On-site Treatment Research Articles

Sustainable technologies for on-site domestic wastewater treatment: a review with technical approach

Sustainable technologies for on-site domestic wastewater treatment: a review with technical approach

Lead removal from soil by phytoremediation method

Many control approaches are used today to prevent the contamination of soils with heavy metals and to remove pollution. One of these approaches is phytoremediation for the on-site treatment of pollutants. In phytoremediation, hyperaccumulator plants are used, which absorb heavy metals, accumulate at high levels in their tissues, and neutralize them after various processes. It was aimed to determine the effects of heavy metals on plant growth and the heavy metal accumulation capacity of plants in this study. Using the phytoremediation method, the growth process of the canola plant and its lead removal capacity from the soil were investigated. The study was carried out in 3 replicates by watering the plants only with tap water and tap water containing different concentrations of lead in greenhouse conditions. The prepared soil mixture was placed in pots as 2000 g pot-1. The sown seeds were germinated using tap water in the plant growing room and the water requirement of the plants was met with tap water containing a certain concentration of lead during the next growing period. Plants were harvested at the end of the 3 month growth period. The plants irrigated with the lead solution were compared only with the plants irrigated with tap water, and the elongation amounts of root and stem lengths were determined. Plant samples with dry weights determined were burned with certain chemicals using the microwave method, and then the amount of lead in the plants was measured with the ICP-MS device.

Development of a semi-quantitative approach for the assessment of microbial health risk associated with wastewater reuse: A case study at the household level

This study proposes a modified methodology for semi-quantitative microbial risk assessment (SQMRA) based on the risk matrix presented in the World Health Organization (WHO) Sanitation Safety Planning manual adding the variable ranking for probability of infection in the estimations of risk scores, which composes the risk matrix. The approach is applied to cases where quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) studies are hindered by the lack of information regarding pathogens in the (waste)water, collected as a set of primary data. The methodology is fully described and its application is demonstrated by comparing the microbial risk to which individuals are exposed within a residence in different scenarios of direct or indirect exposure to wastewater. Three current scenarios and one proposed scenario, with four sub-scenarios, focused on the use of a decentralized treatment system and greywater reuse in a single-family residence. Scenarios were selected for application of the SQMRA to elucidate if solutions considering source separation and reuse would bring more health-related risks, or attenuate the existing ones related to the conventional onsite wastewater treatment and soil disposal. None of the studied alternatives achieved risk score above 160 (very high). Considering the average score of each alternative by exposed group, the current scenarios, representing low-cost, informal solutions, posed the highest risks for children. All proposed reuse types reduced the risks from high to medium (score 43.9) for children and from medium to low (score 22.2) for adults. The adapted approach was demonstrated to be a useful tool, aiding the decision-making process and clarifying uncertainties raised when source separation and household reuse are proposed.

The Impact of Physical Therapy Delivered Ergonomics in the Workplace: A Narrative Review

With the emergence of work-related musculoskeletal injuries and the associated high cost of injuredworkers, physical therapists are in a unique position to help employers manage these concerns throughinjury prevention programs, education, ergonomics, on-site treatment to include exercise instruction andmanual intervention, and return to work programs. The purpose of this literature review is to highlightthe effectiveness a physical therapist can have on employee health and the prevention of work-relatedmusculoskeletal disorders. In terms of results, when ergonomic interventions were applied, employers sawdecreased injuries, increased productivity, decreased costs associated with direct and in-direct costs of workrelatedinjuries, improvements in return-to-work performance, and decrease absenteeism in employees.However, as the interventions described in this report were generally found to be quite heterogeneous, itshould also be recognized that general conclusions about the effectiveness of these interventions should bedone with care. It is important to ensure that payers, employers and employees are aware of the crucial rolephysical therapists can play in occupational health. Physical therapists also need to advocate for their role inoccupational health and offer expert care to workers in a non-traditional manner.

Development of Nanosensors Based Intelligent Packaging Systems: Food Quality and Medicine.

The issue of medication noncompliance has resulted in major risks to public safety and financial loss. The new omnipresent medicine enabled by the Internet of things offers fascinating new possibilities. Additionally, an in-home healthcare station (IHHS), it is necessary to meet the rapidly increasing need for routine nursing and on-site diagnosis and prognosis. This article proposes a universal and preventive strategy to drug management based on intelligent and interactive packaging (I2Pack) and IMedBox. The controlled delamination material (CDM) seals and regulates wireless technologies in novel medicine packaging. As such, wearable biomedical sensors may capture a variety of crucial parameters via wireless communication. On-site treatment and prediction of these critical factors are made possible by high-performance architecture. The user interface is also highlighted to make surgery easier for the elderly, disabled, and patients. Land testing incorporates and validates an approach for prototyping I2Pack and iMedBox. Additionally, sustainability, increased product safety, and quality standards are crucial throughout the life sciences. To achieve these standards, intelligent packaging is also used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. These technologies will continuously monitor the quality of a product and communicate with the user. Data carriers, indications, and sensors are the three most important groups. They are not widely used at the moment, although their potential is well understood. Intelligent packaging should be used in these sectors and the functionality of the systems and the values presented in this analysis.

Biopurification of dairy farm wastewater through hybrid constructed wetland system: Groundwater quality and health implications

Groundwater is under heavily threat owing to enormous infilteration of dairy farm originated wastewater into it. The anoxic environment in the groundwater due to mixing of organic rich wastewater can produce significant alterations in the groundwater quality. It is therefore necessary to treat such wastewaters before discharging to surrounding areas. Therefore, in this study we evaluated a hybrid constructed wetland (CW) system(40 m2 area) consisting of three beds, i.e. Vertical (16 m2) – Horizontal (18 m2) – Vertical (6 m2) connected in series for the treatment of dairy farm wastewater under typical high humid climate in northern India. Tropical perennial plant such as Arundo donax L. was grown on both vertical beds, whereas Hibiscus esculentus L. and Solanum melongena L. were grown on the horizontal bed of the system.The average purification of TSS, BOD3, total N, and P was significant (p < 0.05) in HF bed and recorded as 92.2 ± 6.1, 95 ± 3.8, 83.6 ± 9.0 and 86.1 ± 10.0% respectively.The average load of BOD3, total N, and P in the influent and effluent was recorded (with no significant differences, p > 0.05) as 7.0 ± 7.17, 1.9 ± 0.7, 0.72 ± 0.5 g m−2 day−1and 0.3 ± 0.2, 0.3 ± 0.2 and 0.04 ± 0.01 g m−2 day−1 respectively.The average values of total biomass content of Arundo donax L. were differed significantly and recorded as 0.31 ± 0.06, 0.43 ± 0.17, and 0.43 ± 0.16 g g−1 fresh wt. in control, VF-1, and VF-2 respectively. Therefore, the hybrid CW system can be efficiently used for the treatment of dairy farm wastewater with implications on groundwater and health. Future research may focus on performance analysis of upgraded combined anaerobic reactor and hybrid CW system planted with series of macrophytes for on-site treatment of high strength dairy farm wastewater in tropical regions.

Patient-reported experiences with direct acting antiviral therapy in an integrated model of hepatitis C care in homeless shelters.

Patient reported experience (PRE) is critical for engagement in hepatitis C (HCV) therapy in hard to reach populations. However, there is no data on patient reported experience with DAA therapy among homeless patients accessing shelters. We assessed PRE with DAA treatment following implementation of HCV therapy within homeless shelters in two diverse regions in the United States. In a study of integrated HCV testing and treatment in four homeless shelters in San Francisco (SF) and Minnesota (MN), 66 patients received DAA therapy from 11/2018-4/2020. PREs were assessed at the end of therapy with constructs: satisfaction with communication with their HCV treatment provider, receipt of social support during therapy, perceived stigma associated with HCV infection, and their overall satisfaction with DAA therapy. Descriptive statistics and factors associated with satisfaction with HCV therapy were assessed. At end of therapy, 41 patients completed the questionnaire (response rate was 62%). Median age was 56 years, 74.4% were men, 44% White (45% Black, 6% Latino), 35% had more than a high school diploma, 65% had a history of IV drug use, 56% had received SUD treatment, and 12% were co-infected with HIV. During DAA treatment, the majority of patients lived in shelters, 37% used illicit drugs, 24% consumed alcohol, and 14% received psychiatric treatment. Patient reported experience with DAA therapy were as follows: 100% agreed or strongly agreed that HCV providers seemed non-judgmental, 98% reported that their provider seemed to care about them, 98% reported that people close to them had been supportive of their care, and 98% were satisfied with their HCV treatment. There were no patient level or clinical predictors associated with PREs of stigma, perceived lack of social support or satisfaction with DAA treatment. In conclusion, nearly all (>95%) homeless patients receiving integrated HCV testing and therapy within homeless shelters felt supported and reported favorable views toward their providers and a high level of satisfaction with DAA treatment. As patient reported experience is key for engagement in HCV therapy, our onsite treatment intervention within shelters can serve as a model of HCV care to enhance treatment uptake in patients experiencing homelessness.

Impact of Testing on Sexually Transmitted Infections among Female Brothel Sex Workers in Bangladesh: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Past studies that have designed interventions to reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have typically provided onsite treatment to sex workers who tested positive, which were expensive and difficult to implement. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an intervention which tested for STIs and provided information on the closest treatment facility on reducing the prevalence of STIs among female brothel-based sex workers (BSWs) in Bangladesh. The study adopted a pre-post interventional design as well as a randomized controlled study design. A baseline sample and follow-up urine sample were collected to evaluate the prevalence of STIs among participants in the treatment, but not control group. A baseline survey and interviews were also conducted for both the groups. The study found a nonsignificant reduction from baseline to follow-up in STI prevalence among intervention participants (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.38, 1.45). However, the participants in the intervention group were significantly more likely to have a repeat client (aOR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.12, 2.29) and nonsignificantly less likely to engage with a client suspected of having an STI (aOR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.00) than participants in the control group. The intervention testing of STIs and providing information to the positive cases about nearest treatment facilities were not effective in reducing the prevalence of STIs among BSWs. Further study of the clinical and behavioral impacts of such efforts to reduce STIs among BSWs is warranted.

Project Khanya: results from a pilot randomized type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of a peer-delivered behavioural intervention for ART adherence and substance use in HIV care in South Africa.

IntroductionSouth Africa (SA) has the highest number of people living with HIV (PLWH) globally, and a significant burden of alcohol and other drug use (AOD). Although integrating AOD treatment into HIV care may improve antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, this is not typically routine practice in SA or other low‐resource settings. Identifying interventions that are feasible and acceptable for implementation is critical to improve HIV and AOD outcomes.MethodsA pilot randomized hybrid type 1 effectiveness‐implementation trial (N = 61) was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of Khanya, a task‐shared, peer‐delivered behavioral intervention to improve ART adherence and reduce AOD in HIV care in SA. Khanya was compared to enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU), a facilitated referral to on‐site AOD treatment. Implementation outcomes, defined by Proctor’s model, included feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness and fidelity. Primary pilot effectiveness outcomes were ART adherence at post‐treatment (three months) measured via real‐time electronic adherence monitoring, and AOD measured using biomarker and self‐report assessments over six months. Data collection was conducted from August 2018 to April 2020.Results and discussionNinety‐one percent of participants (n = 56) were retained at six months. The intervention was highly feasible, acceptable, appropriate and delivered with fidelity (>90% of components delivered as intended by the peer). There was a significant treatment‐by‐time interaction for ART adherence (estimate = −0.287 [95% CI = −0.507, −0.066]), revealing a 6.4 percentage point increase in ART adherence in Khanya, and a 22.3 percentage point decline in ETAU. Both groups evidenced significant reductions in alcohol use measured using phosphatidylethanol (PEth) (F(2,101) = 4.16, p = 0.01), significantly decreased likelihood of self‐reported moderate or severe AOD (F(2,104) = 7.02, p = 0.001), and significant declines in alcohol use quantity on the timeline follow‐back (F(2,102) = 21.53, p < 0.001). Among individuals using drugs and alcohol, there was a greater reduction in alcohol use quantity in Khanya compared to ETAU over six months (F(2,31) = 3.28, p = 0.05).ConclusionsResults of this pilot trial provide initial evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of the Khanya intervention for improving adherence in an underserved group at high risk for ongoing ART non‐adherence and HIV transmission. Implementation results suggest that peers may be a potential strategy to extend task‐sharing models for behavioral health in resource‐limited, global settings.

Evaluation of private well contaminants in an underserved North Carolina community

On-site sewage treatment systems can be an important source of antibiotic resistant bacteria and organic micropollutants into adjacent groundwater. Due to the frequent proximity of private wells to septic systems, this contamination is a concern to communities that do not have access to public municipal services. In both rural and urban environments, low-income communities, indigenous communities and those of color are disproportionately affected by well contamination. The objective of this study was to assess well water quality in an underserved North Carolina community by performing a comprehensive evaluation of microbial and organic micropollutant occurrence and determining possible sources of contamination. Well water, septic tanks, and adjacent municipal water were sampled. Culture- and molecular biology-based microbial analysis and non-targeted, high resolution mass spectrometry chemical analysis were conducted to assess water quality in comparison to nearby municipal water. Three of thirteen homes had between 1 and 6.3 CFUs/100 mL of E. coli and two homes had fecal bacteria resistant to antibiotics in their well water. The water of four homes showed concentrations of the artificial sweetener sucralose, a wastewater tracer, higher than the municipal water (range ~ 60–1500 ng L−1). The human-specific HF183 fecal marker was detected in 79% of the wells tested. The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in four home wells, along with the presence of pesticides and insecticides in two homes, suggest possible contamination from septic tanks and lawn care runoff. The implications of this work highlight the necessity of wider scale contaminant evaluation of well water.

Microbial electrolysis cells and power‐to‐gas technology – A novel onsite industrial wastewater treatment and CCU arrangement

AbstractIndustrial development owes its pace to the continued supply of energy; however, this development is also associated with a consequent consumption of water, climate change and environmental degradation. The increased concentration of carbon in the atmosphere and the dwindling clean water resources are posing another potent challenge to the sustained industrial development. The intermittent nature of the renewable energy resources particularly wind and solar energy make their storage difficult. Power‐to‐gas is perceived to solve this issue of storage of renewable energy through the production of synthetic natural gas. Production of economically viable hydrogen gas and carbon collection and utilization (CCU) are two energy‐intensive processes that are essential for the Sabatier reaction in the scheme of power‐to‐gas. This study proposes a novel model that employs low energy consuming microbial electrolysis cell along with carbon collectors for the production of synthetic natural gas through the Sabatier reaction. Renewable energy resources are proposed to power the MEC as well as the carbon collectors. The model uses the wastewater stream as input to the MEC ultimately delivering hydrogen to the Sabatier reactor. A successful model would be able to treat the wastewater, generate energy in the form of SNG, mitigate climate change and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6, 7, 12, 13 &amp; 14).

Review of Referrals Sent to the Emergency Department for Management of Hypertension.

BackgroundHypertensive urgencies, unlike hypertensive emergencies, are severe episodes of hypertension without evidence of end-organ damage. Most recent guidelines advise against referring patients with hypertensive urgencies to the emergency department (ED) for treatment. There is a lack of Canadian data surrounding whether referrals to the ED regarding hypertension are appropriate. We analyzed referrals to the Montfort Hospital ED due to hypertension and assessed if they met the criteria for hypertensive emergencies.MethodsThis was a retrospective chart study of all ED visits at Montfort Hospital from the 2016 fiscal year with a final diagnosis/chief complaint of hypertension. Charts were assessed to determine if these patients met the criteria for having true hypertensive emergencies.ResultsOut of the 54,000 visits to the Montfort ED, 254 reported hypertension as a final diagnosis/chief complaint. Of those, 67 patients had been referred by a healthcare practitioner, while 187 were self-referred. None of the referred patients met the criteria for hypertensive emergency; however, eight of these patients did have symptoms indicating a possibility of hypertensive emergency. Six of the self-referred patients met criteria for hypertensive emergency. The majority (71.6%) of patients referred did not require on-site antihypertensive treatment, and 37.3% of patients were sent home with new outpatient prescriptions.ConclusionAll the cases referred to the Montfort ED for hypertension were considered hypertensive urgencies and none of them required ED hypertensive treatment. Further investigation is required to help optimize appropriate patient referral to the ED for true hypertensive emergencies and improve management of hypertensive urgencies in the community.

Treat and Release for Patients Requiring Emergency Medical Services

&#x0D; “Treat and release” and “treat and refer” protocols or practices refer to the onsite treatment of patients by responding emergency medical services personnel that does not involve transporting patients to health care facilities for additional assessment and treatment. The goal of these protocols is to allow patients to be released from care or to be referred directly to non-emergency services by emergency medical services personnel when appropriate, diverting patients from emergency departments.&#x0D; One health technology assessment that included a relevant randomized controlled trial and economic evaluation and 2 non-randomized studies were identified for inclusion. These studies examined treat and release or treat and refer protocols for treating hypoglycemia and exertional heat stroke, and for attending to older people following a fall.&#x0D; Overall, the clinical evidence summarized in this report suggests that treat and release protocols are as good as, or better than, usual care (i.e., onsite treatment of immediate medical care followed by transportation to health care facilities). Across most reported outcomes, there were no significant differences between patients who received care using treat and release or treat and refer protocols, and those who received usual care; however, there were some instances where the use of these protocols was associated with improvements in some clinical outcomes, such as patient satisfaction, risk for future falls or fractures, and some measures of repeat access to health care services.&#x0D; Findings related to the cost-effectiveness of treat and refer protocols were inconclusive because of the limited generalizability of the findings from the included economic evaluation. The economic evaluation estimated that implementing a treat and refer protocol for older patients who experienced a fall did not result in significant changes to health care resource utilization and did not generate improved health-related quality of life compared to usual care.&#x0D; No evidence-based guidelines regarding the use of treat and release protocols for patients requiring emergency medical services were identified.&#x0D;

Bioreactor septic tank for on-site wastewater treatment: Floating constructed wetland integration

This study reports pollutant removal performance of two on-site wastewater treatment configurations: a field-scale bioreactor septic tank that received wastewater generated from the washrooms of an educational institute, and a combined pilot-scale bioreactor septic tank, floating constructed wetland system dosed with municipal wastewater. Each bioreactor septic tank was divided into seven compartments: two settling chambers, two anaerobic baffle reactors (ABR), two stone media-packed biowalls, and an effluent collection chamber. Wastewater hydraulic retention time (HRT) in the field and pilot-scale bioreactor septic tanks were 24 and 72 h, respectively. Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), organic, and coliform removal percentage in the field-scale bioreactor septic tank were 56%, 76%, 84%, and 88%, respectively. The pilot-scale bioreactor septic tank achieved 93%, 100%, 99.6%, and 99.9% removal, respectively. Pollutant removal in different compartments of the bioreactor septic tanks was achieved through physical, chemical, and microbial degradation pathways. Greater HRT of wastewater in the pilot-scale bioreactor septic tank improved overall removal performance. The floating constructed wetland provided an additional treatment of the pilot-scale bioreactor septic tank effluent; the mean nitrogen and coliform removal percentage was 35% and 91%, respectively. The hanging root-zone (inside the water column) of the floating constructed wetland supported pollutant removal kinetics. This study demonstrates the potential application of the bioreactor septic tank for on-site wastewater treatment and integration of floating constructed wetland as a polishing stage.

Making the dynamic interactive map of COVID-19 by implementation of R software

Objective To introduce the process and concrete steps of making dynamic interactive disease map using Leaflet program package of R software, and we provide assistance for demonstrating the regional distribution of the disease, epidemic analysis and field disposal. Methods The address, case classification and date of onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, including confirmed and asymptomatic cases, in Hainan as of August 30, 2020 were collected by Infectious Diseases Reporting System. The addresses of cases were input into Amap coordinate pickup system to get the latitude and longitude coordinates of the addresses. Amap and Esri map were created as base layers, and case markers, function for case clusters and measurement tools were created by leaflet package. Results Dynamic interactive map of COVID-19 created by R software could be dragged, be zoomed in and out. It can be switched between administrative division map and satellite map. The numbers, addresses, onset date and other information could be display by clicking the cases in the map. The map can be shared with interested researchers as an html file. The distance between any cases or between the case and the suspected exposure location could be measured. Conclusion As a free and open source software, R software can easily and flexibly make dynamic interactive maps of diseases, intuitively and comprehensively display the regional distribution of diseases. It It plays a very helpful role in analyzing the transmission process of infectious diseases and the on-site treatment of the epidemic situation, which is worthy of promotion and application in epidemiology investigation and survey research. 摘要：目的 介绍使用R软件leaflet程序包制作疾病动态交互地图的 方法 和具体步骤, 为展示疾病的地区分布、疫 情的分析和现场处置提供帮助。 方法 通过传染病信息报告系统收集海南省截至2020年8月30日新型冠状病毒肺炎 确诊病例和无症状感染者地址、病例分类、发病日期等资料。将病例地址录人髙德地图坐标拾取系统, 获取病例地址 的经纬度坐标。利用R软件leaflet程序包调用髙德地图、Esri卫星地图做为底图, 添加病例标记, 病例聚合功能及测量 工具。 结果 R软件制作的海南省新冠病毒动态交互地图可以实现放大、缩小、拖拽等操作, 可以切换行政区划地图和 卫星地图, 点击病例可以显示病例序号, 现住址和发病日期等信息, 可将地图以html文件方式分享给相关研究人员, 并 可以测量病例间或病例与可疑暴露地点间的距离。 结论 R软件作为一款免费、开源的软件, 可以简便、灵活的制作 疾病动态交互地图, 直观、全面的展示疾病的地区分布, 对于分析传染病的传播过程、疫情的现场处置起到很好的辅助 作用, 在流行病学调査研究中值得推广应用。

Analysis of Influencing Factors and Evolution Law of Surface Anti-slide Performance of SMA-13 Based on Expressway Physical Engineering

Relying on the physical projects of Guangdong Province Chaohui expressway, Wushen expressway Renbo Section and Foqingcong expressway, based on asphalt and asphalt mixture test and on-site SFC test detection, through mathematical statistics, the factors affecting the skid resistance of SMA-13 asphalt mixture are obtained. At the same time, based on the observation of anti-skid performance of SMA-13 asphalt pavement from one year after construction to one year after opening to traffic, the change law of anti-skid performance of SMA-13 asphalt pavement from post-construction, temporary pass, acceptance and opening to traffic is obtained. The research results show that factors such as asphalt binder, mineral aggregate synthesis gradation, different oil-stone ratios and aggregate processing technology are possible factors that affect the anti-skid performance of SMA-13. The early anti-skid performance of SMA-13 asphalt pavement usually cannot meet the acceptance standard of SFC=54. However, the SMA pavement after construction can be spread with 3∼5mm gravel to improve its early anti-skid performance, and the on-site treatment effect is better.

Telemedicine versus on-site treatment at a surgical university clinic: Study of 225 consecutive patients

IntroductionRecently, telemedical services are increasingly used. It remains unclear, if outpatients in general surgery can be treated via telemedicine (e.g. telework). We aimed to evaluate, if diagnosis and therapies of outpatients in general surgery can be found using a mobile healthcare communication app instead of personal contact. Material and MethodsIn a prospective, double blind, anonymized clinical study we included consecutive outpatients at a general surgery department at a university hospital. For the telemedical “treatment” the on-site doctors uploaded variables (e.g. anamnesis, radiograph, etc.) for each patient. The telemedical doctor received the information only via app and did not see the patient physically. Both, the doctor on-site and the virtual telemedical-doctor then uploaded the diagnosis and their suggested therapy – blinded to each other. The outpatient received the on-site treatment only. The virtual treatment was solely for scientific purposes and had no therapeutic impact. Results225 consecutive surgical outpatients (53 % female and 47 % male) were included. Mean age was 61 years. In 84 % of cases the telemedical diagnosis matched the on-site diagnosis. The telemedical treatment was not inferior as compared to the on-site treatment in 94 % of all cases and the same therapy was proposed in 76 %. In 6% of all cases the telemedical therapeutic regimen could possibly harm or lead to an over- or under treatment of the patient. ConclusionTelemedical consultation seems to work in the field of general surgery. Telemedicine in general surgery potentially could decrease waiting time for an appointment and patient frequency. However, the potential harm of a wrong therapy remains due to the lack of a clinical observation.

Pollutant Removal from Sewage in Tropical Climate by Constructed Wetland System: An Asset for Irrigation

In the global outlook, letting of untreated sewage in existing river bodies deteriorates the water quality. The seepage likely depreciates the quality of ground water too. The quality of groundwater with special reference to India has tremendously gone down in the past twenty years leading to sour taste. On the other hand, agriculture sector is deprived of water in many places of India. A solution can be arrived concurrently by treating sewage and consuming the effluent in agricultural sector. First order kinetics was applied in constructed wetland system at different flow rates and optimised. At optimised HLR, effluent met the standards of discharge that can be utilized for agricultural/ irrigational purpose. The emanating major pollutants can be effectively treated using constructed wetland system under tropical climate. A few clippings at the onsite treatment illustrated the diversity of species thus adjoining sustainable biodiversity and treatment. Thus in tropical countries like India, constructed wetland system might pave solution not only for the treatment of sewage but in deploying the effluent in agricultural sector. A clean ecosystem can be achieved with sustainability.

Two moving bed biofilm reactors in series for carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous removal from high organic wastewaters

Government regulations require on-site treatment of industrial wastewater prior to sewage discharge to prevent environmental degradation of receiving waterbodies. The sequencing batch moving bed biofilm reactor (SB-MBBR) can permit on-site treatment of high organic and nutrient content of cheese production wastewater. However, the critical challenge exists of maintaining both an active heterotrophic and an autotrophic population in a single biofilm system treating carbon and ammonia to low discharge levels from cheese production wastewater. Two SB-MBBRs in series separate the heterotrophic and autotrophic communities, circumventing the competition between the heterotrophic and autotrophic populations in a single biofilm system treating wastewater with high carbon to nitrogen ratios. The first reactor (AN/AE) was operated by cycling between anaerobic and aerobic stages to select for polyphosphate accumulating organisms, and the AN/AE reactor degraded carbon and phosphorous. The second reactor (NIT) was operated with aerobic conditions to promote nitrifying bacteria and treat total ammonia nitrogen. The performance of this system for carbonaceous constituents and ammonia was evaluated by quantifying the kinetics, biofilm morphology, thickness, dry-mass, and dry-density of the two SB-MBBR in series technology. The AN/AE reactor achieved 97.5 ± 1.7%, 58.8 ± 5%, and 49 ± 1% soluble chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous removal efficiencies respectively. The NIT reactor achieved 98.7 ± 2.4 % total ammonia nitrogen removal, though partial nitritation at rates of 1.09 ± 0.03 g-N·m-2d-1, indicating this system can be incorporated in an anammox system. The study demonstrates that enhanced biological phosphorous removal, and potentially anaerobic removal of ammonia can be achieved for on-site treatment of cheese production wastewater.

Removal of Pathogens in Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems: A Review of Design Considerations and Influencing Factors

Conventional onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) could potentially contribute to the transmission of infectious diseases caused by waterborne pathogenic microorganisms and become an important human health concern, especially in the areas where OWTSs are used as the major wastewater treatment units. Although previous studies suggested the OWTSs could reduce chemical pollutants as well as effectively reducing microbial contaminants from onsite wastewater, the microbiological quality of effluents and the factors potentially affecting the removal are still understudied. Therefore, the design and optimization of pathogen removal performance necessitate a better mechanistic understanding of the hydrological, geochemical, and biological processes controlling the water quality in OWTSs. To fill the knowledge gaps, the sources of pathogens and common pathogenic indicators, along with their major removal mechanisms in OWTSs were discussed. This review evaluated the effectiveness of pathogen removal in state-of-art OWTSs and investigated the contributing factors for efficient pathogen removal (e.g., system configurations, filter materials, environmental and operational conditions), with the aim to guide the future design for optimized treatment performance.