Thermal Removal of Mercury in Spent Powdered Activated Carbon from TOXECON Process

This research developed and demonstrated a technology to liberate Hg adsorbed onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) by the TOXECON process using pilot-scale high temperature air slide (HTAS) and bench-scale thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The HTAS removed 65, 83, and 92% of Hg captured with PAC when ran at 900°F, 1,000°F, and 1,200°F, respectively, while the TGA removed 46 and 100% of Hg at 800°F and 900°F, respectively. However, addition of CuO–Fe2O3 mixture and CuCl catalysts enhanced Hg removal and PAC regeneration at lower temperatures. CuO–Fe2O3 mixture performed better than CuCl in PAC regeneration. Scanning electron microscopy images and energy dispersive X-ray analysis show no change in PAC particle aggregation or chemical composition. Thermally treated sorbents had higher surface area and pore volume than the untreated samples indicating regeneration. The optimum temperature for PAC regeneration in the HTAS was 1,000°F. At this temperature, the regenerated sorbent had sufficient adsorption capacity similar to its virgin counterpart at 33.9% loss on ignition. Consequently, the regenerated PAC may be recycled back into the system by blending it with virgin PAC.     

New Approach: Waste Materials as Sorbents for Arsenic Removal from Water

The sorption of inorganic arsenic species (arsenite and arsenate) from aqueous solutions onto steel-mill waste and waste filter sand, under neutral conditions, was investigated in this study. Additionally, the steel-mill waste material was modified in order to minimize its deteriorating impact on the initial water quality and to meet the drinking water standards. The influence of contact time and initial arsenic concentration was investigated using batch system techniques. To evaluate the application for real groundwater treatment, the capacities of the obtained waste materials were further compared to those exhibited by commercial sorbents, which were examined under the same experimental conditions. Kinetic studies revealed that waste slag materials are the most efficient in arsenic removal, reaching equilibrium arsenic sorption capacities in the range 47.6–55.2?μg/g, while waste filter sand exhibited capacities of 25.4–29.8?μg/g (for an initial arsenic concentration Co = 0.5?mg/L). The higher iron content in the slag materials was considered to be responsible for the better removal efficiencies, and the specific arsenic removal efficiency was estimated to be 220?μgAs/gFe. The specific arsenic removal efficiency of the second active substance found in waste filter sand, manganese, was estimated to be 115?μgAs/gMn. Equilibrium studies revealed the occurrence of both chemisorption and physical sorption processes. All the waste materials exhibited higher performances for As(V). The highest maximum sorption capacity was obtained by waste iron slag: 4040?μg/g for As(V). The waste materials reached the arsenic removal capacities of the examined commercial materials, suggesting the feasibility of their application in real groundwater treatment.     

Simultaneous Organic and Nutrient Removal in a Naturally Ventilated Biotower Treating Presettled Municipal Wastewater

The performance of a down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) system was continuously evaluated for 1 year for enhancement of organic matter and nutrient removal in the treatment of presettled municipal wastewater. A pilot-scale DHS (24 L) was installed at a wastewater-treatment site and operated at an ambient temperature of 25°C. This paper reports on the results of a long-term monitoring of the system. The DHS system was operated at three different hydraulic retention times (HRTs), i.e., 6, 4, and 2 h. The available results showed that increasing the HRT significantly improved the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractions. The removal efficiencies of COD were 89, 80, and 56% at HRTs of 6, 4, and 2 h, respectively. Also, ammonia (NH4–N) concentration significantly decreased by increasing the HRT. Ammonia removal percentages of 99, 90, and 72% were achieved when the DHS system was operated at HRTs of 6, 4, and 2 h, respectively, but decreasing HRT exerted a slightly negative effect on the removal of total phosphorous. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed no clogging of the sponge pores after 12 months of continuous operation. Accordingly, the results suggested that the proposed system may be a competitive solution for municipal wastewater treatment under variable conditions.     

Sorption of Cr (VI) onto Olive Stone in a Packed Bed Column: Prediction of Kinetic Parameters and Breakthrough Curves

This paper investigates the ability of olive stone to remove chromium (VI) ions from aqueous solution in a packed bed up-flow column with an internal diameter of 1.5 cm. The experiments were performed with a bed height of 15 g (13.4 cm) and a flow rate of 2 mL/min. To predict the breakthrough curves and to determine the characteristic parameters of the column useful for process design, four kinetic models; Adams-Bohart, Thomas, Yoon-Nelson, and Dose-Response models were applied to the experimental data. All models were found suitable for describing the whole or a definite part of the dynamic behavior of the column. The simulation of the whole breakthrough curve was effective with the Dose-Response model, but the initial part of the breakthrough was best predicted by the Adams-Bohart model. On the other hand, the results indicated that, at pH values of this work, approximately 50% of Cr (VI) is biosorbed by olive stone and the other 50% is reduced to Cr (III), both processes being of equal importance. Therefore, a two-stage biosorption process was developed. The goal of these final experiments was to confirm that Cr (III) [the Cr (VI) reduction product] was also effectively sorbed by olive stone in a second column.     

Analysing comparable greenhouse gas mitigation efforts for Annex I countries

EU Heads of State and Government agreed in March 2007 that the EU will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 within an international post-2012 climate agreement, provided that other developed (Annex I) countries commit to comparable reductions. Within this context, this paper first explores the pros and cons of many possible conceptual approaches to assess the comparability of the mitigation efforts by Annex I countries. We selected six approaches for further analysis, which represent efforts well and are technically feasible. The implications of each of these six approaches were analysed in terms of the reductions and abatement costs that must be made by different Annex I countries to meet an aggregate reduction of 20% and 30%, respectively, below 1990 levels by 2020. The analysis indicates that significant reductions are necessary for all developed countries. This study shows that reductions by the EU of at least 30%, combined with comparable reduction efforts by other developed countries to meet the aggregate Annex I reduction target of 30% by 2020 and support of developed countries for developing countries to keep their emissions 15–30% below the baseline, are sufficient to achieve the EU climate goal of 2 °C.     

Microwave plasma removal of sulphur hexafluoride

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF(6)) gas is a common pollutant emitted during the plasma etching of thin films and plasma cleaning chemical vapor deposition (CVD) production processes used in the semiconductor industry. In this paper a method using microwave (2.45GHz frequency) plasmas sustained at atmospheric pressure for the abatement of SF(6) is investigated experimentally for various gas mixture constituents and operating conditions, with respect to its ability to decompose SF(6) to less harmful molecules. The destruction and removal efficiencies (DRE) of plasma abatement of SF(6) at concentrations between 1.7 and 5% in nitrogen in the presence of water vapor were studied as a function of the total gas flow rate and microwave power. Water vapor proved to be an effective source of free radical species that reacts with the radicals and ions resulting from SF(6) fragmentation in the plasma and also, it proved to reduce the process by-products. It was measured that approximately 25% of the initial SF(6) is converted to SO(2). Destruction and removal efficiencies of SF(6) up to 99.9% have been achieved.     

Spatial and temporal characteristics of air pollutant emissions in Thessaloniki,Greece: investigation of emission abatement measures

The paper presents new detailed emissions inventory for the Greater Area of Thessalonilki, northern Greece, which incorporates a large amount of data on the polluting anthropogenic and biogenic activities in the region, including the location of all individual point, line and area sources along with their daily, weekly and monthly profiles and activity rates. The emission estimate followed both the bottom-up and the top-down approaches. Apart from the base year calculations, scenario estimates are provided for the base year, intended to show the maximum possible benefit of abatement measures and for the future, in order to estimate the evolution of air pollutant emissions in relation to structural changes and land planning. Air pollutant emissions were calculated for an area of 5,120 km2 at two different spatial resolutions (1x1 km2 and 2x2 km2) in order to support air quality simulations in the region. The resulting spatially allocated emission database, which also incorporates elevation and land use data, constitutes a clear improvement in comparison to existing emissions inventories of the area, and the procedure followed can be considered as a 'best practice' guide for developers of urban emissions inventories.     

Complicating Factors of Using Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid to Enhance Electrokinetic Remediation of Multiple Heavy Metals in Clayey Soils

Batch and electrokinetic experiments were conducted to investigate the removal of three different heavy metals, chromium(VI), nickel(II), and cadmium(II), from a clayey soil by using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a complexing agent. The batch experiments revealed that high removal of these heavy metals (62–100%) was possible by using either a 0.1?M or 0.2?M EDTA concentration over a wide range of pH conditions (2–10). However, the results of the electrokinetic experiments using EDTA at the cathode showed low heavy metal removal efficiency. Using EDTA at the cathode along with the pH control at the anode with NaOH increased the pH throughout the soil and achieved high (95%) Cr(VI) removal, but the removal of Ni(II) and Cd(II) was limited due to the precipitation of these metals near the cathode. Apparently, the low mobility of EDTA and its migration direction, which opposed electroosmotic flow, prevented EDTA complexation from occurring. Overall, this study found that many complicating factors affect EDTA-enhanced electrokinetic remediation, and further research is necessary to optimize this process to achieve high contaminant removal efficiency.     

环境介质对介质阻挡放电降解SF_6影响的实验

由于SF_6具有极高的温室效应潜在值且其在大气中的寿命长,SF_6的介质阻挡放电(DBD)降解技术一直是环保领域的热点和难点问题。当反应器放置在不同环境中时,由于反应器外电极与阻挡介质间的非完全接触以及不同环境介质的性质不同,介质阻挡放电的放电特性与反应器的温升会存在差异,从而影响SF_6的降解。该文测量油浸环境和空气环境中介质阻挡放电反应器的放电特性和温度变化,并通过比较两种环境中SF_6的降解率、能量效率和最终降解产物,对比去除SF_6气体的效果。实验结果显示,尽管油浸环境中反应器温度相对较低,但测得的放电功率明显高于空气环境中,有更多的能量用于降解SF_6,从而提高了SF_6的降解率,同时能量效率也有所提升,这表明油浸式的反应器可提升DBD降解SF_6的效果。