Brackish water aquaculture is one of the largest coastal industries in Indonesia. This farming system involves the construction of ponds m coastal sediments. Many ponds in Indonesia have been abandoned due to past development of ponds in acid 8ulfate soils (ASS); these soils produce sulfuric acid through the oxidation of pyrite du ring and after the sediments have been excavated. The soils also contain elevated concentrations of metal such as iron and aluminium which are harmful to farmed fish and shrimp. Acidification of pond soil causes recurrent fish and shrimp mortalities, poor growth rate in fish and shrimp, soft shell syndrome in shrimp and low plankton densities, Pond maintenance costs in ASS are also significantly higher than non-ASS ponds. There are over 6.7 million ha of ASS In Indonesia of which 35% has been developed for brackish water aquaculture. This study developed and trialled methods of soil remediation to restore abandoned ASS-affected ponds. The main objective was to develop methods at remediation that were scientifically sound but also practical and inexpensive for farmers. The research involved characterising, in detail, the chemical and physical properties of ponds soil followed by laboratory-based experiments to improve soil properties. The results of laboratory trials were the basis for large-scale field experiments to test soil remediation strategies. The study showed that pond bottoms could be improved by forced oxidation, flooding and water exchange followed by Iiming and fertilising. Up to 500% increases in productivity were achieved by this method and soils conditions Improved significantly. A further twofold productivity increase was achieved by an integrated liming method in which lime is added to rebuilt or new dykes in layers. A juvenile shrimp production system was developed for ponds that were too severely degraded or costly to remediate. The research developed methods of preventing metal toxicity in Juvenile shrimp. The study showed that aquaculture ponds built in ASS could be remediated and returned to viable production systems. Importantly, the study has developed a more detailed understanding of chemical properties In ASS-affected ponds.

Estuarine acidification, caused by disturbance of acid sulfate soils (ASS), is a recurrent problem in eastern Australia. Affected waters are characterised by low pH and elevated concentrations of metals, principally aluminium and iron. The effects of acid and elevated metal concentrations associated with ASS, on adult Sydney rock oysters, have not been previously investigated. This study tested links between ASS-affected drainage, subsequent estuarine acidification and Sydney rock oyster production problems on the Hastings and Manning Rivers, mid north coast New South Wales. The primary objective of this thesis was to establish if estuarine acidification causes mortality and slow growth in individual Sydney rock oysters by exposing oysters to low pH, iron and aluminium using field and laboratory experiments. Water quality data showed that estuarine acidification was spatially extensive in the Hastings and Manning Rivers following heavy rainfall and was due to mineral acids originating from drained or excavated ASS. Estuarine acidification regularly affected areas used for Sydney rock oyster production following heavy rainfall. Field experiments showed that Sydney rock oyster mortality rates were significantly higher at sites exposed to ASS-affected waters compared to locations that were isolated from ASS-affected waters. Oyster mortality increased with the time of exposure and smaller oysters (mean weight = 5 g) experienced significantly higher mortality relative to larger oysters (mean weight = 29 g). This was caused by acid-induced shell degradation resulting in perforation of the smaller oysters??? under-developed shells. Additionally, Sydney rock oyster growth rates were dramatically reduced at sites exposed to ASS-affected waters and the overall mean condition index of oysters at ASS-affected field sites was significantly lower than the overall mean condition index of oysters at non-impacted sites. Findings from laboratory experiments showed that ASS-affected water alters oyster valve movements and significantly reduces oyster feeding rates at pH 5.5. Acidic treatments (pH 5.1) containing 7.64 mg L-1 of aluminium or ASS-affected water caused changes in the mantle and gill soft tissues following short-term exposure. Degenerative effects described in oysters in this study were also due to iron contained in ASS-affected waters. Iron precipitates accumulated on the shell, gills and mantle and were observed in the stomach, intestine, digestive tubules and rectum. This study concluded that Sydney rock oysters are unable to tolerate acidic conditions caused by ASS outflows and cannot be viably cultivated in acid-prone areas of the estuary.

The capacity and efficiency of melter slag (provided by New Zealand Steel) to remove heavy metals and suspended solids from stormwater samples are studied in this thesis. A series of batch tests were carried out to investigate the adsorption-desorption mechanism of the slag to remove heavy metals (Cd2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+) from working solutions. The results showed that all the tested metallic ions could be removed by mixing the melter slag with the working solutions. Adsorption and ion exchange are the dominant mechanisms in this process. The adsorption capacity follows the descending order of Cu2+ > Zn2+ = Cd2+. Varied binding energy of different metallic ions to the slag resulted in competitive adsorption between ions.A variety of substances: inorganic salts (KCl, NaCl, KNO3 and sea water), organic acids (citric and tartaric) and inorganic acids (nitric and carbonic), were tested as desorbing agents to recover the used slag. Citric acid in sea water was found to be the best in terms of desorption efficiency and cost-effectiveness.The column tests were carried out to simulate the filtration bed in laboratory conditions. Stormwater samples were collected from residential and commercial areas in Auckland. The synthetic stormwater samples were prepared from clay and metallic ion solution. Both samples were used as feeding solutions in the tests. The removal efficiencies of suspended solids and metallic ions (Zn2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+) vary depending on different operation conditions. They are in inverse proportion to the grain size of the melter slag and the influent flow rate. The higher removal efficiency of Zn2+ than that of suspended solids infers that metallic ions are removed by both precipitation and adsorption.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2001. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Univ., 2003. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2009. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.Eng.)(Chemical Engineering)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Accompanied by a CD-ROM: Appendix B. Cooling tower model results. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

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