ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2086-1855
Current Organisation
University of South Australia
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Other Chemical Sciences | Mineral Processing/Beneficiation | Environmental Chemistry (incl. Atmospheric Chemistry) | Environmental Management | Industrial Chemistry | Civil Engineering | Environmental Engineering Not Elsewhere Classified | Water And Sanitary Engineering
Management of Solid Waste from Mineral Resource Activities | Water services and utilities | Environmental and resource evaluation not elsewhere classified | Electricity, gas and water services and utilities |
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Date: 06-2013
DOI: 10.1210/JC.2012-3861
Abstract: Immunoassay-based techniques, routinely used to measure serum estradiol (E2), are known to have reduced specificity, especially at lower concentrations, when compared with the gold standard technique of mass spectrometry (MS). Different measurement techniques may be responsible for the conflicting results of associations between serum E2 and clinical phenotypes in men. Our objective was to compare immunoassay and MS measurements of E2 levels in men and evaluate associations with clinical phenotypes. Middle-aged and older male subjects participating in the population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Sweden study (n = 2599), MrOS US (n = 688), and the European Male Aging Study (n = 2908) were included. Immunoassay and MS measurements of serum E2 were compared and related to bone mineral density (BMD measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) and ankle-brachial index. Within each cohort, serum E2 levels obtained by immunoassay and MS correlated moderately (Spearman rank correlation coefficient rS 0.53–0.76). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels associated significantly (albeit to a low extent, rS = 0.29) with immunoassay E2 but not with MS E2 levels. Similar associations of immunoassay E2 and MS E2 were seen with lumbar spine and total hip BMD, independent of serum CRP. However, immunoassay E2, but not MS E2, associated inversely with ankle-brachial index, and this correlation was lost after adjustment for CRP. Our findings suggest interference in the immunoassay E2 analyses, possibly by CRP or a CRP-associated factor. Although associations with BMD remain unaffected, this might imply for a reevaluation of previous association studies between immunoassay E2 levels and inflammation-related outcomes.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 26-02-2019
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-09-2017
Abstract: Acid and metalliferous release occurring when sulfide (principally pyrite)-containing rock from mining activities and from natural environments is exposed to the elements is acknowledged as a major environmental problem. Acid rock drainage (ARD) management is both challenging and costly for operating and legacy mine sites. Current technological solutions are expensive and focused on treating ARD on release rather than preventing it at source. We describe here a viable, practical mechanism for reduced ARD through the formation of silicate-stabilized iron oxyhydroxide surface layers. Without silicate, oxidized pyrite particles form an overlayer of crystalline goethite or lepidocrocite with porous structure. With silicate addition, a smooth, continuous, coherent and apparently amorphous iron oxyhydroxide surface layer is observed, with consequent pyrite dissolution rates reduced by more than 90% at neutral pH. Silicate is structurally incorporated within this layer and inhibits the phase transformation from amorphous iron (oxy)hydroxide to goethite, resulting in pyrite surface passivation. This is confirmed by computational simulation, suggesting that silicate-doping of a pseudoamorphous iron oxyhydroxide (ferrihydrite structure) is thermodynamically more stable than the equivalent undoped structure. This mechanism and its controlling factors are described. As a consequence of the greatly reduced acid generation rate, neutralization from on-site available reactive silicate minerals may be used to maintain neutral pH, after initial limestone addition to achieve neutral pH, thus maintaining the integrity of these layers for effective ARD management.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2010
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2010.02.016
Abstract: This study investigated the nature of viscous sludge bulking within a molasses-fed integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) and conventional activated sludge (AS) plant by routinely measuring the total carbohydrate and protein fractions of the mixed liquor (ML). The impacts of sludge settleability and plant performance on the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) (Nitrosomonas oligotropha-cluster) were also investigated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results showed that sludge volume index (SVI) correlated positively with the amount of ML total carbohydrate in both the IFAS and traditional AS plants, highlighting the influential role that ML polysaccharide concentration plays on sludge settleability in these reactors. Results also revealed a negative relationship between the AOB/total Bacteria ratio and SVI, demonstrating that a poor settling sludge generally coincided with periods of relatively low AOB abundance. The existence of these relationships suggests that readily available organic carbon (molasses) was likely to have been present in excess in these systems. Our qPCR results also showed that concentrations of both AOB and total Bacteria genomic copies detected within the ML of the IFAS and conventional AS plants were remarkably similar. For the IFAS system, results showed that the ML supported an equivalent number of AOB (per gram of biomass) to that detected on the plastic IFAS media carriers, suggesting that the suspended biomass fraction plays an equally important role in the overall nitrification performance of these systems. Interestingly, large observed variations in AOB and AOB/total Bacteria ratio measured within both the ML and IFAS media carriers had no measurable impact on the apparent nitrification performance of these systems indicating the presence of some excess or 'reserve' nitrifying capacity above that which is required for effective plant performance. Results presented here also constitute the first known side-by-side comparison of the distribution of AOB in IFAS and conventional racetrack-like AS plants at the full-scale level.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2017.04.152
Abstract: Methane (CH
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2016.12.133
Abstract: The retrofitting of existing wastewater sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) to select for rapid-settling aerobic granular sludge (AGS) over floc-based conventional activated sludge (CAS), could be a viable option to decrease reactor cycle time and increase hydraulic capacity. Successful CAS-to-AGS conversion has previously been shown to be highly dependent on having a dedicated anaerobic feed, which presents additional engineering challenges when retrofitting SBRs. In this study we compared the performance of a split anaerobic-aerobic (An-Aer) feed with that of a traditional dedicated anaerobic feed regarding AGS formation and stability, nitrogen removal performance and microbial ecology. Using pilot trials, we showed that AGS could be established and maintained when using a split An-Aer feed at low organic loading rates analogous to that of a parallel full-scale conventional SBR. Additionally, we showed that AGS start-up time and nitrogen removal performance were comparable under a split An-Aer feed and dedicated anaerobic feed. Microbial ecology characterisations based on whole-of-community 16S rRNA profiles and targeted analysis of functional genes specific for nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms, showed that the two different feed strategies had only subtle impacts on both the overall community composition and functional ecology. A much greater ergence in microbial ecology was seen when comparing AGS with CAS. Data presented here will be of value to those planning to retrofit existing CAS-based SBRs to operate with AGS and demonstrates the viability of using a more cost-effective split An-Aer feed configuration over a dedicated anaerobic feed.
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
Date: 30-08-2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 22-02-2019
DOI: 10.3390/W11020377
Abstract: Emerging contaminants of concern have become a serious issue for the scientific community and society more broadly in recent years due to their increasingly widespread environmental distribution and largely unknown environmental and human health impacts. This study aimed to explore the use of fluorescence excitation-emission (F-EEM) spectroscopy as an alternative analytical method to evaluate the presence of key drugs of addiction (benzoylecgonine, meth hetamine, MDMA, codeine and morphine) in wastewater treatment plants. The chemicals of interest from wastewater were extracted by mixed-mode solid phase extraction and quantified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The same wastewater s les were also analysed by a fluorescence spectrophotometer for fluorescence spectra at wavelengths 280–600 nm (emission) and 200–600 nm (excitation). The study also investigated the relevance of different methods for interpreting F-EEM matrices data including parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modelling and fluorescence regional integration technique. PARAFAC identified four components, and among them, component C2, identified at the λex/λem = 275/340 nm wavelength associated with proteinaceous compounds most likely related to tryptophan amino acid, showed significant correlation with codeine removal. MDMA and morphine were not correlated to any of the fluorescence regions. The fluorescence regions related to aromatic protein-like fluorescence were correlated significantly with drug concentration and so may offer a suitable alternative approach for monitoring drugs including benzoylecgonine, meth hetamine and codeine.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-03-2017
DOI: 10.3390/MIN7030042
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2018.08.038
Abstract: The application of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology has increased in popularity, largely due to the smaller physical footprint, enhanced biological nutrient removal performance and ability to perform with a more stable operation when compared to conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems. To date, the ability of AGS to remove microbial pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium has not been reported. This study compared the log
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1071/MA21006
Abstract: Wastewater monitoring (WM) of SARS-CoV-2 from sewers was applied throughout the world early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Sharing of protocols and experiences in WM of SARS-CoV-2 by national and international researchers and practitioners has been vital to ensuring the sensitivity and specificity of the methods. WM has been a valuable adjunct to human clinical testing, and when positive results occur in sewage, community testing has been increased. WM findings allow public health officials to track and respond to the impacts of loosening lockdown restrictions, demonstrating when return to normal social activities might occur without a resurgence of rapid community transmission, and they are particularly useful in areas with low human case numbers and/or low clinical testing rates. New research is required to address several practical knowledge gaps, for ex le, s ling protocols, prediction of case prevalence from viral numbers by modelling, and determination of detection limits. Communication to the Australian public of WM of SARS-CoV-2 has been via interactive, visual dashboards. Once SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations are introduced, WM could help track the underlying circulation of the virus in the population, the spread of known variants and its future evolution.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-06-2018
DOI: 10.1007/S11356-018-2464-6
Abstract: The occurrence and fate of five drugs of abuse in raw influent and treated effluent wastewater were investigated over a period of 1 year in the Adelaide region of South Australia. Four wastewater treatment plants were chosen for this study and monitored for five drugs which included cocaine in the form of its metabolite benzoylecgonine (BE), meth hetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymeth hetamine (MDMA) and two opioids (codeine and morphine) during the period April 2016 to February 2017. Alongside concentrations in raw sewage, the levels of drugs in the treated effluent were assessed and removal efficiencies were calculated. Drug concentrations were measured by mixed-mode solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Drug concentrations detected in the raw wastewater ranged from 7 to 6510 ng/L and meth hetamine > morphine > MDMA > BE. Results showed that all the targeted drugs were on average incompletely removed by wastewater treatment, with removal performance highest for morphine (94%) and lowest for MDMA (58%). A screening-level environmental risk assessment was subsequently performed for the drugs based on effluent wastewater concentrations. Based on calculated risk quotients, overall environmental risk for these compounds appears low, with codeine and meth hetamine likely to pose the greatest potential risk to receiving environments. Given the recognised limitations of current ecotoxicological models and risk assessment methods for these and other pharmaceutical drugs, the potential for environmental impacts associated with the continuous discharge of these compounds in wastewater effluents should not be overlooked.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-10-2017
Abstract: Three distinct explanatory models are described which underpin the relationship between the cultural authority of science and public trust. This essay describes how current discourses framed around how the enterprise of science is undertaken damage these models, diminishing knowledge-attitudes, alienating the public while reducing the cultural meaning of science.
Publisher: Springer Singapore
Date: 2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 08-03-2012
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 09-12-2022
DOI: 10.1071/MA22058
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic raised the public profile of wastewater-based infectious disease monitoring. General media coverage about wastewater detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 coronavirus) increased community awareness of the potential use of wastewater for the detection and surveillance of emerging diseases and also heightened recognition of the potential for wastewater to harbour and convey a variety of pathogens. This has also generated questions about the potential public health impacts of emerging pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 and mpox, in sewage and recycled water. To ensure water security in an era of climate change, water recycling is increasingly important in Australia and other water-stressed nations and managing disease risks in integrated water management is thus of critical importance. This paper demonstrates the existing risk management provisions for recycled water and explores potential issues posed by novel and emerging pathogens. First, a synopsis of some key emerging and re-emerging human pathogens is presented and the risks associated with these pathogens in the context of recycled water provision is considered. Then, an overview of the engineered treatment systems and regulatory framework used to manage these emerging risks in Australia is presented, together with a discusion of how emerging pathogen risks can be managed to ensure safe recycled water supply now and into the future.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 03-10-2018
Abstract: The aim of this study was to test the performance of a novel method for acid rock drainage (ARD) control through the formation of Al(OH)
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 05-2010
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2010.708
Abstract: The interference of ammonia with the chlorination process is a problem for many reclaimed water treatment plant operators. This paper presents the findings from a series of pilot experiments that investigated the efficacy of high flow rate nitrifying trickling filters (NTFs) for the removal of low concentrations of ammonia (0.5–3.0 mg N L−1) from reclaimed wastewater. Results showed that nitrification was impeded by a combination of high organic carbon loads and aquatic snails, which consumed much of the active biomass. With adequate snail control, nitrification rates (0.3–1.1 g NH4-N m−2 d−1) equivalent to that of traditional wastewater NTFs were achieved, despite operating under comparably low ammonia feed concentrations and high hydraulic flow rates.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2019.05.068
Abstract: Drugs of addiction, have been recognized as potential contaminants of concern to the environment. Effluent wastewater discharge is a major source of contamination to aquatic receiving environments. A year-long monitoring program was undertaken in Australia to characterise the fate of four emerging drugs of addiction: meth hetamine MDMA pharmaceutical opioids: codeine and morphine and a metabolite: benzoylecgonine in four wastewater treatment plants operating with different secondary treatment technologies: conventional activated sludge (CAS), membrane bioreactors (MBR), integrated fixed-film AS (IFAS) and sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The effect of subsequent tertiary treatment (coagulation/flocculation) on the removal efficiency was also assessed. Drugs were detected in influent and effluent s les (mean concentration ranged from 43-4777 and 17-1721 ng/L, respectively). Treated effluents had noticeably lower levels compared to raw influents. Removal efficiency of compounds depended on the secondary treatment employed, with IFAS and MBR performing the best with significant removal of compounds (≈90%) followed by CAS (54-96%) and lastly SBR (42-83%). Despite the low levels of drugs measured after the secondary treatment, near complete removal after tertiary treatment (≈99%) was recorded, which demonstrated the effectiveness of using the coagulation/flocculation process as an effective step for enhancing the removal efficiency. The levels of drugs were at a low level in the effluents released into the environment and used for recycling and all posed a low environmental risk in urban water courses based on the risk assessment. The information given here provides new and useful information to the water industry and regulators on the efficiency of drug removal in a range of wastewater treatment configurations.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2016.03.059
Abstract: Effective handling and treatment of the solids fraction from advanced wastewater treatment operations carries a substantial burden for water utilities relative to the total economic and environmental impacts from modern day wastewater treatment. While good process-level data for a range of wastewater treatment operations are becoming more readily available, there remains a dearth of high quality operational data for solids line processes in particular. This study seeks to address this data gap by presenting a suite of high quality, process-level life cycle inventory data covering a range of solids line wastewater treatment processes, extending from primary treatment through to biosolids reuse in agriculture. Within the study, the impacts of secondary treatment technology and key parameters such as sludge retention time, activated sludge age and primary-to-waste activated sludge ratio (PS:WAS) on the life cycle inventory data of solids processing trains for five model wastewater treatment plant configurations are presented. BioWin(®) models are calibrated with real operational plant data and estimated electricity consumption values were reconciled against overall plant energy consumption. The concept of "representative crop" is also introduced in order to reduce the uncertainty associated with nitrous oxide emissions and soil carbon sequestration offsets under biosolids land application scenarios. Results indicate that both the treatment plant biogas electricity offset and the soil carbon sequestration offset from land-applied biosolids, represent the main greenhouse gas mitigation opportunities. In contrast, fertiliser offsets are of relatively minor importance in terms of the overall life cycle emissions impacts. Results also show that fugitive methane emissions at the plant, as well as nitrous oxide emissions both at the plant and following agricultural application of biosolids, are significant contributors to the overall greenhouse gas balance and combined are higher than emissions associated with transportation. Sensitivity analyses for key parameters including digester PS:WAS and sludge retention time, and assumed biosolids nitrogen content and agricultural availability also provide additional robustness and comprehensiveness to our inventory data and will facilitate more customised user analyses.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-05-2017
DOI: 10.3390/MIN7060089
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 16-09-2019
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the combined effect of galvanic interaction and silicate addition on the dissolution of pyrite, the major contributor to acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD). Single (pyrite, sphalerite, and galena)- and bi-sulfide (pyrite-sphalerite and pyrite-galena) batch dissolution experiments were carried out with addition of 0.8 mM dissolved silicate for comparison to previously published data. The pyrite dissolution rate was reduced by 98% upon silicate addition at pH 7.4 with little effect at pH 3.0 and 5.0. The effect of galvanic interaction on reducing pyrite dissolution decreased with increasing pH and was greater in the presence of sphalerite than galena. In contrast, the effect of silicate addition increased with increasing pH and was greater in the presence of galena than sphalerite. The greatest combined effect was at pH 7.4, with <0.1% of pyrite leached in both bi-sulfide systems. Silicate addition also significantly reduced the dissolution of sphalerite or galena (by 10-44%, except at pH 3 for the pyrite-sphalerite system). These results suggest that silicate addition, for reducing both pyrite dissolution and metalliferous drainage, may be applicable at a broad pH in mixed sulfide systems.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2013.08.051
Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a primary ozone-depleting substance and powerful greenhouse gas. N2O emissions from secondary-level wastewater treatment processes are relatively well understood as a result of intensive international research effort in recent times, yet little information exists to date on the role of sewers in wastewater management chain N2O dynamics. Here we provide the first detailed assessment of N2O levels in the untreated influent (i.e. sewer network effluent) of three large Australian metropolitan wastewater treatment plants. Contrary to current international (IPCC) guidance, results show gravity sewers to be a likely source of N2O. Results from the monitoring program revealed hydraulic flow rate as a strong driver for N2O generation in gravity sewers, with microbial processes (nitrification and possibly denitrification) implicated as the main processes responsible for its production. Results were also used to develop a presumptive emission factor for N2O in the context of municipal gravity sewers. Considering the discrepancy with current IPCC Guidelines, further work is warranted to assess the scale and dynamics of N2O production in sewers elsewhere.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 02-2010
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2010.950
Abstract: The capacity for removing wastewater-borne endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) was investigated for two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) incorporating waste stabilisation ponds (WSPs) as the principal treatment technology. S les were analysed for a number of steroidal oestrogens and androgens using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Removal efficiency for steroid androgens was high for both WWTPs (93–100%) but WSP treatment was observed to be less effective for removing steroid oestrogens, particularly oestriol.
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 20-12-2018
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2017.626
Abstract: The successful development of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) for secondary wastewater treatment has been linked to a dedicated anaerobic feeding phase, which enables key microbes such as poly-phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms to gain a competitive advantage over floc-forming organisms. The application of AGS to treat high-saline sewage and its subsequent impacts on microbial ecology, however, are less well understood. In this study, the impacts of high-saline sewage on AGS development, performance and ecology were investigated using molecular microbiology methods. Two feeding strategies were compared at pilot scale: a full (100%) anaerobic feed and a partial (33%) anaerobic feed. The results were compared to a neighbouring full-scale conventional activated sludge (CAS) system (100% aerobic). We observed that AGS developed under decreased anaerobic contact showed a comparable formation, stability and nitrogen removal performance to the 100% anaerobically fed system. Analysis of the microbial ecology showed that the altered anaerobic contact had minimal effect on the abundances of the functional nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria and Archaea however, there were notable ecological differences when comparing different sized granules. In contrast to previous work, a large enrichment in PAOs in AGS was not observed in high-saline wastewater, which coincided with poor observed phosphate removal performance. Instead, AGS exhibited a substantial enrichment in sulfide-oxidising bacteria, which was complemented by elemental analysis that identified the presence of elemental sulfur precipitation. The potential role for these organisms in AGS treating high-saline wastewater is discussed.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-05-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2017.07.068
Abstract: This review critically evaluates the types and concentrations of key illicit drugs (cocaine, hetamines, cannabinoids, opioids and their metabolites) found in wastewater, surface water and drinking water sources worldwide and what is known on the effectiveness of wastewater treatment in removing such compounds. It is also important to amass information on the trends in specific drug use as well as the sources of such compounds that enter the environment and we review current international knowledge on this. There are regional differences in the types and quantities of illicit drug consumption and this is reflected in the quantities detected in water. Generally, the levels of illicit drugs in wastewater effluents are lower than in raw influent, indicating that the majority of compounds can be at least partially removed by conventional treatment processes such as activated sludge or trickling filters. However, the literature also indicates that it is too simplistic to assume non-detection equates to drug removal and/or mitigation of associated risks, as there is evidence that some compounds may avoid detection via inadequate s ling and/or analysis protocols, or through conversion to transformation products. Partitioning of drugs from the water to the solids fraction (sludge/biosolids) may also simply shift the potential risk burden to a different environmental compartment and the review found no information on drug stability and persistence in biosolids. Generally speaking, activated sludge-type processes appear to offer better removal efficacy across a range of substances, but the lack of detail in many studies makes it difficult to comment on the most effective process configurations and operations. There is also a paucity of information on the removal effectiveness of alternative treatment processes. Research is also required on natural removal processes in both water and sediments that may over time facilitate further removal of these compounds in receiving environments.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 11-04-2013
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 06-2007
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2007.339
Abstract: An experimental pilot plant was operated over a five month period to assess the relative treatment performances of: a duckweed (DW) pond a rock filter (RF) and an open pond (OP) for the upgrading of final WSP effluent prior to reuse applications. Each pilot treatment system consisted of three identical ponds arranged in three parallel series, each fed a continuous flow of wastewater from the local Bolivar treatment plant. Light penetration profiling for the DW and OP systems revealed some 55% greater light attenuation capacity for DW ponds compared to the OP system. Results showed a significantly elevated performance capacity for the RF treatment with respect to BOD5, SS, turbidity and NH4-N removal, but equal treatment performances for algal (chlorophyll) removal. No significant performance differences were evident between the DW and OP treatments for any of the monitored parameters. Soluble reactive phosphorus, faecal coliform and E. coli removals were similar for all pilot treatment systems. Rock filters not only demonstrated an enhanced performance capacity in terms of removal of loaded parameters, but also showed greater reliability of performance and produced a consistently higher quality final effluent. Rock filters demonstrated greater potential over both DW and OP systems for the upgrading of WSP effluent prior to reuse application.
Publisher: IWA Publishing
Date: 02-2010
DOI: 10.2166/WST.2010.962
Abstract: This study compared the nitrification potential of two separate Waste Stabilisation Ponds (WSPs) operating under differing physical and chemical conditions. In order to probe the nitrification potential of each system, the oxidation of ammonium and also the intermediate product nitrite was assessed using both in situ and laboratory micro-scale incubations. The role of sediment in determining the nitrification potential of the two WSPs was also investigated. Results from laboratory microcosm incubations revealed a competent and strikingly similar nitrification potential for both WSPs in spite of their differing nitrogen and organic loadings, and also suggested a significant role for sediment in WSP nitrogen cycling. Results from in situ field experiments identified biomass uptake to be the dominant nitrogen removal mechanism in natural pond environments. Other aspects of WSP nitrogen cycling are also discussed.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-09-2014
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-12-2013
DOI: 10.1002/IEAM.1479
Abstract: Chemicals are an important component of advanced water treatment operations not only in terms of economics but also from an environmental standpoint. Tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) are useful for estimating the environmental impacts of water treatment operations. At the same time, LCA analysts must manage several fundamental and as yet unresolved methodological challenges, one of which is the question of how best to "allocate" environmental burdens in multifunctional processes. Using water treatment chemicals as a case study ex le, this article aims to quantify the variability in greenhouse gas emissions estimates stemming from methodological choices made in respect of allocation during LCA. The chemicals investigated and reported here are those most important to coagulation and disinfection processes, and the outcomes are illustrated on the basis of treating 1000 ML of noncoagulated and nondisinfected water. Recent process and economic data for the production of these chemicals is used and methodological alternatives for solving the multifunctionality problem, including system expansion and mass, exergy, and economic allocation, are applied to data from chlor-alkali plants. In addition, Monte Carlo simulation is included to provide a comprehensive picture of the robustness of economic allocation results to changes in the market price of these industrial commodities. For disinfection, results demonstrate that chlorine gas has a lower global warming potential (GWP) than sodium hypochlorite regardless of the technique used to solve allocation issues. For coagulation, when mass or economic allocation is used to solve the multifunctionality problem in the chlor-alkali facility, ferric chloride was found to have a higher GWP than aluminum sulfate and a slightly lower burden where system expansion or exergy allocation are applied instead. Monte Carlo results demonstrate that when economic allocation is used, GWP results were relatively robust and resilient to the changes in commodity prices encountered during the study period, with standard deviations less than 6% for all chlor-alkali-produced chemicals reported here. Overall outcomes from the study demonstrate the potential variability in LCA results according to the allocation approach taken and emphasize the need for a consensus approach to water sector LCAs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 14-10-2013
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-06-2017
DOI: 10.3390/MIN7060105
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-09-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00128-019-02708-9
Abstract: The manufacturing and consumption of drugs of addiction has increased globally and their widespread occurrence in the environment is an emerging concern. This study evaluated the phytotoxicity of three compounds: meth hetamine, codeine and morphine commonly reported in Australian urban water, to the aquatic plant Lemna minor under controlled conditions. L. minor was sensitive to lower drug concentrations when administered in multi-compound mixtures (100-500 µg L
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-08-2011
DOI: 10.1002/IEAM.247
Abstract: Water supply is a key consideration in sustainable urban planning. Ideally, detailed quantitative sustainability assessments are undertaken during the planning stage to inform the decision-making process. In reality, however, the significant time and cost associated with undertaking such detailed environmental and economic assessments is often cited as a barrier to wider implementation of these key decision support tools, particularly for decisions made at the local or regional government level. In an attempt to overcome this barrier of complexity, 4 water service providers in Melbourne, Australia, funded the development of a publicly available streamlined Environmental Sustainability Assessment Tool, which is aimed at a wide range of decision makers to assist them in broadening the type and number of water servicing options that can be considered for greenfield or backlog developments. The Environmental Sustainability Assessment Tool consists of a simple user interface and draws on life cycle inventory data to allow for rapid estimation of the environmental and economic performance of different water servicing scenarios. Scenario options can then be further prioritized by means of an interactive multicriteria analysis. The intent of this article is to identify the key issues to be considered in a streamlined sustainability assessment tool for the urban water industry, and to demonstrate the feasibility of generating accurate life cycle assessments and life cycle costings, using such a tool. We use a real-life case study ex le consisting of 3 separate scenarios for a planned urban development to show that this kind of tool can emulate life cycle assessments and life cycle costings outcomes obtained through more detailed studies. This simplified approach is aimed at supporting "sustainability thinking" early in the decision-making process, thereby encouraging more sustainable water and sewerage infrastructure solutions.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-04-2018
DOI: 10.3390/W10050545
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 02-04-2018
Abstract: Although the acid generating properties of pyrite (FeS
Start Date: 01-2015
End Date: 12-2017
Amount: $330,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 01-2014
End Date: 06-2017
Amount: $270,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 03-2010
End Date: 03-2013
Amount: $78,420.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
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