Tracing Organic Footprints from Industrial Effluent Discharge in Recalcitrant Riverine Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter

Excitation?Cemission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy, combined with parallel factor analysis and measurements of UV absorption and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, was used to trace the footprints of industrial effluents discharged into the lower Kishon River (Israel). The lower Kishon River typifies streams that are affected by seawater tidal intrusion and represents an extreme case of severe long-term pollution caused mainly by a variety of industrial effluents. The industrial effluents may contribute about 90%, in terms of biochemical oxygen demand, of the total organic carbon discharged into the lower Kishon River. Water samples were collected along the river, including the points of effluent discharge from industrial plants, between November 2005 and September 2006. Two types of fluorescent components characterized the fluorescence of the lower Kishon River water: component I corresponded to humic-like matter and component II spectrally resembled material known to be associated with biological productivity, but different from typical tryptophan-like fluorophore. These fluorescent components and other substances that absorbed light at 254 nm contributed to the DOC pool that resisted riverine microbial degradation under laboratory conditions, and that constitutes up to 70% of the overall riverine DOC. The variations in DOC concentration, absorbance at 254 nm, and concentration of humic-like matter (characterized by component I) correlated with the distance from the sea and the water electrical conductivity, and were linked to seawater tidal intrusion. The increased concentration of component II, as well as its enlarged fraction in the overall riverine DOC pool, was found to be associated with the location of major inputs of the industrial effluents. These findings support the use of this fluorescent component as an indicator of industrial pollution in such severely contaminated riverine systems.     

Modelling the effect of soil water content and sorption on dye-tracer fluorescence

Fluorescent dye tracers are used to show concentration maps of tracer fronts, plumes and pathways on soil profiles and in monolith cross sections. The physical process of fluorescence from the exposed soil surfaces must be understood in order to retrieve accurately the concentration of such compounds. We found in a laboratory experiment that the fluorescence of quartz sand stained with Acid Yellow depends both on the tracer concentration and the soil water content. In this study, we investigate the dependence of fluorescence on the water content by using a radiative transfer model. The hypothesis of our modelling approach is that fluorescence depends on water content (1) because of the adsorption properties of the tracer and (2) because the microscopic distribution of the water phase changes the positioning and emission of the excited fluorescence molecules in the sample. Our model results show that both factors influence fluorescence to a similar extent, as observed in the Acid Yellow experiment. Because these results explain only part of the overall variation in the experiment, further factors, in addition to the postulated causes, have to be considered for determining concentration maps of fluorescent tracers from real soil profiles.     

Tiber River Quality in the Stretch of a Sewage Treatment Plant: Effects of River Water or Disinfectants to Daphnia and Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Community

The evaluation of Tiber River quality, in a stretch including a sewage treatment plant, has been carried out by the contemporary evaluation of water effect on Daphnia and benthic macroinvertebrates community structure. To achieve a good status of a river water by the end of 2015, as provided in the Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC, is necessary to know the quality starting point. To this end, several endpoints are expected by the WFD, including Daphnia toxicity test and macroinvertebrate community analysis. River water sampling was conducted in the four seasons, from upstream to downstream a sewage treatment plant. I endpoint. At the outfall of the sewage treatment plant, river water showed very high acute toxicity to Daphnia only in summer; some toxic effect can be found also upstream in spring. Results at the outfall were consistent with the hypothesis that disinfectants, mainly used in summer to treat discharging waters, are responsible of river water acute toxicity: Daphnia tests with each disinfectant (NaClO, PAA, ClO₂) showed high toxicity. River waters were also utilized in Daphnia reproduction tests. Samples at the outfall (excluding the summer one, undoubtedly toxic) caused slight reduction in survival and fecundity. Disinfectants were also checked in reproduction tests. Still at NOEC_24h, they caused a significant toxicity on both death rate and reproduction. II endpoint. Macroinvertebrate benthic community composition was evaluated upstream and downstream the sewage treatment plant, on these data Extended Biotic Index (EBI), was determined to get a score as quality class. A reduction of water quality score was found downstream the plant, one season delayed (autumn) respect the acute test on Daphnia. Effect of disinfectant discharge, river dilution capability on a short spatial scale and use of different endpoints are discussed in term of river stretch quality.     

Effects of reservoir-dam,urban, industrial,and sewage treatment run-off on the presence of oxygen and organic compounds in the Bow River

Because of persistent complaints by downstream users about the deterioration of water quality, the Bow River waters near Calgary, Alberta, were examined for the occurrence and presence of organic compounds. The overall water quality was determined by studying the effects of reservoir-dam, urban, industrial and municipal outfall on the river as it enters and leaves the Calgary city limits. The reservoir-dam and urban run-off do not affect the Bow River water quality. The industrial and municipal outfall, although contributing slightly higher levels of organic carbon compounds to the river, have minimal impact on its water quality. This was indicated by the fact that concentrations of organic compounds in the river waters leaving the Calgary city limits were in the range of those for pristine waters of Alberta. Thus, in terms of organic compounds, the Bow River water quality poses no problem to the downstream users of the river.     

Improvement of River Water Quality Through a Seasonal Effluent Discharge Program (SEDP)

In an attempt to improve water quality in rivers and streams or to maintain water quality without further degradation, most Environmental Protection Authorities throughout the world set stringent effluent discharge limits on sewage treatment plants. In most cases, these limits are based on Best Available Technology. The use of this technology is expensive, and does not consider the ability of the flow condition of receiving waters in digesting wastewater. An alternative strategy called ‘seasonal effluent discharge program’ (SEDP) was investigated in this study, which utilises different flow conditions in the river, in different periods in order to accommodate various wastewater discharge concentrations. A river water quality model was developed for Yarra River in Victoria (Australia). A genetic algorithm optimisation procedure was used for estimating the reaction parameters and calibrating the model. The river water quality model was then used to study the effectiveness of SEDP. The results of the study revealed that the SEDP is a feasible strategy for improving water quality in Yarra River, since the river has high assimilative capacity in winter compared to summer. This allows a lower wastewater treatment (via a lower chemical dosage) during winter, because of the high dilution capacity in the river.     

矿山排泥库渗漏特性的地下水示踪试验研究

以广西省某排泥库为研究区,对该排泥库进行地下水示踪试验,绘制时间浓度曲线,并利用一维水动力弥散模型对试验曲线进行了研究,计算出接收点地下水的流速、弥散系数和弥散度,探讨了示踪试验中出现多峰、双峰现象的机理。试验结果表明,地下水示踪模型计算所得流速与视流速总体接近,对示踪剂投放点和接收点的渗漏途径、地下水的流向、水力联系等情况的分析与实际情况吻合,该方法可以为库外水源污染情况评价和施工提供技术参考。     

An evaluation of two bacteriophages as sewage tracers

Two bacteriophages — phage 80 of Staphylococcus aureus and a P2-like phage (?MWD 1) of Escherichia coli (H₂S + ) — were evaluated as sewage tracers. Background plaque concentrations on the S. aureus host were < 1100 mL^?1 in seven (raw and treated) effluents tested but, on E. coli (H₂S +), they ranged from < 1100 mL^?1 in oxidation pond effluents to 1.1 × 10³ 100 mL^?1 in primary treated meatworks effluent. Thus, phage 80 appears to be a suitable tracer for both raw and treated sewage but ?MWD 1 may only be suitable for use in secondary treated effluent. In frozen samples, concentrations of both tracer phages were reduced by 90% within 2 days, but decreased more slowly over the following 68 days to around 5% of the original (unfrozen) titre. In a field test, the two phages were used simultaneously to trace the movement of oxidation pond effluents down a river system. Timing of assay of frozen samples and the advantages and limitations of bacteriophages as sewage tracers are discussed.     

3-Chlorophenol Biodegradation in a Sequencing Batch Reactor: Kinetic Study and Effect of the Filling Time

Mercury pollution in the Second Songhua River (SSR) was serious in the last century due to effluent from a chemical corporation. Effects of riverine self-purification on mercury removal were studied by comparing monitoring data of mercury concentrations varieties in water, sediment, and fish in the past, about 30 years. The present work suggested that a river of such a size like the SSR possessed the potential ability to recover from mercury pollution under the condition that mercury sources were cut off, though it needs a very long time, which might be several decades or even a century of years. During the 30 years with no effluent containing mercury input, total mercury (T-Hg) of water and sediment in some typical segments, mostly near the past effluent outlet, had decreased radically but still higher than the background values, though the decrease amplitudes were over 90% compared with that in 1975. T-Hg had decreased by more than 90% in most fishes, but some were still not suitable for consumption. Methylmercury concentrations (MeHg) of water, sediment, and fish were higher or close to the background levels in 2004. In the coming decades, the purification processes in the SSR would be steady and slow for a long period.     

The Impact of Wastewater Treatment Effluent on the Biogeochemistry of the Enoree River,South Carolina,During Drought Conditions

Drought conditions should magnify the effect of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent on river biogeochemistry. This study examined the impact of WWTP effluent on the Enoree River in the piedmont region of South Carolina during a period of significant drought. The Enoree River lacks impoundments, upstream agricultural runoff, and significant industrial point sources, so the single most important human influence on river chemistry is WWTP effluent. Water samples were collected from 28 locations on the Enoree River, 13 of its tributaries, and the effluent of four WWTPs. Effluent from the WWTP furthest upstream increased the salinity of the river and temporal variation and concentrations of most ions, especially nitrate, phosphate, sulfate, sodium, and chloride. The upstream WWTP set the downstream chemical composition of the river, with increasing proportions of chloride, sodium, and sulfate and decreasing proportions of dissolved silicon and bicarbonate. Downstream WWTPs had little or no impact on the chemical composition of the river. Mixing model results show that dilution was the dominant process of the downstream decrease in solute concentrations, but in-channel uptake mechanisms also contributed to declines in concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and carbon dioxide. Despite dilution and uptake, the chemical signature of WWTP effluent was still evident 135 km downstream. These results lead to a better understanding of the effects of WWTP effluent on the biogeochemistry of rivers.     

Fluorescence Tracing of Diffuse Landfill Leachate Contamination in Rivers

Landfill leachates are composed of a complex mixture of degradation products which include a wide range of potentially fluorescent organic molecules and compounds. Here we investigate the use of fluorescence excitation–emission matrix (EEM) analysis in detecting diffuse landfill leachate contamination in rivers. Landfill leachates from three unlined landfill sites adjacent to our study river are characterised by intense fluorescence at excitation wavelength 220–230 nm, and emission wavelength 340–370 nm, which derives from fluorescent components of the xenobiotic organic matter fraction. Seven surface water sample sites on an adjacent polluted river system were analysed for fluorescence and water quality properties. The 220–230 nm excitation wavelength, 340–370 nm emission wavelength fluorescent centre was also detected in this river system at the sample locations downstream of the landfills, but not at upstream control sites, demonstrating its use as a tracer of landfill leachate contamination. Negative correlations are observed between this fluorescence centre and dissolved oxygen in the river water samples, demonstrating the water quality implications of leachate contamination at this study site. The fluorescence intensity at the 220–230 nm excitation wavelength, 340–370 nm emission wavelength fluorescent centre in landfill leachates is such that it remains detectable at dilutions of 10²–10³, and the fluorescence EEM technique is rapid and cost-effective for use by river managers and water quality regulators.     

土壤侵蚀磁性示踪剂对大白菜生理特性及产量和品质的影响

通过大田试验研究了不同浓度的土壤侵蚀磁性示踪剂对大白菜生理特性及产量、品质的影响。结果表明,在4个浓度(1%、3%、5%、10%)的示踪剂处理下,大白菜叶长、叶宽及产量均明显增大;低浓度(3%～5%)的示踪剂提高了大白菜的株高,促进了根的伸长,显著提高了叶绿素含量(p<0.05),同时对大白菜净光合速率、蒸腾速率也有促进作用。示踪剂处理使叶片中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活性显著降低(p<0.05),而根系中SOD活性则显著升高(p<0.05);示踪剂对过氧化物酶(POD)活性的影响与对SOD活性的影响恰好相反,对过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性影响较小,在低浓度条件下,叶片与根系中POD和CAT保持有较高活性;示踪剂还导致叶片中丙二醛(MDA)含量显著提高(p<0.05)。同时,示踪剂降低了大白菜可溶性糖含量,但不显著。示踪剂浓度大于5%时显著降低维生素C含量(p<0.05)。低浓度(1%～3%)处理时有效改善了大白菜品质。总之,低浓度的示踪剂用量对大白菜生长有促进作用,高浓度的示踪剂对大白菜生长有抑制作用。     

Influence of industrial wastes on physico-chemical properties of soil and germination and mineral composition of wheat

The effect of chemical effluents discharged from a chemical and fertilizer factory on physicochemical properties of soil and germination and mineral composition of wheat was studied at Varanasi, India. Forty times higher concentration of Na was observed in the effluent than that of the nearby well water. It showed a positive (significant) correlation with Na and a negative (significant) with K and Ca of the soil. Cation exchange capacity (CEC), porosity and water holding capacity were reduced by effluent affected soil. the germination percentage of wheat was negatively correlated with the Na of effluent and Na+Mg/Ca of the soil. A significant (positive) correlation existed between Na of effluent and Na content of the plants. Calcium percentage on the other hand, exhibited a reverse trend.     

Effect of Municipal Wastewater as a Wetland Water Source on Soil Microbial Activity

Microbial activity levels of two soil materials, excavated from a wetland and irrigated with municipal wastewater effluent or Missouri River water, were compared. The wastewater had twice the electrical conductivity and four times the sodium concentration as river water. We performed activity assays on the soils before leaching, immediately after leaching, and after harvesting plants. Gas chromatography was used to measure carbon dioxide (CO₂) evolved in soil samples incubated for 7 d. Activity was significantly reduced in preleached wastewater–irrigated soils compared with river water–irrigated soils. Immediately after leaching, activity significantly increased and was similar to river water–irrigated soils. Activity decreased slightly after plant harvest in postleached treatments. Increased activity after leaching may be related to decreased salinity and sodicity, which probably lowered osmotic pressure in the soil. Our study demonstrated that soil salinity and sodicity induced by wastewater irrigation decreased microbial activity, which may impact nutrient cycling and glycophytic vegetation communities in wetlands.     

Trace metals and lanthanides in a tropical river environment

The river Periyar in the State of Kerala, India is subjected to pollution from a number of industrial units such as zinc smelter, rare earth plant, phosphatic fertilizer unit etc. The levels of Zn and Cd in water and sediments in the river have in recent years increased ten fold as compared to a study conducted earlier during 1970. The levels of these trace metals in water increase at the backwater zone under high salinity in summer due to solubilisation from the sediments. Among the lanthanides Ce is the most predominant in water. Elements such as Ce, La, Sm, Gd and Y show a concentration factor of 10³ in sediments. The trace metals show maximum concentration at the top layer of sediment column extending up to 20 cm from the surface. Particle size analysis of river sediments in the industrial outfall area shows a mass median diameter of 11 μm with a geometric standard deviation of 2.4 for Zn and Cd.     

土壤侵蚀磁性示踪剂的研制及其示踪效果研究

Soil erosion, which includes soil detachment, transport, and deposition, is one of the important dynamic land surface processes. The magnetic tracer method is a useful method for studying soil erosion processes. In this study, five types of magnetic tracers were made with fine soil, fly ash, cement, bentonite, and magnetic powder (reduced iron powder) using the method of disk granulation. The tracers were uniformly mixed with soil and tested in the laboratory using simulated rainfall and inflow experiments to simulate the interrill and rill components of soil erosion, in order to select one or more tracers which could be used to study detachment and deposition by the erosive forces of raindrops and surface flow of water on a slope. The results showed that the five types of magnetic tracers with high magnetic susceptibility and a wide range of sizes had a range of 0.99-1.29 g cm?3 in bulk density. In the interrill and rill experiments, the tracers FC1 and FC2 which consisted of ?y ash and cement at ratios of 1:1 and 2:1, respectively, were transported in phase with soil particles since the magnetic susceptibility of sediment approximated that of the soil which was uneroded and the slopes of the regression equations between the detachment of sediment and magnetic tracers FC1 and FC2 were very close to the expected value of 20, which was the original soil/tracer ratio. The detachment and deposition on slopes could be accurately reffected by the magnetic susceptibility differences. The change in magnetic susceptibility depended on whether deposition or detachment occurred. However, the tracer FS which consisted of fine soil and the tracers FB1 and FB2 which consisted of fly ash and bentonite at ratios of 1:1 and 2:1, respectively, were all unsuitable for soil erosion study since there was no consistent relationship between sediment and tracer detachment for increasing amounts of runo?. Therefore, the tracers FC1 and FC2 could be used to study soil erosion by water.     

Simple Measurement of 4,4’-bis(2-sulfostyryl)-biphenyl in River Water by Fluorescence Analysis and Its Application as an Indicator of Domestic Wastewater Contamination

A characteristic peak of fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) was detected by fluorescence excitation spectrum (FES) measurement of river water samples. The main causative chemical was 4,4’-bis(2-sulfostyryl)-biphenyl (DSBP), which is commonly added to household detergents in Japan. As the fluorescence of DSBP overlaps with that of fulvic-like organic matter in the spectral fluorescent signatures, DSBP concentration was determined by the newly proposed calculation method, which uses fluorescence intensity at three excitation wavelengths of 320, 345 and 360 nm at emission wavelength of 430 nm for baseline correction. The concentration of DSBP calculated using this method showed strong correlation (correlation coefficient: r = 0.992) with that obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The concentrations of DSBP detected in river water samples were 0.28 to 1.84 μg l^?1, with high concentrations observed at the stations with relatively high flow rates of upstream sources of treated domestic wastewater and untreated gray water (domestic wastewater excluding flush toilet wastewater). It was proved that the concentration of DSBP in river water is useful for giving rough estimation of the magnitude of domestic wastewater contamination in river water.     

Natural radionuclides in a tropical river subjected to pollution

The radionuclide concentrations in Periyar river at the industrial zone showed significant reduction, by factors ranging form 3 to 5 during the post-1980 period as compared to pre-1980 due to better effluent treatment practices adopted by industrial units situated on the river bank. The studies revealed that nearly 90% of Po-210 in the river environment was unsupported, showing atmospheric pathway of deposition by decay of Rn-222. The mass and activity (Ra-228) median diameters of sedimented particels of less than 63 µ were 15 ± 2.8 µm and 18 ± 2.5 µm. respectively. The particle size followed log-normal distribution. Depth distribution of Ra-228 in sediment was investigated for its concentration. This nuclide showed highest concentration at depths ranging from 10 to 30 cm. The studies have helped to identify that particles of less than 63 µm present in the sediment layer up to 30 cm were mainly responsible for transport of radionuclides in the river and its estuary.     

Composition of PCBs and PAHs in the Montreal Urban Community Wastewater and in the Surface Water of the St. Lawrence River (Canada)

Samples of treated wastewater drawn from the effluent of the Montreal Urban Community (MUC), Canada, and surface water samples from the St. Lawrence River were collected in 1993 and 1994 and analysed for PCBs and PAHs. The average concentrations of Σ13 PCBs and Σ14 PAHs in the effluent were 1.34 ± 0.71 ng L-1 and 326 ± 229 ng L-1, respectively. PCB concentrations in the effluent did not show any clear seasonal pattern in the effluent but PAH concentrations increased during the winter period. In the effluent plume, both PCB and PAH concentrations increased significantly between the upstream control site and the effluent outfall, and subsequently decreased. The profiles of PCB congeners were similar within the effluent plume and also among water masses of the St. Lawrence River. PAH profiles were also similar within the effluent plume, but were different across the two water masses of the St. Lawrence River. Based on the composition of PCB congeners, atmospheric inputs appear to represent the major source of PCBs in the St. Lawrence River. The sources of PAHs in the MUC effluent and in the St. Lawrence River water would appear to be, respectively, petroleum products and combustion-derived products.     

Modeling Flushing and Mixing in a Deep Estuary

The distribution of constituents from discharges in estuaries can be determined only to the detail with which the time-varying velocity field is known. Deep estuaries can exhibit complex vertical and horizontal circulation structures depending on tides, freshwater inflows, density stratification, and geometry. A numerical, time-varying, three-dimensional hydrodynamic and transport model is applied to the Gastineau Channel, a deep estuary in Alaska, to determine the dilution of material discharged from a submerged outfall into the Channel. The ability of the model to produce realistic flow fields is first confirmed by comparing computed velocities to measured velocities for stratified and unstratified conditions. Methods are then shown for determining the flushing rate of the estuary and the distribution of dilution throughout the estuary for these same conditions.     

The development of rare earth element-labelled potassium-depleted clays for use as cohesive sediment tracers in aquatic environments

Purpose

Understanding the transport behaviour of fine cohesive sediment is fundamental to the sustainable management of aquatic environments. Sediment tracing techniques are widely used for measuring the transport pathways of sand-sized material in the field. However, the development of tracers, including geochemically labelled clays, for fine, cohesive sediment is more problematic. Such tracers should have chemical signatures that can be easily detected following significant dilution in the field and should remain constant for the duration of the tracer study.

Materials and methods

We have examined the potential of rare earth element (REE)-labelled phlogopite and hydrobiotite as cohesive sediment tracers. Clays were first treated with sodium tetraphenylborate to extract interlayer potassium and enhance their cation exchange capacity. Ho, La and Sm were then sorbed to the clays in batch experiments. Desorption of the chemical signature in both fresh and saline conditions was examined after 1 and 10 days.

Results and discussion

Potassium extraction enhanced REE sorption, resulting in REE concentrations in excess of 40,000 mg kg^?1 in the labelled clays, and these signatures should be easily detected following dilution in the aquatic environment. In both fresh and saline conditions, over 90% of the tracer signature was retained over a 1-day period. However, over longer time scales, there was considerable loss of the REE signature.

Conclusions

Over short time scales, there is considerable potential to use these materials as cohesive sediment tracers. Over longer time scales, although much of the label is lost, the tracers could still provide qualitative information identifying net sediment transport pathways.