Survey of Magneto-tactic Properties of Escherichia coli Under Static Magnetic Fields

Some of the microorganisms such as Escherichia coli have the ability to migrate to areas in which the intensity of magnetic fields (MFs) is higher, which is called magnetotactic properties. Magnetotaxis is a process implemented by a group of gram-negative bacteria that involves orienting and coordinating movement in response to magnetic fields. This study was conducted to investigate these properties of Escherichia coli in laboratory conditions. By means of coated wires (30 rounds) placed in two parts of the reactor (with five zones and a volume of 250 mL) and direct current (DC), an intensity of 0.18 mT for 42 minutes has been prepared. The most probable number of E. coli per 100 mL (MPN/100 mL) in each zone of the reactor, before and after exposure, was estimated. According to the results of this study, E. coli has magnetotactic properties, and the mean density of these bacteria in higher MFs (0.18 mT) is higher compared to the other zones in the reactor

Short-term Effects of PM10 to Increase Rate of Hospital Admission Cardiovascular and Respiratory of Sanandaj, Iran During 2015

Sanandaj in the west of Iran is one of the main city that suffered from Arabic Dust Storm (ADS). As Sanandaj isn’t industrial city and located in the mountainous region, one of the main sources of air pollution which has adverse effects on citizens and environment is PM10 which comes from Arabic Dust Storm. In this way, the goal of this study was to the assessment of these adverse health effects. So the hourly data of concentration of PM10 (measured by Beta attenuation method) were taken from Kurdistan Environmental Protection Agency in 2015. the 24-hour average concentration of particulate matter has exceeded about 182 times (days) more than the National Standards and WHO guideline values and the average annual concentration of PM10 were about 1.5 times more than the National Standard and WHO guideline values during the period of the exam. By means of Air Q2,2,3 software the data analyzed and baseline incidence(BI), relative risk(RR) and attributable proportion(AP) were calculated. The results of this study showed that short-term health effect of PM10 could increase of total mortality except accidents and poisoning(4.13%), hospital admission cardiovascular(4.98%), cardiovascular mortality(4.45%), hospital admission respiratory(4.45%) and respiratory mortality(0.2%). This study demonstrated that a high percentage of cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality rate increased due to the raising of the concentration of PM10. To reduce the emission of PM10 from main sources and relationship between the hospital and Kurdistan Environmental Protection Agency and whether organization and people to be alert are necessary

Heavy Metal Contamination in Drinking Water Supplies in the Villages of Divandarreh: The Use of Geographic Information System

One of the important aspects of drinking water pollution is the presence of heavy metals that can create hazards for consumer’s health. This study was performed to find the concentration of heavy metals (arsenic, lead, iron, and zinc) in drinking water sources of Divandarreh in Kurdistan province and prepare its zoning map. A total of 99 wells, springs, and reservoirs were selected for sampling in 78 rural areas of Divandarreh County. Samples were collected from each source using grab sampling methods in two phases (rainy and dry seasons). To find the concentration of lead, the atomic absorption device (VARIAN 240 AA) was used, and Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP: VARIAN 710) was used for determining the concentration of arsenic, iron, and zinc. Analysis of data was done using SPSS version 22.0 and the analysis of spatial variability and estimation of the concentration of heavy metals (preparation of zoning map) in the study area were carried out by ArcGIS software. The average concentrations of arsenic, lead, iron, and zinc in dry and rainy seasons were 1, 0.6, 62.9, 31.4, and 0.13, 2.16, 11.5, 19.8, respectively. Zinc, iron, and lead concentrations in sample No. 36 were higher than the standard level; therefore, it can be inferred that these three elements can create health problems in the future

Bulking Control in Complete-Mixed Activated Sludge Process Using Combination of Metallic Coagulants and Static Magnetic Fields

Metallic coagulants have been used for more coagulation and flocculation of flocs in many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in all parts of the world. The integration of different methods to improve the wastewater treatment process has been considered in recent years. In this case-control study, the effects of four main coagulants (ferric chloride, ferric sulfide, alum, and poly-aluminum chloride) on sludge volume index (SVI) with and without exposure of static magnetic fields (SMFs) have been investigated. Both methods significantly reduced SVI (mL/g), but the combination of SMFs and coagulants was more effective. Ferric chloride could control bulking or reduce SVI to less than 150 mL/g at concentrations of 0.0625 to 2 g/L when the SMFs intensity of 15 mT was used. The control of bulking in other coagulants happened when SMFs were added to coagulants at 0.0625-0.125 g/L concentration of coagulants (P<0.05). With the application of SMFs, the highest reduction of SVI belonged to ferric sulfide (43.60%), followed by ferric chloride (18.40%), poly-aluminum chloride (PACl) (20.19%), and alum (19.80%). Without the application of SMFs, the highest reduction of SVI belonged to ferric chloride (38.36%), followed by alum (34.94%), PACl (25.43%), and ferric sulfide (6.69%)

Short-term Effects of PM10 to Increase Rate of Hospital Admission Cardiovascular and Respiratory of Sanandaj, Iran During 2015

Sanandaj in the west of Iran is one of the main city that suffered from Arabic Dust Storm (ADS). As Sanandaj isn’t industrial city and located in the mountainous region, one of the main sources of air pollution which has adverse effects on citizens and environment is PM10 which comes from Arabic Dust Storm. In this way, the goal of this study was to the assessment of these adverse health effects. So the hourly data of concentration of PM10 (measured by Beta attenuation method) were taken from Kurdistan Environmental Protection Agency in 2015. the 24-hour average concentration of particulate matter has exceeded about 182 times (days) more than the National Standards and WHO guideline values and the average annual concentration of PM10 were about 1.5 times more than the National Standard and WHO guideline values during the period of the exam. By means of Air Q2,2,3 software the data analyzed and baseline incidence(BI), relative risk(RR) and attributable proportion(AP) were calculated. The results of this study showed that short-term health effect of PM10 could increase of total mortality except accidents and poisoning(4.13%), hospital admission cardiovascular(4.98%), cardiovascular mortality(4.45%), hospital admission respiratory(4.45%) and respiratory mortality(0.2%). This study demonstrated that a high percentage of cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity and mortality rate increased due to the raising of the concentration of PM10. To reduce the emission of PM10 from main sources and relationship between the hospital and Kurdistan Environmental Protection Agency and whether organization and people to be alert are necessary

Exposure of the static magnetic fields on the microbial growth rate and the sludge properties in the complete-mix activated sludge process (a Lab-scale study)

Abstract Background In this study, the effect of static magnetic fields (SMFs) on improving the performance of activated sludge process to enhance the higher rate of microbial growth biomass and improve sludge settling characteristics in real operation conditions of wastewater treatment plants has been investigated. The effect of SMFs (15 mT), hydraulic retention time, SRT, aeration time on mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations, mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentrations, α-factor, and pH in the complete-mix activated sludge (CMAS) process during 30 days of the operation, were evaluated. Results There were not any differences between the concentration of MLSS in the case (2148.8 ± 235.6 mg/L) and control (2260.1 ± 296.0 mg/L) samples, however, the mean concentration of MLVSS in the case (1463.4 ± 419.2 mg/L) was more than the control samples (1244.1 ± 295.5 mg/L). Changes of the concentration of MLVSS over time, follow the first and second-order reaction with and without exposure of SMFs respectively. Moreover, the slope of the line and, the mean of α-factor in the case samples were 6.255 and, − 0.001 higher than the control samples, respectively. Changes in pH in both groups of the reactors were not observed. The size of the sluge flocs (1.28 µm) and, the spectra of amid I' (1440 cm−1) and II' (1650 cm−1) areas related to hydrogenase bond in the case samples were higher than the control samples. Conclusions SMFs have a potential to being considered as an alternative method to stimulate the microbial growth rate in the aeration reactors and produce bioflocs with the higher density in the second clarifiers

The best location for the application of static magnetic fields based on biokinetic coefficients in complete-mix activated sludge process

Abstract The use of the kinetic coefficients for the mathematical expression of the biochemical processes and the relationship between the effective parameters is importance. Change of the biokinetic coefficients in the complete-mix activated sludge processes were calculated for 1 month operation of the activated sludge model (ASM) in a Lab-scale in three series. 15 mT intensity of static magnetic fields (SMFs) applied on the aeration reactor (ASM 1), clarifier reactor (ASM 2) and, sludge returning systems (ASM 3) for 1 h, daily. During the operation of the systems, five basic biokinetic coefficients such as maximum specific substrate utilization rate (k), heterotrophic half-saturation substrate concentration (K s ), decay coefficient (k d ), yield coefficient (Y) and, maximum specific microbial growth rate (μ max ) were determined. The rate of k (g COD/g Cells.d) in ASM 1 was 2.69% and, 22.79% higher than ASM 2 and, ASM 3. The value of K s (mg COD/L) was 54.44 and, 71.13 (mg/L) lower than the ASM 2 and, ASM 3. The rate of k d ASM 1, ASM 2 and, ASM 3 was 0.070, 0.054 and, 0.516 (d−1). The value of Y (kg VSS/kg COD) in ASM 1 was 0.58% and, 0.48% lower than ASM 2 and, ASM 3. The rate of μ max (d−1) in ASM 1 was 0.197, this value for ASM 2 and ASM 3 were 0.324 and 0.309 (d−1). Related to the biokinetic coefficients analyses the best location for the application of 15 mT SMFs was the aeration reactor, where the present of oxygen, substrate and, SMFs have the greatest impact on the positive changes of these coefficients