Recovery of Benthic Macrofauna from Chronic Pollution in the Sea Area off a Refinery Plant, Southwest Finland

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 766-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. J. Leppäkoski ◽  
L. S. Lindström

Quantitative field studies (density, wet weight biomass, Shannon diversity, species richness, evenness of distribution) on benthic sublittoral macrofauna were made in the vicinity of an oil refinery in southwest Finland before and after the installation of a new wastewater treatment plant that reduced the amount of oil and liquid effluents by ca. 90–95%. The number of species and species diversity increased during the 1st and 2nd yr after pollution abatement at the stations close to the former outflows. The amphipods Pontoporeia affinis, Corophium volutator, and C. lacustre, midge larvae of the Chironomus plumosus-group, the oligochaete Tubifex costatus, the polychaetes Harmothoe sarsi and Polydora redeki, and the bivalve Cardium sp. were the most successful recolonizers of the 23 taxa sampled. The strong lethal effect of oil-contaminated sediments upon Chironomus plumosus larvae decreased markedly in laboratory experiments (LT50 was estimated at 7 d in 1973 and at 28 d in 1974; in 1975, 80–90% of the larvae survived for 28 d). Details of postabatement succession are discussed. The results demonstrate not only the recovery from chronic oil pollution but also the degree of ecological damage caused by previous continuous discharge of oil. Key words: Baltic Sea, Chironomus plumosus, macrobenthos, oil pollution, pollution abatement, recolonization, sediment biotests

Author(s):  
A. T. Nielsen

Traditionally handled at state and local levels, pollution of waters is, in effect, now largely directed by the Federal government. However, the Federal administrators are seeking the joint involvement of State governments in controlling pollution through the device of State laws and river compacts — the latter; of course, applying to river basins involving several States or where States have a mutual boundary in a river. The chronology of the Federal legislation starts with the Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. It was limited in scope when it was fully implemented, and the government’s real role was still confined by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, the Public Health Service Act of 1912, and the Oil Pollution Control Act of 1924. The amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956 established a basic policy that water pollution problems are best solved at the local level. Grants were made to States and interstate agencies for water pollution control activities and grants for waste treatment plant construction. Purposes were limited and a complicated system of Federal controls resulted. The Act was further amended in 1961 to extend Federal pollution abatement authority to all interstate and navigable waters in construction grants and encouraged the research activity. Paper published with permission.


2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Jensen ◽  
Pernille D. Pedersen

Aims: To evaluate the real-life effect of photocatalytic surfaces on the air quality at two test-sites in Denmark. Background: Poor air quality is today one of the largest environmental issues, due to the adverse effects on human health associated with high levels of air pollution, including respiratory issues, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and lung cancer. NOx removal by TiO2 based photocatalysis is a tool to improve air quality locally in areas where people are exposed. Methods: Two test sites were constructed in Roskilde and Copenhage airport. In Roskilde, the existing asphalt at two parking lots was treated with TiO2 containing liquid and an in-situ ISO 22197-1 test setup was developed to enable in-situ evaluation of the activity of the asphalt. In CPH airport, photocatalytic concrete tiles were installed at the "kiss and fly" parking lot, and NOx levels were continuously monitored in 0.5 m by CLD at the active site and a comparable reference site before and after installation for a period of 2 years. Results: The Roskilde showed high stability of the photocatalytic coating with the activity being largely unchanged over a period of 2 years. The CPH airport study showed that the average NOx levels were decreased by 12 % comparing the before and after NOx concentrations at the active and reference site. Conclusion: The joined results of the two Danish demonstration projects illustrate a high stability of the photocatalytic coating as well as a high potential for improvements of the real-life air quality in polluted areas.


AMB Express ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Malakootian ◽  
Ali Toolabi ◽  
Saeed Hosseini

AbstractBiological aerated filters (BAFs) have high filtration efficiency due to their tolerance of hydraulic and organic shocks are suitable for the treatment of complex and sanitary wastewater. In this study, for the first time, natural media of date kernel from Bam city was used as the BAF reactor media, with a meshing sand filter separated by a standard metal grid from the natural filter section used at the end of the reactor. This can be considered an innovation in the media and filtration. Aeration in the related reactor with 160 cm height was performed bilaterally as up-flow and continuously by nozzles throughout the reactor media. In this work, the actual effluent of the hospital wastewater treatment plant was employed as the inflow wastewater to the reactor, and its organic and inorganic parameters were measured before and after the treatment by the BAF reactor. The backwashing process was also studied in three ways: bottom backwashing (TB), top backwashing (BB), and top and bottom backwashing (TBBS), to determine the amount of water consumed and to achieve the desired result. According to the results obtained in this study, the removal efficiencies of inorganic and microbial contaminants, amoxicillin and azithromycin were obtained as follows: BOD5: 98.48%, COD: 92.42%, $${\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }$$ NO 3 - : 99.4%, P: 93.3%, Coliforms: 97%, Color: 42.8%, Turbidity: 95%, Sulphate: 30%, TSS: 98.9%, Amoxicillin: 20% and azithromycin: 13%. In the backwashing process, the amount of water consumed in these three TB, BB, and TBBS methods were obtained 300, 164, and 118 L, respectively, So, TBBS method was selected as the optimal method. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is concluded that the BAF process with natural date kernel has a high efficiency in removing organic and inorganic contaminants from hospital wastewater, also the concentration of most of the effluent parameters was less or in accordance with EPA standard.


AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Eugene Turner

AbstractVarious air and water pollution issues in the US were confronted in the last 60 years using national policy legislation, notably the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. I examine changes in the concentrations of bacteria, oxygen, lead, and sulphate at the terminus of the Mississippi River before and after these pollution abatement efforts. Microbial concentrations increased or were stable from 1909 to 1980 but decreased about 3 orders of magnitude after the 1970s, while the average oxygen content increased. A large decline in lead concentration occurred after the 1960s, along with a less dramatic decline in sulphate concentrations. The pH of the river dropped to a low of 5.8 in 1965 as sulfur dioxide emissions peaked and averaged 8.2 in 2019 after emissions declined. Decades of efforts at a national scale created water quality improvements and are an example for addressing new and existing water quality challenges.


Author(s):  
S.V. Matsenko ◽  
◽  
V.M. Minko ◽  
A.A. Koshelev ◽  
V.Yu. Piven ◽  
...  

Violation of industrial safety rules during the operation of offshore facilities for the production, storage and transportation of the hydrocarbon raw materials leads in the most cases to pollution of the marine environment with oil and its components. The works on localization and elimination of such pollution are carried out with the help of vessels of the technical support fleet and booms. When developing oil spill response plans at such facilities, a calculated determination of the technical characteristics of vessels and booms is required that are sufficient to carry out the planned activities. The basic design principles for determining the towing capacity of the technical fleet vessels involved in the localization and elimination of oil and oil product spills by trawling methods are given in the article. The calculation is based on theoretical studies performed by the authors of the physical processes occurring during the movement of objects of a mobile trawling order in the sea area. The results obtained during the course of theoretical studies were confirmed by the experimental studies carried out by the authors personally using the real pieces of equipment in the actual development of tasks for training spill containment by trawling. As a result, the empirical dependencies were obtained and experimentally confirmed, which can be used to calculate technical characteristics of the ships as part of the mobile orders and anchor systems as part of stationary orders intended for the localization and elimination of oil pollution. These results can be used, among other things, for the calculated substantiation of the technical characteristics of the technical fleet vessels designed to ensure safety of the offshore facilities for production, storage, and transportation of the hydrocarbon raw materials.


2020 ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
Olga N. Ratnicava ◽  
Irina P. Lisitsyna ◽  
Inna V. Аgeichik

Based on studies of geomorphology, stratigraphy, hydrology, various maps of Polesie, zones of influence of amelioration canals, vegetation maps, modern satellite images, as well as field studies of peatlands of Pripyat Polesie, two independent drainage systems have been identified, with a network of amelioration canals that intensively discharge water into the rivers Stwiga and Ybort`. Maps of key points were built In GIS-format, on which five sites were laid in the field within the Mezhch and Neresnya peat deposits for further long-term monitoring of GWL parameters. The locations of the sensors installation are based on the relationship of bog phytocenoses with the average annual GWL values and the amplitude of their fluctuations. Analysis of the GWL parameters before and after environmental rehabilitation measures will allow assessing the effectiveness of planned measures in disturbed areas and obtaining new data on areas of peat deposits in their natural state.


Author(s):  
Åsa Enberg ◽  
Matti Pursula

The traffic-flow characteristics on an experimental, 20-km-long three-lane highway section in Finland were studied. The sections of highway that have a separate passing lane consist of three lanes. The central lane is assigned alternately to each direction as a passing lane with a length of 1.05 to 1.70 km. The lengths of the no-overtaking zones between successive passing lanes are 1.5 to 4.0 km. The traffic-flow characteristics on the three-lane highway have been observed by comprehensive before-and-after field studies and complementary simulations. Because it was possible to use passing lanes, the number of overtakings on the three-lane highway was remarkably higher than on the former two-lane highway. The overall average travel speeds were slightly higher, and the speed decreased a little more slowly with increasing flow on the three-lane compared with the two-lane highway. Overall platooning and mean platoon lengths decreased as a result of platoon dispersal on the passing lanes. The speeds used in the passing lanes were clearly higher than in the basic lanes. According to the simulation results, the optimum length for a single passing lane was between 0.5 and 2.5 km depending on flow rate and measure of effectiveness. For the actual three-lane highway conditions, passing lanes 1.0 to 1.5 km long seemed to bring the most benefits.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyan Fang

Abstract Microplastics (MPs) have been found in all environment matrices and have become an issue of concern worldwide. In this study, Baiyangdian Lake in Northern China was investigated for the presence of MPs (0.45 µm–5 mm) in sediment and at different water depths. MPs were found at 1,000–20,000 pieces/m3 (average 9,595) in water and at 400–2,200 pieces/kg (average 1,023) in sediment. Since the implementation of pollution abatement measures, visible MPs have been nearly eliminated; the MPs found in this study were mainly in the micrometer range, with no more than 3–5 pieces greater than 1 mm per sample. The main forms of MPs were fibrous and fragmented, and the main components were polyamide, polyethylene, and polypropylene. MPs found in water near a garbage transfer station showed the following abundance of MPs: surface water < middle water < bottom water. The sediment contained a higher amount of MP fragments, indicating that the historical transfer and disposal of garbage was a main source of plastic deposition in this area. There was a high content of fibrous MPs in surface water, while the abundance of fragmented MPs increased with the depth of water. The main sources of MPs in the study area were residential activities, local plastic factories, and the treated effluent from a sewage treatment plant.


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