Filters
total: 400
filtered: 394
Search results for: water pollutants
-
Reducing Monitoring Costs in Industrially Contaminated Rivers: Cluster and Regression Analysis Approach
PublicationMonitoring contamination in river water is an expensive procedure, particularly for developing countries where pollution is a significant problem. This study was conducted to provide a pollution monitoring strategy that reduces the cost of laboratory analysis. The new monitoring strategy was designed as a result of cluster and regression analysis on field data collected from an industrially influenced river. Pollution sources in...
-
Green and Sustainable Membranes: A review
PublicationMembranes are ubiquitous tools for modern water treatment technology that critically eliminate hazardous materials such as organic, inorganic, heavy metals, and biomedical pollutants. Nowadays, nano-membranes are of particular interest for myriad applications such as water treatment, desalination, ion exchange, ion concentration control, and several kinds of biomedical applications. However, this state-of-the-art technology suffers...
-
The newest researches and applications of treatment wetlands in sewage sludge management
PublicationIn the paper the newest researches and applications of treatment wetlands conducted by re-searchers of Civil and Environmental Faculty are presented. Among others it was proved that this technology could be successfully implemented for highly polluted wastewater treatment. Within the research project two multistage treatment wetlands, one for landfill leachate and the second for reject water from digested sewage sludge centrifugation,...
-
The use of constructed wetlands for the treatment of industrial wastewater
PublicationConstructed wetlands are characterized by specific conditions enabling simultaneous various physical and biochemical processes. This is the result of specific environment for the growth of microorganisms and hydro-phytes (aquatic and semiaquatic plants) which are capable of living in aerobic, anaerobic and facultative anaerobic conditions. Their interaction contributes to the intensification of oxidation and reduction responsible...
-
Estimating the Impact of Inflow on the Chemistry of Two Different Caldera Type Lakes Located on the Bali Island (Indonesia)
PublicationThis paper is a preliminary attempt to assess the composition of pollutants in two different caldera lakes situated in the Indonesian Archipelago: Batur and Bratan. Both lakes are characterized by largely different physico-chemical regimes; Batur Lake is located in an area that is currently volcanically active, unlike Bratan Lake. The latter is much smaller and shallower than Batur Lake. The concentration of pollutants in the Indonesian...
-
Scheelite-Type Wide-Bandgap ABO4 Compounds (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba; B = Mo and W) as Potential Photocatalysts for Water Treatment
PublicationIn the present study, alkaline-earth metal scheelite-type compounds ABO4 (A = Ca, Sr, Ba, B = Mo, W) synthesized by a hydrothermal method were systematically studied. The as-obtained photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis (BET), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DR/UV-Vis), photoluminescence, and thermoluminescence (TL)...
-
Utilization of rapeseed pellet from fatty acid methyl esters production as an energy source
PublicationRapeseed pellet – crushed seed residue from oil extraction is a by-product of fatty acid methyl esters production process. As other types of biomass, it can either be burned directly in furnaces or processed to increase its energetic value. Biomass is renewable, abundant and has domestic usage; the sources of biomass can help the world reduce its dependence on petroleum products, fossil coal and natural gas. Energetically effective...
-
Environmental characteristics of a tundra river system in Svalbard. Part 2: Chemical stress factors
PublicationBacterial communities in the Arctic environment are subject to multiple stress factors, including contaminants, although typically their concentrations are small. The Arctic contamination research has focused on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they are bioaccumulative, resistant to degradation and toxic for all organisms. Pollutants have entered the Arctic predominantly by atmospheric and oceanic long-range transport,...
-
Monitoring strategy for industrially contaminated rivers - A study of all year round behaviour of Klodnica river catchment, upper Silesia, Poland
PublicationThe study was undertaken to thoroughly characterise the contamination of water in industrially influenced river Klodnica, in order to explore monitoring strategies in case of limited analytical capacity. Statistical analysis undertaken after a short study was found to be helpful in reducing monitoring efforts in the future.Klodnica river is located within area of dominating coal mining, metallurgy, and additionally being influenced...
-
Stochastic optimisation algorithm for optimisation of controller parameters for control of dissolved oxygen in wastewater treatment plant
PublicationWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are very important facilities for mankind. They enable the removal and neutralisation of man-made pollutants. Therefore, it is important for wastewater treatment plants to operate as efficiently as possible so that the level of pollutants in the treated wastewater meets specific requirements. This paper concerns the design of a hierarchical nonlinear adaptive control system for dissolved oxygen...
-
Novel Structures and Applications of Graphene-Based Semiconductor Photocatalysts: Faceted Particles, Photonic Crystals, Antimicrobial and Magnetic Properties
PublicationGraphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide and their composites with various compounds/materials have high potential for substantial impact as cheap photocatalysts, which is essential to meet the demands of global activity, offering the advantage of utilizing “green” solar energy. Accordingly, graphene-based materials might help to reduce reliance on fossil fuel supplies and facile remediation routes to achieve clean environment...
-
Combining Computational Fluid Dynamics with a Biokinetic Model for Predicting Ammonia and Phosphate Behavior in Aeration Tanks
PublicationThe aim of this study was to use computational fluid dynamics for predicting the behavior of reactive pollutants (ammonia and phosphate) in the aerobic zone of the bioreactor located at the Wschod wastewater treatment plant in Gdansk, Poland. The one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation was combined with simple biokinetic models incorporating the Monod-type expressions as source terms for the two pollutants. The problem was...
-
Spatial distribution of pharmaceuticals in conventional wastewater treatment plant with Sludge Treatment Reed Beds technology
PublicationPharmaceutical residues are an emerging environmental problem. It is strongly confirmed that pharmaceuticals are present in soils and environmental waters (surface, marine and even groundwater), and that wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents are the main source of pharmaceuticals in the watershed. The aim of this studywas to recognize the spatial distribution and seasonal changes of selected pharmaceuticals in conventional WWTP...
-
Polymer and graphitic carbon nitride based nanohybrids for the photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment – A review
PublicationPharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, have been frequently detected in water reservoirs, in concentrations ranging from ng/L to μg/L, owing to their wide use in treatment of human and animal disease. Their uncontrolled use results in their increased release into the environment which is harmful for humans, animals, aquatic life and aquatic system. To remove these pollutants from water bodies, various...
-
Usuwanie hydrofobowych zanieczyszczeń ropopochodnych z gleby metodą odmywania za pomocą roztworów związków powierzchniowo czynnych = Washing out of hydrophobic organic pollutants from soil using surfactants solutions
PublicationBadano efektywność oczyszczania gleby zanieczyszczonej substancjami ropopochodnymi. W badaniach wykorzystano surfaktanty niejonowe z grupy oksyetylenowanych alkoholi tłuszczowych i alkilopoliglukozydów oraz biosurfaktant z grupy ramnolipidów. Efektywność odmycia gleby w zależności od rodzaju surfaktantów wahała się od 67 do 78% przy stężeniu surfaktantu 3 g/L. Wraz ze wzrostem stężenia surfaktantu w roztworze obserwowano wzrost...
-
Investigating the sustainability, utilisation, consumption and conservation of sea mammals – A systematic review
PublicationAlmost 80 % of the oceans, especially the Arctic and Subarctic are primarily inhabited by marine mammals. Marine species depend mostly on sea ice for food, raising their young ones and safeguarding themselves from predators. Consumption of marine mammals has always been recommended as healthy, but the truth is that it can be detrimental for human health because of sea water pollution from trash and chemicals. This systematic review...
-
Toxicity and chemical analyses of airport runoff waters in Poland
PublicationThe aim of this study was to assess the ecotoxicological effects of various compounds in complex airport effluents using a chemical and ecotoxicological integrated strategy. The present work deals with the determination of sum of PCBs, PAHs, pesticides, cations, anions, phenols, anionic, cationic, non-ionic detergents, formaldehyde and metals – as well as TOC and conductivity – in runoff water samples collected from 2009 to 2011...
-
Entrained Flow Plasma Gasification of Sewage Sludge–Proof-of-Concept and Fate of Inorganics
PublicationSewage sludge is a residue of wastewater processing that is biologically active and consists of water, organic matter, including dead and living pathogens, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals, as well as organic and inorganic pollutants. Landfilling is on the decline, giving way to more environmentally friendly utilisation routes. This paper presents the results of a two-stage gasification–vitrification system, using...
-
Possibilities of Phoslock® application to remove phosphorus compounds from wastewater treated in hybrid wetlands
PublicationTreatment wetland technologies for wastewater treatment can be easily applied for removal of all pollutants except phosphorous. They are applicable in a small towns and rural areas, places where conventional wastewater treatment plant cannot properly operate because of common economic constraints. In Poland only the 8% of rural areas are equipped with sewer system, thus treatment wetlands might be an alternative, effective and...
-
Effective assessment of biopolymer-based multifunctional sorbents for the remediation of environmentally hazardous contaminants from aqueous solutions
PublicationPersistent contaminants in wastewater effluent pose a significant threat to aquatic life and are one of the most significant environmental concerns of our time. Although there are a variety of traditional methods available in wastewater treatment, including adsorption, coagulation, flocculation, ion exchange, membrane filtration, co-precipitation and solvent extraction, none of these have been found to be significantly cost-effective...
-
Design and synthesis of TiO2/Ti3C2 composites for highly efficient photocatalytic removal of acetaminophen: The relationships between synthesis parameters, physicochemical properties, and photocatalytic activity
PublicationIn this study, we report the potential of TiO2/Ti3C2 composite fabricated by oxidation of MXene for degradation of persistent organic pollutants. The effect of the synthesis conditions (time, temperature, and reaction environment) on the morphology, physicochemical properties, and photocatalytic activity was investigated. It was found that acetaminophen degradation was positively correlated with TiO2 content in the composite structure. Furthermore,...
-
Design Equation for Stirring Fluid by a Stream Pump in a Circulating Tank
PublicationA circulating tank is a very useful theoretical scheme for many fluid-flow objects in several branches of engineering. The motion of the fluid in such objects can be induced in different ways. A stream pump provides an especially interesting possibility; however, the quantitative description of such devices shows some shortcomings. Such a device is analogous to a jet pump, thus has similar advantages (simplicity of construction,...
-
Multistage treatment wetland for treatment of reject waters from digested sludge dewatering
PublicationThe paper presents the influence of sewage composition on treatment in pilot-scale facility for reject waters (RW) from sewage sludge centrifugation. The facility consisted of mechanical (two tanks with 10 d retention each) and biological parts composed of three subsurface flow reed beds working in batch. Two years of monitoring of the facility proved high efficiency removal of predominant pollutants: COD 75–80%, BOD 82.2–95.5%...
-
Studies on solid phase microextraction-gas chromatographic determination of volatile chloroorganic pollutants in soil. badanie lotnych związków chloroorganicznych w glebie przy użyciu techniki mikroekstrakcji do fazy stacjonarnej i chromatografii gazowej.
PublicationLotne związki chloroorganiczne (VOXs) mogą być obecne w powietrzu, wodzie i glebie. Związki te mają właściwości kancerogenne, dlatego też ich ilość w środowisku powinna być monitorowana. W pracy przedstawiono badania nad możliwością zastosowania techniki izolacji i wzbogacania jaką jest mikroekstrakcja do fazy stacjonarnej, jej przydatność w analizie lotnych węglowodorów chloroorganicznych w różnych typach gleb z wykorzystaniem...
-
Trophic Transfer of Mercury in a Temperate Marine Food Web, Southern Baltic Sea
PublicationMercury (Hg) is considered to be one of the most dangerous global environmental pollutants. The toxicity and bioavailabilityof Hg depend on its chemical form, and the greatest hazard is posed by the organomercurial compounds. Hg is introduced into the human body primarily through the consumption of fish and seafood. Despite numerous studies on Hg in marine organisms, there is still a gap in the knowledge on Hg uptake and...
-
Treatment Wetlands in Rural Areas of Poland for Baltic Sea Protection
PublicationWater and wastewater management, especially in rural areas, greatly affects loads of nutrients discharged to the Baltic Sea. In Poland, this management is unbalanced because of the dispersed development and in many locations construction of sewerage system is uneconomic or even impossible. For this reason, a significant part of sewage from single-family houses in rural areas must be discharged into domestic sewage systems. The...
-
RAPESEED PELLET - A BYPRODUCT OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION - AS AN EXCELLENT RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE
PublicationVegetable oils are renewable feedstock currently being used for production of biofuels from sustainable biomass resources. The existing technology for producing diesel fuel from plant oils, such as rapeseed, soybean, canola and palm oil are largely centered on transesterification of oils with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel. Rapeseed pellet - crushed seed residue from oil extraction is a byproduct...
-
Chemical hazard in glacial melt? The glacial system as a secondary source of POPs (in the Northern Hemisphere). A systematic review
PublicationToxicity of compounds belonging to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) iswidely known, and their re-emission from glaciers has been conclusively demonstrated. However, the harmful effects associated with such secondary emissions have yet to be thoroughly understood, especially in the spatial and temporal context, as the existing literature has a clear sampling biaswith the best recognition of sites in the European Alps. In this...
-
Removal efficiency of phenol by ozonation process with calcium peroxide from aqueous solutions
PublicationPhenol has been introduced as a priority pollutant by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are one of the most efcient methods for removal of non-degradable organic pollutants in aqueous solutions. The removal efciencies of phenol and COD under optimal conditions pH=3, phenol concentration=5 mg/L, CaO2 concentration=0.025 mg/L, temperature 25 °C, 1 g/min ozonation rate and contact time=90...
-
Removal of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics from wastewater by adsorption on cross-linked β-cyclodextrin
PublicationWe present a method using the material in the form of cross-linked β-cyclodextrin (CD) showing high efficiency in the simultaneous removal of hazardous pollutants from sewage, such as diclofenac (DIC), ibuprofen (IBU), ketoprofen (KETO), naproxen (NAPR), salicylic acid (SALI) and tramadol (TRAM). The material is stable and particularly easy to regenerate. The sorbent probably remembers the shape of the contaminants, which increases...
-
Direct determination of paraquat herbicide by square-wave voltammetry by two-step transfer mechanism at heterogeneous boron-doped carbon nanowall electrodes
PublicationBoron-doped carbon nanowalls (B:CNW) versus boron-doped diamond (BDD) materials were investigated for the effective electrochemical detection of highly toxic herbicide paraquat (PQ). Depending on the surface morphology and functional groups of BDD and B:CNWs, the electrochemical absorption and detection of the target analyte PQ revealed different detection mechanisms. The surface absorption mechanism was mainly observed for BDD,...
-
Study on a polish peat bog “Rucianka” as a source of yeast strains capable of effective phenol biodegradation
PublicationPhenol is one of the most widely distributed environmental pollutants which can be found in wastewaters and industrial effluents. Due to its toxicity and resistance to self-degradation, it could become even lethal for humans and animals. The treatment of this toxic compound is focused on psychical–chemical methods, although biological treatment of phenol is preferable for economic aspects related to relatively...
-
Miniaturized solid phase microextratcion
PublicationWithout any doubt analytical laboratories have an essential role in environmental protection due to the fact that they takes an active part in the monitoring pollutants present in air, water or soil. From the other side, the analytical activity is involved in the generation of toxic waste what is associated with the use of not eco-friendly reagents and solvents. For these reasons, green analytical chemistry (GAC) was introduced...
-
Hybrid TiO2–Polyaniline Photocatalysts and their Application in Building Gypsum Plasters
PublicationHybrid materials of conjugated polymer and titanium(IV) oxide have attracted considerable attention concerning their potential benefits, including (i) ecient exploitation of visible light, (ii) a high adsorption capacity for organic contaminants, (iii) and eective charge carriers separation. The new class of the photocatalysts is promising for the removal of environmental pollutants in both aqueous and gaseous phases. For the first...
-
Synthesis, characteristics, and photocatalytic activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles stabilized on the stone surface for degradation of metronidazole from aqueous solution
PublicationAbstract Background: The presence of antibiotics such as metronidazole in wastewater even at low concentrations requires searching for a suitable process such as advanced oxidation process (AOP) to reduce the level of pollutants to a standard level in water. Methods: In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by thermal method using zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) as a precursor, then, stabilized on stone and was used...
-
How Important Is Research on Pollution Levels in Antarctica? Historical Approach, Difficulties and Current Trends
PublicationDespite the fact that Antarctica is a continent notably free from large negative impact of human activities, literature data can be the basis for concluding that this is not an area free from anthropogenic pollutants. Pollutants, which are identified in various elements of the environment of Antarctica, are mostly connected with long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) and deposition in this area. The study presents: a historical...
-
Removal of VOCs from air and assessment of dominant species in a peat-perlite biotrickling filter
PublicationAir pollution has become a major concern because it is inevitably connected with the rapid development of both industrial and residential areas. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from various anthropogenic sources e.g. transportation, factories or landfills as well as recycling factories. It is problematic not only because of the direct impact on humans and environment but also from economy viewpoint as it increases...
-
Zanieczyszczenie obecne w próbkach śniegu pobranego z warstw jako źródło informacji o stanie środowiska w dużej aglomeracji miejskiej = Pollutants present in snow samples collected from various layers of snow cover as a source of information about the state of environment in a big urban agglomeration
PublicationPróbki śniegu pobierano przez okres około miesiąca z 12 miejsc zlokalizowanych na terenie Trójmiasta. Sześć z nich znajdowało się w pobliżu dróg komunikacyjnych o różnym natężeniu ruchu. Każde z nich miało swój punkt odniesienia oddalony od niego o około 200 m. W próbkach śniegu oznaczano pH, przewodność, zawartość wybranych anionów i kationów. Wartości pH wyznaczono przy użyciu elektrody szklanej połączonej z pH/tlenomierzem mikrokomputerowym,...
-
Types of Treatment Wetlands
PublicationThe removal of pollutants in treatment wetland systems is the result of the sorption of biochemical pollutants, redox reactions, and a biological activity of microorganisms as well as hydrophytes plants.
-
Wstępna ocena wielkości stężeń związków azotu i fosforu odprowadzanych z wodami powierzchniowymi do Zatoki Puckiej z terenu gminy Puck
PublicationThe ferilizers used in agriculture negatively affect the surface and groundwater quality. The Bay of Puck is a semi-closed part of the Gulf of Gdańsk, which is particularly vulnerable to eutrophication caused by the inflow of nutrient substances. The Bay is surrounded by the lands intensively used in agriculture. Also a number of touristic resorts is located on its coast. The streams and rivers carry the load of nitrogen and phosphorus...
-
A new simple approach to prepare rare-earth metals-modified TiO2 nanotube arrays photoactive under visible light: Surface properties and mechanism investigation
PublicationApplication of Ti90RE10 alloys (RE = Ho, Er, Nd, Y, Ce, Tm) as a working electrode, instead of Ti pure foil in anodic oxidation in a fluoride-based electrolyte, resulted in formation of well-ordered nanotubes made of TiO2 and RE2O3 mixture, which could be efficiently used for pollutant removal from water and air phase upon UV and visible irradiation and easily separable from the reaction mixture to recycle. The as-prepared NTs...
-
Progressing Pollutant Elution from Snowpack and Evolution of its Physicochemical Properties During Melting Period— a Case Study From the Sudetes, Poland
PublicationMain aim of the work assumed recognition of physicochemical changes in snowpack occurring during the melting period. Properties of snow cover had been identified at two sites in Western Sudetes mountains (860 and 1228 m asl) in SW Poland since the end of January, and monitored until the disappearance of snow in late Spring. Snow pit measurements and sample collection at both sites were made followed by chemical analyses with the...
-
Roofing Materials as Pollution Emiters - Concentration Changes During Runoff
PublicationThe influence of roofing material on concentration of pollutants in roof runoff waters and changes of pollution concentration in time were investigated. In field studies four roofing material types were taken into consideration - ceramic tile, bituminous membrane, asbestos tile and zinc sheeting. Samples were collected since November 2007 to March 2008, anions, cations, metals, PAHs, pesticides and PCB were determined. The existence...
-
Concentrations and loads of DOC, phenols and aldehydes in a proglacial arctic river in relation to hydro-meteorological conditions. A case study from the southern margin of the Bellsund Fjord – SW Spitsbergen
PublicationClimate warming accelerates the melting and thawing of cryosphere components. Therefore, it favours the release of contaminants stored in High-Arctic glaciers for many years. The rate of land-based glacier retreat is of particular importance for the hydrological regime of glacial rivers, but also for the chemical composition of their waters. In this study, we examined 84 surface water samples collected during a period of 42 days...
-
Analytical studies on the environmental state of the Svalbard archipelago - critical source of information about anthropogenic global impact
PublicationThe Svalbard archipelago differs from other polar regions due to its specific environmental conditions and geographic location which make the area gather pollution from long-range transport. Due to the recent development in analytical techniques it is possible to determine the concentration of pollutants at the level present there. This paper collates and discusses the information from the literature about: pollutants present in...
-
Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds in Indoor Air in the Gdansk Area Using Permeation Passive Samplers
PublicationPassive dosimetry — known for over a hundred years — is still a useful tool in monitoring air pollutants. In this work, permeation passive samplers were used to determine indoor air quality in 22 apartments located in the Gdansk area in the northern part of Poland. The results obtained by the passive sampling technique were compared to those obtained by dynamic sampling. Attempts were also made to identify indoor sources of...
-
Selected concentration techniques for gas chromatographic analysis of environmental samples
PublicationThe paper describes the role and tasks of environmental analysis and monitoring. It emphasises the leading role played by gas chromatography, especially when coupled with suitable sample preparation. This is demonstrated by some literature evidence and mainly by the author's original work on the design of sample preparation apparatus and development of GC-based methods of determination of a wide variety of organic pollutants in...
-
Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment in Single-Family Constructed Wetlands in Kaszuby Lake District
PublicationIn the paper results of investigation upon three different configurations of single family treatment wetlands were presented. It was indicated that the application of treatment wetlands for single family effluent is a effective and sustainable solution for wastewater treatment in the rural areas. In spite of the receiving higher concentration of pollutants in comparison to the TWs operated in Europe and USA analysed TWs ensure...
-
Solar-wind system for lightning of public areas
PublicationSolar-wind system was developed for illumination of public large areas. The energy of this system becomes from renewable sources. Furthermore, they are relatively inexpensive, and the production of pollutants or greenhouse gases are reduced.
-
Occurrences, sources, and transport of organochlorine pesticides in the aquatic environment of Antarctica
PublicationWe review information on the concentration levels of organochlorine pesticides in the abiotic aquatic environment (in seawater, sea ice, surface freshwater, snow, firn, and glacial ice) and the organisms inhabiting those, in Antarctica. Particular attention is given to the environmental fate of these pollutants, which modifies their impact on the organisms living in the Antarctic. OCPs have been delivered to the Antarctic environment...