Greywater: What can we do?

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Technical note: Measurement and expression of granular filter cleanliness

The problem of dirty filter media at water treatment plants, despite having good backwash systems, is a serious challenge that requires constant monitoring and maintenance. To aid the systematic analysis of filter media and the troubleshooting of problem filters, this paper firstly proposes a standard procedure for quantification of the specific deposit on filter media, including tentative guidelines for the interpretation of the results. Secondly, a standard procedure is proposed for the characterisation of the specific deposit, based on its volatility and its acid solubility. These fractions are helpful to trace the origin of excessively dirty filter media. Thirdly, the utility of the proposed procedures is demonstrated by the results of a South African treatment plant survey. This confirms some earlier observations that there often is a real problem with recalcitrant specific deposits that cannot be readily removed by backwashing, a fraction that correlates with the organic fraction in the specific deposit.Keywords: backwashing, specific deposit, filter media, filter cleanlines

Direct on-site grey water reuse - an illicit or illustrious option?

Abstract: Grey water – wastewater from the bath, shower and washing machine – is available to all residential water users as a personal, on-site water resource (POSWAR). Despite contradicting reports on the value versus danger of on-site reuse, grey water constitutes a significant fraction (± 50%) of wastewater flow from a typical suburban home, where pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) enter the water stream as soluble substances at grey-water producing points in a home. The work focuses on the impact of prolonged grey water reuse on soil chemistry and vegetation growth. An internet survey of 19 respondents suggests that garden watering is the predominant application for untreated, private on-site grey water reused in South African urban areas. As part of this research 15 different soil samples were collected from grey water use points and control points on 6 properties in the Western Cape, South Africa. The test results for acidity (pH), sodium (Na), phosphorous (P), electrical conductivity (EC) and nitrogen (N), show only Na to be consistently higher (on average by ±150%) in soil irrigated with grey water, compared to controls. However, grey water use does not appear to impact negatively on the vegetation growth in any of the sites inspected, despite one site reusing grey water for 20 years. All respondents to the survey reported that plants thrive when irrigated with grey water and could note no visible change in the soil, even after prolonged use. The same was confirmed during the six site visits. Extended research in the field is crucial to ensure the effective application of available water sources, including grey water, without compromising the health and safety of the urban environment

The teaching, learning and assessment of health advocacy in a South African College of Health Sciences

Health advocacy is a core competency identified by Health Professions Council of South Africa to be acquired by health professional graduates. There is a lack of information on how health advocacy (HA) is taught and assessed in health science programmes. The aim of the study was to explore the teaching, learning and assessment of HA in undergraduate health science programmes at a South African university. Methods: Curriculum mapping of eight programmes and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with eleven key informants were conducted using a sequential mixed methods approach. Content analysis was used to analyse Curriculum Mapping data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the FGD data. Results from both data sets were triangulated. Results: Six themes emerged: Perceived importance of HA role for health practitioners; Implicit HA content in curricula; HA as an implicit learning outcome; Teaching HA in a spiral curriculum approach; Authentic Assessment of HA, and Perceived barriers to incorporation of HA into curricula. Conclusion and Recommendations: HA is perceived as an important role for health professionals but it is not explicitly taught and assessed in undergraduate health sciences programmes. Barriers to its teaching and assessment can be addressed through capacity development of academics

A practical course on filter assessment for water treatment plant operators

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Drug-induced gingival enlargement – Oral implications for prescribing physicians

A male patient presented with a main complaint of persistent growth of the upper and lower gingiva that bled easily and resulted in an inability of maintaining proper oral hygiene. He reports that the growth of the gingiva started approximately three years prior to consultation in our clinic and is asymptomatic. His medical history revealed that he suffers from epilepsy and was being treated with a daily anticonvulsant, namely Phenytoin (100mg). Full-mouth non-surgical periodontal therapy was performed and supplemented with an adjunctive chlorhexidine mouth rinse as a chemical plaque control mechanism. Part of the systemic phaseof management of the patient, involved requesting the medical physician change the current epilepsy medication to Epilim®, which was benefi cial in contributing to the resolution of gingival enlargement. Signifi cant reduction in gingival infl ammation and enlargement were achieved with the non-surgical treatment.Corrective surgery therapy was performed to treat those areas of DIGE that had not resolved

A standard test for filter media cleanliness

Abstract: Rapid sand filters are expected to produce clean, safe water, without interruption, for many years. Unfortunately, filters very often develop some problems during this time, most of which only become apparent when the damage is already done. Routine measurement of filter media cleanliness could provide the necessary early warning, which is the reason why the American Water Works Association (AWWA) suggested a media cleanliness test for inclusion in a structured filter assessment programme at drinking water treatment plants. After performing such assessments at 3 South African water treatment plants, the authors found that the results were not consistent, the turbidity could not be measured easily and the guideline values seemed to be excessively conservative. This led to an investigation to find a method for stripping the filter deposits from the media grains with an easy, reproducible method, and for characterising the stripped deposits. After a series of tests on various filter media, using 6 stripping methods, 2 methods were identified that met the criteria in the first objective. The first, a magnetic stirrer method is a mechanical agitation method and the second, referred to as the cylinder inversion method, is a manual agitation method. Each of these methods was chosen on the basis of their operator and speed-ofagitation independence. The criteria in the second objective were met by an in-depth suspended solids (SS) analysis performed on the filter media residue, with the total mass of solids removed from the media quantitatively separated on the grounds of acid solubility and volatility at 550°C. Standard Methods (1985) 209C and 209D were applied to the sample, with and without acid addition, in order to characterise the total filter media residue using 4 groupings: Soluble, non-volatile; soluble, volatile; non-soluble, non-volatile; and non-soluble, volatile. By meeting the criteria of these 2 objectives, the previous non-specific suggestions in the literature have been improved to suggest the performing of tests in a well-specified, uniform way, the results of which can be internally compared

Removal of natural organic matter from different raw waters by ion exchange resins

Abstract Most South African water treatment plants utilise surface water sources whose quality is continuously compromised due to high return flows and indirect reuse. The water treatment methods used by these plants are based on the removal of turbidity, various chemical contaminants and microorganisms. Recently introduced NOM regulations added the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) as a priority. Basic anion exchange resins can be used to remove NOM. This paper reports this method of NOM removal. Due to the variability in the composition of NOM in natural raw water, eight surface waters were collected throughout South Africa as representative of the different water types of the country. Two resins were used for this study, a strong and a weak – base anion resins. They were chosen for their availability and competitive price at the local market. NOM removal in raw water was quantified by measuring ultraviolet absorbance at a wavelength of 254 nm (UV 254), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and by calculating the specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) at 254 nm. The Freundlich equilibrium isotherms were also fitted and the Freundlich parameters determined

Tackling organised crime through a partnership approach: a process evaluation.

Background In 2010 the Home Office set up an initiative to engage Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) across England and Wales in exploring how local partnership working could be used to more effectively tackle organised crime. This report presents the main findings from a process evaluation undertaken of the 12 pilot sites included in this initiative

Optimized coagulation for the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from low alkalinity : hardness South African raw waters

Abstract This example is to demonstrate the layout of the first page of a paper for Water Science and Technology. The authors’ family names should be given in full; their forenames should be given as abbreviations. The title, authors' names and addresses should be indented 1.5 cm from the left-hand margin of the text area; the abstract is indented 1.5 cm from both margins. The abstract itself, set in 10 pt type like the authors' addresses, should start about 9 cm down from the top of the text area. It should be a single paragraph. Please do not make reference citations in the abstract and keep within the limit of 200 words. It is followed by your choice of up to six keywords, listed alphabetically and separated by semi-colons