International audience | Accumulated sediments in a 32,000-m3 detention basin linked to a separate stormwater system were characterized in order to infer their health hazards. A sampling scheme of 15 points was defined according to the hydrological behaviour of the basin. Physical parameters (particle size and volatile organic matter content) were in the range of those previously reported for stormwater sediments. Chemical analyses on hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs and heavy metals showed high pollutant concentrations. Microbiological analyses of these points highlighted the presence of faecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and intestinal enterococci) and actinomycetes of the genus Nocardia. These are indicative of the presence of human pathogens. E. coli and enterococcal numbers in the sediments were higher at the proximity of the low-flow gutter receiving waters from the catchment. These bacteria appeared to persist over time among urban sediments. Samples highly contaminated by hydrocarbons were also shown to be heavily contaminated by these bacteria. These results demonstrated for the first time the presence of Nocardial actinomycetes in such an urban context with concentrations as high as 11,400 cfu g-1.

Mechanical recovery for large offshore oil spills (defined as the marine environment over 10 km from shore outside of bays, lagoons, and marinas) depends on oil behavior, environmental conditions, equipment specifications, and operational issues. These factors limit oil recovery with booms and skimmers. The “rule of thumb” has been that 10–30% of the total oil spilled can be recovered. This paper describes a review of historical oil spills that found only between 2 and 6% of the total oil spilled was recovered.The limiting factors affecting mechanical recovery in offshore settings include environmental conditions, oil behavior, and logistics. Mechanical recovery will always be an important tool for spill response, especially in nearshore and in-port settings, as well as locations with sensitivity to chemical dispersants and/or in situ burning. However, its application in large offshore spills will generally result in recovery of only a fraction of the spilled oil.

Paper presents an overview of wastewater treatment systems with macrophytes. It is concluded that application of these systems in Mediterranean countries is feasible, especially for treatment of smaller and remote wastewater point sources.

Background, aim, and scope For many years, highly concentrated wastewater generated from the pulp and paper industry has become the focus of much concern worldwide. The objectives of this study were to determine the treatment efficiency of the alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) process wastewater using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and analyze the microbial dynamics of the wastewater treatment system using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Materials and methods An SBR was applied to the treatment of APMP pulp and paper process wastewater. The wastewater characteristics and many physicochemical operator indicators in the wastewater treatment process were analyzed and determined according to standard methods. Microbial 16 S rDNA in active sludge was extracted, amplified, and analyzed using the RAPD method for the microbial dynamics of the wastewater treatment system. Results and discussion Ten kinds of natural organic compounds of plants such as monoterpene were detected in the APMP pulp and paper process wastewater. With an influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) that varied in the range of 685.7 to 907.5 mg/L, the corresponding effluent COD was 176.5 to 266.1 mg/L and the removal efficiency was 70.3% to 79.8%. An optimal strain (S308: CAGGGGTGGA) was selected to study the population dynamics and diversity of the bacterial community. The RAPD-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprints showed very high polymorphism of the genetic bands (78-100%). Four groups of species were clustered using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic (UPGMA) analysis, and the genetic distance was close between the species within each group. The Shannon-Weaver index was high and varied over time with the COD removal. Conclusions The RAPD-PCR technique can be used to study microbial dynamics, which was shown to vary over time with the removal efficiency of SBR treating APMP pulp and paper process wastewater.