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Unsafe disposal of faecal sludge from onsite sanitation in low-income countries has detrimental effects on public health and the environment. The production of biochar from faecal sludge offers complete destruction of pathogens and a value-added treatment product. To date, research has been limited to the laboratory. This study evaluates the biochars produced from the co-treatment of faecal sludge from septic tanks and agricultural waste at two full-scale treatment plants in India by determining their physical and chemical properties to establish their potential applications. The process yielded macroporous, powdery biochars that can be utilised for soil amendment or energy recovery. Average calorific values reaching 14.9 MJ/kg suggest use as solid fuel, but are limited by a high ash content. Phosphorus and potassium are enriched in the biochar but their concentrations are restricted by the nutrient-depleted nature of septic tank faecal sludge. High concentrations of calcium and magnesium led to a liming potential of up to 20.1% calcium carbonate equivalents, indicating suitability for use on acidic soils. Heavy metals present in faecal sludge were concentrated in the biochar and compliance for soil application will depend on local regulations. Nevertheless, heavy metal mobility was considerably reduced, especially for Cu and Zn, by 51.2-65.2% and 48.6-59.6% respectively. Co-treatment of faecal sludge with other carbon-rich waste streams can be used to influence desired biochar properties. In this case, the addition of agricultural waste increased nutrient and fixed carbon concentrations, as well as providing an additional source of energy. This study is a proof of concept for biochar production achieving full-scale faecal sludge treatment. The findings will help inform appropriate use of the treatment products as this technology becomes more commonly applied., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The role of natural organic matter (NOM) on nitrite formation from nitrate photolysis by low pressure ultraviolet lamp (LP-UV) photolysis and LP-UV/H 2 O 2 treatment was investigated. Nitrate levels up to the WHO guideline maximum of 50 mg NO 3 - /L were used in tests. The presence of 4 mg/L Suwannee River natural organic matter (NOM) led to increased nitrite yields compared to NOM-free controls. This was caused partly by NOM scavenging of OH radicals, preserving the produced NO 2 - as well as the ONOO - that leads to NO 2 - formation, but also via the production of radical species ( 1 O 2 , O 2 - and OH) by the photolysis of NOM. In addition, solvated electrons formed by NOM photolysis may reduce nitrate directly to nitrite. For comparison, Nordic Lake NOM, representative of aquatic NOM, as well as Pony Lake NOM, which had a greater nitrogen content (6.51% w/w) than the other two types of NOM, were investigated, yielding similar nitrite levels as Suwannee River NOM. The results suggest that neither the type nor the nitrogen content of the NOM have an effect on the nitrite yields obtained over the range of UV/H 2 O 2 doses applied (UV fluences of 500-2100 mJ/cm 2 and hydrogen peroxide doses of 10, 25, and 50 mg/L). The findings indicate that for UV fluences above 1500 mJ/cm 2 the resulting nitrite concentration can exceed the 0.1 mg/L EU regulatory limit for nitrite, suggesting that nitrite formation by LP-UV advanced oxidation of nitrate-rich waters is important to consider., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The degradation kinetics of three pesticides - metaldehyde, clopyralid and mecoprop - by ultraviolet photolysis and hydroxyl radical oxidation by low pressure ultraviolet hydrogen peroxide (LP-UV/H2O2) advanced oxidation was determined. Mecoprop was susceptible to both LP-UV photolysis and hydroxyl radical oxidation, and exhibited the fastest degradation kinetics, achieving 99.6% (2.4-log) degradation with a UV fluence of 800 mJ/cm(2) and 5 mg/L hydrogen peroxide. Metaldehyde was poorly degraded by LP-UV photolysis while 97.7% (1.6-log) degradation was achieved with LP-UV/H2O2 treatment at the maximum tested UV fluence of 1000 mJ/cm(2) and 15 mg/L hydrogen peroxide. Clopyralid was hardly susceptible to LP-UV photolysis and exhibited the lowest degradation by LP-UV/H2O2 among the three pesticides. The second-order reaction rate constants for the reactions between the pesticides and OH-radicals were calculated applying a kinetic model for LP-UV/H2O2 treatment to be 3.6 × 10(8), 2.0 × 10(8) and 1.1 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) for metaldehyde, clopyralid and mecoprop, respectively. The main LP-UV photolysis reaction product from mecoprop was 2-(4-hydroxy-2-methylphenoxy) propanoic acid, while photo-oxidation by LP-UV/H2O2 treatment formed several oxidation products. The photo-oxidation of clopyralid involved either hydroxylation or dechlorination of the ring, while metaldehyde underwent hydroxylation and produced acetic acid as a major end product. Based on the findings, degradation pathways for the three pesticides by LP-UV/H2O2 treatment were proposed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite the recent focus on nitrogenous disinfection byproducts in drinking water, there is limited occurrence data available for many species. This paper analyses the occurrence of seven haloacetonitriles, three haloacetamides, eight halonitromethanes and cyanogen chloride in 20 English drinking water supply systems. It is the first survey of its type to compare bromine substitution factors (BSFs) between the haloacetamides and haloacetonitriles. Concentrations of the dihalogenated haloacetonitriles and haloacetamides were well correlated. Although median concentrations of these two groups were lower in chloraminated than chlorinated surface waters, median BSFs for both in chloraminated samples were approximately double those in chlorinated samples, which is significant because of the higher reported toxicity of the brominated species. Furthermore, median BSFs were moderately higher for the dihalogenated haloacetamides than for the haloacetonitriles. This indicates that, while the dihalogenated haloacetamides were primarily generated from hydrolysis of the corresponding haloacetonitriles, secondary formation pathways also contributed. Median halonitromethane concentrations were remarkably unchanging for the different types of disinfectants and source waters: 0.1 μg · mgTOC(-1) in all cases. Cyanogen chloride only occurred in a limited number of samples, yet when present its concentrations were higher than the other N-DBPs. Concentrations of cyanogen chloride and the sum of the halonitromethanes were not correlated with any other DBPs., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Haloacetamides (HAcAms), an emerging class of nitrogen-containing disinfection byproducts (N-DBPs) of health concern in drinking water, have been reported to occur in treated drinking waters at low μg/L levels typically. The objective of this study was to examine the potential of an ultraviolet light/persulfate (UV/PS) oxidation technology to reduce the precursors of HAcAms and also minimize the formation of other N-DBPs upon subsequent chlorination. Low-pressure UV photolysis alone and PS pre-oxidation alone did not significantly affect HAcAm formation, however UV/PS pre-oxidation achieved a statistically significant reduction in HAcAm formation and also reduced bromine incorporation into the HAcAms. UV/PS also showed a good performance in removing the precursors of haloacetonitriles and halonitromethanes prior to chlorination. Therefore, UV/PS has the potential to minimize the formation of a range of N-DBPs in organic nitrogen-rich waters where N-DBP precursors are prevalent. However, these benefits should be weighed against the potential drawbacks of increased bromate and sulfate formation, particularly in high-bromide waters., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Uncertainty regarding changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) quantity and quality has created interest in managing peatlands for their ecosystem services such as drinking water provision. The evidence base for such interventions is, however, sometimes contradictory. We performed a laboratory climate manipulation using a factorial design on two dominant peatland vegetation types (Calluna vulgaris and Sphagnum Spp.) and a peat soil collected from a drinking water catchment in Exmoor National Park, UK. Temperature and rainfall were set to represent baseline and future conditions under the UKCP09 2080s high emissions scenario for July and August. DOC leachate then underwent standard water treatment of coagulation/flocculation before chlorination. C. vulgaris leached more DOC than Sphagnum Spp. (7.17 versus 3.00 mg g(-1)) with higher specific ultraviolet (SUVA) values and a greater sensitivity to climate, leaching more DOC under simulated future conditions. The peat soil leached less DOC (0.37 mg g(-1)) than the vegetation and was less sensitive to climate. Differences in coagulation removal efficiency between the DOC sources appears to be driven by relative solubilisation of protein-like DOC, observed through the fluorescence peak C/T. Post-coagulation only differences between vegetation types were detected for the regulated disinfection by-products (DBPs), suggesting climate change influence at this scale can be removed via coagulation. Our results suggest current biodiversity restoration programmes to encourage Sphagnum Spp. will result in lower DOC concentrations and SUVA values, particularly with warmer and drier summers., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The presence of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs), including nitrosamines, cyanogen halides, haloacetonitriles, haloacetamides and halonitromethanes, in drinking water is of concern due to their high genotoxicity and cytotoxicity compared with regulated DBPs. Occurrence of N-DBPs is likely to increase if water sources become impacted by wastewater and algae. Moreover, a shift from chlorination to chloramination, an option for water providers wanting to reduce regulated DBPs such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), can also increase certain N-DBPs. This paper provides a critical review of the occurrence and control of N-DBPs. Data collated from surveys undertaken in the United States and Scotland were used to calculate that the sum of analysed halonitromethanes represented 3-4% of the mass of THMs on a median basis; with Pearson product moment correlation coefficients of 0.78 and 0.83 between formation of dihaloacetonitriles and that of THMs and HAAs respectively. The impact of water treatment processes on N-DBP formation is complex and variable. While coagulation and filtration are of moderate efficacy for the removal of N-DBP precursors, such as amino acids and amines, biofiltration, if used prior to disinfection, is particularly successful at removing cyanogen halide precursors. Oxidation before final disinfection can increase halonitromethane formation and decrease N-nitrosodimethylamine, and chloramination is likely to increase cyanogen halides and NDMA relative to chlorination., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The contribution of two blue-green algae species, Anabaena flos-aquae and Microcystis aeruginosa, to the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) was investigated. The experiments examined the formation potential of these disinfection by-products (DBPs) from both algae cells and extracellular organic matter (EOM) during four algal growth phases. Algal cells and EOM of Anabaena and Microcystis exhibited a high potential for DBP formation. Yields of total THMs (TTHM) and total HAAs (THAA) were closely related to the growth phase. Reactivity of EOM from Anabaena was slightly higher than corresponding cells, while the opposite result was found for Microcystis. Specific DBP yields (yield/unit C) of Anabaena were in the range of 2-11micromol/mmol C for TTHM and 2-17micromol/mmol C for THAA, while those of Microcystis were slightly higher. With regard to the distributions of individual THM and HAA compounds, differences were observed between the algae species and also between cells and EOM. The presence of bromide shifted the dominant compounds from HAAs to THMs.

This bench-scale study investigated the passage of particle-associated bacteriophage through a dual-media (anthracite-sand) filter over a complete filter cycle and the effect on subsequent ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Two model viruses, bacteriophages MS2 and T4, were considered. The water matrix was de-chlorinated tap water with either kaolin or Aldrich humic acid (AHA) added and coagulated with alum to form floc before filtration. The turbidity of the influent flocculated water was 6.4+/-1.5 NTU. Influent and filter effluent turbidity and particle counts were measured as well as headloss across the filter media. Filter effluent samples were collected for phage enumeration during three filter cycle stages: (i) filter ripening; (ii) stable operation; and (iii) end of filter cycle. Stable filter operation was defined according to a filter effluent turbidity goal of <0.3 NTU. Influent and filter effluent samples were subsequently exposed to UV light (254 nm) at 40 mJ/cm(2) using a low pressure UV collimated beam. The study found statistically significant differences (alpha=0.05) in the quantity of particle-associated phage present in the filter effluent during the three stages of filtration. There was reduced UV disinfection efficiency due to the presence of particle-associated phage in the filter effluent in trials with bacteriophage MS2 and humic acid floc. Unfiltered influent water samples also resulted in reduced UV inactivation of phage relative to particle-free control conditions for both phages. Trends in filter effluent turbidity corresponded with breakthrough of particle-associated phage in the filter effluent. The results therefore suggest that maintenance of optimum filtration conditions upstream of UV disinfection is a critical barrier to particle-associated viruses.

This study investigated whether colloid-sized particles can enmesh and protect viruses from 254-nm ultraviolet (UV) light and sought to determine the particle characteristics (e.g. size, chemical composition) that are most relevant in causing a protective effect. Two viral surrogates (MS2 coliphage and bacteriophage T4), three types of particles (kaolin clay, humic acid powder, and activated sludge), two coagulants (alum and ferric chloride), two filtration conditions (none and 0.45 microm), and two UV doses (40 and 80 mJ/cm2 for MS2 coliphage; 2 and 7 mJ/cm2 for bacteriophage T4) were considered in a series of bench-scale UV collimated beam experiments. Transmission electron microscopy was used to qualitatively confirm the phage particle-association after coagulation. Humic acid and activated sludge floc particles shielded both viral surrogates to a statistically significant degree (with >99% confidence) relative to particle-free control conditions, while the kaolin clay particles provided no significant protection. The results of the study suggest that particles <2 microm in diameter are large enough to protect viruses from UV light and that particulate chemical composition (e.g. UV-absorbing organic content) may be a critical factor in the survival of particle-associated viruses during UV disinfection.