“Experimental study on water pollution tendencies around Lobuliet, Khor bou and Luri streams in Juba, South Sudan

Urbanization and population demand for resources in Juba has led to pollution of aquatic ecosystems and deteriorated water quality. The streams water samples in Juba, central equatoria state, were collected in sterile 500ml plastic containers and instantaneously experimented. The pH, total solids, total dissolved solids, alkalinity and nitrate were used for evaluation. The results were then compared with standard permissible limits. The pH for Khor bou and Luri streams ranges from 6.1 to 6.7. Lobuliet stream showed abnormal pH value ranging from 9.7 to 9.9. Alkalinity ranges from 106.67 to 1060.33 mg/l. Total dissolved solids (TDS) ranges from 0.002mg/ml to 20.00mg/l. Statistical analysis using ANOVA indicated that TDS was insignificantly different (p>0.05) among the sites sampled. The nitrite level was low ranging from 0.04mg/l to 0.09mg/l. The cadmium and lead concentration ranges from 0.86mg/l to 1.92mg/l and 0.29mg/l to 0.95mg/l respectively. Analysis of variance showed the concentration of cadmium and lead were significantly different (P<0.05) among the sites sampled. Lobuliet stream had the highest concentration of heavy metals. The study concluded that pollution tendencies were attributed to the discharge of municipal and industrial effluent to the streams and if not properly tackled, may pose adverse impacts to the biogeochemical cycle

From Decolonial to the Postcolonial: Trauma of an Unfinished Agenda

Expression stability of the candidate reference genes under different conditions. (DOCX 13 kb

A novel process for nutrients removal and phosphorus recovery from domestic wastewater by combining BNR with induced crystallization

An excessive discharge of phosphorus from wastewater to water bodies may potentially contribute to eutrophication. On the other hand, mineral phosphorus resources will be depleted in the near future, because of difficulty to automatically recycle from water to land, unlike nitrogen. A new process for nutrients removal coupled with phosphorus recovery was proposed in this study by combining biological nutrients removal (BNR) with induced crystallization (IC), BNR-IC for short later, differently from conventional phosphorus recovery process. Our results showed that the BNR-IC system can maintain not only high and stable carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies, all presenting above 90%, but also good phosphorus recovery performance from synthetic domestic wastewater, displaying about 70.2% of phosphorus recovery rate. When the COD, TN, NH4–N and P concentrations of 250 mg L−1, 42 mg L−1, 40 mg L−1, and 10 mg L−1, respectively were given in the influent, a stable removal efficiencies of 92.5% COD, 78.6% TN, 85.9% NH4–N and 95.2% P were obtained for the BNR-IC process and correspondingly the COD, TN, NH4–N and P concentrations of 18.75 mg L−1, 8.99 mg L−1, 5.64 mg L−1, 0.42 mg L−1 were monitored in the effluent, meeting the Chinese National Class I (grade A) Sewage Discharge Standard. Analyses of SEM and EDS, moreover, also demonstrated that the surface of seed crystal (calcite used here) was completely covered by hydroxyl calcium phosphate (HAP) produced during the induced crystallization process to recover phosphorus. Although our study involved only a small-scale trial, the proposed BNR-IC process here may be a promising technology, and can potentially aid in improvement of the effluent quality from WWTP and in recycle of mineral phosphorus resources when applied to practice

Research Article Experimental Study on Anoxic/Oxic Bioreactor and Constructed Wetland for Rural Domestic Wastewater Treatment

Abstract: This study examined the removal of nutrients from the domestic wastewater through the application of integrated anoxic/oxic (A/O) bio-reactor and constructed wetland system. Influent and effluent samples were collected from the system and experimented for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), NH 4 + -N, NO 3 --N and TP in the laboratory. Different Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) and recycle ratios were applied in the reactor to evaluate their influence on removal efficiency of nutrients. The temperature was controlled between 20 to 24°C and pH ranges was 7.6-8.1. The result revealed average COD removal efficiencies of 47, 68, 74, 83 and 85% at HRT of 1.5, 4, 2, 3 and 5 h. The average removal of NH4+-N was 60.3, 63.0, 64.4, 71 and 91.8 % operated with HRT of 2, 3, 5, 1.5 and 4 h, respectively. The average removal of NO3--N was 92, 94, 95 and 97% run with HRT of 2, 1.5, 3, 5 and 4 h, respectively. The average removal of TP was 78, 85, 88 and 89% operated with HRT of 5, 3, 2 and 1 h. This system removed up to 74.1, 94.4 and 85% of NH4+-N, NO3--N and TP with proper pH control using external source of alkalinity. The result showed the optimum recycle ratio of 3. The results obtained attest that, the integrated anoxic/oxic bioreactor and constructed wetland is feasible and efficient for wastewater treatment

An innovative continuous flow BNR-IC process for nutrients removal and phosphorus recovery from synthetic and real domestic wastewater

An innovative continuous flow process linking biological nutrients removal (BNR) with induced crystallization (IC) was used to remove nutrients and recover phosphorus (P) from synthetic and real domestic wastewater. The results showed that a good nutrients removal performance was found regardless of feeding solutions. P recovery efficiency from synthetic wastewater was 70.2% slightly less than that from real domestic sewage (74.2%). Importantly, P recovery can effectively enhance the subsequent biological P removal. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis displayed an obvious shift in microbial community structure when switching feeding synthetic solution to real wastewater. A total of 13 bands were detected in sludge samples using synthetic and real domestic sewage, affiliated with 8 phyla or classes domain Bacteria (Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Flavobacteria, Actinobacteria, Sphingobacteria, Epsilonproteobacteria and Chlorobia). The results obtained here suggest that the continuous flow BNR-IC process is feasible for nutrients removal and P recovery from domestic sewage and is a promising technology for wastewater treatment combined with recycling of P elements

Morphology, internal architectures and formation mechanisms of mega-pockmarks on the northwestern South China Sea margin

Peer reviewedPostprin

Unravelling cenozoic carbonate platform fluid expulsion: deciphering pockmark morphologies and genesis in the Tanintharyi shelf of the Andaman Sea as promising hydrocarbon reservoirs

Pockmarks, intriguing seafloor geological and geomorphological features, are commonly observed in marginal basins with hydrocarbon potential. As a Cenozoic marginal sea, the Andaman Sea is known for its significant petroleum reserves, and exploring its back-arc continental margin has revealed favourable conditions for petroleum occurrences. This study focuses on the Tanintharyi passive continental margin in the Andaman Sea, employing extensive stratigraphic and morphological analyses based on 2D and 3D seismic data interpretation techniques. Specifically, sub seafloor characteristics of the Tanintharyi shelf region were investigated, focusing on comprehensively understanding pockmark morphologies, including their generation, evolution, migration, preservation, and the complete process leading to seabed leakage. This study revealed the potential of the Oligocene/Early Miocene carbonate platform in the Tanintharyi shelf region as a significant hydrocarbon reservoir for the upwelling buoyant fluids from the deep East Andaman Basin. Besides reservoir function, this carbonate platform serves as a passageway for the migration of fluids from the deep-sea area to the shallow-sea area, thereby playing a pivotal role in supporting fluid expulsion mechanisms in shaping a pockmark train adjacent to truncated sedimentary formations surrounding a geomorphological high on the contemporary seafloor. Additionally, the study examines the influence of changes in sedimentary facies and the tectonic setting of the Andaman Sea on pockmark evolutions, with a specific emphasis on the role of the uppermost shallow marine shale beds in developing sub-seafloor overpressure systems due to their impermeable seal rock properties. The article presents substantial evidence for the initiation of pockmark fields during the Middle Miocene period, followed by their transformation into pockmark trains on the present-day seafloor, attributed to the triggering effect of sub-seafloor overpressure systems due to changes in sedimentary dynamics in the Andaman Sea