Two-step upflow anaerobic sludge bed system for sewage treatment under subtropical conditions with posttreatment in waste stabilization ponds

A pilot-scale sewage treatment system consisting of two upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactors followed by five waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) in series was studied under subtropical conditions. The first UASB reactor started up in only 1 mo (stable operation, high chemical oxygen demand [COD] removal efficiency, low volatile fatty acids concentration in the effluent, alkalinity ratio above 0.7, biogas production above 0.1 Nm3/kg of CODremoved). Removal efficiencies up to 90% were obtained in the anaerobic steps at a hydraulic retention time of 6 + 4 h (80% removal in the first step). Fecal coliform removal in the whole system was 99.9999% (99.94% in anaerobic steps and 99.98% in WSPs). COD balances over UASB reactors are provided. A minimum set of data necessary to build COD balances is proposed. Intermittent sludge washout was detected in the reactors with the COD balances. Sludge washout from single-step UASB reactors should be monitored and minimized in order to ensure constant compliance with discharge standards, especially when no posttreatment is provided. The system combined high COD and fecal coliform removal efficiency with an extremely low effluent concentration, complying with discharge standards, and making it an attractive option for sewage treatment in subtropical regions.     

U.S. EPA Regulatory Perspectives on the Use of QSAR for New and Existing Chemical Evaluations

Abstract

As testing is not required, ecotoxicity or fate data are available for ≈ 5% of the approximately 2,300 new chemicals/year (26,000 + total) submitted to the US-EPA. The EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) regulatory program was forced to develop and rely upon QSARs to estimate the ecotoxicity and fate of most of the new chemicals evaluated for hazard and risk assessment. QSAR methods routinely result in ecotoxicity estimations of acute and chronic toxicity to fish, aquatic invertebrates, and algae, and in fate estimations of physical/chemical properties, degradation, and bioconcentration. The EPA's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory of existing chemicals currently lists over 72,000 chemicals. Most existing chemicals also appear to have little or no ecotoxicity or fate data available and the OPPT new chemical QSAR methods now provide predictions and cross-checks of test data for the regulation of existing chemicals. Examples include the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), the Design for the Environment (DfE), and the OECD/SIDS/HPV Programs. QSAR screening of the TSCA Inventory has prioritized thousands of existing chemicals for possible regulatory testing of: 1) persistent bioaccumulative chemicals, and 2) the high ecotoxicity of specific discrete organic chemicals.     

Mathematics for young people: The royal institution masterclasses

The Mathematical Intelligencer - We expected a fair number of participants to drop out as the course progressed. Indeed, we had raised the numbers to 48 anticipating this. In fact the average level...     

Investigation on the feasibility of using an Ulbricht sphere for the absolute calibration of an ICP or other source at specific wavelengths

The short term and long term stability of an Ulbricht sphere was investigated by comparing its radiation at four Balmer wavelengths with those of two Sylvania projector lamps. A slight positive trend in the radiation intensity of the Ulbricht sphere was observed. This was attributed to a change in the molecular structure of the paint used to cover the inside of the sphere. However, the radiance varied less than 3% for 14 h burning time. The uncertainty in the primary calibration of the Tungsten standard lamp was given as ±3% in the wavelength range 400–600 nm. It was hence concluded that the sphere is suitable for spectral calibration purposes for a period of 14 h operational time without being recalibrated.     

The potential of pre-columns to improve detection properties in high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary The potential of pre-columns to increase the selectivity and sensitivity in high-performance liquid chromatography is demonstrated by some case studies. An on-line pre-column of 5 cm was used for the determination of fluvoxamine and clovoxamine in plasma. In this example, the principle of using different packing materials in precolumn and analytical column is shown to be promising for certain applications of pre-columns for clean-up and pre-concentration. An on-line pre-column containing a 1–2 mm layer of stationary phase was successfully applied for the determination of secoverine in plasma and serum. Direct injection of 200–1000 l of the sample is possible. This study illustrates the high selectivity obtained by the combined use of a pre-column and an extraction detector. Sep-Pak C₁₈ cartridges were used both for clean-up and pre-concentration of soil extracts in order to isolate radio-labelled pesticides. In this way, the pretreatment of such complex samples is very rapid and simple.