WorldWideScience

Sample records for effective biosolids management

  1. Technological options for the management of biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hailong; Brown, Sally L; Magesan, Guna N; Slade, Alison H; Quintern, Michael; Clinton, Peter W; Payn, Tim W

    2008-06-01

    Large quantities of biosolids (sewage sludge), which are produced from municipal wastewater treatment, are ever-increasing because of the commissioning of new treatment plants and continuous upgrades of the existing facilities. A large proportion of biosolids are currently landfilled. With increasing pressure from regulators and the general public, landfilling of biosolids is being phased out in many countries because of potential secondary pollution caused by leachate and the emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Biosolids contain nutrients and energy that can be used beneficially. Significant efforts have been made recently to develop new technologies to manage biosolids and make useful products from them. In this paper, we provide a review of the technologies in biosolids management. A survey of literature was conducted. At present, the most common beneficial use of biosolids is agricultural land application because of inherent fertilizer values found in biosolids. Expansion of land application, however, may be limited in the future because of more stringent regulatory requirements and public concern about food chain contamination in some countries. Perceived as a green energy source, the combustion of biosolids has received renewed interest. Anaerobic digestion is generally a more effective method than incineration for energy recovery, and digested biosolids are suitable for further beneficial use through land application. Although conventional incineration systems for biosolid management generally consume more energy than they produce because of the high moisture content in the biosolids, it is expected that more combustion systems, either monocombustion or cocombustion, will be built to cope with the increasing quantity of biosolids. Under the increasingly popular low-carbon economy policy, biosolids may be recognized as a renewable fuel and be eligible for 'carbon credits'. Because ash can be used to manufacture construction materials, combustion can

  2. Integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective biosolids management at a large Canadian wastewater treatment facility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leblanc, R J; Allain, C J; Laughton, P J; Henry, J G

    2004-01-01

    The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission's 115,000 m3/d advanced, chemically assisted primary wastewater treatment facility located in New Brunswick, Canada, has developed an integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective programme for the management and beneficial utilization of biosolids from lime stabilized raw sludge. The paper overviews biosolids production, lime stabilization, conveyance, and odour control followed by an indepth discussion of the wastewater sludge as a resource programme, namely: composting, mine site reclamation, landfill cover, land application for agricultural use, tree farming, sod farm base as a soil enrichment, topsoil manufacturing. The paper also addresses the issues of metals, pathogens, organic compounds, the quality control program along with the regulatory requirements. Biosolids capital and operating costs are presented. Research results on removal of metals from primary sludge using a unique biological process known as BIOSOL as developed by the University of Toronto, Canada to remove metals and destroy pathogens are presented. The paper also discusses an ongoing cooperative research project with the Université de Moncton where various mixtures of plant biosolids are composted with low quality soil. Integration, approach to sustainability and "cumulative effects" as part of the overall biosolids management strategy are also discussed.

  3. Integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective biosolids management at a large Canadian wastewater treatment facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    LeBlance, R.J.; Allain, C.J.; Laughton, P.J.; Henry, J.G.

    2003-07-01

    The Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission's 115 000 m{sup 3}/d advanced, chemically assisted primary wastewater treatment facility located in New Brunswick, Canada, has developed an integrated, long term, sustainable, cost effective programme for the management and beneficial utilization of biosolids from lime stabilized raw sludge. The paper overviews biosolids production, lime stabilization, conveyance, and odour control followed by an indepth discussion of the wastewater sludge as a resource programme, namely: composting, mine site reclamation, landfill cover, land application for agricultural use, tree farming, sod farm base as a soil enrichment, topsoil manufacturing. The paper also addresses the issues of metals, pathogens, organic compounds, the quality control program along with the regulatory requirements. Biosolids capital and operating costs are presented. Research results on removal of metals from primary sludge using a unique biological process known as BIOSOL as developed by the University of Toronto, Canada to remove metals and destroy pathogens are presented. The paper also discusses an ongoing cooperative research project with the Universite de Moncton where various mixtures of plant biosolids are composted with low quality soil. Integration, approach to sustainability and ''cumulative effects'' as part of the overall biosolids management strategy is also discussed. (author)

  4. Review of biosolids management options and co-incineration of a biosolid-derived fuel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Murari Mohon; Dutta, Animesh; Corscadden, Kenny; Havard, Peter; Dickie, Lucas

    2011-11-01

    This paper reviews current biosolids management options, and identifies incineration as a promising technology. Incineration is attractive both for volume reduction and energy recovery. Reported emissions from the incineration of biosolids were compared to various regulations to identify the challenges and future direction of biosolids incineration research. Most of the gaseous and metal emissions were lower than existing regulations, or could be met by existing technologies. This paper also presents the results of an experimental study to investigate the potential use of biosolids for co-incineration with wood pellets in a conventional wood pellet stove. Pilot scale combustion tests revealed that co-incineration of 10% biosolids with 90% premium grade wood pellets resulted in successful combustion without any significant degradation of efficiency and emissions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Agricultural utilization of biosolids: A review on potential effects on soil and plant grown.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Bhavisha; Sarkar, Abhijit; Singh, Pooja; Singh, Rajeev Pratap

    2017-06-01

    Environmental and economic implications linked with the proper ecofriendly disposal of modern day wastes, has made it essential to come up with alternative waste management practices that reduce the environmental pressures resulting from unwise disposal of such wastes. Urban wastes like biosolids are loaded with essential plant nutrients. In this view, agricultural use of biosolids would enable recycling of these nutrients and could be a sustainable approach towards management of this hugely generated waste. Therefore biosolids i.e. sewage sludge can serve as an important resource for agricultural utilization. Biosolids are characterized by the occurrence of beneficial plant nutrients (essential elements and micro and macronutrients) which can make help them to work as an effective soil amendment, thereby minimizing the reliance on chemical fertilizers. However, biosolids might contain toxic heavy metals that may limit its usage in the cropland. Heavy metals at higher concentration than the permissible limits may lead to food chain contamination and have fatal consequences. Biosolids amendment in soil can improve physical and nutrient property of soil depending on the quantity and portion of the mixture. Hence, biosolids can be a promising soil ameliorating supplement to increase plant productivity, reduce bioavailability of heavy metals and also lead to effective waste management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Biosolids management strategies: an evaluation of energy production as an alternative to land application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egan, Maureen

    2013-07-01

    Currently, more than half of the biosolids produced within the USA are land applied. Land application of biosolids introduces organic contaminants into the environment. There are potential ecological and human health risks associated with land application of biosolids. Biosolids may be used as a renewable energy source. Nutrients may be recovered from biosolids used for energy generation for use as fertilizer. The by-products of biosolids energy generation may be used beneficially in construction materials. It is recommended that energy generation replace land application as the leading biosolids management strategy.

  7. Community engagement in the management of biosolids: lessons from four New Zealand studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goven, Joanna; Langer, E R Lisa; Baker, Virginia; Ataria, James; Leckie, Alan

    2012-07-30

    Biosolids management has been largely overlooked as an issue for environmental co-management, collaborative learning and public participation. This paper summarises four research projects on facilitating community involvement in biosolids management in New Zealand. The authors situate these studies both in relation to the New Zealand institutional and policy context for the management of biosolids and in relation to the themes of public participation and social learning in the literature on community involvement in environmental management. From the studies it can be concluded that: the incorporation of the knowledge and views of Māori is important from both public-participation and social-learning perspectives; both public-participation and social-learning approaches must consider the role of issue-definition in relation to willingness to participate; democratic accountability remains a challenge for both approaches; and locating biosolids management within an integrated water-and-wastewater or sustainable waste-management strategy may facilitate wider community participation as well as better-coordinated decision-making. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Seeding effect on cocomposting wastewater biosolids with coal fly ash

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fang, M.; Wong, J.W.C. [Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong (China). Dept. of Biology

    2001-10-01

    The seeding effect on fly ash-amended biosolids composting was evaluated by inoculating a mixture of ash and biosolids with seeding materials before composting. These inocula included thermophilic bacteria (Bacillus. brevis, B. coagulans, and B. licheniformis) isolated from the ash-biosolids compost, a commercial decomposter, and recycled biosolids compost. Although the addition of these microbial additives to the ash-biosolids compost improved the population of thermophilic bacteria at the early stage of composting, the improvement was negligible after 4 days of composting. Inoculation with isolated bacterial culture, milk powder, or the decomposter, only, did not effectively improve the decomposition of organic matter compared with those receiving inoculation of both microbial additives and milk powder together. The isolated Bacillus species was as efficient as the commercial decomposter in accelerating the decomposition rate during ash-amended biosolids composting as indicated by the high amounts of carbon dioxide evolved and cumulative weight loss. Taking into consideration the lower operating cost and acceptable decomposition efficiency, recycled biosolids compost seemed to be a promising additive to ash-amended biosolids compost to improve composting efficiency.

  9. Land Application of Biosolids in the USA: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qin Lu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Land application of biosolids has proven a cost-effective method of waste disposal by beneficially recycling organic matter and nutrients and improving soil quality; however, it may also pose potential threat to the environment and human health. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on recent research progresses and regulation efforts regarding land application of biosolids, including forms and types and nutrient values of biosolids, environmental and health concerns, and related best management practices (BMPs of biosolids application, with emphasis on its land application in agriculture. More research and regulations are expected to minimize potential risks of biosolids land application, especially its long-term impacts.

  10. Proceedings of the 3. Canadian organic residuals and biosolids management conference[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-07-01

    The management of organic residuals in Canada is becoming more challenging and complex, both socially and politically. This conference provided a forum to exchange the latest information on technical legislative and public awareness issues associated with organic residuals and biosolids management in Canada. It was attended by producers, managers, practitioners and regulators from across Canada who discussed various initiatives regarding the production, management use and disposal of organic residuals including municipal wastewater treatment biosolids, animal manures and pulp and paper sludges. The sessions of the conference were entitled: biosolids management; quality issues; public perception and health issues; composting; treatment technologies; waste to energy; technology; and, land application. The conference featured 50 presentations, of which 5 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.

  11. Wind erosion potential after land application of biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    PI, H.; Sharratt, B. S.; Schillinger, W. F.; Bary, A.; Cogger, C.

    2017-12-01

    The world population is currently 7.6 billion and, along with continued population growth, comes the challenge of disposing of wastewater and sewage sludge (biosolids). Applying biosolids to agricultural land to replace synthetic fertilizers represents a relatively safe method to recycle or sustainably use biosolids. While land application of biosolids is recognized as a sustainable management practice for enhancing soil health, no studies have determined the effects of biosolids on soil wind erosion. Wind erosion potential of a silt loam was assessed using a portable wind tunnel after applying synthetic and biosolid fertilizer to conventional and conservation tillage practices during the summer fallow phase of a winter wheat-summer fallow rotation in 2015 and 2016 in east-central Washington. Little difference in soil loss was observed between biosolid and synthetic fertilizer treatments, but this result appeared to be dependent on susceptibility of the soil to erosion. Regression analysis between soil loss from fertilizer or tillage treatments indicated that soil loss was lower from biosolid versus synthetic fertilizer and conservation versus conventional tillage at high erosion rates. This suggests that biosolids may reduce wind erosion under highly erodible conditions. Meanwhile, heavy metal concentrations in the windblown sediment were similar for the biosolid and synthetic fertilizer treatments whereas metal loss in windblown sediment was 10% lower from biosolid than synthetic fertilizer. Our results indicate that land application of biosolids did not accelerate the loss of metals or nutrients from soils during high winds. KeywordsLand application of biosolids; wind erosion; wind tunnel; sustainable agriculture

  12. Evaluating the effects of triclosan on 3 field crops grown in 4 formulations of biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahmohamadloo, René S; Lissemore, Linda; Prosser, Ryan S; Sibley, Paul K

    2017-07-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that amending soil with biosolids can be an integral component of sustainable agriculture. Despite strong evidence supporting its beneficial use in agriculture, there are concerns that chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, could present a risk to terrestrial ecosystems and human health. Triclosan is one of the most commonly detected compounds in biosolids. To date, laboratory studies indicate that triclosan likely poses a de minimis risk to field crops; however, these studies were either conducted under unrealistic exposure conditions or only assessed 1 or 2 formulations of biosolids. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effects of triclosan on field crops in soils amended with 4 different formulations of biosolids (liquid, dewatered, compost, and alkaline-hydrolyzed), containing both background and spiked triclosan concentrations, following best management practices used in the province of Ontario. Three crop species (corn, soybean, and spring wheat) were evaluated using several plant growth endpoints (e.g., root wet mass, shoot length, shoot wet/dry mass) in 70-d to 90-d potted soil tests. The results indicated no adverse impact of triclosan on any crop-biosolids combination. Conversely, amending soil with biosolids either enhanced or had no negative effect, on the growth of plants. Results of the present study suggest little risk of triclosan to crops in agricultural fields amended with biosolids. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1896-1908. © 2016 SETAC. © 2016 SETAC.

  13. Effect of land-applied biosolids on surface-water nutrient yields and groundwater quality in Orange County, North Carolina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Chad R.; Fitzgerald, Sharon A.; McSwain, Kristen Bukowski; Harden, Stephen L.; Gurley, Laura N.; Rogers, Shane W.

    2015-01-01

    Land application of municipal wastewater biosolids is the most common method of biosolids management used in North Carolina and the United States. Biosolids have characteristics that may be beneficial to soil and plants. Land application can take advantage of these beneficial qualities, whereas disposal in landfills or incineration poses no beneficial use of the waste. Some independent studies and laboratory analysis, however, have shown that land-applied biosolids can pose a threat to human health and surface-water and groundwater quality. The effect of municipal biosolids applied to agriculture fields is largely unknown in relation to the delivery of nutrients, bacteria, metals, and contaminants of emerging concern to surface-water and groundwater resources. Therefore, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through the 319 Nonpoint Source Program to better understand the transport of nutrients and bacteria from biosolids application fields to groundwater and surface water and to provide a scientific basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the current regulations.

  14. The potential of public engagement in sustainable waste management: designing the future for biosolids in New Zealand.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goven, Joanna; Lisa Langer, E R

    2009-02-01

    Strategies for beneficial use of biosolids in New Zealand and elsewhere are currently focused primarily on land application. The long-term success of these and other strategies is dependent not only on technical factors, but also on their environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. This paper briefly reviews the situation with respect to biosolids management in New Zealand, where land application is not yet widespread; the rise in public opposition to land application in the United States; and the biosolids industry's approach to public engagement. We argue that, at least until recently, the industry has misinterpreted the nature and meaning of public opposition and thus substituted public relations for public engagement. We argue that genuine public engagement is necessary and that its purpose cannot be to gain public acceptance for an already-decided-upon strategy. It therefore calls for humility among biosolids managers, including a willingness to open up the framing of 'the problem', to acknowledge areas of uncertainty, and to recognise the role of values in 'technical' decision-making. We then present and analyse an example of the use of the scenario workshop process for public participation in biosolids management policy in Christchurch, New Zealand, and conclude that scenario workshops and related methods represent an opportunity to enhance sustainable waste management when certain conditions are met.

  15. Effects of Biosolids Application on Pasture and Grape Vines in South-Eastern Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Nash

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Biosolids were applied to a pasture and a vineyard in south-eastern Australia. At both sites, soil Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations linearly increased with biosolids application rates although not to the extent of exceeding soil quality guidelines. Biosolids marginally increased soil C and N concentrations at the pasture site but significantly increased P concentrations. With lower overall soil fertility at the vineyard, biosolids increased C, N, and P concentrations. At neither site did biosolids application affect soil microbial endpoints. Biosolids increased pasture production compared to the unfertilised control but had little effect on grape production or quality. Interestingly, over the 3-year trial, there was no difference in pasture production between the biosolids treated plots and plots receiving inorganic fertiliser. These results suggest that biosolids could be used as a fertiliser to stimulate pasture production and as a soil conditioner to improve vineyard soils in this region.

  16. Evaluation of the potential for bioaerosols from land applied biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanner, Benjamin; Brooks, John; Josephseon, Karen; Gerba, Charles; Pepper, Ian

    2003-07-01

    The overall objective of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively document the potential hazards of biological aerosols derived from land applied biosolids, and ultimately develop risk assessment models and land-management strategies for safe, effective use of biosolids. The specific objectives were: i) Quantify bacterial and viral microorganisms emitted as bioaerosols from point sources of biosolids, and area (land-applied) sources of biosolids; ii) Develop risk assessment models based on a) hazard identification, b) dose response, c) exposure assessment; d) risk characterization. Research has consisted of laboratory studies at the University of Arizona and field studies at several regional U.S. locations. Bioaerosol samples have been collected via ''Impingement'' using SKC biosamplers. The biologicals monitored for included: i) viruses: enteroviruses, calciviruses; ii) phage e.g, MS2; iii) E. coil; iv) Salmonella; v) total coliforms; vi) Clostridium perfringens; vii) Aspergillus spp.; viii) Endotoxin. Air samples were collected at discrete distances torn both biosolid piles (point sources), or land applied biosolids (area sources). (author)

  17. Effects of Biosolids at Varying Rates on Earthworms (Eisenia fetida and Springtails (Folsomia candida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Artuso

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Land spreading is a major option internationally for the disposal/use of treated sewage sludge (biosolids, but effects of this practice on soil organisms are largely unknown. This study investigated the effects of biosolids on two soil invertebrate species, earthworms (Eisenia fetida and Collembola (Folsomia candida, in laboratory tests. Five biosolids from different sewage works were assessed at rates equivalent to 0, 2, 5, 10, and 20 t ha−1. Biosolids applied at 2 and 5 t ha−1 did not cause mortality of adult earthworms but did at 10 and 20 t ha−1. At 5, 10 and 20 t ha−1, all biosolids had significantly fewer juvenile worms relative to controls. Increasing the rates from 2 to 10 t ha−1 did not impact on the number of adult Collembola, but at 20 t ha−1 there were significantly fewer adults. There were significantly fewer juvenile Collembola recorded for biosolids applied at the 2 t ha−1 when compared with controls, and also when biosolids were applied at 5, 10, and 20 t ha−1 relative to 2 t ha−1. Some significant difference between biosolids were observed, but generally, negative effects were not related to heavy metal concentrations in biosolids. It is recommended that possible detrimental mechanisms (e.g., ammonia production, lack of oxygen be investigated in future work. It is concluded that biosolids, applied at legal, low rates (about 2 t ha−1 are unlikely to be detrimental to earthworms or adult Collembola but can be detrimental to Collembola reproduction.

  18. Carbon storage in a heavy clay soil landfill site after biosolid application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bolan, N.S.; Kunhikrishnan, A.; Naidu, R.

    2013-01-01

    Applying organic amendments including biosolids and composts to agricultural land could increase carbon (C) storage in soils and contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Although a number of studies have examined the potential value of biosolids as a soil conditioner and nutrient source, there has been only limited work on the impact of biosolid application on C sequestration in soils. The objective of this study was to examine the potential value of biosolids in C sequestration in soils. Two types of experiments were conducted to examine the effect of biosolid application on C sequestration. In the first laboratory incubation experiment, the rate of decomposition of a range of biosolid samples was compared with other organic amendments including composts and biochars. In the second field experiment, the effect of biosolids on the growth of two bioenergy crops, Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) on a landfill site was examined in relation to biomass production and C sequestration. The rate of decomposition varied amongst the organic amendments, and followed: composts > biosolids > biochar. There was a hundred fold difference in the rate of decomposition between biochar and other organic amendments. The rate of decomposition of biosolids decreased with increasing iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) contents of biosolids. Biosolid application increased the dry matter yield of both plant species (by 2–2.5 fold), thereby increasing the biomass C input to soils. The rate of net C sequestration resulting from biosolid application (Mg C ha −1 yr −1 Mg −1 biosolids) was higher for mustard (0.103) than sunflower (0.087). Biosolid application is likely to result in a higher level of C sequestration when compared to other management strategies including fertilizer application and conservation tillage, which is attributed to increased microbial biomass, and Fe and Al oxide-induced immobilization of C. - Graphical

  19. Carbon storage in a heavy clay soil landfill site after biosolid application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bolan, N.S., E-mail: Nanthi.Bolan@unisa.edu.au [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation (CERAR), University of South Australia, SA 5095 (Australia); Cooperative Research Centre for Contaminants Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of South Australia, SA 5095 (Australia); Kunhikrishnan, A. [Chemical Safety Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do 441-707 (Korea, Republic of); Naidu, R. [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation (CERAR), University of South Australia, SA 5095 (Australia); Cooperative Research Centre for Contaminants Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of South Australia, SA 5095 (Australia)

    2013-11-01

    Applying organic amendments including biosolids and composts to agricultural land could increase carbon (C) storage in soils and contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Although a number of studies have examined the potential value of biosolids as a soil conditioner and nutrient source, there has been only limited work on the impact of biosolid application on C sequestration in soils. The objective of this study was to examine the potential value of biosolids in C sequestration in soils. Two types of experiments were conducted to examine the effect of biosolid application on C sequestration. In the first laboratory incubation experiment, the rate of decomposition of a range of biosolid samples was compared with other organic amendments including composts and biochars. In the second field experiment, the effect of biosolids on the growth of two bioenergy crops, Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) on a landfill site was examined in relation to biomass production and C sequestration. The rate of decomposition varied amongst the organic amendments, and followed: composts > biosolids > biochar. There was a hundred fold difference in the rate of decomposition between biochar and other organic amendments. The rate of decomposition of biosolids decreased with increasing iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) contents of biosolids. Biosolid application increased the dry matter yield of both plant species (by 2–2.5 fold), thereby increasing the biomass C input to soils. The rate of net C sequestration resulting from biosolid application (Mg C ha{sup −1} yr{sup −1} Mg{sup −1} biosolids) was higher for mustard (0.103) than sunflower (0.087). Biosolid application is likely to result in a higher level of C sequestration when compared to other management strategies including fertilizer application and conservation tillage, which is attributed to increased microbial biomass, and Fe and Al oxide-induced immobilization of C

  20. Surface biosolids application: effects on infiltration, erosion, and soil organic carbon in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands and shrublands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moffet, C A; Zartman, R E; Wester, D B; Sosebee, R E

    2005-01-01

    Land application of biosolids is a beneficial-use practice whose ecological effects depend in part on hydrological effects. Biosolids were surface-applied to square 0.5-m2 plots at four rates (0, 7, 34, and 90 dry Mg ha(-1)) on each of three soil-cover combinations in Chihuahuan Desert grassland and shrubland. Infiltration and erosion were measured during two seasons for three biosolids post-application ages. Infiltration was measured during eight periods of a 30-min simulated rain. Biosolids application affected infiltration rate, cumulative infiltration, and erosion. Infiltration increased with increasing biosolids application rate. Application of biosolids at 90 dry Mg ha(-1) increased steady-state infiltration rate by 1.9 to 7.9 cm h(-1). Most of the measured differences in runoff among biosolids application rates were too large to be the result of interception losses and/or increased hydraulic gradient due to increased roughness. Soil erosion was reduced by the application of biosolids; however, the extent of reduction in erosion depended on the initial erodibility of the site. Typically, the greatest marginal reductions in erosion were achieved at the lower biosolids application rates (7 and 34 dry Mg ha(-1)); the difference in erosion between 34 and 90 dry Mg ha(-1) biosolids application rates was not significant. Surface application of biosolids has important hydrological consequences on runoff and soil erosion in desert grasslands that depend on the rate of biosolids applied, and the site and biosolids characteristics.

  1. Phosphorous Speciation in WTR-treated Biosolids Using XANES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, T. Q.; Huff, D.; Lin, Z.-Q.

    2009-04-01

    The concept of co-application of biosolids and drinking water treatment residues (DWTRs) represents an environmentally sustainable and economically sound strategy for the management of municipal solid wastes. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of reducing water-soluble P in biosolids-amended agricultural soil by the addition of DWTRs. Results showed that total P in soil leachate was significantly reduced during the initial 42-days of a 200-day greenhouse study when biosolids (50 g kg-1) were applied along with DWTRs (40 g kg-1). Particulate P was the dominant fraction of P in the soil leachate, which decreases with increasing DWTR application rate. The application of DWTRs does not significantly decrease the growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The primary P chemical composition in biosolids include cupper phytate [Cu(IP6)6], barium phytate [Ba6IP6], and cupper phosphate [Cu3(PO4)2]. The addition of DWTRs to biosolids alternated the P speciation, and the P speciation change became significant with increasing the incubation time of the mixture of biosolids and DWTRs. The chemical component of Cu3(PO4)2 became non significant (<5%) with the addition of DWTRs. During the 14-day incubation time period, the proportion of P that was adsorbed on amorphous Fe(OH)3 increased substantially from 8 to 46% and Ba6IP6 increased steadily from 30 to 50%, while the proportion of Cu(IP6)6 decreased significantly from 53 to 5%. The amorphous Fe(OH)3-adsorbed P and Ba6IP6 formed the dominant P chemical components in the mixture of biosolids and DWTRs.

  2. Wind erosion potential of a winter wheat–summer fallow rotation after land application of biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    While land application of biosolids is recognized as a sustainable management practice for enhancing soil health, no studies have determined the effects of biosolids on soil wind erosion. Wind erosion potential of a silt loam was assessed using a portable wind tunnel after applying synthetic and bio...

  3. Effect of chloride in soil solution on the plant availability of biosolid-borne cadmium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weggler, Karin; McLaughlin, Michael J; Graham, Robin D

    2004-01-01

    Increasing chloride (Cl) concentration in soil solution has been shown to increase cadmium (Cd) concentration in soil solution and Cd uptake by plants, when grown in phosphate fertilizer- or biosolid-amended soils. However, previous experiments did not distinguish between the effect of Cl on biosolid-borne Cd compared with soil-borne Cd inherited from previous fertilizer history. A factorial pot experiment was conducted with biosolid application rates of 0, 20, 40, and 80 g biosolids kg(-1) and Cl concentration in soil solution ranging from 1 to 160 mM Cl. The Cd uptake of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Halberd) was measured and major cations and anions in soil solution were determined. Cadmium speciation in soil solution was calculated using GEOCHEM-PC. The Cd concentration in plant shoots and soil solution increased with biosolid application rates up to 40 g kg(-1), but decreased slightly in the 80 g kg(-1) biosolid treatment. Across biosolid application rates, the Cd concentration in soil solution and plant shoots was positively correlated with the Cl concentration in soil solution. This suggests that biosolid-borne Cd is also mobilized by chloride ligands in soil solution. The soil solution CdCl+ activity correlated best with the Cd uptake of plants, although little of the variation in plant Cd concentrations was explained by activity of CdCl+ in higher sludge treatments. It was concluded that chlorocomplexation of Cd increased the phytoavailability of biosolid-borne Cd to a similar degree as soil (fertilizer) Cd. There was a nonlinear increase in plant uptake and solubility of Cd in biosolid-amended soils, with highest plant Cd found at the 40 g kg(-1) rate of biosolid application, and higher rates (80 g kg(-1)) producing lower plant Cd uptake and lower Cd solubility in soil. This is postulated to be a result of Cd retention by CaCO3 formed as a result of the high alkalinity induced by biosolid application.

  4. Effects of surface applications of biosolids on soil, crops, ground water, and streambed sediment near Deer Trail, Colorado, 1999-2003

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yager, Tracy J.B.; Smith, David B.; Crock, James G.

    2004-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District, studied natural geochemical effects and the effects of biosolids applications to the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District properties near Deer Trail, Colorado, during 1999 through 2003 because of public concern about potential contamination of soil, crops, ground water, and surface water from biosolids applications. Parameters analyzed for each monitoring component included arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc (the nine trace elements regulated by Colorado for biosolids), gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity, and plutonium, as well as other parameters. Concentrations of the nine regulated trace elements in biosolids were relatively uniform and did not exceed applicable regulatory standards. All plutonium concentrations in biosolids were below the minimum detectable level and were near zero. The most soluble elements in biosolids were arsenic, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, and selenium. Elevated concentrations of bismuth, mercury, phosphorus, and silver would be the most likely inorganic biosolids signature to indicate that soil or streambed sediment has been affected by biosolids. Molybdenum and tungsten, and to a lesser degree antimony, cadmium, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel, phosphorus, and selenium, would be the most likely inorganic 'biosolids signature' to indicate ground water or surface water has been affected by biosolids. Soil data indicate that biosolids have had no measurable effect on the concentration of the constituents monitored. Arsenic concentrations in soil of both Arapahoe and Elbert County monitoring sites (like soil from all parts of Colorado) exceed the Colorado soil remediation objectives and soil cleanup standards, which were determined by back-calculating a soil concentration equivalent to a one-in-a-million cumulative cancer risk. Lead concentrations

  5. Removal of pathogenic bacteria from sewage-treated effluent and biosolids for agricultural purposes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Gheethi, A. A.; Efaq, A. N.; Bala, J. D.; Norli, I.; Abdel-Monem, M. O.; Ab. Kadir, M. O.

    2018-05-01

    The reuse of treated sewage for irrigation is considered as an important alternative water source in the new water management strategy of the countries that face a severe deficiency of water resources such as the Middle East countries. The organic material and fertilizing elements contained in biosolids are essential for maintaining soil fertility. However, both treated sewage and biosolids contain a large diversity of pathogens that would be transmitted to the environment and infect human directly or indirectly. Therefore, those pathogens should be reduced from the treated sewage and biosolids before the reuse in the agriculture. This paper reviews the considerations for reuse of treated sewage and biosolids in agriculture and further treatments used for reduction of pathogenic bacteria. The treatment methods used for the reduction of pathogens in these wastes have reviewed. It appeared that the main concern associated with the reduction of pathogenic bacteria lies in their ability to regrow in the treated sewage and biosolids. Therefore, the effective treatment method is that it has the potential to destruct pathogens cells and remove the nutrients to prevent the regrowth or recontamination from the surrounded environment. The removal of nutrients might be applicable in the sewage but not in the biosolids due to high nutrient contents. However, the reduction of health risk in the biosolids might be carried out by regulating the biosolid utilization and selecting the plant species grown in the fertilized soil with biosolids.

  6. Derivation of ecological criteria for copper in land-applied biosolids and biosolid-amended agricultural soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Tao; Li, Jumei; Wang, Xiaoqing; Ma, Yibing; Smolders, Erik; Zhu, Nanwen

    2016-12-01

    The difference in availability between soil metals added via biosolids and soluble salts was not taken into account in deriving the current land-applied biosolids standards. In the present study, a biosolids availability factor (BAF) approach was adopted to investigate the ecological thresholds for copper (Cu) in land-applied biosolids and biosolid-amended agricultural soils. First, the soil property-specific values of HC5 add (the added hazardous concentration for 5% of species) for Cu 2+ salt amended were collected with due attention to data for organisms and soils relevant to China. Second, a BAF representing the difference in availability between soil Cu added via biosolids and soluble salts was estimated based on long-term biosolid-amended soils, including soils from China. Third, biosolids Cu HC5 input values (the input hazardous concentration for 5% of species of Cu from biosolids to soil) as a function of soil properties were derived using the BAF approach. The average potential availability of Cu in agricultural soils amended with biosolids accounted for 53% of that for the same soils spiked with same amount of soluble Cu salts and with a similar aging time. The cation exchange capacity was the main factor affecting the biosolids Cu HC5 input values, while soil pH and organic carbon only explained 24.2 and 1.5% of the variation, respectively. The biosolids Cu HC5 input values can be accurately predicted by regression models developed based on 2-3 soil properties with coefficients of determination (R 2 ) of 0.889 and 0.945. Compared with model predicted biosolids Cu HC5 input values, current standards (GB4284-84) are most likely to be less protective in acidic and neutral soil, but conservative in alkaline non-calcareous soil. Recommendations on ecological criteria for Cu in land-applied biosolids and biosolid-amended agriculture soils may be helpful to fill the gaps existing between science and regulations, and can be useful for Cu risk assessments in

  7. Production of class a biosolids with anoxic low dose alkaline treatment and odor management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abu-Orf, M.M.; Brewster, J.; Oleszkiewicz, J.; Reimers, R.S.; Lagasse, P.; Amy, B.; Glindemann, D.

    2003-07-01

    The feasibility of full-scale anoxic disinfection of dewatered and digested sludge from Winnipeg, Manitoba with low lime doses and lagoon fly ash was investigated to determine if a class A product could be produced. Lime doses of 50g, 100g, and 200g per kg of biosolids (dry) were used along with fly ash doses of 500g. 1000g. and 1500g per kg of biosolids (dry). The mixed product was buried in eight-10 cubic meter trenches at the West End Water Pollution Control Center In Winnipeg. The trenches were backfilled with dirt and trapped to simulate anoxic conditions. Sampling cages were packed with the mixed product and pathogens non-indigenous to Winnipeg's biosolids. The cages were buried amongst the mixed biosolids in the trench. The non-indigenous pathogens spiked in the laboratory were the helminth Ascaris suum and the enteric virus reovirus. Samples were removed at days 12, 40, 69, 291, and 356 and were tested for the presence of fecal Coliform, Clostridium perfringens spores, Ascaris suum eggs, and reovirus. The pH, total solids, and free ammonia content of the mixed product were also determined for each sample. Odor was quantified for samples at both 291 and 356 days. Fecal Coliform bacteria and reovirus were completely inactivated for doses as low as 100g lime per kg biosolids (dry) and 50g lime + 500g fly ash per kg biosolids (dry). Spores of the bacteria C. perfringens experienced a 4-log reduction when treated with 100g lime per kg biosolids and a 5-log reduction when treated with doses as low as 50g lime + 500g fly ash per kg biosolids (dry) after 69 days. Ascaris eggs were completely inactivated in 5 gram packets for all treatments involving 100g lime per kg biosolids (dry) after 69 days. Class A pathogen requirements were met for all treatments involving a lime dose of at least 100g per kg biosolids. The odor potential from the produced biosolids is also assessed. (author)

  8. Effects of Biosolids and Manure Application on Microbial Water Quality in Rural Areas in the US

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amira Oun

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Most of the waterborne disease outbreaks observed in North America are associated with rural drinking water systems. The majority of the reported waterborne outbreaks are related to microbial agents (parasites, bacteria and viruses. Rural areas are characterized by high livestock density and lack of advanced treatment systems for animal and human waste, and wastewater. Animal waste from livestock production facilities is often applied to land without prior treatment. Biosolids (treated municipal wastewater sludge from large wastewater facilities in urban areas are often transported and applied to land in rural areas. This situation introduces a potential for risk of human exposure to waterborne contaminants such as human and zoonotic pathogens originating from manure, biosolids, and leaking septic systems. This paper focuses on waterborne outbreaks and sources of microbial pollution in rural areas in the US, characterization of the microbial load of biosolids and manure, association of biosolid and manure application with microbial contamination of surface and groundwater, risk assessment and best management practice for biosolids and manure application to protect water quality. Gaps in knowledge are identified, and recommendations to improve the water quality in the rural areas are discussed.

  9. Biosolids, Soil, Crop, Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for A Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2001

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yager, Tracy J; Smith, David B; Crock, James G

    2004-01-01

    .... Monitoring components were biosolids, soils, crops, ground water, and streambed sediment. The monitoring program addresses concerns from the public about chemical effects from applications of biosolids to farmland in the Deer Trail, Colorado, area...

  10. Wind erosion potential of a winter wheat-summer fallow rotation after land application of biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pi, Huawei; Sharratt, Brenton; Schillinger, William F.; Bary, Andrew I.; Cogger, Craig G.

    2018-06-01

    Conservation tillage is a viable management strategy to control soil wind erosion, but other strategies such as land application of biosolids that enhance soil quality may also reduce wind erosion. No studies have determined the effects of biosolids on wind erosion. Wind erosion potential of a silt loam was assessed using a portable wind tunnel after applying synthetic and biosolids fertilizer to traditional (disk) and conservation (undercutter) tillage practices during the summer fallow phase of a winter wheat-summer fallow (WW-SF) rotation in 2015 and 2016 in east-central Washington. Soil loss ranged from 12 to 61% lower for undercutter than disk tillage, possibly due to retention of more biomass on the soil surface of the undercutter versus disk tillage treatment. In contrast, soil loss was similar to or lower for biosolids as compared with synthetic fertilizer treatment. Our results suggest that biosolids applications to agricultural lands will have minimal impact on wind erosion.

  11. Biosolids, Soil, Crop, Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for a Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2002-2003

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yager, Tracy J; Smith, David B; Crock, James G

    2004-01-01

    .... Monitoring components were biosolids, soils, crops, ground water, and streambed sediments. The monitoring program addresses concerns from the public about chemical effects from applications of biosolids to farmland in the Deer Trail, Colorado, area...

  12. Biosolids applied to agricultural land: Influence on structural and functional endpoints of soil fauna on a short- and long-term scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coors, Anja; Edwards, Mark; Lorenz, Pascale; Römbke, Jörg; Schmelz, Rüdiger M; Topp, Edward; Waszak, Karolina; Wilkes, Graham; Lapen, David R

    2016-08-15

    Biosolids have well-documented crop and soil benefits similar to other sources of organic amendment, but there is environmental concern due to biosolids-associated pollutants. The present study investigated two field sites that had received biosolids at commercial-scale rates in parallel to associated field sections which were managed similarly but without receiving biosolids (controls). The investigated endpoints were abundance and diversity of soil organisms (nematodes, enchytraeids and earthworms) and soil fauna feeding activity as measured by the bait lamina assay. Repeated sampling of one of the field sites following the only biosolids application demonstrated an enrichment effect typical for organic amendments, which was mostly exhausted after 44months. After an initial suppression, the proportion of free-living plant-parasitic nematodes tended to increase in the biosolids-amended soil over time. Yet, none of the endpoints at this site indicated significant negative effects resulting from the biosolids until 44months post application. In contrast to the repeatedly tilled first field site, the second one was left fallow after three biosolids applications, and was sampled 96months post last application. It was only at this field site that potential evidence for a long-term impact of biosolids was detected with regard to two endpoints: earthworm abundance and structure of the nematode assemblage. Agricultural management and correlation with abiotic soil parameters explained the observed difference in earthworm abundance. Yet, the development of a highly structured and mature nematode assemblage at the control but not at the biosolids-amended section of this fallow field could not be explained by such correlations nor by soil metal concentrations. Overall, the present study found only weak evidence for negative long-term impacts of biosolids applied at commercial rates on soil fauna. High-level community parameters such as the nematode structure index (SI

  13. Dewaterability of thermophilically digested biosolids: effects of temperature and cellular polymeric substances

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, J.; Mavinic, D.S.; Kelly, H.G.; Ramey, W.D.

    2002-01-01

    Thermophilic processes digest sludge at high temperatures to produce Class A biosolids.Recent research work revealed that digestion temperature is the predominant factor affecting dewaterability of thermophilic biosolids. This paper presents findings of a laboratory study that investigated how various digestion temperatures affect dewaterability of digested biosolids, studied the phase partition of the substances affecting dewaterability in digested biosolids, and tested the role of cellular polymeric substances in affecting dewaterability.Secondary sludges were digested at 40-70 o C or 22 o C for up to 12 days. Centrate from thermophilically digested biosolids were treated with protease and boiling. This study found that, during the first few hours of digestion, higher temperatures resulted in more rapid and more significant deterioration in dewaterability than lower digestion temperatures. Continued digestion resulted in either improved (60 o C or 70 o C), or unchanged (40 o C or 50 o C), or gradually deteriorated dewaterability (22 o C). The substances affecting dewaterability were primarily located in the liquid phase of thermophilically digested biosolids. Boiling treatment did not result in significant changes in dewaterability. Protease treatment of the liquid phase of thermophilic biosolids improved dewaterability by 13-19%. Such an improvement confirmed the role of proteins in affecting dewaterability. (author)

  14. EFFECTS OF LIME (CAO) ON THE ENDOTOXIN LEVELS OF BIOSOLIDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lime addition is a common practice for treating biosolids in order to meet EPA 503 requirements for land application. Since this treatment kills the majority of microorganisms, will it increase the level of endotoxins present in biosolids? And, if endotoxin levels are increased, ...

  15. Earthworms (Oligochaeta: Acanthodrilidae and Lumbricidae) associated with Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant, Travis County, Texas, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earthworm populations were surveyed in soils from a variety of habitats associated with the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant, Austin, Texas, from November 2009 through March 2010. Seven species of terrestrial Oligochaeta, including one species new to science, are reported from two families, ...

  16. Amelioration of iron mine soils with biosolids: Effects on plant tissue metal content and earthworms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cele, Emmanuel Nkosinathi; Maboeta, Mark

    2016-11-01

    The achievement of environmentally sound and economically feasible disposal strategies for biosolids is a major issue in the wastewater treatment industry around the world, including Swaziland. Currently, an iron ore mine site, which is located within a wildlife sanctuary, is being considered as a suitable place where controlled disposal of biosolids may be practiced. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of urban biosolids on iron mine soils with regard to plant metal content and ecotoxicological effects on earthworms. This was done through chemical analysis of plants grown in biosolid-amended mine soil. Earthworm behaviour, reproduction and bioaccumulation tests were also conducted on biosolid-amended mine soil. According to the results obtained, the use of biosolids led to creation of soil conditions that were generally favourable to earthworms. However, plants were found to have accumulated Zn up to 346 mg kg -1 (in shoots) and 462 mg kg -1 (in roots). This was more than double the normal Zn content of plants. It was concluded that while biosolids can be beneficial to mine soils and earthworms, they can also lead to elevated metal content in plant tissues, which might be a concern to plant-dependant wildlife species. Nonetheless, it was not possible to satisfactorily estimate risks to forage quality since animal feeding tests with hyperaccumulator plants have not been reported. Quite possibly, there may be no cause for alarm since the uptake of metals from soil is greater in plants grown in pots in the greenhouse than from the same soil in the field since pot studies fail to mimic field conditions where the soil is heterogeneous and where the root system possesses a complex topology. It was thought that further field trials might assist in arriving at more satisfactory conclusions.

  17. Effect of long-term application of biosolids for land reclamation on surface water chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, G; Granato, T C; Pietz, R I; Carlson, C R; Abedin, Z

    2006-01-01

    Biosolids are known to have a potential to restore degraded land, but the long-term impacts of this practice on the environment, including water quality, still need to be evaluated. The surface water chemistry (NO3-, NH4+, and total P, Cd, Cu, and Hg) was monitored for 31 yr from 1972 to 2002 in a 6000-ha watershed at Fulton County, Illinois, where the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago was restoring the productivity of strip-mined land using biosolids. The mean cumulative loading rates during the past 31 yr were 875 dry Mg ha(-1) for 1120-ha fields in the biosolids-amended watershed and 4.3 dry Mg ha(-1) for the 670-ha fields in the control watershed. Biosolids were injected into mine spoil fields as liquid fertilizer from 1972 to 1985, and incorporated as dewatered cake from 1980 to 1996 and air-dried solids from 1987 to 2002. The mean annual loadings of nutrients and trace elements from biosolids in 1 ha were 735 kg N, 530 kg P, 4.5 kg Cd, 30.7 kg Cu, and 0.11 kg Hg in the fields of the biosolids-amended watershed, and negligible in the fields of the control watershed. Sampling of surface water was conducted monthly in the 1970s, and three times per year in the 1980s and 1990s. The water samples were collected from 12 reservoirs and 2 creeks receiving drainage from the fields in the control watershed, and 8 reservoirs and 4 creeks associated with the fields in the biosolids-amended watershed for the analysis of NO3- -N (including NO2- N), NH4+-N, and total P, Cd, Cu, and Hg. Compared to the control (0.18 mg L(-1)), surface water NO3- -N in the biosolids-amended watershed (2.23 mg L(-1)) was consistently higher; however, it was still below the Illinois limit of 10 mg L(-1) for public and food-processing water supplies. Biosolids applications had a significant effect on mean concentrations of ammonium N (0.11 mg L(-1) for control and 0.24 mg L(-1) for biosolids) and total P (0.10 mg L(-1) for control and 0.16 mg L(-1) for biosolids) in

  18. Potential Regrowth and Recolonization of Salmonellae and Indicators in Biosolids and Biosolid-Amended Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaleski, Kathleen J.; Josephson, Karen L.; Gerba, Charles P.; Pepper, Ian L.

    2005-01-01

    This study evaluated the potential for conversion of Class B to Class A biosolids with respect to salmonellae and fecal coliforms during solar drying in concrete lined drying beds. Anaerobically (8% solids) and aerobically (2% solids) digested Class B biosolids were pumped into field-scale drying beds, and microbial populations and environmental conditions were monitored. Numbers of fecal coliforms and salmonellae decreased as temperature and rate of desiccation increased. After 3 to 4 weeks, Class A requirements were achieved in both biosolids for the pathogens and the indicators. However, following rainfall events, significant increase in numbers was observed for both fecal coliforms and salmonellae. In laboratory studies, regrowth of fecal coliforms was observed in both biosolids and biosolid-amended soil, but the regrowth of salmonellae observed in the concrete-lined drying beds did not occur. These laboratory studies demonstrated that pathogens decreased in numbers when soil was amended with biosolids. Based on serotyping, the increased numbers of salmonellae seen in the concrete lined drying beds following rainfall events was most likely due to recolonization due to contamination from fecal matter introduced by animals and not from regrowth of salmonellae indigenous to biosolids. Overall, we conclude that the use of concrete-lined beds created a situation in which moisture added as rainfall accumulated in the beds, promoting the growth of fecal coliforms and salmonellae added from external sources. PMID:16000779

  19. Biosolid stockpiles are a significant point source for greenhouse gas emissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majumder, Ramaprasad; Livesley, Stephen J; Gregory, David; Arndt, Stefan K

    2014-10-01

    The wastewater treatment process generates large amounts of sewage sludge that are dried and then often stored in biosolid stockpiles in treatment plants. Because the biosolids are rich in decomposable organic matter they could be a significant source for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, yet there are no direct measurements of GHG from stockpiles. We therefore measured the direct emissions of methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) on a monthly basis from three different age classes of biosolid stockpiles at the Western Treatment Plant (WTP), Melbourne, Australia, from December 2009 to November 2011 using manual static chambers. All biosolid stockpiles were a significant point source for CH4 and N2O emissions. The youngest biosolids (nitrate and ammonium concentration. We also modeled CH4 emissions based on a first order decay model and the model based estimated annual CH4 emissions were higher as compared to the direct field based estimated annual CH4 emissions. Our results indicate that labile organic material in stockpiles is decomposed over time and that nitrogen decomposition processes lead to significant N2O emissions. Carbon decomposition favors CO2 over CH4 production probably because of aerobic stockpile conditions or CH4 oxidation in the outer stockpile layers. Although the GHG emission rate decreased with biosolid age, managers of biosolid stockpiles should assess alternate storage or uses for biosolids to avoid nutrient losses and GHG emissions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Protecting groundwater resources at biosolids recycling sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFarland, Michael J; Kumarasamy, Karthik; Brobst, Robert B; Hais, Alan; Schmitz, Mark D

    2013-01-01

    In developing the national biosolids recycling rule (Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulation Part 503 or Part 503), the USEPA conducted deterministic risk assessments whose results indicated that the probability of groundwater impairment associated with biosolids recycling was insignificant. Unfortunately, the computational capabilities available for performing risk assessments of pollutant fate and transport at that time were limited. Using recent advances in USEPA risk assessment methodology, the present study evaluates whether the current national biosolids pollutant limits remain protective of groundwater quality. To take advantage of new risk assessment approaches, a computer-based groundwater risk characterization screening tool (RCST) was developed using USEPA's Multimedia, Multi-pathway, Multi-receptor Exposure and Risk Assessment program. The RCST, which generates a noncarcinogenic human health risk estimate (i.e., hazard quotient [HQ] value), has the ability to conduct screening-level risk characterizations. The regulated heavy metals modeled in this study were As, Cd, Ni, Se, and Zn. Results from RCST application to biosolids recycling sites located in Yakima County, Washington, indicated that biosolids could be recycled at rates as high as 90 Mg ha, with no negative human health effects associated with groundwater consumption. Only under unrealistically high biosolids land application rates were public health risks characterized as significant (HQ ≥ 1.0). For example, by increasing the biosolids application rate and pollutant concentrations to 900 Mg ha and 10 times the regulatory limit, respectively, the HQ values varied from 1.4 (Zn) to 324.0 (Se). Since promulgation of Part 503, no verifiable cases of groundwater contamination by regulated biosolids pollutants have been reported. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  1. Amendment of biosolids with waste materials and lime: Effect on geoenvironmental properties and leachate production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayser, Claudia; Larkin, Tam; Singhal, Naresh

    2015-12-01

    Residuals from wastewater treatment operations (biosolids) were mixed with lime, fly ash, lime kiln dust, or two smelter slags to assess their efficacy as potential stabilisation agents by assessing their effects on the shear strength, compressibility, and solids content of mixtures. In addition, the minerals formed and leachate produced during stabilisation were determined. Tests were performed to explore the change of the geoenvironmental properties of the amended biosolids, while under pressure, at different scales using laboratory, pilot and field scale tests. The settlement characteristics of the amended biosolids under a range of applied pressures were determined using a consolidometer. All amended biosolids mixtures showed higher strength than the unamended biosolids, with mixtures containing a combination of 20% fly ash and 20% lime giving the highest (up to eightfold) increase in strength, and that with lime kiln dust and the smelter slags showing the lowest (up to twofold). The biosolids mixtures with only lime gave the second highest increase in strength (up to fourfold), but produced the largest amount of leachate, with higher level of dissolved calcium. The increase in strength correlated with availability of calcium oxide in the mixtures which lead to calcium carbonate formation, accompanied with higher leachate production and settlement during consolidation. Copper, nickel and zinc concentrations increased with alkaline additives and corresponded to higher pH and DOC levels. Nonetheless, concentrations were within the New Zealand regulatory limits for Class A landfills. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Increasing thermal drying temperature of biosolids reduced nitrogen mineralisation and soil N2O emissions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Case, Sean; Gomez Muñoz, Beatriz; Magid, Jakob

    2016-01-01

    Previous studies found that thermally dried biosolids contained more mineralisable organic nitrogen (N) than the raw or anaerobically digested (AD) biosolids they were derived from. However, the effect of thermal drying temperature on biosolid N availability is not well understood. This will be o......Previous studies found that thermally dried biosolids contained more mineralisable organic nitrogen (N) than the raw or anaerobically digested (AD) biosolids they were derived from. However, the effect of thermal drying temperature on biosolid N availability is not well understood...

  3. Perfluorinated Compounds In Lime-Treated Biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Land application of wastewater treatment residuals, or biosolids, is a common practice in the United States, about 50% of all biosolids being applied to agricultural land as a soil amendment. Incidents have been reported in Germany and the United States where biosolids containin...

  4. The phytoavailability of cadmium to lettuce in long-term biosolids-amended soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, S.L.; Chaney, R.L. [Dept. of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD (United States); Angle, J.S. [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Agronomy; Ryan, J.A. [Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH (United States). National Risk Management Research Lab.

    1998-09-01

    A field study was conducted to assess the phytoavailability of Cd in long-term biosolids-amended plots managed at high and low pH. The experiment, established 13 to 15 yr prior to the present cropping, on a Christiana fine sandy loam soil used a variety of biosolids. Two of the biosolids had total Cd concentrations of 13.4 and 210 mg kg{sup {minus}1}. A Cd salt treatment, with Cd added to soil at a rate equivalent to the Cd added by the higher Cd biosolids applied at 100 Mg ha{sup {minus}1}, was also included. The lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longifolia) cultivar (Paris Island Cos) used in the initial study was also used in the current study. Lettuce Cd was compared between treatments, and in relation to the soil Cd/soil organic C (OC) ratio. There has been no significant increase in plant Cd since the initial cropping. With 16% of the biosolids added OC remaining, lettuce grown on the soil amended with the more contaminated biosolids was not different than that of the initial cropping. Further, significantly less Cd was taken up by lettuce grown on biosolids-amended soil than lettuce grown on soil amended with equivalent rates of Cd salt. The Cd concentration in lettuce grown in the low Cd biosolids treatment was not different from the control. These results indicate that the potential hazards associated with food chain transfer of biosolids-applied Cd are substantially lower than equivalent Cd salt treatments, and that the hazards do not increase over time.

  5. A multi-technique investigation of copper and zinc distribution, speciation and potential bioavailability in biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donner, E.; Ryan, C.G.; Howard, D.L.; Zarcinas, B.; Scheckel, K.G.; McGrath, S.P.; Jonge, M.D. de; Paterson, D.; Naidu, R.; Lombi, E.

    2012-01-01

    The use of biosolids in agriculture continues to be debated, largely in relation to their metal contents. Our knowledge regarding the speciation and bioavailability of biosolids metals is still far from complete. In this study, a multi-technique approach was used to investigate copper and zinc speciation and partitioning in one contemporary and two historical biosolids used extensively in previous research and field trials. Using wet chemistry and synchrotron spectroscopy techniques it was shown that copper/zinc speciation in the biosolids was largely equivalent despite the biosolids being derived from different countries over a 50 year period. Furthermore, copper speciation was consistently dominated by sorption to organic matter whereas Zn partitioned mainly to iron oxides. These data suggest that the results of historical field trials are still relevant for modern biosolids and that further risk assessment studies should concentrate particularly on Cu as this metal is associated with the mineralisable biosolids fraction. - Highlights: ► Complementary techniques were used to investigate Cu and Zn speciation in biosolids. ► Historic and contemporary biosolids with differing metal contents were examined. ► Similarities in Cu/Zn speciation were observed irrespective of biosolids provenance. ► Key binding environments identified were organic matter for Cu and Fe oxides for Zn. ► Similarities show historic field trial results are still relevant for biosolids management. - Historic and contemporary biosolids show similarities in Cu/Zn speciation despite having very different total Zn/Cu contents.

  6. Experimental assessment of factors influencing dewatering properties of thermophilically digested biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Jianpeng; Mavinic, Donald S.; Kelly, Harlan G.; Ramey, William D.

    2003-07-01

    Beneficial land application of processed wastewater sludges (biosolids) is a cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable option for the final disposal of sludges, because nutrients and organic matters in the sludge are recovered and reused as a resource. Thermophilic sludge digestion produces Class A biosolids, which can be reused without restrictions. Recent experience from full-scale thermophilic sludge digestion facilities in North America revealed that, dewatering thermophilically digested biosolids required more polymers to condition than mesophilically digested biosolids. This paper reports a laboratory study that investigated factors having significant impacts on dewatering properties of digested biosolids, and assessed the relationship among digestion, dewatering properties, and characteristics of thermophilically digested biosolids. The experimental work used batch-operated, bench-scale aerobic sludge digesters. Dewaterability was measured as Capillary Suction Time (CST). The study found that feed sludge composition significantly affected dewaterability of digested sludge. Higher percentage of the secondary sludge in the feed sludge corresponded to more significant deterioration in dewaterability. The effect of thermophilic digestion temperatures on dewaterabilty was rapid, occurred within 3-hour of digestion, indicting a heat shock effect, rather than a microbiological effect. When a high shear was applied to the sludge in digesters, it resulted In a significant deterioration in dewaterability in the digested sludge. It appears there was a strong correlation between dewaterability and extracellular biopolymers. Enzymes (protease) treatment confirmed that role of extracellular proteins in affecting the dewatering properties of thermophilic biosolids, also revealed the complex nature of biopolymers' effect on dewaterability. Such effects might be due to protein-polysaccharides interactions, hydrogen bonding, or hydrophilic and hydrophobic

  7. Metal uptake by corn grown on media treated with particle-size fractionated biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Weiping [Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)], E-mail: chenweip@yahoo.com.cn; Chang, Andrew C.; Wu, Laosheng [Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Zhang, Yongsong [School of Environmental and Natural Resources Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 31009 (China)

    2008-03-15

    Particle-size of biosolids may affect plant uptake of heavy metals when the biosolids are land applied. In this study, corn (Zea mays L.) was grown on sand media treated with biosolids to study how particle-size of biosolids affected the plant uptake of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). Two biosolids, the Nu-Earth biosolids and the Los Angeles biosolids, of dissimilar surface morphology were utilized. The former exhibited a porous and spongy structure and had considerably greater specific surface area than that of the latter, which was granular and blocky. The specific surface area of the Los Angeles biosolids was inversely proportional to its particle-size, while that of Nu-Earth biosolids did not change significantly with particle-size. For each biosolid, the metal concentrations were not affected by particle sizes. The biomass yields of plants grown on the treated media increased as the biosolid particle-size decreased, indicating that plant uptake of nutrients from biosolids was dependent on interactions at the root-biosolids interface. The effect of particle-size on a metal's availability to plants was element-specific. The uptake rate of Cd, Zn, Cu, and Ni was correlated with the surface area of the particles, i.e., smaller particles having higher specific area provided greater root-biosolids contact and resulted in enhanced uptake of Cd and Zn and slightly less increased uptake of Cu and Ni. The particle morphology of biosolids had limited influence on the plant tissue concentrations of Cr and Pb. For both types of biosolids, total metal uptake increased as biosolid particle-size decreased. Our research indicates that biosolid particle-size distribution plays a deciding role in plant uptake of heavy metals when they are land applied.

  8. Biosolids and heavy metals in soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silveira Maria Lucia Azevedo

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available The application of sewage sludge or biosolids on soils has been widespread in agricultural areas. However, depending on their characteristics, they may cause increase in heavy metal concentration of treated soils. In general, domestic biosolids have lower heavy metal contents than industrial ones. Origin and treatment method of biosolids may markedly influence their characteristics. The legislation that controls the levels of heavy metal contents in biosolids and the maximum concentrations in soils is still controversial. In the long-term, heavy metal behavior after the and of biosolid application is still unknown. In soils, heavy metals may be adsorbed via specific or non-specific adsorption reactions. Iron oxides and organic matter are the most important soil constituents retaining heavy metals. The pH, CEC and the presence of competing ions also affect heavy metal adsorption and speciation in soils. In solution, heavy metals can be present either as free-ions or complexed with organic and inorganic ligands. Generally, free-ions are more relevant in environmental pollution studies since they are readily bioavailable. Some computer models can estimate heavy metal activity in solution and their ionic speciation. Thermodynamic data (thermodynamic stability constant, total metal and ligand concentrations are used by the GEOCHEM-PC program. This program allows studying heavy metal behavior in solution and the effect of changes in the conditions, such as pH and ionic strength and the application of organic and inorganic ligands caused by soil fertilization.

  9. Ecological impacts of long-term application of biosolids to a radiata pine plantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue, Jianming; Kimberley, Mark O.; Ross, Craig; Gielen, Gerty; Tremblay, Louis A.; Champeau, Olivier; Horswell, Jacqui; Wang, Hailong

    2015-01-01

    Assessment of the ecological impact of applying biosolids is important for determining both the risks and benefits. This study investigated the impact on soil physical, chemical and biological properties, tree nutrition and growth of long-term biosolids applications to a radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantation growing on a Sandy Raw Soil in New Zealand. Biosolids were applied to the trial site every 3 years from tree age 6 to 19 years at three application rates: 0 (Control), 300 (Standard) and 600 (High) kg nitrogen (N) ha −1 , equivalent to 0, 3 and 6 Mg ha −1 of dry biosolids, respectively. Tree nutrition status and growth have been monitored annually. Soil samples were collected 13 years after the first biosolids application to assess the soil properties and functioning. Both the Standard and High biosolids treatments significantly increased soil (0–50 cm depth) total carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P), Olsen P and cation exchange capacity (CEC), reduced soil pH, but had no significant effects on soil (0–20 cm depth) physical properties including bulk density, total porosity and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. The High biosolids treatment also increased concentrations of soil total cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) at 25–50 cm depth, but these concentrations were still considered very low for a soil. Ecotoxicological assessment showed no significant adverse effects of biosolids application on either the reproduction of springtails (Folsomia candida) or substrate utilisation ability of the soil microbial community, indicating no negative ecological impact of bisolids-derived heavy metals or triclosan. This study demonstrated that repeated application of biosolids to a plantation forest on a poor sandy soil could significantly improve soil fertility, tree nutrition and pine productivity. However, the long-term fate of biosolids-derived N, P and litter-retained heavy metals needs to be further monitored in the receiving

  10. Effect of biosolids application on soil chemical properties and uptake ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effect of biosolids application on soil chemical properties and uptake of some heavy metals by Cercis siliquastrum. ... and municipal solid waste compost (50% CM + 50% MC) at three levels of 0, 2.5 and 5 kg/shrub and three replicates in calcareous sandy loam soil at the botanical garden of Mobarekeh steel company.

  11. Dissipation of triclosan, triclocarban, carbamazepine and naproxen in agricultural soil following surface or sub-surface application of dewatered municipal biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Al-Rajab, Abdul Jabbar; Sabourin, Lyne [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON N5V 4T3 (Canada); Lapen, David R. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6 (Canada); Topp, Edward, E-mail: ed.topp@agr.gc.ca [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON N5V 4T3 (Canada); Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7 (Canada)

    2015-04-15

    In many jurisdictions land application of municipal biosolids is a valued source of nutrients for crop production. The practice must be managed to ensure that crops and adjacent water are not subject to contamination by pharmaceuticals or other organic contaminants. The broad spectrum antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC), the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ), and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen (NAP) are widely used and are carried in biosolids. In the present study, the effect of biosolids and depth of placement in the soil profile on the rates of TCS, TCC, CBZ, and NAP dissipation were evaluated under semi-field conditions. Aggregates of dewatered municipal biosolids (DMBs) supplemented with {sup 14}C-labeled residues were applied either on the soil surface or in the subsurface of the soil profile, and incubated over several months under ambient outdoor conditions. The dissipation of TCS, TCC and NAP was significantly faster in sub-surface than surface applied biosolid aggregates. In contrast the dissipation rate for CBZ was the same in surface applied and incorporated aggregates. Overall, the present study has determined a significant effect of depth of placement on the dissipation rate of biodegradable molecules. - Highlights: • We characterized the soil fate of four organic contaminants carried in biosolids. • Biosolids were placed on the soil surface or incorporated within the soil profile. • Naproxen, triclosan and triclocarban were dissipated more rapidly when incorporated. • Depth of placement did not influence the rate of carbamazepine dissipation. • Soil incorporation of biosolids will result in more rapid dissipation of contaminants.

  12. Dissipation of triclosan, triclocarban, carbamazepine and naproxen in agricultural soil following surface or sub-surface application of dewatered municipal biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Rajab, Abdul Jabbar; Sabourin, Lyne; Lapen, David R.; Topp, Edward

    2015-01-01

    In many jurisdictions land application of municipal biosolids is a valued source of nutrients for crop production. The practice must be managed to ensure that crops and adjacent water are not subject to contamination by pharmaceuticals or other organic contaminants. The broad spectrum antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC), the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine (CBZ), and the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen (NAP) are widely used and are carried in biosolids. In the present study, the effect of biosolids and depth of placement in the soil profile on the rates of TCS, TCC, CBZ, and NAP dissipation were evaluated under semi-field conditions. Aggregates of dewatered municipal biosolids (DMBs) supplemented with 14 C-labeled residues were applied either on the soil surface or in the subsurface of the soil profile, and incubated over several months under ambient outdoor conditions. The dissipation of TCS, TCC and NAP was significantly faster in sub-surface than surface applied biosolid aggregates. In contrast the dissipation rate for CBZ was the same in surface applied and incorporated aggregates. Overall, the present study has determined a significant effect of depth of placement on the dissipation rate of biodegradable molecules. - Highlights: • We characterized the soil fate of four organic contaminants carried in biosolids. • Biosolids were placed on the soil surface or incorporated within the soil profile. • Naproxen, triclosan and triclocarban were dissipated more rapidly when incorporated. • Depth of placement did not influence the rate of carbamazepine dissipation. • Soil incorporation of biosolids will result in more rapid dissipation of contaminants

  13. Ecological impacts of long-term application of biosolids to a radiata pine plantation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xue, Jianming, E-mail: jianming.xue@scionresearch.com [Scion, Private Bag 29237, Christchurch (New Zealand); Kimberley, Mark O., E-mail: mark.kimberley@scionresearch.com [Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua (New Zealand); Ross, Craig, E-mail: rossc@landcareresearch.co.nz [Landcare, Private Bag 11052, Palmerston North (New Zealand); Gielen, Gerty, E-mail: gerty.gielen@scionresearch.com [Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua (New Zealand); Tremblay, Louis A., E-mail: louis.tremblay@cawthron.org.nz [Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson (New Zealand); School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, PO Box 92019, Auckland 1142 (New Zealand); Champeau, Olivier, E-mail: olivier.champeau@cawthron.org.nz [Cawthron Institute, Private Bag 2, Nelson (New Zealand); Horswell, Jacqui, E-mail: jacqui.horswell@esr.cri.nz [ESR, P O Box 50-348, Porirua (New Zealand); Wang, Hailong, E-mail: hailong@zafu.edu.cn [Scion, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua (New Zealand); Key Laboratory of Soil Contamination Bioremediation of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Agricultural and Forestry University, Lin' an, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 311300 (China)

    2015-10-15

    Assessment of the ecological impact of applying biosolids is important for determining both the risks and benefits. This study investigated the impact on soil physical, chemical and biological properties, tree nutrition and growth of long-term biosolids applications to a radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) plantation growing on a Sandy Raw Soil in New Zealand. Biosolids were applied to the trial site every 3 years from tree age 6 to 19 years at three application rates: 0 (Control), 300 (Standard) and 600 (High) kg nitrogen (N) ha{sup −1}, equivalent to 0, 3 and 6 Mg ha{sup −1} of dry biosolids, respectively. Tree nutrition status and growth have been monitored annually. Soil samples were collected 13 years after the first biosolids application to assess the soil properties and functioning. Both the Standard and High biosolids treatments significantly increased soil (0–50 cm depth) total carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P), Olsen P and cation exchange capacity (CEC), reduced soil pH, but had no significant effects on soil (0–20 cm depth) physical properties including bulk density, total porosity and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. The High biosolids treatment also increased concentrations of soil total cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) at 25–50 cm depth, but these concentrations were still considered very low for a soil. Ecotoxicological assessment showed no significant adverse effects of biosolids application on either the reproduction of springtails (Folsomia candida) or substrate utilisation ability of the soil microbial community, indicating no negative ecological impact of bisolids-derived heavy metals or triclosan. This study demonstrated that repeated application of biosolids to a plantation forest on a poor sandy soil could significantly improve soil fertility, tree nutrition and pine productivity. However, the long-term fate of biosolids-derived N, P and litter-retained heavy metals needs to be further monitored in the

  14. Influence of Surface Biosolids Application on Infiltration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard E. Zartman

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Biosolids from waste water treatment facilities applied to soils not only add plant nutrients, but also increase infiltration and decrease runoff and erosion. Wet biosolids from New York, NY, were surface applied at 0 to 90 Mg ha−1 dry weight to soils near El Paso, Tex. Simulated rainfall intensities of 16.4 cm hr−1 for 30 minutes applied to 0.5 m2 soil plots yielded initial infiltration rates of ~16 cm hr−1 for all plots. Biosolids applications extended the duration of the initially high infiltration rates. After 30 minutes, infiltration rates for bare soil were 3 cm hr−1 without and 10 cm hr−1 with 90 Mg biosolids ha−1. Applied biosolids, plant litter, surface gravel, and plant base contributed surface cover, which absorbed raindrop energy and reduced erosion. Biosolids increased cumulative infiltration on the vegetated, wet soils more than for the dry or bare soils. Biosolids increased cumulative infiltration from 2 to 6 cm on a bare gravelly soil and from 9.3 to 10.6 cm on a vegetated soil.

  15. Assessing Nutrients Availability of Irradiated and Non-Irradiated Biosolids for the Agriculture Re-use

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnavacca, Cecilia; Sanchez, Monica

    2003-07-01

    Irradiation provides a fast and reliable means to disinfect biosolids generated by municipal wastewater treatment processes. The chemical integrity of some substances may be altered thus change the availability of plant nutrients. Chemical analyses on the biosolids showed a release of mineral forms of Nitrogen while Phosphorus chemical forms were not altered. Higher amounts of mineralized N were indirectly demonstrated in soils with irradiated biosolids by a respiration experiment, and higher nitrate concentrations were measured in the irradiated biosolids amended soils at field experiments. Crop field experiments (lettuce and sugarcane) confirmed that irradiated biosolids have higher fertilizing capability than equal amounts of non-irradiated biosolids. Maximum dose rate had no additive effect but a depleted result, thus marking the importance of the use of moderate biosolids rates. (author)

  16. Silver removal from aqueous solution by biochar produced from biosolids via microwave pyrolysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antunes, Elsa; Jacob, Mohan V; Brodie, Graham; Schneider, Philip A

    2017-12-01

    The contamination of water with silver has increased due to the widespread applications of products with silver employed as antimicrobial agent. Adsorption is a cost-effective method for silver removal from aqueous solution. In this study biochar, produced from the microwave assisted pyrolysis of biosolids, was used for silver removal from an aqueous solution. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics were investigated to better understand the silver removal process by biochar. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that silver removal was a combination two consecutive mechanisms, reduction and physical adsorption. The Langmuir model fitted the experimental data well, showing that silver removal was predominantly a surface mechanism. The thermodynamic investigation demonstrated that silver removal by biochar was an exothermic process. The final nanocomposite Ag-biochar (biochar plus silver) was used for methylene blue adsorption and photodegradation. This study showed the potential of using biochar produced from biosolids for silver removal as a promising solution to mitigate water pollution and an environmentally sustainable approach for biosolids management and re-use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The impact of biosolids application on organic carbon and carbon dioxide fluxes in soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wijesekara, Hasintha; Bolan, Nanthi S; Thangavel, Ramesh; Seshadri, Balaji; Surapaneni, Aravind; Saint, Christopher; Hetherington, Chris; Matthews, Peter; Vithanage, Meththika

    2017-12-01

    A field study was conducted on two texturally different soils to determine the influences of biosolids application on selected soil chemical properties and carbon dioxide fluxes. Two sites, located in Manildra (clay loam) and Grenfell (sandy loam), in Australia, were treated at a single level of 70 Mg ha -1 biosolids. Soil samples were analyzed for SOC fractions, including total organic carbon (TOC), labile, and non-labile carbon contents. The natural abundances of soil δ 13 C and δ 15 N were measured as isotopic tracers to fingerprint carbon derived from biosolids. An automated soil respirometer was used to measure in-situ diurnal CO 2 fluxes, soil moisture, and temperature. Application of biosolids increased the surface (0-15 cm) soil TOC by > 45% at both sites, which was attributed to the direct contribution from residual carbon in the biosolids and also from the increased biomass production. At both sites application of biosolids increased the non-labile carbon fraction that is stable against microbial decomposition, which indicated the soil carbon sequestration potential of biosolids. Soils amended with biosolids showed depleted δ 13 C, and enriched δ 15 N indicating the accumulation of biosolids residual carbon in soils. The in-situ respirometer data demonstrated enhanced CO 2 fluxes at the sites treated with biosolids, indicating limited carbon sequestration potential. However, addition of biosolids on both the clay loam and sandy loam soils found to be effective in building SOC than reducing it. Soil temperature and CO 2 fluxes, indicating that temperature was more important for microbial degradation of carbon in biosolids than soil moisture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Metal stress and decreased tree growth in response to biosolids application in greenhouse seedlings and in situ Douglas-fir stands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cline, Erica T.; Nguyen, Quyen T.N.; Rollins, Lucy; Gawel, James E.

    2012-01-01

    To assess physiological impacts of biosolids on trees, metal contaminants and phytochelatins were measured in Douglas-fir stands amended with biosolids in 1982. A subsequent greenhouse study compared these same soils to soils amended with fresh wastewater treatment plant biosolids. Biosolids-amended field soils had significantly higher organic matter, lower pH, and elevated metals even after 25 years. In the field study, no beneficial growth effects were detected in biosolids-amended stands and in the greenhouse study both fresh and historic biosolids amendments resulted in lower seedling growth rates. Phytochelatins – bioindicators of intracellular metal stress – were elevated in foliage of biosolids-amended stands, and significantly higher in roots of seedlings grown with fresh biosolids. These results demonstrate that biosolids amendments have short- and long-term negative effects that may counteract the expected tree growth benefits. - Highlights: ► Biosolids amendment increases soil metals over 25 years later. ► Douglas-fir growth benefits fail to materialize from biosolids amendments. ► Phytochelatins are elevated in foliage of trees and roots of greenhouse seedlings after new biosolids are added to soil. ► Biosolids connected to metal stress in Douglas-fir. - Biosolids applications increase bioindicators of intracellular metal stress and may counteract tree growth benefits.

  19. Effects of phytoextraction on heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water of biosolids determined using an in situ sampling technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huynh, T.T. [Applied Ecology Research Group, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia)], E-mail: t.huynh11@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au; Laidlaw, W.S. [Applied Ecology Research Group, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia); Singh, B. [Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia); Gregory, D. [Research and Technology Division, Melbourne Water, Melbourne, VIC 3001 (Australia); Baker, A.J.M. [Applied Ecology Research Group, School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010 (Australia)

    2008-12-15

    Heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water in contaminated substrates are important factors in controlling metal uptake by plants. We investigated the effects of phytoextraction on these properties in the solution phase of biosolids and diluted biosolids in a 12-month phytoextraction column experiment. Phytoextraction using Salix and Populus spp. temporarily decreased pore-water pH of the substrates over the experimental period followed by a return to initial pH conditions. Salix x reichardtii and Populus balsamifera effectively extracted Ni, Zn and Cd and actively mobilized these metals from the solid to the solution phase. S. x reichardtii had the stronger effect on mobilization of metals due to its larger root system. Phytoextraction did not affect Cu in the solution phase of the biosolids. Heavy metals were leached down to lower depths of the columns during the phytoextraction process. - Salix x reichardtii and Populus balsamifera extracted Ni, Zn and Cd and mobilized these metals in biosolids during phytoextraction.

  20. Effects of phytoextraction on heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water of biosolids determined using an in situ sampling technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huynh, T.T.; Laidlaw, W.S.; Singh, B.; Gregory, D.; Baker, A.J.M.

    2008-01-01

    Heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water in contaminated substrates are important factors in controlling metal uptake by plants. We investigated the effects of phytoextraction on these properties in the solution phase of biosolids and diluted biosolids in a 12-month phytoextraction column experiment. Phytoextraction using Salix and Populus spp. temporarily decreased pore-water pH of the substrates over the experimental period followed by a return to initial pH conditions. Salix x reichardtii and Populus balsamifera effectively extracted Ni, Zn and Cd and actively mobilized these metals from the solid to the solution phase. S. x reichardtii had the stronger effect on mobilization of metals due to its larger root system. Phytoextraction did not affect Cu in the solution phase of the biosolids. Heavy metals were leached down to lower depths of the columns during the phytoextraction process. - Salix x reichardtii and Populus balsamifera extracted Ni, Zn and Cd and mobilized these metals in biosolids during phytoextraction

  1. Nitrogen mineralization from anaerobically digested centrifuge cake and aged air-dried biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Kuldip; Hundal, Lakhwinder S; Cox, Albert E; Granato, Thomas

    2014-09-01

    This study was conducted to estimate nitrogen (N) mineralization of anaerobically digested centrifuge cake from the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant (SWRP) and Calumet Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP), lagoon-aged air-dried biosolids from the CWRP, and Milorganite at three rates of application (0, 12.5 and 25 Mg ha(-1)). The N mineralized varied among biosolids as follows: Milorganite (44%) > SWRP centrifuge cake (35%) > CWRP centrifuge cake (31%) > aged air-dried (13%). The N mineralized in the SWRP cake (32%) and CWRP aged air-dried biosolids (12%) determined from the 15N study were in agreement with the first study. The N mineralization value for centrifuge cake biosolids observed in our study is higher than the value given in the Part 503 rule and Illinois Part 391 guidelines. These results will be used to fine-tune biosolids application rate to match crop N demand without compromising yield while minimizing any adverse effect on the environment.

  2. Beneficial effect of mixture of additives amendment on enzymatic activities, organic matter degradation and humification during biosolids co-composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar; Wang, Quan; Chen, Hongyu; Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar; Wang, Meijing; Ren, Xiuna; Zhao, Junchao; Zhang, Zengqiang

    2018-01-01

    The objective of this study was to identify the effect of mixture of additives to improve the enzymatic activities, organic matter humification and diminished the bioavailability of heavy metals (HMs) during biosolids co-composting. In this study, zeolite (Z) (10%, 15% and 30%) with 1%lime (L) (dry weight basis of biosolids) was blended into the mixture of biosolids and wheat straw, respectively. The without any amendment and 1%lime applied treatments were run for comparison (Control). The Z+L addition resulted rapid organic matter degradation and humification with maximum enzymatic activities. In addition, higher dosage of Z+1%L amendment reduced the bioavailability of HMs (Cu and Zn) and improved the end product quality as compared to control and 1%L applied treatments. However, the 30%Z+1%L applied treatment showed maximum humification and low bioavailability of HMs but considering the economic feasibility and compost quality results, the treatment with 10%Z+1%L is recommended for biosolids co-composting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Reducing biosolids disposal costs using land application in forested areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huffines, R.L.

    1995-01-01

    Switching biosolids land application from a reclamation site to a forested site significantly reduced the cost of biosolids disposal at the Savannah River Site. Previous beneficial reuse programs focused on reclamation of existing borrow pits. While extremely beneficial, this program became very costly due to the regulatory requirements for groundwater monitoring, soil monitoring and frequent biosolids analyses. A new program was developed to reuse biosolids in forested areas where the biosolids could be used as a soil conditioner and fertilizer to enhance timber yield. The forested land application site was designed so that groundwater monitoring and soil monitoring could be eliminated while biosolids monitoring and site maintenance were minimized. Monitoring costs alone were reduced by 80%. Capital costs for site preparation were also significantly reduced since there was no longer a need for expensive groundwater monitoring wells

  4. Response of Pinus halepensis Mill. seedlings to biosolids enriched with Cu, Ni and Zn in three Mediterranean forest soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuentes, David; Disante, Karen B.; Valdecantos, Alejandro; Cortina, Jordi; Ramon Vallejo, V.

    2007-01-01

    We investigated the response of Pinus halepensis seedlings to the application of biosolids enriched with Cu, Ni and Zn on three Mediterranean forest soils under semiarid conditions. One-year-old seedlings were planted in lysimeters on soils developed from marl, limestone and sandstone which were left unamended, amended with biosolids, or amended with biosolids enriched in Cu, Ni and Zn. Enriched biosolids increased plant heavy metal concentration, but always below phytotoxic levels. Seedlings receiving unenriched biosolids showed a weak reduction in Cu and Zn concentration in needles, negatively affecting physiological status during drought. This effect was alleviated by the application of enriched sludge. Sewage sludge with relatively high levels of Cu, Zn and Ni had minor effects on plant performance on our experimental conditions. Results suggest that micronutrient limitations in these soils may be alleviated by the application of biosolids with a higher Cu, Zn and Ni content than those established by current regulations. - Biosolid-borne Cu, Ni and Zn did not show negative effects on Pinus halepensis seedlings performance after application on three Mediterranean forest soils

  5. Dust-associated microbiomes from dryland wheat fields differ with tillage practice and biosolids application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlatter, Daniel C.; Schillinger, William F.; Bary, Andy I.; Sharratt, Brenton; Paulitz, Timothy C.

    2018-07-01

    Wind erosion is a significant threat to the productivity and sustainability of agricultural soils. In the dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow region of Inland Pacific Northwest of the USA (PNW), farmers increasingly use conservation tillage practices to control wind erosion. In addition, some farmers in this dry region apply municipal biosolids to soils as fertilizer and a source of stable organic matter. The impacts of soil management practices on emissions of dust microbiota to the atmosphere are understudied. We used high-throughput DNA sequencing to examine the impacts of conservation tillage and biosolids amendments on the transport of dust-associated fungal and bacterial communities during simulated high-wind events over two years at Lind, WA. The fungal and bacterial communities contained in windblown dust differed significantly with tillage (conservation vs. conventional) and fertilizer (synthetic vs. biosolids) treatments. However, the richness and diversity of fungal and bacterial communities of dust did not vary significantly with tillage or fertilizer treatments. Taxa enriched in dust from fields under conservation tillage represented many plant-associated taxa that likely grow on residue left on the soil surface, whereas taxa that were more abundant with conventional tillage were those that likely grow on buried plant residue. Dust from biosolids-amended fields harbored greater abundances of taxa that likely feed on introduced carbon. Most human-associated taxa that may pose a health risk were not present in dust after biosolids amendment, although members of Clostridiaceae were enriched with this treatment. Results show that tillage and fertilizer management practices impact the composition of bioaerosols emitted during high-wind events and have potential implications for plant and human health.

  6. Irrigation water quality influences heavy metal uptake by willows in biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laidlaw, W Scott; Baker, Alan J M; Gregory, David; Arndt, Stefan K

    2015-05-15

    Phytoextraction is an effective method to remediate heavy metal contaminated landscapes but is often applied for single metal contaminants. Plants used for phytoextraction may not always be able to grow in drier environments without irrigation. This study investigated if willows (Salix x reichardtii A. Kerner) can be used for phytoextraction of multiple metals in biosolids, an end-product of the wastewater treatment process, and if irrigation with reclaimed and freshwater influences the extraction process. A plantation of willows was established directly onto a tilled stockpile of metal-contaminated biosolids and irrigated with slightly saline reclaimed water (EC ∼2 dS/cm) at a wastewater processing plant in Victoria, Australia. Biomass was harvested annually and analysed for heavy metal content. Phytoextraction of cadmium, copper, nickel and zinc was benchmarked against freshwater irrigated willows. The minimum irrigation rate of 700 mm per growing season was sufficient for willows to grow and extract metals. Increasing irrigation rates produced no differences in total biomass and also no differences in the extraction of heavy metals. The reclaimed water reduced both the salinity and the acidity of the biosolids significantly within the first 12 months after irrigation commenced and after three seasons the salinity of the biosolids had dropped to metal extraction. Reclaimed water irrigation reduced the biosolid pH and this was associated with reductions of the extraction of Ni and Zn, it did not influence the extraction of Cu and enhanced the phytoextraction of Cd, which was probably related to the high chloride content of the reclaimed water. Our results demonstrate that flood-irrigation with reclaimed water was a successful treatment to grow willows in a dry climate. However, the reclaimed water can also change biosolids properties, which will influence the effectiveness of willows to extract different metals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  7. Adsorption characteristics of benzene on biosolid adsorbent and commercial activated carbons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Hung-Lung; Lin, Kuo-Hsiung; Chen, Chih-Yu; Choa, Ching-Guan; Hwu, Ching-Shyung; Lai, Nina

    2006-05-01

    This study selected biosolids from a petrochemical waste-water treatment plant as the raw material. The sludge was immersed in 0.5-5 M of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) solutions and pyrolyzed at different temperatures and times. Results indicated that the 1-M ZnCl2-immersed biosolids pyrolyzed at 500 degrees C for 30 min could be reused and were optimal biosolid adsorbents for benzene adsorption. Pore volume distribution analysis indicated that the mesopore contributed more than the macropore and micropore in the biosolid adsorbent. The benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was 65 and 55% of the G206 (granular-activated carbon) and BPL (coal-based activated carbon; Calgon, Carbon Corp.) activated carbons, respectively. Data from the adsorption and desorption cycles indicated that the benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was insignificantly reduced compared with the first-run capacity of the adsorbent; therefore, the biosolid adsorbent could be reused as a commercial adsorbent, although its production cost is high.

  8. Effects of phytoextraction on heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water of biosolids determined using an in situ sampling technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, T T; Laidlaw, W S; Singh, B; Gregory, D; Baker, A J M

    2008-12-01

    Heavy metal concentrations and pH of pore-water in contaminated substrates are important factors in controlling metal uptake by plants. We investigated the effects of phytoextraction on these properties in the solution phase of biosolids and diluted biosolids in a 12-month phytoextraction column experiment. Phytoextraction using Salix and Populus spp. temporarily decreased pore-water pH of the substrates over the experimental period followed by a return to initial pH conditions. Salixxreichardtii and Populus balsamifera effectively extracted Ni, Zn and Cd and actively mobilized these metals from the solid to the solution phase. S.xreichardtii had the stronger effect on mobilization of metals due to its larger root system. Phytoextraction did not affect Cu in the solution phase of the biosolids. Heavy metals were leached down to lower depths of the columns during the phytoextraction process.

  9. Interactions in Natural Colloid Systems "Biosolids" - Soil and Plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalinichenko, Kira V.; Nikovskaya, Galina N.; Ulberg, Zoya R.

    2016-04-01

    The "biosolids" are complex biocolloid system arising in huge amounts (mln tons per year) from biological municipal wastewater treatment. These contain clusters of nanoparticles of heavy metal compounds (in slightly soluble or unsoluble forms, such as phosphates, sulphates, carbonates, hydroxides, and etc.), cells, humic substances and so on, involved in exopolysaccharides (EPS) net matrix. One may consider that biosolids are the natural nanocomposite. Due to the presence of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other macro- and microelements (heavy metals), vitamins, aminoacids, etc., the biosolids are a depot of bioelements for plant nutrition. Thus, it is generally recognized that most rationally to utilize them for land application. For this purpose the biocolloid process was developed in biosolids system by initiation of microbial vital ability followed by the synthesis of EPS, propagation of ecologically important microorganisms, loosening of the structure and weakening of the coagulation contacts between biosolids colloids, but the structure integrity maintaining [1,2]. It was demonstrated that the applying of biosolids with metabolizing microorganisms to soil provided the improving soil structure, namely the increasing of waterstable aggregates content (70% vs. 20%). It occurs due to flocculation ability of biosolids EPS. The experimental modelling of mutual interactions in systems of soils - biosolids (with metabolizing microorganisms) were realized and their colloid and chemical mechanisms were formulated [3]. As it is known, the most harmonious plant growth comes at a prolonged entering of nutrients under the action of plant roots exudates which include pool of organic acids and polysaccharides [4]. Special investigations showed that under the influence of exudates excreted by growing plants, the biosolids microelements can release gradually from immobilized state into environment and are able to absorb by plants. Thus, the biosolids can serve as an active

  10. Earthworm bioassays and seedling emergence for monitoring toxicity, aging and bioaccumulation of anthropogenic waste indicator compounds in biosolids-amended soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinney, Chad A.; Campbell, Bryan R.; Thompson, Regina; Furlong, Edward T.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Burkhardt, Mark R.; Zaugg, Steven D.; Werner, Stephen L.; Hay, Anthony G.

    2012-01-01

    Land application of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) can be an important route for introducing xenobiotic compounds into terrestrial environments. There is a paucity of available information on the effects of biosolids amendment on terrestrial organisms. In this study, the influence of biosolids and biosolids aging on earthworm (Eisenia fetida) reproduction and survival and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seedling emergence was investigated. Earthworms were exposed to soils amended with varying quantities of biosolids (0, 1, 2, 3, or 4% dry mass). To investigate the influence of biosolids aging, the biosolids used in the study were aged for differing lengths of time (2 or 8 weeks) prior to exposure. All of the adult earthworms survived in the biosolids–amended soils at all concentrations that were aged for 2 weeks; however, only 20% of the adults survived in the soil amended with the highest concentration of biosolids and aged for 8 weeks. Reproduction as measured by mean number of juveniles and unhatched cocoons produced per treatment correlated inversely with biosolids concentration, although the effects were generally more pronounced in the 8-week aged biosolids–soil samples. Latent seedling emergence and reduced seedling fitness correlated inversely with biosolids concentration, but these effects were tempered in the 8-week aged versus the 2-week aged soil–biosolids mixtures. Anthropogenic waste indicator compounds (AWIs) were measured in the biosolids, biosolids–soil mixtures, and earthworm samples. Where possible, bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were calculated or estimated. A wide variety of AWIs were detected in the biosolids (51 AWIs) and earthworm samples (≤ 19 AWI). The earthworms exposed to the 8-week aged biosolids–soil mixtures tended to accumulate greater quantities of AWIs compared to the 2-week aged mixture, suggesting that the bioavailability of some AWIs was enhanced with aging. The BAFs for a given AWI varied with treatment. Notably large

  11. Adsorption characteristics of benzene on biosolid adsorbent and commercial activated carbons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hung-Lung Chiang; Kuo-Hsiung Lin; Chih-Yu Chen; Ching-Guan Choa; Ching-Shyung Hwu; Nina Lai [China Medical University, Taichung (Taiwan). Department of Risk Management

    2006-05-15

    This study selected biosolids from a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant as the raw material. The sludge was immersed in 0.5-5 M of zinc chloride (ZnCl{sub 2}) solutions and pyrolyzed at different temperatures and times. Results indicated that the 1-M ZnCl{sub 2}-immersed biosolids pyrolyzed at 500{sup o}C for 30 min could be reused and were optimal biosolid adsorbents for benzene adsorption. Pore volume distribution analysis indicated that the mesopore contributed more than the macropore and micropore in the biosolid adsorbent. The benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was 65 and 55% of the G206 (granular-activated carbon) and BPL (coal-based activated carbon; Calgon, Carbon Corp.) activated carbons, respectively. Data from the adsorption and desorption cycles indicated that the benzene adsorption capacity of the biosolid adsorbent was insignificantly reduced compared with the first-run capacity of the adsorbent; therefore, the biosolid adsorbent could be reused as a commercial adsorbent, although its production cost is high. 18 refs., 9 figs., 3 tabs.

  12. LAND REMEDIATION WITH BIOSOLIDS - SLUDGE MAGIC - TIME BOMB?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Addition of biosolids to soils increases the environmental loading of toxic metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, etc.) and alters the chemistry and phytoavailability of these metals. This alteration in phytoavailability associated with biosolids amended soil was recognized and utilized by...

  13. Evaluation of the potential for biosolids obtained from wastewater treatment for agricultural use and their effect on cultivation of red radish (Raphanus sativus L)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramirez Pisco, Ramiro; Perez Arenas, Martha Ines

    2006-01-01

    This study was conducted in waste water treatment plant The Salitre, in Bogota, to evaluate the potential of the waste water treatment subproduct biosolids for application in agriculture by means of quantifying growth, development and production of cultivation of red radish, and to establish a possible alternative to the problem of final disposition of 3900 tons of this material generated monthly in the waste water treatment plant. The experimental design employed was a random blocks design, with five treatments and three replications, arranged in 2 m x 2 m plots. the treatments corresponded to mixtures of biosolids with soil in the following proportions: 100 % biosolid (equivalent to 294 ton ha-1), 75 % biosolid (220 ton ha-1), 50 % biosolid (147 ton ha-1), 25 % biosolid (73 ton ha-1) and. 100 % soil. Red radish raphanus sativus l. was planted. the variables evaluated were: germination percentage, dry weight of leaves and. roots, plant length, foliar area and production. Also, the accumulation of trace was measured in the harvested radishes, to determine risks of consumption. The results showed that the 50 % biosolid and 25 % biosolid, treatments were those that most favored growth, development and. production of cultivation radish, while the 75 % biosolid and 100 % biosolid treatments, showed lower development growth and production of the cultivar. The 100 % biosolid treatment resulted in low germination and also did not show root accumulation, that is the harvested product. The levels of accumulation of heavy metals surpassed the maximum levels with the 75 % biosolid and 100 % biosolid treatment. It was shown that the use of the biosolids in agriculture can produce a great risk, because despite having high nutrient (C,N, P, Ca, Na, Fe y Zn) and organic matter content, it also may slow growth and production of radish plants

  14. Biochar produced from biosolids using a single-mode microwave: Characterisation and its potential for phosphorus removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antunes, Elsa; Schumann, James; Brodie, Graham; Jacob, Mohan V; Schneider, Philip A

    2017-07-01

    The amount of biosolids increases every year, and social and environmental concerns are also rising due to heavy metals and pathogen contamination. Even though biosolids are considered as a waste material, they could be used as a precursor in several applications, especially in agriculture due to the presence of essential nutrients. Microwave assisted pyrolysis (MWAP) is a promising technology to safely manage biosolids, while producing value-added products, such as biochar, that can be used to improve soil fertility. This study examined the impact of pyrolysis temperature between 300 °C and 800 °C on the chemical and physical properties of biochar obtained from biosolids via MWAP. Preliminary phosphorus adsorption tests were carried out with the biochar produced from biosolids. This research demonstrated that pyrolysis temperature affects biochar specific surface area, ash and volatiles content, but does not impact heavily on the pH, chemical composition and crystalline phases of the resultant biochar. Biochar yield decreases as the pyrolysis temperature increases. Phosphorus adsorption capacity of biochar was approximately around 15 mg/g of biochar. Biochar resulting from MWAP is a potential candidate for land application with an important role in water and nutrient retention, due to the high surface area. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Transesterification of Waste Activated Sludge for Biosolids Reduction and Biodiesel Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeng, Min Ho; Cha, Daniel K

    2018-02-01

      Transesterification of waste activated sludge (WAS) was evaluated as a cost-effective technique to reduce excess biosolids and recover biodiesel feedstock from activated sludge treatment processes. A laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated with recycling transesterification-treated WAS back to the aeration basin. Seventy percent recycling of WAS resulted in a 48% reduction of excess biosolids in comparison with a conventional SBR, which was operated in parallel as the control SBR. Biodiesel recovery of 8.0% (dried weight basis) was achieved at an optimum transesterification condition using acidic methanol and xylene as cosolvent. Average effluent soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total suspended solids (TSS) concentrations from the test SBR and control SBR were comparable, indicating that the recycling of transesterification-treated WAS did not have detrimental effect on the effluent quality. This study demonstrated that transesterification and recycling of WAS may be a feasible technique for reducing excess biosolids, while producing valuable biodiesel feedstock from the activated sludge process.

  16. Copper and zinc fractionation in biosolid cultivated with Pennisetum purpureum in different periods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ely S. A. de Oliveira

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT In order to reduce the effect of heavy metals on the biosolid, it is necessary to promote its phytoremediation. It is important to know the total content and chemical forms of these elements in the residue for analyzing its behavior and potential toxicity. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the fractionation and behavior of Cu and Zn in biosolid cultivated with Pennisetum purpureum in different periods. The experiment was carried out using a randomized complete block design. The treatments, with five replicates, corresponded to Pennisetum purpureum cultivation in biosolid for 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days after planting. The total contents of Cu and Zn in the biosolid remained below the critical limits established by the CONAMA Resolution 357, and there was a reduction in these values with Pennisetum purpureum cultivation. Furthermore, the increment in the grass cultivation period caused intense reduction of Zn contents bound to organic matter, but there was an increase in soluble Zn and residual Zn. Additionally, there was an intense reduction in the content of Cu bound to sulfides. Therefore, for biosolid phytoremediation purposes, the grass should be cultivated for 150 days.

  17. Biosolids effectiveness to yield ryegrass based on their nitrogen content Eficiência de biossólidos na produção de azevém baseado no conteúdo de nitrogênio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo Studart Corrêa

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Biosolids have been reported to increase yields and supply plant nutrients. However, complying with health and environmental standards is necessary before applying biosolids to land. Thus, sludge stabilization is required to make biosolids safe enough for their agricultural use. Side effects of stabilization processes on agronomic features of sewage sludge are not quite known, although their understanding is essential for biosolids management. Based on a model equivalent to the Mitscherlich equation, effects of the most common processes for sludge stabilization were evaluated (composting, liming, heat-drying and solar irradiation in relation to the agronomic effectiveness of biosolids to yield Lolium perenne L. on two tropical soils, with NH4H2PO4 as a reference. Sewage stabilization processes have affected the ability of biosolids to promote plant growth. Their effectiveness was usually higher than fertilizer in a Spodosol and lower in an Oxisol. Solar-irradiated sludge presented the highest effectiveness among the biosolids and reached peak yields at the lowest application rate independent on soil type. Biosolids could efficiently substitute fertilizers and even yield more plant dry matter than the NH4H2PO4 reference, depending on the biosolid and soil type.Biossólidos têm sido citados como capazes de aumentar a produção de culturas e suprir nutrientes para plantas. Questões sanitárias e ambientais demandam que eles sejam estabilizados para que sejam usados na agricultura. Os efeitos dos processos de estabilização sobre as propriedades agronômicas de biossólidos não são completamente conhecidos, apesar de essenciais para o seu manejo. Baseado em um modelo equivalente à equação de Mitscherlich, este trabalho avaliou os efeitos dos processos mais comuns para a estabilização de lodos de esgotos (compostagem, caleação, secagem térmica e irradiação solar sobre a eficiência agronômica de biossólidos na produção de Lolium

  18. Bacterial populations within copper mine tailings: long-term effects of amendment with Class A biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    This study evaluates the effect of surface application of dried Class A biosolids on microbial populations within copper mine tailings. Methods and Results: Mine tailing sites were established at ASARCO Mission Mine close to Sahuarita, Arizona. Site 1 (Dec. 1998) was amended with 248 tons ha-1 of C...

  19. Contaminant risks from biosolids land application Contemporary organic contaminant levels in digested sewage sludge from five treatment plants in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bright, D.A.; Healey, N.

    2003-01-01

    The risks of organic contaminants in sewage sludges are evaluated. - This study examines the potential for environmental risks due to organic contaminants at sewage sludge application sites, and documents metals and various potential organic contaminants (volatile organics, chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, dioxins/furans, extractable petroleum hydrocarbons, PAHs, phenols, and others) in current production biosolids from five wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) within the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). There has been greater focus in Europe, North America and elsewhere on metals accumulation in biosolids-amended soil than on organic substances, with the exception of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans. Another objective, therefore, was to evaluate the extent to which management of biosolids re-use based on metal/metalloid levels coincidentally minimizes environmental risks from organic contaminants. Historical-use contaminants such as chlorophenols, PCBs, and chlorinated pesticides were not detected at environmentally relevant concentrations in any of the 36 fresh biosolids samples, and appear to have virtually eliminated from sanitary collection system inputs. The few organic contaminants found in freshly produced biosolids samples that exhibited high concentrations relative to British Columbia and Canadian soil quality benchmarks included p-cresol, phenol, phenanthrene, pyrene, naphthalene, and heavy extractable petroleum hydrocarbons (HEPHs-nCl9-C34 effective carbon chain length). It was concluded that, with the exception of these petroleum hydrocarbon constituents or their microbial metabolites, the mixing of biosolids with uncontaminated soils during land application and based on the known metal concentrations in biosolids from the Greater Vancouver WWTPs investigated provides adequate protection against the environmental risks associated with organic substances such as dioxins and furans, phthalate esters, or volatile

  20. Use of biosolids to enhance rangeland forage quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFarland, Michael J; Vasquez, Issaak Romero; Vutran, MaiAnh; Schmitz, Mark; Brobst, Robert B

    2010-05-01

    Biosolids land application was demonstrated to be a potentially cost-effective means for restoring forage productivity and enhancing soil-moisture-holding capacity on disturbed rangelands. By land-applying aerobically digested, anaerobically digested, composted, and lime-stabilized biosolids on rangeland test plots at rates of up to 20 times (20X) the estimated nitrogen-based agronomic rate, forage yields were found to increase from 132.8 kg/ha (118.2 lb/ac) (control plots) to 1182.3 kg/ha (1052.8 lb/ac). Despite the environmental benefits associated with increased forage yield (e.g., reduced soil erosion, improved drainage, and enhanced terrestrial carbon sequestration), the type of forage generated both before and after biosolids land application was found to be dominated by invasive weeds, all of which were characterized as having fair to poor nutritional value. Opportunistic and shallow rooting invasive weeds not only have marginal nutritional value, they also limit the establishment of native perennial grasses and thus biodiversity. Many of the identified invasive species (e.g., Cheatgrass) mature early, a characteristic that significantly increases the fuel loads that support the increased frequency and extent of western wildfires.

  1. Sorption of Pharmaceuticals, Heavy Metals, and Herbicides to Biochar in the Presence of Biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bair, Daniel A; Mukome, Fungai N D; Popova, Inna E; Ogunyoku, Temitope A; Jefferson, Allie; Wang, Daoyuan; Hafner, Sarah C; Young, Thomas M; Parikh, Sanjai J

    2016-11-01

    Agricultural practices are increasingly incorporating recycled waste materials, such as biosolids, to provide plant nutrients and enhance soil functions. Although biosolids provide benefits to soil, municipal wastewater treatment plants receive pharmaceuticals and heavy metals that can accumulate in biosolids, and land application of biosolids can transfer these contaminants to the soil. Environmental exposure of these contaminants may adversely affect wildlife, disrupt microbial communities, detrimentally affect human health through long-term exposure, and cause the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study considers the use of biochar co-amendments as sorbents for contaminants from biosolids. The sorption of pharmaceuticals (ciprofloxacin, triclocarban, triclosan), and heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb) to biochars and biochar-biosolids-soil mixtures was examined. Phenylurea herbicide (monuron, diuron, linuron) sorption was also studied to determine the potential effect of biochar on soil-applied herbicides. A softwood (SW) biochar (510°C) and a walnut shell (WN) biochar (900°C) were used as contrasting biochars to highlight potential differences in biochar reactivity. Kaolinite and activated carbon served as mineral and organic controls. Greater sorption for almost all contaminants was observed with WN biochar over SW biochar. The addition of biosolids decreased sorption of herbicides to SW biochar, whereas there was no observable change with WN biochar. The WN biochar showed potential for reducing agrochemical and contaminant transport but may inhibit the efficacy of soil-applied herbicides. This study provides support for minimizing contaminant mobility from biosolids using biochar as a co-amendment and highlights the importance of tailoring biochars for specific characteristics through feedstock selection and pyrolysis-gasification conditions. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science

  2. Establishment of Native Grasses with Biosolids on Abandoned Croplands in Chihuahua, Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Jurado-Guerra

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the work was to evaluate establishment and forage production of native grasses with application of biosolids, a byproduct of waste-water treatment, at an abandoned field, in Ejido Nuevo Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico. Four biosolids rates from 0 (control to 30 dry Mg ha−1 and two methods of application, surface applied (BioSur and soil incorporated (BioInc, were evaluated. Seedbed preparation included plowing and harrowing before rainfall. Field plots of 5 × 5 m were manually sown with a mix of blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis (50% and green sprangletop (Leptochloa dubia (50% in early August 2005. Experimental design was a randomized block with a split plot arrangement. Grass density, height, and forage production were estimated for three years. Data were analyzed with mixed linear models and repeated measures. Green sprangletop density increased under all biosolids rates regardless of method of application, while blue grama density slightly decreased. Biosolids were more beneficial for green sprangletop height than for blue grama height. Blue grama forage production slightly increased, while green sprangletop forage production increased the most at 10 Mg ha−1 biosolids rate under BioSur method. It was concluded that BioSur application at 10 and 20 Mg ha−1 rates had positive effects on the establishment and forage production of native grasses, especially green sprangletop.

  3. Effect of biosolids application on the growth of Jacaranda mimosifolia (Gualanday) and under physical and chemical conditions of a degraded soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramirez, R; Velasquez, D C; Acosta, E

    2007-01-01

    The biosolids are organic materials, derived from wastewater treatment of domestic and industrial sewage. one of the main problems of wastewater treatment plants is the final destination of the biosolids, their deposit in sanitary fillers, the incineration and land application are the main methods of dispose; the first two methods are expensive, while the last one, is gaining acceptance, because the biosolids are a resource that can be used as supplementary organic fertilizer. furthermore, land application of biosolids can help to improve declined soil fertility in degraded soils, but it can be generated contamination problems. the aims of this study were to investigate the effect of biosolids application on the growth of Jacaranda mimosifolia (Gualanday) and the changes on physical and chemical conditions of a degraded soil. this arboreal specie was planted in a degraded soil amended with biosolids, and was grown in a greenhouse. the treatments corresponded to contents of organic matter in the mixture (soil-biosolid) of 0 %, 2 %, 4 % and 8 %, in a completely randomized design with four treatments and ten replications. monthly samplings were realized to get information about the variables: survival height and diameter of stem, and number of leaves. the dry biomass was evaluated at the end of the study. the physical and chemical analyses were made at the beginning of the experiment and three months later. the chemical analyses included ph, oxidable organic carbon, Al, Ca, Mg, K, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, P, S, B, N0 3 , NH 4 + , and the physical analyses included aggregate stability, bulk density, real water retention. the statistical analysis between treatments was realized every month, by analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range test, using a 95 % confidence level. the treatment with a 2 % of organic matter was not affected the plant growth and was similar with the untreated control. The treatments with a 4 % and 8 % of organic matter caused a lower survival a lower

  4. Bioavailability of zinc and copper in biosolids compared to their soluble salts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heemsbergen, Diane A.; McLaughlin, Mike J.; Whatmuff, Mark; Warne, Michael St.J.; Broos, Kris; Bell, Mike; Nash, David; Barry, Glenn; Pritchard, Deb; Penney, Nancy

    2010-01-01

    For essential elements, such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), the bioavailability in biosolids is important from a nutrient release and a potential contamination perspective. Most ecotoxicity studies are done using metal salts and it has been argued that the bioavailability of metals in biosolids can be different to that of metal salts. We compared the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in biosolids with those of metal salts in the same soils using twelve Australian field trials. Three different measures of bioavailability were assessed: soil solution extraction, CaCl 2 extractable fractions and plant uptake. The results showed that bioavailability for Zn was similar in biosolid and salt treatments. For Cu, the results were inconclusive due to strong Cu homeostasis in plants and dissolved organic matter interference in extractable measures. We therefore recommend using isotope dilution methods to assess differences in Cu availability between biosolid and salt treatments. - Metals in biosolids are not necessarily less bioavailable than their soluble salt.

  5. Bioavailability of zinc and copper in biosolids compared to their soluble salts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heemsbergen, Diane A., E-mail: diane.heemsbergen@csiro.a [Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); McLaughlin, Mike J., E-mail: mike.mclaughlin@csiro.a [Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); Whatmuff, Mark, E-mail: mark.whatmuff@csiro.a [Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); NSW Department of Primary Industries, Locked Bag 4 Richmond, NSW 2753 (Australia); Warne, Michael St.J., E-mail: michael.warne@csiro.a [Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); Broos, Kris, E-mail: kris.broos@vito.b [Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, Adelaide, SA 5064 (Australia); Bell, Mike, E-mail: Mike.Bell@dpi.qld.gov.a [Department of Primary Industries, Kingaroy, Queensland 4610 (Australia); Nash, David, E-mail: David.Nash@dpi.vic.gov.a [Department of Primary Industries, Ellinbank, Victoria 3821 (Australia); Barry, Glenn, E-mail: Glenn.Barry@nrw.qld.gov.a [Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4068 (Australia); Pritchard, Deb, E-mail: D.Pritchard@curtin.edu.a [Curtin University of Technology, Muresk Institute, Northam, Western Australia 6401 (Australia); Penney, Nancy, E-mail: Nancy.Penney@WaterCorporation.com.a [Water Corporation of Western Australia, Leederville, Western Australia 6001 (Australia)

    2010-05-15

    For essential elements, such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), the bioavailability in biosolids is important from a nutrient release and a potential contamination perspective. Most ecotoxicity studies are done using metal salts and it has been argued that the bioavailability of metals in biosolids can be different to that of metal salts. We compared the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in biosolids with those of metal salts in the same soils using twelve Australian field trials. Three different measures of bioavailability were assessed: soil solution extraction, CaCl{sub 2} extractable fractions and plant uptake. The results showed that bioavailability for Zn was similar in biosolid and salt treatments. For Cu, the results were inconclusive due to strong Cu homeostasis in plants and dissolved organic matter interference in extractable measures. We therefore recommend using isotope dilution methods to assess differences in Cu availability between biosolid and salt treatments. - Metals in biosolids are not necessarily less bioavailable than their soluble salt.

  6. THE PHYTOAVAILABILITY OF CADMIUM TO LETTUCE IN LONG-TERM BIOSOLIDS-AMENDED SOILS

    Science.gov (United States)

    A field study was conducted to assess the phytoavailability of Cd in long-term biosolids-amended field plots managed at high and low pH. The experiment, established 13-15 yr prior to the present cropping, on a Christiana fine sandy loam soil (a clayey, kaolinitic, mesic Typic Pa...

  7. Effects of applying biosolids to soils on the adsorption and bioavailability of 17α-ethinylestradiol and triclosan in wheat plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantarero, Romina; Richter, Pablo; Brown, Sally; Ascar, Loreto; Ahumada, Inés

    2017-05-01

    Biosolids contain inorganic and organic contaminants, including pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) that have accounted for a series of emerging contaminants, such as triclosan (TCS) and the hormone 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). The general aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of biosolid application on EE2 and TCS adsorption and bioavailability in soils through testing with wheat plants. For the bioavailability study, sand and two soils, Lampa and Lo Prado, were used. The sand and soils were treated using two biosolid application rates (0 and 90 mg ha -1 ), and the EE2 and TCS concentrations in the biosolids were determined as 0.54 ± 0.06 and 8.31 ± 0.19 mg kg -1 , respectively. The concentration observed in wheat plants indicated that EE2 and TCS are mainly concentrated in the roots rather than in the shoots. Furthermore, the bioavailability of the compounds in plants depends on the properties of the contaminants and the soil. Adsorption studies showed that increasing the soil organic matter content increases the adsorption of TCS and EE2 on these substrates and that both compounds follow the Freundlich adsorption model. The desorption procedure indicated that availability for both TCS and EE2 depended on the soil type because TCS and EE2 were small in the Lampa soil with and without biosolid application and TCS increased by nearly 50% in the Lo Prado soil. The Lo Prado soil had an acidic pH (5.9) and the Lampa soil had a neutral pH of 7.3, and the organic carbon content was smaller.

  8. Towards a comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions inventory for biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarez-Gaitan, J P; Short, Michael D; Lundie, Sven; Stuetz, Richard

    2016-06-01

    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

  9. Meat and bone meal and biosolids as slow-release phosphorus fertilizers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Bøen

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Biosolids and meat and bone meal (MBM are commonly used as fertilizers in agriculture, often at application rates where total phosphorus (P far exceeds the annual demand. In a pot experiment, three biosolids and two types of MBM were tested at two commonly used application rates. Their contributions to P uptake in ryegrass (second and third season were compared with annual mineral P fertilization. The soil was analysed for extractable P (PAL and POlsen. Only soil amended with digested, limed biosolids provided a P uptake in ryegrass the third season comparable to annual NPK fertilization. Bone-rich MBM had considerable contributions to third season P uptake in soil with pH < 6. The product application rates did not influence P uptake significantly for any of the products. POlsen was found suitable to describe residual effects on soil P solubility, whereas the PAL-method was not applicable for MBM fertilized soils.

  10. Desorption kinetics of ciprofloxacin in municipal biosolids determined by diffusion gradient in thin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Angelo, E; Starnes, D

    2016-12-01

    Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a commonly-prescribed antibiotic that is largely excreted by the body, and is often found at elevated concentrations in treated sewage sludge (biosolids) at municipal wastewater treatment plants. When biosolids are applied to soils, they could release CIP to surface runoff, which could adversely affect growth of aquatic organisms that inhabit receiving water bodies. The hazard risk largely depends on the amount of antibiotic in the solid phase that can be released to solution (labile CIP), its diffusion coefficient, and sorption/desorption exchange rates in biosolids particles. In this study, these processes were evaluated in a Class A Exceptional Quality Biosolids using a diffusion gradient in thin films (DGT) sampler that continuously removed CIP from solution, which induced desorption and diffusion in biosolids. Mass accumulation of antibiotic in the sampler over time was fit by a diffusion transport and exchange model available in the software tool 2D-DIFS to derive the distribution coefficient of labile CIP (K dl ) and sorption/desorption rate constants in the biosolids. The K dl was 13 mL g -1 , which equated to 16% of total CIP in the labile pool. Although the proportion of labile CIP was considerable, release rates to solution were constrained by slow desorption kinetics (desorption rate constant = 4 × 10 -6 s -1 ) and diffusion rate (effective diffusion coefficient = 6 × 10 -9  cm 2  s -1 . Studies are needed to investigate how changes in temperature, water content, pH and other physical and chemical characteristics can influence antibiotic release kinetics and availability and mobility in biosolid-amended soils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Bacterial pathogen indicators regrowth and reduced sulphur compounds' emissions during storage of electro-dewatered biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navab-Daneshmand, Tala; Enayet, Samia; Gehr, Ronald; Frigon, Dominic

    2014-10-01

    Electro-dewatering (ED) increases biosolids dryness from 10-15 to 30-50%, which helps wastewater treatment facilities control disposal costs. Previous work showed that high temperatures due to Joule heating during ED inactivate total coliforms to meet USEPA Class A biosolids requirements. This allows biosolids land application if the requirements are still met after the storage period between production and application. In this study, we examined bacterial regrowth and odour emissions during the storage of ED biosolids. No regrowth of total coliforms was observed in ED biosolids over 7d under aerobic or anaerobic incubations. To mimic on-site contamination during storage or transport, ED samples were seeded with untreated sludge. Total coliform counts decreased to detection limits after 4d in inoculated samples. Olfactometric analysis of ED biosolids odours showed that odour concentrations were lower compared to the untreated and heat-treated control biosolids. Furthermore, under anaerobic conditions, odorous reduced sulphur compounds (methanethiol, dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl disulphide) were produced by untreated and heat-treated biosolids, but were not detected in the headspaces above ED samples. The data demonstrate that ED provides advantages not only as a dewatering technique, but also for producing biosolids with lower microbial counts and odour levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Prediction of dimethyl disulfide levels from biosolids using statistical modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabriel, Steven A; Vilalai, Sirapong; Arispe, Susanna; Kim, Hyunook; McConnell, Laura L; Torrents, Alba; Peot, Christopher; Ramirez, Mark

    2005-01-01

    Two statistical models were used to predict the concentration of dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) released from biosolids produced by an advanced wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) located in Washington, DC, USA. The plant concentrates sludge from primary sedimentation basins in gravity thickeners (GT) and sludge from secondary sedimentation basins in dissolved air flotation (DAF) thickeners. The thickened sludge is pumped into blending tanks and then fed into centrifuges for dewatering. The dewatered sludge is then conditioned with lime before trucking out from the plant. DMDS, along with other volatile sulfur and nitrogen-containing chemicals, is known to contribute to biosolids odors. These models identified oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) values of a GT and DAF, the amount of sludge dewatered by centrifuges, and the blend ratio between GT thickened sludge and DAF thickened sludge in blending tanks as control variables. The accuracy of the developed regression models was evaluated by checking the adjusted R2 of the regression as well as the signs of coefficients associated with each variable. In general, both models explained observed DMDS levels in sludge headspace samples. The adjusted R2 value of the regression models 1 and 2 were 0.79 and 0.77, respectively. Coefficients for each regression model also had the correct sign. Using the developed models, plant operators can adjust the controllable variables to proactively decrease this odorant. Therefore, these models are a useful tool in biosolids management at WWTPs.

  13. Beneficial reuse of precast concrete industry sludge to produce alkaline stabilized biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gowda, C; Seth, R; Biswas, N

    2008-01-01

    The precast concrete industry generates waste called concrete sludge during routine mixer tank washing. It is highly alkaline and hazardous, and typically disposed of by landfilling. This study examined the stabilization of municipal sewage sludge using concrete sludge as an alkaline agent. Sewage sludge was amended with 10 to 40% of concrete sludge by wet weight, and 10 and 20% of lime by dry weight of the sludge mix. Mixes containing 30 and 40% of concrete sludge with 20% lime fulfilled the primary requirements of Category 1 and 2 (Canada) biosolids of maintaining a pH of 12 for at least 72 hours. The heavy metals were below Category 1 regulatory limits. The 40% concrete sludge mix was incubated at 52 degrees C for 12 of the 72 hours to achieve the Category 1 and 2 regulations of less than 1000 fecal coliform/g solids. The nutrient content of the biosolids was 8.2, 10 and 0.6 g/kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium respectively. It can be used as a top soil or augmented with potassium for use as fertilizer. The study demonstrates that concrete sludge waste can be beneficially reused to produce biosolids, providing a long-term sustainable waste management solution for the concrete industry.

  14. Phytoremediation of biosolids from an end-of-life municipal lagoon using cattail (Typha latifolia L.) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeke, Nicholson N; Hassan, Adenike O; Zvomuya, Francis

    2017-03-04

    Land spreading of biosolids as a disposal option is expensive and can disperse pathogens and contaminants in the environment. This growth room study examined phytoremediation using switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and cattail (Typha latifolia L.) as an alternative to land spreading of biosolids. Seedlings were transplanted into pots containing 3.9 kg of biosolids (dry wt.). Aboveground biomass (AGB) was harvested either once or twice during each 90-day growth period. Switchgrass AGB yield was greater with two harvests than with one harvest during the first 90-day growth period, whereas cattail yield was not affected by harvest frequency. In the second growth period, harvesting frequency did not affect the yield of either plant species. However, repeated harvesting significantly improved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) uptake by both plants in the first period. Phytoextraction of P was significantly greater for switchgrass (3.9% of initial biosolids P content) than for cattail (2.8%), while plant species did not have a significant effect on N phytoextraction. The trace element accumulation in the AGB of both plant species was negligible. Phytoextraction rates attained in this study suggest that phytoremediation can effectively remove P from biosolids and offers a potentially viable alternative to the disposal of biosolids on agricultural land.

  15. Phytoextraction of heavy metals by willows growing in biosolids under field conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laidlaw, W S; Arndt, S K; Huynh, T T; Gregory, D; Baker, A J M

    2012-01-01

    Biosolids produced by sewage treatment facilities can exceed guideline thresholds for contaminant elements. Phytoextraction is one technique with the potential to reduce these elements allowing reuse of the biosolids as a soil amendment. In this field trial, cuttings of seven species/cultivars of Salix(willows) were planted directly into soil and into biosolids to identify their suitability for decontaminating biosolids. Trees were irrigated and harvested each year for three consecutive years. Harvested biomass was weighed and analyzed for the contaminant elements: As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Pb, Ni, and Zn. All Salix cultivars, except S. chilensis, growing in soils produced 10 to 20 t ha(-1) of biomass, whereas most Salix cultivars growing in biosolids produced significantly less biomass (metals from biosolids, driven by superior biomass increases and not high tissue concentrations. The willows were effectual in extracting the most soluble/exchangeable metals (Cd, 0.18; Ni, 0.40; and Zn, 11.66 kg ha(-1)), whereas Cr and Cu were extracted to a lesser degree (0.02 and 0.11 kg ha(-1)). Low bioavailable elements, As, Hg, and Pb, were not detectable in any of the aboveground biomass of the willows. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  16. Non-labile silver species in biosolids remain stable throughout 50 years of weathering and ageing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donner, E.; Scheckel, K.; Sekine, R.; Popelka-Filcoff, R.S.; Bennett, J.W.; Brunetti, G.; Naidu, R.; McGrath, S.P.; Lombi, E.

    2015-01-01

    Increasing commercial use of nanosilver has focussed attention on the fate of silver (Ag) in the wastewater release pathway. This paper reports the speciation and lability of Ag in archived, stockpiled, and contemporary biosolids from the UK, USA and Australia, and indicates that biosolids Ag concentrations have decreased significantly over recent decades. XANES revealed the importance of reduced-sulfur binding environments for Ag speciation in materials ranging from freshly produced sludge to biosolids weathered under ambient environmental conditions for more than 50 years. Isotopic dilution with 110m Ag showed that Ag was predominantly non-labile in both fresh and aged biosolids (13.7% mean lability), with E-values ranging from 0.3 to 60 mg/kg and 5 mM CaNO 3 extractable Ag from 1.2 to 609 μg/kg (0.002–3.4% of the total Ag). This study indicates that at the time of soil application, biosolids Ag will be predominantly Ag-sulfides and characterised by low isotopic lability. - Highlights: • Biosolids silver (Ag) concentrations appear to have decreased in recent decades. • Ag 2 S dominates Ag speciation in freshly produced sludge. • Ag 2 S is also the dominant species in aged biosolids. • Upon land application biosolids will mainly contain Ag-sulfides and have low isotopic lability. - Analysis of historic and contemporary biosolids from three continents indicated decreasing wastewater silver releases, and non-labile, extremely stable silver speciation

  17. Biosorption of heavy metals from wastewater by biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orhan, Y.; Bueyuekguengoer, H. [Ondokuz Mayis University, Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, 55139 Samsun (Turkey); Hrenovic, J. [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia)

    2006-08-15

    In a study where the removal of heavy metals from wastewater is the primary aim, the biosorption of heavy metals onto biosolids prepared as Pseudomonas aeruginosa immobilized onto granular activated carbon was investigated in batch and column systems. In the batch system, adsorption equilibriums of heavy metals were reached between 20 and 50 min, and the optimal dosage of biosolids was 0.3 g/L. The biosorption efficiencies were 84, 80, 79, 59 and 42 % for Cr(VI), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively. The rate constants of biosorption and pore diffusion of heavy metals were 0.013-0.089 min{sup -1} and 0.026-0.690 min{sup -0.5}. In the column systems, the biosorption efficiencies for all heavy metals increased up to 81-100 %. The affinity of biosorption for various metal ions towards biosolids was decreased in the order: Cr = Ni > Cu > Zn > Cd. (Abstract Copyright [2006], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  18. Dryland Winter Wheat Yield, Grain Protein, and Soil Nitrogen Responses to Fertilizer and Biosolids Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard T. Koenig

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Applications of biosolids were compared to inorganic nitrogen (N fertilizer for two years at three locations in eastern Washington State, USA, with diverse rainfall and soft white, hard red, and hard white winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cultivars. High rates of inorganic N tended to reduce yields, while grain protein responses to N rate were positive and linear for all wheat market classes. Biosolids produced 0 to 1400 kg ha−1 (0 to 47% higher grain yields than inorganic N. Wheat may have responded positively to nutrients other than N in the biosolids or to a metered N supply that limited vegetative growth and the potential for moisture stress-induced reductions in grain yield in these dryland production systems. Grain protein content with biosolids was either equal to or below grain protein with inorganic N, likely due to dilution of grain N from the higher yields achieved with biosolids. Results indicate the potential to improve dryland winter wheat yields with biosolids compared to inorganic N alone, but perhaps not to increase grain protein concentration of hard wheat when biosolids are applied immediately before planting.

  19. Fate of {sup 14}C-triclocarban in biosolids-amended soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Snyder, Elizabeth Hodges, E-mail: lizah@ufl.edu [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, 408 Newell Hall, Gainesville, Florida, 32611 (United States); Department of Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, DPL 404, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508-4614 (United States); O' Connor, George A., E-mail: gao@ufl.edu [Soil and Water Science Department, P.O. Box 110510, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-01519 (United States); McAvoy, Drew C., E-mail: mcavoy.dc@pg.com [Environmental Safety Department, P.O. Box 538707, The Procter and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH, 45253-8707 (United States)

    2010-06-01

    Triclocarban (TCC) is an antibacterial compound commonly detected in biosolids at parts-per-million concentrations. Approximately half of the biosolids produced in the United States are land-applied, resulting in a systematic release of TCC into the soil environment. The extent of biosolids-borne TCC environmental transport and potential human/ecological exposures will be greatly affected by its bioavailability and the rate of degradation in amended soils. To investigate these factors, radiolabeled TCC ({sup 14}C-TCC) was incorporated into anaerobically digested biosolids, amended to two soils, and incubated under aerobic conditions. The evolution of {sup 14}CO2 (biodegradation) and changes in chemical extractability (bioavailability) was measured over time. Water extractable TCC over the study period was low and significantly decreased over the first 3 weeks of the study (from 14% to 4% in a fine sand soil and from 3 to < 1% in a silty clay loam soil). Mineralization (i.e. ultimate degradation), as measured by evolution of {sup 14}CO{sub 2}, was < 4% over 7.5 months. Methanol extracts of the amended soils were analyzed by radiolabel thin-layer chromatography (RAD-TLC), but no intermediate degradation products were detected. Approximately 20% and 50% of the radioactivity in the amended fine sand and silty clay loam soils, respectively, was converted to bound residue as measured by solids combustion. These results indicate that biosolids-borne TCC becomes less bioavailable over time and biodegrades at a very slow rate.

  20. Odorants and malodors associated with land application of biosolids stabilized with lime and coal fly ash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laor, Yael; Naor, Moshe; Ravid, Uzi; Fine, Pinchas; Halachmi, Ilan; Chen, Yona; Baybikov, Rima

    2011-01-01

    Malodor emissions limit public acceptance of using municipal biosolids as natural organic resources in agricultural production. We aimed to identify major odorants and to evaluate odor concentrations associated with land application of anaerobically digested sewage sludges (Class B) and their alkaline (lime and coal fly ash)-stabilized products (Class A). These two types of biosolids were applied at 12.6 tonnes ha(-1) (dry weight) to microplots of very fine clayey Vertisol in the Jezreel Valley, northern Israel. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from the biosolids before and during alkaline stabilization and after incorporation into the soil were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Odor concentrations at the plots were evaluated on site with a Nasal Ranger field olfactometer that sniffed over a defined land surface area through a static chamber. The odors emitted by anaerobically digested sewage sludges from three activated sludge water treatment plants had one characteristic chemical fingerprint. Alkaline stabilization emitted substantial odors associated with high concentrations of ammonia and release of nitrogen-containing VOCs and did not effectively reduce the potential odor annoyance. Odorous VOCs could be generated within the soil after biosolids incorporation, presumably because of anaerobic conditions within soil-biosolids aggregates. We propose that dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide, which seem to be most related to the odor concentrations of biosolids-treated soil, be used as potential chemical markers for the odor annoyance associated with incorporation of anaerobically digested sewage sludges. by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  1. Evaluation of Biosolids for Use in Biodegradable Transplant Containers

    OpenAIRE

    Stone, Peyton Franklin

    2017-01-01

    Sustainability practices are leading to the development and use of alternative products in the floriculture and wastewater industries, such as the use of biodegradable containers instead of plastic containers. The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of using digested biosolids from a regional wastewater treatment plant as an ingredient in creating a biodegradable transplant biocontainer. The biosolids were tested for metals limits as specified by the U.S. EPA Part 503 Rule...

  2. Health risk assessment of heavy metals through the consumption of food crops fertilized by biosolids: A probabilistic-based analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosseini Koupaie, E.; Eskicioglu, C.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • No potential health risk of land application of the regional biosolids. • More realistic risk assessment via probabilistic approach than that of deterministic. • Increasing the total hazard index with increasing fertilizer land application rate. • Significant effect of long-term biosolids land application of hazard index. • Greater contribution of rice ingestion than vegetable ingestion on hazard index. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to perform a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) to assess the health risk of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) through the consumption of food crops grown on farm lands fertilized by biosolids. The risk analysis was conducted using 8 years of historical heavy metal data (2005–2013) of the municipal biosolids generated by a nearby treatment facility considering one-time and long-term biosolids land application scenarios for a range of 5–100 t/ha fertilizer application rate. The 95th percentile of the hazard index (HI) increased from 0.124 to 0.179 when the rate of fertilizer application increased from 5 to 100 t/ha at one-time biosolids land application. The HI at long-term biosolids land application was also found 1.3 and 1.9 times greater than that of one-time land application at fertilizer application rates of 5 and 100 t/ha, respectively. Rice ingestion had more contribution to the HI than vegetable ingestion. Cd and Cu were also found to have more contribution to the health risk associated to vegetable and rice ingestion, respectively. Results indicated no potential risk to the human health even at long-term biosolids land application scenario at 100 t/ha fertilizer application rate.

  3. Health risk assessment of heavy metals through the consumption of food crops fertilized by biosolids: A probabilistic-based analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosseini Koupaie, E., E-mail: ehssan.hosseini.k@gmail.com; Eskicioglu, C., E-mail: cigdem.eskicioglu@ubc.ca

    2015-12-30

    Highlights: • No potential health risk of land application of the regional biosolids. • More realistic risk assessment via probabilistic approach than that of deterministic. • Increasing the total hazard index with increasing fertilizer land application rate. • Significant effect of long-term biosolids land application of hazard index. • Greater contribution of rice ingestion than vegetable ingestion on hazard index. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to perform a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) to assess the health risk of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) through the consumption of food crops grown on farm lands fertilized by biosolids. The risk analysis was conducted using 8 years of historical heavy metal data (2005–2013) of the municipal biosolids generated by a nearby treatment facility considering one-time and long-term biosolids land application scenarios for a range of 5–100 t/ha fertilizer application rate. The 95th percentile of the hazard index (HI) increased from 0.124 to 0.179 when the rate of fertilizer application increased from 5 to 100 t/ha at one-time biosolids land application. The HI at long-term biosolids land application was also found 1.3 and 1.9 times greater than that of one-time land application at fertilizer application rates of 5 and 100 t/ha, respectively. Rice ingestion had more contribution to the HI than vegetable ingestion. Cd and Cu were also found to have more contribution to the health risk associated to vegetable and rice ingestion, respectively. Results indicated no potential risk to the human health even at long-term biosolids land application scenario at 100 t/ha fertilizer application rate.

  4. Sulfur flows and biosolids processing: Using Material Flux Analysis (MFA) principles at wastewater treatment plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, R M; Alvarez-Gaitan, J P; Stuetz, R M; Moore, S J

    2017-08-01

    High flows of sulfur through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may cause noxious gaseous emissions, corrosion of infrastructure, inhibit wastewater microbial communities, or contribute to acid rain if the biosolids or biogas is combusted. Yet, sulfur is an important agricultural nutrient and the direct application of biosolids to soils enables its beneficial re-use. Flows of sulfur throughout the biosolids processing of six WWTPs were investigated to identify how they were affected by biosolids processing configurations. The process of tracking sulfur flows through the sites also identified limitations in data availability and quality, highlighting future requirements for tracking substance flows. One site was investigated in more detail showing sulfur speciation throughout the plant and tracking sulfur flows in odour control systems in order to quantify outflows to air, land and ocean sinks. While the majority of sulfur from WWTPs is removed as sulfate in the secondary effluent, the sulfur content of biosolids is valuable as it can be directly returned to soils to combat the potential sulfur deficiencies. Biosolids processing configurations, which focus on maximising solids recovery, through high efficiency separation techniques in primary sedimentation tanks, thickeners and dewatering centrifuges retain more sulfur in the biosolids. However, variations in sulfur loads and concentrations entering the WWTPs affect sulfur recovery in the biosolids, suggesting industrial emitters, and chemical dosing of iron salts are responsible for differences in recovery between sites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Composted biosolids and treated wastewater as sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products for plant uptake: A case study with carbamazepine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ben Mordechay, Evyatar; Tarchitzky, Jorge; Chen, Yona; Shenker, Moshe; Chefetz, Benny

    2018-01-01

    Irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) and application of biosolids to arable land expose the agro-environment to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which can be taken up by crops. In this project, we studied the effect of a carrier medium (e.g., biosolids and TWW) on plant (tomato, wheat and lettuce) uptake, translocation and metabolism of carbamazepine as a model for non-ionic PPCPs. Plant uptake and bioconcentration factors were significantly lower in soils amended with biosolids compared to soils irrigated with TWW. In soils amended with biosolids and irrigated with TWW, the bioavailability of carbamazepine for plant uptake was moderately decreased as compared to plants grown in soils irrigated with TWW alone. While TWW acts as a continuous source of PPCPs, biosolids act both as a source and a sink for these compounds. Moreover, it appears that decomposition of the biosolids in the soil after amendment enhances their adsorptive properties, which in turn reduces the bioavailability of PPCPs in the soil environment. In-plant metabolism of carbamazepine was found to be independent of environmental factors, such as soil type, carrier medium, and absolute amount implemented to the soil, but was controlled by the total amount taken up by the plant. - Highlights: • Bioaccumulation of carbamazepine is higher in plants irrigated with TWW than in plants grown in soils applied with biosolids. • Application of composted biosolids reduces the bioavailability of carbamazepine originated from TWW irrigation. • Plant metabolism of carbamazepine is affected by the total amount taken-up by the plant. - Bioavailability of PPCPs originated from biosolids amendment is lower than the bioavailability of those introduced by irrigation with treated wastewater.

  6. Persistence of Trace Organic Contaminants from a Commercial Biosolids-Based Fertilizer in Aerobic Soils

    OpenAIRE

    Banet, Travis A; Kim, Jihyun R; Mashtare, Michael L

    2016-01-01

    Municipal biosolids are recycled as agricultural fertilizers. Recent studies have raised concerns due to the presence of emerging contaminants in municipal biosolids. Previous research suggests that these contaminants have the potential to reside in biosolids-based fertilizers that are commercially distributed. Use of these products in urban/suburban areas may provide a pathway for these contaminants to enter ecosystems and impact human and environmental health. Soils from Purdue University’s...

  7. Chemical composition of windblown dust emitted from agricultural soils amended with biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biosolids are increasingly being applied to agricultural lands in dry environments, but wind erosion of these lands might transport biosolid particulates offsite and impact environmental quality. Our objective was to use a wind tunnel to measure soil and windblown sediment concentrations of EPA-regu...

  8. Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring

    OpenAIRE

    Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; G?mez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedre?o, Jose

    2016-01-01

    Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter–rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (ne...

  9. Use of nuclear receptor luciferase-based bioassays to detect endocrine active chemicals in a biosolids-biochar amended soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Carolyn G; Joshi, Geetika; Bair, Daniel A; Oriol, Charlotte; He, Guochun; Parikh, Sanjai J; Denison, Michael S; Scow, Kate M

    2017-08-01

    Biosolids are a potentially valuable source of carbon and nutrients for agricultural soils; however, potential unintended impacts on human health and the environment must be considered. Virtually all biosolids contain trace amounts endocrine-disrupting chemicals derived from human use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). One potential way to reduce the bioavailability of PPCPs is to co-apply biosolids with biochar to soil, because biochar's chemical (e.g., aromaticity) and physical properties (e.g., surface area) give it a high affinity to bind many organic chemicals in the environment. We developed a soil-specific extraction method and utilized a luciferase-based bioassay (CALUX) to detect endocrine active chemicals in a biosolids-biochar co-amendment soil greenhouse study. Both biochar (walnut shell, 900 °C) and biosolids had positive impacts on carrot and lettuce biomass accumulation over our study period. However, the walnut shell biochar stimulated aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity, suggesting the presence of potential endocrine active chemicals in the biochar. Since the biochar rate tested (100 t ha -1 ) is above the average agronomic rate (10-20 t ha -1 ), endocrine effects would not be expected in most environmental applications. The effect of high temperature biochars on endocrine system pathways must be explored further, using both quantitative analytical tools to identify potential endocrine active chemicals and highly sensitive bioanalytical assays such as CALUX to measure the resulting biological activity of such compounds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A critical review of nitrogen mineralization in biosolids-amended soil, the associated fertilizer value for crop production and potential for emissions to the environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigby, Hannah; Clarke, Bradley O; Pritchard, Deborah L; Meehan, Barry; Beshah, Firew; Smith, Stephen R; Porter, Nichola A

    2016-01-15

    , compared to cooler temperate areas. It is also probably influenced by differences in upstream wastewater treatment processes that affect the balance of primary and secondary, biological sludges in the final combined sludge output from wastewater treatment, as well as the relative effectiveness of sludge stabilization treatments at specific sites. Better characterization of biosolids used in N release and mineralization investigations is therefore necessary to improve comparison of system conditions. Furthermore, the review suggested that some international fertilizer recommendations may underestimate mineralizable N in biosolids, and the N fertilizer value. Consequently, greater inputs of supplementary mineral fertilizer N may be supplied than are required for crop production, potentially increasing the risk of fertilizer N emissions to the environment. Thus greater economic and environmental savings in mineral N fertilizer application are potentially possible than are currently realized from biosolids recycling programmes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Potential Environmental Benefits from Blending Biosolids with Other Organic Amendments before Application to Land.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paramashivam, Dharini; Dickinson, Nicholas M; Clough, Timothy J; Horswell, Jacqui; Robinson, Brett H

    2017-05-01

    Biosolids disposal to landfill or through incineration is wasteful of a resource that is rich in organic matter and plant nutrients. Land application can improve soil fertility and enhance crop production but may result in excessive nitrate N (NO-N) leaching and residual contamination from pathogens, heavy metals, and xenobiotics. This paper evaluates evidence that these concerns can be reduced significantly by blending biosolids with organic materials to reduce the environmental impact of biosolids application to soils. It appears feasible to combine organic waste streams for use as a resource to build or amend degraded soils. Sawdust and partially pyrolyzed biochars provide an opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of biosolids application, with studies showing reductions of NO-N leaching of 40 to 80%. However, other organic amendments including lignite coal waste may result in excessive NO-N leaching. Field trials combining biosolids and biochars for rehabilitation of degraded forest and ecological restoration are recommended. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  12. Effect of thinning, fertilization with biosolids, and weather on interannual ring specific gravity and carbon accumulation of a 55-year-old Douglas-fir stand in western Washington

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kantavichai, R.; Briggs, D.G.; Turnblom, E.C. [Washington Univ., Seattle, WA (United States). School of Forest Resources

    2010-01-15

    Soil moisture deficits (SMD) cause trees to conserve water by closing stomata, which in turn limits the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and curtails photosynthesis and wood formation. This study investigated the combined effect of temperature, precipitation, SMD, and various silviculture treatments on interannual ring specific gravity (SG). A model was developed to predict post-treatment interannual ring SG from the treatment and environmental variables. The study assumed that thinning the stand would increase SG, while fertilization with biosolids would decrease SG. The SGs associated with each treatment were then used to calculate the dry mass and carbon content associated with stem growth. Results were then compared with estimates taken from standard publications. The experiment was conducted on a 55-year old Douglas fir stand. Twelve rings were used to assess the effect of the treatments. The study showed that use of the published average to consider only carbon sequestered by tree growth distorts the comparison of management regimes. The thinning process produced logs from which long-term structures were built, and continue to sequester carbon. When product pools of stored carbon are combined with forest carbon pools, thinning and biosolids treatment regimes are preferable to other carbon storage regimes. 40 refs., 6 tabs., 2 figs.

  13. Composted biosolids and treated wastewater as sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products for plant uptake: A case study with carbamazepine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Mordechay, Evyatar; Tarchitzky, Jorge; Chen, Yona; Shenker, Moshe; Chefetz, Benny

    2018-01-01

    Irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) and application of biosolids to arable land expose the agro-environment to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which can be taken up by crops. In this project, we studied the effect of a carrier medium (e.g., biosolids and TWW) on plant (tomato, wheat and lettuce) uptake, translocation and metabolism of carbamazepine as a model for non-ionic PPCPs. Plant uptake and bioconcentration factors were significantly lower in soils amended with biosolids compared to soils irrigated with TWW. In soils amended with biosolids and irrigated with TWW, the bioavailability of carbamazepine for plant uptake was moderately decreased as compared to plants grown in soils irrigated with TWW alone. While TWW acts as a continuous source of PPCPs, biosolids act both as a source and a sink for these compounds. Moreover, it appears that decomposition of the biosolids in the soil after amendment enhances their adsorptive properties, which in turn reduces the bioavailability of PPCPs in the soil environment. In-plant metabolism of carbamazepine was found to be independent of environmental factors, such as soil type, carrier medium, and absolute amount implemented to the soil, but was controlled by the total amount taken up by the plant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Inactivation of microorganisms in treated municipal wastewater and biosolids by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    Increasing growth of the world's population, waste minimization policies and agricultural needs make the recycling of domestic wastewater quite a desirable practice. Factors like environmental and public health risks must be taken into account when considering treated wastewater for field irrigation and biosolids for land application. Pathogens present in wastewater and biosolids may remain active after treatment and there is always a great risk of transmission of infections via consuming crop and vegetables. Therefore it is very important to treat domestic wastewater properly before using it as an irrigation water and as a fertilizer. The work reported herein represents an evaluation of the variations in the population densities of below indicated pathogens monitored during a one year study in Ankara Central Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the efficiency of gamma irradiation for the inactivation of these important waterborne pathogens. Parasitological investigation Treated wastewater and biosolids - Cryptosporidium sp. - Giardia lamblia - Entamoeba histolytica - Cyclospora cayetanensis - Helminth ova Bacteriological investigation Treated wastewater - Total coliforms - Salmonella sp. - Fecal streptococci - Enterococcus sp. Biosolids - Fecal coliforms - Salmonella sp. (Includes 12 tables, 16 figures)

  15. Distribution and movement of nutrients and metals in a Pinus radiata forest soil following applications of biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McLaren, Ronald G.; Clucas, Lynne M.; Speir, Tom W.; Schaik, Andrew P. van

    2007-01-01

    Samples of biosolids, spiked with increasing amounts of Cu, Ni or Zn were applied to field plots in a Pinus radiata forest, and the nutrient and metal status of the forest litter and underlying mineral soil was monitored over a period of six years following application. The macronutrient status of the forest litter was changed markedly by the biosolids application, with substantial increases in N, P and Ca concentrations, and decreases in Mg and K. The C/N ratio of the litter was also decreased and pH was increased by the biosolids application. The metals applied with the biosolids were retained predominantly in the litter layer, and even with non-metal-spiked biosolids there were substantial increases in litter metal concentrations. There was also firm evidence of some movement of Cu, Ni and Zn into the underlying mineral soil. The potential environmental issues resulting from these changes in nutrient and metal status are discussed. - Biosolids application to forest soils results in substantial build-up of macronutrients and metals in the forest litter layer

  16. Distribution and movement of nutrients and metals in a Pinus radiata forest soil following applications of biosolids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McLaren, Ronald G. [Centre for Soil and Environmental Quality, Agriculture and Life Sciences Division, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University Canterbury (New Zealand)]. E-mail: mclaren@lincoln.ac.nz; Clucas, Lynne M. [Centre for Soil and Environmental Quality, Agriculture and Life Sciences Division, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University Canterbury (New Zealand); Speir, Tom W. [Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, P.O. Box 50348, Porirua (New Zealand); Schaik, Andrew P. van [Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, P.O. Box 50348, Porirua (New Zealand)

    2007-05-15

    Samples of biosolids, spiked with increasing amounts of Cu, Ni or Zn were applied to field plots in a Pinus radiata forest, and the nutrient and metal status of the forest litter and underlying mineral soil was monitored over a period of six years following application. The macronutrient status of the forest litter was changed markedly by the biosolids application, with substantial increases in N, P and Ca concentrations, and decreases in Mg and K. The C/N ratio of the litter was also decreased and pH was increased by the biosolids application. The metals applied with the biosolids were retained predominantly in the litter layer, and even with non-metal-spiked biosolids there were substantial increases in litter metal concentrations. There was also firm evidence of some movement of Cu, Ni and Zn into the underlying mineral soil. The potential environmental issues resulting from these changes in nutrient and metal status are discussed. - Biosolids application to forest soils results in substantial build-up of macronutrients and metals in the forest litter layer.

  17. Fly Ash and Composted Biosolids as a Source of Fe for Hybrid Poplar: A Greenhouse Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Lombard

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Soils of northwest New Mexico have an elevated pH and CaCO3 content that reduces Fe solubility, causes chlorosis, and reduces crop yields. Could biosolids and fly ash, enriched with Fe, provide safe alternatives to expensive Fe EDDHA (sodium ferric ethylenediamine di-(o-hydroxyphenyl-acetate fertilizers applied to Populus hybrid plots? Hybrid OP-367 was cultivated on a Doak sandy loam soil amended with composted biosolids or fly ash at three agricultural rates. Fly ash and Fe EDDHA treatments received urea ammonium nitrate (UAN, biosolids, enriched with N, did not. Both amendments improved soil and plant Fe. Heavy metals were below EPA regulations, but high B levels were noted in leaves of trees treated at the highest fly ash rate. pH increased in fly ash soil while salinity increased in biosolids-treated soil. Chlorosis rankings improved in poplars amended with both byproducts, although composted biosolids offered the most potential at improving Fe/tree growth cheaply without the need for synthetic inputs.

  18. Physical and chemical properties of pyrolyzed biosolids for utilization in sand-based turfgrass rootzones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biosolids are several forms of treated sewage sludge that are intended for use as soil conditioners for horticultural, agricultural and industrial crops. The objectives of this research were to determine the chemical and physical properties of biosolids pyrolyzed at several different temperatures, a...

  19. Comparison of degradation between indigenous and spiked bisphenol A and triclosan in a biosolids amended soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langdon, Kate A; Warne, Michael Stj; Smernik, Ronald J; Shareef, Ali; Kookana, Rai S

    2013-03-01

    This study compared the degradation of indigenous bisphenol A (BPA) and triclosan (TCS) in a biosolids-amended soil, to the degradation of spiked labelled surrogates of the same compounds (BPA-d16 and TCS-(13)C12). The aim was to determine if spiking experiments accurately predict the degradation of compounds in biosolids-amended soils using two different types of biosolids, a centrifuge dried biosolids (CDB) and a lagoon dried biosolids (LDB). The rate of degradation of the compounds was examined and the results indicated that there were considerable differences between the indigenous and spiked compounds. These differences were more marked for BPA, for which the indigenous compound was detectable throughout the study, whereas the spiked compound decreased to below the detection limit prior to the study completion. The rate of degradation for the indigenous BPA was approximately 5-times slower than that of the spiked BPA-d16. The indigenous and spiked TCS were both detectable throughout the study, however, the shape of the degradation curves varied considerably, particularly in the CDB treatment. These findings show that spiking experiments may not be suitable to predict the degradation and persistence of organic compounds following land application of biosolids. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Rainfall-runoff of anthropogenic waste indicators from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, James L; Borch, Thomas; Furlong, Edward T; Davis, Jessica G; Yager, Tracy J; Yang, Yun-Ya; Kolpin, Dana W

    2017-02-15

    The presence of anthropogenic contaminants such as antimicrobials, flame-retardants, and plasticizers in runoff from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids may pose a potential threat to the environment. This study assesses the potential for rainfall-induced runoff of 69 anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), widely found in household and industrial products, from biosolids amended field plots. The agricultural field containing the test plots was treated with biosolids for the first time immediately prior to this study. AWIs present in soil and biosolids were isolated by continuous liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed by full-scan gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results for 18 AWIs were not evaluated due to their presence in field blank QC samples, and another 34 did not have sufficient detection frequency in samples to analyze trends in data. A total of 17 AWIs, including 4-nonylphenol, triclosan, and tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate, were present in runoff with acceptable data quality and frequency for subsequent interpretation. Runoff samples were collected 5days prior to and 1, 9, and 35days after biosolids application. Of the 17 AWIs considered, 14 were not detected in pre-application samples, or their concentrations were much smaller than in the sample collected one day after application. A range of trends was observed for individual AWI concentrations (typically from 0.1 to 10μg/L) over the course of the study, depending on the combination of partitioning and degradation mechanisms affecting each compound most strongly. Overall, these results indicate that rainfall can mobilize anthropogenic contaminants from biosolids-amended agricultural fields, directly to surface waters and redistribute them to terrestrial sites away from the point of application via runoff. For 14 of 17 compounds examined, the potential for runoff remobilization during rainstorms persists even after three 100-year rainstorm-equivalent simulations and the passage of a

  1. Rainfall-runoff of anthropogenic waste indicators from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, James L.; Borch, Thomas; Furlong, Edward T.; Davis, Jessica; Yager, Tracy; Yang, Yun-Ya; Kolpin, Dana W.

    2017-01-01

    The presence of anthropogenic contaminants such as antimicrobials, flame-retardants, and plasticizers in runoff from agricultural fields applied with municipal biosolids may pose a potential threat to the environment. This study assesses the potential for rainfall-induced runoff of 69 anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs), widely found in household and industrial products, from biosolids amended field plots. The agricultural field containing the test plots was treated with biosolids for the first time immediately prior to this study. AWIs present in soil and biosolids were isolated by continuous liquid-liquid extraction and analyzed by full-scan gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results for 18 AWIs were not evaluated due to their presence in field blank QC samples, and another 34 did not have sufficient detection frequency in samples to analyze trends in data. A total of 17 AWIs, including 4-nonylphenol, triclosan, and tris(2-butoxyethyl)phosphate, were present in runoff with acceptable data quality and frequency for subsequent interpretation. Runoff samples were collected 5 days prior to and 1, 9, and 35 days after biosolids application. Of the 17 AWIs considered, 14 were not detected in pre-application samples, or their concentrations were much smaller than in the sample collected one day after application. A range of trends was observed for individual AWI concentrations (typically from 0.1 to 10 μg/L) over the course of the study, depending on the combination of partitioning and degradation mechanisms affecting each compound most strongly. Overall, these results indicate that rainfall can mobilize anthropogenic contaminants from biosolids-amended agricultural fields, directly to surface waters and redistribute them to terrestrial sites away from the point of application via runoff. For 14 of 17 compounds examined, the potential for runoff remobilization during rainstorms persists even after three 100-year rainstorm-equivalent simulations and the

  2. Comparison of degradation between indigenous and spiked bisphenol A and triclosan in a biosolids amended soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langdon, Kate A.; Warne, Michael StJ.; Smernik, Ronald J.; Shareef, Ali; Kookana, Rai S.

    2013-01-01

    This study compared the degradation of indigenous bisphenol A (BPA) and triclosan (TCS) in a biosolids-amended soil, to the degradation of spiked labelled surrogates of the same compounds (BPA-d 16 and TCS- 13 C 12 ). The aim was to determine if spiking experiments accurately predict the degradation of compounds in biosolids-amended soils using two different types of biosolids, a centrifuge dried biosolids (CDB) and a lagoon dried biosolids (LDB). The rate of degradation of the compounds was examined and the results indicated that there were considerable differences between the indigenous and spiked compounds. These differences were more marked for BPA, for which the indigenous compound was detectable throughout the study, whereas the spiked compound decreased to below the detection limit prior to the study completion. The rate of degradation for the indigenous BPA was approximately 5-times slower than that of the spiked BPA-d 16 . The indigenous and spiked TCS were both detectable throughout the study, however, the shape of the degradation curves varied considerably, particularly in the CDB treatment. These findings show that spiking experiments may not be suitable to predict the degradation and persistence of organic compounds following land application of biosolids. - Highlights: ► Degradation of indigenous and spiked compounds from biosolids were compared. ► Differences were observed for both the rate and pattern of degradation. ► Spiked bisphenol A entirely degraded however the indigenous compound remained. ► TCS was detectable during the experiment however the degradation patterns varied. ► Spiking experiments may not be suitable to predict degradation of organic compounds

  3. Co-gasification of biosolids with biomass: Thermogravimetric analysis and pilot scale study in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Ming Ming; Masnadi, Mohammad S; Grace, John R; Bi, Xiaotao T; Lim, C Jim; Li, Yonghua

    2015-01-01

    This work studied the feasibility of co-gasification of biosolids with biomass as a means of disposal with energy recovery. The kinetics study at 800°C showed that biomass, such as switchgrass, could catalyze the reactions because switchgrass ash contained a high proportion of potassium, an excellent catalyst for gasification. However, biosolids could also inhibit gasification due to interaction between biomass alkali/alkaline earth metals and biosolids clay minerals. In the pilot scale experiments, increasing the proportion of biosolids in the feedstock affected gasification performance negatively. Syngas yield and char conversion decreased from 1.38 to 0.47m(3)/kg and 82-36% respectively as the biosolids proportion in the fuel increased from 0% to 100%. Over the same range, the tar content increased from 10.3 to 200g/m(3), while the ammonia concentration increased from 1660 to 19,200ppmv. No more than 25% biosolids in the fuel feed is recommended to maintain a reasonable gasification. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Thermal oxidation of biosolids : the green technology has come of age in large cities[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Puchajda, B.; Oleszkiewicz, J. [Manitoba Univ., Winnipeg, MB (Canada). Dept. of Civil Engineering

    2007-07-01

    Biosolids management and disposal that is safe and effective by public standards is difficult, particularly for large communities. Land application, landfilling and thermal oxidation with energy recovery (TOER) are the three most popular forms of solids disposal. This paper focused on different aspects of the TOER technology such as energy recovery; air pollution; volume reduction; impact of solids management on waste water treatment plants; process economics; ash residue management; and recycling of nutrients and heavy metals. The thermal oxidation process was described in detail. Societal and environmental impacts were also identified and common factors in mono-incineration, co-combustion and alternative thermal process technologies were presented. The paper also provided examples of successfully operating incineration installations in Europe and North America. It was concluded that the key assets of TOER include volume reduction; decreased liability and product safety; and beneficial use of ash in construction, with future potential for metals and phosphorus recovery. 32 refs., 2 tabs., 12 figs.

  5. Phosphorus runoff from waste water treatment biosolids and poultry litter applied to agricultural soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, John W; Coale, Frank J; Sims, J Thomas; Shober, Amy L

    2010-01-01

    Differences in the properties of organic phosphorus (P) sources, particularly those that undergo treatment to reduce soluble P, can affect soil P solubility and P transport in surface runoff. This 2-yr field study investigated soil P solubility and runoff P losses from two agricultural soils in the Mid-Atlantic region after land application of biosolids derived from different waste water treatment processes and poultry litter. Phosphorus speciation in the biosolids and poultry litter differed due to treatment processes and significantly altered soil P solubility and dissolved reactive P (DRP) and bioavailable P (FeO-P) concentrations in surface runoff. Runoff total P (TP) concentrations were closely related to sediment transport. Initial runoff DRP and FeO-P concentrations varied among the different biosolids and poultry litter applied. Over time, as sediment transport declined and DRP concentrations became an increasingly important component of runoff FeO-P and TP, total runoff P was more strongly influenced by the type of biosolids applied. Throughout the study, application of lime-stabilized biosolids and poultry litter increased concentrations of soil-soluble P, readily desorbable P, and soil P saturation, resulting in increased DRP and FeO-P concentrations in runoff. Land application of biosolids generated from waste water treatment processes that used amendments to reduce P solubility (e.g., FeCl(3)) did not increase soil P saturation and reduced the potential for DRP and FeO-P transport in surface runoff. These results illustrate the importance of waste water treatment plant process and determination of specific P source coefficients to account for differential P availability among organic P sources.

  6. Comparison of degradation between indigenous and spiked bisphenol A and triclosan in a biosolids amended soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Langdon, Kate A., E-mail: Kate.Langdon@csiro.au [School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Adelaide (Australia); Water for a Healthy Country Research Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), PMB 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064, Adelaide (Australia); Warne, Michael StJ. [Water for a Healthy Country Research Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), PMB 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064, Adelaide (Australia); Smernik, Ronald J. [School of Agriculture, Food and Wine and Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Adelaide (Australia); Shareef, Ali; Kookana, Rai S. [Water for a Healthy Country Research Flagship, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), PMB 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia, 5064, Adelaide (Australia)

    2013-03-01

    This study compared the degradation of indigenous bisphenol A (BPA) and triclosan (TCS) in a biosolids-amended soil, to the degradation of spiked labelled surrogates of the same compounds (BPA-d{sub 16} and TCS-{sup 13}C{sub 12}). The aim was to determine if spiking experiments accurately predict the degradation of compounds in biosolids-amended soils using two different types of biosolids, a centrifuge dried biosolids (CDB) and a lagoon dried biosolids (LDB). The rate of degradation of the compounds was examined and the results indicated that there were considerable differences between the indigenous and spiked compounds. These differences were more marked for BPA, for which the indigenous compound was detectable throughout the study, whereas the spiked compound decreased to below the detection limit prior to the study completion. The rate of degradation for the indigenous BPA was approximately 5-times slower than that of the spiked BPA-d{sub 16}. The indigenous and spiked TCS were both detectable throughout the study, however, the shape of the degradation curves varied considerably, particularly in the CDB treatment. These findings show that spiking experiments may not be suitable to predict the degradation and persistence of organic compounds following land application of biosolids. - Highlights: ► Degradation of indigenous and spiked compounds from biosolids were compared. ► Differences were observed for both the rate and pattern of degradation. ► Spiked bisphenol A entirely degraded however the indigenous compound remained. ► TCS was detectable during the experiment however the degradation patterns varied. ► Spiking experiments may not be suitable to predict degradation of organic compounds.

  7. INTERLABORATORY VALIDATION OF USEPA METHOD 1680: FECAL COLIFORMS IN BIOSOLIDS BY MULTIPLE-TUBE FERMENTATION PROCEDURES

    Science.gov (United States)

    In the US, the use and disposal of biosolids (including domestic septage) are regulated under 40 CFR Part 503. Subpart D of this regulation protects public health and the environment through requirements designed to reduce the potential for contact with pathogens in biosolids app...

  8. Helminth eggs as parasitic indicators of fecal contamination in agricultural irrigation water, biosolids, soils and pastures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campos, María Claudia; Beltrán, Milena; Fuentes, Nancy; Moreno, Gerardo

    2018-03-15

    A very common practice in agriculture is the disposal of wastewater and biosolids from water treatment systems due to their high nutrient content, which substantially improves crop yields. However, the presence of pathogens of fecal origin creates a sanitary risk to farmers and consumers. To determine the presence and concentration of helminth eggs in irrigation waters, biosolids, agricultural soils, and pastures. Water, biosolids, soil, and pasture samples were collected and analyzed for helminth egg detection, total eggs and viable eggs counts. The behavior of helminth eggs was evaluated in irrigation waters and dairy cattle grassland, where biosolids had been used as an organic amendment. Concentrations between 0.1-3 total helminth eggs/L, and 0.1-1 viable helminth eggs/L were found in water. In biosolids and soil, we found 3-22 total helminth eggs/4 g of dry weight, and 2-12 viable helminth eggs/4 g of dry weight, and in grass, we found <2-9 total helminth eggs/g of fresh weight, and <1-3 viable helminth eggs/g of fresh weight. The presence of helminth eggs in each matrix varied from days to months, which may represent a sanitary risk to farmers as well as to consumers. The presence of helminth eggs in the assessed matrixes confirms the sanitary risk of such practices. Therefore, it is important to control and incorporate regulations related to the use of wastewater and biosolids in agriculture.

  9. VALIDATION OF EPA METHOD 1682: SALMONELLA IN BIOSOLIDS BY MODIFIED, SEMISOLID RAPPAPORT-VASSILIADIS (MSRV) MEDIUM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treated biosolids may be applied to land as a crop nutrient and soil conditioner. However, land application of biosolids may pose the risk of releasing pathogens into the environment if disinfection and use criteria established by EPA at 40 CFR part 503 are not met. Among these c...

  10. Uptake of pharmaceutical and personal care products by soybean plants from soils applied with biosolids and irrigated with contaminated water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chenxi; Spongberg, Alison L; Witter, Jason D; Fang, Min; Czajkowski, Kevin P

    2010-08-15

    Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are commonly found in biosolids and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Land application of these biosolids and the reclamation of treated wastewater can transfer those PPCPs into the terrestrial and aquatic environments, giving rise to potential accumulation in plants. In this work, a greenhouse experiment was used to study the uptake of three pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and fluoxetine) and two personal care products (triclosan and triclocarban) by an agriculturally important species, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). Two treatments simulating biosolids application and wastewater irrigation were investigated. After growing for 60 and 110 days, plant tissues and soils were analyzed for target compounds. Carbamazepine, triclosan, and triclocarban were found to be concentrated in root tissues and translocated into above ground parts including beans, whereas accumulation and translocation for diphenhydramine and fluoxetine was limited. The uptake of selected compounds differed by treatment, with biosolids application resulting in higher plant concentrations, likely due to higher loading. However, compounds introduced by irrigation appeared to be more available for uptake and translocation. Degradation is the main mechanism for the dissipation of selected compounds in biosolids applied soils, and the presence of soybean plants had no significant effect on sorption. Data from two different harvests suggest that the uptake from soil to root and translocation from root to leaf may be rate limited for triclosan and triclocarban and metabolism may occur within the plant for carbamazepine.

  11. Selected personal care products and endocrine disruptors in biosolids: an Australia-wide survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langdon, Kate A; Warne, Michael St J; Smernik, Ronald J; Shareef, Ali; Kookana, Rai S

    2011-02-15

    Personal care products (PCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are groups of organic contaminants that have been detected in biosolids around the world. There is a shortage of data on these types on compounds in Australian biosolids, making it difficult to gain an understanding of their potential risks in the environment following land application. In this study, 14 biosolids samples were collected from 13 Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to determine concentrations of eight compounds that are PCPs and/or EDCs: 4-t-octylphenol (4tOP), 4-nonylphenol (4NP), triclosan (TCS), bisphenol A (BPA), estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Concentration data were evaluated to determine if there were any differences between samples that had undergone anaerobic or aerobic treatment. The concentration data were also compared to other Australian and international data. Only 4tOP, 4NP, TCS, and BPA were detected in all samples and E1 was detected in four of the 14 samples. Their concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 3.08 mg/kg, 0.35 to 513 mg/kg, treatment showed significantly higher concentrations of the compounds than those obtained from WWTPs that used aerobic treatment. Overall, 4NP, TCS and BPA concentrations in Australian biosolids were lower than global averages (by 42%, 12% and 62%, respectively) and 4tOP concentrations were higher (by 25%), however, of these differences only that for BPA was statistically significant. The European Union limit value for NP in biosolids is 50 mg/kg, which 4 of the 14 samples in this study exceeded. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Downward Movement of Potentially Toxic Elements in Biosolids Amended Soils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvana Irene Torri

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Potentially toxic elements (PTEs in soils are mainly associated with the solid phase, bound to the surface of solid components, or precipitated as minerals. For most PTEs, only a small portion is dissolved in the soil solution. However, there is an interest in following the fate of mobile PTEs in the environment, for a growing amount of evidence indicates that downward movement of PTEs may occur in biosolids amended soils, leading to groundwater contamination. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the factors that control the release of these elements after land application of biosolids, in order to overcome problems related to downward movement of PTEs in the soil profile.

  13. Sustainable Biosolids/Renewable Energy Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marshall, Steven D. [City of St. Petersburg, FL (United States); Smith, Arenee Fanchon Teena [City of St. Petersburg, FL (United States)

    2016-09-01

    In keeping with its designation as being Florida’s first “Green City”, the City's primary purpose of this project is to process and dispose of biosolids and yard wastes in a manner that results in the production of thermal, electrical, gas, or some other form of energy. This project was completed in two budget periods. Budget period one of the project consisted of a feasibility evaluation to determine potential applicable technologies, budget period two consisted of project design.

  14. Nitric oxide emissions from soils amended with municipal waste biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roelle, P.A.; Aneja, V.P.

    2002-01-01

    Land spreading nitrogen-rich municipal waste biosolids (NO 3 - -N -1 dry weight, NH 3 -N∼23,080mg Nkg -1 dry weight, Total Kjeldahl N∼41,700mg Nkg -1 dry weight) to human food and non-food chain land is a practice followed throughout the US. This practice may lead to the recovery and utilization of the nitrogen by vegetation, but it may also lead to emissions of biogenic nitric oxide (NO), which may enhance ozone pollution in the lower levels of the troposphere. Recent global estimates of biogenic NO emissions from soils are cited in the literature, which are based on field measurements of NO emissions from various agricultural and non-agricultural fields. However, biogenic emissions of NO from soils amended with biosolids are lacking. Utilizing a state-of-the-art mobile laboratory and a dynamic flow-through chamber system, in-situ concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) were measured during the spring/summer of 1999 and winter/spring of 2000 from an agricultural soil which is routinely amended with municipal waste biosolids. The average NO flux for the late spring/summer time period (10 June 1999-5 August 1999) was 69.4±34.9ngNm -2 s -1 . Biosolids were applied during September 1999 and the field site was sampled again during winter/spring 2000 (28 February 2000-9 March 2000), during which the average flux was 3.6±l.7ngNm -2 s -1 . The same field site was sampled again in late spring (2-9 June 2000) and the average flux was 64.8±41.0ng Nm -2 s -1 . An observationally based model, developed as part of this study, found that summer accounted for 60% of the yearly emission while fall, winter and spring accounted for 20%, 4% and 16% respectively. Field experiments were conducted which indicated that the application of biosolids increases the emissions of NO and that techniques to estimate biogenic NO emissions would, on a yearly average, underestimate the NO flux from this field by a factor of 26. Soil temperature and % water filled pore space (%WFPS) were observed

  15. Dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern in biosolids applied to non-irrigated farmland in eastern Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yager, Tracy; Furlong, Edward T.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Kinney, Chad A.; Zaugg, Steven D.; Burkhardt, Mark R.

    2013-01-01

    In 2007, a 1.5-year field-scale study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the dissipation of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) following a first agronomic biosolids application to nonirrigated farmland. CECs with the greatest decrease in concentration in the surface biosolids at 180 days post-application included indole, d-limonene, p-cresol, phenol, and skatol. CECs that were present in the largest concentration in 180-day-weathered biosolids included stanols, nonylphenols, bisphenol A, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, hexahydrohexamethyl cyclopenta-benzopyran (HHCB), and triclosan. CECs that were detected in pre-application soil were 3-beta coprostanol, skatol, acetophenone, beta-sitosterol, beta-stigmastanol, cholesterol, indole, p-cresol, and phenol, most of which are biogenic sterols or fragrances that have natural plant sources in addition to anthropogenic sources, yet their concentrations increased (in some cases, substantially) following biosolids application. Preliminary data indicate the nonylphenols (including NPEO1, NPEO2), OPEO1, benzo[a]pyrene, diethyl phthalate, d-limonene, HHCB, triclosan, and possibly 3-beta coprostanol, skatol, beta-sitosterol, cholesterol, indole, and p-cresol, migrated downward through the soil by 468 days post-application, but indicated little uptake by mature wheat plants. This study indicates that some CECs are sufficiently persistent and mobile to be vertically transported into the soil column following biosolids applications to the land surface, even in semiarid regions.

  16. Application of municipal biosolids to dry-land wheat fields - A monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado (USA). A presentation for an international conference: "The Future of Agriculture: Science, Stewardship, and Sustainability", August 7-9, 2006, Sacramento, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crock, James G.; Smith, David B.; Yager, Tracy J.B.

    2006-01-01

    Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colorado, has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of non-irrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colorado. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began monitoring ground water at part of this site. In 1999, the USGS began a more comprehensive study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the chemical effects of biosolids applications. This more comprehensive monitoring program has recently been extended through 2010. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study included biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock ground water, and stream bed sediment. Streams at the site are dry most of the year, so samples of stream bed sediment deposited after rain were used to indicate surface-water effects. This presentation will only address biosolids, soil, and crops. More information about these and the other monitoring components are presented in the literature (e.g., Yager and others, 2004a, b, c, d) and at the USGS Web site for the Deer Trail area studies at http://co.water.usgs.gov/projects/CO406/CO406.html. Priority parameters identified by the stakeholders for all monitoring components, included the total concentrations of nine trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc), plutonium isotopes, and gross alpha and beta activity, regulated by Colorado for biosolids to be used as an agricultural soil amendment. Nitrogen and chromium also were priority parameters for ground water and sediment components. In general, the objective of each component of the study was to determine whether concentrations of priority parameters (1) were higher than regulatory limits, (2) were increasing with time, or (3) were significantly higher in biosolids

  17. Health risk assessment of heavy metals through the consumption of food crops fertilized by biosolids: A probabilistic-based analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosseini Koupaie, E; Eskicioglu, C

    2015-12-30

    The objective of this study was to perform a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) to assess the health risk of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) through the consumption of food crops grown on farm lands fertilized by biosolids. The risk analysis was conducted using 8 years of historical heavy metal data (2005-2013) of the municipal biosolids generated by a nearby treatment facility considering one-time and long-term biosolids land application scenarios for a range of 5-100 t/ha fertilizer application rate. The 95th percentile of the hazard index (HI) increased from 0.124 to 0.179 when the rate of fertilizer application increased from 5 to 100 t/ha at one-time biosolids land application. The HI at long-term biosolids land application was also found 1.3 and 1.9 times greater than that of one-time land application at fertilizer application rates of 5 and 100 t/ha, respectively. Rice ingestion had more contribution to the HI than vegetable ingestion. Cd and Cu were also found to have more contribution to the health risk associated to vegetable and rice ingestion, respectively. Results indicated no potential risk to the human health even at long-term biosolids land application scenario at 100 t/ha fertilizer application rate. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Final Report: Conceptual Design of an Electron Accelerator for Bio-Solid Waste Treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cooper, Charles [Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)

    2017-09-20

    Several studies have identified electron beam (EB) irradiation of municipal wastewater and bio-solids as an effective and promising approach to the environmental remediation of the enormous quantities of human waste created by a growing world-wide population and increased urbanization. However, despite the technical success of experimental and pilot programs over the last several decades, the technique is still not in commercial use anywhere in the world. In addition, the report also identifies the need for “Financial and infrastructure participation from a utility for demonstration project” and “Education and awareness of safety of utilizing electron beam technology” as two additional roadblocks preventing technology adoption of EB treatment for bio-solids. In this concept design, we begin to address these barriers by working with Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) and by the applying the latest accelerator technologies developed at Fermilab and within the DOE Office of Science laboratory complex.

  19. Composting municipal biosolids in polyethylene sleeves with forced aeration: Process control, air emissions, sanitary and agronomic aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avidov, R; Saadi, I; Krassnovsky, A; Hanan, A; Medina, Sh; Raviv, M; Chen, Y; Laor, Y

    2017-09-01

    Composting in polyethylene sleeves with forced aeration may minimize odor emissions, vectors attraction and leachates associated with open windrows. A disadvantage of this technology is the lack of mixing during composting, potentially leading to non-uniform products. In two pilot experiments using biosolids and green waste (1:1; v:v), thermophilic conditions (>45°C) were maintained for two months, with successful control of oxygen levels and sufficient moisture. Emitted odors declined from 1.5-3.8×10 5 to 5.9×10 3 -2.3×10 4 odor units m -3 -air in the first 3weeks of the process, emphasizing the need of odor control primarily during this period. Therefore, composting might be managed in two phases: (i) a closed sleeve for 6-8weeks during which the odor is treated; (ii) an open pile (odor control is not necessary). Reduction of salmonella, E. coli and coliforms was effective initially, meeting the standards of "Class A" biosolids; however, total and fecal coliforms density increased after opening the second sleeve and exceeded the standard of 1000 most probable number (MPN) per g dry matter. Compost maturity was achieved in the open piles following the two sleeves and the final compost was non-phytotoxic and beneficial as a soil additive. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Detection and Occurrence of N-Nitrosamines in Archived Biosolids from the Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The occurrence of eight carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in biosolids from 74 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the contiguous United States was investigated. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, seven nitrosamines [(N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine, N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodibutylamine, N-nitrosopyrrolidine, N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA)] were detected with varying detection frequency (DF) in 88% of the biosolids samples (n = 80), with five of the seven being reported here for the first time in biosolids. While rarely detected (DF 3%), NDMA was the most abundant compound at an average concentration of 504 ± 417 ng/g dry weight of biosolids. The most frequently detected nitrosamine was NDPhA (0.7—147 ng/g) with a DF of 79%, followed by NDPA (7–505 ng/g) and NPIP (51–1185 ng/g) at 21% and 11%, respectively. The DF of nitrosamines in biosolids was positively correlated with their respective n-octanol–water partition coefficients (R2 = 0.65). The DF and sum of mean concentrations of nitrosamines in biosolids increased with the treatment capacity of WWTPs. Given their frequent occurrence in nationally representative samples and the amount of U.S. biosolids being applied on land as soil amendment, this study warrants more research into the occurrence and fate of nitrosamines in biosolids-amended soils in the context of crop and drinking water safety. PMID:24697330

  1. Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temporal-Lara, Beatriz; Melendez-Pastor, Ignacio; Gómez, Ignacio; Navarro-Pedreño, Jose

    2016-11-15

    Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter-rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine) for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near) real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS) models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation-RPD = 2.68), humification ratio (RPD = 2.23), total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07) and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66) with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR) spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring.

  2. Wastewater Biosolid Composting Optimization Based on UV-VNIR Spectroscopy Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatriz Temporal-Lara

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Conventional wastewater treatment generates large amounts of organic matter–rich sludge that requires adequate treatment to avoid public health and environmental problems. The mixture of wastewater sludge and some bulking agents produces a biosolid to be composted at adequate composting facilities. The composting process is chemically and microbiologically complex and requires an adequate aeration of the biosolid (e.g., with a turner machine for proper maturation of the compost. Adequate (near real-time monitoring of the compost maturity process is highly difficult and the operation of composting facilities is not as automatized as other industrial processes. Spectroscopic analysis of compost samples has been successfully employed for compost maturity assessment but the preparation of the solid compost samples is difficult and time-consuming. This manuscript presents a methodology based on a combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation and ultraviolet, visible and short-wave near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements were performed with liquid compost extract instead of solid compost samples. Partial least square (PLS models were developed to quantify chemical fractions commonly employed for compost maturity assessment. Effective regression models were obtained for total organic matter (residual predictive deviation—RPD = 2.68, humification ratio (RPD = 2.23, total exchangeable carbon (RPD = 2.07 and total organic carbon (RPD = 1.66 with a modular and cost-effective visible and near infrared (VNIR spectroradiometer. This combination of a less time-consuming compost sample preparation with a versatile sensor system provides an easy-to-implement, efficient and cost-effective protocol for compost maturity assessment and near-real-time monitoring.

  3. Growth and Cadmium Phytoextraction by Swiss Chard, Maize, Rice, Noccaea caerulescens, and Alyssum murale in Ph Adjusted Biosolids Amended Soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broadhurst, C Leigh; Chaney, Rufus L; Davis, Allen P; Cox, Albert; Kumar, Kuldip; Reeves, Roger D; Green, Carrie E

    2015-01-01

    Past applications of biosolids to soils at some locations added higher Cd levels than presently permitted. Cadmium phytoextraction would alleviate current land use constraints. Unamended farm soil, and biosolids amended farm and mine soils were obtained from a Fulton Co., IL biosolids management facility. Soils contained 0.16, 22.8, 45.3 mg Cd kg(-1) and 43.1, 482, 812 mg Zn kg(-1) respectively with initial pH 6.0, 6.1, 6.4. In greenhouse studies, Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), a Cd-accumulator maize (inbred B37 Zea mays) and a southern France Cd-hyperaccumulator genotype of Noccaea caerulescens were tested for Cd accumulation and phytoextraction. Soil pH was adjusted from ∼5.5-7.0. Additionally 100 rice (Oryza sativa) genotypes and the Ni-hyperaccumulator Alyssum murale were screened for potential phytoextraction use. Chard suffered phytotoxicity at low pH and accumulated up to 90 mg Cd kg(-1) on the biosolids amended mine soil. The maize inbred accumulated up to 45 mg Cd kg(-1) with only mild phytotoxicity symptoms during early growth at pH>6.0. N. caerulescens did not exhibit phytotoxicity symptoms at any pH, and accumulated up to 235 mg Cd kg(-1) in 3 months. Reharvested N. caerulescens accumulated up to 900 mg Cd kg(-1) after 10 months. Neither Alyssum nor 90% of rice genotypes survived acceptably. Both N. caerulescens and B37 maize show promise for Cd phytoextraction in IL and require field evaluation; both plants could be utilized for nearly continuous Cd removal. Other maize inbreds may offer higher Cd phytoextraction at lower pH, and mono-cross hybrids higher shoot biomass yields. Further, maize grown only for biomass Cd maximum removal could be double-cropped.

  4. Remote sensing of soybean stress as an indicator of chemical concentration of biosolid amended surface soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sridhar, B. B. Maruthi; Vincent, Robert K.; Roberts, Sheila J.; Czajkowski, Kevin

    2011-08-01

    The accumulation of heavy metals in the biosolid amended soils and the risk of their uptake into different plant parts is a topic of great concern. This study examines the accumulation of several heavy metals and nutrients in soybeans grown on biosolid applied soils and the use of remote sensing to monitor the metal uptake and plant stress. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted with soybeans grown on soils applied with biosolids at varying rates. The plant growth was monitored using Landsat TM imagery and handheld spectroradiometer in field and greenhouse studies, respectively. Soil and plant samples were collected and then analyzed for several elemental concentrations. The chemical concentrations in soils and roots increased significantly with increase in applied biosolid concentrations. Copper (Cu) and Molybdenum (Mo) accumulated significantly in the shoots of the metal-treated plants. Our spectral and Landsat TM image analysis revealed that the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) can be used to distinguish the metal stressed plants. The NDVI showed significant negative correlation with increase in soil Cu concentrations followed by other elements. This study suggests the use of remote sensing to monitor soybean stress patterns and thus indirectly assess soil chemical characteristics.

  5. [The characterization of biosolids produced by the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant in Itagui, Antioquia, Colombia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedoya-Urrego, Katherine; Acevedo-Ruíz, José M; Peláez-Jaramillo, Carlos A; Agudelo-López, Sonia Del Pilar

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective This study was aimed at evaluating pertinent physicochemical and microbiological (bacteria and parasites) parameters regarding the biosolids produced by the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Itagui, Antioquia, Colombia. Methods Twelve samples were collected and evaluated every month from January to December during 2010. The chemical, physical and microbiological tests followed the protocol described in Colombian technical guideline 5167. The protocol described in Mexican official Norm 004 (with some modifications) was used for identifying helminth ova and assessing their viability. Results All samples proved positive for Ascarislumbricoides, viable ova count ranging from 4 to 22 eggs/2gTS. Both Salmonella and Enterobacteriawere detected in all samples evaluated, the latter having 3,000 colony forming unit (CFU)/g minimum concentration. Biosolid sample values met the heavy metal concentration requirement established by national guidelines. There was no statistical association between rainfall and the pathogen's presence in the biosolids. Conclusion Our results suggested that the biosolids being produced by the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) could be used as organic fertilizer; however they should be treated/sanitized to meet the stipulations in Colombian technical guideline 5167.

  6. Steroid hormones in biosolids and poultry litter: a comparison of potential environmental inputs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bevacqua, Christine E; Rice, Clifford P; Torrents, Alba; Ramirez, Mark

    2011-05-01

    Steroid hormones can act as potent endocrine disruptors when released into the environment. The main sources of these chemicals are thought to be wastewater treatment plant discharges and waste from animal feeding operations. While these compounds have frequently been found in wastewater effluents, few studies have investigated biosolids or manure, which are routinely land applied, as potential sources. This study assessed the potential environmental contribution of steroid hormones from biosolids and chicken litter. Hormone concentrations in samples of limed biosolids collected at a waste treatment plant over a four year period ranged from farms had averages of 41.4ng/g dry weight E1, 63.4ng/g dry weight progesterone, and 19.2ng/g dry weight E1-sulfate (E1-S). Other analytes studied were 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2), testosterone, E2-3-sulfate (E2-3-S), and E2-17-sulfate (E2-17-3). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Characterisation of Organomineral Fertilisers Derived from Nutrient-Enriched Biosolids Granules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diogenes L. Antille

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Organomineral fertilisers (OMFs were produced by coating biosolids granules with urea and potash. Two OMF formulations with N : P2O5 : K2O compositions: 10 : 4 : 4 (OMF10 and 15 : 4 : 4 (OMF15 were developed for application in grassland and arable crops. Routine fertiliser analyses were conducted on four batches of OMF and biosolids granules and compared with a sample of urea to determine key physical and chemical properties of the materials which affect handling and spreading, soil behaviour, and fertiliser value. Bulk and particle densities were in the range of 608 to 618 kg m−3, and 1297 to 1357 kg m−3, respectively. Compression tests showed that OMF particles undergo deformation followed by multiple failures without disintegration of the granules when vertical load was applied. Static particle strength was between 1.18 and 4.33 N mm−2 depending on the particle diameter. The use of a model for fertiliser particle distribution studies showed that OMF granules should be between 1.10 and 5.50 mm in diameter with about 80% of the particles in the range of 2.25 to 4.40 mm to enable application at 18 m tramline spacing. This research utilises novel technology to improve the fertiliser value of biosolids, reduce disposal costs, and deliver a range of environmental benefits associated with recycling.

  8. Characteristics of sustainable bio-solid fuel produced from sewage sludge as a conventional fuel substitute

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Bongjin; Nam, Wonjun; Lee, Na-Yeon; Kim, Kyung-Hoon

    2010-01-01

    Safely final disposal of sewage sludge which is being increased every year has already become serious problems. As one of the promising technologies to solve this problem, thermal drying method has been attracting wide attention due to energy recovery from sewage sludge. This paper describes several characteristics of sustainable bio-solid fuel, as a conventional fuel substitute, produced from sewage sludge drying and granulation plant having the treatment capacity of 10 ton/ day. This plant has been successfully operated many times and is now designing for scale-up. Average moisture content of twelve kinds of bio-solid fuels produced from the plant normally less than 10 wt% and average shape of them is mainly composed of granular type having a diameter of 2-8 mm for easy handling and transportation to the final market destinations. Average higher heating value, which is one of the important properties to estimate the possibility of available energy, of bio-solid fuels is about 3800 kcal/ kg as dry basis. So they can be utilized to supply energy in the coal power plant and cement kiln etc. as a conventional fuel substitute for a beneficial reuse. Characteristics including proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, contents of heavy metals, wettability etc. of bio-solid fuels have been also analyzed for the environmentally safe re utilization. (author)

  9. Factors Affecting Distribution of Estrogenicity in the Influents, Effluents, and Biosolids of Canadian Wastewater Treatment Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shieh, Ben H H; Louie, Alvin; Law, Francis C P

    2016-05-01

    Canadian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) release significant amounts of estrogenic chemicals to nearby surface waters. Environmental estrogens have been implicated as the causative agents of many developmental and reproductive problems in animals, including fish. The goals of this study were to assess the estrogenic activity in the influents, effluents, and biosolids of thirteen Canadian WWTPs using the yeast estrogen screen (YES) bioassay and to investigate whether factors, such as wastewater treatment method, sample storage, extraction efficiency, population, and summer/winter temperature had any effects on the distribution of estrogenicity in the WWTPs. Results of the study showed that estrogenicity from the influent to the effluent decreased in seven WWTPs, increased in two WWTPs, and did not change in four WWTPs during the winter. Estrogenic concentrations generally decreased in the order of biosolids > influents > effluents and ranged from 1.57 to 24.6, 1.25E-02 to 3.84E-01, and 9.46E-03 to 3.90E-01 ng estradiol equivalents/g or ml, respectively. The estrogenicity in the final effluents, but not those in the influents and biosolids, was significantly higher in the summer than the winter. Among the WWTP treatment methods, advanced, biological nutrient removal appeared to be the most effective method to remove estrogenic chemicals from wastewaters in Canada. Our studies help to identify factors or mechanisms that affect the distribution of estrogenicity in WWTPs, providing a better understanding on the discharges of estrogenic chemicals from WWTPs.

  10. Long-term use of biosolids as organic fertilizers in agricultural soils: potentially toxic elements occurrence and mobility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marguí, E; Iglesias, M; Camps, F; Sala, L; Hidalgo, M

    2016-03-01

    The presence of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) may hinder a more widespread application of biosolids in agriculture. At present, the European Directive 86/278/CEE limit the total concentrations of seven metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd and Hg) in agricultural soils and in sewage sludges used as fertilizers but it has not taken into consideration the potential impacts of other emerging micropollutants that may be present in the biosolids as well as their mobility. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation and mobility of 13 elements (including regulated metals and other inorganic species) in agricultural soils repeatedly amended with biosolids for 15 years. Firstly, three digestions programs using different acid mixtures were tested to evaluate the most accurate and efficient method for analysis of soil and sludge. Results demonstrated that sewage sludge application increased concentrations of Pb and Hg in soil, but values did not exceed the quality standard established by legislation. In addition, other elements (As, Co, Sb, Ag, Se and Mn) that at present are not regulated by the Spanish and European directives were identified in the sewage sludge, and significant differences were found between Ag content in soils amended with biosolids in comparison with control soils. This fact can be related to the increasing use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products due to their antibacterial properties. Results from the leaching tests show up that, in general, the mobility degree for both regulated and non-regulated elements in soils amended with biosolids was quite low (<10 %).

  11. Influence of biochar on volatile fatty acids accumulation and microbial community succession during biosolids composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar; Awasthi, Sanjeev Kumar; Wang, Quan; Wang, Zhen; Lahori, Altaf Hussain; Ren, Xiuna; Chen, Hongyu; Wang, Meijing; Zhao, Junchao; Zhang, Zengqiang

    2018-03-01

    The impact of biochar amendment on volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and odor generation during the biosolids-wheat straw composting was investigated. Five treatments were design using the same mixture of biosolids-wheat straw with different dosage of biochar blending (2%, 4%, 8% and 12% on dry weight basis) and without biochar applied treatment served as control. The results of VFAs and Odour Index (OI) profile designated that compost with 8-12% biochar became more rapidly humified with less quantity of VFAs and OI generation content compared to control. Consequently, the VFAs degrading and total bacterial abundance are also significantly higher recorded in 8-12% biochar than 2% biochar and control. In addition, 8-12% biochar applied treatment has significantly maximum close correlation among the all physicochemical and gaseous emission parameters. Finally, results designated that higher dosage of biochar (8-12% biochar) was more feasible approach for biosolids composting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Brominated flame retardants in U.S. biosolids from the EPA national sewage sludge survey and chemical persistence in outdoor soil mesocosms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatesan, Arjun K.; Halden, Rolf U.

    2014-01-01

    We determined national baseline levels and release inventories of 77 traditional and novel brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in biosolids composites (prepared from 110 samples) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2001 national sewage sludge survey (NSSS). Additionally, analyses were performed on archived samples from a 3-year outdoor mesocosm study to determine the environmental persistence of BFRs in biosolids-amended soil. The total polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE) concentration detected in biosolids composites was 9,400±960 μg/kg dry weight, of which deca-BDE constituted 57% followed by nona- and penta-BDE at 18 and 13%, respectively. The annual mean loading rate estimated from the detected concentrations and approximate annual biosolids production and disposal numbers in the U.S., of the sum of PBDEs and non-BDE BFRs was calculated to be 47,900–60,100 and 12,900–16,200 kg/year, of which 24,000–36,000 and 6,400–9,700 kg/year are applied on land, respectively. Mean concentration of PBDEs were higher in the 2001 samples compared to levels reported in EPA’s 2006/7 Targeted NSSS, reflecting on-going efforts in phasing-out PBDEs in the U.S. In outdoor soil mesocosms, >99% of the initial BFRs mass in the biosolids/soil mixtures (1:2) persisted over the monitoring duration of three years. Estimates of environmental releases may be refined in the future by analyzing individual rather than composited samples, and by integrating currently unavailable data on disposal of biosolids on a plant-specific basis. This study informs the risk assessment of BFRs by furnishing national inventories of BFR occurrence and environmental release via biosolids application on land. PMID:24607311

  13. Improved anaerobic biodegradation of biosolids by the addition of food waste as a co-substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, H.-W.; Han, S.-K.; Song, Y.-C.; Baek, B.-C.; Yoo, K.-S.; Lee, J.-J.; Shin, H.-S.

    2003-07-01

    The temperature phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) process was applied to increase the performance of anaerobic treatment of biosolids. Previously obtained results indicate that this system showed the advantages of thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion process. By comparing the performance of each reactor of the system, it was illustrated that the main stage of methane production was the thermophilic reactor which has faster microbial metabolism. However, the result revealed that substrate characteristics of low VS/TS limited the system performance. Therefore, to evaluate the effect of food waste as a co-substrate for improving anaerobic biodegradability, biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests were conducted in thermophilic conditions with biomass of thermophilic reactor. It was confirmed that the co-digestion of sewage sludge mixed with food waste had a distinct improvement on biodegradability. The most significant advantages were the preferable environment provided by food waste for the growth and activity of anaerobes and the mutual assistance between biosolids and food waste. (author)

  14. IMPLICATIONS OF BIOSOLIDS/COMPOST UTILIZATION ON THE RISK OF SOIL METALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    This presentation summarizes the current work on the fundamental changes in soil mineralogical accomplished by additions of biosolids and P to the system which results in changes in phytoavailability/bioavailability. The concepts of phytoavailability/bioavailability are rather s...

  15. Influence of thermal hydrolysis-anaerobic digestion treatment of wastewater solids on concentrations of Triclosan, Triclocarban, and their transformation products in biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    The growing concern worldwide regarding the presence of emerging contaminants in biosolids calls for a better understanding of how different treatment technologies at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) can influence concentrations prior to biosolids land application. This study focuses on t...

  16. Released fraction of polychlorinated biphenyls from soil-biosolid system using a leaching procedure and its comparison with bioavailable fraction determined by wheat plant uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jachero, Lourdes; Leiva, Claudio; Ahumada, Inés; Richter, Pablo

    2017-11-01

    The bioavailability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soils amended with biosolids was estimated using an aqueous leaching process of the compounds combined with rotating disk sorptive extraction (RDSE), and compared with bioavailability determined through of PCB absorption in wheat plants growing in the same soil-biosolid matrix. The matrices consisted of soil amended with biosolids at doses of 30, 90, and 200 Mg/ha, which increase concomitantly the organic matter content of the matrix. Considering that PCBs were natively absent in both the biosolids and soil used, the compounds were spiked in the biosolids and aged for 10 days. For each biosolid dose, the aqueous leaching profile was studied and equilibrium time was calculated to be 33 h. The leaching fractions determined by RDSE, considering total PCBs studied, were 12, 7, and 6% and the bioavailable fractions absorbed by the wheat root were found to be 0.5, 0.3, and 0.2% for 30, 90, and 200 Mg/ha doses, respectively. Both fractions leachable and bioavailable decrease with both increasing hydrophobicity of the compound (Kow) and increasing in the biosolid dose. It was found that both fractions (leaching and bioavailable) correlated according to the bivariate least squares regression, represented by a coefficient of correlation of 0.86. Therefore, the application of the chemical method involving a leaching procedure is an alternative to estimate the bioavailable fraction of PCBs in wheat plants in a simpler and in a shorter time.

  17. Optimizing Waste Heat Recovery for Class A Biosolids Production from a Combined Cycle Power Plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soroushian, Fred

    2003-07-01

    The City of Corona serves a rapidly growing area of Southern California, The City operates three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) that produce reclaimed water for unrestricted reuse. The sludge from the three WWTPs is transported to a central sludge treatment facility located at WWTP No. 1. The sludge treatment facility consists of sludge receiving, thickening, anaerobic digestion, and dewatering. In the year 2000, the City was faced with two crises. First, the California power shortage and escalating cost of power severely impacted the industry and businesses. Second, bans on Class B biosolids land application and the shutdown of a local privatized composting facility where the bulk of the City's biosolids were processed or reused forced the City to transport bulk waste a much greater distance. To cost-effectively respond to these crises, the City decided to start generating and supplying power to its constituents by constructing a nominal 30-megawatt (MW) power plant. The feasibility study proved that locating the power plant at the City's largest WWTP produced significant synergies. The reclaimed water from the WWTP could be used for power plant cooling, the waste heat from the power plant could be recovered and used in Class A biosolids processes, the digester gas could be used for supplementing the fuel needs of the sludge dryer, and the combined facilities operation was more efficient than physically separate facilities. This paper presents the results of this analysis as well as the construction and operational aspects of the project. (author)

  18. Processes for managing pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godfree, Alan; Farrell, Joseph

    2005-01-01

    Wastewater contains human, animal, and plant pathogens capable of causing viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections. There are several routes whereby sewage pathogens may affect human health, including direct contact, contamination of food crops, zoonoses, and vectors. The range and numbers of pathogens in municipal wastewater vary with the level of endemic disease in the community, discharges from commercial activities, and seasonal factors. Regulations to control pathogen risk in the United States and Europe arising from land application of biosolids are based on the concept of multiple barriers to the prevention of transmission. The barriers are (i) treatment to reduce pathogen content and vector attraction, (ii) restrictions on crops grown on land to which biosolids have been applied, and (iii) minimum intervals following application and grazing or harvesting. Wastewater treatment reduces number of pathogens in the wastewater by concentrating them with the solids in the sludge. Although some treatment processes are designed specifically to inactivate pathogens, many are not, and the actual mechanisms of microbial inactivation are not fully understood for all processes. Vector attraction is reduced by stabilization (reduction of readily biodegradable material) and/or incorporation immediately following application. Concerns about health risks have renewed interest in the effects of treatment (on pathogens) and advanced treatment methods, and work performed in the United States suggests that Class A pathogen reduction can be achieved less expensively than previously thought. Effective pathogen risk management requires control to the complete chain of sludge treatment, biosolids handling and application, and post-application activities. This may be achieved by adherence to quality management systems based on hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) principles.

  19. Rapid determination of natural and synthetic hormones in biosolids and poultry manure by isotope dilution GC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albero, Beatriz; Sánchez-Brunete, Consuelo; Miguel, Esther; Aznar, Ramón; Tadeo, José L

    2014-04-01

    The release of hormones into the environment due to land application of biosolids and manure is a cause of concern for their potential impacts. This paper presents the development of a rapid and sensitive method, based on extraction, for the analysis of 13 hormones in biosolids and poultry manure. A simultaneous derivatization of hydroxyl and ketone groups was carried out for the determination of hormones by GC–MS/MS. The method was validated in three matrices (sewage sludge, manure, and broiler litter). Recoveries from spiked samples at three concentration levels (50, 25, and 10 ng/g) ranged from 76 to 124% with relative SDs ≤ 16%. Method detection limits for the three matrices were in the range of 0.5–3.0 ng/g dry weight. The optimized method was applied to biosolid and poultry manure samples collected in Spain. Only seven of the 13 studied hormones were detected in the different samples. trans-Androsterone was detected at high levels (up to 3.1 μg/g in biosolid samples). Estrone and estradiol were the two hormones detected at higher levels in layer manure, whereas estrone and 4-androstene-3,17-dione presented the highest levels in broiler litter.

  20. Effect of plants on the bioavailability of metals and other chemical properties of biosolids in a column study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, Trang T; Laidlaw, W Scott; Singh, Balwant; Zhang, Hao; Baker, Alan J M

    2012-10-01

    The effects of metal-accumulating plants (Salix x reichardtii and Populus balsamifera) on the chemical properties and dynamics of metals in biosolids were investigated using different techniques including diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), sequential extraction procedures and partitioning coefficient (K(d)). Plants could effectively extract Cd, Ni, and Zn and decreased dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The presence of plants increased the potential bioavailability of these metals, as assessed by an increase in the ratio of metal measured by DGT and metals in the solution. The plants affected the Cd, Ni, and Zn pools (soluble/exchangeable; Fe/Mn oxide and organic matter bound) characterised by sequential extraction and K(d) but did not reduce the total metals in either substrate. However, plants had no effect on Cu, presumably because of the effective buffering of available Cu by organic matter in both solution and solid phases. A high density of plant roots was associated with increased leaching of metals.

  1. Generalized first-order kinetic model for biosolids decomposition and oxidation during hydrothermal treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanableh, A

    2005-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to develop generalized first-order kinetic models to represent hydrothermal decomposition and oxidation of biosolids within a wide range of temperatures (200-450 degrees C). A lumping approach was used in which oxidation of the various organic ingredients was characterized by the chemical oxygen demand (COD), and decomposition was characterized by the particulate (i.e., nonfilterable) chemical oxygen demand (PCOD). Using the Arrhenius equation (k = k(o)e(-Ea/RT)), activation energy (Ea) levels were derived from 42 continuous-flow hydrothermal treatment experiments conducted at temperatures in the range of 200-450 degrees C. Using predetermined values for k(o) in the Arrhenius equation, the activation energies of the various organic ingredients were separated into 42 values for oxidation and a similar number for decomposition. The activation energy values were then classified into levels representing the relative ease at which the organic ingredients of the biosolids were oxidized or decomposed. The resulting simple first-order kinetic models adequately represented, within the experimental data range, hydrothermal decomposition of the organic particles as measured by PCOD and oxidation of the organic content as measured by COD. The modeling approach presented in the paper provide a simple and general framework suitable for assessing the relative reaction rates of the various organic ingredients of biosolids.

  2. VOLATILE ORGANO-METALLOIDS IN BIO-SOLID MATERIALS: ANALYSIS BY VACUUM DISTILLATION-GC/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    An analytical method based on vacuum distillation-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (VD-GC-MS)was developed for determining volatile organo-metalloid contaminants in bio-solid materials. Methodperformance was evaluated for dimethylselenide (DMSe), dimethyldisel...

  3. A greenhouse trial to investigate the ameliorative properties of biosolids and plants on physicochemical conditions of iron ore tailings: Implications for an iron ore mine site remediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cele, Emmanuel Nkosinathi; Maboeta, Mark

    2016-01-01

    An iron ore mine site in Swaziland is currently (2015) in a derelict state as a consequence of past (1964-1988) and present (2011 - current) iron ore mining operations. In order to control problems associated with mine wastes, the Swaziland Water Services Corporation (SWSC) recently (2013) proposed the application of biosolids in sites degraded by mining operations. It is thought that this practice could generally improve soil conditions and enhance plant reestablishment. More importantly, the SWSC foresees this as a potential solution to the biosolids disposal problems. In order to investigate the effects of biosolids and plants in soil physicochemical conditions of iron mine soils, we conducted two plant growth trials. Trial 1 consisted of tailings that received biosolids and topsoil (TUSB mix) while in trial 2, tailings received biosolids only (TB mix). In the two trials, the application rates of 0 (control), 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 t ha(-1) were used. After 30 days of equilibration, 25 seeds of Cynodon dactylon were sown in each pot and thinned to 10 plants after 4 weeks. Plants were watered twice weekly and remained under greenhouse conditions for 12 weeks, subsequent to which soils were subjected to chemical analysis. According to the results obtained, there were significant improvements in soil parameters related to fertility such as organic matter (OM), water holding capacity (WHC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), ammonium [Formula: see text] , magnesium (Mg(2+)), calcium (Ca(2+)) and phosphorus ( [Formula: see text] ). With regard to heavy metals, biosolids led to significant increases in soil total concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and Pb. The higher concentrations of Zn and Cu in treated tailings compared to undisturbed adjacent soils are a cause for concern because in the field, this might work against the broader objectives of mine soil remediation, which include the recolonization of reclaimed sites by soil-dwelling organisms. Therefore, while

  4. Membrane biological reactors to remove nitrate, digest biosolids, and eliminate water flushing requirements within replicated recirculation systems culturing rainbow trout

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nutrients, particularly nitrate (NO3), can accumulate to very high levels within low exchange recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) and negatively impact a number of cultured species. To prevent the harmful effects of nitrate accumulation and to dispose of concentrated waste biosolids, many RAS ar...

  5. Transfer of wastewater associated pharmaceuticals and personal care products to crop plants from biosolids treated soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chenxi; Spongberg, Alison L; Witter, Jason D; Sridhar, B B Maruthi

    2012-11-01

    The plant uptake of emerging organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is receiving increased attention. Biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment have been previously identified as a major source for PPCPs. Thus, plant uptake of PPCPs from biosolids applied soils needs to be understood. In the present study, the uptake of carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and triclocarban by five vegetable crop plants was examined in a field experiment. At the time of harvest, three compounds were detected in all plants grown in biosolids-treated soils. Calculated root concentration factor (RCF) and shoot concentration factor (SCF) are the highest for carbamazepine followed by triclocarban and diphenhydramine. Positive correlation between RCF and root lipid content was observed for carbamazepine but not for diphenhydramine and triclocarban. The results demonstrate the ability of crop plants to accumulate PPCPs from contaminated soils. The plant uptake processes of PPCPs are likely affected by their physico-chemical properties, and their interaction with soil. The difference uptake behavior between plant species could not solely be attributed to the root lipid content. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Synthetic organic chemicals in earthworms from agriculture soil amended with municipal biosolids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Introduction: Biosolids resulting from municipal wastewater treatment are known to contain residues of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) and other synthetic organic compounds. Many of these are contaminants of emerging concern for their potential endocrine disruption of fish and wildli...

  7. The toxicity of silver to soil organisms exposed to silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate in biosolids-amended field soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jesmer, Alexander H; Velicogna, Jessica R; Schwertfeger, Dina M; Scroggins, Richard P; Princz, Juliska I

    2017-10-01

    The use of engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is widespread, with expected release to the terrestrial environment through the application of biosolids onto agricultural lands. The toxicity of AgNPs and silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ; as ionic Ag + ) to plant (Elymus lanceolatus and Trifolium pratense) and soil invertebrate (Eisenia andrei and Folsomia candida) species was assessed using Ag-amended biosolids applied to a natural sandy loam soil. Bioavailable Ag + in soil samples was estimated using an ion-exchange technique applied to KNO 3 soil extracts, whereas exposure to dispersible AgNPs was verified by single-particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. Greater toxicity to plant growth and earthworm reproduction was observed in AgNP exposures relative to those of AgNO 3 , whereas no difference in toxicity was observed for F. candida reproduction. Transformation products in the AgNP-biosolids exposures resulted in larger pools of extractable Ag + than those from AgNO 3 -biosolids exposures, at similar total Ag soil concentrations. The results of the present study reveal intrinsic differences in the behavior and bioavailability of the 2 different forms of Ag within the biosolids-soils pathway. The present study demonstrates how analytical methods that target biologically relevant fractions can be used to advance the understanding of AgNP behavior and toxicity in terrestrial environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2756-2765. © 2017 Crown in the Right of Canada. Published Wiley Periodicals Inc., on behalf of SETAC. © 2017 Crown in the Right of Canada. Published Wiley Periodicals Inc., on behalf of SETAC.

  8. EVALUATION OF THE BIOSOLIDS COMPOST MATURITY IN SOUTH ISFAHAN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Alidadi, A. R. Parvaresh, M. R. Shahmansouri, H. Pourmoghadas

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available The composting process is a useful method of producing a stabilized material that can be used as a source of nutrients and soil conditioner. Maturity of compost is essential for its optimal use as a soil amendment and a source of plant nutrients as well. Immature composts pose problems of malodors and flies and phytotoxicity and pollution during use. Stability and maturity both are required for compost quality control. Compost maturity tests can be classified into physical, chemical, plant, and microbial activity assays. In this study, several methods of evaluating the stability and maturity of composted biosolids were compared based on chemical and biological properties. The sludge used of windrow composting was obtained from the drying beds of South Isfahan wastewater treatment plant. The results showed that, C/N ratio after 100 days of composting reached to 15/1; NH4/NO3 ratio decreased with increase of the time dewatered sludge compost, which this loss is 57.3%. The content of volatile solids, 28.8% decreased with composting time. The number of fecal coliforms in the initial sewage sludge compost was 17.9´106 and at the end of composting was 898MPN/g of total solids and the compost process provided class A pathogen criteria. Use of chemical and biological parameters exhibited three phases: rapid decomposition (day 40, stabilization (day 80 and maturation (day 100 in biosolids compost. Thus, the biosolid compost was mature and ready for use as an agricultural substrate after about 100 days of composting.

  9. The influence of temperature and moisture contents regimes on the aerobic microbial activity of a biosolids composting blend.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, C; Das, K C; McClendon, R W

    2003-01-01

    To understand the relationships between temperature, moisture content, and microbial activity during the composting of biosolids (municipal wastewater treatment sludge), well-controlled incubation experiments were conducted using a 2-factor factorial design with six temperatures (22, 29, 36, 43, 50, and 57 degrees C) and five moisture contents (30, 40, 50, 60, and 70%). The microbial activity was measured as O2 uptake rate (mg g(-1) h(-1)) using a computer controlled respirometer. In this study, moisture content proved to be a dominant factor impacting aerobic microbial activity of the composting blend. Fifty percent moisture content appeared to be the minimal requirement for obtaining activities greater than 1.0 mg g(-1) h(-1). Temperature was also documented to be an important factor for biosolids composting. However, its effect was less influential than moisture content. Particularly, the enhancement of composting activities induced by temperature increment could be realized by increasing moisture content alone.

  10. Efecto del secado térmico y el tratamiento alcalino en las características microbiológicas y químicas de biosólidos de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales domésticas Effect of thermal drying and alkaline treatment on the microbiological and chemical characteristics of biosolids from domestic wastewater treatment plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Silva-Leal

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the effect of thermal drying (60 to 75 ºC and times from 0 to 12.58 h and alkaline treatment (Ca(OH2 and CaO at doses from 8 to 10%. on the microbiological and chemical characteristics of biosolids from the Cañaveralejo WWTP. The results showed that in thermal drying all temperatures studied were sufficient to achieve the sanitation of biosolids. In the alkaline treatment the two types of lime showed the total elimination of fecal coliforms, E. coli and helminth eggs, however, the process of alkalization of biosolids had significant influences on organic carbon and calcium.

  11. Characteristics of biosolids from sludge treatment wetlands for agricultural reuse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Uggetti, Enrica; Ferrer, Ivet; Nielsen, Steen

    2012-01-01

    Sludge treatment wetlands (STW) consist of constructed wetlands systems specifically developed for sludge treatment over the last decades. Sludge dewatering and stabilisation are the main features of this technology, leading to a final product which may be recycled as an organic fertiliser or soi...... legal limits for land application of the sludge. Our results suggest that biosolids from the studied STW can be valorised in agriculture, especially as soil conditioner....

  12. Long term insight into biodiversity of a smelter wasteland reclaimed with biosolids and by-product lime.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siebielec, Sylwia; Siebielec, Grzegorz; Stuczyński, Tomasz; Sugier, Piotr; Grzęda, Emilia; Grządziel, Jarosław

    2018-09-15

    Smelter wastelands containing high amounts of zinc, lead, cadmium, and arsenic constitute a major problem worldwide. Serious hazards for human health and ecosystem functioning are related to a lack of vegetative cover, causing fugitive dust fluxes, runoff and leaching of metals, affecting post-industrial ecosystems, often in heavily populated areas. Previous studies demonstrated the short term effectiveness of assisted phytostabilisation of zinc and lead smelter slags, using biosolids and liming. However, a long term persistence of plant communities introduced for remediation and risk reduction has not been adequately evaluated. The work was aimed at characterising trace element solubility, plant and microbial communities of the top layer of the reclaimed zinc and lead smelter waste heaps in Piekary Slaskie, Poland, 20 years after the treatment and revegetation. The surface layer of the waste heaps treated with various rates of biosolids and the by-product lime was sampled for measuring chemical and biochemical parameters, which are indicative for metals bioavailability as well as for microorganisms activity. Microbial processes were characterised by enzyme activities, abundance of specific groups of microorganisms and identification of N fixing bacteria. Plant communities of the area were characterised by a percent coverage of the surface and by a composition of plant species and plant diversity. The study provides a strong evidence that the implemented remediation approach enables a sustainable functioning of the ecosystem established on the toxic waste heaps. Enzyme activities and the count of various groups of microorganisms were the highest in areas treated with both biosolids and lime, regardless their rates. A high plant species diversity and microbial activities are sustainable after almost two decades from the treatment, which is indicative of a strong resistance of the established ecosystem to a metal stress and a poor physical quality of the

  13. Comparison of Methods to Identify Pathogens and Associated Virulence Functional Genes in Biosolids from Two Different Wastewater Treatment Facilities in Canada.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Etienne Yergeau

    Full Text Available The use of treated municipal wastewater residues (biosolids as fertilizers is an attractive, inexpensive option for growers and farmers. Various regulatory bodies typically employ indicator organisms (fecal coliforms, E. coli and Salmonella to assess the adequacy and efficiency of the wastewater treatment process in reducing pathogen loads in the final product. Molecular detection approaches can offer some advantages over culture-based methods as they can simultaneously detect a wider microbial species range, including non-cultivable microorganisms. However, they cannot directly assess the viability of the pathogens. Here, we used bacterial enumeration methods together with molecular methods including qPCR, 16S rRNA and cpn60 gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare pre- and post-treatment biosolids from two Canadian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs. Our results show that an anaerobic digestion WWTP was unsuccessful at reducing the live indicator organism load (coliforms, generic E. coli and Salmonella below acceptable regulatory criteria, while biosolids from a dewatering/pelletization WWTP met these criteria. DNA from other pathogens was detected by the molecular methods, but these species were considered less abundant. Clostridium DNA increased significantly following anaerobic digestion treatments. In addition to pathogen DNA, genes related to virulence and antibiotic resistance were identified in treated biosolids. Shotgun metagenomics revealed the widest range of pathogen DNA and, among the approaches used here, was the only approach that could access functional gene information in treated biosolids. Overall, our results highlight the potential usefulness of amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics as complementary screening methods that could be used in parallel with culture-based methods, although more detailed comparisons across a wider range of sites would be needed.

  14. STANDARDIZATION AND VALIDATION OF METHODS FOR ENUMERATION OF FECAL COLIFORM AND SALMONELLA IN BIOSOLIDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Current federal regulations require monitoring for fecal coliforms or Salmonella in biosolids destined for land application. Methods used for analysis of fecal coliforms and Salmonella were reviewed and a standard protocol was developed. The protocols were then evaluated by testi...

  15. Sludge, biosolids, and the propaganda model of communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rampton, Sheldon

    2002-01-01

    The Water Environment Federation's elaborate effort to rename sewage sludge as "biosolids" is an example in practice of the "propaganda model" of communications, which sees its task as indoctrinating target audiences with ideas favorable to the interests of the communicators. The propaganda model assumes that members of the public are irrational and focuses therefore on symbolic and emotional aspects of communication. This approach to communicating arouses public resentment rather than trust. In place of a "propaganda model," public officials should adopt a "democratic model," which assumes that audiences are rational and intellectually capable of meaningful participation in decision-making.

  16. Human health risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in plant tissue due to biosolids and manure amendments, and wastewater irrigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prosser, R S; Sibley, P K

    2015-02-01

    Amending soil with biosolids or livestock manure provides essential nutrients in agriculture. Irrigation with wastewater allows for agriculture in regions where water resources are limited. However, biosolids, manure and wastewater have all been shown to contain pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Studies have shown that PPCPs can accumulate in the tissues of plants but the risk that accumulated residues may pose to humans via consumption of edible portions is not well documented. This study reviewed the literature for studies that reported residues of PPCPs in the edible tissue of plants grown in biosolids- or manure-amended soils or irrigated with wastewater. These residues were used to determine the estimated daily intake of PPCPs for an adult and toddler. Estimated daily intake values were compared to acceptable daily intakes to determine whether PPCPs in plant tissue pose a hazard to human health. For all three amendment practices, the majority of reported residues resulted in hazard quotients plants to concentrations of PPCPs that would not be considered relevant based on concentrations reported in biosolids and manure or unrealistic methods of exposure, which lead to artificially elevated plant residues. Our assessment indicates that the majority of individual PPCPs in the edible tissue of plants due to biosolids or manure amendment or wastewater irrigation represent a de minimis risk to human health. Assuming additivity, the mixture of PPCPs could potentially present a hazard. Further work needs to be done to assess the risk of the mixture of PPCPs that may be present in edible tissue of plants grown under these three amendment practices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Phytoaccumulation of antimicrobials from biosolids: impacts on environmental fate and relevance to human exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aryal, Niroj; Reinhold, Dawn M

    2011-11-01

    Triclocarban and triclosan, two antimicrobials widely used in consumer products, can adversely affect ecosystems and potentially impact human health. The application of biosolids to agricultural fields introduces triclocarban and triclosan to soil and water resources. This research examined the phytoaccumulation of antimicrobials, effects of plant growth on migration of antimicrobials to water resources, and relevance of phytoaccumulation in human exposure to antimicrobials. Pumpkin, zucchini, and switch grass were grown in soil columns to which biosolids were applied. Leachate from soil columns was assessed every other week for triclocarban and triclosan. At the end of the trial, concentrations of triclocarban and triclosan were determined for soil, roots, stems, and leaves. Results indicated that plants can reduce leaching of antimicrobials to water resources. Pumpkin and zucchini growth significantly reduced soil concentrations of triclosan to less than 0.001 mg/kg, while zucchini significantly reduced soil concentrations of triclocarban to 0.04 mg/kg. Pumpkin, zucchini, and switch grass accumulated triclocarban and triclosan in mg per kg (dry) concentrations. Potential human exposure to triclocarban from consumption of pumpkin or zucchini was substantially less than exposure from product use, but was greater than exposure from drinking water consumption. Consequently, research indicated that pumpkin and zucchini may beneficially impact the fate of antimicrobials in agricultural fields, while presenting minimal acute risk to human health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Impact of biosolids on the persistence and dissipation pathways of triclosan and triclocarban in an agricultural soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Al-Rajab, Abdul Jabbar; Sabourin, Lyne; Scott, Andrew [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada N5V 4T3 (Canada); Lapen, David R. [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0C6 (Canada); Topp, Edward [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada N5V 4T3 (Canada)

    2009-11-15

    The broad spectrum antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are widely used in many personal care products. Knowledge concerning the fate of these two compounds in different environmental matrices is scarce. In this study, the fate of TCS and TCC in soil following direct addition, or when residues were applied via either liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) or dewatered municipal biosolids (DMB) was investigated in laboratory dissipation experiments and under outdoor conditions using radioisotope methods. In laboratory incubations, {sup 14}C-TCC or {sup 14}C-TCS was added to microcosms containing a loam soil and the rate of {sup 14}CO{sub 2} accumulation and loss of solvent-extractable {sup 14}C were determined during incubation at 30 {sup o}C. Compared to when TCC or TCS was added directly to soil, both chemicals were mineralized more rapidly when applied in LMB, and both were mineralized more slowly when applied in DMB. The application matrix had no effect on the rate of removal of extractable residues. In field experiments, parent compounds were incorporated directly in soil, incorporated via LMB, or a single aggregate of amended DMB was applied to the soil surface. During the experiment soil temperatures ranged from 20 {sup o}C to 10 {sup o}C. Dissipation was much slower in the field than in the laboratory experiments. Removal of non-extractable residues was faster in the presence of LMB than the other treatments. Recovery of extractable and non-extractable residues suggested that there was little atmospheric loss of {sup 14}C. Triclocarban readily formed non-extractable residues with DMB whereas TCS did not. Overall, this study has identified that both the pathways and the kinetics of TCS and TCC dissipation in soil are different when the chemicals are carried in biosolids compared to when these chemicals are added directly to the soil.

  19. Impact of biosolids on the persistence and dissipation pathways of triclosan and triclocarban in an agricultural soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Rajab, Abdul Jabbar; Sabourin, Lyne; Scott, Andrew; Lapen, David R.; Topp, Edward

    2009-01-01

    The broad spectrum antimicrobial agents triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are widely used in many personal care products. Knowledge concerning the fate of these two compounds in different environmental matrices is scarce. In this study, the fate of TCS and TCC in soil following direct addition, or when residues were applied via either liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) or dewatered municipal biosolids (DMB) was investigated in laboratory dissipation experiments and under outdoor conditions using radioisotope methods. In laboratory incubations, 14 C-TCC or 14 C-TCS was added to microcosms containing a loam soil and the rate of 14 CO 2 accumulation and loss of solvent-extractable 14 C were determined during incubation at 30 o C. Compared to when TCC or TCS was added directly to soil, both chemicals were mineralized more rapidly when applied in LMB, and both were mineralized more slowly when applied in DMB. The application matrix had no effect on the rate of removal of extractable residues. In field experiments, parent compounds were incorporated directly in soil, incorporated via LMB, or a single aggregate of amended DMB was applied to the soil surface. During the experiment soil temperatures ranged from 20 o C to 10 o C. Dissipation was much slower in the field than in the laboratory experiments. Removal of non-extractable residues was faster in the presence of LMB than the other treatments. Recovery of extractable and non-extractable residues suggested that there was little atmospheric loss of 14 C. Triclocarban readily formed non-extractable residues with DMB whereas TCS did not. Overall, this study has identified that both the pathways and the kinetics of TCS and TCC dissipation in soil are different when the chemicals are carried in biosolids compared to when these chemicals are added directly to the soil.

  20. CRITICAL EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SEWAGE SLUDGE DISINFECTION AND VECTOR ATTRACTION REDUCTION PROCESSES

    Science.gov (United States)

    What is the current state of management practices for biosolids production and application, and how can those be made more effective? How effective are Class B disinfection and vector attraction processes, and public access and harvesting restrictions at reducing the public's exp...

  1. Uptake of perfluoroalkyl acids into edible crops via land applied biosolids: Field and greenhouse studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    The presence of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in biosolids destined for use in agriculture has raised concerns about their potential to enter the terrestrial food chain via bioaccumulation in edible plants. Uptake of PFAAs by greenhouse lettuce ( Lactuca sativa) and tomato (Lycope...

  2. Influence of long-term land application of class B biosolids on soil bacterial diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    This project evaluated the influence of annual land applications of Class B biosolids on soil bacterial diversity monitored over a 20 year period. Each annual land application was followed by a cotton crop. The study was initiated in 1986 at the University of Arizona Marana Agricultural Center, 21 m...

  3. Bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals and other anthropogenic waste indicators in earthworms from agricultural soil amended with biosolid or swine manure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinney, C.A.; Furlong, E.T.; Kolpin, D.W.; Burkhardt, M.R.; Zaugg, S.D.; Werner, S.L.; Bossio, J.P.; Benotti, M.J.

    2008-01-01

    Analysis of earthworms offers potential for assessing the transfer of organic anthropogenic waste indicators (AWIs) derived from land-applied biosolid or manure to biota. Earthworms and soil samples were collected from three Midwest agricultural fields to measure the presence and potential for transfer of 77 AWIs from land-applied biosolids and livestock manure to earthworms. The sites consisted of a soybean field with no amendments of human or livestock waste (Site 1), a soybean field amended with biosolids from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (Site 2), and a cornfield amended with swine manure (Site 3). The biosolid applied to Site 2 contained a diverse composition of 28 AWIs, reflecting the presence of human-use compounds. The swine manure contained 12 AWIs, and was dominated by biogenic sterols. Soil and earthworm samples were collected in the spring (about 30 days after soil amendment) and fall (140-155 days after soil amendment) at all field sites. Soils from Site 1 contained 21 AWIs and soil from Sites 2 and 3 contained 19 AWIs. The AWI profiles at Sites 2 and 3 generally reflected the relative composition of AWIs present in waste material applied. There were 20 AWIs detected in earthworms from Site 1 (three compounds exceeding concentrations of 1000 ??g/kg), 25 AWIs in earthworms from Site 2 (seven compounds exceeding concentrations of 1000 ??g/kg), and 21 AWIs in earthworms from Site 3 (five compounds exceeding concentrations of 1000 ??g/kg). A number of compounds thatwere present in the earthworm tissue were at concentrations less than reporting levels in the corresponding soil samples. The AWIs detected in earthworm tissue from the three field sites included pharmaceuticals, synthetic fragrances, detergent metabolites, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), biogenic sterols, disinfectants, and pesticides, reflecting a wide range of physicochemical properties. For those contaminants detected in earthworm tissue and soil, bioaccumulation factors

  4. Inactivation of Adenovirus Type 5, Rotavirus WA and Male Specific Coliphage (MS2 in Biosolids by Lime Stabilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aaron B. Margolin

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The use of lime to reduce or eliminate pathogen content is a cost-effective treatment currently employed in many Class B biosolids production plants in the United States. A bench scale model of lime stabilization was designed to evaluate the survival of adenovirus type 5, rotavirus Wa, and the male specific bacteriophage, MS2, in various matrices. Each virus was initially evaluated independently in a reverse osmosis treated water matrix limed with an aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide for 24-hr at 22 ± 5°C. In all R/O water trials, adenovirus type 5, rotavirus Wa and MS2 were below detectable levels (<100.5 TCID50/mL and <1 PFU/mL respectively following 0.1-hr of liming. Adenovirus type 5, rotavirus Wa, and MS2, were inoculated into composted, raw and previously limed matrices, representative of sludge and biosolids, to achieve a final concentration of approximately 104 PFU or TCID50/mL. Each matrix was limed for 24-hr at 22 ± 5°C and 4 ± 2°C. In all trials virus was below detectable levels following a 24-hr incubation. The time required for viral inactivation varied depending on the temperature and sample matrix. This research demonstrates reduction of adenovirus type 5, rotavirus Wa, and male-specific bacteriophage, in water, sludge and biosolids matrices following addition of an 8% calcium hydroxide slurry to achieve a pH of 12 for 2-hr reduced to 11.5 for 22-hr by addition of 0.1 N HCl. In these trials, MS2 was a conservative indicator of the efficacy of lime stabilization of adenovirus Type 5 and rotavirus Wa and therefore is proposed as a useful indicator organism.

  5. Perfluoroalkyl acid distribution in various plant compartments of edible crops grown in biosolids-amended soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crop uptake of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) from biosolids-amended soil has been identified as a potential pathway for PFAA entry into the terrestrial food chain. This study compared the uptake of PFAAs in greenhouse-grown radish (Raphanus sativus), celery (Apium graveolens var.d...

  6. Non-labile silver species in biosolids remain stable throughout 50 years of weathering and ageing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Increasing commercial use of nanosilver has focussed attention on the fate of silver (Ag) in the wastewater release pathway. This paper reports the speciation and lability of Ag in archived, stockpiled, and contemporary biosolids from the UK, USA and Australia, and indicates that...

  7. A BETTER INDICATOR STUDY EXAMINES ALTERNATIVE BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF DISINFECTION IN LIME-TREATED BIOSOLIDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Under the current regulations (CFR 503), Class B biosolids may be land applied with certain site restrictions. One method for achieving Class B status is to raise the pH of the sludge to >12 for a minimum of 2 hours with an alkaline material (normally lime). Alternately, a Clas...

  8. Combustion of Biosolids in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed, Part 1: Main Ash-Forming Elements and Ash Distribution with a Focus on Phosphorus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skoglund, Nils; Grimm, Alejandro; Ohman, Marcus; Boström, Dan

    2014-02-20

    This is the first in a series of three papers describing combustion of biosolids in a 5-kW bubbling fluidized bed, the ash chemistry, and possible application of the ash produced as a fertilizing agent. This part of the study aims to clarify whether the distribution of main ash forming elements from biosolids can be changed by modifying the fuel matrix, the crystalline compounds of which can be identified in the raw materials and what role the total composition may play for which compounds are formed during combustion. The biosolids were subjected to low-temperature ashing to investigate which crystalline compounds that were present in the raw materials. Combustion experiments of two different types of biosolids were conducted in a 5-kW benchscale bubbling fluidized bed at two different bed temperatures and with two different additives. The additives were chosen to investigate whether the addition of alkali (K 2 CO 3 ) and alkaline-earth metal (CaCO 3 ) would affect the speciation of phosphorus, so the molar ratios targeted in modified fuels were P:K = 1:1 and P:K:Ca = 1:1:1, respectively. After combustion the ash fractions were collected, the ash distribution was determined and the ash fractions were analyzed with regards to elemental composition (ICP-AES and SEM-EDS) and part of the bed ash was also analyzed qualitatively using XRD. There was no evidence of zeolites in the unmodified fuels, based on low-temperature ashing. During combustion, the biosolid pellets formed large bed ash particles, ash pellets, which contained most of the total ash content (54%-95% (w/w)). This ash fraction contained most of the phosphorus found in the ash and the only phosphate that was identified was a whitlockite, Ca 9 (K,Mg,Fe)(PO 4 ) 7 , for all fuels and fuel mixtures. With the addition of potassium, cristobalite (SiO 2 ) could no longer be identified via X-ray diffraction (XRD) in the bed ash particles and leucite (KAlSi 2 O 6 ) was formed. Most of the alkaline-earth metals

  9. Diptera of sanitary importance associated with composting of biosolids in Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria Alejandra Labud

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Odorous compounds produced at the biosolids composting plant in Bariloche (NW Patagonia attract a variety of insects, mainly belonging to the order Diptera. In order to characterize these flies, collected specimens were taxonomically identified, their community characteristics were described and their sanitary and synanthropic importance and autochthonous or introduced character were determined. METHODS: Sampling was performed from October 1999 until March 2000. Adults were collected using an entomological net, and larvae and puparia were obtained from the composting material and incubated to obtain adults. Richness, abundance and sex ratio were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 9 taxa of Diptera were identified: Sarconesia chlorogaster, Phaenicia sericata, Calliphora vicina, Cochliomya macellaria, Ophyra sp, Muscina stabulans, Musca domestica, Sarcophaga sp and Fannia sp. Specimens of Anthomyiidae, Acaliptratae and one larva of Eristalis tenax were also found. Ophyra sp. was the most abundant taxa. All the captured Diptera belonged to introduced taxa. Most of them are considered to be eusynanthropic and/or hemisynanthropic and have sanitary importance as they may cause myiasis and pseudomyiasis. The high number of females registered and the finding of immature stages indicated that flies can develop their complete life cycle on biosolid composting windrows. CONCLUSIONS: The characterization of flies obtained in this study may be useful for defining locations of urban or semi-urban composting facilities. It also highlights the importance of sanitary precautions at such plants.

  10. Modelling the risk of nitrate leaching from two soils amended with five different biosolids Modelagem do risco de lixiviação de nitrato em dois solos tratados com cinco diferentes biossólidos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo Studart Corrêa

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available High N concentrations in biosolids are one of the strongest reasons for their agricultural use. However, it is essential to understand the fate of N in soils treated with biosolids for both plant nutrition and managing the environmental risk of NO3--N leaching. This work aimed at evaluating the risk of NO3--N leaching from a Spodosol and an Oxisol, each one treated with 0.5-8.0 dry Mg ha-1 of fresh tertiary sewage sludge, composted biosolids, limed biosolids, heat-dried biosolids and solar-irradiated biosolids. Results indicated that under similar application rates NO3--N accumulated up to three times more in the 20 cm topsoil of the Oxisol than the Spodosol. However, a higher water content held at field capacity in the Oxisol compensated for the greater nitrate concentrations. A 20 % NO3--N loss from the root zone in the amended Oxisol could be expected. Depending on the biosolids type, 42 to 76 % of the NO3--N accumulated in the Spodosol could be expected to leach down from the amended 20 cm topsoil. NO3--N expected to leach from the Spodosol ranged from 0.8 (composted sludge to 3.5 times (limed sludge the amounts leaching from the Oxisol treated alike. Nevertheless, the risk of NO3--N groundwater contamination as a result of a single biosolids land application at 0.5-8.0 dry Mg ha-1 could be considered low.Concentrações altas de nitrogênio (N em biossólidos são uma das maiores razões para a utilização agronômica deles. Entretanto, é essencial entender o destino do N em solos tratados com biossólidos, tanto por motivos de nutrição vegetal quanto para manejar o risco ambiental representado pela lixiviação de nitrato. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o risco de lixiviação de nitrato em um Espodossolo e em um Latossolo, cada um tratado com doses de 0,5 a 8,0 Mg ha-1 de biossólido fresco, biossólido compostado, biossólido caleado, biossólido seco a calor e biossólido irradiado por sol. Os resultados mostraram que

  11. Fate of synthetic musks in a domestic wastewater treatment plant and in an agricultural field amended with biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.-J.; Metcalfe, Chris D.

    2006-01-01

    Synthetic musks are widely used as fragrance ingredients in personal care products, and they enter domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) through discharges into municipal sewage systems. Samples of aqueous sewage and biosolids collected from the Peterborough Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Ontario, Canada were analyzed for 11 synthetic musk compounds using GC/MS. The results showed that 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-cyclopenta[g]-2-benzopyrane (HHCB, 173.1 ± 43.4 ng/L) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-tetrahydronaphthalene (AHTN, 41.6 ± 15.8 ng/L) were the dominant fragrances in sewage, but other polycyclic musks and nitro musks were present at lower concentrations. The concentrations of HHCB and AHTN in the aqueous phase of the sewage were highly correlated with both BOD 5 and TOC. The overall removal efficiency of synthetic musks from the aqueous sewage in the WWTP ranged from 43.3% to 56.9%, but removal occurred mainly by partitioning into the biosolids. Based on a mass balance model, the daily input and output of HHCB and AHTN in the Peterborough WWTP were 47 g and 46 g, respectively. In an agricultural field amended with biosolids from the Peterborough WWTP, HHCB and AHTN were detected in soil immediately after application at mean concentrations of 1.0 and 1.3 μg/kg, respectively, but concentrations declined relatively rapidly over the next 6 weeks, post-application

  12. Determination of inorganic and organic priority pollutants in biosolids from meat processing industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sena, Rennio F. de; Tambosi, Jose L.; Floriani, Silvia L.; Virmond, Elaine; Schroeder, Horst Fr.; Moreira, Regina F.P.M.; Jose, Humberto J.

    2009-01-01

    The biosolids (BS) generated in the wastewater treatment process of a meat processing plant were monitored and the priority pollutant content was characterized. The trace metal and organic pollutant content - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) - were determined quantitatively and compared to guideline limits established by the US EPA and EU. PCBs were not detected in the solid samples, while trace metals, PAHs and PCDD/PCDF were detected in concentrations below the limits established by international standards. Toxic equivalent factors were evaluated for the biosolids, and the results proved that these wastes can be safely deposited on land or used in combustion/incineration plants. Since no previous data were found for meat processing waste, comparisons were made using municipal sewage sludge data reported in the literature. Since, this report monitored part of the priority pollutants established by the US EPA for meat and poultry processing wastewater and sludge, the results verified that low pollution loads are generated by the meat processing plant located in the southern part of Brazil. However, the BS generated in the treatment processes are in accordance with the limits established for waste disposal and even for soil fertilizer.

  13. Characterization of Environmental Nano- and Macrocolloid Particles Extracted from Selected Soils and Biosolids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. L. Ghezzi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Environmental nanoparticles found in soil systems and biosolids may pose a considerable risk to groundwater quality as contaminant carriers. Little effort has been invested in the characterization of natural nanocolloids compared to corresponding macrocolloids. This study involved physicochemical, mineralogical, and morphological characterizations of nanocolloids and macrocolloids fractionated from three Kentucky soils and one biosolid. Particle size and morphology were investigated using scanning/transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Mineralogical composition was determined by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. Zeta potentials and cation exchange capacities assessed surface charge and chemical reactivity. The estimated average hydrodynamic diameter of nanoparticles was nearly twice the ideal 100 nm range, apparently due to irregular particle shapes and partial aggregation. Nanoparticles were also found attached to surfaces of macrocolloids, forming macro-nano aggregates and obscuring some of their physical and chemical characteristics. However, nanocolloids exhibited greater surface reactivity, likely due to their smaller size, poor crystallinity, and morphological shape distortions. In spite of some behavior modification due to nanoaggregation phenomena, nanocolloids appeared to be much more potent vectors of contaminant transport in subsurface environments than their macrosize fractions. Nevertheless, their heterogeneous nature brings to light important considerations in addressing pollution prevention and remediation challenges.

  14. Biosolids recycling : a proposed methodology for the assessment of the impact on groundwater

    OpenAIRE

    Robins, N.S.

    2005-01-01

    A groundwater risk assessment protocol is needed for land restoration schemes using recycled biosolids. A hydrogeological risk assessment for the Darnconner site in East Ayrshire [NS5723 to NS5823] has been used as a case study to develop the protocol. The proposed outline for developing the protocol included the following components: 1. Gather available geological information for the site and environs from 1: 50 000 scale geological maps and more detailed information where ava...

  15. Diagnose foliar em mudas de pinhão-manso (Jatropha Curcas L. produzidas com biossólido Foliar analysis of jatropha (Jatropha curcas L. seedlings grown with biosolid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alirio C. D. Maldonado Reginaldo de Camargo

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available O uso do biossólido na agricultura tem-se mostrado a melhor alternativa ambiental e econômica para o destino do lodo de esgoto. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial nutricional do biossólido para produção de mudas de pinhão-manso em tubetes. O experimento foi realizado em casa de vegetação tendo, como substrato, esterco bovino, vermiculita e biossólido. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos casualizados com três repetições em esquema fatorial 5 x 2, correspondendo às concentrações de biossólido no substrato (0, 10, 20, 30 e 40% e ao tratamento ou não das sementes de pinhão-manso com fungicida. Aos 60 dias foi realizada análise foliar. Relativo às concentrações de biossólido verificou-se efeito significativo para os macronutrientes N, P, Ca, Mg e S e micronutrientes B, Cu, Mn e Zn. O tratamento de sementes teve efeito significativo para o Zn. As folhas apresentaram concentração de macronutrientes com a seguinte ordem: N > K > Mg > Ca > P > S. O acúmulo de micronutrientes apresentou a seguinte ordem: Fé > Mn >Zn > B > Cu. Há grande contribuição do biossólido nos teores de nitrogênio, enxofre e micronutrientes foliares, em plantas de pinhão-manso.The use of biosolids in agriculture has proven to be the best alternative for the environmental and economic destination of sewage sludge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional potential of biosolids to produce jatropha seedlings in polytube. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse using as substrate manure, biosolids and vermiculite. The experimental design was in randomized block with three replications in a 5 x 2 factorial, corresponding to the substrate concentrations in sewage sludge (0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%, and the treatment or not of the seeds of jatropha with fungicide. At 60 days, leaf analysis was performed. Regarding the biosolids concentrations, significant effect was verified for the macronutrients N, P, Ca, Mg and S

  16. Wastewater and Sludge Reuse Management in Agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioannis K. Kalavrouziotis

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Huge quantities of treated wastewater (TMWW and biosolids (sludge are produced every day all over the world, which exert a strong pressure on the environment. An important question that is raised is “what to do with them?”.An effort is put by the scientific community to eliminate the concept of “waste” and to replace it with the concept of “recycling of resources”, by means of effective management, which does not concern only the users, but all the other groups involved in the problem, such as facility administrators, operations, politicians, scientific community and the general population. Sludge concentration data showed that there exist 516 chemicals in biosolids which create a serious health risk. It is pointed out that this risk will be greatly exacerbated by chemical toxins present in the sludge which can predispose skin to infection by pathogens. Consequently, the need for science-based policies are necessary to effectively protect public health. The risk assessment due to sludge, is difficult to evaluate of due to the large number of unknown interactions involved. People living near the sludge application sites may suffer from such abnormalities as: eye, nose, and throat irritation, gastrointestinal abnormalities, as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, including cough, difficulty in breathing, sinus congestion, skin infection and sores. Many problems seem to be related to biosolid and wastewater application in agriculture, which should be solved. A universal one, acknowledged as an “international health crisis” is the resistance of pathogens to antibiotics and to the evolution of multidrug resistance of bacteria”. Certain anthropogenically created environments have been identified as major sources of multidrug resistance bacteria such as in water treatment plants, concentrated animal feeding operations etc. All these, and many other health problems, render the safety of sludge and biosolid and wastewater agricultural reuse, for

  17. Application of phytotoxicity data to a new Australian soil quality guideline framework for biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heemsbergen, Diane A.; Warne, Michael St.J.; Broos, Kris; Bell, Mike; Nash, David; McLaughlin, Mike; Whatmuff, Mark; Barry, Glenn; Pritchard, Deb; Penney, Nancy

    2009-01-01

    To protect terrestrial ecosystems and humans from contaminants many countries and jurisdictions have developed soil quality guidelines (SQGs). This study proposes a new framework to derive SQGs and guidelines for amended soils and uses a case study based on phytotoxicity data of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) from field studies to illustrate how the framework could be applied. The proposed framework uses normalisation relationships to account for the effects of soil properties on toxicity data followed by a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method to calculate a soil added contaminant limit (soil ACL) for a standard soil. The normalisation equations are then used to calculate soil ACLs for other soils. A soil amendment availability factor (SAAF) is then calculated as the toxicity and bioavailability of pure contaminants and contaminants in amendments can be different. The SAAF is used to modify soil ACLs to ACLs for amended soils. The framework was then used to calculate soil ACLs for copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). For soils with pH of 4-8 and OC content of 1-6%, the ACLs range from 8 mg/kg to 970 mg/kg added Cu. The SAAF for Cu was pH dependant and varied from 1.44 at pH 4 to 2.15 at pH 8. For soils with pH of 4-8 and OC content of 1-6%, the ACLs for amended soils range from 11 mg/kg to 2080 mg/kg added Cu. For soils with pH of 4-8 and a CEC from 5-60, the ACLs for Zn ranged from 21 to 1470 mg/kg added Zn. A SAAF of one was used for Zn as it concentrations in plant tissue and soil to water partitioning showed no difference between biosolids and soluble Zn salt treatments, indicating that Zn from biosolids and Zn salts are equally bioavailable to plants

  18. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in tile drainage following surface spreading and injection of dewatered municipal biosolids to an agricultural field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, M; Topp, E; Metcalfe, C D; Li, H; Gottschall, N; Bolton, P; Curnoe, W; Payne, M; Beck, A; Kleywegt, S; Lapen, D R

    2009-07-01

    Land application of municipal biosolids can be a source of environmental contamination by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). This study examined PPCP concentrations/temporally discrete mass loads in agricultural tile drainage systems where two applications of biosolids had previously taken place. The field plots received liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) in the fall of 2005 at an application rate of approximately 93,500 L ha (-1), and a second land application was conducted using dewatered municipal biosolids (DMB) applied at a rate of approximately 8Mg dw ha (-1) in the summer of 2006 [corrected].The DMB land application treatments consisted of direct injection (DI) of the DMB beneath the soil surface at a nominal depth of approximately 0.11 m, and surface spreading (SS) plus subsequent tillage incorporation of DMB in the topsoil (approximately 0.10 m depth). The PPCPs examined included eight pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, naproxen, carbamazepine, atenolol, sulfamethoxazole), the nicotine metabolite cotinine, and two antibacterial personal care products triclosan and triclocarban. Residues of naproxen, cotinine, atenolol and triclosan originating from the fall 2005 LMB application were detected in tile water nearly nine months after application (triclocarban was not measured in 2005). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in PPCP mass loads among the two DMB land application treatments (i.e., SS vs. DI); although, average PPCP mass loads late in the study season (>100 days after application) were consistently higher for the DI treatment relative to the SS treatment. While the concentration of triclosan (approximately 14,000 ng g(-1) dw) in DMB was about twice that of triclocarban (approximately 8000 ng g(-1) dw), the average tile water concentrations for triclosan were much higher (43+/-5 ng L(-1)) than they were for triclocarban (0.73+/-0.14 ng L(-1)). Triclosan concentrations (maximum observed in 2006

  19. Utilização do biossólido da CAESB na produção de milho no Distrito Federal Use of biosolids for corn (Zea mays, L. production in the Federal District

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Lemainski

    2006-08-01

    activities. The Companhia de Saneamento Ambiental do Distrito Federal (CAESB processes 400 t of biosolids a day that is rich in mineral nutrients and organic matter. Despite the lack of local agronomic criteria for use, biosolids has found a growing demand in grain, fruit crops, coffee and pastures cultivation. To evaluate the immediate (first year and residual (second year effects on corn production, humid biosolids (water content 900 g kg-1 was applied onto a dystrophic clayey Red Latosol at rates of 7.5, 15, 30, and 45 t ha-1 and compared to a mineral fertilizer mixture applied in equivalent N, P2O5 and K2O amounts. Both biosolids and mineral fertilizer were applied once before the first crop. A random block design was used with three replications. Corn yields in the first and second crops seasons amounted to, respectively, 7.41 and 5.70 t ha-1 of grains (at the rate of 30 t ha-1 of biosolids and 7.38 and 5.88 t ha-1 (at the rate of 45 t ha-1. All grain yields were higher than average Brazilian standards for corn and showed the immediate and residual effects of biosolids as fertilizer. Based on the second degree equation adjusted to average data: Y = 768.24** + 320.56**x - 4.2335**x², R² = 0.9995 (Y, yield and x, biosolids rate, the estimated maximum corn productivity (6.84 t ha-1 would be obtained at a rate of 37.8 t ha-1. The best cost-benefit ratio (1.90, average of two growing seasons was obtained with the application of 30 t ha-1. The biosolids were on average 21 % more efficient than mineral fertilizers. Results indicate that the CAESB biosolids have a good potential to be used as fertilizer for corn production in the Federal District.

  20. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in tile drainage following land application of municipal biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapen, D R; Topp, E; Metcalfe, C D; Li, H; Edwards, M; Gottschall, N; Bolton, P; Curnoe, W; Payne, M; Beck, A

    2008-07-25

    Land application of municipal biosolids (sewage) is a common farming practice in many parts of the world. There is potential for transport of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from agricultural fields to adjacent surface waters via tile drainage systems. In this study, liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) (total solids=11,933 mg L(-1)), supplemented with selected PPCPs and the fluorescent dye tracer rhodamine WT (RWT), were applied to tile drained fields using two land application approaches. Objectives included evaluating the relative benefits of land application practices with respect to reducing PPCP loadings to tile drains, evaluating PPCP persistence in tile water, and determining whether rhodamine WT can be used to estimate PPCP mass loads in tile. The PPCPs examined included an antibacterial agent used in personal care products (triclosan), a metabolite of nicotine (cotinine), and a variety of drugs including two sulfonamide antimicrobials (sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole), a beta-blocker (atenolol), an anti-epileptic (carbamazepine), an antidepressant (fluoxetine), analgesic/anti-inflammatories (acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen), and a lipid-regulator (gemfibrozil). Maximum observed PPCP concentrations in the spiked LMB were about 10(3) ng g(-1) dry weight. PPCPs were shown to move rapidly via soil macropores to tile drains within minutes of the land application. Maximum observed PPCP concentrations in tile effluent associated with the LMB application-induced tile flow event were approximately 10(1) to 10(3) ng L(-1). PPCP mass loads, for the application-induced tile-hydrograph event, were significantly (ptile water during several precipitation-induced tile flow events that occurred post-application, included: triclosan (max. approximately 1.5 x 10(2) ng L(-1)), carbamazepine (max. approximately 7 x 10(1) ng L(-1)), atenolol (max approximately 4 x 10(1) ng L(-1)), and cotinine (max approximately 2 x 10(1) ng L(-1)). In spite of their presence

  1. MANAGING AVIAN FLU, CARCASS MANAGEMENT & BIOSOLIDS

    Science.gov (United States)

    The avian influenza virus is discussed with emphasis on the impact to poultry and possible movement of the highly pathogenic H5N 1 virus to humans. A review is made of the worldwide effects to date of the avian influenza viruses; methods for the viruses to enter recreational wate...

  2. Nitrogen fixation and growth response of Alnus Rubra following fertiliztion with urea or biosolids Fixação de nitrogênio e crescimento de Alnus Rubra fertilização com uréia ou biosólidos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda S. Gaulke

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Nitrogen fertilization of forests using biosolids offers a potentially environmentally friendly means to accelerate tree growth. This field study was designed to analyze the effects of nitrogen fertilization on the symbiotic, nitrogen (N-fixing relationship between Alnus rubra Bong. (red alder and Frankia. Anaerobically digested, class B biosolids and synthetic urea (46% N were applied at rates of 140, 280 and 560 kg ha-1 available N to a well-drained, sandy, glacial outwash soil in the Indianola series (mixed, mesic Dystric Xeropsamments. Plots were planted with A. rubra seedlings. At the end of each of two growing seasons trees were harvested and analyzed for the rate of N fixation (as acetylene reduction activity, biomass and foliar N. At year 1, there was no N fixation for trees grown with urea amendments, but control (17 µmol C2H4 g-1 hr-1 and biosolids (26-45 µmol C2H4 g-1 hr-1 trees were fixing N. At the end of year 2, all trees in all treatments were fixing N (7 µmol C2H4 g-1 hr-1, 4-16 µmol C2H4 g-1 hr-1, and 20-29 µmol C2H4 g-1 hr-1 for control, urea and biosolids respectively. Trees grown with biosolids amendments were larger overall (year 1 shoot biomass 10 g, 5 g, and 23 g for control, urea, and biosolids respectively, year 2 shoot biomass 50 g, 51 g, and 190 g for control, urea, and biosolids respectively with higher concentrations of foliar N for both years of the study (year 1 foliar N 26 g kg-1, 27 g kg-1, and 40 g kg-1 for control, urea, and biosolids respectively, year 2 foliar N 17 g kg-1, 19 g kg-1, and 23 g kg-1 for control, urea, and biosolids respectively. Trees grown with urea amendments appeared to use the urea N over Frankia supplied N, whereas the biosolids trees appeared to be able to use both N in biosolids and N from Frankia. The results from this study indicated that the greater growth of A. rubra may have been responsible for the observed higher N demand. Biosolids may have supplied other nutrients to the

  3. Characterization of fluoroquinolone resistance and qnr diversity in Enterobacteriaceae from municipal biosolids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ella eKaplan

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Municipal biosolids produced during activated sludge treatment applied in waste water treatment plants, are significant reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, since they assemble both natural and fecal microbiota, as well as residual concentrations of antibiotic compounds. This raises major concerns regarding the environmental and epidemiological consequences of using them as fertilizers for crops. The second generation fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin is probably the most abundant antibiotic compound detected in municipal biosolids due to its widespread use and sorption properties. Although fluoroquinolone resistance was originally thought to result from mutations in bacterial gyrase and topoisomerase IV genes, it is becoming apparent that it is also attributed to plasmid-associated resistance factors, which may propagate environmental antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of the activated sludge process on fluoroquinolone resistance. The scope of resistances and mobile genetic mechanisms associated with fluoroquinolone resistance were evaluated by screening large collections of ciprofloxacin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains from sludge (n=112 and from raw sewage (n=89. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants (qnrA, B and S were readily detected in isolates from both environments, the most dominant being qnrS. Interestingly, all qnr variants were significantly more abundant in sludge isolates than in the isolates from raw sewage. Almost all of ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotic compounds. The sludge isolates were on the whole resistant to a broader range of antibiotic compounds than the raw sewage isolates; however this difference was not statistically significant. Collectively, this study indicates that the activated sludge selects for multiresistant bacterial strains, and that mobile quinolone-resistance elements may have a selective advantage in the activated

  4. Soil Nutrient Availability, Plant Nutrient Uptake, and Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. Yield in Response to N-Viro Biosolids and Irrigation Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aitazaz A. Farooque

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We compared the impact of surface broadcasted N-Viro biosolids and inorganic fertilizer (16.5% Ammonium sulphate, 34.5% Diammonium phosphate, 4.5% Potash, and 44.5% s and/or clay filler applications on soil properties and nutrients, leaf nutrient concentration, and the fruit yield of lowbush blueberry under irrigated and nonirrigated conditions during 2008-2009 at Debert, NS, Canada. Application rates of N-Viro biosolids were more than double of inorganic fertilizer applied at a recommended N rate of 32 kg ha−1. The experimental treatments NI: N-Viro with irrigation, FI: inorganic fertilizer with irrigation, N: N-Viro without irrigation, and F: inorganic fertilizer without irrigation (control were replicated four times under a randomized complete block design. The NI treatment had the highest OM (6.68% followed by FI (6.32%, N (6.18%, and F (4.43% treatments during the year 2008. Similar trends were observed during 2009 with the highest soil OM values (5.50% for NI treatment. Supplemental irrigation resulted in a 21% increase in the ripe fruit yield. Nonsignificant effect of fertilizer treatments on most of the nutrient concentrations in soil and plant leaves, and on ripe fruits yield reflects that the performance of N-Viro was comparable with that of the inorganic fertilizer used in this study.

  5. EVALUACION DEL POTENCIAL DE LOS BIOSÓLIDOS PROCEDENTES DEL TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES PARA USO AGRÍCOLA Y SU EFECTO SOBRE EL CULTIVO DE RABANO ROJO (Raphanus sativus L.. EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL FOR BIOSOLIDS OBTAINED FROM WASTEWATER TREATMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL USE AND THEIR EFFECT ON CULTIVATION OF RED RADISH (Raphanus sativus L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramiro Ramírez Pisco

    2006-12-01

    de nutrientes (C, N, P, K, Ca, Na, Fe y Zn y materia orgánica, la presencia de metales pesados, o su inadecuada aplicación, puede ir en detrimento del crecimiento y producción de las plantas de rábano.This study was conducted in waste water treatment plant “The Salitre”, in Bogotá, to evaluate the potential of the waste water treatment subproduct “biosolids”, for application in agriculture by means of quantifying growth, development and production of cultivation of red radish, and to establish a possible alternative to the problem of final disposition of 3900 tons of this material generated monthly in the waste water treatment plant. The experimental design employed was a random blocks design, with five treatments and three replications, arranged in 2 m x 2 m plots. The treatments corresponded to mixtures of biosolids with soil in the following proportions: 100 % biosolid (equivalent to 294 ton Ha-1, 75 % biosolid (220 ton Ha-1, 50 % biosolid (147 ton ha-1, 25 % biosólido (73 ton ha-1 and 100 % soil. Red radish Raphanus sativus L. was planted. The variables evaluated were: germination percentage, dry weight of leaves and roots, plant length, foliar area and production. Also, the accumulation of trace was measured in the harvested radishes, to determine risks of consumption. The results showed that the 50 % biosolid and 25 % biosolid, treatments were those that most favored growth, development and production of cultivation radish, while the 75 % biosolid and 100 % biosolid treatments, showed lower development growth and production of the cultivar. The 100 % biosolid treatment resulted in low germination and also did not show root accumulation, that is the harvested product. The levels of accumulation of heavy metals surpassed the maximum levels with the 75 % biosolid and 100 % biosolid treatment. It was shown that the use of the biosolids in agriculture can produce a great risk, because despite having high nutrient (C, N, P, Ca, Na, Fe y Zn and organic

  6. Eliminación de patógenos en biosólidos por estabilización alcalina Eliminating pathogens in biosolids by alkaline stabilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Torres Lozada

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available La Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales de Cañaveralejo -PTAR-C de Cali- Colombia, produce alrededor de 100 t/día de biosólidos que, aunque no tienen restricción por metales pesados, son clase B por el nivel de microorganismos patógenos y parásitos. En un diseño completamente al azar, conformado por seis tratamientos con su respectivo duplicado, se evaluó la estabilización alcalina con dosis del 9% peso a peso de cal viva e hidratada, aplicada a pilas de 0.5 t de biosólidos húmedos (66.5% y secos a temperatura ambiente (25 - 31°C durante 72 h (humedad 50.1%. Con la estabilización alcalina el pH aumentó a valores superiores a 12 unidades durante el tiempo suficiente para garantizar la reducción de patógenos y parásitos, alcanzando un material clase A; sin embargo, el biosólido seco facilitó la formación de grumos que dificultaron las labores de homogenización del sustrato con los alcalinizantes, factor indeseable para la eficiente reducción de patógenos.The Cañaveralejo wastewater treatment plant (PTAR-C based in Cali-Colombia, produces almost 100 t-day-1 of biosolids. Although do not have heavy metals restrictions, it is class B for high contents of pathogens microorganisms and parasites. The alkali stabilization was done with a 9% of dose (w/w of quicklime and hydrated lime applied to different 0.5 ton piles of wet biosolids (66.5% humidity and dry biosolids an environmental temperature (25-31°C for 72 hours (50.1% humidity. The experiment had a completely randomized design and it was composed by 6 treatments with their respective duplicated. With the alkali stabilization, the pH increments above 12 units during enough time to assure pathogens and parasites reduction in order to achieve a class A material level. On the other hand, the dry biosolids facilitate the conditions for lumps formation that reduce the homogenization of the substrate with the alkali material, which it is and undesirable factor for pathogen

  7. Effects of silver sulfide nanomaterials on mycorrhizal colonization of tomato plants and soil microbial communities in biosolid-amended soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Judy, Jonathan D.; Kirby, Jason K.; Creamer, Courtney; McLaughlin, Mike J.; Fiebiger, Cathy; Wright, Claire; Cavagnaro, Timothy R.; Bertsch, Paul M.

    2015-01-01

    We investigated effects of Ag_2S engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated Ag ENMs (PVP-Ag), and Ag"+ on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), their colonization of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and overall microbial community structure in biosolids-amended soil. Concentration-dependent uptake was measured in all treatments. Plants exposed to 100 mg kg"−"1 PVP-Ag ENMs and 100 mg kg"−"1 Ag"+ exhibited reduced biomass and greatly reduced mycorrhizal colonization. Bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi were inhibited by all treatment classes, with the largest reductions measured in 100 mg kg"−"1 PVP-Ag ENMs and 100 mg kg"−"1 Ag"+. Overall, Ag_2S ENMs were less toxic to plants, less disruptive to plant-mycorrhizal symbiosis, and less inhibitory to the soil microbial community than PVP-Ag ENMs or Ag"+. However, significant effects were observed at 1 mg kg"−"1 Ag_2S ENMs, suggesting that the potential exists for microbial communities and the ecosystem services they provide to be disrupted by environmentally relevant concentrations of Ag_2S ENMs. - Highlights: • PVP-Ag and Ag"+ inhibited AMF colonization more readily than Ag_2S ENMs. • Impact of PVP-Ag ENMs and Ag"+ on microbial communities larger than for Ag_2S ENMs. • Significant changes in microbial communities in response to Ag_2S ENMs at 1 mg kg"−"1. - Although Ag_2S ENMs are less toxic to soil microorganisms than pristine nanomaterials or ions, some effects are observed on soil microbial communities at relevant concentrations.

  8. Performance indicators and indices of sludge management in urban wastewater treatment plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, C; Saldanha Matos, J; Rosa, M J

    2016-12-15

    Sludge (or biosolids) management is highly complex and has a significant cost associated with the biosolids disposal, as well as with the energy and flocculant consumption in the sludge processing units. The sludge management performance indicators (PIs) and indices (PXs) are thus core measures of the performance assessment system developed for urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The key PIs proposed cover the sludge unit production and dry solids concentration (DS), disposal/beneficial use, quality compliance for agricultural use and costs, whereas the complementary PIs assess the plant reliability and the chemical reagents' use. A key PI was also developed for assessing the phosphorus reclamation, namely through the beneficial use of the biosolids and the reclaimed water in agriculture. The results of a field study with 17 Portuguese urban WWTPs in a 5-year period were used to derive the PI reference values which are neither inherent to the PI formulation nor literature-based. Clusters by sludge type (primary, activated, trickling filter and mixed sludge) and by digestion and dewatering processes were analysed and the reference values for sludge production and dry solids were proposed for two clusters: activated sludge or biofilter WWTPs with primary sedimentation, sludge anaerobic digestion and centrifuge dewatering; activated sludge WWTPs without primary sedimentation and anaerobic digestion and with centrifuge dewatering. The key PXs are computed for the DS after each processing unit and the complementary PXs for the energy consumption and the operating conditions DS-determining. The PX reference values are treatment specific and literature based. The PI and PX system was applied to a WWTP and the results demonstrate that it diagnosis the situation and indicates opportunities and measures for improving the WWTP performance in sludge management. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Acidic minespoil reclamation with alkaline biosolids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drill, C.; Lindsay, B.J.; Logan, T.L.

    1998-01-01

    The effectiveness of an alkaline stabilized biosolids product, N-Viro Soil (NVS), was studied at a wild animal preserve in Cumberland, OH. The preserve occupies land that was strip mined for high-sulfur coal. While most of the land has been conventionally reclaimed, several highly acidic hot spots remain. Two of these hot spots were studied through concurrent field, greenhouse, and laboratory projects. In April 1995, NVS was applied at rates ranging from 0--960 mt/ha (wet wt.) to plots at the two sites. The plots were seeded using a standard reclamation mix and soil samples were analyzed for chemical characteristics before and after application and also in 1996 and 1997. Soil pH increased from 3.5 to about 11 in the amended plots and soil EC values increased from 21.0 mmho/cm to a maximum of 6.0 mmho/cm in the amended plots immediately after application. Soil Cu and Zn concentrations also increased in the NVS amended plots, but this did not affect plant germination or growth. By the summer of 1996, soil pH values had decreased to 7.3--8.7 and EC values decreased to 0.34--1.36 mmho/cm to the amended plots. Soil samples were collected in September 1995 for physical analyses. N-Viro Soil improved the moisture retention and water conductivity properties of the spoil. The plots were monitored for growth during the summer of 1995 and plant biomass and soil samples were taken in 1996 and 1997 for trace element and nutrient analysis. NVS did not significantly increase trace element concentrations in the biomass. The addition of NVS to acid mine spoil improves the chemical and physical properties of the spoil material thus aiding vegetative establishment and growth. NVS improves the chemical nature of the spoil by increasing pH and providing micro and macronutrients and improves the physical properties of the spoil with the addition of organic matter

  10. A Perspective on Biosolids Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik Apedaile

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Wastewater treatment has evolved into an important mechanism that used to protect public health from infectious disease. In the 1850s, water drawn from the Thames River below London's sewage outfall was found to be a source of a cholera outbreak (1. As a result, 'sewage farms' were established to treat and dispose of wastewater. Gradually, more effective technologies, which required less land, were developed to treat wastewater. The processes of primary and secondary biological treatment eventually eliminated the need for sewage farms in the early part of the past century.

  11. Reproduction Symposium: does grazing on biosolids-treated pasture pose a pathophysiological risk associated with increased exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, N P; Bellingham, M; Sharpe, R M; Cotinot, C; Rhind, S M; Kyle, C; Erhard, H; Hombach-Klonisch, S; Lind, P M; Fowler, P A

    2014-08-01

    Biosolids (processed human sewage sludge), which contain low individual concentrations of an array of contaminants including heavy metals and organic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/polychlorinated dibenzofurans known to cause physiological disturbances, are increasingly being used as an agricultural fertilizer. This could pose a health threat to both humans and domestic and wild animal species. This review summarizes results of a unique model, used to determine the effects of exposure to mixtures of environmentally relevant concentrations of pollutants, in sheep grazed on biosolids-treated pastures. Pasture treatment results in nonsignificant increases in environmental chemical (EC) concentrations in soil. Whereas EC concentrations were increased in some tissues of both ewes and their fetuses, concentrations were low and variable and deemed to pose little risk to consumer health. Investigation of the effects of gestational EC exposure on fetal development has highlighted a number of issues. The results indicate that gestational EC exposure can adversely affect gonadal development (males and females) and that these effects can impact testicular morphology, ovarian follicle numbers and health, and the transcriptome and proteome in adult animals. In addition, EC exposure can be associated with altered expression of GnRH, GnRH receptors, galanin receptors, and kisspeptin mRNA within the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, gonadotroph populations within the pituitary gland, and regional aberrations in thyroid morphology. In most cases, these anatomical and functional differences do not result in altered peripheral hormone concentrations or reproductive function (e.g., lambing rate), indicating physiological compensation under the conditions tested. Physiological compensation is also suggested from studies that indicate that EC effects may be greater when exposure occurs either

  12. Nitrogen fixation and growth response of Alnus rubra amended with low and high metal content biosolids Crescimento e fixação de nitrogênio por Alnus rubra cultivado sob fertilização com biosólidos com altos e baixos teores de metais

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linda S. Gaulke

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Forest application of biosolids offers a potential environmentally friendly alternative to landfilling. This two-year investigation was designed to analyze the effects of elevated soil metal concentration resulting from the land application of biosolids on the symbiotic, nitrogen (N fixing relationship between Alnus rubra Bong. (red alder and Frankia. High metal biosolids and a modern-day composted biosolid applied at high loading rates of 250, 500, and 1000 Mg ha-1, were used to represent a worst-case scenario for metal contamination. The high metal biosolids were obtained before the current regulations were formulated and had been lagooned prior to use in this study. Total cadmium (Cd, lead (Pb and zinc (Zn in the high metal biosolids were 45, 958, and 2623 mg kg-1 respectively. These metal concentrations are above current regulatory limits in the US. The compost was made using biosolids that are currently produced and had Cd, Pb and Zn of 0.8, 20 and 160 mg kg-1 respectively. Trees were harvested and analyzed for rate of N fixation (as measured by acetylene reduction activity, biomass, and foliar metals. Soils were analyzed for available N, total carbon and N, pH and total Cd, Pb and Zn. Rates of N fixation were not affected by soil amendment. In year 2, shoot biomass of trees grown in both the compost and high metal amendments were higher than the control. Shoot biomass increased with increasing amount of compost amendments, but decreased with increasing amount of high metal amendments. There was no relationship between soil metal concentration and plant biomass. Foliar Cd and Pb were below detection for all trees and foliar Zn increased with increasing amount of both compost and high metal amendment, with concentrations of 249 mg kg-1 for trees grown in the compost amendment and 279 mg kg-1 for the high metal amendment. The results from this study indicate that the growth of A. rubra benefited from both types of biosolids used in the study

  13. Heavy Metal Displacement in Chelate-Assisted Phytoremediation of Biosolids Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkham, M. B.; Liphadzi, M. S.

    2005-05-01

    Heavy metals in biosolids (sewage sludge) applied to land contaminate the soil. Phytoremediation, the use of plants to clean up toxic heavy metals, might remove them. Chelating agents are added to soil to solubilize the metals for enhanced phytoextraction. Yet no studies follow the displacement and leaching of heavy metals in soil with biosolids following solubilization with chelates. The objective of this work was to determine the mobility of heavy metals, as affected by a chelate, in soil (Haynie very fine sandy loam) from a 25-year old sludge farm. Soil columns (105 cm long; 39 cm in diameter) either had a plant (hybrid poplar; Populus deltoides Marsh. x P. nigra L.) or no plant. When the poplars were 144 days old, the tetrasodium salt of the chelating agent EDTA (ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid) was irrigated onto the soil at a rate of 1 g per kg of soil. Drainage water, soil, and plants were analyzed for three toxic heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Pb) and four essential heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn). Without EDTA, concentrations of the seven heavy metals in the leachate from columns with or without plants were low or below detection limits. With or without plants, the EDTA mobilized all heavy metals and increased their concentration in drainage water. Without plants, the concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn in the leachate from columns with EDTA were above drinking-water standards. (There is no drinking-water standard for Ni.) The presence of poplar plants in the soil reduced the concentrations of Cu, Fe, and Zn in the leachate so it fell within drinking-water standards. Concentrations of Cd and Pb in the leachate remained above drinking-water standards with or without plants. At harvest (124 days after the EDTA application), total concentration of each heavy metal in the soil at different depths in the columns with EDTA was similar to that in the columns without EDTA. The chelate did not affect the concentration of heavy metals in the roots, stems, or leaves

  14. Factors related to the attraction of flies at a biosolids composting facility (Bariloche, Argentina)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laos, F.; Semenas, L.; Labud, V.

    2004-01-01

    The composting process is used to treat biosolids from the Wastewater Treatment Plant of Bariloche (NW Patagonia, Argentina). Since 1998, an odourless, innocuous and stable organic amendment has been produced at the Biosolids Composting Plant of Bariloche. However, volatile compounds produced during this process, attract different vectors, mainly insects belonging to the Order Diptera, particularly in summer. To evaluate factors associated with the attraction of Diptera to composting windrows, volatile compounds, wind velocity, ambient and windrow temperatures were measured and their relationships with the taxa of flies found were determined. Sampling was conducted several months on newly formed windrows during 3 weeks of the thermophilic composting period. Composite samples from each windrow were taken on the first day of each sampling week, from November 1999 to March 2000 to analyze volatile compounds using an 'electronic nose'. Windrow and ambient temperatures and wind velocity were recorded on three consecutive days of each week, from January to March 2000; also the capture of flies was performed in this period. A weekly mean value was calculated for each environmental variable. Canonical Correspondence Analysis was employed to determine relationships between taxa of flies and the studied factors. The electronic nose discriminated among odours emitted, differentiating windrows by the bulking agent employed and by week of the thermophilic composting period. Ambient temperatures increased slightly during the sampling weeks; the highest values of wind velocity were registered during the second sampling week while windrow temperatures were sustained approximately 60 degree sign C. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that attraction of flies to composting windrows was related to minimum and maximum ambient temperatures and volatile compounds for Muscina stabulans, Fannia sp. and Acaliptratae and to wind velocity for Ophyra sp., Sarcophaga sp., Cochliomyia

  15. Sand to Root Transfer of PAHs and PCBs by Carrots Grown on Sand with Pure Substances and Biosolids Amended Sand

    OpenAIRE

    Sablayrolles, Caroline; Montréjaud-Vignoles, Mireille; Silvestre, Jérôme; Patria, Lucie

    2006-01-01

    A study on behaviour of trace organic compounds (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAH, and Polychlorinated Biphenyls, PCB) in a sand-plant system has been carried out, with the reclamation of wastewater treatment plant biosolids for agriculture in mind. Carrot plants (Daucus carota) were grown on soilless culture (sand), to provide optimal transfer conditions, in plant containers inside a temperature regulated greenhouse. There were two types of experiment. The trace organic compounds have i...

  16. Vegetational response to native seed treatment and biosolids application in the rehabilitation of a spoilpile at Cooranbong Colliery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Newton, M.; Whitehead, J. [University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW (Australia). Dept. of Geography and Environmental Science

    1998-08-01

    This study addresses two challenges which the minerals industry faces in the rehabilitation of minespoils. The first is to re-establish a soil ecosystem that will sustainably support native vegetation. The second is to overcome seed dormancy mechanisms that often lead to the failure of native plant establishment on sites affected by mining. This paper outlines the results of the ongoing study on the rehabilitation of a coal stockpile at Cooranbong Colliery, Dora Creek, New South Wales. The trial was established to determine the benefits of utilising dewatered biosolids as a soil conditioner for the growth of native trees by direct seeding techniques, and also to investigate the effectiveness of seed treatments on seed germination rates. Two seed treatment techniques, new to attempts to re-establish native species on minespoils, were trialed using, in turn, hot water and smoke. 8 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

  17. Efficient nitrogen recycling through sustainable use of organic wastes in agriculture - an Australian case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigby, Hannah; Landman, Michael; Collins, David; Walton, Katrina; Penney, Nancy; Pritchard, Deborah

    2014-05-01

    The effective recycling of nutrients in treated sewage sludge (biosolids) domestic (e.g. source separated food waste), agricultural, and commercial and industrial (C&I) biowastes (e.g. food industry wastes, papermill sludge) for use on land, generally following treatment (e.g. composting, anaerobic digestion or thermal conversion technologies) as alternatives to conventional mineral fertilisers in Australia can have economic benefits, ensure food security, and close the nutrient loop. In excess of 75% of Australian agricultural soils have less than 1% organic matter (OM), and, with 40 million tonnes of solid waste per year potentially available as a source of OM, biowastes also build soil carbon (C) stocks that improve soil structure, fertility and productivity, and enhance soil ecosystem services. In recent years, the increasing cost of conventional mineral fertilisers, combined with changing weather patterns have placed additional pressure on regional and rural communities. Nitrogen (N) is generally the most limiting nutrient to crop production, and the high-energy required and GHGs associated with its manufacture mean that, additionally, it is critical to use N efficiently and recycle N resources where possible. Biosolids and biowastes have highly variable organic matter (OM) and nutrient contents, with N often present in a variety of forms only some of which are plant-available. The N value is further influenced by treatment process, storage and fundamental soil processes. The correct management of N in biowastes is essential to reduce environmental losses through leaching or runoff and negative impacts on drinking water sources and aquatic ecosystems. Gaseous N emissions also impact upon atmospheric quality and climate change. Despite the body of work to investigate N supply from biosolids, recent findings indicate that historic and current management of agricultural applications of N from biosolids and biowastes in Australia may still be inefficient leading

  18. Seguimiento a patógenos presentes en biosólido empleado como enmienda para revegetalizar un talud Follow-up to pathogens present in biosolids used as emendation to reforest a slope

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Idalia Jacqueline López Sánchez

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Con el fin de evaluar la factibilidad del uso del biosólido como enmienda orgánica para el establecimiento de vegetación y el control de procesos erosivos superficiales activos, se seleccionó un corte de carretera ubicado sobrela Variante a Caldas (Antioquia. Para darle amarre y cobertura al suelo, se sembraron dos especies vegetales tipo pasto Brachiaria Decumbens y Kikuyo (Pennisetum clandestinum, utilizando biosólido proveniente de la PTAR San Fernando, mezclado con suelo de la zona. Se evaluó el comportamiento de bioindicadores de riesgo ambiental: coliformes totales, coliformes fecales, Salmonella-Shiguella, en las aguas de escorrentía y en el suelo del talud en el tiempo. Ambas especies se adaptaron bien amarrando el suelo; la cobertura fue total y permanente. Los resultados muestran la factibilidad del uso del biosólido como enmienda. Sin embargo, la permanencia de los parámetros microbiológicos medidos durante el tiempo de evaluación evidencia la necesidad de sanitizar el biosólido antes de usarlo, ya que estos patógenos constituyen un riesgo ambiental.In order to evaluate the feasibility of biosolids use as an organic emendation for reforestation and controlling active superficial erosive processes, a part of the highway -located near to the alternative route to Caldas (Antioquia. With the purpose of preventing erosion, two types of plants Brachiaria Decumbens and kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum were planted, using biosolids from San Fernando Water Treatment Plant, mixed with soil from the site. The behavior of some environmental risk bioindicators: total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Salmonella-Shiguella, were evaluated, in runoff waters and in the slope soil across the time. Both plant species adapted well to soil; the coverage was complete and permanent. Results show the feasibility of bio-solid as emendation. However, microbiological specifications measured during the evaluation time, showed the need for sanitizing

  19. Avaliação agronômica de biossólidos tratados por diferentes métodos químicos para aplicação na cultura do milho Agronomic evaluation of biosolids treated by different chemical methods for cultivation of maize

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivaldete T. Barros

    2011-06-01

    the shoots. The highest dry matter production was observed in treatment with peracetic acid (APA and the lowest in the treatment with lime. The application of biosolids increased the levels of macronutrients in the plant shoots. The concentration levels of Zn, Cu, Mn, Fe and Pb in the plants were below the phytotoxic limits. The biosolids showed to be an important source of nutrients for the initial development of the maize crop. Alternative treatments of the sludge can be effective in controlling pathogens and facilitate agricultural recycling of biosolids.

  20. Odour reduction strategies for biosolids produced from a Western Australian wastewater treatment plant: results from Phase I laboratory trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruchlik, Yolanta; Heitz, Anna; Joll, Cynthia; Driessen, Hanna; Fouché, Lise; Penney, Nancy; Charrois, Jeffrey W A

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated sources of odours from biosolids produced from a Western Australian wastewater treatment plant and examined possible strategies for odour reduction, specifically chemical additions and reduction of centrifuge speed on a laboratory scale. To identify the odorous compounds and assess the effectiveness of the odour reduction measures trialled in this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS SPME-GC-MS) methods were developed. The target odour compounds included volatile sulphur compounds (e.g. dimethyl sulphide, dimethyl disulphide and dimethyl trisulphide) and other volatile organic compounds (e.g. toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, p-cresol, indole and skatole). In our laboratory trials, aluminium sulphate added to anaerobically digested sludge prior to dewatering offered the best odour reduction strategy amongst the options that were investigated, resulting in approximately 40% reduction in the maximum concentration of the total volatile organic sulphur compounds, relative to control.

  1. EFECTO DE LA APLICACIÓN DE BIOSOLIDOS EN EL CRECIMIENTO DE Jacaranda mimosifolia (Gualanday Y EN LAS CONDICIONES FÍSICAS Y QUÍMICAS DE UN SUELO DEGRADADO EFFECT OF BIOSOLIDS APPLICATION ON THE GROWTH OF Jacaranda mimosifolia (Gualanday AND UNDER PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONDITIONS OF A DEGRADED SOIL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramiro Ramirez Pisco

    2007-06-01

    estabilidad de agregados y la retención de humedad, y disminuyéndose la densidad aparente y densidad real.The biosolids are organic materials, derived from wastewater treatment of domestic and industrial sewage. One of the main problems of wastewater treatment plants is the final destination of the biosolids. Their deposit in sanitary fillers, the incineration and land application are the main methods of dispose; the first two methods are expensive, while the last one, is gaining acceptance, because the biosolids are a resource that can be used as supplementary organic fertilizer. Furthermore, land application of biosolids can help to improve declined soil fertility in degraded soils, but it can be generated contamination problems. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of biosolids application on the growth of Jacaranda mimosifolia (Gualanday and the changes on physical and chemical conditions of a degraded soil. This arboreal specie was planted in a degraded soil amended with biosolids, and was grown in a greenhouse. The treatments corresponded to contents of organic matter in the mixture (soil-biosolid of 0 %, 2 %, 4 % and 8 %, in a completely randomized design with four treatments and ten replications. Monthly samplings were realized to get information about the variables: survival, height and diameter of stem, and number of leaves. The dry biomass was evaluated at the end of the study. The physical and chemical analyses were made at the beginning of the experiment and three months later. The chemical analyses included pH, oxidable organic carbon, Al, Ca, Mg, K, CICE, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, P, S, B, NO3-, NH4+, and the physical analyses included aggregate stability, bulk density, real density and water retention. The statistical analysis between treatments was realized every month, by analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range test, using a 95 % confidence level. The treatment with a 2 % of organic matter was not affected the plant growth and was similar

  2. Reuse of liquid, dewatered, and composted sewage sludge on agricultural land: effects of long-term application on soil and crop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mantovi, Paolo; Baldoni, Guido; Toderi, Giovanni

    2005-01-01

    To evaluate the effects of repeated sewage sludge applications in comparison to mineral fertilisers on a winter wheat-maize-sugar beet rotation, a field experiment on a silty-loam soil, in the eastern Po Valley (Italy), was carried out since 1988. Municipal-industrial wastewater sludge as anaerobically digested, belt filtered (dewatered), and composted with wheat straw, has been applied at 5 and 10 Mg DM ha(-1)yr(-1). Biosolids gave crop yields similar to the highest mineral fertiliser dressing. However, with the higher rate of liquid and dewatered sludge, excessive N supply was harmful, leading to wheat lodging and poor quality of sugar beet and wheat crops. From this standpoint compost use was safer. Biosolids increased organic matter (OM), total N, and available P in the soil and reduced soil alkalinity, with more evident effects at the highest rate. Compost caused the most pronounced OM top soil accumulation. Significant accumulations of total Zn and Cu were detected in amended top soil, but no other heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb), whose total concentration remained well below the hazard limits. Biosolid applications significantly increased the content of N, P, Zn, and Cu in wheat grain, N and Cu in sugar beet roots, and only Cu in maize grain. The application of biosolids brought about notable benefits to soil fertility but it was associated with possible negative effects on water quality due to increased P availability and on soil ecology due to Zn accumulation.

  3. Assessment of the flotability of chalcopyrite, molybdenite and pyrite using biosolids and their main components as collectors for greening the froth flotation of copper sulphide ores.

    OpenAIRE

    Sobarzo, Francisco; Herrera Urbina, Ronaldo; Higueras Higueras, Pablo Leon; Sáez Navarrete, César; Godoy Faúndez, Alex; Reyes Bozo, Lorenzo; Vásquez Bestagno, Jorge

    2014-01-01

    Biosolids and representative compounds of their main components ? humic acids, sugars, and proteins ? have been tested as possible environment-friendly collectors and frothers for the flotation of copper sulphide ores. The floatability of chalcopyrite and molybdenite ? both valuable sulphide minerals present in these ores ? as well as non-valuable pyrite was assessed through Hallimond tube flotation tests. Humic acids exhibit similar collector ability for chalcopyrite and molybdenite as that ...

  4. Brominated diphenyl ether levels. A comparison of tributary sediments versus biosolid material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kolic, T.M.; MacPherson, K.A.; Reiner, E.J. [Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Laboratory Services Branch, Toronto, ON (Canada); Ho, T.; Kleywegt, S. [Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Standards Development Branch, Toronto, ON (Canada); Dove, A.; Marvin, C. [Environment Canada, Burlington, ON (Canada)

    2004-09-15

    PBDEs are persistent in the environment, have low water solubility and are known to have a tendency to bioaccumulate in wildlife and humans. There are 209 possible PBDE congeners. There has been concern over the bioaccumulation of these compounds since they have been found in mother's milk. Some of the brominated diphenyl ethers are known to metabolize into hydroxylated compounds and these metabolites are known to compete with and reduce thyroxine (T4) from binding to the thyroxine binding protein, transthyretin. This disrupts the thyroid hormone system interaction that has recently been notable amongst women in the form of hypothyroidism that can affect the fetus development in the form of neurodevelopmental deficits. There have been reports of estrogenic activities regarding PBDEs and their hydroxylated counterparts. Information such as this is indicative that PBDEs are endocrine disruptors. Due to their lipophilic nature, PBDEs have a high binding affinity to particulates and accumulate in sediments. Various reports on sediments and sludge type matrices have been reported in Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and Canada. The following paper is a presentation of levels of PBDEs found in Tributary sediments and their comparison of levels to nearby biosolid sampling locations along Lake Ontario.

  5. New mechanistically based model for predicting reduction of biosolids waste by ozonation of return activated sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isazadeh, Siavash; Feng, Min; Urbina Rivas, Luis Enrique; Frigon, Dominic

    2014-04-15

    Two pilot-scale activated sludge reactors were operated for 98 days to provide the necessary data to develop and validate a new mathematical model predicting the reduction of biosolids production by ozonation of the return activated sludge (RAS). Three ozone doses were tested during the study. In addition to the pilot-scale study, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted with mixed liquor suspended solids and with pure cultures to parameterize the biomass inactivation process during exposure to ozone. The experiments revealed that biomass inactivation occurred even at the lowest doses, but that it was not associated with extensive COD solubilization. For validation, the model was used to simulate the temporal dynamics of the pilot-scale operational data. Increasing the description accuracy of the inactivation process improved the precision of the model in predicting the operational data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Biosolids conditioning and the availability of Cu and Zn for rice Condicionamento de biossólidos e a disponibilidade de Cu e Zn para arroz

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Marlene Moreno Pires

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available Sewage treatment process is a factor to be considered for biosolid use in agriculture. The greatest sewage treatment facility of São Paulo State (Barueri/SP altered in the year 2000 of its sludge treatment. The addition of ferric chloride and calcium oxide was substituted by the addition of polymers. This change can modify heavy metal phytoavailability. A green house experiment, using 2 soils treated with biosolids (three with and one without polymers with and without polymers was performed to evaluate Cu and Zn phytoavailability using rice (Oryza sativa L. as test plant. Three kilograms of two soils (Haphorthox abd Hapludox were placed in pots and the equivalent to 50 Mg ha-1 (dry basis of biosolid was added and incorporated. The statistical design adopted was completely randomized experiment, with five treatments (control plus four different biossolids each soil and four replications. Soil pH before and after harvesting, Cu and Zn concentrations in shoot were evaluated. Tukey (5% was used to compare the results. DTPA, HCl 0.1 mol L-1 and Mehlich 3 were used to estimate soil available Cu and Zn. Amounts extracted were correlated to those presented in rice shoot, to evaluate the efficiency of predicting Cu and Zn phytoavailabilities. Biosolids with polymers presented higher Cu and Zn phytoavailabilities, possibly due to the lower pH of these residues. In this case soil presented lowest values of pH and plant shoot had highest. All extractants were representative of Cu and Zn availability to rice plants.O processo gerador do biossólido é um fator a ser considerado na avaliação do uso agrícola deste resíduo. Em 2000, a adição de cloreto férrico+cal virgem durante o tratamento do esgoto foi substituída pela adição de polieletrólitos na maior Estação de Tratamento de Esgotos de São Paulo (Barueri, o que pode gerar mudanças na fitodisponibilidade dos metais pesados. Um experimento em casa de vegetação, com dois solos (Latossolo

  7. Efecto del Compost de Biosólidos en la producción de plantines de Austrocedrus Chilensis (ciprés de la cordillera Effect of Biosolids Compost on seedling production of Austrocedrus Chilensis (ciprés de la cordillera

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavo Basil

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available La utilización de compost de residuos urbanos como sustrato en contenedores es una alternativa interesante a nivel económico y ambiental, dado que reduciría el uso de turba y «tierra negra» en la producción de plantines, y la disposición de residuos en vertederos. En el presente trabajo se estudió el efecto de 0, 30 y 50% de compost de biosólidos en el crecimiento inicial (primer año de ciprés de la cordillera, y el efecto durante los dos años siguientes de un tratamiento único con 50% de compost en el crecimiento posterior y el estado nutricional de los plantines. Se determinó diámetro y altura a 18, 25 y 37 meses, biomasa aérea y radicular a 25 y 37 meses, y concentración foliar de C, N, P, K, Ca y Mg a 37 meses. A pesar de que los tres tratamientos iniciales fueron homogeneizados al año en un único tratamiento con 50% de compost, se encontraron diferencias significativas de diámetro, altura y biomasa aérea y radicular entre los tratamientos originales en todas las fechas analizadas, correspondiendo los mayores valores a los tratamientos con compost. Al finalizar el ensayo, las concentraciones foliares de nutrientes fueron muy similares en todos los plantines, excepto Mg que fue mayor en el tratamiento original con 50% de compost. Los resultados muestran la importancia de los primeros meses de crecimiento en el desarrollo posterior de los plantines de ciprés y el valor potencial de los compost de biosólidos como sustrato para la producción de esta especie en contenedores.Using composts of urban waste, including biosolids, as substrates for containerized plant production is a sound economic and environmental alternative, since it could reduce the use of peat- and «black earth»-based media, and the disposal of organic wastes in landfills. The objectives of this work were to study the effect of 0, 30 and 50% biosolids compost on the initial growth (first year of cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis D. Don, and the effect

  8. Contaminants in Sludge: Implications for Management Policies and Land Application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dentel, Steven K.

    2003-07-01

    Policies on sludge (or biosolids) management vary widely, particularly when decisions must be made on what to do with the final product. This paper examines the two principal rationales with which such decisions are made, and through which scientific knowledge is included in the process. These rationales are risk analysis (risk assessment and management), and the criterion of sustainability. Both are found to be potentially arbitrary due to the difficulty in defining the individual constituents necessary to relate environmental phenomena to environmental policy. To place the difficulties in a practical context, this paper presents research results from three recent projects concerned with contaminants in sludge (phosphorus, flocculant polymers, and polymer-surfactant aggregates), and uses the findings to exemplify the dilemma encountered in policy making. A path forward is proposed. (author)

  9. Evaluación de la mineralización de biosólidos de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales domésticas Evaluation of mineralization rates of biosolids from domestic wastewater treatment plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge A. Silva

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Los biosólidos procedentes del tratamiento de aguas residuales municipales tienen alto potencial de aplicación agrícola por sus contenidos de materia orgánica y nutrientes. En esta investigación se evaluó la mineralización de los biosólidos provenientes de la Planta de tratamiento de Aguas Residuales de Cañaveralejo, Cali- Colombia, mediante el ajuste de modelos de regresión; se realizó el seguimiento del contenido de NH4+, NO3- y NO2- durante 126 días para tres tipos de biosólidos: deshidratado, secado térmicamente y alcalinizado, los cuales fueron aplicados a un suelo Vertic Endoaquepts en dosis de 35.4, 36.4 y 54.5 t ha-1 respectivamente. Para el ajuste de las curvas de regresión, se consideraron los modelos simple exponencial, doble exponencial, hiperbólico, parabólico y algunos modelos estadísticos regulares. Los resultados mostraron que el modelo parabólico propuesto por Broadbent presentó el mejor ajuste para describir el proceso de mineralización del suelo evaluado; el modelo exponencial de Stanford & Smith, se mostró como una segunda opción de modelación, permitiendo corroborar el incremento del nitrógeno orgánico N0 cuando se realiza la aplicación de los biosólidos y el incremento de la mineralización con relación al tratamiento testigo.The biosolids from wastewater Treatment plants have high potential of agricultural application due to the contents of organic matter and nutrients. The mineralization of biosolids from the Cañaveralejo Wastewater Treatment Plant, Cali-Colombia, was evaluated by fitting regression models. The content of NH4+, NO3- and NO2- were monitored during 126 days for three types of biosolids: dehydrated, thermally dried and alkalinized, which were applied to a Vertic Endoaquepts soil using doses of 35.4, 36.4 and 54.5 t ha-1 respectively. To adjust the regression curves, the models used were: simple exponential, double exponential, hyperbolic, parabolic and some regular statistical

  10. Restoration of high zinc and lead tailings with municipal biosolids and lime: a field study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Sally; Svendsen, Alex; Henry, Chuck

    2009-01-01

    A field study was conducted to test the ability of biosolids (BS) and different types of lime to increase soil pH, neutralize subsoil acidity, and restore a vegetative cover to alluvial mine tailings in Leadville, CO. The tailings had soil pH of 5.2 and total Cd, Pb, and Zn of 75+/-20, 2600+/-1100, and 6700+/-1900 mg kg(-1). Types of lime included agricultural lime (AL), sugar beet lime (SBL), and lime kiln dust (LKD) applied at 224 Mg ha(-1) calcium carbonate equivalent. Plots were established in 2000 and monitored intermittently through 2007. All amendments increased pH in surface and subsurface depths, with LKD, LKD+BS, and SBL+BS being the most effective. Amendments also reduced 0.01 mol L(-1) Ca(NO3)2 extractable Zn and Cd compared to the control. Plant growth was sparse on all treatments with limited yield for three of four harvests. Poor growth may have been related to elevated electrical conductivity (EC). All amendments except LKD alone (5.79 dS m(-1)) increased EC compared to the control treatment (5.28 dS m(-1)). Electrical conductivity was highest in 2002 which had the lowest summer rainfall. In 2005 EC in all treatments except the SBL+BS was similar in the surface soil. Aboveground plant tissue concentrations of Zn and Cd were also elevated. Limited precipitation and high electrical conductivity may be responsible for poor plant growth. Higher rainfall for the last sampling period resulted in significant growth in the LKD+BS, SBL+BS, and LKD alone treatments.

  11. Environmental and stewardship implications for the large scale conversion of municipal and agricultural organic waste to energy in Canada[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Falletta, P.; Zhu, H. [Environment Canada, Burlington, ON (Canada). Wastewater Technology Centre; Oleszkiewicz, J. [Manitoba Univ., Winnipeg, MB (Canada). Dept. of Civil Engineering

    2007-07-01

    The move towards environmental sustainability in the Canadian industrial, agricultural and municipal sectors coupled with the requirements for Canada to meet its Kyoto obligations for reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have led to the need to examine the feasibility of harvesting the energy contained in waste biomass. This paper discussed the current and projected Canadian inventories of municipal biosolids, municipal solid waste, food industry wastes and animal manure; anaerobic digestion; considerations and challenges in the management of waste biomass; and current technologies available for energy recovery for each of these waste streams. The paper also discussed the environmental, technical, economic, societal and regulatory issues which are likely to be triggered as alternative methods to traditional disposal practices. The research and action needed to bring Canada to the forefront of environmental sustainability in waste biomass management was also discussed. The paper made several recommendations in terms of regulations, demonstration projects and public education. It was concluded that the biggest factor in the adoption of technologies for waste management is cost. It was concluded that there is no one perfect solution to the management of organic wastes in Canada. A detailed analysis that takes into consideration all of the technical, societal, environmental, economic, and regulatory issues must be performed to determine the right choice of technology. 4 tabs.

  12. Plant available nitrogen from anaerobically digested sludge and septic tank sludge applied to crops grown in the tropics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sripanomtanakorn, S; Polprasert, C

    2002-04-01

    Agricultural land is an attractive alternative for the disposal of biosolids since it utilises the recyclable nutrients in the production of crops. In Thailand and other tropical regions, limited field-study information exists on the effect of biosolids management strategies on crop N utilisation and plant available N (PAN) of biosolids. A field study was conducted to quantify the PAN of the applied biosolids, and to evaluate the N uptake rates of some tropical crops. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were chosen in this study. Two types of biosolids used were: anaerobically digested sludge and septic tank sludge. The soil is acid sulfate and is classified as Sulfic Tropaquepts with heavy clay in texture. The anaerobically digested sludge applied rates were: 0, 156 and 312 kg N ha(-1) for the sunflower plots, and 0, 586, and 1172 kg N ha(-1) for the tomato plots. The septic tank sludge applied rates were: 0, 95 and 190 kg N ha(-1) for the sunflower plots, and 0, 354 and 708 kg N ha(-1) for the tomato plots, respectively. The results indicated the feasibility of applying biosolids to grow tropical crops. The applications of the anaerobically digested sludge and the septic tank sludge resulted in the yields of sunflower seeds and tomato fruits and the plant N uptakes comparable or better than that applied with only the chemical fertiliser. The estimated PAN of the anaerobically digested sludge was about 27-42% of the sludge organic N during the growing season. For the septic tank sludge, the PAN was about 15-58% of the sludge organic N. It is interesting to observe that an increase of the rate of septic tank sludge incorporated into this heavy clay soil under the cropping system resulted in the decrease of N mineralisation rate. This situation could cause the reduction of yield and N uptake of crops.

  13. Effect of citric acid on metals mobility in pruning wastes and biosolids compost and metals uptake in Atriplex halimus and Rosmarinus officinalis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tapia, Y; Eymar, E; Gárate, A; Masaguer, A

    2013-05-01

    To assess metal mobility in pruning waste and biosolids compost (pH 6.9 and total concentration of metals in milligram per kilogram of Cd 1.9, Cu 132, Fe 8,513, Mn 192, Pb 81, and Zn 313), shrubs species Atriplex halimus and Rosmarinus officinalis were transplanted in this substrate and irrigated with citric acid (4 g L(-1), pH 2.9) and nutrient solution daily for 60 days. Citric acid significantly increased the concentrations of soluble Mn and Fe in the nutrient substrate solution measured by suction probes, while other metals did not vary in concentration (Cu and Zn) or were not observed at detectable levels (Cd and Pb). In plants, citric acid significantly increased the concentrations of Cu (2.7 ± 0.1-3.3 ± 0.1 mg kg(-1)), Fe (49.2 ± 5.2-76.8 ± 6.8 mg kg(-1)), and Mn (7.2 ± 1.1-11.4 ± 0.7 mg kg(-1)) in leaves of R. officinalis, whereas the concentration of only Mn (25.4 ± 0.3-42.2 ± 2.9 mg kg(-1)) was increased in A. halimus. Increasing Fe and Mn solubility by citric acid addition indicates the possibility of using it to improve plant nutrition. The mobility of metals in this substrate was influenced for the concentration of the metal, the degree of humification of organic matter and its high Fe content.

  14. Influence of organic amendment on fate of acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Juying; Ye, Qingfu; Gan, Jay

    2015-01-01

    Land application of biosolids or compost constitutes an important route of soil contamination by emerging contaminants such as acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole. Using "1"4C labeling, we evaluated the influence of biosolids and compost on individual fate processes of acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole in soil. The amendment of biosolids or compost consistently inhibited the mineralization of both compounds but simultaneously enhanced the dissipation of their extractable residues or parent form. Immediately after treatment, the majority of "1"4C-residue became non-extractable, reaching 80.3–92.3% of the applied amount at the end of 84-d incubation. Addition of biosolids or compost appreciably accelerated the formation of bound residue, likely due to the fact that the organic material provided additional sites for binding interactions or introduced exogenous microorganisms facilitating chemical transformations. This effect of biosolids or compost should be considered in risk assessment of these and other emerging contaminants. - Highlights: • "1"4C Labeling was used to understand the fate processes of acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole in aerobic soil. • Majority of acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole quickly became non-extractable or mineralized. • Biosolids or compost amendment inhibited mineralization. • Biosolids or compost appreciably enhanced the formation of bound residue. - Biosolids or compost amendment inhibited mineralization of acetaminophen and sulfamethoxazole and appreciably enhanced the formation of bound residue.

  15. Long-term effects of sulfidized silver nanoparticles in sewage sludge on soil microflora.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraas, Marco; Schlich, Karsten; Knopf, Burkhard; Wege, Franziska; Kägi, Ralf; Terytze, Konstantin; Hund-Rinke, Kerstin

    2017-12-01

    The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products such as textiles leads to their discharge into wastewater and consequently to a transfer of the AgNPs to soil ecosystems via biosolids used as fertilizer. In urban wastewater systems (e.g., sewer, wastewater treatment plant [WWTP], anaerobic digesters) AgNPs are efficiently converted into sparingly soluble silver sulfides (Ag 2 S), mitigating the toxicity of the AgNPs. However, long-term studies on the bioavailability and effects of sulfidized AgNPs on soil microorganisms are lacking. Thus we investigated the bioavailability and long-term effects of AgNPs (spiked in a laboratory WWTP) on soil microorganisms. Before mixing the biosolids into soil, the sludges were either anaerobically digested or directly dewatered. The effects on the ammonium oxidation process were investigated over 140 d. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) suggested an almost complete sulfidation of the AgNPs analyzed in all biosolid samples and in soil, with Ag 2 S predominantly detected in long-term incubation experiments. However, despite the sulfidation of the AgNPs, soil ammonium oxidation was significantly inhibited, and the degree of inhibition was independent of the sludge treatment. The results revealed that AgNPs sulfidized under environmentally relevant conditions were still bioavailable to soil microorganisms. Consequently, Ag 2 S may exhibit toxic effects over the long term rather than the short term. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3305-3313. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

  16. The roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in plants grown in biosolids-amended soils.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Bei; Wu, Yali; Zhang, Hongna; Liu, Yu; Hu, Xiaoyu; Huang, Honglin; Zhang, Shuzhen

    2016-09-01

    The roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in seven species of plants from biosolids-amended soils were investigated. The PFOS and PFOA root concentration factors (Croot/Csoil) ranged from 1.37 to 4.68 and 1.69 to 10.3 (ng/groot)/(ng/gsoil), respectively, while the translocation factors (Cshoot/Croot) ranged from 0.055 to 0.16 and 0.093 to 1.8 (ng/gshoot)/(ng/groot), respectively. The PFOS and PFOA accumulations in roots correlated positively with root protein contents (P distribution of PFOS and PFOA in plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Heavy metals in Oxisols amended with biosolids and cropped with maize in a long-term experiment Metais pesados em latossolos tratados com biossólido e cultivados com milho em experimento de longa duração

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Wójcik Oliveira

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available Biosolids comprise organic matter and plant nutrients, but are also a source of heavy metals hazardous to soils, plants and humans. The aim of this work was to evaluate accumulation, movement in the soil profile and availability to maize plants of heavy metals in two oxisols amended with biosolids for five years. The experiment was carried out in Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil, under field conditions, using a split-plot design. Biosolids were added to the soils at four different rates, 0.0 (control with mineral fertilization, 2.5; 5.0 and 10.0 t ha-1, dry weight basis, annualy for three years. In the fourth and fifth years, the 2.5 t ha-1 treatment rate was increased to 20.0 t ha-1. In the fifth year, soil samples were collected at 0-20 and 20-40 cm depths and analyzed for Cu, Ni, Mn, Pb and Zn total and extractable (Mehlich 1 contents. Biosolids increased the concentration of Ni and Zn in the Typic Eutrorthox, and of Ni, Pb, Zn and Cu in the Typic Haplorthox, but values did not exceed critical limits established by legislation. The elements generally accumulated in the 0-20 cm depth. Lead and Ni concentrations in grains were below detection limits. In general, heavy metals contents in maize plants were not affected by application of biosolids. Mehlich 1 extractant was not efficient in predicting the availability of Ni, Mn, and Pb to maize plants.O biossólido contém em sua composição matéria orgânica e nutrientes das plantas, mas também metais pesados danosos para solos, plantas e a saúde humana. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o acúmulo de metais pesados e sua mobilidade no perfil do solo, assim como a disponibilidade para plantas de milho cultivadas em Latossolo Vermelho distrófico (LVd e Latossolo Vermelho eutroférrico (LVef tratados com doses crescentes de biossólido durante cinco anos. O experimento foi conduzido em Jaboticabal, SP, Brasil, em condições de campo, utilizando-se delineamento de parcelas subdivididas com cinco

  18. Behaviour of enzymatic activities and root elongation in Argiudoll soils from the Argentine Humid Pampa treated with biosolids Comportamiento de actividades enzimáticas y elongación de raíces en suelos Argiudoles de la Pampa Húmeda, Argentina, tratados con biosólidos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.B.R. Perotti

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available The incorporation of biosolids to soil is a strategy aiming at the re-location of these materials in the environment with a useful end: soil fertilization. In this work, the response of two Argiudoll soils (one with more than 100 years of agriculture and the other, a virgin one to biosolid incorporation was studied under laboratory conditions. To measure this response, soil enzymatic biodescriptors, such as dehydrogenase and urease activities, and tests related to plant physiology (the root elongation test were employed. The addition of the biosolid to both soils had a stimulating effect though different on each soil according to the added dose. Adjustment of the regression line for dehydrogenase activity with root elongation was positive and statistically significant (pLa incorporación de biosólidos al suelo es una estrategia que tiene como objetivo la reubicación de estos materiales en el ambiente con un fin útil, como es la fertilización del suelo. En este trabajo se estudió, en condiciones controladas de laboratorio, la respuesta de dos suelos Argiudoles (uno con más de 100 años de agricultura y otro virgen frente a la perturbación físico-química y biótica que genera la incorporación de un biosólido. Para medir esta respuesta se emplearon dos biodescriptores edáficos (las actividades deshidrogenasa y ureasa y un tercero referido a la fisiología vegetal, la prueba de elongación de raíces. La incorporación del biosólido en ambos suelos, en general no deprimió el funcionamiento de las actividades enzimáticas estudiadas; contrariamente, según la dosis aportada tuvo un efecto estimulante, aunque diferente, entre ambos suelos. El ajuste de la recta de regresión de la actividad deshidrogenasa con la elongación de las plántulas fue positivo y altamente significativo, lo que indica la complementaridad de ambos descriptores. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que los biodescriptores empleados resultaron aptos para estudiar el

  19. Effect of an organic amendment on availability and bio-accessibility of some metals in soils of urban recreational areas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Florido, Maria del Carmen; Madrid, Fernando [Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla, CSIC, Apartado 1052, 41080 Sevilla (Spain); Madrid, Luis, E-mail: madrid@irnase.csic.e [Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla, CSIC, Apartado 1052, 41080 Sevilla (Spain)

    2011-02-15

    A composted biosolid from wastewater treatment was added to soils of two public parks of Sevilla, and successive samples were taken during one year. In one of the parks, a second addition of biosolid was carried out after the first year. The soil contents in metals (pseudo-total) and their plant-available and oral bio-accessible fractions were significantly altered when the soils were amended with biosolid. Increase of the bio-accessible metal contents represents a deterioration of the environmental quality of recreational areas, where hand-to-mouth transfer of pollutants to children is likely to occur, although part of the metals added might be leached by rainfall or irrigation. The limits established in several countries for metal contents of soils in recreational areas are often exceeded after application of the biosolid. A careful study of the metal contents of recycled wastes is thus recommended before being used for green area maintenance. - Research highlights: Metal bio-accessibility in urban soils is significant for quality of life of citizens. Some metal-rich amendments can alter metal availability in urban soils. Metal contents of amendments in recreational areas must then be kept to a minimum. A case study of a composted biosolid used in urban green areas of Sevilla is given. - Metal-containing amendments can deteriorate the environmental quality of soils of urban recreational areas.

  20. Effect of an organic amendment on availability and bio-accessibility of some metals in soils of urban recreational areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Florido, Maria del Carmen; Madrid, Fernando; Madrid, Luis

    2011-01-01

    A composted biosolid from wastewater treatment was added to soils of two public parks of Sevilla, and successive samples were taken during one year. In one of the parks, a second addition of biosolid was carried out after the first year. The soil contents in metals (pseudo-total) and their plant-available and oral bio-accessible fractions were significantly altered when the soils were amended with biosolid. Increase of the bio-accessible metal contents represents a deterioration of the environmental quality of recreational areas, where hand-to-mouth transfer of pollutants to children is likely to occur, although part of the metals added might be leached by rainfall or irrigation. The limits established in several countries for metal contents of soils in recreational areas are often exceeded after application of the biosolid. A careful study of the metal contents of recycled wastes is thus recommended before being used for green area maintenance. - Research highlights: → Metal bio-accessibility in urban soils is significant for quality of life of citizens. → Some metal-rich amendments can alter metal availability in urban soils. → Metal contents of amendments in recreational areas must then be kept to a minimum. → A case study of a composted biosolid used in urban green areas of Sevilla is given. - Metal-containing amendments can deteriorate the environmental quality of soils of urban recreational areas.

  1. New mechanistically based model for predicting reduction of biosolids waste by ozonation of return activated sludge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isazadeh, Siavash; Feng, Min; Urbina Rivas, Luis Enrique; Frigon, Dominic

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Biomass inactivation followed an exponential decay with increasing ozone doses. • From pure cultures, inactivation did not result in significant COD solubilization. • Ozone dose inactivation thresholds resulted from floc structure modifications. • Modeling description of biomass inactivation during RAS-ozonation was improved. • Model best describing inactivation resulted in best performance predictions. - Abstract: Two pilot-scale activated sludge reactors were operated for 98 days to provide the necessary data to develop and validate a new mathematical model predicting the reduction of biosolids production by ozonation of the return activated sludge (RAS). Three ozone doses were tested during the study. In addition to the pilot-scale study, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted with mixed liquor suspended solids and with pure cultures to parameterize the biomass inactivation process during exposure to ozone. The experiments revealed that biomass inactivation occurred even at the lowest doses, but that it was not associated with extensive COD solubilization. For validation, the model was used to simulate the temporal dynamics of the pilot-scale operational data. Increasing the description accuracy of the inactivation process improved the precision of the model in predicting the operational data

  2. New mechanistically based model for predicting reduction of biosolids waste by ozonation of return activated sludge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isazadeh, Siavash; Feng, Min; Urbina Rivas, Luis Enrique; Frigon, Dominic, E-mail: dominic.frigon@mcgill.ca

    2014-04-01

    Highlights: • Biomass inactivation followed an exponential decay with increasing ozone doses. • From pure cultures, inactivation did not result in significant COD solubilization. • Ozone dose inactivation thresholds resulted from floc structure modifications. • Modeling description of biomass inactivation during RAS-ozonation was improved. • Model best describing inactivation resulted in best performance predictions. - Abstract: Two pilot-scale activated sludge reactors were operated for 98 days to provide the necessary data to develop and validate a new mathematical model predicting the reduction of biosolids production by ozonation of the return activated sludge (RAS). Three ozone doses were tested during the study. In addition to the pilot-scale study, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted with mixed liquor suspended solids and with pure cultures to parameterize the biomass inactivation process during exposure to ozone. The experiments revealed that biomass inactivation occurred even at the lowest doses, but that it was not associated with extensive COD solubilization. For validation, the model was used to simulate the temporal dynamics of the pilot-scale operational data. Increasing the description accuracy of the inactivation process improved the precision of the model in predicting the operational data.

  3. Multi-criteria analysis for site selection for the reuse of reclaimed water and biosolids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    António Albuquerque

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Low pH soils with insufficient organic matter can benefit from the application of reclaimed water (RW and biosolids. The presence of nutrients also aids plant growth. This paper presents the results of two integrated research studies, both carried out in the Beira Interior Region (Covilhã, Portugal; one used RW for irrigation, the other applied paper mill sludge to agricultural land. In both cases, multiple criteria based on GIS tools were used for site selection. In the first study, the characteristics of RW analyzed over 2 years were found suitable for crop irrigation. The RW had moderate organic content, low electrical conductivity (CE, high nutrient content (N, P, and low concentrations of nitrate, metals and phytotoxic elements (Al, B, Cl and Na. The multi-criteria analysis was carried out taking into account environmental, technical and economic criteria and a suitable area of 30.5 ha was found for RW irrigation. In the second work, the paper mill sludge was considered suitable for application to agricultural land. Its concentrations of N, P and heavy metals did not a present risk for soil contamination and were suitable for soil improvement and crop production. A multi-criteria analysis based on similar criteria was conducted and a suitable area of 253 ha was found for sludge application.

  4. Cinética de degradação da matéria orgânica de biossólidos após aplicação no solo e relação com a composição química inicial Degradation kinetics of biosolids organic matter after soil application and its relationship with initial chemical composition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristiano Alberto de Andrade

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a degradação de biossólidos após aplicação no solo, relacionando com a composição química inicial da matéria orgânica (MO desses resíduos. Foram utilizados quatro biossólidos e um composto orgânico à base de lodo de esgoto, provenientes de diferentes sistemas de tratamento de esgotos e/ou estabilização do lodo e/ou condicionamento químico para desidratação e/ou etapa complementar visando à melhor adequação ao uso agrícola. A degradação dos biossólidos foi determinada com quantificação do CO2 emanado a partir de experimento de incubação de misturas de amostras de um Latossolo, com dose dos resíduos correspondente a 40 t ha-1. As taxas de degradação da fração orgânica dos resíduos variaram entre 5% e 22%. De modo geral, a degradação da fração orgânica dos biossólidos foi descrita por equação de cinética química com duas fases: a primeira fase caracterizou-se pela elevada velocidade de degradação de compostos orgânicos presentes em quantidades limitadas, cuja exaustão do substrato ocorreu em poucos dias (2 a 20 dias; a segunda fase caracterizouse pela redução da velocidade da reação de degradação e aumento da quantidade de carbono mineralizado (65% do total de C mineralizado no período. A proteína bruta, expressa como porcentagem do conteúdo orgânico dos resíduos, foi o parâmetro que melhor correlacionou com a taxa de degradação dos biossólidos no fim de 70 dias de incubação (r = 0,999 e Prob. > t inferior a 10-4, sendo promissora sua utilização na previsão da taxa de degradação da MO de biossólidos após aplicação no solo. A participação do compartimento protéico foi crescente com o tempo de incubação, comprovando que no início do período de avaliação outros compostos orgânicos mais lábeis funcionaram como fonte de carbono e de energia para a microbiota edáfica.The aim of this study was to evaluate biosolids degradation

  5. Determination of fluorotelomer alcohols and their degradation products in biosolids-amended soils and plants using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hongna; Wen, Bei; Hu, Xiaoyu; Wu, Yali; Luo, Lei; Chen, Zien; Zhang, Shuzhen

    2015-07-24

    Degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) was recognized as an additional source of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). Quantification of FTOHs and their degradation products can help shed light on the sources and fates of PFCAs in the environment. In this study, an analytical method was developed for the determination of 6:2 and 8:2 FTOHs, and their degradation products of poly- and perfluorinated acids, including fluorotelomer saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids (FTCAs and FTUCAs), secondary polyfluorinated alcohols and PFCAs in biosolids-amended soils and plants using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The extract efficiencies of different methods including ethyl acetate and methanol (MeOH) for FTOHs and acetonitrile, MeOH, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), NaOH-MeOH and NaOH-MTBE for poly- and perfluorinated acids were tested. The results showed that 6:2 and 8:2 FTOHs and their degradation products could be simultaneously and satisfactorily extracted by MeOH, cleaned up by Envi-Carb graphitized carbon and solid phase extraction, respectively, and determined by UPLC-MS/MS separately. NaOH in the extractant caused the conversion of 6:2 FTCA and 8:2 FTCA into the corresponding FTUCAs. The selected methods have matrix recoveries ranged from 52% to 102%, and detection limits of 0.01-0.46ng/g dry weight for FTOHs and their degradation products in soil and plant. The optimized method was applied successfully to quantify FTOHs and their degradation products in two biosolids-amended soils and plants. The total concentrations of FTOHs in the soils were 44.1±5.8 and 82.6±7.1ng/g, and in plants tissues 3.58±0.25 and 8.33±0.66ng/g. The total concentrations of poly- and perfluorinated acids in the soils were 168.0±13.2 and 349.6±11.2ng/g, and in plants tissues 78.0±6.4 and 75.5±5.3ng/g. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Side Effects (Management)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cancer care is relieving side effects, called symptom management, palliative care, or supportive care. It is important ... treat them. To learn about the symptoms and management of the long-term side effects of cancer ...

  7. Bioavailability of silver and silver sulfide nanoparticles to lettuce (Lactuca sativa): Effect of agricultural amendments on plant uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doolette, Casey L; McLaughlin, Michael J; Kirby, Jason K; Navarro, Divina A

    2015-12-30

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can enter terrestrial systems as sulfidised AgNPs (Ag2S-NPs) through the application of biosolids to soil. However, the bioavailability of Ag2S-NPs in soils is unknown. The two aims of this study were to investigate (1) the bioavailability of Ag to lettuce (Lactuca sativa) using a soil amended with biosolids containing Ag2S-NPs and (2) the effect of commonly used agricultural fertilisers/amendments on the bioavailability of Ag, AgNPs and Ag2S-NPs to lettuce. The study used realistic AgNP exposure pathways and exposure concentrations. The plant uptake of Ag from biosolids-amended soil containing Ag2S-NPs was very low for all Ag treatments (0.02%). Ammonium thiosulfate and potassium chloride fertilisation significantly increased the Ag concentrations of plant roots and shoots. The extent of the effect varied depending on the type of Ag. Ag2S-NPs, the realistic form of AgNPs in soil, had the lowest bioavailability. The potential risk of AgNPs in soils is low; even in the plants that had the highest Ag concentrations (Ag(+)+thiosulfate), only 0.06% of added Ag was found in edible plant parts (shoots). Results from the study suggest that agricultural practises must be considered when carrying out risk assessments of AgNPs in terrestrial systems; such practises can affect AgNP bioavailability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Exploiting the energy potential of waste activated sludge with MicroSludge[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stephenson, R.; Laliberte, S. [Paradigm Environmental Technologies, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Nemeth, L. [Earth Tech Canada Inc., Burnaby, BC (Canada)

    2007-07-01

    When waste activated sludge (WAS) is efficiently converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion, the energy potential and economic value of WAS can be exploited. This paper discussed the chemical and pressure pre-treatment process using MicroSludge. MicroSludge uses alkaline pre-treatment to weaken cell membranes and a high-pressure homogenizer to liquefy the cells, enabling the anaerobic digester to work at a higher rate and more efficiently, destroying pathogens and generating less biosolids for disposal, with corresponding higher volumes of methane from which to generate added electrical power and/or produce added heat. MicroSludge was demonstrated at the Chilliwack waste water treatment plant (WWTP), located 115 km east of Vancouver. The paper provided a description of the Chilliwack WWTP and discussed the application of MicroSludge at a full-scale prototype plant. The MicroSludge plant was capable of pre-treating all of the waste secondary sludge generated at the Chilliwack WWTP prior to anaerobic digestion. The paper also discussed digester hydraulic retention time; scanning electron microscope images; temperature; pH; mass loading of primary sludge and waste activated sludge; total volatile solids concentrations; and digester gas composition. Operating and maintenance costs were also outlined along with electrical power costs, maintenance costs and chemical costs. Last, the paper presented the energy benefits for WWTPs when using MicroSludge. It was concluded that the economic benefits of MicroSludge are greater for plants with higher biosolids disposal costs and higher electrical utility costs. 6 refs., 8 tabs., 10 figs.

  9. Long-term effects of different type and rates of organic amendments on reclamation of copper mine tailing in Central Chile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arellano, Eduardo; Garreton, Bruna; Ginocchio, Rosanna

    2016-04-01

    A study was conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of a single application of organic amendments on a copper mine tailings. Seven years after seeding of a mix of herbaceous plant and planting of ten native trees, and the application of organic amendment, plant community and soil fertility was measured in replicated plots that received six different treatments of waste water treatment plant biosolids (100 ton/ha, and 200 ton/ha), olive oil waste (100 ton/ha, and 200 ton/ha) and pisco grapes waste (90 ton/ha, and 200 ton/ha). A control treatment that received no organic amendment was also measured after seven years. Field measurements demonstrated that application of biosolids and pisco grapes waste, at both rates significantly improved vegetation coverage in comparison to the control treatment (80 and 100% vs control, 25%). The high rates of pisco waste had the highest vegetation diversity and survival in comparison to the other treatments. The high rate of olive oil waste had a negative effect on vegetation development in comparison to the control treatment. The application of organic amendment improved soil fertility in the long-term. All the treatments had a significant higher nitrogen concentration in comparison to the control treatment. The high rates of biosolids and pisco grape waste had a significantly effect of soil carbon concentration. Soil macro-aggregate in the high rate of pisco grape waste were also higher than the control, showing a positive relation between soil recover and vegetation development. We can conclude assisted phytostabilization of mine tailings is likely a technically effective solution for the valorisation of organic residues.

  10. Enhanced electroforced sedimentation of various solid- liquid systems

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    GREGORY

    2011-12-16

    Dec 16, 2011 ... liquid systems. Mohammed S. Jami1* ... significant challenges in wastewater management. ... environmental sludge and biosolids, thereby reducing the volumes to be disposed through landfills, incineration or other means.

  11. Heat pump applications using municipal effluent : Joint Abbottsford mission environmental system J.A.M.E.S. water pollution control centre[This study contributes to the Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative, a partnership that provides tools, support and framework for action towards sustainability in the Georgia Basin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-12-01

    The results of the study indicate that the biosolids process heating and biosolids drying had the biggest potential. Until the cost of natural gas doubles compared to the rates in the Spring of 2000, it is deemed that a heat pump system at Joint Abbottsford Mission Environmental System (JAMES) would not represent a cost-effective option. This conclusion is based on the following: (1) most of the plant's heating needs can be met by the volume of digester gas produced at the plant, (2) natural gas is used as a supplemental heating fuel, (3) a significant initial capital cost in the range of 210, 000 dollars would be required for a 330 kW system used for heating biosolids, whereas the continued use of natural gas and digester gas at the plant does not require additional capital cost, and (4) natural gas is still relatively inexpensive (based on rates in the Spring of 2000). The study also includes the evaluation of a conceptual process for biosolids drying, with the aim of reducing haulage costs. It is estimated that the potential savings would be approximately 400,000 dollars annually, despite the high initial capital cost of 5 to 10 million dollars. The cost effectiveness of biosolids drying will change as a result of the recent plant expansion that was completed in December 2000 that impacts on the quantities of biosolids and biogas produced. Once a reasonable track record for the upgraded plant is available in approximately six months, it is recommended that the biosolids process be re-evaluated at that time. The conclusions of the JAMES treatment plant should not be used to rule out the use of heat pump for other wastewater treatment plants. For those wastewater treatment plants that do not produce digester gas, heat pumps would be more cost effective, as well as being considered for a new wastewater treatment plant heating system, and not for a retrofit of an existing plant. refs., tabs., figs.

  12. Evaluation of Pathogen Removal in a Solar Sludge Drying Facility Using Microbial Indicators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. İpek Kurtböke

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available South East Queensland is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia with a correspondingly rapid increase in sewage production. In response, local councils are investing in more effective and sustainable options for the treatment and reuse of domestic and industrial effluents. A novel, evaporative solar dryer system has been installed on the Sunshine Coast to convert sewage sludge into a drier, usable form of biosolids through solar radiation exposure resulting in decreased moisture concentration and pathogen reduction. Solar-dried biosolids were analyzed for selected pathogenic microbial, metal and organic contaminants at the end of different drying cycles in a collaborative study conducted with the Regional Council. Although fecal coliforms were found to be present, enteroviruses, parasites, E. coli, and Salmonella sp. were not detected in the final product. However, elevated levels of zinc and copper were still present which restricted public use of the biosolids. Dilution of the dried biosolids with green waste as well as composting of the biosolids is likely to lead to the production of an environmentally safe, Class A end-product.

  13. Bisphenol A in artificial soil: Effects on growth, reproduction and immunity in earthworms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verdú, I; Trigo, D; Martínez-Guitarte, J L; Novo, M

    2018-01-01

    The application of biosolids in agricultural fields is increasing annually. They contain not only nutrients but also xenobiotics, such as Bisphenol A (BPA). These compounds are not regulated in the use of biosolids in agriculture, which highlights the need to assess their effects on soil life, of which earthworms are most abundant of the animal representatives. In this study the effect of BPA on life-history parameters, such as mortality, growth and reproduction, and on immunity, is evaluated for Dendrobaena veneta and Eisenia fetida. Sublethal concentrations were evaluated by a modified OECD artificial soil test. Decline in growth with increasing concentration of BPA was detected during the first two weeks and the opposite effect for the next two, although these differences were only significant at the highest concentration. Reproduction traits were only significantly different for E. fetida, for which the number of juveniles decreased at higher concentrations, thus showing different sensitivity in both species. By using a contact test, the potentially harmful effect of direct contact with BPA was shown to be much higher than in soil (resembling natural) conditions. Finally, results indicate that BPA may not affect the immune system of these animals, at least in terms of coelomocyte viability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. [Effectiveness of managing styles of nursing management staff].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stychno, Ewa

    2002-01-01

    There are many possibilities of the division of the managing styles. In theory one can distinguish two basic styles: directive and integrative. Generalisations describing both styles result in the fact that they do not reflect reality taking place at work. Because of it they cannot be applied in such a form. Therefore, it is necessary to build up the theoretical concept of the managing styles through decreasing their generality and adjusting them to the reality requirements at the same time. For the reality of management Reddin concept seems to be useful. It describes the organizational behaviour of managers. He noticed that the managing style is effective when it fits into the manager's situation whereas it is ineffective in such a situation, when the manager cannot select and adjust the managing techniques to the circumstances of the concrete decision-taking situation. Putting together 3 handling ways: orientation on assignments, orientation on staff, effectiveness, 8 managing can be differentiated. The aim of the paper was an attempt to check what managing styles are used by the nursing management staff working in hospitals. To determine the managing style a questionnaire consisting of 64 statements divided into 8 groups was applied. The examined persons were assigned to distribute 10 points among the statements belonging to each group of tasks which are supposed to specify their solution in the best way. The nursing management staff prefer the styles belonging to the more effective one in which there is a high orientation on staff.

  15. Accumulation and Sublethal Effects of Triclosan and its Transformation Product Methyl-triclosan in the Earthworm Eisenia andrei Exposed to Environmental Concentrations in an Artificial Soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chevillot, Fanny; Guyot, Mélanie; Desrosiers, Mélanie; Cadoret, Nicole; Veilleux, Éloïse; Cabana, Hubert; Bellenger, Jean-Philippe

    2018-04-18

    Municipal biosolids are increasingly used as a low-cost fertilizer in agricultural soil. Biosolids are contaminated by low concentrations (ng g -1 dw range) of a large variety of organic contaminants, such as triclosan (TCS). The effect of exposure to low concentrations of organic contaminants on soil biota remains largely undocumented. We evaluated the sublethal effects of TCS on the earthworm Eisenia andrei using an artificial soil amended with a nominal concentration of TCS of 50 ng g -1 dry weight soil. Using a 56-d reproduction test, we monitored the effect of TCS exposure on adult earthworm survival, growth, and reproduction. The bioaccumulation of TCS in earthworm tissue (adults and juveniles) and degradation of TCS were monitored. The genotoxicity of TCS was evaluated using a comet assay (DNA damage) on adult earthworm coelomocytes. Exposure to a low concentration of TCS had no significant effects on adult earthworm survival and DNA damage, but significantly stimulated growth (P increase in the number of cocoons and juveniles, and a decrease in the mean dry weight of juveniles. The bioaccumulation of TCS in earthworms was moderate (bioaccumulation factor ∼ 2). In biosolid-borne trials, the bioaccumulation of methyl-triclosan in earthworm tissues was higher than the parent compound TCS. We conclude that exposure to low concentrations of TCS in artificial soil can significantly affect the growth and reproductive performance of earthworms (i.e., E. andrei). More research is required with natural soils to assess TCS bioavailability for earthworms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  16. Efecto del secado térmico y el tratamiento alcalino en las características microbiológicas y químicas de biosólidos de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales domésticas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Silva-Leal

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We evaluated the effect of thermal drying (60 to 75 ºC and times from 0 to 12.58 h and alkaline treatment (Ca(OH2 and CaO at doses from 8 to 10%. on the microbiological and chemical characteristics of biosolids from the Cañaveralejo WWTP. The results showed that in thermal drying all temperatures studied were sufficient to achieve the sanitation of biosolids. In the alkaline treatment the two types of lime showed the total elimination of fecal coliforms, E. coli and helminth eggs, however, the process of alkalization of biosolids had significant influences on organic carbon and calcium.

  17. Measurement of software project management effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Demir, Kadir Alpaslan

    2008-01-01

    Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Evaluating, monitoring, and improving the effectiveness of project management can contribute to successful acquisition of software systems. In this dissertation, we introduce a quantitative metric for gauging the effectiveness of managing a software-development project. The metric may be used to evaluate and monitor project management effectiveness in software projects by project managers, technical managers, executive man...

  18. Effect of electron beam irradiation on bacterial and Ascaris ova loads and volatile organic compounds in municipal sewage sludge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Engohang-Ndong, Jean; Uribe, R.M.; Gregory, Roger; Gangoda, Mahinda; Nickelsen, Mike G.; Loar, Philip

    2015-01-01

    Wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of biosolids that can be utilized for land applications. However, prior to their use, these biosolids must be treated to eliminate risks of infections and to reduce upsetting odors. In this study, microbiological and chemical analyzes were performed before and after treatment of sewage sludge with 3 MeV of an electron beam accelerator in a pilot processing plant. Thus, we determined that dose 4.5 kGy was required to reduce fecal coliform counts to safe levels for land applications of sludge while, 14.5 kGy was necessary to decrease Ascaris ova counts to safe levels. Furthermore, at low doses, electron beam irradiation showed little effect on the concentrations of volatile organic compounds, while some increase were recorded at high doses. The concentration of dimethyl sulfide was reduced by 50–70% at irradiation doses of 25.7 kGy and 30.7 kGy respectively. By contrast, electron beam irradiation increased dimethyl disulfide concentrations. We also showed that electron beam treatment was less energy-consuming with shorter processing times than conventional techniques used to decontaminate sludge. Hence opening new avenues for large urban agglomerations to save money and time when treating biosolids for land application. - Highlights: • Use of electron beam irradiation for the treatment of municipal sewage sludge. • Irradiation at 4.5 kGy is required to eliminate risks of bacterial infection. • Irradiation at 14.5 kGy is required to eliminate risks of helminth infection. • Electron beam technology is not effective for controlling volatile organic compounds. • Electron beam treatment of sludge is less expensive than traditional techniques

  19. The efficiency of concentration methods used to detect enteric viruses in anaerobically digested sludge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Prado

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The presence of enteric viruses in biosolids can be underestimated due to the inefficient methods (mainly molecular methods used to recover the viruses from these matrices. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the different methods used to recover adenoviruses (AdV, rotavirus species A (RVA, norovirus genogroup II (NoV GII and the hepatitis A virus (HAV from biosolid samples at a large urban wastewater treatment plant in Brazil after they had been treated by mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR was used for spiking experiments to compare the detection limits of feasible methods, such as beef extract elution and ultracentrifugation. Tests were performed to detect the inhibition levels and the bacteriophage PP7 was used as an internal control. The results showed that the inhibitors affected the efficiency of the PCR reaction and that beef extract elution is a suitable method for detecting enteric viruses, mainly AdV from biosolid samples. All of the viral groups were detected in the biosolid samples: AdV (90%, RVA, NoV GII (45% and HAV (18%, indicating the viruses' resistance to the anaerobic treatment process. This is the first study in Brazil to detect the presence of RVA, AdV, NoV GII and HAV in anaerobically digested sludge, highlighting the importance of adequate waste management.

  20. MEJORAMIENTO DE LA CALIDAD MICROBIOLÓGICA DE BIOSÓLIDOS GENERADOS EN PLANTAS DE TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES DOMÉSTICAS MELHORAMENTO DA QULIDADE MICROBIOLÓGICA DE BIOSÓLIDOS GERADOS EM PLANTAS DE TRATAMENTO DE ÁGUAS RESIDUAIS MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF BIOSOLIDS FROM DOMESTIC WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PATRICIA TORRES

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Uno de los principales problemas de calidad que presentan los biosólidos de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales domésticas –PTAR– es el contenido de microorganismos patógenos que los clasifica en muchos casos como Clase B con restricción para uso agrícola. Este estudio evaluó la estabilización alcalina de los biosólidos de la PTAR Cañaveralejo (Cali, Colombia para mejorar su calidad microbiológica, empleando dos tipos de cal (hidratada y viva en dosis entre 8 y 25 % y dos tipos de ceniza con dosis entre 8 y 40 % en unidades experimentales de 0,2 m2 con un tiempo de contacto de 13 días. Los resultados mostraron que con cal se logró reducción total de las variables de respuesta evaluadas (coliformes fecales, Salmonella sp y huevos de helmintos, mientras que el poder alcalinizante de las cenizas evaluadas fue insuficiente. El biosólido higienizado con cal presenta alto potencial de uso agrícola por su calidad microbiológica y por el contenido final de materia orgánica y nutrientes (N, P que pueden beneficiar los suelos, pero es recomendable evaluar la optimización a escala piloto de la dosificación de cal y la aplicación del biosólido en diferentes tipos de suelos y cultivos para precisar los beneficios o medidas preventivas antes de la aplicación.One of the main quality problems of biosolids from domestic wastewater treatment plants –WWTP– is the high concentration of pathogens, often classified as a class B, with restriction for use in agriculture. This study evaluated the alkali stabilization of biosolids from Cañaveralejo wastewater treatment plant (PTAR-C, located in Cali, Colombia, in order to improve their microbiological quality using two types of lime (quick and hydrated with doses between 8 to 25 % and two types of ash with 8 to 40 % as doses, in experimental units 0,2 m2 with 13 days of contact time. The results showed that both type of lime reached the total reduction of evaluated monitoring

  1. The antihistamine diphenhydramine is extremely persistent in agricultural soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Topp, Edward; Sumarah, Mark W.; Sabourin, Lyne

    2012-01-01

    The widely used antihistamine diphenhydramine is present in municipal biosolids, and is detected in runoff from agricultural land fertilized with biosolids. In the present study the kinetics and major pathways of diphenhydramine dissipation in a loam, sandy loam, and clay loam soil were determined in laboratory incubations. The time to dissipate 50% (DT 50 ) of 14 C-diphenhydramine residues at 30 °C ranged from 88 ± 28 days in the clay loam to 335 ± 145 days in the loam soil. Mineralization of 14 C was insignificant, and diphenhydramine-N-oxide was the only detected extractable transformation product elucidated by radioisotope and HPLC-MS methods. There were no significant effects of municipal biosolids on the kinetics or pathways of removal. Overall, diphenhydramine is quite persistent in soils, and formation of non-extractable soil-bound residues is the major mechanism of diphenhydramine dissipation. -- Highlights: ► Diphenhydramine is a widely used antihistamine drug, is found in biosolids, and in runoff from biosolids-fertilized fields. ► The persistence of 14 C-diphenhydramine was evaluated in soils. ► Half lives ranged from 88 to 335 days. Diphenhydramine-N-oxide was the only detected transformation product. ► Soil-bound residues was a major sink.

  2. The antihistamine diphenhydramine is extremely persistent in agricultural soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Topp, Edward, E-mail: ed.topp@agr.gc.ca; Sumarah, Mark W.; Sabourin, Lyne

    2012-11-15

    The widely used antihistamine diphenhydramine is present in municipal biosolids, and is detected in runoff from agricultural land fertilized with biosolids. In the present study the kinetics and major pathways of diphenhydramine dissipation in a loam, sandy loam, and clay loam soil were determined in laboratory incubations. The time to dissipate 50% (DT{sub 50}) of {sup 14}C-diphenhydramine residues at 30 Degree-Sign C ranged from 88 {+-} 28 days in the clay loam to 335 {+-} 145 days in the loam soil. Mineralization of {sup 14}C was insignificant, and diphenhydramine-N-oxide was the only detected extractable transformation product elucidated by radioisotope and HPLC-MS methods. There were no significant effects of municipal biosolids on the kinetics or pathways of removal. Overall, diphenhydramine is quite persistent in soils, and formation of non-extractable soil-bound residues is the major mechanism of diphenhydramine dissipation. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Diphenhydramine is a widely used antihistamine drug, is found in biosolids, and in runoff from biosolids-fertilized fields. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The persistence of {sup 14}C-diphenhydramine was evaluated in soils. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Half lives ranged from 88 to 335 days. Diphenhydramine-N-oxide was the only detected transformation product. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Soil-bound residues was a major sink.

  3. Management Modes at Different Levels and Management Effectiveness of Nature Reserve

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Xiaoping; TANG

    2013-01-01

    Classification management is one of nature reserves management system in China. But state nature reserves and local administration nature reserves under the regulations are only the approval system and embody the concept of protection. Management pattern of nature reserves can be divided into nine types. There are big differences in the nine patterns in management foundation and coordination ability of management because different management pattern occupies different resources of administration,personnel,financial and law enforcement. By analyzing management pattern,thirty-eight indexes in thirteen categories were selected to evaluate the management effectiveness of national nature reserves subordinate to the State Forestry Administration (SFA) . Results show that the management effectiveness of national nature reserves is good as a whole,and the management effectiveness is direct proportional to administration level. Provincial administration has the higher efficiency than municipal and county administration. Direct administration by governments at all levels has the higher efficiency than departments’ administration at the same level.

  4. Improving productivity through more effective time management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Edwin; Pulich, Marcia

    2004-01-01

    Effective time management has become increasingly important for managers as they seek to accomplish objectives in today's organizations, which have been restructured for efficiency while employing fewer people. Managers can improve their ability to manage time effectively by examining their attitudes toward time, analyzing time-wasting behaviors, and developing better time management skills. Managers can improve their performance and promotion potential with more effective time utilization. Strategies for improving time management skills are presented.

  5. CHALLENGES IN SLUDGE STABILIZATION: REGULATORY COMPLIANCE IN THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF FACILITIES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Successful sewage sludge management involving the beneficial use of biosolids is predicated on acceptable quality of the product. Sludge quality can be defined in many ways. One of the most critical qualities affecting product marketability is sludge stability. While the terms &q...

  6. --No Title--

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locations Recycling Sludge/Biosolids Solid Waste Watershed Protection Nonpoint Source Pollution Total Watershed Protection Wellhead Protection Funding Water and Waste Funding Drinking Water Funding Sanitary and Permit Oil and Gas Waste Management Water Rights All Permits/Forms (Alphabetical) All Permits/Forms (by

  7. swimming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locations Recycling Sludge/Biosolids Solid Waste Watershed Protection Nonpoint Source Pollution Total Watershed Protection Wellhead Protection Funding Water and Waste Funding Drinking Water Funding Sanitary and Permit Oil and Gas Waste Management Water Rights All Permits/Forms (Alphabetical) All Permits/Forms (by

  8. Triclosan: its occurrence, fate and effects in the Australian environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kookana, R S; Ying, G-G; Waller, N J

    2011-01-01

    Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent used widely in household products such as soaps, household cleaners, cosmetics, sportswear, mouthwash and toothpaste. It is a bioaccumulative compound known for its high toxicity to algae, daphnids, fish and other aquatic organisms. We investigated its occurrence in effluents, biosolids and surface waters in Australia, as well as its fate in Australian soils and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), including the effects on microbial processes in soils. The concentrations of TCS in 19 effluents ranged from 23 to 434 ng/L (median 108 ng/L) and in 17 biosolids from 0.09 to 16.79 mg/kg on dry weight basis (median 2.32 mg/kg). TCS at concentrations of up to 75 ng/L were detected in receiving waters from five creeks affected by effluent discharge from WWTPs. The removal rate of TCS in five selected WWTPs ranged from 72 and 93%, ascribed mainly to sorption onto sludge and biological degradation. Biodegradation in a clay loam soil was noted with a half life of 18 days. However the half-lives under field conditions are expected to be very different. The studies on the effect of TCS on soil microbiological processes showed that triclosan can disrupt the nitrogen cyclein sensitive soils at concentrations ≥5 mg/kg. In view of the recent risk assessment by the Australian regulatory agency NICNAS, there is an urgent need to assess exposure to TCS and its effect on ecosystem health.

  9. Effect of industrial residue combinations on availability of elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brännvall, Evelina, E-mail: evelina.brannvall@ltu.se [Waste Science and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå (Sweden); Zamora, Carles Belmonte [Waste Science and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå (Sweden); Sjöblom, Rolf [Waste Science and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå (Sweden); Tekedo AB, Spinnarvägen 10, 611 37 Nyköping (Sweden); Kumpiene, Jurate [Waste Science and Technology, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå (Sweden)

    2014-07-15

    Highlights: • Beneficial combination of fly ash and biosolids. • Nutrient availability increase. • Potentially toxic element availability decrease. • Measured element availability was differed from the calculated leaching potential. - Abstract: Industrial residues, such as fly ashes and biosolids, contain elements (e.g., N, P, K, S, Ca and Zn) that make them a viable alternative for synthetic fertilizers in forestry and agriculture. However, the use of these materials is often limited due to the presence of potentially toxic substances. It is therefore necessary to assess and, when warranted, modify the chemical and physical form of these and similar waste materials before any advantages are taken of their beneficial properties. Biofuel fly ash, municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash, biosolids, peat, peat residues and gypsum board waste were combined in various proportions, and this resulted in increased leaching of N, P, S, Cu and Mn, but decreased leaching of Ca, K, Mg, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Al, As and Pb. Chemical fractionation revealed that elements Ca, K, Mg, S and Mn were predominantly exchangeable, while the rest of the elements were less mobile. Cadmium was mostly exchangeable in MSWI fly ash, but less mobile in biofuel fly ash mixtures. Recycling of MSWI fly ash in the mixtures with fertilizers is considerably less attractive, due to the high levels of salts and exchangeable Cd.

  10. PFOS and PFOA in influents, effluents, and biosolids of Chinese wastewater treatment plants and effluent-receiving marine environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Hong; Zhang Can; Han Jianbo; Yu Yixuan; Zhang Peng

    2012-01-01

    Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in influents, effluents and sludges were investigated by analyzing the samples from twelve wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in China. The highest concentrations of PFOS and PFOA in influents were found to occur in municipal and industrial WWTPs, respectively. Relative to PFOS and PFOA concentrations in influents, elevated concentrations were observed in effluents from WWTPs applying anaerobic–anoxic–oxic wastewater treatment process. Importantly, application of previously reported organic carbon normalized partition coefficients (K OC ) derived from sediment-based sorption experiments appear to underestimate the PFOS and PFOA levels in biosolids quantified in the current study. PFOS and PFOA levels in effluents were found to be approximately 27 and 2 times higher than those detected in the effluent-receiving seawater, respectively. However, their levels in this area of seawater haven't exceeded the provisional short-term health advisories in drinking water issued by U.S. EPA yet. - Highlights: ► Levels of PFOS and PFOA in influents, effluents and sludge from Chinese WWTPs were examined. ► Municipal sewage was the main source for PFOS in Chinese WWTPs, while industrial sewage for PFOA. ► PFOS and PFOA concentrations in effluents were much higher than those in receiving seawater. - Levels of PFOS and PFOA in influent, effluent and sludge samples from Chinese WWTPs were examined and found much higher than those in receiving seawater.

  11. Characteristics of effective health care managers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Sherryl W

    2005-01-01

    This article provides an overview of traditional and contemporary management theories. Concerns, characteristics, and skills of effective managers are also presented. Further, a self-assessment (survey) of 7 highly effective health care managers in a South Georgia community was conducted to determine their ratings on 6 management indices. The assessment or Scale of Transformational Leadership uses a Likert-type scale to allow for the evaluation of managers. The scale contains 6 management elements for assessment: attention, meaning, trust, self, vision, and feeling. Individual ratings and group summary skills rating are presented. Findings revealed the order of managerial importance of the elements as follows (from highest to lowest): Management of Trust, Management of Attention, Management of Self, Management of Feeling, Management of Meaning, and Management of Risk. As a second tier, the final ratings are corroborated by health care management interns.

  12. Condicionadores químicos de solo e retenção e distribuição de cádmio, zinco e cobre em latossolos tratados com biossólido Soil amendments and heavy metal retention and distribution in oxisols treated with biosolids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Lucia Silveira

    2008-06-01

    disposal of biosolids. However, depending on the origin (urban and/or domestic and the treatment system, biosolids may contain high amounts of heavy metals, which can gradually build up in the soil. Soil chemical amendments in contaminated areas can reduce the bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals and, consequently, minimize the risks of their adverse effects on the environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of four chemical amendments [calcium carbonate (CaCO3, calcium sulfate (CaSO4, monobasic potassium phosphate (KH2PO4 and synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA] on Zn, Cu, and Cd retention and distribution in Oxisols amended with biosolid. Due to the low solubility, HA was equilibrated at pH 4, 5, and 6. Surface soil samples (0-20 cm of a Rhodic Acrudox (RA and a Typic Haplorthox (HP were used. Two grams of each soil sample were equilibrated in a dual- diffusion chamber with 2 g of heavily contaminated with heavy metals. The suspension was constantly stirred for a more uniform mixing of the solutions. When the equilibrium was reached (after approximately seven days, the solution was centrifuged, filtered and acidified. Copper, Zn, and Cd concentrations in solution were determined. The solid phases (soil and biosolid were freeze-dried and sequential extractions of Zn, Cu and Cd were performed. The chemical amendments were efficient in Zn, Cd and, to a lesser extent, Cu immobilization. Calcium carbonate followed by HA (pH 6 was, in general, the most efficient treatment in reducing metal concentrations in solution. No heavy metal immobilization was obtained by HA equilibrated at pH 4 and 5. Chemical amendments markedly reduced the amounts of metals associated with the exchangeable fraction and increased the surface oxide/carbonate pool, especially in the treatments with CaCO3 and HA (pH 6.

  13. THE EFFECTS OF DRAMA TRAINING ON INTERPERSONAL MANAGEMENT SKILL OF MANAGERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özgür KÖKALAN

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of drama training on interpersonal management skill of managers. The experimental study was conducted in this research. The participants of the study were 20 managers divided into 10 as an experimental group and 10 as a control group. The drama training was given to participants of the experimental group by a specialist trainer and then the effects of this training were analyzed by quantitative research methods. In the quantitave researh, a questionnaire that were used to determine the interpersonal management skill of managers were conducted before the training for both the participants of the experimental group and control group. In order to determine the effects of drama training, the same quantionnaire were again conducted to all participants after the training and the effects of training on the participants of experimental group were analyzed by a quantitative software program called as SPSS 20.0. According to research results, it was proved that the interpersonal management skill was developed because of drama training.

  14. Sport Management Graduate Programs: Characteristics of Effectiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ming; And Others

    1994-01-01

    Reports a study that examined the characteristics that enable graduate sport management programs to achieve their objectives. Surveys of sport management educators found they agreed on 11 characteristics that indicated a sport management program's effectiveness. Respondents believed an effective program should produce sport managers, not…

  15. Soil and Waste Matrix Affects Spatial Heterogeneity of Bacteria Filtration during Unsaturated Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adrian Unc

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Discontinuous flows resulting from discrete natural rain events induce temporal and spatial variability in the transport of bacteria from organic waste through soils in which the degree of saturation varies. Transport and continuity of associated pathways are dependent on structure and stability of the soil under conditions of variable moisture and ionic strength of the soil solution. Lysimeters containing undisturbed monoliths of clay, clay loam or sandy loam soils were used to investigate transport and pathway continuity for bacteria and hydrophobic fluorescent microspheres. Biosolids, to which the microspheres were added, were surface applied and followed by serial irrigation events. Microspheres, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp. and Clostridium perfringens were enumerated in drainage collected from 64 distinct collection areas through funnels installed in a grid pattern at the lower boundary of the monoliths. Bacteria-dependent filtration coefficients along pathways of increasing water flux were independent of flow volume, suggesting: (1 tracer or colloid dependent retention; and (2 transport depended on the total volume of contiguous pores accessible for bacteria transport. Management decisions, in this case resulting from the form of organic waste, induced changes in tortuosity and continuity of pores and modified the effective capacity of soil to retain bacteria. Surface application of liquid municipal biosolids had a negative impact on transport pathway continuity, relative to the solid municipal biosolids, enhancing retention under less favourable electrostatic conditions consistent with an initial increase in straining within inactive pores and subsequent by limited re-suspension from reactivated pores.

  16. Negative Effects of Learning Spreadsheet Management on Learning Database Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vágner, Anikó; Zsakó, László

    2015-01-01

    A lot of students learn spreadsheet management before database management. Their similarities can cause a lot of negative effects when learning database management. In this article, we consider these similarities and explain what can cause problems. First, we analyse the basic concepts such as table, database, row, cell, reference, etc. Then, we…

  17. Data Overload Impact on Project Management: How Knowledge Management Systems Can Improve Federal Agencies Effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodriguez, Jacinto

    2013-01-01

    This mixed method exploratory case study was used to explore the effect data overload has on project management, how data overload affects project management effectiveness, how prepared program office staff is to manage multiple projects effectively, and how the program office's organizational structure and data management systems affect project…

  18. Characterization of changes in floc morphology, extracellular polymeric substances and heavy metals speciation of anaerobically digested biosolid under treatment with a novel chelated-Fe2+ catalyzed Fenton process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Juanjuan; Yang, Peng; Zhang, Weijun; Cao, Bingdi; Xia, Hua; Luo, Xi; Wang, Dongsheng

    2017-11-01

    A novel chelated-Fe 2+ catalyzed Fenton process (CCFP) was developed to enhance dewatering performance of anaerobically digested biosolid, and changes in floc morphology, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and heavy metals speciation were also investigated. The results showed that addition of chelating agents caused EPS solubilization by binding multivalent cations. Like traditional Fenton, CCFP performed well in improving anaerobically digested sludge dewatering property. The highly active radicals (OH, O 2 - ) produced in classical Fenton and CCFP were responsible for sludge flocs destruction and consequently degradation of biopolymers into small molecules. Furthermore, more plentiful pores and channels were presented in cake after Fenton treatment, which was conducive to water drainage under mechanical compression. Additionally, a portion of active heavy metals in the form of oxidizable and reducible states were dissolved under CCFP. Therefore, CCFP could greatly simplify the operating procedure of Fenton conditioning and improve its process adaptability for harmless treatment of biological sludge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Comparison of ozone and thermal hydrolysis combined with anaerobic digestion for municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge with tetracycline resistance genes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pei, Jin; Yao, Hong; Wang, Hui; Ren, Jia; Yu, Xiaohua

    2016-08-01

    Biosolids from wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes, which attract great concerns on their efficient treatments. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely used for sewage sludge treatment but its effectiveness is limited due to the slow hydrolysis. Ozone and thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment were employed to improve AD efficiency and reduce antibiotic-resistant genes in municipal and pharmaceutical waste sludge (MWS and PWS, respectively) in this study. Sludge solubilization achieved 15.75-25.09% and 14.85-33.92% after ozone and thermal hydrolysis, respectively. Both pre-treatments improved cumulative methane production and the enhancements were greater on PWS than MWS. Five tetracycline-resistant genes (tet(A), tet(G), tet(Q), tet(W), tet(X)) and one mobile element (intI1) were qPCR to assess pre-treatments. AD of pre-treated sludge reduced more tet genes than raw sludge for both ozonation and thermal hydrolysis in PWS and MWS. Thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment was more efficient than ozone for reduction after AD. Results of this study help support management options for reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance from biosolids. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Solid waste disposal in the soil: effects on the physical, chemical, and organic properties of soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vanessa Regina Lasaro Mangieri

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Currently, there is growing concern over the final destination of the solid waste generated by society. Landfills should not be considered the endpoint for substances contained or generated in solid waste. The sustainable use of natural resources, especially soil and water, has become relevant, given the increase in anthropogenic activities. Agricultural use is an alternative to solid waste (leachate, biosolid disposal, considering the hypothesis that the agricultural use of waste is promising for reducing waste treatment costs, promoting nutrient reuse and improving the physical and chemical conditions of soil. Thus, this literature review, based on previously published data, seeks to confirm or disprove the hypothesis regarding the promising use of solid waste in agriculture to decrease the environmental liability that challenges public administrators in the development of efficient management. The text below addresses the following subtopics after the introduction: current solid waste disposal and environmental issues, the use of solid waste in agriculture, and the effect on the physical and chemical properties of soil and on organic matter, ending with final considerations.

  1. Developing agricultural opportunities on mine tailings : the Green Mines green energy initiative

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tisch, B.; Spiers, G.; Beckett, P.; Lock, A. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). CANMET Mining and Mineral Sciences Laboratories

    2009-02-15

    The goal of the Green Mines green energy initiative is to advance mine reclamation through the beneficial use of organic residuals for the sustainable establishment of bioenergy crops and other productive land uses. Target organic residuals include: source separated organic compost; papermill biosolids; leaf and yard waste compost; and municipal wastewater biosolids. This presentation discussed the Green Mines green energy initiative with particular reference to potential uses; current participants; scope of the initiative; and progress to date. The presentation also discussed a column study that involved adding filter, filter fabric, silica sand and polyethylene beads to the base of columns. Unoxidized tailings were slurried and pumped into columns and then the oxidized tailings were dried and homogenized. The results of acidic copper/nickel tailings with lime and no lime were also discussed. A summary of findings from the column study was offered. It was found that nutrient management must be considered and organic covers appear to increase metal and arsenic leaching from unlimed tailings. The presentation also made reference to demonstration field plots; biosolids delivery; tilling; monitoring; biomass sampling; and harvesting. The presentation concluded with a discussion of next steps which involve completing construction of the current suite of field plots and implementing full monitoring. figs.

  2. Effective strategies for comprehensive corridor management

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-10-01

    Despite the increasing importance of comprehensive corridor management at the state and local government level, questions remain regarding effective methods for developing and implementing corridor management plans. Further insight is also needed int...

  3. Nutrient, metal and microbial loss in surface runoff following treated sludge and dairy cattle slurry application to an Irish grassland soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peyton, D.P. [Teagasc, Environment Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford (Ireland); Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway (Ireland); Healy, M.G. [Civil Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway (Ireland); Fleming, G.T.A. [Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway (Ireland); Grant, J. [Teagasc, Ashtown, Co. Dublin (Ireland); Wall, D. [Teagasc, Environment Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford (Ireland); Morrison, L. [Earth and Ocean Sciences and Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway (Ireland); Cormican, M. [School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Co. Galway (Ireland); Fenton, O., E-mail: owen.fenton@teagasc.ie [Teagasc, Environment Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford (Ireland)

    2016-01-15

    Treated municipal sewage sludge (“biosolids”) and dairy cattle slurry (DCS) may be applied to agricultural land as an organic fertiliser. This study investigates losses of nutrients in runoff water (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)), metals (copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr)), and microbial indicators of pollution (total and faecal coliforms) arising from the land application of four types of treated biosolids and DCS to field micro-plots at three time intervals (24, 48, 360 h) after application. Losses from biosolids-amended plots or DCS-amended plots followed a general trend of highest losses occurring during the first rainfall event and reduced losses in the subsequent events. However, with the exception of total and faecal coliforms and some metals (Ni, Cu), the greatest losses were from the DCS-amended plots. For example, average losses over the three rainfall events for dissolved reactive phosphorus and ammonium-nitrogen from DCS-amended plots were 5 and 11.2 mg L{sup −1}, respectively, which were in excess of the losses from the biosolids plots. When compared with slurry treatments, for the parameters monitored biosolids generally do not pose a greater risk in terms of losses along the runoff pathway. This finding has important policy implications, as it shows that concern related to the reuse of biosolids as a soil fertiliser, mainly related to contaminant losses upon land application, may be unfounded. - Highlights: • This study investigated surface runoff of contaminants from biosolids in field plots. • Contaminants investigated were nutrients, metals, microbes and trace elements. • Compared to slurry, biosolids do not pose a greater risk of contaminant losses. • Fears concerning contaminant losses from land applied biosolids may be unfounded.

  4. Nutrient, metal and microbial loss in surface runoff following treated sludge and dairy cattle slurry application to an Irish grassland soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peyton, D.P.; Healy, M.G.; Fleming, G.T.A.; Grant, J.; Wall, D.; Morrison, L.; Cormican, M.; Fenton, O.

    2016-01-01

    Treated municipal sewage sludge (“biosolids”) and dairy cattle slurry (DCS) may be applied to agricultural land as an organic fertiliser. This study investigates losses of nutrients in runoff water (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)), metals (copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr)), and microbial indicators of pollution (total and faecal coliforms) arising from the land application of four types of treated biosolids and DCS to field micro-plots at three time intervals (24, 48, 360 h) after application. Losses from biosolids-amended plots or DCS-amended plots followed a general trend of highest losses occurring during the first rainfall event and reduced losses in the subsequent events. However, with the exception of total and faecal coliforms and some metals (Ni, Cu), the greatest losses were from the DCS-amended plots. For example, average losses over the three rainfall events for dissolved reactive phosphorus and ammonium-nitrogen from DCS-amended plots were 5 and 11.2 mg L −1 , respectively, which were in excess of the losses from the biosolids plots. When compared with slurry treatments, for the parameters monitored biosolids generally do not pose a greater risk in terms of losses along the runoff pathway. This finding has important policy implications, as it shows that concern related to the reuse of biosolids as a soil fertiliser, mainly related to contaminant losses upon land application, may be unfounded. - Highlights: • This study investigated surface runoff of contaminants from biosolids in field plots. • Contaminants investigated were nutrients, metals, microbes and trace elements. • Compared to slurry, biosolids do not pose a greater risk of contaminant losses. • Fears concerning contaminant losses from land applied biosolids may be unfounded.

  5. Institutions for Effective Water Demand Management

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    2010-12-14

    Dec 14, 2010 ... The paper also describes the state of South African WDM to highlight ... Download the PDF: Working Paper 4: Institutions for Effective Water Demand Management ​ ... Managing flood risk through collaborative governance.

  6. Effective Classroom Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansor, Azlin Norhaini; Eng, Wong Kim; Rasul, Mohamad Sattar; Hamzah, Mohd Izham Mohd; Hamid, Aida Hanim A.

    2012-01-01

    This paper attempts to explore and identify the characteristics of an effective teacher who teaches English as a second language to 10 year old students from different ethnics, various social economic background and multi-level language ability, at a private primary school in Malaysia. The study focused on classroom management using a case study…

  7. Smart Management in Effective Schools: Effective Management Configurations in General and Vocational Education in the Netherlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofman, W. H. Adriaan; Hofman, Roelande H.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: In this study the authors focus on different (configurations of) leadership or management styles in schools for general and vocational education. Findings: Using multilevel (students and schools) analyses, strong differences in effective management styles between schools with different student populations were observed. Conclusions: The…

  8. Effects of compost and phosphate on plant arsenic accumulation from soils near pressure-treated wood

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Xinde; Ma, Lena Q.

    2004-01-01

    Leaching of arsenic (As) from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood may elevate soil arsenic levels. Thus, an environmental concern arises regarding accumulation of As in vegetables grown in these soils. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate As accumulation by vegetables from the soils adjacent to the CCA-treated utility poles and fences and examine the effects of soil amendments on plant As accumulation. Carrot (Daucus carota L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were grown for ten weeks in the soil with or without compost and phosphate amendments. As expected, elevated As concentrations were observed in the pole soil (43 mg kg -1 ) and in the fence soil (27 mg kg -1 ), resulting in enhanced As accumulation of 44 mg kg -1 in carrot and 32 mg kg -1 in lettuce. Addition of phosphate to soils increased As accumulation by 4.56-9.3 times for carrot and 2.45-10.1 for lettuce due to increased soil water-soluble As via replacement of arsenate by phosphate in soil. However, biosolid compost application significantly reduced plant As uptake by 79-86%, relative to the untreated soils. This suppression is possibly because of As adsorbed by biosolid organic mater, which reduced As phytoavailability. Fractionation analysis showed that biosolid decreased As in soil water-soluble, exchangeable, and carbonate fraction by 45%, whereas phosphate increased it up to 2.61 times, compared to the untreated soils. Our results indicate that growing vegetables in soils near CCA-treated wood may pose a risk of As exposure for humans. Compost amendment can reduce such a risk by reducing As accumulation by vegetables and can be an important strategy for remediating CCA-contaminated soils. Caution should be taken for phosphate application since it enhances As accumulation. - Capsule: Compost amendment can reduce As exposure risk for humans by reducing As accumulation by vegetables and can be an important strategy for remediating CCA-contaminated soils

  9. Effects of compost and phosphate on plant arsenic accumulation from soils near pressure-treated wood

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao Xinde [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)]. E-mail: xcao@stevens.edu; Ma, Lena Q. [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

    2004-12-01

    Leaching of arsenic (As) from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood may elevate soil arsenic levels. Thus, an environmental concern arises regarding accumulation of As in vegetables grown in these soils. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate As accumulation by vegetables from the soils adjacent to the CCA-treated utility poles and fences and examine the effects of soil amendments on plant As accumulation. Carrot (Daucus carota L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were grown for ten weeks in the soil with or without compost and phosphate amendments. As expected, elevated As concentrations were observed in the pole soil (43 mg kg{sup -1}) and in the fence soil (27 mg kg{sup -1}), resulting in enhanced As accumulation of 44 mg kg{sup -1} in carrot and 32 mg kg{sup -1} in lettuce. Addition of phosphate to soils increased As accumulation by 4.56-9.3 times for carrot and 2.45-10.1 for lettuce due to increased soil water-soluble As via replacement of arsenate by phosphate in soil. However, biosolid compost application significantly reduced plant As uptake by 79-86%, relative to the untreated soils. This suppression is possibly because of As adsorbed by biosolid organic mater, which reduced As phytoavailability. Fractionation analysis showed that biosolid decreased As in soil water-soluble, exchangeable, and carbonate fraction by 45%, whereas phosphate increased it up to 2.61 times, compared to the untreated soils. Our results indicate that growing vegetables in soils near CCA-treated wood may pose a risk of As exposure for humans. Compost amendment can reduce such a risk by reducing As accumulation by vegetables and can be an important strategy for remediating CCA-contaminated soils. Caution should be taken for phosphate application since it enhances As accumulation. - Capsule: Compost amendment can reduce As exposure risk for humans by reducing As accumulation by vegetables and can be an important strategy for remediating CCA

  10. Effective time management – selected issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aneta Olejniczak

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Deliberations included in this article contain the basic issues related to the subject of time management. As we know, people who waste their time the most, most complain about the lack of the time. We should treat our time, time of our co-workers, and friends as a valuable, but limited wealth. Principles of effective time management can be applied in any scientific and research institutions, companies or corporations. The benefits of a good and effective time management will be felt not only by ourselves but also by our friends and family. Detailed formulation of objectives, identification and elimination of time wasters and postponing work on later (Procrastination, using methods of time management and systematic control will allow for efficient use of time. A good plan is the basis for optimal and meaningful use of time.

  11. LEADERSHIP: HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MANAGER

    OpenAIRE

    ABDELNASER OMRAN; ABDULLAH MAHMOOD; ABDUL AZIZ HUSSIN

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to examine effective managers Malaysian leadership. The objective was investigated on how mangers can have better understanding of leadership and to use it to their advantage. In addition, this paper also examined to what extant Malaysian leadership ‘managers reflect the level of their social interaction, preference for gathering data, preference for decision-making, and style of making decisions. Finally, it identified several ways on how effective managers cou...

  12. Biosolids, Soils, and Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for a Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 1999

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Stevens, Michael R; Yager, Tracy J. B; Smith, David B; Crock, James G

    2003-01-01

    In January 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey began an expanded monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado, in cooperation with the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District...

  13. Biosolids, Soil, Crop, Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for A Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2000

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yager, Tracy J; Smith, David B; Crock, James G; Stevens, Michael R

    2004-01-01

    In January 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey began an expanded monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado, in cooperation with the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District...

  14. Symbiosis between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and Medicago truncatula is not significantly affected by silver and silver sulfide nanomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Judy, Jonathan D; Kirby, Jason K; McLaughlin, Mike J; McNear, David; Bertsch, Paul M

    2016-07-01

    Silver (Ag) engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are being released into waste streams and are being discharged, largely as Ag2S aged-ENMs (a-ENMs), into agroecosystems receiving biosolids amendments. Recent research has demonstrated that biosolids containing an environmentally relevant mixture of ZnO, TiO2, and Ag ENMs and their transformation products, including Ag2S a-ENMs, disrupted the symbiosis between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and legumes. However, this study was unable to unequivocally determine which ENM or combination of ENMs and a-ENMs was responsible for the observed inhibition. Here, we examined further the effects of polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) coated pristine Ag ENMs (PVP-Ag), Ag2S a-ENMs, and soluble Ag (as AgSO4) at 1, 10, and 100 mg Ag kg(-1) on the symbiosis between the legume Medicago truncatula and the nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Sinorhizobium melliloti in biosolids-amended soil. Nodulation frequency, nodule function, glutathione reductase production, and biomass were not significantly affected by any of the Ag treatments, even at 100 mg kg(-1), a concentration analogous to a worst-case scenario resulting from long-term, repeated biosolids amendments. Our results provide additional evidence that the disruption of the symbiosis between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and legumes in response to a mixture of ENMs in biosolids-amended soil reported previously may not be attributable to Ag ENMs or their transformation end-products. We anticipate these findings will provide clarity to regulators and industry regarding potential unintended consequences to terrestrial ecosystems resulting from of the use of Ag ENMs in consumer products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Methodology of Economic Assessment of Corporate Finance Management Effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Juscu Nicolae Cristian

    2011-01-01

    “The methodology of economic assessment of corporate finance management effectiveness” deals with the analysis of the basic issues of economic aspects of corporate finance management effectiveness; the paper presents the essential issues of the existing methods for establishing the economic effectiveness of corporate finance management and control; it also proposes the improvement of the approach regarding the assessment of finance management effectiveness of a company.

  16. Biosolids, Soil, Crop, Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for A Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2001

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yager, Tracy J; Smith, David B; Crock, James G

    2004-01-01

    In January 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began an expanded monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado, in cooperation with the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District...

  17. Effective support for community resource management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ansink, E.; Bouma, J.A.

    2013-01-01

    A popular alternative to state-led resource management is community resource management. This decentralised approach is potentially more efficient, but is not necessarily stable. We study this issue using coalition theory, arguing that some of the conditions for effective community resource

  18. Management effects on European cropland respiration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eugster, Werner; Moffat, Antje M.; Ceschia, Eric

    2010-01-01

    Increases in respiration rates following management activities in croplands are considered a relevant anthropogenic source of CO2. In this paper, we quantify the impact of management events on cropland respiration fluxes of CO2 as they occur under current climate and management conditions. Our....... This allowed us to address the question of how management activities influence ecosystem respiration. This was done by comparing respiration fluxes during 7, 14, and 28 days after the management with those observed during the matching time period before management. Median increases in respiration ranged from...... than management alone are also important at a given site. Temperature is the climatic factor that showed best correlation with site-specific respiration fluxes. Therefore, the effect of temperature changes between the time periods before and after management were taken into account for a subset of 13...

  19. Artisanal Fisheries in Zimbabwe: Options for Effective Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wilson Mhlanga

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available The small-scale (artisanal fisheries in Zimbabwe play an important role in income-generation and food security at the household level. This sector has the potential to significantly increase its contribution to household income and food security if more effective fisheries management strategies are put in place. Historically, fisheries management has adopted a centralised “Top-down” approach. This approach has had very limited effectiveness. Over the last decade, efforts have been made to implement co-management in the fisheries sector. Several factors have hampered the success of fisheries co-management in the artisanal fishery. These factors have been institutional, ecological, human and financial. This paper discusses these factors and proposes possible solutions. A more innovative and effective fisheries management approach is also proposed.

  20. Creating Competitive Advantage through Effective Management Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longenecker, Clinton O.; Ariss, Sonny S.

    2002-01-01

    Managers trained in executive education programs (n=203) identified ways in which management education can increase an organization's competitive advantage: exposure to new ideas and practices, skill development, and motivation. Characteristics of effective management education included experience-based learning orientation, credible instructors,…

  1. The effective manager perspectives and illustrations

    CERN Document Server

    1996-01-01

    An ideal introduction to management and organizational behaviour, this Reader brings together a range of contributions on the art and science of management. The focus of the book is on the ideas and theories which a manager can use to become more effective. Six sections explore important aspects of the manager's job: management, leadership and conflict; motivation and stress at work; organizational culture; decision-making and teams; staff development; and diversity in organizations. In each section, the reader will find articles which reflect major ideas or debates within the area, including those that challenge traditional views and ways of doing things. Does money motivate? Are teams useful?

  2. Teacher Plan Book. Management for Effective Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. Dept. of Instructional Services.

    Project MET (Management for Effective Teaching) is a pilot project that provides effective, practical ways of managing the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public School system's instructional Program of Studies (POS) for elementary school students. This planning booklet is a part of the support kit that is used by teachers as an aid to implementing…

  3. Effective management of changes: methodological and instrumental support

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. S. Merzlikina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Small and medium-sized enterprises are characterized by maneuverability, readiness for change, and focus on innovation. But the growing instability of the external and internal environment requires the company to develop increasingly complex control systems. There were several models of management: by objectives, by processes and by changes. Achieving the goals involves the development and implementation of strategy and tactics. In business, strategy comes from the goal set by the owner before the organization. Process management describes and defines the main elements and categories of the process, observing the balance of responsibility and authority by creating a team to improve each business process. Management of changes is a special mechanism for the adoption and implementation of adequate management decisions. The article compares these management models, examines the criteria, indicators and factors for assessing the effectiveness of management of the organization. Comparative analysis showed that management of changes is more preferable for small and medium-sized businesses. Management of changes involves obtaining a certain idea of future trends in the development of the organization and the active use of entrepreneurial structure of modern management methods. This will ensure the economic stability and stability of the organization. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the enterprise can be carried out in accordance with performance indicators. The article suggests a matrix of selection of such indicators taking into account the sphere of influence. Recommendations are given on the choice of indicators of the effectiveness of achieving the goals. Also, the values under which the enterprise acquires stability of such key factors of management effectiveness as efficiency, capacity and sustainability of the organization are indicated. The theoretical and practical significance of this research is the development of methodological and

  4. Managing effectively in the downsized organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Edwin; Pulich, Marcia

    2003-01-01

    Many health care institutions have downsized in recent years for a variety of reasons including cost savings and the need to be proactive in restructuring the organization for more effective performance. In a downsized organization, top management must develop new strategies to enable line managers at all levels to operate effectively. New policies for human resource strategic planning, selective hiring, employee empowerment, training and development, reduction of status distinctions, sharing of appropriate information with employees, and paying for performance must be implemented.

  5. Practical and effective management of libraries integrating case studies, general management theory and self-understanding

    CERN Document Server

    Moniz, Jr, Richard

    2010-01-01

    Aimed at library science students and librarians with newly assigned administrative duties the book is about improving one's thinking and decision making in a role as a library manager. Most librarians get very little exposure to management issues prior to finding themselves in a management role. Furthermore, most library science students do not expect that they will need to understand management yet they quickly find that there is a need to understand this perspective to be effective at almost any library job. Effective library management is about having some tools to make decisions (such as

  6. Organizational structures of companies versus project management effectiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Haffer

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available An organizational structure, indicated as one out of the four main organizational conditions supporting project management, has an essential meaning for project execution. This article, based on the research results, describes different organizational structures of project-orientated enterprises, enumerating their advantages and disadvantages, and reveals the influence of inter-organizational relations on project management effectiveness in enterprises operating in Poland. The results indicate that the more a character of inter-organizational relations is heading towards project structure, the higher project management effectiveness is. In the next sequence the project management processes are supported by strong matrix structures, whereas the worst outcomes are provided by functional structures. Simultaneously, it was concluded that project structures are conducive to high advancement of project management processes, and among them, especially project risk management processes as well as communication, time and cost management processes.

  7. Factors controlling pathogen destruction during anaerobic digestion of biowastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, S.R.; Lang, N.L.; Cheung, K.H.M.; Spanoudaki, K.

    2005-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion is the principal method of stabilising biosolids from urban wastewater treatment in the UK, and it also has application for the treatment of other types of biowaste. Increasing awareness of the potential risks to human and animal health from environmental sources of pathogens has focused attention on the efficacy of waste treatment processes at destroying pathogenic microorganisms in biowastes recycled to agricultural land. The degree of disinfection achieved by a particular anaerobic digester is influenced by a variety of interacting operational variables and conditions, which can often deviate from the ideal. Experimental investigations demonstrate that Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. are not damaged by mesophilic temperatures, whereas rapid inactivation occurs by thermophilic digestion. A hydraulic, biokinetic and thermodynamic model of pathogen inactivation during anaerobic digestion showed that a 2 log 10 reduction in E. coli (the minimum removal required for agricultural use of conventionally treated biosolids) is likely to challenge most conventional mesophilic digesters, unless strict maintenance and management practices are adopted to minimise dead zones and by-pass flow. Efficient mixing and organic matter stabilisation are the main factors controlling the rate of inactivation under mesophilic conditions and not a direct effect of temperature per se on pathogenic organisms

  8. Integrating technologies for effective knowledge management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beaugrand, F.S.; Curtis, T.A. [Public Petroleum Data Model, PPDM Association, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2002-06-01

    In order to succeed in today's business environment, effective knowledge management strategies are needed along with effective tools to solve real business problems. Relational databases provide accessible and practical tools that can be used to manage corporate knowledge assets. However, technology is growing so rapidly that it is difficult and too expensive for individual corporations to pursue each line of development independently. Collaborative efforts are needed to improve access to shared knowledge. The PPDM Association is an international not for profit standards body that is working collaboratively with the petroleum exploration and production industry to develop standards for managing data and knowledge, spatially enabling data, standardizing data content and data exchange. The PPDM Association provides a vendor-neutral environment for development, technical support and a methodology for designing, developing and publishing technical deliverables.

  9. Biosolids, Soil, Crop, Ground-Water, and Streambed-Sediment Data for a Biosolids-Application Area Near Deer Trail, Colorado, 2002-2003

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Yager, Tracy J; Smith, David B; Crock, James G

    2004-01-01

    In January 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey began an expanded monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado, in cooperation with the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District and the North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District...

  10. School-Based Management and Effectiveness of Public Secondary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... to achieve its statutory roles, objectives and aspirations. We suggest that the adoption of School-based management by way of increasing the principals' sphere of influence would facilitate effective service delivery in schools. Keywords: school-based management, principals' effectiveness, public secondary schools.

  11. Biogas treatment using an anaerobic biosystem[Manure, biosolids, and organic industrial/commercial residuals in land applications programs : improving beneficial reuse and protection of water quality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soreanu, G.; Al-Jamal, M.; Beland, M. [Environment Canada, Burlington, ON (Canada). Wastewater Technology Centre

    2007-07-01

    A common practice to stabilize biosolids prior to land application involves the anaerobic digestion of municipal sludge or other organic wastes. The biogas generated by the anaerobic process can be recovered and used as a green renewable fuel source. However, due to the presence of harmful by-products such as hydrogen sulphide (H{sub 2}S) and siloxanes, its use is limited in practical applications. H{sub 2}S causes sulphur oxide emissions and is extremely toxic, odorous, and highly corrosive causing damages to combined heat and power engines, thereby reducing their operating life cycle. This paper discussed the results of a study that investigated the removal of H{sub 2}S from biogas using a bioreactor packed with polypropylene spheres inoculated with anaerobically digested sludge. The paper identified the material and methodology used for the study as well as the key control parameters utilized during the biological H{sub 2}S removal process, including the composition of a nutritive solution and the temperature of a filter bed. The paper discussed the preliminary results that were determined under different operating conditions. It was concluded that the production of biomass in the reactor was insignificant and no pressure drop was registered during the experiments. 14 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs.

  12. Engaging Watershed Stakeholders for Cost-Effective Environmental Management Planning with "Watershed Manager"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Jeffery R.; Smith, Craig M.; Roe, Josh D.; Leatherman, John C.; Wilson, Robert M.

    2012-01-01

    "Watershed Manager" is a spreadsheet-based model that is used in extension education programs for learning about and selecting cost-effective watershed management practices to reduce soil, nitrogen, and phosphorus losses from cropland. It can facilitate Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) stakeholder groups' development…

  13. Understanding the Effectiveness of Performance Management Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-01

    practitioners.” Priem and Rosenstein (2001) and Rynes, Bartunek, and Daft (2001) have documented the science- practice gap between OB and other...provided the foundation for effective leadership and project management. Informally the author sought ways to motivate and focus the efforts of...predominate part of his leadership and project management philosophy. This thesis further investigates leadership and management practices focused

  14. Effects of the Educational Leadership of Nursing Unit Managers on Team Effectiveness: Mediating Effects of Organizational Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Eun Ha; Kim, Eun-Kyung; Kim, Pil Bong

    2018-03-31

    EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP OF NURSING UNIT MANAGERS ON TEAM EFFECTIVENESS: Mediating Effects of Organizational Communication Satisfaction. This study identifies the effects of the educational leadership of nursing unit managers on team effectiveness and the mediating effects of organizational communication satisfaction; it highlights the importance of educational leadership and organizational communication and provides the data needed to enhance the education capacity of managers. The participants were 216 nursing unit managers of staff nurses at a tertiary hospital located in C Region, South Korea, and nurses who had worked for more than six months at the same hospital. This study was conducted using questionnaires on educational leadership, team effectiveness, and organizational communication satisfaction. Data analysis was performed with a t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and simple and multiple regression analyses using SPSS version 23.0. Mediation analysis was tested using Baron and Kenny's regression analysis and a Sobel test. The mean score for the educational leadership of nursing unit managers was 3.74(±0.68); for organizational communication satisfaction, 3.14(±0.51); and for team effectiveness, 3.52(±0.49). Educational leadership was significantly positively correlated with team effectiveness and organizational communication satisfaction. Organizational communication satisfaction demonstrated a complete mediating effect on the relationship between educational leadership and team effectiveness (β=.61, pcommunication satisfaction among nurses; this supports the idea that educational leadership can contribute to team effectiveness. This suggests that the educational leadership and communication capacity of nursing unit managers must be improved to enhance the performance of nursing organizations. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Nutrient, metal and microbial loss in surface runoff following treated sludge and dairy cattle slurry application to an Irish grassland soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peyton, D P; Healy, M G; Fleming, G T A; Grant, J; Wall, D; Morrison, L; Cormican, M; Fenton, O

    2016-01-15

    Treated municipal sewage sludge ("biosolids") and dairy cattle slurry (DCS) may be applied to agricultural land as an organic fertiliser. This study investigates losses of nutrients in runoff water (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)), metals (copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr)), and microbial indicators of pollution (total and faecal coliforms) arising from the land application of four types of treated biosolids and DCS to field micro-plots at three time intervals (24, 48, 360 h) after application. Losses from biosolids-amended plots or DCS-amended plots followed a general trend of highest losses occurring during the first rainfall event and reduced losses in the subsequent events. However, with the exception of total and faecal coliforms and some metals (Ni, Cu), the greatest losses were from the DCS-amended plots. For example, average losses over the three rainfall events for dissolved reactive phosphorus and ammonium-nitrogen from DCS-amended plots were 5 and 11.2 mg L(-1), respectively, which were in excess of the losses from the biosolids plots. When compared with slurry treatments, for the parameters monitored biosolids generally do not pose a greater risk in terms of losses along the runoff pathway. This finding has important policy implications, as it shows that concern related to the reuse of biosolids as a soil fertiliser, mainly related to contaminant losses upon land application, may be unfounded. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Toxicity of engineered nanomaterials and their transformation products following wastewater treatment on A549 human lung epithelial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanjun Ma

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Here we characterize the toxicity of environmentally-relevant forms of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs, which can transform during wastewater treatment and persist in aqueous effluents and biosolids. In an aerosol exposure scenario, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of effluents and biosolids from lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs to A549 human lung epithelial cells were examined. The SBRs were dosed with nanoAg, nano zero-valent iron (NZVI, nanoTiO2 and nanoCeO2 at sequentially increasing concentrations from 0.1 to 20 mg/L. Toxicities were compared to outputs from SBRs dosed with ionic/bulk analogs, undosed SBRs, and pristine ENMs. Pristine nanoAg and NZVI showed significant cytotoxicity to A549 cells in a dose-dependent manner from 1 to 67 μg/mL, while nanoTiO2 and nanoCeO2 only exerted cytotoxicity at 67 μg/mL. Only nanoAg induced a genotoxic response, at 9, 33 and 53 μg/mL. However, no significant cytotoxic or genotoxic effects of the SBR effluents or biosolids containing nanomaterials were observed.

  17. Effect of Lignite Fly Ash on the Growth and Reproduction of Earthworm Eisenia fetida

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Sarojini

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Fly ash is an amorphous ferroalumino silicate, an important solid waste around thermal power plants. It creates problems leading to environmental degradation due to improper utilization or disposal. However, fly ash is a useful ameliorant that may improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and is a source of readily available plant macro and micronutrients when it is used with biosolids. Supply of nutrients from fly ash with biosolids may enhance their agricultural use. The growth and reproduction of Eisenia fetida was studied during vermicomposting of fly ash with cowdung and pressmud in four different proportions (T1,T2,T3 & T4 and one control i.e., cow dung and pressmud alone. The growth, cocoon and hatchlings production were observed at the interval of 15 days over a period of 60 days. The maximum worm growth and reproduction was observed in bedding material alone. Next to that the T1 was observed as the best mixture for vermiculture.

  18. Role of organic amendment application on greenhouse gas emission from soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thangarajan, Ramya, E-mail: thary008@mymail.unisa.edu.au [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, Adelaide, SA 5095 (Australia); Bolan, Nanthi S. [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, Adelaide, SA 5095 (Australia); Tian, Guanglong [Environmental Monitoring and Research Division, Monitoring and Research Dep., Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, 6001, Pershing Road, Cicero, IL 60804 (United States); Naidu, Ravi [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, Adelaide, SA 5095 (Australia); Kunhikrishnan, Anitha [Chemical Safety Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science,10 Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-11-01

    Globally, substantial quantities of organic amendments (OAs) such as plant residues (3.8 × 10{sup 9} Mg/yr), biosolids (10 × 10{sup 7} Mg/yr), and animal manures (7 × 10{sup 9} Mg/yr) are produced. Recycling these OAs in agriculture possesses several advantages such as improving plant growth, yield, soil carbon content, and microbial biomass and activity. Nevertheless, OA applications hold some disadvantages such as nutrient eutrophication and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Agriculture sector plays a vital role in GHG emission (carbon dioxide— CO{sub 2}, methane— CH{sub 4}, and nitrous oxide— N{sub 2}O). Though CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O are emitted in less quantity than CO{sub 2}, they are 21 and 310 times more powerful in global warming potential, respectively. Although there have been reviews on the role of mineral fertilizer application on GHG emission, there has been no comprehensive review on the effect of OA application on GHG emission in agricultural soils. The review starts with the quantification of various OAs used in agriculture that include manures, biosolids, and crop residues along with their role in improving soil health. Then, it discusses four major OA induced-GHG emission processes (i.e., priming effect, methanogenesis, nitrification, and denitrification) by highlighting the impact of OA application on GHG emission from soil. For example, globally 10 × 10{sup 7} Mg biosolids are produced annually which can result in the potential emission of 530 Gg of CH{sub 4} and 60 Gg of N{sub 2}O. The article then aims to highlight the soil, climatic, and OA factors affecting OA induced-GHG emission and the management practices to mitigate the emission. This review emphasizes the future research needs in relation to nitrogen and carbon dynamics in soil to broaden the use of OAs in agriculture to maintain soil health with minimum impact on GHG emission from agriculture. - Highlights: ► A comprehensive overview for the first time on GHG emission from

  19. TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT CONDITIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. I. Kuznetsov

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Main aspects that determine conditions of transportation industry effective management and decrease of transportation expenses are discussed. Theoretical concepts making it possible to solve the problem of scientific management of the whole country’s goods transportation costs are provided for. Main approaches are presented to the solution of motor transport operation ecological optimization problem as well as to the rise of motor transport workers’ labor productivity, to the increase of transportation vehicles use efficiency and to determine functional capacity of the motor transport complex.

  20. Effectiveness of brokering within account management organizations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dekker, D.J.; Stokman, F.N.; Franses, P.H.B.F.

    2004-01-01

    We present a model that integrates the contradicting Burtian and Krackhardtian broker theories to explain effectiveness of brokering for individuals within account management organizations. Using data on a network of 55 individuals in a financial account management organization, we test how

  1. Effective public health management: The Nigerian experience | Abe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Public health management in Nigeria is the process of mobilizing and deploying resources for the provision of effective public health services. To ensure an effective public health, population based strategies would need to be put in place and this would require proper management to yield desired results. This paper ...

  2. Gender Effects on Managing and Supervising Salespersons: A ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigates student perceptions of the gender effect on managing and supervising efforts. Based on 385 surveys, the results for the entire sample of students, as well as for male and female samples, showed the existence of a significant gender effect for some aspects of managing and supervising. Also ...

  3. Effect of management on rangeland phytomass, cover and condition ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    similarity of management effects on rangeland condition and forage provision across major dryland biomes. Taking a macro-ecological perspective, we analysed if management effects differed between South Africa's central grassland and ...

  4. Effective information management in academic libraries in Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The problem facing most establishments including libraries in developing countries like Nigeria is the collection and management of information. Information management aims at improving the effectiveness of organizations by managing information as a resource-providing access to relevant information in a timely and ...

  5. Creating Effective Partnerships in Ecosystem-Based Management: A Culture of Science and Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlie S. Wiener

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available An ecosystem-based management research partnership between the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, specifically with the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and, later, the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, provides a case study to analyze integration of scientific research into management plans through collaborative communications. Ecosystem-based management seeks input from disparate stakeholders and requires effective communication systems for the public, science, and management partners that bypass differences in organizational culture and communication styles. Here, we examine a successful partnership within the framework of ecosystem-based management to survey and evaluate cultural differences, understand what facilitates collaborative communication, highlight factors that impede a successful partnership, and identify areas for improvement. Effective communication has been achieved through an analysis of the organizations cultures and structures to better define communication links. Although specific differences were noted in organization and style, successful integration was accomplished through techniques such as the development of symposia and semiannual reports. This paper will explore the organizational culture analysis and structure evaluation, which are components of a larger study. This science management integration project is an example of how organizational analysis can lead to recommendations for improved communication and integration of science and management.

  6. Cost-effectiveness of Intensive Blood Pressure Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Richman, Ilana B; Fairley, Michael; Jørgensen, Mads Emil

    2016-01-01

    Importance: Among high-risk patients with hypertension, targeting a systolic blood pressure of 120 mm Hg reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality compared with a higher target. However, intensive blood pressure management incurs additional costs from treatment and from adverse events......-effectiveness of intensive blood pressure management among 68-year-old high-risk adults with hypertension but not diabetes. We used the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) to estimate treatment effects and adverse event rates. We used Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Life Tables to project age...... and accrued $155 261 in lifetime costs, while intensive management yielded 10.5 QALYs and accrued $176 584 in costs. Intensive blood pressure management cost $23 777 per QALY gained. In a sensitivity analysis, serious adverse events would need to occur at 3 times the rate observed in SPRINT and be 3 times...

  7. Effective maintenance practices to manage system aging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chockie, A.; Bjorkelo, K.

    1992-01-01

    For a variety of economic and technical reasons, there has been a growing concern with the aging of complex systems and components and the role that maintenance can play in reducing this degradation. A study for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was recently undertaken to identify effective maintenance practices that could be adapted by the nuclear industry in the United States to assist in managing the aging degradation of plant systems and components. Four organizations were examined to assess the influence that their maintenance programs have on their ability to address the systems and component aging degradation issues. An effective maintenance program was found to be essential to the management of system and component aging. The four key elements of an effective maintenance program that are important to an aging management program were identified. These are: the selection of critical systems and components; the development of an understanding of aging through the collection and analysis of equipment performance information; the development of appropriate preventive and predictive maintenance tasks to manage equipment and system aging degradation; the use of feedback mechanisms to continuously improve the management of aging systems and components. These elements were found to be common to all four organizations. In examining how the four organizations have structured their maintenance programs to include these key elements provides valuable lessons not only for the nuclear power industry, but also for any industrial organization that is concerned with the management of system and component aging degradation. This document provides detail, of these studies

  8. Relationship between organizational climate and management effectiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arsenijević Olja

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The subject of this research is the connection between management effectiveness in economic organizations of Vojvodina and creative organizational climate. According to that, scientific objective of our research is checking one of the most widely used model of measuring management effectiveness - Baldrige's model, on which is based system of management quality incentives in USA. Problem of this research can be expressed with following questions: Whether is possible that the company management in modern market conditions in AP Vojvodina, which has been designed as per traditional Taylor's model that started from the early stage of capitalism development, can be considered as effective? The key finding of this study can be expressed by the following conclusion: in a sample of observed organization the level of organizational creativity is at zero level. Ideas and behaviors inherent to creative organizational climate only born (average rating of level of creativity that all surveyed respondents gave was 0.396, and the median is 0.428. In an effort to concretize this finding, correlation analysis was undertaken between grouped variables of organizational creativity and potential factorial variables of organizational creativity.

  9. „Model of Effective Management of Bulgarian Public Administration Managing EU Funds“

    OpenAIRE

    Nozharov, Shteryo

    2014-01-01

    Abstract: The paper analyzes the possibilities of constructing a model for the effective management of the Bulgarian public administration responsible for managing the EU funds amid the global financial crisis by using McKinsey’s 7S model. The change of the management model of the public administration in charge of the absorption of EU funds in Bulgaria would increase the absorption rate of the funds while streamlining budgetary costs on the maintenance of the administration. The aim of the s...

  10. Ultra high temperature gasification of municipal wastewater primary biosolids in a rotary kiln reactor for the production of synthesis gas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gikas, Petros

    2017-12-01

    Primary Fine-Sieved Solids (PFSS) are produced from wastewater by the use of micro-sieves, in place of primary clarification. Biosolids is considered as a nuisance product, however, it contains significant amounts of energy, which can be utilized by biological (anaerobic digestion) or thermal (combustion or gasification) processes. In the present study, an semi-industrial scale UHT rotary kiln gasifier, operating with electric energy, was employed for the gasification of PFSS (at 17% moisture content), collected from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Two gasification temperatures (950 and 1050 °C) had been tested, with minimal differences, with respect to syngas yield. The system appears to reach steady state after about 30-40 min from start up. The composition of the syngas at near steady state was measured approximately as 62.4% H 2 , 30.0% CO, 2.4% CH 4 and 3.4% CO 2 , plus 1.8% unidentified gases. The potential for electric energy production from the syngas produced is theoretically greater than the electric energy required for gasification. Theoretically, approximately 3.8 MJ/kg PFSS of net electric energy may be produced. However, based on the measured electric energy consumption, and assuming that all the syngas produced is used for electric energy production, addition of excess electric energy (about 0.43 MJ/kg PFSS) is required to break even. The latter is probably due to heat losses to the environment, during the heating process. With the improvement of energy efficiency, the process can be self sustained, form the energy point of view. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Managing school library services for effective academic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... teachers and student s toward the roles of school library in achieving effective performance, school librarians are not recognized as a stakeholder in promoting students academic performance, school librarians are not part of the school management and curriculum planning team. Establishing and adequate management ...

  12. Effective Safety Management in Construction Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Othman, I.; Shafiq, Nasir; Nuruddin, M. F.

    2017-12-01

    Effective safety management is one of the serious problems in the construction industry worldwide, especially in large-scale construction projects. There have been significant reductions in the number and the rate of injury over the last 20 years. Nevertheless, construction remains as one of the high risk industry. The purpose of this study is to examine safety management in the Malaysian construction industry, as well as to highlight the importance of construction safety management. The industry has contributed significantly to the economic growth of the country. However, when construction safety management is not implemented systematically, accidents will happen and this can affect the economic growth of the country. This study put the safety management in construction project as one of the important elements to project performance and success. The study emphasize on awareness and the factors that lead to the safety cases in construction project.

  13. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Constipation

    Science.gov (United States)

    N ational C ancer I nstitute Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects Constipation Take these steps: Eat high-fiber foods such as: ● ● Whole-grain breads and cereals ● ● Fruits and vegetables ● ● Nuts and seeds Turn this ...

  14. Fundamentals of risk management understanding, evaluating and implementing effective risk management

    CERN Document Server

    Hopkin, Paul

    2012-01-01

    Now more than ever, organizations must plan, response and recognize all forms of risks that they face. "Fundamentals of Risk Management", now in its second edition, provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject of commercial and business risk for anyone studying for a career in risk as well as a broad range of risk professionals. It examines the key components of risk management and its application with examples to demonstrate its benefit to organisations in the public and private sector. The second edition has been completely updated to take into account the greater influence of ISO 3100, the emergence of Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) and the wide use of the bowtie method to illustrate risk management. In addition, there is now a chapter on the skills and competencies required by an effective risk manager.

  15. Ensuring effective project management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ward, J.N.

    1980-01-01

    A brief description is given of the organisation methods employed by the Bechtel Power Corporation, in their contract with Mississippi Power and Light Company for the design, construction and procurement activities for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. The aim is to ensure effective management, and good communications at all stages of construction, between the project team and the client. (U.K.)

  16. Effectiveness of a Dental Students Stress Management Program

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdullah M. Alzahem

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The dental education stress effects and sources were explored thoroughly in the literature, but the effectiveness of stress management programs received less attention. This study introduced a new stress management program, named Dental Education Stress Management (DESM program. It showed its effectiveness in a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest-follow-up-control group design. The new program was based on the principle of psychoeducation and consisted of three 90-min sessions, to teach dental students how to better deal with their stress symptoms and to reduce their general stress level. Two instruments were used to assess the level of stress of the dental students, namely the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES, and the Psychological Stress Measure (PSM-9. Results show that the DESM program has the desired effect of decreasing the stress levels of its participants, and these effects lasted for at least two weeks. Because of several methodological limitations of the study more research is needed to draw more generalizable conclusions.

  17. Collaborative care management effectively promotes self-management: patient evaluation of care management for depression in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeJesus, Ramona S; Howell, Lisa; Williams, Mark; Hathaway, Julie; Vickers, Kristin S

    2014-03-01

    Chronic disease management in the primary care setting increasingly involves self-management support from a nurse care manager. Prior research had shown patient acceptance and willingness to work with care managers. This survey study evaluated patient-perceived satisfaction with care management and patient opinions on the effectiveness of care management in promoting self-management. Qualitative and quantitative survey responses were collected from 125 patients (79% female; average age 46; 94% Caucasian) enrolled in care management for depression. Qualitative responses were coded with methods of content analysis by 2 independent analysts. Patients were satisfied with depression care management. Patients felt that care management improved their treatment above and beyond other aspects of their depression treatment (mean score, 6.7 [SD, 2]; 10 = Very much), increased their understanding of depression self-management (mean score, 7.2 [SD, 2]; 10 = Very much), and increased the frequency of self-management goal setting (mean score, 6.9 [SD, 3]; 10 = Very much). Predominant qualitative themes emphasized that patients value emotional, motivational, and relational aspects of the care manager relationship. Patients viewed care managers as caring and supportive, helpful in creating accountability for patients and knowledgeable in the area of depression care. Care managers empower patients to take on an active role in depression self-management. Some logistical challenges associated with a telephonic intervention are described. Care manager training should include communication and motivation strategies, specifically self-management education, as these strategies are valued by patients. Barriers to care management, such as scheduling telephone calls, should be addressed in future care management implementation and study.

  18. Evaluating continuous application of treated sludge on soil and plant productivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmed Al-Busaidi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Kala Compost is a mixture of treated sewage bio-solids and green wastes. It can improve soil fertility and plant growth. However, long-term application of treated sewage bio-solids could result in heavy metals accumulation and some health problems. e objective of this study was to evaluate the e ect of a long run application of Kala compost mixed with chemical fertilizer on soil and plant productivity. Soil and plant (mainly cucumber samples were taken from 12 greenhouses that received Kala compost continuously for the last ve years. No symptoms of physical or chemical problems were observed in the greenhouses and measured soil samples. Moreover, the soil had su cient values of di erent nutrients for plant growth and all measured micronutrients (heavy metals were within the safe limit and below the range of the international standards. An excellent growth was observed in all grown plants and no symptoms of elements de ciency were found. Chemical analysis of fruit samples did not show any accumulation of heavy metals and all measured elements were within the safe limit and did not exceed the international standards. It can be concluded that Kala compost was a good media for plant growth that can enrich the soil with di erent elements needed for higher yield. However, more monitoring is needed with treated bio-solid application but good management could be the key to avoid any adverse e ect of any contaminant.

  19. Napropamide residues in runoff and infiltration water from pepper production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonious, George F; Patterson, Matthew A

    2005-01-01

    A field study was conducted on a Lowell silty loam soil of 2.7% organic matter at the Kentucky State University Research Farm, Franklin County, Kentucky. Eighteen universal soil loss equation (USLE) standard plots (22 x 3.7 m each) were established on a 10% slope. Three soil management practices were used: (i) class-A biosolids (sewage sludge), (ii) yard waste compost, each mixed with native soil at a rate of 50 ton acre(-1) on a dry-weight basis, and (iii) a no-mulch (NM) treatment (rototilled bare soil), used for comparison purposes. Devrinol 50-DF "napropamide" [N,N-diethyl-2-(1-naphthyloxy) propionamide] was applied as a preemergent herbicide, incorporated into the soil surface, and the plots were planted with 60-day-old sweet bell pepper seedlings. Napropamide residues one hour following spraying averaged 0.8, 0.4, and 0.3 microg g(-1) dry soil in sewage sludge, yard waste compost, and no-mulch treatments, respectively. Surface runoff water, runoff sediment, and napropamide residues in runoff were significantly reduced by the compost and biosolid treatments. Yard waste compost treatments increased water infiltration and napropamide residues in the vadose zone compared to sewage sludge and NM treatments. Total pepper yields from yard waste compost amended soils (9187 lbs acre(-1)) was significantly higher (P soil amended with class-A biosolids (6984 lbs acre(-1)) or the no-mulch soil (7162 lbs acre(-1)).

  20. Managing intercultural conflict effectively

    CERN Document Server

    Ting-Toomey, Stella

    2001-01-01

    In this volume, Ting-Toomey and Oetzel accomplish two objectives: to explain the culture-based situational conflict model, including the relationship among conflict, ethnicity, and culture; and, second, integrate theory and practice in the discussion of interpersonal conflict in culture, ethnic, and gender contexts. While the book is theoretically directed, it is also a down-to-earth practical book that contains ample examples, conflict dialogues, and critical incidents. Managing Intercultural Conflict Effectively helps to illustrate the complexity of intercultural conflict interactions and readers will gain a broad yet integrative perspective in assessing intercultural conflict situations. The book is a multidisciplinary text that draws from the research work of a variety of disciplines such as cross-cultural psychology, social psychology, sociology, marital and family studies, international management, and communication.

  1. Coding for effective denial management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Jackie; Lineberry, Joe

    2004-01-01

    Nearly everyone will agree that accurate and consistent coding of diagnoses and procedures is the cornerstone for operating a compliant practice. The CPT or HCPCS procedure code tells the payor what service was performed and also (in most cases) determines the amount of payment. The ICD-9-CM diagnosis code, on the other hand, tells the payor why the service was performed. If the diagnosis code does not meet the payor's criteria for medical necessity, all payment for the service will be denied. Implementation of an effective denial management program can help "stop the bleeding." Denial management is a comprehensive process that works in two ways. First, it evaluates the cause of denials and takes steps to prevent them. Second, denial management creates specific procedures for refiling or appealing claims that are initially denied. Accurate, consistent and compliant coding is key to both of these functions. The process of proactively managing claim denials also reveals a practice's administrative strengths and weaknesses, enabling radiology business managers to streamline processes, eliminate duplicated efforts and shift a larger proportion of the staff's focus from paperwork to servicing patients--all of which are sure to enhance operations and improve practice management and office morale. Accurate coding requires a program of ongoing training and education in both CPT and ICD-9-CM coding. Radiology business managers must make education a top priority for their coding staff. Front office staff, technologists and radiologists should also be familiar with the types of information needed for accurate coding. A good staff training program will also cover the proper use of Advance Beneficiary Notices (ABNs). Registration and coding staff should understand how to determine whether the patient's clinical history meets criteria for Medicare coverage, and how to administer an ABN if the exam is likely to be denied. Staff should also understand the restrictions on use of

  2. Effective Classroom Management Techniques for Secondary Schools

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effective Classroom Management Techniques for Secondary Schools. ... engagement of students in activities, use of innovative instructional strategies by teachers, ... and teachers in their perception regarding the effects of teachers classroom ...

  3. Emergency management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs

    OpenAIRE

    Lucus, Valerie

    2007-01-01

    Review of Emergency Management: Concepts and Strategies for Effective Programs By Lucien G. Canton, CEM. By taking a different perspective on local government emergency management programs, this book presents the vision for a very different model--one that includes an independent emergency manager leading an enterprise-wide program focused on strategies that promote disaster resilient communities.

  4. Effects of a group-based reproductive management extension programme on key management outcomes affecting reproductive performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brownlie, Tom S; Morton, John M; Heuer, Cord; McDougall, Scott

    2015-02-01

    A group-based reproductive management extension programme has been designed to help managers of dairy herds improve herd reproductive performance. The aims of this study were, firstly, to assess effects of participation by key decision makers (KDMs) in a farmer action group programme in 2009 and 2010 on six key management outcomes (KMOs) that affect reproductive performance over 2 years (2009-2010 and 2010-2011), and secondly, to describe KDM intentions to change management behaviour(s) affecting each management outcome after participation in the programme. Seasonal calving dairy herds from four regions of New Zealand were enrolled in the study. Intentions to modify management behaviour were recorded using the formal written action plans developed during the extension programme. KMOs assessed were calving pattern of the herd, pre-calving heifer liveweight, pre-calving and premating body condition score (BCS), oestrus detection, anoestrus cow management and bull management. Participation was associated with improvements in heifer liveweight, more heifers calving in the first 6 weeks of the seasonal calving period, premating BCS and oestrus detection. No significant effects were observed on anoestrus cow management or bull management. KDMs with greater numbers of proposed actions had lower 6 week in-calf rates in the second study year than KDMs who proposed fewer actions. A more effective strategy to ensure more appropriate objectives is proposed. Strategies to help KDMs to implement proposed actions more successfully should be investigated to improve the programme further. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Effective inventory management for nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacFarlane, I.S.

    1985-01-01

    Effective inventory management plays a major role at nuclear power plants toward achieving a high level of availability in a cost-effective manner. It enables maintenance personnel to obtain the correct parts easily, when needed, and in satisfactory condition to perform as intended. In addition, appropriate controls and documentation ensure parts are being used in the correct equipment application. The following elements of inventory management will help achieve plant availability goals: (1) appropriate inventory levels, (2) preapproved procurement requirements, (3) storage maintenance, (4) documentation of parts, and (5) control of computer data base

  6. Economic effectiveness of disease management programs: a meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krause, David S

    2005-04-01

    The economic effectiveness of disease management programs, which are designed to improve the clinical and economic outcomes for chronically ill individuals, has been evaluated extensively. A literature search was performed with MEDLINE and other published sources for the period covering January 1995 to September 2003. The search was limited to empirical articles that measured the direct economic outcomes for asthma, diabetes, and heart disease management programs. Of the 360 articles and presentations evaluated, only 67 met the selection criteria for meta-analysis, which included 32,041 subjects. Although some studies contained multiple measurements of direct economic outcomes, only one average effect size per study was included in the meta-analysis. Based on the studies included in the research, a meta-analysis provided a statistically significant answer to the question of whether disease management programs are economically effective. The magnitude of the observed average effect size for equally weighted studies was 0.311 (95% CI = 0.272-0.350). Statistically significant differences of effect sizes by study design, disease type and intensity of disease management program interventions were not found after a moderating variable, disease severity, was taken into consideration. The results suggest that disease management programs are more effective economically with severely ill enrollees and that chronic disease program interventions are most effective when coordinated with the overall level of disease severity. The findings can be generalized, which may assist health care policy makers and practitioners in addressing the issue of providing economically effective care for the growing number of individuals with chronic illness.

  7. Cost-effectiveness analysis of sandhill crane habitat management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kessler, Andrew C.; Merchant, James W.; Shultz, Steven D.; Allen, Craig R.

    2013-01-01

    Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost as much as US $12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decision-makers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals.

  8. Effect of Managers on Public Service Performance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Maria Falk

    This report provides an overview of the PhD dissertation “Effects of Managers on Public Service Performance” carried out at the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University and SFI – The Danish National Centre for Social Research. The dissertation is part of the research project “School...... Management, Teaching, and Student Performance” supported by the Danish Strategic Research Council (now Innovation Fund Denmark) and headed by professor Søren Winter. The dissertation explores the effects of managers on public service performance. By combining theoretical insights and research designs from......?”, “How can we improve organizational performance?”, and “How can we measure public service performance?” The setting for the dissertation is Danish middle schools (folkeskoler). The education system is generally considered an important service area as it affects later life outcomes of individual children...

  9. Persistence and dissipation pathways of the antidepressant sertraline in agricultural soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Hongxia; Sumarah, Mark W.; Topp, Edward

    2013-01-01

    Sertraline is a widely-used antidepressant that is one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It has been detected in biosolids and effluents from sewage treatment plants. Since sertraline can reach agriculture land through the application of municipal biosolids or reclaimed water, the persistence and dissipation pathways of 3 H-sertraline were determined in laboratory incubations using three agriculture soils varying in textures and properties. The total solvent extractable radioactivity decreased in all three soils with times to dissipate 50% of material (DT 50 ) ranging from 48.1 ± 3.5 (loam soil) to 84.5 ± 13.8 (clay soil) days. Two hydroxylated sertraline transformation products were identified in all three soils by high performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC–TOF-MS), but the accumulation did not exceed 10% of the initial parent concentration. The addition of liquid municipal biosolids to the loam soil had no effect on the rate of sertraline dissipation, or production of transformation products. In summary, sertraline was persistent in agricultural soils with major dissipation pathways including the production of non-extractable soil-bound residues, and accumulation of hydroxylated transformation products. The biologically active sertraline transformation product norsertraline was not detected in soil. - Highlights: • The antidepressant drug sertraline is carried in biosolids used as fertilizers. • The persistence of this drug in agricultural soils was determined using radioisotope methods. • The half-life ranged from about 50 to 85 days. • Hydroxylated transformation products accumulated to less than 10% of the concentration of the added parent

  10. Persistence and dissipation pathways of the antidepressant sertraline in agricultural soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Hongxia; Sumarah, Mark W.; Topp, Edward, E-mail: ed.topp@agr.gc.ca

    2013-05-01

    Sertraline is a widely-used antidepressant that is one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. It has been detected in biosolids and effluents from sewage treatment plants. Since sertraline can reach agriculture land through the application of municipal biosolids or reclaimed water, the persistence and dissipation pathways of {sup 3}H-sertraline were determined in laboratory incubations using three agriculture soils varying in textures and properties. The total solvent extractable radioactivity decreased in all three soils with times to dissipate 50% of material (DT{sub 50}) ranging from 48.1 ± 3.5 (loam soil) to 84.5 ± 13.8 (clay soil) days. Two hydroxylated sertraline transformation products were identified in all three soils by high performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC–TOF-MS), but the accumulation did not exceed 10% of the initial parent concentration. The addition of liquid municipal biosolids to the loam soil had no effect on the rate of sertraline dissipation, or production of transformation products. In summary, sertraline was persistent in agricultural soils with major dissipation pathways including the production of non-extractable soil-bound residues, and accumulation of hydroxylated transformation products. The biologically active sertraline transformation product norsertraline was not detected in soil. - Highlights: • The antidepressant drug sertraline is carried in biosolids used as fertilizers. • The persistence of this drug in agricultural soils was determined using radioisotope methods. • The half-life ranged from about 50 to 85 days. • Hydroxylated transformation products accumulated to less than 10% of the concentration of the added parent.

  11. Potential Use of Organic- and Hard-Rock Mine Wastes on Aided Phytostabilization of Large-Scale Mine Tailings under Semiarid Mediterranean Climatic Conditions: Short-Term Field Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Santibañez

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The study evaluated the efficacy of organic- and hard-rock mine waste type materials on aided phytostabilization of Cu mine tailings under semiarid Mediterranean conditions in order to promote integrated waste management practices at local levels and to rehabilitate large-scale (from 300 to 3,000 ha postoperative tailings storage facilities (TSFs. A field trial with 13 treatments was established on a TSF to test the efficacy of six waste-type locally available amendments (grape and olive residues, biosolids, goat manure, sediments from irrigation canals, and rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles during early phases of site rehabilitation. Results showed that, even though an interesting range of waste-type materials were tested, biosolids (100 t ha-1 dry weight, d.w. and grape residues (200 t ha-1 d.w., either alone or mixed, were the most suitable organic amendments when incorporated into tailings to a depth of 20 cm. Incorporation of both rubble from Cu-oxide lixiviation piles and goat manure into upper tailings also had effective results. All these treatments improved chemical and microbiological properties of tailings and lead to a significant increase in plant yield after three years from trial establishment. Longer-term evaluations are, however required to evaluate self sustainability of created systems without further incorporation of amendments.

  12. Effect of demand management on regulated and deregulated electricity sectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fahrioglu, Murat

    2016-01-01

    Our society derives a quantifiable benefit from electric power. In particular, forced outages or blackouts have enormous consequences on society, one of which is loss of economic surplus. The society relies on having a continuous supply of electrical energy. Some customers may willingly risk this continuous supply and participate in demand management programs for electrical power. If the power system grid is in trouble, electric utilities need to have demand relief. Customers willing to reduce their demand to help the system can receive an incentive fee for helping the utilities. Demand relief can be system wide or location specific. Sometimes it can be more effective to fix the electrical demand vs. supply imbalance from the demand side. The value of demand management contracts is greatly affected by customer location. Inclusion of locational attributes into the contract design procedure increases the effectiveness of the contracts by helping a utility get more value from its demand management programs. Independent System Operators and regulators, among others, can also benefit from effective demand management. This paper will investigate how this type of demand management contracts can help the electricity sector both in regulated and deregulated environments. - Highlights: • Demand management can help prevent forced electricity outages. • Both electric utilities and ISOs can use demand management. • Regulated and deregulated electricity sectors can benefit from demand management. • Demand management contracts can be effectively used in power system grids.

  13. A model to evaluate quality and effectiveness of disease management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemmens, K M M; Nieboer, A P; van Schayck, C P; Asin, J D; Huijsman, R

    2008-12-01

    Disease management has emerged as a new strategy to enhance quality of care for patients suffering from chronic conditions, and to control healthcare costs. So far, however, the effects of this strategy remain unclear. Although current models define the concept of disease management, they do not provide a systematic development or an explanatory theory of how disease management affects the outcomes of care. The objective of this paper is to present a framework for valid evaluation of disease-management initiatives. The evaluation model is built on two pillars of disease management: patient-related and professional-directed interventions. The effectiveness of these interventions is thought to be affected by the organisational design of the healthcare system. Disease management requires a multifaceted approach; hence disease-management programme evaluations should focus on the effects of multiple interventions, namely patient-related, professional-directed and organisational interventions. The framework has been built upon the conceptualisation of these disease-management interventions. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms of these interventions revealed that learning and behavioural theories support the core assumptions of disease management. The evaluation model can be used to identify the components of disease-management programmes and the mechanisms behind them, making valid comparison feasible. In addition, this model links the programme interventions to indicators that can be used to evaluate the disease-management programme. Consistent use of this framework will enable comparisons among disease-management programmes and outcomes in evaluation research.

  14. Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Inventory Management in Manufacturing SMEs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Shiau Wei; Tasmin, R.; Nor Aziati, A. H.; Zuraidah Rasi, Raja; Ismail, Fadillah Binti; Yaw, Li Ping

    2017-08-01

    Effectiveness of inventory management is a vital part in the manufacturing organization to be more competitive. The previous studies have indicated that there are several factors influencing the effectiveness of inventory management in the organization but there is lack of researchers who carried out the research in the manufacturing small medium enterprise in Johor. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify the problem of inventory management faced by the manufacturing small medium enterprise and also to determine the factors that will influence the effectiveness of inventory management. In completing this research, 80 employees were selected randomly from the manufacturing small medium enterprise in Batu Pahat, Johor and they were requested to complete questionnaires. The result have shown that the problems of inventory management faced by manufacturing organization were underproduction, overproduction, stock out situation, delays in the delivery of raw materials and discrepancy of records. The factors, documentation/store records, planning, knowledge of employees/staff skill have shown to significantly influence the effectiveness of inventory management while the funds have shown slightly significant influence on the inventory management in manufacturing small medium enterprises. This quantitative study is important to the manufacturing organization in Malaysia because it provides the guidelines to the employers of manufacturing small medium enterprises in Batu Pahat, Johor.

  15. Measuring effectiveness of food quality management

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spiegel, van der M.

    2004-01-01

    Keywords: effectiveness, food quality management, instrument, quality performance, contextual factors, agri-food production, conceptual model, performance measurement indicators, identification, validation, assessment, quality assurance systems, QA systems, HACCP, Hygiene code, ISO, BRC, GMP, bakery

  16. Effects of Integrated Health Management Intervention on Overweight and Obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiting Yang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Overweight or obese adults aged 20~55 years and living in Beijing more than one year were randomly divided into different management groups. A one-year integrated health management intervention was applied in the health management groups. The physical indicators and metabolic indicators changed after one-year intervention on the overweight and obese adults. The annual reduction of the physical indicators was significant in all groups (p<0.05 except the weight loss in the placebo + general management group. The health management and the dietary supplement have statistically significant (p<0.001, p<0.001 effects on the annual reduction of these indicators and interactive effect between them was found on some of these indicators such as bodyweight, body mass index (BMI, body fat ratio (BFR, and hipline (p<0.05. The dietary supplement + health management group had the best annual reduction effects for the indicators among the groups. Integrated health management interventions including both dietary supplements intervention and health management could improve metabolic indicators in overweight and obese adults together with the physical indicators, suggesting the intermediated role of metabolic indictors in controlling obesity.

  17. Diptera of sanitary importance associated with composting of biosolids in Argentina Dípteros de importancia sanitaria asociados al compostaje de biosólidos en Argentina

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria Alejandra Labud

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Odorous compounds produced at the biosolids composting plant in Bariloche (NW Patagonia attract a variety of insects, mainly belonging to the order Diptera. In order to characterize these flies, collected specimens were taxonomically identified, their community characteristics were described and their sanitary and synanthropic importance and autochthonous or introduced character were determined. METHODS: Sampling was performed from October 1999 until March 2000. Adults were collected using an entomological net, and larvae and puparia were obtained from the composting material and incubated to obtain adults. Richness, abundance and sex ratio were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 9 taxa of Diptera were identified: Sarconesia chlorogaster, Phaenicia sericata, Calliphora vicina, Cochliomya macellaria, Ophyra sp, Muscina stabulans, Musca domestica, Sarcophaga sp and Fannia sp. Specimens of Anthomyiidae, Acaliptratae and one larva of Eristalis tenax were also found. Ophyra sp. was the most abundant taxa. All the captured Diptera belonged to introduced taxa. Most of them are considered to be eusynanthropic and/or hemisynanthropic and have sanitary importance as they may cause myiasis and pseudomyiasis. The high number of females registered and the finding of immature stages indicated that flies can develop their complete life cycle on biosolid composting windrows. CONCLUSIONS: The characterization of flies obtained in this study may be useful for defining locations of urban or semi-urban composting facilities. It also highlights the importance of sanitary precautions at such plants.OBJETIVO: Los compuestos odoríferos producidos en la Planta de Compostaje de Biosólidos de Bariloche (NO Patagonia atraen diferentes insectos, principalmente moscas (Orden Diptera. Con el objeto de caracterizarlas, se colectaron especímenes que fueron identificados taxonómicamente. Se describieron sus características comunitarias y se determinó su importancia

  18. Mobile crisis management teams as part of an effective crisis management system for rural communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trantham, Doug; Sherry, Anne

    2012-01-01

    Mobile crisis management teams provide crisis prevention and intervention services in community settings. The Appalachian Community Services crisis management program shows how such teams can be used to effectively serve rural communities.

  19. Effective emergency management: reconsidering the bureaucratic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neal, D M; Phillips, B D

    1995-12-01

    The command and control approach is compared with the Emergent Human Resources Model (EHRM) approach to emergency management. Four decades of systematic research shows that a rigid, bureaucratic command and control approach to emergency management generally leads to an ineffective emergency response. Previous studies and our own research suggest that flexible, malleable, loosely coupled, organizational configurations can create a more effective disaster response.

  20. Assessing management effects on Oak forests in Austria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gautam, Sishir; Pietsch, Stephan A.; Hasenauer, Hubert

    2010-05-01

    Historic land use as well as silvicultural management practices have changed the structures and species composition of central European forests. Such changes have effects on the growth of forests and contribute to global warming. As insufficient information on historic forest management is available it is hard to explain the effect of management on forests growth and its possible consequences to the environment. In this situation, the BIOME-BGC model, which integrates the main physical, biological and physiological processes based on current understanding of ecophysiology is an option for assessing the management effects through tracking the cycling of energy, water, carbon and nutrients within a given ecosystems. Such models are increasingly employed to simulate current and future forest dynamics. This study first compares observed standing tree volume, carbon and nitrogen content in soil in the high forests and coppice with standards stands of Oak forests in Austria. Biome BGC is then used to assess the effects of management on forest growth and to explain the differences with measured parameters. Close positive correlations and unbiased results and statistically insignificant differences between predicted and observed volumes indicates the application of the model as a diagnostic tool to assess management effects in oak forests. The observed data in 2006 and 2009 was further compared with the results of respective model runs. Further analysis on simulated data shows that thinning leads to an increase in growth efficiency (GE), nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and water use efficiency (WUE), and to a decrease in the radiation use efficiency (RUE) in both forests. Among all studied growth parameters, only the difference in the NUE was statistically significant. This indicates that the difference in the yield of forests is mainly governed by the NUE difference in stands due to thinning. The coppice with standards system produces an equal amount of net primary

  1. Effectiveness of Case Management for Homeless Persons: A Systematic Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vet, Renée; van Luijtelaar, Maurice J. A.; Brilleslijper-Kater, Sonja N.; Vanderplasschen, Wouter; Beijersbergen, Mariëlle D.

    2013-01-01

    We reviewed the literature on standard case management (SCM), intensive case management (ICM), assertive community treatment (ACT), and critical time intervention (CTI) for homeless adults. We searched databases for peer-reviewed English articles published from 1985 to 2011 and found 21 randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies comparing case management to other services. We found little evidence for the effectiveness of ICM. SCM improved housing stability, reduced substance use, and removed employment barriers for substance users. ACT improved housing stability and was cost-effective for mentally ill and dually diagnosed persons. CTI showed promise for housing, psychopathology, and substance use and was cost-effective for mentally ill persons. More research is needed on how case management can most effectively support rapid-rehousing approaches to homelessness. PMID:23947309

  2. Key Performance Indicators for Maintenance Management Effectiveness of Public Hospital Building

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhana Omar Mardhiah

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Effectiveness of management in maintenance aspect holds the key element in influencing the performance of overall maintenance management. Similarly, public hospital building needs an effective maintenance management as this type of building in nature is one of the most complex issues in the field of maintenance. Improper building maintenance management adopted by the organization significantly will interrupt the overall operation of the building. Therefore, this paper is aim to identifying the key performance indicator (KPI of effectiveness of maintenance management for the public hospital building. A total of 32 set of questionnaires were distributed to the maintenance manager for each hospital in the northern region of peninsular Malaysia by using self-administration strategy. The survey answer was analyzed by performing descriptive analysis in SPSS. Overall, the result of descriptive analysis shows that all the ten factors of effectiveness of maintenance management are accepted as KPI since the mean value is at least 3.93 which classified as important and significant. The most significant factor of effectiveness of maintenance management is task planning and scheduling with the mean score of 4.35. While less significant factor is identify as maintenance approach with the value of mean score is 3.93. The both results indicates that the management need to have well-structured planning for the maintenance works and also need to embrace the exact strategy of maintenance approach in order to achieved better overall performance of maintenance management. This study may draw a standard practice for the government in assessing the performance of public facilities in terms of maintenance management.

  3. Effective team management by district nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bliss, Julie

    2004-12-01

    This article considers the key role played by the district nurse in managing the district nursing team in order to provide high quality health care. It considers how the district nurse can use key managerial roles (interpersonal, informational and decision-making) in order to ensure unity within the team. The importance of shared goals and trust to achieve unity is explored and a strategy for managing conflict is discussed. Finally, the article suggests a set of ground rules which could be used to facilitate effective team working.

  4. Management effectiveness evaluation in protected areas of southern Ecuador.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Rodríguez, Fausto; Rosado, Daniel

    2017-04-01

    Protected areas are home to biodiversity, habitats and ecosystem as well as a critical component of human well-being and a generator of leisure-related revenues. However, management is sometimes unsatisfactory and requires new ways of evaluation. Management effectiveness of 36 protected areas in southern Ecuador have been assessed. The protected areas belong to three categories: Heritage of Natural Areas of the Ecuadorian State (PANE), created and funded by the State, Areas of Forest and Protective Vegetation (ABVP), created but no funded by the State, and private reserves, declared and funded by private entities. Management effectiveness was evaluated by answers of managers of the protected areas to questionnaires adapted to the socio-economic and environmental characteristics of the region. Questions were classified into six elements of evaluation: context, planning, inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes as recommended by IUCN. Results were classified into four levels: unsatisfactory, slightly satisfactory, satisfactory and very satisfactory. The PANE areas and private reserves showed higher management effectiveness levels (satisfactory and very satisfactory) than ABVP areas, where slightly satisfactory and unsatisfactory levels prevailed. Resources availability was found as the main reason behind this difference. The extension, age and province of location were found irrelevant. Outputs, inputs and processes require main efforts to improve management effectiveness. Improving planning and input in the PANE areas and inputs and outcomes on ABVP areas is necessary to obtain a similar result in all areas. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Bleeding Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... C ancer I nstitute Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects Bleeding Problems “My nurse said that chemotherapy could make ... with a clean cloth. Keep pressing until the bleeding stops. If you bruise: Put ice on the ...

  6. Effect of calcium hydroxide application to feedlot pen surface material on ammonia, odor, and greenhouse gas emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calcium hydroxide (lime) is used to reduce microorganisms and odors in human biosolids, animal and poultry manures, and abattoir wastes. In the cattle industry, lime has been used as a disinfectant and is spread on the pen surface to control infections such as diarrhea and foot rot. The increase in ...

  7. Investigating the Collateral Effects of Behavior Management on Early Literacy Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gage, Nicholas A.; MacSuga-Gage, Ashley S.; Prykanowski, Debra; Coyne, Michael; Scott, Terrance M.

    2015-01-01

    Effective behavior management is necessary to ensure students are engaged with instruction. Students cannot learn if they are not engaged. Although the relationship between effective behavior management and positive student behavior is well established, the relationship between behavior management and increased academic achievement, including…

  8. Predictors of the Effectiveness of Management Accounting Function in Nigerian Firms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oyewo Babajide

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This study evaluated the influence of six contingent variables – firm size, age, sector, existence of management accounting department, affiliation to foreign entity and public-quotation status – on the effectiveness of management accounting function in Nigerian firms. Stratified random sampling technique was deployed to obtain the views of 131 Finance Officers with oversight role across major sectors of the Nigerian economy. Statistical tools used in analysis were descriptive statistics, factor-analysis, Kruskal Wallis Test and binary logistic regression. Whilst detecting that contextual variables such as size, age, sector, existence of management accounting department and public-quotation status significantly affect the effectiveness of the management accounting function, affiliation to foreign entity was found not to exert significant influence. The strongest predictor of the likelihood of operating a very effective management accounting function was the existence of management accounting department. Organisations are encouraged to have separate management accounting department because of additional benefits imbued by specialist management accounting skills.

  9. Affective Management and its Effects on Management Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waratta Authayarat

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Affective management is a new concept which suggests that top managers should take stakeholders’ affective experiences into account when making their management decisions. To show that this concept could contribute to the improvement of management performance in organizations, this study investigated the correlations between the affectiveness of top management and management performance indices. Our questionnaire based on the Affective Management Scorecard was employed to assess top managers’ recognition of the importance, as well as the actual practices of affective management. Top managers from 43 Thai organizations participated in the study. A correlation analysis was conducted to observe whether affective management indices would correlate with management performance indices, such as return on equity, return on assets, price to earnings ratio, and price to book value ratio. The findings showed that the results for organizations practicing affective management were positively correlated with their management performance in both profitability and good perceptions by investors.

  10. Effective executive management in the pharmaceutical industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Hoang; Kleiner, Brian H

    2005-01-01

    Along with the boom in information technology and vast development in genomic and proteomic discoveries, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries have been provided the means and tools to create a new page in medicinal history. They are now able to alter the classic ways to cure complex diseases thanks to the completion of the human genome project. To be able to compete in this industry, pharmaceutical management has to be effective not only internally but also externally in socially acceptable conduct. The first department that requires focus is marketing and sales. As the main driving force to increase revenues and profits, marketing and sales employees should be highly motivated by compensation. Also, customer relationships should be maintained for long-term gain. As important as marketing, research and development requires the financial support as well as the critical decision making to further expand the product pipeline. Similarly, finance and technologies should be adequately monitored and invested to provide support as well as prepare for future expansion. On top of that, manufacturing processes and operations are operated per quality systems and FDA guidelines to ensure high quality. Human Resources, on the other hand, should carry the managing and motivation from upper management through systematic recruitment, adequate training, and fair compensation. Moreover, effective management in a pharmaceutical would also require the social welfare and charity to help patients who cannot afford the treatment as well as improving the organization's image. Last but not least, the management should also prepare for the globalization of the industry. Inevitably, large pharmaceutical companies are merging with each other or acquiring smaller companies to enhance the competitive advantages as well as expand their product mix. For effectiveness in a pharmaceutical industry, management should focus more than just the daily routine tasks and short-term goals. Rather, they

  11. Does Management Matter?: Using MISR to Assess the Effects of Charcoal Production and Management on Woodland Regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wurster, K.

    2008-12-01

    In much of Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 75 percent of a rapidly growing urban population depends on charcoal as their primary source of energy for cooking. The high demand for charcoal has led many to believe that charcoal harvesting catalyzes widespread deforestation. The Senegalese government and international donors have initiated projects within protected areas to combat deforestation and created land management plans to sustainably harvest charcoal. To date, the effects of forest management techniques on forest sustainability are still in question. This research uses a multiphase approach integrating satellite analysis with field surveys to assess the effect of varying forest management strategies on forest regeneration and sustainability after charcoal harvesting. Phase I involved testing the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) satellites capability in detecting structural changes in vegetative cover caused by charcoal harvesting and production. Analysis of the MISR derived k(red) parameter showed MISR can consistently differentiate between forest cover types and successfully differentiates between sites at pre- and post-charcoal harvest stages. Phase II conducted forestry and social surveys comparing and contrasting local effects of land management, land use, and charcoal production on forest regeneration. Phase III uses the local surveys to validate and train the regional remote sensing data to assess the effectiveness of land management in promoting forest regeneration and sustainability after charcoal harvesting. Combining detailed local knowledge with the regional capabilities of MISR provide valuable insight into the factors that control woodland regeneration and sustainability. Preliminary results from phases II and III indicate that both field and remotely sensed variations in forest cover, tree regeneration, and land use change does not vary when compared against land management type. Final results will provide managers with additional

  12. A comparison of the effects of different rangeland management ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A comparison of the effects of different rangeland management systems on ... Three management systems exploit these areas: commercial livestock ranching, communal livestock ranching and game ranching. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  13. Boundary spanning by nurse managers: effects of managers' characteristics and scope of responsibility on teamwork.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Raquel M; O'Brien-Pallas, Linda; Doran, Diane; Streiner, David; Ferguson-Paré, Mary; Duffield, Christine

    2014-06-01

    Increasing role complexity has intensified the work of managers in supporting healthcare teams. This study examined the influence of front-line managers' characteristics and scope of responsibility on teamwork. Scope of responsibility considers the breadth of the manager's role. A descriptive, correlational design was used to collect cross-sectional survey and administrative data in four acute care hospitals. A convenience sample of 754 staff completed the Relational Coordination Scale as a measure of teamwork that focuses on the quality of communication and relationships. Nurses (73.9%), allied health professionals (14.7%) and unregulated staff (11.7%) worked in 54 clinical areas, clustered under 30 front-line managers. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modelling. Leadership practices, clinical support roles and compressed operational hours had positive effects on teamwork. Numbers of non-direct report staff and areas assigned had negative effects on teamwork. Teamwork did not vary by span, managerial experience, worked hours, occupational diversity or proportion of full-time employees. Large, acute care teaching hospitals can enable managers to foster teamwork by enhancing managers' leadership practices, redesigning the flow or reporting structure for non-direct reports, optimizing managerial hours relative to operational hours, allocating clinical support roles, reducing number of areas assigned and, potentially, introducing co-manager models. Copyright © 2014 Longwoods Publishing.

  14. Sustainable Transformation & Effective Competency Management Practices in Nuclear Organizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gardelliano, S.

    2016-01-01

    Full text: Managing essential knowledge as a strategic organizational asset is a factor of upmost relevance in today’s nuclear organizations. The author considers evident that competencies are critical carriers of knowledge. As such the use of an appropriate competency model could be the most effective way to capture the present reservoir of explicit and tacit Knowledge of specific functions or organizational areas. Besides, we could use them for new or other redesigned functions or determine the needs of specific competencies for future positions. Therefore, appropriate competency models or systems have to be developed or updated in each nuclear organization since these are fundamental for managing more effectively and efficiently the present nuclear human capital and to forecast the evolving competence required in management, technical, scientific and safety areas to continuously ensure a highly competent nuclear workforce. On the other hand, competency based management models or systems would not achieve the expected results if they are not fully designed and integrated within the strategic organizational infrastructure of the related nuclear organization. This paper is expected to provide a wider view and practical reflections on organizational transformation issues and the benefits of using an integrative competency model in the nuclear industry. Particularly, the paper give an insight of an empiric model for strategic organizational transformation processes and integrative management practices, and on how to realign strategic issues with top management processes and build organizational capacity through effective competency based management for the sustainable transformation of nuclear organizations. (author

  15. Repeated compost application effects on phosphorus runoff in the Virginia Piedmont.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spargo, John T; Evanylo, Gregory K; Alley, Marcus M

    2006-01-01

    Increasing amounts of animal and municipal wastes are being composted before land application to improve handling and spreading characteristics, and to reduce odor and disease incidence. Repeated applications of composted biosolids and manure to cropland may increase the risk for P enrichment of agricultural runoff. We conducted field research in 2003 and 2004 on a Fauquier silty clay loam (Ultic Hapludalfs) to compare the effects of annual (since 1999) applications of composted and uncomposted organic residuals on P runoff characteristics. Biosolids compost (BSC), poultry litter-yard waste compost (PLC), and uncomposted poultry litter (PL) were applied based on estimated plant-available N. A commercial fertilizer treatment (CF) and an unamended control treatment (CTL) were also included. Corn (Zea mays L.) and a cereal rye (Secale cereal L.) cover crop were planted each year. We applied simulated rainfall in fall 2004 and analyzed runoff for dissolved reactive P (DRP), total dissolved P (TDP), total P (TP), total organic C (TOC), and total suspended solids (TSS). End of season soil samples were analyzed for Mehlich-3 P (M3P), EPA 3050 P (3050P), water soluble P (WSP), degree of P saturation (DPS), soil C, and bulk density. Compost treatments significantly increased soil C, decreased bulk density, and increased M3P, 3050P, WSP, and DPS. The concentration of DRP, TDP, and TP in runoff was highest in compost treatments, but the mass of DRP and TDP was not different among treatments because infiltration was higher and runoff lower in compost-amended soil. Improved soil physical properties associated with poultry litter-yard waste compost application decreased loss of TP and TSS.

  16. Managing visitor impacts in parks: A multi-method study of the effectiveness of alternative management practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, L.O.; Marion, J.L.; Manning, R.E.; Lawson, S.R.; Jacobi, C.

    2008-01-01

    How can recreation use be managed to control associated environmental impacts? What management practices are most effective and why? This study explored these and related questions through a series of experimental ?treatments? and associated ?controls? at the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, a heavily used and environmentally fragile area. The treatments included five management practices designed to keep visitors on maintained trails, and these practices ranged from ?indirect? (information/education) to ?direct? (a fence bordering the trail). Research methods included unobtrusive observation of visitors to determine the percentage of visitors who walked off-trail and a follow-up visitor survey to explore why management practices did or didn?t work. All of the management practices reduced the percentage of visitors who walked off-trail. More aggressive applications of indirect practices were more effective than less aggressive applications, and the direct management practice of fencing was the most effective of all. None of the indirect management practices reduced walking off-trail to a degree that is likely to control damage to soil and vegetation at the study site. Study findings suggest that an integrated suite of direct and indirect management practices be implemented on Cadillac Mountain (and other, similar sites) that includes a) a regulation requiring visitors to stay on the maintained trail, b) enforcement of this regulation as needed, c) unobtrusive fencing along the margins of the trail, d) redesign of the trail to extend it, widen it in key places, and provide short spur trails to key ?photo points?, and e) an aggressive information/education program to inform visitors of the regulation to stay on the trail and the reasons for it. These recommendations are a manifestation of what may be an emerging principle of park and outdoor recreation management: intensive use requires intensive management.

  17. The effect of scientific evidence on conservation practitioners' management decisions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Jessica C; Dicks, Lynn V; Sutherland, William J

    2015-02-01

    A major justification of environmental management research is that it helps practitioners, yet previous studies show it is rarely used to inform their decisions. We tested whether conservation practitioners focusing on bird management were willing to use a synopsis of relevant scientific literature to inform their management decisions. This allowed us to examine whether the limited use of scientific information in management is due to a lack of access to the scientific literature or whether it is because practitioners are either not interested or unable to incorporate the research into their decisions. In on-line surveys, we asked 92 conservation managers, predominantly from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, to provide opinions on 28 management techniques that could be applied to reduce predation on birds. We asked their opinions before and after giving them a summary of the literature about the interventions' effectiveness. We scored the overall effectiveness and certainty of evidence for each intervention through an expert elicitation process-the Delphi method. We used the effectiveness scores to assess the practitioners' level of understanding and awareness of the literature. On average, each survey participant changed their likelihood of using 45.7% of the interventions after reading the synopsis of the evidence. They were more likely to implement effective interventions and avoid ineffective actions, suggesting that their intended future management strategies may be more successful than current practice. More experienced practitioners were less likely to change their management practices than those with less experience, even though they were not more aware of the existing scientific information than less experienced practitioners. The practitioners' willingness to change their management choices when provided with summarized scientific evidence suggests that improved accessibility to scientific information would benefit conservation management

  18. Effectiveness of cattail ('Typha' spp. management techniques depends on exogenous nitrogen inputs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenneth J. Elgersma

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Wetlands occupy a position in the landscape that makes them vulnerable to the effects of current land use and the legacies of past land use. Many wetlands in agricultural regions like the North American Midwest are strongly affected by elevated nutrient inputs as well as high rates of invasion by the hybrid cattail 'Typha' x 'glauca'. These two stressors also exacerbate each other: increased nutrients increase invasion success, and invasions increase nutrient retention and nutrient loads in the wetland. This interaction could create a positive feedback that would inhibit efforts to manage and control invasions, but little is known about the effects of past or present nutrient inputs on wetland invasive plant management. We augmented a previously-published community-ecosystem model (MONDRIAN to simulate the most common invasive plant management tools: burning, mowing, and herbicide application. We then simulated different management strategies and 3 different durations in low and high nutrient input conditions, and found that the most effective management strategy and duration depends strongly on the amount of nutrients entering the wetland. In high-nutrient wetlands where invasions were most successful, a combination of herbicide and fire was most effective at reducing invasion. However, in low-nutrient wetlands this approach did little to reduce invasion. A longer treatment duration (6 years was generally better than a 1-year treatment in high-nutrient wetlands, but was generally worse than the 1-year treatment in low-nutrient wetlands. At the ecosystem level, we found that management effects were relatively modest: there was little effect of management on ecosystem C storage, and while some management strategies decreased wetland nitrogen retention, this effect was transient and disappeared shortly after management ceased. Our results suggest that considering nutrient inputs in invaded wetlands can inform and improve management, and reducing

  19. Effective Public Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bower, Joseph L.

    1977-01-01

    Argues that public management differs from private management not just in degree but in quality, so that American business is an inappropriate analogy for evaluating public management. In particular, "purpose,""organization," and "people" have different meaning and significance in public agencies and private businesses. (JG)

  20. The effectiveness of anger management's training on difficulty of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences ... The purpose of this research is the effect of anger management training on adolescents' emotional regulation. ... Keywords: Anger management, Difficulty in emotion regulation, Adolescent ...

  1. Effects Of Educational Workshops On Farmers' Pest Management ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The heavy use of pesticides in Iran not only has critically harmful health effects on the farmers, but also harms the environment and consumer's health. One of the best approaches for overcoming this problem can be adoption of pest management practices and IPM (integrated pest management) systems by farmers.

  2. Effective management development and the middle manager

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fielder, J A; Woodman, P G.T.

    1985-03-01

    The authors discuss the middle manager in this theory of management development. In the authors' view, most of the attempts to develop managers in the past have concentrated on education and training activities. In their opinion, learning through experience should be emphasized. People making the transition to a new managerial role should be able to change three aspects of the way they view themselves: skills, attitudes, and behavior. The authors then examine the 'tools' available in the learning process and discuss the common forms of 'structural support': appraisal and counselling schemes, succession programs, record systems, etc. In conclusion of the theory side, the authors note that management development is the responsibility of the managers, and managerial talent is best developed by actually managing.

  3. Physiotherapy managers' perceptions of their leadership effectiveness: a multi-frame analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGowan, Emer; Walsh, Cathal; Stokes, Emma

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership frames of physiotherapy managers in Ireland. To be effective leaders in today's challenging healthcare environment physiotherapy managers must employ a comprehensive, adaptable and balanced leadership style. This was a purposive, cross-sectional study. Physiotherapy managers were surveyed using the Bolman and Deal Leadership Orientations Instrument. The survey was administered to members of the Chartered Physiotherapists in Management employment group (n=73) of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists via email. Forty-five physiotherapy managers responded to the survey to give a response rate of 62%. The human resource frame was the most frequently used (61%) and the political frame was the least (9%). The majority of respondents reported using only one or no frames at all (65%). When asked about their effectiveness as a manager 33% of respondents (n=14) gave themselves the top rating of 5, whereas 19% of respondents (n=8) gave themselves the top rating for their leadership effectiveness. There was a statistically significant trend between the number of leadership frames a physiotherapy manager used and their perceived effectiveness as a manager (T JT =380, z=1.975, p=0.048) and as a leader (T JT =431, z=3.245, p=0.001). The physiotherapy managers' use of the human resource frame demonstrates that they see the building of relationships as key to effective leadership. Development of physiotherapy managers' underused skills through appropriate leadership development training may enhance their leadership skill set and make them more confident as leaders. Copyright © 2016 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Dynamic simulation for effective workforce management in new product development

    OpenAIRE

    M. Mutingi

    2012-01-01

    Effective planning and management of workforce for new product development (NPD) projects is a great challenge to many organisations, especially in the presence of engineering changes during the product development process. The management objective in effective workforce management is to recruit, develop and deploy the right people at the right place at the right time so as to fulfill organizational objectives. In this paper, we propose a dynamic simulation model to address the workforce mana...

  5. Managing fleet capacity effectively under second-hand market redistribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quillérou, Emmanuelle; Roudaut, Nolwenn; Guyader, Olivier

    2013-09-01

    Fishing capacity management policies have been traditionally implemented at national level with national targets for capacity reduction. More recently, capacity management policies have increasingly targeted specific fisheries. French fisheries spatially vary along the French coastline and are associated to specific regions. Capacity management policies, however, ignore the capital mobility associated with second-hand vessel trade between regions. This is not an issue for national policies but could limit the effectiveness of regional capacity management policies. A gravity model and a random-effect Poisson regression model are used to analyze the determinants and spatial extent of the second-hand market in France. This study is based on panel data from the French Atlantic Ocean between 1992 and 2009. The trade flows between trading partners is found to increase with their sizes and to be spatially concentrated. Despite the low trade flows between regions, a net impact analysis shows that fishing capacity is redistributed by the second-hand market to regions on the Channel and Aquitaine from central regions. National capacity management policies (constructions/destructions) have induced a net decrease in regional fleet capacity with varying magnitude across regions. Unless there is a change of policy instruments or their scale of implementation, the operation of the second-hand market decreases the effectiveness of regional capacity management policies in regions on the Channel and Aquitaine.

  6. Impact of fertilizing with raw or anaerobically digested sewage sludge on the abundance of antibiotic-resistant coliforms, antibiotic resistance genes, and pathogenic bacteria in soil and on vegetables at harvest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahube, Teddie O; Marti, Romain; Scott, Andrew; Tien, Yuan-Ching; Murray, Roger; Sabourin, Lyne; Zhang, Yun; Duenk, Peter; Lapen, David R; Topp, Edward

    2014-11-01

    The consumption of crops fertilized with human waste represents a potential route of exposure to antibiotic-resistant fecal bacteria. The present study evaluated the abundance of bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes by using both culture-dependent and molecular methods. Various vegetables (lettuce, carrots, radish, and tomatoes) were sown into field plots fertilized inorganically or with class B biosolids or untreated municipal sewage sludge and harvested when of marketable quality. Analysis of viable pathogenic bacteria or antibiotic-resistant coliform bacteria by plate counts did not reveal significant treatment effects of fertilization with class B biosolids or untreated sewage sludge on the vegetables. Numerous targeted genes associated with antibiotic resistance and mobile genetic elements were detected by PCR in soil and on vegetables at harvest from plots that received no organic amendment. However, in the season of application, vegetables harvested from plots treated with either material carried gene targets not detected in the absence of amendment. Several gene targets evaluated by using quantitative PCR (qPCR) were considerably more abundant on vegetables harvested from sewage sludge-treated plots than on vegetables from control plots in the season of application, whereas vegetables harvested the following year revealed no treatment effect. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that producing vegetable crops in ground fertilized with human waste without appropriate delay or pretreatment will result in an additional burden of antibiotic resistance genes on harvested crops. Managing human exposure to antibiotic resistance genes carried in human waste must be undertaken through judicious agricultural practice. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  7. Dynamic simulation for effective workforce management in new product development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Mutingi

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Effective planning and management of workforce for new product development (NPD projects is a great challenge to many organisations, especially in the presence of engineering changes during the product development process. The management objective in effective workforce management is to recruit, develop and deploy the right people at the right place at the right time so as to fulfill organizational objectives. In this paper, we propose a dynamic simulation model to address the workforce management problem in a typical NPD project consisting of design, prototyping, and production phases. We assume that workforce demand is a function of project work remaining and the current available skill pool. System dynamics simulation concepts are used to capture the causality relationships and feedback loops in the workforce system from a systems thinking. The evaluation of system dynamics simulation reveals the dynamic behaviour in NPD workforce management systems and shows how adaptive dynamic recruitment and training decisions can effectively balance the workforce system during the NPD process.

  8. Effective information management and assurance for a modern organisation during a crisis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLeod, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    During a crisis, organisations face a major unpredictable event with potentially negative consequences. Effective information management and assurance can assist the organisation in making sure that they have the correct information in a secure format to make decisions to recover their operations. The main elements of effective information management and assurance are confidentiality, integrity and availability, combined with non-repudiation. Should an element of effective information management or assurance be removed it can have a detrimental effect on the other elements and render the information management and assurance practices of the organisation ineffectual.

  9. An Analysis of Enterprise Risk Management and IT Effectiveness Constructs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waithe, Errol

    2016-01-01

    One major problem many organizations are facing is balancing the risk-management practices of the organization with overall information technology (IT) effectiveness. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to assess the constructs and correlations associated with enterprise risk management and IT effectiveness.…

  10. Effective Instructional Management: Perceptions and Recommendations from High School Administrators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knechtel, Troy

    2010-01-01

    The two overarching research questions of this study are: What are the perceptions of high school administrators regarding the effectiveness of their current approach to instructional management? What recommendations do high school administrators have for effective strategies for instructional management? To answer these questions, a qualitative…

  11. Measuring Effectiveness of Food Quality Management in the Bakery Sector

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spiegel, van der M.; Luning, P.A.; Boer, de W.J.; Ziggers, G.W.; Jongen, W.M.F.

    2006-01-01

    Inappropriate management of food production operations cause several quality performance problems. Therefore, the actual contribution of food quality management to quality performance has to be revealed. This article investigates the effectiveness of food quality management in the bakery sector.

  12. Methods of measuring the effectiveness of Lean Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcel Lizak

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Invalid organisation of the production environment in an enterprise is the cause of many disruptions during the implementation of production processes. Lean Management is aimed at improving processes and eliminating interference in accordance with the Kaizen principle. A significant element of management constantly analyses and measures the improved results. The article presents the results of the literature research from the scope of observation methods and measuring the effects of the use of Lean Management instruments in manufacturing companies.

  13. Pollution effects on fisheries — potential management activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sindermann, C. J.

    1980-03-01

    Management of ocean pollution must be based on the best available scientific information, with adequate consideration of economic, social, and political realities. Unfortunately, the best available scientific information about pollution effects on fisheries is often fragmentary, and often conjectural; therefore a primary concern of management should be a critical review and assessment of available factual information about effects of pollutants on fish and shellfish stocks. A major problem in any such review and assessment is the separation of pollutant effects from the effects of all the other environmental factors that influence survival and well-being of marine animals. Data from long-term monitoring of resource abundance, and from monitoring of all determinant environmental variables, will be required for analyses that lead to resolution of the problem. Information must also be acquired about fluxes of contaminants through resource-related ecosystems, and about contaminant effects on resource species as demonstrated in field and laboratory experiments. Other possible management activities include: (1) encouragement of continued efforts to document clearly the localized and general effects of pollution on living resources; (2) continued pressure to identify and use reliable biological indicators of environmental degradation (indicators of choice at present are: unusually high levels of genetic and other anomalies in the earliest life history stages; presence of pollution-associated disease signs, particularly fin erosion and ulcers, in fish; and biochemical/physiological changes); and (3) major efforts to reduce inputs of pollutants clearly demonstrated to be harmful to living resources, from point sources as well as ocean dumping. Such pollution management activities, based on continuous efforts in stock assessment, environmental assessment, and experimental studies, can help to insure that rational decisions will be made about uses and abuses of coastal

  14. Rethinking Social Barriers to Effective Adaptive Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Simon; Schultz, Lisen; Bekessy, Sarah

    2016-09-01

    Adaptive management is an approach to environmental management based on learning-by-doing, where complexity, uncertainty, and incomplete knowledge are acknowledged and management actions are treated as experiments. However, while adaptive management has received significant uptake in theory, it remains elusively difficult to enact in practice. Proponents have blamed social barriers and have called for social science contributions. We address this gap by adopting a qualitative approach to explore the development of an ecological monitoring program within an adaptive management framework in a public land management organization in Australia. We ask what practices are used to enact the monitoring program and how do they shape learning? We elicit a rich narrative through extensive interviews with a key individual, and analyze the narrative using thematic analysis. We discuss our results in relation to the concept of `knowledge work' and Westley's 2002) framework for interpreting the strategies of adaptive managers—`managing through, in, out and up.' We find that enacting the program is conditioned by distinct and sometimes competing logics—scientific logics prioritizing experimentation and learning, public logics emphasizing accountability and legitimacy, and corporate logics demanding efficiency and effectiveness. In this context, implementing adaptive management entails practices of translation to negotiate tensions between objective and situated knowledge, external experts and organizational staff, and collegiate and hierarchical norms. Our contribution embraces the `doing' of learning-by-doing and marks a shift from conceptualizing the social as an external barrier to adaptive management to be removed to an approach that situates adaptive management as social knowledge practice.

  15. A study on the effectiveness of task manager board game as a training tool in managing project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yusof, Shahrul Azmi Mohd; Radzi, Shanizan Herman Md; Din, Sharifah Nadera Syed; Khalid, Nurhafizah

    2016-08-01

    Nowadays, games have become one of the useful tools in training. Many instructors choose to use games to enhance the way of delivering the subject. Failure to apply the suitable tool in training will lead to discouragement in learning and causing waste to the resources. An effective game will help the student understand the concept quickly. It can also help students to get involve in experiential learning where the student can manage and solve the problem as in the actual situation. This study will focus on the effectiveness of board game as a training tool for managing projects. This game has 4 tasks to be completed by students. They will be divided into a group of 4 or 5. Two methods are used in this study, pilot test, and post-test. These methods are chosen to analyze the effectiveness of using Task Manager Board Game as a teaching tool and the improvement of student's knowledge in project management. Three sub-components assessed were motivation, user experience and learning using case studies on Kirkpatrick's level one base on the perception of the students. The result indicated that the use of Task Manager board game as a training tool for managing project has a positive impact on students. It helps students to experience the situation of managing projects. It is one of the easiest ways for improving time management, human resources and communication skill.

  16. Cost-effectiveness in the management of Dupuytren's contracture. A Canadian cost-utility analysis of current and future management strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baltzer, H; Binhammer, P A

    2013-08-01

    In Canada, Dupuytren's contracture is managed with partial fasciectomy or percutaneous needle aponeurotomy (PNA). Injectable collagenase will soon be available. The optimal management of Dupuytren's contracture is controversial and trade-offs exist between the different methods. Using a cost-utility analysis approach, our aim was to identify the most cost-effective form of treatment for managing Dupuytren's contracture it and the threshold at which collagenase is cost-effective. We developed an expected-value decision analysis model for Dupuytren's contracture affecting a single finger, comparing the cost-effectiveness of fasciectomy, aponeurotomy and collagenase from a societal perspective. Cost-effectiveness, one-way sensitivity and variability analyses were performed using standard thresholds for cost effective treatment ($50 000 to $100 000/QALY gained). Percutaneous needle aponeurotomy was the preferred strategy for managing contractures affecting a single finger. The cost-effectiveness of primary aponeurotomy improved when repeated to treat recurrence. Fasciectomy was not cost-effective. Collagenase was cost-effective relative to and preferred over aponeurotomy at $875 and $470 per course of treatment, respectively. In summary, our model supports the trend towards non-surgical interventions for managing Dupuytren's contracture affecting a single finger. Injectable collagenase will only be feasible in our publicly funded healthcare system if it costs significantly less than current United States pricing.

  17. Perfluoroalkyl acid distribution in various plant compartments ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crop uptake of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) from biosolids-amended soil has been identified as a potential pathway for PFAA entry into the terrestrial food chain. This study compared the uptake of PFAAs in greenhouse-grown radish (Raphanus sativus), celery (Apium graveolens var.dulce), tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum), and sugar snap pea (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon) from an industrially impacted biosolids-amended soil, a municipal biosolids­ amended soil, and a control soil. Individual concentrations of PFAAs, on a dry weight basis, in mature, edible portions of crops grown in soil amended with PFAA industrially impacted biosolids were highest for perfluorooctanoate (PFOA; 67 ng/g) in radish root, perfluorobutanoate (PFBA;232 ng/g) in celery shoot, and PFBA (150 ng/g) in pea fruit. Comparatively, PFAA concentrations in edible compartments of crops grown in the municipal biosolids-amended soil and in the control soil were less than 25 ng/g. Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) were calculated for the root, shoot, and fruit compartments (as applicable) of all crops grown in the industrially impacted soil. BAFs were highest for PFBA in the shoots of all crops, as well as in the fruit compartment of pea. Root­ soil concentration factors (RCFs) for tomato and pea were independent of PFAA chain length, while radish and celery RCFs showed a slight decrease with increasing chain length. Shoot-soil concentration factors (SCFs) for all crops showed a decrease with incre

  18. Long-term cost-effectiveness of disease management in systolic heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, George; Randolph, Stephen; Forkner, Emma; Smith, Brad; Galbreath, Autumn Dawn

    2009-01-01

    Although congestive heart failure (CHF) is a primary target for disease management programs, previous studies have generated mixed results regarding the effectiveness and cost savings of disease management when applied to CHF. We estimated the long-term impact of systolic heart failure disease management from the results of an 18-month clinical trial. We used data generated from the trial (starting population distributions, resource utilization, mortality rates, and transition probabilities) in a Markov model to project results of continuing the disease management program for the patients' lifetimes. Outputs included distribution of illness severity, mortality, resource consumption, and the cost of resources consumed. Both cost and effectiveness were discounted at a rate of 3% per year. Cost-effectiveness was computed as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Model results were validated against trial data and indicated that, over their lifetimes, patients experienced a lifespan extension of 51 days. Combined discounted lifetime program and medical costs were $4850 higher in the disease management group than the control group, but the program had a favorable long-term discounted cost-effectiveness of $43,650/QALY. These results are robust to assumptions regarding mortality rates, the impact of aging on the cost of care, the discount rate, utility values, and the targeted population. Estimation of the clinical benefits and financial burden of disease management can be enhanced by model-based analyses to project costs and effectiveness. Our results suggest that disease management of heart failure patients can be cost-effective over the long term.

  19. Time management: an imperative factor to effective service delivery ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In Nigeria, the need for time management in organizations especially the public ... of time management that can lead to employee effectiveness and efficiency in the ... time audit in their work place, be prepared to adjust to the best use of time.

  20. A Framework for Effective Software Monitoring in Project Management

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A Framework for Effective Software Monitoring in Project Management. ... is shown to provide meaningful interpretation of collected metric data by embedding certain quality function. Key words: Project Management, Feedback, project control, metrics, process model, quantitative validity ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  1. Six key elements' analysis of FAC effective management in nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong Zhaojiang; Chen Hanming

    2010-01-01

    Corporate Commitment, Analysis, Operating Experience, Inspection, Training and Engineering Judgment, Long-Term Strategy are the six key elements of FAC effective management in nuclear power plant. Corporate commitment is the economy base of FAC management and ensure of management system, Analysis is the method of FAC's optimization and consummation, Operating experience is the reference and complementarity of FAC, Inspection is the base of accumulating FAC data, Training and engineering judgment is the technical complementarity and deepening, Long-term strategy is successful key of FAC management. Six key elements supplement each other, and make up of a full system of FAC effective management. For present FAC management in our national nuclear power plant, six key elements are the core and bring out the best in each other to found the FAC effective management system and prevent great FAC occurrence. (authors)

  2. Effects of organic and inorganic amendments on soil erodibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nutullah Özdemir

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the present investigation is to find out the effect of incorporating of various organic and inorganic matter sources such as lime (L, zeolit (Z, polyacrylamide (PAM and biosolid (BS on the instability index. A bulk surface (0–20 cm depth soil sample was taken from Samsun, in northern part of Turkey. Some soil properties were determined as follows; fine in texture, modarete in organic matter content, low in pH and free of alkaline problem. The soil samples were treated with the inorganic and organic materials at four different levels including the control treatments in a randomized factorial block design. The soil samples were incubated for ten weeks. After the incubation period, corn was grown in all pots. The results can be summarized as organic and inorganic matter treatments increased structure stability and decreased soil erodibility. Effectiveness of the treatments varied depending on the types and levels of organic and inorganic materials.

  3. Pengurangan Bullwhip Effect dengan Metode Vendor Managed Inventory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fenny Rubbayanti Dewi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Information distortion caused PT Multi Sarana Indotani got higher demand than the distributor. Demand variability in each echelon of the supply chain (bullwhip effect may occur due to lack of demand stability that the producer had difficulty in determining the amount of production. One of the collaboration methods that can be applied to overcome the information distortion as causes of the bullwhip effect is vendor managed inventory, where the needs of distributor and retailers monitored and controlled by the producer. In this case, vendor managed inventory applied to two echelons, producer, and distributor.

  4. Investigating the effective factors on management internal controls applying

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Ahmadkhani

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Information technology plays an important role on increasing internal control in many organizations. In this paper, we present an empirical study to measure the impact of information technology, hiring high quality skilled management team, using high quality standards and increasing employees' awareness on managing internal control. The survey uses a questionnaire based on Likert scale and distributes among the people who work in either administration or financial sectors of governmental agencies in province of Zanjan, Iran. The results of the study indicate that the implementation of information technology positively influences management team to control their system, more effectively, using more skilled and specialized managers positively influences management internal control, an organization with suitable standard positively influences management internal control and increasing employees' awareness positively influences management internal control.

  5. 282 Effective Classroom Management Techniques for Secondary ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    FIRST LADY

    2011-01-18

    Jan 18, 2011 ... classroom management effectiveness is a powerful motivator of student's learning. As regards the ... attainment of organizational goals. ... reciprocal behaviour that occurs between individuals such as exchange of information ...

  6. Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Grasshopper Sparrow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dechant, Jill A.; Sondreal, Marriah L.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Igl, Lawrence D.; Goldade, Christopher M.; Nenneman, Melvin P.; Euliss, Betty R.

    1998-01-01

    Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are intended to show areas where managers might concentrate their attention. It may be ineffectual to manage habitat at a site for a species that rarely occurs in an area. The species account begins with a brief capsule statement, which provides the fundamental components or keys to management for the species. A section on breeding range outlines the current breeding distribution of the species in North America, including areas that could not be mapped using BBS data. The suitable habitat section describes the breeding habitat and occasionally microhabitat characteristics of the species, especially those habitats that occur in the Great Plains. Details on habitat and microhabitat requirements often provide clues to how a species will respond to a particular management practice. A table near the end of the account complements the section on suitable habitat, and lists the specific habitat characteristics for the species by individual studies. A special section on prey habitat is included for those predatory species that have more specific prey requirements. The area requirements section provides details on territory and home range sizes, minimum area requirements, and the effects of patch size, edges, and other landscape and habitat features on abundance and productivity. It may be futile to manage a small block of suitable habitat for a species that has minimum area requirements that are larger than the area being managed. The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an obligate brood parasite of many grassland birds. The section on cowbird brood parasitism summarizes rates

  7. Paediatric radiotherapy: Management and side effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barare, C.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents the general overview of management of children undergoing or who have undergone radiation therapy, and the associated effects. since the safe use of ionizing radiation in treatment of some children conditions is inevitable, the immediate and future effects need to be known and better understood for precise and accurate forecasting to benefit verses risk indicators. this is not withstanding the psychological trauma inflicted as some of the manifestations are visibly evident as the children grow

  8. Summer cover crops and soil amendments to improve growth and nutrient uptake of okra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Q.R.; Li, Y.C.; Klassen, W. [University of Florida, Homestead, FL (United States). Center for Tropical Research & Education

    2006-04-15

    A pot experiment with summer cover crops and soil amendments was conducted in two consecutive years to elucidate the effects of these cover crops and soil amendments on 'Clemson Spineless 80' okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) yields and biomass production, and the uptake and distribution of soil nutrients and trace elements. The cover crops were sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), velvetbean (Mucuna deeringiana), and sorghum sudan-grass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor var. sudanense) with fallow as the control. The organic soil amendments were biosolids (sediment from wastewater plants), N-Viro Soil (a mixture of biosolids and coal ash), coal ash (a combustion by-product from power plants), co-compost (a mixture of 3 biosolids: 7 yard waste), and yard waste compost (mainly from leaves and branches of trees and shrubs, and grass clippings) with a soil-incorporated cover crop as the control. As a subsequent vegetable crop, okra was grown after the cover crops, alone or together with the organic soil amendments, had been incorporated. All of the cover crops, except sorghum sudangrass in 2002-03, significantly improved okra fruit yields and the total biomass production. Both cover crops and soil amendments can substantially improve nutrient uptake and distribution. The results suggest that cover crops and appropriate amounts of soil amendments can be used to improve soil fertility and okra yield without adverse environmental effects or risk of contamination of the fruit. Further field studies will be required to confirm these findings.

  9. Organizational structures of companies versus project management effectiveness

    OpenAIRE

    Joanna Haffer

    2012-01-01

    An organizational structure, indicated as one out of the four main organizational conditions supporting project management, has an essential meaning for project execution. This article, based on the research results, describes different organizational structures of project-orientated enterprises, enumerating their advantages and disadvantages, and reveals the influence of inter-organizational relations on project management effectiveness in enterprises operating in Poland. The results indicat...

  10. User experience management essential skills for leading effective UX teams

    CERN Document Server

    Lund, Arnie

    2011-01-01

    The role of UX manager is of vital importance -- it means leading a productive team, influencing businesses to adopt user-centered design, and delivering valuable products customers. Few UX professionals who find themselves in management positions have formal training in management. More often than not they are promoted to a management position after having proven themselves as an effective and successful practitioner.Yet as important as the position of manager is to the advancement of the field there are no books that specifically address the needs of user experience managers. Though informat

  11. DISPOSITION EFFECT AMONG BRAZILIAN EQUITY FUND MANAGERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Pozzi Lucchesi

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The disposition effect predicts that investors tend to sell winning stocks too soon and ride losing stocks too long. Despite the wide range of research evidence about this issue, the reasons that lead investors to act this way are still subject to much controversy between rational and behavioral explanations. In this article, the main goal was to test two competing behavioral motivations to justify the disposition effect: prospect theory and mean reversion bias. To achieve it, an analysis of monthly transactions for a sample of 51 Brazilian equity funds from 2002 to 2008 was conducted and regression models with qualitative dependent variables were estimated in order to set the probability of a manager to realize a capital gain or loss as a function of the stock return. The results brought evidence that prospect theory seems to guide the decision-making process of the managers, but the hypothesis that the disposition effect is due to mean reversion bias could not be confirmed.

  12. The development of an effective performance indicator program aids management effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelm, R.R.

    1989-01-01

    One problem that has plagued nuclear security departments has been the failure to adequately develop accurate and effective means of tracking and trending computer-based security system performance data at nuclear power facilities. The purpose of this paper is twofold: to provide information on the development and uses of one system employed by the Detroit Edison Company that has proven to be an effective performance indicator system to track security system data and to explain how management makes use of the system data. The performance indicator system has had a remarkable effect on the department's performance. The system's users have become more effective in isolating problems with security system components. The data have been utilized as part of the cost/benefit analysis for justifying improvements or equipment upgrades, clearly documenting cost savings. Finally, security management at all levels is able to promptly identify individual problems or trends. The time, money, and hours devoted to system development have greatly contributed to Detroit Edison's nuclear security department achieving a SALP 1 rating

  13. Interactive Intranet Portal for effective Management in Tertiary Institution

    OpenAIRE

    Idogho O. Philipa; Akpado Kenneth; James Agajo

    2011-01-01

    Interactive Intranet Portal for effective management in Tertiary Institution is an enhanced and interactive method of managing and processing key issues in Tertiary Institution, Problems of result processing, tuition fee payment, library resources management are analyzed in this work. An interface was generated to handle this problem; the software is an interactive one. Several modules are involved in the paper, like: LIBRARY CONSOLE, ADMIN, STAFF, COURSE REGISTRATION, CHECKING OF RESULTS and...

  14. Figures of merit for measuring aging management program effectiveness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knudson, R.; Sciacca, F.; Walsh, R.; Zigler, G.

    1991-01-01

    One of the requirements for nuclear plant license renewal may be the establishment and demonstration of an effective aging management program. An analysis of both qualitative and quantitative information will be required to define the contents of this aging management program. The authors propose two quantitative figures of merit, Mean Event Detection Frequency and Mean Renewal Rate, that can be used to compare the effectiveness of various inspection, surveillance, test, and monitoring (ISTM) activities for aging mitigation. An example showing the relative effectiveness of an enhanced Loose Parts Monitoring System with current ISTM activities for steam generators and reactor internals is provided. (author)

  15. Effectiveness of infrastructure asset management: challenges for public agencies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schraven, Daan; Hartmann, Andreas; Dewulf, Geert P.M.R.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The aim of this research is to better understand the decisions in infrastructure asset management at public agencies and the challenges of these agencies to improve the effectiveness of their decision making. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a literature review on asset management at

  16. Evaluation of soil metal bioavailability estimates using two plant species (L. perenne and T. aestivum) grown in a range of agricultural soils treated with biosolids and metal salts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Black, Amanda; McLaren, Ronald G.; Reichman, Suzanne M.; Speir, Thomas W.; Condron, Leo M.

    2011-01-01

    Few studies have quantified the accuracy of soil metal bioavailability assays using large datasets. A meta-analysis from experiments spanning 6 months to 13 years on 12 soil types, compared bioavailability estimate efficiencies for wheat and ryegrass. Treatments included biosolids ± metals, comparing total metal, Ca(NO 3 ) 2 , EDTA, soil solution, DGT and free ion activity. The best correlations between soil metal bioavailability and shoot concentrations were for Ni using Ca(NO 3 ) 2 (r 2 = 0.72) which also provided the best estimate of Zn bioavailability (r 2 = 0.64). DGT provided the best estimate of Cd bioavailability, accounting for 49% of shoot Cd concentrations. There was no reliable descriptor of Cu bioavailability, with less than 35% of shoot Cu concentrations defined. Thus interpretation of data obtained from many soil metal bioavailability assays is unreliable and probably flawed, and there is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO 3 ) 2 for Ni and Zn, and DGT for Cd. - Highlights: → A meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of soil metal bioavailability assays. → DGT could explain 49% of shoot Cd concentration. → There is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO 3 ) 2 for Ni and Zn. - A meta-analysis of soil metal bioavailability estimates for 12 soil types concluded that there is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO 3 ) 2 for Ni and Zn, and DGT for Cd.

  17. SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL BANKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radoica Luburić

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on two very important and current approaches to management: Total Quality Management (TQM and Operational Risk Management (ORM. As a paradigm of business success, TQM provides the key assumptions for survival, development and success of an organisation, regardless of any limitations whatsoever. ORM, on the other hand, is predetermined to be an irreplaceable managerial tool that enables organisations to survive in any environment. In times of accelerated political, economic and technological changes, frequent natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other external events, a successful risk management has been gaining importance and becomes one of the key competitive advantages of an organisation. The ultimate objective is to make TQM and ORM, as two rather compatible and complementary approaches to risk management, harmonized, efficient and functional in order to get their synergistic effects in an organisation in full swing and practice. Various organisations, and thus central banks as conservative institutions, have an innovative opportunity to timely minimize their operational risk through preventive, comprehensive and synergistic operation of TQM and ORM and thus significantly contribute to improving their business performance.

  18. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Swelling (Fluid Retention)

    Science.gov (United States)

    N ational C ancer I nstitute Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects Swelling (Fluid retention) “My hands and feet were swollen and puffy. My nurse helped me understand why I had to stop eating salty ...

  19. The relationship between hospital managers' leadership style and effectiveness with passing managerial training courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh Ardestani, Abbas; Sarabi Asiabar, Ali; Ebadifard Azar, Farbod; Abtahi, Seyyed Ali

    2016-01-01

    Background: Effective leadership that rises from managerial training courses is highly constructive in managing hospitals more effectively. This study aims at investigating the relationship between leadership effectiveness with providing management training courses for hospital managers. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out on top and middle managers of 16 hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences. As a sample, 96 participants were selected through census method. Data were collected using leadership effectiveness and style questionnaire, whose validity and reliability were certified in previous studies. Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regressions were used for data analysis. Results: Leadership effectiveness score was estimated to be 4.36, showing a suitable status for managers' leadership effectiveness compared to the set criteria. No significant difference was found between leadership effectiveness and styles among managers who had passed the training courses with those who had not (p>0.05). Conclusion: Passing managerial training courses may have no significant effect on managers' leadership effectiveness, but there may be some other variables which should be meticulously studied.

  20. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nausea and Vomiting

    Science.gov (United States)

    N ational C ancer I nstitute Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Nausea and Vomiting “I take medicine so I won’t feel sick ...

  1. TIME MANAGEMENT: AN IMPERATIVE FACTOR TO EFFECTIVE ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    CIU

    Nigeria public servants are faced with time management problems which have become a hindrance to effective ... textbooks and internet sources. Statistical data .... accountable for their actions and to make decisions in reference to the use of.

  2. Nursing leadership and management effects work environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomey, Ann Marriner

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this literature search was to identify recent research related to nursing leadership and management effects on work environment using the 14 forces of magnetism. This article gives some historical perspective from the original 1983 American Academy of Nursing study through to the 2002 McClure and Hinshaw update to 2009 publications. Research publications were given a priority for references. The 14 forces of magnetism as identified by Unden and Monarch were: '1. Quality of leadership..., 2. Organizational structure..., 3. Management style..., 4. Personnel policies and programs..., 5. Professional models of care..., 6. Quality of care..., 7 Quality improvement..., 8. Consultation and resources..., 9. Autonomy..., 10. Community and the hospital..., 11. Nurse as teacher..., 12. Image of nursing..., 13. Interdisciplinary relationships... and 14. Professional development....'. Correlations have been found among positive workplace management initiatives, style of transformational leadership and participative management; patient-to-nurse ratios; education levels of nurses; quality of patient care, patient satisfaction, employee health and well-being programmes; nurse satisfaction and retention of nurses; healthy workplace environments and healthy patients and personnel. This article identifies some of the research that provides evidence for evidence-based nursing management and leadership practice.

  3. Cost-Effective Location Management for Mobile Agents on the Internet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Sheng Chen

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Many mobile agent system-related services and applications require interacting with a mobile agent by passing messages. However, an agent’s mobility raises several challenges in delivering messages to a mobile agent accurately. Consisting of tracking and message delivery phases, most mobile agent location management schemes create or receive many update messages and interaction messages to ensure the effectiveness of the schemes. In addition to downgrading the overall performance of a mobile agent location management scheme, excessive transmission of messages increases the network load. The migration locality of a mobile agent and the interaction rate between mobile agents significantly affect the performance of a mobile agent location management scheme with respect to location management cost. This work presents a novel Dual Home based Scheme (DHS that can lower the location management costs in terms of migration locality and interaction rate. While the DHS scheme uniquely adopts dual home location management architecture, a selective update strategy based on that architecture is also designed for cost-effective location management of mobile agents. Moreover, DHS is compared with available schemes based on formulations and simulation experiments from the perspective of location management costs. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed DHS scheme performs satisfactorily in terms of migration locality and interaction rate.

  4. Effect of national cultural values on safety climate, and safety management system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, T.H.; Memon, N.A.

    2008-01-01

    This paper investigates the critical role played by the national culture in influencing how workers safely or otherwise behave (mainly in risky situations) on construction sites, and how site managers implement safety management processes and practices. The paper presents the findings of an empirical research study based on a questionnaire survey, administered in Pakistan, targeting construction site managers and workers to gauge the effect national culture has on managers preferences for and perceptions of safety management systems (policies and practices) and than linking this effect to predict workers attitudes and intentional behaviors. (author)

  5. QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL TREASURIES BUDGET ACCOUNTING

    OpenAIRE

    Biljana Tešić

    2011-01-01

    The role of management information systems (MIS) of local treasuries budget accounting is to provide qualitative information support to management in process of decision making and to provide effective managing of key processes of budget accounting, in accordance with requests of management on all levels of decision making. From the aspect of effectiveness and request for quality, in accordance with request of users and defined system goals, this research includes the analysis of characterist...

  6. Effectively managing nuclear risk through human performance improvement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coe, R.P.

    2004-01-01

    Full text: The US commercial nuclear industry has just completed an outstanding decade of plant performance. Safety levels and electric production are at unprecedented high levels and continue to exceed even high industry goals. Nuclear energy continues to keep the highest priority on performance improvement programs and highly trained/qualified people that maintain its record setting safety and reliability of operations. While the industry has maintained a consistently high level of performance, the advent of deregulation and the consolidation of NPP ownership, as well as the current climate of concern about both rising energy costs and availability of power, has raised the standard for nuclear energy's level of competitiveness in today's market place. The resulting challenge is how to more effectively manage risk and improve performance even further in a generally high performing organization. Newer technology and more training by themselves are not the answer. Rather, the answer will lie in the human side of the organization and management's ability to tap into the unused potential of employee commitment and productivity. It is people who offer the greatest potential for organizational success. Given the fact that human performance has been demonstrated to yield higher rates of return than physical capital, it makes good business sense to determine how to encourage the behaviors in the workplace to manage the risk that will accompany efforts to boost the nuclear industry to new heights of excellence. This means effectively developing a performance improvement culture through identifying measurable performance indicators and determining how behaviors can best be influenced to improve those indicators. It also means seeing a culture of performance improvement and risk management as a strategic planning tool rather than a solution to a particular problem. One of the most effective ways to develop this culture of performance improvement and effectively managing risk

  7. Operational safety of urine diversion toilets in Durban, South Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Austin, LM

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available and be capable of destroying or isolating pathogens. A need exists for documentary evidence to support various claims about different storage periods for ensuring pathogen die-off and safe handling of biosolids (Peasy 2000). Handling of faecal material... in Water and Environmental Health, Task no. 324. [Online] http://www/lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/well-studies/full-reports-pdf/task0324.pdf WHO (2001). Water quality, guidelines, standards and health: Assessment of risk and risk management for water...

  8. Sustainable development of water resources, water supply and environmental sanitation.

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Austin, LM

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available and be capable of destroying or isolating pathogens. A need exists for documentary evidence to support various claims about different storage periods for ensuring pathogen die-off and safe handling of biosolids (Peasy 2000). Handling of faecal material... in Water and Environmental Health, Task no. 324. [Online] http://www/lboro.ac.uk/well/resources/well-studies/full-reports-pdf/task0324.pdf WHO (2001). Water quality, guidelines, standards and health: Assessment of risk and risk management for water...

  9. Effective behaviour change techniques in the prevention and management of childhood obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, J; Chater, A; Lorencatto, F

    2013-10-01

    Rates of childhood obesity are increasing, and it is essential to identify the active components of interventions aiming to prevent and manage obesity in children. A systematic review of behaviour change interventions was conducted to find evidence of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) that are most effective in changing physical activity and/or eating behaviour for the prevention or management of childhood obesity. An electronic search was conducted for randomised controlled trials published between January 1990 and December 2009. Of 4309 titles and abstracts screened, full texts of 135 articles were assessed, of which 17 published articles were included in this review. Intervention descriptions were coded according to the behaviour-specific CALO-RE taxonomy of BCTs. BCTs were identified and compared across obesity management (n=9) vs prevention (n=8) trials. To assess the effectiveness of individual BCTs, trials were further divided into those that were effective (defined as either a group reduction of at least 0.13 body mass index (BMI) units or a significant difference in BMI between intervention and control groups at follow-up) vs non-effective (reported no significant differences between groups). We reliably identified BCTs utilised in effective and non-effective prevention and management trials. To illustrate the relative effectiveness of each BCT, effectiveness ratios were calculated as the ratio of the number of times each BCT was a component of an intervention in an effective trial divided by the number of times they were a component of all trials. Results indicated six BCTs that may be effective components of future management interventions (provide information on the consequences of behaviour to the individual, environmental restructuring, prompt practice, prompt identification as role model/position advocate, stress management/emotional control training and general communication skills training), and one that may be effective in prevention

  10. Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Hair Loss (Alopecia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... C ancer I nstitute Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects Hair Loss (Alopecia) “Losing my hair was hard at first. ... and anywhere on your body may fall out. Hair loss is called alopecia. When will my hair start ...

  11. Managed care and inpatient mortality in adults: effect of primary payer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, Anika L; Raetzman, Susan O; Barrett, Marguerite L; Moy, Ernest; Andrews, Roxanne M

    2017-02-08

    Because managed care is increasingly prevalent in health care finance and delivery, it is important to ascertain its effects on health care quality relative to that of fee-for-service plans. Some stakeholders are concerned that basing gatekeeping, provider selection, and utilization management on cost may lower quality of care. To date, research on this topic has been inconclusive, largely because of variation in research methods and covariates. Patient age has been the only consistently evaluated outcome predictor. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the association between managed care and inpatient mortality for Medicare and privately insured patients. A cross-sectional design was used to examine the association between managed care and inpatient mortality for four common inpatient conditions. Data from the 2009 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases for 11 states were linked to data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database. Hospital discharges were categorized as managed care or fee for service. A phased approach to multivariate logistic modeling examined the likelihood of inpatient mortality when adjusting for individual patient and hospital characteristics and for county fixed effects. Results showed different effects of managed care for Medicare and privately insured patients. Privately insured patients in managed care had an advantage over their fee-for-service counterparts in inpatient mortality for acute myocardial infarction, stroke, pneumonia, and congestive heart failure; no such advantage was found for the Medicare managed care population. To the extent that the study showed a protective effect of privately insured managed care, it was driven by individuals aged 65 years and older, who had consistently better outcomes than their non-managed care counterparts. Privately insured patients in managed care plans, especially older adults, had better outcomes than those in fee-for-service plans

  12. Effects of threat management interactions on conservation priorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auerbach, Nancy A; Wilson, Kerrie A; Tulloch, Ayesha I T; Rhodes, Jonathan R; Hanson, Jeffrey O; Possingham, Hugh P

    2015-12-01

    Decisions need to be made about which biodiversity management actions are undertaken to mitigate threats and about where these actions are implemented. However, management actions can interact; that is, the cost, benefit, and feasibility of one action can change when another action is undertaken. There is little guidance on how to explicitly and efficiently prioritize management for multiple threats, including deciding where to act. Integrated management could focus on one management action to abate a dominant threat or on a strategy comprising multiple actions to abate multiple threats. Furthermore management could be undertaken at sites that are in close proximity to reduce costs. We used cost-effectiveness analysis to prioritize investments in fire management, controlling invasive predators, and reducing grazing pressure in a bio-diverse region of southeastern Queensland, Australia. We compared outcomes of 5 management approaches based on different assumptions about interactions and quantified how investment needed, benefits expected, and the locations prioritized for implementation differed when interactions were taken into account. Managing for interactions altered decisions about where to invest and in which actions to invest and had the potential to deliver increased investment efficiency. Differences in high priority locations and actions were greatest between the approaches when we made different assumptions about how management actions deliver benefits through threat abatement: either all threats must be managed to conserve species or only one management action may be required. Threatened species management that does not consider interactions between actions may result in misplaced investments or misguided expectations of the effort required to mitigate threats to species. © 2015 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

  13. Linking management effectiveness indicators to observed effects of protected areas on fire occurrence in the Amazon rainforest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nolte, Christoph; Agrawal, Arun

    2013-02-01

    Management-effectiveness scores are used widely by donors and implementers of conservation projects to prioritize, track, and evaluate investments in protected areas. However, there is little evidence that these scores actually reflect the capacity of protected areas to deliver conservation outcomes. We examined the relation between indicators of management effectiveness in protected areas and the effectiveness of protected areas in reducing fire occurrence in the Amazon rainforest. We used data collected with the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) scorecard, adopted by some of the world's largest conservation organizations to track management characteristics believed to be crucial for protected-area effectiveness. We used the occurrence of forest fires from 2000 through 2010 as a measure of the effect of protected areas on undesired land-cover change in the Amazon basin. We used matching to compare the estimated effect of protected areas with low versus high METT scores on fire occurrence. We also estimated effects of individual protected areas on fire occurrence and explored the relation between these effects and METT scores. The relations between METT scores and effects of protected areas on fire occurrence were weak. Protected areas with higher METT scores in 2005 did not seem to have performed better than protected areas with lower METT scores at reducing fire occurrence over the last 10 years. Further research into the relations between management-effectiveness indicators and conservation outcomes in protected areas seems necessary, and our results show that the careful application of matching methods can be a suitable method for that purpose. ©2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

  14. CARACTERIZAÇÃO E POTENCIAL DE SUBSTRATOS FORMULADOS COM BIOSSÓLIDO NA PRODUÇÃO DE MUDAS DE Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. e Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Vell. Mattos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alan Henrique Marques de Abreu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The properly composted sewage sludge (biosolid presents significant amounts of organic matter and nutrients to the plant growth in its composition. Therefore, its utilization in a substrate composition for the seedlings production comes to represent, more than an environment benefit, a great choice from the technical and economical angle. This project aims to characterize biosolid substrates and commercial substrate chemically and physically, and to estimate their potential to generate Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi. and Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Vell. Mattos seedlings. Different volumetric proportions of biosolid (BIO mixed with commercial substrate (SC were tested for tube seedlings production, consisting in the following formulas: T1 = 0% BIO + 100% SC; T2 = 25% BIO + 75% SC; T3 = 50% BIO + 50% SC; T4 = 100% BIO + 0% SC. A hundred and thirty-four days after sowing, the following morphological parameters were evaluated, height (H, diameter (D, aerial part dry matter, (MSPA, root dry matter (MSR, height diameter ratio (HD, the ratio of aerial part dry matter and root dry matter (MSPAMSR, and the Dickson Quality Index (IQD. The bigger the substrates biosolid proportion was, the bigger the nutrient level was, mainly of N, P, K, and a bigger capacity of water retention was also found. The biosolid presented high potential for substrate composition in seedling production in the related species. The best results for Schinus terebinthifolius growth were observed in T3 and T4 treatments; for the Handroanthus heptaphyllus , the best results were observed in the T3 treatment.

  15. The effect of leverage increases on real earnings management

    OpenAIRE

    Zagers-Mamedova, Irina

    2009-01-01

    textabstractMain subject of this paper is to understand whether there could be an incentive for managers to manipulate cash flow from operating activities (CFO) through the use of real earnings management (REM), in situations with increasing leverage. Based upon a study of Jelinek (2007) who researched the correlation between increasing levels of leverage and accrual earnings management, I developed my main hypothesis with respect to the effect of leverage increases on REM to influence CFO. R...

  16. Determining success factors for effective strategic change: Role of middle managers' strategic involvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minhajul Islam Ukil

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Middle managers are believed to play most crucial part in strategic change that in consequence leads to organizational success. The present study seeks to identify the underlying success factors for effective strategic change and, to investigate the relationship between middle management strategic involvement and effective strategic change. Data were collected following a survey administered among a group of mid-level managers (N=144 serving in twenty different private commercial banks in Bangladesh, and analyzed using various statistical tests including descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, and simple and multiple regressions in STATA. Results uncovers that factors like relation with top management, strategy, role and skills are essential for effective strategic change. This study also reveals significant relationship between middle management strategic involvement and effective strategic change. Findings of this research suggest that organizations shall involve mid-level managers to formulate and implement strategy since middle mangers work as a bridge between top management and ground level workers.

  17. The effect of personality traits of managers/supervisor on job ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effect of personality traits of managers/supervisor on job satisfaction of medical ... of their time life in their workplace therefore investigation for job satisfaction related ... Keywords: Employees, Job satisfaction, Managers, Personality trait ...

  18. Cost-effective management alternatives for Snake River Chinook salmon: a biological-economic synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halsing, David L; Moore, Michael R

    2008-04-01

    The mandate to increase endangered salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin of North America has created a complex, controversial resource-management issue. We constructed an integrated assessment model as a tool for analyzing biological-economic trade-offs in recovery of Snake River spring- and summer-run chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). We merged 3 frameworks: a salmon-passage model to predict migration and survival of smolts; an age-structured matrix model to predict long-term population growth rates of salmon stocks; and a cost-effectiveness analysis to determine a set of least-cost management alternatives for achieving particular population growth rates. We assessed 6 individual salmon-management measures and 76 management alternatives composed of one or more measures. To reflect uncertainty, results were derived for different assumptions of effectiveness of smolt transport around dams. Removal of an estuarine predator, the Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia), was cost-effective and generally increased long-term population growth rates regardless of transport effectiveness. Elimination of adult salmon harvest had a similar effect over a range of its cost estimates. The specific management alternatives in the cost-effective set depended on assumptions about transport effectiveness. On the basis of recent estimates of smolt transport effectiveness, alternatives that discontinued transportation or breached dams were prevalent in the cost-effective set, whereas alternatives that maximized transportation dominated if transport effectiveness was relatively high. More generally, the analysis eliminated 80-90% of management alternatives from the cost-effective set. Application of our results to salmon management is limited by data availability and model assumptions, but these limitations can help guide research that addresses critical uncertainties and information. Our results thus demonstrate that linking biology and economics through integrated models can

  19. An Effective Time and Management Strategy in Quality Circles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halverson, Don E.

    Contending that participation in quality circles enhances effective time management by school administrators and teachers, this guide provides both a theoretical briefing and practical recommendations for better time management. A pre- posttest prefaces a review of basic concepts of quality circles with reference to the work of Abraham Maslow,…

  20. Effectiveness of alternative management strategies in meeting conservation objectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards S. Holthausen; Carolyn Hull Sieg

    2007-01-01

    This chapter evaluates how well various management strategies meet a variety of conservation objectives, summarizes their effectiveness in meeting objectives for rare or little-known (RLK) species, and proposes ways to combine strategies to meet overall conservation objectives. We address two broad categories of management strategies. Species approaches result in...

  1. Bermudagrass sod growth and metal uptake in coal combustion by-product-amended media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schlossberg, M.J.; Vanags, C.P.; Miller, W.P. [University of Georgia, Athens, GA (USA). Dept. of Crop & Soil Science

    2004-04-01

    Coal combustion by-products (CCB) include fly ash and bottom ash and are generated nationally at rates of 10{sup 8} Mg yr{sup -1}. Land applications of CCB have improved physicochemical properties of soil, yet inherent bulkiness and trace metal content of CCB often limit their use. Likewise, utilization of biosolids and manure as fertilizer can be problematic due to unfavorable nutrient ratios. A 2-yr field study evaluated environmental and technical parameters associated with CCB-organic waste utilization as growth media in turfgrass sod production. Experimental growth media formulated with CCB and organic waste and a sand-compost control mixture were uniformly spread at rates from 200 to 400 m{sup 3} ha{sup -1} and sprigged with hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy). Leaf clippings were collected and analyzed for total elemental content each year. In Year 2, growth media samples were collected during establishment 47 and 84 days after planting (DAP) and viable Escherichia coli organisms were quantified. At harvest (99 or 114 DAP), sod biomass and physicochemical properties of the growth media were measured. During sod propagation, micronutrient and metal content in leaf clippings varied by growth media and time. After 47 d of typical sod field management, viable E. coli pathogens were detected in only one biosolids-amended plot. No viable E. coli were measured at 84 DAP. In both years, sod biomass was greatest in media containing biosolids and fly ash. Following installation of sod, evaluations did not reveal differences by media type or application volume. Using CCB-organic waste mixes at the rates described herein is a rapid and environmentally safe method of bermudagrass sod production.

  2. Using the Theory of Constraints for Effective Supply Chain Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Archie Lockhamy III

    1999-08-01

    Full Text Available This article provides methodology and guidelines for employing a 'constraint-based approach for effective supply chain management. The article explores the shortcomings of using a traditional supply chain management as well as an Activity Based Management (ABM approach in the managing of supply chains. In addition, the article introduces a supply chain management methodology based on achieving a global optimum for the entire chain. Examples are provided on how constraint-based techniques are currently being applied to the management of certain subsets of the supply chain. Guidelines are presented for managing supply chains using a constraint-based approach. Finally, the article ends with the discussion of the implications regarding the use of a constraint-based approach to the management of supply chains along with the need for future research in this area.

  3. Forest and Water Management for Mitigating the effects of Climate ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    Forest and Water Management for Mitigating the effects of Climate Change in the ... forest, agriculture and water management strategies play in both adaptation to and ... IDRC joins more than 800 international delegates at the Resilient Cities ...

  4. Developing a decision support system to meet nurse managers' information needs for effective resource management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruland, C M

    2001-01-01

    This article describes the development of a decision support system called CLASSICA, which assists nurse managers in financial management, resource allocation, activity planning, and quality control. CLASSICA integrates information about patient flow and activity, staffing, and the cost of nursing care at the nursing-unit level. The system provides assistance in planning activities, balancing the budget, and identifying barriers to unsatisfactory resource management. In addition, CLASSICA contains forecasting and simulation options to analyze the influence of factors that affect nursing costs. This article describes the system's development process steps to tailor it to the needs of nurse managers and their existing work practices. Nurse managers actively participated in defining their tasks and responsibilities; identified barriers and difficulties in managing these tasks; defined information needs, data input, and output and interface requirements; and identified expected benefits. Clear communication of project goals, strong user involvement, and purposeful benefit planning was used to achieve the goals for CLASSICA: (1) to provide essential information and decision support for effective financial management, resource allocation, activity planning, and staffing; (2) to improve nurse managers' competence in financial management and decision making; (3) to improve cost containment; and (4) to provide a helpful and easy to use tool for decision support.

  5. Leadership style effect on the personnel management efficiency

    OpenAIRE

    Kalushka, Lyubov Volodymyrivna

    2012-01-01

    The leader influence on the staff in enterprise management system is investigatedin the article. The role of leadership style in ensuring the effective functioning of the organization isanalysed. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between a manager and a subordinate, amanager and a team, as leadership is a link penetrating all administrative processes at theenterprise. The results of the research of the factors influencing the choice of leadership style aregiven. The advantages ...

  6. Effects of peatland drainage management on peak flows

    OpenAIRE

    C. E. Ballard; N. McIntyre; H. S. Wheater

    2011-01-01

    Open ditch drainage has historically been a common land management practice in upland blanket peats, particularly in the UK. However, peatland drainage is now generally considered to have adverse effects on the upland environment, including increased peak flows. As a result, drain blocking has become a common management strategy in the UK over recent years, although there is only anecdotal evidence to suggest that this might decrease peak flows. The change in the hydrologica...

  7. Social and Cultural Factors That Effect University Women Managers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslan, Hasan; Sabo, Helena Maria; Siyli, Nese Aysin

    2012-01-01

    In this study, social and cultural effects of the low rate of woman managers at universities are tried to be identified. Women have been increasingly appearing in every field of business; on the other hand, although women compared to men constitute majority in educational organisations, they appear in the positions other than management. We will…

  8. 470 Teamwork Effectiveness in the Financial Management Sector ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2015-08-27

    Aug 27, 2015 ... Principles, theoretical concepts and factors affecting ... Keywords: Team, Teamwork, Effectiveness, Financial, Management,. Companies, Strategic ..... The response rates were higher from the Accounting, Client Service and.

  9. Toward effective ecological risk-management of refinery corrective action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metzger, B.H.; Rury, P.M.; Turton, D.; Archibald, B.; Clark, J.; Cura, J.

    1995-01-01

    Cleanup of complex industrial sites, such as refineries, requires risk-based decision tools to ensure that environmentally protective remediation is consistent with current and future land use. However, conventional ecological risk assessment approaches are not well suited for complex industrial sites. Site risk assessments focus on hypothetical chemical risk assuming diverse and undisturbed ecosystems, rather than industrial and disturbed area conditions. In addition, they offer little guidance as to how to make timely and effective risk management decisions. An innovative methodology is proposed to assist industry and regulatory risk managers with rapid EcoRisk reconnaissance and cost-effective remedial decision-making at complex industrial sites. Phase 1 comprises a three-step risk screening of areas of ecological concern at the site, which integrates habitat quality characteristics and potential chemical hazards. It yields an ordering of areas as follows: areas of no significant risk; areas of potentially significant risk; and areas of likely significant risk. A decision rule is then applied to determine appropriate risk management action, including: no action; additional study; and remedial or management action. In Phase 2, additional study is conducted for areas that exhibit potentially significant risk so as to facilitate risk management. This methodology is currently being applied at the 1,300 acre, former Exxon Bayway Refinery in New Jersey

  10. The Effectiveness of Time Management Strategies Instruction on Students' Academic Time Management and Academic Self Efficacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kader, Fathi Abdul Hamid Abdul; Eissa, Mourad Ali

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of using time management strategies instruction on improving first year learning disabled students' academic time management and academic self efficacy. A total of 60 students identified with LD participated. The sample was divided into two groups; experimental (n = 30 boys) and control (n = 30 boys). ANCOVA and…

  11. Evaluating Effect of Knowledge Management Strategy on Human Resource Management Performance Using BSC Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Mansoori

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available This research provided a model for evaluating the effect of knowledge management strategy on human resource management performance in higher education institutes and academic libraries. This research was a descriptive survey. According to the research literature and expert opinions, in human resource level, 38 indicators were produced for evaluating KM, then these indicators were classified in 10 total factors in terms of balanced scorecard approach. The results of evaluating knowledge management in Yazd academic libraries showed that, this strategy on customer perspectives, internal processes, learning and growth perspective had a good performance. But in terms of financial and Labor productivity indicators and training programs it did not have a good outcome for Yazd academic libraries.

  12. The development of effects-based air quality management regimes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longhurst, J. W. S.; Irwin, J. G.; Chatterton, T. J.; Hayes, E. T.; Leksmono, N. S.; Symons, J. K.

    This paper considers the evolution of attempts to control and manage air pollution, principally but not exclusively focussing upon the challenge of managing air pollution in urban environments. The development and implementation of a range of air pollution control measures are considered. Initially the measures implemented primarily addressed point sources, a small number of fuel types and a limited number of pollutants. The adequacy of such a source-control approach is assessed within the context of a changing and challenging air pollution climate. An assessment of air quality management in the United Kingdom over a 50-year timeframe exemplifies the range of issues and challenges in contemporary air quality management. The need for new approaches is explored and the development and implementation of an effects-based, risk management system for air quality regulation is evaluated.

  13. Effective energy management system using ISO 9000/14000 concept industries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asfaazam Kasbani; Kamaruzzaman Sopian

    2006-01-01

    Energy management is a system of managing energy utilization wisely and it includes issues such as energy efficiency (conservation), use of renewable energy, use of technology and development of energy policy. Its benefits has been well known for cost reduction and increase competitiveness and also other indirect impact such as preserving the natural resources and reduction of green-house gases. Although various strategies have been formulated by the government for the industries to adopt energy management, the result seems to be minimal and stagnant in some ways due to the various barriers which exists. Industries on the other hand, have successfully welcomed two famous management system namely the Environmental Management System ISO 14000 and the Quality Management System ISO 9000 to be implemented at their premises. This paper shows how energy management system can be effectively implemented by comparing similar generic management elements of energy management to ISO 9000/14000 standards. The seven (7) elements of energy management system discussed are top management commitment, policy establishment, energy management team, energy audit, energy efficiency projects, monitoring and training

  14. Effectiveness of participatory planning for community management of fisheries in Bangladesh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sultana, Parvin; Abeyasekera, Savitri

    2008-01-01

    This study provides statistical evidence that support for community-based management of resources was more effective when initiated through a process known as participatory action plan development (PAPD). Thirty-six sites were studied where community management of fisheries was facilitated by NGOs. All involved community participation and establishing local fisheries management institutions. However, communities were able to take up more conservation-related interventions and faced fewer conflicts in the 18 sites where a PAPD was the basis for collective action and institution development. This indicates the value and effectiveness of adopting good practice in participatory planning, such as PAPD, which helps diverse stakeholders find common problems and solutions for natural resource management.

  15. Managing regional cumulative effects of oil sands development in Alberta, Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spaling, H.; Zwier, J.

    2000-01-01

    This paper demonstrates an approach to regional cumulative effects management using the case of oil sands development in Alberta, Canada. The 17 existing, approved, or planned projects, all concentrated in a relatively small region, pose significant challenges for conducting and reviewing cumulative effects assessment (CEA) on a project-by-project basis. In response, stakeholders have initiated a regional cumulative effects management system that is among the first such initiatives anywhere. Advantages of this system include (1) more efficient gathering and sharing of information, including a common regional database, (2) setting acceptable regional environmental thresholds for all projects, (3) collaborative assessment of similar cumulative effects from related projects, (4) co-ordinated regulatory review and approval process for overlapping CEAs, and (5) institutional empowerment from a Regional Sustainable Development Strategy administered by a public authority. This case provides a model for integrating project-based CEA with regional management of cumulative effects. (author)

  16. An organizational capability perspective on knowledge management: The effect of knowledge management capabilities on organizational effectiveness of maritime equipment suppliers in Møre and Romsdal

    OpenAIRE

    Nordøy, Ingrid Marie

    2017-01-01

    Previous studies have emphasized the importance of knowledge management capabilities (KMC´s) and outlined their influence on organizational effectiveness. Today’s economic environment has been described as knowledge based and knowledge management (KM) is recognized as the most important resource of the modern organization. However, few researchers focus on knowledge management capabilities in a Norwegian context. The present study investigates the relationship between the KM...

  17. A concise guide to effective management of the public works equipment fleet

    OpenAIRE

    De Armas, Vicente.

    1996-01-01

    CIVINS (Civilian Institutions) Thesis document Approved for public release ; distribution is unlimited The purpose of this report is to present in a concise form the principles and fundamentals of managing the public works equipment fleet, providing a basis from which to develop an effective fleet management program. The report begins with a review of today's trends in fleet management, including, organization, privatization, effects of environmental regulations and a discussion on info...

  18. Improving Managers' Psychophysical Well-Being: Effectiveness of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Biofeedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munafò, Marianna; Patron, Elisabetta; Palomba, Daniela

    2016-06-01

    High work stress has been consistently associated with disturbed autonomic balance, specifically, lowered vagal cardiac control and increased sympathetic activity, which may lead to increased cardiovascular risk. Stress management procedures have been proposed to reduce autonomic dysfunctions related to work stress in different categories of workers exposed to heightened work demands, while a limited number of studies addressed this issue in managers. The present study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) biofeedback (BF) intervention on psychological and physiological outcomes, in managers with high-level work responsibilities. Thirty-one managers leading outstanding private or public companies were randomly assigned to either a RSA-BF training (RSA-BF; N = 16) or a control group (N = 15). The RSA-BF training consisted of five weekly 45 min sessions, designed to increase RSA, whereas controls had to provide a daily stress diary once a week. After the training, managers in both groups reported reduced heart rate at rest, lower anxiety levels and improvement in health-related quality of life. More importantly, managers in the RSA-BF group showed increased vagal control (as indexed by increased RSA), decreased sympathetic arousal (as indexed by reduced skin conductance and systolic blood pressure) and lower emotional interferences, compared to managers in the control group. Results from this study showed that RSA-BF training was effective in improving cardiac autonomic balance at rest. Moreover, findings from this study underline the effectiveness of biofeedback in reducing psychophysiological negative outcomes associated with stress in managers.

  19. Wildland fire and fuel management: principles for effective communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eric Toman; Bruce Shindler

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we discuss four principles identified through recent research for effective citizen-agency communication and examine their use in accomplishing fire management objectives. Principles include the following: (1) effective communication is a product of effective planning; (2) both unidirectional (one-way) and interactive approaches are part of successful...

  20. Assessing the effect of increased managed care on hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mowll, C A

    1998-01-01

    This study uses a new relative risk methodology developed by the author to assess and compare certain performance indicators to determine a hospital's relative degree of financial vulnerability, based on its location, to the effects of increased managed care market penetration. The study also compares nine financial measures to determine whether hospital in states with a high degree of managed-care market penetration experience lower levels of profitability, liquidity, debt service, and overall viability than hospitals in low managed care states. A Managed Care Relative Financial Risk Assessment methodology composed of nine measures of hospital financial and utilization performance is used to develop a high managed care state Composite Index and to determine the Relative Financial Risk and the Overall Risk Ratio for hospitals in a particular state. Additionally, financial performance of hospitals in the five highest managed care states is compared to hospitals in the five lowest states. While data from Colorado and Massachusetts indicates that hospital profitability diminishes as the level of managed care market penetration increases, the overall study results indicate that hospitals in high managed care states demonstrate a better cash position and higher profitability than hospitals in low managed care states. Hospitals in high managed care states are, however, more heavily indebted in relation to equity and have a weaker debt service coverage capacity. Moreover, the overall financial health and viability of hospitals in high managed care states is superior to that of hospitals in low managed care states.

  1. Personal characteristics of effective managers in organizational cultures of different types.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zakharova L.N.

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Since the 1990s Russian enterprises have been experiencing difficulties in transitioning to the market-innovative model of development. In the context of the current variability of management paradigms, we had an opportunity to study the internal and external regulators of organizational changes that are typical for a transitioning economy. Organizational culture (ОС was studied as an external factor, while the personal traits of middle managers were viewed as internal factors because these managers are the agents for values and for behavior models, from corporate directives to “front-desk’ personnel. The goal of this theoretical and empirical study was to determine the personality traits of middle managers who were deemed effective by top management in companies transitioning to the market-innovative model of development in the context of different types of OCs. During the preliminary stage, we conducted a comparative analysis of the requirements for the personal traits of middle managers who are working in stable conditions as well as in conditions of transfer to the market-innovative model of development, and we selected the relevant methods of empirical research. During the first stage of the empirical part of our research we defined a group of four enterprises with OCs of different types, identified their effective mid-level managers based on expert evaluations by the top leadership, and formed test groups. During the second stage we studied the personal characteristics of these managers. We determined that the personality traits of managers deemed effective by their leaders form integral complexes, which in turn correlate in a certain way with the type of ОС of an enterprise. We identified four models of an effective manager: Mentor, Dictator, Innovator, and Businessman; these managers have varying degrees of work productivity, value priorities in the development of ОС, personal self-concepts, organizational leadership skills

  2. Effectiveness of nursing management information systems: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Mona; Yang, You Lee; Lee, Sun-Mi

    2014-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to review evaluation studies of nursing management information systems (NMISs) and their outcome measures to examine system effectiveness. For the systematic review, a literature search of the PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted to retrieve original articles published between 1970 and 2014. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms included informatics, medical informatics, nursing informatics, medical informatics application, and management information systems for information systems and evaluation studies and nursing evaluation research for evaluation research. Additionally, manag(*) and admin(*), and nurs(*) were combined. Title, abstract, and full-text reviews were completed by two reviewers. And then, year, author, type of management system, study purpose, study design, data source, system users, study subjects, and outcomes were extracted from the selected articles. The quality and risk of bias of the studies that were finally selected were assessed with the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-randomized Studies (RoBANS) criteria. Out of the 2,257 retrieved articles, a total of six articles were selected. These included two scheduling programs, two nursing cost-related programs, and two patient care management programs. For the outcome measurements, usefulness, time saving, satisfaction, cost, attitude, usability, data quality/completeness/accuracy, and personnel work patterns were included. User satisfaction, time saving, and usefulness mostly showed positive findings. The study results suggest that NMISs were effective in time saving and useful in nursing care. Because there was a lack of quality in the reviewed studies, well-designed research, such as randomized controlled trials, should be conducted to more objectively evaluate the effectiveness of NMISs.

  3. Management of arthropod pathogen vectors in North America: Minimizing adverse effects on pollinators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsberg, Howard; Bargar, Timothy A.; Hladik, Michelle L.; Lubelczyk, Charles

    2017-01-01

    Tick and mosquito management is important to public health protection. At the same time, growing concerns about declines of pollinator species raise the question of whether vector control practices might affect pollinator populations. We report the results of a task force of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) that examined potential effects of vector management practices on pollinators, and how these programs could be adjusted to minimize negative effects on pollinating species. The main types of vector control practices that might affect pollinators are landscape manipulation, biocontrol, and pesticide applications. Some current practices already minimize effects of vector control on pollinators (e.g., short-lived pesticides and application-targeting technologies). Nontarget effects can be further diminished by taking pollinator protection into account in the planning stages of vector management programs. Effects of vector control on pollinator species often depend on specific local conditions (e.g., proximity of locations with abundant vectors to concentrations of floral resources), so planning is most effective when it includes collaborations of local vector management professionals with local experts on pollinators. Interventions can then be designed to avoid pollinators (e.g., targeting applications to avoid blooming times and pollinator nesting habitats), while still optimizing public health protection. Research on efficient targeting of interventions, and on effects on pollinators of emerging technologies, will help mitigate potential deleterious effects on pollinators in future management programs. In particular, models that can predict effects of integrated pest management on vector-borne pathogen transmission, along with effects on pollinator populations, would be useful for collaborative decision-making.

  4. Determinants of Key Account Management Effectiveness: The Case ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ethiopian Journal of Business and Economics (The) ... the postulated seven determinants of KAM effectiveness (strategy, solution, people, management, ... The findings provide the empirical application of the KAM model theorized by Zupancic ...

  5. Bio solid Recycling To Enhance Carbon Sequestration In Mountainous Lebanese Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Attalah, T; Jamous, C; Debs, P.; Darwish, T.

    2012-01-01

    In Lebanon, the great majority of wastewater is dumped wildly into streams, wells or the sea. Eventually treated sludge will be produced across the country and disposed of, to a great extent, on land. This disposal obeys rules and regulations in most countries. In this work, on the results of the application of a biosolid on the carbon balance in two contrasting soils are reported. The biosolid that originated from a small plant treating domestic wastewaters did not contain high concentrations of heavy metals. Biosolids were applied in two levels (S1: 3.75 tons ha - 1 and S2: 7.50 tons ha - 1) to a loamy sand (Kfarhim) and acalcareous loam (Baakline). The incorporation in early October was immediately followed by the sowing of a barley cover crop. Sludges increased the barley production in the fast draining loamy sand only. In parallel, the in-situ decomposition studied during the rainy seasons gave a carbon loss of 21.8% (Baakline) and 29.1% (Kfarhim) of the initial sludge Cn. In the short-term, studies showed that 15 to 31% of the carbon of biosolids will remain in soils. This could significantly contribute to carbon sequestration, particularly in slow-draining soils. (author)

  6. Evaluation of soil metal bioavailability estimates using two plant species (L. perenne and T. aestivum) grown in a range of agricultural soils treated with biosolids and metal salts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Black, Amanda, E-mail: amanda.black@lincoln.ac.nz [Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Lincoln 7647, Christchurch (New Zealand); McLaren, Ronald G. [Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Lincoln 7647, Christchurch (New Zealand); Reichman, Suzanne M. [School of Civil, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne 3001 (Australia); Speir, Thomas W. [Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), PO Box 50348, Porirua 5240 (New Zealand); Condron, Leo M. [Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Lincoln 7647, Christchurch (New Zealand)

    2011-06-15

    Few studies have quantified the accuracy of soil metal bioavailability assays using large datasets. A meta-analysis from experiments spanning 6 months to 13 years on 12 soil types, compared bioavailability estimate efficiencies for wheat and ryegrass. Treatments included biosolids {+-} metals, comparing total metal, Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}, EDTA, soil solution, DGT and free ion activity. The best correlations between soil metal bioavailability and shoot concentrations were for Ni using Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} (r{sup 2} = 0.72) which also provided the best estimate of Zn bioavailability (r{sup 2} = 0.64). DGT provided the best estimate of Cd bioavailability, accounting for 49% of shoot Cd concentrations. There was no reliable descriptor of Cu bioavailability, with less than 35% of shoot Cu concentrations defined. Thus interpretation of data obtained from many soil metal bioavailability assays is unreliable and probably flawed, and there is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} for Ni and Zn, and DGT for Cd. - Highlights: > A meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of soil metal bioavailability assays. > DGT could explain 49% of shoot Cd concentration. > There is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} for Ni and Zn. - A meta-analysis of soil metal bioavailability estimates for 12 soil types concluded that there is little justification to look beyond Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} for Ni and Zn, and DGT for Cd.

  7. Management effect on bird and arthropod interaction in suburban woodlands

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background Experiments from a range of ecosystems have shown that insectivorous birds are important in controlling the populations of their invertebrate prey. Here, we report on a large field experiment testing the hypothesis that management for enhancing recreational values in suburban woodlands affects the intensity of bird predation on canopy-living arthropods. Bird exclosures were used in two types of management (understory clearance and dense understory) at two foraging heights in oak Quercus robur canopies and the experiment was replicated at two sites. Results The biomass and abundance of arthropods were high on net-enclosed branches but strongly reduced on control branches in both types of management. In woods with dense understory, the effect of bird predation on arthropod abundance was about twice as high as in woods with understory clearance. The effect of bird predation on arthropod biomass was not significantly affected by management. Conclusions Our data provide experimental evidence to support the idea that bird predation on arthropods can be affected by forest management. We suggest that the mechanism is twofold: reduction of bird abundance and shift of foraging behaviour. In urban woodlands, there may be a management trade-off between enhancing recreational values and promoting bird predation rates on arthropods. PMID:21362174

  8. Biological risk associated to bio-treatments: monitoring and modeling bacterial dispersion into the atmosphere in a soil bioremediation plant and in a wastewater treatment plant

    OpenAIRE

    Tarasiuk, Olga

    2014-01-01

    Wastewater is a mixture of domestic, municipal and industrial waste dissolved in water. The biggest fraction of wastewater is sanitary sewer water. Before its release in rivers or sea, water must be cleaned and all harmful bacteria must be killed. Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic waste obtained following wastewater treatment and used beneficially as fertilizer. Routinely, biosolids are deposited in agricultural areas or incinerated. For this reason the level of microbial pathogens in the b...

  9. Effect of Workplace Weight Management on Health Care Expenditures and Quality of Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaud, Tzeyu L; Nyman, John A; Jutkowitz, Eric; Su, Dejun; Dowd, Bryan; Abraham, Jean M

    2016-11-01

    We examined the effectiveness of the weight management program used by the University of Minnesota in reducing health care expenditures and improving quality of life of its employees, and also in reducing their absenteeism during a 3-year intervention. A differences-in-differences regression approach was used to estimate the effect of weight management participation. We further applied ordinary least squares regression models with fixed effects to estimate the effect in an alternative analysis. Participation in the weight management program significantly reduced health care expenditures by $69 per month for employees, spouses, and dependents, and by $73 for employees only. Quality-of-life weights were 0.0045 points higher for participating employees than for nonparticipating ones. No significant effect was found for absenteeism. The workplace weight management used by the University of Minnesota reduced health care expenditures and improved quality of life.

  10. Effective Project Risk management in Micro Companies : Case study for Persona Optima Iceland ehf.

    OpenAIRE

    Bražinskaitė, Justina

    2011-01-01

    This study is meant to be a guide for micro companies regarding effective project risk management. The main purpose of this thesis is to introduce project risk management and build a user-friendly managerial model toward effective project risk management in micro companies. The research is based on a case company Persona Optima Iceland ehf. analysis. The study investigates risk management, uncertainties and risks in projects, project risk management, its models and particularities in orde...

  11. Democratic Leadership by Managing Meetings for Effective Group Decision-Making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephens, Mary; Forest, Robert

    Instrumental to successful democratic leadership is the use of committees to solve management problems. In democratic leadership, a leader encourages participation and uses a guidance approach to direct a group toward consensus. This document offers leaders guidelines in effective democratic management of meetings. The authors first discuss the…

  12. The model of manpower management influence on mining business effectiveness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miriama Hakelová

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Manpower management is one of the documents in a business firm which reflects the philosophy of human resources work, sets the priorities and procedures for the capacity of personal processes. The article describes the theoretical model considering the manpower management aspects which are related to adopting the competency model in mining business respecting the triad of capacity management namely by assessing the work capacity, remuneration, education and employees ? growth. The motivation of employees, their efficiency and the work productivity will increase by the impact of the manpower management aspects which will provide the increase of mining business effectiveness.

  13. Measuring effectiveness of food quality management

    OpenAIRE

    Spiegel, van der, M.

    2004-01-01

    Keywords: effectiveness, food quality management, instrument, quality performance, contextual factors, agri-food production, conceptual model, performance measurement indicators, identification, validation, assessment, quality assurance systems, QA systems, HACCP, Hygiene code, ISO, BRC, GMP, bakery sector.In the last decade several incidents have occurred in the agri-food sector, such as the affairs of dioxin and BSE, whereas also the incidence of food-borne diseases and the production of hi...

  14. Ketamine for Pain Management-Side Effects & Potential Adverse Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Cheryl A; Ivester, Julius R

    2017-12-01

    An old anesthetic agent, ketamine is finding new use in lower doses for analgesic purposes. There are concerns stemming from its potential side effects-specifically psychomimetic effects. These side effects are directly related to dose amount. The doses used for analgesic purposes are much lower than those used for anesthesia purposes. A literature review was performed to ascertain potential side effects and/or adverse events when using ketamine for analgesia purposes. The search included CINAHL, PubMed, and Ovid using the search terms "ketamine," "ketamine infusion," "pain," "adverse events," "practice guideline," and "randomized controlled trial." Searches were limited to full-text, peer-reviewed articles and systematic reviews. Initially 1,068 articles were retrieved. The search was then narrowed by using the Boolean connector AND with various search term combinations. After adjusting for duplication, article titles and abstracts were reviewed, leaving 25 articles for an in-depth analysis. Specific exclusion criteria were then applied. The literature supports the use of ketamine for analgesic purposes, and ketamine offers a nonopioid option for the management of some pain conditions. Because ketamine is still classified as an anesthetic agent, health care institutions should develop their own set of policies and protocols for the administration of ketamine. By using forethought and understanding of the properties of ketamine, appropriate care may be planned to mitigate potential side effects and adverse events so that patients are appropriately cared for and their pain effectively managed. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Do managed bees have negative effects on wild bees?: A systematic review of the literature.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel E Mallinger

    Full Text Available Managed bees are critical for crop pollination worldwide. As the demand for pollinator-dependent crops increases, so does the use of managed bees. Concern has arisen that managed bees may have unintended negative impacts on native wild bees, which are important pollinators in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. The goal of this study was to synthesize the literature documenting the effects of managed honey bees and bumble bees on wild bees in three areas: (1 competition for floral and nesting resources, (2 indirect effects via changes in plant communities, including the spread of exotic plants and decline of native plants, and (3 transmission of pathogens. The majority of reviewed studies reported negative effects of managed bees, but trends differed across topical areas. Of studies examining competition, results were highly variable with 53% reporting negative effects on wild bees, while 28% reported no effects and 19% reported mixed effects (varying with the bee species or variables examined. Equal numbers of studies examining plant communities reported positive (36% and negative (36% effects, with the remainder reporting no or mixed effects. Finally, the majority of studies on pathogen transmission (70% reported potential negative effects of managed bees on wild bees. However, most studies across all topical areas documented the potential for impact (e.g. reporting the occurrence of competition or pathogens, but did not measure direct effects on wild bee fitness, abundance, or diversity. Furthermore, we found that results varied depending on whether managed bees were in their native or non-native range; managed bees within their native range had lesser competitive effects, but potentially greater effects on wild bees via pathogen transmission. We conclude that while this field has expanded considerably in recent decades, additional research measuring direct, long-term, and population-level effects of managed bees is needed to understand

  16. Do managed bees have negative effects on wild bees?: A systematic review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallinger, Rachel E; Gaines-Day, Hannah R; Gratton, Claudio

    2017-01-01

    Managed bees are critical for crop pollination worldwide. As the demand for pollinator-dependent crops increases, so does the use of managed bees. Concern has arisen that managed bees may have unintended negative impacts on native wild bees, which are important pollinators in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. The goal of this study was to synthesize the literature documenting the effects of managed honey bees and bumble bees on wild bees in three areas: (1) competition for floral and nesting resources, (2) indirect effects via changes in plant communities, including the spread of exotic plants and decline of native plants, and (3) transmission of pathogens. The majority of reviewed studies reported negative effects of managed bees, but trends differed across topical areas. Of studies examining competition, results were highly variable with 53% reporting negative effects on wild bees, while 28% reported no effects and 19% reported mixed effects (varying with the bee species or variables examined). Equal numbers of studies examining plant communities reported positive (36%) and negative (36%) effects, with the remainder reporting no or mixed effects. Finally, the majority of studies on pathogen transmission (70%) reported potential negative effects of managed bees on wild bees. However, most studies across all topical areas documented the potential for impact (e.g. reporting the occurrence of competition or pathogens), but did not measure direct effects on wild bee fitness, abundance, or diversity. Furthermore, we found that results varied depending on whether managed bees were in their native or non-native range; managed bees within their native range had lesser competitive effects, but potentially greater effects on wild bees via pathogen transmission. We conclude that while this field has expanded considerably in recent decades, additional research measuring direct, long-term, and population-level effects of managed bees is needed to understand their

  17. Surgical management of bilateral vocal fold paralysis: A cost-effectiveness comparison of two treatments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naunheim, Matthew R; Song, Phillip C; Franco, Ramon A; Alkire, Blake C; Shrime, Mark G

    2017-03-01

    Endoscopic management of bilateral vocal fold paralysis (BVFP) includes cordotomy and arytenoidectomy, and has become a well-accepted alternative to tracheostomy. However, the costs and quality-of-life benefits of endoscopic management have not been examined with formal economic analysis. This study undertakes a cost-effectiveness analysis of tracheostomy versus endoscopic management of BVFP. Cost-effectiveness analysis. A literature review identified a range of costs and outcomes associated with surgical options for BVFP. Additional costs were derived from Medicare reimbursement data; all were adjusted to 2014 dollars. Cost-effectiveness analysis evaluated both therapeutic strategies in short-term and long-term scenarios. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was used to assess confidence levels regarding the economic evaluation. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio for endoscopic management versus tracheostomy is $31,600.06 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), indicating that endoscopic management is the cost-effective short-term strategy at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $50,000/QALY. The probability that endoscopic management is more cost-effective than tracheostomy at this WTP is 65.1%. Threshold analysis demonstrated that the model is sensitive to both utilities and cost in the short-term scenario. When costs of long-term care are included, tracheostomy is dominated by endoscopic management, indicating the cost-effectiveness of endoscopic management at any WTP. Endoscopic management of BVFP appears to be more cost-effective than tracheostomy. Though endoscopic cordotomy and arytenoidectomy require expertise and specialized equipment, this model demonstrates utility gains and long-term cost advantages to an endoscopic strategy. These findings are limited by the relative paucity of robust utility data and emphasize the need for further economic analysis in otolaryngology. NA Laryngoscope, 127:691-697, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological

  18. The Effects of Tax Avoidance, Accrual Earnings Management, Real Earnings Management, and Capital Intensity on the Cost of Equity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amrie Firmansyah

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to examine the effects of tax avoidance, accrual profit management, real profit management, and capital intensity on equity costs. The population of this study is a manufacturing company listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange which amounted to 146 companies. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling and resulted in 420 units of analysis. This type of research is quantitative causality by performing hypothesis testing analysis is done by using multiple linear regression model. The findings of this research are tax avoidance will add to the risks that must be borne by investors thus increasing uncertainty over their investment. Investors consider that accrual profit management actions are opportunistic as risk-taking actions as well as real profit management actions. While on Capital Intensity, investors assume the information on the company’s fixed assets is not useful in making investment decisions. The conclusions that can be taken are tax avoidance, accrual profit management, and earnings management real positive to the cost of equity. However, capital intensity has a negative effect.

  19. Reducing Wildlife Damage with Cost-Effective Management Programmes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheryl R Krull

    Full Text Available Limiting the impact of wildlife damage in a cost effective manner requires an understanding of how control inputs change the occurrence of damage through their effect on animal density. Despite this, there are few studies linking wildlife management (control, with changes in animal abundance and prevailing levels of wildlife damage. We use the impact and management of wild pigs as a case study to demonstrate this linkage. Ground disturbance by wild pigs has become a conservation issue of global concern because of its potential effects on successional changes in vegetation structure and composition, habitat for other species, and functional soil properties. In this study, we used a 3-year pig control programme (ground hunting undertaken in a temperate rainforest area of northern New Zealand to evaluate effects on pig abundance, and patterns and rates of ground disturbance and ground disturbance recovery and the cost effectiveness of differing control strategies. Control reduced pig densities by over a third of the estimated carrying capacity, but more than halved average prevailing ground disturbance. Rates of new ground disturbance accelerated with increasing pig density, while rates of ground disturbance recovery were not related to prevailing pig density. Stochastic simulation models based on the measured relationships between control, pig density and rate of ground disturbance and recovery indicated that control could reduce ground disturbance substantially. However, the rate at which prevailing ground disturbance was reduced diminished rapidly as more intense, and hence expensive, pig control regimes were simulated. The model produced in this study provides a framework that links conservation of indigenous ecological communities to control inputs through the reduction of wildlife damage and suggests that managers should consider carefully the marginal cost of higher investment in wildlife damage control, relative to its marginal conservation

  20. Using organic amendments to restore soil physical and chemical properties of a mine site in northeastern Oregon, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    D. S. Page-Dumroese; M. R. Ott; D. G. Strawn; J. M. Tirocke

    2018-01-01

    New cost-effective strategies are needed to reclaim soils disturbed from mining activity on National Forests. In addition, disposal of waste wood from local timber harvest operations or biosolids from waste water treatment plants can be expensive. Therefore, using organic byproducts for soil reclamation activities on National Forests may provide an opportunity to...

  1. Effect of weed management methods and nitrogen fertilizer rates on ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Inefficient weed management practices and the use of inappropriate nitrogen fertilizer rates are the major causes of low yield of wheat in Ethiopia. Therefore, field experiments were conducted at Bobicho and Faate in southern Ethiopia to determine the effect of weed management practices and N fertilizer rates on grain yield ...

  2. Sample Lesson Plans. Management for Effective Teaching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairfax County Public Schools, VA. Dept. of Instructional Services.

    This guide is part of the Management for Effective Teaching (MET) support kit, a pilot project developed by the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools to assist elementary school teachers in planning, managaing, and implementing the county's curriculum, Program of Studies (POS). In this guide, a sample lesson plan of a teaching-learning activity…

  3. Effects of different management regimes on mangrove ecosystem services in Java, Indonesia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oudenhoven, van A.P.E.; Siahainenia, A.J.; Sualia, I.; Tonneijck, F.H.; Ploeg, van der S.; Groot, de R.S.; Alkemade, J.R.M.; Leemans, R.

    2015-01-01

    Over half of the mangroves in Indonesia have been degraded or converted for aquaculture. We assessed the consequences of management decisions by studying the effects of different management regimes on mangrove ecosystem services in Java, Indonesia. A novel typology of management regimes

  4. On the development, environmental effects and human dimension of weed management strategies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Riemens, M.M.

    2009-01-01

    On the development, environmental effects and human dimension of weed management strategies. On farm weed management is influenced by many factors. These factors comprise the development and availability of weed management tools, the environmental impact of these tools and the attitude and

  5. The ‘Polycronic’ Effects of Management by Objectives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thygesen, Niels Thyge

    2012-01-01

    of the organization relative to its environment (polycontextuality) and in particular how these effects emerge due to different timebindings within organizations (organized temporality). As such the hypothesis is expanded in three ways: first of all, the hypothesis is expanded as polycontextuality is comprehended...... with other media of communication too, than the one of the computer communication. Third of all, the implications of identity problems of modern organizations are often associated with the impossibility of management or with a need for more complex ways of managing. The article is an attempt to specify...

  6. The Relationship Between Team Psychological Safety and Team Effectiveness in Management Teams: The Mediating Effect of Dialogue.

    OpenAIRE

    Bilstad, Julie Brat

    2016-01-01

    This study is a response to the research and request presented by Bang and Midelfart (2010), to further investigate the effect dialogue can have on management team s effectiveness. The purpose of the study was to investigate and explain the effect of team psychological safety on task performance and team member satisfaction, with dialogue as a mediator in this relationship. 215 Norwegian and Danish management teams in the private and public sector were studied. As expected, team psychological...

  7. Managing Conflict in School Teams: The Impact of Task and Goal Interdependence on Conflict Management and Team Effectiveness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somech, Anit

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: Although conflict has traditionally been considered destructive, recent studies have indicated that conflict management can contribute to effective teamwork. The present study explores conflict management as a team phenomenon in schools. The author examined how the contextual variables (task interdependence, goal interdependence) are…

  8. The Effect of Information Security Management on Organizational Processes Integration in Supply Chain

    OpenAIRE

    Mohsen Shafiei Nikabadi; Ahmad Jafarian; Azam Jalili Bolhasani

    2012-01-01

    : The major purpose of this article was that how information security management has effect on supply chain integration and the effect of implementing "information security management system" on enhancing supplies chain integration. In this respect, current research was seeking a combination overview to these tow approaches (Information Security Management and Organizational Processes Integration by Enterprise Resources Planning System) and after that determined factors of these two import...

  9. Network Security: Policies and Guidelines for Effective Network Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Gana KOLO

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Network security and management in Information and Communication Technology (ICT is the ability to maintain the integrity of a system or network, its data and its immediate environment. The various innovations and uses to which networks are being put are growing by the day and hence are becoming complex and invariably more difficult to manage by the day. Computers are found in every business such as banking, insurance, hospital, education, manufacturing, etc. The widespread use of these systems implies crime and insecurity on a global scale. In addition, the tremendous benefits brought about by Internet have also widened the scope of crime and insecurity at an alarming rate. Also, ICT has fast become a primary differentiator for institution/organization leaders as it offers effective and convenient means of interaction with each other across the globe. This upsurge in the population of organizations depending on ICT for business transaction has brought with it a growing number of security threats and attacks on poorly managed and secured networks primarily to steal personal data, particularly financial information and password.This paper therefore proposes some policies and guidelines that should be followed by network administrators in organizations to help them ensure effective network management and security of ICT facilities and data.

  10. Determining the Effectiveness of Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Conservation, and Management Practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    The science of aquatic ecosystem restoration and management is still in its infancy, largely because most projects are inadequately tracked and monitored for assessing their success. Historically, evaluating the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) has relied heavily...

  11. Effective and Innovative Practices for Stronger Facilities Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banick, Sarah

    2002-01-01

    Describes the five winners of the APPA's Effective & Innovative Practices Award. These facilities management programs and processes were recognized for enhancing service delivery, lowering costs, increasing productivity, improving customer service, generating revenue, or otherwise benefiting the educational institution. (EV)

  12. Collaborative assessment and management of suicidality method shows effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ann Colleen; Alberdi Olano, Francisco Javier Lorenzo; Rosenbaum, Bent

    2011-01-01

    Previous studies confirm the effect of collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS) in an experimental setup, but there is a need to test CAMS with regard to its effectiveness and feasibility in a real-life clinical context. The purpose of this study was to investigate CAMS in a ...

  13. QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL TREASURIES BUDGET ACCOUNTING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biljana Tešić

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The role of management information systems (MIS of local treasuries budget accounting is to provide qualitative information support to management in process of decision making and to provide effective managing of key processes of budget accounting, in accordance with requests of management on all levels of decision making. From the aspect of effectiveness and request for quality, in accordance with request of users and defined system goals, this research includes the analysis of characteristics and goals of identified key processes, critical success factors (CSF, key performance indicators (KPI, standards for realization of users requests, results of processes and indicators of goals realisation. The aim of this paper, based on the results of the analysis, is to develop models for evaluation of quality and effectiveness and to define key performance indicators of MIS of budget accounting, in order to perceive the level of achievement of the goals of the system, effectiveness of processes and level of fulfillment of requirements and needs of all users groups that are significant for budge t accounting of local treasuries.

  14. Deromancing leadership: what are the behaviours of highly effective middle managers?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Weide, J.G.; Wilderom, Celeste P.M.

    2004-01-01

    Title: Deromancing leadership: what are the behaviours of highly effective middle managers? Author: Joost Van der Weide, Celeste Wilderom Address: University of Twente, Department of Management and Organizational Behaviour, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands. ' University of Twente,

  15. The 'carry-over' effects of patient self-testing: positive effects on usual care management by an anticoagulation management service.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ryan, Fiona

    2010-11-01

    Patient self-testing (PST) of the international normalised ratio (INR) has a positive effect on anticoagulation control. This study investigated whether the benefits of PST (other than increased frequency of testing, e.g. patient education, empowerment, compliance etc.) could be \\'carried-over\\' into usual care management after a period of home-testing has ceased.

  16. Interactive effects of agricultural management and topography on soil carbon sequestration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ladoni, M.; Kravchenko, S.; Munoz, J.; Erickson, M.

    2012-12-01

    Proper agricultural management scenarios such as no-tillage, cover cropping, agroforestry, have demonstrated potential to increase the amount of carbon sequestered in soil and to mitigate atmospheric carbon levels. The knowledge about positive effects of cover cropping comes mostly from small uniform experimental plots, but whether these positive effects will exists in large scale fields with diverse topography and what would be the magnitude of these effects on a field scale remains to be seen. Our objective is to compare performance of different agricultural managements including those with cover crops in their influences on SOC across diverse topographical landscape in large agricultural fields. The three studied agricultural practices are Conventionally tilled and fertilized management without cover crops (T1), Low-input management with reduced chemical inputs (T3) and Organic (T4) management, the latter two have rye and red clover cover crops as part of their rotations. Within each field 1- 4 transects with three topographical positions of "depression", "slope" and "summit" were identified. The first soil sampling was done in spring 2010 and the second set of soil samples were collected from topographical positions during growing season of 2011. Samples were analyzed for total SOC and also particulate organic carbon (POC) content to show the changes in active pools of SOC. The results showed that topography has a significant influence in performance of cover crops. Agricultural managements with cover crops increased the POC in soil and the magnitude of this increase was different across space. Cover crops built the highest POC in depressions followed by summit and then slope. The conventional agricultural management increased POC in depression but decreased it on slopes. Low-input agricultural management when coupled with cover cropping has a potential to produce the highest increase in active pools of SOC across topographically diverse fields. The ratio of

  17. Effective Interpersonal Communication for Foreign Managers to Indonesian - CO Workers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Respati Wulandari

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Interpersonal communication tends to guide the way of management in companies worldwide. For multinational company, where expatriate is exist to blend with local partners or employee, the way they communicate to each other will determine the future of their company communication activities. The result of this research could be utilized by foreign managers and their Indonesian colleagues. Based on this research, which is supported by qualitative and literature methods, it can be found the effective method of communication to enhance job performance. The purpose of qualitative method that used by the author is to gain much information from employees and foreign managers in several companies. Besides interviewing them, author also joined in their interpersonal. The effective way of interpersonal communication to improve employee working performance is to form a sharing forum, informal meetings or communities of practice.

  18. Disease-management partnership functioning, synergy and effectiveness in delivering chronic-illness care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cramm, Jane Murray; Nieboer, Anna Petra

    2012-06-01

    This study explored associations among disease-management partnership functioning, synergy and effectiveness in the delivery of chronic-illness care. This study had a cross-sectional design. The study sample consists of 218 professionals (out of 393) participating in 22 disease-management partnerships in various regions of the Netherlands. We assessed the relationships among partnership functioning, synergy and effectiveness in the delivery of chronic-illness care. Partnership functioning was assessed through leadership, resources, administration and efficiency. Synergy was considered the proximal outcome of partnership functioning, which, in turn, influenced the effectiveness of disease-management partnerships [measured with the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey instrument]. Overall ACIC scores ranged from 3 to 10, indicating basic/intermediate to optimal/comprehensive delivery of chronic-illness care. The results of the regression analysis demonstrate that partnership effectiveness was positively associated with leadership (β = 0.25; P≤ 0.01), and resources (β = 0.31; P≤ 0.001). No significant relationship was found between administration, efficiency and partnership effectiveness. Partnership synergy acted as a mediator for partnership functioning and was statistically significantly associated with partnership effectiveness (β = 0.25; P≤ 0.001). Disease-management partnerships seemed better able to deliver higher levels of chronic-illness care when synergy is created between partners. Synergy was more likely to emerge with boundary-spanning leaders who understood and appreciated partners' different perspectives, could bridge their diverse cultures and were comfortable sharing ideas, resources and power. In addition, the acknowledgement of and ability to use members' resources are valuable in engaging partners' involvement and achieving synergy in disease-management partnerships.

  19. Effects of plantation residue management on the community ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effects of plantation residue management on the community structure of wattle regeneration invertebrate pests in South Africa. ... Members of the soil invertebrate pest complex included whitegrubs and cutworms that generally had a higher pest status than millipedes, nematodes, grasshoppers, ants, false wireworms, ...

  20. Employment Competence based Management to enhance Training Effectiveness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Le Goff, Solenn; Ristol, Santi; Estévez, José Antonio

    2006-01-01

    Please, cite this publication as: Le Goff, S., Ristol, S., & Estévez, J.A. (2006). Employing Competence based Management to enhance Training Effectiveness. Proceedings of International Workshop in Learning Networks for Lifelong Competence Development, TENCompetence Conference. March 30th-31st,