Academic literature on the topic '+628.3](043.3)'

The influences of solution treatment, deformation strain, and nanometric Al2O3 particulate on dry wear properties for nanometric Al2O3 particulate reinforced Al alloy matrix Composites manufactured by casting were investigated. The result showed that both the wear resistance of AL matrix and the composites increased rapidly with increasing solution temperatures. The wear resistance increased slightly with increasing deformation strain for the composites. The wear resistance of the composites is higher than the AL matrix after the same deformation and heat treatment. Microstructure observation revealed that the grain sizes of the composites increased with increasing solution temperature and decreased with more severe deformation. Abrasive wear was the main wear mechanism both for the AL matrix and the composites.

One of the main objectives of this study is to search for the verification of a hypothesis. It is an attempt to understand if it is possible to apply the method developed by the Italian School of Typology to read the planned city of Western Europe to other parts of the world and to investigate if this way of planning can also be extended to other zones that have different geographical and cultural properties. Urfa, in fact, is believed to provide a fertile ground with its multi-cultural structure for such a research. It is a city situated in the southeast Turkey, which displays both the characteristics of Turkish and Syrian cultures. The analysis was conducted in various scales; that is, the territorial organism, the urban organism, the aggregative organism and the building organism. The graphic instruments were preferred to be the historic maps above all, the plan that regulates the city and the cadastral maps showing the actual situation that also indicate the recent developments and the distruction of the urban tissue. These reading instruments have been too limited and heterogeneous with respect to what we usually use. Therefore the releif of the most ancient part of the city has been made by the students.1

Adsorbent composites comprising of inorganic clay/sodium lignosulfonate graft-polymerized with acrylamide and maleic anhydride were synthesized by free radical solution copolymerization. The synthesized copolymers presented high adsorption capacity when the monomer ratio of acrylamide to maleic anhydride was 3:2 and montmrillonite was introduced as inorganic clay. The equilibrium adsorption of Pb2+on these copolymers was well represented by Langmuir model which indicated that the Pb2+adsorption was a monolayer chemical adsorption. The calculated adsorption capacity of the copolymers could reach a maximum of 176.70 mg/g for Pb2+and 24.95 mg/g for Cu2+. In addition, these copolymers could selectively remove Pb2+from Pb2+/Cu2+binary solution and the maximum selective coefficient of Pb2+to Cu2+was 11.939.

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a critical complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) affecting life quality and significantly impacting healthcare resources. OBJECTIVE: Determine the direct medical costs associated with treating DFU in King Fahad Hospital of the University and identify factors that could assist in developing resource management guidelines in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: SETTING: King Fahad Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included diabetic patients admitted with foot ulcerations between 2007 and 2017 inclusive. We determined management costs including drug usage, wound dressings, surgical procedures, admissions, and basic investigation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Factors affecting the direct perspective medical costs of managing DFU. SAMPLE SIZE: 99 patients. RESULTS: The overall cost of managing 99 patients with DFU was 6 618 043.3 SAR ($1 764 632.68 USD), which further translates to approximately 6684.9 SAR per patient/year ($1782.6 USD). The highest cost incurred was for admission expenditure (45.6%), followed by debridement (14.5%) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (10.4%). CONCLUSION: The overall healthcare expenditure in treating DFU is high, with hospital admissions and surgical procedures adding a significant increase to the total cost. Focused patient education on overall glycemic control and prevention of DFU may decrease complications and hence, the overall cost. LIMITATIONS: Identified only the direct medical costs of DFU as the indirect costs were subjective and more difficult to quantify. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Fabaceae is the third largest family containing great variation among populations. However, previous studies mainly focus on single species, and phytochemicals at population level have never been reported. This work aims to complete this knowledge with 50 populations from throughout Thailand by (1) determining total phenolic (TPC), flavonoid (TFC), and anthocyanin (TAC) contents; and (2) investigating in vitro and cellular antioxidant potentials. Phytochemicals of 50 populations from different localities are differed, illustrating high heterogeneity occurring in polyphenols accumulations. Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis populations showed low variability in TPC ranging from 628.3 to 717.3 mg/100 g DW gallic acid equivalent, whereas the high variability found in TFC and TAC range from 786.9 to 1536.1 mg/100 g DW quercetin equivalent, and 13.4 to 41.6 mg/100 g DW cyanidin equivalent. Red cultivar population #16 had the greatest TAC, but surprisingly the cream cultivars were relatively high in anthocyanins. HPLC quantification of genistein and daidzein showed great variations among populations. In vitro antioxidant results indicated that antioxidant capacity mediated by electron transfer. Cellular antioxidants ranged from 59.7% to 87.9% of ROS/RNS in yeast model. This study investigated at the population level contributing to better and frontier knowledge for nutraceutical/phytopharmaceutical sectors to seek potential raw plant material.

This research was carried out to assess essential oils (EOs), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids (TFD), total flavonols (TFL), total chlorophyll, total carotenoids, total anthocyanins, and different antioxidant activity assays in two plant samples (leaf and bud) of Iberis amara L. The gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry (GC-MS) of the EOs and the head space (HS)-GC-MS of the methanolic leaf extracts identified 34 and 6 different compounds, respectively. The major components of the leaf EOs were carvacrol (9.4%), camphene (6.2%), р-cymene (4.3%), and eugenol (3.8%) respectively, whereas cumin aldehyde (10.4%) was the main component in the bud sample. 1-Butene, 4-isothiocyanate (50%) was identified as the main component in the HS-GC-MS analysis of leaves extract. The highest content of TPC (32.8 ± 0.7 mg GAE/gDW), TFD (28.4 ± 0.7 mg QE/gDW), TFL (11.8 ± 0.06 mg QE/gFW), and anthocyanin (0.4 ±0.02 µmol/g FW) was found in the methanolic extract of leaves. The highest antioxidant activity in the phosphomolibdate assay (628.3 ± 10 µg AAE/gFW) and the least activity in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay (IC50 = 415 ± 3.1 µg/mL) was found in leaf samples. The high ratio of monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes of the EOs along with the high antioxidant activity propose the application of this medicinal plant for general or specific applications in food industries as a herbal plant.

ABSTRACTBeusite-(Ca), ideally Ca${\rm Mn}_{\rm 2}^{2 +} $(PO4)2, is a new graftonite-group mineral from the Yellowknife pegmatite field, Northwest Territories, Canada. It occurs in a beryl–columbite–phosphate rare-element pegmatite where it is commonly intergrown with triphylite–lithiophilite or sarcopside, and may form by exsolution from a high-temperature (Li,Ca)-rich graftonite-like parent phase. It occurs as pale-brown lamellae 0.1–1.5 mm wide in triphylite, and is pale brown with a vitreous lustre and a very pale-brown streak. It is brittle, has a Mohs hardness of 5, and the calculated density is 3.610 g/cm3. Beusite-(Ca) is colourless in plane-polarized light, and is biaxial (+) with α = 1.685(2), β = 1.688(2), γ = 1.700(5), and the optic axial angle is 46.0(5)°. It is non-pleochroic with X || b; Y ˄ a = 40.3° in β obtuse; Z ˄ a = 49.7° in β acute. Beusite-(Ca) is monoclinic, has space group P21/c, a = 8.799(2), b = 11.724(2), c = 6.170(1) Å, β = 99.23(3)°, V = 628.3(1) Å3 and Z = 4. Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave P2O5 41.63, FeO 19.43, MnO 23.63, CaO 15.45, sum 100.14 wt.%. The empirical formula was normalized on the basis of 8 anions pfu: (Ca0.94Fe0.92Mn1.13)Σ2.99(PO4)2.00. The crystal structure was refined to an R1 index of 1.55%. Beusite-(Ca) is a member of the graftonite group with Ca completely ordered at the [8]-coordinated M(1) site.

To analyze the dynamic variation in perioperative hidden blood loss in patients with intertrochanteric fracture. From January to December 2017, 79 patients with intertrochanteric fracture were treated with proximal femoral nail antirotation. Serial complete blood count assays were performed consecutively in the 3 days after admission, on the day of surgery, and 7 days postoperatively. Blood loss during surgery, postoperative drainage, and perioperative blood transfusion volumes were recorded. Dynamic changes in hemoglobin (Hb) prior to surgery were recorded and compared between males and females. Patients were divided into the no blood transfusion group, the 400-mL blood transfusion group, and the 800-mL blood transfusion group depending on the volume of perioperative blood transfusion. Total and hidden blood loss were separately calculated according to the Gross equation. Lowest mean Hb values occurred on day 2 after admission among men (104.8 g/L) and on day 3 after admission among women (98.6 g/L). The average Hb decrease was 11.4 g/L, 11.8 g/L, and 8.9 g/L in the no, 400-mL, and 800-mL blood transfusion groups, respectively. The lowest Hb value occurred on postoperative day 2. Hemoglobin increased on postoperative day 3 and stabilized by day 6. In the no blood transfusion group, the average total blood loss was 406.0 ± 255.6 mL, 628.3 ± 267.2 mL, and 759.7 ± 322.1 mL in the no blood transfusion, 400-mL blood transfusion, and 800-mL blood transfusion groups, respectively, and hidden blood loss was 326.0 ± 246.6 mL, 512.1 ± 247.3 mL, and 596.1 ± 306.9 mL, respectively. Perioperative hidden blood loss occurred prior to surgery for intertrochanteric fracture and ended on postoperative day 2.

Purpose: To determine the role of microvascular endothelial dysfunction as risk factor for primary open angle glaucoma. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 114 Malay patients with POAG seen at the eye clinic of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Patients aged between 40 and 80 years who were diagnosed with other types of glaucoma, previous glaucoma filtering surgery or other surgeries except uncomplicated cataract surgery and pterygium surgery were excluded. A total of 101 patients who were followed up for dry eyes, age-related cataracts or post cataracts extraction surgery were recruited as control subjects. Those with family history of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect were excluded. Microvascular endothelial function was assessed using laser Doppler fluximetry and the process of iontophoresis. Iontophoresis with acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was used to measure microvascular endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilatations, respectively. Results: In general, POAG patients demonstrated lower ACh% and AChmax values compared with controls. There was significant difference in microvascular endothelial function [ACh%: mean, 95% confidence interval = 503.1 (378.0, 628.3), and AChmax: mean, 95% confidence interval = 36.8 (30.2, 43.5)] between primary open angle glaucoma cases ( p < 0.001) and controls [ACh%: mean, 95% confidence interval = 1378.4 (1245.4, 1511.3), and AChmax: mean, 95% confidence interval = 79.2 (72.1, 86.2)]; this difference remained significant even after controlling for potential confounders. Similar difference was also found in SNP% and SNPmax between POAG and controls ( p < 0.001). Age and diastolic blood pressure were inversely correlated with microvascular endothelial function. Conclusion: There was an impairment of microvascular endothelial function and endothelial-independent vasodilatation in POAG patients. Microvascular endothelial function is a potential risk factor for POAG.

We tested the hypotheses that type 2 diabetes (T2D) impairs the 1) leg hemodynamic responses to an incremental intermittent plantar-flexion exercise and 2) dynamic responses of leg vascular conductance (LVC) during low-intensity (30% maximal voluntary contraction, MVC) and high-intensity (70% MVC) constant-load plantar-flexion exercise in the supine posture. Forty-four middle-aged individuals with T2D (14 women), and 35 healthy nondiabetic (ND) individuals (18 women) were tested. Leg blood flow (LBF) was measured between each contraction using venous occlusion plethysmography. During the incremental test peak force (Fpeak) relative to MVC was significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) in men and women with T2D compared with their respective nondiabetic counterparts. Peak LBF and the slope of LBF relative to percentage Fpeak were also reduced ( P < 0.05) in women with T2D compared with healthy women (peak blood flow, 460.6 ± 126.8 vs. 628.3 ± 347.7 ml/min; slope, 3.78 ± 1.74 vs. 5.85 ± 3.14 ml·min−1·%Fpeak−1) and in men with T2D compared with nondiabetic men (peak blood flow, 621.7 ± 241.3 vs. 721.2 ± 359.7 ml/min; slope, 5.75 ± 2.66 vs. 6.33 ± 3.63 ml·min−1·%Fpeak−1). During constant-load contractions at 30% MVC T2D did not affect the dynamic responses of LVC (LBF/MAP). However, at 70% MVC [completed by a subgroup of participants (20 with T2D, 6 women; 13 ND, 6 women)] the time constant of the second growth phase of LVC was longer and the amplitude of the first growth phase was lower ( P < 0.05 for both) in men and women with T2D. The results suggest that the T2D-induced impairments in performance of the leg muscles are related to reductions in blood flow in both men and women.

Na osnovu podataka o hidrološkim i parametrima kvaliteta sa 28 mernih profila u slivuVelike, Južne i Zapadne Morave od 2000. do 2009. godine, u radu je analizirano prostorno ivremensko rasprostranjivanje zagađujućih materija duž analiziranih vodotoka, kao i uticajpoznatih izvora zagađenja na kvalitet vode u vodotocima. U cilju ocene mogućnostipredviđanja vrednosti nekih od parametara kvaliteta u analiziranim vodotocima, statističkomanalizom obuhvaćeni su podaci sa 5 mernih profila, za koje su postavljeni modeli regresioneanalize za predikciju sadržaja rastvorenog kiseonika, koncentracije suspendovanih materija,koncentracije orto-fosfata, vrednosti HPK i vrednosti BPK5, a na osnovu vrednosti proticaja ivremenske komponente – meseca u godini u kome je vršeno merenje.
On the basis of data on hydrological and water quality parameters from 28 measure points inthe river basins of Velika Morava, Južna Morava and Zapadna Morava, during ten yearsperiod from 2000. to 2009., this work analyzes spatial and temporal dispersal of pollutantsalong the observed watercourses, as well as the effect of known sources of pollution to thewater quality. In order to estimate the possibility for predicting of some water qualityparameters (concentration of dissolved oxygen, concentration of suspended matters,concentration of o-phosphates, COD and BOD5) values, based on value of flow and timecomponent (month of the year in which the measurement was performed), for 7 measurepoints there are defined statistical regression models.

PGP mikroorganizmi (Plant Growth Promoting) su predmet mnogobrojnih istraživanja, čiji je glavni cilj pronalaženje adekvatnog načina njihove primene u poljoprivredi, hortikulturi, šumarstvu i zaštititi životne sredine. Cilj ovih istraživanja bio je izolacija i karakterizacija mikroorganizama sa PGP svojstvima iz rizosfere engleskog ljulja, ispitivanje sposobnosti njihovog preživljavanja nakon unošenja u zemljište, kao i praćenje uticaja njihove primene na parametre prinosa i mikrobiološku aktivnost u rizosferi biljke. Karakterizacija izolata roda Pseudomonas, Bacillus i Streptomyces obuhvatila je određivanje fizioloških, biohemijskih i PGP osobina. Uticaj introdukcije odabranih izolata i gljive Trichoderma asperellum na brojnost i mikrobiološku aktivnost u rizosferi engleskog ljulja, određivan je standardnim metodama na selektivnim hranljivim podlogama, a dehidrogenazna aktivnost spektrofotometrijskom metodom. U laboratorijskim uslovima ispitivan je efekat primene izolata na klijavost, dužinu korenka i stabaoca klice semena engleskog ljulja. U toku godine, uzimana su tri otkosa i pri tome su određivani dužina nadzemnog dela i korena biljke (cm) i prinos zelene i suve materije nadzemnog dela biljke po otkosu (t/ha). Na osnovu morfoloških, fiziološko-biohemijskih, kao i PGP osobina koje su izolati pokazali, te na osnovu rezultata mnogobrojnih dosadašnjih istraživanja, može se zaključiti da izolati P1 i P9 pripadaju vrsti Pseudomonas putida, izolat P12 Pseudomonas fluorescens, izolati B1, B3 i B6 vrsti Bacillus subtilis, a izolati A1, A2, A3 rodu Streptomyces. Brojnost pojedinih sistematskih i fizioloških grupa mikroorganizama kao i enzimatska aktivnost u rizosferi engleskog ljulja, zavisila je od primenjenih inokulanata. Primena izolata Pseudomonas sp. P12 pozitivno je uticala na povećanje ukupnog broja mikroorganizama, brojnost gljiva, aminoheterotrofa i aktinomiceta. Izolat Bacillus sp. B1 uticao je na povećanje ukupnog broja mikroorganizama, brojnosti gljiva i azotobaktera. Primena izolata Streptomyces sp. A3 dovela je do povećanja broja aktinomiceta i oligonitrofila, dok je primena Trichoderma asperellum uticala pozitivno na povećanje broja aminoheterotrofa i azotobaktera. Primena izolata Pseudomonas sp. P12 i Streptomyces sp. A3 imala je najveći efekat na dehidrogenaznu aktivnost. Inokulacija je imala pozitivan uticaj na klijavost, svežu i suvu masu biljke, visinu i dužinu korena biljaka. Primena gljive Trichoderma asperellum i izolata Streptomyces sp. A3 delovala je pozitivno na klijavost, dužinu korenka i stabaoca klice. U proseku, najbolji efekat na prinos sveže i suve materije, kao i na visinu nadzemnog dela i dužinu korena biljke, imala je primena izolata Pseudomonas sp.P12 i Bacillus sp. B1.U proizvodnji krmnih trava mikroorganizmi još nisu našli značajniju praktičnu primenu iako je veći i kvalitetniji prinos jedan od ciljeva stočarske proizvodnje. Rezultati ovih istraživanja su pokazali da se primenom mikroorganizama mogu postići pozitivni efekti i u proizvodnji engleskog ljulja. Zbog toga je veoma značajno da se vrše dalja ispitivanja uzajamnog odnosa primenjenih mikroorganizama i engleskog ljulja u poljskim uslovima, kako bi se optimizirao način i vreme primene inokulanata
PGP microorganisms (Plant Growth Promoting) have been the subject of many research projects, whose main goal is to find appropriate methods of their use in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and environmental protection. The aim of this study is the isolation and characterization of microorganisms with PGP characteristics from the rhizosphere of perennial ryegrass, testing their ability to survive after entering the soil, and monitoring the impact of their application on yield parameters and microbial activity in the rhizosphere of plants. Characterization of Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Streptomyces included determination of the physiological, biochemical and PGP characteristics. Impact of the introduction of selected isolates and fungi Trichoderma asperellum on quantity and microbial activity in the rhizosphere of ryegrass was determined by using the standard method of selective media; dehydrogenase activity by the spectrophotometric method. The effects of the implementation of isolates on germination, seedling length sprouts seeds of perennial ryegrass were studied under laboratory conditions. During the year, three cuttings were taken. At each of the three cuttings, length of stem and roots of plants (cm) and yields of fresh and dry matter of the plant (t / ha) were measured.Based on morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics and PGP characteristics observed in the isolates, and based on the results of many previous studies, it can be concluded that (1) P1 and P9 isolates belong to the species Pseudomonas putida, (2)Pseudomonas fluorescens P12 isolate, isolates of B1, B3, B6, belong to the species Bacillus subtilis, and (3) A1, A2 and A3 isolates belong to the ordo Streptomyces. The quantity of systematic and physiological groups of microorganisms and enzymatic activity in the rhizosphere of ryegrass depended on the applied inoculants. Application of Pseudomonas sp. P12 had positive effects on increasing the total number of microorganisms, fungi, aminoheterotrophs and actinomycetes. Isolate Bacillus sp. B1 affected the increase of the total number of micro-organisms in the fungi and Azotobacter. Application of Streptomyces sp. isolates A3 led to an increase in the number of actinomycetes and oligonitrophyls, while the application of Trichoderma asperellum had positive impact on increasing the number aminoheterotrophs and Azotobacter. Application of Pseudomonas sp. P12 and Streptomyces sp. A3 had the greatest effect on dehydrogenase activity. Inoculation had a positive effect on germination, fresh and dry weight of plant, height and rootlength of plants. Introduction of fungus Trichoderma asperellum and Streptomyces sp. A3 isolate acted positively on germination, length of seedling of germs. On average, the best effects on the yield of fresh and dry matter, the height of the stem of the plant and the length of the root were attained by the application of Pseudomonas sp.P12 and Bacillus sp. B1 isolates. Microorganisms have not yet found significant practical use in the production of forage grasses, even though more qualitative yield has been sought in livestock production. The results of this study demonstrate that positive results in the production of perennial ryegrass can be achieved by the use of microorganisms. Therefore, it is very important to carry out further studies of the relationship between applied microorganisms and ryegrass under field conditions in order to optimize the method and time of application of inoculants.

Anaerobic biological processes have been recognized as the most suitable pathway towards sustainable wastewater treatment due to the lower energy required and the lower amounts of biosolids generated when compared to conventional aerobic technologies. The difficulties experienced with the implementation of anaerobic reactors for the treatment of low strength wastewater at low temperatures are related to the deterioration of treatment capacity and effluent quality due to inefficient removal of colloidal matter and biomass washout. Membrane technology can overcome the limitation of anaerobic bioreactors since they retain not only solids but also colloidal and high molecular weight organics. This thesis explores the potential of anaerobic membrane bioreactors as core technology for mainstream wastewater treatment. The impacts of seed sludge, temperatures and bioreactors configuration on treatment efficiency and membrane performance as well as nutrient removal using ion exchange resins are investigated. Cont/d.

During this project, the treatment of a simulated wastewater from soluble starch by a two-phase anaerobic system using an UASB reactor was examined under mesophilic conditions. Prior to seeding the reactors, the pregranulated sludge which was to be used as the inoculum for the acidogenic reactor, was acidified to pH 4.3, using a mixture of volatile fatty acids, to improve the spatial bacteria separation in the system. The two-phase system was studied, first under different organic loads and secondly, in terms of its resistance to the addition of heavy metals. For the first experimetal studies, different organic load were applied to the system, and changes to the microbial ecology of the acidogenic and the methanogenic phase was assessed. The biomass in the methanogenic reactor was mainly composed of fluorescent methanogenic bacteria. In the acidogenic reactor after the start-up period elapsed, no fluorescent bacteria were observed. Two different runs were performed and for each individual run, different OLR were used. For the first run, the organic loads applied to the system were from 3.83 to 30.63 kg COD/m3d, this gave organic loads for the methanogenic reactor of between 4.56 to 44.3 kg COD/m3d. In the second run, the OLR used were from 10 to 16.6 kg COD/m3d for the overall system, and from 13 to 23.35 kg COD/m3d for the methanogenic reactor. Organic loads greater than 15 kg COD/m3d, caused biomass wash-out from both the acidogenic and methanogenic reactor. The best COD removal efficiencies and gas production rates were achieved by the system under OLR of 13.31 kg COD/m3d, with pCOD removal efficiency of 95 % and methane production of 80.2 %. The biogas production was 0.33 m3CH4/kg COD removed. Under high applied organic load, the microbial population of the methanogenic reactor changed, and filamentous foaming bacteria were isolated both from the sludge and the foam that was produced. The species found to be responsible for the foam formation in the anaerobic methanogenic reactor was Microthrix parvicella, which was identified using the Neisser test and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). For the second part of this experimental work, copper and lead were used as toxic elements. These two heavy metals were choose due to the fact that they are subproducts of many industries and can cause significant environmental problems. Copper and lead were used as the acetates and chlorides to study the effect of these heavy metals when they were combined with different anions. It was found that the combination of copper and lead as chlorides were more toxic to the anaerobic treatment than when they were present as acetate. Also, it was found that the two heavy metals used were toxic to the acidogenic phase and not to the methanogenic phase.

Pharmaceuticals, personal care products and their metabolites are contiuously entering the environment through many route, especially from the effluent of sewage treatment plants. The aim of this work was to examine the fate and removal of pharmaceuticals during sewage treatment, and establish ways in which current sewage treatment technologies could be optimised to improve removal. Based on an analysis of pharmaceutical usage and environmental effects, four compounds were selected for further study (triclosan, tetracycline, carbamazepine, and caffeine). Reliable analytical methods were developed, using HPLC-UV, to detect these compounds in sewage samples. The amounts of removal of the four compounds were quantified using laboratory sorption and biodegradation tests. Both tetracycline and triclosan were shown to be readily biodegradable, and to sorb strongly to biomass, although sorption occurred at different rates. Caffeine degraded rapidly, but did not sorb to biomass, whilst carbamazepine did not sorb or biodegrade. Grab samples were taken before and after every major process unit at four sewage treatment plants (STPs). Although tetracycline was not detected in any samples, triclosan was measured at concentrations up to 5115 ng 1-1, caffeine was measured at concentrations up to 82,300 ng1-1, and carbamazepine was measured at concentrations up to 1461 ng 1-1. This is the first time carbamazepine and caffeine concentrations have been reported in UK sewage. The grab samples showed that a wide range of pharmaceutical effluent concentrations can be enough to cause immediate harm (i.e. death) to aquatic organisms. However, there is insufficient infomation to determine whether exposure to these low concentrations, typically around PNEC levels, may have an effect over a long period of time. Further composite sampling conducted at one STP generated data, modelled using Toxchem+, which demonstrated how variations in a wide range of parameters were correlated with the removal of pharmaceuticals. These showed that whilst sludge age may be the most important parameter, pH, temperature, hydraulic retention time, and chemical oxygen demand could have a critical effect on the removal of pharmaceuticals. Several ways of optimising sewage treatment plants have been proposed, including pH adjustments and longer HRTs to enhance sorption, as well as a novel adaptation to activated sludge tanks incorporating two IFAS type bioreactors to enhance biodegradation. The effects of plant operating events, such as aeration failures, were also investigated. These showed that a typical length of aeration loss (four hours) could result in reduced pharmaceutical removal (through decreases in both sorption and biodegradation) for up to twelve hours. Overall, this work has shown that it may be possible to adapt current sewage treatment technology to improve removal of pharmaceuticals which sorb or biodegrade readily. With further research, these adaptations could become a viable alternatice to tertiary treatment technologies such as ozonation, granular activated carbon, or chlorine dioxide.

This study evaluated the application of magnetised powdered activated carbons and biochars, in the removal of typical pollutants encountered in refinery and other wastewaters. Phenol, pharmaceuticals and heavy metals were chosen as representatives of priority pollutants, organic micropollutants and metals. In the sorption of the organics, there existed a strong correlation (Pearson correlation R up to 0.9990) between isotherm models’ capacity parameters and sorbents’ capacity influencing properties. In the case of the metals, the sorbents’ capacities are not dependent upon surface area and micropore volume. In some instances, the biochars have on the average about 20.45% higher uptake of the metals than the activated carbons. A general decrease in phenol uptake on the biochars with increase in pH was recorded, due to electrostatic repulsion between like charged surface and sorbates. For the activated carbons, peak phenol sorption was found within the vicinity of the pKa and point of zero charge when there is maximum electrostatic attraction between the opposite charged surface and sorbates. For the micropollutants, ibuprofen was negatively affected by an increase in pH while diclofenac sorption was not sensitive to changes in pH. Sorption of metals was found to increase with an increase in pH. Synthetic wastewater (SWW) did not have a significant impact on the sorption of the phenol and heavy metals. In the case of phenol, the highest impact, an average of just 6.15% for all sorbents was recorded. For the micropollutants, according to the linear model, there is, on the other hand, about 92 and 96% less uptake of diclofenac and ibuprofen respectively due to competition. Finally, in an equimolar solution, due to its high solubility, Zn2+ was outcompeted by Cu2+ and Pb2+ for binding to available sorption sites.

Biofilms are sessile microbial communities attached to a surface, and offer a multitude of benefits to various biotechnological applications, such as anaerobic digestion. Therefore, engineering systems to promote biofilm formation is becoming increasingly desirable in the biotechnology sector. This thesis aimed to promote biofilm formation from the robust model methanogen, Methanosarcina barkeri, onto polymer support materials as a strategy for optimising the anaerobic digestion of domestic wastewater in peri-urban areas. A first step in this direction was to understand the effect of the support material on the biofilm-forming capabilities of M. barkeri. Various techniques were used throughout this thesis to show that the choice of support material was an important environmental factor in triggering different physiological responses from M. barkeri during biofilm formation. DLVO modelling, surface characterisation and static adhesion assays revealed the important role of the physicochemical surface properties of M. barkeri and the six support materials for initial microbial adhesion. M. barkeri was shown to exhibit different abilities to attach to the support materials, with the type of material strongly influencing the extent of initial attachment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, zeta potential analysis and fluorescence microscopy suggested that significant modifications to the cell surface occurred in response to attachment to a favourable support material (PVC), with increased levels of cell surface polysaccharides detected in biofilms attached to PVC compared to PETG. Furthermore, microbial attachment to PVC caused a significant higher relative abundance of proteins involved in methanogenesis, metabolism, cell wall biogenesis and EPS production compared to biofilms attached to PETG. The results from this thesis suggest that M. barkeri showcases different physiological responses for biofilm formation depending on the support material. Therefore, the choice of support material is an important design parameter for retaining microbial biomass within AD reactors, and should be considered in future design frameworks for high rate anaerobic digestion.