Mobility of trace metals in freshwater sediments by coupling solid-liquid exchanges, biogeochemical reactions and interstitial diffusion

Sediments may act as a sink for nutrients and trace metals after deposition. It may pose a risk for surface water quality and ecosystem health when environmental changes lead to release nutrients and trace metals stored in these sedimentary stocks. The management of the quality of freshwater systems needs to understand the processes of remobilisation of these stocks. This mobility is dependent on the erosion, on the interstitial diffusion of the mobile phases and on the bioturbation. These mechanisms depend on early diagenetic processes that condition the physical and biogeochemical properties of the sedimentary column. These properties are mainly influenced by the redox transformations resulting from oxidation of the organic matter by the microbial activity. These reactions generate vertical profiles of nutrient and metals concentrations along the sedimentary column. This paper aims to propose a modelling and an experimental protocol to determine vertical profiles of nutrients and trace metals in saturated sedimentary columns of freshwater systems. The modelling approach is based on a coupling between bio-geochemical processes [1], interstitial diffusion [2, 3] and solid-liquid exchanges. The main originality of the model is the pH determination that is directly calculated from the pore water concentrations of the ionic species. As illustration, this paper presents an application to natural sediment cores collected in the Durance Rivers

Development of a fluorescence-based microplate method for the determination of volatile fatty acids in anaerobically digested and sewage sludges

International audienceThis paper presents a simple, accurate and multi-sample method for the determination of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) thanks to a 96-well microplate technique. A procedure using an activating reagent of the carboxylic function (water-soluble carbodiimide EDC) and a fluorescent amino labeling reagent (N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine, EDAN) allows the formation of an isoindole derivative that needs to be separated from initial fluorescent amine for efficient VFAs determination. Isolation of these fluorescent VFA-derivatives was carried out by use of the fluorescent quenching of EDAN with o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA). Quenching was most efficient at pH around 7 and by heating at 40 degrees C within the microplate reader. This optimized procedure has been applied to various carboxylic acids and other organic compounds, demonstrating that VFA exhibit the highest fluorescence responses with homogeneous results for the main ones (acetic, propionic and butyric acid, all mass concentration expressed as acetic acid equivalents). This protocol was calibrated against acetic acid and determination of VFA was thus possible in the range 3.9-2000 mg L-1 (acetic acid equivalents). Subsequent application to real samples (sewage sludges or anaerobically digested samples) and comparison to gas chromatography analyses gave accurate results, proving the great potential of our high-throughput microplate-based technique for the analysis of VFA. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Experimental design approach for the solid-phase extraction of residual aluminium coagulants in treated waters

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Occurrence and fate of selected surfactants in seawater at the outfall of the Marseille urban sewerage system

International audienceThis paper describes an investigation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEO) and their metabolites in the vicinity of the Marseille sewage outfall (wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 1.860 million inhabitant equivalents, Northwestern Mediterranean, southeast of France). This analytical survey describes their occurrence in the subsurface and sea surface layers and investigates their possible fates in this marine environment. The results indicated the presence of LAS in both layers and up to 3 km from the discharge point, whereas the concentration of sulfophenyl carboxylic acids, which are the main metabolites of LAS, was only significant near the sewer outfall and in the surface layer. The NPEO were present only in minor quantities, especially near the discharge point, and no other selected metabolites were detected. The fate of the surfactants in question was then assessed by two types of experiments according to their potential means of degradation under natural conditions. Biodegradation assays were conducted according to a protocol defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (''Biodegradability in sea water, 835.3160''), with variations in the substrate input frequencies. Photodegradation experiments were carried out in a solar simulator reactor. These results demonstrated the low photodegradability and rapid primary biodegradation of LAS (with half-life times between 10.3 and 11.5 days) in the coastal area under study, although some LAS metabolites were more recalcitrant to biodegradation in this specific environment, which was also validated by linear alkylbenzene analysis in the two selected sediment stations

Fate of carbamazepine and anthracene in soils watered with UV-LED treated wastewaters

International audienceWater disinfection technologies based on ultraviolet (UV) radiations emitted by Light-Emitting Diodes (LED), as a wastewater tertiary treatment, have been shown to be promising for water reuse. Here, we assessed the fate of two ubiquitous pollutants, carbamazepine and anthracene, in soil watered with either UV-LED treated wastewaters or irrigation water. After 3 months, anthracene and carbamazepine were transformed two and three times faster respectively, in soils watered with UV-LED wastewater than in soils watered with tap water (probably because of the addition of organic matter by the effluent). Laccase activity was induced in the presence of the pollutants and anthraquinone was found as anthracene product of oxidation by laccases. Moreover, the addition of these pollutants into soil did not affect the functional diversity of autochthonous microbial communities assessed by Ecolog plates. Cellulase, protease and urease activities increased in soils watered with UV-LED treated wastewaters (UV-LED WW), showing transformation of organic matter from the effluent and lipase activity increased by anthracene addition, confirming the potential role of these enzymes as indicators of hydrocarbon contamination

Impact of watering with UV-LED-treated wastewater on microbial and physico-chemical parameters of soil

International audienceSoil microbial activity Faecal indicator Catabolic activity Enzymatic activities a b s t r a c t Advanced oxidation processes based on UV radiations have been shown to be a promising wastewater disinfection technology. The UV-LED system involves innovative materials and could be an advantageous alternative to mercury-vapor lamps. The use of the UV-LED system results in good water quality meeting the legislative requirements relating to wastewater reuse for irrigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of watering with UV-LED treated wastewaters (UV-LED WW) on soil parameters. Solid-state 13 C NMR shows that watering with UV-LED WW do not change the chemical composition of soil organic matter compared to soil watered with potable water. Regarding microbiological parameters, laccase, cellulase, protease and urease activities increase in soils watered with UV-LED WW which means that organic matter brought by the effluent is actively degraded by soil microorganisms. The functional diversity of soil microorganisms is not affected by watering with UV-LED WW when it is altered by 4 and 8 months of watering with wastewater (WW). After 12 months, functional diversity is similar regardless of the water used for watering. The persistence of faecal indicator bacteria (coliform and enterococci) was also determined and watering with UV-LED WW does not increase their number nor their diversity unlike soils irrigated with activated sludge wastewater. The study of watering-soil microcosms with UV-LED WW indicates that this system seems to be a promising alternative to the UV-lamp-treated wastewaters.

Rapid estimation of TOC in a marine urban sewage area by UV spectral deconvolution

A simple and rapid procedure for on-site qualitative and quantitative analysis of organic matter from discharges of municipal wastewater in seawater has been developed. This method is based on the knowledge of the UV signal of both seawater and anthropogenic absorbing matter and on the mathematical deconvolution of the sample spectrum using reference spectra. The main application is the estimation of TOC at the direct outlet of the discharge. This quantitative application is obviously limited by the nature of organic compounds, but the UV estimation allowed us to have an overview of the composition and evolution of organic matter into the polluted area. The application of this procedure has been carried out to study the wastewater dilution into an area receiving urban discharges. Experiments showed satisfactory analytical features with a range of TOC values from 75 to 1500 μM C, and the comparison of the results with those obtained by reference method presented a reasonable correlation (r2 = 0.9636) in the marine discharge. The results have also allowed us to quickly estimate the plume evolution at the sea surface and in depth. This alternative method could be integrated in a portable device for on-site analysis and multiplication of measurements for relevant results, or in a continuous flow analyser. © 2006 Taylor & Francis

Effect of coupled UV-A and UV-C LEDs on both microbiological and chemical pollution of urban wastewaters

International audienceWastewater reuse for irrigation is an interesting alternative for many Mediterranean countries suffering from water shortages. The development of new technologies for water recycling is a priority for these countries. In this study we test the efficiency of UV-LEDs (Ultraviolet-Light-Emitting Diodes) emitting UV-A or UV-C radiations, used alone or coupled, on bacterial and chemical indicators. We monitored the survival of fecal bioindicators found in urban wastewaters and the oxidation of creatinine and phenol which represent either conventional organic matter or the aromatic part of pollution respectively. It appears that coupling UV-A/UV-C i) achieves microbial reduction in wastewater more efficiently than when a UV-LED is used alone, and ii) oxidizes up to 37% of creatinine and phenol, a result comparable to that commonly obtained with photoreactants such as TiO 2