A simple derivative spectrophotometric method for simultaneously detecting nitrate and nitrite in plasma treated water

A spectrophotometric technique is developed to simultaneously quantify nitrate and nitrite in plasma treated water.The measurement is based on examining the inflection points(wavelengths)in the derivative absorbance of the nitrate or nitrite solution.At the inflection points of the pure nitrate solution,the derivative absorbance is zero and independent of the nitrate’s concentration,and thus the nitrite’s concentration in a mixed nitrate and nitrite solution can be obtained by using the Beer’s law at these points.The nitrate’s concentration can also be achieved from the inflection points of nitrite in the same manner.The relation between the tested substance’s(nitrate or nitrite)concentration and the second-or the third-order absorbances is obtained at these inflection points.Test measurements for mixed aqueous solutions of nitrate and nitrite with or without hydrogen peroxide confirm the reliability of this technique.We applied this technique to quantify the nitrate and nitrite generated in air plasma treated aqueous solutions.The results indicate that both nitrate and nitrite concentrations increase with the plasma treatment time,and the nitrite species is found to be generated prior to the nitrate species in the air plasma treated aqueous solution.Moreover,the production rate of total nitrogen species is independent of the solutions’p H value.These results are relevant to diverse applications of plasma activated solutions in materials processing,biotechnology,medicine and other fields.

Magnetically treated water irrigation effect on turnip seed germination,seedling growth and enzymatic activities

Pre-sowing magnetic field seed treatment effects on biological characteristics of vegetables and crops have been studied well.However,studies reporting irrigation with magnetically treated water are scanty.Therefore,the effect of irrigation with magnetically treated water on turnip seed germination,seedling growth and enzymatic activities was evaluated.The tap water was treated at 211 mT for 30,45 and 60 min and used for irrigation of turnip seed and seedlings.Uniform and healthy turnip seed was sown under randomized complete block design(RCBD).The germination,emergence rate index,vigor index I and vigor index II increased up to 28.33%,11.54%,57.59%and 32.26%,respectively.The growth parameters such as seedling lengths,fresh&dry weights,chlorophyll content were also enhanced in response of irrigation with magnetically treated water.The seedlings irrigated with magnetically treated water showed 28.92%,11.36%and 14.76%higher protein content,alpha amylase and protease activities,respectively vs control.Results revealed that irrigation with magnetically treated water has potential to improve turnip germination,seedling growth and enzymatic activities and this study is also extendable to other vegetables and crops for the improvement of germination and growth.

Tests to evaluate the ecological impact of treated ballast water on three Chinese marine species

Ballast water has been a topic of concern for some time because of its potential to introduce invasive species to new habitats. To comply with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, members of the International Maritime Organization(IMO) must equip their ships with on-board treatment systems to eliminate organism release with ballast water. There are many challenges associated with the implementation of this IMO guideline, one of which is the selection of species for testing the ecological impacts of the treated ballast water. In the United States, ballast water toxicity test methods have been defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. However, the test methods had not been finalized in China until the toxicity test methods for ballast water were established in 2008. The Chinese methods have been based on species from three trophic levels: Skeletonema costatum, Neomysis awatschensis, and Ctenogobius gymnauchen. All three species live in broad estuarine and open sea areas of China; they are sensitive to reference toxicants and acclimatize easily to different conditions. In this paper, the biological characteristics, test processes and statistical analysis methods are presented for the three species. Results indicate that the methods for evaluating these three organisms can be included in the ecological toxicity tests for treated ballast water in China.

Geostatistical Studies of Space-Temporal Variation in Selected Quality Parameters in Klodzko Water Supply System （SW Part of Poland）

Selected results of research connected with the development of a （3D） geostatistical hydrogeocbemical model of the Klodzko city area, dedicated to the spatial and time variation in the quality parameters in the Klodzko water supply system （SW part of Poland） have been presented. The research covers the period 2007-2011. Spatial analyses of the variation in three quality parameters, i.e. Fe iron （g/m3） content, Mn manganese （g/m3） content and NI-I4＋ ammonium ion （g/m3） content, were carried out. Spatial and time variation in the parameters was analyzed on the basis of the data （2007-2011）. The input for the studies was the chemical determinations of the quality parameters of water samples taken in the Klodzko water supply system area （also treated water） in different periods of time. These data were subjected to spatial analyses using geostatistical methods. The parameters of the assumed theoretical models of directional semivariograms functions of the studied regionalized variables, were used in the ordinary （block） kriging estimation. Generally, the behaviour of the quality parameters in the Klodzko water supply system has been found to vary in space and time. Thanks to the multivariate spatial analyses some regularities in the variation in the water supply system in the Klodzko city area have been identified. In the considered time interval, the shapes of the directional Fe iron content semivariogram show a tendency to vary periodically. The courses of the directional semivariograms of Mn manganese content and NI-I4＋ ammonium ion content show some tendencies towards directional variation over the passing years. There are visible distinct increasing trends of variability for Mn content and stronger variation are observed for NH4＋ ion content. The kriging estimation results were used to determine the levels of elevated values 2＊ of the water quality parameters in the years 2007-2011 and to forecast these values for the years 2012-2014. The maximum values Z＊ of the quality parameters were stated for the years： 2007, 2008-2009 and 2012 （the decreasing trend in Fe iron content averages Z＊ variation towards the year 2012, the increasing trend in Mn content averages Z＊ variation towards the year 2012 and the increasing trend in NH4＋ ion content averages Z＊ variation towards the years 2008-2009 and then the decreasing trend towards the year 2012）.

The Repairing of Concrete Walls in Structure for Water Treatment in Thermo Power Plant

As a result of longer term exploitation, exposure to severe weather conditions or influence of chemical conditions, concrete walls of concrete structures get damaged internally as well as externally. This study includes a preliminary analysis of chemically treated water in existing concrete structures, and another after the application of the method and using materials for the structures in future. One of the priorities was to examine the existing concrete structures by using nondestructive and destructive methods. After that, based on the results of the analysis, adequate new materials are proposed for the repairs, most commonly new technology polymer carbonated materials, in order to achieve durability of structure elements in using technological processes. Behavior of the repairing structures was tested using the in situ methods, and especially pull-of test, to verify the adhesion force between the old concrete structures and new applied layer. After the repairing, the concrete structures will be monitored to record the behavior under the chemical treated water.

Impact of Short Term Irrigation with Different Water Types on Some Chemical and Physical Soil Properties

The concern of this study is determine the quality of soil when irrigation used treated water and wastewater in comparison with soil irrigated with tap water on some chemical and physical soil properties. The experiment components were three trials carried out under greenhouse conditions, 10 pots for each trial. The first trial irrigated with tap water, the second trial irrigated by treated water and the third trial irrigated with wastewater. The experiment conducted to study the impact of water types on some soil physical and chemical properties. The experiment included important analysis for water and soil before and after irrigation. The results showed that the values for electrical conductivity (EC) were 0.850, 308 and 324 μs/cm for the treated soil with tap water, treated water and wastewater, respectively. The variation of pH values seems to be approximately constant between the different of water used. The percent of organic matter (OM) in soils receiving treated water and wastewater 4.7% and 5.2% respectively were higher than values in soil treated with tap water 3%. The same trend was in organic carbon (OC) in soils receiving treated water and wastewater 58.5% and 89% respectively, while soil treated with tap water showed the lowest value 27.7%. Soil particle density (SPD) increased significantly in both water treatments were the values was 2 g/cm3 in tap water but increased value 2.8 g/cm3 and 3.3 g/cm3 in treated water and wastewater used respectively. The Bulk Density (BD) values range 1.1 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with tap water 1.5 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with treated water and 1.85 g/cm3 in soil irrigated with treated water. The results of soil analysis before and after planting showed that most of the values increased for the physical and chemical soil properties.

Factors influencing the aggregation behavior of residual associative polymer in produced oily fluids

The influence of emulsified oil, suspended solids, Fe3＋, Fe2＋, cationic water clarifier and sulfate-reducing （SR） bacteria on the aggregation behavior of residual hydrophobic modified polyacrylamide in treated oily wastewater from polymer flooding was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. The result of I1/I3 showed that the polarity of hydrophobic microdomains increased, whereas the size of the hydrophobic microdomains may be decreased, where the value of I1/I3 represents the ratio of the intensity of peak 11 （374.0 nm） to that of peak/3 （385.0 nm） of the vibration fine structure of pyrene monomer emission in residual polymer solution. The results of the ratio of I1 at 48 h to I1 at 0 h （I1,48h/I1,0h） indicated that oil and cationic water clarifier could inhibit the aggregation to some extent, while Fe2＋ and suspended solids were helpful for aggregation, and Fe3＋ and SR bacteria had no significant influence on the aggregation of polymer.

Potential Energy of Crops

This work consists of estimating the energy achieved from all land and water-based vegetations. This real potential is determined by identifying 10 biomass samples taken from vegetable resources which are favored by their aptitude of adaptation to the conditions of Iran. The net energy values of the 10 biomass samples change in the range of 13.65-18.00 MJ/kg using bomb calorimeter. By means of least squarere regression method all correlations were found. The results of 10 different biomass materials have been used to develop a linear equation correlation.