We show in this study that the combination of a swirl flow reactor and an antimicrobial agent (in this case copper alginate beads) is a promising technique for the remediation of contaminated water in waste streams recalcitrant to UV-C treatment. This is demonstrated by comparing the viability of both common and UV-C resistant organisms in operating conditions where UV-C proves ineffective - no...

A steel-slag/compost fertilizer can be useful in supplying complex Fe(II) species to barren coastal regions. Seawater extractable organic matter (SWEOM) was examined for use as a novel chelator of Fe(II) in the compost. The dissociation kinetics for Fe(II)-SWEOM were evaluated, based on the rate of ligand-exchange with ortho-phenanthroline. The ΔH(‡) for the Fe(II)-SWEOM (19 kJ mol(-1)) was sig...

This work has examined cobalt(II) binding by a variety of solid humic acids (HAs) isolated from peat, plant and soil sources at temperatures down to 60K. The results confirm that X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) measurements cannot distinguish between aquo and carboxylato ligands in the inner coordination sphere of Co(II). However, between 1 and 2 inner-sphere carboxylato ligands...

A novel model has been developed to describe the kinetics of Zn adsorption and desorption to soils. The model incorporates the mechanistic-based equilibrium model WHAM (Windermere humic aqueous model) to account for the chemical variation during the reaction (e.g., pH and Zn2+ concentration), the heterogeneity of binding sites of soil organic matter (SOM), and the nonlinear binding of Zn to SOM...

The mobility of phenanthrene (PHE) in soils depends on its sorption and is influenced by either the existing soil humus or exogenous humic substances. Exogenous humic acids (HAs) were added to soil to enhance the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) by 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 g kg(-1). PHE desorption of the treated soils was determined at two pH levels (3.0 and 6.0) and temperatures (15 and 25 degree...

Pulsed voltammetry has been used to detect and quantify glyphosate on buffered water in presence of ammonium nitrate and humic substances. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide active ingredient in the world. It is a non-selective broad spectrum herbicide but some of its health and environmental effects are still being discussed. Nowadays, glyphosate pollution in water is being monitored...

Peatlands are an important terrestrial carbon store. However, heightened levels of degradation in response to environmental change have resulted in an increased loss of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and an associated rise in the level of discolouration in catchment waters. A significant threat to peatland sustainability has been the installation of artificial drainage ditches. However, recent ...

Although humic substances occur ubiquitously in soil and groundwater, their effect on the biological reduction of uranium(VI) and subsequent reoxidation of U(IV) is poorly understood. This study investigated the role of humics in enhancing the bioreduction of U(VI) in laboratory kinetic studies, in field push-pull tests, and in the presence or absence of metal ions such as Ca2+ and Ni2+, which ...