Effluent Guidelines Research Articles

Performance evaluation of modified Living Wall garden for treating septic tank effluent.

The Living Wall (LW) garden system has been employed as a post-treatment system to improve the effluent quality of septic tanks. This improvement primarily involves reducing nutrient levels, as well as facilitating the removal of organic matter and solids in accordance with effluent discharge guidelines. The objective of this study was to investigate the treatment performance of the LW system connected to a septic tank, along with an examination of the microbial communities within the LW units. A laboratory-scale LW system, comprising LW1, LW2, and LW3 units, was employed. The system was fed with effluent obtained from septic tanks and varied by theoretical hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6, 12, and 24h. The TCOD, SCOD, TSS, TVS, TKN, and TP removal efficiencies of the LWs were achieved at 62 ± 24, 42 ± 19, 72 ± 21, 66 ± 15, 80 ± 15, and 58 ± 21%, respectively. To classify microbial communities in the soil and gravels collected from each LW unit, the Illumina MiSeq System Sequencer was employed. Nitrospirota was consistently found in all LW units, aiding in the conversion of nitrogen. Fusobacteriota were detected in specific layers of the LW units, indicating varying oxygen levels in the LW system.

An Environmental Audit of Aracari Resort

Tourism impacts the economy, the natural and built environment, the immediate population, and even tourists – the very resource needed by the industry to remain viable. Regular assessment of the environmental performance of the industry is necessary to ascertain compliance with national standards and regulations. This is achieved with an environmental audit. To this end, an environmental audit was conducted at the Aracari Resort, almost a decade after it began operations. The Resort’s operations should have minimal impact on public health and the environment, as evidenced by good sanitation, safety measure implementation, and adherence to the Public Health Legislation and Occupation Health & Safety Act. The methodology used included monitoring of water quality and use, noise, and energy; and direct observation of waste and safety management. The results showed that water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, phosphorus and ammonium were in compliance with the national effluent discharge guidelines; however, chlorides, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids were not. Water metre readings revealed an average daily water consumption of 22.5m3 and an average weekly water consumption of 135m3. Noise produced from the Resort was in compliance with the daytime limits of 75 dB based on the national standard, but exceeded residential nighttime limits (from Friday to Sunday) of 60 dB. The average (55.6 kW), maximum (83.85 kW), and minimum (51.9 kW) power demands across a 7-day period were obtained from Fluke Monitoring System readings. Solid waste management was observed to be inadequate on days of planned events, with overflowing bins evident on the premises. Safety measures were implemented for food, chemical handling and storage, swimming pool safety, and fire safety, which were observed to be consistent with the standards. The facility’s overall performance was satisfactory based on the evaluation criteria, and some environmental practices of Aracari Resort conformed to the Environmental Protection Agency requirements and other established guidelines. Areas identified for improved compliance and enhanced environmental management included the implementation of an environmental policy, regular monitoring of environmental parameters, and staff training on the terms and conditions of the Environmental Permit.

Assessment of Effluent Wastewater Quality and the Application of an Integrated Wastewater Resource Recovery Model: The Burgersfort Wastewater Resource Recovery Case Study

Rivers in Africa have experienced dire pollution as a result of the poor management of wastewater effluent emanating from water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). An integrated wastewater resource recovery model was developed and applied to identify ideal wastewater resource recovery technologies that can be used to recover valuable resources from a mixture of wastewater effluents in a case study in the Burgersfort WRRF in the Limpopo province, South Africa. This novel model incorporates the process of biological nutrient removal (BNR) with an extension of conventional methods of resource recovery applicable to wastewater. The assessment of results of effluent quality from 2016 to 2022 revealed that ammonia, chemical oxygen demand, total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli levels were critically non-compliant with the permissible effluent guidelines, indicating a stable upward trend in terms of concentrations, and scored a very bad wastewater quality index rating. All variables assessed showed a significant loading, except for orthophosphates, and significant correlations were observed among the variables. The results of the integrated wastewater resource recovery model revealed a high probability of reclaiming recoverable resources such as nutrients, sludge, bioplastics, biofuel, metals, and water from wastewater, which have economic, environmental, and social benefits, thereby improving the effluent quality of a WRRF.

Performance Evaluation of Dry Faecal Sludge-Derived Activated Carbon (DFSAC) for Wastewater Pollutant Removal: A Case Study of the Lavender Hill Faecal Treatment Plant

This study evaluates the applicability of dry faecal sludge activated carbon (DFSAC) as a wastewater pollutant removal technology by employing both laboratory- and large-scale setups. The setups were monitored using effluent from the Mudor wastewater treatment plant in Accra. The DFSAC was produced from primary sludge obtained from a primary treatment to treat approximately 1000 liters of effluent water per hour to meet the needs of backwashing, cleaning, irrigation, and flushing purposes. The laboratory-scale experiment was monitored for a period of two weeks, while the large-scale experiment was monitored for a period of 16 weeks. Physicochemical, microbial, and metal characteristics were analyzed for the polished effluent. The results obtained from the lab scale showed high removal efficiencies of the wastewater pollutants for the first and second weeks of treatments, respectively, as follows: colour (99.47%, 69.06%), turbidity (99.59%, 42.59%), COD (96.58%, 43.49%), BOD (99.26%, 77.42%), TSS (100%, 62.296%), TDS (92.92, 32.90), ammonia (98.41%, 50.83%), and EC (73.60%, 19.94%). The P value obtained indicated a highly significant difference between the influent and effluents of both weeks. The large-scale application of the DFSAC yielded a percentage reduction of 99.36%, 99.37%, 99.52%, 79.63%, 100%, 48.85%, 90.08%, and 46.72% for colour, turbidity, COD, BOD, TSS, TDS, ammonia, and EC, respectively. The DFSAC showed high removal potential for heavy metals and microbial contaminants over the study period. Pollutant removal in wastewater with DFSAC proved a promising intervention by significantly reducing pollutants in wastewater effluent as a tertiary treatment. The removal efficiencies are indications that physisorption and chemisorption play an important role in the adsorption of pollutants onto the DFSAC. The study has shown that faecal sludge can be used as activated carbon for remediation of wastewater pollutants, especially in treatment facilities, which do not meet EPA effluent discharge guidelines while ensuring a close resource utilization loop.

Case Study on the Effluent Guidelines of Foreign Cases for the Development of Hazardous Noxious Substances (HNS) from Marine Industrial Facilities Management Guidelines, Korea: Focusing on the US EPA Guidelines

Case Study on the Effluent Guidelines of Foreign Cases for the Development of Hazardous Noxious Substances (HNS) from Marine Industrial Facilities Management Guidelines, Korea: Focusing on the US EPA Guidelines

Biogas production and nutrients removal from slaughterhouse wastewater using integrated anaerobic and aerobic granular intermittent SBRs – Bioreactors stability and microbial dynamics

Slaughterhouse wastewater (SWW) was effectively treated in sequential anaerobic and aerobic granular intermittent sequencing batch reactors (ASBR+ISBR) for 665 days at different HRTs (48 h, 32 h, 24 h, and 12 h). The ASBR was stable at each HRT but performed relatively well at 12 h (OLR - 7.8–9.8 kg COD/m3-d) in terms of pollutants removal and biogas production than previously conducted research. The average biogas production was about 17.3 L/day having 70–76 % of CH4 which could subsidize around 52 % of electricity demand while saving 103 US dollars/day if installed at full scale. In the case of post aerobic granular ISBR, carbon and nutrients removal (N&P) was achieved by enriching granules (1.7–2.2 mm) at low DO (0.5–0.8 mg/L) via the nitrite pathway. The ISBR was also well stable at 12 h HRT (average OLR of 2.1 kg COD/m3-d) and met the effluent discharge guidelines recommended by the Central Pollution Control Board of India. During steady-state conditions (12 h HRT), the average removal efficiencies for COD, TSS, O&G, TN, and PO4-P were 98.8 %, 96.4 %, 98.7 %, 93.4 %, and 86.6 % respectively from combined ASBR and ISBR. The microbial analysis confirmed Euryarchaeota, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, and Synergistetes as the dominant phyla in ASBR. Methanosaeta (21.56 %) and Methanosarcina (6.48 %) were the prevailing methanogens for CH4 production. The leading phyla observed in ISBR were Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Armatimonadetes, Verrucomicrobia, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes. Heterotrophic AOB (Thauera, Xanthomonadaceae, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonadaceae, and Rhodococcus) were mainly detected in the system for ammonia oxidation besides common autotrophic AOB. Similarly, a known PAO (Accumulibacter) was not identified but other PAO (Rhodocyclaceae, Dechloromonas, Pseudomonas, Flavobacteriaceae, and Sphingobacteriaceae) were prevalent inside aerobic granular ISBR that contributed to both carbon and nutrients removal. The results obtained would help implement the investigated reactor configurations at the pilot and full scale for SWW treatment.

Exploiting urban roadside snowbanks as passive samplers of organic micropollutants and metals generated by traffic

Stormwater and snowmelt runoff is known to contribute to the deterioration of quality of urban surface waters. Vehicular traffic is recognised as a major source of a wide range of pollutants to urban runoff, including conventional pollutants, such as suspended solids and metals, and those referred to as ‘contaminants of emerging concern’. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of selected metal(loid)s (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Pd, Sb, W, Zn), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nonylphenols, octylphenols and –ethoxylates, phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) from vehicular traffic by sampling urban roadside snow at eight sites, with varying traffic intensities, and one control site without direct impacts of traffic. Our results confirmed that vehicles and traffic-related activities were the sources of octylphenols, BPA and phthalates as well as the metal(loid)s Sb and W, infrequently reported in previous studies. Among metal(loid)s, Cu, Zn and W occurred in the highest concentrations (up to 1.2 mg/L Cu, 2.4 mg/L Zn and 1.9 mg/L W), while PAHs and phthalates occurred in the highest concentrations among the trace organic pollutants (up to 540 μg/L phthalate diisononyl phthalate). Among the phthalates, di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate had the highest frequency of detection (43% of the roadside samples). While BPA and octylphenols had relatively high frequencies of detection (50% for BPA and 81% for octylphenols), they were present in comparatively low concentrations (up to 0.2 μg/L BPA and 1.1 μg/L octylphenols). The control site displayed generally low concentrations of the pollutants studied, indicating that atmospheric deposition was not a significant source of the pollutants found in the roadside snow. Several of the pollutants in the roadside snow exceeded the applicable surface water and stormwater effluent guideline values. Thus, the transport of these pollutants with runoff posed risk of causing adverse effects in the receiving surface waters.

Long-term treatment of acid mine drainage by alkali diffusion ceramic reactor: Simultaneous metal removal mechanisms

A novel alkali diffusion reactor using ceramic porous media (ceram-ADR) was designed for the long-term remediation of acid mine drainage (AMD) without external energy. The filling material was newly applied to improve the ceram-ADR for intensive long-term treatment of acidity and metals in AMD. Activated carbon (AC), polyurethane (PU), or MgO-incorporated polyurethane (PU–MgO) were inserted as filling materials into ceram-ADR. NaHCO3 was used as the alkaline chemical. PU did not enhance the neutralizing capacity of ADR and metal removal efficiency. Although the ceram-ADR with PU-MgO showed long-term removal efficiency for all metals up to 545 bed volumes (BVs), the effluent pH complied with the mineral mining and processing effluent guidelines during 45 BVs. Ceram-ADR with AC enhanced the long-term treatment (up to a year) of metals and acidity in AMD. Mn concentration in the effluent discharged from ceram-ADR exceeded the mineral mining and processing effluent guidelines, followed by Zn, Al, and Fe. The main removal mechanism for metals was precipitation as a metal hydroxide or metal carbonate. The ion exchange of metal ions on the surface of ceramic porous media and AC can influence the adsorption behavior, which is responsible for 15.3% of the total removal of metals. The ceram-ADR with AC could be reused at least five times with no appreciable loss in activity. These results highlight the hybrid operation of ADR for the best performance in mining areas where the passive and active system are insufficient because of low efficiency, budget limitations, and geological sites.

Identification of point source dischargers of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the United States

AbstractDrinking water contamination with per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) poses a health risk for communities across the country. The vast majority of the water systems across the United States lack both the technology and the funds to filter out PFAS. Release of PFAS with industrial wastewater from a variety of facilities is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination of drinking water. Here, we provide a screening‐level analysis of the potential for environmental PFAS releases from contaminated sites, active industrial sites, wastewater treatment plants, and waste disposal sites (including active and inactive landfills) nationwide. With specific case studies from the US states of Michigan and California, we examine how testing has identified a large number of diverse PFAS sources. Testing results alongside the list of potential sources can be used to inform state‐ or local‐level investigations as well as aid in the development of effluent guidelines and industrial pretreatment programs.Article Impact StatementThe identification of point sources and establishing per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) effluent guidelines can help mitigate the PFAS contamination of drinking water.

Assessment of efficiency of a decentralized wastewater treatment plant at Mzuzu University, Mzuzu, Malawi

Limited wastewater treatment contributes to water quality degradation of water bodies in Malawi, Lunyangwa River (LR) in Mzuzu is no exceptional. There is lack of comprehensive and regular monitoring of wastewater treatment plants and surface water quality in Malawi mainly due to inadequate funding and laboratory facilities. This study assessed overall performance of Mzuzu University Wastewater Treatment Plant (MUWWTP) and its impacts on receiving waters namely the Luwinga stream (LS) that drains into LR. Representative duplicate grab samples (n = 40) were collected from eight sampling points from the treatment stagess of MUWWTP, upstream (control) and downstream of LS in five sampling campaigns from January to April 2019. Onsite tests were carried out for pH, temperature, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and Dissolved Oxygen (DO), whereas Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Solids (TS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Nitrate (NO3−), Ammonium (NH4+), and Total Phosphorus (TP) were analyzed at the Government Central Water Laboratory in accordance with the American Public Health Association (APHA) Standards of 2014. Except pH (9.39), the rest of the parameters were within Malawi Effluent Standards (MS691:2005) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Effluent Guidelines of 2014TDS (118.8 mg/L); DO (6.57 mg/L); TSS (18 mg/L); BOD5 (4.5 mg/L); COD (51.4 mg/L); NO3− (0.01 mg/L); TP (0.11 mg/L) and NH4+ (0.003 mg/L). Furthermore, MUWWTP effluent did not impact stream water quality as evidenced by the recommended scores with respect to surface water quality regulation and Water Quality Index. There is need to regularly monitor effluent and stream water quality.

Clean vehicles, polluted waters: empirical estimates of water consumption and pollution loads of the carwash industry

Carwash stations use large volumes of water and release harmful chemicals into the environment through their operations. While a significant body of literature has focused on exploring water use in the carwash industry, none has provided comprehensive information on both the pollution loads of the wastewater emanating from this industry and water consumption. Understanding how much water is used and the pollution loads of wastewater from this industry is useful to ensure adoption of water conservation measures and design wastewater recycling systems given the dwindling freshwater resources globally. This study estimated the freshwater quantities used to wash different vehicle types and the pollution loads of the resulting wastewater in the Kumasi Metropolis. Seven proxy carwash stations were purposively selected and monitored to estimate the water used to wash six different categories of vehicles. Composite wastewater samples from three carwash stations were analysed for concentrations of different contaminants which were used to compute pollution loads. Using R software, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's (HSD) post-hoc testing and 2-sample t-test at 95% confidence interval were employed to test statistical differences. After an 8-week monitoring campaign involving 3,667 vehicles, the study showed that average water used for each vehicle type were in the order: Motorbike - 97L (95% CI: 90–103L); Salon car - 158L (95% CI: 154–161L); SUV - 197L (95% CI:191–203L); Buses/Coaches - 370L (95%CI:351–381L); Articulated truck 1,139L (95% CI:916–1,363L); Graders/Loaders - 1405L (95% CI:327–2,483L). Overall, the carwash industry in the Metropolis uses about 1000m3 of freshwater daily and discharges the resulting wastewater into waterways untreated. The wastewater has a low Biodegradability Index (0.3–0.4) and is characterized by a mildly alkali pH (7.6–8.6) with high levels of Sulphates (40.8–69.8 mg/L), COD (990–1413 mg/L), TSS (1260–3417 mg/L) and E. coli (2.3–4.7 × 103 CFU/100mL). Pollution loads of BOD and COD were up to 2tons/year and 6tons/year respectively. Stipulated effluent discharge guideline values were mostly exceeded – in some cases by up to 68 times. To avert the unbridled wastage of freshwater, the study recommends enforcement of wastewater recycling for all carwash stations and promulgation of a tax system that rewards stations that recycle wastewater and surchages those wasting freshwater.

INDUSTRIAL REJECTION: REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS BASED ON CHEMICAL PRECIPITATION AND RESEARCH FOR RECOVERABLE MATERIAL IN BYPRODUCTS

With the acceleration of urbanization and the rapid development of industry and agriculture, a large number of industrial wastewater containing heavy metal is produced. In this study we worked on industrial rejection.
 The method for removing heavy metals from industrial wastewater based on chemical precipitation method is proposed in this paper, which utilizes lime (CaO), limestone (CaCO3), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Research on gypsum (CaSO4, 2H2O) in byproducts resulted from precipitation is carried out based on thermal analyses, infrared spectra and XRD examinations.
 The characterization of the effluent showed that’s very hard, rich in sulphate, chlorides, orthophosphate and in heavy metals. The results show that the examined chemical coagulants were all efficient in the removal of the studied metals (Cu, Cd, Fe, Co and Zn).
 The overall results indicate that the optimum pH for hydroxide precipitation of the studied metals is varied between pH 6.0 and 10.0. Since all effluent guidelines require an effluent pH between 7 and 8, the use of carbonate treatment is, therefore, recommended because its buffering capacity value is around pH 7. The analyzes carried out on the byproducts of treatment (FTIR, XRD, TGA/TDA) show that they are mostly composed of gypsum: calcium sulphate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O).

Influence of illegal artisanal small-scale gold mining operations (galamsey) on oil and grease (O/G) concentrations in three hotspot assemblies of Western Region, Ghana

This study determined the contamination levels of oil and grease (O/G) across nine (9) galamsey operations under different environmental media (background soil, surface drainage, slurry/sludge and galamsey wastes) in three galamsey hotspot assemblies (Tarkwa Nsuaem, Amenfi East and Prestea Huni Valley) within the Western region of Ghana. Triplicate samples each of the four environmental media for the nine galamsey types (Washing Board, Washing Plant, Anwona, Dig and Wash, Dredging, Underground Abandoned Shaft, Underground Sample Pit, Chamfi and Mill House) were collected and analysed using n-hexane extractable materials in acidic medium by extraction and gravimetry to determine O/G concentrations. From the comparison of mean ranked concentration of O/G, using Kruskal-Wallis Test, the observed differences in the ranking was significant across all four media. The O/G concentrations for Anwona, Chamfi, Mill House, Washing Board and Washing Plant galamsey recorded exceedances when compared to the Ghana EPA Effluent Guideline Value of 100 mg/L for water and The New Dutch Lists’ Target and Intervention Value of 50 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg for solid/semi-solid materials. Consistently and for all environmental media types, the levels of O/G across the galamsey types were in the descending order of: Washing Board, Chamfi, Anwona, Mill House, Washing Plant, Underground Sample Pit, River Dredging, Dig and Wash, Underground Abandoned Shaft and Control Sample (non-galamseyed areas). In general, the surface drainage medium was predominantly found to be the most impacted upon medium from hydrocarbons by seven of the nine galamsey operations (Washing Board, Anwona, Chamfi, Mill House, Dredging, Dig and Wash and Underground Sample Pit). This was followed by slurry/sludge, background soil and waste media in that order. Expectedly, there were no exceedances for the Reference or Control Samples (non-galamseyed areas).

Stormwater runoff quality on an urban highway in South Africa

Roadway sediment and stormwater runoff were sampled from a 15 km section of the R300 freeway located in the greater Cape Town area, South Africa. Grab samples were collected over a four-month period in 2016 and analysed for metals, hydrocarbons and nutrients. The metal concentration profiles were similar in sediment and runoff samples. The primary pollutants identified in the highway runoff were aluminium, copper, lead, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc, total suspended solids (TSS), and oil and grease. The concentrations of each of these elements, barring lead, exceeded the national effluent water quality guidelines. Large volumes of macro pollutants such as cigarettes, plastic and packaging were also observed. The results of this research indicate that Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) should be used in conjunction with highways, particularly where runoff may influence a sensitive or valuable aquatic ecosystem, as it can be a significant non-point source of pollution.

Interactive Effects of Lead and Nickel Contamination on Nickel Mobility Dynamics in Spinach

Nickel (Ni) uptake pattern may be influenced in the presence of lead (Pb) metal ions in the soil and may mediate the Ni dynamics in root and shoot part of spinach. A pot culture experiment was carried out with four levels of each Pb (0, 100, 150, and 300 mg kg−1soil) and Ni (0, 100, 150, and 300 mg kg−1 soil) in spinach to assess the Pb and Ni contamination interactive effect on Ni dynamics in soil. Study revealed that increasing the concentration of Pb and Ni enhanced the concentration of the respective metals in the spinach root and shoot parts. Increasing the levels of Pb (0–300 mg kg−1) had significantly (p = 0.05) reduced the Ni uptake in shoot and root from 0.195 to 0.033 mg pot−1 and from 0.026 to 0.008 mg pot−1, respectively. The metal dynamics ratios, i.e., bioconcentration factor (BCF), translocation factor (TF), transfer efficiency (TE), and crop removal of Ni were also negatively affected by application of Pb. Increasing the Pb levels in soil from 100 to 300 mg kg−1 significantly (p = 0.05) decreases BCF value from 0.113 to 0.108. Under multi-metal toxicity conditions, high level of Pb in the effluent reduced the Ni uptake by spinach and affects the soil health. The findings are very much useful for planning effective effluent management strategies and guidelines to reduce the metal contamination in food crops under peri-urban areas.

Feasible policy development and implementation for the destruction of endocrine disruptors in wastewater

Endocrine disruptors when introduced to waterways have many adverse health effects on wildlife and humans. These health effects vary from neurological, immune, carcinogenic and reproductive disorders. Currently, there are few wastewater treatment facilities that are purposefully treating endocrine disruptors as part of the normal wastewater treatment process. Current literature has shown that endocrine disruptors can be treated using conventional methods. These conventional methods are centered around the denitrification process, which is rarely adopted in Canada. This paper investigates the current wastewater effluent regulations and guidelines in Canada, Ontario and the European Union. The research identifies a policy strategy that would include denitrification in the wastewater treatment process to help eliminate endocrine disruptors and acutely toxic nitrogen based compounds. Our emphasis here is on action possible in the Province of Ontario Canada, give the context of the Great Lakes basin and the potential for early action to stimulate other jurisdictions to follow. Our recommendations while aimed at one jurisdiction, have broad application globally.

Role of UASBs in River Water Quality Conservation in India

Appropriate low-cost treatment technologies are a prerequisite for sound management of natural water resources against pollution in developing countries. Among the existing technologies available, UASB is found to be economically viable for India when considering all factors including operation and maintenance cost and treatment efficiency. However, this technology suffers setbacks in meeting the effluent guidelines prescribed by the government of India. Post treatment is supplemental to this process to meet the effluent standards in terms of removal of organic matter, suspended solids, pathogens and nutrients. Recent stringent effluent guidelines notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India has further reduced the limits of BOD by 3 times, COD and TSS by 5 times, NH4-N and total Nitrogen by 10 times as compared to the previous guidelines. Fecal Coliforms has been specified as <100MPN/100mL. In this paper, the present scenario of UASB based STPs and their role in river conservation is reviewed against the backdrop of stringent effluent guidelines. The minimum removal rates of BOD, COD and TSS in these plants are around 42 – 44% and the average removal rates are reported to be 66%, 61% and 65% respectively. The enhanced removal of BOD (97%), COD (98%) and TSS has been reported in STPs in conjunction with post treatment facilities such as facultative aerated lagoons, aeration tanks and polishing ponds.

THMs Precursor Removal Efficiency from Different Wastewater Treatment Technologies Effluents

Treated wastewater is one of the critical practices of sustainable water management. In Palestinian authority region different wastewater technologies are used to produce variety of effluents that are potentially suitable for different purposes. In this study, these different treated wastewater effluents were characterized chemically, biologically, and physically. Results showed that some of these effluents neither comply with Palestinian nor with other global effluent discharge guidelines. Chemical reactivity of five different treated wastewater effluents with chlorine was measured by determining their chlorine demand and total trihalomethane formation potential (TTHMFP). Results showed that different wastewater effluents chemical reactivity with chlorine and TTHMFP is not only dependent on wastewater treatment technology but also is affected by original water source from which was the water emerged. In all cases, measured THMs superseded acceptable drinking water limits. This would indicate responsibility of high percentage of cancer, hepatic and renal diseases among the local people.

Overview of Aquatic Toxicity Testing under the U.S. EPA Oil Research Program

2017-063 ABSTRACT The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development is developing baseline data on the ecotoxicity of selected petroleum products, chemical dispersants, and other spill mitigating substances as part of its Oil Research Program. Two diluted bitumens (dilbits) from the Alberta Tar Sands region are being tested for acute and chronic toxicity to standard freshwater and marine organisms given their spill potential during shipment within the United States. Separately, crude oils representing a range of characteristics and representative dispersants are being tested to evaluate acute and chronic toxicity to marine organisms in support of proposed regulatory amendments to Subpart J of the U.S. National Contingency Plan. Water accommodated fractions (WAF) of oil are prepared using traditional slow-stir methods and toxicity tests follow U.S. EPA standard effluent testing guidelines, modified for testing petroleum products. WAFs are characterized for petroleum hydrocarbons including alkyl PAH homologs. Future research plans include evaluating oil spill mitigating substances such as surface washing and bioremediation agents. The results of the research program will assist the U.S. EPA in assessing toxicity of unconventional oils (dilbits), and establish baseline toxicity data for selected crude oils and spill mitigating substances in support of planning and response activities.

Água potável, água residuária e saneamento no Brasil e na Holanda no âmbito do Programa de Visitação Holandês - DVP: Dutch Visitors Programme

RESUMO: O presente trabalho se desenvolveu a partir da participação no Programa de Visitação Holandês (em inglês, Dutch Visitors Programme - DVP), que permitiu o conhecimento da estrutura da prestação dos serviços de saneamento ambiental da Holanda e, posteriormente, possibilitou a realização de uma análise comparativa simplificada desses serviços prestados no Brasil. Dentro desse contexto, foi verificada uma grande disparidade em relação à gestão como um todo dos serviços de saneamento entre os dois países, como já era esperado. Apesar de ambos apresentarem pequenas diferenças nos padrões de potabilidade de água e diretrizes de lançamento de efluentes, notam-se grandes diferenças não somente em relação às características geográficas e ambientais, como extensão territorial e disponibilidade de recursos, mas, principalmente, em relação à gestão e ao envolvimento das partes, i.e., governo, prestadora de serviços e população atendida. Enquanto o Brasil foca em elevar os seus índices de atendimento sem se preocupar com a qualidade e com o impacto no ambiente, a Holanda, com elevados índices de qualidade e atendimento (quase totalidade), preocupa-se em buscar parcerias, novas tecnologias mais sustentáveis e um envolvimento mais efetivo da sociedade nas questões relacionadas ao saneamento ambiental.