Search results for "WASTE"

Evaluation of Biological Effects and Heterogeneous Photodegradation of Terpenes Present in Wastewater From a Citrus Fruit Transformation Factory

2008

Endophytes from Phragmites australis: their role in phytodepuration

Wastewater treatment is an alarming question and phytodepuration represents an efficient and cost-effective solution. Phragmites australis is generally used for phytodepuration and it excellently removes arsenic, iron and nickel from polluted water. The purification potential of its bacterial endophytic community has never been explored though. G.I.D.A. S.p.a uses P. australis for phytoremediation in a pilot plant, at Calice purifier, which treats the effluent from the Membrane Bioreactor plant. Endophytic bacterial strains were isolated from different P. australis compartments sampled before the activation of the Calice purifier and four additional times during a 18-months period, to analy…

Transit dose comparisons for60Co and192Ir HDR sources

2016

The goal of this study is to evaluate the ambient dose due to the transit of high dose rate (HDR) 60Co sources along a transfer tube as compared to 192Ir ones in a realistic clinical scenario. This goal is accomplished by evaluating air-kerma differences with Monte Carlo calculations using PENELOPE2011. Scatter from both the afterloader and the patient was not taken into account. Two sources, mHDR-v2 and Flexisource Co-60, (Elekta Brachytherapy, Veenendaal, the Netherlands) have been considered. These sources were simulated within a standard transfer tube located in an infinite air phantom. The movement of the source was included by displacing their positions along the connecting tube from …

On the use of stacks of fission-like targets for neutron capture experiments

2019

The measurement of neutron induced reactions on unstable isotopes is of interest in many fields, from nuclear energy to astrophysics or applications; in particular transuranic isotopes are essential for the development of innovative nuclear reactors and for the management of the radioactive waste. In such measurements, the quality of the associated radioactive target is crucial for the success of the experiment, but in many cases the geometry, amount of mass and encapsulation of the target are not optimal, leading to limited results. In this work we propose to produce high quality radioactive targets for capture as a stack of thin targets using the techniques usually employed for fission me…

Status of delayed-neutron precursor data: half-lives and neutron emission probabilities

2002

Abstract We present in this paper a compilation of the present status of experimental delayed-neutron precursor data; i.e. β-decay half-lives ( T 1/2 ) and neutron emission probabilities ( P n ) in the fission-product region (27 ≤ Z ≤ 57). These data are compared to two model predictions of substantially different sophistication: (i) an update of the empirical Kratz-Herrmann formula (KHF), and (ii) a unified macroscopic-microscopic model within the quasi-particle random-phase approximation (QRPA). Both models are also used to calculate so far unknown T 1/2 and P n values up to Z = 63. A number of possible refinements in the microscopic calculations are suggested to further improve the nucle…

Measurement of radionuclide activities induced in target components of an IBA CYCLONE 18/9 by gamma-ray spectrometry with HPGe and LaBr3: Ce detector…

2014

Cyclotrons are used worldwide to produce radiopharmaceuticals by proton irradiation of a suitable target. The intense secondary neutron beam generated by proton interactions with the target induce high radionuclide activities in the target assembly parts that may result in an exposure to high dose levels of the operators during maintenance. The main goal of this work is to evaluate gamma-emitting radionuclide activities induced in Havar foils and titanium windows of a target assembly and carousel stripper forks of an IBA CYCLONE 18/9 cyclotron. The knowledge of radionuclide inventory for each component is required by many companies to assess risk for operators before waste handling and disp…

Radiation quality discrimination by continuous and pulse ESR techniques

2008

The biological damages produced by ionizing radiations in tissues and cells depend on the radiation quality, besides on the dose. The discrimination of the radiation quality, which is related to the linear energy transfer (LET), interests various fields such as radiobiology, astronautic space research, radiotherapy research and accidental dosimetry. In this work we have applied continuous wave ESR (cw-ESR) and pulse ESR techniques to ammonium tartrate samples with the aim of developing procedures able to discriminate radiation quality whose knowledge is fundamental for rabiobiological considerations. We have chosen the ammonium tartrate because it is a promising compound for the measurement…

Quarry limestone dust as fine aggregate for concrete

2018

In quarrying activities, rock is extracted and transformed into aggregate of various sizes for civil engineering applications. In this process waste fine aggregates (dust waste) are generated. The disposal of this type of waste is a further cost in the extraction process, but also a possible cause of environmental pollution (e.g. leaching into water reserves, atmospheric pollution as a result of small particles causing respiratory diseases or deposited on plants disrupting photosynthesis, affecting aquatic habitats, etc.). A strategy for the effective recycling of quarry dust does not only reduce waste generation and disposal, but also addresses protection of the environment. The Italian qu…

Screening of microalgae and LED grow light spectra for effective removal of dissolved nutrients from cold-water recirculating aquaculture system (RAS…

2019

Popularity of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) is increasing. Because of the high water recirculation rate, dissolved nutrients originating from fish feed are concentrated enough in RAS wastewater (WW) to enable growth of primary producers, e.g. microalgae. This study evaluated nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and phosphate-phosphorus (PO4-P) removal efficiency of ten temperate zone freshwater microalgae species during their exponential growth phase in unfiltered RAS WW at 17 ± 0.5 °C. Growth and nutrient uptake efficiency of six green and four non-green microalgae strains were compared between WW and reference growth medium in batch monocultures. The effect of three different LED grow light…

Electrochemical production and use of chlorinated oxidants for the treatment of wastewater contaminated by organic pollutants and disinfection

2021

Abstract In the last years, an increasing attention has been devoted to the use of electrogenerated chlorinated oxidants for the treatment of wastewater polluted by recalcitrant organics and/or for the disinfection of water contaminated by pathogen microorganisms. In this review, more recent and relevant findings were presented and critically discussed. The main advantages and disadvantages of this technique were commented, including the potential formation of toxic chlorinated organic specie and of chlorate and perchlorate or the difficult selection of proper operative parameters, as well as the key points that should be addressed to enhance the use on an applicative scale.