ABSTRACT
Background: Slaughterhouse wastewater [SWW] is hardly treated due to the large amount of organic matter, nutrients and suspended solids. These materials are naturally decomposed through biological processes, and then environmental pollution, transmission of pathogens and problems become smelled. Conventional purification methods require high investment costs, high energy consumption and expert workforce. Therefore, the efficient and sufficient treatment of SWW with low cost, efficient construction and operation is important
Methods: A combined anaerobic system consisting of three pilot-scale anaerobic baffled reactors [ABRs] in the first stage and three anaerobic filters [AFs] were used to treat SWW. The ABR reactors arranged at three hydraulic retention times [HRTs] of 12, 18 and 24 hours and organic loading rates [OLRs] of 4, 7 and 10 kg/m3/d. The OLR applied for ABR reactors, was 0.5 to 1.55 kg COD/m3/d
Results: Evaluation of the ABR reactor indicated that this reactor at OLR of 7 and 10 kg COD/m3/d and HRT of 18 hours, had removal efficiency of 83.29% and 85.79%, respectively. AF reactor, at OLR of 0.981, 0.576 and 0.561 kg COD/m3/d and HRT of 36 hours, had removal efficiency of 79.39%, 74.09% and 63.14%, respectively
Conclusion: The optimum HRT and OLR were 24 hours and 7 kg COD/m3/d and 36 hours and 1 kg COD/m3/d in ABR and AF reactor, respectively
ABSTRACT
Background: Today, bottled water is used in many countries of the world due to its relatively low cost, better taste, ease of access and low levels of impurities. In unfavorable conditions, the maintenance of microorganisms due to hydrophobicity and adherence to bottles and as a result of increased lipolytic activity can lead to undesirable changes in color, taste and odor, and in cases of more severe load, microbial contamination may cause unhealthy water and flooding. In this study, the presence or absence of coliform in a number of bottled water brands was examined
Methods: The microbial quality of 10 markers of bottled water present in the market of Sari that was randomly selected from each mark and three samples was examined. The samples were analyzed using the coliform - presence/absence [P-A] test. The results were compared with national standards and the World Health Organization [WHO] guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and EXCEL
Results: Samples showed no microbial contamination Also, coliform and fecal coliforms were not observed in any of the samples. Finally, it was revealed that all cases were in accordance with national standards and WHO guidelines
Conclusion: Increasing the health indexes of places, food supply and distribution centers, and maintaining health conditions and measures that have been considered especially in the recent years on the health of bottled water, have greatly reduced the problems
ABSTRACT
Background: recently, the rapid increase in quantity and type of waste has resulted to environmental pollution and health hazards which serve as a major challenge to humans. The level of this waste can be so high that dangerous chemicals and biological contaminants can be found in ordinary household waste. Major sources of waste in every city are mostly from care/health centers. Hence, this study aims to investigate the quantitative and qualitative waste taken from hospitals in the city
Methods: in this cross-sectional study, four city hospitals were examined in the city. For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed for quantitative analysis method and weighing scales based on the Ministry of Health questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and for statistical analyses, Excel and Graph Pad Prism 5 were used
Results: according to findings, the total amount of hospital waste comprising infectious waste, sharp andpharmaceutical chemicals were related to Imam Khomeini hospital with values of 44 220 012 and 10 kg per day respectively, with 220 kg per day of general waste related to same hospital. Hence, the total weight of waste produced per capita, for infectious waste, general waste, chemical waste, and sharp - machinery were 2.35 +/- 0.25, 0.39 +/- 0.075, 1.25 +/- 0.66, 0.05 +/- 0.028 and 0.021 +/- 0.015 kg per day per bed respectively
Conclusion: the data should be more focused on waste management and frequent orientation to hospitalized patients. This evaluation indicates the poor management of hospital wastes in view of collection, separation, infectious waste care, temporary storage station and on-time transmission and health disposal
ABSTRACT
Background: although experiments on water quality are time consuming and expensive, models are often employed as supplement to simulate water quality. Artificial neural network [ANN] is an efficient tool in hydrologic studies, yet it cannot predetermine its results in the forms of maps and geo-referenced data
Methods: in this study, ANN was applied to simulate groundwater quality and geographic information system [GIS] was used as pre-processing and post-processing tool in simulating water quality in the Mazandaran Plain [Caspian southern coasts, Iran]. Groundwater quality was simulated using multi-layer perceptron [MLP] network. The determination of groundwater quality index [GWQI] and the estimation of effective factors in groundwater quality were also undertaken. After modeling in ANN, the model validation was carried out. Also, the study area was divided with the pixels 1×1 km [raster format] in GIS medium. Then, the model input layers were combined and a raster layer which comprised the model inputs values and geographic coordinate was generated. Using geographic coordinate, the values of pixels [model inputs] were inputted into ANN [Neuro Solutions software]. Groundwater quality was simulated using the validated optimum network in the sites without water quality experiments. In the next step, the results of ANN simulation were entered into GIS medium and groundwater quality map was generated based on the simulated results of ANN
Results: the results revealed that the integration of capabilities of ANN and GIS has high accuracy and efficiency in the simulation of groundwater quality
Conclusion: this method can be employed in an extensive area to simulate hydrologic parameters
ABSTRACT
Background: Dental wastes are one of the environmental issues due to toxic and pathogenic agents such as pathological wastes, pharmaceutical and chemical etc have particular sensitivity. The aim of this study was to determine the dental waste management and related factors in the city of Ilam
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the studied community was all the sixteen dental clinics in Ilam. Five samples of each clinic per week [Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday] were selected. Thereafter waste sample was manually separated into 36 components and were weighed using a laboratory scale with an accuracy of 0.01 g. Each component was weighed five times and the mean value obtained for each component was considered. Production per capita was calculated for each person. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, SPSS and Excel software
Results: The per capita percent for infectious waste section was 51%. The average of infectious waste is 201.13 g. The per capita percent for chemical, pharmaceutical waste section was 36% with an average of 142.48 g. The per capita percent for toxicity section was 13% in the dental clinics with the weighted average of 48.78 g. According to the results of the checklist, further dental clinics have been poorly managed
Conclusion: According to the presence of various materials and different components with different characteristics in the dental wastes, the optimal management of this type of wastes should be carried out based on the specific characteristics, which include programs to reduce waste production, segregation, recycle and reuse
ABSTRACT
Background: Scaling and corrosion are the two most important indexes in water quality evaluation. Pollutants are released in water due to corrosion of pipelines. The aim of this study is to assess the scale formation and corrosion of drinking water supplies in Ilam city [Iran]
Methods: This research is a descriptive and cross-sectional study which is based on the 20 drinking water sources in Ilam city. Experiments were carried out in accordance with the Water and Wastewater Co. standard methods for water and wastewater experiment. The data were analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism 5. The results were compared with national and international standards
Results: The mean and standard deviation [SD] values of Ryznar, Langelier, Aggressive, Puckorius and Larson-Skold indices in year 2009 were equal to 7.833 [ +/- 0.28], -0.102 [ +/- 0.35], 11.88 [ +/- 0.34], 7.481 [ +/- 0.22] and 0.801 [ +/- 0.44], respectively, and were 7.861 [ +/- 0.28], -0.175 [ +/- 0.34], 11.84 [ +/- 0.37], 7.298[ +/- 0.32] and 0.633 [ +/- 0.47], for year 2013 respectively. The average of Langelier, Ryznar, Aggression, and Puckorius indices indicate that potable water resources in Ilam city have the tendency to be corrosive. Statistical analysis and figures carried out by GraphPad Prism version 5.04
Conclusion: The results of different indices for water resources of Ilam city revealed that water supplies of Ilam city were corrosive. Water quality control and replacement of distribution pipes in development of water network should be carried out. Moreover, water pipelines should be preserved with several modes of corrosion inhibition
ABSTRACT
Background: In recent times, the decreasing groundwater reserves due to over-consumption of water resources and the unprecedented reduction of precipitation, during the past 1 decades, have resulted in a change in the volume and quality of water with time. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal variations of hardness and total dissolved solids in drinking water resources of Ilam city, using the GIS system
Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 20 sources of drinking water in Ilam and the results of 5 years archived by the Water and Sewage Co were analyzed using geographic information system [GIS] software version 9.3, SPSS version 16 and one-way analysis of variance [ANOVA]. The sampling and measurement were also performed in this study based on the Standard Method book
Results: The ordinary kriging method and spherical model are the best interpolation methods for hardness and total dissolved solid, due to the normal distribution of data. The highest values of parameters in most cases are related to the western parts based on maps. The one-way ANOVA test showed that the average amount of total hardness [P = 0.68] and total dissolved solids [P = 0.6] in different seasons of the year are the same
Conclusion: Overuse of groundwater due to illegal digging and permanent easy access to water, increased the salinity of water in the central sections of the studied area. Proper planning that allows the withdrawal of water from authorized underground aquifers or water supply from surface water or dams should be done to overcome this problem
ABSTRACT
Background: Reverse Osmosis [RO] is an increasingly common method of desalination. A full scale water desalination system by membrane technology [RO] evaluated in a southern city [Jask] in Iran
Methods: First, data collection on water supply and network were performed. Analysis on most of the water quality parameters [Turbidity, pH, EC, Cl[-], Na[+], Alkalinity, Ca, Na, K, No[3], No[2], Fe, Mg, Mn, NH[4], Po[4], HCo[3-], So[42-] etc.] was performed as standard methods. The membranes of the RO in the desalination system were Poly-Amid [CSM type]
Results: The efficiency of the RO water desalination system was 94.16, 84.12, 92.00, and 96.17% respectively for Turbidity, Na[+], Mg[2+], So[42-]. The result shows a significant difference between influent and effluent water of the RO system. The produced water is in agreement with national standard of drinking water. Furthermore, water exited from the RO system for TDS, Ca[+2], and Mg[2+] was less than minimum limit of the guideline
Conclusion: The quality parameters of the water resource [EC, TDS, Cl[-], Na[+] etc.] were higher than Iranian drinking water standards. The RO technology modified the quality of the water parameters
ABSTRACT
One of the most prominent concerns for the water consumers is pathogenic microorganism contamination. Wells and underground water resources are the main resources of drinking water in Sari city, Iran. The main objectives of the research project were to explore the distribution and frequency of mycoflora in wells and underground water resources of the city and their contamination effects on humans. Three reservoirs and 18 wells or underground water resources were analyzed. Water samples were then filtered and analyzed according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Each filter and 0.2 ml of suspension inoculated on SDA+CG media. For fungal growth, plates were incubated at 27'C for 7-10 days. The fungi were identified by standard mycological techniques. Fungal colonies were isolated from all samples. From total of 160 fungal colonies isolated from wells water, 14 species of fungi were distinguished. Rhodotorula [54.4%], Monilinia [13.7%], Alternaria [6.9%] were the most commonly isolated. Drechslera, Rhizopus, and Exserohilum [0.6%] had the lowest frequency. There was no significant difference between fungal elements isolated from three major reservoirs [P>0.05]. This study revealed that resources of drinking water from an area have to monitored and if its fungal CFU be greater than a certain value, medical and health preventive measures should be taken before the water is used by human. In this context, public and private awareness should also be provided through the media, broadcasting, teachers and scholars. [Yousefi Z. Aghili S.R., Ebrahimzadeh R. Salmanian B. Investigation of Fungi in drinking water resources, as a source of contamination tap water in Sari, Iran, IJHS 2013; 1[1]: 84-91] http:/jhs.mazums.ac.ir