Potential of Biofilters for Treatment of De-Icing Chemicals

Organic de-icing chemicals, such as propylene glycol and potassium formate, cause environmental degradation in receiving water if left untreated, due to the high organic load resulting in oxygen depletion. Biofilters are commonly used for the treatment of biodegradable organic carbon in water treatment. This study investigated the potential for using biofilters for treating organic de-icing compounds. Lab-scale adsorption tests using filter media made of crushed clay (Filtralite) and granular activated carbon were conducted. Further, a column filtration experiment testing two different crushed clay size ranges was carried out investigating the effect of filter media depth, nutrient addition, and filtration rate. The surrogate parameter used to monitor the removal of de-icing chemicals was dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The adsorption test showed no significant adsorption of DOC was observed. The column test showed that the most active separation occurred in the first ~20 cm of the filter depth. This was confirmed by results from (1) water quality analysis (i.e., DOC removal and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) measurement); and (2) calculations based on a filtration performance analysis (Iwasaki model) and filter hydraulic evaluation (Lindquist diagram). The results showed that, for the highest C:N:P ratio tested (molar ratio of 24:7:1), 50–60% DOC removal was achieved. The addition of nutrients was found to be important for determining the biofilter performancepublishedVersio

Life Cycle Assessment as a tool for resource optimisation of continuous basalt fibre production in Iceland

Continuous Basalt Fibre (CBF) is a structural material formed from molten rocks and is analogous to glass fibre. The concept of using molten rock to form fibres dates back to the start of the last century. The inception of more comprehensive research took place in the 1970s, by former Soviet countries. The largest active mines today are located in Ukraine and Russia. The market is steadily developing as production becomes more economically viable, and CBF becomes more readily known and tested. Continuous basalt fibres are ideally suited for demanding applications that require high temperatures, chemical resistance, durability, mechanical strength and low water absorption. CBF therefore has a large potential within the construction industry. Greenbas is a project led by Innovation Centre Iceland and funded by NORDMIN. It investigates the extraction of volcanic basalt, for the optimised, sustainable production of CBF in Iceland. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a useful tool for the assessment of environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. LCA has been used to address every step of the future production chain of CBF in Iceland; from the mining and crushing of rocks, to the fibre production of CBF using various energy mixes. This future production chain has been compared to current CBF production in Russia, in order to optimise production in terms of consistency, quality, cost and GHG emissions. This research is relevant to conference topics: \u27LCA and other assessment tools for waste and resource management and planning\u27 and \u27life cycle engineering and sustainable manufacturing.\u27 Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Safe and sustainable water supply: Status of operation performance

This report summarizes activities in TRUST WP4 addressing optimum operation performance of water supply systems with respect to safety, environmental impacts and cost-efficiency. Optimization of water treatment plant and distribution system has to rely on selected optimization criteria that are site and system-specific in order to cope with challenges posed by e.g. stringent regulations, consumer feedback, climate change, etc. Comprehensive knowledge of the specific characteristics, limitations and challenges of a water supply system is required in order to define available alternatives and to design and perform full-scale optimization studies and trials. The proposed optimization framework includes:(i) Mapping operational performance status that includes initial performance evaluation and comparison to model predictions, (ii)Utilizing diagnostic tools, e.g. for water quality characterization that also helps identification of variations in the performance, (iii) Utilizing curative tools that includes performing experiments and optimization trials without compromising the water quality produced, (iv) Utilizing decision support systems to highlight some other aspects e.g. economic and environmental issues that are not covered by the diagnostic and curative tools, (v) Identifying performance optimization potentials and possible benefits, (vi) Implementing selected operation conditions based on overall assessments of potential advantages and disadvantages for both treatment and distribution systems. The framework has been successfully implemented in case studies in UK, The Netherlands and Norway in order to support decision for sustainable optimization of full-scale water treatment plants in the respective locations.Eikebrokk, B.; Azrague, K.; Raspati, G.; Beerendonk, E.; Palmen, L.; Jarvis, P.; Weir, P. (2015). Optimization procedures and benefits for sustainable water supply systems of tomorrow. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/4939

Rehabilitation of water mains and storage tanks: technologies and decision support tools

The scope of the current TRUST manual is the identification and organisation of best-practice and rehabilitation techniques of sewers and manholes at the operational level. This manual presents a service-oriented portfolio of rehabilitation techniques, based upon a thorough assessment of the existing and emerging offers in sewer systems. It provides an overview and guidance to professionals on available rehabilitation techniques for sewer systems, focusing on sewers and manholes given their importance for the overall infrastructure. However, some of these techniques can be applied to other components such as drains and laterals. It presents as well operational practices to support ehabilitation and repair strategies.Covas, D.; Almeida, MDC.; Carriço, N.; Azrague, K.; Bruaset, S.; Ugarell, R. (2015). Rehabilitation of water mains and storage tanks: technologies and decision support tools. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/5410

Reusable photocatalytic optical fibers for underground, deep-sea, and turbid water remediation

An approach for underground, deep, and turbid water remediation is presented based on optical fibers with a photocatalytic coating. Thus, photocatalytic TiO2 P25 nanoparticles immobilized in a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) matrix are coated on polymeric optical fibers (POFs) and the photocatalytic performance of the system is assessed under artificial sunlight. To the best of our knowledge, poly(methyl methacrylate)-POF coated with TiO2/PVDF and the reusability of any type of POF for photocatalytic applications are not previously reported. The photocatalytic efficiency of the hybrid material in the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) and its reusability are evaluated here. It is shown that 50 w/w% of TiO2 P25 achieves a degradation of 95% after 72 h under artificial sunlight and a reusability of three times leads to a loss of activity inferior to 11%. The efficient removal of ciprofloxacin and the stability of the POF coated with TiO2 P25 successfully demonstrate its suitability in the degradation of pollutants with potential application in regions with low light illumination, as in underground and deep water.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Anti-UVC Irradiation and Metal Chelation Properties of 6-Benzoyl-5,7-dihydroxy-4-phenyl-chromen-2-one: An Implications for Anti-Cataract Agent

Coumarin derivative 1, 5,7-dihydroxy-6-(3-methyl-1-butyryl)-4-phenyl-chromen- 2-one, has been reported to possess radical scavenging activity and DNA protection. We have synthesized a series of coumarins with structural modifications at positions C4, C5, C6 and C7 and evaluated them for their anti-UVC properties. Coumarin 7, 6-benzoyl-5,6-dihydroxy-4-phenyl-chromen-2-one, was found to have the most potent activity in protecting porcine γ-crystallin against UVC insults. Results of fluorescence assays indicated that compound 7 was capable of decreasing the loss of intensity while lens crystallins and DNA PUC19 were irradiated with UVC. Presence of compound 7 decreased hydroxyl radical levels determined by probe 1b and the free iron concentrations determined by Ferrozine reagent. The chelation assay showed that compound 7 was chelated to metal via 6-CO and 5-OH on the benzopyrone ring. The observed protective effects of compound 7 towards crystallins from insults of UVC and free radicals may be due to its iron-chelating activity and its peak absorption at 254 nm

New Delhi

applicability of the OBM process fo

Review of stormwater management practices

Actual stormwater management involves the direct removal of surface water through a series of pipes to the nearest watercourse to prevent local flooding. Due to climate change and urbanisation stormwater volumes and pollution are getting more and more important leading to significant loads of sediments, heavy metals, nutrients, oils, grease, bacteria and salt pollutants which deteriorate the receiving water bodies. Consequently, modern stormwater management should aim at both flood control and pollution control especially because of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) which emphases the control of diffuse pollution as a key factor in enabling good ecological status. Therefore, there is a development of more environmentally-conscious approaches to stormwater management know as ‘Sustainable (urban) drainage systems’ (SUDS), ‘low impact development’ (LID) or ‘best management practices’ (BMPs). This report provides a review on the problem definition concerning the stormwater pollution and quantity, as well as actual physico-chemical and sustainable urbane drainage methods available for the management of stormwater. In addition, it presents an overview of the European roads runoff treatment practises and trends.publishedVersio

A mechanical and environmental assessment and comparison of basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) rebar and steel rebar in concrete beams

This paper compares holistically the mechanical and environmental performance of basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) rebar against conventional steel rebar in concrete beams. This assessment involves material testing and life cycle assessment (LCA).The results show that BFRP tendons in reinforced concrete beams are stronger and lighter than steel with a better environmental profile and fewer embodied emissions, as fewer material and energy resources are required during production. The future market is expected to be within the precast industry, rather than in on-site construction, as precast BFRP concrete beams have approximately half the emissions of steel reinforced concrete beams