No description available.

Wastewater contaminated with heavy metal ions (HMIs), stemming from human activities and natural disasters, poses substantial threats to both the environment and human health. The unchecked release of untreated wastewater into natural water bodies leads to severe pollution, upsetting ecological balance. To address this pressing challenge, microalgae-based biosorption technology has emerged as a promising solution for the efficient removal of HMIs from wastewater. Microalgae, with their extensive surface area and intricate cell wall structures, exhibit remarkable efficacy in HMIs biosorption. This thesis aims at elucidating the fundamental principles governing the interactions between HMI and microalgal cells to help enhance the biosorption capacity of HMI by microalgae from two perspectives: 1) conditioning of biomass by either optimizing the cultivation conditions or downstream processing; and 2) conditioning of the biosorption process for optimal performance of given algal biomass. It was demonstrated that among the tested cultivation conditions, i.e., culture pH, phosphate concentration, nitrate concentration, and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) conditions, which all have significant impacts on cell surface structure and therefore biosorption of HMI, DIC is the most significant factor. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that downstream processing of biomass such as lipid extraction with sonication for cell disruption could help enhance specific surface area and removal of lipids from cell wall surfaces, resulting in remarkably elevated HMI biosorption capacities. As for research on biosorption mechanisms, a correlation between HMI properties, i.e., ionic radius and electronegativity, and their biosorption capacities onto certain microalgal biomass, was established, which was validated with both experimental data and literature data. Furthermore, systematic studies on biosorption kinetics, isotherm, and thermodynamics, as well as cell surface characterization, and determination of HMI intracellular and extracellular contents of cells after biosorption were carried out, which converged on the conclusion that biosorption was predominantly monolayer surface adsorption. A mathematical model was proposed and validated, which is a rigid model accounting for the effects of cell size and HMI radius only. Analysis of model differentiation from experimental data led to the hypothesis that the nanostructures on cells, mostly like pili, were the major locations where binding sites for HMI were housed. This research represents a significant step towards ensuring the responsible and sustainable use of microalgae for environmental engineering, promising a cleaner and healthier future.

As a result of the EPA?s Disinfection Byproduct Rule, the Northeast Mississippi Regional Water Supply District requested that the Environmental Technology and Applications Laboratory at Mississippi State University conduct a study to develop techniques to comply with new TOC regulations. This study involved the use of jar testing and Enhanced Coagulation in a laboratory setting over a period of twelve months to optimize the various coagulants evaluated in this study. Iron (III) sulfate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate, and a number of polyaluminum chlorides were evaluated in this study. Coagulants were evaluated on both a treatment effectiveness and economical basis. It was determined that an acidified alum solution performed best at meeting EPA standards for total organic carbon reduction, as well as being economically feasible.

This report has been prepared with the idea of briefly summarizing the most important principles underlying the coagulations/flocculation process as it applies to water and wastewater treatment. The production of potable water from a supply which has been contaminated by naturally-occurring or man-made pollutants has been an object of concern throughout history. Several broad aspects have been considered in the report, such as the history, the nature and physical chemistry of colloidal particles, the theories of and the factors affecting coagulation/flocculation, and control of the coagulation/flocculation process. It is advisable for those persons engaged in the dynamic environmental sciences to occasionally review the basic principles having to do with the processes being employed. In this light, this report provides a cursory review of pertinent literature with regard to the history, the stoichiomentry and physical mechanisms involved, the techniques of process control and an assessment of the state-of-the-art of the coagulation/flocculation process. Of course, this discussion could have been written more extensive detail, but the volume of such an enterprise would be excessive. For those desiring further information, and extensive bibliography of references has been appended.

Flocculation is not only an important part of sediment dynamics within coastal marine waters, but is also a factor of sediment transport within small freshwater streams in Blacksburg, Virginia. The goal of this project was to develop a relationship between floc sizes and stream characteristics (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, organic content, TSS, pH) and to compare how that relationship varies seasonally and spatially across two streams in the same watershed with a similar drainage area but different land uses within these areas. Microscopic images of flocs and water samples were taken within two local streams every two to four weeks throughout the span of one year. The images were analyzed to obtain the floc sizes and the water samples were tested in a lab for various stream properties. The compiled data from the entire year were analyzed to determine if there was a seasonal relationship between floc sizes and the various properties of the water. The process was also repeated at multiple locations along the entire length of both of the streams once in the summer and once in the winter to see if there was a spatial relationship within a single stream. Our study found that significant rainfall events tend to have the greatest effect on floc size in the small headwater streams. However, many of the individual variables alone do not correlate strongly with floc size and a combination of variables may be the best way to analyze the floc size. / Master of Science / Flocculation is the process of single particles coming together to form larger aggregated particles called "flocs". This project focuses on flocculation of sediment within local streams and how the sizes of these flocs may vary throughout the year. The rate of flocculation and the size of these flocs can have a large effect on the movement of sediment within freshwater streams. Images of flocs and water properties such as water temperature, salinity, and pH, were analyzed every two to four weeks throughout the span of a year to determine if there was a relationship between floc size and any of the measured water properties. While a relationship between rainfall and floc size was noticed, it is apparent that multiple variables should be factored into the analysis to get the most accurate results.

The dewatering characteristics of sludges produced by water and wastewater treatment plants bear heavily on the methods chosen to treat and dispose of the sludge, as well as on the costs associated with handling the large volumes of sludge produced at these facilities. This study investigated why different sludges dewater to different dry solids concentrations, how sludge structure affects dewatering, and how sludge structure changes during gravity thickening and during different types of mechanical dewatering. It is generally thought that sludge can be described as having a three-tiered structure: (1) primary particles, (2) floc particles, and (3) aggregate particles. To investigate sludge structure in relation to sludge dewatering, this study has defined sludge structure using several sludge particle micro properties. A laboratory technique incorporating isopycnic centrifugation in gradients of Percoll^R media was developed to measure one micro property known as floc particle density. Six field and laboratory sludges were subjected to a series of dewatering tests: gravity thickening, centrifugation, and vacuum filtration. Each sludge was analyzed for macro- and micro properties through each stage of dewatering. It was concluded that improvements in thickening and dewatering characteristics were heavily dependent upon increases in sludge floc density and decreases in aggregate water content. / Master of Science

Yes / The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, targets universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. An essential factor in achieving this goal is the harnessing of “green” coagulants – naturally occurring, environmentally friendly materials which are effective coagulants for use in water treatment, with good availability in developing countries, inherent renewable properties and ease of biodegradation. In order to gain from these benefits, it is essential to fully understand how such coagulants may best be utilised, particularly concerning their practical application in developing countries. In this study, three different plant-based coagulation products (PCPs), namely Hexane (HxKP), saline (StKP) and crude (CrKP) extracts of Kenaf plant seed (Hibiscus cannabinus, a species of the Hibiscus plant), were applied to high (HTW), medium (MTW) and low (LTW) turbidity water in order to determine their performance and coagulation ability. The ability of the three Kenaf coagulant products (KCPs) to remove hydrophobic fractions of natural organic matter (NOM) was measured. The impact of KCPs on the treated water organic matter content (a known disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor) was examined using known surrogates of natural organic matter (NOM) i.e. the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 (UV254) and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254). Results obtained quantify the implications of using these coagulants during the water disinfection process. A parametric study, measuring the effect of different operating parameters, such as untreated water turbidity, pH, dosages, retention time, and KCP storage time, was completed. Turbidity removal performance for HxKP and StKP was very good with > 90% removal recorded for HTW and MTW, respectively, at pH seven within 2 hours retention time. Images obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed a high likelihood of the coagulation mechanism of KCPs to be adsorption-interparticle bridging brought about by their flake-like structures and surfaces charges. Varying pH had no measurable influence on the coagulation performance of the KCPs. Comparing their efficiency with Moringa Oleifera (MO, a previously researched PCP) and alum showed that HxKP had a negligibly different particle removal as MO. StKP turbidity removal performance was below HxKP by 1% for HTW and LTW and 2% for MTW but performed higher than the CrKP by 5% and 7% in HTW and MTW, respectively. The optimum dosage of HxKP and StKP reduced DBP surrogate values, indicating that its precursor is also minimized, although a slight shift from this optimum dosage showed a significant rise in their concentration thus signifying a potential increase in DBPs during disinfection.

This paper is about the studies carried out to analyze the feasibility of using an innovative treatment system in the primary treatment process for municipal waste water. Furthermore, experiments are conducted to analyze the optimal parameters for utilizing the treated waters for irrigation purposes and for biogas production from the recovered sludge. The work is carried on the incoming municipal wastewater from Hammarby locality with around 30,000 inhabitants. Chemicals used in this process are, a metal salt namely polymerized aluminum chloride (PAX XL36) and two flocculation chemicals namely, a high molecular weight polymer (HM) (SNF Nordfloc C-192) and a low molecular weight polymer (LM) (Purfix 120). The choice of these chemicals was based on the recommendations made by previous studies on flocculation chemicals. These chemicals aid in flock formation and the DAF unit which provides compressed air, aids in flock flotation. The study is focused on optimizing parameters which implies minimal usage of chemicals and aimed to attain maximum sludge production with best possible treated water quality. All the experiments have been carried out on a pilot scale unit, designed with required specifications and with the foresight to scale up into a large scale unit based on the results. These are obtained by performing a series of analysis specifically formulated for this study. In laboratory experiments were carried out to analyze COD (chemical oxygen demand), Ammonium, Nitrate, Total nitrogen and phosphorus using Dr. Lange cuvettes. As the prime focus is on reuse of the treated water for irrigation purpose and biogas production, all the parameters are modulated in accordance with the standard water quality prescriptions for the water to be used for irrigation. In accordance with the climatic conditions of the region, various parameters are modulated in such a way that in summers the outcome water quality is emphasized and maximization of sludge/organic matter is emphasized during winter season.

Algae can be used as a feedstock for agricultural fertilizers, livestock/poultry feeds, anaerobic digestion, and biofuel production. Regardless of the end product, water removal is necessary and difficult to do cost effectively. For each product the requirements for moisture content (or solids content) vary, such that a desirable water removal strategy would need to be adaptable to varying levels of water removal. Flocculation, with sedimentation and drying was evaluated as a possible strategy for algae dewatering. Anionic and nonionic flocculants are known to be ineffective at flocculating algal culture, which was confirmed for this case by electro-osmotic flow testing of the algae and jar tests with three flocculant charge types. Electrophoretic mobility of the algae indicated that it has a negative charge and no flocs were present in the jars. The effectiveness of the cationic flocculant was determined by measuring settling rates, supernatant turbidity, and filtration rates. Sedimentation and filtration rates of Scenedesmus acutus were measured with varying dosages (0-25 ppm) of a synthetic cationic polymeric flocculant. The results of this study should assist in predicting the time it takes to thicken algae at a concentration range of 0.4-1.0 g/L to a product at a concentration range of 15-250 g/L.

Inland waters receive substantial amounts of organic carbon from adjacent watersheds. Only about half of the carbon exported from inland waters reaches the oceans, while the remainder is lost en route. This thesis identifies flocculation as an important and significant fate of carbon in the boreal landscape. Flocculation reallocates organic carbon from the dissolved state into particles which are prone to settle. Thus, flocculation relocates organic carbon from the water column to the sediment. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC), mainly originating from terrestrial sources, in a set of Swedish lakes was found to determine the extent of sedimentation of particulate organic carbon. A major fraction of the settling particles were of allochthonous origin. This implies that allochthonous DOC was the precursor of the settling matter in these lakes. The gross sedimentation was of the same magnitude as the evasion of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Sunlight, especially in the photosynthetically active region, stimulated flocculation of DOC. The effect of light appeared to involve a direct photochemical reaction. Iron was involved in the flocculation but it could not be unravelled whether the iron catalyzes the flocculation or just co-precipitates with the settling matter. Microbial activity was identified as the main regulator of the flocculation rates. Accordingly, alteration of temperature, oxygen concentration and pH did not affect flocculation only indirectly, via their effects on microbial metabolism. A comparison of fluorescence characteristics of organic matter collected in sediment trap and in the sediment surface layer revealed that autochthonous organic carbon was preferentially lost in the sediments while allochthonous matter increased. The recalcitrant nature of the flocculated matter could favour sequestration of this matter in the lake sediment. Hence, the lakes will act as sinks of organic carbon due to a slower mineralization of the flocculated matter in the sediments.