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Spellman CD, Burton ZT, Ikuma K, Strosnider WHJ, Tasker TL, Roman B, Goodwill JE. Continuous co-treatment of mine drainage with municipal wastewater. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 354:120282. [PMID: 38364535 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Acid mine drainage (AMD) and municipal wastewater (MWW) are commonly co-occurring waste streams in mining regions. Co-treating AMD at existing wastewater facilities represents an innovative solution for simultaneous AMD reclamation and improved MWW treatment. However, unknowns related to biological processes and continuous treatment performance block full-scale use. The overarching goal of this work was to address questions related to efficacy and performance of continuous processing of AMD in a biological MWW treatment system. Synthetic AMD was co-treated with synthetic MWW in a continuously-operating bench-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR). SBRs treated MWW with two strengths of AMD (91 and 720 mg/L as CaCO3 Acidity) to capture the variations of coal AMD chemistry and strength observed in the field. Each co-treatment phases lasted 40+ days, during which clarified effluent and settled sludge quality was routinely monitored to determine impacts of co-treatment relative to conventional MWW treatment performance. Co-treatment produced effluent that met key standards for secondary treatment including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) < 5 mg/L, total suspended solids (TSS) < 20 mg/L, and pH ∼7.0. Addition of AMD also improved treatment performance, increasing Phosphate (PO4) removal by >60% and pathogen removal by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, AMD co-treatment did not exhibit any major impacts on the overall diversity of the wastewater microbial community. Co-treatment sludge had slightly higher settleability and a lower bound water content, but notable changes in sludge morphology was observed. This study demonstrates co-treatment allows for continuous mitigation of AMD without adversely impacting MWW treatment performance in conventional biological MWW processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles D Spellman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA; The Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Zachary T Burton
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Kaoru Ikuma
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - William H J Strosnider
- Belle W. Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, SC, USA
| | - Travis L Tasker
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA, USA
| | - Benjamin Roman
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA, USA
| | - Joseph E Goodwill
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
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Spellman CD, Smyntek PM, Cravotta CA, Tasker TL, Strosnider WHJ. Pollutant co-attenuation via in-stream interactions between mine drainage and municipal wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 214:118173. [PMID: 35184018 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Municipal wastewater (MWW) and mine drainage (MD) are common co-occurring sources of freshwater pollution in mining regions. The physicochemical interactions that occur after mixing MWW and MD in a waterway may improve downstream water quality of an impaired reach by reducing downstream concentrations of nutrients and metals (i.e., "co-attenuation"). A first-order stream (Bradley Run in central Pennsylvania), with coal MD and secondarily treated MWW entering the stream in the same location, was systematically monitored to determine in-stream water-quality dynamics. Monitored constituents included pH, nutrients (i.e., phosphorus and nitrogen), and metals (e.g., iron, aluminum, manganese). Mixing of the MWW, MD, and upstream water decreased concentrations of phosphate, aluminum, and iron by 94%, 91%, and 98%, respectively, relative to conservative mixtures at the 1400-m-downstream site. The pollutant co-attenuation resulted in water quality equivalent to that upstream of the pollutant sources and improved the phosphorus-based trophic status of the stream. Geochemical models indicate the primary mechanisms for P attenuation in the studied stream were precipitation as variscite (AlPO4:2H2O) or amorphous AlPO4 plus adsorption to hydrous ferric oxide, despite a much greater abundance of hydrous aluminum oxide. The results presented in this study suggest that in-stream mixing of MD with untreated or secondarily treated MWW may be an important, overlooked factor affecting downstream transport of common pollutants in mining regions. Decreased metals loading and increased pH resulting from natural attenuation and remediation of MD could affect the potential for retention of phosphate by stream sediment and could lead to the release of nutrients from legacy accumulations, highlighting the potential need to address high-nutrient discharges (e.g., improved MWW treatment) in concert with MD remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles D Spellman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
| | - Peter M Smyntek
- Interdisciplinary Science Department, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA 15650, USA
| | - Charles A Cravotta
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, New Cumberland, PA 17070, USA
| | - Travis L Tasker
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Saint Francis University, Loretto, PA 15940, USA
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Sui C, Fatichi S, Burlando P, Weber E, Battista G. Modeling distributed metal pollution transport in a mine impacted catchment: Short and long-term effects. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 812:151473. [PMID: 34742795 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A spatially distributed trace metal transport and transformation module was developed and implemented within the hydrological model TOPKAPI-ETH. The new module can be used to better understand, at high spatial and temporal resolution, the transport and reactions of trace metals as they move through a catchment from upland sources to downstream areas and water bodies. The newly developed module takes into consideration solid metal in multiple chemical phases with different reactivity and simulates their mutual transformation over time, which gives the possibility to analyze the fraction of different solid metal phases present in the river suspended sediment. The characteristics and potential of the model are demonstrated by simulating Zinc (Zn) and Cadmium (Cd) dynamics in a headwater catchment of the Xiang River in South China, which has been highly perturbed by mining activities. The developed module is shown to reasonably reproduce the observed dynamics of dissolved and total trace metals flux for 14 months at two monitoring stations. The distributed solute transport model was proved to be capable of explaining the reasons underlying the spatial variability of C-Q relationships that are driven by the combined effect of point and non-point pollution sources, as well as identifying the spatiotemporal hotspots of trace metal pollution. By means of synthetic numerical experiments, a limited impact of slow reactions on dissolved Cd transport from upland to river over short-temporal scales was demonstrated, while for longer scales, e.g. >5 years, this effect becomes more relevant, highlighting potential long-lasting sources of trace metal pollution and their impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunming Sui
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, Institute of Science, Technology, and Policy (ISTP), Universitätstrasse 41, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Simone Fatichi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Paolo Burlando
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Enrico Weber
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; SoftWater s.r.l., Via G. Luosi 13, 20131 Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Battista
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Hydrology and Water Resources Management, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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Grilo ML, Pereira A, Sousa-Santos C, Robalo JI, Oliveira M. Climatic Alterations Influence Bacterial Growth, Biofilm Production and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles in Aeromonas spp. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:1008. [PMID: 34439058 PMCID: PMC8389027 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10081008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is expected to create environmental disruptions that will impact a wide array of biota. Projections for freshwater ecosystems include severe alterations with gradients across geographical areas. Life traits in bacteria are modulated by environmental parameters, but there is still uncertainty regarding bacterial responses to changes caused by climatic alterations. In this study, we used a river water microcosm model to evaluate how Aeromonas spp., an important pathogenic and zoonotic genus ubiquitary in aquatic ecosystems, responds to environmental variations of temperature and pH as expected by future projections. Namely, we evaluated bacterial growth, biofilm production and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Aeromonas species in pure and mixed cultures. Biofilm production was significantly influenced by temperature and culture, while temperature and pH affected bacterial growth. Reversion of antimicrobial susceptibility status occurred in the majority of strains and tested antimicrobial compounds, with several combinations of temperature and pH contributing to this effect. Current results highlight the consequences that bacterial genus such as Aeromonas will experience with climatic alterations, specifically how their proliferation and virulence and phenotypic resistance expression will be modulated. Such information is fundamental to predict and prevent future outbreaks and deleterious effects that these bacterial species might have in human and animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel L. Grilo
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA), 1100-304 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.P.); (C.S.-S.); (J.I.R.)
| | - Ana Pereira
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA), 1100-304 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.P.); (C.S.-S.); (J.I.R.)
| | - Carla Sousa-Santos
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA), 1100-304 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.P.); (C.S.-S.); (J.I.R.)
| | - Joana I. Robalo
- Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida (ISPA), 1100-304 Lisbon, Portugal; (A.P.); (C.S.-S.); (J.I.R.)
| | - Manuela Oliveira
- Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
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Sara JR, Luus-Powell WJ, Fogelson SB, Botha H, Guillette TC, Smit WJ, Hoffman A, Kunutu KD, Koelmel JP, Bowden JA. A histological evaluation of pansteatitis-affected Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters 1852), from different geographical locations in South Africa. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2020; 43:1185-1199. [PMID: 32740987 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.13184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Pansteatitis is the leading cause for the decline in Nile crocodile populations and the sporadic mortality of fish in the Olifants River System, South Africa. To determine the prevalence of this disease in lentic systems, Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, were collected from Lake Loskop, Lake Flag Boshielo, Phalaborwa Barrage and Lake Luphephe-Nwanedi. The former three impoundments are located within the main stem of the Olifants River, while the latter, which is geographically isolated and situated in the Limpopo River System, served as a reference site. Mesenteric adipose, liver, serosa of the swim bladder, gill and the skeletal muscle of fish sampled were examined for gross and microscopic evidence of pansteatitis. Microscopically observed changes were used to statistically compare pansteatitis prevalence between samples and sites. Based on histopathological evaluation, the adipose tissue in the liver, swim bladder serosa and coelom from severely debilitated individuals showed the most significant pathological changes. Lesions indicative of steatitis were observed in fish collected from Lake Loskop (75%), Lake Flag Boshielo (22%) and Lake Luphephe-Nwanedi (15%). Further investigation is warranted to understand the pervasiveness and mechanisms driving pathological changes of pansteatitis at Lake Flag Boshielo, Phalaborwa Barrage and Lake Luphephe-Nwanedi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Sara
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
- DSI/NRF Research Chair in Ecosystem Health, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Wilmien J Luus-Powell
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
- DSI/NRF Research Chair in Ecosystem Health, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Susan B Fogelson
- Pathology Consulting Services, Fishhead Labs, LLC, Stuart, FL, USA
| | - Hannes Botha
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
- Scientific Services, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, Nelspruit, South Africa
| | - Theresa C Guillette
- Department Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Willem J Smit
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
- DSI/NRF Research Chair in Ecosystem Health, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Andre Hoffman
- Scientific Services, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, Nelspruit, South Africa
| | - Katlego D Kunutu
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
- DSI/NRF Research Chair in Ecosystem Health, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Jeremy P Koelmel
- Environmental Health Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - John A Bowden
- Chemical Sciences Division, Hollings Marine Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, SC, USA
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Lebepe J, Steyl J, Luus-Powell WJ. Histopathology of the liver and gills of Labeo rosae (rednose Labeo) from Loskop Dam in South Africa. AFRICAN ZOOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/15627020.2020.1740610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Lebepe
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Department of Biodiversity, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Johan Steyl
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
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Lebepe J, Oberholster PJ, Ncube I, Smit W, Luus-Powell WJ. Metal levels in two fish species from a waterbody impacted by metallurgic industries and acid mine drainage from coal mining in South Africa. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART A, TOXIC/HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2019; 55:421-432. [PMID: 31868083 DOI: 10.1080/10934529.2019.1704604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Loskop Dam in South Africa is the most contaminated waterbody in the Olifants River which is a transboundary river that flows into Mozambique. The present study measured selected metal concentrations in the muscle of Labeo rosae and Oreochromis mossambicus from Loskop Dam, and assessed the human health risks associated with consumption of these fish species. Trace metals were below detection level in the surface water whereas bottom sediment exhibited relatively higher concentrations. A significant seasonal variations (p < 0.05) as well as inter-species difference (p < 0.05) of metal concentrations were observed in the fish muscle. Selenium concentration showed to have increase over the recent few years. Concentrations exceeding permissible level for human consumption was recorded for As, Se and Sb in both species. Other metals which THQ > 1 was Cr for L. rosae and Co for O. mossambicus. The current study shows that there could be some serious health and environmental implications for rural communities making use of Loskop Dam fish as food source. These findings add to knowledge in Africa, particularly South Africa, where other fish species have been identified as being potentially dangerous for human consumption in terms of Se, Sb, As, Co and Cr levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Lebepe
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Paul J Oberholster
- Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Ignatious Ncube
- Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Willem Smit
- Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Wilmien J Luus-Powell
- Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
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