Ioannis K. Kalavrouziotis

Current status in wastewater treatment, reuse and research in some mediterranean countries

AbstractThe status of treated wastewater reuse as experienced in some Mediterranean Basin countries such as Greece, Israel, Italy and Cyprus is examined. General background information is given for each of these Mediterranean countries, including natural water resources, climatic conditions (temperature, rainfall), generated wastewater, crops cultivated and irrigated with effluent, and related aspects of reuse. The examined parameters include treatment strategies, wastewater reuse standards applied in each country, effluent reuse research in progress in the above target countries related to the treatment technologies, water quality, regulations, economics, public acceptance, risk assessment, benefits, keys for potential success and main constraints. Emphasis has been given to the benefits of treated wastewater reuse in integrated water resources management systems and its role for water cycle management, solving water scarcity issues mainly in arid and semi-arid regions of the Mediterranean basin. The exp...

Arsenic and antimony removal from drinking water by adsorption on granular ferric oxide

Arsenic and antimony occur in drinking water due to natural weathering or anthropogenic activities. There has been growing concern about their impact on health. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of a granular ferric oxide adsorbent medium to remove arsenic and antimony from drinking water via rapid small-scale column tests (RSSCTs). Three different water matrices - deionized, raw water treated with a reverse osmosis domestic device and raw water - were spiked with arsenic and/or antimony to a concentration of 100 μg L⁻¹. Both elements were successfully adsorbed onto the medium. The loadings until the guideline value was exceeded in the effluent were found to be 0.35-1.63 mg g⁻¹ for arsenic and 0.12-2.11 mg g⁻¹ for antimony, depending on the water matrix. Adsorption of one element was not substantially affected by the presence of the other. Aeration did not affect significantly the adsorption capacity. Granular ferric oxide could be employed for the simultaneous removal of arsenic and antimony from drinking water, whereas full-scale systems should be assessed via laboratory tests before their implementation.

Soil pollution under the effect of treated municipal wastewater

Soil heavy metal pollution due to wastewater reuse was assessed by means of the concentration factor (CF) and/or pollution load index (PLI).In this respect, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted, using a completely randomized block design, including five treatments of treated municipal wastewater (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), in four replications. Brassica oleracea var. Capitata was used as a test crop. The optimum CFs were expressed as a function of maximum dry matter of cabbage plant parts yield, and the values obtained per plant part were as follows: stems—Zn-CF 2.96, Co-CF 0.85, Ni-CF 0.92; whole plant—Cu-CF 3.90, Ni-CF 0.87, and Pb-CF 11.52; and leaves—Pb-CF 11.78. The PLI was calculated as the geometric mean of the CF of each metal, and was related to the maximum dry mater yield of cabbage stems and heads. The optimum values found were: stems PLI 1.99–2.55 and heads 2.25.

Distribution of elemental interactions in Brussels sprouts plants, under the Treated Municipal Wastewater

Abstract The distribution of the macro, micronutrients and heavy metal interactions in the various plant parts (roots, leaf, and sprout) of Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera (Brussels sprouts), was investigated in a greenhouse experiment of randomized block design, in Agrinion, Greece. The statistical design included two variables: (i) Treated Municipal Wastewater (TMWW), and (ii) fresh irrigation well water (control). The analytical data of plant and soil samples collected were processed statistically by means of regression analysis, ANOVA and t-test, using an SPSS package. The ultimate goal of the experiment was to establish a scientific basis for the safe re-use of TMWW in the irrigation of Brussels sprouts, and possibly of all vegetables, with least accumulation of heavy metals in the sprouts.

Heavy metal accumulation in Brussels sprouts after irrigation with treated municipal waste water

Abstract This study aims at investigating the effects of the treated municipal wastewater (TMWW) on the essential and heavy metal interactions, and on the accumulation of these metals in the sprouts (edible plant part) of Brassica oleracea var gemmifera (Brussels sprouts). The statistical design included two variables: (a) TMWW, and (b) fresh irrigation water (control), in six replications, with a total of 12 experimental plots of 2.5×1.8 m = 4.5 m2 size. The following were found: a large number of interactions were identified in the sprouts (182), but only 74 of them were statistically significant. Also among them, the following interactions, i.e., Mn×N, Mn×Fe, Fe×Mn, Fe×N, N×Zn occurred not only in the sprouts, but according to our previous work, in the heads of Brassica olevacea var. Italica (Brocolli) as well, suggesting a consistency of occurrence of these interactions. However, the comparative effect of TMWW, on the interactions studied, in very few cases was found to be statistically significant, in comparison to that of the control. The elements N, P, Zn, Co, Ni and Cd accumulated mainly in the sprouts, while K, Ca, Mn, and B were concentrated in the leaves, the differences in the accumulation between the respective effects of TMWW and control, being statistically non-significant.

Towards an understanding of the effect of road pollution on adjacent food crops: Zea mays as an example

This work is a preliminary study to test the hypothesis that major roads can have an adverse effect on the heavy metal composition of soil and food crops. Surface and subsurface soil samples were collected at increasing distances from the major road in the Araxos area and they were analysed for organic C, Al, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, P, Ca, Mg and Na by inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy. Levels of Ca, Al, Mg and Fe were significantly increased in the surface and subsurface soils in the vicinity of the roadside. This increase was due to dust released from lorries carrying building materials originating from limestone quarries existing in the area. The impact of traffic on adjacent soils was also evidenced by a sharp increase in Pb, Mn, Fe and Al concentrations in the leaves and roots of Zea mays L.

Contribution of elemental interactions in total essential nutrient and heavy metal content in cabbage under treated wastewater irrigation

Abstract A greenhouse experiment was conducted in Agrinion, Greece, using a randomized block design, testing five levels of treated municipal wastewater (TMWW), i.e., 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of irrigation water, in four replications. The vegetable Brassica oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) was used as a test plant. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effect of different TMWW levels on the contribution of elemental interactions in total macroelement, microelement, and heavy metal content of different cabbage plant parts (roots, leaves, stems, and heads), with emphasis on the edible parts (heads). From the 362 statistically significant interactions, 70.72% were synergistic, 16.85% antagonistic, 8.01% synergistic–antagonistic, and 4.42% antagonistic–synergistic. The highest mean contribution of elemental interactions regarding total macroelements in cabbage heads was observed for potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) with 1256.2, 1022.6, and 155.98 mg/100 g head dry matter (dm), respectively, whereas the lowest was found for heavy metals i.e., lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cobalt (Co) with 0.642, 0.143, 0.0112, and 0.0046 mg/100 g head dm, respectively. The toxic cadmium (Cd) did not contribute to heads in statistically significant levels.

Proposed Indices for Assessing Soil Pollution Under the Application of Sludge

The assessment of soil pollution with heavy metals has been studied, based on experimental soil and plant analytical heavy metal data obtained by a pot experiment conducted during 2010–2011 in a green house. A completely randomized block design was used, including the following sludge treatments (in tons per hectare): 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and (30+treated wastewater) in four replications. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) var. longifolia was used as a test plant. Three indices were proposed, i.e., (1) elemental pollution index, (2) heavy metal load, and (3) total concentration factor. They were found to be linearly and statistically significantly related to the pollution load index, which was used as a reference index, and curvilinearly related to lettuce dry matter yield. It was concluded that the above indices could be used for the assessment of soil pollution level.

The reuse of wastewater and sludge for cultivation of forestry trees in desert areas in Greece

Processed wastewaters and sludges can be used in the irrigation of forest and desert areas for the cultivation of different plant species. Their use in the reforestation of desert areas is particularly interesting because it not only addresses the important modern problems of water shortage and desertification, but also reduces the pollution of aquatic ecosystems that are used as the final recipients of supposedly processed sewage from treatment plants. The analysis of all the parameters (chemical, environmental, geological) that are related to the by-products of the operation of such plants in both small and large municipalities of Greece will allow the disposal of wastes in the aquatic ecosystems to be reduced, and minimise pollution of the coastal and tourist urban regions of the country.

Growth Dynamics of Trees Irrigated with Wastewater: GMDH Modeling, Assessment, and Control Issues

Abstract This paper considers the issues regarding the design and analysis of growth dynamics models for forest tree species irrigated with processed wastewater. The Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) is applied to estimate and analyze features of the growth dynamics models. Linear models of tree species growth dynamics are obtained for different irrigation cases with the GMDH algorithm COMBI. It is shown how to build a general model with varying chemical content of irrigation water, on the basis of a pair of models describing irrigation cases with non‐varying water content. General models are also employed to assess optimal irrigation conditions of tree growth. The paper is based on the experimental results for Pinus Brutia tree obtained in the Laboratory of Special Mechanical Engineering of Patras University.