Dione Mari Morita

Biodegradation of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in a typical tropical soil

The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibility of biodegradation of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), widely used as an industrial plasticizer and considered an endocrine-disrupting chemical included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority list, in a Brazilian tropical soil, which has not been previously reported in the literature, despite the geographic importance of tropical soils. Preliminary laboratory testing comprised respirometric, air and water permeability, and pilot scale infiltration tests. Standard respirometric tests were found inadequate for studying biodegradation in tropical contaminated soils, due to the effect of the addition of significant amounts of calcium carbonate, necessary to adjust soil pH. Pilot scale infiltration tests performed for 5 months indicated that DEHP was retained in the superficial layer of the soil, barely migrating downwards, whereas air and water permeability tests discarded in situ bioremediation. However, ex situ bioremediation was possible, using a slurry-phase reactor with acclimated microorganisms, in pilot scale tests conducted to remediate a total mass of 150 kg of contaminated soil with 100 mg DEHP/kg. The removal of DEHP in the slurry-phase reactor achieved the percentage of 99% in 49 days, with biodegradation following a first-order kinetic model with a biodegradation coefficient of 0.127 day(-1).

Ex-situ bioremediation of Brazilian soil contaminated with plasticizers process wastes

The aim of this research was to evaluate the bioremediation of a soil contaminated with wastes from a plasticizers industry, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A 100-kg soil sample containing alcohols, adipates and phthalates was treated in an aerobic slurry-phase reactor using indigenous and acclimated microorganisms from the sludge of a wastewater treatment plant of the plasticizers industry (11gVSS kg-1 dry soil), during 120 days. The soil pH and temperature were not corrected during bioremediation; soil humidity was corrected weekly to maintain 40%. The biodegradation of the pollutants followed first-order kinetics; the removal efficiencies were above 61% and, among the analyzed plasticizers, adipate was removed to below the detection limit. Biological molecular analysis during bioremediation revealed a significant change in the dominant populations initially present in the reactor.

Biological nitrogen removal over nitritation/denitritation using phenol as carbon source

A laboratory scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactor was operated in order to obtain total removal of influent ammonia (200; 300 and 500 mg NH3-N.L-1) with sustained nitrite accumulation at the end of the aerobic stages with phenol (1,000 mg C6H5OH.L-1) as the carbon source for denitrifying microorganisms during the anoxic stages. Ammonia removal above 95% and ratios of (NO2--N / (NO2--N + NO3--N)) ranging from 89 to 99% were obtained by controlling the dissolved oxygen concentration (1.0 mg O2.L-1) and the pH value of 8.3 during the aerobic stages. Phenol proved to be an adequate source of carbon for nitrogen removal via nitrite with continuous feeding throughout part of the anoxic stage. Nitrite concentrations greater than 70.0 mg NO2--N.L-1 inhibited the biological denitritation process.

Toxicity-directed approach of polyester manufacturing industry wastewater provides useful information for conducting treatability studies.

A broader characterization of industrial wastewaters, especially in respect to hazardous compounds and their potential toxicity, is often necessary in order to determine the best practical treatment (or pretreatment) technology available to reduce the discharge of harmful pollutants to the environment or publicly owned treatment works. Using a toxicity-directed approach, this paper sets the base for a rational treatability study of polyester resin manufacturing. Relevant physical and chemical characteristics were determined. Respirometry was used for toxicity reduction evaluation after physical and chemical effluent fractionation. Of all the procedures investigated, only air stripping was significantly effective in reducing wastewater toxicity. Air stripping in pH 7 reduced toxicity in 18.2%, while in pH 11 a toxicity reduction of 62.5% was observed. Results indicated that toxicants responsible for the most significant fraction of the effluents instantaneous toxic effect to unadapted activated sludge were organic compounds poorly or not volatilized in acid conditions. These results led to useful directions for conducting treatability studies which will be grounded on actual effluent properties rather than empirical or based on the rare specific data on this kind of industrial wastewater.

Aplicação de processos físico-químicos como alternativa de pré e pós-tratamento de lixiviados de aterros sanitários

The aim of this article was evaluate the implementation of the ammonia stripping as a pretreatment for landfill leachate and the use of the coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation process for the removal of refractory organic compounds present in a landfill leachate pretreated in an activated sludge system. The rates of ammonia nitrogen removal ranged between 3.5 and 3.6 mg NH3-N.L-1.h-1in a lab scale reactor (working volume of 20 L) equipped with a mechanical stirrer and 3.2 and 3.3 mg NH3-N.L-1.h-1in a lab scale aerated column (working volume of 10 L). It was possible to achieve removals above 90% of refractory organic compounds (measured as apparent color) applied coagulant dosage about 400 mg Fe+3.L-1 and 400 mg Al+3.L-1.

Quantificação da produção de lodo de estações de tratamento de água de ciclo completo: uma análise crítica.

Most of the water treatment plant (WTP) residuals generated in Brazil are still discharged into water bodies, or disposed in landfills. However, especially in large urban areas, ever-stringent environmental legislation and rising logistical costs have put focus into beneficial uses for those residuals. To evaluate the possible beneficial uses, beyond the knowledge of qualitative characteristics of the residuals, operators and designers should be able to predict, with some degree of certainty, its mass and volume. The objectives of this work are: to compare the performance of two of the main quantitative estimation methods for residuals production - the empirical formulas and the mass balance; to investigate the widespread practice of estimating the concentration of total suspended solids using turbidity as a surrogate; and to identify the conditions under which such procedure is acceptable.

Biodegradação de alcoóis, ftalatos e adipatos em um solo tropical contaminado

The adipic and phthalic acid esters are plasticizers, have low water solubility, high partition octanol/water coefficients (Kow) and accumulate in soil and sediments. These compounds are considered teratogenic, carcinogenic and endocrine disruptors chemicals. This study evaluated the bioremediation of tropical soil contaminated with plasticizers process wastes, in aerobic conditions, with and without introduction of acclimated bacteria. It was selected 200 kg of contaminated tropical soil for the biodegradation study. The plasticizers concentrations in soil ranged between 153 mgDOA/kg up to 15552 mgDIDP/kg and after 90 days of biodegradation, the lower removal efficiencies were 72% with a 1-2 log simultaneous bacterial growth.

Tratabilidade de solos tropicais contaminados por resíduos da indústria de revestimentos cerâmicos

The aim of this research was to evaluate different leaching processes to the removal of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from tropical soil contaminated by inappropriate past deposition of wastes from ceramic tile industries of Santa Gertrudes (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Three soil washing processes were investigated: with concentrated sulphuric acid, with a 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide and with 0.1M solution of hydrochloric acid. The results indicated that the treatment with hydrogen peroxide did not remove Pb and Zn significantly; the washing with concentrated sulphuric acid caused a 50% reduction of Zn contents and the 0.1M solution of hydrochloric acid reduced Pb and Zn contents in 15% and 10%, respectively. The Zn content remaining in the soil processed with concentrated sulphuric acid was 117 mg/kg and the Pb and Zn contents remaining in the soil processed with 0.1M solution of hydrochloric acid were 806 mgPb/kg and 213 mgZn/kg, respectively, values which are lower than intervention ones established by Sao Paulo State environmental protection agency.

Biomass growth and its mobility in an AnSBBR treating landfill leachate

This work used a pilot scale (with a total volume of 1300 L) Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (AnSBBR) to treat landfill leachate from São Carlos-SP (Brazil) as well as to evaluate the biomass growth and its behavior. Biomass from the bottom of a landfill leachate stabilization pond was immobilized in polyurethane foam cubes as inoculum. The leachate characteristics varied during the experiment. Ethanol or volatile fatty acids were added as additional substrate when the leachate was temporarily recalcitrant. After acclimation, the AnSBBR presented efficiency over 70% (COD removal). A mass balance model, biomass sampling and temporal concentration profiles were performed to obtain a biomass yield coefficient of YX/S = 0.0251 ± 0.0006 gTVS gCOD removed (r2 = 0.999). Additionally, it was observed that a variable fraction of the attached biomass may detach itself or present mobility during the batch time, however returning to fixed bed depending on the substrate type and concentration. This behavior has never been reported by the literature for attached biomass.

Biorremediação de solo contaminado por isobutanol, Bis-2-etil-hexilftalato e Di-isodecilftalato

Although phthalates are among the most common pollutants found in the environment, there are little data about bioremediation of tropical soils contaminated with phthalates. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the bioremediation of an industrially used soil contaminated with Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP) and isobutanol, in Sao Paulo State. The bioremediation was based on indigenous soil microorganisms and inoculum adapted in a slurry phase reactor. The reactor was monitored for 120 days and the moisture content adjusted. The results showed that biodegradation of phthalates followed first-order kinetics, and bioremediation occurred in a pH range of 7.4 to 8.4, at temperatures from 17 to 25 oC and the phthalate removal efficiency was above 70 %. The final DEHP concentration was below 4.0 mg kg-1 dry soil, which is the threshold established by Brazilian law, for soil in residential areas.