Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are required to remove ammonium (NH4+) from wastewater due to its oxygen demand and toxicity to the aquatic organisms. Ammonium is removed in the activated sludge treatment system by nitrification and denitrification processes. Nitrification is the oxidation of NH4+ to nitrate (NO3-) by autotrophic nitrifying bacteria which use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a carbon source for growth. These bacteria grow slowly with low nitrification rates limiting WWTPs capacity. In this research it was hypothesized that supplying higher concentrations of CO2 during aeration increases nitrification rates, resulting in a reduction of the solids retention time (SRT). This hypothesis was tested with two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors seeded with sludge from a full-scale activated sludge WWTP and fed synthetic wastewater. The control reactor was aerated with regular air (0.03% CO2) and the experimental reactor was aerated with air containing 1% CO2. Ammonium and NO3- were measured online to determine the nitrification rates. Samples for solids and chemical oxygen demand (COD) determination were collected to evaluate the system performance. Supplying CO2 to the experimental reactor throughout the entire react cycle resulted in proliferation of filamentous bacteria, poor settling, and washout of the biomass. However, nitrate formation rates in the experimental reactor were 3 times higher than the control before washout occurred. In a subsequent experiment, CO2 was supplied to the experimental reactor only during the last 5 hours of the cycle, resulting in excellent settling and nitrification rates 6 times higher than in the control. A confirmatory experiment was conducted that lowered the SRT from 8 days to 6, 4, and 2 days. Nitrate formation rates were up to 12 times higher in the experimental reactor compared to the control, with an average of 4 times higher. Additionally, the sludge volume index (SVI) suggested a positive impact of CO2 on settling performance. No impact of CO2 on COD removal was observed. The results obtained suggest a positive effect of CO2 on the nitrate formation and settling performance in the activated sludge system, indicating that nitrification can be achieved at low SRTs which might optimize WWTPs capacity.

<p>Biogasprocessen är en komplex anaerob nedbrytningskedja där olika mikroorganismer är inblandade. Vanligast är att biogas produceras i mesofil rötning (cirka 38 ^oC), men även termofil rötning används (> 50 ^oC).</p><p>Svensk Biogas i Norrköping använder återstoden av etanoldestillationen hos en närliggande etanolproducent (drankvatten) som substrat. Substratets höga temperatur vid leverans motiverar termofilt rötningsförsök av drankvatten.</p><p>Försöket genomfördes i 55 ^oC med två kontinuerligt omrörda tankreaktorer (CSTR) och en termofil ymp. Biogasproduktion av drankvatten undersöktes. Sätt att hantera och motverka höga ammoniumhalter, samt effekter av näringslösningstillsats undersöktes. Det tog cirka 30 dagar för ympen att acceptera det nya substratet och då hade tillsats av processhjälpmedel KMB1 samt järnklorid använts. Reaktorerna kunde belastas med 3 g VS / (L • dygn) (VS, volatile solids, glödförlust). Den specifika gasproduktionen var 0,6 – 0,7 L / g VS och metanhalten ungefär 45 %. Höga ammoniumhalter motverkades genom förkortning av uppehållstiden. Under en period tillsattes nickelklorid i en av reaktorerna och under denna period hade reaktorn med nickelkloridtillsats något bättre specifik gasproduktion jämfört med reaktorn där ingen nickelklorid tillsattes.</p><p>Drankvatten kan rötas under termofila förhållanden. För att temperaturförändring vid biogasanläggningen i Norrköping ska var ekonomiskt försvarbart måste processen klara högre belastning.</p>

Biogasprocessen är en komplex anaerob nedbrytningskedja där olika mikroorganismer är inblandade. Vanligast är att biogas produceras i mesofil rötning (cirka 38 oC), men även termofil rötning används (&gt; 50 oC). Svensk Biogas i Norrköping använder återstoden av etanoldestillationen hos en närliggande etanolproducent (drankvatten) som substrat. Substratets höga temperatur vid leverans motiverar termofilt rötningsförsök av drankvatten. Försöket genomfördes i 55 oC med två kontinuerligt omrörda tankreaktorer (CSTR) och en termofil ymp. Biogasproduktion av drankvatten undersöktes. Sätt att hantera och motverka höga ammoniumhalter, samt effekter av näringslösningstillsats undersöktes. Det tog cirka 30 dagar för ympen att acceptera det nya substratet och då hade tillsats av processhjälpmedel KMB1 samt järnklorid använts. Reaktorerna kunde belastas med 3 g VS / (L • dygn) (VS, volatile solids, glödförlust). Den specifika gasproduktionen var 0,6 – 0,7 L / g VS och metanhalten ungefär 45 %. Höga ammoniumhalter motverkades genom förkortning av uppehållstiden. Under en period tillsattes nickelklorid i en av reaktorerna och under denna period hade reaktorn med nickelkloridtillsats något bättre specifik gasproduktion jämfört med reaktorn där ingen nickelklorid tillsattes. Drankvatten kan rötas under termofila förhållanden. För att temperaturförändring vid biogasanläggningen i Norrköping ska var ekonomiskt försvarbart måste processen klara högre belastning.

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with the effect of several antibiotics and quaternary ammonium sanitizers upon growth of lactic acid bacteria. Section I reports the purification of beta-lactamase from Lactococcus cremoris PR-108, by ion exchange chromatography, using the chromogenic substrate pyridine-2-azo-p-dimethylaniline (PADAC) as the enzymatic indicator. Section II reports a study of the influence of antibiotics on lactococcal growth, where the effects of incubation time, culture dilution and the use of seeded and spread agar plate techniques are investigated. These studies were extended, in section III, to include investigations of the effect of quaternary ammonium base sanitizer (Ster-bac) on lactic starters. In addition, this section describes an reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography assay for the detection of quaternary ammonium compounds in milk. / Graduation date: 1991

A study was conducted on an annual cropped field near Lanigan, Saskatchewan over two years (2005-2006, 2006-2007) to evaluate the effects of three extensive winter feeding systems (bale grazing (BG), swath grazing (SG) and straw-chaff grazing (ST-CH)) and one intensive winter feeding system (drylot (DL)) on cow performance, soil nutrients, crop yield and system cost of production.<p> Differences in BW (P<0.05) were observed during the 2005-2006 study period with the greatest difference occurring with cows in the SG feeding system. Cows grazing swaths (SG) had a BW loss of 8.0 kg over the 78 d trial period, however these cows consumed 15% less DM and 13% less TDN than cows bale grazing, grazing crop residue or fed in drylot pens. Differences in BW change (P<0.05) were also observed during Yr 2 between the cows fed drylot and cows grazing barley straw-chaff, 32.9 and 6.5 kg, respectively. This difference in body weight change (BW∆) and lower TDN consumption may be attributed to inaccessibility of the straw-chaff feed in the field, due to inclement weather and would suggest a lengthy acclimation period for extensive field grazing systems.<p> The effects of extensive winter feeding system on soil nutrients and soil structure were determined the following spring after winter grazing. NO3-N levels at the low slope position in the 0-15 cm depth were 53% higher on the BG sites than the ST-CH sites. This may be attributed to the larger concentration of feed, thus feed nutrients, in the BG feeding system. Phosphorus levels on the BG wintering sites were 34% higher than levels in the SG or ST-CH sites. Crop biomass measured on the BG sites was consistent with soil nutrients captured, resulting in a 15% increase in biomass compared to ST-CH and SG sites. Soil nutrient and crop biomass distribution was consistent among winter grazing sites with the ST-CH sites having the most uniform distribution of nutrients and crop biomass, and the BG sites having the least.

Increased development in Canadas northern environments has increased the need for accurate methods to detect adverse impacts on tundra ecosystems. Ammonium nitrate is a common water pollutant associated with many industrial and municipal activities, including diamond mining, and is of special concern due to the toxicity of ammonia in aquatic systems. One solution to reduce exposure of sensitive aquatic systems to nitrogenous compounds is to atomize (atmospherically disperse in fine particles) contaminated water over the arctic tundra which will reduce N loading to surface water. However, the toxicity of ammonium nitrate to arctic soils is poorly understood. In this study I investigate the potential toxicity of ammonium nitrate solutions to arctic soil functions such as carbon mineralization, nitrification and plant growth, to determine concentrations that can be applied without causing significant inhibition to these processes. <p>Arctic ecosystems are based on a soil type termed a cryosol that has an underlying permafrost layer. Often these soils are subject to cryoturbation, a process which heaves and mixes the soil, bringing the mineral horizons to the surface. I hypothesized that phytotoxicity test results in arctic soils would be highly variable compared to other terrestrial ecosystems due to the cryoturbation process and subsequent range of soil characteristics. The variability associated with phytotoxicity tests was evaluated using Environment Canadas standardized plant toxicity test in three cryoturbated soils from Canadas arctic exposed to a reference toxicant, boric acid. The phytotoxicity of boric acid to northern wheatgrass (<i>Elymus lanceolatus </i>) in cryosols was much greater than commonly reported in other soils, with less than 150 ug boric acid g-1 soil needed to inhibit root and shoot growth by 20%. There was also large variability in the phytotoxicity test results, with coefficients of variation for 10 samples ranging from 160 to 79%. Due to this variability in cryoturbated arctic soils, more than 30 samples should be collected from each control and potentially impacted area to accurately assess contaminant effects, and ensure that false negatives of toxicant impacts in arctic soils are minimized. <p>To characterize the toxicity of ammonium nitrate I exposed a variety of arctic soils and a temperate soil to different concentrations of ammonium nitrate solution over a 90 day time period. Dose responses of carbon mineralization, nitrification and phytotoxicity test parameters were estimated for ammonium nitrate applications. In addition to direct toxicity, the effect of ammonium nitrate on ecosystem resistance was investigated by dosing nitrogen impacted soils with boric acid. Ammonium nitrate solutions had no effect on carbon mineralization activity, and affected nitrification rates in only one soil, a polar desert soil from Cornwallis Island. In contrast, ammonium nitrate applications (43 mmol N L-1 soil water) significantly impaired seedling emergence, root length and shoot length of northern wheatgrass. Concentrations of ammonium nitrate in soil water that inhibited plant parameters by 20% varied between 43 to 280 mmol N L-1 soil water, which corresponds with 2,100 to 15,801 mg L-1 in the application water. Arctic soils were more resistant to ammonium nitrate toxicity than the temperate soil under these study conditions. However, it is not clear if this represents a general trend for all polar soils, and because nitrogen is an essential macro-nutrient, nitrogenous toxicity should likely be considered a special case for soil toxicity. As soil concentrations could be maintained under inhibitory levels with continual application of low concentrations of ammonium nitrate over the growing season, atomization of wastewater contaminated with ammonium nitrate is a promising technology for mitigation of nitrogen pollution in polar environments. <p>Increased development in Canadas northern environments has increased the need for accurate methods to detect adverse impacts on tundra ecosystems. Ammonium nitrate is a common water pollutant associated with many industrial and municipal activities, including diamond mining, and is of special concern due to the toxicity of ammonia in aquatic systems. One solution to reduce exposure of sensitive aquatic systems to nitrogenous compounds is to atomize (atmospherically disperse in fine particles) contaminated water over the arctic tundra which will reduce N loading to surface water. However, the toxicity of ammonium nitrate to arctic soils is poorly understood. In this study I investigate the potential toxicity of ammonium nitrate solutions to arctic soil functions such as carbon mineralization, nitrification and plant growth, to determine concentrations that can be applied without causing significant inhibition to these processes. <p>Arctic ecosystems are based on a soil type termed a cryosol that has an underlying permafrost layer. Often these soils are subject to cryoturbation, a process which heaves and mixes the soil, bringing the mineral horizons to the surface. I hypothesized that phytotoxicity test results in arctic soils would be highly variable compared to other terrestrial ecosystems due to the cryoturbation process and subsequent range of soil characteristics. The variability associated with phytotoxicity tests was evaluated using Environment Canadas standardized plant toxicity test in three cryoturbated soils from Canadas arctic exposed to a reference toxicant, boric acid. The phytotoxicity of boric acid to northern wheatgrass (<i>Elymus lanceolatus </i>) in cryosols was much greater than commonly reported in other soils, with less than 150 ug boric acid g-1 soil needed to inhibit root and shoot growth by 20%. There was also large variability in the phytotoxicity test results, with coefficients of variation for 10 samples ranging from 160 to 79%. Due to this variability in cryoturbated arctic soils, more than 30 samples should be collected from each control and potentially impacted area to accurately assess contaminant effects, and ensure that false negatives of toxicant impacts in arctic soils are minimized. <p>To characterize the toxicity of ammonium nitrate I exposed a variety of arctic soils and a temperate soil to different concentrations of ammonium nitrate solution over a 90 day time period. Dose responses of carbon mineralization, nitrification and phytotoxicity test parameters were estimated for ammonium nitrate applications. In addition to direct toxicity, the effect of ammonium nitrate on ecosystem resistance was investigated by dosing nitrogen impacted soils with boric acid. Ammonium nitrate solutions had no effect on carbon mineralization activity, and affected nitrification rates in only one soil, a polar desert soil from Cornwallis Island. In contrast, ammonium nitrate applications (43 mmol N L-1 soil water) significantly impaired seedling emergence, root length and shoot length of northern wheatgrass. Concentrations of ammonium nitrate in soil water that inhibited plant parameters by 20% varied between 43 to 280 mmol N L-1 soil water, which corresponds with 2,100 to 15,801 mg L-1 in the application water. Arctic soils were more resistant to ammonium nitrate toxicity than the temperate soil under these study conditions. However, it is not clear if this represents a general trend for all polar soils, and because nitrogen is an essential macro-nutrient, nitrogenous toxicity should likely be considered a special case for soil toxicity. As soil concentrations could be maintained under inhibitory levels with continual application of low concentrations of ammonium nitrate over the growing season, atomization of wastewater contaminated with ammonium nitrate is a promising technology for mitigation of nitrogen pollution in polar environments.

Saskatchewan producers traditionally overwinter their cattle in pens in the yard. The practice of winter feeding of cattle directly in the field is increasing in popularity leading to concerns about increased nutrients being deposited in soil and potentially lost in runoff water and to ground water. In 2008/2009 an experiment was conducted to observe the effect of in-field winter feeding of cows on the nutrients in spring snowmelt run-off. Approximately 100 cattle were baled grazed on a Russian wild ryegrass pasture at a stocking rate of 2240 cow-days ha-1 for 88 d during the winter at the Western Beef Development Center at Lanigan, SK. The spring 2009 ponded water was sampled from four basins in the control (no cattle were present) and four basins in the winter feeding treatment from the end of March to mid-April. Ground water samples from two piezometers in the control and two in the winter feeding area were gathered from the start of runoff until the middle of summer. Soil samples (0-10 cm) were collected in the fall 2008 before winter feeding and again in the spring 2009 after winter feeding on both the control and treated areas to examine the influence of winter feeding on soil nutrients. Orthophosphate-P and ammonium-N concentrations were elevated to levels up to 19.9 mg PO4-P L-1 and 102.3 mg NH4-N L-1 respectively in run-off from the winter feed treatment basins compared to the controls (2.1 mg PO4-P L-1 and 1.72 mg NH4-N L-1). Nitrate-N concentrations in snowmelt run-off water were similar from the winter-fed areas (0.008 mg NO3-N L-1 to 0.739 mg NO3-N L-1) and the control (0.001 mg NO3-N L-1 to 1.046 mg NO3-N L-1). This is explained by lack of sufficient time and temperature for organic N, urea and ammonium in the urine and fecal matter to convert to nitrate. In the ground water there was a slight increase in nutrient ion concentration in the winter feed basins compared to the control. Soil sampled in the spring from the winter feeding site had higher soluble nitrate, ammonium and phosphorus compared to the control. The soluble and exchangeable forms of phosphorus in the soil were lower compared to the fall soil samples for the control and winter feeding site, possibly due to immobilization by plant and microbial uptake in the spring. Caution should be used when selecting sites for in-field winter feeding system so the run-off water does not reach sensitive water bodies.

Using the short-lived radiotracer 13N, we examined the hypothesis that toxic, futile ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+) fluxes at high external concentrations are mediated by ammonia-transporting aquaporins in roots of intact barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants. Effects of the aquaporin inhibitors zinc, copper, mercury, gold, silver, hydrogen peroxide, propionic acid, and nitrogen gas supported this hypothesis. Further tests with these inhibitors showed that changes in plant water potential and water content could be linked to NH3/NH4+ fluxes. An increase in external pH, causing an increase of NH3 in the nutrient solution, resulted in large increases of 13N influx, which can only be explained in energetic terms if the transported solute is neutrally charged. Taken together, the evidence here strongly supports the proposed hypothesis.

Using the short-lived radiotracer 13N, we examined the hypothesis that toxic, futile ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+) fluxes at high external concentrations are mediated by ammonia-transporting aquaporins in roots of intact barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants. Effects of the aquaporin inhibitors zinc, copper, mercury, gold, silver, hydrogen peroxide, propionic acid, and nitrogen gas supported this hypothesis. Further tests with these inhibitors showed that changes in plant water potential and water content could be linked to NH3/NH4+ fluxes. An increase in external pH, causing an increase of NH3 in the nutrient solution, resulted in large increases of 13N influx, which can only be explained in energetic terms if the transported solute is neutrally charged. Taken together, the evidence here strongly supports the proposed hypothesis.

The goal of this project was to study the deliquescence kinetics of aerosol particles of atmospheric significance. In the course of this work a novel experimental method was developed, which utilizes the measurement of the water vapor loss in laminar aerosol flow to determine vapor uptake on the aerosol surface. The newly designed flow tube apparatus uses a system of Nafion based dryers and humidifiers, which greatly simplifies the optimization and control of the relative humidity in the aerosol flow. The design, which also utilizes a movable inlet, enables easy variation of the aerosol residence time in the deliquescence reactor, while keeping other experimental conditions constant. In this study, a numerical retrieval procedure was used to characterize aerosols in situ from their IR extinction spectra. The procedure allows that the aerosol size, number distribution, phase and composition be determined, provided the optical constants of all the components (materials) comprising the aerosol are known. For the purpose of studying the deliquescence kinetics of ammonium sulfate aerosol and monitoring their evolution from solid to liquid (state), we have acquired a set of optical constants for a range of (NH4)2SO4 compositions. A set of experiments in a somewhat modified flow tube set up was performed to produce AMS aerosols of known composition, including solid, saturated (water) solution (40 % wt.) and a series of diluted solutions with composition ranging between 40 and 10 % wt. in 5 % increments. The IR spectra of these model aerosols were used to derive the optical constants, using an inversion method proposed by Clapp. The derived refractive indices, which cover the spectral range from 590 to 5990 cm-1 with 2 cm-1 resolution, were compared with those already available in the literature. Using various examples to compare the quality of fittings to experimental spectra, we demonstrated that our optical constants present an improvement relative to those previously reported by B. Toon’s (for crystalline AMS) and S. Martin’s (for AMS solution). The suitability of applying this procedure to ammonium sulfate aerosols and its sensitivity to spectral range was also investigated and discussed. As a preparatory step for the deliquescence kinetics study, our new flow tube apparatus and the tools for the characterization of aerosol were verified in a standard deliquescence experiment performed on (NH4)2SO4 aerosols. The deliquescence process of an equilibrated aerosol flow was monitored as a function of increasing humidity and the deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) determined to be 79.6 ± 0.85 % which is, within experimental uncertainty, in an excellent agreement with the results reported by other research groups. In the kinetic experiment, a flow of solid (NH4)2SO4 aerosols is pre-humidified to a humidity close to, but enough below DRH that there is no detectable amount of liquid aerosols in the system. Such an equilibrated aerosol flow was introduced to the deliquescence reactor where it is further humidified in a controllable manner, by varying the position of the movable inlet. The amount of water transferred to the aerosol through the Nafion membrane was closely monitored, as well as the resulting increase in the water content in the aerosol flow (both gaseous and liquid). This was achieved by measuring the RHs and flow rates of the aerosol and humidification flow, and the characterization of aerosol composition and concentration using their IR spectra. The experimental conditions and aerosol residence times in the reactor where chosen such that no other diluted solution except for saturated (NH4)2SO4 droplets were produced in the process. The number distribution of deliquesced aerosols and the corresponding change in the water content in the aerosol flow were used by a newly developed kinetic model to determine the kinetics of the deliquescence process. Assuming fully developed laminar flow conditions, the water vapor concentration in the flow and its depletion in the presence of aerosol was modeled, to retrieve the value of the water vapor uptake. In the case of micron-sized ammonium sulfate aerosols, which were used in this study, the uptake coefficient,, was determined to be 0.0072 ± 6.54x10-3. The uncertainty associated with this value, as well as the suggested improvements to the experimental procedure and the kinetic model in order to reduce the uncertainty were discussed.