The Impact of Treated Urban Wastewaters and Flood Discharge on the Quality of Bathing Water

What do we know about the Adriatic Sea and the state of its health [...

Modelling the Quality of Bathing Waters in the Adriatic Sea

The aim of this study is to develop a relocatable modelling system able to describe the microbial contamination that affects the quality of coastal bathing waters. Pollution events are mainly triggered by urban sewer outflows during massive rainy events, with relevant negative consequences on the marine environment and tourism and related activities of coastal towns. A finite element hydrodynamic model was applied to five study areas in the Adriatic Sea, which differ for urban, oceanographic and morphological conditions. With the help of transport-diffusion and microbial decay modules, the distribution of Escherichia coli was investigated during significant events. The numerical investigation was supported by detailed in situ observational datasets. The model results were evaluated against water level, sea temperature, salinity and E. coli concentrations acquired in situ, demonstrating the capacity of the modelling suite in simulating the circulation in the coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea, as well as several main transport and diffusion dynamics, such as riverine and polluted waters dispersion. Moreover, the results of the simulations were used to perform a comparative analysis among the different study sites, demonstrating that dilution and mixing, mostly induced by the tidal action, had a stronger effect on bacteria reduction with respect to microbial decay. Stratification and estuarine dynamics also play an important role in governing microbial concentration. The modelling suite can be used as a beach management tool for improving protection of public health, as required by the EU Bathing Water Directive

Furfural production by reactive stripping:process optimization by a combined modelling and experimental approach

\u3cp\u3eIn this paper, we describe the continuous production of furfural coupled with in situ stripping using hydrogen gas. With respect to the conventional semibatch process, which requires excessive steam as stripping agent and results in highly diluted furfural, this new process configuration reduces the net energy input, increases the efficiency of the downstream hydrogenation of furfural, and proposes a shift toward a continuous operation. Based on well-established thermodynamic data and previously reported kinetics, we have developed a first-principle reactor model that successfully describes the experimental observations without the use of any fitting parameters. This robust predictive model is used to further optimize the continuous production of furfural via this route.\u3c/p\u3