Revamping of a Full-Scale Membrane Plant for Landfill Leachate Pretreatment Using Partial Nitritation.

This paper describes a case study involving a revamping of a full-scale membrane bioreactor that treats landfill leachate and other liquid wastes. The main change was the introduction of nitritation/denitritation in alternating cycles instead of the classic denitrification/nitrification process, together with the installation of fine bubble diffusers, a reduction in the volume of the biological compartment, and an increase in the equalization volume. The most significant results were obtained for the biological compartment, with a decrease in the specific energy consumption of 46.

Biochar from co-pyrolysis of biological sludge and woody waste followed by chemical and thermal activation: end-of-waste procedure for sludge management and biochar sorption efficiency for anionic and cationic dyes.

Nine biochars were produced by co-pyrolysis of sawdust and biological sludge following the "design of experiment" approach. Two kinds of sludge (both deriving from the treatment of mixed industrial-municipal wastewater) and two types of woody waste were selected as categorical predicting variables, while contact time, pyrolysis temperature, and sludge percentage were used as quantitative variables. Biochars were analysed for their product characteristics and environmental compatibility based on the European Standards (EN 12915-1:2009) for materials intended for water treatment (i.

Biochar from co-pyrolysis of biological sludge and sawdust in comparison with the conventional filling media of vertical-flow constructed wetlands for the treatment of domestic-textile wastewater.

A biochar from co-pyrolysis of a mixture of sawdust and biological sludge (70/30, w/w), providing a high environmental compatibility in terms of water leachable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and inorganic elements, together with a remarkable surface area (389 m/g), was integrated into laboratory-scale vertical-flow constructed wetlands (VF-CWs), planted with Phragmites australis and unplanted. Biochar-filled VF-CWs have been tested for 8 months for the refining of effluents from the tertiary clariflocculation stage of a wastewater treatment plant operating in a mixed domestic-industrial textile context, in comparison with systems filled with gravel. VF-CW influents and effluents were monitored for chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and absorbance values at 254 and 420 nm, the latter as rapid and reliable screening parameters of the removal of organic micropollutants containing aromatic moieties and/or chromophores.

Effect of Wastewater on the Composition of Bacterial Microbiota of Used in Constructed Wetlands for Phytodepuration.

Phytodepuration occurs in the plant-mediated remediation processes exploited to remove pollutants from wastewater, and is one of the most used plants. This goal is achieved using constructed wetlands (CW), which are engineered systems designed to mimic the natural processes of pollutants removal. The aim of this work was to characterize the bacterial communities associated to , soils, and permeates of the CW of Calice (Prato, Italy), to evaluate the possible effect of wastewaters on the CW bacterial communities, through a next-generation sequencing-based approach.

Quality by design optimization of a liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous analysis of structurally heterogeneous pharmaceutical compounds and its application to the rapid screening in wastewater and surface water samples by large volume direct injection.

This study focused on the Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD) optimization of the chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection of a wide group of structurally heterogeneous model pharmaceutical compounds (PhCs) and transformation products (TPs), chosen to cover the challenging issues of the co-presence of compounds characterized by (i) a wide range of physicochemical properties, (ii) the same mass transitions, and (iii) different ionisation modes. Italian consumption of PhCs were also considered as election criteria of target analytes. Octadecyl and pentafluorophenyl stationary phases, acetonitrile/methanol ratios and acidity of the eluents, column temperature, initial organic phase percentage, and elution gradient were investigated by AQbD, aiming at optimizing critical resolutions, sensitivities, and analysis time.

Antibacterial activity of bacteria isolated from against multidrug-resistant human pathogens.

Rising number of multidrug-resistant human pathogens demands novel antibiotics: to this aim, unexplored natural sources are investigated to find new compounds. In this context, bacteria associated to medicinal plants, including , might represent an important source of antimicrobial compounds. In the present work, 21 bacterial endophytes isolated from roots were tested, by cross-streaking, for their inhibitory activity against 36 multidrug-resistant pathogens isolated from food, clinical patients and hospitals.

Closing the loop in a constructed wetland for the improvement of metal removal: the use of Phragmites australis biomass harvested from the system as biosorbent.

Among the numerous clean-up techniques for water treatment, sorption methods are widely used for the removal of trace metals. Phragmites australis is a macrophyte commonly used in constructed wetlands for water purification, and in the last decades, its use as biosorbent has attracted increasing attention. In view of a circularly economy approach, this study investigated improvement of trace metal removal by recycling the biomass of P.

Temporal Evolution of Bacterial Endophytes Associated to the Roots of Exploited in Phytodepuration of Wastewater.

Improvement of industrial productions through more environment-friendly processes is a hot topic. In particular, land and marine environment pollution is a main concern, considering that recalcitrant compounds can be spread and persist for a long time. In this context, an efficient and cost-effective treatment of wastewater derived from industrial applications is crucial.

Productivity and nutritional and nutraceutical value of strawberry fruits (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cultivated under irrigation with treated wastewaters.

Background: Agriculture represents a productive sector typically characterized by a high water demand, whereas freshwater (FW) availability is a problem of increasing concern in the world and FW resources are becoming insufficient for sustaining agricultural irrigation. The reuse of treated wastewaters (TWWs) for crop irrigation could be an efficient tool for reducing water shortage. Hence, the present study evaluated the food quality of Fragaria x ananassa (cultivar Camarosa) fruits irrigated with four types of treated wastewaters (TWWs).

Improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants: Bio-removal of heavy-metals and pharmaceuticals by Azolla filiculoides and Lemna minuta.

In this study, we investigated the removal of Fe(III), Cr(VI), Al(III), diclofenac, and levofloxacin from treated wastewater in the presence of the free-floating plants Azolla filiculoides and Lemna minuta, to understand whether these species can be effectively used in a surface flow constructed wetland as wastewater refining treatment. Fe and Al were selected owing to their wide use as coagulant agents in wastewater treatment plants for promoting clariflocculation processes, whilst Cr was chosen due to its common use in industry. Diclofenac and levofloxacin, two molecules belonging to the most widely used pharmaceutical classes in the world, were studied as representative anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, respectively.

Optimization and validation of a method based on QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric analysis for the determination of perfluoroalkyl acids in strawberry and olive fruits, as model crops with different matrix characteristics.

A QuEChERS method was optimized and validated for the LC-MS/MS analysis of perfluoro-n-pentanoic acid (PFPeA), perfluoro-1-butanesulfonic acid (PFBuS), perfluoro-n-hexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoro-n-heptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluoro-1-hexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA), perfluoro-1-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluoro-n-decanoic acid (PFDA) in freeze-dried strawberry and olive, as model fruits characterized by very different chemical compositions. The method was evaluated for apparent recovery, intra-day and inter-day precision, matrix effect and recovery. The method optimized for strawberry provided for most compounds absolute values of matrix effect (|ME%|) ≤ 11%, except for PFHxA, which showed a signal suppression of 22%.

Physicochemical properties and sorption capacities of sawdust-based biochars and commercial activated carbons towards ethoxylated alkylphenols and their phenolic metabolites in effluent wastewater from a textile district.

Three biochars were produced using sawdust from waste biomass, via a simple pyrolysis thermal conversion at 450, 650, and 850 °C (BC450, BC650, and BC850), without any activation process. These materials, together with vegetal and mineral commercial activated carbons (VAC and MAC), were characterized for their elemental composition, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, t-plot microporosity and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda mesoporosity. Moreover, iodine, phenol and methylene blue porosity indexes were measured.

Optimization of a large industrial wastewater treatment plant using a modeling approach: A case study.

The objective of this paper is to find the optimum solid retention time (SRT) of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), which minimizes operating costs, using a modeling approach with WEST software by MIKE DHI®. For the determination of the kinetic and stoichiometric parameters (used for the correct calibration of the model implemented), respirometric and kinetic batch tests were carried out. Each Oxidation ditch was modeled by a sequence of four aerated activated sludge units (ASUs) and four anoxic ASUs with recirculation.

Removal efficiency and mass balance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, ethoxylated alkylphenols and alkylphenols in a mixed textile-domestic wastewater treatment plant.

In this work the occurrence and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalic acid esters (PAEs), mono and diethoxylate alkylphenols (APEOs) and alkylphenols (APs) have been investigated during a two-weeks period in a facility treating mixed textile-domestic wastewater (Prato, Italy). The wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) consists of primary sedimentation, activated sludge biological oxidation, secondary sedimentation, clariflocculation and ozonation. The sludge is treated within the facility by thickening, dewatering and final incineration, thus providing the almost quantitative removal of the adsorbed micropollutants.

Design and start-up of a constructed wetland as tertiary treatment for landfill leachates.

In this paper, the design and start-up of a constructed wetland (CW) for the tertiary treatment of landfill leachates is presented. The flux is characterized by high salinity, high concentration of nitrogen (almost completely in the form of nitrate) and a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) ratio close to zero. The CW pilot plant suffered from mechanical and hydraulic malfunctions which led to an uneven growth of plants inside the tanks.

Long-Term Performance of a Full-Scale Membrane Plant for Landfill Leachate Pretreatment: A Case Study.

This paper presents a case study describing a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) for the pretreatment of landfill leachates. The treatment train includes an aerated equalization tank, a denitrification tank, an oxidation/nitrification tank, and two ultrafiltration units. The plant has worked continuously since 2008 treating landfill leachates at a flux of 2⁻11 L·h·m.

Determination of phthalate diesters and monoesters in human milk and infant formula by fat extraction, size-exclusion chromatography clean-up and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection.

A sensitive and reliable analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of five phthalate diesters and corresponding monoesters in human milk samples and infant formulas. The method involved a liquid-liquid extraction with a CHCl/CHOH/NaCl 30% 2/1/0.5 (v/v/v) mixture, the clean-up of the extract by size-exclusion chromatography (swelling and elution solvent: cyclohexane/ethyl acetate 9/1v/v), the derivatization of monoesters by trimethylsilyl-diazomethane and instrumental analysis by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry.

Environmental comparison of alternative treatments for sewage sludge: An Italian case study.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to compare different alternatives for sewage sludge treatment: such as land spreading, composting, incineration, landfill and wet oxidation. The LCA system boundaries include mechanical dewatering, the alternative treatment, transport, and final disposal/recovery of residues. Cases of recovered materials produced as outputs from the systems, were resolved by expanding the system boundaries to include avoided primary productions.

Fully automated on-line solid phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous analysis of alkylphenol polyethoxylates and their carboxylic and phenolic metabolites in wastewater samples.

Three different sorbents (i.e. endcapped octadecylsilane, octasilane and styrene-N-vinylpiperidinone co-polymer) were investigated in order to develop an on-line solid phase extraction-liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometric method (on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous analysis of alkylphenols polyethoxylate (AP(n)EOs, n = 1-8) and corresponding monocarboxylate (AP1ECs) and phenolic (APs) metabolites.

Nanotechnologies for Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Water and Wastewater. A Review.

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals and other hazardous substances in surface waters and drinking water and the long-term exposure may represent a potential risk for both the environment and human health. Many studies have evidenced that conventional technologies used for wastewater treatment do not completely remove pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) residues, which can be detected in receiving waters at concentrations ranging from few ng L(-1) until more than μg L(-1). Nanomaterials are of fundamental importance in the current research efforts to develop more efficient water treatment and remediation systems in place of conventional technologies.

Chromium accumulation and changes in plant growth, selected phenolics and sugars of wild type and genetically modified Nicotiana langsdorffii.

Chromium accumulation, dry weight (DW) biomass yield, water content and concentrations of some selected phenolic compounds and carbohydrates were determined in root and shoot of Nicotiana langsdorffii, either wild type (WT) or genetically modified by the insertion of GR and rolC genes, in response to the presence of Cr(VI) in the growth medium. A biomass decrease was observed for WT plants, but not for GR and rolC transformations, in response to Cr(VI) in the growth medium, highlighting a stress situation only in WT line. Shoot chromium concentrations were in all cases about 300 mg kg(-1) DW.

Liquid chromatographic/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric study of polyphenolic composition of four cultivars of Fragaria vesca L. berries and their comparative evaluation.

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion spray mass spectrometry in the tandem mode with both negative and positive ionization was used for investigating a variety of polyphenolic compounds in four genotypes of Fragaria vesca berries. About 60 phenolic compounds belonging to the compound classes of phenolic acids, ellagitannins, ellagic acid derivatives, flavonols, monomeric and oligomeric flavanols, dihydrochalcones and anthocyanins were reported, providing for the first time a quite complete picture of polyphenolic composition of F. vesca berries.