Non-indigenous invasive species are a major threat to native species diversity and ecosystem function and have been called the single worst threat of natural disaster of this century. Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees (Lehmann lovegrass), a tufted perennial bunchgrass native to southern Africa, is one such problematic species in Arizona, USA. This dissertation research is a mix of predictive modeling and field experiments designed to inform management decisions based on greater understanding of this nonnative species, with emphasis on the potential for spread and the impacts of removal.The modeling studies in this dissertation aimed to predict the potential distribution of E. lehmanniana in the southwestern United States under current and potential future climate conditions. The first portion of study addressed a common assumption in predictive modeling of nonnative species: data from the species' native range are necessary to accurately predict the potential distribution in the invaded range. The second portion of this study predicted the distribution of E. lehmanniana under 28 different climate change scenarios. Results showed the distribution of E. lehmanniana progressively shrinking in the southeastern and northwestern portions of the state and increasing in the northeastern portion of the state with increasing temperatures and precipitation. Key shifts occurred under scenarios with increases in summer and winter precipitation of 30% or more, and increases in summer maximum and winter minimum temperatures of at least 2oC.The field experiment served as a pre-eradication assessment for E. lehmanniana and indicates how semi-desert grassland communities in southeastern Arizona may respond to the removal of this species. This study suggested that plant community response to removal of an introduced species is mediated by precipitation variability (timing and amount), local site history, and edaphic conditions. The response observed on a site previously farmed for decades was to subsequently become dominated by other nonnative annual species. However, the two other sites with histories of livestock grazing responded more predictably to the removal, with an increase in annual ruderal species (2 to 10 times the amount of annual cover recorded on control plots).

This is a project about The Water Treatment System at Djupdalen. The leakage water comes to the Water Treatment System from a deposition plant through the land. The leakage water is characterized by a high concentration of nitrogen and the system is based on biological removing of the nitrogen in the water, by nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Four different problems are found in the system: 1. High level of nitrogen concentration in the outgoing water of the system. It should be due to the lack of phosphate in the water, that do not let the bacteria to grow. 2. Low temperature during the most part of the year. Nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria are temperature-dependent, that are very slow at low temperatures. 3. High oxygen concentration in one of the anoxic pond, where the denitrification process take place. This oxygen concentration is too high for denitrifying bacteria to work. 4. The nitrification and denitrification bacteria need to be “old” to work efficiently. They need a surface to attach, because if not they flow with the water and they leave the system. And four possible solutions for the system are presented: 1. Phosphate should be added to the system to let bacteria growth. 2. Store the water at a store pond during the winter months and transport it to the system when the temperature is optimum for the bacteria to work. 3. Add carbon matter to improve the carbon oxidation and to low down the oxygen levels at the anoxic ponds. 4. Two options are presented to improve the system, the first one is based on the construction of a dark wavy bottom in the channel system, which will give a surface for bacteria to attaché, it will produce oxygenation in the water, and it will also improve the water temperature; and the second one is based on the addition of panels made of black material, which will give to bacteria a surface to attach, and improve the water temperature.

The effect of fruit removal from cantaloupe was studied under field conditions in a soil naturally infested with Monosporascus cannonballus. Fruit removal resulted in greater sugar accumulation in the cantaloupe roots compared to the roots from plants on which the fruits were allowed to develop normally. Individual, total, and combined root carbohydrate levels were greater in plants without fruit than in plants with fruit. Five major sugars (stachyose, raffinose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose) were found in the cantaloupe roots. Stachyose concentrations were higher than all the other sugars in the cantaloupe roots. Disease severity on the cantaloupe roots with fruit removed was less severe than on roots of plants with fruit, and dry weights were higher in the fruit removal treatment than those of the fruit non-removal treatment. Fruit removal results in increased root growth and carbohydrate accumulation in the cantaloupe roots. Root sugar concentrations affected infection efficiency and disease progress of Monosporascus root rot and vine decline. Therefore, the retarded development of Monosporascus root rot and vine decline is associated with a greater carbohydrate accumulation in the cantaloupe root.

The presence of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater has caused a number of social and health-related problems for the rural poor of Bangladesh. Today, it is estimated that 42 – 60 million people in Bangladesh consume water at arsenic concentrations greater than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard of 10 μg/L. The arsenic-iron removal plant (AIRP) has been widely used to remove arsenic from drinking water across much of the country; however, AIRPs show variable levels of efficiency and have often failed to meet the WHO standard. Those who continue to drink water with elevated concentrations of arsenic are prone to skin disease and various cancers. The thesis presented here examines methods to mitigate exposure of the rural poor to arsenic by modifying the AIRP and increasing our understanding of the chemical and social factors associated with its use. This objective is accomplished via four channels: (1) assessment of the chemical processes occurring within the AIRP, (2) evaluation of three retrofits, (3) development of a waste management strategy, and (4) examination of social factors affecting use and sustainability of the AIRP. Household AIRPs installed in the village of Mohadevpur, in the Manikganj district, are examined.

In 2001 the World Commission of Dams concluded that the economic, social and environmental cost of dams has been unacceptably high. As a result, dam removal is emerging as a promising option in addressing these concerns. However, dam removal is a contentious issue sharply divided between biophysical and socioeconomic interests. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct an explanatory case study of Eden Mills, Ontario to investigate the process of dam removal consideration. It was determined that i) safety ii) economics iii) social value and iv) environmental impact were critical variables influencing the decision-making process. Following site analysis, key-informant interviews and a design vignette survey it was determined that Eden Mills pursue dam removal as the social value of the millpond no longer justified the sustained economic and biophysical costs associated with the dam. This process theory can be applied to other dam removal scenarios to facilitate the decision making process.

Sulfate is one of the most problematic ions present in reject brine in desalination systems due to its high potential of scale formation and membrane fouling; making it an obstacle in the application of zero liquid discharge. The ultra-high lime with aluminum process (UHLA) has shown to effectively remove sulfate. This research involves the study of sulfate removal from the nano-filtration unit in the zero liquid discharge system for inland desalination via a two-stage process using a calcium source to remove sulfate in the first stage and implementing the UHLA process in the second stage. The kinetics, equilibrium characteristics, and effects of different parameters on sulfate removal were studied. Kinetics of sulfate removal was studied on both stages of the process. The observation of fast kinetics in both stages indicated that removal kinetics is not a limitation for the application of the process. Equilibrium characteristics of the UHLA process were performed which revealed efficient sulfate removal at practical ranges of lime and aluminum doses. The effect of pH on sulfate removal in the process was studied. Results showed that sulfate removal in Stage 1 was independent of the pH of the solution while effective sulfate removal in Stage 2 was found to be above a pH of 11. The effect of initial sulfate concentrations on sulfate removal in Stage 1 was investigated and sulfate removal was mainly controlled by calcium sulfate solubility. The effect of initial chloride concentrations on sulfate removal in Stage 2 was evaluated and the results indicated that chloride has negligible effect on the removal of sulfate. Experiments concerning the effect of the recycle of calcium sulfate solids in Stage 1 showed an increase of the reaction rate. In contrast, the recycle of Stage 2 dry solids into Stage 2 revealed no effect on sulfate removal. An equilibrium model was developed to explain the equilibrium characteristics of Stage 2. It was found that a valid explanation for the chemistry of sulfate removal in Stage 2 was the formation of a solid solution consisting of ettringite and monosulfate. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of these solids.

Thesis (M. Tech.: Biotechnology)-Dept. of Biotechnology and Food Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2008. xiv, 103 leaves : ill. / Phytoremediation is an emerging technology where specially selected and engineered metal-accumulating plants are used for bioremediation. Amaranthus dubius (marog or wild spinach) is a popular nutritious leafy vegetable crop which is widespread especially in the continents of Africa, Asia and South America. Their rapid growth and great biomass makes them some of the highest yielding leafy crops which may be beneficial for phytoremediation. This study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of A. dubius for the phytoremediation of Chromium (Cr), Mercury (Hg), Arsenic (As), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu) and Nickel (Ni). Locally gathered soil and plants of A. dubius were investigated for the metals from a regularly cultivated area, a landfill site and a sewage site. Metals were extracted from the samples using microwave-digestion and analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Further experiments were conducted with plants from locally collected seeds of A. dubius, in a tunnel house under controlled conditions. The mode of phytoremediation, the effect of the metals on the plants, the ability of the plant to extract metals from soil (Bioconcentration Factor - BCF), and the ability of the plants to move the metals to the aerial parts of the plants (Translocation Factor - TF) were evaluated for the different metals. Finally, A. dubius was micro-propagated in a tissue culture system with and without exposure to the metal, and the effect was studied by electron microscopy.

Monitoring data for potable water in the R.M. of Macdonald regional water system indicates elevated levels of chlorine disinfection by-products (DBPs), trihalomethanes (THMs). Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and chlorine dose are the key precursors for the formation of THMs. Currently, the DOC is not removed efficiently at the Sanford water treatment plant, which supplies the R.M.’s potable water distribution system. The raw water DOC concentration incoming to the plant varied from 8.9mg/L to 31.8mg/L during this study. Sanford treated water effluent contained an average DOC of 6.5mg/L and the THM levels ranged from 86.6ppb to 175.7ppb. One of the objectives of this study was to conduct jar tests to optimize Sanford’s water treatment process to improve removal of DOC. Optimization of the coagulation process successfully reduced the DOC level in the plant effluent by 51% during the summer and 34% in the winter. The DOC reduction resulted in a THM reduction of 73.5ppb in the summer and 59.9ppb during the winter. Results showed that removal of 1mg/L of DOC eliminates 26.8ppb of THMs in summer and 11.9ppb during the winter. Another goal of this project was to investigate the relationship between THMs and their precursors, which includes: water DOC, free chlorine residual, and the chlorine contact time. Water samples were strategically collected throughout the Sanford regional water distribution system; the samples were tested for DOC, UV254, SUVA, chlorine residual, and contact time. A linear relationship between THM formation and chlorine contact time (R2 of 0.92) was found. This indicates that the content of THMs can be decreased by reducing the amount of time the water stays in the distribution system.

This research focuses on anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox). The anammox process for treating high ammonium and low organic carbon wastewater can reduce operational costs to a greater extent than the conventional autotrophic/heterotrophic treatment process can. The process has been widely researched because of its potential economic benefits. However, during long-term reactor operation, sudden reductions of nitrogen removal rates have been reported; maximum nitrogen removal rates in different reactor configurations could not approach values predicted based on mathematical modeling; and the crucial stability parameter, such as nitrite, did not have defined threshold concentration. It was hypothesised that free ammonia (FA) increase is the precursor of the instability of the anammox reactor. If it is true that nitrite up to about 200 mg N/L should stimulate nitrogen removal rate inside of the anammox reactor, when FA is kept below the inhibition threshold concentration. The research presented in the thesis argues that FA plays a larger role than has been previously considered in the instability of the anammox reactor. This study found FA inhibited nitrogen removal rates (NRR) at concentrations exceeding 2 mg N/L. In the pH range 7 to 8, the decrease in anammox activity was independent of pH and related only to the concentration of FA. Nitrite concentrations of up to 200 mg N/L did not negatively affect nitrogen removal rate. This study further found that low nitrite provided stable anammox reactor performance, but that high nitrite was not necessarily the cause for reactor destabilization. During the research high nitrogen removal rate was achieved when low FA was provided. During regular reactor operation at pH 6.5, the NRR at about 6.2 g N/Ld was archived. This value was never achieved before till this study was conducted. Conducted research showed controlling FA at low level is required to approach high rates in anammox reactors. Achieving high rates in anammox reactors allow significant reduction in reactor volume which saves resources. Further studies will be required to identify the FA effect on different microbial interactions, and that may provide more in-depth understanding of the nitrite and FA effect than observations based on NRR alone.

Monitoring data for potable water in the R.M. of Macdonald regional water system indicates elevated levels of chlorine disinfection by-products (DBPs), trihalomethanes (THMs). Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and chlorine dose are the key precursors for the formation of THMs. Currently, the DOC is not removed efficiently at the Sanford water treatment plant, which supplies the R.M.’s potable water distribution system. The raw water DOC concentration incoming to the plant varied from 8.9mg/L to 31.8mg/L during this study. Sanford treated water effluent contained an average DOC of 6.5mg/L and the THM levels ranged from 86.6ppb to 175.7ppb. One of the objectives of this study was to conduct jar tests to optimize Sanford’s water treatment process to improve removal of DOC. Optimization of the coagulation process successfully reduced the DOC level in the plant effluent by 51% during the summer and 34% in the winter. The DOC reduction resulted in a THM reduction of 73.5ppb in the summer and 59.9ppb during the winter. Results showed that removal of 1mg/L of DOC eliminates 26.8ppb of THMs in summer and 11.9ppb during the winter. Another goal of this project was to investigate the relationship between THMs and their precursors, which includes: water DOC, free chlorine residual, and the chlorine contact time. Water samples were strategically collected throughout the Sanford regional water distribution system; the samples were tested for DOC, UV254, SUVA, chlorine residual, and contact time. A linear relationship between THM formation and chlorine contact time (R2 of 0.92) was found. This indicates that the content of THMs can be decreased by reducing the amount of time the water stays in the distribution system.