Relationship between chlorine decay and nanobubble application in secondary treated wastewater.

There has been numerous research on the uses of treated wastewater that needs chlorine disinfection, but none have looked at the impacts of injecting nanobubbles (NBs) on the decomposition of residual chlorine. Gas NB injection in treated wastewater improves its properties. The kinetics of disinfectant decay could be impacted by changes in treated wastewater properties. This paper studies the effect of various NB injections on the residual chlorine decay of secondary treated wastewater (STWW). It also outlines the empirical equations that were developed to represent these impacts. The results show that each type of NBs in treated wastewater had a distinct initial chlorine concentration. The outcomes demonstrated a clear impact on the decrease of the needed chlorine quantity and the reduction of chlorine decay rate when utilizing NB injection for the STWW. As a result, the residual chlorine will remain for a longer time and will resist any microbiological growth under the application of NBs on treated wastewater. Moreover, NBs in secondary treated effluent reduce chlorine usage, lowering wastewater disinfection costs.

Biocontrol of Fusarium wilt disease in cucumber with improvement of growth and mineral uptake using some antagonistic formulations.

Fusarium wilt disease in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is widespread, responsible for serious economic losses. Amongst totally 15 isolates of Fusarium spp., obtained from different localities of Sohag governorate, Egypt, only the identified isolates as F. oxysporum were pathogenic on cucumber Denmark Beta-Alpha cv. and caused wilt symptoms. Totally 22 isolates of Trichoderma spp., B. subtilis and Pseudomonas spp., were obtained from rhizosphere of cucumber and some available commercial formulations and then tested for antagonistic activity against F. oxysporum (FO5) in vitro. The highest inhibitory effect on growth of FO5 was observed by isolate Trichodex of T. harzianum (89.29%) followed by Th4 of T. harzianum, Serenade and MBI 600 of B. subtilis, PS3 of Pseudomonas spp., and Treico and Tv2 of T. viride. Pot experiments were performed to investigate the effects of formulated antagonists as seed treatment on Fusarium wilt incidence, growth and mineral uptake of cucumber. Results showed that all tested formulations significantly reduced percent of wilted plants and disease severity, and improved plant growth by increasing length of shoot and root, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root system, and number of leaves and flowers per plant compared with untreated control. They also significantly increased nutrient contents of plant shoot including N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn. Magnesium content in shoot slightly not significantly increased. Formulation of Trichodex was the most effective ones followed by Serenade, Th4 and PS3.

In situ stabilization of trace metals in a copper-contaminated soil using P-spiked Linz-Donawitz slag.

PURPOSE: A former wood exploitation revealing high Cu and As concentration of the soils served as a case study for assisted phytoextraction. METHOD: P-spiked Linz-Donawitz (LD) slag was used as a soil additive to improve physico-chemical soil properties and in situ stabilize Cu and other trace metals in a sandy Cu-contaminated soil (630 mg kg⁻¹ soil). The LD slag was incorporated into the contaminated soil to consist four treatments: 0% (T1), 1% (T2), 2% (T3), and 4% (T4). A similar uncontaminated soil was used as a control (CTRL). After a 1-month reaction period, potted soils were used for a 2-week growth experiment with dwarf beans. RESULTS: Soil pH increased with the incorporation rate of LD slag. Similarly the soil electrical conductivity (EC, in millisiemens per centimetre) is ameliorated. Bean plants grown on the untreated soil (T1) showed a high phytotoxicity. All incorporation rates of LD slag increased the root and shoot dry weight yields compared to the T1. The foliar Ca concentration of beans was enhanced for all LD slag-amended soil, while the foliar Mg, K, and P concentrations were not increased. Foliar Cu, Zn, and Cr concentrations of beans decreased with the LD slag incorporation rate. CONCLUSIONS: P-spiked LD slag incorporation into polluted soil allow the bean growth and foliar Ca concentration, but also to reduce foliar Cu concentration below its upper critical value avoiding an excessive soil EC and Zn deficiency. This dual effect can be of interest for soil remediation at larger scale.