Abstract: The main objective of this study was to assess the
seasonal variation of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
(PAH) concentrations associated with PM10 in an urban site of Győr,
Hungary. A total of 112 PM10 aerosol samples were collected in the
years of 2012 and 2013 and analyzed for PAHs by gas
chromatography method. The total PAH concentrations (sum of the
concentrations of 19 individual PAH compounds) ranged from 0.19
to 70.16 ng/m3 with the mean value of 12.29 ng/m3. Higher
concentrations of both total PAHs and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were
detected in samples collected in the heating seasons. Using BaPequivalent
potency index on the carcinogenic PAH concentration
data, the local population appears to be exposed to significantly
higher cancer risk in the heating seasons. However, the comparison
of the BaP and total PAH concentrations observed for Győr with
other cities it was found that the PAH levels in Győr generally
corresponded to the EU average.
Abstract: In recent decades, particulate matter (PM10) have
received much attention due to its potential adverse health impact and
the subsequent need to better control or regulate these pollutants.
The aim of this paper is focused on study risk assessment of PM10
in four different districts (Shebikah, Masfalah, Aziziyah, Awali) in
Makkah, Saudi Arabia during the period from 1 Ramadan 1434 AH -
27 Safar 1435 AH. Samples were collected by using Low Volume
Sampler (LVS Low Volume Sampler) device and filtration method
for estimating the total concentration of PM10.
The study indicated that the mean PM10 concentrations were 254.6
(186.1 - 343.2) μg/m3 in Shebikah, 184.9 (145.6 - 271.4) μg/m3 in
Masfalah, 162.4 (92.4-253.8) μg/m3 in Aziziyah, and 56.0 (44.5 -
119.8) μg/m3 in Awali. These values did not exceed the permissible
limits in PME (340 μg/m3 as daily average). Furthermore, health
assessment is carried out using AirQ2.2.3 model to estimate the
number of hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases. The
cumulative number of cases per 100,000 were 1534 (18-3050 case),
which lower than that recorded in the United States, Malaysia. The
concentration response coefficient was 0.49 (95% CI 0.05 - 0.70) per
10 μg/m3 increase of PM10.
Abstract: In this paper air quality conditions in Makkah and
Leeds are compared. These two cities have totally different climatic
conditions. Makkah climate is characterised as hot and dry (arid)
whereas that of Leeds is characterised as cold and wet (temperate).
This study uses air quality data from 2012 collected in Makkah,
Saudi Arabia and Leeds, UK. The concentrations of all pollutants,
except NO are higher in Makkah. Most notable, the concentrations of
PM10 are much higher in Makkah than in Leeds. This is probably due
to the arid nature of climatic conditions in Makkah and not solely due
to anthropogenic emission sources, otherwise like PM10 some of the
other pollutants, such as CO, NO, and SO2 would have shown much
greater difference between Leeds and Makkah. Correlation analysis is
performed between different pollutants at the same site and the same
pollutants at different sites. In Leeds the correlation between PM10
and other pollutants is significantly stronger than in Makkah. Weaker
correlation in Makkah is probably due to the fact that in Makkah
most of the gaseous pollutants are emitted by combustion processes,
whereas most of the PM10 is generated by other sources, such as
windblown dust, re-suspension, and construction activities. This is in
contrast to Leeds where all pollutants including PM10 are
predominantly emitted by combustions, such as road traffic.
Furthermore, in Leeds frequent rains wash out most of the
atmospheric particulate matter and suppress re-suspension of dust.
Temporal trends of various pollutants are compared and discussed.
This study emphasises the role of climatic conditions in managing air
quality, and hence the need for region-specific controlling strategies
according to the local climatic and meteorological conditions.
Abstract: Distillery spentwash contains high chemical oxygen
demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), color, total
dissolved solids (TDS) and other contaminants even after biological
treatment. The effluent can’t be discharged as such in the surface
water bodies or land without further treatment. Reverse osmosis (RO)
treatment plants have been installed in many of the distilleries at
tertiary level in many of the distilleries in India, but are not properly
working due to fouling problem which is caused by the presence of
high concentration of organic matter and other contaminants in
biologically treated spentwash. In order to make the membrane
treatment a proven and reliable technology, proper pre-treatment is
mandatory. In the present study, ultra-filtration (UF) for pretreatment
of RO at tertiary stage has been performed. Operating
parameters namely initial pH (pHo: 2–10), trans-membrane pressure
(TMP: 4-20 bars) and temperature (T: 15-43°C) were used for
conducting experiments with UF system. Experiments were
optimized at different operating parameters in terms of COD, color,
TDS and TOC removal by using response surface methodology
(RSM) with central composite design. The results showed that
removal of COD, color and TDS was 62%, 93.5% and 75.5%
respectively, with UF, at optimized conditions with increased
permeate flux from 17.5 l/m2/h (RO) to 38 l/m2/h (UF-RO). The
performance of the RO system was greatly improved both in term of
pollutant removal as well as water recovery.
Abstract: The current paper presents an extensive bottom-up
framework for assessing building sector-specific vulnerability to
climate change: energy supply and demand. The research focuses on
the application of downscaled seasonal models for estimating energy
performance of buildings in Greece. The ARW-WRF model has
been set-up and suitably parameterized to produce downscaled
climatological fields for Greece, forced by the output of the CFSv2
model. The outer domain, D01/Europe, included 345 x 345 cells of
horizontal resolution 20 x 20 km2 and the inner domain, D02/Greece,
comprised 180 x 180 cells of 5 x 5 km2 horizontal resolution. The
model run has been setup for a period with a forecast horizon of 6
months, storing outputs on a six hourly basis.
Abstract: This paper presents the results obtained by numerical
simulation using the software ANSYS CFX-CFD for the air
pollutants dispersion in the atmosphere coming from the evacuation
of combustion gases resulting from the fuel combustion in an electric
thermal power plant. The model uses the Navier-Stokes equation to
simulate the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. It is
considered as important factors in elaboration of simulation the
atmospheric conditions (pressure, temperature, wind speed, wind
direction), the exhaust velocity of the combustion gases, chimney
height and the obstacles (buildings). Using the air quality monitoring
stations it is measured the concentrations of main pollutants (SO2,
NOx and PM). The pollutants were monitored over a period of 3
months, after that the average concentration are calculated, which is
used by the software. The concentrations are: 8.915 μg/m3 (NOx),
9.587 μg/m3 (SO2) and 42 μg/m3 (PM). A comparison of test data
with simulation results demonstrated that CFX was able to describe
the dispersion of the pollutant as well the concentration of this
pollutants in the atmosphere.
Abstract: A flow column has been innovatively used in the
design of a new electrocoagulation reactor (ECR1) that will reduce
the temperature of water being treated; where the flow columns work
as a radiator for the water being treated. In order to investigate the
performance of ECR1 and compare it to that of traditional reactors;
600 mL water samples with an initial temperature of 350C were
pumped continuously through these reactors for 30 min at current
density of 1 mA/cm2. The temperature of water being treated was
measured at 5 minutes intervals over a 30 minutes period using a
thermometer. Additional experiments were commenced to investigate
the effects of initial temperature (15-350C), water conductivity (0.15
– 1.2 S) and current density (0.5 -3 mA/cm2) on the performance of
ECR1.
The results obtained demonstrated that the ECR1, at a current
density of 1 mA/cm2 and continuous flow model, reduced water
temperature from 350C to the vicinity of 280C during the first 15
minutes and kept the same level till the end of the treatment time.
While, the temperature increased from 28.1 to 29.80C and from 29.8
to 31.90C in the batch and the traditional continuous flow models
respectively. In term of initial temperature, ECR1 maintained the
temperature of water being treated within the range of 22 to 280C
without the need for external cooling system even when the initial
temperatures varied over a wide range (15 to 350C). The influent
water conductivity was found to be a significant variable that affect
the temperature. The desirable value of water conductivity is 0.6 S.
However, it was found that the water temperature increased rapidly
with a higher current density.
Abstract: The development of transport systems has negative
impacts on the environment although it has beneficial effects on
society. The car policy caused many problems such as: - the
spectacular growth of fuel consumption hence the very vast increase
in urban pollution, traffic congestion in certain places and at certain
times, the increase in the number of accidents. The exhaust emissions
from cars and weather conditions are the main factors that determine
the level of pollution in urban atmosphere. These conditions lead to
the phenomenon of heat transfer and radiation occurring between the
air and the soil surface of any town. These exchanges give rise, in
urban areas, to the effects of heat islands that correspond to the
appearance of excess air temperature between the city and its
surrounding space. In this object, we perform a numerical simulation
of the plume generated by the cars exhaust gases and show that these
gases form a screening effect above the urban city which cause the
heat island in the presence of wind flow. This study allows us: 1. To
understand the different mechanisms of interactions between these
phenomena.2. To consider appropriate technical solutions to mitigate
the effects of the heat island.
Abstract: Constructed Wetland (CW) is a reasonable method to
treat wastewater. Current study was carried out to co-treat landfill
leachate and domestic wastewater using a CW system. Typha
domingensis was transplanted to CW, which encloses two substrate
layers of adsorbents named ZELIAC and zeolite. Response surface
methodology and central composite design were employed to
evaluate experimental data. Contact time (h) and leachate-towastewater
mixing ratio (%; v/v) were selected as independent
factors. Phenols and manganese removal were selected as dependent
responses. At optimum contact time (48.7 h) and leachate-towastewater
mixing ratio (20.0%), removal efficiencies of phenols and
manganese removal efficiencies were 90.5%, and 89.4%,
respectively.
Abstract: The influence of physicochemical water quality
parameters on the abundance and diversity of caddisfly larvae was
studied in seven sampling stations in Mae Tao and Mae Ku
watersheds, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, northern Thailand. The
streams: MK2 and MK8 as reference site, and impacted streams
(MT1-MT5) were sampled bi-monthly during July 2011 to May
2012. A total of 4,584 individual of caddisfly larvae belonging to 10
family and 17 genera were found. The larvae of family
Hydropsychidae were the most abundance, followed by
Philopotamidae, Odontoceridae, and Leptoceridae, respectively. The
genus Cheumatopsyche, Hydropsyche, and Chimarra were the most
abundance genera in this study. Results of CCA ordination showed
the total dissolved solids, sulfate, water temperature, dissolved
oxygen and pH were the most important physicochemical factors to
affect distribution of caddisflies communities. Changes in the
caddisfly fauna may indicate changes in physicochemical factors
owing to agricultural pollution, urbanization, or other human
activities. Results revealed that the order Trichoptera, identified to
species or genus, can be potentially used to assess environmental
water quality status in freshwater ecosystems.
Abstract: Industries produce millions of cubic meters of effluent
every year and the wastewater produced may be released into the
surrounding water bodies, treated on-site or at municipal treatment
plants. The determination of organic matter in the wastewater
generated is very important to avoid any negative effect on the
aquatic ecosystem. The scope of the present work is to assess the
physicochemical composition of the wastewater produced from one
of the brewery industry in South Africa. This is to estimate the
environmental impact of its discharge into the receiving water bodies
or the municipal treatment plant. The parameters monitored for the
quantitative analysis of brewery wastewater include biological
oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total
suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, ammonia, total oxidized
nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus and alkalinity content. In
average, the COD concentration of the brewery effluent was 5340.97
mg/l with average pH values of 4.0 to 6.7. The BOD5 and the solids
content of the wastewater from the brewery industry were high. This
means that the effluent is very rich in organic content and its
discharge into the water bodies or the municipal treatment plant could
cause environmental pollution or damage the treatment plant. In
addition, there were variations in the wastewater composition
throughout the monitoring period. This might be as a result of
different activities that take place during the production process, as
well as the effects of peak period of beer production on the water
usage.
Abstract: Studying on the response of vegetation phenology to
climate change at different temporal and spatial scales is important for
understanding and predicting future terrestrial ecosystem dynamics
and the adaptation of ecosystems to global change. In this study, the
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) dataset and climate
data were used to analyze the dynamics of grassland phenology as well
as their correlation with climatic factors in different eco-geographic
regions and elevation units across the Tibetan Plateau. The results
showed that during 2003–2012, the start of the grassland greening
season (SOS) appeared later while the end of the growing season
(EOS) appeared earlier following the plateau’s precipitation and heat
gradients from southeast to northwest. The multi-year mean value of
SOS showed differences between various eco-geographic regions and
was significantly impacted by average elevation and regional average
precipitation during spring. Regional mean differences for EOS were
mainly regulated by mean temperature during autumn. Changes in
trends of SOS in the central and eastern eco-geographic regions were
coupled to the mean temperature during spring, advancing by about
7d/°C. However, in the two southwestern eco-geographic regions,
SOS was delayed significantly due to the impact of spring
precipitation. The results also showed that the SOS occurred later with
increasing elevation, as expected, with a delay rate of 0.66 d/100m.
For 2003–2012, SOS showed an advancing trend in low-elevation
areas, but a delayed trend in high-elevation areas, while EOS was
delayed in low-elevation areas, but advanced in high-elevation areas.
Grassland SOS and EOS changes may be influenced by a variety of
other environmental factors in each eco-geographic region.
Abstract: Indonesia has experienced annual forest fires that have
rapidly destroyed and degraded its forests. Fires in the peat swamp
forests of Riau Province, have set the stage for problems to worsen,
this being the ecosystem most prone to fires (which are also the most
difficult, to extinguish). Despite various efforts to curb deforestation,
and forest degradation processes, severe forest fires are still
occurring. To find an effective solution, the basic causes of the
problems must be identified. It is therefore critical to have an indepth
understanding of the underlying causal factors that have
contributed to deforestation and forest degradation as a whole, in
order to attain reductions in their rates. An assessment of the drivers of deforestation and forest
degradation was carried out, in order to design and implement
measures that could slow these destructive processes. Research was
conducted in Giam Siak Kecil–Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve
(GSKBB BR), in the Riau Province of Sumatera, Indonesia. A
biosphere reserve was selected as the study site because such reserves
aim to reconcile conservation with sustainable development. A
biosphere reserve should promote a range of local human activities,
together with development values that are in line spatially and
economically with the area conservation values, through use of a
zoning system. Moreover, GSKBB BR is an area with vast peatlands,
and is experiencing forest fires annually. Various factors were
analysed to assess the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation
in GSKBB BR; data were collected from focus group discussions
with stakeholders, key informant interviews with key stakeholders,
field observation and a literature review. Landsat satellite imagery was used to map forest-cover changes
for various periods. Analysis of landsat images, taken during the
period 2010-2014, revealed that within the non-protected area of core
zone, there was a trend towards decreasing peat swamp forest areas,
increasing land clearance, and increasing areas of community oilpalm
and rubber plantations. Fire was used for land clearing and most
of the forest fires occurred in the most populous area (the transition
area). The study found a relationship between the deforested/
degraded areas, and certain distance variables, i.e. distance from
roads, villages and the borders between the core area and the buffer
zone. The further the distance from the core area of the reserve, the
higher was the degree of deforestation and forest degradation. Research findings suggested that agricultural expansion may be
the direct cause of deforestation and forest degradation in the reserve,
whereas socio-economic factors were the underlying driver of forest
cover changes; such factors consisting of a combination of sociocultural,
infrastructural, technological, institutional (policy and governance), demographic (population pressure) and economic
(market demand) considerations. These findings indicated that local
factors/problems were the critical causes of deforestation and
degradation in GSKBB BR. This research therefore concluded that
reductions in deforestation and forest degradation in GSKBB BR
could be achieved through ‘local actor’-tailored approaches such as
community empowerment.
Abstract: New environmental regulations and the increasing
market preference for companies that respect the ecosystem had
encouraged the industry to look after new treatments for its effluents.
The sugar industry, one of the largest emitter of environmental
pollutants, follows this tendency. Membrane technology is
convenient for separation of suspended solids, colloids and high
molecular weight materials that are present in a wastewater from
sugar industry. The idea is to microfilter the wastewater, where the
permeate passes through the membrane and becomes available for
recycle and re-use in the sugar manufacturing process. For
microfiltration of this effluent a tubular ceramic membrane was used
with a pore size of 200 nm at transmembrane pressure in range of 1–3
bars and in range of flow rate of 50–150 l/h. Kenics static mixer was
used for permeate flux enhancement. Turbidity and suspended solids
were removed and the permeate flux was continuously monitored
during the microfiltration process. The flux achieved after 90 minutes
of microfiltration was in a range of 50–70 l/m2h. The obtained
turbidity decrease was in the range of 50-99 % and total amount of
suspended solids was removed.
Abstract: In order to obtain efficient pollutants removal in
small-scale wastewater treatment plants, uniform water flow has to be
achieved. The experimental setup, designed for treating high-load
wastewater (leachate), consists of two aerobic biological reactors and
a lamellar settler. Both biological tanks were aerated by using three
different types of aeration systems - perforated pipes, membrane air
diffusers and tube ceramic diffusers. The possibility of homogenizing
the water mass with each of the air diffusion systems was evaluated
comparatively. The oxygen concentration was determined by optical
sensors with data logging. The experimental data was analyzed
comparatively for all three different air dispersion systems aiming to
identify the oxygen concentration variation during different
operational conditions. The Oxygenation Capacity was calculated for
each of the three systems and used as performance and selection
parameter. The global mass transfer coefficients were also evaluated
as important tools in designing the aeration system. Even though
using the tubular porous diffusers leads to higher oxygen
concentration compared to the perforated pipe system (which
provides medium-sized bubbles in the aqueous solution), it doesn’t
achieve the threshold limit of 80% oxygen saturation in less than 30
minutes. The study has shown that the optimal solution for the
studied configuration was the radial air diffusers which ensure an
oxygen saturation of 80% in 20 minutes. An increment of the values
was identified when the air flow was increased.
Abstract: The fuel potential of six tropical hardwood species
namely: Triplochiton scleroxylon, Ceiba pentandra, Aningeria
robusta, Terminalia superba, Celtis mildbreadii and Piptadenia
africana were studied. Properties studied included species density,
gross calorific value, volatile matter, ash content, organic carbon and
elemental composition. Fuel properties were determined using
standard laboratory methods. The result indicates that the gross
calorific value (GCV) of the species ranged from 20.16 to 22.22
MJ/kg and they slightly varied from each other. Additionally, the
GCV of the biomass materials were higher than that of other biomass
materials like; wheat straw, rice straw, maize straw and sugar cane.
The ash and volatile matter content varied from 0.6075 to 5.0407%,
and 75.23% to 83.70% respectively. The overall rating of the
properties of the six biomass materials suggested that Piptadenia
africana has the best fuel property to be used as briquettes and
Aningeria robusta the worse. This study therefore suggests that a
holistic assessment of a biomass material needs to be done before
selecting it for fuel purpose.
Abstract: The present study aims to investigate the performance
of Moringa oleifera seed extract as natural coagulant in clarification
of secondary wastewater treatment plant (MWWTP) located in East
of Algiers, Algeria. Coagulation flocculation performance of
Moringa oleifera was evaluated through supernatant residual
turbidity after jar test trials. Various influence parameters namely
Moringa oleifera dosage and pH have been considered. Tests on
Reghaia wastewater, having 129 NTU of initial turbidity, showed a
removal of 69.45% of residual turbidity with only 1.5 mg/l of
Moringa oleifera. This sufficient removal capability encourages the
use of this bioflocculant for treatment of turbid waters. Indeed,
Moringa oleifera which is a natural resource available locally (South
of Algeria) coupled to the non-toxicity, biocompatibility and
biodegradability, may be a very interesting alternative to the
conventional coagulants used so far.
Abstract: In an attempt to investigate the performance of single
basin solar still for climate conditions of Ludhiana a single basin
solar still was designed, fabricated and tested. The energy balance
equations for various parts of the still are solved by Gauss-Seidel
iteration method. Computer model was made and experimentally
validated. The validated computer model was used to estimate the
annual distillation yield and performance ratio of the still for
Ludhiana. The Theoretical and experimental distillation yield were
4318.79 ml and 3850 ml respectively for the typical day. The
predicted distillation yield was 12.5% higher than the experimental
yield. The annual distillation yield per square metre aperture area and
annual performance ratio for single basin solar still is 1095 litres and
0.43 respectively. The payback period for micro-stepped solar still is
2.5 years.
Abstract: Ecological systems are exposed and are influenced by
various natural and anthropogenic disturbances. They produce
various effects and states seeking response symmetry to a state of
global phase coherence or stability and balance of their food webs.
This research project addresses the development of a computational
methodology for modeling plankton food webs. The use of
algorithms to establish connections, the generation of representative
fuzzy multigraphs and application of technical analysis of complex
networks provide a set of tools for defining, analyzing and evaluating
community structure of coastal aquatic ecosystems, beyond the
estimate of possible external impacts to the networks. Thus, this
study aims to develop computational systems and data models to
assess how these ecological networks are structurally and
functionally organized, to analyze the types and degree of
compartmentalization and synchronization between oscillatory and
interconnected elements network and the influence of disturbances on
the overall pattern of rhythmicity of the system.
Abstract: Anammox is a novel and promising technology that has changed the traditional concept of biological nitrogen removal. The process facilitates direct oxidation of ammonical nitrogen under anaerobic conditions with nitrite as an electron acceptor without addition of external carbon sources. The present study investigated the feasibility of Anammox Hybrid Reactor (AHR) combining the dual advantages of suspended and attached growth media for biodegradation of ammonical nitrogen in wastewater. Experimental unit consisted of 4 nos. of 5L capacity AHR inoculated with mixed seed culture containing anoxic and activated sludge (1:1). The process was established by feeding the reactors with synthetic wastewater containing NH4-H and NO2-N in the ratio 1:1 at HRT (hydraulic retention time) of 1 day. The reactors were gradually acclimated to higher ammonium concentration till it attained pseudo steady state removal at a total nitrogen concentration of 1200 mg/l. During this period, the performance of the AHR was monitored at twelve different HRTs varying from 0.25-3.0 d with increasing NLR from 0.4 to 4.8 kg N/m3d. AHR demonstrated significantly higher nitrogen removal (95.1%) at optimal HRT of 1 day. Filter media in AHR contributed an additional 27.2% ammonium removal in addition to 72% reduction in the sludge washout rate. This may be attributed to the functional mechanism of filter media which acts as a mechanical sieve and reduces the sludge washout rate many folds. This enhances the biomass retention capacity of the reactor by 25%, which is the key parameter for successful operation of high rate bioreactors. The effluent nitrate concentration, which is one of the bottlenecks of anammox process was also minimised significantly (42.3-52.3 mg/L). Process kinetics was evaluated using first order and Grau-second order models. The first-order substrate removal rate constant was found as 13.0 d-1. Model validation revealed that Grau second order model was more precise and predicted effluent nitrogen concentration with least error (1.84±10%). A new mathematical model based on mass balance was developed to predict N2 gas in AHR. The mass balance model derived from total nitrogen dictated significantly higher correlation (R2=0.986) and predicted N2 gas with least error of precision (0.12±8.49%). SEM study of biomass indicated the presence of heterogeneous population of cocci and rod shaped bacteria of average diameter varying from 1.2-1.5 mm. Owing to enhanced NRE coupled with meagre production of effluent nitrate and its ability to retain high biomass, AHR proved to be the most competitive reactor configuration for dealing with nitrogen laden wastewater.