Search results for " pollution"
showing 10 items of 1010 documents
Hydrogen sulfide and odor removal by field-scale biotrickling filters: Influence of seasonal variations of load and temperature
2012
Two biotrickling filters were set up at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in The Netherlands to investigate their effectiveness for treatment of odorous waste gases from different sources. One biotrickling filter was installed at Nieuwe Waterweg WWTP in Hook of Holland to study the hydrogen sulfide removal from headworks waste air. The other reactor was installed at Harnaschpolder WWTP (treating wastewater of the city of The Hague) to remove mercaptans and other organic compounds (odor) coming from the emissions of the anaerobic tanks of the biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge. The performance of both units showed a stable and highly efficient operation under seasonal va…
Fuzzy environmental analogy index to develop environmental similarity maps for designing air quality monitoring networks on a large-scale
2019
All activities aimed at studying the primary causes and effects of air pollution cannot disregard the fact that it is necessary to have an optimal air quality monitoring network for assessing population exposure to air pollution and predicting the magnitude of the health risks. In the framework of a cooperation between the ARPA Sicilia Organization and the Department of Engineering, University of Palermo, research was performed to develop an innovative methodology useful for defining environmental similarity maps aimed at supporting the design of air quality monitoring networks at the regional scale. This approach is based on a new index called the fuzzy environmental analogy index (FEAI) b…
Geostatistical Microscale Study of Magnetic Susceptibility in Soil Profile and Magnetic Indicators of Potential Soil Pollution
2015
Directional variograms, along the soil profile, can be useful and precise tool that can be used to increase the precision of the assessment of soil pollution. The detail analysis of spatial variability in the soil profile can be also an important part of the standardization of soil magnetometry as a screening method for an assessment of soil pollution related to the dust deposition. The goal of this study was to investigate the correlation between basic parameters of spatial correlations of magnetic susceptibility in the soil profile, such as a range of correlation and a sill, and selected magnetometric indicators of soil pollution. Magnetic indicators were an area under the curve of magnet…
Biotrickling filter modeling for styrene abatement. Part 2: Simulating a two-phase partitioning bioreactor.
2017
Abstract A dynamic model describing styrene abatement was developed for a two-phase partitioning bioreactor operated as a biotrickling filter (TPPB-BTF). The model was built as a coupled set of two different systems of partial differential equations depending on whether an irrigation or a non-irrigation period was simulated. The maximum growth rate was previously calibrated from a conventional BTF treating styrene (Part 1). The model was extended to simulate the TPPB-BTF based on the hypothesis that the main change associated with the non-aqueous phase is the modification of the pollutant properties in the liquid phase. The three phases considered were gas, a water–silicone liquid mixture, …
The impact of TiO2 modifications on the effectiveness of photocatalytic processes [review]
2018
This paper outlines the recent studies on the application of photocatalysis using semiconductors, with modified titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the process of reducing chemical contamination of surface and ground waters. During the last forty years, an increasing interest in catalysts of this type is noticeable. Hence, a wide range of methods of TiO2 modifications have been proposed so far by using its various polymorphs, composites with metals and non-metals and polymer-coatings or impregnating it with dyes that effectively absorb sunlight.
Evaluation of the current status of operating and closed landfills in Russia, Finland and Ireland with regard to water pollution and methane emission
2003
The annual production of municipal solid wastes (MSW) in Russia, Finland and Ireland in the late 1990s accounts for 37.5, 2.5 and 2.05 mln. tonnes or 252, 488 and 566 kg per capita, respectively. 96.5, 64 and 91% of these wastes (for Russia, Finland and Ireland, correspondingly) are currently disposed of via landfilling. However, nowadays, MSW management in these countries is undergoing drastic changes (source separation, closure of old landfills, reduction of the number of landfills etc.) forced by recent legislation set by the European Union and Russian authorities. This paper evaluates the current status of MSW landfills, as well as information on current leachate and methane emissions i…
Biochar based remediation of water and soil contaminated by phenanthrene and pentachlorophenol
2017
Abstract Phenanthrene (Phe) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) are classified as persistent organic pollutants and represent serious concern for the environment as they are toxic and ubiquitous. Biochar based remediation is an emerging technology used in water and soil contamination. In this study we used poplar (BP) and conifer (BC) biochars to remediate water and soil contaminated by Phe and PCP. BP and BC were able to remove completely either Phe or PCP from contaminated water within one to three days. When biochar was confined in a porous membrane, BC and BP maintained their sorption efficiency for several remediation cycles. However, in these conditions BC allowed faster Phe removal. In soil …
Photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SiO2 systems
2009
Silica-supported TiO(2) powders were synthesized by a wet method under mild conditions. The aim of the work was the preparation of TiO(2)/SiO(2) additives for photocatalytic cements. Three types of commercial SiO(2) were used as supports: Cabot, Axim and Fly Ash. Cabot silica was ultra-pure whereas the other two silica contained different percentages of various oxides. The TiO(2)/SiO(2) samples, denoted TiO(2)/Cabot, TiO(2)/Axim and TiO(2)/Fly Ash, were prepared by boiling suspensions obtained by addition of silica to a solution of TiCl(4) in water (volume ratio 1:10). The photocatalytic activity was evaluated in a gas-solid system both in batch and in continuous reactors using 2-propanol a…
Continuous monitoring of photocatalytic treatment by flow injection. Degradation of dicamba in aqueous TiO2 dispersions
2001
The possible use of flow injection (FI) to monitor the photocatalytic mineralization of dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) present at the trace level in aqueous solutions containing TiO2 suspensions has been evaluated. Experiments were performed in a stirred photochemical reactor equipped with a simple FI manifold, integrating an online filtration unit able to perform the monitoring of the UV absorbance of the irradiated solution every 4 min. The light source used was a medium pressure mercury lamp (125 W). During the initial steps of the reaction the formation of UV absorbing intermediates, which completely disappear in less than 80 min, was evidenced. Additional HPLC, DOC and ch…
The distribution of phthalate esters in indoor dust of Palermo (Italy).
2013
In this work, phthalic acid esters (PAEs): dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), di-n-butyl phthalate, benzyl butyl phthalate, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di-n-octyl phthalate in indoor dust (used as passive sampler) were investigated. The settled dust samples were collected from thirteen indoor environments from Palermo city. A fast and simple method using Soxhlet and GC–MS analysis has been optimized to identify and quantify the phthalates. Total phthalates concentrations in indoor dusts ranged from 269 to 4,831 mg/kg d.w. (d.w. = dry weight). The data show a linear correlation between total PAEs concentration and a single compound content, with the exclusion of the two …