Methodological Aspects of Using Blast Furnace Slag for Wastewater Phosphorus Removal

Blast furnace (BF) slag is a by-product of steel plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate experimental methods to determine the phosphorus sorption capacity of BF slag. The handling of BF slag, before usage and clogging were also considered, as well as estimating the phosphorus retention capacity. Agitation and pilot-scale experiments were performed using both wastewater and phosphate solutions. This investigation showed that sorption capacities derived by wastewater experiments were considerably lower compared to those by phosphate solutions. Fresh BF slag briefly exposed to rainfall had a higher phosphorus sorption than weathered BF slag, indicating the importance of handling the slag carefully before usage. The risk for leakage of sulfuric compounds is considerable, especially during the initial operation phase of BF slag filters. Locations of BF slag filter beds for wastewater treatment must be carefully chosen from an environmental point of view.     

PHB,crystalline and amorphous magnesium alloys: Promising candidates for bioresorbable osteosynthesis implants?

In this study various biodegradable materials were tested for their suitability for use in osteosynthesis implants, in particular as elastically stable intramedullary nails for fracture treatment in paediatric orthopaedics. The materials investigated comprise polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), which belongs to the polyester family and is produced by microorganisms, with additions of ZrO₂ and a bone graft substitute; two crystalline magnesium alloys with significantly different degradation rates ZX50 (MgZnCa, fast) and WZ21 (MgYZnCa, slow); and MgZnCa bulk metallic glasses (BMG). Push-out tests were conducted after various implantation times in rat femur meta-diaphysis to evaluate the shear forces between the implant material and the bone. The most promising materials are WZ21 and BMG, which exhibit high shear forces and push-out energies. The degradation rate of ZX50 is too fast and thus the alloy does not maintain its mechanical stability long enough during the fracture-healing period. PHB exhibits insufficient mechanical properties: it degrades very slowly and the respective low shear forces and push-out energy levels are unsatisfactory.     

The impact of cold temperatures during grain maturation on selected quality parameters of wheat

The influence of sudden cold spells during grain filling of wheat on the quality traits of three South African hard red wheat cultivars (Gariep, Elands and Tugela‐DN) was studied, with the emphasis on Hagberg falling number (HFN). Four treatments were used (?1 °C at soft dough stage, ? 1 °C at late milk stage, ? 4 °C at soft dough stage and ? 4 °C at late milk stage) and were administered for one night only. From the results it was concluded that, although limited in duration, such frost conditions did have an effect on the quality of the wheat cultivars. Cultivars differed in their response to the various treatments but also as to what quality traits were affected the most. The ? 4 °C at late milk stage resulted in significantly reduced HFN being measured for both Elands and Tugela‐DN. A similar effect was observed for Gariep, but was not statistically significant. Although the response was limited to the main tillers only, the conclusion was made that it is probable that the reduced HFN would be visible in the pooled sample of head and side tillers. A screening protocol was suggested that would allow classification of cultivars for frost tolerance. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ion Exchange of Ammonium in Zeolites: A Literature Review

The objective of this review was to acquire knowledge concerning the ammonium ion exchange technique within the field of wastewater treatment. General concepts as well as details concerning the loading and the regeneration phases were included. Both chemical and biological regeneration processes were reviewed. Concerning ion exchangers, the study focused on different kinds of zeolites. The possibilities of employing the ion exchange technique for the recovery of nitrogen was also discussed. The study was carried out as a literature review. Conclusions from this study are that full-scale wastewater treatment plants that employ the ammonium ion exchange technique are scarce and few applications have been developed to recover ammonia nitrogen, for example, for agricultural purposes. Zeolites are somewhat heterogeneous because of natural variations of the minerals. Factors that influence the ammonium adsorption during the loading phase are well known. Biological regeneration has primarily been developed to decrease the brine consumption at regeneration or to improve the conventional nitrification-denitrification process. If the ion exchange technique is to be used to recover ammonium, both chemical and biological regeneration might be employed.     

Photoreactivity of poly(p-phenylphenylenevinylene)

Summary In films of poly(para-phenylphenylenevinylene) a photoreaction has been observed. The significant feature is a decrease of the fluorescence emission intensity during irradiation. It is assumed that a cycloaddition between C=C- double-bonds leads to crosslinks in the material.Under similar conditions of excitation a photoreaction has not been observed in poly(p-phenylenevinylene) prepared via the precursor-route.     

On cost‐effective technical measures to avoid environmental damages of regional energy systems

The production of heat and electricity can cause large environmental impacts and, hence, large costs for society. Those are costs that are seldom taken into consideration. An important question is how the future technical energy systems should be formed if environmental costs were considered as any other good or service, such as raw material, capital and labour. This study comprises cost‐effective technical measures when monetary values of external effects are included in an energy system analysis. It is an analysis of how the present energy system can for society be cost‐effectively reconstructed to be more sustainable. A regional energy system model has been developed to perform the study and it concentrates upon production of heat in single‐family houses, multi‐dwelling buildings, non‐residential premises and district heating systems. The analysis adopts a business economic perspective, using present prices of energy carriers, and a more socio‐economic perspective, in which external costs are included. The result of the analysis is the optimal mix of energy carriers as well as new and existing heating plants that minimizes the costs of satisfying a demand for heat. The results show that it is profitable to invest in new heating plants fuelled with woody biomass. Furthermore, the external costs arising with satisfying the demand for heat can decrease substantially, 60%, by carrying through with the investments that are cost‐effective according to the institutional rules valid today. When monetary values of external costs are taken into consideration, this number is additional 5‐percentage points lower. It is shown that if environmental costs are included it is more expensive to continue with business as usual than it is to reconstruct and run a more sustainable energy system. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Biological activities of C5a and C5adesArg from hog serum

The complement-derived peptides C5a and C5adesArg (highly purified from yeast-activated hog serum) were both active in the following biological assays: in aggregation of human leukocytes (potency ratio for C5a:C5adesArg 3:1), in aggregation of guinea pig platelets (10:1), in chemotaxis of peritoneal rabbit leukocytes (10:1), and in contraction of isolated guinea pig ileum (1.4:1). The fact that C5adesArg preparations have 30 and 40% of the activity of C5a in leukocyte aggregation and smooth muscle contraction but only 10% of C5a chemotactic activity, clearly indicates that aggregation and spasmogenic activity are inherent properties of C5adesArg. Evidence that C5adesArg owns all activities studied is further given by the following findings: chromatographic separation of mixtures of C5a and C5adesArg results in the appearance of two peaks of spasmogenic activity; treatment of C5adesArg with carbopeptidase B does neither lead to release of detectable arginine nor abrogate any of the biological effects; treatment of C5a with carboxypeptidase B reduces the activities quantitatively to those of C5adesArg, and liberates the theoretically expected amount of arginine.     

Post-Traumatic Caspase-3 Expression in the Adjacent Areas of Growth Plate Injury Site: A Morphological Study

The epiphyseal plate is a hyaline cartilage plate that sits between the diaphysis and the epiphysis. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an injury in the growth plate chondrocytes through the study of histological morphology, immunohistochemistry, histomorphometry and Western Blot analyses of the caspase-3 and cleaved PARP-1, and levels of the inflammatory cytokines, Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α), in order to acquire more information about post-injury reactions of physeal cell turnover. In our results, morphological analysis showed that in experimental bones, neo-formed bone trabeculae—resulting from bone formation repair—invaded the growth plate and reached the metaphyseal bone tissue (bone bridge), and this could result in some growth arrest. We demonstrated, by ELISA, increased expression levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Immunohistochemistry, histomorphometry and Western Blot analyses of the caspase-3 and cleaved PARP-1 showed that the physeal apoptosis rate of the experimental bones was significantly higher than that of the control ones. In conclusion, we could assume that the inflammation process causes stress to chondrocytes that will die as a biological defense mechanism, and will also increase the survival of new chondrocytes for maintaining cell homeostasis. Nevertheless, the exact stimulus leading to the increased apoptosis rate, observed after injury, needs additional research to understand the possible contribution of chondrocyte apoptosis to growth disturbance.     

The effect of induced anoxia and reoxygenation on benthic fluxes of organic carbon, phosphate, iron, and manganese

Eutrophication causes seasonally anoxic bottom waters in coastal environments, but we lack information on effects of onset of anoxia and subsequent reoxygenation on benthic fluxes of redox-sensitive minerals and associated organic carbon (OC). As the first study, we determined the effect of inducing anoxia and subsequently restoring oxic conditions in mesocosms with surface sediment and water from a coastal environment. These concentration changes were compared with those in an oxygenated control. We determined water column concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), iron, manganese, and phosphate.Benthic fluxes of DOC, POC, and iron increased at the onset of anoxia in oxygen-depleted treatments. DOC and iron concentrations increased concomitantly towards maxima, which may have indicated reductive dissolution of FeOOH and release of associated OC. The subsequent concomitant concentration decreases may have been the result of coprecipitation of OC with iron-containing minerals. In contrast, the phosphate-concentration increase occurred several days after the onset of anoxia and the manganese concentration was not affected by the onset of anoxia. Restoring oxic conditions resulted in a decrease in DOC, POC, and phosphate concentrations, which may indicate coprecipitation of OC with phosphate-containing minerals. The high DOC fluxes at the onset of anoxia indicate that redox oscillations may be important in OC degradation. Further, our results indicate a close coupling between OC cycling and dissolution/precipitation of iron-containing minerals in intermittently anoxic sediments.     

Costs of reducing water use of concentrating solar power to sustainable levels: Scenarios for North Africa

Concentrating solar power (CSP) has the potential to become a leading sustainable energy technology for the European electricity system. In order to reach a substantial share in the energy mix, European investment in CSP appears most profitable in North Africa, where solar potential is significantly higher than in southern Europe. As well as sufficient solar irradiance, however, the majority of today's CSP plants also require a considerable amount of water, primarily for cooling purposes. In this paper we examine water usage associated with CSP in North Africa, and the cost penalties associated with technologies that could reduce those needs. We inspect four representative sites to compare the ecological and economical drawbacks from conventional and alternative cooling systems, depending on the local environment, and including an outlook with climate change to the mid-century. Scaling our results up to a regional level indicates that the use of wet cooling technologies would likely be unsustainable. Dry cooling systems, as well as sourcing of alternative water supplies, would allow for sustainable operation. Their cost penalty would be minor compared to the variance in CSP costs due to different average solar irradiance values.