A study was conducted to evaluate the sorption characteristics of six disinfection byproducts (DBPs) on four sorbents. To investigate sorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), specially designed experimental batch and continuous flow modules were developed. The investigated compounds included: chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), bromodichloromethane (BDCM), methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), bromate and bromide ions. Sorbents used included light weight aggregate (LWA), an inorganic porous material with unique surface characteristics, Amberlite® XAD-16, a weakly basic anion exchange resin, Amberjet®, a strongly basic anion exchange resin, and granular activated carbon (GAC). Batch experiments were conducted on spiked Milli-Q® and lake water matrices. Results indicate considerable sorption of TCE (68.9%), slight sorption of bromate ions (19%) and no appreciable sorption for the other test compounds on LWA. The sorption of TCE increased to 75.3% in experiments utilizing smaller LWA particle size. LWA could be a viable medium for removal of TCE from contaminated surface or groundwater sites. Amberlite® was found unsuitable for use due to its physical characteristics, and its inability to efficiently remove any of the test compounds. Amberjet® showed an excellent ability to remove the inorganic anions (>99%), and BDCM (96.9%) from aqueous solutions but with considerable elevation of pH. Continuous flow experiments evaluated GAC and Amberjet® with spiked Milli-Q® and tap water matrices. The tested organic compounds were sorbed in the order of their hydrophobicity. Slight elevation of pH was observed during continuous flow experiments, making Amberjet® a viable option for removal of BDCM, bromate and bromide ions from water. The continuous flow experiments showed that GAC is an excellent medium for removal of the tested VOCs and bromate ion. Each of the test compounds showed different breakthrough and saturation points. The unique design of the continuous flow apparatus used in the study proved to be highly beneficial to assess removal of volatile organic compounds from aqueous solutions.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology: Emergency Medical Care, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2013. / Background In the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), paramedics play a vital role in the treatment of critically ill or injured patients, as they are often the first link or point of contact for the patient in the healthcare setting. They may therefore also play a vital role in the prevention and control of the transmission of communicable diseases, provided that proper infection control measures are in place. The objectives of the study There is presently no national policy on communicable diseases and infection control that is specifically designed for use in the South African prehospital environment. Given the paucity of research in the area, qualitative multiple case studies were conducted to develop an ambulance specific disinfection protocol and to evaluate its effectiveness in the public sector EMS in the eThekwini District of KwaZulu-Natal. Methodology The study comprised of three phases. In the first phase focus group discussions were conducted to identify the factors needed to develop a disinfection protocol. The study population consisted of both operational and management staff from the EMS under study. The first four focus groups consisted of eight to ten EMS operational staff each and the fifth focus group consisted of five EMS management staff. Thereafter, the information gathered was used in conjunction with internationally accepted guidelines to develop an ambulance specific disinfection protocol (Phase Two). The third phase entailed the implementation of the protocol at seven ambulance bases in the eThekwini health district and the evaluation of the protocol with the use of an open-ended questionnaire at two weeks and four weeks after implementation. A single ambulance crew and their immediate supervisor from each base were utilized in this phase. Conclusion and recommendations An ambulance specific disinfection protocol was developed and implemented in the EMS under study. During the development, implementation and evaluation of the protocol, many themes with regard to infection control in EMS were identified. These themes were used to better understand the present situation in EMS in relation to infection control and in the formulation of recommendations to assist in the improvement of the present situation. The researcher recommended that all EMS staff require training and education with regard to infection control and prevention. The development and implementation of a protocol and policy document for infection control specifically for EMS is required. There is a need for the deployment of more ambulances and the employment of more operational EMS staff together with the appointment of Infection Control Supervisors at all ambulance bases. Without adequate infrastructure needed to meet infection control and prevention requirements, there may be a serious risk to both staff and the patients they serve. / M

Disinfection by-products (DBPs) are a major group of water contaminants and their role in causing adverse health outcomes, including adverse pregnancy outcomes, endocrine disruption, respiratory related adverse health outcomes and cancer has been subject to extensive epidemiological and toxicological research and review. Determination of safe exposure to DBPs, particularly within drinking water supplies, has been a topic of extensive debate, with a wide range of acceptable levels set across the industrialized world. The focus of the research in this thesis was on two of the main health outcomes associated with DBP exposure, namely adverse pregnancy outcomes and asthma related symptoms. To assess adverse pregnancy outcomes in Perth, an extensive classification quantification of the major DBPs in Perth drinking water was conducted. A registrybased prevalence study was carried out to assess birth defects in relation to high, medium and low DBP areas (defined by the water sampling and analysis). It was found that women living in high THM areas are 22% (odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01-1.48) more likely of having a baby with any birth defect. High exposure was also strongly associated with an increased risk of having a baby with a cardiovascular defect (62% increased risk). Low birth weight and prematurity were also assessed; however these outcomes were not associated with an increased risk through an increase in exposure. Following on from this analysis, a population risk assessment model was developed for DBPs in high exposure environments. This involved a three step process: (i) Firstly a questionnaire-based validation and reliability study was used to assess water consumption patterns of a population of pregnant women in Perth. (ii) Secondly a prediction model for teratogenic burden of DBPs in Perth was developed, related to the exposure patterns of the population of pregnant women involved in the validation and reliability study. (iii) Finally, combining the information collected in (i) and (ii), along with the regression slope estimates for birth weight from the prevalence study (defined in Section 2.2.1), a dose-response model for THMs and birth weight was developed. Predictive simulations for birth weights at given THM levels were then conducted. It was estimated that pregnant women in Perth are exposed to between 0.3 – 4.10 µg/day ingested TTHM, and of this, the more toxic brominated forms accounted for between 0.27 – 3.69 µg/day. Based on a dose-response model used, birthweights calculated for the ‘hypothetical’ exposures ranged from 3403.2g for the highest exposure to 3503.5g in the lowest exposure, which is a difference of over 100g. Although the resulting reduction in birth weight is not extreme, there is still a significant reduction in birth weight present as exposure to TTHMs increases. This is the first doseresponse model to be developed to assess an adverse pregnancy outcome based on pregnant women exposure data, and will be a useful tool for assessing varying exposures throughout not only Australia but also throughout the industrialised world, where DBP exposure is highly prevalent.

The validation of UV reactors is currently accomplished by biodosimetry, in which the reactor is treated as a "black-box" and hence cannot account for the dependence of the dose delivery on the complex hydrodynamics and the spatial variation in UV intensity. Alternative methods, such as fluorescent microspheres as non-biological surrogates and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, have been developed; however, each method has its shortcomings. In this study, a novel technique for the spatial and temporal assessment of the hydrodynamics and the UV dose delivered and the link between these two factors in a lab-scale UV reactor using three dimensional laser induced fluorescence (3DLIF) is developed. This tool can also be utilized for the optimization of UV reactors and to provide data for validation of CFD-based simulation techniques. Regions of optimization include areas around the UV lamp where short-circuiting occurred, a longer inlet approach section that enhances the performance of the reactor by reducing short circuiting paths and a longer outlet region to provide greater mixing. 3DLIF allows real time characterization of mixing and dose delivery in a single lamp UV reactor placed perpendicular to flow by capturing fluorescence images emitted from a laser dye, Rhodamine 6G, using a high speed CCD camera. In addition to three-dimensional mixing, the technique successfully visualized the two-dimensional, transient mixing behaviors such as the recirculation zone and the von Karman vortices and the fluence delivery within the reactor, which has not been possible with traditional tracer test techniques. Finally, a decomposition technique was applied to the flow and fluence delivery based concentration data to reveal similar structures that affect these phenomena. Based on this analysis, changing the flow in the reactor, i.e. the Reynolds number, will directly affect the fluence delivery.

Hydrodynamic behavior in reactors used for water treatment, particularly in ozone contactors with serpentine flow, is known to strongly affect the process efficiency. However, exact flow characteristics inside these reactors are not well understood, as traditional approach either considers these reactors as black box or relies on less accurate Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation. In order to provide a deep understanding of the hydrodynamics and solute transport phenomena in these reactors, high resolution numerical studies using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method are performed. The reactor geometries investigated in this research are Constant Baffle Spacing Multi-Chamber (CBSMC) ozone contactors and a Variable Baffle Spacing ozone contactor Model (VBSM). The LES results in two multi-chamber ozone contactors (CBSMC -Normal-Width and -Half-Width) suggest that the flow through these reactors is characterized by the presence of extensive short-circuiting and large internal recirculation. The results also suggest that the flow is highly three dimensional with a pair of symmetric counter-rotating secondary vortices. LES studies based on VBSM, the baffle spacing of which varies between 0.5 times to 5 times the size of the base chamber; suggest that the width of the recirculation zone grows at about the same rate as the baffle spacing. Instantaneous turbulent eddies are prevalent in the chamber and increase turbulent mixing. The elevated levels of turbulence are found in the short-circuiting flow path. The tracer is dispersed along the short-circuiting path and strongly into the recirculation zone due to turbulent diffusion. Baffle spacing greater than the entrance gate height, but also smaller baffle spacing, worsens the disinfection efficiency. Finally, the turbulent Schmidt number of RANS simulation was investigated by employing the previously validated LES simulation. Due to the presence of very strong turbulent diffusion in the reactors, the turbulent Schmidt number is found out to be much less than the values commonly used, and is also specific to the baffle spacing.

CNPQ / Enterococcus sp. podem ser isolados de seres humanos, animais e ambiente; possuem alta tolerância a fatores extremos como pH, temperatura e concentração salina. Desempenham papel importante como cultura starter em vários produtos como iogurtes e queijos, além de serem produtores de enterocinas. Contudo, é crescente seu potencial como agentes causadores de sérias infecções, podendo adquirir alta resistência a antimicrobianos e biocidas. Os equipamentos na indústria alimentícia estão propensos à alta contaminação microbiológica devido à presença de substratos para os microrganismos, e quando não higienizados permitem que os microrganismos se desenvolvam até formarem biofilmes, contaminando o produto final. Este estudo teve por finalidade realizar o isolamento de cepas do gênero Enterococcus de equipamentos das linhas de processos de embutidos cárneos cozidos e de iogurtes, identificar através de técnicas moleculares as espécies dos isolados, verificar a suscetibilidade biocida a sete formulações de diferentes desinfetantes de uso industrial e ação destes sobre o biofilme. Nas amostras coletadas na linha de iogurtes não houve o crescimento de colônias indicativas. Das 36 amostras coletadas nas linhas de produção de embutidos cárneos cozidos, selecionou-se 40 colônias que ao submeter à avaliação genotípica, obtivemos que 70,0% (28 isolados) possuíam o gene tuf que identifica o gênero Enterococcus sp. Identificamos que 7,1% pertenciam aos gêneros E. faecium, 7,1% E. gallinarum, 7,1% E. casseliflavus/E. flavencens e 78,7% dos isolados não foram identificados ao nível de espécie com os oligonucleotídeos iniciadores utilizados neste estudo. Ao avaliar a ação de sanitizantes sobre células de Enterococcus sp. na presença de água verificou-se que nenhum produto utilizado conseguiu ser totalmente eficiente no controle do desenvolvimento dos enterococos em presença de água. Nos testes utilizando BHI e sanitizante os isolados apresentaram menor desenvolvimento na presença do sanitizante amônia quaternária D em todos os tempos, sendo que nos tempos 15 minutos, 1, 2, 3 e 24 horas não houve desenvolvimento. O maior desenvolvimento ocorreu na presença dos produtos dióxido de cloro, hipoclorito de sódio e ácido peracético em todos os tempos, sendo que para os dois primeiros produtos todos os isolados foram resistentes em todos os tempos. Independente do tipo de sanitizantes e biofilme formado, nenhum agente químico foi eficaz na eliminação total das células de Enterococcus. Nota-se que os biofilmes formaram-se mesmo sobre as superfícies sanitizadas, mesmo que tenham sido utilizados as concentrações e tempo médios recomendados pelos fabricantes. É indispensável ressaltar que os resultados confirmam a importância de ações preventivas nas indústrias para evitar a resistência dos microrganismos a determinados compostos e maximizar a eficiência dos procedimentos de higienização aplicados. / The Enterococcus sp. may be isolated from humans, animals and environment. It presents high tolerance to extreme factors such as pH, temperature and salt concentration. It has an important role as a starter culture in different products such yogurts and cheeses, and as producers of enterocinas. However, its potential as agents of serious infections has increasing, especially because can acquire high resistance to antimicrobials and biocides. The food industry equipment’s are willing to high microbiological contamination due to the presence of substrates for microorganisms. When dirty, allow the microorganisms grow and biofilm formation, contaminating the final product. The aim of this work was isolated the genus Enterococci strains of equipment’s on pork cooked sausages and yogurts lines, identified through molecular techniques and check the biocide susceptibility of seven formulations of different industrial disinfectants and the action of these on the biofilm. On the yogurts line samples analyzed there was no grow of indicative colonies. Of the 36 samples analyzed in the sausage line, 40 colonies were selected to undergo genotypic evaluation, showing that 70.0% (28 isolates) had the tuf gene that identifies the genus Enterococcus sp. It was verified that 7.1% belonged to the genus E. faecium, 7.1% E. gallinarum, 7.1% E. casseliflavus/E. flavencens and 78.7% of the isolates were not identified to species level using the oligonucleotides used in this study. In assessing the sanitizing action on cells of Enterococcus sp. in the presence of water there was no product that could be used effectively on grow control of enterococci. In tests using BHI and sanitizing the isolates were less developed in the presence of quaternary ammonia sanitizer D at all times, and in the time 15 minutes, 1, 2, 3 and 24 hours there was no development. Further development occurred in the presence of chlorine dioxide, sodium hypochlorite and peracetic acid at all times, and for the first two products all isolates were resistant at all times. Regardless of the sanitizers and biofilm formed, no chemical agent was effective in complete elimination of Enterococcus cells. Note that biofilms were formed even on the sanitized surfaces even though the average concentration-time recommended by the manufacturer was used. Indispensable to emphasize that the results confirm the importance of preventive actions in the industries to avoid the resistance of microorganisms to certain compounds and maximize the efficiency of applied hygiene procedures.

Orientador: Jose Euclides Stipp Paterniani / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-02T03:02:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pires_MarcoRoberto_D.pdf: 5271302 bytes, checksum: 360fb9a15e870769155cec24f76d1dab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2002 / Resumo: Desinfecção de esgotos com radiação ultravioleta vem sendo utilizado, principalmente, em países europeus e nos EUA. A fotorreativação dos microrganismos tem sido avaliada para determinar seu grau de interferência na desinfecção. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a radiação ultravioleta para diferentes qualidades de efluentes e estudar a fotorreativação. Foram utilizados dois reatores diferentes, sendo um com lâmpadas emersas e outro imersa. Os reatores foram testados em seis efluentes diferentes para quatro vazões diferentes para cada reator. Os coliformes totais e fecais foram analisados para avaliar a eficiência dos reatores. Ensaios de fotorreativação em condições controladas foram realizadas. De forma geral, o Reator I foi mais eficiente que o Reator TI, e a qualidade do efluente muitas vezes foi mais importante que a dose aplicada como apresentada no Ponto de Coleta 3 para coliformes fecais, em que a inativação foi maior para a vazão 4 (com menor tempo de exposição à luz) em vez de ocorrer para a vazão 1 (com maior tempo de exposição). Doses de radiação ultravioleta mais altas implicam em valores iniciais e finais de fotorreativação menores, porém para atingir o valor máximo necessita de mais tempo. Quanto maior a dose de radiação ultravioleta aplicada menor é o grau de fotorreativação; os coliformes totais tem melhor correlação para análises desta natureza quanto comparado com a E.co/i / Abstract: Disinfection of effluents with ultraviolet radiation has been used in Europeans countries and United States. The photoreactivation of microorganism have been estimated to determine the influence on the disinfection. The objective of this work had to evaluate the ultraviolet disinfection to different qualities of effluent and photoreactivation. Two different kinds of reactors were used in experimental analyzed. The reactors were tested to six different effluents for four flows. Total and fecal coliforms were analyzed to estimate the efficiency of reactors. Assays of photoreactivation were analyzed in controlled conditions. In most of case, the Reactor I was more efficient than Reactor II, and effluent quality was more important than the dose uv applied. Dose uv higher imply in initial and final values of lower photoreactivation. The total coliforms have better correlation than E.coli / Doutorado / Saneamento e Ambiente / Doutor em Engenharia Civil

Outbreaks of food-born illness associated with the consumption of unpasteurized juice and apple cider have resulted in a rule published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to improve the safety of juice products. The rule (21 CFR120) requires manufacturers of juice products to develop a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan and to achieve a 5-log reduction in the number of the most resistant pathogens. Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection is one of the promising methods to reach this 5-log reduction of pathogens. The absorption coefficients of juices typically vary from 10 to 40 1/cm and can be even higher depending on brand and processing conditions. Thin film reactors consisting of two concentric cylinders are suitable for inactivating pathogens in juices. When the two concentric cylinders are fixed, the flow pattern in the gap can be laminar Poiseuille flow or turbulent flow depending on flow rates. If the inner cylinder is rotating, and the rotating speed of the inner cylinder exceeds a certain value, the flow pattern can be either laminar or turbulent Taylor-Couette flow. UV disinfection between concentric cylinders in laminar Poiseuille flow, turbulent flow and both laminar and turbulent Taylor-Couette flow was investigated experimentally and numerically. This is the first systematic study done on UV disinfection between concentric cylinders in all three flow patterns. The present work provides new experimental data for pathogen inactivation in each of the three flow patterns. In addition, the present study constitutes the first systematic numerical CFD predictions of expected inactivation levels. Proper operating parameters and optimum gap widths for different flow patterns are suggested. It is concluded that laminar Poiseuille flow provides inferior (small) inactivation levels while laminar Taylor-Couette flow provides superior (large) inactivation levels. The relative inactivation levels are: laminar Poiseuille flow < turbulent flow < laminar Taylor-Couette flow.

In recent years, a compound N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen, has been identified as an emerging disinfection by-product (DBP) since its formation and detection were linked to chlorine-based disinfection processes in several water utilities in the U.S. and Canada. Numerous organic nitrogen compounds present in water may impact the formation of NDMA during disinfection. Amine-based water treatment polymers used as coagulants and flocculants have been suggested as potential NDMA precursors due to the presence of amine functional groups in their structures, as well as the possible presence of dimethylamine (DMA) residues in polymer products. To minimize the potential risk of NDMA associated with water treatment polymers, the mechanisms of how the polymers behave as NDMA precursors and their contribution to the overall NDMA formation under actual water treatment conditions need to be elucidated. This research involved a systematic investigation to determine whether amine-based water treatment polymers contribute to NDMA formation under drinking water and wastewater treatment conditions, to probe the involved reaction mechanisms, and to develop strategies to minimize the polymers NDMA formation potential. The investigation included five research tasks: (1) General screening of NDMA formation potential of commonly used amine-based water treatment polymers, (2) NDMA formation from amine-based water treatment polymers under relevant water treatment conditions, (3) Probing the mechanisms of NDMA formation from polyamine and PolyDADMAC, (4) Effect of water treatment processes on NDMA formation from amine-based water treatment polymers, and (5) Developing strategies to reduce polymers NDMA formation potential. Direct chloramination or chlorination of high doses of polymers in deionized water at longer than typical contact time was used in the general screening of the NDMA formation potential of water treatment polymers and in the studies to identify reaction mechanisms. On the other hand, realistic dosages of chloramines and polymers and contact time were used in simulating representative water treatment conditions to evaluate the contribution of polymers to the overall NDMA formation in real systems. On the basis of the study results, strategies were developed to reduce the NDMA formation potential of amine-based water treatment polymers, which include modification of polymer structures and treatment parameters.

CNPQ / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de um biosensor, utilizando redes de Bragg em fibras óticas, capaz de mensurar deformações em tecido ósseo. Inicialmente foram realizados testes de esterilização e desinfecção com sensores, após o processo completo, os sensores foram testados quanto a sua sensibilidade. Com isso os métodos de esterilização e desinfecção autoclave, óxido etileno, hipoclorito de sódio, cloramina T e ácido peracético, foram eficazes para eliminação e ou inativação dos microrganismos, sem que haja alterações no comportamento das FBGs. Com isso definem-se métodos aplicáveis para possíveis estudos, onde fibras óticas foram implantadas em animais in vivo para estudos de comportamento metabólico com a presença de materiais inorgânicos. Na continuidade dos trabalhos foram realizados testes de compatibilidade de fibras óticas inseridas no tecido subcutâneo de ratos. Baseado na análise descritiva dos cortes histológicos pode-se concluir que as fibras ópticas sem revestimento e com revestimento foram biocompatíveis quando implantadas em subcutâneo de ratos. Sendo assim, foi possível contemplar o desenvolvimento de um sensor baseado em redes de Bragg em fibras óticas para implantação direta no tecido ósseo. Posteriormente foram realizados testes-piloto para o desenvolvimento da metodologia de construção e implante no desenvolvimento de biosensores. Com todo o trabalho feito até à data, o desenvolvimento e construção de um biosensor que foi implantado in vivo foi possível. O biossensor foi fixado na região mandibular de um bovino quatro meses de idade. Uma semana após a implantação, os animais receberam diferentes tipos de alimentos e foi monitorizada durante a ingestão de alimentos. Com as deformações medidas foi possível a análise dos diferentes padrões mastigatórios e diferentes magnitudes de força e frequência mastigatória que o animal desempenhada durante o processo de mastigação. / This study aims to develop a biosensor using Bragg gratings in optical fibers, capable of measuring deformation in bone tissue for this took a lot of work. Initially sterilization and disinfection with sensors tests were performed after the entire process, the sensors were tested for their sensitivity. In the same study methods of sterilization and disinfection have been tested to assess its efficiency. Thus methods of sterilization and disinfection autoclave, ethylene oxide, sodium hypochlorite, chloramine T and peracetic acid were effective for removing or inactivating microorganisms and, without changes in the behavior of the FBGs. With this set up methods applicable for possible studies, where optical fibers are implanted in in vivo animal studies metabolic behavior in the presence of inorganic materials. Continuing the work was carried out optical fiber compatibility tests inserted in the subcutaneous tissue of rats. Based on the descriptive analysis of histological sections can be concluded that the optical fiber uncoated and coated were biocompatible when implanted in rat subcutaneous tissue. Thus it is possible to contemplate the development of a sensor based on Bragg gratings in optical fibers for direct implantation into the bone tissue. Following on from the work were carried out pilot tests for development of construction methodology and implant in biosensor development. With all the work done to date, the development and construction of a biosensor that was implanted in vivo was possible. The biosensor was fixed in the mandibular region of a bull four months old. A week after implantation, the animal received different types of food and was monitored during the intake of foods. With the deformations measured parse the different masticatory patterns and different magnitudes of force and masticatory frequency that the animal developed during the chewing process completing the objectives of this study.