Treatment of Low Quality Water by Foam Fractionation

Project Number: A-015-ALAS Agreement Number: 14-01-0001-896 Project Duration: July 1, 1966 - June 30, 1967The removal of iron from Alaskan groundwaters by a foam fractionation technique has been shown to very effective. Finished waters with less than 0.2 mg/l iron have been produced from raw waters containing in excess of 25 mg/l. Ethylhexadecyldimethylammonium bromide was used as the principal foaming agent. Low temperature oxidation of the ferrous iron tended to interfere with the removal rates, but high temperature oxidation followed by low temperature fractionation did not exhibit the same adverse influence. All experiments were performed in four-liter laboratory batch columns. For the Alaskan environment batch processing is thought to have advantages over continuous processes because of the need for uncomplicated equipment.The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Research Act of 1964

Practical Application of Foam Fractionation Treatment of Low Quality Water

The foaming technique has found extensive use for organic, ion, and colloid separations from liquid systems. When used to remove an ion or a colloid, a specific surface-active agent of opposite charge to the particle being removed is added to the solution and floated to the surface of the suspension by gas bubbles. The ion or colloid is adsorbed at the bubble interfaces and collected within the froth formed at the surface of the container. The froth, with the contaminant or concentrated material (depending upon the process and its use) is physically separated at this point and further processed or discharged to waste. The clarified bottom liquid is therefore suitable for other uses. In the water supply field, the bottom liquid is the important product that is to be recovered and used for consumptive purposes. Much research has been performed on the theory and applications of various adsorptive bubble separation methods. These studies are well documented in the literature for various industries and applications which might take advantage of the method. It was not the intent of this work to amplify the findings of other research. The project was undertaken in an attempt to scale-up laboratory experiments previously performed at this Institute. No extension of theory, new processes, or revolutionary findings were attempted.The work upon which this report is based was supported by funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Research Act of 1964. Project Number: A-024-ALAS Agreement Number: 14-01-0001-107

Bio-Processes of the Oxidation Ditch When Subjected to a Sub-Arctic Climate

Alaska's far northern area is sparsely populated primarily because of a severe climate which varies from northern temperate to Arctic. Construction and power costs are high. Skilled operating personnel are scarce and expensive, if available. Receiving streams are said to be delicate, particularily in the winter, when little possibility for reaeration exists due to a total ice cover. The oxidation ditch modification of the extended aeration activated sludge process appears to be well suited for the treatment of wastes in this environment. Past operating data on a plant of this type located in Interior Alaska (near Fairbanks) indicated it may be well suited to treat small volumes of domestic waste economically, with low sludge production, and minimal sensitivity to low temperatures.The work reported on herein was done under Contract No. RFP DACA 897l- R-0006 from the U. S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire

The Biodegradation of Organic Substrates Under Arctic and Subarctic Conditions

The objective of this research was to obtain data on the metabolic reaction rates of the microorganisms indigenous to the cold environments of the arctic and sub-arctic in order to evaluate the natural abilities of the freshwater streams and lakes of Alaska to assimilate the wastes discharged into them. Microorganisms capable of growth even at subzero temperatures have long been known; however, most have consistently fared better at higher temperatures, usually above 20° C. Much of the work done with the biological oxidation of wastes at low temperatures has been with organisms of this type : mesophilic organisms which are able to survive at low temperatures but which are metabolically much more active in the temperature range from 20 to 45° C. Such organisms might be labeled "cold-tolerant," but they are probably biochemically quite different from the truly "cold-loving," or psychrophilic, microorganisms which are able not only to survive but also to thrive at temperatures below 20° C and which, in fact, find temperatures much higher than 25° C intolerable.This work upon which this report (Proj. A-014-ALAS) is based was supported by funds provided by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended

A Water Distribution System for Cold Regions: The Single Main Recirculation Method: An Historical Review, Field Evaluation, and Suggested Design Procedures

Students and residents of the Arctic are familiar with the many problems peculiar to the geographical area. This monograph will consider an adequate, safe, and reliable water distribution system. Water supply, together with housing, transportation, and waste disposal, are demanded when a remote area becomes established as a permanent settlement. As long as the population of the North was widely distributed in small mining camps, villages, and individual cabins, water distribution systems were not necessary, as shallow wells and nearby streams adequately served most needs. With the rapidly increasing settlement of the vast lands of the North, the population is being centered in communities rather than distributed over large areas. The world population explosion will undoubtedly contribute to increasing immigration into Arctic and sub-Arctic areas. These changes have already created a need for modern water distribution systems, a need which will become more critical with time.The research upon which this publication is based was performed in accordance with Contract No. ph 86-67-18 with the U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Lastly, the support of the Institute of Water Resources, University of Alaska is acknowledged, through an Office of Water Resources Research grant A-018-Alas

Factors Affecting Water Management on the North Slope of Alaska

The North Slope of Alaska is undergoing sudden development following the recent discovery of large oil and gas reserves in the area. The water resources of the region should be carefully managed both to ensure adequate supplies of usable water at reasonable cost, and to guard against excessive deterioration of water quality. The likely effects on the environment of man's activities are investigated and found to be poorly understood at the present time. Research priorities are suggested to supply rapid answers to questions of immediate importance. The applicability of a regional management concept to the North Slope waters is considered and the concept is recommended as part of a broad land and water planning philosophy which would emphasize regional control over state and federal control. The use of economic incentives rather than standards for the control of water quality is not recommended at the present time.The work upon which this report is based was supported primarily by funds provided by the Sea Grant Program of the University of Alaska under grant No. 1-36109

A Ground Water Quality Summary for Alaska: a Termination Report

The expanding economic activity throughout the State of Alaska has created an urgent demand for water resource data. Ground water quality information is of particular interest since this is the most used source for domestic and industrial supplies. Many agencies and individuals have accumulated large quantities of data but their value has been marginal due to a lack of distribution to potential users. It was the original intent of the work reported herein to gather, collate, and publish all ground water quality data available in the files of university, state, and federal laboratories. Soon after the inception of the project the major contributor, the U.S. Geological Survey, found it was administratively impossible to contribute either the monies or the data necessary to accomplish the ultimate goals of the project -- An Atlas on Alaskan Ground Water Qualities. At the time the above decision was made the Institute felt too much information was on hand to allow it to lay fallow. Therefore, this report was prepared, In a more limited scope than originally planned, to fill the need for a readily available source of information.The work upon which this report is based was supported by funds provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, Project Number A-024-ALAS and Agreement Number 14-01-0001-1070

A Program for the Collection, Storage, and Analysis of Baseline Environmental Data for Cook Inlet, Alaska

The scope of this report is to provide a general, yet comprehensive, description of the Cook Inlet System which will serve as a basis for understanding the interrelated natural and man-made factors governing its future; to present a program of field research studies for the estuarine environment that will describe the existing state of the Inlet with respect to the water quality and biota; to provide a framework whereby the program of studies can be evaluated and redirected in light of the preliminary results; and, to provide a method of storing and analyzing the data from the investigations so that it can be made available to interested parties in the most efficient manner possible.This report was prepared by the Institute of Water Resources of the University of Alaska for the Alaska Water Laboratory, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration under Contract No. 14-12-449

Effect of Waste Discharges into a Silt-laden Estuary: A Case Study of Cook Inlet, Alaska

Cook Inlet is not well known. Although its thirty-foot tidal range is widely appreciated, its other characteristics, such as turbulence, horizontal velocities of flow, suspended sediment loads, natural biological productivity, the effects of fresh water inflows, temperature, and wind stresses, are seldom acknowledged. The fact that the Inlet has not been used for recreation nor for significant commercial activity explains why the average person is not more aware of these characteristics. Because of the gray cast created by the suspended sediments in the summer and the ice floes in the winter, the Inlet does not have the aura of a beautiful bay or fjord. The shoreline is inhospitable for parks and development, the currents too strong for recreational activities, and, because of the high silt concentration, there is little fishing. Yet, Cook Inlet, for all its negative attributes, can in no way be considered an unlimited dumping ground for the wastes of man. It may be better suited for this purpose than many bays in North America, but it does have a finite capacity for receiving wastes without unduly disturbing natural conditions. This report was written for the interested layman by engineers and scientists who tried to present some highly technical information in such a manner that it could be understood by environmentalists, concerned citizens, students, decision makers, and lawmakers alike. In attempting to address such a diverse audience, we risked failing to be completely understood by any one group. However, all too often research results are written solely for other researchers, a practice which leads to the advancement of knowledge but not necessarily to its immediate use by practicing engineers nor to its inclusion in social, economic, and political decision-making processes. We hope this report will shorten the usual time lag between the acquisition of new information and its use. Several additional reports will be available for a limited distribution. These will be directed to technicians who wish to know the mathematical derivations, assumptions, and other scientific details used in the study. Technical papers by the individual authors, published in national and international scientific and engineering journals, are also anticipated.The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by funds (Proj. B-015-ALAS) provided by the United States Department of the Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended

Three-body interactions with cold polar molecules

We show that polar molecules driven by microwave fields give naturally rise to strong three-body interactions, while the two-particle interaction can be independently controlled and even switched off. The derivation of these effective interaction potentials is based on a microscopic understanding of the underlying molecular physics, and follows from a well controlled and systematic expansion into many-body interaction terms. For molecules trapped in an optical lattice, we show that these interaction potentials give rise to Hubbard models with strong nearest-neighbor two-body and three-body interaction. As an illustration, we study the one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model with dominant three-body interaction and derive its phase diagram.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure