A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of almost 40 pharmaceuticals; including antidepressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, analgesics, hypolipidemics, α- and β-blockers, an ...anti cancer drug, anti-fungal agents, an opiate, an antibiotic, an anti-coagulant, a diuretic, an anti-anginal and an anti-diabetic compound. This was used to assess the contribution of pharmaceuticals originating from hospital effluents to one of Oslo city's wastewater treatment works. Some pharmaceuticals were found to contribute to more of the wastewater loading than others. 11% of the propranolol entering the wastewater treatment works stems from hospital effluent, approximately 2% of the atenolol, carbemazepine, metaprolol and atorvastatin, and for several other compounds the contribution is less than 1%.
This assessment shows that point sources discharges from hospitals typically make a small contribution to the overall pharmaceutical load when compared to municipal areas, however this varies from substance to substance and is not the case when a drug's use is primarily hospital based.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) are commonly used for rodent pest control in Norway resulting in the potential exposure of non-target raptor species. In this study the occurrence ...of flocoumafen, difethialone, difenacoum, bromadiolone and brodifacoum was determined in the livers of five species of raptors found dead in Norway between 2009 and 2011. The SGARs brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum and flocoumafen were detected in golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and eagle owl (Bubo bubo) livers at a total SGAR concentration of between 11 and 255ng/g in approximately 70% of the golden eagles and 50% of the eagle owls examined in this study. In the absence of specific golden eagle and eagle owl toxicity thresholds for SGARs, a level of >100ng/g was used as a potential lethal range, accepting that poisoning may occur below this level. Thirty percent (7/24) of the golden eagle and eagle owl livers contained total SGAR residue levels above this threshold. Further estimation of the potential mortality impact on the sampled raptor populations was not possible.
► Brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen were measured in non-target species. ► Total concentrations of 11 to 255ng/g were detected in golden eagles and eagle owls. ► One or more rodenticides were detected in 53% of samples. ► No rodenticides were detected in peregrine or gyrfalcons, or osprey.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This paper demonstrates the analytical and numerical investigations for the obtainment of the predefined critical parameters of double-layer tape spring (DLTS) hinges. The DLTS hinge is utilized for ...the coupling between the solar panels to assist the accommodation and formulation of the assumed origami-based pattern of the solar arrays. They are examined for the assurance of safety, durability, non-permanent deformation, and stability from the stowed to the deployment configuration. Von Misses stress (σv) and steady-state moment simulations are investigated by varying the critical hinge design parameters of curvature radius (R), subtended angle (θ) and layer thickness (t). Two optimization models, Taguchi and response surface methodology/RSM, are utilized by employing the computational findings to obtain and validate the modified optimal geometric parameters within this analytical experiment. For the Taguchi method, the optimization of σv and the steady-state moment is accomplished with a t of 1.75–2.25 mm, R of 1.5–2.0 mm, and θ of 1–1.2°. Furthermore, the RSM model shows that the t, R, and θ parameters are determined to be 2.90 mm, 2 mm, and 1.35°, respectively. For optimization of the hinge design, both models should be considered for improved verification and accuracy of the results.
This study investigates the degradation of sulfolane in aqueous system by (NH4)2S2O8/UVC and (NH4)2S2O8/O3/UVC. While bubbling O3 significantly decreased the reaction time, the experimental results ...in both cases were consistent: firstly, the degradation of sulfolane followed pseudo-first order kinetic models, secondly, the reaction rates were affected by persulfate dosages, UV light intensity, initial pH and concentration of carbonate/bicarbonate present. Low concentration of chloride (less then 100 ppm) had no effect on the reaction rate. Application of (NH4)2S2O8/O3/UVA for degradation of sulfolane was also investigated. It was found that for higher sulfolane degradation kinetics, higher concentrations of persulfate was required under UVA irradiation. Finally, (NH4)2S2O8/UVC was evaluated for its applicability for degradation of sulfolane in groundwater samples.
•Mineralization of sulfolane by UVC/persulfate and persulfate/O3 was studied for the first time.•Impact of water pH and water composition on degradation of sulfolane was studied.•Possibility of using UVA/persulfate was investigated.•The method was verified for treatment of sulfolane in contaminated ground water samples.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Many water and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are fitted with a UV system that provides post treatment disinfection before the water is released to receiving water. This paper presents a study ...on expected removal for the pharmaceutical venlafaxine (VEN) in a typical UV unit at a municipal WWTP with analysis of removal rates of an advanced oxidation process using UV irradiation with injection of H
2
O
2
. The study is supported by bench scale degradation experiments on VEN. Results demonstrated that UV can completely degrade VEN, but the addition of H
2
O
2
increased pseudo first order rate constant by up to 2.5 times. Extrapolations of the lab data indicated that removal rates of VEN at the UV disinfection unit of a typical municipal WWTP are approximately 0.4% at standard operating conditions. With the addition of 10 mg/L of H
2
O
2
, degradation of VEN can be increased by ten times over existing UV treatment. By studying the impact of adjusting parameters such as UV intensity, UV dosage, and H
2
O
2
dosage, a framework is set to allow researchers and engineers to move forward with developing UV/H
2
O
2
systems that meet their future design needs for pharmaceutical removal.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
A cryoconite granule is a near-spherical aggregation of biota and abiotic particles found upon glacier surfaces. Recently, microstructural studies have revealed that photosynthetic microorganisms and ...extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are omnipresent within cryoconite granules and have suggested their importance as biological "forming factors". To assess these forming factors, and their biological control over aggregate size and stability, across a typical Arctic valley glacier surface, a suite of rapid, spectrophotometric, microplate methods were utilised. Subsequent spatial mapping of these data revealed distinct patterns. Labile carbohydrates were found to increase up-glacier, suggestive of EPS production for cryoprotection and nutrient assimilation. Conversely, pigment concentrations were found to increase towards the glacier terminus and valley sides, suggestive of allochthonous input, a general reduction in physical disturbance and of the build-up of photosynthetic pigments and less labile cyanobacterial sheath material. Aggregate size was found to increase towards the glacier edges, linked to the input of particulate matter from the valley sides, and to broadly increase down-glacier, in the same way as pigment concentrations. Statistical analyses of transect data revealed that the photoautotrophic count and carbohydrate-chlorophyll ratio of the cryoconite sampled could explain 83% of the measured variation in aggregate size and stability. Considering solely aggregate size, the number and length of photoautotrophic filaments could explain 92% of the variation in this parameter. These findings demonstrate the two-dimensional distribution of key biological controls upon cryoconite aggregation for the first time, and highlight the importance of filamentous cyanobacteria and EPS production to the development of stable cryoconite granules.
This study investigates a cross-section of TiO2 compositions for which existing evidence suggests the prospect of improved performance compared to standard Degussa P25. In the context of a program ...aimed toward a 365 nm LED based photo-reactor, the question is whether a distinctly superior photocatalyst composition for drinking water treatment is now available that would shape design choices. An answer was sought by synthesizing several photocatalysts with reported high reactivity in some context in the literature, and by performing photocatalysts reactivity tests using common pollutants of water system including Natural Organic Matter (NOM) and Emerging Contaminants (ECs) from the pesticide and pharmaceutical classes. 365 nm Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) were used as the irradiation source. Since LEDs are now available in the UV, we did not examine the TiO2 modifications that bring band gap excitation into the region beyond 400 nm. The results suggest that the choice of the photocatalyst should be best made to fit the reactor design and photocatalyst mounting constraints such as mass transport, reactive surface, and light field. No photocatalyst composition overall, superior for all classes emerged.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
AbstractAqueous chlorine (Cl2, OCl−, Cl−) in combination with longer wavelength ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been investigated as a potential advanced oxidation process (AOP) for water and ...wastewater treatment. The cases include bleaching of organic matter (NOM) and oil sands tailing pond water (OSPW) under sunlight irradiation. Surprisingly, low energy tail of OCl− (Amax at 290 nm) has been postulated to be responsible for degradation of organic components. An alternative photoreaction, potentially more photon efficient, postulates absorption by strongly absorbing chromophores of target compounds present in water, which then undergo reaction in their excited states. This alternate hypothesis was tested in the current study under 440 nm light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation, where chlorine species have no absorption, using Swannee River fulvic acid (SRFA), an oil sands process water, and by bleaching of a coumarin dye. All results show substantial enhancement of hypochlorite oxidation processes under irradiation of the various complex mixtures of organic chromophores at 440 nm, where chlorine species offer no measurable absorbance that can compete with the organic chromophores in the complex mixtures. In the fulvic acid case, a known long-lived triplet excited state is a plausible active species that may be a contributor.
Polybrominated diphenyl ether, PBDE, flame retardants are now a world-wide pollution problem reaching even remote areas. They have been found to bioaccumulate and there are concerns over the health ...effects of exposure to PBDEs, they also have potential endocrine disrupting properties. They are lipophilic compounds so are easily removed from the aqueous environment and are predicted to sorb onto sediments and particulate matter or to fatty tissue, aiding their distribution throughout the environment. PBDEs are structurally similar to PCBs and DDT and, therefore, their chemical properties, persistence and distribution in the environment follow similar patterns. Concentrations of PBDEs found in environmental samples are now higher than those of PCBs. Evidence to date demonstrates that PBDEs are a growing problem in the environment and concern over their fate and effects is warranted. The manufacture of reactive and additive flame retardants is briefly discussed and their fate and behaviour in the environment is assessed. PBDE toxicology is reviewed and methods of analysis are evaluated.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Photodegradation of a textile dye X3B using either UV (λ ≥ 320 nm) or visible light (λ ≥ 450 nm) over three catalysts of highly adsorptive TiO2 nanoparticles in water has been examined. All the ...adsorption isotherms demonstrated the Langmuir type behavior. The common observation was confirmed that for all the reactions induced by UV or visible light, the apparent initial rate of X3B loss in the aqueous phase increased with the initial equilibrated concentration of X3B. However, this correlation was changed when the rate was determined by the decreased concentration both in the aqueous phase and on the catalyst surface. This increase of real initial rate with the initial equilibrated concentration was observed only in the visible-light-induced reaction over TiO2 of Degussa P25. For all the other reactions, especially under UV irradiation, the real initial rate was found to increase only initially and then decrease with the initial equilibrated concentration. The result suggests that there is a screening effect by the adsorbed dye in the TiO2 photocatalytic reaction and a solution filter effect in the photosensitized reaction. Moreover, the photosensitized photodegradation of X3B was found to be also dependent on the physical properties of TiO2, but interestingly the relative activity among the catalysts was similar to that demonstrated in the photocatalytic reaction.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
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