Journal of Applied Research in Water and Wastewater
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Winter and Spring 2014

Decolorization of Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) by Trametessp. Pellets was studied in a batch reactor. Dye removal process was performed in shaken flasks which contained 100 ml of RBBR aqueous solution and fungal pellets. The process was followed for 48 h and the dye removal was analyzed at a visible spectrum of 590 nm. Response surface methodology (RSM) employing Box Behnken design at three factors i.e. initial concentration of RBBR, mass of pellet and pH was used to optimize the decolorization process) with three replicates. Response surface regression showed that the decolorization efficiency was affected by initial RBBR concentration. Mass of pellet and pH in this model were not found to be insignificant for both main and square effects. The dye decolorization varied within the range of 16.81% to 77.91%. The lowest decolorization was achieved in maximum initial concentration dye and pH. While the highest decolorization was observed when low initial dye concentration and pH were used. From the optimization, maximum dye removal efficiency of 67.9% ± 5.43 was achieved at 50 ppm RBBR solution, 4 gram of pellets at pH 5.6.

A method was developed for removal, preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of trace amounts of methyl red based on SiO2-coated Fe3O4magnetic nanoparticles. The influence of pH, dosage of adsorbent and contact time on the adsorption of dye was explored by central composite design. The kinetic data were analyzed based on the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The Langmuir model was fitted well to data and the maximum monolayer capacity q max of 49.50 mg g−1 was calculated. The results showed that desorption efficiencies of higher than 99% can be achieved in a short contact time of 3 min and in one step elution using 2.0 mL of 0.1 mol L−1 NaOH. The magnetic nanoparticles were washed with deionized water and reused for two successive removal processes with removal efficiencies more than 90%. Then desorbed dye was determined spectrophotometrically. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 0.025–0.250 mg L−1 of dye with a correlation coefficient of 0.9922. The relative standard deviations obtained upon application of the method to the real samples were lower than 0.7%. A preconcentration factor of the method was 50.

An innovative method based on the membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology was developed as a potential remedy for the water shortage. MBRs attracted much attention in the field of wastewater treatment and reuse. It is reported from many researchers that membrane bioreactor technology is feasible and an efficient method for the treatment of wastewater. However, MBRs are faced to membrane fouling which lead to short membrane lifetime and increase operating costs. Here we was modified polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membrane by blending of O-carboxymethyl chitosan/ Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a PES solution (14% polymer weight) and casted by a phase inversion process. Membranes with four different weight percentage of O-Carboxymethyl chitosan bound Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (OCMCs-Fe3O4) to PES of 0.05, 0.10, and 1 wt. % were tested. The OCMCS-Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by the binding of carboxymethyl chitosan (CC) onto the surface of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles, which were prepared by co-precipitating method. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) technique. Moreover, OCMCS-Fe3O4 nanoparticales blend membranes were also characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and permeation tests. Antifouling performance was studied using activated sludge as a biological suspension and measuring the pure water flux recovery ratio (FRR). The 0.1 wt. % OCMCS-Fe3O4-PES membrane revealed the highest FRR value (89%). The results exhibited that addition of OCMCS-Fe3O4 nanoparticales lead to membranes with high pure water flux compared to the unmodified PES membrane.

The efficiency of diazinon (as insecticides) and nitrate (related to nitrogen fertilizer) removal from contaminated water is investigated through NF membrane technique. The effects of nitrate concentration (40-160 mg/l), diazinon concentration (10-1000 µg/l) and pH (5-9) on the efficiency of a commercial polyamide nanofilter membrane at a constant pressure of (800 KPa) are investigated. The response surface method (Box-Behenken design) is applied in design of experiment. As the diazinon concentration and pH are enhanced, the contaminant removal efficiency increases from 85% to 90%; while nitrate concentration has an opposite effect (removal efficiency reduces about 10%). The regression models obtained for nitrate and diazinon rejection show good fitting to the experimental results (r-squared equal to 94% and 98%, respectively). The models are able to predict the evolution of diazinon and nitrate as a function of concentration and pH at a constant pressure.

Pollution sources into the water, the necessity of qualitative studies of water resources is one of the most important new challenges for mankind in almost every parts of the world. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) are among parameters of water quality indexes which are considered as water pollution indexes. In the present research, DO and BOD of Dez River basin water (in Dezful City) were studied and zoned by applying the Geographic Information System (GIS). Nine stations were considered for sampling during six months in 2013. The results indicate that the average maximum amount of DO at an average of six months is 8.47 mg/l in S1 station and the minimum amount is 1.71 mg/l in S8 station. The average maximum and minimum amounts for BOD during an average of six months are orderly 150.83 mg/l in S8 and 3.16 mg/l in S1. By a qualitative zoning, places that are prone to pollution can be recognized and measures can be taken for monitoring and preserving such areas. Decreasing the amount of water pollution and controlling the pollution sources are possible by adoption appropriate measures.

The problems of shortages and quality deterioration of water, have led to an increased interest in the reuse of treated grey water in many parts of the world. This study examined the suitability of locally available materials (beach sand, oyster shells, and charcoal) to treat grey water samples collected weekly from three halls of residence (Unity Hall, Africa Hall, and Independence Hall) on Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) campus for irrigation. Beach sand, oyster shells, and charcoal were employed in the construction of three vertical flow-through filter systems, each consisting of PVC pipes of height 100 cm and internal diameter 5.08 cm. The grey water samples were filtered and the levels of physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, TDS and salinity), nutrient and microbial counts determined over a three-week period. Results indicate that the measured physico-chemical parameters treated grey water were within the permissible limits for irrigation water. Also filtration process is effective in reducing phosphate, the total and faecal coliform levels in grey water from the halls of residence. These observations suggest that treated grey water from KNUST campus would support production when used as irrigation water.

Venturi flumes are measurement structures commonly used in water systems to measure the flow discharge. Some of them are not well installed or present some geometrical defects. The objective of this study is to investigate the hydraulic influence of a number of typical wrong installations and geometrical defects of long-throated Venturi flumes: significant positive or adverse slopes, humps and hollows on the walls of the throat, hump or hollow on the bed of the throat. The geometric tolerances corresponding to an acceptable tolerance on the discharge of 2% and 5% are calculated for each defect. A number of corrections of the head –discharge relationship are proposed to avoid the destruction of a flume if the geometric tolerance is not respected.

Water quality is a worldwide problem which affects human beings lives fundamentally. Water scarcity is intensified in result of quality deterioration. Different factors such as population increase, economic development and water pollution could be considered as the origins of the problem. The study and forecasting of water quality is necessary to prevent serious water quality deteriorations in future. Different methodologies have been used to predict and estimate the quality of water. In present study using time series modeling, the quality of Hor Rood River is studied at Kakareza station using time series analysis. 9 parameters of water quality are studied such as: TDS, EC, HCO3-, SO42-, Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, pH and SAR. Investigation of observed time series show that there is an increasing trend for all parameters unless Na+, pH and SAR. The order of model for each parameter was determined using auto correlation function (ACF) and partial auto correlation function (PACF) of time series. ARIMA (autoregressive, integrated, moving average) model was found suitable to generate and forecast the quality of river water. AIC, R2, RMSE and VE % criteria were used for evaluating the generation and forecasting results. Results show that time series modeling is quite capable of water quality forecasting. For all generated and forecasted parameters the value of R2 was greater than 0.66 Except for SO42-. The value of R2 for generated SO42- was 0.48 and this value was 0.43 for forecasting this parameter. Also the study show that the quality of water is deteriorating based on an increasing trend for the majority of parameters and needs serious managerial actions.