Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

No description available.

Harvesting woody biomass for biofuel has become an important research topic. In Mississippi, feasibility of utilizing woody biomass for bioenergy lies in the willingness to harvest by non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners, who control 71% of forestlands. A mail survey of Mississippi NIPF landowners elicited preferences concerning utilizing logging residues for bioenergy. When presented with hypothetical situations that compared bioenergy utilization attributes along with those of standard harvesting practices, more landowners preferred the bioenergy scenarios, even when more money was offered for standard harvesting. Older landowners with larger landholdings were less likely to prefer bioenergy scenarios. Higher educated landowners who were financially motivated, concerned with climate change, and considered habitat management an important goal were more likely to prefer bioenergy scenarios over standard harvesting. Available markets for logging residues could increase NIPF harvest rates based solely on the different harvesting attributes, which should increase availability of feedstocks for producers.

No description available.

Traditionally, coal combustion residuals (CCRs) were disposed of with little engineering consideration. Initially, common practice was to use a wet-scrubbing system to cut down on emissions of fly ash from the combustion facilities, where the ash materials were sluiced to the disposal facility and allowed to sediment out, forming deep deposits of meta-stable ash. As the life of the disposal facility progressed, new phases of the impoundment were constructed, often using the upstream method. One such facility experienced a massive slope stability failure on December 22, 2008 in Kingston, Tennessee, releasing millions of cubic yards of impounded ash material into the Watts Bar reservoir and damaging surrounding property. This failure led to the call for new federal regulations on CCR disposal areas and led coal burning facilities to seek out geotechnical consultants to review and help in the future design of their disposal facilities. CCRs are not a natural soil, nor a material that many geotechnical engineers deal with on a regular basis, so this thesis focuses on compiling engineering characteristics of CCRs determined by different researchers, while also reviewing current engineering practice when dealing with CCR disposal facilities. Since the majority of coal-burning facilities used the sluicing method to dispose of CCRs at one point, many times it is desirable to construct new "dry-disposal" phases above the retired ash impoundments; since in-situ sampling of CCRs is difficult and likely produces highly disturbed samples, a sample reconstitution technique is also presented for use in triaxial testing of surface impounded CCRs. / Master of Science

The arsenic maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water is likely to be lowered sometime in 2001 or 2002. If the MCL is lowered, it is speculated that there will be stricter limits imposed on the disposal and handling of arsenic-containing residuals. The purpose of this study is to determine the properties of drinking water residuals, including the chemical characteristics, the amount of arsenic that leaches in common residual handling and dewatering processes, and the hazardous potential of the residuals. Residual samples were collected from seven utilities with high arsenic concentrations in their raw water. Included in the study were four plants that coagulate with ferric chloride, two with aluminum hydroxide, and one softening plant. The residuals from each facility were acid digested and chemically characterized using ICP-AES to determine the total arsenic, aluminum and iron present. TCLP and California WET were performed to verify if the residuals were hazardous. Simulated lagoons were set up and monitored over a six-month period to determine the amount of arsenic that was leached to the liquid portion over time. Toxicity testing was performed on the residuals at 20% and 100% after two months and six months of storage. Bench-scale sand drying beds were used to dewater residuals, and the leachates were analyzed to determine if arsenic leached from residuals. The residuals were found to contain high levels of arsenic during the chemical characterization. However, all of the facilities passed the current TCLP limit of 5 mg/L. For all residuals, the California WET values were much higher than the TCLP values. In the lagoon study, redox potentials decreased and the arsenic and iron concentrations in the liquid portions increased. In the sand drying beds, very little arsenic leached; arsenic concentrations in the leachate were less than 10 ppb. Lagoon storage may not be a safe alternative for residuals containing arsenic. However, sand drying does not appear to present any threats. There were differences between the toxicity tests performed at 100% solids and 20% solids in the lagoon study. Some of the values increased and others decreased. Additionally, toxicity testing conducted after lagoon aging differed from earlier toxicity testing, due to the changing soluble arsenic. These discrepancies suggest that the test results can be affected by the percent solids and age of the residuals, and specific instructions should be given for consistent residuals testing. / Master of Science

Nowadays, mesophilic anaerobic processes (under 35ºC) predominate but they show to be unable to accomplish the new specifications. Consequently, only the migration to higher temperature conditions, i.e. thermophilic operation, seems to be capable of producing stabilized sludge that meets the new restrictions related to the presence of harmful bacteria. In addition, the effect of anaerobic digestion on organic micropollutants has scarcely been studied. Moreover, the temperature impact on these compounds in anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge has also not been elucidated.The overall objective of this work is to study the fate of some organic micropollutants during raw sewage sludge (RSS) anaerobic digestion and the effect of thermophilic temperature conditions on treatment efficiency, when compared with mesophilic anaerobic. To this purpose, a mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digester were operated using Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) as inoculum and the effects of Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) reduction and its influence on the fate of the selected organic micropollutants (namely, PAH, DEHP, AOX, PCB, NPE and LAS) were studied. Furthermore, the effect of a complementary treatment, namely the ultrasonic pretreatment, on the biodegradability of the organic feed and the behaviour of the subsequent anaerobic digestion was also examined, focussing on the micropollutants reduction.The main conclusions of every set experimental are presented:Start-up and HRT reduction· The use of WAS as inoculum for anaerobic digesters start-up represents a good option specially under thermophilic conditions.· Thermophilic anaerobic digestion is a good alternative to mesophilic digestion in order to improve specific biogas production.· The similar values of organic matter removal (VS) registered in both digesters.· 8 days was found to be the minimum HRT for the thermophilic digester, since VFA accumulation and pH decrease inhibited the process when working at a lower HRT. Organic micropollutants removal· Organic micropollutants removal efficiency was enhanced under thermophilic conditions.· The HRT influence was clearly observed for DEHP and PCB, independently of digestion temperature. However, it was temperature dependent for PAH, AOX, LAS and espcially for NPE.· NPE and DEHP are identified as the more recalcitrants contaminants.· The thermophilic conditions were not ensured the sludge safety conditions for agriculture use.· The accumulation of some compounds as NP and LCB was observed.· NP was stated as the intermediate compound of NPEO anaerobic degradation. Moreover, LCB were generated during HCB reductive dechlorination during anaerobic digestion.· Monitoring the metabolites of cited contaminants can be elucidated their biodegradation mechanisms and prevent any undesirable effects.Ultrasound-anaerobic digestion combined treatment· Organic matter removal, SBP and naphthalene removal were enhanced using the combined treatment in both digesters.· High organic matter removal, SBP and napthalene removal was registered in the thermo-digester.· Higher was enhancement of organic matter removal, SBP and naphthalene removal in the meso-digester than in the thermo-digester. · Pyrene removal was nearly the same with and without pretreatment.· It seems that the ultrasonic pretreatment affect more the mesophilic than the thermophilic digestion.· The results obtained in this combined treatment (ultrasound + anaerobic digestion) are promising and suggest the convenience of other investigations of other combined treatments to enhance the stabilized sludge quality.

The so-called 3σ-rule is a simple and widely used heuristic for outlier detection. This term is a generic term of some statistical hypothesis tests whose test statistics are known as normalized or studentized residuals. The conditions, under which this rule is statistically substantiated, were analyzed, and the extent it applies to geodetic least-squares adjustment was investigated. Then, the efficiency or non-efficiency of this method was analyzed and demonstrated on the example of repeated observations. / Die sogenannte 3σ-Regel ist eine einfache und weit verbreitete Heuristik für die Ausreißererkennung. Sie ist ein Oberbegriff für einige statistische Hypothesentests, deren Teststatistiken als normierte oder studentisierte Verbesserungen bezeichnet werden. Die Bedingungen, unter denen diese Regel statistisch begründet ist, werden analysiert. Es wird untersucht, inwieweit diese Regel auf geodätische Ausgleichungsprobleme anwendbar ist. Die Effizienz oder Nichteffizienz dieser Methode wird analysiert und demonstriert am Beispiel von Wiederholungsmessungen.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-12-07T10:42:20Z No. of bitstreams: 3 Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (1).pdf: 18841997 bytes, checksum: 81d8b3c8746995f8815dfec4fc05909b (MD5) Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (2).pdf: 3115044 bytes, checksum: fb522cec32010b346517744c51a7c7c7 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-12-07T10:45:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 3 Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (1).pdf: 18841997 bytes, checksum: 81d8b3c8746995f8815dfec4fc05909b (MD5) Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (2).pdf: 3115044 bytes, checksum: fb522cec32010b346517744c51a7c7c7 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-07T10:45:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (1).pdf: 18841997 bytes, checksum: 81d8b3c8746995f8815dfec4fc05909b (MD5) Dissertação - Susane Campos Mota Angelim - 2015 (2).pdf: 3115044 bytes, checksum: fb522cec32010b346517744c51a7c7c7 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-29 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / In Brazil water treatment plants (WTP) residuals are usually discharged into waterways, with negative impacts on water quality, aquatic biota and sediments, which may also pose risks to human health. This paper presents a study on real scale disposal of aluminum sludge from the settling of a WTP in a primary facultative pond, both located in Piracanjuba-GO, wishing to contribute as an alternative for residuals management. The study aimed to evaluate the effects of WTP residuals (WTPR) in the performance of the wastewater stabilization pond (WSP), in terms of quality of the effluent and volume of bottom sludge accumulated. Worked up in two identical parallel ponds, one in which WTPR was applied (test pond) and another without application (control pond) to serve as comparison of results. The study was carried out in two stages, with dosage of 37 mg TS/L in Phase 1 and 44 mg TS/L in Phase 2, totaling 125 days of application and 191 days of monitoring. It was evaluated several effluent parameters such as BOD, solids, nitrogen, total phosphorus, Escherichia coli, metals, among others. Sludge volumes in the ponds were obtained from bathymetric survey using a sludge depth meter (sludge gun) and modeling by Surfer 8.0 software. The addition of the WTPR did not impair the performance of the test pond, with minimal reduction of BOD and nitrogen. It was not possible to identify any influence of WTPR for the removal of total phosphorus of the sewage, which was attributed to high pH and low dosage. There was no statistical difference (95% confidence level) between the means of 15 parameters evaluated in two phases, except for nitrogen ammonia. There was no difference between the increases of sludge volume accumulated in the bottom of the ponds, although total solids content was higher in the test pond. This behavior was associated with particle size characteristics of the material. The study indicates technical feasibility of WTP residuals disposal in the WSP studied, revealing an alternative for its management that can also be applied in other same type systems if evaluated the specific conditions in each case. / A realidade brasileira atual é de que a grande maioria dos resíduos de ETA são lançados diretamente em cursos d'água, com impactos negativos sobre a qualidade das águas, biota aquática e sedimentos, podendo também representar riscos à saúde humana. O trabalho apresenta um estudo em escala real da disposição do resíduo do decantador da ETA do tipo convencional (ou de ciclo completo) da cidade de Piracanjuba-GO, cujo coagulante utilizado é o sulfato de alumínio, na lagoa facultativa primária da ETE Piracanjuba, visando contribuir como alternativa adequada para a gestão dos resíduos sólidos de sistemas de saneamento. O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos da disposição do resíduo no desempenho da lagoa quanto à qualidade do efluente líquido e ao volume do lodo de fundo acumulado. Trabalhou-se com duas lagoas idênticas em paralelo, uma de teste, onde foi aplicado o resíduo, e outra de referência, sem aplicação, para servir de comparação dos resultados. O estudo foi realizado em duas fases de aplicação do resíduo e monitoramento das lagoas, com dosagem de 37 mgSTresíduo (bs)/Lesgoto na Fase 1 e 44 mgSTresíduo (bs)/Lesgoto na Fase 2, totalizando 125 dias de aplicação e 191 dias de monitoramento. Foram avaliados diversos parâmetros físico-químicos do efluente, tais como DBO, SST, Namoniacal, fósforo total, E.coli, metais, dentre outros. Os volumes de lodo nas lagoas foram obtidos a partir de levantamento batimétrico com uso de medidor de óptico de lodo (Sludge Gun) e calculados por modelagem matemática pelo programa Surfer 8.0. A adição do resíduo de ETA não prejudicou o desempenho da lagoa facultativa de teste, com discreta redução de DBO e Namoniacal. Não foi possível apontar nenhuma influência do resíduo de ETA sobre a remoção de fósforo total do esgoto, o que foi atribuído a fatores como elevado pH e baixa dosagem. Na análise estatística dos resultados do efluente, ao nível de confiança de 95%, não foram verificadas diferenças estatísticas entre as médias dos 15 parâmetros avaliados nas duas fases, exceto para Namoniacal. Não houve diferença entre os acréscimos de volume de lodo de fundo acumulado nas lagoas, sendo que concentração de sólidos totais do lodo de fundo foi maior na lagoa de teste. Esse comportamento foi associado a características granulométricas do material. O estudo indica a viabilidade técnica da disposição do resíduo da ETA nas lagoas facultativas da ETE Piracanjuba, mostrando-se como uma alternativa ambientalmente adequada para a gestão do resíduo, que pode ser aplicada também em outros sistemas de mesmas tipologias, desde que avaliadas as condições específicas de cada caso.

The so-called 3σ-rule is a simple and widely used heuristic for outlier detection. This term is a generic term of some statistical hypothesis tests whose test statistics are known as normalized or studentized residuals. The conditions, under which this rule is statistically substantiated, were analyzed, and the extent it applies to geodetic least-squares adjustment was investigated. Then, the efficiency or non-efficiency of this method was analyzed and demonstrated on the example of repeated observations. / Die sogenannte 3σ-Regel ist eine einfache und weit verbreitete Heuristik für die Ausreißererkennung. Sie ist ein Oberbegriff für einige statistische Hypothesentests, deren Teststatistiken als normierte oder studentisierte Verbesserungen bezeichnet werden. Die Bedingungen, unter denen diese Regel statistisch begründet ist, werden analysiert. Es wird untersucht, inwieweit diese Regel auf geodätische Ausgleichungsprobleme anwendbar ist. Die Effizienz oder Nichteffizienz dieser Methode wird analysiert und demonstriert am Beispiel von Wiederholungsmessungen.