Two treatment methods for stormwater sediments--pilot plant and landfarming--and reuse of the treated sediments in civil engineering.

The aim of this research was to present a pilot plant for the treatment of stormwater sediments and to compare the decontamination rate to that obtained by landfarming. The possibilities for reuse of the treated sediments in civil engineering are also studied. Four sediments from retention/infiltration ponds or from street sweeping were studied. In each case organic matter (OM), total hydrocarbons (TH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were measured. Geotechnical tests were carried out to evaluate the reuse possibilities of the treated sediments. Treatment by means of the pilot plant was efficient at reducing TH and PAH concentrations: THs were reduced by 53-97% and PAHs were decreased by 60-95%. By comparison, a reduction of 45-75% in TH concentration is obtained with landfarming, whereas there is no significant decrease in PAHs. Furthermore, geotechnical tests showed that the treated fractions from the pilot plant can be reused as road embankments and as a capping layer. These results are most encouraging and show that stormwater sediments can valuably be reused after treatment in a pilot plant. Landfarming is less efficient but this technique could be used as a pretreatment in the case of high TH pollution.

[Practical methods for controlled diaphragmatic breathing in 2009: proposals for a consensus]. / Modalités pratiques de réalisation de la ventilation dirigée abdomino-diaphragmatique en 2009: propositions pour un consensus.

BACKGROUND: This work has been completed at the request of the French Language Society of Pneumology. It is the result of collaboration between the 'Muscles and Respiration Group' and the 'Working Group in Physiotherapy', arriving at a consensus on diaphragmatic breathing. RESULTS: From the literature followed by a formalized consensus methodology, the authors specify the terminology and define the appropriate methods of this technique that should be used. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the literature to date does not allow assessment of the efficacy of this technique. The precise definition of the methods of diaphragmatic breathing as proposed in the present study will be used as a basis for forthcoming studies on this technique.

Reduction of sediment micro-pollution by means of a pilot plant.

Solutions need to be found to manage polluted (organic matter, trace elements, hydrocarbons and PAHs) stormwater sediments while complying with stringent economic and environmental requirements. The cost of transport is a relatively large part of the treatment cost for such sediments, hence the development of a pilot unit that could provide their in situ treatment. Seven stormwater sediments were treated by means of the ATTRISED pilot plant, based on sieving and attrition. The objective is to apply a treatment procedure by which as much clean material as possible is recovered, while the pollutants are concentrated in a small volume ready for final destruction or isolation from the environment. Application of the attrition process serves to remove fine particles and contaminants from the surface of sediments and hydrocyclone separations allow to isolate fine contaminated particles (< 60 microm). The results show that particle size separations coupled to an attrition step allow decontamination efficiencies of 76% and 70% for street sweeping and pond sediments, respectively. Although the experiments were carried out on stormwater sediments, all kinds of sediments may be treated by the ATTRISED pilot plant if the mean particle size is greater than 60 microm.