The effect of aeration rate on nutrient removal from slaughterhouse wastewater was examined in two 10-L laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs--SBR1 and SBR2) operated at ambient temperature. The contaminants in the slaughterhouse wastewater had average concentrations of 4,000 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) L⁻¹, 350 mg total nitrogen (TN) L⁻¹ and 26 mg total phosphorus (TP) L⁻¹. The duration of a complete SBR operation cycle was 8 h and comprised four operational phases: fill (7 min), react (393 min), settle (30 min) and draw/idle (50 min). During the react phase, the reactors were intermittently aerated four times at 50-min intervals, 50 min each time. DO, pH and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in the reactors were real-time monitored. Four aeration rates--0.2 L air min⁻¹ in SBR1 for 70 days, 0.4 L air min⁻¹ in SBR1 for 50 days, 0.8 L air min⁻¹ in SBR2 for 120 days and 1.2 L air min⁻¹ in SBR1 for 110 days--were tested. When the aeration rate was 0.2 L air min⁻¹, the SBR was continuously anaerobic. When the aeration rate was 0.4 L air min⁻¹, COD and TP removals were 90% but TN removal was only 34%. When the aeration rates were 0.8 and 1.2 L air min⁻¹, average effluent concentrations were 115 mg COD L⁻¹, 19 mg TN L⁻¹ and 0.7 mg TP L⁻¹, giving COD, TN and TP removals of 97%, 95% and 97%, respectively. It was found that partial nitrification followed by denitrification occurred in the intermittently aerated SBR systems.

Regional air pollution in northeast Asia is an emerging environmental problem requiring long-term impact assessment of acidic deposition. In this study, the gridded distribution of nitrogen uptake led by both growing forests and harvested biomass for eight tree species: Japanese Larch, Red pine, Korean pine, Oak tree, Chestnut, Other Conifers, Other broad leaved trees, and Mixed forest was identified to estimate critical loads for nitrogen over South Korea. The gridded spatial distribution of averaged nitrogen uptake was mapped by 0.125° Latitude x 0.125° Longitude resolution. The results showed that net uptake of nitrogen led by both growth and harvested biomass was totaled at 438 molc ha-¹ year-¹ among which harvested biomass contribution was estimated to be 25 molc ha-¹ year-¹, yielding a very small fraction of total nitrogen uptake presumably due to the younger stages of forest in South Korea.

In order to implement best environmental management practices in agricultural watershed, it is necessary to evaluate non point source pollution loads and identify critical watershed pollution sources, which are regional management priority missions. Nutrient related non point source pollutant inputs can increase primary production and intensify water eutrophication. Not all watershed areas are critical and responsible for high amount nutrient pollution losses. Implementation of watershed environmental prevention is required to assess pollution yields. Further more, identification of these critical areas is essential for the effective and efficient implementation of watershed best environmental management. In this study, a geographic information system based Soil and Water Assessment Tool was applied in Bahe River watershed, a part of the Yangtze River basin. Land use, soil series texture and daily rainfall data for a 10-year period (1996-2005) was used in this study. The calibrated model system was verified to estimate average annual Organic Nitrogen and Organic Phosphorus yields in these 10 years. The estimated results were also tested and optimized by statistical software. Based on 10-year average yearly Organic Nitrogen yield and Organic Phosphorus losses, critical sub-watersheds were identified. The five sub-watersheds in the north part of watershed were under more intensive pollution yield, west group sub-watersheds contributed to moderate losses, whereas other sub-watersheds fell under slight loading classes. The research outputs developed a basis for an effective watershed environmental management plan. The study revealed that the Soil and Water Assessment Tool could be applied successfully for identifying critical sub-watersheds for watershed best environmental management purposes.

A novel silicate mesoporous material, SBA-15 supported Fe₂O₃, was synthesized by post-synthesis method via ultrasonic-assisted route. The desulfurization test from a gas mixture containing 0.1 vol% H₂S was carried out over SBA-15 supported Fe₂O₃ in a fixed-bed system at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The effects of the chemical nature of Fe₂O₃ and the textural properties of the material on desulfurization capacity were studied. Materials before and after the desulfurization test were characterized using nitrogen adsorption, XRD, TEM, FTIR, XPS, ICP and other standard methods. The characterization results suggest that modification process does not change the two-dimensional hexagonal mesostructure of SBA-15. Iron species disperses inside channels and the outside surface in the crystalline phase of iron oxide. The material with iron content of 31.3 wt% presented highest H₂S uptake capacity. Structural properties of the material also play important roles in desulfurization performance besides the catalytic effects of iron oxide. The basic feature of material and enough oxygen supply are benefit for the reaction. SBA-15 supported Fe₂O₃ can be an effective alternative to capture H₂S from gas streams.

Particulate matter measurements (PM₁₀, PM₂.₅) using a beta radiation attenuation monitor were performed at the Akrotiri research station (May 2003-March 2006) on the island of Crete (Greece). The mean PM₁₀ concentration during the measuring period (05/02/03-03/09/04) was equal to 35.0 ± 17.7 μg/m³ whereas the mean PM₂.₅ concentration (03/10/04-04/02/06) was equal to 25.4 ± 16.5 μg/m³. The aerosol concentration at the Akrotiri station shows a large variability during the year. Mean concentrations of particulate matter undergo a seasonal change characterised by higher concentrations during summer [PM₁₀, 38.7 ± 10.8 μg/m³ (2003); PM₂.₅, 27.9 ± 8.7 μg/m³ (2004) and 27.8 ± 9.7 μg/m³ (2005)] and lower concentrations during winter [PM₁₀, 28.7 ± 22.5 μg/m³ (2003/2004); PM₂.₅, 21.0 ± 13.0 μg/m³ (2004/2005) and 21.4 ± 21.9 μg/m³ (2005/2006)]. Comparative measurements of the PM₁₀ concentration between the beta radiation attenuation monitor, a standardized low volume gravimetric reference sampler and a low volume sequential particulate sampler showed that PM₁₀ concentrations measured by the beta radiation attenuation monitor were higher than values given by the gravimetric samplers (mean ratio 1.17 ± 0.11 and 1.21 ± 0.08, respectively). Statistical and back trajectory analysis showed that elevated PM concentrations (PM₁₀, 93.8 ± 49.1 μg/m³; PM₂.₅: 102.9 ± 59.9 μg/m³) are associated to desert dust events. In addition regional transport contributes significantly to the aerosol concentration levels whereas low aerosol concentrations were observed during storm episodes.

Elevated concentrations of trace metals in soil can increase the risk of pollution to ecosystems and human health. This cannot be predicted solely from the total and/or extracted concentration of metals from soil samples, as movement of trace elements to the groundwater is also a result of the flow solution through the vadose zone. The rate at which trace elements move are not usually directly measurable, and thus it must be estimated taking into account water transport through the soil. Therefore, a field portable drop-former rainfall simulator has been designed and used to study trace-element mobility in small field plots. The rainfall simulator permits a wide range of variation in rainfall intensities and provides a homogeneous distribution of the simulated rain in a 0.25 m² plot with low cost per data collected and short time. Performance of the rainfall simulator has been evaluated and a preliminary assessment of the amount of pollutants present in the soil (As, Cu and Zn) that can reach groundwater via soil drainage is made by combining rainfall-simulation experiments with infiltration estimates based on a stochastic model of the local climate. The study was conducted in soils affected by the Aznalcóllar toxic spill in the Guadiamar river basin (Spain). Infiltration experiments reveal that the trace elements could be classified according to their mobility as As < Cu < Zn. The presence of high gravel content below this depth increased the amount of drainage and therefore the risk of groundwater pollution, especially with Zn, which was found below 50 cm depth.

It is hypothesized that episodic introductions of road salt severely disrupt the soil nitrogen cycle at a range of spatial and temporal scales. A field-scale study has confirmed impacts on the nitrogen cycle in soil, soil solution and river samples. There is evidence that ammonium-N retention on cation exchange sites has been reduced by the presence of sodium ions, and that ammonium-N has been flushed from the exchange sites. Increases in soil pH have been caused in naturally acidic uplands. These have enhanced mineralization of organic-N, especially nitrification, leading to a reduction in the mineralizable-N pool of roadside soils. There is evidence to support the hypothesis that organic matter content has been lowered over decades either through desorption or dispersal processes. Multiple drivers are identified that contribute to the disruption of nitrogen cycling processes, but their relative importance is difficult to quantify unequivocally. The influence of road salt on soil and soil solution declines with distance from the highway, but impacts on water chemistry in a local stream are still strongly evident at some distance from the road.

In order to estimate acute-to-chronic toxicity ratios (ACRs) relevant to a coldwater stream community, we exposed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in 96-h acute and 60+ day early-life stage (ELS) exposures. We also tested the acute and sublethal responses of a mayfly (Baetis tricaudatus) and a midge (Chironomus dilutus, formerly C. tentans) with Pb. We examine the statistical interpretation of test endpoints and the acute-to-chronic ratio concept. Increasing the number of control replicates by 2 to 3x decreased the minimum detectable differences by almost half. Pb ACR estimates mostly increased with increasing acute resistance of the organisms (rainbow trout ACRs <[almost equal to] mayfly < Chironomus). The choice of test endpoint and statistical analysis influenced ACR estimates by up to a factor of four. When calculated using the geometric means of the no- and lowest-observed effect concentrations, ACRs with rainbow trout and Cd were 0.6 and 0.95; Zn about 1.0; and for Pb 3.3 and 11. The comparable Pb ACRs for the mayfly and Chironomus were 5.2 and 51 respectively. Our rainbow trout ACRs with Pb were about 5-20x lower than earlier reports with salmonids. We suggest discounting previous ACR results that used larger and older fish in their acute tests.

In the daily and final landfill cover barrier system, the hydraulic properties of compacted soil liners and the strength of soil can be adversely affected by desiccation cracking, resulting in the loss of effectiveness and integrity of the containment system as a barrier. Recently, there is an interest of using fiber additive to overcome the desiccation cracking problem. In this study, the desiccation crack test was conducted to investigate the effect of fiber additive on suppressing desiccation cracks in compacted Akaboku soils. Polypropylene (C₃H₆) fiber was used as an additive material for soil sample. The percentages of fiber used were varied as 0.0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0% and 1.2% (by dry weight of samples). The soil specimens were compacted under the conditions of maximum dry density and optimum water content. The surficial cracking area was measured to determine the crack intensity factor (CIF) of the soil samples. The desiccation crack test results indicated that the percentage of volume change of the compacted soil specimen decreased with addition of fiber. The change in the soil surface area decreased with increasing in the fiber content (FC), and consequently, the volumetric shrinkage strain decreased. The CIF for the soil without fiber (FC = 0.0%) were significantly higher than the soil with fiber additive. The CIF of soil at FC = 0.0% decreased from 2.75% to 0.6% for the soil at FC = 0.2%. It was also found that the maximum crack depth reaches almost 50% of the thickness of the soil without fiber additive. This study suggests the potential application of the fiber additives to soils as an available method to suppress desiccation cracks encountered in landfill cover barriers.

This is a study of trace metal competition in the complexation of Pb(II) by well-characterized humic substances, namely Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SRFA) in model solutions. It was found that Cu(II) seems to compete with Pb(II) for strong binding sites of SRFA when present at the same concentration as Pb(II). However, Cd(II) and Zn(II) did not seem to compete with Pb(II) for strong binding sites of SRFA. These two metals did compete with Pb(II) for the weaker binding sites of SRFA. Heterogeneity of SRFA was found to play a crucial role in metal-SRFA interactions. The environmental significance of this research for freshwater is that even at relatively low Pb(II) loadings, the metals associated with lead in minerals, e.g. Cu(II), may successfully compete with Pb(II) for the same binding sites of the naturally occurring organic complexants, with the result that some of the Pb(II) may exist as free Pb²⁺ ions, which has been reported to be one of the toxic forms of Pb in aquatic environment.