Fouling of a spiral-wound reverse osmosis membrane processing swine wastewater: effect of cleaning procedure on fouling resistance

Swine manure is a valuable source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. After solid-liquid separation, the resulting swine wastewater can be concentrated by reverse osmosis (RO) to produce a nitrogen-potassium rich fertilizer. However, swine wastewater has a high fouling potential and an efficient cleaning strategy is required. In this study, a semi-commercial farm scale RO spiral-wound membrane unit was fouled while processing larger volumes of swine wastewater during realistic cyclic operations over a 9-week period. Membrane cleaning was performed daily. Three different cleaning solutions, containing SDS, SDS+EDTA and NaOH were compared. About 99% of the fouling resistance could be removed by rinsing the membrane with water. Flux recoveries (FRs) above 98% were achieved for all the three cleaning solutions after cleaning. No significant differences in FR were found between the cleaning solutions. The NaOH solution thus is a good economical option for cleaning RO spiral-wound membranes fouled with swine wastewater. Soaking the membrane for 3 days in permeate water at the end of each week further improved the FR. Furthermore, a fouling resistance model for predicting the fouling rate, permeate flux decay and cleaning cycle periods based on processing time and swine wastewater conductivity was developed.

Membrane filtration of the liquid fraction from a solid-liquid separator for swine manure using a cationic polymer as flocculating agent

The liquid fraction from a solid-liquid separator for swine manure, which used a cationic polymer to promote particle flocculation, was processed by one nanofiltration and two reverse osmosis spiral-wound membranes. Eight different liquid fraction batches (750 to 1750 L) were concentrated at volumetric concentration ratios (VCRs, initial to final volumes) ranging from 2.3 to 4.2. Membrane fouling intensity was highly variable, as water flux recovery after concentration cycles ranged from 13% to 88%. The most severe fouling was caused by a liquid fraction that had relatively low suspended solids (SS) (774 mg/L) and was concentrated at a low VCR of 2.6. Raw manure collected the same day also contained low SS, suggesting that fewer sites were available for polymer adsorption and thus more polymer remained in the liquid. However, because of the high opacity of the samples, residual polymer could not be detected in any feed or concentrate samples. Fouling was not totally irreversible as over 97% of membrane flux could be recovered by cleaning with acidic and alkaline solutions. Further tests with spiked liquid fractions indicated that fouling due to residual polymer in solution started to occur at a polymer concentration of 3 and 11 mg/L in initial and concentrated effluents, respectively. If a cationic polymer is used to pretreat manure, the amount of added polymer would have to be closely related to SS content as opposed to manure volume, in order to leave very little residual polymer in solution.

Nitrogen potential recovery and concentration of ammonia from swine manure using electrodialysis coupled with air stripping

The practice of intensive animal production in certain areas has resulted in excessive manure production for the available regional land base. Consequently, there is a need to develop treatment technologies to recover the valuable nutrients that manure contains so that the resulting product can be transported and used as fertilizer on agricultural land. The project presented here used electrodialysis in a dilution/concentration configuration to transfer the manure ammonia in the diluate solution by electromigration to an adjacent solution separated by an ion-exchange membrane under the driving force of an electrical potential. Then, air stripping from the electrodialysis-obtained concentrate solution without pH modification was used to isolate the ammonia in an acidic solution. An optimal process operating voltage of 17.5 V was first determined on the basis of current efficiency and total energy consumption. During the process, the swine manure pH varied from 8.5 to 8.2, values favourable for NH(4)(+) electromigration. Total ammonia nitrogen reached 21,352 mg/L in the concentrate solution, representing approximately seven times the concentration in the swine manure. Further increases in concentration were limited by water transfer from the diluate solution due to electroosmosis and osmosis. Applying vacuum to the concentrate reservoir was found to be more efficient than direct concentrate solution aeration for NH(3) recuperation in the acid trap, given that the ammonia recuperated under vacuum represented 14.5% of the theoretical value of the NH(3) present in the concentrate solution as compared to 6.2% for aeration. However, an excessively low concentrate solution pH (8.6-8.3) limited NH(3)volatilization toward the acid trap. These results suggest that the concentrate solution pH needs to be raised to promote the volatile NH(3) form of total ammonia nitrogen.

Energy density of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Bay of Biscay

The energy density (E(D)) of anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus in the Bay of Biscay was determined by direct calorimetry and its evolution with size, age and season was investigated. The water content and energy density varied seasonally following opposite trends. The E(D) g(-1) of wet mass (M(W)) was highest at the end of the feeding season (autumn: c. 8 kJ g(-1)M(W)) and lowest in late winter (c. 6 kJ g(-1)M(W)). In winter, the fish lost mass, which was partially replaced by water, and the energy density decreased. These variations in water content and organic matter content may have implications on the buoyancy of the fish. The water content was the major driver of the energy density variations for a M(W) basis. A significant linear relationship was established between E(D) g(-1) (y) and the per cent dry mass (M(D); x): y =-4.937 + 0.411x. In the light of the current literature, this relationship seemed to be not only species specific but also ecosystem specific. Calibration and validation of fish bioenergetics models require energy content measurements on fish samples collected at sea. The present study provides a first reference for the energetics of E. encrasicolus in the Bay of Biscay.

Epstein-Barr virus genotypes in NPC biopsies from north Africa

The genotypes of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were investigated in North African nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies, nasopharyngeal chronic inflammation (NCI) biopsies, and saliva of healthy individuals from Algeria and Tunisia where there is an intermediate incidence of NPC. The prevalence of A-type virus in NPC, NCI biopsies and saliva of healthy individuals was found in these regions by means of a PCR assay. Restriction enzyme polymorphism analysis by Southern blotting revealed that all North African EBV variants have a conserved restriction site on BamHI W'-I' and XhoI LMP gene. No additional BamHI enzyme site on the BamHI-F fragment was observed; however, the presence of an extra BamHI site on the BamHI-H fragment giving 2 HI and H2 fragment-like EBV M-ABA strains was found. All EBV strains present in NPC or NCI biopsies at all ages were homogeneous in these polymorphisms and no correlation was observed between the EBV genotypes from NPC patients and clinical stages of the cancer. These characteristics revealed a significant difference between the EBV variants common in Chinese NPC and those in North African NPC.

Effect of oxodipine, a novel dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, in neurogenic hypertensive dogs

The effects of an acute intravenous injection of oxodipine (5, 20 and 50 micrograms/kg), a new dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, on blood pressure and heart rate were investigated in arterial neurogenic hypertension elicited in anesthetized dogs by acute sinoaortic denervation. This model is associated with disruption of baroreflex pathways and heart denervation, allowing a direct investigation of the effects of the drug on heart rate and blood vessels. The low dose (5 micrograms/kg) of oxodipine remained ineffective, whereas doses of 20 and 50 micrograms/kg of oxodipine elicited a decrease in blood pressure with no change in heart rate. These results suggest that, in contrast to other first generation dihydropyridines, oxodipine exerts a relatively specific action on blood vessels without significant intrinsic negative chronotropic properties in anesthetized sinoaortic-denervated dogs.

[Anterior guidance in complete dentures]

Although the anterior guidance in complete dentures is not really a guide, the arrangement of the anterior maxillary and mandibular prosthetic teeth, defines a propulsive line called the virtual anterior guidance, a part from the cinematic criterias. The influence of this guide on cuspal movement is superior, in all mandibular points, to the influence of the condylar pathway. If this line is not respected, the practitioner may have to do excessive grindings during occlusal adjustments.

Transformation of LMTK- cells with purified class I genes. V. Antibody-induced structural modification of HLA class I molecules results in potentiation of the fixation of a second monoclonal antibody

A potentiation phenomenon was observed with HLA-A3 and CW3 transformed murine L cells between anti-HLA class I B10.6 (potentiated) and B10.8 (potentiating) monoclonal antibodies (m.Ab.). Further studies of this phenomenon with these transformed L cells indicated that: 1) no significant specific binding of B10.6 m.Ab. to HLA-A3 and CW3 transformed L cells could be demonstrated by conventional radioimmunoassay or cytofluorometric study in the absence of B10.8 m.Ab.; 2) potentiation of the fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. was induced by other anti-HLA class I m.Ab., which all reacted with the same cluster of antigenic determinants; 3) potentiation reflects an increased specific fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. to HLA class I molecules implicating its combining site; 4) potentiation was mediated by B10.8 Fab fragments. These results indicate that potentiation of the fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. to the HLA-A3 and CW3 molecules expressed by the transformed L cells reflects conformational changes of these molecules after interaction with B10.8 m.Ab.

Transformation of LMTK- cells with purified class I genes. V. Antibody-induced structural modification of HLA class I molecules results in potentiation of the fixation of a second monoclonal antibody

A potentiation phenomenon was observed with HLA-A3 and CW3 transformed murine L cells between anti-HLA class I B10.6 (potentiated) and B10.8 (potentiating) monoclonal antibodies (m.Ab.). Further studies of this phenomenon with these transformed L cells indicated that: 1) no significant specific binding of B10.6 m.Ab. to HLA-A3 and CW3 transformed L cells could be demonstrated by conventional radioimmunoassay or cytofluorometric study in the absence of B10.8 m.Ab.; 2) potentiation of the fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. was induced by other anti-HLA class I m.Ab., which all reacted with the same cluster of antigenic determinants; 3) potentiation reflects an increased specific fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. to HLA class I molecules implicating its combining site; 4) potentiation was mediated by B10.8 Fab fragments. These results indicate that potentiation of the fixation of B10.6 m.Ab. to the HLA-A3 and CW3 molecules expressed by the transformed L cells reflects conformational changes of these molecules after interaction with B10.8 m.Ab.