Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae: Chemical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / The legislative requirements for handling cyanide containing wastewater have become stringent internationally. Cyanide properties make it indispensable in the mining industry especially for gold recovery. The resultant wastewater generated is discarded to tailing ponds. Any leakages or total collapse of tailing ponds can result in the contamination of surface water bodies; endangering aquatic organisms’ and humans’ alike. The over reliance on physical and/or chemical treatment methods for cyanide wastewater treatment is not sustainable due to high input costs and the generation of by-products. A feasible alternative treatment method for cyanide contaminated wastewater is the biodegradation method, as a wide range of microorganisms can degrade cyanide. In this study, the cyanide biodegradation ability of Fusarium oxysporum was assessed in two stages. Firstly, optimal operating conditions for maximum cyanide biodegradation were determined using a central composite design (CCD) at an elevated cyanide concentration, i.e. 500 mg F-CN/L. Thereafter, using the optimum conditions obtained, (i.e temperature 22°C and pH 11), cyanide biodegradation kinetics and microbial growth kinetics in the cultures at lower cyanide concentrations of 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L were assessed. This was followed by the assessment of cyanide biodegradation at a temperature of 5°C, which was used to simulate winter conditions. In general, lower cyanide concentrations are used in the extraction of gold, therefore, the resultant wastewater will contain free cyanide concentration less than 300 mg F-CN/L. For the first stage of experiments, an isolate, Fusarium oxysporum from cyanide containing pesticides was cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates, followed by incubation at 25°C for 5 days. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate design parameters for the biodegradation of cyanide by this fungus. The temperature evaluated at this stage ranged from 9°C to 30°C and pH range of 6 to 11 in cultures solely supplemented with agrowaste, i.e Beta vulgaris waste. Beta vulgaris is commonly known as Beetroot. The Fusarium oxysporum inoculum (2% v/v) was grown on a Beta vulgaris waste solution (20% v/v), as the sole carbon source in a synthetic gold mine wastewater (39% v/v) containing heavy metals; arsenic (7.1 mg/L), iron (4.5 mg/L), copper (8 mg/L), lead (0.2 mg/L) and zinc (0.2 mg/L), for 48 hours using a rotary shaker at 70 rpm. Thereafter, free cyanide as a potassium cyanide solution (39% v/v), was added to the cultures to make a final cyanide concentration of 500 mg F-CN/L in the culture medium which was incubated for a further 72 hours at 70 rpm. Optimal operating conditions for the biodegradation of cyanide were then determined using a numerical option in the Design-Expert® software version 6.0.8 (Stat-Ease Inc., USA). Subsequently, using the optimal pH obtained (pH =11) and a preselected temperature of 5°C (to represent winter conditions), cyanide biodegradation rates and microbial growth kinetic studies were carried out using Beta vulgaris waste containing a Fusarium oxysporum (0.7% v/v; grown overnight) inoculum in wastewater (32.7% v/v) and potassium cyanide in phosphate buffer (53.7% v/v). The cultures contained 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L. The cultures were incubated in an orbital shaker at 70 rpm for 144 hours and samples taking every 24 hours. An Ordinary Differential Equation (ODE) solver (Polymath) was used for modelling cyanide degradation kinetics while the Monod’s growth kinetic model was used to monitor the microbial growth parameters of the cultures. For the first stage, the optimum operating conditions were determined as a temperature of 22°C and a pH of 11 for maximum cyanide biodegradation of 277 mg F-CN/L from an initial cyanide concentration of 500 mg F-CN/L over a 72 hour period, with residual ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen of 150 mg NH4+-N/L and 37 mg NO3--N/L, respectively. Although, the residual ammonium-nitrogen inhibited cyanide biodegradation, it was consumed as a nitrogen source for microbial growth. The Beta vulgaris waste was determined to be a suitable substrate for cyanide degradation. From the biodegradation response quadratic model, temperature was determined to influence cyanide biodegradation. For the cyanide degradation kinetics, at an optimum temperature of 22°C, the biodegradation efficiency was 77%, 58% and 62% with the corresponding maximum microbial population of 1.56 x 107, 1.55 x 107 and 1.57 x 107 CFU/mL for 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L, being achieved. An indication that the F. oxysporum cultures were efficient at lower cyanide concentration. Furthermore, at a temperature of 5°C, the biodegradation efficiency, although slightly lower, was 51%, 43% and 44% with the corresponding maximum microbial population of 1.21 x107, 1.11 x 107 and 1.12 x 107 CFU/mL for 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L cultures, respectively, with minimal differences observed for cultures with 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L. The cyanide biodegradation rates increased with temperature increases and varied with different cyanide concentrations below 500 mg F-CN/L. The estimated energy of activation for cyanide degradation for a change in temperature from 5°C to 22°C using the Arrhenius model was 19.6, 12.7 and 14.9 kJ/mol for 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L, respectively. The means and standard deviations for rate of degradation of cyanide at 5°C and 22°C for the ODE models was 0.0052 (± 0.0011) h-1 and 0.0084 (± 0.0027) h-1, respectively. The inhibitory effect of the cyanide was quantitatively pronounced under cold temperature as the heavy metals, residual ammonium-nitrogen and nitrate-nitrogen hindered the cyanide degradation. Similarly, microbial growth rates increased with a temperature rise (from 5°C to 22°C), resulting with a reduction in the microbial populations’ doubling time. When compared with the simulated winter conditions, the specific population growth rate increased 4-fold, 5-fold and 6-fold in 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L, respectively, for higher temperatures; an indication that the Fusarium oxysporum isolate prefers higher temperature. The estimated energy of activation for cellular respiration was 44.9, 54 and 63.5 kJ/mol for 100, 200 and 300 mg F-CN/L cultures, respectively, for the change in temperature from 5°C to 22°C. The means and standard deviations of microbial growth rate at 5°C and 22°C were: 0.0033 (± 0.0013) h-1 and 0.0151 (± 0.0027) h-1, respectively. The difference in error (standard deviation) of the cyanide biodegradation rate and microbial growth rate was insignificant (0.02% at 5°C) especially at temperature 22°C where there were minimal differences, indicating the reliability and reproducibility of this biodegradation system in batch operated bioreactors.

Thesis (MTech (Chemistry))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Certain resins used in ion-exchange separation techniques have become very expensive. Although ion-exchange is an economical method to soften water it is important to keep the cost low during the process. Any exorbitant costs will make a process unattractive and eventually obsolete. Bio-Rad AG MP-50 macroporous resin (supplied by Bio-Rad Laboratories, Ltd.) at present costs approximately R20000 (twenty thousand rand) for 500 g compared to Amberlyst 15 R840.00 for 500 mL and Dowex Marathon MSC R312.34 macroporous resin for 500 mL (both supplied by Dow, Rohm and Haas Co). This motivated the research to determine by a comparative study if there is any difference in the efficiency and effectiveness in the quantitative analysis of trace elements when these resins are used. The following elements will be used to determine distribution coefficients for the elements on these resins: Mn, Fe(III), Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, Ag, Cd, In, Ga, Tl, Pb and Bi in 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 M nitric acid solutions. Another question is whether there is a difference or a preference when selecting either a microporous or a macroporous resin for the ion-exchange separation. Determination of distribution coefficients for 46 elements had been done by Strelow (Strelow F. W., 1984) in nitric acid on Bio-Rad AG 50W-X8. The results obtained in this study will be compared with the distribution coefficients obtained by Strelow. The Bio-Rad, Amberlyst and Dowex resins were stirred for approximately 30 minutes in deionised water and then packed in a column. Impurities in the resin column were eluted with 5 M HCl and the resin was then rinsed with deionised water to remove the acid. Thereafter the resins was rinsed out of the column with deionised water, filtered off and then dried under vacuum in an oven at 60 0C for approximately 24 hours. Stock solutions of the elements were prepared as 0.1 M solutions and then diluted with deionised water to obtain solutions having the respective concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 M. Quadruplicate reference standards of each element were prepared. Distribution coefficients of the elements on each resin were determined as described by Strelow (Strelow F. W., Distribution coefficients and ion exchange behaviour of some chloride complex forming elements with Bio Rad AG50W - X8 cation exchange resin in mixed Nitric-Hydrochloric acid solutions, 1989). From the distribution coefficients, obtained from the ICP-OES data, a selectivity series for the 14 elements, mentioned above, was arranged in the decreasing order for each resin’s affinity for the elements. The distribution coefficients also give an indication whether the elements can be quantitatively separated by the cation exchangers in nitric acid media. Elution curves for some elements were done to establish the experimental conditions for quantitative separations of the elements by column cation exchange chromatography.

O cloro é o agente desinfetante e oxidante mais utilizado no mundo em sistemas de tratamento de água. Entretanto, a aplicação de cloro em águas superdiciais pode levar a formação de subprodutos de desinfecção, além da ineficiência do oxidante na degradação de micropoluentes. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência dos agentes peroxidados, peróxido de hidrogênio (H2)2) e ácidoperacético (PAA), em processo oxidativo avançado (POA) Assistido por UVC, na degradação de matéria orgânica natural e 2-MIB e geosmina em água de abastecimento. A matriz utilizada foi água do Rio Iratí, amostra na região metropolitana de Curitiba/PR. Como pré-tratamento da água, foram abordadas as etapas de coagulação, floculação, sedimentação e filtração com o agente coagulante PAC. Os POAs doram realizados em reatores UVC com lâmpadas de baixa pressão, em modo batelada e modo contímuo. No tratamento UV/H2O2, eficiência máxima de redução nos valores de UVA254 (92%) e fluorescência (95%), foram obtidas em modo contínuo após 15 minutos reacionais e 15 mg.L­­-¹ de H2)2, na ausência de 2-MIB/geosmina. A formação de TTHM foi reduzida, situando-se em 15,7 ÞL-¹ . A degradação dos contaminantes 2-MIB e geosmina, após prétratamento e processo UV/H2O2, resultou em teores à 0,1 þg.L-¹. A presença do solvente metanol nos contaminantes-padrão foi considerada como fator interferente negativo ao processo UV/H2O2. No tratamento UV/PAA, verificou-se a contribuição negativa de CODNP inerente ao próprio oxidante. No entanto o processo foi eficiente em até 89% na redução de intensidade de fluorescência, com formação de 21,5 þg.L-¹ de TTHM. A análise experimental indicou efeito positivo e significativo para a variável tempo de resistência em todos os ensaios e POAs realizados. Em nenhum dos ensaios foi possível obter a mineralização total do conteúdo carbônico presente nas amostragens. Os tratamentos UV/H2O2 e UV?PAA apresentaram um perfil de resposta não-linear, sendo necessários ajustes para o enquadramento em modelo quadrático. / As a disinfectant and an oxidizing agent, chlorine is the most used chemical in various water may lead the formation of desinfection byproducts, furthermore, the inefficiency on micropollutants degradation. the main purpose of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and peracetic acid (PAA), in advanced oxidation process under UVC radiation, on degradation of natural organic matter and contaminats 2-MIB/geosmin in supplying water. The environmental matrix involved was water from Iratí River, located near Curitiba/PR. Waterpretreatment included coagulation, floculation and sedimentation operations at jar test equipement, with PAC as coagulant agent. Advanced oxidative treatments were executed at UV reactors, with low-pressure lamps, in batch and continuous mode. in UV?H@O@ treatment, maximum efficiency on UVA254 reduction (92%) and fluorescence (95%), was obtained in continuos flowing mode, after 15 minutes (reaction taime) and 15 mg.L-¹ of hydrogen peroxide, in the absence of 2-MIB and geosmin. The formation of total trihalomethanes was one of the lowest at 15.7 þg.L-¹. Degradation of pollutants 2-MIB and geosmin, after pretreatment and AOP UV/H2O2, ended in concentrations lower than 0.1 þg.L-1. According to these UV/H2O2 tests, certain reduction was obsorved at efficiency results of all response factors monitored, since the presence of methanol intrinsic to the contaminat standard solution applied. In UV/PAA, was noticed some contribution of NPDOC provided by the own oxidizing agent (PAA). However, UV/PAA treatment was efficient at 89% according to fluorescence intensity reduction, associated with the formation of total trihalomethanes at 21,5 þg.L-¹. Experimental analysis indicated positive and significant effect for the variable retention time in all tests. None of the tests resulted in carbon complete mineralization. Treatment with UV/H2O2 and Uv/PAA presented non-linear response profile, being necessary adjustments for quadratic fitting.

O cloro é o agente desinfetante e oxidante mais utilizado no mundo em sistemas de tratamento de água. Entretanto, a aplicação de cloro em águas superdiciais pode levar a formação de subprodutos de desinfecção, além da ineficiência do oxidante na degradação de micropoluentes. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência dos agentes peroxidados, peróxido de hidrogênio (H2)2) e ácidoperacético (PAA), em processo oxidativo avançado (POA) Assistido por UVC, na degradação de matéria orgânica natural e 2-MIB e geosmina em água de abastecimento. A matriz utilizada foi água do Rio Iratí, amostra na região metropolitana de Curitiba/PR. Como pré-tratamento da água, foram abordadas as etapas de coagulação, floculação, sedimentação e filtração com o agente coagulante PAC. Os POAs doram realizados em reatores UVC com lâmpadas de baixa pressão, em modo batelada e modo contímuo. No tratamento UV/H2O2, eficiência máxima de redução nos valores de UVA254 (92%) e fluorescência (95%), foram obtidas em modo contínuo após 15 minutos reacionais e 15 mg.L­­-¹ de H2)2, na ausência de 2-MIB/geosmina. A formação de TTHM foi reduzida, situando-se em 15,7 ÞL-¹ . A degradação dos contaminantes 2-MIB e geosmina, após prétratamento e processo UV/H2O2, resultou em teores à 0,1 þg.L-¹. A presença do solvente metanol nos contaminantes-padrão foi considerada como fator interferente negativo ao processo UV/H2O2. No tratamento UV/PAA, verificou-se a contribuição negativa de CODNP inerente ao próprio oxidante. No entanto o processo foi eficiente em até 89% na redução de intensidade de fluorescência, com formação de 21,5 þg.L-¹ de TTHM. A análise experimental indicou efeito positivo e significativo para a variável tempo de resistência em todos os ensaios e POAs realizados. Em nenhum dos ensaios foi possível obter a mineralização total do conteúdo carbônico presente nas amostragens. Os tratamentos UV/H2O2 e UV?PAA apresentaram um perfil de resposta não-linear, sendo necessários ajustes para o enquadramento em modelo quadrático. / As a disinfectant and an oxidizing agent, chlorine is the most used chemical in various water may lead the formation of desinfection byproducts, furthermore, the inefficiency on micropollutants degradation. the main purpose of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and peracetic acid (PAA), in advanced oxidation process under UVC radiation, on degradation of natural organic matter and contaminats 2-MIB/geosmin in supplying water. The environmental matrix involved was water from Iratí River, located near Curitiba/PR. Waterpretreatment included coagulation, floculation and sedimentation operations at jar test equipement, with PAC as coagulant agent. Advanced oxidative treatments were executed at UV reactors, with low-pressure lamps, in batch and continuous mode. in UV?H@O@ treatment, maximum efficiency on UVA254 reduction (92%) and fluorescence (95%), was obtained in continuos flowing mode, after 15 minutes (reaction taime) and 15 mg.L-¹ of hydrogen peroxide, in the absence of 2-MIB and geosmin. The formation of total trihalomethanes was one of the lowest at 15.7 þg.L-¹. Degradation of pollutants 2-MIB and geosmin, after pretreatment and AOP UV/H2O2, ended in concentrations lower than 0.1 þg.L-1. According to these UV/H2O2 tests, certain reduction was obsorved at efficiency results of all response factors monitored, since the presence of methanol intrinsic to the contaminat standard solution applied. In UV/PAA, was noticed some contribution of NPDOC provided by the own oxidizing agent (PAA). However, UV/PAA treatment was efficient at 89% according to fluorescence intensity reduction, associated with the formation of total trihalomethanes at 21,5 þg.L-¹. Experimental analysis indicated positive and significant effect for the variable retention time in all tests. None of the tests resulted in carbon complete mineralization. Treatment with UV/H2O2 and Uv/PAA presented non-linear response profile, being necessary adjustments for quadratic fitting.

Water is an important resource. It is used for domestic, industrial, agricultural and recreational purposes. The quality of water is, however, significantly deteriorating due to the accumulation of organic species in aqueous system. Domestic, industrial and commercial activities comprise the biggest source of organic pollutants in municipal water. The increase of water pollution by these organics has led to the development of several water purification measures. Among others, water treatment technologies that are in place consist of ion exchange, activated carbon adsorption, reverse osmosis, molecular sieves and zeolites. However, none of these techniques have been reported to remove organic pollutants to parts-per-billion (ppb) or microgram-per-litre (ìg/L) levels. Recently, it has been reported that cyclodextrin nanoporous polymers are capable of absorbing these pollutants from water to such desirable levels. Cyclodextrins (CDs), basically starch derivatives, are cyclic oligomers consisting of glucopyranosyl units linked together through á-1,4-glycosidic linkages. They behave as molecular hosts capable of interacting with a range of guest molecules in a noncovalent manner within their cylindrical hydrophobic cavities. These interactions are a basis for the inclusion of various organic species. However, the high solubility of cyclodextrins in aqueous medium limits their application in the removal of organic pollutants from water. To make them insoluble, they are converted into highly cross-linked polymers. This is achieved by polymerizing the cyclodextrins with suitable difunctional linkers. In this project, a wide variety of monofunctionalized CDs have been effectively prepared using efficient modification strategies and successfully characterized by Infra-red (IR) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. From these monofunctionalized CDs and corresponding linkers, insoluble nanoporous polymers with different physical properties were synthesized (Scheme 1). / Dr. B.B. Mamba

M.Sc. (Nanoscience) / Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and are harmful to humans and the environment. These PCBs are grouped under chlorinated organic compounds (COCs). The PCBs find their way to the environment through human activity such as industrialization and farming. Such activity produces wastes and runoffs that eventually end up in the water we use for drinking, farming and sanitation. It has then become necessary for researchers to find viable methods to remove these compounds from the environment. This is because current water treatment methods are not effective in the removal of the PCBs from water. The stages in the conventional treatment methods may include sand filtration, advanced oxidative processes and coagulation among others. These methods need to be energetically eco-friendly to drive the PCB dechlorination processes. Researchers have used a variety of metallic nanoparticles including bimetallic nanoparticles for the removal of COCs from water. However, nanoparticles tend to agglomerate when not supported - leading to a decrease in their activity. Hence it has become necessary to stabilize or immobilize these nanoparticles on suitable support materials, such as, polymer solutions or solid substrates. Solid substrates including metal oxides, carbon and membranes, are currently being explored. Poly(vinylidene difluoride) microfiltration membranes are especially suitable for this function given the high porosity, chemical inertness and other outstanding physical properties. In this work, the objective was to modify commercially hydrophilized poly(vinylidine)difluoride (PVDF) membranes with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). PEG is a bidentate polymer with two –OH groups found on either side of the molecule. The -OH groups allows PEG binding to the PVDF polymer backbone and hence high ability to capture or chelate the metal ions followed by their reduction. Nano-zerovalent metal nanoparticles were formed from these metal ions and chelated into the PEG grafted PVDF membrane to give the composite PVDF-PEG-Fe0. Post addition of the secondary metal was then followed by the introduction of the precomposite to a Pd solution to give the final catalytic membrane (PVDF-PEG-Fe0/Pd0). The use of PEG in this system allows for an even dispersion of the nanoparticles in the composite. The resulting nanocomposite membrane was used for the dechlorination of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB 77). Attenuated total reflection- Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) showed that PEG was successfully grafted onto the PVDF backbone. Optical contact angle measurements (OCA) were taken to determine the change in hydrophilicity of the membrane upon modification. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) proved that the Pd and Fe nanoparticles immobilized on the system were indeed zerovalent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and contact angle measurements suggested a less porous membrane and slightly decreased hydrophilicity after modification. On the SEM micrographs the nanoparticles were observed to be quite evenly distributed in the membrane. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the nanoparticles were in the range 20-30 nm in diameter, confirming the particle size values as determined by SEM. For the preliminary dechlorination studies done under ambient conditions, two dimensional column gas chromatography- time of flight- mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOF-MS) results showed a complete dechlorination of PCB 77. A comparative study of the bare PVDF and catalytic membranes showed a slight difference in adsorption of the total PCB 77 concentrations. The catalytic membrane maintained its activity towards the dechlorination of PCB 77 after multiple regeneration cycles.

M.Sc. / This study was carried out to investigate the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from water using phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated cyclodextrin polymers. The β-cyclodextrin was functionalized using various phosphorylating agents and the derivatives obtained were characterised with Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. These derivatives were polymerized using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as a cross-linking agent. The polymers were obtained in good yields ranging from 72 % to 93 %. They were characterised using Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM)/EDXS), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) to confirm the presence of phosphorus groups after polymerization. The removal of cadmium (II), chromium (III), trichlorophenol (TCP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) was investigated in batch-mode experiments under varying conditions of pH, initial concentration and contact time. The concentration of heavy metal ions in water was determined using inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and that of organic pollutants was determined using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The polymers were found to adsorb up to chromium (III) better than cadmium (II) at pH 6.5. The maximum percentage removal of chromium (III) ranged between 83.9 % and 95 % whilst that of cadmium (II) ranged from 24.5 % to 39 %. There was no significant difference in the adsorption capacity of phosphorylated and phosphorus-free polymers in the removal of metals. However, phosphorylation improved the efficiency of the polymers in the removal of chlorophenols. The maximum percentage removal of TCP ranged from 17 % to 80.1 % whilst that of PCP ranged from 23 % to 77.2 %. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the polymers are promising materials for the removal of Cr (III), TCP and PCP from water.

This research was directed at reducing arsenic levels in the effluents generated at the Canelands facility that manufactures monosodium methyl arsenate. Two effluent streams containing arsenic have to be considered, a raw water stream that is treated on site and a brine stream that is disposed of by sea outfall. Removal of arsenate from aqueous media by coagulation was investigated and models were developed describing selected variables that influence the removal of the arsenate. Three coagulant systems were investigated, namely aluminium(III) coagulation, iron(III) coagulation and binary mixtures of aluminium(III) and iron(III). Researchers have studied individual aluminium (III) sulphate and iron(III) chloride coagulation. No detailed research and modelling had, however, been carried out on the use of binary mixtures of aluminium (III) sulphate and iron (III) chloride coagulation of aqueous arsenate, nor had individual aluminium(III) sulphate and iron(III) chloride coagulation of arsenate been modelled at relatively high arsenate concentrations. The models that were generated were validated statistically and experimentally. The variables investigated in the aluminium(III) model included initial arsenate concentration, pH, polymeric flocculent concentration, aluminium(III) concentration and settling time. The variables modelled in the iron(III) coagulation were initial arsenate concentration, pH, polymeric flocculent concentration, and iron(III) to arsenic mole ratio. The modelling of the binary coagulant system included initial arsenate concentration, pH, iron (III) concentration, aluminium(III) concentration, and flocculent concentration as variables. The most efficient arsenic removal by coagulation was iron(III), followed by the binary mixture of aluminium(III) and iron(III) and the weakest coagulant was aluminium(III) sulphate. Scale-up coagulations performed on real raw water samples at a 50 litre volume showed that iron(III) was the most efficient coagulant (on a molar basis) followed closely by the binary mixture, while aluminium(III) coagulation was considerably weaker. The residual arsenic levels of the iron(III) and the binary coagulation systems met the effluent discharge criteria, but the aluminium coagulation system did not. Leaching tests showed that the iron(III) sludge was the most stable followed by the sludge of the binary mixture and the aluminium(III)-based sludge leached arsenic most readily. Settling rate studies showed that the flocs of the iron(III) coagulations settled the fastest, followed by binary mixture flocs and the aluminium flocs settled the slowest. The flocs of the binary mixture had the lowest volume, followed by the iron(III) flocs, while the aluminium(III) flocs were the most voluminous. Based on current operations of the raw water treatment plant the aluminium(III)-based coagulation is the most cost efficient. Given a relative costing of 1.00 for the aluminium(III) coagulation, the iron(III) chloride-based coagulation would be 2.67 times more expensive and the equimolar binary mixed aluminium(III)/iron(III) system would be 1.84 times the cost of aluminium(III) coagulation.

Access to clean and safe water is essential for the survival of human beings. Pollution of freshwater sources constitutes a major problem hindering access to safe water for drinking and other domestic uses. Wastewater effluent discharges often impact the microbiological qualities of surface waters with its attendant health and environmental problems. This study evaluated the microbiological qualities of the discharged effluents of four selected wastewater treatment plants in Amathole and Chris Hani District Municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province over a twelve-month sampling period. Microbiological analysis (faecal coliform, Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O157:H7) was done using standard methods and polymerase chain reaction method was used to confirm identities ofbacterial isolates. Presumptive bacteria counts ranged as follows: faecal coliforms 0 to 1.6 × 103 CFU/100 ml, E. coli 0 to 1.4 × 103 CFU/100 ml and E. coli O157:H7 0 to 9.6 × 102 CFU/100 ml. Forty eight percent (305/626) of the presumptive E. coli isolates were confirmed using species-specific uidA gene which code for β-glucuronidase enzyme in E. coli. Antibiotic susceptibility profile of the isolate using a panel of 10 antibiotics shows 100% (150/150) resistance to antibiotics rifampicin and penicillin G while 49.3% (74/150) of the isolates and 46.7% (70/150) were susceptible to streptomycin and cefotaxime respectively. Multiple antibiotic resistance phenotypes (MARP) of the isolates showed resistance to two or more test antibiotics while the calculated multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) for the tested isolated is 0.49. The detection of potentially pathogenic E. coli in the final effluents suggestspotential danger to the receiving water bodies where the effluents are discharge. The high MARI valued obtained in this study indicates that the isolates are form environment where the tested antibiotics are being used and may further lead to the spread of multiple antibiotics resistance among other pathogens that may be present in the same environment.

Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the Degree of Masters in Technology: Chemical Engineering, M.L. Sultan Technikon, 2002. / Crossflow microfiltration (CFMF) using a fabric support has been successfully used to treat a range of problematic waters. Experimental evidence indicates that the formation of a dynamic membrane or precoat on a woven-fibre microfilter can significantly increase the performance of the filter, that is, the production rate and rejection. The use of precoats in filtration applications is based on the precoat's unique microstructure that is able to trap sub-micron particles while maintaining a permeable filter cake. However, to date the precoating step has been more of an art than a science. Very little knowledge exists on the best type of precoat to use, or the the optimal velocity, pressure and concentration to form a stable precoat. Further, although various models have been proposed for CFMF, their still exists a lack of knowledge of the mechanisms by which precoats improve performance. / M