Search results for "Waste management"

Extreme thermophilic (70°C), VFA-fed UASB reactor: performance, temperature response, load potential and comparison with 35 and 55°C UASB reactors

1999

Abstract The paper evaluates the reactor performance, load potential and temperature response of a 70°C, VFAs-fed UASB reactor, seeded with mesophilic granular sludge. Batch experiments were, in addition, conducted to assess the effect of temperature on the achievable residual VFAs in the 70°C effluent. The performance of similarly-fed and seeded 35 and 55°C UASB reactors was also tested. At a short HRT (2–3 h) and a moderate VLR of 12–20 g COD l−1 d−1, the 70°C UASB achieved 66–74% VFAs removal (acetate and butyrate 84–90%, propionate

Quantitative study of the capture of silver nanoparticles by several kinds of soils

2018

The capacity of different soils to capture silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by measuring changes of an AgNP intrinsic property such as the plasmon for the first time, was studied. In-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME) coupled on-line to capillary liquid chromatography (CapLC) with diode array detection (DAD) was employed for measuring the interactions between soil and in-contact AgNP dispersions. Its achieved LOD 9 pM assures quantitative retention measurements and selectivity for soil lixiviation was suitable. Electronic microscopy was employed for corroborating the entrapped Ag into the soils. Capture % of AgNPs was calculated in compost (>99%), mountain (>99%), orchard (15±1%) and ur…

Biofiltration of ethylbenzene vapours: influence of the packing material.

2006

In order to investigate suitable packing materials, a soil amendment composed of granular high mineralized peat (35% organic content) locally available has been evaluated as carrier material for biofiltration of volatile organic compounds in air by comparison with a fibrous peat (95% organic content). Both supports were tested to eliminate ethylbenzene from air streams in laboratory-scale reactors inoculated with a two-month conditioned culture. In pseudo-steady state operation, experiments at various ethylbenzene inlet loads (ILs) were carried out. Maximum elimination capacity of about 120 g m(-3) h(-1) for an IL of 135 g m(-3) h(-1) was obtained for the fibrous peat. The soil amendment re…

Anaerobic batch degradation of solid poultry slaughterhouse waste

2000

We studied anaerobic batch degradation of solid poultry slaughterhouse wastes with different initial waste and inoculum concentrations and waste-to-inoculum ratios and simulated the dynamics of the process with a new generation <METHANE> model. Our modelling results suggest that inhibited propionate degradation by long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) and inhibited hydrolysis by a high propionate concentration constituted the rate-limiting step in the waste degradation. Palmitate was the most abundant LCFA in the assays. Within 27 days of incubation, up to 0.55 to 0.67 m3 of methane (STP)/kg VS added was produced under the studied conditions. Lower waste-to-inoculum ratios exhibited a…

How Humic Substances Dominate Mercury Geochemistry in Contaminated Floodplain Soils and Sediments

1998

The interaction of mercury (Hg) and humic substances (hs) was studied in floodplain topsoils and surface sediments of the contaminated German river Elbe. An intimate coupling exists between the geochemical cycles of Hg and organic carbon (OC) in this ecosystem. Humic substances exert a dominant influence on several important parallel geochemical pathways of Hg, including binding, transformation, and transport processes. Significant differences exist between the Hg-hs associations in floodplains and sediments. Both humic acids (ha) and fulvic acids (fa) contribute to Hg binding in the sediments. In contrast, ultrafiltration experiments proved that Hg in the floodplain soils is almost exclusi…

Polymer mechanical recycling: downcycling or upcycling?

2004

Recycled plastics are considered as materials with physical, mechanical and aesthetic properties worse than the virgin ones. In fact, this is true because degradation during lifetime and during the recycling operations changes the structure and the morphology of the polymers and then the final properties of the secondary material. Several “strategies” are under investigation, and in some cases also applied, in order to avoid further degradation during recycling and, if possible, to repair the macromolecules broken during lifetime and then to restore or to improve the initial properties. In this paper the more important techniques, already used in industry or under investigation, according …

2019

Abstract The preparation method of a polymer composite and the filler loading are amongst the factors that influence the properties of the final composites. This article studies the effect of these factors on the thermal stability and thermal degradation kinetics of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/mesoporous silica (MCM-41) composites filled with small amounts of MCM-41. The PMMA/MCM-41 composites were prepared through in situ polymerisation and melt mixing methods, with MCM-41 loadings of 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%. The presence of MCM-41 increased the thermal stability of PMMA/MCM-41 composites prepared by melt mixing, but in the case of the in situ polymerised samples, the MCM-41 accelerate…

Contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of a botanic garden localized next to a former manufacturing gas plant in Pale…

2010

The Botanical Garden lies within the city of Palermo, a few meters away from one of the largest unused Manufacturing Gas Plant in Sicily. The total concentrations of PAHs (23 compounds) in the soil of Botanical Garden ranged from 947 to 18,072 microg/kg. The wide range of PAH concentrations (RSD=84%) found in the soil samples indicates heterogeneous levels of contamination in the area and this can be explained by considering the different tree distributions which prevents the homogeneous deposition of pollutants on the soil. Soils collected in the Botanical Garden generally showed the highest PAH concentrations, being almost 2-3 times higher than the concentration samples obtained in the ur…

Removal of TEX vapours from air in a peat biofilter: influence of inlet concentration and inlet load

2006

This paper presents the results of the study of the removal of toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (TEX) by biofiltration using a commercial peat as filter-bed material. Runs with a single organic compound in air, and with the mixture of TEX in air, were carried out for at least 55 days in laboratory-scale reactors inoculated with a conditioned culture. The influence of organic compound inlet load and of gas flow rate on the biofilter's performance was studied, including relatively high values of pollutant inlet concentration (up to 4.3 gC m−3 for ethylbenzene, 3.2 gC m−3 for toluene, and 2.7 gC m−3 for o-xylene). Results obtained show maximum elimination capacities of 65 gC m−3 h−1 for o-x…

Remediation of Soil Contamination with Heavy Metals by Using Zeolite and Humic Acid Additives

2012

- Soil remediation at contaminated sites very often needs customized approach, because of the different content of pollutants. Various technologies from simple soil excavation and transporting to hazardous waste landfills to different kinds of remediation by vitrification and the use of additives can be used for the treatment of soil. A series of remediation experiments using zeolites and humic acids were applied to soil contaminated with copper. Remediation can be performed with easily available additive materials of natural origin found near the place of application, in order to diminish the leaching of contaminants. Soils contaminated and spiked with copper were mixed with additives, and…