Aquaponics: integrating fish feeding rates and ion waste production for strawberry hydroponics

Aquaponics is the science of integrating intensive fish aquaculture with plant production in recirculating water systems. Although ion waste production by fish cannot satisfy all plant requirements, less is known about the relationship between total feed provided for fish and the production of milliequivalents (mEq) of different macronutrients for plants, especially for nutrient flow hydroponics used for strawberry production in Spain. That knowledge is essential to consider the amount of macronutrients available in aquaculture systems so that farmers can estimate how much nutrient needs to be supplemented in the waste water from fish, to produce viable plant growth. In the present experiment, tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) were grown in a small-scale recirculating system at two different densities while growth and feed consumption were noted every week for five weeks. At the same time points, water samples were taken to measure pH, EC25, HCO3 – , Cl – , NH4 + , NO2 – , NO3 – , H2PO4 – , SO4 2– , Na + , K+ , Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ build up. The total increase in mEq of each ion per kg of feed provided to the fish was highest for NO3 - , followed, in decreasing order, by Ca 2+ , H2PO4 – , K+ , Mg 2+ and SO4 2– . The total amount of feed required per mEq ranged from 1.61- 13.1 kg for the four most abundant ions (NO3 – , Ca 2+ , H2PO4 – and K+ ) at a density of 2 kg fish m–3 , suggesting that it would be rather easy to maintain small populations of fish to reduce the cost of hydroponic solution supplementation for strawberries.

Rapid Regulation by Acid pH of Cell Wall Adjustment and Leaf Growth in Maize Plants Responding to Reversal of Water Stress1

The role of acid secretion in regulating short-term changes in growth rate and wall extensibility was investigated in emerging first leaves of intact, water-stressed maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings. A novel approach was used to measure leaf responses to injection of water or solutions containing potential regulators of growth. Both leaf elongation and wall extensibility, as measured with a whole-plant creep extensiometer, increased dramatically within minutes of injecting water, 0.5 mm phosphate, or strong (50 mm) buffer solutions with pH ≤ 5.0 into the cell-elongation zone of water-stressed leaves. In contrast, injecting buffer solutions at pH ≥ 5.5 inhibited these fast responses. Solutions containing 0.5 mm orthovanadate or erythrosin B to inhibit wall acidification by plasma membrane H+-ATPases were also inhibitory. Thus, cell wall extensibility and leaf growth in water-stressed plants remained inhibited, despite the increased availability of (injected) water when accompanying increases in acid-induced wall loosening were prevented. However, growth was stimulated when pH 4.5 buffers were included with the vanadate injections. These findings suggest that increasing the availability of water to expanding cells in water-stressed leaves signals rapid increases in outward proton pumping by plasma membrane H+-ATPases. Resultant increases in cell wall extensibility participate in the regulation of water uptake, cell expansion, and leaf growth.

Review of Desalination and Concentrate Management Issues for Increasing Drinking Water Supplies

Water quantity and quality issues worldwide are causing nations to consider alternate sources for drinking water. Desalination and other membrane processes for treatment of seawater and brackish inland waters have been in use for the past quarter century and are growing in use worldwide. These treatment processes create a highly concentrated waste stream in which the principal constituents are dissolved solids. This report provides an overview of desalination methods and the methods available to dispose of this waste stream. Innovative technologies being studied for possible future use are also discussed.

Management of small waste flows /

Mode of access: Internet.

Beneficial disposal of water purification plant sludges in wastewater treatment /

Mode of access: Internet.

Cost of landspreading and hauling sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants : case studies.

Mode of access: Internet.

Cleaning up mixed waste streams : the tank truck washing example.

Joint Project with Matlack Corporation.

Use of duckweed, bentonite and acid to improve water quality of effluent discharge from abattoirs

Intensive animal industries create large volumes of nutrient rich effluent, which, if untreated, has the potential for substantial environmental degradation. Aquatic plants in aerobic lagoon systems have the potential to achieve inexpensive and efficient remediation of effluent, and to recover valuable nutrients that would otherwise be lost. Members of the family Lemnaceae (duckweeds) are widely used in lagoon systems, but despite their widespread use in the cleansing of sewage, only limited research has been conducted into their growth in highly eutrophic media, and little has been done to systematically distinguish between different types of media. This study examined the growth characteristics of duckweed in abattoir effluent, and explored possible ways of ameliorating the inhibitory factors to growth on this medium. A series of pot trials was conducted to test the tolerance of duckweed to abattoir effluent partially remediated by a sojourn in anaerobic fermentation ponds, both in its unmodified form, and after the addition of acid to manipulate pH, and the addition of bentonite. Unmodified abattoir effluent was highly toxic to duckweed, although duckweed remained viable and grew sub optimally in media with total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of up to 100 mg/l. Duckweed also grew vigorously in effluent diluted 1:4 v/v, containing 56 mg TAN/L and also modified by addition of acid to decrease pH to 7 and by adding bentonite (0.5%).

Applicability of experience from laboratory reactors with biological phosphorus removal in full-scale plants

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) has been used at many wastewater treatment plants all over the world for many years. In this study a full-scale sludge with good EBPR was tested with P-release batch tests and combined FISH/MAR (fluorescence in situ hybridisation and microautoradiography). Proposed models of PAOs and GAOs (polyphosphate- and glycogen-accumulating organisms) and microbial methods suggested from studies of laboratory reactors were found to be applicable also on sludge from full-scale plants. Dependency of pH and the uptake of both acetate and propionate were studied and used for calculations for verifying the models and results from microbial methods. All rates found from the batch tests with acetate were higher than in the batch tests with propionate, which was explained by the finding that only those parts of the bacterial community that were able to take up acetate anaerobically were able to take up propionate anaerobically.

Evaluación de vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) y la elefanta (Pennisetum purpureum) en el diseño de humedales artificiales

En este trabajo se presenta la descripción e investigación en la evaluación de vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) y la elefanta (Pennisetum purpureum) en el diseño de humedales artificiales. Para el tratamiento de aguas residuales de origen doméstico, siendo la vegetación uno de los principales componentes de estos sistemas de tratamientos no convencionales. Muchos \sistemas naturales" están siendo considerados con el propósito del tratamiento del agua residual y control de la contaminación del agua, debido a su alta fiabilidad ambiental y los bajos costos de construcción y mantenimiento, es el caso de los humedales artificiales. El interés en los sistemas naturales está basado en la conservación de los recursos asociados con estos sistemas como opuesto al proceso de tratamiento convencional de aguas residuales que es intensivo respecto al uso de energía y químicos. Los wetlands o humedales artificiales constituyen una alternativa de tratamiento debido a su alta eficiencia de remoción de contaminantes, a su bajo costo de instalación y mantenimiento y a su alta fiabilidad ambiental, generalmente un humedal artificial esta constituido por un medio de soporte el cual generalmente es arena o grava, vegetación y microorganismos o biopelícula los cuales llevan los diferentes procesos bioquímicos para remover los contaminantes del afluente. El objetivo general de este trabajo ha sido: Evaluar la eficiencia de remoción de materia orgánica, sólidos, nitrógeno y fósforo total de dos especies de plantas: vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) y la elefanta (Pennisetum purpureum), en el diseño de humedales artificiales para el tratamiento de aguas residuales de origen doméstico. Los humedales artificiales o sistemas pilotos, se encuentran ubicados en la universidad de Medellín y reciben una preparación de agua sintética, que asemeja a las características de un agua residual de origen doméstico. En el presente trabajo se evalúa el porcentaje de remoción de la carga orgánica de aguas residuales, en un sistema de tratamiento por humedales artificiales con dos especies vegetales. El sistema fue diseñado con tres módulos instalados de manera adjunta. En el primero no se integra ninguna especie vegetal, solo el medio de sustrato el cual constituye el blanco (-), en el segundo se integraron organismos de la especie vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), en el tercer sistema piloto, organismos de la especie elefanta (Pennisetum purpureum) y en el cuarto organismos de la especie papiro japones (Cyperus alternifolius), los cuales constituyen el control positivo (+). Los módulos experimentales fueron limpiados, cortados y adecuados acorde al montaje inicial de las plantas y al espacio requerido para su disposición. A cada sistema piloto se le agrega medio de soporte constituido por grava (5 a 10 cm) y arena (15 a 20 cm), el sustrato es evaluado y caracterizado por su diámetro nominal, posterior en cada sistema se siembran las especies en un área de 3x3 y cada humedal por dos semanas se adecua bajo la solución de Hoagland y Arnon y régimen de humedad. En el agua sintética se analizaron los siguientes parámetros: pH, sólidos totales, sólidos suspendido totales, sólidos disueltos totales, demanda química de oxígeno (DQO), demanda bioquímica de oxígeno (DBO5), nitrógeno total (NTK) y fosforo total (PT). También se realizó la determinación del crecimiento de las plantas a partir del incremento de biomasa, porosidad de la raíz y de igual forma se determina NTK y PT. Los resultados demostraron que el sistema es una opción para la remoción de la carga orgánica y de nutrientes en aguas residuales de origen doméstico, de bajo costo de operación y mantenimiento, especialmente se observa que las plantas que crecen en sistemas de régimen de humedad ácuico y ústico, tienden a tener una mayor recepción y adaptación en los humedales artificiales pilotos, es el caso de la elefanta (Pennisetum purpureum), el cual presenta las más altas tasas de remoción de contaminantes y nutrientes en el afluente, seguido por el papiro japonés (Cyperus alternifolius) y el vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides), respecto a tasas de remoción. La remoción de contaminantes que se presentan más altos respectivamente, constituyen sólidos en primera instancia, seguido por la demanda bioquímica de oxigeno (DBO5), demanda química de oxígeno (DQO), nitrógeno total (NTK) y fósforo total (PT), estos últimos presentan una baja tasa de remoción, debido a la naturaleza misma del contaminante, a los organismos que realizan la remoción y absorción y al tiempo de retención que se elige, el cual influye en la tasa de remoción del contaminante siendo menor en la concentración de fósforo, pero se encuentranen el rango esperado para estos sistemas de tratamiento no convencionales.

Toxic cyanobacteria in water intended for drinking purpose: improvement of cells and toxins’ analyses and of treatments for their removal

Massive proliferations of cyanobacteria in freshwaters have recently increased, causing ecological and economic losses. Their ever-increasing presence in water sources destined to potabilization has become a major threat for public health, since several species can produce harmful toxins (cyanotoxin). Therefore, additional specific measures to improve management and treatment of drinking water(s) are required. The PhD thesis investigates toxic cyanobacteria in drinking waters with a special focus on Emilia-Romagna (Italy), throughout three separated chapters, each with different specific objectives. The first chapter aims at improving the fast monitoring of cyanobacteria in drinking water, which was investigated by testing different models of multi-wavelength spectrofluorometers. Inter-laboratories calibrations were conducted using mono-specific cultures and field samples, and both the feasibility and the technical limitations of such tools were illustrated. The second chapter evaluates the effectiveness of drinking water treatments in removing cyanobacterial cells and toxins. Two chlorinated oxidants (sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide) already in use for pre-oxidation during water potabilization, were tested on cultures of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa posing a specific focus on toxin removal and revealing that pre-oxidation can cause the release of toxins and unknown metabolites. Innovative treatments based on non-thermal plasma were also tested, observing an effective and rapid inactivation of cyanobacterial cells. The third chapter presents a study on a cyanobacterium isolated from a drinking water reservoir of Emilia-Romagna and investigated by combining biological, chemical, and genomic methods. Although the strain did not produce any known cyanotoxin, high toxicity of water-extract was observed in bioassays and potential implications for drinking water were discussed. Overall, the PhD thesis offers new insights into toxic cyanobacteria management in drinking water, highlighting best practices for drinking water managers regarding their detection and removal. Additionally, the thesis provides new contributions to the understanding of the freshwater cyanobacteria community in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Evaluation of the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water from the River Paraíba do Sul, in Brazil, with the Allium cepa L. test

This work investigated the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of water from the River Paraíba do Sul (Brazil) using Allium cepa roots. An anatomo-morphological parameter (root length), mitotic indices, and frequency of micronuclei were analysed. Eight bulbs were chosen at random for treatment for 24 to 120 hours with the River water collected in the years of 2005 and 2006 from sites in the cities of Tremembé and Aparecida (São Paulo state, Brazil). Daily measurements of the length of the roots grown from each bulb were carried out throughout the experiment. Mitotic index (MI) and frequency of micronuclei (MN) were determined for 2000 cells per root, using 3-5 root tips from other bulbs (7-10). Only in the roots treated with samples of the River water collected in 2005 in Tremembé city was there a decrease in the root length growth compared to the respective control. However, a reduction in MI values was verified for both sites analysed for that year. Considering the data involving root length growth and especially MI values, a cytotoxic potential is suggested for the water of the River Paraíba do Sul at Tremembé and Aparecida, in the year of 2005. On the other hand, since in this year the MN frequency was not affected with the river water treatments, genotoxicity is not assumed for the river water sampled at the aforementioned places.

Occurrence of Sexual Hormones in Sediments of Mangrove in Brazil

The presence of sexual hormones (female estrogens) was assessed in sediments of a mangrove located in the urban region of southern Brazil. The estrogens are involved in human sexual reproduction. They act as the chemical messengers, and they are classified as natural and synthetic. The estrogens inputs in the environment are from treated and untreated sewage. The presence of estrogens in sewage is excretion from the female due to natural production and use of contraceptives (synthetic estrogens). With the indiscriminate release of sewage into the environment, estrogens can be found in rivers, lakes, and even in oceans. In this work, the presence of estrone (E1), 17-beta-estradiol (E2), and 17-alpha-ethynilestradiol (EE2) in eight sedimentary stations in Itacorubi mangrove located on Santa Catarina Island, south Brazil, was investigated. Historically, the Itacorubi mangrove has been impacted by anthropogenic activities because the mangrove is inserted in the urban area of the Florianopolis. The estrogen EE2, used as contraceptive, had the highest concentration in mangrove sediment, 129.75 +/- 3.89 ng/g. E2 was also found, with its concentration ranging from 0.90 +/- 0.03 to 39.77 +/- 1.19 ng/g. Following the mechanism, under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, E2 will first be oxidized to E1, which is further oxidized to unknown metabolites and finally to CO(2) and water (mineralized). EE2 is oxidized to unknown metabolites and also finally mineralized. Theoretically, under anaerobic conditions, EE2 can be reduced to E1 even in environments such as mangrove which is essentially anaerobic.