Nitrogen removal and ammonia-oxidising bacteria in a vertical flow constructed wetland treating inorganic wastewater

Nitrogen removal performance and the ammonia-oxidising bacterial (AOB) community were assessed in the batch loaded 1.3ha saturated surface vertical flow wetland at CSBP Ltd, a fertiliser and chemical manufacturer located in Kwinana, Western Australia. From September 2008 to October 2009 water quality was monitored and sediment samples collected for bacterial analyses. During the period of study the wetland received an average inflow of 1109m3/day with NH3-N = 40mg/L and NO3-N=23mg/L. Effluent NH3-N and NO3-N were on average 31mg/L and 25mg/L respectively. The overall NH3-N removal rate for the period was 1.2g/m2/d indicating the nitrifying capacity of the wetland. The structure of the AOB community was analysed using group specific primers for the ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and by clone libraries to identify key members. The majority of sequences obtained were most similar to Nitrosomonas sp. while Nitrosospira sp. was less frequent. Another two vertical flow wetlands, 0.8ha each, were commissioned at CSBP in July 2009, since then the wetland in this study has received nitrified effluent from these two new cells

Estudo comparativo do desempenho de três sistemas de colheita mecânica de azeitona

Ao longo de três anos, foi realizado trabalho experimental em olivais com densidades de plantação compreendidas entre 100 e 150 árvores por hectare, utilizando três sistemas de colheita mecânica de azeitona, que permitiram obter resultados de capacidade de trabalho (árvores por hora). Nos três sistemas, para o destaque dos frutos foi usado o mesmo vibrador de troncos. A diferença está na recolha dos frutos derrubados: no sistema (A) foi realizada manualmente; no sistema (B) foi efectuada com um enrolador de panos montado em tractor; no sistema (C) utilizou-se um apara-frutos. Os resultados obtidos nos ensaios de campo, permitem (1) apontar as limitações de cada um dos sistemas e (2) sendo conhecida a capacidade de trabalho do sistema que recolhe manualmente a azeitona, estimar para os mesmos olivais e condições de trabalho, os valores de capacidade de trabalho dos sistemas que recolhem a azeitona mecanicamente

Influência da vibração ao tronco ou às pernada na capacidade de trabalho e nos custos da colheita mecânica de azeitona

Ensaios de campo realizados em Trás-os-Montes e no Alentejo mostram como a capacidade de trabalho e custos de operação são afectados quando em consequência da geometria e dimensão das oliveiras há necessidade de efectuar a vibração à pernadas, em vez da mais expedita vibração ao tronco. Os resultados obtidos são úteis para uma tomada de decisão, particularmente por parte dos agricultores possuidores de olivais menos adaptados, que tenham como objectivo adoptar a colheita mecânica

Influence of trunk or bough shaking on the performance and costs of mechanical harvesting of olives

Field trials carried out in Portugal showed the penalty to be paid, both in terms of work rate and costs, whenever, due to tree geometry and size, trees had to be bough shaked rather than the normal trunk shaking. If an olive orchard with trees requiring two bough shakings could be adapted to an entirely trunk shaking orchard, simulation shows an increment between 9% and 33% in the work rate at harvesting and a reduction between 4% and 22% in harvesting cost per kilogram of olive, assuming a 4000 trees size orchard. The data collected is regarded to be very useful for decision support, particularly for those farmers owning less adapted olive orchards, aiming to adopt mechanized harvesting

Mechanical harvesting of 400 trees per hectare olive orchards based on a rolling canvas prototype

Towards higher densities of trees per hectare different alternatives are required 10 collect olives harvested by trunk shakers. This paper puts forward a revised concept of the trailed can with a rolling canvas system. The equipment consists of a 6m lung box welded 10 a wheeled chassis with a rolling canvas system placed over its full length

Diet of Chaceon Ramosae (Decapoda, Brachyura) on the southern brazilian exclusive economic zone

Among the great variety of species exploited in the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the brachyuran decapods of the genus Chaceon (Geryonidae) stand out for their high commercial value. There are two deep sea crab species inhabiting the southeastern and southern coastal waters of Brazil, Chaceon ramosae Manning, Tavares and Albuquerque, 1989 ("Royal Crab" or "Caranguejo Real") and Chaceon notialis Manning and Holthuis, 1989 ("Red Crab" or "Caranguejo Vermelho"). Crabs of the genus Chaceon are epibenthonic, inhabit muddy and muddy-sandy bottoms between 100 and 2800 m isobaths and are geographically widespread (DEFEO et al., 1992; MANNING ; HOLTHUIS, 1989). There is evidence that the species C. ramosae is restricted to the southern coast off the state of Santa Catarina, Brasil (ATHIÊ ;ROSSI-WONGTSCHOWSKI, 2004). The diet of adult geryonid crabs has been described by several authors (GRAY, 1970; GERRIOR, 1981; FARLOW, 1980); like many deep-sea organisms these animals present opportunistic feeding habits. Smaller crabs eat fish carcasses, dead squids, sponges, hydroids, gastropod, scaphopods and bivalve mollusks, small polychaete, crustaceans and probably tunicates (FARLOW, 1980). Bigger sized individuals feed upon the same benthic fauna and even on larger prey such as demersal fishes and squids. Studies on the biology of geryonid crabs inhabiting Brazilian coastal waters are still few. The aim of the present study is to provide preliminary data on the composition of the diet of Chaceon ramosae living in the southern Brazilian EEZ