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Miscellaneous Applications
Published in Vlado Valković, Low Energy Particle Accelerator-Based Technologies and Their Applications, 2022
Disinfection of municipal sewage sludge in installation equipped with electron accelerator is advocated by Chmielewski and Zimek (2019). The schematic of the components of such an installation is shown in Fig. 5.13. The presence for health threatening pathogen causes a need to hygienize sewage sludge before it can be used as fertilizer. Electron beam treatment not only kills pathogenic microorganisms and parasites and their eggs but also decomposes toxic organic substances in the sludge designated for agriculture utilization.
Biology of Acinetobacter spp.
Published in E. Bergogne-Bénézin, M.L. Joly-Guillou, K.J. Towner, Acinetobacter, 2020
Phosphate removal from wastewater is an important feature of sewage treatment plants in order to minimise the problem of eutrophication. Although the addition of various inorganic compounds (e.g., calcium, iron or aluminium salts) to activated sewage sludge, followed by settlement, can be used to remove phosphates, the ingredients for the process are expensive, and large quantities of chemical waste are generated. Examination of activated sludge samples from sewage treatment plants has shown that acinetobacters form a significant part of the constituent microflora. Although their precise role, and its importance, remains a matter of some debate, it can be shown in the laboratory that such strains can accumulate polyphosphates, thereby forming the potential basis of an inexpensive biological method for the direct removal of phosphate from wastewaters.
Microalgae for Sustainable Fuel Technology
Published in Gokare A. Ravishankar, Ranga Rao Ambati, Handbook of Algal Technologies and Phytochemicals, 2019
Surajbhan Sevda, Dipak A. Jadhav, S.P. Jeevan Kumar, T.R. Sreekrishnan
Microbial fuel cells are aimed to generate energy by converting the chemical energy to electrical energy through biological pathway. The biological substrates include sewage sludge, municipal wastewater and agricultural wastes. Several studies have been conducted on the coupling of microalgae and MFC (Raschitor et al., 2015; Yu et al., 2015), that lead to microalgae-MFC (mMFC) development (Cao et al., 2009; Wieczorek et al., 2015). In mMFC, photosynthetic microorganisms readily convert the solar energy into electrical energy (electricity) via metabolic reactions (Bombelli et al., 2011). Moreover, application of mMFCs not only generate bioelectricity but also sequestrate CO2 from air and get rid of nitrogen from air and contaminants from waters (Figure 9.2) (Li et al., 2012; Wang et al., 2010).
The first evidence of microplastic uptake in natural freshwater mussel, Unio stevenianus from Karasu River, Turkey
Published in Biomarkers, 2022
Irregularly shaped microplastics were the most predominant in this study and spherical shaped microplastics, especially microbeads, were also observed at low concentrations in mussels. But, Li et al. (2015) observed a high concentration of spherical microplastics in oysters. The microbeads are commonly used in facial cleansers and other consumer products (e.g. sandblasting media, abrasives) (Eriksen et al. 2013). Additionally, Saruhan et al. (2010) reported that sewage sludge, which may contain microbeads, is generally used as fertilizer in agriculture and public lands. There is an intense agricultural activity around the Karasu River and due to the fertilization carried out in these areas, microbeads may be carried to the river by surface flows. Hence, there are multiple point sources such as wastewaters and agricultural activities where microbeads may enter the Karasu River.
Gold and silver nanoparticles effects to the earthworm Eisenia fetida – the importance of tissue over soil concentrations
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2021
Jean-Paul Bourdineaud, Anamaria Štambuk, Maja Šrut, Sandra Radić Brkanac, Dušica Ivanković, Damir Lisjak, Roberta Sauerborn Klobučar, Zrinka Dragun, Niko Bačić, Göran I. V. Klobučar
Generally, oxidative stress is known to cause DNA damage that can be detected by Comet assay. This was evident only in ionic forms but without clear dose–response whereas NPs did not cause significant increase of DNA damage measured by Comet assay. Similar observation was reported in Aporrectodea caliginosa exposed to AgNPs (Zhan 2012) and in E. fetida exposed to 1 and 10 mg/kg AgNP while increased DNA damage was evident only after exposure to 100 mg/kg (Table 1; Choi and Park 2015). Likewise, exposure of Lumbricus terrestris to higher concentrations of AgNPs (100 mg/kg soil) triggered a significant increase in apoptosis (Lapied et al.2010). Nevertheless, both types of NPs caused the onset of DNA modification at the level of single nucleotide. The NPs were as potent as their ionic counterparts in performing these modifications. These results are similar to those observed in the case of zebrafish and Tubifex tubifex exposed to Au or CdSNPs (Geffroy et al.2012, Ladhar et al.2014, Dedeh et al.2015). Our study clearly shows disturbances in earthworms caused by exposure to AuNPs (GR, CAT, hybridization sites per genome of OPB10 RAPD probe) and AgNPs (GST, CAT, MDA, increased expression of ABCB1 gene) as low as 2 mg/kg soil. Considering predicted environmental concentrations of AgNPs in sewage sludge in the U.S. and Europe within 1.29 and 6.24 mg/kg (Gottschalk et al.2009), the observed changes are relevant to environmentally realistic scenarios.
Spatial distribution of total and bioavailable heavy metal contents in soil from agricultural, residential, and industrial areas in Sudan
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2019
Mohammed A. Ashaiekh, Mohamed A. H. Eltayeb, Ali H. Ali, Ammar M. Ebrahim, Isam Salih, Abubakr M. Idris
As shown in Figure 1, soil samples were collected from three areas in Sudan as follows: (i) Alhasahisa city and the rural areas in the Aljazeera State, (ii) Aljazeera Scheme and around areas in the Aljazeera State, and (iii) Marawi city and some rural areas in the Northern State. The first and second areas include agricultural, industrial, and urban activities while the third area includes agriculture and urban activities. Since the establishment of Algazera scheme in 1925, chemicals have being intensively used for different agricultural processes. Farmers there extensively use fertilizers and practice pesticide treatment and sewage sludge input. All industries in the first and second areas are light (textile, food, workshops, etc.) and there is no metal-ferrous industry. For agricultural activities, the irrigation system in Marawi region depends on water pumps, which are operated by gasoline fuel, while the irrigation systems in Alhasahisa and Maringan depend mainly on canals and land slope. However, farmers in Marawi area most probably practice organic manure. Due to urban expansion, agricultural, industrial, and domestic areas have become overlapping with each other.