Chedly Tizaoui

Evaluation of several commercial synthetic polymers as flocculant aids for removal of highly concentrated C.I. Acid Black 210 dye.

The removal of C.I. Acid Black 210 dye from highly concentrated solutions was studied using a coagulation/flocculation process. Aluminium sulphate was used as a primary coagulant and five commercial polymers were used as flocculant aids. The five commercial polymers were ACCEPTA 2058 (poly-diallyl-dimethyl ammonium chloride), ACCEPTA 2047 (high molecular mass (MM) anionic polyacrylamide), ACCEPTA 2111 (high MM cationic polyacrylamide), ACCEPTA 2105 (Low-medium MM cationic polyacrylamide) and ACCEPTA 2037 (Composite of high MM cationic polyacrylamide-inorganic salt(s)). The five polymers behaved differently and they showed maximum colour removal increment in the order: ACCEPTA 2058 > ACCEPTA 2037 > ACCEPTA 2111 approximately = ACCEPTA 2047 > ACCEPTA 2105. Results also showed that the aluminium sulphate is important as primary coagulant and settling time has significant effect on the dye removal.

Soil aquifer treatment of artificial wastewater under saturated conditions

A 2000 mm long saturated laboratory soil column was used to simulate soil aquifer treatment under saturated conditions to assess the removal of chemical and biochemical oxygen demand (COD and BOD), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen and phosphate, using high strength artificial wastewater. The removal rates were determined under a combination of constant hydraulic loading rates (HLR) and variable COD concentrations as well as variable HLR under a constant COD. Within the range of COD concentrations considered (42 mg L⁻¹-135 mg L⁻¹) it was found that at fixed hydraulic loading rate, a decrease in the influent concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen and phosphate improved their removal efficiencies. At the high COD concentrations applied residence times influenced the redox conditions in the soil column. Long residence times were detrimental to the removal process for COD, BOD and DOC as anoxic processes and sulphate reduction played an important role as electron acceptors. It was found that total COD mass loading within the range of 911 mg d⁻¹-1780 mg d⁻¹ applied as low COD wastewater infiltrated coupled with short residence times would provide better effluent quality than the same mass applied as a COD with higher concentration at long residence times. The opposite was true for organic nitrogen where relatively high concentrations coupled with long residence time gave better removal efficiency.

PET bottle use patterns and antimony migration into bottled water and soft drinks: the case of British and Nigerian bottles

While antimony has been reported to migrate from PET bottles into contents, reports on bottled water and soft drinks usage and PET bottle reuse patterns are currently unavailable in the literature. Bottle use conditions and patterns are important determinants of antimony migration. In this work a survey assessing the pattern of bottle use and reuse in Britain and Nigeria was undertaken. The survey findings influenced the design of laboratory experiments that assessed the migration of antimony from PET bottles into water and soft drinks. Typical storage durations for bottled contents between purchase and opening for use were 7 days or less. However storage of up to one year was reported. Bottle reuse was high and similar for the two countries with reuse durations being higher in Nigeria. The antimony concentration in 32 PET bottle materials from Britain and Nigeria were similar and ranged between 177 and 310 mg kg(-1). For 47 freshly purchased British bottled contents antimony concentration ranged between 0.03 and 6.61 μg L(-1) with only one sample exceeding the EU acceptable limit. Concentrations of Cd, Ge, Zn, Al, Be, Ti, Co and Pb were also measured. At realistic temperatures of 40 and 60 °C antimony concentration in deionised water in bottles remained below the EU acceptable limit even after 48 h exposure. The limit was exceeded for most exposures at 80 °C. Concentration of antimony in some bottled contents exceeded the EU limit after 11 months of storage at room temperature. Bottle aging and increase in bottle volume were associated with decreased migration of antimony from bottles.

Removal of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen during simulated soil aquifer treatment

Soil aquifer treatment was simulated in 1 m laboratory soil columns containing silica sand under saturated and unsaturated soil conditions to examine the effect of travel length through the unsaturated zone on the removal of wastewater organic matter, the effect of soil type on dissolved organic carbon removal and also the type of microorganisms involved in the removal process. Dissolved organic carbon removal and nitrification did enhance when the wastewater travelled a longer length through the unsaturated zone. A similar consortium of microorganisms was found to exist in both saturated and unsaturated columns. Microbial concentrations however were lowest in the soil column containing silt and clay in addition to silica sand. The presence of silt and clay was detrimental to DOC removal efficiency under saturated soil conditions due to their negative effect on the hydraulic performance of the soil column and microbial growth.

Ozone-loaded solvents for use in water treatment

The solubility of ozone in various solvents has been measured with a view to contacting the ozone-loaded solvents with water polluted with organic chemicals and consequent oxidation of pollutants. The class of polydimethylsiloxane solvents has been found suitable for such a process. Fluorohydrocarbons were also investigated but were deemed inferior on the grounds of lower ozone solubility and/or high vapor pressure. Particular polydimethylsiloxane solvents can dissolve ozone ten-fold more than water and are resistant to oxidation: solubility in water is very low. The higher solubility of ozone in the solvent is expected to enhance oxidation kinetics. The physical properties can be varied easily and are suitable for a safe liquid-liquid contact operation. Within the environment, the solvents would ultimately degrade to harmless chemicals.

Extraction and Destruction of Organics in Wastewater Using Ozone-Loaded Solvent

ABSTRACT Originally developed as a heat exchange fluid, Volasil 245 (decamethylcyclopentasiloxane) has been found to dissolve 10 times more ozone than water does. This article proposes and investigates the extraction of wastewater contaminants to ozone-loaded Volasil 245 as a means of providing rapid treatment. In a series of bench-scale tests, the effectiveness of ozone-loaded Volasil 245 contact was compared with that of conventional gas contact. Tests were conducted with respect to a range of organic compounds: namely, phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2,3-dichlorophenol, 1,3-dichlorobenzene, o-nitrotoluene, and nitrobenzene. Contact with the ozone-loaded solvent was suggested to be the more rapid technique, reducing aqueous concentrations by at least 85% within 30 s. In the case of 2-chlorophenol, Volasil 245 contact was shown to require just ~0.5 min to achieve a residual aqueous fraction of 5%, as opposed to ~4.5 min of gas contact. However, water/solvent interfacial mass transfer resistance was suggested to limit the degree of aqueous decontamination ultimately achieved.

Removal of Highly Concentrated Industrial Grade Leather Dye: Study on Several Flocculation and Sand Filtration Parameters

Highly concentrated leather dye, i.e., Durapel Black NT removal, was studied using coagulation/flocculation-sand filtration. Eight polymers (6 from polyacrylamide family, polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (polyDADMAC) and epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine (EpiDMA)); were tested as flocculant aids. Based on the highest dye removal and lowest cost, polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (polyDADMAC) was found to give the best results. In this study, the difference of Durapel Black NT (DBNT) dye supplies cause the difference in initial absorbance, and a reassessment of several flocculation parameters were carried out again in order to find the optimum parameters. At one hour settling time, the maximum dye removals were about 30–70%. Sufficient times for rapid mixing and polymer injection were found to be important parameters during flocculation. Separation of the flocs was enhanced by the sand filtration. Coagulation/flocculation-sedimentation (4 hours) followed by sand filtration removed about 85% of the dye and a sand size of 0.3–0.6 mm was suitable.

Removal of Estrone (E1), 17β-Estradiol (E2) and 17α-Ethinylestradiol (EE2) During Soil Aquifer Treatment of a Model Wastewater

There is growing concern over the health and environmental effects posed by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the aquatic environment. The removal of three potent EDCs including estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α -ethinylestradiol (EE2) in a wastewater using soil columns was investigated. E2 was the most easily removed estrogen, while EE2 was the least removed. Removal efficiencies were improved as the thickness of the unsaturated zone increased whereas increased DOC improved the removal in the saturated columns. Enhanced removal efficiencies were also obtained at lower water flow rates and in the presence of silt and clay.

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation of diethyl phthalate

ABSTRACTDiethyl phthalate (DEP) is one of the phthalate esters having wide industrial applications, but its occurrence in the aquatic environment has been linked to disruption of the endocrine system. In this study, the removal of DEP with ozone alone (OA) and heterogeneous catalytic ozonation (HCO) with activated carbon (AC) was investigated. Results show that the addition of AC was effective to achieve almost 100% degradation of DEP in about 30 min using 2.86 g AC/L as compared to over 80 min without AC. It was also found that radical reactions were the main mechanism by which DEP was degraded and adsorption contributed significantly to the removal of DEP by OAC. Indeed, after 60 min, adsorption alone achieved about 75% removal, whilst OA achieved 92% removal. In contrast, as expected molecular ozone reactions were relatively insignificant. The contribution of adsorption and radical reactions to the overall removal of DEP were of similar rates at the beginning of the experiments but the latter declined ...

The design of an industrial waste-water treatment process using adsorbed ozone on silica gel

A new technique using ozone loaded on adsorbents for industrial waste-water treatment has been investigated. This is a three-step process: ozone adsorption on a fixed bed column; water treatment on the bed loaded with ozone; and finally drying/ regeneration of the wet bed. Silica gel of mean particle size of 1.5 mm has been tested for ozone loading capacities followed by water treatment, both at ambient temperature. The mechanisms of the mass transfer process during ozone loading and water treatment have been established. The drying of the adsorbent using vacuum and dry air is feasible, but it is a time-consuming operation. A design procedure is described for the whole system.