A meta-analysis of metal biosorption by suspended bacteria from three phyla.

Biosorption of heavy metals by bacterial biomass has been the subject of significant research interest in last decades due to its efficiency, relatively low cost and minimal negative effects for the surrounding environment. In this meta-analysis, the biosorption efficiencies of different bacterial strains for Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Cr(III), Mn(II), Pb(II) and Ni(II) were evaluated. Optimum conditions for the biosorption process such as initial metal concentration, temperature, pH, contact time, metal type, biomass dosage and bacterial phyla, were evaluated for each heavy metal. According to the results, the efficiencies of bacterial biomass for removal of heavy metal were as follows: Cd(II) > Cr(III) > Pb(II) > Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Mn(II). Firmicute phyla showed the highest overall (living and dead) biosorption efficiency for heavy metals. Living biomass of Proteobacteria had the best biosorption performance. Living bacterial biomass was significantly more efficient in biosorption of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Pb(II) than dead biomass. The maximum biosorption efficiency of bacterial strains for Cd(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) was achieved at pH values between 6 and 7.5. High temperatures (>35 °C) reduced the removal efficiencies for Cu(II) and Zn(II) and increased the efficiencies for Cd(II) and Cr(III) ions. The maximum biosorption efficiency of non-essential heavy metals occurred with short contact times (<2 h). Essential metals such as Zn and Cu were more efficiently removed with long biosorption durations (>24 h). The mean biosorption capacity of bacterial biomass was between 71.26 and 125.88 mg g-1. No publication bias existed according to Egger's and Begg's test results.

State of a sustainable drainage system at end-of-life: assessment of potential water pollution by leached metals from recycled pervious pavement materials when used as secondary aggregate.

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have emerged as an effective and attractive approach for stormwater management, prevention of water pollution and flood control due to its sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost-effective approaches. One of the SuDS devices widely used to infiltrate, store and treat surface runoff which allows it to recharge groundwater is the pervious paving systems (PPS). Previous studies have demonstrated relatively high pollution removal efficiencies typically ranging from 98.7% for total hydrocarbons to 89% of COD. Although a small number of the studies have assessed the performance characteristics of the PPS system in long-established installations in terms of retention of pollutants, hydrological features, biodegradation of pollutants etc., none has assessed the risk of potential groundwater and soil pollution by pollutants such as metals retained in the PPS materials either as a disposed waste material (in the case of used geotextiles) or during re-use as secondary aggregates. Thus, this study evaluated potential risks associated with the decommissioning and beneficial use of wastes produced during the disassembly of a PPS. The authors believe that this was the first PPS to be addressed in this way. The method involved the determination of leachable concentrations of 14 metals in the PPS samples made up of extracts from the model profile which included the geotextile fibre (G), dust alone (D), aggregates and dust (AD), aggregates alone (AA) and pavement blocks (P) which were analysed and compared with two different groups of regulatory threshold limits. The results showed that the measured concentrations of all the metals were below the appropriate threshold values for irrigation purposes as specified by FAO and USEPA. Furthermore, results all indicated that the dismantled materials were all below EU LFD WAC limits for inert waste, indicating relative ease of disposal and suitability for use as recycled aggregate. This, admittedly limited data, indicates that recycling of aggregates from demolition wastes arising from end of life PPS would not be limited by the potential leaching of heavy metals, including re-use within another PPS. This would minimise dependence on virgin aggregates and hence reduce rate of exploitation of natural resources and improve sustainability score card of SuDS.

An assessment of the potential use of compost filled plastic void forming units to serve as vents on historic landfills and related sites.

Much of the solid municipal waste generated by society is sent to landfill, where biodegrading processes result in the release of methane, a major contributor to climate change. This work examined the possibility of installing a type of biofilter within paved areas of the landfill site, making use of modified pervious paving, both to allow the escape of ground gas and to avoid contamination of groundwater, using specially designed test models with provision for gas sampling in various chambers. It proposes the incorporation of an active layer within a void forming box with a view to making dual use of the pervious pavement to provide both a drainage feature and a ground gas vent, whilst providing an active layer for the oxidation of methane by microbial action. The methane removal was observed to have been effected by microbial oxidation and as such offers great promise as a method of methane removal to allow for development of landfills.

Stormwater harvesting for irrigation purposes: an investigation of chemical quality of water recycled in pervious pavement system.

Most available water resources in the world are used for agricultural irrigation. Whilst this level of water use is expected to increase due to rising world population and land use, available water resources are expected to become limited due to climate change and uneven rainfall distribution. Recycled stormwater has the potential to be used as an alternative source of irrigation water and part of sustainable water management strategy. This paper reports on a study to investigate whether a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) technique, known as the pervious pavements system (PPS) has the capability to recycle water that meets irrigation water quality standard. Furthermore, the experiment provided information on the impact of hydrocarbon (which was applied to simulate oil dripping from parked vehicles onto PPS), leaching of nutrients from different layers of the PPS and effects of nutrients (applied to enhance bioremediation) on the stormwater recycling efficiency of the PPS. A weekly dose of 6.23 × 10(-3) L of lubricating oil and single dose of 17.06 g of polymer coated controlled-release fertilizer granules were applied to the series of 710 mm × 360 mm model pervious pavement structure except the controls. Rainfall intensity of 7.4 mm/h was applied to the test models at the rate of 3 events per week. Analysis of the recycled water showed that PPS has the capability to recycle stormwater to a quality that meets the chemical standards for use in agricultural irrigation irrespective of the type of sub-base used. There is a potential benefit of nutrient availability in recycled water for plants, but care should be taken not to dispose of this water in natural water courses as it might result in eutrophication problems.

Performance of an enhanced pervious pavement system loaded with large volumes of hydrocarbons.

Five litres of lubricating oil and two 8.5 litre batches of diesel were deposited on each of two hydraulically isolated experimental enhanced pervious pavement parking bays. The 50 mm aggregate subbases of the two bays were of either recycled concrete or crushed limestone. The bays were constructed in such a way that a near-surface gravity separator was created by the arranging of the outlet pipes such that a permanent pool of water was maintained in the system and water could only enter from below the level of any floating oil. Dissolved/dispersed hydrocarbons were measured at acceptable concentrations when monitoring was carried out over a period of approximately 5 months. The maximum concentration was 7.2 mg/l and of all the samples collected only 3% exceeded the 5 mg/l limit applied in the UK for a class 1 interceptor, and the majority of samples had hydrocarbon concentrations of less than 2 mg/l. Much more significant is the fact that no free product was discharged from either system up to the time the experiment was dismantled 2 years from the first oil application despite the fact that sufficient hydrocarbon had been added to each pavement to produce a film on a water surface of over 500 hectares.

Improving the adsorption efficiency of phenolic compounds into olive wood biosorbents by pre-washing with organic solvents: Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic aspects.

The adsorption properties of olive wood (OW) toward phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 3-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol, were improved by washing OW with some organic solvents (ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, ether, dichloromethane or hexane). Adsorption isotherms were classified according to Giles and Smith classification, in which L2-shape was obtained after OW washing. The adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations and it was found that adsorption capacity and affinity have increased after OW washing. Thermodynamic (ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°), kinetic and intra-particle diffusion parameters were estimated before and after OW washing. It was found that the adsorption of phenols on OW was of physical nature, spontaneous, exothermic and followed second order rate equation. After OW washing, adsorption spontaneity has increased. Both pore diffusion and kinetic resistances have most likely affected the adsorption process. The results presented in this work suggested that washing OW with any one of the tested solvents would enhance uptake of the tested phenols into OW sorbent. Discussing some economical and environmental aspects suggested that the use of ethanol might be preferred.