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The work summarizes the results of a studies conducted with six different flushing agents, i.e. two anionic surfactants (SDS and DOWFAX 8390), two complexing agents (cyclodextrins), a humid acid, and an alcohol (ethanol), for solubilizing and removing residual-phase immiscible liquid from porous media. Batch experiments were conducted to measure the degree of trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) solubilization induced by these agents. These studies revealed that the solubility of TCE and PCE was enhanced significantly. Column experiments were conducted to compare water and agent-enhanced flushing of Borden sand containing residual saturations of TCE and PCE. The results of these studies indicate that the total flushing volume necessary to remove the contaminant was reduced substantially in the presence of all applied agents. The relative effectiveness of the agents varied based on the method of evaluation. It was shown that a volatile contaminant, e.g. toluene, TCE, and PCE, can be separated from cyclodextrin solution by mean of air-sparging. The cyclodextrin solution was successfully reused for continuos flushing of a contaminated porous material. The simulation of selected experiments revealed that the mass transfer rate coefficients are generally increasing if evaluated based on the aqueous driving force approach. However, a relation based on the enhanced driving force approach was found to be less significant. Even though areas of additional research have been identified, this research contributes to a better understanding of the processes governing chemically enhance flushing of contaminated porous media.

M. Tech. Chemical Engineering. / Discusses the application of nanotechnology process to offer wholesale benefits in water and wastewater treatment, extremely very few researches have been conducted in this field. Even with the few, studies have mainly focused on using single ion aqueous solution. Such approach is novel but the results may not give true picture of performance of nano-materials. It's known that water quality adversely affect sorption process. It's thus product to use real field water and wastewater to get valuable results. Presently, there is almost no information is open literature regarding the application of nano-scale adsorbents in treating real water and wastewater.

Thesis (MTech. degree inChemistry.)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2010. / Introduction: Since the establishment of relationships between BOD, COD and TOC in early 1980’s, total organic carbon (TOC) analysis has been the analytical backbone of many water treatment laboratories (Furlong et al. 1999). It is only a question of time before South Africa follows suite, if only to adhere to export legislation and requirements. The question is whether TOC is just another expensive analytical tool for policing effluent, or is TOC results valid criteria for monitoring pollution. Aim: The purpose of this project was to evaluate the determination of TOC as a management tool on a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and compare it to the chemical oxygen demand (COD) analysis traditionally applied. Experimental: Five sampling points throughout the wastewater treatment plant were evaluated. A possible comparison between TOC and COD was investigated. Sampling was done using an ISCO 3700 portable sampler at each individual sampling point. The samples were filtered and analysed for TOC in the laboratory using an ISCO EZ 3500 TOC analyser. COD analysis was done colorimetrically by using a Hach DR 2000 photometer. Both analyses were done according to standard methods for water and wastewater. Because the ISCO EZ 3500 TOC is an online instrument, it was evaluated at two of the wastewater treatment plant. Results: The analysis of TOC is a more rapid method than COD for the determination of organic load and thus has the potential for better early warning and pollution control management. The change in chemical composition of raw sewage made it difficult to find consistent correlation between COD and TOC results. However, it was found that an online TOC analyses was a practical alternative to COD for plant control, process management and monitoring of inflow and effluent flows in wastewater treatment plant. Conclusion: Limitations of TOC analysis must be considered and include practical problems due to the high content of suspended solids in raw sewage and activated sludge, as well as the partial oxidation of certain organic compounds by ultra-violet/persulphate digestion. Although COD analysis is chemically hazardous and time-consuming compared to TOC analysis, it is not likely that TOC will replace COD on the WWTP, due to historical data accumulation, practicality and people’s natural opposition to change. However, it is hoped that the results of this study will increase knowledge about TOC and be used for practical implementation where this technique has advantages over COD

Studies were carried out from July 1988 to August 1989 to assess the growth and winter survival of water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, in treatment of secondary domestic wastewater in Tucson, Arizona. Percent of surviving overwintered plants for the following frost protection treatments from November 1988 to March 1989 was: 25 (control), 48 (plastic tarps), 70 (sprinklers), 34 (fog) and 76 (greenhouse). Both control plants and protected plants had longer roots at the effluent end of the ponds than the influent ends during winter months. Greenhouse-protected plants had greater root and entire plant lengths, and greater fresh and dry weights. Dry weight per unit area (kg m⁻²) was higher for greenhouse plants though all protected plants showed decline in dry weight per unit area with temperatures below 10 C. Qualitative observations indicated that protected plants showed less chlorosis and necrosis from low temperatures than control plants, however, plants in all frost protected treatments experienced low temperature stress. Aphids were seen in some of the ponds throughout the study and contributed to severe lamina and petiole damage.

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The removal of multiple substrates in a defined mixed culture process was investigated in the treatment of brewery wastewater. The study was conducted using both batch and a semi-continuous reactor system called self-cycling fermentation. Batch experiments were conducted using a synthetic brewery wastewater containing glucose, ethanol and maltose. Activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was acclimatized in the synthetic brewery wastewater. The microbes capable of degrading this wastewater were analyzed by a combination of microscopy, spread plating, and Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and identified as Acinetobacter sp., Enterobacter sp. and Candida sp. From the pure culture batch experiments, it was determined that Enterobacter could degrade glucose and maltose but no ethanol, while Acinetobacter and Candida could degrade all three carbon sources. In mixed culture batch experiments, Enterobacter was dominant in degrading the sugar concentrations to levels permissible for Acinetobacter to degrade ethanol. PCR-DGGE was found to be effective in identifying the dominant species but selective carbon source plating was required to determine viability and track the population dynamics. Kinetic experiments were carried out in a semi-continuous, self-cycling fermentation process using the defined mixed culture in media containing glucose and various initial concentrations of ethanol and maltose. The overall rate of substrate removal was attributable to both the suspended culture and the biofilm formed during the process. A rate expression was developed for this system for the range of substrate concentrations tested. The data indicated that substrate removal by the suspended culture was a function of only the biomass concentration. However, substrate removal by the biofilm was found to be limited to the surface cells and determined to be a function of substrate concentration only.

There is potential for the anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) to be implemented on-site for pre-treatment of coloured wastewaters. The implementation of waste minimisation and cleaner production strategies in industry will result in the production of smaller volumes of concentrated wastewaters. With implementation of the ABR, the concentrated waste stream could be pre-treated, with an acclimated biomass, which should facilitate sufficient degradation such that the effluent could be discharged to sewer for further treatment. The ABR is a high-rate compartmentalised anaerobic bioreactor, the design of which promotes the spatial separation of microorganisms. The use of molecular teclmiques to characterise the microbial populations and the dynamics of these populations with time and/or changing operating conditions will add to the current understanding of the process, which is based on the biochemical pathways and chemical analyses. This knowledge will allow for optimisation of the design of the ABR. The hypothesis of the horizontal separation of acidogenesis and methanogenesis through the ABR was proven. Changes in the HRT affected the operation of the reactor, however, recovery from these upsets was almost immediate and operation of the reactor was stable. Two synthetic dye waste streams, one food dye (tartrazine) and one textile dye (Cl Reactive Red 141), and a real industrial dye wastewater, were treated in separate laboratory-scale ABRs. These investigations showed that successful treatment of a highly coloured wastewater is possible in the ABR. The design of the ABR facilitates efficient treatment of concentrated dye wastewaters by protecting the sensitive methanogens from the inhibitory dye molecules and promoting efficient colour and COD reduction. The molecular-based method, fluorescent in situ hybridisation, allowed the direct identification and enumeration of microbial populations active in the ABR. In all of the reported investigations, there was a definite shift in the microbial populations through the ABR, with a predominance of eubacteria in the first compartments (acidogenesis) and archaea (methanogenesis) in the later compartments. The number of compartments involved in each depended on the strength of the substrate (organic loading rate - OLR). A combination of FISH probing, and the analysis of 98 archaeal l6S rDNA clone inserts provided useful descriptions of the methanogens actively involved within each compartment. These showed a predominance of the Methanosaeta spp., particularly in the last compartments of the reactor. Methanogens present in the first four compartments consisted of species of Methanobacterium and Methanospirillum, a relatively unstudied methanogen Methanomethylovorans hollandica, and an unidentified short filamentous species. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

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