed wetlands.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hao; Jiang, Dengling; Yang, Yong; Cao, Guoping

    2013-01-01

    Four subsurface constructed wetlands were built to treat the secondary effluent of a wastewater treatment plant in Tangshan, China. The chemical pollutant indexes of chemical oxygen demand (COD) were analyzed to evaluate the removal efficiency of organic pollutants from the secondary effluent of the wastewater treatment plant. In all cases, the subsurface constructed wetlands were efficient in treating organic pollutants. Under the same hydraulic loading condition, the horizontal flow wetlands exhibited better efficiency of COD removal than vertical flow wetlands: the removal rates in horizontal flow wetlands could be maintained at 68.4 ± 2.42% to 92.2 ± 1.61%, compared with 63.8 ± 1.19% to 85.0 ± 1.25% in the vertical flow wetlands. Meanwhile, the chemical reaction kinetics of organic pollutants was analyzed, and the results showed that the degradation courses of the four subsurface wetlands all corresponded with the first order reaction kinetics to a large extent.

  9. Assessment of the Interactions between Economic Growth and Industrial Wastewater Discharges Using Co-integration Analysis: A Case Study for China’s Hunan Province

    PubMed Central

    Xiao, Qiang; Gao, Yang; Hu, Dan; Tan, Hong; Wang, Tianxiang

    2011-01-01

    We have investigated the interactions between economic growth and industrial wastewater discharge from 1978 to 2007 in China’s Hunan Province using co-integration theory and an error-correction model. Two main economic growth indicators and four representative industrial wastewater pollutants were selected to demonstrate the interaction mechanism. We found a long-term equilibrium relationship between economic growth and the discharge of industrial pollutants in wastewater between 1978 and 2007 in Hunan Province. The error-correction mechanism prevented the variable expansion for long-term relationship at quantity and scale, and the size of the error-correction parameters reflected short-term adjustments that deviate from the long-term equilibrium. When economic growth changes within a short term, the discharge of pollutants will constrain growth because the values of the parameters in the short-term equation are smaller than those in the long-term co-integrated regression equation, indicating that a remarkable long-term influence of economic growth on the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants and that increasing pollutant discharge constrained economic growth. Economic growth is the main driving factor that affects the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants in Hunan Province. On the other hand, the discharge constrains economic growth by producing external pressure on growth, although this feedback mechanism has a lag effect. Economic growth plays an important role in explaining the predicted decomposition of the variance in the discharge of industrial wastewater pollutants, but this discharge contributes less to predictions of the variations in economic growth. PMID:21845167

  10. Study of Wastewater Treatment by OH Radicals Using DC and Pulsed Corona Discharge over Water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tochikubo, Fumiyoshi; Furuta, Yasutomo; Uchida, Satoshi; Watanabe, Tsuneo

    2006-04-01

    Water treatment by OH radicals is studied using dc and pulsed corona discharge over water at atmospheric pressure and reduced pressure. In particular, we pay attention to the influence of discharge configuration on the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Experiment is carried out in N2 to clarify the contribution of OH radicals. Needle-cylinder electrodes are designed expecting the efficient generation of OH radicals close to the water surface. N,N-dimethyl- p-nitrosoaniline (RNO) solution is used as a persistent test pollutant. The results strongly suggest that OH radical production close to the water surface is a key factor for efficient wastewater treatment. The use of pulsed discharge at reduced pressure is effective in improving RNO reduction efficiency because of the rapid diffusion of OH radicals to the water surface.

  11. Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances in wastewater: Significance of unknown precursors, manufacturing shifts, and likely AFFF impacts.

    PubMed

    Houtz, Erika F; Sutton, Rebecca; Park, June-Soo; Sedlak, Margaret

    2016-05-15

    In late 2014, wastewater effluent samples were collected from eight treatment plants that discharge to San Francisco (SF) Bay in order to assess poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) currently released from municipal and industrial sources. In addition to direct measurement of twenty specific PFAS analytes, the total concentration of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) precursors was also indirectly measured by adapting a previously developed oxidation assay. Effluent from six municipal treatment plants contained similar amounts of total PFASs, with highest median concentrations of PFHxA (24 ng/L), followed by PFOA (23 ng/L), PFBA (19 ng/L), and PFOS (15 ng/L). Compared to SF Bay municipal wastewater samples collected in 2009, the short chain perfluorinated carboxylates PFBA and PFHxA rose significantly in concentration. Effluent samples from two treatment plants contained much higher levels of PFASs: over two samplings, wastewater from one municipal plant contained an average of 420 ng/L PFOS and wastewater from an airport industrial treatment plant contained 560 ng/L PFOS, 390 ng/L 6:2 FtS, 570 ng/L PFPeA, and 500 ng/L PFHxA. The elevated levels observed in effluent samples from these two plants are likely related to aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) sources impacting their influent; PFASs attributable to both current use and discontinued AFFF formulations were observed. Indirectly measured PFAA precursor compounds accounted for 33%-63% of the total molar concentration of PFASs across all effluent samples and the PFAA precursors indicated by the oxidation assay were predominately short-chained. PFAS levels in SF Bay effluent samples reflect the manufacturing shifts towards shorter chained PFASs while also demonstrating significant impacts from localized usage of AFFF. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. 78 FR 59681 - New York State Prohibition of Discharges of Vessel Sewage; Receipt of Petition and Tentative...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-27

    ... globally rare plants and animals and more than 40 species that are found nowhere else in the world. Lake... in the amount of effluent discharged from sewage treatment plants. There are 18 designated... wastewater treatment plant or to an on-site septic system. All fifteen were created through funding provided...

  13. Development of Fluorescence Surrogates to Predict the Photochemical Transformation of Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Effluents.

    PubMed

    Yan, Shuwen; Yao, Bo; Lian, Lushi; Lu, Xinchen; Snyder, Shane A; Li, Rui; Song, Weihua

    2017-03-07

    The photochemical transformation of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater effluents is an emerging concern for environmental scientists. In the current study, the photodegradation of 29 PPCPs was examined in effluents under simulated solar irradiation. Direct photodegradation, triplet state effluent organic matter ( 3 EfOM*)-mediated and hydroxyl radical (HO • )-mediated degradation are three major pathways in the removal process. With the photodegradation of trace levels of PPCPs, the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence intensities of the effluents were also gradually reduced. Therefore, fluorescence peaks have been identified, for the first time, as appropriate surrogates to assess the photodegradation of PPCPs. The humic-like fluorescence peak is linked to direct photolysis-labile PPCPs, such as naproxen, ronidazole, diclofenac, ornidazole, tinidazole, chloramphenicol, flumequine, ciprofloxacin, methadone, and dimetridazole. The tyrosine-like EEM peak is associated with HO • /CO 3 •- -labile PPCPs, such as trimethoprim, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, atenolol, carbamazepine, and cephalexin. The tryptophan-like peak is associated with 3 EfOM*-labile PPCPs, such as clenbuterol, metoprolol, venlafaxine, bisphenol A, propranolol, ractopamine, salbutamol, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, famotidine, terbutaline, and erythromycin. The reduction in EEM fluorescence correlates well with the removal of PPCPs, allowing a model to be constructed. The solar-driven removal of EEM fluorescence was applied to predict the attenuation of 11 PPCPs in five field samples. A close correlation between the predicted results and the experimental results suggests that fluorescence may be a suitable surrogate for monitoring the solar-driven photodegradation of PPCPs in effluents.

  14. Evaluation of advanced wastewater treatment systems for water reuse in the era of advanced wastewater treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kon, Hisao; Watanabe, Masahiro

    This study focuses on effluent COD concentration from wastewater treatment in regards to the reduction of pathogenic bacteria and trace substances in public waters. The main types of secondary wastewater treatment were conventional activated sludge processes. Recently, however, advance wastewater treatment processes have been developed aimed at the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus, and the effluent quality of these processes was analyzed in this study. Treatment processes for water reclamation that make effluent to meet the target water quality for reuse purposes were selected and also optimum design parameters for these processes were proposed. It was found that the treatment cost to water reclamation was greatly affected by the effluent COD of the secondary treatment. It is important to maintain low COD concentration in the secondary treated effluent. Therefore, it is considered that adequate cost benefits would be obtained by achieving target COD quality through shifting from a conventional activated sludge process to an advanced treatment process.

  15. Occurrence and overlooked sources of the biocide carbendazim in wastewater and surface water.

    PubMed

    Merel, Sylvain; Benzing, Saskia; Gleiser, Carolin; Di Napoli-Davis, Gina; Zwiener, Christian

    2018-08-01

    Carbendazim is a fungicide commonly used as active substance in plant protection products and biocidal products, for instance to protect facades of buildings against fungi. However, the subsequent occurrence of this fungicide and potential endocrine disruptor in the aqueous environment is a major concern. In this study, high resolution mass spectrometry shows that carbendazim can be detected with an increasing abundance from the source to the mouth of the River Rhine. Unexpectedly, the abundance of carbendazim correlates poorly with that of other fungicides used as active ingredients in plant protection products (r 2 of 0.32 for cyproconazole and r 2 of 0.57 for propiconazole) but it correlates linearly with that of pharmaceuticals (r 2 of 0.86 for carbamazepine and r 2 of 0.89 for lamotrigine). These results suggest that the occurrence of carbendazim in surface water comes mainly from the discharge of treated domestic wastewater. This hypothesis is further confirmed by the detection of carbendazim in wastewater effluents (n = 22). In fact, bench-scale leaching tests of textiles and papers revealed that these materials commonly found in households could be a source of carbendazim in domestic wastewater. Moreover, additional river samples collected nearby two paper industries indicate that the discharge of their treated process effluents is also a source of carbendazim in the environment. While characterizing paper and textile as overlooked sources of carbendazim, this study also shows the biocide as a possible ubiquitous wastewater contaminant that would require further systematic and worldwide monitoring due to its toxicological properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Integrating the Fenton's Process with Biofiltration by to Reduce Chemical Oxygen Demand of Winery Effluents.

    PubMed

    Pipolo, Marco; Martins, Rui C; Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa M; Costa, Raquel

    2017-03-01

    The discharge of poorly decontaminated winery wastewater remains a serious environmental problem in many regions, and the industry is welcoming improved treatment methods. Here, an innovative decontamination approach integrating Fenton's process with biofiltration by Asian clams is proposed. The potential of this approach was assessed at the pilot scale using real effluent and by taking an actual industrial treatment system as a benchmark. Fenton peroxidation was observed to remove 84% of the effluent's chemical oxygen demand (COD), reducing it to 205 mg L. Subsequent biofiltration decreased the effluent's COD to approximately zero, well below the legal discharge limit of 150 mg L, in just 3 d. The reduction of the effluent's organic load through Fenton's process did not decrease its toxicity toward , but the effluent was much less harmful after biofiltration. The performance of the treatment proposed exceeded that of the integrated Fenton's process-sequencing batch reactor design implemented in the winery practice, where a residence time of around 10 d in the biological step typically results in 80 to 90% of COD removal. The method proposed is effective and compatible with typical winery budgets and potentially contributes to the management of a nuisance species. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  17. Treated wastewater effluent as a source of pyrethroids and fipronil at todos santos bay, Mexico: Its impact on sediments and organisms.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Guzmán, Félix Augusto; Macías-Zamora, José Vinicio; Ramírez-Álvarez, Nancy; Alvarez-Aguilar, Arturo; Quezada-Hernández, Cristina; Fonseca, Ana Paula

    2017-11-01

    Pyrethroids are insecticides widely used to control pests and disease vectors in residential areas and agricultural lands. Pyrethroids are emerging pollutants, and their use is a growing concern because of their toxicity potential to aquatic organisms. Todos Santos Bay and the Punta Banda estuary, 2 coastal bodies located to the south of the Southern California Bight, were studied to establish a baseline of the current conditions of pollution by pyrethroids and fipronil. Eight pyrethroids, along with fipronil and its 2 metabolites, were determined in effluents from wastewater-treatment plants (n = 3), surface sediments (n = 32), and 3 locations with mussels (Mytilus californianus, n = 9). Bifenthrin, permethrin, and cypermethrin were the most common pyrethroids found in the study areas and were widespread in sediments, mussels, and wastewater-treated effluents. Fipronil and its metabolites were detected in mussels and wastewater-treated effluents only. Total pyrethroid concentrations in sediments ranged from 0.04 to 1.95 ng/g dry weight in the Punta Banda estuary (n = 13) and from 0.07 to 6.62 ng/g dry weight in Todos Santos Bay (n = 19). Moreover, total pyrethroids in mussels ranged from 1.19 to 6.15 ng/g wet weight. Based on the toxic unit data calculated for pyrethroids and fipronil for Eohaustorius estuarius and Hyalella azteca, little to no impact is expected to the benthic population structure. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3057-3064. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

  18. Reproductive responses of male fathead minnows exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent, effluent treated with XAD8 resin, and an environmentally relevant mixture of alkylphenol compounds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barber, L.B.; Lee, K.E.; Swackhamer, D.L.; Schoenfuss, H.L.

    2007-01-01

    On-site, continuous-flow experiments were conducted during August and October 2002 at a major metropolitan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to determine if effluent exposure induced endocrine disruption as manifested in the reproductive competence of sexually mature male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The fathead minnows were exposed in parallel experiments to WWTP effluent and WWTP effluent treated with XAD8 macroreticular resin to remove the hydrophobic-neutral fraction which contained steroidal hormones, alkylphenolethoxylates (APEs), and other potential endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). The effluent composition varied on a temporal scale and the continuous-flow experiments captured the range of chemical variability that occurred during normal WWTP operations. Exposure to WWTP effluent resulted in vitellogenin induction in male fathead minnows, with greater response in October than in August. Concentrations of ammonia, APEs, 17??-estradiol, and other EDCs also were greater in October than in August, reflecting a change in effluent composition. In the October experiment, XAD8 treatment significantly reduced vitellogenin induction in the male fathead minnows relative to the untreated effluent, whereas in August, XAD8 treatment had little effect. During both experiments, XAD8 treatment removed greater than 90% of the APEs. Exposure of fish to a mixture of APEs similar in composition and concentration to the WWTP effluent, but prepared in groundwater and conducted at a separate facility, elicited vitellogenin induction during both experiments. There was a positive relation between vitellogenin induction and hepatosomatic index (HSI), but not gonadosomatic index (GSI), secondary sexual characteristics index (SSCI), or reproductive competency. In contrast to expectations, the GSI and SSCI increased in males exposed to WWTP effluent compared to groundwater controls. The GSI, SSCI, and reproductive competency were positively affected by XAD8 treatment of

  19. Reproductive responses of male fathead minnows exposed to wastewater treatment plant effluent, effluent treated with XAD8 resin, and an environmentally relevant mixture of alkylphenol compounds.

    PubMed

    Barber, Larry B; Lee, Kathy E; Swackhamer, Deborah L; Schoenfuss, Heiko L

    2007-04-20

    On-site, continuous-flow experiments were conducted during August and October 2002 at a major metropolitan wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to determine if effluent exposure induced endocrine disruption as manifested in the reproductive competence of sexually mature male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). The fathead minnows were exposed in parallel experiments to WWTP effluent and WWTP effluent treated with XAD8 macroreticular resin to remove the hydrophobic-neutral fraction which contained steroidal hormones, alkylphenolethoxylates (APEs), and other potential endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). The effluent composition varied on a temporal scale and the continuous-flow experiments captured the range of chemical variability that occurred during normal WWTP operations. Exposure to WWTP effluent resulted in vitellogenin induction in male fathead minnows, with greater response in October than in August. Concentrations of ammonia, APEs, 17beta-estradiol, and other EDCs also were greater in October than in August, reflecting a change in effluent composition. In the October experiment, XAD8 treatment significantly reduced vitellogenin induction in the male fathead minnows relative to the untreated effluent, whereas in August, XAD8 treatment had little effect. During both experiments, XAD8 treatment removed greater than 90% of the APEs. Exposure of fish to a mixture of APEs similar in composition and concentration to the WWTP effluent, but prepared in groundwater and conducted at a separate facility, elicited vitellogenin induction during both experiments. There was a positive relation between vitellogenin induction and hepatosomatic index (HSI), but not gonadosomatic index (GSI), secondary sexual characteristics index (SSCI), or reproductive competency. In contrast to expectations, the GSI and SSCI increased in males exposed to WWTP effluent compared to groundwater controls. The GSI, SSCI, and reproductive competency were positively affected by XAD8 treatment of

  20. Wastewater movement near four treatment and disposal sites in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cox, E.R.

    1986-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, studied the effects on nearby streams and lakes of treated wastewater effluents that percolate from sewage lagoons at four sites in Yellowstone National Park. A network of observation wells has been established near the sites, and water level and water quality data were collected from 1974 through 1982. Groundwater mounds occur under the lagoons as percolation of effluents occurs. The percolating effluents mix with groundwater and form plumes of water that contain chemical constituents from the effluents. These plumes move down the hydraulic gradient toward groundwater discharge areas. The directions of movement of percolating effluents have been determined by analyzing water samples from wells near the lagoons for specific conductance, chloride concentration, and nitrite plus nitrate concentration. Other constituents and properties also were determined. The percolating effluents are diluted by groundwater and have no discernible effects on the quality of water in the nearby streams and lakes. (USGS)

  1. Solar photo-degradation of a pharmaceutical wastewater effluent in a semi-industrial autonomous plant.

    PubMed

    Expósito, Antonio J; Durán, Antonio; Monteagudo, José M; Acevedo, Alba

    2016-05-01

    An industrial wastewater effluent coming from a pharmaceutical laboratory has been treated in a semi-industrial autonomous solar compound parabolic collector (CPC) plant. A photo-Fenton process assisted with ferrioxalate has been used. Up to 79% of TOC can be removed in 2 h depending on initial conditions when treating an aqueous effluent containing up to 400 ppm of initial organic carbon concentration (TOC). An initial ratio of Fe(II)/TOC higher than 0.5 guarantees a high removal. It can be seen that most of TOC removal occurs early in the first hour of reaction. After this time, mineralization was very slow, although H2O2 was still present in solution. Indeed it decomposed to form oxygen in inefficient reactions. It is clear that remaining TOC was mainly due to the presence of acetates which are difficult to degrade. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Toxicity testing of sediment collected in the vicinity of effluent discharges from seafood processing plants in the maritimes.

    PubMed

    Lalonde, Benoit A; Jackman, Paula; Doe, Ken; Garron, Christine; Aubé, Jamie

    2009-04-01

    There are over 1100 fish-processing plants in Canada and the majority of them discharge untreated effluents directly to marine or estuarine receiving environments. The purpose of this study was to evaluate chemical and toxicological characteristics of sediments near fish-processing plant effluent discharges to assess potential impacts of seafood-processing effluents on receiving environments. Eighteen sediment samples were collected near effluent discharges of six seafood-processing plant outfalls in New Brunswick, Canada in the winter of 2006. Ammonia levels ranged from <0.2 to 3480 microg/g, sulfide levels ranged from <0.4 to 6970 microg/g, and redox ranged from -255 to 443 mV. Only one sample had a Microtox Solid-Phase Test IC(50) value below 1000 mg/kg, whereas three samples caused greater than 30% reduction to amphipod survival. Redox, sulfide, and ammonia concentrations were all found to be significantly related to both Eohaustorius estuarius survival and Microto (Vibrio fischeri) IC(50). An increase in sulfide (R (2) = 0.584; 0.750) and ammonia (R (2) = 0.478; 0.552) and a decrease in redox (R (2) = 0.485; 0.651) were associated with an increase in toxicity to E. estuarius and Microtox, respectively. The highest toxicity to both test organisms, and the most contaminated sediments based on physical/chemical characteristics measured, was observed in samples from Blacks Harbour.

  3. Mass Balance Assessment for Six Neonicotinoid Insecticides During Conventional Wastewater and Wetland Treatment: Nationwide Reconnaissance in United States Wastewater

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Occurrence and removal of six high-production high-volume neonicotinoids was investigated in 13 conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and one engineered wetland. Flow-weighted daily composites were analyzed by isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, revealing the occurrence of imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and clothianidin at ng/L concentrations in WWTP influent (60.5 ± 40.0; 2.9 ± 1.9; 149.7 ± 289.5, respectively) and effluent (58.5 ± 29.1; 2.3 ± 1.4; 70.2 ± 121.8, respectively). A mass balance showed insignificant removal of imidacloprid (p = 0.09, CI = 95%) and limited removal of the sum of acetamiprid and its degradate, acetamiprid-N-desmethyl (18 ± 4%, p = 0.01, CI = 95%). Clothianidin was found only intermittently, whereas thiamethoxam, thiacloprid, and dinotefuran were never detected. In the wetland, no removal of imidacloprid or acetamiprid was observed. Extrapolation of data from 13 WWTPs to the nation as a whole suggests annual discharges on the order of 1000–3400 kg/y of imidacloprid contained in treated effluent to surface waters nationwide. This first mass balance and first United States nationwide wastewater reconnaissance identified imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and clothianidin as recalcitrant sewage constituents that persist through wastewater treatment to enter water bodies at significant loadings, potentially harmful to sensitive aquatic invertebrates. PMID:27196423

  4. Impacts and Policy Implications of Metals Effluent Discharge into Rivers within Industrial Zones: A Sub-Saharan Perspective from Ethiopia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zinabu, E.; Kelderman, P.; van der Kwast, J.; Irvine, K.

    2018-04-01

    Kombolcha, a city in Ethiopia, exemplifies the challenges and problems of the sub-Saharan countries where industrialization is growing fast but monitoring resources are poor and information on pollution unknown. This study monitored metals Cr, Cu, Zn, and Pb concentrations in five factories' effluents, and in the effluent mixing zones of two rivers receiving discharges during the rainy seasons of 2013 and 2014. The results indicate that median concentrations of Cr in the tannery effluents and Zn in the steel processing effluents were as high as 26,600 and 155,750 µg/L, respectively, much exceeding both the USEPA and Ethiopian emission guidelines. Cu concentrations were low in all effluents. Pb concentrations were high in the tannery effluent, but did not exceed emission guidelines. As expected, no metal emission guidelines were exceeded for the brewery, textile and meat processing effluents. Median Cr and Zn concentrations in the Leyole river in the effluent mixing zones downstream of the tannery and steel processing plant increased by factors of 52 (2660 compared with 51 µg Cr/L) and 5 (520 compared with 110 µg Zn/L), respectively, compared with stations further upstream. This poses substantial ecological risks downstream. Comparison with emission guidelines indicates poor environmental management by industries and regulating institutions. Despite appropriate legislation, no clear measures have yet been taken to control industrial discharges, with apparent mismatch between environmental enforcement and investment policies. Effluent management, treatment technologies and operational capacity of environmental institutions were identified as key improvement areas to adopt progressive sustainable development.

  5. Fate of phthalate esters in municipal wastewater treatment plant and their environmental impact.

    PubMed

    Kong, Minghao; Song, Yonghui; Zhang, Yizhang; Liu, Ruixia; Wei, Jian; Zheng, Lei

    2016-01-01

    The fate and distribution of six phthalate esters (PAEs) in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) employing an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A(2)/O) process were investigated. The process achieved relatively high removal efficiencies of PAEs in the range 55-97%. It illustrated that biotransformation and sludge-adsorption were major elimination pathways by analyzing the mass balance and flux of PAEs. About 83% of ∑PAEs was entirely removed by A(2)/O bioreactors indicating biotransformation is the dominant removal mechanism. PAEs with shorter alkyl chain length and higher water solubility were more biodegradable. Less than 6% of ∑PAEs were removed by excess sludge adsorption. The sludge-adsorption capacity of PAE depends on its hydrophobicity. The levels and fluxes of PAEs were analyzed by monitoring different sites of the receiving river of the WWTP effluent to clarify the potential impact of discharge. Daily flux of PAEs upstream and downstream of the discharging point were 113 kg·d(-1) and 205 kg·d(-1), respectively, which were higher than the effluent devotion value of 6.67 kg·d(-1). It suggested that the emissions from the WWTP appeared to be less than those from the other possible sources, such as potential untreated discharge and surface runoff. Improvement of wastewater collection efficiencies is necessary to eliminate the PAE load in the urban river.

  6. Using medically-derived iodine-131 to track sewage effluent in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

    PubMed

    Montenero, Michael P; Dilbone, Elizabeth K; Waples, James T

    2017-10-15

    Tracking sewage wastewater in a large lake is difficult. Concentrations of pharmaceuticals that can be used as indicator compounds are quickly diluted and not easy to measure. In this study, we examined the potential of using medically-derived iodine-131 ( 131 I, t ½  = 8.02 d) as a tracer for Milwaukee sewage effluent in Lake Michigan. 131 I activities in sewage effluent from two Milwaukee wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were measured in conjunction with 131 I activities in water, sediment and biota in the Milwaukee Outer Harbor and Lake Michigan. 131 I discharge rates from both WWTPS ranged from 34 ± 15 to 1807 ± 24 MBq d -1 , with average and median 131 I discharges of 278 and 129 MBq d -1 . A budget of 131 I in the Milwaukee Outer Harbor - based on measured sediment and water column inventories - showed that ∼11% of the 131 I discharged to the harbor was scavenged to bottom sediments, ∼19% decayed in the harbor water column, and ∼70% was flushed out of the harbor to Lake Michigan. From this budget, we derived a harbor flushing rate of 3.1 days. In Lake Michigan, 131 I activity was found in Cladophora algae (undetected to 91 ± 2 Bq kg -1 ) along ∼40 km of shoreline. Benthic trawl samples showed 131 I activity up to 8 km from shore. Calculated 131 I length scales were 30 km alongshore and 3.4 km offshore and corresponded to sewage effluent dispersion rates of ∼2.6 km d -1 and ∼0.3 km d -1 in along- and offshore directions. Using 131 I as a tracer of sewage effluent from other coastal municipalities to the Laurentian Great Lakes appears feasible, particularly for larger (>10 5 ) population centers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. [Removal of AOX and Chroma in Biologically Treated Effluent of Chemical Dyestuff Wastewater with Nanoscale Ni/Fe].

    PubMed

    Shu, Xiao-ming; Xu, Can-can; Liu, Rui; Zhao, Yuan; Chen, Lü-jun

    2016-02-15

    Nanoscale Ni/Fe was applied to biologically treated effluent of chemical dyestuff wastewater. The removal rates of absorbable organic halogens (AOX) and chroma were investigated at different Ni loadings (0-5%), initial wastewater pH (4.1-10.0), Ni/Fe dosage (1-5 g x L(-1)) and reaction time (0.5-96 h). The results showed that the removal rates of AOX and chroma firstly increased and then decreased with the increase of the Ni loading, while continuously increased with the decrease of the initial wastewater pH and the increase of Ni/Fe dosage. The optimal condition was Ni loading of 1%, initial wastewater pH of 4.1 and Ni/Fe dosage of 3 g x L(-1), under which 29.2% of AOX and 79.6% of chroma were removed after 24 h reaction, and 50.6% of AOX and 80.7% of chroma were removed after 96 h reaction. GC-MS analysis revealed that toxicants such as chlorinated anilines, p-nitroaniline, 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline and halogenated hydrocarbons were efficiently removed.

  8. Distribution of genetic markers of fecal pollution on a freshwater sandy shoreline in proximity to wastewater effluent

    PubMed Central

    Eichmiller, Jessica J.; Hicks, Randall E.; Sadowsky, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    Water, sand, and sediment from a Lake Superior harbor site continuously receiving wastewater effluent was sampled monthly for June to October 2010 and from May to September 2011. Understanding the dynamics of genetic markers of fecal bacteria in these matrices is essential to accurately characterizing health risks. Genetic markers for enterococci, total Bacteroides, and human-associated Bacteroides were measured in site-water, sand, and sediment and in final effluent by quantitative PCR. The similarity between the quantity of molecular markers in the water column and effluent indicated that the abundance of genetic markers in the water column was likely controlled by effluent inputs. Effluent turbidity was positively correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with AllBac and HF183 in final effluent and AllBac in the water column. In sand and sediment, Entero1 and AllBac were most abundant in the upper 1– 3 cm depths, whereas HF183 was most abundant in the upper 1 cm of sand and at 7 cm in sediment. The AllBac and Entero1 markers were 1- and 2-orders of magnitude more abundant in sand and sediment relative to the water column per unit mass. These results indicate that sand and sediment may act as reservoirs for genetic markers of fecal pollution at some freshwater sites. PMID:23473470

  9. Investigation of corrosion caused by constituents of refinery wastewater effluent used as circulating cooling water.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zhongzhi; Song, Shaofu; Huang, Jie; Ji, Lin; Wu, Fangyun

    2003-01-01

    The corrosion rate of steel plate using single-factor, multifactor, and complex water systems was investigated via refinery wastewater effluents used as circulating cooling water. The results show that the primary corrosion factors of steel depend on the characteristics of the ions, the formation of the oxidized coating, the diffusion of dissolved oxygen, and other complex factors, although ions such as chloride, calcium, and carbonate play an important role. The corrosion rate of carbon steel exhibits two trends: The corrosion rate is high at low conductivity, increases to a maximum, and then decreases and becomes stable with increasing conductivity, as is the case with chloride, sulfate, nitrate and calcium ions. On the other hand, the corrosion rate is highest at low conductivity and then decreases and becomes stable with increasing conductivity, as is the case with carbonate, silicate, and sodium nitrate ions. Research results indicate that the anticorrosive ability is minimal at low conductivity; but is excellent at high conductivity. Pretreatment of low-conductivity water using air flotation and clarification to decrease the concentrations of chloride, calcium, and carbonate ions to a suitable level to satisfy the anticorrosion requirements is required. However, it is not necessary to significantly reduce the salt concentration or conductivity of the water by osmosis or ion exchange to obtain an anticorrosion effect when reusing wastewater effluents as circulating cooling water.

  10. Impact of municipal wastewater effluent on seed bank response and soils excavated from a wetland impoundment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Finocchiaro, R.G.; Kremer, R.J.; Fredrickson, L.H.

    2009-01-01

    Intensive management of wetlands to improve wildlife habitat typically includes the manipulation of water depth, duration, and timing to promote desired vegetation communities. Increased societal, industrial, and agricultural demands for water may encourage the use of alternative sources such as wastewater effluents in managed wetlands. However, water quality is commonly overlooked as an influence on wetland soil seed banks and soils. In four separate greenhouse trials conducted over a 2-yr period, we examined the effects of municipal wastewater effluent (WWE) on vegetation of wetland seed banks and soils excavated from a wildlife management area in Missouri, USA. We used microcosms filled with one of two soil materials and irrigated with WWE, Missouri River water, or deionized water to simulate moist-soil conditions. Vegetation that germinated from the soil seed bank was allowed to grow in microcosms for approximately 100 d. Vegetative taxa richness, plant density, and biomass were significantly reduced in WWE-irrigated soil materials compared with other water sources. Salinity and sodicity rapidly increased in WWE-irrigated microcosms and probably was responsible for inhibiting germination or interfering with seedling development. Our results indicate that irrigation with WWE promoted saline-sodic soil conditions, which alters the vegetation community by inhibiting germination or seedling development. ?? 2009, The Society of Wetland Scientists.

  11. Impact of biosolids and wastewater effluent application to agricultural land on corticosterone content in lettuce plants.

    PubMed

    Shargil, Dorit; Fine, Pinchas; Gerstl, Zev; Nitsan, Ido; Kurtzman, Daniel

    2016-01-15

    We studied corticosterone occurrence in lettuce plants grown on three biosolids amended soils under irrigation with either tap water or secondary wastewater effluent. Corticosterone was examined as it has possible implications for human health. It is a major glucocorticoid, and as such has an effect on regulation of metabolism, immune functions and stress response. The plants were grown in 220-L lysimeters packed with 3 soils which represent a wide range of physicochemical properties. Lettuce was grown in cycles (two in summer and two in winter) during 3 years, and in every spring season the sludges were re-applied. Corticosterone was quantified using ELISA and LCMS, and was found in the biosolids, tap water, wastewater effluent and lettuce plants. The respective ranges of concentrations were: 11-92 ng g(-1), 0.5-1.6 ng L(-1), 4.2-4.7 ng L(-1); and 1-900 ng g(-1) dry weight. A positive relationship was found between corticosterone concentrations in winter-grown lettuces and the plants fresh weight. The corticosterone content of the plants did not correspond with either the type of irrigation water or the biosolids type and rate of application or the soil properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. High-resolution Mass Spectrometry of Skin Mucus for Monitoring Physiological Impacts in Fish Exposed to Wastewater Effluent at a Great Lakes AOC

    EPA Science Inventory

    High-resolution mass spectrometry is advantageous for monitoring physiological impacts and contaminant biotransformation products in fish exposed to complex wastewater effluent. We evaluated this technique using skin mucus from male and female fathead minnows (Pimephales promela...

  13. High‐resolution mass spectrometry of skin mucus for monitoring physiological impacts and contaminant biotransformation products in fathead minnows exposed to wastewater effluent

    EPA Science Inventory

    High‐resolution mass spectrometry is advantageous for monitoring physiological impacts and contaminant biotransformation products in fish exposed to complex wastewater effluent. We evaluated this technique using skin mucus from male and female fathead minnows (Pimephales pr...

  14. Norovirus and FRNA bacteriophage determined by RT-qPCR and infectious FRNA bacteriophage in wastewater and oysters.

    PubMed

    Flannery, John; Keaveney, Sinéad; Rajko-Nenow, Paulina; O'Flaherty, Vincent; Doré, William

    2013-09-15

    Norovirus (NoV), the leading cause of adult non-bacterial gastroenteritis can be commonly detected in wastewater but the extent of NoV removal provided by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is unclear. We monitored a newly commissioned WWTP with UV disinfection on a weekly basis over a six month period for NoV using RT-qPCR and for FRNA bacteriophage GA using both RT-qPCR (total concentration) and a plaque assay (infectious concentration). Mean concentrations of NoV GI and GII in influent wastewater were reduced by 0.25 and 0.41 log10 genome copies 100 ml(-1), respectively by the WWTP. The mean concentration of total FRNA bacteriophage GA was reduced by 0.35 log genome copies 100 ml(-1) compared to a reduction of infectious FRNA bacteriophage GA of 2.13 log PFU 100 ml(-1). A significant difference between concentrations of infectious and total FRNA bacteriophage GA was observed in treated, but not in untreated wastewaters. We conclude that RT-qPCR in isolation underestimates the reduction of infectious virus during wastewater treatment. We further compared the concentrations of infectious virus in combined sewer overflow (CSO) and UV treated effluents using FRNA bacteriophage GA. A greater percentage (98%) of infectious virus is released in CSO discharges than UV treated effluent (44%). Following a CSO discharge, concentrations of NoV GII and infectious FRNA bacteriophage GA in oysters from less than the limit of detection to 3150 genome copies 100 g(-1) and 1050 PFU 100 g(-1) respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Pretreatment technologies for industrial effluents: Critical review on bioenergy production and environmental concerns.

    PubMed

    Prabakar, Desika; Suvetha K, Subha; Manimudi, Varshini T; Mathimani, Thangavel; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Rene, Eldon R; Pugazhendhi, Arivalagan

    2018-07-15

    The implementation of different pretreatment techniques and technologies prior to effluent discharge is a direct result of the inefficiency of several existing wastewater treatment methods. A majority of the industrial sectors have known to cause severe negative effects on the environment. The five major polluting industries are the paper and pulp mills, coal manufacturing facilities, petrochemical, textile and the pharmaceutical sectors. Pretreatment methods have been widely used in order to lower the toxicity levels of effluents and comply with environmental standards. In this review, the possible environmental benefits and concerns of adopting different pretreatment technologies for renewable energy production and product/resource recovery has been reviewed and discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Incidence of human adenoviruses and Hepatitis A virus in the final effluent of selected wastewater treatment plants in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

    PubMed

    Osuolale, Olayinka; Okoh, Anthony

    2015-06-24

    Municipal effluent constitutes a large reservoir of human enteric viruses and bacteria. Contemporary monitoring practices rely on indicator bacteria, and do not test for viruses. Different viruses, including Norwalk-like viruses, Hepatitis A virus (HAV), adenoviruses, and rotaviruses, are important agents of illnesses in humans. The burden of disease caused by adenoviruses manifests as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, otitis media, conjunctivitis, and tonsillitis, whereas HAV infection can manifest as acute inflammatory diseases of the liver, fever, anorexia, malaise, nausea, and abdominal discomfort, followed by jaundice and dark urine. The public health implications of these viruses depend upon the physiological status of the wastewater microbial community. The occurrence of human adenovirus (HAdV) and HAV was determined in the final effluents of five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, over 12 months (September 2012-August 2013). The viruses were detected with real-time PCR, and conventional PCR was used for serotyping. Adenovirus was detected in effluent samples from all five WWTPs and in 64 % of the total samples, whereas HAV was not detected in any effluent sample. At WWPT-A, samples were collected from the final effluent tank (adenoviral concentrations ranged from 1.05 × 10(1) to 1.10 × 10(4) genome/L, with a 41.7 % detection rate) and the discharge point (adenoviral concentrations ranged between 1.2 × 10(1) and 2.8 × 10(4) genome/L, with a 54.5 % detection rate). At WWPT-B, HAdV was detected in 91.7 % of samples, with viral concentrations of 7.92 × 10(1)-2.37 × 10(5) genome/L. The HAdV concentrations at WWPT-C were 5.32 × 10(1)-2.20 × 10(5) genome/L, and the detection rate was 75 %. The adenoviral concentrations at WWPT-D were 1.23 × 10(3)-1.05 × 10(4) genome/L, and the detection rate was 66.7 %. At WWPT-E, the viral concentrations were 1.08 × 10(1)-5.16 × 10

  17. Post-treatment of UASB reactor effluent in waste stabilization ponds and in horizontal flow constructed wetlands: a comparative study in pilot scale in Southeast Brazil.

    PubMed

    Bastos, R K X; Calijuri, M L; Bevilacqua, P D; Rios, E N; Dias, E H O; Capelete, B C; Magalhães, T B

    2010-01-01

    The results of a 20-month period study in Brazil were analyzed to compare horizontal-flow constructed wetlands (CW) and waste stabilization pond (WSP) systems in terms of land area requirements and performance to produce effluent qualities for surface water discharge, and for wastewater use in agriculture and/or aquaculture. Nitrogen, E. coli and helminth eggs were more effectively removed in WSP than in CW. It is indicated that CW and WSP require similar land areas to achieve a bacteriological effluent quality suitable for unrestricted irrigation (10(3) E. coli per 100 mL), but CW would require 2.6 times more land area than ponds to achieve quite relaxed ammonia effluent discharge standards (20 mg NH(3) L(-1)), and, by far, more land than WSP to produce an effluent complying with the WHO helminth guideline for agricultural use (< or =1 egg per litre).

  18. Treatment and Reuse of Wastewaters Discharged by Petroleum Industries (HMD/Algeria)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sellami, MH, E-mail: sellami2000dz@gmail.com; Loudiyi, K; Boubaker, MC

    Industrial wastewaters discharged by petroleum industries contains: oil, heavy metals and chemicals used in the process of oil separation and treatment. These waters are a source of soil, water and air pollution, and lead a mortal danger to the ecosystem. Our aim in this work has an aspect that can contribute to the collective effort to address the enormous amount of water purges storage bins and reuse them to avoid any environmental damage. This was achieved by chemical treating of these wastewaters discharged from three different locations of Hassi Messaoud (HMD) petroleum field by flocculation with (C-5563) followed by coagulationmore » with (C-2061) using two different acids as sequestering namely: Ascorbic and Citric acid. After experiments, the results showed that the wastewater can be treated without sequestering by adding 40 ppm of activated silicates. The best result was obtained by addition of 160 ppm of Ascorbic acid as sequestering agent and 20 ppm of activated silicates; resulting in removal of 92.81 % of suspended matter and 95.53 % of turbidity. Finally we concluded that this wastewater was satisfactorily treated and we recommend either inject it for enhanced oil recovery in industrial closest field (North field) to maintain the reservoir pressure and the improved rate recovery of oil reserves or reuse it in garden irrigation. In order to see the impact of the treated water on plants, irrigation tests have conducted on two types of plants (date palm and shaft apocalyptic) for one year. The tests showed that the thick layer of 5 cm and 0.08mm of particles diameter of dune sand removes most of remaining oil. The sand layer that fills the basin surrounding the shaft is removed and replaced every 06 months. So, Dune sand plays the role of natural filter. The garden plants appear and grow normally.« less

  19. Degradation of progestagens by oxidation with potassium permanganate in wastewater effluents.

    PubMed

    Fayad, Paul B; Zamyadi, Arash; Broseus, Romain; Prévost, Michèle; Sauvé, Sébastien

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the oxidation of selected progestagenic steroid hormones by potassium permanganate at pH 6.0 and 8.0 in ultrapure water and wastewater effluents, using bench-scale assays. Second order rate constants for the reaction of potassium permanganate with progestagens (levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone, norethindrone and progesterone) was determined as a function of pH, presence of natural organic matter and temperature. This work also illustrates the advantages of using a novel analytical method, the laser diode thermal desorption (LDTD-APCI) interface coupled to tandem mass spectrometry apparatus, allowing for the quick determination of oxidation rate constants and increasing sample throughput. The second-order rate constants for progestagens with permanganate determined in bench-scale experiments ranged from 23 to 368 M(-1) sec(-1) in both wastewater and ultrapure waters with pH values of 6.0 and 8.0. Two pairs of progestagens exhibited similar reaction rate constants, i.e. progesterone and medroxyprogesterone (23 to 80 M(-1) sec(-1) in ultrapure water and 26 to 149 M(-1) sec(-1) in wastewaters, at pH 6.0 and 8.0) and levonorgestrel and norethindrone (179 to 224 M(-1) sec(-1) in ultrapure water and 180 to 368 M(-1) sec(-1) in wastewaters, at pH 6.0 and 8.0). The presence of dissolved natural organic matter and the pH conditions improved the oxidation rate constants for progestagens with potassium permanganate only at alkaline pH. Reaction rates measured in Milli-Q water could therefore be used to provide conservative estimates for the oxidation rates of the four selected progestagens in wastewaters when exposed to potassium permanganate. The progestagen removal efficiencies was lower for progesterone and medroxyprogesterone (48 to 87 %) than for levonorgestrel and norethindrone (78 to 97%) in Milli-Q and wastewaters at pH 6.0-8.2 using potassium permanganate dosages of 1 to 5 mg L(-1) after contact times of 10 to 60 min. This

  20. Degradation of progestagens by oxidation with potassium permanganate in wastewater effluents

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background This study investigated the oxidation of selected progestagenic steroid hormones by potassium permanganate at pH 6.0 and 8.0 in ultrapure water and wastewater effluents, using bench-scale assays. Second order rate constants for the reaction of potassium permanganate with progestagens (levonorgestrel, medroxyprogesterone, norethindrone and progesterone) was determined as a function of pH, presence of natural organic matter and temperature. This work also illustrates the advantages of using a novel analytical method, the laser diode thermal desorption (LDTD-APCI) interface coupled to tandem mass spectrometry apparatus, allowing for the quick determination of oxidation rate constants and increasing sample throughput. Results The second-order rate constants for progestagens with permanganate determined in bench-scale experiments ranged from 23 to 368 M-1 sec-1 in both wastewater and ultrapure waters with pH values of 6.0 and 8.0. Two pairs of progestagens exhibited similar reaction rate constants, i.e. progesterone and medroxyprogesterone (23 to 80 M-1 sec-1 in ultrapure water and 26 to 149 M-1 sec-1 in wastewaters, at pH 6.0 and 8.0) and levonorgestrel and norethindrone (179 to 224 M-1 sec-1 in ultrapure water and 180 to 368 M-1 sec-1 in wastewaters, at pH 6.0 and 8.0). The presence of dissolved natural organic matter and the pH conditions improved the oxidation rate constants for progestagens with potassium permanganate only at alkaline pH. Reaction rates measured in Milli-Q water could therefore be used to provide conservative estimates for the oxidation rates of the four selected progestagens in wastewaters when exposed to potassium permanganate. The progestagen removal efficiencies was lower for progesterone and medroxyprogesterone (48 to 87 %) than for levonorgestrel and norethindrone (78 to 97%) in Milli-Q and wastewaters at pH 6.0-8.2 using potassium permanganate dosages of 1 to 5 mg L-1 after contact times of 10 to 60

  1. Characteristic numbers of granular activated carbon for the elimination of micropollutants from effluents of municipal wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Benstoem, F; Pinnekamp, J

    2017-07-01

    Adsorption on granular activated carbon (GAC) is a promising step to extend existing treatment trains in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and, thus, to reduce the concentration of micropollutants (MPs) (e.g. pharmaceuticals) in wastewater. It is common practice to use characteristic numbers when choosing GAC for a specific application. In this study, characteristic numbers were correlated for five different GACs, with measured adsorption capacities of these carbons for three pharmaceutical MPs (carbamazepine, diclofenac and sulfamethoxazole) and dissolved organic carbon of a WWTP effluent. The adsorption capacities were measured using rapid small scale column tests. Density of GAC showed the highest correlation to adsorption of MP. All other characteristic numbers (iodine number, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface and methylene blue titre) are not suitable markers for choosing an appropriate activated carbon product for the elimination of MPs from municipal wastewater.

  2. Performance of ceramic ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes in treating car wash wastewater for reuse.

    PubMed

    Moazzem, Shamima; Wills, Jamie; Fan, Linhua; Roddick, Felicity; Jegatheesan, Veeriah

    2018-03-01

    Reusing treated effluents in industries is a great option to conserve freshwater resources. For example, car wash centres all over Australia are estimated to use 17.5 billion litres of water and discharge it as wastewater and spend $75 million a year for both purchasing fresh water and for treating and/or discharging the wastewater. Therefore, it is important to develop simple but reliable systems that can help to treat and reuse car wash wastewater. Significant savings could also be associated with the implementation of such systems. This study evaluates the performance of granular and membrane filtration systems with coagulation/flocculation and sedimentation in treating car wash wastewater for the purpose of reuse. Overall, 99.9% of turbidity, 100% of suspended solids and 96% of COD were removed from the car wash wastewater after treating by coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, sand filtration, ceramic ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis and the treated water meets the standards required for class A recycled water in Australia and standards imposed in Belgium and China. The treated water can be reused. However, optimisation is required to reduce the sludge produced by this system.

  3. Adsorption treatment of oxide chemical mechanical polishing wastewater from a semiconductor manufacturing plant by electrocoagulation.

    PubMed

    Chou, Wei-Lung; Wang, Chih-Ta; Chang, Wen-Chun; Chang, Shih-Yu

    2010-08-15

    In this study, metal hydroxides generated during electrocoagulation (EC) were used to remove the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of oxide chemical mechanical polishing (oxide-CMP) wastewater from a semiconductor manufacturing plant by EC. Adsorption studies were conducted in a batch system for various current densities and temperatures. The COD concentration in the oxide-CMP wastewater was effectively removed and decreased by more than 90%, resulting in a final wastewater COD concentration that was below the Taiwan discharge standard (100 mg L(-1)). Since the processed wastewater quality exceeded the direct discharge standard, the effluent could be considered for reuse. The adsorption kinetic studies showed that the EC process was best described using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model at the various current densities and temperatures. The experimental data were also tested against different adsorption isotherm models to describe the EC process. The Freundlich adsorption isotherm model predictions matched satisfactorily with the experimental observations. Thermodynamic parameters, including the Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy, indicated that the COD adsorption of oxide-CMP wastewater on metal hydroxides was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in the temperature range of 288-318 K. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs on planktonic metabolic rates and microbial community composition in the Baltic Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vaquer-Sunyer, Raquel; Reader, Heather E.; Muthusamy, Saraladevi; Lindh, Markus V.; Pinhassi, Jarone; Conley, Daniel J.; Kritzberg, Emma S.

    2016-08-01

    The Baltic Sea is the world's largest area suffering from eutrophication-driven hypoxia. Low oxygen levels are threatening its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The main causes for eutrophication-driven hypoxia are high nutrient loadings and global warming. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) contribute to eutrophication as they are important sources of nitrogen to coastal areas. Here, we evaluated the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs on Baltic Sea planktonic communities in four experiments. We tested for effects of effluent inputs on chlorophyll a content, bacterial community composition, and metabolic rates: gross primary production (GPP), net community production (NCP), community respiration (CR) and bacterial production (BP). Nitrogen-rich dissolved organic matter (DOM) inputs from effluents increased bacterial production and decreased primary production and community respiration. Nutrient amendments and seasonally variable environmental conditions lead to lower alpha-diversity and shifts in bacterial community composition (e.g. increased abundance of a few cyanobacterial populations in the summer experiment), concomitant with changes in metabolic rates. An increase in BP and decrease in CR could be caused by high lability of the DOM that can support secondary bacterial production, without an increase in respiration. Increases in bacterial production and simultaneous decreases of primary production lead to more carbon being consumed in the microbial loop, and may shift the ecosystem towards heterotrophy.

  5. Pesticides from wastewater treatment plant effluents affect invertebrate communities.

    PubMed

    Münze, Ronald; Hannemann, Christin; Orlinskiy, Polina; Gunold, Roman; Paschke, Albrecht; Foit, Kaarina; Becker, Jeremias; Kaske, Oliver; Paulsson, Elin; Peterson, Märit; Jernstedt, Henrik; Kreuger, Jenny; Schüürmann, Gerrit; Liess, Matthias

    2017-12-01

    We quantified pesticide contamination and its ecological impact up- and downstream of seven wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in rural and suburban areas of central Germany. During two sampling campaigns, time-weighted average pesticide concentrations (c TWA ) were obtained using Chemcatcher® passive samplers; pesticide peak concentrations were quantified with event-driven samplers. At downstream sites, receiving waters were additionally grab sampled for five selected pharmaceuticals. Ecological effects on macroinvertebrate structure and ecosystem function were assessed using the biological indicator system SPEAR pesticides (SPEcies At Risk) and leaf litter breakdown rates, respectively. WWTP effluents substantially increased insecticide and fungicide concentrations in receiving waters; in many cases, treated wastewater was the exclusive source for the neonicotinoid insecticides acetamiprid and imidacloprid in the investigated streams. During the ten weeks of the investigation, five out of the seven WWTPs increased in-stream pesticide toxicity by a factor of three. As a consequence, at downstream sites, SPEAR values and leaf litter degradation rates were reduced by 40% and 53%, respectively. The reduced leaf litter breakdown was related to changes in the macroinvertebrate communities described by SPEAR pesticides and not to altered microbial activity. Neonicotinoids showed the highest ecological relevance for the composition of invertebrate communities, occasionally exceeding the Regulatory Acceptable Concentrations (RACs). In general, considerable ecological effects of insecticides were observed above and below regulatory thresholds. Fungicides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals contributed only marginally to acute toxicity. We conclude that pesticide retention of WWTPs needs to be improved. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Seawater-driven forward osmosis for enriching nitrogen and phosphorous in treated municipal wastewater: effect of membrane properties and feed solution chemistry.

    PubMed

    Xue, Wenchao; Tobino, Tomohiro; Nakajima, Fumiyuki; Yamamoto, Kazuo

    2015-02-01

    Seawater-driven forward osmosis (FO) is considered to be a novel strategy to concentrate nutrients in treated municipal wastewater for further recovery as well as simultaneous discharge of highly purified wastewater into the sea with low cost. As a preliminary test, the performance of FO membranes in concentrating nutrients was investigated by both batch experiments and model simulation approaches. With synthetic seawater as the draw solution, the dissolved organic carbon, phosphate, and ammonia in the effluent from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater were 2.3-fold, 2.3-fold, and 2.1-fold, respectively, concentrated by the FO process with approximately 57% of water reduction. Most of the dissolved components, including trace metals in the MBR effluent, were highly retained (>80%) in the feed side, indicating high water quality of permeate to be discharged. The effect of membrane properties on the nutrient enrichment performance was investigated by comparing three types of FO membranes. Interestingly, a polyamide membrane possessing a high negative charge demonstrated a poor capability of retaining ammonia, which was hypothesized because of an ion exchange-like mechanism across the membrane prompted by the high ionic concentration of the draw solution. A feed solution pH of 7 was demonstrated to be an optimum condition for improving the overall retention of nutrients, especially for ammonia because of the pH-dependent speciation of ammonia/ammonium forms. The modeling results showed that higher than 10-fold concentrations of ammonia and phosphate are achievable by seawater-driven FO with a draw solution to feed solution volume ratio of 2:1. The enriched municipal wastewater contains nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations comparable with typical animal wastewater and anaerobic digestion effluent, which are used for direct nutrient recovery. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Response of phytoplankton and bacterial biomass during a wastewater effluent diversion into nearshore coastal waters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caron, David A.; Gellene, Alyssa G.; Smith, Jayme; Seubert, Erica L.; Campbell, Victoria; Sukhatme, Gaurav S.; Seegers, Bridget; Jones, Burton H.; Lie, Alle A. Y.; Terrado, Ramon; Howard, Meredith D. A.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Hayashi, Kendra; Ryan, John; Birch, James; Demir-Hilton, Elif; Yamahara, Kevan; Scholin, Chris; Mengel, Michael; Robertson, George

    2017-02-01

    A 3-week diversion of the Orange County Sanitation District effluent discharge into nearshore waters off Newport Beach, CA constituted a considerable injection of secondarily-treated effluent into the coastal ecosystem. The location ≈1.6 km from shore, shallow water depth (≈16 m), volume and nutrient content of the discharge (≈5.3 × 108 L day-1 of effluent with inorganic nitrogen concentration >2 mM) during the diversion raised concerns regarding the potential for stimulating phytoplankton blooms and, in particular, blooms of toxic species. Remarkably, phytoplankton standing stocks during the event and shortly thereafter did not reach values associated even with minor blooms historically observed in the region (generally <5 μg l-1), although shifts in community composition were observed. Diatom abundances increased early during the diversion, dinoflagellates, phototrophic picoplanktonic eukaryotes and other algae increased mid-diversion, and cyanobacteria (Synechococcus, Prochlorococcus) increased near the end of the diversion. Concentrations of domoic acid (a phycotoxin commonly present in the area) remained near or below detection throughout the diversion, and abundances of potentially-harmful algal species were unresponsive. Bacterial biomass increased during the diversion, and equaled or exceeded total phytoplankton biomass in most samples. Abundances of microbial grazers were also elevated during the diversion. We speculate that nutrient uptake by the bacterial biomass, acting in concert with or a response to a negative effect of disinfection byproducts associated with chlorination on phytoplankton physiology, played a significant role in muting the response of the phytoplankton to nutrients released in the effluent.

  8. Comparative Inactivation of Murine Norovirus and MS2 Bacteriophage by Peracetic Acid and Monochloramine in Municipal Secondary Wastewater Effluent.

    PubMed

    Dunkin, Nathan; Weng, ShihChi; Schwab, Kellogg J; McQuarrie, James; Bell, Kati; Jacangelo, Joseph G

    2017-03-07

    Chlorination has long been used for disinfection of municipal wastewater (MWW) effluent while the use peracetic acid (PAA) has been proposed more recently in the United States. Previous work has demonstrated the bactericidal effectiveness of PAA and monochloramine in wastewater, but limited information is available for viruses, especially ones of mammalian origin (e.g., norovirus). Therefore, a comparative assessment was performed of the virucidal efficacy of PAA and monochloramine against murine norovirus (MNV) and MS2 bacteriophage in secondary effluent MWW and phosphate buffer (PB). A suite of inactivation kinetic models was fit to the viral inactivation data. Predicted concentration-time (CT) values for 1-log 10 MS2 reduction by PAA and monochloramine in MWW were 1254 and 1228 mg-min/L, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-log 10 model predicted CT values for MNV viral reduction in MWW were 32, 47, and 69 mg-min/L for PAA and 6, 13, and 28 mg-min/L for monochloramine, respectively. Wastewater treatment plant disinfection practices informed by MS2 inactivation data will likely be protective for public health but may overestimate CT values for reduction of MNV. Additionally, equivalent CT values in PB resulted in greater viral reduction which indicate that viral inactivation data in laboratory grade water may not be generalizable to MWW applications.

  9. Assessment of biomarkers for contaminants of emerging concern on aquatic organisms downstream of a municipal wastewater discharge.

    PubMed

    Jasinska, Edyta J; Goss, Greg G; Gillis, Patricia L; Van Der Kraak, Glen J; Matsumoto, Jacqueline; de Souza Machado, Anderson A; Giacomin, Marina; Moon, Thomas W; Massarsky, Andrey; Gagné, Francois; Servos, Mark R; Wilson, Joanna; Sultana, Tamanna; Metcalfe, Chris D

    2015-10-15

    Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products and estrogens, are detected in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges. However, analytical monitoring of wastewater and surface water does not indicate whether CECs are affecting the organisms downstream. In this study, fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) and freshwater mussels Pyganodon grandis Say, 1829 (synonym: Anodonta grandis Say, 1829) were caged for 4 weeks in the North Saskatchewan River, upstream and downstream of the discharge from the WWTP that serves the Edmonton, AB, Canada. Passive samplers deployed indicated that concentrations of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, an estrogen (estrone) and an androgen (androstenedione) were elevated at sites downstream of the WWTP discharge. Several biomarkers of exposure were significantly altered in the tissues of caged fathead minnows and freshwater mussels relative to the upstream reference sites. Biomarkers altered in fish included induction of CYP3A metabolism, an increase in vitellogenin (Vtg) gene expression in male minnows, elevated ratios of oxidized to total glutathione (i.e. GSSG/TGSH), and an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes (i.e. glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase). In mussels, there were no significant changes in biomarkers of oxidative stress and the levels of Vtg-like proteins were reduced, not elevated, indicating a generalized stress response. Immune function was altered in mussels, as indicated by elevated lysosomal activity per hemocyte in P. grandis caged closest to the wastewater discharge. This immune response may be due to exposure to bacterial pathogens in the wastewater. Multivariate analysis indicated a response to the CECs Carbamazepine (CBZ) and Trimethoprim (TPM). Overall, these data indicate that there is a 1 km zone of impact for aquatic organisms downstream of WWTP discharge. However, multiple stressors in municipal wastewater make measurement and

  10. Trace analysis and occurrence of anhydroerythromycin and tylosin in influent and effluent wastewater by liquid chromatography combined with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yang, Shinwoo; Cha, Jongmun; Carlson, Kenneth

    2006-06-01

    Two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) of northern Colorado were monitored for anhydroerythromycin and tylosin. An analytical method has been developed and validated for the trace determination and confirmation of these compounds in the raw influent and final effluent water matrices. This method was used to evaluate the occurrence and fate of these compounds in WWTPs. The method uses solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with positive electrospray ionization. Detection and quantification was performed using selected reaction monitoring, and a method detection limit of between 0.01 and 0.06 microg/L was obtained. Unequivocal confirmation analysis of analyte identity according to the criteria (based on the use of identification points) of the 2002/657/EC European Commission Decision was possible with satisfactory results. Average recoveries for the two compounds ranged from 89.2+/-9.7% for raw influent to 93.7+/-6.9% for effluent wastewaters. The within-run precision of the assay was found to be always less than 14.1% for the two analytes. The overall precision was always less than 13.7%. The relative uncertainty of the present assay was also evaluated and the combined relative uncertainty ranged from 6.4 to 15.5% over three days of the validation study. These compounds were partially removed in the WWTPs with a removal efficiency of >50%. The measured concentrations in raw influents and effluents ranged from 0.09-0.35 and 0.04-0.12 microg/L for anhydroerythromycin to 0.06-0.18 and ND-0.06 microg/L for tylosin, respectively. The results indicate that WWTP effluents are relevant point sources for residues of these compounds in the aquatic environment. These occurrence results were compared with those in WWTP wastewaters of other countries.

  11. Clay-starch combination for micropollutants removal from wastewater treatment plant effluent.

    PubMed

    Mohd Amin, M F; Heijman, S G J; Rietveld, L C

    2016-01-01

    In this study, a new, more effective and cost-effective treatment alternative is investigated for the removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plant effluent (WWTP-eff). The potential of combining clay with biodegradable polymeric flocculants is further highlighted. Flocculation is viewed as the best method to get the optimum outcome from clay. In addition, flocculation with cationic starch increases the biodegradability and cost of the treatment. Clay is naturally abundantly available and relatively inexpensive compared to conventional adsorbents. Experimental studies were carried out with existing naturally occurring pharmaceutical concentrations found and measured in WWTP-eff with atrazine spiking for comparison between the demineralised water and WWTP-eff matrix. Around 70% of the total measured pharmaceutical compounds were removable by the clay-starch combination. The effect of clay with and without starch addition was also highlighted.

  12. Toxicity potential of disinfection agent in tannery wastewater.

    PubMed

    Tisler, Tatjana; Zagorc-Koncan, Jana; Cotman, Magda; Drolc, Andreja

    2004-09-01

    Wastewater from a tannery was investigated using chemical-specific analyses and assessment of the acute toxicity of the whole effluent over a 2-year period. The wastewater samples were overloaded with organic and inorganic compounds, and measured concentrations of the chemical parameters as well as dilution factors estimating acute toxicity, frequently exceeded the permissible limits for the discharge of wastewater from a tannery into the receiving stream. In the later part of the monitoring programme, the toxicity of the samples was significantly increased in comparison to the previous samples. The agent for hide disinfection was assumed to be the reason for the increased toxicity of the wastewater samples, and the extremely high acute and chronic toxicity of the agent to bacteria, algae, daphnids, and fish confirmed this suspicion. The most sensitive species was Daphnia magna; the 48 h EC50 was 0.70 x 10(-5)v/v% and the 21d IC25 was 0.40 x 10(-6)v/v% of the agent. After withdrawal of this highly toxic agent for hide disinfection from the technological process in the tannery, the toxicity of the wastewater declined to the previous level.

  13. Impact of untreated wastewater on a major European river evaluated with a combination of in vitro bioassays and chemical analysis.

    PubMed

    König, Maria; Escher, Beate I; Neale, Peta A; Krauss, Martin; Hilscherová, Klára; Novák, Jiří; Teodorović, Ivana; Schulze, Tobias; Seidensticker, Sven; Kamal Hashmi, Muhammad Arslan; Ahlheim, Jörg; Brack, Werner

    2017-01-01

    Complex mixtures of micropollutants, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals emitted by wastewater effluents to European rivers may compromise the quality of these water resources and may pose a risk to ecosystem health and abstraction of drinking water. In the present study, an integrated analytical and bioanalytical approach was applied to investigate the impact of untreated wastewater effluents from the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, into the River Danube. The study was based on three on-site large volume solid phase extracted water samples collected upstream and downstream of the untreated wastewater discharge. Chemical screening with liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was applied together with a battery of in vitro cell-based bioassays covering important steps of the cellular toxicity pathway to evaluate effects on the activation of metabolism (arylhydrocarbon receptor AhR, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma PPARγ), specific modes of action (estrogen receptor ERα, androgen receptor AR) and adaptive stress responses (oxidative stress, inflammation). Increased effects, significantly changed contamination patterns and higher chemical concentrations were observed downstream of the wastewater discharge. A mass balance approach showed that enhanced endocrine disruption was in good agreement with concentrations of detected hormones, while only a smaller fraction of the effects on xenobiotic metabolism (<1%) and adaptive stress responses (0-12%) could be explained by the detected chemicals. The chemical and effects patterns observed upstream of the discharge point were fairly re-established at about 7 km downstream, demonstrating the enormous dilution capacity of this large river. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Evaluation of the phytotoxicity of polycontaminated industrial effluents using the lettuce plant (Lactuca sativa) as a bioindicator.

    PubMed

    Charles, Jérémie; Sancey, Bertrand; Morin-Crini, Nadia; Badot, Pierre-Marie; Degiorgi, François; Trunfio, Giuseppe; Crini, Grégorio

    2011-10-01

    Industrial wastewater containing heavy metals is generally decontaminated by physicochemical treatment consisting in insolublizing the contaminants and separating the two phases, water and sludge, by a physical process (filtration, settling or flotation). However, chemical precipitation does not usually remove the whole pollution load and the effluent discharged into the environment can be toxic even if it comes up to regulatory standards. To assess the impact of industrial effluent from 4 different surface treatment companies, we performed standardized bioassays using seeds of the lettuce Lactuca sativa. We measured the rate of germination, and the length and mass of the lettuce plantlet. The results were used to compare the overall toxicity of the different effluents: effluents containing copper and nickel had a much higher impact than those containing zinc or aluminum. In addition, germination tests conducted using synthetic solutions confirmed that mixtures of metals have higher toxicity than the sum of their separate constituents. These biological tests are cheap, easy to implement, reproducible and highlight the effects caused by effluent treated with the methods commonly applied in industry today. They could be routinely used to check the impact of industrial discharges, even when they meet regulatory requirements for the individual metals. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Removal of selected non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), gemfibrozil, carbamazepine, beta-blockers, trimethoprim and triclosan in conventional wastewater treatment plants in five EU countries and their discharge to the aquatic environment.

    PubMed

    Paxéus, N

    2004-01-01

    The removal of commonly used pharmaceuticals (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, carbamazepine, atenolol, metoprolol and trimethoprim) and a biocide (triclosan) in operating wastewater treatment plants in five EU countries has been studied. Under normal operating conditions the acidic drugs and triclosan were partially removed with removal rates varying from ca. 20 to >95%. The highest removal rate was found for ibuprofen and triclosan (>90%) followed by naproxen (80%), gemfibrozil (55%) and diclofenac (39%). Ibuprofen undergoes an oxidative transformation to corresponding hydroxy- and carboxy-metabolites, which contributes to its high removal rate. Disturbances in the activated sludge process resulted in lower removal rates for all acidic drugs, mostly for diclofenac (<10% removed) but also for ibuprofen (<60% removed). The treatment of wastewaters by activated sludge usually did not result in any practical removal (<10%) of neutral carbamazepine or basic atenolol, metoprolol and trimethoprim. The removal rates of the investigated drugs and triclosan are discussed in terms of mechanisms responsible for their removal. Discharges of carbamazepine, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, naproxen, triclosan and trimethoprim from WWTPs to the aquatic environment, expressed as the average concentration in the effluent and the daily discharged quantity per person served by WWTPs were assessed.

  16. Comprehensive determination of macrolide antibiotics, their synthesis intermediates and transformation products in wastewater effluents and ambient waters by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Senta, Ivan; Krizman-Matasic, Ivona; Terzic, Senka; Ahel, Marijan

    2017-08-04

    Macrolide antibiotics are a prominent group of emerging contaminants frequently found in wastewater effluents and wastewater-impacted aquatic environments. In this work, a novel analytical method for simultaneous determination of parent macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin and roxithromycin), along with their synthesis intermediates, byproducts, metabolites and transformation products in wastewater and surface water was developed and validated. Samples were enriched using solid-phase extraction on Oasis HLB cartridges and analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The target macrolide compounds were separated on an ACE C18 PFP column and detected using multiple reaction monitoring in positive ionization polarity. The optimized method, which included an additional extract clean-up on strong anion-exchange cartridges (SAX), resulted in high recoveries and accuracies, low matrix effects and improved chromatographic separation of the target compounds, even in highly complex matrices, such as raw wastewater. The developed method was applied to the analysis of macrolide compounds in wastewater and river water samples from Croatia. In addition to parent antibiotics, several previously unreported macrolide transformation products and/or synthesis intermediates were detected in municipal wastewater, some of them reaching μg/L levels. Moreover, extremely high concentrations of macrolides up to mg/L level were found in pharmaceutical industry effluents, indicating possible importance of this source to the total loads into ambient waters. The results revealed a significant contribution of synthesis intermediates and transformation products to the overall mass balance of macrolides in the aquatic environment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Impacts of wastewater treatment plant effluent on energetics and stress response of rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) in the Grand River watershed.

    PubMed

    Mehdi, Hossein; Dickson, Fiona H; Bragg, Leslie M; Servos, Mark R; Craig, Paul M

    2017-11-22

    The objective of this study was to assess the effects of municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent on the energetics and stress response of rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum). Male and female rainbow darter were collected upstream and downstream of the Waterloo WWTP in the Grand River watershed, ON, Canada. To assess the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on whole-body and tissue specific metabolic capacity, closed-chamber respirometry and muscle-enzyme activity analyses were performed. Plasma cortisol was also collected from fish before and after an acute air-exposure stressor to evaluate the cortisol stress response in fish exposed to additional stressors. Male and female rainbow darter collected downstream of the effluent had higher oxygen consumption rates, while differences in enzyme activities were primarily associated with sex rather than collection site. No impairment in the cortisol stress response between downstream and upstream fish was observed, however baseline cortisol levels in female fish from the downstream site were significantly higher compared to other baseline groups. Stress-induced cortisol levels were also higher in female fish from both sites when compared to their male counterparts. Overall, this study demonstrates that chronic exposure to WWTP effluent impacts whole-body metabolic performance. This study was also able to demonstrate that sex-differences are a key determinant of various metabolic changes in response to physiological stress, thereby, providing a novel avenue to be considered and further explored. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. [Characteristics and loads of key sources of pollutions discharged into Beishi River, Changzhou City].

    PubMed

    Li, Chun-Ping; Jiang, Jian-Guo; Chen, Ai-Mei; Wu, Jia-Ling; Fan, Xiu-Juan; Ye, Bin

    2010-11-01

    Choosing the Beishi river, Changzhou City as the study area, the sewage generation, pollutants characteristics and sewage discharge in catchment area of Beishi river were conducted, detailed investigated and monitored. After using pollution coefficients, the yearly loads of all sources of pollutions were calculated to determine the highest sewage. The results showed that: except pH, the high concentration of SS, COD, BOD5, ammonia nitrogen, TN and TP discharged from MSW collecting houses, MSW transfer stations, public toilets and dining in Changzhou city far exceeded the "Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard" (GB 8978-1996) and "Effluent Discharged into the City Sewer Water Quality Standards" (CJ 3082-1999). Among which: the highest concentration of COD discharged from MSW transfer stations was up to 51 700 mg/L, while the ammonia nitrogen and TN were as high as 1 616 mg/L and 2 044 mg/L in the toilet wastewater. In addition to this, the ratio of wastewater discharged directly into the river through storm water pipe network was higher from MSW houses, MSW transfer stations, public toilets, dining and other waste in Changzhou city. The 125.2 t/a of COD and 40.53 t/a of BOD5 were the two highest concentrations of various sources of pollution. The highest annual polluting loads discharged into Beishi river is dining, followed by the sanitation facilities. Therefore, cutting pollution control of food and sanitation facilities along the river is particularly urgent.

  19. Scenario Analysis of the Impact on Drinking Water Intakes from Bromide in the Discharge of Treated Oil and Gas Wastewater

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA scientists created different scenarios for conventional commercial wastewater treatment plants that treat oil and gas wastewaters to evaluate the impact from bromide in discharges by the CWTP plants.

  20. Quantitative detection of powdered activated carbon in wastewater treatment plant effluent by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

    PubMed

    Krahnstöver, Therese; Plattner, Julia; Wintgens, Thomas

    2016-09-15

    For the elimination of potentially harmful micropollutants, powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption is applied in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). This holds the risk of PAC leakage into the WWTP effluent and desorption of contaminants into natural water bodies. In order to assess a potential PAC leakage, PAC concentrations below several mg/L have to be detected in the WWTP effluent. None of the methods that are used for water analysis today are able to differentiate between activated carbon and solid background matrix. Thus, a selective, quantitative and easily applicable method is still needed for the detection of PAC residues in wastewater. In the present study, a method was developed to quantitatively measure the PAC content in wastewater by using filtration and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which is a well-established technique for the distinction between different solid materials. For the sample filtration, quartz filters with a temperature stability up to 950 °C were used. This allowed for sensitive and well reproducible measurements, as the TGA was not affected by the presence of the filter. The sample's mass fractions were calculated by integrating the mass decrease rate obtained by TGA in specific, clearly identifiable peak areas. A two-step TGA heating method consisting of N2 and O2 atmospheres led to a good differentiation between PAC and biological background matrix, thanks to the reduction of peak overlapping. A linear correlation was found between a sample's PAC content and the corresponding peak areas under N2 and O2, the sample volume and the solid mass separated by filtration. Based on these findings, various wastewater samples from different WWTPs were then analyzed by TGA with regard to their PAC content. It was found that, compared to alternative techniques such as measurement of turbidity or total suspended solids, the newly developed TGA method allows for a quantitative and selective detection of PAC concentrations down to 0

  1. Contamination profiles and mass loadings of macrolide antibiotics and illicit drugs from a small urban wastewater treatment plant.

    PubMed

    Loganathan, Bommanna; Phillips, Malia; Mowery, Holly; Jones-Lepp, Tammy L

    2009-03-01

    Information is limited regarding sources, distribution, environmental behavior, and fate of prescribed and illicit drugs. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents can be one of the sources of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP) into streams, rivers and lakes. The objective of this study was to determine the contamination profiles and mass loadings of urobilin (a chemical marker of human waste), macrolide antibiotics (azithromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin), and two drugs of abuse (methamphetamine and ecstasy), from a small (<19 mega liters day(-1), equivalent to <5 million gallons per day) wastewater treatment plant in southwestern Kentucky. The concentrations of azithromycin, clarithromycin, methamphetamine and ecstasy in wastewater samples varied widely, ranging from non-detects to 300 ng L(-1). Among the macrolide antibiotics analyzed, azithromycin was consistently detected in influent and effluent samples. In general, influent samples contained relatively higher concentrations of the analytes than the effluents. Based on the daily flow rates and an average concentration of 17.5 ng L(-1) in the effluent, the estimated discharge of azithromycin was 200 mg day(-1) (range 63-400 mg day(-1)). Removal efficiency of the detected analytes from this WWTP were in the following order: urobilin>methamphetamine>azithromycin with percentages of removal of 99.9%, 54.5% and 47%, respectively, indicating that the azithromycin and methamphetamine are relatively more recalcitrant than others and have potential for entering receiving waters.

  2. Comprehensive evaluation of nitrogen removal rate and biomass, ethanol, and methane production yields by combination of four major duckweeds and three types of wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Toyama, Tadashi; Hanaoka, Tsubasa; Tanaka, Yasuhiro; Morikawa, Masaaki; Mori, Kazuhiro

    2018-02-01

    To assess the potential of duckweeds as agents for nitrogen removal and biofuel feedstocks, Spirodela polyrhiza, Lemna minor, Lemna gibba, and Landoltia punctata were cultured in effluents of municipal wastewater, swine wastewater, or anaerobic digestion for 4 days. Total dissolved inorganic nitrogen (T-DIN) of 20-50 mg/L in effluents was effectively removed by inoculating with 0.3-1.0 g/L duckweeds. S. polyrhiza showed the highest nitrogen removal (2.0-10.8 mg T-DIN/L/day) and biomass production (52.6-70.3 mg d.w./L/day) rates in all the three effluents. Ethanol and methane were produced from duckweed biomass grown in each effluent. S. polyrhiza and L. punctata biomass showed higher ethanol (0.168-0.191, 0.166-0.172 and 0.174-0.191 g-ethanol/g-biomass, respectively) and methane (340-413 and 343-408 NL CH 4 /kg VS, respectively) production potentials than the others, which is related to their higher carbon and starch contents and calorific values. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  3. Wastewater treatment plant effluents as source of cosmetic polyethylene microbeads to freshwater.

    PubMed

    Kalčíková, G; Alič, B; Skalar, T; Bundschuh, M; Gotvajn, A Žgajnar

    2017-12-01

    Microplastics in the environment are either a product of the fractionation of larger plastic items or a consequence of the release of microbeads, which are ingredients of cosmetics, through wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. The aim of this study was to estimate the amount of microbeads that may be released by the latter pathways to surface waters using Ljubljana, Slovenia as a case study. For this purpose, microbeads contained in cosmetics were in a first step characterized for their physical properties and particle size distribution. Subsequently, daily emission of microbeads from consumers to the sewerage system, their fate in biological WWTPs and finally their release into surface waters were estimated for Ljubljana. Most of the particles found in cosmetic products were <100 μm. After application, microbeads are released into sewerage system at an average rate of 15.2 mg per person per day. Experiments using a lab-scale sequencing batch biological WWTP confirmed that on average 52% of microbeads are captured in activated sludge. Particle size analyses of the influent and effluent confirmed that smaller particles (up to 60-70 μm) are captured within activated sludge while bigger particles were detected in the effluent. Applying these data to the situation in Ljubljana indicates that about 112,500,000 particles may daily be released into the receiving river, resulting in a microbeads concentration of 21 particles/m 3 . Since polyethylene particles cannot be degraded and thus likely accumulate, the data raise concerns about potential effects in aquatic ecosystems in future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Novel bioevaporation process for the zero-discharge treatment of highly concentrated organic wastewater.

    PubMed

    Yang, Benqin; Zhang, Lei; Lee, Yongwoo; Jahng, Deokjin

    2013-10-01

    A novel process termed as bioevaporation was established to completely evaporate wastewater by metabolic heat released from the aerobic microbial degradation of the organic matters contained in the highly concentrated organic wastewater itself. By adding the glucose solution and ground food waste (FW) into the biodried sludge bed, the activity of the microorganisms in the biodried sludge was stimulated and the water in the glucose solution and FW was evaporated. As the biodegradable volatile solids (BVS) concentration in wastewater increased, more heat was produced and the water removal ratio increased. When the volatile solids (VS) concentrations of both glucose and ground FW were 120 g L(-1), 101.7% and 104.3% of the added water was removed, respectively, by completely consuming the glucose and FW BVS. Therefore, the complete removal of water and biodegradable organic contents was achieved simultaneously in the bioevaporation process, which accomplished zero-discharge treatment of highly concentrated organic wastewater. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Pathogens Assessment in Reclaimed Effluent Used for Industrial Crops Irrigation

    PubMed Central

    Al-Sa’ed, R.

    2007-01-01

    Reuse of treated effluent is a highly valued water source in Palestine, however with limited success due to public health concerns. This paper assesses the potential pathogens in raw, treated and reclaimed wastewater at Albireh urban wastewater treatment facility, and provides scientific knowledge to update the Palestinian reuse guidelines. Laboratory analyses of collected samples over a period of 4 months have indicated that the raw wastewater from Albireh city contained high numbers of fecal coliforms and worm eggs while 31% of the samples were Salmonella positive. Treated effluent suitable for restricted irrigation demonstrated that the plant was efficient in removing indicator bacteria, where fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci removal averaged 99.64% and 93.44%, respectively. Although not disinfected, treated effluent was free of Salmonella and parasites, hence safe for restricted agricultural purposes. All samples of the reclaimed effluent and three samples of irrigated grass were devoid of microbial pathogens indicating a safe use in unrestricted agricultural utilization. Adequate operation of wastewater treatment facilities, scientific updating of reuse guidelines and launching public awareness campaigns are core factors for successful and sustainable large-scale wastewater reuse schemes in Palestine. PMID:17431318

  6. Comparison of constructed wetland and stabilization pond for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater.

    PubMed

    Liu, Gang-Jin; Zheng, Dan; Deng, Liang-Wei; Wen, Quan; Liu, Yi

    2014-01-01

    A laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFCW) and a stabilization pond (SP) were constructed to compare their performances on the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater. After 457 days of operation, the removal efficiencies of the HSFCW were as follows: chemical oxygen demand (COD), 17-54%; total phosphorus (TP), 32-45% and ammonia nitrogen [Formula: see text], 27-88%, while they were 25-55%, 31-56% and 56-98%, respectively, for the SP, with a hydraulic retention time of 54 days and hydraulic loading of 0.01 m³ m⁻² d⁻¹. The average removed loads for the HSFCW were as follows: COD, 0.25-4.33; TP, 0.01-0.11 and [Formula: see text], 0.34-2.54 g m⁻² d⁻¹, while they were 0.25-4.45, 0.02-0.13 and 0.72-2.87 g m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, for the SP. The SP performed better than the HSFCW because the SP showed a 20% of higher removal efficiency for [Formula: see text] than the HSFCW. Especially, the COD removal rate of SP was 10% higher than the HSFCW when the influent concentration was at the lowest and highest stages. Meanwhile, given the lower costs, the SP is more suitable for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater than the HSFCW.

  7. Recovery of astaxanthin from discharged wastewater during the production of chitin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiaolin; Yang, Shengfeng; Xing, Ronge; Yu, Huahua; Liu, Song; Li, Pengcheng

    2012-06-01

    In this paper, studies were carried out to extract astaxanthin from discharged wastewater during the production of chitin and to reveal the scavenging effect of the obtained pigment on 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. Different ratios of dichloromethane/methanol (V/V) were used to extract astaxanthin. When the ratio of dichloromethane/methanol was 2:8 and the ratio between the mixed organic solvent (dichloromethane/methanol, 2:8, V/V) and wastewater was 1:1, the highest yield of pigment was obtained (8.4 mg/50 mL). The concentration of free astaxanthin in the obtained pigment analyzed by HPLC was 30.02%. The obtained pigment possessed strong scavenging ability on DPPH radical and IC50 was 0.84mg/ml.

  8. Evaluation of ionic contribution to the toxicity of a coal-mine effluent using Ceriodaphnia dubia

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kennedy, A.J.; Cherry, D.S.; Zipper, C.E.

    2005-08-01

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency has defined national in-stream water-quality criteria (WQC) for 157 pollutants. No WQC to protect aquatic life exist for total dissolved solids (TDS). Some water-treatment processes (e.g., pH modifications) discharge wastewaters of potentially adverse TDS into freshwater systems. Strong correlations between specific conductivity, a TDS surrogate, and several biotic indices in a previous study suggested that TDS caused by a coal-mine effluent was the primary stressor. Further acute and chronic testing in the current study with Ceriodaphnia dubia in laboratory-manipulated media indicated that the majority of the effluent toxicity could be attributed to the mostmore » abundant ions in the discharge, sodium (1952 mg/L) and/or sulfate (3672 mg/L), although the hardness of the effluent (792 43 mg/L as CaCO{sub 3}) ameliorated some toxicity. Based on laboratory testing of several effluent-mimicking media, sodium- and sulfate-dominated TDS was acutely toxic at approximately 7000 {mu} S/cm (5143 mg TDS/L), and chronic toxicity occurred at approximately 3200 {mu} S/cm (2331 mg TDS/L). At a lower hardness (88 mg/L as CaCO{sub 3}), acute and chronic toxicity end-points were decreased to approximately 5000 {mu} S/cm (3663 mg TDS/L) and approximately 2000 {mu} S/cm (1443 mg TDS/L), respectively. Point-source discharges causing in-stream TDS concentrations to exceed these levels may risk impairment to aquatic life.« less

  9. Occurrence and fate of perfluorinated acids in two wastewater treatment plants in Shanghai, China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chaojie; Yan, Hong; Li, Fei; Zhou, Qi

    2015-02-01

    Perfluorinated acids (PFAs) have drawn much attention due to their environmental persistence, ubiquitous existence, and bioaccumulation potential. The discharge of wastewater effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is a significant source of PFAs to the environment. In this study, wastewater and sludge samples were collected from two WWTPs in Shanghai, China, to investigate the contamination level and fate of PFAs in different stages of processing. The total concentrations of PFAs (∑PFAs) in influent from plants A and B were 2,452 and 292 ng L(-1), respectively. Perfluoropentanoic acid (1,520 ± 80 ng L(-1) in plant A and 89.2 ± 12.1 ng L(-1) in plant B) was the predominant PFA in influent waters, followed by perfluorooctanoic acid. The concentration of ∑PFAs ranged from 75.0 to 126.0 ng g(-1) dry weight in sludge samples from plant B, with perfluorooctanesulfonic acid as the predominant contaminant. The concentrations and fate of PFAs in different WWTPs vary. The ∑PFAs entering plant A decreased significantly in the final effluent of activated sludge process, while that in plant B increased significantly in the final effluent of sequencing batch reactor system. The concentration changes could be due to the sorption onto sludge, or the degradation of PFAs precursors.

  10. 40 CFR 420.23 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... wet air pollution control system. The following table presents BAT limitations for sintering operations with wet air pollution control systems: Subpart B—Effluent Limitations (BAT) Regulated parameter... water is co-treated with ironmaking wastewater. 3 Applicable only when sintering process wastewater is...

  11. 40 CFR 420.23 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... wet air pollution control system. The following table presents BAT limitations for sintering operations with wet air pollution control systems: Subpart B—Effluent Limitations (BAT) Regulated parameter... water is co-treated with ironmaking wastewater. 3 Applicable only when sintering process wastewater is...

  12. Pathway-based approaches for assessment of real-time exposure to an estrogenic wastewater treatment plant effluent on fathead minnow reproduction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cavallin, Jenna E.; Jensen, Kathleen M.; Kahl, Michael D.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Lee, Kathy E.; Schroeder, Anthony L.; Mayasich, Joe; Eid, Evan P.; Nelson, Krysta R.; Milsk, Rebecca Y.; Blackwell, Brett R.; Berninger, Jason P.; LaLone, Carlie A.; Blanskma, Chad; Jicha, Terri M.; Elonen, Colleen M.; Johnson, Rodney C.; Ankley, Gerald T.

    2016-01-01

    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are known contributors of chemical mixtures into the environment. Of particular concern are endocrine-disrupting compounds, such as estrogens, which can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis function in exposed organisms. The present study examined reproductive effects in fathead minnows exposed for 21 d to a historically estrogenic WWTP effluent. Fathead minnow breeding pairs were held in control water or 1 of 3 effluent concentrations (5%, 20%, and 100%) in a novel onsite, flow-through system providing real-time exposure. The authors examined molecular and biochemical endpoints representing key events along adverse outcome pathways linking estrogen receptor activation and other molecular initiating events to reproductive impairment. In addition, the authors used chemical analysis of the effluent to construct a chemical-gene interaction network to aid in targeted gene expression analyses and identifying potentially impacted biological pathways. Cumulative fecundity was significantly reduced in fish exposed to 100% effluent but increased in those exposed to 20% effluent, the approximate dilution factor in the receiving waters. Plasma vitellogenin concentrations in males increased in a dose-dependent manner with effluent concentration; however, male fertility was not impacted. Although in vitro analyses, analytical chemistry, and biomarker responses confirmed the effluent was estrogenic, estrogen receptor agonists were unlikely the primary driver of impaired reproduction. The results provide insights into the significance of pathway-based effects with regard to predicting adverse reproductive outcomes.

  13. Effect of textile auxiliaries on the biodegradation of dyehouse effluent in activated sludge.

    PubMed

    Arslan Alaton, Idil; Insel, Güçlü; Eremektar, Gülen; Germirli Babuna, Fatos; Orhon, Derin

    2006-03-01

    The textile industry is confronted with serious environmental problems associated with its immense wastewater discharge, substantial pollution load, extremely high salinity, and alkaline, heavily coloured effluent. Particular sources of recalcitrance and toxicity in dyehouse effluent are two frequently used textile auxiliaries; i.e. dye carriers and biocidal finishing agents. The present experimental work reports the observation of scientific and practical significance related with the effect of two commercially important textile dye carriers and two biocidal finishing agents on biological activated sludge treatment at a textile preparation, dyeing and finishing plant in Istanbul. Respirometric measurements of the dyehouse effluent spiked with the selected textile chemicals were carried out for the assessment of the "readily biodegradable COD fraction" of the wastewater. The respirometric data obtained to visualize the effect of the selected textile auxiliaries on biomass activity was evaluated by an adopted activated sludge model. Results have indicated that the tested biocides did not exert any significant inhibitory effect on the treatment performance of the activated sludge reactor at the concentrations usually encountered in the final, total dyehouse effluent. The situation with the dye carriers was inherently different; one dye carrier appeared to be highly toxic and caused serious inhibition of the microbial respirometric activity, whereas the other dye carrier, also known as the more ecological alternative, i.e. the "Eco-Carrier", appeared to be biodegradable. Finally, the respirometric profile obtained for the Eco-Carrier was described by a simplified respirometric model.

  14. Current status of urban wastewater treatment plants in China.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Q H; Yang, W N; Ngo, H H; Guo, W S; Jin, P K; Dzakpasu, Mawuli; Yang, S J; Wang, Q; Wang, X C; Ao, D

    2016-01-01

    The study reported and analyzed the current state of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in urban China from the perspective of treatment technologies, pollutant removals, operating load and effluent discharge standards. By the end of 2013, 3508 WWTPs have been built in 31 provinces and cities in China with a total treatment capacity of 1.48×10(8)m(3)/d. The uneven population distribution between China's east and west regions has resulted in notably different economic development outcomes. The technologies mostly used in WWTPs are AAO and oxidation ditch, which account for over 50% of the existing WWTPs. According to statistics, the efficiencies of COD and NH3-N removal are good in 656 WWTPs in 70 cities. The overall average COD removal is over 88% with few regional differences. The average removal efficiency of NH3-N is up to 80%. Large differences exist between the operating loads applied in different WWTPs. The average operating loading rate is approximately 83%, and 52% of WWTPs operate at loadings of <80%, treating up to 40% of the wastewater generated. The implementation of discharge standards has been low. Approximately 28% of WWTPs that achieved the Grade I-A Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB 18918-2002) were constructed after 2010. The sludge treatment and recycling rates are only 25%, and approximately 15% of wastewater is inefficiently treated. Approximately 60% of WWTPs have capacities of 1×10(4)m(3)/d-5×10(4)m(3)/d. Relatively high energy consumption is required for small-scale processing, and the utilization rate of recycled wastewater is low. The challenges of WWTPs are discussed with the aim of developing rational criteria and appropriate technologies for water recycling. Suggestions regarding potential technical and administrative measures are provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Does wastewater discharge have relations with increase of Turner syndrome and Down syndrome?

    PubMed

    Choi, Intae

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to examine whether water and air pollutants have a relationship with an increase in the genetic disorders Turner syndrome and Down syndrome, which are caused by congenital chromosomal abnormalities, and to generate a hypothesis about the genetic health effects of environmental pollutants. A panel regression based on random effect was conducted on Korea's metropolitan councils from 2012 to 2014. The dependent variable was the number of Turner syndrome and Down syndrome cases, and the main independent variables were those regarding the water and air pollution. Air pollutants did not have a significant impact on the number of Turner syndrome and Down syndrome cases; however, the increase in number of wastewater discharge companies did have a significant relationship with the number of cases. The more the number of wastewater discharge companies, the more the number Turner syndrome and Down syndrome cases were observed. Therefore, scientific investigation on water and air pollutants in relation with genetic health effects needs to be performed.

  16. Planning of Eka Hospital Pekanbaru wastewater recycling facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jecky, A.; Andrio, D.; Sasmita, A.

    2018-04-01

    The Ministry of Public Works No. 06 2011 required the large scale of water to conserve the water resource, Eka Hospital Pekanbaru have to improve the sewage treatment plant through the wastewater recycling. The effluent from the plant can be used to landscape gardening and non-potable activities. The wastewater recycling design was done by analyzing the existing condition of thesewage treatment plant, determine the effluent quality standards for wastewater recycling, selected of alternative technology and processing, design the treatment unit and analyze the economic aspects. The design of recycling facility by using of combination cartridge filters processing, ultrafiltration membranes, and desinfection by chlorination. The wastewater recycling capacity approximately of 75 m3/day or 75% of the STP effluent. The estimated costs for installation of wastewater recycling and operation and maintenance per month are Rp 111,708,000 and Rp 2,498,000 respectively.

  17. Economy of precipitating agent application in municipal wastewater treatment facilities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Neis, U.; Geppert, B.; Hahn, H. H.; Gleisberg, D.

    1983-01-01

    Purification by precipitation in this study is not considered primarily as a means of phosphate removal but as a method for reduction of suspended solids BOD and COD. A dynamic calculation procedure is used to allow for exact determination of time dependent variation of costs. The results show that costs of wastewater treatment by precipitation may equal those of conventional primary clarification and secondary biological treatment, especially with low-cost iron-II-salts in simultaneous precipitation and in larger plants ( 20,000 PF). Cost advantages may be accrued in smaller plants by using the more expensive trivalent salts in pre-precipitation as compared to conventional low-load biological treatment. This is due mainly to better effluent quality and, consequently, lower wastewater fees (Wastewater Discharge Act). If the precipitant is dosed temporarily only during periods of highest pollution the savings can be about 5 to 10%.

  18. A simple respirogram-based approach for the management of effluent from an activated sludge system.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhi-Hua; Zhu, Yuan-Mo; Yang, Cheng-Jian; Zhang, Tian-Yu; Yu, Han-Qing

    2018-08-01

    Managing wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) based on respirometric analysis is a new and promising field. In this study, a multi-dimensional respirogram space was constructed, and an important index R es/t (ratio of in-situ respiration rate to maximum respiration rate) was derived as an alarm signal for the effluent quality control. A smaller R es/t value suggests better effluent. The critical R' es/t value used for determining whether the effluent meets the regulation depends on operational conditions, which were characterized by temperature and biomass ratio of heterotrophs to autotrophs. With given operational conditions, the critical R' es/t value can be calculated from the respirogram space and effluent conditions required by the discharge regulation, with no requirement for calibration of parameters or any additional measurements. Since it is simple, easy to use, and can be readily implemented online, this approach holds a great promise for applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Treatment and utilization of septic tank effluent using vertical-flow constructed wetlands and vegetable hydroponics.

    PubMed

    Cui, Li-Hua; Luo, Shi-Ming; Zhu, Xi-Zhen; Liu, Ying-Hu

    2003-01-01

    Vertical flow constructed wetlands is a typical ecological sanitation system for sewage treatment. The removal rates for COD, BOD5, SS, TN, and TP were 60%, 80%, 74%, 49% and 79%, respectively, when septic tank effluent was treated by vertical flow filter. So the concentration of COD and BOD5 in the treated effluent could meet the quality standard for irrigation water. After that the treated effluent was used for hydroponic cultivation of water spinach and romaine lettuce, the removal efficiencies of the whole system for COD, BOD5, SS, TN and TP were 71.4%, 97.5%, 96.9%, 86.3%, and 87.4%, respectively. And it could meet the integrated wastewater discharge standard for secondary biological treatment plant. It was found that using treated effluent for hydroponic cultivation of vegetables could reduce the nitrate content in vegetables. The removal rates for total bacteria and coliform index by using vertical flow bed system with cinder substrate were 80%-90% and 85%-96%, respectively.

  20. Occurrence and potential transport of selected pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds from wastewater-treatment plant influent and effluent to groundwater and canal systems in Miami-Dade County, Florida

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Foster, Adam L.; Katz, Brian G.; Meyer, Michael T.

    2012-01-01

    An increased demand for fresh groundwater resources in South Florida has prompted Miami-Dade County to expand its water reclamation program and actively pursue reuse plans for aquifer recharge, irrigation, and wetland rehydration. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD) and the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), initiated a study in 2008 to assess the presence of selected pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds in the influent and effluent at three regional wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) operated by the WASD and at one WWTP operated by the City of Homestead, Florida (HSWWTP).

  1. Decolorization of palm oil mill effluent using growing cultures of Curvularia clavata.

    PubMed

    Neoh, Chin Hong; Lam, Chi Yong; Lim, Chi Kim; Yahya, Adibah; Ibrahim, Zaharah

    2014-03-01

    Agricultural wastewater that produces color are of environmental and health concern as colored effluent can produce toxic and carcinogenic by-products. From this study, batch culture optimization using response surface methods indicated that the fungus isolated from the pineapple solid waste, Curvularia clavata was able to decolorize sterile palm oil mill effluent (POME) which is mainly associated with polyphenol and lignin. Results showed successful decolorization of POME up to 80 % (initial ADMI [American Dye Manufacturing Index] of 3,793) with 54 % contributed by biosorption and 46 % by biodegradation after 5 days of treatment. Analysis using HPLC and GC-MS showed the degradation of color causing compound such as 3-methoxyphenyl isothiocynate and the production of new metabolites. Ecotoxicity test indicated that the decolorized effluent is safe for discharge. To determine the longevity of the fungus for a prolonged decolorization period, sequential batch decolorization studies were carried out. The results showed that lignin peroxidase and laccase were the main ligninolytic enzymes involved in the degradation of color. Carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) and xylanase activities were also detected suggesting possible roles of the enzymes in promoting growth of the fungus which consequently contributed to improved decolorization of POME. In conclusion, the ability of C. clavata in treating color of POME indicated that C. clavata is of potential use for decolorization and degradation of agricultural wastewater containing polyphenolic compounds.

  2. Decolourisation of Red 5 MB dye by microbes isolated from textile dye effluent.

    PubMed

    Subashini, P; Hiranmaiyadav, R; Premalatha, M S

    2010-07-01

    One of the major environmental problems is the presence of dye materials in textile wastewater, which need to be removed before releasing into the environment. Some dyes are toxic and carcinogenic in nature. The discharge of the textile effluent into rivers and lakes leads to higher BOD causing threat to aquatic life. Development of efficient dye degradation requires suitable strain and its use under favorable condition to realize the degradation potential. In this study, three microorganisms were isolated from the Red 5 MB dye containing textile wastewater. They were identified and tested for the dye decolourisation provided with different sugars as carbon source. The percentage of dye decolorized by Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus were found to be about 40%, 75% and 53.8% respectively.

  3. Fluorochemical Mass Flows in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility

    PubMed Central

    Schultz, Melissa M.; Higgins, Christopher P.; Huset, Carin A.; Luthy, Richard G.; Barofsky, Douglas F.; Field, Jennifer A.

    2008-01-01

    Fluorochemicals have widespread applications and are released into municipal wastewater treatment plants via domestic wastewater. A field study was conducted at a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant to determine the mass flows of selected fluorochemicals. Flow-proportional, 24-h samples of raw influent, primary effluent, trickling filter effluent, secondary effluent, and final effluent and grab samples of primary, thickened, activated, and anaerobically-digested sludge were collected over ten days and analyzed by liquid chromatography electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Significant decreases in the mass flows of perfluorohexane sulfonate and perfluorodecanoate occurred during trickling filtration and primary clarification, while activated sludge treatment decreased the mass flow of perfluorohexanoate. Mass flows of the 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate were unchanged as a result of wastewater treatment, which indicates that conventional wastewater treatment is not effective for removal of these compounds. A net increase in the mass flows for perfluorooctane and perfluorodecane sulfonates occurred from trickling filtration and activated sludge treatment. Mass flows for perfluoroalkylsulfonamides and perfluorononanoate also increased during activated sludge treatment and are attributed to degradation of precursor molecules. PMID:17180988

  4. Introduction of human pharmaceuticals from wastewater treatment plants into the aquatic environment: a rural perspective.

    PubMed

    Nebot, Carolina; Falcon, Raquel; Boyd, Kenneth G; Gibb, Stuart W

    2015-07-01

    Incomplete removal of pharmaceuticals during wastewater treatment can result in their discharge into the aquatic environment. The discharge of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents into rivers, lakes and the oceans has led to detectable concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment in many countries. However, to date studies of WWTP discharges into the aquatic environment have largely been confined to areas of relatively high population density, industrial activity or systems impacted on by such areas. In this work, two sites in the far north of Scotland were used to assess whether, and which, pharmaceuticals were being introduced into natural waters in a rural environment with low population density. Samples from two WWTPs (with differing modes of operation), and one receiving water, the River Thurso, were analysed for the presence of 12 pharmaceuticals (diclofenac, clofibric acid, erythromycin, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, paracetamol, propranolol, sulfamethoxazole, tamoxifen, trimethoprim and dextropropoxyphene). Ten of the 12 pharmaceuticals investigated were detected in at least one of the 40 WWTP effluent samples. Maximum concentrations ranged from 7 ng L(-1) (sulfamethoxazole) to 22.8 μg L(-1) (paracetamol) with diclofenac and mefenamic acid being present in all of samples analysed at concentrations between 24.2 and 927 ng L(-1) and 11.5 and 22.8 μg L(-1), respectively. Additionally, the presence of four pharmaceuticals at ng L(-1) levels in the River Thurso, into which one of the WWTPs discharges, shows that such discharges result in measurable levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment. This provides direct evidence that, even in rural areas with low population densities, effluents from WWTPs can produce quantifiable levels of human pharmaceutical in the natural aquatic environment. These observations indicate that human pharmaceuticals may be considered as contaminants, with potential to influence water quality

  5. Microbial selectivity of UV treatment on antibiotic-resistant heterotrophic bacteria in secondary effluents of a municipal wastewater treatment plant.

    PubMed

    Guo, Mei-Ting; Yuan, Qing-Bin; Yang, Jian

    2013-10-15

    Little is known about the microbial selectivity of UV treatment for antibiotic resistant bacteria, and the results of limited studies are conflicting. To understand the effect of UV disinfection on antibiotic resistant bacteria, both total heterotrophic bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria (including cephalexin-, ciprofloxacin-, erythromycin-, gentamicin-, vancomycin-, sulfadiazine-, rifampicin-, tetracycline- and chloramphenicol-resistant bacteria) were examined in secondary effluent samples from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Bacteria resistant to both erythromycin and tetracycline were chosen as the representative of multiple-antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their characteristics after UV treatment were also investigated. UV disinfection results in effective inactivation for total heterotrophic bacteria, as well as all antibiotic resistant bacteria. After UV treatment at a fluence of 5 mJ/cm(2), the log reductions of nine types of antibiotic resistant bacteria varied from 1.0 ± 0.1 to 2.4 ± 0.1. Bacteria resistant to both erythromycin and tetracycline had a similar fluence response as did total heterotrophic bacteria. The findings suggest that UV disinfection could eliminate antibiotic resistance in wastewater treatment effluents and thus ensure public health security. Our experimental results indicated that UV disinfection led to enrichment of bacteria with resistance to sulfadiazine, vancomycin, rifampicin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol, while the proportions of cephalexin-, erythromycin-, gentamicin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria in the wastewater decreased. This reveals the microbial selectivity of UV disinfection for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Toxicity effects of nickel electroplating effluents treated by photoelectrooxidation in the industries of the Sinos River Basin.

    PubMed

    Benvenuti, T; Rodrigues, Mas; Arenzon, A; Bernardes, A M; Zoppas-Ferreira, J

    2015-05-01

    The Sinos river Basin is an industrial region with many tanneries and electroplating plants in southern Brazil. The wastewater generated by electroplating contains high loads of salts and metals that have to be treated before discharge. After conventional treatment, this study applied an advanced oxidative process to degrade organic additives in the electroplating bright nickel baths effluent. Synthetic rinsing water was submitted to physical-chemical coagulation for nickel removal. The sample was submitted to ecotoxicity tests, and the effluent was treated by photoelectrooxidation (PEO). The effects of current density and treatment time were evaluated. The concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) was 38% lower. The toxicity tests of the effluent treated using PEO revealed that the organic additives were partially degraded and the concentration that is toxic for test organisms was reduced.

  7. A hedging point strategy--balancing effluent quality, economy and robustness in the control of wastewater treatment plants.

    PubMed

    Ingildsen, P; Olsson, G; Yuan, Z

    2002-01-01

    An operational space map is an efficient tool to compare a large number of operational strategies to find an optimal choice of setpoints based on a multicriterion. Typically, such a multicriterion includes a weighted sum of cost of operation and effluent quality. Due to the relative high cost of aeration such a definition of optimality result in a relatively high fraction of the effluent total nitrogen in the form of ammonium. Such a strategy may however introduce a risk into operation because a low degree of ammonium removal leads to a low amount of nitrifiers. This in turn leads to a reduced ability to reject event disturbances, such as large variations in the ammonium load, drop in temperature, the presence of toxic/inhibitory compounds in the influent etc. Hedging is a risk minimisation tool, with the aim to "reduce one's risk of loss on a bet or speculation by compensating transactions on the other side" (The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1995)). In wastewater treatment plant operation hedging can be applied by choosing a higher level of ammonium removal to increase the amount of nitrifiers. This is a sensible way to introduce disturbance rejection ability into the multi criterion. In practice, this is done by deciding upon an internal effluent ammonium criterion. In some countries such as Germany, a separate criterion already applies to the level of ammonium in the effluent. However, in most countries the effluent criterion applies to total nitrogen only. In these cases, an internal effluent ammonium criterion should be selected in order to secure proper disturbance rejection ability.

  8. Effects of high salinity wastewater discharges on unionid mussels in the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kathleen Patnode,; Hittle, Elizabeth A.; Robert Anderson,; Lora Zimmerman,; Fulton, John W.

    2015-01-01

    We examined the effect of high salinity wastewater (brine) from oil and natural gas drilling on freshwater mussels in the Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, during 2012. Mussel cages (N = 5 per site) were deployed at two sites upstream and four sites downstream of a brine treatment facility on the Allegheny River. Each cage contained 20 juvenile northern riffleshell mussels Epioblasma torulosa rangiana). Continuous specific conductance and temperature data were recorded by water quality probes deployed at each site. To measure the amount of mixing throughout the entire study area, specific conductance surveys were completed two times during low-flow conditions along transects from bank to bank that targeted upstream (reference) reaches, a municipal wastewater treatment plant discharge upstream of the brine-facility discharge, the brine facility, and downstream reaches. Specific conductance data indicated that high specific conductance water from the brine facility (4,000–12,000 µS/cm; mean 7,846) compared to the reference reach (103–188 µS/cm; mean 151) is carried along the left descending bank of the river and that dilution of the discharge via mixing does not occur until 0.5 mi (805 m) downstream. Juvenile northern riffleshell mussel survival was severely impaired within the high specific conductance zone (2 and 34% at and downstream of the brine facility, respectively) and at the municipal wastewater treatment plant (21%) compared to background (84%). We surveyed native mussels (family Unionidae) at 10 transects: 3 upstream, 3 within, and 4 downstream of the high specific conductance zone. Unionid mussel abundance and diversity were lower for all transects within and downstream of the high conductivity zone compared to upstream. The results of this study clearly demonstrate in situ toxicity to juvenile northern riffleshell mussels, a federally endangered species, and to the native unionid mussel assemblage located downstream of a brine discharge to the

  9. Wastewater services for small communities.

    PubMed

    Gray, S; Booker, N

    2003-01-01

    Connection to centralised regional sewage systems has been too expensive for small-dispersed communities, and these townships have traditionally been serviced by on-site septic tank systems. The conventional on-site system in Australia has consisted of an anaerobic holding tank followed by adsorption trenches. This technique relies heavily on the uptake of nutrients by plants for effective removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from the effluent, and is very seasonal in its efficiency. Hence, as these small communities have grown in size, the environmental effects of the septic tank discharges have become a problem. In locations throughout Australia, such as rural Victoria and along the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, septic tanks as being replaced with the transport of sewage to regional treatment plants. For some isolated communities, this can mean spending 20,000 dollars-40,000 dollars/household, as opposed to more common connection prices of 7,000 dollars/household. This paper explores some alternative options that might be suitable for these small communities, and attempts to identify solutions that provide acceptable environmental outcomes at lower cost. The types of alternative systems that are assessed in the paper include local treatment systems, separate blackwater and greywater collection and treatment systems both with and without non-potable water recycling, a small township scale treatment plant compared to either existing septic tank systems or pumping to a remote regional treatment facility. The work demonstrated the benefits of a scenario analysis approach for the assessment of a range of alternative systems. It demonstrated that some of the alternatives systems can achieve better than 90% reductions in the discharge of nutrients to the environment at significantly lower cost than removing the wastewater to a remote regional treatment plant. These concepts allow wastewater to be retained within a community allowing for local reuse of treated effluent.

  10. Summary report of bioassays for the city of Hollywood water plant membrane reject water as it mixed with WWTP effluent in an ocean outfall environment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fergen, R.E.; Vinci, P.; Bloetscher, F.

    1999-07-01

    A special bioassay study was conducted to review the impact of the City of Hollywood's Membrane Softening Water Treatment Plant (WRP) reject water as it mixes with the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) effluent. Three sampling periods occurred during 1997. The purpose of this study was to determine potential toxicity of the WTP reject water, pre-chlorinated effluent, and combined effluent, and to demonstrate if the combined effluent was acceptable for ocean discharge on the basis of no potential toxicity. Effluent was acceptable for ocean discharge on the basis of no potential toxicity. Effluent samples were collected at six sampling points;more » three were in the plant, while the other three were along the outfall pipeline. Definitive, static renewal bioassay tests were performed using Mysidopsis bahia and Menidia beryllina as indicators of potential toxicity. The bioassay tests at 30% effluent concentration indicate that there is not potential toxicity for the pre-chlorinated WTP effluent, WTP reject water, dechlorinate combined effluent at the plant, and chlorinated combined effluent at Holland Park, the riser, and the terminus. The results indicate that the WTP reject water (100%) is not toxic to Menidia beryllina but was toxic to Mysidopsis bahia. When combined with the WWRP effluent, the reject water's impact on the potential toxicity of the commingled effluent was insignificant. All of the tests indicate the combined effluents are not toxic to the species tested at the 30% effluent level. Therefore, potential toxicity concerns were not demonstrated for this outfall discharge and did not prevent FDEP from issuing a permit to the City of Hollywood for the disposal of the combined effluent. Furthermore, these results, in combination with the previous results, indicated that individual bioassay testing for the reject water for regulatory compliance is not required.« less

  11. Anaerobic microbial fuel cell treating combined industrial wastewater: Correlation of electricity generation with pollutants.

    PubMed

    Abbasi, Umara; Jin, Wang; Pervez, Arshid; Bhatti, Zulfiqar Ahmad; Tariq, Madiha; Shaheen, Shahida; Iqbal, Akhtar; Mahmood, Qaisar

    2016-01-01

    Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a new technology that not only generates energy but treats wastewater as well. A dual chamber MFC was operated under laboratory conditions. Wastewater samples from vegetable oil industries, metal works, glass and marble industries, chemical industries and combined industrial effluents were collected and each was treated for 98h in MFC. The treatment efficiency for COD in MFC was in range of 85-90% at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 96h and had significant impact on wastewater treatment as well. The maximum voltage of 890mV was generated when vegetable oil industries discharge was treated with columbic efficiency of 5184.7C. The minimum voltage was produced by Glass House wastewater which was 520mV. There was positive significant co-relation between COD concentration and generated voltage. Further research should be focused on the organic contents of wastewater and various ionic species affecting voltage generation in MFC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Lime enhanced chromium removal in advanced integrated wastewater pond system.

    PubMed

    Tadesse, I; Isoaho, S A; Green, F B; Puhakka, J A

    2006-03-01

    The removal of trivalent chromium from a combined tannery effluent in horizontal settling tanks and subsequent Advanced Integrated Wastewater Pond System (AIWPS) reactors was investigated. The raw combined effluent from Modjo tannery had pH in the range of 11.2-12. At this pH, a trivalent chromium removal of 46-72% was obtained in the horizontal settling tanks after a one-day detention time. Trivalent chromium precipitated as chromium hydroxide, Cr(OH)3. 58-95% Cr(III) was removed in the advanced facultative pond (AFP) where the water column pH of 7.2-8.4 was close to pH 8, which is the optimum precipitation pH for trivalent chromium. Chromium removals in the secondary facultative pond (SFP) and maturation pond (MP) were 30-50% and 6-16%, respectively. With Cr(III) concentration of 0.2-0.8 mg/l in the final treated effluent, the AIWPS preceded by horizontal settling tanks produced effluent that could easily meet most of the current Cr(III) discharge limits to receive water bodies.

  13. Human infective potential of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in urban wastewater treatment plant effluents

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Jiawen; Hu, Yue; Villegas, Eric N.; Xiao, Lihua

    2018-01-01

    Cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, and microsporidiosis are important waterborne diseases. In the standard for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in China and other countries, the fecal coliform count is the only microbial indicator, raising concerns about the potential for pathogen transmission through WWTP effluent reuse. In this study, we collected 50 effluent samples (30 L/sample) from three municipal WWTPs in Shanghai, China, and analyzed for Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi by microscopy and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Moreover, propidium monoazide (PMA)-PCR was used to assess the viability of oocysts/cysts. The microscopy and PCR-positive rates for Cryptosporidium spp. were 62% and 40%, respectively. The occurrence rates of G. duodenalis were 96% by microscopy and 92–100% by PCR analysis of three genetic loci. Furthermore, E. bieneusi was detected in 70% (35/50) of samples by PCR. Altogether, 10 Cryptosporidium species or genotypes, two G. duodenalis genotypes, and 11 E. bieneusi genotypes were found, most of which were human-pathogenic. The chlorine dioxide disinfection employed in WWTP1 and WWTP3 failed to inactivate the residual pathogens; 93% of the samples from WWTP1 and 83% from WWTP3 did not meet the national standard on fecal coliform levels. Thus, urban WWTP effluents often contain residual waterborne human pathogens. PMID:27280607

  14. Ozonation effects on emerging micropollutants and effluent organic matter in wastewater: characterization using changes of three-dimensional HP-SEC and EEM fluorescence data.

    PubMed

    Liu, Chen; Li, Penghui; Tang, Xiangyu; Korshin, Gregory V

    2016-10-01

    The degradation of effluent organic matter (EfOM) in a municipal wastewater treated by ozonation was characterized using the methods of high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HP-SEC) and excitation/emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). The removal of 40 diverse trace-level contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) present in the wastewater was determined as well. Ozonation caused a rapid decrease of the absorbance and fluorescence of the wastewater, which was associated primarily with the oxidation of high and low apparent molecular weight (AMW) EfOM fractions. PARAFAC analysis also showed that components C1 and C2 decreased prominently in these conditions. The EfOM fraction of intermediate molecular weight ascribable to a terrestrial humic-like component (C3) tended to be less reactive toward ozone. Relative changes of EEM fluorescence were quantified using F max values of PARAFAC-identified components (∆F/F 0 max ). Unambiguous relationships between ∆F/F 0 max values and the extent of the degradation of the examined CECs (∆C/C 0 ) were established. This allowed correlating main parameters of the ∆C/C 0 vs. ∆F/F 0 max relationships with the rates of oxidation of these CECs. The results demonstrate the potential of online measurements of EEM fluorescence for quantitating effects of ozonation on EfOM and micropollutants in wastewater effluents.

  15. Granular activated carbon based microbial fuel cell for simultaneous decolorization of real dye wastewater and electricity generation.

    PubMed

    Kalathil, Shafeer; Lee, Jintae; Cho, Moo Hwan

    2011-12-15

    Decolorization of dye wastewater before discharge is pivotal because of its immense color and toxicities. In this study, a granular activated carbon based microbial fuel cell (GACB-MFC) was used without using any expensive materials like Nafion membrane and platinum catalyst for simultaneous decolorization of real dye wastewater and bioelectricity generation. After 48 hours of GACB-MFC operation, 73% color was removed at anode and 77% color was removed at cathode. COD removal was 71% at the anode and 76% at the cathode after 48 hours. Toxicity measurements showed that cathode effluent was almost nontoxic after 24 hours. The anode effluent was threefold less toxic compared to original dye wastewater after 48 hours. The GACB-MFC produced a power density of 1.7 W/m(3) with an open circuit voltage 0.45 V. One of the advantages of the GACB-MFC system is that pH was automatically adjusted from 12.4 to 7.2 and 8.0 at the anode and cathode during 48 hours operation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Degradation of imidacloprid in wastewater by dielectric barrier discharge system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Kebin

    2018-03-01

    The degradation behavior of imidacloprid in wastewater was investigated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system and the effect of several factors that could influence degradation process was explored in this study. The study showed that imidacloprid could be effectively removed by DBD system under certain conditions. The optimal removal efficiency was 75.6% when applied voltage was 75 V and 160 min was selected as the discharge time. Moreover, lower conductivity and alkaline environment were favorable for the imidacloprid degradation. The presence of Cu2+ and Fe2+ could benefit for the imidacloprid degradation, however the catalytic effect of Cu2+ was lower than that of Fe2+. Furthermore, methanol as scavenger decreased the removal efficiency of imidacloprid owing to the scavenger inhibited the generation of hydroxyl radicals during the DBD process.

  17. Recovery of high purity phosphorus from municipal wastewater secondary effluent by a high-speed adsorbent.

    PubMed

    Midorikawa, I; Aoki, H; Omori, A; Shimizu, T; Kawaguchi, Y; Kassai, K; Murakami, T

    2008-01-01

    High purity phosphorus was recovered from municipal wastewater secondary effluent as phosphate, using a newly developed phosphorus adsorption and recovery system. A high-speed adsorbent having a unique porous structure was used in this system. The secondary effluent, showing total phosphorus (TP) of 0.1-2.1 mg P/L, was passed through an adsorbent packed column at high space velocity (SV) of 15 h(-1). The TP of the treated water was as low as 0.02-0.04 mg P/L, indicating that 97% of phosphorus in the secondary effluent was removed. The removed phosphorus was desorbed from the adsorbent by passing a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution through the column. Calcium hydroxide was added to this solution to precipitate the phosphorus as calcium phosphate. This precipitate was neutralized with hydrochloric acid aqueous solution, washed with water, and then solid-liquid separation was performed for the phosphorus recovery. The main constituent of the recovered phosphorus was apatite-type calcium phosphate, with 16% phosphorus content, which matched that of high-grade phosphorus ore. The hazardous elements content of the recovered phosphorus was exceedingly low. Therefore the recovered phosphorus can be applied to an alternative for phosphorus ore, or to a phosphate fertilizer. IWA Publishing 2008.

  18. Direct and indirect photolysis of seven micropollutants in secondary effluent from a wastewater lagoon.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yufei; Roddick, Felicity A; Fan, Linhua

    2017-10-01

    The photodegradation of seven micropollutants commonly found in municipal wastewater, namely caffeine, carbamazepine, diuron, simazine, sulfamethoxazole, triclosan and 2,4-D, was investigated in pure water and secondary effluent to understand the direct and indirect photolysis of these compounds under natural sunlight irradiation. Sulfamethoxazole and triclosan were readily photodegraded with half-lives of 5.8 and 1.8 h, respectively, whilst the others were relatively resistant towards sunlight irradiation. Enhanced degradation was observed in secondary effluent compared with in the pure water matrix for all compounds, except for triclosan. It was confirmed that hydroxyl radicals played an important role in the photodegradation of the micropollutants while singlet oxygen may also play a role. The contribution of hydroxyl radical to the overall degradation of the five compounds that were resistant to direct sunlight accounted for 32%-70%. The impact of humic acid and nitrate, two known photosensitisers and wastewater components, on the photodegradation of the seven micropollutants in pure water was investigated under simulated solar radiation. The presence of nitrate promoted the photochemical loss of all seven micropollutants, however, humic acid caused promotion or inhibition, depending on the characteristics of the micropollutant. Humic acid enhanced the photolytic degradation of caffeine, sulfamethoxazole and diuron, while it hindered the photodegradation of the other four compounds by absorbing the available irradiation energy and/or reforming the parent compound. Furthermore, it was shown that there was only a small increase (up to 15%) in photodegradation of the compounds at 25 °C compared with that at 10 °C in the simulated system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. State waste discharge permit application: 200 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (Project W-049H)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1994-08-01

    As part of the original Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Concent Order negotiations, US DOE, US EPA and the Washington State Department of Ecology agreed that liquid effluent discharges to the ground to the Hanford Site are subject to permitting in the State Waste Discharge Permit Program (SWDP). This document constitutes the SWDP Application for the 200 Area TEDF stream which includes the following streams discharged into the area: Plutonium Finishing Plant waste water; 222-S laboratory Complex waste water; T Plant waste water; 284-W Power Plant waste water; PUREX chemical Sewer; B Plant chemical sewer, process condensate, steam condensate; 242-A-81more » Water Services waste water.« less

  20. Biological treatment of wastewater discharged from biodiesel fuel production plant with alkali-catalyzed transesterification.

    PubMed

    Suehara, Ken-ichiro; Kawamoto, Yoshihiro; Fujii, Eiko; Kohda, Jiro; Nakano, Yasuhisa; Yano, Takuo

    2005-10-01

    The biological treatment of wastewater discharged from a biodiesel fuel (BDF) production plant conducting alkali catalysis transesterification was investigated. BDF wastewater has a high pH and high hexane-extracted oil and low nitrogen concentrations, and inhibits the growth of microorganisms. The biological treatment of BDF wastewater is difficult because the composition of such wastewater is not suitable for microbial growth. To apply the microbiological treatment of BDF wastewater using an oil degradable yeast, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, the pH was adjusted to 6.8 and several nutrients such as a nitrogen source (ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride or urea), yeast extract, KH2PO4 and MgSO4.7H2O were added to the wastewater. The optimal initial concentration of yeast extract was 1 g/l and the optimal C/N ratio was between 17 and 68 when using urea as a nitrogen source. A growth inhibitor was also present in the BDF wastewater, and this growth inhibitor could be detected by measuring the solid content in an aqueous phase after the hexane extraction of the wastewater. Microorganisms could not grow at solid contents higher than 2.14 g/l in the wastewater. To avoid the growth inhibition, the BDF wastewater was diluted with the same volume of water. Oil degradation in the diluted BDF wastewater was observed and the best result was obtained under the determined optimal conditions. This treatment system is simple because no controllers, except for a temperature, are necessary. These results suggest that the biological treatment system developed for BDF wastewater is useful for small-scale BDF production plants.

  1. Ecotoxicological risks associated with tannery effluent wastewater.

    PubMed

    Shakir, Lubna; Ejaz, Sohail; Ashraf, Muhammad; Qureshi, Naureen Aziz; Anjum, Aftab Ahmad; Iltaf, Imran; Javeed, Aqeel

    2012-09-01

    The problem of water pollution acquires greater relevance in the context of a developing agrarian economy like Pakistan. Even though, the leather industry is a leading economic sector in Pakistan, there is an increasing environmental concern regarding tanneries because they produce large amounts of potentially toxic wastewater containing both trivalent and hexavalent chromium, which are equally hazardous for human population, aquaculture and agricultural activities in the area. Therefore, we defined the scope of the present study as to employ different bioassays to determine the eco-toxic potential of tannery effluent wastewater (TW) and its chromium based components, i.e., potassium dichromate (K(2)Cr(2)O(7)) and chromium sulfate Cr(2)(SO(4))(3). Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis of TW was carried out to determine the concentration of chromium in TW and then equal concentrations of hexavalent (K(2)Cr(2)O(7)) and trivalent chromium Cr(2)(SO(4))(3) were obtained for this study. Cytotoxicity assay, artemia bioassay and phytotoxicity assay was utilized to investigate the eco-toxicological potential of different concentrations of TW, K(2)Cr(2)O(7) and Cr(2)(SO(4))(3). All the dilutions of TW, K(2)Cr(2)O(7) and Cr(2)(SO(4))(3) presented concentration dependent cytotoxic effects in these assays. The data clearly represents that among all three tested materials, different dilutions of K(2)Cr(2)O(7) caused significantly more damage (P<0.001) to vero cell, brine shrimp and germination of maize seeds. Interestingly, the overall toxicity effects of TW treated groups were subsequent to K(2)Cr(2)O(7) treated group. Based on biological evidences presented in this article, it is concluded that hexavalent chromium (K(2)Cr(2)O(7)) and TW has got significant eco-damaging potential clearly elaborating that environmental burden in district Kasur is numerous and high levels of chromium is posing a considerable risk to the human population, aquaculture and agricultural

  2. Microalgal cultivation in wastewater from the fermentation effluent in Riboflavin (B2) manufacturing for biodiesel production.

    PubMed

    Sun, Xuefei; Wang, Cunwen; Li, Zihao; Wang, Weiguo; Tong, Yanjie; Wei, Jiang

    2013-09-01

    In this work, the acclimation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa in diluted wastewater was studied to produce biomass and remove chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia-N and phosphorous. The results indicated that the optimal conditions (the volume ratio of wastewater, light intensity, culture temperature, CO2 concentration in feeding gas) which could influence the wastewater treatment efficiency were 0.05, 250 photons m(-2) s(-1), 28 °C and 5%, respectively. Under these conditions, the removal efficiency of COD reached up to 89.2%, while the total nitrogen and total phosphorous decreased by 64.52% and 82.20%, respectively. With the second treatment, COD in the wastewater was further reduced to less than 100 mg/L while it was only reduced to 542.9 mg/L after the first treatment. The treated wastewater could be discharged directly or subjected to for further treatment for recycling. In addition, 1.25 g/L of the biomass and 38.27% (dry basis, w%) of lipid content were reached after microalgal cultivation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Environmental Analysis of U.S. Navy Submarine Solid Waste Discharges. Report of Findings

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-05-01

    compared to background organic matter. All of this indicates that the material will not be a significant source of nutrients in the water column or the...influents ( Wastewater Chemistry Laboratory, 1994) or in discharge effluent not subjected to primary treatment (Pyewipe, 1992-1994). The amount of...be found in the shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Under cold (4°q, non- nutrient limiting conditions, such as those that might be found in the

  4. Ground-Water Nutrient Flux to Coastal Waters and Numerical Simulation of Wastewater Injection at Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hunt, Charles D.

    2007-01-01

    Water sampling and numerical modeling were used to estimate ground-water nutrient fluxes in the Kihei area of Maui, where growth of macroalgae (seaweed) on coral reefs raises ecologic concerns and accumulation on beaches has caused odor and removal problems. Fluxes and model results are highly approximate, first-order estimates because very few wells were sampled and there are few field data to constrain model calibration. Ground-water recharge was estimated to be 22.6 Mgal/d (million gallons per day) within a 73-square-mile area having a coastline length of 8 miles or 13 km (kilometers). Nearly all of the recharge discharges at the coast because ground-water withdrawals are small. Another 3.0 Mgal/d of tertiary-treated wastewater effluent is injected into the regional aquifer at a County treatment plant midway along the coast and about a mile from shore. The injection plume is 0.93 miles wide (1.5 km) at the shore, as estimated from a three-dimensional numerical ground-water model. Wastewater injected beneath the brackish ground-water lens rises buoyantly and spreads out at the top of the lens, diverting and mixing with ambient ground water. Ground water discharging from the core of the injection plume is less than 5 years old and is about 60 percent effluent at the shore, according to the model. Dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in treated effluent were 7.33 and 1.72 milligrams per liter, roughly 6 and 26 times background concentrations at an upgradient well. Background nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes carried by ground water are 7.7 and 0.44 kg/d-km (kilograms per day per kilometer of coast). Injected wastewater fluxes distributed across the plume width are 55 and 13 kg/d-km nitrogen and phosphorus, roughly 7 and 30 times background flux. However, not all of the injected load reaches coastal waters because nutrients are naturally attenuated in the oxygen-depleted effluent plume. Water from a downgradient well reflects this attenuation and provides a

  5. Reduction of dioxin-like toxicity in effluents by additional wastewater treatment and related effects in fish.

    PubMed

    Maier, Diana; Benisek, Martin; Blaha, Ludek; Dondero, Francesco; Giesy, John P; Köhler, Heinz-R; Richter, Doreen; Scheurer, Marco; Triebskorn, Rita

    2016-10-01

    Efficiency of advanced wastewater treatment technologies to reduce micropollutants which mediate dioxin-like toxicity was investigated. Technologies compared included ozonation, powdered activated carbon and granular activated carbon. In addition to chemical analyses in samples of effluents, surface waters, sediments, and fish, (1) dioxin-like potentials were measured in paired samples of effluents, surface waters, and sediments by use of an in vitro biotest (reporter gene assay) and (2) dioxin-like effects were investigated in exposed fish by use of in vivo activity of the mixed-function, monooxygenase enzyme, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) in liver. All advanced technologies studied, based on degradation or adsorption, significantly reduced dioxin-like potentials in samples and resulted in lesser EROD activity in livers of fish. Results of in vitro and in vivo biological responses were not clearly related to quantification of targeted analytes by use of instrumental analyses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Effect of low quality effluent from wastewater stabilization ponds to receiving bodies, case of Kilombero sugar ponds and Ruaha river, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Machibya, Magayane; Mwanuzi, Fredrick

    2006-06-01

    A study was conducted in a sewage system at Kilombero Sugar Company to review its design, configuration, effectiveness and the quality of influent and effluent discharged into the Ruaha river (receiving body). The concern was that, the water in the river, after effluent has joined the river, is used as drinking water by villages located downstream of the river. Strategic sampling at the inlet of the oxidation pond, at the outlet and in the river before and after the effluent has joined the receiving body (river) was undertaken. Samples from each of these locations were taken three times, in the morning, noon and evening. The sample were then analysed in the laboratory using standard methods of water quality analysis. The results showed that the configuration and or the layout of the oxidation ponds (treatment plant) were not in accordance with the acceptable standards. Thus, the BOD5 of the effluent discharged into the receiving body (Ruaha River) was in the order of 41 mg/l and therefore not meeting several standards as set out both by Tanzanian and international water authorities. The Tanzanian water authorities, for example, requires that the BOD5 of the effluent discharged into receiving bodies be not more that 30 mg/l while the World Health Organization (WHO) requires that the effluent quality ranges between 10 - 30 mg/l. The paper concludes that proper design of treatment plants (oxidation ponds) is of outmost importance especially for factories, industries, camps etc located in rural developing countries where drinking water from receiving bodies like rivers and lakes is consumed without thorough treatment. The paper further pinpoint that both owners of treatment plants and water authorities should establish monitoring/management plan such that treatment plants (oxidation ponds) could be reviewed regarding the change on quantity of influent caused by population increase.

  7. A Conceptual Model For Effluent-Dependent Riverine Environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murphy, M. T.; Meyerhoff, R. D.; Osterkamp, W. R.; Smith, E. L.; Hawkins, R. H.

    2001-12-01

    The Arid West Water Quality Research Project (WQRP) is a multi-year, EPA-funded scientific endeavor directed by the Pima County, Wastewater Management Department in southern Arizona and focussed upon several interconnected ecological questions. These questions are crucial to water quality management in the arid and semi arid western US. A key component has been the ecological, hydrological and geomorphological investigation of habitat created by the discharge of treated effluent into ephemeral streams. Such environments are fundamentally different from the dry streams or rivers they displace; however, they are clearly not the perennial streams they superficially resemble. Under Arizona State regulations, such streams can bear the use designation of "Effluent Dependent Waters," or EDWs. Before this investigation, a hydrological/ecological conceptual model for these unique ecosystems had not been published. We have constructed one for general review that is designed to direct future work in the WQRP. The project investigated ten representative, yet contrasting EDW sites distributed throughout arid areas of the western US, to gather both historical and reconnaissance level field data, including in-stream and riparian, habitat and morphometric fluvial data. In most cases, the cross sectional area of the prior channel is oversized relative to the discharge of the introduced effluent. Where bed control is absent, the channels are incised downstream of the discharge point, further suggesting a disequilibrium between the channel and the regulated effluent flow. Several of the studied stream systems primarily convey storm water and are aggradational, exhibiting braided or anastomizing channels, high energy bedforms, and spatially dynamic interfluves. Active channels are formed in response to individual storm events and can be highly dynamic in both location and cross-sectional morphology. This poses a geomorphological challenge in the selection of a discharge point. We

  8. Potential removal of organic loads from petroleum wastewater and its effect on the corrosion behavior of municipal networks.

    PubMed

    El-Shamy, A M; Abdelfattah, Ibrahim; Elshafey, Ola I; Shehata, M F

    2018-05-09

    A potential and cost-effective treatment method utilizing thermally activated bentonite was evaluated for the treatment of highly loaded real petroleum processing wastewater (COD = 4500 mg/L) in order to reduce its COD and improve the corrosion properties. A save discharging COD limit of the treated effluent (800 mg/L) is achieved by using 6 g/L of calcinated bentonite after reaching the steady state (1 h of shaking) at pH 5. The durability of bentonite is proved. The corrosion behavior of the treated wastewater was investigated for mild steel by using electrochemical and weight loss measurements. The results proved that the corrosion rate of the wastewater was slightly reduced after the treatment process. More improvement of the corrosion resistance was achieved by adding sodium hexa-meta-phosphate (SHMP) corrosion inhibitor to the treated water. Tri-methyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) biocide was also added before discharging into municipal networks. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Zero discharge performance of an industrial pilot-scale plant treating palm oil mill effluent.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jin; Mahmood, Qaisar; Qiu, Jiang-Ping; Li, Yin-Sheng; Chang, Yoon-Seong; Chi, Li-Na; Li, Xu-Dong

    2015-01-01

    Palm oil is one of the most important agroindustries in Malaysia. Huge quantities of palm oil mill effluent (POME) pose a great threat to aqueous environment due to its very high COD. To make full use of discharged wastes, the integrated "zero discharge" pilot-scale industrial plant comprising "pretreatment-anaerobic and aerobic process-membrane separation" was continuously operated for 1 year. After pretreatment in the oil separator tank, 55.6% of waste oil in raw POME could be recovered and sold and anaerobically digested through 2 AnaEG reactors followed by a dissolved air flotation (DAF); average COD reduced to about 3587 mg/L, and biogas production was 27.65 times POME injection which was used to generate electricity. The aerobic effluent was settled for 3 h or/and treated in MBR which could remove BOD3 (30°C) to less than 20 mg/L as required by Department of Environment of Malaysia. After filtration by UF and RO membrane, all organic compounds and most of the salts were removed; RO permeate could be reused as the boiler feed water. RO concentrate combined with anaerobic surplus sludge could be used as biofertilizer.

  10. Green synthesis of palm oil mill effluent-based graphenic adsorbent for the treatment of dye-contaminated wastewater.

    PubMed

    Teow, Yeit Haan; Nordin, Nadzirah Ilyiani; Mohammad, Abdul Wahab

    2018-05-12

    Textile wastewater contains methylene blue (MB), a major coloring agent in textile industry. Activated carbon (AC) is the most widely used adsorbent in removing dyes from industrial wastewater. However, high production cost of AC is the major obstacle for its wide application in dye wastewater treatment. In this study, a sustainable approach in synthesizing graphenic adsorbent from palm oil mill effluent (POME), a potential carbonaceous source, has been explored. This new development in adsorption technique is considered as green synthesis as it does not require any binder during the synthesis process, and at the same time, it helps to solve the bottleneck of palm oil industry as POME is the main cause contributed to Malaysia's water pollution problem. The synthesized GSC was characterized through XRD, FESEM, and EDX. The adsorption performance of the synthesized GSC was evaluated by adsorption of MB. The effect of initial concentration of synthetic MB solution (1-20 mg/L) and weight of GSC (5-20 g) were investigated. A remarkable change in color of synthetic MB solution from blue to crystal clear was observed at the end of adsorption study. High efficiency of the synthesized GSC for dye-contaminated wastewater treatment is concluded.

  11. Investigation of the potential of Cyperus alternifolius in the phytoremediation of palm oil mill effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sa'at, Siti Kamariah Md; Zaman, Nastaein Qamaruz; Yusoff, Suffian Mohd; Ismail, Hirun Azaman

    2017-10-01

    Phytoremediation is an emerging technology nowadays due to demand in environmental sustainability which requires cost-effective solutions in terms of capital and operational cost. The treatment gain attention due to their potential in wastewater treatment especially in organics, nutrients, and heavy metal removal of domestics, agricultural, and industrial wastewater treatment. Plant functions in phytoremediation make the plant selection as an essential element. The plant should have the ability to tolerate with the toxic effluent and able to uptake the contaminant. Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella grass) was chosen as aquatic plant due to the ability to tolerance in municipal and industrial effluent sources with strong and dense root systems. Thus, the objectives of this study are to determine the potential and effectiveness of Cyperus alternifolius in the palm oil mill effluent treatment especially in the removal of organics (COD), nutrients (NH3-N and TP) and suspended solid. The batch experiment was run using Cyperus alternifolius to determine their potential of aerobic pond effluent for 21 days of treatment. Cyperus alternifolius treatment shows the great removal of COD and TSS with 96% and 91%, respectively at the end of 21 days of treatment. Nutrients removal achieved the maximum removal of 92% NH3-N and 99% TP shows after 11 days of treatment and percentage slowly decrease until the end of 21 days of treatment. Cyperus alternifolius had shown potential in the palm oil mill effluent treatment and can be combined with ponding treatment to enhance to water quality prior discharge.

  12. 40 CFR Table 5 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That Do Not Use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 5 Table 5 to Part 455 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED)...

  13. 40 CFR Table 5 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That Do Not Use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 5 Table 5 to Part 455 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED)...

  14. 40 CFR Table 5 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That Do Not Use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 5 Table 5 to Part 455 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED)...

  15. 40 CFR Table 5 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That Do Not Use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 5 Table 5 to Part 455 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS...

  16. 40 CFR Table 5 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That Do Not Use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 5 Table 5 to Part 455 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PESTICIDE CHEMICALS...

  17. Design of polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes for ion rejection and wastewater effluent treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanyal, Oishi

    Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) membranes present a special class of nanostructured membranes which have potential applications in a variety of water treatment operations. These membranes are fabricated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of alternately charged polyelectrolytes on commercial membrane surfaces. A large variety of polyelectrolytes and their varied deposition conditions (pH, number of bilayers etc.) allow very fine tuning of the membrane performance in terms of permeability and rejection. The first part of this thesis is about the application of PEM membranes to the removal of perchlorate ion from water. Being a monovalent ion, it is most effectively removed by a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. However, these membranes inherently have very low fluxes which lead to high pressure requirements. In our work, we modified the surface of a nanofiltration (NF) membrane by the LbL assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The appropriate tuning of the LbL conditions led to the development of a membrane with significantly higher flux than RO membranes but with equivalent perchlorate rejection. This was one of the best trade-offs offered by PEM membranes for monovalent ion rejection as has been reported in literature so far. While PEM membranes have mostly shown great potential in ion-rejection studies, they have seldom been tested for real wastewater effluents. The second part of this thesis, therefore, deals with evaluating the applicability of PEM membranes to treating an electrocoagulation (EC)-treated high strength wastewater. Two types of very commonly used polyelectrolyte combinations were tried out -- one of which was an ionically crosslinked system and the other one was covalently crosslinked. Both the types of PEM membranes showed a high level of COD reduction from the feed stream with higher fluxes than commercial RO membranes. One major challenge in using membranes for wastewater treatment is their fouling propensity. Like many other

  18. Pulsed corona discharge for improving treatability of coking wastewater.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ming; Preis, Sergei; Kornev, Iakov; Hu, Yun; Wei, Chao-Hai

    2018-02-01

    Coking wastewater (CW) contains toxic and macromolecular substances that inhibit biological treatment. The refractory compounds remaining in biologically treated coking wastewater (BTCW) provide chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color levels that make it unacceptable for reuse or disposal. Gas-phase pulsed corona discharge (PCD) utilizing mostly hydroxyl radicals and ozone as oxidants was applied to both raw coking wastewater (RCW) and BTCW wastewater as a supplemental treatment. The energy efficiency of COD, phenol, thiocyanate and cyanide degradation by PCD was the subject of the research. The cost-effective removal of intermediate oxidation products with addition of lime was also studied. The energy efficiency of oxidation was inversely proportional to the pulse repetition frequency: lower frequency allows more effective utilization of ozone at longer treatment times. Oxidative treatment of RCW showed the removal of phenol and thiocyanate at 800 pulses per second from 611 to 227mg/L and from 348 to 86mg/L, respectively, at 42kWh/m 3 delivered energy, with substantial improvement in the BOD 5 /COD ratio (from 0.14 to 0.43). The COD and color of BTCW were removed by 30% and 93%, respectively, at 20kWh/m 3 , showing energy efficiency for the PCD treatment exceeding that of conventional ozonation by a factor of 3-4. Application of lime appeared to be an effective supplement to the PCD treatment of RCW, degrading COD by about 28% at an energy input of 28kWh/m 3 and the lime dose of 3.0kg/m 3 . The improvement of RCW treatability is attributed to the degradation of toxic substances and fragmentation of macromolecular compounds. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Macrophyte growth in a pilot-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Hadad, H R; Maine, M A; Bonetto, C A

    2006-06-01

    A pilot-scale wetland was constructed to assess the feasibility of treating the wastewater from a tool industry in Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, Argentina. The wastewater had high conductivity and pH, and contained Cr, Ni and Zn. This paper describes the growth of vegetation in the experimental wetland and the nutrient and metal removal. The wetland was 6 x 3 x 0.4 m. Water discharge was 1000 l d(-1) and residence time was 7d. After the wetland was rendered impermeable, macrophytes from Middle Paraná River floodplain were transplanted. Influent and effluent quality was analyzed every 15 d. TP, Cr, Ni and Zn concentrations in leaves, roots and sediment (inlet and outlet) were measured monthly. Cover and biomass of predominant species were estimated. Also, greenhouse experiments were carried out to measure the effects of conductivity and pH on floating species. The variables measured in the influent were significantly higher than those in the effluent, except for HCO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+). TP and metal concentrations in sediment at the inlet were significantly higher than those at the outlet. Conductivity and pH of the incoming wastewater were toxic for the floating species. Typha domingensis displaced the other species and reached positive relative cover rate and biomass greater than those at the undisturbed natural environment. T. domingensis proved to be highly efficient for the treatment of wastewater. For that reason, it is the advisable species for the treatment of wastewater of high conductivity and pH enriched with metals, characteristic of many industrial processes.

  20. Release of antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes in the effluent and biosolids of five wastewater utilities in Michigan.

    PubMed

    Munir, Mariya; Wong, Kelvin; Xagoraraki, Irene

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to quantify the occurrence and release of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) into the environment through the effluent and biosolids of different wastewater treatment utilities including an MBR (Membrane Biological Reactor) utility, conventional utilities (Activated Sludge, Oxidative Ditch and Rotatory Biological Contactors-RBCs) and multiple sludge treatment processes (Dewatering, Gravity Thickening, Anaerobic Digestion and Lime Stabilization). Samples of raw wastewater, pre- and post-disinfected effluents, and biosolids were monitored for tetracycline resistant genes (tetW and tetO) and sulfonamide resistant gene (Sul-I) and tetracycline and sulfonamide resistant bacteria. ARGs and ARB concentrations in the final effluent were found to be in the range of ND(non-detectable)-2.33 × 10(6) copies/100 mL and 5.00 × 10(2)-6.10 × 10(5) CFU/100 mL respectively. Concentrations of ARGs (tetW and tetO) and 16s rRNA gene in the MBR effluent were observed to be 1-3 log less, compared to conventional treatment utilities. Significantly higher removals of ARGs and ARB were observed in the MBR facility (range of removal: 2.57-7.06 logs) compared to that in conventional treatment plants (range of removal: 2.37-4.56 logs) (p < 0.05). Disinfection (Chlorination and UV) processes did not contribute in significant reduction of ARGs and ARB (p > 0.05). In biosolids, ARGs and ARB concentrations were found to be in the range of 5.61 × 10(6)-4.32 × 10(9) copies/g and 3.17 × 10(4)-1.85 × 10(9) CFU/g, respectively. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in concentrations of ARGs (except tetW) and ARB between the advanced biosolid treatment methods (i.e., anaerobic digestion and lime stabilization) and the conventional dewatering and gravity thickening methods. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Annealing optimization in the process of making membrane PSF19%DMFEVA2 for wastewater treatment of palm oil mill effluent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Said, A. A.; Mustafa

    2018-02-01

    A small proportion of the Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) treatment has used its wastewater to converted to methane gas which will then be converted again into electrical energy. However, for Palm Oil Mill whose has a value of Chemical Oxygen Demand in its wastewater is less than 60.000 mg / L this can’t so that the purpose wastewater treatment only to reach the standard that can be safe to dispose into the environment. Wastewater treatment systems that are general applied by Palm Oil Mill especially in North Sumatera are aerobic and anaerobic, this method takes a relatively long time due to very dependent on microbial activity. An alternative method for wastewater treatment offered is membrane technology because the process is much more effective, the time is relatively short, and expected to give more optimal result. The optimum membrane obtained is PSF19%DMFEVA2T75 membrane,while the parameter condition of the permeate analysis produced in the treatment of POME wastewater with membrane PSF19%DMFEVA2T75 obtained at pH = 7.0; TSS = 148 mg / L; BOD = 149 mg / L; And COD = 252 mg / L. The results obtained is accordance with the standard of the quality of POME.

  2. Use of an In Vitro, Nuclear Receptor Assay Panel to Characterize the Endocrine-Disrupting Activity Load of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Extracts

    EPA Science Inventory

    Use of an In Vitro, Nuclear Receptor Assay Panel to Characterize the Endocrine-Disrupting Activity Load of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent Extracts Katie B. Paul 1.2, Ruth Marfil-Vega 1 Marc A. Mills3, Steve 0. Simmons2, Vickie S. Wilson4, Kevin M. Crofton2 10ak Rid...

  3. Silage effluent management: a review.

    PubMed

    Gebrehanna, M M; Gordon, R J; Madani, A; VanderZaag, A C; Wood, J D

    2014-10-01

    Silage effluent is a potent wastewater that can be produced when ensiling crops that have a high moisture content (MC). Silage effluent can cause fish-kills and eutrophication due to its high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nutrient content, respectively. It has a high acidity (pH ≈ 3.5-5) making it corrosive to steel and damaging to concrete, which makes handling, storage and disposal a challenge. Although being recognized as a concentrated wastewater, most research has focused on preventing its production. Despite noted imprecision in effluent production models-and therefore limited ability to predict when effluent will flow-there has been little research aimed at identifying effective reactive management options, such as containment and natural treatment systems. Increasing climate variability and intensifying livestock agriculture are issues that will place a greater importance on developing comprehensive, multi-layered management strategies that include both preventative and reactive measures. This paper reviews important factors governing the production of effluent, approaches to minimize effluent flows as well as treatment and disposal options. The challenges of managing silage effluent are reviewed in the context of its chemical constituents. A multi-faceted approach should be utilized to minimize environmental risks associated with silage effluent. This includes: (i) managing crop moisture content prior to ensiling to reduce effluent production, (ii) ensuring the integrity of silos and effluent storages, and (iii) establishing infrastructure for effluent treatment and disposal. A more thorough investigation of constructed wetlands and vegetated infiltration areas for treating dilute silage effluent is needed. In particular, there should be efforts to improve natural treatment system design criteria by identifying pre-treatment processes and appropriate effluent loading rates. There is also a need for research aimed at understanding the effects of

  4. Investigating dynamic sources of pharmaceuticals: Demographic and seasonal use are more important than down-the-drain disposal in wastewater effluent in a University City setting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vatovec, Christine; Phillips, Patrick J.; Van Wagoner, Emily; Scott, Tia-Marie; Furlong, Edward T.

    2016-01-01

    Pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters poses risks to human and ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment facilities are primary sources of pharmaceutical pollutants, but little is known about the factors that affect drugs entering the wastewater stream. This paper investigates the effects of student pharmaceutical use and disposal behaviors and an annual demographic shift on pharmaceutical pollution in a university town. We sampled wastewater effluent during a ten-day annual spring student move-out period at the University of Vermont. We then interpreted these data in light of survey results that investigated pharmaceutical purchasing, use, and disposal practices among the university student population. Surveys indicated that the majority of student respondents purchased pharmaceuticals in the previous year. Many students reported having leftover drugs, though only a small portion disposed of them, mainly in the trash.We detected 51 pharmaceuticals in 80% or more of the wastewater effluent samples collected over the ten-day sampling period. Several increased in concentration after students left the area. Concentrations of caffeine and nicotine decreased weakly. Drug disposal among this university student population does not appear to be a major source of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Increases in pharmaceutical concentration after the students left campus can be tied to an increase in the seasonal use of allergy medications directly related to pollen, as well as a demographic shift to a year-round older population, which supports national data that older people use larger volumes and different types of pharmaceuticals than the younger student population.

  5. Occurrence and fate of antibiotic, analgesic/anti-inflammatory, and antifungal compounds in five wastewater treatment processes.

    PubMed

    Guerra, P; Kim, M; Shah, A; Alaee, M; Smyth, S A

    2014-03-01

    The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment as a result of wastewater effluent discharge is a concern in many countries. In order to expand our understanding on the occurrence and fate of PPCPs during wastewater treatment processes, 62 antibiotic, analgesic/anti-inflammatory, and antifungal compounds were analyzed in 72 liquid and 24 biosolid samples from six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during the summer and winter seasons of 2010-2012. This is the first scientific study to compare five different wastewater treatment processes: facultative and aerated lagoons, chemically-enhanced primary treatment, secondary activated sludge, and advanced biological nutrient removal. PPCPs were detected in all WWTP influents at median concentrations of 1.5 to 92,000 ng/L, with no seasonal differences. PPCPs were also found in all final effluents at median levels ranging from 3.6 to 4,200 ng/L with higher values during winter (p<0.05). Removal efficiencies ranged between -450% and 120%, depending on the compound, WWTP type, and season. Mass balance showed that the fate of analgesic/anti-inflammatory compounds was predominantly biodegradation during biological treatment, while antibiotics and antifungal compounds were more likely to sorb to sludge. However, some PPCPs remained soluble and were detected in effluent samples. Overall, this study highlighted the occurrence and behavior of a large set of PPCPs and determined how their removal is affected by environmental/operational factors in different WWTPs. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Evaluation of wastewater contaminant transport in surface waters using verified Lagrangian sampling.

    PubMed

    Antweiler, Ronald C; Writer, Jeffrey H; Murphy, Sheila F

    2014-02-01

    Contaminants released from wastewater treatment plants can persist in surface waters for substantial distances. Much research has gone into evaluating the fate and transport of these contaminants, but this work has often assumed constant flow from wastewater treatment plants. However, effluent discharge commonly varies widely over a 24-hour period, and this variation controls contaminant loading and can profoundly influence interpretations of environmental data. We show that methodologies relying on the normalization of downstream data to conservative elements can give spurious results, and should not be used unless it can be verified that the same parcel of water was sampled. Lagrangian sampling, which in theory samples the same water parcel as it moves downstream (the Lagrangian parcel), links hydrologic and chemical transformation processes so that the in-stream fate of wastewater contaminants can be quantitatively evaluated. However, precise Lagrangian sampling is difficult, and small deviations - such as missing the Lagrangian parcel by less than 1h - can cause large differences in measured concentrations of all dissolved compounds at downstream sites, leading to erroneous conclusions regarding in-stream processes controlling the fate and transport of wastewater contaminants. Therefore, we have developed a method termed "verified Lagrangian" sampling, which can be used to determine if the Lagrangian parcel was actually sampled, and if it was not, a means for correcting the data to reflect the concentrations which would have been obtained had the Lagrangian parcel been sampled. To apply the method, it is necessary to have concentration data for a number of conservative constituents from the upstream, effluent, and downstream sites, along with upstream and effluent concentrations that are constant over the short-term (typically 2-4h). These corrections can subsequently be applied to all data, including non-conservative constituents. Finally, we show how data

  7. Evaluation of wastewater contaminant transport in surface waters using verified Lagrangian sampling

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Antweiler, Ronald C.; Writer, Jeffrey H.; Murphy, Sheila F.

    2014-01-01

    Contaminants released from wastewater treatment plants can persist in surface waters for substantial distances. Much research has gone into evaluating the fate and transport of these contaminants, but this work has often assumed constant flow from wastewater treatment plants. However, effluent discharge commonly varies widely over a 24-hour period, and this variation controls contaminant loading and can profoundly influence interpretations of environmental data. We show that methodologies relying on the normalization of downstream data to conservative elements can give spurious results, and should not be used unless it can be verified that the same parcel of water was sampled. Lagrangian sampling, which in theory samples the same water parcel as it moves downstream (the Lagrangian parcel), links hydrologic and chemical transformation processes so that the in-stream fate of wastewater contaminants can be quantitatively evaluated. However, precise Lagrangian sampling is difficult, and small deviations – such as missing the Lagrangian parcel by less than 1 h – can cause large differences in measured concentrations of all dissolved compounds at downstream sites, leading to erroneous conclusions regarding in-stream processes controlling the fate and transport of wastewater contaminants. Therefore, we have developed a method termed “verified Lagrangian” sampling, which can be used to determine if the Lagrangian parcel was actually sampled, and if it was not, a means for correcting the data to reflect the concentrations which would have been obtained had the Lagrangian parcel been sampled. To apply the method, it is necessary to have concentration data for a number of conservative constituents from the upstream, effluent, and downstream sites, along with upstream and effluent concentrations that are constant over the short-term (typically 2–4 h). These corrections can subsequently be applied to all data, including non-conservative constituents. Finally, we

  8. Different depth intermittent sand filters for laboratory treatment of synthetic wastewater with concentrations close to measured septic tank effluent.

    PubMed

    Rodgers, M; Walsh, G; Healy, M G

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to apply hydraulic and chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rates at the upper limits of the design criteria for buried sand filters to test the sand filter depth design criteria. Over a 274-day study duration, synthetic effluent with a strength of domestic wastewater was intermittently dosed onto two sand filters of 0.2 m diameter, with depths of 0.3 and 0.4 m. Hydraulic and organic carbon loading rates of 105 L m(-2) d(-1) and 40 g COD m(-2) d(-1), respectively, were applied to the filters. The filters did not clog and had good effluent removal capabilities for 274 and 190 days, respectively. However, the 0.3 m-deep filter did experience a reduced performance towards the end of the study period. In the 0.3 and 0.4 m-deep filters, the effluent COD and SS concentrations were less than 86 and 31 mg L(-1), respectively, and nitrification was nearly complete in both these columns. Ortho-phosphorus (PO(4)-P) removal in fine sand and laterite 'upflow' filters, receiving effluent from the 0.3 m-deep filter, was 10% and 44%, respectively.

  9. Propagation of Human Enteropathogens in Constructed Horizontal Wetlands Used for Tertiary Wastewater Treatment ▿

    PubMed Central

    Graczyk, Thaddeus K.; Lucy, Frances E.; Tamang, Leena; Mashinski, Yessika; Broaders, Michael A.; Connolly, Michelle; Cheng, Hui-Wen A.

    2009-01-01

    Constructed subsurface flow (SSF) and free-surface flow (FSF) wetlands are being increasingly implemented worldwide into wastewater treatments in response to the growing need for microbiologically safe reclaimed waters, which is driven by an exponential increase in the human population and limited water resources. Wastewater samples from four SSF and FSF wetlands in northwestern Ireland were tested qualitatively and quantitatively for Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and human-pathogenic microsporidia, with assessment of their viability. Overall, seven species of human enteropathogens were detected in wetland influents, vegetated areas, and effluents: Cryptosporidium parvum, C. hominis, C. meleagridis, C. muris, G. duodenalis, Encephalitozoon hellem, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi. SSF wetland had the highest pathogen removal rate (i.e., Cryptosporidium, 97.4%; G. duodenalis, 95.4%); however, most of these values for FSF were in the negative area (mean, −84.0%), meaning that more pathogens were discharged by FSF wetlands than were delivered to wetlands with incoming wastewater. We demonstrate here that (i) the composition of human enteropathogens in wastewater entering and leaving SSF and FSF wetlands is highly complex and dynamic, (ii) the removal and inactivation of human-pathogenic microorganisms were significantly higher at the SSF wetland, (iii) FSF wetlands may not always provide sufficient remediation for human enteropathogens, (iv) wildlife can contribute a substantial load of human zoonotic pathogens to wetlands, (v) most of the pathogens discharged by wetlands were viable, (vi) large volumes of wetland effluents can contribute to contamination of surface waters used for recreation and drinking water abstraction and therefore represent a serious public health threat, and (vii) even with the best pathogen removal rates achieved by SSF wetland, the reduction of pathogens was not enough for a safety reuse of the reclaimed water. To our knowledge, this

  10. Using combined bio-omics methods to evaluate the complicated toxic effects of mixed chemical wastewater and its treated effluent.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yan; Deng, Yongfeng; Zhao, Yanping; Ren, Hongqiang

    2014-05-15

    Mixed chemical wastewaters (MCWW) from industrial park contain complex mixtures of trace contaminants, which cannot be effectively removed by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and have become an unignored threat to ambient environment. However, limited information is available to evaluate the complicated toxic effects of MCWW and its effluent from wastewater treatment plant (WTPE) from the perspective of bio-omics. In this study, mice were exposed to the MCWW and WTPE for 90 days and distinct differences in the hepatic transcriptome and serum metabolome were analyzed by digital gene expression (DGE) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H-NMR) spectra, respectively. Our results indicated that disruption of lipid metabolism in liver and hepatotoxicity were induced by both MCWW and WTPE exposure. WTPE is still a health risk to the environment, which is in need of more attention. Furthermore, we demonstrated the potential ability of bio-omics approaches for evaluating toxic effects of MCWW and WTPE. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Waste-water characterization and hazardous-waste technical assistance survey, Mather AFB California. Final report, 28 November-9 December 1988

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scott, S.P.; Hedgecock, N.S.

    1989-10-01

    Personnel from the AFOEHL conducted a waste-water characterization and hazardous-waste technical assistance survey at MAFB from 28 Nov to 9 Dec 1988. The scope of this survey was to characterize the waste-water, address hazardous-waste-management practices, and explore opportunities for hazardous waste minimization. The waste water survey team analyzed the base's industrial effluent, effluent from oil/water separators, and storm water. The team performed a shop-by-shop evaluation of chemical-waste-management practices. Survey results showed that MAFB needs to improve its hazardous-waste-management program. Recommendations for improvement include: (1) Collecting two additional grab samples on separate days from the hospital discharge. Analyze for EPA Methodmore » 601 to determine if the grab sample from the survey gives a true indication of what is being discharged. (2) Locate the source and prevent mercury from the hospital from discharging into the sanitary sewer. (3) Dilute the soaps used for cleaning at the Fuels Lab, Building 7060. (4) Investigate the source of chromium from the Photo Lab. (5) Clean out the sewer system manhole directly downgradient from the Photo Lab. (6) Locate the source of contamination in the West Ditch Outfall. (7) Reconnect the two oil/water separators that discharge into the storm sewerage system. (8) Investigate the source of methylene chloride coming on the base. (9) Investigate the source of mercury at Fuel Cell Repair, building 7005.« less

  12. A Review on Advanced Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Y.; Qi, P. S.; Liu, Y. Z.

    2017-05-01

    The composition of pharmaceutical wastewater is complex, which is high concentration of organic matter, microbial toxicity, high salt, and difficult to biodegrade. After secondary treatment, there are still trace amounts of suspended solids and dissolved organic matter. To improve the quality of pharmaceutical wastewater effluent, advanced treatment is essential. In this paper, the classification of the pharmaceutical technology was introduced, and the characteristics of pharmaceutical wastewater effluent quality were summarized. The methods of advanced treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater were reviewed afterwards, which included coagulation and sedimentation, flotation, activated carbon adsorption, membrane separation, advanced oxidation processes, membrane separation and biological treatment. Meanwhile, the characteristics of each process were described.

  13. Screening municipal wastewater effluent and surface water used for drinking water production for the presence of ampicillin and vancomycin resistant enterococci.

    PubMed

    Taučer-Kapteijn, Maja; Hoogenboezem, Wim; Heiliegers, Laura; de Bolster, Danny; Medema, Gertjan

    2016-07-01

    The emergence of clinical enterococcal isolates that are resistant to both ampicillin and vancomycin is a cause of great concern, as therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of infections caused by such organisms are becoming limited. Aquatic environments could play a role in the dissemination of antibiotic resistant enterococci. This study investigated the presence of ampicillin and vancomycin resistant enterococci in the treated effluent of six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and in surface water used as a source for drinking water production in the Netherlands. Membrane filtration in combination with selective media with ampicillin or vancomycin was applied to determine the presence of ampicillin resistant Enterococcus (ARE) and vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE) species. Ampicillin resistant Enterococcus faecium (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) >16μg/mL; n=1033) was observed in all studied WWTP effluents. In surface water used for drinking water production (intake locations), no ARE or VRE were observed. At both types of location, intrinsic vancomycin resistant Pediococcus spp., Leuconostoc spp. and Lactobacillus spp. were isolated with the vancomycin medium. The ampicillin resistant E. faecium (AREfm) isolates (n=113) did not contain the vanA or vanB gene, but MIC testing for vancomycin showed intermediate vancomycin resistance (2-8μgmL(-1)) to occur in these AREfm strains. This study documents the discharge of ampicillin resistant E. faecium strains with intermediate vancomycin resistance by the WWTPs into the surface water, but no presence of these strains downstream at intake locations for drinking water production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Microalgal growth in municipal wastewater treated in an anaerobic moving bed biofilm reactor.

    PubMed

    Hultberg, Malin; Olsson, Lars-Erik; Birgersson, Göran; Gustafsson, Susanne; Sievertsson, Bertil

    2016-05-01

    Nutrient removal from the effluent of an anaerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (AnMBBR) treated with microalgae was evaluated. Algal treatment was highly efficient in removal of nutrients and discharge limits were met after 3days. Extending the cultivation time from 3 to 5days resulted in a large increase in biomass, from 233.3±49.3 to 530.0±72.1mgL(-1), despite nutrients in the water being exhausted after 3days (ammonium 0.04mgL(-1), orthophosphate <0.05mgL(-1)). Biomass productivity, lipid content and quality did not differ in microalgal biomass produced in wastewater sampled before the AnMBBR. The longer cultivation time resulted in a slight increase in total lipid concentration and a significant decrease in linolenic acid concentration in all treatments. Differences were observed in chemical oxygen demand, which decreased after algal treatment in wastewater sampled before the AnMBBR whereas it increased after algal treatment in the effluent from the AnMBBR. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A pilot scale comparison of advanced oxidation processes for estrogenic hormone removal from municipal wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Pešoutová, Radka; Stříteský, Luboš; Hlavínek, Petr

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates the oxidation of selected endocrine disrupting compounds (estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol and 17α-ethinylestradiol) during ozonation and advanced oxidation of biologically treated municipal wastewater effluents in a pilot scale. Selected estrogenic substances were spiked in the treated wastewater at levels ranging from 1.65 to 3.59 μg · L(-1). All estrogens were removed by ozonation by more than 99% at ozone doses ≥1.8 mg · L(-1). At a dose of 4.4 · mg L(-1) ozonation reduced concentrations of estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol and 17α-ethinylestradiol by 99.8, 99.7, 99.9 and 99.7%, respectively. All tested advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) achieved high removal rates but they were slightly lower compared to ozonation. The lower removal rates for all tested advanced oxidation processes are caused by the presence of naturally occurring hydroxyl radical scavengers - carbonates and bicarbonates.

  16. Submarine wastewater discharges: dispersion modelling in the Northern Adriatic Sea.

    PubMed

    Scroccaro, Isabella; Ostoich, Marco; Umgiesser, Georg; De Pascalis, Francesca; Colugnati, Luigi; Mattassi, Giorgio; Vazzoler, Marina; Cuomo, Marco

    2010-05-01

    Opposite interests must coexist in coastal areas: the presence of significant cities and urban centres, of touristic and recreational areas, and of extensive shellfish farming. To avoid local pollution caused by treated wastewaters along the Northern Adriatic coast (Friuli Venezia-Giulia and Veneto regions), marine outfall systems have been constructed. In this study, the application of a numerical dispersion model is used to support the traditional monitoring methods in order to link information concerning the hydrodynamic circulation and the microbiological features, to evaluate possible health risks associated with recreational and coastal shellfish farming activities. The study is a preliminary analysis of the environmental impact of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with submarine discharge outfalls. It also could be useful for the water profile definition according to the Directive 2006/7/EC on the quality of bathing water and for the integrated areal analysis (Ostoich et al. 2006), to define the area of influence of each submarine discharge point. Historical data on discharges of the considered WWTPs were recovered and evaluated. Data on discharges' control for Veneto region (WWTPs of Lido and Cavallino) were produced by the WWTPs' manager Veritas Laboratory service, while data for the WWTPs of Friuli Venezia-Giulia region were produced by the regional environmental protection agency in the institutional control activity following official methods. The hydrodynamic model used in this work is the three-dimensional version of the finite element model SHYFEM, developed at ISMAR-CNR (Marine Science Institute of the Italian National Research Council) in Venice (Umgiesser et al. J Mar Syst 51:123-145, 2008). Numerical simulations have been carried out with the 3D version of the finite element model SHYFEM for 3 months during autumn 2007 to evaluate the bacterial pollution dispersion along the coasts of Veneto and Friuli Venezia-Giulia regions, prescribing meteo

  17. 40 CFR 458.43 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... this paragraph, which may be discharged from the carbon black lamp process by a point source subject to... Lamp Process Subcategory § 458.43 Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent... achievable: There shall be no discharge of process waste water pollutants to navigable waters. ...

  18. Production of demineralized water for use in thermal power stations by advanced treatment of secondary wastewater effluent.

    PubMed

    Katsoyiannis, Ioannis A; Gkotsis, Petros; Castellana, Massimo; Cartechini, Fabricio; Zouboulis, Anastasios I

    2017-04-01

    The operation and efficiency of a modern, high-tech industrial full-scale water treatment plant was investigated in the present study. The treated water was used for the supply of the boilers, producing steam to feed the steam turbine of the power station. The inlet water was the effluent of municipal wastewater treatment plant of the city of Bari (Italy). The treatment stages comprised (1) coagulation, using ferric chloride, (2) lime softening, (3) powdered activated carbon, all dosed in a sedimentation tank. The treated water was thereafter subjected to dual-media filtration, followed by ultra-filtration (UF). The outlet of UF was subsequently treated by reverse osmosis (RO) and finally by ion exchange (IX). The inlet water had total organic carbon (TOC) concentration 10-12 mg/L, turbidity 10-15 NTU and conductivity 3500-4500 μS/cm. The final demineralized water had TOC less than 0.2 mg/L, turbidity less than 0.1 NTU and conductivity 0.055-0.070 μS/cm. Organic matter fractionation showed that most of the final DOC concentration consisted of low molecular weight neutral compounds, while other compounds such as humic acids or building blocks were completely removed. It is notable that this plant was operating under "Zero Liquid Discharge" conditions, implementing treatment of any generated liquid waste. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Methods for Estimating Annual Wastewater Nutrient Loads in the Southeastern United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McMahon, Gerard; Tervelt, Larinda; Donehoo, William

    2007-01-01

    This report describes an approach for estimating annual total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads from point-source dischargers in the southeastern United States. Nutrient load estimates for 2002 were used in the calibration and application of a regional nutrient model, referred to as the SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) watershed model. Loads from dischargers permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System were calculated using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System database and individual state databases. Site information from both state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency databases, including latitude and longitude and monitored effluent data, was compiled into a project database. For sites with a complete effluent-monitoring record, effluent-flow and nutrient-concentration data were used to develop estimates of annual point-source nitrogen and phosphorus loads. When flow data were available but nutrient-concentration data were missing or incomplete, typical pollutant-concentration values of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were used to estimate load. In developing typical pollutant-concentration values, the major factors assumed to influence wastewater nutrient-concentration variability were the size of the discharger (the amount of flow), the season during which discharge occurred, and the Standard Industrial Classification code of the discharger. One insight gained from this study is that in order to gain access to flow, concentration, and location data, close communication and collaboration are required with the agencies that collect and manage the data. In addition, the accuracy and usefulness of the load estimates depend on the willingness of the states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide guidance and review for at least a subset of the load estimates that may be problematic.

  20. Occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds during 1-year period in wastewaters from four wastewater treatment plants in Seville (Spain).

    PubMed

    Santos, J L; Aparicio, I; Callejón, M; Alonso, E

    2009-05-30

    Several pharmaceutically active compounds have been monitored during 1-year period in influent and effluent wastewater from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to evaluate their temporal evolution and removal from wastewater and to know which variables have influence in their removal rates. Pharmaceutical compounds monitored were four antiinflammatory drugs (diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen), an antiepileptic drug (carbamazepine) and a nervous stimulant (caffeine). All of the pharmaceutically active compounds monitored, except diclofenac, were detected in influent and effluent wastewater. Mean concentrations measured in influent wastewater were 6.17, 0.48, 93.6, 1.83 and 5.41 microg/L for caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen, respectively. Mean concentrations measured in effluent wastewater were 2.02, 0.56, 8.20, 0.84 and 2.10 microg/L for caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen, respectively. Mean removal rates of the pharmaceuticals varied from 8.1% (carbamazepine) to 87.5% (ibuprofen). The existence of relationships between the concentrations of the pharmaceutical compounds, their removal rates, the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters and the WWTP control design parameters has been studied by means of statistical analysis (correlation and principal component analysis). With both statistical analyses, high correlations were obtained between the concentration of the pharmaceutical compounds and the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters; and between the removal rates of the pharmaceutical compounds, the removal rates of the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters and the WWTP hydraulic retention times. Principal component analysis showed the existence of two main components accounting for 76% of the total variability.

  1. Biodegradation of Sewage Wastewater Using Autochthonous Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Dhall, Purnima; Kumar, Rita; Kumar, Anil

    2012-01-01

    The performance of isolated designed consortia comprising Bacillus pumilus, Brevibacterium sp, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the treatment of sewage wastewater in terms of reduction in COD (chemical oxygen demand), BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) MLSS (mixed liquor suspended solids), and TSS (total suspended solids) was studied. Different parameters were optimized (inoculum size, agitation, and temperature) to achieve effective results in less period of time. The results obtained indicated that consortium in the ratio of 1 : 2 (effluent : biomass) at 200 rpm, 35°C is capable of effectively reducing the pollutional load of the sewage wastewaters, in terms of COD, BOD, TSS, and MLSS within the desired discharge limits, that is, 32 mg/L, 8 mg/L, 162 mg/L, and 190 mg/L. The use of such specific consortia can overcome the inefficiencies of the conventional biological treatment facilities currently operational in sewage treatment plants. PMID:22272181

  2. Determination and removal of antibiotics in secondary effluent using a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Chunhui; Ning, Ke; Zhang, Wenwen; Guo, Yuanjie; Chen, Jun; Liang, Chen

    2013-04-01

    Increased attention is currently being directed towards the potential negative effects of antibiotics and other PPCPs discharged into the aquatic environment via municipal WWTP secondary effluents. A number of analytical methods, such as high performance liquid chromatography technologies, including a high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence method (HPLC-FLD), high performance liquid chromatography-UV detection method (HPLC-UV) and high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method (HPLC-MS), have been suggested as determination technologies for antibiotic residues in water. In this study, we implement a HPLC-MS/MS combined method to detect and analyze antibiotics in WWTP secondary effluent and apply a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (CW) as an advanced wastewater treatment for removing antibiotics in the WWTP secondary effluent. The results show that there were 2 macrolides, 2 quinolones and 5 sulfas in WWTP secondary effluent among all the 22 antibiotics considered. After the CW advanced treatment, the concentration removal efficiencies and removal loads of 9 antibiotics were 53-100% and 0.004-0.7307 μg m(-2) per day, respectively.

  3. State of the art: wastewater management in the beverage industry

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Joyce, M.E.; Scaief, J.F.; Cochrane, M.W.

    The water pollution impact caused by the wastes from the beverage industry and the methods available to combat the associated problems were studied. The size of each industry is discussed along with production processes, wastewater sources and effluent characteristics. Wastewater management techniques are described in terms of in-plant recycling, by-product recovery and end-of-pipe treatment along with the economics of treatment. The malt liquor, malting, soft drinks and flavoring industries primarily dispose of their effluents in municipal sewers. In-plant recycling and by-product recovery techniques have been developed in these industries to reduce their raw waste load. The wine and brandy andmore » distilled spirits industries in many cases must treat their own effluents so they have developed wastewater management systems including industry-owned treatment plants that yield good effluents. The technology to adequately treat rum distillery wastewater has not been demonstrated. The information basis for this study was a literature search, an effluent guidelines report done for EPA, limited site visits, personal communications and an unpublished report conducted for EPA that included questionaire surveys of the industries.« less

  4. Determination and Distribution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Rivers, Sediments and Wastewater Effluents in Vhembe District, South Africa

    PubMed Central

    Edokpayi, Joshua N.; Odiyo, John O.; Popoola, Oluwaseun E.; Msagati, Titus A. M.

    2016-01-01

    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are very toxic and persistent environmental contaminants. This study was undertaken to assess the concentrations and possible sources of 16 PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) classified by the United State Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants in water and sediments of the Mvudi and Nzhelele Rivers. Effluents from Thohoyandou wastewater treatment plant and Siloam waste stabilization ponds were also investigated. Diagnostic ratios were used to evaluate the possible sources of PAHs. PAHs in the water samples were extracted using 1:1 dichloromethane and n-hexane mixtures, while those in the sediment samples were extracted with 1:1 acetone and dichloromethane using an ultrasonication method. The extracts were purified using an SPE technique and reconstituted in n-hexane before analyses with a gas chromatograph time of flight—mass spectrometer. The results obtained indicate the prevalence of high molecular weight PAHs in all the samples. PAHs concentrations in water and sediment samples from all the sampling sites were in the range of 13.174–26.382 mg/L and 27.10–55.93 mg/kg, respectively. Combustion of biomass was identified as the major possible source of PAHs. Effluents from wastewater treatment facilities were also considered as major anthropogenic contributions to the levels of PAHs found in both river water and sediments. Mvudi and Nzhelele Rivers show moderate to high contamination level of PAHs. PMID:27043597

  5. Dissolved organic nitrogen recalcitrance and bioavailable nitrogen quantification for effluents from advanced nitrogen removal wastewater treatment facilities.

    PubMed

    Fan, Lu; Brett, Michael T; Jiang, Wenju; Li, Bo

    2017-10-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the composition of nitrogen (N) in the effluents of advanced N removal (ANR) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study also tested two different experimental protocols for determining dissolved N recalcitrance. An analysis of 15 effluent samples from five WWTPs, showed effluent concentrations and especially effluent composition varied greatly from one system to the other, with total nitrogen (TN) ranging between 1.05 and 8.10 mg L -1 . Nitrate (NO 3 - ) accounted for between 38 ± 32% of TN, and ammonium accounted for a further 29 ± 28%. All of these samples were dominated by dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; NO 3 -  + NH 4 + ), and uptake experiments indicated the DIN fraction was as expected highly bioavailable. Dissolved organic N (DON) accounted for 20 ± 11% for the total dissolved N in these effluents, and uptake experiments indicated the bioavailability of this fraction varied between 27 ± 26% depending on the WWTP assessed. These results indicate near complete DIN removal should be the primary goal of ANR treatment systems. The comparison of bioavailable nitrogen (BAN) quantification protocols showed that the dissolved nitrogen uptake bioassay approach was clearly a more reliable way to determine BAN concentrations compared to the conventional cell yield protocol. Moreover, because the nitrogen uptake experiment was much more sensitive, this protocol made it easier to detect extrinsic factors (such as biological contamination or toxicity) that could affect the accuracy of these bioassays. Based on these results, we recommend the nitrogen uptake bioassay using filtered and autoclaved samples to quantify BAN concentrations. However, for effluent samples indicating toxicity, algal bioassays will not accurately quantify BAN. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Using paired in situ high frequency nitrate measurements to better understand controls on nitrate concentrations and estimate nitrification rates in a wastewater-impacted river

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kraus, Tamara; O'Donnell, Katy; Downing, Bryan D.; Burau, Jon R.; Bergamaschi, Brian

    2017-01-01

    We used paired continuous nitrate ( ) measurements along a tidally affected river receiving wastewater discharge rich in ammonium ( ) to quantify rates of change in  concentration ( ) and estimate nitrification rates.  sensors were deployed 30 km apart in the Sacramento River, California (USA), with the upstream station located immediately above the regional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). We used a travel time model to track water transit between the stations and estimated  every 15 min (October 2013 to September 2014). Changes in concentration were strongly related to water temperature. In the presence of wastewater, was generally positive, ranging from about 7 µM d−1 in the summer to near zero in the winter. Numerous periods when the WWTP halted discharge allowed the  to be estimated under no-effluent conditions and revealed that in the absence of effluent, net gains in  were substantially lower but still positive in the summer and negative (net sink) in the winter. Nitrification rates of effluent-derived NH4 ( ) were estimated from the difference between  measured in the presence versus absence of effluent and ranged from 1.5 to 3.4 µM d−1, which is within literature values but tenfold greater than recently reported for this region.  was generally lower in winter (∼2 µM d−1) than summer (∼3 µM d−1). This in situ, high frequency approach provides advantages over traditional discrete sampling, incubation, and tracer methods and allows measurements to be made over broad areas for extended periods of time. Incorporating this approach into environmental monitoring programs can facilitate our ability to protect and manage aquatic systems.

  7. Using Paired In Situ High Frequency Nitrate Measurements to Better Understand Controls on Nitrate Concentrations and Estimate Nitrification Rates in a Wastewater-Impacted River

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraus, T. E. C.; O'Donnell, K.; Downing, B. D.; Burau, J. R.; Bergamaschi, B. A.

    2017-10-01

    We used paired continuous nitrate (NO3-) measurements along a tidally affected river receiving wastewater discharge rich in ammonium (NH4+) to quantify rates of change in NO3- concentration (RΔNO3) and estimate nitrification rates. NO3- sensors were deployed 30 km apart in the Sacramento River, California (USA), with the upstream station located immediately above the regional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). We used a travel time model to track water transit between the stations and estimated RΔNO3 every 15 min (October 2013 to September 2014). Changes in NO3- concentration were strongly related to water temperature. In the presence of wastewater, RΔNO3 was generally positive, ranging from about 7 µM d-1 in the summer to near zero in the winter. Numerous periods when the WWTP halted discharge allowed the RΔNO3 to be estimated under no-effluent conditions and revealed that in the absence of effluent, net gains in NO3- were substantially lower but still positive in the summer and negative (net sink) in the winter. Nitrification rates of effluent-derived NH4 (RNitrific_E) were estimated from the difference between RΔNO3 measured in the presence versus absence of effluent and ranged from 1.5 to 3.4 µM d-1, which is within literature values but tenfold greater than recently reported for this region. RNitrific_E was generally lower in winter (˜2 µM d-1) than summer (˜3 µM d-1). This in situ, high frequency approach provides advantages over traditional discrete sampling, incubation, and tracer methods and allows measurements to be made over broad areas for extended periods of time. Incorporating this approach into environmental monitoring programs can facilitate our ability to protect and manage aquatic systems.

  8. 40 CFR Table 4 to Part 455 - BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false BAT and NSPS Effluent Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That use End-of-Pipe Biological Treatment 4 Table 4... Limitations for Priority Pollutants for Direct Discharge Point Sources That use End-of-Pipe Biological...

  9. Degradation of selected organophosphate pesticides in wastewater by dielectric barrier discharge plasma.

    PubMed

    Hu, Yingmei; Bai, Yanhong; Yu, Hu; Zhang, Chunhong; Chen, Jierong

    2013-09-01

    In this paper, degradation of selected organophosphate pesticides (dichlorvos and dimethoate) in wastewater by dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBD) was studied. DBD parameters, i.e. discharge powers and air-gap distances, differently affect their degradation efficiency. The results show that better degradation efficiency is obtained with a higher discharge power and a shorter air-gap distance. The effect of radical intervention degradation was also investigated by adding radical scavenger (tert-butyl alcohol) to the pesticide solution during the experiments. The result shows that the degradation efficiency is restrained in the presence of radical scavenger. It clearly demonstrates that hydroxyl radicals are most likely the main driver for degradation process. Moreover, the kinetics indicate that the disappearance rate of pesticides follows the first-order rate law when the initial concentration of the solution is low, but shifts to zero-order at a higher initial concentration.

  10. Chlorine Disinfection of Blended Municipal Wastewater Effluents

    EPA Science Inventory

    Blending is a practice used in the wastewater industry to manage wet weather events when the influx of storm water to municipal treatment facilities could compromise the hydraulic capacity of the facility’s biological treatment system. To prevent this, wastewater is treated thro...

  11. Application of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for wastewater of hospital by using electrocoagulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murdani; Jakfar; Ekawati, D.; Nadira, R.; Darmadi

    2018-04-01

    Hospital wastewater is a source of potential environmental contamination. Therefore, the waste water needs to be treated before it is discharged into the landfill. Various research methods have been used to treat hospital wastewater. However, some methods that have been implemented have not achieved the effluent standards for hospitals that have been set by the government. The experiment was conducted by an electrochemical method is electrolysis using aluminum electrodes with independent variable is the voltage, contact time and concentration of electrolytes. The response optimization using response surface with optimum conditions obtained by the contact time of 34.26 min, voltage 12 V, concentration electrolyte 0.38 M can decrease of COD 65.039%. The model recommended by the response surface for the three variables, namely quadratic response.

  12. Investigating dynamic sources of pharmaceuticals: Demographic and seasonal use are more important than down-the-drain disposal in wastewater effluent in a University City setting.

    PubMed

    Vatovec, Christine; Phillips, Patrick; Van Wagoner, Emily; Scott, Tia-Marie; Furlong, Edward

    2016-12-01

    Pharmaceutical pollution in surface waters poses risks to human and ecosystem health. Wastewater treatment facilities are primary sources of pharmaceutical pollutants, but little is known about the factors that affect drugs entering the wastewater stream. This paper investigates the effects of student pharmaceutical use and disposal behaviors and an annual demographic shift on pharmaceutical pollution in a university town. We sampled wastewater effluent during a ten-day annual spring student move-out period at the University of Vermont. We then interpreted these data in light of survey results that investigated pharmaceutical purchasing, use, and disposal practices among the university student population. Surveys indicated that the majority of student respondents purchased pharmaceuticals in the previous year. Many students reported having leftover drugs, though only a small portion disposed of them, mainly in the trash. We detected 51 pharmaceuticals in 80% or more of the wastewater effluent samples collected over the ten-day sampling period. Several increased in concentration after students left the area. Concentrations of caffeine and nicotine decreased weakly. Drug disposal among this university student population does not appear to be a major source of pharmaceuticals in wastewater. Increases in pharmaceutical concentration after the students left campus can be tied to an increase in the seasonal use of allergy medications directly related to pollen, as well as a demographic shift to a year-round older population, which supports national data that older people use larger volumes and different types of pharmaceuticals than the younger student population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes used in remediation of industrial wastewater laden with recalcitrant pollutants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishnan, S.; Rawindran, H.; Sinnathambi, C. M.; Lim, J. W.

    2017-06-01

    Due to the scarcity of water, it has become a necessity to improve the quality of wastewater that is discharged into the environment. Conventional wastewater treatment can be either a physical, chemical, and/or biological processes, or in some cases a combination of these operations. The main purpose of wastewater treatment is to eliminate nutrients, solids, and organic compounds from effluents. Current wastewater treatment technologies are deemed ineffective in the complete removal of pollutants, particularly organic matter. In many cases, these organic compounds are resistant to conventional treatment methods, thus creating the necessity for tertiary treatment. Advanced oxidation process (AOP), constitutes as a promising treatment technology for the management of wastewater. AOPs are characterised by a common chemical feature, where they utilize the highly reactive hydroxyl radicals for achieving complete mineralization of the organic pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. This paper delineates advanced oxidation processes currently used for the remediation of water and wastewater. It also provides the cost estimation of installing and running an AOP system. The costs are separated into three categories: capital, operational, and operating & maintenance.

  14. Evaluation of the efficiency of peracetic acid in the disinfection of sewage effluents.

    PubMed

    Stampi, S; De Luca, G; Zanetti, F

    2001-11-01

    Evaluation of the efficiency of peracetic acid in the disinfection of wastewater in a large treatment plant. Over a period of 18 months 30 sample collections were made, each consisting of three samples taken from: raw incoming sewage, secondary effluent (after 10-12 h) and secondary effluent disinfected with 1.5-2 mg l(-1) of peracetic acid (contact time: 20 min). Total coliforms and Escherichia coli declined from 10(7) MPN 100 ml(-1) in the raw sewage to 10(2) in the disinfected effluent and the enterococci fell from 10(6) MPN 100 ml(-1) to 702 MPN 100 ml(-1). The reduction of bacteria increased with the rise in temperature and decreased with the rise in BOD5. Disinfection with peracetic acid reduced levels of faecal contamination by 97%, thus attaining the limit recommended by current Italian law (Escherichia coli discharge into surface waters. The process of disinfection with peracetic acid is easier to manage than other more common methods and the tests performed confirm that from the bacteriological point of view good results can be obtained for urban effluents.

  15. Combined mesophilic anaerobic and thermophilic aerobic digestion process for high-strength food wastewater to increase removal efficiency and reduce sludge discharge.

    PubMed

    Jang, H M; Park, S K; Ha, J H; Park, J M

    2014-01-01

    In this study, a process that combines the mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) process with thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) for high-strength food wastewater (FWW) treatment was developed to examine the removal of organic matter and methane production. All effluent discharged from the MAD process was separated into solid and liquid portions. The liquid part was discarded and the sludge part was passed to the TAD process for further degradation. Then, the digested sludge from the TAD process was recycled back to the MAD unit to achieve low sludge discharge from the combined process. The reactor combination was operated in two phases: during Phase I, 40 d of total hydraulic retention time (HRT) was applied; during Phase II, 20 d was applied. HRT of the TAD process was fixed at 5 d. For a comparison, a control process (single-stage MAD) was operated with the same HRTs of the combined process. Our results indicated that the combined process showed over 90% total solids, volatile solids and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies. In addition, the combined process showed a significantly higher methane production rate than that of the control process. Consequently, the experimental data demonstrated that the combined MAD-TAD process was successfully employed for high-strength FWW treatment with highly efficient organic matter reduction and methane production.

  16. In vivo and in vitro neurochemical-based assessments of wastewater effluents from the Maumee River area of concern.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) were caged for four days at multiple locations upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge into the Maumee River (USA, OH). Grab water samples collected at the same location were extracted using several different ...

  17. 40 CFR 420.73 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Hot Forming... there are not significant quantities of toxic pollutants in hot forming wastewaters after compliance...

  18. 40 CFR 420.113 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS IRON AND STEEL MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Alkaline... determined that there are not significant quantities of toxic pollutants in alkaline cleaning wastewaters...

  19. 40 CFR 463.23 - Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PLASTICS MOLDING AND FORMING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cleaning... determined that there are insignificant quantities of toxic pollutants in cleaning process wastewaters after...

  20. Multiple response optimization of the coagulation process for upgrading the quality of effluent from municipal wastewater treatment plant

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Na; Hu, Yi; Lu, Yong-Ze; Zeng, Raymond J.; Sheng, Guo-Ping

    2016-05-01

    To meet the high quality standard of receiving water, the coagulation process using polyferric chloride (PFC) was used to further improve the water quality of effluent from wastewater treatment plants. Uniform design (UD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted to assess the effects of the main influence factors: coagulant dosage, pH and basicity, on the removal of total organic carbon (TOC), NH4+-N and PO43--P. A desirability function approach was used to effectively optimize the coagulation process for the comprehensive removal of TOC, NH4+-N and PO43--P to upgrade the effluent quality in practical application. The optimized operating conditions were: dosage 28 mg/L, pH 8.5 and basicity 0.001. The corresponding removal efficiencies for TOC, NH4+-N and PO43--P were 77.2%, 94.6% and 20.8%, respectively. More importantly, the effluent quality could upgrade to surface water Class V of China through coagulation under optimal region. In addition, grey relational analysis (GRA) prioritized these three factors as: pH > basicity > dosage (for TOC), basicity > dosage > pH (for NH4+-N), pH > dosage > basicity (for PO43--P), which would help identify the most important factor to control the treatment efficiency of various effluent quality indexes by PFC coagulation.

  1. Cryptosporidium and Giardia removal by secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment.

    PubMed

    Taran-Benshoshan, Marina; Ofer, Naomi; Dalit, Vaizel-Ohayon; Aharoni, Avi; Revhun, Menahem; Nitzan, Yeshayahu; Nasser, Abidelfatah M

    2015-01-01

    Wastewater disposal may be a source of environmental contamination by Cryptosporidium and Giardia. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in raw and treated wastewater effluents. A prevalence of 100% was demonstrated for Giardia cysts in raw wastewater, at a concentration range of 10 to 12,225 cysts L(-1), whereas the concentration of Cryptosporidium oocysts in raw wastewater was 4 to 125 oocysts L(-1). The removal of Giardia cysts by secondary and tertiary treatment processes was greater than those observed for Cryptosporidium oocysts and turbidity. Cryptosporidium and Giardia were present in 68.5% and 76% of the tertiary effluent samples, respectively, at an average concentration of 0.93 cysts L(-1) and 9.94 oocysts L(-1). A higher detection limit of Cryptosporidium oocysts in wastewater was observed for nested PCR as compared to immune fluorescent assay (IFA). C. hominis was found to be the dominant genotype in wastewater effluents followed by C. parvum and C. andersoni or C. muris. Giardia was more prevalent than Cryptosporidium in the studied community and treatment processes were more efficient for the removal of Giardia than Cryptosporidium. Zoonotic genotypes of Cryptosporidium were also present in the human community. To assess the public health significance of Cryptosporidium oocysts present in tertiary effluent, viability (infectivity) needs to be assessed.

  2. Impacts of blending on dilution of negatively buoyant brine discharge in a shallow tidal sea.

    PubMed

    Kämpf, Jochen

    2009-07-01

    A fine-resolution three-dimensional hydrodynamic model is applied to study the dilution of desalination brine discharged into a tidal sea. Based on given inflow rate and salinity excess of discharge brine, this study explores variations in mid-field dilutions when other low-salinity wastewater is added to the discharge. Findings reveal that this blending leads to a decrease in dilution in the mixing zone and therefore to higher levels of pollutants in this zone, while, on the other hand, the mixing zone occupies a smaller area. The reason is that the discharge of brine creates a density-driven flow that operates to partially remove effluent from the discharge location. This removal is less efficient for the decrease in density excess of the discharge. Hence, in an ambient sea of moderate mixing, blending can be expected to increase the risk of marine pollution in the mixing zone.

  3. NATIONAL WWTP EFFLUENT STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Reports of potential wildlife risk from exposure to environmental estrogens emphasize the need to better understand both estrogenic presence and persistence in treated wastewater effluents. In addition to wildlife exposure, human exposure should also be examined, especially in si...

  4. Setback distances between small biological wastewater treatment systems and drinking water wells against virus contamination in alluvial aquifers.

    PubMed

    Blaschke, A P; Derx, J; Zessner, M; Kirnbauer, R; Kavka, G; Strelec, H; Farnleitner, A H; Pang, L

    2016-12-15

    Contamination of groundwater by pathogenic viruses from small biological wastewater treatment system discharges in remote areas is a major concern. To protect drinking water wells against virus contamination, safe setback distances are required between wastewater disposal fields and water supply wells. In this study, setback distances are calculated for alluvial sand and gravel aquifers for different vadose zone and aquifer thicknesses and horizontal groundwater gradients. This study applies to individual households and small settlements (1-20 persons) in decentralized locations without access to receiving surface waters but with the legal obligation of biological wastewater treatment. The calculations are based on Monte Carlo simulations using an analytical model that couples vertical unsaturated and horizontal saturated flow with virus transport. Hydraulic conductivities and water retention curves were selected from reported distribution functions depending on the type of subsurface media. The enteric virus concentration in effluent discharge was calculated based on reported ranges of enteric virus concentration in faeces, virus infectivity, suspension factor, and virus reduction by mechanical-biological wastewater treatment. To meet the risk target of <10 -4 infections/person/year, a 12 log 10 reduction was required, using a linear dose-response relationship for the total amount of enteric viruses, at very low exposure concentrations. The results of this study suggest that the horizontal setback distances vary widely ranging 39 to 144m in sand aquifers, 66-289m in gravel aquifers and 1-2.5km in coarse gravel aquifers. It also varies for the same aquifers, depending on the thickness of the vadose zones and the groundwater gradient. For vulnerable fast-flow alluvial aquifers like coarse gravels, the calculated setback distances were too large to achieve practically. Therefore, for this category of aquifer, a high level of treatment is recommended before the

  5. Comparison of the MBBR denitrification carriers for advanced nitrogen removal of wastewater treatment plant effluent.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Quan; Wang, Haiyan; Hang, Qianyu; Deng, Yangfan; Liu, Kai; Li, Chunmei; Zheng, Shengzhi

    2015-09-01

    The moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were used to remove the residual NO3(-)-N of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and the MBBR carriers for denitrification were compared. The results showed that high denitrification efficiency can be achieved with polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane foam, and haydite carriers under following conditions: 7.2 to 8.0 pH, 24 to 26 °C temperature, 12 h hydraulic retention time (HRT), and 25.5 mg L(-1) external methanol dosage, while the WWTP effluent total nitrogen (TN) was between 2.6 and 15.4 mg L(-1) and NO3(-)-N was between 0.2 and 12.6 mg L(-1). The MBBR filled with polyethylene carriers had higher TN and NO3(-)-N removal rate (44.9 ± 19.1 and 83.4 ± 13.0%, respectively) than those with other carriers. The minimum effluent TN and NO3(-)-N of polyethylene MBBR were 1.6 and 0.1 mg L(-1), respectively, and the maximum denitrification rate reached 23.0 g m(-2) day(-1). When chemical oxygen demand (COD)/TN ratio dropped from 6 to 4, the NO3(-)- N and TN removal efficiency decreased significantly in all reactors except for that filled with polyethylene, which indicated that the polyethylene MBBR can resist influent fluctuation much better. The three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix analysis showed that all the influent and effluent of MBBRs contain soluble microbial products (SMPs)-like organics and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which can be removed better by MBBRs filled with haydite and polyethylene carriers. The nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ)-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis suggested that the dominant bacteria in polyethylene MBBR are the key denitrificans.

  6. The Use of Clay-Polymer Nanocomposites in Wastewater Pretreatment

    PubMed Central

    Rytwo, Giora

    2012-01-01

    Some agricultural effluents are unsuitable for discharge into standard sewage-treatment plants: their pretreatment is necessary to avoid clogging of the filtering devices by colloidal matter. The colloidal stability of the effluents is mainly due to mutual repulsive forces that keep charged particles in suspension. Pretreatment processes are based on two separate stages: (a) neutralization of the charges (“coagulation”) and (b) bridging between several small particles to form larger aggregates that sink, leaving clarified effluent (“flocculation”). The consequent destabilization of the colloidal suspension lowers total suspended solids (TSSs), turbidity, and other environmental quality parameters, making the treatments that follow more efficient. Clay-based materials have been widely used for effluent pretreatment and pollutant removal. This study presents the use of nanocomposites, comprised of an anchoring particle and a polymer, as “coagoflocculants” for the efficient and rapid reduction of TSS and turbidity in wastewater with a high organic load. The use of such particles combines the advantages of coagulant and flocculant by neutralizing the charge of the suspended particles while bridging between them and anchoring them to a denser particle (the clay mineral), enhancing their precipitation. Very rapid and efficient pretreatment is achieved in one single treatment step. PMID:22454607

  7. Decolorization of salt-alkaline effluent with industrial reactive dyes by laccase-producing Basidiomycetes strains.

    PubMed

    Moreira-Neto, S L; Mussatto, S I; Machado, K M G; Milagres, A M F

    2013-04-01

    The discharge of highly coloured synthetic dye effluents into rivers and lakes is harmful to the water bodies, and therefore, intensive researches have been focussed on the decolorization of wastewater by biological, physical or chemical treatments. In the present study, 12 basidiomycetes strains from the genus Pleurotus, Trametes, Lentinus, Peniophora, Pycnoporus, Rigidoporus, Hygrocybe and Psilocybe were evaluated for decolorization of the reactive dyes Cibacron Brilliant Blue H-GR and Cibacron Red FN-2BL, both in solid and liquid media. Among the evaluated fungi, seven showed great ability to decolorize the synthetic textile effluent, both in vivo (74-77%) or in vitro (60-74%), and laccase was the main ligninolytic enzyme involved on dyes decolorization. Pleurotus ostreatus, Trametes villosa and Peniophora cinerea reduced near to 60% of the effluent colour after only 1 h of treatment. The decolorization results were still improved by establishing the nitrogen source and amount to be used during the fungal strains cultivation in synthetic medium previous their action on the textile effluent, with yeast extract being a better nitrogen source than ammonium tartarate. These results contribute for the development of an effective microbiological process for decolorization of dye effluents with reduced time of treatment. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  8. Bioassessment of the Effluents Discharged from Two Export Oriented Industrial Zones Located in Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka Using Erythrocytic Responses of the Fish, Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

    PubMed

    Hemachandra, C K; Pathiratne, A

    2017-10-01

    Complex effluents originating from diverse industrial processes in industrial zones could pose cytotoxic/genotoxic hazards to biota in the receiving ecosystems which cannot be revealed by conventional monitoring methods. This study assessed potential cytotoxicity/genotoxicity of treated effluents of two industrial zones which are discharged into Kelani river, Sri Lanka combining erythrocytic abnormality tests and comet assay of the tropical model fish, Nile tilapia. Exposure of fish to the effluents induced erythrocytic DNA damage and deformed erythrocytes with serrated membranes, vacuolations, nuclear buds and micronuclei showing cytotoxic/genotoxic hazards in all cases. Occasional exceedance of industrial effluent discharge regulatory limits was noted for color and lead which may have contributed to the observed cytotoxicity/genotoxicity of effluents. The results demonstrate that fish erythrocytic responses could be used as effective bioanalytical tools for cytotoxic/genotoxic hazard assessments of complex effluents of industrial zones for optimization of the waste treatment process in order to reduce biological impacts.

  9. Biological treatment of model dyes and textile wastewaters.

    PubMed

    Paz, Alicia; Carballo, Julia; Pérez, María José; Domínguez, José Manuel

    2017-08-01

    Previous works conducted in our laboratory, reveled that Bacillus aryabhattai DC100 produce ligninolytic enzymes such as laccases and/or peroxidases, opening new applications in different bioprocesses, including the treatment of disposal residues such as dyestuffs from textile processing industries. This work described the degradation of three commercial model dyes Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 (CBB), Indigo Carmine (IC) and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) under different culture media and operational conditions. The process was optimized using a Central Composite Rotatable Design, and the desirability predicted complete decolorization of 150 mg/L CBB at 37 °C, 304.09 rpm and salt concentration of 19.204 g/L. The model was validated with concentrations up to 180 mg/L CBB and IC, not being able to remove high amount of RBBR. The procedure here developed also allowed Chemical Oxygen Demands (COD) reductions in CBB of about 42%, meanwhile tests on real effluents from a local textile industry involved COD reductions of 50% in a liquid wastewater and 14% in semi-liquid sludge. Thus, allow the authorized discharge of wastewater into the corresponding treatment plant. Decolorization efficiencies and COD reductions open on the potential application of B. aryabhattai DC100 on the bioremediation of real effluents from textile industries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Wastewater retreatment and reuse system for agricultural irrigation in rural villages.

    PubMed

    Kim, Minyoung; Lee, Hyejin; Kim, Minkyeong; Kang, Donghyeon; Kim, Dongeok; Kim, YoungJin; Lee, Sangbong

    2014-01-01

    Climate changes and continuous population growth increase water demands that will not be met by traditional water resources, like surface and ground water. To handle increased water demand, treated municipal wastewater is offered to farmers for agricultural irrigation. This study aimed to enhance the effluent quality from worn-out sewage treatment facilities in rural villages, retreat effluent to meet water quality criteria for irrigation, and assess any health-related and environmental impacts from using retreated wastewater irrigation on crops and in soil. We developed the compact wastewater retreatment and reuse system (WRRS), equipped with filters, ultraviolet light, and bubble elements. A pilot greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate lettuce growth patterns and quantify the heavy metal concentration and pathogenic microorganisms on lettuce and in soil after irrigating with tap water, treated wastewater, and WRRS retreated wastewater. The purification performance of each WRRS component was also assessed. The study findings revealed that existing worn-out sewage treatment facilities in rural villages could meet the water quality criteria for treated effluent and also reuse retreated wastewater for crop growth and other miscellaneous agricultural purposes.

  11. Dielectric barrier discharge-based investigation and analysis of wastewater treatment and pollutant removal.

    PubMed

    Ramdani, N; Lousdad, A; Tilmatine, A; Nemmich, S

    2016-01-01

    Current research reveals that the oxidation by ozone is considered as an effective solution and offers irrefutable advantages in wastewater treatment. It is also well known that ozone is used to treat different types of water due to its effectiveness in water purification and for its oxidation potential. This process of ozonation is becoming progressively an alternative technology and is inscribed in a sustainable development perspective in Algeria. In this regards, the present paper investigates the wastewater treatment process by ozone produced by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) under high potential. Three (DBD) ozone generators of cylindrical form have been used, at a laboratory scale, for treating collected samples from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of the city of Sidi-Bel-Abbes located in the west of Algeria. Our experimental results reveal the efficiency of this type of treatment on the basis of the physicochemical analysis (pH, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, heavy metals) and microbial analysis downstream of the WWTP, which showed a high rate of elimination of all the parameters.

  12. Occurrence of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in hospital and urban wastewaters and their impact on the receiving river.

    PubMed

    Rodriguez-Mozaz, Sara; Chamorro, Sara; Marti, Elisabet; Huerta, Belinda; Gros, Meritxell; Sànchez-Melsió, Alexandre; Borrego, Carles M; Barceló, Damià; Balcázar, Jose Luis

    2015-02-01

    Antibiotic resistance has become a major health concern; thus, there is a growing interest in exploring the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment as well as the factors that contribute to their emergence. Aquatic ecosystems provide an ideal setting for the acquisition and spread of ARGs due to the continuous pollution by antimicrobial compounds derived from anthropogenic activities. We investigated, therefore, the pollution level of a broad range of antibiotics and ARGs released from hospital and urban wastewaters, their removal through a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and their presence in the receiving river. Several antimicrobial compounds were detected in all water samples collected. Among antibiotic families, fluoroquinolones were detected at the highest concentration, especially in hospital effluent samples. Although good removal efficiency by treatment processes was observed for several antimicrobial compounds, most antibiotics were still present in WWTP effluents. The results also revealed that copy numbers of ARGs, such as blaTEM (resistance to β-lactams), qnrS (reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones), ermB (resistance to macrolides), sulI (resistance to sulfonamides) and tetW (resistance to tetracyclines), were detected at the highest concentrations in hospital effluent and WWTP influent samples. Although there was a significant reduction in copy numbers of these ARGs in WWTP effluent samples, this reduction was not uniform across analyzed ARGs. Relative concentration of ermB and tetW genes decreased as a result of wastewater treatment, whereas increased in the case of blaTEM, sulI and qnrS genes. The incomplete removal of antibiotics and ARGs in WWTP severely affected the receiving river, where both types of emerging pollutants were found at higher concentration in downstream waters than in samples collected upstream from the discharge point. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a widespread occurrence of

  13. Nutrient Removal in Wastewater Treatment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shah, Kanti L.

    1973-01-01

    Discusses the sources and effects of nutrients in wastewater, and the methods of their removal in wastewater treatment. In order to conserve water resources and eliminate the cost of nutrient removal, treated effluent should be used wherever possible for irrigation, since it contains all the ingredients for proper plant growth. (JR)

  14. Evaluation of the performance of the Tyson Foods wastewater treatment plant for nitrogen removal.

    PubMed

    Ubay-Cokgor, E; Randall, C W; Orhon, D

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, the performance of the Tyson Foods wastewater treatment plant with an average flow rate of 6500 m3/d was evaluated before and after upgrading of the treatment system for nitrogen removal. This study was also covered with an additional recommendation of BIOWIN BNR program simulation after the modification period to achieve an additional nutrient removal. The results clearly show that the upgrading was very successful for improved nitrogen removal, with a 57% decrease on the total nitrogen discharge. There also were slight reductions in the discharged loads of biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonium and total phosphorus with denitrification, even though the effluent flow was higher during operation of the nitrogen removal configuration.

  15. 40 CFR 461.11 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium Subcategory... allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  16. 40 CFR 461.11 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium... allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  17. 40 CFR 461.11 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium... allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  18. 40 CFR 461.11 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium... allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  19. 40 CFR 461.11 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS BATTERY MANUFACTURING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Cadmium Subcategory... allowance for process wastewater pollutants from any battery manufacturing operation other than those battery manufacturing operations listed above. ...

  20. 40 CFR 430.34 - Effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... biocides are used must achieve the following effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent...-continuous dischargers. Permittees not using chlorophenolic-containing biocides must certify to the permit-issuing authority that they are not using these biocides: Subpart C [BAT effluent limitations for...