Reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT) is a method of depositing films or producing nanopowders through combustion of metal-organic compounds dissolved in a solvent. This technology produces powders of controllable size and quality by changing process parameters to control the stoichiometry of the final product. This results in a low-cost, continuous production method suitable for producing a wide range of fuel cell related catalyst films or powders. In this work, the system is modified for direct deposition of both unsupported and carbon supported layers on proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The cell performance is investigated for platinum loadings of less than 0.15 mg/cm² using a heterogeneous bi-layer consisting of a layer of unsupported platinum followed by a composite layer of Nafion®, carbon and platinum. Comparison to more traditional composite cathode architectures is made at loadings of 0.12 and 0.05 mg platinum/cm². The composition and phase of the platinum catalyst is confirmed by XPS and XRD analysis while the particle size is analyzed by TEM microscopy. Cell voltages of 0.60 V at 1 A/cm² using H₂/O₂ at a loading of 0.053 mg platinum/cm² have been achieved.

La industria textil produce grandes cantidades de agua residual con un alto contenido de materia orgánica y color. Debido a la amenaza ambiental que supone su naturaleza refractaria, surge la necesidad del tratamiento antes de la descarga. Los procesos biológicos, físicos y químicos convencionales resultan ineficaces en la decoloración y mineralización completa de estos efluentes. Como alternativa emergen los Procesos Avanzados de Oxidación (PAOs), basados principalmente en la generación de radicales hidroxilo (HO·) altamente reactivos. Éstos pueden aplicarse de forma exclusiva o combinados con tratamientos biológicos con el fin de reducir su elevado consumo de reactivos y energía. Entre los diferentes PAOs disponibles, los procesos de Fenton y, particularmente, los procesos de foto-Fenton (basados en la generación de HO· mediante la adición de peróxido de hidrógeno y una sal ferrosa en disolución acuosa) suponen la mejor opción debido a su elevada eficacia y bajo coste económico. Adicionalmente, los procesos de foto-Fenton pueden llevarse a cabo bajo radiación solar, ofreciendo nuevas ventajas económicas y medioambientales. Esta tesis doctoral se centra básicamente en la aplicación del proceso de foto-Fenton como etapa previa en la degradación de soluciones de azo colorantes reactivos biorrecalcitrantes, con el propósito de generar un nuevo efluente compatible con un tratamiento biológico aerobio posterior de menor coste e impacto ambiental que el primero. La evolución de parámetros clave como el color, el carbono orgánico total, la aromaticidad, la toxicidad, la biodegradabilidad, la naturaleza de los intermedios de degradación, así como el efecto de la fuente de irradiación (luz artificial, luz solar), la temperatura, el tiempo de reacción y la concentración de reactivos, proporcionan información acerca de las condiciones idóneas para el acoplamiento PAO/tratamiento biológico. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la idoneidad del PAO propuesto con este fin, tanto a escala de laboratorio como en planta piloto. Mediante el proceso de foto-Fenton aplicado bajo condiciones de oxidación suaves, las soluciones bajo estudio resultan incoloras, de naturaleza biodegradable y no tóxica. De este modo, el tratamiento combinado foto-Fenton/tratamiento biológico aerobio permite su degradación completa. La luz solar como fuente de radiación en el proceso de foto-Fenton proporciona los mejores resultados. Por otro lado, la secuencia oxidativa parece comenzar por la decoloración por rotura del grupo azo seguida de la degradación de aromáticos para formar ácidos carboxílicos alifáticos -dando lugar a la formación de CO2 y H2O- o el anillo triazina de naturaleza recalcitrante. Una parte importante de los heteroátomos presentes en la molécula original aparecen como productos finales de naturaleza inorgánica inocua.El trabajo está ampliado con un estudio económico y medioambiental del proceso secuencial foto-Fenton (luz artificial)/tratamiento biológico. La evaluación medioambiental se ha realizado mediante la herramienta de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida. En comparación con los procesos simples foto-Fenton bajo luz artificial y foto-Fenton bajo luz solar, el tratamiento combinado resulta la mejor opción en ambos contextos. Los mayores impactos se asocian, en este orden, al consumo de peróxido de hidrógeno y de energía para alimentar la luz artificial. En consecuencia, y atendiendo a los resultados obtenidos previamente, es posible concluir que el proceso de foto-Fenton asistido con luz solar como pre-tratamiento de un proceso biológico sería la mejor opción en términos de efectividad, impacto medioambiental y coste operacional. Finalmente, como alternativa a la estrategia de oxidación química/tratamiento biológico aerobio, el PAO se aplica como post-tratamiento a un proceso biológico anaerobio. Los PAOs considerados son la ozonización y el proceso de foto-Fenton. Los resultados obtenidos manifiestan la idoneidad de la secuencia propuesta, obteniéndose unos mejores niveles de degradación mediante el proceso con ozono. Estos resultados son de especial interés en futuras aplicaciones para el tratamiento de aguas residuales textiles reales. / The textile industry produces large quantities of wastewater that is highly coloured and contains large concentrations of organic matter. Due to the environmental threat that supposes its recalcitrant nature, the application of specific treatment is required prior discharge. Conventional biological, physical and chemical processes are quite inefficient to completely mineralise and decolourise these effluents. Alternatively appear the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), principally based on the generation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (HO·). They may be applied as exclusive processes or combined with biological treatments in an attempt to reduce their large chemicals and energy consumption. Among available AOPs, the Fenton and, particularly, the photo-Fenton processes (based on HO· generation by means of hydrogen peroxide and a ferrous salt addition in aqueous solution) are of special interest since they achieve high reaction yields with a lower operational cost. Additionally, the photoassisted reaction presents the possibility of be driven under solar irradiation, offering further economic and environmental advantages. This doctoral dissertation is basically centred in the performance of the photo-Fenton process as a previous step to treat biorecalcitrant solutions polluted with commercial reactive azo dyes, aiming to generate a new effluent amenable to aerobic biotreatment (with a lower economic and environmental impact than the AOP). The evolution of key parameters such as the colour, the total organic carbon, the aromatic compounds content, the toxicity, the biodegradability, the generated by-products nature, as well as the type of irradiation effect (artificial light, solar light), the temperature, the reaction time and the reagents concentrations, provide information about the most suitable conditions to carry out the AOP/biological coupled treatment. Obtained results evidence the aptness of the AOP proposed with this aim, either at laboratory and pilot plant scale. With a partial oxidation run under proper mild conditions, the studied dye solutions become decolourised, biodegradable as well as non toxic. In this way, the combined photo-Fenton/biological treatment allows the complete mineralisation. The solar light as a source of irradiation provides the best results. On the other hand, the oxidative sequence appears to begin with the hydroxyl radical attack to azo groups, giving place to the solutions decolourisation. The following aromatics degradation generates either short chain carboxylic acids -finally yielding CO2 and water- or the recalcitrant triazine moiety. An important part of the heteroatoms initially present in the molecule gradually appear as innocuous final products of inorganic nature.The work is extended with an economic and environmental study of the sequential photo-Fenton (artificial light)/biological treatment process. The environmental evaluation has been realised by means of the Life Cycle Assessment tool. In comparison with single artificial light photo-Fenton process and solar driven photo-Fenton process, the combined treatment supposes the best option in both contexts. The major burdens are mainly attributed to the hydrogen peroxide requirements and the electrical energy consumption to run the artificial light, in this order. Consequently, and attaining to previously obtained results, the solar driven photo-Fenton process as a pre-treatment of a biological treatment would be the best option in terms of effectiveness, environmental impact and operational cost. Finally, as an alternative to the chemical/aerobic biological treatment, the AOP is performed as a post-treatment of an ensuing anaerobic biotreatment. Ozonation and photo-Fenton processes have been chosen for this role. Obtained results manifest the suitability of the proposed sequence, attaining the best degradation levels by means of ozonation process. These results are of special interest for real wastewater applications.

L’anomenat drenatge àcid de mina (AMD) ve generat per l’oxidació de sulfurs i és causa major de contaminació d’aigües a nivell mundial. L’arsènic és un del princiapls contaminants laconcentració del qual pot assolir centenars de mgL-1, és a dir, de 5 a 6 ordres de magnitud més gran que el límit de potabilitat per a l’aigua (10μg L-1) establert per la UE en 1998. En aquesta tesi, s’estudia l’impacte de la mobilització de l’arsènic al llarg de descàrregues de drenatge àcid de mina. L’oxidació de sulfurs que contenen arsènic (tal com l’arsenopirita (AsFeS), la pirita rica en arsènic (FeS2) o la marcassita (FeS2) és una de les principals fonts d’alliberament d’arsènic a l’aigua. En la primera part de la tesi, s’ha estudiat la cinètica de dissolució de l’arsenopirita i de la marcassita a pHs àcids i neutre, utilitzant reactors de flux continu, i s’han valorat els efectes del pH, de l’oxigen dissolt i de la temperatura en la dissolució d’ambdós sulfurs. A partir de les velocitats en estat estacionari establertes, es proposen les respectives lleis de dissolució que tenen en compte el lleu i el fort efecte del pH i de l’oxigen dissolt, respectivament, en llur dissolució. La incorporació d’aquestes lleis cinètiques en les bases de dades del codis geoquímics i de transport reactitu permeten fer prediccions molt més realistes. L’impacte mediambiental causat per l’arsènic alliberat a les aigües depèn de la seva atenuació natural. El principal procés que controla el destí i la mobilitat de l’arsènic aquós és l’adsorció de l’arsenat en fases de ferro precipitades. Per tant, cal tenir en compte el paper que juga l’estat d’oxidació de l’arsènic. En la segona part de la tesi, shan estudiat tant l’oxidació de l’arsènic com l’adsorció de l’arsènic. L’oxidació s’estudia en condicions abiòtiques i biòtiques a pH i composició típics d’aigües àcides de mina, fent servir experiments de tipus batch. S’hi mostra com en condicions biòtiques tenen lloc simultàniament l’oxidació de Fe(II) a Fe (III) i d’arsenit a arsenat, de manera que mentre els bacteris governen la primera, el contingut de Fe(III) domina la segona. En condicions abiòtiques, l’oxidació d’arsenit a arsenat en presència de Fe(III) és lenta, tot i que augmenta augmentant la presència de Fe(III) i de clorur amb llum de dia. L’adsorció d’arsènic en llocs d’AMD, i per tant l’atenuació d’arsènic, ocorre mitjançant l’adsorció d’arsenat en precipitats formats per oxi-hidròxids i oxi-hidròxid-sulfats de ferro (principalment schwertmannita (Fe8O8(OH)5.5(SO4)1.25), K-jarosita (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6) i goetita (FeOOH)). S’han estudiat les capacitats d’adsorció de la jarosita i de la goetita i s’han comparat amb la de la schwertmannita. Amb aquest propòsit es van fer experiments de tipus batch a pH molt àcid i amb mostres sintetitzades de K-jarosita i de goetita. Sense la competència d’altres anions, la capacitat de la jarosita per eliminar arsenat és més alta que la de la goetita. També s’ha vist que la força iònica té un escàs efecte en l’adsorció d’ambdós minerals, però que la presència de sulfat, que és l’anió més abundant en aigües àcides de mina, minva llurs capacitas d’adsorció. Cal conèixer bé els mecanismes dominants que controlen el contingut d’arsènic en les aigües, no només en condicions de laboratori, sinó també en les condicions de camp. Per tant, en la tercera part de la tesi s’han estudiat el processos d’atenuació de l’arsènic en un sistema natural. Amb aquest objetiu s’han caracterizat exhaustivament l’aigua i els sediments del rieron provinent de la mina abandonada Tinto Santa Rosa, situada a la Faixa Pirítica Ibèrica (IPB). La característica dominant de l’aigua del rierol és un descens del pH aigües avall que va acompanyat d’un decreixement sistemàtic de les concentracions de ferro ferrós i de ferro total, d’arsenit i d’arsenat, així com d’arsènic total. A més a més, els sediments de llit mostren contiguts alts d’arsènic. Els principals mecanismes que dominen el destí i la mobilitat de l’arsènic en aquestes aigües de camp són l’oxidació del ferro i de l’arsènic i la precipitatió de compostos de Fe(III) que adsorbeixen l’arsenat. S’ha proposat un model unidimensional de trasnport reactiu, utilitzant el codi PHREEQC, per explicar i quantificar els processos mencionats que han estat estudiats en condicions de laboratori. / Acid mine drainage (AMD) generated by sulfide oxidative dissolution is a major cause of water contamination world-wide. Arsenic is one of the main AMD pollutants whose concentration can reach up to hundreds of mg L-1, i.e. 5-6 orders of magnitude higher than the limit of 10 μg L-1 for potable water established by the European Union in 1998. This thesis is concerned with the impact of arsenic mobilization along AMD discharges. Oxidation of As-bearing sulfides such as arsenopyrite (AsFeS), As-rich pyrite (FeS2) or marcasite (FeS2) is one of the main sources of arsenic release. The first part of this thesis is focused on the dissolution kinetics of arsenopyrite and marcasite at acidic to neutral pH using long term flow-through experiments. The effects of pH, dissolved oxygen and temperature on their dissolution were assessed. The respective dissolution rate laws were proposed on the basis of the steady-state rates, taking into consideration the slight pH effect and the strong dissolved oxygen effect on dissolution. The incorporation of these rate laws into the kinetic databases of geochemical and reactive transport codes allows us to obtain better realistic simulations. The environmental impact of released arsenic into waters depends on its natural attenuation. The arsenic oxidation state is considered given that the main process that controls the fate and mobility of aqueous arsenic is arsenate sorption onto precipitated Fe-phases. The second part of the thesis discusses arsenic oxidation and arsenic sorption. Oxidation was studied by means of batch experiments under abiotic and biotic conditions at typical AMD water pH and water composition. Simultaneous oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) and arsenite to arsenate occurs under biotic conditions, the former mediated by bacteria, and the latter by the presence of Fe(III). Under abiotic conditions, oxidation of arsenite to arsenate in the presence of Fe(III) is slow, but is enhanced by increasing dissolved Fe(III) and chloride concentrations in the presence of light. Arsenic sorption at AMD sites, and hence arsenic attenuation, occurs via arsenate sorption on new iron-oxyhydroxide and iron-oxyhydroxide-sulphate precipitates (mainly, schwertmannite (Fe8O8(OH)5.5(SO4)1.25), jarosite (KFe3(SO4)2(OH)6) and goethite (FeOOH)). The sorption capacity of goethite and jarosite was studied and compared with the one reported for schwertmannite. To this end, batch experiments were conducted using synthetic powders of K-jarosite and goethite at highly acidic pH. In the absence of competitive effects of other anions, K-jarosite presented better removal efficiency for arsenate, and ionic strength and pH had little effect on the sorption capacity of the two minerals. In contrast, these sorption capacities diminished considerably in the presence of sulfate, which is the main anion in AMD waters. A deeper understanding of the dominant mechanisms controlling arsenic content in waters demands the study of the processes not only under laboratory but also under natural conditions. Accordingly, the third part of this thesis deals with the arsenic attenuation processes in a natural system. To this end, the acidic water and sediments of the abandoned Tinto Santa Rosa mine discharge, located in the Iberian Pyritic Belt, were studied. The most striking feature of the water was a pH decrease accompanied by a systematic decrease in ferrous iron, total iron, arsenite, arsenate and total arsenic concentration. Additionally, bed-stream sediments showed high arsenic contents. The main processes that control the fate and mobility of arsenic in waters in the field were iron and arsenic oxidation, precipitation of Fe(III)- minerals and sorption of As(V) onto them. A 1-D reactive transport model using the PHREEQC code was used to explain and quantify the aforementioned processes that had been studied previously under laboratory conditions.

Replacement of thymidine in DNA by halopyrimidines, such as bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and iododeoxyuridine (IdU), has long been known to enhance DNA damage and cell death induced by ionizing/UV radiation, but the mechanism of action of halopyrimidines at the molecular level is poorly understood. We have applied advanced time-resolved femtosecond laser spectroscopy to this molecular system of biological, chemical and medical significance. We obtained the first real-time observations of the transition states of the ultrafast electron transfer (UET) reactions of halopyrimidines with the ultrashort-lived precursor to the hydrated electron, which is a general product in ionizing/UV radiation. Our results provide a mechanistic understanding of these photo-/radiosensitizing drugs at the molecular level. We found that the UET reaction of BrdU is completed within 0.2 picosecond (ps) after the electronic exciataion, leading to the formation of the transition state BrdU* with a lifetime of ~1.5 ps that then dissociates into Br and a high reactive radical dU•. We have also demonstrated that the reaction efficiency for the formation of the reactive radical dU• to cause DNA damage and cell death is in the order of IdU>>BrdU>CldU>>FdU. This is due to the availability of two precursor states of ~0.2 ps and ~ 0.54 ps lifetimes for dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to IdU, of one precursor state of ~0.2 ps lifetime for DEAs to BrdU and CldU, and no precursors for DEA to FdU. This explains why BrdU and IdU were found to be effective radio-/photosensitizers and indicates that IdU should be explored as the most effective radiosensitizer among halopyrimidines. Moreover, as a by-product of this project, these halopyrimidines have been employed as quantum-state-specific molecular probes to resolve a long-standing controversy about the nature and lifetimes of prehydrated electrons. These findings also have a broader significance as they indicated that nonequilibrium precursor electrons may play an important role in electron-initiated reactions in many biological, chemical and environmental systems. We have also demonstrated UET reactions of nucleotides with the precursor to the hydrated electrons. Our results indicate that among DNA bases, adenine is the most efficient electron trapper and an effective electron transfer promoter, while guanine is the most effective in dissociative electron attachment. These results not only primarily explain the sequence selectivity of duplex DNA containing BrdU/IdU, but imply that the DEA of guanine is an important mechanism for radiation-induced DNA damage in ionizing radiation and radiotherapy of cancer.

Abstract Permeable reactive barrier technology is a cost effective means of treating near surface groundwater contaminant plumes. However, current reactive barrier technology lacks the capacity to manipulate flow rates and thus hydraulic retention time (HRT) within the barriers in order to maximize the effectiveness and longevity of the media. This study examines the effectiveness of tile drains as passive controls on the flow rate of ground-water through an existing wood particle media permeable reactive barrier treating agricultural nitrate. The use of upgradient and downgradient tile drains allowed HRT to be increased from 4.5 to 10 days in one trial and then to be decreased from 11.1 to 0.8 days in a second trial. Influent groundwater NO3-N concentrations of ~100 mg/L were attenuated to detection limit (0.02 mg/L) only 12% of the 4 m long barrier with HRTs of 4.5 to 10 days. During the second trial, HRT was decreased to 0.8 days and NO3-N penetrated to the downgradient edge of the PRB at 1.8 mg/L. The behaviour of SO4 in the PRB was also affected by flow rate. SO4 entered the PRB at 60 to 71 mg/L during the first trial. Under a HRT of 10 days it was depleted to detection limit after traveling through only 13% of the barrier. When HRT was decreased to 4.5 days, SO4 was able to penetrate the downgradient edge of the PRB at concentrations from 4 to 6 mg/L. With a 0.8 day HRT SO4 reduction was highly restricted as calculations showed 90% of available carbon in the PRB was being used to reduce NO3-N, compared to 7.5% being used for SO4 reduction at that time. In comparison, at the 10 day HRT, 61% of carbon being used for NO3-N reduction, 8.7% for SO4 reduction, 0.7 for dissolved oxygen and 29% was lost through DOC leaching. These calculations suggest that barrier efficiency can be greatly enhanced by manipulation of HRT through use of tile drains.

A primary purpose of the present work was to develop an experimental technique using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) capable of elucidating phase formation during sintering of a 50 atomic percent Ni and 50 atomic percent Ti powder compact in order to increase the understanding of the sintering mechanisms that take place during solid state and reactive sintering. Using a variety of Nickel and Titanium powder sizes, effects due to powder size, peak temperature and hold time were studied in situ using DSC, which allowed for a number of qualitative and quantitative relationships to be developed. In studying the eutectoid decomposition of β-Ti using DSC, a simple model was developed (Eq. 4-7) to relate the measured enthalpy of this reaction to the area fraction observed microstructurally. This allowed for the determination of the standard enthalpy for the β-Ti eutectoid decomposition, which was found to be ΔHf = 64.8 J/g. This value, coupled with the measured eutectoid enthalpy, allowed for the determination of the weight fraction of β-Ti present as a function of hold time at 900°C. It was found that the β-Ti removal followed a two-stage parabolic decay. The rate constant for stage I was found to be kI = -0.0347 fβ/(mins)^1/2 and that for stage II, kII = - 0.0123 fβ/(mins)^1/2. A relationship between the enthalpy observed for the combustion reaction versus the fraction of β-Ti present at the time of combustion was also developed (Eq. 4-15). This represents the first published evidence that combustion actually depends on the β-Ti content, which in turn precipitates a melting event significant enough to initiate combustion.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), which utilizes the combination of light and a photosensitizing drug to cause tissue damages, has emerged as a novel clinical approach for the treatment of numerous cancers, as well as some other non-malignant conditions. Although a few photosensitizers have been approved for clinical uses, the mechanism of drug action, especially the initial photochemical reactions that lead to the formation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), is still not well understood. Moreover, the PDT efficiency of currently used drugs is limited due to the strong attenuation of light by tissues in the wavelength range of 630-690 nm, where these drugs are photo-activated. Photosensitizers which are sensitive to near infrared (NIR) light are believed to be able to overcome this limitation. In this thesis work, the molecular mechanism of action of indocyanine green (ICG), a potential NIR PDT drug, was investigated using our femtosecond time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence decay profiles of ICG in water were obtained using the fluorescence up-conversion technique. The lifetime of ICG excited singlet state was determined to be about 150 ps, directly from the fluorescence decay kinetic traces. The excited triplet-state yield of ICG in water was found to be extremely low, according to the result of the ground-state bleaching recovery measurement. This observation is contrary to the conventional understanding that the ROS would be generated mainly from the excited triplet state of the photosensitizer and, therefore, suggests the existence of a new reaction pathway. Pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy was applied to study the reaction between ICG and oxygen in more details. The results reveal that the formation of ICG and oxygen ground-state complexes ([ICG]_m:[O₂]_n) is a key step in the generation of the ROS. Electron transfer from the excited singlet state of ICG to oxygen has been proposed to be a possible pathway for the generation of ROS.

The effective and efficient remediation of contaminated groundwater sites requires site specific information regarding the physical, chemical and biological properties of the aquifer. Building on the dipole flow test (DFT) and the dipole flow and tracer test (DFTT), the dipole flow and reactive tracer test (DFRTT) has been proposed as an alternative to current aquifer parameter estimation methods. A steady-state dipole flow field is created by circulating groundwater between chambers isolated by the dipole tool. A tracer is released into the injection chamber and the breakthrough curve at the extraction chamber is interpreted with the DFRTT specific model. The overall goal of this thesis was to demonstrate the ability of a prototype dipole system to produce tracer BTCs in conventional wells installed in an unconfined sandy aquifer. The Waterloo dipole probe was constructed and field tested at CFB Borden. DFTs conducted along the length of the screen of non-filter packed monitoring wells provided similar estimates of radial hydraulic conductivity (Kr) to slug tests and literature values. The geometric mean Kr estimated in the filter packed wells was approximately an order of magnitude greater than the mean Kr estimate for the non-filter packed wells due to short-circuiting through the filter pack. A total of 46 DFTTs were completed in the monitoring wells at CFB Borden to investigate the properties of the BTCs. The shape of the BTC for a conservative tracer is affected by test set up parameters, well construction, and aquifer formation properties. The BTCs from the DFTTs completed in the non-filter pack monitoring wells were categorized into four “type curves” based on the BTC properties. The differences between the type curves were largely defined by the ratio of K between the skin zone and the aquifer (Ks/Kr). Now that a series of DFTT BTCs have been generated, the DFRTT model will be used to estimate the aquifer parameters. To continue the work outlined in this thesis, DFRTTs are planned for well-documented contaminated sites.

Four different kinds of filter-materials with reactive surfaces have been studied concerning their capacity to absorb heavy metals in leachate from a municipal waste deposit. The heavy metals studied were: lead, cadmium, copper, mercury, chromium, nickel and zinc. The leachate contains high levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and has a high pH-value along with a high buffer capacity. These characteristics of the leachate make it difficult to remove pollutants and require efficient filters. The filters that were examined in the report are blast-furnace slag with CaO, sand covered with iron oxides, olivine and nepheline. The experiment was carried out in two sets, starting with batch experiments followed by a column study. The objective of the batch experiments was to find out how variations in pH affected the sorption capacity of the materials. The interval used during the test was from pH 5 to pH 10. The computer program VisualMinteq was used to evaluate the dominating sorption processes when the materials interacted with the solutions. Two different kinds of solutions were used in the batch experiment. One of them was the leachate, to which known concentrations of heavy metals were added (about 1 μM) and the other consisted of sodium nitrate, a solution without organic compounds, which was used as a reference. The sodium nitrate solution was also spiked with the same concentration of heavy metals as the leachate. The results from the batch experiment showed that the sorption of heavy metals was lowered if the DOC level was high. No relation between pH and sorption ability could be found for the leachate, but for some metals in the sodium solution a higher pH improved the removal of heavy metals. The two materials that showed best results in the batch experiment were the blast-furnace slag and the sand with iron oxides. These materials were used in the column study. The olivine material was somewhat better than the nepheline in the batch experiment. Four columns were used in the column study, two for each material. Leachate with heavy metals was pumped into the columns with a specific flow rate; at first a low flow rate was used and when half the experiment time had passed the flow rate was increased. The flow rates used were 0.12 m/24 h and 0.62 m/24 h. The outcome of the column experiment showed that the slag had the highest ability to adsorb metals. The metal sorption was over 60 percent for lead, cadmium and zinc, where the highest sorption was obtained for lead. No affects were noticed when the flow rate was increased. / I detta examensarbete har fyra olika reaktiva filtermaterials kapaciteter att ur deponilakvatten avskilja tungmetallerna bly, kadmium, koppar, kvicksilver, krom, nickel och zink testats. Deponilakvatten är ett avloppsvatten med höga halter organiskt material (DOC), högt pH och en hög buffertkapacitet. Dess sammansättning ställer stora krav på ett filter och närvaron av ligander påverkar sorptionprocesserna. Filtren som ingått i studien är kalciumoxiddopad masugnsslagg, järnoxidtäckt sand, olivin och nefelin. Försöken utfördes i två delar, med inledande skakförsök och därefter kolonnförsök. I båda försöken användes lakvatten med en extra tillsats av tungmetaller. I skakförsöken användes även natriumnitrat; ett referensvatten utan organiska ligander, även det spikat med tungmetaller. I skakförsöken studerades avskiljningens pH-beroende för de olika filtren, med ett pH-intervall på ca 5 – 10. Därefter modellerades resultaten i jämviktsprogrammet VisualMinteq för att fastställa vilka processer som styr avskiljningen. Skakförsöken och kolonnförsöken utfördes båda i klimatrum vid 8 ºC, för att efterlikna markens naturliga temperatur. Resultaten från skakförsöken visade att masugnsslagg och järnoxidsand gav bäst avskiljning för de flesta tungmetaller. Olivin och nefelin var sämre metallsorbenter, där olivin uppvisade något bättre resultat än nefelin. Inget tydligt pH-beroende för lakvattnet kunde utläsas, men för natriumnitratlösningen gav en pH-höjning en ökad sorption för vissa metaller. Den kemiska jämviktsmodelleringen visade att den dominerande processen i filtermaterialen var sorption på filterytorna. De två filtermaterialen som visade bäst resultat i skakförsöken (slagg och järnoxid) studerades vidare i kolonnförsök, där ett bestämt lakvattenflöde pumpades genom kolonner packade med materialen. Två olika flödeshastigheter testades (0,12 m/dygn och 0,62 m/dygn) och sorptionen av metaller analyserades. Slaggen uppvisade högst avskiljningskapacitet av de studerade filtren. De metaller som sorberades bäst var bly, kadmium och zink (över 60 % avskiljning), där den högsta sorptionen erhölls för bly. Gemensamt för både skak- och kolonnförsöken var att sorptionen försvårades då halten organiskt material (DOC) ökade, vilket beror på att DOC konkurrerar med de reaktiva ytorna på filtren om att binda den fria metalljonen. Ingen minskande avskiljningseffekt av en flödesökning kunde utläsas.

An excessive input of nutrients to lakes and other water bodies has created a problem with eutrophication in Sweden. Untreated, or partially treated, domestic sewage is a major source for discharge of phosphorus (P), which is the nutrient most frequently responsible for eutrophication of most fresh waters and the Baltic Sea. The waste water can be cleaned by filter materials, which have a high P-retention ability and which after saturation may be used as fertilizers. Four potentially suitable filter materials were tested in batch- and column experiments in this study. In the batch experiments, the following materials were shaken with waste water in time series ranging from 5 seconds to 60 minutes: coarse (1-4 mm) and fine (0-2 mm) Polonite® (heated bedrock from Poland); Filtralite® (light expanded clay aggregates with limestone added before burning); water cooled blast furnace slag (BF-slag) and BF-slag mixed with 10% burned limestone. In the column experiment, the phosphorus sorption capacity in BF-slag and BF-slag mixed with burned limestone was observed under saturated and unsaturated flow conditions for 10 weeks. The waste water used in both experiments originated from the full scale testing site at Ångersjön in Sweden. After the column experiment was ended, the filter materials were investigated with XRD (X-ray diffraction) and SEM (scanning electron microscope) in order to figure out which chemical reactions that had taken place. The results from the batch experiments show that fine Polonite® and BF-slag mixed with limestone have the fastest P sorption capacity. Already after 5 seconds of shaking the materials showed effective retention of P. The coarse Polonite®, Filtralite® and BF-slag showed similar sorption capacities, although the coarse Polonite® tended to be somewhat inferior. The column studies showed that the materials used in the columns had a sorption capacity of 98 % or more. The XRD and SEM indicated that an amorphous calcium-P-compound was created in the filter material. / I Sverige är reningen av fosfor i vatten från enskilda avlopp ofta bristfällig, vilket bland annat kan leda till övergödning av sjöar, hav och vattendrag. Sedan några år tillbaka har olika filtermaterial med speciella reaktiva egenskaper, som bland annat avskiljer fosfor från avloppsvatten, undersökts. Tanken med filtermaterialen är att de efter mättnad med näringsämnen ska kunnas användas som jordförbättringsmedel. I denna rapport har några olika filtermaterial, lämpade för fosforavskiljning, undersökts genom skak- och kolonnförsök. I skakförsök, där skaktiderna varierade mellan 5 sekunder och 60 minuter, testades Polonite®, Filtralite®, Hyttsand och Hyttsand blandad med 10 % bränd kalk. Polonite® är en upphettad form av bergarten opoka varav två olika kornstorleksfraktioner (0-2 mm och 1-4 mm) användes. Filtralite® och Hyttsand är antropogena filtermaterial. Filtralite® tillverkas i Norge och består av kalkhaltiga kulor av expanderad lera (Leca®). Hyttsand framställs genom vattenkylning av masugnsslagg som bildas vid framställningen av råjärn vid stålverket i Oxelösund. I kolonnförsöken, som utfördes under 10 veckor, studerades Hyttsand och Hyttsand blandad med 10 % bränd kalk under omättade och mättade flödesförhållanden. I samtliga experiment användes avloppsvatten från reningsverket vid Ångersjön, där Filtralite® och Hyttsand testas i fullskala. Efter kolonnförsöken avslutats undersöktes filtermaterialen med XRD (röntgendiffraktion) och SEM (svepelektron mikroskop) för att utreda vilka mekanismer som medverkat vid avskiljningen av fosfor. Resultaten från skakförsöken visade att finkornig Polonite® och Hyttsand blandad med kalk avskiljer fosfor effektivt redan efter skakning i 5 sekunder. Grovkornig Polonite, ren Hyttsand och Filtralite® sorberade fosfor tämligen likartat, även om den grovkorniga Poloniten® tenderade att vara aningen sämre än de övriga. Resultaten från kolonnförsöken visade att fosfor kunde avskiljas till över 98 % i alla kolonner och att det bildats amorfa fosfatföreningar, främst med kalcium, under den 2,5 månader långa experimentperioden.