Riverbed sediments buffer phosphorus concentrations downstream of sewage treatment works across the River Wensum catchment, UK

Purpose: Wastewater effluent discharged into rivers from sewage treatment works (STWs) represents one of the most important point sources of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) pollution and is a major driver of freshwater eutrophication. In this study, we assess the ability of riverbed sediments to act as a self-regulating buffering system to reduce SRP dissolved in the water column downstream of STW outflows. Materials and methods: River water and riverbed sediment samples were collected from 10 tributary outlets across the River Wensum catchment, Norfolk, UK, at monthly intervals between July and October 2016, such that 40 sediment and 40 water samples were collected in total. Of these locations, five were located downstream of STWs and five were on tributaries without STWs. Dissolved SRP concentrations were analysed and the Equilibrium Phosphorus Concentration (EPC0) of each sediment sample was measured to determine whether riverbed sediments were acting as net sources or sinks of SRP. Results and discussion: The mean SRP concentration downstream of STWs (382 µg P L-1) was double that of sites without a STW (185 µg P L-1), whilst the mean EPC0 for effluent impacted sites (105 µg P L-1) was 70% higher than that recorded at unaffected sites (62 µg P L-1). Regardless of STW influence, riverbed sediments across all 10 sites almost always acted as net sinks for SRP from the overlying water column. This was particularly true at sites downstream of STWs which displayed enhanced potential to buffer the river against increases in SRP released in sewage effluent. Conclusions: Despite EPC0 values revealing riverbed sediments were consistently acting as sinks for SRP, elevated SRP concentrations downstream of STWs clearly demonstrate the sediments have insufficient SRP sorption capacity to completely buffer the river against effluent discharge. Consequently, SRP concentrations across the catchment continue to exceed recommended standards for good chemical status, thus emphasising the need for enhanced mitigation efforts at STWs to minimise riverine phosphorus loading

Advances in prevention and therapy of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea : a systematical review with emphasis on colostrum management and fluid therapy

Neonatal calf diarrhoea remains the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in preweaned dairy calves worldwide. This complex disease can be triggered by both infectious and non-infectious causes. The four most important enteropathogens leading to neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea are Escherichia coli, rota-and coronavirus, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Besides treating diarrhoeic neonatal dairy calves, the veterinarian is the most obvious person to advise the dairy farmer on prevention and treatment of this disease. This review deals with prevention and treatment of neonatal dairy calf diarrhoea focusing on the importance of a good colostrum management and a correct fluid therapy

Major prospects for exploring canine vector borne diseases and novel intervention methods using 'omic technologies

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are of major socioeconomic importance worldwide. Although many studies have provided insights into CVBDs, there has been limited exploration of fundamental molecular aspects of most pathogens, their vectors, pathogen-host relationships and disease and drug resistance using advanced, 'omic technologies. The aim of the present article is to take a prospective view of the impact that next-generation, 'omics technologies could have, with an emphasis on describing the principles of transcriptomic/genomic sequencing as well as bioinformatic technologies and their implications in both fundamental and applied areas of CVBD research. Tackling key biological questions employing these technologies will provide a 'systems biology' context and could lead to radically new intervention and management strategies against CVBDs

Guiding principles for the development and application of solid-phase phosphorus adsorbents for freshwater ecosystems

While a diverse array of phosphorus (P)-adsorbent materials is currently available for application to freshwater aquatic systems, selection of the most appropriate P-adsorbents remains problematic. In particular, there has to be a close correspondence between attributes of the P-adsorbent, its field performance, and the management goals for treatment. These management goals may vary from a rapid reduction in dissolved P to address seasonal enrichments from internal loading, targeting external fluxes due to anthropogenic sources, or long term inactivation of internal P inventories contained within bottom sediments. It also remains a challenge to develop new methods and materials that are ecologically benign and cost-effective. We draw on evidence in the literature and the authors’ personal experiences in the field, to summarise the attributes of a range of P-adsorbent materials. We offer 'guiding principles' to support practical use of existing materials and outline key development needs for new materials

The Importance of Geochemical Parameters and Shale Composition on Rock Mechanical Properties of Gas Shale Reservoirs: a Case Study From the Kockatea Shale and Carynginia Formation From the Perth Basin, Western Australia

Evaluation of the gas shale mechanical properties is very important screening criteria for determining the potential intervals for hydraulic fracturing and as a result in gas shale sweet spot mapping. Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio are two controlling mechanical properties that dictate the brittleness of the gas shale layers. These parameters can be determined in the laboratory by testing the rock sample under different conditions (static method) or can be calculated using the well-logging data including sonic and density log data (dynamic method). This study investigates the importance of the shale composition and geochemical parameters on the Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio using log data. The data set of this study is coming from five different wells targeting the Kockatea Shale and Carynginia formation, two potential gas shale formations in the Perth Basin, Western Australia. The results show that converse to the common idea the effect of organic matter quantity and maturity on the rock mechanical properties of the gas shale reservoirs is not so much prominent, while the composition of the rock has an important effect on these properties. Considering the weight percentage of shale composition and organic matter quantity it could be concluded that effect of these parameters on rock mechanical properties is dependent on their weight contribution on the shale matrix. As well as effect of thermal maturity on the shale matrix and consequently on the rock mechanical properties of the shale is dependent on the organic matter content itself; therefore, obviously with a low organic matter content thermal maturity has no prominent effect on the brittleness as well

Determining the temperature of petroleum formation from the kinetic properties of petroleum asphaltenes

Knowledge of the timing and location of petroleum formation is important in assessing the extent of available reserves in hydrocarbon-forming basins. This can be predicted from the thermal history of a basin and the kinetic parameters that characterize the thermal breakdown of kerogen in source rocks. At present, the kinetic parameters of kerogen breakdown are experimentally determined using immature rock samples from basin margins(1), but questions remain about the accuracy of this approach(2), especially when significant variability is observed within individual source units(3-5). Here we show that the kinetics of hydrocarbon generation from petroleum asphaltenes can be used to determine the temperature conditions of the actual source rock at the time of expulsion of the sampled petroleum. This relationship reflects the structural similarity of asphaltenes to the parent kerogen(6,7). We expect that our approach may be used as a comparatively simple alternative method for assessing the petroleum generation characteristics of a given basin, which will allow for better estimates of the available oil resources and the risks associated with their exploration